Uncle Mike = ...babysitter...?
"Uncle Mike...?"
"Yes, Nathan?"
"Do I have to go to bed...?"
Michael laughed softly at the question, and tried to look at his six year old nephew as best as he could. After Heather and DJ had left, he had fed the kids dinner before they each went to do whatever it was that teenagers did now. Nathan, though, being the youngest, wanted to hang out with him; so they played video games after he showered and was done with his homework. After video games had gotten boring they put in a movie, and some time through it Nathan had fallen asleep. Now, though, as Michael carried Nathan to his room, and Nathan's head rested on Michael's shoulder, he had woken up. "Yeah, Nathan, you have to go to bed."
"Did you let Logan," there was a momentary pause where all Michael heard was a small yawn, which made him grin, "go to sleep late when he was with you?"
"Nope." Smiling, Michael set Nathan down in bed and tucked him in. "And you, buddy, have school tomorrow so you can't stay up late."
Nathan was about to complain yet again, but he yawned instead as he rubbed his eyes. "Will you pick me up tomorrow, Uncle Mike? From school?"
"You want me to pick you up?" Michael looked at him in surprise, and in return Nathan smiled sleepily up at him and nodded. After a moment Michael grinned back. "Okay. We'll...go hang out or something."
"Really?"
"Really. Now, sleep. I don't want your parents to get here and find you still awake, you're going to get me in trouble!" Michael tried to act serious, but he was failing at it to the point that Nathan just laughed as he curled up under his covers.
"G'nite, Uncle Mike. Love you."
Michael kissed his temple and ruffled his hair gently. "Love you too. Good night." Leaving the light of his small aquarium next to his bed lit, just how he had been instructed to do, Michael got up after a moment and walked out of the room, leaving Nathan already asleep.
So far, so good.
- - - - -
Figuring that he was probably going to be awake for a few more hours, he had gone into the kitchen and had started to make a bag of popcorn when he heard it; loud music coming from the basement. One of his nephews, the youngest one of the teenagers, was too much like him; right down to the name. When they were both in the house it was confusing, and funny, to hear people call for Michael and neither one would know which one was being called. Of course, this was all until the youngest of the Michaels decided to rebel against that as well and simply use his middle name, Anthony, to minimize confusion.
So, grumbling under his breath, Michael made his way over to find Anthony so that he could stop playing his guitar so loudly. Usually the basement was used by them for when Anthony or DJ wanted to play the guitar, but as Michael rushed down to the basement he wondered just how loudly he had turned up the volume. Michael had to wait a few moments for Anthony to actually stop playing, but when he did Michael's face was already set in a very stern look.
Anthony, grinning somewhat innocently, put down his guitar. "Wanna join me? I have another one in-"
"You do know your brother is asleep, right?"
"Yeah, it's past his bedtime."
"So what are you doing?"
"...playing the guitar."
"Loudly. Very loudly."
Anthony rolled his eyes at that. "C'mon, Mike, it's just a little music... You don't play the guitar back home?"
Michael gave him a look. "Not the electric guitar, and not that loudly since I live in an apartment."
"See, you should get a house and get a basement so you can play the guitar, too."
"...uh-huh. Can you just keep it down? Please? I don't want Nathan to wake up, and if he does you are the one tucking him in this time."
But instead of a response, Anthony just started playing his guitar again; this time the volume much lower. Sighing, Michael just shook his head and headed back upstairs.
- - - - -
"You burnt the popcorn? You??"
If there was a single corner in the house where he could hide, Michael would probably be there at the moment. Maybe not hiding, but waiting until everybody fell asleep so that he wouldn't have to face them. "Yeah, I burnt the popcorn."
Julie snickered as she held the sleeping Nathan in her arms. "Aren't you supposed to be a cook or something?"
"No! I'm-" But instead of finishing Michael just sat on a stool of the breakfast bar and passed a hand over his hair. "I just went downstairs for a minute and I guess I didn't put in the right amount of minutes."
"You think?"
"Okay, so I did. I'm not used to this microwave!"
Julie scoffed. "Excuses, excuses. You scared poor Nathan with how bad it smelled. He thought the house was burning down... At least he called me instead of mom and dad."
Michael groaned under his breath, still not being able to believe what had happened, and buried his face in his hands as he rested his elbows on the counter. He could just imagine Julie rushing over after Nathan had called her so that she could save him from the burnt popcorn. "I am never going to live this one down, am I?"
Anthony came in from the backyard after he was done throwing out the burnt bag, still laughing. "I still can't believe you burnt the popcorn, Mike!"
Michael tried to glare at both Julie and Anthony, but as they snickered he suddenly chuckled as well.
- - - - -
Either the house was smelling better or they had gotten used to the smell, but by the time Michael checked his watch and noticed it was way past midnight he could have sworn that the smell of burnt popcorn was long gone. Or, at least, he could only hope that it was.
Sitting up, he stopped the DVD from playing the end credits of the movie they had been watching before stretching a little. As he did he caught a glimpse of his nieces and nephews, all asleep on the couches, or on the floor with pillows and blankets. After they had stopped making fun of him (at least making less fun of him than before) they had picked a movie to watch and they had all just stayed there; first talking and discussing certain parts before one by one they fell asleep. Even Julie had stayed to sleep over with them, which had surprised everybody but to her it hadn't been a big deal.
Now he was glad they were all there. He had missed watching them grow how any uncle was supposed to do, he had missed spoiling them when they were little. He hadn't been the one they had run to when they wanted something and his brother wouldn't give it to them, but now there he was. He was 'Uncle Michael.' Not the easiest job in the world, but as he went around covering them with blankets and making sure that they were comfortable, he couldn't be happier about having it. After all, 'Uncle Mike' had a sort of nice ring to it.
"Yes, Nathan?"
"Do I have to go to bed...?"
Michael laughed softly at the question, and tried to look at his six year old nephew as best as he could. After Heather and DJ had left, he had fed the kids dinner before they each went to do whatever it was that teenagers did now. Nathan, though, being the youngest, wanted to hang out with him; so they played video games after he showered and was done with his homework. After video games had gotten boring they put in a movie, and some time through it Nathan had fallen asleep. Now, though, as Michael carried Nathan to his room, and Nathan's head rested on Michael's shoulder, he had woken up. "Yeah, Nathan, you have to go to bed."
"Did you let Logan," there was a momentary pause where all Michael heard was a small yawn, which made him grin, "go to sleep late when he was with you?"
"Nope." Smiling, Michael set Nathan down in bed and tucked him in. "And you, buddy, have school tomorrow so you can't stay up late."
Nathan was about to complain yet again, but he yawned instead as he rubbed his eyes. "Will you pick me up tomorrow, Uncle Mike? From school?"
"You want me to pick you up?" Michael looked at him in surprise, and in return Nathan smiled sleepily up at him and nodded. After a moment Michael grinned back. "Okay. We'll...go hang out or something."
"Really?"
"Really. Now, sleep. I don't want your parents to get here and find you still awake, you're going to get me in trouble!" Michael tried to act serious, but he was failing at it to the point that Nathan just laughed as he curled up under his covers.
"G'nite, Uncle Mike. Love you."
Michael kissed his temple and ruffled his hair gently. "Love you too. Good night." Leaving the light of his small aquarium next to his bed lit, just how he had been instructed to do, Michael got up after a moment and walked out of the room, leaving Nathan already asleep.
So far, so good.
- - - - -
Figuring that he was probably going to be awake for a few more hours, he had gone into the kitchen and had started to make a bag of popcorn when he heard it; loud music coming from the basement. One of his nephews, the youngest one of the teenagers, was too much like him; right down to the name. When they were both in the house it was confusing, and funny, to hear people call for Michael and neither one would know which one was being called. Of course, this was all until the youngest of the Michaels decided to rebel against that as well and simply use his middle name, Anthony, to minimize confusion.
So, grumbling under his breath, Michael made his way over to find Anthony so that he could stop playing his guitar so loudly. Usually the basement was used by them for when Anthony or DJ wanted to play the guitar, but as Michael rushed down to the basement he wondered just how loudly he had turned up the volume. Michael had to wait a few moments for Anthony to actually stop playing, but when he did Michael's face was already set in a very stern look.
Anthony, grinning somewhat innocently, put down his guitar. "Wanna join me? I have another one in-"
"You do know your brother is asleep, right?"
"Yeah, it's past his bedtime."
"So what are you doing?"
"...playing the guitar."
"Loudly. Very loudly."
Anthony rolled his eyes at that. "C'mon, Mike, it's just a little music... You don't play the guitar back home?"
Michael gave him a look. "Not the electric guitar, and not that loudly since I live in an apartment."
"See, you should get a house and get a basement so you can play the guitar, too."
"...uh-huh. Can you just keep it down? Please? I don't want Nathan to wake up, and if he does you are the one tucking him in this time."
But instead of a response, Anthony just started playing his guitar again; this time the volume much lower. Sighing, Michael just shook his head and headed back upstairs.
- - - - -
"You burnt the popcorn? You??"
If there was a single corner in the house where he could hide, Michael would probably be there at the moment. Maybe not hiding, but waiting until everybody fell asleep so that he wouldn't have to face them. "Yeah, I burnt the popcorn."
Julie snickered as she held the sleeping Nathan in her arms. "Aren't you supposed to be a cook or something?"
"No! I'm-" But instead of finishing Michael just sat on a stool of the breakfast bar and passed a hand over his hair. "I just went downstairs for a minute and I guess I didn't put in the right amount of minutes."
"You think?"
"Okay, so I did. I'm not used to this microwave!"
Julie scoffed. "Excuses, excuses. You scared poor Nathan with how bad it smelled. He thought the house was burning down... At least he called me instead of mom and dad."
Michael groaned under his breath, still not being able to believe what had happened, and buried his face in his hands as he rested his elbows on the counter. He could just imagine Julie rushing over after Nathan had called her so that she could save him from the burnt popcorn. "I am never going to live this one down, am I?"
Anthony came in from the backyard after he was done throwing out the burnt bag, still laughing. "I still can't believe you burnt the popcorn, Mike!"
Michael tried to glare at both Julie and Anthony, but as they snickered he suddenly chuckled as well.
- - - - -
Either the house was smelling better or they had gotten used to the smell, but by the time Michael checked his watch and noticed it was way past midnight he could have sworn that the smell of burnt popcorn was long gone. Or, at least, he could only hope that it was.
Sitting up, he stopped the DVD from playing the end credits of the movie they had been watching before stretching a little. As he did he caught a glimpse of his nieces and nephews, all asleep on the couches, or on the floor with pillows and blankets. After they had stopped making fun of him (at least making less fun of him than before) they had picked a movie to watch and they had all just stayed there; first talking and discussing certain parts before one by one they fell asleep. Even Julie had stayed to sleep over with them, which had surprised everybody but to her it hadn't been a big deal.
Now he was glad they were all there. He had missed watching them grow how any uncle was supposed to do, he had missed spoiling them when they were little. He hadn't been the one they had run to when they wanted something and his brother wouldn't give it to them, but now there he was. He was 'Uncle Michael.' Not the easiest job in the world, but as he went around covering them with blankets and making sure that they were comfortable, he couldn't be happier about having it. After all, 'Uncle Mike' had a sort of nice ring to it.