Lyle Gets The Worst Babysitters Possible (Part 1)
(Many thanks to @ask-lockup!)
Lyle stood out on the driveway, holding his hoodie close to himself. It was Christmas, neither of his parents were picking up the phone, and he had no idea where he was. He was absolutely terrified but refused to admit it, waiting for Eduardo to show up. Flamingo rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to work out why the fuck he was helping a young Lyle. It certainly wasnât empathy or mercy, yet he still found himself driving to meet Lyle. Upon spotting him heâd casually park his bike and walk over. âHey, kid.â He greeted, trying not to loom over him too much despite the fact he was almost a solid foot taller than him. Lyle stared at him, taking in Flamingoâs appearance. âAre you Eduardo?â He asked, trying to put on a brave act, glaring at the man. Flamingo chuckled quietly before nodding slowly. He didnât move too quickly, realising that Lyle was probably very on edge. âYeah, thatâs me. Ya can call me Flam though. Youâre Lyle right?â He asked, forcing himself to keep his extravagant nature to a minimum. Lyle looked him up and down warily before nodding. âFlam? Okay... so where the hell are we going? And why the fuck are you helping me?â He demanded. Flamingo held up two fingers. âOne, first of all somewhere a bit fucking calmer, so we can try work out what to do. Secondly because I was nearby. Might as well.â He said bluntly.
Lyle nodded again. âYeah... I guessâ he muttered. âSo how the hell are we supposed to get to... wherever you were gonna take me?â He asked. Flamingo glanced over at his bike before grinning, flashing his fangs. âOnly a short drive. Nobody will notice. Itâll be fun.â He said excitedly, suddenly way more on board with this. âIâll even buy ya food.â Lyle took a step back at the fangs. âHey! You- what the hell?! Whatâs going on with your fucking teeth?!â He asked, now slightly more fearful. Flamingo slowly pushed down his glasses, keeping up the smile. âOh, donât worry about âem, kiddo.â He added with a wave of one clawed hand. âDo ya wanna get outta here or nah?â He asked. Lyle felt himself grow much more afraid at that but tried keeping on his tough guy act. âFucking- tell me you asshole!â He shouted before glancing back at the bike. â...and fine, letâs just fucking goâ He blurted. Flamingo crossed his arms, before chuckling quietly. âI just think theyâre neat.â He said carelessly before getting back onto his bike, tapping behind him. âGet on, and hold on. Itâll only take ten minutes.â He added hastily. Lyle hesitated before climbing up onto the bike behind Flamingo. âWhat the hell am I supposed to hold on to?â He asked. Flamingo raised an eyebrow, before tapping his own waist. âSimple as. Really wonât be hard.â He shrugged before switching his bike back on. Lyle stared at him. â...you canât be fucking seriousâ he deadpanned. Flamingo snickered quietly, pushing his shades up. âWell, you can just not hold onto anything.â he said dryly. âOooor, there might be a bar you can cling to.â Lyle grimaced before grabbing onto Flamingoâs waist. âFucking... if my parents finds out about this...â he muttered.
âDonât worry kid, they wonât.â Eduardo added before suddenly driving off way, way too fast, heading to one of the main roads âThrow up on me and I shooot you~.â He purred, before focusing on the road. Lyle immediately clung to Flamingo with a death grip. âWHAT?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GOING SO FAST?!â He screamed, shutting his eyes tight. Flamingo just cackled, his driving careless and incredibly reckless. âWhy not!!!â He cheered, speeding past a few red lights. McDonalds, was his location. Lyle was absolutely terrified, essentially hugging Flamingo from behind as tight as humanly possible. âSTOP STOP STOP YOUâRE GONNA GET US KILLED!!! STOP IT- STOP!!!!!â He shouted again, absolutely petrified. Flamingo just sort of... ignored him, until they reached their thankfully close destination. He stopped abruptly, before parking. âWell that was fun.â He said quietly, brushing himself down. Lyle shook his head, eyes still shut tight and clinging to Flamingo with a death grip. âYou- we- you couldâve gotten us killed! We couldâve died and- and I never woulda seen-â He said, starting to cry. Flamingo stared at him for a moment. What. Why was he crying. He didnât understand. âHey, uh.. sorry kiddo. Iâll.. drive slower next time okay?â He said softly. He almost seemed sympathetic. âCome on. Letâs get ya some food.â Lyle nodded, wiping at his eyes. âYeah...â he muttered, getting off of the bike and staring at the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Flamingo nodded, heading inside. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a fresh, crisp, $10. âGet whatever ya fancy.â He said before grabbing a table. âUugh.â He complained. He really hated children. Lyle went up to the counter, ordering something small before bringing it back to the table. âSo...â he began. Flamingo casually rested his arms on the table, trying to think of what to do with Lyle. âUuugh, give me a second.. doing the thinky thing huurtsâ he whined. Lyle nodded and stared to eat. âThe hell is going on with people? First they say Iâm kidnapped, then they say Iâm gonna be a fucking criminal when I grow up!â He asked, frustration bleeding through to fear. Flamingo looked up, with what could almost be seen as a sympathetic smile. âDo you want to be a fucking criminal?â He asked quietly, leaning forwards. Baby Lyle could be fun to torment Bolton with in the future. Lyle shook his head quickly. âHell no! Iâm gonna be a cop! Iâm gonna help people and kick criminal ass! Iâm gonna make sure all of Gotham is safe!