Darling

Movie Night

TW: Intense grief, hiding emotions, breakdown, self hatred

When Luna entered the house, she smelled the mild scent of coconut- the scent that they'd grown to know as home before Renee had died. They shook their head, remind themself not to think about her, feeling as though they had no right to be upset, as others had suffered far more than them from the loss. They tried to softly slip back into their happy-go-lucky Littlespace, being successful to a degree, but not enough to erase the thoughts. Luna began to cry, curling up on the floor next to the couch. 

Mary and Natalie followed, Mary carrying the two suitcases, which were now far lighter than before. She set them down immediately when she saw the state that Luna was in. The thought had occurred to her that coming home would be difficult on all of them, but knew that it was necessary to heal.

"Er, Nattie? Could you take the suitcases up to your and Luna's bedrooms, please?" Mary asked, trying to give Luna a little privacy for the moment. Natalie nodded happily, carrying the suitcases up the stairs. Mary sat down next to Luna, rubbing their back gently. They finally let out a sob. "Awh love... What's the matter?"

Luna cried harder, struggling to catch their breath. Mary realized what had happened immediately. While Natalie had healed whilst in her Littlespace over the month, Luna must have tried to push down the memories and thoughts. That was the terrible truth of their quick bounce back from the loss. Mary gently lifted the Little into her lap. They shoved their face in her shoulder.

"Shh... Let it out, love. Oh, you poor dear. You've had all this pent up all month, haven't ya?" Mary cooed, petting their hair. 

"I-I-" Luna started, cut off by another sob. "I-I don't deserve to cry for her. I barely knew her! I should be strong for you two... You knew her for so long... I d-don't deserve comfort... I-I should've d-done something to prevent this-"

"Oh, no no no, love... It's ok to feel upset about it. She was your mum too, not just Nat's... She loved you and Nat so much... You should never feel like you have to be strong for us. You don't have to be strong. And there's nothing you could've done. This isn't your fault, none of it is. You have just as much right to miss her and cry as Nattie and I do," Mary soothed, hugging the sobbing Little tightly. Their cries eventually died down to the occasional sniffle. They finally spoke.

"Y-You're not mad?"

"Of course not, petal. I could never be mad at you for somethin' like this. Your emotions are valid, and you don't have to hide them," Mary reassured them. 

"I-I'm sorry," they slurred slightly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, darlin'. How about we get all comfy on the couch with some treats with Nattie and watch some films?" Mary proposed. 

"I-I'd like that, Mommy," Luna whispered, slipping fully into their Babyspace. Mary smiled, standing up with them in her arms. She carried them up the stairs, setting them down in their room. 

"I'll be right back, dearie. Jus' gotta tell Nattie. Why don't you choose a stuffie friend to bring to Movie Night?" Mary asked. Luna nodded, toddling over to their crib. During their time away, they noticed that all their stuffies that hadn't been with them had been moved down to the crib. They looked around, spotting a golden bear stuffed animal with a purple bowtie and tophat. They'd seen the character in an old show. They remembered the name 'Fredbear' and stuck with it. A few minutes later, Mary came into the room. "Who'd you choose?"

"F'e'beaw," they mumbled. 

"Lovely choice, dear. Now, let's get you changed into your jammies and a fresh nappy. You're soaked," Mary pointed out. Luna blushed a bit, hiding behind Fredbear. "Och, it's nothin' to be embarrassed about, darlin'. You can't help it." 

Mary picked them up, picking out their nightgown and a wolf diaper. She made quick work of changing them, before carrying them downstairs.

Natalie was also wearing a nightgown, and hers seemed to have a space theme. It was black with planets and animals wearing space suits. Mary set Luna down next to Natalie, before pulling two things out of her pocket. One was a Luna's moon pacifier, and the other was one of Natalie's many space pacifiers. She gave the pacifiers to their respective Littles, before turning on Finding Nemo to keep them entertained as she walked into the kitchen. 

She first prepared the snacks, grabbing 3 bowls of the frosted animal crackers that she saved for special treats. She then took out two sippy cups. One was moon themed for Luna, and the other had space cats on it for Natalie. She filled both cups with milk before screwing on the lids. She then poured herself a cup of milk before returning to the living room. She set up 3 trays to avoid too much of a mess, before setting the animal crackers and milk on the trays. 

The Littles were too engaged in the movie to really notice that anything had changed. Mary smiled, glad that she'd finally found something to keep the Littles occupied temporarily while they were not in the playroom. She knew it was going to be a lot more difficult to take care of both of them without Renee around, but she wouldn't change anything for the world, especially with her experience with time travel. 

"Hey loves. I got snackies," Mary called out softly. Both Littles looked over at her curiously before seeing the bowls and sippy cups in front of them. They both made happy squeals, before taking out their pacis. 

"Fank chu!" Natalie babbled.

"Uh huh, t'ank 'oo Mommy," Luna agreed. 

"Of course little loves," Mary said, sitting down next to the two as they began eating their snacks clumsily.