(Un)like Father, like Son by cytryne  

(Un)like Father, like Son

“I thought Tyelpe was supposed to be taking a nap right now?” Maitimo asked, turning a corner in the hallway towards the giggling. His little brother just sighed.

“He wouldn’t go down for it, then Atar appeared and, well,” Curvo gestured at the scene in front of them.

Their father paced round the sitting room, holding an absolutely transfixed toddler in one arm as he spoke. He gestured into the air with the other, drawing diagrams that must have made sense from some angle. They seemed like random squabbles from here. Tyelpe craned his
head as they went, as razor focused as a toddler could be. He wasn't even squirming.

Maitimo squinted. “Is that…”

“A master-level lecture on creating gems versus using natural gems, yes.” Curvo sounded extremely tired. Maitimo shot him a sideways look that the fool didn't even notice. “He’s been going on for hours.”

“And you let him?”

Curvo threw his hands in the air. He yell-whispered at him, in that tone all of them had learned the moment there was a new baby to help hide arguments from their parents. “I thought it would put Tyelpe asleep! What kind of toddler is interested in the different harmonic resonances of gemstones, categorized by shape, color, origin, facets, and some
other things I’ve forgotten by now because Atar uses the most confusing categorical systems I’ve ever heard of?! I’m not even interested in it!”

Maitimo looked over at the raptured toddler, and back at Curvo. “Yours, apparently.”

He got a very heartfelt glare for that one. “Yes, thank you, oh wise one. I never would have noticed.”

Maitimo looked back at their father just in time for Tyelpe to ask something. Feanor leaned in close to the unintelligible baby ramble then nodded, speaking in yet another set of rapid words. Tyelpe seemed to be following it, somehow.

“You should have named him Atarinke. Harinke? Haruninke?”

Curvo, as per usual lately, ignored his struggle with linguistics in favor of fretting over his baby. “How am I supposed to get him down for a nap now? He’s going to be so grumpy later.”

“Leave him with Atar overnight?”

“And have him only eat honey cakes?”

Maitimo grimaced. He’d been within range for that aftermath too. How could someone so cute produce so much vomit? “Okay, so not with Atar. Interfere?”

Curvo gave him a flat look. “Are you volunteering?”

“Absolutely not.”

They stared at the pair for another few minutes as Tyelpe broke out into giggles, Feanor’s lecture diverting into a round of tickles instead. He kissed his grandson all over his face as Tyelpe squirmed, his words impossible to make out past the high pitched screaming giggles.

“Leave them be until it’s too late?”

“Leave them be until it’s too late.”

They watched their father play with Tyelpe for another few minutes, now lifting him up above his head and spinning. Then Maitimo turned to his little brother and poked him in the shoulder.

“You should rest. You seem exhausted.”

“But Tyelpe—“

“—has Atar and myself. He’ll be fine.”

Curvo stared at him blankly, then rubbed his eyes and nodded. He called back as he stumbled down the hallway. “Wake me up in an hour, please.”

“Sure,” Maitimo lied. “One hour.”
 

Ten minutes later, Maitimo returned to the sitting room to the sight of his father sprawled out on the ground. Tyelpe was snoring slightly on Feanaro’s chest, one thumb stuck in his mouth and the other hand wrapped firmly around one of Feanaro's braids.

Feanaro caught his eye immediately. “Did you send your brother to bed?”

Maitimo nodded.

“Good, he needed it.” Feanaro smoothed a hand down Tyelpe’s back, tucking his loose baby hair back behind his ears.

“Were you winding Curvo up on purpose?”

Their father smiled up at him, the same mischievous tilt to it that was so at home on Tyelko’s face. “Tyelpe is such an easy baby, he deserves to experience his own childhood somehow.”

Maitimo laughed quietly. “I thought as much. Want me to take Tyelpe to his bed as well?”

Feanaro shook his head. “We’ll be fine. Go relax, Maitimo. It’s a good day for it.”