Alright, here's the next chapter for the story. This chapter focuses a bit on the Watterson family with Aelita staying with them. Hope you enjoy, and I added a little reference to one of the past episodes.
Chapter 05: Happy Helper
"Caught something yet?"
"No, not yet."
"How much longer is this going to take?!"
"Don't pressure him."
The sound and voices were beginning to awaken him. Gumball slowly opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he saw that he was on the couch, covered in a blanket that wasn't his. Looking around, he saw Darwin sitting right near his feet, with the video game controller in his arms. He must've came down her to play video games. That could explain why he heard the voices when he woke. He heard the SFX and dialogue from the game.
Turning his head, he noticed a bump next to his face, and a person right close to him. Glancing upward, he saw that it was Aelita, the girl he met yesterday.
Oh, that's right. He brought Aelita to his house after he and Darwin saved her from being sexually assaulted last night. He remembered convincing his mom to let her stay with them for a couple days. And today was Wednesday, and she had to leave Friday, so it was just two more days until she gets the boot.
But seeing her sound asleep brought a smile to his face. She's so beautiful when she's asleep, he thought. Wait, where did that come from? The blue cat blushed and shook his head. He slowly lifted himself up and away from Aelita, who shifted a bit on her side, still asleep. Gumball then glanced over to see Darwin.
"Hey, dude." He said, lifting himself up to sit up. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Playin' Dominion Core III." Darwin said. Yes, Darwin was playing the game from the trailer the two saw yesterday.
"Oh, really?" Gumball asked. "What level are you at?"
"Just the beginning." Darwin said. "Got done with the Prologue, the Wedding and Invasion and what not. Now we're getting to the open world journey back home." Gumball glanced at the tv screen, seeing the character going fishing, trying to catch some fish.
"Have you caught something yet?" Maurado asked on the screen.
"It takes patience." Jadyn said on the screen.
"I see that you're at the fishing tutorial." Gumball said.
"Yeah, I've been trying to catch some fish for almost 30 minutes, but I can't get any of them to notice the bite." Darwin said. Gumball rolled his eyes. Darwin was having trouble with the game, so might as well help him.
"Dude, you see the map at the top right corner?" Gumball asked. The fish then glanced at the game's HUD, seeing the circular image at the top right corner.
"Yeah, I see it." Darwin said.
"Ok, now do you see those little white dots on the map in the water?" Gumball asked. Darwin then looked back at the map and saw the white dots.
"Yes, I do." Darwin said.
"Those are the fish." Gumball said. "And that swirling cursor on the map is the aim where you want to throw the line. Just move the analog stick across the water, but use the map to get a good positioning of the spot to throw the lure. Make sure the dot is inside the cursor before you cast your line, alright?"
"Ok." Darwin said as he got the cursor over the white dot. As he did, the marker in the game began to glow yellow.
"Now cast." Gumball said. Darwin then pressed the X button, and then Jadyn cast the line into the water. As bait landed into the water, suspenseful music began to play. Then the fish nearby, made it's way toward the bait.
"Now, lure it in gently." Gumball said, with Darwin slowly tapping the X button again to pull the line, as the fish slowly, then quickly made its way toward the bait. With a quiet bite, the game's point of view went back to Jadyn.
"I caught something!" He shouted.
"Pull it in!" Maurado's voice spoke.
"AHHH!" Darwin said. "What do I do now?"
"Hold down X to lure it in, but be sure you shift to the direction the fish is going so the lure doesn't wane down!" Gumball said. "If you see a line and words that say stress, let go of X, otherwise you'll break the line!"
"Got It!" Darwin said as he tried doing what Gumball said. "AHHHHHH! I don't know what to do now!" The fish with legs began to panic, making the blue cat roll his eyes.
"Aww, man." Gumball said, as he took the controller. "Let me." The blue cat then went straight to work. With multiple button presses and precise analog movements, Gumball began to reel in the fish in the game without barely any trouble and with ease.
"Got it." Gumball said with a smile.
"Wow..." Darwin said.
"Hey, check this out!" Jadyn called inside the game, pulling in the fish, and then suddenly, Maurados jumped into the water and grabbed a hold of the fish, which was actually pretty big and large, about the length of both his arms!
"Nice on, Jadyn!" Maurados said.
"That is quite a catch." Kunichi said.
"Dude, you are awesome!" Twigs said.
"What can I say?" Jadyn said with a wink and head scratch.
"Dude, that was Titan Bluefin Tuna!" Darwin said. "One of the biggest fish in the game! You are a pro!"
"What can I say?" Gumball said, in the same tone Jadyn said on TV. "Though I shouldn't take the credit. You managed to get it to bite the bait." As he said those words, he gave his fish brother a shoulder hug.
"Guess I'm your good luck charm." Darwin said. Next to them, Aelita slowly began to open her eyes, finally waking up. She tilted her head a bit to see Gumball and Darwin, who both responded by looking back at her.
"Oh, hey." The blue cat said. "You're awake."
"Yeah..." Aelita siad as she lifted herself up to sit properly. "What's going on?"
"We're playing video games." Gumball said.
"What are you guys playing?" Aelita asked.
"Dominion Core III." Darwin said.
"It's a crossover with Square Box's universe merging with the universes of Warner Dudes, Hashro, and of course Hanna-Bandana." Gumball said. "You know, all those cartoon shows and movies meets anime and Last Reverie."
"It's pretty much the last game." Darwin said. "But they so ended it with a bang!"
"Uh-up-up-up-up!" Gumball said as he covered Darwin's mouth. "No spoilers, please. We do not want to hear spoilers."
"But didn't you beat this game eight months ago though?" Darwin asked.
"Yeah, but we don't want to spoil it for her." Gumball said, pointing towards Aelita.
"Huh." The girl said. "So, who are you playing as?"
"I play as Jadyn Caelus, the hero of the story, though his friends are also the heroes of the story too." Gumball said, using the camera in the game to show good views of the character he played, while moving him and his party around. "He's the son of King Regalius of Auroria, and the brother of Noctanius Caelus. He wields the mighty keysword, a weapon that can destroy the bane of evil and darkness."
"And those three guys are his buddies." Gumball said, showing the three other characters behind Jadyn as he moved the character around. "The big dragon is Maurado, the strongman who uses a massive greatsword and a kite shield. The samurai with the fedora is Kunichi, the noble man uses a Katana and a shruiken. And the small cat is Twigs, the comical loudmouth who uses a crossbow and guns."
"So, where's the car again?" Maurado asked on the screen.
"We're likely lost." Kunichi said.
"At least it's not my fault." Twigs said.
"Good news is we got reception." Jadyn said as he looked up his phone, getting the GPS tracking on. "We head this way through the woods, we'll find the car." As they went closer, they noticed something unusual about the area around them. There were dead animals all around them, most of them eaten up.
"Whoa... what happened here?" Twigs asked.
"Something must've ate them up." Jadyn said. "But what?" Suddenly, there was sudden rumble.
"What was that?" He asked.
