Chapter Text
Chapter One
Meatloaf night at the Neutrons was a time-honored tradition, and about the only time Timmy Turner could stomach the dish. Judy was an especially adept cook, and she was even nice enough to skip the spinach whenever he came over. Well, he did still have to have a serving of broccoli with it, just for Judy’s peace of mind that he was eating properly, but she probably could’ve handed Timmy sour cream on cardboard and he’d eat it if she asked him to. To make the dinner somehow even more perfect, Hugh had Jimmy work on the grill with him earlier that week, and the two made enough hot dogs and burgers to feed the entire neighborhood. Naturally, that meant he had to also have a small fruit salad to counteract all the grease, or whatever Judy’s excuse for making him eat healthier food was. Not that Timmy minded.
It’s true that he hates healthy food, and would greatly prefer pizza and cake if it was available, but he’s found lately that, besides of course his enemy spinach and his allergy of sauerkraut, he’s become much more open to a variety of foods. Not that he ever gets to fully explore that at home, but it made dinner at the Neutrons a much more exciting weekly event. He’d even started craving strawberries and mangoes alongside his usual fast food fantasies. Speaking of strawberries…
“Timmy, if you want another strawberry, you can just ask my mom, you don’t HAVE to take the ones off of my plate, you know,” Jimmy pointed out, feigning annoyance.
“Yeah, but the ones on your plate taste better,” Timmy teased in response. Before Jimmy could dignify that with a response, Hugh swiped one of Jimmy’s strawberries, earning a ‘Hey!’ from his son before testing Timmy’s theory and chowing down.
“Y’know, son, he might be right. That’s about the sweetest strawberry my taste buds have ever come across,” Hugh mused, much to Jimmy’s chagrin. He turned to his mother for help, but Judy only shrugged.
“There’s more strawberries in the fridge if you want to grab some, Timmy,” she said, motioning to the aforementioned appliance. “I can give you a container to take home with you. Consider it an early birthday gift.” Immediately Timmy’s face fell, but he recovered before he was noticed and made his way to the fridge.
He had been hoping to forget about his birthday while he was over, though with it being only two months out, it was getting harder to ignore the looming threat that hung over his head.
…
Timmy landed on his bed with an unceremonious ‘plop’ and buried his face in his pillow, groaning. School was getting extremely stressful as a senior still in sophomore level remedial classes, and he had yet another discussion about graduation with the guidance counselor that day. He was almost certainly not going to graduate, and in fact the meeting today had been about looking at his schedule for his 5th year at the school, given he doesn’t end up dropping out before then. And, well, it was looking more and more inevitable that he was going to drop out, especially given his living situation.
Mr. and Mrs. Turner had made it extremely clear that he was no longer welcome in their house come his 18th birthday. Sure, they hadn’t put it exactly like that, but the message was much the same; Timmy’s gift as an 18 year old was “independence”. He was to take whatever he could fit into his busted suitcase, hit the streets, and find himself a job and somewhere to live. Of course, they were generous enough to give him about 5 months notice in advance, so he could at least attempt to apply for apartments and part time jobs. But nobody in Dimmsdale was going to hire someone on path to be a super senior, nor did he have any allowance to even get a deposit for an apartment, much less continue to pay rent. So he’d be entering the adult world with no degree, no house, no job, no skills, no money, nothing.
‘I wish it didn’t have to be like this…’ He thought to himself, the very thought causing him to let out another frustrated grouse into his pillow. Right. Wishes. Another thing he was losing come his 18th birthday. Da Rules had made it extremely clear, no matter how many times he stared at it and tried to force it to change with his mind; the moment he turned 18, his contract with Cosmo and Wanda was over, and he’d be completely alone in Dimmsdale. He pulled the pillow from his face and stared at their empty fish bowl with a grimace. He thought about distracting himself with some stupid wish adventure, like he would have done as a kid. Maybe he could wish for a helicopter! And how to fly one, would probably be necessary to add. Maybe he could wish for tickets to Chip Skylark’s retirement tour. Maybe he could wish to freeze time so he’d never have to grow up and lose the only good things in his life! No, that’d be a stupid wish, only a moron with poor storytelling abilities would come up with something like that.
The more sensible thing to do would be to wish for some extra cash, so he at least had something to maybe put into a deposit. He’d probably end up doing that closer to his dreaded birth date, knowing that any money he’d get his hands on now would be too tempting to spend on food, especially considering how few meals he was eating at home. That is to say, he wasn’t eating at home, unless his parents happened to make too much of a dish and were feeling kind enough to let him have the extras instead of putting it away for later. School lunches were disgusting when you didn’t have any money in your school account, too, so he was basically running on his weekly dinner with the Neutrons and whatever fruit cup the cafeteria had for him at school.
And now he was back to thinking about school…ugh, he had algebra homework due tomorrow. Begrudgingly, he pulled out his textbook, opening to the chapter he had shoved the homework into. They were learning linear and non-linear functions, according to the paper. Timmy had spent class time desperately browsing Zillow, so it was like a fun little surprise, if the definition of fun was written by Satan from the Bible. He spent all of five minutes looking over it before closing the book once more and tossing it into his backpack.
