Hello readers! I apologize that I haven't given any updates for the past several months. The last two chapters I worked on for Beast Wars took longer than I thought. But now that I'm finished for now, I'm ready to switch gears and return to Billy's story with the Bad Guys. Believe me, I have been wanting to get back to this fanfic for a long time. There is so much more I want to tell about this story. Today, we will be taking a time skip where Billy has grown a little since the Bad Guys adopted him and now they'll be teaching him the basics of their line of work. Hope you enjoy it! I do not own The Bad Guys, Little Red Riding Hood, Shrek, The Lion King, Three Little Pigs, or The Jungle Book. The Bad Guys movie is owned by Dreamworks. The books are the property of Aaron Blabey.
Note: I do not promote any form of stealing, thieving, or deception in this chapter. All young readers are to never consider stealing, shoplifting, or lying for it is wrong and against the law. The acts of theft and deception in this chapter are only to add credibility for taking place in The Bad Guys universe and to tell a good story.
Chapter 5: Growing Up Bad: Part 2
The Family Business
Four Years Later
The normal bustle of the city was disrupted as various pedestrians screamed and ran in different directions from the Bad Guys as they walked down the street together with a swagger. To them, this was a normal day in their life as the most feared and hated group in the city. Though the reactions they received were negative, the theives wore it with pride. Snake, Wolf, and Piranha walked side-by-side with Shark behind them.
On his back sat a four-year-old Billy. The child's legs dangled over the shoulders of the large fish while Webs perched on the little boy's shoulder. Billy observed the various people who ran away in terror when the Bad Guys crossed their path.
"Why are they running from us?" asked Billy.
"It's just all part of this lifestyle, kid," said Webs. "Our looks put a lot of people off when we're around."
The child turned to the arachnid on his shoulder. "But we didn't do anything."
Wolf turned to look at Billy and said, "It's not always about what we do, Billy, sometimes it's about reputation."
"Re-pu-ta-tion?" repeated the four-year-old.
"Notoriety! Stature! Prestige! Respect, chico!" said Piranha.
"Basically, what we're known for," said Shark.
Wolf held up a finger. "That's why we all think today is the big day where we explain exactly what we do and why we ask you to act cute around everyone when we're working."
The leader slowed down to get closer to Shark and Billy. "The thing is, kiddo…we're bad guys."
"Bad Guys?" repeated the child.
"The no-good, dirty, rotten crooks everybody hates," said Snake.
A cyclist saw the Bad Guys and yelped before losing his balance and crashing into a garbage can.
"The scary villains that always make everyone's lives miserable. Grown-ups tell their kids stories about us just to scare them," said Piranha.
"We're the ones everybody doesn't like," said Wolf.
"Why?" asked the child.
The leader flashed his signature smirk. "Because nobody has ever given us a chance and they never will, so we make do with the cards we've been dealt."
"So, to keep up our reputation as Bad Guys, we do bad things," said Webs.
"It's kind of like the whole circle of life stuff from that movie about the lions," said Shark.
"But how come nobody is scared of me?" asked Billy.
The Bad Guys paused for a moment, struggling to come up with an explanation for the child's question.
Wolf tugged at his shirt collar. "Welllllllll…It's because you still have a lot of growing up to do before you build up your own reputation, buddy. That's why we're here to help."
He ruffled Billy's hair, making the four-year-old giggle.
"That's right, we're going to teach you the basics of being bad," said Webs.
"You'll be making people scream and run in no time!" said Piranha with a jump.
Wolf gripped Billy's waist with both paws and picked him up from Shark's back to set him down on the sidewalk. "The first thing to remember about being a Bad Guy, kiddo, is absolute freedom."
"Freedom?" repeated Billy.
Snake wrapped his tail around the child's shoulders. "Meaning, to a Bad Guy, everything is free."
"Free food, free cars, free toys," listed Webs.
She paused a moment and gave a mischievous smirk to the boy. "Free money."
"Free jewelry," added Piranha.
"Free gold," added Snake.
Wolf knelt at Billy's level and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Bad Guys don't have to pay for anything! If we see something we want…we take it!...Simple as that."
The leader made a grabbing jester with his free paw.
He stood up and turned toward a convenience store in front of them. "And this is as good a place as any to start. Come on; let's get ourselves a few things."
The leader gently patted Billy on the shoulder, coaxing him to enter the store. The rest of the Bad Guys followed behind as a bell jingled from above the door frame. The cashier saw the familiar group of thieves and immediately screamed before ducking behind the counter.
Wolf waved at the counter casually saying, "Hey, don't mind us. We're just making a little pit stop."
The group did not waste any time running through the aisles and ransacking everything off the shelves. Webs took most of the electronics for hacking uses. Shark and Piranha scarfed down all of the snacks on display. The Master of disguise picked up the hot dog machine and dumped them all in his mouth. The Columbian fish lay underneath the slushy machine and chugged the brightly colorful beverage that poured out.
"YEAAAAHHHH! WOOOOOOO!" cried Piranha as he raised his fists in the air from the brain freeze.
Snake swallowed a whole push pop from the freezer as he tried on a hat from the wrack and looked at himself in the mirror.
Wolf stood beside Billy as he proudly watched the others make a mess of the store.
The cashier continued to cower underneath the counter, waiting for the infamous criminals to leave without hurting him.
"Well, Billy...what do you want? You can have anything here, just name it," he said as he stretched his paw out around the area.
The four-year-old scanned the store for anything that was not eaten or destroyed by the rest of the group. He liked all of the various sacks and candies they sold there, but one stood out from all the rest. Billy's eyes widened at the discovery of a whole box of Choco Rocket bars, his favorite candy bar in the whole world. A wide grin spread across his face as a bit of drool dripped from his open mouth.
Wolf looked down at the boy with a smirk. "See something you like?"
Billy pointed and cried, "I want those Choco Rocket bars!"
So, what are you waiting for? They're all yours," said the leader with a proud grin.
"Yeah!" cried the boy as he ran up to the counter where the box of chocolate bars was, only to stop in his tracks.
Confused about why the child froze, Wolf walked up to him and asked, "What's the matter kiddo, you said you wanted them."
Billy pointed to the price tag stuck to the box that read $1.00 Per Bar.
Wolf just waved his paw dismissively. "That doesn't apply to us, Billy."
He knelt beside the child. "What did we just say? To a Bad Guy, everything is free. If you want the chocolate bars, take them! No one is going to stop you, especially with us around."
Billy gave a worried look to the leader as he fidgeted with his hands. "A-a-are you…sure?"
Wolf pulled him closer and smiled. "Positive."
The canine picked up the whole box from the shelf and gave it to Billy saying, "Bon appetite!"
The four-year-old stared at the stacks of chocolate bars hesitantly. Something about this felt wrong but Wolf said it was alright because they were Bad Guys. After thinking it over, the little boy's smile returned as he unwrapped one of the candy bars and took a bite out of it. Billy chewed gleefully as the familiar sweet sugary taste of Choco Rockets filled his taste buds. After he finished the first bar, he unwrapped another and scarf it down, like Piranha.
Wolf continued to smile, seeing how the child was slowly learning their ways.
But Billy's interests did not stop there. As the four-year-old ate the chocolate bars, he stopped in his tracks to look at a display case of sunglasses next to the magazine wrack. As if caught in a trance, Billy made his way to the display case while still holding the box of chocolate bars. Wolf watched from a distance.
There was one pair in particular that caught the eye of the four-year-old out of the entire set. They were a pair of sporty wrap-arounds with reflective blue lenses. Due to being short, Billy had to stand on his tippy toes to reach up and pull the glasses off the display case.
Wolf came up and watched the child examine the shades with wonder and amazement.
"Good choice," he said.
The leader took the sunglasses from Billy and placed them on the child's face. "Another rule is that all Bad Guys always carry around a good pair of shades, and these match you perfectly."
Wolf pulled down the mirror so Billy could see himself with his new sunglasses. The four-year-old could only smile in admiration at his new look. But in a matter of seconds, the pair of shades slid down his face. Billy frowned in disappointment that the glasses could not fit.
The canine pulled them off saying, "Don't worry, you'll grow into them."
Billy smiled up at Wolf, happy to have such a caring figure teaching him how to be a Bad Guy.
