based on a bit in the psychowhatsis discord between rocket and boneless chad! thanks for the inspiration!
Shredded Cheese and Energy Drinks
With a start, Bobby awoke to the blankets tangled around him. He uttered a befuddled groan, clearing his blurry vision with a few quick blinks. Slowly, he reached for his nightstand, tapping around until he pinched the rim of his glasses. He set them on the tip of his nose and pushed them up by the bridge until they rested comfortably on his face.
He dragged himself to sit upright, grimacing. Stagnant air circulated in the bedroom, creating an uncomfortable warmth that made his body stick to his bedsheets like a leather car seat. Leering at the closed door, he sent his telekinetic hand forward and opened it, bringing in a pleasant, chilly draft.
But while he had taken care of the heat, Bobby realized he needed something else before he could return to sleep. He kicked off the blankets, airing them out, and he stood. Stretching his limbs, he glanced at the alarm clock. A bright red three and two zeroes warned him to slumber, but with a lazy shrug, Bobby stumbled out of the bedroom.
It might have been late, but he was in the mood for shredded cheese. An unopened pack of mozzarella was in the fridge calling his name. The stubborn growling from his stomach urged him toward the kitchen, and Bobby absentmindedly rubbed it, shuffling down the hallway, unaware of his surroundings.
When he rounded the corner, his eyes snapped open. A light was on, emitting into the hallway. It stemmed from the kitchen, providing the only source of illumination. His brows furrowed, and his hands formed into fists. His lip curled at the idea of an intruder, and he quieted his footsteps, hoping to take them by surprise. Holding his breath, he entered with his telekinetic fist raised high above his head.
And yet, tonight was not the night for action. It was one for confusion. Bobby's telekinesis fizzled out without fanfare. Slack-jawed, he stood in the entranceway. He blinked, but the mirage did not vanish. His glasses had fallen askew on his nose, and he lacked the strength in his hand to fix them. All he could do was gape.
A shadowed figure dressed in an oversized black hoodie was in front of the fridge. She held an energy drink in one hand, the other just about to grasp another. She stared at Bobby, her surprise giving way to neutrality. Straightening her back, she levitated the other drink and opened the tab, the hissing bubbles filling the silence.
"Go back to sleep, Bobby," Chloe said, and she shut the fridge, encasing them in darkness.
Something in her tone compelled him to agree. Bobby pivoted around on his heels and marched to their room. He didn't stop until he reached the bed. Gripping the disheveled blankets, He shifted them to Chloe's side, one leg resting on the sheet when it finally hit him.
Wait a fucking second.
Bobby had gone to sleep without Chloe before midnight. It was a feat even she deemed impressive. He had thought she was going to come to bed soon, but it seemed he had fallen asleep without checking on her. She was staying up far too late again, guzzling down energy drinks like water for a reason beyond his understanding. Bobby squinted at the realization, the addled gears in his brain springing to life, and he dropped the blankets, gripping his hips, coming to terms with the situation in a fit of disbelief.
When he heard a door shut, he knew her exact location.
His stomping must have alerted Chloe. As soon as he arrived at the entrance of her lab, he tugged on the knob and felt its resistance. With a roll of his eyes, he set his index finger to the handle, and with a few mechanical clicks, Bobby flung the door open, his lockpicking prowess hardly remarkable with such an inadequate challenge.
The sounds of frenetic typing and beeping continued even after he barged inside. Chloe whipped her head over his shoulder. She was hunched at her desk filled with inventions, schematics, and notebooks sprawling with handwritten thoughts and theories. Sticky lime liquid coated her lips, which she quickly wiped with the back of her hand, the quick gesture causing the empty energy drink can to clatter to the floor.
Jabbing his finger at her, Bobby barked, "You should be in bed!"
Sheepishly, Chloe glanced around her laboratory. Bobby followed her gaze. He looked at the wires connecting her laptop, its screen filled with coding, to another one of her many innovations that left his mind spinning. He could only describe it as a wonder of technology that would have made rocket scientists jealous of whatever creation had sprung to life from Chloe's brilliant mind.
Chloe reached for the other energy drink. She sipped it gingerly, sighing as she set it back on the table. Neatly folding her hands on her lap, she asked, "Would you believe me if I said I realized the formula for instant space travel through the use of psychoreactive material? And that if I didn't start working right away, I'd forget how to build my machine by the morning?"
Delirious, Bobby answered as intelligently as he expected. "You solved the what now?"
"Which is why I needed to stay awake," she added, raising her finger. "People often forget their epiphanies if they don't work on them. If I only wrote my thought process down, it wouldn't have been enough."
She flashed a bright smile at him, her teeth twinged with a hint of green. All Bobby could do in response was quietly sweep his hand through his unkempt hair. He hunkered forward, resting one hand on the table, completely mind-boggled at Chloe's explanation and the scent of strong taurine coming from her.
Chloe held out the other energy drink, asking, "Well, since you're here, wanna stick around and witness the marvel of modern science and ingenuity in action?"
In any other circumstance, Bobby would have eagerly agreed. He would have sat down and watched her work, letting the night bleed into the next day. But upon closer inspection, he realized she was vibrating. She bounced lightly in her seat, and her socked feet tapped the floor with such quiet intensity that he thought she was revving herself up like a race car. Her pupils were abnormally small, and the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, telltale signs of far too much caffeine pumping in her veins.
Bobby answered her query with a question. "Uh, are you feeling okay?"
"Better than ever," she quickly replied, her words slightly slurred. "Why? I feel as energetic as always." She paused, eyes defocusing. She quickly shook her head and downed the rest of her energy drink. Crumpling the can, she tossed it over her shoulder. She snatched a pen and wrote a string of numbers in her nearest notebook. Tearing out the page while Bobby stood in stupefied shock, she held it up to his face. "Read this. I'm realizing the secrets to traveling through this universe and beyond."
Documented on the page was an incomprehensible nightmare of scribbles. Words and numbers meshed together. In her caffeinated haze, it was as if Chloe had written over her sentences multiple times whenever a new idea hit her. Pursing his lips, Bobby quietly returned the paper and decided drastic measures needed to be taken.
But Chloe reached for a wrench, she paused again. She stared at the wrench and froze in her seat. A tremble from her fingers spread to the rest of her body. Her arm banging against the table sent pens and cans scattering, but Chloe seemed unaware of the noise, her chin lowering and eyelids drooping.
Dumbfounded, Bobby called out her name. And as if his voice was the trigger, her forehead hit her arm. She slouched in her chair, her hood sliding off her head and revealing her lopsided clip-on bow. She twitched soundlessly, crashing down from an energy drink high and falling asleep without a fight.
Bobby stood next to her, utterly stupefied. He tried his best not to panic. He twisted his head from side to side, dismayed until he noticed the plethora of cans crumpled on the floor. Why she had fallen asleep so swiftly hit him like a ton of bricks.
Did she only have energy drinks for three hours? Holy shit. She only had energy drinks for three hours!
Heaving out his disbelief in a deep sigh, Bobby raised his hand and lifted Chloe's body. He cupped her, his telekinetic fingers securing her back and legs. He gestured with his other hand and gathered the leftover cans. Estimating around a dozen drinks, he dumped them in the recycling bin and surveyed her workspace.
The machine whirred. Violet lights blinked in and out. Her laptop hummed in a way that reminded Bobby of an overused boat rudder. He wasn't sure if the project needed to be shut down. If he woke up to a nuclear disaster imploding their house, then he supposed the blame would lie squarely on his shoulders. At the same time, if Chloe had discovered the secrets of instant space travel, then he risked destroying her work, which was simply unforgivable in his mind.
Turning around, he promptly left her lab and shut the door. Chloe would probably understand what to do with the contraption by morning. He carried her to their bedroom, stopping briefly to grab a bottle of mouthwash from the bathroom. He knew she would be waking up with a terrible, acidic taste in her mouth, a feeling he had experienced multiple times before.
In their bedroom, Bobby slipped Chloe underneath the blankets. He wondered if he should have taken her hoodie off, but he shrugged and set the mouthwash on her nightstand. Nudging over a trash can, he decided her morning set-up was perfect. Bobby levitated over her to his side of the bed, casting a smile at Chloe. He settled down for the night, the temperature perfect, the blankets nice and cold, and when his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.
Although Chloe's legs involuntarily kicked him throughout the night, and he didn't get his cheese, Bobby slept with a smile.
