9th October, 2022 - Los Angeles, California
"These look so spooky, baby doll." Sebastian says, as he puts the freshly decorated cookies into a cookie jar, making sure that icing and sprinkles don't smudge. "You worked so hard on these, hm?"
Lux nods shyly, eyeing the cookies as he puts them into the jar. Her earlier meltdown had been forgiven and forgotten by the two men but it was still lingering in the back of her mind. It was all so stupidly childish it almost made her want to cry.
"Wow look at those" Vincent exclaims, walking into the kitchen. "They're perfect. You should feel so proud of yourself."
She glanced at the cookie jar and, despite herself, felt a small flicker of pride. The cookies did look pretty goodâbrightly coloured pumpkins, spooky little ghosts, and sparkly spiders. She hated to admit it but she enjoyed decorating them. A lot.
"Do you want to try one?" Sebastian asked, holding the jar out to her. "You worked hard. I think you've earned a treat."
Lux hesitated for a moment before nodding. She reached into the jar and carefully picked out a ghost-shaped cookie, its white icing dusted with silver sprinkles.
She bit into it. "It's... good" she admitted, her voice soft.
Sebastian chuckled, clearly pleased. "Told you you'd make a great baker."
She continues to nibble around the edge of the cookie, however, there was a different feeling overshadowing her happiness about the cookies. Without even meaning too, when she was busy decorating the cookies, she had managed to have a little accident and it was quickly becoming very uncomfortable. It was humiliating. It wasn't just the discomfort; it was the overwhelming sense of being so small, so dependent, and she couldn't control that.
Sebastian was the first to notice the shift in her expression. His eyes softened when he saw her pale face and the way she was fidgeting, her gaze darting around the room as though looking for an escape. "What's the matter, sweet girl?" he asked gently, his voice full of concern.
"I... I think... I...," she faltered, unsure how to voice the growing panic in her chest.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said in a calm, soothing tone. "Luxie, you're safe here. Whatever it is, you can tell us."
Lux finally choked out a small, broken whisper, "I... I didn't mean to."
"Oh Luxie" Sebastian mumbles, finally realising what's happened. "Do you need a change Luxie, is that it?"
She nods, relieved that he said it and not her.
"Okay babe, let's get that sorted."
In one swift motion, the small girl is lifted up and taken away by Sebastian to have her little 'problem' fixed, leaving Vincent alone in the kitchen.
He finishes cleaning up the little cookie decorating station they had set up for Lux, putting the sprinkles back into the cupboard and the left over icing into the trash. He wipes down the counters, making sure there is no sticky residue before taking a step back to make sure everything is in its correct place.
After another minuet, Sebastian finally reappears, carrying a very sniffily Lux against his chest. "There we go" He mumbles, grabbing her half eaten cookie which was abandoned on the table when. "Do you want to finish this now sweetheart?"
Lux doesn't respond but takes the cookie from him, her little fingers wrapping around the treat. She didn't feel like a big girl right now, not even a little bit, and that made her stomach twist.
"Now how about some arts and crafts? Just like we said earlier." Vincent asks, hoping the idea of doing something she enjoys may brighten her mood a little.
"I bet we could make some super spooky decorations to go with your cookies. How does that sound?" Sebastian chimes in.
Lux sniffled, her tear-streaked face pressed against Sebastian's chest as she held the cookie like a lifeline. Slowly, she nodded.
"Good choice, little love," Sebastian murmured, smoothing her hair. "Let's go pick something fun."
They made their way towards the playroom, a room which Lux hadn't been in yet. In some way, she expecting just a small room with maybe a desk and a chair along with a few colouring supplies and old toys but what she saw was completely different. Her eyes widened a bit. The room was big -huge even- with what seemed like endless toys and activities neatly stacked on shelfs all around the room. There was a corner of the room full of instruments too, a little piano some colourful guitars and even a little drum set. In another corner, there where some large beanbag chairs for lounging about on and in the centre of the room, there was a table and chair complete with a crafting station full of everything a little artist could ever want.
Sebastian set her down in a little chair by the table and gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
"Look at all this, Luxie," Sebastian said softly, crouching to her level. "It's all here for you, to have fun and make anything your heart dreams up."
