Lost Into the Past Chapter 12
#12 of Lost Into The Past || A Dinosaur Train Fanfiction
Chapter 12: A Real Lesson in Responsibility
A few hours had passed, Thurston was still laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling. He really wanted to take a nap at the very least, but he couldn't. His worry was keeping him from going to sleep.
"What's going on with me...?" He muttered to himself. He didn't understand why he was so worried for Nathan, he barely ever spent time with the kid until recently, so why? As he laid there, he sighed, staring at the ceiling as he pondered.
The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped Thurston back into reality as he sat up and looked at the source of the sound. It was Toby, he seemed to have brought Thurston a cup of hot chocolate. "Here. Hot chocolate is always the best in cold weather." He said. Thurston slowly took the mug from Toby, he could see the steam rising from the mug, indicating it was fresh. "Careful, it's hot." Toby warned him. Thurston took a quick whiff of the hot chocolate. He had to admit, he was quite fond of the smell.
"Uhh, thanks..." Thurston replied, carefully taking a sip of it before setting it aside.
"So..." Toby began. "Why didn't the kid have something warm to wear? This is the North Pole after all..." He asked, narrowing his eyes a little.
"Because I didn't have an extra coat..." He replied. As he said it out loud, it made him sound kind of selfish, so he was quick to continue. "E-Err, he insisted that I have it instead. And..." Thurston looked down at the ground. "And I..." He let out a sigh, his eyes narrowing as he folded his arms. "I was an idiot and didn't try to get him something to wear as soon as possible..." He added, beating himself up over the situation. He smacked his head in frustration. "If I actually thought about it and wasn't stupid, this wouldn't have happened!" He shouted, gritting his teeth. He felt angry with himself.
Toby jumped a little from the sudden yelling. "W-Woah, calm down there..." He said, narrowing his eyes. Thurston sighed and folded his arms.
"I apologize. I don't usually lose my composure that much..." He said, looking down. So many emotions were roaring around inside him. Mainly confusion. Why am I acting like this...?_ _He questioned himself again, he just couldn't understand... As he sat there, he heard Nathan groan quietly. Thurston's head snapped over to Nathan as he saw his eyes opening, he felt a sense of relief. "Nathan...!" He said, getting a bit frantic. "A-Are you-" He stopped himself, clearing his throat as he did his best to regain his composure. "How are you feeling?" He asked, managing to keep himself relatively calm.
"c-cold..." Nathan said, coughing lightly and sniffling. Thurston placed a hand on Nathan's forehead to feel the temperature. He was burning up pretty badly.
"Don't worry, Nathan, I'll get you back to Troodon Town. Then you can rest in an actual bed..." Thurston said as he lifted Nathan up and tried his best to wrap him in that jacket that he was curled in. Then he cradled him in his arms, he glanced back at Toby as he walked towards the door. "I appreciate your help, but I'm afraid I have to leave now." He said.
Toby narrowed his eyes a bit, but he nodded. "I understand. But feel free to come by again. Preferably when you're not seeking shelter." Toby said, laughing awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck. Thurston rubbed his chin a bit.
"Well, I never got to really enjoy the North Pole for very long, on account of everything... So I might just take you up on that offer!" He exclaimed, giving Toby a small grin and a nod.
"Really? Great! Well... Have a safe trip home! Hope to see you two again!" Toby exclaimed with a smile as Thurston opened the door and left the station. Shivering at the sudden gust of cold wind hitting him. He was quick to make a mad dash to the rocket train, wanting to get out of this cold weather as soon as he could. He practically flung himself into the rocket train, gently laying Nathan against a wall near him as he took to the controls, setting a course back to Troodon Town. He would set Nathan on one of the passenger seats, but he wanted to keep a close eye on the young troodon.
Soon the rocket train began to move down the tracks and towards the time tunnel. Once they entered, Thurston took a moment to relax. He had been feeling pretty tense due to everything.
Oh boy... If Sonny boy finds out about THIS. He probably won't trust me with ANYTHING anymore!_ _Thurston thought, cringing a little. He thought back to Mr. Conductor's words.
_ "If I find out that Nathan's been hurt, gone missing, or worse... Well, I'm sure you don't wanna know what happens next...*" *_Those words echoed in his mind, causing him to shudder. Normally he wouldn't expect something too extreme since it was Mr. Conductor. But... On the other hand, he looked dead serious when he said that... It sent chills down Thurston's spine.
Thurston leaned against the wall across from Nathan and slid down, putting a hand on his head. "Ugh, how could I have been so negligent...?" He said. "I should've never decided to take care of Nathan... I wouldn't be surprised if even a kid like Nathan thinks I'm irresponsible..." Nathan's light coughing brought Thurston back to reality as he stood back up, he gritted his teeth a bit. "Sulking won't get you anywhere, Thurston... This was your fault, and you're gonna fix it, darn it!" He gave himself a quick pep talk as he once again took to the controls. First he had to get back to Troodon Town, he'd be able to properly help Nathan if he were home.
As Thurston emerged from the time tunnel and entered Troodon Town. He made his way to the roundhouse to store the train. however he saw something that caused his pupils to shrink in fear. The Dinosaur Train was outside Troodon Town Station! It seemed like Mr. Conductor was picking up and letting off passengers.
Oh no... Ooooohhh no..._ _Thurston thought, panicking on the inside. _Okay, calm down Thurston, all I have to do is store the train, and get out with Nathan before Sonny boy even realizes I'm gone. _He thought to himself, cringing at the thought of getting caught now of all times.
As he pulled into the roundhouse, he quickly went over to unwrap Nathan from the jacket, once Nathan was unwrapped, he rushed back to the window to check for Mr. Conductor, then he looked down at Nathan in worry. The young troodon was shivering a lot... As he was about to pick him up, he heard something, the sound of a voice that was he was dreading to hear.
"Hello, Thurston." The voice said. Thurston very slowly turned his head to look out the window of the train and was now making eye contact with Mr. Conductor, he was folding his arms. He still seemed... Unhappy about Thurston taking care of Nathan.
Thurston laughed nervously, his pupils growing small from how nervous he was. "O-Oh! Sonny boy! I-It's... Lovely to see you!" He greeted, smiling nervously as his eyes darted around. Clearing his throat, he tried his best to keep his composure. "What... Brings you here?" He asked. Mr. Conductor raised an eyebrow, but continued.
"Well, I saw you pull in and decided to see how you were doing with being Nathan's caretaker..." He said. "How is he, by the way...?" He asked.
"H-Huh?! O-Oh! How is he? Umm, he's doing great! R-Right now he's napping. Y'know, we had a lot of, uhh..." He lost his train of thought for a moment, his mind was going haywire! You gotta say SOMETHING Thurston! Think, you oaf! He thought to himself. After a quick moment of panic, he came up with something as he tried his best to recover. "We had a lot of... FUN adventures together today! He's all tuckered out!" He said, clenching his fist and punching the air to help add emphasis.
"Really? Mind if I see him?" Mr. Conductor asked. He seemed to be reading right through Thurston's panicked demeanor.
"S-See him?! O-Oh I couldn't possibly! After all, I doubt you've fully gotten acclimated to being Conductor again. I-I-" Thurston was cut off as Mr. Conductor shot an impatient glare. Thurston shuddered a bit in response, he could practically feel the daggers piercing his heart with a stare like that. "Right...! I'll... Go grab him..." Thurston said, cringing as he walked over to Nathan. He crouched down and carefully picked him up, feeling the young troodon shivering slightly in his arms. Slowly, he started cradling Nathan, pushing his fears away as he stood up and walked to the window as he showed Nathan to Mr. Conductor. He looked at Nathan, his eyes widening a bit. _O-Oh no, he can probably tell Nathan's sick from down there...! _Thurston smiled nervously, waiting for Mr. Conductor to speak as he watched his expression.
"Wow, Thurston..." He began. A twinge of fear welled up inside Thurston. "I... For a second I thought you were lying and that you actually lost Nathan. But he actually is asleep..." Mr. Conductor said. Thurston's eyes widened as he looked over to Mr. Conductor.
"H-Huh...? I-I mean, really?! Why would I lie about something like that?! I'll have you know I am above doing something as heinous as that! Especially if it involves a missing child!" Thurston exclaimed, the fear in his chest subsiding, making sure Mr. Conductor didn't get too close of a look at Nathan's sleeping figure.
Mr. Conductor smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I must say, I'm quite impressed, Thurston. Maybe you really have learned a thing about responsibility..." He said, looking at Thurston in satisfaction. "Anyways, I'll leave you to it then." He said as he began to walk away, but he stopped himself. "Oh! And by the way, I should be able to take Nathan back in a few weeks, give or take. Mother says I still get a bit too distracted or lost in thought when conducting, so I need more time to get back into things." He explained, rubbing his arm a little. He seemed to have a lot on his mind right now. Regardless, Thurston nodded a little.
"R-Right, well don't let me keep you from the train. You go run that train of yours! Nathan is in good hands until then!" Thurston exclaimed, regaining his composure completely as Mr. Conductor left. "A few weeks... That'll give Nathan plenty time to recover..." Thurston muttered as he left the rocket train and started rushing back to his house with Nathan.
Once he arrived, he practically busted through the door and rushed to his bedroom, laying Nathan down in the bed and covering him in the blanket. "Okay, we're back home..." He muttered as he started taking his conductor outfit off, changing into his causal wear as his panic began to fully subside.
Once he was done changing, he decided to prepare some nice, warm, soup for Nathan. He wanted to ensure that the young troodon would recover as quick as possible, so making soup seemed to be the best option for him. "Hmm... What kind of soup should I make...?" He muttered as he started looking. He had a lot of options after all...
Nathan stirred from his slumber, feeling a chill down his spine as he curled up in the blanket he was under. From what he could tell, he was back in Troodon Town. Definitely a better spot compared to the North Pole.
I've... Never felt this bad before... _Nathan thought to himself as he shuddered again. He definitely felt sick, that's for sure. _I only stayed in the cold for like fifteen minutes, how did I get sick that quick...? _He pondered. Was it cause of his size? Considering how old he is, it shouldn't be surprising that he can't endure things as well as he used... Nathan just stared out a nearby window in slight boredom, he didn't really have anything to do now that he was sick. _Now that I think about it... Where's Thurston...?
Nathan's question was soon answered as he heard the door to the room open. He looked over and saw Thurston walking over holding what appeared to be a tray. "Ah...! You're awake! Good!" He exclaimed as he approached the bed and set the tray down. "I made you some soup. I didn't know exactly what you'd like, so it has a bit of everything in it. Eheheh..." He said, laughing a bit and rubbing his neck. Nathan stared down at the soup, he never really saw Thurston as someone who'd actually cook something. He seemed to be the kind of troodon who'd try to live more efficiently, someone who probably wouldn't be making something and would instead eat something very simple to prepare, but also very filling. And that "bit of everything" comment... It worried Nathan.
He took a quick whiff of the soup and... Well, it smelled... There was definitely a smell... Reluctantly, he took the spoon that was on the tray and filled it with some of the soup before taking a sip. As soon as the taste hit his tongue, his face turned pale and his pupils shrunk. It tasted awful... _Is he TRYING to make me sicker?! _Nathan thought. He held a gag back as he slowly put the spoon down on the tray. "W-Well," Nathan spoke, his voice a bit raspy as he coughed for a moment. "it's... It's d-definitely an interesting mixture of f-flavors...!" He said, smiling nervously.
"It's awful, isn't it...?" Thurston asked, narrowing his eyes a little.
"W-What? Noooo! Not at all! It's r-really good...!" Nathan said as he took the spoon and ate more of the soup, shuddering in disgust as he forced himself to swallow. "D-Delicious...!" He said, cringing intensely.
"That expression says otherwise. I'm not that ignorant, you know..." Thurston replied, not buying what Nathan was saying for a second. The young troodon sighed and looked down, putting the spoon back on the tray again. "The one time I seriously try to take care of you, and I end up doing more harm than good..." Thurston said with a sigh, folding his arms and staring at the ground.
Nathan narrowed his eyes as he sniffled a bit and rubbed his nose. "You're doing fine, Mr. Thurston." Nathan reassured him. Thurston looked over to Nathan, he didn't seem to believe him, but he nodded regardless.
"If you insist..." He said, rubbing his neck a bit. "I apologize about the soup, by the way... I never usually cook that often to begin with, so I decided to wing it..." He said.
"It's alright, really." Nathan insisted, laying down in bed and curling into the blanket. "It's not like I need soup to recover, I just need time." He said as he coughed and rubbed his nose again. "There's always next time...
"R-Right, well... I'll be in the other room if you need me." Thurston said as he took the tray and slowly walked out of the room. Leaving Nathan to his own thoughts.
_His whole personality did a complete 180. He doesn't have any confidence in himself at all it seems... _Nathan thought to himself, stunned by how Thurston was acting. Although, he probably wasn't gonna say why... At least, not now.
Thurston was currently perusing one of his bookshelves, skimming through several different book titles as he tried to find a specific one. "Hrrrm... Let's see here..." He muttered, sifting through each section. He unfortunately never really sorted his books, so finding what he needed proved to be quite the challenge. "101 Uses for Plants, no... Train Repairing for Beginners... A Guide to Engineering..." He read off a few titles in slight annoyance, none of the books on this shelf seemed to be what he needed...
After about ten minutes of looking, he gritted his teeth a little in frustration when he couldn't find the book he needed. "Ugh, my species is the smartest dinosaur, and yet I'm not informed on this one thing." He said. "I guess a parenting book wouldn't be something I'd normally consider getting... I suppose I could go out and get one, but I said I'd be here if Nathan needed me." He muttered. "...And you're talking to yourself, Thurston." He added, sighing a little.
He sunk into his reading chair and sighed. "Why do I even bother trying if I'm just gonna mess up?" He asked himself, frowning a little. "Sonny boy was right to doubt me. I really am a horrible caretaker..." He muttered, folding his arms. Although the sound of a cough caught his attention as he looked towards the bedroom door. Nathan was standing in the doorway.
"Don't say that, Mr. Thurston..." Thurston blinked a few times in surprise, although he shook his head, disregarding what Nathan said.
"Nathan, you shouldn't be on your feet. Get back to bed." Thurston said, folding his arms.
Nathan was about to speak, but he was interrupted as he started having a little coughing fit. Thurston stood up and walked over, lifting Nathan up to put him back to bed. While he was walking back to the bedroom, Nathan began to speak again. "S-Stop beating yourself up over all this. You're doing the best you can." He tried to reassure him.
"But is my best really enough?" Thurston asked as he put Nathan in bed and pulled the blanket over him.
"I think it is." Nathan replied, smiling a little. Thurston wasn't really buying it though as his expression changed slightly, this seemed to be a bit of a sensitive topic for him.
"I appreciate it, but I find your words doubtful... Wouldn't you rather spend time with someone like Mr. Conductor...?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Nathan remained silent, he wasn't really sure how to respond to that...
"Regardless, you're doing the best you can, and to me, that's enough." Nathan said, trying his best to reassure him. Although Thurston started getting a little heated.
"But, will I really be able to compare to someone like Sonny boy?! He's better than me at so many things! Why can't _I _be the better conductor?!" He shouted a little. Nathan stared in surprise upon hearing this. It became pretty obvious that he wasn't talking about being a caretaker anymore.
"Mr. Thurston...? Are you... Jealous of Mr. Conductor...?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at Thurston.
Thurston sighed a little and sat down on the edge of the bed, putting a hand on his head. "I-I..." He slumped forward and sighed, slowly nodding his head as he continued. "...Yes, I'm jealous of him." He admitted, frowning as he spoke. "He gets way more passengers than me, he seems to always get what he wants... But me? It just... It feels like I always end up getting the shorter end of the stick... Things tend to go wrong for me a lot more than him..." He explained. Nathan narrowed his eyes at Thurston. "Sometimes I even wonder if I'm fit to be a conductor..." He added, a slightly depressed look on his face. "It's just unbelievable that Sonny boy is not only good at being a conductor, but also a caretaker..."
"Mr. Thurston, knowing how to treat a kid, and knowing how to take care of one are two very different things..." Nathan said, looking at Thurston with concern.
"What do you mean...?" Thurston asked, confused as to what Nathan meant.
"Mr. Conductor didn't know anything about taking care of me when he took me in. True, he had a general idea as to what to do. But he still lacked in experience, and confidence." Nathan explained.
"Sonny boy? Lacking in confidence?" Thurston asked in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
"Mhm... Believe it or not, he probably had similar thoughts about thinking he might mess up. It's only natural that anyone who's new to caring for a child would be nervous..." Nathan said. Thurston was absolutely stunned by what Nathan was saying. He was talking like a grown-up who had a lot of understanding about the world, it was so shocking.
And yet, what Nathan was saying made a lot of sense, that was the most shocking part to Thurston. "Nathan, I...I must confess something to you..." He said, cupping his hands together and looking away, it seemed that some sort of guilt was starting to set in. Nathan was a bit confused, but he had a feeling he was about to find out what it was that was making Thurston feel so guilty.
"What is it, Mr. Thurston...?" Nathan asked, tilting his head.
