#'Camping' is one of my favourite Little April episodes (hence my icon)

[oldestfriend-invisibly]

Little 'Pril- Camping

Hello!! This is my first agere fic, based on the series 3 episode 'Camping'. April isn't enjoying the mandatory office camping trip and ends up having a meltdown and regressing (Tiny Baby 'Pril at the end as a treat!!).

Hurt/Comfort, 2.4K words.

Warnings- brief mention of harmful stimming during a meltdown. (It is very brief, but if you wanted to skip it, it's from "April, could you come out here, please?" to 'Ron decided the best course of action was to wait this one out'.)

...

April was really not enjoying this camping trip. Truthfully, she was only there because Andy had talked her into going, at least he would be there for her to hang out with. It would be bearable with Andy there. They could make spooky noises outside Leslie’s tent in the middle of the night, and fill Jerry’s sleeping bag up with leaves. 

Except Andy wasn’t there. April was stuck outside in the woods, sat on a log with her annoying colleagues, wearing a coat that made a nasty scraping sound whenever she moved her arms to pick at the bark of the log she was sitting on, and Andy wasn’t there. 

She sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm the overwhelming frustration bubbling up within her so she could focus on Leslie, who was currently desperately badgering them for ideas on how to follow up the Harvest Festival. But it was hard to focus on Leslie over the off-putting freshnes of the air, and the incessant noise of that stream flowing somewhere nearby, and the small voice in her head repeating over and over that she didn’t wanna be here!

“April?” The girl's head whipped upwards to see Leslie peering down at her expectantly. Assuming the older woman wanted her input, April simply mumbled-

“Didn’t come up with anything.”

“Why?”

“Because,” April started snapping, before shrinking back into herself under Leslie’s scrutinising glare. “Whatever we come up with isn’t gonna be good enough anyway. We’re just gonna go with your idea.” She kept her gaze fixed on her lap, too overwhelmed to meet Leslie’s eyes.

A low murmur of agreement made its way round the circle. That was slightly reassuring, at least. She sucked in another deep breath, telling herself that maybe she’d manage not to curl into a ball and scream, or violently murder one of her colleagues before Andy arrived after all. But then-

“I’m really disappointed in all of you.” 

Leslie then added something about taking an hour to clear their heads, but April had stopped listening. Being stuck in the woods, in nature which she hated? She could maybe cope with; gritting her teeth and wincing whenever she moved and her coat made that horrid sound. Being there without Andy? With the promise that he was on his way and would soon be there for her to curl up against and pretend she was back at home; she could just about handle. And if it weren’t for the decidedly awful day she was already having, April would’ve been able to withstand Leslie’s disappointment.

Finally looking up, she met Leslie’s eyes, which reflected all of the disappointment in her voice, with her own that were now welling up with tears. April really needed to go home now. Home wasn’t an option, however, so she took the next most immediate solution that pushed its way through the loudness in her head. She stood up off of the log, and almost tripped over it in her haste to turn around and get away. The group watched, stunned, as the girl stormed off into the trees behind them, a sound somewhere between a strangled sob and a scream leaving her.

After a moment of silence, Ron stood up with a sigh. “Well, one of us should probably follow after her.” Despite the open statement, there was an unspoken knowledge that he was the one who always followed after the girl in moments like this. 

So, Ron stepped out of the circle, and before he started off in the direction April had fled in, he quickly went over to the car, picking up the bag he knew had been stashed in the trunk. 

… 

In her search for somewhere to hide, April had squeezed her way into the remnants of some Boy Scout group’s stick fort. She was sitting with her legs crossed though she shifted restlessly, trying to work out some of the frustration that seemed to buzz inside of her. She picked up a few twigs, snapped them in two, and threw the pieces back on the ground like they had personally offended her. April imagined each twig she snapped and discarded was another of her stupid annoying coworkers who were stopping her from going home. The coat had been torn off somewhere near the fort’s entrance, and she was really hoping a raccoon or something would steal it and she’d never have to see it ever again. 

