Jimmy loved his sister. She was kind, she was gentle and he couldn't live without her.
But he didn't feel like that now, staring down an extremely young niece and wondering where on Earth his life had gone wrong. The girl had pink hair like her mother, brown eyes and a perfect smile, innocence practically drowning in it.
But he knew she was evil. She was a mischievous little thing that adored winding him up and making his life ultimately harder. The girl must only have been five, obviously still unmatured and definitely the daughter of his brother in law.
The staring contest continued as Lizzie continued to talk about the basics he had learnt to ignore long ago. Feed, play with, put to bed, the usual drab a normal child would agree with. He had heard it one too many times and knew, from tedious and traumatising experience, that on this incarnate of chaos, it was useless.
And his sister was still talking. That condescending paternal tone that he blocked out with ringing noise of past screams and images he would rather not revisit. Yet the pinkette had never heard those stories, too blind in motherly love to see how much of a mistake she was making leaving her child in the care of foolish Jimmy.
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Scott wasn't surprised when at 12:05, five minutes after he assumed Lizzie had left her daughter with Jimmy, the blonde was ringing him, begging for help and more or less pushing the idea of any I owe you onto the cyanette desperately. It wasn't as if Scott was going to say no. He laughed at the image of his friend practically tearing his hair out or sat in a corner having a midlife crisis because of a child.
Yet he cringed. Because he had met said child once or twice, times when it had destroyed Jimmy's confidence and left him the mess he was picturing seconds ago. She wasn't misbehaved so to speak, just loud, obnoxious and clearly something conjured and brought up by Joel, her father so much alike they could have practically been siblings from another mother.
So Scott decided to help.
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They both regretted every decision they had made that day. The kitchen was currently blanketed in the now sickening sight of flour. They were all covered in the powder, laughing or crying, depending whose direction you were focused to.
Jimmy was trying to mourn the loss off the room when the door slammed open and the loud laughter of his sister and her husband rang through the halls. The two men simply looked at each other, mentally preparing for the humiliation.
Honestly, neither understood how the couple did it, always exhausted after no more than half an hour with the thing.
They had spent four very long hours with her.
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Lizzie looked in disbelief. Two very tired looking friends, her daughter beaming, smile wide and bright; a kitchen covered in flour, batter and other baking ingredients. It took all her will power not to laugh, because it would be unfair.
Although she didn't seem it, she knew how much of a menace her daughter really was. She tried to be sympathetic towards her countless babysitters, but it was difficult when she herself had problems. And Lizzie always blamed Joel, her husband teaching his ways of destruction to a very eager five year old.
Obviously something Scott and Jimmy knew, hated and despised.
"You two go get cleaned up and sleep for a bit, dinner tonight is on me and by that I mean making, we ain't going out." she chuckled as they mumbled something close to agreement as they slumped upstairs, dragging a trail of ingredients with them.
She saw Jimmy groan slightly at the fact, yet he didn't seem too upset at the moment, more excited about a warm shower and a nap.
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Joel was sent to get his brother-in-law and close friend about two hours later. The water had stopped running ages ago, footsteps and talking long since succumbing to silence. He had expected to wake a lonely Jimmy up, forcing him to wake an equally annoyed Scott in the guest room.
What he hadn't expected was for the two to be cuddled into each other, treasuring the warmth and comfort like they would die without it. It was sweet, the two always being close, Scott so willing to help with his daughter.
He laughed silently, thinking of the one person in his life he could teach to annoy just about anyone. Because he loved spiting people, unsuspecting strangers complaining of a child too hyper to be self-taught, parents nagging him about how unfair to other people it was.
But when he saw this, the pinnacle of hard work and flourishing friendship, he couldn't be prouder.
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Maybe Jimmy would babysit his niece again, if only to wake up and hold Scott they way he did.
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Maybe Scott would begrudgingly help Jimmy again because it wasn't really a chore with him by his side.
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Maybe Lizzie would let her child run rampid again just for a few hours of peace, unknowing of the torment those looking after her felt.
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Maybe Joel would continue to teach, not listening to complaints just to see his friends happy.
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Maybe she would continue to make her uncles life harder because she really wanted him to see how much Scott meant to him, how much he meant to Scott. Because, yes, she was young, she was disturbing and a pain, but she knew what she was doing when two men sat across from each other, soft smiles and dreaming of a life similar, if not just for payback.
Because babysitting wasn't so bad, was it?
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I.Will.Catch.Up
YOU ARE READING
February is the season of love as June is such for flowers
FanfictionFebruary flower husbands prompt challenge by the amazing @sketchers_writes!
