Malachi blinked awake, surprised once again to find himself small, warm, and swaddled in a crib that was much too cute for his taste. The air was tinged with baby powder and a trace of vanilla formula from last night. He squirmed, feeling the uncomfortable squish of his diaper—a humiliating reminder of his new reality.
His tiny hands flailed, and he let out an involuntary whimper, hoping he wouldn’t wake anyone else. Yet, almost immediately, he heard hurried footsteps approaching the door.
Malachi’s crush, her face flushed with both excitement and anxiety, hurried to the crib. She knelt down, whispering so her parents wouldn’t hear.
"Good morning, little guy! Sorry, but you kind of smell... Let’s get you changed before anyone notices,"
She scooped him up with practiced awkwardness, grabbing a diaper and wipes she’d swiped from her baby sister’s stash. Malachi wanted to protest, but all that came out was a mortifying gurgle as she laid him on the changing mat.
She cleaned him up with gentle, if clumsy, hands, trying to stifle her laughter at his bright red cheeks.
"Don’t worry, you’re safe with me. I just have to be really careful. If my mom finds out I stole these diapers and bottles, she’ll freak out,"
She tucked the soiled diaper in a plastic bag and stashed it behind a pile of stuffed animals. Malachi squirmed, wishing he could disappear.
She knelt beside him, holding the bottle up with a sheepish grin.
"Okay, so... you’re probably not going to like this, but you need to have a bottle for breakfast. It’s part of the baby experience,"
Malachi stared at the bottle in horror, but his stomach rumbled in betrayal.
She tried to look confident, though her hands trembled slightly.
"Just think of it as... an experiment. I promise, once this is over, I’ll make it up to you,"
Malachi reluctantly sucked at the bottle, cheeks burning with embarrassment, as she watched him with a mix of guilt and fascination.
She smiled softly, brushing a stray curl from his forehead.
"You’re actually pretty cute like this, you know. But don’t worry—I’ll find a way to turn you back... after I pass this babysitting test,"
Malachi gurgled, half-annoyed and half-grateful, wondering if maybe this crazy situation wasn’t as hopeless as it felt.
