A/N
Sorry it took so long. My brain's fried. Senior year is harder than they let on.
A happy chapter for April Fools Day! (A day late.) Figured I should put in something lighthearted-ish that involved Gibson and Chiro. SM is going to get increasingly dark beginning next chapter.
Takes place after The Skeleton King Threat
"Gibson, you need to get out of your lab."
As happened every day for the last thirteen days, Chiro had gone up to Gibson's lab to coerce the blue monkey into strolling with him through town, but with each and every attempt was met by failure and Chiro was beginning to wonder what he had done wrong. At first it seemed that Gibson would rarely leave his lab, only emerging to help thwart another attack. However, one day, after Gibson and Sparx went to get some chow, Chiro started to pay attention, curious to discover the reason that those two monkeys, notorious for their disagreements, would hang out with each other. The results weren't what he had in mind when he realized that Gibson was not just hanging out with Sparx more often, but hanging out with everyone else on the team whenever one of them asked him to do so. Chiro felt a little left out as Gibson, once again, denied Chiro's offer to go to the arcade.
"You're in here all the time," Chiro moaned from his spot by the door, "and sure you've got a lot of important stuff to do, but even a genius needs a break from his work sometimes."
"Well, yes, I do suppose I need a break," answered Gibson, who, as usual, avoided Chiro's searching eyes, "but not at the moment."
He grabbed some grey heat-resistant gloves off the table and shoved them on. Lifting two test tubes up to his face, he carefully poured the flaky metal contents of one tube into the other tube that was filled with melted bismuth.
Chiro shifted the respirator covering his mouth and asked, "What metals are you using that are so toxic we need to wear these?"
"I'm trying to synthesize a new alloy composed of beryllium, bismuth and titanium. Beryllium, however, is quite hard to come by. I've yet to determine if this particular combination triggers any nasty effects when inhaled. I do hope that's not the case, however. With the return of Skeleton King I'd like to upgrade the robut's outer walls with much stronger plating. It would be a great help to not have to worry about repairing enormous holes in the robut's chest every other day."
"Oh, cool," said Chiro, rather indifferently, as he moved closer to a mess of beakers. "Can you tell me what you're doing with- whoa!"
There was no warning. Chiro had picked up a beaker filled with bubbling, red liquid, only to have it slip from his fingers, crash to the floor-
BAM!
"Da-da, da-da, da-da! D-da, da, da-da d-da da, da da…"
The sound of Otto's happy-go-lucky singing carried across the park as he merrily skipped to the robot. He had good reasons for being so content: his arms were full of bags packed with food from the grocery and he had a lollipop, the stick of which stuck out from between his lips. He waved at everyone he passed. He waved at the homeless guy, at the girl who was always eating a holographic ice-cream cone (hmmm, maybe he should go get one?), and at BT and Glenny just before he entered the robot.
The green elevator tube zipped him up to the main room. Upon spotting three of his teammates he dropped the bags. A couple of doughnuts and an assortment of bottled sprinkles bounced out.
"Hello, Otto," greeted Antauri, eyebrow raised. "That's quite a number of sweets you have. Are you throwing a party?"
Otto blushed and looked down sheepishly.
"Nahhh! I just wanted everyone to feel better after, y'know," Otto blushed more, "losing all our hair."
"That's thoughtful of you."
Nova and Sparx, meanwhile, launched themselves at the bags.
"Mmm, custard filling!" exclaimed Nova, pulling out a round, powdered doughnut.
"Bet it's not as sweet as you, my sweet apple fritter," said Sparx with a roughish grin.
"I wonder if you'll still think that after I launch my sweet fist at your big head!"
"Please, settle down you two," interrupted Antauri. Suddenly though, and with great passion, he thrust a crumbling doughnut into the air and bellowed, "I believe that this delightful jelly pastry is the sweetest thing our tongues will ever taste!"
The black monkey greedily crammed the doughnut into his mouth, sending fluffy sugar fluttering to the floor. Some large clumps remained in his muzzle.
Then he caught the dumbfounded looks on his teammates faces.
"What?"
Otto gathered up a couple doughnuts into his arms.
"Uh, I'm gonna go see if Gibson and Chiro want some."
A sincere smile plowed it's way onto Otto's lips as he turned and bounded back to his tube, singing once again. The tube launched upward and halted smoothly at Otto's destination. Otto happily leaped down the hallway to Gibson's lab.
"Miiister Hal G-ibsooon!" he sang off-key as the door electronic door shot open. "I have a surprise for y- Oh!"
Otto paused, shocked, in the doorway. Tumbling around on the floor making various grunts and grumbling noises were two very strange creatures:
One looked like a chunk of dirty black hair pulled out from a drain, and the other, a scruffy ball of blue fur, looked like a giant Thingy. Otto smiled toothily.
"Ya got yer hair back!"
The two hairy creatures paused.
"Otto?" said the black ball, who Otto had realized was Chiro.
"Yep! It's me, the one and only-"
"Otto, would you please just grab the scissors in the left bottom drawer and cut us out of this mess?" said the exasperated blue ball.
"Sure thing, Gibson!"
Otto set the doughnuts down on Gibson's table - staining several pages of notes with red jelly - and rummaged through the drawer. He pulled out a pair of large scissors, which he held like lawn shears. Hearing Otto as he quickly gave the air two snips, Chiro asked Gibson if he was sure about this. Gibson replied that he was feeling less sure every second.
"Hold still, you guys!"
The sound of rapid snipping filled the air like the twittering of a thousand birds, but an hour later, as Chiro stared in the mirror, he found that his hair didn't look half bad.
"Nice job, Otto! Your not as good a barber as Ma Shenko, but you come pretty close."
Gibson, whose hair cut left him with giant patches of uneven fur, glanced questioningly at Chiro.
"Pardon me if I'm wrong, but doesn't she run the arcade with her husband?"
"Yeah, she does. It's just that sometimes she get's really fed up with my hair, so when I go over to the arcade she'll give me a hair cut if she thinks I need one."
"Sounds almost motherly," said Gibson.
Chiro shifted his feet awkwardly.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Hey, Otto, are those you're doughnuts?"
Otto, who was on the floor trimming the hair on Gibson's tail, jumped to his feet and clambered over Gibson to get to the desk. He plucked two doughnuts from the bunch.
"Nope! They're your doughnuts!" exclaimed Otto, shoving a plain-looking doughnut into Gibson's mouth.
He promptly spat it back out in pure disgust.
"Ergh! W-what is wrong with that thing! It's absolutely revolting!"
"Oh, I just thought you'd like a salty doughnut," Otto said, slightly crestfallen.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Gibson asked incredulously. Otto grinned, excited once more.
"When we went to the circus! You said afterwards how you liked popcorn more than cotton candy, unlike Antauri, so I got this one just for you!"
"Well, uh," Gibson mumbled.
"What I think Gibson's trying to say," said Chiro, "is 'thank you.'"
Otto blushed then jumped onto Gibson's oddly trimmed back, squeezing the living daylights out of him.
"Ow! Otto, get off, you clingy buffoon."
"Sorry, Gibson. Hey, you guys wanna come with me and talk to people? Ya know, cause now we can communicate with 'em?"
Earlier that day, before facing off with the mutated guy whose giant pustule rid them of their hair, Chiro had finished his monkey translator and Gibson had taken initiative in explaining to the citizens of Shuggazoom the threat presented by the Skeleton King.
"I could already communicate with them, Otto, I'm one of them."
"Oh, right. What about you, Gibson? We could talk to Mr. Gakslapper, or that weird guy with the giant plushy, or Ma and Pa Shenko…"
A strange feeling of realization coursed through Gibson. He didn't realize that Chiro had caught his fleeting expression.
"Or BT and Glenny…" he muttered.
"What was that you said, Gibson?" asked Chiro.
"Oh, nothing, I-I was just contemplating Otto's offer," Gibson turned to Otto, "Yes, I would like to come with you."
Otto jumped up high, waving his arms and cheering excitedly.
"We're gonna talk to people! Really talk to 'em! C'mon, let's go, let's go now!"
And with that the little green mechanic rushed out of the lab, a smile exuding the innocence of a child plastered on his face.
The room's two occupants watched in silence as Otto left, but it was cut by Chiro calling after him. Gibson, Chiro noticed, did not seem to pleased to hear his next words.
"Hey, Otto, wait up! I changed my mind- I'm coming!"
A/N Posted: April 2, 2013
1) I doubt I'm the only one who's noticed that Gibby says "robut" and not "robot."
2) Overall, I am not happy with this chapter. I wish it was more fleshed out. Edit, June 28: Reread it, and I'm actually very satisfied.
3) Before you get any ideas- No, Ma Shenko is not going to be Chiro's mother. *shivers* No way.
Question: Who can figure out what song Otto is singing? I'll give you a hint: Sing it slowly and magically.