Author: XandyPants
Challenger: Seraph of Enigma

Pop Pants

As the bundle of blue fur came hurtling around the corner, Adam tried not to visibly cringe as Pop Fizz came horribly close to knocking over several antique bookshelves all containing priceless books and artifacts collected over the many years the Skylanders had been protecting Skylands.

Not even the Great Library was safe anymore! He had retreated here for peace and quiet after a long week of nothing but work and duties.

"Adam Adam Adam Adam Adam Adam Adam!" The furry blue gremlin all but screeched at the pink haired portal master sitting comfortably in a large red beanbag. With half of his face hidden behind the cover of a worn and torn hard back, Adam tried desperately to hide his smirk from the other. It would only encourage him if he were to see it and nobody needed that right now.

"Yes Pop? How can I help you?" Why was it so hard to keep his composure and not break out into a fit of laughter? Some role model he was turning out to be.

"I've done it! I created that soft drink stuff you asked for! Just the way you wanted it! I'm sure of it!"

There were many things Adam missed from his old life. He missed his phone which had carried all of his music, pictures, schedule and basically his entire life. He missed his old bedroom with the dark paint chipping and peeling away, posters littering the wall, his one hide away that had been completely his own space. He missed his little sister Ari although he was sure she'd be fine without him. She was a tough kid and really didn't need him anymore. He missed the junk food (although Skylands had some fabulous alternatives that he had come to enjoy), but most of all Adam missed soft drink. He had tried so hard to explain the sensation to his team, to describe the kick of the bubbles, the sweetness of the sugar and the refreshing feeling you got from drinking it. Of course they had decided that their portal master was out of his mind and most had nodded and sympathized but had walked away to think no more on the crazy notion of fizzed up beverages. The other portal masters had understood though and most, if not all had agreed with him but that had been the end of the conversation and he had felt cut off and left hanging with the 'comforting' words of "Don't worry, the craving will pass."

But unlike most other cravings, this one had not gone away and Adam had found himself pining for it more than ever. Headaches plagued his waking hours and his mood soured without his fix. It was an addiction and he knew that but there was nothing he could do about it other than go cold turkey and hope the pain eased.

That was when he had turned to Pop Fizz, a Magic element Skylander with a thirst for trouble and experimentation. He had known it was a mistake almost immediately, but he had done it anyway. He had asked if there was any way to recreate it magically. Pop Fizz had tried and had failed spectacularly every time he had attempted it so Adam had simply given up on the notion and had retreated back into his own little world of wants and cravings that would never be fulfilled, headaches and all. It had made concentrating on work nearly impossibly on some occasions.

Leaving the library, his hand clutched tightly by Pop's clawed one, the feeling of impending doom washed over him. Many looked at them while Pop Fizz happily dragged him towards his lab but no one stopped them. Adam somewhat wished they would. 'Help me,' his eyes pleaded.

For half an hour things were fine. Adam reclined on his faithful couch sipping from the beaker Pop Fizz had shoved into his hands as soon as they had entered the lab. He hadn't dared to touch it there and instead had retreated to his own room, gremlin in tow grinning wildly. Every now and then he raised it up to his lips to sip just a bit more as if it were a real drink while Pop Fizz curled up beside him and rested his head upon the portal master's lap. Adam let him be no matter how awkward it felt. Pop's one sided crush was becoming too much, even for him, but he couldn't turn him away right now, not after the gift of this almost Earth like soft drink.

The drink was pretty good. It bubbled and fizzed just right, it wasn't too sweet but it had enough sweetness for him. But there was something about it he couldn't quite understand, something nagging at the back of his mind that he couldn't shake and it certainly wasn't the buzz of sugar he could feel. An incident a few weeks prior came to mind and he shuddered, pink locks falling into view while large golden eyes looked up at him. He had asked Pop Fizz to help him create a new dye for his hair. Red in the sunlight and purple in the shade but the result had been something else completely. He had ended up with hot pink hair that with a few thorough washes had now faded down to pastel pink. He hadn't minded the colour at all but it really was not what he had been after. The laughs of the others had bothered him although he had downplayed the entire thing and convinced them that he was cool with it and that that the colour he had ended up with was in fact the colour he had intended. Perhaps he should have learned from that experience. Another mistake on his part.

