Chapter Text
It wasn’t very common for Modo to separate himself from his team before a match. But he was hungry—seriously, SERIOUSLY hungry. He thought a quick trip to the lockers could solve it by scavaging for some mints he knew Lenny kept in his backpack, but he found nothing. Frustrated (and knowing he gets cranky very quickly if he doesn't eat before a game), he decided to take a quick peek at the stadium’s cafeteria. It would be empty at this hour, except for maybe a couple of fans. It would be simple: go in, grab a sandwich or a bag of chips from a shelf, and tell whoever was working that he’d pay later. Then, he’d head back to the hallway before the game, play, and return to his nice treehouse for a nap under the last rays of the sun.
While he was daydreaming, something crashed into his chest. It wasn’t a strong enough impact to knock him back, but he certainly felt it. Still, he didn't lower his head immediately, while the small animal that had collided with him seemed to have fallen on its back. He tilted his head slightly as he looked down. From the hooves and the scent, he could tell without a doubt it was some kind of goat or sheep, wearing a green and orange hoodie distinctive of the Thorns, along with a pair of torn shorts and green sneakers where the orange was replaced by magenta And yet there wasn't a single piece of fur in sight. The little goat rubbed her head several times, taking a few seconds before looking up and meeting him face to face. Modo didn’t waste any time; his pupils sharpened, and his grin widened a couple of inches as he grabbed the goat by the shoulders to inspect her more closely.
—"Ooooh! Tasty goat!"—
He picked her up under the armpits and gave her a few spins while the poor girl repeatedly begged him to let her go. He could smell the fear and the spark of courage radiating from her—he liked that. He brought her closer, noticing she was wearing some kind of... mask? Well, a quick snack never hurt anyone.
—"Modo is happy to find a snack!"— he exclaimed, bringing his hands to his mouth to dislocate his jaw. The poor goat shrunk into herself as Modo leaned in dangerously with far-from-friendly intentions. —"Stay still so Modo can—"
—"Wait! Wait! WAIT!"— she practically begged as Modo’s tongue was already flicking near his right arm.
He fixed his gaze on her again, mouth still wide open. The goat began to breathe heavily while fumbling through her short pockets and searching her hoodie.
—"Come on, come on, come on, please..."— she pleaded again before stopping when her hooves touched something. Modo was just about to lose interest. —"Ah, ah! Here!"— she shouted, turning her head and extending her hoof.
Modo closed his mouth, tilting his head again as he saw a transparent package with what looked like a chocolate circle with a strange liquid inside. He squinted, resting a hand on his chin, while the goat slowly opened one eye to confirm her arm hadn't been ripped off. He poked the package with one of his claws, moving it slightly.
—"Litle Goat want to poison Modo?"— he asked, tilting his head once more.
The goat finally looked at him, lowering her arm. Even though he couldn't see her face, it was clear she looked indignant.
—"What?! No! How could you...?! Ugh!"—
She grabbed the package with both hooves and tore it open to pull out the treat. The smell of chocolate and caramel made Modo drool again. The goat looked at the sweet in her hands, sincerely wondering what on earth she was doing before sighing again and holding the treat out to Modo once more.
—"It's called an Alfajor. My sister made it for me, but as long as you keep me out of your stomach, it's all yours."
Her tone tried to be firm, but it was clear to him she was still slightly terrified. Modo sniffed it cautiously; he didn't detect anything weird. So, he looked at it one more time... and opened his mouth, licking almost the goat's entire forearm in the process. To say she was scared would be an understatement. She screamed like one of those funny videos she used to watch with her friends and pulled her hoof out of Modo's mouth, repeating "Eww! Eww, Eww!" over and over, sticking her tongue out and trying not to gag as she hit her chest with her other hoof.
Modo, on the other hand, chewed the sweet repeatedly. He moved it from one side of his mouth to the other, and then, the world seemed to stop. His pupils dilated to the limit while his gaze fixed on infinity. Inside his head, thousands of "Alfajores" fell from the sky while he lay on a beach chair on a paradise island, shirtless, with a glass of Caipiroska, opening his mouth every time a sweet fell nearby to savor it with his whole being.
In the real world, the little goat was already clutching her stomach, shivering a few more times to shake off the horrible sensation in her mouth. She looked at Modo again, hesitating for a moment whether to stay longer or run away (she was very tempted by the second option).
—"Um... are you okay?"— she asked, her arms still tucked in.
