#if I actually spoke more when I was regressed I would also babble

[greenlantrns]

I genuinely love those agere posts that are just babbling like ‘abbababa’ cause yeah,… I know what you mean and I completely agree

[aidensteddybear]

Hi I hope you are doing well. May I please ask for a oneshot/drabble with regressor!Alec and caregiver!Riya. The prompt could be Riya brushing Alec's hair while he is regressed. I also wanted to say that I love your blog.

Regressor! Alec w/ Caregiver! Riya

Riya hummed softly as she helped Alec change into his pajamas. It was a little past 10pm when Riya decided it was time for Alec to go to bed, since he seemed really sleepy. He kept yawning, rubbing his eyes, and clinging to her. All of which Alec does when he’s sleepy.

“There we go. Are you comfy?” Riya asked. Alec gave a small nod as Riya grabbed his hands and helped him sit up on his changing mat. “Perfect.” Riya smiled and ran her fingers through Alec’s hair.

“Are you ready for Mama to brush out your hair?” Alec let out a tiny, happy hum and nodded. “Okay, sweetie. Come on.” Riya pulled Alec up and led him over to where she would do her makeup.

Riya had Alec sit in her chair, before she went over to grab a hairbrush. She had only walked a few steps away from him, when Alec started reaching for her.

“Mama…” He mumbled, watching her come back over to him with the hairbrush. When Alec was tired and little, he tended to be a lot more clingier than he usually was. Riya didn’t mind, if anything she actually found it cute.

“Mama’s here. I just had to grab your brush, honey.” Riya told him. She rubbed his shoulder while going behind him so she could brush out his hair. Though, Alec turned his head to her and stared up at her.

“It’s okay, Alec, I’ll be right here the whole time. You’ll feel me brushing your hair and you can see me in the mirror.” Riya said. Alec looked over at the mirror and saw Riya, who smiled and waved. Alec turned back around and looked at Riya.

“See? You can see me in the mirror.” Riya spoke. Alec looked back over at the mirror and just stared at it for a few seconds, before settling in the chair. Riya smiled and began to brush out Alec’s hair.

While she brushed out his hair, Riya went back to humming a soft tune that seemed to really relax Alec. After every couple of brushes, Riya would look in the mirror, only to see Alec getting sleepier each time.

“We need to get you to bed, sweetheart. You can barely keep your eyes open.” Riya said. Alec protested, shaking his head and pointing at the hairbrush.

“I’ll brush your hair for a few more minutes, but then it’s bedtime for you, mister.” Alec let out tiny, incoherent babbles as he grabbed the pacifier that was clipped on his shirt and put it his mouth, still babbling quietly.

Riya chuckled softly as she brushed out Alec’s hair. She continued with her humming and checking in on Alec by looking in the mirror. Whenever she’d looked, she would see that Alec had his eyes closed, though she knew he wasn’t asleep. If he was, he would be snoring. Alec always snored in his sleep.

After a couple more minutes, Alec had dozed off for a second or two, before jumping himself awake. Alec’s eyes shot open as he looked up at Riya with a confused expression.

“It’s okay, Alec. You fell asleep and woke right back up, you’re okay.” Riya spoke, gently rubbing Alec’s shoulder. “But it’s definitely time to go lay down. You can’t keep yourself awake.” Riya told him.

Alec watched as Riya placed the hairbrush on the table and walked back over to him. She grabbed his hands and pulled him up from the chair.

“Mama..” Alec muttered, letting go of Riya’s hand and pointing at the hairbrush. “No, baby. You need to go to sleep now.” Riya responded, leading Alec over to the bed.

“Mama..” Alec repeated a little louder, still pointing at the brush. Riya sighed. “Go lay down. I’ll get the hairbrush.” Alec listened and toddled his way over to the bed while Riya grabbed the hairbrush.

Riya sat on the bed, next to Alec, who looked like he had already fallen asleep.

“Are you still awake, baby?” Riya asked, slightly teasing him, but she also wasn’t 100% sure if he had actually fallen asleep. Alec nodded, though it was barely noticeable. He was definitely already half asleep.

Riya brushed his hair for about a minute, before she could hear Alec softly snoring. She laughed quietly as she set the hairbrush on the nightstand.

Riya gave Alec a small kiss on his head, before turning the lamp off and going to sleep herself.

[miss-kittys-magical-library]

Teenage Dirtbag

(Cormac x Jeanie)

Warnings: fluff and smut

A/N: Cormac feels bittersweet about his abnormal teenage years, but a tryst at the abandoned O'Keefe's College with Jeanie changes his mind about what never was.

The last of my birthday weekend self-indulgent drabbles. I dug deep and pulled Cormac back to the front of the closet to wear just for today.

Jeanie inhaled the scent of moss and rain that filled the air around the abandoned boarding school. If it weren't for Cormac, Hannah and Brett this was surely how her own building would end up in a few years. She didn't mind the dynamic it created between her and her boyfriend, or that the purchase was for some ulterior scientific motive. She got to keep the kids and her job, and he got to maintain one of the last untapped portals.

Now they were in Galway where everything started. Or, as Jeanie pointed out once she knew the stories, Cormac’s friends gaslit him for an entire semester.

“That's how comic book villains are born,” she watched as he turned on the power grid and fumbled around with his necklace.

“I suppose,” his catch phrase, “But even Tony Stark created a murder robot. He scrunched his nose and scratched his head in the most adorable way. Then something clicked.

“Tony Stark is a murder robot.”

A calming female voice responded before Cormac had the chance. “Tony Stark is more closely related to a cyborg than a robot. Good morning, Cormac. Jeanie.”

“See how she uses disdain when she speaks to me?! Jarvis doesn't speak like that.”

“Silvia doesn't have disdain for you. She's a computer program.”

Jeanie and Silvia spoke collectively, “I'm an artificial intelligence system.” The schoolteacher pointed at nothing as if to say even they can agree on her being beyond just a program.

“I'm also not female or male, I am a sexless non-binary system. You decided to gender me when you were fourteen years old based on the voice modulation you placed inside of me. I have no body or sexual organs.”

“You just got out Cormac’d!” Jeanie teased as his cheeks grew rosy.

“Come on, I'll show you around.”

----

The next few hours were like visiting a museum of Cormac’s memories. He admitted that he had the ability to go to university much earlier than most anticipated, but he hung around because he actually enjoyed the small group of friends he accumulated his years at O’Keefe’s. Even if his relationship with Martin, the resident Draco Malfoy, was contentious. Even if they were understaffed, underfunded and simply unable to accommodate any real science program. He felt a sense of duty to the school that kept him safe when his Nan could not.

“I could have gone with my mum’s side in Dublin if I wanted. My aunt was just worried what I might just get up to if I did.”

“What, like a criminal?” Jeanie burst into a fit of giggles picturing Cormac in a life of crime. Although.. “That's the Delaneys, right?” Jeanie pondered. “Gordon and I knew some Dublin Delaneys.”

“That's like knowing a Smith.”

They had circled back around to his old dorm room where they had dropped off all their gear for China. Jeanie lingered on the old desk having perched on the corner. Her arms hugged around herself against the draft. Cormac sat comfortably on his old bed stretched out with his arms towards the wall behind him. An aged and browning poster of a full moon above his head.

Jeanie grimaced at the water stains underneath him and tried to hide her disgust. “At least I hope those are water stains,” she joked.

Cormac moved his knees apart and stared down at the bed, “Jaysus, love, what kinda stains d’ye t’ink t’ey are?!”

Jeanie raised an eyebrow. Cormac’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head. “If you need t’know, I was a shower wanker.”

He was so matter of fact, like he was about everything, Jeanie snorted. Still he made a big production of unpacking his massive sleeping bag and rolling it out along the mattress. He smoothed out the nylon, and presented it to his girlfriend for her to sit down finally.

As Jeanie settled in, Cormac stuffed his hands between his legs and his face flushed. “Do you have a boner right now?! Wait, because I'm on it bed? Is this some.. Puberty regression? AM I THE FIRST GIRL WHO SAT HERE?!” Jeanie couldn't help but squeal.

“NO! Hannah and Tara have sat here loads of times.”

