Caregiver! Janus

Little! Patton

Tw: Panic Attack!

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Patton has always seen himself as the dad of their "family", he always tries to take care of the others, but sometimes it gets hard for even him, but he refuses to burden the others with his problems. So, he uses age regression as a stress reliever. He's always found pastel clothing, Disney movies, stuffed animals, etcetera adorable anyway—not that any of those items qualify someone as a little, but these items are generally seen as childish.

One day everything was too much.

The others hadn't meant any harm, he knows he can be a bit much with wanting to take care of them. He constantly pushes the title of being their "dad" onto them, but he only does it because he loves them more than they could ever know.

He was cooking lunch for everyone—even Remus and Deceit who have been showing up more and more, slithering into their group. Patton remained wary of mostly Remus, but he wanted him to feel welcomed into their family. They're all a part of Thomas after all!

He had decided on Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of strawberries and homemade chocolate chip cookies! He had cut the crust off of his and Roman's sandwich and even added a fun frog decoration through it. He then chopped the strawberries into adorable stars while the cookies were hearts. Overall, he was quite proud of the lunch he had designed and was eager to give it to everyone. Well, he was anyway.

He tried Roman first. He had opened the door, and at least his expression was slightly apologetic.

"My apologies Padre! I have an evil beast to conquer! I'll grab a few snacks for my journey!"

Then Logan. He looked annoyed and tired.

"Patton, I don't have time to eat, I have so much work to do. Unlike you, I can't waste my time baking all day. I have a job to do."

And then Virgil, he didn't even open his door.

"I'm not in the mood Pat."

By the time he reached the dark sides corridors, he was on the verge of tears. Sucking in a shuddering breath, he ignored the tightness in his chest and lightly knocked on the black door that separates the two sides of the mind palace. Almost immediately, Janus opened the door. He blinked as he saw it was Patton, and his facial expressions softened, confusing Patton who was attempting to fake a smile—and failing horribly at such task.

"Patton? Is everything alright?" Janus asks.

Patton choked out a laugh. "Of course! I'm your happy pappy pal Patton! I made you and Remus lunch!" He cheers, holding up two trays. His smile isn't as bright as it usually is, but with how desperate Patton seemed to feed them, Janus opened the door wider and gently stole the trays from Patton's before he ended up dropping them.

"Thank you, why don't you step in?" Janus suggests. Well, it was supposed to be a suggestion, but from where Patton was standing, he knew it was more of a gentle demand. "We can eat lunch together, Remus would love to eat along with us I'm sure, but unfortunately, his diet consists of foods that I would rather not speak of."

"So Remus doesn't want it?" Patton asks, unaware of how disappointed he sounded until Janus whipped his head over to him so harshly that it cracked.

Frowning, Janus leads Patton deeper into the dark side common area, and then the kitchen, where a large pot was waiting and bubbling. The contents consisted of things that shall not be named. Setting the trays down, he turned towards Patton. "It's alright Patton, we can eat it together, Remus is...Remus. He doesn't eat normal foods, it's not anything against you, it's just how Remus is. Besides, sweets revolt him," Janus truthfully states, pulling a chair out for Patton. Reluctantly, he plops down and sinks in his chair.

Janus is probably just eating it out of pity.

Janus instinctively growled at the disgusting lie that graced Patton's thoughts, catching his attention. "Patton, I'm not going to eat your food out of pity. For one, I'm not at all a great cook and second, I would be delighted to have lunch with you. Now stop feeding yourself lies."

Patton glanced down, tears lining the edges. His chest was twisting and breathing was growing increasingly more difficult.

He heard Janus sigh, and before he could register what was happening, Janus was lifting him in his arms. One hand cupped the back of his head, two supported his weight, and a third rubbed circles on his back. Patton didn't protest nor struggle. In fact, he melted into his hold and sniffled into his chest, clenching his fingers tightly around his capelet.

"I have a feeling this little tadpole isn't feeling negative over sandwiches. Is that right?"

With a wobbling lip, Patton sinks further into Janus' hold, nodding his head at the question, his glasses beginning to fog as tears finally rush down his cheeks.

He just felt so stupid. It wasn't a big deal. They didn't have to eat his food. He shouldn't expect them to each time he makes them a meal, sometimes they just aren't that hungry. Besides, Logan's busy, Roman's going on a quest, and Virgil has probably had a rough night.

Patton wanted them to always feel loved, he cooked and arranged movie nights, but recently, nobody seemed very eager to spend time with their happy pappy pal—so in return he wasn't feeling very happy or pappy.

