🍇 GRAPE SODA [Barney X Tinky Winky] 🍇

🍇 GRAPE SODA |7| 🍇

Over the next few months, Tinky buried himself into working not one, not two, but three part-time jobs. He spends the morning shift as a cashier at a nearby cafe, a few hours as a clerk at the local library, and late nights to early mornings as a warehouse guard for a family friend. At this point he gets a total  of 10 hours of sleep in a week, and that's if he's lucky. Tinky's been run ragged, and he knows this can't go on for longer. He has to keep reminding himself that it's for his siblings' sake.

But even now, as Dipsy stands before him, hot tears streaming down her face, Tinky questions who he's really trying to prove himself to.

Earlier...

It's 4:30 in the morning, and Tinky just got off of work in the warehouse. His eyes are drooping, and he can't wait to have a short nap before having to get up again for the cafe. Tinky unlocks the door and takes off his shoes as muscle memory tries to drag him to his bed, but when he looks up he sees a shadow standing in the hallway. The figure moves, making him scream.

It's just Dipsy standing there with a glare on her face.

"Shoot Dips, you scared the heck outta me," Tinky remarked.

"It's 4:30 in the morning Tinky Winky," Dispy says scarily calm.

"Great observation Dips. Now can I go to sleep? And what's with the full name?"

"4:30. That's when you get home and when I have to get up."

"Uh... ok and?"

"What do you mean and? Get your head in the game Tinky! You're not the only one running on just barely enough sleep!" Dipsy exclaims in frustration, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

Tinky, still confused by his sister's actions, says, "4:30 is a perfectly fine time to wake up."

"It's not!" Dipsy shouts.

Tinky was starting to feel an anger within his chest. How could Dipsy not understand especially when he was doing all this for her and their other siblings?

"Well how would you know? You're not the one working three jobs to provide for your family. You should be sleeping more Dips. What's making you stay up so late? Your homework? Just do it earlier then."

"Oh Tinky, you've always been so prideful. Doing this for us? What a load of bullsh--"

"Cut the crap Dipsy. You've always been selfish. Don't think I didn't know you were planning to go to art school. You're staying up every dang night working yourself to such a baseless dream. Face it Dips. You're not making it out there. Find some other field of study to spend your oh-so-precious time on, and maybe you'd be able to provide more for this household like I do. That way, we'd all be getting more sleep around here."

"That's really what you think of me?!" Dipsy yells, her tears finally let free. "You think I even have the time to pursue my baseless dream? You hypocrite. You're not even qualified to insult my academic pursuits after getting expelled from the same school. And look where that got us you stupid jerk! We lost our government funding! Now with you working three jobs, who's looking after our siblings? Certainly not you. That's why I get no sleep. You don't even spend time with us anymore, and I'm afraid Lala and Po no longer know who Big Brother Tinky is. If I'm selfish, then what are you? YOU GOT US INTO THIS MESS TINKY WINKY!"

Tinky's mind went numb for a second. Dispy was right. He was being selfish. Who was he trying to prove himself to at this point? His siblings? His dead parents? The government? No, Tinky was doing this for himself. Not to make money for his family, not to prove he could be a responsible guardian, but to reaffirm to himself that he wasn't a failure. 

Dipsy was also right though. He got his whole family caught up in this mess. Especially with his expulsion. Tinky had a feeling this expulsion also had something to do with a certain purple haired professor. One who his infatuation with may have been the root of all of his problems.

Tinky really was a failure. He was he one running after baseless dreams working three jobs when he could've prevented this all in the first place. In his pursuit of redemption to himself, Tinky lost sight of what was truly important to him--his family. What he had been doing was almost as bad as taking that creepy stalker's offer all those months ago.

Tinky was knocked out of his thought's by Po coming out of his room. 

"Big Sis, I had a nightmare..."

"Oh Po, did our argument wake you up?" Dispy consoled. "I'm so sorry. Here, let Big Sis take you back to bed."

She then turned to Tinky, "This discussion isn't over. Stay right there."

As she left, Tinky was struck with yet another realization. Po came to Dipsy. He came to Dipsy and not to "Big Bro Tinky" like he always used to do.

He grabbed his shoes, put them back on, and ran out the door,.

Tinky Winky was not just prideful, selfish, or a hypocrite, he was also a coward.

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A/N help why am I putting time and effort into this. Also Dispy is male and po is female??? hello??? idk my teletubbies lore, and I'm too lazy tp change evrything