Vicky took her phone out of her pocket, checking the time to find that it was a little after ten-thirty. "Huh... Those two have been quiet for a while now..." She briefly glanced over at the stairs, before turning her attention back to the TV. "Wonder if that's a good thing..." She swung her legs off the couch and leaned forward, grabbing her half-empty bottle of pink lemonade on the coffee table to take a quick sip from it. "Ah... Maybe I should go check on them. Twerp's too much of a prude to try anything, but Tootie..."
The red-head released a huff of air through her nostrils. She was pretty sure that Timmy, despite being at about the age to be in the thick of puberty; wasn't particularly knowledgeable about sex and fooling around and... 'Experimenting' as her health teacher had once called it, but her little sister was absolutely a different story. Tootie wasn't the type to wear especially provocative clothing or anything, but what she did know was that she was cute, and how to flirt, something the twenty year old had a sneaking suspicion was partially her fault. The one saving grace, she supposed; was that Tootie seemingly only had eyes for Timmy, meaning the only time she really had to keep an eye on the girl, was when she was around Timmy.
Of course, Vicky also didn't want to have to literally babysit the two fourteen year olds either. Yes, she was being paid to watch them, since they were both minors, but she certainly didn't need a babysitter at that age... "Hmph... Then again, I was a babysitter at that age... But I didn't have any cute guy friends like the Twerp, either." Vicky mused to herself quietly, reclining back against the couch cushions. "...Shit. If I'm gonna get any sleep tonight... I'll need to head back to the house and pick up my..." A mental image of the red-head's small, pink teddy bear flashed in her mind, saving her from actually having to say 'teddy bear' out loud, though her cheeks still blushed a pink that matched the aforementioned teddy bear.
She began to sit up and rise to her feet, only to take pause as she heard a door open upstairs, followed by low footsteps moving down the upstairs hall and over to the landing. In response, she sunk back down onto the couch and allowed her elbow to come to rest on the arm of it, holding her head up in her hand to appear as nonchalant as possible for whoever was coming down.
Less than a second after this, she heard footfalls on the stairs, and glanced over at them out of the corner of her eye to see a familiar pink shirt and blue pajama shorts. "I see you're still alive." Vicky joked as her charge came closer, then stopped just to the left of the coffee table.
"Eh... Yeah, Tootie and I were just... Watching 'Halloween'... The uh... Original one." The brunet rubbed at the back of his head nervously, obviously having something that he wanted to say or ask on the tip of his tongue.
"Ah... That your choice? Or Tootie's?" The older girl questioned in a sly tone, knowing her sister's love of the horror genre quite well.
"Tootie's." The teen remarked simply. "She really likes to watch horror movies and... Ah... Get kind of... C-Cuddly on the couch..." A similar blush to the one that had broken out across Vicky's cheeks now decorated Timmy's as he shifted his weight back and forth on his feet.
"Oh, don't even get me started." The red-head rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Whenever me and her watch scary movies together, I can pretty much guarantee she'll either immediately hop onto the couch and huddle close to me, or on the rare occasion she does sit on the opposite side of the couch, she'll 'stealthily' make her way over to me everytime there's a dark scene in the movie... Lemme guess, she has you turn off all the lights too?" She quirked a knowing eyebrow up at the buck-toothed teen, earning her a slow nod in the affirmative, coupled with a somewhat confused look.
"Y-Yeah, actually... I-Um... Just thought she only did it with... Me, that's all..." Timmy trailed off in an almost wistful-sounding tone.
"Well... I mean, it's not like Tootie has that many people she hangs out with... Truth be told, you should feel kind of... Happy, even though I'm sure she can drive you up a wall at times. The only person she watches movies with in general-that I know of-is me... Er... Until now, anyway." After a few moments of silence, Vicky shrugged indifferently. "Guess it means she really likes being around you. Which you probably already kinda knew." She spoke teasingly, once again winking at her charge.
"Hnh..." The teen crossed his arms, adopting a contemplative pose as he closed his eyes and slightly tilted his head toward the floor.
"...She's- Uh... N-Not doing anything besides that, right?" Vicky asked somewhat uneasily, wondering in the back of her mind just how far Tootie would go with her alone time with Timmy.
"Hm? Like... How do you mean?" He asked confusedly, a curious frown on his face.
"Crap, he would be too innocent to know what I'm talking about... Don't they teach kids about sex ed anymore?!" "Like... She's just cuddling with you, right? No-Ah... R-Roaming hands... Or anything?" The twenty year old felt her cheeks heat up once more as she spoke. She was not gonna be the one to give Timmy 'the talk'.
"No... I mean, she kinda lies down like... With one arm around my waist and... Uhm... She uses m-my chest like a pillow, but... Wh-Why do you ask anyway? Does she get more handsy with y-you or something...?" The teen felt a strange wave of heat wash over his body as he spoke, though he had no idea why.
