Summary: Lux is tired of being cooped up in the apartment so Deliah decides to take him outside to see her city of San Francisco
A/n: nothing triggering, this sets up where Deliah lives, two goobers running around the city at midnight, some good romance
Another day for grocer shopping, Deliah was gonna got to the grocery store to get some stuff they needed. She was about to walk out the door till she felt something on her leg, she looked down and Mr Ring a Ding was wrapped spring her leg.
She sighed âRing let go, nowâ, âno, you have to stay, I donât want to be aloneâ he held on tighter. âWell I donât want us to starve, come onâ she tried to shake him off. But since he had cartoon logic strength he didnât let go.
âRing, Iâll be back itâs not gonna take longâ she said âitâs not just that, you get to go outside everyday, and I have to stay here, in the darkâ.
âYou know youâll get some crazy power up and peopleâs canât see youâ. Mr Ring a Ding made puppy dog eyes and a violin soundtrack played and she sighed âpretty, pleeeeaaasee?â He begged.
âIâm sorry Ring, I canât, come on,â she crossed her arms and he sighed and got off âok, go, leave me, all alone, maybe a nice wall can talk to meâ he walked off with his head down.
âIâll be back in about an hourâ she said and left, Mr Ring a Ding groaned and walked into her room and got on her bed and layed down, he would do this to feel whatever warmth was left from Deliah so it was like he was laying down next to her.
ââââââââââââââââââââ
After about an hour and a half Deliah got back and set the grocery bags on the counter âMr Ring a Ding, Iâm homeâ she called out and stated putting the food away. He immediately ran to the kitchen âyour home! Finally! You said youâd be back in ONE hour, you were gone for an hour and a half!â He put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot on the ground.
âRelax, there a was a bit of traffic and I was being a little indecisiveâ she kept putting away the food ânow help me put these awayâ. He sighed and had to reach to get whatever was in the bags.
After that little chore was done they sat in the couch and watched whatever was on tv, âso, what is in San Francisco anyway? I never askedâ the toon turned to her âwell, thereâs the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz island, many piersâ she explained. âTheres a bridge made out of gold?â He asked, âNo, not literally goldâ she shook her head.
âWhen are you gonna actually give me a tour of the city?â.
âI told you, I canât bring you outside, not until I figure something outâ.
âBut you keep saying that and you never do! I hate being in here all the time, and you leaving sometimesâ
âStop pouting, this is the first time Iâve dealt with a god who can get energy from lightâ.
He groaned and slumped don in his seat, Deliah frowned a little, being cooped up ainât really the best, but what was she to do? Maybe if she brought him out at night it would be fine? And not many people will be out, probably, and the light of the moon and city lights will give him enough energy to walk around. That idea settled and now she was gonna fulfill Ringâs wish.
ââââââââââââââââââââ
It was about 12 am now, it was quiet and Mr Ring a Ding was sleeping on the couch with some baggy shirt and small shorts that fit him as pajamas.
A hand rested on his shoulder and shook him âMr Ring a Ding, Lux, get upâ Deliahâs whispered voice spoke. He shifted a little and she shook him more âcome on, dudeâ he groaned and woke up, he rubbed his eyes and looked up at her âDeliah? Whatâs going on?â.
âGet up and get dressed, weâre burning night light, come onâ she stood up âwhat? What time is it?â He asked âitâs 12 am now, and Iâm taking you to see the city, just like you wantedâ. He sat up âreally? You are?â.
âReally really, now come onâ she smiled and he got off and went to get dressed, and it didnât take that long. âAlso before we goâ she got a sweater âput this on, so no one will see you completelyâ. He took the sweater, it was baggy but looked like it could fit him, âare you sure? Cause Iâm not to sure it will fitâ.
Deliah held herself back from saying a joke and replied âit will, itâs pretty small, and I just happened to keep it aroundâ. He decided to compromise and put it on, it looked a little big on him but overall it still fit his small size, âOk, this is kinda comfyâ.
Now they were both ready and she opened the door and Mr Ring a Ding looked outside, it was dark apart from the street lights, he slowly walked out and took it all in, Deliah closed the door behind them and walked down to the side walk âok, come on, weâre gonna see a trolleyâ.
âWhatâs a trolley?â He asked following her âitâs like a bus, except itâs attached to this wire and doesn't go that fast but itâs still niceâ.
They continued walking for a while, and Mr Ring a Ding stared at whatever looked interesting and had light, till they go the what it was called the cable car barn where all the cable cars were out for the night âyou gonna have to keep your hood upâ Deliah said and the small man put the hood over his head and it covers his face well. Deliah looked into the building, obviously it was locked but the could still see a little in there.
âWhatâs inside? I canât see you knowâ Mr Ring a Ding said âdonât worryâ she lifted him up in her arms with no hesitation so he can see through the window, then she took her right hand and got her phone out and out on the flashlight so they could see a little more inside.
They could see at least one trolley âthatâs a trolley?â Ring asked âyep, I wanted to ride one but I realized they donât operate at midnight so this will have to doâ.
âWell, I like how youâre holding me, and I guess that trolley doesnât seem so badâ he smiled and she chuckled. âOk thenâ she put him back down and put out her phone away, âletâs find a bus to takeâ.
She walked to the neatest bus stop and Ring was falling behind from seeing everything and wasnât use to walking this much âsunshine, Iâm tired, carry meâ he whined ratcheting out for Deliah âIâm not gonna carry you Ring, you have to big boyâ.
âI donât wanna! Iâm so much smaller and youâre walking so fast!â He pouted âcome on, weâre not far nowâ she kept walking and he followed with annoyance on his face.
They got to a bus stop and sat down on the bench and waited, Mr Ring a Ding looked up at the street lamp near them âhm, itâs interesting how you humans can make light, itâs bright, but nothing can beat the never ending light of the universeâ
âHow was it like? Being apart of the universe? Seeing all those stars and galaxies?â Deliah asked âoh it was gorgeous! So many systems with different planets, so many suns and starts, and majestic moonsâ he had a look of awe on his face when he explained.
âBut even with all that beauty, it definitely doesnât outmatch how amazing you areâ he flirtatiously smiled. Deliah was taken a back from the compliment âwhy are you complimenting me? I mean, there no way you actually think that about me, your probably just saying this to mess with meâ.
He looked at her with a neutral look âIâm not, I genuinely mean itâ he got closer to her âwhen I first came back you were the first person Iâve ever saw, and let me tell you, Iâve never seen such a gal like youâ.
Deliah looked down at him and saw that there was no hint of lying, a god of light really did think she was gorgeous, that she her stomach do flips. âSo you really mean it? So Iâm like the most beautiful thing in the universe?â.
âOf course! Sure I can have a little attitude but I really do mean when I say youâre beautiful, gorgeous, and amazing!â He gave her a wide grin standing in the bench.
Deliah smiled and chuckled âthank you, itâs not everyday a god finds me beautifulâ, he smirked âsooooo, would you say you, love me for that~â.
She rolled her eyes âyouâre sweet, but, I wouldnât say I love you romanticallyâ. He whined âcome on! Why donât you? Whatâs it gonna take?â.
âOne, weâve only known each for about almost two weeks, and two, if you want me to fall for you itâs gonna take a while, and three, your a cartoon and a god, I donât know how it would workâ.
Mr Ring a Ding put his hand on his hips with a determined look âto answer all those points, I donât care if we didnât known each other for long, love can still blossom, and Iâll try my hardest to win you over no matter how long it takes, and we can make it work, I say dating a god of light isnât too bad, and you have to admit, I look charming like thisâ he straightened his bow tie with a smug look.
âYou do look pretty charming, but good luck trying to woo me, cause you canât force someone to fall in love with youâ as she said the bus arrived and Deliah made Ring put his hood up and get off the bench.
âWhatever you do, do not draw attention and do not let anyone see you without this hoodâ she said and he nodded âdonât worry, I can handle one bus rideâ.
They both got on the bus, with Mr Ring a Sing needing help to get up the stairs âok so I guess itâs four dollars for an adult and child-â, âChild?! I ainât no child!â.
âRing shut itâ Deliah whispers and the bus driver looked at them weird âuh sorry, itâs just he..is very short, and I like to mess with himâ. âOkâŠwhere are you two going?â The driver asked as she paid âjust take us anywhereâ.
The bus took off as the two sat in the back, there wasnât many people on the bus so not many people would pay attention to Ring. âSo, this is a bus, it feels slow but cats at the same timeâ.
âYepâ Deliah nods âso where are we going on this tour anyway?â He asked looking out the window, âmany places I think youâll find interestingâ.
They stayed on the bus for a while till Deliah told the driver to stop so they would get off âok, this is a cool place Ringâ. When they got off Deliah walked up to a convenient store, Mr Ring a Ding was in awe with the light coming from inside and the sign âwhat is, 7 11?â.
âItâs a well known convenient store, its has lots of snacks, and pizza and hotdogs, and has these drinks called slurpys, there very goodâ.
He gave a disgusted look âslurpys? Sounds awfulâ âno there not, come onâ she walked inside and the doors opened by themselves and Ring freaked out âhow did the doors do that?! Are you magic?â.
âNo, there automatic, they open by themselves when you walk up to them, try itâ the doors closed and he wasnât sure whether to trust it, he made a slight movement up to the doors and the opened which made him jump.
âCome on, we donât have all nightâ Deliah said going back outside and taking his hand and walked back in. He took a good hold of her hand and didnât wanna let go but Deliah thought other wise âRing you can let go nowâ, âno, your hands nice and warmâ he held on tighter, this was his touched starved talking.
âCome on, or I canât buy you anythingâ that managed to convince him as she slowly let go and walked around âit looks, kinda depressing to be honestâ.
âWell, this definitely doesnât look depressingâ she pointed at where the slurpys were and Ring was in tranquil, it was just bright colors swirling around and he was hypnotized âoh myâŠthey look prettyâ.
âDo you want one? They taste as good as they lookâ. Ring looked over at Deliah and nodded his head âok, just get a cup right there and choose a flavor, but donât go crazyâ.
He got a big cup and looked at the variety of choices âI want the blue one!â He said pointing to it âok, good choice, let me help youâ she got his cup and filled it up with the blue cold beverage and put the lid on and got a straw âok donât drink it yet, Iâll pay for it but first Iâm gonna get some snacksâ.
âWhat kind of snacks?â He asked following her holding the drink with both of his arms. âSome chips and candy, you can choose tooâ. The small toon man looked up at the shelf of snacks âthere so many, how do you people decide?â.
âWe just do, I really like potato chips, Cheetos, Doritos, basically many of these chips here except for the spicy onesâ.
âHm..thereâs a lot of options, you can pick, I donât really know much about this stuffâ.
âOk, Iâll just gets theseâ she got two bags of chips, one was potato chips and the other was Cheetos, âand Iâll get these, I love theseâ she held a bag of snickers.
âWhat is it?â He asked âitâs chocolate, itâs very goodâ she went up to the counter, Lux has heard of chocolate from knowing that they sold it at the Plazzo, he never tried it since he didnât give human food a try at the time.
âOk, thatâs one slurpy, lays chips and Cheetos, and snickers, is that everything?â the cashier asked. âYepâ Deliah nodded and paid him âso can I drink this now? Cause itâs really making my hands cold and you know Iâm as warm as the sunâ Mr Ring asking looked a little impatient and the cashier looked at him with a confused look âyeah you can, letâs goâ Deliah ushered him out and she looked at the guy âsorry, my friend doesnât get out much and mind his size, heâŠwas born that wayâ.
Once outside Lux put the tip of the straw in his mouth and began to drink it âdonât drink it too fast!â Deliah warned but it was already too late, he took a big slurp and he froze and nearly dropped the slurpy âAAAAAAAAA!!! WHAT THE HELL?! ITS SO COOOLLDDD!!!â He screamed out. âRing, calm down, calm down!â Took the Slurpy and set it down, she held his shoulders so he wouldnât run around all crazy. âMY HEAD HURTS!â He held his head in agony, âI told you not to drink it fast, you just got your first brain freezeâ.
âMy brain is frozen?â He asked still in pain âno, itâs just when you have something cold way too fast it causes a headache that is very coldâ.
âJust clam down, and it will go awayâ Deliah reassured him and he kept squirming a little till he finally stoped and had a look of relief âyou better now?â She asked and the toon god nods his head âyes..golly that hurt like ten anvils falling on my head..â.
She stood up and picked up the slurpy âif you donât want to have anymore thatâs fine, Iâll carry itâ she made sure the bag she had in her other hand that was carrying the snacks was alright âcome on, letâs find something else to doâ.
ââââââââââââââââââââ
The two walked around the city, Deliah showing him different areas, like China town, Union square, and telling him some the history like the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake. Also teaching Lux about what humans do now a days, like jobs, activities, random stuff. âSo all this stuff is interesting but I believe this would be a lot more interesting if it was day timeâ.
