Babysitter reader, age gap, reader doesnât have a determined age but is Gen Z and born in the 2000âs and in college or university.
Summary: You love babysitting for Cassie perhaps a bit more than youâd like to admit.
An: back again! This time with a Cassie fic. I had this idea from season 1 as soon as we met Harrison. Oh also I donât know if this reveals how Canadian I am but reader like exclusively calls Harrison âbudâđ it just sounds right to me. I kind of struggled writing the dialogue for the confession scene đ
oh and I finished season 2!!!!! Also when I first posted this like at 12 it wasnât showing up in the tag so I just reloaded and itâs in there now .. weird
Word count rounded : 3.7k
âWhenâs my mom coming home again? Harrison asks from his spot next to you on the couch. The two of you have been curled up under one of the throw blankets in Cassieâs living room. Playing on the tv is an animal documentary that Harrison picked out himself. He had practically been obsessed with anything to do with animals. Everytime you would come over to babysit he would always have new fun facts to tell you. You turn your attention to him and smile fondly at his intense interest. âI'm not sure bud⊠your mom texted me letting me know she would probably be a few hours lateâ. You explain, watching his expression sadden a bit. â I'm sorry buddyâ. You coo softly reaching out place a comforting hand on his shoulder giving it a little squeeze.
âYour mom could come and see you when she gets home but I donât think she wants you to go to bed too late because you have school tomorrowâ. Harrison nods, settling back into the couch. You feel bad for the kid. âHey Harrioson, what's your favourite animal?â.
âHmm frogs ⊠I really like tree frogs, they're so cool. Iâve only ever seen normal frogsâ. Harrison shrugs before a little grin passes his lips. âI found a frog once in our backyard and my mom wouldnât let me bring it near herâ. Harrison giggles and it makes you laugh.
â I think she was scared of itâ. Harrison adds with a mischievous smile. â Donât terrorize your mom too muchâ. You joke, shaking your head already imagining the sight. âMom loves meâ. Harrison remarks. âI donât doubt it buddy, she talks about you all the timeâ. You say and that peaks his attention. âShe does? What does she say?â.
âWell she talks about how good of a kid you are. She talks about how much she misses you when sheâs at work. She's lucky to have you as her sonâ. Harrison's eyes light up âI miss her tooâ.
âIt's so great that you have each other. Itâs getting a little past your bedtime now though. I think it's best if we get you ready for bedâ. Harrison sighs â Aw okay.. I was hoping you wouldnât noticeâ. Harrison slips out from under the throw blanket.
You chuckle pushing the blanket off you as well. âSorry bud. I'm sure your mom will say goodnight when she comes homeâ. You explain, leading him to the bathroom. Harrison brushes his teeth and changes into his pajamas. He's old enough now that he doesnât want you to tuck him anymore. âAll good bud?â You ask, leaning on his door frame. âYeah.. I'm okay. Goodnightâ. He says sleepily, turning over in his bed. âGoodnight Harrisonâ. You flick off his room light and close his door behind him.
You make your way down the hall to the kitchen. You walk over to the kettle on the counter and fill it up with some tap water. You flick on the kettle, opening up the cabinet to dig through Cassie's tea stash. The sound of your phone notification draws your attention.
Hey hun im finished Iâll should be home soon
You quickly grab Cassieâs favourite tea, a jasmine tea that she introduced you to another time that you were over. You grab a mug as the kettle clicks off, finishing boiling. You pour the hot water into the mug and drop the tea bag in. You carry your cup of tea back over to the living room. You put the blanket back onto your legs as you let the tea steep for a little bit.
When you finally take your first sip of tea you hear the jingle of keys at the front door. You perk up leaning over to see the door open and Cassie enter. She hangs up her keys and takes off her sweater to drape it over a chair. She makes her way into the living room finally finding you on the couch.
âHi Cass, Harrison went to bed thirty minutes ago. I told him you might be able to see him when you got homeâ. A soft look crosses Cassieâs face âHow was he tonight?â. Cassie asks, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. âHe was good, we had dinner and watched this documentary about animals. He told me he missed you.â
Cassie's smile grows âThat sounds like him. I'll go check on him and I need to change out of these scrubs, then I'll grab you your cash one sec!â. Cassie stands up from the couch and sneaks down the hallway to Harrison's room. You take that as an opportunity to make your way to the kitchen, grab another mug and make Cassie her own cup of tea. You carry her mug back to the living room on her coffee table.
After a few minutes Cassie is back in the living room. This time her hair is down and she's in her sweatpants and a simple t-shirt. âI made you some tea, it's jasmineâ. You smile, eyes trained on her soft messy hair. âYou didnât have to do that hunâ. She smiles, reaching out to pick it up and take a slow sip. âBut thank youâ.
