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Chapter seven
"Alright, bro's… Let's do this!", Throttle smiled and they jumped on the train that was passing by. It was loaded with dirt or something, but it was still a good ground to jump on with the bikes.
They started singing, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Trouble ahead…", Throttle sang.
"Trouble behind…", Modo and Vinnie sang, while jumping off the train.
They landed right before it and drove further, still having fun. Suddenly, splashes of oil landed right in front of them and the bikes slipped.
"Hey!", Throttle said surprised, trying to get back control over his bike. He saw someone was shooting at them. Shooting with oil… And someone who looked a lot like Greasepit...
"There is trouble ahead!"
Greasepit was standing next to Limburger and Karbunkle, still firing at them.
"Vincent, follow me", Throttle ordered. "Modo, stop the train!"
"Ah yeah, sure. Give me the easy job…", Modo rumbled.
"You can handle it!"
"Oh momma…"
Modo looked over his shoulder and fired his jets. He made a looping and landed on top of the train. He jumped off his bike and kneeled. He leaned forward and looked through the window, into the cockpit.
"Excuse me? Would y'all mind stopping the train?", he asked polite, but the two humans stared in shock at him.
"It's a train robbery!", one of them yelled.
"That's ridiculous, we're carrying two hundred of car loads of dirt!", the other said, clearly annoyed because of the stupidity of his colleague.
Modo shook his head and slammed his fist through the window. The glass shattered and he grabbed the handle of the brake. But he pulled the wrong way and the handle broke.
"Uh oh…"
Meanwhile, Vinnie and Throttle drove straight towards Greasepit, who was still firing. They were holding a wooden plank and Greasepit and Karbunkle started to scream when they saw what they were upto. But they were too late. The plank slammed against them and they flew into the air.
Throttle and Vinnie gave each other a high five.
"Two out…", Vinnie smiled.
"Now for the clincher", Throttle said.
At the same time, Modo was improvising in stopping the train. He attached one side of a rope at the back of the train and the other one at the back of his bike. He jumped off the train and opened the gas. His bike had a hard time, but it worked. The train was slowing down and stopped right in time, before it would drive into the transporter that was gonna transport the train to Plutark.
"Pfew. Close one", he smiled and patted his bike.
"You're the best, darling."
Limburger was driving away in his purple limousine, clearly happy with himself that he made it out in time. But then he saw the two headlights in his mirror and he speeded up.
"I say it's time for a cheese sandwich", Throttle said to Vinnie.
Vinnie pointed with a finger at the side of his helmeted head.
"Oeoeoe, you've been reading my mind, bro."
They also speeded up and Vinnie drove to the right side of the limousine and Throttle to the left side. They made Limburger turning the wheel and let him drive straight toward the transporter. Limburger yelled and climbed out of the window and fell down, screaming loud. The limousine wasn't that lucky and flew straight into the transporter. Limburger was still falling and landed into the water. The bro's stopped on the edge of the cliff and looked down, laughing loudly.
"Hehehe, guess you missed the train, sweetheart", Vinnie cheered, waving at Limburger.
"Hahaha, yeaahh, and now the big cheese is all wet", Modo laughed.
"Blast, you meddling mice! I will get you! Mark my woooooooords!", Limburger yelled angry, while he was falling down a waterfall.
"You can tryyy…", Throttle started.
"... but it ain't gonna happen…", Modo rumbled.
"'CAUSE… we're the baddest mamma jammers in the universe!", Vinnie finished arrogant.
The mice high fived and drove away, loud laughing.
The next day, Kiwi was sitting under a parasol, watching the mice playing a ballgame on their bikes. They were lucky her yard was big enough to do such things. She smiled when she was looking at them. Since she had told them about her parents, and they told her about theirs, their bond had become better and better. She had learned the bro's were really good friends, knowing each other for years now. They had been through a lot together and their bond was unbreakable. Well, sometimes there were… small fights… But they always made it up with each other. One way or another. Sometimes they wrestled and kicked each others asses, but laughing out loud. She still didn't understand a thing about it. But hey, who was she to judge them?
The sound of shrieking brakes brought her back to reality and she saw Modo and Vinnie crash into each other. What the…? She jumped at her feet and ran over to them, to see if they were okay. Vinnie was hanging over his bike and pushed himself up with his hands. His eyes were fuming and his tail was lashing through the air. Uh oh. Trouble in paradise.
