The next day Fry entered the Planet Express building with his hands in his pockets and a somber look on his face. It looked just the same as it always did: the ship was making various humming noises as Amy ran through some routine maintenance checks, Zoidberg was slicing open an alien on the coffee table with one claw, sipping on steaming hot coffee with the other, and Bender was shouting instructions to a group of confused looking penguins through a megaphone. Fry walked past them all and around to the other side of the ship, the one which faced away from the door. Leela was there, checking something off on a clipboard. Nibbler was at her feet, gnawing on her right boot. As he stood there Leela looked up; she smiled and waved him forward. Fry didn't waste any time.
"Fry, you're just the man I've been waiting for." She announced, beaming.
Fry's heart skipped a beat.
"Well.. anything for you Leela.. actually, about what you said last night, I've been thinking-"
Leela interrupted him, stooping down for a second and coming back up with a leash on her hands. She pushed it into Fry's hands. "I need you to take Nibbler for a walk. The poor thing hasn't been outside all day and I think he's going a bit crazy."
They both looked down to see Nibbler gnawing incessantly on Leela's boot. She shook him free and he growled, then rubbed his face against her leg, making purring noises. After a moment he was tooth deep in Leela's boot again. Leela frowned, leaning her head towards Fry and cupping her hand to his ear.
"Just between you and me," she whispered- Fry could smell cherry on her lips- "I think it's time we had the little guy neutered." At the sound of the "N" word Nibbler made a shrill GROWR sound, and Leela immediately knelt and gave him a reassuring pet on the neck. "Aww Nibbler, you know mommy loves you and would do anything to make you happy right? Aww snookie pookie wookie." Nibbler made a series of gleeful purring sounds, and Fry, watching, found himself suppressing the urge to gag. He forced a smile as Leela turned back to him.
"Thanks Fry."
Fry didn't move. Leela went back to her clipboard, apparently contented. A slow second passed. Then another. Nibbler was growing restless. After about a minute Leela glanced back to see Fry and Nibbler still right there, and Fry looking oddly expectant.
"What are you waiting for?" Leela blurted out. Fry hesitated. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason Fry couldn't say them. Another awkward moment passed. Fry finally let his shoulders slump, the moment gone. "Nothing." He said, and started towards the door.
About halfway there Leela called back, "Wait!"
Fry turned around excitedly, "Yes Leela?"
"Could you pick up some milk on your way out? We're fresh out."
"And some hot dogs!" Zoidberg added from somewhere in the distance.
Fry groaned in annoyance. "Fine. Come on, you mangy little rodent" Fry tugged on nibbler's leash, and the two of them exited the building.
Leela, watching, tilted her head in confusion. That kid was acting odd lately, it was like he didn't want to be here at all. Not like it was any of Leela's business, of course. She hoped, idly, that he would shape up before she was set to leave the surface. The last thing Leela wanted was for him to ruin her last days on the surface with his unprofessional work attitude. In fact, Leela realized as she glanced around the building with a critical eye, a lot of her co-workers had been slacking off lately. What was wrong with everyone? Zoidberg, slicing up company aliens during company time, when they all knew he was supposed to be helping Amy run maintenance checks. Amy, gossiping on her phone half the time with that wimpy boyfriend Kif of hers, whenever she thought nobody was looking. Bender, doing God knew what with a group of penguins by the side of the building. Leela strained her ears. Was he teaching them Portuguese? God, this place was falling apart.
She pressed her fingers to her temple; she was getting a headache. She was about to get back to her clipboard, the only one of them actually informed and doing her job as per usual, when all of a sudden, the Professor hobbled down some stairs and opened his arms widely, his inch-thick spectacles sliding lazily down his nose. Here it comes, Leela thought sarcastically. As it turned out, her prediction was right.
"Good News Everyone." The professor called out. "You're not going on your next mission."
Leela groaned; of course. Everyone else let out out a loud cheer. Instead of huddling with the others to hear the whos, whats, and whys of the latest mission not-happening, Leela went back to her clipboard, determined to finish her work. And where was Fry? She looked at her watch: 2:30pm. Where was Fry? Surely it didn't take this long to buy some milk. The one good thing about leaving the surface, she decided, was no longer having to be around such incompetent people. Especially Fry. If this is how long it took him to get a simple bottle of milk, then God help him. Fry's life would surely fall to pieces when she left.