"You're welcome. Besides, I already had the kettle ready. I was having some after I put Harrison to bedâ. You suddenly remember your unattended tea and grab it taking a sip of yours. âHow was work?â. You ask, tucking your knee up on the couch. Cassie sighs, leaning further into the couch with her tea âstressful.. But I managedâ.
âYeah I can imagineâ. You sympathize, studying her face as she takes another sip settling into the couch. âHow are your classes goingâ. Cassie asks, catching you a little off guard. âIt's good, yeah.. Well stressful finals are always a tough timeâ. You internally cringe at the memory of your last few assignments. âYou need to take a break? I can find another sitter till you're done with schoolâ. Cassie suggests with that gentle tone that alone almost makes you agree.
âOh no.. I'm all good. I have loads of time to finish assignmentsâ. You shake your head, putting Cassie to ease. âOkay goodâ. Cassie nods. âHarrison wouldnât want anyone else eitherâ. She chuckles "You're the best, we both think soâ. You can help the smile that spreads on your lips. âWell thank you, you guys are my favourite i've ever sat forâ.
âThat reminds meâ. Cassie interjects sitting up a bit further. âHarrison wants to know if you want to come to his basketball game next weekend. I told him you were probably busy with schoolâ. Cassie waves her hand, ready for you to turn it down.
âIâd love to come. I'm not doing anything next weekendâ. You quickly agree. âIt's so sweet that he thought of meâ. âOh I wasnât lying when I said that you're the best. He talks about you all the timeâ. You preen a little. âWell that makes me really happy, he's a great kid. You do really great with himâ.
You can see the flicker in Cassie's eyes as she smiles. â Thank you hun, I do my bestâ. The two of you sit in a comfortable silence before Cassie speaks up again. âWhat time is it? Oh gosh im keeping you so lateâ Cassie sits up off the couch, grabbing the cash she left on the table and handing it to you. âYes of courseâ. You pull off the couch as well and pull out your phone. You're greeted by a text from your roommate.
âUgh, are you serious?â. You sigh. âWhat's wrong?â. Cassie inquires, stepping closer to you in concern. âMy stupid roommate is asking if I can be out of the dorm so she can hookup with this guy she met tonight. This is the third timeâ. You groan, already trying to come up with a place to crash for the night.
âYou could just sleep here hunâ. Cassie suggests, like it means absolutely nothing. It catches you off guard. âNo.. I couldnât ask you to do that.. I can crash on my parents couchâ. You try to dismiss her but she cuts you off before you can keep talking. âIt's no problem really. I have a spare room in the basement, far more comfier than a couch I promiseâ. The sincere look in Cassie's eyes makes you falter. You take a few seconds to think before you reluctantly agree.
âAlright. I donât have school tomorrow so long as it's okay. I just donât have a change of clothes or anythingâ. You add, even after agreeing you canât help but try to poke holes in this plan.âI can put on a load of laundry and I have a spare shirt and shorts you could wear. The spare bathroom has a toothbrush and a shower if you needâ. Cassie offers, like it's the most normal thing. The idea alone of wearing Cassieâs clothes makes you agree.
âOkay let me set you up downstairsâ. Cassie says, leading you past her kitchen and down the stairs. Youâve been in her basement a few times to grab something that Harrison needed or to toss something in the washer. You follow her down stairs and past the laundry room to the bedroom. Inside is a little bedroom with a simple bed and nightstand. âOkay⊠the bathroom is right next door, I will go grab you something to sleep inâ. She smiles, placing her hand on your shoulder to give it a little squeeze. She leaves you alone and you place your backpack that you brought to the house with you next to the bed. You take a seat on the edge of the bed and just stare blankly at the wall, left alone with your thoughts.
You donât even realize that time has passed until you're broken out of your own mind when Cassie places an old band tee and shorts in your lap. âI hope this is good hunâ. She smiles, taking a step back. You blink looking down at the soft worn shirt. âYeah⊠Thank you Cassie. Iâll justâŠchangeâ.
âOh yes⊠Iâll be outside and when youâre done I can put your clothes in the washâ. Cassie explains, as she makes her way out of the room,closing the door behind her, leaving you alone again. You unfold the tee to see that it's an Alanis Morissette concert t-shirt. You slip off your own shirt and put on Cassieâs, making a note to ask her about it. You take off your bottoms next and put on Cassie's shorts, they're soft as well, perhaps a pair of old pajamas.
You gather your old clothes and open the bedroom door to find Cassie standing in the hall waiting. Her eyes widen in surprise as the door opens and her eyes flick down to you in her clothes. A grin passes past her lips. âLooks good on youâ she comments, reaching to take your clothes. She turns back toward the laundry room, tossing your garments in the washer. You follow her despite not needing to. âThanks again Cassie, I appreciate itâ. You smile softly, the domesticity of the situation not escaping you.
âYou're welcome, we should really get to bed though.. I'm sure you're tiredâ. Cassie nods, already moving past you to step back into the hall. You move with her as well. âYeah.. goodnight Casâ.
âGoodnightâ. Cassie responds, turning off the lights in the hallway. You turn on your heel, closing the bedroom door behind you. It takes a lot longer than you thought it would to fall asleep, despite how tired you are.
When you do wake up you almost forget that you're not in your dorm room. The morning light is starting to filter through the little window. You check the time on your phone and it's much later than you expected. You slip out of the little bed, shivering at the cold basement floor. You make your way back upstairs into Cassieâs kitchen.
You step into the sunlight filled kitchen and you're greeted by the sight of Cassie standing in the kitchen, however she's not in her scrubs. She's standing over by her stove cooking what seems to be eggs. She hears you approaching and she turns over her shoulder. âHey sleepyhead, I was wondering when youâd get upâ. She grins, clearly amused at your slightly messy appearance, still dressed in her clothes. âYeah sorry I.. must have not set my alarm. I was tired last nightâ. You rub the sleep out of your eyes, feeling a little naked under her gaze. âIt's alright hun. I was just teasing. It's all good. I already drove Harrison to school, it's my day offâ. Cassie shrugs, sparing the stove a glance to flip over the egg.
âOh right.. Gosh you should be relaxing on your day off and i'm hereâ. You cringe but Cassie doesnât give you much time to worry. âHey.. it's okay really. Do I look like I'm stressed out hun? How do you like your eggs?â. Cassie moves toward her fridge grabbing the eye carton and gesturing to it.
âMy eggs?â. You raise an eyebrow. âI'm cooking eggs. Do you want one? The pan is already hotâ. Cassie grabs an egg. âOh sure, over easy pleaseâ. You sigh, deciding to just let her make you breakfast. Cassie smiles â Alright coming right upâ. Cassie grins, turning her attention away from you and back to her stove. She cracks the egg on the pan and drops the egg shells into her trashcan. You stand there awkwardly still dressed in the pajamas. âYour clothes are on top of the dryer they came out with this morning, breakfast should be ready when you come backâ. Cassie explains, grabbing the pan by the handle to give the egg a little wiggle.
You make your way back downstairs and find your clothes neatly folded on the dryer. You change back into your clothes that you came in yesterday with. You fix your hair a little bit and end up brushing your teeth in the downstairs bathroom before you head back upstairs.
You come back into the kitchen and find Cassie sitting at her kitchen table already eating her own egg. Your breakfast is on a plate across the table from her. You sit down picking up the fork also nicely placed next to it. âThanks Cass, just how I like themâ. You smile cutting into the running egg. âIve perfected the messy egg, it's the only way Harrison will eat itâ. Cassie chuckles to herself.
â It's great Cass thank you. I really canât thank you enough for letting me stay and making me breakfastâ. You take a second to stop eating to yet again express your gratitude. She waves you off again â It's okay really, you donât need to keep thanking me. You do enough for me and Harrison. Staying late and coming in on days that I need you. It's the least I can doâ. Cassie has already finished her breakfast. She stands up, placing her plate in the sink before returning to her spot across from you.
â That reminds me. The pajama shirt you gave me last night. Did you get the shirt at a concert? Did you go to see Alanis Morsetteâ. You ask, genuinely curious to hear about Cassieâs younger years. She stops for a second and you can see her eyes narrow before she dryly chuckles. â I actually did it many years agoâ. Cassie nods, trying to recall more. âIt was either â97 or â98. Were you at one of them?â. Cassie asks. That makes you giggle, already shaking your head. âIt would be hard because I wasnât aliveâ. You catch the surprised look in Cassieâs before she laughs as well.
âThat's right.. Gosh sometimes I forget you're so youngâ. Cassie sighs, shaking her head. âYeah I wasnât born in the 1900âsâ. You bite, your lip trying to hold back your giggles as Cassieâs head whips around to you. âHey.. maybe people are right about Gen Z, absolutely rudeâ. Cassie scolds playfully.
âIm just teasing ⊠youâre not old. I think you look beautifulâ. You say, coming out much softer than you intended. Cassie stops, the playful smile being replaced by something you canât quite place. But as quickly as it came, it went away. âWhy donât you help me with these dishes huh? And maybe Iâll forgive youâ. Cassie motions for you to stand up and you grab your plate and bring it over to the sink.
She starts with turning on the warm water and grabbing the dish soaps. She washes the first plate, handing it over to you so you can dry it. You both wash the first few dishes in silence, sneaking glances every so often at her. âCan I ask you a question Cassie?â. You say, placing down a dish after you dry it off. Cassie hums before she glances over âYeah sureâ.
âHave you been with anyone after Chad?â.
âOh⊠No, with med school and my job I havenât really had the time or energy to go on dates. Iâve been thinking of trying againâ. Cassie finishes with the dishes, turning off the water. âThat's goodâ. You smile, hanging the drying towel off the handle of her cabinets.
âHow was your date last week?â. Cassie asks, and it catches you off guard. You donât remember telling her about your date. âMy date? Did I tell you about it?â.
âOh sorry. Right, I forgot to say Harrison told meâ.
The realization hits you and you remember last week when you were babysitting. Harrison was asking who you were texting and you ended up just telling him about your upcoming date.
âOh right yeah⊠It was fine. We really didnât click. Hard to find what I need I guessâ. You shrug. âShe just didnât make me feel how I thought I would⊠I donât know. I just want to find my person and just stop dating around. It's exhaustingâ.
Cassie nods. âI can understand that. At my age I donât think I have the patience or the timeâ.
âIm sure youâll find your person one day. Theyâll be lucky to have youâ. You smile at Cassie.
âThat's very sweet hunâ. Cassie smiles as well and you get a sudden boost of confidence. âYou know⊠Iâve had my eye on someone special for a little while nowâ. You confess, as you run your finger along the counter in front of you.
âThats great, what are they like?â. Cassie asks, turning her attention to face you as she raises her eyebrow. âWell she's nice, really nice. Even after she's had a long day she still makes time to talk with meâ. You start to explain that burst of confidence slightly diminishing as Cassie doesnât break eye contact.
âWhat else?â. Cassie continues to stare directly into your soul as you grow more and more nervous. âWell sheâs older than me. And she has a kidâ. You add and Cassie nods, crossing her arms. âWhy havenât you told this"person " then".
âWell I guess I just donât want to make her uncomfortable. I donât even know if she likes womenâ. You shrug, trying to keep your face as neutral as possible but it's getting harder. âYou havenât even askedâŠI think you should just tell herâ. Cassie takes a step closer to you.
The room goes silent and you and Cassie just stare at one another. âI like you⊠and I know what you're going to say but Iâve thought about this for a while and I canât keep it to myself I just needed to tell you and I'm sorryâ. You let out a sigh, feeling somehow lighter to get that off your chest.
âWhy would you be sorry?â. Cassie asks softly, reaching up to tilt your chin up so you're looking at her again. You stumble over your words, confused as to why she hasnât fired you yet. âBecause ⊠I-I babysit your kidâŠI'm younger than you!â. You exclaim, but Cassieâs calm expression brings you back.
âCan I try something real quick?â. Cassie steps even closer to her hand finding the side of your jaw. You nod, eyes not leaving hers as she leans closer and presses a kiss to your lips. When your lips meet you almost freeze up out of surprise. The surprise is quickly overcome by the need to kiss her back.
You press your lips against hers and your hand finds the back of her head. Cassieâs other hand finds the other side of your jaw. She tilts her head a little, deepening the kiss. After a few seconds you both pull away. You blink your eyes open and you're met with Cassie's eyes looking back at you.Cassie smiles, the hand still on your cheek, rubbing little circles.
âYou good?â. Cassie whispers.
âYeah. better than goodâ. You smile back.
âHey I know this is⊠different for both of us but how about we go get some coffee and we can talk about it okay?â. Cassie reaches down to grab ahold of your hand giving it a reassuring squeeze. You press a gentle kiss to Cassie's cheek before she tugs you out of her kitchen to her front door.
âYou came!â. Your head shoots up as Harrison runs toward you to give you a hug. You laugh as he almost knocks you over with how fast he rushed into you. âOf course I came bud, I couldnât miss you guys winningâ. You reach down to ruffle his hair.
He giggles ducking away from your hand as he pulls back from the hug. You notice that Cassie has wandered over, at a much slower pace than Harrison. You meet Cassie's eyes and the knowing smirk on her face, makes your heart race a little.
âGo warm up with your team, good luckâ. Cassie smiles, kissing Harrison on the forehead as he rushes away as quickly as he came. âThanks for coming, he's been talking about this since you agreedâ. Cassie says as she leads you to the spot on the bleachers. âNo problem babyâ. You shoot her a little sideways glance before continuing. âI'm happy to come and watch and spend time with you and Harrisonâ. You smile and scoot closer to Cassie, taking her hand in yours. The referee finally started the game as Cassie pulled your hand up to kiss your hand.