"So who was that?" Vicki asked disinterestedly as she pulled into a spot in the mall's parking lot.
"Tootie." Timmy remarked nonchalantly as he pocketed his phone.
"So why is she calling you? Oh no... Is she still obsessed with you?"
"Nah... I don't think so anyway... She just likes to call and check up on me." Timmy shrugged. "I guess that's just what good friends do, right?"
"That's what girls who have an unhealthy obsession do too." Vicki got out of her car, followed shortly after by Timmy. "And I'd watch your tongue next time, Twerp. 'Using you for your money'?"
"Well..." Timmy chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Are you saying it's not true?"
"No. But that doesn't mean it was very nice... Do you even realize how much of a mistake this little plan of yours is? I am most definitely going to take advantage of you, and your money."
"And you're more than welcome to. I told you, it's your birthday, so I'm taking you out for a bite to eat... And I guess whatever else you want to do..."
"Oh Twerp..." Vicki giggled and stepped forward so she was standing in front of the brunet. "You have made a huge misstep in judgment... Huge." the red-head ruffled Timmy's hair, then turned away from him and towards the entrance of the mall. "Coming?"
"Yeah..." Timmy was beginning to think that she was right, that this was a terrible idea. Not that he could get out of it now. He followed her through the entrance doors, through some clothing store(not catching the name as he entered), and out into the main mall proper. "So, wanna get food first, or... Shopping?"
"Because I look like a shopaholic, right?" Vicki smirked at him, amused that her Twerp was trying to treat her like some girly-girl from his school.
"No... I mean... We'll do... whatever you wanna do! Really. It's your birthday, lead the way!" Timmy could acknowledge that he was probably just digging this hole deeper, but no one should be as depressed as Vicki had seemed on their birthday, not even her. And he took note that she did seem to be in a slightly better mood, though it was probably because she didn't have to pay for anything.
Again, Vicki smirked at him, only this time, it was much more sinister, making Timmy's blood run cold.
A few minutes later, and the brunet found himself at a restaurant that was far fancier than either of them was dressed for, and one he wasn't quite sure he could afford in the first place. "Um... Here? At-"
"Giovanni's? You did say for me to lead the way... Not waffling already, are you?"
"No. No, of course not... I'm just not sure if I... Well..."
"Have enough to afford this place and get me a birthday gift?"
"...Well yeah..." Timmy looked around nervously. He felt out of place in this restaurant. While the few other patrons wore suits, fancy dresses, and the like, Timmy still wore his regular street clothes... As did Vicki. They weren't getting any odd or annoyed looks... but-
"Don't worry so much, it's bad for your health. I'll make sure to cover what you can't, should it get that bad." Vicki relaxed in her seat and sipped from her glass of water, just in time for a waitress to show up.
She was blonde, with shoulder-length hair, dressed in the traditional waitress attire. And happy. "Hi! Welcome to Giovanni's! My name is Sara and I'll be your waitress today! Have you already decided on what you'd like for an appetizer, or do you need a few minutes?" Very happy.
"Uh... Can we get a few minutes?" Timmy asked, seeing that Vicki was preoccupied with her water.
"Sure! I'll be back to check up on you both in a few!" the upbeat waitress scurried off, reminding Timmy of some odd fusion of two other females in his life.
Timmy sighed and shook his head.
"Oh... Now don't tell me you've sworn off chicks, have you Twerp?"
"Hm?" Timmy looked at Vicki. "Sworn off? No... She's just... She reminds me of Tootie and Veronica... Veronica especially, too happy. She can't possibly like her job that much..."
"What's a Veronica?"
"A friend of Trixie's, the girl-"
"You've had a crush on for the better part of six years... Right?"
"Wrong." Timmy cut her off. "Five years. I've been over Trixie for quite some time now. Just took me a while to realize I never had a chance in the first place."
"Oh? So there's no special girl in your life right now?"
"Nope."
"You don't sound too sad or disappointed about that."
"Why should I be?" Timmy drank from his own glass of water now. "I finally got Tootie to stop obsessing over me and just be my friend, made peace with Trixie and Veronica so my friends and them aren't fighting... I'm not really looking for a relationship right now. Things are... things are good. I'm happy."
"Hmph. You on drugs or something?"
"No... Why would you assume that? I can't be happy without being on drugs?"
"I... suppose you can... You've just- I dunno. You've always been kinda neutral in terms of mood, or depressed, especially when I'm around..." Vicki ran her finger along the rim of her glass.
"Well... I mean, we've been pretty cool lately too, right? I don't know if it'd be safe to call us friends, but we're not at each others throats anymore... so?"
"I guess." Vicki sighed as she slumped into her chair. "Why are you doing this anyway?"
"Doing what? Taking you out to eat on your birthday?"
"Yeah. Even Tootie wouldn't go to these lengths... So what's the deal?" her interest piqued, Vicki leaned in toward Timmy.
"You were the one who said your family never really celebrates your birthday... And since we're cool and you've helped me out in the past, I wanted to do something nice for you... That's okay, right?"
"It's odd is what it is." Vicki raised an eyebrow up at Timmy's explanation, evidently not being able to take it at face value. "Why something so big, so suddenly? We both know that while I've pulled your ass out of the fire, I wouldn't do something like this for you... Which either means you have a big heart and are way too nice... Or...?"
"Or?" Timmy found himself oddly interested in this other reason, what could it be?
Vicki smirked at him. "Or you like me."
