Levi rolled his eyes. “Fine. Casual observations only. When you have your own, you can do all the research you want.”
Jaeyoung’s cheeks turned pink. “WhenI have my own?”
But Levi and Zat’tor were already leaving. Levi grinned and waved at Jaeyoung, and I had a feeling he teased him on purpose.
“We’ll pick her up at sunset!” Levi called.
After they left, Dai’zee kicked her legs and scanned the den with curious green eyes. She didn’t care that her parents were out of sight.
Jaeyoung noticed, too. “No separation anxiety,” he murmured. “Most human infants her age would wail if their parents disappeared. She must be used to communal care.”
My filum amused me. Two seconds into babysitting and he was already making casual research observations.
“Would you like to hold Dai’zee?” I offered.
Jaeyoung hesitated. I saw the intrigue in his face, but it was mixed with reluctance.
“I’ve never held a child before,” he admitted. “What if I drop her, or she suddenly jumps and falls?”
While he spoke, Dai’zee sat calmly in my arms. It made his anxiety sound comical. But I wanted him to take it easy, one step at a time.
“She seems content,” I reassured him. “And Maeleons—including infants—are quite hardy. Even if she fell, she could use her tail to balance and break the fall. She would be fine.”
Jaeyoung still looked horrified at the thought of dropping her. “A falling human infant is a big deal. It’s just... hard for me to reconcile.”
I glanced down at Dai’zee, who didn’t so much as squirm. As far as infant-holding experience went, she was the perfect introduction.
“I have an idea,” I said, walking behind Jaeyoung.
“What are you doing?” he asked nervously.
I lifted Dai’zee up over his head, then down to his chest level. He automatically raised his hands to hold her. Once I handed her over, I braced Jaeyoung’s arms with my own to support them.
“There,” I said. “Now there’s no way Dai’zee will fall.”
“You’re sly,” he grumbled, but there was a light tone in his voice. I practically felt the budding joy radiating from him. It was clear he loved holding Dai’zee.
“Well? What do you think?” I asked.
He propped the infant against his chest and swayed gently. The movements came naturally to him. “It’s... not bad. Or as hard as I imagined.”
As he rocked her back and forth, Jaeyoung pressed his back to my chest. I held him steady. Within seconds, he gained confidence. A smile spread over his face, and he beamed with adoration.
“This isn’t difficult after all,” he said.
“I am glad to hear that.”
His anxiety fizzled away. His shoulders relaxed as he eased more of his weight against my chest. Everything was going well.
And then Dai’zee suddenly barked.
“Whoa,” Jaeyoung said, freezing up. “What’s going on? What does that sound mean? Is she okay? Did I hurt her?”
I chuckled and patted his hair with my tentacle. “Don’t fret. She looks fine, but she might be hungry.”
Jaeyoung sounded frazzled. “You mean Levi didn’t feed her before dropping her off? Ugh, I should’ve known he’d forget.”
“Maybe he did it on purpose so you could gain experience feeding an infant,” I suggested.