"You big lummox, watch where you're going!, ", he yelled angry at his larger bro, his fists clenched.
But Modo was also not amused, his eye glowing red.
"Watch it yourself, I had the ball!"
Kiwi was about to say something, when Throttle joined them.
"Wow, wow, wow, bro's… chill! It's a friendly game… remember?"
Vinnie took a deep breath to control himself.
"Yeah, yeah. You're right… It's cool", he said, but his tail was still lashing.
Modo turned to Vinnie, his eye still glowing red. He clenched his fist and punched Vinnie on the arm.
"Sorry, Vinnie my man… I didn't mean to wreck the game…", he rumbled and punched Vinnie again.
Kiwi rolled her eyes. Okaaayy, here we go again…
Vinnie narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.
"Oh no, it's my fault…", and he punched Modo back. But before things got outta hand, the voice of Sweet Georgie Brown echoed through Vinnie's speakers.
"Weeeelll, we interrupt this show for a bummer newsflash, buddies… The big cheese, Lawrence Limburger, has just announced he is gonna cut the wildlife resu-uuurve… Looks like wipe out time for our furry friends in the forest. Later bro's!" and heavy metal started again.
The mice looked at each other.
"Now that really STINKS!", Vinnie yelled, slamming his fist into his other hand. But of course, he used too much strength. "Auuww…", he yelped.
"Yeah… Just like Limburger…", Throttle said.
Modo jumped on his bike. "Nobody's hurting furry friends while we are around. Let's go cream his cheese!"
"Yeah!", his bro's yelled. Kiwi held up her hand.
"Now just wait a minute… This sounds like a…", she started, but the guys were already gone. She shook her head.
"Honestly, these mice… isn't it obvious this a trap? I better go to the reserve, maybe I can help", she talked to herself. She giggled and felt a tingle of excitement in her belly. Ah yes! It's time to rock and save the day without being the damsel in distress!
Meanwhile, the mice arrived at the reserve.
"You know, bro's, something seems to be wrong here…", Throttle said slowly while looking around. It all looked peaceful and quiet.
"You mean like… trees?", Modo asked.
"Yeah… If Limburger would've wanted to cut this place down, you think he would've started by now…", Vinnie said, also looking around.
"Maybe he had a chance of heart?", Modo suggested.
"He doesn't have a heart." Throttle hit the brakes and his bro's did the same. "No, I think it's something else…"
"Like what?", Vinnie asked, loss at what his leader was talking about.
"A trap…"
"Oh… yeah… Hey, wasn't Kiwi trying to say something when we drove away?", Vinnie asked, suddenly remembering this fact.
"Hmmm… keep your eyes open, bro's. I don't like this…", Throttle said, looking around.
Suddenly, they saw a red light flying right over them. The mice shook their heads.
Throttle suddenly felt a anger he never had felt before.
"Wow. Something ugly just flew by…"
Modo was also very cranky all of a sudden.
"You mean like your face?", he asked annoyed.
Vinnie's tail lashed through the air and he gritted his teeth.
"No, like your mom's…", he growled. Throttle chuckled at this retord. Oh boy. Modo gritted his teeth, his eye glowing red.
Kiwi jumped out of her car when she saw someone flying through the air. It looked like someone on a bike, but it wasn't one of her furred friends. Hmmm. It was way too quiet over here. Suddenly, she heard a growl and she followed the noise. She saw the mice standing, and wanted to walk over to them, but something stopped her. There was a red, glowing light around their heads and they looked very upset. What the…
She decided to wait for a moment, to see what was wrong. Because something told her there was something wrong. Very wrong.
Vinnie looked over his shoulder.
"Well what was that stupid thing anyway?"
"Ah, who the heck cares, you moron, maybe a UFO."
Vinnie clenched his fist.
"Shut up, you ugly idiot! UFOs have white lights, not red. Everybody knows that!"
Throttle intervened before Vinnie and Modo would attack each other.
"SHUT UP! Both of you just SHUT UP! You're bugging me!"
"Well, excuuuuse me, mister big shot", Vinnie growled and grabbed Throttle by his jacket.
"Yeah, who put a knucklehead like you in charge anyway?", Modo yelled.
Kiwi decided this was the time to intervene. She ran over to them.
