"But Dad-"
"No ,Wil. I'm sorry, but ten is just too young to be babysitting. Especially an eight and a three year old." Phil explained as he looked over the short list he'd written out just earlier for the actual babysitter.
"Your father is right, Wilbur. Maybe in a few more years when you ,and your brothers are a bit older." Kristin added as she worked on tying up her hair.
It had been ages and the two were finally planning to have a date night out of the house. They'd managed to find a reliable babysitter through a friend and they were taking the chance running. They loved their kids, for sure. However, that didn't mean they weren't going to take the opportunity to go on a solo adult night with both hands like they were robbing a bank.
"It'll be fine. She sounds like a fun person." Phil was going on as he now turned to face Wilbur.
His son was standing with a large pout on his face looking a few shades of betrayed. If it weren't for the way it didn't quite reach his eyes or the way the corners of his mouth twitched Phil might have actually believed it. The tells were clear enough to him though so he didn't feel at all bad about reaching out and booping the boy on the nose, earning a scoffed huff in return.
"She'll know about homework time and what snacks to give out and when so no trying anything." Phil warned as he added a hair ruffling to Wil's head until the boy moved out of range, "And if you lot are good she's be allowed to order pizza for dinner."
"What do we get if we don't get pizza?" Wilbur asked with a lingering annoyance as he 'unruffled' his hair.
"You better be aiming for pizza." Phil stated bluntly before dropping into a chuckle, "Though, if it comes down to it, your mother made a meat pie earlier. Its cooked already so it would just need to be reheated."
Wilbur made a face as he let out a whine.
"Meat pies are gross when they're reheated!" He complained loudly.
"Should make you even more eager for pizza then." Kristin chuckled as she leaned over to place a kiss on Wilbur's forehead.
"Muuum." Wil whined again as he rubbed at the lightly pressed lipstick mark, smearing it in his effort.
"Come here, I'll clear it off." Phil chuckled as he reached for a napkin.
In the doorway Techno was watching the three. In his hands was Technopig, hugged tight as he watched his parents getting ready to leave. Phil could tell he was nervous and could understand why. This was, after all, the first time he and Kristin were both leaving the boys at the same time after nightfall. Up until now the pair had only had short daytime outings or daytime dates when the boys were at school.
Not only were he and Kristin far overdue for a date, but the boys themselves were more than ready to experience their first long term babysitting. In truth it was only for a few hours really, but the three would be in bed long before he and Kristin came home. Which, in truth was a test to them as well as the kids. He could already feel mixed emotions knowing they were going to miss their bedtime and tucking them in with kisses to their foreheads-
"What if the babysitter is actually really mean and you don't know it? What if-if she orders the pizza and doesn't let us have any? Or, or what if she puts us to bed early without snacks or something?" Wilbur complained, bringing Phil out of his head.
"Why do you think she'd do something like that?" Phil asked as he dried Wil's forehead before releasing him, "Sounds like a monstrous thing to do."
"Who knows what she'll do. She's a stranger and you're letting her into the house to- to- be all in control of us!" Wilbur argued as he spun to be able to watch both his parents as they walked through the room.
"She won't be a monster, Wilbur. If she had even a single word against her I wouldn't have picked her." Kristin assured as she took her turn looking over the list and directions.
A parental compulsion Phil understood as he'd looked it over three times already himself.
"But, you don't know-"
"We know she comes recommended from a trusted source, Wil." Phil cut him off as he picked up Techno from the doorway and carried him into the living room, motioning for Wilbur to follow, "She's going to be here in a few minutes. You boys know what you need to do, just like any other day. Homework first and then you can play and watch cartoons and all that."
Phil placed Techno down on the couch beside Tommy, who had only recently woken up from his nap and was still clearly in a daze from it. Phil motioned for Wilbur to sit down as well, taking the spot on Techno's other side. Crouching down to be at eye level with them Phil tried to put on his very best 'I Am Dad' face.
"Now, I'm expecting you boys to be on your best behavior. Alright?" He started of with, looking between the three in turn, "That means, no fighting, no biting, no yelling at her or each other. You know how to play nice. While she's here she is in charge and you are to respect that. If she asks you to do something, like helping with dishes or cleaning up for bed, I expect to hear from her that you did just that."
Techno was nodding his head slowly to the directives but Wilbur was just pouting with crossed arms. Tommy sat mostly still, slightly confused but he was copying Techno with a bob of his own head.
"Now, snacks are all ready to go and she is going to know when to hand them out. So no trying to weasel them early. You can swap them with each other if you want, but only after she's given them out. She's going to look over your homework just like me and your mother do, so no trying to to get out of it. She also knows not to just give you the answers, so don't think about it."
That one in particular was meant for Wilbur and by the look on his sons face, he knew it. That smug 'pleased with himself' look as if having a solo rule made just for him was a point of pride. Which, with it being Wilbur, it probably was.
"If something happens she has both mine and your mother's numbers as well as the place we're going to. Its written down by the phone so if you boys need to use it, and I mean for emergency reasons, you know where to find it." Phil paused here as he pointed a finger at Wilbur and then at Techno, "No. Prank. Calls."
The two looked at each other, Techno with confusion and Wilbur with disappointment. Phil hadn't been sure who it was between them last time they got a complaint, but now he did. He honestly wasn't surprised.
Phil continued to look at his sons an extra moment or two, with them staring back at him in wait for whatever else he head to say. Only…he couldn't think of what else he should mention.
"Does that about cover it?" Phil asked as he looked up to his wife who was standing just behind the couch now.
"I think so. We're only going to be gone a few hours, not a few days." Kristin laughed, her lips pulling into an amused smirk, "Go finish getting ready. We should be leaving soon."
"What, is this not good enough?" Phil asked as he stood and held out his arms to show off his partial state of dress.
It being their first night out in a while the two had opted for a more fancy place than normal. One with a dress code in fact. He didn't regret it, especially seeing how gorgeous Kristin looked in her dress and with her hair all dolled up and-
Phil sigh as stared at her, watching as she crossed her arms at him with a shake of her head and a mock huff of disappointment. He looked down at himself briefly and raised a brow at her.
"No good?" He asked with a cheeky grin.
"You wont get through the doors like that. But, If I have to eat alone, I will." She replied as she turned around back into the kitchen.
"You'd leave me at the door?" Phil asked as he moved to follow her a step or two, forgetting about the boys for the moment.
"I'd have all the wine to my self~" She replied in a more chipper tone before looking back at him, "But don't worry. I'm sure there will still be left over pot pie for you when we get home."
Without waiting for another word Phil quickly shuffled just shy of a jog down the hall to their room. Behind him he could hear both Techno and Wilbur laughing at him.
