Chapter Text
Lando is making such a great progress that his daddy decides to arrange another playdate for his good little boy. Charles is not feeling well so he can’t come, and Oscar doesn’t want to enrage Lewis and Nico so he doesn’t ask them. At least Daniel and Max will come and Oscar also invited Sebastian with Mick and Kimi.
Oscar is a great host, but this is different. This is a playdate for littles, not a party for adults. Oscar’s personal chef prepares lots of snacks while Oscar set the table with cute colorful table-cloth with little cherries and strawberries. Soon the whole dining table is full of plates and bowls. Mini pretzels, blueberry muffins and sandwiches, bottles with homemade smoothies and also jars with pureed baby food for little Kimi. Oscar steals one of the yogurt cups with fruit and hands a cookie with chocolate chips to Lando who is playing on the ground. Everything is ready and their guests start to arrive.
Sebastian pushes the stroller with his baby inside while Mick carries his newest toy daddy brought him from his work trip to Germany. It’s a large MAN crane truck and Mick even sleeps with the toy. Oscar gently rocks the stroller and peeks inside - Kimi is so adorable in his pastel green knitted outfit. The top is a wrap-style, a neat bow is tied over Kimi’s thin chest and the bloomers are bulging with the thick diaper. Kimi shakes his most favorite rattle, it’s the one with a plush duckling. He bites on one of the tiny wings sticking out at the sides and smiles at his uncle. Meanwhile Mick runs in the dining room and immediately heads to the long table. He stuffs a few pretzels in his mouth and finally notices Lando who is sitting on the floor. Little Lando isn’t feeling like a baby, he is a toddler so he plays with cooler toys and the red tractor he plays with IS cool. Mick and Lando look at each other, they didn’t get many opportunities to get to know each other.
Lando is wearing a pull up today so the padding isn’t very obvious under his navy blue dungaree. His short-sleeved T-shirt is patterned with tiny trucks and cars, but a pacifier clip is still connected to the chest pocket. No matter how old he feels, Lando isn’t ready to let go of his beloved paci. Daddy and uncle Seb are busy with Kimi who messes his diaper, but then daddy comes and unlocks the door leading on the terrace. Mick and Lando head to the playground and sit down on the warm sand in the sandbox. Mick is thrilled to have someone to play with, his baby brother is too tiny to play, Kimi is happy with his rattle. Lando puts his tractor down and opens the trailer full of plastic animals. Mick uses his crane truck to get a few fat pigs out and they start playing until the front door closed with a loud bang. Lando flinches, he hates loud and sudden noises.
“Max! What has gotten into you?”
Lando sees uncle Daniel holding Max’s hands while the little kicks and thrashes in his daddy’s arms. Lando notices the pacifier gag locked around Max’s head and he instinctively pulls on the ring of his paci. Pheww, luckily he is a good boy and good boys don’t need to be gagged. Little Max tugs on his button-up shirt with dinosaurs and manages to kick Oscar’s knee. When Lando notices his daddy doubling over in pain, he drops the brown cow he was holding and runs to save his daddy. Max’s face is turning red, he yells behind the gag and Daniel gets worried. He unties the straps and Max takes a few shuddering breaths before noticing perplexed Lando standing afar, watching them. Max frowns at Lando, he takes in every little details before smirking.
“I heard you got George. I didn’t know the wimp has it.”
The three caregivers gasp in shock as Lando’s lower lip trembles. He doesn’t remember what he did or said to George, but he knows it’s his fault that George is hurt. He did something …. but when he tries to remember, everything is blurry. The caregivers gasp in shock again when Lando launches himself at Max.
“Lando!”
“Max!”
Oscar and Daniel are trying to pull their littles apart while Max and Lando fight. Max is stronger, he easily tugs on Lando’s curls and kicks his shins while Lando tries to bite him. Mick and Kimi stare in shock, Kimi is silently crying, too little to understand what is happening. When the two daddies manage to break the fight, Oscar picks Lando up and quickly examines his baby. There is an ugly red scratch on his arm and a small bruise is forming on his left cheek, Oscar quickly goes to disinfect the scratch. Meanwhile Daniel drags Max in the living room.
Daniel has had enough of Max’s misbehaving. Max screams, breaks things, he flushes toys in the toilet and throws severals tantrum every day. Daniel was too lenient, he hoped Max will learn his lesson through not so severe punishments, but today Daniel decides to use an old-fashioned way. He bends fighting Max over his knees and pulls the boy’s shorts and pull up down to his ankles. Max screams even harder, but it’s useless. Slaps rain on Max’s pudgy bottom, the tender skin is turning red as Max screams, cries and then begs for forgiveness.
Sebastian hurriedly ushers his boys out of the house while the chaos continues - Max screams at Daniel, he curses and threatens his caregiver, meanwhile Oscar bounces his crying little bug who is all confused and scared. In the end, Lando cries himself to sleep, Oscar tucks him in the middle of his large bed and Daniel pushes the pacifier gag back between Max’s lips. The little sniffles while he stands in the corner wearing only his shirt and pull up. The pull up barely covers his properly spanked bottom and thighs, Daniel showed no mercy after Max forced him to finally snap after years of gentle parenting.
“I am deeply sorry, Oscar. Max tried to jeopardize Lando’s progress and that’s …. unacceptable. I am trying different ways how to make him regress, but it’s hard. My last chance before using medicine is a new daycare, they opened a few weeks ago and they sound great.”
Oscar knows and ensures his friend that it’s okay. Oscar knows Max is struggling and it only makes him happier to have such a good little boy. Max keeps sniffling while his daddy marches him out of the house with only the pull up covering his ass. Oscar sighs while watching them leave, Daniel buckles fighting Max in his car seat and Oscar offers a sympathetic smile. Max bangs his hands against the window and Oscar briefly wonders if the new daycare can tame him.
.
.
.
Lando naps for an hour while his daddy eats the snacks prepared for the playdate. Oscar is kind of happy that the playdate went up in smoke thanks to Max and not Lando. That’s a small victory, but it counts. Lando wakes up because of a bad dream, he sobs while daddy rocks him in his arms, but then Oscar gets a better idea.
Lando likes the swing standing in the corner of the spacious living room. It’s like a little cocoon, he can choose if he wants to lie with his legs hanging out, or if he wants to curl up and burrow in the soft blankets like a little bunny. This afternoon, Lando feels more like a little bunny. He feels safe inside the swing, he pulls his thin legs to his chest and absent-mindedly listens to the cartoons playing in the TV. The swing gently rocks up and down and Lando’s eyelids grow heavy. Every little noise is familiar.
Vrooom-vrooom-vrrrrr
That noise belongs to the gardener’s lawnmower.
Hrrrmmm
That’s the faint hum of the AC.
Click clack click
That’s the sound daddy’s fingers make while quickly moving across the keyboard of his computer.
Flrrrppp…shffft
That’s daddy flipping pages of the documents lying on his desk.
You were supposed to work for him, not be his toy. You worked your ass off and look at you now. What do you remember about vehicle aerodynamics?
This new noise startles little Lando. It doesn’t belong to home appliances, it’s a voice coming from inside his head. Vehicle aerodynamics? It sounds kind of familiar, did he hear it from his cartoons? Or does he know the word from his bedtime stories? No, it’s something … complicated, something he used to know, but now he can’t remember no matter how hard he tries.
Lando doesn’t realize he is sniffling in fear, he knows he should remember what that complicated word means, but then daddy opens his small little cocoon and coos.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you wet?”
Lando shakes his head no, well he is a bit wet, but only a little bit. No, he doesn’t know what is wrong, but he isn’t sad because of his wet pull up. Daddy gently grabs him under armpits and picks him up from the swing, Lando clings to daddy with zero hesitation. Oscar is staring in Lando’s innocent big eyes and bounces his baby boy on his hip. He knows regressed babies are sensitive, too emotional, but Lando has no apparent reason to fuss and cry. Maybe he is just lonely and needs his daddy, that’s something Oscar can do. He snuggles Lando to his chest, Lando’s face is pressed to the crook of Oscar’s neck while the caregiver hums a song. Lando breaths in the calming scent, his crib, his koala, everything smells like his daddy. Lando pulls himself closer, he desperately needs his daddy. Oscar gets a bit worried, Lando looks scared and anxious, and he has no idea what caused this.
“No smart anymore.”
Lando’s mumble is almost inaudible, but it feels as if someone yelled in Oscar’s face. How can Lando say such a thing about himself!?
“Ohh baby, you are the smartest boy. You color so nicely and you give the best hugs.”
Lando lifts his head to look at daddy. He knows coloring and giving hugs is no real talent, he knows he used to know things. Like big things, important ones. That was before, before Australia and daddy. But daddies don’t lie, his daddy would never lie to him so if daddy says he is the smartest boy, it must be the truth and the ugly voice in his head is just a big meanie.