[center][b]Heyo, readers! It's been a minute since I last posted! Sorry about that. Anyways, I'm super excited to bring to you this new chapter! Lemme know what you think![/b]










Back to Basics (Chapter 10)




by




Panther Cub[/center]









"So I told the guy, 'If you didn't want a trunk full of fake severed limbs, you shoulda told me!'" Benji slapped his knee as he finished his story. Sally chuckled while Amy and Tristan both giggled. The winged kitten sat, enraptured by the crow's tales of working on the sets of horror movies, in Mia's lap, with all the other seats around the table occupied. Over to his right he saw Amy sitting on her booster seat, sauce splotched around her mouth a little.



"So you really got to work on the set of the original Vile Deceased?!" Tristan was looking over at the crow in awe.



"Yup! I was fresh outta highschool when I got a job helping move camera equipment around for a movie set. And due to some budget problems, I also doubled helping out with the effects. The scene with blood squirting up from the floorboards was basically me and a hand-pump running around outside the cabin!"



"Woah!" Amy and Tristan harmonized.



Mia shook her head and leaned over with a damp washcloth, first cleaning up a bit around Amy's face, and then doing the same for Tristan, who fussily squirmed, unaware of the sauce and some cheese and a pepperoni fragment resting on his chin, nor the splotches on his blue duckie bib.



"I don't think that that's appropriate conversation for Amy," Mia said with a sigh, also tilting her head down in Tristan's direction as she shot Benji a pointed look. The crow chuckled and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.



"Right, sorry. When you've worked in the horror movie special effects industry for over ten years... well, a lot of your stories kinda revolve around the scary stuff. But I'll try to be mindful of that around these two munchkins."



"Hey!" Amy and Tristan simultaneously crossed their arms and pouted. "I dunno what a munchkin is, but we're not one of 'em!" Amy declared.



"Aww, sorry, Princess!" Benji reached over to ruffle Amy's headfur. She giggled and batted his feathery hand away.



"And I'm not a baby, so you don't need to worry about scaring me. Heck, I love scary movies! The scarier the better!"



"Oh yeah?" Benji grinned, ignoring the frown Mia was shooting his way.



"How does Mom and Dad's new house look?" Sally asked, clearly changing the subject.



"It's great! Dad really outdid himself with it! He even kept all the pictures from starting with the empty lot through each stage of its construction. Plus, he made intricate carvings on the stair railings and the front door!"



As Benji started showing off pictures he had taken on his phone of a beautiful two-story house, painted a bright white, with large bay windows and a porch; Tristan was vaguely aware of Amy starting to twitch out of the corner of his eye. True to Benji's word, the railings of the steps leading up to said porch were carved to look like dragons from classical Saoloma mythology, with long serpentine bodies. The wooden stairs themselves had carvings that looked similar to some viking wall carvings he had seen at the local history museum. The door was more of an intricate series of twisting gaelic symbols.



"That had to take a long time," Tristan said. "I'll bet--OMPH!" whatever else the kitten was going to say was lost as he suddenly found himself yoinked right out of Mia's lap, being hugged close by Amy. He turned his head to see a look of panic on her face as she looked up at Mia.



"Amy?" Mia asked, turning to face the two tykes.



"Uhm..." Amy gulped and averted her gaze away from Benji.



"I-I think Tristy needs a new diaper. Can I help change him?" Tristan huffed and wriggled a bit, wincing as he felt that she might not be entirely wrong, but still outraged nonetheless about her announcing it to everyone. But, as he looked back up at her with a disapproving frown, he saw her looking downcast, absentmindedly tugging at the hem of her skirt with her free paw. He started to wonder if maybe Amy was embarrassed about being back in diapers at her age. Seeing how she was pointedly not trying to look at Benji though, it clicked in his head that she was embarrassed for anyone other than him, Sally, or Mia to know. Something the eagle and the panthress picked up on at the same time as he did.



"Oh Amy, I think you might be right. And sure, I'll bet Tristan would love to have the company," Mia said, giving a very obvious wink to him and to Benji, who winked back. Tristan wanted to roll his eyes... but seeing how distressed the cub was... he elected to play along.



