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a-crash-in-time-collection · 8 months ago

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Chapter 52: Hidden Thoughts

Platinum had been trying to talk with Van more. He felt he got sidetracked from the meetups they started to have after what happened with his sister. And while he knew Van saw no issue with that, it still made Platinum feel guilty. Like he could have squeezed out more time to hang out with Van while also tending to Hattie's needs. He was a robot, he had nothing but energy to physically give. Yet he felt so tired at the time… None of that mattered now. Platinum needed to make up for it all.

He… felt he might be ready. He had been dancing around the idea ever since his crush on them was pointed out. He saw Burt and Fredrick 's relationship form despite what seemed like impossible odds considering how Burt was, and they both seemed so happy. Then looking at his own Dads, they just felt whole in a way Platinum didn't know how to process. He wanted that feeling with Van, if Van wanted it as well. But thinking about it was never going to get him anywhere. He had to speak, tell them.

It just felt more… hectic to try lately. Randy had been wonderful to have back but he caused a bit of commotion. One of the clan's previous leaders being reincarnated as a deity? It was hard to find any place quiet to think with all the discussions going around. It was starting to give him a headache, or at least the closest thing a robot like him could have to one. Subcon was next door but there you always had to keep your eye out. Even if Snatcher was friendly to them, not everything in the forest was. Platinum hadn't stepped foot in since the fire spirit incident.

Luckily, he eventually got an idea. He got a day Van was free and convinced his Dads to let them and Hattie got to Mafia Town for the day. Made an argument that a change in scenery would be nice for them and it had been a long time since they last visited. Platinum could tell Reginald didn't buy that excuse, but he agreed on the condition they were careful. So everything had fallen into place. Even if he had to drag his sister into it. Looked a lot less strange if they went with her after all.

They got to the island early in the morning, he had the whole day to get things done. He didn't just want to start talking out of the gate with Van, that felt rude. He had a rough plan for how the day would go in his mind. Get food at Cooking Cat's, look around, see if there was anything that interested Van, get Hattie to leave the two of them alone, then he would talk to Van. Simple. He didn't think of what could go wrong as he tied the boat's rope to a pole to keep it in place.

"Hey, do you guys smell something?" Van asked as they got out of the boat, Platinum pausing and tilting his head while Hat Girl nodded. He couldn't smell himself, just had to rely on details around to try and pick up what he would be. Yet he didn't see anything of note as they glanced around. He did hear the faint sound of clunky music and multiple mafia speaking… it seemed. "It smells like food but, I can't place what? Fish, maybe?" They asked, tilting their head.

"Well, fish do seem to be the Mafia's favorite food." Hat Girl said as she walked down the dock. "It has to be their cooking because a good amount smells burnt." Platinum shuttered at that, he didn't know why. Something about 'burnt fish' just sounded disguising on paper even though he had no clue what it would be like. He didn't fully get why people ate fish in the first place. "It's either a big one or a lot of them." Hat Girl stated while Van nodded. "Wonder what's going on."

"It's called 'Mafia Boss decided to make my life worse for a day'." Mu's voice called, them looked over to see her sitting on a box, adjusting a red cloth mask that seemed to be hand-stitched up to her face. "Sometimes they'll catch too many fish for their HQ and other areas to store because they can't plan out anything, and they have these little 'food fairs' just to get rid of them quickly." She shook her head. "The burnt stuff is far from the worst of it."

"I rather not see, thank you." Platinum said with a small chuckle as he raced over after making sure the rope was scurred. Mu rolled her eyes as she walked over to the group, not really saying anything. He could work with this. Have her tag along and maybe have her distract Hat Girl so she didn't but in when it was time. He smiled as he began to head up the stairs. "The Mafia's food can be whatever it wants, we'll just grab some stuff at Cooking Cat! She would never let her food get near that quality."

"Good luck getting in, every non-mafia person is in there right now, and even some of the mafia." Mu said as she rolled her eyes. Platinum paused, quickly trying to calculate a new plan in his mind. He felt so bad for not letting either of them grab something to eat before leaving, he was so sure they could get a meal to last the whole day there. That probably meant they couldn't go as much wandering and exploring. "At least most of the rotten food and people are in the place with the fountain, so it's somewhat easy to avoid most of them."

"I'm guessing you haven't been as lucky?" Hat Girl asked, Mu sighing and nodding as she adjusted her mask again. Platinum began to head back down, still trying to arrange the plan in his head. He should have known the one time he tried to be responsible and form a plan, it wouldn't go well. He glanced to the side awkwardly as he tried to think of what he would do on a normal day. "Well, I'm sure we can at least find something to do. I mean, we had fun running around when we were kids, Mu."

"I thought you hated each other back then?" Van asked, only to take a small step back when Mu gave them a faint glare. Hat Girl gave a shrug as Mu went up the stairs, glancing back and forth as if doing some sort of check. She looked tired, Platinum frowning. She did remember how to take a break, right? The day had only started a few hours ago and she looked like she could hop in bed. "I doubt we can go towards the observatory considering what we all did last time.." Van chuckled.

"Hey, it was a work of art." Platinum shrugged, before an idea came to his mind. He turned to Mu. "Hey, Macbeth told us you got access to the geyser area. Any chance we-"

"Mu, we know the basics of not getting in danger." Hat Girl stated, although she had to push back some laughter as she said that. Mu didn't respond, just lowered her hand and began to lead them down a path that should get them to one of the needed doors. Platinum raced up beside Van and offered them a smile. Van didn't notice, simply looking ahead, but their eyes showed excitement with caution. Perfect. "Besides, what's the worst thing we could do inside a cavern? Can something fall on us."

"Why does he tell you these things." Mu sighed as she pulled out the key. It still had some of the power tied to it that allowed her to properly access things. Van tilted their head and walked closer to get a better look at it, and Hat Girl's eyes lit up in curiosity. Platinum just gave Mu a small smirk as she rolled her eyes, jestering for the group to follow her. "I mean, you came all this way alone, might as well make it worth it." She turned and pointed at them.

"Don't do anything stupid."

"There's a beast buried under where we'll be standing." Mu stated. "So, that's something to worry about if you ask me."

"W-Well, can it get out?" Van questioned as they took a step back, Mu shaking her head. It didn't seem like it could to her knowledge. Platinum was about to suggest a chance in the plans again when Van smiled. "I.. think we'll be fine, then." They glanced back at Platinum with a smile, to which Platinum quickly placed one on himself. That was odd, Van didn't like getting placed in danger. "I mean, you can't hear about a creature and not get curious, right Platinum?" They asked.

"Well, yea. I am interested now." Platinum said, "I mean, more interested. Obviously I'm interested since I was the one to suggest it." Platinum chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. The girls shot him brief, odd looks. Van just smiled and went to catch up with them, Mu gestured for them to be quiet as some Mafia could be heard. "Wait, hold up!" He called, getting a quick shush from Mu as she rolled her eyes. Platinum rolled his as well, it wasn't like they'd been noticed.

It didn't take them too long to get to the door. Although, like the last time Mu tried to get in, they had to play the waiting game. A Mafia member was stood outside the door like always. It almost made her question if Mafia Boss was aware of the beast under the island and wanted to keep people from getting near it. She doubted it was for good reasons if it was the case. She just wanted to get in and get out, even if the cave would block the increasing amount of awful smells.

The group whispered to each other as they waited, hoping for the Mafia to move so they could get in and look around. Or after a certain point, at least stretch their legs. Platinum made it seem like he was annoyed, but he found himself fine with this arrangement. Gave him more time to try and think of how to ask Van to… gosh, he was feeling lightheaded just thinking about it. He had to try and keep his cheeks hidden in case he was blushing. He was still annoyed he had that as a feature now.

Eventually, another Mafia came by and called the one at the door over to grab something to eat real quick. That gave them enough time to rush over to the entrance once both were out of sight, the key once again opening the doors for them to quickly get inside, Mu slamming the doors behind them.