X-X
As soon as their dad vanished into his room Wilbur motioned for Techno and Tommy to follow him, scooting off the couch and heading for their own room. Their mother didn't stop them and so the trio soon found themselves alone and with Wilbur pacing in front of them like a war general.
"It isn't fair. I should be the babysitter. I'm the oldest and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of us. You guys listen to me just fine." Wilbur complained with a heavy frown on his face.
"You're not tall enough to put Tommy in his crib though." Techno pointed out as he himself was holding onto their little brother.
Tommy was awake enough now, but he appeared more than content to be held like a doll than to stand on his own.
"So? He can just, sleep in one of our beds. Besides, if we get a chair he can climb in on his own." Wilbur replied with a wave of his hand, "See? Problem solved and it didn't even take me a minute."
Techno looked down at Tommy, who was nodding along to Wilbur's every word.
"We don't need some, some stranger coming in to tell us what to do. You would have listened to me just fine, right?" Wilbur asked as he turned to stare at Techno.
"If you were babysitting, then yea. I guess." Techno replied with a slight fidget.
He didn't want to have some strange person in his home either. If all he had to do was listen to Wilbur while the parents were out to avoid that, then he would do it.
"So…what are we going to do then?" Techno asked, adjusting Tommy in his arms so that the toddler was at least on his feet and holding his own weight some.
Wilbur paused at Techno's inquiry, brow furrowing as he brought a hand up to his mouth and tapped on his lips in thought. He started to pace again before stopping in his tracks. When he turned to Techno he wore that crooked grin that warned of trouble, only right now it was more screaming of danger.
"We're going to make sure she never comes back."
X-X
"Okay, be good now boys. Don't cause Alyssa any fuss, okay?" Their mother warned once more as she leaned down to plant a kiss on Wilbur's head.
"We know, we know." Wil sighed, not bothering to wipe it away this time.
"Don't forget, emergency-" Their father started to say before Techno cut him off.
"Number is beside the phone. We got it." Techno nodded, Technopig hugged to his side.
"We be good." Tommy offered as well, though he was mostly staring at the new person who was standing in the living room beside them.
She wasn't old enough to be an adult, Wil figured, but she wasn't as young as any of them either. Not that it mattered what her age was. She wasn't going to be coming back after tonight if he could help it.
He was going to absolutely 'help it'.
"Pizza money is in the envelope clipped on the fridge door. Only if they are well behaved. You have that power-" Their father was saying to the babysitter, leaning closer just a bit for his last words which he spoke with a pointed emphasis, " use it well."
Both of their parents plus the babysitter laughed at that while Wilbur looked on with a frown.
They were going to have pizza no matter what.
If he had to order it himself, he would.
"I'm sure it wont come to that, they seem like good kids already. I'm sure even if they get fussy it'll be fine." Alyssa was assuring the two elder Watson's.
'Fussy' was a Tommy level of trouble at best.
Tommy was going to be the least of her troubles by far.
X-x-X
The word 'subtle' was certainly not one that could be used to describe Wilbur. Neither could the words 'patient' or 'prudent'. The instant the front door had closed and the elder Watson's were gone he was pulling his brothers off with him.
The babysitter had gone to see the adults off at the door which gave the kids time and space enough to vanish by the time she came back around the corner.
In that time Wilbur and Techno had snatched the homework from their bags and had now hidden it under their beds. It wasn't the best place, but it was what they could manage in a pinch. By the time the babysitter had come across the three of them in the bedroom the boys were 'playing' with a few scattered toys.
"There you are. Didn't you hear me calling for you?" The girl asked with a slight laugh.
Wilbur and Techno both shook their heads 'no' while Tommy nodded 'yes'. She didn't comment on this and instead just gave another soft laugh as she stared down at the three.
"Its time for homework. Your parents were pretty adamant about it." She stated and Wilbur tried not to smile.
"we don't have any." Techno answered from where he sat.
It was soft spoken and Techno was mostly facing the floor while saying it, but the babysitter still heard him all the same.
"Really? Your parents seemed pretty certain that you did." She stated in that tone that told Wilbur she didn't believe them.
Techno nodded, this time his words not forming. Wilbur didn't have any trouble speaking up though, doing so with a wide smile.
"We just checked our bags and we didn't have any. Our teachers probably decided not to give us any, since we're only just getting back into school and all."
Wilbur stared at the babysitter straight on, smile in place and waiting to be doubted. Waiting to put on the next show of utter innocence.
"Let me see. Maybe its just, tucked out of sight, hm?" She asked with a warm smile as she motioned for the boys to come with her.
"What about Tommy?" Wilbur asked, his voice exaggerating with a false concern, "He wont know why we suddenly stopped playing with him. He might cry."
Behind him Techno was giving Tommy a small nudge, but the small blond was far more interested in the toys in his hands. They were the 'big kid toys' that normally he wasn't allowed to touch. So long as he had those in hand he didn't exactly care what was going on around him right now.
"I'm sure he'll be fine until you both are finished with your work." The babysitter assured with a kind, if not slightly amused, look as she continued to usher the boys out.
Wilbur started to stand in compliance and Techno panicked as Tommy still wasn't paying attention. Before Wilbur was fully on his feet Techno yoinked the toy out of Tommy's hand. This, of course, caused a loud whine of displeasure to burst out of the blond as he reached towards Techno with his grabby hands going.
"See? He's going to be upset now." Wilbur stated, a small smile on his face as he motioned to his brother behind him.
"I think he'll be fine if Techno gives him the toy back." The girl replied easily, looking more amused than upset or worried.
"b-but-" Techno started to stammer, face red and hands shaking as he wasn't sure what to do.
"He can't play with these toys without us because they are for big kids. Tommy's too small for them alone." Wilbur reasoned as he turned to lift Tommy up.
Tommy was still reaching for the toy, but didn't fuss out of being carried. Using one hand to pull himself closer to Wilbur he pointed with his other at Techno with a frown on his face.
"He took it!" Tommy complained with a lingering whine, "Its mine and he took it!"
"Its not yours, Tommy. That's Techno's dinosaur. You can't have it alone." Wilbur stated, making sure to point at it.
Tommy whined and wiggled, reaching for the toy and almost dropping himself out of Wil's arms. Techno remained still a few moments, looking between Tommy, Wilbur and the babysitter.
"If he just needs to be watched while playing with it then I can do they while you two are busy." The girl stated as she stepped into the room now, eyes going to Techno, "Would you mind that?"
Techno looked to Wilbur like a deer in headlights. Wilbur tried to think of how to shake his head without being obvious but before he could figure it out Techno was already nodding in agreement. Bowing his head Techno lifted up the toy to hand over.
