#3below fic

Steve, ugh gag, checked in but only with questions of Aja. Krel adored Aja as everyone else did. She was a warrior yet empathetic beyond many beings- human or otherwise- capability. She was proud to be herself no matter what and you couldn’t help but be drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Or like Luug to the cookies Lucy Blank made each and every evening. 

Yes, he did adore his sister but he had also lived in her shadow and grown wary beyond his age from her mistakes back on Akiridion-5. Krel couldn’t blame her but he had never had the sense of freedom she had grabbed hold of and claimed was her right. 

He was too complacent even before coming to Earth and now he understood it was because he needed to be needed. And it seemed more often than not, he wasn’t needed. 

Sighing, he placed his headphones over his ears, tapped his foot to the lively beat, and worried no more. 

--

“Hey buttsnack, can’t leave your girlfriend’s side? My girlfriend is a total ninja-kicking angel and-” Steve rambled on and no one, save for Eli, was listening. Claire rolled her eyes and cracked a smile when Jim looked down at her and did the same. 

“I’m siding with Steve on this one Jimbo, help me find Arrgh more socks,” Toby chimed in and there was a grateful, deep, hum from the large troll that had crowded into Nancy Domzalski’s home along with Blinky who was sat beside Claire once Jim finally got up with a sigh and a fond grin. 

Everyone was enjoying the music, the snacks, the company when suddenly Nana hollered, “Oh Toby-Pie!” in a pitched tone that made the newest cat in the house want to run towards Arrgh despite the consequences. 

“NANA,” Toby groaned, embarrassed as always when she called him that. He was a soldier, a wicked sidekick (he thought he was quite the hero but he’d have to run it by Jim). “Not around my friends” He pleaded as he went to see her in the kitchen. 

Their voices were quiet outside of some murmurs that couldn’t be made out over Eli’s laughter that played like a broken record at all of Steve’s spent and silly jokes. Jim had gone back to sitting with Claire and both had taken to throwing popcorn at Steve, wondering how many their could get caught in his hair before he noticed. So far they’d each gotten three. 

Toby emerged from the kitchen with a sheepish look and turned the music down. “Nana is bringing over her b-boyfriend. You guys cool if Krel comes too?” Toby had to stop himself from gagging over the words but perked up at the thought of his friend.

Everyone took on a similar expression of barely hidden guilt except for Steve who was pounding on Nana’s piano, singing of the blue love of his life. Everyone liked Krel, it just hadn’t occured to them that something was missing, the he was missing. 

“Of course!” Claire interjected, hoping the enthusiasm would make up for the heavy silence that had only lasted a short few seconds but seemed to linger in the air. “I have to ask him if he can help tutor me for my next math test,” 

 --

The call came as Krel was drifting in and out of sleep, some laid back music pressed tight against his ears so that he could shut out the sound of Ricky vacuuming and Luug trying to eat the machine. Suddenly, his phone was vibrating in his pocket and he nearly dropped the portable tech once he saw his friend’s face on the screen. 

“I can’t help you hack into NASA Eli until you give me a good reason,” He immediately replied but his hello to the Pepperjack was drowned out by a chorus of ‘hellos’ and ‘did he pick up?’. 

“Krel! Come to Toby’s, we’re gonna watch the movie we made now that we’ve gotten all the footage back,” Eli croaked through the speaker and Krel grinned. Finally! He was invited to be somewhere! And better yet he could shine through the movie! Call him vain but Krel had lived too long in a shadow to not delight in the spotlight sometimes. 

“Be right over!” Krel beamed, shouting a goodbye to the Blanks before running to Toby’s.