Disclaimer: "Regular Show" does not belong to me. It is property of its creator J.G Quintel and Cartoon Network. Any non-canon characters are however credited to me.
Chapter 1: A Regular Day
It was a cool and quiet Thursday morning as the sun started to peek through the curtains of Benson's apartment complex. Said gumball machine was currently still asleep until the electronic blaring of his alarm clock, which read 7:00 am, sounded waking him from his slumber. Grunting he haphazardly reached to turn off the screeching device, missing a few times in the process, before finally slamming the power button off. Sighing he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Another day with those idiots," Benson muttered grimly (naturally referring to Mordecai and Rigby) as he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. Half an hour later he was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper having just finished a bowl of cereal and enjoying a cup of coffee from his favorite "World's Best Boss" mug (though he would never openly admit it). Nothing in the paper really caught his attention even though there were a few rather strange stories of things such as "my car was vandalized by a guy wielding a samurai sword" and more. Living in this town and working at the park, Benson had seen a lot so these things never really fazed him anymore.
"Most of those things are usually Mordecai and Rigby's fault anyway," Benson mused inwardly before checking the time. It was currently 8:15. While he didn't have to show up at the park until around 9:00, Benson decided it was best to get a jumpstart on some of the tasks that needed tending to before the morning meeting. Benson got up from his seat and rinsed out his coffee mug, placing it on the dish rack to dry before grabbing his car keys from the kitchen table. After double-checking to make sure everything was locked up tight, he grabbed a light jacket and headed out locking his apartment door behind him.
As Benson drove to work, his mind went over the tasks that needed to be taken care of at the park. He was a little behind on some of the paperwork but fortunately he could get it taken care of easily before the day got out. What mainly needed to be done was typical groundskeeper work, which he could leave to Skips, Pops and everyone else. Well, almost everyone else. Thoughts of Mordecai and Rigby and their slacker ways instantly soured his mood. Growling he forced those thoughts out of his head as the park came into view but what he saw made him immediately slam on his brakes. In the center of the park was what looked like a cross between a giant green lizard and a slug (evident by the large red eyestalks that swiveled every direction as it roared). Not far from it was a floating and rather irate wizard, splattered with what looked like some sort of food, yelling commands to the beast to destroy everything in the park. However, what wasn't quite as surprising was who was running away from the whole mess and, if Benson had to guess, was likely the cause of it all: Mordecai and Rigby. Giving an angry growl, Benson drove his station wagon through the park gate and screeched to a halt alongside Mordecai, Rigby and where the other park employees (minus Thomas who had classes that morning) were taking cover behind a large oak tree.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Benson yelled angrily getting out of his car and slamming the door.
"Benson, uh, well…" Rigby started out before Mordecai interrupted.
"Rigby ticked off that wizard dude by pranking him with egg salad and a water balloon."
"MY NAME IS MARVIN!" The wizard shout before he hurled a lightning bolt at the tree where they took refuge. Benson gave the raccoon a hard glare.
"It was Mordecai's idea!" Rigby immediately defended.
"Was not!" The blue jay replied.
"ENOUGH! I'll deal with you two later," Benson shouted before turning his attention back to the real problem at hand.
"How do we stop that monstrosity?" Pops asked with concern. Benson thought for a minute before turning to Skips.
"Skips, we still have those bags of rock salt that we use to pave the sidewalks in winter, right?" The yeti thought for a minute before answering.
"Yeah, they're in the shed behind the house."
"But how are we going to get over there without getting wasted?" Muscle Man asked right as a mangled park bench was hurled some feet away from where the park employees were hiding.
"Not we, you two," Benson stated pointing to Mordecai and Rigby.
"What?!" Both employees protested. "But Benson, that dude might kill us."
"You two started this mess and you two are going to fix it OR ELSE YOU'RE FIRED!" Benson yelled right before the monster uprooted the tree they were hiding behind.
"LOOK OUT!" Skips shouted just as the monster took in a breath. The park workers barely had time to get out of the way before it let out a burst of fire from its maw, torching the ground where they once stood. Mordecai and Rigby stood stunned at the damage until their boss's yells snapped them out of it.
"MORDECAI. RIGBY. GO NOW!"
"Uh, right. Come on Rigby," Mordecai motioned as they both sprinted towards the shed. The wizard (or Marvin) saw this and commanded the beast to pursue. The two weaved between trees and jumped hedges to evade their pursuer but was ultimately useless. Thankfully, they managed to reach the shed in one piece and took shelter inside slamming the door behind them.
"Hurry and find the rock salt!" Mordecai exclaimed as he held the door shut with the weight of his whole body as the wizard started banging on it. Rigby hastily tore the place apart trying to find the bags before spotting them in the corner.
"I got 'em." Rigby stated grabbing a bag.