Lux glanced around the room, her teary eyes drying as curiosity flickered in them. Despite herself, she felt a twinge of excitement. There were markers, paints, and paper in every color imaginable. Ribbons, stickers, googly eyes, and even little pompoms filled the drawers and bins.
She never had anything like this back at home.
"You know what August used to enjoy a lot sweetheart?" Vincent says, his tall frame leaning against the doorframe.
Lux looks up at him curiously.
"He used to like making hand spiders. I think last year we had about a dozen of them hung up all over the wall." Vincent continues.
"Hand spiders?" Lux repeated softly, a tiny spark of interest lighting up in her eyes.
"Yeah," Vincent said with a smile, pushing himself off the doorframe and moving toward the crafting table. "It's really easy. We just gotta paint your hands black, print it onto some paper with your little fingers being the legs. Then you can decorate it with glitter or sticker or anything else you'd like."
"Want to try it?" Sebastian asked gently, his voice soft and encouraging.
Lux bit her lip, trying to push away the frustration bubbling up inside her. She didn't want to feel like a toddler again, not after everything. But the thought of being able to create something of her own made her feel a small sense of control again.
Slowly, she nodded.
"Okay." she whispered.
"That's my girl," Vincent murmured, and her stomach fluttered in a strange way that she didn't fully understand.
Her sleeves are rolled up and the men let Lux paint over the palm and fingers of her left hand with some thick black paint. Hopefully it wouldn't stain.
"Tickles a bit" She says quietly, continuing to coat her hand.
Vincent chuckled softly at Lux's comment, amused by the way she was reacting to the paint. "It does, doesn't it?"
She nods, finishing with her left hand.
"Here, let daddy do your other hand sweetheart otherwise there'll be a big mess." Sebastian mumbles gently taking the paintbrush from her and holding her small right hand, palm up in his larger hand so he could coat it.
She couldn't deny that a small part of her found the attention soothing, even though she hated herself for it.
She continues to let him paint her other hand. His brush strokes are gentle and soft against the delicate skin of her palms - like he's purposely making sure she feels no discomfort. His hand is so much bigger than hers too. It could almost swallow her up.
"You have tattoos on your hand." She points out, eyeing the somewhat swirly and flowery design which covered the entirety of the top of his hand and even a bit on his fingers.
Sebastian paused for a moment, looking down at his hand where Lux was pointing. He gave a small, amused smile, clearly pleased by her curiosity. "I do, don't I?" he said, his voice warm and steady.
"My mom is a tattoo artist." She says quietly.
"Your mom's a tattoo artist, huh?" Sebastian asked, his tone gentle, not wanting to pry too deeply but also curious in a way that felt safe for Lux. They already know a lot about Lux, much more than she thinks they know but they act as if this is the first time hearing this information anyways.
Lux nodded, her voice almost a whisper. "Yeah... she was... really good at it." She swallowed, looking away for a moment, a hint of sadness creeping back into her eyes. She didn't want to talk about her mom but for some reason she couldn't stop herself.
Sebastian and Vincent shared a brief, silent glance, but neither of them pressed Lux further on the topic. They were patient, letting her take her time as she worked through whatever memories floated to the surface.
Sebastian finished painting the last strokes on her hand, carefully smoothing the edges, then pulled away. "There we go, all done. Now, let's get this hand spider started, huh?"
The men show her how to press her hands onto the paper in the correct position and after a few minutes, they have a small but very cute hand spider.
"Perfect!" Vincent exclaimed, gently lifting her hand away. The shape of a handprint, its fingers spread out like the legs of a spider, was now inked in black on the paper.
"Now we just let it dry for a little bit, and then you can decorate it however you want," Vincent said, carefully setting the paper aside. He grabbed a wet wipe and began to wipe dry her hands so that there was no more black paint on them.
"Can I make more?" she asked quietly, surprising herself with how eager she sounded. The hand spider had turned out better than she thought it would, and for a moment, it felt good to be proud of something she'd made.
"Of course you can, sweetheart," Sebastian said with a smile. "As many as you like. We've got plenty of paper."
Vincent chuckled. "We might need to make room on the walls for all your creations."
She reached for more paper, her little fingers brushing over the stack. "Can I do one in purple? Or green?" she asked, glancing at the vibrant paints spread out on the table.
"Absolutely," Vincent said, grabbing the colors for her. "A purple spider with green legs? That sounds like the spookiest spider yet."
As Lux started painting her hands again, her tiny laugh bubbled up unexpectedly when she smudged paint on her nose by accident. Sebastian immediately grabbed a wipe, grinning. "Careful, or you'll turn into a purple spider yourself."
Vincent leaned down to her level, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "That would actually be pretty cool. We could hang you on the wall with the rest of the decorations."
Lux giggled, shaking her head. "You're silly."
The men exchanged a look. Even if it was only for a few minuets, she was starting to slip into this new routine. For now, the dark memories could wait.
---
"No" Lux whimpers. "Please don't make me."
The rest of the day had gone by smoothly, nice even. They had finished up in the playroom just before lunch and the men ended up ordering some pizzas too (a very rare occurrence since they weren't huge fans of their little ones eating junk). After lunch, Lux was set down for a nap which lasted about an hour and a half and after that she watched 'Princess and the Frog' in the living room.
Now, however, they were facing some difficulty again since Lux was due a bath and she was not very happy about it.
"You'll feel so so much better after a nice warm bath baby" Sebastian coos, crouching down in front of her.
Lux shook her head, her eyes wide and filled with nervous tears. "I don't want to. It's weird."
Vincent stepped in, crouching beside her and gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. "It's not weird, Lux. Baths can be relaxing. We'll make it fun. How about bubbles? You like bubbles, don't you?"
"I don't want you watching me," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The men exchanged a quick glance, understanding the vulnerability behind her reluctance. They had already dealt with so many of Lux's fears and boundaries, each one a fragile thread they had to handle with care.
"It's okay for daddy and papa to see you like this Luxie. We don't judge." Vincent says.
Lux's heart sank at Vincent's words, but she couldn't summon the courage to argue further. The idea of being so vulnerable in front of them felt like too much. She wanted to protest, to demand some privacy, but the calm, almost fatherly way they spoke made it hard to push back.
Sebastian, sensing her hesitation, leaned in closer, his voice even softer. "Sweet girl, I know this is hard. But it's important for you to feel clean and cared for. We'll be here with you to make sure you're safe and comfortable. That's all this is about, okay?"
"Okay," she murmured reluctantly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Sebastian smiled warmly, standing up and extending his hand. "That's my brave girl."
She lets the men undress her, starting with her sweater and top before continuing with her bottom half. Vincent then scoops her up effortlessly and sets her down into the warm water of the bath.
She takes a moment to look around the bathroom - brightly lit with soft towels neatly folded on the counter. There was even a small pile of bath toys near the edge, though Lux wasn't quite mentally ready to play with those just yet.
"You know your big brother should be home soon sweetheart." Vincent says, dipping his hand into the water to make sure it wasn't too hot for her.
She looks up at them as she sits in the bath, resting against the side and allowing the bubbled to cover and surround her. She still wasn't used to August being referred as her 'older brother'. She had only met the boy the other day yet the men were acting as they had came out of the same womb.
"Really?" She finally says.
"Mhm" Vincent hums. "And I'm sure he'd love to see all the spooky spiders and yummy cookies you've worked so hard on today."
Lux shifted slightly in the bath, her small fingers skimming the surface of the bubbly water as she considered Vincent's words. She didn't know what to make of him yet. He had been kind during their interactions, but she still felt unsure around him.
Sebastian knelt beside the tub, using a soft sponge to drizzle warm water over her shoulders, careful not to let it startle her. "He'll be so proud of you, Luxie. You've had such a big day today."
She nods shyly, letting the man wash her. It was no use arguing anyways.
Before she knows it, her hair has been washed with a nice smelling shampoo and conditioner. She's lifted out of the tub and wrapped in a warm fluffy towel before the cold air even has a chance to hit her.
"There we go, all nice and clean," Vincent said softly.
Sebastian smiled, leaning down to catch her eye. "Didn't that bath feel nice, though? Your cheeks are all rosy now." Sebastian chimes in.
Lux shrugged but didn't argue.
"Now how about we get you into some pyjamas, hm?" Vincent suggests.
"But it's not even late?"
"It's 5pm sweet girl" He says "No point in getting you dressed into daytime clothes at this hour."