“Cosmo, Wanda, I’m going to Jimmy’s tonight,” he said, tapping on the glass fish bowl to alert them. The two appeared in the middle of his room in a purple poof of glittery dust.
“Are you going back already sport? You spent the entire weekend in Retroville, and it’s only Tuesday,” Wanda pointed out.
“Better than being stuck here all night with no dinner,” Timmy responds, already powering up the portal to Jimmy’s dimension. His fairies shared a worried look, but ultimately said nothing as they followed him through the portal, into Retroville.
…
Jimmy Neutron was, statistically speaking, amongst the brightest of the minds at Retroville High, currently tied with Cindy Vortex in the race for valedictorian. He had put applications out to several renowned institutions across the country, including the Ivy Leagues. That was more for show on his part, as he was actively working with Rice University in Houston, a school with an astonishing 8% acceptance rate. Jimmy of course made it in, and was planning to pursue his bachelor’s in Physics and eventually his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. He’d always been a genius inventor and would continue to be one into his career, this was always his plan, and every day he got closer to his birthday was another day closer to total scientific greatness and international recognition-
“Surprise!” Timmy announced as he, Cosmo and Wanda emerged from the portal, the sudden call shocking Jimmy out of his focus and nearly causing him to drop the sample vial he had been examining at his microscope. Luckily, he had caught it midair, instinctively holding it close to his chest.
“Haha, nice save, butterfingers,” Timmy teased.
“Butterfingers? When did Jimmy get Butterfingers, and why isn’t he sharing them with me!” Cosmo asked, beginning to investigate the lab for the chocolatey treat.
“No, he means that- nevermind, don’t waste breath on Cosmo, I remember the advice you gave me Wanda,” Jimmy rambled, as he put his little experiment away and gave his friend his full attention. “Well, Turner, it hasn’t even been 48 hours since you left, so what brings you back this early in the week? Having trouble with your algebra again?” Jimmy asked, half-teasing him about his math, the other half genuinely curious.
“Ugh, yeah, some line graph whatever that I wasn’t listening to in class. And actually, there’s gonna be a test on it this Friday, if you don’t care to help your ol’ pal Triple T study?” He asked as he pulled his cheesiest, fakest smile he could manage. Jimmy only seemed confused.
“Study? When did you start studying?” Jimmy asked genuinely.
“Hey, give me a break! I’m tryin’ something new, don’t discurr...discrage…don’t be a jerk about it, Neutron,” Timmy huffed. “Shouldn’t you be proud of me?”
“Beaming with it,” Jimmy grinned. “But seriously, I was not trying to ‘discourage’ you from doing anything, I was merely surprised you had taken the initiative, especially for a class you hate as much as algebra.”
“Well, I dunno, I just wanted to actually try passing an algebra test for once, is that so wrong, James?” Timmy said, and Jimmy gave him a light shove.
“Don’t full government me, Timothy Tiberius Turner, I’ll help you study,” Jimmy replied, and he did just that. But Jimmy found his mind wandering. It really was unlike Timmy to be studying, and especially to come to Jimmy for help? He’d told Jimmy before he’d study when the world was ending, and while it was obviously a hyperbolic statement, it made Timmy’s position on the matter of studying very clear. Perhaps he was using it as a distraction of some sort? What would he be distracting himself from, though? As far as Jimmy knew, Timmy hadn’t mentioned anything he’d be trying to avoid…that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding something, though.
Jimmy thought back on Timmy’s recent behavior, going over his visits from the past few months in his mind and trying to detect an anomaly; nothing was standing out, aside from the increased frequency in surprise visits, and the length in which he was staying had also gotten longer on average. With only that piece of evidence, though, Jimmy didn’t have much to go off of, so he turned his focus back outward onto Timmy’s behavior during their visit. Nothing seemed out of character there though, either; he’d spend about 30 seconds thinking about a problem before telling Jimmy it was impossible, Jimmy would explain it, he’d get it, and repeat the process every other question. Pretty well what Jimmy had predicted studying algebra with Timmy would have been like, so no new evidence still. That was, until it was time for Timmy to head home for the night.
“Ah geeze, I have to?” Timmy said, joking, but there was a genuine hesitation Jimmy caught in his expression- one of worry? Sadness? Whatever it was, Timmy was being genuine in that he didn’t look forward to leaving, that was obvious.
“You and I do both have class in different dimensions first thing in the morning, unfortunately for you,” Jimmy replied as he powered on the portal for his friend. “But you can always come back after school tomorrow, and we can continue preparing for your test if you’d like,” he offered. Timmy’s shoulders dropped at hearing that, tension leaving his muscles.
“You sure Mr. and Mrs. Neutron won’t mind?” He asked, even though he knew the answer.
“Obviously not, they tell you all the time to visit more often, even though you’re over here literally every weekend as it is,” Jimmy fondly rolled his eyes. “The portal’s ready for you, by the way.” Timmy nodded, but didn’t immediately step in, the hesitation returning, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Come on, sport, let’s get you to bed. Sorry for coming over out of the blue, Jimmy, you’ve been a fantastic host,” Wanda said, her hand on Timmy’s shoulder as she waved Jimmy goodbye.
