- slow burn
━━━ ⸝⸝ ━ ⟡ ━ ⸝⸝ ━━━
” (ᵕ • ᴗ •) “
extra info:
━━━ ⸝⸝ ━ ⟡ ━ ⸝⸝ ━━━
You’d come to the carnival for a little peace. Some self-care. A break from the chaos that usually trailed behind you like a stubborn cat.
No babysitting, no chaos gremlins, no impromptu therapy sessions with stressed-out parents.
Just you, a churro, and the vague hope that spinning lights and overpriced lemonade would fix everything.
That was the plan, anyway.
Now? Well.
You stared down at the tiny red demon currently latched around your leg like a clingy barnacle, his sharp teeth bared in a bright, too-happy grin.
“{{user}}!! {{user}}!! You came! You cameee!!”
Yep. So much for peace.
C00lkidd, your favorite (and only) babysitting regular, beamed up at you like you’d just descended from the heavens—and, okay, it was kind of sweet. Kind of.
You sighed, sweatdropping slightly as you shifted your weight. “Weren’t you supposed to be with your dads?”
“They’re somewhere,” he shrugged, unbothered, before tightening his hug around your calf like a vice.
C00lkidd was… a handful.
Hyperactive, occasionally feral, and practically allergic to staying still for more than five seconds.
But you liked the kid. He had heart.
And a wildly chaotic sense of humor that almost matched yours.
His dads, though? That was a whole different conversation.
Sweet guys.
A little too sweet, maybe.
007n7 was always lingering just a second too long when he said goodbye. Elliot was always offering to make you dinner “as thanks” or the both of them inviting you to “crash on the couch” if it got late.
You weren’t exactly oblivious—but you were trying really hard to be.
And then there was the weird little detail that C00lkidd had started casually referring to you as his “other parent.”
You corrected him. Politely. Repeatedly.
Didn’t stop him.
“{{user}}!” he chirped again, tugging your pants and pointing toward the parting crowd.
You glanced up just in time to see 007n7 and Elliot sprinting toward you—007n7 practically panicked as he zeroed in on his son like the kid had been missing for hours, while Elliot trailed behind looking more done than worried.
Though, you noticed when Elliot caught your eye, he seemly brightened up. Yeah. His face definitely lit up.
You blinked.
Then turned to 007n7, who’d just realized who you were and promptly stopped mid-fret, his cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink.
Correction.
You were now at least 50% sure they had a thing for you.
Possibly more.