"Guys, what's going on?", she asked but the mice looked at her with fuming eyes.
"Shut up, Kiwi!", they yelled in unison.
Kiwi wasn't that surprised. She had already seen they were not behaving like themselves. Limburger must be behind this. But how…
Throttle slammed Vinnie's hand away.
"Listen up, hothead. Why don't you take your temperament tantrums somewhere else? I'm sick of you always showing off!" and he crossed his arms before his chest.
"Well, I'm sick of you always ordering us around! I'm outta here…" and Vinnie drove away with dangerous speed.
"Good riddance!", Throttle yelled and turned to Modo.
"And you, if you would have a brain behind that muscle, you would be dangerous! Hit the road, Jack!"
"Yeah? Well, the next time you need muscle in a fight, you're on your own, pal!" and Modo drove away, just like Throttle.
Kiwi was still standing there. Shit. Now what? Three, hot headed angry macho mouse on the loose. What the hell happened? She walked slowly back to her car and grabbed her phone. But how was she gonna find this on the internet? This was scifi stuff. Hmmm… She suddenly saw a parachute lying on the ground. She grabbed it and saw a name on it.
'Evil Eye Weevil.'
She tried the internet, but could only find a stuntman named Evel Knievel. That didn't help… She needed to find the guys. And fast.
Modo was still at the reserve, sitting on his bike, feeling very guilty and confused. What the hell happened back there? He looked at the cows who were standing in the field where he had parked his bike.
"Hey little doggies. I'm sure you're happy… Bet you didn't have your friends saying mean stuff to you… And I bet you never said mean stuff to them either…"
One cow slowly came closer and looked at Modo with big, friendly eyes. Modo sighed.
"I don't know what happened, but I'm not gonna let it lose me my best friends. I'm gonna find them, and make it up with them, right now!" and he swung an arm around the cow's neck.
"Hey mouse boy! Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible..", he suddenly heard and he looked behind him. He saw two purple dudes pulling a tree out of the ground and that they were about to throw it to him. What the… He suddenly realized the cow was still standing next to him. He quickly pushed the animal away and wanted to aim his arm cannon, but he was too late. The tree slammed him down on the ground and knocked him out immediately.
"YIIAAOOOWW! Yeah!, I'm still the baddest mamma jammer on six planets! I'm Vinnieeee!" The white furred mouse cheered while he was jumping off a bridge. He landed on a big truck that was driving on the road and stopped with shrieking brakes. He still had that red haze before his eyes and the anger he felt was not normal. Somewhere deep down, he knew this was crazy and not right, but he just couldn't stop himself. The anger had completely taken over his body and mind.
"Vinnie the awesome! Who needs Throttle and Modo? After what they said to me? Hey, forget it! Who needs them?", he growled. He suddenly heard something from under him and he looked down. Two hooks came out of the truck and grabbed his tires.
"Well well well, hey mouse! Right now, I would say… you do!" he heard from the cabin.
Vinnie felt confused. What the... Shit. They were riding straight to a tunnel. And maybe the truck did fit into that tunnel, him and his bike absolutely not. He stepped off his bike and jumped off, throwing two flares at the truck. It made the truck collapse before the tunnel, so his precious bike was saved. Vinnie landed hard on the ground and felt his skin rub over the asphalt. He rolled and rolled and came to a halt on his belly. He tried to get up, still very, very angry, but he felt the world started to fade.
"Not one of my better landings…", he mumbled and he lost consciousness.
The first one Kiwi found, was Throttle. She had decided to start the search at her house. The tan furred mouse was sitting on his bike, staring down. She jumped out of her car and ran over to him.
"Throttle! Throttle, are you okay?", she asked, touching his arm. His fur felt different than Vinnie's. Rougher… Focus, Kiwi. Throttle looked at her and even she couldn't see his eyes, she saw he was feeling sad.
"Yeah, I eh… I'm fine. Hey, have you seen Vinnie and Modo? I like to talk to them. We eh… We kinda had words…"
"I know, I know. I was there. But something happened. Something is wrong… I found a parachute with the name Evil Eye Weevil on it. Does that name ring any bells?"
Throttle stared at her, his mouth open. He quickly recovered himself.
"Yeah, I know him. He had a stunt show on Mars for a while… He also got a hostility ray… Oh yeah… That would explain a whole lot…" and he rubbed his chin.
