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Shayne may be Courtney’s caregiver, but he's also their husband. And while the relationships are equally important and fully intertwined, they make sure to give both relationships time and space to thrive.
Tonight is one of those nights. Shayne is taking Courtney out to a fancy dinner. It's not fully a surprise, the date having been scheduled in advance, but the location is.
It's a Tuesday night during an off week for filming, so after a relaxing day hanging out in their apartment, the two get dressed and Shayne drives them towards a fancy Japanese restaurant about 30 minutes from their place.
The two chat along the way, Courtney's playlist playing quietly in the background. He stops at a light and turns to his wife, smiling at them.
It doesn't matter how long they've been together, it's still magical to be with them.
Their relationship has changed drastically over the almost decade they've known each other.
Going from being their coworker, to friend, to semi-regular babysitter, to caregiver, to papa, to boyfriend, to fiance, to husband.
He cherishes every dynamic he has with his wife, but it's been a while since they've gotten to go out like this, and he's excited to dote on them in a romantic setting.
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Courtney sits in the car next to their husband. He's taking them on a date and they're excited to have a fancy dinner together.
They don't know where they're going, but they don't care. Anytime they get to spend with their husband one on one is a gift.
They had been little most of yesterday, with Shayne taking them to the park to play while there were fewer littles around.
They'd had an incredible day with their papa yesterday, and now they get to have an incredible night with their husband.
The car pulls up to the restaurant and Courtney squeals excitedly. “Really?” They ask excitedly when they see where they are.
Shayne grins and nods, parking the car and walking around to open their door. “You'd mentioned wanting to come here, I got a reservation a couple weeks ago.” He explains, holding their hand as they walk to the restaurant.
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The two sit at their table, holding hands over the table, talking about a new game coming out soon.
They had ordered their meals and we're happily waiting and enjoying each other's company, when a commotion starts behind him.
He doesn't see what happens, but he hears a woman scream and before he can turn around, he sees Courtney's face crumble.
While he hadn't been able to see what happened, they clearly did, and they panic dropped.
When a little feels an intense emotion, it can force them to drop, usually to a headspace much younger than usual.
Shayne rushes from his seat, picking up Courtney and cradling them to his chest.
He finally looks behind him, and sees that whatever happened is over and it's safe, so he sits back in his seat as he attempts to calm the sobbing little in his lap.
He bounces them slightly, humming in their ear, and rubbing their back. It takes a few minutes, but their sobs calm into hiccups.
When he's finally gotten them calm, their food arrives, he looks between Courtney and the food and sighs.
“Whatever happened back there caused them to drop, can you pack those to-go?” He asks quietly, continuing to rub their back.
The waiter nods and walks away, leaving Shayne to focus on his little again. He whispers quietly in their ear.
“Hi baby.” He coos softly. “Papa is gonna get us home as fast as he can.”
He gets no response, but he expects that. With their age range already being fairly young, a panic dropped Courtney was tiny. He's thankfully only seen them panic drop a couple times, usually seeing them tiny just when they're extra sleepy, but he's still always prepared regardless, he just has to get to the car.
The waiter comes back with a bag. “Here's your food and a dessert, everything is on the house. We're so sorry this happened and we hope you can come back soon.”
Shayne thanks her profusely, and she walks off. He carefully pulls out his wallet and places a tip on the table, before standing up with Courtney in his arms, and the food in hand. “Let's get the food put away and grab your bag” he murmurs
Courtney sits quietly in his arms, looking around with mild interest, their fingers planted firmly in their mouth.
He carries them to the car and opens it, placing the food in and pulling out the backpack.
They head back into the restaurant, and he heads to the bathroom and locks the doors. “Now let's get you changed” he murmurs mostly to himself, sanitizing the changing table and lying them down.
They stare up at him languidly, and he smiles down at them, digging through the bag to find the emergency baby stuff.
He finds their red pacifier, pulling out their fingers, and replacing them.
They begin a steady rhythm immediately, giving him a small smile.
He coos at them. “That's so much better isn't it?” He asks rhetorically, rubbing their tummy lightly.
He pulls out a pull up and a fuzzy sleeper, quickly changing them into it, clipping the pacifier to their clothes.
Shayne carefully lifts the little, the backpack, and Courtney’s dress, and heads back to the car. “A little car ride, then we're home.” He murmurs as he unlocks the car again.
He hangs the dress best he can and slides the backpack into the car before attempting the hardest part, placing the little down.
He grabs the little’s car friend, a stuffed rabbit named Vroom, and hands them to Courtney, who grips them loosely.
His first attempt to place them down is unsuccessful, Courtney clutching his shirt tightly. He sighs. “I know baby, but Papa has to get us home.” He explains, trying again.
It takes about 3 tries, but he finally gets them to let go and sit in the car. He buckles their seatbelt, attaching the recommended attachment for infant littles, before heading to the driver's seat to head home.
He plays quiet classical music as they drive and by the time they get home, Courtney is asleep. With their bunny in their lap, still sucking on the pacifier in their sleep.
Shayne grabs everything else from the car before grabbing Courtney. They stay asleep, not waking up until he opens the front door.
They blink up at him sleepily. “Hi Court.” He coos, "let's get us some dinner and then we can cuddle.” He whispers, heading towards the kitchen.
He places both their food in the fridge to eat together later, and grabs one of his meal preps from the fridge.
He pops it into the microwave before turning his attention to Courtney’s dinner. He digs through a cabinet to find a bottle, rinsing it before filling it with a little's meal replacement formula.
He pulls out his own food, grabs a fork, and brings everything upstairs.
They make it to the bed and place Courtney in the middle, quickly changing his clothes before getting in bed himself.
He lifts them into his lap and smiles down at his baby. They look up at him innocently, smiling when he cups their cheek.
He gently removes their pacifier, replacing it with the bottle before they can get upset.
Their eyes flutter closed as they drink, raising one hand to hold onto the bottle over his hand.
He coos quietly, tracing a gentle pattern on their face as they drink slowly.
They blink their eyes open as the bottle empties, and Shayne replaces the pacifier. He presses a kiss to their nose, readjusting them in his arms so he can eat.
He turns on an episode of “Little Bear,” figuring it's low enough stimulation for them.
They're hooked pretty quickly, and he quickly and carefully eats his own dinner, occasionally running a hand through the littles hair.
Even if the night didn't go as planned, he loves Courtney more than anything.
And as he cuddles his baby in his arms, he can't think of anywhere else he'd rather be than with them.