âYeah, but like you said, sunlight will just make you all big and back to being the whole universeâ Deliah took a sip of the slurpy âyeah, why couldnât I have a normal form when I came back? It took forever to return as it is!â He whines âabout that, how did you do that? Like how? I still have questions on everything about youâ.
âThen ask away dear! I donât mind!â He gave her his trademark smile âalright, you said you were, summoned, in 1952, why is that and what happened?â Lux never gave her the full details about those three months and that night.
âI guess I should tell you, since weâve been together for a while, you see, Iâm a god of the Pantheon as you know, me and many others were banished outside your universe, but we can get summoned by different rare events, I was summoned by the chance of moonlight, and went on to take this form, and I trapped 15 people in film stock, I lived in that theater for three months with the help of this man named Reginald Pye, then this person named The Doctor and his little companion came along, bunch of stuff happened like me almost getting a full physical form then getting so much light I became one with itâ.
Deliah nodded âok, so your the one behind the missing 15 peoples incident, I knew itâ she slightly mumbled the last part âso what about you? What was little olâ you doing all the way in Miami?â.
âOh, it was for a trip I went on, I wanted to treat myself and prove that I can travel by myself after my first year of college hereâ she replied.
âCollege, youâve said that a few times before, and you said itâs a school, but Iâm still confusedâ he looked up at her and lightly pulled on the sleeves of the hoodie he was wearing. âCollege is a bigger school, where you learn about way career you wanna do, and many young adults go there like me, and I recently finished my first year at San Francisco Stateâ.
âOooh, so what career do you wanna do?â The two had come to a stop at street light and she took a a moment to answer âjust some architectural stuff and art, perhaps I can get a job as a zookeeper or something else, and Iâm trying to learn animation as best as I canâ.
âOh, an animator you say? So you can animate stuff like me?â He smiled âwell yeah, but that better not give you any ideasâ, the crosswalk sign turns on and they walk across the road âsay, what time is it anyway? Cause weâve been having lots of fun but have you been keeping track?â.
She got her phone out and tuned it on âdang, looks like itâs four AM now, almost sunriseâ Ring sighed âso I guess thatâs the end of my time outside huh?â.
âNope, thereâs still one more thing I wanna show you!â She typed on her phone a little and smiled âcome on, follow meâ she took off in a direction and Ring had to run after her. âSlow down! I have little skinny legs!â He yelled âcome on, weâre not that far!â.
The two kept on running till they had to hike a little on this trail âsunshine, how much longer, Iâm tired! Carry me!â. She looked back at him âyou have to walk on your own Mr Ring a Ding, you have to be a big boyâ.
He pouted a little âI donât wanna! You see me struggling here!â, âyouâre not even that far now, come onâ she stood and waited for him at the top, he exaggerated his tired mood by crawling and sweating âdonât be so dramatic, weâre at a good viewâ Deliah sat down and set the snack and drink down.
âView of what?â He pulled himself up and his gaze fell on the most beautiful sight, The Golden Gate Bridge all light up. He sat down next to Deliah and his eyes didnât leave the sight of the bright bridge.
âKnew youâd love itâ the girl smiled and took out one of the chips, she opened it and started to eat them âwant one?â She asked holding the bag near him he took his gaze off the light âhm, these are those potato chips?â.
Deliah nodded âyeah, there really goodâ he looked in the bag and got one chip, he stared at it for a while before he put it in her mount and ate it slowly.
âIs it good?â She waited for his reaction as he swallowed and licked his lips a little âhm, itâs salty, and crunchy, but feels nice to eat as snack, like popcornâ.
âWanna try a Cheeto or Dorito next?â She took the other chips out of the bag âwhatâs the difference? They both sound the sameâ, âyeah, but they taste differentâ.
The two spent an hour eating the snack they had and drinking the rest of the slurpy, just enjoying the view. Lux was really captivated by the light and couldnât look away âhow did you find this place anyway?â He asked not looking directly at Deliah âitâs a well known spot called Battery Spencer, great place to see the brideâ.
He tuned towards her and had a small loving smile âthank you for taking me here, and showing me the city, even if it wasnât that lively, I still really enjoyed itâ.
Deliah gave him a simple smile âyour welcome, Iâm glad you liked it, I really donât want you to be all miserable in the apartment all the timeâ.