“Yeah, but have you touched their vaginas?”

“JEANIE!”

“CORMAC!”

Jeanie played along and stole a kiss. Her lips pecked his briskly, but then again. They lingered longer so her tongue could sneak just inside his welcoming mouth. She may as well have waged war.

Cormac pushed his own tongue deep inside of his girlfriend’s mouth. As their tongues battled for the upper hand, Jeanie clung to his shirt and laid back on the bed pulling him along with her. She ran her hands under his tee-shirt up his back to dig her nails into his shoulder blades. His forearms on either side of her to prop himself up.

Cormac situated himself inside of Jeanie's legs that drew up alongside his hips. Still fully clothed as they kissed heavily. His belt buckle got trapped by the button of her jeans as they fought to come undressed. Both laughed at the absurdity of acting like horny teenagers simply because they were in a childhood bedroom.

Still, Cormac finally undid Jeanie's pants and tugged them over her hips to her ankles. He was clumsy at the laces of her boots which he gave up on and just yanked off and tossed somewhere in the room. Up on his knees, he threw both shirts he wore over his head. He fumbled with his belt and pants, standing only to strip them off before climbing back on top of Jeanie now in her bra and panties.

The cold air pimpled their flesh, but they ignored it when their kisses commenced. Jeanie’s hands were enmeshed in Cormac’s soft, dark hair. His lips and tongue started to wander to the base of her throat which he nipped and sucked where he could feel her pulse beat under his warm mouth. A brief moment she thought he would bite harder for fun; then he did. All the while he palmed the fabric of her panties in quick succession.

Jeanie’s breath caught at how brazen Cormac was being in broad daylight. Out in the open on top of the sleeping bag instead of in it. The static from portaling that ran through his nerves just under the skin passed on to her. Her brain was too fuzzy with desire to tell if the heat on her sex and clit was from the rapid friction or just the electricity Cormac emitted.

Jeanie couldn't even focus beyond the sensation. Her fingers and hands with a mind of their own drew his boxers down to expose his bare ass to her touch. She used it to draw his no longer secret erection into her entrance. Cormac’s hand and her panties in the way. He happily let her go so he could start pushing into the fabric with the head of his cock. Her ankles locked on his waist so her heels could dig into his lower back. They urged him to rut faster in spite of their underwear.

As klutzy as Cormac was with her jeans and boots, his long fingers were experts at undoing Jeanie’s bra. He kissed her shoulders and arms behind the straps he pulled off to expose her breasts. Breasts his mouth consumed hungrily. His tongue circled and practically inhaled one of her nipples before alternating to the other. He sucked in time to his bucks.

Jeanie deigned to speak, her words punctuated by Cormac’s movements. “I'm.. really..” she moaned “Cold.”

She was, he realized all of a sudden. With more laughter and flourishes, the two managed to zip themselves snug inside the sleeping bag. Jeanie's panties and Cormac’s underwear discarded in the process. Their bodies pressed to each other while his cock pushed into her thigh. The heat was immediate, in more ways than one.

They laid on their sides and faced one another. Cormac’s leg tangled around Jeanie's lower one. Her leg closest to the ceiling wrapped around his hip. Her calf draped along his ass while her hand reached between their bodies and took hold of his shaft. She positioned it just outside her entrance that ached to be filled. All the blood in her body swelled there.

Cormac gazed downwards at her hand, his breathing uncontrolled as Jeanie guided him again inside. Without any more instruction, he thrust inside of her so far and sharply that his pelvis collided with hers. Then he pulled almost completely out and sheathed himself to the hilt again. He repeated this over and over until they found a rhythm. Hips and sexes crashed like meteors with each powered motion.

Jeanie could only hold on. Her nails felt inches deep in Cormac's muscles along his shoulders. she had fleeting thoughts that yesterday wasn't his first time. That he lied perhaps out of embarrassment thinking he was no good.

Except he was, she was out of practice. The last time she had sex this good was.. She didn't want to think of him now. He was gone, Cormac was here. His forehead pressed into her jaw and cheek as he pounded into her. It only just dawned on her his glasses were on, bent at an unnatural angle in the crook of her neck. He didn't like to travel with his contacts in.

At this angle, Cormac hit Jeanie's clit every time he lost himself in her tightening walls. He was silent except for snorts of heavy air like a horse that escaped his nose. Both of them covered in a sheen of sweat until that lightning shot through Jeanie’s body. She coiled and recoiled and drew her boyfriend to her as she came. Cormac’s name echoed off the empty walls.

Not much longer until he did the same with a shudder and a muddled, husky “fuck” in Jeanie's shoulder. Cormac's body trembled which took her aback. Whether it was from the post-orgasm rush, or emotions, she didn't ask. Instead they held onto one another and babbled mindlessly until they fell asleep in the sleeping bag.

It was loud thunder and SILVIA through the old PA system that startled the couple awake.

“Cormac. Jeanie. May I suggest you leave as soon as possible? There is an approaching electrical storm that will surely affect the magnetic field produced by portal travel.”

They rushed to get dressed and repacked. Cormac was annoyed, “If you knew. SILVIA, why the hell didn't you tell me before?”

“Coitus interruptus. Perhaps Ms Turner feels I dislike her, but I can't imagine how much animosity she would display towards me should I interfere with your sexual intercourse. She's already jealous of our long-standing relationship”

Jeanie felt highly uncomfortable at that moment, watched even. Cormac was incensed. “SILVIA.” Then he shut her off, and they were bound for China.

Tag: @robertsheehanownsmyass @elliethesuperfruitlover @super-unpredictable98 @forenschik @slutforrobbiebro @frogs--are--bitches @nightmonsters @bisexualnathanyoung @bwritesstuff @rob-private

[enby-and-f-fics]

Little Libero {AsaNoya}

--F

Summary: Littlespace - the act of regressing into a childlike state; such as a baby, toddler, or a child.  Nishinoya is a little that has no caregiver and is not out to his club members. One day he slips and practice and everything escalated from there.

Word count: 4077

---------------

It had been a long day for Noya. He was tired, and practice hadn't even started yet. He hadn't been getting as much sleep because exam season was coming up and he hadn't been able to slip for a while. All of the stress had started piling up.

He was so tired and stressed that he wasn't as accurate with his receives and the whole team could tell something was off about the little libero.

After missing the ball for about the tenth time, he couldn't take it anymore. He just froze. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he just froze.

Of course a few people were concerned. "Hey Noya," Asahi said, "Are you ok?"

Noya could feel himself slipping "No, I can't, not here" he said under his breath and realized he was close to crying. He started running out of the gym before anyone could see. Except one person did.

"Shit."

Tsukishima could tell something was off with Noya when he saw him freeze. He could definitely tell something was off when he heard what Noya had said. He had only heard that type of desperation from one person before. It was the first time that Tadashi had slipped in front of him.

