Contains non-sexual agere. I had a few people want to see Little!Mateo and Caregivers!Grace/Judd!

"Do you have the…" Judd can't even finish his sentence before Grace interrupts.

"Dill is in the bag."

"What about…"

"Emergency bottle is prepped, formula pre-measured. Plus some pull-ups, just in case. Also in the bag."

"Okay, but what about…"

"Books, stim toys, all of the above, in the…"

"Bag," Judd finishes, chuckling. "I know. All stupid questions."

Grace smiles, shaking her head. "I know you're worried, baby, but it's going to go great."

Judd nods, ignoring the anxiety that's building up inside of him. He grabs the light up sneakers.

"Okay, bag packed, favorite sneakers. Are we missing anything else?"

"Um. Possibly the most important thing." Judd arches a brow. "Mateo."

Judd looks around the entryway and clicks his tongue. Their son was just there 2 minutes ago, playing with some of his ponies. The plastic horses are still there, but Mateo is gone.

"Teo!" Judd calls out. "It's time to go!"

Silence. Judd sighs, running his hand over his face. Grace adjusts the blue gingham bag over her shoulder.

"I thought he was okay with this."

"Perhaps we were a bit too optimistic. I'll go find him." Judd hesitates, then reaches into the bag and grabs the ugly armadillo plush that Mateo picked out their first shopping trip. "I have a feeling this is a job for Dill."

Judd heads down the hallway and into Mateo's nursery. They got a three bedroom not long after he came to live with them, allowing for separate spaces when he feels younger. Mateo picked out a cowboy theme. Grace says he's too much like his daddy for his own good, but Judd sees nothing wrong with that.

The room is seemingly empty, but Judd hears shuffling somewhere within.

"Teo," he repeats. "Little partner, it's time to go." Another beat of silence. "We're going to be late."

A voice carries from the closet. "I don't care!"

Judd walks over and opens the door. Mateo sits beneath the hangers containing overalls and a few of his nicer outfits. His knees are drawn to his chest, chin resting on top of them. The young man's lips form a pout as he looks up at his dad.

"Not goin'."

Judd holds back a sigh. "You're not, huh?"

Mateo shakes his head. "Can't make me."

"Well, I don't like forcing you to do anything," Judd clarifies. "I would like for you to come with me and your mama on your own."

"Nuh uh."

"Can you use your words and tell me why you'd rather sit in the closet than come with me?"

"Don't wanna go. They're gonna put pointy things in my mouth." Mateo draws his knees closer. "They're gonna make me be by myself."

Judd slowly kneels in front of Mateo, hiding a small grunt. He drops the shoes and armadillo on the floor, reaching over to rub his son's arm. Mateo bites his lip. His dark brown eyes are wide with anxiety.

Doctors and dentists are a sensitive subject for Mateo. He didn't have the chance to go often growing up, given his status. By the time he was able to get health insurance, he was just used to not going. They had made some strides with the doctor, as Mateo had at least gotten into a free clinic once a year. Dentists were trickier. It didn't help that they had a bad first try.

Judd and Grace hadn't thought it through. They just got Mateo in with their dentist, figuring it'd be no big deal. When they arrived, he was reasonably anxious and clinging to their hands. They kept him as calm as possible…

Until the dentist announced they couldn't go back there with him. They felt it was a distraction. Mateo had a complete meltdown and refused to let go of Grace. Judd argued with the dentist for 15 minutes, but he held firm. They left without Mateo getting his teeth checked. The family went to the arcade and had pizza. Mateo even got to meet up with TK. A horrible day turned into a great one.

The subject of the dentist has been a sensitive subject since.

"We've talked about this," Judd says, his voice gentle. "Mama found a new dentist. He only works with kiddos like you. TK goes there too!" He hopes that the approval of Mateo's best friend will win points, but nothing on the little one's face changes. "The dentist is going to be nice and gentle. They won't hurt you."

"You don't know that," Mateo mumbles.

