"Waitwaitwait."
Timmy stopped in his tracks; just in front of his living room couch, as he felt resistance from Tootie, whose hand was still tightly held in his own. He released it as he spun around, the warmth it provided quickly ebbing away. "Something up?"
"I..." Tootie drummed the fingers of both hands against each other, her eyes focused on them, rather than Timmy. "I think... You- No... Um... It might be better if you do this on your own."
"On... My own?" The brunet looked at his raven-haired friend questioningly. "But... Tootie, how do you think this is gonna go if I just head out there and tell Vicki I like her? She's gonna look at me like I'm nuts! ...Which will probably be followed by her drowning me for trying to play the Valentine field..." The teen mumbled out in a less than confident tone.
Tootie, evidently having far more confidence than her best friend, plopped herself down on the couch, making the remote for the TV bounce into her lap. "C'mon, Timmy. We both know she's not that bad... And you were plenty confident up in your room! Just go out there, tell her how you feel... And try to... Y'know, mention the three-way thing."
The brunet shook his head at Tootie's nonchalance at what could very well be him walking right into his own execution. There were times he wished he could have that drive that Vicki and Tootie did, that lack of fear about what could go wrong, and instead always focus on what could go right. It'd... Certainly make quite a few things in his life go more smoothly. "And just what are you gonna do while I'm out there helping Vicki see if I can breathe underwater?" Timmy crossed his arms, shooting the girl now splayed out on the couch a knowing look.
"Me? I'll be... Formulating! A plan, of course. Just a formality, really. I'm sure you won't have too much trouble convincing Vicki of... Well, you know..." She smirked and winked at the teen as she finished, her 'plan' already well on its way to being thought out completely.
"...I'm not gonna lie, Tootie. That grin? Makes me a little uncomfortable." Despite the fact that he was talking to Tootie, Timmy had already oriented himself toward the kitchen, and the door within that lead to the backyard, mentally preparing himself for... Well, something.
The raven-haired girl let out an amused sounding hum as she looked over at Timmy, then spoke in a mildly sultry tone. "You play your cards right, and I think you'll have a very comfortable night though, so go on, I've got your back."
Timmy placed his hands on his hips as he looked down at the floor, and his bare feet. "I'm sure she intended for that to be reassuring..." "Think I'll just tell her it was your idea. Might blow over better for me that way." The teen chanced a look over his shoulder to see if he'd successfully gotten a rise out of the girl.
"Hm! Try harder than that, Timmy. I know you wouldn't throw me under the bus like that." Tootie's eyes remained focused on the television, knowing her... It couldn't even be called an argument, was already won. Timmy may have known how to get her riled up physically, but her best friend was so easy to mess with. Probably because he was just too nice at times.
"Oh yeah? You know, huh?" The brunet pulled an about-face, turning to look at Tootie directly. "And what makes you so sure, huh?" He quirked an eyebrow up at her, genuinely wanting to know how she apparently knew him so well(she was right, of course), even though he had a sneaking suspicion that asking... Might be a mistake.
With a somewhat aloof-sounding scoff, the bespectacled girl at last broke her staring contest with the TV and looked at Timmy as she delicately placed the remote on her stomach and folded her arms behind her head. "Simple, really. You're hopelessly in love with me." A sly smile graced Tootie's lips as her answer made Timmy's face change to bright scarlet and look away. "...And my sister."
The sixteen year old felt his whole body flush with heat as the girl finished. He could already feel miniscule droplets of sweat beginning to break out across his skin, even with the house being a comfortable seventy-three degrees. "Shouldn't just throw that word around like that, Toots. We aren't ten anymore, saying 'I love you'... That's kind of..."
"Serious?"
"She would be the type to finish my sentences for me..." "Little bit, yeah." The brunet rubbed the back of his neck, now hot and damp with moisture. "I know I like you both, but... You and I haven't really gone out on any dates, and I've done even less with Vicki..."
