Log: Tending the Twins

[ambitious_muse]

Who: Sigma Ai, Agent York (Native), any Ai siblings who are at home
What: Babysitting the little siblings during Delta's appointment
Where: Ai household
When: Friday morning (8 May)
Warnings: none

Before he picks up the twins from school, Sigma finds everything he should need. Paper, pencils, crayons, and even a few stickers, so they can decorate the room with "Get Well Delta" cards. Dishes, cups, and favorite juices. A rogue ball of string in case York wants to help the twins play the "secret agent" game that he proposed on their second date.

It's a lot for one morning of babysitting, but Sigma really wants this to go well. Delta needs it, and more importantly, he hasn't seen York since before finals. It's time to sit back, have fun, and pretend that nothing is wrong.

Thankfully, the twins are pretty docile by the time they get home. Both of them have been cranky in Delta's absence. Now, they just seem resigned. Sigma hopes York will help him cheer them up.

Comments

[ambitious_muse]

"I think the twins have all the art talent," he says, "but I'll do my best."

"I'm done," Iota announces, holding up what definitely looks like an astronaut in outer space.

[depthlesslock]

'Good luck,' he says, nudging him while the crayon isn't on the paper.

He looks over at Iota's drawing and is rather impresses with it. 'Wow, that's cool!'

[ambitious_muse]

"It's an astronaut," Iota says, blushing but proud.

"It's an awesome astronaut," Sigma says. "Is that you, Io? Do you want to go flying over Adaptive?" Iota responds with a mute nod. How Sigma wishes it were possible. Maybe this is why Delta and Omega have given so much up for him, so his dreams are actually possible.

[depthlesslock]

'I've always wanted to go to space too, Iota,' he says, smiling at the small boy. 'You'd be able to see all the stars from up there. No clouds.'

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma wants to ask if he's still planning on their star-gazing trip, but he probably shouldn't in front of the twins. Instead, he nudges York's foot with his own. "Wouldn't that be awesome?" he asks. Iota nods with excitement.

"I'm gonna draw stars," he announces, and he scribbles black onto a new piece of paper with vigor.

Sigma looks at his own picture. "Well, I have a mug," he says. "Darker green for the dots, maybe?" He'll have to start with an outline. Actually, outlining in this green will be easy to hide. He starts his first attempt now.

[depthlesslock]

York glances at Sigma at the nudge and smiles, shifting his own foot to bump back against Sigma's. He's definitely still planning the stargazing trip.

'Totally awesome,' he agrees, turning back to the twins.

'I have.. Actually I'm not sure what half this sh-stuff is. It's just scribbles.' Close call. The maze isn't too bad. Maybe the twins can solve it together.

[ambitious_muse]

"Scribbles are fine," Sigma teases. "We can just pass it off as one of theirs." He leaves his foot where it is, still touching York's.

There. That outline looks human, at least, and the glasses are the right shape. He reaches for a darker green crayon so he can draw the dots.

[depthlesslock]

He turns the paper over to the blank side. 'Nah, I'll draw him something good.' Or as good as he can at least.

After a moment, he moves his foot to the other side of Sigma's so they're still in contact and now their legs are crossed.

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma squints at the mug. Pointulism was never his forte, but he thinks he got the hair right. "Is that what you were thinking?" he asks.

He scoots closer to York for more contact along their legs. His chair makes a horrific grating noise, though, and the twins look up in shock. Blushing, he looks pointedly at his drawing.

[depthlesslock]

He looks over at Sigma's drawing and is rather impressed with what he sees. 'Yeah, that looks great,' he says, nodding.

At the noise the chair makes and the various expressions that follow it, he smiles down at his paper and teasingly knocks his knee against Sigma's.

[ambitious_muse]

"Thanks," he says, blushing as much at the praise as at the contact.

Grabbing a fresh sheet of paper, he asks, "Did I tell you about my new jobs? I got the TA position I was hoping for." And he's curious to hear York's opinion of Louisiana's offer.

[depthlesslock]

He's so cute when he blushes. And it almost matches his eyes as well.

'You did? The one helping out in the lab? Great!' He'll enjoy that, and it brings in better money. 'What's the other job?