"Okay" She agrees quietly.
Vincent changes her back into the same pair of pyjamas she's been wearing the past night with little dears embroidered into the fabric. Sebastian focuses on drying her hair so that she doesn't catch a cold.
Once Lux was warm, dry, and dressed in her cozy pyjamas, Sebastian guided her back to the living room. A soft blanket was already draped over the couch, and the gentle flicker of candles gave the room a cozy glow. Just a bit of quiet time before dinner.
"Here we go, little love," Sebastian mummers, pulling her onto his lap. "Papa's just going to start on dinner now and we're gonna have a little snuggle."
She nods, slowly letting herself to relax against him. Just a little bit.
"How about we read a little?" He suggests, reaching over to the coffee table and grabbing one of the small children's books laying on it. "This one looks fun, hm?"
Lux looks at the book he's picked - one of those ones with a different texture on each page meant to represent a specific animal. It was a little too babyish for her liking but she didn't want to strike up an argument this far into the evening. Instead, she just gives a shy nod of her head, allowing him to start.
Sebastian opened the book and began reading aloud, his deep voice soft and rhythmic as he traced the words on the page with his finger. Lux listened quietly, her head resting against his chest.
"Feel the fluffy bunny baby doll," he said, pausing on a page with a soft patch of fabric meant to mimic fur. He guided her hand to the texture, but she hesitated for a moment before giving in, brushing her fingers over it.
"Soft, huh?" he asked with a small smile.
She nodded, though she didn't speak. It was soft, but she felt silly admitting it.
As the story continued, Vincent moved about in the adjoining kitchen, humming to himself as he prepared dinner. The aroma of something warm and savory began to fill the air, mixing with the faint scent of the lavender candle burning on the coffee table.
"You're getting sleepy, aren't you?" Sebastian asked gently as he noticed her eyes fluttering shut between pages.
"I'm not," she murmured, though her voice was sounding especially little and tired.
"Of course not," Sebastian said teasingly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You're wide awake."
Somewhere along the way, there's a knock at the door. She can see Vincent walk past the living room and towards the knock but Sebastian doesn't react, just continuing to read to her, so Lux doesn't react either and just continues to listen quietly.
There's the dull and muffled sound of two adults talking as well as the very excited and energetic voice of someone else. August. The door shuts again and she hears pitter patter of little footsteps down the corridor, bounding towards the living room.
"Daddy!" The young boy exclaims. "Lulu, sissy!" He adds when he notices the small girl curled up on the mans lap, his voice high and sweet as he beams at Lux, clearly thrilled to see her.
"Hiya baby" Sebastian smiles. "Did you have a nice day?"
Lux flinches at the suddenness of his approach but says quiet. She's still not quite sure how to act around him but she's also a little glad that she's not alone with the two men anymore. They made her nervous.
August nods vigorously, bouncing a little as he scoots closer to Lux, clearly not quite aware of her hesitance. "Yeah! Me n' Joshy had lotsa fun."
Sebastian smiles, reaching out to ruffle the boys hair. "See, I told you that you would. Didn't I buddy?"
August nods, snuggling into the mans side so that he's almost on his lap too.
With the two little ones nestled against him, Sebastian speaks up again. "Now, let's finish our story. We're almost done with the sheep and it's wooly hair."
Whilst Lux is still a little hesitant about the touching and engaging in the story, August doesn't hesitate, reaching his small hands out at any chance he can get to touch the feel the different textures. Seeing the boys eagerness, Lux decides to let August take the wheel, choosing to silently watch the boy interact with the book.
"So soft, Lulu!" he exclaimed, nudging her gently with his elbow, as though she should join him in this shared experience.
Sebastian chuckled softly, noticing the way the pair were interacting. "You're a good big brother, Auggy. Look at how you're helping Lux."
August nods proudly, continuing to 'help' Lux enjoy the book in the same way he is.
Sebastian leaned over, giving both the littles a kiss on top of their heads.
Lux shifted on Sebastian's lap, feeling the warmth radiating from him. The two of themâSebastian and Vincentâhad a way of making her feel safe. Even August helped a little in his own way.
"Dinner's ready" Vincent calls from the kitchen after a little while longer, and with that, the little family go to eat dinner and enjoy the rest of their evening.