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A baby’s cries could be heard upstairs.
Initially, Kartein thought he was going crazy. It wasn’t until Kayden turned to him, the same confused expression on his face, that he realized there was in fact a child upstairs. More specifically, in Jiwoo’s room.
Kayden rushed up the stairs as quickly as his chubby feline body allowed him to, Kartein following close behind. They both reached Jiwoo’s room, Kayden using his paw to scratch the door in an attempt to let Jiwoo know about their presence.
“Jiwoo? You in there?”
There was no response, the baby’s cries subsiding now.
“Kid, why the hell do you have a baby in there?”
Again, no response. This time, it was Kartein who spoke up, “Jiwoo, we’re going to come in, okay?”
Kayden wasted no time in using his paw to open the door carefully. Kartein peeked inside first, scanning the room to find the source of the cries. At first glance, there was nothing. He went further inside, inspecting the furniture carefully. Could the child be on the bed?
He hopped onto the bed, claws moving around layers of blankets. There, he found what he was looking for. A baby — no older than six months — was lying on the bed, chubby fingers grasping at the air. He felt the bed dip next to him, Kayden joining him.
“What the hell?” Kayden exclaimed, getting closer to the babbling infant. The boy stopped his movements, staring straight at the fat, orange cat. There was a moment of silence before the child started clapping gleefully, giggles filling the room. Tiny fingers reached towards Kayden, attempting to grab him. After an unsuccessful attempt, the boy settled by grabbing his tail, twirling the end with his fingers. He giggled again.
“What are you doing here, buddy?” Kayden asked the child, watching as he attempted to put his tail in his mouth. “No, no. Don’t put that in there, you’ll get sick.” He swirled his tail away, freeing it from the child’s grabby hands. The baby clapped again, using his short arms to sit up. As expected, he fell face first onto the bed, rolling over to the side. His eyes found Kartein, making a grabby motion towards the white cat.
“Doesn’t he have an uncanny resemblance to Jiwoo?” Kayden pointed out, taking in the amber eyes, light-colored hair, and chubby face.
“He does.”
They both stayed in silence, until Kayden’s expression fell. He turned to Kartein, his face showing something akin to horror.
“You don’t think— you know. That he might be his—”
“No. That’s impossible. Jiwoo? He’s way too young. He can barely take care of himself, much less an infant.”
“Then how can you explain this? Unless he somehow turned into a baby, there’s no way that—”
They both turned to look at each other, clearly thinking the same thing. Kartein cleared his throat, approaching the baby.
“...Jiwoo?”
The baby laughed, putting one of his feet in his mouth.
“Hold up.”
Kartein turned to Kayden, who had hopped off the bed. He turned towards Jiwoo’s closet, opening it and pulling one of the many boxes inside. He rummaged through one of them, mumbling to himself.
“A-ha!” He pulled a tiny, white cat plushie, frayed scraps of fabric dangling from its thin limbs. He didn’t bother to close the box, returning to his place on the bed. He held the plushie close to the child, encouraging him to grab it. And he did. The boy grabbed the worn-out cat, laughing. He bit the cat’s ear, feet kicking in excitement.
“That’s Jiwoo.”
Kartein turned to him, “How do you know?”
“He told me about the plushie. It was his favorite one when he was a baby. His mom gave it to him, and he kept it stored in his closet all these years. Told me he couldn’t find it in himself to get rid of it.”
Kartein looked back at the baby, who was now hugging the tiny cat close to his chest, rolling side to side.
“The cat has only one ear because he bit the other one off, like he’s doing now.”
“Huh.”
They watched Jiwoo in silence for a few minutes. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, soft breaths rhythmically falling out of his lips. Kayden grabbed one of the blankets, pulling it over him.
“We might have to stay here for a while, in case he wakes up.” Kartein exclaimed, laying down on the bed.
Kayden hummed, doing the same. They stayed there for a while, eventually falling asleep as well. It couldn’t have been more than an hour before the cries started, slowly building up until Jiwoo was eventually screaming. Kartein woke up first, huffing in annoyance. He walked up to Jiwoo, who was still screaming.
“What is it now, huh?”
Baby Jiwoo didn’t pay attention to him, continuing to cry. Kayden lazily opened one eye, grumbling, “Do something Kartein, I’m trying to sleep.”
“What do you think I’m trying to do?!”
He looked back at Jiwoo, who was now holding onto the poor plushie for dear life. He sighed, before looking back at Kayden, who was snoring once again. Lazy ass . He willed himself to take a deep breath, before approaching the infant. He nuzzled his head against the boy’s rosy cheek, catching his attention. Jiwoo stopped crying, letting go of the plushie and grabbing Kartein’s tail. He giggled. Kartein placed his bony body next to the baby, laying down and letting Jiwoo hold onto him. His whiskers scratched Jiwoo’s cheek, and the baby began to laugh at the sensation.
They stayed like that for a while, Jiwoo eventually calming down. Kartein found himself unable to fall asleep, especially when his body was being squished to death by a six-month old. He looked back at Kayden, who was still snoring loudly and drooling. He rolled his eyes, fixing his attention back to Jiwoo. The boy was now snoring softly, cheeks still red and wet from crying. Unconsciously, he placed one of his paws on Jiwoo’s cheek, drying some of the wetness there. He didn’t even notice when he began brushing Jiwoo's hair back from his face, wisps of honey-blond hair coming back as soon as he let them go. Jiwoo must have found his ministrations relaxing, as he didn’t wake up even once again throughout the whole night.
The next day, he woke up to the sound of footsteps in the room. The bed dipped with the weight of something heavy. He groggily looked up, becoming more alert as the figure gently removed him from Jiwoo’s grip, replacing him with the old plushie. He stretched, wincing at the soreness in his body from the previous night. Jiwoo might have been a baby, but he had one hell of a grip. His attention focused back on the figure — Kayden — and watched as he lifted Jiwoo, placing him close to his chest and tilting a baby bottle close to his mouth. Jiwoo latched onto the bottle, sucking at the milk greedily.
Kayden turned to him. “It might have been a while since he last ate. Made a quick run to the nearest pharmacy, bought some stuff,” he nodded towards a bag on the nightstand, “we’re gonna have to look after him while we find a way to get him back to normal.”
Kartein nodded, a soft glow emanating from his bony body before a tall, white-haired man appeared in front of Kayden.
“I’m gonna start preparing breakfast. Make sure you bring Jiwoo downstairs with you, okay?”
Kayden didn’t bother to look up, just nodding as he bounced the smiling infant up and down.
Kartein settled by preparing oatmeal pancakes, easy enough to give him time to think about the possible scenarios that could’ve caused Jiwoo to turn into a child. Steps could be heard as Kayden descended down the stairs, followed by the babbles of a rather giddy Jiwoo.
“I already fed him. I don’t think he’s supposed to eat any solids yet, right?”
“I’m guessing he’s about six months old. He could start eating purees.”
Kayden nodded, looking down at baby Jiwoo, who was reaching for his face.
“Gosh, kid. Look at you.” Jiwoo laughed, grabbing a long jet-black strand and twirling it with his chubby finger. “What mess did you get yourself into, huh?”
“Baba!”
Both Kartein and Kayden froze. They looked at each other, before slowly looking down at Jiwoo, who was back to playing with Kayden’s hair.
“Did he just say—”
“I think we imagined things,” Kayden interrupted, “He shouldn’t be able to—”
“Ba-ba! Baba!”
Chubby hands began smacking Kayden’s cheeks as the infant shouted giddily, laughing at the sound the action produced.
“He just called you baba .”
“I know.”
Kartein resumed his cooking, his back facing the pair.
“You know what that means, right? He basically called you his da—”
“I know, Kartein. Gosh.”
Kayden plopped down on the couch. “Babies do that all the time, though. Babble and shit. I wouldn’t look much into it—”
“Mama!”
Kartein stopped chopping the strawberries, slowly turning to look at Jiwoo. The baby had a finger raised, pointing straight at him.
“Ma-ma!” he clapped, before wiggling one finger as he pointed at Kartein.
Kayden burst out laughing, careful to place his hands in a position so he wouldn't hurt Jiwoo with the force of his laughter.
“Hear him? He thinks you’re his mother, now.”
Kartein huffed, annoyed.
“So what? He basically called you his father, too.”
That got Kayden to stop laughing. He looked straight at Kartein, who had now placed the knife down, hands on his hips.
“He’s a baby. This shit happens.”
“You know babies have to be emotionally connected to you to call you such things, right? It doesn't just happen .”
“Jiwoo is a rather emotionally open kid, it wouldn’t surprise me if he began calling everyone mama and papa .”
“Here you go, denying the obvious,” Kartein sighed, picking up the knife and finishing cutting the strawberries, placing them in a bowl, “Maybe you don’t want to accept the fact that he actually thinks of you as something more than just a mentor.”
“What about you, though? He did call you mama,” Kayden wiggled his eyebrows, quickly changing the topic back to Kartein, “Following your logic, does that mean he sees you as his mother too?”
Kayden shivered at the sudden release of force control, opting to avoid eye contact at Kartein’s murderous glare. Damn, I was only joking.
Both awakeners shifted their attention back to Jiwoo at the loud screech he let out. The baby wobbled as he attempted to release himself from Kayden’s grip, flailing short arms as he tried to hold onto the couch’s armrest. His tiny nose wrinkled, and he opened his mouth.
“What’s he trying to do?”
Before Kartein could even answer, a sudden flash enveloped the room as the baby sneezed. Kayden blinked, focusing his attention back to his lap, where Jiwoo was supposed to be. Except there was nothing there now.
“What the fuck?” Kayden looked around trying to locate the mop of golden hair, but he found nothing .
“Did he just disappear ?” Kartein followed Kayden’s gaze, walking out of the kitchen to look for the child in the living room. “What the hell?”
Kayden stood up, and both men began looking for said child. They looked for him upstairs, in the basement, in the yard, but there were no signs of the baby anywhere.
“He clearly used his super speed, but there’s no way he disappeared from just a sneeze.”