"Wha? Heh... I'm starting to think you and Tootie think a lot alike. She asked me once if I liked you... I do like you-"
"Huh?!" Vicki's eyes looked as though they'd burst from their sockets.
"As a friend." Timmy clarified. "Don't you think it'd be a little awkward for me and you to... Y'know...?"
"Ugh..." Vicki grinned and shook her head. "Had me going for a second there... But I'm not convinced that that's all there is to it... Oh! Let's play a game!"
"A... game? Like what?" Timmy was already feeling uneasy. 'Games' in Vicki's book usually meant humiliating the brunet in some way or another.
"Just a quick little game. Close your eyes."
Timmy shot her a quizzical look.
"Come on. I'm not gonna do anything mean... Not with this many witnesses around... Close 'em."
Hesitantly, Timmy obeyed Vicki's directive and closed one eye, followed by the other. "Okay, so...?"
"What color are my eyes?"
"Wait, what?" Timmy began to open his eyes-
"Ah! No peeking!"
Only to shut them again. "Okay... Your eyes are pink, what's it matter?"
"Aha! You know what color my eyes are without looking! Clear sign that you like me to some degree! I knew it! You're crushing on your babysitter!" Vicki remarked victoriously and laughed lightly.
Timmy's eyes shot open. "Th-that's not fair! Of course I know what color your eyes are! Not like there are a lot of people with pink eyes! You're the only person I know with pink eyes anyway!" Okay, so technically that wasn't true, but fairy godparents and Ricky didn't apply here. And while Timmy had met Tootie and Vicki's mother once, he couldn't remember if her eyes were pink or not.
"Hm..." Vicki seemed to consider his point, before frowning as she realized he was right. Other than Ricky; who obviously didn't apply here, she was the only person she knew with pink eyes. Well... except her mother, but she was sure Timmy hadn't met her parents... and her father's eyes were blue. "Alright fine. So that wasn't a very well thought-out test... You still haven't told me about this 'Veronica'."
"Well... I don't really know all that much about her, other than the fact that Tootie said she had a crush on me when I was ten, which Tootie likely only knew because-"
"She had a crush on you as well, yeah." Vicki stated disinterestedly as their waitress returned.
"So what can I get you two?" Sara took out a pen and paper.
Timmy looked across the table at Vicki. "You wanna get an appetizer, or...?"
"Hm... I think we might as well just skip to the main course Hon'." Vicki winked at Timmy.
"Hon'?" "Okay... Gimme a sec to decide then, you order first." That wink signified a plan of some sort, and calling him Hon'? Clearly she meant for them to pretend they were... together, but to what end? What on Earth could she be planning... And why was he always out of the loop when there was a plan?!
"I'll have... the Chicken Cacciatore over Ziti and... I guess a coke, since I forgot my fake ID." Vicki handed her menu to Sara.
"'Kay!" Sara evidently blew off the fake ID comment and turned to Timmy. "And you?"
"I'll... just have the lasagna and a coke, thanks." Timmy handed off his own menu to the waitress.
"Okay! Shouldn't be too long of a wait!" the bubbly girl spun around and hurried off to another table.
"So in regards to why she's so happy- And don't try to say you weren't still wondering- Acting happy like that is a good way to get tips." Vicki took her various utensils out of her napkin and looked very closely at the knife.
"Oh... Okay then. So why call me Hon'?"
"Because, I like making you squirm, and clearly the thought of me and you together makes you uncomfortable. Actually, girls in general seem to make you uncomfortable. You acted like an idiot around Tang, lived in fear of my sister and that blonde girl... Had I not called you that, our waitress would be trying to charm you too, if only to earn a few extra bucks." Vicki placed her knife back down next to her fork and laid the napkin across her lap. "How am I doing so far?"
Timmy smirked and leaned on his elbow as he rested it on the table. "So far so good. But you're gonna have to try a bit harder than 'Hon' to make me squirm-" Timmy stopped talking as he felt... something on his upper thigh. He leaned back a bit and looked down to find that it was his babysitter's black stockinged foot.
Timmy felt all his confidence shatter like glass and be swept away. He shot the red-head a wide-eyed look, hoping that it would be enough to get her to stop this little game. "V-Vicki...?"
She looked at him sultrily while leaning in the very same way he had been a moment earlier. "You seem... Tense..." she pressed her foot against his inner thigh at 'tense'. "I wonder why...?"
At her playful teasing, Timmy unconsciously closed his legs tightly, effectively trapping her foot where it was. "M-move your foot!" the brunet whispered across the table at Vicki, almost pleadingly.
"Can't. You seem to have a pretty firm grip on it..." Vicki wiggled her toes, which only made Timmy tighten his grip. "You ticklish?"
"Stop doing that!" Timmy again whispered, now through clenched teeth.
"I'll take that as a yes." again, she wiggled her toes, but Timmy's grip didn't tighten this time, likely because it was already as tight as it could get.
Timmy released a huff though his nose as he felt his cheeks heat up, then parted his legs and released Vicki's foot. "There."
"Thanks!" she pulled her foot away, making sure to slowly drag it across his thigh as she did, before returning it to her shoe. "Never challenge me, got it?"
Timmy nodded his head up and down vigorously.
"Good."
Meanwhile...
"Okay... I think we're doing pretty good!" Tootie exclaimed happily as she placed the last of twenty candles in her sister's birthday cake. She had no idea how Timmy had the uncanny foresight to pick up a cake for Vicki, but she was glad that he did. The only problem was that the cake said 'Happy Birthday Vicky', but a quick erasing with one of the candles fixed that.