"Wha?! N-No! She's my sister you-!" The red-head caught herself, realizing Timmy more than likely had no idea why such a question might sound inappropriate. "Er... Ah-Ehehe... No. She just gets kind of clingy, l-like you said..."
"Oh... Well... Alright then?"
An awkward silence fell over the living room as Timmy scratched at his nose out of a nervous habit, and Vicky folded her arms across her chest, refocusing her gaze mainly on the TV, though she continued to watch her charge out of the corner of her eye.
"Well..." He began, seemingly anticipating an interruption from his babysitter, and continuing when none came. "I'm... Gonna go make some nachos or something for me and Tootie... You... Want anything?" He spoke slow and hesitantly, unable to completely dispel the odd, nervous feeling he was getting around the red-head.
Actually, both Tootie and Vicky made him feel nervous at times, but for fairly different reasons. Tootie, because of how obsessive she used to act around him when they were younger, and because over the years, her advances had become not entirely unwelcome(though he very rarely showed it); while Vicky made him nervous because... Because of how different she was from when they first met. She really wasn't all that mean to him anymore, and more often than not even acted like how he guessed a babysitter was supposed to act. They got along, they played games and watched movies together, and of course, they slept together pretty often.
He'd never put much thought into it before, but now, he was beginning to wonder if he was still filling in for her teddy bear out of convenience, or if she was actually forgetting it on purpose. It would certainly explain a fair bit, as she never forgot anything else, and she was quite willing to sleep in his bed with him even if he was sick, but other than that, she didn't really... Give him anything to go on. The most affectionate she ever got was when they slept together, and she cuddled him close in much the same way that her younger sister did. Yet cuddling in bed didn't necessarily equate to attraction, either. Plenty of animals cuddled up together to sleep out of habit, as it was easier to share body heat that way.
"...Better not bring it up. Knowing her, she'll take it the wrong way or something, and I... Kind of like Vicky cuddling me..." Timmy's eyes widened considerably as the realization hit him like a truck. "Wait... I do like her cuddling me?!" He blurted out, forgetting for a brief moment that he wasn't alone in the living room.
"Uh... Do you now?" The red-head quirked an eyebrow up at the brunet's sudden outburst. "That's... Fascinating? I guess? ...Did you even hear what I said, Twerp?"
"Wha...? O-Oh! Sorry, I was just... Th-Thinking about s-something!" Timmy spoke evasively, his face red with embarrassment.
"Hmph. Sounds more like someone, Twerp." Vicky remarked knowingly(or so she thought). "Look, I don't care if you like my sister, are afraid of her, or whatever. Just behave yourselves while I'm around, got it? Last thing I need is a bunch of smaller Twerps running around, calling me 'Auntie Vicky'..." She muttered out the last statement, punctuating it with a small shudder. "...Getting back to what I said though... If there's enough chips and stuff, do you think you could make me a plate of nachos too?"
"Oh right! I ah... Kinda forgot..." The teen sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his left hand; his blush fading, but still clearly visible as a bright pink tint on his cheeks. "I'll um... G-Go do that then." He quickly moved in front of the TV, passing Vicky's line of sight before disappearing into the kitchen.
Once she heard the telltale clattering of dishes and the rustling of a bag of chips, Vicky quietly snickered to herself, shaking her head back and forth in amusement. "He's so weird sometimes..." Kicking her feet up onto the coffee table, the red-head uncrossed her arms and instead brought them up behind her head, folding them to use as a makeshift pillow. It didn't take long for her thoughts to again drift to her forgotten sleep aid, however; causing her lips to form a slight frown. "Hey, Twerp?" She called toward the kitchen, hearing the familiar hum of the microwave.
"Yeah?" The teen poked his head around the corner formed by the door frame between the living room and kitchen.
"So... Here's the thing... Y'know how I have that er... Thing I told you about, a while back? The thing that helps me sleep at night?" Despite her relaxed posture, Vicky could feel her cheeks blooming with heat once more.
"You're talking about your teddy bear, right-Ah!" Timmy pulled his head back around the corner just as Vicky whipped one of the throw pillows from the couch at him, hitting one of the chairs at the kitchen table hard enough to knock it over with a loud 'thud'. "Ehehe... Sorry." He slowly poked his head back out, an apologetic look on his face.
"The next one won't miss, Twerp." The older girl very nearly growled at the teen, glaring daggers at him. "But yeah, that thing. I forgot it at my house, so... If I'm gonna get any sleep tonight..." She spoke over an exasperated sigh; annoyed with herself for having such a weakness she perceived as childish.
"Wha- You're gonna go get it?" Timmy asked nervously.
"It's either that or get little to no sleep tonight... Look, I just need to drive over to my house, go inside and up to my room, and grab it, then I'll come right back here. Shouldn't take more than ten, fifteen minutes, tops." Vicky slid her feet off the table, reaching for her sneakers as she did. "I just need you two to behave while I'm gone, think you can both handle that?"
