Chapter 1: So, For Now We'll Say Goodbye
Notes:
Chapter title from Ultimately by khai dreams
The drawing featured in this chapter was made by frostycola.Disclaimer: Wilbur is in this chapter.
Chapter Text
Mariana rubbed his eyes and came to consciousness, finding herself at Slime’s house. Right, he had fallen asleep here last night after the trial. Checking her device, he saw that her husband had just logged off, but Juanaflippa was still online. “ Hijo de puta [Son of a bitch,]” he mumbled, standing up.
Where would she be…? Checking the map, he saw that she was with Roier and Bobby. Okay, she should head over to Roier’s house. His back cracked as he stretched, rubbing her eyes and jogging over to his friend’s home.
When Mariana arrived, they weren’t there yet- so she let himself in, since he knew the code on the doors, and sat down at the table in the living room. To amuse herself, she mimed lighting a cigarette and putting it in his mouth, as though she was a mobster waiting for his client to walk in the door. After a few minutes of sitting there with only her thoughts, he heard the door open.
“Mariana?” Roier’s voice said, and she turned his head, golden wings pulling back in slightly so there would be more room. His friend stood in the doorway, anxiety in his crestfallen face. His four brown eyes were a bit empty as two of his arms held open the door, two more holding a little figure that was so familiar to the angel.
“Roier? Juanaflippa? ¿Qué ha ocurrido? [What’s happened?]” Mariana asked nervously, noticing Bobby who shot out from behind his dad, whipping out his taser and zapping his tia, who hissed in response. “AH, hijo de puta, ¿por qué has hecho eso? [son of a bitch, what was that for?!]” She barked, shaking his head at the boy and focusing on her daughter.
Juanaflippa was wearing the diamond armor he had made her over her clothes, brown hair pulled back in braided pigtails that seemed to have been tousled. Tears ran down her cheeks from her brown eyes, magnified by the thick lenses of her glasses.
One of Slime’s two slimes- that one was named Gunk, he was pretty sure- sat on the dragon's head, while the one on Mariana’s shoulder- named Goop- looked at the other half of the pair with confusion and shock. They began gurgling and popping to each other in slimespeak as the girl started to sob, crawling into her mama’s arms.
“Oh, mami, ¿estás bien? [are you okay?]” Cupping Juana’s face in his hand, she saw no wounds, just the darkness in her eyes. “ ¿Qué ha pasado, mami? ¿Qué te ha conmocionado tanto? [What’s happened, mami? What’s shaken you up so much?]” The girl opened her mouth to speak, but it was just blubbering between her cries. She buried her head into the crook of his neck, tears staining her shirt as he looked to Roier with confusion, who sighed and dragged his hands down his face.
“ Siéntate, siéntate, [Sit down, sit down,]” he directed, slumping into a chair. Bobby hopped down into the one across from his father, and Mariana sat in the one she had been sitting in before, daughter still clutching him tight like a lifeline. The man sighed once more, seemingly to gather his thoughts.
“ Ha ocurrido algo muy malo... ¿recuerdas a Tilín, el hijo de Quackity? [Something very bad has happened… do you remember Tilín, Quackity’s kid?]” Roier asked, one hand drumming on the table while another messed with a bit of fabric, the other two linked together so he could rest his chin on the back of his hands.
“ Sí, sí, [Yes, yes,]” Mariana said with a nod, removing his daughter’s helmet so she could run his fingers through her silky brown hair. Tilín was one of Juanaflippa’s friends, from what she’d seen- he saw the picture of the two together with guns, heard about their waterdrop escapades together, and had seen how the child cried at the results of the trial.
“ ...Slime acaba de asesinarlos. [...Slime just killed them.]”
All the air in the room had been sucked away with those few words. Mariana had to clench her hands so they wouldn’t shake, hearing Juanaflippa break back down into sobs of grief.
“ ¿Qué ha ocurrido? [What happened?]” He asked, staring down Roier, who removed the sombrero he had been wearing, setting it down by his bag. She was annoyed as they kept trailing off onto other conversation topics like Slime supposedly having to go to court against Quackity, hands shaking even as he held them tight. “ No, no, ¿qué le pasó a Tilín? ¿Qué hizo Slime? [No, no, what happened to Tilín? What did Slime do?]”
The arachnid man hissed out a long breath, speaking though his voice shook. “ ¡No lo sé, no lo sé, aparecí y Tilín estaba muerto! ¡Y Slime los mató, a tu esposo! [I don’t know, I don’t know, I just showed up and Tilín was dead! And Slime killed them, your husband!]”
“ ¡Es un loco, pero no haría eso, joder! [He’s a madman, but he wouldn’t fucking do that!]” Mariana barked with annoyance, one hand smacking the table as the other gently held Juanaflippa, who had begun to steady from her immense shaking.
“ Bueno, ¡lo hizo! ¡Tenemos pruebas, Bobby hizo una foto! Enséñasela, [Well, he did! We have evidence, Bobby took a picture! Show it to her,]” Roier demanded. Bobby removed a picture from the large pocket on his overalls and held it out for his tia, who snatched it and looked at it. He squeezed her daughter a little tighter as he looked at it.
Slime was sobbing, a bloody iron sword cast into the grass beside him. He was cradling Tilín in his arms, a cleaving gash through their torso. Their ribbon was bloodstained and their face wasn’t visible. Roier could be seen screaming at Slime, who seemed to be trying to defend himself with his words, as Juanaflippa boiled with rage at his left, screaming at her papa through tears just like her tio.
This had been Tilín’s last life, hadn’t it? The reaction wouldn’t have been as severe if not. Mariana’s hand shook as she set down the image on the table, facial expression unreadable.
“ Estábamos... [We…]” Juanaflippa pulled her back from her mama’s neck, curling up in his arms. Her head was pressed against her chest, tears still in her eyes. “ Estábamos luchando contra esqueletos, y... y Tilín corrió delante de su espada, [We were fighting skeletons, and… and Tilín ran in front of his sword,]” she choked out, voice shaking. “ Ese pendejo, acabo de perder a mi mejor amigo, [That idiot, I just lost my best friend,]” the girl mumbled, taking a handkerchief from Bobby and drying her eyes with it.
“Oh, mami, todo irá bien. Eres amiga de Leonarda, ¿verdad? ¡Y también tienes a Bobby! Todavía tienes tantos amigos, mami, estás rodeada de nuestro amor, [it’ll be okay. You’re friends with Leonarda, right? And you’ve got Bobby, too! You still have so many friends, mami, you’re surrounded by our love,]” Mariana cooed, planting a kiss onto the dragonet’s forehead. She nodded wordlessly, but sorrow was still reflected in her eyes.
“ Perder a alguien que te importa tanto es duro, lo sé. Pero también es importante recordar que a través de esas subidas y bajadas, hay más gente que se preocupa por ti más de lo que puedas imaginar. [Losing someone you care so much about is hard, I know that. But it’s also important to remember that through those rises and falls, there are more people who care about you more than you can imagine.]”
Juanaflippa just nodded as her mama ran his fingers through her hair, looking back to Roier. “ Gracias por cuidar de ella, Roier, [Thank you for taking care of her, Roier,]” she said as gratefulness dripped from his voice, getting only a shrug.
“ No te preocupes. Juanaflippa es mi sobrina, es lógico que la proteja. [Don’t worry about it. Juanaflippa is my niece, it only makes sense I would protect her.]” He smiled gently. “ Slime terminó casi todas sus tareas antes de que él se fuera, así que probablemente puedas acostarla. Ella sólo necesita una canción de cuna ahora, [Slime finished nearly all her tasks before he left, so you can probably just put her to bed. She just needs a lullaby now,]” the arachnid explained, getting nods from his friend.
“ Bien, bien, bien, bien, podemos trabajar con eso. Sí, creo que voy a llevarla a casa, [Good, good, good, good, we can work with that. Yeah, I think I’m just going to take her home,]” Mariana said with a heavy smile on his face, taking a deep breath as he stood. “ Gracias de nuevo, Roier. Nos despediremos- la llevaré a mi casa. [Thank you again, Roier. We’ll take our leave- I’ll just bring her back to my house.]”
Roier nodded, and Bobby opened the door so the two could leave, father and son waving to mother and daughter. “ ¡Adiós, tía Mariana! ¡Cuídate, Juana! [Bye, auntie Mariana! Stay safe, Juana!]” Bobby exclaimed, getting a nod from Juanaflippa, who waved back to her friend.
“ No quiero acostarme todavía, mamá, [I don’t want to go to bed yet, mama,]” the girl said quietly, walking beside Mariana.
“ Está bien. Podemos terminar la casa, ¿sí? [That’s okay. We can finish up the house, yeah?]” Juana nodded as the two went through the forest carefully, walking up to the house. They worked on clearing out a wall to build the balcony, but her voice cut through her mother’s humming.
“ Mamá, estoy triste porque no volveré a ver a papá Slime, [Mama, I’m sad that I’ll never see papa Slime again,]” she said, sitting down on the floor.
“ No necesitas estar triste, porque me tienes a mí, y estoy mejor, [You don’t need to be sad, because you have me, and I’m better,]” Mariana joked, getting only a stern stare from his daughter. “ Sólo bromeaba, lo siento, lo siento. [Just joking, sorry, sorry.]” She sighed, falling to one knee beside the girl.
“ Bueno, no te preocupes, amor, no te preocupes. Ya volverá. Anímate- lo bueno es que hoy has podido pasar tiempo con él, ¿no? [Well, don’t worry, love, don’t worry. He’ll come back. Cheer up- the good side is you got to spend time with him today, yeah?]”
“Mhm…” Juanaflippa said quietly, uncurling from being in a ball slightly as rays of the setting sun’s light poured onto her face.
“ Y piensa en todos los niños y niñas que ni siquiera tienen padre, ¡tienes suerte de haber podido pasar tiempo con el tuyo! [And think of all the kids who don’t even have dads, you’re lucky you got to spend time with yours!]” A small smile peeked across Mariana’s face, but it fell as he saw the tears pooling in her daughter’s eyes.
“ Tilín nunca tovo, y su unico padre ni lo veia, [Tilín never did, and their only father did not even see them,]” Juanaflippa whispered, swallowing back tears.
“ No llores, mami, [Don’t cry, mami,]” Mariana said gently, wiping the droplets from the corners of his daughter’s eyes. “ Vallemos este balcón, ¿vale? Podemos trabajar un poco hasta que quieras irte a la cama. [Let’s fence off this balcony, okay? We can just do some work until you want to go to bed.]” She nodded and her mama smiled, standing and outstretching a hand to the girl. She took it gratefully, getting pulled back up to her feet. “Okay, vamanos!”
Juanaflippa’s hands were curled up into fists sitting on her lap, head down as tears burned in her eyes. It had been four days since Tilín’s passing, and they had been invited to the funeral for them and Trumpet, who’d died from neglect after an accident happened to Maximus that left him unable to care for his son or ask anyone to do so.
She was zoned out for practically the whole ceremony, mostly focusing on not crying her eyes out. She could feel mama taking her hand and walking her out to the graveyard, holding her dark blue umbrella over her head, raindrops falling off of it. She looked at the two graves- one for Tilín and one for Trumpet.
Juanaflippa knew that they both had more intricate ones, Trumpet’s beside his papa’s house and Tilín’s at the last place they’d been alive. She felt a hand on her head, stroking her hair gently. She looked up at her mama Mariana, seeing the look of longing on his face. She was wearing a black suit while his daughter wore a red dress, standing together with umbrellas above each of their heads.
She looked around, observing everyone who had wound up attending. She could see tio Bad talking to tio Foolish, Dapper and Leonarda standing with their fathers. Bobby was with tio Roier who was comforting tio Max, while tio Spreen and tio Quackity chatted.
“Mama…?” Juanaflippa said quietly, looking up at her mom.
“ ¿Sí, mami? [Yes, mami?]” Mariana asked, squatting down far enough to not get mud on his clothes, but far enough to be eye level with her daughter.
“ ¿Dónde está papá? Dijo... dijo que traería a Tilín de vuelta. [Where is papa? He said… he said he would bring Tilín back.]” Her voice was a whisper as she looked down at her black shoes, tears beginning to trail down her face. “ Echo… echo de menos a papá. Quiero pedirle perdón. [I… I miss papa. I want to say sorry.]”
Juanaflippa felt so much guilt over the last meeting she had with her papa. The last words she had said to him were “I hate you right now.” When he had said he loved her, she had slashed back with hate. Rain had been falling around them, just like today.
She had seen how her father’s hands shook as he tried to shock Tilín’s heart back into working with her taser, the panic in his eyes as Roier and Bobby showed up, electrocuting him near instantly with their own taser. She had heard the desperation in his voice as he begged her to stay safe, to never grow up and be like him. She had heard the crinkling of a paper with her favorite lullaby as he held it too tight, handing it to Roier, backpack set on the ground beside his daughter.
She remembered her tio finishing the chorus, and she looked over her shoulder, but her papa was gone.
That was the last day Juanaflippa had seen papa Slime.
It was strange to her. She was standing in a graveyard, at a funeral for Tilín, someone her papa had promised to bring back… so why wasn’t he back yet? She didn’t really care if he’d failed to bring them back anymore. She just wanted her papa back.
“ ¡No te preocupes, mami! [Don’t worry, mami!]” Mama Mariana’s voice cut through her thoughts, feeling her thumbs wipe the tears from his daughter’s cheeks. She had a gentle smile on his face, looking deep into the girl’s eyes. “ Estoy seguro de que volverá pronto. Tilín ha sido enterrado, pero eso no significa que no pueda resucitar. [I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Tilín’s been buried, but that doesn’t mean they can’t rise again.]”
She smiled and tapped Juanaflippa’s nose with one finger, a smile spreading across the girl’s cheeks as well. “ Probablemente esté trabajando muy duro, en algún sitio donde no podamos molestarle. ¿Recuerdas lo trabajador que es tu padre, lo mucho que te quiere? [He’s probably very hard at work, somewhere that we can’t disturb him. Do you remember how hardworking your papa is, how much he loves you?]”
She nodded. “ Claro que sí. ¡Y él también te quiere, mamá! [Of course. And he loves you too, mama!]” Mariana laughed gently, nodding as well.
“ Entonces, ¿por qué nos dejaría para siempre? Si nos ama tanto, tan ferozmente, ¿por qué se iría y nunca volvería? Aunque intentara alejarse, entre tú y yo, nos necesita demasiado. [So why would he leave us forever? If he loves us so, so fiercely, why would he go and never come back? Even if he tried to stay away, between you and me, he needs us too much.]”
Juanaflippa giggled at her mother’s claims. “ Y tal vez te mantenga a salvo dondequiera que esté, lanzando un hechizo o preparando una poción para darte un escudo mágico. Quizá por eso no te ha dado tanto la alergia, ¿hm? [And maybe he’s keeping you safe wherever he is, casting a spell or brewing a potion to give you a magical shield! Maybe that’s why your allergies haven’t been acting up as much, hm?]”
She nodded. “ ¡Sí! ¡Papá está fuera protegiéndonos con sus increíbles poderes! [Yeah! Papa is away protecting us with his awesome powers!] Isn’t that right, Gunk?” The slime on top of her head just gurgled out a little sound, and she smiled. “ ¡Eso significa que sí! Nos mantiene a salvo, dondequiera que esté. Y cuando sea lo suficientemente fuerte para defenderme pase lo que pase, ¡volverá! [That means yes! He’s keeping us safe, wherever he is. And when I’m strong enough to defend myself no matter what, he’ll come back!]”
Goop squelched something from Mariana’s shoulder, and the angel nodded. “ Hm, sí, sí, por supuesto. [Hm, yes, yes, of course.]” She held out his arms to her daughter, who climbed onto her mama, smiling down at her. “ ¿Quieres ir a ver la tumba más oficial de Tilín? [Do you want to go see Tilín’s more official grave?]” he whispered, and Juana nodded, getting a smug smile.
“ De acuerdo. Vamos a dar un agradable paseo por allí entonces, [Alright. Let’s go for a nice walk there then,]” she said. Flippa saw her mama look over his shoulder one last time, before turning back around, walking out of the graveyard with her daughter clinging to him like a koala.
“My little petal, you like this kind of wood, right?”
Wilbur and his new daughter, Tallulah, were hard at work. They were improving their little shack into a better house, hopefully to be more like a tower and less like a cube on the ground.
The girl nodded and her father smiled down at her. “Good! We’ll use this as the main one, then,” he claimed, getting to work as the two lay the logs and planks.
It had been a week since he got back to the island, and what a week it had been! Getting a daughter, pledging to get justice for Big Q’s dead kid, backing out with anger when he realized it would mean hurting Charlie, Phil agreeing to take care of his daughter when he had to go on tour.
However, there had been one thing weighing on his mind, becoming impossible to ignore: where in the world was Charlie Slimecicle? His oldest and closest friend, who he instantly clicked with when they arrived on the island, had disappeared into thin air. After he works on the house with Lulah a bit, he might go ask around. He should ask Jaiden.
He kept building with the pink wood they had gotten from chopped-down trees off the property, mixing together the oak planks and pink logs. She played her flute and tended to her flower garden, which she informed him she had made with her abuelito, Phil.
“Lulah!” Wilbur called out as he hopped down from where he’d been working on the roof. The girl perked up at her name and looked over, bouncing over to him and looking up. “We’ve gotten some work done on your house, so I had a little mission I wanted to go on! Do you want to go to bed, or come with me?”
Tallulah pulled out her notebook with a purple cover, flipping to a page and writing on it for a moment, before showing it to him. ‘What’s the mission?’
“Well, I want to go ask around about where my friend is! I haven’t seen him since I got back, and I want to spend some time with him! When we find him, I’ll have to introduce you, he’s the funniest guy on the island.”
She lit up and nodded aggressively, scrawling back on her notebook. ‘I want to come with you! Who would know where he might be?’
“Hmm…” Wilbur tapped a finger to his chin, seemingly deep in thought. “Well, last I heard about him was from Quackity, who’s not online right now. Maybe we can go check his house in La Villa De Sacapuntas?” Tallulah hopped up and down, and he grinned, ruffling her brown hair. “Alright, let’s go!”
The two embarked on a short walk along the wall, heading to the (now mostly abandoned) little civilization. They ascended the polished andesite slope, and he looked down at his daughter as they got close. “This is his… house…”
Wilbur trailed off and stopped in place, Tallulah at his side as they looked at the wreckage. The house just looked like a massive crater, as though explosions had gone off and destroyed mostly everything. A burned tree protruded from the side, a bed with a muted green blanket sitting on top of it.
A hidden door was open, and they walked over to it carefully, not wanting to hit any mines or traps. He pushed the door that looked like a bookcase open, wordlessly going down a tight hallway. It rose up to a ladder, which he opened, looking into the small room.
There were two empty chests and a bathtub, a blanketless bed set on the floor. A single piece of paper was taped to the wall, reading ‘Love my parents | Thanks for all’.
“What the fuck happened here…” Wilbur mumbled, looking over to an equally confused Tallulah. “Well, Lulah, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s been here for a while,” he said with a gentle laugh, and she aggressively nodded in agreement. “We should find Tia Jaiden! She lived here as well, but I think she lives with Roier now…”
The girl pulled out her notepad, quickly writing on it before showing it to her papa. ‘Okay! Papa, who is your friend?’ He blinked gently, smiling down at her.
“Well, he’s your tio Charlie, but some people call him Slime! He’s my oldest and closest friend, and it makes me sad that I haven’t seen him in a while.” She wrote on the page again, and he peeked over her shoulder, looking at the words.
