Sanders Sides Parenting/Kids One-Shots

(44) Temper Tantrums - Moxiety

Summary: Virgil and Patton are parents of a toddler, and toddlers are difficult to handle at even the best of times. And of course Virgil get anxious about whether he's a good father at all.

Based off one of the chapters (I believe 141?) in @FandomsUnited_Always 's Analogical fanfic. I made it Moxiety because I have way too many Analogical ideas for a mixed ship.

Words: 1195

When Finn was a baby he was perfect. He had the cutest giggle and kicked his little feet when he slept and, most importantly, he only cried when there was a reason. Patton adored him to the moon and back and constantly dressed him up in bear, cat, dog and skeleton onesies. And Virgil loved Patton and loved watching his eyes light up at the sight of his family - that's why they married and Virgil had never regretted a day.

But now Finn had entered the toddler stage. The stage of absolute hell.

The morning had gone quite well as while Patton was at work Virgil took their son to the park to play with a few neighbourhood toddlers and feed sweetcorn and peas to the ducks in the lake. He did have to socialise with the local mothers and most of them were too toxically chatty for Virgil to handle alone. Before Patton got home Finn needed a snack and maybe a nap. First he was offered apple juice, then a bowl of raspberries, and even chocolate cookies but each and every meal was thrown onto the floor and the screaming only got louder.

"What do you want to eat then Finn? You'll be hungry before dinner without eating now." Virgil tried to reason as he sat beside Finn but Finn continued to scream, shouting 'no' and unintelligible screams. It was so difficult for Virgil to hear, he never wanted Finn to be hurt and didn't understand the reason he was shouting bloody murder because of fruit, juice and sugar.

After a while Virgil sighed and tried reaching out to his son for a cuddle. "It's OK buddy, Dad's here for you." He tried to plea, but Finn was still screaming and leaning away from his father's safe embrace. Eventually the toddler threw one of the bowls at him, and Virgil just gave up and leant against the counter facing away from the toddler.

"I'm ho- Oh what's the matter Finny?" Virgil eventually heard the sanctity of his husband's voice as he had his head in his hands. Patton immediately approached Finn and knelt to his level, speaking to him gently until Finn wiped his eyes and held his arms out. The only thing Virgil could think of doing was walking away from the situation and out of the house.

Patton heard the door slam just as Finn cuddled into his chest and sniffled. All Patton needed to do was take a deep breath and blow a raspberry on Finn's cheek, making him quietly giggle. While Virgil had never left the house before he had needed to leave the room when he was irrationally angry or anxious. He just needed to take a few breaths and then he'll be his sassy and relaxed self again.

The cheery father placed Finn down for a nap in his bed and kissed his forehead, then went downstairs and looked around for a sign of Virgil. Still no sign, it had only been a few minutes so that was fine, he just texted Virgil asking when he'd be back and turned the TV on. A few minutes after that Patton could feel a lump behind a pillow and saw Virgil's purple phone hidden in the cushions. That was also fine, it just meant Virgil would be home sooner as he couldn't live long without Spotify. Patton just tried to focus on the movie in front of him and hugged his leg for comfort.

Although Virgil was known as the anxious one in the couple's small shared friend group Patton was in fact also very anxious at times. It's how they met - they met in their shared counsellor's office when they were two newly graduated young adults beginning their jobs. They both had anxiety disorders. Patton was a people pleaser and Virgil pushed everyone in his life away - but they just clicked, fell in love, and helped each other adopt a mentally healthier lifestyle. This was why Patton slowly started to worry after a few more minutes. His mind thought of the worst case scenario that Virgil didn't love him anymore and hated being a dad and this was the final straw and he was never coming home again. Patton hugged his legs tighter as his mind wondered and he tried to think of what to do if this scenario in his head was real.

An hour passed and Patton couldn't just sit anymore. There was no way Virgil could entertain himself for an hour outside, it was getting dark and since Virgil hadn't taken his wallet he couldn't distract himself at the local store. After taking a deep breath Patton opened the front door and took a step out, immediately spotting Virgil sitting on the balcony steps with his head in a hand again.

Patton kissed his husband's cheek and sat next to him. "Hey Vergie, you feel OK?" Patton whispered, his arm around Virgil's waist for a moment as Virgil sighed.

"Finn hates me doesn't he... Where did I go wrong?" Virgil whispered back, leaning in slightly and looking up at the bright stars ahead of them. The pair had spent many nights together when they were younger watching the stars and falling asleep next to each other in a random field.

"He doesn't hate you! He was just a little sleepy after his big day with his favourite father." Patton chuckled and kissed Virgil's cheek. Virgil could only smile in return and cuddled his nose into his husband's neck. The pair sat in silence again for a while. "Finn went to nap pretty much straight away - I'm sure he had a really good day with his Dad."

After another moment of silence Virgil smiled, grabbing onto the soft light blue blazer Patton always wore to work. "I get why Finn likes cuddling you more, you're softer." Patton's giggle made his chest vibrate, and the flower spray Patton always wore hit Virgil's nose. He loved this, way too much.

When the pair met eyes again they smiled at each other, Patton brushed his fingers through his husband's hair. "How about you tell me about your day?"

So that's what the pair did, talking about their day at work and day at the park while they watched the stars. Virgil taught his husband some more constellations he heard about in a podcast. They eventually had to go back inside the house and Finn was awake - now demanding cookies.

Virgil picked his son up and eventually fed him strawberries, although he did spit out a few just to be difficult. Patton watched and encouraged the toddler to eat healthily to 'make him bigger', and he eventually gave in and seemed to enjoy the fruits and even asked for more. One thing was for sure - Patton absolutely loved this. He loved being a father and a husband, especially of such a cute little kid and such an amazing although nervous husband. Even though Finn was difficult at times, he was perfect.

"Ew!" Finn giggled and shouted as Virgil brought his husband in for a kiss. Patton could never get enough of his husband's kisses.