OKAY. OMFG OKAY. I FINALLY FINISHED.

*deep, prolonged, exhasperated sigh*

First thing to adrdess is the fact that i am EXTREMELY sorry for being a lying little ship and dragging this update out :c everybody who continued to review despite my horrible lie, you are saints TT_TT School's been crazy and all that, as im sure you all know.

Secondly, this chapter as well as the next two or three are, yes, Monsters Inc. The movie. Basically. As in, they will be a retelling of the movie with a WHOLE different emphasis going on. PLEASE tell me how i did on that, i tried to keep it as true to the movie while still making it fresh and entertaining to read as i could. As you can guess, this telling wont be nearly as much about Boo as it will be about Randall.

Now, i know i lied like crazy last time, but i PROMISE i will be finishing this story soon. It only needs a max of five more chapters, and summer vacation starts in a few days so i'll have ample opportunity to write! :D

Thanks soooosososo much to everyone who still cares about this story ;-; means a lot that people enjoy reading this.

Review if you like it! Sorry if my writing has changed at all in the past few months :C

Chapter 21

"Hey, good morning, Monstropolis. It's now five after the hour of 6:00 A.M. in the big monster city. Temperature's a balmy 65 degrees, which is good news for you reptiles, and it looks like it's gonna be a perfect day to maybe, hey, just lie in bed, sleep in, or simply... Work out that flab that's hanging over the bed! Get up, Sulley!"

The sudden, sharp squeal of a blow horn sounded and Sullivan woke with a scream. His frantic, sleep-filled eyes only caught a glimpse of the green ball standing next to his bed before he was being dragged into in den. Every muscle in his body protested moving so soon after waking up, but he was getting more used to it every day so he didn't have much trouble silencing it.

"I don't believe I ordered a wake-up call, Mikey!" Sullivan grunted between pushups.

"Less talk, more pain marshmallow boy!" Was the high-energy reply.

These early-morning exercise routines had been a daily thing back when Sulley had first been promoted to a scarer at Monsters, Inc., but after a while they all-but disappeared. A month before however, for "no particular reason", Mike had started the tradition up again without warning. And of course it was just a coincidence that it was the day after Sulley and Randall had broken up. Sullivan had protested at first, saying that he didn't need any distractions, but once he gave in and did as he was told, he found a sort of strange peace in the tradition.

Mike scurried around the apartment with an early-morning energy that Sullivan decided should be illegal. His voice was loud and commanding as he pushed the blue scarer to work harder and do several exercises that…probably shouldn't have even be considered exercises (i.e. Brushing his teeth...).

The tv ran quietly in the background as Sullivan was drilled by his best friend, the local news channel on as usual.

"Do you have 119? Do I see 120? Oh, I don't believe it!"

"I'm not even breaking a sweat!"

"Not you, the new commercial is on!"

Mike, who had seconds before been pushing Sulley through some upside down sit-ups, was now eagerly flinging himself into the chair and clasping his hands together as he stared unblinking at the small television screen. The blue monster rolled his eyes with a grin, lifting his friend and placing him onto the other chair so that he could sit down as well.

The commercial wasn't long, and as soon as Mike came onto the screen the logo covered up his face completely. Sulley winced up and turned quickly to his friend with a sympathetic expression.

"I don't believe it..." The green monster whispered in an emotionless tone.

"Oh Mike..."

"I was on TV! Haha, yes!"

The blue monster let out a sigh, smirking as Mike answered a phone call from Sullivan's mother. Of course the butterball wouldn't be upset about something like that. Sulley blinked and frowned, looking down as he tuned out his best friend's bragging to his family. He remembered the day they had recorded the last clip in the commercial...it had been only a couple of weeks before.

He and Randall had been put practically right next to each other of course, being the two top scarers in the company. Sulley remembered this because it was the first time that he and the purple monster had been forced into such close proximity since...the fight. Randall had looked horrified as the camera crew arranged the employees for the final shot, being shoved merely a foot away from Sulley. His narrow eyes darted around, determined to look anywhere but to the blue monster in front of him.

"Feeling a bit camera shy, lizard boy?" Mike remarked from his best friends side. Sullivan nudged the short monster roughly in the side, giving him a hard look. Since he found out about Randall leaving Sulley, the green monster had basically reverted to his intense distaste for the lizard, the casual back-and-fourth bickering returning. Sulley knew that Mike probably would have been a lot more aggressive if it weren't for his begging not to make a big deal out of it—to pretend it had never happened and try to regain some form of normalcy.

Randall flared his fronds, gritting his teeth in a half-smirk, half-scowl. "I'm not the one who looks like an under-inflated beach ball." Mike rolled his eye, snorting.

"Just try not to disappear when they start recording!" He replied quickly.

"I think you should be more worried about disappearing under Sullivan's shadow, you two-foot tall cretin!" Randall spat. Sulley tensed up as he heard his name, and he turned around quickly.

"Don't fight, come on. They're about to start filming..." The blue monster fought to keep the quiver out of his voice as he looked between Mike and Randall. His eyes froze on the purple lizard, who was glaring intently at the ground, then he turned back forwards with a hard swallow, posture stiff. There was silence between the three monsters as the quiet chatter of other employees in the background grew louder.

"Always has to be the hero in every situation..."

Sullivan jumped at the rumbling low tone that he would recognize anywhere.

"Ex...cuse me?" The blue monster turned slowly, face bunched up in confusion as he looked behind him again. This time, to his shock, Randall's eyes were focused directly on him. They were narrowed nearly to slits and his teeth were showing in a hard frown. Sulley blinked a few times in surprise, his heart burning a bit. There was...hostility in those green orbs that Sullivan had known so well. A searing hostility that the blue monster hadn't seen in months. No more words passed between them however, as the camera crew cried, "action!" and Sulley had to quickly turn around and speak his line.

"We're working for a better tomorrow...today!"

Sunlight struck the blue monsters eyes unexpectedly as he exited the front door to his apartment building with Mike skipping excitedly in front of him. He hopped down the steps, trying to shake all the thoughts from his head. Mike was still rambling on about the commercial and Sullivan chuckled quietly.

Another day—but at least the sun was out on this one.

"Shit..."

There was virtually not a spot on his body that wasn't in pain. From the top of his head to the tip of his tail, every single muscle ached. His eyes were burning and tearing up, his joints were all protesting any sort of movement, and his back was bent in three places from the position he had been laying in.

Randall forced his body up from the floor, shaking a bit as he rubbed his eyes harshly. He stood up onto four wobbly legs, looking down and wondering how in hell he had ended up sleeping on floor, directly in the corner of the room in the basement of Monsters, Inc. His eyes darted around for a moment, then came to rest on a red, bean-shaped creature who's head was practically touching the ground as it hung off the edge of a black office chair he had made his bed for that night. Cracking a few joints, Randall made his way over to wake Fungus.

"Get up, we need to do a final test before everyone shows up..." His voice was hoarse, and he cleared it quickly. The red monster woke with a start, falling off the chair onto his head.

"Oof—y-yes! Sorry Randall, right away!" The lizard-like monster watched cooly as Fungus hurried off to plug the machine in.

The room practically had no light in it at all. There were a couple of very dim spotlights, but the majority of the area was like a cave. Randall always felt like a robot when he was down there. It was as if the cold, metal walls absorbed his emotion and the darkness took his very essence...

The sudden whirring of the machine starting up signaled Fungus's reemergence from the wiring area. His glasses were quite crooked on his face, but Randall couldn't work up the effort to tell him. He merely watched in silence as his assistant went ritualistically through the different tests of the machines functions.

"...Scream intake valve is at maximum efficiency, energy fluctuation reducer is working fine...I think that's all." Fungus looked up with a very small, tired smile on his face. Randall nodded shortly, turning to exit the dismal room without another word. He glanced shortly at the clock before leaving, noting that it was half-past six. He should have time to shower in the locker room before too many people showed up, and he might even be able to catch a bite to eat if he was quick.

That is, if he could keep food down at all.

"Oh Shmoopsie-Poo!"

Mike approached his fiancés desk quickly, an amorous smile plastered across his face. Sulley trudged along behind, not quite eager as his friend for the early morning encounters with the company receptionist.

Celia turned quickly in her seat, hurrying over to the green monster adoringly. "Googly-Bear!"

"Happy Birthday, Shmoopsie!"

"Oh Googly-Woogly you remembered!" The snakes on her head all cooed happily and Sulley shuddered. It had been hard to be around romantic stuff before, now it was just painful. "Hey Sulley-Wulley.." The blue monster jumped slightly as he was addressed, flustered as he realized that Celia must have seen him make a face.

"Hey Celia...Weelia? Happy birthday..."

Despite the slight embarrassment of his childish feelings, his best friends fiancé smiled gratefully and turned her attention back to Mike. Sulley bit his lip unconsciously, eyes locked onto the two as a pang hit his heart.

It was pathetic...

A month had gone by and he still had such strong, overpowering emotions when triggered by incredibly trivial things. Things that brought back memories. Feelings.

"...Think romantical thoughts! You and me, me and you, both of us toge-ther!"

Sulley quickly followed after his friend as he walked away, singing a bit louder than most people would in public places.

Randall closed his eyes as he felt the warm water roll down his scales. His fronds were limp against his head, arms dead at his sides. He didn't even attempt to work up the effort to use soap, all he wanted to do was stand perfectly still under the shower head and forget.

And he had practically succeeded, up until the sound of voices directly behind his curtain pulled him roughly out of his trance and back to reality. Randal opened his eyes and scowled to himself, turning the water off harshly and exiting the shower with a stomping gait. The two monsters who had been talking looked at him with frowns, wondering what he was so upset about, probably. Paying them no heed, Randall headed towards the exit. He hated being in the locker room this late in the morning, finding the crowds quite repugnant.

"That's it. She is the one!"

The purple lizard stopped quickly, turning his head sharply at the sound of the familiar bubbly voice.

"Well, I'm happy for you." Wazowski and Sullivan were talking nearby.

Randall easily slipped into transparency, creeping closer to the two conversing monsters. His eyes softened just a bit as he peered around the corner and caught sight of Sulley. He tightened and untightened his grip on the edge of the lockers, swallowing hard.

"Oh, and, uh, thanks for hooking me up with those reservations!" Randall crawled closer as Mike spoke, body still blended perfectly with the background.

"No problem, they're under the name, 'Googly-Bear'." Sullivan replied with an even tone, only a hint of a smirk visible.

"Oh good ide—you know, that wasn't funny!" Wazowski stuttered out as he caught the joke just a second too late. The green monster turned to slam his locker shut, and but Randall blocked it from being closed. "What the...?"

"Wazowski!" Randall reappeared directly in Mike's face, a dark grin vivid against his light purple skin. "Well what do you know, it scares little kids and little monsters!" He chuckled quietly, enjoying the feeling of cutting down the oversized ego of the green eyeball quite a bit.

"I wasn't scared, I have...allergies." Wazowski coughed quietly a few times and Randall rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh, sure."

"Hey Randall..." The voice sent a chill down the lizards spine and he turned slightly. Sullivan was giving him a very hard look, frowning, "save it for the scare floor, will you?"

It was incredible, it really was.

"I'm in the zone today, Sullivan!"

How just being able to talk to the blue monster was enough.

"Going to be doing some serious scaring!"

Even when it was just the same old bickering it had been before.

"Putting up some big numbers!"

Especially since this would no doubt be one of the last times he would be able to see him.

"Wow Randall, that's great. That should make it even more humiliating when we break the record first!" Mike laughed loudly, and Randall quickly shushed him with a solemn expression.

"Do you hear that...?" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "it's the Winds of Change..." He hesitated for a second, then turned and stalked off in silence. He felt his heart throbbing in his chest and took a few deep breaths to calm it.

No more distractions, it was time to get down to business.

Sulley watched Randall walk away, fighting to keep his expression blank. The sway of his reptilian body made him shudder as a sudden coldness descended over him.

"Sul, you coming?"

All at once, Sullivan realized he'd zoned out again and was staring at the wall with a rather intense look in his eye. Embarrassed, he hastily shut his locker and hopped over the bench so that he and Mike could leave.

He really was trying to move on, constantly reminding himself not to dwell on things out of his control and attempting to act like he had before, but in reality, he doubted he would ever fully recover.

It was strange.

Two months ago, he might have even been happy to see Randall move away or transfer jobs, but now, being away from him was torture. That short span of time, barely a fraction of his life, it had been the most emotional thing he had ever experienced. The developement of feelings had been overwhelming, beautiful, but taxing. Sullivan often found himself lost in thought about the first time they'd kissed. The night they had sat out on the roof. The day they had spent off work at each other's apartments. The time they'd gone bowling...

All of the memories that had once been as sweet as honey were now as sweet as blood, and every time he and Randall made eye contact, he felt his heart being torn in his chest. Those emerald globes that had once looked upon him with affection now were hard and cold; indifferent. It was the indifference that hurt the most.

And yet, the thing that bothered Sullivan above all was the fact that he still didn't know.

He still didn't know why Randall's childhood heart condition came back. He still didn't know why he always looked so nervous walking up to his apartment. And he still didn't know what had made Randall break to the point of tears that night in the bathroom two months before.

Sulley stood with the other scarers as they prepared to walk onto the scare floor. He felt his gaze go sidelong, cerulean eyes sliding across the monsters to his left until he caught sight of a certain purple lizard through his peripheral vision. It might have been painful—and God, was it—but Sullivan still felt the same obligation he had before. The image, now compounded by the accompaniment of others, from the very first night, was burnt into his memory. It didn't matter how much he tried to forget, that image was always there.

Bloodshot white around uncharacteristically wide, green eyes. Streaks of tears streaming down the soft, textured, purple cheeks. The quiet, wet sound of labored breathing, and the clenched hands folded over thin, fragile limbs.

It would never disappear, Sullivan knew this.

But he also knew that he would never be able to stop caring.

Randall walked as he always did: expression dark and fists clenched. He didn't make eye contact with any of the assistants as he made his way over to his own station, but he knew they were watching. They always were.

Fungus looked different than usual—maybe not to a passerby, as he still had his iconic nervous frown and shaky legs, but Randall could tell the difference between his normal fidgetiness and a deeper anxiety.

"You did get it, didn't you?" The purple monster murmured under his breath as quietly as he possibly could while they went through their quick, warm-up routine.

"Y-yes sir. It's s-sitting under the p-papers..." The red replied, fighting to keep his voice as low as his boss.

"Don't lose it, and don't forget the plan." was the quick, near-silent reply.

Randall stepped up so that he was in line with the rest of the scarers as the windows were closed and the lights were dimmed. He kept his gaze forwards, determined not to look to his right. But regardless, he heard a voice speak seconds before the shift began.

"Hey," Sullivan said quietly with a small smile that was far too transparent to hide how he really felt, "May the best monster win."

Randall gritted his teeth, looking away, "I plan to."

This is how it has to be.

ASDWDFSDKVSJDV:KSJDF:LSDJ

Short? a bit, yes :c

Horrible? I reaaaaaaally hope not _

But Here it is, for all who are still reading, i PROMISE I WILL TRY SO HARD TO GET THE NEXT ONE UP SOON.

Bye!