Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Skullship’s cafeteria was one of the best places to go on break. It had food, watchdogs, and no strict rules. Mainly because Commander Peepers and anyone else who was important had their own lunch section and didn't want to sit in the crowded room; this meant watchdogs could say and do whatever they'd like.

It was helpful for the old group of seven friends who sat at the middle tables. They were always talking about one thing or another. Soon enough, their break was going to start.

“How much longer?” A guard named Erin complained. He rolled his eye. Why did he have to sit around and guard the control center? Sure, some enemies of Hater broke in a few times, but why did he have to do it? His partner wasn’t any better. “Ten minutes. Don’t complain.” He said in his rough voice. Quentin was always like this. Serious and never out of line. “Why? It doesn't make a difference. Plus, I haven’t said a thing in the past twenty minutes!” Erin said. He was annoyed he was guarding a door instead of living in his twenties; he was finally old enough to do most things! Quentin wouldn't be able to relate. He was thirty-four! “Stupid job,” Erin mumbled. Quentin heard him and ignored him.

Soon enough, Erin’s wish was granted, and the obnoxious loud alarm made a low ‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!’ sound. Erin jumped in happiness. “YES! See you later, Quinny!” He ran away as fast as he could. “Bye, Erin,” Quentin said, cracking his back and walking in the opposite direction.

Erin wasn't missing a second. He ran into the cafeteria and sat in his usual spot. He needed to make sure no one took the other seats despite the fact he was convinced everyone silently decided where they were going to sit for good. His friend Hector ran in. “Aye, Erin! What’s up, man?” He was like a brother to him. He sat beside Erin with a smirk on his face. “Dude, it was SO BORING! Quinny Quientin is WAY too serious! My job is to stand in front of A DOOR, Hector Pecker! A DOOR!?” He said, adding as much emphasis as possible. Hector chuckled, “At least you don’t have to work with KIDS! Teaching them basic things, and they act like it’s the end of the world.”

Two more of their friends entered the cafeteria. Kai and Ahmad are two exact opposites. Ahmad was a menace who said the absolute most out-of-pocket things. Meanwhile, Kai acted kinder and kept to himself, but they hated half the watchdogs the same. “Hi, Kai!” Hector yelled. The two turned to the table. “Aren’t you two going to get something to eat?” Erin crossed his arms. “I would, but the food isn’t even out yet.” Ahmad sat down. “Damn, for real? That sucks.”

That's when the group noticed. “Wait, the others are doing their shifts, so where's Milo?” Hector asked. No reply, “Either he's usually late or somehow got himself almost killed again.” Erin said. A couple of moments later, Milo ran in. He looked terrified.

“GUYS! I HATE THIS SO MUCH! MR. PEEPERS PUT ME IN CHARGE OF CAPTAIN TIM AFTER JOAN GOT A LEG INJURY! A WHOLE LEG INJURY! AND HE’S ONE OF THE STRONGEST WATCHDOGS!” Poor Milo looked like he wanted to cry. “I should've never said I like animals near him!”

He sat at the table, putting his head in between his hands. “Don’t worry, man. You'll live!” Kai said. “Don’t lie to the guy,” Ahmad whispered, which earned him an elbow in the side by Herold. Milo got back up a minute later. “Y’know, I need a snack. Thank the Lord I don't have to do that again after the break!” He sighed. He looked back at the group, who all decided to start getting food before they ran out of lunchtime.

The lunch for that day was burgers, salad, and fries. As soon as the group got it, they sat back down. “You know, we need to meet up, the whole group,” Kai said. Erin nodded. “True, true. And I know when. Remember how we all have a few break days every year to kill off?” “Yeah?” Ahmad said. “Well, I suggest we run to this amazing planet in this part of the galaxy! Have you all heard of Myifu2901?” Erin said. Milo knew what he was talking about. “Oh, right! They have four dominant species and are mythical creatures.” “That’s it!” Hector looked back at the two space specialists knowing he didn’t give a damn about half the planets. “Ah, nice. What can we do there though?” Hector asked. Erin continued, “I heard there are these awesome rollercoasters and a huge city!”