Time continued to slip by slowly and soon enough the beaker was empty. Adam's headache was long gone and he was all the better for it. Pop Fizz was sleeping soundly still nestled up beside him with his head perched upon his lap. He would have switched the radio on for some background noise if he wasn't so damn comfortable.

His body slowly started to tingle but he thought nothing much of it. Perhaps another mistake on his part. He ignored the tingles in favour of remaining within his day dream. Pop Fizz was warm like a cat and it was comforting.

The first spasm came without mercy, rippling through the human's body and forcing him to double over and nearly squash his companion. He groaned in pain before it left as easily as it had come. Utterly confused the pair looked at each other wide eyed with gaping mouths. "What the HELL was that?" Adam's usually soft eyes had hardened. The usually warm hazel had changed into a cold earthly brown, further accentuated by the thick layer of black liner framing his eyes. "WELL?"

"I- I, uh. I don't know!" Pop Fizz jumped up from the couch and scurried just out of reach as the portal master's leather gloved hand shot out to grab him. "I swear, it wasn't supposed to happen!"

"But it did, and now I want to know why! It almost felt the same as when I used to drink warm milk and my gut would twist."

"You're lactose intolerant?"

"Yep. Never stopped me but I always regretted it afterwards."

"I swear. There's nothing like that in there."

"Well, perhaps I'm just POP FIZZ INTOLERANT!" Adam yelled rather dramatically at the small bundle of feet, fur and claws as he doubled over in pain once again.

"A-Adam? Are you alright?" Pop Fizz knew the amount of trouble he would be in if a portal master was seriously harmed as a direct result of his potions.

The portal master did not answer, instead he jumped up and stumbled towards the bathroom still clutching his stomach and gritting his teeth. The cry he gave out sent chills down the gremlin's spine as the human hit the floor and rolled over onto his back before getting up in an unsteady fashion, bracing his knees to keep from toppling over again. His eyes glared bloody murder at the other as he got to his feet and Pop Fizz shrank back. Never in his life had he ever thought that he would be so scared of anyone with pink hair. Not even Roller Brawl was this scary!

Slowly righting himself and making his way back to the couch Adam said nothing. He refused to even look over at the other. He had never experienced anything like that and wished never to again but if it was anything like his intolerance to lactose then he wouldn't have long until the next wave of pain.

Time passed, nothing happened and eventually Pop Fizz found his courage and returned to the side of the one he admired.

"I'm sorry, Adam."

"No. I'm sorry for overreacting. I was scared and in a lot of pain. I know you wouldn't sabotage me on purpose. "Pop Fizz cleared his throat and looked away, but cuddled closer against Adam's side. Any suspicion cleared and the pair enjoyed the silence once again until Adam's stomach rumbled and the Skylander decided the time to move away was now.

Gut swelling, shirt stretching and tight jeans cutting into his flesh, Adam once against cried out in pain, only this time his entire body began to lift from the couch. Confused and terrified he looked to Pop Fizz for help, but instead of concern he found amusement.

"I did not know you could fly, Mr. Hallows."

"Shut up and make it stop!" Steadily he was getting higher and higher off the floor although the swelling had stopped. It was still painful though.

And then it was gone in one lengthy emission from behind. Adam went red as he floated there moving forward slightly while the gremlin finally released the laughing he had been trying so desperately to keep in. "Rocket propelled too by the looks of it."

"When I get my hands on you!

"You'll what? Seraph will protect me." The smug gremlin gave a devilish smirk before turning and heading towards the door.

"I am seriously beginning to doubt your affections!"

"Oh please, my affection for you is rather strong and unchanged but this is just too good to pass up. Just vent the gas and you'll come down eventually. I hope you've enjoyed my newest creation! I call it POP SODA!... Oh, and you may want to open the windows when you do come down. This place will stink for a good while."

"You can't leave me here! You can't leave me like this!"

"Watch me, Portal master Adam."

"When I get down I swear to the elements I'll set Prowess on you!"

Note from Xandy: Welp. This is the result of a conversation many moons ago I had with Seraph about Pop Fizz creating a drink that would inflate the consumer and cause them to float around and become rather gassy. Originally I intended to pick on Hugo but that's no fun when I have so many other evil things I could do to him. I hope you all enjoy.

Note from Seraph: I almost died laughing when I read it. At work. I kept grinning like a friggin moron FOREVER after reading it. I can't believe Xandy remembered that convo. But you did forget the farting rainbows aspect ;D