Nano’s ears flopped gently as his head turned towards the door where a soft knock rang out from. His little puffy tail gently wiggled in delight as he bound towards it before he was stopped by the fuzzy paws of his mother before he was wrapped in her embrace. “And where are you off to mister? You haven’t finished your greens!” A soft hum came from him as he pointed towards the door. “Thewe was a knock. I was gonna answew it.” Joey shook her head and pointed him back towards the table where his plate was waiting with a small pile of greens still on it. He huffed as he walked back and climbed up onto his seat with a bit of a struggle. He wanted to know what was happening so he pushed his paws back over his ears to turn them over so that he could hear.
Unbeknownst to him she had seen him. “Nano Perthro Redrik, you turn your ears back right this instant!” Her tone sent shivers through him and without a single complaint his paws ran them the other way, and he grumpily slouched forward so he was leaning over his plate. He could still hear her talking but everything was so muffled that he couldn’t make out anything other than pleasantries being exchanged.
“Finish your greens and we’ll play some before I have to work some more. Ok?” It was a command hidden as a plea but he still couldn’t help it. He grabbed his plastic fork and shoveled them down, swallowing quickly before gagging and pouting, he did it after each bite while she walked up the stairs and paddered off towards his room. His tail went wild again as he shoveled faster.
The moment he took his last swallow, he dropped his fork and made a b-line towards his room, up the stairs and around the corner, busting right in as his mom put the last of a set of sticky glow in the dark space objects on the wall. “Hey there Kiddo. Did you eat every last drop?” He nodded with disdain and held up his paw with only his pinky extended. “Pinky pwomise.” She nodded and put her paw on top of his. “No need to promise, baby boy. I believe you. Do you like the stars?”
Nano nodded as he looked around, happy his blinds were drawn closed so there was a soft glow. He moved further in and pushed the door closed with a huff of effort and then climbed up on his step stool to flick the lights off. It sent his mind wandering as he turned around mid hop, amazed at the stars and planet shapes that made him imagine he was in space. It was helped further when his mom switched on his nightlight, casting a slowly spinning space scene along most of the ceiling.
Nano beamed a smile at Joey before taking a step closer before noticing the small discarded shipping box wasn’t the only one in the room. “Why’we thewe two boxes?” It was Joey’s turn to smile, grabbing his paw and pulling him over as she opened up the flaps and let him peak inside, slightly lifting him so he could get over the top before he gasped and started wiggling so much he tipped forward. “Nano, stop squirming, you might fall!” And then he fell forward into the box, appearing moments later screeching while wearing a small spacesuit helmet.
“I’M AN ASTWONAUT!” His face was lit with glee, his cheeks rosy with happiness as he stared into her eyes, reflecting her and the mock stars around them back at her like a mirror. “Yeah you are, my special little spaceman.” Nano moved a little so he could look back down into the box before looking back and holding his paws up. “I need to get nakie so I can get changed!” Joey couldn’t help but giggle before putting her paw around him and lifting him out.
“Let’s get you changed then before your mission, Sir.” He was so giddy he didn’t even think about taking his helmet off before trying to pull his shirt over his head which quickly got him stuck. “Momma I need heeeewp!” She giggled again, rolling her eyes as well this time before she pulled his shirt down and then lifted his helmet. “Try now sweetheart.” He smiled as he lifted it up, exposing the soft short fluff on his chest. His shorts were easy for him to pull off since he always liked to wear elastic shorts.
He stood looking up at her while he was in nothing but a pull-up, waiting patiently for her to pull the rest of the suit out. “You know you’re the cutest baby ever right?” He huffed and stomped his foot, clearly already used to hearing the same thing over and over again. “Yes yes, I’m da cutest baby in da wowd! Now can chu hewp me into da suit?!” She relented and grabbed the suit from the box, gathering up his suit and undoing all the clasps and zippers, finally starting to redress him.
He looked down at himself and giggled as he moved a little to see how it fit, giggling at the bulge that the pull-up made in the fabric. “I wook wike a weaw astwonaut…” He looked up towards her but was surprised to see that she was taking her outfit off as well and then putting on a suit of herself which made him gasp and wiggle in excitement. “M-Momma is an astwonaut too!” She turned her head towards him and nodded as she slipped the helmet on over her head, causing him to smirk as he did the same.
He looked around his room a few times before finally stopping on the box that their costumes had come in, clearly thinking about something before Joey spoke up. “Whatcha looking for, baby?” Without turning away he responded. “We need a space ship… I think the box wiw be pewfect. Can we make it hava window?” Joey nodded as she picked up the box, heading towards her room. “Yeah, I think a window would be a nice addition to our space ship, lil cadet.” Nano walked to his, now open, door and looked out towards her door, waiting patiently while watching her open door.
After not hearing anything for a few moments he stepped into the hallway and slowly started softly padding over towards her room, trying to be as quiet as possible. Once he got closer she stuck her head out from behind the door, causing him to squeak and fall down onto his butt, huffing out as he glared at her. “Come on lil slugger, I was waiting for you to come help me. Why’re you down on the ground? Come on.”
He grumpily crossed his arms and looked away from her, making her silly expression soften as she walked out from her room, then kneeling in front of him. “Awe, did I scare you too much?” He let out a sniffle and then hmphed as he continued to look away, the tip of his ears starting to blush slightly. “Nano, baby, look at me please?” He couldn’t ignore it, slowly turning his head towards her, a saddened expression painted on his face and slight beads of tears forming at the corner of his eyes, and then he gave a single slow nod. “Awe, kiddo. I’m sorry. Would you like a hug?”