The group decided it was a good place for them to go. “Wait, let me text Derek and Theo.” Ahmad pulled his watchdog communicator. Sure, he wasn’t supposed to have it after Peepers found out he was misusing it, but he opened it anyway. The small device was similar to a phone but round and thinner. “Great, I don’t think they can respond right now.” Ahmad sighed, disappointed. Kai switched the topic, checking the big digital clock on the cafeteria’s walls. “Well, I gotta go. I need to go to training, which is across the ship. Anyone wanna—“ Before Kai could finish, Erin responded. “Sure!” Erin grabbed his tray and the other three waved goodbye, “Bye! Try not to get lost, AGAIN!” Hector joked. “We won’t!” Erin said. Kai was known to get lost, and Erin usually gets caught up in the conversation and lost track of where he was going. The two have gotten lost dozens of times.

This time was no different.

What was worse was the blaring of three low beeps. They both needed to start their shifts. “Oh no…” Kai said. Erin tried to shrug it off. “It’s fine, don’t worry! We’ll get there.” Unfortunately, they somehow ended up in the sleeping quarters. “Really?” Kai crossed his arms. Erin dragged him in another direction. “Trust me! There’s a map somewhere…” Soon enough, they found what looked like a digital mall map. Erin quickly typed in ‘Armoury.’ To his pleasure, they were pretty close. The training rooms were on the same floor. “Ooh, good… LET’S GO!” Kai was, once again, snatched by the arm. “WOAH, SLOW DOWN!”

After a couple of turns and a few shoves, they almost made it! Until they saw something run past the halls. “Wait, wait, wait! Did you see that?” Erin asked, screeching to a halt. Kai had his gun out. “Yeah! Now, shhh!” He hissed. Erin drew his firearm, and they both turned the corner.

They were a little shocked to see Wander there. “Now, let’s see. Hatey seems like he’s in the mood for Snacker Packers, but he’s also runnin’ out of his ruffle chips.” He had a couple of bags of snacks in his hand. Kai and Erin looked at each other. “Seriously?” Kai whispered. He looked like he was holding in a laugh. The two quickly regained their composure and Erin jumped to him, holding his gun out. “STOP! What are you doing?” Erin yelled. Wander turned to them, a grin on his face. “Erin! Thank grop! Listen, I’m REALLY busy today, and I know you two should be doing your job, but can you sneak these into Lord Hater’s cabinet?” Wander asked. Once again, Erin had the same confused expression. “What?” He asked. “It's ‘round the corner, just past the cafeteria!” Wander said. The two didn't even consider it before he added, “I need to get goin’! My buddy, Syl, is waiting for me, and she KINDA told me—” “It would be a bad idea to run into the Skullship to deliver him snacks?” Erin asked, his face was blank. Wander quickly nodded, happy to see him put it up for consideration.

Wait, where was Kai? He thought, wasn't he behind Wander—

Kai decided to take the chance to zap Wander with the new taser he got. He watched the fuzzy hero fall to the ground. “MISSION COMPLETE!” He cheered. The duo gave each other a high-five. “Hah! That was easy as hell! Now, what do we do with…?” Erin motioned to Wander. Kai put a hand on his ‘chin.’ “We could call Derek over!” He said with a snap. “Then, he could bring Wander to a cell and show Mr. Peepers! He’ll say, ‘Wow! Derek, Kai, and Erin are AMAZING workers who deserve a 10-month vacation AND a raise!’” Erin smiled at that response, “Commander Mad-Eyeball better,” He added. Kai laughed, he opened his communicator and started typing in numbers.

