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[Alaaaaaaan!!]
Second waved his arms frantically when he saw Alan coming back from doing laundry.
Alan quickly sat at the computer.
[Orange, what’s wrong?]
[It’s too hot! Something’s wrong with the computer!]
[Oh, ok, let me run a virus scan real quick!]
[Please hurry…]
Second sat and sprawled out on the desktop, staring up at snowy mountain peaks for a moment before closing his eyes and trying to imagine he was there.
Yellow had changed the desktop background to a snowy town in the mountains, but the chill breeze somehow wasn’t helping much.
”Hey, Orange, drink this.”
Blue tapped Second’s shoulder and held out a Minecraft bottle of water.
”Thanks, Blue,” Second said, wearily sitting up and taking the water. “Alan said he’ll try and see what’s wrong.”
A window suddenly popped up and they glanced at it, seeing that Alan had started the virus scan.
”Yellow and Chosen never found any viruses,” Blue said while fanning himself with a wave-pattern uchiwa. “But it’s good he’s checking all the same.”
”Yeah,” Second agreed with a sigh. “Hey, you got another fan?”
Blue nodded and handed Second another uchiwa, this one with a yellow flower pattern.
”Thanks!”
Chosen walked out from the house with an armful of water bottles, Dark following close behind with a bottle of water in one hand and an uchiwa in the other.
”How’s it going?” Blue asked.
”It’s okay,” Chosen said. “They’re not dehydrated at least, and the fans are helping.”
Dark raised the fan and fanned it enthusiastically towards Blue and Second.
”Thanks, little guy,” Blue said. “Don’t wear yourself out, though. That’d defeat the purpose of having it.”
Dark nodded, fanning the uchiwa a little more slowly.
The virus scan suddenly finished.
[Hey, guys. No viruses. I think the drawing program is making the CPU hot.]
[UUUGGHHH.] Second responded, throwing up his arms.
[I know. I’ll close it and we’ll take a break for today. Should get better soon.]
[Thanks, Alan.]
[You all doing okay?]
[As okay as we can be.]
Red, Yellow and Green suddenly lurched from the house, halfheartedly waving their uchiwas.
”I’m gonna go crazy!!” Red shouted. “We’re gonna melt before it cools off!”
”You know, I’ve got an idea,” Yellow said, putting a hand behind his back as he kept fanning himself with the other. “When humans want to cool down in the summer they have water fights.”
”Ooh, like with water guns!” Red exclaimed. “Orange, could you draw us some, please??”
”Sure!” Orange pulled out his pencil.
”Water guns, yes, but also with water balloons,” Yellow said. “I think those would be better if Dark wants to play too.”
”I do!” Dark chimed.
Second erased the bit of water gun he’d been drawing, then quickly drew a couple buckets before pulling a green leaf out of his pocket.
”What’s that?” Chosen asked, frowning.
”It’s a garden faucet!” Second said.
”Oh, uh…okay,” Chosen said, raising an eyebrow.
”Oh, just watch!” Second huffed, putting the leaf down.
Chosen jumped a bit when there was a quick puff of smoke, and in the leaf’s place was now a brick faucet.
”Cool, huh?” Blue asked. “It’s from Animal Crossing!”
”Ohh…right,” Chosen said. “Alan plays that with his kids sometimes. I forgot.”
“Let’s see…” Second said, turning the spigot and grinning when water trickled out. “Alright! Now I’ll just draw some balloons and we can fill ‘em up!”
“I wanna draw too!” Dark exclaimed.
”Sure! Let’s give it a try!” Second said, giving Dark a pencil.
Dark beamed and quickly began drawing a balloon in a small drawing window Second opened.
”Hopefully a small window won’t make the computer hotter,” he said. “Okay, Dark, try and copy what I draw.”
He drew an inflated balloon, then picked it up and bounced it into the air; it floated for a few seconds before falling back down.
Dark studied it for a moment before drawing his own, the lines scratchy and uneven, but looking more or less like a balloon.
”Good!” Second said with a nod. “Okay, let’s see…”
Dark picked up his balloon and spiked it like Second did; it spun in midair and fell to the desktop, bouncing a little.
”It worked?” Dark gasped, grabbing and bouncing the balloon, frowning when it didn’t go very high.
”Yup!” Second said.
”Your balloon is better though,” Dark said. “Mine didn’t bounce much.”
”You just need to practice,” Second said, starting to draw balloons that hadn’t been inflated. “You’ll get better, and it’ll be fun!”
Dark watched Second draw for a moment, then began copying him.
Yellow drew some balloons and threw them into the air, but they dropped like a rock.
”Hmm, doesn’t seem to work for us,” he said. “Maybe it’s just a Hollowhead thing.”
”And we weren’t drawn by Alan,” Green pointed out. “We were made for a fighting game.”
”Dang,” Red sighed, but smiled as Blue started drawing a daisy.
”We can still put ‘em on the fridge or in frames,” Blue said.
”Alright,” Second announced a few minutes later. “I’ve got about a hundred balloons now. Think that’s enough?”
”Whoa, that was fast!” Chosen exclaimed. “Yeah, that seems good to me.”
”Let’s put water in them!” Red exclaimed, grabbing an armful of the balloons.
”Will the water be okay to have on the desktop?” Chosen asked. “Or…even if it is, maybe we shouldn’t make a mess.”
“I want to make a mess,” Dark said, grinning.
”I know you do,” Chosen chuckled. “But we’re going to make a mess only where we’re supposed to, and we’re going to be careful not to hurt anybody.”
”I knoooow,” Dark said, rolling his eyes.
”You’ll let everyone know when you’re about to throw a balloon, right, Dark?” Chosen asked, putting his hands on his hips.
“I’ll be careful,” Dark said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”
”Thanks, buddy,” Chosen said with a smile.
”Hmm…” Yellow murmured. “Throwing water balloons in a backyard or park would be better...”
”It’s a weekend, so maybe Purple will want to play too,” Green said, typing away on his phone. “And it could be just as hot in Stick City.”
”I hope he says yes!” Dark exclaimed.
”It’s thirty degrees in Stick City,” Yellow said, glancing at his phone.
Red and Blue groaned, slumping over.
”Does that mean we can get ice cream?” Dark asked Chosen with a smile. “Pleeeease?”
”Oooh!” Red exclaimed, straightening up.
”Hmm…” Chosen said, frowning in thought for a moment before smiling. “Alright. It’s not summer without ice cream.”
”Yay!!” Dark exclaimed, jumping into the air.
”Purple says yes,” Green announced as he typed on his phone. “King might even join in too.”
Second picked up the garden faucet and it changed back into a leaf.
”Let’s get going then!” he said, putting the leaf in his pocket. “We can put the balloons in a bag for now and fill them up at the park.”
Everyone helped gather up the balloons while Second quickly left Alan a message.
It didn’t take long to reach Stick City and it was just a short bus ride afterward to reach the park where Purple and King were waiting.
”Mango!” Dark shouted when he saw King.
Dark ran towards King, who held out his arms, catching and tossing him into the air.
“I’m gonna throw the most water balloons!” Dark laughed, hugging King around the neck.
”I hope I can run fast enough!” King chuckled, setting Dark down and patting his head.
Red and Second went about filling up the balloons, Red quickly passing Second the balloons, and soon enough they were done.
”That was really fast, all things considered,” Purple remarked, raising his eyebrows.
“Let’s start now!” Dark yelled, waving his arms.
”Alright.”
They all set buckets at various spots on the grass, then looked around to make sure they had enough room.
”We’re good to go,” Yellow said. “But be sure to stop if anyone walks by.”
Dark nodded and grabbed a balloon, then looked at Chosen, who nodded; Dark hurled the balloon at him.
Chosen grinned and held up his balloon, which made Dark squeal and scramble to get another one.
”Watch out!” Chosen called, throwing the balloon and sighing quietly when it missed.
Suddenly, balloons were flying.
Red lobbed one at Green, who spluttered and threw one back; Yellow threw one at Purple, who dodged and hit Yellow with one before darting away.
”Gotcha!” Dark cried, hitting King in the chest with a green balloon.
”You got me!” King laughed, picking a small blue balloon and holding it up; Dark squealed and darted away.
King got ready to throw the balloon, but hesitated.
”It’s okay,” Chosen said. “I didn’t want to hit him either…but he could get upset if we don’t try.”
”Maybe…”
“Throw it! Throw it!” Dark cried, waving his arms.
”Okay!” King said, throwing it and tensing when it hit Dark’s arm.
”My turn!” Dark exclaimed, throwing a balloon at King and then Chosen. “Throw another one now!”
“I suppose the point of this was to keep cool,” King chuckled before running to get another balloon.
They continued throwing water balloons until they ran out.
After they’d caught their breath, they picked up the remnants of the balloons and threw them away.
King let out a huff and stretched out in the grass.
”I think…it’s time for…a break…” he sighed.
”Ice cream?” Dark gasped, clapping his hands.
”I think so,” King chuckled wearily. “And I think I hear the truck coming now.”
”I’m gonna fly there!” Dark exclaimed.
”No, let’s walk,” Chosen said. “We won’t miss it.”
By the time the ice cream truck stopped the group had trudged up and gotten in line.
”Alright,” King said, taking out his wallet. “Orders, please.”
”Chocolate!” Second and Green exclaimed together.
”Pistachio,” Yellow said.
“Vanilla,” Red and Blue said, then looked at each other and grinned.
”Mint chocolate chip!” Dark said. “Do you want that too, Chosen?”
”Sure,” Chosen said.
”I don’t think they have toothpaste,” Purple laughed.
”Huh?” Dark asked.
”Oh, it just tastes like toothpaste to me,” Purple said. “Cause of the mint. But if you like it, then don’t worry about it.”
”Hmm…what are you getting?” Dark asked.
”Raspberry,” Purple said.
”And I’ll have pistachio as well,” King said.
”Thank you!” Dark said with a smile.
Once they’d gotten their ice cream they all found a tree to sit under.
”Mine’s still melting,” Dark said, tipping his ice cream cone.
”Yeah, even in shade it’s still too hot,” Yellow said. “For the ice cream, anyway.”
”We got a lot of napkins,” Chosen said, handing Dark a couple.
”Thanks!” Dark said.
”We should do this again sometime,” Green sighed, finishing his ice cream cone and leaning back.
”Tomorrow!” Dark exclaimed, then ate the rest of his cone.
”Give us a chance to recover from the battle,” King chuckled. “I’ll need a few days.”
”Yeah, and Orange and I have to work,” Yellow said.
”Mmhm,” King said. “Me too.”
“We all just happened to have a day off today,” Yellow said.
Dark frowned and crossed his arms.
”You’ve got a few days of school left,” Chosen said. “But once you’re on summer break we can do it again sometime. We just need to find a time that works for everybody.”
”Yeah, we’ll be able to do this again,” Second said, patting Dark on the head. “Don’t you worry!”
”Okay,” Dark said, smiling. “I can’t wait!”