Tsuki ran after Noya. Almost everyone on the team got immediately more scared for Noya because they thought that Tsuki was going to hurt him or something but, Yamaguchi stoped them, as he had also heard what Noya had said. Everyone skeptically returned to practice after a little more convincing from Yamaguchi.

~~~in the hallway~~~

Once Tsuki got into the hallway, he started looking for Nishinoya. After about 30 seconds of searching, he found him. He was hunched over his knees leaning against a wall. Tsuki could hear the faint sniffling of a child who was crying but didn't want anyone to notice (and was not doing a very good job).

"Hey," Tsuki said softly as to not scare the boy, "Are you little?"

Noya didn't know how to respond. He couldn't tell if Tsuki was going to judge him. His mind being younger didn't help, as Tsuki was pretty intimidating if you didn't know him.

Tsukishima could see the hesitation from the smaller boy, so he knelt down to be on the same level as him. "Bubba, you can talk to me. I won't hurt you."

Hearing him use that nickname made Noya calm down considerably. He peaked over his knees to see Tsukishima with nothing but care in his eyes. Noya jumped up and into Tsuki's arms. The taller was slightly taken off guard but quickly regained his balance.

After about 10 minuets of Tsuki talking with a babbling Noya sitting on his lap and playing with his fingers, Noya started to nod off. Tsuki realized and waited for him to fall asleep before picking him up. Noya immediately snuggled more into Tsuki's shoulder for safety. Tsuki chuckled slightly at the clingy libero as he started heading back to the gym.

Once he got back to the gym, he hesitantly opened the doors as to not wake Noya. He walked in and everyone went silent. They saw the strong headed libero curled up into Tsukishima's arms and their jaws dropped. They all started to stammer our questions when Noya started to stir. Tsuki cooed and shushed him back to sleep and glared daggers at the rest of the team.

He walked over to a corner of the room where it would be less noisy and he could make sure that Noya got the sleep he needed while he was still able to watch the practice.

Yamaguchi walked over to when they were sitting and knelt down to their level. "How's the little guy doing?" Tsuki looked down and pet the sleeping boy's head "He was really tired. He fell asleep after like 10 minutes. This should help." Yams nodded and when back to practice.

For the next hour, everyone else continued practice while Noya continued sleeping on Tsuki's lap. When Noya started to wake up, Tsuki checked to see if he was still in little space.

"Nishinoya?"

"Hmm...? Oh... Oh my god Tsukishima I'm sorry!" Noya frantically scrambled out of Tsuki's lap. Seeing the struggle, he lifted him off his lap so that he could make sure that Noya didn't hurt himself.

"How did you...?"

"Tadashi. I've been his caregiver for quite a few months now."

"Oh."

"Do you want us to help you tell the rest of them?" Tsuki wanted to make sure that Noya wasn't stressed right out of little space to prevent him slipping again.

"Yes please..."

"Yamaguchi, can you come over here?"

"Of course!" Yamaguchi came bounding over so that the three of them could discuss a plan to tell them.

Once, they figured out their plan, Yamaguchi called everyone over and gave Noya an encouraging pat on the back.

"So, I'm a little,"

"...A little what?" Asahi asked.

"Not a little something. Just a little. I sometimes slip into little space when I'm stressed or haven't slept in a while as a way to release some stress."

"Oh," Daichi said, "Okay."

"So you're not mad?"

"No, of course not," Suga said, "why would we be mad for something that helps you?"

"Well I don't know. Some people just find it really weird." Noya explained.

"Yeah, we don't care." Tanaka joined in, "I'm just really curious as to why Tsuki was such a good... what is it called?"

"Caregiver," Tsukishima answered, "I've been Yamaguchi's caregiver for months now so I've gotten the hang of it."

"You WHAT??" Tanaka exclaimed, "YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOOD AT TAKING CARE OF SMALL CHILDREN?????"

"Umm, yeah. I work at a day care."

"WHAT??"

~~~~~~~~

Asahi was intrigued the whole time. Having come to the conclusion that he had a crush on the libero, he had tried to pay more attention and learn about the things that he liked.

For example, this thing called "little space".

He was intrigued by the concept of regressing into a different headspace. The more he read, the more he wanted to be Nishinoya's caregiver. He felt tinge of jealously of Tsukishima, him really being the only to see him little. He wanted to see the soft, child like side of his crush.

He decided that the next day at practice, he would ask Tsukishima a few more things about how to be a good caregiver and such. He really did want to be Nishinoya's "primary caregiver" as he learned that night.

~~~~~~~~

Asahi had decided to start with asking Yamaguchi for help with being a good caregiver, as he was a little as well, and much less intimidating than Tsukishima.

"Hey Yamaguchi," he said to the pinch server across the room, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course!" Tadashi bounded over to the ace as he spoke, having a feeling what this conversation was about, based one the events of the previous day. "What's up?"

"Umm... well I was wondering what it takes to be a good caregiver, and since you have Tsukishima, and apparently he's good at this, I thought you could give me some pointers?" Asahi said as he fumbled with his hands.

Yamaguchi chuckled, "Well it's usually specific to each little but based on how I've seen you interact with people I think your biggest problem would be setting rules and sticking to them."

"Hey! What do you mean?" Asahi was mildly offended. He did see that he was less than intimidating to someone who knew him but he could hold rules if he needed to.

"You're talking to me instead of Tsuki. Isn't that enough?" Asahi couldn't really defend himself. He was, indeed talking to the less intimidating person in the duo. "Also, why are you so adamant about being his caregiver? I mean everyone else did some basic research but you seem to want to go the extra mile."

"Umm..." Asahi was flustered. Was he really that obvious that he felt something more toward the spiky headed libero? Had anyone else noticed?

"Ah! I made you uncomfortable! I'm sorry! Tsuki and I have seen the way that you look at each other and it looks like more that's friendship."

"Well... I mean you are right..." Asahi didn't know what to do with this information. "Wait, did you just say that he looks at me that way?" Tsukishima, having heard the ruckus of Tadashi frantically apologizing, wanted to make sure everything was ok. "Are you blind? He quit volleyball because of you. He wouldn't come back if you didn't too."

"Oh," Asahi said, "I see your point. I guess he might like me too?" He was still quite skeptical, as Nishinoya seemed to be lusting after Kiyoko at the very same moment.

"You'll never be sure if you don't tell him," Yamaguchi said, "Have you thought about confessing? I mean it worked for me."

"Well sure bu- wait, what? What do you mean it worked for you?" Asahi was quite confused, he never really saw Yamaguchi interact with anyone besides Tsukishima, but he was still kind of mean to the pinch server. "Who?!"

"That would be me." Tsukishima said, slightly wrapping his arm around the shorter's waist, "Caregiver and boyfriend."

Just as he finished saying that, they heard a cry from across the gym. Someone had gotten hurt, and it just so happened to be the one who could slip into little space.

"Oh my god, Noya! Are you ok?" Tanaka, as he had been the one closest to him, heard the impact. He could tell this was more than just a little trip. "Asahi." Daichi said quickly. Asahi ran to get the first aid kit.

They had had incidents before but there hadn't been any major injuries, he was hoping this one wasn't.

"Here you go, Daichi," Asahi frantically brought the first aid kit that they had, up to this point, only had to use for cuts and bruises. The wounded libero was still crying. Almost the whole team had tried to calm him down. Almost.

"Asahi, will you try to get him to calm down so we can see where he hurt himself?" Daichi said, who was still hurting at the sight of one of his children crying. "Please?"

"Umm, okay," Asahi really still had no idea what to do but he just wanted to badly for his crush to stop crying that he was willing to try anything. "Hey baby, can you come here?" He said, picking the boy, his small frame fitting perfectly in his arms.

"Hey, shhh, you're ok. Shh shh shh." He slightly rocked the crying little from side to side, trying everything to get his baby to calm down. Soon, after some more cuddles from the ace, Nishinoya's crying was reduced to small sniffles. "Hey, baby, can you tell me where it hurts? We're gonna make it better, okay?"

The little just buried his face into the taller's chest, whimpering, seeming to not want to talk. "Hurts."

"Aww, honey I know, I know," Asahi stroked the smaller boy's face, "Can you show me where it hurts?"

Nishinoya turned his head slightly and pointed at his ankle, whimpering. Asahi looked at Daichi, who had been watching, and gave the nod to start treating his ankle. He had only just touched it and the poor boy started to tear up again. Everything was magnified when he was little, feelings, affections, and most definitely, pain. "Oh, poor thing. It's ok, sweetheart, I'll be gentle." Daichi could see how much pain the small libero was in and could only wonder what he had done to hurt himself. "Asahi, will you try to distract him while I do this?"

"Of course," he was still stroking the younger boy's head in an attempt to calm him. It seemed to be working until Daichi tried to turn his ankle to see if it was broken and Noya started crying again. "Hey, shh, you're ok, I'm right here, okay baby? I'm right here," Daichi started to wrap his ankle, "Just keep looking at me, you're doing so well."

It was clear to everyone in the room that Asahi was a natural. He knew just what to say to calm the boy, it seemed as if he had been his caregiver for years.

Nishinoya was still whimpering slightly but with being in Asahi's lap and his calming words, the tears had once again stopped.

"Okay, well it's nothing very major, it's a little sprained and very bruised. It should be better after a few days of rest. Just to be sure, Asahi, will you take him home and stay with him? I don't think he will completely remember to take it easy, considering he is in little space right now." Daichi said, ever the worried captain.

"Oh, ummm... Sure, I guess." Asahi was quite worried, knowing that his parents were out of town, so he would have to stay the whole weekend to make sure he didn't hurt himself more.

"You two can start to head home since neither of you are gonna do any more practice," Suga said, "Right, Daichi?"

"Yeah. Go home and get some rest, both of you."

Asahi started to gather their bags and carried Noya to the changing rooms to help him get ready to go. He started to set the boy down on one of the benches in the changing room so that he could help him change but before he could, the boy started whimpering and clutched his shirt even harder.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby, is everything okay?"

"Don wanna leave you." Noya whispered, barely being loud enough for the ace to hear, "Please don leave."

"Aww, honey," Asahi's heart broke. He could never leave the little and his remark made him wonder who hurt the small libero for him to be that desperate to not even let go of him. "Don't worry, baby, we just need to get you changed so that we can go home and sleep. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Okay, promise you won leave?"

"I promise, honey."

