When Dusk fell, while Balin and Kai were now playing one of their board games in the downstairs room, Loona was back up in the living area sitting with everyone else as they sat in front of the TV after their dinner.
The program they were watching was a game show where the contestants had to sing a song correctly and/or in a different genre without getting hit by a catapult of ice-cream.
"This one right here was when he and Raven first met." laughed Nan-Nan, showing Loona some Johnson family photos. "It was at a carnival where I remember the first thing he ever told her: *snickers* I can't wait to see the merry-go-round in this parade."
The rest of the grown-ups overheard and laughed, as if that story never got old.
"And you had to be there when he screamed like a little girl when the ponies 'went on a rampage.'" she continued.
"Hmm, yeah, yeah. Because you let them out, didn't you?" pondered Loona, as she looked at the pictures away from her phone.
BJ then looked at Corra chuckling as she swaddled Mitch in her arms.
"At least it wasn't as bad as the shit she did in the movie theatre with me." the uncle muttered to himself.
"It's cool grandma, I don't judge." Loona chuckled a little. "I know how he feels too. My adopted dad definitely badgers me like that."
"Speaking of your... him, Loona, what does he and your colleagues do for a living?" Pops then asked her.
"I'm glad you mentioned them as colleagues, old man." replied Loona flatly but sheepishly. "But you still wouldn't wanna know."
"The guy's an effing weirdo, anyway." shrugged Corra.
Loona did want to agree to that of what Corra said, but at the same time, she did feel a little gratitude towards him. So smiling for a second, she decided to tell them anyway.
"You see, my dad..." she began explaining. "He owns this company where he and said colleagues exact revenge on the assholes who screwed over their clients, who pay us in return, dead or alive. But, mostly alive."
Everyone in the Johnson family was very stunned hearing this.
"Don't worry about me though, I'm just the receptionist." Loona then finished.
"So... your co-workers then, are bounty hunters? Nan-Nan asked her.
"Heh, my dad wishes we were bounty hunters." scoffed Loona. "Still working up to that, actually."
"That's... rather cool." BJ said with intrigue. "Lord knows I have a world full of a-holes like that. I oughta meet those guys and give them my thanks."
"You wouldn't to, dude. Believe me." Loona stopped him before he could stand up. "But I can say 'You're Welcome' on their behalf."
Soon, Mitch started yawning like the little baby he was cradled in Corra's arms.
"Well, that's our cue." she chuckled. "Time to get our little guys in their cribs."
"Kai!" BJ called out to his older son while the baby was still awake. "We're getting ready to leave now, mate!"
Just then, Balin held Kai's hand as they walked upstairs from the play area.
"Well mom, dad, great to catch up as always." Corra said, before looking at Balin. "Especially with you Balin. We're so glad you're safe."
"If you ever need us to take you under our wing, we'll be there for you any time." added BJ.
"Thanks, Uncle BJ." replied Balin kindly, hugging his aunty and uncle. "But I feel safe with Loona. I can't imagine anyone else but her taking care of me."
"Yeah... neither can I, kiddo." she replied in a flush.
Mitch then started tugging towards Balin to say goodbye.
"Aw, someone wanna say bye-bye?" cooed Corra. "That's nice of you, bubba." she then leaned him closer to Balin so he could give his cheek a tap goodbye.
Loona then shook his little hand with three of her fingers, including her thumb.
"Bye-bye, floofy." he babbled.
"See ya 'round too, squirt." she chuckled, tickling his cheek with her hair to make his point.
"B-Bye, B-Balin." Kai whispered in his inaudible voice again as the four left.
"See you later, guys!" waved Balin, before he yawned next.
"Well, if they're leaving, we might as well too." Loona chuckled seeing Balin yawn. "You ready, kiddo?"
"Uh-huh..." Balin nodded in response, before turning to his grandparents. "Thank you so much for having me back, Nan-Nan and Pops. I just wanted to say sorry and see if you guys were okay after I worried you."
