What It Is About Your Face
It’s been almost a week of daily lunches with Electra. They get along well, and C.B can almost feel himself get promoted into the “trusted friend” category. Soon he’ll be able to completely screw Electra over! But it’s strange, he feels almost bad about his plan now. He considers talking to Cecil about it, but he’s been so caught up in getting romanced by Flat Top, so it’s basically impossible. And Dinah is almost too interested in C.B and Electras budding friendship. Which is annoying, but understandable. But who’s left? Maybe one of the other coaches, but he doesn’t really trust them with his plans. Maybe Dustin? But he might make C.B feel bad about the plan. It’s a dilemma. And something else that’s annoying and keeps happening, is of course the stupid dreams! Every night there’s a slightly different version of the original dream. Just last night he had one about the mysterious someone pinning him down onto his bed by the hips, their head buried in between his thighs. He still couldn’t see their face, but his hands were buried in their hair. It’s so humiliating waking up sweating and with an embarrassing need burning deep in his guts. C.B managed to let enough of his dignity go to ask Dinah for advice about the dreams. She just told him that ”it’s normal” and that ”everyone has those sometimes”, which really isn’t helpful.
C.B has a day off today, and he’s already decided to spend it scheming, planning, and preparing. He’s currently pacing around his shed, muttering to himself and gesticulating wildly. It’s almost midday, and he told Electra yesterday that he has a day off, so he wouldn’t be joining them for lunch. They seemed almost disappointed about it, but that’s impossible and must have been a trick of the light. Maybe it’s because C.B wanted them to be disappointed at his absence because of his plan! He just projected the image onto Electra!
He laughs manically to himself, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. It’s raining today, nothing big, just a light patter hitting the tin roof of his shed. He wonders how the rain affects Electra, considering the well known side effects of mixing water and electricity. They probably have some sort of protection against the elements built into their body. Or maybe they use an umbrella? Maybe they also have a day off today because of the rain? He’ll have to ask them tomorrow.
A knock on the door distracts C.B from his downward spiral. He groans before shuffling over, sock covered feet barely making a sound against the wooden floor. It’s probably Dinah wanting to eat lunch with him. He pulls the door open, prepared to be tackled by his best friend. Instead he looks forwards into a technicolor heart monitor, beeping calmly. His eyes are drawn upwards to the face he knows is above him. Electra looks down at him with the cool intensity that he has come to know them by. C.B stumbles backwards, unprepared to see Electra today. The engine in question takes his step back as an invitation and leans down to step inside the shed. They look out of place in C.B’s home, mohawk bent to the left where it hits the ceiling. C.B closes the door, walking over and sitting down on his stained couch before speaking.
”Can I ask why you’re here, Electra?”
Electra sits down on C.B’s only kitchen chair, facing the caboose.
”I want to eat lunch with you.”
They are completely sincere. Here they are, sitting on C.B’s only kitchen chair, in his home, speaking with nothing but sincere honesty. Saying that they want to eat lunch with him. C.B runs a hand through his hair, that he’s now realizing is free from the hat he usually wears.
”Okay. Yeah, sure, why not? Do you have your own lunch with you, or…?”
Electra points out the window where Wrench is standing with a portable charging station. She’s seemingly waiting to be let in. C.B sighs and stands up to let her in.
”Hi Wrench, how are the others?”
She steps inside and attempts to clean some mud off of her wheels before rolling on his floor.
”They are doing well, we have had our mission of the day already, so they have the rest of the day off.”
She rolls up to the kitchen table, setting up the charging station with rehearsed ease. C.B returns to the couch, half lying down on it. Once she finishes and connects Electra to the station, she salutes to the duo and leaves. The door closes behind her and Electra relaxes into the chair.
”I like your home. It’s cozy.”
C.B waves off the comment.
”You don’t have to say nice things just because we’re friends, I know that it’s not what you’re used to.”
Electra frowns slightly, but there’s a little shine in their eyes.
”We’re friends?”
They sound hopeful. C.B feels a weird knot in his stomach.
”I- yeah? I kind of assumed, but if you don’t want to be friends, that’s fine with me.”
Electra flinches, almost falling off the chair.
”No! I mean. I want to be your friend. I just- I just haven’t ever had a friend before.”
C.B gapes at the engine sitting in his shed.
”… You’ve never had a friend before? Seriously?”
Electra looks away, sparks flying through their hair as a faint blue glow creeps across their cheeks.
”When I was manufactured they told me that I am the future, and that I need to be protected. The future doesn’t need friends, it needs lackeys. You’re the first person I’ve met who has treated me as just Electra.”
C.B realizes in that moment that what Electra is saying makes him feel strangely happy. He feels the same way he does when Dinah calls him her best friend, a sort of happy smugness, because she’s talking about him. But it’s different with Electra, he feels himself blush for some reason.
”Oh. Well, I guess we’re friends then?”
Electra smiles softly, and C.B feels the knot in his stomach tighten.
”I guess so.”
~~~
Electra finishes their charging session faster than they usually do, explaining that they started charging earlier but became bored and went to find C.B, which does not make him feel anything, shut up. They move to sit on the couch with C.B, and they look both out of place and strangely domestic. Electra looks around the shed, at the shelves filled with books and old notebooks, at the curtain that separates C.B’s bed from the rest of the space, and at the little kitchen area. Everything is small and mostly found outside or in lost and found boxes. It’s a little embarrassing, but at least he didn’t have to sell the clothes off his back just to afford furniture. He knows that Electra doesn’t have to worry about that stuff, he has seen the stables they share with their components. It’s huge, with ceiling windows and multiple rooms.
Electra turns their gaze to C.B, and he instantly becomes hyper aware of the fact that he’s wearing a large shirt from a band he’s never listened to, a pair of sweatpants that he found, and socks. And sure, it’s his stay at home clothes, but he also doesn’t let anyone other than Dinah see him in these clothes. Well until now, when both Electra and Wrench has seen him like this. But Electra doesn’t seem to mind, instead they lean forward to study C.B’s face more closely. He’s not wearing his face paint, and he feels a little vulnerable. Electra’s getting real close now. He leans back on instinct, pausing when Electra opens their mouth to speak.
”You look good like this. You should go without your hat more often.”
A furious blush immediately takes over his face. They look and sound so sincere, what the fuck is he supposed to do? All words are stuck in his throat, all he manages to do is make a strangled sound and bury his face in his hands. Electra makes a concerned sound and gently puts a hand on C.B’s shoulder.
”Caboose? Are you okay?”
He nods, still hiding his face.
”I- I’m okay, I just. Hn. I just wasn’t ready for you to be so suddenly nice to me.”
Electra coos and puts their other hand under C.B’s chin, tilting his head up and getting him to move his hands away.
”Oh, little Caboose… You can be quite cute, when you’re not around others.”
C.B swallows hard around the lump in his throat. There’s a new tension in the air, partially real with the sparks from Electras hair and hands, and partially imaginary. C.B’s eyes slide shut, based on an instinct he didn’t know he had. And he can feel Electra lean closer, slowly. Something is about to happen, and he isn’t sure if he knows what exactly it is.
The moment is disturbed and broken not even a second later, as Wrench opens the door to the shed and the two fly apart. She looks at them with a raised brow, but doesn’t say anything as she rolls over to pack up the portable charger. She then turns to them, nods at C.B, and speaks.
”Electra, we have to get back to the station now, we have a new shipment to deliver.”
Electra nods wordlessly and stands up, rolling towards the door. They turn around and looks at C.B with that same spark they usually do.
”I’ll see you tomorrow, Caboose~”
Then they’re gone, and C.B sits on his couch, red faced and warm. What the fuck just happened?