It had been a few weeks since Tixo had excitedly brought home Taquito, the turtle that had quickly become the group's unofficial mascot. They’d all taken turns caring for the little guy, making sure he had a cozy setup with a tank, basking rock, and plenty of food. Taquito had grown accustomed to the group’s antics, and they had grown fond of him—especially Tixo, who treated the turtle like his best friend.
Today, however, Taquito was out of his tank, crawling around the living room as everyone lounged around, chatting and relaxing after a busy week. Riggs, ever the showman, was in the middle of a dramatic retelling of one of his more questionable escapades, his shirt half off and exposing his chest—specifically, the silver nipple piercings he loved to show off.
Tixo, sitting cross-legged on the floor, watched Taquito wander closer to Riggs with a mischievous grin. "Looks like Taquito wants to join the story," Tixo said, nudging the turtle in Riggs’ direction.
Riggs, ever the ham, crouched down to give Taquito a better view. "You wanna hear about my wild night, little guy?" he asked, winking at the turtle. Taquito, seemingly uninterested in the tale, paused in his tracks, head slowly swiveling to the side as he noticed something shiny.
It all happened in a flash. One second, Riggs was smirking at Tixo; the next, he let out an ear-piercing scream as Taquito lunged forward and clamped down on his exposed nipple piercing.
"Shit!" Riggs yelped, staggering backward, but Taquito held on, jaws locked tight. The others jumped up, startled by the sudden chaos.
"Get him off me!" Riggs shrieked, flailing as he tried to shake the turtle loose. But Taquito’s grip was fierce, and he wasn’t letting go anytime soon.
Xul rushed over first, struggling to keep a straight face. "Hold still, Riggs, you’re just making it worse," he said, trying to pry Taquito off without hurting either of them.
Tixo, who had originally been excited to see what Taquito was up to, now looked horrified. "Taquito! No! We don’t bite our friends!" he scolded, though his tone was more panicked than firm.
Onyx, meanwhile, was doubled over in laughter, barely able to breathe. "Oh my gods, Riggs, he really likes you!" he managed to gasp out between fits of laughter.
Sterling and Greyson were also trying not to laugh, but the sheer absurdity of the situation was too much. "Who knew Taquito had such a... sharp personality?" Sterling quipped, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Okay, okay, I’ve got this," Ren finally said, stepping in to help Xul. "Taquito, let go, buddy. I know Riggs is shiny, but this is not what we do to our friends."
With some careful maneuvering, Ren and Xul managed to pry Taquito’s jaws open just enough for Riggs to pull away, wincing in pain as he did.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Riggs whined, clutching his chest where Taquito had bitten. "Little dude, that was not cool!"
Taquito, now back on the floor and looking rather pleased with himself, blinked up at the group innocently, as if nothing had happened.
"Well," Greyson said dryly, "it seems we’ve discovered Taquito’s true nature."
"Yeah, no kidding," Xul added, finally allowing himself to laugh now that the crisis was over. "Who knew he was a snapping turtle?"
Riggs, still nursing his wounded pride (and nipple), huffed. "Next time, I’m keeping my shirt on around that little monster."
Tixo, looking sheepish, gently scooped up Taquito and held him close. "Sorry, Riggs... I guess we should’ve looked into what kind of turtle he was before letting him run around."
Riggs gave Tixo a weak smile. "It’s fine, Tixo. Just, you know, keep your pet piranha away from my piercings in the future, okay?"
"Deal," Tixo agreed, cuddling Taquito as he carefully carried him back to his tank. "No more biting, Taquito. We’re friends, remember?"
As the group settled back down, Riggs shot Taquito a wary glance, muttering under his breath, "I’m gonna need a drink after that."
Sterling, ever the gentleman, patted Riggs on the back. "You survived a snapping turtle attack, Riggs. You’re officially a badass."
"Yeah, a badass with a bruised nipple," Riggs retorted, though his usual grin was already returning. "But hey, at least I’ve got a story to tell."
