Ficlet: Baby Danny Part 2, with Special Guest Appearance from Rex!
"So I really used to be that small?" Rex asked curiously.
Caesar was sitting on the floor with the now-infant Danny, working on his coordination by playing with... blocks. Stacking them up. Danny was sitting between Caesar's legs, one of Caesar's hands on his chest to help him sit up.
"You were!" Caesar replied quiet cheerfully, pulling out another handful of blocks from a bin next to him and depositing them in front of Danny. "Everyone starts out this small."
"I know that," Rex replied with slight annoyance, sitting down on the floor cross-legged; he blinked at the scene a moment later. "Why are you holding him like that, anyways?"
"He can't sit unsupported for long yet," Caesar replied, smiling as Danny got another block up on his tower. "A lot of babies this age can't."
"Oh."
Danny did his best to ignore the two talking as he worked on his tower. It was taller than last time, and he was happy about that. He was definitely getting better at controlling his own movements, even if he was doing something embarrassing like stacking blocks. Rex and Caesar both went quiet, which he appreciated, because he hated being talked about like he wasn't there.
Another block went up. Then another. Finally, one more--and the tower started to tilt. Danny flailed and tried to balance it, but the entire thing just ended up toppling down when he touched it. He let out a loud cry of dismay.
"That was a lot better than the last tower," Caesar spoke encouragingly, but Danny didn't hear him.
He hated this body. He hated not being able to do something as simple as stack some stupid blocks. He hated being unable to sit up on his own and hated not being able to even feed himself! He hated it!
"Hey, hey, it's okay, Danny," Caesar cooed as the baby began crying in his frustration, unable to stop himself. "You're getting better--"
Danny started shrieking. He didn't want to get better at stacking blocks--he wanted his old body back! He wanted to be a teenager again! Danny hated being some stupid baby!
Rex leaned away from Danny with wide eyes. "Uh, wow..."
Caesar picked up Danny and turned him around, resting the infant against his chest to rub his back. "He's just a little frustrated...."
"A little?" Danny heard Rex ask incredulously; his face was buried in Caesar's shoulder, so he was unable to see the younger of the brothers. "I think he's kinda throwing a fit."
Caesar stood, then, and began to walk around with Danny, bouncing him lightly. "You can't really blame him, can you?"
"... Guess not," Rex said from about the same height, so he must have stood; Rex's hand then rubbed against Danny's back a moment later. "It's gonna be okay. You should be back to normal in a day or two!"
Rex's false cheer didn't help. Not one bit. He wanted to be a teenager NOW! His cries only intensified.
"Oooookay, I think I made it worse," Rex spoke after a long pause. "Uh, Caesar? How do we make him stop crying?"
"I think this one we're just going to have to wait out," Caesar replied calmly. Danny's been really frustrated about his progress."
"Oh, great," Rex replied sarcastically.
"It shouldn't be long. Not as long as it took to calm you down, anyways," Caesar mused after a moment. "You used to cry for hours when you were teething."
"I--what! No I didn't!" Rex stuttered. "I wasn't that bad!"
Danny's cries suddenly died down to more whinings. He wanted to listen to this, forgetting to cry for the moment. The half-ghost felt the muscles in Caesar's shoulder pull as he turned to look at Rex.
"... Don't you even, Caesar," Rex's voice was low and dangerous. "I don't care if it makes him stop crying. Don't. You--"
"You were louder, too," Caesar added happily. "A lot louder. Even when you were just born, really. I think we joked about how you came out with fully formed lungs."
"Caesar!"
"And you were pretty clumsy, too. A lot clumsier than Danny. You used to fall over and run into things all the time. And then you'd start crying all over again!"
"Caesaaaaar...."
Caesar's voice grew extremely mischevous. "And lets not get started on your diapers." Caesar shifted Danny to one hand so he could hold his nose, speaking with his nostrils closed. "I had nightmares for years after we got you potty trained!"
"....I'm going to kill you, bro'!" Rex growled, his voice suddenly closer.
Caesar was laughing, "Hold on, hold on, let me put Danny down before you kill me!"
Danny found himself being pulled away and deposited in a nearby highchair. Rex had his arms crossed, waiting as he frowned deeply. Caesar grinned at Danny, who had completely forgotten his tears, winked once, and turned to look at Rex.
The man stepped away from Danny and spread out his arms, "Okay, Rex. Now you can kill me."
