[R] It's Been Forever (Barnaby/Sydney)

[Syusaki]

It was true that Sydney Martin was often seen picking up and dropping various activities. One week, people could easily find her at an arcade, avidly pressing buttons while her eyes were glued to the flashing screen. The next week she would mysteriously disappear from the game center, having suddenly lost interest in the colorful images and constant humming of the machines. However, skateboarding would always remain as her number one hobby. It didn’t matter if she happened to pick up guitar or another sport like basketball. A quick round around the block on her board was always relaxing and a daily ritual.

She pushed against the concrete at a rhythmic, easygoing pace, the gritty scratching of her wheels filling her ears. Eyes scanned the horizon from beneath her helmet. Just skateboarding around the block was pretty boring, was it not? Sydney furrowed her eyebrows, whimsically deciding to make a right turn on the upcoming corner. Spotting the name of a familiar street on a faded green sign, her face lit up as a wondrous idea entered her head. She picked up the pace, nostalgic houses slowly passing by as a particular home came into view.

Grinning with uncontainable glee, Sydney hopped off her board and hastily picked it up, running down the driveway and to the garage. She eagerly rapped against the garage door. “Barnaby! Barnaby~ Have you missed me?” she called out in a sing-song voice.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Minnie Mouse alerted Barnaby to the presence of an approaching person, tail thumping against the ground eagerly. Unfortunately, the red head was too busy working on a portion of his bike to notice the subtle signals his dog was attempting to tell him. So, naturally, she stepped it up a notch.

Sydney's knuckles has just touched the garage door when the Tibetan mastiff was on her feet, barking like a mad thing. That certainly got Barnaby's attention, forcing him to wipe his hands on a nearby rag and get up to address the situation. Sydney's voice was a welcome relief. He had almost been certain it was the Jehovah's Witness again. Grabbing Minnie by the collar, he pulled the

He was dressed casually, in an old hair of jeans and a t-shirt with the word "booyah" written in scrabble letter pieces. Despite the fact that they neither matched the outfit nor were anything short of tacky, he was still wearing his neon orange and black Velcro shoes. Classy, thy name is Barnaby Price.

Still, when he caught Sydney's eye he grinned. "Gee, I dunno, but I think I know somebody who might." He released the dog's collar and let her bound towards her target and cover her in slobbery kisses. "Long time no see."  

[Syusaki]

Just as her knuckles brushed against the door, she could hear the echoing barks of Barnaby’s dog. Her lips bloomed into a grin. At least someone still recalled the familiar grating of wheels against the driveway, always the telltale sign of a certain Sydney Martin.

There was a deep rumble from the house as the garage door lifted to reveal a familiar redhead, holding onto an excited Minnie. She softly smiled, but upon noticing the outfit that he wore, she laughed and matched Barnaby’s grin with her own. Taking an ambling step towards him, she casually pointed to his clothes. “Barnaby, what stylish taste you have! Why aren’t you a famous fashion designer yet?” she joked.

Not like her sense of fashion was a million times better than his, because it wasn’t. She wore a loose tee, mud green with a white design on the front – a design full of swirls tangling around the word “Devil”, which was winged by bat wings, a doodle that had taken so many damn weeks – and a pair of faded jeans that were undeniably male. Top it with beaten blue converses, and she looked like a typical tomboy.

She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh?” He let go of Minnie’s collar and Sydney’s face lit up with recognition. “O-Ohhhh!” The dog toppled her over and the lanky girl fell down laughing, her skateboard innocently rolling away.

One eye closed and head turned away, Sydney beamed as she rested a gloved hand on Minnie’s head as she lovingly licked the girl’s freckled face. “I know, Minnie. I’ve missed you too!” she giggled, cupping the canine’s face and giving her an Eskimo kiss. “So, been causing any trouble since last time?” She looked up and grinned.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

"Because I'm already in too high demand," the redhead replied amiably, though the very implication made him grin. Neither of them would have made very good fashion designs. The fact that they got dressed in the morning was a miracle in and of itself.

Minnie, however, had always been the type of dog that was oblivious to fashion sense. She liked Sydney no matter what the girl showed up in, and went about showing it in her usual canine fashion. The mastiff was all fur and slobber, which the teen knew well enough. No doubt Sydney would still be cleaning the remnants of both off her clothing hours later.

Deciding that she'd probably had enough, Barnaby tugged his dog off Sydney, still grinning. "She is always full of trouble, this one. Though I suppose she should probably be asking you that question." Minnie, now free, trotted off to go investigate Sydney's skateboard, bumping it with her nose so it rolled further down the driveway.  

[Syusaki]

Indeed, she would be constantly brushing off bits of fur throughout the rest of the day. At least, until Sydney got home and immediately threw her dog-ified clothes into the laundry. Oh, her mother would be full of woe once she saw the dirtied clothes. “What kind of mess was Sydney up to this time?” she would ask. Just a much-needed reunion.

Her face covered in a thin coat of dog saliva and tuffs of fur, Sydney grinned and went about wiping her face with her arms. She looked at her shining arms and good-naturedly choked out, “Gross! Did Minnie become a factory of slobber and fur, or what?”

Barnaby pulled on Minnie’s collar and she appreciatively watched him tug her off. Gladly jumping to her feet, she flashed him another smirk. “Haha, very funny,” she replied, ambling towards her fallen skateboard. She playfully mussed up Minnie’s head hair while she bent down to pick up the board. “To be honest, though, I haven’t been up to that much trouble. Just a bit,” Sydney answered with a mischievous smile.

She easily wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him back into the garage. “So, bro, still busy fiddling with your precious motorcycle?”  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

The redhead laughed. "I think she was born that way. It was one of those fate things. She was predestined to live a life of slobber and fur, spreading it wherever she goes. But at least she does it lovingly." Barnaby preferred his drool-stained uniform to some of the clean and pristine ones he'd seen around Meadowview High. In that respect he was very lucky he didn't go to some elite boarding school like Crystal. They probably wouldn't have been impressed if he showed up every day brushing fur off his shorts.

Minnie watched, tail wagging, as Sydney retrieved her skateboard and then escorted her back to Barnaby. Now that the girl had been licked all over it was time to investigate the plethora of smells that came with her. The mastiff started fairly low, snuffling around Sydney's shoes and up to her ankles, clearly interested in something.

Barnaby had a hard time believing that Sydney Martin could only be capable of a little bit of trouble, and his raised eyebrows was enough to convey that thought. Honestly. Even on her tame weeks she was still trouble. At the mention of his motorcycle he grinned and steered them back to it. "Yeah, gotta get it ready for the riding season!" He made the appropriate "vroom" noises to accompany that statement. "You still using that set of wheels?" The redhead nodded to the skateboard.  

[Syusaki]

“Yes, because a creature that spreads slobber and fur in the name of hate is a menace to us all!” Sydney declared with utmost seriousness, but the twinkle in her eyes said otherwise.

She allowed the canine to curiously sniff at her feet, unperturbed by the dog’s behavior in the slightest. Though it had been a while, the redhead was still familiar with Minnie and her sniffing, fur-covered ways. It was nothing new, and Sydney acted as if everything was normal and a dog was not eagerly sniffing at her shoes and anything else she could reach.

Noticing the skeptical look Barnaby gave her she smirked and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. “Is it really that surprising to believe? Sydney Martin can totally be a good, obedient girl when she wants to! But it could just be because we haven’t hung out together recently. You and I make a duo of trouble and destruction!”

He guided her towards his motorcycle and she felt herself crossing her arms and rolling her eyes at the eager look he held on his face. “Looks like you haven’t changed much,” Sydney remarked, joining in and making “vroom” sounds as if it was no big deal. “Can’t you at least find yourself a girlfriend?” She grinned teasingly.

Silently pointing to her skateboard with a blank face, she laughed. “Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I? I got my driver’s license recently, but I have to share a car with my brother.” Sydney frowned. “Plus, the car is puny. How am I supposed to comfortably drive in such a small car?”