"I...I had an ulterior motive when I was asking to take care of you for Sonny boy..." He said, looking away as he spoke. "I... Initially wanted to try and make you like the rocket train more than the dinosaur train..." He admitted, unable to look Nathan in the eye. "This whole thing started all because I was selfish..." He said, rubbing his arm guiltily. "And... After you kept praising the dinosaur train, saying you preferred it over the rocket train, I just..." He let out a sad sigh. "My reasoning is truly pathetic..." He said. Nathan slowly reached over and took Thurston's hand, surprising the latter.
"It's okay, Mr. Thurston..." Nathan said.
"But it isn't!" Thurston exclaimed. "I tried using you just so I could boost my own ego! There's nothing okay about that!"
"You feel guilty about it, don't you?" Nathan asked, Thurston was taken aback by that question, however he didn't hesitate for even a second with his answer.
"I...I really do." Thurston said. He really did feel bad about this. It wasn't like the other times he messed up where he felt bad in the moment. He really truly felt horrible about it.
"It's true that it's surprising, and a part of me is a little mad. But if you feel guilty, then that means it's okay now." Nathan said, smiling happily. Thurston was so surprised hearing this. He turned over so he could look at Nathan, his eyes wide with shock.
"So you... Forgive me...?" He asked. Nathan responded by crawling out from under the blanket and giving Thurston a hug, trying to be careful not to cough, sneeze, or get any snot on him.
"I forgive you, Mr. Thurston." Nathan said. Thurston cringed a bit, still aware that Nathan was sick. Slowly, he pushed Nathan away from him.
"H-Heheheh... As much as I enjoy hugs. I'd rather not get sick." Thurston said, laughing nervously as he tucked Nathan back in.
"R-Right..." Nathan said with a small giggle.
"You need to get to sleep, Nathan. Considering how sick you are, I think you really need it." Thurston said.
"Alright... Goodnight, Mr. Thurston..." Nathan slowly nodded as he curled up in the blanket again. Thurston smiled a bit as he stood up and left, once he shut the door, he took a deep breath.
"Okay, Thurston... This isn't about being the best anymore, or being better than Sonny boy..." He told himself. "Right now, I need to focus on making sure Nathan recovers!" He said as he stood up straight put his hands on his hips. "First things first! I need to get a few books!" He exclaimed as he went back to the bedroom. "Nathan, I need to run a few errands, so please do stay put while I'm gone, won't you?" He asked.
"It's not like I have much of a choice." He commented, giggling a bit before coughing afterwards.
Thurston couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose that's true." He said. "Anyways! I won't be gone long, I can promise you that!" He exclaimed with his usual level of enthusiasm as he rushed off.
About four days had passed. Nathan's recovery had been pretty slow, so Thurston decided to try and make soup for Nathan again, although this time, he had a cookbook. He was reading it in one hand while using his other to handle the cooking part. "Let's see... Gingko leaf soup?! Oh my, that actually sounds quite delicious..." He said, licking his lips a little at the thought of it. "I bet Sonny boy would kill to try that one too. Gingko leaves are his favorite after all." He said with a laugh as he got to work. "I know I have some Gingko leaves somewhere..." He muttered as he started looking for what he needed.
"Hmm, fern, conifer... A-ha! There you are, Gingko leaves!" He exclaimed as he pulled out a bowl and started putting Gingko leaves in it. Not before taking a Gingko leaf for himself and popping it in his mouth though. "Mmm, delicious! Ooooh, this'll make for an excellent soup!" He exclaimed as he started reading the cookbook closely, he had to make sure he followed each step right. After all, he didn't want a repeat of last time. "Sow...Saw...tee?" He tilted his head in confusion at one of the words in the cookbook. "Saw... Tay... Sauté...? What does that mean...?" He muttered, rubbing his chin. He'd never seen that word before, it sounded kinda fancy though... "I'm a conductor, not a chef..." He muttered as he looked through the other steps. "Hm... This cooking stuff is pretty complicated... But I must admit, it's not as bad as I thought it'd be." He commented.
After looking through several books for the definition of "Sauté", he understood what he had to do... At least, he thinks he does.
"Please, I'm begging you... Turn out good..." He said quietly as he continued to prepare the soup.