Even with the coat gone, April’s head was still much too noisy. She felt angry, and frustrated, and sad, and guilty, and lonely all at the same time, and the girl wasn’t anywhere near big enough to handle it all by herself. 

April let out another cry, which did nothing to lessen ever-growing heaviness in her chest as her fifth call in a row to Andy failed to connect. Why couldn’t Andy just be here already! Stupid stupid stupid phone!

Her eyes filled with tears once again, and she threw the phone as hard and far as she could, not looking up to see where it landed. In the haze of her meltdown, April didn’t register the cracking of twigs indicating someone approaching the fort. 

“Careful you don’t break that thing, it keeps you from doing your job properly, I appreciate that.” Ron squatted down awkwardly in front of the two logs serving as the doorway, debating how he could climb through, if necessary, whilst making as little of a fool of himself as possible. He peered inside to see the little girl, who now held her knees tight against her chests and was chewing on the end of one of her braids.

“Go ‘way” April huffed angrily, though her voice wavered, bordering on a whine and muffled by her hair. 

“April, could you come out here, please?”

Why did he not understand? Unless he was here with Andy, or with news of Andy, or to take her home, she wanted him to leave her alone. 

“No! Go ‘way. Go ‘way!”, she repeated, though this time some of her tears began to fall, and she buried her face in her knees in an attempt to dampen the sob she could no longer contain. Her frustration finally bubbled over and she lifted her head momentarily, only to bring it back, hitting it against the tree behind her.

“Ok, nope”, Ron decided he couldn’t wait any longer to intervene. His prior concerns about looking like a fool were disregarded when he noticed April’s eyes were now screwed shut as more tears escaped in ribbons down her cheeks. 

Not wanting to startle the girl and overwhelm her further, Ron began to shush gently so she knew he was there, before placing a firm hand between April’s head and the tree. Hand now cupping the back of her head, he guided the little one to rest against him. 

“Let’s take this out, hm?”. April whined as the braid was pried from her mouth, instantly replacing it with her thumb. Ron winced inwardly, knowing the little one’s hands probably weren’t clean. However, with her being as worked up as she currently was, he wanted to minimise further upset, deciding he’d swap her thumb out for her pacifier once she calmed down.

“Can you tell me what’s going on, April?”. He winced as the girl frantically shook her head, “Noooo!”, and began to cry heavier. She started hitting her head again, though this time against the soft barrier of Ron’s chest, and with much less vigour as her energy had clearly started to wane. 

Ron decided the best course of action was to wait this one out, though he figured could still try to help her calm down on her own. He reached back with the hand that wasn’t rubbing up and down the small girl’s arm and managed to unzip the bag he’d brought with him. From the bag, he retrieved a slightly worn dog plush. He offered it to April, who grabbed it with trembling fingers, and pressed the fuzzy material of the dog’s ear against her cheek. 

Now, with the secure pressure of Ron’s arms and the familiar soothing fabric of her stuffy, the weight in April’s chest and the noise in her head started to fade. Having noticed the girl’s overwhelmed whines slowing, and feeling her tense body finally relax into his arms, Ron hummed, once again wanting to avoid startling April when he made his next move. Carefully, he straightened up, shifting April up from where she had been resting against him. 

“Good girl, there you are.” Watery brown eyes briefly met his once he swept April’s fringe back into place. “Think you’re ready to let me know what’s going on?” he softly pried, and had to hide his surprise when the girl nodded.

“Wanna go home. Want Andy but Andy not here, an’ Leslie angry at us.” April’s eyes began to water again, but Ron just kept running his hand in calming motions up and down her arm and let her carry on. “An’ coat an’ stream make bad noises an’ make head hurt an’ feel yucky. Hate forest without Andy, an’ wanna go home”. 

“Thank you for telling me, April. Good Girl.” he praised, knowing April rarely articulated her feelings so clearly when regressed and overwhelmed. 

Now that April had calmed, Ron gently pulled her thumb from her mouth, and instead offered her the black bat pacifier he had retrieved from the bag. Although April wasn’t currently as little as she usually was when it came to using her pacifier, she immediately accepted the comfort it brought. 