Wilbur frowned at his brother caving in so quickly, but, he couldn't entirely fault him. He hadn't expected the girl to put them on the spot like that. He was so sure she would have crumbled the second Tommy had started whining.
Instead she'd managed to get the object of his desire and was now lifting him out Wilbur's own arms with a coo as he beamed at her. The enemy.
Operation: Tommy Tantrum had been thwarted far too easily.
There was still time though.
X-x-X
Wilbur couldn't keep the smile off his face when the babysitter admitted to not being able to find any sign of homework. She had actually pulled out all the folders in both boys bags and came up with, of course, nothing.
Wil could see she had doubts still, but what was she going to do? Make up homework for them to do? Call them liars with no proof?
Just like that the boys were free to play as they wished. She didn't seem to know what to do with herself though without the 'homework time' the two were due and was keeping Tommy, in Wilbur's opinion, as a hostage. But, for now that would work. It gave him and Techno time to plan.
It had taken a bit more convincing and assuring, but now Wilbur had Techno entirely ready to either cause trouble, or back him up on what he was doing. Their parents had been gone almost an hour now and as far as Wilbur was concerned it was more peace than this stranger in their house deserved.
Wilbur peeked out of his bedroom door, peering down the hall and then over to the bathroom. He'd been waiting for Techno's head to pop out of it for the last…some odd minutes and he was starting to get antsy. The longer Techno took the more chance there was that the babysitter would catch them or stop them.
A moment later and Techno came into view from within the bathroom, looking at Wilbur nervously for a second before a small smirk started to grow in his face. He gave a thumbs up to which Wilbur nodded to with a wide smile. It was all he needed to do before his brother was out of sight again and the sound of flushing could be heard.
There was a pause, and then the sound of a sink running. Wilbur wasn't sure what Techno was doing with that. He needed to get out of there quickly. Was he trying to flood the room faster or something?
Before Wilbur could question it further the sink shut of and Techno's hurried footsteps were shuffling out of the bathroom. He chanced to look behind him for all of a second before sprinting towards Wilbur and the door he was holding open.
Once Techno was safely in the room, panting lightly from either the sprint or his anxiousness, he looked to Wilbur with a look he didn't recognize. Still, Techno gave a confirming nod and spoke before Wil could get a word out.
"Its leaking out. Should we say something before it gets in the hallway?"
"Nah. Lets give it a few minutes and then walk out. If she doesn't notice it by then, then we say something." Wilbur replied with a small grin.
"Is it…is it going to make the house smell like pee?" Techno asked with a returning note of doubt.
"Only if you peed in it beforehand. Should just smell like water. Toilet water, but not exactly pee." Wilbur reasoned before his frowned at his brother, "You didn't pee in it first right?"
Techno was quick to shake his head, rapidly at that.
"Of course not. I didn't want it to get on my feet."
"What was with the sink then if not to wash your hands?" Wil questioned, now low key doubting his brother's words and he crossed his arms.
"Because I flushed the toilet." Techno explained, "If I didn't use the sink then she might guess it was a fake flush and not a real one. Or she'd think I was dirty and not a hand washer. That's just gross."
Wilbur stared at his brother a moment as he took in the words and considered them.
"That's smart. I didn't think of that." Wil muttered as his brow furrowed.
Would she have called them out about it if Techno hadn't pretended to wash his hands?
Techno was looking at him with a small smile now, a shy sort of pride on his face. It lingered right up until Tommy's voice lilted into the air from the hallway. He was letting out a delighted coo with a giggle right before there was a splash. All at once the smile was gone and replaced with a more wide eyed look of shock.
Wilbur only stared at Techno for a second before pushing him aside to dart out their door. He stopped short as his mouth dropped open, his stomach sinking as his eyes landed on their baby brother.
Tommy was in the hallway and beaming a happy smile as he jumped into the puddle that was forming out of the bathroom door. He looked up just as Wilbur came into view and let out a happy laugh as he reached out.
"Wilby! Look it! Puddles inside!" He called out with another laugh and giving another short jump.
Wilbur could think of nothing to do but stare in shock. He…he hadn't considered this when he and Techno made the plan. The babysitter had had Tommy the last they checked. Though, in hindsight he should have still thought of this, what with Tommy's streak of escaping. Along with the fact that Tommy tried, at every opening, to leap into any body of water he could see.
Aside from the bathtub.
"Tommy! Don't play in that!" Techno called out, now being the one to push past Wilbur.
Techno was running towards their brother, arms out and reaching while Tommy just continued to splash to his hearts content. Wilbur didn't even register the heavier set of footsteps until the baby sitter was almost on top of his two siblings.
Techno, with his arms around a wiggling and wet Tommy was lifted into the air while the girl was making alarmed noises.
Operation: Toilet Attack was…technically a success?
Wilbur still winced as he looked at his two little brothers, both being told they were going to need a bath.
X-x
Honestly Wilbur didn't have to do anything at all for the next half hour in order to stress the babysitter out. His younger brothers had that covered as they struggled to get out of bath-time. All the more so when they were forced into the tub regardless of protests. The water from the overflowed toilet had been quickly replaced by the water thrashed out of the tub by both Techno and Tommy.
Wilbur…didn't have to do anything.
He didn't have to.
He did, however, take pleasure in it.
While the babysitter was busy Wilbur wandered through the house setting up little bits of trouble where he could. He hid Tommy's favorite DVDs, took the batteries out of every remote and unplugged the back of the VCR and cable-box.
He took out the pot pie from their mother and hid it under the sink. He was going to throw it out at first, but decided against it only because he didn't want there to be evidence of it. He also took the time to get an armful of snacks and hide them in his and Techno's room for later.
That done, and with time to spare, Wilbur decided to…get creative.
The babysitter had left her drink on the coffee table in the living room earlier. A bit of salt in her coffee was an easy thing to do…but what about flour?
Wilbur grinned to himself as he stirred in the white powder, seeing it slowly turn the drink into a thick sludgy consistency. He hadn't put in much, but it didn't matter. It was decidedly ruined now.
Wilbur even went above and beyond when he returned the flour to the kitchen. With an ever present smile now Wilbur mixed salt into the sugar dish so that, should the girl decide to make herself a fresh cup of coffee it would be just as ruined as the last one.
He was about to return to his room after that, to wait for Techno and to make their next plan, when something caught his eye.
There, on the fridge.
The envelope.
Pizza money.
She couldn't refuse to buy them pizza if Wilbur ordered it himself. If she refused to let them have it when it arrived then Wilbur could just tell their parents they were denied dinner. This baby sitter wouldn't be able to find the pot pie to make them so her choices would be to let them have the pizza or let them starve.
