Y/N is right now making something as she was distracting herself from... the echidna incident. Sonic and her friends had asked her if she could come with them for another mission, but she declined it for a reason and wanted to take some break. They understand what she was going through and didn't pressure her and let her take time to heal emotionally. Y/N was then done from her hard work as she smiled in satisfaction. Kirby came over with some blankets as he handed them over to her as she thank him for it and placed it in nice and neat.

"Phew. That took a lot of work. This is perfect."

"Pooteetah." Kirby nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door.

"Hm? Who could that be?"

YN comes over and answers the door to see Knuckles standing outside of her treehouse with Kneecaps in his arms.

"Hey, Y/N."

"Oh! Hey, Knuckles! Hi, Kneecaps!"

"Ba!!" Kneecaps smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I... kinda need your help with him. Vector and the others decided that they'll guard the Master Emerald while insisting that I needed a break from... you know what happened. And now here I am asking you for help..."

"Oh, well, sure! Come in!"

Knuckles smiled in relief and went inside with Kneecaps. Kirby gasped and ran over to see Kneecaps. Kneecaps giggled and smiled at Kirby who smiled back. They head in the kitchen as they placed Kneecaps on the chair and Y/N is sitting in front of him with Kirby on the table.

"Hahaha! Hello, little Kneecaps!"

Kneecaps suddenly starts crying.

"Huh? Is... everything okay? Why is he crying?"

Knuckles panicked.

"I don't know, I tried everything to help him and I— "

Y/N picks up Kneecaps and pats his back and then he burps. Knuckles gaped in disbelief.

"Are you serious? That was it?!"

Kneecaps starts laughing.

"Hahahaww! He's so cute!" Y/N squealed.

"Whatever... I honestly didn't expect to deal with this brat."

"Is... this your first time taking care of a baby?"

"Ugh, is it that obvious?"

Kneecaps continues to make baby noises throughout this whole conversation while playing with Kirby who laughs.

"Hehehe. Painfully." Y/N giggled.

"Fine, I admit it. I've no idea how to take care of babies." Knuckles sighed.

"Hehehehe. Wait, is Knuckles, the guy who acts like he knows everything and that he's tough,"

Kneecaps and Kirby quiets down at this point.

"...asking me for help?"

"Grrrr." he growled.

"Hehe. Go ahead, ask me." she smirked.

"You don't have to taunt me like this. Sonic is really getting it off on you."

"Heheheh. Maybe. Let me have this."

"Tch. Fine. I have- no idea how to take care of little people... babies."

Y/N leaned over with her ear up.

"What's that? I can't hear you!"

"Ugh. You hear me!"

"Heha! Ask me!"

"I need your help."

"One second, one second. Shhhhhh."

Knuckles raises his eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhhhhhhh. I'm savoring this moment."

"Look, you little potato, you don't gotta rub it in."

"Hey! I'm not short!"

"In any case, are you going to help me out or not?"

Y/N pretend to have a thought for a moment.

"Huh, let me think about it."

"Ugh, hey!"

"Hahahaha! I'm kidding! You've helped me out a lot with other things. This is the least I could do to repay you."

"So, you know how to take care of babies?"

"Yep! I've babysitted all of the town's babies whenever I don't have anything else to do and I like to watch over them. Plus, I've been asked a lot to help with their kids."

"Wow. Sounds like you have a big job."

"I do! Hmm, Now, let's see... How about... we change your diaper, and then we put you down for a nap! You look so sleepy!"

Kneecaps makes more baby sounds, making Y/N giggle.

"Hehe! Come on, Knuckles. I'll show you how to do this."

"Uh, sure."

After changing his diaper, Kneecaps is asleep in his new crib Y/N had been making lately.

"Aww! He's too cute! He fell right to sleep!"

"Woah, you're really good at this. Also, how did you manage to make a crib?" Knuckles asked in amazement.

"Meh, I really love babies. Also, I wanted to give Kneecaps a crib since he doesn't have a place to sleep... We should just let him sleep though. Come on! Let's go to my room!"

They go upstairs to Y/N's room.

"Man, the last time I went there is when you literally scratched your hand. Your room looks... imaginative."

"Yeah, I kinda like everything, a lot recently. I even collected some things that gives me good memories about our adventure we went through and some other moments."

"I can tell."

He sees a plushie of himself on Y/N's bed.

