EXCERPTS FOR EVERYONE

2 😃

"Yow! Hey! Watch where you're putting those furry paws"!

"You watch where you're putting that big red ass, Fire Jerk"!

"f**k this s**t! I can't see d**k"!

"Is this really necessary right now"?

Mimi barely managed to back up to the wall just as Jean-Bot's arm bumped against her shoulder clumsily, trying to find his footing. A squeal from the side told them Moroboshi was similarly disoriented, given that Pigmons weren't exactly adapted to going about in the dark or at night. Jean-Nine pulled his chair back and forth as Zero and Glenfire exchanged expletives in the process of getting their bearings right, while Sunburst decided to just settle in beside Mimi, visibly tired of the two.

"I dunno what's worse", she grumbled as she backed up against the wall carefully. "A blackout where you can't even see crap, or two domeheads duking it out over expletives at the same time".

"Same here hon, same here", Mimi told her, just as the intercom went off.

"Don't panic everyone! A couple of fuses in the grid were fried", Ichigo explained somewhat hastily over the comm, with brief bursts of static indicating that she was already trying to fix the problem. "The electrician's on his way to fix it. For now, just remain in your seats and uh...enjoy your noodles".

"How the flying f**k is the intercom working then"!? Glenfire yelled back at the speaker.

"Last I talked to Ichigo, she said it runs on a separate dry cell thingy", Zero explained, then groped about for his seat and sat down. "Anyways, there's nothing we can do much here. Might as well as finish our food and shove it".

"In the dark"? Jean-Bot asked warily, gathering his little brother beside him for safety. "That is hardly the best choice when it comes to eating, Captain".

"Its just 'Zero' out of the base, and I understand your reluctance, Jean, but we don't really have a choice", Zero explained calmly as he picked up Moroboshi and placed him back on the seat. "Also, Ichigo is in no position to pack any of this up, so yeah, we'll have to bear with it".

"Hang on, I think I might have something here that can help", Mimi murmured as she fished around in her pocket and pulled out an...orb?

"Fortune telling much"? Glenfire teased, earning him a sharp pinch on the ear by his sister.

"That's a light orb"! she squeaked, reaching out to touch it. "I thought you couldn't bring these offworld"?

"Truth? Only basic light-emitting ones are allowed", Mimi giggled, then proceeded to duplicate the orbs and scatter them all around the restaurant, lighting up the place akin to a Medieval tavern.

"Cool"! Jean-Nine squealed, reaching out to touch one of the orbs adjacent to the window.

"Here's one for you", Mimi purred, casually tossing a smaller orb towards the robot. "'Ight, who's ready to get back to the ramen"?

"Better eat it before the Yakitoris here eat it", Glenfire chuckled as he sat down, earning him a murderous glance from Jean-Bot.

Soon enough, the gay atmosphere returned to its normal level, with everyone eating and chatting about one thing or another. Zero felt his shoulders relax when Moroboshi piped up to ask for a second helping of fishcake, which Sunburst readily scooped out for him. Glenfire was at ease with his hot sauce-infused soup, which he was chugging down like cherry cola, while Mimi chomped down on what had to be a basketload of blanched greens with a look of content on her crystalline face. The Jean Brothers were happy to sample each others' shares every now and then, though otherwise it was a fairly normal night at Strawberry Ramen, which was, if not always, packed to a suffocating level with customers.

The UFZ had chosen the place for reasons that fit everybody. For Zero, it was mainly because he and the current owner, a sweet-natured and hard-working Ultrawoman named Ichigo, had been friends for a fairly long time, their friendship having started after Ichigo allowed him to have some leftover ramen to warm himself up one cold night in the distant past. For Glenfire it was mainly because they had the spiciest stuff to offer, which relieved him and Sunburst because they weren't exactly used to anything that wasn't capsaicin loaded, and in part because his little fire and smoke breathing tricks drew in more customers. For Mimi it was more a health affair, as this particular restaurant was the only one that offered rice flour-based ramen since most of their customers, like her, were allergic to wheat products. The Jean Brothers found the place comfy enough, as well as the fact that the food contained the right amounts of grease to keep their internals running. In Moroboshi's case, well, it was a pet and family friendly place so yes, he could tag along if he wanted.

The booth that the team usually occupied was set in a spot far away from uncomfortable droughts and hot spots, but close enough to the window that sunlight could light the place up suitably in the mornings. On an oddly coincidental side, Zero was always made aware of when peak times occurred, so he and the gang didn't wound up holding up a table during rush hour. They also tipped the servers well and kept their orders reasonably moderate so no one had any issues with the team using the booth as their secret hangout. Zero had also garnered quite a fanbase online with his good looks and his natural talent for modelling responsibly, so he was on good terms with many of the patrons as well.

