groveoflove

“Bye.” Fern said shyly, giving the woman a tiny wave. Once they were out, he was delighted when Rachel put him on her shoulders instead of just carrying him on her hip. “Everything looks so tiny! Even the other amazons.” He whispered to Rachel, glancing everywhere around them. “They’re croaking.” Fern laughed at her joke, clutching his toy tight so she could get a good view of things too. “At the zoo, what kind of animals are there? I want to know how different it is from a zoo back home. Is it really big?”

Fern nodded, finishing off the rest of his ice cream at more of a slow pace. He was relieved Rachel didn’t mention the wet diaper out loud, though she obviously knew. It was a lot harder to just....let go and not try to automatically hold it then you’d think. He hoped at least he wouldn’t continue feeling so self conscious about it, like people were going to stare at him and start whispering. If anything, they’d probably give weird looks if he wasn’t in a diaper, considering how littles were usually dressed and he was apparently on the younger side. Fern couldn’t help some giggles slipping out as Rachel tickled him, picking up the shark. “I’m naming her Benchley. I think she’s a girl, because female great whites are bigger then the males. And I’m naming her after the author of Jaws, ‘cause he regretted all the fear of sharks that the book and movie caused because it got a lot of sharks killed. So he spent the rest of his life as a shark conservatism activist.” He informed Rachel, a bit of a shy tone creeping in. She might just think it was dumb, like a lot of kids used to when he got really into a topic. “I’m all done.” He paused. “Thank you for the ice cream.”

“Oh, this will be fun!” May beamed, reaching over the table to ruffle Brie’s hair. “You’re going to look adorable at the zoo tomorrow. Maybe you can charm the workers into giving you a free pass.” She looked over to the waitress. “Oh, thank you! Just the check and two boxes, please, for Brie’s here leftovers and dessert. And hmmm, I don’t know, Brie...that nap was pretty short. You might fall asleep early and wake up before anyone else tomorrow, and then be too tired at the zoo with Aunt Rachel. Poor little Maddie would be so disappointed. You don’t want to disappoint your baby cousin, do you?” May was just as content to continue playing this game with Brie, it was both funny and cute. The waitress beamed again, clearly still finding Brie just a little cutie, before leaving to grab the boxes and check. “Brie, do you think you need the bathroom again before we leave?”

“I want to feed myself.” It was embarrassing, but the bib was probably necessarily. Even on Rachel’s lap, the table felt so high and tall compared to him. “I wouldn’t throw a fit, she’s just doing her job.” Fern carefully scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, making sure to get a gummy frog, before eating it. He was getting used to food hear being really sweet or salty, but this was so unimaginably sweet, it was bursting in his mouth. “Mmmh!” He went for another spoonful, trying to resist speed eating. One, because his stomach was still a little twisty, and two, he didn’t want to do anything that might make Rachel think he couldn’t feed himself out in public. He continued eating, savoring every bite as he lightly swung his legs. Towards the end of the bowl, he started feeling a twinge in his bladder, most likely from the water earlier at the house. And while he felt incredibly self conscious about it, he’d been trying to do what Rachel had suggested today, and to just go instead of trying to hold it. It was just kinda embarrassing to do it in public, even if no one besides Rachel could tell. He squirmed a bit before he was able to get himself to pee, feeling his diaper go warm and wet as he tried to distract himself with eating instead. “....Is your ice cream good?”

May grinned widely at her success. Oh, yes, she could even do it tomorrow before the zoo. It would be adorable. “Of course, cutie. The short pigtails are pretty in fashion for littles your age too. Do you think you’d like them low or high on your head? And do you want hair clips or barrettes? Because I used to collect those like a fiend. That and bracelets. I’d wear like a dozen to school. We can probably find a cheap pack of them at the drug store on the way home.” “Your sacrifice won’t be in vein, Brie.” May said solemnly. “I’ll be sure to pack the leftovers in a box, along with whatever bit of you I can find if you end up exploding. I’ll break out the hot glue gun once I’m home.” Speaking of the devil, the waitress returned, her seemingly usual bubbly smile still on. “How are we doing? Can I get anyone a refill or some boxes to take your food?” She shot a quick wink at Brie, before placing down a small bowl of vanilla ice cream with a brownie and a squiggle of caramel on top. Small, of course, being by this dimension’s serving sizes. “Polite cute littles get a free dessert with their meals. Now don’t eat too fast, honey, I bet your Mommy wouldn’t want you to end up with a tummy ache before your nap!”