"Hold up!" Maurado said as he stepped forward, preventing Jadyn from going further. "You hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jadyn asked. Then suddenly, there was a low growl from afar. Maurado gave a nod, and he and the others hid behind the massive bark, and slowly moved toward the edge, to see where the growl came from. Looking forward, they saw a massive cat like beast with horns, and a long spiked tail. On it's left side, his left eye seemed to be red, showing that it was probably blind on that side.
"Uh oh..." Darwin said as he watched on the couch, feeling fear.
"What is that thing?" Aelita asked.
"Dread Eye..." Gumball hissed. "Our first Boss of the game." On the TV, the mighty dread eye let out a huge roar.
"Dread Eye." Maurado said. "Name says it all."
"Finally we get to kill something." Jadyn said.
"We're seriously gonna take that thing on?!" Twigs asked.
"You got any better things to do?" Jadyn asked.
"Let's not strike yet." Kunichi said. "Going out there would leave us heavily exposed." Taking a look beyond the beast, the samurai spotted an explosive barrel in front of the beast.
"If the legends are true, and his species are weak against fire, then perhaps we should light that barrel up." He said, pointing at the barrel.
"Alright then." Jadyn said as he summoned his keysword, and the tip lit up with a orangish red flame.
"Wait for it... wait for it..." Kunichi said as the beast slowly moved toward the barrel until it was right under him.
"NOW!" Kunichi shouted
"FIRE!" Jadyn called out as his keysword fired a fireball at the barrel, making it explode. The explosion was so powerful that Dread Eye yelped back as it was engulfed in flames, making it roar in anger and pain, showing that it's truly weak against fire.
"Now's our chance!" Maurado called out.
"Then let's have it." Kunichi said as the party prepared for battle.
"Hold on, I get this." Gumball said as he flipped the controller in his hand, and began to get in the zone. Getting in the zone is where you play the game, ignoring the boundaries in and out of the game and play with style and expertise. In the game, Jadyn and his party were fighting against the savage Dread Eye. The character, controlled by Gumball, was using amazing hack and slashing skills while the other characters fought as CPUs. With Gumball being a pro gamer, he dodged whatever was coming toward him.
"Wow, you're pretty good." Aelita said. "How do you play it?"
"It's simple." Gumball said. "It's a JRPG, which is Japanese Role-Playing Game, with real-time battle system, with ATB elements."
"A...T...B?" Aelita asked.
"Active Time Battle." Gumball said. "Beneath the character's health and magic bars are two ATB bars. It's filled slowly over time, but fills much faster when you land attacks. When one bar or both bars are full, you can enter Tactical Mode. Example." Using his controller, Jadyn moved forward and threw an attack. Pressing the circle button, the characters and environment froze completely, but the camera moved around them slowly. As it did, the command menu on the left opened up, revealing a list of abilities such as Fire Raid, Blitz, and Potion x3.
"Time freezes around you when you enter Tactical Mode." Gumball said. "This gives you an advantage to coordinate your attacks, while taking your time to choose which ability you want to use. Dead Eye here is weak against fire attacks. And I got Fire Raid equipped. So, let's use it." Selecting the command, time resumes, and Jadyn leaps back.
"RAID!" He shouted as his keysword is enveloped with flames. He throws it forward, striking the monster in the face, before coming back like a boomerang. The attack has a unique ability, setting ablaze any enemy that is struck by the attack. Dread Eye was engulfed with small flames.
"Yes!" Gumball said.
"Quick, switch characters!" Darwin shouted. Pressing the R1 button on the controller, and the camera shifts to Twigs, who is holding a pistol and crossbow.
"Let's do this!" Twigs said. At Gumball's command, Twigs fired bullets and arrows at the monster from afar.
"I also have my shortcuts available too." Gumball said as he pressed L1, showing a shortcut menu which displayed Din's Arrow, Starshell, and Potions x2. "So if I want to select one of my own favorites..." Pressing a button to select Din's Arrow, Twigs fires an arrow of flames right at Dread Eye, which explodes upon impact. "I can just use the shortcut."
"You can also give commands to your teammates." Darwin said. "Gumball, can you demonstrate?"
"Of course." Gumball said, and with the circle button, he entered Tactical Mode again. He then selected abilities, and pressed the directional buttons to select Maurado and Kunichi's abilities. He selected Earthshatter for Maurado and then he selected Ninja Strike for Kunichi. Back on the screen, Maurado performed his Earthshatter abilities, leaping up and slamming his greatsword onto Dread Eye, while Kunichi, tilted his fedora and threw his star forward before giving a mighty swing with his sword. The boss's health was at critical level, in which the image of the triangle button appeared on screen.
"Oh! Oh!" Darwin said. "Now it's time for the Finish!"
"And now, as I press Triangle..." Gumball said as he pressed the button. "We can finish the battle." On screen, the four heroes joined together.
"Ok, ready?" Jadyn asked.
"Ready!" Twigs and Maurado called out.
"Now... OVERWHELM!" Kunichi shouted, and the boys went all out on Dread Eye, with Twigs firing bullets rapidly, Maurado swinging and bashing his greatsword and shield, Kunichi slicing through with his katana, and Jadyn, performs an aerial sweep strike, then swings multiple slashes before leaping into the air and comes down with one last blow, striking through the boss, making it collapse onto the ground, dead.
"And that's how it's done." He said as he spun his keysword.
"YAAAY!" Gumball and Darwin cheered as they both high fived each other.
"Wow." Aelita said. "You're really good."
"The last two games trained me for it." Gumball said. "I'm a little bit rusty though. Haven't played this game for a while."
"Why's that?" Aelita asked.
"Well, a while back, Gumball los-" Darwin said, only for his mouth to be closed by the blue cat.
"Darwin...!" Gumball said, staring at the fish, though his eyes looked sad suddenly. "Don't..."
"Oh... sorry." Darwin said, zipping his mouth. Then suddenly, Aelita couldn't help but give a weak cough. She suddenly felt her throat feeling dry. She needed something to drink.
"You have any water?" She asked.
"Sure, the cups and glasses are in the cupboard near the fridge." Gumball said.
"Thanks." Aelita said as she got up and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Now, let's keep going." Gumball said as he continued looking at the screen, using his controller to continue the game. Richard then came down the stairs, waking up with his sleep clothes on. He let out a yawn.
"Hey champs, whatcha' playin'?" He asked.
"Dominion Core III." Gumball and Darwin said.
"Cool." Richard said. "You guys don't mind me, I'm just gonna sit here." He then made his way to the recliner chair next to the window. On the stairway, Nicole was coming down, holding two baskets of laundry. And they were big baskets, one consisting of Richard's clothes, which were big too, and the other consisted of Gumball's clothes, which were many copies of his iconic sweater, and pants. The mama cat was having difficulty carrying both baskets, and it was a doozy.
"Boys, can you help me out here?" Nicole asked.
"In a minute, mom." Gumball said as he was still in the zone, while Darwin was watching. Nicole only gave a sigh, and saw Richard getting to the chair.