"Yeah we are..." a husky whisper at her ear and a light weight on her shoulder made Tootie jump slightly, though she quickly relaxed.
Her blond friend was now another interesting development today. After seeing her temper flare up for the first time, Chester seemed to completely drop his interest in Veronica and turn it entirely on her.
"You are so lucky it's just you and me in here, else you'd be wearing this cake..." That wasn't to say Tootie didn't enjoy the attention, odd and spontaneous as it was, but Chester had somehow gone from her dopey blond friend who was nervous around the girl he liked(Veronica), to a sly, confident(maybe a little too confident) teen that was suddenly transfixed with one of his best friends. It put Tootie... on edge.
"Alright, I'll back off..."
Tootie felt the weight lift off her shoulder and assumed it must've been the blond's head. "-sigh- Don't you... like Veronica or something?" she turned around to face Chester; who was still wearing a smug grin, and leaned against the table.
"Well... I think we can both admit that Veronica is easy on the eyes..." Chester rubbed his chin in apparent appreciation of the popular girl.
"I'll give you points for honesty, but whether or not I think Veronica is attractive is irrelevant. Are you saying you don't like her?"
"That's... a difficult question." Chester admitted and frowned. "Thing is, I like Veronica to some extent... But I don't really know her. I know she's hot-"
"Hmph!"
"But! But she's- I mean, I don't really know her, y'know? And she hasn't exactly been... All that interested in me when I try talking to her..."
"You do realize she's a blonde ditz, right? And that she practically worships the ground Trixie walks on? Put two and two together here Chester. If she's not interested in you, and has been following Trixie around for the past six years... Think about it!" Okay, so technically Tootie wasn't sure of this. She certainly knew about the rumors floating around their high school, and even late into the eighth grade, but she had never gone out of her way to delve into Trixie and Veronica's home lives. It really could be that Trixie and Veronica were just really close.
However, in much the same way that Tootie had gone out of her way to keep Trixie and Timmy from forming a relationship, she was going to do the same for Chester. Partly because she didn't want him to get hurt by the popular girl(assuming their relationship wouldn't work out), and partly because... her interest was piqued upon this new development. Chester, one of her best friends and Timmy's first friend... Liked her?
"So you think Veronica's... Playing for the other team?" Chester turned his head toward the door that separated the kitchen and living room, making sure that their little conversation stayed relatively private.
"It honestly wouldn't surprise me if it was the case. Do I know for sure? No." Tootie followed Chester's gaze and heard the distinct sound of someone going up the stairs, likely to Timmy's room. "But that's really neither here nor there. I think we should be more focused on you and me-"
In an instant, Tootie found herself pinned between the kitchen table, and her blond friend.
"What are you-?! Where's the nervous, shy-around-girls Chester that I know?! And how can you just decide to like me on a whim after seeing me get mad at AJ?! You suddenly have a thing for girls with tempers?!" it wasn't just the fact that she was being pressed up against the kitchen table by her best friend while three other people were around; which ensured she'd never hear the end of this, should they decide to walk into the kitchen, but currently, the kitchen table was pressing into the small of her back, it was a bit uncomfortable.
"I'm still here..." Chester smirked at her, and Tootie found that, for the moment, their closeness didn't really bother her. "It's just that... Well, I know you. I think I'd be a bit more nervous if you were some girl I didn't know, but we've been friends for years, dontcha think it'd be awkward for me to suddenly be all nervous and blushy around you? Not to mention it'd raise some definite red flags from Brainiac. As for the temper thing... It helps."
Tootie frantically looked around, hoping she could find a way out of this. Chester liking her... it wasn't unwelcome... But she didn't want to have to deal with it now! Not like this anyway... She needed to focus on Vicki's birthday right now, personal feelings could come later. "You're um- kinda hurting my back..."
"Oh. Sorry about that." Chester stood up, since he had been leaning into Tootie, and snaked his right arm around her, then rubbed at the spot that had been pressing into the table.
"Would you stop?!" the nervous but small smirk on her face betrayed her attempts at sounding angry. "Just- Let's just focus on the party for now, please?" She hadn't meant to sound like she was pleading with him, but Tootie suddenly found that her emotions and feelings were a mess. This morning had started off normal, with her meaning to throw out everything that made up her little shrine to Timmy, because she told herself she was over him. Of course, that was only partially true, and she knew it. It would likely be some time before she was truly 'over' the brunet, but admitting that she was done to herself had been a good first step...
Never in her craziest dreams did she expect... Whatever was going on between her and Chester to be going on. She needed a little while to think, she needed-
Tootie looked up at Chester to find that he was still smirking at her, and it was quickly having an odd effect on her stomach, judging by the flips it currently felt like it was doing. "Stop giving me that look!" she felt her cheeks beginning to heat up, realizing she was still being held by her blond friend, who was clearly enjoying the little mental breakdown he was giving her. "Seriously! Quit it!" the bespectacled girl at last squirmed out of her friend's grip and took a wary step back.
"Would you prefer I frown?"
"No, I would prefer that we throw my sister a party, and talk about 'us' once we're in the clear, is that too much to ask?"
"Well... I suppose not." Chester shrugged. "Lemme ask though... Are you really over Timmy?"
"Are you really over Veronica?" Tootie, now feeling a bit more confident, asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Hm... Touche. Ugh... this isn't good. We aren't even together and we need couples' therapy..." Chester laughed at his joke and left Tootie alone in the kitchen as he returned to the living room.
Tootie waited until the door stopped swinging before facepalming. What was it about her friends that made either her have a crush on one of them, or one of them have a crush on her?! "Still... it might be nice to have someone actually return my affections for once..." she thought acidly as Timmy came to mind.
"Hey Toots! Get in here! I'd say our friends did a pretty good job!"
"Toots?! When did I give permission for nicknames?!" Tootie trudged into the living room and stopped next to her blond friend. "No. That's all I'm gonna say." she looked around as party streamers hung around the room and balloons floated while tied to various pieces of furniture. It wasn't extravagant by any means, what with four out of five people doing the decorating(Tootie was coordinating everything), but it was nicely done, and the look on Vicki's face when she got back would almost certainly be priceless...
"You don't like how we decorated?" AJ looked over the back of the couch at her and Chester, and was soon joined by the peeking heads of Trixie and Veronica.
"I didn't say that. I was talking about-" Tootie glanced at Chester, who was currently glancing at her with a sly grin. "Have his eyes always been that blue- No! Focus!" "Never... mind. It looks great, thank you for helping out you guys, really."
"So... Vicki hopefully won't kill us...?" Veronica squeaked out over the back of the couch.
"Kill you? Why would she- ...What did AJ tell you?" Tootie pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. This was exactly what she was afraid of. It was why she knew she'd regret not covering her friend's mouth with duct tape.
"Um... Just that Vicki can be... mean. And violent." Veronica stammered out.
"And terrifying." Trixie spoke up now, clearly on edge, though not as nervous as her blonde friend. "Why didn't you tell us you're sister is as mean as she is?"
"Be-because she isn't! I mean, she used to be, but she's gotten better over the years! You think I'd throw a party for someone who's evil? Besides, she's hasn't gotten a birthday party in all the years I've been alive, so I wanted to do something nice for her!" Tootie sputtered all the while, hoping her plan wouldn't fall apart before her sister even got back.
"Well... What about you, Chester?" Veronica turned her attention to the blond in question. "Is Vicki- um... She isn't too bad, right?"
Tootie looked back and forth between Chester, Veronica and AJ. "Great... Well, I suppose it was a good-"
"Vicki? Yeah, she was kinda mean when she first started babysitting us, but she's changed a lot. I wouldn't say she'd get up one morning and donate to charity, or even greet any of us with a smile, but she's not... as unpleasant to be around as she used to be-"
Tootie looked at Chester, genuinely surprised that he was trying to stick up for his babysitter, and lie about her. She definitely wasn't as nice to AJ and him, the only people she really bothered to act indifferent around(rather than caustic) were her and Timmy. She could hug him right now, were it not likely to raise suspicion. Then she turned to look at AJ, who had an expression that was somewhere between disbelief and disgust, while also shaking his head back and forth. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Nah. I'd say she's cool, and you two especially have nothing to worry about."
Tootie tensed up as she felt Chester put his arm around her shoulders. Not because it was as though he hadn't done this countless times in the past; he had. More because now it made her legs feel a bit wobbly, made her stomach feel like it was full of little fluttering insects, and made her cheeks feel a bit warmer than they had a second ago. She was falling for her best friend, and she was falling fast. She really hoped AJ wouldn't get suspicious...
"What about gifts? Won't Vicki want something from each of us?" AJ once more tried talking some sense into his two friends, along with Trixie and Veronica.
"Um! We- we kinda already got her some things... if that's alright..." Veronica spoke up as she pulled out a squarish gift from under the coffee table.
Tootie stood up on her toes to see that there was another gift underneath the table, likely the one Trixie got.
"They're... not really anything too fancy, since this was kinda short notice, but I figured we should get her something..." Veronica replied with a shy smile, realizing she had probably just made Chester and AJ look like idiots, since they hadn't brought anything for the red-head.
"I uh... Just realized that I... forgot something!" Chester suddenly spoke up as his demeanor went from calm and collected to something slightly less so.
"Which was?" AJ asked with a sly grin, hoping he wasn't the only one that hadn't gotten something for their demonic babysitter.
"I... forgot that I'm thirsty! Yeah! Anybody else... thirsty?" Chester giggled nervously as he inched his way back toward the kitchen.
"Oh! Can you get me-" before Trixie could finish, Chester disappeared, leaving a puff of smoke where he had been.
Tootie smirked and shook her head. "Thirsty. Right."
The blond, now free and clear from the questioning glances of his friends, whipped out his phone and began frantically texting his friend.
At the mall...
"Well, I'm full." Timmy leaned back in his seat and wiped his hands and mouth off with his napkin. How he had managed to eat what was essentially a brick of lasagna, he didn't know, but he had skipped breakfast today, so maybe that was it. "You want dessert?"
"Mm... Nah, I'm good." Vicki lightly dabbed at her own face with her napkin, feigning table manners that she didn't really have. "Thanks for lunch!" the smile she shot wasn't quite as malicious as it normally was, so Timmy assumed that meant that it was actually genuine.
"Can't wait to see the bill... Even without ordering dessert, I doubt this'll be cheap." "You want me to ask for the check so we can get going then?"
"In a minute. Just need to go to the bathroom real quick... Maybe you should do the same?" She winked at him as she stood up and walked off.
"A wink? Why is she winking at me?!" Timmy felt uncomfortable all over again. The first time was from her little 'game'. He didn't know why it had made him uncomfortable, not entirely anyway, but he did know that some part of him... Actually enjoyed what she had done. That revelation terrified him more than her little game could ever have, because he didn't know why he enjoyed it. There was just some odd feeling he got from her touching his thigh that he couldn't explain... Now he felt uncomfortable because he was afraid of what that wink might've meant.
