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Chapter 3: Striker Feels Better

Striker rested peacefully on the day of his hangover for he knew if he'd done so properly, he'd recover very soon. His tail rattled and moved as he slept. Bombproof nuzzled him and Striker pet him.

Blitzo got up to go to the bathroom and when he was finished, he took a quick peek of Striker and Bombproof sleeping together in the guest room. Blitzo smiled at the sight and headed back to bed. He liked it when Striker slept because to him, it was cute and Striker's snores didn't bother him one bit since they were on the quiet side. Thus, Blitzo admired the sight of Striker's tail rattling and moving as well as Striker smiling in his sleep.

The next morning, Striker slept in and woke up refreshed, feeling much better than he had yesterday. To start his morning fresh, he got out of bed to put two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Good morning, Striker," Millie greeted, "Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking Mildred," Striker replied with a friendly smile.

"Mister, are you feeling alright?" Moxxie asked with concern, in spite of himself. He disliked the cowboy imp, but was hoping he felt better.

Striker, too, felt the same hatred towards Moxxie, but the little imp was just curious about his well-being. "Better, little dude," Striker told him and just as he'd said this, his toast popped. He put jelly on one slice and jam on the other.

"Morning, Strike!" Blitzo exclaimed, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yep."

"We made you some bacon," Blitzo said.

In good measure, Striker grabbed a couple pieces of bacon and chewed on one of them. "Thanks, Blitzo."

"We made them," Loona commented.

"We sure did, Loonie," Blitzo coddled her in a baby voice.

Striker looked at Blitzo oddly over him treating her like a baby. Why is he treating her like a baby? he wondered, Doesn't he know how old she is? She may be young, but she's no longer a child. She's a young lady.

Putting it off for now, he finished his breakfast.

Blitzo went to the bathroom to take a shower. This gave Striker an opportunity to talk to Loona alone and she'd gotten comfortable talking to him since last night. "Loona, does Blitzo always treat you like a child?" Striker asked, sitting on a chair next to Loona in the living room.

"Yeah," Loona laughed dryly.

"I'll bet it drives you nuts, doesn't it?"

"Yep. He adopted me when I was almost eighteen."

"Regardless, he should treat you like an adult."

"He should."

Speaking of Blitzo, Striker was curious to see where he was. "Where's Blitzo?"

"He's in the shower, being an ass," Loona answered, "He's hogging the hot water."

"Not to worry, ma'am, I'll give him a piece of my mind because I need to shower." Striker stood up from his chair and marched over to the bathroom.

Striker knocked on the door and Blitzo didn't seem to hear it. He knocked a couple more times and still no answer, so he opened the door and stepped inside. "Blitzo! How long have you been in there?" Striker shouted, loud enough for Blitzo to hear, "I need to take a damn shower!"

"Ah, I don't know, maybe forty minutes," Blitzo replied innocently.

"Are you serious?!" Striker demanded, "Do you know how much it's going to cost to pay for this bill for fucking around in there?"

Blitzo gasped and Striker angrily flushed the toilet on him. "AHHHHHH!" Blitzo screamed, "Oh, fuck! It hurts like hell!" He turned off the water, grabbed onto a towel to dry on, and left the bathroom.

Now that Striker was alone, he stepped into the shower after getting his clothes off. To his relief, the water was still warm and he started to sing.

Sweet victory,

With everything I do.

Little did he know that Blitzo was listening in and stepped back in the bathroom after getting dressed. Blitzo sat on the bathroom sink as he sang along.

Striker:

With every talent,

I'm so much more talented than you.

Blitzo:

I'm so much more talented than you.

Striker:

Every time I try,

I push it and succeed.

Blitzo:

I push it and succeed.

Striker:

Every first attempt of...

But before he could finish the rest of the song, Blitzo sang the next few lines:

Every single deed!

Striker shut the water off and stuck his head out of the shower curtains to glare at Blitzo. "Hey, Blitzo!" the cowboy imp yelled, "Get outta here, you nosey little pervert, or I'm gonna slap you silly!"

Blitzo winced and got off the bathroom sink, running for the hills. He bumped into some objects on the floor along the way.

Thankfully, Striker had finished his shower and got back into his regular cowboy attire, which Blitzo had washed.

"Oooh, look who's back in his cowboy suit!" Millie exclaimed.

Striker put both hands on his hips, smiling.

"I'm glad you feel better, Mister," Moxxie said politely just in case Millie scolded him for causing a fight.

"Call me Striker, little dude," Striker told him with a wink, also trying to be nice.

"Well, okay, call me Moxxie," said Moxxie, getting his point across without Striker having to call him "wimp", "nerd'', or "little dude" all the time.

Striker nodded. "Right."

Millie ruffled Moxxie's hair and planted a kiss on the cheek. Striker thought it was wholesome, but didn't mind it so much. "Mildred?" the cowboy imp said, catching her attention. He cleared his throat. "What do you see in Moxxie?"

"He has a good heart, he makes me laugh, and is protective," Millie answered.

Striker considered her information. "Well, now I know why you like him."

Blitzo was whistling as he made his way into the living room, where Moxxie, Millie, and Striker were talking. Blitzo's eyes grew big as saucers at the sight of Striker back in his cowboy clothes. "Striker, you're back in your cowboy uniform!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey, Blitzo, about this morning," Striker said in a stern tone, "You were kind of, uh, you know."

"Nosy!" Loona and Moxxie finished for him.

"So, was it because I was naked in the shower that you had the nerve to go back to get even with me?" Striker asked suspiciously, barely looking at him.

"Uh, no," Blitzo replied, "It was because I wanted to listen to you sing."

This forced Striker to look at Blitzo. "Really?"

"Yeah, you have the most wonderful singing voice in the world, next to Moxxie, anyway," Blitzo assured him and Moxxie was touched by his remark.

"Hmm, not so bad yourself, Blitzo," Striker stated.

Blitzo laughed nervously and playfully waved a hand at him as if to say, "Get out of here" or "oh, stop it."

Suddenly, Bombproof stood behind Blitzo and nudged his back by using his head to get his attention. "Bombproof, hey boy." Blitzo pet Bombproof's forehead and his mane. Striker joined in the scene and handed him an apple for the hellhorse to eat, which Bombproof gladly took.

...

At noon, Striker, Blitzo, Loona, Moxxie, and Millie rode on Bombproof. Moxxie and Millie had to sit in the back, much to Moxxie's annoyance, but Millie assured him that she'd hold him tightly. They rode three rings down to Wrath and back, which reminded Blitzo of a time when he'd done so by stealing Verosika's car and maxing out her credit card over horse riding lessons. "Strike!" Blitzo called.

"What?" Striker asked.

"This reminds me of a time I dated Verosika, who broke up with me for stealing her car and ran three rings down to Wrath, maxing out her credit card over shitty horse riding lessons."

"Hmm…"

"She was drunk and tired, so I promised I was going to give them back," Blitzo said, "She held onto that grudge and got even with me by stealing my parking spot."

"Wow, Blitzo, she must be a real bitch," Striker mused.

"Oh, tell me about it."

"I fell in love with her bodyguard, Vortex, who revealed to already have a girlfriend," Loona said, dejected over the sad memory, "He was so hot."

"No worries, little lady," Striker assured her, "Maybe you'll find someone new. Maybe a new hellhound."

Loona sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe," she said doubtfully.

Striker stopped so Bombproof could get a drink of water. When Bombproof was finished, Striker announced, "Let's head back." At Striker's announcement, Bombproof took the imps and hellhound home.

...

It had been a long day for everyone, including Striker, who dropped down on the couch. "Aww!" Blitzo said with sparkling eyes and went over beside him to sit down. Blitzo carefully set Striker on his lap, so he could give him a back massage.

Moxxie, Millie, and Loona stepped into the scene. "Millie, should we go in with Blitzo?" Moxxie asked.

"No, Moxxie," Millie replied, "I think we should leave them alone for a while."

Loona snapped a picture of Blitzo rubbing a sleeping Striker's back on her hellphone.