Addicted

'Delicious! The best thing I ever ate!' Buster thought, slurping at the robot-shaped popsicle with glee. Not only was it helping him cool off on the very hot summer day, but he was enjoying something from his favorite summer blockbuster franchise: Robot Recue Heroes. He licked his lips, placing the...stick of the popsicle into his mouth.

"Aww, it's gone!" he cried, staring at the red-stained popsicle stick.

Buster now had a dilemma. Usually he only had one popsicle a day, even if it was the heart of summer. He was told by his mother to make them last, especially since these popsicles were more expensive because of the franchise name.

But he had to have another one.

An hour later, the box was empty and wrappers littered the trashcan, glaring at Buster as he licked the cherry flavor of the robot's insides from his lips. His mom was going to be angry if she noticed they were already gone, so he took out the trash early to keep her from seeing. He then brushed his teeth and lips to remove the cherry color from his mouth.

The only problem? He still wanted more.

Buster called Arthur's house, knowing he was a Robot Rescue Hero fan as well as a popsicle connoisseur. Arthur picked up the phone and Buster got right to the point; he had to have one of those popsicles.

"Buster, I thought your mom got some yesterday at the store," Arthur said, sighing as he looked towards the freezer. DW was staring into it, her own Mary Moo Cow Moo Bars sitting just beyond her reach thanks to their mouth's genius.

"She did but I ate them all. Please, I need some! I'll trade you a comic book or two for the whole box, even Bionic Bunny stuff," Buster pleaded.

"Buster, if you already ate a whole box since yesterday, I shouldn't let you, even if I want your comics. Seriously, just drink some water and watch TV or something," Arthur shrugged, flinching as DW cried out for her own ice cream.

"You're a horrible friend Arthur Read!" Buster hissed, slamming down the phone.

Buster blushed as he looked at the phone. Those popsicles were turning him into a monster. He'd never yelled at Arthur like that, and yet his craving remained. He grabbed his bike helmet and got on. He knew the Powers' ice cream shop would have the popsicles thanks to their newest marketing technique.

"I want them all!" Buster cried, tossing a wad of cash onto the counter and pointing at the entire box of popsicles. Brain looked him over carefully before looking to the cash.

"That box is twenty dollars, Buster. This is only...four-fifty," Brain said, looking up carefully. "Sorry, but you only have enough for five bars."

"I'll take them!" Buster exclaimed, his eye nearly twitching from the desire to eat the popsicles.

"Buster Baxter, have some control over yourself!" Mrs. Powers cried, putting a large tub of chocolate ice cream into the freezer. "If those are all for you, I'm afraid I can only sell you one per day. Those bars are filled with sugar and I'd hate to disappoint your wonderful mother."

"Some are for her and for Arthur and-"

"Buster, please don't lie to me," Mrs. Powers said with a light smile. "Alan, only one for Mr. Baxter. If he doesn't like that idea then he can take his business elsewhere."

"Sorry, Buster, but Mom is right. These things are-"

Before he could finish, Buster snatched up the bar and his change and ran from the store. He ate the popsicle in the park, depositing his trash into one of the cans and washing his face in the bathroom. He then returned home wanting more but knowing he couldn't have any.

"I've never seen him like that!" Brain exclaimed, crossing his legs as Arthur passed him a bag of chips. He shook his head. He was in the mood for hanging out in the tree house, but food was out of the question.

"He was rude to me too when I told him he couldn't have any of ours. He ate a whole box on his own yesterday. It's disgusting," Arthur shuddered. Near the end of school, Mr. Ratburn taught them about nutrition information so he knew how many servings were recommended as well as why you should only have one a day-the sugar content was through the roof.

"We need to hold an intervention and include Mrs. Baxter. Those are the most expensive popsicles on the market for kids, as well as the least nutritious. We'd be doing her a service," Brain nodded.

The boys stopped talking as a figure climbed up the tree...but it was just DW wanting Arthur's help to reach her own ice cream.

"You can have one if I eat a popsicle later," Arthur said firmly, waving her away. When she was gone, Arthur turned to Brain, "Truly, I never want another one again after how he talked to me. Let's go inside and ask Mom to call Mrs. Baxter at work."

"Good," Brain nodded, following him out of the tree house.

"Buster, your friends called me at work and told me about your problem and what you did," Bitzi said, eying her son carefully. The living room of the condo was full with Jane and Bitzi on the couch, Brain and Arthur on the floor, and Buster sitting in a chair in front of the television. He had a look of defiance on his face; the intervention would be a failure if that expression didn't change.

"I didn't do anything wrong. You told me summer was a time to cut loose, and well, I did," Buster nodded firmly.

"You have a problem, son. You're addicted to these pops and it's unhealthy. Eating an entire box in one day is bad enough, but attacking your friends because they wouldn't let you have theirs? That's not fair to anyone, especially yourself," Bitzi said, her eyes pleading with her son to listen.

"I didn't attack Arthur," Buster huffed.

"There are different ways to attack people, Buster, and Arthur says you said hurtful words and hung up on him. That's a verbal attack and it best not happen again," Bitzi said firmly.

"I just want the popsicles. If you get me another box, I'll just eat two a day maximum," Buster bartered, but it didn't work.

"No, you get no more, Buster. No allowance until you change your mind, and you're grounded for how you've behaved," Bitzi said firmly, turning to the others. "You should probably leave now. He doesn't like it when his friends see him being punished."

The others obeyed and the condo emptied. Sure enough, Buster loudly argued his point, trying to throw a tantrum to get his way. But Bitzi was resilient, and while Buster slept, she took the rest of his money and hid it somewhere safe. She hid her own cash as well. She just wanted to protect her son.

Buster scored while his mom was at work. A five-year-old from a neighboring condo bought two of the popsicles, one for himself and one for his little brother, so Buster stepped outside and gave them a bouncy ball for their troubles...but they refused and ended up snatching the popsicles and running off, the bouncy ball in his pocket as he devoured the pops. His mom never noticed; he put the trash directly in the dumpster.

But his friends knew he'd do such a thing, and that afternoon, Arthur and Brain came up with a way to rid Buster of his addiction. They'd used the same method on DW before and it worked like a charm. The same would be true for Buster; they just knew it.

Buster snored softly as his eyes flickered with dreams. Arthur and Brain nodded, staring the slideshow on Muffy's projector. She was waiting downstairs trying to ignore their nonsense, the boys telling her they were watching an old film reel. Instead they were playing something self-created, something to stop this madness once and for all.

"What the-?" Buster cried, the monstrous figures taking over the room.

Brain and Arthur were well-hidden, and as Buster saw the images, he felt he was dreaming...and he felt as if he was under attack from the red robot figures. A cherry scent filled the air, the result of some kids' perfume Arthur "borrowed" from DW. Buster knew it was Them because of this scent.

"What do you want from me?!" Buster yelled, watching the figures dance menacingly. "Please, do you need my help with something? Do you need me to help you on a rescue?"

"No! You've done enough, Buster Baxter, devouring our allies!" Brain called out in an altered voice.

"Please, they're just flavored juice frozen into a mold. Those weren't-"

"They were!" Brain argued. "They may seem unreal to you, puny human, but they are perfectly real to us and very valuable! How dare you eat them!"

"I won't eat another one again, I swear! And I'll protect the others too!"

"No!" Brain said. "They must not know the truth. Only you were causing the problem with your...addiction."

"I understand," Buster said, laying back in bed. True sleep was taking over, and a moment later he was snoring again.

"Well did you enjoy your stupid movie?" Muffy asked when the boys returned.

"I think Buster enjoyed it the most," Arthur smiled, handing off the projector and walking with Brain towards Bitzi's car, where she was waiting to drive them home.

The next day, Buster's cravings were gone. He had to protect the rescuers at all cost and keep their secret to himself.

~End

Theme 027: Waking from a Dream

This one-shot was completed as part of a one-shot challenge I'm doing with TheUltimateCombo and others. For more information, see our profiles, and feel free to let us know if you want to participate.