Derek picked up pretty quickly. “‘Ey! Derek! You’re on break, right?” He asked. Erin couldn't hear him but knew he said yes based on how Kai’s face lit up. “Great, uh, can you help us with something? We're on the second floor, section 4, I think.” He said. “It kinda looks weird standing beside an unconscious body on the phone.” He said, cracking up. “It does! We look like stupid murderers who can’t hide a body!” Erin added. Derek heard his friend's voice and asked to say hi to Erin. Kai passed him the communicator. “Hey, Erin! How’s it going? Good? Good. Well, now that’s said, may I ask why the FLARP you two are beside an unconscious body?” He said, quickly switching his friendly voice to a shocked one. Erin rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, what if I told you we have Lord Hater’s greatest enemy right in front of us, and we needed you to pick him up.” Derek didn’t respond, and they thought he was glitching until they heard his voice. “… I’m sorry, WHAT? HOW? ARE YOU TWO OKAY?” He shouted through the screen. “Yeah, we're fine! We just snuck up on him.” Erin said. He could hear Derek’s steps getting faster. “I’m almost there! See you in a minute! Bye!” He quickly closed the call before waiting for a response.

“So… He's coming, right?” Kai asked. Erin nodded. “Yup! Derry Berry Fairy will be here soon!” Kai chuckled at the nickname. “Dude, where do you come up with these?” “Not sure! I simply think of what rhymes! Like Kai Pie!” He said. Kai laughed. “Seriously? Kai Pie?” Erin smiled proudly, putting hands on his hips.

Soon enough, they heard Derek running through the halls. Kai and Erin quickly fell silent to hear the thumps. “Who’s that?” Kai hissed. Derek turned the final corner and slid to a stop, catching his breath. “Guys! I'm… Here…” He said in between breaths. They both sighed, “Oh, thank GROP, it's you! We thought someone like Peepers was coming…” Kai said, rubbing the sweat off his face. “That would be bad— But… Not THAT bad… Because you guys got… Wander.” Derek said. “Talking about Wander, how’d you get him?” “We're just better, right Erin?” “Flarp, yeah!”

Derek grabbed Wander by the shoulders, noticing that he was softly snoring asleep. He was about to go, but Erin called him. “Wait! Derry! Do you and Theo want to come with the other four and me to a planet for a couple of days off?“ Derek's eye widened, “Why WOULDN’T I? When are we going?” He asked.

He was grateful they were finally meeting up again. The last time they went on a trip was almost a year ago! That was a work trip back when they all met. Thank grop this was happening! “We're still thinking about that. But Ahmad sent details to the group chat, so look through that. Anyway, I gotta go before we get caught just talking.” Kai said. Erin nodded, “Yeah, we wasted, like, twenty minutes!” Erin started backing away. “‘Kay, well, see you guys around!” Derek said. He started dragging Wander’s sleeping body while the other two waved their goodbyes. They couldn't wait for the trip!

Chapter Text

A couple of days passed, and the group had a plan ready. Now, they needed to put it into action. However, it still needed to be approved by Commander Peepers. Theodore knew that. But he was meant to wait for Milo to ask Mr. Peepers because they were on better terms than anyone in the group— even though it's extremely one-sided. Now, Theodore was sitting in a meeting. He spun the pencil in his fingers, resting his head on his other hand while Peepers explained a future invasion on random planets he didn't care enough to remember. Theodore zoned in and out, only remembering key details and asking questions to make it LOOK like he was listening to Peepers, despite the fact he couldn't give a flarp. It's not that he hated his job— he was grateful for his rank— he, like most watchdogs, was tired of constant attack after attack. Peepers was using every opportunity they had to plan, which meant more meetings and more training.

“So, any questions?” Peepers asked, standing in front of a screen that was as big as the table. Theodore’s hand flew up as he sat straighter. Peepers nodded. “Watchdog Theodore?” “You said we’re going to conquer from above their throne’s location. How may we get there, Commander Peepers?” Theo was grateful to see his eye light up and continued. “Well, I have been coming up with more ways to improve our jet packs, for instance, adding a shield by the side in case the other side plans to attack back.” Theo let him continue to ramble on. He crossed his arms under his chest and leaned back, glancing at the watchdog beside him and his confused look. He mouthed, “What?” Theo rolled his eye. “I’ll explain later.” He mouthed back and focused on the diagram on the screen.

