Caboose sat calmly and patiently for several hours, waiting for Tucker and Ferdy to return. He didn't really understand why Andy spent much of that time laughing, which made it difficult to hold a conversation. As such, he spent his time trying to come up with something nice he could do for Maud when they got back, or something nice he could pick up for her. He wasn't having much luck. He considered asking Texas, but she was doing the holding still thing that meant others couldn't see her, and he got the feeling she'd be upset with him if he messed up hide-and-seek.
He considered asking the other person who was also doing the standing still thing, but he didn't know that person, and he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. He wished Dad was there, he made things make sense.
Footsteps interrupted Caboose's wandering thoughts. Looking up, he saw Tucker and Ferdy returning...but Ferdy looked different. The alien no longer had an armored appearance, the horn protrusion was gone from the back of his head, and he looked...smaller and sleeker? Also, he and Tucker were holding hands? "Tucker!" Caboose called out happily. "Ferdy!"
Tucker looked up and waved with his free hand. "Hey, Caboose!" he called out happily. "Hey Andy! You guys ready to get going?"
"Well, we were waiting for you to come back," Andy countered teasingly. "So looking forward to fifty hungry pussy still, stud?"
Tucker glanced towards Ferdy. "...nah. I think one's enough."
"Blargh..." Ferdy offered in a melting tone, his free arm coming up over his face as his lower jaw split open to show the secondary hinge.
Tucker surprised everyone by reaching over to stroke the split tenderly. "Why don't you go scout out the path while I deal with the friendly tormenting, huh babe?" he suggested warmly.
"B-blargh!" Ferdy stammered agreement as he loped off.
"Alright, spill!" Andy snapped out. "I thought I had a bead on you as a xenophobic player! What the he-"
"Caboose is here," Tucker pointed out.
"Fine! Hay, then! That's pony related. What the hay could get you acting...well, I can only call it smitten with a bigender alien dude?"
"First off, don't call her dude," Tucker countered. "Ferdy considers herself non-gender, but understands why that's hard for me to wrap my head around and after growing attached to me has chosen to use female pronouns for my comfort. She's a real sweetheart once you get to know her."
"...totally did not see that coming," Andy admitted in awe. "But I mean, how'd you get that after...wow, 8 hours of alien sex?"
"Actually, two sessions two hours long with four hours of cuddling and pillow talk between," Tucker pointed out.
"I can't believe you just said 'pillow talk' without choking on your own tongue!"
"Hey, you think Church and Tex are the only ones Maud makes better people?" Tucker countered.
"No, just figured you'd be the only one immune."
"Ha. Ha." Tucker glowered at the bomb for a time, then continued. "Look, after the first two hours, let's just say I had reason to want to...hang onto her, ya get me? So we talked, and...what do ya know, we really click."
"How would two hours of sex make you think like that?" Andy demanded crassly. "What, is she a real tiger in the sack?"
"She could if I wanted her to be," Tucker pointed out. "But I shouldn't go too into detail in front of Caboose."
"Ten words isn't too much!" Caboose spoke up happily. "Then I can make up my own story involving tea parties and video games!"
Tucker shrugged. "Okay, I can sum it up in three qualities, ten words. The first are for all her race, the second to different degrees throughout the race, and the third apparently what Questers are chosen for."
"Oh, this'll be interesting," Andy mused wickedly.
Tucker held up his hand, one finger extended. "Tri-hinged jaw." He held up a second finger. "Low level polymorph." He held up his third finger. "Two-way. Tactile. Empathy."
Caboose stared at Tucker for a time. "...I don't get it."
"...I don't know whether to call you shallow or not," Andy admitted.
"Hey, I'll freely admit it was interest in her body that made me interact with her," Tucker continued. "I am shallow. But we really work, so...there's that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if I can't find a Glarflga bush around here. I think a Flrbl salad will make a nice morning treat for Ferdy." With that, he turned to scour the the vegetation. "...what's a Glarflga bush look like, anyway?"
"It's the one with the fruit that looks like snozzberries," Andy explained readily.
"Oh, I see it!" Tucker declared as he began harvesting leaves.
Flowers stared in amazement at the change in one of his soldiers. "Well," he whispered to himself, making certain it couldn't be heard beyond his own ears, "that's...certainly something I never expected of Tucker. Still...he seems pretty happy. I hope it works out for him." His eyes followed the alien. "...I guess she is kinda cute, in a way..."
Texas slowly gathered herself after taking in everything she'd just heard and seen. "Alright," she said to herself. "So...Tucker apparently has an alien girlfriend now. ...well, if anyone was going to hook up with an alien, it was going to be him. Still...I'm not sure if I should find the situation hilarious, infuriating, or enviable." She stared as Ferdy came back in to tell the group the path, only to get flustered as Tucker handed over the salad. "...wonder if I can do those things?"
Android Unit Beta capable of Shapeshifting within mass limits and neural uplink with Android Unit Alpha.
Texas blinked at that update. "...huh. And what about him?"
Android Unit Alpha's Shapeshifting limitations can be overridden through neural uplink with Android Unit Beta. Neural Uplink can be established via synthoskin-to-synthoskin contact.