Wilbur was quick in pushing a chair towards the fridge in order to try to reach the money. He was thankfully fairly tall for his age, or so he'd been told. All he knew for certain was that it wasn't at all hard to reach the white folded paper, dark inked letters reading 'For Pizza' on the front.
He had hardly yanked it off the fridge when his name was called behind him, from the babysitter.
"Wilbur, can you grab some clothes for Tommy to-"
Wilbur still stood on the chair, stark white envelope in hand and staring at the doorway where the girl stood. She was holding Tommy in her arms, bundled in a towel she had been drying him off in. She was staring back at Wilbur as if momentarily stunned or confused by what she was seeing.
"Wilb-"
Before his name even fully left her lips Wilbur was leaping from the chair, money in hand and bolting to the left.
"Wilbur!" The girl called, unable to reach for Wil with Tommy in her arms.
There was some level of panic in her voice as Wilbur charged down the hallway. He made it to his bedroom and quickly slammed into the door, bursting it open and making Techno scream from fright. He was in naught but a towel and standing before his dresser when Wil had barged in. Shoving the door closed Wilbur rushed towards Techno.
"Take- take it! Take it!" Wilbur demanded as quietly and urgently as he could.
Without question Techno took it, tucking it out of sight in his towel as Wilbur darted off to his side of the room. Wil was only able to partly leap onto his bed before the door swung open once more, this time with the babysitter in it. Tommy wasn't in her arms now.
"Wilbur, hand that back." She demanded as she entered the room, hand out towards Wil as he scrambled to get away.
As he allowed himself to be penned in Wil saw Techno darting out of the room behind her, all but ignored.
"That isn't something to play with. You need to hand it over." The girl insisted, her tone clipped into a forced calm.
"...I don't have it." Wilbur stated evenly as he stared her down, thought still panting from his run.
"I saw you take it. You need to hand it back. This isn't funny." She insisted.
"Okay… but I don't have it."
"I'm not looking to have to call your parents over this. Give it back." At this the girl was taking Wilbur by the arm to pull him closer to her at the side of the bed.
"I don't have it! I told you! Let me go!" Wilbur shouted as he thrashed about now, earning Techno whatever time he could.
The babysitter didn't believe him nor listened to him as she tugged him right up to her and lifted him up so she could carry him at her hip like a potato sack. Wilbur thrashed about and kicked and complained but she didn't so much as flinch.
"You're going to give that money back or I swear-" She was in the middle of saying when the familiar gleeful squeal from Tommy was heard.
Seconds later a very naked Tommy was darting by the door towards his room.
"Wait, Tommy, stop!" The girl called out as she moved faster to try to catch up with the toddler.
Doing so made Wilbur in her other arm sway just enough that his head bumped the door frame as they went through it. She let out a hiss at just about the same time as Wilbur did coming to a full stop as she swung him around enough to be back on his feet. She was crouching down to look where he'd been bumped.
"Shit- I mean, shoot. Are you okay?" She asked even as Wilbur tried to push her hands away.
"You could have crushed my head!" Wilbur shouted at her as he tried to keep her hands away from where it still hurt.
"I didn't mean to-" She started before her eyes landed on something over Wilbur's head.
Wilbur snapped around to look and he tensed. Techno had stopped his former escape, in the middle of the hall, to slip on his boxers. In doing so he had dropped his towel and the envelope with the money. He was currently picking them back up when he'd been spotted.
"Techno-"
"Techno run!" Wilbur shouted before the babysitter could get anything else out.
Techno had jumped, looked up at them, and then darted into the living room. The girl called after him as she rushed passed Wilbur. He let her, giving her a second head start before following.
Within just a few moments Techno was screaming as the girl caught up to him, almost cornering him as he dipped between the couch and the arm chair. He was trying to rush back towards the hallway but she was too close to him.
Unfortunately for her, Wil and Techno knew this game well.
Running at his brother Wilbur swiped the folded slip from his hands and dipped into the kitchen. The babysitter called out, noting the hand off, and was now following Wilbur once more. He ran along the counters a moment before sliding under the table and scrambling between the chairs. He could hear them being pulled out but she couldn't reach him before he was up again and out of the room.
He heard his name shouted but he didn't stop. Techno was waiting in the hallway and Wilbur was quick to latch onto him. He pressed the paper into Techno's hand before pushing him away. The two split up into separate rooms, Techno going into Tommy's and Wil going into their parents.
The girl ended up following Wilbur as he rushed behind the bed and tried to vault over it. She caught him by the leg and tried to pull him to her, but a shout by the door got her to look up. Techno was there, paper in hand, before vanishing down the hall.
She left Wilbur where he was and took off after Techno instead. Wilbur panted a moment before pushing himself back towards the door.
He lurched down the hall on unsteady feet, trying to reach the end of it before his brother was caught. When he reached the end of said hall he saw he was too late. Techno was being held up on her hip just like Wil had been earlier. He was panting as he thrashed while the babysitter tried to pull the envelope from his hands.
Wilbur ran up and tried to pull it free as well, earning a fresh bout of shouts from her. A second later there was a ripping noise and each of the three were holding a piece of torn white.
…
"...Where is the money?!" The babysitter asked with a rather frazzled crack to her voice.
Wilbur just stared at the paper in his hand in confusion.
There was another thrilled giggle from Tommy and the scampering of feet which gained the girls attention. With a huff she placed Techno down on the couch and looked at both the boys with a pointed finger.
"We aren't done. Sit and wait for me." She ordered, pointing to the couch.
Her face was red and hair disheveled and Wilbur was maybe just a bit afraid of her now. He nodded dumbly, automatically moving to sit. She stalked down the hall to locate their baby brother and Wilbur could only think to look over at Techno.
Techno, who was sitting on the couch and watching her go with some level of apprehension as well. Though…it didn't seem to be for the same reason. When he looked at Wilbur it was with an urgent sort of determination.
"We need her out of Tommy's room."
Wilbur didn't question it, but nodded.
Without waiting for any form of plan of attack Wilbur opened his mouth and started screaming.
X-x
It felt like ages since Wilbur was put in 'time out' on the couch for his screaming earlier. Techno was beside him, now clothed and fidgeting with his hands to a point where Wilbur had to hold one of them to keep it from being obvious.
Tommy was at their feet, a toy in hand, while the babysitter was off looking for the missing money. She was doing laps though, coming back into the room to make sure the three of them were still there. She looked proper flustered, like their mother did when she was late for work and she couldn't her phone or purse.
Wilbur wanted to make another plan, but he had been told pretty clearly that if he spoke at all before she returned to them that he was going to be in big trouble. Now, Wilbur wasn't a stranger to being in 'big trouble'. Anyone in his family could attest to that, aside from Tommy who was still only learning how to talk properly.
So no, it wasn't the being in trouble part that rooted him in place and had his mouth glued shut. It had been the action of her picking up the number beside the phone that their parents had left behind. As if she was actually going to use it.
Wilbur almost jumped when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to look at Techno just as his brother pulled his other hand free again.
He started to sign.
Or rather, he started to gesture.
It wasn't the signs they had learned so far, but Techno was good at coming up with things they could both understand. Wilbur smiled as he followed along.
It started with pointing down the hall and then to him holding up the white slip he still had of the envelope, pointing to Tommy and then back down the hall with the actual sign for the word 'leave'.
Roughly Wilbur got the point enough to know they really didn't want this girl to start snooping in Tommy's room.
Wilbur furrowed his brow and did his best to recall a few signs himself. Bringing a hand up he pointed at his left hand before bringing it down and off his palm. He paused here, brow furrowed before trying to sign the letter 'D' and 'O' and then motioning to the two of them. Finally he signed 'Do' again and waited for Techno to translate what'd he attempted. His best at a 'what do we do' that he could manage.
His brother was fast though, his brow furrowing as he looked down the hall, bringing his hands up to answer. However, before he could the two of them jumped as Tommy started to suddenly sob at their feet.
They froze and stared, unsure of what happened since he'd been happy enough literally seconds ago. There was a running of feet down the hall and soon enough the babysitter was back. She was scooping Tommy into her arms and looking at the boys with fairly annoyed look on her face.
"What did you do to your brother?" She asked with a bit of a snap as she tried to comfort the small blond.
"What?! We didn't do anything!" Wilbur protested, returning her snap with a bit of his own.
"Well, clearly something happened or he wouldn't be crying." She replied as she wiped a few tears off Tommy's cheeks.
"We were just sitting here and he just, started crying. We didn't do anything!" Wilbur insisted with a scowl.
"we weren't even talking." Techno added quietly but with the same level of frown that Wilbur wore, "we wouldn't hurt him. he's our baby brother."
At this point she wasn't paying attention to Wilbur or Techno though. Instead she was walking a bit away while rocking Tommy on her hip and shushing his cries as best she was able. It took a moment or two for her to actually say words to him.
"Heeey, little man. Shhh, sh, sh, you're okay." She comforted first, "What's going on with you? Did your brothers take your toy again?"
Wilbur scowled deeper and he could hear Techno huff from behind him.
Tommy let out some sort of noise in response, though it took an extra minute or so for him to breath in enough to use words. The hiccupped word of 'bumped' or 'boo boo' came out, but it was too garbled to be understood.
With a bit more rocking the babysitter asked if having a snack would make him feel better. Eyes still leaking tears Tommy nodded his head.
"Okay. It's a bit past snack time, but that's okay, right?" She asked Tommy, who nodded again before she looked towards the other two, "To the table, and no funny business."
The boys didn't hesitate to slip off the couch, but they did drag their feet a bit as they obeyed the directive. They took their seats, having had to retrieve them from their hastily dragged positions from earlier, and waited.
Tommy was served first, his cries tapering off as he dug into his pudding and fruit. As for Wilbur and Techno, their snacks were placed on the table directly in front of the babysitter, who sat down between them.
"Ok, so, we need to talk. Taking that money wasn't a funny thing to do. Its even less so now." She was saying, glancing between the two boys, "I need you to really think about how long you want me to keep looking for it. How long you want to be stuck on that couch until I find it. Because if I have to find it myself and you don't help me then your parents are going to get one very bad phone call."
Wilbur swallowed thickly and Techno was glancing rapidly between her and Wil both. Neither of them spoke though and so the girl sighed heavily.
"I'm going to give you time to think about it now. But after snack you better have made your decision."
With that the two boys had their own snacks placed before them.
They didn't particularly feel like eating though.
The tension was cut as Tommy let out another whine, his leg wiggling rapidly a moment before stopping as he took another bite of his banana.
"You okay, Tommy?" The girl asked, her annoyance melting into concern once more.
Tommy nodded, paused, shook his head and then nodded again.
"I got a boo boo yesterday." Tommy supplied before biting into a grape next.
"Does it still hurt?" She asked, getting up to take a look.
Tommy shook his head calmly, focused more on his food than on the conversation.
"Its okay. I just forgot to cry about it yesterday."
The babysitter stopped moving, tilting her head at Tommy. Even Wilbur was looking at Tommy with a scrunched face. Without even noting the looks he was getting Tommy glanced up from his food to look at the babysitter with a perfectly straight face.
"I'm going to keep crying about it after I eat." He informed her before looking back down and dipping his next bite of banana into the pudding.
Wilbur looked to Techno, their confusion mirrored on each others faces. Techno shrugged first though before he slowly started to poke at his own food.
X-x-X
Snack time didn't last nearly as long as Wilbur had hoped it would, despite both he and Techno eating slower to stretch it out. Tommy had finished eating before the both of them and, to his word, had started crying again once he was done.
It wasn't the same sobbing as when he started earlier thankfully. The babysitter still picked him up and carried him around for the duration of it though. Tommy seemed more than please with the attention, allowing himself to be placed placidly into his crib once he deemed himself 'finished'.
Once Tommy was in the pen the babysitter tried to put on a show to placate the toddler for a time. However, no matter what button was pushed or what plugged in and out of the wall, she couldn't seem to get anything on the TV aside from static. The humming noise of it quickly became upsetting to Tommy who started to fuss and scream about it.
Wilbur just watched on, only once motioning for Techno to not help either.
It took a bit more attempts and cursing under her breath before the girl stood up, a tight smile on her face as she looked back at Tommy.
"How about I set up my phone on the desk and put something on there for now?" She asked, her voice strained as she already was reaching for said object.
Tommy wasn't fully pleased by the small screen kept out of his reach, but at least the cartoon he demanded was playing.
As soon as he was settled in with that she motioned for Techno and Wilbur to follow her. The boys were walked into the hallway just short of the bedroom doors. They were side by side as she leaned down to be more at eye level, but still clearly taller than them.
"I'm going to ask you one more time to hand over that money. Last chance. Once I start looking this time, that's it. No more nice and no more chances to sweep this under the carpet." She warned looking slowly between the two, "Its almost dinner time and at this rate you'll be getting pot pie. I can't order anything without that money."
Wilbur could see Techno tense in out of the corner of his eye. A twitch of his hand and the rising of his shoulders. Biting his lip Techno looked to Wilbur quickly, but Wil only gave a firm shake of his head back. He slipped a hand into Techno's and looked ahead once more at the babysitter. A-something or other.
"We aren't telling you anything." Wil declared, jutting his chin out with added determination.
He refused to be defeated by her.
The girl sighed heavily before standing back up. She was muttering something about 'little monsters' but it was spoken too fast for him to really know for sure.
"Okay. Well, since there won't be pizza at this point anyway I guess I should get the pie in the oven." She stated, giving a pause as if it might be the magic words for the boys to crack.
When it failed she just let out another heavy breath before walking past them and towards the kitchen. The boys weren't told to follow and so they didn't.
Standing in the hall Wilbur shared a look with Techno. He made a hand gesture that wasn't sign, but they knew well between the two of them. Wilbur was telling Techno to brace himself and to breath. Techno seemed confused at first but nodded, making sure to take in an extra large breath right then and there.
There was the sound of the fridge door opening and Wilbur held his breath and waited.
…
…
"Where the hell is the pot pie?!"
X-0-X
Techno stood beside Tommy's playpen, looking between the half distracted toddler and towards the currently panicking babysitter. Wilbur was watching Alyssa as she darted from the fridge, to the cabinets and then back to the fridge again.
She was shouting at Wilbur now, but it wasn't exactly…angry. She was repeatedly asking about where the pot pie would have been, if he'd seen it and things like if this was some kind of game to him. Wilbur was replying back rather rudely in his opinion, even if she was kind of mean.
Its not like Techno hated her. He just, didn't want her in his home. Especially not now after she'd forced him to share a bath with Tommy. Tommy, who had drooled into the water and even had tried to drink it at one point. He also didn't like that she'd had to help rinse him off.
Tommy needed help bathing, but he didn't.
Which is why he didn't have any problem tucking the money into Tommy's crib earlier when they had been being chased. He trusted Wilbur had a plan.
Or…he had…at first.
The longer Alyssa seemed to be latched onto finding the money the more he felt this was a lost battle for them. He also didn't want her to call their parents, which she repeatedly mentioned doing.
"You. Here. Now." Alyssa ordered as she pointed at both Wilbur and himself.
He couldn't help the slight shiver that went down his spine as he began to approach.
"I need the money now. Either that or there wont be anything for dinner. Do you want to go to bed hungry? Because this is how you end up going to bed hungry." She was asking, her voice rushed and tense as she looked between them.
Techno was starting to feel very uneasy now, but Wilbur just held his gaze, firm and unshaken.
"We will say nothing to you for we know our rights, villian." Wilbur was saying, which was a line from Techno's favorite hero show.
One that he had known Wilbur watched and wasn't just 'in the room' during.
Alyssa just let out an even more tense breath. She waved both boys off and motioned to the couch.
"Plant it. Don't even think about moving." She commanded as she moved towards the boys room.
Wilbur didn't fight her on this and so Techno followed him in turn. The second she was out of sight and they were both seated Wilbur looked to Techno with an almost proud smirk on his face.
"We could call the pizza place while she's looking. The number is saved in the phone." Wilbur stated with a voice that matched his face.
"I'd need to get passed her to get the money though. We also need to count it. I didn't have time." Techno was saying, brow furrowed with a slight frown.
"It has to be enough for at least a large. We could get anything we want on it and she would just have to deal with it."
"She's going to call out parents." Techno warned with a bit more obvious worry.
At this Wilbur seemed to get even more smug, lifting his chin up as he crossed his arms.
"No she wont. She would have called them already if she was going to. I don't think she would." Wilbur stated with an assurance Techno didn't understand.
"She took the number though."
"But she hasn't called them. She hadn't even taken out her phone before Tommy needed 'tv time' and she hasn't come back to use the house phone." Wilbur pointed out, "I think she's just trying to scare us."
"...well its working." Techno muttered as he sunk into the couch and crossed his arms with a frown.
"...hey." Wilbur started, matching his tone and leaning over to him, "we don't have anything to be scared of. i wont let anything bad happen. even if she gets mad, i'll take care of it."
Wilbur was holding one of his hands now and Techno did end up feeling a better for it. They stayed liked that for a bit before Wilbur looked back down the hall at the sound of Alyssa making some kind of noise. Techno wasn't sure what it was, but the sound of her storming feet coming back at them made him tense.
Bracing himself Techno half held his breath as he watched Alyssa stalk towards them from down the hall. He could see some sort of partly crumpled papers in her hand.
He recognized those papers.
"Want to explain this?" Alyssa asked with a snap as she tossed them down on the coffee table before them.
Techno stared at the recovered homework, his stomach tying into a knot.
"Looks like maths." Wilbur commented from his seat and Techno swears he almost saw steam starting to come out of the babysitters ears.
"Looks like homework to me." She replied in a tone that had Techno flinching.
She paused and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she flexed her hands at her sides. Techno could almost see her counting to ten, similar to how their father did at times.
"...You know your parents are expecting to see this done." She stated, both boys remaining still and silent, "You need this for school tomorrow so they are going to check that its done even if I, for some reason, didn't check it tonight."
Techno fidgeted in his seat. He wanted to glance at Wilbur, but he was too scared to look away from her while she was speaking with her current tense tone.
"So, I'm going to give you a second chance to do this now. I'll keep looking for the money and when I get back I'll be checking over this. If its not done then I'm going to write a note explaining what happened for both your parents and your teachers to read."
"You can't do that, you're not our parents." Wilbur shot back with a scoff.
"I'm a part of the collage volunteer program at your school. It's a reason your parents agreed to have me babysit. I can, absolutely, tell your teachers." Alyssa confirmed.
Techno wasn't entirely sure about half of what she said, but the thought of his teachers getting a bad note about him…it didn't sit well in his stomach. He worked hard and enjoyed school. He didn't want his teachers to start hating him.
Wilbur seemed to get some sort of feeling from him because the hand in his own squeezed before his brother spoke up again.
"I still don't think you can." He stated challengingly.
"Well, you can choose to refuse to do your homework and find out. Or, you can finish it up and never have to think about it." Alyssa stated bluntly.
"we just have to finish it?" Techno asked, his voice smaller than he wanted it to be.
Alyssa looked at him a moment, her eyes seeming to soften at least a bit.
"Its a promise. If you finish it I'll look it over and that's that. The homework is its own issue." She nodded at him.
At least a bit of the knot in his stomach loosened and he looked over at Wilbur. Wil was frowning at him and Techno only returned the look with a firm frown. They held their stares a for a few seconds before Wilbur let out a tensed breath.
"fine" Wil huffed out, looking down at his and Techno's hands instead of the babysitter.
Techno nodded before returning his gaze to her. She looked at least a little less agitated at least. That wasn't saying a whole lot, but at least she wasn't angry at him specifically.
"I'll be back to check on you and your work." She stated as she moved to head back down the hall.
She didn't get far though before Tommy was whining for her attention. He was stood at the side of his pen with his arms up at her.
"Out." He demanded, no longer seeming to be interested in the tiny screen offered to him.
