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When she stepped into the kitchen to see Caroline standing dead center in the middle of the linoleum floor, a pot upside down over her head and an empty paper towel roll being brandished around like a sword and Azriel with his bandanna pulled up around the lower half of his face and hair dryer gun in hand, Amelia had to wonder for the fifteenth time how Frisk had convinced her to babysit for the night.
“Whoa, hey! What is all this?” Amelia demanded, stepping carefully over stuffed animals, scraps of paper towels (the poor, useless remains of what was now Caroline’s sword) and tiny plastic toys strewn everywhere, she came to stand before the two, crossing her arms and trying to look as stern as she definitely did not feel.
She couldn’t let them see they kind of intimidated her. She used to rule a multi-factioned terrorist group with an iron fist and took on an entire Underground of monsters dead set on killing her for her SOUL, but two children not even out of elementary school made her quiver harder than facing down Omega Flowey? It was ridiculous!
How did her twin make it look so easy?
“You guys said you were playing knights and robbers, not… knights and slobber!”
“Wow. Good one.” Flowey called scathingly from where he was perched on the windowsill, soaking in the last of evening’s light. “That was a real winner.”
She gave the sentient flora a sharp look that didn’t frighten him at all either; but at least Caroline started laughing.
“We’ll clean it up, promise!” Azriel said, getting a great show of support from his sister as she nodded her head so much it made the pot on her head bounce off her skull. That probably wasn’t healthy.
Amelia sighed, letting her eyes drift to a stuffed dog. From how it was flopped over, fake flowers from the plastic vase in the kids’ room strewn before it, she knew it was an unfortunate casualty in this imaginary war. How did all this happen in twenty minutes anyways? She looked back at the kids, trying to stay firm, “Alright. But no more wasted paper towels and I don’t want to see you guys getting anything sticky or wet anywhere. So don’t start using paint or tomato guts as blood, okay?”
The children brightened up, promising her instantly.
Alright… alright then! Crisis resolved. Amelia turned, intent to go back to her show – Ichigo was just about to free Rukia! – when a little tug on her sleeve drew her up short. She looked down, seeing gray eyes peering up at her.
“Pay!”
“…Huh?”
She wondered for a second if she had misread the situation and Caroline had been the robber all along – it would fit her mischievous personality way more – when Azriel clarified, “She wants you to play with us.”
What.
“Uhhh, no. No thanks.” Amelia said, awkwardly patting the little hand still detaining her. “I’m uh, a little too old and boring for that, you see?”
“Nuh-huh!”
“Mom and dad play with us all the time.”
Chara did? She looked up at Flowey for confirmation, who just shrugged his little leaves in response. She wondered what she would have to give him to get blackmail photos of that.
“Ali-li, plea?” The little girl said, still determinedly latched on.
She looked down at her, absolutely helpless.
Ten minutes later found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor, Caroline on her kiddy stool behind her as she ran a comb too roughly through her hair. Amelia fiddled with the small collection of bobby pins, rubber bands and barrettes she was in charge of holding for her ‘stylist’. It made her wonder when was the last time she had bothered to do more with her hair beyond a quick brush or trim. The only thing that came to mind was a vague memory from her time at the orphanage where she traded away her second favorite crayon for some hairbands that had sparkly blue bows on them. She had worn her hair up in mini pigtails for a few weeks until she decided they made better collars for the stuffed animals.
“Okay! I think this is enough!” Azriel said, dropping off a final bundle which was mostly just a bunch of costume jewelry, a couple streamers and a single box of Hello Kitty Band-Aids. He had been running back and forth between his bedroom (though, some of the items he brought back looked suspiciously too big for the kids) and the living room, dropping off a variety of ‘outfit’ choices. He knelt to his knees beside the pile, shifting through it all, “What do you wanna be? You could be a robot. Or a cowboy. Or an astronaut. Oh!” He pulled out a red mask from the pile. “Be a ninja! Ninjas are awesome!”
“Nu!” Caroline cried.
“What do you mean no?”
She hopped from her stool, running around to stand before them. She balled up her hands, wavering into a messy low stance with her fists too high and feet spread too far but Azriel still seemed to understand as he wrinkled his nose in distaste. “A martial artist? Come on, ninjas are way cooler!”
“Nu!” Caroline stomped her foot.
Amelia privately thought there probably wasn’t much of a difference. Regardless, she stepped in, “Hey now, don’t fight. We can compromise.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means rather than choosing one we’ll take your idea and Caroline’s idea and consider them together.”
A spark of understanding seemed to pass across his face. “Oh, like what mommy does!”
“Right.” She nodded. “Your mom has to make a lot of compromises to make both monsters and humans happy.”
“Huow?” Caroline pointed between herself and her brother, frowning curiously.
Luckily, she didn’t need Azriel’s guidance this time to understand. “How are we going to compromise? Easy, we’ll combine the two. I’ll be a martial artist ninja.” It sounded like the most ridiculous concept ever, but it seemed to make the kids happy.
“Then you’ll need these too!” He added some fingerless gloves to the mask, setting them on her knee, and then paused, thoughtful. “Wait if you get to be two things, I think me and Caroline should be too.”
“That’s fair.”
“Kitteh!” Caroline snatched up some black gloves that looked like it came from a Halloween costume because each finger ended in a plastic claw. Happy with her decision, she went tromping back around to resume the cruel treatment of Amelia’s hair follicles.
Azriel was much more precise and careful, shifting through the items and humming at this and mumbling about that. She left him to it, tilting her head back when she felt a pat on her back and rose the collection of hair accessories to shoulder level. A rubber band was chosen. Then, more pulling and twisting.
Another band and a barrette was taken before there was a tentative tap on her arm. Azriel held up a collection of foil ribbons of varying colors, looking up at her shyly, “Can you help me tie these to my hands?”
That was when Amelia decided it had to be a crime for kids to be this adorable. “Of course.” She took the party decorations, knotting them securely where he indicated, pulling them experimentally. “Not too tight?”
“Nope, I’m good. Thank you!” He grinned widely. Her heart warmed unfairly at the sight.
“Dan!” Caroline chirped right after. She could hear her scrambling off of her stool again and when she came around this time, she was holding a hand mirror, holding it up in Amelia’s face.
As it turned out, her niece was fairly good at her job. Though a section of hair on her right side had been missed entirely, hanging loosely around her ear, the rest had been pulled into a semi-taut braid. Which, for how short her hair was, was a miracle in itself. There was a collection of flower and butterfly barrettes strewn into the braid that made her think the little girl probably had a garden in mind.
Amelia turned her head this way and that, smiling. “Wow, its great! I love it.” Caroline beamed happily at the praise and the warmness in her chest turned fire-hot.
These kids were going to be the death of her.
“Oh nooo! Knight Cat clipped my wing!” Azriel cried, bouncing around on his sister’s bed and flailing his arms so the streamers tied around his wrists fluttered everywhere. “Help me Redclaw!”
“Oh no! I’ll catch you Flying Bandit.” Amelia played out, holding out her arms and letting the boy fall into them. She held him securely, hefting him up. He squealed in delight she spun them around a few times. “We’re spiraling! Annnnnnd falling!” She tipped them both, spiraling across his bed, letting him splay across her as they chuckled. They heard a stomp of feet and then Caroline was clambering onto the bed. They both grunted as she flopped over the both of them, giving off little growls and hisses.
“I think we’ve been beat.” Amelia announced, reaching out to ruffle the girl’s hair. Her little face broke into a pleased smile.
“Yeeep.” Azriel agreed.
“Heh. You guys look like you’ve had fun.”
The new voice startled the three, their heads turning to see Frisk and Chara standing in the doorway watching them with varying levels of amusement. Caroline wiggled off of them, charging over to Chara with claws raised. “Graow!”
“Alright, knight cat.” Chara caught her around her middle, lifting her easily. “I think it’s time to get ready for bed. You too Az’.”
“Aaaah.” Azriel whined after his dad’s retreating back, slipping off of Amelia to sit up on his knees. “But I’m not tired.”
“You will be tomorrow for the picnic with grandma if you don’t go to bed now.” Frisk said, tone light. “You’ll see Amelia there too, and maybe she’ll want to play some more, okay?”
“Oooo-kaaay.” Azriel drew out before following after Chara and Caroline.
“I’ll make some warm milk too!” Their mother called down the hall, before side-eyeing her big sister, teasing, “If I can get through the kitchen.”
Amelia tugged at her braid sheepishly. “Sorry. We got a little carried away.”
“I can see that.” Frisk smiled, unbothered.
“I’ll help clean up.” She offered, getting to her feet.
As she passed by, her sister asked, “Is that my Miraculous Ladybug cosplay?”
She was quick to remove the polka dot eye-mask. The gloves came next, just for good measure. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
Frisk’s laughter kept her face burning so much, it was as if she’d never taken off the mask at all.
In the end though, when the kids came back out in their PJs to give her goodnight hugs and chattered excitedly about seeing her tomorrow, Amelia cautiously agreed that if Frisk and Chara happened to be looking for a babysitter in the future and they really needed her… She wouldn’t say no.