Notes: One-shot. Pre-MI movie. Silly. Inspired by the storyboard's on the MI DVD; the one which shows Randall demanding coffee. All reviews very much welcomed and fangirled like crazy XD

Summary: Waternoose's idea for a team building exercise leads to a very unlikely partnership and a very competitive day in the workplace. Featuring- coffee-mad, bad-day Randall, scary competitive Mike, indifferent Sulley, generally sweet Fungus, concerned Celia, lots of arguing and coffee granules.

The Different Assistant

888

Monday mornings were always pretty terrible.

And Henry James Waternoose, company manager of Monsters Incorporated, was good at putting a downer on an already pretty terrible Monday morning.

"Now as you know, we are suffering an extreme Scream shortage at the moment,"He looked suitably grim, as he so often did these days when addressing his employees. "And," he glanced about, a hopeful glint in his small, beady eyes, "I think that this exercise will really help us get back on top. Fill the quota, as it were."

He beamed, in the vague direction of Sulley. Sulley beamed back.

Randall Bogg's, grouchy lizard monster he was that morning, gave Fungus a meaningful jab in the side, and glared over at Sulley.

"Suck up," he muttered.

"So that's why," Waternoose continued, apparently oblivious to any animosity that existed between certain Scarers, "I've commended this exercise. I think it'll boost team spirit, help us all to communicate better. Bearing in mind the scream shortages, of course."

Waternoose looked around eagerly at his workers.

They all stared back; either unmoved or wearily intrigued.

"I am proposing we have a little shuffle about today, see how it goes."

"Shuffle about?" Mike said.

"Why yes. Today, Scarers," Waternoose smiled complaisantly, "You'll be working with different assistants."

"Oh, well that's not too bad." Sulley looked relieved.

"That's great," Mike said breezily, "Hey, as long as everyone's still clear on the fact that I still train the top Scarer, round here," he nudged Sulley knowingly.

Sulley looked bashful. "Mike..."

Randall pulled a face and muttered; "different assitants? I don't need a new stupid assistant."

Mike overheard him;

"Yeah, so what's Fungus for, then? To fetch you coffee?"

"Funny, Wazowski." Randall glared.

"Boys," Waternoose said. He looked between the monsters with a hint of relish. "I'm sure this can worked out through the duration of the day."

"Sure, whatever," Mike said impassively. He leant against Sulley, appearing bored.

Randall more or less mirrored the move, turning eyes listlessly in another direction, arms folded.

"Oh well, you boys will have plenty of time to work out your differences today,"

"Huh?" Randall looked at Waternoose with some apprehension.

"What?" Mike blinked.

"Mike, you'll be working with Randall today. Fungus, you're with Sullivan." Waternoose told them.

The two pairs of monsters stared across at each other; thoroughly horrified by the instruction. They didn't really hear as Waternoose wandered off to separate his other Scarers and their assistants.

"Play nicely, boys,"

They didn't hear that, either.

888

Randall hated Mondays.

It wasn't so much that he hated what he came to, it was more the fact that he had to force himself out of bed in the morning. And he wasn't really a morning monster, not at all, fact.

He needed coffee.

And right now he didn't have any. And also, just to complicate the direness of this Monday morning a little more, Waternoose had just announced the most dreaded nightmare comprehensible. Mike Wazowski was to work with him.

So the lizard monster fumed silently. He'd always been good at that haughty, sulky look, anyway.

"Erm, guys. We better swap around." Sullivan said pleasantly.

Randall didn't move.

He wasn't going to move for anyone. Especially Mike Wazowski. Fungus seemed to take the hint, waved a nervous farewell, and made his way over to Sulley.

Wazowski stood there, apparently as bull-minded as Randall.

"Er, are you going over there then?" Sullivan the fur rug and Most Overrated Scarer Ever, was poking Wazowski redundantly.

"Alright!" finally Wazowski moved, looking daggers at Sulley.

Randall scowled as the eyeball stormed over to his station, putting a deliberate and marked distance between them.

The clock read- 8.59am. And the drill was going to ring at any moment. And Randall Bogg's was stuck working with Mike Wazowski.

This Monday morning really couldn't get any more distressing.

Randall looked over at Sullivan's station.

Fungus was making nervous and stuttering conversation with the fur rug; he looked to be in star struck awe. Randall wasn't much impressed. He thought it was bit pathetic, really. And he didn't much like Fungus getting friendly with other Scarers besides himself. Fungus was his assistant, after all.

