Tuddrussel was back. He had returned with cuts all over his body and his uniform nearly torn to pieces (you can thank the pirates for that one). Luckily, he had a spare uniform in his closet, which he immediately dressed himself in upon returning. It had been a little over an hour since he returned, and he was already thinking about food. Larry surprisingly didn't mind cooking dinner for Tuddrussel; he had promised to be nicer toward Tuddrussel, despite the fact that they kept fighting like cats and dogs, no matter how many times he promised. However, there was a catch — as long as he was serving his own gourmet meals, he would willingly cook for Tuddrussel. If Tuddrussel requested junk food, he wouldn't do anything. Life wasn't fair. It just wasn't — for Tuddussel, at least. The man sat at the kitchen counter, sullenly watching Larry take out a spinach and pork casserole from the oven. He grumbled frustratedly about the meal, wishing that he could grab a wand from thin air and turn the casserole into a pizza. He was about to get up from his seat to tackle Larry and force him to order a pizza, but it was too late. Larry had already cut up a slice of casserole for him.
"Here you go, Tuddy! A hearty plate of spinach and pork casserole, just waiting to be devoured!" chirped Larry as set the plate in front of Tuddrussel, who in turn pushed it away from him.
"Eww! Not spinach and pork casserole!" Tuddrussel whined.
"What's wrong with it?" asked Larry, hurt by Tuddrussel's mean comments toward the casserole.
"It sucks! I hate casseroles, especially ones with spinach and pork in it!" ranted Tuddrussel. "I demand you order me a pizza! I want double pepperoni, double sausage, double cheese, double jalapenos, and no anchovies!"
Larry frowned and pushed the plate in front of Tuddrussel, forcing him to eat his casserole before he would force-feed him like a baby in a high chair.
"You are going to eat it whether you like it or not, mister!" ordered Larry.
"NEVER! I WANT PIZZA NOW!" shouted Tuddrussel as he jumped onto the table and lunged at the robot, grabbing him by his shoulders and pulling him toward his face.
"Unhand me, you boob!" Larry cried, struggling to break out of Tuddrussel's grip.
"NUH-UH! I WILL NOT LET GO UNTIL YOU MARCH YOUR RUSTY BUTT TO THE PHONE AND ORDER ME A PIZZA!" Tuddrussel demanded, pulling Larry closer to his angry face.
"Oh, make me! As a robot, I must always follow your orders… Puh-lease! I have my own feelings and opinions, and I'm feeling like you should eat your damn casserole before I shove it down your throat!" snarked Larry.
"NEVER! I WANT PIZZA! I WANT PIZZA! I WANT PIZZA! I WANT PIZZA! I WANT PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!" Tuddrussel chanted as he violently shook Larry like a shake mixer.
Little did Tuddrussel know that Otto had been watching him the entire time from across the room. Even if Otto didn't fully understand what was going on, he knew how to break up a fight. He smiled lovingly at the two men as they continued to berate each other, preparing to deliver the one of best presents a parent could ever wish for: cooing and gurgling. This was exactly what he did — and the squeaky noises grew louder the longer Tuddrussel and Larry ignored him. Tuddrussel and Larry eventually noticed Otto cooing at them and ran over to his bouncer, squealing happily about him. Tuddrussel was especially excited by Otto's gummy smiles — considering that this was the very first time the baby had smiled at him, this was understandable.
"I can't believe it, Larry! He's actually smiling at me! He's actually smiling at me! I never thought this would happen! Am I dreaming?!" squealed Tuddrussel as he scooped Otto from his bouncer and held him over his shoulder.
Tuddrussel nuzzled against Otto, prompting the baby to gurgle even more. The itchy sensation of Tuddrussel's shaved chin felt oddly comforting to the baby boy, mainly because it felt like a back scratcher. Otto's contented gurgles would eventually turn into yawns as he was lulled by the man's continuous nuzzling. After letting out one last yawn, he slumped over Tuddrussel's shoulder and fell asleep, using his uniform as a cushion. This moment was the straw that broke the camel's back for Tuddrussel — Otto loved him. He really did. As the baby buried his face deeper into his shoulder, the man began to sob happily.
"I genuinely can't believe it, little dude! Y-you actually care about me! You think I'm your daddy! Aww, that's so sweet of you! You deserve a big long cuddle! Yes you do!" sniveled Tuddrussel, wiping a tear from his goggles.