"Richard, can you give me a hand, please?" Nicole asked, only for the big rabbit to sit on the recliner and doze off to sleep. Seeing this made Nicole only grumble.
"Why can't anyone give me a-" She said.
-Crack-
"Ahhh! Ah,ah!" Nicole spoke as she felt her back locking into place. "My back..." Coming into the living room, Aelita saw Nicole freezing in place, holding the two laundry baskets, in pain.
"Oh my goodness, let me help you!" Aelita said as she made her way to the stairs and grabbed ahold of the baskets, allowing Nicole to move and feel the heaviness lifted off of her.
"Oh, thank you Miss Aelita." Nicole said. "Though I don't know if you should be helping me carrying this, especially with... um... you know." Nicole said, her head pointing toward's Aelita's stomach.
"It's fine, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "You look like you could use the help." Both of them gripping the baskets, the two made their way into the washing room, which luckily for them, was on the same level as the living room and the kitchen. The two managed to put the baskets on the ground, much to Nicole's relief.
"Thank you so much, dear." Nicole said as she tried to straighten her back.
"Are you alright, Mrs. Watterson?" Aelita asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Nicole said as she felt a crack in her back, getting it back in place. "I'm quite used to it..." The mama cat let out an exhausted sigh, and a very tired, yet stressed out face, much to the girl's notice.
"Oh, my." Aelita said. "You look stressed."
"Actually, I'm beyond stressed." Nicole said. "I deal with this stuff everyday. Richard just sits down on the couch, or chair, and does nothing, and the boys usually do their own stuff. Actually, this is the first time I've seen this in a long time."
"In a long time?" Aelita asked. "It's not usually like this?"
"No, it is." Nicole said. "Stuff happened in the previous year and everything quieted down." Nicole said. "But now, it looks like everything's getting back to normal. And if I'm honest, I really missed it."
"So, you do all the house work?" Aelita asked.
"Yep." Nicole said. "Usually I'm the one who does all the house work, and the working at my job, and I come home to usually a mess or everyone doing nothing. Sometimes I just wish I had someone to help me. But the boys get wrapped up in their games and crazy antics, Richard just sits all day or joins them on a few occasions, and Anais, well, she's only six. It would be nice if someone just take a few minutes of their time and help me out!" As Nicole continued on with her sentences, her voice started getting louder, and angrier. All the stress she deals with always takes a tone on her behavior, to the point where she can be violent, but she would never lay a hand on her family.
"Sometimes I just wanna... wanna...!" Nicole said, then suddenly she slammed her fist into the wall... literally. Aelita was quite surprised, but seeing the mama cat stressed out was a bit too much. The girl went behind Nicole and rubbed her shoulders, giving her some relief.
"You look like you have anger issues." Aelita said.
"Yes, I do." Nicole said. "It's been like this ever since I was little. My parents have been so demanding of me when I was child. They put a lot of pressure on me, forcing me into so many extracurricular activities. My mom always demanded perfection, and my dad has some rage of his own back then, and I suppose I inherited both of those traits. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes I can't help but get angry at them when they do something... chaotic."
"Well, have you tried breathing exercises?" Aelita asked.
"Breathing exercises?" Nicole asked.
"Yes." Aelita said. "That's what my friends do when they get stressed out. Try it with me." The girl took in a slow deep breath, and so did Nicole. Then they both let it out slowly. They inhaled once more, and then exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. After a couple more times, Nicole finally felt herself feeling more calmer and less stressed.
"Wow, I feel a lot better now." Nicole said. "Thank you."
"It's no problem at all." Aelita said.
"Now if only I can convince the boys to help me with the house work though." Nicole said, looking back at the boys and Richard sleeping on the recliner.
"Why don't you lay down and rest." Aelita said. "I'll take care of the laundry." Hearing that made Nicole turn her head with concern.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't want you to put too much on yourself. Plus, the baby-"
"I'll be fine." Aelita said. "And I'll get the boys to help out too."
"Oh, thank you." Nicole said as she gave the girl a hug, and after patting her head, the mama cat went upstairs to rest, passing Anais, who was just coming out of her room.
"Mom?" Anais asked, seeing mom going into her own room. "Aren't you suppose to be doing laundry?"
"No, Aelita's gonna take care of it, while I take a short nape." Nicole said as she went inside and laid face first on the bed, suddenly falling to sleep. Anais looked back down the stairway, seeing Aelita about to talk to the boys, who were still playing their video games, and Richard, still sleeping on the couch.
"Say guys, you wanna help me with the-" Aelita said.
"I said in a minute." Gumball said as he was still in the zone, playing the game on the screen, and Darwin still watched. The girl only stood there, seeing the two not looking back. She approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Gumball." She said, this time, the cat turned his head to see her, finally out of the zone, and their noses touched. This made the two blush suddenly.
"Yes, Aelita?" Gumball asked with a smile.
"Can you help me with the laundry?" she asked. The blue cat's eyes widened, realizing that it was her who asked him that, not mom.
"Wait, why are you doing the laundry?" he asked.
"To help your mom out." Aelita said. "You wanna help? I could really use it." Gumball stared at her and then at the TV, where his characters were just idling.
"Well, I-" Gumball said, looking back at her, but then his eyes went back to the girl's belly, which housed the baby that was sleeping inside her. He then looked back at her. Thoughts were going into his head. He couldn't just let Aelita, this poor pregnant girl, do laundry all by herself. He gave a smile.
"Sure, I help ya." He said as he paused the game. "Let me save real quick." He then saved his game and then turned off the console. He then turned to Darwin, who was surprised that the screen turned off.
"Hey, why's the screen off?" Darwin asked.
"C'mon, buddy." Gumball said. "Let's help Aelita to the laundry."
"But doesn't Mrs. Mom do the laundry?" Darwin asked.
"Yes, but Aelita's doing it and we should help her." Gumball said.
"Why?" Darwin asked. "She can do it herself." That was met with a slap on the fish's cheek. "Ow!"
"Darwin!" Gumball spoke. "Don't be disrespectful. Look at her. She's pregnant. We can't let her do all that laundry all by herself." Looking back at Aelita, and then at the bump on her belly. The blue cat leaned in with his ear against it.
"What's that?" He asked, speaking to the girl's tummy. "You want us to help your mommy with the laundry?" Darwin looked at Gumball confused.
"Dude, are you talking to her stomach?" He asked.
"No, I'm talking to the baby." Gumball said as he patted the girl's stomach. "They can hear too, you know." Feeling his paw on her bump made Aelita blush a little bit, but smile a little too. Darwin then gave a sigh and a smile.
"Ok, let's go do some laundry." Darwin said as he got off the couch and the three headed for the laundry room, while Anais came down the stairs and followed them, to see what they were doing. As they went into the room with the washing machine and the baskets of clothes, they got straight to work. First they set it to the right water temperature settings before starting everything. As they turned on the water to fill it up, they put in the Detergent in next and then they tossed the clothes inside. Luckily, all the clothes fit in, especially Richard's own clothes. They closed the washer and let it run.