"Y-yeah... thanks Amy," he said, feigning enthusiasm to the best of his abilities. Sally smiled warmly at him, right before she kicked her chuckling brother's shin from under the table, in turn causing him to start choking on the sip of water he was taking. Mia mouthed a quiet thank you to the kitten and scooped the two of them up in her arms, nuzzling them both on her way to Trsitan's room. They were both sat down on the changing table, with Mia giving them both a hug and nuzzle before explaining she was going to get Amy's supplies first. Sitting there, Tristan felt awkward. Looking over at Amy as she swung her legs a little, she seemed to be feeling the same way.



"I'm sorry, Tristy," Amy said after a beat, looking over to the kitten as she said it.



"Huh?"



"For saying you needed a change. I know you get embarrassed about your diapers."



"That's okay, Amy." Tristan smiled, internally thinking that the young panthress was a good kid.



"Which is silly because you're a baby, so you're supposed to be in them. Plus, you look adorable in just a shirt and diaper!" Amy smiled, and internally Tristan was rethinking his assessment.



"I'm not really a baby though! I just... have the body of one now." Tristan frowned.



"Yeah, but still, diapers are supposed to be natural for babies and baby bodies. I'm biggerer and got to be in tug-ups... but I kept having too many accidents." Amy looked down, and Tristan could see the disappointment in her face. "I think that that's why my Mommy doesn't want me, 'cause I'm still in diapers."



Tristan hadn't been expecting that. His eyes darted to the open door, hoping Mia was about to enter and having heard what was said. After a few seconds of even more awkward silence, and looking over to see the sadness on Amy's face, Tristan sighed internally.



"I don't think that's it," he said, slowly.



"But then... why didn't she take me home with her? Why'd she leave me with Aunties Mia and Sally?" Silent tears were now streaming down her black-furred face.



"Some grown-ups... aren't cut out to be parents. I think she knew you'd be taken care of here, and loved with all of Mia and Sally's hearts." Tristan kept a cool exterior while internally he was panicking, unsure of what else he could say if Amy questioned him further. Amy scooted over and pulled him into a hug. He could feel her quiet tears landing on his shoulder, but said nothing, simply returning the hug.



"You're the bestest baby brother ever. I love you, and no matter what, I'll always be here for you."



Tristan felt his breath hitch in his throat, which was just when Mia finally reentered, now with Amy's diaper bag slung over one shoulder.



"Sorry that took a little bit. I could have sworn I left the bag in the living room... what's going on here?" Mia asked the two as they continued to hug.



"Uhm... I was feeling embarrassed about the diaper change, so Amy hugged me to make me feel better. Being the best big sister she can be." Tristan blushed as he said it, but knew that it would make the cub happy. The cooing from Mia didn't help his blush. Once both Tristan and Amy were 'freshened up', Mia happily carried them both back to the dinner table, sitting down with both in her lap.



"While you three were gone, Benji came up with an idea," Sally said, reaching over to squeeze her paw.



"Oh?" Mia tried to keep the trepidation out of her voice. She loved Benji like a brother, but his track record with ideas left a lot to be desired.



"I just pointed out how you two were always sending updates about going out and about together on dates, doing lovey-dovey couple things, but how that seems to have slowed down a bit lately. So I figured if I offered to watch a certain couple of munchkins for you, and get in some fun uncle time, you two could get in some much needed couple time. Eh?"



"HEY!" Tristan and Amy harmonized their displeasure at being called munchkins again.



"That's a very nice offer, Benji. Right, Sally?" Nia looked to her wife for some guidance.



"It really is. It also makes me suspicious that you're going to spoil these two rotten while we're out."



"What?! Me? I would never!" Benji tried to hide his grin, and failed.



"Mmhmm." Sally rolled her eyes and smiled, turning to regard her wife. "Let's do it, tomorrow!"



"Huh?!" Mia was taken aback by the suddenness.



"While Benjamin might be a big goofball... he's not wrong about the two of us... slowing down a bit, romantically-speaking. So a date night out sounds like a great idea to me!"



"I... w-well..." Mia looked a little uncomfortable, before smiling down at Tristan and Amy in her lap, who now once more had sauce splotched around both their faces. "How would you two like to spend some time with Uncle Benji tomorrow?"



"Uh... okay, I guess..." Tristan said, while Amy started bouncing in Mia's lap.



"Can we go to that candy shop again?!" She practically had stars in her eyes as she asked it.



"What candy shop?" Mia asked, narrowing her eyes at the innocently whistling crow. The afternoon passed into a lively early evening, with Benji giving first Amy and then a surprised Tristan, piggyback rides. The large crow even sat down at the tiny play table with Amy and participated in a tea party with her. As the evening grew later, Tristan found himself being tucked into his crib by Sally, who was humming happily as she set his plush shark into his arms.



"Are you looking forward to spending more time with Benji tomorrow?" Sally asked, leaning over the side of the rails. Tristan nodded and sleepily rubbed his eye.



"Yeah. He seems really cool." Tristan smiled. Sally chuckled at that, leaning down to give his fore head a kiss.



"He might seem cool. But my big brother is actually quite the dork when you get to know him. I've got stories..."



"Sally?"



"Yes, hun?"



"He told both me and Amy to call him Uncle Benji, right?"



Sally nodded, an eyebrow raised.



"Does that mean," Tristan let out a yawn and trailed off.



"Mean what, sugarplum?"



"Does it mean that you and Mia are gunna adopt me?" Sally looked down into his wide blue eyes and smiled.



"Honeypie... would you like for us to legally adopt you?"



Tristan thought it over. When he'd first learned that laws had been amended allowing people to become the legal guardians and even outright adopt regressees, the kitten had been worried. Both about having his adult freedoms being stripped away as well as being snatched up and adopted by a stranger. Thankfully, aside from some cases involving intervention by CPS, consent from the regressee's was still needed. He then thought about his time in Mia and Sally's care so far, how they'd respected his input, gone out of their way to make him feel welcome, as well as take care of him and his needs. He thought about being cradled in Mia's arms, being bounced on Sally's knee, and of course, of Amy just adoring him as her little brother. He nodded.
Sally just beamed with pure joy, despite maintaining a calm composure. Leaning down again to plant another kiss on his forehead, Sally nuzzled the kitten for a second.



"Goodnight, baby boy. Mama and Mommy love you so much."



"I love you and Mommy too, Mama," Tristan said without hesitation. His drooping eyelids shut, and his breathing became rhythmic. Sally stood there, watching the kitten, unable to express the amount of joy she was feeling in that moment. Making sure to exit the nursery quietly, after ensuring that the baby monitor was on, Sally went to find Mia to immediately tell her the good news.





[i]The Next Day...[/i]





"Gotta admit, I figured you two would get all dressed up and head out to a fancy restaurant later in the day," a slightly disheveled-looking Benji said, a case of bedfeathers causing half his facial feathers to point straight up. Before him was Mia and Sally. Mia was dressed in a pair of olive hiking shorts and a pink button-up t-shirt. Sally was wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a white tank-top.



"Goes to show how much you know, big bro," Sally chuckled.



"While that idea does sound nice, it actually has been a while since Sally and I have enjoyed a nice walk together. And today being such a lovely day... well, how could we resist?"



Benji smiled and nodded, letting out a yawn, being a late-sleeper and all.



"So, since I'm pretty sure you weren't listening, we should be gone until later in the afternoon."



"Now I know you have out phone numbers in your contacts, but just in case something happened I wrote them down on the fridge, as well as a list of emergency numbers. There's also a note on the counter detailing where you can find the bottles and sippy cups for Tristan and Amy, as well as a reminder that Tristan is supposed to take his nap before lunch. He's much less cranky when he has something in his tummy. Amy will probably nod off around the same time as him. If they get scared, Amy's teddy bear is usually found in her room sitting on her little desk. Tristan leaves his little shark plush in his crib. There's also--"



"Woah there, Mia! I've babysat before. Heck, let's not forget that I've changed both your and Sally's diapers."



He snickered as the two both blushed and went silent.



"We all agreed that that was to stay buried in the past," Sally said, her blush deepening.



"Okay, okay. But regardless, I'll take good care of the little munchkins, promise."



"Fine..." Mia let out a pent up breath, before she placed her paws on her hips and narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law.



"But no scary movies! Amy had nightmares for weeks after last time!"



"It was a cheesy old black and white one from the forties! How was I supposed to know she'd be afraid of a giant roadrunner?"



"Benji..."



"Okay!"



After the two took the time to check in on Amy and Tristan in the living room, who were both engrossed in an episode of Power Princess Troopers, with Mia having to be tugged away from snuggling up close to the two, they were off. Benji watched as Mia and Sally started heading down the sidewalk, holding hands. Letting out a yawn, Benji smiled, and made his way over to the couch where the two tots sat. Amy was hugging Tristan close like he was a plushie, and Tristan was watching and sucking on his binky.



Amy was dressed in a red shirt and black shorts, while Tristan was wearing a green shirt underneath tan overalls. He settled down next to them and watched as the silly and clearly choreographed fight scene continued between the Princess Power Troopers and a bunch of guys in purple "Mushies" costumes fought them each one at a time. The episode ended shortly after the princesses summoned their giant animal-themed robots to fuse together and beat up a giant monster.



"YAY!" Amy cheered as the credits rolled with the theme song playing. Tristan giggled and bounced, freezing when he looked up at Benji. The crow raised an eyebrow as Tristan seemed to make himself settle downand even spit out his binky, which was safely tucked away in the front chest pocket of the overalls.



"I knew the Princesses were gunna save the day, Tristy!" Amy cheered, hopping down from the couch and setting Tristan and the floor. She turned to the crowm naking her eyes as big as possible.



"Uncle Benji... can we go play outside?"



He laughed and ruffled her headfur. "Sure thing, Amy!"



The little panthress cheered and ran to the sliding glass door. Benjamin started to get up, until he noticed Tristan settling down on the couch again, now with today's newspaper unfolded and in his paws. Though, Benji noticed that Tristan didn't seem to be reading the paper, his eyes continually sneaking looks at the crow out of the corner of his eyes.



"Something up, bud?"



"Nope..."



"Are you sure?"



"Yup..."



"The newspaper's upside down."



Tristan froze and sighed, turning it right side up.



"I can still read just fine, by the way."



"I believe you."



Tristan squirmed in his seat. Benji could sense the tension and decided to break the ice.



"Y'know, I've actually got a few friends who are regressees like you. A couple of them had the same reaction, which for them was quite the shock."



"I can imagine..." Tristan said drily, to which Benji laughed.



"Yeah, you probably could!"



"Anyways, a buddy of mine, Dante, he's an actor and now in the same situation as you. It happened on set, during the scene of what was gunna be the masked intruder's first kill of the main cast. Dante was playing the role of college jock who was gunna try and fight what he thought was a peeping Tom bothering him and his girlfriend. He was supposed to round the corner and his character's head was gunna get lopped off by the machete. Instead, he walked a few feet, and poof, shrank right back down to babyhood."



Tristan winced at the thought of a public regression like that, and caught on camera no less.



"The filming has been pushed back a little so that the director can try to write the regression in. Of course, for a while there, Dante was pretty upset and seemed like he was gunna just walk from the project entirely."



"What changed?" Tristan asked.



"He started having fun."



"Huh?"



"He found that, when he just let go of his inhibitions, it was like unlocking the door to pure joy, something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. And with that joy came a revelation."



"Oh?"



"You regressees are gunna grow back up again. That's already a proven fact. But while this can be a big disruption in the trajectory of your lives and plans, it can also be a chance for something else. All that energy, that sense of curiosity and wonder. Experiencing the world and growing up again, but also with an adult's perspective. A great big redo, a grand adventure in the making."



Tristan was silent for a moment, the words striking a chord deep within him.



