Work Text:
It was a quiet and rather peaceful night for our three toons. It was at least once in a while either of the three- Well, two, would get a good amount of sleep. Looey was a heavy sleeper after all.
Anyway, the night was going decent for once. Cosmo huddled up against Sprout while he held onto Looey who was snuggled up like a baby. Speaking of a baby.. Theirs was also asleep in the crib not too far from their bed.
Well, he was asleep.
The baby soon stirred awake, slowly reminiscing in the rather dark room before he started to wail loudly.
So much for a peaceful night..
“Mmph.. C.. Cosmo..” Sprout groaned, pulling the bed sheets closer to his face. He nudged the toon beside him, eyes still shut and arms around Looey, “Go take care of the baby..” He said drowsily, attempting to fall back asleep and into his dreams.
Cosmo yawned in response, holding Sprout tighter. “Hmm.. You made it, you take care of it..” She said in a state of sleepiness.
Next thing Cosmo knows, she's pushed off the bed with a small yelp.
“W-what?!” Cosmo blinked, now sitting on the floor, blinking rapidly to shake off the sleepiness. “Sprout, what the heck—?!”
Sprout, now awake and slightly grumpy, didn’t even flinch. “You heard me. You’re the one who insisted on making the baby.” He turned over, pulling the blanket back up to his chin. “I did the last feeding, so your turn.”
Cosmo groaned, rubbing her eyes as she stood up. She gave him an exaggerated glare before reluctantly trudging to the crib, where little Yogurt continued to cry loudly. “Okay, okay. I’m coming, I’m coming.”
He reached into the crib and gently lifted him out. “Shhh, it’s okay, little guy. Let’s try to figure this out,” he whispered, rocking him in his arms. But no matter how gently he swayed or how soft his voice was, the baby didn’t calm down. He just kept crying louder, his tiny fists flailing about.
Cosmo sighed, giving Sprout a look of frustration as she walked back to their bed. “I swear, we’ve tried everything.”
Sprout peeked out from under the blanket, a little more awake now. “Did you try the thing where you bounce him? Rodger said that always worked with Toodles,”
Cosmo shot him a look. “Yeah, but we're not Rodger. It can be different.”
Looey stirred at the noise, his eyes fluttering open. He blinked sleepily at Cosmo, then looked at the baby in his arms. “Is it his bedtime again?” he mumbled, half-asleep. “You two really need to figure this out.”
Cosmo looked at Sprout with a tired frown. “Fine. You take a turn after me,” he muttered, already bouncing Yogurt slightly. To his surprise, the baby’s cries softened a little.
Sprout stretched out lazily, glancing at Looey. “How about we do a tag-team thing? You know, so no one gets too exhausted?”
Looey gave a small thumbs-up before promptly pulling the blanket over his head, already going back to sleep.
Cosmo rolled her eyes. “You two are so much help. Alright, I’ll try this bouncing thing…” She bounced Yogurt up and down gently, the rhythmic motion finally lulling him into a lighter, more peaceful sleep. After a few minutes, the cries slowly faded to soft sniffles.
Cosmo looked at Sprout, who was still half-watching from the bed. “See? Easy peasy.”
Sprout smirked. “Just don’t jinx it.”
As soon as Cosmo placed Yogurt back in the crib, he stirred again, and another loud cry filled the air.
Both Cosmo and Sprout sighed in unison.
Cosmo rolled her eyes and shot Sprout a look. "Okay, now you get up. I'm done," she muttered, walking back over to the crib and lifting the baby again. This time, she was already halfway annoyed. "You sure you're not secretly a little demon, huh? Who needs this much attention at—" She cut herself off when she heard Sprout getting out of bed.
"Fine, fine," Sprout grumbled, dragging himself out from under the blankets. “I’ll do it. But next time, we’re switching shifts properly.”
He took the baby gently from Cosmo’s arms, and she climbed back into the bed, pulling the sheets up with a sigh. "Next time, I'll be sleeping through this whole thing," she muttered, eyes already half-closed.
Sprout, holding Yogurt carefully, began to sway him back and forth with a little more force, hoping the extra movement would calm the baby down. For a few moments, there was just the sound of the baby’s sniffling, then—finally—Yogurt seemed to calm. His tiny eyes fluttered shut, and he let out a soft whimper before going completely still in Sprout’s arms.
Sprout gave a small, quiet sigh of relief. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”
Cosmo, now snuggling into the pillow, peeked over at him with a tired smile. “It’s always easier when you’re not the one doing it,” he mumbled, his eyelids heavy.
Sprout smiled back, his voice soft. “Yeah, but you and Looey are always the ones to make him laugh. I think he just likes the sound of your voices.”
Cosmo’s face softened at the compliment, but she let out a yawn. “Well, maybe he should sleep in the bed with us? We're running out of ideas.”
Sprout nodded, still gently rocking Yogurt. “Maybe. But I think we’ve tried pretty much everything. Maybe it’s just… one of those things, you know? Babies cry sometimes. It’s part of the deal.”
Cosmo yawned again, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “You’re not wrong. But if this keeps up, I might just fall asleep standing up next time.”
Sprout shook his head with a grin. “I don’t think that’s a great idea. But hey, at least we’re in this together, right?”
Cosmo’s sleepy smile was faint but genuine as she nodded. “Yeah. Together.”
Just as they were starting to drift off again, Looey's voice came from the other side of the bed, muffled through the pillow. “If you two don’t figure this out soon, we might have to call in some backup…” He let out a long, exaggerated sigh before returning to his deep sleep.
Cosmo and Sprout exchanged a glance, both stifling a laugh.
“Backup?” Cosmo whispered.
“I think he means Astro,” Sprout whispered back. "But let's try not to wake them up too."
They both chuckled quietly as they settled into a much-needed silence, each of them holding onto hope that the rest of the night would be a peaceful one. For now, they had Yogurt, their little bundle of joy… and chaos.
The silence lasted for all of five minutes.
Just as Cosmo and Sprout had finally begun to drift off to sleep, they heard a familiar sound—a soft, hiccuping cry. Then another. And another. It was as though Yogurt had made it his mission to keep everyone awake all night long.
Cosmo let out a groan, already half-awake again. "I swear, he's getting more creative with his crying," he mumbled, rubbing his face.
Sprout, still holding the baby in his arms, stared at the little one in disbelief. "I just got him to sleep! How does he do this?"
Cosmo blinked up at him, clearly exhausted. “I think he’s plotting against us. Maybe we should try… I don’t know, lullabies or something?”
Sprout raised an eyebrow, giving the baby a little bounce. “You think a lullaby is going to work on this little terror?”
Cosmo gave a tired shrug. “Can’t hurt to try.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Sprout started humming softly to the baby, his voice low and gentle, trying his best to stay calm and composed. The rhythm was slow, almost soothing—until the crying picked up again, louder this time.
The baby’s cries were so relentless that it made Sprout stop singing. He glanced at Cosmo in defeat. “Okay, this isn’t working.”
Cosmo, now sitting up in bed, looked down at the little one and frowned. “What if he’s hungry? Or gassy? Or both?” she suggested, her voice laced with frustration. "You can't expect him to settle down if his tummy’s upset."
Sprout nodded. “Alright, alright. I’ll try to feed him.” He awkwardly handed the baby back to Cosmo, who took him in her arms with the motions of a mom who had NOT been through this many times before. Yogurt’s cries quieted slightly as she carefully tried to settle him against her chest.
A few minutes passed. Then another minute. Cosmo's expression was starting to look more and more tense.
Sprout came back, just before he could make the bottle and leaned over from the bed, trying to catch her eye. “Is he…?”
Cosmo shook her head, her voice coming out in a whisper. “No, he’s not hungry… I think he’s just tired. He has to be.”
“Then what are we missing?” Sprout asked, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "We've tried everything. What else is there?"
Cosmo sighed deeply, looking down at Yogurt, who was still wide-eyed and looking around the room as though trying to figure out where the chaos was coming from. “Maybe he just wants...comfort? Maybe he just wants to feel like he’s not alone.”
Looey’s sleepy voice suddenly cut through the room again. “You two are hopeless. Let me try something.”
Cosmo and Sprout looked at each other, surprised, as Looey sat up. He shuffled to take the baby from Cosmo, not looking half as tired as they felt. “Watch and learn,” he muttered, before picking up Yogurt from Cosmo’s arms.
Sprout blinked, eyes wide. “Looey, what are you—”
Looey, ignoring him, slid off the bed and started walking around the room in slow circles, murmuring something under his breath. Then, to Cosmo and Sprout’s surprise, he started making soft, clicking noises with his tongue, alternating the sound with gentle humming. It was strange, almost hypnotic.
Within seconds, Yogurt’s cries began to lessen, his little body relaxing in Looey’s arms. Slowly, he stopped squirming altogether and finally—after what felt like an eternity—drifted into a peaceful, quiet sleep.
Sprout and Cosmo stared at Looey in disbelief.
“Okay..What the hell..” Cosmo whispered, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. “How did you do that?”
Looey, who had already placed Yogurt back into the crib with careful precision, shrugged. “Just know how to talk to babies, I guess. You two were way too soft with him.”
Sprout chuckled softly, glancing over at Cosmo. “Well, we might need you to give us a crash course tomorrow. This parenting thing is way harder than I thought.”
Looey shot them both a smug smile. “We'll get used to it– But you owe me breakfast. I’m going back to bed now.”
As Looey retreated back to his spot in bed, Cosmo and Sprout exchanged a tired, relieved glance.
“Guess we really do make a good team,” Sprout muttered, pulling the blanket back over himself.
“Yeah,” Cosmo said, settling back down. “Even if it’s a chaotic one.”
With Yogurt finally asleep, the two of them managed to drift into a deep, peaceful sleep, knowing full well that they’d be ready for round two in a few hours. But for now, the night was theirs—quiet, calm, and finally free from the sounds of endless crying.