Kayden nodded as he lifted cushions, the couch, and even the table in hopes of locating the boy.
“Little thing just disappeared on me.” He placed his hands on his hips, blowing at the strands of black hair covering his face.
“I’ll look outside the house. You should go look around the neighborhood. Heaven knows what that kid is up to now.”
Kayden hummed, quickly putting on a jacket and shoes. He began by looking in the alleyways nearby, but there were no signs of Jiwoo. The local park was next, and then the convenience stores lined up in the street. But still, no Jiwoo.
He let out an irritated sigh, something akin to fear clawing its way up his chest. He had looked everywhere, and he’d agreed with Kartein that they’d call each other in case either one found Jiwoo first. But Kartein hadn’t called yet, and he’d looked for him in every single place that’d come to mind. Jiwoo was only six months old (if Kartein was right), so there was no way he knew his way around. What if a powerful organization did this on purpose to attack his apprentice in his most vulnerable state? What if someone took Jiwoo from him? Would he even be able to locate him?
It was his fault that this happened. If he’d paid closer attention to Jiwoo, he wouldn’t have—
Suddenly, an idea came to him. He ran away from the main streets, towards the small hidden lake nearby, the one where many of the stray kitties would meet up.
“Why would they even come here?” Kayden scanned the area, appreciating the lake and the surrounding trees. It was relaxing indeed, but it made no sense for stray cats to linger around this area, especially when there were no signs of food or shelter nearby.
“I’m not sure. Probably to drink some water, Mr. Kayden. There are some fish around here, too. Maybe they like to hunt for them?”
Jiwoo sat down next to some of the cats, placing several cans of tuna for them to eat.
“You pamper them too much. Sooner or later, they’ll follow you back home, and we’ll be living in a zoo rather than a house.”
Jiwoo only laughed, tilting his head up to look at the chubby, orange cat in front of him. “I wouldn’t mind, then. As long as they’re safe, healthy, and happy, I’m happy too.”
As Kayden approached the lake, he could feel the remnants of a weak force control. A familiar force control. His eyes looked for the familiar boy once again. Finally, they landed on a tiny form near the edge of the lake, sporting a familiar head full of blond hair. He let out a relieved sigh, ignoring the thumping in his chest as it slowed down. As he got closer, he could hear cries. Tiny sniffles filled his ears, and he could see small hands gripping the grass on the floor before ripping it out. He crouched down next to the baby, tilting his head so he could look at him in the eye.
“There you are,” he sighed fondly, running a long-fingered hand through wisps of honey-blond hair, “Why did you run away, hm?”
Jiwoo looked up at him, startled. He held his eye for a moment before suddenly bursting into tears. Small sobs escaped the boy, and his tiny arms flailed in front of him, making a grabby motion towards Kayden.
“Baba!”
Kayden quickly picked him up, placing him close to his chest. “There, there. You’re okay, Jiwoo.”
The baby only cried, gripping the older man’s shirt and tucking his face in his neck. His short legs wrapped around Kayden’s middle as best as they could, before he began muttering a mix of unintelligible words. Kayden could only make out the word baba among them, but he didn’t care to try and understand the rest.
He stood up, placing a soft hand near the baby’s bottom and holding him closer. He rocked him gently, side to side. After a few minutes, the crying stopped. He looked down at Jiwoo, who was already looking up at him with starstruck eyes.
“Did you get lost? Is that why you were crying?”
Jiwoo did not answer, still intently looking at him. His large amber eyes were still glassy from the tears, the sun casting a reflection on them that made them look larger than usual. His cheeks were rosy, and his nose was running with snot. Still, Kayden could not help but smile at him, ruffling his tiny head with one hand.
“It’s scary how similar you are to older Jiwoo. I’m not surprised, though.”
The baby smiled, “Ee-woo! Ee-woo!”
“Jiwoo, yes. That’s your name.”
“Ba-ba, Ee-woo!”
“Baba,” Kayden pointed to himself, before pointing back to Jiwoo, “Jiwoo.”
Jiwoo laughed, and Kayden ignored the rising blush on his cheeks as he realized he’d called himself baba in attempts to calm Jiwoo down. He sounded stupid, and yet he let out an amused huff at Jiwoo’s attempts to pronounce his name correctly.
“Let’s go back home,” he finally let out, “I have to let Kartein know that you’re safe.”
“Mama!”
Kayden laughed. “Yes, let’s go back to your mama.”
Kartein tutted, finishing the last of his jjajangmyeon.
“He still not coming down?”
“Nope,” Kayden answered, slurping as he ate his noodles, “Refused to.”
Kartein rolled his eyes, before standing up and walking closer to the bottom of the stairs.
“Jiwoo! You need to eat something, come on!”
“No!”
Kartein huffed in annoyance, before shouting back. “We told you to get over it! You were a baby , for fuck’s sake! Babies say stupid things!”
Jiwoo’s screech could be heard from downstairs. “Doesn’t matter!”
Kayden laughed, before placing his chopsticks down and shouting, “Come on, kid! Your mama is waiting for you to eat your food!”
“OH MY GOD—”