Chapter Text
The Tick sat on the living room couch, staring out the window into the dawn of the morning. He exhaled a loud hum as he scooped peanut butter onto his spoon. The early morning had been filled with patrol of the City, checking on local businesses and neighbors, many of whom bid tired greetings to the blue giant. Tick had invited Arthur to come along and aid his quest for pure justice, but he had refused, stating his exhaustion from the previous night of patrol. The wild blue yonder had simply shrugged, counting his sidekick’s absence as a loss in the name of destiny, but it had not bothered him too much. After a few hours of traveling through the beautiful━ and not so beautiful━ alleyways of the City, the Tick had returned to Arthur’s apartment, rummaging through the pantry only to find a half-empty jar of peanut butter. He licked the spread off of his favorite spoon, a shiny metal utensil that he truly admired, and set both on the table beside him. Arthur was still asleep, and the Tick did not want to wake him, but he was incredibly bored.
Frowning slightly, the blue giant glanced at the closed door of his sidekick’s bedroom, fists clenching and unclenching in anxiety. The Tick hated waiting for Arthur to wake up every morning; his head was always fuzzy whenever his chum was not around, and it bothered him to not be speaking with his best friend. Standing from the sofa, the blue yonder tiptoed past the door, heading over to Arthur’s desk. He rustled through the various papers and news clippings that adorned his sidekick’s desk, finding a stack of blank paper next to the printer. Taking a few sheets in hand, the Tick plucked a pen from a cup, heading back to his spot on the sofa. The blue giant smoothed the paper upon his thigh, doodling Arthur and himself fighting their greatest foes: the Terror, Apocalyptic Cow, Chairface Chippendale, Ms. Lint, and especially Thrakkorzog, though they had not scheduled a conflict in quite a long while.
Twenty minutes had passed when the Tick finished his artwork, quietly stepping over to the refrigerator to hang it with a magnet. It would be a surprise for Arthur whenever he would wake up. The drawing had stalled the blue giant’s boredom for a short time, but he was still irritated by the absence of his best friend. He took a look at the clock, a deeper frown settling itself upon the giant blue being’s expression. It was only 07:01 AM and Arthur’s alarm did not ring until 07:30 AM, the Tick had remembered. It was driving him up the wall. He stood abruptly from his seat, skipping over to the bedroom door, opening it as quietly as he could. Step by step, he inched closer to his sidekick’s bed, hearing the light snores of his friend vibrate through the air. It made his antennae tingle.
“Arthur,” The blue giant started in a whisper, sliding onto the bed with ease. He prodded his chum in the side, his weight sinking the bed slightly. An incomprehensible murmur came from Arthur, the curly haired accountant bunching his bed sheets around him. There were nights where the Tick would hear his friend awaken from a nightmare, and he would do his best to calm his best chum.
“Arthur, my balloon of hope and crusader for justice━” The Tick was met with a huff as his sidekick grabbed a pillow and shoved it on top of his head. “Do not suffocate yourself, dear chum! The world needs you, your brain and your voicebox!”
“Tick! I’m trying to sleep!” Arthur complained from underneath the pillow until the Tick tore it from his grasp.
“Impossible! You are awake now, how can you try to sleep when you are awake?” The blue yonder tossed the pillow to the side, pulling his sidekick up, waggling a finger in the shorter man's face.
“It’s━ Tick, w-why did you wake me up, then? What time is it? Is something wrong?” The accountant reached behind him, grabbing his glasses from his nightstand and putting it on his face. He stared at the Tick incredulously, but the blue giant ignored the look.
“What is wrong is how boring the world is without you around, chum! I went patrolling, I ate a snack, I even made you a gift, but nothing cures this disease of emptiness and decay. Destiny told me to tell you to get up and start your day, Arthur, we have evil to defeat!”
The Tick landed several more jabs into Arthur's side until the curly haired man swatted his palms away, getting off the bed. A triumphant cheer came from the blue giant as his antennae twitched, fists held in victory in the air. He stepped outside the bedroom to leave his chum in peace, pacing around the living room until Arthur entered, wearing civilian clothes. The Tick made a face of disgust, arms folding as he shook his head.
“Secret identity again, chum? Why must you bother yourself with the normality of life?! You are an intelligent butterfly of imagination and wonder, Arthur, don’t subjugate yourself to anything less than that.”
“Tick, it’s okay. I’m just going to go get groceries.”
“Groceries! The divine tastes of humanity’s ever changing palette all in one location: the supermarket. A place filled with sweet, tart, bitter, sour and salty flavors packaged in colors and materials one born under a rock can only dream of!” The blue giant could see the expression of confusion upon Arthur's face as he walked by him.
“I. . . yes, I suppose so, Tick.”