Right before he thought he was falling asleep, Peepers looked at the clock and said sternly. “Meeting dismissed. Next meeting on Monday. Seven O’clock, sharp.” And the watchdogs slowly stood, stretched, and mumbled to themselves about the complicated plan. Theodore instantly stood up and made his way to the door, grabbing the notes he made on the way. The guy beside him sped up to follow him, but Theo was already halfway down the hall.

“Hey! Theodore!” He yelled. The young comrade followed Theo. He turned around, and the guy slid to a stop. “Hey… can you send me the… notes?” He asked, catching his breath. “Fine. But, why don’t you take them yourself?” He asked. The guy looked up at Theodore. “Because I know you’ll have them! And anyway, Peepers doesn’t care.” “Yes. But when he says, ‘Well, Lawrence. Do you know what the plan is?’ How will you respond?” Theodore crossed his arms. Lawrence shrugged. “I’ll have SOME idea. And I can look over at your notes!” Lawrence sneered. Theo didn't have the same enthusiasm. “You can't just rely on other people all the time.” “Mhm, mhm, sure, Emo Boy. Okay, anyway, bye!” Lawrence said. He ran off before Theodore could respond. “I—“ Theodore simply turned around. He wasn’t going to argue with a 17-year-old.

He walked off, checking the time on his communicator. 8:21 in the morning, he sighed; thirty-nine minutes to kill off. That’s good. The last thing he needed was to spend the next hour shinning weapons only Hater can use or fixing guns can’t work. He was grateful for the moments of silence without anyone in the halls.

…

“THEODORE!”

“WHAT—“ Theodore nearly punched his face as he turned around. He aimed his fist and realized it was Hector. “Oh, hi,” Theodore said. Hector pushed his fist back down. “Is that your immediate reflex? No wonder Mr. Peepers would allow you to control an army.” He said sarcastically. “I’m flattered, but he wouldn’t,” Theodore said. He relaxed his shoulders, and the two continued walking forward. “I bet he would! You’re one of the best watchdogs! Look at you, you ripped flarping—” Theodore quickly hushed him because he heard Commander Peepers calling Hater a couple meters away.

“Yes, Sir! The invasion is ready to go!” Peepers said. His boots made heavy stomping sounds from across the hallway. The two stood in silence until Theodore started pulling Hector forward. “Walk! And watch your tongue.” He hissed. The two, luckily, weren’t caught lacking.

Peepers shivered. “Sir, I promise you it’ll go perfectly to plan.” The two watched him past them, too stressed to care about his appearance, unlike in the meeting when he was confident and well-rounded. “I would feel bad for him if he wasn’t a flarping jerk,” Theo mumbled. Hector made a fake gasp. “That language!” “Oh shut up, you son of a bitch.” Hector’s pupil shrunk from the shock. He looked like he was going to faint; it was hilarious. Theodore held back a laugh.

The two continued walking forward until they got to the end of the hall and turned left, but before they did, they saw Peepers and an awkward Milo standing there. “Milo—!” “Wait.” Theodore stopped him again. “Listen,” He said.

“Mr. Peepers, I don’t think the job’s for me!” He said, fiddling with his gloves. “Milo. If anyone can calm him down, it's you! Plus, I can give you a special reward after!” Peepers sounded like he was speaking to a child. “Excuse me? A reward?” Milo said. His eyelid dropped, and he curled his fists. “Like I’m a little kindergartener? Or a weakling who's easy to manipulate?” “Don’t talk to me like that!” Peepers poked a finger at him. “I am your COMMANDER; you MUST listen and OBEY!”