Despite this, Timmy stood up from his chair with a sigh and made his way towards the men's bathrooms, not because he had to go, but because he hoped that splashing some water on his face would help clear his head so he could figure out what was wrong with it. A buzz from his cellphone alerted him to the fact that he was being texted. He took out his phone to find that it was Chester.
Hey dude, where is yous?
"Bad grammar, he's panicking." Timmy texted back. At the mall... Why?
Lets cut out the middle man, I know it's Vicki's birthday. Can U do me a solid?
Timmy frowned as he stepped into the bathroom. If Chester already knew... then it was likely that AJ already knew... So either Tootie hadn't been able to tie them up, or they were strangely okay with going to Vicki's birthday party. Timmy shrugged after a few seconds. What do U need?
A gift 4 Red!
"Red? Who's- Oh..." Fine. I'll grab something so she doesn't kill the 2 of you.
Thanks Dude! BTW, Tootie's got the hots 4 me!
Timmy looked at his phone disbelievingly. "Tootie's got the hots for-"
"For who?"
The brunet jumped and turned around at the voice, finding it sounded oddly similar to-
"Also, you actually listened. I'm impressed, Twerp." the red-head stood before him, leaning up against one of the stalls, and looking like she had a plan. Not a good one either.
"I'm actually not all that surprised that you're in here." He really wasn't. Vicki had once barged in on him while he was taking a bath like it was the most normal thing in the world... then again, it was. For her. "But... why are you in the men's bathroom?"
"Because you would have a very hard time getting into the women's bathroom without arousing suspicion. Also-" Vicki paused and pointed above one of the bathroom stalls, at an open vent. "I got a great idea for getting out of here without having to pay... Interested?" she grinned at him evilly, which somehow put the brunet at ease, likely because 'evil grin' made more sense than... those other grins.
"Isn't that... illegal? Skipping out on the check? What if we get caught?"
"Ugh... Such a stickler for the rules. Where's your sense of fun? Of adventure? Besides, this way I can get a free meal, and way more birthday gifts... You're not gonna risk not being able to get your favorite babysitter gifts on her birthday, are you?"
"You're my only babysitter!"
Vicki shrugged at this. "My point still stands. C'mon... Pwease?" in a strange aversion to how these situations normally played out, Vicki gave Timmy the puppy-dog eyes, something he was wholly unprepared for.
"I- Well if you do that- I mean- F-fine!" Timmy blushed as he strode over to the vent. "If you really want to, I guess I-"
"Sweet! Ladies first!" the red-head pushed past him and climbed onto the toilet lid, onto the tank of the toilet, then reached up into the vent and pulled herself up into it, startling Timmy with just how quickly she did this. It was like watching someone who laid on the couch for most of the day suddenly spring up and do parkour! ...Actually... "C'mon! I'll pull you up!"
Timmy looked up at Vicki and her extended arm warily. Unlike the version of his babysitter that he was used to, the Vicki that lazed around his house all day, or got mad at him for the smallest slip-up(rare as that occurrence was now); this Vicki was... he supposed 'playful' was the best word to describe her. She wasn't nearly as boring as she normally was, and she actually seemed to be having fun... Then again, Timmy figured this behavior was likely brought out because she thought she was corrupting him to be like her...
"I'm not gonna wait here all day. Snap out of it or I'm leaving you here!"
"Ah! Right!" the brunet climbed up onto the toilet lid like Vicki had done and grabbed her hand, allowing her to pull him up into the vent.
"Jeez you're heavy..." Vicki panted slightly as she released Timmy's hand and turned around in the surprisingly spacious vent. "Come on, this way should lead back into the main mall area."
"Should? You don't know?" Timmy crawled along after Vicki, having been under the assumption that she knew where she was going.
"Nope. Part of the excitement, right?"
Despite the fact that Timmy found the vent to be more spacious than Hollywood would have him believe, there still wasn't much room. Which meant looking ahead would have his eyes fall on Vicki's butt.
Vicki stopped crawling, nearly causing the brunet to crash into the aforementioned area. "You looking at my ass?"
"Women must have a sixth sense for when guys look at their butt." "Not like I have much choice." Timmy grinned. "Your big butt blocks most of the vent, in addition to keeping me from getting any sleep!" the brunet lifted his right arm just in time to avoid a back kick from Vicki.
"That insult had far less undertones when you were ten. Now it just makes me think you like looking at my ass... Something you wanna confess, Turner?"
"How do I always end up getting things turned around on me like this?" Timmy sighed. "Can we just keep moving? I'm not actually that much of a fan of crawling around in vents..."
"Not even with a great view like you have right now?" Vicki began crawling forward again.
Timmy followed, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with both the situation, and his babysitter's behavior as of late. "'Fraid not."
"Hm. Interesting..." Vicki stopped again, this time causing Timmy's head to collide with her right buttock.
"Damnit..." "Ugh... Would you please stop stopping?! And what's interesting?" Timmy laid flat on his stomach to try to look between Vicki's legs and past her. He could see light filtering in from the floor of the vent they were in.
"Seems we've come to our exit... Except... I need a screwdriver." She sounded annoyed.
"You didn't bring one? How did you get the vent off before?!"
"Hm? It was just open."
Timmy imagined she was shrugging indifferently now. "Well unfortunately, I don't carry a toolbox around wherever I go."