Well, maybe a few people complained when they saw Glenfire blowing smoke rings upwards or exhaling fire on a bowl of soup or a cold drink cup, but they usually stopped the moment Zero made it clear that they should just go back to their food and stop nitpicking on people. There had been one time when one Karen of a mum had demanded they tone down their conversation because it was disturbing her baby, to which an appropriately ticked-off Sunburst simply turned to her and said 'why don't you shut your brat up first? He's been screaming his little head off ever since both of you stepped in here. Heck, he's the noisy one here, not us'.

That had been a 'lmao' moment not just for the UFZ, but also the other patrons and Ichigo, and the Karen promptly left.

"I still don't get what you mean by 'modelling responsibly'", Sunburst piped up after downing what had to be another bowl of fish broth infused hot sauce. "What does it actually mean"?

"Well Sunny, its a little complicated to explain in detail, but to put it figuratively, it means I make sure I've got a fairly normal body type before I strike the pose", Zero explained, flicking his chopsticks into the saucer filled with pickled r****h. "That way, I won't give people the wrong idea about how us models do things".

"Basically, Zero makes sure he's not too thin or too plump before modelling", Mimi clarified, tossing another soup-drenched fishball to Moroboshi. "By doing that, he makes sure people know what to expect and doesn't give them unrealistic expectations".

"Doesn't that depend on the person too"? Glenfire quipped, jabbing his fork in the direction of Zero's abs and pecs. "Don't get me wrong, I love my body the way it is, but how do you know when you're 'healthy'? I mean, you're a stick, and also pretty ripped. Don't you think that's sorta...misleading"?

"That's why I add 'discuss this with your doctor' when it comes to any of those photos", Zero answered, swallowing mouthfuls of thick wheaten noodles and pickled r****h hungrily. "My body is fine. I'm skinny because 1. I never had a proper diet growing up and 2., the medication I was on made me lose weight. At the moment I'm doing my best to stay healthy for myself, not for any kind of aesthetic value. That's what I wanna make clear. That's what I want my viewers to know. Body shaming isn't fun, and toxic body positivity isn't fun either. My point is, whatever it is regarding your body and all, go see a doctor first. Don't try anything yourself unless you're sure you know what you're doing".

"The last part kinda relates to too many people, unfortunately", Sunburst noted.

"That's why I emphasized seeing a doctor first", Zero reminded her, reaching out to pet Moroboshi gently before resuming. "You've gotta understand what you're doing, and the best way to know if you should go on a diet or not is to get a checkup first".

"You did that, didn't you"? Jean-Nine asked.

"I did, but you guys can be sure of this; I'm diet-free", Zero noted, just as a black shape tapped the glass behind them.

"Hey folks, sorry to bother you guys, but are you using the salt shaker on your table"? a patron asked, his black-sleeved (black-skinned)? hand pointing to the salt cellar that was currently untouched.

"None of us are, sir", Jean-Bot answered. "Do you require it"?

"Yes please, if you don't mind", the patron replied.

"Here Sunny, give it to him", Glenfire told his sister as he handed her the salt cellar, which she then gleefully handed to the patron.

"Thanks", he answered, his hand disappearing behind the glass.

"That was weird", Mimi mused once Sunburst had settled back down in her seat. "Why didn't he just ask one of the waiters to bring him a new one"?

"Maybe they're tied up with orders? The restaurant does have some pretty demanding customers", Jean-Nine piped up. "At least, that's what Zero says".

"There are only three working here so far, and let's just say that Ichigo isn't exactly in any position to hire anyone else", Zero explained, casting a wary glance at the kitchen door. "And before you think of saying it, no, nu-uh, no way would anyone like Ichigo think of hiring someone and making them slave away for nothing. She makes sure her workers get a decent pay for their efforts, double that if they've had to deal with a particularly shitty customer for the day".

"None of us were even going to say anything like that, Zer-Zer", Glenfire teased.

"He does have a point though", Mimi noted quietly. "I've seen eateries find excuses not to pay their workers even after they've dealt with jerky customers, and the worst part is they have pretty bad working conditions there".

"Damn, that's ugly", Glenfire noted, just as they heard someone hacking up behind them.

"What's in this *cough* salt"? the patron from earlier asked, followed by something hitting the floor.

"What the-"? Zero was about to say, then turned around to see an Ultraman sprawled out on the floor, hacking up blood and frothing at the mouth.

"The f**k"!? Mimi cursed out of shock, getting down on her knees and trying to shake the man awake, which only succeeded in making him hack up more blood.

"Sun, dial 911", Glenfire told his sister, who immediately dialled up the number on her phone.

The scene sent the entire restaurant into a state of general distress, and before anyone knew it, Ichigo had managed to squeak out as well.

"What's going on here"? she asked, then saw what was going on. "Jesus Christ"!

"Bless you", Jean-Bot replied.

"We passed him some salt and this just happened", Zero told her, trying his level best to keep the man from spewing bloody saliva all over his jacket.

"Paramedics"! a loud baritone rang out, just as a waiter begin ushering patrons away from the scene, the UFZ along with them.

"This day couldn't get any worse", Zero murmured as he and the gang squeaked through the crowd towards the exit.