~~~~~~~~

They had both gotten changed, Noya wanting to cling to Asahi the entire time. "Okay, baby. Are you ready to go home now? We can go home and cuddle more, okay?"

The smaller boy nodded sleepily and cuddled further into the ace's shoulder. "Mhm."

Asahi couldn't help but chuckle at the actions of the little. It was definitely time for a nap. He stared walking in the direction of Nishinoya's house, all the while talking to the smaller boy to keep him calm and lull him to sleep. Fortunately, the slight bounce of the tall boy's walk did put the second year to sleep.

Soft snores from the ace's shoulder alerted him of this fact just as they were walking up to the steps of the Nishinoya household. Asahi slowly walked up and opened the door as to not wake the sleeping little.

He was able to drop his and Noya's bags at the front door and take his shoes off before heading toward the younger's room.

He reached the room and set the sleeping boy down onto the bed and made a move to leave as to alert his mother that he would be staying at Nishinoya's house for the weekend. Before he could get to far, he felt a hand clutch his shirt. "You said you won leave." He heard a small voice coming from the bed, slightly groggy to tell his that the little was still asleep.

"Okay, honey, I won't" Asahi could hear the desperation in his voice so he crawled into the bed with him, wrapping his arm around the smaller boy so that he was sleep on his chest. He decided to text his mom, instead of calling like he had originally planned as to not disturb the libero.

Me: Hey, just letting you know that I'm going to stay at Noya's for the weekend. He hurt himself at practice and his parents are on a work trip.

Mom <3: Okay, hun! Let me know if you need anything!

Me: Thanks, mom. Love you!

Mom <3: Love you too!

Now that that was taken care of, he was able to focus all his attention on the boy currently sleeping on his chest. For about an hour, he just laid there and watched the younger's breaths. 'He looks so vulnerable, just sleeping there,' Asahi thought to himself, 'He's so cute. I really am in love with him.'

"I love you. I know you're asleep and can't hear me and I don't know whether I'm disappointed or relieved. I love you so much that every time I look at you my heart flutters. Today has been one of the best days because I've gotten to take care of you." Asahi couldn't help but voice his feelings to the sleeping libero. He had fallen completely head over heels for the boy and couldn't bear to hold it in any longer. This didn't mean that he suddenly had the courage to actually confess, but at least telling a sleeping Noya was better than keeping it to himself any longer. "Thank you for being who you are."

With that, he decided to get some sleep too. The weight on his chest actually comforted him and made it much easier to fall asleep.

Little did he know that Nishinoya had woke up in big space and heard everything that the ace had said.

~~~~~~~~

Nishinoya was silently freaking out. The boy he had liked for a year had just unintentionally confessed to him. 'Okay, I can do this,' he thought to himself. 'I can't do this.'

He really didn't know what to do. It's not everyday that your crush just confesses that they LOVE YOU. The smaller boy looked at the clock and realized it was 10:00. 'Wow, how long did I sleep?' He tried to stretch his legs without waking Asahi, only to feel a sharp pain in his ankle, which made him wince. The taller male drew Noya in closer to try and smooth the boy. He was a natural even when he was asleep.

Nishinoya couldn't ignore how comfortable this position was. He was warm and comforted by the arms wrapped around him, and the beating heart under his head provided white noise to lull to sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

'Okay, I'll do something about this tomorrow.' He thought just before falling sound asleep.

~~~~~~~~

Asahi woke up to his phone alarm, quickly turning off the alarm, trying not to disturb the sleeping Nishinoya. He couldn't help but to reach out and pet the smaller's hair. The libero made a slight purring noise, indicating that he enjoyed it, which amused the ace. He sure didn't expect that noise to come out of Noya.

Nishinoya's eyes fluttered open with a smile on his face as he looked at the taller, 'God, he looks amazing in the morning.' The sunlight was just barely peaking through the curtains, illuminating Asahi's face with a golden light.

"Hi." Asahi's voice was gruff with sleep. Noya couldn't hold himself back anymore. He reached up and put his hand on Asahi's cheek.

"Umm, Noya, what are yo-" Asahi was cut off by soft lips being placed on his. Asahi was shocked for a second before he realized what was happening and started to kiss him back. Their lips moved together in perfect synchronization as if they were made for each other.

They both had to eventually part for air. "Wow, that was... wow" Asahi couldn't believe what just happened. His crush had kissed him out of nowhere.

"I love you too." Nishinoya, feeling bold after the kiss, decided that now was the best time just to spill all of his feelings. "I heard you last night. You were so sweet and I didn't know what to do. And then your voice was just... I couldn't hold myself back anymore." He finished with a slight chuckle, looking at the flustered ace.

"I... just.... umm..." Asahi didn't know what to do with himself, he had just had a make out session with his crush AND he confesses to him AND he had heard all of the things that he had said the previous night. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Nishinoya blushed slightly at the offer. "Yes, of course." He leaned up to give the taller boy one last peck before moving to get up, completely forgetting about his ankle, only to be very abruptly reminded as he fell trying to get out of the bed.

"Oh my god, Noya! Are you okay?!"

"Agh, yeah. I kinda forgot." He tried to lighten the mood with a chuckle, only to be shot down with a look from Asahi. "Come on, I'll cary you to the kitchen and make breakfast. We have about two hours until we need to be at practice."

Asahi picked up the injured libero and brought him to the kitchen island. He then started to make breakfast as he had said. He practically lived at the Nishinoya residence, so he knew where all of the ingredients for various meals were. Nishinoya couldn't cook so he would often come over and make meals for him.

"Pancakes?"