"What about your little cuddle session up at the Dimmsdale Ski Resort?" Tootie asked in a purposefully knowing tone.
"How do you-"
"Timmy." The girl dipped her head forward a little, making her glasses slide down her nose again. "Remember who I am? Tootie? Sister of Vicki? I've talked with her about her life enough to be written on paperwork as her therapist. No, she hasn't mentioned any feelings for you, but certain things... You saving her life a couple times... Yeah, we've talked about it."
"Even... The hug?" The teen whispered out, just in case the red-head in question was nearby.
"Even the hug." Tootie rolled her eyes at Timmy's almost reverent tone. "You might be surprised to know... She didn't even lie about it. Probably would've expected her to say she miraculously saved the day, and your ass, but no. The evil babysitter that so many people fear was actually scared she might die." Tootie took pause and shivered, she hated to even think about losing Vicki like that... At all, really. But forgotten, frozen to death in a cave? No one deserves that, and she was truly thankful that her sister and Timmy had been able to get out of that situation.
"...Why are you telling me this now? I know how it happened. I was there, believe it or not. She thought she was going to freeze to death, so I offered that we... Huddle together..." Timmy trailed off, feeling his cheeks flush with heat again. "F-for warmth! Huddle together for warmth..."
"Yeah, yeah... For 'warmth'..." Tootie chuckled teasingly as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, allowing her glasses to tip back into place. This story was old to her, as Vicki was fond of revisiting this particular one fairly often. At first, she just figured that it had affected her sister negatively, and she needed an outlet to talk to about it, but... "You really came through for her, you know that?"
"Huh?" Timmy looked at his best friend in genuine confusion now. "Came... Through? How? All I did was-"
"You offered. Mean as she was, you didn't want her to freeze to death. You never hated her, y'know? Heaven knows she'll never admit it, but she... She kind of admires you. Takes a pretty big person to forgive..." Tootie giggled cutely as she finished. "And who'd have thunk that that very person likes me and my sister!"
Timmy facepalmed at the girl's nearly child-like giddiness. "Tootie, why exactly are you telling me this?"
"Hm? Oh, just thought you might wanna know. I think deep down, my Sis might really like you... Even if she doesn't know it yet. Just gotta give those feelings a... 'Push' in the right direction, like I did you! Know what I'm sayin'?" Tootie offered the teen another wink, accompanied by a smile.
"You want me to just throw myself at Vicki and hang all over her for a few hours?" Timmy shot back, a sly smile gracing his own lips now.
The raven-haired girl shot him a flat look. "Keep that up and the only action you'll be getting is your hand."
"I think you know my hand is quite good at what it does, Toots." Yes, the brunet knew he was just digging a deeper hole now, but bantering like this with Tootie was... Oddly fun.
And Tootie couldn't ignore the shiver that ran up her spine at Timmy's words. He was actually pretty good at touching all the right places on her, even without taking off her swimsuit. "Look-" She flipped over onto her stomach, giving Timmy a rather nice view of her bum, then returned her attention to the TV. "You still have a bad habit of walking around on eggshells when you're near my sister, but you're super-comfortable around me. I'm not saying it'll be easy to just pal around with her, but just pretend that she isn't so scary. You might be surprised how well the conversation goes, 'kay?"
Though he did indeed hear Tootie, his gaze remained on her rear end, it being nearly as interesting as her bare chest had been a few minutes earlier. "Can't believe I never noticed how nice... It's the kind where I'd love to bend her over the kitchen counter and-"
"I can literally feel you staring at my ass." As she spoke, Tootie pushed her legs against the couch, raising her bottom into the air by the slightest amount. "You must like what you see..." She couldn't deny the excitement she got from teasing her friend in the way that she was. And it wasn't as if he didn't deserve it, after all the little teasing touches he'd given her, getting her all riled up without any sort of pay-off...
"Understatement of the year award goes to..." "...I gotta go." It felt like he literally had to tear his eyes away from Tootie's rear end as Timmy turned around and made his way into the kitchen.
"Good luck, Timmy!" The girl giggled lightly as she dropped back down onto the couch and bent her legs into the stereotypical teenage girl pose.
"Hah..." The male teen sighed as he reached the back door of his house, butting his head against it as he did. "Suppose I could always try to run my ass off if this goes south..." "Wonder if Tootie goes south..." "Stop it!" Timmy chastised his own naughty thoughts. He was learning far too many things about himself today, and felt that he was better off not knowing many of them.
"Are you still in here? Timmy? Don't go drifting off into your head again! Thought we worked that habit out of your-"
"I-I'm going!" The brunet shot back defensively, a clear hint of nervousness evident in his tone. "Just... Trying to... Mentally prepare myself..." He shook his head back and forth as he finished, then curled his fingers around the doorknob and pulled it open, leaving the relative security of his house behind as he once more found himself in his backyard and shut the door behind him.
Several feet in front of him on the grass lay a few of the pool floats that he'd put in storage the year before, likely fished out of the downstairs closet by Vicki while he and Tootie were in his room... Getting to know each other...
And just beyond them was the concrete perimeter of the pool; which along with the pool itself, really cut down the size of the Turners' backyard. There was certainly less space to run around in now, with the pool taking up roughly seventy percent of the backyard.
Timmy wiped at his brow as he slowly glanced around the yard. Vicki had been right; if it wasn't ninety degrees yet, it would be within the hour. And the warmth brought on by his nervousness was only exacerbated by the sun's rays beating down on him. After a few more seconds, the boy's eyes fell on his target: His babysit- Ex-babysitter, who was currently lying on her stomach on the only float in the pool. She faced away from him, her head resting on her left arm, using it as a pillow, while her right hung lazily over the side of the float in the water.
"Is she... Asleep?" The brunet chanced a look skyward, seeing that there were no clouds in sight. "She's gonna get a sunburn at the rate she's going..." With Vicki's well-being fresh in his mind, Timmy pushed his more nervous and uncertain thoughts away. He'd been sunburnt before, and it sucked. He strode over to the pool, stopping just at the edge to try and get the red-head's attention without jumping in, though the cool water certainly looked inviting...
Timmy dipped his foot into the water, finding it to be cooler than the surrounding temperature outside the water, but still very comfortable. "Vicki~?" He spoke in a drawling tone, fighting off the urge to splash the apparently sleeping girl. And it was at this point that the teen noticed something else about her, something that dusted his cheeks with a light shade of pink. Vicki's bikini top was undone. It was clearly still on... If pinned beneath her boobs and completely untied could be called 'on'. Obviously she did it to avoid tanlines, but falling asleep like that? What if she turned over, even the slightest bit? Some perv might get a generous look at her chest! "...Like me." "Er... Vicki? Did you fall asleep?" He crouched down now, sticking his hand in the water and making a small splash with it, yet this went unnoticed by the girl in the pool. "...Always were a heavy sleeper..."
Again, Timmy looked at where Vicki was currently floating, in the deep end of the pool. "Ugh, why am I hesitating like this? I can swim! ...Unless she gets mad I woke her up and tries to drown me... Or thinks I'm trying to sneak a peek..." "...Shit." With a deep inhale and exhale, the brunet slid out of his crouch and into the pool legs-first, dropping in up to his neck rather quickly. "G-gah! F-forgot the p-pool water is warmer o-on the s-surface!" He spoke with a shiver as he gently kicked his legs and moved his arms back and forth. While the cooler water below the surface hadn't bothered his feet or legs, a certain area between his legs wasn't so lucky, and his lower abdomen had tensed up a little as well. "Things I do for these two sometimes..."
Unbeknownst to Timmy, Vicki had been awake the entire time, occasionally moving her arm in a subtle manner to keep her face oriented away from the approaching brunet. "Oh yeah, you do just so much for me, like bother me while I'm trying to relax, screw my sister and come out here a few minutes later... You that desperate to brag about your conquest?!" The red-head reflexively squeezed her eyes shut and scrunched up her face. "Ugh... I shouldn't be so bitchy. He probably... Just wants to ask me something... Doubt he'd actually brag about something like that..."
"Vicki?"
"Ahfuck!" She jumped as she felt a cool, damp hand come to rest on her shoulder and give it a gentle nudge, instantly making her skin break out with goosebumps as an electric-feeling shock shot up her spine. Vicki immediately turned her head to face the cause of her surprise, who looked nearly as shocked as she felt. "Christ, Twerp! Next time just flip the float over! I think that might have been less effective at scaring the Hell out of me! Jeez..." Her head dropped back down, face-first, onto her arm as she took a few quick but deep breaths.
"Er, sorry. I figured you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you, but there's something important I need to talk to you about, so I came out here and first thought about splashing you, but I knew you'd get mad if I did that, so then I just tried to quietly get in the pool and make my way over to you, which I did, but I didn't mean to surprise... You... Uh, sorry again." Timmy paused to hold his chin in thought, wondering if there was any part of his quick story that he'd left out.
"Well you did. Next time..." Vicki trailed off as she looked up and rested her chin on her arm, now looking toward the side of the backyard. "Next time just let me be, Twerp."
"Are... Are you okay?" It wasn't hard for the brunet to pick up on a certain odd tone in his ex-babysitter's voice. She sounded... Tired almost. But not in the sense that she'd just ran a marathon or anything, tired like... Emotionally spent. Weary, even. And he was back to just 'Twerp' again. Not to say he had any real problem with the moniker, but Vicki calling him Timmy made him feel like they'd been taking a step in the right direction, more towards friendship, and away from animosity, and the bad memories that accompanied it.
"I'm fine."
"So you're not fine." He responded without missing a beat. Young as he may be, he wasn't stupid. When a girl says she's fine in that tone, she never is.
"I'm pretty sure I just said I am fine." Vicki spoke with a hint of that familiar angry edge in her voice as her gaze finally turned toward the brunet. "So what are you-"
"Except you aren't. You're acting like you did in Nasty Burger, when Tootie hugged you." By now, the teen had long since moved his hand off the red-head's shoulder, now using both hands to cling to the side of the float while he lazily kicked his legs to aid in staying afloat. "So, as your friend, who cares, I'm asking you. What's wrong?"
"'As your friend, who cares...' You sound like such a sap!" This time, the angry tone wasn't held back. Vicki very nearly spat the words out at the teen. "I wasn't sleeping, I was pretending to sleep so you'd leave. Me. Alone!"
Timmy unconsciously flinched and shrunk back a little at her tone, likely a remnant of the defense mechanism he'd learned from back when Vicki still babysat him. "Right. Can't forget that she... Gets like this sometimes." Much as he was attracted to the red-head, he really did wish she'd be a little more... Forefront with what was bothering her. It'd be better than just getting all defensive without explanation... "...You'll have to try harder than that to get me to go away. I told you I wanted to try to be friends, and I meant it, Vicki." He leaned in again, a confident look on his face as he watched the girl's soften by the slightest amount.
"Grr..." She growled in frustration and opened her mouth to speak, but, after a few seconds, all that came out was a sigh. "Why do I always get like this? Is it any wonder I don't have too many friends? Everytime someone wants to help, I push them away and get defensive... But what else can I do? Am I supposed to be weak and talk things out? Suppose... It couldn't hurt... Not with Timmy, anyway..." "So where's Tootie?" "Smooth girl, just avoid the issue..."
"Hm? She's in the house. She... Actually told me to come out here on my own, said it'd be better if I talked to you alone about... What I want to talk to you about..." Timmy looked over his shoulder at his house, seeing that they were still alone in his backyard.