Once they were all finished, the group left the convenience store with their loot while Billy continued to munch on the box of Choco Rocket bars.
Later That Night
Billy made moaning and groaning sounds in the bathroom while Snake mopped up the spot where the child had his spill.
He glared at Wolf and said, "You just had to let him eat all the chocolate!"
The leader gave a sheepish grin to his best friend.
From then on, The Bad Guys made a new rule to limit the amount of sugar Billy consumed in a week.
Bedtime Stories
The Bad Guys lazily sat on the couch watching television. They decided to take some time off from planning a heist and just enjoy themselves for a change.
Billy sat at the table innocently, drawing on a sheet of paper with crayons.
Wolf took a moment to look at the clock and saw it was around that time to put Billy to bed. Even though Billy did not have much of a curfew, the leader thought it was important for him to get his rest before they performed reconnaissance the next day. Wolf looked at the board and saw it was his turn to put the child to bed. He stood up from the couch and walked over to the table where Billy drew.
"Alright, kiddo. It's time for bed," said Wolf.
The four-year-old looked up and whined, "Awwwwww, but I'm not tired!"
"Come on, you know the rules. We have to get up extra early tomorrow for recon on the train heist," replied the leader.
Billy looked up at the canine with big pleading eyes and begged, "Just a little longer, pleeeeeeeeease!"
Though the Bad Buys were used to Billy's cuteness to distract the public while they performed their heists, the child found a way to use it to get what he wanted. At this point, they were so used to Billy's puppy-dog eyes, they became numb to them.
Wolf gave a deadpan stare back at the child with his arms crossed. "Nice try, Billy, but it's not going to work this time"
Billy slouched in defeat and groaned.
The leader placed a paw on his shoulder to coax him off the chair. "Let's go, I'll tuck you in."
The child looked back up at the leader. "Can you at least read me a bedtime story?"
Wolf was silent for a moment before he smiled and shrugged. "Sure."
Excited, Billy ran into his bedroom while the canine followed from behind.
The child's room was cluttered with toys, drawing utensils, and construction paper. His bed sheets consisted of alien spaceship patterns. Wolf was careful not to step on any of the toys on his way to the bed, especially the building blocks.
Billy was already dressed in his pajamas as he cradled his stuffed alligator, Mrs. Gumbo; a large grin spread across the child's face as he waited for Wolf.
The canine pulled up the chair from the little boy's coloring desk and sat beside his bed.
He rubbed his head in exhaustion asking, "Okay, kiddo, what have you got for me."
Billy held out a stack of books. "I swiped these from the library."
Wolf took the stack and looked through the titles of each one: The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, The Spider and the Fly, The Hungry Shark, The Jungle Book, and When Piranhas Attack!
Wolf just stared at the books with disgust before ripping them up and saying, "Yeah, you're not reading this garbage."
He threw them in the trash bin before turning back to Billy and pulling the chair closer. "I got a better story for. It's about how your uncle Shark was able to steal the Mona Lisa. Has he ever told you?"
Billy just shook his head in response.
"Well, just sit back and let me tell you how it happened," said Wolf.
Billy sat cross-legged on the bed while Wolf began to tell him of how the master of disguise stole the famous painting.
15 minutes later
"And that's how Shark did it," said Wolf.
Billy starred in amazement saying, "Woooow! How did he get so good at disguises?"
"It's just his special skill, kiddo. All Bad Guys have one, even you," said the leader as he booped the four-year-old on the nose.
"Like how Webs uses her phone or how Piranha fights off the scary cops?" asked Billy.
"Exactly!" replied Wolf. "Alright, it's time to catch some Zs."
Billy laid down on the mattress while Wolf pulled the covers over him.
"Goodnight, Wolf," said Billy.
The leader smiled at him. "Goodnight, kiddo."
He switched off the lamp and quietly made his way to the door. The canine turned around to take one last look at the sleeping form of Billy. He could only smile from the strange feeling that filled up inside him again. The group stopped making sense of it, but it always happened whenever they were around Billy.
Wolf closed the door only to realize there was a mess of crayons and paper scattered on the table. He knew the others were too engrossed in the TV to clean it up, so he decided to do it himself.
"Oh, come one! We got to teach the kid not to leave his stuff all over the place," said Wolf.