Even Larry couldn't resist shedding a tear or two from his eyes. To think that this baby was cuddling with a big burly man who he was "afraid" of was surprisingly wholesome. Scratch that — the truth was that Otto was never actually afraid of Tuddrussel; like most newborn babies, he was unsure of whether to trust him or not. Luckily for Otto, trust issues were (hopefully) never going to be a thing. As long as Larry wouldn't act self-absorbed and Tuddrussel would get his act together, everything was going to be fine for this little boy. Hopefully.
Larry flashed a wide grin at Otto as he began to tickle his back, all while gushing over the budding father-and-son relationship he and Tuddrussel were developing.
"Aww, someone loves their daddy! Someone's a daddy's boy!" the robot cooed as he tickled Otto's back.
"He sure does! Look at his little face! He looks so happy!" Tuddrussel giggled as he transitioned Otto from his shoulder to the crook of his arms, placing his hand on the baby's belly and gently patting it to help with gas pain.
Otto woke up in response to Tuddrussel patting his belly. He smiled and gurgled at the man, reaching his stubby arms at him. After a brief gurgling fit, he began to play with Tuddrussel's hand, gnawing and licking his fingers. Larry and Tuddrussel's grins grew to the size of their faces as they watched the baby boy have the time of his life. For a baby like Otto, there was nothing more satisfying than treating a grown man's fingers like a set of toy keys. Larry's grin grew even larger when Otto decided to abandon Tuddrussel's fingers in favor of smiling at him.
"Hi there, sweetie! Is there something you want to say?" Larry asked Otto in a friendly tone.
Otto cooed excitedly, trying his hardest to communicate with Larry and Tuddrussel. He wanted to tell them that he loved them — as well as thank them for saving him from starving and freezing to death. He reached his arms at the two men, continuing to coo and gurgle his heart out.
"Aww! He loves us!" Larry and Tuddrussel squealed in unison as they looked at each other.
"Hey, Lar! I got an idea! Let's make him laugh!" Tuddrussel suggested.
"Oh, yeah! He already giggled at me earlier today when I tickled him! He also giggled when he woke up and saw me!" stated Larry, folding his hands dreamily as he glanced at Otto, who kept a huge gummy smile on his face. "Isn't that right, Otto?! You laughed at me when you woke up!"
Otto gurgled at Larry as Tuddrussel placed him back in his bouncer. He squirmed and flailed his limbs as he couldn't keep the overwhelming excitement in his body any longer. The excitement only grew bigger when Larry acknowledged his cooing and gurgling.
"Wow, you're talkative today, aren't you?! I bet you'll be speaking in sentences by next week!" chuckled Larry.
Otto continued to coo and gurgle as Larry and Tuddrussel began deciding what games to play. They both agreed that bonking each others' heads was a genius way to get a baby to laugh — and it was. Otto laughed hysterically as he watched Larry headbutt Tuddrussel like a rhinoceros. He wriggled in his bouncer, trying to contain his excitement as he anticipated Tuddrussel headbutting Larry. As expected, Tuddrussel headbutted Larry — and it was even harder than when Larry did the same to him. The men would continue to take turns headbutting each other until Otto tired himself out from laughing too much.
"Oh, I think we might've pooped him out!" chuckled Tuddrussel.
"Aww, how cute! The baby laughed himself to sleep!" cooed Larry, folding his hands again as he gazed at Otto, who was half-asleep, staring off into space.
"Come here, you little stinker! Come to daddy!" murmured Tuddrussel as he scooped Otto from his bouncer and cradled him in his arms.
Tuddrussel began to gently rock Otto while gazing lovingly into his half-closed eyes. The baby kept forcing his eyes open, trying to stay awake. He squinted his beady eyes and stretched his limbs, cooing softly through his yawns. Otto uttered one last coo before curling up against Tuddrussel's chest and ultimately falling asleep.
"Aww!" Larry and Tuddrussel cooed.
Larry and Tuddrussel switched between glancing at the baby and each other; they were proud of what they did to contribute to Otto's short life. Even if the only thing they did was make him laugh, it was still a huge accomplishment regardless. Keeping his gaze on the baby, Tuddrussel grabbed a blanket and wrapped Otto in it, making sure that he was snug and safe like a caterpillar in a cocoon. He then brought the newly-wrapped Otto close to his chest, cradling him a bit tighter than before. Otto once again curled up against Tuddrussel's chest, cooing softly as he slept.
"They grow up so fast, don't they?" sighed Tuddrussel, covering the baby's face with his arm.
"Yes they do, Tuddrussel… Yes they do…" Larry agreed as he and Tuddrussel watched Otto sleep.
