A/N: Yay! Last chapter! ...Not story for this little saga-thing though, still have a few more to release intermittently. Thanks for reading and reviewing, it all goes a long way to keeping me dedicated to writing these for all of yous! ;3
"Now, how am I...?" Timmy stared at his closed bedroom door, plate of nachos in one hand, and a couple of cans of soda in the other. "Well-" The teen reared his head back, then brought it forward with a bit of force, headbutting his door and producing a loud thump from the collision. "Aow..."
The thump was almost instantly followed by a loud yelp of surprise from within his room, itself followed by the unmistakable sound of a body falling off a couch and onto a hardwood floor. "Owie..." He heard Tootie whine out pathetically as she got up from the floor, then walked around the couch and over to the door, before pulling it open. "About time..." The raven-haired girl winced as she stepped to the side and rubbed her rear-end.
"You okay?" He asked with a grin, not particularly worried about his friend, despite her apparently sore butt.
"Aside from my probably fractured ass and the little heart attack you gave me when you knocked with what sounded like your big head! ...Yes, I'm fine." Tootie began in a loud, angry tone as she glared at her friend, but her voice soon returned to a more inside-friendly volume as she finished.
"Glad to hear it. I brought food-"
"Yay!" Tootie cut him off excitedly as she snatched the plate of nachos out of his hand and returned to the couch, diving back into the spot she'd been occupying while waiting for the brunet. "What took so long?" She whined out dramatically, sounding as if the nachos would be her first meal in days.
"I had to make some for Vicky too." Timmy shrugged as he rejoined his friend on the couch, handing her the can of soda he'd gotten for her while opening his own.
"As in, you had to because she told you to, or she asked you?" The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes at him, though the look was clearly meant for her older sister.
"I offered, Tootie." The teen remarked wearily as he reached for the remote, then unpaused the movie, hoping to keep his conversation with Tootie, off of Vicky.
The girl fell silent for a few seconds, before letting out an annoyed huff, sounding not unlike her older sister when she did the very same thing. "I wish you'd just tell if there's something going on... Is... Is Vicky blackmailing you or something? She must still be mean now and then, right?" Tootie scooted across the couch and over to Timmy, settling herself on the cushion right next to the one he occupied.
"Argh... Why does she... I guess it's because she knows Vicky even better than me, since she lives with her..." "I dunno what you want me to tell you." Timmy shrugged and pulled his legs up onto the couch. Despite the(very probable) repercussions in doing so, he laid down in much the same way he'd been doing before he went downstairs to get the nachos, knowing his friend couldn't resist laying down with him like they always did when they watched movies together. "If Vicky was doing something... Like what you said, I'd tell you, and the guys."
"Humph..." The bespectacled girl crossed her arms, seemingly thinking the brunet's reasoning over. "Ugh... I guess you're right... Maybe I'm just being paranoid..." With that, she moved closer, reclaiming her earlier position at Timmy's side as she laid her head partially on his chest and placed the plate of food down in front of his stomach, then looped one arm back around his waist. Feeling a bit greedy, she took the opportunity to nuzzle her cheek against his chest, a small smile playing at her lips.
Deep down, part of her knew that Timmy was consciously doing this; letting her hold him close and just... Enjoy each others' presence. Rarely did they get to have these little moments as of late, and while she obviously couldn't read his mind, she made sure to enjoy them to the fullest, both because it felt like a small victory for her, and because she wasn't always sure when the next one would come.
Downstairs...
"Maybe if I'm quiet..." Vicky's gaze drifted over to the stairs, wondering if her sister and Timmy would hear her if she stepped out for a few minutes; just long enough to get her teddy bear from her house. "I probably could, but... Hah... I did tell him I'd stay..." She sighed out, snatching up another chip and bringing it to her mouth. "Twerp's gonna spend the next month making up for this..." She relaxed into the couch cushions and got a bit more comfortable, lightly fluffing her pillow and throwing her blanket over herself, finally deciding that, since she told Timmy she'd stay, she was going to keep her word.
She wondered to herself when exactly it was that Timmy's feelings had come into play. A year and a half ago, she would've left without a second thought, as it was her getting a good night's sleep versus his fears of her younger sister doing... Who knows what Tootie would do, but the red-head was certain that it wouldn't be anything too extreme. Yes, Tootie was a bit obsessed when it came to Timmy, but she did have a good head on her shoulders, she wouldn't... Try to get him to fool around... Probably.
