Chapter Text
“You ever notice…” Tunnel Rat squinted suspiciously at the Coyote, out the window of the gas station/diner they were refueling at. Scarlett hadn’t come back, and it’d been 15 minutes since she had left saying she was going to give the ninja some water and nuts. Plenty of time to chuck a bag at his head and, like, share a deep nod of camaraderie or something. Whatever it was the ninja did to show appreciation when there weren’t bad guys to slice up.
So, it led him to a thought. A thought he thought often, but tried not to. Wasn’t something he really wanted to be involved in.
“Ever notice what?” Roadblock asked, though he seemed more invested in getting an excessive amount of relish onto his hot dog.
“Their,” he flapped a hand towards the Coyote, “thing.”
“What thing?” He was cradling that overloaded hotdog like a baby.
“You know. Relationship,” he couldn’t say the word that really came to mind the more he watched them, that felt too personal. And both of them didn’t seem to do personal all that well. He was having a hard time thinking of a good substitute for that certain L word though. With frustration he said the next thing that came to mind, “The whole attraction thing?”
Roadblock stopped halfway through his bite and said around a mouthful of bun, “Who?”
Tunnel Rat shook his head with disgust. “Who? Who else besides Scarlett and the ninja? You see anyone else holding hands around here?”
At Roadblock’s look of shock Tunnel Rat rolled his eyes and muttered as he threw up his hands, “Am I the only one with eyes?”
Roadblock demanded, further emphasizing Tunnel Rat’s question, “When have you seen hand holding?”
“Ok, I know we had just been poisoned, but you really didn’t notice how touchy Mr. Untouchable was when Scarlett had that allergic reaction at the dojo?”
Roadblock boomed out a laugh filled with ridicule. “That wasn’t hand holding! You ever held hands before? Or does your smell get to the girls before your paws get a chance?”
“It was for a guy who’s only physical touch with people is kicking them in the face!” Tunnel Rat snapped as Roadblock chuckled to himself.
Roadblock just shook his head and kept laughing.
“You seriously haven’t seen it? He watches her. Follows her around. Throws himself in the line of fire. Defends her from the brat that he apparently grew up with? His first apprentice? Who was mad jealous of their relationship? Touches her? Most importantly, lets her boss him around?”
Roadblock wasn’t laughing anymore but he still didn’t look convinced.
“Come on! That look she gets when she’s all ‘Snake Eyes, so strong, so silent, so manly. I trust him with my life’.”
His falsetto wasn’t convincing enough apparently because Roadblock made a face and said, “I guess. They’ve got a bond, no doubt. Connection. But wasn’t he supposed to be like her teacher or whatever? Trust don’t mean they like each other.”
“Ok, ok. Fair point. I’ll give you the cincher though. Riddle me this one,” he raised a finger and said clearly, “Snake Bait.”
Roadblock just look confused.
“Geez, with Coyot- Breaker! Breaker! When we first met the guy. He was trying to run and Scarlett was all like, ‘I was following you online. We’re buds. I’m Snake Bait’.” He raised his eyebrows and waited.
Roadblock scoffed. “Snake as in Cobra, Tunnel Rat. You know how she is. All she wants is to put the hurt to them.”
“See, that’s what I thought as first. But if it was about Cobra then she’d have something like Snake Destroyer or something. You know, something violent. Nah, nah. Snake Bait is definitely something that’s more hot-for-teacher than thirsting-for-justice.”
Roadblock shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t see it, man.” Then, like he wanted to forget the whole thing, he grabbed the hot dog and shoved it firmly in his face.
Tunnel Rat rolled his eyes and looked back out the window. He tapped his fingers against the table with agitation.
“I just want to know...the story behind that particular moniker,” Tunnel Rat muttered.
Roadblock shook his head and kept eating.
Tunnel Rat sighed.
This was going to keep bothering him.