Chapter 92: The Babysitter 2

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: The Babysitter 2

Morning sunlight filled the kitchen. Felix opened the fridge, grabbed eggs, butter, bread, and a few vegetables, and set them on the counter.

Beside him on the wooden step stool, the little boy hopped on his toes, his tiny fingers curling over the edge of the granite.

Felix glanced down at him with a slight smile.

"You ready to help me out, buddy?"

The boy puffed out his chest, looking very proud. "I not just buddy! I Leo!"

"Leo, huh?" Felix chuckled, giving the top of the boy’s head a playful ruffle. "Sounds like a strong name. Well then, Chef Leo, let’s see what we can whip up."

Leo grinned, practically radiating curiosity.

"Unca Felix? What you making?"

"Breakfast."

"What breakfast?"

"Eggs, toast, and some greens."

Leo tilted his head. "Eggs are chickens?"

"Well... technically, yeah."

"Where chicken go?"

"Probably running around a farm far away from here."

Leo giggled. Felix cracked an egg against the rim of a bowl, and the boy leaned in close. "Why you break it?"

"If I cook the hard shell, it tastes terrible."

That got a belly laugh. "Bad breakfast!"

"Very bad breakfast."

Felix whisked the eggs while the boy fired off questions without taking a breath.

"Unca Felix, you fight big monsters?"

"Sometimes."

"Bigger than house?"

"Way bigger."

Leo’s jaw dropped. "Wow. You get scared?"

Felix’s hand paused on the whisk. "Yeah. Sometimes."

"Heroes get scared?"

"Sure they do. Being scared is normal. But if someone needs help, you step up anyway. That’s what being brave means."

Leo puffed out his tiny chest again. "I brave!"

"You definitely are," Felix laughed, tapping the boy’s nose. "Now, I need my brave helper. Can you squeeze this lemon into the bowl?"

"I do it!"

Leo grabbed the yellow squeezer with both hands, his face turning red as he squeezed with all his might. Nothing happened until Felix placed his hand over the boy’s small fingers, giving it a gentle press.

Drip, drip.

Leo gasped. "I did it!"

"Great job. One more task." Felix handed him a small onion. "Can you peel off the dry skin?"

Leo picked at the paper-thin layer with his fingernails. After a few seconds, he held it up proudly. "Unca Felix! Onion wearing clothes! I take clothes off!"

Felix froze, looked at the onion, and burst out laughing. "Yeah, buddy. Take its clothes off."

By the time the food was done, onion peel was scattered across the counter, lemon juice was sticky on the tiles, and Leo somehow had flour on his cheek.

Felix plated the scrambled eggs and toast.

"Alright, food is ready."

Leo scrambled off his stool, but instead of heading to his own chair, he ran straight to Felix and lifted both arms. "Up! Sit with you!"

"You have your own chair, buddy."

Leo shook his head stubbornly. "Papa says family eats together."

Felix looked at the empty chair, then at the boy’s hopeful face, and let out an amused sigh. "Fine. Come here."

He lifted the boy onto his lap, pulling the chair close. Leo grabbed a warm triangle of toast, shoved a buttery corner into his mouth, and beamed. "Yummy!"

"Good. Glad the onion clothes didn’t ruin it."

They ate together, Leo chattering between bites. He asked if heroes could fly, if monsters brushed their teeth, and if a hero could be friends with a beast.

"Some monsters are mean," Felix explained, wiping a speck of egg off the kid’s chin. "But you shouldn’t assume every single one is bad. Just like people."

"Like people," Leo repeated, nodding wisely.

Then he dropped a piece of toast, butter-side down, right onto Felix’s clean grey shirt.

Leo looked at the stain. Felix looked down.

"...Oops," the boy whispered.

Felix groaned playfully. "Your dad is buying me a new shirt."

---

After cleaning up the kitchen, Felix brought Leo into the living room. "What do you want to play?"

Leo pointed a chubby finger at the TV and the black game controllers on the table. "Game! Papa plays car game!"

"Say no more."

Felix booted up the console, picked a colorful arcade racing game with bright tracks, and handed the boy a controller.

"This button makes you go forward, and this stick steers."

Leo immediately mashed every single button at the same time. The little digital race car spun in three circles and slammed straight into a brick barrier.

"Car broken!" Leo cried.

"The car isn’t broken, your driving is just wild,"

Felix chuckled. He took the second controller.

"Watch. Turn gently this way."

Leo pushed the stick. The car swerved, missed the road, and drove straight into a lake with a loud splash.

"Bad car!" Leo scolded the TV.

Right then, Felix’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out with one hand while steering his car back onto the road.

Liora: Felix! Are you awake?! [Screaming face emoji]

Felix: Barely. What’s wrong?

Liora: THE GAME UPDATE RUINED EVERYTHING. [Exploding head emoji]

Felix: What happened?

Liora: They patched the combat! Now my dodge roll doesn’t work, hitboxes are broken, and the dungeon boss keeps clipping inside the wall! I’m going to find the developers and make them play their own broken game! [Swearing face emoji] [Fire emoji]

Felix chuckled. Beside him, Leo looked up from his controller. "Unca Felix? Why you laugh?"

"My friend is yelling at a video game."

Leo nodded solemnly at the TV. "Bad game. Like bad car."

Felix: Try restarting your console. If that doesn’t fix it, go outside and touch some grass. [Shrugging emoji]

Liora: I don’t want grass, I want my smooth dodge rolls back! You’re the worst! [Pouting face emoji] [Crying face emoji]

Felix: I’ll send flowers for your lost boss fight. [Wilted flower emoji]

Liora: Send a working patch! [Angry face emoji] [Tools emoji]

Felix pocketed his phone with a grin.

Beside him, Leo had his tongue poking out in deep concentration, hands gripping the plastic controller like a steering wheel. His car was lodged sideways against a guardrail.

"Need a tow truck?" Felix asked.

"Yes, please!"

Felix nudged the boy’s car back onto the asphalt with his own vehicle. "Alright, let’s take this corner together. Ease off the gas... now turn."

Leo leaned his whole body into the turn. The car drifted around the bend smoothly.

"WE WIN!" Leo screamed happily.

"We’re on lap one, buddy."

"WE WIN!"

Felix laughed and let him have the victory. They raced three more tracks, then switched to an easy adventure game where they ran around collecting shiny gold coins.

Felix cheered at every coin the boy found, making goofy sound effects whenever they jumped over mud pits.

By late morning, the little boy’s energy finally ran out. His eyelids drooped, his steering got sloppy, and he leaned his head against Felix’s ribs.

"Unca Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"I sleepy."

"I can tell." Felix turned off the console, grabbed a soft quilt and two pillows from the sofa, and laid them out on the rug. Leo flopped straight onto the mat like a sack of potatoes.

"Cozy?" Felix asked, tucking the blanket around him.

Leo patted the empty pillow beside his head.

"Unca Felix sleep too."

Felix looked at his comfortable couch, then at the kid’s sleepy eyes. He laid down on the rug beside him, pulling part of the quilt over his chest. "Just a quick nap."

Leo curled up, resting one small hand on Felix’s forearm. "Together."

Felix agreed softly.

Within two minutes, the boy was breathing deeply in a heavy sleep. Felix closed his eyes, intending to rest for just five minutes and passed out cold right beside him.

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