#cupheadxundertale

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Chapter 8.5 “Heartache Pt 2”

Warning: Might be a heavy chapter for some. Won't give any more details to avoid spoiling. If there are some grammar, spelling, or any other editing mistake, I apologize in advance, I've been working for this draft for months last year, only when I had time.

Author's Comment: Sorry, Chapter is 2 weeks late, but I got it done. Again, might not be posting for a long time, probably by July again after my next exam.

Without further ado, Enjoy... or you know, bring tissues.

Chapter 8.5 “Heartache Pt 2”

Dozens of scribbles and strokes were heard from Cuphead’s intense & messy, and Mugman’s calm & concentrated waxy crayons pointed towards their respective papers. Mugman wiped his paper of the excess wax with his right backhand and then he held it up to get a good look.

It was a waxy drawing of Cuphead eyebrows scrunched and smiling with confidence while shooting his light blue peashooter to different directions to the air.

“What did you draw Cuphea-“ Mugman turned to his brother, but his eyes-widened glaring at what he saw.

Cuphead, who was holding back tears behind his happy-squinting eyes and his laughter behind his left hand, showed the drawing of Mugman having a big open mouth while scattered around candy was being sucked into it like some black hole.

Mugman just stared at it with his jaw dropped, confused whether he should be laughing or be annoyed.

Cuphead burst out laughing as he pointed his finger at Mugman’s dropped jaw. “YOU LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE PICTURE HAHAHAHAHA!”

“Man, that is not fair.” Mugman then flipped his paper to look at his drawing and smiled sadly at it. “I even made ya super cool in this.”

Cuphead came over, buddy hugged Mugman, and looked at his brother’s drawn picture of himself.

Cuphead sighed. “Aw man, now I feel like a joirk.”

Mugman giggled. “Nah, not really.” He said as he looked endearingly at his brother.

“Aw come on!” Cuphead let go of his buddy arm and used it to nudge Mugman’s elbow. “Make me silly!”

Mugman picked up a black crayon, put the waxy tip on the paper, and then confidently smirked at Cuphead with a raised eyebrow.

Cuphead folded his arms and smirked. “Bring it on Mmmuggo.”

Starting from Cuphead’s smile on the drawing, Mugman drew long squiggly lines to make a tongue three times longer than it actually was. He then shaded the inside of those lines with a red crayon.

Cuphead snickered. “Since when did I get a long tongue?”

Mugman tinked his chin with his crayon, then smiled as he had an idea. He picked up a brown crayon from the table. “Since ya did this.” He drew a brown ball at the tip of that long tongue.

Cuphead raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“The pie duh!” Mugman nudged Cuphead’s elbow.

Cuphead snickered, and then he burst out laughing together with Mugman at their drawings; the former had his forehead facepalmed, while the latter buddy-hugged the former and held up his drawing proudly.

When they were done, they let out a big sigh.

Cuphead smiled at his brother. “Bud, I still think yer nose is big.” He casually booped Mugman’s nose.

Mugman’s eyes focused on his brother’s finger that booped his nose, and he grunted as it was booped. “Cuphead! We made a deal!”

“I ain’t a jokin’ Mugs.” He wiped his right hand left to right as if saying ‘no’. With confidence, Cuphead pointed his thumb to himself. “I think it’ll be a whackin’ good look on me. Watch!” He suddenly yanked Mugman’s nose off his brother’s face.

“Nhey!” Mugman said with his voice sounding like he pinched his nose. He tried to grab his nose back, but then he suddenly had a small red nose pinned onto his face.

Closed eyes, Cuphead put on the big blue nose onto his face, giving it a small wiggle as he attached it in place. “How do I look?” He said with his deep nasal voice. He wiped his hand down his nose so that when he released it the nose bounced back and wobbled until it was still as straight.

Cuphead looked back at Mugman with a raised eyebrow and his flashing confident smile; the big blue nose was blocking the middle line of his eyes.

Mugman’s mouth squiggled, and then he laughed out loud as he pointed at Cuphead. “YOU-HUHU L-HOOK SILLY!” His voice sounded squeakier.

Cuphead snickered and put his hands on his hips. “Yeah?” His voice was deeper and more nasally. “Well what does that make ya?”

Mugman wiped a tear of laughter. “W-hell that makes me…. Me….” He frowned, realizing that he was ridiculing his own nose. Abruptly, he started to sob; tears came out of his eyes, his mouth began to tremble, and his red nose started to run with colds.

Cuphead’s chest jumped and his straw formed an exclamation. “NO! MUGS!” He shook his hands trying to stop his brother from crying. “I DIDN’T-! WHAT DID I SAY?!”

In a loud voice, Mugman started to wail again, with waterfall tears coming out of his eyes. He then ran away to the hall.

“MUGS!” Cuphead groaned with his deep nasally voice. “Not again! BUDDY WAIT UP!” He ran after his brother.

As he ran, Mugman wailed and left a trail of tears behind him. He ran past the railing on the left, and turned left at the end of it where the mouth of the stairs was.

“MUGS!” Cuphead now shouted frustratedly. “COME BAC- WOAAAHH!” He slipped from the trail of tears Mugman left behind, and then fell to a sit on his bum. He grunted, and then got up. “MUGSYYY!!!” He yelled angry.

Downstairs, along the eerily quiet hallway of purple walls with brick patterns and pink floors, Toriel stood there watching the end ahead and numbly wondering if she should keep going.

She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She kept quiet… and quiet… and quiet… holding her breath during this time… and then she exhaled, and a tear poured down her right eye. “No… not again…” Her eyes opened with renewed determination. “I have to do this.” She took a step forward-

“WAAAAGHHAAGHHH!!” The wails of Mugman echoed from above the stairs behind her; his voice sounded squeakier and higher pitched than usual. Soft footsteps started running down echoing & bouncing on the walls, and they (with the bouncing echoes) got louder as they got closer.

“TORIEL!” Mugman clung onto her robe.” C-CUPHEAD HE-!” He sniffled.

Slowly, Toriel turned her gaze towards Mugman and she blankly stared at his face which had Cuphead’s tiny red nose attached on his face.

Noticing her blank and numb stare, Mugman released her robe and took a step back. “T-Toriel?”

“MUUUUGGS!” Cuphead furiously yelled with his deep nasally voice from the stairs, followed by running steps towards him.

For a moment, Mugman turned to notice Cuphead running towards him, but then turned back to Toriel in concern.

Cuphead punched Mugman’s arm.

“Ow!” Mugman said, mostly out of surprise.

“WHY CAN’T YA STOP BEING A WIMP AND JUST PLAY ALONG FOR…. Once…” Cuphead slowed as he noticed Mugman not paying attention to him, and instead looking at Toriel with deep concern.

Cuphead looked up, and saw Toriel looking back at them with a numb stare.

“Uhhh…” Cuphead proceeds to whisper to Mugman with his right backhand covering his left sidemouth. “Ya think it’s the noses?”

“Oh! Right!” Mugman giggled.

They pulled out each other’s nose out of the other’s face, and then attached it to their faces.

“Tah dah!” They both said, while doing their jazz hands with their center hands forward and their outer hands spreading outwards that they looked like they were forming a big Y.

Numb, cold, and indifferent, Toriel just stared at them for a few seconds of silence… and then she took a deep sigh and closed her eyes. “You are too innocent…” She shook her head.

The boys frowned. From a stop, they slowly retracted their jazz hands to an uncomfortable stand.

“What…?” Mugman said, confused and more worried than ever.

Toriel looked towards the end of hall. “You wish to return to your home, do you not?”

Still worried, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other, and then they slowly turned back to Toriel while saying “Yyyyeeeaaaah….?”

Toriel paused in silence, still staring at the end of the hall ahead.

Mugman’s mouth squiggly smiled nervously. “W-we’ll stop by more often!” He shyly raised his index finger.

“Yeah!” Cuphead buddy hugged Mugman, and the latter smiled in relief. “So we can have more pie!” He splayed his hand in explanation.

Mugman’s eyes widened. “Cuphead!” He glared at his brother.

Cuphead blinked as he noticed Mugman’s reaction. “Oh! Right.” He smiled at Toriel. “We’ll bring Elder Kettle too!”

As if to argue with his brother, Mugman opened his mouth and raised a finger, but then began to tap his chin in thought with that same finger.

“Actually… Yeah!” Mugman smiled. “What he said!” He pointed his thumb to Cuphead.

In their buddy hug, Cuphead and Mugman clinked each other’s heads and winked at each other.

“Thoughtful… as usual.” Toriel said numbly as she kept looking onwards. She took a deep sigh. “But no… that’s impossible.”

Smiles fading, Cuphead and Mugman started to worry again. They looked at each other and saw they were thinking the same thing.

“Oh-kay… Toriel you’re startin’ tuh scare me.” Cuphead’s eyes squeezed in worry.

 Toriel took a step forward, and then stopped with her feet together. “Ahead lies the exit to these ruins.”

Cuphead and Mugman gasped, then looked at each other, and squealed while they held each other’s hands and danced their feet by running in place quickly.

“Golly that’s swell!” Cuphead looked at Toriel.

“We can go home!” Looking at his brother, Mugman gently squeezed his brother’s hands with his own. Cuphead looked back, met his brother’s eyes, and nodded.

“I’m going to destroy it.” Toriel said, her back still turned towards them.

Once full of hope, Cuphead and Mugman’s smiles turned into horrified frowns as they turned to Toriel. “Wh-what?!”

“No one will ever try to leave again.” Toriel turned her head a quarter towards the boys just so she could see them in her right periphery. “Children. Please be good and go upstairs.” With that, she looked forward and walked on to the end.

A few seconds of shock passed, but then Cuphead and Mugman gasped as they noticed her moving away. “NO!” They leapt forward and grabbed onto her dress.

As she felt the tug, she stopped taking another step. “You don’t understand… my naïve children. I am only trying to protect you.”

“From what?!” On the floor, Cuphead looked up to Toriel. “The monsters?!”

“From Asgore.” Toriel said the name in a deep blood-curdling voice

Cuphead and Mugman shuddered at his name and it made them let go of Toriel’s robe. They mouths were left wide open, wanting to gasp, but they were so scared that nothing came out.

“Every human that falls down here meets the same fate.” Toriel held out her right-hand face up, representing the human.

“They come.” She brought her right-hand to her left-hand that caressed it.

“They leave.” Her right-hand slipped from the grasp of the left-hand.

She took a long pause, her right-hand shivered as she did. She then closed her right-hand to a fist. “They die.”

On the ground, holding their breaths in fear, Cuphead and Mugman stared at Toriel’s right-fist. They held each other’s hands and felt a comforting warmth in this cold and anxious tale that had overpowered their auras once full of energy and fun.

“If you leave the ruins…” Toriel turned her head a quarter slowly. “They…” She kept turning, now half-towards them. “Asgore…” She now looked at them, who were still holding hands and looking back worried.

“Will kill you.” She spoke the last words slowly and heavily.

Whimpering. Squeezing their grasps on each other’s hands tighter. Gulping. Mugman started to crawl back a bit, but Cuphead was staying put trying to be brave and be the front for his brother.

Toriel’s eyes looked down in a sorrow. “I am not going to let that happen.” She looked back to the end of the hall far ahead. “Not again.”

Cuphead and Mugman (who was slightly behind the former) looked at each other.

“A-again?” Mugman looked back at her.

Toriel did not answer to that question, and just looked on. “This is your final warning.” She shot a strict stare at them. “Go to your room.”

With that, Toriel hurriedly walked on.

Scared, Cuphead and Mugman watched her go, and they even looked at each other just silently asking what just happened.

Trying to muster courage, Mugman took a deep breath, and then got up.

“W-WAIT MUGS!” Cuphead raised his whispering voice. “WHAT’RE YA DOIN?!”

While looking back with an insecure look at Cuphead, Mugman took a step forward. “I-I’m-!” He took a deep breath. “I’m gonna be brave.” He looked forward to Toriel. “M-ms Toriel! E-Elder Kettle might be-!”

As she walked forward, Toriel’s hands blazed with orange fire, then she turned around and swiped her right backhand behind her, drawing a horizontal line of fire on the floor between them.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, and the former got up to catch Mugman into a protective hug while they shivered in terror.

The line of fire grew into a tall wall reaching up to Toriel’s chest.

“Don’t make me ask again.” Toriel said coldly with the flickering fire reflecting on her numb eyes.

After turning around and walking a few steps, Toriel went left where the corner turned, and she disappeared from view.

Still hugging, Cuphead and Mugman panted as they watched Toriel go.

“She….” Cuphead panted. “S-she tried tuh-….” He looked in concern at Mugman, who was shivering and whimpering in the hug.

Mugman buried his face onto Cuphead’s chest. “M-maybe…” He started to cry. “M-maybe w-we should just do what she says… I-it’ll… i-it’ll… I dunno…” He started to wail again.

“Okay…” Cuphead panted as he patted Mugman’s back gently. “Okay… w-we should just…”

While in their hug, guiding Mugman, Cuphead slowly turned them around and they slowly walked towards the stairs.

“Y-you…” Cuphead looked at Mugman. “Y-you okay pal?”

In response, Mugman buried his face onto his chest even more, shivered more violently, and tightened his hug even more, to which Cuphead just patted his brother’s back and took the intense tightness like a brother.

They walked on and on, back to where they’re being kept… but they knew they could not call it ‘home’ anymore.   

Laying in the small twin-sized bed, Cuphead and Mugman hugged each other, numbly staring at the walls over each other’s shoulders. Lost… confused… conflicted…

But then… there was Toriel… she took them in when they needed help… she healed them when they were hurt… she laughed and played with their jokes… but now… with the fire and the warnings… was this really the same Toriel?

Asgore… The name sent shivers over their spines. They imagined a beast more vicious than the Devil… a bloodthirsty smile with the silhouettes of the cups on his sights… would it be right to just listen to Toriel? Leave Elder Kettle forever… leave Inkwell Isle… stay here… Elder Kettle…

Mugman just tightened his hug just to snug in comfortably. “Good night.” He said glumly as he closed his eyes.

Cuphead tightened his hug in response, and closed his eyes as well. “Good night.”

Warmth… in this cold dark room, they could only feel some form of relief in each other’s hugs… much like the warmth of home... home…. Home…

Home…

Home… the humble brown mushroom house, the crackling fire, the creaky rocking chair of Elder Kettle…

The forest where they ran around, laughing and playing together… Mugman desperately trying to catch Cuphead while the latter just spit raspberries and then ran into a tree in their game of tag, making the former tag the latter and laugh to his heart’s desire… and then, them playing hide and seek but with the unfortunate discovery of a beehive in Mugman’s hiding spot within the tree, which then got them all stung all over.. and then, them counting stars and drawing constellations on the roof when Elder Kettle supposedly tucked them in for the night…

The Root Pack... Hilda… Djimmi… Ribbey and Croaks… Ms. Chalice… Everyone… Toriel?

She stood there in the constellations. “The puzzlezz are vaiting for youzz my childrenzz!” She then flapped her arms like wings and began to squawk like a crow.

‘Asgore!’ A loud whisper echoed from around the boys, making them sit up at the roof in vigilance.

‘Asgore. ASGORE! A-ASGO-ASGORE!’ The voice echoed again, with the last being the loudest, and this time the boys held each others’ hands and readied their finger guns with the other.

“Cu-…her….” A fatherly voice spoke with its second syllable being muffled.

“Huh?!” Cuphead and Mugman looked around trying to find the source.

“Please…” The fatherly voice grew more desperate. “Wake up!”

Mugman looked at Cuphead, who also looked back. “Wh-what?!”

“You are the future of humans and monsters…” The same fatherly voice spoke desperately.

“Oh-kay…?” Confused, Cuphead looked to Mugman, who shrugged his shoulders while still staring in confusion.  

The voice made them so uneasy that they went back to hugging each other, and closing their eyes.

“C-cuphead?!” Called out an endearing elderly and familiar voice. “Mugman?!”

Popping their eyes open, Cuphead and Mugman turned and shifted their gazes everywhere to find the source of the voice in the now dark void.

“E-Elder Kettle?!” They called out.

“Boys! Boys?!” His voice sounded very worried.

The void turned into Elder Kettle walking in the rain while wearing a raincoat in the forest.

 “It’s time to go home! Where are you?!” Elder Kettle’s voice cried out in despair.

In panicked waking, Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes popped open, and they gasped. “ELDER KETTLE!” They yelled as they jumped out of the blanket and shook in the air (like they were shock-electrocuted) with their straws turned into exclamation points.

They both scrambled out of bed, banged the door open, rushed to the main hall, ran back down the stairs, sprinted through the long purple hallway that now, near the end of the corner, had a horizontal black ash mark on the middle of the floor, held hands, and then they turned left to see:

Like deafening rocket booster engines blasting off, powerful and colorful fires blazed from Toriel’s two hands towards the large arched door that was about a foot higher than her.

“Hey!!” Cuphead stomped his foot furiously.

Immediately, Toriel’s hands stopped blasting fire, revealing a violet door charred black on its upper-half; whatever design the door had in the middle, it was covered by black.

Toriel sighed. “So… you really do want to leave so badly after all…” She slowly lowered her hands and turned only a quarter towards them; she was facing the upper right corner of the room.

Mugman took a breath and took a right foot forward. “Ms. Toriel ma’am, thanks for everythin’…. But we really gotta go! Ya can’t keep us in here!” He jabbed his index finger to the floor.

“Yeah!” Cuphead pointed an index finger at Toriel. “It ain’t all about you lady!” He jabbed that same finger to her.

“CUPHEAD!” Mugman glared at Cuphead as he gripped the latter’s hand tighter.

“WHAT?!” Cuphead yanked his hand away from Mugman’s slightly painful grip. “It’s like ya said Mugs, we can’t stay here! Elder Kettle’s waitin’ for us back home!”

Closing his eyes, Mugman sighed. “Well… yeah!” He opened his eyes and faced Toriel. “Like my brother said, Elder Kettle’s prolly worried sick ‘bout us so we really have to go!”

“And I’ve told you already…” Toriel sighed, and kept looking at the upper corner. “If you leave, you will die…” She made a long pause. “…just like the others.” Her voice weakened and sounded it would break.

Looking down, Mugman shuddered at the thought.

“Pfft! We’re not like the others!” Cuphead flicked his left hand down. He then buddy-hugged Mugman. “WE have a brother.” He winked at the latter.

Mugman snickered. “YOU…” He touched his brother’s chest with his pointing index finger. “Have a brother. WE…” He pulled Cuphead closer that they clinked. “Have each other.” He winked.

Cuphead grumbled, his cheeks blushing from embarrassment. “Not now Mugs!” He pushed Mugman away (while Mugman grunted slightly annoyed). He then smirked at Toriel. “We’ve beaten the devil and won!”

Mugman gasped and beamed. “Oh yeah!” He snapped his fingers. “We could definitely give a wallop tuh any dum dum who gets in our way!”

“Yeah buddy!” He smiled with confidence at Mugman. “It’ll be easy as pie!” He giggled. “Get it?” He elbowed Mugman.

Mugman groaned. “Cuphead.” He rolled his eyes with a smile on his face that he’s trying to wipe off.

Toriel glared coldly at them. “Even if it were me?”

“Yeah!” Cuphead and Mugman said confidently while raising their fists and held hands to the air… but then their smiles faded into frowns of horror.

“I’m in your way…” Toriel slowly and eerily turned to them. “Would you fight me?” Her cold and numb eyes stared directly at them. “Would you…” She looked at the corner of her eyes for a moment, and then back at them; her body was now facing them. “Hurt me?”

Cuphead and Mugman made a shuddering gasp.

“If you want to leave… Prove it to me then.” Toriel elegantly and gently flipped her palms face up and laid them at the ready. “Prove to me that you are strong.”

Their breaths grew into shudders. Cuphead and Mugman took a couple of stutter steps back. “N-No…” They shook their heads in disbelief.

PING! Their pink hearts beneath their chests popped into visible.

Out of thin air, above each of Toriel’s palms, two sparks grew into candlelight fires, then flickered into larger multicolor flames.

Shocked and confused, Cuphead and Mugman’s faces turned into cold and sad frowns respectively; they knew there was no way of changing her mind. They held each other’s hands and, with each of their free hands, they formed finger guns with the tips of their index fingers humming with power and glowing with a red spread shot for Cuphead and a blue peashooter for Mugman.

The fireballs on Toriel’s hands blazed into flames two-times larger. She swirled her hands clockwise and then pushed forward while joining her fireballs together into a blast of two long-tailed spiraling comets flying and hurtling towards them.

After an alarmed gasp from each, letting go of each other’s hands, Cuphead and Mugman jumped into a curled-ball front flip to dodge the spiral through the gap on the center… but as halfway through their front-flip, their butts touched the multicolor fire from the top of the ring.

Midair, Cuphead and Mugman goofily screamed in panic and pain with tears rushing like waterfalls out of their eyes, while their legs flailed around, and their hands were covering the sides of their bums.

On the floor, the two brothers ran around in a frenzy of screaming while trying other ways to put the fires out on their own (such as sliding their bottoms on the floor, bouncing them, or patting them out). Then, still screaming, they ran around circling each other for about one, two, three times until they quickly pulled their heads popping up from their necks, and then (like buckets of water) threw the milk from their own heads towards each other’s backsides. As the fire hissed into steam and left big charred spots on the tush of their shorts, Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes (on their detached heads that their hands were carrying) squeezed shut and their teeth gritted as they felt the sting lessen… and finally as the sting receded, they sighed with smiling relief.