The twenty year old felt the warmth of a slight blush creep across her cheeks. "Sh-She'd probably find s-some way to get condoms or something... Agh!" Vicky rapidly shook her head back and forth, willing the very idea of her sister and the Twerp being sexually active out of her mind. "Frickin' horny teenagers... And Timmy... Maybe I was wrong about him being a prude, if he's saying he likes cuddling with Tootie..."
Vicky brought her hand up to her chin, tapping it with her index finger in thought. "But why would he? Kid's always complaining about how clingy Tootie can get, so why...?" She spoke aloud to herself, hoping that vocalizing her thoughts would make them easier to organize. "Unless... Could he mean someone else? ...Pfft, like there are any other girls he knows that cuddle with him..." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, trying her best to ignore a certain growing thought in her mind, yet only became more and more frustrated as the idea seemed to taunt her attempt to ignore it, culminating with a vein in her forehead popping out slightly. "Gah... Frickin'... Annoying... Little Twerp!" The twenty year old fumed as she roughly grabbed the remote and turned off the TV, then tossed it onto the coffee table with a loud clattering noise before turning over to face the back of the couch and lying down with a 'humph!'.
Upstairs, some time later...
Timmy cracked his right eye open, followed by his left; the somewhat loud credits music of the movie he and Tootie had been watching waking him from his light slumber. "Nnh... Must've-" The teen cut himself off with a yawn and stretched his legs, then attempted to do the same with his arms, only for his right to nudge the now empty plate of nachos, and his left to glide along Tootie's own left arm; her skin a bit cool and soft to the touch. "...Fallen asleep..." He glanced down at the girl, only now noticing the warm dampness on his chest as she drooled on him; sleep evidently having claimed her quite some time before it did him. "Ah... Hey, Tootie?"
The raven-haired girl let out an odd sound somewhere between a moan and a whine, then ever so slightly tightened the grip of her right arm(now pinned underneath Timmy) around him, joining it with her left after a few seconds.
"Tootie. I know you're awake after that. Stop playing around and wake up so we can go to bed." The teen gently shook his friend's shoulder, eliciting another small whine from the girl.
"But I'm comfy here~..." Tootie groaned out childishly, squeezing her eyes shut in hopes that Timmy would just give up and let her lay on the couch with him.
"Well I'm not. For one, the couch isn't nearly as comfortable as my bed, and two, you're getting my shirt soaked!" The brunet began to wriggle beneath Tootie, finally getting her to release him and sit up, before wiping her mouth with her arm.
"Ugh! I don't see what the big deal is!" The bespectacled girl spoke in a petulant tone. "I'd let you drool on me..."
"Yeah, I'm sure you- Wh-What?! You'd- ...N-No, you know what? I'm not even gonna go there..." Timmy grabbed the empty plate that had contained their snack and set it down on the floor so it was out of the way, then stood up from the couch and slipped his shirt up over his head and off his body, tossing the slightly wet article of clothing into his laundry basket. After a moment, he looked over at Tootie, and, noticing her gaze had traveled a bit further south; followed it, his own gaze eventually falling on his now bare chest. "...You planned this." He deadpanned at her in a flat, almost comically unimpressed tone.
"Heehee! P-planned it?" Tootie fell into a fit of giggles at her friend's accusation. "H-How could I have-Ehehe! Planned to fall asleep and d-drool on you? It's not like I knew you'd take your shirt off!" She brought her hand up to her mouth to try and stifle her laughter. "A-Although... Hehehe... I'm not about to complain..." The girl looked at her friend through half-lidded eyes, her voice taking on a coy, sultry tone.
"C-Can we just g-get to bed already?!" The brunet's cheeks turned bright red as he quickly moved in front of his dresser and pulled the top drawer open, taking a new shirt out before slipping it on and covering himself.
"Aw... I was enjoying the nice view!" Tootie cried out, again sounding far younger than her fourteen years of age would suggest.
"Too bad." Timmy crossed his arms sternly, beginning to find his friend's obsession with him just a tiny bit more than he could bear.
"Ugh, fine." The raven-haired girl pouted, adopting a pose similar to Timmy's as she too crossed her arms and looked away. "After you, Timmy~..." Even with her apparent annoyance with the teen for cutting the little show he was giving her short, Tootie still managed to speak his name in a light, friendly manner; her voice holding an excited, giddy tone.
