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Fern’s feet did feel awfully tired, walking sure took longer and more out of him with his current size. Or maybe it was just because everything here was so oversized compared to him. But he really did hate sitting in the stroller, it was boring, and he couldn’t get as good of a view. “Can you carry me for a little bit, please?” Sitting on Rachel’s shoulders was more fun anyway. 

Used to being left out of the decision making by now, Fern just kept himself busy with idly playing with Benchley as he waited. Great whites definitely didn’t live anywhere near where penguins did, but it was fun to just pretend for a bit. “Do they have polar bears here? I like bears, but polar bears are the best.” Fern asked once it looked like he wasn’t interrupting, clamoring to his feet. The nap talk made him make a bit of a face, but he didn’t protest otherwise. He knew he couldn’t get  out of that one! Though it looked like Brie was going to have to take one too.

May playfully swung Brie’s and her hand, glancing at Rachel. “A restaurant sounds nice. Maybe they have one with outdoor seating?” She figured a zoo like this would have all animal themed menus that Maddie, and maybe even Brie, might get a kick out of. Once they had the girls settled down for a nap, she might just check the giftshop to see if they did sell diapers after all. May doubted Brie was going to wake up dry with her track record of the last few days. 

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Fern figured it wasn’t his place to anything, though he was skeptical about Brie getting back into training pants for awhile. “I could use a potty and pull-ups if there were any in my size.” He sighed, shifting over to his knees to watch one penguin dive into the water. Fern looked up as Rachel approached them, clambering to his feet. “Maybe a little hungry.....” He admitted, having not eaten much of breakfast. But lunchtime usually meant nap time after, and he still really wanted to avoid that affair. They still had so many animals to see!

May gave Rachel a smile and a nod, walking over to the littles as well. “Personally, I’m starving, but that pancake was bigger than your head, Brie! So I don’t know about you!” She said teasingly, offering her hand to the other girl. “Did you have fun seeing all the birds?”

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Fern huffed. “I wouldn’t make something up about an animal. Rachel told me about them, and then we watched a documentary.” The aviary wasn’t as interesting to him as the other exhibits, but he still enjoyed himself. He was especially happy to see sone dodo birds, they really did look a bit goofy! He was also happy that Rachel trusted him enough to let him approach the glass with Brie. It was a much better view, and you could see all the birds swimming around. “Baby penguins are so cute, they’re so fluffy. I bet they’re really soft.” He shifted to sit down on the ground next to Brie, rubbing one of his eyes. “I’d like to pet one, I think. Not really, though, because it would upset its parents. But they’re cute.” Fern shot Brie a curious look, and though Rachel had warned him not to, he couldn’t help but ask. “Is it weird wearing a diaper instead of pull-ups?”

May glanced at the two littles, they seemed to be having fun. Brie wasn’t really the type to wander off, and while she didn’t know her niece super well yet, Rachel seemed to trust her to not move away as well. Not that would stop her from keeping a close eye on them. Very yucky poopy accident! Poor Brie, it wasn’t fun at all. And it was after I asked her to try going potty too. She’ll probably wet during her nap, it looks like she’s a bit of a bedwetter. I think I can probably convince her to wear another diaper for today, thanks though. I don’t want to push her too hard right now.

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Fern giggled, squirming away from Rachel’s tickles. “Maybe I’ll hit a late growth spurt. Everyone else had one in middle school or high school, but I barely did.” He’d been stuck at the same height from when he was thirteen, and here, he just LOST height. “Okay. I like birds, they’re just not as cool as sharks or big cats or most mammals. I like the Great Auk because they looked like penguins, but aren’t closely related to them.” He was happy to hold Rachel’s hand as they walked out, getting a chance to be ‘big’ again and walk on his own. “Did you know sailors named penguins because they looked like the Great Auk?”

”Bird time, huh?” May shifted Brie over again. If Rachel slipped Maddie back into the stroller, she might just suggest Brie take a turn in it too. “What’s your favorite kind of bird, Brie? I used to really like pelicans, I just thought their big beaks were so funny!” 

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“I liked that keeper, she was nice. Can I keep the sticker?” Fern blushed as Rachel mentioned the wet diaper, before glancing over as the other two returned. He couldn’t help but look Brie over, and it was definitely obvious that she was now diapered. Oh well. Most littles he’d seen were diapered, including littles bigger than Brie. He knew how embarrassing it could be though, so he wasn’t going to mention it to the other little. She knew what she was wearing.

