For Roses_of_Magic who wanted to see Matt babysit Little!Kol + Pigs_sn0rt_54 who said "I think it would be funny if Kol is being a typical toddler refusing to eat a sandwich if it's cut wrong"

Elijah sighs as he checks his watch. Matt comes out of the living room.

"Weren't you two supposed to be gone by now?"

"Yes. I know for a fact she's done getting ready."

"Then what is she doing?"

"I have one theory."

He heads upstairs to the bedroom he shares with Hayley. Sure enough, he finds her sitting in the rocking chair. Hayley is radiant with her hair pulled back in a bun and smoky makeup etched across her face. Her red dress cuts a few inches above her knee.

She's also got their son curled up on her lap, playing with her necklace. Elijah takes a moment to study his face. Kol's eyes are wide, a childish smile on his face every time his mama plays with his face. He's dropped significantly.

"Hayley," Elijah says, his voice not unkind. She doesn't look up. "Darling, we have to go."

"I can't leave him," Hayley replies. She smiles down at Kol, rubbing noses with him. "My baby needs me. Don't you, Lovebug?"

Elijah speaks up before his son can. "Little Prince, Matty is going to watch you, remember? You're going to have a movie night."

Kol looks over at his dad and shakes his head before looking back at Hayley. "Want Mama."

"You were so excited for tonight," Elijah says as he crosses over. "You wanted me and your mama out of your hair."

"Nuh uh." Kol clings to Hayley's dress. "My mama."

Hayley looks up at Elijah. "See, he needs me."

Elijah holds back a sigh. This has happened a few times now. They have plans, Kol drops and Hayley is anxious about leaving him. As much as Elijah loves to soak up the younger side of his son, he knows this isn't healthy.

"Little Prince, can you go find my wallet?" Elijah asks. "I think I left it in the kitchen."

Kol hesitates. "Mama's not going to leave?"

Elijah shakes his head. "Nay, sweetheart. Can you be my good helper?"

A wide smile spreads across his son's face. "Okay, Daddy!"

He hops off his mama's lap and dashes out of the room. Hayley smooths down her dress.

"You can distract him all you want. Eventually he'll realize we left," she points out. "Then he'll be sad and probably give Matt a hard time."

"Kol loves spending time with Matt. Whenever we need a babysitter, he begs for him. I think Klaus is starting to get a little offended," Elijah cracks a smile, but his wife doesn't match it.

"He doesn't want me to go."

Elijah sighs. "Darling, the more you do this, he's going to learn that you'll give in every time."

"Isn't that a good thing? In my pack, pups are never far from their mothers," Hayley points out. "Even if they haven't activated their curse, we keep them close."

"Yes, but Kol isn't a werewolf."

Hayley stands up, putting her hands on her hips. "I am."

Elijah pinches the bridge of his nose. "Look, I would love to spend all day with our boy. He is so precious. As of late, we haven't gotten a lot of him like this. At the same time, he needs to get used to us being gone when he's like this. It's healthy for him to know that Mama and Daddy will leave, but always come back. There may be a point where we have no choice for both of us to leave. How will he handle that then?"

She frowns, gnawing on her lip. "What if he feels like I've abandoned him?"

"Whenever he drops at school, you have to come fetch him and I stay where I am. He understands then."

"Yes, but he's with me."

"Before you, I had to leave him with Klaus or Rebekah from time to time. He did just fine. In fact, it was Klaus who once pried him out of my arms and forced me to go."

Hayley grumbles. "Let him try that with me."

Elijah chuckles. "Oh, I think he knows better."

Hayley is quiet for a moment. Elijah walks over and wraps his arms around her waist. She rests her forehead against his.

"I do want to spend time with you," she whispers. "I know I tend to obsess over Kol…"

"We're his parents. We're supposed to do that. Just as we need a break sometimes."

"What if he needs to feed?"

"You've pumped quite a bit. Plus, there's blood if he needs any of that."

