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It was a quiet night down in Diamond City. Its lustrous, big, and blue buildings stood up high, like an iceberg, and you could hear even a slight footstep if you were walking along the sidewalk. This was an especially rare night for the city. Normally, something would always be going on at night, but it was all just either really quiet, closed, really quiet, really quiet, or just.. closed. And Diamond Taxi was no different.
Diamond Taxi is, as you might have guessed by the name, related to Taxis. It’s a Taxi Company. Many of the workers for the company tend to be part-timers that are also seniors in school or young adults that are job hunting until they find a better one. However, there are only two that have managed to stay with the company since the very beginning, and those two would happen to be Dribble and Spitz.
As they lock up the shutters for the day to keep the unwatched taxis away from the grubby little hands of thieves, the two employees of the company silently walk out onto the sidewalk as they slowly approach their apartment. Again, this wasn’t normal either. The two of them would always love to chatter off and whistle on about their experiences and misadventures involving intergalactic taxi services. They’d always get someone extremely extraordinary or immensely wacky cooped up in the backseat, and they’d always end up pulling something new. It was exciting for both furred friends.
But not a single word was uttered.
They approach their apartment building. It wasn’t very fancy, nor very expensive, but it certainly was livable. It was suitable to how much money they made, despite their occasional mishaps to forgetting to ask for the fare for some passengers, and thankfully, they don’t struggle with rent. They even have extra money to buy pleasantries for each other, or neighboring friends like Wario and Jimmy. Realistically, all the apartment walls needed were a new paint job, and they could be set for life living there together.
They enter their apartment room and settle down a little, breathing sharply as they attempt to relax a little. They both give a silent glance to each other.
“Oi, bro?”
There was a slight pause from Spitz as he slowly turns his head over to Dribble. His eyes looked tired, bags under them. Despite his eyes appearing closed all the time, Dribble knew that they were a little different from the same lifelike eyes he had seen before.
“...What?”
“Ye.. uh.. ye wanna talk about toda-”
“Not really.”
Dribble wasn’t really used to being shut down like that. Everytime after a taxi drive around the neighborhood or the stars, they’d always recount how ridiculous their stories were to each other, but today was some weird exception. Under normal circumstances, it’s Spitz usually the one speaking first, but he hasn't said a single word, minus the few just now. Dribble usually just listens eagerly. He eventually rambles on and on about things beyond the taxi stories, sometimes they delve into his personal life and interests, and Dribble would always be eagerly listening.
But right now, he didn’t really know what to do. They were just kind of staring at each other in absolute silence. He gets a little nervous.
This wasn’t normal.
“Dude. Yer aren’t normally like this. Is everythin’-”
“GREAT.” Dribble quickly gets cut off quickly. “It's real freakin’ great, bud. Don’t worry a damn thing about me. I'm doin' alright.”
He’s clearly putting up a facade of sorts, even if the rude intonation implied as such. His body was somewhat shaky, and his lip wobbled a little. But that isn’t something Dribble can just push through and break. He’s normally known to keep calm and cool, but Dribble suspected that he might not keep his cool composure this time around if he pushes it further.
“Well if ya need somethin’, I’m right here dude…”
“...”
“...Okay.”
Not a single word was uttered afterwards.
They enter the bathroom, silently showering together, and get out without uttering a second word. They both change into their Warioware™ branded pajamas, with a lot of Wario noses on them. They both take off their hats and goggles (Dribble and Spitz respectively), lightly planting it onto the end table, as they both slam their bodies into the mattress of the old bed, Dribble causing a louder ‘creak’ against the springy mattress as he falls on due to his bulkier build.
They face away from each other. One to the wall, the other the opposite. All that can be heard are the slight breaths made by the two of them. Seconds passed. Maybe minutes. It felt like an hour. It was a long, long silence.
…
…
Finally, a voice. It felt much louder than it should have been.
“...Dribble?”
“Yeah, bro? You haven’t been sayin’ much.”
“I know.”
Dribble’s ears were really good. He’s a dog, after all. He can hear his breathing become a little shaky, his voice cramping up a little as he said his last sentence, as if he's holding onto something to himself.
“Is somethin’ wrong, bro?”
His breathing became even more irregular, a little erratic. His fur was all stood up, and his ears were hanging down. He felt himself slowly turn his head over to Dribble, who was pretty concerned with his well being.
“You can tell me wuz goin’ on, bro. Ya can trust me to be tellin’ nobody.”
“...”
“..Ya promise?”
“...”
“Yeh. I’ll be listenin’.”
His hands were shaky. No, it was more like his entire body was shivering a little. Not out of the cold air that the cheap fan is able to provide, but from something else. He felt himself curl up as he slightly approached Dribble’s large chest, and he quickly climbed on top of him and his Warioware™ branded pajamas, barely posing a weight to Dribble as they got a good look at each other's faces.
He lightly sighs, eyes gazing with each other… as his eyes slightly moistened, a small stream poured down his face. Spitz was crying, his tears falling onto Dribble’s chest. Dribble puts his paw onto his back, lightly patting it.
“..s’alright, dude. s’alright now. Please, just tell me what's up, man. I wanna know what’s goin’ on.”
He slightly lifts his hand and pets his head. His hand was about the same size as his head, feeling comfy under the weight of his paw. Spitz looks away, trying not to show his teary eyes despite the fact that he did, in fact, already show them to Dribble.
“...They..”