Theodore walked behind Commander Peepers. Being one of the taller and buffer watchdogs made him look threatening. “Maybe you should let him switch with me?” Hector watched from behind. The other two looked shocked. “What? But we need you to train others! And—” “That’s a great job for someone filled with patience and encouragement, Sir.” Theodore’s eyelid lay low as he glared at the shorter eyeball. Milo was about to contribute, but Peepers spoke first. “Fine.” Milo was overjoyed, yet incredibly guilty. “Did you honestly just do that?” Theo shrugged. “What’s the hype about Captain Your-Life-Is-Gone anyway?” He said, “Also, we have been hoping to ask you about a couple of break days. Am I correct?” Hector slid over; Milo nodded. “Yeah…” Peepers tilted his head. “So?” Hector explained, “Well, we've been thinking that four other watchdogs and us should go on a trip for a week and a day!” Peepers rolled his eye. He stared at the group, considering it. “send me names in front of my office and dates. I'll clear your schedule.” All their faces lit up, “But,” Peepers pointed a finger. “You’ll be using your rest days, which means fewer days for rest if you get a small cough or simply don't feel like working. If your group is fine with that?” Peepers crossed his arms. Milo contributed, “We are well aware of this. We will send you the times and dates as soon as possible, Sir.” His excitement wasn’t noticeable, but Hector didn't try to hide his; he was already jumpy. “Well then, it’s settled— Unless it’s next month, of course.” “Oh, no, don't worry! It's next Saturday.” Hector said. “Thank you so much, commander!” Peepers was happy for the thanks. “You’re welcome. See you during tomorrow’s quick meeting.” Peepers added, looking straight at Milo. “I’ll be there, Mr. Peepers!” He said.

The three had the same joy in their eyes. And Hector raised his fists. “Yes! We did it! Haha!” He laughed. Theodore continued walking with the two. “Can’t wait to tell the others!” He said, lifting his communicator to his ear.

“Hey! Guess whose trip was approved by Peepers!”

~•~

Later that day, after Theo told everyone, some of the group met on call in their sleeping quarters.

The first person Theodore called was Ahmed. Mainly because he knew he was in the cafeteria, shipbuilding, or training centers. All places he didn’t have much to do or was too lazy to do. Ahmad decided to call Milo and Theo after for more details.

“Hello, can you hear me?” Milo asked. His voice was calm and quiet. “Yeah,” Ahmad said. Milo paced his room, checking for things to pack. “Dude, did you hear what Andy is planning?” “What?” “He said he’s planning a whole soccer game on the ship! Somewhere in the Doom Arena!” Ahmad said. “Wait, what?” Milo asked. He stopped walking. “A SPORT?” Ahmad cheered. “Yeah! It’s next month; I might try out for the team!” Milo was a little confused about how a group of watchdogs was to play a sport they never learned, but who was he to crush their spirits? “Wow, Andy’s the best!”

While Milo was calling, he reopened his letter to Peepers and sat on his work table. It didn’t look organized, but it was better than most watchdogs. “Hey Ahmad, can you see whether this sounds good, okay?” “Bet, what is it?” “Quick letter so we can go on the trip.” He began reading it aloud. “To C. Peepers, this letter confirms Hector Sights, Erin Pupil, Kai Houng, Ahmad Sharif, Theodore Eye, Derek Evans, and I, Milo Sees, eight days of break. Reason: Vacation. Times: Saturday, October 8th, 6:30 am to Tuesday, October 17th, 11:59 pm. Extra notes: None.” Milo could hear Ahmad opening what he assumed was a granola bar. “It’s good, it’s good. Oh shit, wait—” He quickly got up from his seat.

“What's going on?” Milo asked, worried. “My new dormmate sleepwalks. Two of them are on their shifts, and the one who sleepwalks, Jay, barely gets any sleep, so I can’t just wake him up.” If even Ahmad was avoiding waking him up, then that says a lot. “Dang, that sucks.” “Yeah! I might as well tape him to the bed before he crashes into a wall.” Milo smiled. “Honestly, you would be doing him a favor. My roommates are pretty chill. One of them never shows up— I don’t even know his name. The second one, Xavier, sometimes walks in and skips a shift. And the last one is currently blasting music in his ears. He’s Francis.” Ahmad walked around his room. “Oh, so none of you talk to each other?” “Pretty much, we all have our own lives, y’know?” Milo said. Milo decided to start packing his bag. He put his phone beside a closet and opened the doors to reveal identical uniforms, a black puffer jacket, and a suitcase on the floor. “Want to call Theodore? I think he's in the gym.” “Of course, you want to hear him in the gym.” Ahmad mockingly said. “Woah! No! I— I'm calling him.” He stuttered. “Look who's proving my point!” Ahmad slowly clapped. “Wow, Milo. Wow.” “Oh, shut your yapping!” “YAPPING? Just swear, you dumb f—”