There was a whine in his voice that Techno scrunched his face at. Tommy was tired and was going to start being very fussy very quickly.
"Not right now, Tommy. Keep playing with your toys and watching your show, okay? I'll come get you once-" Alyssa started to say before Tommy stomped his foot with a louder whine than before.
Techno opened his mouth to give her a warning, but he felt a nudge on his arm. Looking towards Wilbur Techno was met with a smug sort of grin as he watched Tommy.
"I want out. Techy and Wilby are out! I want out!" Tommy demanded as he start to rattle the side of his pen.
"They have homework to do, little guy." Alyssa was trying to placate.
"No! Its after 'homework time'. No homework! Its 'Toon Time'!" Tommy protested loudly, his face already starting to go red.
Alyssa seemed to know well enough what a tantrum looked like though because she was crossing the room and reaching to pick Tommy up. Tommy, with complaints still on his tongue, allowed himself to be lifted into the air and place on her hip.
"Well, 'Toon Time' has to wait a bit, but, how about you help me in the meantime? Okay? You can help me find what your brother's took and then we can have dinner and play and-" She was rambling on now nodding her heard as if coaxing Tommy to agree by doing so.
It partly worked as Tommy was nodding along with her, but his pout was still in place and he was kicking his feet with annoyance. Still, he didn't try to wiggling out of her arms and she seemed to be taking that as a win.
She gave a last look at Techno and Wilbur, pointing to her eyes and then to their homework before she carried Tommy out of the room with her. They weren't even at the boys bedroom yet before Tommy's complaining voice could be heard.
Techno looked down at his worksheet before glancing around for a pencil. Wilbur nudged his arm and lifted up his own paper.
"If you do my maths I'll do your spelling." He offered, wiggling his paper for good measure.
Techno stared at him a moment before answering.
"No thank you. I want it correct, not just finished."
Wilbur let out an insulted breath at that but Techno was too busy now to care.
X-xx-X
Wilbur isn't sure how much time passed as he struggled to complete his formerly hidden work. Techno was mostly done with his, but he was distracted. They both were.
Even from where they sat in the living room they could easily hear Tommy's voice as he kept making demands or complaining to the babysitter. At first it had been funny, but now Wilbur was starting to get a headache from it. Not only that, but at the volume Tommy was yelling at Wil was predicting a very sore throat for tomorrow.
There was the sound of something crashing over and both boys looked up and towards the hall. It was loud and the babysitter had screamed from it as well. A moment later and she was speed walking down the hall, a very red faced Tommy on her hip. She beelined it to the kitchen and to the fridge.
"W-what about apple sauce? That'll be good for a bit right?" She was asking, but at this point Tommy's fussing had upgraded to a screaming tantrum and he only sobbed back at her.
Both Wilbur and Techno were covering their ears at the noise, though they looked at each other with a growing concern. Especially when they saw the girl hand Tommy something only for him to instantly toss it to the ground.
"I know your hungry. I know. I'm trying-" She was saying, her voice wavering.
She shifted Tommy on her hip and lifted the phone she had tucked between them back up to her ear. For a moment Wilbur feared she was calling their parents, making good on her threat from before. Thinking that perhaps Tommy had been her last straw.
However, that didn't seem to be the case as instead after a moment she started to ask something about time and kitchens or something. She was talking fast and so Wilbur couldn't catch much, but he saw the way her face crumbled before she thanked the other person and hung up.
"O-ok, ok." She breathed out, reaching into the fridge one more time.
She had one hand on Tommy's head to keep him steady as she searched. A second later, even though she didn't hand him anything, Tommy managed to get his hands on something regardless, tossing it to the floor where it shattered.
The babysitter jumped and cussed, closing the fridge door quickly as she looked over the mess. Wilbur looked at Techno at this point, his other brother looking about as alarmed as he himself felt. When he looked back up the girl was doing a sort of hop out of the kitchen and made to swiftly place Tommy into the playpen. Tommy shrieked at this of course but she just rushed away and back towards the kitchen.
She was out of sight quickly, having ducked down to clean up the mess by the sounds of it. At first at least.
After a moment or so there was a thump on the floor paired with a slight rattle of cabinet doors. After that there was a gasping noise that seemed to melt into a sob of its own. Climbing up onto the couch Wilbur peered over it and into the kitchen. He couldn't see too much with the table in the way, but he could make out the form or the babysitter on the floor and slumped against the cupboard just before the sink.
The knot that had been growing in his stomach as the night wore on tightened greatly now. He looked to Techno who could only stare back, having likewise climbed the couch beside him to investigate. His brother wore a look of guilt far stronger than he'd ever seen before, which for some reason only made Wilbur feel worse.
The two were quiet as they slipped off the couch and shuffled towards the kitchen, for the time being leaving Tommy to jostle the side of his pen in displeasure. From the door they could see the glass that had 'fallen'. A jam jar.
Right beside the mess and with a towel abandoned beside her leg, was the babysitter. Her face was pressed into her hands as if she was trying to be as quiet as possible. This was the closest Wilbur had ever been to a crying adult before and it felt….really really bad.
She was muttering something under her breath as she gasped it out between her own cries. Wilbur was just a few steps away from her when he picked out the apologies in it. A string of them, warbled out and pleading as she seemed to curl in on herself on the floor.
"a-are you okay?" Wilbur asked weakly.
This drew out another sob from from the girl and she threw her head back hard enough to bump against the cabinet with a fairly firm 'thump'. Wilbur winced but she didn't seem to care about it. Her hands were still firmly over her eyes.
"N-no. No I'm not and its only going to get worse and-" She gasped, a sharp hiccup cutting off her next word as she let out a distressed sounding whine, "I j-just needed a few more credits, f-for my class. B-babysitting was the o-only thing left- but now I'm going to get a bad review and my grade wont rise enough to pass for the term and I'll get kicked out of the course and-"
She gasped heavily as her words failed her here. Wilbur didn't know if he should try to pat her head or her shoulder like their parents would do with them. He also didn't know what, if anything, he could say. He didn't understand what she was talking about, but apparently it was enough to cry over.
When she spoke up next her words were thick as if getting them out was a effort. Given how scrunched and twisted her face was right now that probably was the case. She removed her hands from her face though, but Wilbur really wished she didn't.
Her eyes were rimmed in red and still filled with hot running tears. She looked, honestly, similar to Tommy about now, only less angry and more grief stricken.
It made his stomach and chest twist and tighten sharply, enough so that he almost wanted to throw up.
"I-I don't know what do to. I-I can't feed you, there's-there's mess everywhere and your homework isn't even done yet-" She broke off again, hands coming to scrub at her face, "fuck, i'm going to have to put kids to bed hungry- a baby to bed hungry-"
A thicker sob tore out of her as she shuddered, burying her head in her now drawn up knees.
Wilbur looked back at Techno, who by now was wiping at his own eyes and looking miserable. Wilbur understood entirely. He had wanted her to go, of course, but…he hadn't meant to make her cry. Without a word Techno turned and ran from the room, hands over his ears as he went. Wilbur bit his lower lip as he turned back to the girl.
Without speaking he moved closer and slowly lowered himself so that he was sitting beside her. It was awkward, but he tried to put a hand on her shoulder, leaning in as well to place his head against said shoulder.
"i'm sorry" He whispered to her.
At first it was soft but it steadily grew until it was about the same volume as her own pleas.
Wilbur didn't even realize Techno had come back until his brother's feet were right in his line of sight on the floor. Looking up at the sound of a sniffle Wilbur saw that Techno had returned with a crumpled set of bills in his hand.
The missing money.
Techno was handing it out to the babysitter, who was now staring at it like it was the saddest prize in the world. Techno's mouth opened a time or two before he instead brought a tiny fist up to his chest and moved it in a circle. He kept doing it, stopping only when he needed to wipe his face. The sign for 'sorry'.
The babysitter carefully took Techno by the arm and pulled him close to her and into a hug. She moved one arm to be around Wilbur as well as she cried into the both of them.
X-X
The girl is quick to try and pull herself back together, ushering the boys out of the kitchen so she could clean up the glass.
While she focused on that Wilbur turned his attention onto Tommy. He was still screaming, but it was more broken up now as he needed to take in more air. Wilbur stood at the side of the playpen and ran his hand through Tommy's hair as he hummed out songs for him.
It wasn't going to stop the tantrum, but it would calm Tommy enough that something else might. It was steadily getting him to lessen his cries so that was good. Techno was nearby and trying to help Wilbur, but so far had only really delivered a few of Tommy's favorite toys from both his and their rooms.
By the time the babysitter was done cleaning the glass and residual jam mess Tommy was reduced to teary hiccups and a few whines. In the end it hadn't been the singing that helped, but Techno reading some of Tommy's baby books at him.
The babysitter, Alyssa Techno had said her name was, had tried making a few more calls before coming over to them. The look on her face was sad and still a bit distressed. She knelt down to be more on their level.
"So…there aren't any food places that are taking more delivery orders right now. The only pizza place around says anything they make is going to be at least two hours at best." She explained.
"we can have mom's pot pie though." Techno stated softly as he bit at his lip.
Alyssa give him, if possible, a sadder look.
"I don't know where it is. Its not in the fridge-"
Wilbur stood up as she was speaking and headed for the kitchen. She didn't say anything, but he could feel eyes on him. It only made him feel more sheepish as he moved to the sink and opened the cabinet doors.
There it sat.
Porcelain dish with the tin cover sat between the extra stacked cleaning supplies and the weird wiggly pipe leading to the sink proper.
Carefully Wilbur took it out and placed it gently on the counter. When he turned around Alyssa was behind him. He didn't look at her face, staring instead at the floor as he anxiously chewed his lip and picked at his sleeve.
She waked over to him and offered a gentle pat on the shoulder before sending him back into the living room.
He was honestly expecting something like a scolding, but he wasn't going to argue over not getting one.
x-x
The night was a strange sort of blur for Wilbur after that. He and Techno took turns entertaining Tommy until they ate. Tommy was quick to fall asleep after that, needing only a bit of rocking and humming from Alyssa. Wilbur and Techno shared the clean up after dinner while their brother was being put down, taking extra care to do it right and not drop anything.
Wilbur walked around and reconnected the electronics in the house, returned the batteries and even sat down and allowed Alyssa to help correct his homework. He even listened when she asked he take a bath before bed, no fuss, fighting or even a sour face at the request.
Both boys were in their pjs and Alyssa was just about to send them off to bed when the door to the house opened.
"Heeeeey." Kristin greeted as she walked around the corner of the hallway, shoes only barely slipped off.
Her smile was bright and only grew as Techno and Wilbur ran up to her for a hug.
"You're home early. I hope everything went okay?" Alyssa questioned as she looked between both parents.
"Its was fine. Great in fact." Phil answered as he slid off his coat, "Just, bit of parental anxiety kicked in. We figured it wouldn't hurt to end it a bit early, just in case."
"Especially with how hard Tommy can be to put down sometimes. We didn't want to stress you out too much on your first watch." Kristin added.
It was said with a joking laugh, but the look on both parents faces as they looked over their kids was enough to show it was serious too.
"She got Tommy to go to bed really easy. He barely cried at all." Wilbur blurted out, Techno nodding rapidly beside him, "She even got Tommy to take a bath and everything without screaming. And she fixed when the toilet overflowed, and then when Tommy broke the jam out of the fridge-"
"Whoooa, whoa, whoa. That's…a lot." Kristin looked up at Alyssa who looked just as stunned as she was, "It sounds like tonight was…eventful?"
It took a second for Alyssa to nod her head, a smile growing as she did so.
"A bit. Just a few things really." She replied simply.
"Well, I hope you all behaved yourselves then at least." Kristin said as she glanced over the boys again.
Techno looked at Wilbur and Wilbur tried not to look guilty.
"Nothing seems to have been on fire at least. Its already better than I was fearing." Phil smiled as he looked to the boys, "So, what was for dinner then?"
It was said teasingly once more, but both boys looked a bit shamed for it.
"pot pie." Wilbur answered lowly before he started to ramble, "But, that's because the pizza place was busy. She tried to call all over but it wasn't working so we had the pie cus Tommy was hungry and I maybe hid my homework for a while, but-"
"A mild timing issue with ordering. But, the pot pie was delicious so no losses here." Alyssa assured, her smile brighter than before, "The boys even helped clean up after. It was nice."
"Really?" Kristin asked as she sent her two sons a teasing look, "I'll have to have them help clean up after dinner more often then. If it works so well."
"And the homework?" Phil asked, eyeing Wilbur with a 'are we going to have to talk about this' sort of look.
"All finished and checked over." Alyssa nodded, "Just the usual 'can't do what can't be found' sort of hide-and-seek is all. Most kids try to get away with that with babysitters."
Phil nodded with a hum and Wilbur fidgeted in place.
"So, I know you're in collage, but if you find the time would you be interested in watching the boys again then? It sounds like you all got along." Kristin asked with a bit of hope in her voice.
Wilbur, Techno and Alyssa all looked at each other, the boys fidgeting for good measure. It seemed to last forever before a smile returned to Alyssa's face.
"I think I could do that." She nodded and extended a hand towards the older Watsons.
Wilbur wasn't even faking the smile that found itself on his face as they all shook on it.