"So how long we wait until they're done?" Gumball asked.
"About thirty minutes." Aelita said.
"Ok, then we wait." Gumball said.
"You guys are doing laundry?" Anais asked as she came into the room, getting their attention.
"Well yes." Gumball said.
"I thought she was going to do the laundry." Anais said, pointing to Aelita.
"Yes, but we decided to help." Darwin said. Anais just stood there, looking at the three with suspicion. The boys never do the laundry. Is this stranger manipulating them? She just shrugged it off. At least they were not using the TV anymore.
"Well, I'm going to go watch TV, and it's mine until the end of the afternoon." Anais said.
"Why?" Gumball asked.
"Because, they're airing the Daisy the Donkey Two Hour Special Spectacular Today." Anais said. "No way I'm missing that." She then made her way back to the living room, sat on the chair and turned on the TV, which showed a puppet of a pink donkey adorable donkey with a yellow muzzle.
"Hi, everybody!" Daisy, the donkey puppet said. "Welcome to the Daisy the Donkey Show! Today we're celebrating with a whole long marathon of our show! And later this noon, we're gonna be showing our special Two Hour Long Special Spectacular! It's so Spectacular, it's Two Hours Long!" As the theme song of the show started to play, the bunny on the couch moved her head with the rhythm, while the three standing next to her only watched the screen.
"This is a kid's show?" Aelita asked.
"It's suppose to be." Gumball said. "But in reality it's dumbing down all the nation of children while cashing in on merchandise."
"And to be honest, Pretty Pretty Ponies is a better show." Darwin said. "It teaches us about friendship and all the good things in life. But this... has none of that." They looked back at the screen, seeing the Daisy puppet whacking itself on Sally the Snake.
"It's kind of revolting, really." Gumball said, then turned his head back at the kitchen. "Those clothes should be finishing up real soon. But it's gonna be difficult for us to hang them up outside though." The trio then noticed Richard sleeping on the couch.
"And we know that he's not gonna help us." Darwin said.
"Have you tried asking him?" Aelita asked.
"Trust me, he won't do it." Gumball said. "He comes up with a stupid excuse."
"Let me ask them then." Aelita said as she approached the sleeping rabbit.
"Mr. Watterson?" She asked as she poked him.
"AHHH!" Richard shouted as he almost flailed his arms out. The sudden poke made him get ready to scream in terror. But as he opened his eyes and saw Aelita, he quickly stopped himself.
"Oh, it's just you." He said. "Sorry, I thought you were a needle or something." The girl looked at him confused, but she shook her head.
"Anyway, would you mind helping us with the laundry?" Aelita asked. Hearing that made Richard gasp with hesitation. He didn't want to do house work.
"Oh, I wish I could, but I can't." Richard said.
"Why not?" She asked.
"You see, I suffer from a condition called Laziness." Richard said. "It's where I'm incompetent of doing anything." The girl tilted her head.
"That's not... a condition." Aelita said. "That's just a poor excuse to do nothing."
"Well, it's the same thing." Richard said.
"No it's not." Aelita said.
"It is to me." Richard said with his eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Well you can't just sit in that chair and do nothing." Aelita said. "I mean, didn't you know that Mrs. Watterson was struggling getting the laundry downstairs?"
"Aww, c'mon." Richard said. "She didn't look that bad."
"She froze in place and her back nearly snapped." Aelita said.
"She's used to it." Richard said. "Besides, I said I'm incompetent."
"Mr. Watterson, you're just making another pointless excuse." Aelita said. "You can't just sit in that chair forever. I mean, the next thing you know, the whole house could go down right on you. Do you really want that?" The rabbit opened his one eye and began to think. Suddenly, his eyes began to water up. She was right, Nicole has been struggling keeping the house clean and providing for the family, and he wasn't doing squat. It was not a condition he had. It was just a stupid excuse to get out of helping someone.
"BAWHAHAHAHAW!" Richard screamed as he began to cry. "Aw, who am I kidding? I'm such a slob! I'm an embarrassment to my own family! Why can't I do anything?" The massive big rabbit only continued his sobs. Feeling sorry for him, the girl gave him a hug.
"Oh, it's alright." She said. "You're not an embarrassment to your family. You just need to support them that's all."
"But how?" Richard asked. "I wanna help my family, but I don't know where to start."
"You know, you can get a job." Aelita said.
"But there's not a single place that I like to work at." Richard said. "Plus, getting a job is so hard."
"Have you tried putting in a resume online?" Aelita asked.
"No, not really." Richard said. "Everytime I use the internet, it makes me do stupid stuff, or makes something bad happen. Like that time when I used it to find a babysitter for Anais and ended up getting the house flooded, and when it said that I was bald and too fat, making me buy muscle suppliments but accidently fed it to the kids." The girl looked at the rabbit with a bit of confusion. All that happened because he used the internet? Regardless, she couldn't help but giggle at the silly situations.
"How about me and the boys help you find a job." Aelita said.
"You will?" Richard asked, his voice full of excitement.
"Of course." Aelita said. "So long as you promise to help us hang up the laundry."
"It's a deal!" Richard said. "Oh, Thank You!" He then proceeded and gave her a big hug. Luckily he knew not to hug her too tightly. Gumball and Darwin stood there in deep surprise. She actually managed to convince him to help.
"Wow... you're amazing." Gumball said.
"It took us ages to get him to do anything." Darwin said.
"You got the magic touch or something." Gumball said.
"Oh, it's nothing really." Aelita said.
"Well, since we have a few more minutes before the laundry is done, we better help dad find a job." Gumball said.
"But what job can we find for Mr. Dad?" Darwin asked.
"Well, let's go check online." Gumball said. "There's a site there that can help people get jobs."
"Alright then!" Richard said. "To The Computer!" And in an instant, the four made their way to the computer in Gumball's room. Anais looked on up as they left. She was actually surprised. No doubt she saw that girl convince her dad to help them with the laundry. But finding him a job would be so difficult. Wanting to see them struggle, Anais decided to follow them up there to see what they were doing. She leaned her head in to see them on the computer.
"Find a job for dad?" Anais thought to herself. "Good luck with that."
"Ok... here we are." Gumball said as he finished logging into the job site. "What kind of job do you want?"
"I dunno." Richard said as he looked on the list. "There are so many jobs on here... Oh, wait, what's that one?!" He stopped the scrolling and saw one job that is open. The store for hiring was Fervidus Pizza, a pizza restaurant. Looking over the notes, reviews, and description, a smile formed on Richard's face.
"It says workers get free pizza every single day!" Richard said. "Yes, I want this job!"
"Ok then, let's do a resume." Gumball said as Aelita clicked on the mouse, opening up the resume page.
"Now all we have to do is type information about you." Aelita said.
"You mean credit card information?" Richard asked.
"No, just information about who you are and what you like." Aelita said.
"Ooooh, that makes more sense." Richard said. "So, what are my best qualities?"
"Well, Dad likes food." Gumball said.
"Right." Darwin said.
"And he's a happy guy." Gumball said.