“Yeah, thanks for all the Butterfingers!” Cosmo laughed, flying head first into the portal.
“I’m the one that summoned those for- oh, whatever,” Wanda yelled after Cosmo, giving up and ultimately following him through. Timmy stared at the portal for another moment, sighed, and then gave Jimmy a final smile and wave before joining his fairies, the portal turning off behind him.
Well, that was DEFINITELY odd. He came over to study, which he never does, and then seemed unwilling to leave, something Jimmy had never noticed him do before. Both of those behaviors seemed to indicate a situation in Timmy’s home life, but Jimmy couldn’t just ask his friend such an invasive question! ‘Hey, Timmy, why don’t you want to go back home’ seemed like an awfully loaded, accusatory question. No, Jimmy was going to have to try a different approach if he wanted to help his friend with whatever was ailing him; observational research.
…
Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
January XX, 202X
“The Turner Troubles: An Observational Investigation”
Problem: Timothy has shown an increased frequency in visitations to the Neutron household, as well as spending longer blocks of time during said visits. He has also displayed hesitation to return home, and requested assistance in studying, an activity he has never shown interest in and has actively protested against participating in.
Pre-Observational Hypothesis: Timothy has a problem at home that is making him desire to avoid returning.
Wednesday, January Xth.
Timmy returned to Retroville at approximately 4:15 pm CST, which calculates to exactly 3:15 pm in Dimmsdale, meaning he had returned to Retroville immediately after returning from school. He seemed notably excited to have arrived, far more than his baseline happiness, indicating a genuine desire to be here. He asked for further assistance regarding his algebraic exam and homework, both of which he significantly struggled with. He did not grow frustrated, only showing mild signs of annoyance when faced with a confusing question. Receptive to my feedback and assistance.
At approximately 5:45 pm, Judith and Howard Neutron retrieved the both of us for dinner. Dinner went as normal, though this time I decided to keep notes regarding Timothy’s eating patterns, and I have noticed an interesting quirk; on two separate occasions, he took the fruit off of his plate and hid it in his pocket, looking between my parents to make sure neither noticed the action. He had no issue eating the rest of the fruit, simply sneaking some of his portion into his pocket. This could potentially indicate food insecurity.
He returned home at approximately 9:30 pm, or 10:30 pm in Dimmsdale, once again showing hesitation to vacate my laboratory.
Notes: Potential food insecurity, continued hesitation to return home.
Thursday, January Xth.
Timmy returned to Retroville at approximately 4:24 pm CST, or 3:24 pm in Dimmsdale, once again immediately after his school day had ended. Today, he did not want to study for algebra, and instead he had been asked by Judith Neutron to assist with dinner, as she was preparing his preferred meal of a homemade deep dish pepperoni and banana pepper pizza, ignoring the superiority of a classic thin crust supreme.
Interestingly, he continued to spend the evening in the company of both Judith and Howard Neutron, being invited to watch a movie with the two of them in the living room. I was also invited to join of course, and though I had to turn down the invitation to tend to my chemistry assignment, Judith agreed to keep an eye on Timothy for the evening. She noted he seemed unwilling to discuss his approaching birthday (March 21st), dismissing the notion of receiving a present from the Neutron family. He’s had no qualms with accepting presents on previous birthdays, indicating an anomaly with his eighteenth birthday.
He left once again at 9:30 pm, this time acknowledging out loud he did not want to return home, stating “too bad I can’t stay over on a school night.” While not a direct admission of his feelings, this statement indicates an obvious desire to stay, followed by him leaving and stating his intention to return and stay for the weekend.
Notes: Spending time with parental figures, discomfort with discussion of birthday, continued hesitation to return to Dimmsdale.
Friday, January Xth.
Timothy returned to Retroville at approximately 4:12 pm CST, or 3:12 pm in Dimmsdale, his immediate return after school officially becoming a pattern. Timothy’s behavior seemed far more relaxed today than previously during the week, perhaps a symptom of Friday being the final day of the school week.
For today’s observations, I chose not to pay attention to Timothy’s behavior itself, but rather that of his ‘Fairy Godparents’, Cosmo and Wanda, and the anomalous actions of those two were far more apparent than in Timothy’s.
Wanda is normally the more put-together, thoughtful of the duo, acting as the voice of reason for Timmy. However, today she seemed particularly distracted and lost in her thoughts, consistently needing to be poked to provide a response. Cosmo’s baseline mannerisms are usually unpredictable and thoughtless, and while that continues to be true, he was far less chatty and seemed to also get occasionally distracted by his internal dialogue.
Timothy fell asleep on my bed at approximately 11:24 pm with no other notable incidents.
Notes: Concerning behavior from Cosmo and Wanda.
Observed Anomalies:
Increase in hesitation to return to home dimension.
Potentially experiencing food insecurity.
Increase in excitement levels upon arriving at Retroville.
Discomfort in discussing 18th birthday,
Atypical conduct from Fairy Godparents.
Conclusion: SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH TIMMY TURNER.
Final notes: Wanda to be interrogated regarding the situation, most likely of the Godparents to volunteer information in a thoughtful way.