Mawio!

Chapter 2
My Widdle Weegie

"Waaaaaaahhh~!!"

The infant’s shrill,distressed cry rang in Mario’s ears. He instantly shot up,awake and alert. It was so early,there was barely any sunlight out. He didn’t know why was there a screaming newborn next to him, but then he remembered-it was Luigi;he got regressed into a baby-a tiny newborn to be exact.

Mario sighed and pulled himself out of bed. After yawning and stretching momentarily,he went over to the opposite side of the room-where his now newborn baby brother lay,tangled in a blanket,crying and screaming in discomfort. "Waaaaaaaahh~!!!!"

He gently lifted up Luigi and cradled him in his arms. He was tiny,with thin arms and legs and even thinner fingers. His hands and feet were barely the size of a small orange. His hair,although he had a head full of the stuff, was nothing more than a fine,downy brown,swirling in curls over his head-and that one curl of hair that stood straight up on its own was still there,although smaller. His face was a pale red from crying,and he was no lighter than a pillow.

"Don’t cry.." Mario spoke lightly and soothingly in an attempt to calm the crying newborn. He gently stroked his cheeks with his finger. "It’ll be alright...Mario’s got you.." Luigi’s cries slowed to a helpless whimper.

"What’s bothering you,bro..?" Mario gently rocked the infant back and forth while gently stroking his hair. At first Mario thought he was hungry but then he ruled that thought out,he fed him last night (when he was a bouncing toddler). So what else could be bothering him..?

Maybe he’s cold...Mario picked up the discarded blanket and gently wrapped it around Luigi. It calmed him for a while,but then he squirmed and started to cry again,this time louder than before. "WAAAAAAAAAHH~!!!!"

Mario was desperate. Why won’t he stop crying!? He’s obviously not cold,and he isn’t hungry...Mario tried gently bouncing the crying newborn,while gently rocking him. "Shhh...It’ll be okay...Don’t cry.." But the newborn still didn’t stop crying.

Then it hit him. Eventually food gets digested and...

Oh,snap. The poor baby needed a diaper change. No wonder he was so distressed.

Mario quickly carried him to a flat tabletop-this was going to be their makeshift "changing table"-and unbuttoned his onesie,exposing his soiled diaper underneath. But Luigi still didn’t stop crying and squirming. He couldn’t help it,he was just a tiny newborn. His crying increased as his dirty diaper was removed,and by the time Mario cleaned him up taped on the last strap for a new one, Luigi was tired out from crying and instantly fell asleep when Mario lifted him up and into his arms.

Mario smiled at this little helpless bundle of life. He was so tiny and cute...And this small newborn was his little brother Luigi! The same Luigi who always sucked his thumb at night and had a deep rooted love for ice cream. The same Luigi who was shy and quiet, yet affectionate and sweet and loving. The same Luigi...only smaller and desperately helpless. Mario cradled the sleeping baby in his arms,gently stroking his hair down to his cheeks. "It’s alright...Mario’s got you." The newborn jerked a little,as if in response to Mario. "I have a feeling you’ll be pretty hungry when you wake up.I should make you a bottle.."

Mario carried the little newborn to the kitchen,where he proceeded to one-handedly prepare a bottle of baby milk like a boss. He cradled Luigi in his other arm while checking to see if the bottle was warm enough for him. And Luigi was still sleeping peacefully,occasionally squirming a little.

When the bottle was ready,he carried the still sleeping newborn upstairs and to their bedroom. It was still early,going on 6:00,so Mario snuggled back under his warm bed covers,holding the bottle just in case Luigi woke up. He was oddly warm and soothing,for a newborn. Mario could feel himself drifting off to sleep,and seconds later the two were peacefully asleep,holding onto each other for warmth and comfort.

Until about half an hour later, Luigi started to cry loudly,squirming in starved,helpless desperation. He was hungry.

Mario instantly snapped awake. He was still holding the bottle,which to his luck was still warm. "Shhhh....It’s okay,Weegie...Don’t cry..." He was gently rocking Luigi back and forth, trying to be as gentle as he can before feeding the newborn. "Don’t cry,Weegie...I know you’re hungry..." He gently slid the bottle nipple into the newborn’s mouth and almost instantly Luigi stopped crying.

Mario smiled at the infant. Babies have it easy. He cradled Luigi in his arms while the newborn drank the warm milk,his eyes slowly drooping noticeably. His tiny arms moved up a little,as if he was trying to hold the bottle himself. Mario chuckled a little,gently stroking his soft,downy hair. He was just so irresistibly adorable,whether he knew it or not.

The bottle was barely half-empty before Luigi dozed off,the bottle nipple still in his mouth. "Come on,Weegie..." Mario gently nudged the newborn’s cheek just to keep the milk flowing. It worked,but after a while Luigi was full and knocked out-and the bottle still had milk in it. Sighing,Mario carefully wrapped the newborn in a fuzzy blanket and gently lowered him into his crib. They had to go somewhere later on,but Mario decided to just let him rest a while. He was just a little baby, after all.

It was late in the morning when Luigi woke up,although calmer and bright-eyed instead of fussy and crying. He was stretching and looking around, taking in this strange place. All of it looked so intriguing and mysterious...The newborn tried to roll over,but he couldn’t.

Why couldn’t he roll over? Luigi started to whine as he struggled to pull his chubby newborn body over. He just couldn’t roll over. Desperate and tired out,he started to cry helplessly. He needed help.

He was crying for a while when Mario came running over. "What’s wrong,Weegie..?" He picked up the crying newborn and cradled him in his arms. "Poor baby probably doesn’t want to be alone.." He gently stroked the infant’s cheek. "You’ll be okay,Weegie. Mario’s got you.." Luigi stopped crying after a while. What he wanted right now was something to suck on,as he was sucking his thumb before he knew it.

"Hehe..Here,suck on this." Mario reached for a pacifier and gently nudged it into the newborn’s mouth. Instantly the tiny child was sucking on it and happy.

"There we go."Mario smiled at his baby brother. "We’ll have to head out today,so come on,let’s get you dressed up."

--

"Waaaaahhh~!!!"

Luigi cried loudly as his onesie was removed. Getting the little newborn dressed wasn’t an easy task. Mario was being as gentle as he could,but the baby squirmed and cried the whole time. "Shh...It’s okay,Weegie...Are you cold?" The little newborn only responded with more desperate cries.

Getting an idea,Mario reached for the baby’s pacifier and gently but teasingly waved it around the newborn’s head. "You want this?" The baby’s cries slowed to gentle,desperate whimpers.

"Here you go." Mario smiled after giving the pacifier to the baby,who instantly stopped crying. He gently grabbed one of Luigi’s tiny arms and slid it through the shirt’s sleeve. The baby squirmed but didn’t cry. Mario did the same for the other sleeve,and that was it. Gently sliding the shirt over the newborn’s head,Mario had to be extra careful to not knock the pacifier out of the baby’s mouth. Finally,after threading the baby’s legs and tiny baby feet through the pants legs and sliding on some socks and gloves,along with a little baby hat,Mario picked up the little newborn and cradled him in his arms. Already he was starting to drift off to sleep.

"You’re so cute," Mario cooed,stroking the newborn’s cheek. "Is that what was wrong? You were sleepy?" He gently lowered the sleepy baby into his own bed. "You stay here while I get dressed,okay?" After a while the little newborn dozed off,being surrounded by warmth and comfort.

Soon after Mario got dressed,he was about to leave when he realized he forgot something important-a diaper bag! How could he forget? Quickly rushing back inside,he grabbed an old backpack of his and quickly filled it with important baby supplies-diapers,wipes,empty bottles,a spare onesie just in case,a jug of warm water and the container of baby formula-then he rushed back to the car,where the little newborn was already asleep in the carseat. Smiling,he gently kissed the baby’s forehead,then went around the car to get to the driver’s seat.

--

The car ride was quiet,nothing was heard except for the engine purring. Mario smiled,he liked it this way-just him and the open road. It was peaceful,with little baby Luigi sleeping softly in the backseat. All was silent...until the baby started to wake up.

Slowly,the little newborn squirmed around,not yet fully awake. He didn’t cry,but occasional little squeaks and coos echoed through the car’s small space. While they were at a stop sign,Mario turned around to see how the little newborn was doing.

"Hey,cutie..."Mario cooed, "Are you awake?"

The little newborn’s arms jerked around. For once he wasn’t crying upon waking up.

Smiling,Mario turned back to the steering wheel and continued to drive. The baby was calm...until he started to hiccup. Squeaky,tiny baby hiccups.

Mario finally pulled into a parking lot just as tiny Luigi started hiccuping. Strapping on the backpack,Mario went around to the car and unlatched the baby’s car seat. "Aww,widdle Weegie’s got the hiccups.." he teasingly cooed to the newborn,stroking his cheek. The baby only responded with more hiccups.

As he carried the newborn into the building,Mario thought about something. Instead of rushing trying to get his brother back to normal,why not let the condition run it’s course? Sure,life would be slightly harder now that Luigi’s a helpless newborn again,but...He still needed to think on it.

--

The waiting area was filled with crying and screaming kids,but Mario was allowed a seat in the newborn area-the quietest section. He smiled as the baby squirmed and jerked around,kicking his legs and hiccuping.

"Hey there,Weegie..." Mario gently grabbed the newborn’s arm and waved it around. "My widdle Weegie.." He smiled to himself as Luigi watched, his bright blue eyes following Mario’s movements. He knew they were going to be waiting for a while,so Mario decided to take it easy and enjoy this moment with his little brother.

They’d been waiting there for a while. Mario smiled and let a small giggle escape as the little newborn made a funny face. There was a small feeling,a prickling feeling which told him the baby was struggling,but with what..? The newborn kicked and squirmed,occasionally grunting a little.

"What’s wrong,Weegie..?" Mario gently stroked his brother’s tiny cheeks.

Suddenly there was a small but audible squelching-like sound.

Followed by loud,helpless crying.

Mario almost threw himself and Luigi around trying to get up as he scrambled through his diaper bag,trying to find the wipes and a fresh diaper. There was something that didn’t fit right about the whole situation-something about a newborn messing its diaper while you’re holding it that just didn’t feel right for Mario for some reason.

"Shh,don’t cry,Weegie.." Mario gently bounced the crying newborn,trying unsuccessfully to calm him down but little Luigi kicked and cried angrily. "Don’t cry, Weegie. I know you’re fussy,but it’ll be alright. Mario’s got you. Don’t cry." He gently lowered the squirming newborn onto the changing table and gently slipped off the baby’s pants and untaped his soiled diaper...only for Luigi to start crying again,kicking and squirming angrily.

"Weegie,what’s wrong..? Why are you so fussy today..?" Mario gently rubbed the newborn’s exposed stomach,this always seemed to calm him down-and it worked,almost instantly little Luigi’s cries were slowed to a helpless whimper.

"There you go,baby..I know you like it. You’ll be a good baby for Mario..?" The newborn kicked and squirmed,but he didn’t cry as Mario cleaned up the baby,powdered him and taped up the clean diaper. He picked up the baby and cradled him in his arms. "There you go,baby...Nice and clean." He kissed the baby’s cheek and gave him his pacifier before slipping the baby’s pants back on. "We should hurry now,the doctor is probably looking for us."

--

The waiting time in the doctor’s office was even longer than in the waiting room. Mario sighed as he cradled tiny Luigi in his arms,gently rubbing the baby’s stomach. The newborn slept peacefully while the two waited. "How long does it take for one doctor.." Mario moaned sarcastically. Since Luigi was asleep,he decided to lower the baby back into his car seat,only for him to whimper and squirm and then cry. It was obvious that the little newborn didn’t like being away from Mario. He lifted up the car seat and placed it in the chair next to him and gently lifted Luigi up and into his arms.

"You’re a sweet baby...You know that..?" Mario cooed as he rubbed the baby’s stomach. "You’re my sweet little Weegie.." The baby’s legs jerked only a little-and he let out a tiny excited squeal and smiled at Mario,much to his surprise.

"Aww...Are you smiling,Weegie?" Mario teased as he gently tickled the newborn. "Are you smiling at me? You’re so cute.." Luigi’s tiny arms jerked around a little as the newborn looked around,making cute sounds and faces. He gently rocked the newborn,trying to lull him to sleep. The newborn yawned but didn’t doze off,until Mario gently rubbed the sleepy baby’s stomach which almost instantly put little Luigi to sleep. Smiling, Mario gently lowered the baby into his car seat and loosely wrapped a slightly thick baby blanket around Luigi’s tiny newborn body. This time the little baby didn’t cry,much to Mario’s content.

"Hi there!" A cheerful male voice piped as a tall,smiling pediatrician entered the small room. He was perky-just the kind of person Mario liked. He smiled,gently rocking the baby’s car seat with his foot while tiny Luigi slept. You’re the amazing Mario,right? We don’t see you very often...Now then. Who’s the patient today?"

