#poor flik

What if Pixar had added more bloopers into the end credits?

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"It's a bug-eat-bug world out there, Princess," Hopper guided her to sit on the rock, resting a foot against it. "Now--" a few whistles interrupt him.

Axel nudges the grasshopper beside him, "Ooh," he grins, "Boss layin' it down!"

Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose, "Of all idiots," he mutters. "Can we get through this scene, please?"

"Cut!"

They get back in their original places. "Take two!"

Hopper leans down and guides Atta to sit again, "It's a bug-eat-bug-world out there, Princess--" snickers from the crowd distracts him. He deadpanned at the camera.

"Cut!" John scans over the colony, "Okay, ladies, let's keep this professional here, alright? Gang, don't encourage them."

Axel snickers, "Aw c'mon," he calls out to Hopper, "Show 'em your good side, Boss!"

"Oh my word," Hopper sighs and straightens, face flushing.

Atta holds back her laughter, "Maybe try not doing the foot thing," she suggests.

Hopper mocks her quietly, "'try not doing the foot thing'" He gets back into position.

"Take three!"

"It's a bug-eat-bug-world out there..." he stood awkwardly for a moment, debating on how to approach her differently. Eventually, he puts his hands on his hips and just stares down at her, "Princess-- no, this doesn't feel right."

"Cut!"

Atta can't help but burst out laughing, "Nevermind, just go back to the other way."

Axel snickers and calls out again, "That's how she likes it, Boss!"

"I'm gonna quit," Hopper shakes his head.

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While all the grasshoppers are in the anthill, Molt kickstarts his wings to shoot through the hole. Unfortunately, he bonks his head against the ceiling and drops to the ground, "Ow!"

"Cut! Molt, make sure you're standing beneath the hole first."

He stood up, holding his head, "Yeah, got it."

"Take two!"

Hopper stared the ants down, "You ants have a nice summer. Let's ride!" He crouched down and shot through the hole. Molt laughed and shut up as well, hitting the ceiling again and landing on his back.

"Dang it! Okay, okay! I can get it right this time, I swear!" Molt staggered onto his feet.

His brother peeked back down in the hole, "When I fly off, that's when you move under the hole, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Molt waved him off.

"Take three!"

"--Let's ride!"

Molt bit his lip a bit, waiting until Hopper vanished before side-stepping and starting his wings. As soon as he pushed off the ground, his foot slipped and he fell face-first on the ground.

Hopper peeked his head through the hole again, deadpanned, "Does he have to be in this movie?" he looked at the directors.

John pinched the bridge of his nose, "He's for comedic relief. Okay, let's just go with the first take and switch it up a bit."

"But I hit my head on that one!"

"It'll be fine, the audience will get a kick out of it."

Hopper sneered down at his brother, "So will the rest of us." Molt huffed.

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Flik watched the Circus Bugs convey to him that they were not, in fact, warriors. He gasped and flung the makeshift megaphone to the side, "Your Highness! The warriors have--Ah!" In his effort to crawl over the blade of grass, he slipped on the dewdrop.

"Flik!" Atta kneeled down beside him, "Oh my gosh are you okay?"

He laughed awkwardly, feet hanging over the blade, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Cut!" John rushed over, "You alright, kid?"

"No, no, no, I'm fine." Flik stood back up quickly and brushed himself off. "Can we clear this off before I do that scene?" he pointed a thumb to the dew and petals on the ground.

Francis was doubled over laughing, "No, no, keep it there! I wanna see that again!"

Flik crossed his arms, "Is my pain hilarious to you now?"

The ladybug pointed out one of the cameramen, "Send me that take, I gotta keep that!"

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"I said, even Hopper's afraid of birds," Atta repeated.

Flik blinked before chastely kissing her on the cheek and zooming off, "Thank you!" He rushed to the infirmary and nearly made it to the leaf entrance, "Hopper's--" he fell through the leaves and face-planted the ground.

"Cut!"

Gypsy rushed to help him up, "Oh, sweetie, it's just not your day is it?" She glared at the others who were laughing -- or at the very least trying to contain their laughter.

The ant held up a hand, not moving from where he'd fallen, "Just...give me a moment," he mumbled through the dirt.

