Hey here's the next two chapters! Thanks to those who seen and faved this fic so far! It's really nice! I may update more when my spring break comes up but idk.
Willow had done so much already today. She'd gone to the ice cream shoppe, to Shuggazoom park, the arcade, and to many other great places. Everyone seemed pretty friendly too, which was a huge upgrade from Natulis.
Willow chomped on her hover burger and sighed. This was perfect. She could be free for once, free to be herself.
"So how do you like it?" Nova asked.
"It's delicious!" She exclaimed, mouth still full.
Nova laughed.
"No I mean Shuggazoom." She said.
Willow swallowed her food. Everyone waited with anticipation. She eyed everyone, a smile growing on her face.
"It's...it's amazing. I'd never thought that this many people would be so kind to me." She said softly.
Jinmay's faced saddened a bit.
"Was Natulis really that bad?" She asked.
Willow slowly nodded but her mood changed.
"Yeah but so what? That was my old life, this is my new one." She said before continuing to eat her hover burger.
"Hey we should go to the park later tonight, they're having a karaoke thing going on." Sprx suggested.
Willow blinked in confusion.
"Yeah that sounds fun!" Jinmay exclaimed
"You know Otto's gonna want to go to that!" Chiro pointed out.
"That means someone's going to have to switch with watching Mandarin." Nova huffed.
"W-wait guys-" Willow gulped and Gibson raised his hand.
"I'll stay behind. I have some things I have to do anyway." Gibson said.
"You'll be missing all the fun." Sprx chirped.
Gibson sighed but smiled.
"I can go next time."
Besides there's some things he wants to talk about with Mandarin anyway.
Willow gulped and sweated nervously.
"Hey you know we could go to the movies! That sounds super fun too!" She suggested.
Chiro turned to her.
"Maybe after, come on Willow it'll be fun." He said.
Willow looked at everyone staring at her.
"Willow you don't have to sing, but it would still be nice if you came." Antauri said to her.
Willow stared at him. He thinks it would be nice if she came? Willow blushed and twirled her hair.
"Well I guess I can go, but I'm not singing!" She chomped on her burger some more.
Everyone was glad, until she coughed out some weird blue hair.
Mandarin tapped his arm nervously. Tilamat said it was coming today, but how was he going to get everything past Otto? Otto was on the floor, tinkering with a small machine.
A lot of things weren't adding up for him. Shouldn't they take extra precautions since he's been their enemy for so long? Yes having someone keep an eye on him and not letting him leave is the right thing to do, but shouldn't he be locked in his room or something? For that matter, why are they acting so strange around him too? So naturally, it made Mandarin very confused. Willow? Was Willow somehow doing this? Everyone does seem to have most of their attention on the monkey teams new playmate, and all that's been going on around her didn't make much sense either. Why did she have so many powers? Why did his clone want her? Why was she so violent and everyone acting like it's a comedic antic? Why does everyone like her so much? He didn't hate her nor did he like her that much anyway. It just didn't make sense to Mandarin at all.
"So...whatcha been up to?" Otto asked, not taking his eyes away from his trinket.
Mandarin snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at him.
"You mean after I was replaced?" He asked.
Otto looked back at him and nodded.
Mandarin looked to the transport tube before looking back at Otto.
"Skeleton king placed me in one of the dungeons he made for 'incompetent servants'. He placed me in the strongest one he had in order to keep me occupied until he figured what to do with me. I was supposed to be executed however I guess they got busy and forgot about me." Mandarin said.
"How'd you get out?" Otto asked.
Mandarin smirked.
"I guess that cell wasn't as strong as it seemed. After I broke out I got off planet and just wandered for a while." That last part was a lie.
Otto smiled. It's been so long since he last talked to Mandarin, especially like this.
"So where'd you go?" He asked.
Before Mandarin could say anything else the doorbell went off and a man with a bunch of different sized boxes appeared on the screen.
"Erm I have some packages." He said.
Otto frowned in confusion before turning on the microphone.
"Uh we didn't order any-"
"That would be for me!" Mandarin interrupted.
Otto looked up at him as the delivery man nodded.
"Then can you please sign this?"
Mandarin nodded and quickly made his way to the transport tube.
"Wait Mandarin!" Otto called out to him.
"Don't worry it's just my things." Mandarin said before he went down.
Otto watched as he signed the paper and quickly brought all the boxes inside. Something's not right.
Mandarin tried to push all of the boxes into the large room next to his, wondering why there were two huge storage rooms to begin with anyway. As soon as he got every one of them in he looked over the biggest one.