"Yes, I do. Because I'm going to be right there with you, remember?" Mateo tilts his head. "Dr. Simmons lets mamas and daddies go back with their patients. You'll sit on my lap and I'll hold you the whole time."

Mateo perks up at the sound of that. Judd holds up the armadillo.

"Plus, Dill will come." Judd pauses then holds it up to his ear. "What's that? Oh! Thank you, Dill."

He grins. "Dill says you can hold him as tightly as you want."

A shy smile peeks across Mateo's lips. "Dill can't talk, Daddy."

"Daddies have special powers where they can hear their children's stuffed animals." Judd holds the toy out to him. "What do you say?"

Mateo accepts it, a hesitant look on his face. "Sit on Daddy's lap?"

Judd nods. "Yup. And Mama will hold your hand."

Mateo's face brightens a little more at the mention of his mother. Judd chuckles. He is such a mama's boy.

"Now, can we get this show on the road, please?"

"Yeah, Daddy."

Judd holds back a sigh of relief. "That's my brave boy! Here, let's get your shoes on."

He slips the sneakers onto Mateo's feet and pulls him to stand up. They walk hand in hand back to the entryway where Grace waits. Her face lights up when she sees him.

"There's my boys!" She kisses Mateo's forehead. "Are we all set to go?"

"Yeah, Mama. Hold my hand?"

"Of course I will! You're always keeping me safe."

Mateo grins under the praise, slightly blushing as well. He takes her hand. The family heads out the door together. Judd digs through his pocket for the keys, trying to hide his apprehension.

The waiting room is quiet on arrival. Grace takes that as a good sign. Mateo plays quietly with Dill and the train tracks in the corner. Grace sits beside Judd, watching him fill out the paperwork. She's seen some dads who know next to nothing about their kids. Sometimes she wonders if Judd knows Mateo better than her. She got lucky.

Eventually, the nurse practitioner comes out from the back. "Mateo?" He looks up from the trains. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"

Mateo glances at his parents. Judd walks over and scoops him up. Grace follows behind into the exam room. Owen wasn't lying when he said it's set up better for Littles. The chair is large enough to support two adults and there's more space so an additional caregiver can sit. All while allowing the dentist to do their job.

Judd settles into the exam chair with Mateo on his lap. The hygienist consults her clipboard.

"We're just doing the standard exam and cleaning, yes?" Mateo nods. "Alright then. Let's just get these X-RAYs out of the way. Your mommy and daddy will have to step out of the room." Grace frowns as Mateo tenses up. "But it'll be quick, two seconds. Just need to get some pictures, okay? Then your parents can come back."

Judd pushes back some of Mateo's hair. "They're not going to touch you, I promise. Just pictures."

Mateo gnaws on his lip, hugging Dill tight. "Pictures?"

"Yup. Mama and I will be right outside."

It takes another few kisses and hugs for Mateo to relent. The hygienist is patient and keeps a smile on her face. Eventually, Mateo allows his parents to leave. True to the hygienist's word, the X-RAYs take all of 5 seconds. Judd dashes back in there as soon as possible to put Mateo back in his lap. Grace smiles, shaking her head as she enters.

"You were so brave!" She praises. Mateo nods, snuggling up against his daddy. "I think they got lots of good pictures of your teeth."

"Can I see?"

"In a little bit."

Dr. Simmons takes a little bit to come in. He smiles and greets Mateo personally. Grace hates when doctors or anyone really only acknowledges them. Mateo may be younger right now, but he's a person, just like everyone else. He deserves to be apart of the conversation.

"Alright, Mateo, let's take a look at your teeth. Can you keep your mouth nice and wide for me?"

Mateo eyes his tray of tools. "Looks pointy."

"They do, don't they? Would you like me to show you what each of them do?"

Mateo nods. Dr. Simmons goes through all of the tools. He's honest that some of them may pinch just a bit.

"But you can squeeze my hand as tight as you need to," Grace assures him. She holds out her hand, which he instantly takes. "See, Mama and Daddy are both here."