‘Isn’t he the one who killed Tilín?’
Wilbur grimaced as Tallulah tilted her head. “That’s what Quackity said, yes. But, he’s still my friend, and I’m sure it was an accident! I still want to see him, to get an explanation for that at least.” She nodded in understanding, and he smiled down at her, before looking at his device. “Well, Jaiden isn’t online, but Roier is. One second, let me send him a message.”
WilburSoot: hola roier tu eres jaidens roommate si [hi roier you are jaidens roommate yes]
iRoier: sí! why do you ask
WilburSoot: i was curious if i could come visit you two?
iRoier: she isnt online right now but i’d be happy to see you :)
WilburSoot: great, muchas gracias [thank you very much]
He slipped it back into his pocket and smiled at his daughter. “Okay, let’s head there!”
They left the house and trotted through the woods towards the house on the map, grass twirling around their feet. They crossed a small bridge to the three-story house, knocking on the secure door.
“ ¡Un momento! [One moment!]” Roier’s voice called from a floor above, and he descended the stairs, smiling as he saw Wilbur and Tallulah. “Ah! Hola Wilbur, hola Tallulah! What can I do for you?”
“Hola Roier!” the British man chirped, smiling at the arachnid man as his small wings fluttered slightly. “I, uh, wanted your help- buscamos su ayuda .” The man nodded, humming slightly and signaling for him to continue. However, Tallulah held up her notebook to him.
‘ ¿Has visto al tío Charlie últimamente? Papá quiere verlo. [Have you seen uncle Charlie lately? Papa wants to see him!]’ Roier grimaced as he read it, looking over to Wilbur.
“Why do you want to see Slime?” the arachnid asked the avian, tilting his head. Two of his hands rested on his hips, while the other two were crossed over his chest.
“Well, he is, uh, mi mejor amigo [my best friend]! And I haven’t seen him since I got back. I want him to meet Tallulah!” Wilbur grinned, and Roier sighed.
“ La última vez que lo vi fue hace poco más de una semana, cuando mató a Tilín. Si ha vuelto a la isla, seguro que no me he enterado. Tal vez quieras preguntarle a Mariana y Juanaflippa, [Last I saw him was just over a week ago, when he killed Tilín. If he’s come back to the island, I sure haven’t heard of it. You might want to ask Mariana and Juanaflippa,]” the Mexican man explained.
The British man blinked, tilting his head. “I kind of remember Mariana, but who’s Juanaflippa? And why them?”
“Oh, dios mío, este tipo se ha perdido mucho, [my god, this guy has missed a lot,]” Roier mumbled, shaking his head. “ Mariana es la... ¿esposa de Slime? ¿Ex-esposa? Ni idea de cuál. Su huevo es Juanaflippa, como tu huevo es Tallulah o mi huevo es Bobby. [Mariana is Slime’s… wife? Ex-wife? No clue which one. Their egg is Juanaflippa, like how your egg is Tallulah or my egg is Bobby.]”
“Ah, okay! Where do I find Mariana?” Wilbur asked, biting his lip.
“Let me put it on your map.” The arachnid man made a waypoint on the avian’s map, directing him about where to go. He nodded in understanding, asking questions when he needed to.
So, Wilbur and Tallulah set off towards where Roier had placed the waypoint, the girl playing her flute as they walked through the grass. Pushing between the oak trees, they came upon a house made of deepslate, hearing a muffled voice chatting to someone in Spanish.
“Uh, hola?” He called out, watching Mariana trot out onto a balcony, looking down at him with glaring eyes. It had been a bit since he’d seen her, so it was good to refresh his brain on the other man’s appearance.
The Mexican had short chocolate brown hair that swept to his right, and semi-rounded glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. A golden halo drifted above his head and her large tinted yellow wings were furled up behind him. She wore enchanted iron armor over what was extremely similar to a Saitama cosplay, arms crossed as a child wandered up.
Juanaflippa- who he assumed the girl was- had soft brown hair pulled back into two braids, small green horns, wings, and tail protruding from her body. She wore a white shirt with three red hearts on the corner, a dark red cloak thrown over her shoulders. She wore a dark green skirt and black sneakers, bandaids across her face, arms, and legs.
However, the thing that stood out to Wilbur the most was the two creatures. A green slime sat on Mariana’s shoulder, another on the girl’s head. Those were Charlie’s two companions he had introduced the British avian to on the first day- Goop on the angel’s shoulder, and Gunk on the dragon’s head.
“ ¿Qué quieres? [What do you want?]” The man barked, looking down at Wilbur and Tallulah.
“Uh, hola! Ustedes son Mariana y Juanaflippa, ¿verdad? [You are Mariana and Juanaflippa, yes?]” He said with a grin, his daughter shifting slightly behind his leg.
“Yes,” Mariana said, looking down at him. “Can we help you?”
“Yes!” Wilbur exclaimed, eyes brightening slightly. “Uh, I’m looking for Charlie! For, uh, Slimecicle. Roier told me you are his, uh, esposa y hija [wife and daughter], so I was curious if you have seen him.”
Mariana’s expression softened slightly, eyes looking over to Juanaflippa. “Hi!” The girl exclaimed, waving and hopping off the side of the balcony, draconic wings allowing her to glide and land on her feet. “You’re Wilbur, right? And you’re looking for my papa?” She asked, and the British man nodded, kneeling down by the girl.
“Yes! And this is my daughter, Tallulah!” Wilbur pushed Tallulah forwards slightly, who blinked at the other dragon nervously, pulling a poppy out of her backpack and extending it to the other girl. Her face lit up and she grinned, bending down before easily doing a backflip, holding the poppy.
“Thank you, Tallulah! It’s nice to meet you!” Juanaflippa chirped, looking up at the avian. “Papa told me about you, tio Wilbur! He said you’re a super funny musician,” she exclaimed, the British man ignoring the glock that bounced against her hip. “Papa is…”
Her eyebrows furrowed and she bit the inside of her cheeks, looking down at the ground as her bangs covered her eyes.
“ Desaparecido, [Missing,]” Mariana said as he pushed out the front door, approaching the three. “ Nadie le ha visto en nueve días. [Nobody has seen him for nine days.]” There was a sadness in her eyes as he stood there, Wilbur rising to his feet as well.
“That’s horrible… but, I’m sure he’s out there somewhere,” he said gently, the slightly shorter man closing her eyes and nodding.
“Yes. He’s an idiot, but he’s capable. Podría estar tratando de encontrar una manera de traer de vuelta a Tilín, [He might be trying to find a way to bring back Tilín,]” Mariana pitched, and Wilbur hummed in agreement.
“Yeah, I can see that. Probably feels a lot of guilt from it.” The two winged men looked off in the direction of Tilín’s grave, solemn expressions clouding their faces. “Well, while we wait for him to get back, we can become amigos .” The British man grinned.
The Mexican man blinked a couple times, before laughter escaped her lips. “ Sí, sí, [Yes, yes,] I think Slime seeing the two of us as amigos will make him… muy feliz. [very happy.]”
Mike is standing in the corner of the room with Pac, extremely overwhelmed by the situation he’s in. They just crashed on an island with three other Brazilian guys- Forever, Cellbit, and Felps. A bunch of people chatting in English and Spanish helped get them out of the boat, and the five all introduced themselves.
Now, they were standing in a place that had been dubbed ‘The Adoption Center’ for some strange reason, and a duck hybrid with black hair that stuck out of a dark blue beanie stood up on some wood he’d placed, calling out to get everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, everyone, everyone, listen!” The man exclaimed, waving his arms in a desperate attempt for people to take notice of him. He made siren sounds with his mouth, shushing people, and calling out welcomes.
“Silencio, silencio, silence!” A four-armed and four-eyed (not in the way that he wore glasses, just that he literally had four eyes) man called out, jumping up and down at the duck’s side.
“Hello and welcome to everyone!” The man on the makeshift platform of spruce wood exclaimed, a smile on his face. “Now that our Portuguese speaking friends have introduced themselves, I think everyone should come up here, one by one, and introduce themselves to the new members!”
People chirruped in agreement as he hopped down from the platform, an English-speaker named Foolish introducing himself first, saying he knew lots of Spanish and Portuguese. Then came Vegetta, a Spanish-speaker who was dating Foolish and had an egg with him, also stating that by night, he was a stripper named La Mamada.
Hopping up next was Maximus, who improvised to a song in Spanish, throwing out small… somethings to the crowd, getting cheers in response. He was followed by Fit, a 33 year old English-speaker who could do marathons fast, as well as liked long walks and bombs, which he displayed by throwing one at everyone.
An avian named Philza popped up next, the Englishman said he was looking for his egg, promising 5000 dollars as a reward. Then, Quackity hopped up. He yelled at a man booing him, telling the guy to ‘shut the fuck up’- he stated he was fluently bilingual, knowing both English and Spanish, and that he used to have a child, but they perished. Then, the man booing him walked up.
An arachnid Spanish speaker named Roier introduced himself with a smile, stating he worked at a strip club called Las Casualonas as a woman named Melisa. After he popped down with some hop in his step, he smacked his shoulder into another man, telling him to hop up.
The man was a bit disheveled and clearly of angelic descent, considering her large pale yellow wings and halo above his head. Mike also took note of an out-of place slime on her shoulder, black eyes blinking at the crowd. He nervously cleared her throat.
“ ¡Hola a todos! Me llamo ElMariana y soy de México. Mi hija se llama Juanaflippa, es un huevo, y mi hijo-de-puta esposo se llama Slimecicle, que está desaparecido. Si veis a un hombre de unos 175 centímetros de altura, ojos verdes, camiseta blanca con tres corazones pixelados, ¡por favor arrastradlo hasta mi casa para que pueda patearle el culo!”
[Hello, everyone! My name is ElMariana, and I am from Mexico. My daughter's name is Juanaflippa, she is an egg, and my son-of-a-bitch husband’s name is Slimecicle, who is missing. If you see a man about 175 centimeters tall, green eyes, white shirt with three pixelated hearts on it, please drag him to my house so I can kick his ass!]
Slimecicle? That was a familiar name to Mike- it scratched something in his brain, and it didn’t even take him a moment to figure out why. Slimecicle was the nickname one of his little brothers, Charlie, used to go by. He had been sent off to an orphanage in Brazil a long time ago, but that name and the witty jokes his brother would always make were burned into his memory.
It seemed that Pac recognized the name from the stories Mike would tell him as well, looking over to his friend with a matching expression of confusion and shock. He would tell his best friend about his old home, his old family. Jokes about his siblings and sneers about his dad. He didn’t think he’d hear any of their silly nicknames again, if not out of his own mouth.
And it was even more jarring to hear it out of a stranger’s.
Next came a rainbow woman named Jaiden, ending with a void-skinned demon who introduced himself as Bad, full name BadBoyHalo. After all of that had finished, Quackity announced they were going to raid BadBoyHalo’s pizza shop, who just laughed and shrugged.
The two men followed the group, Pac noticing the conflicted look on Mike’s face. “ Essa ilha é uma loucura, não é? [This island is crazy, huh?]” He said, nudging his pink and brown haired friend.
“ Sim, sim. É estranho ouvir o apelido de Charlie depois de tanto tempo, [Yeah, yeah. It’s weird to hear Charlie’s nickname after so long,]” he mumbled in response, getting a nod and a hum in understanding.
“ Só posso imaginar, [I can only imagine,]” Pac chimed, smiling at Mike, who was still very clearly out of it. “ Vamos ver como todos estão indo. Imagino que essas pessoas não sejam ruins, [Let’s just see how everyone’s going. I imagine these people aren’t bad,]” he pitched, getting just a small thumbs up in response.
They heard the chatter of voices in multiple languages, laughter and quips, someone raising their voice in Spanish. Only moments later, Mariana pushed past Forever and Phil, who had been talking, both men getting facefuls of pale yellow feathers. She seemed irritating, ignoring the calls from the elf and avian, walking off into the grass.
“ Ei, eu quero falar com ele, [Hey, I want to go talk to him,]” Mike said, looking at Pac, who just nodded in understanding after a moment of silent communication. The two jogged after the angel, who was heading to some kind of abandoned building. “Uh, excuse me!” He called out, and she turned on his heel.
“What do you want?” She hissed, venom dripping from his voice, but she fell quiet at the sight of the two Brazilians, clearing his throat. “ Lo siento chicos nuevos, estoy un poco... irritable ahora mismo. ¿Que pasa? [Sorry new guys, I’m a bit… snippy right now. What’s up?]” She asked in Spanish, hands in his pockets.
“Eh, eu sou o Mike, este é o Pac. Não pude deixar de ouvir você mencionar Slimecicle. Ele... ele também se chama Charlie? [I’m Mike, this is Pac. I couldn’t help but hear you mention Slimecicle. Did he… does he also go by Charlie?]” A look of recognition fell over Mariana’s face.
“ Sí. ¿Cómo lo sabías? [Yes. How did you know that?]” She furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance and confusion, studying Mike’s face.
“ Bem, o nome do meu irmão era Charlie, e ele usava Slimecicle como apelido. Então, acho que conhecemos o mesmo cara. Por favor, saiba que... eu o ajudarei a encontrá-lo. Não vejo nenhum de meus irmãos há muito tempo. Quero vê-lo novamente. [Well, my brother’s name was Charlie, and he went by Slimecicle as a nickname. So, I think we know the same guy. Please just know that… I will help you find him. I haven’t seen any of my siblings in a very long time. I want to see him again.]”
The Brazilian nervously looked up at the Mexican, who sniffled slightly, wiping a tear from his eyes.
“ ...Gracias, chicos nuevos. [...Thank you, new guys.]” She looked over to Pac. “ Vosotros dos deberíais volver con el grupo- no os preocupéis por mí, puedo cuidarme sola. [You two should get back to the group- don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.]” As if to demonstrate, Mariana pulled a hulking battle ax out of a holster with one hand, twirling it with ease before setting it down on the ground with a loud thump .
Mike laughed. “ Não, sim, eu acredito em você. Vamos continuar. Boa sorte ao encontrar seu ovo, [No, yeah, I believe you. We’ll get going. Good luck with finding your egg,]” he said with a wave, Tazercraft turning around and heading back to the pizza shop, bustling and filled with laughter.
He couldn’t help but look over his shoulder, seeing Mariana’s silhouette slink into the ruins of a homestead. Mike opened and closed his fists. He hoped he could help her in any way.
Mariana gingerly set Juanaflippa onto her bed, having finished the new tasks that had been given after the eggs were returned. He had swiftly dug out and set up a reinforced basement for her, with her usual blue blanket sitting on a bed, pictures framed on the walls, and keepsakes held in chests.
The girl climbed into a lying down position, pulling the blanket over herself and her newly torn wing. She held a plush teddy bear under one arm, blinking up at her mother with owlish eyes. “Mama?”
“ ¿Sí, mami? [Yes, mami?]”
“ Nos llevaron a todos y luego volvimos. Entonces... ¿por qué papá no ha vuelto a casa todavía? [We all got taken, and then we came back. So… why isn’t papa back home yet?]”
Mariana felt a pang in her heart, holding the skirt of his dress tightly, trying to stop her hands from shaking so violently that Juana could see.
“ Bueno, mami… [Well, mami…]” he trailed off, sighing and closing her eyes for a moment. “ ...no lo sé. No lo sé todo, mami. Pero lo que sí sé es que, esté donde esté, le encontraremos. Le encontraremos, o volverá, y podremos ser felices de nuevo, juntos de nuevo. Sólo nosotros tres. ¿De acuerdo? [...I don’t know. I don’t know everything, mami. But what I do know is that wherever he is, we will find him. We’ll find him, or he’ll come back, and we can be happy again, together again. Just the three of us. Okay?]”
She nodded, but bit her lip quietly. “ ¿Eh, mamá? [Hey, mama?]”
“ ¿Sí, mami? [Yes, mami?]”
“ ...¿Puedes prometer algo, para cuando papá vuelva? [...Can you promise something, for when papa gets back?]” Mariana smiled gently, cupping Flippa’s face in her hand.
“ Cualquier cosa, mi huevita. [Anything, my little egg.]”
“ Por favor, deja de actuar como una familia disfuncional. Fue divertido, pero luego me sentí muy solo, porque no podía salir con otros niños porque sus padres estaban nerviosos a tu alrededor. Y no quiero que papá se vaya otra vez... se fue porque estaba triste, porque yo lo ponía triste, porque el tío Roier lo ponía triste, porque Bobby lo ponía triste. Y estaba triste porque creo que papá siempre tuvo miedo de enfrentar la idea de que podría ser una mala persona. Como si no mereciera nuestro amor. Así que cuando regrese, quiero que nos aseguremos de que sepa cuánto lo amamos. ”
[Please drop the dysfunctional family act. It was funny, but then I just felt really lonely, because I couldn’t hang out with other kids because their parents were nervous around you. And I don't want papa to leave again… he left because he was sad, because I made him sad, because tio Roier made him sad, because Bobby made him sad. And he was sad because I think papa was always scared of facing the idea he might actually be a bad person. Like he might not be deserving of our love. So when he comes back, I want us to make sure he knows how much we love him.]
Mariana was at a loss for words. It seemed like his daughter knew more than she did about Slime, but he also figured Slime would tell him things when he got back. “ Por supuesto, mami. [Of course, mami.]” She planted a gentle kiss on Juanaflippa’s forehead, before looking over to the bookcase. “ ¿Qué historia te leo esta noche? [What story should I read you tonight?]”
He wound up reading the girl a book about a coyote that kept swallowing more and more ridiculous things, ending in her giggling slightly. A smile crept across his lips, putting the book back onto the shelf and taking off the girl’s glasses. “ Buenas noches, Juanita. Que tus sueños estén llenos sólo de alegría. [Good night, Juanita. May your dreams be filled with nothing but joy.]”
Juanaflippa smiled and closed her eyes, turning on her side and snuggling into the pillow. Mariana smiled wistfully at the sight of his daughter drifting off to sleep. She wanted to run his fingers through her hair, to put more pillows under her head, to cover her in blankets, but she had learned the hard way to not touch the eggs while they slept.
So he went back up the staircase to the first floor of the house, pushing open the PIN-locked door, gently closing it behind her. He walked over to the kitchen counter in a delirious state, grabbing a half-empty bottle of lukewarm beer from earlier in the day.
She downed it without a care, sighing as he drained it, tossing it carelessly into the recycling can. Mariana staggered up the stairs, eyes bleary and head ringing from the stress of the day and her general exhaustion. He flopped down onto the bed, reaching over to her side, but there was nobody there.
He sighed. You’d think she’d be used to lying alone in bed by that point.
Mariana set down his wedding ring beside a framed image of Slime, which she gingerly took in his hand to plant a small kiss on, before setting it back down on the bedside table, made from the same oak as the tree that protruded from the Wall. She recalled them sitting out on that tree after the trial, he recalled the way he looked at the tree with something special in his eyes.
“You know, I told Flippa this big tree magically grew in only a few days, but I actually built it. She got so excited when I told her! She insisted it was a magic tree, and hugged the base of it, whispering that she wanted to see it do magic.” Slime had laughed gently, looking over to Mariana. “What do you think? It’s not as good as something Foolish could build, but–”
“It’s perfect.” She had cut him off moments after his ex’s name registered in her mind. “It’s better than anything Foolish could build, because no sólo embellece la zona, sino que has hecho que Juanaflippa se ilumine como el sol, y has encontrado una forma de utilizarlo prácticamente. [not only does it make the area more beautiful, but you made Juanaflippa light up like the sun, and found a way to practically use it.]”