"Well maybe you should."
"I'll keep that in mind." Timmy deadpanned. "So I guess we should head back... Oh! Actually, I got an idea!" Suddenly not caring about how uncomfortable their closeness made him, Timmy crawled forward between Vicki's legs and under her.
"Ah! What are you doing?!" she giggled, her tone somewhere between surprised and amused.
"I got a quarter." Timmy stated matter-of-factly as he positioned himself on his stomach beneath the red-head and began fiddling with the screws holding the vent covering in place.
Seeing her opportunity, Vicki ceased holding herself up and dropped down onto Timmy's back so she was lying on him, making the vent creak slightly.
"Hey, c'mon! I'm just trying to get the vent covering off so we can get out of here!" Seeing the people passing beneath them in the main area of the mall, Timmy kept his tone low, though they were about to open the vent and drop down, and said action of a couple of teenagers dropping out of a vent wasn't exactly inconspicuous.
"I know. And I'm very impressed with your skills of improvisation, but I'm also quite comfy lying on top of you, and it's not like I'm keeping you from unscrewing the screws, so let me enjoy myself." Vicki looped her arms under Timmy's and let her hands come to rest just under his chin, one on top of the other.
The brunet felt... somehow content to let Vicki stay where she was. In a normal situation, he'd probably feel a little uncomfortable being this close to a girl while she pressed herself against him, but he felt fine. Maybe because he didn't really think of Vicki as a girl. To him, she was just... Vicki(as long as she wasn't rubbing her foot against his inner thigh). "Fine."
A few minutes later, and Timmy had unscrewed the last of the vent's screws, allowing him to move the covering away.
"Um... Vicki? We can leave now... Vicki?"
It took several seconds for the red-head to answer with what sounded like an annoyed huff, then move her arms out from under him.
"Okay... Um... I just need to-" before he could finish, the brunet felt a hand on his own rear-end pushing him toward the opening in the vent... And out of it, causing him to unceremoniously fall out onto the floor and land on his stomach. "Okay... Ow-Oof!" A sudden weight on his back indicated that Vicki had dropped down... And made him catch her.
"Thanks for catching me!" the red-head smiled down at him sweetly while various mall-goers looked on in bewilderment.
"Get... off..." Timmy looked over his shoulder at her as he lied on the ground.
"You need to work out more. Catching me with your back really can't be good for it..." the red-head looked up at the small audience they had attracted with their vent stunt. "Take a picture, it'll last longer!" she yelled angrily at them, and the onlookers quickly dispersed.
Vicki, however, stayed right where she was, much to her brunet-haired companion's annoyance. "Fine, don't get off." Timmy pushed himself up off the floor, causing Vicki to slide off him and fall onto the floor herself.
"Ah! That's no way to treat the birthday girl!" she spoke with mock-agitation, made evident as she smiled up at Timmy, who now stood over her, a look of very real agitation on his face. "Help a lady up?" she stuck her arm out at him.
"I don't see any ladies around here..." Timmy looked around for effect, even as he pulled the red-head to her feet.
"Tell me, exactly how much can I get away with today? Because you're really pushing your luck." she squeezed his hand tightly, though not quite enough to hurt.
"I suppose you've got free reign to be as mean or evil as you want; birthday privileges and all that." Timmy shrugged, his agitation having dissipated relatively quickly.
"Really...? Well, as much fun as it would be to take you up on your offer, you did catch me, so I guess I'll just have you buy me gifts instead of hit you... Which you deserve." her grip slackened, though she did not release his hand. "Come along now, time for you to play your part."
"And dare I ask what part that is?"
"The part of the doting boyfriend-slash-pack mule, duh." Vicki pulled Timmy along, ignoring him as he shook his head and grimaced.
Back at the Turner household...
"Phew!" Chester wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. For now, he was in the clear. Timmy would pick up a gift for Vicki for him, and he'd pay back his friend later. How AJ was going to avoid being skinned alive, he didn't know, but maybe Timmy would cover him too...
"So you sure ran off in a huff... care to explain?" Tootie asked as she came into the kitchen.
Right. And he had just made Vicki look like a saint, compared to how she actually was, anyway. Part of him hoped this meant that Vicki wouldn't kill him later, and part of him hoped Tootie would be impressed that he had gone to bat for their evil babysitter. "Heheh..." the blond turned to face the raven-haired girl and laughed nervously. "I- ah... Might've forgotten to get Vicki a birthday gift... So I texted Timmy and asked him to get me something while he's out... Why's he at the mall, anyway?"
"I needed him to keep Vicki away from here so I could set everything up." Tootie passed Chester and sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm gonna go ahead and be honest here, I forgot today was Vicki's birthday-"
"You forgot your own sister's birthday?!" amazingly, Chester whispered this question, probably remembering the other three people in the next room.
"Shh! Trust me, I feel like shit and I really don't need your help to feel worse!" Tootie whispered back harshly. "The only reason I'm telling you is because I trust you, got it? AJ seems like he'll do anything to keep Vicki's attention off of himself, and I don't know those two ditzes well enough to trust them... Ugh..." Tootie paused and rubbed at her temples. "This is so stressful..."
Chester moved to sit down next to Tootie at the table. "So... Do you think you could maybe convince your sister to not kill me? I'd really like to... Figure out 'us', y'know?"