"And bedtime…"

"Matt can handle it. He knows what to do." Elijah rubs his thumb against her cheek. "I'm apprehensive about leaving him too."

Hayley frowns. "Really? You don't seem it."

"One of us has to keep it together," he teases.

Hayley chuckles, pulling away from him. "Alright," she says. "But only for a couple of hours."

"'Tis all we need."

Kol vamps back into the room, wallet in hand. A proud smile is on his face.

"I found it, Dada!"

Elijah grins. "You did! Thank you, my clever little boy." He kisses his forehead and takes the wallet.

Hayley draws back a deep breath. Elijah watches a forced brave look go across her eyes. "Lovebug, Mama and Daddy are going to leave now."

Kol's face falls. "No, Mama. You said you'd stay."

"I know, but Daddy and I really have to go." She crouches down a bit and pushes some curls out of his face. Elijah makes a note that they need to cut his hair soon. "Matty is going to stay with you! You're gonna have a lot of fun."

Kol folds his arms over his chest and pouts. "I don't want Matty! I want Mama!"

Hayley's lip quivers. Elijah places a hand on her back.

"Mama and I will be back after you go night night. We'll see you in the morning."

"No!" Kol whines, stomping his foot. "Mama and Dada hafta stay."

"We can't, Little Prince." Kol looks at Hayley, but Elijah quickly interrupts. "Let's get you downstairs. Do you want to walk, have Mama hold you or Dada?"

Kol whimpers. "Want Dada."

Elijah smiles, a little relieved that his son isn't resenting him. He scoops Kol up and cradles him as they head out of the room. They make a pit stop to grab the pillow and quilt. Kol wraps his arms around his neck as they walk downstairs. Matt still stands there, looking a little awkward. He was turned just a month prior and his still getting used to tuning out his supernatural hearing.

"So…are you two going?"

Elijah nods. "Yes." He checks to make sure that Hayley is grabbing her purse and putting on her shoes. "We won't be too late, probably around 10 or so."

"Kol's bedtime is 9," Hayley says, walking back over. "His favorite jammies are on his bed, comfy sweats with no tags." Matt nods. "He has bottles, of both kinds, in the fridge. If it's breastmilk, it needs to be warmed up in the machine on the counter."

"Got it," Matt says, patiently.

"He gets a story at bedtime. Oh, he'll need his blankie and pillow," Hayley points to the items Elijah deposited on the couch. "And he has a drawer full of poppers. There's more in our room."

"He knows all this," Elijah whispers.

Hayley ignores him. "If he gets too fussy, call me."

"I will," Matt assures her. "But everything will be fine, Hayley. I've babysat him before."

Hayley takes Kol from Elijah and smothers his face with kisses. Her little boy giggles. "You're going to be my good boy?" Kol nods. She lightly smiles and pinches his cheek. "That's what Mama likes to hear."

"Mama and Dada come back?" Kol asks.

"Yes," Elijah says. "We always come back, don't we?" Kol hesitates, then nods. "That's right." He rubs noses with him and gives him a big kiss. "We love you, Little Prince."

"So, so much," Hayley adds, tickling his tummy.

Kol's smile doesn't last long. He whines, trying to cling to Hayley. She gives him a cuddle, holding on tight. Elijah gently pries the two apart. Kol takes the opportunity to latch onto him. Elijah takes a deep breath.

"Bye, Little Prince, we'll see you in the morning."

Kol bursts into tears as he's passed off to Matt. He kicks his legs and screams.

"Ma-ma! Da-da!"

Elijah smells the tears well up in Hayley's eyes. He grabs her hand and looks at Matt. Elijah's own heart beats heavily in his chest.

"Call us," he says.

Matt adjusts a squirming Kol. "I will, but everything will be fine."

Not able to take one last look at his little boy, Elijah leads Hayley out of the house.

Matt frowns as Kol continues to cry. He's yelling his parents' names, over and over again. Matt rocking him only seems to make it worse. He thinks about what Rebekah told him. Sometimes Kol doesn't need soothing, he just needs to scream it out.