Slime had blinked at him, before laughing with joy in his smile as his eyes crinkled closed and his cheeks bloomed pink. “Don’t think nice words are going to get you on my good side, bitch wife,” he’d quipped, bumping his head into her forearm.
“Oh my, whatever could I do?” Mariana had said, blinking at his husband with big sad eyes. They’d flopped down onto the bed together, black suit jackets discarded as they giggled like teenagers.
And now he was lying in bed alone, on a bed made for two or three. She didn’t feel like changing out of the maid outfit he wore, wishing his lover were here to pull it off of her. But he wasn’t, Slime was who knows where. However, she slipped out of it, tossing it in the corner of the room.
Mariana grabbed a pillow with one of his shirts on it, smelling it- it smelled like mint and slightly burned cedar, like his hair always did when she put her chin atop his head. He buried his head into the pillow, clenching her teeth.
But that didn’t stop the gentle sobs from clawing out of his throat, and didn't stop the teardrops from leaving little marks along the pillowcase. Her halo dipped and dimmed slightly as he cried, careful to not stain the precious shirt. White, with three red pixelated hearts.
Mariana couldn’t help but imagine his strong arms wrapping around her, holding him close to his chest. His tail would flick out and his horns would protrude, a secret just for them as the tail would wrap around her waist. He’d kiss his forehead and cheeks gently, teasing her before planting a peck onto his lips.
…Wow, she really missed Slime, huh?
He sighed and curled up more, trying to steady her shaky breaths so sleep could take him. It did, but as usual, it wasn’t restful.
When Mariana awoke in the morning, he was drenched in cold sweat and panting, alone in her bed.
And he tried to pretend like the droplets rolling down her cheeks were sweat, not tears.
Chapter 2: All My Emotions Feel Like Explosions
Notes:
Chapter title from Line Without a Hook by Ricky Montgomery
The drawing featured in this chapter was made by frostycola.Disclaimer: Forever is in this chapter.
Chapter Text
Foolish waited outside of the schoolhouse where Quackity was teaching the eggs, repeatedly flipping a golden coin as he spoke with Bad and Forever. They stood in the grass chatting with one another as Mariana leaned against a wall of the school a bit away, seemingly etching something onto the page of a small leather-bound book.
It had been exactly 3 weeks since Tilín’s death and Slime’s disappearance, and 4 days since the Brazilians had crashed on the island. All the little dragons were in school right now- his eyes flickered over to the window, seeing the seven kids inside of the building.
Though the existence of school usually just meant they had homework to do as tasks, they would also sometimes have in school classes. Leo sat with the new egg Richarlyson on the rug, playing with figurines that looked like animals together. Dapper and Ramon wrestled a few feet from them, whilst Chayanne and Juanaflippa were an audience for Tallulah’s flute playing.
Foolish tuned back into the conversation Forever and Bad were having, even if he had only zoned out for a split second.
“...and you want the blocks in your house to be reinforced. That means using a Universal Block Protector on them, so they can’t be broken through,” Bad explained to Forever, who was nodding, seemingly writing everything on a notepad. They had been giving him tips as a new egg parent, pointers about how to keep Richarlyson and make sure they’re still having fun.
“Ok, ok, good to know…” the elf murmured, pencil dancing across the page. “What else?”
“Well, be very careful around them when they’re asleep,” Foolish piped up. “The best way I can explain it is they get… fragile? They’re easier to injure,” he explained, twirling the coin in his fingers. He didn’t notice how Mariana tensed up, before shaking her head slightly and continuing to write.
“And not regarding your egg, but regarding your family, it’s good to keep track of your co-parents,” Bad chirped, squishing a small fidget toy in his left hand. “If you don’t, you might end up with a whole lot of responsibilities on your plate,” he smiled.
“Yeah! It’s important to make sure you always have a general idea of where they are, so you can call upon them whenever you need help,” Foolish nodded, watching Forever write all of that down, though he snickered.
“Got it, got it. You guys talk about this, uh… disappearing stuff like it’s happened before,” he said, looking up at them all as a smirk danced across his face.
“Ah, I guess?” Bad shrugged. “I’ve been a single parent this whole time, but I know Quackity’s partner is Luzu, who pops in and out randomly. Missa’s made some kind of contract with the Federation so he could stay in Japan, Wilbur’s on tour with his band, whilst Dan and Spreen disappeared pretty soon after we got the eggs. No idea where they are.”
An uncomfortable quiet hung over them for a moment, all of their minds trailing back to those missing people.
“Yeah, that’s all true. Meanwhile, Slime went out to get the milk and cigarettes- but he doesn't even smoke, and his kid's lactose intolerant!” Foolish laughed playfully, pausing as he saw the look of anxiety on Bad’s face, and confusion on Forever’s.
He opened his mouth to ask what was up, but before he could say a word, he felt something slam into his side, pushing him into the ground as he went tumbling, the thing winding up over top of him after they had fallen down the hill.
“ CÁLLATE SOBRE COSAS QUE NO ENTIENDES, ¡PENDEJO! [YOU SHUT UP ABOUT THINGS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!]” Mariana yelled into his face, wings flared and chocolate brown eyes full of hatred. One of her hands was pushing him into the dirt, and the other was holding a grave metal ax.
Foolish yelped in pain as he drove the ax into the totem’s chest and shoulder, golden blood flying through the air and splattering onto the weapon as she pulled it out only a moment later.
Taking a hand, the shark hybrid punched Mariana in the face to shove him off of him, breaths heavy as he stumbled back slightly, not able to find his footing as his hands slipped across the grass, still slick with the morning’s dew.
Her head snapped up, pale wings spread out wide, eyes and halo glowing with rage. Honestly, Foolish had thought he was being quiet and that he was too far away to hear their discussion.
…God, that was a dumb thing he had said.
But it was too late to stop the angel’s wrath as Mariana launched herself towards him once more. He had substituted the ax for a small knife that she held in his hand. One of her eyes was swollen shut from the punch, but that wasn’t slowing him down in the slightest.
Foolish rolled to the side, watching the knife stab into the dirt. He was about to laugh and boast, but he groaned in pain as her fist collided with his nose, a deafening crack ringing through his mind.
He heard people yelling, but it wasn’t stopping him, adrenaline pumping through him and his heartbeat filling his ears. He cracked up and headbutted straight into Mariana’s chest, sending him skidding backwards, knife remaining wedged in the hillside.
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, MARIANA?!” Foolish exclaimed as he stumbled to his feet, one hand over his broken and bleeding nose. “Can’t you calm down, and we can talk about this?” He asked as he staggered towards her, face not visible.
“ No puedes decir de lo que vamos a hablar, ¡porque JODIDAMENTE HABLAS ASÍ DE ÉL! [You don’t get to say what we will talk about because YOU FUCKING TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!]” Mariana screeched once more, launching back at him as his fingernails dented the metallic skin of the totem.
When Foolish looked up with confusion in his eyes, he saw his ex-boyfriend.
When Mariana glared down with rage in her eyes, he saw an insensitive idiot.
Foolish’s clawed fingers raked across the other man’s chest, hearing her yelp in pain but stay in place, grip in his skin becoming tighter as he began to lift him up, before swiftly throwing the shark hybrid across the sand.
They wrestled and punched and bled, screaming in a cacophony of Spanish and English as sand burned their fresh wounds. At some point, Mariana had gotten back her blade, but it was now tucked into its sheath as the fight had turned into one for fists.
Their fighting only stopped when they were aggressively pulled apart, Bad with his arms around Foolish’s stomach while Quackity and Forever worked together to restrain Mariana. The totem was breathing heavily, holding his wounds- he’d been on the defensive for the whole fight.
Meanwhile, the angel continued to screech, to thrash, to try and tear himself away from the duck and the elf who held her back from tearing the other man asunder.
“Oh my god, Foolish, are you okay?!” Bad exclaimed, sitting his friend up and feeding him a golden apple, splashing a healing potion onto the dirt they sat upon. The shark hybrid nodded and heaved out reassurances through his heavy breaths, the demon removing a roll of bandages from his bag with a worried expression on his face.
“Apa! Apa!” Leonarda exclaimed as she skidded down the hill, stumbling over to her dad’s side. “ ¿Te encuentras bien? ¿Por qué os peleasteis con la señora Mariana y tú? [Are you okay? Why did you and miss Mariana fight?]” He had anxiety in their eyes as she helped the man wrap up his father, making sure the wounds were properly washed.
“Well, Leo, I said something muy malo [very bad]. Mariana got really mad- understandably, it was inappropriate what I said- and I think his anger got the best of her,” Foolish explained, already feeling reinvigorated as his injuries were properly tended to, though his nose remained broken.
“ ¿Qué has dicho? [What did you say?]” Leonardo asked, tilting their head and watching him inhale through his teeth, before exhaling.
“Leo, I’ll let you know, but just so you don’t say anything like it, de acuerdo [alright]?” She nodded quickly. “Good. I said… I said Slime went out to get leche y cigarrillos [milk and cigarettes]. And it might not sound super bad, but that’s like a way of saying that he abandoned his family.”
Leonarda gasped in shock and horror, punching his dad in the chest. “Ow! I deserve that, but still! Ow!”
“That’s horrible, pa!” They exclaimed, anger prevalent on her face. “Why would you ever say that!?” His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, looking deep into their father’s eyes. He just sighed.
“I don’t know, Leo. I guess I thought it was funny, or something. I can be a bastard sometimes.” Foolish looked over at Mariana, who was no longer being restrained, instead walking away with Juanaflippa in his arms, who was staring down the man.
Important lesson the island learned that day: don’t make jokes around Mariana or Juanaflippa that are mocking Slime’s disappearance.
Jaiden knocked on the door to Mariana and Juanaflippa’s home. Since Mariana was going to be offline all day, he’d asked Jaiden if she could watch Juana for the day. She happily agreed and, taking Bobby with her, went to go pick up the girl in the morning.
“Juanaflippa! It’s Jaiden, I’m here with Bobby,” she announced, stepping into the house. Her egg happily trotted at her side, looking around the house curiously. There was a small kitchen and many chests on the walls, a garden with a glass roof attached to the house. Across from the living room was a staircase, which she knew led to Mariana’s bedroom, the restroom, and a miscellaneous/storage room.
“Good morning tía,” Juanaflippa said with a yawn, pushing open a padlocked door. She was putting on her diamond armor over her clothes, a flowing red cape falling over her tattered wings. She smiled at her aunt sleepily, hair pulled back into low pigtails.
“How did you sleep?” Jaiden asked, only snickering as she watched Bobby tackle-hug the young girl, a big grin dancing across his face. She got a thumbs up from the girl as she pushed her brother off of her, grinning back at him as they bumped their foreheads together.
“Amá’s going to do our tasks today!” The boy exclaimed with a smile, Juanaflippa nodding.
“Yeah, my mama let me know!” She chirped back, looking at the adult. “What tasks do we have today?” She asked, tilting her head.
“Nothing difficult, don’t worry- this will be a pretty relaxed day,” Jaiden explained with a smile, kneeling down so the two dragons could see the clipboard that the avian was holding.
‘HAVE A PICNIC WITH THE BABY AND TWO FRIENDS - GIVE A HOT DRINK TO THE BABY - LOOK AT THE NIGHT SKY WITH THE BABY - FEED THE BABY SOMETHING GREEN - SING THE BABY A LULLABY’
“Shouldn’t be too hard, huh?” The two kids nodded with smiles as she stood back up, tapping her chin. “Let’s get you two some hot drinks, and feed you guys something green. Anything you two have in mind?”
“Avocado toast!” Juanaflippa exclaimed with a vibrant grin, throwing her hands in the air with excitement.
“ Chocolate caliente [Hot cocoa],” Bobby piped up, turning back and forth in a manner that made his arms swing. She hummed in understanding, rummaging through her backpack.
“Well, I’ve always got some avocado toast on me,” Jaiden said with a smile, handing each of them half a stack's worth of avocado toast. Both of them grinned and ate a couple of pieces, putting the rest into their backpacks or having it ready on hand.
“Hot cocoa will be another story tho,” she murmured, setting two buckets of oat milk and some cacao beans onto the countertop with some sugar. She ignored the mostly empty glass that sat in the sink, the bit of beer that had settled at the bottom of the cup.
After steaming the milk and combining it with the cacao and sugar, she sighed in relief at the two finished mugs of hot chocolate that sat in her hands. Turning around, she saw the two dragons playfully wrestling on the tiger-skin rug, smiles on their faces with teeth bared.
“Kids, I have your drinks!” At the sound of Jaiden’s voice they instantly stopped, releasing the grasp they had on each other and popping up, hands outstretched for the mugs with innocent smiles plastered onto their faces.
She couldn’t help but laugh as she handed Juanaflippa and Bobby the hot chocolate, watching the kids clink their mugs together before beginning to drink it. The young boy downed his drink in ten seconds max while the girl took a small sip, smacking her lips together slightly and sighing, a smile creeping across her lips.
“ Muchas gracias tía, [Thank you very much auntie,]” she said with a smile, tail wagging behind her slightly.
“THANKS MA!” He exclaimed with a grin, victoriously holding up the empty mug and laughing.
“ No hay problema, huevitos, [No problem, little eggs,]” Jaiden said with a smile, taking Bobby’s empty cup and letting Juanaflippa keep hers, checking off the two tasks on her list. “Okay, we should do the picnic next! Afterwards, we can look at the stars, and then I can try my hand at a lullaby.” The two dragons smiled.
“Okay, miss Jaiden! It says to spend it with two friends, right?” The girl asked, holding up two fingers. The avian nodded, and watched the two smile at each other and lock hands, silently communicating with their eyes.
“We know who we want to hang out with!” Bobby proclaimed as he bounced slightly on his feet, looking up to his mom expectantly.
“Oh really? Who would that be?” Jaiden asked, a smile dancing across her lips. She wasn’t sure who they were going to say, but the name the two blurted in unison was not any of the ones she had thought they might say.
“Tilín!”
She blinked in surprise, standing up straight. She tried to wipe the confusion and shock from her face before the kids noticed it, but it seemed that they did. “Uh, I mean, we can, you know, have a picnic with them at their grave…” Juanaflippa said quietly, looking at the tiger skin rug they stood on.
“No, no, that sounds great!” Jaiden exclaimed, waving her hands. “That sounds like a nice time, I think Tilín would appreciate having some visitors.” The kids nodded and she held the strap of her backpack a little tighter, gently smiling. “Let’s head over there! I’ve already got lots of snacks we can eat, all vegan and delicious.”
The three trotted along off to the grave, following the two red beacons screaming into the sky. Jaiden led them while Bobby followed at her heels, holding Juanaflippa’s hand tightly as they hopped along after the avian, like ducklings following their mother.
The three found themselves standing at the large red bow, silence hanging in the air as they looked down at the red concrete, knowing that a body lay below it. Tilín’s body, cold after the accident that had happened only 25 days ago. Bobby and Jaiden had begun to cope with their death, moving on but never forgetting them, but it was evident someone wasn’t.
Juanaflippa looked down at the grave with a defeated look on her face, a blurriness in her eyes. The girl had begun to deal with the grief of their best friend’s death, but it was also clear that wasn’t quite what was bothering her anymore. It seemed like the thing weighing on her soul was the ripples of Tilín’s death.
(Well, Slime’s disappearance. Jaiden had her own suspicions of his fate, knowing what he could do when struck by tragedy, but she knew better than to say them aloud- especially around Juanaflippa or Mariana.)
“Hi Tilín!” She said, slicing through the silence. “It’s Jaiden, I’m here with Bobby and Juanaflippa. We wanted to have a picnic with you, hope that’s alright.”
“Yeah! It’s been a few days since my last visit, so I want to make sure everything is tended to,” the girl chirped, a somber smile dancing across her face.
“Mhm, mhm! Mom brought lots of tasty, tasty snacks that we can all enjoy,” the boy exclaimed as he hopped up and down slightly. Jaiden laughed gently at the display and laid out the picnic blanket, both kids plopping down onto it as she worked on getting the food from her bag.
“What do you two want to do while we’re here with Tilín?” She asked as she carefully set out her tea set, and the pastries that were made to go with it.
“Ooh, ooh, I want to paint!” Bobby piped up, looking over to Juanaflippa with expectant eyes.
“I usually just do pencil drawings, if that’s okay?” The girl said with a nervous smile, getting aggressive nods and hums of happiness from the boy.
“Don’t hurt your neck, chingon,” Jaiden joked, ruffling her son’s hair as Flippa pulled a sketchbook out of her bag, a pencil between her teeth and an artist’s eraser at her side.
The three drank tea and talked with each other and Tilín, wishing their friend was sitting here alongside them. All three of them were drawing- Bobby with some paints on his canvas, Jaiden with a pen on her tablet, and Juana with a pencil on her sketchbook.
Bobby had drawn him, Tilín, and Roier, all sitting around a birthday cake with smiles on their faces. The light glimmered across their skin, happy and oblivious to the horrors that were unfurling on that same day at Mariana’s hands.
Jaiden had made some drawings of her bird, and some people on the island- Roier and Bobby, Tallulah and Chayanne, Phil and Fit, even one of Mariana in the corner. None of them were super cleaned up, but they were still nice.
“What about you, Flippa? What did you draw?” Jaiden asked, smiling at the girl.
She looked down at her sketchbook for a moment before turning it around, looking up to her tía with sparkles and anxiety in her eyes. It was a drawing of her papa Slime, a profile view of him. His eyes were closed and he had a smile on his face as he seemed to speak, shooting stars and little hearts messily doodled around him.
“That looks great- it's Slime, right?” Juana nodded with a smile, looking at the drawing with a sad fondness in her eyes.
“Mhm! I miss my papa a lot, but when I make drawings of him, it’s like he’s here with me again,” she said quietly, flopping onto her back and looking up at the stars. The three lay on the blanket peacefully, eyes bouncing from twinkle to twinkle, pointing out constellations that hung above their heads.
Jaiden taught the two children about the stars- they marveled and asked questions about every little thing. Some questions she could only laugh and say she actually wasn’t sure. Some she answered with excitement as her voice chimed through the air.
“We should get going, kids,” the avian said as she stood up. The little dragons whined in annoyance, though they stood up as well. She packed up the blanket into the picnic basket, holding it in the crook of her elbow. Bobby climbed into her arms sleepily and placed his head on her chest, Juanaflippa taking her free hand.
They walked back to Mariana’s house quietly, the little girl shooting any monsters that got too close to the trio as Jaiden cheered her on. The fallen leaves crunched under their feet as they approached the house, footfalls becoming light as they squished into the grassy lawn.
“Okay Flippa, let’s head to your room so I can tuck you in and sing your lullaby.” Juana nodded and opened the glass sliding door, punching in the code to a number pad on another door. She pushed it open and descended a staircase, looking over her shoulder to make sure Jaiden was following behind her.
The room was small and had walls of stone, a couple of chests against the wall and a spruce bookshelf. A bed with a blue blanket sat with a bedside table, a picture of Juanaflippa with Tilín atop it, both children smiling and brandishing their pistols.
The girl crawled into bed, pulling the blanket over her as Bobby lay asleep in his mother’s arms. Jaiden sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Juanaflippa and using her free hand to tuck the drowsy dragon in gently- however, she noticed the sadness on the girl’s face.
“What’s wrong, Juanaflippa? You look a little down,” she asked sweetly, looking at the egg biting her lip.
