Scrappup never had a birthday…
With them, that is. The thought came to Junkrat in the dead of night, 1:48 A.M. to be exact. He shot up in bed, causing the blanket covering his body to fall. His eyes darted around the small motel room. One side of the room was bathed in a cyan light filtering from the open shutters. Scrappup slept in a nest of blankets underneath the window and the air conditioner mounted in the wall. The moonlight hit the kid's body at the right angle to monitor his breathing. In then out, slow and steady, just as it should be. Junkrat shook his head then focused on the tiny television on top of the mini fridge. He was watching the kid sleeping again. Habit, he thought. Some leftover habits he picked up from the Wastes. Ugh, he was getting sidetracked again, like always.
He turned his body towards the snoring mass of man sleeping beside him. Roadhog slept on his back with his mask still on and his hair undone. Silver hair splayed around the man's head on the pillow beneath him. It was the only time Junkrat got to see the older man with his guard down. He shifted massive weight in the mattress and coughed, causing his belly to shake.
"Oi, Hoggie," Junkrat whispered, poking the nose of his bodyguard's mask several times. "You awake?"
There was a break in his snoring and Roadhog grumbled out a reply, "No."
"Good!" said Junkrat while he climbed upon the man's stomach. "I got an idea I wanna run by you real quick like." He then laid his body parallel with Roadhog's. His pointed nose brushed up against the worn leather of the mask. He was glaring at him, Junkrat could feel it.
Roadhog put an arm behind his head and lifted his mask from over his mouth. "At 2 A.M.?" His voice wasn't muffled but a low rumble now, like thunder. It reminded Junkrat the seconds before rainfall, when the sky's all grey and you can smell the rain in the air.
"Well yeah, mate! This is prime time to get the ol' gears churnin'!" Junkrat quickly covered his mouth with his hand and slapped his arm stub over Hog's lips. He leaned over and his eyes set on Scrappup again. The kid was still asleep, his foot twitched here and there sometimes. A sigh passed through the young man's chapped lips and he rolled into the nook of Hog's armpit. "I was thinkin' 'bout givin' the little mutt a birthday bash. Gifts, cake, fireworks; the whole nine yards! Did I mention fireworks?"
"It's just a birthday," said Roadhog. "Don't need to go crazy with it."
Junkrat felt offended, lifting himself up to look the older man right in the eye. "Just a birthday, he says." he mocked. "I don't know if you realized, my honey glazed ham, that we have money comin' out of the shitter. Nothing is stoppin' me from givin' this kid the best birthday he'll ever have!"
"Never said you wouldn't. Too much noise would overwhelm her. Scare her more than make her happy."
Junkrat laid back in the curve of the older man's arm, staring up at the ceiling. As much as he would blatantly ignore Roadhog's advice and do his own thing, he wanted everything to go right with this party. This was Scrappup he was talking about. The kid deserved the whole world and much more. He poked the man's right tit and asked, "So are ya in, Hog?"
"If I say yes, will you go back to sleep already?" There was no anger in his voice, it was more akin to annoyance than anger.
"Can't make any promises, Hogwash." Said Junkrat with a wink.
Roadhog groaned, "Better than no, I guess."
Junkrat squealed and hugged the man's side. "Thanks Hoggie! You wouldn't regret this, I swear! We got our work cut out for us tomorrow! Ooo, this is gonna be great!"
"Rat? Hog?" A tiny voice called the men's names.
With a swift flip on his lanky body, Junkrat face the direction the voice came from. Scrappup sat by the side of the bed, eyes laden with sleep and his blanket help close to his small body. The child rubbed his left eye with his free hand. "Rat?" he repeated and yawned.
""Ey Scrappy," whispered Junkrat as he crawled out of the warmth of Roadhog's hold. He sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. "Did we wake you up?"
"Mhmm-mmm," Scrappup grunted, shaking his head side to side. He raised his arms up to the man and side, "Help up."
His lack of a complete arm did not faze Junkrat with the little kid's request. Even though the kid knew how to climb without the use of both of his legs, it wasn't strange for him to ask to be picked up. A hand slipped under Pup's right armpit while he wrapped the bend of his more useless arm around the curve of the child's side. He hauled the kid onto the single queen size bed.
"Hog," Junkrat said, returning to his spot in between Roadhog's right arm and large body. "We got company."
"Uh," Scrappup mumbled, climbing up the mountain that was Roadhog. His little fingers dug into tattooed skin but struggled to get right footing. Junkrat used his leg to nudge the kid up. With a little more effort, Scrappup managed to conquer Mt. Bacon. He curled up tight on top of the man's belly and draped his blanket over his body. His head rested on Hog's protruding belly button and close his eyes. Before anyone knew it, the little mutt was fast asleep again.
Roadhog shifted his weight once more and kept his coughing to a minimum. He pulled his mask back in its rightful place and a deep sigh passed through its round filters. "Get some sleep," he said. "We got shopping to do in the morning."
There was a sparkle in Junkrat's amber eyes when he said that. He could barely contain himself and went back to staring up at the ceiling. Sleep wasn't coming when his mind was racing a mile a minute, going over the mental list he made for the kid's party. He'll make the little fella so happy, he'll drown in his joy.
So many choices. Junkrat had never seen so many fucking choices for goddamn pastries in his damn life. Choosing boba was much easier than picking out a cake from some fancy bakery. It made him want to pull what hair he had left out. Too many choices, too many choices! His finger twitched over his Frag Launcher's trigger and his hand slid down the glass display case, leaving dirty smudges behind.
"S-sir…?"
The shy voice caused Junkrat to raise his head from the assortment of sweets behind the glass.
It had belonged to a timid, young woman behind the counter, trembling, almost vibrating in fear. He forgotten he had the barrel of his weapon trained on the poor girl. She probably didn't get paid enough to deal with people like him.
"S-sir," she repeated. "Is-is there anything that I can help y-you with? Please don't hurt me or my shop…"
Junkrat held his mouth open, trying to gather his thoughts, until a heavy hand rested on his shoulder. Roadhog stood over him, which caused the woman to duck behind the counter. She peeked over the counter's edge when she realized the man was not moving.
"Y-yes s-s-sir?" she asked sheepishly, forcing a smile.
"Cake, single layer, white." Roadhog ordered, paused for only a moment, and then continued, "Chocolate filling, whipped cream icing, eight strawberries, and eight candles. Red."
The woman stood up straight now with a puzzled look on her face. "Y-you're not here to rob me?"
Roadhog replied with a cough and a crack of his neck.
"A-ah!" she said, standing at attention like a soldier. "Y-yes sir, I'll have your cake prepared right away!" Then the woman rushed into the back of the small shop.
"Thanks mate," said Junkrat as he scratched his cheek. "Got a little bit overloaded there. Didn't know there was a ton of choices for a damn cake." He opened up a small display case on the counter and shoveled one of the many cutely decorated cupcakes into his mouth. "It this cake ain't perfect, I'm turnin' this place to rubble." He warned, spitting crumbs everywhere.
"Don't," was the only response he got from Roadhog.
"Aww," Rat whined. "Yer no fun."
The woman came back to the front counter with a cream colored box in her hands. She set the box down and stood up straight again, nose high in the air. "Your cake, s-sirs!" she stuttered, a nervous sweat ran down the side of her face. "I hope it's-it's to your liking!"
Junkrat pulled the box in closer to him and opened its cardboard lid. It was everything Roadhog had ordered: a circular cake coated in white whipped cream, dollops of whipped cream topped with strawberries on the cake's edge, and eight red unlit candles in the center. It took all of his willpower to not run his finger over the cake's surface for a taste.
"Thanks mate!" he said and shut the cake box's lid. He picked up the box, raised it over his head, and bolted out of the open shop door.
She watched Junkrat leave then looked up at Roadhog, who was still standing in front of her. When he reached up to his harness, the woman squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. She feared the worst.
"Thanks," he said.
The woman cracked opened one of her eyes and looked down at the counter top. There were a few crumpled paper bills in front of her, money that seen much better days. She watched the large man leave and she let out a long sigh she held in the moment those two arrived.
"Keep yer eyes close!" said Junkrat as he led Scrappup by the shoulders
"Uh!" Scrappup replied, holding his hands over his eyes. He was told to cover his eyes ever since they left the motel room. Even while sitting on Rat's lap in the sidecar. The child was confused and walking through darkness, but he trusted Rat. Rat knew right, there was no reason to doubt him. His bare feet that were walking across the rough sidewalk suddenly touched smooth grass.
"We're almost there!" the man giggled in his ear.
Scrappup trembled with excitement. He wanted to lower his hands so badly. It was hard to keep himself under control. He was lifted up and lowered onto a wooden bench. A sweet, sugary smell reached his nose, making Scrappup grin.
"Alright, open 'em!"
Scrappup's hands dropped to his sides and his blue eyes grew large. They were all in a park, specifically in more of a secluded part of the park, away from strangers. On the picnic table before him was a white cake adored with strawberries, lit candles, and sparklers stuck in it very sloppily all over. He looked up. Junkrat and Roadhog sat on the bench adjacent from him.
"Happy birthday, Scrappy!" Junkrat exclaimed with a grin. "I added the sparklers. Thought the cake needed to be more…festive."
He stared at the older man then returned Rat's smile. Birthday, today was his birthday! He bounced up and down in his seat. He remembered birthdays with Ma and Pa; birthdays were happy times. Happy times with the most important people in the world to him.
"Well," Rat said. "Blow out the candles! Clock's tickin'!"
"Make a wish," Hog added.
What did he even want to wish for? He scratched his head, deep in thought. Scrappup was never a needy person. He had all he ever wanted right here. The child stood up on the bench and leaned over the cake. He inhaled deep then exhaled, extinguished the candle's flames. Tiny trails of white smoke rose from the candles and the men cheered.
"Whatcha wish for, kid?" asked Junkrat.
"No!" Scrappup shouted, pointing a finger at him. "Secret!"
"Okay, okay," he laughed and nudged Roadhog's side with his elbow. "Hog, where's Scrap's present?"
He snorted.
His eyes widened and was taken aback. "What do you mean you left it in the motel room?!"
Roadhog only shrugged.
"Ugh, fine, whatever. We'll give it to him later. Time for cake. I'm starvin'!" Junkrat grabbed the butcher's knife on the table nearby and slammed it down on the baked good. Whipped cream splattered all over the place.
Scrappup watched the cars go by from the open shutters of the motel room. His hands laid on the air conditioner and he balanced on his good leg. Nighttime was best time to quietly watch the cars without being seen by strangers. Today was a good day, he thought. Cake, barbeque, and friends; he still could feel the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. With both the butterflies and Junkrat's nasally snoring, Scrappup couldn't get to sleep. There was a soft cough and Scrappup turned around. Roadhog was standing behind him with a package in his hand.
"Hog?" the kid said, confused.
He signaled the child to come closer and Scrappup did as he was told. He sat down in his nest and Roadhog bent down to the child's level. He placed the package in Scrappup's lap. It was a middle sized box wrapped up in silver wrapping paper.
"Open it," Roadhog said but with his voice sounded more of an order.
Nodding, Scrappup tore into the shiny gift wrap. As he pulled the paper away, the biggest grin appeared on his face. It was a Pachimari but this particular stuffed toy was different of the other kind. The body of the onion creature was purple, its tentacles were dark green, and its face was a tan color with a mischievous smile sewn in with purple thread. He removed the Pachimari from its body with haste and gave it a tight hug. The toy let out a tiny squeak from its plastic squeaker inside its body. Scrappup set the Pachimari down gently and wrapped his arms around Roadhog's thick neck in an embrace. He hugged the child and chuckled, patting the child's head.
"Happy birthday, Morgan…"