"Well, that sounds fine and all, except for the fact that I have to depend on people to help me with some of the most basic things now. How's being given baths and diaper changes a grand adventure?" Tristan blushed as Benji ruffled his headfur.



"It sounds rough, little buddy, not gunna lie. But... it also sounds like you've got some folks in your life who care a whole lot about you and don't mind helping when you need it."



Tristan crossed his arms and frowned, not wanting to acknowledge that Benji had a point.



"Like the wing exercises I've been hearing Sally gush on and on about, excited not only she gets to pass the lessons she and I learned as hatchlings down, but also how far you've come in such a short amount of time."



"Really?" Tristan asked, his ears perking up a bit, curious to hear what else Sally may have been saying.



"Yup! My little sister sometimes isn't the most expressive person out there, but when she talks about you and Amy, I can hardly get her to stop! Heck, she kept me on the phone all last week talking about how strong your wings have already gotten, to how you fell asleep in her arms, to how you somehow got a bowl of spaghetti all over your headfur and ears!"



Tristan practically glowed red beneath his dark fur, unable to look up into Benji's eyes.



"And, buddy, getting a good look at them here and now, I gotta say that I think they look strong enough to let you get some good gliding practice in!"



"How do we do that? I'm pretty sure Mia isn't gunna let me just jump off a high structure..."



The strong breeze blew in from the still-open door to the backyard, where the two could see Amy on the swingset. The wind ruffled Tristan's fur and Benji's feathers simultaneously. The crow's smile widened and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.



"I have an idea!"





[center]* * *[/center]





"Hun, I know how Benji can be, but I promise he's taking excellent care of the kids. You don't need to worry." Sally's feathery fingers gently squeezed Mia's paw as they walked, enjoying the light breeze and the afternoon sun.



"I-I'm not worried! Who said anything about being worried?" Mia stammered, trying to act cool, while her wife rolled her eyes.



"No one, but you have led us around the fenceline to our own backyard about five times now..."



"I have?" Mia stopped to regard the tall solid wood fence, letting out a sigh as she turned to lean up against it. "I have."



Sally leaned in close and rested her forehead on Mia's. Just then, they could both hear Tristan and Amy laughing as the breeze picked up.



"I get so anxious when I don't have them in my sight," Mia said, rubbing her arm and looking embarrassed. Sally reached under Mia's chin and tilted her head up a bit, so that she could stare into her eyes.



"I know, my love. Some wounds... never really heal."



"I just..." Mia looked down and sniffed. "I just want to scoop him and Amy both up into my arms and never let them go. But then... I also start to worry that Tristan will end up hating us for babying him so much."



"Oh... Mi-Mi," Sally said, making the panthress blush beneath her dark fur. The eagle pulled her wife into a hug and began to nuzzle her neck. "That's never gunna happen. Oh sure, it is quite the tightrope act at times. On the one hand, he's deserving of our respect, no matter how adorable and fluffy he is. On the other hand, physically and to a certain degree mentally, he's a baby, and thus needs a lot of help and care and love."



Mia smiled and Sally continued.



"It's true that he might not be happy with some decisions we're gunna have to make for his sake. Why, he will probably get outright frustrated or mad at times. But at the end of the day, we've earned his trust, and he knows that any decisions we make are only in his best interest. Plus, if we talk things out with him first, it will go a long way to help mitigate some of his feelings of frustration."



"... I suppose you do make a pretty good point, Sally-Wally." Mia smiled, it now being the eagle's turn to blush. Hearing another burst of the children's laughter from just over the other side of the fence brought a smile to the panthress' lips and Sally's beak. Seeing a bit of movement above, Sally froze, seeing Tristan, his wings as fully extended as they would go, tied to a bright purple diamond-shaped kite, a string leading back down to, hopefully, her brother. Panicking a little at the idea of Mia turning around and seeing Tristan riding a kite up in the air, Sally leaned in to give the surprised Mia a deep kiss, internally vowing to kill her brother later.









[center][b]And there we have it folks! I hope you liked it![/center][/b]