Groaning, you tried to ignore it all, but the pounding only got harder and louder. Unfortunately, this also spurred movement against your shoulder, indicating your tiny companion was now awake too.

Great.

“Ya gonna answer that, or just let em bust down our door?” You huffed but didn’t move. By the scoff, you could tell he wasn’t impressed. “Ya c’n at least tell em ta fuck off.”

Another groan, louder and more drawn out this time, but you did manage to sit up. Red, your little shark-toothed angry bitty, clung to your shirt so he could sit on your shoulder, tugging harshly on your ear when you didn’t move to answer right away.

You stood up.

Guess it was time to face the chaos.

The pounding didn’t stop until you partly opened the door. Unsurprisingly, it was the noisy neighbor you had thought calmed for the day. She was a gangly woman with tanned leathery skin and sunspots, hair unkept and short. She occupied the townhome connected to your left and usually held a nasty snarling dog in her arms. It was more of a surprise the creature wasn’t with her than the fact she was trying to break your door.

You took a breath and braced for the worst. “Can we help you, Karen?”

“Don’t you patronize me with your false sense of courtesy! This is all your fault! You and your little Gremlin sabotaged my yard and let my dog out! How dare you, HOW DARE YOU!” She was beyond livid for someone who had been so quiet earlier. You attempted to calm her down, but she continued to scream over you. “No! I will not calm down! You broke into my home, opened Remmie’s door, and unblocked that hole in my fence! Now he’s gone! I can’t find him anywhere and it’s all you and that little demon’s fault!”

It took you over thirty minutes to get her to leave, Red only hindering the process by cackling the entire time while calling out jabs. You did your best to try and inform her that no, you did not climb the fence and break into her home, you did not unblock one of the many holes under her fence, and that Red had been with you all day. She, of course, didn’t listen to anything you said and continued to yell at the pair of you, at one point physically trying to grab Red from your shoulder. She was lucky you had more self-control than her because you came close to punching her in the face for that.

It wasn’t until another neighbor mentioned that they saw Remmie a couple blocks away chasing and snapping at children, that she stormed away. After she was gone, it was admitted that animal control had been called and the incident had been over an hour ago.

Red was ecstatic, you not so much. You prayed the interaction would be the last you had from her about it, but you weren’t holding out hope. Closing the door and taking a deep slow breath, you turned an accusatory look towards your still giggling bitty.

“What, did you do, and when?”

His grin was downright mischievous. “Me? Ya wound me.”

“Reeeed.”

“Ah, come on! That rat-faced terror was a menace ta society. I did the neighborhood a favor! The thing tried ta eat me at least ten times. In our own yard!”

You ran a hand over your face. “Did you really break into that woman’s house? Just to let the dog out?”

He cackled, shortcutting onto the back of the couch and looking back at you. “Course not. I also unplugged her radio, microwave, and tv, and hid the remote. Would have unplugged the fridge too if it weren’t so close ta the wall.”

“Red!”

“Don’t even get me started on the surprise I left in the oven.”

“Red!!!”

“What! S’ not like I broke anythin! Believe me, I was tempted.”

You sat on the couch and ran your hands over your face. “You can’t just—that was extremely dangerous! What would you have done if you had been caught? Or attacked? I didn’t even know you had gone over there! When, did you go over there?”

He looked away, suddenly more serious. “Wouldn’t ‘ave happened. Went after ya went ta bed last night. Besides, that witch got what she deserved after what she said to ya. Don’t think I didn’t hear it, or you crying about it in the other room either. Ya deserve better than that.”

Your heart tightened. While you wish he hadn’t done something so dangerous, it did feel nice knowing that he did it for your sake. Even if he didn’t come right out and say it.

You sighed, reaching up to gently pick him up off the back of the couch. He startled but otherwise let you pull him to your chest with a smooch. There was only a small grumble and wipe this time.

“You are a gremlin, you know that? You’re lucky I love you so much. Please don’t do that ever again, however gratifying it was to find out she experienced some karma.”

‘Begrudgingly’, he snuggled closer. “Damn straight she did.”

You chuckled, giving his head a light scratch. “So… What exactly did you put in her oven?”

Judging by the deep maniacal giggling, it was something good.

…