"Ugh this crib is going to take forever to put together, perhaps if I use some of Otto's tools maybe-"
"Mandarin?"
Mandarin quickly turned to Otto, who stood in the doorway.
"What's all this?" He asked, looking at one of them.
Mandarin's eyes widened and he stood in front of them.
"It's nothing! Just some items I happened to acquire while I was gone." Mandarin lied.
Otto frowned.
"But they're all baby stuff..."
Mandarin gulped nervously. Not today, not today! He wasn't ready for this!
"Oh is that so? Wow and I thought I got something else, oh well! Who knows we might have citizens in need of this stuff so that can be one of the things we can do with this."
Otto balled his hands into fists. He's doing it again. It's happening all over again.
"Or we could possibly sell it, that could be arranged too." Mandarin chirped, moving one of the boxes.
"You're doing it again." Otto muttered.
Mandarin blinked.
"Doing what?"
Otto looked up at him, upset.
"You're lying to me again."
Mandarin blinked, shoot how did he catch on so fast?!
Otto shakily sighed.
"You lied to us a lot back then. About where you were, what you were doing, you were even lying to us about what you were thinking about! Now you're doing again with all of this!" Otto choked, resting his hand on the larger box.
"I just...I just want you to tell me the truth. I...we're worried about you."
Mandarin gritted his teeth, a sudden anger flashing.
"Why?! Why does any of what's happening matter to you? I'm not going to stay long anyways!" Mandarin huffed.
Otto looked up at him again, saddened. This caused Mandarin's chest to twinge but he stood his ground.
"Because we missed you and we care about you! Don't you get that?" He choked out softly.
"Si...since when?!" Mandarin exclaimed.
Otto blinked and stepped forward, now tears running down his face.
"Ever since we got you back! I know it might not seem that way with the others but I was so happy when we found out you were good again. I was so happy when Chiro decided to have you stay with us! I thought things would go back before you turned on us..." He sniffled.
"But you're still acting cold and secretive...I just want...I want my best friend back." Otto whimpered.
That did it, Otto tugged at Mandarin's small heartstrings and now he was stuck. Mandarin looked back at the box with the crib parts before looking back at the small crying monkey.
Before he even opened his mouth Otto said, "And don't just say it's none of our business and keep what you're going through a secret. You kept too many secrets from us too!"
Mandarin sighed, he wasn't even going to say that. Still,it was now or never.
"Think about it."
Otto looked up at him.
"Huh?"
"I want you to think about it. You're smart enough. My symptoms, these boxes, this..." he pointed to the bump on his stomach.
"...and the conversation you overheard with me and Willow." Mandarin hinted, crossing his arms.
Otto frowned and thought about it, looking at one of the boxes.
"I'll give you a hint, it's what Gibson was talking about when you took me in."
Otto continued to think about it, the hint in mind. He then looked at the box with the crib in it, then back at Mandarin, then back at the box, then back at Mandarin until his eyes widened. Now he got it.
"You-you're-you're preg-" then Otto fell on his back, fainted from the shock.
Mandarin flinched. Somehow he knew someone was going to do that.
Otto groaned and rose up, a pillow under his head. He looked and saw Mandarin trying to put something together.
"Oh you're up." He chirped.
Otto sat up.
"Y-yeah...sorry I just-" Otto stuttered before Mandarin looked back.
"Please I knew at least someone was going to faint. Might as well be you." Mandarin huffed.
Otto blushed slightly and nodded.
"Y-yeah...so you really are pregnant."
"Yep." Mandarin said, hooking one of the pieces with the other.
Otto thought he might faint again but he fought against that.
"But you're a guy...well then again Gibson DID say that Tabithians can make any gender preggers." Otto shrugged.
Mandarin looked over the directions again.
"This isn't a crib, it's a mid air cage how in- never mind." Mandarin huffed, Tabithian cribs were so hard to figure out.
Otto edged closer.
"Did...did they force you to be pregnant?" Otto asked, feeling really bad for him.
Mandarin shook his head.
"No, I volunteered." He muttered.
Otto frowned a bit.
"Volunteered? Why would you volunteer to have a baby?" He asked.
Mandarin stopped tinkering.
"I know you're not going to like this, but when I tell everyone else you'll know too."
"Mandarin-"
"I just don't want to talk about it right now." Mandarin protested.
Otto looked down, saddened a bit.
"If it helps, let's just say I'm doing a favor for someone."