"No doubt getting in a bit of rest after the fun you two had, am I right?" The red-head spoke in an unintentionally accusing tone, her words coming out more harshly than she'd expected them to. Which made her wonder... "Am I... Jealous? Jealous of Tootie? Sure, she got Timmy, but... Jealous?"
"Rest? Rest from wha-Oh. Oh! N-no, Tootie and I- We didn't- I mean, we almost did, but we didn't because- Um..."
"Relax. I've been pretty much encouraging you two all day, and you and her desperately need to get that out of your systems. This extended courtship-slash-flirtation thing you've got going on? It's getting a little old. So just tell me the truth, you and Tootie... Y'know...? Horizontal body-shuffle?" Vicki slyly quirked an eyebrow up as she grinned at Timmy, taking some small comfort in being able to tease him and make him squirm. And judging by his rapidly reddening cheeks, he was definitely squirming now...
"No! Tootie and I just- Talked. And maybe kissed... A little!" The brunet quickly blurted out as he again shrank back and sank down into the water to try and avoid an angry(and likely physical) response from Vicki. "And there was... Some touching... But! But we didn't do tha-"
"Sex, Twerp. It's called sex. You and Tootie are so odd like that. Absolutely desperate to jump each others bones, but too prudish to call the act what it is..." The older girl shook her head back and forth in an almost disapproving manner.
"We- We didn't have sex... And the reason why is partially why I'm out here... Or... Uh... Mostly why I'm... Out here." Timmy's voice was barely above a whisper by the time he finished; both arms now crossed and resting on the float, acting as a pillow for his chin. "I wanted to a-ask you if y-you might, um..."
"Oh god, you don't have condoms, do you? Dammit, you would be the one guy who didn't keep that 'lucky condom' in his wallet, wouldn't you?" Vicki facepalmed, realizing she should've known by now that Timmy was the exception to a lot of preconceived notions she had about males. "And seeing as how you're... What? Sixteen, right?" Vicki asked in a teasing tone, earning her an eye roll from the brunet, but he did smile at her joke. "You want your soon to be sister in law to go get you some so we don't have to hear the pitter-patter of little munchkin feet, right?"
"Munchkin feet?" The teen questioned in amusement. "You call babies 'munchkins'?"
"Yeah, I do. Something wrong with that?"
Timmy shook his head back and forth at Vicki's narrow-eyed look at him and chuckled. "Nope. Nothing at all. It's kinda... Cute, I guess. Unexpected, but cute."
"Great. The Twerp finds me cute." Vicki scoffed indifferently. Were she not so positive of Timmy's feelings for her sister, she might care more about him finding her cute, but her chance was gone, slipped between her fingers without her even realizing it was there, not until it was too late, anyway. "Look... Just gimme a few minutes, and I'll go and get them. I'm a little too young to be an aunt just yet."
"Ah... Alright, but..." The brunet scratched the back of his head, unsure of how best to word his next sentence. "I appreciate that, but um... I didn't come out here to ask for... Condoms..."
"Why? You actually want to have a kid with her or something? Don't think you're a little young for-"
"I didn't mean-!" Timmy's blushed bright red at Vicki's question. "That's... Jumping a little too far into the future for me. I can barely think a week ahead of time, nevermind... Serious stuff like that. I mean, I like Tootie, but... There's still the-"
"Oh... I see. Still the matter of that other girlfriend of yours, right?" The red-head asked knowingly. "Could he still...? No, no I've got to nip this in the bud before he-"
"She... Isn't my girlfriend... Like I said, I don't even think she knows I like her..." The teen's voice took on a more somber tone as he finished. Here he was, right in front of his other crush, and the girl that he knew he could probably never have, now that he'd essentially made her think he and Tootie were... Planning on messing around soon... "Why is this so hard to say?! So what if she's mad? She won't kill me, right? I'll probably get an earful, maybe a slap, but she wouldn't actually hurt me for real, so why can't I just-"
"Twer- Ngh..." The red-head sighed, wishing she could just avoid and forget this whole conversation as she looked at the Twerp... Her Twerp. "Not anymore..." "Timmy. I know who it is."