Dribble’s eyes slowly lit up upon hearing him say even a single word. That he could be trusted with what might be something held to close personal regard to Spitz. He’s told him a lot of personal stories and shared a lot of personal interests that he wouldn’t have told anyone else, sure, but this was a little different. It had to have been something that hit him hard, like an elephant.
“..They what, dude? What’d they do?”
“...”
“...”
“..They took away the Ultra Deluxe Supremy Dreamy Freezie Schneasy combo at the Gelateria…”
Dribble looks at him blankly, with eyes of absolute horror. This was absolutely unacceptable.
“WHAT? NO. YOU’RE JOKING MAN”
“YEAH, THEY DIIIIDDDDDGGHDGHGGDDDAAHAHAAAAAaagghh…sniff WAAAAaAaAHaHaaAaaaaaaggh ..ghhhh”
Spitz is crying uncontrollably into Dribble’s chest. His Warioware™ pajamas were now drenched in the tears of a crying cat who lost his favorite ice cream menu combo. However, Dribble didn’t really care about the tears getting soaked into his favorite set of Warioware™ pajamas. The ice cream was of utmost importance.
“THEY DID NOT.”
“THEGYGY,, DIDDDDDGWAAAAAAAAAAAAaaAAaAHHAH.A..A.. ”
Dribble groans in frustration, since he also really liked that combo, and ESPECIALLY eating that combo with Spitz, but still keeps his hand on Spitz as he tries to comfort him. He quickly thought up a solution.
“There, there man. We can make our own Ultra Deluxe Supremy Dreamy Schneasy combo ice cream tomorrow. They’ve gotta have a recipe, right?”
Spitz tears remained slightly as he looks up towards Dribble. He showed off a wobbly smile.
“R-really?? You’d do that with me, bro?”
“Course, man! We can make better ice cream than they can! And then we’ll eat it and stuff! It’ll taste better than anything they’ve made in their 100-whatever years of opening! It can be our special!”
Spitz smiles wryly as he subconsciously felt himself hugging Dribble.. Or at least, what he was able to hug. He couldn’t completely wrap his arms around him so it just looked like he was latched onto him from the front. His tears slowly dry up a little as he feels a little more at ease.
“Thanks man. I look forward to it.” He snuffles loudly as he stares over to his pajamas with the sudden realization of-
“aH SHOOT, I made your shirt wet. I’m sorry, bro. The ice cream made me a little teary-eyed…”
“All cool, bro. I can just do this anyhow. Been wanting to try this for a while, heh!”
“Eh- wait, what are you- wAAUGH”
He takes off his shirt, revealing the fluffy patch of comfortable orange fur beneath it. Spitz immediately felt like he was in a new form of heaven as he slid off the shirt and landed onto the chest patch. Heaven’s comfortable clouds were beneath him, and he felt lucky to be here..
“So.. so comfy. You’re really comfy, man!”
Dribble can feel himself laughing a little, at the amusement of his little buddy’s comfort.
“Heh, yeah? Yah really think so?
Spitz purrs as he felt himself adjusting himself, rolling around a little, like a sheep playing in a field of grass. Dribble could only laugh.
“Heh, try not to roll around too much in it. It tickles a little.”
“Mmmh! It’s incredible, though! Like, super super incredible! You gotta do this more often!”
“If it ain’t comfy enough, I can turn on the player and play a song for the two of us.” Dribble's ears were flicking back and forth excitedly, as Spitz’s ears were. His tail was flicking back and forth like a propeller. “I ain’t a good singer, but maybe something from our taxi will do us good.”
“Hehe.. yeah. That’ll make me sleep real good. Cmon! Play Tomorrow Hill!”
“Alrighty, dude! Tomorrow Hill for today’s night! Hehehe.”
Leaving one paw over Spitz’s head, the other paw reaches over to a record player and lightly pushes the handle down onto the disc, which was already set in place from the last time they played Tomorrow Hill. They both grin at each other as a lighthearted instrumental starts playing, before the lyrics slowly ease in through the air provided by the cheap fan.
🎶 Driving through Diamond City 🎶
🎶I wanna escape the crowds and concrete for🎶
🎶Where the hill and sky meet🎶
His eyes slowly lower, maintaining a joyous smile on top of Dribble. His breath felt warm, and his tail calmed down as it lowered a little, his ears flopped to the sides of his head. Dribble removes his hand to slightly lift the blanket up to Spitz, as he then places both of his hands back around Spitz, being very careful as he lightly rubs his head in the midst of the song. Dribble’s ears also slightly calm down, easing up as he makes his beloved cabbie comfy.
🎶I know tomorrow shines bright up at the top of this hill!🎶
His eyes lowered more and more.. the melatonin from his brain settling in. He slightly put his head into his fur, rubbing his head and legs to get it against it to get into a comfortable angle. Dribble could feel a soft, small breath against his chest as Spitz slightly leans his head closer into it, putting his face down and experiencing the comfort of his fur at max.
🎶It always will!🎶
He felt sleepier.. And sleepier. The grip on Dribble became much weaker. Dribble could feel his own senses slowly come to a close, his soft pets lowering in pace as his eyes flicker up and down a little. They were finally at ease.
🎶I know tomorrow shines bright up at the top of this hill!🎶
Afterwards, their eyes were finally closed, their bodies at rest. They lightly snore on top of each other as the song softly hums throughout the room, lulling them to sleep with a soft smile on both their faces.
🎶I know that it always will!🎶