"I... Don't know if that's such a good idea..." The brunet tipped over until his shoulder collided with the door frame to lean against it. "Tootie's been pretty... Uh... 'Normal' lately, but..."
"But what? She's not gonna do anything too crazy in only fifteen minutes, and... And besides, you don't even have to tell her I'm gone! Just go back up there with the nachos and pretend I never left!"
"Couldn't... Couldn't you maybe take her with you? Or me, even?" Timmy began to sound just slightly desperate. He knew the raven-haired girl well enough by now. It didn't matter how normal and friendly she acted, the second she knew it was just her and Timmy, she'd try to pull something. What exactly, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't particularly keen on finding out, either.
"Kid-... Timmy, there's really no need. I'd tell Tootie to behave herself, but if I do, she might be more inclined to try something while I'm at the house, y'know?" The red-head tried her best to reassure the teen, but she was woefully inexperienced when it came to this sort of thing.
"I know, but... But Tootie makes me nervous. If you're here, I know she won't try anything like... Like what she used to. Can't you please just stay?" Timmy pleaded, his blue eyes locking onto Vicky's pink ones, causing her to close her eyes and let out an annoyed huff of air through her nose.
"Argh... Dammit! Why does he have to sound so... Needy...?" The twenty year old thought to herself, quickly realizing that this boy she called the Twerp not only knew just what to say to get to her, he knew exactly how to say it. Sappy as it sounded, even to her; he was actually pretty gifted when it came to tugging at her heartstrings. After nearly a minute of silence that almost seemed deafening, Vicky released a loud, dramatic sigh and kicked her sneakers away. "You are such a Twerp sometimes, you know that?"
Timmy didn't respond, opting instead to simply stare at his babysitter in anticipation.
"...I need sleep too! And you know I can't sleep without... Either that thing I mentioned..." She looked over at the teen, her voice dropping to little more than a murmur. "Or you..."
"I know..." The brunet again spoke apologetically, flinching a little as the microwave beeped loudly in the kitchen, signaling that the first plate of nachos he'd made was done. "B-But... If you stay... I-I'll find some way to make it up to you, I promise!" He disappeared back into the kitchen, temporarily leaving the twenty year old alone with her thoughts.
"Hah... Silver linings..." Vicky sighed, pulling her legs back up onto the couch and lying down. "Suppose I'll have to think of something you can do for me..." She called into the kitchen, listening as Timmy prepared what sounded like another plate of nachos, then put the dish into the microwave and started it. "Maybe really do my homework or someth-Hm?" Looking to her right somewhat suddenly, Vicky's eyes fell on Timmy once more as he placed the plate of nachos she'd requested down on the coffee table, followed by another bottle of pink lemonade. "Heheh... You spoil me, Twerp." She looked up at him with a smirk, causing his cheeks to visibly pinken.
"W-Well... I just wanted to show that... I appreciate you staying. I don't have anything against Tootie, and... T-To be honest, I don't even mind her being clingy or cuddly all the time..." Timmy absently brought his hand up to his nose and scratched at it with his index finger, then quickly let his hand drop back to his side as he realized what he was doing. "But I do feel better knowing you're here."
"Oh. Then um... Th-That's... Nice of you to say?" Vicky spoke in a bemused tone. He 'appreciated' her? Since when? And why? They certainly weren't what any sane person would call friends, were they? And what about all the things she'd done to him in the past? Had he conveniently forgotten all that? Or... Had he simply decided to move on? "Does he maybe even... Forgive me...?"
Beep!
The microwave again beeped loudly from the kitchen, causing both Timmy and Vicky to jump in surprise at the sudden noise.
"A-Anyway, you'd better get back to Toots, before she comes down here wondering where you are, and sees us acting all... Mushy." The red-head shuddered and spoke in a disgusted tone, but still managed to shoot her charge a small, lopsided grin.
"Yeah... I guess so." The brunet spun around on his heel, going back the way he came and disappearing into the kitchen once again.
"Well, I suppose one night without sleep won't kill me..." Vicky stated aloofly as she snatched up a chip from her plate, then bit into it, humming in delight at the salty, delicious taste of the cheese-covered chip.
Timmy, meanwhile; returned from the kitchen, plate of nachos and a couple of drinks for himself and Tootie in hand. He was quick to move across the living room and past the TV, to avoid interrupting whatever it was that his babysitter was watching. Yet just as his foot fell upon the first stair back up tot he second floor, he paused, turning his attention to the red-head. "Oh, if I don't end up coming back down for anything... I just-Um... Wanted to say... Have a good night, Vicky."
"You too, Timmy. Don't let the bedbugs-or my little sister-bite!" Vicky giggled teasingly, earning her a confused look from the brunet, before he shook his head and climbed the rest of the stairs up to the second floor.