“I’m sad… because Tilín is gone.” Juanaflippa said quietly. Jaiden almost opened her mouth, but the dragon started speaking again. “And I-I’ve started to accept that. I’m never going to let go of them and I’m never going to forget them, but…” she sighed, wiping her eyes. She sat up, holding the blanket to her chest as she curled into a little ball.
“But papa still isn’t home. It’s been twenty-five days, it’s been three and a half weeks, and my papa isn’t home. I miss him a lot, tía…” she murmured through sniffles.
“Oh, Juanaflippa…” Jaiden placed a hand on the girl’s head, forehead falling against her chest as she shook slightly with sobs she was trying to suppress. “Please don’t worry, I’m sure your papa is watching over you from wherever he is. And you’re always welcome in me, Roier, and Bobby’s home, okay?”
Juanaflippa nodded and pulled away, wiping the last droplets of tears from her eyes. “What song would you like me to sing?” The avian asked with a small smile on her lips.
“Uh, there’s this story papa Slime would tell me, but I think it can be a lullaby,” she said with a little smile, reaching over to her bedside table. She opened a drawer and rummaged through it for a moment, before grabbing a piece of slightly wrinkled paper with dried teardrops and bloodstains on it, handing it to her aunt.
Jaiden looked over the words and sadness filled her eyes for a moment. She remembered this story- she’d read it to Slime once before, when he was drunk and drowning in his own tears. “Yeah, I can do this one!” She cleared her throat, watching Juanaflippa take off her glasses and close her eyes.
As the avian began to sing, she found that the words were already familiar to her lips.
“Yo, listen up, here's a story- about a little guy that lived in a blue world…”
Chayanne woke up with a large yawn, sitting up and stretching in his bed. He took out his ear plugs and slid on his skull mask, hearing laughter. “Fucking hell Chayanne, wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up today!”
He lit up and looked to his father, hopping to his feet and saluting Phil with a smile. “Good morning, sir! How did you sleep, sir?” The British man had a lopsided grin on his face at his son’s usual morning greeting.
“Slept well. Obviously you did too, since you didn’t wake up from my yelling,” he added with a snicker, ruffling Chayanne’s hair playfully. “We gotta do your tasks for today, my son,” he said as he pulled his clipboard out of his bag, the boy hopping around his father.
‘FEED A VEGETARIAN FOOD TO THE BABY - GET A NEW PET FOR THE BABY - VISIT THE MUSEUM WITH THE BABY - HELP THE BABY GIVE A GIFT TO SOMEONE THEY HAVEN’T SPOKE TO IN A WHILE - TELL THE BABY A STORY ABOUT GRIEF’
“Alright, those don’t seem too hard,” Phil said with laughter in his voice, opening the garden’s doors so they could climb up the ladder, crawling out of the trapdoor and up onto the top of the wall. Chay smiled and overlooked the island, excitement for what the day would have in store bubbling in his heart.
“Let’s get you a pet, and figure out who we want to give a gift to. Depending on how that interaction goes, we might be able to handle the other tasks with them. What pet do you want to get?”
Chayanne hummed and rubbed his chin, pondering that question for a good few moments. “I want… a brown mooshroom!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air with a bright smile on his face. His dad couldn’t help but laugh, both exasperation and affection in the joyful sound.
“Alright mate, we can find a mushroom biome and grab one for you. I have an idea on where there’s an island, teleport to Foolich and we can get headed there,” Phil said as he pulled out his warp stone, son doing the same and teleporting first. The man popped through after him only a few moments later, feet tapping lightly onto the grass as pink petals flowed through the air around the two.
Chayanne ran down to the water as his father followed behind, reaching into one of his backpacks and grabbing a motorboat they could use. He dropped it into the water nonchalantly and climbed into the driver’s seat, son hopping in at his left side. It was interesting- some people had boats with the steering wheel on the left, some people had boats with the steering wheel on the right. He never bothered to ask.
As they sped across the water, Phil glanced down at him. “Any thoughts on who you might want to talk to?” The dragon kicked his feet as he hummed in thought, fingers drumming on the edge of the boat as droplets of water splashed up against him.
There were seven other eggs on the island- Bobby, Dapper, Leonarda, Ramon, Juanaflippa, Richarlyson and Tallulah. Obviously not Tallulah, since they lived together, and not Ramon, since they hung out yesterday. Dapper and Richas he’d seen in the last week, leaving three: Bobby, Leonardo, and Juanaflippa.
Leo he’d seen a couple weeks ago, when Foolish stood in and took care of him for the day. Bobby he always saw around, though he never stopped to really talk with him- it was waves or quick tussling before their parents pulled them apart again.
That only really left one egg, and he didn’t have the best… relationship with the Flippo family. He doesn’t hate Juanaflippa, but he knows that she doesn’t like his dad, Phil. Mariana was a bit cold, commonly avoiding people, and papa Missa had described her as a pendejo - and Slime broke his bed. Yeah, it hadn’t been a canon death, but he vividly remembered the horror of the demon looming over his bed.
Chayanne had seen her at school, and a bit outside of it, but they never spoke, considering one of them always had a parent around. He noticed the sadness ever present in her eyes, and noticed how similar it was to his and Tallulah’s- a parent leaving, and not knowing when they’ll come back. He supposed they at least knew where Missa and Wilbur were, and that they were alive. Juana didn’t have either of those, just grief in her every movement.
There was also a longing in Miss Mariana’s eyes- he picked up on the way he always seemed to be fiddling with her wedding ring, idly spinning it around his finger. Their glasses couldn’t conceal all of their thoughts and emotions. And his dad was shadowbanned from their house, but… they should try anyways, right?
“Maybe Juanaflippa?” Chay pitched, looking back up at Phil, who blinked with wide eyes, before laughing slightly.
“You know we aren’t really welcome in their home, right? Well, you’re welcome, but I’m not leaving you with them,” the man sighed, shaking his head.
“I mean… yeah, but she best fits someone I haven’t spoken to in a while. We can at least try,” Chayanne murmured, wringing his hands together. “And…”
“And?”
He sighed. “They seem really sad, and I want to try and…” the egg shrugged. “Be there for them. She isn’t the only kid with only one of two parents present, but at least we know where ours are. Missa is in Japan, Wilbur is on tour, and Spreen’s living in the woods. Slime made a mistake, and then he disappeared.”
Chay curled in on himself slightly, dragon tail subconsciously wrapping around his own leg. “And I’m still mad at him. I’m mad that he broke my bed, that he tried to kill Dapper and Bobby and Ramon, that he killed Tilin. But he’s also… troubled, and I don’t want to push away Mariana and Flippa because of him. I feel like more than anyone, they need a hug.”
The two fell silent for a moment, before Phil burst into a proud smile. “Very observant mate, you’re right. Charlie and I have had our fights, but I think he’s still the funniest person to ever step foot onto this island,” he remarked with laughter in his voice. “I’ll have to tell you about day one sometime- not tonight, though.”
They arrived at the mushroom island, and the boy hopped out of the motor boat, feet hitting the purple mycelium. His father got out as well, packing it back up into his bag as Chayanne scrambled over the hill, looking out over the island with his eyes peeled.
“Alright, I can see lots of red ones, but not any brown ones…” Phil said as he stood beside his son, one hand to his head as he squinted and looked out. “Let’s head down there and search, Chayanne!” He lit up and nodded, both of them grabbing their deku leaves and hopping forwards, gliding down into the area.
They spent some time looking for a brown mooshroom, and Chayanne found himself wondering what would be a good gift for Juana. He’d seen the girl’s mark on the server- the hulking tree that stuck out of the wall, the peaceful avocado tree farm that sat along the edge of a little waterfall, a little umbrella and towel sitting along the water.
He thought of what the other eggs had told him about her- she loves to draw and she loves flowers. She’s a vegan with many allergies, who spreads chaos and love. Sometimes she randomly starts hovering and floating around, something he hasn’t had the chance to see yet.
Chay followed after his dad, but they sat down in the mycelium for a quick break. Phil fed him some avocado toast and ate some himself, happily talking to his croaking and chirping crows while watching his son rifle through his backpacks.
“Whatcha lookin for, mate?” He asked with a smile, cocking his head at his son.
“Gift,” he said nonchalantly in response, grabbing some items from his bags. Chayanne carefully put together a little package for Flippa with a smile, making sure nothing would get messed up even as he bounced around. Phil pulled out his communicator and sent a quick message, waiting a hot second before it buzzed again.
“Alright, Mariana said Juanaflippa was planning on getting you a gift too; we can head over to their house once we find– OH MY GOD, CHAYANNE !” The two bounced to their feet as they took sight of a mooshroom with light brown fur instead of red. They ran towards the unnoticing creature, tossing out cage traps and quickly ensnaring it.
The two packed it up with some mycelium and quickly warped back to their home, placing it into a chest carefully. They smiled at it nervously, before grabbing their leaves again. “Okay, their house is that way, Chay!” Phil said, Chayanne bouncing after his father with a smile.
They jogged along the wall northwards, potatoes growing patiently at their right side. At some point, the avian leapt off of the wall and deployed his glider, looking over his shoulder to see his excited egg following after him, mimicking his movements.
They touched down in the forest, trekking forwards and coming upon the house. Made primarily of deepslate with spruce wood touches, a few trees had leaves swaying in the wind. Chay took note of the seemingly work-in-progress statue that was being made, kovan flowers and poppies planted around it.
Through the window he could see Miss Mariana with Juanaflippa, the angel cooking something as the dragon girl noticed the avian and other dragon boy approaching. She tugged on her mother’s cape, who looked towards the door and sighed, making a hand motion to let them in.
The girl rushed up to the sliding glass door, pushing it open with a smile. “Hi, Mister Philza and hi, Chayanne! Come on in,” she beckoned, stepping aside so they could enter the house. It was comfortable inside with a dining room and a kitchen, a tiger skin rug laid on the floor where some of the egg’s toys lay about.
“Ah, eh… hello, Phil,” Mariana said through slightly gritted teeth, pulling away from the stove for a moment. Chayanne saw that she seemed to be making lunch for the four of them, vegan and healthy ingredients sitting on the countertop.
“Hey mate, been a while… how have you two been- er, ¿cómo han estado ?” Phil asked with a smile as he stood in the living room, looking from the angel to his son to Flippa, who was seemingly sorting and putting away and moving around her toys with a sparkling smile on her face.
“Eh, nos las hemos arreglado. Es difícil, ¿sabe? [we've been getting by. It's difficult, you know?]” Mariana remarked with a pensive look on her face for a moment, before turning back to the cooking. “Food should be ready in fifteen minutes. You can sit down wherever, Philza,” the angel said, waving a hand nonchalantly.
“Oh, okay,” the avian said, sitting down on the couch and crossing one leg over the other.
“Chayanne! Can I show you my toys?” Juanaflippa asked with a smile, looking up slightly at her brother. Chayanne was the oldest of all the eggs, so he felt some semblance of responsibility for them- most of the eggs called him hermano mayor , but Tallulah called him tío .
“Okay,” he said with a smile in return, sitting on the rug with her and watching her show him the plushies and action figures. He had some of his own, but his eyes glimmered looking at them. He could see scuffs on the figurines and little dirt stains on the stuffed animals, but it just showed they were all loved a lot.
Chay chose to ignore the tension between his father and Juanaflippa’s mother, back to a small shrine he’d seen as he played pretend with his little sister. However, it went from using her toys to wrestling on the rug, both smiling bright and growling playfully at each other.
“ Niños, ¡la comida está lista! No podéis comer si estáis sucios, lavaros las manos, [Kids, food’s ready! You can't have any if you're dirty though, wash your hands,]” Mariana called out as she held four plates of food, the little dragons’ thrashing against each other coming to a halt.
Flippa rolled off of being overtop Chayanne and the two hustled over to the sink, washing their hands quickly before sitting down at the table. He went much faster than his little sister, who was more methodically cleaning her hands. He’d heard that she had a lot of allergies- it was probably necessary for her, so she wouldn’t get sick.
The four sat at the dining room table with their plates in front of them. Sitting on them was well-cooked quinoa with different seasonings and fresh ingredients, the little chef huffing in acceptance with a small but proud smile as he took a bite.
The flavors happily popped in his mouth and Chay involuntarily chirruped as he chewed, swallowing and quickly diving in for another bite. “ ¿Supongo que eso significa que el chefito acepta mi comida? [I suppose that means the little chef accepts my meal?]” Mariana joked, and the dragon nodded as a smile crept across his cheeks.
Chayanne could hear his dad talking to his… well, tía he supposed, seemingly reminiscing on something or someone. They laughed and told stories, grins on their faces, but he was too sucked in by the delicious meal that sat on his plate to pay the adults’ conversation much mind.
When he’d finished the quinoa with a pleased smile and a sigh, he noticed Juanaflippa looking at him with sparkling eyes, her empty plate pushed to the side. “Chayanne!! Do you want to exchange our gifts?” She asked, tilting her head and blinking owlishly. He smiled and nodded, the two bouncing back off their chairs.
Their fathers watched as they both held carefully wrapped packages, holding the ones they had made in their hands. While Chay had wrapped his with a blue bow, Juana had wrapped hers with an orange bow.
“...Um, you can open mine first,” the girl said sheepishly, sliding the box over to the older dragon. “It’s not very good, but I tried,” she murmured, placing her hands firmly in her lap and watching the boy nod. Normally, he would’ve dove right into the box, ripped it open and thrown the wrapping paper everywhere. But he saw the nervous look on her face, so he was more gentle.
Chayanne gingerly undid the orange bow, setting the ribbon to his side and tearing through the white wrapping paper to reveal a brown box. He opened it, and his green eyes glimmered as he looked at the contents.
He removed a music disc, labeled with ‘Chayanne - Bailando Bachata’. It seemed to be a song by the same guy who he’d been named after by his Papa Missa, and he smiled, setting it down- he’d have to give it a listen!
Next, he removed a small book, bound with leather and string. He lit up as he realized that it was a recipe book, written primarily in Spanish (with two English recipes) and a note from Juanaflippa, saying that her and mama had put it together, but she’d added a couple recipes her papa knew. He was elated; he’d have to cook them all sometime soon.
The last item Chay took out carefully and with a mix of excitement and shock on his face was a weapon- a Grave Metal Ax. It was unenchanted, but that wasn’t important. He looked to the other dragon, then to Mariana, and a massive smile spread across his face.
“ ¡Muchas gracias! ” The boy exclaimed with a bright smile, carefully placing the disc in his backpack, the book at his right hip, and the powerful ax at his left. Once he got it enchanted, he would be unstoppable! “You should open yours next,” he chirruped, sitting on his hands so he wouldn’t wave them around too much.
Juanaflippa nodded and opened the bundle carefully, tying the blue ribbon around her wrist with a bunch of hairbands, scrunchies, and ribbons- Chayanne could only imagine those were for her braids, which would sometimes come undone when she ran about too wildly.
She excitedly removed multiple cases of bullets and some metal polish for her gun, the other dragon grinning as he saw her excitedly show them to her mama, who smiled and nodded. “I see!” The angel laughed as the egg set down the gifts next to her glock, which she removed from her holster, the gun’s safety switched on.
Flippa then pulled out four little bags of flower seeds, shuffling through them with a smile on her face. Chay couldn’t help but smile as well, seeing the younger dragon’s tail wagging behind her. He had a bunch of packets of all types of seeds, so he grabbed some of his rarer flower seeds, hoping she’d enjoy them.
He saw the look that washed over her face as she saw the last two things sitting in the box. Hands shaking slightly, she removed the polaroid camera and photo album, looking at the other child with stars blinking to life in her eyes.
“Uh, so you can take pictures and preserve your memories… I don’t know, maybe you can show it to tío Charlie when he gets back…” Chayanne murmured, one of his fingers twirling a piece of hair.
Click!
He looked up with shock, seeing Juanaflippa with the new camera raised and pointed at him, a mischievous smile on her face. She held it up to him with gentleness in her eyes. “I can show papa that we’re friends now,” she chirped, and Chay was bewildered for a moment.
But he laughed gently, nodding as she put it into the photo album. They exchanged full-hearted thanks, but Mariana explained that this drained her daughter’s social battery, so they’d probably do the rest of the quests on their own. Phil put up his son’s messy blond hair with the orange ribbon after the boy’s insistence.
One of the girl’s braids was now tied with the blue ribbon, the other with a red one. Seeing the mischievous smiles she would have, the glimmer in her eyes as she talked to the other egg, she reminded him a lot of Tilín. Something swelled in his heart.
Before he had to leave, Chayanne pulled Juanaflippa aside for a moment, holding her shoulders. His eyes bore intensely into hers from behind his skeleton mask, and she blinked at him with confusion. He was going to speak, but looking into the ever-pained expression on her face, he could only pull her into a hug.
When they held each other, he found himself able to force out his words, chin resting on the shoulder of the other dragon.
“I will protect you. I failed to protect Tilín, but I will protect you. I will make sure you are safe from monsters and you are safe from misclicks. You mean so much, Flippa. I think the island would break in half if you died.”
He could see how she shook below the hug. He heard the sniffles and felt her arms wrapping around him tighter.
“...thank you, Chayanne… thank you so much.”
“Ah, guapito, I left my communicator on the bedside table, can you grab it for me?”
“Of course, gatinho!”
Roier had wound up staying the night at Cellbit’s place. They had a bit too much wine as they sat on the couch and watched a telenovela together, so they wound up passed out in the master bedroom.
He walked from the small kitchen back to the bedroom, whistling as he went over to the small wooden table. A half-empty glass of water, a clock, and a lamp sat on top of it, but there was no communicator. He huffed and opened the small drawer, smiling with relief as he saw the device.
Roier picked it up and was about to close the drawer, but he paused as he saw what had been under the communicator. It was a small stack of pictures, held together by a rubber band, the one on the top labeled with the coordinates 2165, 72, -1953 .
His curiosity got the best of him and he picked it up with a free hand, another undoing the band while a third covered his mouth as he yawned. The first image was of a rundown shack, a campfire, a cave entrance, and a half-built temple, all up on a hill by what appeared to be the sea, beautiful arches protruding out of the water.
The next image was closer to the house- Roier snorted at how poorly made it was. It was made of both baobab and acacia wood, with a small but shattered window and a door hanging off its hinges. However, his light smile fell as he saw the third image.
It was the inside of the house, and it looked like a mess. There were knocked over and broken chests, a tousled white bed, dried bloodstains splattered across the wood, and two corpses lying on the ground, along with an arm. It was clear there had been a struggle in the house.
There were closer up images of the two bodies: they were both wearing suits and had covered heads, donning identical white masks with a strange logo drawn onto them with black. Then, there were pictures of the insides of the chests, but it all just seemed like the rusted materials of a pretty poor person.
Roier brushed past the photographs of the basic appliances everyone had- crafting table, furnace, stonecutter, anvil- but he stopped on one in particular. All four of his hands started shaking and his eyes went wide in pure shock.
It was an image of a potted flower. A vibrant pink flower, one that he recognized. Seeing it again was like a bullet in his head. He hadn’t seen it in a long time, and it had been in the shaky, blood-dappled hands of one Slime.
How the fuck did Cellbit get these pictures?
Roier left the bedroom with a new mission, going down the hallway and entering the kitchen. Cellbit was continuing to cook over the stove, humming to himself, but he looked up when he heard the other man approaching. “Hey, you got it! Thanks!”