He gently lowers him on the floor where he can't hurt himself. Kol screams loudly, pounding his fists and kicking his legs.

"I want Mama! I want Dada!"

"They're going to dinner," Matt gently explains. "We're going to have dinner too!"

Kol shakes his head, his face turning red. "Mama! Now!"

"I can't do that for you. But I do have your pillow and blankie," Matt offers, holding up both of them.

"No! Dada!"

"You'll see him in the morning."

Kol carries on. Snot begins to fall down his face and mixes with the tears. Matt tilts his head.

"Hey, Koley, if you want, you can keep crying. But I'm gonna make myself a grilled cheese."

Kol stops his kicking. He sniffles. "Grill' cheese?"

"Yup." Matt starts heading for the kitchen. "You stay here and cry. I could use some help. Maybe I'll ask Bekah."

"No!" Kol hops up off the floor. Matt holds back a smile. "She doesn't know how to do it! She uses the wrong cheese!"

"Oh, really?"

"Uh huh. And she doesn't like pickles."

"Well, you seem to know how to make it. But you don't want to help me, do you?"

Kol shakes his head. His tears are quickly drying up. "I do! I do! Can I, Matty? Pleaseee?"

Matt pretends to think about it for a moment. "Oh, alright. Only if you're sure you're done crying."

"I am, I am. No more, I promise."

Matt smiles. He grabs some tissues and wipes Kol's face, removing any evidence that the little one was crying. The two of them head into the kitchen.

"Get the bread for me," Matt requests. "I'll grab the cheese."

"The right one," Kol says. "Not the yucky one Bex likes."

"Yes, American and mozzarella. The best combo."

Kol nods in approval. Matt takes care of most of the ingredients. The little one carries the bread to the counter. Matt decides to make two for each of them and one for Rebekah. Caroline, Klaus and Marcel are off having a family night. Rebekah agreed to make herself scarce so Kol could have a guy's night with his favorite babysitter. He does grab her favorite goat cheese. Kol makes a face.

"This is just for your sister," Matt promises. "She needs to eat too."

"Oh, okay." Kol nods. "I don't want Bekah to be hungry."

Matt smiles, ruffling his hair. "Sweet boy."

He preps the bread, putting butter on each slice. Once that's done, he lets Kol put on the cheese. Matt sneaks a picture, texting it to Elijah. He wants to add a comment about not thinking about Kol and enjoying their own dinner. Matt's smart enough to know that's a foolish wish.

Once the pickles are added (to theirs, Rebekah's is plain), Matt heats up a pan. He has Kol sit at the table while he cooks. It only takes 10 minutes and they're a perfect golden brown. Matt grabs a bag of blood for himself from the fridge and pours it into a glass.

"Koley, do you want milk or blood?"

"Mama milk," Kol says. "In baba. I can hold it by myself."

"Alright, buddy."

Matt settles Kol's sandwich on the red plate with a monkey printed across, cutting it diagonally. He carries the plate over and sets it in front of him. Kol frowns, shaking his head. Matt furrows his brows.

"Wrong!" Kol announces, irritation in his voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sandwich wrong."

"Kol, it's exactly what you said you wanted."

"No, wrong sandwich. Wrong plate!" Kol pounds the table, causing the sandwich to shake a little.

Rebekah's voice carries from the doorway. "Kol Andreas Mikaelson, what is going on?"

"The sandwich and plate are wrong!"

Rebekah crosses over and examines the plate. She sighs, shaking her head, looking up at Matt sympathetically.

"He likes his grilled cheese cut in half, crusts on the side," she explains. "And sandwiches go on the shark plate. Monkey is for chicken tenders."

Matt's mouth drops open. There is no way that Hayley and Elijah would allow him to be so picky. He goes to speak, but Rebekah gently grabs his arm and guides him away.

"It's a part of his sensory processing disorder," she explains, her voice soft. "He needs his food to be a certain way or he won't be able to eat it."

"I didn't know anything about this."

"I know, Hayley and Elijah really should've told you. Though, to be fair, they only recently learned this."

"And the plate?"

"It's the same thing. He claims certain foods taste better off a certain plate." Matt frowns. "I know it's a lot, but it's Kol."

Matt sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, it's not a lot. If that's what he needs to eat, then that's what he'll get. Luckily I haven't touched the other sandwich yet."

Rebekah softly smiles and pecks his lip. She leads him back over to Kol, who's rubbing his thumb and index finger between his shirt while he sucks on his bottle.

"Koley, Matty's going to get your sandwich right. But remember what Mama and Daddy talked to you about? We need to use our words." Kol frowns but nods. "Matty didn't know."

"I'm sorry, Matty," Kol says, setting down his bottle and looking up at him with wide eyes.

Matt gives him a small smile. "It's alright, little dude. I'll get you the right sandwich, okay?"

He picks up the plate and walks over to the island. Matt cuts the other sandwich the right way and puts it on the shark plate. He settles Rebekah's on her own and joins them at the table. Kol's face perks up when he sees the correct sandwich.

"Thank you, Matty," he says, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"You're very welcome." Matt passes Rebekah her plate. "With your goat cheese."

Kol makes a face. "That's yucky."

"Nah, it's delicious," Rebekah says with a smirk. "I think mozzarella is yucky."

Kol pokes out his tongue and takes a big bite of his sandwich. "Yum," he declares as the cheese drips down his chin.

Matt chuckles, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at his face. "Try to keep it in your mouth."

Kol dramatically rolls his eyes. "I am, I am." He glances at Rebekah. "Bekah, wanna watch a movie with us? We're gonna watch Stitch!"

Rebekah smiles as he drinks more of his bottle. "Are you sure you want me intruding on your night?"

"It's okay. Right, Matty?"

Matt grins. "Who am I to turn down a pretty lady?" He leans over Kol, pecking her lips.

The little one pushes at his arm. "Ew! No, Matty! Yuck. No kissing."

Rebekah pulls away from her fiancé, snickering. "I can see why Elijah and Hayley needed this night out," she muses.

"Yeah, I'm putting him in his bed tonight. They need their…sleep.

Kol has dropped enough to not understand what they're getting at. He takes another bite of his sandwich. "Daddy snores."

"Ah, something you two have in common," Rebekah says, tapping his nose. "You two would keep up the whole loft. Me and Nik almost went insane."

"Nik drooled," Kol fires back. "Made the hay all wet and yucky."

Matt chuckles. He leans back and allows them to squabble over who has the worst sleeping habits. They only briefly bring up Henrik's tendency to talk in his sleep. A small silence falls over the table, but Rebekah quickly changes the subject. Matt does his best to keep on a brave smile. It's not often the family discuss Henrik. Though, even rarer is Finn. He doesn't come up at all in the conversation.

Once they're done eating, Rebekah clears the dishes. Kol still has some of his bottle left, so Matt scoops him up and takes him into the living room. He lays him on the couch so he's on top of his pillow, draping the blanket on top of him. Kol holds onto the bottle with two hands, drinking. Matt takes another picture and sends it to Hayley. She responds with about ten different types of heart emojis. Matt shakes his head, shoving his phone back in his pocket. Though, maybe he shouldn't judge. Who knows how he'll be when he and Rebekah finally have a kid.

Matt settles on the couch and moves the pillow so it's on his lap. He runs his fingers through Kol's curls and watches him to make sure he's not drinking too fast. Eventually, Rebekah joins them, sitting on the opposite end by her brother's feet, moving them so they're on her lap. She grabs the remote and flicks through the streaming services until she comes across the movie Kol wanted to watch. Matt smiles at her and she matches it. They still aren't sure when they'll add to this crazy family, but at least babysitting gives them a good idea of what could lie ahead.

As always, let me know what you think and feel free to leave prompts!

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