"...What?" Timmy asked dumbly, being completely unprepared for not only getting caught off, but for Vicki to actually know that-
"It took me... Longer than it should have to realize it." She sighed loudly before continuing, knowing the conversation she was about to head into... Wouldn't be an easy one. "All those little stares, occasionally watching me when I relaxed on the couch in the living room, your 'hypothetical' question today, the way you act around me... I figured it was just... Just stupid teenage bullshit. Some little crush you had that you'd get over or... Or..."
"Hormones?" Timmy spoke up, having heard that excuse far too many times to count. Everything in his teenage years could be attributed to hormones. Growth, interests, feelings... Sometimes he wondered if people would start blaming the weather on his hormones too.
"I dunno if I was in denial, or just... Too stupid to see it." Again, Vicki laid her head down, face-first onto her arm, this time groaning as she did. "And lets not forget how many times you've pulled my ass out of the fire... Sometimes literally." She felt her cheeks heat up at this. The red-haired girl and humility were not on the best of terms. "Which is why... I am flattered that you... That you like me, but... Shit, I'm glad Tootie got to you before I figured it out. You're... A really good kid Timmy, and I'm... An insane choice for someone like you. Look at how easily I blew up at you just because I thought... Something stupid." She shot Timmy a sad look as she finished. "It might've been... Nice to try something like that out, but..."
"So..." The teen started, but paused and instead began mentally counting the freckles on Vicki's shoulder. "What can I even say? She seems pretty sure of herself, and if I- ...Ugh. I came out here to say something... And I have to see this through, for even the slim- Impossible chance that it might work." "You know you were- Er, are the other girl then, right?"
"Yeah... It's pretty obvious at this point. Seriously Timmy, just... Try and get over this crush or, or whatever it is, alright? Tootie and you... I think you've got a real shot, and she seems happy around you. She's finally got this guy of her dreams who's sweet, caring, looks out for people, can be brave... While still being a Twerp..." She let out a small chuckle as her comment made the teen pout at her. "I want her to be happy, and if anyone can make her happy, it's you." Vicki smiled warmly at Timmy as she finished, happy she was able to for once, say something genuinely nice to the teen's face, rather than during her little private talks with her sister.
"But what about you?" It was Timmy's turn to speak in an almost accusatory manner, this time making sure he looked Vicki right in her eyes.
"What about me what?"
"You don't think you deserve to be happy? You've always been the type to take what you want without thinking it over, and I... I envied that about you. You don't sit around thinking your next action through like I do, you just do... Whatever."
"Normally... You'd be right. Hell, I can't even say my happiness shouldn't come at someone elses expense, because... I mean, I am me, after all." The red-head's lips curled upward into a wistful smile. "...And maybe... Maybe I do like you, Timmy. Just took me a little too long to realize that a lot of the stuff Tootie sees in you, the stuff that makes you a great guy... I suppose it might be nice to be with someone who actually cares about me, rather than just getting his dick wet... Hehe... And speaking of... You're no slouch in that department, are ya? I think I know the more... Physical aspect as to why Tootie likes you..." She laughed as Timmy's face again rivaled the color of a ripened tomato.
"And you say I was checking you out?" The teen turned away, suddenly finding the fence far to his left much more interesting than the half naked girl in front of him.
"Hey, you can't blame a girl for staring. Call it... 'Art appreciation', I know you do it to me pretty often!" A wicked but teasing smile broke out across the twenty-two year old's face.