As he gathered the crayons and paper in a box, the leader paused to look at the drawing Billy worked on before bed. He picked it up to get a better look. The drawing was a depiction of all of them, smiling and holding hands, aside from the depiction of Snake with a grumpy frown. Wolf couldn't help but smile at the drawing. The canine didn't know what to make of the child's artwork but it almost felt special, almost as valuable as anything they stole.
With no regard as to why, Wolf walked over to the fridge and pinned the drawing on the door, besides all of the polaroids they took throughout their career as Bad Guys.
Snatch and Run
The Bad Guys hid within an alley as they carefully observed the streets. Everything seemed normal with the usual pedestrians and cars passing by.
Snake looked at his alarm clock. "Should be here any minute now."
"Shark, is the kid ready yet?" asked Wolf.
"Almost," replied the large fish.
He knelt in front of Billy as he applied ketchup to the child's face, legs, and arms.
"It itches," whined Billy.
He was about to place his fingernails over the condiment when Shark slapped his hand out of the way.
"Don't scratch it! It needs to look authentic. Sometimes you have to deal with the itching to sell it," said the master of disguise.
Snake continued to observe the street until an armored truck came into view.
"It's coming!" cried the reptile.
Shark applied the finishing touches on Billy's disguise. Blotches of red were scattered around his body while he wore torn pants and a shredded shirt. The large predator padded some dirt on the boy's cheeks for extra flavor.
"Now, what did I say about being in disguise?" asked Shark.
Billy replied, "Own the role, act the part, and believe who you are pretending to be. That way, no one knows you're a Bad Guy."
The master of disguise gave a nod. "Very good! Quick, smell this onion!"
Shark presented the four-year-old with the said vegetable. Billy inhaled the pungent fragrance and his eyes watered.
The large predator put both fins on the child's shoulder. "Alright, Little Buddy, you're ready!"
Wolf nodded down at Piranha saying, "Do it."
The crazy brawler picked up a tricycle and threw it in the middle of the street. The group watched as the armored van ran over the little bike, crumpling it like a soda can.
In the van, the two guards driving the vehicle felt a thump underneath that startled them.
"What was that?!" said one guard.
"Sounds like we hit something!" replied the other.
The tricycle rolled out from underneath the vehicle into a crumpled piece of metal. The armored van made a sudden stop.
The Bad Guys gently nudged Billy from the alley and onto the sidewalk.
"You got this, chico," said Piranha.
"You can do it, squirt," said Webs.
"Remember everything we went over," said Shark.
Billy made one last glance at The Bad Guys as they all smiled and gave him a thumbs up before they disappeared out of sight. Quickly, the child ran onto the road and sat beside the ruined tricycle. With the help of the onion, Billy was able to impersonate a fake sob as the guards stepped out of the van.
They looked behind the vehicle to see a crumbled tricycle and a crying child next to it, covered in red.
Both of them stood up in horror yelling, "OH MY GOSH!"
They quickly ran to the child's aid, leaving the armored van unattended.
While the guards tried to calm Billy down from his crying, the Bad Guy's stealthily crept toward the back of the van. Wolf pulled out a blowtorch from his pocket and sprayed it on the lock, making sparks fly from the door. Eventually, the lock and handle snapped off and Snake pulled open the door with ease. Inside the van were stacks of solid gold ingots from top to bottom. Without wasting any time, The Bad Guys got to work storing the ingots in bags. Snake swallowed the ones he grabbed. Once all of the gold was taken, they climbed out of the van and gave a thumbs up to Billy before bolting out of sight. Snake took a little longer since his body was weighed down by all of the gold he swallowed. Shark and Wolf needed to drag him to make sure the reptile wasn't caught.
Once all of the Bad Guys were clear, Billy changed his mood and stood up with an innocent smile saying, "Oh! Don't worry, I feel better now."
He walked away with a quick pace while the two guards stared at the child in puzzlement.
They turned to look at each other as one said, "Did that kid smell like ketchup to you?"
The other guard just shrugged.
Without giving it a second thought, the guards stood up to return to the van. But they were more horrified to see the lock melted off and all of the gold ingots were gone.
Somewhere in the distance, a certain black car full of gold drove away while the Bad Guys complimented Billy on his distracting skills.
Hide and Seek
Shark stretched his fins and yawned before slumping on the couch with a huge thud in front of the TV. He had the whole hideout to himself while the others were off either committing small crimes or planning their next big job. To start his free time, the large fish reached for the remote but realized he was only gripping air. Shark turned and realized the remote for the TV was missing. He stood up and looked underneath all of the cushions on the couch, but still could not find the remote. The master of disguise lifted the whole couch and even checked underneath the coffee table, but still no remote. Shark scratched his head in confusion. He could have sworn the remote always remained on the couch or near the TV, everyone knew that.
His train of thought was disrupted by a familiar giggle and turned around. Billy stood on the other side of the couch with a mischievous grin and a familiar TV remote in his hand.
Shark gave his sweetest smile and knelt to the child's level saying, "Hey, Little Man, can I have the remote? Uncle Shark wants to watch some TV and he can't without it."
But Billy just ran behind the couch and disappeared from view. The master of disguise groaned and followed the four-year-old behind the couch. He turned to look behind the sofa, only to see Billy was nowhere in sight. However, he heard the familiar giggling again and looked behind him. The child was on the other side with the remote control still in his hand.
Shark was irritated at this point.
He marched towards the kid and spoke in a demanding tone. "Now listen here, Billy-!"
But the four-year-old disappeared back behind the couch before the large predator could reach him. Billy continued to pop out from one side of the couch to the other. As the game went on for a few seconds, Shark's irritation dissipated, only to be replaced with a small sense of joy.
He chuckled and glanced over at the couch after coming up with an idea to outsmart Billy.
Shark pretended to stand casually in front of the couch saying, "Oh no! Where could Billy have gone? Did he vanish? Was he abducted by aliens? Or did Snake finally eat him?"
Billy held back his laughter behind the couch as he listened to the master of disguise continue to play dumb.
Eventually, Shark popped his head from above the furniture yelling, "Ah ha!"
But Billy was nowhere in sight.
Confused, he scanned the area behind the couch before he heard a tiny voice say, "Peek-a-boo!"
The master of disguise looked up to see Billy peeking out of one of the piles of loot scattered throughout the hideout.
Bewildered, Shark exchanged his glance from where Billy was before to where he was now. "Wha-!...but…how did you...?"
First, it was weird how he could escape almost anything as a baby, but now he can teleport from one place to another.
Despite the child's mischief, Shark could not help but smile and chuckle. "Alright, Little Man, you asked for it. The Shark is on the hunt!"
Billy vanished behind the loot as the large fish raised his arms above his head and made fake growls while marching toward the pile of gold. But the child had already moved to a different location as he popped his head out from behind a gold statue.
The game continued as Billy ran and hid in different locations within the hideout and Shark would seek him out while making playful comments.
"You can't hide forever, Billy!" said the master of disguise. "Eventually, I will find you and will gobble you up in one bite! Don't make me sing my theme song."
Billy held back his laughter while listening to Shark's playful and non-serious threats. He sat behind one of the stolen arcade machines with the remote still in his hand.
For a moment, the hideout was quiet, until Shark said, "Alright! Here comes the theme song. Da-dum…da-dum…da-dum da-dum da-dum…dadumdadumdaumdum."
A large shadow with a tall dorsal fin appeared on the wall and Billy tried to shrink himself behind the old game machine. His heart raced not from fear but from excitement. He knew Shark was close and ready to deliver exact punishment for his shenanigans.
Suddenly, a grey fin scooped up the child as the large fish cried, "Gotcha!"
Billy let out a squeal before Shark used both fins to tickle the child's stomach while making fake roaring sounds. The four-year-old laughed hysterically, unable to resist the large predator's act of harmless torture. Billy was at the mercy of his hunter but would not give up without a fight. There was only one way out of this.
The child placed the remote in his pocket and with both of his hands, he used them to tickle Shark's large tummy. The master of disguise immediately felt the effect and began to laugh hysterically as his grip loosened on Billy.
"Hahahaha!...Billy...knock it off…hahahah…you know I'm sensitive there…hahahah!" cried Shark.
