Smiley and Sunshine

36.

^^^me when I have to wake up in 4 hours 🙂

Warning: some austin-baker action below :) and Smiley boy

"Hey."

"Hey man, she asleep?"

"Yeah, finally." Austin sighed as he roughly rubbed one side of his face, patting his cheek to stay awake. He slowly sat down on the couch, the family room empty of all his siblings for once, not bothering to close the sliding door. He talked just above a whisper in noise level. "Can't believe I drugged my own sister."

"It was Benadryl," Baker reminded him, "and it was either that or the hospital."

Austin's grip on his phone tightened from frustration. It shouldn't have even gotten to that point. The immense guilt he felt still very present in his mind.

Did he really give his sister spiked Gatorade?

Thankfully it worked though, the itchy feeling stopped relatively quickly and she had been out like a light when he left the bedroom a few minutes ago.

"Austin? You still there?"

"Yeah, B, I'm here."

"You okay?"

No. "I'm fine."

"You know, when a girl says that they are fine, she really means-"

"Wow. Such a comedian," Austin said dryly. He could just picture the smirk on Baker's face. He let himself slouch further into the couch, his arm coming across his eyes as he yawned.

"Thank you, thank you. Our youngins had to get their sense of humor from somewhere."

Austin chuckled once or twice, appreciating Baker's intentional distraction. "Is that so?"

"What?" Baker asked, "You didn't think they got it from you, did you?" Baker snorted, "Hate to break it to you, but you're as funny as snot."

"Real mature, how old are you again?"

"Not as old as you."

"Screw you," Austin laughed for real this time, thinking how just that morning his sister had practically said the same thing. He beg your pardon, he was not old. "You're not some spring chicken either, mister twenty-eight."

"Fucking hell, don't remind me. My back hurts just thinking about it." Baker groaned, "When do we stop counting again?"

"Who's the lady now?" Austin teased him right back. Oh how the tables have turned. "I think the magic number is 29."

"Whatever," Baker grumbled in displeasure. Austin could hear some shuffling on his brother's end as the radio suddenly clicked on in the background. He wasn't able to make out what was being dispatched, nor did he have the brain compacity to care at the moment.

Austin would have been sleeping if Baker hadn't called him 5,000 times.

Okay, 3.

But still.

"Where are you?" Austin asked, his curiosity piquing just a little bit. Baker never had a boring night shift at work, making for some interesting stories. At least the ones he was willing to share with his siblings.

Everyone knew nothing good happened after midnight.

"Buc-Ee's," Baker responded, "Lindsay had to take a shit. Told him Chipotle was a bad idea but nooo, never fucking listens to me."