Timmy's shoulders slumped unconsciously as Tootie shot him a small, cute smile. It was just so hard to be mean to the girl! She seemed to bounce back whenever he tried to be stern with her, and when he outright pushed her away... "Who am I kidding? If I ever did really push her away, she'd probably cry..." His imagination took over from there, envisioning the girl who was his closest friend kneeling on the floor, face hidden in her hands as she sobbed pathetically. "And if Vicky ever found out..." He audibly gulped at the idea, knowing how protective the red-head was of her younger sister.
"Hello~..." Tootie slowly drew up in front of the teen, hands behind her back. "Timmy? We going to bed?"
"Hm? Er... Y-Yeah, I was just... Um..." He trailed off, his blue eyes focusing on Tootie's violet ones, filled with curiosity as she tilted her head slightly to the left. "...Thinking too much, I guess." The fourteen year old, moved past the girl in front of him, then climbed into bed and under the covers, lifting them up invitingly once he was settled in.
And Tootie, unsurprisingly; took the invitation without a second of hesitation, very nearly darting over to his bed and diving into the spot next to him. A happy little squeak escaped her as she turned over in bed, pressing her back against Timmy's chest as he let his comforter fall over the both of them.
"Ah... T-Tootie... Laying like this... P-Probably isn't the best idea-Ah... S-Since I-Um... W-With you being a g-girl and all..." The brunet stuttered out nervously, feeling Tootie's rear-end press against his crotch, and a certain sensitive organ. This was something he thought he'd made absolutely clear with her, as neither of them were innocent, naïve teenagers per se. They both knew the effects that puberty would have on their bodies, just as they both knew that the romantic attraction they both had to the opposite sex when they were younger... Was no longer just romantic.
And yet despite his insistence, here she was, pressing her butt to his crotch like she had no idea what she was doing... And Timmy knew Tootie knew what she was doing. As stated before, she was far from naïve or dumb.
"Mmm... Nah, it's fine!" The raven-haired girl replied cheerily as she took off her glasses and set them down on the bedside table, next to Cosmo and Wanda's fish bowl; for the night. "And my butt's not even that sore from when I fell off the couch, so I don't mind lying down like this!"
"That makes one of us..." The fourteen year old thought to himself, doing his best to subtly press his legs together and keep his mind off the somewhat intimate position he and Tootie were in. "Still..."
"Oh would you quit worrying?" Tootie chuckled out softly, cuddling a bit closer to Timmy as she nuzzled her cheek against her pillow. "So you're a guy, and sometimes certain parts of your anatomy... Get 'excited' around girls. Do you really think I mind?"
"W-Well... Maybe not... But I... I don't want... Him-" The brunet gestured down towards his privates with his eyes, despite the fact that Tootie was still facing away form him, and thus, couldn't see that he was gesturing in the first place. "-Giving you the wrong... Idea, I guess..."
"Heehee... Is that all?" The raven-haired girl at last turned around to face the brunet, her lips curled up into an amused smile. "Timmy, like I said, you're a guy. I know... That, isn't something you can exactly control, and sometimes it just... Happens."
Timmy sighed, closing his eyes. He hated how... Understanding Tootie could be. If only she knew that her behavior only made him feel worse about the way he treated her. She so obviously liked him, and was so nice and... Just happy to be around him. There were some days where he honestly wished he could see her the way she saw him, but just as Wanda insisted fairy magic couldn't destroy true love, it couldn't create it, either. It seemed he and Tootie just weren't meant to be, no matter how much she clearly wished for the contrary.
Then at the same time, Timmy also grappled with the realization that he actually enjoyed Vicky's company to quite a degree. He didn't just like being around her, and in some respects, even being babysat by her, but also, she made him feel... Something. The teen had no idea just what that something was, but he felt... Safe around her, somehow. Maybe about as safe as one would feel if they were locked in a cage with a tiger, but safe, nonetheless; as Vicky was the type of tiger who was strangely protective of the boy trapped in her cage.
That wasn't all, either. Their time sharing his bed had also taught him that he enjoyed being held in her warm, sometimes tight embrace. It made a strange, indescribable warmth seemingly well up from within his chest, one that lulled him into a comfortable slumber he'd never experienced, neither before nor after; when he slept alone.
"Mnh..."