"YES!!!!" The smaller boy seemed very excited about the prospect of pancakes, so the Asahi started on them. They filled the time with small talk, just like they always had. Except this time was different. Nishinoya couldn't keep his eyes off of his now boyfriend, he just couldn't believe it. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too, but if you keep staring at me I'm gonna mess up the pancakes."

~~~~~~~~

"Ok, time for practice!" Nishinoya said enthusiastically, starting to get up from where he was sitting on the bed.

"Not so fast, mister," Asahi caught Nishinoya before he could stand up completely, knowing he was going to hurt himself further if he started to run out the door. "You're not going anywhere by yourself. Come on." Asahi picked up the younger boy, making sure that he had a secure hold before setting off to get their bags.

They started out the door, with Nishinoya carrying the bags, him insisting that he can at least do something. The walk to practice stayed in a comfortable silence between the two boys.

Asahi walked in the door to see almost everyone chatting around. He moved over to a bench and sat down with Noya in his lap. Daichi came over to check his ankle and frankly because he was curious about why they were being so touchy. Nishinoya was always touchy with the taller but never this much and without Asahi excessively blushing.

"What's going on between you too, huh?" He said with a raise of an eyebrow, at a low voice as to not alert any others that something was happening between the two, in case they weren't quite ready to tell other people.

This is when Asahi became flustered. "Um w-what do you mean? There's n-nothing going on."

"Oh please," Nishinoya scoffed. He lowered his voice so that just Asahi could hear, "You say that as if you weren't making out with me just this morning."

Asahi let out a small squeal, which surprised Daichi as he had never seen Asahi this flustered. "Ahh, so there is something. Come on, spill."

"Well," Nishinoya started, seeing as Asahi was in no condition to explain, "I won't go into details be we are dating now."

"Finally." Suga said, coming up from behind Daichi, wondering what was taking so long. "Did the coward finally confess?"

"Hey, I'm not a coward..." Asahi wavered, his voice getting smaller with each word.

"Aww, it's okay, honey." Nishinoya said, "You're my coward."

"Awww." Daichi and Suga said in unison. "Well, Noya, your ankle is better than yesterday but you still can't practice today. Sorry. But we do need to start practice now."

"Ok, fine." Nishinoya said, getting up in the process to let Asahi stand up. Once Asahi was up, he sat back down in order to avoid being scolded by both Asahi and Daichi for being on his feet when he's not completely healed.

Daichi and Suga had moved away by then and had called everyone to start warming up. Asahi had moved to go with them before Nishinoya grabbed his arm and pulled him down to give the ace a small peck. "I love you."

Asahi blushed before looking back at the small libero.

"I love you too."

[logical-little-lies]

Staying Quiet, Going Little- Agere!AU (part 39)

A/N: Little Remus.

that's all you need to know.

also though, I was thinking I could start doing more shippy/romantic stuff when the sides aren't regressed? like since the beginning of this, logicality and prinxiety have been a part of this story but I don't really talk about their relationships outside of regression?? so lmk how you feel about that.

--

The next morning, after the whole situation with Little Patton throwing a fit, the other four sides came over. Virgil and Roman invited the two dark sides to come over for the day just as they were getting ready to leave.

Roman ended up sleeping in Virgil's old room with him, while Janus and Remus eventually went back down to their own rooms before falling asleep. They entered the house the next morning, absolute silence filling the house. Logan was usually awake by now, either making breakfast for little Patton, or big Patton making breakfast for him.

But, neither of them were in the commons or the kitchen. "What if they dieddd?" Remus joked, in his usual intrusive manner.

"They didn't die, you disturbing rat. They're probably in one of their rooms," Roman rolled his eyes, shoving his brother to the side uselessly and going towards the entrance of the hallway.

"Roman, there was no reason to insult or push your brother." Virgil spoke, giving him a look. It almost felt the same as when he scolded him while little. Roman rolled his eyes.

"You have no authority over me when I'm not mentally seven. I can do whatever I want," he entered the hallway and left before Virgil could say anything else. Virgil rolled his eyes, following Janus as he lead the other two to the hallway as well. You could hear Roman's audible 'awe' as he stood at Logan's bedroom doorway.

Looking in, you could see Patton sitting upright, with his back against the headboard next to Logan. Logan had his arm loosely wrapped around his shoulders. Patton wore a pale blue onesie, and he held his rattle. He had a pacifier sitting in his mouth, and he looked very peaceful. Logan was giving Patton his usual endearing and caring look, and the whole sight was precious.

"What color is that, baby? Are you big enough to say it?" Logan urged, pointing to part of the page in the book Patton held in his lap. Patton looked at it, trying his hardest to pronounce the word.

"Ello!" he squeaked.

"Good job, baby! You're so smart," Logan kissed his forehead softly, before preparing to continue on. Patton excitedly shook his rattle, giggling. "Does that make you happy, little one?" Logan gave a soft chuckle. Patton had reacted well to the praise, excited and happy that his Papa was proud of him.

Patton gave a quick nod, and Logan smiled at him again. "Papa, Papa!" when Patton spoke outloud, his statements always sounded closer to babbles then whatever he was actually trying to say, but Logan understood this one because of Patton pointing towards the door.

"Oh, hey." Logan spoke softly, obviously just a bit embarrassed that all the others had seen that. It's not like they didn't know that he constantly gave Patton a lot of affection, but it was still weird because he had thought no one was watching him.

"Hey, Logan. We ended up staying the night at the tower, and we invited Jan and Remus over for the day, so we just wanted to let you guys know." Virgil gave a soft smile to Patton, who leaned into Logan's side more. He seemed a bit shyer, but not to much.

"Alright, I'll bring Patton out there in a bit. I'll probably make dinner tonight, because our designated cook happens to be a baby right now," Logan explained, patting Patton's head softly.

Before the other four left the bedroom door, Janus gave a little soft wave to Patton, who tried to wave back but ended up shaking his rattle instead. Janus chuckled, going into the kitchen with Virgil, while the twins occupied the commons.

Roman tapped away on his phone for a bit, while Remus kinda sat, sulking a bit. He almost looked disappointed, or maybe anxious? Roman couldn't quite tell, but whatever it was, his brother definitely wasn't happy. "Hey, what's up? Are you okay?"

Remus seemed to snap out of a trance, his eyes priorly focusing on a white sippy cup that was left on the table. He seemed to not even realize what he had been looking at, lost in thought. "Oh, what did you say?" he asked Roman to repeat himself. Roman went to do so, but Remus seemed to process what he had said and replied.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Remus asked, feigning a confused look. Pretending his far-off glance and distressed look gave Roman nothing to worry about.

"You just seemed...I don't know, like anxious about something? You're always talking and saying what's on your mind, but you just went quiet and seemed stressed out." Roman explained softly, looking at him in a still-concerned way. Remus seemed to have been tense, he tried his best to relax, and let himself lean back into the couch cushions.

"I'm okay, Ro. Promise," It was a painfully bad lie, and Remus cringed at his own words.

"Talk to me, Re." Roman was being serious, coming closer to him so that he didn't have to talk to loud. No one else would have to hear him.

Remus sighed, looking up at him. His eyes had been casted downwards priorly. "I just don't wanna have to be quiet all day. Patton is little, and I'm not supposed to say anything weird around the littles but I don't think you guys understand how hard that is-" his talking speed up, and his voice seemed panicky. Not quite comparable to Virgil when he had panic attacks, but comparable to Roman's rushed and teary-eyed apologies when he felt guilty while little. He took a deep breath, and Roman spoke before he got the chance to continue his rambling.

"Hey, calm down. You're okay, I promise," Roman instructed. Remus paused, nodding and taking a few slow, calming breaths. "Now, I know that it's hard to filter your thoughts out so that whatever you say is acceptable around littles, but no one is gonna get mad at you if you do mess up, okay?" Roman tried to be reassuring. The only times he really had to comfort someone was when Virgil was either having a panic attack (which resulted in regression most of the time), or when Virgil was little and upset. So he tried his best not to speak like he would to a toddler, but that's all he knows.

"Last time I just gave up and stayed quiet until we left. That's what I do every time, I ask you to go somewhere else with me, or I stay silent the whole time. I don't like being quiet." He whined at the end of his statement, seemingly working himself up over something that hadn't even happened yet.

One thing Roman knew, something him and Remus shared, they didn't like being quiet. Unless they were doing something where they were voluntarily quiet, not speaking their mind was something that was hard for them. They were both creativity, they constantly had thoughts and ideas running through their heads, and their purpose is to share them.

