Summer of Bad Batch 2024

Who stole the remote?!

Week 7 Main prompt: "Don't avoid the question."

I wrote this in a couple minutes last night but forgot to publish it XD

Enjoy!!

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"Are you sitting on it?" Hunter asked again, huffing as he threw down another pillow. Crosshair scoffed.

"I already said no." he said, crossing his arms and scooting to the middle of the couch. He'd already stood up twice and though he wanted to watch tv as well, he was confident the remote wasn't underneath him.

"Tech! Did you take the remote?" Hunter shouted across the house. Tech was often taking the electronics around the house to tinker with. Hunter swore, if Tech was messing with the remote, there might be murder.

"I am preoccupied with other projects at the moment. I have no need for the remote." Tech responded, in a voice that was between yelling and just speaking loudly. Hunter sighed, throwing a couch cushion to the floor. It joined the mountain of pillows already thrown in exasperation.

"Ooh, are we building a pillow fort?" Omega asked excitedly, jumping onto the cushion pile before tucking her legs under her and sitting.

"I'm looking for the remote." Hunter explained. He turned back to Crosshair. "Are you sure you aren't sitting on it?"

"Yes."

Hunter eyes narrowed at his brother.

"Get up." he demanded.

"No. You already searched this couch twice. You know it's not here." Crosshair reasoned, firmly sitting back.

"I want to be sure." Hunter started to push Crosshair's shoulder, trying to forcefully push him off at least one cushion.

"No." He stubbornly stayed put, leaning with each shove so he wouldn't be pushed over.

"You have it, don't you?" Hunter's eyes narrowed again and put his hands on his hips. Crosshair rolled his eyes.

"I want to watch tv, too. Why would I sit here in boredom out of choice?" While it was a good reason, Crosshair was also prone to pranks and tricks for entertainment. Hunter just grabbed the couch cushion, one that Omega wasn't sitting on, and dramatically flopped onto the couch, hoping for a giggle from Omega. He heard the sweet sound as he closed his eyes, trying to come to terms with the permanent loss of the remote. It likely fell into a black hole, never to be seen again.

The front door opened. Wrecker, grocery bags in both hands, kicked the door shut behind him, a big smile across his face.

"Hey guys! You'll never guess what happened." He dumped the groceries on the countertop, before going back to the living room, taking off his leather jacket while he talked. "I was walking down the cereal aisle-Oh! By the way, they were out of your favorite ice cream, Cross. And the milk was actually 30% off, not 20 so it was actually a better deal. Anyways, I reach into my pocket for the list, and I pull out this!"

And there, the cause of Hunter's headache and the dismantled couch, is the remote, pinched between Wrecker's fingers.

"You took it?!" Hunter shouted, getting up fast.

Wrecker laughed and nodded. "I guess so. I must've had it in my hand when I grabbed the list and just stuffed it into my pocket."

"See? I didn't take it." Crosshair said, shifting his position to lie down, a smirk evident on his face.

"Oh, you were looking for it?" Wrecker asked, handing the remote to Hunter. "I saw the cushions and thought they were for a fort.

"Yes! We should make a fort and watch a movie." Omega suggested. She gathered the pillows and arranged them in a large square.

"We need to make dinner, Megs." Hunter said, tossing the remote to Crosshair. Though he'd love to sit and watch tv the rest of the night, it was his turn to make dinner.

"We could order a pizza." Omega said, draping a blanket over the pillows as a sheet to hold them all together.

"Ooh, Hunter, can we? Please?" Wrecker asked, hands clasped in a pleading gesture.

"Did you get everything else on the list?" Hunter deflected, turning towards the kitchen.

"Don't avoid the question!" Omega said, indignantly, hands on her hips in a very Hunter-like pose. With Omega's added expression, strung along with Wrecker's puppy dog eyes and Crosshair's pleading eyes, Hunter was backed into a corner.

"Hey Tech! Can you see when the pizza place down the street closes?" A flurry of shouts in excitement drowned out Tech's reply. Crosshair queued the movie, a funny one about imaginary friends, and the four of them got started on the walls of the fort while Tech called and ordered the pizzas.