The low moan shook Timmy from his thoughts, causing his gaze to refocus on Tootie, still facing him, but with her mouth very slightly agape, and her eyes closed peacefully. "Heheh..." He quietly laughed, finding that, even though he didn't crush on her like she did him, his friend was pretty cute, at times. "'Night, Tootie." With that, the brunet silently turned over onto his stomach and pushed himself up with his arms, the comforter sliding off him; then carefully climbed over his friend, making sure to avoid touching her as he did.
After what seemed like a slow, plodding eternity, the fourteen year old managed to make his way over Tootie's sleeping form, and finally out of bed. "Phew..." He paused to catch his breath, feeling slightly more worn out than he expected. "I... I need to work out more..." He moved toward his bedroom door, but soon thought better of it, and returned to his bedside, grasping the comforter still covering the raven-haired girl, and, making sure not to touch her as before; wrapped it a little more tightly around her. "There." Timmy nodded, then moved toward his bedroom door once again, this time successfully opening it and leaving his room, before quietly shutting the door behind him.
Unfortunately, he realized just a moment too late that the hall light wasn't on, and the act of shutting his bedroom door behind him plunged the teen into darkness, his only available sense being that of touch, and even that only told him that the floorboards beneath his feet were a bit cool. "Rrgh... Where's the light switch...?" The brunet fumbled about in the dark, slowly moving down the hallway as he pressed his hands to the wall to guide him. "Huh... No light from the TV, either... Did Vicky already go to bed too?" He continued down the hall, passing his parents' bedroom door, followed by the bathroom door, and finally reached the stairs, only coming to the conclusion that he'd found them when he suddenly ran out of wall to shimmy along, causing the teen to nearly tumble over the edge of the top stair. "Jeez... Should've brought my phone..." Timmy muttered to himself, mentally wishing he at least had something to illuminate the hall.
After he made sure his right hand had a firm grip on the railing, the teen slipped one foot forward along the wooden floor, hesitantly allowing it to drop off the edge and onto the next step below the top one, eliciting a sigh of relief from the buck-toothed fourteen year old. "Hah... Okay. One down, thirteen to go." His methodical descent down to the living room continued in this way, with the brunet going down one step at a time, making sure both feet were firmly planted on each step before slowly moving on to the next, until at last, he reached the relative safety of the living room floor, another sigh of relief escaping him. "Hehe... Made it." Timmy modestly congratulated himself, then made his way toward where, if memory served; the couch sat.
"Um... V-Vicky?" The teen paused for a moment, listening for the slow, steady breathing that generally indicated someone was asleep, and took a few, cautious steps forward when he heard only silence. "Are you... Awake? ...Are you even here-"
THUD
"Agh! What the- Ow!" Timmy yelped out loud as his shin smashed into the edge of the coffee table, while at the same time noticing a quick movement, despite the darkness; on what he assumed was the couch.
"Damn it all! Who-" Vicky instantly turned over and reached for her cell phone, which laid on the table. Once in hand, she turned it on and shined the light in the direction the noise and voice she'd heard had come from, cutting herself off as the small but bright light from her phone illuminated the fourteen year old she regularly referred to as 'The Twerp'; now clutching his left leg-just below his knee-in pain. "Wha- Timmy...?"
"Ack!" The teen recoiled at the light shining in his eyes, now adapted to the darkness and sensitive to even small light sources, never mind the practically blinding white one currently burning them with the brightness of a thousand suns! He brought both arms up to shield his temporarily blinded eyes, inadvertently releasing his leg and stumbling back, then finally lost his footing entirely and collapsed backward onto the floor with another loud thud that seemed to shake the whole room. "Nnh... Ow..." Timmy managed to breathe out, sounding more annoyed than pained; despite the head trauma he'd just received.
Trying in vain to stifle a giggle, Vicky sat up, mouth covered by her free hand, and shined her phone's light on the brunet, now sprawled out on the floor. "Je-Heehee! Jeez, Twerp... You-Ehehe! You alright?"
"Oh yeah..." The fourteen year old gasped out, wincing at his sore... Everything. "Just peachy..." He raised his arm up, extending it toward the red-head, who herself was still grappling with poorly hidden laughter. "Help me up... Please?"
"Hehehe! Sure, Twerp." Placing her phone down on the coffee table, Vicky reached out and grabbed Timmy's extended hand, pulling him up enough so he could grab the arm of the couch and help himself up the rest of the way.
"Thanks." Timmy nodded at his babysitter, just in time for her phone to shut off, plunging them into darkness once more. "Wish I'd remembered mine." He remarked causally as he bent down and rubbed at his sore shin, knowing full well that neither Cosmo nor Wanda were awake right now to grant his wish.
"I always did figure you to be the clumsy type, kid... So what's up? Shouldn't you be sleeping with your girlfriend right about now? It's nearly midnight." She tapped her phone's screen, lighting up the living room once more.
"S-She's not my-! Hah..." The blue-eyed teen sighed as he heard the older girl start to chuckle again. "Can't you stop teasing me, just for a little while...?"
"Mm-hm! I definitely could... But the way you always react when I do... It's just too much fun not to!" Vicky lunged forward, looping her left arm around Timmy's midsection, and pulled him onto the couch with her, into her lap; then switched off, using her right arm to hold him in place while grinding the knuckles of her left hand into his hair.
"Ah-! S-Stop-! It-! V-Vicky-y-y!" The teen cried out, struggling in vain against the red-head's oddly strong grip.
"Only if you tell me why you're down here instead of in bed like you should be!" Though she'd never admit it, and had no idea why she felt it; Vicky couldn't help but feel... Strangely happy, due to her charge's presence. Maybe it was because he'd inadvertently brightened her night and made her laugh, or maybe she was just starting to honestly enjoy his company, but the boy just somehow... Made her feel lighter, for lack of a better word. Relaxed, even.
"I-Ah! I came down here to...Ow! To see y-you!" Timmy noticed his babysitter's playful assault come to a sudden, unexpected end, though her arm remained coiled around his waist, and her fist, firmly planted in his brown locks.
The awkward silence was soon followed by a weight settling on his shoulder as Vicky leaned forward and allowed her chin to come to rest on it, just to the right of his head. "Why?" She glanced at the teen through narrowed eyes, shooting him a mostly cautious, but somehow curious; look.
"W-Well... I was... Um... I wanted to- To check up on y-you?" The brunet replied meekly, relaxing a little as he felt his babysitter's fist leave his hair and settle on the couch, somewhere to his left.
"...I'm... Just gonna go ahead and ask again... Why?" The red-head's expression softened somewhat as she too relaxed, the once tight grip of her arm around his waist loosening considerably.
"To... Y'know, see if you were sleeping alright?" He unconsciously leaned back against the older girl's chest, feeling her tense up a little as he did.
"Oh." Vicky remarked flatly. "That's... I mean, I was about to fall asleep..." She lied, speaking in an evasive tone. "But then you came down and made all that noise..."
"Ehehe... R-Right, sorry about that." The teen smile apologetically, hanging his head forward a bit. "Wonder if she's being honest... I doubt she'd tell me she couldn't sleep anyway..." "A-Anyway, um... Do you think I could... Would it be alright if I... Slept down here? ...With you?" He questioned, intentionally keeping his tone meek and hesitant(which wasn't too hard, given that he was indeed still pretty nervous around the red-head), knowing Vicky-while not nearly as abrasive anymore-was still fairly prideful, and hated showing anything she perceived as a weakness.
"Wouldn't you rather sleep in your bed? I know Tootie's there, but it's gotta be better than sleeping on the couch, with me..." The twenty year old spoke in a slightly teasing tone of voice, hoping to coax something along the lines of(though not specifically) a confession out of the young teen.
"Yeah, but I... Don't like Tootie that way..." Timmy responded quietly, his voice barely above a low murmur.
"Oh yeah? So why're you down here then? Do you maybe like me that way...?" She grinned teasingly, tightening her grip on the brunet by the tiniest amount.
Yet rather than respond, Timmy simply curled up a little, his face flushed red with embarrassment, and feeling like it was on fire.
"I'm not hearing a 'no'..." Vicky mused to herself. "Hm... Well, since you've let me sleep with you all those times, I suppose I can return the favor, just this once." She gently laid back down on the couch, eliciting a small gasp from Timmy as she pulled him with her, then laid him down next to her and turned over onto her side, waiting until he did the same to cover the both of them with her blanket. Once satisfied with their positions, she looped her arm back around his midsection and pulled him toward her, his back pressing against her chest. "...My alarm is set for six, by the way, so you don't have to worry about Toots catching us."
"Oh... Um... Thanks, Vicky." The brunet replied sleepily, already feeling his eyelids becoming heavy. "Goodnight..."
Vicky shook her had, letting out a small giggle. "Heh... 'Night, Timmy."