Fern looked shy as soon as they approached the worker, ducking his head to study the ground as Rachel ordered. The woman referring to him as a boy, of course, didn’t upset him at all, and in fact he had to hide a small smile. Rachel corrected her immediately, but it made him glad all over again he’d cut his hair short, even if it was starting to get too long for his liking. Rachel had been letting him dress more like he wanted today, maybe she’d consider a haircut too without reading too much into it. “I like blue. And dogs.” Fern said, trying to not speak so quietly and nervously. “Thank you.” He tried to give the woman a smile, but feeling a pang of anxiety, just ducked his face against Rachel’s shoulder instead.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want, or if it’s uncomfortable to think about.” May offered, taking a sip out of her iced tea. “We can totally talk about anything else. Like how you should definitely let me do your hair sometime. Because it’s adorable, and I’ve been dying to get my hands on it. I’m thinking pigtails, or braids. I can do so many different kinds of braids, don’t test me.” May laughed lightly, sitting back. “I’ve been taller then Renee since I was sixteen. Hit my second growth spurt and shot right up. I like to think its karma for me being the kid sister for so long. So someone’s still going to be teeny tiny.” She teased. “If I visit, I’ll give you a piggyback ride. And you can show me the sights in your dimension.” May was interested in seeing if art was any different here compared to there. Different subjects or styles, or just to see what was caught fame there that might not here. Her knowledge of that dimension’s history was rather limited, but she did know there were a few famous starving artists, who only caught fame long after their deaths.

Fern grabbed the shark from the fort, tucking it safely in his arms before they left. The walk was nice and quiet, and he’d always liked the after rain smell. Everything smelled fresh and damp, and the water dripping off from the leaves was calming. It was a tiny bit chilly, but not too bad, he’d just always preferred spring and summer over the cold. He didn’t even like snow all that much. To his relief, Rachel had been right about people not hanging out in the ice cream shop, in fact other then the few workers they were the only ones in there. “It’s too chilly to sit outside. And you’d get your clothes all wet.” Fern decided, before hesitating, sounding self conscious. “....Can I still sit on your lap inside? I don’t want to sit in a high chair right now.” He felt weirdly clingy, he didn’t want to be stuck all alone in a high chair. With that done, Fern then went into the long process of trying to decide what he wanted, stumped by all the choices offered. They had flavors here he’d never even heard of, from a range of both amazon and little tastes he supposed. He decided to stay on the safe side this time, he could always be adventurous some other time. “...I think I want the birthday cake flavor. Can I get candy on it too?” After shooting a glance at the offered toppings, he knew immediately what he wanted. “They have gummy frogs!”

May had to keep reminding herself that Brie wasn’t a little back home. A little as a teacher seemed so odd. But she wisely kept that opinion to herself. “Your world has a hard time accepting people for who they are, huh? I’ve heard a lot of stories, but I guess I assumed they were a bit exaggerated.” May admitted. “And we can trade places when you get four feet on me, stinker.” The wings were good, spicy like she wanted, but not too spicy. Her roommates used to tease her for being a wimp about hot food. On Brie’s suggestion, she snatched a french fry from the littles plate, before dipping it in the sauce, making a face as soon as she tried it. “That’s ungodly sweet, Brie! Feels like they dumped pure maple syrup and honey in here, bleh.”

“I just got my pajamas though....” Fern frowned, conflicted. Did he really want to leave the house right now? But if it was just for ice cream, it’s not like Rachel would want him to go play with some random littles. And he did like ice cream. “Can I bring my shark?” He liked all his animals, but the shark was definitely his favorite. “....Would there be a lot of people there?”

“Wait till the zoo tomorrow. Little tickets are half price. We’re have money to spare for the gift shop.” May giggled, reaching for the purple crayon now. “Well, I started off majoring in a tech field, but after a year it didn’t really speak to me any longer, you know? I thought about engineering for a bit, but I got into a real big art hit junior year, so I started studying that. And then promptly lost interest in it a month before graduation.” She laughed. “Haven’t really found anything that I want to stick with just yet. Right now I just do digital commissions or bail friends of friends out if their computer bricks and they don’t want to head to a repair shop.” May stuck her tongue teasingly at Brie, going for a piece of bread for now. “And your end goal of making me feel as old as Rachel is revealed!”

Fern’s first worry as soon as Rachel started the music that it was indeed one of the regression ones, so he was relieved at the reassurement. He started drinking the water from the bottle, enjoying the silence for a bit. He’d been talking to Rachel a lot today, and while it hadn’t been bad at all, it was a bit tiring. Sometimes it was nice to just be quiet and not be expected to talk or to respond. Once all the water was drained, his head did feel a bit better. Not as icky, anyway, and it wasn’t hurting as much. “.....I don’t know what I want to do now.” Fern admitted after a few minutes, still feeling wrung out.

