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The present store has been a lot busier than usual lately. It's great for business but it did make it much harder for him to supervise y/n Balancing watching an energetic toddler while constantly wrapping presents, restocking inventory, getting more bows and wrapping paper while balancing all the other things his job had him do.
If y/n were still a baby Joe could at least put them in a baby carrier and go on with his shift. But that wasn't an option for a few years.
So Joe had no choice but to have Josh watch over them until the store isn't as busy. Thankfully Josh loves baby sitting them.
In their room y/n was packing their backpack
“I need you” y/n said, grabbing their favorite plushie and dropping it beside the bag.
“And these” they said, grabbing colouring books and crayons, dropping them off by the bag.
“Hmm what else” they said, waddling around their room.
y/n opened their toy box and started to dig through it, tossing toys around.
“Nuh uh” they said, closing the lid of the toy box.
They then waddled over to their bed
“Another plushie?” they questioned
Just then Joe came in
“Are you almost ready yet?” he asked stepping inside the room
“I think so” y/n answered, twiring towards him. Joe scooped up their things and put them in their backpack.
“You dont need to bring much josh already has fun things to do over there” Joe said “do you want to pick out one more thing before we leave?” he asked
“Umm…dont know” y/n replied crossing their arms and looking down at their feet. “cant find another thing”
“Tea set for a tea party?” Joe asked pointing to their mini table set
“No” y/n answered
“What about a puzzle?” Joe asked pulling a box off the shelf
“No” y/n answered
Joe then let out a huff and started to think of some more ideas
“Are you sure you want to get one more thing?” he asked
“Kinda” y/n replied
“Why not a book you like?” Joe suggested shuffling through the picture book’s
“Yea” they answered. Joe picked up three books off the bookshelf and placed them into the backpack.
“Come on we should head out now” he said with his arm out towards his toddler. Joe follows behind them and the two head out of y/n’s room.
By the closet Joe threw on his coat while passing y/n their coat.
“Let me help you with that” Joe said while zipping their coat
“Thanks” y/n replied as the two kicked on their boots. Joe scooped them up and headed over to josh’s.
As the two pulled up to the bright yellow house josh warmly greeted the two.
“Hey y/n hey joe”
“Hi”
“Thanks for watching them, the store has been super busy” Joe said as he dropped y/n from his arms and passed them their backpack.
“I get it, I'm more than happy to watch them” Josh said, he turned towards y/n
“We are gonna have so much fun today” he said
“Yay!”
“I gotta go bye y/n” Joe said hugging them “ill be back later around 6:30 tonight thanks again for babysitting” he told Josh.
As their dad left josh took their coat
“So what do you wanna do now?” he asked
“Uhh…colour” they answered, pulling out their colouring books and crayons.
“That sounds fun,” he said. The two headed over to the Bed Room carpet to sit.
In the Bed Room Josh got out his own crayons and colouring book while y/n colour with their stuff.
Josh’s page was a safari themed page with a giraffe with trees and bushes. He used different shades of oranges, greens, and browns. While y/n’s page was themed around y/f/a sleeping in its home and they messily scribbled the page with all of their favourite colours.
“Those are some nice colour’s y/n” said Josh
“Thanks” y/n replied “i like your giraffe”
For their next pages Josh had a rainbow in the clouds with some birds while y/n had a farm themed page with fruit trees, a barn and some animals running around.
“I dont have a red for the barn” y/n said
“Hmm… oh you can use mine” Josh said, passing them his red crayon. “I just finished my rainbow”
“Thanks” y/n said “my barn’s done”
Their third page y/n had some dogs playing in a field while Josh’s was a school of fish.
The consistent arm waving and wrist shacking and hand circling had started to wear down on y/n, as they finished colouring the dogs fur.
As they finished the page their stomach started to growl and rumble.
“Im hungry” y/n whined
“Hmm looks likes it lunch time lets clean up and see what mr salt and mrs pepper can make” josh said
The two tidied up stacking the books and sliding the dull pointed crayons back into their boxes.
“Put these into your bag” Josh said, passing their book stack and crayons off to y/n. Then he took his things over to the purple shelf and walked to the kitchen.
“Ok” they said. y/n slid the colouring books and crayons into the backpack and pulled out their plushie giving it a hug “we can play later” they told it.
“Oh lunch!” They remembered and tossed their favourite plushie to the side and headed over to the kitchen.
There Mr salt and Mrs pepper were baking blueberry muffins on the side as the two walked in.
“Is it lunch time already?” mr salt said
“Yep” Josh said “can you make y/n something?”
“Sure! what would you like for lunch y/n?” Mrs Pepper asked
“Uhh… a sandwitch…and y/f/s” y/n replied
“Sure thing it will be ready in a bit” Mrs Pepper
y/n sat down at the table as Josh went to help the seasoning shakers get lunch together.
While awaiting lunch their eyes became just a tiny bit heavy as they rested their head on their head, while they let out a little yawn.
“Lunch is served!” Josh announced sliding y/n their plate and drink
“Thanks” they said as Josh sat down beside them. The two proceeded to dig in.
As they finished eating y/n let out a little yawn as their eyes started to feel heavier. “Are you ready for a nap now?” Josh laughed as he cleared the table taking their dishes to the sink.