"Right." Darwin said.
"And he doesn't want to stand up and walk around all the time." Gumball said.
"Right." Darwin said.
"He can drive." Gumball said.
"Right." Darwin said.
"He's a bit absent minded, but he's loads of fun." Gumball said. "He's the best father in the world, and I really mean it. He has a big appetite. He loves to sing." As Gumball went on and on about the qualities his father had, Aelita continued typing the information on the resume page, while Darwin kept saying "right" over and over. Pretty soon, the resume was complete.
"It's done." Aelita said.
"Yes!" Gumball, Darwin, and Richard said together.
"Now, you're sure you want this job?" Aelita asked.
"If it means supporting my family and getting free pizza, then yes!" Richard said happily.
"Then all we have to do is send it to the restaurant page." Aelita said as she sent the resume to the Pizza place's email. "And then we wait."
"Awww... are gonna have to wait all day-" Richard said.
-BEEP-
The sound of the notification tune rang from the computer, showing an email has been sent to Richard's Elmore Stream-It account. Opening the email, they saw it was a letter from Fervidus Pizza.
"Congratulations." Richard said. "You're one step closer to getting a job. Please come by tomorrow for an interview. Ooooh! I Got the Job!"
"No, you have an interview tomorrow." Gumball said.
"Aww." Richard said a bit disappointed.
"But it if goes right, you might get the job." Aelita said.
"Yes!" Richard said. From behind the door, Anais watched with surprise. Dad actually got an interview? What is this girl doing she thought to herself. She can't just change everything that they do here!
-BEEP-
Another beep came from downstairs, loud enough for Anais to nearly trip onto her head. The sound was coming from the washing machine, signaling that it's done.
"Oh, sounds like the laundry is done." Gumball said.
"Well, c'mon boys!" Richard said. "Let's go hang up some laundry!"
"OK!" The boys cheered as they and their father left the room, with the girl looked on with a smile.
"What are you doing?" A voice asked behind Aelita, making her turn to see Anais looking at her suspiciously.
"What?" Aelita asked.
"You know what I mean." Anais said. "Just because you're a guest here for a couple days doesn't give you the liberty in telling everyone what to do."
"What are you talking about?" Aelita asked.
"Oh, c'mon." Anais said. "You manipulated my brothers and my dad into doing work."
"No, I didn't." Aelita said. "I asked Gumball and Darwin for help, and they agreed to."
"Why, because you have the stomach of an fat elephant?" Anais asked. "Are you even pregnant to begin with?" The girl felt very offended hearing Anais say all those things to her.
"You know, that's not a very nice thing to say, Anais." Aelita said.
"Well, sorry for being rude Anita." Anais said.
"Aelita." Aelita said.
"Whatever, don't correct me." Anais said.
"Okaaay…" Aelita said, then looked back at the computer. "I better turn this off." She then moved to the mouse and clicked off the Internet Explorer, revealing a page of hearts and Daisy the Donkey. Anais's eyes widened, seeing the screen saver image. That's the image for her account! Anais must've left it on while watching Elmore Stream-it! yesterday night before mom got home! She saw Aelita the cursor toward the folder icon.
"NO!" Anais shouted. "Get away from there!" Her shout made Aelita nearly yelp, unintentionally clicking on the folder icon. The folder opened up and revealed several photos. But what's strange about it is that they were photos of Anais's brother, Gumball. Photos of him eating, on the couch, playing video games, and even pictures of him sleeping.
"AAAHHHH!" Anais screamed, her face entirely blushing as Aelita looked at the pictures.
"Why do you have pictures of your brothe-" Aelita asked.
"GET OUT OF THERE!" Anais shouted. "GET OUT! OUT! OUT!" She pushed Aelita away and closed the folder.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?!" Anais asked. "I told you not to!"
"I'm sorry, you just scared me." Aelita said. "I didn't mean-"
"That's enough!" Anais shouted. "I knew you were up to no good when I first saw you!"
"What is going on in here?" A voice asked. The girls turned to see Nicole, having heard the commotion.
"Mommy!" Anais shouted. "She hacked into my account!"
"No I didn't." Aelita said.
"Of course you did!" Anais said.
"We didn't know we were on your account." Aelita said. "We just turned the screen on and just used the internet."
"Well still, that doesn't give you the liberty to use it when my account is already open!" Anais said.
"But you weren't using it." Aelita said.
"Well... I forgot to turn it off last night." Anais said. "But still, you shouldn't be on my account when I'm using it!"
"How were you even using it?" Aelita asked. "You went downstairs to watch TV. Besides, you should always close your account before turning the screen off anyway." Nicole looked at the girls argue it out. But the mama cat knew Aelita was right. Anais should've logged off her account before turning the screen off.
"She does have a point, Anais." Nicole said. "You should always log out before turning the computer on. You're lucky the boys didn't see anything you want to keep private." The bunny's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Her own mother is agreeing with this girl that she hasn't even known for a day?
"Wh... you're taking some stranger's side?!" Anais asked. "What kind of a mother are you, taking advice from some knocked up skank?!" Nicole gasped as she heard that.
"Anais, watch your mouth!" Nicole said.
"What are you going to do?" Anais asked. "Spank me, or smash the door again? You know that I'll contact children services if you do!" The mama cat gasped again, and then she sighed in defeat..
"You're just gonna take that?" Aelita asked Nicole.
"Well, what am I suppose to do?" Nicole asked. "I don't wanna spank my own kid. I'm not that kind of parent. Plus, she's the only smart one in this whole family."
"You don't have to use force, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "Just set a limit on her."
"A limit?" Nicole asked. "You mean like a punishment?"
"Right." Aelita said. "She isn't suppose to talk back at you like that. She may be smart, but she is a child, and you are her mother." Nicole then gasped in realization. Aelita was right. She is the mom and Anais is her child. She wasn't going to take a threat or back talk from an intelligent six year-old.
"You're absolutely right." Nicole said with a smile.
"Huh?" Anais asked. "What's going on?"
"What's goin on Anais, is that you're being punished..." Nicole said to the bunny. "No TV until further notice." Anais gasped.
"What?!" Anais asked. "But the Daisy the Donkey Two Hour Special is coming on this noon! I can't miss it!"
"Sorry sweetie, but you should never back talk to a parent like that." Nicole said.
"I can't believe this!" Anais shouted. "Don't you see what's happening here?! This girl is trying to manipulate you, and you're falling right into her hands! You have to be an idiot to fall for this nonsense!" Nicole gasped once more.
"Anais Elizabeth Watterson!" Nicole shouted, but then stopped herself, trying to think of what to say. She then turned to Aelita.
"Um, what do I do?" Nicole asked her. "She just called me an idiot."
"I think that earned her a time out." Aelita said, with Anais's ears straightening up with shock.
"Right." Nicole said, then turned her attention back at the little bunny. "Anais, you just earned yourself a time out."
"WHAT?!" Anais shouted.
