Good morning world, and all who inhabit it!
Thunderbyrd here and after a year of finally getting a account and after a year of inactivity due to finding a job, chronic laziness, and because I'm a forgetful and uninspired putz, I finally bestow to you all…
A shamelessly fluffy and probably subpar OK K.O. one-shot!
Yeah, ever since I saw the first six episodes that premiered on CN, I got hooked on this show. It's a cute, continuity-driven show with likable characters and great action and animation, so what else can I say?
Although, please keep in mind that this is technically my first bonafide fanfic, so if I wind up being too wordy and repetitive, and the story and dialogue is too sappy and full of grammatical errors, I wholly apologize in advance. But for the record, I will be accepting any criticism in any way, shape, or form in hopes to improve my work in future.
And with all that out of the way, here's hoping you enjoy the show…
(Also, on terms of continuity, I put this somewhere in Season One, back when Lord Boxman was still in charge of BoxMore…)
OK K.O. Let's Be Heroes is owned by Ian Jones-Quartey and Cartoon Network. (I don't own any of its characters and properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun).
EMOTIONAL ENID
It's just been another one of those days for Enid. Spending her days hunched over the countertop at Mr. Gar's Bodega, burning both ends of the candle with her boring, nine-to-five job as a cashier. Clearly, a job like this was certainly not on Enid's agenda for fun, but, hey, what can you do?
Her work days mainly consisted of the following: working the register and keeping track of the cash put in it, giving orders to Rad and K.O. about doing other odd jobs, doing some occasional shelf stocking or floor cleaning, tend to the customers and their needs (regardless on how petty and needy they seem), saying the same "have a nice day" spiel over and over to said customers, and then listening to Mr. Gar shout orders at her and her friends. And then on top of all that, she would have to protect the store (and to an extent, the whole plaza) from Lord Boxman's annoying robots, or whatever other villainous threat decides to ruin their day.
This was a daily routine that Enid had memorized into her mind, and day by day, she was growing very tired of it. Aside from hanging out with K.O. and Rad and getting to fighting robots every day, Enid really had nothing flattering to say about her gruesome job.
Today, if you can believe it, seemed especially gruesome for her.
Today started out as normal with her tending customers and doing some cleaning, but as the hours ticked by, her day seemed to be getting worse. First, the nozzle to the electric nacho cheese dispenser was jammed and Enid's failed attempt to unclog it ended up with her electrocuting herself and getting her favorite crop top smeared with cheese. Next, she wound up banging her shin hard against the counter after slipping on the wet floor. Then, she got yelled at by a very irate customer because the store ran out of her favorite energy drink, resulting in the customer calling Enid some rather...blunt and definitely R-rated words. And then finally, she and her co-workers wound up having to go through a surprisingly vigorous battle between Darrell, Shannon, and Raymond, which did end in the bodega team winning, but it still tired Enid out to no end.
Right now, it was almost an hour until closing and Enid was trying to relax the best way she can, with her head pressed firmly down on the countertop, and with hopes that this ungodly day will finally end. She desperately wished that K.O. and Rad were with her to keep her company, but they were stuck in the back room rearranging boxes and other items for the rest of the day, by orders of Mr. Gar (who was out on a business meeting today). She was about ready to doze off when the soft cough of another person in front of him indicated she had a customer in line.
What she didn't indicate was that the customer was Pird.
Enid lifted her head slightly and frowned in anguish upon seeing the lanky, lavender-skinned, long-nosed creature standing above him, his beady eyes staring off in two different directions away from her. She was already embracing the idea of telling him to scram, but unless she wanted Mr. Gar to find out that she was disobeying the customer's needs, she had to get through this no matter what.
"Can I help you, si-"
"DO YOU HAVE ANY GUM!?" yelped Pird.
Enid's eye twitched like mad. It seemed like every day this idiot would just waltz into Gar's just to ask this dumb question. 'He doesn't even buy the gum anyways, so why does he even ask?' she thought.
"Yes, we do…" she drawled out, sluggishly pointing to a small, pink box full of Candy Kingdom-brand bubblegum packets located literally next to the register. A few tense seconds passed by before Pird finally said something back.
"OH, OKAY!"
And yet, he still stood there, quiet and with that same brain-dead look still on his face. Enid's eyes darted back and forth. Tempting fate, she continued to speak to him.
"Is...there anything else?"
"DO YOU HAVE A BATHROOM!?"
Enid groaned inwardly. "Yeah, it's in the corner over to your right…", she said, pointing to said direction.
Pird blinked once, and then…
"OKAY!"