“I don’t want to sleep.” Fern said immediately, resting his head against Rachel’s shoulder as she carried him. “Can I just stay up?” He felt both exhausted and keyed up, he hadn’t cried like that in...he didn’t even remember how long. Just full out crying. Even when he was a kid, his dad just got annoyed at any crying or whining. “....I don’t think so. I feel kinda nauseous...”

“I am in the mood for chocolate....” May said in mock deep thought, tapping her chin. “And if I’m going to have a cute tiny little roommate, I should take all the advantages of having a cute tiny little roommate.” She shot a wide grin at Brie, leaning over to start coloring on the menu. She decided to leave the fun looking portions for Brie, focusing on just the landscaping for now. “I thought I knew art was challenging doing my finale term project last year. Now I know art is challenging using the world’s smallest crayons.” May lamented. And they were the big chunky young kid crayons too, perfect for a little’s small hand. “Oh, so polite! You’re just a little doll.” The waitress cooed down at Brie. “Someone knows her manners like a big girl! A lot of littles your age or younger forget them because they get too excited or overwhelmed about being out. Mommy must’ve taught you well. Now your food should be out shortly, do you two need anything else before then?”

The shorts seemed more his style, besides the color, but the sleeper looked soft and comforting. And he felt awful enough, he might as well try to do tiny things to feel better. “The sleeper.” Fern went quiet again as Rachel got him dressed, before shrugging. “My head hurts.” He admitted. “And my stomach feels weird. Sometimes when I get really stressed I get really bad headaches.” Usually, he’d sleep it off, but he felt way too on edge to even consider that for a good while. He’d just end up having the exact same nightmare, he knew it. “..Water, I think.”

“Coming right up, sweetie!” The waitress shot a knowing smile at May, obviously thinking Brie was just a little trying to act all mature and big. “I’ll get those drinks right out, we don’t want anyone getting thirsty, huh?” With that, she left towards the kitchen. May laughed, leaning over to grab a crayon at Brie’s suggestion. “Keep playing up to her, maybe she’ll offer you free dessert for being so cute. What part do you want to color first? Better pick now or I will claim that pink crayon, and not share.” She said playfully, before looking up as the waitress came back to drop off the drinks. “Thank you. What do you say to the nice lady, Brie?” May prompted, thinking it might be fun to join in on the little’s game.

“Okay.” Fern said, just relieved the conversation was ending. He couldn’t even get himself to talk to Rachel, he couldn’t imagine he’d be able to do it to Brie or a complete stranger like Renee. For now though, he let himself sink against Rachel for once, letting the rocking soothe him. He didn’t answer immediately when Rachel spoke again, trying to make the moment last. “.....Can I get into pajamas? Not the one May got, it’s too warm.” He scrubbed at his cheeks, trying to sit up. “...Can I have something to drink? I feel icky.”

“I might’ve! Though I was a serious horse girl for a good few years there.” May laughed as well, putting her menu back down. “Do you feel like coloring? Because that menu is adorable, just look at that castle.” Kids menus were always fun when you were young, and it was always a little bittersweet deciding you were too old to scrib “I might’ve! Though I was a serious horse girl for a good few years there.” May laughed as well, putting her menu back down. “Do you feel like coloring? Because that menu is adorable, just look at that castle. And you should ask to try out all their sauces, I hear they have a mystery one.” Kids menus were always fun when you were young, and it was always a little bittersweet deciding you were too old to scribble on one anymore. But littles never had to grow out of any of those childhood activities. After a few minutes, the waitress returned, placing down a basket of cheesy bread. “Okay! Now what can I get you? Oh! And will we be using a sippy cup tonight or is someone big enough to use the one for the older kids?” She asked cheerfully, pulling her notebook out of her pocket. “We have apple, cranberry, orange, and pineapple juice!” May hummed, glancing over at Brie before placing her own order. “I’ll be getting the wings, medium sauce please. And could I get a diet coke?”

“No. I can’t.” Fern said immediately, jerking his head to the side, his chest feeling tight again. He didn’t think he could force the words out even if he wanted to, just thinking about it filled him with dread and worry. He didn’t think Rachel would get mad mad, though you never know, but she might laugh or just not care. And he couldn’t deal with that again, everyone giving him weird looks or not talking to him or worse.

“Oh! We have a little princess here! Aren’t you just adorable. And so polite!” The mid cooed, pulling the requested menu from her apron’s pocket along with a pack of crayons. “You two take your time picking what you want, I’ll be back in a few minutes!” It seemed to be a basic kid’s menu options wise, but they all had a ‘princess’ sounding name for them. Likely the difference between the menus was just the naming and the designs. There were the usual chicken fingers and small hamburgers options, but there were also choices that clearly embraced littles’s tendency to like overly sweet or salty foods with names like ‘Princess Maple’s Sugary Mac n Bites’. The coloring book portion of the menu also seemed to be geared to knowing most littles would likely be more interested in coloring pictures that weren’t just a simple small one or just a tick-tack-toe board. ”Oh, I could’ve sworn you’d pick the pirate option, Brie.” May teased, flipping through the much more boring adult menu. “What sounds good to you so far?” This place seemed sweet, she’d have to tell Rachel to bring Maddie some time. From the glance she’d thrown over to Brie’s menu, it looked like they had some choices for much younger littles along with older ones who thought they were too mature for chicken fingers and dipping sauce.

“....A few times, but not as bad.” Fern hesitated, shaking his head. “I’m not. I-It’s something that already happened.” So it wasn’t like Rachel could stop him from remembering it and being just as terrified and upset over it, it wasn’t like it was him just being afraid of the dark or something. He went quiet, unsure how to explain the dream or if he even wanted to. It still felt shameful in a way, that he’d been so stupid to end up like that and that he still wasn’t over it, even if there were loads of other times just like it. “My dad was mad at me about something.” Fern said finally, not wanting to go into any further details.

“It wasn’t the movie.” Fern shook his head, finding himself relaxing into Rachel’s hold as she continued to rock. Focusing on just the gentle back and forth of the rocking chair was starting to settle his breathing completely. “....I didn’t mean to scare you.” His tone sounded upset, before he went quiet for a few long minutes. He felt wrung out now that his crying was done, completely exhausted. “I just-“ He shrugged, uncertainty flooding his voice, unsure of how to talk about this, or if he even wanted to. “I. Um. I have a nightmare a lot, the same one. ....It was just really bad this time. It felt so real....”

“I’ve never actually been here.” May admitted. “It’s a family restaurant, I only know about it because one of my roommates in college had a little brother who loved the chicken fingers, and would beg to come here every time her family visited. I never really had a reason to come before.” It did look friendly though. A lot of families with both amazon kids and/or littles, though of course the number of littles out numbered the amazon kids. It was a shame, even with all the advancement in the last few decades the birthrate for amazons was still only a bit higher than when she’d been a kid. She’d always had the most amount of amazon kids in her family growing up, most of her classmates either had none or only one amazon sibling, the rest were adopted littles. It was fairly busy, so it was a bit of a wait till the hostess was able to bring them to a table, one with a booster chair, though there was space on the table to slide a high chair right against it. That seemed sweet, then even the youngest littles could be right apart of the table as well. May helped Brie into her seat, before sitting across from her. ”Hiya! Just the two of you today? How are you?” A bubbly looking mid teen approached the table, clearly a waitress. “Now, little missy, we have a few different menus to choose from here, because sometimes it’s fun to have different options, huh? Would you like our cowboys menu, our princess menu, or our pirates menu?” She brightly addressed Brie. “We also have a regular littles menu if someone is feeling too big for any of the themed ones.” She winked.

“I-I was crying.” Fern was still horrified about it, especially as he realized he had to have been loud enough for Rachel to hear. And he hadn’t been hurt or anything that actually needed a reaction like he’d just had. He was starting to calm down, his shaking dying down to just a slight tremble. But the memory of his nightmare was still so fresh, still right there, he could feel himself all tense and on edge. “I don’t. I don’t cry in front of people.” Fern eventually managed out, the shame starting to sink in. What was wrong with him? All of this over a stupid nightmare he’d had plenty of times over? It was disgusting. “I’m sorry.” He repeated, biting down on the pacifier again. “It was just a stupid nightmare, it’s nothing.” But he couldn’t stop trembling still.

“I did bring a few extras just in case you had to go while we were at the store.” May fished them out of the backseat, slipping them into her purse to give Brie a hint of discretion. She scooped Brie out of her seat, turning around to examine the back of her shorts. “You look good, looks like you didn’t go too much. Lucky, I didn’t think of grabbing you a change of pants or shorts.” May gently ruffled Brie’s hair, taking her hand as she began walking to the restaurant. Once at the front, a friendly looking hostess greeted them, and was more then happy to point them in the direction of the bathrooms, with a bit of a knowing smile. The little bathroom was a bit of a change then usual. While there were a few obvious potties and a changing table, most of the toilets were, well, regular toilets but sized for a little. Soft music played from a hidden overhead speaker, and the entire bathroom smelled sweet. Looking at it, May wondered if free littles were frequent guests here along with adopted littles. “Okay, sweetie, do you want to try seeing if you have anything left in you before you change? Then we can get a table and put some food in you.” She playfully poked the smaller girl’s stomach.