Both Robert and Theo took their seats once again to make the head or tail of the jigsaw puzzle set but with an up to mark momentum going this time. Since this was his first time putting a puzzle set together, Robert assisted him along the way. Every time Theo connected four pieces in succession, Robert would give him the other two pieces which fit with the line in the puzzle set.

By doing this, it made the work a lot more duck-soup for Theo. Added to a great extent he was fired up like an oven because he wanted to “take Mr. Robert home.” Within a matter of time, both of them had reached midway from bringing the jigsaw puzzle set to a conclusion.

“Do you think this piece goes here, Linos?” Theo frequently asked his mythical friend.

Seems it should be said that all three of them worked hard on solving the puzzle set, Linos included. Theo had used another angle to look at the set using the perspective of Linos and this strange phenomenon helped Theo out a lot when completing the jigsaw puzzle set.

Pretending that Linos was alongside him doing the puzzle set as well, made it slightly more convenient because he looked at a mature point of view seeing that Linos is his mind creation and at his childish viewpoint.

Though this method was working out effectively, Theo was shaking his leg like a child waiting for recess to arrive and pulling on his ear which revealed his modest frustration. Almost like he has two personalities to him with that of Linos.

Robert became aware of this development so he thought it would be a great idea to lighten up the mood because tensions were as high as an athlete taking the final shot the win the trophy.

He decided to tell Theo a joke that’s related to robots since he looked as if his brain vessels were about to go *Kaboom*.

**

Robert had a hearty habit of cracking or telling a joke or two to mellow out an anxious or immensely stressful situations, he did this for a more facetious frame of mind. From bringing forth one to his colleagues that are having difficulties and a meltdown to when he’s in an argument with Aleena, and yeah sometimes this course of action works out just fine and soothes the atmosphere but other times, yeah not so fine, mostly when he’s arguing with Aleena. He slept on the couch a lot of times when he tried that, though when it actually works in his favor, it’s really cute.

**

Presently while sitting on his off and on the bed, Robert attempted this little technique on his son.

“Hey Theo”

“…….”

Theo was in dead focus when doing the jigsaw puzzle set to Robert’s surprise. As he thought to himself, “Wow, he’s not even listening.”

Robert placed his hands together to mimic a speaker and yelled.

“EARTH TO THEO!!!”

*Uh* “Huh?”

*Ha-ha* “I see that you’re really into this, aren’t yuh.”

“…...I guess so.”

“Wanna hear something that will make you laugh your socks off?”

“Alrighty! let me hear it.”

“Uh-huh, first I gotta hear the magic words.”

*Inhales* “Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee………”

Robert covered Theo’s mouth as he knew that Theo probably would have gone on till the cows come home. While he said, “Alright, alright I will tell you.” Then he when back in the process of telling the joke.

“So, Commander Theodore, what do robots eat as their snacks?”

Theo seemingly compelled with Robert’s riddle turn joke, as he thought up for an answer to the question and then replied with.

“Hmm. Uh, Cheetos? Everyone likes that”

"Nope”

“Ah what about…...” Theo suddenly paused mid-sentence.

“Oh my, the pause for dramatic effect, nice”

“FLAMING HOT CHEETOS!” shouted Theo like a scientist who made a groundbreaking discovery.

“Yeah no, I don’t think that would be the best snack for a robot”

“Aww.”

“The correct answer is, hehe wait for it…. Psh-ha-ha …. Micro-Chips. That’s hilarious.”

Robert burst out in laughter at his own joke because to him it was so hysterical that doing stand-up crossed his mind. Yeah, he better gets comfortable on the couch since he would most likely be sleeping on it seeing how dreadful that joke was.

If someone calls their own joke hilarious then there’s a high possibility that it ain’t funny. But since Theo didn’t know better and actually look forward to hearing his father's self-proclaim chucklesome jokes, he had no choice but to laugh. But he still had a little cheeky response.

“Pffftt, Micro-Chips that’s funny but I still like my answer more though.”

**

Shortly after Robert told Theo the “hilarious” joke, they heard the front door crackling and the person at the center of it all asked themself, “Why are the lights on at this time.”

Theo was once again distracted by the jigsaw puzzle set so he didn’t notice a thing but Robert had already known it was his wife, Aleena coming home for a long day of working at the hospital.

Robert thought to himself at that moment, “Woah, if it was up to Theo alone, I would have been tied up or something.”

She used her key to open the door, entered through the house while resting the keys on the small table, and saying, “Honey, are you still up. And why are all the lights on at this time- Ah”

Aleena set foot into the living room from the front entrance, where her eyes met Robert waving softly at her as he said, “Welcome home, Cutie patootie.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

She was quite befuddled since this was the first time, she saw both Robert and Theo still up and around when she started working at late hours. After all, at this time Theo was already on his twentieth sleep by now.

Even though Aleena had made her entrance, Theo was so occupied by the puzzle set that he didn’t even clock when his mother entered to room. She looked at Robert once again, but he just pointed at the puzzle box, indicating what had young Theo’s attention. Feeling a bit unheeded, Aleena decided to knock on the wall to produce a somewhat loud noise.

When the sound of knocking finally reached Theo's ears, he promptly glanced around to inspect where it was coming from.

As soon as Theo saw his mother, he instantly flew up from the carpet like a dog welcoming its owner when they haven’t been home all day and charged to Aleena as he shouted, “Yayyy Mama’s home!!!!”

“Yes…yes, darling. I’m home- Oof!”

He gave Aleena a massive bear hug since he rarely got to see her these past few weeks because she crammed work schedule has her working day in and day out due to a large number of patients.

Along with Aleena getting up early in the morning before Theo wakes up from his own Dreamland to give him a kiss on the forehead; comes home late at night when Theo is already counting his bedtime sheep. So, seeing her now was extremely arousing for him.

Aleena smiles as she said, “Hehe, Darling I’m happy to see you too.”

She began to rub on top of his head. Although his hair was getting disheveled, this was to Theo’s enjoyment as he grinned like a hamster with a brand-new wheel.

After the friendly welcome from Theo, Aleena stated, “But a six-year-old shouldn’t be up this late.”

She then gave Robert the eyes of fury as she asked him oh-so grimly, “Right Honey?”

Though he was afraid of those menacing eyes, Robert couldn’t help but think to himself, “God, I love those eyes.

Robert picked up his phone and had a look at it while he said before turning it on, “It’s not that late righ……. ah”

*Wow* “That’s the time already.”

“Hmm”

*Awkward laugh* “Ah-ha…. ha”

Aleena gave him a sigh of disappointment for not sending Theo to bed at his chosen bedtime at 9 pm. Since he has no school to wake up early to attend, Theo was given an extra hour but he had exceeded his extended bedtime by an hour and forty-five minutes. Or in better terms quarter to eleven.

She took on the duty of the responsible parent and send Theo off to bed since he wasn’t supposed to be up and about this time of night.

“It’s time for bed, Darling.”

Robert pays homage to his robot friend as he said when he was about to pack up the jigsaw puzzle set, “Well R2-D2 and C3PO, may you rust in peace. F for respect.”

But it seemed like Robert trickery work too well for his own likings as Theo told Aleena, “But I have to finish the puzzle to let Mr. Robot and his friend go home to see their Mama and Dada too.”

“Go home……... huh?”

Aleena glanced over that Robert in visual confusion as her face alone had the impression of, “What is he talking about?” While Robert placed his arms up in the air and raised his should, giving an inkling of, “Don’t look at me, I don’t know what he’s on able.”

She looked at Theo’s face and saw his puppy eyes that pleaded to her in silence. Theo’s strategy gave Robert a little push as well because he knows how vulnerable she is to his puppy eyes so he followed up by saying in a very cunning manner, “Come on Babe, Mr. Robot just wants to go see his family.”

Aleena looked at Robert, showing her clear irritation as both him and Theo joined forces to persuade her, with the combination of the puppy eyes and cunningness at full strength.

Being in sort of a rebuttal, she had no choice but to yield to their request.

*Ahh* “Fine whatever.”

“Hooray!! We did it, Captain Dada.”

*Nods* “Indeed we did, Commander Theodore.”

While in celebration of their delightful victory, Aleena told them,

“But hurry up and finish what you are doing, and it’s your job to tuck him in tonight *Captain Dada* so if he wakes up in the middle of the night, you have to wake up and deal with it, okay.”

“Yeah, yeah I know Babe,” said Robert with the lower half of his face being all white.

“You still have a love for solving jigsaw puzzle set, huh?”

“Yup, I have a big passion for it,” Robert replied as he took a sip of water.

“At least you have one big thing, Honey. Hehe…...”

*Exasperated gasp* “Eh! Kwah, kwah. W-what? I have other big stuff.” Robert coughed out the water as he said that.

Theo looked at both his parents in mere confusion, not knowing what they were on about. But his childish mind couldn’t help but charm it,

“What do you mean Mama?”

“Well…...uh. You see dear-”

“Dada also has a BIG…….”

Aleena and Robert hold their breath as they awaited what Theo was about to say.

“Heart. Dada has the biggest heart.”

“Haa…” a sigh of relief from Aleena.

“Yes, you know that my dearest puzzles will always have a place in my BIG juicy heart.”

“Hmph! Oh, really?” asked Aleena with an eyebrow leaving the other one below.

Er…. Well, you know that you’re in there in right, you and my puzzles ha-ha…...”

“Woe, so it’s just the puzzles and I? Nothing else?”

Robert soon after glimpsing at Theo then he realized that it was at this moment in time, he knew he messed up. But trying to escape a sticky situation with his mouth as always, he responded,

*Uh oh* “No don’t do that Ale, you know my soldier Theo with being at the frontlines of my heart.”

“Ugh okay, Hon”

*Walks away*

“I love you.”

“Um ……. sure”

Theo grabs onto Aleena’s hand on her way out as he asked, “Can you help us carry Mr. Robot home too, Mama?”

Although Aleena would have loved to join them with their jigsaw puzzle set, she was feeling tremendously fatigued from working endless hours at the hospital because of the virus that’s spreading like wildfire in a forest of dry leaves. This meant that she has no time for sleep at all, for these past few months so her gas tank was running on E these days.

“I’m sorry Dear but the bed is coming out to me right now.”

She felt like a downer when she said this to him but her body didn’t give her much of an option.

“Aww! but it’s only for a little while Mama.”

“No can do.”

But be that as it may, Aleena watched Theo’s sad face and made him a little wager.

“Hmm, unless you can perform a magical spell on me that give rid of my tiredness”

“Hah! Really?”

“Sure, why not, go right ahead The Amazing Theodore…er…Houdini.”

Robert whispered in her ear, “Your name was okay but I would’ve gone for something like The Amazingly Awesome Theodore Houdini”

“Shh!”

Aleena raised his spirits by cheering him on,

“Wow, I can’t believe that The Great Theodore is going to perform his magic on me. I’m so honored”

Aleena whispered to Robert, “This is somewhat riveting, now I see why you guys like this imaginary stuff so much.”

Theo quickly took on the stand imitating that of a wizard from destination cloud cuckoo land, conjuring up magic with his other-worldly wand to execute his powerful spell to cure his mother, Aleena fatigue.

Robert then spoke in a hushed tone to Aleena and voiced, “Say, do you think that if he gets in a confrontation with another kid in school, he will say thou shall not pass or something along those lines? Hmm, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo…….”

“Hush, he will do magic believe it or not,” replied Aleena in a buzz.

Theo raises his all-mighty make-believe wand it the air along with his other hand, put’em together and what has he got, a magical spell which goes,

*Swish* His hand flew up in the arm.

*Swoosh* To decent back down at the same pace.

“Lack up sleepas, go to the deepest weepas.” He chanted.

Aleena's face illuminated like a burnfire on the beach as she elevates her body on the tip of the toes to show that something was taking place.

“Ahh, I think it’s working.”

[Robert’s inner thought] “Woah, she’s really into this, not being able to sleep often is probably turning her insane.”

Her feet meet back down with the ground.

*Ooh* Theo’s face lit up as he eagerly asked, “Did it really work Mama?”

Aleena gave her honest opinion to his question, “Um well……...no to be honest I’m even more tired now because I got so worked up.”

*Aw* “It didn’t work, I’m sworry,” uttered Theo as he lowered his head in disappointment for not being about to help his mother.

“Don’t be so sad Dear, I know next time for sure it will work okay love. Don’t give if it’s up.”

“Haa, yeah alright.” He replied, feeling a bit relieved.

“Bye, my two loves.” *Kiss kiss*

“I Luv you, Mama.”

Aleena sauntered to the bedroom she desperately desire, however, on her way there.

Robert obtusely blurred out while Aleena was making a way out of the room, “It’s alright Theo, the three of us amigos can take Mr. Robot home, right Linos. And this is for the best, Mama probably couldn’t be able to solve the puzzle set anyways and our Robo friends would be……...”

He intentionally heightened his voice in Aleena's direction as he boldly uttered, “…...be homeless for another eternity!”

Aleena instantly stopped in her tracks, being that Robert's words didn’t escape her notice as she slowly but intimidatingly turned around to face him like a vampire out for blood. And roared in a fearsome tone that will even make Puss shake in his boots,

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!!!!”