"Yeah, but now what?" Mordecai asked just as the door blew off its hinges and the monster tore off the roof to the shed. Both screamed fearing this was the end when suddenly what looked like a sandbag was hurled at the monster's head, which burst on impact, scattering sand and temporarily blinding the beast. Mordecai and Rigby turned their heads to see Benson driving up in his car with Pops in the passenger seat and followed by a golf cart driven by Muscle Man with High Five Ghost and Skips (who had thrown the sandbag) holding on from the rear to help put an end to the chaos.
"What are you waiting for? Open a bag and finish it off already!" Benson shouted as everyone evacuated their respective vehicles.
"What's that supposed to do?" Rigby questioned.
"Are you serious?" Benson said in disbelief. "It's part snail or slug right. What do you think happens when you put salt on a slug." Understanding what Benson was getting at, Mordecai and Rigby nodded at each other before ripping open the bag and each taking one end.
"Hey Marvin." Mordecai shouted getting the wizard's attention, who was trying to calm his monster's agitation from the leftover sand in its eyes. "What kind of lame monster gets upset over a little sand?"
"Yeah, that's just like some old loser in a wizard's outfit getting a upset over a little egg salad spill," Rigby added egging him on. Seething at the remarks, Marvin commanded his monster to swallow them whole. Letting out an angry roar, the monster complied and lunged at the two.
"Now!" Mordecai shouted as they both swung the open bag of salt straight into the beast's gaping jaws, swallowing it whole. The creature instantly stopped its attack and recoiled in pain as an ominous gurgling noise came from within it. Knowing what was going to come next, the park gang took shelter underneath the shed's torn off roof just in time before the beast exploded into a million nasty chunks. Marvin, who wasn't quite so lucky, also took the full brunt of the explosion and was sent flying into the distant horizon (or at the very least the other side of town). When the damage was done, the park employees emerged from the wreck to survey the damage. The park as a whole was worse for wear with scorch marks, uprooted trees and smashed and wrecked park property littered all around (including the damaged shed).
"Man, am I glad that's over," Rigby stated nonchalantly with a relieved sigh. Benson however didn't feel the same as he felt his anger rise. He turned and was about to give both slackers an earful when a loud creaking noise was heard. A split second later one of the trees that had taken some heavy damage from the rampage toppled over and crashed right on top of Benson's car. The park employees were gravely silent at the turn in bad luck and Benson could only stare as he processed what just happened before turning a darker shade of red, gumballs within his metal body rattling with rage before he let out a yell of raw anger. He turned sharply and gave Mordecai and Rigby a glare so fierce it made them shrink back considerably.
"Uh, Benson—"
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! YOU TWO ARE SO UNBELEIVABLY—" However, before Benson could finish giving out the dreaded command of termination, the phone from inside the house started to ring. Figuring it was important and not wanting to stick around for the harsh words that were to follow, Pops ran inside to answer it. Benson, deciding to hold his tongue at least until Pops was off the phone so as to not cause an unwanted scene, followed along with everyone else out of curiosity. Benson approached the back door where Pops was speaking into the receiver saying things such as "I see," and "alright" before giving his attention to Benson and covering the mouthpiece.
"Benson, its for you. It's Papa." Benson's heart sunk. Mr. Maellard doesn't call unless it's something important. "It couldn't be possible that he somehow already found out about what just happened is there?" Benson mentally questioned. Swallowing his fears he took the phone from Pops and answered it.
"Yes sir," he answered before his boss's harsh and loud words caused him to pull the phone away from his ear for a moment before putting the phone back to his ear. "Yes sir I…N-No sir I…Yes I…" Benson tried to communicate with Mr. Maellard but it was clear it was a one sided conversation but concerning what the others weren't quite sure. "…I understand Mr. Maellard. We'll take care of everything before you get here…Alright sir, see you in a few—" before Benson could finish his sentence the dial tone from the other line could be heard indicating he had hung up before Benson could finish. "—Days."
"What did Papa have to say Benson?" Pops inquired as Benson hung up the phone and turned to the group.
"Mr. Maellard said he'd be coming by for a surprise park evaluation and he wants everything up to par by the time he gets here…or else."
"Did he say when exactly?" Skips asked.
"No, just that it would be in a few days and at any time, which means if we want any hope in passing we're going to have to get our acts together and fast."
Benson turned to Mordecai and Rigby specifically. "Unfortunately, this also means right now I can't afford to fire you two. But I'm warning you two you are on VERY. THIN. ICE." Benson stated emphasizing each word as he felt his anger resurface again."So I suggest you do your jobs and do them right OR ELSE! STARTING WITH THE MESS YOU TWO CREATED OUTSIDE!" He yelled seething. Mordecai and Rigby nodded and bolted outside to get started. Benson let out a heavily aggravated sigh and rubbed his temples in an effort to calm himself down before turning to the other employees.
"First things first, we have to take care of the mess outside before we can focus on anything else. Skips, I need you to handle rebuilding whatever park property got damaged in the chaos." Skips gave a nod and a grunt before skipping off to get started.