"Huh… I'd thought there would be more.. It's pretty in being simple, though." Hat Girl said as she walked around, Platinum bringing out his phone and turning the flashlight on so they could get a better look around. It didn't take him long to notice the crystal-crack in the ground, and bend down to get a look inside. He froze once his light landed on the slumbering beast, his body completely locking up, like a reboot was needed. "Plat?" Hat Girl glanced into the crack. "oh… Nevermind."

"Let me see." Van whispered as they looked into the crack as well, almost stumbling back at the creature. They blinked a few times, before leaning back in for another look. Platinum blinked as his systems started to work, glancing at Van with surprise. He could see some fear in their eyes but it seemed their curiosity was outweighing it. He didn't get to see them like this too often. "Huh, doesn't look like any creature natural… I wonder if it was someone cursed, like in the myths on our world."

"I'd doubt it, if it was someone I doubt it would go on a rampage attacking the town." Mu sighed as she took off her mask. "At least it's asleep, it's worse when it's awake."

"Let them state their theories, they could be right." Platinum said, Mu just shrugged as she sat down, keeping an eye on the doors. He watched Hat Girl take out her phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it at the wall. There seemed to be a lot of symbols carved into them, each having just the faintest glow. Platinum paused as he glance back at the crack. "I wonder if those symbols are tied to the spell that's keeping this thing locked down here. It's amazing they haven't stop working."

"Well, we don't know how magic works. Maybe this type just, doesn't on its own." Van said as they got up, dusting their pants off as Platinum nodded. It was actually funny how little they really knew considering how much they'd been exposed to magic this past year. You think they would have picked up on a thing or two. Platinum walked up to Hat Girl and Van glanced at the symbols from afar. "Hmmm.. doesn't look like anything I would recognize. It does give off this aura of protection… At least it makes me feel safer.."

"It's crazy to think all this has been just out of view. Does anyone besides us know about this?" Hat Girl asked. Mu just shrugged, she couldn't be too sure anymore. Maybe Cooking Cat was aware? She remember them talking to her that day but with all they found and learnt, the exact timeline of how the day went was blurry in her head. And she didn't know how many people Macbeth might've told… "It's probably good if they don't. I can see the Mafia making it a competition to try and wake up the monster."

"Put all that Moonjumper's work to waste… Speaking of which, you guys did notice the Moon change right?" Mu asked, her voice gaining a small hint of fear in it. The three nodded and she seemed surprised that they seemed so casual about it. She took a breath as she glanced up, looking at a carving of a moon in the ceiling before turning back to Hat Girl. "Do you think that second coming is here?" Mu asked. "We haven't seen or heard anything but everyone seemed to ha-"

"Yea, he's one of our past leaders brought back to life." Hat Girl said. "What are the odds?"

"I don't think it's even possible to try and find those." Van said, shaking their head. Mu was wide eyed in surprise when she heard the statement but eventually sighed. A look of 'I should have known' on her face that made Platinum chuckled. Van hummed as they glanced back down at the crystal-crack. The crystals were emanating a faint, pink glow. They pointed it out to the others. "It's so odd. It feels like a lot was trying to point us to the second's identity for a while now."

"I mean, pink is a color associated with Randy and like, at least a billion other people, assuming there's a lot more planets with life and the color pink." Platinum said, shrugging. "But it is fun to think it was enough to tell." he added with a chuckle, before pausing as the faint snoring beneath them stopped. He gestured for them all to get near the wall as the ground below them shook slightly. "We should be a bit more quiet." Platinum whispered, beforeing whining. "Even if its less fun."

"You're unbelievable at times." Mu whispered as she got out her timepiece, getting some small giggles.

"We like him unbelievable." Hat Girl whispered, gently jabbing into his elbow. Platinum rolled his eyes as he gave a chuckle, looking at Van who was glancing at the crack. He caught them holding onto the sleeves of their outfit, fidgeting with it. Before he could ask them, there was a small rumble. Platinum glanced around confused for a moment since there was no movement, before seeing Hat Girl place a hand against her stomach. "We should have at least grabbed snacks before we left, even if we had plans for breakfast."

"Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." Platinum whispered, Hat Girl raising a brow at his statement. He sighed as he tried to think. He wasn't about to feed them whatever the mafia had to eat, that seemed like it would be the same as giving them poison based on how Mu described. He doubted he could find a random box of food just out in the middle of nowhere. "By now Cooking Cat's had to have some space, right?" Platinum asked. "Or at least we’d be able to get in at all."

"Well, I have met Cooking Cat behind her restaurant a few times in the past." Mu said. "For personal reasons of course. We might be able to get something there, but we aren't stealing. I don't care if you're criminals."

"I mean, we haven't really stolen anything since we got here…" Van whispered as Hat Girl nodded. Mu seemed to pause before sighing and pulling her mask back on, glancing to the side. Platinum began to head to the exit of the cavern-like area, taking a peek outside the door. The Mafia still wasn't back, so he opened the door and they all got out, quickly heading to a wall before anyone would spot them. "Man, I need to get better at running." Van sighed as they leaned against Platinum for a moment.

"Hey, you're faster than others." Platinum said, patting them on the shoulders for a momment. He caught Hat Girl giving them both a knowing smile from the corner of his eye but didn't acknowledge it. That was why he wanted to get her out of the way. He didn't need her forcing herself into the scene as a third wheel. Although, now that he thought about it, would she even do that? He backed away from Van and glanced around. "So which way to Cooking Cat's again? The faster we get there, the better."

"Follow me." Mu said, leading them once again. "Just don't blame me when we can't get anything."

Mustache Girl wasn't kidding when she said everyone who wasn't in the Mafia was at Cooking Cat's. If it wasn't for living in a large clan, Platinum was sure he never would have seen so many people in a decent size space like that in his life. Luckily, they happened to catch Cooking Cat while she was out back of her shop for a quick break, and were able to grab some of the roast beef she had made.

"I shouldn't even be surprised by her cooking at this point, it just seems to be natural talent." Hat Girl said as they sat a bit away to eat. Platinum had went around the corner to try and think things out, occasionally glancing around to make sure they were still ok. He felt so dumb, why couldn't he just wing things like he normally did. It would have gone over a lot better if he had done that. He sighed as he had his hat resting on a pole nearby, ruffling his hair as he tried thinking.

"Um, are you ok Platinum?" Van asked when they went around the corner and spotted him. Platinum quickly turned over and gave a thumbs up, a smile on his face. Van was quiet, they didn't know what to say. They had noticed something seemed off with Platinum that day but didn't want to draw attention to it. Platinum wondered if Van had figured it out, but chose to keep up the act anyway. "You don't have to feel bad, we should have gotten something to eat before you got up. It wouldn't have been that hard."

"I know but, I gotta remember humans get their energy differently than robots." Platinum said as he leaned against the wall, glancing up to the sky with a shrug. "You think I would've put two and two together by now." That earned a chuckle from Van, making him smile. Maybe things could still go well…

"You two! From clan of Hatted men!" A voice suddenly called, Platinum groaning a bit as he recognized the voice. He turned to see the Mafia Boss with one of his Mafia goons. He got between them and Van, before they could even think of trying anything, as the jar came closer to them both, starring them both with daggers. Platinum just gave a small smirk in return. "We demand to know location of red hooded girl. She broke into our HQ and destroyed stuff, and needs to pay!"

"Let me guess, sometime recently? Because she was with us pretty much all day." Platinum said, raising a brow. "So unless you're blind as a rock, it couldn't have been her." The Mafia Boss flew right at him but he just took his hand and grabbed him, pushing him back without any real force. Van rose their hands as they took some steps away as Platinum went to grab his hat. "Besides, you think we would bail her out? You put her through enough as it is, just stop for once."

"She does not have a place here, she does not see that!" Mafia Boss stated, causing Platinum to pause. He felt anger rise in his system but he couldn't let it get to him. He just placed his hat back on his head and glanced into the water nearby. Van walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he took it, taking a breath. He was about to leave, when suddenly he was grabbed and pinned against the wall by the Mafia Goon. "Tell me what I ask!" The Mafia Boss said.

"Platinum!" Van said, and Platinum waved for Van to back away as he pushed the Mafia Goon back. He tried his best to only use the necessary amount of force, he knew the Goon was only doing this to follow his boss's orders. He was about to run off, but he couldn't react in time when a barrel was thrown at him. His system must be acting slow. He mumbled as he got up, catching a can flying across his vision. "Just leave us alone!" Van shouted, "We d-didn't even do anything!"

"Van, just go, you're gonna get hurt." Platinum said as he managed to grab the Mafia's fist when it entered his vision. "I'm made of steel, I can take this-"

He got kicked to the side. He got up and got ready to throw a punch back, but paused. He felt the warmth before his sight processed the purple that came into view, Van pulling him back. "Leave my brother alone!" Hat Girl called as she jumped between the two, throwing another potion from her witch hat. The Mafia Boss gave her a glare, but seemed to have a hint of fear in his eyes. That was the only reason Platinum could think of for why he left with barely more than a mumbled there.

"You should've just left when they showed up." Platinum heard Mu say from in front of him, her appearing in his vision a second later. He sighed as he turned off his eyes so he could get his sight processing systems working again. Some of the wires must be getting close to needing replacing. When he turned them back on, he saw Mu had taken a few steps back and seemed spooked. "Don't do that without a warning, you look like you came from some horror movie for a second there." She stated.

"I'm sorry." Platinum sighed as he glanced at Van. "Are you ok? They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked.

"No, but did they hurt you? You made be made of metal but, we all know how easily machines can break." Van said as they walked up to him. "Remember the laptop I had back when I first joined the clan?" Mu tilted her head at the statement but Platinum nodded. The right half had looked like it was almost torn completely in half, it was a miracle it even still worked. "You gotta try being more careful for us. I know you have been lately but, well." They glanced to the side.

"I mean, if I'm correct the bench should be empty, maybe outside of a mafia goon or two." Hat Girl said. "Maybe we can head there? We can't swim but we can at least have some sort of fun." She smiled as she looked at Mu, who just seemed to glance at her in confusion. Van hummed a bit before giving a small nod. Platinum glanced to the side, he didn't know if that was a good idea. "Come on Plat, you would normally be the first to agree." She said as she came up to him. "It'll be fun!"

"Yea…" he sighed as he looked at the ocean. "Maybe it's best we just head back to the clan. We're not going to run into any annoying Mafia Bosses there." He said as he sat down, rubbing his eyes to clear off a smudge. Besides, it’d be nice to get them away from the smells of the Mafia's cooking if it was as bad as everyone was describing. He wasn't an expert

on that. "If that's ok with you two." he said as he glanced over at Hat Girl and Van, who glanced at each other. He began to head to the boat. "I'll go ahead and get it untied." He said.

"Yea… Yea, it can be." Platinum said, giving a smile as he glanced at her. If Van wanted to, then it worked. He still might be able to make this whole thing work. He just had to… maybe he should stop trying to plan things out. That only seemed to be doing him more harm than good, and he wasn't sure how much he liked that. It was fun to have some challenges in a day, but all this… "Can I race you?" he asked, putting up a smirk on his face as he looked at his sister.

"Oh, it's on!" She said, before racing ahead. "Catch me if you can!" She called as he began to chase after, leaving Mu to facepalm and shake her head.

"Those two are gonna be the end of each other." She mumbled as she began to follow.

Van gave a shrug. At least it didn't seem like the worst way to go out.

They just, wished Platinum would tell them all what was wrong. They didn't think they saw him like this before. It worried them, a lot…

Luckily, Hat Girl was right about no one being at the beach, at least for now. Gave them some time to truly relax and have a break, which is why they came there in the first place. Or at least for Van and Hat Girl. Platinum wasn't even sure he could try asking out Van after everything that happened. They weren't the worst events to have happened, but it just felt so.. bad for him. Maybe like a bad omen of things that could happen to Van if he stuck around them. He didn't want Van to get hurt.

He was active and trying to be his usual self for the first bit that they were there. But he backed away eventually, laying on the ground under an umbrella. The excuse he gave being to make sure his systems cooled down. It wasn't too sunny or hot, so it wasn't the best excuse. But they didn't bug him about it. Just let him sit and try to think, him picking up a few shells from the sand so it looked like he was at least trying to have fun, even when he was cooling down.

Maybe he should just not say anything. Not just today, but ever. Let Van find someone who wouldn't get a target put on their back. Platinum did seem to be a magnet for attracting trouble.

"It's amazing how much can be hidden from view sometimes.." Van said as they sat beside him. Their voice surprised Platinum but he smiled as he glanced at them. He didn't even realize he had dug up as many as he did from the sand. He just wanted to keep up his act. Van picked up one, in a clam-like shape you thought of when you thought of a seashell. "It's still a little weird how cartoony it feels like things here can be." Van turned to Platinum. "Is that just me, or…"

"Well, cartoons are supposed to mimic reality." Platinum shrugged slightly. Van gave a hum as they placed the shell back down. Neither spoke for a moment. Platinum glanced at Hat Girl and Mu, playing with a ball they had found nearby. Well, Hat Girl was at least. Mu more looked like she was going through the motions. Maybe something was bothering her as well? Then again, it felt impossible to find a moment something wasn't bothering the girl. "I mean, what else are they suppose to mimic."

"What are you two talkin about-" Mu started, only to shout when the ball hit her in her shoulder. "Hattie, you can hold it for five seconds, can't you?!"

"I already let go by the time you turned to speak with them, Mu." Hat Girl said as she caught the ball as it came back to her. "Still, sorry." She said, offering a smile while Platinum chuckled in the background. Mu rolled her eyes as she sat in a lawn chair that was nearby her, sighing as she took her hood off, wiping her brow. She still gave Hat Girl daggers as she did. "Come on, you know I mean it." Hat Girl claimed as she came over, tossing the ball up and down slightly in the air.

"How can I be so sure?" Mu said. "You're kinda an actor if you forgotten." She added as she crossed her arms. Hat Girl rolled her eyes and went ahead and dropped the ball on Mu, carefully. The blonde looked at it and at Hat Girl. "I'm not going to toss it back." She stated as she looked to the side. Hat Girl sat down on the ground near her. She glanced back at her. "Why are you like this sometimes? You almost feel like a lost puppy when we hang out, either having me follow you or you following me." Mu said as she dusted some sand off one of her sleeves.

"Well, maybe you look like you need someone to cheer you up just for a little." Hat Girl said, letting out a small sigh. Platinum gave a small frown as he thought of that comment the Mafia Boss had made to him. About Mu not belonging here. Did she deal with that a lot? This place was hers in the first place. Mu didn't say anything, just sat up in her chair. "It's ok to be upset about things after all. But maybe you should start taking breaks more often. Like, really, more often

"Who said-" Mu started, but stopped when a Seagull suddenly flew down. Mu backed up from the surprise and hopped out of the chair as it rammed itself into the ball, knockin it a bit away. "What on earth is going on with that thing?" She asked, Hat Girl just giving a shrug before turning her attention to see the seagull keep hitting the ball, knocking it further away. Surprisingly quickly too. "Is it, trying to steal the ball? Why would it even think of trying to do that?"

"We should probably stop it before it gets too far away" Hat Girl said, Mu nodding and began to head after it. Hat Girl gave a small chuckle as she raced to follow. "Get back here!" She called, getting a laugh and eye roll out of Platinum as he watched. Van let out a small chuckle as well as they watched, Platinum standing up from his spot and heading over to the lawnchair. Might as well use it if they weren't going to. He didn't even realize it was there earlier.

"Those two have a lot of fun. Or at least, Hattie does." Platinum said as he laid down, Van nodding as they walked over. The sun was slowly beginning its set in the distance. Platinum paused, was he going crazy or did that much time pass already? There were still a good amount of hours left in the day but they thought it was noon at the latest. He tried not to let it get to him, or at least show that it did. "Huh. You do gotta wonder things about how we see stuff… why did I say it like that?"

"Are you referring to the clouds?" Van asked confused as they glanced up. Platinum shrugged because he didn't know. He just got worried Van would notice and came up with a random sentence on the fly… Why was he so bad at all of this? He wasn't trying to be and it didn't feel good. He just wanted too… he wasn't fully sure anymore. He glanced at the ground and rested both of his hands in his lap. "I mean, the human eye is really good at seeing similarities in things. Even when they're not similar."

"Guess robot eyes don't do as good of a job." Platinum chuckled as he stood up from the chair, glancing up at the sky. There were only a few clouds, none had shapes that read as anything other than 'could' however. He found himself walking a bit away. Maybe he could try and think, clear his head a bit better somewhere else. Van grabbed his hand and he looked at them. "Huh?" he said as he glanced down at their hands. Holding theirs felt so… nice. It made him feel alive in a new way.

"You gotta be honest with me Platinum, I'm worried." Van said. "You've been off all day, I don't like it. I just want the chaotic robot I know back."

"I don't know what you're talking about Van. I'm just…having a slightly off day?" Platinum said, letting go of their hand and putting on a smile. Van just blinked, shaking their head as they glanced at him. He tried to walk away but they grabbed the edge of his jacket to keep him in place. He sighed as he glanced back at them, gently pulling it out of their grasp. "Look, I don't know what else to tell you Van. I just, don't worry. I don't like it when you worry about things like this."

"I can't help it if its someone I consider close." Van said as they glanced at the ground, garbing the edge of their sleeves again. Platinum glanced at where the girls were, seeing they were out of sight. This might be his chance but… he didn't know if he should take it still. Maybe it was better for them to just be friends and not try to force it into anything more. "Please, Platy. I can tell you're off. The others did too but they just haven't said anything. You can trust us."

"I…" Platinum brought his hat down as he felt his blush feature active again. Focus. He could at least offer Van the truth of why they were there. "You're gonna be upset when you hear it Van. I'm sorry." He admitted with a sigh.

Van paused as they tilited their head, walking over and bringing the Hat back up to look at him in his eyes. They offered him a smile.

He took a breath before speaking. "I… been needing to tell you something for a while now. I just.. didn't think of how the day might go. Now I'm not sure if its a good idea." Platinum sighed as he turned fully back to Van, glancing at them. They seemed confused but nodded, waiting for him to keep going. He sighed as he tried to think of how to say it. "I wanted to tell you at the station but, it's too hard to find privacy and too much talking going around. Subcon wasn't much better of a place…

"So you had us go here… Guess you only had Hat Girl come along was so the whole situation looked more 'normal?'" They asked, Platinum nodding a bit in shame. It sounded a lot worse when it was said aloud compared to being said in his head. He brought his hands to his pockets and grabbed at the inside. He just didn't know what to do. He tapped his foot against the ground. "That still doesn't explain things, Platinum. What have you been wanting to tell me? I'm here now, it's just us."

"I… like you." Platinum spoke, glancing at them. "Like, really like you. Everything about you."

Van just, blinked for a moment. "Ok, I don't see how-" They blinked and paused, as what Platinum meant clinked into their brain. A blush covered their face as Platinum glanced to the side. On one hand it did feel good to finally get that off his chest. On the other… was this how these types of things went? Van tilted their head as Platinum turned back to them. "I-I'm flattered but… why me? You're the son of the chief, you can have anyone in the clan you want? Why someone like me?"

"I can't explain! Sure I found other people our age attractive as well-" Van covered their mouth when Platinum said that, making him stutter. "B-But there's something else that's always drawn me to you. You're so, sweet and nice, despite everything that life throws at you." Van didn't come from the best conditions before joining the clan, Platinum had heard. "And you're so smart! L-Like earlier with the myths. I don't think I’ve ever been so interested in that kind of stuff until you told me. And You just.. make me feel happy."

"Y-You sure you got the right guy?" Van asked, but there was a smile forming on their face. Platinum smiled at that, maybe this wasn't going as awfully as he thought. Van adjusted the sleeves on their outfit, and Platinum caught them pinching themself. He paused when he saw that and raised a brow, glancing at them. They froze for a moment, before speaking. "I-I had to be sure." They said, glancing to the side. "I’ve felt the same way for a while… I-I just never tried anything because of-"

"Pops? Yea, he's a nightmare with this kind of thing." Platinum said with a grone. That was another reason he wanted to avoid doing this at the station. The cyborg just seemed so overprotective of them when it came to the idea of even trying to date. He just didn't understand why he couldn't just let them… And then he paused when Van's words fully sent in his head. "Wait, you, aren't just saying that to make me feel better, right?" They shook their heads. "You feel the same-"

"Yea… I'm just wondering why you felt you needed to do all this." Van asked. "It doesn't suit you to have a plan."

The topbot didn't answer right away. He was still trying to figure that out himself. "I… don't know. Maybe my system thought if I just spring it on at a random moment it would go poorly. But I couldn't do anything too obviously fancy, that's not my style." Van nodded as Platinum paced in place. "So that resulted in today… I'm still sorry. I should have just, asked you in a normal way instead of trying to play out this perfect scene in my head." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"No, Platinum, I get that. You want everything to go as perfectly as they can and it just, doesn't happen." Van said as they looked up at the sky. "It's just a human thing to do. We're all the heroes in our own stories. We only have so long to get to be that. So we want everything to go as perfect as possible while it can." Van said as they pushed back some of their hair. "But I like you being more spontaneous. You don't normally get bugged when things don't go perfectly. You just, keep going… That's one of the things I really like about you, Platy."

"Thanks…" Platinum sighed. "I know we probably can't do anything too crazy yet since, ya know. Pops." he rolled his eyes a bit. "But maybe we can start sneaking off for more, special kinda hangouts?" He asked, Van chuckling as they nodded. "Ok, great! i just, uh, need to figure out a date in my schedule." He said as he stopped his small spacing, turning to them. "I mean, I don't have much of one so it shouldn't be that hard, right?" He asked, Van just giving a shrug. "Any time next week works for you."

"I mean, I don't really have anything planned for Tuesday so. Maybe I can grab some books and food and meet you near where the clan fishes?" Van asked, as Platinum nodded. It was still a little too close to the station for Platinum's taste but they couldn't sneak out this far everytime.

"Yea… I'd like that." Platinum said. "I'm really curious about those myths you mentioned earlier."

"And we're back." Hat Girl called as she came over, tossing the ball to Platinum as he quickly turned to catch it. "Did we miss anything?"

"No… Hey, I think their food feast or whatever should be going on still." Platinum said as he gained a smirk, glancing at the ball. "Wanna see if we can knock Mafia Boss down a few?"

Mu facepalmed at the suggestion, pinicing the space near her eyes slightly. "That's the worst thing we can possibly do but, I can't lie. I wanna see that so badly."

"I-I can go get the boat ready." Van offered. "We should be heading back soon if we wanna go before Sunset."

"Well. We all know who has the best aim out of us three." Hat Girl said, having switched out her hat for her Sprint Bow when no one was looking, racing up and taking the ball from Platinum's hands and giving a wink. "Race you." She said before dashing off.

"Hey, no fair!" Platinum called as he began to race after. "You're required to give us a ten second head start!" He said, quickly glancing back to wink at Van before going full speed.

Mu sighed as she went up the steps to follow, but paused as she glanced back at Van. "Finally asked you out?" The teen paused but nodded. "About time." She said before running to catch up.

Van paused as they took off their hat, taking a breath. So, they and the toppat leader's son? Heir to the Right Hand position, wanting to try dating them? They pinched themself again, but the pain kicked in. This isn't a dream, this was real… If things worked out, like how they wanted them too… Would they end up together? Would that… make them the heir to the position currently filled by Sven?

No, no, don't overthink. There's no way to know it would even work out. They were so different and yet, oddly, at the same time..

They both worked together so well.

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #hat girl #hat kid #henry stickmin oc #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin fanfic #topbot #ahit mustache girl #ahit mafia #ahit maifa boss

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