Randall sneered and turned away.

The drill rang.

And then the nightmare began. Officially.

"Ok, where's your files?" Mike headed over to Fungus's now vacant desk, and shuffled intrusively through a couple of papers. "Oiee," he shook his head, "You've got a lot of late Scares here, Randall."

Randall stalked over to him.

"Are you criticising me, Wazowski? Before you've even called up a door!"

"Hey, hey," Mike eased, but his eyes flickered indifference. "I'm just saying, you've got a lot of quota to fill today, Randall. Think you can handle it?" he held out a file before the lizard monster.

Randall snatched it off of him with a warning glare. "Yes I can handle it, you little eye ball," and he looked over his file quickly. "I suppose Sullivan doesn't have to fill any quota?"

"He does," Mike conceded, still mostly interested in the paperwork. "But not half as much as this. Oh boy..."

"Quit it!" Randall slapped the smaller monster round the head with his file.

"It's constructive criticism," Mike said, batting him away irritably. "We'd better get to work if you wanna get all these Scares done. Jeez, how you get to be second to top, I don't know..."

"Are you trying to make me kill you, or is it just a subconscious thing?" Randall queried, in a deceptively pleasant tone. "because you're really good at it."

"Okay, okay," Mike sighed, then looked at Randall with resignation. "This is gonna be a long day."

"Just get on with it, Wazowski."

"Right," Mike called up a random door with his card key.

The door descended, and Randall looked at it with feigned interest.

Secretly, he was thinking up the best way to stash Wazowski through it without anybody noticing...

"First door, Randall," Mike announced, stepping back a bit.

"I know,"

"So what are you waiting around for?!"

Randall teetered on the edge of his already threadbare temper. For an inspirational moment he thought about not entering the stupid door at all. And blame it all on Wazowski. That'd get him in trouble, certainly. That'd show Waternoose what a completely useless trainer he was.

But it was hard to ignore the sight of great lug James P Sullivan, making a most unneeded and dramatic race up to his first door of the day. Fungus cheering him on with stupid amounts of enthusiasm.

Fungus! Randall stared at his ever faithful Scare partner. Little three eyed traitor!

And Sullivan; getting ahead of him once again...

Randall couldn't exactly ignore that.

He raced forwards, into his own door, the little spat with Wazowski mostly forgotten.

888

The first few scares were easy and a given. Randall was always at his best, when it came to Scaring, in the early morning. It was when he was at his most groggy, after all. But whereas Fungus, ever loyal assistant he was, would offer words of nervous encouragement, Mike Wazowski was doing the exact opposite.

Randall had emerged somewhat proudly from a door, to see Wazowski tapping the Scream Canister.

"What's this, Randall?"

"What's what?" Randall tilted his head, agitated.

"A near dud door I see before my very eye?"

"What!" for a moment Randall was horrified, before he caught the obvious taunting in Wazowski's eye. "What're you talkin' about?" he bent to inspect the Scream Canister- it was a near perfect fill.

"Oops. My mistake," Mike grinned indulgently. "your face, though,"

"I'll have you know I've never, ever had a dud door, Wazowski."

"Too bad, the idea really suits you." Mike looked sarcastically sympathetic.

"You're not clever, Wazowski-"

"Hey, hey!"

Both Randall and Mike turned to see Sullivan; bearing a rather nervous grin. "How's it going, guys?"

"Really bad, Sulley," Mike said. " Really bad. He's threatened to jam me through the door at least five times, already. And we've only gotten through five doors."

"Just the five doors?" Fungus looked quite impressed.

"How many doors have you got through, Sullivan?" Randall asked.

"Er, ..sev...no eight. Eight doors."

"Eight?" Randall's eyes widened.

So did Mike's one eye.

"What can I say?" Sulley shrugged, in that self-conscious humble way which always grated on Randall. "Fungus is really good to work with."

"He..." Randall looked at Fungus, infuriated.

Fungus wore a grin of terror.

"Sorry, Randall...I..."

"you little...traitor," Randall snapped, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, traitor!" Mike said, though his glare was on Sulley.

"Oh, Mike.." Sulley rolled his eyes.

"Don't talk to me. Talk to this." Mike said dramatically, and raised his hand.

