Big City Green X Male Reader

Chapter 6

At the Greens' house basement, Cricket scooped out all the tools from a tool box in his arms.

Cricket: "Hey, Dad! Uncle! I got the tool you wanted!"

Bill grabbed the wrench. "Uh...thanks, Cricket. Now, pay attention kids. Water heaters can be tricky things." He starts working. "Of course this thing is hot, so you gotta be real..."

He struggled to tighten the bolt on the water heater.

Cricket: "SPEAK UP, DAD! I CAN'T HEAR YA!"

Bill dropped the wrench and accidentally put his hand on the heater pipes, burning them.

Bill: "AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!" He stumbled backward into a pile of boxes, scattering them. He sat up and rubbed his head.

Cricket: "Oh my gosh, Dad!"

Bill chuckled. "Don't worry, Cricket. I'm fine!"

Cricket and Tilly were are looking at one of the boxes which spilled out some keepsakes from the past.

Cricket: "No, I was talkin' about this!"

He pulled up a picture of Bill around Cricket's age dressed in gymnast's attire and doing a big leap.

Y/N: "Oh yeah, I remember that day."

Cricket: "Dad, is this you?!"

Bill: "Ha-ha, yup! I did gymnastics as a kid! They used to call me "Backflip Bill". Boy, that sure was fun..."

Tilly: "Bill's Power Ballad Mix"? She was holding a cassette tape.

Tilly: "This'll spice up my mornin' routine."

Cricket: "This stuff is great!" He took out a red sweatband from the picture and stretched it. "How come you keep it all hidden down here?"

Bill: "Well, I...was really lookin' forward to my first big competition. But I ended up not competin'."

Tilly: "That is so sad."

Cricket: "What happened?"

Bill: "I-it's not important, that stuff's all in the past." He put the old stuff away. "It was just a silly childhood dream. But I'll...always wonder what woulda happened if I had gone through with it. Maybe I coulda placed... or even won... AGH! I've moved on."

Cricket: "Doesn't sound like he's moved on to me."

Tilly: "Papa, if you don't follow your dreams, regrets follow you."

She recited the exact quote from a motivational poster of an eagle behind her.

Tilly: "I read that somewhere."

Bill: "Look, kids. I don't wanna say anymore about it."

Gramma came in through the door. "I'LL say more about it! I tried to coach that boy. We trained for hours on end, but he just couldn't hack it as a gymnist!"

Y/N: "Alice..."

Bill: "Well, I guess that's true."

Gramma: "See!? He can't even hack it in this argument! Do-do-do-do..." She left the doorway.

Cricket: "Mmmmm...!"

Gramma: "Do-do-do-do-do-do-do..."

Cricket ran out of the basement. "NEIGHSEYER!"

Gramma: "Huh?"

Cricket: "NEIGHSEYER, NEIGHSEYER, NEIGHSEYER! You must have not been a very good coach! Dad obviously loves a sport! He's brimming with passion. Anyone could coach such a willing athlete! You're just a big 'ol neighseyer."