"Do you think we can take two more?"

Chapter 6

Phils pov

"Oh baby, its okay, you don't have to apologise. No one here is mad or upset with you. Regressing is a perfectly valid coping mechanism, you do not have to apologise for coping, okay? It is okay for you to regress."

"'m scwared dat ifs I rwegress yowull takes me backs an I wonts habs pwarents anymwore an I hab to move scwools an iwls hab no fwriens anymowre an I hab to go backs to da mweanie pwace awgains"

I look at Kristen and she looks as though she might cry. I catch her attention silently while the little is speaking and motion for the door. She nods and goes to find the other three boys as I look at the child in my arms.

"hey, look at me, its okay you don't have to make eye contact, I know you get uncomfortable with that, I just want to see your face." He looks up and I smile, "theres my boy. We love you. You will never be too much for us, we will never give you up for anyone or anything. We love you so much. I love you, Kristen loves you, Wilbur loves you, your friends love you. You are staying with us for the rest of our existence."

Hes still sniffling by the time ive finished my little speech but hes no longer full on sobbing.

"are you okay, kiddo?"

"mmm, I dwont knwow. Dada?"

"yes sunshine?"

"tan you hwelps me gets mwy bag fwrom wiwlbys cwar? Its gots mwy eawr defwerndewrs an mwy wittle stuffs ins it?"

"of course, why don't you get some shoes on and I'll go get wils car keys?"

"mhm, mhm, otay"

While tommy walks off to find his shoes, I go off to find Wilbur. I walk into the room to see both littles napping on Kristen, while her and Wilbur talk.

"oh, hey dad"

"hey, son. Could I borrow your keys? Tommy wants his bag from your car"

"yeah sure," he reaches in his pocket for them, "is he okay? Did he regress?"

He passes the keys to me.

"thanks," I take them from his hands, "hes okay now and yeah, he did regress"

He nods and I exit the room to see a frustrated little, trying very hard to put his shoes on.

"ugh!! Dada! I cant do it!" he exclaims, "its just not working!"

"hey its okay, buddy. Would you like me to help you put them on or would you like me to just carry you to get your bag?"

"can you pwease cawry me? But wike not too hawrshly, wike wrelly swoft an gwental cawry"

"of course, bud. You getting a bit overstimulated?"

"mhm"

"that's okay," I gently pick the little up and we walk to the car.

"dada? Do oo fink dat dey be angwry ats me?"

"oh, darling, no one is going to mad at you."

I look at the boy and see the anxiety in his eyes. My poor boy. I wonder how long its been since he's regressed, you can see just from one looks at him that he's tired and stressed. I haven't seen him like this in a long time.

I put him down so he can get his bag and I grab the weighted blanket that Wil keeps in his car.

"you ready to go back in bud, or do you want to stay outside to calm down for a bit?"

"lwet me gets mwy eawr defwendwrs on fiwrts pwease an den we go ins?"

"Of course, buddy. Do you need me to help?"

"mmm, yesh pwease, tan oo gets dem owts mwy bag, pwease, dada?"

"mhm," I dig into his bag a little bit, pull out the black ear defenders and pass them to him, "do you need anything else from the bag, mate?"

"nowpe, I is awl goods to gos back insides now," he says and places the defenders over his ears. I zip up his bag and we walk back into the house.

As I step in and close the door, a small (-ish) child comes waddling up to me and tommy. Tommy steps behind me, as if he's hiding from the boy, and grabbed my hand.

"ish twom twoms otay?"

"I think hes just a bit over whelmed at the moment, tubs, im sure he'll be okay in a bit. Are you and Ranboo okay?"

The little one nods and smiles at tommy. Tommy steps out from behind me, very slightly to smile back at the brunette boy in front of him. Tubbo holds out his hands to tommy and, physically rather than verbally, asks him to take it. Tommy lets go of my hand and takes his friend's.

"'m sorwy," he says in a small voice.

"I dunno wat oo awre apolwogisin fors but tis fwine, oo dids nofin rong. Me an wan ownly cware dat oo awre otays"

"see I told you that they wouldn't mind that you regress," I chuckle a bit and look at the boys. I crouch down, so that I am eye level with the two kneeling boys and say, "im so proud of all three of you, you two and Ranboo, for letting yourselves regress," I then specifically look at tommy, "are you okay to go play, or go find mama or wilby, or do you still need a time out to breathe?"

"I fink I otays, I wanna go finds mama, she wooked bit scwared wen I went wittle so I wanna see if she otay."

"okay bud," I look at them both again, "do you two want to go into the other room, im going to try make something for you lot to eat, either that or im ordering chicken nuggets"

They both make a little cheer-like noise and waddle-run into the other room with the others.