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Hopper's eyes hardened at the three grasshopper's, "Well, how 'bout this?" He quickly reached over him to pull the tip of the dispenser off, grunting when it didn't budge. "What the?" He kept trying to pry it open but nothing happened. "What did you guys do to this thing?"

"Cut!" John set the megaphone down and inspected the container, "Alright," he turned to the gang, "Which one of you clowns glued the lid shut?"

Tuck and Roll slowly stepped away from outside the shot, hiding the glue bottle behind their backs.

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"You little termites!" The colony turned as Hopper rose into the air with the offering lifted above him. He opened his mouth for the next line but a few whistles and cat-calling stopped him.

One of his gang members shouted teasingly from the side, "You lift bro?"

Hopper pursed his lips and set the offering back down, "Okay, I'm not doing this scene."

"Cut! Hopper, it's in the script," John called.

"Then change the script!"

"Just get through the take, I promise it'll be the last time," John pleaded. He called out to the colony and gang, "And no distractions, ladies! Let's keep it professional here!"

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Hopper wrapped his hands around Flik's neck, "I'll be back next season with more grasshoppers...but you won't."

The ant pretended to struggle a moment before clawing at Hopper's hands desperately, "Hop! Wa--" he coughed and Hopper quickly released him.

"Oh my gosh, was I actually choking you?" He watched Flik struggle for air as he doubled over.

Flik waved it off, "It's fine...just...can't breathe," he gasped out.

"Cut! Okay, let's work on that strength there, Hopper."

Hopper patted Flik on the back, looking a bit sheepish toward the crew, "I'm sorry! Can we change that scene or anything? Maybe I'll just pin him down or something?"

John looked over the script, "I don't know...the writers were pretty keen on choking. Just work on your technique, we went over this yesterday during choreography. The best way to not accidentally choke someone is..."

Hopper gave him a confused look, "To not...try and choke them--"

"No."

"Well, I don't know what you want me to say!" Hopper threw his hands up in defeat.

Flik straightened as he took in a deep breath, "Okay, I'm good now. Everything's great."

"Ready to try another take?" John called.

Flik hesitated, "Just give me a moment," he laughed breathlessly, "I almost died. Gotta process that," he smiled at Hopper.

"I'm sorry!" Hopper flared his arms out, "Your neck is like a toothpick. How can I not accidentally choke you?"

"We practiced it yesterday, Hopper!" John reminded him.

Hopper rounded on the director, "How about I practice it on you?"

What if the offering had never fallen when Flik threw down his Harvester?

••••••••

He hurried back into the anthill, skidding down the tunnels. Flik nearly collided with another ant as he took his place in the bunker. The sound of wings grew louder overhead and with it the rising tension in the room.

The gang wasted no time in landing. That flight wasn't entirely worth the free food, but they'd be satisfied for Hopper's sake. Every piece they could fit in their stomachs would have to sustain them for the flight back.

Hopper landed on the arched grass blade. Very little of the offering was ever eaten by him. Regardless, he'd have to eat something or he wouldn't have any strength to make it back. A grain had fallen wayward on the stone. These ants were getting too hasty with the offering. He wondered how much time it took for them to prepare it to be as disorganized as it was.

Something else caught his eye down on the ground. He jumped down and inspected the strange thing. What in the world was it? Something fitted for an ant by the looks of it. The straps looked too small to be used by another insect. Hopper gingerly picked it up, turning it a few times before settling on its supposed position.

This was an invention, no doubt.

And an invention has to have an inventor.

And within that: ideas.

Hopper's eyes hardened and he turned toward the anthill. Whichever one of them made this had to be stopped before their ideas transformed into rebellion.

He flew above with the invention in hand. No sense in barging in. Hopper landed and tapped his foot on the ground thrice. After a few heartbeats, a female ant hurried out from the entrance. She didn't look familiar to him. "I need to speak with whoever made this," he held out the contraption.

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A strained silence made Hopper's antennae ring. The bunker barely had enough space for him to walk through as Atta led him to the creator of the invention. "Where's Flik?" The princess called out.