Otto's head perked up at that. A favor? For whom?
Mandarin looked back at him again.
"Also can you keep this quiet until I'm ready to say anything?"
Otto nodded.
"Of course." He said, smiling a bit then paused.
"But when are you going to tell them?" He asked.
"Tomorrow, they probably have all sorts of plans planned today with Willow." Mandarin decided.
Otto nodded in agreement. He wanted to ask about why he even has this much baby stuff in the first place, but he had a feeling he would explain that tomorrow too.
It then got quiet again as Mandarin kept fiddling with the crib.
"Do you need any help with that?" Otto asked.
"Yes actually can you get your tool box because I'm going to need it with the other stuff." He said.
"Yeah- actually wait you can let me do for you since you're preggo-"
"Otto I can put it together myself I'm not dying." Mandarin huffed.
"You still don't need to strain yourself you goof!" Otto snickered as he ran off.
Willow and the others soon came home, Otto taking a lunch break from helping Mandarin and eating on leftover hamburgers.
"Welcome back! Did you have fun?" He asked, mouth full.
"Yeah it was awesome!" Willow said excitedly.
Otto gulped down his food as Mandarin came back up with his lunch.
"Otto for some reason these people want a literal giant duck sign mounted on the wall. However I was thinking we could put something else up there, like I don't know maybe a snake or-" Mandarin then noticed everyone back and his face flushed.
"Y-you're already back?" He gulped.
"Yeah we're taking a break before we go back out." Chiro said, confused by what Mandarin said before.
Otto's eyes widened as they could have heard what's going on but he settled himself. Act calm.
"So what are you guys gonna do when you go back out?" He asked.
"There's a karaoke event in the park tonight so we're going to that." Nova said, putting down her bags from the places they shopped at.
Willow's stomach twisted in anxiety at the thought.
Otto's world crumbled.
"Awww that sounds fun!" He whined.
Gibson raised a hand and smiled.
"Otto I'm staying here tonight to work, you can go have fun while I watch Mandarin." He explained.
Mandarin growled. He didn't need a damn babysitter!
Otto gasped and hugged Gibson to the ground, ecstatic.
"Thank you Gibson!" He cheered.
"Get off! You're welcome!" Gibson yelled, pushing Otto off of him.
Everyone, minus Mandarin, snickered at this nonsense. Willow sighed, she really felt at home with everyone. Her pocket vibrated and she took out her phone.
"Hold on." She walked to the other side of the room and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Willy?! Oh thank god!" A slightly high pitch voice exclaimed.
Willow's eyes widened.
"Amanda?!" She shouted, causing everyone to look at her.
Willow heard sniffling on the other side.
"You're okay! You've been gone for weeks!" Her sister whined.
"I know but don't worry I'm not at the hands of that orange skeletal creep anymore." Willow assured her.
"Then where are you?" Another voice, male, asked.
"Trent is that you?!"
"Who else would it be you butt?!"
Willow felt tears coming to her eyes, hearing their voices again was so relieving to her.
"We've been trying to find you for weeks now, we thought...we thought that jerk got the other side of you..." Trent said, his voice sounding a bit distant.
Willow sighed.
"I know, but he didn't. The Hyperforce saved me." She explained.
"The who?" Amanda questioned.
"I'll explain when you guys get here. Trent you're riding my dad's ship right?" Willow asked.
Chiro began to go over to her but Jinmay stopped him, mouthing him to wait.
"Yeah."
"Then you should put in the coordinates for Shuggazoom and come over as quick as you can." Willow ordered.
"Shuggazoom? Man, these people have weird names." Amanda muttered as Trent said,
"You got it chief."
"Wait where are you guys right now?" She asked.
"We're near Gelentia 3, why?"
That's not too far from here!
"Okay you're close by then!"
"Great! So I guess we'll see you in a few days?" Trent questioned.
"Sounds good to me." Willow said, smiling.
"See you in a few days! Oh and Willy? Mom really misses you." Amanda said softly.
Willow smiled a bit, remembering her mother's kind face.
"I know she does, see you."
"Bye!"
Willow hung up her phone and turned to everyone.
"We might have some company later..."
"Oh I bet we will." Sprx said.
Mandarin blinked before looking down at his plate and continuing to eat. More weirdos. Fun.
"Mandarin you're eating some weird stuff." Sprx commented, grossed out by the Mac and cheese with mayonnaise on it.
"Hush." Mandarin huffed.
Willow blinked then sighed. Cravings.
So Otto now knows! For now. Thanks for reading!