Lockdown: Mask of the Tiger

"What the holy fuck did we just watch?" Lumi said as she gaped at the TV screen.

"I have no idea...." Chris replied.

"BUT I LOVE IT!" Chris and Lumi cried in unison. "Quick, play the second episode! We gotta binge the whole series!" Lumi said and Chris was more than happy to oblige.

He reached for the remote and when his hand met empty air, he turned and saw that the remote was no longer on the coffee table.

"What the bloody hell?" He cursed as he began to rummage through the piles of snacks and discarded packaging.

"What's the matter Dad?"

"I've lost the bloody remote! I literally just had it a moment ago, it was right here!"

"Oh god, no! Not now! We just started Tiger King! I must know if any of these wackos will end up in jail and the animals are safe, and if the people who've been sucked into this madness emerge intact, I'll check the fort!" Lumi leaped off of the couch and began to check the fort which was located right next to the TV.

"Agh! Shit! I can't find it!" Chris muttered as he searched in-between the couch cushions.

"We shall prevail father! FOR THE KITTIES! Ack! Bandit no! Don't chew on the fort!" Bandit, the family dog, was now chewing a corner of a cardboard box, causing the foundation to shake.

"Looking for this?" said a familiar voice.

Chris looked up and Lumi stuck her head out of the fort once she shooed Bandit away.

John stood in the center of the family room, brandishing the remote. "Johnny, love, be a dear and hit play, please." Chris asked, tapping into his puppy dog eyes.

With a flick of his finger, the TV was turned off.

"NO! You killed the TV!" Lumi cried.

"That's it, I banish thee to the Land of Couch for the duration of lockdown!" Chris declared.

"Oh knock it off you drama queens, it's on fucking Netflix. Family meeting on the couch, now!"

Grumbling, Lumi and Chris sat on the couch and John sat in the middle, with a shopping bag.

"That bag clashes with your hair Pop." Lumi cracked.

"Oh hush, now, I went to the store today, and I got us some things we would need for our safety." John said as he dug through the bag.

"Protection against the microchips that will probably be implanted in the vaccines so the government will track us and cart us off to camps if we refuse?" Lumi guessed.

"Wot? No! Why on Earth...never mind, here I got us these." John pulled out the items and revealed face masks. A package of paper ones and another package of cloth masks.

"No." Lumi said.

"Dear, I thought we agreed that we would discuss what would be considered appropriate for our role playing before either of us made a purchase." Chris said with a wink.

"Oh for the love of....I got us face masks! For our faces! FACES Chris! Faces! Not for any other part of our body, just our face!"

"Killjoy." Chris muttered. John ignored him, "Now, Lumi, you're going to have to try it sooner or later..."

"I don't wanna."

"I know, but if it's too unbearable I'll get you a face shield. Please try one on, for me?" John pleaded.

"Fine." Lumi said after a moment. She slipped on a cloth mask. "I can't breathe and it itches and my glasses...I can't see I'm blind!" Her breathe fogged them up.

John quickly helped her out of the mask, "You gotta wear it a bit longer than that sweetie."

"Thank you Pop, really, but can I please take my autistic ass out of here now? We lost Tiger King....I cannot go on."

John sighed. "Look, I know this isn't going to be easy, but you two can't stay home all the time, especially you Lumi. We need to resume our normal routine by implementing basic safety measures. You guys can come to the store with me; we can go on walks again.

"What do you mean again? I've been walking Bandit like nothing has happened." Lumi piped up. John winced. "You haven't been near anyone have you?"

"I am the silent walker, who walks for the good of her doggo....unseen..., and alone....so very alone..." Lumi said with an ominous tone, until Bandit hopped into her lap.

"Hi Honey Child! You want kisses and cuddles?" Lumi said as she smothered the dog with kisses.

John rolled his eyes. "This will protect us whenever we are around others. We don't have to wear them if there is no one else around."

Chris leaned forward and planted a kiss on John's stubbled cheek. "Thank you darling, we'll do just that..." His lips then connected with John's. John melted into the kiss...

And was brought out of it when the remote was yanked out of his hand. "I GOT IT! VICTORY!" Chris whooped.

"WE ARE VICTORIOUS!" Lumi exclaimed.

"You are both very lucky that I love you both so damn much." John muttered.

Later that day, during episode four of Tiger King, there was a knock at the door and Chris went to answer it once Lumi paused the show.

John watched as Chris returned and sat back down next to him. "Wot ya got there?" John asked as Chris opened the parcel his husband received. "I got us some proper lockdown accessories." Chris replied as he handed a white cloth mask to Lumi.

Lumi immediately put it on. It was white, with dark blue letters that said, "Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey." With a blue silhouette of the TARDIS.

"Still don't like it, but at least it's fashionable." Lumi said as she quickly yanked off the mask.

Chris then tried on his mask, a tiger stripe one and he handed one to John. "My Husband is A Top...really Chris?"

"Oh stop it, you know you love it, now we can express ourselves when we leave the house."

"What was wrong with the ones I bought?" John demanded.

"The paper ones will be thrown away and the cloth ones are all...a very dull gray. They make the gray in my hair look young!"

Before John could reply, Chris added, "At least you thought ahead and got us plenty of spares." He lay his head on John's shoulder, which made John blush.

"You cheek!" John muttered.

"You're top." Chris retorted as he reached for the remote and hit play.

Many hours later, they had to start at the beginning since John missed the first episode, but at long last, the family finished Tiger King.

"Wot the holy fuck did we just watch?" John demanded.