(no subject)
BEDTIME!BILLY FOR RACHEL--BECAUSE I CAN DO CUTE HAPPY FLUFFY THINGS TOO Y'KNOW. (No, really, I can, I swear.) BTW IT'S FUTURE!FIC. WITH THAT WHOLE...FUTURE...VERSE THING.
He carries one boy under each arm, both wriggling and worming, until he deposits them into bed.
"Uncle Billy!" Thomas whines, nudging Warren IV aside. "I don't wanna go to bed!"
"Yeah!" echoes the little Warren. "'m not sleepy!"
They're no more than seven. Billy's never taken care of kids before, but he's been around Tom and War long enough, and Rachel and Pepper (and their respective husbands) trust him enough with them while the parents are out and about.
He chuckles and tries to tuck them in with little success. "You boys know the rules. You've got a pretty strict bedtime. Ten is the latest you're staying up."
"But--!" Tom has learned a lot of tricks from his mother, pouting his lips and eyes going big and wide and innocent. "But we promise to be real quiet!" He looks to War for support.
He nods. "Yeah, real quiet, Uncle Billy; you won't even know we're here!"
Billy waggles a finger at them. "I don't think so. The last thing I need is you two getting into the cookies and bouncing around like heated gas molecules. You two have had enough adventure for one day."
Warren puffs out his chest. "I think we should make a deal."
"Oh no, you're not going to business your way out of this one. You're staying in this bed, mister. If you don't, you won't get a puppy."
The boys look positively horrified at that prospect and pipe up at once. "But I wanna puppy!" "Aunt Penny said we could if mom says yes!" "Or if dad makes her think we should!" "We want a puppy, Uncle Billy!"
"Then you have to follow the rules."
Which shuts them up and causes them to pout at their sheets.
"You can ask your mothers in the morning." He's about to go turn off the lights when Tom sits up straighter again.
"Read us a story!"
"Yeah, story!"
He sighs but sits back down on the bed with a smile. "What story?"
The boys are deep in thought before War nudges Tom and nods down at the bed. Whatever that secret language is, Tom understands, and his face brightens immediately. He scrambled up and out of bed, digging in a box under the bed until he clambers back up again and hands Billy a comic book. "Read us this one!"
Billy's about to protest when War bounces a little. "Do all the voices really cool!"
"Yeah, the voices!"
"...You boys are just gonna get all rambunctious. Besides, haven't you read this yourself? I mean, it's better with pictures and everything."
They look at him like he is clearly a stupid adult and Not Getting It, as only seven-year-olds can. "We still want you to read it. With the voices! And we can do all the sounds!"
Beaten, he shakes his head a little, attempting to stifle a laugh. "All right, I'll do the voices. Move over." They leave plenty of room for him to lay between them, little heads crowding around his shoulders so they can see. They point out all the things he does wrong about the voices, and they argue over which one of them does a better whoosh-ing noise, but eventually the boys are curled up asleep or close to it.
It's only when he flips out the bedside light and turns toward the door that he sees Rachel standing there, leaned against the frame, light from the hallway outlining her frame.
"They love it when you're around," she informs him with a wide, beautiful grin as he shuts the door gently behind him. "You're so good with them. It beats paying for a babysitter."
"Let's see," he starts sarcastically, doing fake math in his head, "that's ten dollars per hour, for all evening..."
She bats him on the arm. "How about your reward is being a favorite uncle?"
"Maybe I should put you to bed, too." Before she can protest, he hefts her up and takes a few steps toward the bedroom, Rachel giggling and smacking him with her purse.
"If anyone's putting my wife to bed," says Bruce with a smirk, undoing his tie, "it's going to be me."
"Here, catch." Rachel almost yelps when Billy pretends to almost drop her.
"You're terrible." Though she's laughing when she's set on her feet, smoothing out her dress. "Both of you."
Bruce just shrugs in his defense.
"Pep and Hot Wings are back tomorrow, right?"
Rachel nods, almost laughing at the nickname that has just stuck through the years. "So no more boy trouble for you." Her features soften, regarding him with a thoughtful, loving look. "I can only imagine how you'd be with kids of your own. Come on, little Billy babies running around with our boys? It would be adorable. And Penny would make such a wonderful mother."
Billy rolls a shoulder. "Yeah, well." They've never really talked about it. They've never really tried. "If it happens, it happens. Besides, those boys are family, so."
"And you're their uncle."
"And I'm your brother."
"And I need a drink," pipes up Bruce from the other room. "Care to join us, oh brother-in-law?"