“May I come along with you to this magical place, Arthur?” Enthusiasm engulfed each of his emotions as he looked to Arthur with excitement, pleading with his sidekick to come along for the journey of a lifetime. They had not gone to the grocery in a long while, at least, the Tick had not remembered the last time they had gone. Or the first. There was the little market that Goat owned that the pair had lunch at every few days, but it was nothing compared to a true store. The blue giant had always wanted to see a conveyor belt in real life. He noticed Arthur's shrug as his sidekick started the coffee maker, leaning against the yellowing kitchen counter-top.
“Sure, Tick. J-just don’t make a scene, okay? Dot wants me to help her with something later today and I’d. . . I’d rather not cause any mishaps on the way there,” Once the coffee had been made, Arthur poured himself a cup. He then offered a cup to the Tick, who quickly nodded his head yes. The coffee maker sometimes growled at him but the blue yonder thoroughly enjoyed the bitter drink it concocted.
“Duly noted, my ferocious friend who flies and flutters around,” Sipping the coffee out of his cup, the Tick rose a brow at his greatest ally, a wide smile appearing upon his countenance. “Arthur, this coffee is divine! You are a wizard of caffeinated beverages, my dear chum.”
“I-I don’t know about that, Tick. It’s really the coffee maker’s job━” Arthur stuttered, being interrupted by the tall superhero he shared an apartment with. It was a habit the Tick needed to break, as he would rather listen to what Arthur had to say instead of what he had to say.
“Nonsense! The coffee maker is not a person, it cannot have a job. Unless it sentient,” The Tick frowned. “Is it sentient?”
A worried expression fell upon Arthur’s face and it made the Tick nervous. His sidekick was a fragile person, and he had not meant to upset him. Instead, all he wanted to do was help Arthur be the person he was truly meant to be and to train his friend to be a beacon of hope for others. The poor kid had lost many lovely people in his life and the Tick did not want him to lose anymore.
“N-no, Tick, that’s not how that works. Coffee makers make coffee. That’s it,” Arthur exhaled a sigh.
“If a coffee maker were to attack you, Arthur, I would sacrifice my very existence to save you.” The blue yonder pointed a finger at his sidekick, nodding.
“That’s, uh, very nice of you, Tick. Thank you. And speaking of coffee━” The Tick watched Arthur glance at the clock. “We should probably head out before it gets busy. . .”
“Not to worry, chum! We will arrive at the location of groceries in no time at all!”
“We better get going then. . .” The sidekick dumped the last of his coffee into the sink, heading back into his room to get his phone and some cash. The Tick followed closely behind, watching his best friend don a jacket as they exited the apartment. They climbed down a few flights of stairs before leaving the building altogether, the blue giant smiling all along the way. As soon as they reached the street, the Tick held his arms up high.
“To the bus station!” He yelled, giving Arthur a large pat on the back. A flock of pigeons nearby were spooked into flight by the Tick's booming vocals, and he watched in amazement as they took off into the sky.
“C’mon, Tick, let’s go,” The sidekick urged, pulling his jacket tighter around himself.
“But those beautiful birds, Arthur! Majestic creatures blessed with the gift of flight, just like you! You share a connection with these fowls and fledglings. Embrace it!” The blue giant heard Arthur snort.
“Tick, my suit looks more like a moth than a bird.”
“Does it truly matter? You can soar in the air like a bird or a butterfly or a Boeing, dear fledgling.”
“I-I guess so.”
“Arthur, I’m going to give you the skinny. Be proud of who you are and what you can do. The amount of civilian sillies who would die for what you hold dear in your heart is astronomical. Destiny chose you for a reason, chum, and she won’t be backing down anytime soon.”
“Thanks, Tick. . . I appreciate the early morning consolation.”
“No need to thank me, chum! And I am happy to console you any time of day, even in the middle of the night, when we set off on patrol but others are sound asleep in their homes and in their beds.”
Arthur ended up shaking his head to that comment as soon as they approached the bus station. They sat down, the Tick tapping his knees with his fingers as they awaited the next form of public transportation to arrive. He took a look at his sidekick who was idly checking his phone as he too awaited the bus. The Tick leaned over, antennae twitched as he watched Arthur slide his thumbs on the screen of the device, azure eyes amazed by what he saw. Eventually, he reached over and prodded a finger at the screen, closing whatever his friend had been focused on. His antennae drooped slightly when he noticed the irritated expression upon Arthur's face.
“Tick!”
“My apologies, Arthur, but you’ve never showed me your tiny computer before. It is a delicate morsel of technology and it intrigues me,” The Tick's eyes were wide as he reached for the phone several times, each time receiving an odd gaze from his friend.
“It's fine. . . D-do you want to use it?”
“Yes!” Arthur handed the phone to the Tick who proceeded to open various icons and apps, messing around with the device. He opened the camera and took several awkwardly angled photos of his chum, using an app to put various filters upon the photos. He accidentally called Dot at one point, and his sidekick had to explain the blue yonder's knowledge, or lack thereof, of his phone. The Tick was thoroughly enjoying his time with the phone, but eventually Arthur took it back, stating that he needed it before the blue giant drained the battery. Finally, the bus arrived and they entered the vehicle, on their way to the grocery store.