Mirio didn't think Lily would get a second babysitting invitation. After the last time—where she accidentally tucked a baby into her goo and tried to carry it like a living water bottle—he figured most parents would avoid her like a wet floor. But surprisingly, the family loved her. The baby slept better than ever that day, and word had gotten around the neighborhood that Lily was both oddly effective and deeply squishable.
So, today she was back on duty.
Except this time, she wasn't alone.
The door opened to reveal a harpy girl named Clari. She was a young, sunny bird-woman with bright red feathers, huge golden eyes, and wings in place of arms that constantly flapped whenever she got nervous—which was always. Her fluffy thighs peeked out from beneath denim shorts, and her oversized T-shirt said "FLAP QUEEN" in bold pink letters.
"Hi hi! I'm so excited to babysit with a slime!" she chirped, bouncing on her talons.
Lily smiled wide, her body slightly more stable than usual today. "Hi! You're so fluffy!"
Clari giggled. "You're so jiggly!"
They stared at each other for a second, then hugged. It was like watching a pillow get hugged by a jellyfish.
Mirio watched them from the couch as the baby's parents gave their instructions and left for the evening. "You girls sure you've got this?"
"Hubbyyyy~" Lily said, slithering over to squish against his side. "I'm a professional now~"
"You're banned from absorbing children, remember."
"I'll absorb responsibilities instead!"
"That's not what—never mind. Just call me if things go wrong."
Lily gave him a squishy kiss on the cheek, then bounded off.
The moment the parents were gone, the baby—a chubby, giggly toddler named Noah—immediately began crawling toward the giant plastic toy chest in the middle of the room. It was filled with every kind of noise-making, button-pushing, sanity-erasing object imaginable.
Clari chirped excitedly. "Toys! I'll organize them! I'm great at making piles!"
Lily followed after her. "I can clean things too! I'm like a vacuum but wetter!"
That should've been a red flag.
The chaos started when Lily leaned over the toy box, curiously poking at the collection inside. Her body, eager to help, instinctively flowed forward. One arm sloshed into the pile of rattles, plushies, blocks, and squeaky ducks. Then the other. Then her entire torso slipped forward with a wet glorp.
"Um…" Clari said. "Lily?"
"I'm organizing!"
But she wasn't organizing. She was absorbing.
The toys, one after another, vanished into her core—each making a little muffled sound as they disappeared into her chest or stomach.
Bloop. Squeak. Clack.
She looked up with a proud smile. "Clean!"
Clari stared in horror. "You—you ate the whole toy box!"
"I'm holding them safely! In storage mode!"
Clari flapped her wings wildly. "That's not how babysitting works!"
Noah clapped with glee, then crawled over and hugged Lily's leg.
From inside Lily's body came a faint quack followed by a glowing rubber duck bouncing gently against her hip.
"See?" Lily said, wiggling her waist. "They're right here!"
Clari facepalmed with both wings. "Get them out!"
Lily pouted. "Fine…"
She bent slightly and concentrated. Her body jiggled. Her chest pulsed. And then—
POP!
A rattle shot out of her shoulder like a soda from a vending machine, landing in Clari's lap.
Clari blinked. "That… actually worked?"
Lily beamed. "Want more?"
With a proud squelch, Lily began releasing toys one by one. A plush giraffe flopped out of her arm. A xylophone squirted from her belly button. A squeaky fish tumbled out of her cleavage and bounced off Clari's wing. Every sound effect, every shape, came with a satisfying squish.
Noah was delighted.
He squealed and clapped as toys bounced around the room. "Again! Again!"
"I am a toy machine~!" Lily sang, hips wobbling proudly. "Hubby should definitely see this later…"
Clari couldn't help but laugh. "Okay… okay. This is weirdly efficient."
Lily posed dramatically, arms lifted. "I can hold thirty-six objects and a toddler's attention span for three hours!"
Noah threw a block at her. It bounced off her chest and flew back into his own face.
He giggled and did it again.
The night continued in an odd sort of harmony. Clari helped with diaper duty—fussing with wipes using her feet while Lily offered moral support. Lily squished into a beanbag to serve as a bouncing seat for Noah. At one point, she formed a slide out of her chest and thighs while the harpy perched nearby and cheered.
It wasn't traditional babysitting.
But it was working.
Until Mirio returned.
He opened the door and blinked.
There was a pile of brightly-colored toys splattered all over the floor. The baby was asleep on top of Lily's belly, who had spread herself across the rug like a sleepy beanbag. Clari was snoring on the couch, her wings twitching with every breath.
And in Lily's arms were two more toys.
From her own body.
Mirio stepped carefully over a squeaky crab and crouched beside her. "Hey… what happened here?"
She looked up, half-lidded and glowing faintly. "I was the toy box."
He stared at her.
"I was so useful, hubby~ You should've seen me. I shot out a rattle from my thigh. I'm a miracle machine~"
He smiled, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "You're always a miracle."
She blushed. "Even if I still have a bouncy ball stuck in my butt?"
He blinked. "...You what."
"Want me to get it out?"
"...No."
Lily grinned sleepily. "Good. It squeaks when I sit."