25th October, 2022 - Los Angeles, California
"Arms out, babe" Vincent says, grabbing the pair of white feathery wings that came with the costume.
It was a few days before the little Halloween gathering but the costumes got delivered this morning so the men had the little ones try everything on just to make sure that it fit correctly.
Lux reluctantly held out her arms, watching as Vincent carefully attached the feathery wings to the straps on the back of her angel costume. She squirmed slightly as the soft feathers brushed against her skin, the sensation unfamiliar. "They're kinda itchy," she mumbled.
Vincent chuckled. "That just means they're real angel wings," he teased, stepping back to admire his handiwork. "How does it feel? Comfortable enough?"
Lux shrugged, tugging slightly at the hem of the costume's soft white dress. "I guess..."
Sebastian entered the room, holding August by the hand. The little boy was already fully suited up in his dinosaur costume, the hood covering his head and the tail swaying behind him as he walked. "Look at this ferocious beast!" Sebastian announced with mock fear, prompting August to let out a playful roar that sounded more like a squeaky growl.
Lux watches August stomps around the room, pretending to chase Sebastian with a toothy grin plastered all over his face.
"Let me see," Sebastian said, turning his attention to Lux. His expression softened as he took in the sight of her in the angel costume. "Oh, sweetheart, you look beautiful."
Lux blushes, looking down at herself. It was cute but she couldn't deny feeling a little bit silly for being dressed up like a little kid again.
Vincent stepped beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You look perfect, Luxie," he said softly. "Like you belong on the top of a Christmas tree."
Sebastian snorted. "Wrong holiday, V."
Vincent shrugged, still grinning. "Still true."
V, Lux thinks. So there was a Seb and there was a V.
August stomped over to her, his dinosaur tail dragging along the floor. "Angel!" he declared, reaching out his little hands to touch the soft feathers of her wings. "Pretty angel!"
"Thanks" She whispers shyly. "You make a pretty cool dinosaur."
"Alright," Sebastian said, clapping his hands together. "Costumes fit, no disasters. I'd call this a win. Now, let's get you two out of those before someone spills juice on the angel dress or tears a dino tail."
Lux nods, happy to get out of the costume. It was pretty but it made her feel silly. Like a little kid again.
"Wanna stay a dinosaur daddy!" August says, continuing to enthusiastically stomp around the room.
Sebastian chuckles, gently grabbing ahold of the boys shoulders to keep him still. "I'm sorry baby, but you don't want to get this dirty or broken before the party, do you?"
"I be careful!" He declares, trying to stomp away from him.
Sebastian crouched down to August's level, his hands still lightly resting on the little boy's shoulders. "I know you'd try to be careful, baby boy," he said gently, "but accidents happen, even to the best little dinosaurs. And we need your costume to be in tip-top shape for the party, don't we?"
August hesitated, his little face scrunching up as he processed Sebastian's words. His tiny hands balled into fists, and his lower lip trembled - a clear warning sign of an impending meltdown. "No!" he says loudly, stomping one foot. "Wanna be a dinosaur now!"
Sebastian stayed calm, fully kneeling on the floor. He kept his hands steady on August's shoulders. "I know it's hard to wait, but I promise, you'll get to wear it again soonâjust not right now."
August's face turned red, and his little fists tightened as tears pooled in his eyes. "No! Dinosaur now!" he yelled, stomping both feet this time. His frustration boiled over, and he began to thrash, trying to pull away from Sebastian.
Lux watches, quietly stood to the side of the room, as August has his little meltdown. She felt awkward, unsure of what to do. She knows that she would hate having someone watch her if she was being like that but then again, August didn't seem too bothered by her presence.
"Baby, you have two other dinosaur costumes upstairs in the playroom. How about you switch into one of those?" Sebastian suggests.
"No!" August cried, twisting in Sebastian's grasp. His little hands reached for the hood of the costume, trying to pull it further onto his head. "This one!"
"C'mere Luxie" Vincent mumbles, gently tugging her towards him as her eyes stay glued on the scene before her.
"Is he okay?" She whispers.
"When you're that little, something like this feels really big." He explains quietly, gently lifting her up onto his hip.
August's tears flowed freely now, his little body trembling as he clung to the hood of the dinosaur costume. His frustration was raw, his emotions too big for him to process on his own. Sebastian scooped him up, cradling him close despite the boy's attempts to push away.
"Let's give them some privacy, hm?" Vincent suggests.
Lux nodded, feeling a wave of sympathy for August. She knew what it was like to feel so out of control of your emotions but she couldn't imagine regressing to a state where everything, even something as simple as wearing a costume, could feel overwhelming.
Vincent adjusted his grip on Lux, holding her a little tighter as he carried her out of the room, glancing back at Sebastian, who was now trying to distract the boy with a fun little book.
He carried Lux out of the living room, up the stairs and back into her own room.
"Let's get you out of this angel costume, yeah?"
Lux nodded softly, more than willing to get out of the outfit and into some normal clothes.
Vincent started with the wings, gently unclipping them from her back and setting them aside before removing the small silver halo that was perched on top of her head and secured with a headband.
Lux shyly pulled at the hem of the soft white dress, the fabric tickling her skin. She felt small in the outfit.
"I know babe, I'm getting there" Vincent chuckles, noticing the girls little tugs at the material, not quite managing to get it off herself.
He reached down and gently pulled the material up and over her head before setting it aside with the wings. "Better?"
Lux nodded sheepishly. "Jus' don't like feeling babyish." She murmurs as Vincent starts to redress her into normal clothes.
"You're not babyish, Luxie. You're just trying something new. And trust me, no one is judging you for it." Vincent said as he pulled a cute sweater over her head.
She nodded but didn't seem fully convinced. She didn't quite understand what it meant to feel comfortable in her own skin yet, especially when she was often seen as so much younger than she actually was.
"Are you and daddy gonna dress up too?"
"Do you think we should, doll?" He asks, lifting her up onto the changing table for a new diaper.
Lux wrinkled her nose as Vincent laid her back on the padded surface. She had grown used to this part of her routine, but it never stopped feeling a little odd. "Maybe," she said, her voice small.
Vincent chuckled, un-taping the tabs of her diapers and getting to work. "What would we go as, huh?"
Lux thinks for a second, staring up at ceiling. She physically couldn't bring herself to look at Vincent as he was changing her. "Daddy could be an angel too. Like me."
Vincent smiled warmly as he finished up and gently taped a fresh diaper onto Lux. "An angel, huh? I think he'd make a pretty good one. What about papa, though? What should I be?"
"You could be..." She trailed off, thinking hard. "Like a superhero, or something." She finally says, her mind thinking back to the marvel movie they watched the other day.
Vincent chuckles, helping Lux to sit back up again now that she's changed. "Which one?" he prompts, brushing some hair out of her face.
"Maybe Captain America"
"Or the Hulk" She adds quietly, a cheeky little smile on her face.
Vincent laughed, his deep chuckle filling the room as he adjusted Lux's sweater to make sure it sat just right. "I think I'd make a better Captain America, baby"
Lux nodded in agreement. Vincent was a handsome man but even he would definitely look funny walking around covered in green body paint and smashing everything in sight.
Vincent gently set Lux back on her feet. "There you go, all comfy again,"
"Do you think August is okay?" She asks softly.
"He will be, sweetheart. Sometimes little ones just need a little extra care when they're upset." He explains gently.
"Will I ever be as.. babyish?" she asked quietly, looking down at her socks, her voice small. She wasn't sure exactly how much older August was than her but she knew he was older by at least a year.
"Sweetheart," he began softly, crouching down to her level so that he could meet her gaze, "Everyone is different. You just have to go at your own pace. There might be times when you feel as little or littler than Auggie, or, there may be times when you're more independent."
Lux looked up at Vincent. She couldn't imagine ever feeling as small as August, but she also wasn't sure how to feel about the way she was treated sometimes. The line between child and teenager seemed blurry to her now.
"I don't wanna be... like him," she whispered, her voice hesitant. "I don't want to be that little."
"I know babe," Vincent murmurs. "But it's important not to fight it. You just focus on feeling what you feel and me and papa will take care of the rest. "
Lux chewed on her bottom lip as Vincent's words sank in, trying to make sense of it all.
"How about we go to the playroom and pick out something fun to do." He suggests. "I'm sure Auggie would love to join us when he feels better."
Lux nods, still processing their little conversation as she followed Vincent into the playroom.
The atmosphere there was lighter, a few toys scattered across the floor, some soft stuffed animals perched on the shelves, and a few puzzles laid out around the room.
"Anything standing out?" He asks.
Lux's gaze drifts around the room before landing on a pile of board games, stacked neatly on a shelf.
Slowly, she made her way over.
She was still a bit unsure of herself, but she loved the idea of something normal, something she could get lost in, something that made her feel more in control. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she grabbed a brightly colored game box that read "The Enchanted Forest Adventure."
"I've never played this one before," she said, holding it up to Vincent with a small, shy smile.
Vincent, who had followed her over to the shelf, glanced down at the game. "Let's see how it works, then. It might be fun."
Lux takes a seat on the floor, Vincent quick to join her. She laid the contents out in front of them: colorful cards, a board with a winding path through a mystical forest, and little wooden tokens. She read the instructions aloud, slowly getting lost in the game's fantasy world as she explained the rules to Vincent.
It felt nice to focus on something simple, even if it was just a board game.
Vincent set up the game and helped her arrange the pieces. He was patient, encouraging when she asked questions or hesitated. Lux appreciated that. Even when she felt small, when she felt unsure about herself, he never made her feel silly.
"So, I'm the fairy?," she said, placing the figurine on the starting space, her fingers brushing against the smooth wood.
"Mhm," Vincent grinned. "The sweetest little fairy I've ever seen"
The door creaked open a few moments later, and August entered the room, now dressed in a different dinosaur costume but looking a little less frantic than before. He stood in the doorway, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Wanna play?" he asked, his voice still a little trembly but eager.
Vincent smiled warmly. "Of course, Auggie. Come join us."
August stomped over, excited, though a little clumsy in his oversized costume. He plopped himself down right in Vincent's lap, wiggling a little to get comfy.
"Alright, Auggie," Vincent said, his voice gentle as he adjusted the boy on his lap. The small boy had played this games countless times before. It was one of his favourites and just the thing he needed to lift his mood. "You ready?"
August nodded enthusiastically as his eyes flickered over the pieces. "I wanna be the dragon!" he declared, pointing at one of the wooden tokens.
Lux nodded, handing him the dragon.
It was clear that the meltdown had faded, replaced by a more playful, innocent energy.
Vincent chuckled, moving the other pieces around as he made room for August's token. "Alright, the dragon is ready to go. Fairy, dragon, and... what should papa be?"
Lux paused, her fingers tracing the edges of the wooden figurines as she thought.
"The knight?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow and smiled. "The knight, huh? I guess I could pull that off."
Lux nods, her mood lifting as she focused on the game. The tension from earlier had finally started to melt away, replaced by the warmth of the moment and it didn't take long for her to get completely engaged in this new enchanted world.
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This chapter was originally written with Seb and Vincent characters the other way round - lmk if there's any places that I didn't switch it <33