"Huh? Is-- Is that a plushie of me? What's it doing here?"

"Huh? Ah! no! No, no uh,"

She pushes it off of the bed to the side opposite of Knuckles. Kirby who's there silently giggles and grabs the plushie and places it by the window next to her bed.

"didi— uh, no! Uh, di—Hey! Did you see this book that I'm reading about? It's great and interesting!"

She is referring to the pink old book gem on her desk.

"What's it about?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her sudden change of subject.

"U-uh, well I honestly don't remember much since I've been busy saving the world. It's been a while since I last read this amazing book. I do remember from the last chapter that got me so moved is that 'As he rounded the dell and noticed that the sky had already lost the reddish bloom of early evening'."

"Huh. Sounds like a good poem."

"I know."

Suddenly, they hear glass breaking downstairs.

"Huh? What was that?" Y/N questioned.

They go downstairs, where Kneecaps is out of his crib, broke something around the house, and is laughing.

"Huh?! How did he get out of the crib?!"

"Is it broken?" Knuckles asked.

"No! It's like the best crib ever! I made sure it was very well secured. Oh, come on Kneecaps. Let's get back in here."

Y/N picks him up and puts him into his crib.

"There you go. Now, take a nap, sweetie. I don't want you to get too cranky."

Kneecaps makes baby noises and goes to sleep. Y/N, Knuckles, and Kirby just walk around the corner so their talking doesn't wake Kneecaps instead of going upstairs.

"Ugh, has Kneecaps taken a nap today?"

"I'm-I'm not sure. When I was taking him today, he just—"

They hear something else crash. They walk back over to see that Kneecaps has once again gotten out of his crib and broken something.

"Pooteetah?!" Kirby questioned in shock.

"What the?! How did he—?" Y/N gaped.

"Hahahaha." Kneecaps laughed.

"Uh..." Knuckles said.

"Ugh, That's it, you little runt. I have no idea how you're getting out of that crib, but you must not be tired. Come on, let's try to feed him."

Back to the kitchen, Kneecaps is sitting on the island once again next to a can of baby food. He makes baby noises, and continues them while Y/N and Knuckles talk with Kirby keeping a close eye on the baby.

"Uh, umm, maybe you should feed him." Knuckles said with nervousness.

Y/N raises her eyebrow.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that you can go toe to toe with the enemy, learn amazing histories and unknown languages, even super powers, but you can't feed a baby?"

"W-What if it bites me?"

"Pfft! No way! He hasn't grown a tooth yet! Look! All you gotta do is feed him with a spoon, like this."

She takes out a spoon and feeds Kneecaps. Kirby helps clean some food out of his lips with a napkin.

"See? It's so easy. Now it's your turn. This won't be bad, I promise. I'll go get a milk just in case he's thirsty."

Y/N walks off, and Knuckles takes the spoon and tries to feed Kneecaps. She was just about to make a bottle of milk when Kneecaps' laughing is heard, as well as clanking noises. She stops and looks over in the direction of the noise and walks out to the kitchen. When she gets there, she jumps back. The kitchen, which has baby food splattered all over it and Knuckles and Kirby are also really dirty from the baby food.

"It didn't... go... well."

Kirby pointed accusingly at Kneecaps.

"Hahahaha Haha haha! What happened here? Hehehehe! Kneecaps, you're just a little devil, aren't you? Hehe. Come on, let's get you ready for a bath. You... might need one too, Knuckles, Kirby."

Knuckles rolls his eyes.

"Ha ha. Really funny."

"Hehe. Come on. I know just a perfect place where I never tell anyone about."

Knuckles was confused on what she means by that while Kirby though knows as he looks excited to go somewhere. He picks up Kneecaps as Y/N grabs the stuff for baths and she guided them out somewhere. After minutes of walking, Knuckles and Kneecaps were amazed. There stood before them is a beautiful waterfalls with a nice clear pond.

Kirby without hesitation jumps into a water with a loud cheer and a big small splash was heard. He resurfaces and spits out water like a fountain and swims backwards. Y/N giggles and jumps to the ground near the waterfalls as they could hear a roar of it. Knuckles lands next to her before placing Kneecaps down.

"Wow. This is amazing."

"I know. Kirby, remember to wash yourself before you have fun in the water."

Kirby nodded and grabbed the soap and began to wash as bubbles comes out.

"Alright, Kneecaps, let's--"

As Y/N and Knuckles turn around, Kneecaps is gone. They gasp in horror.

"KNEECAPS!"

They walk out of the waterfall area and into the top.

"Ah! Where did he go? Kneecaps!"

Y/N notices that the hand and foot prints are on the ground that's covered with leftover baby food.

"He went off alone!! In the forest!"

"Oh, shoot."

They head into the forest and look around but don't see him.

"I can't find him anywhere!"

"This is not good." Knuckles said in fear.

"No no no! This isn't good! My mom is going to kill me if she finds out I lost a baby! I don't think you understand how much my mom loves babies!"

"You'll get killed?! If my mom is a spirit by now and finds out, she is going to murder me!"

"Uh, we need a new baby, stat!"

"Yeah, because we can just find a new one magically."

"We don't need to find one, we just need to make a new one!"

Y/N began to think as she took out a book. Knuckles froze on that part and his face turned brighter shade of red of his fur.

"Y-Y/N, do you... have you taken..."

He sighs, then clears his throat.

"Do you know where babies come from?"

"Duh, I'm already on it. I know they come from the belly, but I'm searching up the part about how."

Knuckles gulps and nods.

"Uh... Yes. Yes, of course."

An apple falls from the tree they're standing by.

"Huh?!"

Y/N and Knuckles look up and see Kneecaps, sitting in the tree, holding an apple and making baby noises.

"What the!"

"How did he get up there?"

"Uh, I don't know and I don't care! Kneecaps! Oh my Chaos, we need to get him down!"

"This isn't good."

"You know, for a baby, he's got some amazing upper body strength like you."

"This isn't time for that!"

"Right! Look, you stay down here. If he falls, you stay down here and catch him. I'm gonna go climb the tree and try to get him down."

"A-are you sure you can do this?"

"Positive. I've climbed this tree before. Besides, he likes me more. You'll probably scare him with your angry face. Hehehe."

"Hey!"

Y/N climbs up the tree, and Knuckles moves so he's directly under Kneecaps in case he falls.

"Kneecaps! Sweetie, come here! Come to Y/N!"

Kneecaps starts crawling toward her.

"Ah! There we go! I got him!"

"Good. Now slowly come down."

"Uh huh! Got it!"

She climbs part of the way down, then hands Kneecaps to Knuckles before she gets the rest of the way down.

"Phew, thanks. For a moment there, I was afraid I was going to drop him."

"You're welcome. Is he... okay?"

Kneecaps makes some more baby noises to show that he's perfectly fine. Y/N sighs at that.

"Kneecaps, you are in so much trouble, you little runt."

Kneecaps continues to make cute baby noises.

"Aww, You're co cute! I can't be mad at you."

"He climbed a tree!" Knuckles exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, but you were supposed to be watching him."

"I wasn't the one that was busy telling Kirby to take a bath when he knows."

"Hmm, that sounds like the tone of someone who wants to give Kneecaps a bath all alone."

"That sounds like the tone of someone who doesn't want to help take care of Kneecaps as promised."

"Ugh, fine, we're even then. Come on, Kneecaps. Let's get you bathed. That, and maybe down for a nap."

After a good amount of bath with them playing and swimming around as they made it back to her treehouse. Kneecaps is now sleeping in his crib next to Kirby who's also tired from the bath. Y/N and Knuckles are watching him from around the corner by the front door to make sure he doesn't escape again. Knuckles is also also clean.

"Aww! Aren't they adorable?" she cooed.

"As long as he's sleeping with Kirby." he exhaled.

"Heh, Knuckles!"

"Heheh. I'm kidding."

"You know, taking care of Kneecaps is actually fun with you around as well."

"Heh, Well, I'm glad."

"You know, you still have some food on your cheek."

"I- I do?"

"Yeah. Here, let me get it."

Y/N reaches up to his face, and they both blush as she managed to wipe the food off of him before pulling away.

"Y/N..."

He moves closer to her as their faces are inches apart.

"Knuckles?"

"I..."

Suddenly, their moments were cut off by the sudden bright light. They turned and covered their eyes.

"W-What's happening?"

"I don't know!"

Knuckles immediately protects Y/N by hugging her as the bright light covered them, including Kneecaps and Kirby who are awoken from it. Just before they disappeared, the jewelry box began to glow and inside was Nephrite that did the magic as it managed to save Y/N and Kirby from the light by zapping it towards their head.