ATOMIC STRUGGLE

8「the marathon」9

Disregarding the news, Izak flipped over to the recording of Power Puff Girls. Right as he was going to turn around and holler for Mihoko to come back so that they would get started, the little girl in question suddenly bodyslammed into him, causing the maroonette to stumble. 

"IZZY YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU KNEW A MAGICIAN! THAT'S SO COOL!" She squealed, and her guardian blinked at her before looking over at the entrance to the living room. 

"Pardon the intrusion!" Mr. Compress greeted with a flourish, Spinner giving them a nod as he came into the living room as well. 

"Welcome," Izak greeted with a nod of his own. "Thanks for coming."

"There isn't any place I'd rather be!" Compress rubbed his hands together. "Being able to preform for someone so obviously enthusiastic about the arts is truly the honour of a lifetime!"

"Glad you think so," Izak said before turning his attention to the guests that had already arrived. "Guys, this is Spinner and Mister Compress."

"Nice to meet you!" Toga waved from her perch on the back of the couch. 

"Hurry up and sit down so we can start! Better brace yourselves," Twice pitched in, causing Spinner to give him a confused look but shrugged it off and got to sitting down along with Compress. 

"Here," Izak suddenly snapped his fingers, causing an assortment of refreshments to appear on the coffee table and the dining room table. "Let me know if you want a specific beverage."

"I haven't been able to get the tea from last time out of my mind, so if you don't mind, I would like some of that," Compress requested, so Izak nodded and a teacup appeared in front of the entertainer. "Oh my, how lovely," He sighed as he took the cup. "The scent is just as wonderful as I remember it."

"I'm good with this," Spinner held up one of the soda bottles that had appeared earlier. 

"Some coffee for me, please," Giran raised a hand with that jagged smile of his. A second later, a mug was in his hand and he was sipping it happily. 

"HOT CHOCOLATE!"

"Uh-huh," Izak sighed as he snapped his fingers, the beverage appearing to the two that had yelled it simultaneously. 

"Thank you! WHOA THAT'S HOT!" Twice reeled back, barely managing to not splash himself. 

"You're a meanie," Mihoko stink-eyed her guardian for making the hot chocolate hotter than usual, but he didn't seem to notice as he finally sat down himself. "Alright let's go let's go let's go!!!" the eight year old bounced excitedly, completely forgetting about the injustice as she held her wand extra tightly while Izak held the remote, pressed play, and the show began. 

Izak was not ready for Mihoko and Twice to immediately start screeching out the words of the intro. Neither were any of the other guests and residents by the slight grimaces they were sporting. Toga was probably the only one that didn't look affected, still smiling widely as she balanced on the back of the couch. 

And then the episode actually started and things calmed down a bit. Instead of belting things out like earlier, Mihoko just mimed the words as she and Toga chased Twice around during the fight scenes, making sure to drag a very unenthusiastic Shinso along with them. 

Compress found it to be quite admirable that the boy did not simply refuse, and just went along with it begrudgingly. Spinner just thought it was pathetic. Giran on the other hand just smiled at the sight. 

It took three episodes before Izak finally asked his charge and Twice to cool it with the vocals on the intro, so they obliged after a slight protest and went from screeching to a dramatic harsh whisper. Whatever works, Izak thought to himself with a quiet sigh. After that episode, it was just about time for lunch. "Let's stop here for now so that we can have lunch," He announced, pausing the program right before the credits could finish rolling. 

"Ah, and how about a performance?" Mr. Compress suggested, so Izak allowed it. As he evaporated all of the uneaten food from the dining room table and refilled it with entrees and side dishes, Compress did a few tricks that had Twice, Toga and Mihoko gawking, cheering and clapping for more. Spinner and Giran just exchanged a look and a shrug, and then it was time to eat. 

"Thank you for the food!" The group said in somewhat unison before digging in. 

"Oh my, this is incomparable to anything I've tasted before," Compress gasped at his first bite. 

"Yeah, same here," Spinner agreed, adding in his mind that he probably wasn't one to judge since his diet had used to consist of ramen and instant foods from his homebody lifestyle. 

"I'm never gonna be able to get enough a' this!" Twice was scarfing everything down like a madman, causing the other guests to sweatdrop while Toga and Mihoko just giggled at him. Shinso glanced at the host, who was quietly eating his portion. Their eyes met, and Izak gave him a nod, so the purplette nodded back. 

Eventually, after visiting a bit, everyone finished their food and it was time to get back to the marathon. It was right as the fourth episode was starting that the doorbell rang again. "Are we missing somebody?" Spinner questioned as Izak rose from his seat. 

"Dabi, most likely," Giran supplied, causing the gecko to immediately huff. 

"Oh, him," He grumbled, the look on his face clearly saying he wasn't a fan of the dude. He also wanted to know why Izak thought it would be a good idea to have somebody around his kid that used intimidation tactics. Plus, he was ridiculously late.

"YOU WON'T BEAT MEEE!" Mihoko was suddenly sprinting for the door before Izak could even round the couch, so it was obvious who got there first. Throwing open the door, Mihoko looked up at the person that was revealed. He had on a white tank top, black pants and boots and a black jacket. 

"Hey, Miho right?" Dabi smirked lazily down at her. It took her a second to respond, looking at his vibrant electric blue eyes. 

"That's right!" She beamed a second later. "Come on in! You missed a few episodes, but that's fine! Here," She pushed her wand into his hand. "You can make it up by being Buttercup for a little while! Toshi," the eight year old turned. "I'll be Blossom now, so gimme your wand!" 

"Sure," Hitoshi went to get up, but once he had straightened, his eyes widened. Confused, the little girl turned around just in time to see her favourite wand being incinerated by blue flames. 

Mihoko screamed. 

[Like this story? Consider tipping me on Ko-Fi! You might get a surprise~ Link is on my profile. Thank you for reading my story!]