âYouâve been really good to me and I really wanna return the favorâ he got a bit closer to her âlike, how do you wanna return that favor?â She asked getting a little nervous.
âI think you know dolly~â he grinned âRing, like I said, Iâm not interested in you romanticallyâ, âyet, your not interested in me romantically, yetâ she rolled her eyes âcome on sweetie pie, just one kiss, it wonât mean anything, think of it as a preview just to get a feel of itâ.
He had those puppy dog eyes and she sighed, maybe just one kiss wouldnât hurt, I mean she couldnât deny that he did look cute and did fluster her plenty of times.
âFine, one kissâ Mr Ring a Ding smiled âyes!â He was full of excitement but she cut him off âbut, a kiss on the cheek, not on the lipsâ.
âCause I wanna save my first kiss, thank you very muchâ.
âOk, fair, Iâll take what I can get, a kiss is a kissâ.
He sat on his knees in front of her and rested his hands on her shoulder, he leaned in and his lips touch her right cheek in a warm kiss. Her face got warm and just sat there still, she felt a little awkward but aside from that it felt nice.
He pulled away with a warm smile âwould you look at that, you loved itâ, âso what if I did?â, âperhaps I could do thisâ he kissed her forehead and that took her by surprise âRingâ she warned.
âAnd thisâ he kissed her left cheek âstop it Ringâ, âand maybe thisâ he kissed near her lips âRing I said one kiss!â, âbut you loved it, so why not give you more?â.
Mr Ring a Ding kissed everywhere around her face except for her lips and Deliah was flustered out of her mind! âRing! Lux! Stop it!â She was getting frustrated.
âOh Iâll stop, when I feel satisfiedâ he giggled and continued on with his kisses, and she couldnât take it anymore. âThatâs enough!â She grabbed his face and pushed him back and he sighed dramatically âaaawww, but that felt so niceâ.
âI said only one kiss Lux, one kissâ she scolded âI couldnât help myself!â.
He saw how frustrated she was but also being flustered â..maybe, I can do you a favor?â, âwhat kind of favor?â, âyou can kiss me, on the cheek of course..unless you want to feel my lips againâ.
âHow is that a favor? You just want to get a kiss out of meâ.
âWell, you get to, um..get a feel yourself? So we can get evenâ.
She thought about it for a moment and smirked âok, Iâll give you a kissâ the way she said it made him blush and little and get him excited âgo ahead my dearâ.
Since she still held his face she had the advantage and leaned in, it seemed like she was gonna kiss his lips and he was all prepared for that.
She got closer and closer and just kissed his cheek, he was surprised and disappointed that he got duped like this, although a kiss was a kiss.
She pulled away and released him âthereâs your kissâ she chuckled âok you got me thereâ, ânow thatâs weâre even, no more kissesâ. He was about to protest but knew better and gave her a nod âokâ.
Soon the light of early morning came around and Deliah stood up âlooks like itâs nearly sunrise, we need to get you home quickâ. Mr Ring a Ding stood up and made sure the hoodie he still had on was still covering him âok, letâs goâ.
They walked down the trail back to the city and got a bus, the sun was nearly up but they would make it back. Lux leaned on Deliah the whole ride and she didnât mind, the two of them were up since 12 am.
Once the bus let them off they walked the rest of the way, the sun was just rising as Deliah opened the door to the apartment. âLux come on, you donât wanna get all crazy with the sun now donât you?â.
He just stood there and watched how the sun rose from the horizon and was in awe with it, his eyes turned yellow âjust give a me a minuteâ.
Thanks to the hoodie it protected him nicely, and the light from the sun started to sweat over parts of the city âok, that was niceâ he walked inside and Deliah shirt the door.
They both yawned âjee, Iâm tired, al that running around during the crack of dawnâ. âwe did stay up that late, a nice nap wouldnât hurtâ.
Mr Ring a Ding took off the hoodie and set it down âmind if I sleep on your bed?â He asked already walking to her room. âUuuhhâŠyou know what, why not, Iâm too tiredâ.
She got off her shoes and got some lounge pants, of course Ring looked away as she changed and got some of his own clothes and shoes off so he can more comfortable.
The duo laid down on Deliahâs bed and were seconds away from falling asleep âhow long do you wanna..sleep for?â He yawned. âHmm, three hours..I still wanna enjoy the dayâ Deliah said and fell asleep. Ring feel asleep right after, now the they were both enjoying each others warmth.