Balin, Matt, and Amy gently got off a puffed-out Loona's back, as they still showed their speechless looks at the last store of a rental video store that shut down before they were born.
"Blockbuster Video?" said Matt.
"But... But I thought it was shut down." added Amy, just as stunned as he was.
Balin then looked through the window of the store, seeing all the DVDs up for rent. He couldn't see much in there though, considering the lights were about to go out with dusk on the rise.
"Well, Loona and her friends did say the Grimoire could take us anywhere in the world." smiled Balin in his surprise.
Matt and Amy took their turns looking through the window too. But whilst they admired the sight for the first time, Balin saw Loona panting heavily like a normal canine, still on all fours after the ride.
"Loona?" he leaned closely to her. "Are you...?"
Loona soon caught him off-guard a little, as with all her might, she gave him a sudden lick on the cheek to make him giggle.
"All good... kiddo. I just... never ran that fast, before." she panted with a little chuckle. "Remember, when I said that... I carry Blitzø and M&M on my back, during one of my... missions? That was a lie."
Balin chuckled too, before looking at the small building again to see a vending machine near the right side.
Running over to it, he grabbed some money from his wallet to grab Loona a soda for her energy. Thank Goodness she didn't have Australian money in his new allowance, since it worked differently in the States, and thank god he still had money at all after probably his favourite hellhound back ride yet!
Using the money, around 99 cents, Balin pressed the button, choosing a can of strawberries-and-cream flavoured Dr. Pepper.
Ironically, the vending machine played an old jingle for the beverage too.
As the boy watched the drink slide into the slot, he grabbed the can and popped the lid with a cork on the RC cola machine, before running back to Loona.
All the while, a teenage goth boy walked up to the machine and looked at the different beverages to choose from.
"Dr. Pepper, eh?" he said to himself. "Hmm, sure. What's the worse that can happen?"
He then pressed the button for a normal Dr. Pepper, the next can soon blasted out of the machine like a rocket and blew his brains out like a bullet.
Balin then brought Loona her can of soft drink, who then stood up on her hind legs and took a massive sip.
"Ahh. Okay, I'm good now." she sighed in a growl-like purr and relief, before noticing what the drink was and laughed. "Dr. Pepper?! Balin, I have to keep my figure and teeth healthy."
The boy laughed as Loona ruffled his hair before waking towards the store, with Matt and Amy still admiring the scenery inside.
"Wow! Toy Story 3?" Matt pointed at one of the DVDs on the nearby shelf. "I've always wanted to see that one!"
"Cool." smiled Amy.
"What did you always want to see Amy?" he then asked Balin's crush.
"I'm not sure. I never really watched a lot of movies before." she replied. "Too busy studying."
"Hehehehe. Boring!" Loona and Balin chuckled together, but Balin blushed with worry that he might hurt her feelings.
"Okay, let's go in, guys. Quick." Loona then said as she walked to the store.
As the sliding doors let the kids inside, Loona quickly changed back to her human disguise, leaving the two kids in awe of her again.
"Okay. This is way better than the game." Balin said in his adorable smile.
While the kids looked at the different DVDs, as long as they were DVDs appropriate for their age, Loona walked up to the front desk in her cool, but sassy and tough vibe, where a tall mid-teen was standing.
"W'sup, dude. Recently made a booking for the one-night sesh." she flatly said, with one arm on her hip and the other in her pocket.
"Yes, miss." the employee replied in his puberty voice. "We have it all set up in the back."
"Thanks." she handed him some money from her wallet. A wallet made out of human skin, that made him secretly shudder.
Balin soon walked up to the hound-in-disguise with a bar of chocolate behind his back.
"Thank you for bringing us here, Loona." he said kindly. "But don't we already have enough DVDs back home for a movie?"
"Yeah we do. But I decided to show you an even better time." she knelt down with a smile. "Look right... over... there!"
Loona pointed to the right, making Balin look and gasp at an amazing sight.
He looked to see a couch-bed and a cinema-style flatscreen TV all set up in the back of the store, hidden behind the aisles. This wasn't just the last Blockbuster store in the world, it was also an AirBNB too!
"Pretty neat, huh?" chuckled Loona with a smirk.
Just then, she saw the chocolate bar wearily hiding behind Balin's back.
"Balin..." she sang with an evil grin. "What's this full-size candy bar doing there?"
"What full-size candy bar?" protested Balin. "This is a chocolate bar."
Hearing that made Loona laugh as she held her hand out and abruptly stopped.
"C'mon. Hand it over." she said, as Balin reluctantly gave her the candy bar. "You can always have little bits and pieces during the movie."
"Speaking of which, what movie are we watching, Loona?" asked Amy.
"Dude back there just told me people normally choose one from the shelves." she explained. "But since Balin here bright a lot from the clubhouse, some in his backpack, I figured we might pick one of them. Maybe even that guy could choose it for us."
Balin then gave Loona his backpack, who then handed it to the employee.
"Surprise effect, huh?" he said in a little ennui. "Cool. Babysitting moms are the best."