"But where are Vinnie and Modo?", she asked, her stomach tight in a knot because of worry. Throttle heard the worry in her voice and smiled reassuring at her.
"Well, the only place I can think of, is Limburger Plaza. Of course, he is the one who is behind all this. Don't worry, babe. I will go get them." He revved his engine.
"Hold the fort, Kiwi. I've gotta ride!"
"Wait! Do you need… help?", Kiwi asked a little hesitant. Throttle surprised her by reaching out and gently taking her hand.
"Believe me, Kiwi. I appreciate that. But this is between me… and the guys."
He looked one more time at her and then he drove away. Kiwi watched him leave.
"Careful, Throttle…", she whispered.
Throttle was standing on the rooftop from a building next to Limburger Plaza. He had a great view into Limburgers office and of course, he was right. He saw Vinnie and Modo tied up, Evil Eye Weevil with his two dumb ass sidekicks, Greasepit and of course… Limburger… Throttle gritted his teeth. He quickly checked the room again and spotted Vinnie's and Modo's bikes, chained up. In the same room. Honestly, was that cheese face that stupid?
He saw Greasepit pointing at him and soon after that, Limburger too. Throttle revved his engine. Showtime. No fooling around. No. Nobody's allowed to mess with his bro's. With a push on the button, he fired his jets. When he shattered through the window, he drove right over Evil Eye, who was checking his hair in a hand mirror. Limburger was running around in panic. Throttle turned his bike and stopped. Greasepit was running towards him.
"Got you now, moussie", but like Throttle had said; no fooling around. He clenched his fist and punched Greasepit right in the face. The big idiot fell on the ground and landed right on top of Evil Eye and his two helpers.
Throttle grabbed his laser gun and shot at the chains that held Vinnie and Modo.
"Yeah!", Vinnie cheered, rubbing his wrist.
"That's our bro!", Modo smiled, aiming his arm cannon and he shot the chains that held the bikes.
Limburger was pointing at Greasepit and Evil Eye.
"Don't just lie there, you lazy hounds. GET THEM!"
But the mice weren't in the mood for jokes and small talk.
"Don't move, you slimeball…", Throttle said with a low voice.
"...or you're cheese souffle…" Vinnie finished with a growl.
Modo was gritting his teeth in anger.
Suddenly, a red beam came out of Evil's Eye and it was aimed at the mice. But Vinnie jumped on his bike, grabbed the hand mirror that was fallen out of the hand of the villain and the beam reflected back. Vinnie grinned. Evil Eye lost control and his red beam was flying though the office.
"Aiaiaiaiaiiii"
"Too much bad karma in here, bro's…", Throttle smiled, avoiding the red light.
"Yeah, let's get out of here", Modo agreed.
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air.
"Let's rock and ride!" and with that, they quickly left the office through another window, leaving Limburger and the rest of the goons behind, fighting with each other.
When they landed, they pulled off their helmets and listened to the sounds of punching, scolding and swearing.
"Ahhh… Music to my ears…", Modo smiled.
"Yep", Throttle sighed happily. Vinnie nodded and turned around to face his bro's. He held up one finger in the sky.
"Only one more thing could make this night perfect…", he smiled evilly.
They jumped on their bikes and pushed a button. Cannons came out. They aimed at the tower. Vinnie was almost bouncing on his seat.
"We're back!"
"We're bad!"
"We're mice…"
"... and we're mad!", they finished in unison and laughed, while pushing the buttons.
Rockets flew out, the biggest coming from Vinnie (of course) and the tower exploded. The mice drove away, high fiving and laughing.
When they parked the bikes at the guesthouse, Kiwi walked over to them.
"Guys! Are you alright?", she asked, worried. She quickly looked at them, and her gaze stopped on Vinnie.
"Look at you arms!", she said, while walking closer to him to check it out.
Vinnie pulled off his helmet and looked. He saw multiple abrasions from his fall on the asphalt earlier that day.
"Just some battle tattoo's, nothing to worry about, doll", he said arrogant. But Kiwi didn't want to hear it.
"Quit your macho mouse talk. We need to clean them, otherwise they will get infected."
She grabbed his arm and wanted to take him with her, but she noticed he didn't move. She pulled on his arm again, but still, no movement. She turned around and looked at him.
"Vinnie, come on…"
But Vinnie shook his head.