As Rachel scooped him up and began walking to the restroom, Fern hurriedly tried to relax his bladder to get all his pee out now. No point in being changed and immediately wetting it again. Good thing Rachel was changing him too, after going again, he could tell that diaper was definitely done for. “...Not really, I guess. She’s just wearing a diaper now, ‘cause she had some accidents.” Which was a little curious, Fern hadn’t really had any ‘accidents’ accidents before he stopped trying to hold it as much. Maybe some littles just had different bladders. “Do free littles have a lot of accidents?”

May laughed, poking Brie’s side. “That mammoth down there is older than me! I suppose it’s not as shocking for me to see them, than for you. They just look like furry elephants to me. Your world hasn’t had much luck in bringing back animals, huh? I don’t really know a lot about how it works here, but give Maddie some time, and I bet you could ask her everything about it.”

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Fern grinned as the keeper gave the sticker, lightly touching it. Tonight he’d have to ask Rachel to move it somewhere he could keep it! “Thank you. I just really like animals...” He ducked his head shyly again at the compliment, fiddling with the strap of his pacifier. “....Do you think you’d ever bring back non-avian dinosaurs? Or is it too hard because you only have fossils, so you don’t have any DNA?”

As Rachel spoke up again, he shifted to look at her, a bit surprised to hear about Brie’s accident. Brie seemed to have an awful lot of accidents for someone in pull-ups, and was apparently ‘older’ then he was. ‘course, he couldn’t exactly talk there, but everyone expected him to use diapers. So he couldn’t really say they were accidents. Speaking of, he did have to go again already. “Okay, Mommy....I won’t say anything.” Fern promised, fidgeting a bit. He didn’t really want to have to leave the mammoths to get changed, but he did really have to go, and sitting in a soaked diaper wasn’t really fun. But he still tended to be too self conscious to ask for a change, even now that he wasn’t trying to hold it as much.

A nice man gave us one of his daughters diapers, they were about the same size. Brie isn’t really happy about it though.

“Oh, there they are!” May shifted Brie to her other hip, approaching her sister with a smile. “Boy, I was worried Maddie would’ve convinced you to move on and leave us for the peacocks’s dinner by now.” She teased, deciding to keep holding Brie for the moment. She still seemed a bit emotionally vulnerable, and likely wasn’t up to walking much. Maybe in a bit, she could suggest the stroller again. Even if she had to word it as a way to keeping Maddie company. Brie was tiny, but wasn’t like it would be super comfortable to carry her all day!

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“Wow! You had the technology to bring them back for that long?” Fern was bouncing a bit in excitement on Rachel’s shoulders, looking back at the mammoths as the keeper named them. Even if Luonnotar wasn’t thirty yet, this world have technology to bring an extinct animal back even 25 years ago was so mind boggling! The keeper thinking he was a boy, like the lady from yesterday, gave him enough confidence to continue talking. “...Is there anywhere mammoths live in the wild yet? ‘cause I heard that they used to be really good with helping the environment and climate change. They could easily knock over trees, and they’d stomp down bushes and shrubbery, the Mammoth Steepe. In my old dimension, they talked about bringing mammoths back because they could help reduce carbon emissions.” Fern decided he liked the keeper. She wasn’t talking to him like he was too much of a baby to understand, and she didn’t seem to mind answering his questions. He was used to other people getting annoyed over it.

May continued rubbing Brie’s back, nodding as the man and his daughter left. Oh, she should’ve asked for his name, so she could find a way to repay him somehow! Oh, well.... “Why don’t we talk about that later when we’re home, huh? Once everything’s calmed down.” May wasn’t sure how Brie would respond to her hesitation about answering if she could get back into pull-ups or not. Brie...did have a lot of accidents. And she’d already been thinking about suggesting diapers at least during the night to help with her bedwetting. But maybe now wasn’t the time.

She let Brie cry it all out, humming lightly as she rocked the little. Once she was done, she went to wipe off Brie’s face again, giving her a grin. “That sounds good. I bet Rachel is probably wondering where we are by now, if Maddie hasn’t managed to convince her to see every exhibit by now.” May shifted Brie back onto her hip, pulling out her phone. Like she thought, Rachel had texted her quite a while ago. “Okay! Looks like they went to see the mammoths, we can meet them there, alright?” She gave the little a squeeze, firing off a response to Rachel before heading out of the restroom.

Sorry! Brie had....bit of a yucky accident, and was really upset over it. She’s doing better now, but still a bit sensitive. We’ll meet you at the mammoths. Maybe then we can see some of the animals she wanted to see to cheer her up a bit?

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“Oh! Oh, there they are! Look!” Fern was thrilled beyond all measures, leaning iforward as much as Rachel allowed to stare at them wide-eyed. “They’re so big too! And their tusks!” As eager he was for as much information he could learn about the mammoths, he temporarily overcame his usual shyness to speak up to the zoo keeper. “Which one is the matriarch? Or are they not old enough to have one yet because their herd here isn’t that big? And how do you keep them cool during the summer?” Fern excitedly asked, before seeming to realize he was talking to a complete stranger, awkwardly ducking his head. “....Do they have names?”

”Oh, Brie-Brie, it’s okay. It’s okay!” May looked flustered at Brie’s sudden breakdown, scooping the little up into her arms in an attempt to rock her back and forth to hopefully help soothe her. “It’s okay, cutie. I’m not going to do anything to you you don’t want, okay? You just had an accident, Brie. It was a gross yucky one, yes, but it was just an accident. Plenty of littles have accidents, including free littles.” Though privately, May noted free littles at least tended to avoid that kind of accident. “You don’t have to be sorry at all, princess. You aren’t bothering me at all, I just want you to feel better and happy, that’s why you came here, right?” May shifted Brie over to her hip to walk over to grab a paper towel to wet it, so she could gently wipe off the little’s face. “You’ve been having fun the past few days, haven’t you? And feeling happy? You just had a yucky bad moment, you still have all of today and the rest of your time here to feel better.”

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Fern cheered up once they were on the move again, clutching Benchley to his chest. Maybe Brie and May had just gotten lost, or got distracted by looking at some of the other animals. Of course, the mammoths were going to be way more interesting then any of the others, but Brie didn’t seem as way into animals as he was. “In some zoos in my old dimension, they’d have painting therapy for the giraffes and the elephants. Because elephants can hold things really delicately with their trunks. Do you think they let any of the mammoths do that here?” Fern paused, lightly swinging his legs. “Do you think they get too hot in the summer?”

”I know you’re upset, Brie, but don’t be impolite, say thank you.” May sighed, gently patting the little’s head. “Thank you for all your help! I’m sorry, she’s a little shy around people she doesn’t know.” She apologized, giving the man one last grateful look as he left. Once he was gone, then of course, it was time to start the unfortunate task of cleaning this all up. It really wasn’t nice, the mess really did spread all around on the walk over here. But May could tell Brie was already upset and likely embarrassed already, so she tried her best to keep everything light as she began wiping the other girl clean. “Not really how we thought we’d spend our day, huh? Sorry, cutie. But look! It’s not that much different then your pull-up, it just has princesses instead of unicorns. Still just as cute though!”

Once she had Brie cleaned, she slid the diaper under her, carefully putting it on so she wouldn’t mess the tapes up. It was definitely thicker then Brie’s pull-ups, that much was obvious, and little diapers were made specially so little hands couldn’t wiggle them free. But at least it was more of a diaper intended for a toddler, and not say an infant. “Okay! All done, sweetheart. Stay right there, I just have to toss this all out, and wash my hands, okay? Please don’t try to get down without me, huh?” May sat Brie up, bopping her little nose. As she stepped away to wash her hands, she made sure to keep an eye on the other girl, in case she really did try getting down. There was a strap for the changing table, but she sensed that might be a little too much for Brie right now. Once she was done, she picked Brie back up, giving her a gentle hug. “Do you want to go find Rachel and Maddie, or do you want to sit here for a bit?”

 

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Fern was happy to prattle on for a bit about the monkeys, but the longer and longer they were here, the more restless he began to feel. “They’ve been gone for ages.” He sighed, impatiently fidgeting in the stroller. “Can’t we just go?” Fern said in a very rare whine, usually he tended to just sink back into a sullen silence or get grouchy. “Please?” Even watching the spider monkeys wasn’t as engaging as it was at the start, no matter how much they were climbing and jumping around. He really didn’t want to miss seeing the mammoths before naptime.

May felt her phone buzz, but was far too preoccupied to check. It was likely just Rachel asking about them anyway. “Oh! Oh, thank you!” She gave the man a grateful look, taking the diaper. “I completely forgot to bring her extra pull-ups, I’m not used to being in the swing of things......do you have wipes I could borrow too? I know my sister has some for her little, but I don’t want to make Brie wait any longer.” And she doubted Maddie would be exactly happy about having to change paths, they didn’t need two unhappy littles on this trip. “See? It’s okay, princess. We’ll just get you cleaned up, okay?”

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“I like lions too. I like how they’re the kings of the wild, but they also just act like house cats and love napping.” Fern fidgeted as Rachel stopped to text May. He hoped the two weren’t too long, just thinking about waiting to see those mammoths for any longer would make him burst. “....I like sharks, but I wouldn’t want to be one. I don’t like putting my head underwater. I think I’d want to be a dog, I like dogs, everyone likes dogs. Or maybe a jaguar, they’re pretty.” 

“Ah. Jeez.” Well, this wasn’t ideal. At all. She had just told Brie to try. But May shoved her initial annoyance away as Brie started to cry, sighing as she changed directions to just head to a nearby family restroom. “It’s okay, Brie, it’s okay. It’s just an accident.” Just a really icky one. Once in the family restroom, she had to face the dilemma of what to actually do. She didn’t have any spare pull-ups, and May really doubted Brie could fit into one of Maddie’s diapers, her niece was a tad bit scrawny even for an eleven month year old. She didn’t even have wipes. “It’s okay, honey, I just have to think about what we’re going to do to clean this up.” May sat Brie down on a changing table for now, glancing around in hopes this restroom at least had a spare wipe dispenser. 

 

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May immediately scooped Brie up to save some time. “Of course, princess! Who’d I be if I made you go all by yourself?” She gave Rachel and Maddie another grin. “Sure thing. Don’t let your Mommy get lost, Maddie!” She set off towards where she’d seen the all sized bathroom, near the middle of the zoo. Not far from the gift shop and the big themed restaurant, which might be useful towards the end of the day for any last minute potty breaks or clean ups. And who’d be able to resist the gift shop before they left? Once there, she placed Brie back down, taking her hand before pushing the door open. Luckily, it hadn’t been filled with the lunch crowd yet, so a little sized toilet in one of the stalls was open. There was even a stool near the sinks. “Okay, cutie, just try, alright? While we’re here, I might as well empty out that coffee myself.” She playfully booped the little’s nose, waiting till she entered a stall before going into her own.

”Orangutans, but I like bonobos too. More than chimpanzees, I don’t really like them.” Fern shrugged, shifting in the stroller. The wet diaper wasn’t too bad, but it was still a little gross sitting in it. But he could probably wait till they were done with the rest of the apes before needing a chance. Though of course the mention of the monkey house immediately made him forget about everything else. “Oh! I like monkeys too! I like spider monkeys. But not real spiders.” Seeing the chimps and bonobos was nice, some younger looking chimpanzees were play fighting. That always looked like a fun ‘brother’ thing to do, his brothers definitely did it amongst themselves. Fern never been really included in it, likely because he was so much younger then them and their ‘sister’. But it definitely looked fun to just go get all rowdy and dirty. “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you want to be?” Fern asked curiously after a few minutes.

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“Okay......” Fern shot one last reluctant look at the baby gorilla. He probably could watch any of the animals for an hour, just on their own, he loved seeing them go throughout their daily life. But he also wanted to see the other animals, especially one specific animal. “What’s your favorite kind of primate, Mommy?” He shot another glance around, watching the orangutans for a bit. He always liked them best, they looked so gentle and peaceful. Plus, their fur was a pretty orange/brown. As they continued on their way, he began feeling like pressure on his bladder, and after his usual few moments of hesitation, just tried to relax and let it go. It did make him feel very nervous to do it in public, like someone was going to be watching.

”A little nerdy tomboy, hm?” May smiled, glancing down at Brie as they started walking again. “Hey, cutie, think you need the bathroom yet? It’s a bit of a walk, but we should try a few times.” And hopefully avoid any accidents.

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“You said I could walk.” Fern grumbled as Rachel plopped him down in the stroller, but didn’t push it any further. He really wanted to see those animals. And, well, after that walk through the parking lot, he didn’t think he could walk the entire time. Distances felt so much longer here. But still. As they made their way further into the park, Fern took a few sips from his sippy cup, before immediately forgetting all about it and the stroller once they arrived at the primates. Orangutans and gorillas were his favorite, so he eagerly looked for those first, perking up once he saw they had a silverback. And one of the female gorillas had a little baby on her back. “A gorilla male is nine times stronger then a human.” Fern informed Brie, just happy to spill out more trivia. “And when humans first discovered gorillas, there were a huge misconception about them being aggressive maneaters, that’s probably like King Kong took off. But they’re usually really gentle, and they’re mostly herbivores. They can just be territorial. Oh! And you should never smile at a gorilla either, ‘cause they take it as you baring your teeth at them.”

”Just speak up if you feel tired, princess, okay? I don’t mind carrying you for a bit, and hey, after a long day of walking, bet me and Rachel are going to wish we can get a free ride in a stroller.” May grinned, lightly swinging their hands as they walked. While glancing at the map, she’d noted all the locations of all the bathrooms. There was an all sized bathroom not too far from the middle of the zoo, but other then that, most of the restrooms were just regular ones....boy, she wished she remembered those extra pull-ups. Once at the gorillas, May took the moment to stretch, watching her niece prattle on good naturally. “Adopted a little animal nerd, huh, Rachel?” She whispered to her sister with a laugh.

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Fern wiggled, blushing as Rachel didn’t hesitate at all before checking him, even though other people were around. “Okay....” Wasn’t like he really wanted to walk around in a wet diaper either, it was already awkward enough with one dry. ‘course it was nothing compared to his nighttime ones. “Do you think they’re eventually bring dinosaurs back too, non-avian ones anyway, or are they worried it’s going to be like Jurassic Park?” Fern was rocking on his heels, much too impatient to stand still for a moment longer. “Can we start now? Please?”

Once they were together again, May snuck a peek at her own map, giving Brie a quick stroke of her hair. “Sure do, cutie. Looks like they have a large bird sanctuary near the savannas... so that’s on the other side. But looks like the reptile house is not too far from the Pleistocene Park, we can definitely so we can definitely do those while we’re over there. Oh! Got a nocturnal animal exhibit right next to it too. Do you like bats, Maddie, huh? What about you, Rachel? Guessing we have to see those arctic birds?” May teased.

 

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Walking all on his own was very nice, especially because Brie was being carried. But he did feel winded just after the walk through the parking lot, it definitely felt way longer being this small! Stopping as Rachel paid let him catch his breath though, and he didn’t plan on asking to be carried till he absolutely had to. “If we have a pass, we can come all the time?” Fern asked, too excited to even care much that the wristband was pink. “Do you think they do special events or tours for pass members?” Fern bounced lightly on his heels, squinting at the map. Why did writing always have to be so small? “...Hmm...can we do the jungle loop first then till we hit the back? I want to see how different rainforests are here. Are they still being cut down?” And he did really like gorillas and leopards and monkeys. 

“Oh, I thought you wanted a princess carry.” May laughed, placing Brie back down on the ground. After seeing Rachel’s own purchase, she made sure to ask for two wristbands as well. Sure, wasn’t like Brie was adopted, but that was exactly why she was concerned. She doubted a place like this allowed unprompted little snatching, but after the incident in the store, she had a feeling this would make them both more comfortable. “Okay, princess, you keep this on, and hopefully neither of us get lost.” She made sure to take Brie’s hand again as they joined the other two. “What animals do you want to see, Brie?”

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“Mhm. They were on a small island, which is why they survived longer.” Fern was happy to prattle on as Brie asked more and more questions. Once Rachel placed him on the ground, Fern rocked on his heels, ready to start going now. “What animals are we going to see first? What animals do you want to see?” He tipped his head back, in a vain attempt to see if he could see anything from the seemingly endless parking lot. Boy, it looked huge!

May grabbed her own bag, scooping Brie out of her seat, before placing her down on the ground. “I got it, didn’t bring too much. I’m fine with splitting admissions, unless you want to spoil me.” She said teasingly, taking Brie’s hand as they started on their way to the zoo’s entrance. “Of course, Brie here is doing us a real favor, coming out so small so she could get a reduced price ticket instead of a full one!”

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Fern had to tilt his head to see Brie, clutching Benchley. He wasn’t going to let go of her at all while they were at the zoo, he didn’t plan on loosing her. “The mammoths. Did you know they brought them back here? From just one, and now they have her babies everywhere. I can’t wait to see them.” He paused, ducking his head a bit shyly, unsure if the other little would be interested in his animal trivia. “...Did you know there were mammoths still living while the pyramids were being built? So weird to think of, huh?” Fern looked even more excited at Brie’s announcement, kicking his feet a bit even though it felt a little immature. “Oh!”

”Oh, shoot!” May slapped her forehead as she began taking the exit off, heading into the zoo’s parking lot. “I completely forgot. I’m not used to all to grabbing all this extra gear.” She sighed, pulling into a spot. Luckily, it was still very early in the day, so she’d managed to find one not too far of a walk to the entrance. “Maybe they’re have a little bathroom, who knows? Or animal themed pull-ups at the gift shop.” 

Fern wasn’t sure what the adults, funny he’d forgotten for a moment to count Brie in that, were talking about, but he wasn’t exactly interested either. “We’re here? We can go in now? Really??”

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Fern wrinkled his nose. “I wish I was bigger.” At this point, he’d settle with being as tall as a toddler. Once the other two showed up, though, he immediately brightened back up. “Can we go now? Please? It’s been like a million years.”

”Oh, thought I had time to do some laundry, but I suppose we better go before someone gets even more impatient.” May laughed, grabbing her bag, before starting on the way out. One short elevator ride later, they were in the parking garage and May lead the way to her car. She slid Brie into her carseat, playfully tickling her stomach before buckling her up. “Wanna be a nice host for my car, princess, and keep Maddie company on the ride?” Once the little was settled, May moved over to the driver’s seat, waiting till Rachel had Maddie’s carrier in, before starting the car. “Okay! Off we go!”

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May finished up the dishes, before grabbing some snacks for the zoo. Knowing Rachel, she likely brought plenty, but you could never have enough snacks! She slipped one of Brie’s cups into her bag as well, figuring they could just fill it whenever they needed to. Honestly, it was likely a time where a sippy cup would be more convenient, just because they could fill it beforehand. She didn’t want to worry about Brie getting dehydrated, she’d heard some littles could get it pretty fast. But May would just have to remember to pass Brie her cup every now and then. “Oh, sure thing, princess. Guess this is getting easier once we get used to it, huh?” May playfully tugged on the string of Brie’s hoodie as she made her way to the bathroom. “I knew that sweatshirt would be adorable, just look at those little ears!” She hummed, starting on the still admittedly gross task of cleaning out the bathroom. “You know my college roommate I told you about, the one with the little brother? He had these cute pajamas, it was this little brown bunny one with a hood with ears and a tail on the bottom. The footies looked like little bunny ears. Maybe we can find you a cat one.” May shot Brie a grin, washing her hands, before picking the other girl up so she could do the same, saving the time of needing to move her stool. “Bet Maddie would like one too, wish I knew she was an animal nut before I picked out that yellow one.”

”Yes, Mommy.” Fern held up the shark toy so she could see, still fidgeting excitedly as Rachel slid him into the carrier. “Does Brie sit in a car seat that has to face the rear? How big do you have to be to sit the other way?” 

Once they were finished in the bathroom, May didn’t bother putting Brie down as she made her way back to where the others were waiting, grinning as she booped her nose again. She’d have to pick Brie up in just a few minutes once they reached the car after all. “Alright, are we ready?”

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“Yes!” Fern said immediately, holding his hands out so Rachel could help him out of the booster seat. He wasn’t going to risk wasted time on a scolding if he tried clambering down himself, he had a feeling it would be considered a too ‘risky’ move. “I’m ready! ......Please.”

”Oh, I better hurry with these dishes then.” May laughed, placing Brie back down on the ground, before scooping up the plates to bring to the kitchen. “Princess, I think you should try the potty before we go, okay? You didn’t go yet.” Well...besides the bedwetting incident, but May figured Brie would be very embarrassed if she mentioned that out loud. “Oh, and grab a jacket! What about that cute little cat hoodie I picked out when we were at the store a few days ago, huh?” 

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“Here you two go.” May placed down the food, very briefly vanishing back into the kitchen to grab drinks. Once she sat down, she scooped Brie up into her lap, giving her a playful squeeze. One thing she was grateful with Brie, while being small, was that she at least was big enough too feed herself! “Hope you enjoy them, it’s my secret family recipe. From the box.” She said in a mock whisper, starting on her own plate.

”Okay, okay.” Fern’s unease over the conversation with Brie was starting to die down, and his excitement was picking back up. Enough that he felt too fidgety and eager to really eat. But he had to eat at the pace Rachel set for him, so he managed to try his best. A little more then halfway through though, he felt stuffed, sitting back. “I’m full.” He paused, remembering his manners. “Thank you for breakfast.”

[Brie's First Girlhood: Priv with groveoflove]

“Oh, please, maybe you just want a niece to spoil with cute princess things.” May laughed, lightly swatting Rachel’s shoulder. She wasn’t really sure how she felt about this conversation turn. She did adore Brie, she was so cute and sweet, and easy to get along with. And May loved making her feel like a little princess, but they’d only met three days ago. And she’d never been one of those Amazon girls obsessed with wanting a little. Rachel had wanted to adopt for ages before Maddie came around. Maybe it was silly to even think about. Brie was only supposed to be here for two months after all.... “I’ll be out in a moment with the food then. Did you bring a sippy cup for Maddie? All the cups we got for Brie are probably too big for her. But I have juice.” May started shifting the pancakes over to the plates, leaving the smallest one for Maddie and the second smallest for Brie, though they’d still be full portions for the littles.

”Um.” Fern was becoming rapidly nervous with this conversation topic, feeling that tight feeling in his chest again. “There was a trans kid at my school, but- he was in a different year. So I didn’t know him. Just everyone in the school knew about him, and thought he was weird.” He said carefully, looking down at his toy as he tried to think of a way out of this topic. Luckily, Rachel walked in before his non answer was becoming too noticeable, as she placed him down in the booster seat. It was a little funny, and embarrassing, that even with that his head wasn’t completely level with the table. “Are we going soon soon?” Fern eagerly asked before Rachel left.

”Brie just loves cuddling.” May laughed, rolling her eyes, as she picked up two of the plates to start on their way to the living room. “We got silverware for Brie, think Maddie could handle them well enough or no?”

 

[Brie's First Girlhood: Priv with groveoflove]

May pulled out the skillet for the pancakes, starting to heat it up. She figured Brie and Maddie would likely only eat one each, they were going to be awfully big pancakes for a little, but she’d make a few each for her and Rachel. “Oh, Brie’s so polite and sweet, the waitress for lunch yesterday absolutely loved her! I haven’t said anything about her clothes, other then me doing her hair today, she just seems to be naturally picking out more ‘little’ clothing? She’s been having a few accidents though...especially at night.” May shrugged, carefully pouring out the batter into the pan as she pondered the rest of Rachel’s questions. “Well, she is a little princess, have you seen her? Definitely not a tomboy! I don’t know about any nesting feelings....she is awfully adorable though.” She shot Rachel a grin, flipping over one of the pancakes. “Maddie definitely seems happier! Didn’t see any pouty face when she came in!”

Fern curiously looked around May’s living room, before sitting down against the side of the couch. Rachel’s living room was definitely bigger, but this was still unimaginably huge to him. “That’s Benchley, after the author of Jaws. Have you ever seen it? Good horror movie, even if it got everything wrong about sharks. And she’s a girl, female sharks are larger than males. Like blue whales. She’s a great white.” Fern very hesitantly handed Benchley to Brie so she could see her. “And kinda, I guess. I could either pick the overalls or jeans and a shirt, but the shirt was pink.....I like green better.” He wasn’t really sure how he felt about answering the rest of Rachel’s questions, pulling the shark toy back into his lap so he could fiddle with her. “.....I guess....I just never met a trans person before.” 

[Brie's First Girlhood: Priv with groveoflove]

“I don’t know...” May said truthfully, glancing back at Brie. The little was definitely larger then Maddie, but two year olds weren’t exactly extremely tall. “We can try it out, but if it not, Brie, do you mind lending your booster seat to Maddie, and sitting on my lap? Or you can use your seat and Maddie can sit with Rachel, your decision, princess.” 

“Is it going to be a really long talk?” Fern emphasized, trying to make sure Rachel didn’t forget the importance of reaching the zoo as soon as possible. “Okay....but we don’t have to play with dolls, right?” Fern liked Brie alright, but from what he could tell, she was definitely into cutesy girly things. But he had Benchley at least.

”I’m going to start breakfast then.” May said, giving Rachel another side hug, and affectionately ruffling her niece’s hair. “Brie, just call us if you or Maddie need anything, okay? It shouldn’t be too long till breakfast. Maybe I’ll let you have another sip of my nasty bitter coffee, huh?” She teased, ducking into the small kitchen to start cooking the pancakes as Rachel got set with Maddie.