Donut Family

AU

[Rebecca Sugar, Raven Molisee, Paul Villeco. Or any of the monsters that trapeze through Beach City.]

Exposition that shards have their own consciousness when Gems are broken. If you recall, I mentioned PeeDee coming over the evening of last chapter. Results are the beginning of this episode outside Gem influence. And it was never explained how Pearl lost a shard that was in a bubble, so why explain how it got into Frybo this time as well?

-Onomatopoeias are in bold. (Parenthesis) mean whisper.-

Tid-Bit Notes: I had not a clue what to do with this one for a while. I'm expecting this'll only get harder.

-artisticRadifyer

Ch. 5 Frybo

"PeeeeeeeDeeeeee!"

"Steven."

"Ready?"

"Just like every other time."

"Whoo!"

"Is my room taken?"

"Nah, the only people are Buck and Sour Cream sharing the Trio room to get away from girls for the evening, but they aren't staying all night anyway."

"So they're doing a ten-dollar evening?"

"Yep. After the twenty-dollar night Jenny and Buck paid for, Sour Cream would have this one and I don't think he has enough for overnight."

"Maybe we can get in some beats before they decide to leave."

"So, we're going to your dad's work today?" Steven asked.

"Eh, I'm going by to drop my stuff off so I don't have to make another trip later. He..." PeeDee hefted his things, "said we can go play today, though."

"Cool!"

"I'm just glad I'm not going to get attacked by gulls."

"Seagulls can't be that mean!"

The two boys made their way by Beach Citywalk Fries with Lars in tow, who ended up lagging way behind. They got onto the rides at the front of Funland Arcade next; Steven on the jellyfish and PeeDee on the seahorse, which vibrate and rock respectively.

"This seahorse used to make me so happy. Now it's just giving me whiplash." PeeDee's ride stops. "...I feel like there' just no point to it. Y-you know what I mean?"

"I-I j-juu-st fe-eel ti-i-ing-l-ly-y-yy!"

PeeDee sighs, "You'll understand when you have a job."

Steven's ride stops as well, "I do have a job! I help at the Old Wash, and the Big Donut, and I'm going to be protecting humanity from magic and monsters and stuff!"

"I mean a real job. That you get paid for."

"I'm paid in the smiles across the town's faces'."

"I don't see anyone smiling. You pick up a job to buy a house, or raise kids, or to...impress your dad. You work away your life and what does it get you?"

"...Smiles and faces?"

"No. You get cash. Cash that can't buy back what the job takes. Not if you rode every seahorse in the world." The skinny boy heaved another sigh.

"Whoa..." Steven wanted PeeDee to be happier, "Wanna try the jellyfish?"

Before PeeDee could begin to reply, a shout was heard from a distance, "Gahhhg!"

"That came from the Fry Shop!" Peedee said.

The boys rushed over to the shop, and found people from all over the boardwalk running away from it. Some are snagged by long, yellow coils that shot out the door of the shop like a frog's tongue.

"What was in the world was that?! Is there an animal that does that?!" PeeDee rushed.

A table flew through the shop's front window, and allowed both boys to take in Beach City's newest, gem affected monster.

"(Frybo?)" Steven whispered.

Mr. Smiley was just in front of it, "PLE-HE-HEASE! NO MORE FRIES!"

"FRYBO!" Steven ordered, "STOP!"

The possessed costume turned its attention to the new prey. Both the kids and the monster got a nice assessment of the other party before it tossed a person at them through the shattered window.

"Lars!" Steven called.

He spit out some fries, "I don't even like fries!" and took off away from the shop.

"GET HELP!" Steven yelled after him.

Peedee was gripping his tank-top, "Why is my dad's costume alive?!"

"I don't know!"

"Frybo?" Fryman opened a door from the back of the shop.

"Oh, no! Dad!"

"Fryman, run!"

"PeeDee!" Fryman saw Peedee outside the shop before he was grabbed by the vine-like fries which sprouted from the top of the costume, "Run, kids! I need someone to run this place, and I know your brother won't be able to handle it!" He was trying to escape, but wasn't quite able to, "You're a valued member of Fryman Brothers Incorporated and all its affiliates!"

"Da-ha-haaad!" PeeDee began a leap, but Steven tugged the smaller boy back down by his leg,

"No! He'll mash your potatoes!" Steven turned to take the path he just denied his friend from taking.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Training on the job!"

The costume tossed Fryman this time, whom landed on both boys. They struggled to get up, and Steven is distracted from helping much by the arrival of Pearl,

"Pearl!"

"Steven?" She identified him but not the costume, "Who is attacking everyone?"

"Nobody is supposed to be in the costume!"

"So it's moving on it's own?"

"YES!"

"Do you know how it happened?"

"NO!"