Loona just groaned in annoyance. To keep on hearing people say that Balin could be her actual kid, she ranted in her hand 'Why does everyone keep calling me that?' over and over again.
"Well, it's dark. Best time to watch a movie." she then said, looking out the now sunset windows.
Matt and Amy nodded as they ran over to the concession stand and grabbed lots of candy and snacks. As hard as it was for them to choose, this just made the hellhound laugh at that a little more than Balin's load of candy.
...
A FEW MINUTES LATER...
Soon, everyone was snug and warm in the couch-bed blanket, which had the lyrics for 'Nothing Else Matters' typed onto it.
"Okay, you guys ready?" the employee asked with an unenthusiastic but otherwise hearty attitude, making the kids excited. "Well then, enjoy tonight's film, Cooties."
As he put the disc in the DVD player, Loona's eyes soon widened.
"Wait just a... oh fuck no." she gasped in her head, before speaking aloud to herself. "Did he just say, Cooties?"
Balin, Matt, and Amy saw her expression turn rather anxious. And as the movie started playing the ending scene, they soon found out why.
"I'm giving you kids an F!" Rainn Wilson's character shouted half his line.
"Kids! Cover your ears!" exclaimed Loona. She knew what the other half of that line was.
"For FUCK YOU!"
Almost hearing that, the kids did as she said, but soon dove their heads into their pillows as the character set fire to the gasoline-covered play centre with the zombie kids still in it.
"AGH! Turn it off! TURN IT OFF!" screamed Matt.
"Fine! Fine!" Loona raced over to the TV and ripped the DVD out of the VCR. "I am so sorry. I have no idea how the hell that even got into Balin's bag."
"Wasn't me." Balin said in defence.
"Shhh, it's okay. I know." Loona soothed him.
She scratched her chin trying to find out who would do such a thing to nearly traumatise such young children, and then, put all the clues into one person she knew fit the bill.
"That effing BLITZØ!" she growled, almost making the three kids feel scared of her.
As soon as she noticed, she calmed down for them with a deep breath, pinching her nose.
"It's okay, little dues. No-No need to be scared, okay? I'll ask the dude to pick a movie from the shelves. A good one."
With a nod from the kids, Loona stood up from the couch-bed and walked over to the assistant.
"What the fuck, bro?!" she exclaimed quietly to him. "That movie you chose for my little friends, did you stop to think it was coarse and bloody for their age?!"
"Oh, shit. That bad, huh?" the employee said. "Ma'am, I apologise for picking it. To make it up to you, you can pick something from the kids' area, all on me."
The employee pointed to the kids' area of the store, which was really full of other MA-rated movies.
"Steal your own movies from over there, dipshit." she cringed. "I'll choose one for myself."
With that, Loona looked around the real kids' area, where the 'Toy Story 3' DVD she saw earlier still stood, and smiled knowing it'd definitely make Matt feel better.
"Alright, little guys!" she called out. "Who's up for a little Toy Story 3?!"
The kids cheered as she walked back to the AirBNB and put the disc into the VCR, chuckling.
AT I.M.P...
Blitzø was resting in his office after wearing himself out with his MLP figurines, while Moxxie and Millie ate a couple of their still-warm cookies as if they were about to kiss, like in 'Lady and the Tramp.'
Soon, the bone-phone went yapping, so Moxxie responded with lightning speed.
"Immediate Murder Professionals!" he smiled. "How may we be of professions?"
All that was answered was some eerily monstrous growling noises, shocking the hell out of Moxxie and Blitzø as he came out of his office.
"Y-Y-Y'ello?" Blitzø shivered, taking the phone. "I.M.P...?"
"Tomorrow! Morning! No matter what the fuck!" growled an angry Loona on the other side, before hanging up the call with a slam.
Blitzø then gulped knowing what Loona was gonna talk about, while Moxxie soon figured it out and quietly celebrated to himself.
BACK AT LOONA'S APARTMENT...
The three kids were now in Loona's apartment, as she showed them around. While she showed them Balin's room, Loona advised them not to ever go into hers without knocking or without her in there.
But this was a one-night stay, and for 7-year-olds, they could manage.
While the two besties were brushing their teeth, in their PJs ready for bed, Amy soon picked up on some smooth singing outside the living room.
BALIN:
When the bells start ringin' in the halls
And the children start to play
My heart skips a beat
When my Amy's books a-blazin' in the heat
The little girl I love
She makes the learnin' fun
For me...
Oh, LA-DA-DEE...!
Of all the kids on Earth
It's for her that I fell
Oh, Amy...
Amy walked out of the bathroom, hearing Balin sing so beautiful for the first time in all these years, clapping with a flattered smile.
Balin quickly looked up at her, surprised that she actually heard him. And he was singing quietly too.
"Balin, that was so... beautiful." she said. "Where did you learn that?"
"Oh, Uncle Moxxie taught me that song." Balin replied. "...Yesterday."
"No, I mean, where did you learn to sing like that?" Amy's puppy-dog eyes soon fluttered.
"Well... My mommy used to sing me to sleep when I was a baby, every night." flushed Balin. "I just picked it up from her, I guess."
"Then let me tell you, from the bottom of my heart, it was beautiful." she smiled.
"Thank you." Balin replied again.
The two then sat on the couch in silence for a bit, until Amy spoke.
AMY: "So, uh... I know, we didn't get the chance to yet. Because it's late. But... why don't you tell me more about yourself?"
BALIN: "More, how?" *tilts his head*
AMY: "Like, what you used to do on Earth, before coming here. And/or what you still do today."
Balin then began explaining some of his life to her, remembering some of Moxxie and Millie's teachings on how to properly talk to girls like Amy.
BALIN: "Well, I've been in No-Name Town all my life, me and Matt have been friends for a long time, and uh... I'm just a kid who likes music and movies."
AMY: *smiles* "Aww, no need to be modest. You're the nicest boy I know, and I have three brothers."
BALIN: "Wow. That sounds cool. I sometimes wish I had a sibling. Mainly a big sister, like Loona. But..."
AMY: "You prefer to be an only child?"
BALIN: "Yeah. I'm enough, right."
The two kids giggled with each other, crush to crush, both with flushed looks on their faces, while Loona and Matt watched from the bathroom door.
AMY: "I've been thinking since you came back to Holy Water, and... you know what? I've been eyeing you since Pre-K too."
Balin then showed a surprised but warmed look on his face hearing that.
"Well done, mate." chuckled Matt to himself, while he felt Loona's tail softly slap his back as it wagged, rather emotionally.
AMY: "I've seen you out there, playing with all your other friends. So agile. I've seen you tend to other peoples' needs, so kind, and now... to learn you've been here, all this time, you really are a little hero. Filled with bravery AND kindness. Good and bad, play and study, Heaven and Hell, I think you are an example of bringing both worlds together. That's what you've done for me tonight, Balin. This has been the best night, ever!"
BALIN: "Ever?"
"Yes, indeed." added Matt, walking over to the couch, "This night has been nothing but the time of our lives. For you to show us what you've been through these last couple of months down here, already, despite everything. I mean, the guardian angel everyone now knows you have, is a hellhound for Pete's sake!"
Loona just showed one tear in her eye being called that 'damn-straight' this time.
"No wonder she licked that Grimace Shake off your face back at your other house." he continued.
"Clubhouse." corrected Balin. "It's our clubhouse now."
"Comme ci, comme ca." shrugged Matt. "But the thing is... will you be okay here a little more?"
"Yes, Matt. I'll be safe." he replied with a warm smile. "If there's one thing I learnt here, it's that I have I.M.P to protect me."
"He's not wrong." Loona butted in. "He's made all kinds of friends here in Hell. Even Lucifer's daughter."
Matt and Amy's mouths were wide open, as Amy then made a little mind-blown gesture, making the boys giggle before she did.
"Alright 'Chuckle Brothers and Sister', time for bed." Loona smiled again. "If Matt would like his bedtime story..." she then sang, holding up a storybook he brought, titled:
"MASTERCHEF: PACIFIC OCEAN"
As their couch-bed unfolded, the three kids lied down on the mattress, while Loona sat on the edge and wrapped her bushy tail around them, given it was long enough to make a blanket for all three of them, as she cleared her throat and began reading.
...
LOONA:
Once upon a time, there lived a piranha.
He was unlike any other piranha. He was scared, of everything.
The other piranhas were big and fierce.
So he wanted to prove he can be too, because he had a secret weapon.
His incredible cooking skills!
(Light chuckle)
He one day stumbled upon a cooking competition.
And with trembling fins, he immediately signed up as a contestant, and he began to cook.
Chopping and stirring and sizzling all day long.
When the scarier piranha judges tasted his fishy feast, their eyes widened in amazement.
Their smiles, teething.
"I'm hooked onto your meal like a salmon." the first judge said.
"Today, you've shown any-fin is possible." the second judge added.
"You are the CHOMP-CHOMP-Chompion...!" the third and final judge said. "RAWWR!"
(Loona gave the three kids gentle little noms with her claws, like tickling a baby's tummy, before going back to the story.)
And ever since, Piranha, cooking skills and bravery, were celebrated.
He wasn't scared of the other fish anymore.
He really was, the catch of the day.
The end.
...
Seeing all three kids asleep, smiling and snuggling in her blanket of a tail, Loona showed her puppy-eyes for how adorable it was.
"Good night, twerps." she softly spoke.
Slowly ruffling their heads, she gave each of them a goodnight kiss on the forehead, before grabbing the sleeping Balin in her arms and wrapping a real blanket around the other two.
Loona then carried the boy into her room and quickly wrote a note to put on her bedroom door before opening a portal with the Grimoire and going back to the Blockbuster AirBNB, where she decided to make use of her one-night session.
Luckily, she locked the doors and sealed all the windows so no-one in Hell would see Matt & Amy and try to kidnap them in their sleep.
But she still had a trusty security camera, named Blitzø, watching after them just in case.
...Even if she didn't know it.
With Balin snuggled into her chest, Loona lied down on the couch-bed and gently licked his forehead a few times, before falling asleep with him cuddled in her arms.
A/N: See y'all in the next chapter.