Chapter Text
"This is the best day of my life…" Mane whispered, rocking Wemmbu back and forth as the child fell asleep on his shoulder.
Flame sighed, "He's in heaven."
Mane didn't care what his brother was saying, he was going to enjoy Wemmbu being a baby again! Mane had missed how cute and clingy the boy used to be. How he always ran to Mane to protect him ad take care of him and he'd eat all the food Mane made for him and he'd always stay in the nest-!
Okay, so Mane may have baby fever again.
"Ah… Mane?" Zam started, "We need to find out what the guy threw on Wemmbu."
"Yeah, yeah sure!" Mane was very obviously not listening.
Flame groaned, "Don't even bother, bro. He's not going to listen with a baby in his hands."
"Was he… always like this?" Zam asked hesitantly as Mane cuddled Wemmbu on the lions couch in his old room.
"Yes." Flame sorted, "It's something to do with his hybrid instincts mixed with his natural baby fever."
"Oh!" Zam exclaimed, backing away from the trio of brothers and towards the door, "Well… I'll leave it to you guys!"
Flame groaned and dragged his brothers from the couch, "Alright, let's get it out of your system. Nest. Now."
Mane went willingly at the mention of the nest, he moved quickly to get his cubs back into the nest, safe and warm.
Flame sighed and accepted his fate, laying back into the pillows and letting Mane place Wemmbu on his chest. The lion rearranged some of the blankets before surrounding his brothers with a pleased purr.
Flame guessed that this was okay, he'd missed when Wemmbu was this small too. Flame was going to at least make the most of the situation while he can as it didn't seem like Wemmbu was harmed in any way.
Flame let out his own purr, closing his eyes and cuddling into his brothers.
~
"You okay now?" Flame crossed his arms with a smug grin.
Mane rolled his eyes as he helped Wemmbu with his dinner (they had slept through the entire afternoon), "Yeah, yeah. You were enjoying it too!"
Flame scoffed, "Like hell I was!"
"Hell!" Wemmbu cheered.
Flame felt a bead of sweat fall down his forehead as Mane glared at him, "Language."
"Whoops?" Flame chuckled nervously.
Wemmbu pushed the spoonful of rice away, "Done n-now!"
Mane pouted, "Are you sure, Lilac?"
"Y-Yeah!" the boy giggled, pulling a napkin over to wipe his mouth, "T-th-ank you for d-dinner!"
Mane almost cried at the sweet stutter, fuck he had missed his baby.
"You're welcome, Lilac!" Mane grinned, picking Wemmbu up from the desk, "Bath time! Zam got you some new clothes and pajamas!"
"Zam! Fish?" Wemmbu questioned.
Flame chuckled, ruffling the boys hair and drawing a whine out of him, "Kind of, Zam is a siren hybrid!"
"Siren! They sing?" Wemmbu was being very vocal, he was likely closer to nine or ten years old, not the eight they had guessed before.
"Yeah, sometimes." Mane agreed.
"Songs!" Wemmbu cheered.
Mane chuckled, taking the boy straight to the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed.
~
"Not t-tired!" Wemmbu pouted up at his brothers.
Flame giggled and patted Mane's back, "Well, I'm going to go to bed in my own room! You have fun with that, bro!"
"F-Flame?!" Mane gasped as his brother left him to fend for himself.
Flame knew that Mane was weak against Wemmbu on a good day! How was he supposed to be stern against a baby version?!
"Lilac…" Mane held his brother close, sitting on the nest, "It is very important to have a good nights rest."
Wemmbu's face scrunched up, "Not tired!"
Mane could feel his soul trying to escape his body, "Cub, we have to go to bed now. Look, I'm going with you too!"
Wemmbu's lip wobbled and his eyes turned teary, causing Mane to panic, "Okay! Okay, Lilac! We'll stay up for a little bit! Ohhhh, don't cry! L-let's do some drawing! How about that?!"
Instantly, Wemmbu's face brightened and his tears disappeared. He cheered and jumped out of Mane's arms to run to his desk, ready for crafts.
Mane had lost. Again.
~
"Hmm…" Parrot hummed.
"Well?" Flame asked impatiently, "Do you know what the potion was?"
"I think so," Parrot stood up from where he was examining the boy, "it's an experimental potion, not available on the market yet. He'll age up every week or so until he reaches his actual age."