"How about we go somewhere else? We can always go make a new building or something somewhere in the imagination. You can be as loud as you want, and you don't have to worry about anything." Roman offered, Remus shaking his head.

"Is okay." he mumbled, startled when Logan and Patton entered the commons. He whimpered a bit, sinking into the couch behind him. Roman definitely seemed suspicious of this, not in a judgmental way, but in a curious way.

"Hello, Roman and Remus." Logan greeted, sitting down next to Patton's play mat. Patton clumsily sat on it, setting his rattle down. He still had his pacifier in his mouth, and he still looked very, very small. The only difference between Patton's voluntary regressions (When Logan babied him, or when Patton triggers the headspace himself), and his involuntary ones (When he gets to stressed, or suddenly falls into the headspace), is that he can pull himself out of the voluntary ones at any point. He woke up little the day prior, and voluntarily regressed again because Logan was still in caregiver mode.

Roman greeted him back, while Remus gave a soft wave rather then a verbal reply. "Remus, are you okay?" Roman asked again. Remus shrugged a bit, starting to twirl his white piece of hair between his fingers. "That's not a real answer, Re."

"I'm fine, Ro." Remus replied in a slightly high-pitched voice. He was acting like the other sides did when they were close to regressing. That in-between state of slight shyness, not knowing whether they should let themselves regress or not, all while just wanting someone to hand them little gear and give them cuddles.

Remus, personally, felt really, really off. His head felt fuzzy, like he couldn't think straight. Every thought he had was childlike and weird. Where was the gross thoughts about murder and death?

"Remus, are you alright?" Logan hadn't been paying attention to their conversation, playing with Patton. He had glanced up, and he saw the boy closing in on himself, almost hugging himself.

Remus didn't reply, looking at Patton. He didn't wanna be quiet, but he did care about Patton. And he knew saying weird things would upset him, even if Patton didn't fully understand what he was talking about. "Hey, Remus. Are you verbal currently?" Logan asked, Patton now looking concerned. He seemed to be thinking, mentally backing himself out of his baby mindset.

Remus looked confused, looking down at his lap with a childish innocence. At some point within the last few moments, Virgil and Janus exited the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching the situation from where Remus couldn't see them.

Remus replied after a moment, "I can talk." His voice was pretty level, but it seemed like he was forcing it a bit. Like he was forcing himself to talk in a "big voice".

"Okay, are you regressing?" Logan asked blatantly, waiting for a response. Remus curled in on himself again, bringing his thumb to his lip without responding at first.

"Think so..." he mumbled eventually, to were only Roman could hear him clearly.

"I'm gonna go get changed," Patton said suddenly, standing up and going to leave.

"Wait, you're big now?" Logan asked. Patton nodded before replying.

"Take care of Remus, I'll be back."

It was shocking how quick Patton could back himself out of his headspace in favor of helping Remus. Of course, he had been voluntarily regressed, but even then, he usually never forces himself out of headspace for anything. But right now, Logan didn't comment on it in favor of making sure Remus was all right.

"How old do you feel, bubba?" Roman questioned, Janus and Virgil now standing behind the couch. They gave each other a glance. Janus had mentioned the possibility of Remus, along with the other unknown dark sides, being regressors. And now, it was happening.

"Five?" he seemed questioning of his own statement, and just overwhelmed in general.

"That's okay, how about we get you dressed in something more kidlike? You can take anything from my closet," Roman offered, moving to stand up and reaching his hand out to help his, now little, brother up. Remus nodded in agreement, taking his hand and standing up.

"Hey, buddy. Are you hungry?" Logan asked before they left. Remus thought for a moment before nodding a bit. He was surprisingly quiet. Whenever anyone considered the possibility of Remus regressing, they pictured a hyper and fairly-bratty kiddospace little who doesn't like rules. Not an obedient, quiet, and somewhat shy five year old.

"Let Roman help you get dressed, and I'll have a snack ready for you when you get back, alright bubba?" Logan spoke softly, to the boy, who nodded a bit while chewing on his thumb. Roman softly guided him into the hallway, and the rest of the sides could hear Roman's door shut behind him. Within a few seconds, Patton came out of the hallway, dressed in his normal attire.

"So Remus is a regressor. Only slightly surprising," Logan commented.

"That makes all of us...kinda," Virgil replied, pausing and rethinking his statement halfway through.

"I mean, we don't know about the neutral sides. And the unknowns too, who knows for sure." Janus pointed out.

"We should start talking to the neutral sides, why don't we?" Patton looked to Logan, as if he'd know.

"The same reason we didn't talk to Janus or Remus, we don't know them and there's a risk that we wont get along." Logan reasoned, the other three nodding.

"Well," Logan spoke again after a few moments of silence, "I'm gonna go make the little duke a snack."

Patton nodded, giving Logan a small smile. Logan returned it before turning and disappearing into the kitchen.

"He's...quiet. You think that he's gonna stay like that, or is he just shy because this is his first time regressing?" Janus asked, looking at Patton, who shrugged.

"I don't know. I hope he's not as bratty as Roman." Virgil joked.

They kept talking for a bit until Roman stood in the entrance of the hallway, Remus hiding behind the wall where they couldn't see him. "And I present, the lovely, adorable, and kiddish..... Baby Remus!" he dramatically said, Remus giggling and coming out from behind the wall.

Patton started clapping playfully, which Virgil and Janus joined in on, causing Remus to smile and blush a bit. He was wearing a white shirt, with dark green overalls. His hair was messy, and the white streak fell over his eyes a bit with the rest of his bangs. Roman had helped his take of his makeup, and somehow, his mustache looked cute and fit perfectly with the kidish aesthetic his outfit pulled together.

"Awe, look at you! You're cute, aren't you?" Janus said. Remus nodded.

"Just cute, no scary." he confirmed.

"No scary?" Virgil repeated teasingly. Remus nodded.

"No scary." he repeated again in confirmation. Virgil seemed to hold an identical smile to Janus's endearing one, but neither got to respond because Remus was distracted by Logan bringing in a plate with snacks for him.

"Okay, you have to eat all the grapes before you can have the cookie, alright bud?" Logan asked, sitting the kiddy plate on the coffee table, Remus immediately sitting in front of the couch on the floor so that he could easily reach it.

"Okay, thank yous." he mumbled, before immediately shoving multiple grapes into his mouth.

"Make sure to chew your food, okay bubba?" Roman sat behind him, hoping he'd take his words into account. Remus nodded a bit.

Virgil took the remote and opened Disney+, looking for something Remus was sure to love. He pointed at the screen randomly while Virgil was scrolling through the movies. Virgil paused, and Remus shook his head. Virgil went back one, landing on "Lilo and Stitch". Remus looked behind him with a pleading pout.

"Okay, okay, no need to pout. I'll play it!" he laughed, and Remus looked back towards the screen as Virgil played it.

They'd talk about this later, work out what Remus's headspace range was, who'd care for him when he regressed. But all of that was for later. For now, they were going to watch a simple childrens movie and hopefully get to know Little Remus.

Now that the six of them were all confirmed regressors, you'd think that that'd be the end of the story. But there was definitely more to come.

Thing would change for them real soon, a lot more then they could ever predict.

-- A/N: Spooky foreshadowing ending in an agere story? Yeah.  this is my first time ever writing little!remus and idk how I did? lmk please?? I hope y’all liked it, sorry this took forever million years to do. But now that I finally got here, I hope I can start writing quicker and moving the story along at a faster pace, y’know? Please send me asks about this chapter, if you want! I appreciate feedback sm!

[mobius-prime]

253. Sonic the Hedgehog #184

Chaos Angel

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

As Enerjak and Super Sonic take off to begin their epic duel for the fate of the world, their clash causes an explosive beam of light to shine so brightly it's seen as far away as Albion (which, if you'll recall, is located somewhere around the area of modern-day England, whereas we're currently closer to New York), which Nicole barely raises the New Mobotropolis shield in time to deflect. Super Sonic snaps Enerjak's staff, and when Enerjak blasts him with a wave of deadly energy in response, he casually reminds him that in his Super form, he's totally invulnerable, making this essentially a stalemate battle between two living gods. Below, Julie-Su is shocked that Sonic survived the blast, but Locke is grumpy and hopeless, saying again that Sonic should have let him kill Enerjak with the Brotherhood's weapon while they had the chance.

It's amazing how clueless and callous Locke is here. I mean, I expected nothing more from him, really, especially given that he has yet to reach the point of redemption that he did in the M25YL timeline on his deathbed, but still, he doesn't even seem to show a single ounce of remorse that this is what his son has become. As the battle rages on, the Destructix watch from somewhere else on the island, and decide they definitely don't want to get caught up in it (which, really, I can't blame them).

Scourge reveals his supercharged warp ring, with enough energy to warp them to another zone entirely, and when Fiona expresses some doubt about leaving Mobius he merely reminds her that the ongoing battle is a battle for the fate of the world, and it's better for them to take their chances elsewhere. She decides to tag along for some "fun," which is after all the reason she left Sonic for Scourge, while Super Sonic continues to try to beat some sense into Enerjak above. He manages to get a yell of "crunch time" from him, giving him hope that his plan to bring Knuckles back is working, but it's not fast enough, making him worry. Julie-Su and Archimedes teleport to the Master Emerald's shrine, which has mysteriously been transported from the Chaos Chamber to become a small island floating in its own right at the edge of Angel Island (it's literally not explained at all how this happened, but I'm assuming it's Ian's creative license to once again make the world of the comics conform to that of the games a little more). They confront Finitevus, who merely states that even if he wanted to stop this, he couldn't by now, as the hex he put on the Master Emerald totally enslaved Knuckles' mind when he tried to tap into its power. He's uncertain about why the hex didn't affect Sonic when he transformed, but is mostly unconcerned, as his plans are proceeding regardless.

Finitevus, I don't think you understand one bit what actual heroes are like. Julie-Su and Archimedes immediately start arguing over which one of them will die in order to bring Knuckles back, with a baffled Finitevus looking on. Locke then rounds the corner, having arrived unseen, and announces that he, in fact, will sacrifice himself, finally regretting what he has brought on Knuckles with his actions in trying to protect him from the devastated future he foresaw. Finitevus, enraged, leaps forward to attack the three of them in an attempt to stop them, but Archimedes grabs onto him and poofs him away, leaving Julie-Su and Locke momentarily alone. Locke sadly looks down at Julie-Su, and explains that for all their extreme methods, in the end the Brotherhood really did love every single member, and only ever wanted the best for Knuckles. Julie-Su begins to cry as Locke takes his place atop the emerald, and begins reciting Tikal's prayer one last time.

Okay, I'm just gonna say it. As much as I genuinely liked Locke's deathbed scene in M25YL, I think this is a much better version of his death, narratively. It's also ten times more heartbreaking. The last time Knuckles ever spoke to his father, Locke hit him with a thinly-veiled threat to his family's safety, and Knuckles punched the screen and screamed at him in response. And now, without a chance to ever apologize or say goodbye, Locke is gone, having sacrificed his life to save his son. I have never doubted for a moment that Locke truly does love Knuckles and has always done everything with the best of intentions, which is precisely why I always felt he would make a better villain than a hero. The Sonic series, as much as I love it, is sorely lacking in three-dimensional villains, with most being either like Eggman - wanting to conquer the world - or Finitevus - wanting to watch it burn. Locke, as I've gone over before, would have been a fantastic antagonist. I think it very true that the best villains are the ones we can relate to in some way. Loving your child and wanting the best for them is very relatable to many people, and permanently messing up your child because of trying to do the best for them is a very real fear for the majority of parents. And Locke realizing this at the end of his life and then giving up said life for the sole purpose of undoing everything he helped to cause is the logical narrative conclusion of this character arc. Because of this, I think Ian ultimately writes Locke much better than did Kenders, despite Locke being based on Kenders' father (which is why I kind of feel bad even saying this, but eh, I've already made the argument that he should have been a villain, I don't think I can make it much worse from here). And as sad as this is, it just gets worse as Knuckles regains his right mind and returns to the ground, asking Julie-Su where his father is. Julie-Su merely starts sobbing and babbling incoherently about how she couldn't stop him, and just as horrible understanding begins to dawn on Knuckles, Finitevus returns through a warp ring, incensed that Locke stopped his plans after all. He yells that with his luck, Knuckles will even remember his time as Enerjak, to which Knuckles furiously replies that he remembers -

An exit fitting for one such as Finitevus. Julie-Su tentatively says that they should head back down to New Mobotropolis to let everyone know that the day's been saved, but Knuckles curtly cuts him off, refusing and claiming that as the last living Guardian of Angel Island, he's never leaving this island again, and he'll guard the Master Emerald alone for the rest of his life. And thus, we've finally come full circle. Knuckles started out as the lone Guardian of the island with no one else to help him, and now he's become such once again. Come on though, man, for real - your father sacrificed himself so you could have your own life free of the destiny he's forced on you, don't immediately try to isolate yourself!

Anything

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Stingray Grafik Wurks

Well, there's still one loose end we have yet to tie up - namely, the fate of the Dark Legion. While those who were happy to be free of their cybernetic trappings were transported to Albion, those who regret losing them have remained with Lien-Da, who now seeks the help of a mysterious figure to get her people's way of life back. Her speech is actually quite fascinating, because for basically the first time we actually get to see what a lifelong member of the Legion thinks of their own history, without immediately being made out to be a cackling evildoer. Turns out… their position is kind of reasonable.

I mean, I did just go over why Locke, and thus by extension the Brotherhood, are not really good people. I don't think they're evil - misguided, more like - but it's clear that in the end, extremism was the name of the game on both sides of the technology debate, and if anything both sides have only gotten more extreme over the past several hundred years. Ultimately, while the Dark Legion has absolutely employed some really messed up methods in their pursuit of their goals, their actual ideology is not unreasonable at all. In the end, they really were just a group of people who didn't want to tacitly accept being thrown back to the stone age by their government, and rebelled when said government - a literal theocracy, if you'll recall - created an entire goddamn task force operating outside of the normal legal system to try to drag them all into a world without technology regardless. I mean, literally, think about it right now - if your government, after a bad incident with one scientist going nuts and trying to seize power, in response decided to ban all technology and mandate that everyone had to regress back to a medieval lifestyle, how many of you reading this, right now, would just accept it and give everything up? And how many more of you would say "No way in hell is this okay" and join a revolution? Use technology in secret, rebel, fight for your right to live life as a modern human being with modern comforts? The Legion was twisted over time into a force that fought for all the wrong reasons, looking for power instead of freedom, but in the end, they were more wronged than anyone else in this whole debate, and absolutely had a right to be angry over the way they were mistreated.

Lien-Da, treacherous nature aside, clearly does believe in her people's way of life, and so she crafts a deal with her mysterious contact - if he makes her the Grandmaster of the Legion, a title which she feels she deserves after watching her late brother and the decrepit Dimitri take the reins before her, she'll join his cause and have her soldiers act as his new ground forces since his were destroyed by Enerjak. Gee, I wonder who this mysterious figure could be? Ah, what the hell am I acting all coy for, it's Eggman, naturally, and he's more than happy to accept this deal. However, to Lien-Da's incredulous disappointment, the position of Grandmaster has already been filled - by none other than Dimitri! Yeah, Eggman's given him some upgrades, turning his dreadlocks into bizarre tentacle-like appendages sticking out from his head bubble. Aw, yeah, Eggman, no need to give him a proper body or anything like that, just give him hair tentacles, it'll be fiiine!

[logical-little-lies]

I Didn’t Think It Would Lead to This-Agere!Sides AU (pt.14)

Patton was curled up next to Virgil, both having been regressed the night prior. Patton wore a pastel blue onesie,and fluffy white socks. His white kitten pacifier was in his mouth, and he had his head laying on Virgil's chest.

Virgil wore black shortalls, with a light purple shirt underneath. No pacifier, but he had his arms wrapped around Patton. Roman and Logan found that when they regressed together, Virgil took over a caring-type role, but in a childish manner. Sort of like an older brother. Logan and Roman found this amusing, and heart-warming.

Logan walked into the commons, taking his place next to the half-asleep Roman, handing him a red mug of coffee.

"Y'know, that day..when Virgil was acting "weird" and all, I didn't think it would lead to this." He motioned around himself, at the two boys on the other side of the couch.