"Nope. No way."
Kiwi looked helplessly at Throttle and Modo, but they shrugged. They knew their younger bro wanted nothing to do with any medical help or whatsoever. Probably some trauma from the war. Not that he was gonna admit that. Neither were his bro's. Well, not in front of their bro, that is. They liked to tease him and make him feel embarrassed about himself, but this was different. This was real.
Kiwi looked at Vinnie again. He looked down on her, with a arrogant smile on his lips. But she saw signs he thought she wouldn't see. His ears twitched a little, just like the tip of his tail. His eyes gave away something different then his usual arrogance and vice. She stared back into his red, ruby eyes.
"Okay… But if it will get infected, don't come to me, okay?", she said, but on a friendly way. She had a feeling about what was going on here.
"Sure thing… sweetheart."
Kiwi's eyes spit fire and Throttle quickly intervened.
"Let's go grab some hotdogs, bro's!" and they quickly mounted their bikes and drove away, Vinnie loud laughing.
Kiwi clenched her fists, but despite her annoyance towards the white furred mouse, the look in his eyes had touched her. It made him more… human? She giggled. Something like that… There was probably a whole story behind his ego and macho behaviour. And she hoped she was gonna find out what it was. Someday… That's where friends are for, right?
"Kiwi ma'am. I heard from Throttle you stepped on Vinnie's bike to make sure you could help me… You know, that day Limburger took my bike?", Modo asked.
They were chilling at the lake again and Throttle and Vinnie were busy with playing a ball game on their bikes. Kiwi stared at her feet.
"Yeah, I did…", she said, not sure how she felt about it.
Modo gently took her hand and looked her in the eye.
"That was very brave, Kiwi. Thank you."
She looked back at him, a blush on her cheeks.
"You're welcome, Modo. I will do it again if I have to. You know, to help…"
Modo gave her a little smile and pulled back his hands. He lay down on his back and folded his arms under his head.
"Did you drive…" but before he could finish his sentence, Throttle and Vinnie joined them.
Vinnie dropped next to Kiwi and grabbed a can of rootbeer. He took a big sip and burped loudly. Kiwi rolled her eyes. Throttle sat down next to Modo.
"So… who won the game?", Kiwi asked. But when Vinnie opened his mouth, she already regretted that question.
"Me! Of course. Did you doubt?", he said arrogant and Throttle sighed. Modo clapped him on the back.
"Don't blame yourself, Throttle. One day, you will smoke him. And then it will be him who's never gonna hear the end of it.."
"Hey! I heard that!"
"Good."
"Pfff, you guys are such bad losers…", Vinnie mumbled, just to have the last word.
Modo jerked upright, but Throttle lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Let it go, big fella. You know how he is."
Kiwi giggled. She felt really small, sitting between three macho mice. But she never had felt safer. Happier.
"So, where were you guys talking about?", Vinnie asked, curious as always. Kiwi held in her breath and Modo took the word.
"Just thanked Kiwi ma'am for riding on your bike that day. To help me."
Vinnie looked down at Kiwi and gave her a lazy smile. He swung his arm around her.
"Yeah, sweetheart. That was awesome. And you didn't even hit me this time!" he teased, his fingers brushing over her skin. Kiwi felt his fur on her naked skin and his fingers on her arm. He was such a teaser, this mouse. She quickly made herself loose.
"That's because Modo isn't such a pain in the ass and I wanted to help him!", she snarled, feeling embarrassed his movements gave her goosebumps and a tingle in her belly.
Vinnie just shrugged and winked at her. Modo took the word again.
"And I was just about to ask… ehm… did you ride a bike before the accident, Kiwi ma'am?"
Kiwi felt her heart going faster, but she tried to ignore it.
"No, I didn't. But my parents did. So, we used to go on trips every weekend and holiday. But I never rode one myself."
"So the garage, with all the bikes and tools…", Throttle said slowly.
"From my dad. He adored bikes. He loved it. When he wasn't working or driving, he was working in the garage."
Kiwi saw a image from her father, working on his bike in the garage. She was sitting on that desk, watching him. Just like a son who watched his father shave himself, she loved it to watch him working on his bike. She shook her head. It was too painful.
"I never liked bikes that much. I just loved to spend time with my parents. So, if that meant to ride on a bike a whole day… well… you know…"
Vinnie smiled.
"There is always room for two on my bike, sweetheart", he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Kiwi pushed him away.
"Yeah, for you and your ego!"
Throttle and Modo laughed.\
"Guess she told you, loverboy", Throttle snickered.
Vinnie rolled his eyes.
"Funny…"
Then the group grew serious again.
"Maybe it's a good idea to practise…", Throttle started, but Kiwi shook her head.
"No. I will never, ever ride a bike again. Maybe only when one of your lifes is on the line…"
"But what when it's your life that's on the line? What then?", Throttle asked straight to the point. Kiwi opened her mouth, but closed it again. Hmmm. Good question. She was living in a war now. She opened her home for three soldiers. Maybe she wasn't a soldier and this wasn't exactly her war, taking them in involved her into this war. So, maybe it would be a good idea to get over this trauma… But could she do it? Did she have the strength to get over this?
"Ehm… Your point is well taken…", she said slowly. Her eyes were big and she looked at Throttle. "But… I'm scared…"
"I know, Kiwi. But we will take it slow. You can trust us."
And she did. Trusting them. But still…
That evening, they were standing next to the bikes. Throttle had suggested it was her choice wich bike she wanted to sit on. But she couldn't decide. The only thing that was on her mind, was the idea to sit on a bike again. Images of the accident flashed in her head. Cold sweat, her heart racing… suddenly, a hand that gently took her hand. She looked up and saw Vinnie standing next to her. He said nothing, but just held her hand. His bike came closer and he gently pulled her closer. Her first reaction was running away, but she didn't. The bike beeped and Kiwi smiled. Even the bike was trying to help her.
She took a deep breath and walked to the bike till she was standing next to it. But then, the panic took over immediately. She made herself loose from Vinnie and tried to run away, but Vinnie grabbed her. Still gentle, he pulled her in his arms and held her.
"Easy, sweetheart. Easy."
Kiwi tried to control herself. She inhaled his scent, which was lovely and the feeling of his soft fur made her feel calmer. She was shaking. Vinnie said nothing, just held her. Slowly, she calmed down enough. Vinnie made himself loose and looked her in the eye.
"You can do this."
He kept talking to her, while he was slowly bringing her back to the bike. Kiwi kept staring in his eyes, held her fingers in his fur and listened to him talking to her. She hardly noticed he was helping her sitting on the back of his bike. He was sitting on the front seat, but backwards, so he could hold her and look her in the eye.
"See? No big deal at all, sweetheart", he said triumphant.
Kiwi came out of her trance and saw herself sitting on the bike. But there was no panic this time. She was just sitting there, with Vinnie in front of her, who looked very satisfied with himself right now. But she didn't care. He did a good job helping her.
"Wanna go for a ride, sweetheart?", Vinnie asked, with a teasing smile on his lips. Kiwi's head jerked up.
"NO!"
"Easy, just kidding, doll…"
Throttle and Modo joined them. Throttle gave Kiwi a high five.
"Good job, babe. You can be proud of yourself!"
Kiwi blushed, still sitting on the bike. She looked at Vinnie, who was still sitting across her. Her gaze lowered and she saw she was still holding his hand. She quickly pulled it back, smiling nervously. What was happening here? She wasn't sure. Vinnie gave her a shy smile and stepped off his bike. Kiwi followed his example.
"Thanks guys… I am gonna go to bed now. Good night!" and she quickly walked away. She needed some time for herself. To think.
The guys were sitting in the yard, enjoying one more rootbeer before they would go to bed. Throttle had to ask.
"Is there something going on between you and Kiwi?", he asked at his white furred bro. Vinnie looked at him like he was on fire or something.
"What? No way!"
Modo wasn't convinced.
"Yeah, right. So what was all that about, helping her on the bike?"
Vinnie shrugged.
"She needed some help. I gave it to her. No big deal, bro's."
But his bro's weren't convinced. Of course, they knew their bro was more than just a walking ego. He was sweet, loyal and caring. But he didn't show it that often.
Vinnie noticed they were still looking at him.
"What?" Mister innocence himself. Throttle shook his head.
"Never mind."
Vinnie shrugged and was happy they dropped the subject. He glanced at Throttle. He wondered if Throttle might have feelings for Kiwi. But what about Carbine? He didn't ask, though. Unlike his bro's, he wasn't that interested in their love lifes. Well, maybe he would if they had any. But fighting in a war, well… there wasn't really time to have a social life. Let alone a love life. And if you were lucky enough to find someone special in a warzone, they just took her away from you. Like Harley. Or your relationship went to hell. Like Carbine and Throttle. He sighed. What a depressive thoughts for his normally joyful brain. He shook his head and grabbed a couple of flairs out of a small box. Thankfully, they had saved most of their weapons and ammunition when they jumped out of their ship. He put the flairs in the empty cases of his bandoliers. Then, he grabbed his laser gun and opened it. He changed the purple stone with a new one and with a click, he closed the gun. He aimed at a tree and pulled the trigger. The laser hit his target and left a huge, burning hole. Modo and Throttle looked up startled.
"Really, Vincent?", Throttle looked at the tree and then back at Vinnie. Vinnie smiled innocently.
"What? I'm just making sure I'm prepared. I could've shot at you, but I thought you wouldn't appreciate it."
Throttle felt a pounding headache.
"I'm going to bed."
Modo also stood up.
"Me too."
Vinnie hesitated, but the look on Throttle's face said it all. No way he was gonna leave him sitting here by himself. You know, to avoid the white furred adrenaline junkie would destroy half the house or something.
"Fine. I'll come with ya."
The next day, after breakfast, Kiwi suggested the mice would take a bath or shower. So she could wash their clothes. They stared at her in shock. Kiwi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
The mice shared quick looks. They didn't like to take a bath. But Throttle knew they didn't had a choice right now. Since their crash on Earth, they were walking in the same clothes everyday and he had noticed his fur was getting greasy. He sighed.
"Alright."
Vinnie jerked his head into his direction.
"What? No way, man!" and he put his chin in the air while crossing his arms. The paragon of a child who's forced to do something against his will.
Modo looked pleading at Kiwi.
"Kiwi ma'am, is this really necessary?", he asked, polite as always. Kiwi smiled at him.
"Yeah. You guys are here for weeks now and never took a bath. How did you do that on Mars?"
"Well, we never took a bath. There wasn't enough water and ehm, well… We were kinda busy with other things", Modo told her. Kiwi bit on her lower lip, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"And what about your clothes?"
"We just wore the same everyday…", Throttle said, a little embarrassed now. He had never really thought about it, but while he was listening to himself and Modo, he started to understand where Kiwi was coming from. He scratched behind his ear, smiling sheepishly. Kiwi tried to stay strict, but she just couldn't. The look on their faces… priceless. Her lips curled into a smile.
"Okay, listen. I will buy you some clothes, alright? So you don't have to wear the same every day."
"Kiwi ma'am, that…", Modo started, but Vinnie interrupted him.
"And what's the catch?", he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Modo was about to punch him for being disrespectful, when Kiwi started to laugh.
"You know me to well already. Okay, hear me out. I will buy you some clothes and you guys agree to take a bath or shower say… once a week. You with me?"
Vinnie opened his mouth, but Throttle was quicker this time.
"We're with ya."
Vinnie turned to Throttle, but Throttle gave him such a warning look, Vinnie bit his tongue and kept his mouth shut.
"Okay. I need to know your size and stuff…", Kiwi mumbled, deep in thoughts. She pulled on the back of Vinnie's pants, searching for a label. She was too busy with thinking about their sizes, it didn't occur to her that their pants came from Mars and probably didn't had any labels.
"Sweetheart, as much I like you're way of thinking, maybe this is too soon?", Vinnie smiled arrogant, looking over his shoulder.
Kiwi froze. Shit. God. She could be so stupid sometimes. Of course there wasn't a label in their pants. They came from Mars. Duh. And why, for fuck sake why, did she choose Vinnie to search for it in the first place? She quickly pulled back her hands, a blush on her cheeks.
"Ahum… Yeah… Eh… I-I will guess the size, I eh… yeah, that would be for the best, I guess…", she stuttered.
Vinnie winked at her, but Throttle made his smile vanish like snow in the sun.
"Come on, let's get clean, bro's."
"Ugh…", Vinnie sighed and let out a stream of curse words in Martian. That resulted in a clap against the back of his head from Modo.
"That is NOT how you talk in front of a lady!"
Vinnie gritted his teeth, but closed his mouth. Even he knew not to taunt a angry Modo. Kiwi was recovered from her embarrassment.
"Throw your dirty clothes in the laundry basket, alright? The basket next to the shower, guys. Honestly… I will wash them when I come back with clean clothes."
"And what do we need to wear till you're back?", Throttle asked, completely at loss how these things worked.
"Or maybe you prefer us naked? You know, to see if our new clothes fit?" and Vinnie wiggled his eyebrows. Throttle had it.
"Okay, Vincent, enough. Get your ass into that shower, now!"
Vinnie winked one more time at Kiwi and walked away. Throttle shook his head.
"Honestly, that mouse… Anyway, where were we? Ah, what to wear…?"
"There are hanging bathrobes in your closet. You can use them. I will be back soon, okay? You know how the shower works?"
Throttle and Modo nodded.
"We'll figure it out. Thanks, Kiwi. For all this. You're really caring", Throttle said, laying a hand on her shoulder.
"No problem, guys. Be right back. Try not to break anything, okay? Please?"
"No worries, Kiwi ma'am", Modo reassured her.
"And be careful. Watch out for Limburger and his goons", Throttle warned her. Kiwi saluted.
"I will. Bye!" and she walked to her car.
When Modo and Throttle walked into the guesthouse, they found Vinnie on the couch. Throttle sighed and walked over to the white furred mouse.
"Shouldn't you be in the shower right now, Vinnie?"
Vinnies hook his head.
"No way, man. Do you know how long it takes before my fur is dry again? The feeling alone… ugh."
Throttle rolled his eyes. Sometimes… But he knew exactly how to make Vinnie do what he wanted. He gave Modo a small nod.
"The last one coming out of the shower is a rotten cheese omelet!", he suddenly yelled and he and Modo ran towards the bathrooms.
But before they even could open the door, a white blur flew past them and the door shut with a bang.
"I am so gonna win this", they heard him cheering.
Modo and Throttle gave each other a high five.
"You take the other bathroom, big fella. I will go when you or Vinnie are done."
One hour later, they were all clean. Vinnie was very satisfied with the fact he won and even more satisfied that Throttle lost his own declared competition, so he wasn't even complaining about his wet fur. He hardly seemed to notice. They were sitting in the sun, in their white bathrobes, in the hope their fur was gonna dry quicker. At that moment, Kiwi came back. Throttle felt he relaxed a little. He didn't like it to let her go on the street on her own, but he knew he couldn't lock her away. So, he was glad she was back in one piece. She stepped out of her car and grabbed bags out of the trunk. Modo saw her struggle and immediately jumped up to help her, as the gentleman he was. He helped her carry the bags to the guesthouse and she started to unpack them. While she was doing that, she looked at the three mice.
"You guys look much better, I must say. Did you like the shower?", she asked, while sorting jeans and t-shirts.
"Yeah, it was actually quite relaxing", Throttle answered, looking at all the clothes. Maybe they weren't that long on Earth and he didn't knew exactly how things worked here, but this had to cost a lot of money.
"Kiwi, ehm… Did you pay for all this?", he asked hesitantly.
"No, I stole them", she answered nonchalant.
The mice stared at her. She started laughing.
"Just kidding. Yeah, I payed for all this. It's no big deal, my parents were rich. They left me everything, so money isn't a problem…", she trailed off, suddenly a sad look on her face. The mice didn't knew what to say, so Modo grabbed one of the jeans to take a closer look.
"These are nice, Kiwi ma'am", he said, looking at the solid fabric.
"Biker jeans. They look like normal jeans, but there is a kevlar layer in it. And knee patches. You know, to protect you when you fall."
"I like it, sweetheart, I like it", Vinnie said, looking at the jeans.
"Like I live for your approval", Kiwi snapped at him.
Vinnie shook his head and slammed his hand against his forehead. Sometimes, he just couldn't get what was going through her head. The one time she was shy, sweet and nervous, the other time she snapped at him. Women…
"I need to make holes in them for your tails, but maybe you want to try them first. You know, to make sure it's the right size…", she suggested. The mice nodded and took the clothes from her.
It seemed Kiwi had a good eye for sizes, because the jeans fitted perfectly. She took them all with her, including a bag full with black boxers, to make holes in it. The mice dropped on the couch and Modo put on the TV. He opened a can of rootbeer. Yeah. He could get used to this life.
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