"Huh," Texas mused thoughtfully. "Hilarious it is. Definitely going to tease him about it. Wonder when she's going to tell him about her species simul-fertilization?"
.....HAH!!!!!
So Tucker is in a stable relationship?
...I'm not sure if the Universe can handle anymore changes on this level.
I wonder how Maud will react to Junior.
Can't with argue THAT
PFFFFFFTHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
...WOW.
1 lyra 1 fish 1 human 2 bots and a partridge in a pear tree.
9173502
Grif not being lazily useless kind of makes this seem negligible in contrast though... this just adds to Tucker's likes and personality, while Grif's change is almost a 180 in that regard. Which would normally be a bad thing, but Tat's quality writing somehow prevents it from seeming OOC.
And people ask me why I stopped writing....
9173572
Why did you stop writing?
Caboose is the RvB Pinkie.
And with Andy in this one.
.... this entire chapter in one way or another is about sex.... dont know whether to clap due to the masterful presentation, or groan and facepalm
"On the Fifteenth day of September my favorite author gave to usss!... At last another chaaapter!"
Maybe just all three.
Well, can't say Tucker being in a stable relationship is a completely alien idea here.
Personally, when I think of character growth, the first thing that comes to mind....
https://m.9173632
le3t us ring the bells and Say "Viva Tatsurou"
9173753
Tats had Pinkie raised by Kratos of the God of War series games. Gilda was raised by GLaDOS of the Portal series
9173772
You're not the first to say that, and you won't be the last.
Blackjack's finally at peace.
I suddenly felt glad that Maud was nowhere around these conversations.
9173511
Does that mean they both get preg or only him?
9173840
They both do.
9173632
I want to be mad at this, but it works to well...
9173915
....
Even Pinkie would be hard pressed winning a game of hide and seek if Caboose is that good at spotting people
I should point out that Tucker isn't the only one demonstrating character development here. Flowers is getting it, too. In the official storyline, he may seem like an overly-nice guy on the outside, but on the inside, he was a freakin' sadistic psychopath whose character fit in perfectly with Project Freelancer's activities. He laughed as the Reds and Blues got innocent people killed during training, and don't even get me started about what he did to Pvt. Jimmy at Sidewinder.
Season 14 was the most hilarious season since the original Blood Gulch Chronicles, but some of the humor was rather dark.
9174059
don't underestimate the pink one
Oh lord...this is just too much
Daaaawww, nice chapter. I hope Ferdy stays around to help Tucker raise Junior. Plus, I hope Ferdy eventually manages to get a translator or something so the others can understand her. Also, we need to see someone make the mistake of trying to harm Junior and Maud in front of Tex and Ferdy so we can see which is the scarier Mama Bear.
She would be, yes.
You are taking this very well.
Huh. Well alright then.
A fair point.
Fair enough.
Huh. Interesting.
Could be worse. Could be a Xenomorph. That'd suck.
Give her time.
9173627
Those two are not mutually exclusive.
9173627
CLAP BY FACEPALMING! PROBLEM SOLVED!
You know I think Tucker having a stable relationship is the largest change that maud has made
Called it.
9173507
You mean her COUSIN. And probably the first of 626.
I'm so sorry that I can't up-vote this story every time new chapter comes.
Huh. Go, Tucker.
9174176
There both evenly matched here... We might have a Hide and Seek game worth the wait.
9174982
So Caboose, who do you see hiding?
“Mom, fake Tucker, pink sister, Wash, grey and green man, a man wearing red stripes and glasses, a purple pony with binoculars with a tiny lizard, a coyote, John Cena, a box with a snake inside, three wizards in a blanket, a predator, three things on a cliff, two eels, a clock and candle next to pot, a brown dog with a green man, my waifus...”
I think that’s enough.
“Hi Freckles!!!”
9174568
Ohana means family. Family don’t get left behind.
9174209
Tucker better not miss any of his son’s basketball games! Heck, I think we should have a basketball chapter where Maud stands in for Junior.
Heck, Blood Gultch Basketball game.
9175032
I can see Maud making baskets from across the court. But it would be more awesome to see her slam dunk the ball. What would really be scary is seeing her play football and blow through an entire defensive line without any effort.
this....... jest pulled a 180 on me............ what the heck jest happened??????????????
Okay, THAT was an interesting chapter. Still, I can't help but wonder this.
Will Ferdy STILL get killed off by Wyoming like she was in the show?
If so, I am honestly SCARED at how PISSED Tucker is going to be. It would also mean that when he finds out about the Simul-Fertilization and that he is with child himself, he would probably REALLY treasure Junior more than he does in the RvB show.
And for a female role model, I can see Tucker having no problem with Tex being the role model as well as Godmother.
9173692 Near the beginning of the 1986 Transformers movie.
9175317
r\woooosh
9175499
Megatron to Starscream
9176031 Was going to put that detail in, ultimately did not. Great movie.
stammered HIS agreement
Also, what in holy hell!? When did that happen!? Oh... Then I read the discussion with Andy. But still... Da fuk!
9173627
Definitely the second one. I don't even know WHAT just happened, but I do know that I don't want to know...
9176480
Oi! Don't let Caboose hear ya!
Don't you know that he can partially hear past the forth-wall?
9178281
Where is this lore at? Show me proof.