Here we go, we just needed a good party to get this fic goin! I hope. Please tell me I require validation for my efforts.
The air in the city had become consistently warm, and the predictable rainy days had passed as June came around. It was about 4pm on a Friday when Ashley and Mira got home from their jobs and started to get ready for that night. Only a few days earlier Baxium had invited them both out to a party at his friend's place and they were anxious to go.
"At least we're going together," Ashley said with a sigh. "If it's too much then we can just leave."
"Can we though?" Mira asked, thinking about how Baxium might feel if she were to just leave in the middle of the party he invited her to.
"Well that depends, are you planning on not coming home tonight?" Ashley asked with a mischevious grin.
Mira rolled her eyes as her cheeks grew warm. "Shut up."
Ashley finished her makeup and got off of Mira's bed to find her outfit. "I was just joking, but you know I'll support you either way."
"I mean it is in Queens. We might be spending the night whether we like it or not." Mira muttered, beginning to doubt if they should even go.
/
In the Queens borough of the city, Baxium was carrying another keg into his friend's apartment. "I'll tell ya Traximus, if Devy throws as big a party as they did for Grimstone this is gonna be a rager."
"What's a rager?" Traximus questioned as he brought up several bags of snacks.
"Like the kinda party we threw when you took over after showin Zanramon the door."
"Oh," Traximus said before grinning. "I guess you could describe that as a rager. But I really didn't want anything like that for this. It's not like I'm leaving forever," he continued while they took the elevator up to the top floor.
"Well you know Devy. They like to be flashy."
Inside Traximus' apartment, their friend Devy was coordinating the decorations as a dj was already setting up against a wall in the cleared out living space. Traximus dropped his arms to his sides, nearly letting go of the snacks, as he took in everything around him.
There were sparkling, reflective decorations of various sizes draping from the ceiling, with a far wall bearing the dangling words "Good Luck Traxi!" Devy, a size-shifting alien with a shell along the entire dorsal part of their body, was busy setting up a long table with beverages and snacks.
"I warned you," Baxium said as he gave a firm pat to Traximus' back.
Traximus shook his head as he carried the snacks back to the table. "This was not what I wanted at all."
"Aw, don't be like that!" Devy said with a grin as they helped unpack the snacks. "You're gonna have a great night with all the people in the city you love, and some people you don't know yet."
"Devy, when I agreed to a going-away party I was expecting something... not like this." Traximus eyed the dj as they began hooking up their equipment to the speaker system.
Devy shook their head as they poured out the snacks into bowls and placed extra bags under the tables. "Traximus, Traximus, Traximus... when you got a place like this, you have to throw a grand party whenever you can!"
Traximus couldn't help but feel a little bad as he watched Devy set up in such an excited way.
"I can see you have some reservations about this still," Devy started, putting an arm around Traximus' arms as they couldn't quite reach his shoulders. "But that's why I planned this a few days before your actual departure. No need to stress about cleaning right away or being inebriated on the flight back to Homeworld!"
"I... appreciate your thoughtfulness, Devy. I'm going to get ready now, I'll leave the rest up to you." Traximus left, still feeling conflicted about the large party being thrown for him, and journeyed down the hall to his room. "I may need to lock some of these doors if I can," he muttered to himself.
"Being his assistant can be so boring I can hardly imagine what it's like to be him," Devy muttered to Baxium as they continued running around to get set up.
"I should get going too," Baxium said. "Good luck with everything Devy!"
"Yeah, it's always like that for me," Devy mumbled with a smile.
/
As the sun set, Raph and Mikey made their way to the trains just as Baxium was coming from the trains. Eventually, their paths crossed and Raph stopped him on the sidewalk. "What're you doin in Brooklyn Bax? Thought you'd be goin to Traximus' party."
Embarrassed, Bax just smiled and tried to avoid eye contact. "Oh, I am. I'll see you guys there."
The brothers gave him a weird look before shrugging and continuing to the trains.
"Why's Traximus going back to Homeworld again?" Mikey asked.
"The council has some kinda meeting he has to be there for every now and then. It's not like he's even gonna be gone a long time."
They waited for the trains on the crouded platform, filled with cautious humans, distrusting alliancers, and the rare paranoid mutant. No matter where in the city he went, he still felt out of place. It frustrated him to think that whether he was recognized and "accepted" or not, he still never felt like he belonged anywhere.
"I think it's kinda cool he's throwing a party though," Mikey said out of the blue, interrupting his brother's thoughts. "I wonder who's gonna be there!"
Raph couldn't help but give a half-smile at his brother's optimism. With Mikey around, maybe the night wouldn't be so bad.
Do you prefer more chapters that are a bit shorter, or do you prefer longer chapters encompassing everything? I sort of like this format but tell me what you think!