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This was it. A whole adventure concludes.
Must it be over?
Kit reminisced from start to finish of every
moment that’s passed and every person that
has joined their journey: The all-brawns giant
with the courage of a lion, the wise librarian
with a brain of an elephant, the baker with a
heart of gold.
Remember the moment where Kit broke their
sword, and the giant spent all night repairing
it? Remember when they all visited an
impoverished village and the baker prepared
months worth of bread and crops as a gift?
Remember when they all got lost inside a
labyrinth and the librarian lead everyone to
freedom by hugging the right wall to light?
It was bittersweet that Kit had to wave farewell
to everyone they met, especially the three who
they can personally call family. They cried in the
giant’s shoulder, and the librarian gifted them a
locket that will last for future generations to see.
Fast forward to now, they sat on an armchair,
empty. The locket hung around their neck. With
one look down, and a gleam from the lamp to the
side, they opened up their prized treasure. And
what they saw made their eyes tear up, until they
felt as emotional as when they cried at their
farewell. The locket consists of-
A loud thunderclap echoes outside their record shop, long accompanied by the thick shower of acid rain that paints the vast suburban area of Cyber Field. The tall, green, but gleeful radio’s focus was stripped away from their novel, to the outside, just catching the landscape being illuminated brighter than Cyber Field will ever achieve. The ambient noises were deep from the rain marching valiantly on their rooftop, combined with even more raindrops past the window that zip at speeds unimaginable made them at ease.
Being a robot, however, K_K is unable to stand in the acidic rain, lest that they won’t see another day with their best friends and roommates. One of them was a radio cassette player similar to them, Cap'n, who went off to bed a few hours prior. The other were two loudspeakers stacked vertically, Sweet. He laid passed out on his side on the couch, with his cap off his head, a blanket clumsily covering, and light breathing emanating from him. He looked like he needed it as well. K_K always knew him as the hardest working one of the three: booking gigs, driving to locations, initiating rap battles, the forefront against the Queen’s tyranny, tinkering with gadgets, and sometimes providing groceries. He, perhaps, works a little too hard for his health. The green giant in the recliner next to the couch gave a warm smile, seeing a side to Sweet more calm than usual. He definitely needed the sleep.
Their eyes went back to the story in hand. Where were they? But before they can get back to it, something else captured their attention again, and back at the couch. Sweet started to move, stretch, and groan. K_K assumed that, coincidental to them, he was waking up.
He exhales deeply, “Huhhhh…” and then a giggle follows suit.
K_K’s face dulls a bit, unsure of what just happened.
Sweet was cool like the other two, despite also carrying the same carefree energy, just like the other two. The unprompted laughter was out of character for him. But he didn’t stop, still shuffling in place, getting on his back, and laughed a bit more.
“Ohhhh shit.”
The radio player’s face now took on a sour taste, feeling a bit offended that his roommate and close friend swore without a reason as to why. Willing to give the benefit of the doubt, they stayed silent, and let him wake up on his own.
They tried to go back to the novel and continue reading, but were once again distracted by Sweet making noise. He points up at the ceiling, and vocalizes one last chuckle.
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll be safe here from th-”
The speaker clears his throat, and shakes his finger. “Uh huh, yeah.”
Finally, K_K speaks up, “Are you awake, Sweetie?”
“We’re safe from the… safe from the. Uh, cheese.” A quick but irritable sigh escapes him.
K_K’s grin returns, finding whatever his friend was saying humorous. They didn’t sense anything of immediate danger. The worst Sweet would have is a nightmare, anyway.
“Sweet?” They asked with concern.
Silence now fills the large room. No movement. No one speaks. Only the deep hums of the acid rain with the occasional rumble of thunder remain once again. Seeing as it is a couple of hours past midnight, and the fact they felt a yawn build up, K_K closes the book up, yawns like so, and is about ready to exit off to bed themself.
On command, the unconscious band member stirs in his sleep.
“Nyeh.” Sweet musters out a grunt, and stretches. He emits many more noises with each stretch.