"How much will he age up by?" Mane asked as Flame threw Wemmbu into the air, catching his squealing body before throwing him again.
Mane was this close to having a heart attack.
"Hard to tell, the potion is still in the early stages. It could be anything from a few years to just a few days." Parrot answered, rummaging through what Mane assumed was his notes on the potion.
"But you're sure he'll turn back to normal?" Mane stressed.
As much as he loved his baby being back, he loves his Lilac just the way he was. He was so proud to see how well Wemmbu had grown up and he didn't know what would happen if he lost that version of his brother.
Parrot smiled soothingly, "Yes, I'm sure he'll be back to normal in a few weeks. Don't worry so much, Mane."
The lion sighed in relief, smiling as he heard Flame yelp. Wemmbu had likely had enough of their little game and instead of telling his brother, he bit him.
"Little shit!" Flame hissed.
"Shit!" Mane felt his eye twitch and snapped his head over to Flame, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Watch your language!" Mane hissed, gently whacking the back of the tigers head.
Flame pouted as Wemmbu giggled.
~
"Mane?" Wemmbu looked up with sweet eyes and pointed to a small sweets stall on the side of the street, "Please?"
Mane sighed, "Okay, Lilac. Just one."
"Sucker!" Flame chuckled under his breath.
"S-s-su-!" Wemmbu struggled to repeat the word, "S-f-fucker!"
This time, Flame managed to dodge the swipe of claws aimed at him and rushed over to the stall, dragging Wemmbu with him. Mane hissed and stalked after his brothers, pissed that Flame was - once again - the reason Wemmbu had learnt swearing.
~
Mane tried to calm his brothers cries, "Shhh, shh! It's okay Lilac! It's okay!"
Wemmbu continued to wail, his knees and hands scraped and his forehead bleeding. The boy had just taken a tumble while running around Capital City and he was not happy. His face had flushed a deeper purple, his hair had fallen out of it's ponytail and his clothes were covered in dirt.
Mane picked the boy up, letting him sob into his shoulder. Mane continued to hush him, rocking the boy in his arms as he patted his back. Mane had never handled Wemmbu's tears well, he'd always panic once the boy got even slightly teary eyed.
"It's okay, Lilac. It was just a little fall, you're alright. Come on, Mane will make it all better." Mane soothed as the hiccuped into his shoulder.
"H-hurts! Mane, it hurts!" Wemmbu sobbed, holding tight to his oldest brothers jacket.
"I know," Mane cooed, "I'll make it all better, don't you worry."
Wemmbu sniffled and wiped his running nose on the lions shoulder. Mane was glad that he was very used to children wiping their grossness on him. Mane hummed and walked off towards Parrot's shop, surely the avian would have some first aid things available.
Mane's humming seemed to calm Wemmbu down, the boy staring up at his brother with teary purple eyes.
Oh, the joys of having such a young child…
~
Flame gently brushed through Wemmbu's long hair, the boy swinging his legs and playing with some random jewels that the tiger had handed to him. Wemmbu was very easily entertained, especially by shiny things.
Flame began to braid his brothers hair, adding a simple pink bow to tie it off. Wemmbu looked up and into the mirror, giggling as his braid and the ribbon moved along with him.
He turned to his brother, reaching out for a hug, "Thank you, Flame!"
Flame chuckled and pulled Wemmbu close, "You're welcome, trouble maker."
Wemmbu pouted, "Not trouble! Sweet!"
"Only when you want to be." Flame scoffed.
Wemmbu huffed and leaned forward, teeth bared to take a bite but Flame - out of habit - dodged the sharp small teeth. Even before Wemmbu's fangs came in, his bites were lethal. Flame was always at the other end of those teeth.
Flame lifted Wemmbu up by the back of the shirt as if he were scruffing a kitten, "Come on, brat. Dinner time"
"Bitch!"
"STOP SWEARING, MANE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"
"FUCKER!"
~
Wemmbu breathed softly, fast asleep in the cozy nest. Mane and Flame watched him from the side.
"Do you think he'll change tomorrow?" Flame asked, leaning against Mane's desk.
"Probably," Mane sighed, "I wonder how old he'll be."
Flame frowned, "There is a very bad age he could be…"
Mane thought back to that fight from long ago and hoped that he wouldn't have to face his past mistakes.