mitochondriaaya | Marathon!

"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?"

"Mmmngh." Dilan informed Aya, going limper.

"We should both get clean." Little Braig said firmly, "Dilan is all over dirt."

"Oh, he melts." Aya chuckled and grinned over at Braig. "And how are you doing Braig? I know you didn't run but everyone else got footrubs today. Do you want one too?" Equal opportunity footrubs!

"Alright, bath time then. Let me put this away and we can get your water run. "No, Dilan baby, don't wipe your hands on his hair."

"I'm good." Braig promised, "Just make sure Dilan's feeling okay, okay?"

"'IZARD!" Braig started heading inside as Lenna turned the camera off.

They also got both Braig and Dilan's first time in the ocean. (Braig took to it like a fish, Dilan clung to his mother's neck and screamed bloody blue murder until Braig showed him it was fun.) Beginning surfing lessons, and a lot of playing. Several birthdays, and a couple of clips from when Dilan was sick and Braig was carefully tending to him.

"I'm on it!" Aya agreed cheerfully. "Stick a pillow under his head in case he falls asleep?" Because Dilan would get a crick in his neck if he stayed leaning on Braig's leg while sleeping!

"No, Dilan, a fish is not a lizard!" That was a fun conversation to catch on tape wasn't it? Neither was a seagull, a shrimp, a crab...the crab was fun. There was an equal amount of time being chased as chasing! Birthdays, playing, first day of school for Dilan...

"You guys really did do everything together huh?"

"Got it." Braig stuck a pillow there and then resumed stroking Dilan's hair.

"Yeah." Dilan murmured, "Really did. Still do. The three of us."

The last video in the box had the three of them running around on the beach together, Braig ordering the other two in making a giant sandcastle.

"Most stuff," Aya agreed. "All three of us! Oh, hey, I remember that castle!" She hadn't been that good, she was six, and her engineering theory had been a little shaky. But giant it had become!

Very giant!

"I didn't know they had a camera on us."

"Dad got sneaky." Braig said, grinning, "You were so small, monkey."

"I'm still small." Aya snorted. "Not quite that small but still bitty compared to you both. I could totally still fit in the doorway of the castle we built!"

"Yeahhhh." Braig looked proud, "It was a good castle...I think that's it, though."

"Mmmmnngh." Dilan agreed. His feet finally stopped hurting!

"It was okay. We'd totally shore it up better now." Practice made perfect after all! And education. Yep. "And it's alright if that's all. We remember the rest right? Hmmm, don't really want to move though."

"So." Braig asked, smiling down the couch at her, "Did you enjoy seeing us as little kids?"

"Yeah, you guys were good kids!" Aya laughed. "And you were sooooo adult! You were like a little Yinsi! Gotta get clean, what if it makes him sick..." she teased happily. "So responsible!"

"Hey, Aunt Lenna gave him to me." Braig said, "I've gotta take care of him."

"'M not a pet."

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