catchacold | Babysitter's Club

"I didn't ask you to get into my damn car! I don't got time for this." He had to pick Mick and Ted up from playgroup and he wasn't missing that just because his hostage was an idiot. Leonard stopped the car finally, looking around for anything recognisable. "...just get in the backseat. I can drop you off somewhere later. Leave the kid's seat alone." Because, yes, there was a baby car seat in the back.

Oh God, this guy had a kid? Well. That sucked. Barry got out swiftly and fumbled his way out, clambering into the back and shutting the door. He did up his seat belt and once Leonard took off again, Barry smiled a little. "Hey, thanks. You gotta have some good in you, see? You're helping me. In a way. I hope." Or he's taking him out to be whacked and dumped off somewhere for being a pain in the ass. "If you didn't want me in the car, you should have been clear. You told me to stick by you or I'll get a bullet in my head."

"I let go of you and pushed you away, most people really get that hint." He hadn't even realised that this guy didn't until it was too late. "I just enjoy my work. Pays well. Ain't nothing about it that says I gotta be a bad person." That said Leonard drove into traffic again, checking his car one more time. "Just don't tell anyone you were a hostage for a quick moment. You can be my new friend. I'm Leonard."

"It's not really what good people do though, is it? Robbing money and holding hostages. Waving a gun around. You hit me with it too!" It was debatable not on purpose but it really smarted. Barry settled down and eyed the car seat and the little blue blanket that sat in it, with a happy bear on it. Was this guy a dad or what? Was that why he did this? To support his kid? Maybe he could help him realise that these things could be solved legally.

"Hi Leonard, I'm Barry." Barry introduced with a smile, leaning forward a little. "I would give you the name of my job or something interesting about me but I got neither... well, I once got voted most likely to go into space at space camp."

"I ain't trying to be good either. I just do what I like and what I'm good at." Leonard grinned and turned at the corner, glancing back at Barry. "I've never been to space camp. Congrats, hope you actually get to space. If you do, bring me a souvenir." Whatever one could bring from space. Something neat, he hoped.

"We're picking up Mick and Teddy. You be polite with them."

"Only nice, good people get souvenirs from space so if I ever go, you better not be a thief or you won't get a moon rock." Barry warned as he stayed leaned forward, arm resting on the chair he'd just been sitting in as he watched Leonard drive. "I sort of changed my ambitions though, I'm unlikely to go into space. I get motion sick. And dizzy."

He was not made for space. "Who are Mick and Teddy?"

"My boy and his father." Not wrong, technically. Leonard stopped by the daycare centre and sent a message to Mick, then waited for them to walk up to them. "So, if you're not going to space to get me something pretty, what's your ambition now? And how many pretty things can I get out of it?"

No need to hide his selfish needs here.

"I'm not telling you my life goals, you're the scary guy who just held my hostage. Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine." Barry counted as he sat back and huffed a little. It wasn't much later that a young man came over, he was pretty strong looking like he'd been hitting the weights and he was holding a young baby, wearing a sock monkey hat. Damn, that was a cute kid.

Mick opened the door to get Teddy into his car seat and then paused, smiling at the kid and then giving Leonard a look. "Did you pick up another twink?"

"Wha-- no, dude, no, I'm not a twink. I'm a hos--friend."

"Yeah, he's no twink. He's Barry." Leonard snorted and waited for Mick to get into the car, in the meantime reaching back so Teddy could grab his hand. "Hey. Did you have a good day?" Of course, Leonard wasn't that interesting when there was a new person around, but at least Teddy still held onto his fingers, while his big, curious eyes were focused on Barry.

"Twink! Twink sta."

"No, no, come on, kiddo, no. I'm Barry."

"Twink li sta." Teddy squealed and clapped his little hands before letting go of Leonard and swiftly making grabby hands at Barry. "Twink! Twink!"

Mick smirked and did up his seat belt, shooting Leonard a look. "So what's this then? You picking up yourself a new boyfriend or did you end up running a taxi service for giant dorks?" What? He looked like the biggest dork. He had gangly limbs, a sweater vest and pens in his pocket. Nerd alert.

"It's a long story. He was my hostage for a hot minute, but now we're friends. He went to space camp and he's Teddy's twinkle star." It was a strange day. Leonard put his hand on Mick's wrist for just a moment, because he felt like some contact before he started driving again, then he backed into traffic. "Where am I taking you, twinkle star?"

"It's Barry and could you just drop me off near Jitters?" He could find his way home from there but he wasn't telling these strange people where he lived. It was all weird enough as is. Here he was, in a criminals car, who spoke so casually about kidnapping him while a baby chewed on his finger and -- "Ow!"

He had tiny little teeth coming in and he bit pretty hard down on Barry's finger. He whimpered and yanked it free and as he did so, Teddy's lower lip wobble, whining. "Twink sta! No! Dada!" His very limited range of words got his point across and Mick turned around, growling angrily at Barry until he was too scared to do anything else but hold his hand back out.

And Teddy put it right back into his mouth.

"Teddy, what did I tell you? Food's for biting. People are not." Leonard scolded Teddy, if still in a soft tone. it was Teddy, it was difficult to be harsh with him. "Sorry, he's excited to finally have teeth. We got him this plastic chew ring and he uses it nonstop." It was cute, but it sure wasn't when he was biting innocent fingers. "Anyway, we can do Jitters. Pick up something nice. No muffins or we won't hear the end of it if Axel finds out."

"Lalalalala!" Was Teddy's response to that as he continued to keep the finger in his mouth. At least he stopped chewing it, he just drooled all over it instead and mumbled at a very confused Barry, who watched him with great fascination.

Mick crossed his arms and glared straight ahead. "We'll get coffee and donuts then. He's driving me nuts with that anti muffin thing."

"Axel... huh. Do you mean Axel Walker?" Barry asked curiously, squinting a little. It wasn't a common name, he took a shot in the dark.

"You know he only wants people to eat the muffins he's making, especially when he's experimenting." It was pretty great on the whole, although it could be really weird to bite into a muffin expecting something sweet and then find out that Axel was experimenting with curry flavour. It tasted good, but still. "The other day Hartley mentioned having bought one at Jitters, you should have been there."

Leonard glanced at Barry and frowned. "How do you know Axel?"

"Yeah, well, I ain't his lover boy. I should be allowed." Mick complained as he leaned forward to play around with the radio. Barry watched Teddy chew his finger and smiled at the kid, much happier not the little thing wasn't biting him. It was mostly all soft gum except for two baby teeth.

"Yeah, he's the kid that spray painted a dick on Joe's car." Barry remarked as he playfully bopped Teddy on the nose, making him giggle. "He used to do it to all the police cars. Joe busted him for it while I was in the car, he rode in the back. He called me a pussy." Lovely experience. "Do you just run exclusively with criminals then?"

"I didn't hear you complain when he made those muffins with... what did he call it? Chocolate ganache? That." Those had admittedly been delicious. Maybe he could convince him to make them again. He glanced behind himself to check on Teddy, but of course Barry liked him. It was Teddy.

"Axel's legal these days, actually. So's Mick. All very upstanding citizens. Axel's a baker. Cake decorator. Cake artist? I don't know, he changes what he calls himself every day." The other day it had been Pastry Punk. Axel had been on a sugar high.

"Then former criminals. Whatever." Barry shrugged and moved his hand away so he could send a quick text to Joe, just to tell him he's okay and, you know, his money got stolen. But so did everyone else's so that only seemed fair. While he did that, Teddy started to whimper and whine for his twinky. Apparently he'd really taken a liking to Barry, he was cute.

"Stop making my kid cry." Mick growled because he was very papa bear when it came to Teddy. Barry looked up from his phone, confused. Why did people keep yelling at him today?

"Teddy's less high maintenance usually, he just doesn't like car rides so much, so he needs all the attention." Leonard rolled his eyes at Mick and reached out to put a hand on his thigh. "Also, come on. Spraying a couple of dicks is hardly criminal."

"Oh. Okay, sorry." Barry apologised and slipped his phone away before turning to give all of his attention to the baby. Yep, he was a good kid, look at that. "Hey, mister." He reached out and playfully tickled his tummy. "No but he also tried to steal the car and he was pretty high. He only narrowly escaped juvie. Joe was kind to him."

"Axel's a good kid." He spent so much time trying and failing to convince Mick or Axel of that, he didn't need to add his new friend to the list of people that applied to. Leonard waited at the red light and looked over his shoulder at the two of them. "I'll buy you a coffee and we can forget the whole thing."

"No, I believe you." Barry said without hesitation. Joe believed it so Barry could buy it too. He didn't believe that anyone was that bad, not really. "Like you said earlier, people who do bad stuff aren't always bad people. There's lines and stuff, it's hard to define." Barry pretended to take Teddy's nose and then put it back on him, grinning at how excited the kid was over it. "What do you think? Are your daddies good people?"

"Yes!" Teddy insisted, throwing his hands up.

"Thanks, kiddo, loving the enthusiasm." Leonard smiled at Teddy and then focused on the road again, letting go of Mick to have both hands on the steering wheel. Almost at Jitters. "You got any celebrations coming up? Birthday or whatever?" Hey, he was always ready to get Axel baking jobs.

Babysitter's Club

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject