this wasn't supposed to be a serious one-shot but it is now. it's not angsty, but it's not necessarily a "fun" one-shot.
"I got the Chinese food and the sodas," Toby said, hurrying through the front door with his hands full.
"I just wish I could eat more than some damn vegetables, rice, and noodles. That's not even a freaking meal."
"Sorry, darling. But it's not for you." He gestured with his head. "You got the movie?"
Happy held up a copy of Beauty and the Beast, delivering a slight groan.
After he dropped the six pack of soda bottles and the brimming, brown paper bag onto the countertop, he turned to her with an incredulous look. "What's wrong with my movie choice? I had no complaints when I had to sit through that documentary on the evolution of screws last week!" He shrugged off his jacket and hat, placing them both out of the way.
She rolled her eyes. "You couldn't have picked anything less childish?"
Toby furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey! This is a romantic flick for all ages."
"It's a kid's movie."
"It's a classic!"
"It's stupid."
"It's-"
The pair's quarrel was abruptly interrupted by Toby's buzzing phone. He gave his wife a glance before striding towards his jacket, unzipping the left pocket and pulling it out. "Dr. Tobias M. Curtis at your service, how may I help you?"
Happy curled her lip, but Toby still retained a playful demeanor.
A quick moment of silence passed, the doc raising his eyes and looking bewildered as he heard a voice echo in his ear. "We can handle this, Dineen." He paused, listening to her once more. "Don't you worry your pretty little tanned head off. Okay? Okay, see you when you get home."
Hanging up, he sighed. "Put the food away, Hap. We've got a date with Ralphy Boy."
"We've come to relieve you of your babysitting duties!" Toby declared, entering the garage with a full bag of Chinese takeout in his arm, Happy in close pursuit.
Sylvester gleefully stood up. "Thank gosh someone's here. I can't be late for the release of this Super Fun Guy comic! In this issue, he's up against the fearsome-"
Toby held his palm up to silence his colleague. "That's wonderful, Super Dork Guy. We'll watch Ralphy Boy while you go convene with your nerd herd."
Sly shot him a dirty look, but his friend merely grinned in reply. As the younger man began to gather his belongings, he remarked, "I thought Paige and Walter were supposed to be getting back any minute now."
Toby shrugged, setting the food down on the table Sly was currently shifting away from. "She and 197 must've done a little too much canoodling. They missed their flight. Have to hitch a ride out of paradise early in the AM."
Sly pushed his glasses further on the bridge of his nose, strapping his bag over his shoulder. "That's more than I needed to know."
Happy changed the subject. "Where's the kid?"
"Sleeping." Sly took a step forward, then rethought himself and turned back. "...Try to keep it that way."
The couple peered at him, both raising their eyebrows inquisitively.
"Cabe let him have a lot of sugar this morning before I took over," he explained.
They instantly nodded in comprehension, Sylvester then proceeding to depart afterwards.
Once he left, Happy began unloading the containers of foreign food previously stuffed into the brown bag.
Toby suddenly stepped towards her, closing the gap he so often was not pleased to have separating them. He gleamed at her. "I'm sorry our date night was cut short."
"We adapted."
Grinning, he took a step even closer to her. "We could still...you know…" he started slowly, voice in a hoarse tone, eyes raking across her nimble body, "do all the stuff we were going to do anyway…"
"We're on babysitting duty, numbnuts. Wrong place, wrong time."
"I think we could make an exception. It's Date Night after all," Toby responded, silencing the both of them by planting a kiss on her lips.
But then the small, groggy child came trudging down the staircase, obviously looking for them. It was their obligation as the designated babysitters to pay attention to the kid. "Toby? Happy?" Ralph piped up when he reached the ground floor, glancing at his friends' interwoven limbs and lips.
Happy jumped back. "Told you," she barked through gritted teeth.
He shifted his gaze towards him, to prevent from himself from forging a smile across his face as his voice shifted to a louder tone. "Hey, Ralphy Boy!"
Ralph wearily made his way towards them, the blanket draped across his small frame dragging soundlessly atop the garage floor as he moved. "Hello."
Toby glimpsed at his fatigued figure. "Sugar crash?"
The boy nodded, collapsing underneath his blanket onto the couch. "Where's my mom?" he inquired between soft groans.
Happy escaped to the kitchen, leaving Toby alone.
"She's uh...she and Walt missed their flight. They'll be home in a few hours," Toby answered.
Ralph blinked back at his friend. He obviously figured it the true reason for his mother's absence, despite Toby trying to keep it unbeknownst to him.
Toby bit his lip, changing the subject before they could discuss it. "Want a glass of water, pal?"
Ralph nodded in agreement.
"I'll be right back," the doc promised.
Scurrying into the kitchen, he found his wife gathering silverware and napkins. The smell of open takeout containers flooded his nostrils. His stomach growled.
"How's the kid?"
"Sugar crash. Nothing a little snoozin' can't fix," he informed her, filling a glass of water from the sink faucet.
"Watching him sleep sure sounds like a great way to spend the night."
He neglected to respond to her sarcasm.
"Here, pal," Toby said, shuffling towards his young friend as he attempted to keep the water from spilling, "Drink up."
Ralph gratefully swallowed several large gulps. Watching,
"So," Toby perched on the couch's arm, "how's everything in Ralphy Land?"
He unlatched his lips from the side of the glass. "At this particular moment, things could be better."
Toby nodded, looking ahead. "I second that." Pushing up the brim of his hat with his knuckles, he scratched above his eyebrows.
Ralph cocked his head. Leaning forward, he set the nearly empty glass on the table. "I'm sorry I interfered with your night."
The older genius' eyebrows shot up. "Oh, Ralph, that is totally not what I meant."
Toby noticed Happy approaching in his peripheral vision.
"But I did, didn't I?"
Happy handed Toby a white container, fork already inside. "What'd you do?"
"You did not interrupt our night, buddy. You were an unexpected surprise."
Ralph sighed, leaning back against the cushions. "You don't have to lie to me, Toby."
Happy sunk into the space between them. She furrowed her brows at Ralph. "We're happy to hang out with you, kid."
"I just don't want to be a burden."
"Are you kidding?" Toby's free hand dropped to his knee. "Ralph, you made our night like-a million times better."
"I'd take you over Disney movies any day," Happy noted.
Toby gave a glare.
Ralph didn't respond to her comment, holding his eyes to the ground. "Married couples shouldn't be forced to make time for others.
Happy and Toby shared a glance. The latter rested his food on the same table as the water, pausing as he searched for the right words.
Gripping his knees with his fingertips, Toby allowed his doctor face to settle. "Happy and I have our whole lives. You shouldn't worry about us not getting enough time together." He studied the expression on the boy's face. "If that's even what you're worried about."
Ralph's mouth formed a sideways frown, in only a way his could. As if they were the source of his trouble, he stared at his hands. "It's just…"
"What's going on, kid?" Happy inquired.
He sighed, pausing. "I want my mom and Walter to get married. But unlike you guys, they have me. They both deserve to be happy and...I don't want to get in their way."
"Pal," Happy's voice forced the attention of his gaze, "comparing your situation to ours isn't a fair match up. There's an extra variable to your side."
Ralph cocked his head. "That's precisely what I'm saying."
"Yeah, but you've been saying it from the perspective of Paul the Pessimist," Toby noted with a pointed finger.
Happy continued, neglecting a response to Toby. "You're a special case."
"Walt and your mom love you, buddy." Toby squeezed his shoulder. "And you are every bit as important to their future as they are to each other."
"It's just different for you guys. That's not a bad thing," Happy added.
"Their vacation was to get away from-well...us. The team. They didn't take you because all of their action wasn't gonna happen lounging at the pool, if you know what I'm saying."
Happy smacked him.
"That's what I mean," Ralph replied, frowning. He slumped. "I just get in the way."
The scrunched lines in his face furrowing, Toby's joking tone fell to the ground and shattered. "There would be no Walter and Paige without you."
"Of course there would."
"No," Happy shook her head, "the doc's right. You were the driving force behind their relationship. Without your persistence, the SS Waige would've sunk a long time ago."
"Ralph, you've helped steer them past so many icebergs," Toby said, "They need you."
Ralph shifted.
"Families are basically all about how much everybody loves everybody. And Walt wouldn't wanna be apart of your family if he didn't love you," Happy stated firmly.
"I know he loves me. But I wouldn't want that to interfere with his love for my mom."
Toby pressed his lips together. "Walter loves you differently than he loves Paige. Same with her. But not any less. He fell in love with your mom, and honestly Ralph, that's not something you can help. Given the choice, Walter O'Brien three years ago would never have let himself fall for a woman. Your mom was just the one-in-a-million gal who had the power to bring the side of him to life that's around now. But someone's love for a child-that's not what you just fall into at a point in your life. You choose to love your child because you allow them to mean something to you." Repressing an enormous smile, Toby exchanged a knowing look with Happy. "And Walter's not even your biological father. Still, he would do anything for you."
"We don't get to pick our biological relatives," Happy continued, "But we can pick who's our real family. Walt and Paige finally accepted their feelings, started a relationship, and here we are. They choose each other for romantic love. And they choose you for familial."
Allowing the words to sink in, Ralph's lips parted, dissipating the earlier frown. Gradually, he looked between the two of them. "Thanks, guys."
Toby ruffled his hair. "That's what we're here for, pal."
"Hey, I got an idea," Happy suggested. "Why don't we watch a couple flicks, and maybe by the time they're done, the 'rents will be walking through the door?"
Toby grinned. "Beauty and the Beast have waited long enough."
Ralph hopped to his feet. "I'll grab the popcorn."
"That's so illogical!" Ralph exclaimed, "How could no one in the town notice the prince was gone for all those years!"
"Some prince he was," Happy added.
Toby shushed them. "I thought we agreed not to talk during the movie."
"That was before we discovered all the flaws," Ralph answered.
Happy glimpsed at him curled into her side. "What's the tally so far, Ralph?"
"Five total."
The doc straightened. "Stop talking! You're gonna miss the scene!"
They simultaneously threw pieces of popcorn at his face.
"You think we should move him?" Happy questioned.
Toby shrugged. "Let the kid sleep. Then we'll fill him up on sugar before sticking him with Wally and Paige."
Happy wrapped her fingers tighter around his, eyes falling on Ralph. His chest rose, sunk, and rose again, leaning into her side. Despite all of the earlier anxiety, he slept peacefully, thanks to their comforting.
Toby's mouth quirked. "We're pretty good at this whole parenting thing, huh?"
Her gaze dropped to her stomach. She blew a breath from her cheeks. "I sure hope so."