Nothing else beyond that outburst. Enid grew extremely impatient. It's as if the gods above were toying with her to make her lose her very mind on the spot.
"Ugh, look needlenose. Do ya wanna buy something or what, 'cuz I don't have the time for-"
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IS TODAY!?" came the reply.
Enid cringed so hard, she thought her face was gonna freeze. "Today is Friday…" she grumbled.
"DO YOU SELL ANY MILK!?" shrieked Pird, By now, Enid's hands slammed onto the counter and her apathetic nature steadily grew into righteous fury.
"We're a flippin' convenience store, why the heck wouldn't we sell milk!?" she snapped, staring Pird deep into his big eyes with annoyance. Unfortunately, the onslaught of questions only just got started.
"IS THE MILK FRESH!?"
"Of course it's fresh! Why wouldn't it be!?"
"IS TOMATO A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE!?"
"It's so obviously a fr-"
"DO YOU HAVE THE TIME!?"
"It's 3:50, you jerk-"
"WHAT DAY IS TODAY!?"
"You just asked me that already!"
"DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN!?"
"HUH!?"
"WHAT'S THE NAME OF THIS STORE!? DO YOU SELL ANY FROZEN YOGURT!? WHERE IS THE FITNESS DOJO!? WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM!? ARE-"
By this point, Enid was milliseconds away from totally losing her cool. Her breathing was shaky, her fists clenched, her body trembled, and eyes clamped shut. She tried very hard to block out Pird's ramblings, but much to her horror, he still kept asking so many dumb questions! She was almost ready to throttle Pird's neck and send him straight back to whatever Cob-forsaken laboratory he came from.
A full minute passed by and Pird was not letting up anytime soon and then, after one certain haunting question flew out of his mouth…
"ARE BALD EAGLES EXTINCT!? WHAT'S TWO PLUS TWO!? WHERE DO YOU KEEP THE NACHOS!? DO YOU HAVE ANY GUM!?"
...it was then when Enid's breaking point...was finally broken.
"SSHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTT UUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP!"
The entire inside of the bodega shuddered violently. Trembling shelves sent items spilling on the floor and the overhead lights flickered on and off. It was like something from an exorcist movie.
Unable to contain her rage, Enid grabbed a frozen Pird roughly by the shoulders and with her bloodshot, tear-soaked eyes and reddening face right up against Pird's own face, the beast finally unleashed itself from its shackles.
"WHAT IS IT WITH YOU MAKING MY LIFE SO COB-DARNED HORRIBLE!? EVERY SINGLE DAY YOU PUT ME THROUGH WITH THIS GARBAGE! EVERY! SINGLE! DAY! DON'T I ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH GOING ON IN MY LIFE WITHOUT YOUR INANE, ENDLESS BABBLING, YOU WORM!? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST EVER JUST BUY SOMETHING AND LEAVE ME ALONE FROM YOUR STUPID, ASININE QUESTIONS, YOU BRAINLESS FREAK!? I OUGHTA RIP OFF THAT BIG NOSE OF YOURS AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THIN, LITTLE THROAT!? WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO DO THE WHOLE WORLD A HUGE FAVOR AND GET LOST!?"
At long lost, Enid finally stopped, gasping heavily, with the veins in her head pulsing in rage and her eyes still fixated on Pird. Believe it or not, he just stared at her, silent and wide-eyed towards the very beast before him. Seconds passed by without another word.
Just then, his lips began to tremble. What Enid half-expected him to do was blabber through another tyraid of questions, but what she didn't almost expect was Pird beginning to wail like a full-blown baby and dash straight out of the store, arms a-flailing. And just like that, silence fell for a final time that late afternoon.
Enid slunk on the floor, and slid her way under the counter, groaning unhappily. The work day stress had finally caused her to go from being the cool, calm-minded Enid she knew into being a berserk Hulk-like banshee within two minutes flat. She wasn't supposed to be like that. Rude and dismissive, sure, but she at least could control herself from not reaching DEFCON 1-levels of anger.
And yet, here she is, sobering up after basically threatening a customer's life. Unable to even say anything, all Enid could do was hug her knees and closing her eyes, wishing the day and her misery could just end already.
And then, for the first time in a long, long while...Enid began to cry.
"And so, I took Raymond by the neck and with the awesome power of my muscles, I slammed him straight into the ground, said to him 'how about I give you a glass of punch' and then I clocked him in the head!"
K.O.'s eyes shone like stars upon hearing Rad's tale as they made their way back from the back room. He always loved it when Rad spun one of his trademark stories regarding his daring fights (no matter how much Rad loved to embellish the truth).
"Cheese and crackers, Rad! That's sounds so cool!" he gasped happily, bouncing with every step he took.
"Yeah, it was. 'Course, he probably didn't hear it because I might've smashed his audio receptors, but whatev's…" shrugged Rad. He was just ready to continue stroking his proverbial beard when they heard faint sobbing from the main part of the store. Both heroes grew worried as that sobbing sounded rather familiar. 'Enid…?'
They soon entered the store and frantically searched for their ninja friend. "Enid!?" they called out in worry. The sobbing continued as the two scanned the somewhat unkempt store until they both noticed a tuft of magenta hair peeking out from under the cash register. They carefully looked over the counter, and to their shock and heightening concern, they caught full view of a trembling, heavy-hearted, teary-eyed Enid hugging herself and hiding away from society.
Realizing that she was found out, Enid looked up at her friends and sniffled pathetically, her irises looking big and sad. "Hey, guys…" she croaked glumly.
K.O.'s eyes also filled with dread and sadness. Clearly, with all the admiration he has for Enid, seeing her crying like a lost child was a foreign and unwanted experience for the young hero. "Enid, what's the matter?" he squeaked worriedly.
"Yeah, what the heck happened to you?" put in Rad. Enid wiped away her still-flowing tears on her arm, her pride shattered in pieces.
"It's nothing, guys. Really…" she wept, hoping they would take the hint. K.O. and Rad, however, were more persistent than that.
"Clearly, it's something if even someone like you is feeling all sad and junk…" chuckled Rad. He then carefully wrapped a beefy, but supportive arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly, Enid didn't object to this affection, in fact, she practically melted in his embrace. "C'mon, Enid. You know we don't like seeing ya like this…" he continued, now speaking in a rarely-used softer tone.
Enid then felt K.O.'s little hand softly rubbing her arm in an attempt to calm her nerves, then looking over to see the young boy give her a sad, yet comforting smile.
"You can talk to us, Enid. We just wanna help you out, you know we care about you…" he stated in a sweetly tone. Enid's eyes lit up in sadness, with fresh tears beginning ready to flow down her cheeks. Her icy heart began to melt away from all the sincere love her friends were showing her. It was almost too much.
At last, with a trembling, hiccuping voice, she finally spoke up.
"T-Today was j-just a b-bad day, was all...i-it seemed like e-e-everyone had it out for m-me today…*hic*...I try to do m-my best, but t-then everything just goes wrong. I mess up my shirt, I-I nearly busted up my shin, I get cursed at b-by some rude customer f-for something that's beyond m-my control...*hic*...all t-that stress and a-anger just built up inside of m-me…"
She paused a minute to sob sour some more tears. Rad's rubbed her back as tenderly as he could to soothe her. She was almost ready to speak again, until she felt someone softly poke her arm. She looked down to see K.O. kindly giving her a tissue. She accepted it gratefully, using it to blow her nose and dab at her eyes.
"And then…" she continued again, "well...let's say when Pird came in the store and was asking me all these dumb questions...I-I just snapped at him. I threatened him, insulted him, s-screamed in his face. H-He just got me so angry that I just c-couldn't take it anymore!" K.O. cringed in sympathy, though Rad seemed kind of confused.
"Well, uh, to be fair Enid, you never liked Pird to begin with…" Rad commented awkwardly. Enid sniffled again.
"T-True, but that's not the point I'm trying to make, dude…" she sighed sorrowfully, burying her face in her hands, "The point is, I lost control of my emotions...I was just s-so angry that I didn't know what to do…"
"W-What's wrong with being angry sometimes?" asked K.O. in a meek tone.
"Because, I'm not supposed to be like that…" she answered, "I'm supposed to be cool and confident, someone who doesn't care what others think about her, a-and yet here I am screaming at the customers like a wild animal. At that point, I didn't know who I was anymore! I...I…" her voice trailed off sadly, her eyes shimmering in sadness and her head hanging low.
"I...I was just a monster..." she finished, as a single ear fell from her eye.
She closed her eyes, not bearing to look at her friends in the eyes again. She almost expected them to either mock her and leave her behind for acting like a crybaby or agree that she was a monster and then fear her as well. Either option filled Enid with so much dread that she was ready to cry again, out of fear of losing her closest friends.
The suddenly tight feeling of two arms wrapping around her waist were all that kept her from standing back up and running out of the bodega.
Enid snapped out of her self-loathing and quickly wiped at her misty eyes, just to see K.O. and Rad tightly hugging her, with their heads on her shoulders. She was even more shocked to see them all teary-eyed, as well. Enid grew worried and very confused. She just exclaimed to them that she was a monster, so why the heck are they hugging her instead of fearing her? At last, after ten seconds of silence, Rad was first to speak.
"Enid…" muttered Rad sternly, "don't you ever call yourself that word ever again, you understand?" Enid blinked in surprise. Normally, Rad wasn't so firm with her before.
"Rad, I-" K.O. cut her off before she can say anything.
"You aren't a monster, Enid...you are a true hero and you darn well know that yourself…" he stated, trying desperately to tightly wrap his stubby arms around her torso.
"I-I…" Enid stammered, at a true loss for words.
"You just went through a lot of pressure today, Enid, that's all...everybody goes through a stressful work day once and a while." confirmed Rad, pulling back to look her in the eyes.
Enid finally found her voice. "B-But I went ballistic today! I couldn't control my anger!" she cried out.
"Some people go through stress differently, Enid!" piped up K.O., squeezing her left hand tightly, "Just because you feel angry doesn't make you a bad person, it just means you a bit of cheering up!"
"And besides…" cut in Rad, helping her up to her feet, "you always brighten up our day whenever we hang out or fight evil robots with ya!"
"Yeah, and everyone else in the plaza thinks you're so cool, too! Mr. Gar, my mommy, Red Action...everyone thinks you're both a great employee and an even greater friend!" squeaked K.O. excitedly. Enid certainly felt very flattered hearing that, but then again, she still had her doubts.
"I'm not sure about that. I mean, I'm not exactly the most sunniest person around..." K.O. smiled up at her and giggled.
"That doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved once in a while! You're an awesome person, Enid, and you're better than what you think you are!" he replied. Rad nodded in agreement.
Soon enough, for the first time that day, Enid managed to crack a small, touched smile.
"You guys really think that?" she asked bashfully.
"We don't think that, we know that!" cheered K.O., joyfully running up to her and hugging her leg with vigor. "You're like the sister we've always wanted!"
Enid's eyes couldn't have opened up wider even if she tried, she was that much in shock. "S-Sister!?", she echoed incredulously. "Y-You guys see me as your...sister!?"
"Well, yeah, we do!" agreed Rad. "I mean, you're protective..."
"You're sensible…" continued K.O.
"You're brave…"
"You've always got our backs…"
"You're tough…"
"You look out for us whenever we do something dumb…"
"You're tons of fun!"
As Rad and K.O. kept bouncing off each other with their ever-growing list, Enid's small smile grew and grew with every kind gesture they were describing her, until her whole face lit up like the world's fanciest Christmas tree.
"You may not think it, but we really do appreciate having you in our lives, Enid! No matter how you act or feel..." confided Rad, before giving her one final hug. K.O. also joined in, hugging her left leg with vigor.
"Just remember that we always will love you...okay, big sis?" he asked with such child-like innocence that it could make even the darkest heart feel warm inside.
At this point, Enid didn't know how to even feel at first. Happy? Embarrassment? Sad? She was just so overwhelmed, she could barely even talk. As her brain fully went into overdrive and began comprehending all the affectionate support that her friends were literally pouring out to her, she knew exactly felt how she felt.
"Ohhh, you guys~" she cooed gratefully. And with a big, dopey smile and joyful tears leaking down her blushing face, Enid gladly returned the hug and refused to let go. The trio hugged each other in pure bliss, all laughing beside themselves with Enid's laugh being the loudest and happiest of them all. They all hugged each other right there in the middle of the bodega for a good eight minutes before Enid spoke up again.
"Thanks for everything you two…" she replied sincerely, "I know I don't show it as often, but I really do love you two so much…"
"We love you too, Enid!" came the sincere reply from her two brothers.
They would have continued their sibling-like hug for much longer, but suddenly, Rad's beeping watch reminded them that it was finally closing time.
"Well, time to clock out for the night, guys." Rad commented, looking at his watch. The three soon released their hug, but still kept their hands interlocked, with Enid in-between them both. Just as they were ready to disperse, K.O. piped up with a small question for her ninja friend.
"Want us to walk you home tonight, Enid?", he offered kindly with a shy smile.
Enid smiled broadly and, without hesitation, replied back, "I'd love that very much, little dude…"
They all promptly cleaned up the sections of the store that were caused by Enid's outburst and then closed up shop afterwards, ending with them all now walking outside into the cool, beautiful summer evening, all three hand-in-hand. And as they strolled away from Lakewood Plaza as it was closing down for the night, Enid, still smiling, felt only one emotion as she and her best friends - no, her brothers - headed down the road back home…
Love.
Lord Boxman shuddered with disgust upon seeing the Lakewood trio through the blinds of his office window at BoxMore. To him, it was bad enough that his robotic children still lost to those three twerps yet again, but do these three always have to rub it in his face with all their...wholesome, family-friendly affection!?
"Errr, those Lakewood losers! Why do they have to torture me by acting all brotherly and compassionate to each other all the time! Can't they go one day without acting acting all lovey-dovey to each other!?" Boxman sneered, his tone laced with so much venom that he nearly got a sore throat. "It's absolutely disgusting!"
He stood up from his chair, still looking towards the window with contempt.
"Ah, well...at least my children have the decency not to act like a pack of sunny, saccharine-induced idiots…" he sighed.
Right now, he was expecting to head to his room, go straight to bed, and forget about this tiresome day already. What he wasn't expecting, however, was turning around to see Darrell and Shannon's faces inches from his own, staring at him with big, giddy smiles. Boxman raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"...Can I help you two?" he asked, clearly not in the mood for what was to happen.
"Well~" mused Shannon coyly. "We figured since you've seen incredibly stressed lately from all this scheming and attacking the plaza, we thought you could take a break and would like to have a little relaxation party in your honor?"
"Yeah, and maybe have some fun with your kids?" chirped Darrell. Boxman's face remained unchanged.
"I'm not interested…" groused Lord Boxman.
"Aw, but Daddy, everybody deserves to have time to relax and have fun, especially busy supervillains like yourself! Plus, everyone's at BoxMore been working very hard on your party, isn't that right guys?" smiled Darrell, turning his back to reveal Raymond, Jethro, and a dozing Mikayla behind him.
"What did you say!?" called out Raymond, the smashed sides of his head sparking like mad, "My audio receptors are still damaged from when I fought Rad this morning! Ohh, the dreadful horror of never being able to hear my siblings ever again…"
"I AM JETHRO!" replied the small robot, who was busy scooting about the floor in excitement, like a R/C car.
"What!?" shouted Raymond.
"Besides," continued Shannon, "It's just our way of saying how much we really do love you, Daddy!" And then, much to Boxman's unbridled horror, Darrell and Shannon wrapped their metallic arms around him and gave him a big hug. Boxman's bloodshot eyes bugged out, he looked about ready to have an aneurysm.
"Grrr, you metal mongrels! I am not in the mood for any stupid shenanigans!" he snarled, "Now if you will kindly unhand me, I'm -"
His sentence was cut short upon hearing a jolly voice sing out, "One special surprise cake for the world's greatest father and boss!"
Just then, Ernesto unceremoniously burst through the office door pushing a dolly that was carrying a 10 foot-tall vanilla-flavored cake on it. It had rich, white icing with yellow frosting and had 10 lit candles on the top, all complete with "Best Daddy Ever!" written in red icing on the lower base of the cake.
Darrell and Shannon gasped in child-like delight, squeezing their dad even harder. Boxman said nothing. His robotic eye twitched uncontrollably.
"TO THE GREATEST DADDY EVER!" sang out everybody.
"I AM JETHRO!" replied you-know-who.
"WHAT!?" cried Raymond.
Then, everything seemed to happen at once. What only happened was Ernesto beginning to push the cake towards the group, only to not notice Jethro still driving about on the carpet. Soon enough, the dolly bashed right into Jethro with such force that the cake began to violently topple...and fall all over Boxman, Darrell, and Shannon with a huge splat. Cake pieces and frosting lay everywhere, staining most of the carpets, paintings, and walls with thick, gooey icing.
Boxman and the two hugging robots were drenched in frosting and candles, and yet despite all this, the two were still giggling and lovingly hugging their fuming dad. Ernesto, feeling very embarrassed, promptly began cleaning the chunks of cake off of the walls without hesitation. Raymond was too busy fussing over his busted ears to care about the messy office. Mikayla was still snoozing in the corner, completely oblivious to what had just happened. And lastly, poor Jethro was buried under a thick glob of cake icing, not even able to clearly state out his catchphrase.
It was all too much for Lord Boxman. Between all the chaotic shouting and laughter, poor Boxman only felt one emotion that evening, and that was pure anger. All he could do was yell furiously and hopelessly, unable to break free from the shackles of his childrens' tight embrace.
"WE LOVE YOU, DADDY!" cheered Darrell and Shannon, oblivious to their father's rising anger.
"WHAT!?" shrieked Raymond one last time.
THE END
Hope you all have enjoyed my first fic! Thanks for reading! :D
~Thunderbyrd