"This little cutie right here." Mario gently lifted Luigi up and out of the car seat. The baby squirmed a little but didn’t wake up.

"Aww.."the doctor cooed. "I hate to ask but where is your brother? I hear you two are inseparable."

"Well.." Mario sighed. "He’s the patient today.. He got de-aged yesterday."

The pediatrician gasped. "Oh,I’m sorry to hear that.." After slipping om some rubber gloves,he picked up little Luigi and gently grabbed one of his arms,checking the baby’s muscle tone. The baby squirmed around,little squeaks escaping from time to time. "Little guy’s arms seem healthy though." He did the same with Luigi’s other arm and his legs before undressing the newborn,starting with the hat and socks. Almost instantly Luigi woke up and started to cry, not prepared for the chilly air in the doctor’s office.

"Aww, I know, baby.." Mario tried gently stroking the newborn’s cheek to calm him down as the doctor lowered the naked, crying baby onto the scale to be weighed. "7.5 pounds." the pediatrician smiled. "Healthy weight." He gently lifted up little Luigi and placed him into Mario’s arms,where there was the baby blanket waiting for him. He stopped crying as soon as Mario wrapped him up.

"Now I just need to see how his suckling reflex is,"the doctor said. He gently nudged his pinky finger into the baby’s mouth,waiting for the baby to start suckling. As the baby did so,the doctor gently moved his pinky around in the baby’s mouth. "He’s got a good reflex,pulling back with the tounge. No lip ties or anything."

"Now the hard part-a blood sample.." The pediatrician picked up a clamp-looking object,a small tube,a sterile wipe and a small bandage. "It’s just a little heel prick,but little guy’ll probably say otherwise." He smiled again,this time ripping open the sterile wipe package and gently grabbing Luigi’s tiny baby foot. After cleaning the baby’s heel,the doctor picked up the clamp and then positioned it over the heel. "Ready? One,two,three.." He pressed down on the clip,pricking the baby’s foot. Instantly little Luigi started to cry loudly.

"Poor baby didn’t like it.." the doctor cooed,holding the tube to the pricked spot on Luigi’s heel while squeezing the baby’s foot gently,forcing blood out of the prick and into the vial. "Not a very nice prick,no..?" Luigi continued to cry,squirming wildly for someone his size.

"Aww,don’t cry.." Mario gently stroked the baby’s hands trying to calm him down. After enough blood was collected the doctor cleaned off the excess blood with a cotton ball and bandaged the baby’s heel. Mario cradled the newborn,kissing his forehead. "Don’t cry,Weegie..It’s over with now.." The baby continued to cry in distress,his face turning a pale red.

After a while,Luigi calmed down,but he still seemed upset. Mario wrapped his newborn baby brother in his thick blanket,but not before slipping on a new diaper and the simple pair of footie pajamas. He cradled the newborn in his arms as the baby drifted off to sleep. Smiling,Mario gently stroked the baby’s soft cheeks. "You’re my widdle Weegie.." he cooed,rocking the newborn gently. "My sweet widdle Weegie.." The baby yawned but didn’t wake up. Mario was enjoying this moment,just him and his baby brother. The newborn squirmed around lightly,suckling happily on his pacifier. Mario was amazed how someone so small could manage to melt his heart-and his eardrums-all in one go. Especially since that small someone was his brother Luigi,now reduced to a helpless newborn baby. Speaking of newborns,Mario wondered how old he was. By his appearance he looked to be a couple of weeks old,but Mario thought he was probably younger than that.

The doctor returned a couple of minutes later,carrying a clipboard. "I see someone’s calm now," he teased, stroking Luigi’s cheek. "Now,you say he was de-aged,right?"

Mario nodded.

"Well,he’s perfectly healthy,but from the blood sample we were able to calculate his age."

"How old is he,Doc? I guessed he was about a couple weeks old...."

The doctor peeked at the clipboard. "...7 days old."

There was a silence as Mario tried to absorb this. Luigi was seven days old-almost just born. He knew he was pretty young,but...7 days old..?

Suddenly Luigi started to cry-short,coughlike cries before bursting into a full on wail. No doubt he was hungry,only a hungry newborn would produce a cry like that.

"Shh-shh...It’s okay,Weegie..." Mario tried gently rocking the newborn,trying to calm him down. "Don’t cry,Weegie..." No matter how old Luigi was now,nothing could sever the bond the two had. Mario promised himself he’d protect Luigi,no matter what.

 

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