"Ah, Ah, Ah!" Nicole said. "Now go to your room and don't come out until I say you can." The bunny was about to speak, but she didn't. She just gave a defeated sigh. She keeps backtalking to her mom, she's just gonna make it worse.
"Fine." Anais hissed and then left the room to her own, slamming the door behind her. The mama cat, actually gave a sigh of relief.
"Wow, that felt much better." Nicole said. "Thank you, Aelita."
"Oh, it's nothing." Aelita said.
"You know, that's the first time I've actually managed to put my foot down with Anais." Nicole said. "Usually she would blame the boys and outsmart me with her vast knowledge, and come to think of it, she would sometimes manipulate me into punishing the boys for something that she did wrong."
"Well, you just need to learn to read people, Mrs. Watterson." Aelita said. "I won't lie, she looks like someone who tried to kill her brothers ever since she was born."
"Come to think of it, no wonder most of the crazy traps I found were made with baby proof objects." Nicole said, and the two gave a chuckle.
"Hey, Aelita!" Gumball's voice came from outside. Turning their heads, they saw Gumball, Darwin, and Richard outside, finishing hanging clothes.
"You wanna come down and play some games with us?" Gumball asked. Aelita looked down and saw the blue cat, asking her to play with them.
"You go ahead." Nicole said as she patted the girl's head.
"Ok." Aelita said as she made her way out the room and down the stairs, heading outside. Nicole watched the girls join the boys in their outdoor fun. But Nicole's attention was drawn to her son, who was smiling. The mama cat couldn't believe it. Her son was smiling again. That was the first time she has seen him that happy before, ever since the incident involving Penny's death. Perhaps, there was hope for him yet.
A little while later, Anais was in her room on her bed. She was not having a good day. She was really hoping to watch the Daisy the Donkey Two Hour Special, but now she's punished and now she missed it. And it was that girl's fault. She managed to wrap her finger around her mom and make her own daughter look like the bad guy. And what's worse, she's getting the attention of her father, that little fish dumbhead, and her brother Gumball.
Gumball. She couldn't help but think about her brother. It has been a while now and her brother was fourteen years old, going on fifteen soon. He has been getting pretty tall, and... a bit cute and handsome. Since he started hitting puberty, she's been seeing him in a whole new light, so much that she's been starting to take pictures of him without him knowing. Either he was sleeping, eating, walking, sitting, or being naked, just seeing his face made her blush... and smile.
-Knock Knock Knock-
The knock on her door surprised her a bit, getting her out of her thoughts. She lifted her head up.
"Who is it?" Anais asked.
"It's just me, honey." Nicole's voice said. "Can I come in?"
"What do you want?" Anais asked as she turned her head. Opening the door, Nicole leaned her head in.
"Just wanna let you know that your punishment is over." Nicole said. Anais covered herself with her blanket, not wanting to talk to her.
"I can't believe you did that." Anais said. Nicole only sighed and came into the room.
"Listen, sweetie." Nicole said as she sat near her daughter. "I know you don't like it, but you can't back talk me like that. And it wasn't very nice of you to call Aelita a skank."
"Hey, I'm not the one who left my legs opened." Anais said.
"Anais, this is what I'm talking about." Nicole said. "You can't say those things." The bunny lifted her head up, but gave a sigh.
"I'm sorry mom." Anais said. "I just don't like Taelia."
"Her name is Aelita, sweetie." Nicole said.
"That's what I meant." Anais said. "She's a complete stranger, and she was on the streets. I don't feel comfortable having her here in our house. I'm afraid she might try to steal some stuff while she's here."
"You make a good point there, but she doesn't look like one to make trouble." Nicole said. "And besides, she's being very helpful around here in the house. I'm actually surprised she got the boys and your father to help her with laundry." Anais only lowered her head.
"It's almost as if you want her to stay with us." Anais said.
"She's not staying with us, Anais." Nicole said. "She'll be out of here this Friday. I'm sure you can handle a couple more days." The bunny gave a sigh.
"Ok." Anais said. "I guess I can manage until then."
"Thanks sweetie." Nicole said. "And if it makes you feel better, I recorded your Daisy the Donkey Special on the DVR. That way you won't miss it." Hearing that made the bunny smile.
"Thanks Mommy." Anais said as she gave her a hug. With that said, the bunny left her room with her mom and headed downstairs. She then heard laughter coming from outside. It was her brothers and her dad, with Aelita. Taking a look outside, the boys and Aelita were playing a strange looking game. Aelita was on the ground, and there were three action figures on the bump of her belly. The action figures were characters from the Dominion Core series. One action figure, played by Gumball, was of Jadyn Caelus. The second one, played by Darwin, was of an anthropomorphic unicorn girl. The third one, played by Richard, was the old wizard villain from the third game.
"Oh, Jadyn!" Darwin spoke with a high pitch voice. "Save me!"
"Let Dawn go, Aldamort!" Gumball shouted with his figurine.
"Never!" Richard shouted, moving his figure on Aelita's tummy. "At long last, I have the pure light in my hands, and I shall bring darkness into this world!"
"Not while I and my friends are here!" Gumball spoke, moving three other action figurines on the surface, all three of them are of Maurados, Kunichi, and Twigs.
"Yeah, you're going down Moldybutt!" Darwin spoke, moving Twigs. The three boys were laughing, while Aelita was laughing as she laid on the ground. Feeling the action figures move a bit on her pregnant belly made her feel ticklish. Anais was a bit confused by this and she moved down the steps.
"What are you guys doing?" She asked.
"We're reenacting scenes from the Dominion Core series with our actions figures." Darwin said.
"And we're using Aelita's tummy as a battleground." Gumball said. Anais only watched this and just thought of one thing for it. Dumb.
"This is so dumb." Anais said.
"Yeah, but it's a fun kind of dumb." Darwin said, with a laugh.
"Um... can I play along?" Anais asked.
"Sorry, sis." Gumball said. "But I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, you said that you don't want to play dumb anymore." Anais thought about is, and they were correct. A while back, when the boys and their dad were playing dumb stuff, Anais decided to join in on the fun, which resulted in Gumball getting jealous that she's taking his place and challenged her to a dumb race while wearing blind folds, which got them run over by Marvin Finklehimer, the red guy who's with the senior citizens.
"Oh yeah... because it hurt... So... BAD..." Anais spoke.
"And besides, I'm starting to feel a bit bored again." Gumball said, tossing his action figures to the side. "So, what do you guys wanna do now?" Darwin and Richard began to think.
"Oh, how about we go to that new Dance place in town?" Darwin asked.
"Oh yeah, the Hip Hop Club near the mall!" Richard said.
"The Hip Hop Club?" Aelita asked as she got back up on her feet. "What's that?"
"It's a new dance place that's near the mall." Richard said, giving Aelita a flyer that was in his pocket, which he probably left in there for some time. The girl looked at the flyer, and it read:
Come to the New Hip Hop Club Today! Party Forever!
"It just opened up recently, and it's a cool place to get down and boogey!" Richard said.
"Down and Boogey!" Darwin said. "So, can we go?"
"Definitely!" Richard said. "You wanna go too, son?"
"Well, that depends." Gumball said, then turned his head to Aelita. "Would you like to go?"
"I guess it won't hurt to go." Aelita said. "Though I don't know if I'm a good dancer, especially since, well... this." She points directly at her tummy.
"Ahh, it'll be alright." Gumball said. "You don't have to dance like crazy. You can either stand and watch, or just dance slowly." The blue cat then leaned his head near the girl's tummy.
"What do you think little gal?" He asked, his voice directly toward her bump. "You want mommy to come to the dance club with us?" Anais only watched her brother acting all ridiculous, speaking to some baby inside a girl's tummy. But then suddenly, hearing him speak so noble and kind, she couldn't help but blush, and stare at his face. His... handsome... cute... face.
"Anais?" Darwin asked as he nudged the bunny.
"HIYA!" Anais shouted as she slapped Darwin's face.
"OW!" The fish with legs said, rubbing his cheek. "That hurt." Realizing what she just did, the bunny tried to get herself together.
"S...Sorry..." She said as she rubbed her arm. Dang it, she thought. She was fantasizing about her brother again... Wait, what?
"Well, c'mon guys!" Richard said. "Let's go dancing!"
"YAY!" Gumball and Darwin cheered as the boys and Aelita went back into the house, with Anais following them.
"Hey, honey!" Richard said as Nicole came downstairs. "Me and the boys and their friend are going to the Dance Club down near the mall."
"Ok, but don't be out past 11:00 PM, alright?" Nicole said.
"Don't worry, honey." Richard said. "If we're late by any means, I'll take responsibility for it. Anyway, we'll be back before then."
"Wait, can I go with you?" Anais asked as she approached them. "I can do some dancing myse-"
"Oh, sorry honey." Richard said. "I'm taking our second car, and it'll only fit four of us."
"But I can squeeze in." Anais said.
"No can do, Anais." Richard said. "And besides, I don't think they'll let you in. It's not for someone your age."
"What?" Anais asked. "But I'm only six years old. I'm not a baby, dad."
"Well actually, the poster says that it only allows kids thirteen or older." Aelita said, pointing to the picture of the poster that said, "Kids under the age of thirteen are not allowed!" Anais was hoping she would not say that.
"What?!" Anais asked. "But Darwin's not older than thirteen! He's ten years old!"
"Yeah, but he'll get away with it." Richard said. "Kids ten years old and up can get in so long as their accompanied by a parent.
"I can't go in because I'm six years old?" Anais asked. "That's not fair!"
"Aw, I'm sorry sweetie." Nicole said as she gave a friendly pinch on her daughter's cheek. "But that's the rules. If it makes you feel better, I'm not going." The bunny only gave yet another defeated sigh.
"Well, looks like it's time for us to leave." Richard said. "C'mon guys. To the Dance Club!"
"YAAAY!" Gumball, Darwin, and Aelita called out and the four left the house, closing the door behind him. They got into the green car, and Richard started it up. The four took off down the street, leaving Nicole and Anais, the latter feeling a bit sad that she couldn't go. What was sad is that they took that girl instead of her. It was like she was being replaced.
"Did I just get replaced?" Anais asked.
"Oh no, honey, you're not getting replaced." Nicole said. "They're going someplace that's not for someone your age." The bunny gave another defeated sigh.
"Well, that's just great." Anais said. "I'm gonna go upstairs and use the computer."
"Ok, but not too long, ok?" Nicole said. "And stay away from sites that are not trustworthy, and remember to log out of your account this time, ok?!" Hearing that made Anais roll her eyes. They still treat her like a baby all the time! Well, she's six years old, but she's not a complete child. It was bad enough of her brothers to treat her like a toddler, but now her parents? This was just too much.
But that's not what's really bothering her. What's bothering her is that her brothers and father are taking that girl with them to the dance club instead of her. It's already been almost a whole day since Aelita's been here, and Anais is already not liking her. She actually managed to convince the boys to do her work, and helped Dad find a job when he's not suppose to have one? And she has mom under her control and treat Anais like the guilty one. It's like the whole world has gone mad. She had to get rid of her now. But how?
But then, an idea came to her head. As she made it to her room, she took a look at the computer. Aelita said that her parents are dead, and she has nowhere else to go. But what if she did. Maybe she might have a distant relative out there somewhere. If she can find a relative or friend to her family, then maybe she can get rid of her for good! She went up to the computer and turned it on. As it came on, Anais went to the web and began typing in information.
"Maybe I can find someone that can take her in and get her out of our hair already." Anais said as she began typing. "Ok, first name, Aelita." She typed in the name, and a list of results came up. But one result caught her eye, a link that was more than a decade old. She clicked on it.
"Alright, let's see what we got." Anais said as she read the material online. As she read, her face quickly shifted to confusion, then to a state of surprise, fear, and then shock! What she was looking at was an old news report, where it started with the words WANTED at the top.
"Wait a second..." She said. "Aelita Hopper... Franz Hopper... Illegal Activities? Fugitives?!" She then looked over this information again, and a sense of shock and fear was going through her entire body. This Aelita is not who she thought she was. She knew what she had to do.
"I need to tell mom!" She said.
It was around six since they left, and pretty soon, the Wattersons and their guest arrived at the place Darwin and Richard spoke about. The Hip Hop Club, one of the newest dance clubs in all of Elmore. Actually, it's the only dance club in the entire town. Surprisingly with the town's low economy, they were able to afford a dance club but not a new street or hospital? Regardless, it was a pretty neat place. Everybody was going in despite it was still light out, and though the sun hasn't reached the horizon just yet, the lights from the club were still visible inside and out. The four made their way to the doors.
"Wow, this looks nice." Aelita said.
"Pretty neat place." Gumball said. "So, how do we get inside? Do we need to pay?"
"Pay?" Richard asked. "No son, we don't need money to get into this club. We use my secret weapon."
"Secret Weapon?" Darwin asked. "What's that?"
"This!" Richard said as he began to pull his shirt, ripping it off to show his chubby abs, but a black vest that was under his shirt the whole time. He then drew a deadly unicorn with NICOLE under it on his arm. And with a loud grunt, a black mustache appears on his upper lip, along with wild mutton chop sideburns. Gumball and Darwin recognized this appearance. This was the same look Richard used when trying to help the boys get a refund for a game they bought a couple years ago at the Ripley 2000 video game store, only to end up trying to steal money and get beaten up by the manager, which was a small cute teddy bear with an anger problem.
"Uhhhh… you really think that's gonna work dad?" Gumball asked.
"Oh, don't worry, I've done this before." Richard said. "Watch." The pink rabbit made his way to the bouncer and looked at him in the eye, while the bouncer stared at Richard.
"You here to party?" The bouncer asked in a low voice.
"That's right." Richard said. "Me, my son, his girlfriend, and my adopted son would like to enter please." Gumball and Aelita tilted their heads.
"Girlfriend?" They both asked, but then they looked at each other for a second, then looked away with a blush, while Gumball face palmed his head. Dammit, dad, he thought. She wasn't his girlfriend. The bouncer looked at the two, then at the fish, and then back at Richard, who still kept his cool and showed his cool.
"Ok then." The bouncer said. "You may enter."
"Thank you, sir." Richard said with a nod, while Gumball and Darwin looked with disbelief.
"Wow..." They both said. "It actually worked."
"Told ya." Richard said. "Now c'mon on, let's go dancing!" He then went on ahead into the building, while the three followed in suit, and they both gasped as they saw what inside looked like. It was a huge room, with a disco ball at the ceiling, sparkling like a star in the sky. There were so many people inside too! Not only adults, but there were also teenagers, including some of Gumball's classmates, who were partying and rocking hard to the music.
"Whoa...!" Gumball said. "This place is amazing."
"And pretty big." Aelita said. "Way bigger than the gym at my school."
"You're school?" Gumball asked, in which the girl froze.
"I mean, the school that I visited one time before I came to Elmore." Aelita said. "They were having a party and I... snuck in to get some food." She gave a nervous smile while the blue cat looked at her. He gave a smile.
"You snuck in and took some food?" Gumball asked. "Wow... awesome." The girl tilted her head at his comment, but she shrugged it off and sighed in relief. The two went on in with Darwin and Richard, just as the DJ got up behind the desk with the turntables.
"Alright everybody in the H-H-HOUSE!" The DJ called out as everyone cheered. "Are you guys ready to party like it's the end of the world?!" The crowd let out a loud scream of excitement.
"Alright Motha-!" The DJ called out as the Microphone gave a little static while he cursed. "Let's PARTY!" He started playing on the DJ, and everybody began to dance like crazy as the doors closed up!
It has already been two hours since the Watterson boys, their dad, and Aelita arrived. Pretty soon, the party was calming down a bit, with everyone just dancing slowly and calmly, though about half the attendees inside were unconscious. They probably passed out from all the partying.
"Wow, everything went quiet all of a sudden." Aelita said.
"Yeah." Gumball said. "At least dad is still alive." Turning his head, he saw Richard sleeping, while eating the leftover food on the tables. He didn't want everyone's food to go to waste, though what he was doing was a bit disgusting. Darwin was also sleeping next to him. While the fish with legs loved to dance, he would sometimes tire out after an hour of dancing, especially in this large room full of people. Neverless, it was funny enough to make the two laugh.
"Alright everyone!" The DJ said. "It's time for the couples dance! Everyone who has a special someone get up and dance! We're gonna take it slooooow…" Then the speaker began to play Hardline's This Love from their recent released album Life. Everyone then got together and danced slowly with one another. Alan and Carmen nuzzled close together, Teri held hands with Leslie, even Tobias was dancing with Banana Joe. The only two people who didn't have a partner was Gumball and Aelita.
"Heh, looks like we're the only ones who don't have a dance partner." Gumball said.
"Yeah." Aelita said with a nervous chuckle. The two just stood there, looking at the ground. Gumball looked at Aelita, and a thought came to his head. He extended his hand out, offering it to her.
"You... wanna dance?" Gumball asked.
"Huh?" Aelita asked.
"Well, you don't have a dance partner, I don't have a dance partner, so... why not?" Gumball asked. The girl looked at him, and gave a smile. She slowly took a hold of his hand, accepting his offer. Giving a smile, the two made their way to the dance floor, and they joined hands together, dancing slowly to the music.
"You know, it's been a while since I've danced with someone." Gumball said.
"Me too." Aelita said. "I've never actually had the chance to dance with anyone back where I came from."
"Yeah, my first dance was with someone I knew." Gumball said. "But... she's not here anymore."
"Oh." Aelita said. "Did she move away?" Gumball turned his head a bit, and suddenly he felt sad, as if he was ready to cry. But he shook it off.
"I don't wanna talk about it." He said.
"Oh, ok." Aelita said. "Well, if you do want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen." Hearing that made the cat smile.
"Hey, listen." Gumball said. "I just want to say, it's been fun having you at our place."
"Same here." Aelita said. "This is actually the most fun I've had since I came here." Hearing that made the blue cat smile. But before he could say anymore, Gumball's eyes widened a bit with realization, and then his face turned sad once more.
"What's wrong?" Aelita asked.
"It's just... I wish you could stay for real." Gumball said. The girl realized what he meant. She was only able to stay until Friday, and then she had to go. To be honest, she felt kinda sad too, but it wasn't because she only had to stay for a couple more days. It was because, she was just getting to know her new friend, a friend who jumped into the face of danger to save her.
"I wish I could stay too." Aelita said. "But, if I don't, I'll still be around. You can find me in the junkyard, or on the street if you want to talk or hang out again."
"Yeah, I guess." Gumball said. "But, let's not worry about that. Let's just focus on this."
"Ok." Aelita said. The two continued to dance slowly to the music, unaware that the lights were shining down on them, and everyone was watching them. For some reason, the two closed in to each other, and their bodies pressed against one another. Aelita moved her hands around Gumball's arms, and he did the same. Their bodies joined together, forming a hug. They both blushed at this, but yet they smiled.
"S...Sorry." Gumball said.
"It's ok." Aelita said. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I hope my belly's not poking you a bit."
"It's fine." Gumball said, his arms moved to her shoulders and back. As his stomach touched the surface of hers, his thin gut felt a slow movement inside the girl's stomach. It was probably the baby.
"Hey, I think I felt your baby." Gumball said as he and the girl glance down at her bump. She smiled.
"I think she likes you." Aelita said, with the blue cat giving a weak but happy smile, with his cheeks turning red.
"Hey Tina!" A voice called out, getting the two's attention. They turned to see Tina, who was holding Anton, the small bread creature. She was looking up at Hector, the purple giant, who offered his hand to her. "Can I have the next dance?"
"You can have this one." Tina said as she dropped the Anton, who screamed as he fell on the floor. Gumball and Aelita gave a chuckle, with the latter moving closer toward the blue cat, embracing him with a hug. Feeling her arms around him made his blush. But yet, it felt good. Whatever he was feeling, he was liking it, and didn't want it to end. He smiled and placed his hands on her shoulder and back, and the two continued to dance slowly to the music.
Welp, that's the end of this chapter. I originally was gonna put some scenes regarding the Dominion Core thing, but I decided not to, because it's not relevant to the story.
Gumball describing how to play Dominion Core was heavily inspired and influenced by Square-Enix's Conference from E3 of how Final Fantasy VII Remake was going to be played, and I'm actually hyped up for it!
Chapter Six is going to be posted up next month, hopefully between the 5th and 12th of August. I'm going to be at BronyCon for the first couple days of August. I'll be partying with the bronies and ponies for a while, though I'm not sure if I'm staying for the whole thing.
I'll get the next chapter up when I get back from BronyCon. A bit of a warning though, Chapter Six will contain content not for the fainted hearted.
Until then, check out my other story Kingdom Hearts: Fractured Friendship, which is posted on FIMfiction. I plan to post a chapter tomorrow and the next week.
