"AaaaaaaaAAAAGH! MOVE!" Meta snarled, smacking the steering wheel. The car in front of them failed to comply, causing Meta to mutter something unintelligible. Kirby was fairly sure he didn't want to hear it anyway. Kirby had finally managed to persuade the man to take him to a zoo that lay far beyond the small village in which they resided. Unfortunately that meant considerable traffic, which in turn meant considerable anger on Meta's part.
"I don't think they can hear you" Kirby said helpfully. He caught a glimpse of narrowed gray eyes in the rear-view mirror. Wearing a full face helmet was apparently in violation of some obscure traffic law, and he'd been forced to take it off by an unamused patrolman. This had done nothing to help his already foul mood.
"I'm aware" he muttered. Kirby was the only thing keeping him from his usual horrifically aggressive driving, but obeying the rules of the road was rapidly wearing on him. He silently cursed the absence of landing ports for any airborne transportation at the zoo.
"They've got bats there." Kirby's voice snapped Meta out of his fantasy of raining death upon the freeway via the Halberd. He raised an eyebrow.
"Alright?" he said slowly. Kirby leaned closer to the front of the car.
"You like bats" he quipped. Meta shrugged, peering at the signs passing overhead.
"I suppose" he said absently. The car suddenly jerked to the side as he deftly avoided a van drifting into his lane. "The little lines are there for a reason you imbecile!" he shrieked.
"They're your people" Kirby said cheerily. Meta abandoned his brief murderous impulse, and made a puzzled face.
"Kirby… I'm not actually a bat" he said. Kirby huffed.
"I know! I just thought…" he mumbled. Meta sighed heavily.
"I'm sure I will enjoy observing them" he said. His eyes were better adapted to dark environments anyway. Meta glanced in the rear-view mirror, and audibly growled. "Are my tail lights that appealing to you?!" he snarled in the vague direction of the tail-gating pickup.
"They're nice I guess."
"I wasn't speaking to you, Kirby" Meta said. Silence fell, punctuated only by the muffled sounds of traffic around them. Meta guided the vehicle towards their exit, relieved. They rounded the tight curve, Kirby supplying an excited sound at the movement. They stopped dead in their tracks at the line of cars at a standstill ahead. A roadside sign helpfully notified them that an accident had occurred a mile ahead in bright orange lights.
"I hope they're ok!" Kirby gasped. Meta banged his head against the steering wheel, emitting a low grumbling sound. He rummaged around the center console, and retrieved the only CD case he felt.
"I hope you like Queen" he grumbled, jamming it into the slot.
Hours and several agonizingly slow miles later, the ride had devolved into a sing along hosted by the angriest driver known to exist in the universe. Singing was a generous term for it, as Kirby was entirely tone deaf and Meta was mostly just screaming in fury, occasionally stopped to throw disparaging remarks at other drivers.
"…has a devil put aside for meeeee" Kirby hadn't known the words before, but now he did. "For meeeee… For me-"
"AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAGH" Meta screeched, drowning out even the high note. The car noticeably sped up, and they passed an area ringed with response vehicles and debris. Kirby watched the scene grow smaller out the rear window.
"That wasn't so bad" he chirped.
"I want to die" Meta deadpanned. He noticed how severely he was speeding, and slowed. Kirby started to bounce in his seat.
"We're almost there!" he sang, ignoring Meta's remark. The knight turned the stereo down.
"Indeed" he muttered. The rest of the drive went smoothly, and they soon pulled up to the expansive parking lot of the zoo. Meta purchased and placed the parking pass before snagging a spot. There was only an hour until closing and the place was seemingly half abandoned, but Kirby insisted an hour was enough. Meta exited the car, stiff legs aching horribly. He ensured Kirby had safely exited before locking it. A small hand slipped into his.
"We gotta stay together" Kirby said urgently. Meta gave him a weary smile.
"Of course." He suddenly didn't mind the hassle of getting there.
(Author's note: Inspired by my recent disastrous outing to the Lincoln Zoo. Gotta love Chicago traffic. Hope you enjoyed! -Poecilotheria)