"Yes, that's what I thought," Janus murmurs, bringing out his last set of hands to turn the stove off before he headed into the living room. Glancing towards the pair, Remus tilted his head curiously, currently chewing on what Janus hoped to be bubble gum, but he wouldn't hold his breath.

"What's up with him?" Remus bluntly asks—not one to hold his tongue.

"I'm not exactly certain, but it has something to do with sandwiches," Janus comments, sitting on their stitched couch. Patton sniffled, tucking his legs up and letting out a soft sob, the tidal wave of emotions he had been holding in finally toppling out all at once.

"That's it Tadpole, let it out dear," Janus murmurs, swaying his body lightly from side to side. "My, my, someone has been repressing haven't they? My sweet, that's not good for you, no wonder you need a good cry hm?"

Patton only cried header, slumping against Janus, falling limp as his lungs heaved, struggling for breath. At one point, Janus had to peel Patton away from his chest to steal his glasses away and lightly bounce him.

"Patton, dear you need to breathe," Janus mutters softly. As Patton only sobbed harsher—the sound sending even Remus to wince, Janus gently grabbed his chin, forcing his heterochromatic eyes to meet Patton's puffy and teary ones.

With his left eye glowing, Janus spoke in a honey-filled voice that immediately had Patton putty in his hands. "Breathe tadpole. You need to breathe."

Patton whimpered but complied, his hands trembling as he had never released his capelet from his grasp. As his breathing was relatively normal, Janus allowed his eye to dim, and Patton pressed against him, sniffling sadly, his thumb mindlessly slipping into his mouth.

"Is he dead?" Remus asks, attempting to peek a look at Patton's face. As their eyes met, Patton hid away.

"No you menace, he is alive. Your dead man's soup is on the stove, go eat," Janus insists, shooing his gremlin away.

Perking up, Remus gladly lifted himself to his feet and scrambled into the kitchen. Dead man's soup is his favorite.

"J-Janny?"

At the soft, scratchy voice, Janus glanced down at the puffy-eyed mess of snot and tears and flicked his wrist summoning a box of tissues, offering a few. Patton took them gratefully and cleaned his face, fisting at his eyes. "Yes, little tadpole?"

"I-I wan my fwoggy..." He admits, cheeks flushing pink at the admission. Apart from him didn't want to bother him, but another part of him wanted to cling to him like a baby koala and never let go.

"Of course sweetheart," Janus croons, standing from his seat on the couch. "Once we return, we can have our lunch."

Patton nodded in agreement and clung to Janus as he carried the side towards his light blue door. Upon opening, Janus smirked. The room looked exactly as he imagined. Walking in further, he noticed a frog stuffed animal on his bed and scooped it, lightly tapping at Patton with him.

"Is this the friend you spoke of?" Janus questions, smiling as Patton returns it—even if it is a weak, sad smile Janus saw it as progress. Carefully, Patton grabs his friend and nuzzled his cheek against it. Glancing around, Janus also decided to grab a few things he noticed lying around such as a soft, fuzzy blanket with cartoon whales on it, a pacifier with Winnie the pooh charms on it, and a baby bottle that definitely needs to be cleaned.

Carrying Patton and the newfound items back to the kitchen of the dark sides, Patton is soon swaddled in his blanket and having his pacifier clipped to his shirt. With a soft kiss to his forehead, Janus's hands cut his sandwich into smaller squares, allowing him to hold it as he nibbled away.

"We can talk about why you were upset after a nap," Janus assures Patton, chuckling as he mindlessly nods. He could tell he was rather small at the moment, so he left him to nibble at his food while he used another hand of his to feed himself. While watching Remus eat across the table from him wasn't exactly appetizing, he had grown used to it by now. It didn't help that he knows the ingredients to the soup he was slurping down though.

As lunch came to an end, Janus was left to wash the dishes—including Patton's bottle. Once cleaned, Janus heated milk, vanilla, and a small amount of sugar into a small pot. He poured it into the said bottle but allowed it cool until it was only warm. He was sure to check the temperature of the bottle before glancing down at Patton who had been patiently waiting. He quietly played with his stuffed frogs, and with a yawn, his pacifier slipped from his lips. At the opportunity, he shifted Patton so he was cradling him like a baby before offering the teat to him, which he gladly accepted. Sucking on it, Patton's eyes fluttered close and while Patton couldn't see, Janus smiled softly down at the side before his expression darkened.

He was going to have whoever hurt Patton wishing they were never born.