Chapter Text
the plan had sounded easy when sophia said it at breakfast.
"we'll take the littles to the park for a few hours," she said, balancing a bowl of cereal in one hand while trying to stop megan from putting blueberries in her orange juice. "fresh air. sunshine. fun."
"easy," lara agreed.
"famous last words," manon muttered.
sophia pointed a spoon at her.
"no swearing around the littles today."
"i didn't even say a swear word."
"yet."
manon rolled her eyes.
across the table, seven-year-old daniela was carefully arranging strawberries into the shape of a crown on her plate.
"i'm bringing my princess bag," she announced.
"okay," sophia said.
"and my princess sunglasses."
"okay."
"and my princess bracelet."
"okay."
"and my princess wand."
sophia paused.
"maybe not the wand."
"why?"
"because last time you hit megan with it."
"that was an accident."
"you chased her across the living room."
"because she called me princess poopyhead."
megan immediately grinned.
"princess poopyhead."
"megan!"
"what?" megan giggled.
daniela gasped dramatically.
"see?!"
at the end of the table, tiny yoonchae sat quietly in her booster seat. she was carefully eating pieces of banana and listening to everyone talk.
unlike the other two, yoonchae almost never caused trouble.
she simply blinked her big eyes and continued munching her banana.
"good job, yoonchae," sophia said.
yoonchae smiled shyly.
"nana."
"yes, nana."
"nana good."
"it is good."
while daniela argued about the wand and megan tried balancing cereal on her nose, yoonchae peacefully finished breakfast.
which was pretty much how things always went.
an hour later, they were finally ready.
finally.
it had taken twenty minutes to find daniela's princess sunglasses.
another ten minutes because megan insisted she needed her ipad.
another five minutes because yoonchae wanted the pink shoes instead of the yellow shoes.
and another fifteen because megan and daniela got into an argument over who got to hold the park snacks.
"i'm bigger!"
"i'm older!"
"i'm stronger!"
"you're not!"
"am too!"
"are not!"
"am!"
"girls," sophia said.
they both stopped.
"if you keep arguing, nobody gets the snacks."
instant silence.
lara snorted.
"works every time."
soon they were walking toward the park.
megan bounced ahead like a puppy.
"park park park park park!"
"don't run too far!" lara called.
"i'm not!"
she immediately ran farther.
daniela walked with much more dignity.
at least she tried to.
she carried her princess bag over one shoulder and waved at everyone they passed.
"hello!"
a confused dog walker waved back.
"hello."
"i'm going to the park."
"that's nice."
"thank you."
meanwhile yoonchae held sophia's hand with both of hers.
she walked carefully beside her.
tiny.
quiet.
happy.
every few minutes she pointed at something.
"bird."
"yes."
"tree."
"yes."
"car."
"yes."
"doggy."
"yes."
every discovery was equally exciting.
when they finally reached the playground, megan screamed with excitement.
"swings!"
she sprinted toward them.
"wait for us!" lara called.
daniela marched after her.
"i wanted the swings first!"
"too slow!"
"megan!"
within seconds they were racing.
sophia sighed.
"here we go."
surprisingly, the first hour went wonderfully.
megan played on the swings.
daniela made friends with approximately every child within a hundred-foot radius.
yoonchae sat happily in the sandbox with a bucket.
lara helped her build tiny sand castles.
"look," lara said.
yoonchae carefully placed a shell on top.
"castle."
"that's right."
yoonchae beamed proudly.
sophia watched them with a smile.
"you're really good with her."
lara shrugged.
"she's easy."
that was true.
while megan was attempting increasingly dangerous swing tricks and daniela was explaining princesses to complete strangers, yoonchae quietly filled her bucket with sand.
occasionally she would bring sophia a handful.
"for you."
"thank you."
"for mama."
sophia's heart melted every single time.
near the climbing frame, megan was hanging upside down.
"look!"
"please stop hanging upside down," lara called.
"why?"
"because you'll fall."
"i won't."
she immediately slipped.
thankfully she landed on her feet.
"see?" megan said proudly.
lara stared.
"that wasn't proof."
it was around snack time when things began to go wrong.
the caregivers spread out a blanket.
everyone sat down.
for about thirty seconds.
then megan noticed daniela's princess sunglasses.
the sunglasses that had survived all morning.
the sunglasses that had somehow not been lost.
the sunglasses that daniela absolutely loved.
megan's eyes lit up.
which was never a good sign.
lara saw the look immediately.
"no."
"what?"
"whatever you're thinking."
"i wasn't thinking anything."
"that's even worse."
megan grinned.
daniela was happily eating apple slices.
completely unaware.
megan leaned closer.
"hey dani."
"what?"
"your sunglasses look funny."
"they do not."
"they kinda do."
"they're beautiful."
"they make you look like a grandma."
daniela froze.
sophia looked up.
uh oh.
"they do not!"
"they do."
"they don't!"
"they do."
"they don't!"
"they do."
lara rubbed her face.
"megan."
"what?"
"stop."
"i'm just talking."
daniela narrowed her eyes.
"you're being mean."
"no i'm not."
"yes you are."
"am not."
"are too."
"am not."
the argument continued for several minutes.
eventually sophia redirected them with cookies.
peace returned.
briefly.
after snacks, everyone headed back to playing.
yoonchae returned to her sandbox kingdom.
lara sat beside her.
sophia watched nearby.
manon was pushing a merry-go-round.
everything seemed fine.
then megan got bored.
boredom was dangerous.
very dangerous.
because whenever megan got bored, she looked for entertainment.
and her favorite entertainment was annoying daniela.
daniela was currently standing on a play structure.
she had gathered three new friends.
she was explaining an extremely complicated princess game.
"and then i'm queen sparkle—"
"queen fartle!"
megan yelled.
daniela stopped.
slowly.
very slowly.
she turned around.
megan was standing below.
wearing the cheekiest smile imaginable.
the other children giggled.
daniela's face turned red.
"megan!"
"what?"
"stop!"
"queen fartle!"
"i am not queen fartle!"
"you are now!"
the children laughed harder.
daniela looked horrified.
"stop it!"
"queen fartle! queen fartle!"
"megan!"
lara heard the yelling.
oh no.
she immediately started walking over.
but unfortunately she was too late.
because megan had already entered maximum nuisance mode.
"queen fartle wants a royal toilet!"
"stop saying that!"
"queen fartle has stinky feet!"
"i don't!"
"she does!"
daniela stomped her foot.
"you're ruining my game!"
"good."
wrong answer.
very wrong answer.
daniela's eyes widened.
she pointed dramatically.
"i'm telling!"
"i don't care."
"yes you do."
"no i don't."
"yes you do!"
"no i don't!"
suddenly megan stuck her tongue out.
daniela gasped.
"did you just—"
megan stuck it out again.
then she made a raspberry noise.
that did it.
daniela shrieked.
"get back here!"
megan squealed.
and ran.
lara arrived just in time to see megan sprinting across the playground.
daniela charged after her.
"oh no."
manon looked over.
"what happened?"
"megan happened."
"ah."
the chase was on.
children scattered as the two raced around the playground.
megan laughed hysterically.
daniela chased her with determination usually reserved for movie villains.
"come back here!"
"never!"
"i'm serious!"
"queen fartle!"
"megan!"
around the swings.
past the slide.
through the climbing area.
straight past a very confused pigeon.
"stop running!" lara shouted.
they ignored her.
sophia picked up yoonchae.
"let's move."
yoonchae blinked.
"run?"
"yes."
"why?"
"because they're being silly."
"oh."
meanwhile the chase continued.
megan was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
which was exactly why she didn't notice the root sticking out near the edge of the playground.
her foot caught it.
"ah!"
she stumbled.
tried to recover.
failed.
and went tumbling onto the grass.
for one second everything stopped.
megan stared in shock.
daniela caught up.
and unfortunately daniela was still very angry.
she reached megan first.
and before anyone could stop her—
kick.
not hard.
not enough to seriously hurt.
but definitely a kick.
right on megan's leg.
megan gasped.
daniela crossed her arms.
"that's what you get!"
there was one second of silence.
then megan burst into tears.
immediate.
loud.
dramatic.
the kind of crying that made every adult within fifty feet look over.
"she kicked meeeeeee!"
oh boy.
lara was already running.
"daniela!"
manon arrived from the other side.
sophia hurried over carrying yoonchae.
"what happened?" sophia asked.
"she kicked me!" megan wailed.
daniela immediately defended herself.
"because she was being mean!"
"you kicked her!"
