It was nighttime aboard the S.S. Drake, if that was even the proper word for it. On a spaceship it always seemed like night in a way. Perhaps bedtime would be a better way of phrasing it. Regardless, Brittany had no intentions on sleeping quite yet. No, not when there's fruit to be had! She had concocted a little scheme after a certain incident earlier that morning, and it had been the only thing on her mind ever since. Yes, tonight, she was going to sneak out an extra ration of juice. Originally, she had decided to set her plan into motion exactly at midnight, but her rumbling stomach had grown a little too impatient to wait another ten minutes. So now she found herself wandering through the ship towards the juice storage, dragging along a very reluctant Alph by the wrist.
"Are you sure this is okay?" he quietly voiced his concerns.
"It's fine, Alph." she answered, somewhat exasperated. It had to have been the fifth time he's asked her that. "The captain said we could treat ourselves to an extra ration for working so hard." Of course, Charlie never said such a thing, but she was lying for the greater good here! "You must have been too sleepy to hear him when he said it at dinner."
Right on cue, Alph yawned in response. "Well, I guess I have been really tired lately..." Noticing they had just passed the captain's cabin, he dug his heels into the floor, bringing them both to a halt. "Hold on. Shouldn't we go get the captain so he can have his extra portion, too?"
Brittany paused for a moment, trying to think up an excuse. "No, he, uh, already had his after dinner. Let's just leave him sleep."
"All right. We should be sure to thank him in the morning then, huh?"
"No!" She said a little louder than she wanted, startling Alph. "I mean, uh, no. The captain said... He said he never to bring it up to him again."
He tilted his head, confused. "Really...? Why?"
"I don't know how his mind works! Just don't mention it to him. In fact, we're going to just pretend this night never happened!"
"O-Okay then..."
They reached the juice storage without much incident (ignoring the fact Alph almost got taken out by a floating, comatose Louie. "Always in the way, even when tied up and unconscious, it seems." he had commented). It doubled as a lunchroom, with a round table and several chairs set up in the middle. At the back of the room sat the Cryogenic Food Containment Unit (or space fridge, as Brittany called it), its frosty glass doors housing rows upon rows of colorful fruit juice. A soft glow illuminated from the inside, almost as if it were surrounded by a halo of heavenly light. They couldn't help but drool at the beautiful sight. The only thing the scene was missing was a choir of angels singing in the background.
Brittany immediately ushered Alph over to the table while she went to sort out their rations. She couldn't resist humming to herself as she picked out a container of amber juice, pleased with how well her plan was working out. It was a perfect little scheme, she had to admit, one that benefited everyone. After all, I'll get some extra food, Alphie should feel better, and the captain...
...
...Probably gets something out of it, too! There! Everyone wins!
She picked out some glasses for them to use and lifted the container over them, ready to pour. Let's see... A little for you, a little for me... She pulled back as a greedy thought entered her mind. Or... maybe a little more for me...?
A small sigh caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder, finding Alph absently doodling imaginary pictures on the table with his finger, his other hand propping up his head. Even from there, she could clearly make out how heavy and tired his eyes looked. A far cry from the bright and upbeat Alph she was used to.
She turned back to the juice. Okay, okay! We'll split it fifty-fifty. That's fair! Her thoughts were broken again when her ears picked a loud grumble, making her wince. As hungry as she was, she knew that wasn't her stomach rumbling. She eyed the juice for a long moment, feeling more than a little selfish. There was a reason she decided to do this, after all, and it wasn't just because she was hungry. Remember why you're doing this in the first place... Shaking her head, she left the empty glasses behind her and took the whole container over to the table.
Alph perked up as she returned, his full attention on the juice. "I haven't tried that kind before. Which fruit is it from?" He asked Brittany as she set it down on the table.
"It's from the... you know..." She started out hesitantly before looking away. "Do I really have to say it's name out loud...?" On her own personal list of disgusting sounding food names, 'Insect Condo Juice' was very high up there. She still couldn't look at the juice from this particular fruit for too long without... wondering. Luckily for her, Alph picked up on her meaning.
"Oh, it's from that fruit. I-I see." He picked up the container and swished it around, giving it a scrutinizing once over. "I'm not seeing anything... extra in it, I guess."
"I swear it tastes really good, though," she said as she helped herself to a chair. "But do you want me to get a different one?"
"It smells delicious..." he said, clearly trying hard not to drool. "I think I'll give it a try!" He lifted it up, ready to help himself, when he noticed Brittany was sitting there empty handed. "Huh? Weren't you supposed to have an extra ration, too?"
"About that... I actually already had mine after dinner! Silly me. How could I forget?" she said, forcing a cheery tone to her voice.
