(This is set slightly before Episode 23, "My Fairy")
Drill Boy eyed all the horizontal surfaces in the Deckerd Room reluctantly, and a little sigh gusted through his cooling system as he thought of how long it would take to polish every last one of them. No one had told him that he still had to do the cleaning, but he suspected that he should still do it and show them he had some sense of responsibility. Rookie, new guy, green kid. He had earned a little respect from Deckard and the Build Team, but not much. And even though polishing decks and tables wouldn't make them think much better of him, it might help a little, and he would use what little he could; he cared more about the team thought of him than he ever let on. Yeah, he was a bit too carefree, but that was part of his personality; he didn't want to deny his personality. He had to –somehow- find a balance between being himself and pleasing the other Brave Police.
"I guess I'd better get on with this," he murmured in the lonely room. He got a cloth and the cleaning polish from the utility closet and left the door open as he moved away.
He started on the nearest desk, spraying some of the cleaner on and then rubbing and buffing the surface with a circular motion of the cloth, pressing firmly. It was less fun doing it than thinking about it. Why couldn't he be out on a case instead, like Power Joe and Dumpson? Or have the day off like Deckerd and McCrane? Or be who-knows-where like Shadowmaru and Gunmax? Those two could do whatever they liked, but he, Drill Boy, would get chewed out if he went off like they did. Well, no, that was exaggerating it a little, he knew. Shadowmaru always checked in and gave updates when he went off alone, so there was no reason for him to get reprimanded. Gunmax, on the other hand, got himself scolded a couple times a day for his solitary exploits.
At that thought, Drill Boy halfway smiled. As bad as it was to admit, it was a bit of a comfort to him that he wasn't the worst member of the Brave Police. Gunmax went off and got into scrapes, and Drill Boy didn't. If Drill Boy ever went off alone, he'd…
He paused. What would he do? He smiled. He'd go off and play soccer. It would be amazing have his own soccer team. He could recruit other bots, and they'd have the greatest soccer team ever. They'd have practice every day and drink gasoline together afterwards, and then when they were ready, they'd start attending soccer tournaments…
"Daydreaming, Drill Boy?" a smooth voice interrupted his reverie.
He jumped, startled. "What?! Oh, Gunmax," he said as he saw the green cop in the doorway.
"Don't let me disturb you," Gunmax said, saluting dismissively as he sauntered in. "I just came for some data."
Drill Boy got back to work with the polishing. "If you need any help…"
"I don't."
'Of course not,' Drill Boy thought, grumbling silently. 'Gunmax doesn't need anything. He just deigns to be around us. I don't believe that line about him joining us because he's lonely; I think he just wants to have access to our extra-nice facilities and computers. That's all! The jerk.'
"You guys don't have a cleaner-bot to do your dirty work?" Gunmax asked from where he was waiting for a computer to boot up. His idle, bemused tone irked Drill Boy and got his defenses up.
"I'm cleaning these stupid desks because I want to!" he retorted.
"Stupid desks, huh?" Gunmax smiled his small, irritating smile.
Drill Boy growled at himself for betraying his feelings. "Well, they aren't smart desks," he said in a laughing tone, trying to divert Gunmax's attention from his slip. "Hahaha!"
Gunmax's smile stayed the same, as did the knowing look in his optics. "Why don't you just get a cleaner-bot? Then you could spend all your free time doing something less boring."
Drill bot didn't know what to say. Was Gunmax being nice? Was Gunmax being rude? It was hard to tell with Gunmax.
Gunmax transferred some data into his own computer banks and then shut the other computer back down and headed for the door.
"Love you," he said flippantly, saluting without a backward glance at Drill Boy.
"No, you don't," Drill Boy said hotly. "You don't even care."
Gunmax paused and turned and looked back at him with mild surprise at his outburst. "What's eating you?" he asked, looking like nothing was his concern.
Drill Boy faltered. He couldn't very well go telling all his troubles and heartache to Gunmax. He'd surely get scoffed at, and that would just add to his pain.
"Maybe you work too much," Gunmax commented with a shrug. "Why don't you come outside with me?"
"I'm sure you'd get me in trouble," Drill Boy said with a bit of resentment. Hadn't Gunmax gotten Deckerd in trouble the day Deckerd had handcuffed himself to Gunmax? Deckerd had enough standing among the Brave Police that something like that wouldn't ruin his reputation, but Drill Boy… no way!
"Suit yourself, cleaner-bot," Gunmax said. "I'm out." There was that flippant salute again, and Gunmax slipped out the door.
"Arg!" Drill Boy clenched his fists. Something about that bot made him want to punch something, specifically that bot's face. But, that would get him nowhere. And Gunmax was a rough guy; he'd probably wipe the floor with Drill Boy if they fought. Drill Boy liked to act like he could handle anything, but he knew better, secretly.
He sighed and started cleaning again.
"Hey, baby," Gunmax said, sticking his head in the room.
"What?!" Drill Boy all but yelled.
"It's a nice day outside. Maybe coming outdoors will brighten your mood. Ever think of that?"
"I'm not going outdoors with the likes of you!" Drill Boy answered angrily. "You just want to get me in trouble!"
"I want no such thing," Gunmax answered smoothly. "Look…" He motioned lightly with his hand. "If we get in trouble, I'll clean all the desks and tables for you. And the windows, too. Deal?"
This caught Drill Boy's interest. Drill Boy was sure Gunmax would never even consider doing menial work, so if Gunmax was willing to bet for it, then maybe Drill Boy didn't have anything to lose.
"Okay…" he said slowly. "Deal. But if there's trouble-"
"Quit being so suspicious already, Drill Boy. Let's go."
Drill Boy followed Gunmax out of the room, down the hallway, and out into the mostly empty parking lot.
"Sunshine's nice, yeah?" Gunmax said, stretching a little as if to catch more of the warm rays.
"Yeah…" Drill Boy said. He looked around. No sign of trouble. He took out one of his non-explosive soccer balls and held it lightly. He'd come outdoors like Gunmax had wanted him to, but that didn't mean he had to do whatever Gunmax had in mind. He glanced at the green cop bot, but Gunmax was now merely leaning against the building, watching him idly with his arms folded and legs crossed.
Drill Boy gave the ball a toss and then gave it a kick as it came down, sending it toward the solid wall of the building. It hit the wall and came back to him, and he captured it between his chunky feet before herding it down the parking lot a short distance with little kicks.
"Hey," Gunmax called. "Keep that away from the cars. I don't want to end up doing your chores because someone got a smashed windshield."
Drill Boy stopped the ball quickly with his foot, but not out of concern for Gunmax. Gunmax losing his bet would be the least of Drill Boy's worries if one of his soccer balls broke a windshield. He'd get a more than a couple words of rebuke, not mention the shame of having damaged someone's property because of carelessness.
Picking up the ball, he carried it back to where Gunmax was still leaning against the building. "So…"
Gunmax straightened and stepped away from the building to take the ball. Drill Boy didn't object at first, but he was certainly offended when Gunmax started bouncing it like a basketball.
Drill Boy snatched his soccer ball back after several seconds of this indignity. "That's not what you do with it."
Gunmax smirked, bemused. "Okay then. Show me."
"I can't. Windows and windshields, remember?"
Gunmax chuckled at him. "Okay. Let's go somewhere without windows and windshields." He started walking away.
Drill Boy stood still, looking at the other bot with disbelief. Was Gunmax actually being serious with him? Was Gunmax actually going to let him teach about soccer and play with him? Why would Gunmax do that, though?
"What's the hold up?" Gunmax asked, not stopping or looking back.
Drill Boy stored his soccer ball and then scurried to catch up with Gunmax. "Do you actually want to learn about soccer and play it with me?" he asked with wonder as he fell in step beside the green cop.
"Sure." Gunmax shrugged. "It might come in handy some time. Meanwhile, it seems like you're in a better mood."
Drill Boy didn't agree out loud, but Gunmax was right. He was feeling happier, just a little. The happiness waned a bit, however, when he saw that Gunmax was taking him to where his bike was parked.
"Oh, no. I am not riding that thing," he said as Gunmax jumped onto the bike.
"Deckerd did," Gunmax said, and Drill Boy shut his mouth. "Hop on."
"Curses," Drill Boy muttered and then hopped on accordingly.
Gunmax gunned it, taking off quickly. "AH-!" Drill Boy yelled, grabbing the confident bot around the torso, needing something to hold onto. He loved flying in plane mode, and he loved driving in car mode, but riding a bike in bipedal mode was definitely not his thing. Especially around corners. "AH!"
Somehow they didn't wreck, despite what Drill Boy thought, and five minutes later, Gunmax brought the bike to a halt at the edge of a huge grassy field.
Drill Boy jumped off the bike so fast that he tripped and fell on his face. "Oof-!" Embarrassed, he shot a look at Gunmax, sure that he'd find Gunmax laughing, but Gunmax was simply looking over his bike.
"Ready?" Gunmax asked, not looking over his shoulder at poor Drill Boy.
Drill Boy picked himself up quickly and brushed some dirt off. "You bet!" He took his soccer ball back out. "Now, listen carefully because here are the rules," he started as Gunmax turned toward him.
"Rules, rules." Gunmax shook his head. "Can't you just play?"
"Soccer has rules that make it soccer. It wouldn't be soccer if you just did whatever you wanted to with the ball! So listen up!"
Gunmax smiled, crossed his arms, and tilted his head. "Go on."
Drill Boy explained the basic rules and how to play the game. He didn't bother with the more detailed aspects of the game, figuring that Gunmax probably wouldn't pay attention that long or even care about the little things.
He finished in a couple minutes.
"That's pretty much it," he said.
"It doesn't sound so bad," Gunmax said. He took the ball from Drill Boy. "How about a little one-on-one?"
"If you don't mind losing," Drill Boy teased.
Gunmax snorted in bemusement at him, and then they decided where the goals would be.
"Ready?" Gunmax asked once that was done.
"Ready," Drill Boy answered, reflecting that the soccer ball wouldn't bounce very much on the soft grass, so there wasn't much danger of Gunmax trying to dribble it like a basket ball.
To his great surprise, however, Gunmax wasn't terrible at soccer. Even if he hadn't appeared to be paying attention, he'd definitely been following Drill Boy's lesson and recording it in his memory banks. He wasn't great, but he was clearly learning how it went.
"You're really catching on," Drill Boy said with delight after a couple minutes.
Gunmax just smirked and kicked the ball away from him.
Drill Boy got it back and sent it down the field toward his goal.
Gunmax was far faster on his feet than Drill Boy had expected, and he got to the ball before Drill Boy. Whump! He sent the ball back toward his own goal. Drill Boy dashed eagerly in to intercept, but Gunmax wasn't about to let him do that. Another hard kick sent the ball farther and faster, and Gunmax kept after it. Drill Boy managed to get in and kick away at the last second, but Gunmax jumped after it and kicked it back forcefully, scoring.
"Nice one!" Drill Boy cheered as Gunmax went to retrieve the ball from his goal bushes.
"Not bad for a beginner, yeah?" Gunmax commented.
"Really good for a beginner, actually," Drill Boy said, grinning at Gunmax with camaraderie and catching the ball as Gunmax tossed it to him.
"Well, you could say… I had a good teacher."
Drill Boy faltered, taken off guard by the compliment.
"Round two?" Gunmax asked.
Happiness well up from Drill Boy's heart. "Round two," he said. "I won't go so easy on you this time. "
Gunmax chuckled. "Give it your best, baby."
Drill Boy smiled. Despite those words, he held back when they played. He still scored, but he gave Gunmax a bit of a chance here and there, not completely dominating him. Then he scored a second time, and then Gunmax scored a second time.
Drill Boy was all ready to play some more, but Gunmax spun the ball on his finger.
"We should probably be getting back to the station," Gunmax said.
"Oh…" Drill Boy had forgotten all about work. He'd been having so much fun on the field with Gunmax. "Heh, yeah. I guess we should."
Gunmax tossed him the ball and motioned for them to head back toward the bike. Drill Boy stored the ball and walked beside Gunmax. To his surprise, Gunmax put an arm on Drill Boy's shoulder.
"Good game," he said.
"Y-yeah," Drill Boy said, happy albeit amazed.
"And there wasn't even any trouble."
Drill Boy laughed softly at his earlier fears. "Not in the least," he agreed.
"So, it looks like I won my bet after all." And there was the cocky, smug Gunmax that he was used to. But… not exactly. The green bot's air wasn't really irritating to Drill Boy now as it had been. Gunmax, by bringing him out here and learning about his favorite game, had shown him that he did care, even if he acted like he didn't.
Drill Boy chuckled, not annoyed. "Well, we're not indoors yet. You never know what could happen; you could still lose the bet."
Gunmax hopped onto his bike. "Don't count on it, Drill Boy."
Drill Boy eased onto the bike. "Hey… could we… could we go a little slower this time?"
"What? You don't like speed?"
"Gunmax. Have you seen me? I love speed! I'm just not used to bikes, okay?"
"Well, okay." Gunmax revved the engine.
Just in case, Drill Boy put his hands on Gunmax's sides, but Gunmax didn't speed off. He took it easy, and Drill Boy got used to the way the bike tilted around corners and the way the wind batted at his entire body.
When they pulled into the station parking lot, they found Power Joe, Dumpson, and Shadowmaru restless in the parking lot.
"Drill Boy! Gunmax! Where were you two?!"
"Taking a break," Gunmax answered easily as he gave Drill Boy a steadying hand off the bike. "Need us for a case?"
Dumpson pointed at them accusingly. "You were about to be the case," he said sternly. "You didn't check in or call or leave a note or give an update or anything. We came back and there was no sign of either of you, so what were we to think? You could have been kidnapped for all we knew!"
Gunmax chuckled at the tirade. "Relax, Dumpson. We can handle ourselves."
"I am going to report you to the Boss and Deckerd for being negligent," Dumpson added.
"I think you're just mad because you were worried about us," Gunmax replied with his little irritating smirk. "Don't you think so, Drill Boy?"
"Uh…" Drill Boy didn't know what to answer.
"Drill Boy!" Power Joe prompted, mildly outraged.
"They're both right, I guess," Drill Boy answered hastily, hoping to not offend either party.
"There," Gunmax said, sauntering toward the door to go inside. "Now, I have some desks and tables to polish, so I'll see you guys later."
"What!?" All four bots looked at him with surprise.
"Love you," he said, giving his flippant salute. Slipping inside, he shut the door.
"He's so annoying," Power Joe grumbled, but Drill Boy smiled. Power Joe saw it and wasn't pleased. "Drill Boy! I hope you aren't picking up his bad tricks, spending time with him."
"He's got some good tricks, too," Drill Boy said. "You should get to know him and find out."
"Huh?" "Gunmax?!" Power Joe and Dumpson both looked disbelieving. Shadowmaru looked thoughtful, though.
Drill Boy laughed contentedly. "Anyway, I have some windows to wash, so I'll see you guys later."
"Don't leave any smudges," Shadowmaru teased gently. He probably understood.
"I won't," Drill Boy said, smiling back at him. "At least not on your windows," he joked. Then he went indoors with a light heart. Chores would be a whole lot better now.