"she deserved it!"
"daniela!"
"she called me queen fartle!"
"that doesn't mean you kick people!"
"but she was annoying me!"
"we know!"
"she never stops!"
megan cried louder.
"she kicked meeeee!"
"because you're annoying!"
"am not!"
"are too!"
"am not!"
and somehow, despite three caregivers standing there, the argument restarted immediately.
then things got worse.
because daniela realized she was in trouble.
and daniela did not handle getting in trouble very well.
her lip trembled.
"it's not fair."
"daniela—"
"it's not fair!"
here we go.
sophia recognized the warning signs instantly.
arms crossed.
stomping feet.
dramatic expression.
tantrum incoming.
"she started it!"
"that doesn't matter."
"yes it does!"
"you still can't kick."
"but she was being mean!"
"daniela—"
"nobody ever listens!"
and there it was.
the tantrum arrived.
full force.
daniela threw herself onto the grass.
"it's not fair!"
people turned to stare.
manon sighed.
"yep. there it is."
"i hate this!"
daniela kicked her feet.
"everyone's mean to me!"
"nobody's being mean."
"yes they are!"
"no they aren't."
"yes they are!"
megan was still crying.
daniela was now crying too.
both children were upset.
both children were talking at once.
neither child was listening.
and somehow, in the middle of all this chaos—
yoonchae remained completely unbothered.
because while everyone had been focused on the fight, yoonchae had quietly wandered back to the sandbox.
she sat there peacefully.
filling a bucket.
emptying a bucket.
filling it again.
absolutely content.
absolutely calm.
completely detached from the drama.
lara glanced over.
"look at yoonchae."
everyone looked.
there she was.
tiny.
silent.
building another castle.
sophia laughed despite herself.
"how is she doing that?"
"magic."
probably.
back near the blanket, manon sat beside daniela.
the tantrum was still going strong.
"daniela."
"no!"
"okay."
"i'm mad!"
"i can tell."
"really mad!"
"i can tell that too."
daniela sniffled.
"she's annoying."
"yeah."
"all the time."
"yeah."
"every day."
"pretty much."
for the first time, daniela paused.
manon nodded.
"but kicking still isn't okay."
daniela looked down.
she knew that.
deep down.
she just didn't want to admit it.
meanwhile sophia comforted megan.
"show me where she kicked."
megan dramatically pointed.
"right there."
sophia checked.
it looked fine.
"are you hurt?"
"a little."
"a little?"
"maybe tiny."
"okay."
megan sniffled.
"she's mean."
lara raised an eyebrow.
"and what were you doing before that?"
megan suddenly found the grass fascinating.
"nothing."
"really?"
"yep."
"nothing at all?"
"maybe a little something."
"what something?"
"i called her queen fartle."
"how many times?"
long pause.
"some."
"how many?"
another pause.
"lots."
"megan."
"what?"
lara couldn't help laughing.
eventually the crying started slowing down.
first megan.
then daniela.
the park grew quieter again.
birds chirped.
children played.
and yoonchae continued her important sand-related activities.
after several minutes, sophia gathered everyone together.
"okay."
the two girls sat across from each other.
both pouting.
both avoiding eye contact.
"what do we say?" sophia asked.
silence.
"girls."
more silence.
finally megan mumbled.
"sorry."
"for what?"
"for annoying you."
daniela picked at the grass.
"sorry for kicking."
"thank you."
another pause.
then megan looked up.
"you really shouldn't kick people."
daniela glared.
"you really shouldn't be annoying."
"fair."
"fair."
the tension cracked slightly.
manon snorted.
"look at that. diplomacy."
"big word," megan said.
"thank you."
"what's it mean?"
"i have no idea."
sophia groaned.
"manon."
"what?"
finally daniela looked at megan.
"you really embarrassed me."
megan's smile faded.
"i know."
"everyone laughed."
"i know."
"i didn't like it."
for once, megan genuinely looked guilty.
"okay."
"okay what?"
"i won't do it again."
daniela narrowed her eyes.
"promise?"
"probably."
"megan."
"okay okay. promise."
that seemed good enough.
a few minutes later the crisis had mostly passed.
the girls cautiously returned to playing.
this time separately.
very separately.
megan went to the swings.
daniela went to the climbing frame.
and yoonchae remained in her sandbox empire.
sophia sat beside her.
"having fun?"
"yes."
"what are you making?"
yoonchae proudly showed her.
"soup."
it was mostly sand.
"looks delicious."
yoonchae giggled.
across the playground, megan slowly wandered toward the sandbox.
lara immediately noticed.
"careful."
"i'm just looking."
"that's what you said last time."
megan crouched beside yoonchae.
"what are you making?"
"soup."
"cool."
yoonchae handed her a tiny shell.
"for you."
megan accepted it seriously.
"thank you."
for several peaceful minutes, they played together.
it was probably the calmest megan had been all day.
daniela eventually wandered over too.
she stood nearby.
watching.
suspicious.
"can i play?"
yoonchae nodded.
"okay."
so all three littles ended up building sand castles.
and somehow—
miraculously—
nobody argued.
sophia stared.
"are they actually getting along?"
lara knocked on the bench.
"don't jinx it."
manon immediately pointed.
"look. megan's already thinking about it."
sure enough, megan was staring at daniela.
that mischievous smile slowly returning.
lara pointed a warning finger.
"don't."
megan sighed dramatically.
"fine."
the sun slowly began lowering.
the park started emptying.
and eventually sophia announced it was time to go home.
predictably, nobody wanted to leave.
"five more minutes!" megan pleaded.
"please!" daniela added.
"park," yoonchae agreed.
"home," sophia said.
collective groaning followed.
but eventually everyone started gathering their things.
yoonchae carried her tiny bucket.
daniela adjusted her princess bag.
megan searched for her shell treasure.
the walk home was much quieter.
mostly because everyone was tired.
very tired.
megan stumbled along beside lara.
"my legs hurt."
"from running?"
"maybe."
"from falling?"
"maybe."
"from causing problems?"
"definitely not."
lara laughed.
near the front, daniela held sophia's hand.
"am i still in trouble?"
"a little."
"okay."
"but i'm proud of you for apologizing."
daniela smiled.
"okay."
yoonchae sat on sophia's hip.
half asleep.
her head rested against sophia's shoulder.
"sleepy?"
"mmm."
"big day?"
"mmm."
by the time they reached home, all three littles were exhausted.
megan collapsed dramatically onto the couch.
"i'm never running again."
"that's not true," manon said.
"it is."
five seconds later megan ran to the kitchen.
"snack!"
"called it."
daniela settled into an armchair.
"today was stressful."
everyone stared.
she was seven.
"stressful?" lara repeated.
"yes."
"okay."
"i had a very hard day."
"because?"
"because megan exists."
"rude," megan called from the kitchen.
"true," manon replied.
sophia laughed.
"both of you."
that evening, after dinner, baths, and approximately a thousand reminders to brush teeth, the littles were finally tucked into bed.
yoonchae fell asleep first.
unsurprising.
she curled up with her stuffed bunny and drifted off within minutes.
peaceful as always.
daniela lasted longer.
she spent ten minutes explaining why princesses should have playgrounds.
then she yawned.
then another yawn.
then she was asleep too.
finally there was megan.
who had somehow rediscovered energy.
"lara."
"what?"
"lara."
"what?"
"lara."
"what?"
"lara."
"what?"
"goodnight."
lara stared.
"goodnight."
two seconds passed.
"lara?"
"what now?"
"i'm thirsty."
of course she was.
eventually, after water and one final reminder to stay in bed, megan finally settled down.
the house became quiet.
the caregivers gathered in the living room.
everyone looked tired.
manon stretched.
"well."
"well," sophia agreed.
lara flopped onto the couch.
"that could've gone worse."
"don't say that."
"why?"
"because next time it will."
fair point.
for a moment they sat in comfortable silence.
then sophia smiled.
"you know what?"
"what?"
"despite everything, they had fun."
lara laughed.
"somehow."
"even with the fight."
"especially with the fight."
"manon."
"what? kids are weird."
they really were.
upstairs, three very different littles slept peacefully.
one princess.
one troublemaker.
one tiny angel.
tomorrow there would probably be more arguments.
more chasing.
more tantrums.
more chaos.
megan would definitely annoy daniela again.
daniela would definitely overreact again.
yoonchae would probably continue being the calmest person in the entire house.
and sophia, lara, and manon would somehow survive all of it.
probably.
hopefully.
maybe.
but for now, everyone was asleep.
and that was more than enough.