"Don't stress, mate. All that's in the past now." said Pops.
"Luckily your teenage friend's been taking good care of you." added Nan-Nan. "Like how she did with you boys earlier."
"Hey, I'm 22-years-old, so, technically not a teen anymore." said Loona, trying to cover up her soft side in a blush. "But thanks anyway."
"So mate, is there anything you do need from us?" Pop asked Balin kneeling down to his level, and that was saying a lot for someone with pre-arthritic knees. "You're welcome to drop by any time if there is."
"I sure do appreciate that, Pops. Thank you." replied Balin kindly again. "...Actually, there is one thing."
...
A few moments later...
Loona waited outside of the house in the dark, until Balin walked out with Nan-Nan and Pops carrying a box of DVDs, including movies and video games, that they bought for him a couple of years ago, since Kai and Mitch were born.
They kept some DVDs like the Wiggles and Thomas & Friends for the two boys, but for Balin, he picked the rest of the movies to bring back to Hell and put them in the box, along with the video games ranging from Wii Sports to ones based on some of his favourite movies and/or TV shows.
Loona was rather stunned seeing all of that in just one big box as she then took it from the elders with all her strength.
"Are you sure you don't need us to drive you home?" asked Nan-Nan. "I only have a few months of my license left."
"No Nan-Nan, Pops, I insist." said Loona. "You two just get your rest."
"Please, dear." insisted Nan-Nan next. "Call us Clay and Brooke."
"Goodbye, Nan-Nan. Goodbye Pops." Balin hugged each of them saying goodbye, while Nan-Nan just gave him a big kiss.
"Lucky you." Loona then ruffled the kid's hair with one hand, and the box in another.
Soon, the boy waved goodbye to his grandparents as they walked back inside their home and he stood next to Loona's leg for protection on their way home.
BACK IN HELL, AT LOONA'S APARTMENT...
That night, Balin stacked his new DVDs into the cabinet where his bedroom TV was, and only kept one in his hand for the moment, while Loona was back in her demon form chatting to everyone from earlier. And Fizzarolli and Bee were with them too.
"Thanks for the limo's ride-share, Fizz." said Blitzø. "How much is it gonna cost?"
"...Around 100. But that doesn't matter for now." replied the clown. "You could pay it at V's next show. I heard she invited the kid."
"But she told us any show could be free." interjected Moxxie confusingly.
"Yeah... about that..." replied Fizz sheepishly. "It's only for the kid."
"That fucking bitch. Of course it'd be." mumbled Blitzø. He knew that 'sleaze-bag' of an ex would laugh seeing him pay for his actions in the past. "So Loonie, how was it at the nursing home?"
"BLITZØ!" she exclaimed angrily with a cringe.
"Sorry, I assumed those humans were only delivering the meals." the imp defended himself. "Like those guys down at Deliver-Roots."
"Then if you must know, they were an okay bunch." replied Loona briefly.
"I'll say. They looked like the nicest humans I've ever seen." said Neptune, as Balin walked out of his room. "No offence Balin, you're still our favourite."
"What are we talking about?" asked Balin, making Millie and the two hounds giggle a little.
"And what about their cute little babies of theirs?" continued Marijiana. "Ohh! How were they, Loona?"
"Meh, those kids were, actually, kinda cute." she shrugged. "But still okay."
"That's Loona for you, Nep." said Blitzø. "She can have a heart of stone, but at times, she can have quite the soft spot."
"Like a warm motherly marshmallow." added Moxxie in agreement.
"Alright, don't make an ass of yourself, Moxxie." remarked Blitzø.
Hearing both of them made Loona so mad, she grabbed the two by their collars hard.
"Listen here, you two little shits!" she quietly barked, baring her blade-like fangs. "Call me SOFT or MOTHERLY again, I won't do it in front of the kids, but mark my fucking words! There's bacteria in my claws that will cause enough of an inflammation in BOTH your goddamn hearts! Understand...?"