“Do you think you’re ready to head back? We can talk to Leslie about making sure she isn’t angry with you. We can also see about having someone drive to pick up Andy and get him here quicker, and if that isn’t possible, we can then look at getting you home. Does that sound alright?”

“Yeah. Alright. Can stay here for a bit first though?” Despite the pain in his back begging him to insist otherwise, Ron couldn’t deny the girl a moment more peace and quiet, especially after the day she’d had.

Once again huddled in Ron’s arms, though this time much more relaxed, April fully felt the stress and tension of the day slip away. The promise that they’d help her see Andy sooner made her smile, and she hummed contentedly. After a few more minutes, the girl’s breath finally evened out fully, and she felt ready to head back to the others.

Ron deliberately played up his struggle clambering out of the fort, which had the girl in a fit of giggles before she expertly climbed out after him.

Taking her hand in his, Ron led April back to the campsite, stopping along the way to pick up her phone, and the coat (which April was annoyed to see hadn’t been taken away by any wildlife). 

…

Later that evening, curled up against Andy’s side, wrapped in her blanket with her dog and her pacifier, April decided she didn’t hate camping so much after all. The night was cloudy, so she couldn’t see the stars. She’d tried to explain to the others why they freaked her out so much, but she could tell they were just nodding in support. 

The warmth of the campfire burning in front of her wrapped around her. The light conversation of the others huddled around the fire washed over her soothingly, though she made little effort to tune into anything being said. 

The little one had clung to Andy’s side almost exclusively since he’d finally arrived, babbling to him about how silly Ron had looked trying to climb out of the stick fort. However, once the excitement of Andy arriving had worn off, and the group as a whole had decided to light a fire and chill out for the evening, April let herself drop fully. 

She was so exhausted from the intense emotions and the meltdown she’d experienced that day, but now everything was finally ok again. Leslie had assured April that she definitely was not disappointed in her, and had even admitted that she didn’t have any ideas either. Ann had poured some of the hot chocolate she made into a sippy cup for the girl, which now sat warmly in her stomach. 

April stretched, letting out a contented squeak as she yawned and settled back against Andy’s side, her eyes starting to flutter closed. A series of awws and coos echoed around the circle.

“Andy, I think it’s time we get April into her sleeping bag for the night. You wanna come too, or stay out here, Buddy?” Ann spoke softly. Andy, who had also regressed when sat around the campfire, though wasn’t as young as April, shook his head with a grin, melted marshmallow stuck to his cheeks.

“No, I wanna stay here. I wanna eat more marshmallows!” Ann smiled, shaking her head as she chuckled. 

“Sure thing, Sweetie. Think you could help me carry her to bed first?” Another enthusiastic nod from Andy who scooped the younger girl up with an adorable level of care and followed Ann towards their tent. 

“Thank you so much, Buddy.” Ann said, starting to manoeuvre the exhausted girl into her sleeping bag. She inwardly thanked God that April hadn’t made a fuss at being separated from Andy, though she supposed the girl was just too little and too sleepy to care now. 

Andy saluted to Ann, and then leant down to kiss April on the cheek. “G’night, Pril” Andy whispered.

“Nunight”, the sleepy girl replied, slightly garbled around her pacifier.

Straightening up, Ann turned to Andy. “Only two more marshmallows, okay Andy?” The boy nodded again, and bounded out of the tent. Ann carefully wiped April’s face clean from where Andy had gotten sticky melted marshmallow on her, and then gently undid the plaits in April’s hair.

The feeling of Ann’s fingers running through her now slightly wavy hair brought another contented noise out of the little one. She brought her soft blanket up to her face, tucking her dog plushy in against her cheek, and let the soothing motions of Ann’s fingers and the older woman’s low humming drag her down into sleep. 

Before she was fully claimed by dreaming, she mumbled to Ann, unsure if the words were intelligible around the pacifier and muffled by her blankie- “like campin’ now.”

April was fast asleep before she could hear if Ann replied.