Hush, Little Penguin

Baby of the Team

Barnacles laid Peso down on his bed. Peso was so small that the whole upper half of his body was lying on the pillow. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the captain tucked the covers under Peso's chin, and opened a book of fairy tales. Peso settled in, and smiled. It had been so long since he'd gotten a bedtime story.

Immediately, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. he snuggled further under the fluffy blankets, and closed his eyes, beginning to drift off into a dreamful sleep. Barnacles smiled at this, putting the book away. He knew Peso would like that. 'There's something missing' he thought to himself. He opened a box on Peso's shelf, and took out a light blue pacifier. It slipper into Peso's mouth with ease, and bobbed up and down. Barnacles admired the sleeping baby for a moment, before plugging the nightlight in. It was shaped like a comb jelly, and twirled around, casting comforting glows around the room. Leaving Peso to sleep, Barnacles chuckled to himself. Peso was even younger than the Vegimals. He'd always been the baby of the team.

Peso woke up the next morning still bundled in the blankets. He glanced around. Sunlight streamed through the window, and the nightlight had been automatically shut off. He didn't want to get out of bed yet. Everything was so soft and warm, and he felt cozy and safe in his pink sleeper. The only thing that ruined it was the sopping wet bedtime diaper wrapped around his bottom. He squirmed, wondering what to do. He couldn't walk like this, but he didn't know whether or not to shout for someone. Before he could ponder it any further, though, Barnacles walked through the door, and smiled at him. "Good morning," he cooed. "How's my princess?" Peso giggled. Pogo was the only one who called him a princess, and he'd always loved that. Glancing at the clock, Peso noticed two strange things; One was the baby monitor on the shelf next to it. The other was that it was eight-thirty, and he should've been up three and a half hours ago!

Sensing his thoughts, Barnacles smiled and lifted him up. Peso melted into his arms, and cuddled him. "Don't worry, we let you sleep in. Little ones need a lot of rest." Peso giggled at him, before remembering his soggy diaper. He was hit with the overwhelming urge to cry.

"It's okay, Peso. You can cry if you need to." Taking the captain's advice, Peso burst into tears, crying like a baby. Barnacles smiled and patted his back. "Now, don't you worry. I'll have you changed in no time." He set Peso down on the changing mat, and opened the hatch in his sleeper. A bright blue nighttime diapers peeked out, squishing with every movement. It was covered in cute, colorful little shapes, that were all tinted yellow. Barnacles smirked. "Looks like someone had a bit too much to drink last night." He poked the diaper teasingly, causing Peso to whine even more. Smiling fondly, he removed the diaper, unintentionally causing more tears, and wiped Peso up best he could. "Oh, dear," he mused. "I think someone need a bath before breakfast." He picked up a baby bag, and gathered the things he would need; a spare diaper, clothes for the day, changing supplies, and some bath toys. Slinging it of one arm, he lifted Peso up in the other, and carried him to the bathroom. Peso sat on the rug, waiting patiently as Barnacles filled the tub with warm water. Getting up and waddling closer, Peso curiously peeked into the tub.

Barnacles smiled and reached for him. "Alright, bath time." Peso squirmed. "No!"

Barnacles chuckled fondly. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm right here." Peso whimpered as he was lowered into the water, but a sense of warmth washed over him, and he soon relaxed. Barnacles grinned. "That's my boy." Peso giggled, and  splashed about, enjoying the warm water. Barnacles set a couple of tub toys down in the water, gaining Peso's interest. One was a dolphin, meant to spray water through it's blow hole. Another was a little submarine, and the third was a diver dressed in blue. Peso smiled, and fiddled with them, holding the dolphin underwater, and letting it bob to the surface. He discovered that if he wound the key on the diver's back, it would swim around. Barnacles finished bathing him without any trouble, and lifted him out onto a fluffy towel. Peso tried to say something, but all that came out was baby babble. Barnacles just smiled. "That's what I thought." Peso allowed himself to be dried off, and dressed in a soft cozy onesie. It was baby blue with ocean creature on it, and the words 'explorer in training' in pastel orange letters. Peso stared at it, unaware he was being picked up. Barnacles carried him into the kitchen, and set him down in a padded high chair, painted blue and white. Tweak was at the table, fiddling with some schematics. Peso smiled at her, giggling to get her attention. "Tweakie."