He held out a hand for the device, letting out a proclamation of shock as the arachnid grabbed his forearm instead. “Roier? Uh- ¿estás bien? [are you alright?]” the human asked nervously, eyes examining the serious expression across his face.
“Where did you find these images?” Roier asked, holding them up. Cellbit blinked at them, then back at the other man.
“Well, a week or so back, I went out exploring and found a place. Seemed pretty run-down but it was interesting, so I took some pictures…why?” He tilted his head nervously. The arachnid just huffed a sigh, spreading out the images onto the countertop.
“Do you know what this is?” He asked with force in his voice, pointing aggressively to the image of the potted flower.
“Uh… a flower?” The human muttered, confusion in his eyes. “I can’t see anything else in the picture…” he mused, hearing the other man groan in annoyance.
“It’s not just a flower, Cellbo!” Roier exclaimed, two hands pulling on his hair slightly while one remained trained on the photographs and the other held the communicator. “ Esta es una flor de kovan- ¡es una que Juanaflippa le dio a Slime! Es lo único que llevaba encima la última vez que lo vimos con vida. [This is a kovan flower- it’s one that Juanaflippa gave to Slime! It’s the only thing he had on him the last time we saw him alive!]”
Shock and realization fell across Cellbit’s face, who looked down at the image again, before his eyes flickered back up to his friend’s. “Are you sure?” The human questioned.
“ ¡POR SUPUESTO QUE SÍ! [OF COURSE I’M SURE!]” Roier exclaimed angrily, biting his lip and taking a deep, yet shaky breath. “Guapito, I was the last person to see him alive. I am completely sure that I recognize the thing he was holding to his chest like he’d die without it.”
“I didn’t realize…” the Brazilian said quietly, averting his gaze. Somehow, that just upset the Mexican even more. He grit his teeth, body shaking with a whirlwind of emotions that raged on in him.
Roier wanted to grab all of the pictures off the counter and run. He wanted to grab the file he knew Cellbit had about “The Case of Slimecicle” and run. He wanted to take it all with him and pound on Mariana’s door and show the angel everything.
But he also knew it would be like pouring vinegar into the gaping wound that’s never healed, blood still fresh and visible and exposed to the air. He grabbed his head as the communicator dropped onto the countertop, getting the human’s attention, but the arachnid’s eyes were squeezed shut and his heart was pounding in his head.
Cellbit had so many theories, so many pictures, so many thoughts and so many strings desperately scrambling to loop them all together. It was all in one file, and Roier knew exactly where it was. The human had shown it to him once before.
There were copies of photographs of him and transcriptions of interviews about him. Getting people’s thoughts about Slime, people’s theories about where the man had gone. There were photographs of his old and exploded house, of the pair of boots he’d been wearing when he ran washed up on the sand.
The arachnid knew where it was. The arachnid was upset with his friend for not sharing this new piece of evidence with him. (In Cellbit’s defense, he didn't know that it was related to Slime. However, Roier’s head was screaming too much to think clearly.)
He’d seen how the human’s (hybrid’s? He wasn’t completely sure) disappearance had affected the island so much. People always checked in with each other, were as compassionate with each other as possible. They made sure people knew they were cared for, that their mistakes were mistakes.
As the island’s therapist, Roier had also seen the wounds that it had dug into the hearts and minds of people, though. He thought about all the people who had come in, expressing their regrets about not being as good to him.
Bad sighing and said that he was trying to let Dapper see Juanaflippa more, Foolish tearing up about being so… unthoughtful regarding Mariana’s feelings about Slime. Quackity sobbing about hating Slime and missing him so much, even Wilbur had come in to vent about longing to see his best friend again before he had to go back out on tour. Even Phil had come by the office two days before, saying he was making an effort to not hold any more grudges towards them.
He thought about the playdates he’d monitored when Juanaflippa was in attendance, how she smiled and joked with the other eggs. But he always saw the sadness weighing down her body, the longing that never left her eyes. How she checked to make sure the slime on her head was still there, how play fights became real with her siblings if they said her papa was dead.
And then, Roier’s mind wandered back to Mariana. The poor guy had been an absolute mess of a man since his husband’s disappearance. She was becoming pretty reclusive, and whenever the arachnid came over, the angel had heavy bags under his eyes, uncared for wings, and sloppily thrown together outfits.
He thought about when he helped home his friend who was blackout drunk. Helping him back to her house from Las Casualonas, getting him in bed and seeing her bedroom. The picture of Slime that sat on his bedside table, the paintings, the drawings, the pillow with a white shirt with 3 hearts overtop of it.
The arachnid tucked the angel in, and left the room, but peeked through the crack in the door. Roier saw Mariana grab the image and mumble to it sadly, placing a kiss on it before putting her wedding ring down beside it. He hugged the pillow and started to softly cry before sleep took her.
His broken friend, a shell of who he once was, holding a pillow with one of her missing husband’s shirts on it, feathered wings enveloping himself. His hands shook as he teleported home. That image would forever be burned into the walls of his mind.
Roier knew that if he showed Mariana these pictures, if he showed Juanaflippa these pictures without knowing what had happened? He would just be pouring lava into the gaping wound. He couldn’t burn them. He couldn’t be the reason that they hurt more.
So he sighed, and though tears fell from his face, the arachnid gathered up all the images. He put the rubber band around them, and set the small stack into Cellbit’s free hand as he plated the bacon and pancakes he’d made for them. The human blinked, looking down at his hand, then back at the other man.
“Gatinho… I trust your judgment. Don’t mess this up.”
He smiled, handing him a plate with a serving of the steaming breakfast upon it.
“Thank you for trusting me, guapito.”
Chapter 3: Tiendo A Recordar Cosas De Ayer
Notes:
Chapter title from Sentimental by Joan Sebastian (Approximate translation: I Start To Remember Things From The Past)
No drawing this chapter.Disclaimer: Forever is in this chapter.
Chapter Text
Pomme rubbed her eyes as she blinked awake, sitting up in bed. She yawned and pushed the red blanket off herself, looking into the mirror and carefully donning her black beret, carefully tilting it to her preferred angle on her head.
She changed out of her pajamas into a white shirt with a flowy black skirt, red and blue eyes blinking as a smile danced across the dragon’s lips. Buckling her shoes carefully and picking up her bag, she heard someone teleport in, before being greeted by a familiar and joyful voice.
“ Bonjour, Pomme! Comment vas-tu? Comment s'est passé ton sommeil? [Good morning, Pomme! How are you? How was your sleep?]” She grinned bright as she turned around, looking up excitedly to meet the face of one of her pères , Etoiles. A warrior with a heart of gold and an enchanted scythe by his side, he smiled at his daughter.
Pomme excitedly jumped into her dad’s arms, hearing his laughter ring out in the room as he spun her around. He set down the egg and she grabbed her red notebook, quickly writing on a new page and showing it to the cucumber man.
‘ Bonjour, papa Étoiles! J'ai mis un peu de temps à m'endormir, j'étais trop excité pour aujourd'hui! [Good morning, papa Étoiles! It took me a bit to fall asleep, I was just too excited for today!]’ He laughed gently, nodding in agreement.
“ Moi aussi, Pomme! Nous irons chercher tes sœurs, nous ferons des tâches et nous nous amuserons beaucoup! [Me too, Pomme! We will pick your sisters up, not need to have a single worry about tasks, and have lots and lots of fun!]” She nodded and hopped on the balls of her feet, happily following the man and teleporting to the waypoint ‘Phil & Missa’.
Their two pairs of feet landed on the top of the Wall gently, being greeted instantly. “Morning Étoiles, morning Pomme!” Phil’s familiar and bright as always voice exclaimed. He was bouncing high on the trampoline with Tallulah, whose face lit up with excitement as she heard the sounds of warping.
Lullah stopped herself and hopped onto the moss, quickly grabbing her notebook and showing a page to her friend. ‘¡Buenos días, Manzanita!!!’ she smiled wide and got one in response, Pomme writing on hers as well. ‘Bonjour, Tallulah!!!’ The girls grinned to each other as their little draconic tails wagged slightly, dads looking on with smiles.
“Alright, Tallulah, do you have all your things?” Phil asked his granddaughter, who nodded aggressively, motioning to the multiple bags she carried around with ease. “That’s good. Be good for Étoiles, alright?” She nodded once more and looked over to her tio, a smile on her face.
“Hello, Tallulah! Are you ready to have the most awesome playdate with your friends?” She grinned and wrote on a page, Pomme catching a look over her shoulder. ‘I’m very excited!!! We need to go get mi prima [my cousin], first!’ He smiled. “Of course, of course, let’s teleport right over there!”
All three of them waved goodbye to Phil as they teleported away, pulling up their menus to click on the waystone named ‘ElMariana’. Their feet tapped down onto the grass in front of a bunch of different flowers, a proportional statue in the midst of being built.
It seemed to be the rough shape of a humanoid, sitting cross-legged, waving a hand with their head cocked to the side. Their details couldn’t be made out, but they were surrounded by poppies, kovan flowers, dandelions, red tulips, and peonies.
Though the garden was beautiful, that wasn’t the main point of their mission. Pomme approached the glass front door with Étoiles and Tallulah, blinking at the scene she saw through the glass. Juanaflippa was packing up her backpack with medicines, toys, and epipens, while Mariana was standing at the kitchen counter, placing opaque tupperware into a basket.
“HELLO MARIANA!! HELLO JUANAFLIPPA!!” Étoiles exclaimed with a bright smile, the two in the house jumping at the sound of his voice. The face of the girl with glasses lit up and she slung her backpack over her shoulder, rushing out the door to enwrap the two other eggs into a loving hug.
“Ah, my two flautistas favoritas [favorite flute players] have arrived!” Juanaflippa exclaimed in a smile, slightly lifting the two shorter dragons off the ground, before setting them back down. Pomme could faintly hear her papa and Mariana talking, but she was swallowed up by the tallest girl’s bright smile, hands on her hips.
‘Hi, Flippa! Are you ready to hang out?’ Tallulah signed, and watched the other egg nod aggressively, pushing her glasses back up her nose. The third girl held up her notepad, showing the page that read ‘I am excited to spend time with you’.
Juana put a hand over her mouth, blinking and smiling warmly. “Yeah! I’m so excited to spend time with you two as well,” she laughed, ruffling Tallulah’s fluffy brown hair and patting Pomme’s silky black hijab.
“Where do you want to go?” Mariana was resting in the doorway as she stood beside Étoiles, leaning against the wall. His golden wings and halo sparkled as the sunlight refracted off of her, a smile dancing on his lips. “I am good with anywhere you all can agree on.”
“Saaaame, my friend,” the French man said with a smile, hands on his hips as he looked down at the three girls. “As long as you are all safe, it will be okay.” They all hummed in thought, and Tallulah started writing on her notebook before showing it to the others excitedly.
‘Can we go to my house? I want to show you all El Cielo de Las Tortugas :D’ Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the other four, who chorused hums, nods, and smiles.
“Of course, my queen. Let’s teleport to Wilbur & Tallulah, okay?” Étoiles pitched with a smile, pulling a warp stone out of his bag. Pomme had a smile on her face- she was so excited! She wasn’t sure what the meaning of cielo was, but she had a feeling tortugas meant turtles (or maybe tortoises).
They all pulled out their warp stones and they glowed with the familiar purple power, one of her fingers scrolling through the menu slightly before tapping on ‘Wilbur & Tallulah’. In an instant, she was whisked away as the ground below her feet morphed from grass to spruce planks. Pomme had visited a couple times, but it was always a pleasure to return to Torre de Tallulah y Wilbur.
She stepped out onto the grass in front of the three-story gothic tower, made of spruce wood and topped with a teal roof. A few cherry blossom trees grew up out of the ground, a flower garden up a small hill as the river danced just outside the fence.
The waystone hummed behind her as the rest of them teleported through, taking in the crisp air of the area. “ Esto sigue siendo hermoso, Tallulah, [It remains beautiful here, Tallulah,]” Mariana said with a smile, ruffling the girl’s hair. Tallulah smiled and pulled out her notepad, quickly scrawling onto a paper and holding it up.
‘¡Gracias, tía! Tu casa también es preciosa :) ¿Crees que los demás dragones y yo podríamos dibujar juntos la próxima vez? ¡Prometo que seremos buenos! [Thank you, auntie! Your house is beautiful as well :) Do you think me and the other dragons could draw together next? I promise we'll be good!]’
Juanaflippa read the page and nodded aggressively, Pomme mimicking the motion as all three of the dragons looked up at the angel with large, sad eyes. Étoiles read the message’s translation and grinned, the adults nodding in tandem.
“Of course, my queen. Let’s find a big, big canvas for you all, okay?” The cucumber pitched, getting enthusiastic nods. They all worked together on gathering the materials and crafting, managing to make one big canvas where all three eggs could draw on the ground. They profusely thanked the adults, and got right to forging their respective art pieces.
Pomme sat down on the large canvas as she painted, tongue sticking out of her mouth ever-so-slightly. She carefully dipped her brush into the paints her mom Baghera had gotten her, dragging it across the white surface and swirling it to make the sea’s waves, deciding she’d draw her parents on the beach.
Peeking up, she noticed Tallulah with flowers on the ground beside her, pressing them onto the canvas around silhouettes of her and Wilbur, creating the illusion of the two standing in a field of flowers. She looked up as she felt the French dragon’s eyes on her, smiling slightly, and getting a small smile back.
Pomme’s eyes trailed over to Juanaflippa, the oldest of the three lounging dragons. The girl was lying on her stomach and kicking her feet, holding colored pencils and relaxing in a manner where the other egg couldn’t quite see just what she was drawing.
Mariana and Étoiles sat upon a small bench, talking to one another in their native languages and relying on their translators. The cucumber had a bright smile as he made exaggerated movements about fights he wanted to have. Meanwhile, the angel was simply relaxing, pitching in and providing little stories when prompted by the other man.
Pomme wasn’t focused on whatever ‘slime’ stuff they were talking about, though. She was curious about what her friend was drawing.
Leaving the paint to dry, she scooted over to Juana, hearing the girl’s peaceful humming and seeing the corner of her smile. She grabbed her notepad and quickly wrote a message on the page, tapping the other egg’s shoulder. She turned her head and sat up, legs shifting in a way where, once more, Pomme couldn’t see the drawing.
‘How is your drawing going, Juanaflippa?’ The paper read, and the girl smiled warmly. “Ah, it’s going really well! It’s not done yet, but thanks for asking!” She exclaimed with a smile, chocolate brown eyes owlishly blinking. “What about you? How’s your drawing going?”
Pomme quickly scrawled onto her paper, holding up a message reading ‘It’s going good! The paint is drying, but do you want to see it?’ The other dragon nodded with a bright smile, the two of them crawling over to observe the splashing ocean waves the French egg had drawn, getting a long whistle out of Juanaflippa.
“ Por Satán [By Satan], that looks amazing!” She squealed happily, tightly hugging the hijabi girl as they giggled in tandem. Tallulah looked up from her flower pressing and smiled at the sight of the two intertwined in a hug, holding up a page and shaking her maraca a couple times to catch their attention.
‘Do you want to see mine?’ The paper read. The two other eggs nodded and shuffled over, eyes lighting up as they looked at the art. The flowers looked like they were swaying in the wind, in the background and foreground compared to the two figures. Flippa excitedly cheered and applauded as Pomme provided a small smile and a thumbs up, getting the same in return.
‘Now you should show us yours, Juana!’ Tallulah wrote with a devious smile on her face, the French dragon nodding in agreement. The eldest girl sighed and shrugged, dragging her hands down her face. “Fine, it’s not done though,” she groaned, motioning over to where her colored pencils sat.
The three made their way over there, Pomme looking down at the drawing with confusion. It was a nice drawing, yes, but she wasn’t sure who all three people in the drawing were. She recognized tonton Phil and a younger Juanaflippa, but not who the third man was.
Juanaflippa was joyfully dancing in a cramped bedroom with tiny fires lit on the floor, and a glock in her hand. Phil was watching with rage, confusion, and irritation on his face, standing in a hole in the stone wall with an ax in one hand and a shield in the other. Neither of them were drawn all too well, but the third man was.
The human’s light brown hair fell to his ears, swooped to the left side of his face. He had blue-gray eyes that twinkled behind blue-rimmed glasses, a smile dancing across his lips with the rest of his body. His mouth was open as he sang, phone playing a song- he wore a white shirt with three red hearts on it, pale blue jorts, and black sneakers.
‘That looks so good!!!’ Tallulah wrote on her paper as she grinned, eyes sparkling as Juanaflippa murmured out thanks, looking away with cheeks flushed by embarrassment. ‘Yeah! It looks great! Who’s that guy, though?’ Pomme wrote, pointing a finger at the man with brown hair.
“Ah, that’s my papa!” The girl exclaimed with a smile, motioning to the little slime that sat on her head. “He gave me Gunk to watch over me.” The French egg blinked, looking from the drawing to her tante Mariana, then to the drawing, then to her tante, then back to the spectacled dragon with confusion on her face.
‘I thought tante Mariana was your papa?’ Pomme wrote, trying to wrap her head around it all. She’d never heard about Juanaflippa having another father.
“No! That’s mama, this is papa, ” she stressed the word, pointing to the drawing. “He, uh…” she fell quiet for a moment, biting her lip. “Papa went missing a while ago, before your parents arrived- even before the Brazilians arrived!” She exclaimed with a somber smile on her face.
Pomme opened her mouth and nodded, feeling a tap on her shoulder as Tallulah lifted up a small slip of paper with her writing on it. ‘Pomme’s paint needs to dry, and I could use a bit of a drawing break- do you guys want to weave flower crowns?’ She asked.
The other two nodded in response, Juanaflippa looking over to the talking adults. “Mama! Tío Étoiles!” They perked up at the sound of their names, looking over. “Can we go get flowers from Lulu’s garden to make flower crowns?”
Pomme gave her dad the biggest saddest eyes she could muster, seeing him smile. “Of course, my girls! Let me accompany you,” he exclaimed with a smile, rising to his feet. “That’s okay with you, Mariana?”
The angel shrugged. “ Estas bien [It’s fine], I’ll be here,” she said, ruffling his daughter’s hair.
Pomme watched them after she finished brushing off her black skirt, blinking and unconsciously biting the inside of her cheek. She didn’t quite understand what Juanaflippa had going on… maybe her ‘papa’ was an imaginary friend of hers? That would explain why she’d never heard a word about the man before.
Whatever: whether her “papa” was a figment of her imagination or not, Pomme was Juanaflippa’s friend, and she was going to stick by the other girl’s side.
At approximately 10pm, Fit is sitting down at the bar of Las Casualonas, excited and loud conversations occurring around him. He has been for a bit, actually- Ramon went to bed early after working hard on his machines, so his dad came here to destress and chat.
The human man took a sip of his beer, smiling as Phil sighed. He dragged his hands down his face as Forever yelled a drunken goodbye to the avian, being pulled out of the bar by Felps. The man took a swig of his wine and groaned slightly, shaking his head slightly.
“Seriously, dude- he’s nice but he doesn’t seem to hear me when I say that I’m not interested,” he sighed. “As far as I’m aware, he hasn’t met Missa, but he won’t listen when I say that I have a husband. At least he’s really sweet with Chayanne and Tallulah- especially Tallulah.”
“Don’t worry about it, Phil! Forever will get it one of these days. Keep your chin up king, your crown is falling.” Fit was grinning to Phil, who cackled out a laugh, smacking the bar as he wheezed. His metal arm lightly punched the other man’s shoulder, snickering with laughter as well.
“Thanks mate,” he said, taking another small sip of his wine. “I don’t usually come here, since it’s always so fuckin loud, but it’s nice to come here when it’s more empty.”
The front door clicked open and someone walked in. Before he could turn around to look at them, a very familiar voice greeted the human’s ears: “Ay, Fit, man!”
Fit was excited to see his friend, but also, it probably wasn’t good that he was there… he isn’t going to say that, though, as he turns around on his stool and puts on a shining smile. “Heyyyy, Mariana! Nice to see you, man!”
Mariana had a bright smile on her face, accompanying the now-common bags under his eyes and slightly dressed-up dark brown hair. Her wings were clearly not tended to, the halo above his head slightly duller than it had been last time he’d seen her, picking flowers with Juanaflippa. “Been too long, Don Huevo, c’mere!”
The human just laughed as he planted a kiss on his head, their signature greeting. “Phil, hey!” The angel waved to the avian, who simply raised his wine glass in greeting with a small smile on his lips. She playfully wrapped an arm around both the shorter men. “How have you two been? How are Ramón, Tallulah and Chayanne?”
Fit smiled and lightly jabbed him in the side of her stomach with an elbow. “We aren’t just parents, asshole! I’ve been good, though, I’ve been good. Actually thinking about starting up a gym on the island at some point. It’s just an idea for now, though.” He waved his hand nonchalantly, a smile still dancing across his face. “Phil over here was just telling me about a little romance problem he’s been having,” he said with a smug grin, getting a snort from Phil and an ‘ooo’ from Mariana.
“Nah, Fit’s making it sound bigger than it is. Forever’s been flirting with me, and won’t listen when I tell him to bug off, is all.” The avian waved his hand dismissively, smiling sweetly. “He’s nice, he cares, it’s just a little annoying. Aside from that, I’ve been well! Added a little bit of flair to my backpack yesterday,” he added with a smile, motioning to the black bag with a skull decoration on it.
“Ooooo, ¡eso se ve genial! [that looks cool!] It’s to, uh, describer [represent] Missa, sí ?” Mariana said with a bright smile on his face, eyes shining though there was a kind of sadness behind the shimmers.
“Yeah, exactly,” Phil said with a smile, returning it onto his back. “How have you been, though, Mariana? Uh, ¿cómo has estado - that’s how you say it in Spanish, right?”
The angel nodded with a smile. “ Sí, sí. Been as good as I can be, you know? Sólo intento mantenerme ocupado, sin hacer ningún proyecto en particular ahora mismo. [Just trying to keep myself busy, not doing any projects in particular right now.]”
“I get it. Chayanne and Tallulah have big things they’ve been wanting to do, so I’ve been their little assistant for a bit,” Phil remarked with a small laugh. “Between the potato farm and those weird plant pets, they’re pulling me left and right.”
“Same with Ramón. He’s building all these machines I can’t even start to wrap my head around.” Fit shook his head, but a grin crept up to his cheeks. “I’m so proud of him, my baby boy is muy inteligente [very smart].”
“Mhm, mhm, Juanaflippa ha estado dibujando mucho, y tiene un montón de libros sobre el simbolismo en las flores. [Juanaflippa's been doing lots of drawing, and she's got a bunch of books on symbolism in flowers.]” Mariana seemed to swell with pride, talking about her daughter’s achievements. “She has even been teaching me so my English will improve!”
Fit opened his mouth to say something in response, but was silenced by Maxo coming over. “ ¡Hola, amigos! Necesito tomar prestada a Mariana por un rato, ¿está bien? [Hello, my friends! I need to borrow Mariana for a bit, is that alright?]” The smugly grinning human threw an arm around the angel’s shoulders, getting a playful scolding in Spanish.
Phil couldn’t help but laugh at the sight in front of him. “You’re all good, Max,” the avian said with a nod.
“Yeah! Just, ah,” Fit leaned towards Max’s ears, quietly whispering to him. “Just make sure she doesn’t drink too much, okay? I’m worried about him.” The Mexican human smiled and nodded, silently swearing that he’d do his best.
“ ¡Genial; vamos, ElMariana, tenemos cosas que discutir! [Great; come on, ElMariana, we have things we must discuss!]” The two had smiles on their faces as they trotted off, disappearing into some sort of secret room as the English speakers watched them go.
Fit sighed heavily. “Do you think she’s doing alright?”
Phil barked out a laugh. “Absolutely not, mate. He puts on a strong front for her daughter, for his friends, but she’s definitely not doing okay. Who would be after all he’s been through?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” the human said as he swallowed down the last sip of his beer. “Let’s keep an eye on her after he and Max are done talking about whatever, alright?”
Unfortunately for them, by the time he left the back room after maybe an hour, Mariana already seemed pretty buzzed. She refused to talk about what had happened, giggling and drinking and dancing with them, a strange smile on his face but a dazed look in her eyes.
Phil had to go early, and they sadly waved goodbye to the avian. Though Fit was watering down Mariana’s drinks, it was clear he was pretty drunk. From the giggly demeanor shifting into an emptiness, a sadness she would wipe away only a moment later, the angel was surely intoxicated.
Fit needed to go as well, since he needed to be up in the morning for Ramón, but he was worried about leaving Mariana there. Looking around, he saw the few other people in the building, wondering who he should ask to keep an eye on her. He spotted a familiar hybrid and walked over, waving gently with a smile.
“Hey, Quackity! How are you doing, man?”
The duck hybrid raised a raven-haired eyebrow and smiled crookedly, waving back to the human as his recently-preened golden wings twitched. “Hey Fit! I’m doing alright, what about you?”
“I’m doing good! Hey, sorry to bother you, but could I ask you for a favor? Promise I’ll pay you back just need some help,” Fit said, eyebrows stitched together and a slightly crooked smile on his face, getting a sigh from Quackity.
“Depends on what it is.”
“Okay, uh-” the human leaned against the wall next to the duck, both of them looking at Mariana. Her head was down and he was kicking her feet, celestial wings drooping with a bottle in one hand that sat atop the bar. “I have to get going, but can you just- keep an eye on Mariana? She isn’t doing well.”
Quackity scoffed a laugh. “Yeah, no shit he isn’t doing well. Slime’s been missing for who fucking knows how long now.” He pushed a few strands of black hair back under his dark blue beanie. “But yeah, I, uh, I can make sure she doesn’t die. I’ll get him home, if that reassures you at all.”
Fit sighed in relief, laughing slightly. “Thanks so much, Quackity, really sorry to bother you with this-”
The duck hybrid waved the human off. “Shut up, Fit, don’t worry about it. I can keep an eye on her, you just go get some sleep, okay?” He smiled and nodded, exchanging goodbyes and grins.
Quackity sat down at the bar next to Mariana, his head tilting up from her resting on his forearms, a smile wavering on her face. “Hola Quackity!!!” He said, clearly intoxicated from the facts: her breath reeked with alcohol, the hazy look in his usually focused eyes, and she looked two seconds away from passing out or breaking down in tears, and the duck hybrid wasn’t sure which one he wanted to see less.
“Mariana! ¿Cómo estás, mi amigo? [How are you, man?]” He smiled slightly, dull brown eyes meeting nearly pitch black. “ Has bebido bastante, ¿eh? [You’ve had a good bit to drink, eh?]” The angel snickered.
“Vaya, ¿cómo te diste cuenta? No es como si estuviéramos en el bar o algo así. [Wow, how could you tell? It's not like we're at the bar or anything.]” Mariana joked with a grin, bumping shoulders with him lightly and getting a laugh in response. “Pero estoy bien, supongo. Juanaflippa está durmiendo a pierna suelta en casa, así que he pensado que podría darme el gusto de salir una noche. [I’m alright though, I guess. Juanaflippa's sleeping soundly at the house, so I figured I might as well treat myself to a night out.]”
Quackity hummed in response and nodded, a smirk tweaking at the corner of his mouth. The little slime that Slime had given her was sleeping on his shoulder, tendrils wrapping under his armpit and latching onto her shirt. “Awww, el pequeño se durmió, [the little guy fell asleep,]” The duck hybrid cooed, motioning to it with one hand.
“ Su nombre es Goop, [His name is Goop,]” Mariana corrected, pouting slightly.
“ Ah, lo siento, lo siento. Goop está durmiendo, y probablemente tú también deberías, [Ah, sorry, sorry. Goop’s sleeping, and you probably should be too,]” Quackity pitched to his friend, wordlessly praying that she would go home and go to bed and it could be his turn to drink absurd amounts of alcohol.
Mariana shook his head wordlessly, taking another long sip of her beer. “ No quiero ir a casa, [Don’t wanna go home,]” he grumbled with annoyance, putting her head back down onto his arms.
“ ¿Por qué? Si no vas a casa, Juanaflippa podría asustarse porque su mamá no está en casa. [Why, man? If you don’t go home, Juanaflippa might get scared cause her mom isn’t home.]” Quackity tilted his head and placed the side down on the table, winding up face to face with the intoxicated angel as she tilted his head towards her friend.
“ Porque cada puñetera vez que vuelvo a casa y me tumbo en la cama, me acuerdo de que mi hijo-de-puta esposo no está y nadie sabe dónde está y que la razón por la que se fue es porque sentía que no se le podía perdonar lo que hizo pero ¡yo también lo hice! Yo también me equivoqué con Juanaflippa, man, y no sé por qué todo el mundo me ha perdonado pero joder, ¡yo le perdonaría si estuviera aquí de una puta vez y no desaparecido sin que nadie tuviera ni idea de dónde coño está! ”
[Because every goddamn time I go home and I lie in bed, I’m reminded that my fucking husband isn’t there and nobody knows where he is and that the reason he left is because he felt he couldn’t be forgiven for what he did but I did that too! I misclicked Juanaflippa too, man, and I don’t know why everyone’s forgiven me but fuck, I would forgive him if he were just fucking here and not missing with nobody having any idea of where the hell he is!]
Mariana curled up into the fetal position on her stool and started to sob into his arms, pale wings protectively wrapping around herself like a cocoon.
Quackity bit his lip and looked away, not sure what to say.
After all, of all the people most impacted by Charlie’s disappearance, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say it deeply affected him too- not as much as it affected his wife and daughter, but a lot nonetheless.
The peculiar and slimy man had been a close friend to the duck hybrid- they always excitedly greeted each other. Hell, it could be argued that when there were playdates, they were more excited to see each other than the kids were to see each other.
He was still biting his lip.
And then Slime slashed too wide and killed Tilín and ran and nobody’s seen him since.
Quackity had originally been mad- no, he was fucking enraged . He killed his friend’s child, his daughter’s best friend, his godchild, and then just ran. How the fuck was he supposed to forgive him? But over time, the anger had faded, replaced by sadness and by emptiness. His best friend was gone- hell, he didn’t know if he was even alive.
Charlie was one of the funniest fucking guys on the island. He clicked with everyone, making bits that could send anyone into laughing fits, always seeming to have a vibrant smile on his face. And then he was gone, and he left a gaping hole only he could fill.
He was still biting his lip.
The French had arrived, the Portuguese had arrived, but there was a Slimecicle-shaped hole even the newcomers could sense. Mariana and Juanaflippa had been torn in twain, with aching hearts and tears ever-burning in their eyes. They were hollowed out, holding onto each other and hoping, praying that he would come home.
Sometimes, Quackity found himself doing so as well, sitting on the living room floor and hoping to the divine Charlie would return, even in exchange for him, if just for Mariana and Juanaflippa to be whole again.
His lip had started to bleed. He stopped biting it. He sighed.
“ ¿Sería mejor si me fuera a casa contigo, y me quedara? No necesito dormir contigo, puedo estar en el sofá o algo así, pero… [Would it be better if I went home with you, and stayed? I don’t need to sleep with you, I can just be on the couch or something, but…]” He gently placed a hand on the small of Mariana’s back. “ …No iré si necesitas que me quede. […I won’t go if you need me to stay.]”
She sniffled and raised his head up, giving a very small nod. “ Gracias… [Thank you…]” she murmured, rising to his unsteady feet, supporting herself with a hand on the bar. Quackity wrapped one of his arms around his shoulder, letting her lean into him slightly as he fumbled to pull out his warp stone.
Holding Mariana tight and envisioning the angel’s house, the two teleported together and their feet went from the cold floor of Las Casualonas to grass wet with dewdrops. They made their way into the house, the duck hybrid closing the glass door behind the duo and helping the stumbling woman kick off her heeled boots.
“ Vamos, Mariana, tenemos que llevarte a tu habitación, [Come on, Mariana, we gotta get you to your room,]” Quackity grumbled, taking off his shoes beside the two pairs and walking up the stairs with him. Their footfalls were light enough to not wake up Juanaflippa, who was probably sleeping soundly in her room.
They walked up to one of the dark doors, the duck hybrid pushing it open with one shoulder to reveal Mariana’s bedroom. He lay her down on the queen-sized bed with tousled white blankets, pulling them over the drowsy angel as she lay on his side.
Quackity almost missed how she pawed at the bed in front of him, as though trying to hold something that wasn’t there- it felt like a stab in the heart. She removed his own glasses and placed it next to a photograph of Slime, giving the image a small kiss, before burying herself in the blankets and pillows.
“ Por favor, no me dejes… [Please don’t leave me…]” Mariana whispered as the man started to leave his bedroom, one amber eye cracked open and watching the duck hybrid, small tears puddling in the corner of it. “ No quiero estar sola… [I don’t want to be alone…]”
Quackity sighed in defeat, closing the door and remaining in the room. “ Muy bien, pendejo, muévete. [Alright, idiot, move over,]” the duck hybrid grumbled, lying in bed next to the angel. They both lay on their backs wearing their full clothes, large pale wings overlapping small gold wings.
“ Gracias, Quackity... buenas noches, [Thank you, Quackity… goodnight,]” she murmured, rolling onto his side to face away from him with her wings wrapped around himself. The duck just huffed slightly and nodded, turning onto his side as well, backs pressing together.
“ Buenas noches, Mariana. Que duermas bien. [Goodnight, Mariana. Sleep well.]”
For the first time in the last week, neither of them has sleep plagued by nightmares.
“MARIANA!!!”
A familiar voice yelled out to the angel, who had been walking with his daughter. Mariana and Juanaflippa both looked over with raised eyebrows, seeing Roier, Bad, and Dapper rush towards them. The arachnid had two letters in his hands, while the charcoal-skinned demon had a wicker basket on one arm, the dragon jogging alongside his father.
“Ay, Roier, BadBoy, Dapper!” The angel greeted with a crooked and tired smile, his daughter waving her hand and grinning brightly as the three approached them.
“Hey Mariana, nice to see you!” Bad said with a smile, coming to a halt in front of them as Dapper bumped into his leg. “Oh- you okay, Dappy?” They nodded and smiled up to her father before waving to Juanaflippa, and getting an equally joyful wave back.
“Marianaaaaa, ¡¡Celbo y yo tenemos las invitaciones listas!! [Cellbo and I got the invites ready!!]” Roier waved the letters around excitedly, handing one to each of them with a bright smile on his face as he hopped on the balls of his feet. “ ¡Hola a ti también, Juana! [Hello to you too, Juana!]” He grinned, ruffling the draconic girl’s hair.
“ Cálmate, pendejo, [Calm down, dumbass,]” Mariana laughed, opening her letter and pulling out the card inside, eyes scanning across it.
Cellbit & Roier te invitamos a celebrar con nosotros Nuestra Boda A las 4PM (PST) el viernes 16/06 en la Iglesia QSMP - VÍSTETE APROPIADAMENTE.
*Está prohibido hablar de política durante la ceremonia.
[Cellbit & Roier Invite you to celebrate their Wedding at 4pm (PST) on Friday 06/16 at QSMP Church - Dress Properly.
*It is forbidden to discuss politics during the ceremony.]
The angel bit the inside of his cheek as she read the invitation slowly, internally processing the words. He ignored the bile that burned the back of her throat, because she had to be happy for him. It wasn’t time for reminiscing.
“ Esto es impresionante, tío Roier, ¡muchas gracias! ¡Seguro que asistiremos! [This is awesome, uncle Roier, thank you so much! We’ll be in attendance for sure!]” Juanaflippa had a vivid smile on her face as her eyes shimmered, Mariana nodding in agreement.
“Are you going, Bad, Dapper?” He asked with a raised eyebrow and a cocked smirk, trying to make her amber eyes twinkle from behind his glasses.
“Yeah, of course! It’s going to be a lot of fun,” the demon said with a toothy grin on his face, son nodding in agreement.
“ Nos pondremos guapas para la ocasión, tía- ¡Más te vale a ti también! [We’ll look our best for the occasion, auntie- you better as well!]” Dapper said as she fidgeted with a stim toy in his left hand, a smile on their face as she bumped shoulders with Juanaflippa lightly, getting bumped back slightly harder.
The two eggs had been hanging out more, Bad pushing Mariana to let the little dragons hang out. He’d set up playdates for the two, talking to her as the children would play- he wasn’t bad, contrasting his name (and his past view of the demon).
He complimented the angel’s outfits, and though their relationship had been… rocky, they got along, as well as Dapper and Juanaflippa. The two would talk about animals and music and life in a mix of English, Spanish, and Draconic.
Sometimes the eggs sat together almost out of earshot, quietly speaking in draconic with hands held together tightly. Mariana didn’t know what they discussed, but her daughter always had a smile after the conversations, so he didn’t press. However, she’d been getting closer with Bad, who sometimes gifted them things and vice versa.
“Also- Mariana, Juanaflippa, this is for you two! Dapper helped me get everything together.”
Speaking of which, the demon was extending the basket he’d previously had on his arm out to them, a smile on his face. “We got a good few extra crops this time around, so it would be rude not to share! Please, take this!” He pushed it into the angel’s arms, who blinked in shock. He’d never get used to the gifts from him.
“Eh– uh, thanks, man,” Mariana said as a slight embarrassed blush crept across her cheeks, avoiding Bad’s smug gaze and lifting the lid of the basket. Inside were, as could be suspected, a bunch of fruits and vegetables. There were also a couple bottles of wine (courtesy of… AyPierre, apparently) and some different jams.
“This is– too much, are you sure?” His eyes shined with surprise as she met his eyes again, looking between Dapper and their father.
“Of course, Mariana! You deserve it, you muffinhead, and you two have more use for our crops than anyone else!” The demon had a smile on his face, and the angel couldn’t help reciprocating as their daughters excitedly chirruped to one another in a language neither could comprehend- that is to say, draconic.
“Sorry to interrupt, but, ah- Mariana, hay dos cosas más que quiero preguntarte sobre la boda [there are two more things I want to ask you about regarding the wedding].” Roier had a bright smile on his face, one hand up as two rested on his hips and the fourth toyed with the drawstring of his hoodie.
“ Sí, ¿qué pasa? [Yeah, what’s up?]” Mariana asked with a raised eyebrow, not seeing the excited look on Bad’s face as he and Dapper stepped to the side. The arachnid man took a deep breath, seeming nervous but excited to say whatever he was going to say.
“ ¿Puedes hacer una actuación en la boda? Puede ser en cualquier idioma; algo que todo el mundo pueda bailar, eso es todo. Tienes una voz preciosa, todos los que te han oído cantar pueden atestiguar- [Can you do a performance at the wedding? It can be in whatever language; something everyone will be able to dance to, is all. You have a lovely voice, everyone who’s heard you sing can attest to that-]”
“I can attest to that!” Bad intercepted with a smile.
