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They all finally have their schedules synced up to allow for a whole day together, and they know Charlie could do with spending the time regressed, so they’re having a day out at the park.
Ted is in charge of packing the picnic for them, and Schlatt is gathering all the other things they could need.
Because he was so excited Charlie woke up regressed ahead of them so they couldn’t do their last preparations before they leave the house, they sit him in front of his favourite cartoons while they zip around grabbing stuff.
Schlatt had already got him dressed this morning, while Ted got him a sippy cup of water to have with his breakfast.
Ted had made a checklist just in case he managed to get sidetracked by the other two, which is highly likely.
“Have you got the food for the ducks? Cause they-“
“Yeah, yeah, I know, ‘ducks can’t have bread,’ which I think is stupid by the way, but that’s why we got them the proper shit,” Schlatt says, scooping some waterfowl mix into a little drawstring satchel.
Ted rolls his eyes. “What about his stuffie? Or his mask so he can use his paci, and chewies in case he’s less baby?”
“Ah shit, I knew I forgot something!”
Ted smiles secretly to himself as he hears Schlatt ascend the stairs. He leans around the corner into the living room, watching Charlie sat on the floor watching his show, completely drawn in.
“You okay in there Char?”
Charlie comes out of his zoned in state, then turns around to see Ted watching him. “Mhm! Episode almost finished!”
“Okay buddy, we’ll get going to the park when Schlatt gets everything he’s forgot,” Ted grins, getting a giggle out of the boy.
Ted puts the sandwiches together, and cuts Charlie’s into dinosaurs, making sure he only includes the white bit of the bread.
He then puts them into a container and into a lunchbag, along with some grapes and crisps in separate boxes. He fills Charlie’s spouted cup up with apple juice, then that goes in as well.
He just had to put their leftover food from last night into his and Schlatts lunches, so he gets the tupperware container of chicken pesto pasta out of the fridge and puts it into another two boxes, and adds a bit more into his because he just knows Charlie will see it and want some.
Schlatt comes in the room from upstairs, looking a bit frazzled and with Charlie’s Slimecicle plush Goop under one arm, a pack of masks, his paci, and his chewy necklace gathered awkwardly in his arms, alongside the satchel of duck food that he’d forgotten to put down before he went upstairs.
“If I haven’t got everything then we’re not taking it,” Schlatt declares, less putting and more dumping the items into the bag they’re taking everything in.
“What about the picnic blanket in the closet?”
Schlatt closes his eyes and takes a breath in, “I’ll get it, and then that will definitely be the last thing I get.”
Once at the park Charlie makes a b-line for the playground equipment, specifically the swings, because he just loves the feeling of it and he's unfortunately too big for the play structure, but the slide and sandbox were fair game.
They were lucky it was the middle of a weekday, so all of the kids who would normally be using the equipment are in school, and it is normally quite quiet anyway, which for Charlie’s comfort is just how they like it.
“S’latt push?” Charlie asks, knowing that Schlatt pushes him higher than Ted, which he enjoys on his bigger days.
“Sure kid.”
Ted sets the bag down while Schlatt pushes Charlie on the swings, smiling while he sets the blanket out at Charlie’s raucous giggles when he goes particularly high.
After a while Schlatt leaves Charlie to it, and the boy moves to the slide, shouting out when he reaches the top to make sure they watch him as he slides down, arms in the air.
Then he wanders over to the two sitting on the blanket talking amongst themselves, hands behind his back shyly. “Can I have my sand buildin’ stuff?”
Ted rifles through the bag, glad that he’d thought to grab the items on their way out. “Here you go, kid! ‘N we’d love to see what you make, so let us know when we can see it!”
“Okay!” Charlie grins, thinking of the possibilities he has with the molds and building supplies.
“You want your food Char?” Ted calls out, beginning to take their lunches out of the bag, passing Schlatts over to him. Charlie perked up and practically ran over, flopping down and clumsily crossing his legs.
“Before we do anything hold on while I get the wet wipes for your hands, you don’t want a crunchy sandwich bud,” Ted points out before he gives Charlie his lunchbox.
Charlie smiles toothily, letting Ted wipe his sand covered hands down, the sensation a bit weird and tickly but he doesn’t protest.
Ted hands Charlie his box, the boy taking it gratefully. “T’ank you Teddy!” He says excitedly, knowing Ted does packed lunches like no one else.
Ted smiles as he ruffles Charlie’s hair. “Yeah, thanks Ted,” Schlatt agrees around a mouthful of pasta. Ted reaches his arm out to ruffle Schlatts hair like he did with Charlie, but the other gets his arm in a warning grip. “If you fuck with my hair Ted, I swear to god.”
Charlie giggles, munching at his triceratop shaped sandwich.
After they eat Charlie seems to drop a bit smaller, judging by the way he’s got the collar of his shirt in his mouth, lightly chewing, so Ted loops his chewy necklace around his neck. “Buddy, I don’t think you want a hole in your shirt, huh?”
Charlie looks like he barely recognises what’s being said, startled out of his daze, but he nods and takes the shirt out of his mouth in favour of rubbery silicone shaped like a minecraft sword.
“So what about that sand castle, huh?” Schlatt prompts, interrupting Charlie’s absentminded chewing.
Charlie gasps, eyes sparkling. “Yeah! Come see!” He squeals, hopping up and taking off to the sandbox once more.
Schlatt stands up with a groan and stretches his joints from where he’d grown stiff sitting on the ground. “Jesus Schlatt, you’re too young for your bones to be poppin’ like that.”
“I’m a streamer Ted, we’re not made to be in peak fitness.”
They come upon where Charlie is proudly presenting his sand structure, and he actually did a good job with it, not that they ever doubted his creative abilities even while little, they’ve had plenty of drawings from him to prove it.
The sand castle mold had been used, with leaves poking out of the turrets, and it was rimmed with what looked to be a moat, though he didn’t have any water to put in it, as well as a starfish and turtle around the perimeter.
“Who are these guys?” Ted asks, pointing to the sea creatures.
“They’re guarding the castle from any meanies! And they live in the water here too!”
“Ah, and I’m guessing these are flags here, really nice touch Char,” Schlatt praises, pointing to the turrets, then patting him on the shoulder affectionately.
“Uh-huh,” Charlie grins, glad his creative vision can be understood, because he really liked making it.
Charlie’s absolute favorite thing about the park above all else was the pond, always brimming with ducks, swans and geese, surrounded by reeds and cattails to make it look as natural as possible.
“Look! Look! There’s babies!” Charlie squeals around his chewy, pointing to the ducklings trailing behind their mother, all yellow fluff.
“Smaller voice bud, you don’t wanna scare ‘em,” Schlatt lightly chastises.
“Sorry, I jus’ got excited,” Charlie whispered sheepishly, guiltily avoiding his caregivers gaze
Schlatt hugs him into his side. “That’s okay, but they might be scared if we’re too loud, they’re only tiny.”
“Like me!”
“Yeah, kid, just like you,” Schlatt smiles fondly, then hands him the pouch of bird food. “Now we’ll stay here while you go feed ‘em.”
Charlie nods, smiling and excitedly wandering over.
Charlie makes a careful approach towards the birds resting on the grassy bank leading up to the water and sprinkles some of the pellets onto it, making the birds flock to it almost immediately.
He decides to try and hold some too to see if any would feed from his hand. He only does that occasionally, because Ted told him that the birds still need to be a bit careful around people for their own safety.
He carefully crouches down, reaching his palm out slowly to the birds, and quietly squeals when they start pecking at his hand incessantly.
Ted and Schlatt watch from a few feet away, feeling like proud parents, and for all intents and purposes, right now they are.
~