3Let's do something a bit more lighthearted and wholesome for Mike and Randy, the two cutest chums around! Had this idea in mind for a while now and let's see how it does on the laptop, shall we? Enjoy, and please review, favorite, and follow!
~Looking Glass~
Mike's cleaning up the attic in their apartment. He sweeps up dust and removes those nasty cobwebs, going over to the window and pulling the old worn curtains back, letting in some much needed light, as the smaller green monster's eye lit up when he saw something familiar through all the junk cluttering the space.
"Huh? Is that my old university chest?" Mike said to himself, stepping closer to it and seeing it covered with dust. "Little too dusty for my liking, but eh, haven't been up here in years anyway."
He wondered when was the last time they even bothered to clean this space. Shrugging, he blew off the dust and pried the lid off the trunk, opening it. Stepping closer and taking a peek, he gasped and looked in awe at the contents, all of them in pretty good condition.
Inside, he found his old worn MU cap given to him by Frank. Next, he came across some framed pictures and a coffee mug given to him by the twins. That probably needs to be washed and put in a cabinet downstairs. But what really caught his attention was a familiar pair of purple large, rounded glasses, and a touching little birthday card given to him by the owner of said glasses.
"I remember this. Old lizard boy sure could be a soft little lizard at times." Mike spoke, fondness present in his voice as he looked at the glasses. "Still was pretty dumb of me to tell him to ditch these. But I suppose I did get to keep em' though."
Fond memories of their college friendship hit Mike like a tidal wave. The brightest spot in his whole college experience, the happy and nervous yet adorable nerdy Randall "Randy" Boggs he called for a best friend. Even when he forgot his own birthday, the lizard didn't and it touched the smaller green monster, as Randall's care for him was apparent.
Looking at the birthday card and opening it, Mike read the contents of the card and couldn't help but get teary eyed reading it, smiling and sniffling at the same time. The card read: "Have a Happy Birthday, Mike Wazowski! My best chum and the one monster who made me believe in myself! Enjoy this cupcake and smile lots and lots on your special day! Your lifelong best friend: ~Randy Boggs".
Mike remembered when he was cramming for a test and even forgot that it was his birthday. Yet, a certain little lizard monster came with a touching surprise. Randall surprised him with possibly the sweetest and best tasting cupcake he's ever eaten and with a touching little card. Moved by the gesture, Mike hugged Randall, the lizard let out a surprised gasp, but he quickly hugged back. They laughed as Mike patted the lizard on the back, thanking him for the cupcake. They spent the whole weekend hanging out and enjoying each other's company.
"Still one of the best gifts you've ever given me." whispered Mike to himself, holding the glasses close and smiling.
He could only imagine how Randall will react seeing this stuff, he probably doesn't even remember the card. But maybe he will. It'll make for a good laugh for the two monster chums to enjoy. Grabbing the items, he climbed down the ladder and into the hallway.
"Best get cleaned up. Lizard boy's bound to show up any moment now." Mike remarked, setting the items aside on his work desk.
Grabbing a towel, Mike rushed on into the bathroom and turned the sink on.
After cleaning up, he closed up the attic, tidied the apartment up some more, as he sat out a tray of cookies he recently baked. His baking skills weren't on par with Randall's, but he hoped, that the lizard monster would enjoy them. He also poured some tea.
Then, he grabbed the glasses and birthday card from his work station, setting them on the coffee table. Maybe he get Randall to put the glasses on again, get to see those big shimmering green eyes of his once more and that cute smile on his.
Since rekindling their friendship, they'd become closer than ever before, developing an almost brotherly bond. Randall's warmer and friendlier, through still has some snarky traits mixed in with his personality. It's amazing how both of them have grown over the years as friends and then as enemies, and now back to being friends and they plan on remaining pals for good.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Getting up and rushing to the door, Mike turned the knob and standing before him, the all too familiar purple lizard monster, a friendly smile on his face.
"Looks like you've been expecting me for a while, haven't you, Mike?" remarked Randall, amused by Mike's eagerness. "If only you cared about me like this back in college."
"Sorry. I was being a total self-centered idiot back then. Glad I'm not the obsessed study happy monster I was." chuckled Mike, rolling his eye and inviting the lizard monster in. "Come on in, lizard boy. Take your shoes off and make yourself at home."
Chuckling, Randall takes the invitation and comes inside. He looks around the apartment, taking notice of the lack of a certain blue monster around. Smiling, he takes a seat on the couch, and notices the cookies on the tray, reaching out and taking one.
"You baked these? I'm honestly surprised the cookies aren't black and on fire." remarked Randall, taking a bite from one and smiling. "Not bad. But you still can't bake half as good as me."
Still the same old snarky lizard monster he's worked with for years. Yet, Mike's honestly grown to love that snarky personality, as he rolled his eye and took a seat in the large recliner.
"You know, I can always smack that tray across your face." joked Mike, as Randall scoffed and rolled his eyes at that.
"Please. I can mop the floor with you, you two foot cretin." spat Randall, taking another bite from the cookie and taking a sip of the tea. "But I suppose you're my two foot cretin, after all."
At least he got the word cretin correct. Any banter or jabs are pretty much all playful now. Mike kinda felt flattered knowing he was the lizard's two foot cretin, at least it wasn't Fungus.
"Would you say I'm a better cretin than Fungus?" teased Mike, grabbing a cookie himself.
"You're more competent and get on my nerves less. But he has some use, he does watch my nephew when I'm busy." replied Randall, thinking back to how he left his assistant to babysit his lovable and happy go lucky nephew.
Randall might not show it all the time, but he's grown to care for Fungus. The clumsy red monster was another friend of his and they've got a better relationship, with even Rex taking a liking to his assistant and the two of them developing a close bond. Mike knew that his chum cared more than he let on.
Rising from his seat, Mike jumped on over to the couch and took a seat beside the lizard monster. Randall smiled in response, wrapping his tail around Mike, as the smaller green monster laughed and put his arm around his waist, pulling him closer. He was glad Sulley wasn't here, he'd probably snap a photo of their more chummy moment and never let either of them live it down.
"You know, Mike, never did I think we'd ever be as close as we are now." whispered Randall, sighing as he looked back at his cyclops friend, and grabbing another cookie from the tray.
"Well, I missed having you around. The nerdy little cupcake baking dork was pretty nice, especially when you had the dork part nailed down." chuckled Mike, only for Randall to smack him with his tail.
"Best watch it, Mike." playfully snarled Randall, before softening up. "Looking back on it, I never should've joined those assholes."
From his tone, there was still guilt and regret about his past. Randall and Mike both screwed up. If only things could've gone differently, if only their friendship hadn't crumbled due to their own selfish and foolish choices.
"I messed up too, probably more than you did." sighed Mike, pulling Randall closer and putting a comforting hand on one of his.
Taking Mike's hand and squeezing it, Randall sighed. In the end, it was his choice to join Johnny's band of jerks, and he was one who ended up humiliating Mike and his fraternity and for what? All it did was alienate him even more.
"Can I ask you something, Mike?" asked Randall.
"Sure thing, lizard boy." answered Mike. "Ask away."
This was weighing on Randall's mind ever since they made amends and became pals again. He needed to know why his old chum was so determined and persistent back in college, even risking exposure and nearly being killed in the human world to be something he wasn't.
"Why did your desire to become a Scarer take precedence over everything else? Wasn't our friendship important, your fraternity brothers, the connections made with them and Sullivan? What was the reasoning behind it?" asked Randall.
Mike frowned. He hated himself for being so selfish and self-centered, he nearly got himself killed and had to be rescued by someone he didn't like all that much, but who ultimately in the end became his best friend. He ignored Randall, saw his fraternity as a means to an end, and was competing with Sulley in the beginning, nearly costing his team their chance at even competing.
"Back when I was a kid, I was very lonely and despised by my fellow monsters because I was deemed un-scary. When I was on a school field trip years ago, I met a great monster known as Frank. He inspired me to become a Scarer, but the other kids made fun of me because I lacked what it took to be scary." revealed Mike, sighing sadly before continuing. "Frank gave me that worn old hat that I wore back in college too. I grew up as a proud, but mostly lonely monster that struggled to make friends."
Hearing it, Randall understood why Mike was so obsessive in his desire to become something he was not. Being alone and ridiculed during his childhood must've hurt the smaller monster deep down, along with the fact the Dean kicking him from the program because of his complete lack of scariness.
"I thought that if I stuck to the books and crammed as much knowledge as I could, making studying and learning the ins and outs of scaring, I could rise to be a monster on the level of Frank, or Sulley. But I became selfish by pursuing that goal." frowned Mike, thinking back to how he refused to go to the party with Randall and playing a part in humiliating the lizard monster. "I thought that once I became a Scarer, life would be a nonstop party for me."
"I was also at fault too. When you wanted me to join your fraternity, I was too focused on being with the cool kids and said for you to not ruin this for me." frowned Randall, as he looked back at Mike, who nodded and squeezed his hand a bit more.
"You wanted friends and to be accepted, you just got in with the wrong bunch of monsters. I was so obsessed with my studies that I didn't notice I was running over students with the floor scrubber." chuckled Mike, thinking back to all the innocent monsters he mowed down and polished by accident. "I really should've stuck with you."
Randall's heart warmed upon hearing that. If they stuck together during their college years, maybe they'd both have become closer as friends and developed into happier monsters. He originally wanted Mike as his partner when he came to work at Monsters Inc., though to his horror, he was already partnered up with James P. Sullivan.
"I just wanted to prove everybody wrong, show the Dean I could be scary. But I was in denial so much, I couldn't accept it and went to the human world to try and scare some campers, only to get my reality check and nearly lose my life. But Sulley came to save me and even though we got expelled, I suppose it was for the best since I finally saw the light and accepted myself." finished Mike, just as Randall pulled him closer.
All it took was getting expelled from university, losing his first best friend, and finally coming to terms with the reality he wasn't scary.
Randall, frowned, looking down at Mike with a sympathetic expression on his face. He embraced his friend, wrapping his arms around the smaller monster in a warm and comforting hug, as Mike returned the hug and relaxed into it.
"You know, it's nice having this Randall around as opposed to the psychotic and bitter jerk lizard I've known for years." remarked Mike, tightening the hug, only for Randall to smack him with his tail.
"Well, I couldn't stand seeing my two foot tail cretin be all sad and stuff." replied Randall, a hint of snark on his voice, laughing as he and Mike remained in the hug and relaxed on the couch.
Mike had to admit that Randall could have an adorable side to him at times. Of course, he'd been a cute monster back in college, but he still had adorable traits, especially with the way he hugged and of course when he smiled, with his sharp teeth sticking out. It was really a cute sight.
Eventually though, they broke the hug. Mike didn't want to end up in another awkward moment, like he when he was cuddling Sulley's arm all those years ago.
"I often forget how adorable you can be at times, lizard boy." laughed Mike, as Randall's cheeks turned red and his eyes widened.
"Oh, shut up!" yelled Randall, flustered by the remark.
Mike looked down at the coffee table and grabbed the old pair of glasses and the card. He couldn't wait for Randall to see these, as the blush slowly faded and his normal color came back.
"You know, when I was cleaning the attic out before you arrived, I found these hidden away in my university chest." spoke Mike, presenting Randall with his old glasses and the birthday card.
Randall froze upon seeing the items, his expression becoming much more emotional. Sniffling, Randall reached out and took the glasses, looking at the items in great sentiment and thinking back to how he was more kind and happy back then and still had his innocence. But then, he looked at the card and felt tears gathering in his eyes, blinking and sniffling as he slowly opened the card.
"Y-you kept this?" whispered Randall, voice breaking with emotion.
"Of course. You gave me great birthday and made such a good tasting cupcake. I'd never forget it." smiled Mike, patting Randall on his scaly back and taking notice of the lizard monster's more emotional expression.
Upon reading the contents of the card and knowing that Mike had kept it after these years, brought tears to Randall's eyes, though he was smiling as the tears rained down his cheeks. Taking notice, Mike grabbed a tissue and stuck close to his best chum's side, as Randall joyfully cried, an amazing feeling of emotion washing over him as he cried.
"That and the glasses are some of my most prized possessions from college. All I can say is thanks for remembering my birthday that day, Randy." smiled Mike, addressing the lizard by his nickname and hugging him close.
Deeply touched by Mike's words, Randall hugged Mike extremely tight, almost protectively and crying in the arms of his best friend, his tears pelting the smaller green monster's head. They hugged long and close, as they closed their eyes and relaxed into the embrace, savoring the warmth and each other's company. Mike tenderly rubbed the lizard monster's back, inciting a small purr of satisfaction from Randall.
Even if he didn't admit it, Randall loved Mike. He loved having his old chum again, together again and by each other's side. That's what mattered to them, to never part ways again and to remain lifelong best friends.
"You're my best friend, Mike." whispered Randall, sniffling and more tears came as he held onto the smaller green monster.
"Right back at you, lizard boy." replied Mike, tightening the hug on Randall and remaining there for the lizard monster to let it all out. "Just hang onto me while you let it all out. I'm not going nowhere, pal."
Holding the glasses in his hands, Randall looked at them for a moment and then slowly brought them to his face, slipping them on after years of not wearing them. His vision clearing, as Mike gasped upon seeing those big, shimmering green eyes through those large, rounded glasses. Blinking a couple times, Randall could see a huge grin plastered on Mike's face.
"Why are you smiling?" questioned Randall, as Mike playfully poked the bridge of the glasses.
"Never thought I'd see the day where adorable nerdy Randy would come back. Still look adorable on you." laughed Mike, as Randall pulled him closer and nuzzled the top of his head in thanks for the compliment. "What? No tail smack this time?"
"I'll let that adorable remark slide this time." smiled Randall, holding Mike close and keeping him embraced in their mushy little hug.
"So, you miss the glasses?" came Mike, enjoying seeing his lizard chum wearing the glasses again.
"I'll admit they make my vision clearer and it's rather nostalgic wearing them again. Never thought I'd see them again." admitted Randall, chuckling as he takes another cookie from the tray. "Kinda miss being an adorable dork."
"You could try and make some cupcakes and you'll have the nerd Randy thing nailed down." laughed Mike, though he wouldn't mind having another cupcake from his favorite lizard chum.
Randall laughed and smiled, wrapping his tail affectionately around Mike's left leg. Perhaps, he could bake some cupcakes and they can enjoy looking back at their happier memories together. Sounded like a plan, anyway.
"If you've got the necessary ingredients, then maybe I'll make some cupcakes." replied Randall, breaking the hug with Mike and getting up from the couch.
"The kitchen is yours to command, Randy. Got everything you need in there." stated Mike, rising from the couch as well. "I hope you can make them as tasty as the one you got me for my birthday."
Randall smirked and rolled his eyes, scurrying on into the kitchen to bake. Mike on the other hand, took the card and looked back at the lizard monster getting an apron on, smiling as he couldn't be happier to have his old chum back and thinking of all the happy memories they'll make together as the best of chums, with some cupcakes too.
The end.
Here's hoping you guys another more wholesomeness on them and a lighter take on them. Can't get enough of Randy, love the lizard so much! Don't forget to review, and feedback is welcome. Now, I'm off to hit the hay and pick up some MU themed pillow shams. RandallBeast19, taking flight!
