Chapter Text
It is supposed to be just for half a day, you did a whole PowerPoint presentation to your parents, Rei and Toji. What really helped — in your opinion — was how you explained that you actually took baby-care classes.
When you finished with your last slide, your brother-in-law said “that’s… kinda crazy, actually,” and you gave him a scowl and retorted, “I actually got a certificate of completion, what do you have?” And then your sister had to intervene before you got borderline vulgar.
Still, your well-crafted presentation earned you the privilege of babysitting baby Megumi for the very first time. It’s only for a few hours, so Rei can go to the doctor with her husband and eat out after being cooped in the house for the past couple of months. She was very reluctant at first, but you and everyone else around her finally convinced her to take some time out of the house and away from being a mom — even if it’s only for a few hours. Toji is very much present and doing the work, but she’s constantly worried and nervous — Megumi’s only a couple months old after all.
For the first thirty minutes of being left alone with him, you find it pretty easy, and you make the mistake — you think you’ve jinxed yourself — of thinking it’s going to be smooth sailing.
He starts by being whiny, which you can handle. But it quickly evolves into shrill cries. You try not to let it overwhelm you, but it’s not easy anymore. You go through every step of Rei’s — extensive — list of instructions. He gets a bottle, a diaper change, some cradling and lullaby singing attempts. He’s supposed to be napping, but he is not having it when you put him down in the bouncing chair.
Forty-five minutes into your mission, you’re crying with your nephew. He seems so in distress; you’re scared he might be in pain somewhere. Should you go to the hospital? Maybe you should call your parents for help — they’ll never let you babysit again, won’t they?
You hesitate for a few more minutes, scared that your pride might be hurting Megumi. You decide to keep him in your arms, walking back and forth and softly patting his back, since leaving him down for more than ten seconds or sitting isn’t working.
And somehow… he starts to settle down. It gets so quiet that you think he’s fallen asleep against your shoulder — and you learn right away that he’s not because he’s essentially revving up for another scream. You stand back up immediately and resume the patting.
Every time you try to sit — because yes, sure, he’s an infant but it gets heavy — he starts whining again. It gets tiring, and his parents didn’t warn you about this at all. Rei’s note says specific nap times, and he clearly doesn’t care about that schedule.
Or is it you? Does he not like you?
You start weeping over that, because he doesn’t even know you and he doesn’t like your presence. You’re doing everything like they said in baby class and following his mother’s instructions. It can only mean he doesn’t like your vibe, your aura, your energy… something.
You’re so overwhelmed you’re going to start sobbing — but you hold yourself back, because what if it agitates him more? He’s calm when you’re standing and patting his back. While walking back and forth, because stopping also seems to irritate him. You’re Megumi’s own personal mule, you realize.
He’s been quiet for twenty full minutes when you finally decide to try sitting again. It’s excruciatingly slow to get on the couch in a relatively comfortable position. You freeze at any change in breathing from the baby, but eventually, you’re sat and he’s still quietly sleeping.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
You’re asleep with Megumi on your chest when his parents finally get home. And they seem very confused about the position, because their little angel always sleeps in his bed or in his bouncer — he’s been perfect since the day they brought him home. What’s even more confusing is the clear marks of dried tears on your face. That and the half-drunk bottle of milk on the table and the various toys that seem to be out of their usual spot. It’s not exactly a mess, but it doesn’t seem like the peaceful environment they left earlier that day.
You suddenly startle when you sense someone coming closer.
“What happened?” Your sister asks with the utmost confusion etched on her face. You ought to chastise her for not warning you, but she doesn’t seem to know about anything.
“He won’t stop crying if I sit or put him down,” you say as you’re already standing back up because he’s stirring. “I think he hates me,” you conclude.
“No, he doesn’t,” she says matter-of-factly but what does she know? Toji extends his arms towards his son, and you hand him back. “Alright, tell me what happened,” your sister guides you to the kitchen.
You look disheveled as she’s putting some food together for you to eat. She listens as you explain everything in detail — it doesn’t sound like her baby at all. She doesn’t want to believe you, but she witnesses Megumi’s new personality trait a few minutes later, when her husband tries to sit down with the baby cradled in his arms.
“This is uh… new,” he comments, entirely distraught. “Did we jinx it when we told your doctor he was the calmest baby ever?”
You feel sorry but also vindicated when neither your sister nor her husband can calm their infant down if they’re not standing and pacing — simultaneously.
“I read they get sleep regression when they learn a new skill,” your sister says, as Toji’s the one holding onto Megumi — who’s calm for now.
“What’s the skill?” You question, because really, what is it? All day he’s been… crying and then stopping and making you cry too.
“According to this website, it could be calming down when picked up,” she answers while reading it.
“What the f-” you and Toji say — and immediately stop when Rei gives you a stern look.
“Alright. I guess it’s a skill,” you concede even if you’re still skeptical.
When they talked about “essentials” in baby-care class, they did not mention this.