Dean stepped out of his room, rubbing his tired eyes, only to be greeted by the chaos that awaited him in the hallway. His heart sank as he took in the sight before him. Pillows were strewn across the floor like fallen soldiers in a battlefield. The once-neatly placed mat was crumpled and folded in half, resembling a forgotten piece of laundry. Toys were scattered everywhere, some looking like they'd been flung across the room with great enthusiasm. And, of course, the milk bottle—its cap was unscrewed, and a thin trail of milk snaked its way toward the couch.
Dean let out a heavy sigh, his patience thinning by the second. "Kikki!" he yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. "Kikki, where are you?!"
From the corner of the room, a giggle answered his call. Kikki, the two-year-old mastermind behind the chaos, sat happily in the midst of his toy kingdom. His bright eyes twinkled with mischief as he grinned up at Dean. In his tiny hands, he clutched a brightly colored toy car, which he promptly hurled toward Dean. It landed near Dean's feet with a soft thud, an open invitation to join in the fun.
Dean, however, was far from amused.
"Kikki, no more mess!" Dean groaned as he bent down to pick up the toy. "This is the third time in two hours!"
But Kikki just laughed, his chubby cheeks bouncing as he clapped his hands, clearly proud of his handiwork. Dean dragged his feet over to the couch and flopped down with a deep sigh. The mess wasn't even the worst part. It was the fact that Kikki never seemed to tire. The boy had energy that could power a small city, while Dean felt like his own energy reserves were running on fumes.
Dean stared at the ceiling, half-heartedly tossing the toy car back toward Kikki, who caught it with delight. "Why am I still doing this?" Dean muttered to himself. "All day long, cleaning up messes... chasing this kid around... this is not what I imagined when I moved to the city."
He leaned his head back, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to block out the never-ending giggles and toy crashes from Kikki's direction. Deep down, Dean hated this job. Being a nanny was never in his plans. He'd moved to the city with dreams of starting a new life, of living in a nice apartment, working a decent job, maybe even meeting a beautiful girl to settle down with. But instead, here he was, stuck taking care of someone else's kid, cleaning up messes every few minutes.
Dean glanced at the window, thinking about his old life back in the countryside. He could've been working on the farm right now, sweating under the sun, helping his parents harvest crops. But no, he had refused to go back to that life. He didn't want to return to the fields, to the early mornings and back-breaking labor. So here he was, taking care of a hyperactive toddler instead.
Kikki crawled over to Dean, pulling on his shirt and giving him an expectant look. His big round eyes sparkled with innocence as if he didn't have a clue about the chaos he'd just caused.
Dean looked down at him, his irritation softening just a bit. "What am I gonna do with you, huh?" he muttered, brushing a hand through Kikki's soft hair. Kikki giggled again, his toothy smile making it hard for Dean to stay mad.
But before Dean could lose himself in the baby's cuteness, Kikki grabbed another toy and chucked it across the room.
Dean's eye twitched. "Oh, come on!" he groaned, pushing himself up from the couch. "I just cleaned that area!"
Kikki only giggled louder.
Dean knew he couldn't keep doing this forever. Something had to give.