#37 Come On In
"Ooo, I'm so excited Carl! I think they're gonna love what we brought," Globby remarked with a big smile.
Felony Carl, who was walking next to his boyfriend, nodded and replied, "I am inclined to agree. Most people do enjoy when guests bring a delectable treat when they visit."
The couple were currently making their way up the steps to Honey Lemon and Go Go's apartment as they were invited over for dinner for the first time. In Felony Carl's hands, he was carrying a blue container filled with sea salt caramel and chocolate chip cookies that they made the day before; admittedly, Globby mainly just did as he was told when baking since the motorcyclist was the better baker of the two, but he was happy to contribute nonetheless. After only a short trek up to the third floor, they believed they found the right door, prompting Globby to knock three times.
"Coming," rang a sweet, female voice as the sound of footsteps could be heard coming towards them.
"Yep, that's Honey Lemon," the shapeshifter chirped in confirmation just as said woman opened the door.
The chemist greeted them with a bright smile, wearing a pink and yellow-striped blouse, a pink floral-patterned skirt and her yellow high heels. "Hey! We're so glad you two could make it! You're just in time. Dinner's almost ready," she sweetly said before she turned and gestured them inside. The couple quickly shuffled in, followed by Honey Lemon shutting the door and giving both men a hug.
After the young woman let them go, Globby kindly told her, "It's great to see you too, and guess what? We brought dessert!"
Felony Carl took this as his cue and held up the container of cookies and added, "These should be able to provide a delicious flavor experience."
"Aww, you guys are so sweet! Now, I hope you don't mind lasagna for dinner," Honey Lemon cheerfully responded as she headed into the kitchen to finish up.
"Sounds good to me," Globby replied.
"I am always satisfied with savory pasta goodness, but had I known, I would have possibly prepared tiramisu to go with it," Felony Carl chimed in.
Facing his boyfriend, the gelatinous mutant looked at him in surprise and asked, "Wait, you know how to make that?"
"No, but I am a fast learner," Felony Carl slyly answered with a wink. Globby gave a soft chuckle and gently nudged the motorcyclist before the two of them went further into the apartment.
Inside the modest space, the reformed criminals looked around, noting the two-bed setup, not dissimilar to their own, as well as a nice kitchen, various art projects laid out and some boxing gear in the corner. They both then deeply inhaled the fragrant scent given off from the lasagna cooking in the oven along the wall, which was almost complete at this point. There was also a table set for four people just off center of the room with a giant bowl of Caesar salad, a basket of garlic bread, and a pitcher of water placed on top.
Seeing this, Globby proceeded to inquire, "Hey, where's Go Go?"
Honey Lemon moved away from the oven, and with a gesture towards the bathroom responded, "She's just freshening up. She wanted to get a quick workout in after she helped me prep."
As if on cue, the speedster of BH6 came out with slightly damp hair, wearing black capris, a yellow short-sleeved top and a pair of grey socks. Go Go then gave a small stretch before seeing the two guys in front of her and simply said, "Hey."
"Hey Go Go."
"Hello."
Both of the former criminals gave their brief waves, followed by watching Go Go walk over to the pitcher and pouring herself a glass of water. "You guys want some?"
"Sure," Globby and Felony Carl said in unison, making the couple smile at their synchronization. A moment later, they both got their drinks and took a quick sip before placing them next to their plates on the table.
Globby was about to tell his friend about dessert when a buzzing timer came from the stovetop and they all faced the same direction to find Honey Lemon turning the oven off. She then slipped on some rainbow-colored oven mitts, pulled the door down and grabbed the heavy baking dish resting on a cookie sheet out.
"Need any help?" the shapeshifter asked as he already took a step forward, only to be told by the chemist, "It's all good. Just really hot." She set the food on the stove, followed by turning off the oven and closing its door.
"Phew. If it gets too hot in here, please let us know. Don't want anyone to be uncomfortable or go melting on us," she informed their guests with a small nervous laugh.
Go Go then leaned over to Globby and quietly whispered, "Don't come to one of her sticker parties unless you want to stay here when it's over 85°F."
The pink and purple man raised an eyebrow in confusion before he heard Honey Lemon coming over to set the hot lasagna on some potholders in the center of the table. She promptly removed her oven mitts and cheerfully told everyone, "There we go. Now let's dig in!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Globby remarked as he pulled Felony Carl's chair out and pushed it back in for him.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
The mutant hero then sat down as he waited for the salad bowl, which was currently in Go Go's hands. "This all looks and smells amazing, and thanks again for having us over," Globby graciously said to their hosts.
With a dismissive gesture, Honey Lemon replied, "Anytime you two. It's just a shame it took so long to have this little get together."
"Yeah, being branded fugitives and the life of being a superhero in general can throw a wrench into your plans," Go Go flatly commented, making things a touch awkward for a moment.
Fortunately, Felony Carl chimed in and inquired, "So, I could not help but notice the motorcycle outside and the helmet in the corner. Is that by chance your ride?"
As the purple and black-haired woman reached for some bread, she nodded and said, "It's a special design of mine. I started with the standard frame of a Yamamoto bike, then replaced it with lightweight parts and added a more efficient fuel compression system; from there, it was all about the aerodynamic façade."
"Well, it is certainly a gorgeous bike," Felony Carl complimented as he scooped out some lasagna.
Honey Lemon and Globby, who were sitting next to each other, shared a quick look and smiled at their loves' comradery. By the time the two motorcyclists finished their conversation about their vehicles, everyone had managed to get some of everything served. They all proceeded to take a few bites before talking again, momentarily filling the apartment with silverware clicking and chewing sounds.
The shapeshifter among them spoke up first as he sincerely told his chemist friend, "This is just amazing Honey Lemon! I mean, it's so cheesy, warm, savory, and I can't help but go "Mmm" when I taste it."
Felony Carl then chimed in with, "I would certainly love the recipe if you do not mind. It is indeed delicious."
Go Go's compliment came last as she simply said, "Great job Honey Lemon. It's really good."
The young scientist blushed from the other three's words and bashfully replied, "Aww, you guys are so sweet and sure Felony Carl, I can get you the recipe later. I found it online, but tweaked it a little by adding more oregano, a touch of chili flakes and doing parmesan and mozzarella for the top layer." She then made an "Oh" face in realization as she reached over to the speedster on her right and said, "But I can't take all the credit. Go Go here helped getting the hamburger cooked, made the garlic bread and got the salad all chopped."
The engineer merely shrugged and flatly stated, "It's no big deal."
Globby shook his head and told her, "No no. Don't sell yourself short. You deserve some praise too. Thanks for helping make such a yummy meal."
Felony Carl nodded and added, "I thank you as well."
Go Go acknowledged them with a nod of her own before taking another bite of salad, followed by bearing a small smile of appreciation that she tried to hide from her friends.
Honey Lemon then decided to start a new conversation and asked, "So, what did you guys do today?"
The shapeshifter gestured to his boyfriend to speak first out of politeness, prompting the bandana-clad man to answer with, "It was not particularly eventful as I do not have to work until 9pm tonight, but I did have to make a stop at the Watanabe Market for groceries."
"Ooo, where are you working tonight?" the young hero eagerly inquired before taking a sip of water.
"I have a gig at the club on Freemont called "Vibes." I am pretty active on the bouncer scenes," Felony Carl casually replied, going for another piece of bread.
Globby then cheerfully chimed in by saying, "Yeah, and now I can sometimes stop by in disguise to say hi without causing any trouble. I'll make sure he's doing okay, get him a coffee or whatever you know, just to check in and get a little more time in with guy since we can be on such different schedules." He gave Felony Carl a warm smile as he patted his leg, earning him an equally affectionate one in return.
Honey Lemon couldn't help but let out an aww while Go Go rolled her eyes, but still flashed another small smile as she looked at her girlfriend. The chemist shortly afterwards turned to her mutant friend and asked, "So, what happened with you today Globby?"
The aforementioned superhero faced the other and sheepishly grinned before answering with, "Oh right. Well, as for me, I just did my usual patrol around the city, looking for anyone needing help. I did find a car crash and was able to assist in getting it off the street to ease up traffic, but a slow day is a good thing." He then made an "Oh" face of his own as he remembered something else. "Almost forgot. Since it was a slow day, I took a break out over the bay to get in a little flying practice; you never know when I may need to rush off somewhere in a hurry or have to make a daring dive to catch something. I know I'll never be as fast as Go Go over here, but hey, I can try," he added with a short lighthearted chuckle at the end as he complimented his friend.
The speedster smirked as the acknowledgement before taking another sip of water and telling her friend, "I'm not opposed to sharing a few tricks if you ever need help with those sharp turns of yours."
"Oh, that'd be cool to try and you're the expert, so I'm up for it," Globby replied with a wide grin.
Honey Lemon proceeded to clasp her hands together and let out an excited squeal. "A group training day with Globby! That sounds like so much fun," she happily exclaimed.
"I didn't say group…but sure, if the rest want to come watch, it'll be fine as long as everyone stays focus and doesn't interrupt me," Go Go said firmly, clearly thinking about who might be problematic. A small round of chuckles went through the group as the implication that there most likely would be several interruptions now because the engineer probably just jinxed herself.
The four of them proceeded to halt their conversation for another couple minutes in favor of eating some more of their cheesy, garlicky meal. Eventually, Globby politely inquired, "Well, we told you about our day. What happened with you two?"
Honey Lemon eyed Go Go and after seeing she was in the middle of chewing, spoke up with, "I was mostly getting things prepped for dinner tonight, but I managed to get a little online shopping in. There was this new pack of cute animal stickers I just had to get." The bright smile she soon wore gave way to her adding, "I also got started on a new painting. I was going for another still-life, but used a mix of books, fruit and candles for a blended effect/challenge instead of just flowers. I should be able to finish it tomorrow." The chemist then gestured to a small, wooden table behind her, where there was in fact the setup as she described it.
"Wow. I'm betting it'll be really pretty when it's done. You'll have to show me a picture," the shapeshifter kindly complimented.
"Or you could just come back over here and see for yourself," the female motorcyclist across from him slyly chimed in.
"Fair point," Globby conceded with a smile, followed by taking another bite of lasagna.
Go Go wiped her mouth with a napkin before she finally answered her gelatinous friend's question. "You already know from Honey Lemon that I got a quick boxing session in prior to dinner, but the rest of the day was spent at the base working on my hyper-bike." She shrugged nonchalantly and then remarked, "Just feels good to get work done. I'm honestly surprised it was such a slow day with how things have been so crazy lately."
Everyone else nodded their heads in agreement as Felony Carl said, "There has been a statistically high number of criminal events lately. Maybe it is the vacuum effect created from the removal of all current major supervillains."
"That's one way to look at it," Go Go commented, causing her girlfriend to chuckle softly.
"I guess it's better to have a bunch of tiny fires instead of a raging inferno in this case, even if it means more frequent fights," Globby chimed in before drinking some water.
"Yeah, makes sense, but the upside of there being more than six of us means they can get put out more quickly," Honey Lemon added, quickly casting a genuine smile to Globby and making him blush slightly.
Go Go smirked and wittedly replied, "Don't give Fred any ideas though or he may have us change the whole hexagon theme we have going on."
They all shared a short laugh at the remark and continued with their meal, with the four of them rotating between talking about hobbies, how things were going overall and anything fun they had recently partaken in. Eventually, the conversation wound down as the food cooled off and everyone had enough to eat.
"Well, that was certainly a yummy dinner. Thanks for making it and having us over," Globby kindly told the two again.
Now it was Honey Lemon's turn to blush as she made a dismissive gesture and responded, "Oh please, it was a pleasure to have you over. Right, Go Go?"
The aforementioned woman was pushing back her chair at the moment, but still managed to tell their guests, "Yeah, this was fun." As she pushed her chair back in, this seemed to signal to the other three that it was time to start cleaning up and they all followed suit. Each carried their own dishes to the sink, but Globby proceeded to offer to wash the dishes and joked he was quite experienced having to clean up messes.
As the gelatinous mutant did that, Felony Carl told their host that he could help put leftovers away, prompting the chemist to get the aluminum foil out to cover the lasagna dish; meanwhile, the remaining two heroes got to cleaning the table and taking care of the rest of the food.
Globby was still working on the dishes by the time everyone else was done, but insisted Honey Lemon and Go Go try Felony Carl's cookies in the meantime.
"Thanks," the couple said in unison as they each pulled a cookie out from the container. The taller of the two women then reached for some napkins to hand to her roommate and Felony Carl for when they were done.
"Anyone want some milk to go with these? I'm getting a glass," Honey Lemon informed the others as she set her dessert on the table to fetch some cups.
"Sure," came three separate times as she proceeded to get four short tumblers out, followed by grabbing the milk out and pouring some into each. By the time she was done and putting the jug away, her shapeshifting friend had gotten everything washed, rinsed and set in the strainer. "Here you go," she offered to him, which he accepted with a short "Thanks."
Globby then headed over to his boyfriend, who held the container out for him to take a treat. They both smiled at each other as Honey Lemon walked towards the other three with all their glasses and passed them out.
"I guess cheers," the gelatinous mutant said with a bright smile before he was joined by a trio of "Cheers" shortly afterwards. All of them bit into their cookies with a satisfying crispy crunch as the buttery caramel and chocolate flavors filled their mouths.
"Mmm, these are fantastic! Was this a recipe or did you create this yourself, Felony Carl?" the chemist asked, followed by taking a sip of milk.
The unibrowed man flashed a warm grin of appreciation and told her, "I have made my fair share of confectionary goodness, so this is a result of years of experience and tinkering."
Go Go took another bite and complimented him too with, "I think you nailed it on every level."
Felony Carl appeared flattered as he informed them, "Thanks, but Globs here helped too, so this was not a solo act."
Globby already had finished his cookie and went to put an arm around his boyfriend. "Yeah, I helped, but Carl here's the real mastermind; I was just listening to what he said. I keep telling him to one day open a bakery or something. It doesn't have to be big and I'll be there as his rock if he needs support," the pink and purple man sincerely proclaimed. He soon felt the need to add, "But I'll settle for just the two of us doing it together for right now." Felony Carl set his glass down so he could reciprocate the gesture, causing Honey Lemon to go "Awww" all over again.
She then put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and said, "Maybe we should find something together we can both enjoy Go Go."
The shorter woman smirked before quipping, "We do. It's called being superheroes."
This got the other two to snicker a little as the long-haired scientist playfully nudged her roommate. "You got me there, but seriously, there might be some activity that will give us both so much fun and joy that it'll be our thing," she imparted onto Go Go with a gentle smile.
The speedster let out a sigh in defeat, but still showed she cared by nudging her best friend right back with a small grin of her own. "Alright, but nothing too crazy, okay? I know how overboard you can get," she told Honey Lemon with an air of warning.
"Okay, okay…but yay," the artist replied placatingly before giving a little excited exclamation.
"Good luck," Globby supportively said to the couple as he went for another cookie.
"My sentiments exactly," Felony Carl added.
The four of them all basked and conversed in the warm atmosphere as they finished their dessert until it was 15minutes later and it was time to depart. "Thank you so much for coming over guys! This was really great and we just have to do it again sometime," Honey Lemon graciously and sincerely relayed to her guests as they all ventured toward the door.
Globby nodded emphatically in agreement and suggested, "Absolutely! We have to host you too at some point if you both want."
Honey Lemon and Go Go shared a look of silent discussion, followed by the latter shrugging and replying with, "Sure, we can come over. Just tell us when and what to bring."
The taller of the two then noticed the others had left their container with several cookies inside and went, "Wait. Don't you need this back?"
Felony Carl flashed a sly grin and faced his boyfriend, who knew what he was thinking. Globby then fabricated a duplicate container and cheekily said, "I think we're good." He also created a cookie in his free hand and added, "On demand dessert, remember?" Everyone gave a small chuckle at that before the gelatinous mutant reabsorbed both into his body.
His motorcyclist roommate proceeded to open the door, each giving a wave, saying "Goodbye" and lastly heading down the steps as Go Go shut it behind them.
"So, did you have a nice time, Carl?" Globby inquired as they made their way out the front door, walking side by side now.
"It was a delight. You are very lucky to have found such kind-hearted people to have as friends," Felony Carl replied with a genuine smile.
"Don't I know it," the gelatinous mutant promptly responded before he gave a cheeky grin and added, "But you were still there first."
At the flattering remark, the husky biker chuckled softly before putting his arm around his boyfriend, who proceeded to lean on him. They continued their journey home in relative peace, unknowingly mirroring the other couple's actions as the two women spent the rest of the night relaxing in each other's close company.
NOTES
Globby's friendship with Honey Lemon is one of my favorite things about the show, but I would have loved to see more interactions with Go Go and Felony Carl since they do have a few things in common. ;) I'll have to write the one where the guys invite the other two over for dinner eventually. ;) I also wished we could get have gotten to see Felony Carl's baking/cooking skills in action beyond "The Present," so that's often why I write him doing it in my stories; Felony Carl just breaks all the stereotypes and I'm here for it. ^_^
The next "Cutscenes" story will have Hiro, Baymax and Go Go try to get Wasabi's car out of the bay. :)