Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I LOVE MY REVIEWS!
Author's Notes: I actually wasn't planning on updating this so soon, I wanted to get a few of my others finished off before. But, walking home from school one day I got a terrible urge to write some more of this. Sooooooooo.....blah.
Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda.....
WARNING: This probably doesn't really need to be here but, meeeh.... anyway, this chapter gets kinda weird. Yeah....lots of stuff happens and....yeah....have fun. (slight language and mature themes.)
One more thing
Why is it my fault?
So maybe I try too hard
But it's all because of this desire
I just want to be liked
Just want to be funny
Looks like the joke's on me
So call me captain Back fire.'
-My stupid mouth, John Mayer
Waltz for a green haired girl
So what's that big dipper looking thingy called?
Ummm....the big dipper?
.........Makes sense I guess...
Are you sure you have a stomach ache....?
What about the one that looks like a belt? What's that one called?
Denkou was trying her best not to offend Skunk by cracking up in a thunder of laughter. Sometimes he would fake being sick just so Denkou could go with him on the roof and get some fresh air. He usually did that once every week, and on a Thursday for some random reason. It's been obvious for a while he felt fine, but Denkou played along.
You really don't know much about the constellations, do you?
Hey, that's your job, remember? You're the brains of the group.
If I'm the brains then what does that make you?
Skunk lifted up his head for a moment in thought before he answered. The sexy one.
Denkou squirmed and shook her head. Ewwwww! Gross!
What? You don't think I'm sexy?
Denkou didn't answer with words but instead stuck her tongue out at him.
You stick that thing at me again I'll rip it out and throw it over the ledge.Kid. Your turn to wake up Skunk today. Kid?
Denkou must have fallen asleep at the table again. She shook out her head and rubbed her eyes. She looked up at a very grouchy looking Nooj.
Get in there and wake Skunk up.
Denkou looked over to the door that led into the room she and Skunk shared. It was dark, like a cavern, and had the feeling of being haunted. She could have sworn she saw smoke rising out from the bottom. Skunk was an eye sore in the morning.
Does your head hurt?
Nooj didn't answer. He instead began to message his temples with his right hand, his left busy pouring a cup of coffee.
Cause if I let him sleep in it might not be as noisy.
Nooj set the mug down and took a deep breath. Yeah, but then he won't stop complaining about how we let him sleep in and how he feels like the whole day has been wasted. He took a sip and then grimaced.
Yes, but what about...
Damnit Denkou! The little robot jumped at the sound of his voice and the mug being slammed down on the counter top. I'm not in the mood today...
The whole time Raff was standing in the other room, looking out the window. It was the window Denkou hated. She thought it might look nicer if it was painted, or maybe didn't have the crack in the side. The fellas didn't care for the idea. That day was scary. That was the day Denkou realized they really didn't think of their home as a home. It was more of a base to them. It could be as cold and unwelcome as possible, it didn't matter. The more she thought about this, the more it made sense. Why make a house feel welcome if you might need to desert it? It was a waste of time. A sad thought, but none the less true.
Nooj was still looking at her, waiting for her to jump into action. Looking into his eyes was quite an experience. So full of aggravation and anger. Denkou tried her best to say that she would go wake Skunk up, but all that really came out was
Nooj looked over at Raff, and then back at Denkou. What did you just say?
I...I'm going.
..
Waking Skunk up took skill. Not just anyone could do it. Usually she was the one chosen because...well, did she really have a choice? She tried her best not to step on anything that might still be alive in the mess of crap surrounding his bed (dirty clothes, cigarette packages, crumpled up paper, a few beer cans...). When she was able to find a clearing, she stood on her tiptoes and peered over to see his face. His body was nothing but a curled up bulge under the covers, his head sticking out the top and his feet entwined around each other at the bottom. Every time he'd breathe, the bulge would move up and down. He was a snorer.
Mr. Skunk?
No answer.
C'mon Mr. Skunk. It's time to get up.
Still no answer.
She stood straight once more and just watched the bulging covers breathe for a minute or two, trying to find a solution to this problem. After a while, she took her index finger and quickly poked what she assumed must have been his back.
Well, at least he said something. She waited a little longer and then poked him again. And again. And again. The most he did was twitch his foot, but other than that, no progress. She quietly and slowly pulled the covers down from his neck to his knees. Maybe feeling some of the cool morning air would wake him up. He was wearing a battered, gray T-shirt and dirty, old pajama pants. She waited, but he still didn't move.
Mr. Skunk? She tapped him a few times on his leg, but nothing happened. You need to get up now. She put her hand close to his thigh and began to shake it. Wake uuuuuuupppp..... She shook it back and forth a little harder. He began to mumble something. She stopped for a second to see if he was awake. Of course, he wasn't. She began shaking him back and forth again, in a rhythmic motion to match her sing song voice.
Wakey wakey Mr. Skunky Skunky...Mmmmm.....that's it. Right there.....
Denkou jumped back in surprise. Perhaps Skunk was having a very.... dream. In school, her class had just begun learning about human sexuality. She wondered, however, where she fell in. Humans are able to make children together, and if they love each other enough, they can get married. Also, something else that kept Denkou up to all hours of the night. She wasn't sure how it was done, or even if she could do it, but the nagging thoughts and visuals were still there.
Sex.
What a horrible word. What a putrid word. It had never crossed her mind once until a few months ago, and now it won't seem to leave. She had dreams about it, read stories about it, saw commercials and shows on T.V about it, yet she didn't know what it was. Was it acceptable for a robot to partake in these acts? Was it even possible? She was alone in her discovery of this new sensation. She could never talk to the three men about it! They would laugh at her and wonder what kind of stupid thoughts went through her mind. She had always been on her own, but this felt different. This was more lonely. She had never felt more different and out of place. Skunk must have been dreaming about a woman. A beautiful woman.
A human woman.
Not a dumb little robot like her.
..
Hey, where is he? Is he up?
Denkou kept her face towards the ground to hide the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She had been crying a lot recently, but none of them knew. Her stomach hurt.
He was...I dunno. He's not up.
Why not? Nooj cocked an eyebrow and eyed her suspiciously.
Denkou shifted uncomfortably from side to side, tugging at her clothes and pulling at her hair, a sure sign that someone is nervous. I'm....I'm not sure....he's just....not up...
Nooj uncertainly looked over at Raff, who was just as confused as anyone else, and shrugged his shoulders. He looked back over to Denkou, What's the deal with you today?
What's the deal with YOU today? Denkou shot back as she grabbed her back pack and trudged out of the house. Nooj was left standing there dazed, not exactly sure what to make of the whole situation.
Wait, wait, wait....hold up here.... Raff turned his head to talk to Nooj. Did she pitch in and make lunch or what? Nooj walked over to the fridge and looked in. Doesn't look like it. Anyway, we probably got more things to be freaked out at right now... Nooj closed the fridge and dumped the rest of his coffee down the sink....cause it tasted like crap.
Raff shrugged and walked into Skunk's room.
(kick)
Son of a.....!!!
He walked back out again.
Skunk ran out of his room with a sheet held up around his waist and a look of fury in his eyes. Okay! Who did it?! WHO DID IT?! Of course, neither Nooj nor Raff answered him, or even acknowledged that he was there. Oh! Nice....real mature... He kicked the sheet back into his room and closed the door. When he got to the table, he collapsed with a violent thud into the chair and let his head smack down on the table. After a few minutes of sitting like that, he lifted up his head and looked around the room.
Where's the kid?
Nooj didn't even pick his eyes up from the table.
Few minutes ago.
To school you idiot.
Skunk gave him the patented hardy har har look and got up from the table. Did she make lunch? From the couch, Raff could be heard laughing at the comment. Skunk looked over at him.
She didn't make lunch today. She left in a huff. Quite frankly, I think we have bigger things to worry about than lunch....
I'll say. Raff said from his little sanctuary on the couch.
Skunk looked back and forth from both of them. He had a look on his face that could only be measured in bad sushi...(if that even makes any sense...) What?! What's more important than lunch?! Does she want me to starve?!
Oh for the love of....you can make your own sandwich every once in a while! Nooj went over to the counter and proceeded to make another batch of coffee, hoping this one would be better then the last.
Alright, then tell me this. You all appear to know what's going on. Care to fill me in on the details?
It begins. Raff turned his head around and looked at Skunk, with a genuine smirk on his face.
Nooj laughed. I like that....
WHAT BEGINS?! Skunk's hands were tugging at the hair around his scalp, his frustration building.
Denkou's decent into womanhood....or robothood....or....what the hell is it called? Nooj turned his head over to Raff, who just shrugged his shoulders. he turned back to Skunk, I'm not looking forward to it...
I'll second that. Raff put his hand in the air. This is gonna be hell on fucking earth.
Skunk rolled his eyes. You guys are being babies. I mean, it can't be all that bad, can it?
He was met by two sets of glaring eyes.
Well, just ask Nooj about it, Raff said. He grew up with six sisters. And HE was the only boy!
Each month my father and I would have to fend for ourselves, Nooj said, as he was hit with a sudden pang of nostalgia. They all got their periods at the same time, too! So it was like a pack of vicious animals. You know, the kind that eat their young and stuff? Anyway, the second we saw those tampon wrappers in the trash, my father would grab me and we would hide in the basement for a week or so. It was like our own personal bomb shelter. It was nice. That would be our time. Anyway, what were we talking about?
He was met with two gaping mouths and blank stares.
Raff marked his place in the book he was reading, I'll tell you one thing though, he set it down, I aint looking forward to no pissy, PMSing little robot bitch running around this place day and night.
I didn't even know robots went through adolescence until recently. Nooj lifted up his head in thought.
Well, they are becoming more and more like us humans everyday, Raff mentioned. Who knows. Maybe one day humans will be able to mate with robots, though I hope not. It's actually kinda creepy and perverted if ya think about it...
I agree, let's stop talking about it. I'm losing my appetite. Nooj got up and poured himself another mug of coffee.
Skunk had been exceptionally quite throughout the entire conversation. He took a moment to juggle the thought back and forth through his skull. So, Denkou was growing up, eh? Great. Just great.
Nooj took a sip of coffee and immediately spit it out in the sink.