Disclaimer: Not mine and I don't think Disney is nice enough to donate it to me either.
Summary: Someone finds out just how lovely baby-sitting can be.
Baby Bliss
This wasn't so bad, he decided as he watched his nephew sleep peacefully in his crib. Who knew baby-sitting could be this easy? God knows he didn't, seeing as how his friend complained so much – good naturedly of course. The guy loved his son to pieces, and getting the couple to leave the house (and leave him with their precious, baby boy) had been harder than the actual babysitting.
He had half a mind the take the kid for a stroll. Girls adored the little boy, even though he had the misfortune of inheriting his father's looks. Though, when he had mentioned this tiny detail, both parents had nearly murdered him.
Of course, there were two teensy-eensy details that shot his plan down; one, picking said kid up would cause his eyes to open, causing his mouth to open, causing his own eardrums to pop out. Two, his fiancée wouldn't be all too happy with him using their nephew to flirt with other girls. (Three, he'd probably end up losing the baby and would be sent to jail or the graveyard, depending on whether the police or his friend got to him first.)
There was one downside to baby-sitting though. He had no clue how the small devises, known as baby monitors, worked. Did you really expect him to pay attention to those kind of explanations? Now he wished he had, because he didn't dare leave the nursery in case the baby woke up.
Sure the kid would eventually scream the whole neighbourhood awake if given the chance, but he wasn't sure the neighbours or his friends would appreciate that very much. Next to that, his ears wouldn't be very thankful either.
A sigh escaped his lips. His stomach had been grumbling for the past hour and the kid still wasn't showing any signs of waking up. Maybe… he could just figure out those baby monitors himself? (His mind – that sounded a lot like his friend – sneered at him.) He could taste the sweet, sweet freedom that taunted him in the distance.
Turning around, he determinedly picked up one of the two devises and pushed and turned the buttons on it with no result. With another sigh he put it down and picked up the other one, following the same process.
Suddenly a loud and high pinched screech emitted from the devise in his hands and he dropped it in shock, wincing as he covered his ears. Moments later he groaned when the shrieks of the newly awoken baby accompanied the ringing in his ears. This was not how he had planned this.
He quickly rushed to the crib to pick the infant up, kicking the monitor for good measure while doing so. As he picked the boy up, he had to admit the kid had a strong pair of lungs and made quite a lot of noise for someone only five days old.
Why the hell the kid's parents had insisted on going out to dinner on their first wedding anniversary while it was so close to this little boy's due date was a mystery to him. He had thought they'd have called it off when the kid was born two weeks early, but no that's what they invented baby-sitters for.
He lifted the boy up from the crib and gently rocked him, whispering soothing words to calm him down. Of course, once one thing goes wrong, everything does, which led to the baby screaming even louder.
Desperately he picked up a stuffed animal and tried to distract him. But no matter how much he prodded or acted like a clown, he just wouldn't stop crying. Then he picked up another toy, this time it had a bell in it. Of course the sound of the tinkling bell upset the boy more than it did comfort him.
Leaving the nursery with the baby in his arms, he went downstairs to the kitchen and found the bottle that had been left for the child in the fridge. With a sigh he offered it to the baby, but he wouldn't take it, his screams growing ever louder.
After ten minutes of trying to feed the boy or get him to quiet down, he finally concluded there could only be one more reason for him to scream his lungs out. He didn't like the idea, but he was out of options; it was the only thing left he could think of. So, defeated, he made his way back up the stairs to the nursery and placed the boy on his changing table.
With dread and particularly slow movements, he opened the bottom part of the boy's clothes to reveal the large fluffy whiteness of his diaper. Making a face, he carefully pulled the sticky parts loose and turned his head, closing his eyes and opening the diaper.
He tentatively sniffed the air, seeing not picking up any unpleasant odours as a good sign and decided to risk taking a peek. His mouth dropped open exasperatedly and he nearly glared at the still screaming baby, as his eyes met the clean and dry whiteness of the diaper's inside.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He demanded, as he closed the diaper again. "You don't want toys, you don't want food, you don't care about being comforted and you most definitely didn't take a crap."
He was most relieved when he heard the front door open downstairs. A few moments later footsteps rushed up the stairs and the baby's mother appeared in the doorway, looking breathless and frazzled by the baby's cries.
"I don't know what's wrong with him, he won't stop crying!" He complained to her and she quickly pushed him aside, picking up her son.
The boy's cries quieted to whimpers as his mother rocked him. With a single pointed look he got the message to leave the room, and mere moments later, the boy's whimpers tapered off.
Grumbling he walked down the stairs to find his friend pulling off his shoes and stowing them away.
"Why was he crying?" The other inquired and he shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't know; he wouldn't take his bottle, didn't like his toys and refused to soil his diaper, so it beats me." He replied.
His friend looked at him suspiciously and then looked up the stairs to the open door to the nursery. When he looked back at him, he shook his head.
"Yet when Ash holds him, he's quiet and famished?" Andros asked, raising an eyebrow. "Normally he doesn't mind taking a bottle instead."
"Yeah, act as if it's my fault your kid doesn't take a bottle from me!" He defended.
Andros shook his head and walked into the kitchen, closely followed by his friend. The bottle he'd been trying to feed the kid was still on the kitchen counter and he watched curiously as Andros picked it up. Moments later he rolled his eyes.
"Zhane… when a baby is nursed by their mother… what do you think the temperature of the milk is?" Andros asked, barely containing his laughter.
He looked at Andros confused, not sure why that had anything to do with anything.
"Body temperature?" He guessed. "But what does the temperature of the milk have to do with anything? We drink milk right out the fridge, why wouldn't a baby?"
"One, this is not the same milk you drink." Andros laughed. "Two, basically if the difference in temperature is too big, the baby will end up puking. Babies aren't miniature grown-ups you know, no matter how much you like to think that they are."
"If that isn't the same milk as the milk in a milk carton… then what milk is it?" He inquired, totally ignoring everything said after point one.
Andros turned his back and put the bottle back in the fridge.
"Trust me, you don't want to know."
Zhane opened his mouth to contradict him, but right at that moment Ashley walked in, still fixing her shirt so it hung straight. It suddenly dawned on him, a look of disgust crossing his face. Luckily for him, neither of his friends noticed.
"Adonis went back to sleep." She declared, placing a quick kiss on Andros's lips. "I still don't understand why he wouldn't take his bottle, though."
"I do." Andros grinned. "I'll tell you later. I'll go kick Zhane back to Karone first."
Zhane made a face at them, but followed Andros back to the hallway and put on his coat. He had a sour expression on his face and Andros decided to take pity on him.
"Don't worry." He assured. "I made the same mistake, but Ash was there to correct me or I would've been as lost as you. Unfortunately, we're still learning how to take care of Adonis most of the time."
This caused Zhane to smile, picturing Andros with a screaming baby in his arms, not knowing what to do.
"So… can we count on you to baby-sit again?" Andros asked innocently.
"Ha! Don't count on it if Karone isn't available." Zhane smirked. "I love the kid to death, but my ears don't quite agree with me."
Andros laughed and shook his head.
"Send 'Rone our love. I'm sure Adonis would be very grateful if she was here to help you baby-sit next time."
Now it was Zhane's turn to laugh and he nodded.
"Have a good night." He told Andros honestly, with a straight face, as he stepped out the door. "As long as it lasts."
And with that he disappeared down the street, leaving Andros with a sour expression with the memories of his sleepless nights. Really, he loved his kid, but he had to agree with Zhane on that one. He could definitely do without the noise.
A/N: Okay, I hope you liked this random one shot. It's dedicated to SweetSas because it's her 18th birthday (go get that license, girl!). Yes, I know it's mostly Zhane and still under A/A, but it's A/A's kid we're talking about! –winks-
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