He laughed at that. "That is pretty silly of you. Still, it'll be nice not having to go to bed hungry for once, won't it?"
"Y-Yeah. Real nice." Suppressing a sigh, she slumped down in her chair, hunger pangs gnawing at her stomach. So hungry... She watched Alph as he drank his juice, taking small and deliberate sips every few seconds. Ugh. I forgot how slow of an eater he was. This is torture. While Alph was preoccupied, she snuck a glance behind her at their hoard of fruit juice. As tempting as the thought was, using up yet another day's worth of provisions didn't sit well with her. I'll just have to deal with it...
Grrrumble
She nearly fell out of her chair in shock as her stomach growled in protest. You dirty traitor!
"What in the world was that?" Alph asked, looking around.
"Prob-Probably just the captain! You know how obnoxious his snoring gets."
Grrrrumble
"And that?"
"Louie must have knocked down something in the other room. Those clumsy Hocotatians. What can you do?"
Grrrrrumble
Alph set down his juice, leveling his gaze with hers. "You're still hungry, aren't you?"
"...Maybe a little?"
Clearly amused by her antics, he slid the container over to her. "Want some?"
Temptation was given physical form that night, in the shape of a small, unsuspecting glass of fruit juice. She gulped. It almost seemed to be begging her to guzzle it down, and the gluttonous Koppaite side of her was all too eager to comply. In a moment she would look back on as one of her greatest displays of self control, she pushed the glass back. "N-No, you have it. I already had enough today."
Blissfully unaware of her inner turmoil, Alph slid it back to her."We can share! I don't mind. "
Alph, you're killing me here. All right, gotta think of something... "I can't. I'm actually allergic to this type of fruit."
"I saw you eating it just fine earlier."
"And it was one of the worst things I've ever tasted! I'd rather starve than try it again!"
"You just finished telling me how good it was!"
"I'm... I'm on a diet!"
"No you're not."
Her patience finally wore off. "Alph, I'm doing this for you, so just shut up and drink it already!" she snapped. It was only after the fact that she mentally reprimanded herself, realizing she said too much.
He froze, taken aback by her tone. "Doing this for me?" he started out slowly. "...What do you mean by that?" When she hesitated, he continued, "I've been thinking that something was off. The captain never actually said we could have an extra ration, did he? So, were you lying to me all night? Why?" he asked, not mad, but very confused.
Knowing she was caught, Brittany slumped in defeat and told the truth. "Do you remember what you told me one morning a few days after we landed? You said you were having trouble sleeping because you were so hungry. After we found the captain and Louie and we had to split our rations down even further, things have gotten worse, haven't they? When was the last time you slept?"
It was Alph's turn to be sheepish then. "I've maybe been getting an hour or two every night... My stomach growls so much I just can't sleep! Has it really been that noticeable?"
"Alph, you almost stumbled straight into a sleeping Bulborb this morning without realizing it." she said flatly. "If I hadn't thrown that Rock Pikmin at you, you probably would have woken it up!"
"W-Well I...Wait a minute," he blinked as he rewound what she said in his mind. "You that Rock Pikmin at me?!"
"Why do you sound so surprised?"
"Couldn't you have thrown something else? Something softer? That really hurt, you know!"
"I bet it hurt a lot less than getting eaten!" She giggled at his reaction. "Still, that whole incident was what made me want to do this. I don't want you to get hurt out there because you were too tired to pay attention to your surroundings. So drink up and get a good night's sleep for me, okay?"
"But what was all of the lying for? Couldn't you have told me upfront about everything?"
"Alph, if I just went up to you and said 'Hey, wanna go steal some juice tonight without telling the captain?' would you really have agreed to it?"
"Probably not." He capped the container and hopped off his chair. "Because we shouldn't be doing this! We're going against the captain's orders! That's... mutiny! I'm going to go put this back."
She grabbed his arm before he could pass her. "Just a second there, Alphie. It's not mutiny if the captain never finds out!"
"Are you sure about that?"
She shrugged. "Eh, probably. Besides, by my estimation, we have several months worth of food stocked, more than enough to last us until will return to Koppai. No one's going to miss one little glass of juice." she said. "Everyone needs a break every now and then. We're not doing Koppai any favors if we're too hungry to work."
Alph still seemed unsure. "What if the captain notices? Won't you get in trouble?"
"The captain never pays attention to our fruit stock! And even if he did, I'd just tell him I miscounted or something. He won't yell at me."
For a few moments, Alph turned his gaze down to the juice in his hands and contemplated what he should do, his stomach growling audibly. Eventually, he returned to his seat, prompting Brittany to sigh in relief, glad that argument was over. Until her stomach let out a growl as well.
Of course, the noise didn't slip by Alph. "Here." He slid the container over to her again. "You have some, too."
"Alph, we were just over this-"
"Brittany, while I really appreciate you doing this for me, I don't get how you expect me to get any sleep knowing you'd be going to bed hungry." he said, his eyes pleading with hers. "Just have some. I'll sleep easier then."
Between how hungry she was and how earnestly he insisted, Brittany couldn't find it in herself to argue anymore. "Thanks, Alphie..." She took the glass from him and took a sip, careful not to drink anymore than he had. While she did, she noticed Alph watching her intently. "Don't worry. I'm not going to drink it all. Believe it or not, I do have some self control, you know." She handed him the glass, casting him a dubious look.
"Oh no, that's not it! I mean, I won't say I wasn't thinking that, but..." he coughed before quickly changing the subject, "Anyways, I just wanted to thank you. I'm really happy you'd do this for me. Even if I don't quite agree with the stealing part."
"We have to look out for each other, don't we? And it's not stealing if the fruit technically belongs us. Just think of it that way."
"If it's not 'mutiny', if it's not 'stealing', then what are we doing then?!"
"Snacking!"
Alph opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again and shake his head. "Well, after we're done 'snacking', would you like to stay out here with me for a little longer? It'd be nice to talk for a bit without having to worry about work or finding fruit."
"Hey, the whole point of this was to make sure you actually got some sleep, remember?" she pointed out. Still, she had to admit the idea sounded fun. She always did find his company to be a breath of fresh air, especially when compared to the other people she had to share the ship with. Seeing how restlessly he waited for her response, she finally answered, "I wouldn't mind, though. But just for a little while."
He smiled. "Just for a little while."
Quack! Quack! Quack!
With a mighty yawn, Captain Charlie turned off his rubber ducky alarm and rose out of bed. Yet another day of exploration, and yet another day of working on an empty stomach. Luckily, he had taken to the smaller than usual rations relatively well, his life as a space ranger helping him to adapt in that regard. That's not to say he wouldn't like having a little more to eat, but that's neither here nor there.
Grabbing his trusted rubber duck, he set out for the control room, where his loyal crew members were no doubt waiting for him. If he remembered right, they had agreed to return to the Garden of Hope the night before to pick up a single, stray piece of fruit they left behind. It should be an easy day, at least. "Good morning, everyone!" he announced as the door slid open. "I'm sure you're all ready for another- Hmm?" The room was completely empty, save for Louie, who was floating aimlessly around. "Where's my crew?" It wasn't like either of them to be late.
At that moment, Louie chose to float in front of him. Charlie grabbed the loose end of the rope keeping him bound and pulled him down. "You. Have you seen my crew members anywhere?"
"Food."
"Food?"
"Food."
Charlie rubbed his chin in thought, trying to digest the deep conversation that had just taken place. "Food... So you're telling me they're in the juice storage, then?" He looked to Louie for confirmation.
"..."
"..."
"...Food."
Sighing, Charlie let go of the rope and let him float away. "...You know what, I'll just go check it out myself."
He walked into the dark storage room and reached to turn on the lights when he noticed two shapes sitting at the table. Sure enough, once his eyes adjusted, he recognized them as his missing crew members, both slouched over the table, fast asleep. An empty juice container lay between them, a single piece of evidence that told Charlie everything he needed to know.
They committed mutiny and stole an extra ration of juice... Without me?! He had never felt so betrayed before. He folded his arms as he scanned the scene. Just what was he going to do with his traitorous crew? It didn't take him very long to come to a conclusion.
Without a word, he left, letting the door close behind him.
I suppose something like this was bound to happen eventually. He thought as he returned to his cabin. We're all worn out, and morale's been pretty low. I'll let it slide this one time. Though if another instance of midnight-snacking happened again, he knew he was probably going to have to install a lock on that thing (especially if he wasn't going to be invited!).
Inside his cabin, he set his alarm to go off in an hour and settled into bed. We can start the day a little later than normal. Everyone needs a break every now and then, after all.
This is a little thing I whipped up real quick because sometimes I just get these intense, violent urges to write friendship fics and when that happens I just can't help myself. It can also be considered romance if you wanna interpret it that way, too, though. This thing ended up being twice as long as I originally intended it to be... I also originally sat down with the intention of writing a Smash Bros fic and just look where that went. Someday I will return. Someday.
Anyways, this whole fic was based off one of the conversations Alph and Brittany have on the ship (can't remember if it was a required or random one) where Alph mentions he has trouble sleeping because his stomach growls too much. The things that inspire me to write stories, I tell ya...
Hopefully everything reads fine here. There are some parts I feel like I could have written out better, but at this point I'm just sick of reading through this thing, haha!
Well, that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading!