Chapter Text
With the last vestiges of patience he had left, Ilya tried to unbuckle Shane's seatbelt. Shane was crying and struggling because he didn't want to be away from his Daddy. Ilya's father had passed away, and he needed to go to the funeral, but he knew he couldn't take Shane with him because it was a complicated country for same-sex couples—and if Shane got sulky and bored on a 20-minute car ride, imagine what he'd be like on a nearly 20-hour flight.
— Shane, my little one, please, it'll only be three days… — and Shane was crying again.
— I promise I'll behave, I swear! I—I won't take my binky, or my blankie, or anything, Daddy, but I don't wanna be alone!
— Hey, hey. You won't be alone, you'll stay with Uncle Hayden and Aunt Jackie.
Shane didn't want to stay with the Pikes. He had nothing against them, but even Little Shane knew about their three children, and he definitely didn't want to be near them while he was regressing. Children can be mean!
And Shane didn't want to be another burden to them.
…
Eventually, Ilya managed to get Shane out of the car and rang Hayden's doorbell. Shane looked down with a sullen, annoyed expression while sucking on his pacifier, and Ilya held a suitcase packed with everything Shane might need—extra clothes, a baby bottle, a sippy cup, diapers, and some toys he liked. Jackie opened the door and her eyes immediately went to Shane's sad figure, immediately enveloping him in a hug.
─ Hi, sweetie! How are you? Hayden is in the living room waiting for you; there are drawings, coloring books, crayons, and lots of toys! ─ The cheerful tone and the variety of activities seemed to distract the Little One a little, who disentangled himself from the hug and went to the living room. ─ Poor thing… is this the first time he's been away from you for so long? — Ilya responded with a nod.
─ My father passed away and I need to help with the funeral arrangements and other things, which means I’ll just be the guy with the money to pay for everything. ─ Ilya chuckled ironically. ─ Russia is quite strict about gay couples, and I don’t know much about Littles, so I thought it would be safer to leave Shane with someone he was familiar with.
Jackie murmured in response.
─ I’m glad you trusted us.
...
A few hours later, Shane was helping Jackie bake a chocolate cake. Hayden had gone to pick up the children from school, so they were alone at home.
─ And tell me more! What do you and your Daddy like to do most in the cottage? ─ Jackie tried to talk to Shane to distract him from the fact that Ilya was thousands of miles away from them.
─ I like it when- Daddy cooks really well! Really, really well! I like it when he makes tuna sandwiches because he puts cheese on them and I love cheese and he also puts… ─ Shane didn't stop chattering behind his yellow pacifier about how good Ilya's sandwiches were until he noticed a small bump on Jackie's belly, who was pregnant with her fourth child; she was just over two months along, but it was already noticeable. ─ What's that? ─ Shane asked bluntly, pointing to Jackie's belly which was covered by her apron and t-shirt.
─ This? It's a baby, Shane. There's a baby growing inside me!
Shane's eyes widened as if Jackie had just told him that Santa Claus was coming early this year.
─ And how did it get in there?!
Jackie froze for a second. She knew this question would come up someday, but she hadn't expected it from Shane.
─ Erm… Shane, it's like the baby is a… an apple pie! Hayden and I go to the kitchen and we make a recipe that only adults can make, then I eat the food and the baby starts growing in my belly. But the baby takes a while to be born because it needs to grow legs, arms, a head… ─ Shane just nodded as he held the jar and licked the spoon covered in chocolate syrup before Jackie decided to put in the dishwasher.
Suddenly, the door opened and the twins Ruby and Jade rushed into the kitchen to hug their mother, with Hayden following close behind holding baby Arthur in his arms. Shane was startled and dodged into the corner of the kitchen so he was hidden behind the fridge, still holding the jar and keeping some of the spoon in his mouth. Hayden noticed his movement when the children arrived, and he couldn't say he hadn't expected it. Even though Hayden and Jackie had warned the twins about Littles and Caregivers and that Shane was a Little, he understood how Shane behaved around them; after all, he had never been around other Littles or children before.
─ Hey, champ, how about we go take a bath, huh? You're covered in flour! ─ Hayden said playfully after putting the baby in the high chair, gently taking the jar and spoon from Shane's hands and placing them with the other dirty dishes. ─ Come on, I think you should have some toys in your bag!
...
After his bath and having his hair combed by Hayden, Shane put on his favorite pajamas—a gray shirt with Bugs Bunny on it and blue pants with the faces of various other Looney Tunes characters. He only ate after making sure the twins and even the baby had finished, as he felt more comfortable without them around. Jackie left a sandwich just like Ilya used to make for him, a slice of chocolate cake, and his sippy cup was full of lemonade.
Shane sat across from Jackie and Hayden and began to eat, taking care not to make too much of a mess. When it came time to eat the cake, he had a little trouble eating it, so Hayden offered to help him eat after gently taking the fork from his hand and taking small pieces of cake and bringing them to Shane's mouth, making sure he had swallowed before offering the next one. Hayden couldn't help but baby Shane; when you have three children and a baby on the way, it's almost impossible not to become attached to a Little.
At bedtime, Shane brushed his teeth with his strawberry toothpaste and went to the guest room where his things were already put away in the drawers. Jackie arrived shortly after the Little had snuggled under the covers with a bottle of warm milk with a little honey, just like Ilya used to make. She sat beside him on the bed and positioned his head in her lap, guiding the bottle to his lips and gently stroking his hair as he drank. As soon as Shane finished, he handed the bottle back to Jackie, who tucked the blankets around him and waited for him to fall asleep before putting on his diaper—another thing Ilya had warned about, Shane moved around too much when it was time to change his diaper.
Jackie grabbed a sunflower-shaped nightlight and plugged it in, leaving a soft light in the room so Shane wouldn't wake up in total darkness.
─ Goodnight, Shane. ─ she whispered before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.