megatronix

Ashton and his old pal, Tank, greeted each other with exuberance, as they always did, slapping each other’s shoulders, loudly calling out greetings to one another.

After they’d settled in and sat down, Ashton said, “So, how’ve you been, man? Anything cool happen recently?”

“Things have been good,” Tank said. “Let’s see. Well, I’ve been hanging out with my peeps, going for long walks, chilling with my pal, Holly.”

“Ooh, nice,” Ashton said with a smirk.

“All right, it’s not like that, ok? We’re just friends.”

“You sure that’s all?” Ashton said, and gave him a knowing look.

“I’m sure, Ashton, just chill, all right?”

“All right, all right,” he said. “Relax. I’m just teasin’, anyway.”

They were quiet for a moment. Then Tank perked up. “Oh, dude, you’ll never guess what awesome loot I scored this week!”

“Yeah? What?” Ashton asked.

Tank paused for dramatic effect then announced, “A meatball sub.”

Ashton just stared at him for a second. “Shut. Up!” Ashton said with awe.

“No kiddin’, man! A whole six inch sub.”

“How??”

“They just left it. They left it right on the table. So I grabbed it. You should’a seen me, man. I wolfed it down as fast as I could before anyone noticed. I just snatched it up and then down the hatch it went!”

“Dang, cuz! That is awesome! Way to go!”

“Yeah. My peeps were kinda mad when they showed up a few minutes later, but by then... I mean, what could they do, right?”

“Ha! That’s amaaazing. Mad respect.” Ashton sighed. After a moment or so he asked, “Did I ever tell you about the cookie incident?”

“Cookies?? What? No! What happened? You gotta tell me now!”

“All right, all right,” Ashton laughed. “Well, one time, there was a strange guy came over to see my peeps. Real small guy.”

“Like how small? Like your pal, Homer?”

“Exactly,” Ashton said. “And he was just walking around. With a cookie . It smelled so good... And I was like, this guy don’t need a cookie. He can have a cookie any time. *I* need a cookie.”

“Right? Good for you, man. So then what?”

“I’m telling you! Ok, so... he’s walking through the house, with a cookie just in his hand, not even a good grip on it. So I ran up, and punched him in the belly! He was so surprised, he just dropped it right on the floor. I ate the whole thing in about two seconds flat!”

“Oh my god, Ashton!” laughed Tank. That’s nuts, man. You’re crazy!”

“Ha! It was good too.”

“I’ll bet!” Tank said admirably. “That’s almost better than a meatball sub!”

“Nah. That’s a good score. You should be real proud o’ that one.”

“Wow. Thanks, man,” Tank said, touched.

Ashton sighed, “Good times, man, good times.”

“For sure,” Tank agreed.

It was quiet for a bit. Then there was a steady clomping sound outside.

“Hey!,” said Ashton, standing up. “I think I hear someone. There are footsteps right outside!! Someone is walking!”

“What?! That sonofabitch! Let’s get ‘em!!”

Ashton and Tank both ran up to the front door of the building shouting simultaneously, “hey! Get outta here! Go away! This is our house!!”

“I don’t hear them anymore,” Ashton said.

“One more time for good measure?” Tank asked.

Ashton nodded.

“GO AWAY! GO!! AWAY!! ...Ok, that should do it.”

“Awesome,” Ashton said with a big exhale. “Thanks for your help. That was scary.”

“I know, right? Any time, bud. I got your back. Hey. Want to go tear up some stuffed animals? Or socks maybe?”

“Ooh I bet I can find us some socks! I’ve gotten really fast at gettin’ those too. Wanna see?”

“Definitely!” Tank said with a big smile on his face.

= = =

Pictured here: Holly, Tank, and Ashton, my mom’s dog, my brother’s dog, and my dog, respectively. Ashton really did punch a kid in the gut and steal the kid’s cookie. We call it the Ashton mugging. And Tank really did steal a meatball sub off our coffee table when he was over at our place one time! XD

Holly:


Tank:


Ashton: