Work Text:
They fell into an easy dynamic. George's trust was something he didn't hand out easily, especially when it came to his emotions, but time and time again Dream and Sapnap had proved that he could trust them, let them carry his world for awhile when it became too much weight on his shoulders. He was still mostly too embarrassed to talk about it when he was in a normal headspace, but they had managed to find a comfortable routine even with the awkward tiptoeing around the subject.
George found himself regressing more often, at least a couple times a week. While before that might have indicated that his stress levels were higher, he felt quite the opposite; now, instead of regressing to a midway point and devoting most of his energy to avoiding being caught, he could really let go with the knowledge that his friends would catch him. He would come out of his little space feeling truly refreshed, and as a result, he was willing to indulge when he needed to instead of leaving it off until his brain gave him no choice.
He felt secure with both of his friends, he really did; and yet, when it came down to it, Sapnap was the one he usually ended up clinging to. In his bigger mind, he thought of them equally as his caregivers, but little George always went straight to Sapnap. Maybe it had something to do with the man being the first one to see him in such a state, or maybe there was something more there. He didn't particularly want to think about it in depth yet.
He was perched in Sapnap's lap, balancing carefully in the desk chair so he could doze off and his caregiver could get some proper work done on the computer. He was small enough that he fit just fine, even with the very slight height difference between them, but his brain was playing tricks on him. It was almost like he was slipping in and out of it, sliding from young enough to be cuddled in someone's arms to feeling too big to be held without the insecurities creeping up on him. As a result, he'd been doing a lot of squirming, trying to get comfortable and escape the itchiness of it at the same time.
"Okay," Sapnap sighed, the clicking of his keyboard coming to a halt after about the fifth time George shifted into a new position. He wrapped both arms around the boy in his lap, raising an eyebrow down at him. "What's going on, bug? You haven't stopped moving since you sat down."
George huffed back at him, putting on a pout that questioned why Sapnap didn't just know what was wrong. He felt like he'd made it perfectly clear. Instead, he wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders and buried his face in his neck, soaking up all the affection he could in the hopes it would push his mind in the right direction.
"Do you wanna move to my bed? You don't have to sit here, I can still pay attention to you while I'm-"
George cut him off with a whine, shaking his head so hard it made his nose bump into Sapnap's jaw. He raised a hand to hold it, looking up at his caregiver with the most pitiful expression he'd ever given someone in his adult life, or even his little adult life. Restlessness or not, being put down just wasn't an option.
"Okay, okay, shhh." Sapnap rubbed a hand over his back, quick to soothe him before the whine escalated into full blown crying. Not that he minded comforting the boy, but it always made his heart sink a little when George ended up in tears despite his and Dream's best efforts to help him fully relax when he needed to spend some time in his regressed headspace. Luckily, it seemed to work this time. George tucked his face back into Sapnap's neck, pout and all.
"How about..." Sapnap began again, still rubbing circles over George's hoodie. He glanced at his computer and then at the bed, then back at the little in his arms. "...we both move to my bed, hm? And I'll cuddle you until you fall asleep."
George was quiet, but then he gave a little nod, arms wrapping tight around the other's shoulders again. It brought a smile to Sapnap's lips at how easy it was to tend to the boy's emotional needs; all he ever wanted half the time was for someone to hold him or just let him exist in the same space while he was feeling small. It didn't take much, and yet, he was constantly determined to keep treating George with more and more tenderness, show him that he deserved so many steps further than just someone tolerating him.
He wondered if that's how all caregivers felt, as he lifted George into his arms and stood up from the desk chair. The research he and Dream had done late into the night had mostly shown caregivers who were also their littles' romantic partners in their day to day lives. It had been difficult finding any platonic dynamics, but they ended up relating to what the caregivers said about their littles anyways. Always wanting to hold them, protect them, keep them safe even outside of their little space. So maybe it was a universal feeling, the way he found himself with the urge to hold George in his arms even when he wasn't regressed.
"Hey, George?" he hummed once they were settled on his bed, him leaning back against the pillows with George laid on top of him. A blanket was draped over them even though it was slightly too warm with both of their body heat beneath it. He carded his fingers through dark brown hair, scratching at the boy's scalp with blunt fingernails. All he got in response was silence, so he kept going. "Why do you always come to me instead of Dream when you're feeling all... small?"
George just shook his head, his eyes remaining shut. It was clear the shift to laying down had relaxed him further; even his thumb was starting to creep towards his lips, a habit they had yet to address since George didn't like to talk about it much outside of little space. Sapnap frowned slightly, continuing to smooth the boy's fluffy hair off his forehead. "Not that I mind," he assured, even though it was clear that George probably wasn't listening. "I don't mind, like, at all. I was just wondering, 'cause I know he likes helping you, too. And he wouldn't mind either."
Nothing. Sapnap sighed and let the subject drop, figuring he could bring it up again later when George wasn't quite so occupied with chewing on the pad of his thumb and gazing off towards the wall. Served him right for trying to have a conversation with a baby, he figured. His baby.
Yeah, that was nice. Maybe Dream would've corrected him, said that George was theirs and not just his. But right now, there was no question about it; the baby in his arms belonged there, and Sapnap belonged to him, too... whatever that meant for them.