They share a laugh, and Billy agrees. "Sure, I can stick around for a bit longer." After a pause, "Oh, by the way, the boys are going to ask you for a puppy tomorrow."
"What?"
"Um..."
He carries one boy under each arm, both wriggling and worming, until he deposits them into bed.
"Uncle Billy!" Thomas whines, nudging Warren IV aside. "I don't wanna go to bed!"
"Yeah!" echoes the little Warren. "'m not sleepy!"
They're no more than seven. Billy's never taken care of kids before, but he's been around Tom and War long enough, and Rachel and Pepper (and their respective husbands) trust him enough with them while the parents are out and about.
He chuckles and tries to tuck them in with little success. "You boys know the rules. You've got a pretty strict bedtime. Ten is the latest you're staying up."
"But--!" Tom has learned a lot of tricks from his mother, pouting his lips and eyes going big and wide and innocent. "But we promise to be real quiet!" He looks to War for support.
He nods. "Yeah, real quiet, Uncle Billy; you won't even know we're here!"
Billy waggles a finger at them. "I don't think so. The last thing I need is you two getting into the cookies and bouncing around like heated gas molecules. You two have had enough adventure for one day."
Warren puffs out his chest. "I think we should make a deal."
"Oh no, you're not going to business your way out of this one. You're staying in this bed, mister. If you don't, you won't get a puppy."
The boys look positively horrified at that prospect and pipe up at once. "But I wanna puppy!" "Aunt Penny said we could if mom says yes!" "Or if dad makes her think we should!" "We want a puppy, Uncle Billy!"
"Then you have to follow the rules."
Which shuts them up and causes them to pout at their sheets.
"You can ask your mothers in the morning." He's about to go turn off the lights when Tom sits up straighter again.
"Read us a story!"
"Yeah, story!"
He sighs but sits back down on the bed with a smile. "What story?"
The boys are deep in thought before War nudges Tom and nods down at the bed. Whatever that secret language is, Tom understands, and his face brightens immediately. He scrambled up and out of bed, digging in a box under the bed until he clambers back up again and hands Billy a comic book. "Read us this one!"
Billy's about to protest when War bounces a little. "Do all the voices really cool!"
"Yeah, the voices!"
"...You boys are just gonna get all rambunctious. Besides, haven't you read this yourself? I mean, it's better with pictures and everything."
They look at him like he is clearly a stupid adult and Not Getting It, as only seven-year-olds can. "We still want you to read it. With the voices! And we can do all the sounds!"
Beaten, he shakes his head a little, attempting to stifle a laugh. "All right, I'll do the voices. Move over." They leave plenty of room for him to lay between them, little heads crowding around his shoulders so they can see. They point out all the things he does wrong about the voices, and they argue over which one of them does a better whoosh-ing noise, but eventually the boys are curled up asleep or close to it.
It's only when he flips out the bedside light and turns toward the door that he sees Rachel standing there, leaned against the frame, light from the hallway outlining her frame.
"They love it when you're around," she informs him with a wide, beautiful grin as he shuts the door gently behind him. "You're so good with them. It beats paying for a babysitter."
"Let's see," he starts sarcastically, doing fake math in his head, "that's ten dollars per hour, for all evening..."
She bats him on the arm. "How about your reward is being a favorite uncle?"
"Maybe I should put you to bed, too." Before she can protest, he hefts her up and takes a few steps toward the bedroom, Rachel giggling and smacking him with her purse.
"If anyone's putting my wife to bed," says Bruce with a smirk, undoing his tie, "it's going to be me."
"Here, catch." Rachel almost yelps when Billy pretends to almost drop her.
"You're terrible." Though she's laughing when she's set on her feet, smoothing out her dress. "Both of you."
Bruce just shrugs in his defense.
"Pep and Hot Wings are back tomorrow, right?"
Rachel nods, almost laughing at the nickname that has just stuck through the years. "So no more boy trouble for you." Her features soften, regarding him with a thoughtful, loving look. "I can only imagine how you'd be with kids of your own. Come on, little Billy babies running around with our boys? It would be adorable. And Penny would make such a wonderful mother."
Billy rolls a shoulder. "Yeah, well." They've never really talked about it. They've never really tried. "If it happens, it happens. Besides, those boys are family, so."
"And you're their uncle."
"And I'm your brother."
"And I need a drink," pipes up Bruce from the other room. "Care to join us, oh brother-in-law?"
They share a laugh, and Billy agrees. "Sure, I can stick around for a bit longer." After a pause, "Oh, by the way, the boys are going to ask you for a puppy tomorrow."
"What?"
"Um..."