Summary: A My Life as a Teenage Robot precanon fanfic one shot. After Tuck encounters a nightmare, he refuses to sleep. Brad now has the daunting task of trying to put Tuck to sleep. Even if it means reading children's books and battling imaginary monsters.
Disclaimer: My Life as a Teenage Robot characters and plot belong to Viacom, Nickelodeon, and Rob Renzetti.
Good Night, Tuck
The full moon brightly shone across Tremorton. Buildings' lights brightly sparkled like the stars above. Crickets chirped. Vehicles zoomed. The suburbs appeared even more tranquil. Neighborhoods typically brimming with children playing yards games and adults hustling to work ceased as all citizens occupied their own bed, dreaming away another night. Yet a terrified scream pierced the peaceful ambience.
Brad ignored the cry while sitting up against his bed's headboard, sheets covering his lower body. In one hand he held a flashlight while the other held a magazine. He pulled apart the magazine's folded page. His eyes drew closer. He wildly grinned.
"What a sweet body," he excitedly remarked. "I'd parallel park that."
He gawked at a photographic hot rod. A shimmering red corvette sped against a cliff side containing a sea view. He imagined himself driving the coveted vehicle, speeding along the dangerous roadways, impressing his male peers while gaining his female peers' affection.
"I think I'm in love," he dreamily sighed. "I'll need to get a job to save up. I wonder if Mezmer's is hiring. That'd be an awesome place to work at."
His mind fantasized the workplace he always hung out. All Tremorton High School students danced and chatted the evening away there. The clean pressed white uniform also appeared snappy. He believed that his own slim physique would appear as attractive.
A pained cry erupted once more. His bedroom door shot open.
"What the?" he questioned, his imaginative atmosphere completely shattered.
"They're coming!" Tuck screamed terrified while racing inside. Howling all the way through, he jumped onto his brother's bed and hid himself under the covers.
"Hey!" Brad protested, dropping his magazine and his flashlight. "Get outta there!"
A sharp pain dug into his pajama pants. He yanked off his sheets, seeing his little brother clinging to his leg, nails plowing right into him. "Let go! You're cutting off my circulation."
"No! I can't! The giant lizards will get me! They wanna eat my brain and tie my limbs together to skip rope with them!"
"Giant lizards?" A connection soon struck the redhead. "Tuck, have you been watching those scary movies again? Dad told you not to watch them. He said you'd get nightmares."
"But I had to watch them," Tuck claimed, lifting his head to give eye contact, his voice sounding collected. "I couldn't risk anymore spoilers to—"
"No, Tuck, you didn't. There are no giant lizards. Go back to bed."
"Nooo! We can't sleep! None of us are safe!"
Brad grunted while trying to pry his brother off his numb leg. He set his hands over his brother and pushed while his leg pulled. But Tuck relentlessly locked his arms into place.
"Where's a real superhero when you need one," Brad grumbled. Their parents were away on business, so the brothers were home alone. Though the folks had planted some restrictions, the brothers did behave, very much the same from their other average neighbors in a quaint and lackluster neighborhood.
"Ok, you had your fun watching those movies," Brad brought up, intending to eclipse the film viewing. "Now it's back to bed for you, mister."
"No! Don't send me to my doom!"
"I'm not! I'm sending you to your room!"
With his younger brother glued to his lower limb, the teen awkwardly swung his legs over his bed's edge. One leg he controlled normally, but he outwardly swayed his other to proceed. He continued this cumbersome routine, listening to his brother's blubbering, while he grunted walking across the hallway. Their bedrooms were directly across from each other; whenever Brad stayed up late reading his magazines, he would conceal his light source from reaching Tuck's room.
Perhaps a real superhero could have dropped by, seeing that her neighbors were all right before they could spot her. But she was currently in outer space, fighting against real giant lizards.
Once Brad entered his brother's room and stood next to the hand-me-down racecar bed, he gathered his momentum and shot Tuck from his leg, like kicking a soccer ball. The brunet released his crutch and landed onto his mattress. He seized his sheets and trembled. He searched, his eyes identifying his toys and furniture as grotesque shadows. He screamed. "Oh no! They're here!"
Brad shook his leg to regain feeling. He then turned on the bedroom lights, illuminating the room, eliminating the fear's source. He saw the added radiance caused little effect; Tuck still appeared alarmed, fear and imagination engulfing his young mind. He groaned, "Tuck, there's nothing here."
"But they might be! They're lurking in the crevices of the walls and in the laundry basket!"
"I doubt anything could survive smelling your dirty laundry. If I check your closet and under your bed, will you leave me alone?"
Tuck silently nodded.
The teen reached for the closet's handle. He heard his brother gasp while he opened it. All that stood inside were the boy's unfolded clothing and unorganized toys.
"See?" Brad pointed out. "Nothing."
Tuck nonetheless trembled. He watched his brother come closer to his bed, his eyes expanding like saucer plates. The redhead dropped to his knees, peering underneath the darkened gap. Though tempted to playfully yell out, he wanted more to leave.
Upon closing his investigation, he stood up and declared, "There's nothing in your closet, nothing under your bed, and you have your nightlight on. Can you now go to sleep?"
"But I can't! The monsters are out roaming the streets! They're eating our brains and using our kidneys as money! And Dr. Offbeat had just gotten together with Ms. Passion!"
"Ok, now you're combining film plots."
"No, I'm not. I continued on an excellent crossover fanfic I was reading. That's why I was watching those movies; so nothing more would be spoiled for me."
Brad pinched the area between his eyebrows. He understood his brother refused shutting his eyes unless his mind eased up from the frightening but mostly cheesy graphics the old film provided. He submissively suggested, "How about I read you something?"
"You don't need to read me anything," Tuck scoffed. "I'm not a baby."
"Fine, then I'll turn off these lights and be on my way."
"Peter Proper and His Whimsical Friends is right there on the bookshelf!"
Embittered, Brad browsed the titles, searching for the most relaxing and comical plot he could find. He longed for peace once he returned to his magazine before falling asleep himself. After scrounging through the unorganized titles, he finally made a selection. The cover contained a cuddly rabbit, much like the design on Tuck's winter hat.
Sitting on Tuck's bed towards foot, he cleared his throat and dully began. "The adventures of Peter Proper and his whimsical friends… Peter Proper hopped up to his friends one day and said, 'What a find day this is—'"
"You have to do the voices!" Tuck demanded.
Brad looked up confused. "What? No! I'm not straining my vocal chords for that. I might get a hot date tomorrow."
"You have to! Otherwise it won't seem authentic! And what are the chances of some girl making plans with you anyway?"
Brad groaned but obeyed. He was familiar with the story, having read it to his brother many times before the child learned how to read himself. He could create noises and hand motions completely on autopilot. He was often the one left to read the adventures as Tuck preferred his company.
"…And that's when Peter Proper learned that he was never alone so long as he had his whimsical friends… The end." Brad drowsily sighed while he closed the pages.
Silence engulfed the whole room until a slight disturbance creaked.
"What was that noise?!" Tuck howled.
"It's the wind blowing against the house. It's nothing to freak out over."
"But what if it's… them… trying to break in?"
Brad deferentially mumbled, "I'll get another book."
After exchanging titles, he began another tale. He was halfway done with the plot when the house creaked several times nonstop.
Tuck instantly panicked. "Oh my gosh! They're here!"
Brad placed his palm over his face. His brother could be demanding, one instant involving the kid transitioning from a crib to a big boy's bed. Those nights were long; Tuck imagined monsters living underneath the bed. And the Carbunkle parents forced Brad to comfort his brother as it was the sibling thing to do and he was closer to Tuck's age.
"If only there was a way to deal with those monsters—" The redhead's mind promptly lit an idea. He dropped the book and darted.
"Brad! Wait!" Tuck begged. "Don't leave me!"
The older brother quickly returned, donning a jade green helmet with black side plates and dark goldenrod shades. "Ten hut!"
Tuck immediately sat still, familiar with the authentic Skyway Patrol commander helmet.
"It appears as though the enemies had snuck their way inside home base," Brad remarked, his voice imitating movie generals. "Looks like we'll need to gather what we can and send them back home crying."
"But with what, Commander Maximus?"
"With these, of course." Brad held up two water guns. His had an orange reservoir while the trigger, the pump, and the handles were green. His long spout was black and white. He gave Tuck a basic one with a green reservoir and all other parts a solid orange, with the spout also being black and white.
"Water guns?"
"That's right. As seen in It Came from the Backyard, these monsters will dissolve instantly with H2O."
"Water?"
"Did I stutter?"
"But what if we run out?!"
"We know of the several nursing and weaponry locations. But for the most part, like any war, we must be careful with our ammo. Now let's study our battlegrounds."
Brad sat at Tuck's desk and took a sheet of lineless paper. He then crudely drew their home's outline.
Tuck cautiously stepped out of bed. Nothing snagged his feet and pulled him underneath. He peered over his brother.
The teen pointed to their bedrooms. "So far we've been safe here and here. There's a chance these ugly guys are roaming the other rooms—the kitchen, the garage, and even the bathroom. We'll need to investigate those other rooms. We have the advantage in that we are already familiar with the territory."
"And what do we do if we see them?"
"We shoot them!" Brad took his weapon and pumped it. "Now prepare for action!"
"Wait!" Tuck begged.
"What is it, solider?"
The young boy hopped into a clothing pile. He scrounged through his belongings. He emerged wearing a Peter Proper hat, one that he wears during winter. He pointed to it and defended his choice, "I need some protective headgear, too."
Brad was about to remark sarcastically, but he needed to place the kid back to bed soon. "Let's move out, solider."
The duo aligned their backs to the bedroom wall. The redhead slowly shifted his upper body just beyond the door's frame, examining the dim hallway. He dashed outside. He raced until he arrived where the hallway split into two, one towards the bathroom and the other towards the stairs. (He deliberately passed his bedroom to avoid any "action" there.) He halted and placed one knee on the ground. He motioned Tuck to follow.
The little boy obeyed, running while carefully arming his weapon, slightly shaking as any solider of war.
"Prepare weapon," Brad directed.
Tuck began to pump.
The commander selected the path that led to the bathroom. He slammed the door opened and held his weapon. He scanned the area. All his eyes spotted were the open shower curtain and typical toiletries on the sink, not that he was truthfully searching for any actual monsters.
"All clear," he whispered to the private, who nodded. "Looks like we'll need to investigate downstairs."
"D-d-downstairs?"
"Of course. We got a responsibility to protect all our grounds in our domain. We don't want to worry our folks who live in this home, do we?"
Tuck reluctantly followed Brad towards the stairs. The lights were off. It seemed like they were walking into a dark and dismal cave. The older brother led the pair, carefully taking one step at a time. While they climbed down, their eyes adjusted to the surrounding darkness. And the lack of light caused Tuck's imagination to initiate once more.
Brad quickly spotted his brother's reaction. He immediately placed his hand over the boy's mouth. He sternly whispered, "We can't give away our position, Private. We must maintain our element of surprise."
Once his brother assured his compliance, Brad removed his hand. The pair reached the bottom, avoiding the pesky, squeaky third step towards the ground. The commander believed that the living room could hold the least amount of damage towards the home and furnishings.
He faced his follower and announced his first plan, keeping his voice low in lure of the enemies around the corner. Tuck fearfully nodding.
"Fire!" Brad commanded.
Tuck sprinted into the living room. He yelled while shooting his weapon. The ammo sprayed in a straight line out of the gun's spout. The fast-paced liquid pulsed, but the pressure was set on low, lacking strength to knock anything over. He soaked the couch and the curtains. Droplets fell onto the carpet. Water splashed onto the windows (which could have used a cleaning anyway). The child solider howled for action.
"Fire! Fire!" Brad continued. "Keep firing until these monsters dissolve into nothing!"
Caught in his own adrenaline, the redhead kicked over the coffee table. Only one magazine and one coaster toppled. Using it as a large shield and a base, Brad positioned his back against it. He listened. He carefully peered over the top. He shot his weapon against the two nightstands on each end of the couch. He knew nothing was truly out there, and he was aware that water might leave a few streaks. Going all in, he aimed and shot a few wall photos.
In the middle of the living room was a circular carpet. The carpet sometimes had flapped over, like it did then. Brad spotted the hazard.
"Tuck! Watch out for—"
The solider tripped, releasing his weapon, exposing a weak position. He became panic-stricken. He placed his hands over his head for protection from the nonexistent oncoming attack. However, all that came for him was a snatch to his ankle. He shrieked.
"They got me! Man down! Man down!"
Brad dragged his brother to the safe spot. "Put a lid on it, Private! No man is gonna die on my watch."
Tuck collected himself seeing his brother had saved him.
Brad turned and peered over the base. "Looks like we're surrounded."
"Ok, let's go ahead and surrender," Tuck dispassionately replied. He dropped his weapon, stood up, and dusted himself off.
The statement shocking him, Brad ignored his indoor voice and broke character. "What?! After all we went through—you barging into my room, me having to read a Peter Proper book to you, having to do those voices—you just want to give up?"
"Uh, yeah. If we're surrounded, then what chance do we have?"
"Hey! I'm the one wearing the official Skyway Patrol helmet! I'm leading this mission! And I say we're staying until the end!"
"So then what do we do?!"
"We'll need to go on an all-out attack." Brad leaned against the table and pumped his weapon. His eyes focused on one spot in the room, but his mind calculated all his was risking. The mission's brave conductor gave one final speech to his squad. "We will go into one final battle to protect our domain—or die trying. At least I, Commander Maximus, the leader of this duo, if we survive, could say we gave it their all."
Tuck faithfully but worriedly echoed his brother's steps. He waited alongside his brother and leader to the end.
"Fire!" the young commander directed, popping up from behind the coffee table. He enacted his justice demeanor and ran in front of his follower, shooting at the enemy while risking his own life, dwindling his surviving chance if he had instead stayed hidden.
His superior's action inspiring him, Tuck quickly followed. He aligned his back against his brother's legs, keeping an eye out for onward attacks towards them as they fought on.
But the encounter quickly ended.
"Cease fire!" Brad instructed.
Tuck obeyed.
The whole room was dead silent, save for the smaller boy's energetic gasping. The full moon sparkled into the room. The house slightly creaked, but all remained motionless. It was like the lingering of any soldier surviving a major war and reflecting on the battlefield he fought on.
Tuck cautiously asked, "Did we get 'em?"
Brad scanned the area. To ensure his brother a safe night, he needed to ensure a little fun. He shouted, "I think I see another monster!"
"Where?!" Tuck shrieked, spinning his head around the room.
"Right here!" Brad shot his water gun at his brother.
"Hey!" Tuck laughed. He fired back, soaking the redhead.
Commencing their own war against each other, the Carbunkle siblings departed from each other. Once the pair established their own base, they shot each other from different locations in the room. Their laughter from their adventure boomed outside their small home.
They were unaware that someone was watching them and listening to them from the outside. But she needed to head back inside before neighbors spotted her, which could lead to a nasty scolding.
Brad and Tuck continued their friendly battle. The two hustled all around the living room, jumping behind tables and bouncing on the sofa. They pumped up their weaponry and fired. And like the previous war, this brief melee ended. Out of ammo and out of breath, they settled down.
Tuck looked around. The fear of any monsters invading his home vacated his mind. All he saw now was the mess the two created.
"See?" Brad pointed out, breaking the tranquil silence. "There aren't any giant lizards here."
He walked towards the coffee table and positioned it to its original spot. He then picked up the magazine and the coaster he knocked over earlier.
"Maybe not." Tuck accepted, following his brother's example. He placed back the throw pillows from the sofa. "But how do we know they aren't elsewhere plotting to attack?"
"Ok, even if there are monsters out there, there's already somebody out to get them and protect the citizens of Earth. Like Skyway Patrol."
"Yeah, you're right. They do have a cool uniform."
"And awesome aircrafts."
"Can you imagine the type of adventures they have? Surveying the air and stopping all sorts of perpetrators? That sounds like a blast!"
"And I'll be part of that one day."
"You? Pft, yeah, right."
"Hey, I led this team pretty well, didn't I?"
Tuck declined to verbally respond. Instead, he only displayed a smug expression. His brother returned the same countenance. Despite their occasional quarrel, the two did care for each other.
Brad threw his brother a towel, and the two dried themselves off. The teen gently cleaned his precious red locks; he highly prized his vibrant red hair in his appearance like any other adolescent. He wrapped his red hair slipped away the towel's end underneath the back. He planned to remove it and permit to air dry his hair when he returned to his magazine. But first he needed to check in with his brother.
"Ok, Tuck, are you ready for bed now?" Brad asked.
He turned and saw the brunet already sleeping on the couch. Currently, rampaging rhinos were incapable of awaken him now. The redhead carefully picked up the boy and carried him to his bedroom. He sat on the mattress, releasing Tuck's head over the pillow. Tuck appeared much more relaxed.
"What a night," Brad sighed, removing the towel from his head. The battle soon hit him; his heart had been pounding, and his body had been hurdling all around the house. His joints ached slightly. His eyes longed to seal themselves. He was ready to settle down for the night.
He took a seat on the racecar bed. He noticed Tuck had yet to leap from underneath his covers, the person who first interrupted his night. Though he was tired, his mind raced more with the imaginary adventure he had with his brother over his car fantasy. He yawned, "Eh, I'll finish my magazine tomorrow."
The brunet rolled a bit on his side, no longer taking the mattress's center. Rather than travel, Brad made himself comfortable in Tuck's bed. He placed one hand behind his head and slightly leaned against the headboard. Soon enough, Tuck rolled back and placed himself right beside his brother. He closed his eyes, ready for sleep to overcome him.
"Good night, Tuck."
"Good night, giant lizard…"
The End