“Thanks buddy.” Cuphead and Mugman said in sync as their straws, that were facing each other, formed into fists that bumped into each other.

They opened their eyes, and then those eyes bugged out, and then they screamed, with their bodies shivering, as they saw a colorful fireball blazing towards them. Feet spinning like super-fast bicycle pedals, their bodies ran, but then they grunted as their bodies slammed into each other, causing them to drop their heads clinking and rolling to the floor.

The fireball blasted just above their necks (where their heads were supposed to be).

Toriel grunted coldly and unimpressed. She crisscrossed her wrists and conjured more fires on each hand.

Heads on the floor, Cuphead and Mugman whimpered and shivered (their straws formed into exclamation points, and their pupils shrunk and shivered).

“SHE’S GONNA TOAST OUR BUTTS AGAIN!!” Mugman cowardly yelled.

Their bodies grabbed a head and plugged it into the X spot on their collarbones.

Wrists crisscrossed, Toriel whipped her backhands spread apart, and the fireballs from each hand multiplied into eight fireballs that hovered in the air for a while and then dashed towards the boys in the middle; four each were homing for either Cuphead or Mugman.

The boys dashed and tumbled in opposite crisscross directions, dodging the fireballs as they dashed towards the back of the room. Cuphead and Mugman willed their bodies to aim their finger guns of where they saw Toriel, and then they fired… but their shots hit the walls respectively in front of each of them on opposite sides. The boys looked at the walls they fired at confused, and then they looked at their bodies to see they were wearing the opposite-colored shorts; their heads were on the wrong bodies.

Meanwhile, the eight fire balls that divided into two pairs of four bounced on the corners of the room back towards the boys.

The boys tumbled to the center, each knelt on one knee closest to each other while their other legs were lunged to opposite side; they posed like action stars holding their guns up. Smirking, they then held their own head handles with the use of their bodies, pulled their heads out of the wrong neck, hovered it over their respective necks, gave each other a light clink, and put their heads back to their respective necks… but then the fireballs that bounced from the corners behind them blasted onto their butts again, and they jumped up screaming and crying in pain while flailing their legs around and covering their bums with their hands.

Side by side, they landed on their chins with their butts pointing to the ceiling, while flames kept burning on their bums like they were brazens, and Cuphead and Mugman just stared annoyed, unamused, and uncaring.

“Alright we get it…” Cuphead said annoyed. “We’re really hot!”

Mugman groaned. “Not now Cuphead.”

Cuphead and Mugman licked the tips of their index fingers and pressed the flames on their bottoms, extinguishing them with a ‘tssss’ sound from the steam.

“Yeah, tell that to every joirk that made puns while we got our butts kicked back home.” Cuphead said, still staring at space unamused.

As he chance-glanced at Toriel, Mugman’s eyes bugged out in shock. “LOOK OUT!” He pushed Cuphead to the side and he dashed away opposite of him, leaving a puff of white smoke behind, to dodge a fireball that instead exploded on the ground they were on.

Toriel brought her wrists together, palms forward, and hands spread open horizontally. From the center, where the wrists met,  she shot a continuous shower of smaller fireballs towards the boys.

Standing up after their roll, Cuphead and Mugman grabbed their head own handles, and gave them a hard spin that their heads spun very fast. Meanwhile, their straws turned into hands glowing with pink energy; their heads turned into spinning helicopters with a pink spinning energy ring which then parried the fireballs that flew towards them.

Toriel gasped as she saw her attacks being swatted away like flies.  

The boys then jumped up with the pink energy ring from their straw hands being seeped inward the tubes of their straws and into the milk in their heads. Their heads stopped spinning, and they looked fiercely at Toriel while their bodies were twisted to the right with their fists pointing towards that direction as if to wind their own bodies up like toys. Then, they aimed the mouth of their cup-heads towards Toriel and spun their bodies counterclockwise really really fast and unleashed a spinning blast of milk towards her.

Toriel’s eyes widened, and with fast reflexes, she unleashed, one from each hand, two powerful multicolor fireblasts towards each blast of milk that was coming towards her. The fireblasts and the milk blasts met in the middle gap between, and it resulted in a thick steam building up between Toriel and the boys. Each of her fireblasts were being pushed by the blasts of milk, the boys’ power was stronger in this attempt, but even if she could be stronger otherwise, Toriel willed her blasts to weaken instead and then frowned in acceptance.

The milk blasts hit her hands, and then her body, and they were powerful enough to slam her body towards the door behind her.

Cuphead and Mugman landed on their feet on the ground and watched the wall of white foggy steam cautiously with their finger guns glowing with their respective red and blue energy pointing towards it.

I’m… I’m determined too…

In the steamy fog, two colorful fires blazed from within, and those two fires were wiped sidewards to dissipate the fog and reveal Toriel with sharp canines on her teeth and a fiercer stare towards the boys, who then gasped and backed off a bit.

Toriel blasted the ground, and a wave of large pillars of fire came towards them in one… two… and three. The boys split up (Cuphead ran forward, while Mugman backflipped) and Cuphead just stood in the gap between the first and second pillars of fire as he kept firing with his red spread shot, while Mugman just stood in the gap between the second and third fire pillars as he fired his blue peashooter shots from afar. The bullets pierced through the fires creating gaps within the fire, and they kept hitting Toriel, who just stood there secretly gritting the teeth beneath her fierce frown, bearing the pain.

Mugman saw the suffering expression Toriel bore on her face, and in a compassionate look, he stopped firing his shots. “Cuphead!” He started to run forward to his brother.

Hands drawn together, from the gap between her palms, Toriel formed a big multicolored fireball twice the size of the boys. She launched it forward, and Cuphead gasped as the fireball was hurtling towards him, but then he was tackled from behind (by Mugman) and they both disappeared in a puff of white smoke, and then reappeared on the other side of the fireball behind it. They both fell to the floor with Cuphead below, and Mugman’s head stacked on top of Cuphead’s.

Cuphead smiled at Mugman above him. “Thanks pal!”

“Cuphead!” Mugman gently raised his voice to Cuphead below him. “Toriel! We-!”

Just then, Toriel conjured another huge fireball and then fired it at the boys.

Mugman gasped. “Look out!” With his arms and legs, he pushed Cuphead to the right, all while the fireball hurtled towards himself.

KABOOM!…SHATTER!

As he landed and heard the explosion, Cuphead looked back to where Mugman was, but what was left was a big black burnt mark on the floor with smaller rays of black burns spreading radially from the center (shaped like a sun). He gasped. “M…Mugs?” he crawled to the ash slowly, his eyes shivering in horror.

A groan came from the left side, and Cuphead looked towards its source. He found Mugman slumped on the corner wall, still intact with no burns on his face or his clothes, but his head handle was chipped off and he fell to the floor on his right; the fireball didn’t hit him, but the force of the explosion pushed him to the wall.

“MUGS!!!” Cuphead yelled with tears trickling from his eyes as he stood up and ran to him.

Toriel gasped, her eyes shrunk, and she covered her mouth with both her hands.

Cuphead reached Mugman. “Buddy?” He held his brother’s shoulders.

Mugman just groaned in pain.

Breathing stopped… and then intensified into raging deep breaths. “That does it…” Cuphead turned to Toriel with a furious stare; his pupils turned crimson red with a sinister energy.

From his right pocket, Cuphead brought out a plastic toy knife with the blade colored in gray plastic and the handle in orange.

As she saw the knife, her terrified gaze turned softer, as if she was accepting it. From covering her mouth, Toriel spread her hands wide to her sides and conjured two-multicolored flames that were smaller than they usually were.

Growling, huffing, and puffing, Cuphead then dashed forward and ran towards Toriel with a finger gun on his left hand and a toy knife on his right.

Toriel pushed her hands forward and unleashed another showering fireball attack.

Cuphead kept running forward, even if he knew he could get hit. But the showering fireballs just hurtled to the side, leaving a large gap in the center for Cuphead to run safely to.

With a sinister bloodlust smile on his face, Cuphead leapt to the air, held his toy knife high in the air, and stroke a vertical overhead slash right down the middle of Toriel.

For a moment, Toriel’s body turned into dust while retaining its shape, and she yelled in pain.

Slumped on the wall behind Cuphead, Mugman groaned as he rubbed his head. Blinking his eyes open, a blurry figure of someone with a black top and red shorts ducking under a multicolor fire attack, which was fired towards the ceiling from the white arms of the figure wearing purple in front of the black and red one; the sound of the fire attack was slightly muffled due to his dizziness. The finger gun from the black and red one glowed yellow and an ascending ‘zhooming’ sound was beaming up.

Vision clearing. Hearing stabilizing. Mugman blinked to see Cuphead firing a yellow charge-shot at Toriel, whose body, for a moment, turned to dust but retained its shape, only this time the dust form stayed longer before it reformed back to her stable default, and she screamed in pain.

Mugman gasped, and his eyes widened in horror. “CUPHEAD NOOO!”

He ran to Cuphead, who started to give a sadistic giggle as he held his finger gun and toy knife proudly.

Mugman grabbed hold of Cuphead’s hand which held the finger gun. “BRO WHAT’RE YA-!” He gasped as he saw Cuphead’s crimson pupils and toothy carnivorous smile.

“OUT OF THE WAY WEAKLING!” With his voice sounding demonic (lower pitched and as if gurgling with blood), Cuphead pushed Mugman away very strong that the latter fell to the floor, but did not show any sign of pain due to how scared he was.

“Cup…” Mugman reached out his hand to Cuphead but…

Laughing like an evil maniac, Cuphead ran forward with his hands gliding to his sides like an assassin; he held his toy knife on the right and finger gun on his left.

Toriel unleashed another attack of tiny showering fireballs, but the quantity of the fireballs is fewer, and were all moving away from Cuphead as he got closer.

With his haunting maniacal laugh, Cuphead spun horizontally and slashed Toriel across her stomach, and again she screamed in pain.

Her body turned into dust form again, this time retaining for about longer seconds, but then her body kept flickering back and forth from dust to her regular body as she panted and tried to catch her breath.

Mugman did his ‘dash’ move towards Cuphead and tackled him with a really tight hug from behind. “CUPHEAD WHAT’S GOTTEN INTO YA?!”

Cuphead squirmed and struggled from Mugman’s hug; the white in his eyes were turning yellow, and the red color in his shorts and the two stripes in his straw were turning purple. “I need… TO BE STRONGER!” His voice turned demonic on the last phrase. “YOU’RE NOT GONNA BE A WIMP ABOUT THIS AND GET IN THE WAY AGAIN!!”  He gave two hind kicks towards Mugman’s legs, and Mugman yelled in pain as he let go of Cuphead due to losing control of his arms.

Mugman tried to catch Cuphead with his arms again, but the latter was too fast. “NOO!” He yelled with his strongest voice. He fired a shot of his peashooter to Cuphead, aiming for his foot, but Cuphead jumped over, and the shot went to Toriel instead. Toriel screamed in pain again, this time weaker from all the hits, and her body was flickering from dust to stable.

Mugman gasped at what he did, and tears started to form in his eyes.

A sinister cackle came from Cuphead. “Thanks pal!” He looked behind him with a demonic carnivorous smile at Mugman.

The sound numbed everywhere, and only Mugman’s voice echoed. “CUPHEEAAD!!! PLEAAASE!! NOOOOO!!” He ran towards his brother.

Cuphead leapt up held his toy knife overhead, and prepared to strike.

Panting from all the pain, her body flickering in and out of stability, Toriel just stared numbly at Cuphead, at the knife he was carrying… and then closed her eyes.

SLASH!

…

…

Huffing…. Panting… Groaning in pain…. Toriel held the part in her chest which was slashed, and her body just continuously flickered from dust to stable… dust... stable… dust…

Huffing… Panting… Cuphead just smiled devilishly at the deed he has done. Then… He was punched in the face from his left by a white-gloved fist.

“OWW!” Cuphead yelled in pain, but then he was punched again with the other gloved fist, and he was knocked to the ground.

Huffing… Panting… with tears in his furious eyes, Mugman approached Cuphead who was groaning on the floor and grabbed his shoulders. “WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” He shook his brother.

Huffing… Panting… With a blurry vision in his eyes… Cuphead blinked repeatedly to see Mugman with tears streaming from his furious eyes staring back at him. “B…Bro?”

PUNCH!

��OW! MUGMAN!” With an angry face, Cuphead caught Mugman’s fist before he punched him again.

“WHY DID YA DO THAT!” Mugman tried to pull his fist back but Cuphead’s grip was too strong. “WHY DID YA DO THAT WHY DID YA-!” He blinked his eyes and started to sob.

Cuphead stared at him, bewildered at what his brother was talking about.

Urgh….  

Turning towards the direction of the groan, Cuphead gasped to see Toriel was hurt.

“TORIEL!” Mugman yelled. He dropped his brother and ran to her.

Cuphead just stared in horror, confused as to how it happened. He used his right hand to start pushing himself up from the floor, but he felt a rod-like item was held in it. He flipped his right hand open, and gasped as he dropped the dusty-blade toy knife and hurriedly crawled away from it. He looked at Toriel again to see that her physical form was flickering from dust to stable more and more; she had a slanted vertical slash on her robe.

“You…” Mugman held her arm right arm. “Ya gotta get back up. Ya-ya need to rest.” He tried to lay it behind his shoulders.

“No…” Cuphead’s breathing started to panic. “No, I-I couldn’t have-!”

Mugman tried to walk, but in addition to his exhaustion from the fight and Toriel’s weak state, he could not support Toriel to move. “Toriel! Come… ON!” He gasped, as suddenly the weight of carrying her became lighter.

From the other side, Cuphead took Toriel’s other arm and carried it over his shoulders. “On the count’a three Mugs.”

For a few seconds, Mugman just looked at his brother confused, but then nodded in agreement. “One.”

“Two.” Cuphead counted.

“No….” Toriel breathed heavily, and gave a weak chuckle. “My sweet children…” She just kept breathing.

Cuphead and Mugman just looked at her in confusion.

Cuphead shook his head out of distraction. “Come on!”

“No!....” Toriel kept panting, her form was still flickering. “Please…. Just listen…”

A tear streamed down of Cuphead’s left eye.

“You… you are both stronger…” She kept panting, and her dust form kept lingering for longer seconds. “Than I had expected…”

Sobbing, with tears falling from both his eyes, Mugman looked at her. “T-Toriel?...”

“But you… you cannot… waver….” She kept panting. “You cannot lose focus…”

Cuphead closed his eyes, and tears streamed from his face, but he stubbornly motioned to start carrying Toriel.

“If you go beyond this door…” Toriel kept panting, and her dust form kept persisting. “Eventually… you will find an exit…”

Both of them gasped and opened their eyes wide.

“Home…” Mugman whispered.

“Yes my child…” Toriel smiled, she gently turned Mugman’s head from the top to face him to her, and she wiped a tear from his left eye with the back of her right index finger. “Home-!” A sharp pain came from her abdomen, and she quickly covered the slash on it with her right hand.

“TORIEL!” Cuphead and Mugman raced to catch her elbows and stopped her from falling by letting her shoulders lean on their chests, while the boys carried her with their hands.

She panted. “Asgore…” She breathed more slowly, her form started to flake and dust started to fly away from her body. “Do not let Asgore take your soul. His plan…” Her voice became softer. “His plan… cannot be allowed… to succeed…” Toriel groaned in pain.

Her arms faded into dust for a moment, and they went through the boys who tried to catch her in vain, and then her arms caught the floor, stopping her from falling.

The boys held her arms as more tears started to form.

“Toriel….” Mugman gave a light tug at her arm. “Please…”

She smiled and gave a weak chuckle. “Be good… and be good to each other… won’t you?” She then placed her hands on top of their heads and gave soft rubs to both while they watched her body turn to dust. “M y …. c h I l d r e n…” Her face turned gray and dusty as she spoke.

As if a gust of wind had blown, her entire form dissipated into dust, and the boys gave shivering gasps as they watched her dust fly. The thick dust that formed Toriel’s body grew thinner and thinner… until a white upside-down heart was left behind floating before them. The white upside-down heart trembled violently for a few seconds, then broke into two halves… which then dissipated into bits. 

Silent. Panting. Horrified eyes wide open. Toriel… Toriel she… Slowly, they both looked at each other.

“Wha…” Mugman kept panting. “What have you done…”

“I…” Cuphead panted, his head shook, his shocked eyes had tears falling (but fewer due to adrenaline), and his heart pounded of guilt and fear (especially with Mugman in front of him). “I-I didn’t…” He stuttered a step back.

“Ya didn’t?” Mugman’s cold voice matched his cold and heartbroken stare. He walked towards Cuphead and aggressively snagged the collar of his black turtleneck (and Cuphead shivered and whimpered loudly as it happened). “YA DIDN’T WHAT?!” He screamed; he stared furiously straight into his brother’s eyes while they were practically in face-to-face proximity.

“I-I-I-I DIDN’T-! I-MEAN-!” Cuphead’s voice shuddered as he sobbed. “I-I DUNNO WHAT HAPPENED I-?!

“WHADDYA MEAN YA DUNNO WHAT HAPPENED?!” Mugman violently shook Cuphead once.

Cuphead wailed. “MUGS STOP-!” He managed to plead out of his whimpering scared-to-death voice.

“I KEPT TELLIN’ YA TUH STOP!” Mugman shook him again.

“I-I-!” Cuphead gasped for breath (the grab on his collar was a little tight), and he grabbed hold endearingly on Mugman’s wrists. “Y-YOU WERE-! I DIDN’T!”

“QUIT YER SCRAMBLIN’! SPIT IT OUT!” At the last three words, Mugman yelled at the top of his voice while he shook Cuphead with trembling force.

“YA GOT BEAT UP PRETTY BAD MAN!” Cuphead yelled at the top of his voice too, as if he were pleading for his life. “Y-YA G-GOT BLASTED, A-AN-AND I SAW YA, Y-YA CHIPPED YER HANDLE!” From his left pocket, he brought out his brother’s head handle.

Mugman gasped. He let his right hand go of Cuphead, and then touched the back of his head to indeed find that it was broken off.

“I-I-I GOT SO BOILED UP I-I-I-!” Cuphead heaved for breath again, this time from sobbing. “I-I-I LOOKED AT ‘ER AND THEN…” His eyes looked left and right, trying to remember what happened. “I-I DUNNO I BLACKED OUT! I ONLY THOUGHT ABOUT YA AND-AND- THEN TORIEL AND-AND- THEN…” His eyes suddenly looked towards the floor on his right.

Mugman’s shocked gaze followed the direction Cuphead looked, and he gasped as he saw the plastic toy knife laying on the floor. The grip from his left hand on Cuphead’s collar loosened, and then he looked at his brother.

“Mugs… After everythin’ Toriel…” Heavy streams of tears fell from Cuphead’s eyes. The desperate grip of his right hand on Mugman’s left tightened. “Why would I do that Mugs?... Why would I…” He looked down at his shaking hands. “Why… did… I…” He started to sob. Slowly he knelt down to the floor and covered his face with his hands in shame.

Mugman’s breathing slowed down, and his gaze at his brother turned more understanding as the seconds went with Cuphead’s sobbing filling the silent room. He remembered the red eyes that replaced Cuphead’s when he was on a rampage. Somehow… he knew it wasn’t him. But how it happened… he didn’t know. He knelt down and watched Cuphead while the tears in his own streamed down once again.

Never in his life did Mugman see Cuphead saw so devastated. Even when they had lost their souls to the Devil, Cuphead always kept a smile on his face. They sang songs, they buddy walked to every debtor they had to face (some walks hippy-happy, while others were miserable), and even with this dread they felt within them, they kept reminding each other how sticking together would get them out of every trouble they were in.

Cuphead kept beating his thoughts with questions. Did he do it? Was it all a trick? Was he controlled? He didn’t know anymore. He just knelt there sobbing and sobbing while in deep shock and shame of what had happened… of what he did. He was alone, he felt so alone… he felt that he deserved not to be saved from this misery… for once, he felt he needed to answer for what had happened… and this was it…

And then… he felt a tackling hug.

Cuphead opened his eyes and saw that Mugman was hugging him.

Mugman had his eyes shut tight and his hug wrapped even tighter.

Shocked, Cuphead’s eyes welled with new tears. “M-mugs? No… Wh-why?”

“I…” Mugman took a pause, and then sniffled. “I would’ve done it too…” He whispered as tears fell from his eyes.

Shocked eyes widened, and Cuphead’s chest started to shudder. “Wh-what?!”

For a moment, Mugman’s eyelids squeezed shut… but then opened with tears falling from them. “If she hurt ya… If ya weren’t the same again…” He just looked down… and kept silent while he let more tears fall.

Cuphead’s tears fell. “No…. no ya wouldn’t Mugs stop…” More tears fell as he squeezed his eyes shut. “You wouldn’t… You’re not… You’re…” He started to wail.

With that, they just wrapped each other in their desperate hugs, not caring how painful they were being to each other. It was usually funny when they did stuff like this, hugging each other ‘til the other choked… but now, they felt the world was against them; they needed to be sure that they weren’t alone, and that they would have someone to hold on.

“I never wanted this Mugs…. I never wanted this.” Cuphead kept sobbing.

“Me too Cuphead.” Mugman sniffled. He tried to be just silent, and strong. “Me too….”

They just stood there clinging to each other’s hugs; Cuphead was practically leaning and giving all his weight to Mugman, and the latter was trying his best to stand strong, even though he wanted to break down too. Their thoughts circled and circled over what could’ve been, what they could’ve changed, and what would it take to stop this from happening… not like this… not like this…

Not like this…

The room got darker, and darker, and darker… until it was pitch black. Their sobs were echoing in the darkness louder and louder. The boys opened their eyes to see what was causing the echoes, and they gasped and broke apart as they discovered they were no longer in the same room.

They looked back at where the hallway they came from was supposed to be, but it was not there. Mugman looked to where the door was, it was not there.

“C-Cuphead?” Mugman asked nervously.

Looking in opposite directions, they both took a step closer to each other… but then the floor vanished and suddenly they were falling and screaming at the top of their lungs as they did. Falling and falling, and screaming and screaming into the bottomless black void, Cuphead and Mugman flailed their arms around in search of something to grab hold of… and then they saw each other.

“CUUUUPHEAAAAAAAAAD!!!” Mugman screamed as he reached his arms for his brother.

“MUUUUGMAAAAAAAAAN!!!” Cuphead screamed as he reached his arms for his brother.

Reaching and reaching, they kept swiping the air almost catching each other’s hands… and then they finally grabbed hold of each other’s right wrist.

Cuphead pulled Mugman towards himself, and the latter caught Cuphead as they both hugged each other very tight and fell… fell… fell…

Their tears were falling upwards due to the speed at which they fell.

“Don’t let go buddy.” Cuphead said as he kept holding Mugman. “Don’t ever let go.”

Mugman made his hug as tight as he could. “I won’t…” He sobbed. “I’ll never.”

They fell… and fell… and fell… alone in the silent void… alone without anyone to save them…

They fell…

And Fell…

…

And fell…

…

And fell…

…

Until a whisper came.

“Wow….” That same whisper of two familiar voices said.

Surprised, Cuphead and Mugman opened their eyes, and instead of an infinite black void…

A giant 360-degree image of the majestic door that marked the entrance to the ruins with Cuphead and Mugman holding hands as their eyes filled with awe appeared before them. The fall of gravity did not feel treacherous anymore, and instead it felt like they were in a dream.  Without breaking their hug, they kept watch of the image as it shifted into another.

“And… our cupbrohood.” Mugman’s voice echoed loudly in the space.

“Just… don’t. Say. The L-word.” Cuphead’s pretend-fearful voice echoed into space.

The giant 360 image changed into that of Cuphead and Mugman (with leaves sprinkled onto his head like it was cereal) holding hands after the latter took the oath.

Mugman suddenly giggled, and it caused Cuphead to giggle to.

“Heeey! Why’re ya laughin?” Cuphead smiled to Mugman, who just shrugged his shoulders in response.

“You know bro, I believe some day he’ll be brave enough to get the cheese.” Cuphead’s echoing voice said.

“Yeah… me too bro… Me too.” Mugman’s echoing voice responded.

The 360-image changed into Cuphead and Mugman holding hands while they watched the mouse hole on the bottom of the pink wall patiently.

Cuphead and Mugman smiled with relief at this vision.

““Uhh, what did I say?” Cuphead’s echoing intrigued voice said.

The 360 image showed them by the leafless tree with red leaves on the ground, and Mugman was just leaning closer to Cuphead’s non-existent ear.

At this, Cuphead and Mugman’s mouth started to squiggle-smile a bit, and they snickered.

There was a long pause… until

“Piss a cake.” Mugman’s whispering voice said.

Starting from loud snickers, Cuphead and Mugman burst into their loudest laughter they ever had to the ceiling, and that laughter echoed through the halls… a really loud laughter that they had felt really really familiar with. As they felt strange with this all too familiar laughter, they opened their eyes.

In front, they saw a wide purple wall. They looked below them and then sidewards to each other, and they saw that they were not standing, but slumping and leaning cheek-to-cheek side-by-side each other looking like an upside-down V.

“Whoa! WHOOAAHH!” They yelled as they lost their balance and fell backwards.

Leaves rustled beneath their heads as the boys crashed into the pile of them. Looking up, they saw the top branches of the leafless tree.

They both gasped.

“N-no way!” Mugman made a whispering exclaim.

Mugman got up hastily, followed by Cuphead who just followed his brother’s lead.

Turning to his left, Mugman gasped, his pupils shrunk, and his hands covered his mouth in shock. Cuphead followed behind Mugman, and he gasped too.

Before them, was a small rectangular castle-like house standing in front of them; it had a doorless castle doorway with large cubes of rocks lining the arch, crenels lining the borders of the roof, and two long red beds of leaves flanking the left and right of the doorway… they were back in front of Toriel’s castle-house.

“Wh-….” Cuphead turned to Mugman. “What’s goin’ on?...”

Mugman blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his vision for any chance that it might be blurry or it might be tricked. “C-c’mon…” He started to walk towards the entrance of the house.

Cuphead stood there watching and wondering what Mugman was doing, but as soon as he noticed they were gaining distance, he scrambled and ran to catch up with his brother.

“M-Mugman? Y-yer freakin’ me out…” Cuphead held his brother’s hand.

For a moment, Mugman looked at his brother. “S-sorry… I just… I just had a strange feeling…”

Cuphead raised an eyebrow. “’Bout what?”

“Well… if we’re back here…” Mugman kept walking to the entrance of the house. “If we woke up there… like that… ‘exactly like we did yesterday… wouldn’t that mean…”

They entered the house, and immediately they were greeted with the same familiar scent of butterscotch cinnamon seeping into their nostrils. They felt a familiar hunger and craving that had gotten them all goofy… but it didn’t feel right to them.

“Surprise!” By the door, a familiar motherly voice said from behind as she stomped her foot forward towards the boys.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, hugged each other, and they pointed their finger guns towards the direction of the voice and stomp.

There, Toriel was enthusiastically and happily smiling as she was shaking her jazz hands towards the boys. “That’s butterscotch pie you are smelling!” She let out a giggle as she covered her mouth with her right hand. “It turned out, you were right! Those two flavors do mix well together!” She placed her hands on her lap as she leaned closer to the boys and smiled at them endearingly. “Like two best friends!”

Slowly lowering their finger guns, the boys looked at her with tears in their eyes.

Toriel’s smile faded into an astonished frown. “Wh-what’s wrong?” She looked back outside, then back at the boys with her thumb pointing towards outside. “A-a while ago you two were so curious about my surprise, and then now- OH!”

She was suddenly given a really big hug on her legs by Cuphead and Mugman, and her arms backed away in such surprise. She looked at the boys, confused by their sudden behavior, then smiled at them endearingly, and then gave them her own warm hug as well.

Toriel chuckled. “I’m glad you really like the surprise my children.” After a few more seconds, she then lets them go, and sets her hands on each of their shoulders. “But! I have another big surprise for you!”

From bending forward, Toriel stood straight and then headed towards the hall on the right.

With confused and disbelieving frowns, Cuphead and Mugman just watched her go as if she was a ghost. Then, they looked at each other, held each other’s hands, and just followed her along the familiar hallway they knew. They walked past the light torch, and then stopped behind Toriel, where she stopped before the first door on the left.

“Here it is!” Toriel said as she took a deep breath.

Gently, she grabbed their hands and together they looked at the door in front of them.

“It’s a room for the both of you! I hope you like it!” With that, she rubbed the top rims of their heads endearingly.

Toriel looked at the door with such hope, while Cuphead and Mugman looked at it still in shock, but now with a bit of numbness.

A warm scent came before them, and Toriel took a few loud sniffs. “Oh my!” She covered her mouth with her left hand. “Is something burning?!” She looked alarmed towards the direction of the kitchen. “Oh my… Uh…” She turned towards the boys. “M-make yourself at home!” She said as she was making a run towards the kitchen.

Cuphead and Mugman ignored her, they just kept staring at the door.

They felt… numb, miserable, confused… this scene was all too familiar… like it was… scripted… and they were the only ones who knew… but… they looked at each other… and with that look alone, they silently agreed that they felt the need to follow it somehow.

Exactly like before, Cuphead and Mugman opened the door, with the latter turning the knob, and the former pushing it. Before them, was the familiar warm room that had filled them with excitement… but now it didn’t feel real anymore.

“So…” Cuphead felt obliged to speak. “Wh-what do you wanna do?” He slowly looked strangely at Mugman.

“I…” Mugman took a shuddering breath, and then slowly looked at Cuphead. “I wanna cuddle.” He said numbly.

Numb, Cuphead looked a few seconds more at Mugman, and then slowly turned to the bed. Like it was scripted, like it was a scene he just had to reenact for the sake of it, he walked over to the bed, sat on it, looked at numb, miserable Mugman standing in the doorway (where he used to used to see his brother’s devastated face turn into cute pure joy), and then he opened his arms for a hug.

Mugman saw his brother’s arms, remembering how excited he was to see his brother’s prank turning into a dream come true. But this time, like an empty soul, he just walked over to Cuphead hugged him, and together they laid in that same bed that was too small for either of them.

Mugman just stared at the wall in front of him (behind Cuphead), trying to understand what just happened. Fighting Toriel… Toriel dying… and then Toriel welcoming them into her home as if they had just gone back a few steps… how did it happen? Was this really Toriel? He didn’t know anymore. He was ready to shut his eyes… but then Cuphead squeezed his hug really really tight on Mugman, then he sobbed and crashed onto his brother’s shoulder. Mugman felt his eyes water so much that he couldn’t help but crash into Cuphead’s shoulder as well.

Horrified, confused, devastated… Toriel… Toriel…

They never wanted it to happen again.

­End of Chapter 8-

(Cutscene)

“A-as-g-gore huh?!” Mugman looked up to Toriel. “W-well… Me and Cuphead could take ‘im!... I-I think!”

Cuphead giggled. “Nice!” He smirked and nudged Mugman’s elbow.

Mugman gasped and stars formed on his eyes. “Thank you!” His fist cuddled on his chin.

“Buuut, lose the ‘ya think’ next time?” Cuphead teased as he raised an eyebrow.

“I know, I know.” Mugman blushed and he mumbled, to which Cuphead just giggled.

(Cutscene)

Mugman turned to the stairs, and saw Cuphead furiously catching up to him. Quickly, he hid in front of Toriel, using her as a cover while he peeked at Cuphead. “Y-YOU’RE BEING A BIG MEANIE!”

“HUMBUG!” Cuphead pointed at Mugman while trying to get closer (but Mugman was just going around Toriel away from Cuphead). “I DIDN’T SAY NUTHIN’! I SAID YA NOSE’LL LOOK GOOD ON ME! YER THE ONE WHO’S MAKIN STUFF UP!”

Mugman mumbled nervously. “Y-you…” He started to peek his head more. “You weren’t sayin’ nuthin ‘bout my nose?”

Cuphead made a snarky laugh. “Come on! Look at me!” He stood proudly with his fists on his hips, and his big blue nose held high. “I dun’ care whatcha say, I’d keep this look forevah.”

Feeling his heart warm, Mugman couldn’t help but smile. He slowly came out of hiding with his index fingers touching together repeatedly, and he walked to Cuphead.

When Mugman was close enough, Cuphead playfully punched Mugman’s arm.

“Heey!” Mugman rubbed his arm and frowned at Cuphead.

Cuphead giggled. “Just messin’ with ya bud.” He opened his arms.

Mugman immediately took the hug. “Yer such a joirk.”

Cuphead smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “L-word.” He tightened his hug.

Author's Comments: Yep. Sorry if it wasn't what you guys expected, but I wanted to continue to capture the essence of Undertale, where you had the choice of venturing into either Genocide, Pacifist, or Neutral types of endings.

I was considering if I would include the warning 'Character Death', but it would be a spoiler if I put it above.

Almost done with this arc, and I promise I won't make a single arc as long as this in the coming chapters.

See you next time!

[kalebishop96-blog]

Art Title: Cool Hat

I've finally learned colored pencils and pen inking!

This is my best piece for now, but it could be better with more practice and

learning. I'm still learning the colored pencil blending techniques,

pencil pressure and how to use solvents. Right now it doesn't

look as refined, but as I get into the craft better it will.

I put alcohol as a solvent on Mugman's shorts to see what happens,

and it was quite messy. I didn't put solvent on anything else anymore.

Just pretend... Mugman wet his pants

What could've been done better was that I rubbed it with a dry cotton

swab just to blend the colors together. It will get better

I promise!

Oh! And Sans and Papyrus from Undertale are here too haha.

This is a sneak peek of my fanfic Cuptale (CupheadxUndertale)

to how the 4 brothers would interact with each other.

Seems like they have a goofy bro rivalry on who's and

who has the coolest bro. Oh well!

Enjoy!

Materials used:

Faber Castel 36 Classic Colour Pencils

PILOT Hi-Tech Point V7 RT

Mongol No. 2 Pencils

Alcohol

Cotton Swabs

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Found this in my Tumblr browsing and it looked so good!

Drawing a crossover drawing fills you with DETERMINATION

Yes I miss Undertale deal with it

Also tumblr ruined the quality I'm so sad

Might make a comic about this if I'm not lazy and actually has the determination and time

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

CupTale (CupheadxUndertale) Ch 8: Heartache

Author’s Note:

Finally got this done after a half-year hiatus! This fic is still in hiatus sadly, but it’s slowly progressing. It’s my birthday today! And soon it will be my Japanese test on Sunday. Thank you so much for sticking around, even if it’s really taking this long. Enjoy!

Music box melody playing. The peaceful darkness. A cushy pillow on the back of your head… well, half of it for Cuphead at least. The other half was taken by a baby cooing and moaning Mugman, and Cuphead felt his brother snuggling on his right face, as if he was a pillow.

 Opening his eyes, Cuphead glared annoyed at his brother’s big and goofy smile, and his rubbing snuggles on his face… but he also felt the end of his lip curl into a smile and felt a heartfelt stiffness on his right arm that is stopping him moving away from Mugman’s shoulders. Looking down and realizing he smiled, his eyes widened, then he shook himself and growled at Mugman for making him feel like this. They weren’t flexing. They weren’t wrestling. They weren’t chest bumping, fist bumping, butt bumping, or clinking… They weren’t manly at all.

 Closed eyes, Mugman moaned and squeezed his hug a little. “Cuphead is red… Mugman is blue…”

 Cuphead couldn’t help but chuckle. “Flowers are stupid. So Cagney is too!” He continued to giggle which got a little louder and then ended with a sigh mixed with fun and disappointment. Annoyed, he glared at Mugman who was still on his face. “Ya awake yet?!” He said with a hiss on his voice.

  “Nope.” Mugman said jokingly.

 Cuphead grunted. “Well, when are ya awake?” His right hand on Mugman’s shoulder splayed.

 Mugman opened his eyes and smirked. “When I open my eyes.” And then he closed his eyes again.

 Cuphead moaned and rolled his eyes. “How long will that be?”

 Mugman squeezed his hug a little more. “Few more minutes.”

 Cuphead grumbled and pounded his left fist on the bed, causing the mattress to shake. “That’s gonna take ferever!” And then looked at the ceiling, waiting for that forever to finish… but then his eyes widened. “Wait a minute…”

 Mugman started to snicker, then bubbly giggle, then bubbly laugh. “Yer such a dum dum bro.”

 Cuphead growled. “Get off!” He pushed Mugman but he didn’t move.

 “N-ho!” Mugman giggled and tightened his hug.

 “You’re being super icky right now!” With his hands, Cuphead pushed his face off.

 “Aww come on!” Mugman pushed his head through Cuphead’s hands and clinked the head of his brother, who squeaked startled in reaction. “You like this ickiness!”

 Milk boiling, straw steaming and whistling like a kettle, Cuphead readied his hands. “I. DO. NOT!!!” At the last word, Cuphead pushed Mugman’s face away very very hard.

 “OW! HEEEY!” Mugman swatted Cuphead’s hands. “YA DIDN’T HAVTUH PUSH SO HARD!”

 “THEN GET OFF ME!” Cuphead pushed Mugman’s chest.

 “NO!” Mugman pushed Cuphead’s chest back. “I’M NOT DONE!” He placed his hands on Cuphead’s shoulders and hit his forehead onto Cuphead’s.

 Cuphead’s furious eyes glared straight into Mugman’s. “YES!” He put his foot on Mugman’s stomach. “YOU-“

 A wisp of brown creamy curly air waved and seeped into the nostrils of Cuphead and Mugman who then sniffed, sniffed, closed their eyes, and then followed the scent with their sniffing noses. The trail led to the floor behind Mugman and they both leaned their noses towards it while sucking the scent with their giant nostrils at the same time. They opened their eyes and gasped.

 Two creamy brown pies (with golden brown crust and creamy brown filling) were set on the floor in the middle of the rug blessed by the warm white light peeking from the narrow open doorway.

 Dog-like tongues dripping with drool stuck out of the brothers’ mouths and they used them to lick their own entire faces. They looked at each other, cheekily grinned at each other, and then scrambled out of bed while growling, laughing, and playfully pushing each other, to get to the pie. Along the way, they pushed each other so hard they crashed sitting and laughing on the floor next to the closest pie they each had.

 They both looked at the pie with their black pupils reflecting the pie’s image… but then Mugman raised an eyebrow confused.

 “Huh…” Mugman continued to stare. “No forks.”

 “Heh!” Cuphead elbowed Mugman. “Relax, we can eat it on the floor.”

 Mugman glared at Cuphead. “On the floor?! Like animals?!” Then suddenly Mugman’s eyes widened. “Ohhhh…” He said in realization, picked up his plate of pie and smiled at it. “Toriel-! THAT’S WHY THERE’S NO FORKS!” He held up the pie like it was gold.

 Cuphead glared confused at Mugman “Uhh, yeah!” He smiled. “Forks are borin’ anyway.” He motioned his right hand to pick up the pie until-

 “HEY HEY HEY!” Mugman swatted Cuphead’s hand.

 “Hey!” Cuphead glared surprised at Mugman.

 “Didja wash yer hands?” Mugman pointed his right finger at Cuphead while looking at him with his squinted right eye.

 Cuphead snickered and then swatted Mugman’s right index finger away. “Who cares?” He splayed his carefree hands, while Mugman just looked at him annoyed. “We’ve got gloves.” He presented his hands wiggled his fingers.

 Mugman scoffed and rolled his eyes. “The same gloves you drooled on and fell on the dirty creek! You’ll wind up buzzed by germsville! I’ll go find the bathroom.” He placed his right foot down, ready to stand.  

“Mmmmokay!” Cuphead smiled smug and picked up his pie. “I hope ya don’t mind if I eat that other slice if yer not havin’ it!”

 After a moment of staring cautiously at Cuphead, Mugman picked up his plate and moved the pie away. “No way! I just need clean hands!”

 Cuphead shrugged his shoulders. “Alrighty!” He offered his hand. “I’ll just hold onto yer plate while ya go wash yer hands!”

 Mugman gasped and beamed. “Thanks buddy!” He was about to lend his plate to Cuphead. “Hey wait a minute…” He pulled back his plate to the middle and squinted his eyes at Cuphead. “Ya tryna pull a fast one on me?”

 Cuphead snickered while biting his teeth together and holding back tears. “Whaddya mean bro?”

  “Yer gonna wait until I’m outta sight.” Mugman pointed his left finger at the door. “And then when I come back” He pointed his finger to the floor. “Both pies’ll be gone and in yer stomach!” Mugman stretched his left arm two times its size to poke Cuphead’s stomach, causing him to squeak in laughter.

 Still giggling, Cuphead swatted his brother’s left hand away. “Soooo… Let’s eat em togethah!” He presented his plate to Mugman. “Come on!” He smirked and raised an eyebrow at Mugman. “Don’t leave me hangin’ pal, or I’m getting that slice!” He winked and pointed at Mugman’s pie.

 Mugman grumbled at Cuphead for this idea… but then he rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He laid his right foot to a sit, and (together with Cuphead) picked up his pie with his right hand while his left held the plate.

 They lifted their pies to the middle between them. “Cheers!” Then bumped them together “Clink!”

 Both with their biggest open mouths, they chomped their pies almost finishing it with one bite leaving only the crust they held on their fingers. They both chewed the pie with their cheeks puffy and lumpy.

 Cuphead elbowed Mugman. “Hnn Mhhgmhhn!” He talked with his mouth full.

 Closed eyes, enjoying the pie, Mugman peeked his right eye to Cuphead.

 “Thish ish howsh ya eatsh yush candish!” Cuphead spoke with salivary crumbs spitting out of his mouth. He closed his eyes and then vocalized “NGAM NGAM NGAM NGAM!” as he made very big chews with his teeth showing, saliva spitting everywhere, and the gooey pie in his mouth breaking down to pieces as it was being tossed around his mouth.

 “EEEEEHHEEHEHEHEEEEEEWWW!” Mugman giggled as he smiled disgusted and intrigued at his brother. He then gulped down his pie. “I love ya buddy.” He then bit off a part of the crust.

 Eyes popped out open, chewing stopped, and mouth scrunched at the same time. The words of the last phrase echoing in his mind. Cuphead’s horrified eyes slid towards his right looking at his innocently smiling brother who locked eyes with him for a few seconds.

 “LEAUGH!” Cuphead let his ball of pie roll out of his tongue down to his plate like a ball rolling down a red carpet.

 “EEEEHEHEHEHEEEEWW!!” Mugman laughed and pointed at the ball of masticated pie.

 “Mugs!” Cuphead said disgustedly. “I know!” He splayed his right hand. “Ya literally just told me the day yester!”

 Mugman giggled. “You mean yesterday. Wait was that yesterday?!” His eyes scrunched in surprise and then his eyes looked left and right as he tapped his chin in thought. “I thought it was a few hours ago.”

 Cuphead grumbled. “Mugs, you were literally on my face fer like ferever!”

 “Really?” Mugman raised an eyebrow. “I thought it was just a nap.”

 Cuphead uttered a sound but then stopped to look left and right, thinking about how long they slept, but then he shook his head. “It doesn’t mattah ya literally tell me that gross L-word more often than not, it’s like ya think I don’t know.”

 Mugman smirked. “Aww come on, I know ya like it!” He winked at him.

 Cuphead’s eyes twitched, his milk boiled, he blushed and even the beating brotherly heart on his chest glared annoyed at Mugman. “NOO I HATE IT!”  He he stood up at the same time.

 Mugman’s smile faded into a disbelieving frown. “Wh-what?!”

 “YEAH!” Cuphead stomped his foot down. “Y-YEAH Y-YA HEARD ME! I-I H-HATE IT WHEN YA USE THAT GROSS L-WORD A LOT!”

 Tears started to form on Mugman’s eyes, but then he scrunched them angrily. “I DON’T BELIEVE THAT ONE BIT!”

 “YOU SHOULD TOO!” Cuphead pointed his finger at Mugman.

 “OH YEAH?!” Tears welling on his eyes, Mugman splayed his arms. “WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT?!”

 “WHAT’S WRONG IS THAT YER ACTIN’ LIKE A BABY BRO!” Cuphead jabbed his finger once at Mugman.

 “WELL I LIKE ACTIN LIKE A BABY BRO! IT’S WHAT WE DO!” Tears fell from Mugman’s face as he spread his arms.

 “NO IT’S NOT! YA SEE THIS?!” Cuphead flexed his left arm, and a lump of muscle appeared. “AND THIS?!” He flexed his right arm. “THESE…” He alternately flexed his arms left, right, left, then right. “ARE WHAT REAL MEN DO! THEY ACT TOUGH! THEY ARM WRESTLE!” He arm wrestled both his hands together. “THEY BURP!” He puffed his cheeks and unleashed a loud trembling burp to the ceiling while spreading his arms wide like he used inner power to do so. “AND THEY DO…” His eyes looked left and right at his hands. “OTHER MANLY STUFF!”

 “I DO THAT!” Mugman pointed his thumb at himself.

 “NO, YA DON’T! YER ALL-“ Cuphead formed two fists that were cuddling his chin. “’Hee hee, I’m a baby bro, I like tuh cuddle with my brothah and get lotsa tickles all day!’” He grunted and dropped his fists into demanding open hands. “Come on ya gotta man up bro!” He smirked and folded his arms. “Or we might as well start callin’ ya Mugbaby!”

 Fists clenched. Mouth trembling. Tears falling from his furious eyes. Mugman took a sobbing breath. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Shutting his eyes, Mugman stomped his foot forward, and punched his fists behind him as he screamed as loud as he could in front of him.

 Cuphead gasped and trembled at his brother’s sudden scream; his straw turned into an exclamation point. He took a step back and raised his hands in caution.

 Fists lowering. Eyes open and glaring at his brother. Breaths shuddering and turning into sobs. Mugman pointed his finger at him. “I LIKE WHAT WE-! NO!” He stomped his foot again, making Cuphead shiver. “I LOOVE WHAT WE DO!” His sobbing became louder. “YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND AND MY BROTHER!” He pointed his finger at Cuphead, whose eyes started to crease in sadness. “I-I-I COULD BUILD A BLANKET FOHRT WITH YAH A-AND-AND READ OUR FAVORITE COMIC BOOK ALL NIGHT! I-I COULD WRESTLE ON THE BED WITH YA ‘TIL ELDER KETTLE COMES! A-A-AND I COULD CUDDLE UP TUH YA I-IF THERE WAS LIGHTNIN’ OR I-I HAD A BAD DREAM OR-!”

 Mugman grabbed his head grunted in frustration, and Cuphead took a step forward reaching out his hand.

 “ANYTHIN’ CUPHEAD!” Mugman spread his open ‘crying out’ hands. “ANYTHIN! I-I-ITS LIKE EVERY DAY’S A SLEEPOVER W-WITH MY BEST BUD AND-AND I-I DON’T HAVETUH INVITE YA OVAH CUZ WE’RE BROTHAHS! WE LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE! I-IT’S LIKE MAC N CHEESE” Mugman brought out two index fingers representing each food. “A-AND CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA” He pumped each of those two fingers each again. “O-OO-OR SUGAR N SPICE TOGETHAH! TWO OF OUR FAVORITES IN ONE! WE COULD DO ANYTHIN CUPHEAD! ANYTHIN’! WHY WOULD YA WANNA MAN UP FROM THAT?!”

 Eyes creased. Pupils trembling. Cuphead started with a stammer. “B-because…” His eyes looked down in defeat. “B-because…”

 Sobbing turned into open-wide loud wailing and the tears fell like rushing waterfalls from Mugman’s eyes. Cuphead’s creased eyes looked up apologetically at Mugman, he reached his hand and opened his mouth to try talk to him, but then Mugman covered his eyes, turned around, and ran while pulling the door open.

Cuphead gripped the hem of his shorts, and grunted while kicking his plate, which flipped over and then spun on its rim on the floor to a noisy shaking stop. Closing his eyes, He slapped his own forehead with both hands, grunted as he looked up at the ceiling, and roughly wiped his face down with his hands.

 “WhydoeshehavtuhbelikethisIcan’tbelieveit!” He gave big heavy sigh and opened his air-patting ‘calm down’ hands. “Alright. All I gotta say is…” He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes pretending he was there. “Mugs… I’m…” His mouth shut uncomfortably, it gradually puffed up, and it struggled to open to say something... but then he unleashed a loud raspy whine as he stomped his feet left right left then right. “WhydoIhaftuhsaythes-word” He walked towards the door and yanked it very aggressively that it banged onto the wall. “AllIevahwantedwasfuhMugstuhmanupforonceandnotbesoickyandsobabyishandsoftandstuff.” He kept grumbling other jibber jabbers while walking towards Toriel’s living room/dining room. “Whydoeshehavtuhbesuchababywhycan’themanup.”

 “Why couldn’t he just go with it and have fun?” The sound of Mugman’s sniffling being wiped could be heard. “It’s not like I’m hurtin him or nothin.”

 Toriel hummed endearingly. “Well, if I may suggest, based from experience, maybe you’re giving him too much love.”

 “Too much?!” Mugman exclaimed.

 As Mugman ranted, Cuphead entered the mouth of the room and saw Toriel wearing her eyeglasses while sitting on her couch by the fireplace and Mugman sitting on Toriel’s left knee by the crackling fireplace.

 “Well, what did you do with your brother yesterday?” Toriel rubbed Mugman’s back handle endearingly.

 “Well, we went lookin’ for ya.” Mugman said as he was touching his index fingers together.

 “And… did the search, by any chance, involve lots of hugging?” Toriel teased and raised an eyebrow.

 “What?!” Mugman started counting with his fingers on his right hand. “Noo, there was running, and parrying, and we played tag n’ uhh… ghosts, and spiders and…” He counted his left fingers while looking at them nervously and a curled mouth. His left fingers unfolded one by one, ‘til all four of them were splayed.  “S-sure… there were some hugs here n there but… they weren’t too much!”

 “Uhh, yeah they were!” Cuphead interjected.

 Mugman’s chest jumped, and looked his under right to see Cuphead with his arms folded and blankly staring at him at the foot of the couch.

 “Ah!” Toriel smiled. “Good morning Cuphead!”

 “NUH-UH!” Mugman furiously leaned in closer to Cuphead and stared him down.

 “UH-HUH!” Cuphead stood on his toes closer to Mugman and stared him down... or up rather.

 “NUH-UH!” Mugman leaned in very close to Cuphead.

 “UH-HUH!” Cuphead stood even taller and pushed his nose against Mugman’s as he stared straight into his eyes.

 “AW COME ON YOU STARTED MOST OF ‘EM!” Mugman poked a finger on Cuphead’s chest.

 “I-!” Cuphead blushed from embarrassment, and then swatted his hand off furiously. “THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”

 “HA!” Mugman poked that same finger on Cuphead’s chest, while pushing his nose forward. “SO YOU DO ADMIT IT!” He poked his chest a second time.

 “DON’T YA ‘HA’ ME OR I WILL ‘HA HA’ YOU!” Furious-eyed Cuphead pushed back with his nose and poked Mugman’s chest.

 “WELL DON’T YA ‘HA HA’ ME OR I WILL ‘HA HA HA’ YOU!” Furious-eyed Mugman with steam erupting out of his straw pushed back with his nose and this time he pressed hard Cuphead’s chest with his finger.

 “WELL DON’T YOU ‘HA HA HA’ ME OR I WIL ‘HA HA HA HA’ YOU!” Furious-eyed Cuphead with steam erupting out of his straightened straw pushed back with his nose as he pressed Mugman’s chest back as hard.

 Growling Cuphead and Mugman pushed each other by their noses in some sort of push-o-war with an intense stare down.

 “CHILDREN!” Toriel yelled, and then sighed. “Please! No yelling!” Without breaking their nose connection, she picked up Cuphead and sat him on her left knee. “And…” Toriel giggled. “Do you have to literally be at each other’s noses when you argue?”

 As they broke apart, Cuphead and Mugman blinked and they both looked at Toriel unamused and confused respectively.

 “Uhh…” Mugman scratched the side of his head. “What’s wrong with that?” He said while briefly stealing a peek at Cuphead.

 “She doesn’t have a brother.” Cuphead spoke to Mugman while his backhand was hiding his sidemouth

 Toriel’s eyes widened, she frowned, her eyes stared in anger and her head pulled back pushing against the couch.

 Mugman gasped and covered his mouth with his right hand. “Aww… that’s so sad.”

 Snapping at Mugman, Toriel made a loud flaring inhale, and gritted her teeth under her closed mouth.

 Cuphead giggled. “I know right.” He winked at him.

 Mugman giggled in response. “Yeah, she don’t get what we do.”

 “Yeah. Only we do buddy.” Cuphead buddy hugged Mugman and they both shared a moment to giggle.

 Cuphead ended with a sigh. “Now… where was I?” He raised an eyebrow.

 “Ha ha ha.” Mugman said casually as he tilted his head three times, one on each ‘ha.’

 “No no, what’re we beefin’ about?” Cuphead swished his free hand on front of him.

 “Oh! Uhh…” Mugman tapped his chin twice. “My hugs are too much. Which THEY’RE NOT BY THE WAY!” Mugman bumped his forehead and pressed his nose onto Cuphead’s, who stared back furiously.

 “YA THEY ARE!” Cuphead pushed back with his nose.

 “NO! THEY’RE! NOT!” Mugman pushed forward with his nose and forehead on each syllable.

 “YA! THEY! ARE!” Cuphead pushed forward with his nose and forehead on each syllable.

 They both grumbled as they kept pushing in this nose push-o-war again.

 “Toriel!” Cuphead and Mugman turned to her they pointed their fingers at each other.

 Then, they gasped in shock.

 Before them were two crimson-piercing eyes looming and staring back at them furiously. Toriel’s mouth scrunched and she took one fiery fuming breath.

 “Apologize… Now. “ Her irises burned with fire within them.

 “W-we’re…” Cuphead and Mugman hugged each other very tightly as they shivered. “W-we’re-!”

 “Say. It.” She hissed with every word.

 “WE’RE SORRY!” Cuphead and Mugman yelled as they kept shivering and hugging each other.

 She glared at them, turning her eyes slowly to Mugman, then Cuphead, then Mugman, and then Cuphead.

 Then, she sighed in relief, and chuckled. “I guess it’s not too much when you are taking care of each other!”

 Cuphead and Mugman’s eyebrows creased with confusion, and then they habitually slid their eyes to each other to check if the other understood… but then those same eyes widened and they gasped in shock. They were hugging each other, and Mugman quickly pushed Cuphead away.

 “WHA-! HEY!” Cuphead splayed his palms open.

 Mugman folded his arms and looked away. “I don’t wanna hug you anymore. You ruined everything!”

 “I-!” Cuphead growled, gritted his teeth, squeezed his fists, and his milk boiled. “FINE!” He turned away and folded his arms, mirroring Mugman’s posture.

 “Oh children…” Toriel gently placed her hands on their heads, covering their milk completely, but not the straws. “This is all a misunderstanding. Can’t we talk it out?”

 “No!“ They both said as they bumped their folded arms onto their chests and stuck their noses higher to the air.

 “But… you’re both right!” Toriel smiled.

 Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes opened, and they looked at her confused. “What?!”

 Toriel’s smile showed teeth as she chuckled. “Yes! You’re both right!...” She raised and index finger as she explained, but she tapped that same finger on her lips thinking for a few seconds. “But you’re also both wrong.” She giggled. “Does that make sense?” She looked at them with a kind and patient smile.

 Cuphead and Mugman kept staring at her with their silent speechless mouths open. “Nnno!”

 Toriel chuckled. “Alright, I’ll explain.” She cleared her throat. “Cuphead. Don’t be so harsh on your brother. Just tell ‘im.”

 “I did!” Cuphead thrusted his showing hands towards Mugman. He then glared at him. “But he wouldn’t gimme a break!”

 Mugman spit raspberry sounds at towards Cuphead.

 “Well in that case, Mugman.” She looked at the blue mug with a gentle smile. “Don’t blame your brother. You fed him too much pie.”

 Eyebrows creasing more confused, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other for a moment, and then back at Toriel.

 “But… I didn’t feed him any pie!” Mugman raised right eyebrow.

 “Yeah!” Cuphead raised his left eyebrow, mirroring Mugman.

 Toriel chuckled, with her hand politely covering her mouth. “Your hugs ARE the pies.” She endearingly booped Mugman’s nose.

 “Hey!” Mugman’s eyes looked at Toriel’s finger booping the middle of his nose, earning a slight chuckle from Cuphead who thought Mugman’s crisscross pupils were funny.

 “Yeah, I still don’t get it.” Cuphead scratched the top of his bendy straw.

 “Yeah!” Mugman looked up at Toriel. “Why would anyone get tired of your pie? It’s delicious!” He smiled and began moving in some forward kicking-like action alternatively with his left foot, then right, then left, and then right.

 Cuphead stared with a confused raised brow at Mugman. “Uhh… that’s not it, but he’s not wrong though.”

 “Aww, that’s very sweet of you!” Toriel smiled with his hands together with thumbs touching her mouth. “Come here my child!” She opened her arms wide enough for Mugman to enter.

 A big smile spread on Mugman’s face and he made a quick tackling hug on Toriel’s stomach earning a surprised “Oh!” from her. She chuckled, and then hugged Mugman very fondly, and Mugman stuck his tongue out with a loud “LLLLLLHH!!!” at Cuphead who growled and folded his arms in reaction… until Toriel tightened her hug that it caused Mugman to squeak at the sudden tightness.

 “Ughh-!” T-Toriel!” Mugman made a grumbling sound as he pushed Toriel’s stomach away trying to free himself of the tight space. “Too tight!”

 “Oh?” Toriel chuckled. “I thought you said you wouldn’t get tired of my pie!” She maintained her tight hug on Mugman.

 As he watched Mugman struggle, Cuphead’s mouth turned from a curious ‘o’ into a right-lipped giggling smirk.

 “Wait!” Mugman grumbled louder and pushed harder. “I get it!” He brought his feet to her stomach and pushed. “TORIEL!”

 Cuphead laughed and pointed his right finger towards Mugman, who then growled at Cuphead.

 Toriel chuckled and let go, but it made Mugman push himself too far that he wobbled with a “WOAHOAHOAH!” and he spun and spread his arms trying stop himself from falling over her knee.

 With a sly smile, Cuphead leaned over to Mugman and tapped the back of his head with a “Boop!”

 “WOAH!” Mugman wobbled forward and was finally balanced sitting on Toriel’s knee.

 Mugman looked at Cuphead to see that he was smug smiling.

 “You’re welcome.” He showed a cocky white-teeth sparkly smile.

 Eyebrows scrunched, Mugman gave a slightly hard pat on Cuphead’s face.

 “Ow!” Cuphead covered his nose with his right hand as he recoiled backwards.

 “Mugman!” Toriel glared shocked. “He just saved you!”

 Mugman’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh yeah…”  His eyes looked down in regret.

 “Yeah…” Minorly grumpy Cuphead rubbed his nose with his index finger. “No thanks buddy.”

 Mugman’s eyes began to water, and he rubbed his sniffing nose with his right back wrist.

 “Aww… Mugman.” Warm smiling Toriel opened her arms wide enough for Mugman like before. “Come here.”

 “Not…” Mugman sniffled and a tear dropped as he blinked. “Not too tight.”

 Toriel nodded and gave an endearing hum. “I think you’ve already learned your lesson.”

 After one last sad look, Mugman let himself fall towards Toriel’s stomach, and they shared a tender hug.

 “MMm Sorrrmmm.” Mugman said, muffled by her stomach.

 Toriel chuckled. “Not to me my child.” She gently turned Mugman’s handle ‘til he faced Cuphead who was just pouting.

 Mugman took a breath and sighed, realizing the hassle he must go through.

 “Oh.” Toriel stroked Mugman’s handle with her right hand. “It’s alright my child.” She gave a gentle smile to Mugman, and he looked back with his frown turning into a hopeful smile. “Nothing wrong with trying to fix something… especially if it’s with your best friend.”

 Grumpy Cuphead looked away for a moment of thought, and then looked back at Mugman.

 Smiling more hopeful, Mugman let go of Toriel and placed his hands on his knees. “Hey. Bro…” He looked at the corner of his eyes and scratched the back of his head. “I-I’m…” He took a breath, closed his eyes, exhaled, opened his eyes again and then faced his brother properly. “I’m sorry.”

 Cuphead’s right lip smirked. “Heh. No biggie.” He closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “It’ll just gimme more reason to get back at ya later.” As he spoke, He opened his eyes and punched his right fist onto his own left hand at ‘get back’.

 Mugman’s smile curled, nervous about the anticipated revenge.

 “See!” Toriel gently placed a hand on Mugman’s left shoulder, and Mugman’s nerves calmed to a genuine smile. “Even after all that fuss, he still loves you!” She playfully tapped Mugman’s nose, causing him to giggle.

 Eyes bugged out. Chest jumped. Bendy straw turning into an exclamation point. “WHAT?! NO!!” Cuphead glared at Toriel.

 With a big smile, Mugman gasped. “AWWWWWWWWWWW!!!” His glossy eyes sparkled and shimmered as he looked at Cuphead.

 “SHADDUP!!” Cuphead lunged his nose against Mugman’s, earning a surprised squeal that soon turned into a snorty bubbly laugh.

 “Aw-!” Mugman snorted.  “Come on buddy!” He snorted and giggled some more. “Embrace the brotherly love!” He snorted with a giggle as he opened his arms. “Get it? Embrace!” His smile got bigger as he laughed, even as Cuphead continued to glare at him annoyed.

 “Oh I’ll show ya some BROTHERLY LOVE in a minute!” Cuphead rolled up his right sleeve, showing his white arm, and he pulled back ready to punch.

 Mugman’s pure smile turned forceful as he stared with a sweat drop back at Cuphead… but then the latter’s right lip trembled as he snickered, and then he threw his head backwards as he made a loud laugh.

 “I HA-HA-HA-HATE YOUHUHUHUHUHU!” Cuphead playfully pushed Mugman, who just closed one eye as he was pushed, and he laughed with his brother.

 “No you don’t.” Mugman folded his arms and he smirked at Cuphead as he danced his head left and right sassily.

 The three of them threw laughing fits. Toriel laughed while hugging her stomach, and then eventually placed her hands on Cuphead and Mugman’s shoulders. Cuphead hugged his stomach, Mugman accidentally rested his hands on Cuphead’s knees instead of his own, but Cuphead placed his left hand on the back of Mugman’s right hand, and then playfully pushed it away starting a small pushing of hands game as they laughed.  

 Finally, Toriel sighed. She turned to both each. “You two remind me so much of…” She looked at the corners of her eyes in thought. “a couple of… faces I used to know.”

 With curious big eyes, Cuphead and Mugman looked at her, then at each other for a moment, then back.

 Turning to the right, Toriel looked at the dining table behind her. “They made me so happy.”

 Mugman turned to his left, while Cuphead leaned forward to look past Toriel.

 Three chairs were arranged on the long table; one was the smallest about the size of the Cups by the far head of the table, next was the biggest on the right side, and lastly across the smallest was just the size of Toriel’s.

