Chapter Text
"Nana!" Bingo and Bluey sang in unison as they ran to give their dear old grandma a hug. She had barely made it beyond the threshold before she found herself shackled in an embrace from either side. "We missed you so much," Bluey exclaimed, wagging her tail in an excited frenzy. Spending time with Nana was the height of her morning. How much she cherished every second with her was evident every single time they saw each other.
"Ohhh I missed you girls too! Happy I could stop by and cook with your mummy this afternoon."
"Did you manage to get everything? I could run by the mart if need be," Chili offered, eager as always to make sure dinner for the family is perfect.
"Oh, I think all that was left on the list was the gluten free pasta. Didn't spy any on my way through the mart yesterday. Sorry dear..."
"No worries at all, gives me something to do while the meat unthaws in the kitchen. Bandit should be in the living room watching the telly, otherwise ring me if you need anything else while I'm out!" She smiled as if to say "leave it all to me," despite the hours she spent yesterday sprucing up the place in her usual fashion. If not going the extra mile for the guest of honor.
"Thank you love" Nana replied, still anchored in place by two overjoyed pups. She found herself stuck in a predicament only the next voice seemed equipped to handle.
"Afternoon nan," Bandit strolled in, greeting his mother with a warm hug. Like the forces of static cling compelled them, Bluey and Bingo simultaneously got the idea to latch onto their father next. But as per usual the set out to make it much more excruciating for him. "Girls, come on now! Your mom's about to leave! Just... one..."
"No smoochykiss in front of Nana, that's bad manners," Bluey chided.
"Yeah, nana definitely doesn't want to see that," Bingo added, giggling to herself.
"What? Since when?" Bandit asked, feeling miffed.
"Since today! If Nana sees it she's gonna throw up!" Bluey giggled.
"Everywhere! BLEHHHH." Emphatically added Bingo, gesturing with a retch. "Right Nana?"
"Quite right you two!"
"Nan! Don't entertain them," Bandit was already struggling to free himself, and the added weight of his mother's words just made the situation feel even more hopeless.
Glancing at her watch, Chili estimated she shouldn't be more than half an hour or so on her trip to the store, grabbing the final piece for dinner. Maybe a freshly made dessert would be appropriate as well? She didn't want to get too ahead of herself thinking of ideas, but she enjoyed blowing Nana Heeler's socks off when possible. And if she had any say, it was definitely possible today. The harsh but typical thud of her husband falling to the floor derailed her train of thought.
With one last look at her despondent husband, pinned beneath the weight that is parenthood, Chili bid them all adieu. "I won't be long, keep the place in one piece while I'm gone alright kids? Be on your best behavior for Nana."
"Okay mom!" Eyes glistening as they spoke, the light shining from outside advertising their cherubic innocence even more.
"Chili! Honey, please!" Bandit cried, extending a paw out to her.
"Pick up some honey from the mart, got it." She responded, smiling teasingly as she creaked the door shut, watching his arm fall to the floor in resignation. As the door clicked shut, an evil silence fell upon the room, suddenly broken by the cheery, devious laughter of the kids, successful in their plans.
"It seems mom is awfully busy shopping, she can't afford to stop and give you a smoochykiss. Such a shame really." Said Bluey, waving her hand daintily, pleased with herself for saving her dad from himself. Bingo was a bit more sympathetic, saying "It's okay, you'll have plenty of time for smoochykiss once Nana leaves." She patted her fathers head while he laid defeated on the cool floor.
"Bandit, mind giving me a hand with these bags? I got the girls a little something special I found at a garage sale." Nana interjected, lightening the mood. At the sound of this, Bluey and Bingo's eyes snapped to the paper bags. They finally unhanded him, darting back to Nana and the bags, giving him some breathing room at once. But at what cost? He was smoochless.
He walked over to the door to grab the bags, as Nana retold some of the events leading up to her find at the garage sale with the kids as she led them to the living room. Bandit let out a sigh. As he lifted the bags up he noticed the front door still slightly ajar. Before he could gather his thoughts it creaked open, allowing an angel to grace him with a much needed smooch.
Meanwhile, the kids were brimming with excitement by the time their gran's story built up to the bag's contents. Indeed, yo-yos, laser tag, a tea party set, everything sounded wonderful to their youthful ears. More things to do, more games to play with mom and dad. They appreciated every single possibility with the same cheerful enthusiasm. Noticing Bandit finally rejoining the group with a satisfied smile on his face, she decided to finally clue them in.
"Now, after all that scouring I came upon something I reckon would be perfect for both of you. With the imagination you two have on your shoulders." She punctuated the last word by booping Bingo's nose, eliciting a sweet laugh from the little red heeler.
Bandit set the bags down near the foot of the couch, on either side. Two of them were labeled; one with a big "B" for Bluey and the other with a small "b" for Bingo. They recognized this immediately and dismounted the couch to approach their respective bags. "Can we open them now Nana? Can we please?" Bluey pleaded, her and Bingo's tails wagging in a blur.
Nana trained her smiling gaze on her son, who merely responded with a nod, before focusing her eyes back on the young ones. "Go right ahead, I hope you like them."
Without a moment's hesitation, the bags flew open, leaving both of them in awe. "Woahhhh," Bingo peered into her bag, which seemed to glow under the light. Bluey interjected gratefully, "Nana! These are ours? for real life?!"
"Yes Bluey, for real life." She giggled to herself, satisfied. "They were some of the last they had left. Big family it was, I reckon the kids were starting to grow out of them. Don't worry, I gave them a real good wash before bringing them to their new home."
"Thanks a ton Nan, the kids are gonna love 'em." Bandit said, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, happy having aided her with the idea of which ones to collect.
Bluey pulled hers out to show her dad with the biggest cheese on her face, her very own bat onesie. "Thank you so much Nana, I love it!" She raced upstairs to try it on.
Bingo slowly pulled her own onesie from the bag, her very first one. She had worn Bluey's Zebra onesie before after Bluey grew out of it, enjoying playful galloping through the yard, avoiding anyone attempting to steal her stripes. But this one was different. Everything about it seemed to call upon a completely different nature from her. A call she suddenly felt capable and destined to answer.
Noticing her unusual silence, Bandit decided to inquire. "What is it kiddo? What'd you get?"
She quickly shut the bag and pulled it away from him. "It's a surprise, no peeking!" She laughed uncontrollably to herself, clinging onto the bag as she ran to Nana and gave her leg a big hug. "Thank you very very much Nana. It's amazing," she smiled, looking directly into her grandma's eyes, causing Nana to place a hand over her heart and tilt her head in a warm smile back.
"Oh, you're welcome dear! I hope you two enjoy them as much as I enjoyed my first onesie." She winked. Bingo was quick to catch on, letting herself get whisked away by the urge to slip into her onesie as fast as possible. With one last look to grandma at the staircase, she shot a wink back, stumbling once up the stairs before regaining her step. In what felt like an instant, the pitter patter of her footsteps went silent as the girls' room door shut.
Returning his attention back to Nana, Bandit said, "You've really outdone yourself this time Nan, I haven't seen Bingo light up like that since our trip to the movies."
"Oh, it was nothing, after their last trip to my house I overheard Bluey talking about onesies again. She must've seen an ad about them on her tablet. I got to thinking it'd make for an adorable picture seeing them both dressed up. I certainly enjoy those pictures of you dressed as the cutest little barb-"
"OKAY mum, you've made your point," Bandit chuckled nervously despite nobody else being around to hear. Nana merely shook her head in response, as Bandit started to dispose of the remaining bags, noticing the a third bag ominously still lying sealed on the floor. It bore no markings suggesting its contents nor its recipient. He stood over it, having crumpled up the other, eyes darting between it and his mother.
"Um... Nan?"
"Mhm?"
"Who's this one for? It doesn't have a name or anything?"
"Well, during my checkout with the dad I struck up a conversation with the mum, and she insisted I get something a little extra. So much so she threw it in free of charge! You don't see that every day, do ya!" She chuckled to herself on a whim.
"Sounds a bit dodgy if I'm frank."
"You're Bandit," she quipped.
"Is it another surprise?"
"Probably for you, but do feel free to have a look. Make sure it's not dodgy." She watched on amused as he unfurled the bag to reveal its contents. His eyes went wide with surprise, before his face contorted into worried curiosity. He slowly lifted something from the bag.
"... A shoddy net?"
"Looks to be."
Bandit put a hand on his face and shook his head in disbelief. "Nan, what sorta baloney did that mum tell feed you to convince you to bring this stuff back? It looks like it's seen better days. You know what I think? I think it's just it's just rubbish. More suited for the wheelie bin than anything." He smiled carelessly while collecting the second bag and walking towards the front door. Before he could make contact with the front handle, a loud roar followed by a scream rang through the household from upstairs.
Bandit, frozen from the waist down, slowly turned his head to both direct his ear upstairs and establish eye contact with his mother.
"Might wanna keep it handy." She said, completely unphased.
"Oh... biscuits."
. . .
Upstairs, Bluey had been enjoying the intricacies of her new onesie, especially how the air caught the flaps beneath her arms as she flapped up and down, and the big, pointy ears jutting from either side of her head. She felt so in tune with her onesie, it was like living a dream. All she needed was one last touch: Some delicious fruit. But before she could rush to the door she noticed something strange. Bingo was dead silent. She turned to see Bingo's bag in tatters on the floor, and a peculiar mound on Bingo's bed underneath the blanket. She approached, flapping her wings a little with excitement.
She came to a stop at the edge of her sister's bed, clinging to the side. "Hey, Bingo? Are you alright?" She asked, lifting the blanket a little. Only to be greeted by a thick plushy tail swinging out, narrowly missing her as she ducked. "Woah, Bingo! Is that your onesie?!" Bluey exclaimed, her fluffy blue tail swishing back and forth. Evidently she didn't realize the danger she was now faced with. But by now it was too late. Curiosity had her, hook line and sinker.
Not dismayed, Bluey once again lifted the blanket, only this time finding herself face to face with a loosely stitched snout, a mouth riddled with jagged white teeth, all beneath big, menacing amber eyes. Bluey was grinning from ear to ear, covering her mouth while she giggled to herself at her sister's quirky behavior. Until suddenly, as big sisters often do, she got the keen idea to to stir the pot.
She poked the snout playfully and said "Hello." Snickering even more to herself.
The only response she got back was a lengthy, humongous roar fit for the big screen, seeming to shake the house with surround sound. Bluey absolutely lost it and let out an energized shriek of playful terror, as she quickly shuffled away from her sister's bedside. When suddenly, the blanket, as well as a small wealth of stuffed animals, exploded into loose debris off the bed.
Bingo let off another roar as the shower of stuffies fell around her and Bluey, the latter watching on in pure awe. Bingo's onesie was a ferocious tyrannosaurus rex, with a thick, plush tail and stubby arms that fit her perfectly. The entire onesie itself was glowing a deep green, its soft cotton skin still looking coarse due to the crafting of its scales.
They were at a standoff. Bluey fixated on the details of her sister's onesie, and Bingo locked on her prey. Without warning, Bingo charged. Bluey screamed and went into a fit of laughing so strong she couldn't hope to defend herself, like whenever her parents took them to tickle town. The room fell quiet following the swift assault.
"Bluey! Bingo! What's all the... fuss." Bandit shouted as he burst into the room, greeted by the sight of clothes and plushies strewn about, a couple of watercolor paints tipped over onto the floor, and... prints? Big dinosaur prints, in a messy mix of colors, stamped across the floor leading to the closet. Nearby the closet, he saw Bluey lying on her back, hand over her forehead.
"Dad? Is that you mate?" She coughed into her hand weakly, betraying her act by snickering a little at the end as she beckoned him over. Rolling his eyes with a smile, he obliged her and walked over, prying her from the floor as she curled up in his arms, trying hard to contain her delight.
"Bluey, what is it girl?" He looked down at her, his heart filled with a familiar warmth holding her like this. His brow raised when she beckoned him closer.
"Closer... closer please..." She waved him down, until his ear was just inches from her snout. Her next words petrified him.
"Bingo's gone crazy!" She started her giggling fit again, covering her mouth with her little bat flaps, eyes darting to the trail of pawprints leading to the closet. Bandit caught onto this, taking a deep breath and shaking his head.
"Well what are we gonna do squirt?"
"I can't do anything dad, I'm eaten! It's up to you!" she said, her bat wing pointing toward him.
"But the room's a mess! I promised your mum I'd keep the place tidy while she was away, I can't let her come home to this Bluey!"
"But I didn't do it, it's Bingo's mess! She should clean it up!" she protested.
"Would you rather daddy robot lend a hand?"
Her eyes went to wide with apprehension. "Well, no... but I don't think I should have to clean by myself at least. Bingo messied up the room!"
Having felt some compromise had been reached, he nodded. "Fair enough, kid. Now, where's the little troublemaker." His eyes trained on the closet as he crept slowly towards it, the sound of heavy breathing from the closet becoming more audible on his approach.
"Bingo? It's time to clean up mate, come on out and lend Bluey a hand, will you?" He got no reply as the breathing stopped. He pulled the door open, apparently revealing only the outline of a stuffed bear beneath a blanket. He stared blankly at the mound before looking back at Bluey, who was watching him, still cracking up, before once again playing dead upon locking eyes with her dad.
"Huh, I wonder what this could be..." He pulled the blanket off, reacting with humored shock when he saw none other than a teddy bear sitting on a comfy green beanbag. He lifted it and struck up conversation. "Now hang on, how'd you get in here mister teddy? And what's with all the paint scattered across the floor?"
Teddy held his tongue. He wasn't going to fold that easily.
"Not talking huh? Well the silent treatment will do you no good here mate, we have our ways of... dealing with your type." His voice trailed off as he noticed something peculiar. The beanbag was oddly scaly. With an appalling set of pointy teeth. And it was now maneuvering itself to stare directly at him.
He looked between Bingo and the teddy bear, opting to set it gently on the ground beside the closet as he backed away.
"Easy Bingo... It's me, your dad! We've got some cleany uppy to do! What do you say kiddo? Could you help us out? Just a little?"
"RAAAAAAAWR!"
Bandit threw his hands over his ears and winced. He thought her big girl bark had seen practice, but never imagined it reaching this scale. This wasn't the product of practice, it was the product of possession. Still, he found it in himself to attempt to bargain.
"Right, maybe it can wait until after lunch. Fair enough kiddo. What'll it be? A couple of sandwiches maybe?"
"Dad," Bluey spoke, "I think you're the only thing on the menu right now."