Mateo nods, leaning back into Judd. The little blue bib is tied around his neck . He opens his mouth, making a little ah noise. Dr. Simmons gets to work checking out his mouth. When the poker hits the gums, Grace feels Mateo's fingernails dig into her palm. She bites her lip and makes a mental note she needs to cut them. That's another challenge for another day.

"Here, let's count your teeth," Dr. Simmon suggests as Mateo starts to get restless. "Then I'll clean them. You can even pick the flavor!"

That stills him a bit. The dentist goes through the process of counting each tooth. Mateo starts flicking his fingers to try to count along, eventually using Grace and Judd's too.

Mateo is happily distracted while his teeth are cleaned, continuing to move his fingers and try to even do the same with Dill's paws. Dr. Simmons only has to remind him twice to tilt his chin back.

"And spit," Dr. Simmons instructs.

Mateo does as instructed. Judd tries to hold the plastic cup of water to his mouth. "I can do it, Daddy!" He insists.

Grace chuckles off her husband's hurt look. He'd probably do everything for Mateo if he could. It doesn't help that their son can get very stubborn. Mateo gets about a quarter of the cup in his mouth, the rest spilling into the bib. He ignores that and ends up swallowing about half. Grace looks up at the dentist with concern, but he brushes it off.

"We use a similar formula to children's toothpaste," he explains. "It's perfectly safe."

Judd does manage to wipe off his mouth. That only earns him a slight tongue pull. Judd does it right back, earning a giggle from Mateo.

"Let's look at these pictures," Dr. Simmons says when the hygienist brings the X-RAYs back.

Grace sees Judd's knee bounce at the mention of them. Cavities were their main source of concern, alongside the need for a root canal. The cleaning itself took weeks of convincing. Any filings or surgeries are going to take a lot of pizzas and trips to the arcade…

"All looks well," Dr. Simmons says. Grace exhales through her nose. "I would recommend brushing a little better. Maybe your parents can help you."

Judd shoots his son a playful look. "See? It's okay for daddies to help brush teeth."

Mateo makes a face. "But I'm a big boy."

"Even big boys need help," Dr. Simmons encourages him. "This way your teeth will be as shiny as possible."

Mateo seems to consider it and nods. Judd rolls his eyes behind his head. Grace nudges him. Of course Mateo is more likely to listen to someone who isn't him.

"Do you have an electric toothbrush?"

Mateo nods. "It's blue. And has Thomas on it!"

"Wow! That's super cool. So tonight, let your daddy help you, alright?"

"Okay." Mateo looks up at Judd. "You have to help me Daddy."

Grace snorts as her husband playfully narrows his eyes. "I think we can manage that."

Dr. Simmons looks between the father and son, amused. "Alright then. Mateo, you were such a brave big boy. Would you like to pick out a prize from the chest?"

"Yes!" Mateo cheers. Judd whispers into his ear. "Please," the little one quickly follows up.

Dr. Simmons chuckles. Mateo hops off Judd's lap and follows the dentist back into the lobby. He digs through the little plastic chest while Grace checks out. She makes another appointment in the next 6 months. Hopefully, it won't be as hard to convince him.

Mateo bounces over to her, a little toy phone in the hand that Dill isn't holding. "Look, Mommy! Look! Look!"

"Wow, that's so cool!" Grace says, pushing his hair away from his place.

"Now I can take calls like you! And help people first!"

Grace beams, kissing his forehead.

"Oh, will you now?"

"Uh huh!" Judd walks over to them, holding a small plastic bag containing toothpaste and floss. "Can we go to the park now? Please?"

"Of course we can, little partner," Judd says, rubbing his back. "You were such a good, brave boy. We need to celebrate."

"Can TK come? Please? Please!"

Grace giggles, taking out her phone. "I'll call Owen, hm?"

Feel free to leave prompts for any verse or even ones for one shots. I am on Tumblr and love communicating on there, as well as in the comments!