When Rex tackled the man and started to wrestle him, Danny made sure to clap.
Caesar was sitting on the floor with the now-infant Danny, working on his coordination by playing with... blocks. Stacking them up. Danny was sitting between Caesar's legs, one of Caesar's hands on his chest to help him sit up.
"You were!" Caesar replied quiet cheerfully, pulling out another handful of blocks from a bin next to him and depositing them in front of Danny. "Everyone starts out this small."
"I know that," Rex replied with slight annoyance, sitting down on the floor cross-legged; he blinked at the scene a moment later. "Why are you holding him like that, anyways?"
"He can't sit unsupported for long yet," Caesar replied, smiling as Danny got another block up on his tower. "A lot of babies this age can't."
"Oh."
Danny did his best to ignore the two talking as he worked on his tower. It was taller than last time, and he was happy about that. He was definitely getting better at controlling his own movements, even if he was doing something embarrassing like stacking blocks. Rex and Caesar both went quiet, which he appreciated, because he hated being talked about like he wasn't there.
Another block went up. Then another. Finally, one more--and the tower started to tilt. Danny flailed and tried to balance it, but the entire thing just ended up toppling down when he touched it. He let out a loud cry of dismay.
"That was a lot better than the last tower," Caesar spoke encouragingly, but Danny didn't hear him.
He hated this body. He hated not being able to do something as simple as stack some stupid blocks. He hated being unable to sit up on his own and hated not being able to even feed himself! He hated it!
"Hey, hey, it's okay, Danny," Caesar cooed as the baby began crying in his frustration, unable to stop himself. "You're getting better--"
Danny started shrieking. He didn't want to get better at stacking blocks--he wanted his old body back! He wanted to be a teenager again! Danny hated being some stupid baby!
Rex leaned away from Danny with wide eyes. "Uh, wow..."
Caesar picked up Danny and turned him around, resting the infant against his chest to rub his back. "He's just a little frustrated...."
"A little?" Danny heard Rex ask incredulously; his face was buried in Caesar's shoulder, so he was unable to see the younger of the brothers. "I think he's kinda throwing a fit."
Caesar stood, then, and began to walk around with Danny, bouncing him lightly. "You can't really blame him, can you?"
"... Guess not," Rex said from about the same height, so he must have stood; Rex's hand then rubbed against Danny's back a moment later. "It's gonna be okay. You should be back to normal in a day or two!"
Rex's false cheer didn't help. Not one bit. He wanted to be a teenager NOW! His cries only intensified.
"Oooookay, I think I made it worse," Rex spoke after a long pause. "Uh, Caesar? How do we make him stop crying?"
"I think this one we're just going to have to wait out," Caesar replied calmly. Danny's been really frustrated about his progress."
"Oh, great," Rex replied sarcastically.
"It shouldn't be long. Not as long as it took to calm you down, anyways," Caesar mused after a moment. "You used to cry for hours when you were teething."
"I--what! No I didn't!" Rex stuttered. "I wasn't that bad!"
Danny's cries suddenly died down to more whinings. He wanted to listen to this, forgetting to cry for the moment. The half-ghost felt the muscles in Caesar's shoulder pull as he turned to look at Rex.
"... Don't you even, Caesar," Rex's voice was low and dangerous. "I don't care if it makes him stop crying. Don't. You--"
"You were louder, too," Caesar added happily. "A lot louder. Even when you were just born, really. I think we joked about how you came out with fully formed lungs."
"Caesar!"
"And you were pretty clumsy, too. A lot clumsier than Danny. You used to fall over and run into things all the time. And then you'd start crying all over again!"
"Caesaaaaar...."
Caesar's voice grew extremely mischevous. "And lets not get started on your diapers." Caesar shifted Danny to one hand so he could hold his nose, speaking with his nostrils closed. "I had nightmares for years after we got you potty trained!"
"....I'm going to kill you, bro'!" Rex growled, his voice suddenly closer.
Caesar was laughing, "Hold on, hold on, let me put Danny down before you kill me!"
Danny found himself being pulled away and deposited in a nearby highchair. Rex had his arms crossed, waiting as he frowned deeply. Caesar grinned at Danny, who had completely forgotten his tears, winked once, and turned to look at Rex.
The man stepped away from Danny and spread out his arms, "Okay, Rex. Now you can kill me."
When Rex tackled the man and started to wrestle him, Danny made sure to clap.