"Friend, Friend!" Robbie shouts dashing down the hall. You can hear him skid a little from the doorway before he slides into the living room. "Robbie wants to show you something." He shuffles to your spot surprisingly fast and tries to pull you up by the hand.

"Okay, okay, hang on!" You struggle to peel out of all the blankets you've wrapped yourself in. You follow close behind him, letting Robbie lead the way. He leads you to his room where there's all kinds of blankets, pillows, clothes, and stuffies strewn about.

On his bed there's a stack of children's books. Some are left open, others accidentally bent against their spine.

"What have you been up to, Robbie?" You ask, stepping into the room, carful not to trample any of his belongings.

"Come sit with-with Robbie!" He fwumps onto the end of the bed with a big bounce. "Robbie...Robbie will..." he pauses trying to remember his words "Robbie will show you!"

You grin at his antics "Okay, okay." You carefully step over his belongings, not wanting to crush any of the guy's stuff. It takes a little bit, but you eventually make it to his bed. You climb up and sit criss cross beside him. "What is it you wanted to show me?"

"Chase's been learn-teaching Robbie books." He pulls one out with a little duck on it and flips to the first page. "This is Robbie's favorite."

You assume that he wants to read it with you and smile, leaning over his shoulder to see the pages. "Looks like a good one.."

"It is!" He nods happily before beginning to read the short sentences. "The little d-uh-k-l-ing lived with his...fa-faym... what's this one say?" He leans over and asks you.

"Family." You tell him, listening to him continue. His words are very precise, annunciating each letter and sounding out ones he has trouble with. Nonetheless, he still struggles with some words. You look up to see if he is doing alright. "On-oon-one." You watch his nose scrunch and brows furrow with focus, only to relax once he'd figured it out "One day he said "I will swim to the maysh bank..""

"I think it's marsh,"

"Oh, "I will swim to the maysh marsh bank.""

Robbie's surprisingly bright, he's using tricks you used as a kid, and he's not afraid to ask for help. Maybe this could help with his speech and language...

You feel a weight rest on your head. You shift a little to find Robbie resting his cheek on top of it. How could he be doing that if- oh. In reading along with him, you realize you've been softly resting against his shoulder. You smile a moment, glad that he doesn't mind, before returning your attention to the pictures.

"T-he–the duckling looked around before c-cr-crying "I'm lost!"" You could hear him stumble on that word, and it wasn't his lack of reading skill...on the page you can see where he's scribbled the tip of the duckling's feathered head purple. On the next page he continues "The ducklings par-pear-pay– Chases found him. "We are so glad you're not l-lost any more..." they sayed"

"They said..." you correct softly. You can see where he's scribbled the top of the big duck's head yellow, and the other's wings bright blue. The other ducklings have different colors, greens, red, navy...

"Said..." Robbie repeats the word. He sighs a moment, letting the book droop a little. "Is Robbie a-a good reader?"

"What? Yeah! Of course!" You turn to look at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Well...some wordses is hard and Robbie thought-thought he was better at this wuh-one..."

"Naah, you're doing great. I want to know how it ends!" You grin at him and hold his arm. Rascals not going anywhere until this is done.

"Hmmm...okaaaay." He decides and smiles back before continuing. "The duck-ducklings payr...how do you say this one?"

"Parents."

"The ducklings par-ents take him home to his family." You notice he has that word circled. "Then when he wanted to ez-es-esp..lore again he remembred to stay safe. The end."

"Ooo, I really like this book too." You boop the ducklings smiling beak.

"Robbie too..." he fiddles with some of the pages. "Thank you for helping Robbie's small brain." He taps his head with a laugh.

"Oh come on now, that's no small brain!" You reach up and take both sides of his head "this here is a big brain." You floof his hair.

He laughs before doing the same to you. "Big braain"

"Big braaain" your floofing intensifies

"Big braaain"

"Big braaaain!" The both of you laugh together.