Theodore joined the call. “Huh?” “Hey, Theo!” Milo said, ignoring Ahmad. “Hey,” He said. “What’s going on?” Milo pulled the suitcase out of the closet. “Packing.” “Ignoring every problem at hand.” Ahmad took another bite of what he was eating. “Honestly, I should pull up to the gym too.” He yawned. Milo chuckled. “Yeah, you’re almost always there.” “Not always,” Theodore said defensively. “Sure, sure, sure. NOT ALWAYS! Not every few days!” Ahmad exaggerated.

Milo took everything out of the bag. There were lots of weapons and poisons that would be concerning to bring on a random planet. And lots of survival tools that weren't necessary for a vacation. “Guys, what do you think we’ll need? Actually, the bigger question is, what do we HAVE?” Ahmad grabbed the headphones and spoke as loudly as he could— without waking his roommate. “Money.” “True,” Theo added. “But, do you have any other clothes other than uniform?” Milo peeked in the closet. “Uh, I mean, the puffer jackets aren't that bad. And I have sneakers—” “I have clothes,” Theo said. “They’re in my room. Want me to pass them to you?” Milo smiled, “I mean if you want.” “You’re the one wearing the clothes!” He laughed. “Sure then!” “How about you, Ahmad?” Ahmad moved his headphones around, and it made a glitchy noise. “Huh? No, I don't need all that.” Milo was smiling ear to ear. Thank grop he didn't need to wear a uniform in public.

Ahmad yawned, “Oh my grop, it's late.” Milo checked the time on his digital clock right beside his bunk bed. 11:27, Milo sighed. “Damn, well, I gotta finish this if I started it.” Milo focuses on deciding what to throw in the closet and what to bring, toning the other two out. “I have a morning shift tomorrow, but I could just sleep in the day.” Theodore considered. “Yeah, and break your sleep schedule? Good joke.” Ahmad said, clearly eating. “Firstly, chew with your mouth closed. Secondly, you're eating at this hour!” Theo said. “And you’re just coming back from the gym? The hypocrisy in the room is crazy.”

Milo laughed at the two, putting whatever he needed in the suitcase. But he made sure to leave extra space, just in case. He ran down all the things he put in his head: Jacket, grapple hook (you never know when you need it.), chips and granola bars the squad stole from the vending machine, bandages, a camera, and a couple of brochures and maps of the planet. Sleepy, he realized the two had both stopped talking. “Hey, guys. I’m going to hop off for the night.” “Same,” Ahmad said. “Okay, check with everyone so they know we got the approval and can go,” Theodore said robotically. “Night, guys.” “See you— Holy shit, my roommate’s sleepwalking again. Gotta go— Bye!” Ahmad quickly left, and Theodore followed. Milo threw off his headphones and walked to Francais. Francais was sleeping on an almost-finished report. He decided to let him sleep and set an alarm for him so he could still finish it and still get proper sleep. He didn't want to risk waking him up and put a blanket over him.

“G’Night, Francais,” Milo mumbled. He sleepily walked to the bathroom and got ready for bed. As soon as he left, he closed the lights and fell asleep, thinking about the trip ahead.

Chapter Text

~•~

Beep beep, beep beep, boop.

Beep beep, beep beep, boop.

Hector slapped his arm on the alarm and looked around his room. It was the third alarm he set; he should probably be up by now. He hopped out of bed and checked his clock at 4:21 a.m. ‘Damn. Now, what?’ He thought to himself. ’Oh, right! I need to change!’ He ran out of bed and into the bathroom, washing his face and smiling at the mirror he faced. 'Yes! Today is the day! Thank grop!' He thought. He grabbed his white T-shirt and red plaid button-up– that he bought without Peepers knowing. He slipped on the black tights, which looked casual enough for a uniform— And headed out. Hector tip-toed past his sleeping roommates and realized he wasn't snoring. Shoot, he woke him up. ’Too late now.’ He grabbed his small suitcase and pulled it to the door. He took a final glance at his organized corner and sighed. He'd had a mixture of excitement, completion, and a little worry for the trip ahead. But he knew that now things were going great— Which was good enough for him.