Another nod and his arms slowly uncurled from in front of his chest and outstretched towards his momma. She was quick to scoop him up and hold him close against her chest, leaning back with her baby wrapped tightly in her arms and pressed against her chest. “I love you kiddo. Sorry for scaring you.” Nano sniffled again and wiped his tears on her fur. “I-It’s otay, couwd we go and make the window for da ship now?” She nodded against his head and walked back to her room with him still in her arms.
“You’re getting heavy Nano. I might have to stop carrying you around baby boy.” Nano huffed and nestled in closely to her fur, holding his arms tightly around the back of her neck. “NOOOOOOO! I dun wanna wawk awound evewywhewe aw da time! I wan chu to cawwy me aw da time!” She chuckled as she set him down carefully. “Don’t worry sweetie. I wouldn’t ever willingly stop.” He pulled his feet back up twice, only letting go once he had her leaning almost all the way over and he was set down on his back. “Moooommmmaaaaaaaa… my wegs don’t wowk so chu havta cawwy me!”
She softly chuckles as she shakes her head. “No Nano, you have to get up sweetie. I can’t keep carrying you.” A soft grumble escaped his lips as he watched her walk towards the box that she’d left in the center of the room, which was far enough away that he slowly got up off his back, onto all fours, then up onto his feet to walk over. “Hmph, I didn’t wanna wawk…” He stayed behind her, in just the perfect spot to watch her slowly cut along the side of the box until a decent sized piece fell away creating the small window. He churred happily as he saw the window, ready to start their game. “I know you didn’t wanna walk sweetheart but sometimes you have to do things that you don’t want to do.” She got up while holding the box and put the boxcutter away up high where he couldn’t reach. “Now let's go play before you have to take your afternoon nap.”
The mention of his nap made him grumble and stand in the middle of the room and stomp his foot. “I don’t wanna take a nap! I’m too big for naps!” She just rolled her eyes and continued to walk while suppressing a chuckle. “Fine, well I’m gonna take a nap after playing astronauts. Are you coming or are you gonna sit in here and pout by yourself?” Nano didn’t move, listening to her pawsteps receding down the hallway towards his room, grumbling and pouting before letting out a growl and started running out of the room and towards his own, getting there just as soon as she put the box down in the middle of the room. “You can’t pway wifout me! I thought of the game!” She glanced at him with a slightly angered expression that softened after a moment. “Nano, that isn’t how we talk. Try again and we’ll see if you can get it right.”
He stared at her for a few moments, softly breathing in and out before blushing softly and turning away while crossing his arms and grumbling. “Nano, I really want you to try again without being in trouble.” Still he didn’t respond again, though his blush did grow and his grumbling did get softer. “Nano, last chance.” That made him squirm slightly, his paws gripping at the scales of his upper arms, trying to control his worried breathing as he felt the punishment closing in. “One… Two… Three… Don’t let me get to ten.”
A tremble of worry ran up his spin before he dropped his arms and huffed softly. “I weawwy wouwdn’t wike if chu pwayed the game I thought of wifout me.” Joey smiled down at him and rubbed in between his floppy ears, gently moving his head side to side while she did. “That’s better. Now let’s play so that we can make sure you don’t have any more frownies for a while.” He nodded a few times before grabbing his space helmet and putting it on, smiling at her while his breath slightly fogged the glass, which caused him to giggle.
With Joey’s help, Nano turned the box onto its side and slowly climbed inside, looking out of the little window she’d made, and just marveled at the imagined expanse of space, a dark black inky sea speckled throughout with white, yellow, and red stars, with blankets of space dust clustered together here and there. “Mo- I mean, Captain, this is quite the nice section we got sent to.”
Joey looked inside the box and saw how little room there was, so she walked towards the middle of the room and laid down there, nodding softly. “Yes, it is Cadet. I’m in the observation wing looking through the glass around me. I can see for… well, more than miles. Why don’t you come join me?” Nano looked at her a moment longer before starting to slowly wiggle his way out of the box and once he was finally out, he looked towards where she was and was confused to find she wasn’t there.
“Um, Captain? Whewe did chu go?” He looked around a little more before he was grabbed from behind, letting out a soft squeak of fear and wiggled to try to get away. “AAAA! Don’t eat meeee!” Her giggle ran out as she gently nipped at his ear, then his arm, then to his neck. “Mmm, you're a delicious little cadet!” Nano realized what was happening and let out more squeaks and squeals, clearly pretending as he wiggled some more to get away. “W-What did chu do to my Captain, creature?!”
“Mmm, I am your captain, I’ve always been an imposter!” She bit him in the same spots again and made him giggle before she turned him over and pinned him to the ground where she’d been before, biting him gently in a few more spots. “Om nom nom, so tasty!” Nano tried his best to wiggle away but she held him down by his wrists. “N-Nooo, chu can’t eat me! I-I don’t taste good! A-And I give stomach aches!” She didn’t let up, pretending to eat him all up until he pretended to die. “Bleh!”
Once he pretended he was dead, she scooped him up and moved him to his bed and pet his head gently before pulling his blanket over him. He went to protest before he yawned and huffed. “Hmph… dis cwib won’t howd me fow wong!” She smiled and leaned over the edge and stared down at him. “I think it’ll hold you just fine till I’m sure you’ve had your nap and I let you out.” He pouted softly for a few minutes, slowly feeling himself getting more and more sleepy until his eyes began to droop, and not even a minute later, he was out like a light.