Roman spoke softly and quietly, as to avoid waking Virgil and Patton. "I know," Logan breathed out, "But I'm glad it did. Thomas is doing a bit better all across the board, and all of us are happier..it's a good thing."

Roman nodded, hesitating before he continued. "I know that us all regressing it helping Thomas..but what do you think he'll think of it? And also the fans...he overshares his problems online, to a whole crowd of people. Who's to say he won't reveal our regression to them? If he doesn't judge, then someone in the comment section will."

"You're starting to sound like anxiety," Logan joked, causing him to smile. "But seriously, about what Thomas will think? Well, we all are acceptive, so that means his mind thinks it's okay, so he might be confused at first, but he probably won't be against it. Second off, if we ask him not to say anything to his fans, he won't."

Roman nodded, accepting the reassurance before speaking again. "I-i was just a bit worried about that, that's all. You're the logical one, I figured if I talked to my boyfriend, I'd get negativity all around. And if I talked to Patton.."

"Overwhelming positivity," Logan completed, and Roman nodded again, his only verbal response being a mumbled 'mhm'. After a few moments, Logan spoke again.

"You wanna know something I've noticed?"

"Shoot,"

"None of us ever established caregivers, or any sort of official rules," he chuckled, "we just all sort of trusted the person we were closest to, and that was that."

"Yeah..you're right. I mean, maybe we were waiting until all of us had regressed, or just waiting to see how many of us were actually littles," Roman vaguely motioned to him, "so we could kind of figure out our dynamic, I guess. So far, all I see is that, when someone regressed, they go to their boyfriend, and if they are unavailable or little, then another person takes care of them. We are all..sort of each others caregivers, as far as I can tell."

Logan nodded, "you're not wrong."

Roman went to go say something until Logan was distracted by the adorable sound of Patton waking up.

"Papa?" Patton sat up slowly, rubbing at him eyes, pulling his pacifier out of his mouth. He yawned and put it back in, glancing around hurriedly for his stuffed animal. Logan was quick to get up, locating it and handing it to him. Patton buried his face in it's fur, humming thankfully. After a few moments, he made grabby hands towards Logan.

Logan knew what he wanted, picking him up and walking back to the couch where Roman sat. "Still feel little, baby boy?" Logan asked, setting him in his lap and wrapping his arms around his waist. Patton kicked his feet with a playful squeal, nodding his head. His smile dropped.

"M' I to much..I-i can be big!" he offered, and Logan shook his head quickly.

"No, no, no, Pat. I was just curious to see if I'd have a baby for the morning or not, it's alright. You're so cute,"

Roman rolled his eyes, directing his attention to Virgil, who was waking up slowly. "Hey, Vee. Sleep well?"

Virgil nodded slowly, getting up and coming to hug Roman, still half asleep.

"How about you, are you still little?"

"nuh-uh!" he denied quietly, and Roman only laughed and moved to kiss his forehead.

"How old are you, darling?"

"Big," he looked so serious, attempting to convince him.

"But babyy," Roman pretended to pout, tapping the button of his nose. "What if I want to cuddle with Toddler Vee?"

Virgil went from shy to giggly and shy. "You're silly, dada," he mumbled, and Roman did a double take.

"what did you just say?"

"N-nothing," Virgil assured, summoning his black bear and hiding his face in it.

"Wait, no! Say it again," Roman urged, and Virgil shook his head. Roman resorted to tickling his sides, and Virgil giggled.

"Dada, no! Stooppp!" he whined, and Roman smiled.

"See, that wasn't hard, baby."

Virgil still looked shy, pouting a bit. Roman hugged him, kissing his forehead. "It's alright, Vee. It's very cute, I'm fine with it."

He blushed, looking down shyly. "What about we have some breakfast,hmm?" Roman looked to Logan, who was still babying Patton in his lap.

"Yeah, Thomas is making breakfast now,so we should too."

Roman agreed with Logan's words, getting up and taking his place at the stove. Usually, if Patton wasn't available to cook, then Logan would. But Roman could tell that Patton was regressed deeper, meaning that he needed more attention.

Patton clumsily followed Logan into the kitchen, and Logan instructed him to sit in his normal seat. But the baby pouted and whimpered, and Logan knew there was no point in arguing, pulling him into his lap. "When we eat,you have to go to your seat,alright baby?"

Patton shook his head quickly, causing Virgil to giggle. "Yes, you will," Logan assured, and Patton hummed out a few works quietly,

"Nuh-uh,don't wanna.."

It was muffled by his pacifier, but Logan understood. "Stop pouting and listen," he spoke, slightly harsher.

Patton whimpered,closing his eyes and going quiet. He sniffled slightly, and Logan quickly realized what he had done. It only took the slightest amount of anger, of annoyance, or anything that seemed harsh for the baby to cry.

Logan bounced his leg, distracting him while removing Patton's glasses. "Shh, it's okay. None of that, papa isn't mad at you,"

Roman busied himself while Logan handled Baby Pat, filling a bottle for Patton, and a sippy cup for Virgil.

"Sorry, papa. I move," Patton mumbled,trying to move out of his lap. Logan tightened his arms around his waist and shook his head.

"Careful baby, you'll hurt yourself. And you don't need to be sorry, I'm not upset with you," Logan assured, and Patton hummed, still obviously feeling bad.

Logan wiped the few tears from under Patton's eyes, kissing his cheek. Patton smiled, leaning into him. "Hmm? You like kisses?" Logan teased, repeatedly kissing the boys face, causing him to giggle. Within seconds of Logan's playful antics, Patton had forgotten all about his quick second of brattiness.

"Why are you so lucky? You get Patton,he's so easy to take care of," Roman smiled heartily, handing Logan the bottle, full of warm cinnamon milk. Patton absolutely loved it, making grabby hands towards the light blue bottle.

"Virgil isn't hard though, he's just shy, you just have to be comforting and figure out what's he needs. The only hard one is you," Logan didn't realize what he was saying, and he shut his mouth quickly, distracting himself by taking the bottle from Patton and helping him before he spilled it.

Virgil giggled again, while Roman playfully glared at him. This staring contest only lasted for a few seconds before Roman spoke. "So..today I really wanted to visit The Vineyard Village in the imagination, can you babysit Virge for me?"

"I suppose so," Logan sighed, and Virgil pouted.

"Dada's leavin'?"

Logan raised his eyebrow,asking a silent question that Roman understood, 'dada?'.

"I'll tell you later," he replied, turning back to Virgil. "Vee,I'll be back soon, for now you get to play with Baby Pat and Lo, mhm?"

Virgil protested,pouting and huffing, and resulted to a slightly harsher route. "Stop it,I'm only gonna be gone for a bit,"

"B-but-"

"Virgil."

Virgil absolutely hated that tone, so he shut up with a pout. Roman knew what would come next if he didn't give him a bit of affection, he kissed his forehead to make up for snapping. "I love you, Vee. More than anything,alright?"

"Love you too, dada," Virgil smiled slightly, and Roman swiped his sippy cup off the counter and gave it to him.

"Good baby," Virgil accepted the praise, kicking his feet.

Soon, breakfast was done,and Roman was leaving. Patton sat on the couch, amusing himself with the stuffed dinosaur that rattled. Virgil seemed annoyed by the sound, but he didn't do anything. Patton was giggling and being adorable, Virgil couldn't stop him even if he wanted to.

"Virgil should be good, I've never had to go farther than just a stern tone with him. If you have to be stern, give him lots of affection after, okay? I'm also giving you the authority to put him in timeout, but I doubt that'll be needed."

Logan chuckled at his rambling, practically pushing him out of the door. "It's gonna be fine, I know how to deal with a little."

Roman hesitantly nodded. "You know..I could just wait until Vee is big before I go-"

Logan blocked him from re-entering the home, cutting him off. "Just go,"

Roman sighed, finally leaving. Logan closed the door behind him and approached the couch. Patton seemed content with his stuffed dinosaur (the noise was annoying, even accompanied by Patton's adorable giggles and babbles), so Logan crouched down in from of Virgil.

"Hey Vee,"

"..hi Lo.."

"How old are you feeling, Virge?" Logan asked.

"Five? I don't want a sippy cup anymore," his voice was more normal, but still little. The lack of Roman, along with his personal anxiety, was affecting his headspace age.

He handed Logan the sippy cup, "You sure, bud?"

Virgil nodded, and Logan slowly took the cup. "You know, you're allowed to be little without Roman here,"

"N-no, I'm to much. A-and only Ro knows how to..how to..." Virgil seemed to have somewhat of a difficult time forming his words. Logan waited for Virgil to speak, encouraging him to go on. "Take care of me, you already have Pat, don't wanna be to much..."

"Virgil....you can't help feeling little, okay? Yes, you might be able to control it better than the others, but you still need to use it to help yourself. It's a good thing, and you won't be "to much" for me. I promise,"

Virgil didn't seem convinced, and Logan rolled his eyes, realizing the only way to persuade a five year old. He held out a pinky, and Virgil giggled, locking his into Logan's.

"So...a certain birdy told me that you like scooby doo, is that true?"

Virgil smiled, bouncing in place, giggling. "Yes, yes! I wanna watch ittt!"

This wouldn't be so hard, right?

A/N: Let the games begin. I’ve reached the good part