"THAT must be where my missing shard went. So much for controlling the garments they were in earlier today," she summons her spear and bulls-eye'd Frybo's eye, which sent ketchup all over her.

"Uhhuhh…" Pearl dropped a bubble that popped and the shards that were inside were freed.

Steven was finally out from under Fryman, "Pearl!"

"Ah! The ketchup!" When she wiped her eyes, the ketchup on her hands replaced what was in her eyes, "It's everywhere! I can't see!"

Steven figured he would try to stop Frybo before helping Pearl, "You said there's a shard like these in the costume?"

"Yes! We need extract the shard before it grows too powerful!"

"I'm using these!"

"Wha? Steven?"

Peedee tried to wake his father, "Daa-Haad!"

The costume finally recovered from Pearl's strike, and began to advance toward where the overturned Fryman lay as PeeDee stood over him.

The boy tried to hit the costume with a broken plank of wood, "Go AWAY!"

"(PeeDee…)" Fryman was woken up.

"You are AWFUL! I hate you! I've ALWAYS HATED YOU!"

"Wait… You've always hated Frybo?"

Frybo snatches the plank and the man and son cower before the possessed possession.

A pair of pants socked the monster in the face, GK—

Peedee saw Steven off to the side, "Steven!"

"Where?!" Pearl asked.

"Your move, Frybo."

Frybo launched itself forward with a SKRREEKT, into Steven's posted clothes guardians; which were now possessed by shards of the same origin the rogue's had.

Steven had caught a bit Pearl muttered about controlling garments—he hoped she meant clothes—with the shards and willed these to not rebel quite as quickly, "ATTACK!"

The clothes walloped the rogue brother, but began losing the upper hand.

"Fryman, let me use your apron!"

"What?"

KREEAGGT

"I only have underwear left! Now!"

"Here!"

GRRREEAC

Steven dropped his final shard into one of the apron's many front pockets, "Go!"

The controlled garments felled Frybo and Steven reached in the middle opening to grope for the final shard. The boy wrenched out the piece, KCCISSTT, and dropped it onto the boardwalk, guarding it from clothes as he rounded up the other shards.

"Steven?! Are you alright?" Pearl groped and found Fryman's face.

"Ffinndd."

"I'm ohkay." Steven addressed her concern, and then did a dramatic monologue, "As soon as I bared my chest, I knew he'd fall to my behest. ...Sadie's gonna be so proud of that one."

"You bet! That was a...nice one." The mentioned girl complemented, but trailed off at the mess on the boardwalk. "Why are your clothes all over the Boardwalk?"

"Oh! Ah... I haven't picked them up yet."

Lars had returned with Sadie, as the form of help closest, and didn't know how to take in the scene, "How did you defeat that thing?!"

"By using my clothes, turning its own power against it! Just like a movie!"

"Here are some napkins." Fryman was helping Pearl out behind Steven.

"Thank you." Pearl cleaned herself up, "Ketchup is disgusting."

Sadie gently reminded Steven, "Well, a hero doesn't go around in his underwear, now does he?"

"Right."

"I can see now." Pearl handed the napkins back.

Steven came to Fryman just after Pearl, "Here's your apron back."

"Thank you, Steven."

"How did you get your clothes to do that?" Peedee asked.

"Pearl had more of the things that made Frybo go crazy. She said one escaped, I saw the rest she dropped when she got blinded by ketchup, and I got the idea to use them."

"Which, I need back." Pearl took the shards Steven presented, "To stow away into the unpredictable pile."

"What are you sorting?" Steven asked.

Pearl leapt away, "Goodbye, Steven!"

"She just, left without answering him." Lars defended himself before Sadie could berate him, "At least I have the decency to do that much."

"Maybe she just didn't hear him." Sadie tried to justify.

"No; those ladies have super hearing."

Steven had all of his clothes back on, "I think they do too."

Sadie was the one to close the case, "...Well, it's over and unimportant."

"Steven, we're apparently holding a little funeral for Frybo." Peedee invited him, "Are you coming?"

"I'm not!" Lars stated. "That thing will be giving me nightmares! I'm sure of it! I'll see you guys at the Wash..."

"Sure." Steven accepted. "If it's ohkay with the new Steven Watch."

"Why not. When and where are we going?" Sadie also accepted.

Peedee shrugged, "I think it'll be a pryr on the ocean."

"Oh, cool. I've always wanted to see one... Well, not with the circumstances that come with that, but, just- Ahg, you know what I mean."

Bonus:

"Sour Cream, Buck, and the boys if either or both are in there! If you get the police called on us for disturbing sleep like in the movies, you'll be banned from playing music for three months! Anywhere! The whole town will know you're grounded!"

*cricket noises* *really low-volume music begins*

"I was close to saying something too! Thanks Greg!"

"I just wanna sleep..."

"Night, Dad!"