The four-year-old was able to break free from Shark's grip and crawled on his back. The large predator tried to reach him, but Billy was too small for him to grab from behind. The child hung onto his dorsal fin and tickled his sides.
Shark spun around the hideout while laughing from Billy's tickles as the child crawled all over his back and stomach, wiggling his tiny fingers.
Eventually, the master of disguise landed on the couch with a huge thud, panting from the exhaustion of laughter. "Okay okay! I surrender! You got me!"
Billy stopped tickling Shark and crawled on his lap. With an innocent smile, he pulled the remote from his pocket and held it out to large fish.
Shark took the remote as he continued to look down at Billy. "You wanted to watch cartoons, didn't you?"
"Mmmhhmm!" said the child with a nod.
He turned on the TV. They both lay on the couch while Billy sat on Shark's lap and lay back on his large belly.
Nightly Interruptions
9:30 PM
Wolf woke up to the sudden noise of a knock at his door. The canine's mind was groggy from being in mid-sleep as he forced himself to sit up in his bed with a groan. He let out a yawn and scratched his face wondering if the noise he heard was real or just his imagination. Wolf got his answer when he heard the knock again.
Who was knocking at his door this hour?
Wolf turned to the side of his bed; his legs and feet dangled over the side. The leader stood up and walked slowly to the door, still half asleep.
There was another knock.
"Alright, I'm coming!" he shouted.
The leader opened the door to find Billy standing there with Mrs. Gumbo wrapped in his arms. The child's brows were furrowed and his big pleading eyes were locked with his own.
The canine let out a groan and said, "Billy, what are you doing out of bed? You were supposed to be asleep an hour ago."
"I got to go," whispered the child.
Wolf cocked a brow in confusion. "Go? Go where?"
"I got to go," repeated Billy.
The canine's eyes widened and his ears shot up as his brain finally interpreted the message. "Ooohh! The bathroom is across from the kitchen, can't you go yourself?"
Billy tightened his grip on his stuffed alligator. "It's too dark. Will you come with me?"
Wolf stared at the child for a few seconds into his big puppy dog eyes before lightly facepalming himself. He offered his paw to the child and they both made their way to the bathroom. Wolf leaned his back against the wall while waiting for the four-year-old to finish. After five minutes, he escorted Billy back to his room and tucked him in bed. Luckily, the child would be out like a light this time and he could get some sleep.
10:45 PM
Shark woke up at the loud sound of a knock on his door. He opened his large mouth full of sharp teeth as he let out a big yawn. The master of disguise looked at his alarm clock to check the time and was irritated at the thought of someone waking him at such an hour. Probably Snake or Piranha playing a prank on him.
The large fish walked to the door and opened it to see the small frame of Billy, holding Mrs. Gumbo in his arms.
Shark groaned, "Billy, it is way past your bedtime."
"I'm thirsty, can I have some water?" asked the child with an innocent smile.
The master of disguise gave him a deadpan stare for a few seconds before making his way to the kitchen sink; his eyes half-closed from the lack of sleep. Shark pulled a glass from one of the cupboards and filled it with tap water. He gave the cup to Billy and the child took a small sip before smiling back.
"Thank you," he said.
"Just promise me you won't wet the bed this time," said Shark.
The little boy nodded. "I promise."
Now Billy had his drink, the large fish led him back to his room and tucked the four-year-old back into bed. Once Billy's eyes were closed, Shark made his way back to his bed to get some goodnight's rest.
11 PM
Webs slept on her tiny bed with her cell phone on one of her many legs. Suddenly, the loud sound of knocking on a door woke her up with a startle.
"Huh! Wha! Who!" she cried.
The arachnid's fuzzy mind cleared to realize someone was at her door. She groaned and went back to bed, covering her head with her pillow. But the knocking continued and Webs could still hear it. The hacker believed eventually they would go away, but even after five minutes, the knocking did not stop.
Webs growled and threw her legs in the air yelling, "Fine!"
She marched towards the small door installed in the bigger one connected to her room. The arachnid was about to yell at whoever it was before discovering it was Billy. The four-year-old stood there with his stuffed alligator.
The hacker's mood changed as she groaned and her body slumped with her arms hanging to the side.
"What do you want, Billy?" she grumbled.