“ -y significa mucho para mí si aceptaras hacerlo. No tienes por qué hacerlo, no te sientas presionado, pero me encantaría que actuarás en mi boda. [-and it would mean the world to me if you agreed to do so. You don’t have to, please don’t feel pressured, but I’d love it if you’d perform at my wedding.]”
Roier was biting his cheeks as his red eyes met brown. Mariana opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for air, wings hanging limply behind him and halo dimming ever-so-slightly, only noticed by Juanaflippa.
Two things screamed in her mind- excitement and envy. Excitement because Roier had asked him! Roier had asked her to be the singer for the wedding, and he loves to sing, so how could she refuse? But he was envious because her best friend was getting… well…
Oh, he doesn’t have time to reflect on the past. She can wallow later. He needs to be happy, Juanaflippa’s looking at her nervously.
Mariana took the arachnid’s hands, halo brightening back up and a smile spreading on his cheeks. “ Roier, estaría jodidamente feliz de actuar en tu boda. [Roier, I would be so fucking happy to perform at your wedding.]”
Roier’s face brightened up. “ ¡Oh, gracias a Dios! Tu silencio me preocupó por un segundo, eso habría hecho mi otra petición mucho más incómoda. [Oh, thank god! Your silence worried me for a second, that would have made my other request way more awkward.]” He laughed and nudged the angel, seeing her blink with confusion.
“ Entonces, ¿cuál es la segunda pregunta? [What’s the second ask, then?]” He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, seeing her friend nonchalantly shrug whilst he took a sip of her water.
“ Iba a pedirte que fueras mi padrino junto a Jaiden. [Oh, I was just going to ask you to be my best man alongside Jaiden.]”
Mariana had a full on spit take as the words registered in his head, coughing with her hands on his knees, blinking wildly. “ NO MAMES, MAN! PUTA MADRE, no puedes soltar eso a un tipo! [No fucking way, man! Motherfucker, you can’t just spring that on a guy!]”
She laughed with a hand on his forehead, still stunned as she dragged a hand down his face. “ No estás jugando conmigo, ¿verdad? Estás siendo honesto, ¿verdad? [You aren’t messing with me, right? You’re being honest, right?]” When she got a nod from Roier, his laughter morphed into cackling as it became hysterical. “ Mami, dame un puñetazo, necesito asegurarme de que esto no es un sueño. [Mami, punch me, I need to make sure this isn’t a dream.]”
Mariana crouched down and held the girl’s hands gently, mania in her eyes. Juanaflippa then proceeded to crack her mother straight across the face, watching as he fell face-first into the dirt, the laughter fading. A beat of silence hung over them.
“What the fudge was that, Mariana?!”
“ Tía, ¿estás bien? [Auntie, are you okay?]”
“Mama!”
“EY, WHAT THE FUCK, MEIN???”
Mariana lay down in the dirt, not minding how a worm- well, wormed , past her cheek. Roier was asking him, a fucked-up angel with a missing husband, who drinks her sorrows away at a club the arachnid co-owns and has meltdowns and is only staying alive for his daughter, to be his best man?
Mariana wasn’t yet convinced that he wasn’t in a dream- maybe it was a nightmare. She didn’t know if he wanted to wake up, whichever it wound up being. She was afraid of what might greet him when she’d awaken, but he did know she needed to pop back up so the others wouldn’t be… too worried about her.
“ Lo siento, es que… [Sorry, it’s just…]” He twirled a hand through the air, sighing and running it through his hair. “ No sé por qué querrías que fuera tu padrino, de entre toda la gente... ya tienes a Jaiden, ¿verdad? [I don’t know why you’d want me to be your best man, of all people- you already have Jaiden, right?]”
Roier laughed at Mariana, wrapping an arm around her and brushing the dirt off her skin with another. “ Por supuesto, man, ¡eres mi mejor amigo! Estamos juntos en las buenas y en las malas. Sería un honor tenerte como mi padrino. [Of course, man, you’re my best friend! We’re together through thick and thin- I’d be honored to have you as my best man.]”
The angel was stunned before laughing hollowly, wiping a tear from his eye. “ Gracias, Roier. Sería un honor ser tu padrino. [Thanks, Roier. I’d be honored to be your best man.]” She playfully saluted him and smiled, looking at him and Bad. “We just have to ride bikes around Spawn as our last task, would you three like to join me and Juanaflippa?”
“It’s gonna be so fun!” Juana exclaimed, green tail swishing and a grin on her face as she leaned towards Dapper. They tugged on his father’s sleeve and looked up pleadingly, getting a laugh from the demon.
“We still have to do that task as well, so, sure! Roier, you should join us.” Bad’s black tail swished through the air as he looked at the arachnid expectantly, who grinned.
“Of course, of course!” All four of Roier’s hands gave thumbs-ups. The five of them grabbed their warp stones and teleported back to spawn, scavenging bicycles from the depths of their (mostly-organized) backpacks. They biked around the trees and sights, admiring every green leaf that fell and dotted the dirt paths.
After enjoying the sights and tokyo-drifting with the radio of Pierre and Pomme, Mariana and Juanaflippa waved goodbye. The two teleported back to the house, both their masqueraded and dramatic energy levels falling. They both liked talking to the others, and were both excited for the wedding now, but they were also very tired.
“ Bueno, mami, ¿qué quieres hacer ahora? Puedo empezar con la cena, si quieres, [Well, mami, what do you want to do now? I can just get started on dinner, if you want,]” the angel pitched as she opened the door, letting himself and her daughter in. The dragon nodded and murmured out a little por favor as she flopped down onto the cushy couch.
Mariana got to cooking and turned on some music, setting the basket full of ingredients down onto the countertop. He threw foodstuffs together according to a recipe, and sang along to the songs she knew. After only a blink of time, the meal was finished- albeit, he’d made too much for the two of them.
Force of habit, she supposed.
“Juanaflippa, la cena está lista, ¡vengan por su comida! [dinner is ready, come get your food!]” Mariana called over his shoulder as the girl came toddling in, tablet hanging from a strap over her shoulder. Juanaflippa set it down carefully and watched as her mother poured some of the potato soup into a bowl for her.
The angel handed it gently to the dragonette, who winced at the heat on her hands, but walked over to the table and set it down at her place. She rushed back into the kitchen to grab spoons, putting them at the dinner table and sitting in her chair. Mariana sat down at his with her bowl of soup, thanking his daughter for getting the silverware for both of them. The two talked about the day peacefully, Juanaflippa using english to help her mom get better at understanding it. They focused on each other and the food, refusing to take note of the empty chair that sat across from the angel and to the dragon’s left.
“ Muy bien, ¿qué te parece si nos acostamos un poco antes hoy, mami? [Alright, what do you think about going to bed a little early today, mami?]” He asked as she picked up the two empty bowls after eating their dinners, setting the ceramics into a sink full of warm soapy water. The girl yawned from behind her mother, nodded without a word being uttered.
“ Sí, estoy bastante cansado hoy. Me ha gustado ver a todo el mundo, pero las mazmorras de antes me han agotado, [Yeah, I’m pretty tired from today. I liked seeing everyone, but the dungeons earlier took a lot out of me,]” Juanaflippa explained as she rubbed her eyes under her glasses.
The angel nodded and hummed in agreement, opening the bedroom door and descending into the girl’s room. The dragon changed into a pair of black shorts and an oversized white shirt with three red hearts on it, being tucked into bed by Mariana.
“ ¿Quieres un cuento o una nana o algo esta noche, mami? [Do you want a story or lullaby or anything tonight, mami?]” He asked as she took out the young girl’s braids, setting the hair ties down on the bedside table. Juanaflippa was tired, so she simply murmured historia [story] before burying the side of her face into the cushy pillow.
Mariana nodded and grabbed the chapter book they’d been reading, flipping to the bookmark and clearing his throat. She read most of the chapter to the girl slowly so she could understand everything, but stopped as he realized the girl had fallen asleep.
She smiled and slipped in the bookmark, planting a small kiss on Juanaflippa’s forehead. The dragon smiled gently as an unconscious reaction before her mother ascended the stairs, closing the door behind him. The angel sighed and put his hands on the counter, grabbing one of the bottles of wine Pierre had given them.
Mariana filled a glass to near full and downed the red wine, gasping for air and placing it down with a small clink. The memories kept screaming in the back of her head, as he once more became aware of the letter in his pocket; so she went to fill the glass but decided against it.
He sat up on the countertop and grabbed the entire bottle of wine, pressing it to her lips and taking a long drink. He had to forget, it broke her mind, knees pulled up to his chest and bottle clutched in her hands like a lifeline.
Mariana sighed in annoyance when he realized the bottle was empty, setting it down and going to reach for another, but stopping herself. What would Juanaflippa think if she saw empty bottles of wine on the counter? What would his friends think if they saw empty bottles of wine on the counter?
…What would Slime think?
That snapped her out of it.
Mariana dug his fingernails into her palms before grabbing the empty bottle, tossing it out and pinching between his eyes. She groaned and headed up to his room, sitting down on the bed with fists balled up on her lap. His hands wrung together, playing with the wedding ring that sat on her finger.
Mariana remembered that day like it was yesterday. She’d worn a blazer over a long, flowy white dress. Charlie had tucked a detailed black shirt with white sleeves into his pants. Juanaflippa had a red dress that fell to her knees. It hadn’t been a big ceremony. It had just been the three of them. But it was so perfect.
They’d improvised the vows and the ceremony, trying to one-up the other, seeing who would break first as their daughter died from giggles. She’d given them the rings to put onto each other’s fingers. They’d kissed, and hugged their daughter close to their chests.
The three had left for a seaside cliff with dark wood trees, pink blossoms fluttering to the waves that kissed the rocks below them. They ate the snacks they’d packed while wearing their detailed outfits, which they had piece-mealed and stolen from the other islanders, but nobody needed to know that.
Sitting up on that cliff, they came up with a dysfunctional family bit, where they’d be insanely dramatic in their fights and their making up. The girl excitedly encouraged it, and her bright smile only motivated her parents more. The angel loved bits, and he’d just married “yes, and” taken form, so it would be perfect.
They were so lost in the bliss of that day (...and the heat of that night), that they forgot about tasks, clipboards abandoned back at the house. Words can’t explain how much Charlie had apologized to Juanaflippa, according to what she’d tried to convey to Mariana. He took off her wedding ring only to sleep, wearing it around his neck if she had to hide it.
He brought a pillow to her face and screamed into it, flopping down onto the bed. She didn’t bother changing and now didn’t want to take off his wedding ring, so she curled up in bed. His wings cocooned her as he lay in the fetal position, pulling blankets over herself as his communicator sat on the table.
The device buzzed three times, and it pissed Mariana off. She pulled the blankets over his head to drown out the quieter buzzes that continued to occur, closing her eyes. She hadn’t bothered taking off his glasses. She was just so fucking exhausted.
Hopefully, tomorrow’s unavoidable hangover wouldn’t be all too bad.
Chapter 4: You Bleed Just to Know You’re Alive
Notes:
Chapter title from Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
The drawing featured in this chapter was made by frostycola.[Hope you all enjoyed this. Sorry it took so long, we were both busy.]
Chapter Text
“Come on- fuck- we just gotta lose them!”
Rain poured as three guys slid from alleyway to alleyway in the evening, purposefully getting lost in a winding city. Their shoes were slick with water and blood as they ran, all semi-delirious from the pain and insanity of the current situation. The one bleeding from the head was being helped by the two men, one with damaged legs and one without an arm.
They gasped for breath as they stumbled and hid, below an overhang and to the side of a dumpster. Dripping with rainwater, sweat, and multiple people’s blood, they sat on the concrete and coughed, heaving out desperate breaths.
The tall nonbinary wore a gray and red jacket over a white shirt, torn black jeans hanging just above red sneakers. Their near-white eyes were hidden by their light brown hair, as well as the blood dribbling down the sides of their head. They wore a broken, dark gray mask with exposed wiring, the red LEDs no longer functioning as they huffed out breaths.
The mid height man had on a white, gray, and blue hoodie, a baseball cap with dried blood on it sitting on his head. He wore navy blue sweatpants and nondescript dark shoes, though his pants were tattered and freshly stained by profuse amounts of blood and motor oil.
Lastly, the shortest guy wore a green t-shirt below a bulletproof vest, chest stained with blood. He had on blue jeans and red boots, as well as a pair of rectangular blue-rimmed glasses. Two green demonic horns stuck out of his head along with a tail that sat behind him, only having one arm as his left (extremely bloodied) sleeve hung loosely.
The three caught their breath, hiding in the shadows, adrenaline still thundering through their veins. The box, the monster, Hetch, the blood spilling from all of their bodies. What should they do?
“Should…”
Ranboo spoke up, and the other two fell silent, looking at the kid. “Should we go get… b-bandages or something?”
“Definitely, kid,” Sneeg said with a nod, trying to get to his feet but hissing with pain, falling back to his knees. “Shit…”
“Don’t worry guys, I can go get us stuff!” Charlie had a small smile on his face and a glimmer in his eyes, rising to his feet. “You guys just… stay here and stay out of sight, okay?”
“Charlie, you have a demon’s horns and tail, and you are missing an arm.” Ranboo’s voice was shaky, white eyes looking up at the man.
“I’m the only one of us who should be walking, Ran. Trust me, okay?” Charlie had a small forced smile, looking over at Sneeg. “Please keep an eye on the kid, I’ll be right back.” The oldest man huffed and nodded, pulling the kid in to sit next to him.
“Find… a… pharmacy or drugstore,” Ranboo said quietly, getting a silent smile and a nod.
The shortest carefully tucked his tail into his pants, peeking out of the alleyway. There were so many buildings, strange things driving past (cars, right?) and bright lights shining down. They reminded him of the studio lights that had surrounded the kid when he and Sneeg saved them an eerie amount.
Charlie shook his head and squinted, trying to spot any building or sign that matched what Ranboo had said to look for. He spotted the word ‘Pharmacy’ beside a heart with a bandage on it; hopefully, that would work.
He darted out of the alleyway and rushed down the street as quickly as he could, careful to not slip or be caught under the lights that beamed down onto the concrete.
His shoes tapped against the cold ground as he booked it to the store. The falling rain washed some blood from his body, but more just kept gushing out; as a temporary solution, he held it with his good hand.
He reached the front of the building that felt too tall, gray walls in front of him. The inside was lit by light fixtures, and seemingly only one person- a cashier- was in the building. That was good, Charlie didn’t want to attract more attention than necessary.
The doors opened automatically and he stepped in, some ambient music playing from the speakers. Okay, Ranboo said he needed to find bandages, ointment, those kinds of things. He should grab some water as well. He doesn’t have any money, though…
He looked over to the clerk. She was a young woman with light brown hair that was bleached at the ends, falling to her shoulder blades. It was under a red cap and over a red uniform of some sort, seeming to be a polo from what he could see over the till. Maybe he could explain the situation to her, she seemed nice.
The girl’s name tag read ‘Rivers’, her expression horrified and worried as she saw Charlie’s current situation; that is, missing an arm, bleeding from under a bulletproof vest, and with demon horns sticking out of his head.
“ Dios mio , are you okay?” The woman exclaimed with anxiety in her eyes, rushing around the counter and pulling out her cellphone. “Don’t- don’t worry, sir, I’ll call an ambulance for you, we’ll get you taken care of. Por fav - please, just sit down.”
Rivers’ voice was slightly shaky but she hid that behind a worried smile, motioning for Charlie to sit down in a chair. She raised the phone to her ear after quickly dialing a number, whilst he opened and closed his mouth like a fish.
“Eh, I'm at the CVS on West Baltimore Pike, there's a- there’s a guy missing an arm and, ah, he’s bleeding a lot, like a lot a lot, mucha sangre .” He heard the woman’s quivering voice start to say before she turned her back to him. Fear coursed through his veins.
Shit. He had to go fast. He couldn’t go back, he had to get to Sneeg and Ranboo, they were fucking relying on him. He couldn’t get captured again, he wouldn’t be bound and controlled again. He wouldn’t wear a fucking hospital gown ever again. He’d rather die. So, sorry, Miss Probably Underpaid Employee, he was going to steal from the store.
Charlie bolted up from his seat and grabbed a bag, unintentionally scaring the woman as she jumped. “Sorry!” He called over his shoulder as he scrambled down the aisles, following the signs. His feet slid and drifted to the bandages, halting to figure out what to grab.
Wrap bandages, gauze pads, rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, large bandaids- they’d be okay, he just needed to grab water. He couldn’t process the woman’s voice calling out to him, adrenaline and his mission screaming through his body. He had to keep going.
Charlie threw three bottles of water into the bag as he sprinted as fast as possible, holding one handle of the bag in his mouth to drop in items. He paused for a beat as his eyes caught onto something- carrot cake? He didn’t know what that was. It intrigued him. He put it in the bag and kept going.
Quickly shifting the bag to his hand, he screamed out, “SORRY MA’AM, I GOTTA GO!” The devil rushed from the pharmacy, back down the rain-splattered pavement to where he knew Sneeg and Ran were. His breaths were heaving and his legs were shaky, blood trickling down his body but he kept going.
Charlie didn’t bother to bob and weave around the lights, especially after he went under the first one and no alarms went off or anything like that. He panted and ran, making lefts and rights, darting down alleyways until he stumbled to the alley where he’d left his friends. They were out of sight- good.
“I’m back guys, but uh— we might need a new hiding spot,” he hissed through slightly gritted teeth, hiding himself as best as possible from anyone who might walk by.
“Got it, maybe some… I don’t fucking know, an abandoned building?” Sneeg whispered from the shadows, voice laced with uncertainty.
“There’s an… old house two blocks away. Nobody ever used it, it’s not locked. We can hide there.” Ranboo’s shaky voice crept into the air, their figure barely visible in the dark.
“How do you know…” Charlie shook his head. This was good, the three of them could hide there, close the entries somehow. He could ask the kid about it later. “Nevermind, good idea; thanks for the intel, Ran.”
They hummed quietly in response, voice smiling as it greeted the two older men’s ears. “I can… guide us,” they said anxiously, rising to their feet and into sight, holding the sides of their head as though it would stop the bleeding. “Just follow me, don’t worry.” They seemed to smile under the mask from the way their eyes crinkled.
Charlie and Sneeg nodded, rising up as well. The oldest man held the devil’s arm for stability as the three of them teetered out of the mildew-scented alleyway. They staggered down the pavement as fast as possible, following Ranboo as the trio tightly held each others hands in a chain. Lifelines for one another, afraid of letting go, of losing each other.
They weaved and avoided the lights as cars whistled past in the rain, the blue- hatted man stumbling but the vested man holding him up. The teenager (young adult? Both, in a way) guided them through a fence gate, into the yard of a one floor house. It was old and rickety, the rain falling from the rooftop as the three slipped under the overhang.
The white paint was chipped and now turned a cream color, graffiti spray painted onto the exterior in vibrant colors. Ranboo opened the dark wood door with an irritating creak, wincing but pushing it all the way open. The three entered the house, Charlie pushing the door closed with his foot behind them.
A collective sigh of relief was exhaled as the lock clicked, all three stumbling into the living room. Sneeg coughed and waved his hand in front of his face, sitting down onto a moth-eaten couch as the cushions squished beneath him. “God, it’s dusty as fuck in here,” he sighed, hand falling from his face to an armrest.
“Okay, uh, s-sit down,” Charlie said, helping Ranboo sit down before reaching into the bag. He pulled out the bandages and gauze with his hand, grabbing the end of the roll in his teeth and pulling to unravel it. “Uh- I’m gonna bandage up Ran first, Sneeg, you can take these,” he said, setting down the roll on his knee and handing another to the older man.
“Charlie, stop it, dude,” the youngest groaned, holding the side of their head and taking the bandage roll. “You’re missing an arm, your chest got torn open, and you got us all these, dude, we should tend to you first.” The devil seemed stunned, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. He almost began to speak, but was quickly cut off.
“The kid’s right, man,” Sneeg intercepted, already pushing up Charlie’s limply dangling sleeve. “You need to get bandaged, you’ve been running whilst bleeding out.” He gritted his teeth and sighed in defeat, partially pulling himself up onto the couch.
Ranboo helped the man get off his bloody green t-shirt, nonchalantly tossing it over the back of the sofa. As their hand moved towards the bulletproof vest, their wrist was grabbed. The devil’s eyes were full of anxiety, pleading to the youngest to not remove his last line of defense. Even if they were safe in this place- which he couldn’t even be sure of- it provided him ease of mind to keep wearing it.
Charlie yelled in pain, tears burning his eyes as alcohol was applied to the gaping wounds. Ringing screeched in his ears from the pain, not registering the band aid that was placed on the wound under his right eye or the apologies murmured by his friends.
He breathed heavily, green and gray-blue eyes clouded by tears he was fighting back. Gauze was gingerly pressed to his injuries, covering up the pulsing muscle and tattered flesh, near instantaneously being soaked through with blood. His hand shook for no reason he could pin down, his right nostril beginning to trickle with blood.
Ranboo and Sneeg wrapped Charlie in bandages, watching him breathe slowly and try to calm him down. The bandages were bound around his body, covering the gauze and patching him up. Everything ached horrifically, muscles and bones moaning in agony.
“Y’okay, Charlie?” Sneeg asked, holding the man’s bicep and looking into his eyes. He lifted the glasses from the devil’s face, wiping the tears away gently. He sniffled and nodded wordlessly, pushing himself off the couch slightly.
“Yeah. Sorry, I…” Charlie sighed heavily, dragging his hand down his face. “Hurt.”
Ran snorted, bloody hands holding their head. “That’s fair. Can I, uh, get a little…” they lowered their hands, motioning to the many shallow wounds on the sides of their heads.
“Oh, yeah, of course kid,” Sneeg said with a smile, putting alcohol onto a cotton ball. Charlie mimicked the motion as best as he could with one arm, pressing the alcohol to the injuries. The youngest hissed in pain, squeezing their eyes shut as the other two patted down the wounds.
He placed gauze pads onto the injuries carefully, working with the other man to start bandaging up Ran’s head. The bandages wound around their head, covering their eyebrows and hair. Wisps of bloody light brown hair poked out of between the wraps, tight and stopping the bleeding as best as possible.
“Are you feeling okay, Ran?” Sneeg asked, Charlie already rolling up the man’s sweatpants to reveal the nasty, bloody gashes open on his legs. Muscle seemed torn and a bone or two broken, probably from the same creature that had torn him asunder.
“Yeah, thank you,” Ran said weakly, eyes closed and shaky hands fallen down to their sides. “S-sorry, let me help,” they said with a twinge of pain in their voice, pouring alcohol onto cotton balls before handing them off to the devil. Sneeg hissed air through his teeth at the content, spitting out half-hearted curses as his eyes watered.
The three’s bandages bound their wounds after a while, bleeding stopped. Ranboo lay on their back and Sneeg propped up his legs, Charlie opening cabinets and such as he searched for food. He grabbed some canned foods, setting them down with the others with spoons and forks. “Uh… they’re cold, it’s all I could find, and there’s no electricity.”
“It’s okay, thanks man.” The youngest’s eyes smiled weakly, watching the mobile one of them scramble around as he locked doors and windows. They pried open their can aggressively, lid popping off of it. “Wait… shit.” They groaned, hands finding their way up to the metal mask on their face.
“Fuck–” Charlie huffed, going over to one of the boarded-up windows and, with his fingernails, undid one of the screws. He bit his lip, scrunching his nose as one snapped from his hand and blood trickled down his fingertip. It rolled into his hand, rusty and head slightly stained by his red ichor. “This should work, but I can’t use two hands, so it’ll be hard.”
“Hand it over,” Sneeg huffed, outstretching a hand to the man. He placed the nail in his palm, rolling across the lightly calloused skin. He tried to get a hand underneath the wiring at the base of his neck, huffing in annoyance at the tightness to his friend’s skin. “Shit, it might burn you, Ran.”
“It’s…” Ranboo shook their head. “It’s okay. I think I was getting burned down my spine at some point during, uh– the whole warehouse fiasco, so it’s fine. I’m not sure where all the- all the wires get to, but I’d like to get this neck thing off of me.” The other man huffed slightly, biting his lip and pulling one of the many wires away as much as possible. The taller seized up, trying his best to be still with muscles tensed in anticipation.
“Hey, uh, sorry to be a bother, but I’d like to go out for fresh air for a minute. Is that okay, or do you guys want me to stay?” Charlie nervously raised his hand, an awkward smile on his face. Sneeg looked over, shrugging, as the youngest gave a shaky thumbs up. “Thanks, I’ll- I’ll be right back.”
The slime devil grabbed a hoodie and pulled it over his head, doing his best to hide his horns. He slunk down the road, biting his lip as his hand went for his pocket. He pulled out the small piece of paper, seeing it wasn’t actually just a piece of paper. It seemed to be a ticket of sorts, designs printed across it.
Welcome to the QSMP
Destination: Quesadilla Island
This ticket belongs to: Slimecicle
Hl, #0028
(737)-472-8966
Charlie wasn’t sure what this ‘QSMP’ thing was, but it clearly read Slimecicle , which he knew was the name he was referred to as at Showfall. Hopefully, these people who he was supposed to go to ‘Quesadilla Island’ could help him, Ranboo, and Sneeg get there and get away from Showfall.
He needed to find a phone, even if he wasn’t completely sure what they looked like. His eyes darted around, before perking up at the sight of a red structure labeled ‘Phone Booth’. He jogged over to it, tail wriggling slightly under his hoodie as he stepped into it.
A phone hung on the wall, a coin slot above it and a number pad underneath it. Wait– he needed to pay? Shit, shit, he didn’t have any money. He looked around frantically, trying to find a coin on the ground, not hearing someone walk up. “Need some money?”
Charlie whipped around in a panic, pressing himself to the wall. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and round glasses stood before him, a soft smile on her face. He nodded wordlessly, the woman chuckling and reaching into her wallet. “No worries, I got you.”
She dumped a bundle of coins into his hand, seeing his eyes glimmer before looking back up at her. “Thank you…” his voice was quiet, anxiety mixed with adrenaline pumping through his veins. The girl waved a hand dismissively, chuckling sweetly.
“No worries, it’s not a big deal. Have a nice day, man.” She waved and walked away, Charlie peeking out and waving his hand– still full of coins– at her. He blinked and closed the door, picking a coin to put into the slot. He nonchalantly dropped the rest into a pocket before lifting the phone to his ear.
He supported it with his shoulder, using his hand to punch in the phone number. Once he’d put in the last digit, he pulled the phone back to his ear with his hand. The phone rang for a moment, tapping his foot nervously. He heard the sound of someone picking up the phone.
“Hello, this is the callline for The Federation of the QSMP. How can I be of assistance?” The voice was slightly flat and robotic, but he bit his lip and shook his head, praying that the voiceline wasn’t automatic.
“Y-yeah, hello? My name’s, uh, Charlie, I found a ticket thing in my pocket? I don’t know where it came from, but I thought it- it would be good to call the phone number.”
“Don’t worry, we appreciate you calling us. What’s the number and two letters on the ticket?”
“Um– there’s an H and an L, and then the number is 28, is that the ones you were talking about?”
The person on the other side of the phone paused for a moment. “Alright, thank you. Do you need any assistance?”
“Uh– kinda, it depends on what kind of assistance. There’s something about a ‘Quesadilla Island’ on here, and I want to know, like– how secluded is this place?”
“Ah, it’s one of the nicest islands to wind up at, and it’s safe from the outside world!”
Charlie breathed a shaky sigh of relief. “Okay, good to- good to know. I have a ticket, would it be possible for me to get there with, uh, two of my friends? We need to get out of where we are as soon as possible.”
“Oh, of course! We’d be happy to be of assistance with that.” He heard some shuffling from the other side of the receiver, before hearing a new voice. “We will keep you safe. We hope you enjoy the island.”
Charlie perked up. “All three of us?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, oh my god!”
And with that, the line went dead.
Charlie’s heart thundered in his chest. Hopefully, they'll be safe. Fuck, though, he was exhausted- he could tell them in the morning. He swiftly exited the phone booth, a slight spring in his (otherwise stealthy) step as he made his way back to the old house.
The slime devil pushed the front door open again, gently closing it behind him before slotting wooden barricades back in place. He breathed a sigh of relief, looking over at his friends. Sneeg was carefully fiddling with some wires, positioned in front of the tallest person’s body.
“I’m… back?” Charlie said, raising an eyebrow. “What are you two doing?”
“Trying to get off some of these wires, but they’re dangerous to cut through and also I can feel them in my mouth and throat,” Ran explained, the shortest hissing air through his teeth in response.
“Damn.” Charlie clicked.
“Yep. I’ve gotten out a couple, but this is fucking dangerous.” Sneeg motioned to 3 wires that were in a small pile on the couch. “Also, there’s some along their whole body , so…” He shook his head, moving to their right side to fiddle with another wire. “What were you doing anyways?”
He clammed up for a second in the middle of removing his hoodie, Ran raising an eyebrow but not commenting. “I just needed some fresh air, sorry. I don’t know how long we’re gonna be stuck here, but I was tryna figure out routes to get out of town.”
Charlie sat down on the couch beside the other two, cleaning his glasses on the fabric of his shirt. Quiet fell over the three, raw exhaustion beginning to drip in the air. He ate his canned tomato soup as quietly as possible, Sneeg helping the youngest eat through the broken spot in their mask.
“God, this shit sucks,” he mumbled, bending down and grabbing the small container that held carrot cake. “You guys want some?” He clicked open the plastic, offering it to his companions.
“I’m okay, I don’t like carrot cake,” Ran murmured, taking another long draw of the soup. The question of how they remember that twinkled in the back of the other two’s minds, but they pushed those back.
“I’ll, uh, try a bite,” Sneeg answered with a shrug. The shortest wedged off a small piece with his fork, lifting it to the other man’s mouth, which he pulled off with his teeth. He chewed it for a second or two, face contorting into confusion. “Nah,” he muttered after swallowing it, shaking his head slightly.
“Oh…okay,” Charlie hummed quietly, now hesitant as he wondered if he’d like it. He reached his hand into the container and grabs a chunk of carrot cake, dragging it against the bottom of the container to grab some extra icing before lifting the bite to his face. He dropped the bite of cake into his maw, chewing it while thinking.
His eyes lit up, a shimmer in his heterochromatic gaze. It was good. The best thing he’d ever tasted.
(Albeit, one of the only things he’d ever tasted, but still.)
The sweetness melted in his mouth, a smile creeping onto his face as he kicked his feet slightly. After swallowing, he ate another mouthful, letting his head tilt back against a large cushion as he hummed happily.
“How do you guys not like this stuff?” Charlie snickered, a hand over his mouth as he spoke.
“Because we aren’t five,” Ran jabbed, Sneeg laughing as well.
“HEY!” A pout appeared on his face, huffing and plopping down on the floor. “Whatever, not like I care, more cake for me. You guys are missing out! Ran, how’d you even know you didn’t like it?”
Ran visibly froze up, the other two looking at them nervously as their white eyes went wide, gaze diverting back down to their lap. “I…” they shook their head. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet. I’m still processing everything.”
“It’s okay,” Sneeg reassured, putting a hand on their shoulder and rubbing it slightly. “I mean, it’s probably not as big as whatever the two of you are doing, but… I can’t read.” Their heads both darted over to him, eyebrows raised in shock. “I dunno why! It’s like… I try to look at something and read it, but all the letters get scrambled up and become unreadable. Probably some shit Showfall did,” he sighed.
“Yeah, it makes sense.” Charlie took another bite, head against the back of the couch. “I know we’ve got fucked up memories– I, I feel like I was in shows before this one, but I can’t remember them. And before that, I know there is something big I can’t remember. Maybe– two, three things.” He shook his head, letting himself close his eyes.
“...This is scary,” Ran murmured. “It’s– weird to have control, I guess? I mean, I had it for that whole last, uh, ‘episode’, but it’s confusing because even then, I was being guided by Hetch or shied away from the workers and Security.” They all
shuddered at the name, recalling the massive mechanical thing that had attacked all of them.
“I get it,” Sneeg quietly confessed. “I… I want to punch someone, man. I also feel like something so, SO big is missing, but I don’t know what.” He opened and closed his fists. “I wish we could’ve rescued the others before we got out.”
“I agree,” Charlie whispered. “I… I hope they’re okay. Maybe we can… find a way to get them back, I dunno. Get people? Do a siege on Showfall? Man, I– I’m worried for the other actors, but I’m also so worried about the workers. Like– they were people who got stripped of identity by Showfall. It’s fucked up.”
Silence wrapped around the three for a minute, two minutes, three minutes. They weren’t sure how long, the old house devoid of clocks and only strands of moonlight shining in through boarded-up windows. Their food containers were piled up in the corner, all three winding up on the couch.
“We should try and get some sleep,” Sneeg yawned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “We need to be well rested to heal and hike outta town as soon as possible.” The other two hummed in agreement, the trio drowsy and drained from the escapades of the day.
“We should stay out of sight, though,” Charlie added, peeking through the bits of window visible through the boards. “I doubt anyone who’s not intently checking the premises will see us, but Showfall might be on our tails– we gotta be safe.”
“Maybe we can make a pillow-blanket fort?” Ran asked, tilting their head. The other two threw up their eyebrows. “Uh, it’s like– you take the cushions of a couch, some blankets and some pillows, and make a little den, cave thing that’s cozy and you can sleep in it. I, uh… I dunno, it was just a silly idea I made up.”
Both the other men could tell that the youngest was lying about making it up, but it did sound enticing. “Sounds fun,” Charlie piped up. “I’d ask if one of you could do one more scan of the house, but Ran’s the only one who knows how this stuff works, and I know Sneeg’s legs are really injured, so I can go do it?”
“You sure? You’ve done a lot, man.” Sneeg’s slight frown was lopsided, but he shook his head and waved his hand.
“It’s okay, really! I’ve been needing to process…” he motioned to his amputated arm and torso area. “Everything, you know?” They nodded.
“I get it. I dunno, I feel kinda disconnected from this all? Like… I’m scared this is just going to be some more Showfall shit.” Ran’s gaze fell, shaking their head to get the thoughts out of their mind. “Nevermind that. Intrusive thoughts. You’re good.”
Charlie smiled and nodded, gathering up some materials under his arm and walking out of the living room. Sneeg looked over to the kid, shifting slightly. “How do you make a fort?” He asked, seeing the surprise in their white eyes. “What?”
“Nothing! Nothing, really.” Ran smiled at the other man, shakily pulling themself off the couch and plopping down on the floor. “Sorry- body being rude. We gotta get off the couch so we can take off all the cushions and stuff. Need any help?”
“Yes please,” Sneeg whispered after a moment of hesitation. They nodded, taking a couple cushions he wasn’t sitting on so he could use them as a crash pad of sorts. With a little hup! sound, he hopped down onto the cushions and hissed air through his teeth from the pain in his legs. “I’m fine,” he instantly clarified, waving his hand.
The two sat together on the floor, the tallest explaining how to make a comfortable nest with the fluffy and cushy parts of the couch. Blankets hung over the cushions and pillows, obscuring them from the view of any outside viewers. Charlie got back and joined them in the construction process, the three winding up laying on the comfortable cushions that covered the flooring, blankets over them and pillows under their heads.
“Thanks for the idea, Ran, this is really nice.” Sneeg smiled as he buried his head in a pillow, the three cuddled up to one another for safety and warmth. “M sure we’ll get outta this mess, find somewhere we’ll be safe.”
Charlie bit his lip, thankful his face was half in the cushions before nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I’m sure we’ll be safe. Now we gotta go to sleep, I’m tired as fuck and it’s super late, man.”
Ranboo laughed for a moment, sighing slightly through their nose. “...Thank you guys for saving me. I’m glad we’re all here, even if the others can’t be.”
“Of course, kid.”
“We’ve got each other.”
“...thanks, guys.”
Sleep hung in the air, the three succumbing to their exhaustion and passing out whilst pressed together comfortably. Their fluttering breaths were light and intertwined, heartbeats calm and humming, surrounded by warmth. They twitched or hummed as they slept, close to shocking awake from anything outside the fort.
Yet they slept through the sleeping gas, they slept through the workers entering the house, and they slept through being taken in the dead of night.
Pages Navigation
Colacorvus on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 02:45AM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 02:48AM UTC
Comment Actions
Naoto_Toshifumi on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 03:42AM UTC
Comment Actions
Badhabitz1 on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 04:23AM UTC
Comment Actions
technoblade_simp_pray on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 04:42AM UTC
Comment Actions
ForeveryVoxy on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 04:44AM UTC
Comment Actions
cclaay on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 09:49AM UTC
Comment Actions
ambrosed on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 02:02PM UTC
Comment Actions
shadowstacheduo on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 05:32PM UTC
Comment Actions
The_Feathered_Creature on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 07:13PM UTC
Comment Actions
at_the_what on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 08:50PM UTC
Last Edited Tue 08 Aug 2023 09:05PM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 09:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
at_the_what on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Aug 2023 09:40PM UTC
Comment Actions
at_the_what on Chapter 1 Fri 27 Oct 2023 03:17AM UTC
Comment Actions
N1NS on Chapter 1 Wed 09 Aug 2023 12:03AM UTC
Comment Actions
Hyperfixations_Suck on Chapter 1 Wed 09 Aug 2023 07:19AM UTC
Comment Actions
I_Want_To_Read on Chapter 1 Thu 10 Aug 2023 04:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 1 Thu 10 Aug 2023 05:02AM UTC
Comment Actions
I_Want_To_Read on Chapter 1 Thu 10 Aug 2023 05:07AM UTC
Comment Actions
Luna_shipper_uwu on Chapter 1 Fri 11 Aug 2023 05:03AM UTC
Comment Actions
AnatopismCrisis on Chapter 1 Tue 15 Aug 2023 10:41PM UTC
Last Edited Tue 15 Aug 2023 10:43PM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 1 Tue 15 Aug 2023 10:53PM UTC
Comment Actions
AnatopismCrisis on Chapter 1 Wed 16 Aug 2023 04:24AM UTC
Comment Actions
catabolicseed on Chapter 1 Tue 22 Aug 2023 07:45AM UTC
Comment Actions
starshine on Chapter 1 Thu 31 Aug 2023 08:49PM UTC
Comment Actions
RATOLLO on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 01:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 02:35AM UTC
Comment Actions
RATOLLO on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 02:45AM UTC
Comment Actions
AnatopismCrisis on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 02:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 02:57AM UTC
Comment Actions
AnatopismCrisis on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 03:34AM UTC
Comment Actions
unofficial_therapist on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 03:37AM UTC
Comment Actions
AnatopismCrisis on Chapter 2 Thu 14 Sep 2023 01:50AM UTC
Comment Actions
technoblade_simp_pray on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Sep 2023 04:48AM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation