Reverie - Slimecicle x Reader

chapter eleven.

"Oooh, shit," you whispered as you stared at the warning, "Cal, go get your shit and get back to mine, I have to get back."

Cal didn't speak, her silence spoke enough volumes. She gave you her groceries, and got on her bike, furiously pedaling back to her's. The main barrier island was a forced evac, but Manteo was optional. Lucky for you, at least. 

Your bike home got interrupted by a call from Charlie, which you just answered through your headphones.

"Talk to me, Charles-"

"Y/N, where the hell do we go?"

"To evacuate? Just come to mine. Pack all your stuff and come to mine."

He kept quiet, and you could hear the anxious chatter from Ted and Schlatt. They were trying to figure out what to do.

"Charlie, really, come to mine. We're off the main island and far enough inland that Ophelia shouldn't be a bother."

"Only if you're sure, Y/N," he said tiredly, "so just bring all our stuff?"

"Yep," you said while opening your garage with its code, "sorry, Char, I need to bring in furniture and stuff. Get here when you're able, kay? Mom and dad are going to stay with the restaurant."

"Alright, thank you. I'll cya later."

"Cya, Char."

Once you hung up, you made fast work of reorganizing the garage so the boys' rental car could fit inside with the two bikes. It was then that you remembered that Cal was enroute to your's from their place.

Hey, Char, could y'all grab Calico and Nittany and their things? 

Totally.

You quickly shot off her address, sent her a text to let her know to not worry about a ride, and began your own prep. The group arrived while you were in the midst of bleaching bathtubs to put water in, and you found them downstairs setting up camp. Luckily, there was still tons of time to relax. 

"Alright, we'll need ice and coolers," you mused, coughing from bleach fumes, "I can run to the store and grab some."

"Ice and coolers?" Ted asked curiously, "why's that?"

"In case of power going out, which it most certainly will, we don't want to open and close the fridge," you answered, giving Nittany a couple of greeting scratches, "and since Nittany has meal prepped food that he'll need refrigerated, we can just use a cooler and ice."

"That's smart," Calico chirped from the living room, being loud to be heard over the air mattress inflation, "very smart. We could put stuff like milk in them too, since there's a lot of us."

You started making a last minute list, intent on running to the store, "right. I can also start up pasta or whatever is fine leftover wise to eat cold. Cal, could you run to the station across the street and get gas for the generator?"

Calico did as she was told, and the boys looked to you curiously, wanting a job too. You thought for a moment, trying to think of what they could do.

"Okay, Ted and Schlatt, would y'all mind going through the fridge and throwing out anything that could in theory expire quickly? If there's meat, put it in the sink with cold water, and I'll think of what to cook with it last minute. Charlie, could you get sheets and pillows from the upstairs closet?"

Once the group dispersed, you ran to the store, going through your quick last minute shopping trip. It was nice to be in the location that you were; you didn't have to fight a bunch of people for bags of ice and coolers. You even used the coolers to help transport the food home, which was an easy enough walk. 

The skies were significantly darker when you returned to the house, and you glanced to the TV, listening closely. Everyone else was still busy with their own tasks, which you appreciated. It was easier to hear the meteorologist speak with the quiet.

"Currently, Ophelia is on track to make landfall at about 10:30 PM tonight across the barrier island," the woman said, eyes narrowed behind the heart glasses, "the storm is wide enough to envelop the entire main island. It will be at Manteo by 10:45 tonight. As of now, it is still a Category 2."

You sighed, shaking your head as you set the coolers up, putting Nittany's food in one of them and a bunch of easy perishables in the rest. Hurricane preparation was second nature to you, which you were sad to admit that you were good at. You were excellent at handling everything on your own, as well, which made you a bit sadder to think about. Sure, your parents were excellent, but it would be so nice to have them be at home with you.

"Y/N?" Charlie asked, snapping you from your thoughts, "should I rinse the tubs and start filling them up?"

"Hm- Oh, go for it," you called up the stairs, "can you make sure windows and balcony doors are locked as well?"

"You got it!"

The sadness went away, replaced with relief that your friends were all here. They made the prep much more seamless and easy. You glanced outside, noticing how the wind picked up. Five hours had already passed quickly, and you bit your lip. 7:00 PM already. Three and a half hours to go.

"Alright, we got three and a half hours to go," you said to Calico, "we have the sanitized tubs, generator has gas, food is all set... What am I missing?"

"Did you get the furniture from outside?"

"Yep, I did that first," you sat at the kitchen island, "what am I forgetting?"

Calico let Nittany out to get some fresh air, leaving the door open for him, "I don't know. You're usually thorough."

Ted and Schlatt returned from carrying the trashbags to the dumpster, looking between the two of you curiously. Charlie had come back down as well, fitting the sheets onto the air mattresses and tossing blankets on top.

"I think I'm all set, then," you mused, "are all of y'all set to weather the storm?"

The wind picked up, and a couple of raindrops hit the window, which sent Nittany sprinting back inside. He looked simply offended at the idea of rain hitting him. Your friends all nodded, and you took a deep breath, making sure all the doors and windows were locked.

It was time to be brave.