Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners.
I may have been completely manipulated into a topless Virgil story, which then turned into an attempt to brighten up a certain person's day. Although, I gotta admit, I'm pretty sure this wasn't what you had in mind during that conversation, Angel-Sue. I hope you like it anyway!
Jeff let himself into the house, smiling at the noise coming from the kitchen. He put down his case and toed off his shoes, kicking them into the pile by the door. His wife liked them neat and tidy. The boys in her life – including her husband – left them where they landed.
But Jeff only had time to smile at the array of sizes before running footsteps signalled that his entrance had been noted.
"Dad!"
At six years old, there were a lot of things that Scott was adamant he was now too old for. Greeting his father from work, however, hadn't yet been cut, much to Jeff's relief. The boy skidded to a stop and Jeff clapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, buddy," he said. A smaller figure ran up behind Scott.
"Daddy!"
Jeff wasn't surprised: as soon as Scott arrived, he had been waiting for Virgil to appear. The younger ones always copied Scott, but Virgil took it to the extreme. Everything Scott did or had, Virgil wanted as well. He didn't understand there were several things that his big brother could have that he was simply too young for.
But what did surprise Jeff, however, was Virgil's attire. Or, rather, lack of.
"Scott! Can you come and clear the plates, please?"
Scott pulled a face at his mother's instructions, but Jeff shooed the boy back towards the kitchen. He was not going to be Scott's excuse to not do his chores: he would end up in as much trouble with his wife as his son would. Instead, Jeff scooped up Virgil, wondering why his toddler was topless. He didn't ask Virgil though and carried the boy back through to the kitchen.
It was clear the children had just finished their dinner. John was standing by the door, one hand resting on a cupboard handle. Jeff grinned at the wide-eyed look his son was sending him, knowing full well what was kept in that cupboard and why there was a child-lock on it. Jeff was convinced that John could get past the locks, but the boy was devious: he wasn't showing his parents how he did it.
"Hey, Johnny," Jeff said. He crouched down, balancing Virgil on his knee and tousling John's hair.
"I have some chocolate," John said as a way of greeting. Jeff looked up, catching Lucy's eye and grimacing at the shake of her head.
"Not right now, kid," Jeff said, straightening up. It was easier to resist John if he wasn't looking directly into his son's pleading eyes. John's pout grew.
"Why don't you help Scott?"
Said son looked over at the mention of his name from where he had been stacking the plates. John immediately forgot about the snack and hurried to help. Just like Virgil, he copied everything Scott did. Jeff knew the chances were that the four-year-old wouldn't actually help his brother but get in his way. It got him off the hook for the time being though.
"What happened to Virg?" Jeff asked, handing his youngest over to his wife. She kissed Virgil's forehead with a fond smile.
"Spaghetti Bolognese," she said. It was all that needed to be said. Jeff finally saw Virgil's top, hanging over the edge of the sink from where Lucy had clearly tried to stop it from staining. But Virgil had had enough of being held while his brothers were on the floor together and his squirming caused Lucy to put him down quickly and allow him to join his siblings.
"Hi," Jeff finally said, leaning over to kiss his wife.
"Virgil did you another painting," she said in response, gesturing to the fridge with a roll of her eyes. Jeff grinned. At least once a week, he was presented with a new piece of work from one son or another. But while his wife was happy to get rid of them, Jeff insisted that each took its place on the fridge. The whole door was covered in magnets. He saw the latest splodge of colour, with Scott's writing forming the "For Daddy" across the top.
"Good day?" he asked. She nodded, before calling to Scott and telling him it was time to do his homework. John insisted that he needed to do some as well and dutifully followed Scott from the room. Virgil glanced between his dad and his disappearing brothers, before holding out his arms to his father.
Jeff obliged: he couldn't not. This was the only time of day that Virgil would chose his parents over his brothers, as he started to get tired and wanted the comfort that his dad offered. Jeff held him close before blowing a raspberry on the boy's bare stomach. Virgil giggled, unable to fend his father off as Jeff tickled him.
Eventually, though, he started to move from the kitchen to the stairs. While Lucy helped Scott (and kept John out of the way), Jeff knew it was up to him to try and get Virgil into the bath. As soon as he set Virgil down, the little boy ran to his room while Jeff started running the bath. Virgil brought his pyjamas back. At least, Jeff thought he had until he realised it was only the bottoms. He fetched Virgil's pyjama top, but his son wasn't having any of it.
Virgil grabbed the top and ran off with it. Jeff found his son hiding in the study but the top had disappeared. As he picked Virgil up, he saw it was stuffed down behind the desk. With his son in one hand, Jeff managed to hook the top out, much to Virgil's dismay.
But Virgil forgot about his protest once he was in the bath surrounded by his toys. Jeff slipped out of his jacket and knelt down, enjoying the time to play with the boy. He rarely got time with one of them on his own and he fully intended to make the most of it. If that meant following Virgil's instructions as to what boat he had to use and where it had to go, then so be it.
