Aarmau: Uh... Oops. (Under RE-WRITE)

Chapter 6: Babysitters (Part 3)

Aphmau hummed idly as she watched Aaron try to bond with Abby. The girl was wary of him and unfortunately he was equally if not more wary of her, so it was slow going. Still, he was smiling gently down at her, his bandanna absent from his face as an attempt to look less intimidating.

"Do you want to see where you'll be sleeping tonight Abby? It's getting a little late." Aaron asked the little girl as she was quietly trying to fight off sleep. It was still a little early for bed. But the girl had gone through a lot in one day.

"Yeah..." She grabbed his hand and looked up at him expectantly, Aphmau could almost see his heart melt from the way his face softened and a breathy laugh escaped his lips.

They made their way up the stairs and into the guest bedroom, which now had dim string lights hung on the ceiling, they almost looked like stars if the lights were out. Abby glanced around, looking at the shelf full of toys, wiggling her toes in the faded red plush carpet, before the bed, and the subsequent terrier plush caught her eye.

"Doggy!" She rushed over to it, her turtle plush still gripped in one hand as she gently handled the grey stuffed toy, Aaron thought he might wince, instead he found his smile reaching his eyes.

Abby glanced over at him, then at the plushie, then back at him, she had a thoughtful look on her face for a moment before she too smiled at him, genuinely this time.

"Is this yours?" She asked, cradling the small plush in her tiny hands like it was delicate thing.

"It was, when I was your age. He was my best freind." Aaron replied, sitting next to the bed beside her. Abby looked back at the plushie before sitting her turtle plushie next to him.

"Sheldon is my best freind too, Dad thinks it's silly." She seemed disheartened at that, and Aaron most certainly felt it.

"Why does your dad think Sheldon is silly?" Aaron asked, and in response Abby sat cross-legged beside him, holding the two plushies in her hands as if comparing them.

"He said I needed to make real freinds, with the kids in school. And that I can't just talk to Sheldon and hit the other kids when they touch him." She looked somewhat ashamed, holding out Aaron's old plush to him and pouting, squishing Sheldon tightly.

"I dont think Sheldon is silly. Sometimes other people are too much to deal with, especially if they touch something you care about without your permission." He replied, turning his old plush in his hand for a moment, it had seemed so much bigger when he was small.

"When I was your age, I didnt like other people either, they were mean, or they would touch what belonged to me without asking." Abby nodded, and looked up at him, scooting a little bit closer to the man.

"How did you make freinds? I can't seem to make any..."

Aaron's heart broke for the girl, he knew how hard it could be to feel that alone, or to be seen as mean and standoffish to other people.

"It took me a long time, Aphmau was my very first friend. But when we met I didn't get along with her either." He reminisced, fighting back a little bit of cringe as he remembered just how much of an ass he used to be.

"You didn't get along with Auntie Aphmau? But she's so nice!" Abby looked shocked, and her high pitched voice somehow seemed to get even higher, Aaron just laughed and nodded.

"Yes, she is, but I didn't know her, and I made it hard for her to be nice to me. But you know what happened?" The little girl shook her head, seemingly now absorbed in the story.

"We became freinds anyway. So even if you struggle to find people who like you, know that it'll happen, you just have to find the right people." And Aphmau was certainly the right person, she'd been there for him even when he'd given her every reason to hate his guts, even before they found out they'd been friends online.

"And if it takes me as long as it took you?" Abby asked as if she was scared, looking down at the floor.

"Then you still have Sheldon, and your dad, Auntie Katelyn and Auntie Aphmau, to keep you company until you find the right people." He handed the little terrier plush back to her, and she took it with both of her hands before hugging it gently.

Abby looked out at the adjar door for a moment, still holding both plushies, then she looked up at Aaron before crawling up onto his lap, making her look and feel much younger than eight.

Aaron stiffened, not expecting her to crawl into his lap like that, but he slowly relaxed, laughing softly and bringing his knees up to also sit cross-legged.

"What's the Doggy's name?" She asked softly, yawning and curling up tighter into Aaron's lap, almost by instinct, he was petting down the little girls hair.

"Barcus, his name is Barcus." He replied, feeling her squeeze both Sheldon and Barcus closer to her, her breaths drew deeper, her grip on both of them slowly loosened.

"I like Barcus..." was the last thing she said before she was off in dreamland, dozing off curled up on his lap.

Aaron felt... everything bubble up into his chest, pride, protectivness, deep affection for the child curled up on him, he felt himself start to tear up at how overwhelmed with it he was. And how sad he felt that Abby was going through what he did.

Aphmau came in a moment later, quietly pushing open the door with tears in her eyes and one of her hands over her mouth.

Ah, she must have been listening.

"Hey..." Aaron whispered at he got closer, still holding Abby, slightly unwilling to let her go.

"Aaron that was the cutest thing I've ever seen." She whispered back, holding back the widest smile ever in the history of smiles.

"I... I know. I don't know what came over me. She just... seemed so upset." Abby shuffled in her sleep, and Aaron instinctually went back to petting her hair, which somehow made Aphmau's eyes have more sparkles in them.

"Dad vibes. You got dad vibes." She replied, pointing at him almost sarcastically.

"Aph what the heck does that even mean? He grumbled confusedly, slowly standing up while holding the eight year old gently, trying not to disturb her.

"I don't know but it's true!" She giggled back, taking the time to tuck the girl in for an early bedtime. Tucking in Sheldon and Barcus next to her, and moving a strand of hair from her face for good measure.

"Then you have mom vibes." He smirked when he saw the blush creep up into her cheeks, and laughed quietly when she playfully batted at him.

"Come on, lets let her sleep, I've gotta get some stuff from my house if I'm gonna be staying here a few days."