Cereal, Cars, and Cigarettes, open

[Maeve Keavy]

Maeve lay on the couch and flipped through a car magazine that had been left at the bar. It wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. All that was in it was pinups of badly photoshopped bitches grinding up against shit vehicles. It made sense though. The cars were such fucking shit there had to be half naked girls on top of them before anyone in their right mind would look at them.

“Oi, Aiden.” She called out without shifting. She had a bowl of cereal on her belly. Too much movement would make a mess that she wasn’t willing to clean up. She reached out an arm to snatch up a cigarette that Aiden had left. “What’re the plans f’tonight, broheim?” She took a lung singeing drag and stamped it out. It was his own damn fault if he left things like that around the apartment. “Haven’t seen yer mates in a while.” She smiled lazily as she flipped a page in the magazine and precariously maneuvered a spoonful of cereal to her mouth. She knew Aiden would pop out now. He had a bizarre dislike for his alien brethren. He had made mention that they had sticks surgically implanted up their asses (which was true), but he always seemed to make time for them if they called. As long as she wasn’t around. It was clearly a tentacle porn bonding party. That or they were busy taking this senshi thing far too seriously.

[Aiden Lyttle]

Aiden poked his head out of the bathroom, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and his lips liberally smeared with a chalky blue toothpaste on his lips and dribbling down his chin. "What?" Well, he meant to say 'what', but was some muttered dribbled word that could have one day been a word, but not in Japanese or any other known language. He disappeared again, spit into the sink, and rinsed both mouth and toothbrush before he reentered the living room and crossed it with two strides of his leg. He plucked the cigarette out of Maeve's mouth and lit it, taking two long drags (nothing beat a cigarette right after you brush your teeth: all minty fresh) and handed iy back to her.

"What are you griping 'bout now, woman?" he asked. He wasn't going to acknowledge that she'd mentioned the other starlights unless she brought it back up. He grabbed the remote and turned on the ancient, barely functional television as he sprawled out over her feet on the other end of the much used couch.

"Karaoke?" he spoke up. "We could do that. Or maybe that club... I usually hate that place, but maybe they have a band tonight." He could do for a band. He could do for a drink actually. He finally opted to climb to his feet and crossed to the kitchen (merely an extension of the living room) and opened the door. Mustard and beer. "Want one?" he called over his shoulder.

[Maeve Keavy]

“Aye.” Maeve let the stealing of the cigarette go. She had pushed his buttons a little bit more than she should have. She popped up from the couch and followed him to the fridge. She pitched the bowl into the sink; it landed with a clatter. Aiden slapped a beer into her hand which she promptly popped it open. She caught a quick glance of their fridge. It was starting to look a mite bare. It was either time to get some care packages from Ma Fionnbharr at the bar, work a stitch, or mug a kid and buy Chinese food. She personally voted for the latter.

“Gonna sing us a tune, Aid?” Maeve leaned against counter and eyed him mischievously. She wrapped her hand around the bottle and crooned into it purposefully off-key, “Gonna bring sexy back? Teach those fucker how t’act?” She beamed broadly and scampered to the other side of the room in that she was prepared to have something pelted at her.

“Let me get dressed.” She was still moving. Moving targets were always harder. She took a swig of the beer and began to peel out of her t-shirt. “Then we can go.”