Both chittering their teeth in fear, Blitzø and Moxxie quickly nodded before Loona slammed them to the ground.
"Once you have the balls, that is." muttered Millie under her breath, knowing the motherly hound she couldn't deny being. But it was still no use.
"You wanna say that to me again, Grandma?!"
"She's like 5 years older than you, Loona!" Moxxie shot back before she could answer.
"Stay in your place, FATTY!"
"I, am, not, FAT! BITCH!" Moxxie yelled back at her, causing Loona to growl at him.
"Don't call my sensitive daughter that, you baby-weiner haver!" Blitzø snapped and slapped the back of Moxxie's head.
"You're embarrassing me, sir!/d-, ugh, Blitzø!" both Loona and Moxxie whined.
"Since when?"
"Oh, I don't know, let's see... since freakin' always?!" snapped Loona back.
At last, Tex lost patience and tried to intervene.
"Okay, can we not?! There's a lil' kid over there, trying to watch... a movie?" he then pointed to see Balin putting his DVD disc into the player beneath the TV.
"What are you trying to watch there, little one?" Via crouched down to him, as Balin showed her his favourite DVD to watch at his grandparents' place. "Hi5 Dance Hits?"
A/N: One of my favourite all-time groups when I was a kid was the Australian children's harmony group 'Hi5.' Like Balin, I used to watch it a lot at my grandparents' house too.
"Oh, I remember this group." Stolas said with his fast-reading memory. "They used to be a world-renowned children's singing group."
"World-renowned?" Balin looked up to the owl demon. "I thought they only performed in Australia."
"They did, my boy. But I've heard, they've been all around the world." Stolas began to explain. "When I was on a trip to a small village in the mortal realm, called Scotland, citing the tales of the Bishop Wars, I saw a few families in the park dancing to this group of 5 talented singers, called themselves Hi5."
"You've met THE Hi5, Mr. Stolas?" Balin gasped in excitement.
He now couldn't wait to show the rest of the guys so much. ...If they even liked listening to this genre of music that was.
"So what does the Hi5 do, bud?" asked Moxxie.
"They perform lots of amazing songs, Uncle Moxxie." replied Balin. "They sing, they dance, and they act. They're incredible."
"We'll see about that." muttered Blitzø underneath his breath.
Balin pressed play on the remote and played one of the dance tutorials to practice the moves before they could do the actual performance, and Millie immediately jumped up with him.
"C'mon, y'all!" she said. "This game only needs three more!"
"Well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess." shrugged Moxxie.
"Wait up! The boss is in the building here!" Blitzø boasted, as he got in the middle and started stretching, doing nothing related to the choreography.
"Hey, Loona. Would you like to come and dance with us?" Balin asked her.
Loona just stuttered and wagged her tail in nerves, afraid to just get out there and dance a little silly for everyone in the room.
"We aren't I.M.P without you, Loona." Moxxie supported her.
"They do need a fifth member for this..." Via chimed in with a sing-song voice.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!" Loona then felt her heart racing as she looked from Via to Tex.
"Come on Lunes, no harm, no fowl." Tex gave her some back pats for good luck.
"Don't be a party shitter, Loonie." added Blitzø. "I won't let Moxxie call this payback for calling him fat, deal?"
As everyone started chanting her name, Loona soon gave into the sensitive hearing.
"OK, DEAL!" she quickly hesitated and stood in the chorus line next to Balin, surprising everyone. "I guess doing this for the kid won't hurt!"
Soon, everyone heard the delightful sound of children's screams on the TV.
"It's time...!" Balin said.
The music then started and as he got into his position, so did the I.M.P gang with determined faces.
SONG: "ROBOT NUMBER ONE" by HI-5
As the song went on, the entire gang was having great fun, nailing every beat and step, but none more so than Balin.
Everyone else started dancing along to the music as this wholesome moment started getting more fun. Via just chuckled as Loona swayed her tail and her hips, getting into the groove next to Balin.
FIZZ (Robo-Fizz voice):
Wizzing 'round, here we go
Spin me fast, spin me slow
Robot dancin' on the floor
Turn the dial and count to four
FIZZ and I.M.P:
One, two, three, four!
Soon, as everyone was now dancing along to the music, especially the chorus line following the choreography, the performance soon came to an end with the IMPs posing as the assassins they were while Balin just raised his hands in the air with a wide smile.
"WHOO! FUCK YEAH!" cheered Blitzø at the top of his lungs. "THAT WAS EPIC, BITCH!"
Millie luckily came prepared, holding up the swear jar. "Three bucks, Blitzø...!" she sang with an evil tease, making Blitzø groan and pay up.
"Wow kiddo, that was so much fun!" smiled Loona. "How many times have you watched these guys to slay those moves?"
"All my life?" replied Balin sheepishly.
"WOW!" Marijiana and Neptune were also in awe of this.
"Kid, you've got the moves like... like... a kid that's got moves." smiled Neptune.
"You mean, Jagger?" corrected Moxxie.
"Don't know who that guy is, but I love it!" said Marijiana, beginning to pant heavenly in a romantic faze. "Sounds like he's dreamy..."
Balin and Loona chuckled to each other, knowing that Marijiana was unaware Mick Jagger was around 80 years old.
...
A few moments later...
As everyone was still socialising and preparing to leave the apartment, Balin walked into his room with his PJs on, his teeth brushed, and hopped into his bed for the night.
As he snuggled under his comfy blanket, he heard a knock at the door and soon saw it was Queen Bee, poking her head through it.
"Hey sweetheart. What was the name of that song you five were dancing to? I'mma see if I can use that for my next 'party'" she said in a fancy tone.
"It's called Robot Number One, Bee." smiled a tired little Balin.
"OK, thanks. Good night, honey." she flew over to him carefully and gave him a kiss on the forehead before flying back to Tex and Loona out front of his room.
"Kid, you look like a pig in a blanket right now." he complimented him, before winking to a blushing Loona. "You're doing a great job."
"Thanks, Tex..." she replied with a smile. "Bee."
"Catch ya later, baby cakes!" Beelzebub energetically said before she grabbed her boyfriend's arm and flew him out of the apartment.
Loona then turned to Blitzø as Moxxie & Millie left and angrily gave him the 'I'm watching you!' sign, indicating she wanted to speak with him soon.
But first, he quietly went up to the closed bedroom door to hear Loona whisper to her little friend...
"Good night, Balin. Sweet dreams."
He then heard her give him a kiss goodnight, which made him tear up joyfully as he stepped away.
But it was soon over when Loona walked out of her room with a scary glare at her adoptive dad.
"Hehehehehehe, Loonie, dear, is this about me calling you a mother earli...?"
"Party, shitter?" she snarled silently, like a painted dog breathing in anger. "You swore. In front of the kid."
"Oh yeah... that. Sorry." Blitzø realised... "Shit." he then heard her snarl even louder before lowering it again.
The imp then stood very still in case his own daughter followed his every move.
"Don't turn, Blitzø." he whispered to himself through his teeth, as if he was narrating his own documentary. "You'll put a Taco Bell sign around your back if you do. Move slowly, don't look back, and she won't kill you."
He began moving very slowly, and with every hoof-step he took, her paws followed. ...Until he got close to the door, and she charged at him.
"Okay, I was wrong! I was thinking about bears!" Blitzø said to himself out loud. "FUCK!"
He very quickly opened the door and shut it just in time. A few seconds into catching his breath though, and Loona still managed to leave behind some scratch marks on the front door trying to catch him. But instead, it startled him away.
As he waltzed slowly through the corridors for his life, Blitzø started humming some of the melodies he heard from the song, still getting into the groove as he left the building.
A/N: See y'all in the next chapter.