His door closed with a small click, and he speed-walked to the cafeteria to grab a snack before he went. But on the way, he called Erin, who— surprisingly —picked up. “Hey, Eri—“ ”Get over here, right now!” Erin said. Hector switched directions immediately. “What happened?” He said, trying to remember his room. “I-I forgot to pack a few things! Listen, I packed some things! But then I completely forgot about hygiene and basic needs! Ugh, this is horrible!” Erin said.

Hector sighed. “Okay, okay, calm down. What do you need?” “Soap, that stupid Boomabalooza T-shirt that is super soft, oh, and the parachute pants I got from the gift Hater gave us were so good! Much better than the itchy uniforms.” Erin trailed off. “Erin, FOCUS! What do you need? We are going to a cool planet. Do you have any cold-weather clothes?” Hector heard the worry return in his voice. “Oh, right, I don’t! I need to find that jacket, ugh." Erin mumbled. Hector was getting closer to his room and saw it ahead. "It's okay! We still have an hour, remember? And I'm almost there. Give me a moment!” Hector slid to a stop. He glances at his door and starts knocking.

Erin swings it open. “Thank grop!” They dap each other up and go straight to work. “Is your roommate awake?” Hector quietly asked. “I am, hello!” A watchdog about Commander Peepers' height waved at Hector. “Don’t mind me, but do you need any more help Eri’?” “Nah, it's fine, Olie.” He said, forcefully shoving his clothes around in his closet. “Where are those stupid shoes? “Want me to pack your selfie stick and headphones—" "YES, PLEASE!" Erin said, too loud and too quickly. "Where?" "... ANYWHERE!" Hector rolled his eye. Where would it be?

He started checking the drawers until he remembered— This was Erin. They could be anywhere! Like under the bed or in his closet! Hector checked both of those places and still couldn't find them. "Dude, where do you remember putting them?" "I already told you; I don't know!" "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?" Hector yelled back. "Wait, check the... bathroom?" Erin shrugged. Hector paused. "You can't be serious." He stormed into the bathroom and checked the top cupboard, finding the wired headphones. "Erin, I love you, but who the flarp keeps their headphones in the BATHROOM?" He walked out, not feeling necessarily annoyed, just confused. "I-I wanted to listen to music while washing my face yesterday? What's wrong with that?" Hector had no response and stepped out of the bathroom to see Erin sheepishly smiling. “I don't know what to say, Erin.” Hector face-palmed. L

“Anyway, where's your selfie stick?” Erin checked a packaging box for his jacket and shirt. He paused, hearing Hector’s question. “Uh, that I don't know. It’s okay! I could find it!” “Nah, it's fine! Is it okay if I check your closet?” “Yup! How else would you find it?” After a painful search through Erin's room, the duo found all his things and shoved them inside the overfilling bag. "We did it! Thank grop!" Erin said, landing face-first on his beanbag chair. Hector lay on the floor, exhausted. He glanced at the clock and jumped in shock. “SHIT WE GOTTA GO!” And with that, the duo grabbed their stuff and ran out the door, leaving the room a mess.

~•~

“Okay, okay, okay! Milo and I got first aid supplies, so Hector has snacks, Ahmad and Theodore are in charge of supplies for days two to five, and Derek and Erin have supplies for six to nine. That means—”

“Holy shit, Kai! It’s fine! We’ll live! You went over this an obnoxious amount of time!” Ahmad complained. “Are you trying to memorize it or something?” He rolled his eye. Derek, Ahmad, and Kai walked toward the ship’s departure station, pulling their bags across the halls and getting curious looks left and right. Watchdogs rarely go on vacation due to Commander Peepers’ schedule and when he plans missions. It was a blessing that all seven of them could go for ten days straight, but it also meant fewer vacations in the future. Another thing that made them look especially noticeable was their clothes. Ahmad wore his puffer jacket and grey sweatpants, Derek had his gray and black jacket with his tights, and Kai wore a long light brown coat with a belt on top of his usual uniform, covering the lightning bolt in the middle. They didn’t have lots to work with because of limited outdoor clothing on the ship. Most came from Theo because he was constantly on missions, which involved him staying undercover, but most of the group tried to style the clothes they had.

