mitochondriaaya | Marathon!

"You looked like a gnome! Bet we're all gnomes! Playing at being different species!" AYa grinned and stretched a leg gently to poke Braig with her foot. "And Yinsi looked like you! Huh...wow, you're a clone..." Clone gnomes. Who knew?

"I know, I really am. You should see the photos, they're creepy." Braig said, laughing.

Once he was born, bitty Braig was shown to the camera, and then given to his mother. His exhausted, sweaty, and yet thrilled mother.

"We're naming him Braig." Yinsi told the camera, "After Elcy's father."

"And what else?" The camerwoman laughed. "Just Braig? Only one name when he has such an important family? Is that allowed?!" she laughed and zoomed in on the tired mother and wrinkly Braig after a moment of fiddling with buttons.

Aya giggled and poked Braig again. "Gnommmme. I was a tiny tiny gnome! 'cause mom was tiny and we were twins so all squished." Just so he wasn't alone in the gnome-ness!

"Wait'll you see Dilan." Braig said, laughing.

"Just Braig." Elcy said, cuddling him and then holding him to her breast, "What else does he need?"

"Isn't he beautiful?" Yinsi crowed.

"Oh, all kinds of things, that's why we did the baby shopping remember?" The camera looked between the mother and father for a moment before there was a giggle. "You've been unseated in her life Yinsi! And he's going to be a looker too, you watch!"

"I see Dilan right now," Aya teased. "And his feet!"

"Of course he is." Elcy said, looking up at Yinsi with love, "Just like his father."

Yinsi reached over to put his finger in a flailing hand, and laughed again, "So strong!"

"Oh the poor boy, whatever will he do with looks like that and strength? It's a super baby! Hide your daughters world!" Lena grinned and sat carefully on the edge of the bed to she could wave the fingers of her free hand toward the little bundle. "And you should shower Elcy, and we can change sheets. You know you'll both rest better in a clean bed and clean clothes. Yinsi? Take your son for ten minutes and I'll help her wash?"

"You know, I'm glad you were born and everything Braig but...wow. Look at your mom! She's wiped out! Is it always that hard?!" Aya asked, reminded again of the 'ew' factor by Lena's words.

"Of course." Yinsi cradled his son, just. Astounded. They did that. They made a baby, and he was perfect in every way.

"I think so?" Braig said, "If you want, we can skip to Dilan's birth?"

"Hey! No!" Dilan said, "We've got toddler Braig to look at!"

Aya wrinkled her nose a little and shook her head. "No! I want to watch you grow up! I just don't think I want to have kids. It's not like something I can practice for..." And her tactic for daunting physical tasks that might hurt was to train!

"Okay, okay." Braig said, laughing. There were several hours of Braig growing up...his first steps were even on video! The three adults more or less stalked him, and compiled a video of all the best parts.

At four, though, they had to switch tapes, "Okay! Enter Dilan!" Braig said, grinning.

Dilan's birth looked easier...he was tiny.

Aya, being Aya, actually cheered Braig on during his first steps and halted the foot massaging to clap at his first words. Yes, despite the fact that the grown Braig was right there and obviously not in need of any further encouragement!

And yeah, that did look a lot easier, but...Aya was human so the tiny!baby option wasn't in her future! Still..."Look at you! You look like a little garden statue! And your ears!" Hee! "You're both cute babies!"

His first word was, rather expectedly, mine. Followed by mama and dada.

"I look like a drowned rat." Dilan said, laughing. Braig said, "Yeah, you still looked kinda rat-like when I first saw you...you'll see that coming up."

"Sit here, Braig." Elcy, getting her son into one of the big, soft chairs, "Now hold your arms like this...that's right. Here comes the baby!"

Lenna carefully set the green-wrapped bundle in Braig's arms, saying, "This is Dilan, Braigy. He's going to be with you your whole life."

Little Braig looked down at the baby doubtfully for a moment, then frowned up at the two women, "I wanted a kitten." he informed them, just before the infant Dilan smacked him in the jaw. Little Braig blinked big, golden eyes and looked back at the baby, "...I guess babies are cooler than kittens."

Lenna looked down at the top of Braig's head, torn between facepalming and stricken at those words. It was an internal war that went on for several moments before she just set her hand in her face and laughed. "Yes, yes they are. And before too long he'll be able to talk with you and play games and a kitten can't do that no matter how long you wait!" So there!

Yinsi, behind the camera, laughed. "And he's half katzu, Braig. I'll show you the animals they're decended from in the book later. But you're a lemur kid and he's part-kitten so..."

"Stop trying to get him to adopt the baby as a pet!" Elcy scolded them both.

Yeah, Aya was laughing.

"Okay." said little Braig, "He can be my kitten, then. You're mine, Dilan." he said, nodding severely...and grinning when a flailing baby fist hit him again.