However, Modo didn't move. The goat swallowed hard, looking the other way, ready to leave; after all, she was running late and didn't want her teammates to scold her. But Modo had already jumped on her, making her scream before the reptile lifted her into the air and caught her in his strong arms.
—"LITLE GOAT SHOW MODO BEST OF SWEETS! MODO BE VERY HAPPY!"— he declared, spinning around with her and bringing his face to her chest to purr a few times. The goat tried to break free, while he detected a slight change in heat near her face.
—"Ah! Okay, okay! Let me go, please!"— she begged.
Modo stopped. He stared at her for a few more seconds; she was breathing heavily again. So, he simply let her go. Luckily, she landed on her feet, panting as she leaned on her knees. He decided to give her a moment; after all, she must still be quite scared.
—"Do you... not know... anything... about... **personal space**?!"—
Once again he tilted his head, licking both eyes with that lost look. The goat stared at him for an eternal ten seconds before sighing again... and laughing. A short, awkward laugh, but it definitely caught his attention.
—"Fine, fine... of course not. You're Modo Olachenko, after all."
That made Modo's gaze focus forward again, crouching down once more.
—"Litle Goat know Modo?"— he asked, resting both hands on his knees.
The goat froze, as if he had caught her red-handed, before stuttering and moving her hands in front of her.
—"Ah, um, well, yeah? I mean, who doesn't know the eccentric lizard of the Thorns?"
Modo blinked, tilting his head once, flicking his tongue once.
—"Litle Goat be a fan? Come to game to cheer for Modo?"— he asked, closing the distance between them a bit more, a mischievous smile on his face.
The goat froze once more. It wasn't the first time Modo had fleeting encounters with fans; in fact, he enjoyed them quite a bit. Their admiration, from both kids and adults, was charming to him, though sometimes a bit creepy with all that talk of wanting to marry him. But to not disappoint them, he was willing to play along. The goat raised both hands as if to make an excuse.
—"Wow, wow, take it easy, Pal. You're not the only Thorn on the court, right?"
Her teasing tone caught him slightly off guard. He thought she’d still be nervous (though he could still feel that sharp, tingly taste on his tongue), but now she seemed less... intimidated. This made Modo happy; he wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on his fans.
—"Modo understands perfectly!"— he declared, straightening up and putting both hands on his hips, before relaxing his posture slightly and looking to the side, rubbing his hands together. —"Modo apologizes for trying to eat litle goat."
He thought it was the most appropriate thing to do, though he wasn't exactly sure how the little goat would take it. He looked up with some doubt. Again, even though he couldn't see her face, the growing irritation from before was actually much lower, replaced by a touch of humor and perhaps a bit of skepticism. The little goat laughed once more, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof.
—"Um... yeah, I didn't really like that part. But thanks for the apology, I guess,"— she murmured the last part under her breath.
Modo regained his usual brightness, happy to be on good terms with his "fan" again, closing his eyes with a smile.
—"Modo be very glad!"—
Just then, he heard frantic footsteps coming from the far end of the hallway, making both the mammal and the reptile turn to see Olivia Burke, the fastest player of the Thorns, running toward Modo.
—"There you are!"— she scolded him, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling with enough force to start dragging him down the hallway. —"Jett has been going crazy because you didn't show up and she almost took my eye out! You're paying for my surgeries if she ruins my face, Olachenko!"—
Modo frowned slightly. Olivia was one of his best friends, but he didn't like her acting like his mother sometimes just because she was a little older than him.
—"Modo not want to worry fierce kitty. Modo just chat with a fan!"— he explained, raising his free arm and crossing both when Olivia finally let go of his hand.
The ostrich turned her head, then blinked and rolled her eyes.
—"Yeah, yeah, stop making up excuses. We're going with the rest!"—
Modo opened his eyes, slightly indignant, before huffing like a punished child. He looked at the ground, then turned his head to at least wave goodbye to the little goat. But his eyes widened slightly when he saw that where the little goat had been before, there was now only a Penguin in a janitor's suit sweeping the floor. He blinked, confused. He couldn't have imagined it, right? The taste of chocolate in his mouth was still somewhat present, and his hallucinations could never be touched. Still, the doubt remained within him, and he stayed strangely quiet as Olivia led him back to the tunnel leading to the court entrance.
Pd: ¿which design of Willa's mask do you like most?
Or
thanks for reading, have good Nigth, Day, afternoon of journey to Alaska ( ◜‿◝ )