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You sat in the chair in the corner of Franky’s workshop. He made you promise not to touch anything, and you whined in protest. He was working on something, even though you weren’t sure what. It seemed it was something for you, and it had you kicking your feet in the chair wondering what it could be. You even had a pout on your face, even if he was turned away so he couldn’t see it. His little nods of approval made you more curious than ever.
“Papa! What’s it?” You whined, trying to fight off the urge to get out of the chair and see exactly what it is he was working on. It was unfair for him to work when you were right here ready to play! He always loved playing games with you, and it left you frustrated that he wasn’t even looking at you.
Though your question only served to make him let out a hearty laugh. “I told you, it’s a surprise! It’ll be worth it, promise!” He sounded confident, even if that wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. “I’m almost done, okay?” He said, briefly turning to you with a wide grin. But he seemed to work even faster when he saw your frustrated pout. As much as he wanted to play with you, this was also important.
After a few more drawn out whines, he picked whatever the item was up and hid it behind his back. He walked up to you, leaning down to be on your level as you sat in the chair. “You ready?” He asked, nearly beaming at you with glee when he saw your frustrated pout turn into an overly-excited smile.
“Yeah!” You cheered, trying to reach behind his back and grab whatever it was. If he was working so hard on it, surely it must be something good. The excitement was almost too much to bear, and left you trying to stand up and snatch it up. He seemed to expect it though, and pulled back…much to your dismay.
“You remember what I said?” He grinned, still not showing you whatever was behind his back. He saw your look of confusion, and he laughed. “If you eat all your food at dinner, and go to bed at a reasonable time then you get a surprise.” The grin he had was ear to ear, proud of himself for trying to establish some rules while you were in little space. While he might not be the most responsible guy when it was just him, he wanted better for you. He’d own up and become more responsible, just to set a good influence in your little mind.
It left you nodding eagerly in excitement, making sure you remembered those two rules so you could finally get the surprise. The nod pleased him, and he dramatically pulled the item out from behind his back. It was a toy! One that made you giggle and reach for it in excitement. It was both your favorite animal, and in your favorite color.
You gasped, clinging to the toy with glee. “Thanks Papa!” You said, lunging forward into his arms. It seems he anticipated it, and scooped you up with a laugh. You kicked your feet in his arms, overjoyed that he made you your very own custom toy! “So cool!” The words were barely understandable from how much you were giggling, lifting the toy and inspecting every side of it. It had your name carved on its back, and made you more than happy that it was just yours!
“Come on!” He said, rushing you to the deck. You weren’t too sure why, but you were eager to find out. “That’s not an ordinary toy, so there’s some stuff I gotta show ya!” He spoke just as eagerly as you felt, and his long legs strode with you in his arms to bring you to the deck. “Okay, okay, set it down.” He said as he placed you cross-legged on the floor.
You blinked up at him in confusion, but set the toy down on the ground like he said to. He reached over, pressing a small button as it seemed the toy came to life! It ran around, running in circles in ways that animal would…although much more animated in its movements than real animals. You cheered, clapping and rushing to catch up to the toy.
He let out a loud and joyous laugh, running after you and making sure you didn’t slip and fall. “You gotta pick a name for it!” Franky could even barely contain his excitement. The look of happiness covering your face was more than he could ask for. As he poked the button again, the animal stopped. But before you could protest, he reaffirmed. “You need to name it. I promise it’ll do somethin’ cool.”
You thought for a long several moments, trying to think of the perfect name for your new toy. Humming, you furrowed your brow to think of the perfect one. You gasped, pointing at the toy and speaking in an excited tone. “Mimi!” It had you giggling, and you crossed your arms over your chest, proud of the name. “My friend’s name’s Mimi now! I say so.” You giggled, and patted the head of the toy.
Franky grinned, “That’s the perfect name!” He laughed, but sat you down while he sat beside you. “Okay, okay. Now say its name when you press this button.” He pointed at the correct button. He smirked at your confused expression, but knew you’d do what he said. Besides, it would be super awesome when you did. He was proud of the toy, and knew exactly what made you excited.
“Mimi!” You said cheerfully, and the button flashed green as you said it. Setting the toy back down, you looked up at your papa with a wide grin. It wasn’t obvious what it would do, so you watched with anticipation as he pressed the button that made it run around again.
“Come on! Call her!” He said, nearly brimming with eagerness as he practically bounced in place. It was endearing to see him matching your excitement, so of course you had to follow his instructions.
“Mimi!” You said, noting that the toy had gotten a good distance away from you. It stopped in its tracks, looked around and ran back to your side. You squealed in excitement, picking up the toy and cradling it close to your chest. “It listens!” Another quick noise of excitement and you set it down, just to press the button again.
That went on for a good while, and you never seemed to grow bored of the toy running around. Especially not when Mimi would run back to your side no matter how far she got from you. It was only when it was nearing dinner time that Franky picked you and your new friend up to head to the kitchen. “Ain’t it super?” He laughed, pleased with how much you loved the toy he made you.
“It’s the best!” You laughed, still cradling the toy with glee.
He let out another laugh, bringing you towards the kitchen. “I’m glad you love it! And don’t worry, I’ll make you plenty of toys like her until you have a whole army!” He patted your head gently, and you knew he’d stay true to his promise.
If this toy was already your favorite after a few minutes of seeing it, he just knew he’d practice making more and more toys until he made the perfect one. You were special to him, and he’d do anything he could to make you happy. Even if it meant learning how to make more accurate toys. He may not be an expert, but he knew he’d try to be once he saw your happy face.