Picking Up the Pieces
A/N: I keep repeating myself, but thank you! For the comments and patience. The lyrics that are used in this chapter are from Love Game by Lady Gaga, and Trust by Keyshia Cole ft. Monica.
Disclaimer: I do not own Monsters vs. Aliens, nor the songs used in this chapter. Only my OC, June.
Chapter 7
Sydney was lit with various lights that glimmered on the surface of the water. Music and laughter could be heard from just about every building, indicating that the nightlife was already in full swing. The monsters were currently walking down the streets, waving to fans and signing autographs as they went. June had quickly been introduced as a new recruit, and already had her own admirers. She was silently amused that they took her stoic disposition as mysterious.
"All this attention is strange," she mused after signing another T-shirt.
"On the contrary, my dear. We're monsters, and heroes. Attention is to be expected," Dr. Cockroach said.
"No, ya'll are heroes," June corrected.
She watched as Link flirted with every woman that he passed, eliciting gasps and shy giggles from them. He would pick a large group of them up to show his strength, and posed whenever a camera appeared in front of him. The tigress snorted at this display, and turned her attention to the neon signs.
B.O.B. was zealously waving at his fans, throwing in an odd joke here and there, enjoying the warm cheers. Insectosaurus screeched happily at the hyper crowd. Ginormica and Dr. Cockroach each had to deal with fan-boys and fan-girls, respectively. Shouts of "I love you!" were often thrown at them, which were received with a friendly smile.
"Okay, where do you guys wanna go?" June asked, getting a little irritated at how the fans were slowing progress.
"We've gotta hit the clubs," Link smirked.
"Karaoke!" B.O.B. exclaimed.
"Anywhere is fine," Susan put in.
"I'm with Susan," Dr. C added, blushing when he realized exactly what he said.
Insecto snorted, which translated as "anywhere with music".
"I'm wanting to dance, so let's hit a club," June decided.
"My dear, are you sure? Didn't your…transformation happen at a club?" the doctor asked.
"S'all right. What's done is done; whoever did it can't do anything else," June reasoned.
"More importantly, you actually agreed with me on something," Link commented, smirking once more.
"Just wait," Huntress warned.
Just as the tigress had predicted, she and the fish-man began arguing over which club to check out. The type of music, the atmosphere, what drinks were served, and what age the crowd was were a few factors that the two monsters kept fighting about. The other monsters, excluding B.O.B., were getting irritated at constantly walking. Right before Dr. Cockroach or Susan could intervene, Link and June finally decided on a club.
Link, June, and B.O.B. went on and rushed inside, but Dr. Cockroach stayed near Susan. The giantess bent down to see him, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Aren't you going inside, Doc?" she asked.
"Yes, my dear. But so are you," he replied.
Ginormica's confusion was more evident, but she watched with curiosity as the doctor pulled a small patch out of his pocket.
"I didn't have much time, but this patch should last the night. It will temporarily remove the quantonium from your body," the doctor explained.
"Oh, Doc!" Susan gushed.
She was still as Dr. Cockroach placed the patch on her left hand. The latter watched, with accomplishment burning in his eyes, as Ginormica slowly returned to her normal height. When it was finished, she glanced at the patch, and saw that it was glowing green.
"It worked! Thank you!" she exclaimed, and hugged the bug doctor tight.
"Y-You're welcome, my dear," he stuttered, returning the embrace.
They separated, told Insecto to enjoy the music, and headed inside.
The club was very large. A long metallic bar sat in the center, acting as a divider between the two dance floors. The floor was glossy, and reflected the flashing lights hung along the walls; the latter was also decorated with different advertisement posters. DJ's were stationed at each dance floor, keeping the crowd energized and moving.
B.O.B. and Link were at the bar. The loveable blue mass was eating plates of food, and Link was already downing his first bottle of beer. Huntress was on the left dance floor, already jumping to the beat. Dr. Cockroach and Susan headed to the bar to get something to eat, wanting to relax a bit before heading to the dance floor.
After tossing back his fourth beer, Link slid away from the bar, and sauntered over to a dance floor. He noticed some of the ladies winking at him, and calling him over, and was more than happy to join them. Despite the number of drinks he had consumed, the aquatic hybrid moved his muscled form easily to the tempo of the music.
He laughed with the women, taking the time to dance with each one. A red-head with stunning green eyes danced with him a little longer than the rest, kissing his cheek before she returned to her friends. He felt a cocky smirk tug at his lips as he continued to move. However, he backed into someone, and turned around to find long, wavy hair in his vision.
"Hey, wanna dance, sweetheart?" he asked, confident that she would accept.
June immediately thought that Link's expression was priceless when she turned and he saw that it was her.
"That's the second time you've called me that," she observed.
"Nevermind. You probably can't dance anyway," he muttered.
"Wrong. I can dance…much better than you," Huntress countered.
"Really, now? Let's see what you got," Link challenged as a new song started to play.
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Both of them began moving, their feet stepping in time with the beat. They locked gazes with one another, determined to show the other up. The music continued to play, lyrics floating around and tempting the dancers.
Let's play a love game
Play a love game
Do you want love?
Or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Dans, the love game
As the song went on, Link and June gradually stopped staring the other down, becoming consumed by the music. Link glanced at Huntress, and saw that she had started moving her hips to the beat. It wasn't necessarily inappropriate, but Link's face quickly burned at the subtle gesture. June saw a glimpse of Link's face, but thought that it was the drinks getting to him.
Hold me and love me
Just want touch you for a minute
Maybe three seconds is enough
For my heart to quit it
A minute or so later, the song ended, and June looked triumphant with a smirk on her face and hands on her hips.
"Well?" she prompted.
Link took this moment to get a good look at the tigress. Sure, he had seen her plenty of times, but this was the first time he really looked at her. The gold in her eyes brought attention to the green overlapping, invoking a sense of dangerous mystery. Her stance, though casual, exuded strength. The fish-man admitted to himself, albeit reluctantly, that Huntress was attractive. But so were the other ladies at the club.
His train of thought was broken by June's exaggerated cough.
"You got some skill, but that's it," he answered, turning away from her.
"Where are you—," she started, slightly annoyed.
"Checkin' on Insecto," he threw over his shoulder.
June frowned at the hybrid, but left him alone. She then made her way back to the bar, but paused before making it there. She saw Dr. Cockroach and Susan chatting, occasionally becoming flustered. The tigress held back a sigh. It was painfully obvious that the two liked each other; it was telling the other how they felt that kept them from advancing.
That's it. They need a push, Huntress decided, and made her way to the D.J. booth. She easily weaved through the crowd, and found a brunette about her age talking to the D.J. The woman saw her, and a large grin plastered itself across her face.
"You're the new member, Huntress!" she exclaimed.
June was a little surprised that the woman didn't have an accent, but pushed the random thought aside.
"Yeah. Say, can ya do me a favor?"
Dr. Cockroach and Ginormica shared another laugh as they finished off the rest of their food and drink.
"Are you having fun, my dear?" the doctor asked.
"Yes! I can't thank you enough for coming up with this patch," she beamed.
Dr. Cockroach couldn't help but admire the woman in front of him. Her silver locks caught the flashing lights, her sapphire eyes seemed to shine, and her lips were a deeper red than usual, giving her an overall ethereal beauty. A content grin tugged the corners of his lips upward.
"You're quite welcome, Susan. But wouldn't you like to dance?" he asked, gesturing to the dance floor. The former giantess blushed and looked down at her hands.
"I would but…I'm not much of a dancer, and I'm not sure I can keep up with the fast tempo…" she explained.
"My dear--," the doctor began, but was cut off by the DJ.
"All right, ladies and gents! We've got your blood pumping, but now we're gonna slow things down a bit so you can catch ya breath!"
Dr. Cockroach smiled and got off the bar stool, extending a hand to Susan.
"See, my dear? You don't have to worry, I'll help you," he said.
Susan got up from her seat, and shyly took the offered hand. The doctor guided her to the dance floor, where they were soon joined by other couples. The intro music began playing, considerably calmer than the previous songs. It wasn't slow enough to be considered a slow song, and Susan bit her lip, nervous.
"Don't be nervous, just stay with the beat, not the melody," Dr. C soothed.
Let me be the one who can take you from all the things you've seen
And if you trust in me I can be there for anything you need
Give it all to me, baby
Don't you run from me, baby
I'll give you every little piece of me
No, I won't leave out a thing
Cause I know
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life
It got you feeling like this can't be right
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby (I know you've seen a lot of things)
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life
It got you feeling like this can't be right
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby (I'm down for You baby)
Dr. Cockroach and Susan didn't pay much attention to the lyrics at first, the former helping the latter ease into a dance that complimented the beat. By chance, both glanced at the DJ booth, and saw a brunette singing into a microphone.
Let me show you, love can be easy
If you just let it be (If You let it be)
Nothing is promised, but I believe it
If you give it everything (TRUST)
And I'll give you everything that I've got (I Got)
And I won't stop until you get it right (right)
All the trust (trust), and all the love (the love)
You know we got a lot baby
When the chorus played again, the doctor and Ginormica wondered where the second voice was coming from, but decided that it was probably the DJ's doing. They turned their gazes to each other, secretly happy that they were holding the other. By now, they were listening to the lyrics, and were surprised at how well the song described them.
I trust you.
I love you.
I want you.
I need you.
Baby, I breathe you.
Never leave you.
Life wouldn't be the same without you.
Gold and blue eyes widened, the meaning of the lyrics hitting home. A rosy blush colored Susan's cheeks as she gazed at the doctor, the urge to confess her feelings welling up inside her. She was unaware that Dr. Cockroach felt the same, and vice versa. They subconsciously leaned closer to each other.
I trust you.
And I love you.
And I want you.
And I need you.
Baby, I breathe you.
Never leave you.
Life wouldn't be the same without you.
They met in a chaste kiss, eyes closing as they felt the passion behind the other's lips. The lyrics blurred with the music as they became lost within the other, releasing something from their very cores. Simply put, it was pure bliss. Even as the song grew softer as it reached its end, they remained as they were.
Outside, Insectosaurus had been dancing/bouncing to the music that the club was playing. He told Link that he was enjoying himself, and the fish-man had petted his foot before going inside, back to the bar. The butterfly was glad that the DJ had slowed things down, and was then visited by B.O.B.
"Hey, Insecto! Did you know there's a lady inside with two voices?" the blue blob asked.
Insecto screeched softly, trying to tell B.O.B. that there were really two women, but gave up after watching the blue mass become distracted by the neon sign above the entrance; B.O.B. wouldn't have understood anyway. The butterfly smiled at the club below, knowing fully well who had been singing.
After the song ended and the DJ began playing something else, June came out from behind the DJ booth. She gave the brunette her microphone, and flashed her and the DJ a half-smile.
"Thank you."