“I cannot wait! I hope there’s all the awesome stuff they were telling us about! Like that theme park, the huge city, and everything else!” Derek said. “Ooh, and maybe they’ll have churros or cheesecake!” He said. The ship also had limited food types. Usually, they would eat whatever the head chef had in mind.

“Oh yeah! Man, I want to buy new clothes too! The uniform is so stupid!” Ahmad said. Kai slowly nodded, flipping through their galactic passports. “I know!” Derek laughed. Kai finally put the tickets to the side. He needed to relax, but this must go perfectly! He grabbed his map from the tote bag on his shoulder to take a final look. Derek glanced over his shoulder. “Kai, you’ve checked the map eight times within the past ten minutes. Take a deep breath…” He breathed in, “And calm down!” He forcefully exhaled. Kai put the map away, “Can you blame me? It’s my first time planning a trip, and I don’t want to mess up! Plus, it’ll be amazing if everything goes smoothly.” Kai said. “We’re all putting a little effort so it would be hard for all seven of us to forget something and—“

The three of them soon saw the mischief duo running around the halls, laughing about who knows what. “Hey! Erin!” Hector called. “Slow down! We’re going to get in trouble!” He put his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

Erin saw their friends and ran to tackle-hug Derek. "Derry, love the outfit!" "Thanks! I got it from some weird store during an invasion! It was just sitting there, and everything is free if you don't pay for it!" Ahmad loved the encouragement, “Yes, that’s the shit we can agree on! On top!” He held his hand out for Derek to slap. Hector strode over to Kai’s side. “Don’t worry, Kai! I got a bunch of snacks, and Erin’s got everything on the list you gave him.” “Why would I be worrying? Do I look worried?” He asked. “Kai, my man. If there is any word to describe you right now, it would be stunning! And then worried.” Ahmad said, grabbing his right shoulder, pulling him closer, and then letting go. Kai smiled at this and finally decided to let his extra stress go.

"So, where's Theo and Milo?" Erin asked, putting his hands on his hips. "They woke up earlier and already ate. They're waiting for us on the launch tongue, trying to claim our mini-rocket.” “Oh, right! We get a whole rocket to ourselves!” Hector said. He slapped Erin’s back and ran as fast as he could with his luggage. “RACE YOU!” Erin grinned challengingly. “Oh, it's on!” He said. The two ran to the front of the ship like two kids playing tag. Kai giggled at this. The three tried to speed up so they wouldn't be last.

~•~

Milo fiddled and straightened the dark green sweater vest with his fingers. The new texture was more than just refreshing— it was life-changing. Along with the sage pants and white T-shirt, he found while searching with Theo. Theodore was wearing a black tank top and pants. Thro wore chains around his neck and on his belt. He had a ring on his right palm, which shone when he lifted his hand to adjust the brown satchel bag on his shoulder. Lastly, he looked bored from the lack of excitement on the ship. His eyes drifted across the room and—

“No!” Hector cried, “Ugh, you win, again!” Erin and Hector ran towards the duo ahead. Theodore rolled his eyes playfully and watched them. “This should be a fun trip.” He said. Milo laughed at his snarky remarks. He was right about that. “Guys!” Milo called. Hector and Erin immediately stopped and started searching for the who called them. Theodore and Milo were both smiling at them as they walked forward– Or, Hector walked forward. “Oooh, look at this! Damn, you guys look…” Erin was at a loss for words. Theodore laughed. “You should’ve saw his face when he first saw me in this!” He pointed back at Milo with his thumb. “I—” He was at a loss for words. “Anyway, did you see the others?” Milo asked Erin. “Yeah! They're almost here!” Theodore started walking. “I’m going to board this mini-ship now, you guys coming?” “Right behind you!” Erin said. The four walked ahead, ready for whatever new experience will come.