â He said, clearly excited and almost happy for once. âIâm gonna be the best cop in the city- just you wait!â He nodded, listening to what he was saying. âHey, uh.. good luck on that kiddo. Betcha gonna do reaaaal good at that.â Flamingo said cheerfully, trying to sound encouraging. âYa wanna work for the GCPD then?â He asked. Lyle nodded enthusiastically. âYeah! Just wait, Iâm gonna be the best damn cop the GCPD ever seen!â Flamingo couldnât help but grin. This was just too funny to him. âAww, Iâm sure you will be cupcake. Now, what was I doin again... helpin ya, right? Where is it youâre heading to?â He asked softly. Lyle paused, looking down at the table. â...I just wanna go homeâ he muttered. â5342 Skid Boulevardâ Flamingo sighed, quietly. âAlright, kiddo. Iâll take ya home. If.. thereâs nobody there though, do you wanna stay with me for a bit until your parents get home?â He asked. Lyle stared at him in confusion. âWhat? The hell do you mean? Theyâre gonna- mom is gonna be home!â He said adamantly. âBut... fine. If no ones there, Iâll stick with you I guessâ
Flamingo waved a hand. âLike if sheâs gone out for a while or something.â He explained. Parents leave the house all the time, right? He rose back to his feet with a sigh, fluffing up his boa. âCâmon then.â Lyle got up after him, following him out. âYeah, I guess...â Eduardo headed back to his bike, before climbing back on. âIâll.. uh. Drive slower this time?â He said softly. Lyle hesitated before climbing on behind Flamingo, immediately holding on with a death grip. âYou- you fucking betterâ he muttered. â...please?â Eduardo cackled, flashing those fangs once more, before driving off at a fast, yet relatively stable pace. âOh donât worry.â Lyle held on tight, squeezing his eyes shut once more. âOkay okay! Just- get me there and donât kill us!â Flamingo laughed softly, heading off to where Lyle apparently lived. âDarling, my driving is the thing about me least likely to kill you. Well unless.. yeah, no. Youâre safe with me.â He said jokingly.
They did not calm Lyle down at all. âWhat- what the hell do you mean?! Are you gonna kill me?!â He asked, suddenly very very afraid again. Flamingo shook his head, not responding for a few moments. âNah, I ainât gonna kill you. I wouldnât be doing this if I wanted to kill you.â He said bluntly. Lyle paused to consider this before nodding. âOkay- okay fine!â Flamingo started glancing at the door numbers, trying to see if they were close. âRecognise where ya are, sugar?â He asked. Lyle pointed to a house on the left up ahead of them. âThere! The yellow one with the- itâs got the dead flower bushes in frontâ Flamingo nodded, stopping by the door. He casually got off, leaning on his bike. âGo ahead. See if theyâre in.â
Lyle hopped off the bike and ran to the front door, immediately beginning to knock. âMom? MOM! Itâs me- itâs Lyle! Mom Iâm home! Let me in!â He shouted, beginning to grow panicked and knock faster at the lack of response. âMom? Dad?! Hey- let me in! Please, Iâm- itâs Lyle! Iâm home!!!â He said, beginning to sound desperate. Flamingo smiled, throughly enjoying his panic, knowing Bolton couldnât see him. Oh, he was gonna savour that for a while. âMaybe theyâre out at the moment?â He called out. Lyle shook his head. âNO! No they- she has to be home!â He said, working himself into a panic. âMOM!!! MOM LET ME IN- PLEASE!â He shouted as he knocked more forcefully. Flamingo sighed before walking over. âYou sure this is the right house?â He asked, carefully. âSpare key?â Lyle nodded. âIt is! It has to be- itâs the right house, this is my house! And- and mom doesnât leave a spare key because dad says itâll just let people break in!â He said, starting to give up on knocking. Flamingo looked down at his feet, not really sure how to provide sympathy. âAh. Well.. I guess you are locked out then. Unless- well, you want me to unlock the door a different way? Probably not. Maybe call out?â Lyle shook his head, trying not to cry again. Today has not been a good day for him at all. âNo I- I just wanted to go home, I donât wanna break in- dad will kill me!â He said weakly. âLetâs just... go to your place...â
Flamingo nodded slowly, âYou.. want a hug kiddo? You look like ya need one, darling.â He said quietly. âI donât- i donât need a fucking hug!â Lyle snapped before looking down at the ground. â...yes pleaseâ Flamingo smiled softly, before stepping forwards and hugging Lyle, wrapping his boa around the two of him. Just, letting Lyle calm down a little. Lyle sniffled and gradually stopped crying. âYou- the hell are you being so nice to me?â Eduardo just shrugged, before saying plainly. âI do dumb shit for the fun of it. Câmon. Letâs go back to my place.â He said softly. Of course he wasnât gonna take him back to his house, no. To the Circus instead. Lyle nodded, climbing onto the back of the bike. âWhatâs your place like?â Eduardo smiled softly, driving off once more. âItâs nice, my part of where I live. Bit bright, but nice.â He explained, heading off. Lyle nodded, holding onto Flamingo tightly. âYou live in an apartment or something?â He asked â...Nah, not like an apartment really. More like a campsite, ya know?â Flamingo explained, going down a few backstreets. âMy boss might be around.â Lyle looked at him curiously. âCampsite? Are you a fucking camp counselor or something? Who the hell is your boss?â Eduardo cackled, as they started to get closer, colorful tents and brightly colored lights visible in the distance. âHah, no. My boss is fun, donât worry about him.âLyle stared. â...do you live at a fucking circus???â