"Muscle Man and High Fives, you two will have to take care of the trees that got uprooted and replant new ones as well as replacing the patches of grass that got burned."
"Not a problem, I know a guy who can hook us up with what we need," Muscle Man said.
"Just get it done," Benson said as the two walked off. "Pops, I'm going to need you to help out with cleaning up the debris around the house and the park. And keep an eye on those two idiots (Mordecai and Rigby) to make sure they're actually doing their jobs. With all this damage I have a lot more paperwork to do."
"'Tis no trouble my good man. Do what you need and we'll handle the rest," Pops assured before leaving to do his appointed tasks and leaving the gumball machine. Letting out another aggravated sigh and rubbing his face with his hands, he headed into his office to get started on the damage claims once again.
Several hours passed before the piles of additional paperwork began to dwindle to a more manageable amount. Leaning back in his chair and stretching his limbs, Benson looked to the clock that now read 2:15 pm. Figuring it was best to take a quick break for a late lunch and check everyone's progress on the repairs, Benson got up from his desk and proceeded to the kitchen. Fixing himself a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Benson sat at the table and ate in silence. Just as he finished, Skips entered from the back door covered in dirt and grease stains.
"How are the repairs coming along?" Benson inquired.
"Not bad actually," Skips answered with a shrug. "I just finished rebuilding the smashed benches and the shed and also took care of some other minor damages around the park and house."
"What about everyone else?"
"Thomas showed up about an hour ago and is helping Muscle Man and High Fives replant the lawn and trees and Pops is helping Mordecai and Rigby with clearing out the debris from the park. It should all be taken care of completely in a few hours." Benson gave a relieved sigh.
"Good, that's at least one thing off my mind," Benson said.
"What about you?" the immortal yeti asked as he skipped to the fridge and got himself a sandwich of his own before taking a seat opposite of Benson. "How's the paperwork coming?"
"As well as can be expected," Benson answered as the yeti took a few bites of his meal. "The damage claims and most of the reports are taken care of but there's still a little left that needs to be done. Not to mention my car is going to be in the shop for at least two weeks while it's being repaired."
"We can chip in to get you some bus tokens if you need it," Skips offered after swallowing his food.
"Don't worry about it Skips. Besides, I don't live too far away."
"Fair enough," Skips admitted before taking another bite of his sandwich. "But since you only got a little left to do, why don't you take a break? Maybe walk around the park to clear your head. You look like you could use it," Skips suggested.
"Thanks but I think that would do more harm than good," Benson replied thinking of what would happen if he caught Mordecai and Rigby slacking off even if Pops was with them. He didn't want to waste any more time or energy getting angry if it meant he could get more work out of the way. "Anyway, this technically is my break. I just needed a bite to eat before I take care of the rest of today's reports."
"Well," Skips started after finishing the last of his sandwich. "I think you should at least take it easy for tonight Benson. You know, it's nearly the end of the month and we haven't had any time for the park worker's monthly activity night." Benson thought for a bit and realized Skips had a point. At least once a month, or on a special occasion, everyone at the park would meet up after work and just have a good time either bowling, going out to eat at some new restaurant, or even enjoying game night at the house. It had been nearly a month and a half since the last time they had it.
"True," Benson admitted.
"Maybe we could have a movie night. I overheard there was a good deal at the Movie Shack Hut and I got coupons for a couple films that looked kind of interesting."
"Oh, what's this now?" a familiar voice asked. Benson and Skips turned to see
Pops enter looking a bit grungy from hauling the debris to the dump.
"We were just talking about how we could have a little movie night tonight for the Park's monthly activity night," Skips replied.
"Oh, that sounds like a splendid idea," Pops agreed clapping his hands together in glee. "Benson we will partake in movie night won't we?" Benson considered it and thought maybe they had a valid point. Who knew, maybe a little R and R would help boost worker morale for the upcoming evaluation or at least help as some kind of de-stressor, granted if Mordecai and Rigby didn't screw something up again.
"Alright," Benson conceded with a sigh.
"Oh good show. Jolly good show," Pops cheered with his usual high-pitched laugh.
"But first we have to finish the clean-up job and I need to finish today's paperwork. Pops, let the others know and Skips you get the movies." Both employees gave a smile and a nod before leaving to take care of their new tasks. Benson gave a tired sigh before heading back into his office to finish his work, unaware of the strange presence that watched him from the kitchen window.
Author's Notes: How's that for the first chapter? Since this is the first time I'm writing a Regular Show fanfiction I wanted to be sure I kept the same amount of strangeness and work in a little logic to make it kind of realistic too. Let me know what you liked and how I did so I need to know what I need to improve. Since I've officially graduated (yay!) that means I'm going to be looking for a job and whenever I'm not job hunting I'll be writing. This means I'll likely be posting chapters once a week (maybe a week and a half). So until the next chapter, please read, review, and enjoy!