Marcus shifted uncomfortably on the soft bedding. A peculiar sensation had been tugging at the back of his head—a dull pressure that refused to fade. It wasn’t painful, just… odd. He tried to ignore it, but the feeling grew more persistent with every passing moment.

In his mind, Adrian’s voice broke through. ｢Hey, Marcus. Do you feel… weird? Like there’s some kind of cramp or pressure in the back of your head?｣

Marcus blinked. ｢Yeah, actually. I thought I was imagining it. Why are you asking?｣

Adrian’s response came with a tinge of urgency. ｢I think… it’s almost time for you to cry.｣

The statement hung in the air, absurd yet strangely ominous. Marcus frowned. ｢What? Cry? Why would I do that? Are you saying we need another feeding or something?｣

Adrian hummed. ｢No... Look, babies aren’t supposed to stay lying flat on their backs for too long. Have you heard of flat spots? Or SIDS?｣

Marcus blinked, confused. ｢Flat spots? SIDS? What are you even talking about?｣

Adrian’s tone grew serious. ｢Flat spots—when babies’ skulls start flattening because they spend too much time lying in one position. Their bones are still soft and forming. And SIDS... it stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Babies can… you know, suddenly stop breathing in their sleep.｣

The words struck Marcus like a thunderbolt. His mind raced, struggling to process the idea. ｢Wait… you’re joking, right? Babies can just... die? Like that?｣

｢I wish I was joking, Marcus,｣ Adrian replied, his voice grim. ｢Their skeletons are fragile, and they don’t have the muscle strength to move themselves properly. That’s why modern parents regularly make babies do something called ‘tummy time.’ It helps them build strength and prevents things like flat spots.｣

Marcus lay there, stunned. ｢Tummy time? This is… insane. Everything basically killing us! Are you sure you’re not just messing with me?｣

Adrian’s voice softened. ｢I’m not messing with you, Marcus. Look, we’ve got to take care of ourselves as best as we can. The women taking care of us seem attentive, but we can’t count on them to know everything about modern childcare. I’m just saying... we’ve got to make noise if something feels off. It’s how babies communicate.｣

Marcus’s thoughts churned. The revelation was overwhelming. How could something as simple as sleeping be so dangerous?

Finally, he sighed. ｢Okay, fine. You’ve made your point. I’ll cry if I feel something’s wrong. But man, this is so far from anything I ever thought baby deals with.｣

Adrian chuckled lightly, a faint amusement threading through his voice. ｢Well, yeah. Makes sense why they cry so much, right? Even Eating, and sleeping is survival now. Isn’t it great?｣

Marcus groaned. ｢This is a nightmare. But… I guess I’ll do it. If it keeps us safe, I’ll cry. I’ll scream the house down if I have to.｣

Adrian’s voice carried a note of approval. ｢That’s the spirit. Survival first, dignity later, my friend.｣

Marcus huffed, then realized something. ｢Hey! How come I’m the one who has to cry, again? You can also do it yourself now.｣

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｢I thought I could fool you up to do this.｣ Adrian chuckled, ｢We should do it in turn then, to make it fair.｣

｢Damn right…｣ Marcus agreed.

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In the first few weeks of their new life, Marcus and Adrian began to notice a rhythm forming—a repetitive, humbling pattern that defined their days. As much as they hated to admit it, this was their new normal.

At first, they approached the situation with some experimentation. Neither of them wanted to rely on breastfeeding too much, so they tried to figure out just how much of the animal milk they could handle. The women caring for them seemed to provide a mixture of cow’s milk and honey—a staple in this strange, ancient-seeming world. Adrian suggested they try a half-and-half ratio for a day, thinking it might be gentler experimentation on their underdeveloped digestive systems.

It wasn’t.

The results were… catastrophic.

Marcus groaned in their shared mental space as his tiny body quivered with the unpleasant aftereffects. ｢I can’t believe this. I’ve been through some rough nights, but this is a new low.｣

Adrian, who was similarly suffering, tried to keep his voice steady. ｢We can’t do that again. Lesson learned.｣

｢Yeah, no kidding,｣ Marcus grumbled. ｢What now? Just give up and… you know?｣

Adrian considered the question before responding. ｢I hate it too, but we might have to compromise hard. Refuse to breastfeed maybe… three out of ten times? Just to be safe. It’s not ideal, but if we overdo it with cow’s milk again, we’re going to regret it.｣

Marcus groaned but didn’t argue. ｢Fine. But I’m not happy about it.｣

To cope with the unbearable embarrassment of their feeding sessions, both boys developed their own mental strategies. Marcus, drawing from his past experiences at a Buddhist temple, began silently chanting meditation mantras in his mind to distract himself.

‘Om Tare… Tutare Ture Soha…’

Meanwhile, Adrian took a more analytical approach, repeatedly reciting the periodic table from memory.

‘Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron…’

Despite their discomfort, their strategy worked—at least enough to get through each feeding without breaking down entirely.

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When they weren’t eating or sleeping, Marcus and Adrian spent their waking hours training their tiny bodies. They quickly realized that in order to survive and thrive in this strange new world, they probably needed to accelerate their physical development as much as possible.

It started with small movements: rolling to their sides, lifting their heads, and practicing simple kicks. Marcus found it frustrating how much effort it took just to keep his head upright.

｢Man.. I used to be able to deadlift twice my body weight,｣ he muttered in frustration, his tiny arms trembling as he attempted to push himself up.

｢Yeah, well, now you can barely lift your head.｣ Adrian replied, his tone dry.

Over time, they began working on finer motor skills, like opening their palms and attempting to grasp small objects. The women caring for them seemed delighted by their progress, unaware that their charges were actually two young men trapped in infant bodies.

Despite their efforts to adapt, Marcus and Adrian found themselves quickly facing another humiliating reality of their new existence: they had absolutely no control over their toilet business or habits.

｢Adrian,｣ Marcus groaned one day, his voice heavy with despair. ｢This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. And that includes literal death.｣

｢I know,｣ Adrian replied, his tone equally defeated. ｢But there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s just… biology. We’ll figure it out eventually,｣ he said, likely reassuring himself more than anything.

Marcus didn’t feel particularly reassured. ｢You know what the worst part is? They smile when they’re changing us. Like it’s adorable or something. I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life.｣

Adrian sighed. ｢At least we’re still together. That’s the only silver lining I can see in all of this.｣

Marcus paused, and agree. As much as he hated their current situation, he couldn’t deny the comfort of having his best friend by his side.

｢Yeah,｣ he said quietly. ｢At least we’re not alone. I don’t think I can survive this all alone.｣

For a moment, the two of them lay in silence, their shared bond and experience the only lifeline in this new, surprisingly hard situation they have on their tiny hands.