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“MC, you’ve got to help me! I don’t know what to do!” Wincing at the sudden loud volume, you pull your D.D.D. away from your ear, hoping Solomon’ll stop yelling.
“What happened? Is there an emergency?”
“Um,” Solomon hesitates, thankfully not screaming into the receiver anymore. “Well, not an emergency, per se, but-” His words suddenly cut off and you hear muffled crying on the other end of the line.
“Solomon. Is that a baby?” Your tone is flat and deadly serious. Where would he have gotten a baby in the devildom?
“Um,” Solomon says again, swallowing. “Yes? But it’s not what you think! Luke was hit with a wayward spell, and it’s turned him into a kid.”
“I’m sorry, did you just say that baby is Luke?”
“Yeah, and Simeon’s not home, and I don’t know what to do! I tried to make him some baby food but he wouldn't eat it.
Oh, thank God, you think. Luke still seems to have some survival instincts.
“I’m on my way,” you promise, standing and rifling through your things for your car keys. “I’ll be there in ten. Don’t you dare let anything happen to him!”
“I won’t,” Solomon vows nervously, and you hang up. It doesn’t take long for you to gather your things, and soon enough, you’re pulling your car out of the drive, foot pressing the accelerator a little harder than normal. Thankfully, the drive isn’t long at all, and before you know it, you’re hurrying up the front steps, letting yourself in.
“Solomon?” you call, kicking your shoes off.
“In the kitchen,” he calls back, and you brace yourself as you walk into it. Solomon had said baby, so you were expecting a newborn, all swaddled up in blankets, but that simply wasn’t the case. Luke seems to be a toddler, probably one and a half or two years old. And he’s simply adorable.
Luke’s face splits into a wide smile upon seeing you, chubby cheeks rosy. He waves a little hand at you, and Solomon scowls.
“He was being a brat just a second ago, I swear.”
“Solomon!” you chastise. “Don’t call him a brat!” Setting your things on the counter, you walk over to Luke, who’s sitting in a highchair that you’ve never seen before. “Where’d you get the highchair?”
“Magic,” Solomon replies as you lift Luke up, smiling down at him. He’s a chubby baby, but still easily enough to pick up, and you settle him against your hip, cooing. He babbles and gurgles at you, some of his words understandable but most of them not.
“That’s good. Now,” you say firmly, bouncing Luke a little as you turn to Solomon. “How the hell, I mean, heck did this happen?”
“Well,” Solomon rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Luke and I were setting up an incantation when it went haywire and rebounded onto Luke. So far, I don’t think he remembers anything, as his mind seems to also be at the level his body is at, but no harm seems to be done.”
“No harm? Solomon, Luke is a toddler. I’d consider that harm!” Luke makes some unhappy noises at your raised voice, so you make some apologetic sounds in the back of your throat, patting him on the back. Luke settles again, thankfully, and you glare at Solomon, waiting for an answer.
“Yeah, but it’s not permanent!” Solomon defends, raising his hands. “I think it’ll wear off in the next day or so.”
“Are you sure?” You ask, raising your eyebrows.
“Yes, I swear,” Solomon says, and you bite your cheek.
“Okay. So we just have to keep Luke happy and safe for a little bit. When’s Simeon going to be back?”
“Soon, I think. He just left at the wrong time, apparently.”
Well, that’s a relief. While Solomon is shaping up to be pretty useless, you’re sure Simeon will be able to help you. In the meantime, you have to get Luke fed and make sure all of his needs are met, which shouldn't be too hard. He’s old enough not to be completely helpless, and he’s able to support his own head and stuff, so you’re not as overwhelmed as you would have been having he been, say, six months or something.
“Okay,” you say, looking down at Luke, who’s cuddled up against you, quiet. “I’ll handle food and stuff if you can manage to baby-proof the living room and conjure up some toys or something.” Solomon nods, disappearing through the door to the living room, and you set Luke back in his highchair, heart panging when you see the grabby hands he makes at you.
“Up,” he says, looking at you with those big, blue eyes. “Up!”
“Not right now, Luke,” you say softly, and he squints at you. You want to continue holding him, you really do, but you need your hands free to make him something to eat.
Opening the fridge, you’re thankful to see it’s pretty well stocked. Pulling out a yogurt cup and some cherry tomatoes, you take a moment to cut the tomatoes in half before bringing the dish over to him. You worry he’s going to be a picky eater, but Luke has no problem with any of the food.
Picky? No. Messy? Yes. you think as a glob of yogurt falls onto his shirt. he really needs a bib. You lean over and wipe it up, pressing your lips to Luke’s head as you do so.
Luke talks to you even as he eats, happily chattering away. You can make out a few words, of course, like ‘me’, ‘you’, and ‘ball’, but the rest of it is incomprehensible. You just make little noises to show you’re listening, encouraging to keep speaking, but other than that you don’t really need to do much.
As you’re cleaning up from the impromptu lunch, you hear Simeon come in. You really hope Solomon has told him what the situation is.
Turning to the doorway, you see Simeon pause, eyes on Luke. “It’s been so long,” he finally says. “Since I’ve seen him like this.” Upon hearing Simeon’s voice, Luke starts babbling louder, arms outstretched to him. It’s unbearably cute.
“Why hello, little one,” Simeon says gently, lifting Luke into the air. Luke giggles, and Simon smiles. You turn, not wanting to invade on something that suddenly seems so private. Once you’re done wiping everything down, you rinse the rag off, hanging it on the faucet.
“I’ll go check on Solomon,” you say, and Simeon nods.
“I’ll come too. I think Solomon’s a little spooked.”
You laugh. “A little? He called me in a panic.”
Simeon laughs too, and the two of you walk into the living room, which seems to be finished. A pen is set up in the corner, and there’s a blanket stretched out over the ground, a couple of stuffed animals piled by the couch.
“It looks good in here!” you say approving, and Solomon, who was sitting on the couch stands.
“Is there anything you need my help with? Because like, no offense, this is super weird to me and I just want to get out of here.”
Simeon chuckles. “I think we’re good. Thanks for all of your help, even though this is technically your fault.”
“Yeah,” Solomon says, trailing off. “Anyway, see you. Just call if you need anything, I guess.”
Once he leaves you set Luke on the blanket, letting him walk around. He can walk, but it’s still a little unsteady, meaning it’s super cute. You sit down on the ground with him, and Simeon sits down across from you, eyes on Luke the whole time.
“He sure is cute,” you say, and Simeon nods.
“He always has been. I remember when he was smaller than this, just barely teething. Even then, he was all smiles.”
“I can see that. He’s definitely one happy baby,” you remark. “Solomon called him a brat, and he was crying when I was on the phone with Solomon, but since I got here, he’s been in a good mood.”
Simeon picks up a stuffed rabbit, holding it out to Luke. “That’s because he likes you. At his normal age he absolutely adores you.”
“He does?” you ask, surprised. “I didn’t know that.” Sure, you knew Luke wanted to protect you from all of the demons, but you had no idea it ran that deep.
“Yeah. I think you’re his favorite.”
“Besides you, obviously,” you correct, and Simeon looks at you warmly. “How come you know what he was like as a baby? Were you his caretaker or something?”
“Not quite,” Simeon answers. “More like his babysitter. Angles are paired with a fledgling that has similar grace to them and are supposed to mentor them, helping them learn how to help others. It’s an old system, but one that works.”
“That’s cute,” you hum. “So, you had a mentor?”
“Yes,” Simeon replies. “It was Lucifer, actually. He, when he was an angel, was very good at his job. It is an honor to have been paired with him.”
“Still? Even though he fell?”
Simeon sighs. “Yes, still. Lucifer doesn't think so, as he sees himself as some sort of failure, but I love him still, even now as a demon. He’s always been unnecessarily hard on himself, and now thinks he’s undeserving of my loyalty or something.”
That explains the coolness Lucifer had extended to Simeon. You weren’t going to meddle, as it definitely wasn’t your place, but you hope you’d be able to watch them mend their relationship.
“That’s very kind of you, to still hold him in such high esteem. I think if you keep being there, keep being you, Lucifer should get over himself sooner or later,” you say, and Simeon nods.
“I hope so.” There’s a moment of silence where you both watch Luke shake the stuffed rabbit happily, before Simeon speaks again. “You’re good with kids. Do you have experience with them?”
“I babysat in the human realm,” you explain, remembering all of the kids you had watched. “So some. I mostly babysat those a little older than this but there were a few clients that had babies or toddlers. I love them,” you say honestly.
“You also wrangle the brothers, which is probably a lot like babysitting,” Simeon quips, and you laugh.
“A little, but don’t tell them I told you that.”
“Never,” Simeon promises playfully, crossing his heart. Luke copies the motion, and you both ‘awww’. You can’t resist pulling out your D.D.D to take pictures, something you should have been doing all along. Simeon gets in a few and you know that these are pictures you’ll treasure for a long, long time.
“I think it’s time he goes down for a nap,” Simeon eventually says, once Luke’s tired himself out. “I think Solomon said there was a crib in my room.”
“I might need a nap too,” you say with a laugh, and Simeon shrugs.
“You’re more than welcome to one. My bed has clean sheets on it, and honestly, you deserve it after coming here so and giving up your day for this.”
Honestly, you’re exhausted, and really want to take him up on the offer, but he looks about ready to fall over himself. “Well, what about you? You’re looking pretty tired yourself.”
“I can survive,” Simeon dismisses, but you’re insistent.
“No way. If I’m taking a nap then you are too.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to make you take the couch.”
You cross your arms. “Well, I’m not letting you sleep on it.”
“Fine,” Simeon says. “We’ll share my bed. If that’s alright with you, of course.”
“I’m perfectly fine with that,” you say, and Simeon bobs his head, scooping up Luke, who was practically nodding off.
You pull the curtains and slide into bed as Simeon gets Luke all settled, letting him have the side closest to the crib. You have a feeling Simeon’s going to forego sleep for watching Luke, but it’s better than him having to keep busy while you relax. Simeon climbs under the covers as well, brushing up against you, and you ignore the flutter in your gut you get from the brief contact, too tired to entertain those thoughts. That’s something for well-rested you to worry about.
Drifting off quickly, you think you feel a cool hand brushing your hair back but maybe it’s your imagination.