Vicky rolled out of bed, evidently forgetting that she had slept in a bunk-bed the night before, landing hip-first on the lower bed's bed post and then rolling onto the mattress, absently aware she was at Timmy's feet before the pain set in.
"Ah shit!" Vicky exclaimed. "That's gonna leave a hell of a bruise... hopefully I didn't break my hip..."
"Wha- yawn What happened? You all right?" queried Timmy.
"No, definitely not... I-I fell off the bed and onto this... fuckin' post!"
"Jeez I thought you were a red head, not a blonde."
She was annoyed that he was indirectly laughing at her pain now.
"One, I'm not used to sleeping in a bunk-bed, and two, no, I'm not all right, now please get me some ice, I'm not moving for a while..."
"Sure sure, I'll be right back. Don't fall out of bed again." he said this with a smile akin to the one she gave the night before.
"Go!"
Timmy quickly ran out of the room and down the stairs, he was worried about her, but at the same time, wanted to mess with her for messing with him. He wasn't pleased to see her in pain, however, so he hurried in getting her ice and ran back up the stairs to his room. He found Vicky sprawled out on his bed, holding her hip, a pained expression on her face.
"Here." he handed her the ice pack.
"Thanks." she took it and placed it at her hip, hissing slightly as she did.
"Anything else I can get you?"
"Unless you've got a spare hip lying around... I don't think so."
Timmy remembered the conversation he had with Vicky the day before:
"So you want to talk about-"
"Not really, no."
"It might help you know, us, understand each other better?"
"I don't think so..."
"C'mon it wont hurt to talk about it."
"So you say... you're not gonna drop this are you?"
"I'd rather not, talking helps."
"*sigh* Fine, where do you want to start, Mr. Therapist?"
"Uh... the whole parents thing I guess?"
There was silence from Vicky. Timmy decided to speak first.
"Okay, I'll start, you know already that my parents are... not necessarily the best around... even before they hired you they weren't great, usually they would just tag each other out when it came to taking care of me, they were rarely both around and even then, they cared little for watching out for my safety. Then, when I was eight, they left me by myself because I told them I could take care of myself."
"Contradictory much?"
Timmy realized it sounded weird when he explained it like that and continued.
"Yeah, I know, after I had once told them I wanted them to be around more and missed them, they became even worse, over bearing and way too over protective of me, so then I told them that they were too much and that I didn't need them to be so protective of me and could take care of myself."
"Okay because so far this all makes perfect sense." Vicky thought to herself.
"Yeah I know, contradictory. So one day they left and I was suddenly terrified of being alone and then I found the flier for your babysitting service and shortly after that they came back, called you and well, the rest is history I suppose."
"So that's how we find ourselves here today." Vicky stated.
"Pretty much... I need to tell you something, and promise you won't be mad?" Timmy asked hopefully.
Vicky deadpanned at him.
"Hi, I'm Vicky, evil babysitter, nice to meet you." she stuck out her hand for him to shake it.
"Right. Anyway, when I found out you were my babysitter I thought we might be able to be friends, I didn't think you were going to be evil and, once I found out you were, I thought you were the worst thing that could've ever happened to me, you had my parents completely fooled and you tortured me every time we were together. You were horrible Vicky."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Well, I just want to tell you that I was wrong."
"Huh?"
"Not about the torture or having my parents fooled, that was true, and I certainly didn't enjoy the torture. I mean the part where I said you were the worst thing that ever happened to me. You weren't in fact... I think meeting you may have been the best thing that ever happened to me..."
"Oh?" she thought he meant the growing emotions between them, and she was half right.
"Well, care to elaborate Twerp?"
"No I think I've shared enough for now..."
"Well... we could still be friends!" she said this rather hopefully.
"Vicky, I think we're already on that road don't you?"
"Yeah I guess so..."
"Okay then, now... your turn."
"My turn for what?" she knew what he was referring to but was playing dumb, hoping to avoid the questions.
"To share." It wasn't going to work on him. He had shared with her and now it was her turn, he cared about her enough not to back down.
"Grr... Fine, I didn't have an easy childhood I suppose, my father drank... a lot. And sometimes he hit my mom... and me." Timmy immediately regretted pushing her to talk, his parents were neglectful, not abusive. This wasn't going to be easy he realized. Vicky continued.
"My mom wasn't nearly as bad, but she lied, the one that sticks outmore than others was when she told me my pet turtle ran away, I realize now that he died but... Turtles can't run!"
Timmy could tell she was holding back tears, her eyes were just slightly puffy.
"We could stop for now if you want Vicky..." he wasn't very good at this whole therapy thing.
"And then-"
"Apparently we're continuing..."
"Tootie was born." there was a barely concealed hint of venom in her words.
"Things suddenly changed, my dad stopped drinking and hitting and my mom stopped lying."
"Well that's good, right?"
"Sure, my dad no longer hitting us and drinking was good, and you'd think my mother no longer lying would be too, but the reason she no longer lied was because neither of them seemed to be aware that I existed anymore, it was only them and their little princess, nothing, and no one else... I hated her for it, I knew it wasn't her fault, but I made her life miserable, and, once your parents called and hired me, I made yours miserable too. And the other kids I babysat too, I suppose."
"So all this time, when I thought you were evil, it was because you were pissed about your parents loving Tootie more than you and your shitty, forgive my bluntness, upbringing?"
Vicky had tears in her eyes now and when she spoke her voice cracked.
"Yep, pretty much... You can go ahead and return to hating me now."
This all came as a surprise to Timmy, he had for so long thought Vicky was just evil, now these facts coming to light turned his opinion of her on its head.
"Well I'll admit that for a while I did hate you... but, Vicky I didn't know... What you've been through... it wouldn't be fair for me to hate you, knowing what I do now. Well, maybe it would be somewhat fair, but that's not who I am."
"Timmy, I-I'm... sorry." her voice was barely above a whisper.
Timmy was dumbfounded by this display of emotion and humility from Vicky, he may have been accepting of the emotions he was beginning to feel for her, but her apologizing? Vicky apologizing? He pinched himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming all this and, feeling the pain, realized it was very real.
"So... how's your hip?"
"Its not as bad as before, still sore though, and you're changing the subject. You asked me something, now I want to ask you something and I need an answer."
"Okay..."
"Timmy do you forgive me? I know I probably don't deserve it... Okay I don't deserve it, but do you?"
"Well- I mean-..."
Timmy knew how he felt, she was horrible to him, truly so, but she had mellowed over the past year, it didn't stop him from being terrified of her coming over and babysitting him all summer, but that was a fear born out of instinct, a habit formed out of wanting to survive in her presence... a fear that had been relaxed away over the course of only a few days from meeting the real Vicky, and his feelings toward her were beginning to cloud his judgment slightly, he knew he couldn't keep her waiting for long though, when she said that she needed an answer, the necessity of it was evident in her voice.
"Yeah I guess I do Vicky, you've had it rough, much rougher than I have, definitely, and it seems like we're in this together for the summer, so we certainly can't just go around feeling animosity towards each other while living under the same roof and sharing the same bed -his face reddened at this- so yes, I do forgive you."
Timmy was looking at his feet now, afraid to make eye contact with Vicky, knowing how red his face was. Several minutes passed before his courage returned enough to meet her gaze only for him to realize she had fallen asleep, a content expression on her face despite her now puffy eyes.
"Guess the therapy session's over for now... I really hope she caught all that,Cosmo, Wanda come on out." he whispered now to avoid waking Vicky.
"Aren't you worried Vicky will see us?"
"As long as we're quiet..." he gestured towards Cosmo. "We shouldn't have anything to worry about, that talk we had seems to have taken a lot out of her, maybe she's just relieved to have all that off her chest."
"Well at any rate, what'd you need sport?"
"I wish I had some x-ray glasses."
Wanda's face reddened at this.
"Timmy, I'm very disappointed in you! You're practically taking advantage of Vicky here, you should be ashamed!"
Timmy was surprised at Wanda's outburst, and taking advantage? Of what exactly?
"Wanda what are you talking about? You saw her fall off the bed onto the bedpost I just want to make sure her hip isn't broken..."
"Oh! I thought- that is to say- I- nevermind, here." Wanda raised her wand and a pair of hi-tech looking glasses appeared in Timmy's hands.
"Thanks Wanda, but what did you think I wanted them for, to see through... her..." Timmy's face now reddened at the realization. "Oh come on! I wouldn't do that! I thought I was supposed to have the perverted thoughts and ideas not you! I hadn't even entertained any thoughts like that... although I sure as hell am now, thanks to you!"
Wanda, clearly embarrassed, looked at Timmy then Cosmo, grabbed Cosmo and shouted: "Welp, gotta go! By Timmy!" and they both poofed away.
"Great leave me here alone with Vicky, and my thoughts!"
Timmy's words were met with silence.
"Alright let's see how these work..." looking at them he realized the glasses had a settings dial.
"Okay we have... clothes... well no need to touch that one! Flesh... and... everything else... guess I'll go with flesh and hope I'm assuming the way this works correctly."
Walking over to Vicky's right side he turned on the glasses and set the dial to 'Flesh', putting them on he was suddenly afraid to open his eyes. What if he had assumed wrong? He really didn't want to see Vicky sans clothing... Well some part of him did but... It felt wrong to see her like that. Mustering his courage Timmy opened his eyes to a slightly green Vicky skeleton.
"Phew for a second there I thought... Anyway back to business."
Looking at Vicky's hip he realized something:
"I have no idea what I'm doing." he wasn't a doctor he couldn't tell if there were any small breaks or not, all he could tell was that there were no large breaks, and looking closely, he didn't see any cracks in the bone. "Well hopefully she's fine and just has a bad bruise." taking off the glasses he placed them in the drawer of the end table and then looked at his phone.
"Nine-thirty... guess I'll go make breakfast..."
"Waffles..." this sleep addled voice came from Vicky.
"I thought you were asleep?"
There was no response from Vicky, her steady breathing continued.
"Right, waffles then."
Timmy headed the familiar route out of his room, down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen and grabbed the box of waffles from the freezer, he had hoped to prove to her that he could cook, but if she wanted waffles, she was gonna get waffles. He put them in the toaster, silently thanking his parents for getting a toaster that could toast four things at once rather than two, he then grabbed maple syrup from the cupboard and returned to the waffles, four for him, four for her and now the box was half empty, he wished in his head he had bought more at the store and suddenly there was a second box of waffles in the freezer.
"Very funny..." apparently Cosmo and Wanda were listening to his thoughts or something.
Grabbing the plates and utensils, he returned to his room to find a still sleeping Vicky.
"Hey, Vicky, wake up."
No response. Not feeling like standing around until she woke up, he kicked the bed post, shaking the bed and waking her up.
"Ah! What's the big idea?! I'm injured, you have to be nice to me..." she said in a rather cute, Timmy had to admit, mock pouting voice.
"I brought you breakfast in bed."
"Oooh! How did you know I wanted this Twerp? I was just dreaming about waffles!"
"Um... Uncanny foresight?"
"I'll say!"
"So... your hip feeling better?"
"Well it doesn't hurt as much but I'm probably gonna have a pretty nasty bruise... so I guess no midriff bearing shirts for a while."
"My parents probably have some pain pills if that would help..."
"Nah, it isn't that bad... but uh... do you mind if I sleep in your bunk for now?"
"But- we can't-... y'know sleep in the same bed!" Timmy's face had become beet-red. "What would people say?"
"First of all, what would who say? Second I was only joking around, you're so easy to tease... Unless you want to sleep in the same bed...?" that characteristic sly smile of hers was back. The part of her that was scared of these new emotions was by now just shy of being gone, she had nearly completely embraced how she felt towards Timmy, but still found it fun to tease him now and again.
"I-I'll sleep in your bunk for now, at least until you're healed and are used to the idea of sleeping up there."
"Oh, you're so giving! Thanks!" She said this while fluttering her eyelashes at him. "Well did you want to do anything today Twerp? Go to the mall or get lost for a week in the Wall to Wall mart?"
"We should probably just stay in and let you recover..."
"Good, I didn't really feel like going anywhere anyway." Vicky had by now finished her breakfast and placed the dish on the end table.
"I'll take care of it for you. Later." Timmy stated.
"Yep, that's what I was counting on." With this Vicky turned over to face the wall and go back to sleep. "I'm gonna take a nap, wake me if anything interesting happens, y'know world ending catastrophes, things like that."
"You know, they say that sleeping too much is bad for you..."
"Meh, whoever 'they' are they don't have a nice, comfy bed to sleep in..." she turned over again to meet his gaze. "...Or a nice loving friend to take care of them." she noticed the pink on his cheeks and turned once again to the wall. "Heh."
Timmy knew she was trying to flatter him, but also knew that she did mean what she said. Timmy sat himself down on the large sofa in his room and turned on his TV and console and thought to himself:
"I think I really do like her, like really like her, and... she may actually feel the same..."
A/N: This chapter was tough to write, I wasn't in my normal place for writing when I began it, so it was beginning to take its toll on me to finish it, hopefully it didn't suffer too much as a result. It felt like I was strangling the ideas out of my muse at times, so she probably wont be happy for a while. Also I kinda feel like this chapter was pushing the whole relationship thing between Timmy and Vicky a little too quickly, but as before I likely wont bother to change it.