[ambitious_muse]

"Well, it's not exactly a job," he says. Here goes nothing. "Louisiana knows about the family's. . . financial situation and wants to help. She's offered to pay me to learn useful things to keep me out of trouble. Self defense, first aid, driving. So something like the attack never happens again."

[depthlesslock]

Well that's interesting.

'Thought I was teaching you self defense,' he says, tilting his head to one side. 'I guess we know different styles so we can teach you different things if you want. The rest of it sounds good though. Just... This isn't you tipping into the Fore Hire line of work, is it?'

[ambitious_muse]

"That's the thing. She says I don't have to learn it from her," he says. "Because you're the one I want to have teach me." He doesn't take York's hand because the twins are watching, but the thought it tempting.

"I told her no jobs and nothing you or my brothers would disapprove of. Just enough that, next time something happens, I'll be ready. . . .at least, more ready than I have been before."

[depthlesslock]

York can't help but smile at that. 'I'd love to.' He's also tempted to take Sigma's hand, but as engrossed in their pictures as the twins are, he can see their bright eyes looking at them every now and then.

'Yeah, that sounds good. It's best not to have to rely on someone to get you out of danger, knowing how to defend yourself is definitely important.'

[ambitious_muse]

"So next time you're feeling philanthropic, you only have to help me learn something and you could be feeding my family for a week," Sigma teases.

Eta frowns at them. "Why aren't you drawing?" she asks.

"Sorry, E. I got distracted," Sigma says. "What color should my next mug be?"

[depthlesslock]

'That sounds like pretty good motivation to me.' Helping Sigma protect himself and helping the family at the same time? Damn good deal. He'll have to thank Lou at some point.

He grins at Eta's scolding and quickly gets back to drawing again.

[ambitious_muse]

"Pink," Iota says.

"Pink, huh? All right," Sigma says. He's very tempted to make a "# 1 mom" mug for this one, but he doubts Delta would appreciate the joke right now.

"I'm all done," Eta says. "Don' wanna draw anymore."

She has drawn six figures on her page: her and Iota in blue and yellow, a green and orange duo that probably represents Delta and Maine, and red and tan for Sigma and York. She has even scribbled in York's scar.

"Why don't we play secret agents with York, then?" Sigma asks. "Did you know he's the one who taught me?"

[depthlesslock]

The latest helmet isn't too bad. Better than the previous ones at least. And he drew Delta a triangle delta symbol out of ones and zeroes. The numbers are just random since he doesn't know binary, but it looks pretty cool.

He looks over at Eta's drawing, grinning at the five-year-old drawn figures in various colors. Then he spots the lines and white eye drawn carefully onto the tan figure's face and swears his heart stops. They don't care. They're five years old and they don't care that he's half blind. She just drew it on like "okay, so he looks like this". Is it too early to hug them?

'Secret what?' Only half of what Sigma says makes it through.

[ambitious_muse]

York is fixated on Eta's drawing. Leaning over, Sigma slips his arm around his waist. He had forgotten that the twins didn't know about York's scar. Bless them for not saying anything.

"Secret agents," he says. "The don't-touch-the-string game? I got some string to play with and they love it."

[depthlesslock]

York leans into Sigma, the touch helping ground him a little. Eta's way too young to understand what she managed to do with just a picture. What she and her brother did by not asking.

He hears Sigma this time. 'Oh, that one! Yes, that sounds like a great idea.'

[ambitious_muse]

Iota nods with excitement. He jumps from his chair and tugs at his twin. "C'mon, E," he says.

Sigma presses a quick kiss to York's shoulder before standing. "I'll go get the string."

[depthlesslock]

As the twins run from the room, York takes the opportunity to grab Sigma's hand and bury his face in his shoulder for a single moment.

'Get something sticky but easy to remove from walls as well,' he says when he pulls back.

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma breathes in the familiar smell of York's hair. "I think we have some tacky wall stuff. Delta uses it to put up the twins' pictures. Will that work? I do have tape if it won't." He knows he's not supposed to use tape, though with the number of holes Omega puts in these walls, it might not make a difference.