Chapter One
Drunk as A Skunk
A Zoids One-shot by Darkened-Storm
Characters: Thomas Schubaltz, Moonbay Me Jeval, Fiona Elissi Linette.
Summary: "I don't need you to untie my shoes," he muttered gruffly, but allowed her to tug off his boots and place them aside before she tucked him into bed. "Do you want to know what I figured out?" he asked, with excitement akin to a child who had just discovered the hidden cookie jar. She sighed impatiently. "What did you figure out Thomas?"
"I finally did it," Thomas Schubaltz announced, very loudly, from the doorway.
Lieutenant Steph Summers looked up from the zoid schematics sprawled out on the table before her. She was supposed to be deciphering Docter D's latest CAS modification, and she was supposed to have finished it two hours ago. Upon seeing her friend slumped in the doorway, however, she decided that she was not going to get it finished any time soon.
"Thomas?" she said, uncertainly. "Are you okay?"
It was a stupid question really, and not one Steph expected him to answer – Thomas was quite obviously not okay. If the slur of his speech and the glazed over look in his eyes didn't give it away, the foul stench of alcohol that hung around him did. The Imperial lieutenant grinned sheepishly as he entered further into the room and stumbled over to the sofa, displacing the previous occupant.
"Oh Zi!" Corporal Rebecca Carter yelped, snatching her feet out of the way just before Thomas squashed them. She clambered over the arm of the sofa, glaring at Thomas. He grinned back into the sofa. One eye was hidden, pressed up against the sofa cushions while the other was squeezed shut. The rest of his body hung half on the cushion, half on the floor. Wearily, Becky nudged him with her foot. "He's drunk as a skunk!" she announced.
Pushing aside the schematics and plans, Steph rose to her feet and hurried over to the couch. Thomas was indeed drunk. Maybe not quite akin to a skunk, as Becky had referred, but he was certainly intoxicated. From the smell of it, he'd been drinking vodka, awful stuff in Steph's opinion, but then, she wasn't much of a drinker.
Neither was Thomas, as far as she knew. She'd seen him down a glass of scotch or two in a bar with Van and Irvine on more than one occasion, but never to this extent. Then again, he had been under a lot of pressure lately, what, with his older brother breathing down his neck about his promotions and the technical designs he was working on for the new Organiod System based on BEEK.
"What in Zi's name has gotten into him?" Becky wondered, her hazel eyes watching Thomas wearily. Steph knew her cousin was wondering if the older boy was about to be sick – more importantly, she was worried she'd have to clean it afterwards.
Steph could only shrug her shoulders. "I have no idea," she said softly. She held her hand in front of his face and waved. When she got no response, she poked him between the ribs instead. His reaction was sluggish and little more than an uncomfortable wriggle, but she figured that was to be expected. Alcohol was, after all, a depressant and had no doubt contributed to Thomas' spectacular collision with the sofa only moments before.
"Thomas," Steph called to him, shaking him gently. "If you can hear me, open your eyes." He half-obliged, and opened one lime green eye to look at her.
"I finally did it," he said again.
As she did so, she noticed sounds coming from one of the bedrooms. The door opened and a young woman with dark skin and hair wandered into the living area, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"What's going on out here?" Moonbay mumbled. The transporter looked tired and dishevelled as she hobbled, only half-awake, into the living quarters. Her dark eyes widened a fraction when she saw Thomas slumped against the couch.
"Thomas is drunk," Becky said, matter-of-factly.
"Who's a skunk?" Fiona Elisi Linette asked, joining them.
"Thomas," Becky said again, grinning this time. "He reaks of alcohol."
"You better get him out of here before he stinks up the sofa," Moonbay told her, wrinkling her nose a little.
"Come on Thomas," Steph muttered, slipping her arm under his and heaving him unsteadily to his feet. It would have been near impossible for her to move him if he'd actually passed out.
She unlocked his room, using the keycard that hung around his neck and helped him into the room. She nudged him, rather unceremoniously towards the bed and he collapsed on to it, chuckling merrily.
"It was so simple," he told her, his lime green eyes shining with excitement. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Karl's going to eat his words now, you'll see."
She reached for his shoes and tugged one off before reaching for the other.
"I don't need your help to untie my shoes," he muttered, shoving her hands away. He wriggled the remaining shoe off with enthusiasm and dropped it unceremoniously on the floor.
"Do you want to know what I figured out?" he asked, with excitement akin to a child who had just discovered the hidden cookie jar.
Steph sighed impatiently. "What did you figure out Thomas?"
He grinned. "I figured out how to get the Changing Armour System re-calibrated for the Liger Zero."
"You're very smart Thomas," Steph said kindly, knowing he wouldn't remember a word of this exchange in the morning. "What would we do without you?"
She ruffled his hair and pushed him gently back down on the bed. He chuckled. "Mom used to do that," he said.
"Thomas, what was your mother like?"
"She was patient, and kind," Thomas said, his eyes misty with memories. "She always had time to look at my inventions, she even helped me finish some. Why do you ask?"
"I don't remember my mother," Steph said honestly, feeling somewhat envious. The lack of a mother figure was something she and most of the recruits in the Guardian Force program shared, but for Van and Thomas at least, they had the memories of their mothers. Marisa had passed away when Steph was only two years old – she never had the chance to make any memories.
The alcohol must have been slowly been working its way out of Thomas' system, because he sobered a little. "You always have a place with us."
He stretched out his legs on the bed and patted the space next to him so that she would lie down. Steph hesitated, remembering the pile of paper work waiting for her in the mess hall. Then she sighed and kicked off her boots. "What the hell," she muttered and stretched out next to him, laying her head on his chest.