They exchanged glances before parting to reveal the nervous soul in the back. He froze as all eyes turned to him. What did he do wrong now? And why was Hopper of all people here? The princess narrowed her eyes a bit, "You left something outside," a hand loosely gestured to the Harvester Hopper had in his possession.

Flik opened his mouth to try and apologize or explain himself -- whichever he ended up doing in the midst of his anxiety -- but Hopper began stalking toward him. "You made this?"

"Uh...I...w-well--"

"Speak up." Hopper was looming over him now.

"Y-Yes...I made it."

Hopper inspected the contraption again, making it a point to lift it higher for the ants to see. If nothing else, it added a sense of fear into Flik at how light his creation seemed to be in Hopper's hold. "What's it do?"

The question took him off-guard for a moment. When Hopper directed his gaze to him, Flik forced himself to speak, "I-It cuts down the stalks...so that the grain can be harvested faster. It...w-well it's supposed to...speed up production." Flik clasped his hands together nervously.

Speed up production? "And all of you use this?" He turned to the crowd. The state of the offering suggested otherwise, but he might as well ask. No one spoke up. He turned back to Flik, "What's your name again?"

Flik didn't think he heard him properly. "F-Flik." Hopper held his gaze and the ant cleared his throat, "Flik," he spoke more clearly.

Content with his response, Hopper addressed the colony again, "Is Flik the only one who can speak up around here?" He paused to gauge their reactions. "Let me ask again: do all of you use this?" he gestured to the Harvester.

"N-No," Thorny spoke up, "we harvest grain like we always have."

Another ant chided in, "Flik's invention is dangerous! It nearly killed the princess!" That comment made Hopper raise an eyebrow at the inventor, who merely strangled over his words.

A few more ants decided to take their chance to speak out their defiance against Flik's idea. Finally, Hopper held up a hand to silence them. He nodded to Flik and began walking toward the entrance, "Follow me," he noticed Atta taking a step toward them, "just the kid."

Flik felt his insides wrench. The colony watched the ant cautiously follow behind the gang leader.

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"Demonstrate," Hopper set the contraption before Flik.

"Huh?"

Hopper leaned over him, teeth bared, "I don't like repeating myself, kid. Now show me how this thing of yours works."

Unsure, Flik situated the Harvester on his back and secured the straps. His hands gripped the levers. Flik bit his lip and shut his eyes tight, "Y-You see...the thing is...i-it doesn't really work."

Hopper crossed his arms, "What do you mean it doesn't work? You invented it, didn't you?"

He blinked his eyes open, glancing at the grasshopper. This wasn't the way he imagined showing off his creation. In daydreams, he thought of the colony cheering for his success. Ants begging for one so that they could be more prosperous and still appease Hopper. Perhaps a quick peck from Atta snuck its way into the fantasy...

Nonetheless, the last thing he'd imagined was Hopper being his true first audience -- he'd rather forget the incident from earlier. But if someone was finally willing to pay him any mind, who was he to nitpick who it was?

The grasshopper cleared his throat, urging Flik on. Shakily, Flik took a step closer to the stalk and whirred the machine to life. He swore he could taste blood from how hard he was biting his lip. One mistake was all it would take for something to go horribly wrong -- in his case, anyhow. Any mistake he made led to disastrous consequences.

In a moment's time, the stalk broke and landed on the lift above him. It continued its process to dispose of the grain into the pouch behind him before he pulled the lever to launch the stalk. Nervously, he watched the stalk land a ways off, his gaze traveling to Hopper to see a reaction.

It was unreadable, which had to be the most nerve-wracking thing he'd ever experienced. The only movement in his features was the one brow raised as he looked from the stalk to the grain. He hummed and turned on his heel, "Follow."

Flik blinked and went to catch up, the machine creaking behind him.

"You can leave the invention," Hopper called behind him, not looking back.

The ant's heart dropped. Was that a bad sign? Flik set the machine down and rushed to catch up with Hopper. He kept a few paces behind, intimidated at the mere thought of walking beside him. Making their way back into the anthill, Hopper stopped just at the entrance of the bunker. Murmurs could already be heard from inside:

"You don't think he'll kill him, do you?"

"Flik's inventions are always causing trouble!"

"Who knows? Maybe Hopper'll set him straight?"

Flik swallowed the lump in his throat, eyes burning as much as his face. When Hopper glanced back at him, he lowered his head in embarrassment. Flik knew what the colony thought of him. It was hard to live in close quarters without hearing the rumors and snarky comments. He tried ignoring them...he really did. But it was anything but easy to pretend like everything was fine...

When it just wasn't.

"I'm sorry," Flik spoke quickly as Hopper opened his mouth to speak. "I-I should've just picked the grain l-like everyone else. Please don't punish them...b-because of me." Hopper blinked at him, brows furrowing. "I'll...I-I'll destroy it," he thought hurriedly, "and I-I...," his voice quieted, "I won't make another invention...ever...I swear."

Hopper looked back toward the bunker, "You would really do that." It wasn't a question. Flik slowly looked up. "You would give up something you enjoy just for the sake of everyone else? For people who obviously despise you for what you do?"

Flik didn't know how to answer that. Hopper was looking at him expectantly. "If...that's what it takes."

It looked as if Hopper was about to say something, but he clenched his jaw and stayed silent. Instead, he nodded for Flik to go into the bunker. The ant found himself wishing that Hopper had killed him. That wouldn't have been nearly as bad as facing the whole colony again. All the murmurs stopped as they walked in. Flik managed to make eye contact with Atta before he diverted his gaze to the ground.

Hopper appeared calm, "Well, I've found the problem here." Flik shut his eyes. The colony would be better off without him, anyhow. They wouldn't have to worry about him screwing up all the time. Or destroying the tunnels. Or--

He froze when a heavy hand rested on his shoulders. Hopper kept a calm demeanor, "You all."

A collective gasp resonated from the colony. Princess Atta stumbled over her words, "U-Us?"

Hopper focused on the princess, "Did I stutter?" She withdrew and fixed Flik with a hard stare. "You all present me with a sorry excuse for an offering every year. I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt. But now I know you have him." Flik winced as the gazes focused on him. "That invention can do more than all of you put together. And here you are wasting it. Honestly, Your Majesty, I expected a bit more from your colony."

If the anxiety of being put in the spotlight like this wasn't so bad, Flik might've enjoyed the praise. Finally, someone was seeing things his way. But this was Hopper. How much pride should he have from what the gang leader said?

"Next season, I expect to see that offering look decent. And every one of you better have taken advantage of it." Hopper nudged the ant forward, "Flik, here, will see to it that both of those goals are met by the time I return. I'm sure you can handle it, right kid?"

Flik felt his throat tighten, "W-Well I--...," he wrung his hands together. The glare Atta was giving him didn't pass by him. But...the whole colony was staring him down. It both terrified him and...empowered him. This was his chance to really make a difference. Whether the colony like it or not, if they wanted Hopper to be pleased they'd have to follow Flik's orders. Hopper was putting him in charge, after all.

Straightening a bit, Flik curtly nodded, "Yes."

Hopper held his gaze a moment before turning back toward the entrance, "You ants have a nice summer."

Once he left and the sound of the gang dissipated, the tension rose steadily within the anthill.

Only this time, Flik felt a little less intimidated.

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Been needing some brotherly fluff between my two boys, so here we go!

Also, a headcanon I have for Flik is that he does struggle with anxiety and the terrible symptoms that come with it.

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"Wait! Please, no! I-I'm sorry!" Flik became sickeningly aware of his surroundings. The rain thundering around him as lightning shed light on the scene taking place. Between the elements and the screams resonating from above, Flik's voice barely carried past his lips.

He was back at the bird's nest, hidden behind the rock. Well, he was hidden behind the rock. Atta had tried pulling him back by the arm but the inventor slipped out of her hold. He ran out toward the nest, screaming at the top of his lungs.

His screams didn't compare to that of Hopper's, though.

A part of his subconscious was telling him it was all just a nightmare. A twisted memory of that night. But all rationality had washed away with the rain. All he knew was that his best friend was back in the mouth of that bird, dangling over her chicks.

Atta finally took him by both wrists and yanked him back from the danger. "Flik, what is wrong with you? We have to hide! That thing will eat us too if we stay out here!"

Flik grit his teeth and whirled to face her, "Let it have me! I need to save Hopper!"

She was obviously taken aback by his statement, so much so that her grip loosened enough for him to run off again. Despite everything, he knew it was too late. Hopper's screams grew more desperate by the second as the bird's head lowered.

But Hopper was still alive outside the dream, right? He...He had escaped, somehow. Maybe Flik would be a witness to how exactly that came to be. Hopper mentioned ripping out his wing.

Under this false security, Flik forced himself to slow in his pursuit. The hope he held kept his eyes glued on the scene, waiting for Hopper to free himself. Flik's gut twisted with every millimeter that shortened between the grasshopper and the baby birds.

"No...This isn't how it's supposed to go!" Flik balled his fists, still praying and waiting for Hopper to come through. He was supposed to be the--the strong and fearless mentor. The one who could escape anything, even death. Flik couldn't even think of a moment where he'd seen that kind of fear on Hopper.

But now it was a moment he'd never be able to forget.

And in spite of himself, his eyes couldn't look away. Even as the tears blurred the scene before him, he couldn't move or scream as Hopper never pulled out from his trap. For the first time since making amends with the grasshopper, Flik was finally seeing and reflecting on what could have happened that night. Every image burned in his mind's eye. The screaming. The mauling. Everything. It wasn't until the screams were silenced that Flik realized he was making the noise as well.

"Flik!" The ant jolted awake mid-scream. His face felt hot from the fear and tears had dried on his cheeks. Hopper was looking down at him, hands gripping the ant's arms. "What's wrong? You were screaming bloody murder! I could hear you all the way from my room."

The ant no sooner wrapped his arms around Hopper's neck, hugging him as if his life depended on it. Hopper stuttered for a second before Flik interrupted his efforts, "I'm sorry! I-I should've...I-I don't know...done something else! Anything but that! Y-You...you could have died a-and it would've been all my fault and--"

"Woah, kid, take a breather for a moment," he could feel Flik trembling now and the tears landing on his chest. "I'm not dead, alright? Let's focus on that for a moment."

Flik pulled back a bit, "B-But you could have and I-I just stood there!"

Hopper deepened his voice to get the ant's attention, "Flik," the kid snapped his mouth shut, "breathe." Hopper pulled him close again, "Don't think about it for a second, alright? You can tell me about it later or tomorrow. Just relax for right now."

Ten minutes had to have passed by. Flik was still trembling like a leaf, but Hopper never let go. He kept rubbing circles on Flik's back, trying to help in what way he knew how. There was one thing he remembered his mother teaching him during moments like this. Quietly, "What are some things you can hear right now?"

Flik blinked his eyes open in confusion, not looking up, "W-What can I hear?"

"Yeah. Tell me something, anything."

"Well...," Flik took in a shaky breath, "y-your heartbeat, I guess."

"Alright. What about what you can see?"

"It's...I-It's dark," Flik answered lamely.

Hopper breathed out a laugh, "No dip, genius." Flik laughed a bit with him, "Try opening your eyes."

Flik slowly lifted his head up, facing the wall as he rested the side of his head against Hopper. "There's the wall."

"And what do you feel?"

"...Safe."

Hopper quirked his mouth, "That's...not really the answer I was looking for, but yeah, glad to hear." The trembling in Flik's body finally ceased. Hopper felt the ant's arms droop, "It's still really early in the morning. Why don't you try sleeping again? You know, that thing where you don't scream your lungs out in the middle of the night." He grinned down at Flik, who gave a tired smile.

The smile faded and Flik dropped his arms to pull at his fingers, "I...the nightmares might come back, though."

Hopper sighed through his nose, "You ants are skittish creatures, I tell you." He laid himself down on the bed and let Flik settle beside him, "First Dot needs me to sing her to sleep, then Molt -- little cry baby -- wants to share a room like we used to. And now you get all clingy on me. When I was a kid we sucked it up and lived with nightmares."

"That certainly explains a lot," Flik laughed. "If you ever have a nightmare, though, I'll help you out."

Hopper snorted, "That'll be the day."