A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to a short new SRMTHFG story that was requested. This is a more 'for fun' fanfic that takes place after War of the Undead and Galactic Smash the Tormented. Just kind of focuses on little short adventures of Vex trying to adjust to modern day city life.

Enjoy, please feel free to leave a review or critique.

I will be getting back to my other stories, I apologize for the lack of updates on them—i just hit a major writer's block. So the production of this story should kick the writer within back into gear.

Chapter 1

The Mechanic's Prying

A high-pitched beep shot Otto out of his green comforter and onto the hard metal floor. Rubbing his sore tail, the green mechanic grunted and threw a wrench at the clock, knocking it off his night-stand and silencing the noise when it hit the floor. Dark circles wearily hung beneath his tired eyes, but the joy irrupting from his emotions couldn't be contained. He shot his way out the door and into the main command room.

Everyone was doing their typical routines: Antauri and Gibson engaging each other in a game of virtual chest, Sprx and Nova going head to head in a RPG game, and Chiro was applying the last touches to his new hand-held gaming system.

Not a one seemed to notice his presence as Otto scanned the room, studying his potential candidates for a fun filled afternoon during their day off. They all seemed so likely, but then his eyes jumped to the furthest corner of the robot. A spot where the light did not pierce the darkness, making all beneath it invisible. Except a small ounce of movement notified the mechanic another was hiding out of his line of sight. A very scary scarred mug lounging just out of his reach, an individual that left strangers tingling with nervousness.

Otto grinned wider, he had made his decision.

"Vexy!" He yelled, catching the larger monkey in his grip to prevent her escape.

The large black and white monkey gazed down at him, her one good eye intensely staring at him. But this look did little to hinder the mechanic as he drug the assassin out the door, ignoring the confused stares of his teammates.

"You know, I've been meaning to bring you out on the town. Now would be a good day!"

Vex's face remained mundane, like always, making it impossible for Otto to guess her mood. But she was always willing to be dragged around without complaint, so Otto learned to just grab her whenever—knowing the dangerous monkey was no threat to him.

Otto could tell by Vex's darting pupil that she wanted to know where they were going. He jabbed an excited finger to the emerging city when they exited the robot.

"We're going to have a day of fun in the sun! Snacks, movies, and games!"

Vex's dull face didn't budge an inch, but her lack of resistance informed Otto she was willing to cooperate. It was strange, but it seemed like only Otto himself could really understand this strange simian. She hardly every spoke nor engaged with others, but when Otto approached, she always seemed willing to let him bug her every which way one could think. A level tolerance she didn't quit project with others.

Some would say he was just pushing his luck with the snake-eyed simian, but Otto knew better. It was because, unlike others, even before Antauri, the mechanic could see she was just afraid. If all it took was one person to initiate first contact, Otto was happy he himself managed to be the first to step up.

"Okay okay, there's where we are going first!" Otto tugged Vex to look right into the arcade. "It used to belong to some old friends named Ma and Pa Shenkel, but turns out they were twisty crazy, so the arcade is run by another younger couple. You'll like them!"

Vex and Otto made their way into the arcade, releasing his hold and Vex's arm and ran to the first game. He waved his hand, gesturing the quiet simian to come, which she slowly obeyed and moved to him with great caution. The constant flicker of the machines' lights were causing the formless primate's muscles to tense up. Otto took notice of this and laughed.

"Don't be nervous, these things don't bite!"

"I comprehend inanimate objects are incapable of the chomping of jaws."

Otto stared at her, another thing that it took awhile to get used was her strange vocabulary. It was like listening to a super smart old person trying to speak the young ones' language. He shrugged nonchalantly, getting what she was trying to say.

"Well, yea true, unless they're programmed to do so, I know. I was just being sarcastic." He pushed up to the whack-a-mole game and shoving the mallet in her hand.

"Okay, all you have to do is take this rubber mallet and hit the little mole things that pop up. Just be sure to hit as many as you can!"

Vex looked at the toy in her hand, studying his request.

"Is this not animal abuse?"

"Uh, Vex, the moles are not alive. Just a game, it's for fun." Otto explained why showing Vex the game's instructions written on the machine's side.

Vex sighed and brushed the pushy mechanic away, she learned long ago that when the green mechanic wanted to get in on the fun, it'd be accomplished one way or another. Following the instructions, she pressed a large talon onto the start button. Weird circus music nearly deafened her as the game came ot life in a flaring show of lights.

Then the mini-plastic rodents started popping up. The former assassin looked at the mallet, still confused. Raising it high above her head, she struck one mole's face with a sound similar to a dynamite going off. The mole figurine shattered to a hundred little pieces, causing the machine to spark with black smoke pouring from its seams.

Otto just stared in shock as he looked around to make sure no one was watching.

"Um, okay, maybe you're not ready for the arcade," He laughed nervously while grabbing her wrist and dragging her out the door before anyone caught them.

Vex gazed to his panicked face, mind trying to figure out what she did wrong.

"Request was to... strike the mole, da?"

"Well yea, but when I said 'strike' I meant just a regular hit."

"Is there... a momentum conversion chart that allows one to pre-plan the force of the swing?"

"N-no, you just hit it without destroying it." He continued to push Vex along the sidewalk while deep in thought. Okay, socializing this monkey was going to be a bit harder then he expected.

Then his eyes lit up as he led the scarred prototype into a different direction. Vex's azure eye studied their surroundings, face still blank as if she was oblivious to their surroundings. But Otto knew that was just a trick the old simian liked to use in order to catch people.

They continued to walk till they found their way into a Mr. Gackslapper's restaurant. Otto could barely contain himself as he released his hold on his companion and ran to greet the head chef of the place, Mr. Gackslapper.

"Hi Mr. Gackslapper!" Otto loudly greeted while waving his hand a hundred miles per hour.

The bald man with a gap between his oddly shaped teeth turned around, a big beaming smile radiated off his face.

"Why hello Otto, nice to see you! You and the team feeling hungry for some nice hover burgers?" He leaned over his cabinet to see Otto without the company of his team. "My my, deciding to dine alone today, eh?"

"Nah!" Otto yelled happily, "Just didn't want to spend my day off lounging at the robot like everyone else. So just me and Vex decided to go out."

"Vex?" Gackslapper scratched his chin with his silver spatula. "Don't recall ever hearing of that one, a nickname for someone?"

"Nope! This is her!" Otto happily yodeled by grabbing Vex and ungracefully tugging her to stand before the man.

Gackslapper jumped in surprise to see the monkey he was not prepared to see. Her one good eye pulsed with freezing raw power that radiated off her in waves. Long worn battles claws and damaged body left the man totally speechless. Her gloomy blank look held absolutely nothing, like she was just staring at an imaginary friend.

"Um, alright, n—nice to meet you," He offered a shaky hand, trying his hardest to hide his sudden feelings of fear.

The dark monkey seemed to sense this as she softened her expression and delivered to him a quick shake before looking in another direction to hide her face. This action Gackslapper graciously received.

"Okay, so two one hundred percent beef burgers, am I right?"

"You got it Chief! No veggie burgers this time!"

"Alright, just go grab a seat and I'll have them out soon."

The pair located a booth and sat across from each other. Otto taped his metallic feet together as he innocently hummed, trying to find some way to pass the time. Vex just stared at him, pupil not moving an inch unless something small, like a bird flying past the window, drifted by. He ran his hands together, trying to think of some dinner conversation.

"So, having fun so far?"

She nodded, keeping her eye locked on him while reaching over and taking a small package of sugar. Without watching her hand movements, she plucked it open and tasted some. Face scrunching a bit as she pushed the package away, Otto chuckled at the sight, knowing sugar was not a favorite of hers. His eyes pinged, a new idea suddenly hitting him.

"So, how are things going with Antauri?"

She gave a swift soft smile, informing it was well. Otto tilted his head a bit, he didn't want to make her talk, but there had to be something that'd trigger a regular conversation.

"Good, we're all happy to see Antauri finally loosen up and do something beyond just worrying about us." He laughed and pointed at Vex with his fork, "He gets so worried about us that he used to check on our rooms every night after we banished our first leader!"

Vex's blank expression changed to something of befuddlement, Otto caught this brief transition and jumped on it.

"Oh, you remember, Mandarin? I know you only remember him from when you helped me and Chiro save him from that slave trader ship—But Mandarin used to be, well, a good guy." He sighed, glancing down to the table. "I still wish we could figure out what happened, how a good heart can became bad..."

"Life is... not always so forward."

"But isn't stuff like that set in stone?"

Vex paused, studying the mechanic, surprised at his sudden philosophical question. This was something she'd expect sterling to ask, but like she already believed, everyone can surprise you.

"Rarely."

"Okay, well... if someone born good can go bad, I take it the reverse is true?"

The dark simian closed her eye, her white mane shuffling in the warm city's breeze.

"Da, the reverse is also... possible."

Noticing the dark monkey was starting to tense, the green male spotted Gackslapper bringing over their burgers. Perhaps he had pushed the topic on Vex for to long, so he ended the topic with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, here comes our burgers!"

Once Gackslapper placed the burgers down and wished them a happy meal, Otto grabbed the meaty sandwich and destroyed it with big monstrous bites. Juicy bits of gack-sauce dripped from his chin as he wolfed down the cooked meat.

Vex, having a touch more table manners, ate smaller bites with less vigor. Watching the burger's liquid contents leak all over the mechanic's face, she picked up a napkin and quickly dried his mouth. Once his meal was off his face, she wrapped her long talons around his wrist, halting his hungry race to finish the meal.

"Please be using sluggish bites."

Otto awkwardly complied by taking slower bites. The formless simian nodded in approval before resuming her bites. Once both meals were done, Otto smiled at the black monkey, studying all her nasty scars.

"You know, I don't believe we've told you about some of our past adventures." He shoved their drinks out of the way and flopped his belly on the table to get right to Vex's eye. A huge smile dominating his face, "Would you like to hear some!?"

She gave a small nod while gently placing a claw to his forehead and nudging him back into his seat. The youngest on the team might've won over her maternal instincts, but she still had strict boundary rules.

The next three hours was spent with Otto loudly filling the air with all their past adventures. From loosing their hands in a battle with the collector Scrapperton to their fights with the space genie called the Wigglenog. Each story with a side of Otto's bad acting came to life as Vex listened to it, till the story of their fight with Clone Mandarin and their worst fears came up.

"Yea, that battle had to be one the worst! Mandarin's clone literally made all of our worst fears come to life! Sprx went blind, Nova lost her nerve, Gibson became irrational, and I had to face a bunch of freaky clams with feet!"

Vex blinked at the revelation of their secret fears, some made sense, others... such as Otto's, was a bit unusual. She nodded to these descriptions, already being aware of Antauri's fears of loosing control of his robotic body. Just as she was about to pause the conversation, Otto's next words halted her.

"And Chiro was turned into a six year old! I never got that, but I remember Mandarin saying his fear was being some powerless little boy. Which was odd at the time, I thought his fears were of clowns?"

Vex felt the words stab her unbeating heart, veins creasing around her eyes as the illusion of blue flames surrounded her. A child's cries mixed with a psychotic laughter deafened her as she squeezed her drink so hard the glass cup shattered.

Otto immediately went silent, shocked at the sudden sight. The assassin monkey seemed to have trouble breathing as she hopped from her seat, shaking her head and stumbling to the exit while muttering a bunch of incoherent words.

"Vex, what's wrong?" Otto gasped as he ran up and grabbed her shoulder to keep her steady. The bigger monkey felt surprisingly lighter then before, as if she was fading.

She did not respond, frozen in place like her whole body became encased in ice.

"Please, n—no more dinner chatter." She heaved out while bowing her head even lower.

"I don't understand, what's wrong?"

"N—nothing, just... forgot needed medications."

"Oh, man you really gotta remember to take your pills. Antauri is going to freak if he learns you keep forgetting them!" Otto laughed, no longer weary of her sudden panic attack.

She forced a sheepish toothy smile, long predatory fangs gleaming in the light, a few were worn and broken. Vex patted Otto's back, sweat dripping from her head as she nudged him forward.

"Please, return to your home domain. I'll... be seconds behind."

Normally he would've listened to her, but seeing the droplets of sweat made the mechanic stay put. Putting his foot firmly down, he wrapped his arms tightly around her in a big bear hug. Rubbing his cheek into her long fluffy ooze fur, he shuttered. It was so strange feeling a formless touch him with a sense of care instead of in attempt to kill him. Something hard to forget after the war.

"It's been almost two years since we beat bone head, but you have not been okay. Please, I know you're not feeling good. What is it?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but then froze, like the words tried to come out but her throat snared them with a iron trap. Gagging, her bones began to tremble, unable to forget the mechanic's words of Chiro's fears.

Knowing she was trying to speak, Otto tried a different approach.

"Antauri said we should face our fears, we all know our friends' fears after that night. But... what is your fear?"

The larger simian looked to him, her pained expression being replaced by a look of isolation. Inhaling a deep sigh, she pressed a loving paw to Otto's helmet.

"It is... not a 'what if' fear. But of one which already is reality."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head, the longer she let her mind drift over these forbidden thoughts, the more she started to cave. Had to get this talk over with and fast.

"It's just... something we all must deal with. Come, let us saunter to your facilities."

Otto sighed, knowing once the formless put up her wall there was no climbing over it. "Alright," he agreed while keeping the monkey trapped in a hug. "But just do one favor real quick."

"Da?"

"What is it you're so scared of?" He released Vex and folded his arms over his chest, eyes creased with worry. "I know it's got to be bad for someone like you to be scared of, so what is it? Tell me and I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Vex looked down the smaller monkey before her, his deep onyx eyes radiating waves of warmth. She couldn't contain the minuscule smile as she reached her talon out and stroked it around his face and ending on his cheek. His innocent nature stabbing her spirit like a pleasantly painful booster shot, how could she truly say no to him?

"My fear is... already in existence. It is not something I can verbalize with ease."

Otto sighed and took her hand, nodding in understanding. Maybe some other time he'd ask her, but it was clear he was not going to get any answers today.

"Come," she spoke gently and guided him forward. Eye glancing up to the clear sky before dating back to her downcast companion. Sighing, she nudged his shoulder with her elbow, gesturing him to look up into her scarred face.

"Before returning, what of viewing a potential movie of your favor?"

The offer perked the mechanic up like a newly purchased light bulb. He laughed and tugged on her arm, guiding her in the direction of the nearest movie theater.

"I saw the trailer for one movie called 'Brain Eaters,' and we gotta see it!"

Vex groaned in annoyance.

"Recall not of my sheer displeasure of rotten flesh walkers?"

"Ah, you big baby! Come on, if we're early, we might get in for free!"

"Doubtful it's a charity, but very well."

Otto smiled to the big monkey as they rushed into the entrance of the nearest theater, excited to finish the evening with a calm end.

A/N: Please pardon any grammar mistakes, I was in a bit of a rush to write this and didn't have time to double check.