Tootie looked up at her friend to find him smiling at her, not the sly smile either, this one was actually genuine, and had the barest hint of nervousness to it. "No promises, but I'll see what I can do... We probably have a lot to talk about..." Tootie reached over and let her hand come to rest on Chester's. "This feeling... It's different. With Timmy, I was so determined to get him to notice me... This is just..." She wasn't entirely sure.
"So... You're thinking about it?" Chester asked hopefully. It was true that he felt pretty confident around Tootie, she didn't make him anywhere near as nervous as some of the other girls in their school, but he had by now come to realize that he had good reason to be infinitely more nervous than with other girls. He had somehow managed to overlook the fact that Tootie's sister was the bane of children everywhere. Who could say if she would even allow him to date Tootie? The whole reason he and Tootie were friends was because they were just that, friends. Finding out that he was interested in her... If Vicki didn't kill him for kicks and giggles, she'd definitely kill him for that!
"I am... But we should probably keep this on a need to know basis... And no-one else needs to know..." Tootie paused as she realized what she just said. "A-assuming we even-!"
Chester looked at Tootie and frowned. "So you don't think it'll happen?"
The raven-haired girl's cheeks pinkened now. "I don't even know why you like me... For my temper? Is that all?"
"No..." Chester watched Tootie pull her hand away and return it to her lap. "I've always... Thought you were kind of... Um... Cute..." the blond felt his own cheeks heating up now. "So much for confidence..." "But... I didn't want to really get in the way of what I thought you and Timmy had. You know how he is, acting like he doesn't like someone or something when he really does... The one time it was actually genuine, and I didn't believe him. I thought you two really had something... going on, y'know?"
"Well we didn't. That was all me, being too dumb to realize that all my stupid stunts were just pushing him away. I think it nearly cost us our friendship, but... I guess I got lucky. I'm not over him, I'll admit that, but I don't think there's any chance of me and him working out, either..." Tootie stood up from the table and picked up the cake, then walked over to the fridge with it and opened the door with her foot and placed the cake inside. She turned around to find Chester giving her a questioning look. "Figure that my sister is gonna milk Timmy for all he's got, which means they'll be doing a lot of shopping. We've got time before they get back." She moved back to the kitchen table and sat down next to the blond again. "You make me nervous, okay?"
"Um..." Chester scratched the back of his head and glanced around. "I'm... sorry?"
Tootie chuckled. "You don't have to apologize for that... I'm just used to... being the one chasing the guy, y'know? Now that you... I guess it just feels weird to be the one being chased..."
"Well... Get used to it." feeling his confidence return, Chester leaned in closer to Tootie. "There's no way I'm giving up now-"
"Hey, you two-" the kitchen door burst open, revealing AJ, who immediately stopped and stared at the closeness of his two friends. "Um... Am I..." AJ raised an eyebrow up as a sly grin slowly grew across his face. "Interrupting?"
"Ahm! Nope! Just-just... having a staring contest, yep! Right, Chester?" Tootie stammered out as her blush returned in full force.
Since his back was to AJ, Chester smirked at Tootie and turned around. "She always beats me... Oh! I bet I can beat you in a staring contest, Brainiac!"
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!" AJ pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Anyway... I wanted to tell you two that Trixie and Veronica called their limo driver so they could go out and get some food, and I'm going stir crazy in here, so I decided to join them. You wanna come?"
"Um..." Tootie considered the offer as she regained control of her more rational thoughts, Chester had once again saved her from an awkward situation. "I think I'll stay here, just in case Timmy and Vicki come back in the next few minutes."
"Oh? So he's out with the demon herself? How do we know he'll even make it back in one piece? Or at all?"
"Because my sister isn't as bad as you keep trying to convince everyone she is." Tootie narrowed her eyes irritatedly at AJ.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry I made Vicki out to be a horrible monster, however justified I might have been. I'd rather we just let this be water under the bridge than let this bother us."
"...Fine. Apology accepted... Even if I should make you apologize to Vicki instead..."
Ignoring the casual threat by his friend, AJ continued. "So you wanna stay here then? Chester? What about you?" AJ turned his attention to his blond friend now.
"Eh... I'll stay here too. I kinda... slacked off a bit-"
"A bit?"
"Okay, a lot while the rest of you decorated. I'll see if there's anything else Tootie needs me to do. You behave yourself around those two ladies now, y'hear?"
At this, AJ grinned, a clear sign that he was going to milk his alone time with their school's two most attractive girls as much and for as long as he could. "No promises." He turned around and quickly walked out of the kitchen.
"He sure seems excited..." Tootie stated rather boredly, though the relief she felt was immense. AJ had apparently lost interest in what he walked in on, and was none the wiser now, even with Chester preferring to stay here. With Tootie. Just the two of them. Alone.
"He's not the only one." Chester remarked huskily.
"Down boy." Tootie rolled her eyes.
Once more at the mall...
Timmy stood near Vicki, occasionally shifting from one foot to the other and trying to cover up the crimson blush on his face. His mother, oblivious to his feelings as she was, never even tried to embarrass him like this, she always made him wait outside when she went to this store...
"So who does Tootie have the hots for now?" Vicki looked over her shoulder as she held up what appeared to be a black bra. Appeared to be because it was relatively see-through.
"Who buys underwear that doesn't even cover you?!" Timmy stared, mouth agape at the bra his babysitter held. Her question never even reached his brain.
"Hello~? Earth to Twerp... Are you listening?" Vicki sighed and hung the lacy bra back up.
