New Adjustments to a Little World

10

A/N: Warning for a discussion of past abuse. And not much little Camila, this is mostly Lauren and DNA centric until the end.

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When Lauren woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was no longer lying on top of Dinah, but instead was lying alone on the couch. The second thing she noticed was the urgency of how badly she needed to go to the bathroom. She rolled off the couch and raced to the bathroom, making it just in time before she could make a mess.

As she walked back into the living room, Dinah returned, too. "Oh, perfect, you're up. Did you sleep well, Lauren?" she asked as she sat next to the younger girl.

Lauren blushed, knowing she practically passed out in the blonde's lap. "Yes," she mumbled, looking at the floor.

"Good. Ally and Normani are setting up a movie for Camila in the playroom," Dinah stated, deciding not to point out the girl's embarrassment. "There are some things we need to talk to you about, and we don't want her interrupting."

"Am-am I in trouble?" Lauren asked quietly, because she didn't know what she could have done to get in trouble so far. She thought she had been good.

The blonde shook her head furiously. "No, you're not in trouble, promise," she assured. She held a hand out for the black haired girl, who took it hesitantly. "You're not in trouble," she repeated, squeezing the girl's hand softly. "We just want to talk about if you want us to be your caregivers, and what to expect, from us and from you."

Lauren nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. She didn't think she had done anything to get her in trouble, but she couldn't be sure.

Ally and Normani entered from the hallway, taking a seat on the other couch.

"Alright, Lauren. We just want to be sure about this," the oldest woman started. "Do you want us to be your caregiver?"

Lauren nodded. "Yes, please," she answered. "But only if you want to and are sure, because you have Camila and I don't want to make things difficult," she added hastily, looking at the three women anxiously.

Normani shook her head, giving the girl a serious look. "You're not making anything complicat-"

"But I can't be like Camila and be little," the younger girl interrupted, working herself up into a fit. "And, and I do- I can't, I ca-"

"Lauren, sweetheart, breathe," Dina interrupted, wrapping the girl into her arms and pulling her into her lap. She started rubbing circles around Lauren's stomach, hoping to calm the girl down.

Lauren's posture tensed at first then relaxed, and she leaned to hide her face in the blonde's neck. Dinah could feel tears hitting her skin, and the girl's breathing slowly returning to normal.

"Okay, you're alright, there's no need to be upset," she soothed, continuing to trace circles on the girl's stomach.

"Lauren, we've said multiple times that we'll take this as slow as you need to, you know that," Ally stated, watching as the taller blonde continued to keep the girl calm. "We're not upset about that, and you're not making anything complicated. This was a lot easier for Camila because she knew she would be a little and wanted it, but you didn't."

"We understand this is different for you," Normani added. "And we want to help. Nothing is going to make us change our mind."

Lauren looked up hesitantly. "Even, even if I told you where my scars came from?"

"Even then. We're not changing our minds, sweetheart," Dinah promised, hugging the girl tighter.

The green eyed girl closed her eyes, leaning further into the blonde. "The night of the dinner, when I pushed Brad into the table," she started, taking a shaky breath. "It made my dad really mad. I-I embarrassed him in front of a lot important people, according to him. H-he didn't even care that Brad wouldn't listen when I said no," she added, tears pooling in her eyes.