“Nooo im not-” they let out another yawn and lays their head on the table “-tired”
Josh scoops up the exhausted toddler “come on lets get that nap in” he said softly patting y/n’s head and walking over to the bedroom.
Josh laid them down on the bed gently tucking them in underneath the soft warm covers.
“Would you like your plushie and a story?” he asked
“Yea” y/n replied
Josh walked over to their backpack and picked through the three books Joe picked out a while ago.
“Hmm…this one” He said as he put the other books in the bag, trading them for the plushie.
Josh sat down on the bed and passed the soft toy to y/n who cuddled with it and held it closely.
“Once upon a time…” Josh whispered softly reading the story book. As the story went on and on y/n started to become more exhausted as their eyelids started to shut and their body relaxed.
By the time Josh said “the end” they were out. He looked down to see the sleeping toddler “enjoy your nap” he whispered then tip toed to put away the book, turned off the lights and headed to the living room.
When they woke up a few short hours later with a stretch, rubbed their eyes and sat up. y/n leaped off the bed with their plushie in their arms and walked out of the dark bedroom.
y/n toddled through the living room finding themselves at the thinking chair where Josh was.
“Oh I was just about to check on you, did you have a good nap?” he said
“Yea”
“Well it's time for me to pick up blue from school so lets go for a walk to go get her” Josh said
“Ok”
The two put on their winter coats, kicked on their winter boots and put on their hats. Josh helps y/n with their mittens and zipping up their coat.
“Are you and f/p/n ready to go?” josh asked
“Yep” y/n answered
“Then lets go” he said as he grabbed their hand and went out the purple front door.
The two stepped out into the snowy afternoon, it had just stopped snowing with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. The two took a stroll down the street to Blue’s School. They walked past the house, Magentas house, the Doctors, the post office and then her school.
As the two arrived at Blue’s School. The two walk up to the red schoolhouse and walk inside
In the School blue magenta and periwinkle were grabbing each of their things from their cubbies.
“Bow bow!” she said, greeting Josh and y/n
“Hi blue” y/n said
“Are you guys ready to go?” josh asked the colourful critters
“Bow bow” she said
“Yea” said Perriwinkle with his lunch box in his hand
“Row row” said Magenta
“Alright lets go” Josh Said
The group walked out of the school and down the street.
Magenta was the first to get home and she barked goodbye. Next Blue, Josh an y/n got back home
“see you later periwinkle” Josh said
“Bow bow” barked blue
Then the three went inside. You kicked off your boots and Josh took your coat while blue put away her things.
“You guys want a snack?” He asked
“Yea” y/n replied
“Bow bow” blue said
The three headed over to the kitchen where they then picked out what they wanted. Blue had Gram crackers and milk while y/n chose y/f/s again and some juice.
After snack time both blue and y/n were itching to play and thinking of what to do but the three landed on building a city with blocks.
Josh cut up and laid out black paper for the road and glued white stripes for cross walks and lane lines. y/n built the buildings with blocks and blue got out some street signs and little toy animals and people. y/n stacked blocks varying in difference heights and widths. Blue got out all sorts of cars and other toys. By the time they were finished they started playing taxi, bringing different toys to other areas of the tiny city.
“This little guy needs to get to the store” Josh said holding a figure
“Bow bow” blue barked sliding a car to y/n
“Vroom vroom” y/n said putting the toy into the car and rolling it to the store on the opposite side of the map.
“He there” they said, dropping it on the block’s.
The three continued to play as the time flew by as they slid and shifted tine toys and cars around the tiny city next thing they knew it was almost 6 in the evening.
Joe had just texted saying he’d pick up y/n soon.
“Lets clean up Joe will be here soon” Josh announced
“Awwh” y/n whined “but this was fun”
“Bow bow” Blue agreed
“I know but we can play this next time you come over ok?” Josh told them
“Ok..” y/n said, grabbing the blocks to put in the box as blue took away the animals and street lights and signs. They walked back and forth crouching up and down, tiring themselves out. Then Josh took the paper roads and stuffed them on a shelf.
“Alrighty your dad should be here soon till then what do you want to do to wait for him?” Josh asked y/n
“Read my books” they replied
“Story time it is ill go get your bag” Josh said heading to the bedroom.
y/n sat up against the wall with their plushie in their arms. When Josh came back he sat on the ground and lifted y/n into his lap while Blue laid beside them for a little quiet time. They went on to read the three picture books Joe picked out. Josh read out loud each book and let the two gaze at each picture.
“There once was…”
“...The end”
“In the land of…”
“...They all shared”
“Once upon a time…”
“...the end-” right as he finished the third book there was a knock at door
“I think that might be your dad” Josh said, putting the book down and picking up y/n to answer it. When he opened it there was Joe.
“Hey Josh hey y/n how was it?” Joe said stepping in the house
“Bow ba bow bow!” Blue barked
“And hello to you too blue” he said crouching to her level as they greeted each other. While Josh put down y/n
“Did you three have a good time?” Joe asked
“Yea!” y/n said ecstatically.
“Good to hear” Joe said
“Im more than happy to watch them me and blue love having them over right blue” Josh said grabbing y/ns coat
“Bow bow!” blue agreed
y/n went to grab their bag and things while the three chatted away.
“...well we gotta get going” Joe said, taking y/n’s bag and putting on their coat.
“Bye” y/n said waving
“Talk to you later” Joe said
They said their goodbyes as Joe scooped up y/n and went home