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Being a big girl was hard, Moe decided.
Being an adult in general, doing.. responsible things and whatnot, was absolutely tiring. Moe just wanted to curl up into a sad little clown ball and cry her heart out. Everything was too difficult and intimidating, and simply existing felt like sinking into quicksand.
Moe's mouth unhinges in an obviously unsuccessful attempt to scream as she jolted awake. Her arms clutched her own fabric of her bright colored pyjamas, wheezing out a breath. There was no fire here, no frantic screaming-- aside from her own thoughts. No fire, everybody was fine, Ze and ReGect were fine.
..Were they?
Shit, if she wasn't hyperventilating before, she most definitely was now. Moe slips out of bed, making a mess of her bedspread. She snatches her horn off of her bedside table, the soft but hasteful noise of her feet pitter pattering down the hallway. She pushes the door to Ze and ReGect's room, nearly missing it due the darkness of the house and the blurriness caused by forming tears. The door creaks, alerting ReGect awake. He groans, propping himself up to stare at the doorway.
"The fuck is.. shit, Moe? Why are you up so late?" He mutters, sitting up fully. He doesn't have time to react before the clown jumps on the bed and latches to his side, sobbing and honking her horn. "Woah, woah, hey. You okay?" His voice instantly softens, wrapping his arms around her. Ze grumbles, turning over in his half-awake state. "Dude, quiet the fuck down.." He rubs his eyes, getting ready to turn back to where he originally was resting, but heard ReGect scoff. "No. Moe is upset and I'm helping her so.. fuck off." He huffs. Ze glances at them, head whipping so fast that it made a small little pop. "Moe?" He murmurs, voice rough with sleep. He curls closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "..Are you okay?" Ze asked. Moe shook her head, honking out garbled nonsense before throwing her horn across the room in a fit of frustration. "Woah! Hey, Moe, can- okay, you're upset. Let's calm down babygirl, okay?" ReGect speaks slowly and softly, taking Moe's hands into his own. Ze stares at ReGect, bringing his voice to a hushed whisper. "Is.. is she small?" He asks. ReGect just gives a shrug, patting Moe's back. She stares up at ReGect with big, watery blue eyes. It's only now that she realizes that her horn was discarded during her earlier fit. She whines, curling into ReGect and signing 'daddy.' ReGect swears his heart melts, the innocent display making him recall older memories. "Yeah, that's right. I gotcha, Daddy's gotcha." He hushes, kissing Moe's forehead. She giggles at this action, mind drifting away from her troubles. ReGect seems to get an idea, shuffling his grasp around the clown. "Wait wait, Ze, hold her for a sec. I got an idea." He says proudly, already handing her over. Ze, still tired compared to his companions, startles a bit as Moe is pushed over into his lap. He chuckles, giving her a tiny wave as she stares up at him. "Hi." He says with a small smile. Moe playfully grabs his nose, causing him to laugh. "Wh- stop that you crazy girl!" He snorts. Moe giggles as well, amused by her own antics. ReGect tapped her shoulder.
"Here-- look here girl!" He covered his face, well-- the only visible parts of it-- with his claws. Ze feigned shock, looking down at Moe and back at ReGect's concealed face. "Moe-- did you see that? Where'd ReGect go?" He gasps. Moe looks around, mouth agape with awe. ReGect chuckles, knowing damn well he could just actually teleport away if he wanted to make it more authentic. This felt better though, more simple and down to Earth. He uncovered his face. "Oh! Look, Daddy's back!" He cheered, and Moe gasps, reaching at his face in wonder. "Aw, hi there." He says, before hiding again. "Where'd ReGect gooo?" ReGect sings. Moe points at the entity's hands, staring up at Ze for confirmation. ReGect reveals his face again. "You're too smart for this, you sweet girl." He laughs, pinching Moe's cheek with soft pressure. It was like a little vanilla mochi. Ze yawns, looking at the clock. 2 AM, roughly. "Alright, I don't wanna ruin the fun but.. we should probably all go back to sleep." He's met with an instant, pouting face right up near his. Moe stares at him with puppy eyes. "You can sleep in here, Moe. It's all nice and safe, you got ReGect who can do.. uh, something useful probably" he says, earning a small but silly scoff from ReGect "and I have my guns. So, yeah, we're pretty much set." He explains, and Moe sleepily nods along to his words. She felt safe in the arms of her papa, her body allowing itself to grow heavier and sleepier. Ze adjusts the blanket over them all, with Moe between the two. They were making a little Moe-cuddle-sandwich. Moe yawns, closing her eyes and curling her arms around ReGect's. She faintly registers the deep, grounding voice of a lullaby as she's lulled off into sleep, her papa's fingers running through her red hair. She was safe, with them. She didn't have to be a big girl all the time. She could be their baby, and they'd still be there. It's what daddies and papa's are for.
