#43 Good Publicity

"I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's just a little interview. I've done them before and it was no big deal. Are you nervous at all Carl?" Globby anxiously inquired as he turned to his boyfriend on his right. Currently the couple was sitting in their favorite booth at Joe's Diner, waiting on Megan Cruz, who said she wanted to interview them for her school paper. The reporter had only said that she wanted to ask them about their transition to good and living honest lives no longer as criminals, but the gelatinous mutant found himself more worried about being questioned by a teenager than Bluff Dunder or some other adult.

At hearing Globby's question and concerns, Felony Carl smiled sympathetically at the other as he put a large arm around him, making his love grin a little as well. "I am doing alright Globs. It is possible that it stems from being interviewed by one so young and impressionable that you do not wish to change the perceived image that they have of you, but I am sorry your nerves are currently bothering you. Maybe you will feel better once the young reporter arrives and we get started. Is there anything I can do to alleviate your anxiety in the meantime?" the reformed man offered, his expression never waning.

The superhero could only softly chuckle before he replied, "Just doing this is helping plenty."

"Then I shall continue with my embrace," Felony Carl said as he smirked in satisfaction and used his free hand to sip his iced tea. Globby himself proceeded to turn to his own coffee and drank from it, glad the beverage wasn't too hot and that he got the sugar to creamer ratio right. He then gazed around at the lunch rush crowd that were occupying the other booths, filling the small establishment with random conversation and the sound of eating.

Ding.

The ringing of the front door brought the shapeshifter's attention back to his right and he saw Megan enter. Globby then gently nudged Felony Carl as he gave a brief wave to say hi and for the young reporter to come over (even though she had already seen the couple the instant she stepped into the diner).

"Hi Globby. It's good to see you again," Megan politely greeted before she faced the other man. "And you must be Felony Carl. Nice to meet you," she said as he extended a hand to shake. The former felon took the young girl's smaller mitt into his much larger one and gave it a brief but welcoming shake.

"It is a delight to be properly introduced to you too. I have only heard about you from Globby and it was in regards to both this interview as well as him helping to save you some months ago from those robotic menaces," Felony Carl replied back before turning towards the aforementioned hero, who appeared to be blushing bashfully.

Megan nodded as she slid into the seat opposite of them and told them with a smile, "Yeah, he definitely helped out a lot in that fight, so thanks again Globby."

The pink and purple man definitely seemed noticeably redder from the kind words and attention, but he still managed to say, "You're welcome, Megan and I'm glad I was able to do what I could to help. I'm mainly just happy it didn't end so, well…not happy." He gave a small, nervous chuckle on the last part, but before anyone else could say anything, their waiter came over to get the teenager's order.

"Good morning, ma'am. Is there anything I can get for you to drink or eat?" the blonde woman in her mid-30s with the blue uniform inquired.

"Sure, uh, I guess I'll take a lemonade," she answered to which Felony Carl quickly added, "Be sure to put it on our bill." The waiter nodded and took off towards the counter, followed by Megan looking at the duo in front of her and seeing them smile kindly at her.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that," the supersleuth told them.

Globby made a dismissive gesture and replied, "It's no big deal, and thank you for giving us this interview. I don't think I was ever in my school paper growing up. Were you Carl?"

The aforementioned man pondered for a moment and said, "Not to my recollection, but it has been a while, so who knows?"

"That's fair," his boyfriend responded with a short laugh. Although no questions had been asked yet, the casual conversation already seemed to ease Globby's nerves some more.

It was only a few seconds later when their waitress (named Stephanie) returned with Megan's drink, making her give another "Thanks" before she took a swig. "So, ready to start then?" Megan inquired once she had some lemonade and fished her pen and notebook out of her jacket.

"Yeah, I think we are. So uh, I guess fire away," Globby replied as he looked at Felony Carl and got a confirming head nod.

Putting pen to paper, the reported got more serious and said, "Alright, question 1: You both are former criminals, so would you care to share what you did to break the law?"

The unibrowed man was first to answer as he informed Megan, "I have had a strained relationship with the law ever since I was a teenager, but it usually consisted of minor infractions such as jay walking and speeding tickets."

"Hence the name "Misdemeanor Carl,"" Globby chimed in with a teasing expression that quickly dissolved into an affectionate chuckle.

His boyfriend smiled and nodded before continuing with, "That is correct. My mother is very creative like that. I had committed various minor thefts for a certain period of time, but the crime that got my status officially changed to "Felony Carl" was getting into a fight at an event I was bouncing and being charged with assault, even though I was not the one who instigated it."

Megan quickly scribbled everything down as fast as she could while intermittently looking at the interviewee. "Uh-huh," she uttered in understanding once the burly man was finished, followed by turning to Globby and making his eyes go wide for a moment. "And you?"

With a mix of regret and apprehension, the superhero let out a deep breath as he remembered it was behind him now and told her, "Well, I'm sure you know about all my activities from when I was a villain, so I'll save you some time mentioning those, but before then, it really was only petty theft." He then turned to Felony Carl and let a small smile cross his face as he gave a playful nudge. "This guy here knows all about just how great a thief I was. How many times did I stumble or lose whatever I stole like three seconds later?" Globby cheekily asked Felony Carl with his self-deprecating question, obviously feeling more comfortable now.

A short laugh escaped from the motorcyclist and honestly replied, "Too many to possibly give an accurate count." They both chuckled and although Megan was still writing, she managed to grin back like one does when they see others being happy.

Once they stopped their jovial fit, they both sighed contently before Globby added, "Yeah Megan, I can really only say petty theft as my peak criminal level for years and I refused to consider any other career options up to last year."

"Okay," the young interviewer said as she flipped the page over on her notebook. She then inquired, "So, what was your reasoning for becoming criminals/committing your crimes?" The two former felons blinked in unison as they processed her question, prompting Megan to elaborate. "I'm only asking because I know some people are criminals because they get put into a bad position and don't have a way out but that. You don't have to answer it it's uncomfortable."

A moment of silence passed between the trio as Megan went to take another sip of lemonade; it was eventually broken by Globby scratching the back of his head and answering her question with a touch of apprehension. "Well…sadly for me, while I did steal to make money, I also did it because there were people that said I couldn't once I started fumbling my heists." He gave a small shrug as he continued with, "Sure, I started off thinking being a thief was my calling and that I could work to be the best one, but at a certain point, I think it became pettiness with a need to prove my doubters wrong rather than just make a big score; my stubbornness as I said before played a part too." The gelatinous mutant then smiled a little as he gazed at his own pink and purple hand, knowing some good had at least came out of his illegal mistakes. "But I must admit, without being a thief and having inexplicable things conspire against me, I wouldn't be sitting here right now with a great guy by my side and feeling so good about myself." He put an arm around Felony Carl now to emphasize the point, making the other return the gesture.

Their interviewer nodded in understanding, although she herself didn't know the full details of Globby's mutation and who he once was, but those questions didn't seem appropriate to ask. She scribbled another sentence down on her notepad, followed by looking at the other reformed criminal and said, "Do you want to say something or skip this one?"

It was Felony Carl's turn to shrug as he replied, "Eh, I can tell you. Really except for the assault, which was motivated through my egregious acts of retaliation, my minor infraction were merely myself disregarding the law because I did not find them particularly just. Truth be told, some people break the law because they do not care or it is due to ignorance, while the other times it is a push from unfortunate circumstances; everyone's case is different and that should factor into rehabilitation moving forward, but it does not mean redemption should be based solely on previous mistakes."

Megan now blinked at how much Felony Carl said, and after a couple seconds, prompted Globby to lightheartedly tell her, "He's so profound, am I right?" That seemed to snap her out of her state while earning the slimy being an affectionate chuckle from his partner. The young reporter kept writing during this time and was almost done until she got interrupted by their waitress Stephanie coming back.

"Do you three need anything else? Refill or some food maybe?" she inquired, looking at each occupant as she did so.

They all stared at each other with Megan giving a shrug in response, followed by Globby answering, "I think we're good for now. Thanks Stephanie."

"No problem and just flag me down if you change your minds," the young blonde said before turning away, making the former criminals turn their focus back to Megan.

"You got another question ready?" the superhero politely asked as he reached for his drink.

"One second," she replied as she resumed jotting down the last sentence. She proceeded to flip the page right after and continued. "Okay. So, was it easy to decide on reforming and when did you decided to do it?"

"Oh, that one's easy for me to rant about, although it really is a specific case, so you may want to disclose that Megan: Individual experience may vary," Globby spoke first, putting his hands up to emphasize the end of his sentence.

"I think that is a recurring theme here today," Felony Carl slyly added before they all chuckled for a moment at the comment.

When the gelatinous mutant stopped his soft laughter, he gave a clearing cough and said, "Anyway, you probably already know this too, but for the sake of being sure, I did become a good guy when the whole star incident happened." He then couldn't help but look down in guilt, avoiding even his boyfriend's gaze as he continued with, "I should have asked questions instead of blindly following orders, but it felt good to be part of a team that actually needed me and to win at something for once. It wasn't always great with some rude comments and gestures thrown my way, but I was treated bad and called a monster when I became Globby right off the bat even when I didn't do anything; so, in a way, I felt that was my only option." The shapeshifter let out a small scoff as a grin returned to his face and told Megan, "Granted, if I had actually listened to what Honey Lemon said, I could have been reformed a lot sooner."

He then paused to take a sip of his now lukewarm coffee before he answered the other part of the inquiry. "As for it being easy, it certainly was pretty simple to choose saving the city. It may not have been particularly good to me up to that point, but I couldn't let everyone die because seriously, that's evil!" Globby went wide-eyed at the horror of just thinking about if they had failed. Shortly afterwards, he felt a reassuring pat on his back, making him relax and look at his partner, smile wider and say, "Thanks."

"No problem, Globs."

Globby remained silent for a few more seconds until he thought of something else relevant. "Oh Megan, another thing I should mention is that while I did stick out and, in my opinion, have gotten pretty good at being good, there were plenty of times where it felt like I was a failure at it too. I mean, it's pretty obvious why such things as finding a job were difficult, and the one I did get was only for about a day; granted, it was a justifiable firing as I made a pretty big mess," he informed the brown-haired teen as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm glad that I didn't let the challenge of adjusting stop me from helping and keep me from doing what I love in the end, but they did make it so I thought that I was really the problem and I needed to change to fit in better," he added with noticeable melancholy.

Felony Carl gave a solemn nod in agreement before he voiced his own experience to Megan, telling her, "That part is rather common unfortunately. Often times I have had little choice other than to accept positions that play to my muscular physique and gruff demeanor; not to say I did not enjoy those employment opportunities, but more options would be preferable."

"Uh-huh," the supersleuth slowly said with a touch of sympathy as she jotted everything down and even flipping another page to write some more, followed by letting the other two know, "Well, interestingly enough, my next question was about the difficulties you two faces, so we got that one answered." She then turned to the motorcyclist and inquired, "Did you have anything to say about your decision to turn over a new leaf Felony Carl?"

Both Globby and Megan looked at him while he contemplated for a moment, only to give a shrug once more as he replied, "There really is not much to tell. I did not enjoy my time in incarceration and wished to spend my efforts contributing more to society so I would not be a repeat offender. I am thankful my transition was not as challenging as Globby's was, but it did take longer to achieve a broader level of acceptance since I did not save the city like he did." He gave a wink once he was done to his boyfriend, earning him a small smile of gratitude. Internally, the 15yr old went aww at their continued affection towards each other as she wrote down Felony Carl's response. She took another drink of her lemonade as she flipped the page with her free hand, noticing it was already the last question.

"Okay. It looks like I've got one more left. What do you do to keep from falling back into your previous illegal habits and what are your goals as a law-abiding citizen?" she asked as she prepped and looked back at the former felons.

Both of them first smiled at the inquiry, followed by the couple facing each other as the gelatinous mutant gave a nod to signal for his boyfriend to go first, to which he silently returned the gesture. "Since my partner wants to save his answer for last, let me inform you that at least for me it got easier with time. Prejudice and first impressions can still happen, and I admittedly do frequent some disreputable places in Good Luck Alley since I have other felonious friends, but I mainly just keep remembering that the life I have is good and I do what I can to not repeat my past mistakes." He then paused for a few seconds to sip his tea, giving a satisfied "Mmm" before he finished with, "As for the second part of your question, I really do not have much ambition beyond keeping what I have with Globs here and to maintain my work ethic so I can paint myself as a reliable, upstanding man."

Megan smiled in admiration as she wrote down the unibrowed man's response while Globby found himself leaning on the other's shoulder for a moment, then telling him, "That was so sweet Carl."

"The young investigative reporter wanted the truth after all, so that is what I told. Now, I believe it is you turn to shed the proverbial light on your rehabilitation initiatives," Felony Carl replied with a sly grin that transitioned to an encouraging one almost immediately after.

"Oh right," the gelatinous mutant quickly said before facing Megan again, who still had her head down towards her notepad. He only had to wait a moment though as the teenager quickly stated, "Okay, I'm ready," followed by looking at him expectantly.

Globby smiled right back at Megan as he promptly told her, "In a lot of ways, my answers are very similar to Felony Carl's; I have a good life now that I really can appreciate because there are genuine people in it that care about me and want me to succeed." He flashed a knowing, appreciative glance to his boyfriend as he added, "For me, I just remember all the love and hugs I get that I never received as a villain as well as doing good actually makes me feel good, and the fact that I've done pretty well at it makes me feel like I've finally found what I'm meant to do with my life; sure, the fame that's come with being a superhero has its perks, but it never compares to having someone thank me for helping them or knowing that I'm making a difference. So, I'm basically going to keep doing what I've been doing since turning over a new leaf because villain life certainly doesn't hold a candle to what I have now." By the end of his speech, he felt like he was positively beaming with vigor and happiness the truth of it all gave him; it seemed to rub off on the others too as his boyfriend mirrored the same bright smile while Megan had barely taken her eyes off the reformed criminal as she wrote every word down.

The couple gave the reporter their patience as she finished up before Globby inquired, "So, was that good enough or is there anything else you need?"

Megan closed her notebook and emphatically replied, "No, this is perfect! I still plan on interviewing some other people to get that wider net of experiences, but you guys were great and I'm glad things have been going well for the two of you. Thanks again for taking time out of your day for me."

"No trouble at all. It was a pleasure to have formally met you and seeing one so young this enthusiastic about reducing stigmatism towards individuals like us certainly warms my heart," Felony Carl eloquently said with a sincere grin, to which his love quickly copies with a nod of his own.

"Yeah, thank you for doing this and that can't be overstated," Globby added, making Megan feel a slight blush come to her cheeks from the positive attention.

The brown-haired teen then gave a clearing cough and inquired, "So, is there anything you need from me now?"

The couple looked at each other as they had a silent conversation, smiling and turning to Megan again before Felony Carl responded with, "If you are not too busy, perhaps you can stay for lunch, our treat and way of saying thanks for everything as well as just general courteousness."

"Maybe we can even keep the talking going, but us asking you some questions this time because we're just a couple of curious guys and know you've probably got things going on that you'd like to talk about," Globby cheekily chimed in with a wink.

With a surprised blink at the two men and a few seconds to make her decision, Megan eventually nodded and answered, "Alright…I don't have to be anywhere for another hour, so there's still some time to eat and chat." She then peered around as she searched for Stephanie, finding her and waving the waitress over. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"No trouble at all."

With that said, they all managed to smile at each other before Stephanie returned, prompting them to all finally order something to eat and turning their meeting from a mere interview into a more equal opportunity to learn about one another.

NOTES

I could definitely see Megan doing this to help reformed criminals because her dad's prejudice certainly did more harm than good and she'd want to make up for that. Writing Felony Carl and Globby together is always nice too, so I hope you enjoyed some sweet FelonyGlob love too. ;)

The next "Cutscenes" will be about Heathcliff and Mini-Max having a little sparring session. ^_^