The little boy stared at her and whispered, "The nightlight in my room is not working. Can you fix it?"
"I'm a hacker, Squirt, not an electrician," she replied.
Billy's grip tightened on his toy as his eyes teared up. "But I can't sleep without it."
Webs rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew the child will not leave her alone until he got what he wanted, especially now he was using his charm against her. With no other choice, the arachnid made her way to Billy's room to check the nightlight. Much to her irritation, he was right; the bulb was charred on the inside from being burnt out. Even though Webs thought there was nothing else she could do, a part of her didn't want to leave Billy scared and upset. He would probably keep everyone awake through the entire night like the first time they changed his diaper.
"I might have a replacement, I'll be right back," said Webs.
The hacker crawled away for a moment and came back with a mini strobe light. She plugged it into the outlet where the nightlight used to be and flipped the switch. The room was illuminated with different colored lights that spun and blinked all around the room, like a disco ball.
Billy stared in awe at the bright colors dancing around his room. He had never seen anything so bright, colorful, or beautiful.
"Wow!" he whispered.
"Had this back when I used to be a freelance DJ. I always loved to put on a show when I played music. My stage name was The Weaver," said Webs.
"You can sing?" asked Billy.
The hacker chuckled, "No, it was more like I made music through my laptop. I could make beeping and booping sounds to create a melody by pressing buttons. They call it techno"
"Can I listen?" asked the child.
Webs couldn't help but smile. "Maybe some other time, Squirt. Right now, you have to go to bed."
The four-year-old climbed into his bed as the arachnid made her way to the door.
But before Billy went to sleep, he asked, "Why are you not a dee jay anymore?"
Webs stopped in her tracks. Her face became crestfallen as the memories came back, reminding her why she gave up her passion to play techno music to crowds.
The hacker turned to Billy and replied in a low voice, "Nobody likes a giant, hairy spider playing music for them…Goodnight, Billy."
As the arachnid crawled away, Billy was both confused and worried for his eight-legged friend and how she answered his question.
Webs crawled back to her room and put on her earphones to drown out the sad memories, hoping to put her back to sleep.
12 AM
Piranha snored loudly in his bed with his mouth open; a slight drop of drool hung from his lip. The Columbian fish slept peacefully until some loud bangs echoed from his door.
Piranha jumped out of bed, screaming in his native tongue.
He quickly went into a fighting stance yelling, "Who's there? Where are you? Show yourself! You'll be sorry you crossed me!"
Another knock made the crazed brawler glare at the door; his one eye twitched.
He marched over and yanked the door open.
"You're dead!" yelled Piranha while baring his teeth.
But his attitude changed when he saw a frightened Billy in front of him.
The crazed brawler relaxed as he stretched and yawned. "Oh, Billy! You know you shouldn't sneak up on me like that, chico. Shouldn't you be in cama?"
"There is something under my bed. I'm too scared to look," whimpered the child.
The Columbian fish just gave Billy a deadpan stare. "You're joking, right?"
"Can you look for me, please?" asked Billy with his big puppy dog eyes.
Piranha did not want to waste his time looking for something under Billy's bed that most likely wasn't there. It was the middle of the night and he nearly pulverized the poor kid because he was rudely awoken from his sleep. But staring into the child's saddened eyes made it more difficult to refuse.
Piranha rolled his eyes and groaned as he made his way to Billy's room.
The four-year-old stood by the door frame while the Columbian fish stared at the pitch-black gap underneath his bed.
"Under there?" asked Piranha as he pointed under the bed.
Billy nodded in silence.
Still tired, the crazed brawler did not have the energy to enter his berserker mindset but did the best he could with what little vigor he had.
"Alright, whoever or whatever is underneath Billy's bed, you're about to be in a world of pain," groaned the Columbian fish as he cracked his knuckles.
He crawled under the bed and made fake noises to pretend he was fighting something. Billy jumped a few times and tightened his grip on his stuffed alligator with every sound Piranha made and every time the bed shook.
Eventually, Piranha crawled back out and turned to Billy. "Whatever was under there now is not coming back."
The child's arms relaxed around his stuffed toy as a grateful smile formed on his face.
He then pointed to another door on the other side of the room asking, "Can you check my closet now?"