The bath was eventful as ever. Jeff left Virgil in there longer than normal, but his wife kept the older two out of the way and Jeff knew she was giving him the chance to play with his young son. But as much as he wanted to stay in this moment forever, Virgil was getting tired and it wasn't long before they needed to repeat the whole thing with John.
He got the boy out but Virgil refused to lay down and let his father dry him. Jeff finally managed to keep him still by giving Virgil his phone and even then, he only got Virgil half-dressed before the child squirmed away.
Jeff sighed, realising that he was once again left holding Virgil's top while the boy made a run for it. He caught up with Virgil at the top of the stairs. Virgil informed him seriously that he was going down on his bottom and Jeff didn't stop him: they had been teaching Virgil stair safety and Jeff preferred the child to take himself down safely than stop him and risk Virgil finding another way down.
What he had underestimated, however, was how fast Virgil could go, especially when he was "running away". He was off the bottom of the stairs and into the lounge before Jeff was halfway down. Hearing Scott laugh, Jeff charged into the room and realised Virgil was hiding behind Scott's back.
"Where could he be?" Jeff mused out loud, winking at his oldest. Virgil's giggles were audible as Jeff went through the pretence of searching the room. His wife appeared, John in her own arms, and rolled her eyes at the scene. Jeff finally "found" his son and scooped Virgil up. But as he attempted to once again get a top on Virgil, the boy fought him the entire time.
"Don't want it!" Virgil declared obstinately, his whole body going stiff as Jeff tried to co-ordinate his limbs. Scott tried to help, but even the oldest brother didn't have the power to make Virgil give in. Lucy put John down, who immediately tried to join in.
Jeff knew he wasn't the best when it came to controlling his sons, especially all three of them at once. But the next thing he knew, John was sitting on his lap and Scott had his own top off, holding Virgil's up against him while the youngest forgot his tantrum and laughed, shaking his head.
"Mine," he said, stretching for the top. Scott handed it over and Jeff watched, in amazement, as Virgil attempted to put it on himself. He made it halfway before he got stuck, whining his protests until his mother came to rescue him, tugging the pyjama top down until, finally, Virgil was fully dressed for the first time in hours.
Jeff shook his head. He should have known that Scott pretending to put it on would be the key to making Virgil want it: anything Scott had, Virgil wanted, after all.
"Come on, Virgil," Lucy said, resting her hand on top of his head. "If you go upstairs now, you can pick two stories."
"Scotty come?" Virgil asked, his eyes as wide as John's had previously been. Lucy glanced at Scott, who nodded.
"Okay then. Scott can come too, but only if you go now."
Virgil scurried away without a backwards glance. Jeff knew that Scott's attempts at a bedtime story were more likely to wind both boys up. But if their mother had agreed, then Jeff was just going to leave it to her to calm them down again.
"Get dressed first though," Jeff said, throwing Scott's top at him. The boy looped it over one arm with a shrug.
"Scott," Jeff said, "not you as well?"
Scott looked like he was going to protest – probably with the same whine in his voice that Virgil had – but the look on his father's face stopped him. He shrugged into his t-shirt before pretending to chase Virgil up the stairs.
Jeff looked down at John, surprised that he hadn't wanted to join in with his brothers. But what he saw made him groan. John was in the same position that Virgil had been a few moments ago. Only, rather than getting stuck putting on a top, he was struggling to get it off, the material over his eyes and his arms in the air.
"Daddy, help," John cried, but Jeff smoothed the material back down again.
"I think you need that on, little man," he said. John's lower lip stuck out and Jeff groaned. Of course. Scott had taken his off: John wanted to do the same.
"Come on," Jeff said, picking John up. "It's bath time. Then you can take it off."
After all, if his son was already in the mind-set of wanting to get undressed, then it made Jeff's life easier. While Virgil still only pretended to hide, John was good at really hiding. Jeff had spent ten minutes believing he had truly lost his son only the week before – he wasn't going through that again.
It took a while to get John in the bath. The noises coming from Virgil's room distracted the little boy and Jeff let him play with his brothers for a while before Lucy banished them all from the room and started the process of calming Virgil down. Scott disappeared into his own room and Jeff finally got John in the bath.
Thankfully, it was much easier to get the four-year-old dressed than it was his little brother. John was tired and ready for bed. Jeff quickly tucked him in, read the promised story and backed out just as Lucy emerged from Scott's room.
Jeff poked his head in to say goodnight to his oldest son before retreating downstairs. While it was nice spending the time with his boys, he was looking forward to having his wife to himself for the rest of the evening.
Lucy clearly felt the same, as she was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. She leant forward and kissed him, one hand resting on his chest.
"There's still one Tracy I need to see topless today," she whispered and Jeff grinned. He kissed her back, wondering if, this once, Virgil had had the right idea with only being half-dressed.