Rigby sat in the passenger seat of Skips' souped up golf cart, looking at his feet and swinging his legs. His hair was still a bit wet, so he was busy roughing it up with his towel.
Mordecai stood nearby, watching Rigby's swinging legs. He cleared his throat, and Rigby removed the towel and looked at him. Mordecai coughed again, and Rigby smiled.
"Sup?" Rigby asked, drying the inside of his left ear.
"Uh, ya know, just standing," Mordecai replied, tapping his foot and looking away.
"Yeah?" Rigby asked, just filling out the conversation.
"Yeah," replied Mordecai, blushing a little.
Rigby reached for a pebble that was at his feet and chucked it at Mordecai, and it hit him in the arm. Mordecai laughed and followed up with his own pebble, which Rigby narrowly avoided by ducking. He chuckled at his small victory as Skips appeared outside.
"Let's roll, mo fo," Rigby said to the grumbling yeti. Skips plopped the shattering terrarium in the back seat and sat himself down in the driver's seat. He stabbed the ignition with his key and turned it, and as he did the vehicle roared to life.
Rigby gave Mordecai a little wave as the vehicle cruised off in the distance. Mordecai watched and heaved a heavy sigh. He felt a smile creep across his face, but caught it before it reached its full curve. Benson appeared behind him, once again looking pretty distraught.
"You wanna get going?" Benson asked.
"Yeah, yeah," Mordecai said, scratching the area above his heart.
They each took their seats in the other cart, which hadn't been modified by the resident yeti. Benson gently inserted the key in the ignition, and the vehicle lazily grumbled until it sputtered into life.
"Gee, I hope Skips fixes this one too," said Benson with a chuckle. He stepped on the gas pedal and it lurched forward, albeit slowly.
Mordecai rested his head on his hand and his elbow on the side of the cart. He gave a slow sigh as he watched the park disappear on his right. His feathers dried quickly in the gust, which was both chilling and pleasant.
"So who is she?" asked Benson as they passed by the coffee shop.
Mordecai was startled by Benson's remark, and whipped his head forward.
"What do you mean?" Mordecai asked with a nervous chuckle.
"What do you mean, what do I mean?" asked Benson with a big grin.
"I mean… what… do you mean?" Mordecai asked, still confused.
"You're glowing," replied Benson with utmost friendliness.
"Uh…"
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Benson said, patting the blue jay on the back. "Congrats though."
"Congrats on what?" Mordecai asked, trying to sound innocent. "Isitreallythatobvious?"
Benson gave him a look of smarmy content, and Mordecai looked away.
"Don't be embarrassed," Benson laughed. "Look, you're off the clock, we can be buds right?"
Mordecai was shocked at the awkwardness. Benson had never hinted at wanting to be friends with him. He made the face he normally made when he smelled spoiled milk, but looked away from Benson so he couldn't see it.
Just then, the cart screeched to a halt.
"Fuck. Fucking traffic," Benson said, trying to strangle the steering wheel with his grip. He tried to honk the horn, but it wouldn't make any noise. "Great, that needs to be fixed to." He swatted an imaginary fly on the dashboard.
Mordecai itched his stitches on his back and prayed that the traffic would break up before his boss really got angry.
Back at the park, Fives was once again sitting atop his favorite tree, staring at the distant visions. He heard a friendly voice from down below call up to him.
"Fives, yo Fives!" Muscle Man shouted.
The ghost looked down.
"The boss is away, right?" the green man asked. He was holding a baseball bat.
"Yeah, I think so," Fives replied.
"Wanna smash something?" Muscleman asked.
High Five Ghost smirked and floated down slowly.
In Skips' cart, the road was flying by. Rigby was lost in a thought about Mordecai. Skips' mind was focused on the impending nightmare that sat in the back of his vehicle, and he was trying to think of a way to get it out of his head.
"So Rigby," Skips said.
"Yeah?"
"What's up kid, you're in a good mood today," Skips remarked, climbing a large onramp.
"Uh, I guess I am, yeah," Rigby replied, letting out a distant sigh. He looked out the side so the yeti couldn't see his grin.
Skips laughed. "What's up with that?"
"What do you mean?" Rigby asked, turning to the yeti.
"I dunno, you're never in a great mood, what did you kiss a girl or something?" he added.
Rigby gave him a glare, and behind them the creature hissed. Skips backed off the subject.
"Touchy," the yeti grumbled.
Rigby brought his eyes back to the passing road and saw the dump looming in the distance ahead of them. He shuddered at the memory of what had happened less than a week ago.
"You cool with this?" Skips asked as they found a parking spot in the dump's lot.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rigby lied, as he hopped out of the passenger seat.
Skips lifted the terrarium with both of his hands. He could feel the leathery tentacles squirming beneath the towel. It stunk, so he moved quickly toward the deep trash pit. Rigby galloped behind on all fours. The beaver that ran the place was cross-armed and friendly, up ahead.
"Paul, how's it going?" Skips asked, struggling with the tentacles beneath the towel.
The scruffy beaver laughed a wheezy laugh. "I'm good, Skips. Real good."
"Where do you want it?"
The beaver pointed to a small clearing he had made at the bottom of the cavernous bowl of garbage.
They made their way down the side of the crater. The trash bags were built up high in the center. With no way to dispose of them, the town didn't have any other choice but to chuck them in the huge ditch. Skips set the terrarium down in the dirt and watched it shatter. The creature unfolded its thick arms and relaxed.
Rigby sighed, as did the creature.
"Ugh. When is this thing gonna stop with the copying crap? I'm getting sick of it," Rigby moaned.
Just then, Skips had an idea.
"Hey, Rigby, grab that trash bag," he said, pointing to one with a red plastic chord around its neck.
"Why?" Rigby asked, making his way over to it.
"No, not with your arms, with his," Skips exclaimed, pointing to the creature.
"What do you ― oh!" Rigby said, moving his arm around and watching it mimic him.
The raccoon motioned his arm over to the right. It was a bit like a crane game: extremely clumsy. He brought its arm over to the bag and went down to grab it. Instead, he grabbed a tentacle full of dirt.
"Damnit," he grunted.
"No, no, keep tryin'," Skips replied.
Rigby brought the creature's arm back to the trash bag, and this time he successfully grabbed it by the handle.
"Whoa…" he remarked. "I think I can feel it."
"The bag?" Skips asked.
"Yeah," Rigby replied, fixing his eyes on the trash bag that he held from a distance. He swung it around gently with delight. His laughter was menacing in a way that was non-threatening.
"Try feeding it," Skips chuckled, settling down in an Indian sit on the ground.
"Yeah, okay," Rigby said with a nod. He brought his fist above his head and watched the monster dangle the bag way up in the air. He released his fist and felt the plastic slip between his fingers. The bag landed with a wet thud on the creature's skin. Little tendrils shot out and clung to the bag. They tore into it and spilled its contents everywhere. More tendrils came out and snatched up the morsels of rotten food and cardboard.
"Cool," Rigby droned. The sounds were slurpy and unnerving. They upset Skips a little, but he did enjoy moments that were unfamiliar. At his age he had seen everything. Well, almost everything.
Rigby shot an evil grin at Skips and growled, "I wonder if it works on people."
Skips was genuinely frightened for a moment until Rigby started cackling. "Not so big and tough now, huh Skips?"
Skips got to his feet and gave the raccoon a gentle but angry noogie.
"You're alright for a little creep," Skips chuckled.
"Well you're alright for an old guy," Rigby snickered, pushing Skips' arm away from him.
"C'mon, let's get some grub," Skips said, making his way back up the side of the pit. Rigby followed on all fours. Behind them, the creature reached out to Rigby.
Meanwhile, Mordecai and Benson were still in heavy traffic. They had only made it a few blocks past the coffee shop, and Benson was starting to chip his teeth from grinding them so much.
"Hey, uh, Benson?" Mordecai asked.
"WHAT?" Barked his boss.
"I was just thinking, the coffee shop is right back there and…"
"Wait. I'm sorry. I just lashed out at you," Benson said.
"Nah dude it's okay, anyways, should I go back there and maybe get us some…"
"No, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't do that all the time," Benson insisted.
"Well, apology accepted, I guess," Mordecai sighed. "Anyways, you want a coffee?"
"Yeah, here," said Benson, handing Mordecai a red plastic card.
Mordecai smiled, nodded, and made his way down the block toward the familiar coffee shop.
As he walked, he glanced over at the large glass storefronts into his reflection. He could see what Benson meant. It was as though his face had been hit with an allergic reaction of some kind. His cheeks were full and tinted red, his lips were turned slightly up and his eyes were permanently tilted outward. He shook his head and managed to discard the look temporarily when he walked into the coffee shop.
He sat down at his usual table and fidgeted his thumbs. Eileen came over to take his order and he barely noticed that Margaret wasn't there.
"Hey Mordecai, what's up?" Eileen asked, looking up at him.
"Oh, you know, not much," Mordecai replied.
"I know what you mean," said Eileen with a friendly chuckle. "So what do you want?"
"Just two coffees, black. To go," Mordecai said, with the look returning to his face.
"Two coffees, black. Got it," she said, turning back toward the kitchen. She returned with two hot paper cups.
"So aren't you gonna ask where Margaret is today?" Eileen asked, handing Mordecai the two cups.
"Margaret? Oh, yeah Margaret, where is she?" Mordecai said, remembering who she was.
"She took the day off, she's sick," Eileen replied, taking the plastic card from Mordecai and walking away to swipe it in the back.
She returned, and handed it back to him. It was wrapped in the receipt for the two coffees. "She's having a rough week, you should go see her," she added.
Mordecai thought on this for a second. He didn't even know where she lived. He hadn't thought about her when he came in, either.
Before he left, she added one more thing. "Oh, by the way, where's Rigby?"
"He's at the dump," Mordecai said. "Why?"
"I don't know, it's just weird not seeing him with you," she replied. "You guys are adorbs together… no offense," she said, blushing.
Mordecai faked a laugh and told her he had to go. "Thanks for the coffee!"
Outside, he got stressed again. He looked around him. It felt like everyone was staring at him, as if they knew. After a minute of walking, he saw his boss gritting his teeth. The cart had only moved forward about one block
Mordecai silently sat down in the passenger's seat and handed Benson his coffee, along with the receipt and his card.
"Oh, this is great, thank you," Benson said. The welcome distraction of something to drink was enough to diffuse some of his anger.
"Jeez, this traffic is a nightmare," Mordecai said, taking a sip of his coffee.
Back at the dump, Rigby and Skips had finished their ascent up the side of the cliff of garbage. They made their way to the parking lot, and got into their respective golf cart.
"So what do you wanna eat," Skips asked, starting the engine.
"Something big," Rigby said, clenching his fists.
Skips laughed. "Be a little more specific."
"You like subs?" Rigby asked.
"Yeah, let's hit up a pizza joint or something," Skips said.
"You payin'?" Rigby asked.
"How'd you guess?" replied skips.
"Old people always pay for the food," Rigby said.
Skips laughed again. "I like you, Rigby, even if you are an imp."
"An imp?" Rigby asked.
"Well, not a real one," Skips replied as they exited the parking lot. "I've met a couple real ones."
"Wait, like demons?"
"Yup."
The cart sped up as they got on the highway.
"Demon's are real?"
"They sure are," Skips said. "Hard to kill, to."
"Jesus," Rigby replied.
"I've seen some stuff, Rigby," Skips said coldly.
"What kinds of stuff?" Rigby asked, wide eyed.
Back at the park, Muscleman was destroying a busted microwave while Fives watched, delighted.
"Take that!" Muscleman shouted as he brought the bat across the face of the junked appliance. He laughed as the glass shattered.
"Where'd you find this thing?" the ghost asked.
"Some chump dumped it off behind the house. That'll teach you to throw things away!" he hollered, giving it another whack.
Benson relaxed a bit when the cars up ahead of him started moving. Unfortunately for Mordecai, friendly Benson was more stressful than regular, pissed off Benson. The gumball machine continued prying for information from Mordecai, who was tight lipped for the remainder of the ride.
As they drove, they discovered the reason for the heavy traffic. It was a minor car wreck involving an older man and a half naked wizard.
Benson took a sip of his black coffee. "Wow, you know, that place makes a really good cup of Joe."
Mordecai was silent.
"Mordecai?"
"Hm?" the blue jay asked, with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"Hey, you're awfully quiet today, pal. Something on your mind?"
"Naw man," Mordecai said, "just tired."
"Whatever you say, bud," Benson sighed. "Listen, I know how love can be. I just want you to know…"
"I'm not in love! Stop it, stop saying that! Get off it! What's with all this friendly stuff anyways?" Mordecai shouted. This time, Benson was silent.
"What?" Mordecai asked. "Aren't you gonna yell at me or something?"
"No. You don't listen when I yell," Benson replied, coldly. "There's the hospital, take this walkie-talkie. Call me when you're done."
Benson parked the cart for a second so Mordecai could get out, and sped off. Mordecai watched the cart leave down the road, and felt weighted down by another heap of guilt.
Mordecai walked into the hospital, and the doctor happened to be talking to a woman at the front desk. After exchanging hellos, Mordecai was brought to a small room and given an apron that tied in the back. A nurse came in. She was bulky, but she beamed friendliness. Her hair was in a tight bun, and for a large woman she had a small, pretty face. She asked him about his cut, specifically whether he had been keeping it clean and dry.
"MybuddyRigbyscrubbedmedownreallygoodthismorning…"
"Yeah, I've been keeping it clean. It's been a bit itchy today though," Mordecai replied.
"The itching is normal," the nurse said. "As long as it isn't infected, it should be fine. Let me get a closer look."
Mordecai sat down on a medical bench and hung his head low.
The woman parted his blue feathers to get a better look at the stitches. "Ah, this is good. Healed well, and minimal scarring. Looks like you got lucky."
"Really? Minimal scarring?" Mordecai asked.
"Yep. Now lay down so we can get these things out of you," she replied.
"Already?" he asked, getting on his stomach.
"Yeah, why not? Listen, you don't want to be in here all day, huh?" she said, grabbing a rather menacing looking clipping tool.
"Is it gonna hurt?"
"Oh yeah. It's gonna feel like I'm tearing out your spine," she said.
Mordecai looked up at her with fear in his eyes.
"Relax, I've already taken out two of them. You didn't feel them, right?"
"Well, I…"
"If I tell you it's gonna feel like hell, then it won't hurt as much, plus, now you're not thinking about 'it' anymore, right?"
"'It'?" he replied.
"You seem stressed, kiddo. Relax," she said, rubbing his shoulders. For some reason, her touch didn't make him uncomfortable. She clipped another couple of stitches and pulled them out with her tweezers. "There, we're almost done, put your head down, okay?"
Mordecai rest his head and let the nurse finish taking out the stitches.
"Oh, yeah, one more thing," the woman said. "Why'd you put on the scrub? You came in naked."
"Uh…" Mordecai declared.
The woman laughed.
Meanwhile, at a stingy looking pizza place, Rigby was sitting down to enjoy a sandwich with Skips. Rigby got a meatball sub, and Skips got a Reuben. They bought a bottle of root beer to split between two plastic cups. Skips, who wasn't even sure if he was telling the truth anymore, had spun a tale that Rigby was entirely absorbed in.
"And then what happened?" Rigby asked with a mouth full of chewed meat.
"Well, as I was saying, I was standing on the roof with my baseball bat, and I was completely surrounded. They were everywhere, you could hardly see the ground," Skips said, Pausing between sentences to chomp at his sandwich. "I could hear their pincers clicking together."
"So wait, were they giant spiders, or giant rats?" Rigby asked, swallowing a mouthful of meatballs.
"Both," replied Skips, drinking from his plastic cup of soda. "They were giant rat spiders."
"Whoa," cooed Rigby. "Continue."
"Anyways, there I was, on the roof. One of the little freaks got brave and tried to sneak up the chimney, so I splattered the bastard," Skips continued, slamming his hand on the flimsy table. Rigby jumped with glee at the mental image.
"What color was its blood?" the raccoon asked, taking another large bite of his sub. His eyes were filled with playful bloodlust.
"Green, like acid. Matter of fact, it was acid, now that I think of it."
"They bled acid?" Rigby asked, with a mouth full of chewed meat and awe.
"You bet they did. Ate right through the roof," Skips replied.
"Wow," remarked Rigby, chugging his plastic cup. "How'd you get out?" he asked as he refilled it.
"Well," Skips said, trying to think of a conclusion to his partially fabricated story. "Did you know Benson used to have a helicopter?"
Rigby's eyes grew wide. He was spellbound.
"Just before the bastards got to me, Benson comes ridin' in his whirlybird with an AK over his shoulder. He parked the thing in the air and just started blastin'."
"That is so awesome," Rigby said, staring dead ahead. His pupils were dilated.
"Yep. After we iced all the mutants, Maelard made us rebuild the whole house."
"Was this like, back in the seventies, when you guys worked together?" Rigby asked, finishing off the root beer.
Skips blinked and looked around rapidly.
"From those old pictures, it looks like you guys used to be good buds," Rigby said, reclining into the curved wooden booth and stretching his tummy.
"You found those, huh?" Skips grunted.
"Yeah, man, looked like some good times," Rigby replied, itching his well-fed belly.
"Yeah, I guess they were," Skips chuckled. "Hey, is that a pinball machine?"
"Yeah, I think it is," Rigby sighed, looking over at it. "Looks sort of familiar…"
Rigby stared at it for moment, and then it hit him: he knew this pizza place all too well.
"Oh my god! This is the place!" Rigby shouted, getting up to get a closer look at the pinball machine.
"Wait what are you on about?" Skips asked, joining him next to the machine.
"Mordecai used to work here!" Rigby said with a big grin. "He used to let me in when the place was closed. I always ended up playing this baby for hours."
"Were you any good?" Skips asked.
"Only the best in town," Rigby lied, confidently.
"Wanna play a round…" Skips began, but was cut off when Rigby galloped away to the front counter. The yeti watched as Rigby conversed with the cashier, who looked confused, but eventually dropped his shoulders. Rigby motioned Skips to follow him.
They made their way behind the counter and out the back. The dumpster was still there, as were the train tracks.
"What exactly are you showing me, Rigby?" Skips asked, peering at the dumpster suspiciously.
"Only the coolest spot ever," Rigby said, lounging on the dirty steps that led to the dish room.
"It stinks back here," Skips said, looking skeptical.
"That's the smell of life, man," Rigby replied, hunching forward and reminiscing.
"Hey guys," said the cracking voice of the oily teen that had let them pass. "My boss is gonna be back in like two minutes, so could you two, like, split?"
"Yeah, yeah," Rigby said, irritated. "C'mon, Skips."
The raccoon started heading down the train tracks.
"Where are we going now?" Skips asked, trailing behind him.
"We used to walk home this way every night, and…"
"Rigby, okay, I think that's enough show and tell for today. Let's get back to the cart."
"Aw, come on, just a little further," Rigby replied, looking around and remembering his surroundings. "Wow, this stuff looked so much darker at night!"
"Seriously, Rigby, we gotta get movin'," Skips said, growing impatient.
Rigby stood tall for a second, ignoring Skips' pleas. He looked over at a streetlight and remembered what happened under it. He stopped smiling.
"Oh… yeah," Rigby said, looking up at the spot light that had once illuminated a bad argument he had.
"Rigby, c'mon," Skips said. When he caught up to the raccoon, he sensed his sadness.
"Alright, yeah. Let's go," Rigby said, turning around to cooperate.
After he dropped Mordecai off at the hospital, Benson went to a nearby Walls-to-Walls to pick out some new drinking glasses. As he walked through the aisles, his walkie-talkie crackled. He answered it.
"Yo Benson, it's Mordecai, the surgery's done," the voice on the other end said.
"Already?" Benson asked the plastic device.
"Yeah, I thought it was weird to. Also, minimal scarring," the speaker replied.
"That's good to hear. Listen, I have to finish up something, I'll be by in ten," Benson replied, withholding his anger. He was still upset, and a little hurt.
"SoIgottabetheguywhoalwaysyells,huh?"
He looked at a few pricier options. They looked very nice, but he didn't feel like the house deserved nicer glasses, considering they would probably be broken next week.
"Itrytobefriendswiththeguy,andhespitsitrightbackatme?"
He grabbed a ten pack of average drinking cups and put them in his cart. Somewhere in the distance, he heard someone moaning, but he was too distracted to investigate.
"IbetSkipsandRigbyaregettingalongfine,everyonelikesSkips…"
He brought the box to the check out, and a lethargic employee asked him if he wanted to sign up for a 'Walls-to-Walls' card.
"That's alright, I have too many cards as it is," Benson chuckled, handing the man his plastic red debit card.
"I insist, sir," the man said. He looked horrified.
Benson raised one eyebrow and the man got closer to him.
"They're watching," he said, with a significant amount of stress behind his plea.
"Oh," Benson whispered. "Alright, I'll sign up for one, but I'm gonna cancel it later, is that okay?"
"Yes, it's fine, as long as you get one. My shift is almost over, and they require us to get a certain number of customers every day. If we don't…" he trailed off and started shivering.
"Relax, I've got you covered," Benson smirked.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," the employee cried as Benson filled out the sheet.
Mordecai waited on a bench outside the hospital. As he sat, he thought about Rigby. He couldn't tell himself that he didn't think his friend was attractive anymore, as Rigby had done such a good job of changing his mind. The sun was high above him, and though it was still summer, the day felt like fall. It was days like these that made him chilly in a way that was good. He wondered what Rigby was thinking, and he wondered what he meant to Rigby.
What had caught him about Rigby's actions that morning was how passionate they were. It wasn't that he thought Rigby was beautiful, it's that he thought his feelings were beautiful. Mordecai hadn't ever been loved like that, and it made him feel like puking, in a kind of good way.
His thoughts turned to Margaret, whose body and voice were to be celebrated, but who he knew little about. They had hung out a couple of times, and he had (on a few occasions) gotten over his fear of her rejection to enjoy her company. He just felt so much for her, but he never felt it back.
He looked at the ground and spied a discarded piece of glossy-orange paper. He reached down, picked it up and read it. It made him grin.
At that moment, Benson pulled up on the curb looking rather indifferent.
"Benson, you hungry?" Mordecai asked enthusiastically.
"I guess, why?" Benson asked.
"Bam!" Mordecai exclaimed, showing him the flyer he found on the ground. It was a "buy one, get one free" for a meal at a burger chain restaurant.
"You can have the free one," Mordecai said with a smile.
Benson chuckled at Mordecai's meager generosity, but understood what the blue jay meant.
"Yeah, alright, let's go get a burger," Benson replied, looking Mordecai in his eyes.
After they ate, they headed back to the park house. Rigby and Skips had already been at the house for a few hours, and the sun was setting. As they stepped in the door, they both looked pretty joyous. When Rigby saw Benson, his eyes lit up.
"Benson, I didn't know you drove a helicopter," the raccoon exclaimed.
"Helicopter?" Benson asked, utterly confused.
"Yeah, Skips told me about the giant rat invasion," Rigby added.
"Giant rat-spider invasion," Skips corrected.
"Wait," Mordecai said, "What?"
"Skips, can I have a word with you?" Benson hissed.
Skips chuckled and asked "Which one?"
"In private?" Benson asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Oh boy," Skips said sarcastically, following him, and leaving Mordecai and Rigby alone in the living room.
"Dude," Rigby said, "Skips is awesome! We went to the dump, and then he got me a meatball sub and told me all these awesome stories, it was sick!"
"So what is he your dad now?" Mordecai laughed. "Did he take you to the circus?"
"Pff, you're just jealous," Rigby snickered. "How was hanging out with Bean Teen, anyways? Did it suck?"
"No, I mean it was pretty cool actually," Mordecai replied, "Benson can be a nice guy, especially in situations like that."
"Shh, listen, they're fighting," Rigby interrupted.
In the kitchen, Benson was pissed off once again.
"You know that helicopter wasn't mine, Skips," Benson shouted.
"So I embellished the story a little, who cares? What's the harm?" Skips asked.
"If Maelard found out about me borrowing his helicopter I would get in so much trouble, and you know that!"
"It was almost twenty years ago," Skips said.
"First of all, you shouldn't be telling anyone about the rat-spiders. You know how dangerous just knowing of them can be," Benson said, clenching his fists.
Skips rolled his eyes. "Rigby has a lot to think about right now, I thought I'd give him a good story to keep his mind off it."
"And another thing, I can't believe you pretended we were strangers all these years," Benson added, turning around and crossing his arms.
"Listen, Benson, I'm sorry, I…" Skips stopped for a moment. "Go upstairs, you two," he yelled. He heard two pairs of panicking footsteps scramble away from the kitchen door and up the stairs.
"As I was saying," Skips continued, "I didn't want to hurt you."
"Well you did," Benson replied, sitting down at the kitchen table. "I had to pretend we never met."
"So did I," Skips said. "You know that it would have been weird, and plus you're just as guilty as I am."
"I… I guess I am, huh?" Benson asked, sighing and putting his chin on his hand.
"I'd take it back if I could, Benson, believe me. I'm sorry."
Upstairs, Mordecai and Rigby told each other about their days, respectively. Rigby bragged about the incident with the creature at the dump, and Mordecai told Rigby about the nurse that took out his stitches.
"Oh, they're out?" Rigby asked, scrambling over to Mordecai to inspect the gash.
"Yeah, and there isn't even gonna be much of a scar," Mordecai declared happily.
"Aw, I always thought you'd look cool with a scar," Rigby whined, accidentally hitting Mordecai in the face with his tail.
"Watch it," Mordecai said.
Rigby rested his head against Mordecai's back and let out a happy noise.
"I missed you today, man," Rigby said, closing his eyes.
"You too," Mordecai replied, reaching behind him and touching Rigby's back. He felt Rigby's warm breath permeate the feathers that covered his back.
"Oh, by the way," Rigby added, "Skips and I hit up that pizza place you used to work at."
"Oh yeah? Still got the same pinball game?" Mordecai asked, slowly grabbing Rigby's right hand.
"Nah, they got a new one. Looked lame," Rigby replied. He squeezed Mordecai's hand in response.
Mordecai laughed low and examined Rigby's hand with his thumb.
"You smell like meatballs," he said with a chuckle.
Rigby butted Mordecai's back with his forehead and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He smelled under his arms and grimaced. He had been at the dump and he needed a shower.
He turned on the water, half expecting Mordecai to join him as he did earlier that day, but the door never opened. He wasn't too disappointed. As much as he liked Mordecai, he also liked the short moments of privacy. He made a point of getting extra clean. He had never needed to clean up for someone before. He wanted to be as good as he could be for Mordecai. The hot water made its way between his hairs and cleaned out all the sweat and crud from his day.
When he returned, Mordecai was laying in his bed, looking at the wall.
"So I take it I'm sleeping in your bed tonight?" Rigby said, putting his hands on the mattress.
"Up to you, man," Mordecai said, sitting up to get a better look at Rigby, who was drying his back.
"I think I'm gonna sleep in your bed tonight," Rigby replied, climbing up on the mattress.
"Dude, you're not even dry yet," Mordecai laughed. He grabbed Rigby's towel and did his best to mop up all the extra moisture.
"There… now you're mostly dry at least," Mordecai said.
"Awesome," Rigby said, climbing under the covers.
"Are you sure you want to go to sleep? You never go to bed this early," Mordecai said, slipping under the blanket with him.
Rigby grabbed his hand and said, "I never had a reason to go to bed before."
Mordecai blushed and gave him a squeeze.
Rigby fell asleep quickly, and his body sank into a state of relaxed bliss against Mordecai's stomach. Mordecai stayed awake for about an hour, bringing his hand across Rigby's head and shoulder. He watched Rigby's chest rise and fall in the rhythm of sleep. Mordecai discovered that even when Rigby was asleep, he could make him purr by scratching certain areas, especially under the ears. Mordecai brought Rigby's head under his chin and fell asleep in a comfortable hug with his friend.
At the dump, the creature was scared. It wanted to know where Rigby was.
In her apartment, Margaret turned restlessly without any arms to hold her.
In his hovel, the words of High Five Ghost rattled around in Skips' head.
Two days.
END OF WEEK ONE
Okay! Awesome, week one is done. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. We still have a long journey ahead of us.
Music that helped me write this chapter:
Lullaby Set and Downstream (From the soundtrack of Braid)
Balikbayan - Ohbijou (this is a little known band that is really good, look them up, they need the support)
Thanks to all my friends on tinychat and all my supporters on tumblr, I love all of you! =D
Find me on tumblr (DatRegularBro)
Until next time...