Piranha groaned again and facepalmed in irritation. This was going to be a long night.
After dealing with Billy's closet, the four-year-old went back to bed while the crazed brawler went back to his room, hoping for no more interruptions. He was afraid the next one to wake him up would get a taste of his crazy side.
12:35 AM
Billy knocked on the door to wake up whoever was inside. On the other side, he could hear someone stirring in their bed before opening the door.
Snake stared at the child with a sleepy expression.
"Snake-"
But before the child could finish what he was about to say, the reptile slammed the door without a word.
12:38 AM
Wolf lay in his bed in a peaceful slumber that was sure to not be interrupted. But once again, he heard the familiar sound of knocking at his door. The leader knew exactly who it was and did not wish to answer it.
If he does not open the door, it would eventually stop.
He pulled his pillow over his head in hopes of drowning out the knocking. But after ten minutes, Billy continued to knock at his door. The canine had enough, and he was going to give it to the four-year-old once and for all.
He marched to the door and yanked it open as he growled through gritted teeth, "WHAT PART OF GO TO SLEEP DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
Billy's eyes were filled with tears, not from Wolf's anger but from something else.
"I...I had a bad dream," he whimpered.
Wolf's expression softened and his ears flattened against his head in embarrassment. "Oh?"
Out of all the possible reasons the child would wake him, the canine was not prepared for this one.
The next thing Billy said threw the leader off even more.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" he asked.
Wolf spoke in a calm but firm tone. "Look, Billy, it's past midnight and everyone needs their rest for the jewelry store robbery tomorrow. You can't keep waking us up over stupid stuff. There are scarier things in life than the dark or things hiding under your bed. I should know, I'm one of them. So, please…PLEASE, go to bed."
He put his paws together in a pleading manner.
Billy continued to stare up at Wolf with big watery eyes as a whimper escaped his lips.
The leader tried his hardest to resist the stare of the little boy, but that look dug deep into his soul, like a worm to dirt. Billy couldn't be more convincing if he was a cat wearing boots. Tried as he might, Wolf could not stand to look at the doe stare of Billy any longer.
The leader's shoulders slumped in defeat and he sighed, "If I allow to sleep in my room, will you officially go to bed?"
Billy gave an innocent nod.
The canine scratched his back. "Alright, I might have a spare cot in here. Just give me a sec."
The four-year-old's face brightened as he followed the leader into his room.
Sure enough, Wolf assembled a simple cot a few feet from his bed for Billy to sleep in, complete with a pillow and blanket. Without hesitation, the child climbed into the cot and snuggled under the covers.
"Alright, now you better sleep this time or it's no Choco Rockets for a week. Got it?" asked Wolf.
Billy nodded.
The leader sighed in relief as he leaned back into his bed with a thud.
"Goodnight Wolf," said Billy.
"Goodnight Billy," replied the canine with a yawn.
Wolf was fast asleep in a millisecond but Billy was still awake. Once the child knew the leader was out like a light, he crawled out of the cot and onto Wolf's bed. Billy curled beside Wolf and closed his eyes with a smile on his face.
The canine immediately felt something press against his side and cracked his eyes open to see what it was. To his bewilderment, it was Billy, sleeping beside him like a helpless pup. Just when Wolf thought the little boy could not surprise him anymore, he always found another way.
Once again, the strange feeling resurfaced from deep inside the leader, confused as to why Billy would occasionally make him feel this way. The child has been doing this since they decided to make him a part of their crew and it irritates Wolf not to know what this was.
Regardless of how much the child had annoyed him tonight, Wolf could not help but smile and wrap a protective paw around Billy. Both of them finally sound asleep.
Thank you so much for your patience, as always. I have been busy during Easter and a lot of changes going on with my schedule. So, it has been hard lately to find the time to work on both this story and Beast Wars. Keep in mind, I am not giving up on either of them and will continue to upload new chapters when I can. Hope you all had a Happy Easter and you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be another time skip as we focus on a part of Billy's life that involves a certain day that Snake hates the most…BIRTHDAYS! Feel free to leave any comments or reviews on this chapter. It warms my heart that I have received a lot of positive feedback on this fanfic and I hope to continue writing something you all enjoy. Until next time!