Larry partially moved Tuddrussel's arm out of the way in order to see Otto. Once he did that, he began to stroke the baby's hair tuft and ears, chuckling giddily. He planted a kiss on top of Otto's head before covering the baby's face back up with Tuddrussel's arm. Suddenly, an alarm went off in his right arm, notifying Larry that it was time for Otto's evening bottle. He opened and closed the miniature computer screen in his arm to shut the alarm off. The robot frowned and realized that he was missing something important — something that was a vital part of Otto's routine.
"Oh, poo! It's Otto's feeding time! Tuddrussel, can you hand over Otto so I can give him his 6 o'clock bottle?" asked Larry.
"Larry, take a chill pill! I've got this under control!" Tuddrussel assured Larry, placing a hand on the robot's shoulder.
Despite the promise with Tuddrussel he made a few days ago, Larry was still reluctant to let him help out with Otto. While he knew deep down that Tuddrussel was capable of taking care of Otto, he also believed that the man was nothing more than a nuisance who would put Otto in danger. But rather than putting up a fight, he collapsed into an uncontrollable void of paranoia, worrying about the potential disasters that could happen to baby Otto.
"Are you sure?! What if you accidentally burn the bottle? What if you feed him the wrong formula?! What if your disgusting germs make him sick?!" fretted Larry.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous! I'm not what you think I am! I'm a grown guy who knows how to take care of a baby! I know how to make a bottle, I know how to change a diaper, I know how to give medicine… I know how to take care of a little boy in general!" Tuddrussel affirmed.
Larry stared at Tuddrussel before answering with a sneer, "And where exactly did you get that knowledge from?"
"I've been reading some parenting books lately! One of the books I've been reading is called Your Son and You, It's a great book… I strongly recommend you check it out," Tuddrussel suggested.
"Uh, I've read that one before… it's not an officially licensed parenting book. It's not even about taking care of babies, it's about planning activities with older children! Like 6, 7, 8, 9-year old children!" corrected Larry. "Does Otto look like a big boy to you?! Do you seriously think that a 5-week old baby can play catch in the domisphere!? Puh-lease! He still needs help holding his bottle! He can't burp on his own yet! He can't even fully lift his head up for crying out loud!"
"Whoops… I must've read the wrong book… Sorry, Larry…" sighed Tuddrussel.
"No need to apologize to me! Apologize to Otto! He's the one who needs around-the-clock love and care!" deflected Larry.
Both Larry and Tuddrussel's spirits were brought down by the sudden appearance of an argument. The argument was uncalled for; it didn't need to happen, but it did. Of course, knowing that Larry and Tuddrussel were an argumentative duo, even the occasional disagreement can happen every now and then, even on significantly good days. Tuddrussel was especially distraught about what he had done. At first, he felt regretful about taking care of Otto and wanted to hand him off to Larry — but then he immediately changed his mind. Larry changed his mind too; he wanted to chastise himself for being so paranoid and reluctant about a simple plan. He wanted to find the nearest wall to bang his head repeatedly, punishing himself for not letting Tuddrussel spare him from spiraling into insanity.
"Why do I keep forgetting that you're a huge help?! Oh, Tuddrussel… If it weren't for you, I probably would've launched myself into space by now!" lamented Larry, wrapping his arms around Tuddrussel.
"You seriously think so?! Aw, thanks, buddy! I never expected you to trust me around Otto! And not even for special emergencies!" Tuddrussel grinned, returning the hug.
"Yeah, the rusty brain of mine keeps seeing you as a dangerous monkey! Which you kinda are at times…" answered Larry.
"Aw, but I like being a dangerous monkey! What do you have against that?!" whined Tuddrussel.
Larry chuckled and planted a kiss on Tuddrussel's chin, "Thank you, honey… Thanks for giving me a much-needed break…"
Blushing profusely, Tuddrussel grinned and pulled the robot close to him, giving him a deep, long kiss on the static mouth. The two would kiss each other for several minutes before setting off to do their respective activities — Tuddrussel would start Otto's bedtime routine, while Larry would spend his much-needed break reading his favorite novels and catching up on sleep. At this point, Larry didn't care about Tuddrussel minding Otto for the evening; he already knew that the man was capable of giving Otto all the love and care he needed. While he would still occasionally fret over Otto's well-being when under the care of Tuddrussel, he was trying hard not to let his worries get the best of him. After all, Tuddrussel wasn't completely stupid and ignorant of his surroundings; the man was smarter than one would think.