Thurston entered the room Nathan was in with a tray that had the soup on it. Nathan watched as Thurston slowly walked over and set the tray down on the bed "Here. I tried making you soup again. I...I hope you like it." Thurston said. Nathan looked at the soup cautiously, it looked innocent enough. Upon smelling it, Nathan was pleasantly surprised to smell something actually good. He took the spoon on the tray and took a sip of the soup.
"Y'know, this doesn't taste too bad...!" Nathan said, smiling brightly.
"R-Really...? All I did was follow the recipe." Thurston said, rubbing his neck sheepishly.
"Mhm. I mean, sure it's nothing too crazy. But it's actually edible, and that's something." Nathan said, giving Thurston a thumbs up.
"Oh, well it's nothing that big. Like I said, all I did was follow the recipe... Once I had an idea on what to do, it was quite simple, really." He replied, laughing nervously. "Either way, I'm glad it came out right." He added, rubbing the back of his neck. Nathan smiled as he continued to enjoy the soup he was given. "Err... So how are you feeling...?" He asked, unsure of what to say.
"Aside from the obvious, I'm feeling fine." Nathan said as he continued to eat the soup
The young troodon was practically wolfing it down, much to Thurston's surprise. Nathan ended up grabbing the bowl to slurp down the rest of it, licking his lips as he set it down.
"Done already...?" Thurston asked, his eyes slightly widened. Nathan gave a firm nod and a smile.
"Uh-huh! That soup definitely helped!" Nathan exclaimed, seemingly having a bit more energy now.
"Well, that's good at least." Thurston said as he took the tray and set it aside for now.
Nathan looked off into the distance and rubbed his arm. "Um..." He started to speak. "You know, you don't give yourself enough credit when it comes to taking care of me... You're doing good, honestly." He said, smiling a little.
"Am I really...?" Thurston asked, perking up a little when he heard Nathan say that.
"Mhm! Yeah!" Nathan exclaimed, giving a thumbs up. Thurston smiled and nodded a bit.
"Well, thank you... I appreciate that." He said as took the tray and dishes. "Just hollar if you need me." Thurston said as he walked out.
_He seems to be getting the hang of this now... That's good at least... _Nathan thought to himself. At the rate Thurston's going, he might end up being better at it than Mr. seem to be getting better for him.
From the looks of it, it'll be a steady recovery for Nathan.
Time continued to pass as Nathan recovered more and more. Thurston started to really learn just what it took to take care of a kid thanks to this experience. He learned that it wasn't just watching them and keeping them entertained, but much more. He had to keep Nathan happy, and also make sure he was well fed and recovering smoothly. The more Thurston did it, the more he found enjoyment in it. He's even decided to pick up cooking for real, he found it quite enjoyable as well
Currently, Thurston was reading a book in his reading chair, he had picked up a book that would help him more with parenting in general. As he read, he heard the bedroom door open, causing his head to snap up. He saw Nathan walking out from there.
"Nathan, get back to bed. You're still sick." He told him, frowning a bit.
"Come on, Mr. Thurston! I feel so much better now!" Nathan exclaimed, folding his arms and pouting a bit without even realizing it. "The only thing I have to deal with is minor coughing!"
"Which is exactly why you still need rest. You aren't fully recovered." He replied, narrowing his eyes.
Nathan's pout intensified a bit. "But I don't wanna stay in bed!" He whined, his adult side was pretty annoyed by this though. _Stop being so whiny! It's not that big of a deal! _Nathan thought to himself. As much as he learned to embrace his child side sometimes. Now was not a good time to be whiny.
Thurston sighed a little, but nodded. "Very well, you can stay out of bed. But we aren't going outside, okay?" He said. Nathan gave a nod, his child side honestly wanted to be close to a parental figure, so he scurried over and climbed onto the reading chair, crawling onto Thurston and getting comfortable. Thurston was naturally taken aback by this gesture. "E-Erm..." He stammered a bit, his eyes widened slightly. He was a little hesitant about letting this, but... He had to admit that this was pretty nice... Slowly, he set the book he was reading aside and placed a hand on Nathan's head, rubbing it a little. It was Nathan's turn to be taken aback, but much like Thurston, he seemed to be enjoying the gesture.
Nathan shut his eyes and sighed a bit, smiling as he relaxed. Although that didn't last long, he started feeling bored; likely due to his child side.
Thurston glanced over and saw Nathan's bored expression. He hummed to himself quietly as he thought of something to do. "Say, did you wanna read a book with me, Nathan? I have quite a few of them, so I'm sure there's one you'll like." He offered. Nathan's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Ooo! That sounds fun, Uncle Thurston!" Nathan exclaimed instinctively. Thurston's eyes widened as big as Nathan had ever seen, and Nathan had the same reaction.
_W-W-W-What the hell?! _Nathan thought in shock. _W-Why did I call him Uncle?! He's not my Uncle! Rrrrgh, this is REALLY starting to get annoying now! _He was really starting to get fed up with his childish tendencies, it's like he had a second personality that was fighting for the controls, which he supposed wasn't too far off.
Thurston stammered a bit as he tried his best to recover from the shock. "U...Uncle...?" He asked in surprise.
Nathan rubbed his hands together and looked down. "S-Sorry..."
"N-No no! There's no need to apologize! I just... W-Wasn't expecting that, is all." He said. "W-Why did you call me... "Uncle"...?" He asked.
"U-Umm, I..." Nathan didn't know what to say here at all. He couldn't exactly say he didn't mean to, since that wouldn't make any sense. "It, uhh... Just felt right?" Nathan said. He really didn't wanna have to commit to calling Thurston his Uncle. However he was already put into this situation, so he didn't have much of a choice.
"I...Well, you... You can keep calling me that if you wish..." Thurston said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Nathan rubbed his arm awkwardly. "A-Anyways! How about we read a book, y-yeah?!" He asked quickly. Thurston flinched a bit, but he gave a nod as he wrapped his arms around Nathan and stood up, holding the young troodon in his arms.
"Let's take a look at the shelf then, shall we?" Thurston asked as he started walking towards his bookshelf. He started skimming through a few books. "See anything that interests you?" He asked. Nathan looked over at the shelf, rubbing his chin. He saw a book that seemed to be related to various dinosaur species. It seemed to be an encyclopedia of sorts.
"What about that one?" Nathan asked, pointing towards the book. Thurston looked at the book in confusion.
"You want to read an encyclopedia on dinosaurs?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly. "Well, okay. We can read that." He said as he grabbed the book, went back to the reading chair, set Nathan on his lap, and opened it up. "Ah, here's the section on Alamosaurus." Thurston pointed at the book. Nathan looked over at the book in wonder.
"Woahhhh, Alamosaurus weighs thirty tons?" Nathan asked in amazement. "AND they're twenty-eight feet tall?" He added.
Thurston gave a nod. "That's right, Nathan. Alamosaurus is certainly a big Sauropod. Not as big as something like Apatosaurus though." He said as he turned the page a few times before going to the section on Apatosaurus. "Apatosaurus can grow up to seventy feet tall, and they weigh up to thirty-eight tons." He explained. Thurston seemed to enjoy teaching Nathan these things. The two ended up spending the rest of the day reading together.
Hours had passed, but it had felt like minutes. Nathan ended up falling asleep as Thurston was still sitting in the reading chair. He was a bit hesitant to move, as he didn't wanna wake Nathan up. However he also wanted to get to the comfort of his own bed...
Biting his lip a bit, he slowly wrapped his arms around Nathan as he cautiously stood up, carefully setting the book down on the chair as he tip-toed to his bedroom with Nathan, making sure not to make a sound.
Slowly, he opened the door to his bedroom and tip-toed in, carefully laying Nathan on the bed, after that he shut the door and started to take his casual wear off. Soon he climbed into the bed as well, a wave of exhaustion hitting him instantly.
He let out a tired sigh. "I'm so exhausted..." He muttered as he slowly laid in the bed, Thurston felt Nathan curling up next to him. "I never thought I'd actually enjoy caring for a child..." He said to himself, still a bit taken aback by everything that's happened in the time he cared for Nathan. The most shocking part to him though was that Nathan called him "Uncle"... He liked Thurston enough to see him as his own family. He knew that he'd have to get used to it every time he saw Nathan now, but he didn't exactly hate the idea of being called an Uncle either... He actually quite liked it.
As Thurston laid there, he let out a yawn, his eyes growing heavy. "Uncle, huh... I could get used to that..." He muttered as he slowly shut his eyes, a smile forming on his face as he started drifting to sleep.
For the first time in his life, he truly felt... Fulfilled.
And that was Chapter 12! I enjoyed writing this chapter, along with the other ones. I've grown to really like Thurston, and I really enjoyed utilizing him in this way!
Anyways, that's pretty much all I have to say about this chapter! I'll see you guys in the next one!