K_K sets the book to their side, stands up from the recliner, and also stretches. Their eyes fall down onto the mono speakers.
“Sweet, let’s go to bed.”
“Heh, hehhh…” More, almost emotionless, scoffing leaves his body. And to the tall robot’s surprise, he pushes upward, and now sits, slouching. His half-open eye staring into space.
“I, I, I, I, I-” With one more grunt, he pushed off the sofa with his hands and now stood up straight. He didn’t bother to retrieve his cap, which to K_K was the most unusual thing yet.
Sweet straightened his posture, his mechanical back popping, grunts in response, and sighs. “Yep. And that’s how you pie someone in the face, doggy dawg.”
K_K steps toward the unaware, robotic musician, towering over him. They held one of his hands with one of theirs, and their other hand grabbed onto his cap safely. They, without putting much thought into it, put on Sweet’s hat. They’re not the type to wear any hats like both of his housemates. But for tonight only, and given that it is extremely late, why not?
“Let’s go to bed.” The green robot echoes themself with a gentle voice only a parental figure could have, and faintly tugs on the asleep speaker’s arm.
“Yeeaaaaah… In your face, bro.” Sweet weakly but continues to point an accusatory finger in a random direction.
With another tug toward themself, K_K guides their restless friend towards his bedroom. That friend, in question, strolls right behind them, being forced to come along. It was at this point Sweet’s responses became nonsensical, now quietly blabbering seemingly to himself.
K_K opens the door to Sweet’s bedroom, the unfamiliar terrain appearing as if a tornado came through. Both drawers and his workbench were completely covered in electrical gadgets, and empty glasses of almond milk. The floor had a bunch of black pants spewed all about, a good deal of them cluttered in distinct piles. A dirty room like this would belong to Cap’n (but then again, all of their rooms look as dirty as this one). The room was lit up through the opening of the one window past the shades by the grid lines from Cyber City. It provides a dim and green tint, and enough luminosity that K_K can see where to go.
The lanky robot doesn’t bother maneuvering to avoid stepping on the clothing, or if there are any sharp objects perched on the ground. The speakerhead followed in their footsteps, unknowingly walking over his own pants.
They both stood at the side of Sweet’s bed, his one eye now wide awake. K_K let go of him, patted his back, and confirmed with a reassuring hum. He climbs onto the bed, albeit a bit half-assed, and crawls to the headboard.
“Cakes. Cakes, um…” He starts up again, befuddled.
“Yeah Sweet?” They answered back.
“I’m- Oh?” He picks up a piece of dust on the mattress, and glances harshly like he’s never seen it before. Looking around a bit alarmed, then up at K_K, and like his life depended on this singular moment, he metaphorically puffs out his chest to speak.
“Why isn’t it yellow?”
And just like that, all the metallic muscles in his body relax, and he collapses onto the bed. Even though he’s on his belly with his head to the side, he snored long and at volumes unimaginable, which to K_K was the most usual thing yet.
Their eyes, just like their smile, still remain as present and soft as it was when they were reading their novel. Those peepers scan over Sweet, and with a gentle lift of one of his blankets, they drape it over his body, only leaving his head exposed. They take off his friend’s hat, setting it on the full and cluttered nightstand next to them.
And then they just stood there. K_K watched over him for a big chunk of the night, from the moment they stepped out into the living room which happens to be the gigantic, warehouse sized room to read, until a second earlier when they put him to bed. It was rare for one of either bandmates to see Sweet in this state of vulnerability, but like a horse that’s been beaten to death, he needed the rest.
K_K marches to the doorway before they turn back to peer at Sweet. Their mind scrolled through any past memories, only coming up with how busy he’s made himself. Occasionally they and Cap’n would hear horror stories of what he had to deal with, Queen’s dictatorship aside.
They don’t know exactly what got into him to pass out in the living room rather than his bedroom tonight, but it is comforting to see with their own eyes that one of their longest friends is in a state of total tranquility.
K_K silently wishes Sweet goodnight by kissing their hand and blowing it in Sweet’s direction. And with that, they closed his door, and retreated off to their own hibernation.