Stuff written for a writing prompt game/contest/thing over on Leo :B
Conversation with a stranger | Light at midnight | Melody | Hold my hand
Week 1 (16/08/20): Conversation with a stranger
I Can Tell We're Gonna Be Best Friends
Week 2 (23/08/20): Light at midnight
featuring Kaboom and Windsor
"See you later."
"Yeah, yeah..."
Kaboom swung the door shut behind her and left the building, staring at the ground as she walked down the street, her long tail trailing on the ground. Another long, boring work day. Honestly, she hadn't anticipated that she'd still be working at the petrol station, after all this time. How long had it been now? Too long. Geez... 'Least it keeps a roof over my head.
If someone had told her, all those years ago, that she was going to wind up stuck in a dead-end job, taking whatever hours they'd give her and spending countless sleepless hours standing behind a desk... Well, it wasn't like she'd exactly had any other plans. She'd drifted through high school, graduated, and been left without a clue where she was going in life. College was out of the question - no money, and she wasn't particularly interested, anyway. And then she'd moved in with some guy she barely knew, just because her stupid sister was moving and she didn't want to be left behind.
Yeah, and that worked out great, didn't it? She hadn't thought about Pat - her ex-roommate - in a while. No reason to, really. They'd moved in together, barely interacted with one another, and then he'd gotten tired of being around her and kicked her out. That jerk... I got a job, he could've let me stay... Kaboom shook her head. Not like I wanted to stay there anyway. Screw him. She knew, really, that the whole set-up had been a bad idea all along. She just wanted to move out, Pat had needed a roommate, and she'd been a convenient choice - easier than looking for someone else. That was all it had ever been; it wasn't as though they'd ever actually been friends.
Quiet night tonight... Kaboom hated walking to and from work every time they called her, but she couldn't drive and public transport was expensive for someone that lived hand-to-mouth. Besides, buses ran on set hours and she did not. She'd told her boss, back when she first got the job, that she'd work any hours available - just as long as she got paid for it. She couldn't complain; she didn't have anything else to do, after all. It was a way of passing the time, if nothing else.
She reached her flat at last. Ground floor, thank god - she really didn't want to deal with having to run down several flights of stairs in the middle of the night, past the still-broken elevator, and barely make it to work only to come home to neighbours complaining that she'd woken them up. She'd had enough of that in the past. At least living with Windsor wasn't that bad. He left her alone, usually; at least, he'd back off if she told him to. He was tolerable enough, she supposed.
Kaboom unlocked the door and stepped into a dark room, the only light coming from under Windsor's door - looked like he was home. She shot a glance at the clock; just after midnight. Well, it was earlier than usual. She paused for a moment, then started to move towards her bedroom.
"Kaboom? 's that you?"
She stopped outside his bedroom. "Well, yeah." Who else would it be? Honestly...
"Oh cool, you're home early tonight."
"Mm."
"Hey, you wanna help me test this new game mod I'm working on? I swear it's not as graphic as the last one."
She looked at his door for a minute or two before shaking her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "No, I've been working all day, I just want to go to bed." God knows I'll probably only get an hour of sleep before they call me in again.
"Oh yeah, right. Maybe next time?"
Kaboom responded with a non-committal grunt.
"Well, 'night."
"Night," she mumbled, disappearing into her own room.
Week 3 (30/08/20): Melody
featuring Mikiko and Riff
Song used: "Bye Bye Love" - The Cars
Mikiko crouched down in front of the short bookshelf, humming under her breath as she did so. "♪♪ hm hmm~ 'xpecting to survive..."
For a moment she just looked at the small figurines on the shelves, smiling slightly, then she set to work: tweaking the position of one, moving another to a lower shelf... "♪♪ slip into.. Hm, where to put this one..." she mumbled, looking at the figure in her hand.
"What'cha doin'?"
She jolted, whipping around frantically to see who had spoken. "Wh- wha- who- Riff?!?" She flattened her ears back, trying to come off as annoyed rather than flustered. "What are you doing here?! How did you even get in?"
"That other girl let me in! She said you were back here, so here I am!" As usual, he seemed oblivious to her apparent irritation.
Miki sighed. "Damn it, Moira..."
"So what was that song you were singing before?" Riff continued, as if there had been no interruption. Miki tried to ignore the heat rising in her face, embarrassed at being caught. It's just Riff. He wouldn't make fun of me. Well, probably.
"Ah... 'Bye Bye Love'. The one I told you about before. When we first met."
"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Riff walked over, sitting down beside her. "I like it."
Miki looked away; she was blushing for a different reason, now. "W-why are you even... I told you not to bother me at work," she said, trying to regain her composure.
"I'm not bothering! I was bored, so I decided to come and help you~"
"You really didn't need to..."
"Hey, what're these, anyway?"
Riff tapped the figure she was holding; she looked up, startled again as she realized what he meant.
"T-these? They're, um, they're just, er-" she stammered, aware she was making a fool of herself. Damn it, why did Moira have to let him in?
"Are they yours?"
If it was anyone else, she probably would've just made up some excuse or another, but Riff... She exhaled. "Well, ah, not that it's any of your business, but yes."
"They're cool," he said, leaning in closer to look at the figures.
Miki watched him, smiling despite herself. "Riff, I really do need to get back to work. We're meant to open up soon."
"Okay! What should I do?" he asked, leaping to his feet and looking far too excited about the question.
"You don't work he..." she shook her head. "Look, just try not to break anything, alright?"
"Aye aye, captain!" he replied cheerfully, saluting her. She rolled her eyes, stifling a laugh.
Week 4 (n/a): Choice skipped week 4
Week 5 (11/09/20): Hold my hand
featuring 420 and Chuckles
"Your hand's really cold," 420 said quietly, looking over curiously.
"Y-yeah, it, um, it usually is," Chuckles replied, avoiding the other cat's gaze. He could feel his face growing hot. "I mean, I'm always cold, all over. I don't know why, I've always been like this. M-my- my older brother, he's a doctor, and he used to joke that I should be one too, cause, er, y'know..." He trailed off, realizing he was rambling.
"Well... I'll make them warm. Or, um, w-well I could try, anyway," he added quickly, gently squeezing Chuckles' hand.
Chuckles looked back at him. Everything he'd ever been taught was screaming at him to pull away, to tell 420 their relationship wasn't like this, he wasn't like this. The whole situation was wrong, he knew that. And yet...
"...I'd like that," he mumbled eventually, leaning closer.