Braig sniffed and said, "Well. He's still my kitten."

"Too late!" Yinsi was full out laughing enough to shake the camera now. "It's alright love, it's more a joke than anything else. He'll outgrow it." Surely? They weren't going to let their son grow up to feel entitled to people's lives after all!

"And another set of eyes on Dilan won't hurt," Lenna added, dangling her fingers over the back of the chair to stroke Dilan's forehead gently. "He'll take good care of my boy."

"And the kitten got a monkey...does that mean I have to go out and find a lizard or something?" Aya asked, amused.

Elcy sighed, deeply, then rubbed her son's hair. "I suppose so." she agreed, doubtfully.

Lenna crouched by the chair, "Dilan is really, extra special Braigy." she informed him, "He's one of a kind. So you've got to protect him, okay? There'll be lots of people who want things from him when he gets older."

Braig nodded seriously, and gave the baby a careful hug.

"You still do that, too." Dilan mused. "Course I do, dude." Braig responded, "And no, monkey, you don't have to find a lizard. We're good."

It was Elcy's turn to facepalm. "Lenna..." That wasn't a fair burden to place on a young, intelligent child!

"It's alright Elcy," Yinsi soothed while steadying the camera. "We'll all be watching." To make sure the boys grew up as proper little boys instead of anything else!

"I help now!" Aya offered cheerfully. She liked helping to protect Dilan from creepers! "And good. If we had to continue the cycle we'd run out of room in bed."

Lenna looked up at her best friend with a smile, "It'll be good for Braig to have someone else to look out for. You know he's got a bit of an E-G-O."

"That's ego, Auntie." Braig informed her, "I can spell."

"Point well taken." Elcy admitted.

Dilan nodded, "Yeah. I mean, I already take up three quarters of the bed. Even an actual lizard-lizard as opposed to some fictional lizard person wouldn't fit."

"And a brain to match!" Lenna laughed. "Teach Dilan well alright? He might not be as smart as you so sometimes you'll have to go slow, but as long as you're patient you'll both grow up well!" She was sure of it!

Aya pinch hard on Dilan's heel and laughed, "Yeah, and they wouldn't be near as comfy either! Lizards are fun when they're small and hypnotized but big I bet they'd be cold and hog the blankets!"

Things skipped ahead with Dilan, too. There was a fairly long section where Braig was teaching Dilan (a chubby, oh-so-serious Dilan) how to walk, and clips linked together that implied he'd spent hours on talking.

They got Dilan's first word, too.

"'Izard!"

"What's that?" asked little Braig, wandering out of view of the camera, which spun to follow him and caught baby Dilan, in nothing but a diaper, holding a lizard.

"'Izard!" he showed it to Braig proudly, and then to the person with the camera...and then shoved it in his mouth.

"No, no, no!" Flailing little Braig.

"You're a good teacher," Aya laughed to Braig. "I recognize that! That was baby physics talk!" He had been trying! Trying very hard to teach the real method behind walking! Hee!

"No wonder you guys grew up geniuses, look how you started!"

Izard. GIGGLEFIT!

"No, no, it's alright Braig, remember the book we read together? None of the lizards around here are poisonous to Katzu, this is an important part of Dilan growing up! And you! That was a very good catch Dilan! Does it taste good?" How did one juggle trying to sooth Braig, congratulate Dilan, AND filming? Simple, Aunt Lenna put the camera down on the outside picnic table!

"Yeahhh." Braig grinned, rubbing Dilan's hair.

"Pretty sure we were born geniuses." Dilan murmured.

"'Izard!" Dilan assured his mother, holding his arms up so that Braig would pick him up. The bigger boy did so, hugging him, "It's still dirty...I would'a cleaned it for him."

"Well, practice didn't hurt!" Aya pinched Dilan's foot again and grinned. "Let me joke about your brains!"

"And yes, that was a lizard baby." Lenna returned to the camera and zoomed in on the boys. "A little dirt certainly doesn't hurt Braig. Every kids eats dirty things, even you! And katzu have better stomachs than just about anybody else, so Dilan has at least a half-amazing stomach. He'll be fine! Oh, watch it, that tail is..." falling off the chewed lizard and headed straight down Braig's shirt.

"ACK!" Braig would have flailed, but his arms were full of baby. Dilan dug around in the shirt and then solemnly offered the tail to Braig. "No, kitten, you can eat it."

"'Izard." Nom nom nom. Little Dilan was so proud of himself, he really was.

"Oh, that felt good Aya, do it again?" Dilan asked.

"Your wish!" Aya laughed and did exactly that, pinching and working Dilan's feet harder. Hopefully it'd help! "Lizard tail..." Hee.

"You're a very good little hunter." Lenna was...laughing. She was trying not to laugh at Braig, she really was but...yeah. "I'll get you some wipes in a moment Braig. Unless you want a shower now?"

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