🌟 The Caged Bird 🌟 [Rebooted Reader Insert]

Part 15: (intrusive) night thoughts

That night, Steven had trouble falling asleep. Regardless of how much he just wanted to clear his mind and forget about what happened today, he just couldn't shake off the feelings of unsettlement and tension that still lingered from today's events.

Not only could he still vividly remember hearing your small squawks and squeals for help, but he also couldn't stand how hapless you looked, with all of those vicious water birds pecking at you... he was just thankful the noise of the commotion led him to you in time. But he certainly won't be looking at seagulls the same way ever again.

But what really stuck with him was the Gem's remarks on the possibility of you baring other powers....

Hypnotic singing was one thing... but the idea of dealing with other powers...

He stared at his bedroom ceiling, his brow furrowed as he toyed with the idea.

If sirens truly did develop other powers... would they be purely water-based?

If that's the case, that seems like something that's manageable. He's dealt with water-bending beforehand, so surely this was a task he could handle...

Right...?

He sighed, turning his head, to look at your bassinet, listening to the faint sounds of your snoring.

You looked so tiny, curled up beneath your blanket. Just the sight of it made his heart tug.

You barely know anything about yourself as it is. What if there were other powers to your kind? And how would you learn to control and manage them...?

He barely managed his own even with the gems around. How well would you be able to handle it without-

He grunted, putting a hand to his head, annoyed at his own thoughts.

Don't be ridiculous, Steven... He chided inwardly. ...it's not that deep. I still came out fine, hardships and all...

He thought to himself in resolve, turning back over nestling himself deeper under his covers.

Don't over think it, Steven. It's fine. Nothing you can't handle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beep! Beep beep!

You winced as you hear the sharp digital beeping of Steven's alarm piercing the quiet atmosphere and frankly, your sensitive ears.

You grumbled, turning over on your belly, covering your ears until you heard Steven stir, turning off the alarm and sitting up in his bed, stretching and let out a long yawn.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he peers over at you, giving a tired smile as you perked up in your bassinet from under your blanket. "Good morning (Name)."

He got up from bed, taking a moment to stretch his legs again before walking over to you, smiling as you chirped at him excitedly, fluttering your wings as he picked you up.

"How're you feeling today, buddy?" He cradled you, careful to not squish your wings. "You feel okay?"

He gave your belly a light tickle, eliciting a dolphin-esc giggle from you as you wiggled playfully in his grasp.

They don't seem effected by what happened yesterday. He thought to himself as he subconsciously ran a finger over your cheek, neck and wings, searching for any marks or scars. There were small nick marks here and there, but otherwise it was unnoticeable. In a few days, they may disappear entirely.

He heaved a mental sigh of relief.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"That's good." He chuckled as you caught his finger and began to lightly nibble it. "Alright, buddy. Let's get you some breakfast."
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Downstairs, and to your slight surprise, you were greeted with the sight of the gems already there, with Garnet already setting up the high chair. Was waking up so early a universal thing?

"Oh, Good morning you two!" Pear; smiled kindly over her shoulder from the kitchen.

"Sup Stee-man... And sea-bab." Amethyst lazily greeted sitting at the island bar, waiting for breakfast as well.

"Hey, guys!" Steven chirped as he set you down into the high chair, prompting you to squeal and chirp in hunger.

"(Name) seems to be in a bit of a jittery mood today." She noted, as she tried to settle your fidgeting enough to fasten a bib in place. "Good to see that they don't seem affected by yesterday."

"Tough little fella." Garnet commented, with a faint grin, watching as you continued to chirp, your little hands hitting the highchair tray. "Or they're probably more focused on getting breakfast."

Amethyst snickered. "Yeah, you and me both kiddo."

"It's coming, (Name)." Steven assured, pulling out a relatively large jar of applesauce from the fridge.

Once you caught sight of the food in his hand, your squawking increased, and your tiny wings fluttered in anticipation. It was loud to where the gems winced at the volume.

"Eeesh, now I know why they're called 'Sirens'!" Amethyst snarked, with a hand pressed against her head.

"Settle down, bud!" He walked over to you, just as he unscrewed the lid from the jar. "Here, let me get you a-"

Before he could finish, you lunged and snatched the jar out of Steven's hand entirely before slamming your face into it's opening; guzzling it's contents down with a near ravenous intensity that made him flinch back slightly. "...spoon."

Amethyst snickered to herself as pearl watched with a note of disgust and concern. "They act like they haven't eaten since yesterday morning..."

"Most baby animals have a big appetite." Garnet noted, calmly grabbing a rag and running it under sink water. "The same must go for mythics."

"Yeah, but like, amplified by 10." Remarked Amethyst, snickering as you shoved your head into the jar, determined to get every last drop. "Or 20."

Steven gave a wary giggle itching the back of his head. "I'm... sure that'll pass soon..." He felt his smile grow strained a bit, as you wiped the entire jar clean in a matter of seconds. "...I'll... talk with Connie to figure when it will."

"Regardless, we might need to start upgrading their menu options." Garnet states, pulling the jar off your head and cleaning off your hair and face with the damp rag. "Applesauce and milk aren't going to be enough soon."

"So what, do we start stocking up on fish n' what not?" Amethyst lazily shrugged. "I mean, we live right next to the ocean, and P can just use her spear to skewer em like humans apparently did in the past."

"Eheh, no." Pearl gave Amethyst a dry look. "We can just purchase from local shops or Yellowtail like civilized individuals."

"Pfft, right. Like Little Sea-birb is civilized." Amethyst gestured to you, who was licking the last remnants of applesauce from your bib.

"Th-They can be civilized!" Steven finally spoke with a skittish chuckle, quickly moving to remove the fabric from your mouth. "They just... need to be taught is all."

"Be careful with that." Garnet noted as you grumbled and squirmed a bit, disliking the constant rags rubbing against your face. "They may not be the easiest student to teach."

"Oh, it'll be be fine. I can do this!" Steven smiled with newfound confidence, as Amethyst chuckled, sharing his enthusiasm.

"Heheh, yeah, it'll be just like P-dot all over again!"

Reeeee!

Everyone flinched as you slammed your tiny hands on the tray table of your highchair, your hunger still not sated.

"...only Peri didn't eat like a hippo."

"Amethyst!"
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Casual reminder; despite lengthy waits, I'm still doing stuffs on other books!

I'm always around behind the scenes, never left^^

Anyhow, yeah, I headcanon that Mythic creatures babies are nearly always hungry like regular baby animals, but amplified by 20 or 30. :D