Timmy felt his cheeks heating up again, and that nervous warmth breaking out across his body, even in the cool-ish water of the pool. Partly because he just now realized that his little stares at Vicki hadn't gone as unnoticed as he thought, and partially because she- The 'other one', as Tootie had referred to her earlier that morning... Actually admitted to maybe liking him too. "You- You still haven't told me what you were so... Pissed about."
"Eugh... Right. That." Vicki again turned away from the teen. "Should I really tell him? He's... He's only gonna think worse of me if I do." Her gaze drifted back over to Timmy, who was staring at her curiously, a moderately obvious blush still coloring his cheeks. "...Why do I find those teeth so cute?! They're big and so obvious; you could probably land a small plane on them, and they're... Cute?!"
"Not to uh... Break your concentration, but... Do I have something on my face?"
"I was mad because I thought you were coming out here to brag about nailing Tootie." Vicki suddenly blurted out, making her promptly cover her mouth with both hands and shoot Timmy a wide-eyed look, hardly believing she'd admitted her reason so easily. "I uh..." She moved her hands off her mouth to speak, but they still covered it, making her words come out in a mumble. "I probably should've kept that one in a thought bubble..."
Even Timmy felt dumbstruck by his ex-babysitter's confession. "Could this day get any weirder? She likes me and she thought I'd- Wait. She thought Tootie and I... And she was mad because-!" "Vicki?"
Moving her hands away form her mouth, Vicki brought them together and began nervously drumming her fingers against each other. "Uh... Eheh... Yeah?" The red-head frowned as her voice cracked, making her sound... Certainly not twenty-two. She almost sounded like she was just a kid, barely over ten years old.
"Were you- Are you... Jealous? Of me and Tootie... Dating?" There was a hint of uncertainty to his tone, though unbeknownst to Timmy, he'd hit the nail on the head this time.
"Twerp's too smart for his own good! No way can I say I am! Don't say anything! Just tell him no! Save yourself the trouble, and Tootie the heartache in case he wants to jump ship for any reason!" Vicki's conscience berated her, knowing deep down that she wanted Timmy, but not at the expense of Tootie not having him. Her little sister had been chasing this boy for years! She couldn't do that to her, just swoop in and steal him from her! "A little." Her mouth betrayed her mind. She wanted to slap herself for that one...
"Oh... Uh, wow." Timmy wiped his hand, now cool from the water, across his brow.
"You sound relieved..." The red-head muttered out with the slightest hint of bitterness in her voice. "Ugh, I told you earlier... Even though it was an accident, I do think you're... Kinda cute... S-sometimes!" She clarified, her own cheeks now racing to match the color Timmy's had been a moment earlier. "And... From what I know since I practically raised you... You're not a moron, and you're not an asshole, either..." Vicki jumped as she felt a cool, wet hand touch her... Actually, two of them, both gripping her arm gently yet firmly, and practically clinging onto her for dear life. It was enough to make her jump, though only slightly. "What are you do-"
Timmy, seeing his chance, leaned in, putting his face mere inches from Vicki's. "I want to ask you something."
The girl's pink eyes met Timmy's blue, momentarily doing little but stare into them. "...O-okay... What... is it?" She was met with an odd look, one she'd have a hard time describing later, she knew that for a fact. The teen's face was... Somehow really intense, like his next question was of the life or death variety, yet there was a certain... Glint in his bright azure eyes, a sparkle of giddiness, it seemed.
"Okay, so um..." Timmy let out a shivery giggle, hardly believing that Tootie... Might actually be right. "This is gonna sound... Crazy. And you'll probably think I'm an asshole for saying it, but just uh, heheh... Let me say it, and finish before you... Do anything rash?" The brunet's sentence was finished in a pleading tone, knowing that he wouldn't be on thin ice if this didn't go just right, he'd be walking on water, and could fall in at anytime.
Vicki looked at the teen quizzically. "With how strange you're acting, I'm not promising a damn thing, Timmy." She felt goosebumps break out on her captive arm. The way he was looking at her... Was both weird, yet somehow exciting.
"Right... Um... So I was wondering if you-" Timmy paused, carefully thinking over his next sentence. It was tempting to involve Tootie, tell her older sister that it was her idea to have him come out here and ask if they'd be interested in trying... Whatever they were going to call this. A love triangle where everyone knows? But without the violence? A consensual three-way relationship agreement?
But the raven-haired girl was right. He wasn't going to throw her under the bus, he'd just calmly explain to Vicki that he really like them both, and ask her if she wanted to try this... Thing.
"Timmy? You're gonna give me weird tan lines at this rate." Vicki spoke up, a clear hint of amusement in her voice.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. I was just- Okay, you know I like Tootie, right?"
"Oh my god! A confession at last!" The red-head shouted dramatically, a victorious(and maybe a little teasing) grin on her face. "Yeah, couldn't make it more obvious that you do if you took a big mallet that said you like her and hit me over the head with it."
"A-and... You know I like you too, right?" The brunet felt his nerve begin to rapidly lave him, if he didn't just say what he needed to say soon, he might just decide against doing it and forget the whole thing.
Vicki glanced away with a pained expression. "Timmy-"
"I asked that you let me finish. Please?"
Even with her having known the teen for about eight years, his current tone was one she couldn't quite say she recognized. It was... Worried. Or... Pleading, almost, that word fit it better. And Timmy never pleaded. Not once in all the times she'd teased him, tortured him, threatened him... Frankly, it kind of scared her, to some small extent. With a dramatic huff of air through her nose, Vicki nodded, allowing Timmy to continue.
"So, with that in mind, and how Tootie's been... Acting around you... Would you maybe... Want to try for a relationship-type-thing?" The brunet's voice dropped off to a near whisper as he finished, making him briefly wonder if he'd spoken loud enough for his ex-babysitter to hear him.
Yet the only response was tense silence, aside from the slight noise given off by the pool filters. Silence that clung to the air around them for far longer than it had any right to, leaving both parties; Timmy and Vicki, merely staring at each other for a full minute, before-
"You wanna run that by me again?" The red-head questioned in a completely disbelieving tone, like someone had just told her their stepmother was married to Bigfoot. "No way, no way did he just ask me that. Why would he ask me that? Tootie and I are close, but... Did she tell him to come out here and just ask me... If I wanted to date him instead? Or does he think he won't be happy with Tootie? Does he maybe like me more than her?" "J-just to c-clarify... You want to dump Tootie..." Vicki grimaced, the statement tasting bitter in her mouth. "And... And date me?" She was unable to push out the slightly flattered squeak at being chosen over her sister, much as she didn't want... Whatever sounded like was happening.
"Wha-? N-no, I- I mean... I wasn't thinking me and you, I was thinking me and you... And Tootie...?" Timmy finished with a squeak of his own. Relieved as he was at finally getting the question out, he was now mere moments from dealing with the fallout of said question. "L-like, y'know... The three of us?"
Again, Vicki found herself speechless. Leave it to her Twerp to completely subvert expectations and turn what she thought she knew about him on its head. Though this wasn't necessarily a good subversion... "Gotta admit, it took some balls to come out here and ask something like that." The older girl's inner voice, her 'conscience' she supposed, sounded almost... Impressed? What was impressive about a sixteen year-old trying to fulfill his wet dream fantasies of a three-way?! "Ahah..." The red-head laughed in what could best be described as an aloof manner. "Timmy?"
"Y-yeah?"
She could feel a slight twitch in her forehead, likely blood rushing through a vein. In her opinion, it was a shame how cute and hopeful he looked, because now- "I hope you can breathe underwater."
"Breathe under-" Timmy began in a now confused tone.
Vicki's bright pink eyes, filled with confusion mere moments before, now flashed dangerously at the brunet. "Because I'm going to kill you for asking me something so stupid!"