Sulley blinked at it then groaned and turned to shrug at Fungus.

Randall grinned, enjoying the conflict. Then his thoughts turned back into contempt as he watched Sulley head toward door number nine. And Fungus looked annoyingly happy, too.

"Don't even think of putting me through that door," Mike said, looking at Randall wearily.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Randall sneered, before slinking through their sixth door of the morning.

888

"I'm not your coffee merchant!" Mike said incredulously.

"But I'm thirsty!" Randall growled, or more whined.

"Like I said, I'm not your coffee merchant!" Mike repeated. "I train. I don't serve!"

"You also don't usually work for me, wise guy," Randall pointed out. "But today's different. Today you're Fungus."

"I am not Fungus!"

"Hey.." Fungus overheard, and he looked hurt.

"Oh...sorry Fungus." Mike was quick to apologise, before turning an angry glare back on Randall. "See what you did?" he hissed. "You made me upset Fungus,"

"You're upset?" Randall asked, sardonically concerned.

"I...you..what?"

"You're Fungus." Randall explained. "Now go get me coffee!" and he started prodding Mike forward.

"No, no, no! I don't get coffee!"

But Randall lifted the smaller monster off the floor, and staggered toward the nearby vending machine.

"Look, if it helps," the lizard monster said, as he struggled to keep a flailing and furious Mike in his grip, "I can show you where the coffee is."

"I know where the coffee is, Randall!"

Randall made a show of dumping Mike before the machine. He grinned.

"Well, just to be sure."

Mike looked blankly over the machine, before turning to face Randall;

"If the coffee machine was so close, why couldn't you just go get the coffee yourself?"

Randall considered for a moment.

"I don't know. But you're here now, so you might as well get it, right?" he grinned a bit wider.

"...you..." Mike looked like he might scream in some despair, then he composed himself. "You do realise, Randall, second best Scarer that you are, that this coffee break is costing you lots of potential Screams, right?"

"I...no...shut up and give me coffee!"

"Oh, ok, Randall. I'll give you coffee." he turned, to where a small lunch break table was situated by the vending machine. On it was a selection of commodities- cups, spoons, tea bags...

"Finally," Randall said with satisfaction.

"Sure. Here's your coffee." And then Mike picked up a big jug of granulated coffee, and tipped it, and all it's contents, on the lizard monsters head. "There's your coffee, pal." and he walked off.

Randall stood there, coffee granules spilling onto him, completely blank.

8

Sulley came walking over, humming to himself.

"Hey Randall, how's things going with..." he stared at the lizard monster, bemused. "Er..."

"Don't you dare ask." Randall said menacingly. Or at least with as much menace as a monster could muster whilst a half empty coffee jar was stacked on your head.

Sulley was wise, and didn't question. Instead he made a hasty journey back to his work station.

Randall flicked his tongue out, tasting a raw coffee grain.

Raw coffee tasted horrible.

888

Randall took a quick and much needed detour into the toilets; assessing himself an unfit wreck. But even worse; he was an unfit wreck which smelled vaguely of coffee. He washed tap water frantically on his scales, trying to get rid of it.

Wazowski was really asking for a nasty and messy accident to happen to him...

"Hey, Randall!"

"Huh? Oh, hey Fungus." Randall turned back to washing his hands. "So..how are things with your new Scare buddie, huh?" he cast a particularly venomous look over his Scare partner.

"Uh..oh, Randall...don't take it like that," Fungus said, flustered and apologetic, "You know it's only because Waternoose has got this idea..."

"Wazowski didn't get me coffee." Randall interrupted, turning properly to Fungus. His face was set solemnly.

There was a pause, in which Fungus just stared at Randall.

"Well...erm, did you ask him for coffee?" he asked finally, tentative.

"Yes."

"...politely?"

Randall gave him an odd look. "polietly?"

"Uh-huh?" Fungus nodded.

"...well, no." Randall confessed. "But that's not the point! He's my trainer and he should get me coffee when I ask. Or even better, when I tell him."

"this is true, but, ah..."

"but?" Randall narrowed his eyes.

"sometimes being polite really gets you places, you know? maybe if you try being polite you'll get some coffee,"

Randall looked at FUngus as if he might be considering his idea for a second, then he laughed. "oh Fungus. sometimes you kill me."

"heh...er, thanks."

"Anyway, I never have this problem with you, Fungus."

"Yes," Fungus agreed. "I always get you coffee."

"Yeah, you do!" Randall cast Fungus a rare and affectionate nod. "They should make more Scare partners like you, Fungus."

"Well, thank you," Fungus was abashed.

"Don't mention it," Randall said, and then turned back to the toilet sink, washing his hands furiously.

"Erm. You smell of coffee." Fungus commented meekly.

"Yeah, I know."

"But you just said you didn't..."

"I didn't get coffee!" Randall snapped.

Fungus opened his mouth to ask a little more, but then thought better of it.

"Er, I'll see you at lunch, Randall."

"Whatever."

The drill rang, and lunch time came. Not soon enough for Randall; who felt he might crack at any given second.

Still, things couldn't get much worse.

In the canteen, the only free table; which included Fungus, was also occupied by Mike Wazowski. And, just to complete the nightmare made reality, he was joined by his best buddy Sullivan and his long term girlfriend Celia.

Randall hated Monday with a vengeance.

"Hey Randall!" Fungus greeted enthusiastically. He made room for the lizard monster on the table.

Randall dumped himself on the end of it, murmuring a noncommital greeting of sorts. Then he let his head fall, with quiet and happy relief, on the table. He closed his eyes. Sleep was needed. Sleep was good.

"Er," Fungus sounded concerned.

"He didn't get coffee." Mike explained, a response to all questioning gazes around the table.

"Oh," Fungus nodded, realising. He paused. "That's not good. Randall needs his coffee." he fussed over the lizard monster, "You should have given him coffee, Mike."

"He does look exhausted," Celia looked sympathetic.

"Hey," Mike was insulted. "Who's side are you on? Unreasonable coffee demanding jerk or mistreated trainer? Who, might I remind you, is your googly bear?"

"Ok, Mike," Celia patted his head. "You're still my favourite googly bear."

"Aw, and you're my schmoopsie poo..." Mike cooed.

Randall sat upright, blinked and rolled his eyes at the blatant shows of affection.

"Did anybody order a vomit inducing display or was it just me?"

"Hey, shut up Randall," Mike warned.

"Ooh. Nice comeback. Were you thinking that one up all last night?"

"you-"

"Hey," Sulley cut in, a frightfully plastic grin set on his face. "So, what do you guys think of Waternoose's ideas? You know, to boost our skills?" he looked about the table, eager for some harmonious response.

He was met with silence. Nobody seemed inspired to speak.

"Well, I think it's a good thing," Celia said at last, very diplomatically. "It creates a sense of community, working together like this."

"Oh, I agree!" Fungus piped up, enthusiastic.

"Who asked you?" Randall snapped sharply, jabbing a finger in the little monster, his fronds raised.

"Well...erm, actually...Sulley. Sulley did. Didn't he?" Fungus glanced at the other monster cautiously.

"He did, you know." Mike said.

"He did?" Randall was prickled with irritation. "I wasn't really listening, actually."

"Lack of coffee," Fungus elaborated solemnly. "It affects concentration."

"That's right," Randall nodded. "I need my coffee. I can't work well without it,"

"Like you worked well with it?" Mike questioned bitingly.

Randall looked resentful, but didn't bother with a response. Instead he turned sharply to Fungus.

"Come on, let's get coffee." and he pulled the smaller red monster to his feet and made an urgent journey to the vending machine.

"Oh boy." Mike stared after them.

"There, there," Celia comforted. "Just an afternoon to go."

888

Fungus was having a good time working with Sulley. As far as Randall was concerned, he was having far too a good time. He didn't like it, and he kind of missed Fungus, bizarrely.

"Why aren't you more scared?" he glared at Mike.

"More scared?" Mike was confused.

"You know...more...more Fungus-y."

"Fungus-y. Right." Mike turned back to his clipboard. "Right, next room is..."

"Hey, don't not look at me, Wazowski!"

"Don't not look at you?" Mike asked, vaguely sarcastic. "Okay. I'll try not to do that. Maybe you should try not doing the same."

"Yeah..." then Randall blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," Mike ticked off a random note, before glancing back up at Randall. "This is a big kid. Think you got the nerve?"

Randall peered over at the clipboard to get a good look at the "big kid.".

"Are you kiddin'? I could scare it with my eyes closed."

"Yeah? With your eyes closed?"

"Yeah." Randall glared down at him. "Why? Don't think I can?"

"Hm. Probably not."

Randall gritted his teeth. "We'll see."

He barged passed Mike and aligned himself with the next door; pastel blue and decorated with daisies. Then he closed his eyes and took a breath.

He could do this. He would show Wazowski.

He ran forwards.

And he slammed, face first, into the door.

"Ouch," Mike grimaced, watching as the lizard monster teetered backwards before collapsing onto his stomach.

Tentatively, Mike knelt next to him.

"Er, that wasn't too clever, was it?"

"Ow." Randall couldn't help his whimper.

"Erm, how are you guys doing?" Sulley said politely, looking at the strewn out lizard monster with failed subtlety.

"Oh, we 're doing great." Mike said with an assuring grin. "Randall's just having a bit of trouble opening the doors. You know how difficult that can be, right?"

"Shut up, Wazowski," Randall groaned, and he struggled upright, fixing the other monster with a very angry scowl. "That door's supposed to open inwards. Not out."

"Oh, right. Whatever you say, Randall."

"Anyway, that doesn't count. I'll close my eyes when I enter the room this time. Not before. Got it?"

"Closing your eyes when you enter," Mike nodded. "gotcha."

Randall stormed though the door, determined.

Sulley and Fungus watched on in bewilderment.

"Closing his eyes?" Fungus scratched his head.

Mike looked over at him; "Oh, er...it's my new scaring technique idea. Just thought I'd give it a whirl, you know."

Randall emerged a minute or so later nursing a sore jaw. He complained loudly about the uneconomical arrangement of kids' bedrooms, and how it was stupid to have a shelf just above the bed, where anyone could bash their head on it.

Still, he'd done it, and that was the main thing.

"You know, this is more fun than I thought," Mike was grinning at him. "Seeing you getting so horribly maimed all the time makes for some great entertainment. And I always thought Fungus had it so hard..."

"Ha, ha. Keep it up, Wazowski and you might develop a brain," Randall dumped himself with resignation at the nearby work desk, where he then settled for doing what he did best; glare venomously at Wazowski. And any other monster who happened to be in close proximity, for that matter.

"Lighten up, Randall. Get a coffee," Mike quipped.

"Shut up."

"Don't be impolite to your Scare Partner," Mike frowned back as he settled at the desk as well. He began rifling through paperwork.

"So, have I filled my quota, wise guy?" Randall asked sarcastically, head rested on hands.

"Actually...yeah."

"Don't look too surprised," Randall caught Mike's look. He swiped the paper Mike was looking at and read it for himself. "Hmm. That's a lot of scares. Not bad for a whole morning. And a lack of coffee."

"Yeah, not bad at all, actually." Mike was impressed.

"Like I said, don't look too surprised, Wazowski." Randall glared. "I am a top Scarer. "

"I never said you weren't. Just a pity you'll never get ahead of the Sulster over there,"

Randall pulled a face; "Sullivan just gets lucky."

"How does he get lucky?

"Well he sucks up to Waternoose, for one thing,"

"Like heck!" Mike shook his head. "if anyone's a suck up it's you!"

It was Randall's turn to look insulted. "Like I ever have!"

Mike looked like he moght argue some more, but then took a different tact; "Well, I don't know…maybe Waternoose just has his favourites. Can I help if he happens to love the big fur ball?"

"you can't, unfortunately," Randall took the moment to glance over at Sulley, who happened to be talking with Waternoose. They were laughing and joking about something Randall could care less about, but it still made him angry for some reason.

"Hey, I'm sorry if that's the case though,"

Randall turned back to Mike, caught by the actual sympathy in his voice.

"It's no big deal, Wazowski," he smirked then. "anyway, for all we know Sulley has been doing illicit things to get some favor with the boss,"

Mike looked at him with a horrified expression. "only you could think up such despicable ideas, Randall. Only you,"

"It's possible,"

"No," Mike appeared to deliberate over a comeback; "but you know what, you're just jealous really, aren't you?"

"Jealous?"

"I mean I know it's hard not to be, with Sul being number one scarer every month for two year, but-"

Randall glared at Mike. "Things won't always be like that, Wazowski," he said ominously.

"Boy, you're just full of threats today, aren't you?" Mike sighed.

He turned a longing gaze back to Sulley's work station. "Well, they look like they're enjoying themselves."

Randall looked over to be reminded of the terribly amazing time Fungus seemed to be having with the fur rug.

It wasn't right. And Randall was, annoyingly, jealous.

"He's never like that with me." he heard himself say.

"Tell me about it," Mike muttered. "He's never racked up that many screams for me in a minute!

"And how he keeps patting him on the back, like they're pals or somethin'," Randall said, "It's disgusting."

"And how he manages to break into the next thousand in a morning! It took us a full day last time! And that was with the extra training the night before!"

"Yeah, and that time..." Randall tailed off, and suddenly snapped back to attention. His fierce glare, directed at Fungus, was suddenly redirected at Mike. "What?!"

"The extra training," Mike explained, "I mean, I know it's not professional, but I thought he could use it. He was carrying a bit of extra flab round the stomach..."

"No, no!" Randall shook his head in frustration. And alarm.

Sullivan had broken the next thousand mark!

Inwardly, Randall would curse himself for spending too much valuable scaring time winding up stupid one-eyed monsters. Outwardly, he would of course do no such thing.

"Wazowski!" he snapped. "You're supposed to be giving me doors! What's the deal?"

"The deal is the door's right there." Mike nodded toward a door- set plain and simply in Randall's untouched work station.

Randall stuttered over his insults, before racing into the door to collect his next Scream.

When he reappeared he turned a very anxious gaze on the Scream canister.

"Too low," he muttered.

"You're behind," Mike said, peering over the lizard monster to look at the canister for himself.

"Great work, Sherlock."

"Hey, you guys are falling behind." as if the point didn't need to be made any clearer than it already was, Sulley had joined in the spectacularly obvious observation.

"Yeah, you're usually doing better than that, Randall," and apparently Fungus had noticed too.

"Little cocky there, aren't you guys?" Mike spoke up before Randall could respond. Mike eyed both Sulley and Fungus in the way of a challenge. "Actually I thought you were a little slower than usual. Without your best trainer, of course."

"I thought I was doing alright." Sulley shrugged. "In fact, I..ah, I thought I was doing a little better today."

Mike's eye widened.

"What?"

"I just thought, I mean," Sulley knew he'd somehow put his foot in it. "Fungus...he has a good training technique." he looked unhelpfully at the red monster.

Fungus grinned nervously.

"He has a good training technique?" Mike repeated darkly.

"Not that you don't," Sulley was quick to add.

"I think I know what your saying,"

"Mike, don't take it like that.."

"We'll see about that." Mike snapped. He looked over at Randall, who was shaking his Scream canister, trying vainly to up the level.

"I think this thing is defective," he muttered, and took a moment to notice everyone was looking at him. "huh?" he looked between Mike and Sulley. "what are you dorks talking about?"

"Sulley thinks he's just as good at Scaring with Fungus as he is with me," Mike said. "I don't think so."

Randall frowned at him. "But you just said he was better-"

"No, no!" Mike interrupted sharply. "shh."

"Okay. Well I don't think he's ever good," Randall said. "But what's your point, one eye?"

"To prove him wrong!"

"Mike..." Sulley started.

"No, no, I completely understand, Sulley," Mike said quickly. "If you think you can do without me, fine. We'll just show you how great a trainer I am."

"Will we?" Randall stopped shaking his canister, and eyed Mike suspiciously.

"Well, er..." Mike's eye flitted about nervously, before he sided up to Randall, lowering his voice considerably so that neither Sulley or Fungus could hear. "You want to beat Sulley, don't you? I mean, that's what you want to do every day, isn't it?"

Randall considered. "I guess that's true." he conceded.

"See! We can show em! You just gotta scare like you never scared before, okay?"

Randall turned a shady glance to both Sulley and Fungus, before turning back to Mike.

"Let me get this straight," he said slowly, "You want me to beat that big goof Sullivan?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded hopefully. "I want you to kick his big hairy butt!"

"hm," Randall pretended to consider a moment longer. Then he grinned. "What are we waiting for?!"

888

Soon the two Scare Stations were a frenzy of arriving and departing doors, frantically filling up Scream Canisters. Sulley, a blur of blue, and a rapid blur of purple scales; Randall, were suddenly more competitive than ever before.

And bizarrely, not exactly of their own accord.

"Faster, Randall! Faster!" Mike urged, his feet on tremulous tiptoe as he watched the lizard monster dash into his next door; they had long since lost count of the exact amount he had gotten through.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" Randall snapped, as he staggered back out of the door, turning anxiously to his right; Sulley was stumbling out of his own door, looking as exhausted as Randall felt.

"Go, Sulley!" Fungus was cheering.

"Don't lose focus, Randall!" Mike said, "keep your eye on the door! The door is key!"

Door is key? Randall might have spluttered in mocking amusement at the stupid phrase at any other given time. Right now though he was much too breathless to even contemplate his Scare partner's words.

Instead he settled for rolling his eyes, as he turned and dived into the next room stationed before him.

There were a lot of eye roll moments involved in the next hour or so. Added with one or two moments of wanting-to-punch-Wazowski-out, coupled with I-wonder-how-many-doors-Sullivan-has-got-through and at one point a minor if-I-keep-going-I'm-going-to-drop-dead moment.

And then the drill rang.

It was the most beautiful sound to Randall's ears.

It was, after all, the signal to the end of the worst day in a Monday's history.

"Done..." he gasped, almost falling out of the final room.

"Done!" Mike repeated excitedly.

He was springing up and down like an out of control ping pong ball. Randall might have laughed, if he could only conjure up the energy. Instead he settled for teetering away from his station.

"Nice work, boys." Waternoose was there, smiling broadly. "I'm really proud of you. You worked like you really meant it, today. Really put your hearts into it," he was looking at Randall and Mike. Randall vaguely felt his chest swell with pride.

"Did we..."

"We won!" Mike cheered, slapping a hand around Randall in celebration. "We beat Sulley and Fungus!" he ruffled the lizard monster's fronds, and Randall was much too tired to try and murder him for that.

"We...we did?" he wondered instead. He looked over to the other work station. Fungus was there, but Sulley was nowhere in sight. "Where's the fur rug?"

"He's having a lie down, in the lobby." Fungus explained.

"Well, we sure showed him," Mike beamed, not at all put out. He hesitated, then smirked quite amiably at Randall. "You know, Randall. You're a pretty good Scarer. I mean, with my help, obviously."

"Uh huh." Randall nodded, only half accepting the vague compliment. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"You're a really stupid trainer."

Mike didn't even seem to acknowledge the insult as he departed the work area, a victorious grin on his face.

"Hey Sul, we beat you, we beat you!" his chant echoed all about the MI corridors.

Randall shook his head, but still couldn't help grinning.

"Hey, Randall. You were great today," Fungus spoke up cautiously.

"Oh, hey Fungus. Thanks,"

"Erm, about working with Sullivan," Fungus looked more nervous than usual. "He's nice and everything...but, er, I prefer working with you, you know."

Randall looked down at the little red monster, and smiled wryly.

"I prefer working with you too, Fungus, believe it or not." he told him. "That Wazowski's a slave driver." he paused, then said in afterthought; "And he wouldn't get me coffee."

"Terrible," Fungus said, and he was struggling to hide a grin.

"I know," Randall rubbed a hand tenderly over his back. "Ugh. I'm not gonna be able to move for a month."

"You'll be fine once you've sat it out," Fungus assured. "Besides, you finally beat Sullivan. That must be kinda worth it, right?"

Randall hardly needed to think about it.

"Fungus. I rarely say this. But you are so right."

Okay, so maybe this Monday hadn't been all that horrific.

8

As Randall and Fungus departed MI, Waternoose was waiting for them at the lobby entrance.

"Randall! Once again congratulations on such a fantastic Scaring today!" he held out his crabby hands and took Randall's in a firm handshake; which almost shook Randall off balance.

"Uh, no problem, Mr Waternoose."

"It's been such a success and you boys have shown such spirit today that I shall certainly be continuing the shuffle for the next few weeks," Waternoose beamed.

Randall's face dropped. "Weeks?" he almost whimpered.

"Of course. With the rate you went at today, can you imagine how many Screams we'd provide in a week?" he slapped Randall heartily on the back.

Randall staggered and stumbled at the touch, but could only watch in silent frustration as his boss went along his merry way to meet Sullivan and Wazowski.

Probably to break the news to them, too.

"Er, Randall..?" Fungus said carefully. "You…you alright?"

"Don't talk. Get coffee."

And Randall flopped neatly onto the lobby floor, cursing the creation of the worst Monday in his existence.

End