"Did... did you say something? I was... Wait... Where are- Why are we in here?!" having gotten over the shock of his imagination taking over and showing him some very naughty mental images, the brunet quickly realized he was in a place that he definitely didn't belong. Even as Timantha he would've felt out of place, so naturally, his realization caused him to cry out in terror... Or something similar.
"You're blushing." Vicki watched Timmy cover his face with his hands. "And making a scene. I feel sorry for whatever girl sweeps you off your feet, she's gonna have an uphill battle getting you to loosen up." she shook her head in apparent disappointment.
"So what is this?! Boyfriend training?!"
"No, this is birthday shopping. For me. I could always make you super uncomfortable and try them on, then ask you how I look. ...Actually, now that I mention it..."
Timmy watched that evil smirk return to Vicki's face. "No! No way am I gonna-" the brunet paused as his imagination took over once again, showing him naughty images once more... Only now it was Vicki wearing the- "Would you excuse me a second?" Timmy looked around, then stopped as his eyes fell on a large support pillar in the store. He walked over to it, then reared his head back, intending to headbutt the pillar hard enough to give himself either brain damage or amnesia, whichever came first. He brought his head forward, preparing himself for the pain that was sure to follow... Only to realize that he couldn't. Something was holding his head back.
"Stop being so melodramatic!" Vicki's hand rested on his forehead lightly, somehow keeping his head from moving forward, even as she didn't appear to display any effort at all. "Look, I'm in a fairly good mood right now, so don't ruin it with a trip to the emergency room, please?"
Timmy sighed in exasperation. "Why does it have to be so hard for us to just be normal?!"
"Normal? What do you mean? I'm not whipping a wand back and forth, granting wishes like some kind of... I dunno, fairy godparent... How is this not normal?"
"Because everytime I spend a considerable amount of time around you and get used to how you are, you suddenly turn things around and act completely different! I'm glad that you're not as evil towards me, but... Why do you have to make me so uncomfortable?!" Timmy had spun around during his questioning, and now faced the red-head fully, honestly expecting her to explain to him what exactly was going on.
For a second, Vicki wasn't sure how to respond to his little tirade, but after careful thought... She giggled. And her giggling turned into light laughter. "I'm- Ahaha! I'm sorry! I'm not laughing at you, really. I just... Wow. I sometimes forget that for all those little moments of brilliance, you're kind of naïve and -no offense- a bit of a ditz... Makes me think you might dye your hair brown to cover up the fact that you're actually blond..." she slid her hand up his forehead and past his hairline... Then ruffled his hair, nearly knocking hat-Wanda off his head. "Anyway, it's because I'm a girl."
"Wha...? What does that have to do with anything?" Timmy stepped out from under her hand and shot her a quizzical look. For the moment, the fact that they were in a store dedicated to selling women's underwear that barely covered you was ignored by the brunet, in favor of getting some answers to explain... whatever was wrong with him, assuming of course, that Vicki actually knew in the first place, and wasn't just jerking him around.
"I'm guessing you've never really thought of me as a member of the opposite sex, have you?"
"Opposite sex? No... You-" Her question suddenly made a lot of sense. He always thought of Vicki as either 'Vicki', or his 'babysitter'. Those teasing remarks about him liking her didn't register, because... she was right. "Well... You're just... Vicki."
"Uh-huh... But I'm also a girl, in case you haven't noticed. See, when you hit your teen years, your body gets all screwy on you, sending out all these hormones and strange thoughts. Suddenly you find that this girl looks attractive, or this guy is really handsome, when the day before they were just people, like you... Have you seriously not had this talk with your... parents..." the red-head trailed off. "Duh! Of course he hasn't! They barely make time to say 'good morning' to him! Nevermind telling him about the birds and the bees!" "Right... Um... Look, all it means is that... Oh! Remember how Tootie used to chase after you all the time because she had that crush on you? Well now you'll start to feel like that around girls... I just pray you'll have more restraint than she did, else you'll find yourself in jail." Vicki deadpanned as she finished. This was definitely not how she expected today to go. Giving her Twerp 'the talk'? "Although... this does give me the opportunity to mold him however I see fit..."
"So... I'm just gonna start liking girls for no reason? Like how it was with Trixie?"
"Well... Not necessarily. Trixie was... a lot like Tootie, in a sense. You just had a grade school crush on Trixie, much like Tootie had a similar crush on you-"
"But! When I went over to your house the other day, Tootie was throwing out all the me-related stuff!"
"Well then I guess- You-related stuff? What, did she have a shrine in her closet or something?" she looked at him quizzically. She knew her sister was obsessed, but...
"Um..." Timmy slapped his hands over his mouth. "I don't think I was supposed to tell you about that..." he mumbled out.
"...Never realized her obsession was... Wow. Um... A-anyway..." she was caught off guard by that information. "It's just hormones. They're gonna make you do crazy stuff, stuff you'll look back on and wish that it never happened."
"So... How do you know all this?"
"Huh? Well.. because I'm smart! And about to turn twenty! You think I didn't go through all this stuff myself? I am human, just like you. I had the awkward crushes, the weird feelings, the... mistakes..." Vicki frowned and looked at her feet as she finished.
"Mistakes?"
"Uh-oh. Dial it back now, girl." "It's not important. What is important is-" Vicki paused and looked around. They were still standing in a store dedicated to selling lacy underwear for women, probably not the best place for 'the talk'. "Maybe... we should go and find a bench... There's- there's a lot you need to know about... Just follow me." Vicki walked out of the store with Timmy in tow, wondering how scarred this little talk would make him, considering it was coming from her.