 “Who were they?” Mugman kept looking at the table with his brother.

 Toriel looked at Cuphead and Mugman’s hands, held them each with her own hands, and softly clasped them together. “Two best friends.” She looked at both, who then looked back at her with curiosity. “Just like the two of you.” She turned back with a proud smile at their holding hands.

 They smiled at each other; Cuphead had an excited and big smile while Mugman had a warm, endearing, and awestruck smile.

 Still excited, Cuphead looked at Toriel. “Where are they?”

 Her smile turned into a sad and longing one. “I...” She slowly turned to the fire on her left. “I will tell you… another time…”

 “Aw come on!” Cuphead gave a light tug on their held hands, earning a smile from Mugman. “Tell us!” He smiled with his white teeth at Toriel.

 “Not now my child!” Toriel snapped a glare at Cuphead, and they both gasped in reaction. She then returned her gaze to the fire and then let of their hands. “Not now.”

 Still holding hands, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other, and then shrugged their shoulders.

 “What about you two?” Toriel smiled at them. “I’ll be honest, you’re a cupple of unexpectedly delightful surprises that dropped-in!”

 “Hey!” Cuphead smirked.

 Cuphead and Mugman laughed in reaction to the puns Toriel made.

 “Well, thanks a bunch for taking care of us Ms-! I mean!” Mugman shook his head so hard, it splashed tiny droplets of milk in different directions (Cuphead chuckled as he covered his face) and shook his head straw. “Toriel.” He finished smiled.

 Toriel chuckled with her hand elegantly covering her mouth. “You’re a very sweet gentleman you are Mugman.”

 “Or should I say…” Cuphead smirked as he leaned towards his brother. “Muggentleman?” He winked at Mugman, earning a snicker from him.

 They all laughed together.

 “So…” Toriel leaned in with a curious enthusiastic smile. “is everyone a cup or mug in your world?”

 “Nah!” Cuphead and Mugman said in sync. They gasped at each other. “Jinx!” They booped each other’s noses and laughed.

 “We’ve got all sortsa fellas!” Mugman explained with his right hand splayed open.

 “Yeah!” Cuphead raised his index finger. “We’ve got Beppi!”

 “A, uhh…” Mugman tapped his chin repeatedly, then widened his eyes with an ‘aha!’ expression. “A balloon clown!” He smiled.

 Toriel’s eyebrows creased confused. “A… balloon clown?”

 “Yeah!” Cuphead and Mugman said in sync. “Jinx!” They both booped each other’s noses.

 “But I said that.” Mugman smirked with his eyes closed and arms folded,

 “Yeah!” Cuphead winked and nudged Mugman with his elbow.  “That’s what I said.”

 “No! I said that!” Annoyed Mugman pointed his thumb to himself.

 “Yeah!” Cuphead glared at him annoyed. “That’s what I said!”

 “No!” Mugman bumped his nose against Cuphead’s nose again while he stared him down. “You are stealin’ what I’m sayin’!” He poked Cuphead’s chest.

 “No! I’m sayin-“ Cuphead pointed his thumb to himself. “What ya said-“ He poked Mugman’s chest. “Is exactly what she’s ask sayin!” He splayed his hands to Toriel as he explained.

 Mugman uttered a retaliating tone, but then tapped his chin and hummed in thought. “So what you’re sayin’ is-“ He poked Cuphead’s chest. “What I was sayin’-“ He pointed his thumb to himself. “Was exactly what she was askin fer?” He pointed to Toriel.

 “Yes!” He pressed his clinking forehead forward as he pressed his point, regardless of how ‘in-your-face’ he was with Mugman.

 “And in addition to what you’re sayin’-“ Mugman poked Cuphead’s chest again. “Yer not tryinna snatch my sayin’-“ He snatched the air to demonstrate. “And yer actually sayin is-“ He poked Cuphead’s chest again. “What I was sayin-“ He pointed his thumb to himself. “Is exactly what she was sayin’?” He pointed to Toriel.

 “YES!” Smiling Cuphead pressed his forehead even further, goofily making Mugman lean backwards (which he didn’t mind), and he spread his happy exclaiming hands high to the air. “OH MAN!” Placing his head on Mugman’s shoulder, he used those same hands to hug Mugman tightly. “It feels so good to be on the same page again buddy!”

 Mugman’s mouth scrunched smiling. “Awww! You’re huggin’ me again!”

 Cuphead’s eyes bugged out. “LEAUGH!” He spit his long tongue out as he pushed himself off of Mugman, earning a bubbly laugh from him, and he panic-wiped his shirt off like he was cleaning off a disgusting infection, and then he folded his arms. “Hmph!”

Toriel joined in on Mugman’s snorty bubbly laughter with her own endearing and gentle laughter.

 “See my child?” Toriel raised a finger in front of Mugman’s nose, and he looked at it with his crisscross eyes. “All you need… is patience.” She booped Mugman’s nose.

 Mugman giggled, his shoulders excitedly tensed as he was booped, and then he nodded.

 “Now…” Toriel looked at Cuphead. “You were talking about balloon clowns? These are humans who are clowns, who sell balloons right?”

 Cuphead glared confused at Toriel. “Uhh… No. He’s walkin’ n talkin’ balloon… human. Right Mugs?” He looked at his brother.

 Mugman giggled. “Yeah!” He nodded. “Uhh, Then we’ve uhh…” He tapped his tinking chin. “Baroness Von Bon Von.” His eyes shrunk and his straw turned into an exclamation point (Cuphead giggled in reaction). “No no!” He shook his head. “I mean uhh, Baroness Bon Von Von! NO I MEAN-!” He grunted to the sky.

 Cuphead laughed. “No it’s Baroness Von Bon Von Bon Bon Von Bon!”

 Mugman laughed, in chorus with Cuphead’s. “No it’s Bon Bon Von Von Bon Von!”

 The brothers laughed together with their respective squeaky hiccup sounds and snorts.

 Amused, Toriel watched them as they laughed. “And, what kind of person is this Baroness?”

 “She’s a candy-! No, I mean… a cake human?” Mugman looked to Cuphead.

 Cuphead shrugged his shoulders. “She’s got the candy cane though so you’re not wrong.”

 Mugman smiled and held his hand high, and Cuphead high-fived it casually.

 Smiling Toriel raised an eyebrow intrigued.

 “Then there’s Djimmi!” Cuphead raised his index finger.

 “He’s a ghost human!” Mugman raised his index finger in imitation.

 “Uhh…” Cuphead raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that ghost train thingy-!”

 “The Phantom Express?” Mugman raised an eyebrow too as he smiled.

 “Yeah the phantom train thingy! That one!” Cuphead pointed to Mugman as he smiled. “Isn’t that ride full of ghosts?”

 Mugman gasped. “Oh yeah! That mean’s Djimmi’s uhhh, uhhh…” He stirred his head milk with his own straw as he tapped his chin; his eyes went whirly as he stirred.

 “A djinni?” Toriel raised an eyebrow.

 Stopping his stirring, Mugman snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah! A Djinni!”

 “Yeah, like that one story Elder Kettle tells us about?” Cuphead was wagging his pointing finger.

 Mugman giggled and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t remember which one, there are so many!”

 “Pfft!” Cuphead flicked his hand down. “Yeah, until he-“ He pretended to snore with his head tilted down and his bendy straw inflating a big bubble at the tip of it.

 Mugman laughed loudly and bubbly. “He’s the best!” He spread his hands in the air.

 “Yeah!” Cuphead also spread his hands in imitation… but then he looked at the lower corner of his eyes. “Yeah…” His smile started to fade.

 Mugman noticed his fading smile, making his own smile start to frown as well.

 They looked down to their laps, and felt a peculiar familiarity. Sitting down on the knees of someone else. Fire crackling from the fireplace. If they looked up, they could probably see Elder Kettle smiling with wonder with his right hand in the air wiggling with magic wizard fingers and his left hand holding a book picked from a shelf of dozens of storybooks arranged on the shelf above the fire. If not stories, then they listened to the radio, and would sing a hippy happy song they would know.  

 Their minds raced. Elder Kettle giving them the blue potion of their powers… them training in Kettle’s magic drawing board with Elder Kettle himself gently guiding them from above.… Him catching up to Inkwell Isle II to give them hope of defeating The Devil… and finally celebrating in a hippity hoppity group hug after everything was over… with a few back breaks from Elder Kettle that they had to take him to the hospital.

 They both looked up to the headrest of the chair, but Toriel, instead of their beloved guardian, rested her head on it while watching them with curiosity. They both looked at each other, and gave a sad smile and a sigh of longing.

 “Toriel…” Mugman slowly looked to her, who just blinked. “It’s been a real slice…”

 “Literally!” Cuphead raised his index finger and giggled. “That pie was the bee’s knees!”

 Mugman gasped. “Aw man no fair!” He pushed Cuphead a little roughly.

 Cuphead and Toriel just laughed.

 Cuphead put his hands on his hips. “Ya gotta be faster buddy!” He winked.

 Mugman rolled his eyes. “Anyway, yeah it’s been a real-“ He paused, and then slid his glaring eyes at Cuphead who was just smirking at him. “Real.” Mugman said smug.”

 Cuphead snickered. “Jealous.”

 Mugman rolled his eyes again. “Toriel, when can we go home?”

 Cuphead smiled at Toriel.

 Toriel blinked confused. “Home?”

 “Yeah! Ya know, our reeaal home!” Cuphead he spread his arms as if he was demonstrating a huge place.

 Mugman chuckled apologetically. “Yeah! Elder Kettle might steam his spout if we’re gone for too long.”

 Eyes shut, Cuphead shuddered. “Wouldn’t wanna see that.”

 Toriel chuckled. “You’re very thoughtful to think about your grandfather like that.”

 Mugman raised his finger. “Well technically he’s-!”

 “Don’t.” Cuphead put his index finger on Mugman’s mouth. “Just don’t.”

��Mugman just nodded.

 “But first…” Toriel raised her finger. “You mentioned you had… cake humans…” She started counted with her fingers. “balloon humans, djinnis, ghost humans, and Elder Kettle, which I think is a walking kettle or… a kettle human?

 “With a cane and a jolly good ‘ol sense of humor.” Cuphead made a hook punch in front of him.

 Toriel hummed in amusement. “I see. I suppose there are other cup humans in your world too!”

 From smiling, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other, and then frowned looking down.

 “We… um…” Cuphead started.

 “We don’t know.” Mugman finished.

 “Oh…” Toriel put her hands on their heads. “I’m sure there are my children.”

 Cuphead and Mugman looked at her and smiled.

 “And I also suppose that… in your world, there are other kinds of ‘humans’” She wiggled her fingers to make quotation marks. “Not just candies, balloons, and ghosts?”

 “Oh yeah!” Cuphead and Mugman said. “Jinx!” They pointed at each other.

 “There are plant humans!” Cuphead raised a finger.

 Mugman raised an eyebrow to Cuphead. “Are those humans?”

 Cuphead blinked confused for a moment. “Well.. there are human humans.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled with uncertainty.

 “Yeah but… plant humans?” Mugman smiled with cringe.

 “Well… there’s Goopy.” Cuphead pointed to Mugman.

 Mugman stared in space, thinking about what he said. “Good point.” He then smiled at Toriel. “There are mermaids and fish too!”

 “Fish in the water?” Toriel smiled with curiosity, though her tone sounded more suggestive than surprised.

 “Nah! Fish walkin!” Cuphead smiled. “And fish… fishin’….” He cringed in realization.

 Mugman cringed in realization too, and their eyes met.

 Toriel chuckled. “Are you sure you know what a human is?”

 Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other confused. “Yes?” They then looked back at Toriel.

 Toriel chuckled. “Only one way to find out.”

 She carried Cuphead by his body and put him down and did the same with Mugman. She stood up, held their hands, and walked towards the dining table.

 “Wait here please.” Toriel let go of their hands and walked towards the kitchen.

 Cuphead looked to Mugman confused but the latter just shrugged his shoulders with the same confusion as his brother.

 As the big soft footsteps approached, Cuphead and Mugman turned to see Toriel carrying in her hands paper and a box of crayons which the two brothers cringed at the sight of.

 Mugman leaned to Cuphead. “What’re we babies?” He whispered with his sidemouth.

 Cuphead spoke back with his side mouth. “I’m not, but you are.” He smirked

 Mugman’s eyes widened for a moment, then he glared at him sideways, and then pushed him. “Stop it!”

 Cuphead laughed as he was pushed.

 Toriel went to the table and laid down the paper and the box of crayons she carried onto the table.

 Cuphead and Mugman cringe-smiled. “Yay…” They said unenthusiastically.

 Toriel sighed. “I’m terribly sorry my children, these are the only arts and crafts supplies I could find.” She hummed and tapped her chin to herself. “Maybe I could find or buy more once you get settled in.”

 Mugman blinked and stared at her cautiously. “Once we what?”

 Toriel’s eyes widened. “Oh! I mean, I have a favor to ask both of you.”

 “Oh! What is it?” Cuphead smiled while gliding his hands backwards.

 Taking a sheet from the stack on the table, Toriel placed a piece of paper to her left in front of Mugman, and placed another to her right in front of Cuphead.

 “Could you draw yourselves…” Toriel opened the box of crayons, and rolled the crayons in the middle. “But with your own hearts?”

 Cuphead and Mugman raised an eyebrow confused and looked at each other. “Hearts?!”

 “Yes! You know…” Toriel picked up a black crayon and drew an upside-down heart on the paper. “Like that!”

 Cuphead and Mugman kept staring at the heart example with their raised eyebrows.

 “Uhh…” Cuphead looked at Toriel as he pointed at the heart. “I think ya got it upside down.”

 Toriel’s enthusiastic smile turned into a shocked eyes widened frown.

 “Yeah!” Mugman then smirked. “Wow Cuphead you’re not so dum dum after all.”

 Cuphead playfully pushed him. “Shut up.”

 Mugman giggled and rotated the heart right-side up. “And his heart is pink!” He grabbed a pink crayon and colored the once black-lined heart.

 Toriel’s shock slowly turned into despair.

 “Ew!” Cuphead glared at Mugman. “Ya make it sound like I have a gal’s heart!”

 “Wha-!” Mugman glared at Cuphead confused. “No! It’s the same color as mine!”

 “EW WE BOTH HAVE GIRL HEARTS!” With a playful smile, Cuphead leaned away from Mugman.

 “EW CUPHEAD!” Mugman playfully pushed Cuphead and they both laughed.

 Amidst their laughter, Toriel slowly became numb and it turned into a frown of indifference.

 “You have a stupid tiny nose.” Giggly Mugman drew a cup for a head with a black crayon and put a red dot on it.

 “Oh-ho yeah?”  Cuphead confidently raised an eyebrow. He snatched the black crayon from Mugman. “Well you have a giant nose the size of a football!” He drew a mug for a head and then picked up a blue crayon and drew a huge oval that covered most of the mug.

 “Hey!” Mugman snatched the blue crayon from Cuphead, who then was surprised at first but then glared back at him annoyed. “It’s not that big!”

“And my nose ain’t that small!” Cuphead pointed his thumb to himself. “Ya started it!” He tapped his brother’s chest.

 “Okay okay!” Mugman raised his ‘stop’ hands. “No nose jokes.” He wagged his finger.

 Cuphead smiled. “Deal!”

 They bumped their backhands to each other.

 “Excuse me for a moment.”  Toriel said with an empty voice.

 “Okay!” Cuphead and Mugman said together as they continued to finish their drawings of each other; Cuphead grabbed a sheet and started a new Mugman drawing, while Mugman just normalized the size of Cuphead’s nose on the drawing.

 -End of Part 1-

  (Cutscene)

 Once they were done, they ran out to the main hall and looked around to find her.

 “I think… she went to her room?” Mugman pointed towards the hallway.

 Cuphead smiled. “Come on!” He grabbed Mugman’s hand and they happily ran to the end of the hallway to the last room on the left.

 They opened the door, but Mugman screamed, jumped towards Cuphead and hugged him, while the latter then caught his brother by his back on one and his back knees on the other.

 “F-f-fl-! F-F-F-Flowey!!” Mugman pointed above ahead.

 A bunch of bright yellow flowers in a vase glowed in the upper part of the dark space.

 Cuphead snickered at Mugman who just blushed and looked away.

 “Hey, flowers can be horrible. Like Cagney for one!” Mugman looked at his brother, hoping the explanation was enough.

 Cuphead put his mouth closer to Mugman’s ear side. “Baby br-!”

 “AM NOT!!!!!!” Mugman yelled with his mouth opened three times larger than its actual size, showing its sharp shark-like teeth, and unleashing a strong wind that blew onto Cuphead’s smug face.

 Cuphead laughed and began to sing. “Rock a bye baby on the tree top!” He began to sway Mugman left and right.

 Mugman growled and wrestled Cuphead down to the floor, who laughed in reaction, and then laughed louder as evil-smiling Mugman was wiggling his stomach.

 “OKAY!” Cuphead kicked the ground repeatedly with his heels as he laughed. “OKAY OKAY YOU’RE BIG BRO!”

 Mugman held his fists on his hips. “That’s right, and dontcha forget it.”

 Mugman looked to the room, leaving Cuphead to just laugh the tickles off.

 It was a mostly dark room, save for the things lit by the hallway light. On the dark parts (after his eyes adjusted) there was a bed on the far left corner, a tall flower vase on the right of it, a four-space bookshelf full of books right of it, on top of the book case was the yellow glowing bunch of flowers on the left side and a tall cactus in a pot on the right, on the right of the bookcase was a two-drawer dresser with a lamp standing on its left-side on top, and a mirror on the wall behind the dresser.

 In the lit parts of the room, closest to Mugman who stepped in, was a desk with an unlit lamp on the upper right, some scratch papers below it, below that off the desk was a pulled-out seat, and to the left of the scratch paper was an open written journal with one paragraph encircled in red. Mugman tiptoed to read the journal.

 ‘Why did the skeleton want a friend?’ Mugman read in Toriel’s voice. ‘Because she was feeling BONELY…’

 Mugman raised an eyebrow and smiled in reaction.

 “What’cha readin’?” Cuphead approached Mugman.

 “Eh, just some of Toriel’s jokes.” Mugman shrugged his shoulders.

 Cuphead tiptoed to read, and just snickered. “Where does she get these bad jokes?”

 “Speaking of who, where is she?”

 (End of Cutscene).

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Chapter 9 “The Yellow Star” (Act I Finale)

Author’s Note

Hello! This will be my final chapter for now, before I enter into hiatus again. The major priority for me right now is to finish my book, so I probably won’t come back to this project for a couple of years.

It’s been really fun writing this project, I wish I had a lot more time and energy to finish this project at the same time my novel, but I have to set my priorities straight. See you all again after a couple of years!

Chapter 9 “The Yellow Star” (Act I Finale)

Clear blue skies. Fluffy white clouds. The yellow sun shining with red orange rays and smiling down to earth with its red puffy cheeks and freckles. Blue birds chirped and flew around each other, playfully chasing each other. The sun watched these birds play around with glee… until-ZHOOM!

From behind the birds, two airplanes (the left red, and the right blue) SHREDDED and SHAVED through the bird like barber’s razors, leaving behind four pinkish bare-naked birds spinning in the air. As if by will, the birds stopped spinning, and then looked in shock at their featherless bodies, and right in front of them were the blue feathers falling down from above.  The birds scrambled and frantically collected all the feathers, then covered the front of their lower bodies with them, and then smiled at the fourth wall with their cheeks flushed in red… only after then did they obey the laws of gravity and fall down with goofy ‘gunshot’ sounds.

The sun watched horrified at what happened, and then glared furiously (that he turned red) at the two airplanes that were piloted by no other than: Cuphead and Mugman!

With their confident and playful smiles, and flying airplane sounds spitting from their mouths, they flew towards a lady in red, hovering on her back in the air and laughing with her backhand covering the side of her mouth and her “Hee, Hee, Hee” that unleashed black bold ‘HA’ words all over the air.

“Come to collect my contract?” She stared with her snarky smile and menacing yellow star-pupilled eyes. “I’ll just blow you away, you no good brats!”

Hildaberg stirred the air in front of her, and the wind twirled into a small tornado. She pushed the tornado forward with her hands, and blew with her mouth, making the tornado grow larger, taller, and catastrophic. The tornado collected trees, cars, boulders, and houses, cows, birds, and other debris with it.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright, with their straws turning into exclamation points. But they smiled as they pressed a button from the right of their steering wheels, and their planes shrank into tinier sizes as they flew through the tornado.

All while screaming with such joy and thrill like he was in a roller coaster ride, tiny Cuphead corkscrewed under a clay-tiled roof, over a cow, and through a hole within a large tree trunk. Cuphead looked to his left, and saw that Mugman with his arms out, was zipping, zigzagging, and corkscrewing through scattered bricks , branches, and  stars with ease.

Tiny Mugman grew back to normal size, and then he tipped his ‘Mug’ head out as if he were tipping his hat.

Tiny Cuphead grew back to normal. “Show off!” His hands cupped into a megaphone surrounding his mouth as he shouted over.

“Last one tuh the contract’s a leaky cup!” Mugman pointed his finger to Hildaberg, and then his plane retracted like a caterpillar and then dashed ahead like a speeding race car.

Cuphead pulled his shorts up. “Oh it’s on, Donkey Kong!”

Out of the tornado, the two planes (the first blue, and the next red) shot out of the tornado like bullets and raced zooming through the sky.

Ahead of the boys, a swarm of tiny flies were flying towards them zigzagging like angry bees, and some grinned evilly while others grinned cheerfully. Hildaberg had transformed into a frog-shaped monster with yellow star pupils; it was a Froggit imitation of her cloud Zodiac transformation. The boys fired their bullets from the planes. The swarm of flies screamed, and then parted, leaving perfect-circle gaps in between, and the bullets hit Hildaberg who growled irritated.

The boys flew through the circles of flies, but as they did, the flies transformed into mixes of butterflies and roaches. Hildaberg’s cloud shape transformed into a cockroach-like monster (Migosp) and a ghost-moth hybrid (Whimsun), both shapes were morphing erratically as if competing which morph would commit, and all the same time she was firing ‘HA’ projectiles from her laughing mouth. But, each and every attack was either shot down, dodged, or parried by the two confident-grinning cups on red and blue planes.

“Is that all ya got?” Cuphead yelled with his left hand cupped in a megaphone.

“’Cuz ya missed us by a lot!” Mugman yelled with his left hand cupped in a megaphone, in imitation.

With his hands on his tummy, legs above the steering wheel, and his head lower than the headrest, Cuphead laughed hysterically. “Ni-hihice one pal!”

Mugman looked back at Cuphead with his knuckles squeezing his ‘chin’ and his pupils turning into stars.

“Oh!” Hilda smirked. “Ya startin’ tuh have fun? Why dont’cha play with the sun?” Her right palm showed above her.

A bright or red-orange light loomed over the boys, who then squinted, shielded their eyes with their left hand, and started to sweat. As their eyes adjusted to the light, their eyes bugged out, their straws turned into exclamation points, and their bodies trembled.

Mr. Sun himself came to Hildaberg’s side and stared angrily at the boys with his freckled puffy red cheeks puffed red, while Hildaberg just slyly covered her evil smile implying to the boys ‘You’re in trouble hee hee hee.’

Mr. Sun blew into his closed mouth, making his cheeks puff larger, and the sun rays around his body radiate two dozens of hot solar beams. The bases of their planes caught one of the beams, and the planes themselves bounced up in pain yelling ‘HotHotHotHotHot!’. Cuphead and Mugman aimed their straws at the fires, then pinched their noses and then blew into them, making the milk spray from their straws into the fire like fire extinguished. The fires on the planes extinguished into white steam, and the planes themselves sighed in relief and resumed their inanimate plane forms.

This sun rays then started rotating clockwise, and the pulled their plane controls up to avoid the hot beam. After a few seconds, Mr. Sun took an inhale, and the sun rays disappeared and the sky returned to blue for a moment.

“Go down!” Mugman called.

The boys pushed their controls down, making the plane drop by a few feet.

The sun puffed its cheeks again, and blew into its mouth again, repeating the rotating sun beam attack pattern, and the boys flew upwards avoiding the beam; meanwhile Hildaberg was just cackling at the supposed demise of the boys. After a while, Hildaberg pushed her hands again, and out of her hands shot rows of stars, and the boys sweated nervously as they evasively flew into the safe gaps that were made narrow.

“Keep shootin’!” Cuphead called.

Both Cuphead and Mugman began shooting

Hildaberg cackled. “Ready to call it quits? ‘Cuz  yer about to be…” Hilda took a big inhale and then screamed and her body trembled as if she was transforming. Mr. sun also vibrated very rapidly and puff its cheeks even bigger. The two entities swirled into each other and then popped out of thin air with puffs of white smoke into an…

 “EEEH-CLIPSED!” The hybrid voice of Hilda and a deep male spoke.

The boys gasped as they basked before a yellow-orange-red-black clockwork mechanical eclipse into a red & black crescent clockwork mechanical moon; The crescent bottom-right represented Hilda’s crescent moon, while the quarter top-left represented Mr. sun, but their colors and clockwork gears were mixed together in different places.

For a good long seconds, Cuphead and Mugman stared at the freakishly gigantic fusion. Like super long rubber bands, Cuphead and Mugman stretched their arms to each distant other, then pulled each other for a hug as they (and their squished together animate planes) screamed like girls.

The ecliopse puffed its cheeks like Mr. Sun, but then unleashed a chilling cackle (like Hilda) at them as it unleashed a flock of… angry Toriel’s with fairy wings holding fireballs on her hands.

Cuphead stared at them with confusion and then looked at Mugman beside him to check if he had the same reaction, but Mugman smiled with confidence.

Mugman pointed his finger at the eclipse. “Ya ain’t gonna win that easily Hildaburger! We’re the Cupbros!” He then smiled at Cuphead.

Cuphead snickered. “Yeah! And the Cupbros will win against any h-“

“Foe!” Mugman glared at Cuphead.

Cuphead covered his mouth. “Foe! I meant foe!” He giggled.

Mugman rolled his eyes, and together they sped forward.

The fairy got lady Toriels raised their hands and then shot fireballs of black and white colors, and they cut off the various safe spaces the boys could fly into.

The boys licked their fingers, and then pushed the same shrink button, and their planes shrunk, and they were able to corkscrew and maneuver through the various fire blasts with ease. After the volley of attacks, the Eclipse and the Toriels started to huff and pant due to exhaustion. The boys then grew to normal sizes and then fired their volley of bullets.

The Toriels shrieked and then vanished in puffs of white smoke to avoid the bullets, but those pellets led to the Eclipse which started yelling in pain as they took the full volley. The eclipse looked weary, tired, and beaten up; it had black eyes and bandages all over. It then exploded in a white puff of smoke, and as the smoke cleared, it revealed Mr. Sun and Hildaberg were separated. Mr. Sun was crying with black eyes as it floated back up to the sky; his crying turned the sky gray and caused it to start raining. Hildaberg fell to the ground like a leaf, swaying, and twirling left and right as the wind kept slowing her descent.

The boys dove in and followed her.

“Great job Mmmmugsy!” Cuphead winked to his best pal and gave him a thumbs up.

“You too Cccccuppyy!” Mugman winked back and gave him a thumbs up.

Hildaberg landed softly on the rustling grass that was wet from the rain. Laughing (with snorting from Mugman and hiccups from Cuphead) soon closed in as their motor planes landed near Hildaberg onto a spot of wet grass with some water splashing from the wheels of the planes. 

The boys hastily hopped off their planes, splashed their shoes onto some wet grass, and (with splashing footsteps) raced each other to Hildaberg.

The boys hastily hopped off their planes and raced each other to Hildaberg.

Hildaberg was lying down on her back on the ground with swirly circles for eyes, and miniature versions of Cuphead and Mugman flying their planes and circling around Hildaberg’s head.

Cuphead stopped a few inches away from her, and pointed his finger gun at her. “Alright! Give us yer contract lady! Or yer-!”

Meanwhile, Mugman approached her, unpocketed a toy knife, held it in his right hand, and then stabbed to the ground.

Cuphead’s eyes widened in horror. “Y-you’ll…” He then looked at Mugman.

Mugman cackled in a sinister demonic voice.

“Well… she got it didn’ she…” Mugman turned his head 180-degrees to Cuphead and revealed a creepy looking smile; his eyes were two crimson vertical lines, and his mouth was a curved closed-mouth cheeky smile. “Right buddy?” He spoke with his demonic creepy voice.

Cuphead shivered and took a stutter step back.

“Aww, what’s the matter best friend?” Mugman raised his finger gun. “Didn’t ya want us to be free?”

Mugman’s smile showed sharp teeth and he unleashed a demonic creepy laugh like Flowey’s.

From the bed, Cuphead jumped up to the air screaming “AAAAAGH!” with his arms and legs shaking.

“AAAAAGH!” At the same time, Mugman also jumped up to the air. His arms and legs mirrored Cuphead’s.

Back on the bed, Cuphead squeezed his head as he screamed. “AAAAAAAGH!”

“AAAAAAGH!” Mugman was hiding his arms and chest under their shared blanket, and his eyes looked left and right trying to find the danger.

“AAAAAAAAGH!” Cuphead spun his head alone for three quick rotations.

“AAAAAAAAAGH!” Mugman held Cuphead’s head, stopping him exactly on his face looking back at him. “WHAT’S-?!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!” Cuphead grabbed Mugman’s shoulders and shook him like a doll.

Annoyed, Mugman slapped Cuphead’s face, making his head spin round and round and round really fast.

Cuphead held his head with both his hands to stop it from spinning, but his eyeballs kept spinning in various other directions, and his straw kept stirring clockwise until they both slowed into a stop. His eyes looked sideways towards Mugman.

Mugman’s stern eyes softened into endearment, then he gently held Cuphead’s left cheek, turned it to face him, and then sandwiched the sides of Cuphead’s head with both his hands.

“Ya okay bud?” He asked softly.

Trembling, Confused, Cuphead could not say or do anything but stare. Then, his eyes scrunched, determined to challenge his inner thoughts.

Mirroring Mugman, he sandwiched both sides of Mugman’s head with his hands, and the latter glared confused.

“W-what?!” He blinked.

“Smile for me bro.” He said, as he seriously looked into Mugman’s eyes.

Mugman paused and raised an eyebrow. “Huh?!”

“Just do it Mugsy!” Cuphead gave Mugman’s head a very light shake. “Just do it!”

Mugman blinked again, still quite unsure what Cuphead was on about, but he just smiled with his best smile anyway.

Cuphead scanned his brother’s face from top to bottom; Mugman had the same round eyes with with pie-cut shaped pupils, his cheeks were so puffy that they covered the lower part of his eyes, and his smile was showing his square, decaying, and candy-covered teeth.

Cuphead took a deep breath, and sighed in relief.

“You’re…” He huffed. “You’re not creepy.” He rested his forehead onto his brother’s, earning a clink, and his nose was resting on his brother’s big blue on one because it was too big to ignore… and it was squishy. “You’re not a creepy buddy.”

Mugman’s eyes widened in surprise, then he raised an eyebrow in confusion, then he made a big curly smile as the brotherly heart on his chest melted with a dreamy sigh as it watched the both of them touch foreheads. He then pressed his forehead back towards Cuphead in return, and then he closed his eyes. They both smiled, hands on each other’s sides of their heads, leaning their foreheads to each other like real brothers would.

“You’re a dorky buddy.” Cuphead said softly.

Mugman’s eyes popped open, then glared unamused at Cuphead. “What was that?!”

“Nuthin’.” Cuphead’s right lip smiled bigger.

Mugman pushed his nose and forehead deeper. “Oh ya said sumthin’.” He narrowed his glare.

Cuphead giggled. “Nah, yer just hearin’ stuff.” He pushed Mugman’s face back to its comfortable pose, and then kept resting his forehead and nose onto his brother’s.

Mugman just kept glaring at him suspiciously, waiting for a sign that Cuphead would say any humbuggery and dum dumness… and then he just closed his eyes and resumed his curly smile. The brotherly heart in Mugman’s chest meanwhile hugged a picture frame which contained Cuphead and Mugman’s buddy-hugging picture. It even planted a kiss on it in the middle and then continued hugging the frame.

“…dorky buddy…” Cuphead whispered.

Mugman recoiled away as far as Cuphead’s arms could reach, his eyes glared unamused, his mouth gaped as if non-vocally saying ‘Ahh… so that’s how ya wanna play it’ and ‘I can’t believe ya just did that!’ at the same time.

Seeing Mugman’s face, Cuphead started to giggle louder and giddier with a few hiccups.

Mugman leaned a little closer and narrowed his stare. “Oh yeah? What does that make ya?”

Closed eyes, Cuphead held his hips proudly. “I’m the cool one remembah.”

“Uhh uhh!” Mugman shook his head, and folded his arms. “Yer the sippy one.”

Cuphead’s eyes widened and his mouth slowly gaped open… and soon Mugman’s eyes did too as he realized what he just said.

His eyes narrowed. His smile smirked. “What did’ja call me?”

Mugman smiled with a nervous scrunchy mouth, his shoulders shrunk and shivered, and he retreated back under the blanket a little… but then he closed his eyes, bit his chin, and gulped his fear down. He then opened his eyes, held his head high (higher than Cuphead’s in fact) and stared him down.

“I called ya a sippy!” Mugman jabbed a finger down Cuphead’s stomach.

Jolting and squeaking from the finger jab, Cuphead giggled and recoiled. “Oh that’s how ya wanna play it huh?!” He scrunched his eyebrows, rolled up his black sleeves, exposing his white arms, and then wiggled his fingers in front of Mugman’s face.

Seeing the wiggly fingers, Mugman’s body shivered with goosebumps, he bit his lower lip, his smile squiggled, and his straw straightened into an exclamation point. But then he shook his head, then pushed his smile to be bigger & more confident, and he raised his hands. “Yeah. I DO!”

Fingers straight onto his stomach, Mugman tackled Cuphead down to the bed, and the Cup laughed and laughed as Mugman’s fingers wiggled round and round, over, under, and even in the center of his stomach. Cuphead tried to push away his brother’s arms, but laughing Mugman kept jabbing them back or dodging his brother’s pushes.

As Mugman jabbed his right arm, Cuphead’s left hand jabbed into Mugman’s armpit, causing the squeak in laughter and move his right shoulder away from Cuphead’s hand, but Cuphead took the opening and jabbed his brother’s right hip. Mugman’s body curled in, trying to cover his hip, but Cuphead’s hand was still in it and was wiggling its fingers.

Growling, laughing, and battle yelling, the boys went on and on in this back and forth rumble and tumble fight cloud in this tiny wrestling ring of a one-person bed, with both of them either giving it their hardest tickles yet, or laughing their hearts out as they were tickled. In one instance, Mugman managed to snatch Cuphead’s head off his neck and then tickle the base of his ‘cup’ head, leaving Cuphead’s body to jolt on the bed while the head laughed with squeaky hiccups. In another, Cuphead kept wiggling onto Mugman’s side stomachs, and Mugman kept laughing and laughing with snorts while his body jolted. In another, Mugman was sitting on Cuphead’s tush, and tickling Cuphead’s right foot mercilessly, and the latter kept laughing with tears while he pounded the pillow with his fists. Back and forth, dominating each other, this fight cloud of laughter went on and on.

Eventually, they rolled off the bed, and crashed down to the floor with their heads rolling on the floor (literally) in a half-circle each, Cuphead rolled to the left, and Mugman rolled to the right, laughing with their respective snorts and squeaky hiccups. Their heads clinked together, completing the full circle with each of their half circle rolls, and the clink tilted their heads upright, jiggling ‘til the bases of their ‘cup heads’ were flat on the floor.

Finally, after a long while of laughing, they both made big sighs. Closed eyes, their bodies grabbed their heads from the floor, then held it on top of their stomachs facing the ceiling.

Opening their eyes, they saw a ceiling full of plastic green stars, and they both smiled.

“Guess that really wasn’t ya back there…” Mugman’s eyes kept looking at the stars.

Cuphead blinked, and his mouth opened a little in surprise. “Whaddya mean Mugs?” His eyes kept looking at the stars too.

“I mean, it wasn’t ya who dunnit ya know?” Mugman looked at Cuphead momentarily. “Back there… ya did stuff ya wouldn’t normally do, ya said stuff ya wouldn’t yap about…” His hand opened while explaining. “Ya had this… creepy smile on ya face…”

Cuphead’s eyes widened. ‘Creepy smile…’ Two crimson vertical lines for eyes… A closed curved mouth smile, as if delighting in what it had done… Was that connected?

“I haven’t been freaked out like that ever since we met the devil or…” Mugman took a breath. “Ya prankin’ me tuh thinkin’ ya were gonna give the soul contracts tuh the devil.”

Cuphead snickered. “I got ya pretty good didn’t I?” He elbowed Mugman.

Mugman grumbled. “Cuphead, ya were turnin. Yer teeth were sharkin’, yer straw was chippin’, yer eyes turned yellowy with red… fiery circle thin’s in em.”

Cuphead snickered. “’Circle’ thin’s?”

Mugman grumbled again. “Look, I dunno the werd for ‘em okay?”

“I thot ya ‘ad good comblahblahsion?” Cuphead looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Mugman’s cheeks puffed and his eyes twitched in annoyance. “W-well-“

“Ah! Ah!” Cuphead beamed, his head was sitting on his stomach and his fingers were pointing straight to Mugman. “I gotcha!”

Eyes twitching, straw puffing with steam, mouth scrunched in annoyance, Mugman grumbled as he slammed his head back onto his neck. “Well at least its bettah than yers!” He poked Cuphead’s stomach as he said ‘bettah’.

As he was poked, Cuphead’s body jolted and he squeaked in laughter, and in retaliation he poked Mugman’s side stomach, which caused him to squeak in laughter as well.  Giggling, they both raised their hands, ready to block any finger jab to be thrown at either of them, and then they lowered their hands down, silently agreeing to stop. They both looked back at the stars, while Cuphead was putting his head back to his neck.

“I just…” Mugman looked at the lower cornoer of his eyes. “I just know ya that’s all. It dun make sense but, that cup who dun’ all that back there….” He looked at his brother and smiled. “I know that wasn’t ya.”

While Cuphead twisted his head secure, his eyes were locked onto Mugman’s and he smiled as well. They both held hands and then looked up at the ceiling.

“I dun…” Cuphead turned his head slightly to Mugman. “I dun remember anythin’ after I got ticked off. I just woke up aftah ya smacked me ‘n the face.”

“Well…” Mugman looked at Cuphead. “What ticked ya off then?”

Cuphead paused for a moment, and looked at Mugman. “Toriel hit ya pretty square. She sent ya flyin’ tuh the wall, and then yer…” His eyes widened. “Yer handle!”

Mugman raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“It’s fixed!” Cuphead pointed to it.

Looking behind him. Mugman reached and grasped his handle, and gasped as he could feel it whole. “It is!” His eyes widened as he looked back at Cuphead.

Then… creamy golden-brown wisps of air seeped into Cuphead and Mugman’s nostrils, and they sniffed in the scent of butter and cinnamon. At the same time, the boys sat up… and there they saw the source.

Two creamy brown pies (with golden brown crust and creamy brown filling) were set on the floor in the middle of the rug blessed by the warm white light peeking from the narrow open doorway.

“Woah… De ja vu…” Cuphead stared at the pies with a raised eyebrow as he scratched the top of his bendy straw.

“Cuphead…” Mugman stared at the pies in epiphany. “I think we’re way past de ja vu ville at this point.”

They both stared at the pies, trying to grasp what’s going on.

Out of the semi-open door, Cuphead (above) and Mugman (below) peeked their heads out and looked around the brightly warm-lit hallway. Knowing it was clear, Cuphead walked out with Mugman following behind him, reaching his hand for a hand hold, but Cuphead, annoyed, swatted it away with his back hand.

As they walked, Mugman looked up to see a series of glowing orbs that were painfully as bright as the sun. His eyes squinted as they passed him… he wondered what they were called.

The growing sound of fire crackled as they approached the living room. They peeked in to see Toriel sitting on her reading couch, wearing her reading glasses, eyes focused on the brown book she held up to her eyes. She was humming a tune similar to what the music box was playing.

Toriel chuckled to herself. “Snails, snails, snails… I do really miss snail pie though.” She sighed longingly as she kept reading her book. “Snails cannot survive in-“ She was about to read the rest of the passage, but then caught a tint of blue and red at the bottom right periphery of her vision.

“Oh!” She exclaimed as she moved the book away to the left, to see Cuphead and Mugman standing there with their blank faces. She smiled. “Up and about I see. Did you sleep well?” She tilted her head playfully. “In fact, you slept like a…” She closed her eyes. “Cupple of angels!”

She laughed out loud to the ceiling, but the boys only kept silent, looking at her, remembering what had happened to her. Toriel’s laughter awkwardly died down as she looked at them strangely.

“Is there…” She cleared her throat. “Something wrong?”

Cuphead and Mugman’s straws turned into exclamation points and their eyes widened.

“Oh! Err… n-nuthin!” Cuphead nervously smiled as he scratched his head.

“Y-yeah!” Mugman began touching his fingers. “W-we just-“ Mugman stretched his arms wide, accidentally hitting Cuphead with his right fist. “Woke up!”

After he was hit, Cuphead looked at Mugman annoyed, but then smirked. “Yeah! We-“ He stretched his arms wide and hit Mugman with his left fist.

“Ow!” Mugman yelled.

“We’re still feelin’ the mornin’ blues!” Cuphead continued.

“Hey! Watcha do that for!” Mugman rubbed his right shoulder, comforting it from the pain

“Hey!” Cuphead shrugged his shoulders, then raised his hands as he smiled carefree at Mugman. “Ya started it foirst.”

Mugman’s fists tightened as he grunted loudly, and stomped his left foot as his straw puffed with steam.. “That’s not how it woirks!”

Cuphead grinned, with fists at the ready to fight.

Toriel sighed and rolled her eyes. “Children, just because I have healing powers, does not mean you can just fight each other over and over.”

“Aww.” Cuphead looked at Toriel with a sad face. “Why not?!”

“Cuphead!” Mugman stared angrily at him, with tears welling in his eyes, a little betrayed knowing that his brother wanted to fight him.

“What?!” Cuphead put his fists on his hips as he smiled at Mugman. “It’s fun tuh have a lil’ rumble!”

Mugman’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah that is fun!” He nodded as his fists pounded the air excitedly.

“No!” Toriel held their shoulders. “No fighting as long as you are living in this house!”

Smiling, Cuphead and Mugman looked at Toriel, but then they slowly frowned as they heard what Toriel said. ‘Living in this house.’

Toriel’s eyes widened as she caught herself saying that.

“Oh! F-forgive me.” She gave a forced chuckle. “Only if you are willing of course!” She clapped her hands.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other worried, and then back at Toriel.

Toriel forced her smile. “Don’t worry my children. I have it all planned out!” She held her index finger pointing up. “In fact, I have prepared a special curriculum for your education!” She clasped her hands together. “You could learn about monsters magic, snails!” She touched-counted her index, middle, and ring finger, counting each subject that was mentioned. “Oh!” She spread her hands. “Let’s not forget your basic subjects like Math, English, and even your arts!” She counted the subjects with her left hand.

She closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her hands on her lap. “I have always wanted to be a teacher you know?” She looked at the boys, who just listened to her blankly. “Actually… perhaps that wasn’t much of a surprise…” Her eyes looked at the corner, as she chuckled nervously. “But still.” She glared intently at space.

“Oh!” She smiled at them as she clapped her hands together. “Would ya like to get started?”

Cuphead and Mugman just stared at her not knowing what to say. They looked at each other trying to find something, but they could not.

Toriel huffed. “Well, I think we can start by reading a book. Mugman, could you go to the shelf and choose a book for us to read?”

For a few seconds, Mugman looked at Toriel with worry, and then he walked towards the bookshelf. His eyes scanned left and right at the bookshelf to find something interesting… and then he came across a golden title in a black leather book spine.

‘The Underground: A History.’

Mugman pulled out the black book and then brought it to Toriel with the front cover facing her.

As she looked at the book, Toriel’s expression numbed into a frown. For a few moments she kept staring at it, and then suddenly shook her head awake.

“Why… this particular book my child?” Toriel faked a smile as she held the book with her hands.

“W-well…” Mugman touched his fingers. “I wanna learn more about this place. Ya- ya know it’s… it’s…” Mugman looked to the side thinking what to say.

“Home!” Cuphead raised his finger.

Mugman gasped and smiled at Cuphead’s answer.

Cuphead winked at Mugman, and looked at Toriel. “It’s like ya said Toriel. It’s home!”

Toriel’s smile warmed and stretched up to her eyes. “Alright.” She set the book down above the fireplace shelf, and then patted her hands on her knees. “Come up here my children.”

Cuphead and Mugman made half-smiles, and then climbed up to sit on her knees. Toriel picked up the book again from the shelf, brought it between the boys, and then opened it.

Toriel began reading. “Long ago, two races ruled over earth: humans and monsters. And apparently…” She chuckled, and looked at Cuphead. “Some of them were cups!” She booped his tiny red nose with her left finger.

“Hey!” Cuphead smiled, raised an eyebrow, and swatted the finger away gently.

She looked towards Mugman. “And mugs!” She booped the tip of Mugman’s nose, and he giggled bubblily with a few snorts.

Toriel looked back to her book. “One day, war broke out between the two races.”

“What kind’a war?” Cuphead leaned forward to the book, his hands held his knees.

“A terrible one my child.” Toriel said, smiling.

“Was there any ‘kaboom!’” Mugman spread his hands, mimicking an explosion. “Choo Choo!” He pretended to fire his finger guns.

Cuphead laughed at Mugman’s comment. “Or any ‘Wham!’” He punched the air with his right fist. “’Bam!’” He punched with his left fist. “’Ka-pow!’” He spread his hands to mimic an explosion.

“He-hehey!” Mugman giggled. “That’s what I said!” He pointed his thumb to himself as he leaned towards Cuphead.

“Nah, ya said, ‘Kaboom!’” Cuphead folded his arms as he smirked at Mugman.

Mugman rolled his eyes playfully.

Toriel chuckled. “Yes. There were plenty of those my children. Plenty….” She looked back at the book and frowned. “And terrible.”

Cuphead gasped in amazement, while Mugman frowned.

“After a long battle…” Toriel’s eyes started to tremble. “The humans were victorious.”

“Woohoo!” Cuphead punched the air in celebration.

Glaring at his brother, Mugman lightly punched Cuphead’s side-stomach. “Cuphead!”

“Ow! Hey!” But then, Cuphead gasped and his eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Ummm…” He smiled apologetically to Toriel. “Sorry.” He scratched the back of his head.

Toriel smiled numbly. “It’s alright my child.” She closed her eyes, feigning a happy smile. “You won.”

Mugman and Cuphead frowned… then shivered; it creeped them out, especially remembering what they did to her.

Toriel opened her eyes and looked back at the book. “They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.”

Cuphead and Mugman looked at the book with gloom; this wasn’t their fairytale… it was the beginning of their dark fate.

“Fearful of further human attacks, we retreated.” Toriel’s voice became gloomier. “Far far into the earth we walked, until we reached the cavern’s end. This was our new home, which we named… Home.”

Toriel stopped, and she just stared into the book eerily and silently.

Mugman looked into the page, and read the last sentence.

‘As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names.’

Worried and confused, Mugman looked back to their caretaker. “Toriel?”

Her hands gripped the book with tension, and then shut the book gently. “Excuse me for a moment.” She set the book down to the right armrest. She picked up Cuphead and Mugman’s handles and set the boys down standing on the floor.

With gloomy faces, Cuphead and Mugman just stood there and watched her leave, just like she did before.

“This is the part she tells us she won’t let us go. You know… when we go down theeh’” Mugman pointed his finger to where Toriel left.

Cuphead just silently listened, not reacting to something he should’ve known already. He put his hand into his right pocket, and then unpocketed something. Bringing it out and unfolding his fist, he gasped as he saw the toy knife, and he dropped it to the floor in shock. 

When Mugman looked at it, his eyes widened and he gasped in shock too.

They both looked in horror at the toy knife on the floor.

A Froggit squeaked in shock. “Where did you get that?!”

Cuphead and Mugman, holding hands and standing side by side, looked at the Froggit standing by the corner of the doorway they exited from.

“Oh! Hey there fella!” Mugman smiled and waved hi.

“We found it lyin’ around back there.” Cuphead pointed his thumb towards the doorway behind them.

The Froggit squeaked horrified. “Y-you’re” It croaked, as if gulping anxiously. “You’re not gonna use that are you?!”

Cuphead and Mugman stared in shock and confusion.

“What fer?!” Cuphead’s grip on Mugman’s hand squeezed a bit as he stared with a raised eyebrow.

The Froggit croaked. “Oh… a long time ago that was used for some unspeakable horrors…” Its eyes looked at its lower left corner in remembrance.

The boys looked bewildered at the Froggit, but then their cheeks puffed accompanied with snickers, and then they each unleashed a squeaky and snorty laughter; Cuphead had his hands on his stomach as he leaned back, and Mugman had his hands on his lap as he bent forward.

“Hey look Mugman!” Cuphead raised his toy knife and looked mischievously at his brother who was raising an eyebrow back at him. “I’m gonna get’cha with this!”

“AGH!” Mugman’s body jolted as Cuphead poked his toy knife into his right armpit. “C-Cupheadd-AGH!” He made another loud squeak loud as he was poked again. He raised his hands trying to swat away or block the jabs, but Cuphead just kept jabbing into openings he saw. “PLE-HEehease!” He laughed. “Ss-stohaHAHAHAHA!” Merciless and relentless jabs kept poking to his tickle spots while Cuphead just kept giggling like a menace.

Furious, and holding back tears from its eyes and stomach, The Froggit grumbled and stared the boys down with all four eyes. “Oh you can make fun of it all you want but it’s true! YOU DIRTY SCUMBUGS!” It SHOUTED, then hopped towards them.

Mid-laughter, they abruptly fell silent, and the boys stared wide-eyes offended at the Froggit that was trying tower over them despite his small size. Mugman’s eyes started to moisten, and he made a sniffle. Cuphead’s eyes widened as he noticed his brother’s reaction.

To the Froggit, Cuphead stomped forward while clutching the knife on his right hand. “WHAT DIDJ’A CALL US?!”

Squeaking in alarm, The Froggit stuck its back against the wall, and its fore and hind webbed feet grasped it for life.

“CUPHEAD NO!” Mugman yelled as he grasped his brother’s wrist, the one Cuphead was clutching the knife with.

Though enraged, Cuphead looked at his brother, and after hearing his brother’s plea, his eyes and hands softened. After an angry huff, Cuphead yanked his hands away from his brother’s, and folded his arms as he looked away in some corner.

Mugman smiled with gratitude and sympathy at his brother, then turned to the Froggit. “W-we’re sorry, we just thought-“He began to touch his index fingers.

“Well you thought wrong!” The Froggit leaned forward, with his webbed feet still clinging to the wall. “That thing was used to torment us monsters! Just like what you just did right now!” It pointed a webbed finger to Mugman.

Mugman just covered his mouth with his hands, and looked away with tears on his eyes.

The Froggit croaked and then sighed, closing its eyes for a moment. “Please… as much as you can..” It croaked, and then opened its eyes. “Have mercy on us monsters.”

From looking away, Cuphead and Mugman stared in horrified confusion at the Froggit. For a second they looked at each other, and then back at the Froggit.

“M-Mercy?!” Mugman’s eyebrows creased with concern and worry, the shaking fingertips on his hands were about to touch together.

“Golly we’ah sorry!!” Cuphead swung his fists behind him. “We ain’t gonna hurt ya pal, quit yappin about that stuff!” He folded his arms again.

“Oh…” The Froggit croaked, its body started to relax. “That’s what they all say.” It croaked again, and then relaxed onto all fours. “Trust me humans. One day…” Its eyes looked at the corner of them, and then back at the boys. “You will have to exercise mercy. Even if they don’t ask for it. Even if-!” It croaked again. “Even if they don’t deserve it.” It shook its head.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other, biting their lower lips creeped out by this advice and unsure how to respond.

The Froggit croaked, it hopped a little closer to the boys. “By the way… Toriel came by here just a while ago.”

From creeped out, Cuphead and Mugman gasped and smiled at the Froggit. “She did?!”

The Froggit croaked and smiled. “Yes! She was carrying some groceries.” It croaked again. “I didn’t ask what they were for, unfortunately…” The Froggit looked left and right and then whispered with its backhand covering its sidemouth. “We’re all too intimidated to talk to her.”

Cuphead and Mugman snickered and snorted into giggles.

“Yeah, she tends to do that sometimes.” Mugman rolled his eyes to one side.

The Froggit nodded and croaked. “Indeed.”

Looking back at the doorway, Cuphead and Mugman saw a majestic view of castle towers, walls, and the star-like glowing lights coming from the windows and the summits of those towers.

Still holding hands, the boys walked past the doorway into a balcony with pink-bricked battlements on the walls. They walked ‘til their hands touched a crenel, and they took a deep breath as they basked at the view.

The castle was huge! Two tall castle towers flanked each side (one on the left, and one on the right), and there was one shorter tower in the middle. Behind the short middle castle tower was a dome tower; the top had a small lookout room with crescent-arched windows, lines etched from base of the lookout room down to the baseline of the dome radiating from the center outwards, and finally there were three small crescent arched windows below the baseline of the dome. The dome was flanked by four tall towers, two on the front of it, and two from behind, and they all looked smaller from this distance. From each flanking tower, there was a hall that had thin pillars supporting the thick ceiling/roof, each hall spread apart from the dome like they were its wings. Behind the castle, were numerous villages and communities, and far beyond was a tinier castle they could barely see.

The Froggit hopped close beside them and then jumped up several times to at least get to see the view beyond the wall taller than him. Letting go of Cuphead’s hand, Mugman looked down at the Froggit, picked him up, and held him close to his chest as they looked at the view together.

The Froggit croaked. “No matter how long we’ve been trapped here… I can never deny that this…” It croaked again. “Is a majestic sight to behold.”

Cuphead and Mugman sighed dreamily. They sidestepped close to each other, then Cuphead buddy hugged Mugman, and then they gently let their heads clink together.

“Righty-ho pal.” They said in sync. “Righty-ho.”

Their eyes were glued to the floor with heavy thoughts looming over their heads as they walked the long pink hallway. They left the toy knife behind on the floor in the living room, not daring to touch it again.

As they walked, Toriel had been speaking to them about destroying the door, about Asgore, and how she insisted them to go upstairs, but these words fell on their deaf ears as their minds circled over heavy thoughts.

“One day… you will have to exercise mercy. Even if they don’t ask for it. Even if-!” The Froggit croaked. “Even if they don’t deserve it.”

Killing her… Cuphead not remembering how… Mugman trying to stop it but failing… and just at the thought of it, they erased all that by going back in time… and now they’re afraid of making that same mistake again… of seeing her die again…

They stopped walking. Their eyes looked up.

Far ahead, Toriel stood there looking at the door in front of her, with her back turned towards the boys.

“You want to leave so badly?” Toriel spoke in her numb voice. “Hmph… You are just like the others.” She began to turn slowly, and she stared back at them with her numb eyes. She gave a deep sigh and closed her eyes. “There is only one solution to this… Prove yourself…” She opened her eyes, and laid her palms to her left and right at the ready. “Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.”

Cuphead and Mugman looked at Toriel with such sorrow, this was the moment before Toriel… before they…

“Why are you looking at me like that?”  Toriel’s numb eyes squinted little.

Confused, Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes squinted. “W-what?!”

“Why did you just look at me as if you saw a ghost?” Her numb but soft voice spoke. “Do you know something I do not?”

Mugman’s eyes widened and he gasped. “C-Cuphead!”

In response, Cuphead held Mugman’s hand as he stared in shock-realization at Toriel. Mugman looked at his brother, who noticed his focused stare.

“No… that is impossible.” Right then, Toriel firmed her stance at the ready.

Cuphead and Mugman’s mouths straightened numb, and they stared at her, accepting the inevitability. Mugman looked to Cuphead, waiting for him to say something. Then… Cuphead smiled with cheery bright hope. Cuphead looked at his brother and winked at him.

Mugman’s eyebrow arched, confused why his brother was smiling… but slowly… Mugman smiled too. They didn’t know why, they didn’t know how… but as they looked at Toriel with brave and determined faces, they tightened the grip on each other’s hands with one idea in their minds.

‘We’re gonna save Toriel.’

A yellow star glowed from between their hands.

From Toriel’s palms, two candlelight fires sparked from thin air and grew into fireballs. Like before, she circled her arms clockwise ‘til she brought her wrists together and then thrusted them forward, unleashing a colorful spiraling fire blast.

Mugman stared at the spiral of fire with a sweat on his brow. “Backflip!” He looked at his brother urgently, and he nodded.

Cuphead and Mugman made continuous backflips until they reached they were a meter away from the wall behind them. But then their eyes widened as the fire blasts kept approaching them.

They jumped away from the center trying to dodge it, but the fire blasts hit the wall, and the flames bounced and spread sidewards. When they turned, the flames were already in their faces.

Far ahead of Toriel who was gritting her teeth while maintaining her power, the hallway was engulfed in rainbow-colored bright flames. After a while, the boys emerged screaming, bodies charred in black except for their eyes, flailing their arms around and running in panic.

“CUPHEAAAD!” Mugman turned to Cuphead behind him.

“MUGMAAAN!” Cuphead turned to Mugman behind him.

They both ran into each other’s arms, but as their chests bumped into each other, their bodies dissipated powdery ashes, leaving their shivering pink hearts or SOULs behind. Before their eyes dissipated, the boys caught a glimpse of Toriel covering her mouth and watching in horror at what she had done.

Falling… falling… into the darkness. Closed eyes, into the null, silent void…

“C-…” A faint voice echoed.

They kept falling… and falling…

“You have to wake up…” The faint voice said.

Their close eyes stirred for a moment but remained shut.

“Boys…” Elder Kettle’s voice spoke, in his warm, caring, and playful nature. “I’ve got hot chocolate for your Mugs if you’ll come home!”

Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes opened with fresh determination in their eyes. They both turned to the bottom of the void, which then turned into the image of Toriel standing at the ready to fight. They both held hands and they dove straight to the image. The boys’ voices spoke in the void.

‘We’re gonna save Toriel.’

Their eyes opened to the moment when Toriel laid her palms open at the ready.

Toriel, like before, twirled her hands spiraling towards the center, then prepared a fireball from the center of her coned palms. This time, she spread her arms open in quick whips of her arms, unleashing eight fireballs arranged in a curved row.

Cuphead leaned in towards Mugman. “Mugs…” He whispered.

Mugman turned to him. “Yeah?”

“Ya saw that look Toriel gave us?” Cuphead he raised an eyebrow to his brother.

Mugman paused for a moment of thought, a moment of dark, hibby jibby thought, and then nodded. “Yeah.”

Toriel pushed her hands forward, and the fireballs launched towards them.

Mugman’s left eye reflected the fireballs that were coming to them, but his right eye showed the memory of Toriel’s shock.

Cuphead jumped to the side to get out of the way. As he landed safe, he turned around and saw Mugman, closed eyes, and arms wide open… while the fireballs were hurtling straight towards him.

“MUGMAN!” Cuphead screamed, his straw turned into an exclamation point, and his eyes shrank and shook with terror.

All eight fireballs landed onto Mugman and exploded. Cuphead covered his eyes with his arms, because of the bright light of the explosion. When he opened them, he saw a dark ash spot left behind with a mound of ash.

From the ash pile, Mugman’s ghost came out floating up unconscious.

After swinging his fists to the right and lifting his left foot to the right in cartoony fashion, Cuphead sprinted to Mugman and, using his gloved hand that popped out from the tip of his head-straw, gave a loud clapping high-five to Mugman’s pink heart on his chest.

In ghost form, Mugman gasped for air and opened his eyes, and then his body (starting from his torso to his appendages, to his mug head, and finally to his circular straw halo straightening back again) popped back into its solid, physical form. From midair, Mugman fell down, and was caught laid across Cuphead’s arms; some milk splashed out of Mugman’s head in the meanwhile.

“Mugs!” Cuphead yelled as he looked with watery eyes at his brother. “Speak to me buddy!” He shook his brother.

Mugman moaned. He turned his weak half-open gaze to Cuphead.

“Nice… catch…” With a deep exhale, Mugman slumped onto Cuphead’s arms.

Cuphead smiled, his watery eyes streamed down tears to his face. “Don’t scare me like that ya dum dum!” Arms holding Mugman’s knees and torso, Cuphead hugged Mugman very very tight, and the exhausted latter just wrapped one buddy arm to Cuphead’s neck and clinked his head.

A sigh… a very heavy, heartaching but relieved sigh… followed by a desperate gasp for air.

Shaking and shivering breaths in and out... in and out… Tears streamed down from Toriel’s horrified eyes… Her trembling hands were lowered to her chin… and then, her knees crashed to the ground, and she buried her face within her hands. (Get draft from other laptop)

Cuphead and Mugman looked her way and saw her panting, breathing in shaking, shivering, and heartaching breaths. Her eyes flowed with tears, and her hands lowered to her chin after covering her mouth in shock. Her knees shook, and then crashed to the floor. She buried her face into her hands, and began to sob to the point tears flowed through the gaps of her fingers.

To see her so broken like this… eyes wondering if there was any other way, any lesser evil they could’ve used to convince her… but the boys sighed, knowing that this was the best chance they’ve ever gotten.

Cuphead set Mugman down, and together they made two steps forward.

“Pleeaase…” Her shuddering whisper was like a ghost’s. “Go upstairs…”

The boys paused and froze just to look at her. But they took a breath, held hands, and took another step.

“PLEEAASSE!!” Toriel screamed, her hands covered her eyes, leaving only her mouth open.

Mugman shuddered while Cuphead’s chest jumped.

Breathing in and out… shuddering… in and out… Toriel made a cold and forceful chuckle. “Ironic… is it not?” Shuddering breath in and out. “…I couldn’t save a single child… and now…” She made a sob. “It’s as if I killed one… no… all of them…!” Her forehead dropped to the floor, and she wailed so loud, her voice echoed through the halls.

“A-all-!” Mugman gulped.  “All of-f th-them?!” His legs began to jelly tremble.

Knowing there was no point in delaying, Cuphead shook his head to clear his mind. “Come on Mugs!” He started to walk around Toriel.

With his glossy caring empathetic eyes, Mugman turned to Cuphead, and then glanced back at Toriel, as if to say they could not just leave like this.

Cuphead just shook his head in response. “Mugs!” His eyes pointed at the door, then he looked back at him. “We can go now! Let’s just go!”

“Oh…” Mugman glanced at Toriel again, and he made a sniffle. “O-okay…”

They walked around Toriel who kept wailing in the meantime. They made it to the door, and pushed it open (Mugman on the left, Cuphead on the right). They took their first step past the doorway, until-

“Wait!” Toriel called.

The boys turned around.

With her back turned, Toriel had stood up, wiped her face with her paws, then wiped the skirt of her toga with her hands. “This… this isn’t your home.” She took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh of regret. “Even if I were to convince you to stay… you won’t be happy here… and…” Toriel turned her head back to them. “There is someone… waiting for you?”

Cuphead and Mugman nodded.

“Elder Kettle…” Mugman responded.

She looked at the corner of her eyes, then closed them, and then turned away from the boys. “If you truly wish to leave the ruins… I won’t try to stop you any longer…” Her right hand grasped the chest of her toga tightly. “And if you do…” She showed the right side of her face to them, where a tear streamed from that closed eye. “Please… don’t come back.”

Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes widened. They glanced at each other, and Cuphead rolled his eyes, frustrated that it wasn’t right to go, while Mugman just gave a look of sympathy. The boys walked to Toriel.

Cuphead tugged on her toga. “Hey… we dun’-!” 

Toriel suddenly turned around and hugged them on their backs, and the boys gasped in response. “Please… try to understand.”

The boys looked with wide eyes at her after this sudden act of hers, but then their eyes began to well up and they began to sniffle with runny noses. With big arms, they hugged her back and they began to cry.

She then pulled away, wiped a tear from each of their eyes, and smiled at their booger-infested runny-nosed sobbing faces.

The boys touched their necks, and their eyes widened to feel cloth wrapped around them. They looked down and gasped to see that their necks were wrapped with scarves, blue and red with their respective colors.

“Goodbye… children…” With a smile, she stood up and wiped tear from her right eye with her thumb. “Be good, alright?”

Toriel then took a step away, and then sprinted back towards the direction of home.

“W-wait!!” They both shouted as they reached their hands towards her.

Her footsteps faded, and faded… and faded… into silence. She was gone… she was gone… Only the breaths of the two boys staring at the empty hall could be heard. Their eyes met, communicating a mix of ‘what just happened’, ‘what do we do?’, and calling each other’s names, all in just that one look. And then… they just turned around and ran.

Side by side, footsteps echoing through the halls, they ran in this long narrow hallway towards the darkness ahead. While they were running, Cuphead’s eyes widened suddenly remembering, then he angrily looked at Mugman, and punched him on his left shoulder.

“Ow!” Mugman recoiled away. “Hey, what was dat foh?!” He glared at Cuphead while he rubbed his own shoulder.

Suddenly, Cuphead gave a tackling hug that almost tipped Mugman over to fall, but he held his ground.

“Why’dja do that ya big joirk?!” Furious, Cuphead finger-jabbed Mugman’s side stomach, causing the latter to squeak in laughter. “Yer gonna gimme nightmares with dat stunt ya pulled!” He hugged Mugman really tight.

“Aww…” Mugman smiled heartwarmingly, and returned the hug. “Well, ya saw how she looked at us when we got toasted…” He opened his eyes and looked at a corner in deep thought. “So I figyad it was what we needed tuh get outta heeya.”

“Clever…” From the darkness, a triple-pitched demonic, sarcastic voice spoke.

Eyes widened, frozen in place, the boys slowly turned towards the direction of the voice.

Over the center of the room, where a sunlight spotlight shone over a large circular spot with grass, Flowey was there puffy-cheeked making a ‘jolly-sarcastic’ bubbly giggle.

“Veeeery clever.” Flowey’s stare narrowed narrowed. “If only every solution to yer problem involved killing yourself.” With its carnivorous smile, it unleashed a demonic cackle straight up the ceiling that had a large hole where the sun light came through.

Cuphead grunted, broke his hug, and pointed his finger gun at Flowey. “Ya shut yer yap ya stupid pansy!” He stood in front of Mugman to shield him.

With its sly smug, Flowey leaned away. “Ohoohoho! Veery scary!” It tilted its head left and right. “Of course… I would be too after finding out what you did.” It leaned forward and gave a sly cunning smile at them.

“Yer babbling Flowey!” Mugman stood beside Cuphead and pointed his own finger gun at Flowey.

“Oh…” Flowey’s face morphed into Toriel’s. “Am I really my stupid idiots?!” Its demonic voice imitated Toriel’s voice.

Eyes wide, they gasped, and their finger guns were lowered slightly.

“Thaat’s right! I know what’cha did!” His face became gigantic, and towered over the boys, who fell sitting and leaning away from Flowey. “You MURDERED HER!” He shouted, and his voice echoed to the top. “MURDERED HER! MURDERED HER! MURDERED HER!”

“But theeeeeeen…” While menacingly rolling his eyes, Flowey’s face shrank back to normal. “Ya both had a cuute brotherly fight ‘bout how that Cup went berserk, and then hugged it all out and cried like wittle babies!” Speaking as if towards a baby, Flowey wagged its face left and right, and pouted its lips “…‘Til ya woke up back at that stupid tree!” It spoke in its normal tone.

Mugman’s eyes widened, while Cuphead just stared horrified and furious.

“W-… wh…” Cuphead uttered.

“You…” Mugman pointed his finger.

“Thaat’s right!” Flowey tilted its head to one side, teasingly. “I saw the whole thing! I guess you could say I’ve been… ‘stalking’ ya!” With its sharp carnivorous teeth showing, Flowey unleashed a demonic cackle to the ceiling. “Ugh! I can’t believe I sound like that trashbag.” It sneered, looking to the side.

“Get away from us ya creep!” Cuphead pointed his shivering finger gun at Flowey.

“And ya ain’t supposed to know that!” Mugman yelled while also pointing a shivering finger gun at Flowey.

“Oh yeah…” Flowey stretched its face really close to Mugman, that the latter gasped, shivered, and backed away.  “Yer SUPPOSED to be the smart one here!” Flowey said in mocking imitation of how Mugman said it before. “NOT!” With its demonic pupil-less eyes and carnivorous smile, it stretched closer to Mugman, making the latter yelp in fear.

Mugman ran behind Cuphead, and hid behind him while they both pointed their finger guns at Flowey.

“Going back in time to save poor Toriel…” Flowey hummed in a mocking tune while it shrank itself back to normal size. “You think yer the only one who has that power?” It raised an eyebrow and tilted its face to the boys.

Finger guns still pointing at Flowey, Cuphead and Mugman narrowed their stares trying to understand.

“The power to reshape this world…” With its leaves for hands, Flowey traced a rainbow starting from the center then ending to the sides. “All by sheer determination…” It then scooped up the air and held up an imaginary thing on the tip of its leaves and lifted it up to the light. “The power to play God! The power… to ‘Save’.”

The boys’ stares narrowed even more. “The power… to ‘Save’.”

“Those visions you saw while you were falling down that dark abyss that suddenly opens up when ya simply ‘want to go back’?” Flowey raised an eyebrow, then giggled. “That was every moment you ‘Saved’. And you could only go back to the last one ya did it. Never the others.” It shook its head.

With widened eyes, Cuphead and Mugman gasped. They flipped their palms facing themselves and looked at them, then looked at each other.

“I thought I was the only one…” Flowey rolled its eyes playfully. “But you!” Its eyes turned pale white, and it smiled with sharp teeth again. “It’s because of you I can’t do it anymore!” It chuckled with its triple-pitched menacing voice. “And once I kill ya, Imma have a nice CUPPLE of warm milk as I drink up your SOULS!” It chuckled, its leaves covered its mouth as if mimicking a playful child.

Feeling threatened, the boys pointed their finger guns at the flower.

“Awww, did I scare ya wittle babies??” Flowey wagged its head and puckered its lips. “Well buckle up! ‘Cuz that’s not even the most interesting part is it…?” It smiled with its sharp-toothed grin, and it leaned towards the boys. “I mean, the dummy phasing through the wall…” Flowey tilted its face and rolled its eyes from one side to the other as it enumerated “The pineapple spike beds, star-shaped beams from Loox, Toriel’s fire pillars…” Flowey stared at them with his narrow eyes. “They never did those before… You’ve changed the game haven’t you?” Its smile widened as it chuckled.

“What’re you yappin’about?!” Cuphead yelled as both he and Mugman made a step back.

“YOU!” Its face suddenly bloomed into gigantic size, and it smiled with its tongue out and its carnivorous teeth showing like a giant snake. “YOU ARE FROM ANOTHER WORLD! Every ‘Save’ I’ve loaded!” It pushed forward to the boys, and the boys stepped back. “Every Reset I’ve ever run in this world!” It pushed forward again, and the boys fell sitting and crawling back, while pointing their guns, wanting to fire but hesitant to even start a fight. “Froggits, Whimsuns, Vegetoids, Toriel, even that stupid rock!” On each Flowey enumerated, it pushed forward, and the boys kept crawling back to the foot of the hall. “They’ve all done and said the same things, in every Pacifist, Neutral, or Genocide run I’ve ever done! But You!” It chuckled. “Ever since you came along, they’ve all done something they’ve never done and said something I’ve never ever heard!” It cackled maniacally to the sky, its voice echoed in this dark chamber.

The boys charged their finger guns, and a ball of bright yellow energy formed at the tip of their fingers.

As his cackle ended, Flowey’s size and its loud voice shrank back to normal. “It figures.” It smirked at the boys. “Every human that ever tripped into that pit of buttercups was all flesh and bones… and they never had fingers for blasters… but you’re human alright! ‘Cuz in every monster’s eyes… your SOULS are actually upside down.” It raised its leaves as if it were shrugging its shoulders.

Cuphead raised an eyebrow. “Upside… down?”

Mugman gasped, and entered a flashback. As Toriel’s body dissipated to dust, an upside down heart hovered in the air, trembling very violently, then cracked in half and crumbled to bits of dust that dissipated to nothing.

“The monsters…” Mugman’s eyes trembled in realization. “Their hearts…”

Cuphead raised an eyebrow at Mugman, still confused.

“Whatever it is you’re ‘doin in here, it sure is shaking things up a bit!” Flowey tilted its head playfully, and chuckled. “I can’t wait to kill ya, and see what world you got up there!” It pointed its leaf to the hole above them. “What power I could get by beating every single weakling in your world!”

The boys growled, stood up, and pointed their finger guns to Flowey.

“JUST TRY IT!” Mugman charged his finger gun, converting a large ball of yellow energy to his finger tip.

“Ohoho! The baby boy’s learned his first word!” Flowey mocked as he rocked his head sideways.

Cuphead growled, and stepped beside Mugman. “Shaddup and leave us alone!” Mugman stepped his foot forward, mirroring Cuphead.

“Oh don’t play innocent you idiot!” Flowey gave Cuphead a sly look. “You’re the one that killed her in the first place!” It then smiled with its sharp teeth.

Cuphead growled, held the wrist of his right hand with his left and charged his right finger gun.

“And you!” Flowey looked at Mugman. “Are you sure ya should be pointing that gun at me? I haven’t killed anyone right?” It raised an eyebrow at Mugman.

Mugman’s eyes widened, he gasped, and his finger gun was unconsciously lowered with its charge weakening.

“Hmm your best friend on the other hand…” Flowey slid his eyes teasingly pointing at Cuphead

Mugman growled and fired a bright yellow ‘Charge’ blast to Flowey, who then, after a squeak, quickly dug the ground, and the shot flew overhead.

From the ground, Flowey started with a demonic giggle, then sprouted from the ground cackling with his shark-like smile, while his face grew two times larger. “So you do have it in you…” It narrowed its stare at Mugman while it smiled. “You’ve got what it takes to kill!!” It cackled to the sky.

Mugman growled, and together with Cuphead, they both charged their guns.

“Just one last question… Would ya do it when he turns again?” Flowey nudged his head towards the direction of Cuphead when it said ‘he’.

The boys’ eyes widened again. Cuphead’s crimson eyes and creepy smile… Waking up, seeing Toriel in a critical state…

Flowey gave another cackle. “I’ll be watching you, you stupid hot-headed cup!” It looked at Cuphead. “I’ll give her time to settle in… ‘cause when the time comes… you’ll be my best friend now!” Its creepy smiling face protruded from the flower, and then gave a demonic tri-pitched cackle that echoed through the chamber.

Flowey then plunged itself to the ground digging deeper… and deeper… and deeper… until the sound of digging dirt was gone.

The boys stood there petrified at the thoughts Flowey had planted in their minds. Then… they both gave a deep exhaling huff. They looked at each other, searching their shivering eyes for answers... and then, they just ran forward.

Before them, two giant double doors stood with two marble pillars on each side, and an arch on the top with the same ensignia of three triangles, the same that was on Toriel’s robe. They both pushed it, Mugman on the left, and Cuphead on the right, and from the middle a bright blinding light seeped in… The boys stared into it anxious of the unknown.

-Undertale-

Epilogue:

A bed of yellow buttercups bloomed over a mound of earth beneath the yellow sunlight, and swayed as they were blown by the wind from above the hole. From the darkness a panting a voice grew louder… and louder… followed by loud running and thumping of feet on the soil… her white feet emerged, then her purple robe, then her tearful face: it was Toriel.

At the foot of the bed, she stopped, then crashed her knees down to the ground, and then bowed down forehead to the ground, and wept.

“Oh Chara…” She sniffed. “My child… I’m so sorry…”

-End of Chapter 9-

-End of Act I-

Edited passage:

While Mugman was tickling… … … … … Cuphead mercilessly poked Mugman’s armpits left and right, poking wherever it was open.

In the middle of the poking, Mugman managed to snatch Cuphead’s head off of his neck. Mugman then kicked his body gentle enough to just knock him down to the body. 

“Hey!” Cuphead stared with a competitive smile, but then he started to laugh.

Mugman rubbed under the base of Cuphead’s ‘cup-head’, and his body jolted while his disconnected head laughed with hiccups.

Still jolting from the tickles, Cuphead’s body crawled towards Mugman and then poked his stomachs, making the latter jolt and drop Cuphead’s head to the bed.

“Gotcha now!” Cuphead yelled.

Cuphead’s fingers kept wiggling onto his side stomachs, and Mugman kept laughing and laughing with snorts while his body jolted. Meanwhile, Cuphead’s foot hooked onto his own head handle, and he kicked the base of his head towards his body and it landed back onto his neck.

Mugman grabbed his brother’s shoulders and used it to flip himself up, and then he landed sitting on Cuphead’s tush. He grabbed Cuphead’s right foot, and then wiggled his fingers on it, making Cuphead pound his fists onto the bed as he laughed really loud.

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Cuptale CupheadxUndertale Ch7: Home (Premier Teaser)

PREMIERES AT: 09/23/2022 21:00

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

CupTale (CupheadxUndertale) Ch7: Home

Chapter 7 “Home”

The ruins seemed to go on and on endlessly and were beginning to be a little monotonous for Cuphead and Mugman, but what always distracted them were some of the new sights and new things they would see. Such was this…

A dark brown leafless tree stood far ahead beyond the mouth of the narrow corridor, and the boys’ eyes glimmered to see such an enchanting tree that they ran to it. As they exited the hallway mouth, they stopped and watched the tree from top to bottom with their glimmering eyes while their hands glided behind them.

The tree had about eight branches radiating from the center and there were barely any leaves on them, just some tiny ones and some big ones which would eventually fall off swaying down to the bed of vibrant and healthy-looking red leaves on its roots.

Cuphead and Mugman took an awe-inspired deep breath. “Wwoooowww…” They smiled in awe as their glossy eyes reflected the image of the tree.

“Oh dear…. That took longer than I thought it would…“ Toriel’s distant worried voice said.

Cuphead and Mugman blinked, noticing Toriel’s voice was in earshot. They peeked to the right, looking beyond the tree, and saw worried Toriel walking hurriedly from a castle doorway towards a spot on the right side of the tree. Cuphead snickered while Mugman smiled warmly. She stopped there, picked up her phone from her right pocket, pushed a button with her left index finger, and then placed the phone under her fluffy right ear.

“Oh… I hope you are alright my children…” Toriel said worriedly to herself.

She then looked to her right… then her eyes widened as she saw Mugman and Cuphead, leaning on their right watching her, and as they were noticed, they stood normally, smiled, and waved.

“Children!!” She raised her voice as she ran towards the boys and put her phone back in her pocket.

Toriel and Mugman & Cuphead ran towards each other. She knelt down and placed her hands on their shoulders, and they smiled comfortably in return.

“You’re okay!!” Mugman looked up at Toriel with his kind eyes while gliding his hands backward.

Eyes closed, Toriel chuckled, then she opened her eyes. “Of course, I am alright my child! How about you? How did you get here?”

“Duh, we walked.” Cuphead snarkily smiled as he folded his arms.

An irritated exhale puffed from Toriel’s nostrils as she looked annoyed at Cuphead. “I mean, how did you get here in one piece? Are you hurt?”

Cuphead tsked. “Nah!” He flicked his hand down. “We’re A-okay. Right Mugsy?” He looked at his brother but then gasped as he noticed a few cracks on the side of his head right and a few bite holes on Mugman's black turtleneck before Mugman turned to look back at him. Mugman gasped and saw some cracks on Cuphead’s head and bite marks on his turtleneck as well.

Mugman nervously chuckled, touched his index fingers repeatedly, and looked at Toriel. “Just a few cracks here and there.”

“Oh you poor boys. Come here and let me heal you.” Toriel showed her hands which both glowed leaf green.

After a momentary look at each other, and then a smile each, Cuphead and Mugman stepped forward and let Toriel’s embrace wrap around them, and Toriel’s glowing leaf green hands glowed brighter accompanied by a low humming of power. The leaf green aura wisped and chimed from her hands, they twirled around the air like ribbons, and then the aura wrapped around the two brothers starting from their heads down to their arms, to their fingertips, bodies, stomachs, hips, legs, and finally to their feet inside their shoes. Soon, the pain on Cuphead and Mugman’s heads was receding, making them sigh in relief, and they watched the cracks on each other's heads fade and recede ‘til it was just smooth and shiny porcelain, and the holes on their clothes repair and weave together, all while their full bodies were layered within a green aura. Toriel let go of her embrace, and the last leaf green aurorean light ribbons of the green aura seeped into the bodies of Cuphead and Mugman ‘til there was nothing but two clean and shiny good-looking boys. Cuphead and Mugman began to pat, rub and turn each other’s squeaky clean heads as they inspected them with such curiosity… and they smiled, but then Cuphead roughly and playfully hit Mugman’s head with his hand.

“Hey!!” With a playful smile, and with his right hand, Mugman hit back on Cuphead’s head, and the latter just bubbly laughed.

Toriel groaned and rolled her eyes. “Please don’t hurt yourselves after I’ve just healed you my children.” She looked at them strictly. “This is exactly why I told you to stay in that room! So that you wouldn’t get hurt! Why didn’t you listen?!”

Mugman frowned, looked at Toriel, started to shiver, and started to touch his index fingers. “I-I-!”

“Hey!” Cuphead put his hands on his hips as he looked defensively at Toriel. “We heard you were in trouble so we went lookin’ for ya. It was Mugs’ idea!” He splayed his showing hand at Mugman who gasped.

“Oh my…” Toriel covered her mouth, and then looked at Mugman. “Did you now my child?”

“Oh! Y-yeah! I did!” Mugman beamed as he placed his fists on his hips proudly like a hero.

“And even if we stayed put, brawls were brewin’ once them monsters started comin’” Cuphead jabbed the air with his fists a few times. “So we figyad, since ya said you were comin’, we’d meet ya halfway!” He splayed his hands in explanation.

“Oh I see…” Toriel said as she bit her lower lip and held her right fist close to her chin. “And… what about the puzzles?”

Cuphead made raspberry sounds (which Mugman giggled to) as he flicked his hand down. “Pisacake.”

Mugman looked at Cuphead in shock. “Wh-what didja just say?” He giggled.

Cuphead held his hands on his hips proudly. “Pisacake.”

Looking away, Mugman squiggled a very big smile and he bit his lower lip trying to hold back laughter, while Cuphead raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Toriel glared strictly… but also clamped her mouth shut, trembling and fighting to hold back her laughter. “Mugman no!”

With one last snicker, Mugman gulped down his laughter and then rested his left hand on Cuphead’s right shoulder. “It’s piece of cake.” He giggled. “And hey! I’m the one who solved em!” He pointed his thumb at himself.

Cuphead snickered. “Bro, some of em we just had to push rocks.” He folded his arms.

“Oh yeah…” Mugman put the knuckle of his finger on his mouth in thought.

Toriel sighed. “I suppose… none of this would’ve happened if I was a lot more responsible… instead of making you wait for so long while I prepared this surprise…” She looked at the corner of her eyes in thought.

Cuphead and Mugman gasped. “Surprise?!” Their eyes glimmered in excitement.

“Wait let me guess…” Cuphead tapped his tinking chin three times. “Does the surprise have a bag of flour?” He raised an eyebrow and looked at Mugman.

“Butterscotch?” Mugman giggled and looked at Cuphead.

“AND Cinnamon?!” They both said in sync as they looked at Toriel. Without looking, they both bumped their closest fists at each other.

Smiling, sighing, and rolling her eyes, Toriel looked at the boys. "Why don’t you boys come inside and see for yourself… before any one of you begin to spoil it.” She chuckled.

Toriel stood up. “Come along children.” She turned around and walked towards the direction she came from behind the tree.

The boys watched her go, then they looked at each other smiling, but then Cuphead raised an eyebrow.

“Uhh, what did I say?” Cuphead held his hands on his hips.

Mugman cupped his right hand on his own mouth and leaned closer to Cuphead’s right imaginary ear to whisper. Cuphead’s eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped with a big smile on his face at what he understood. Tears started to form on Cuphead’s face and he started to wheeze in laughter, while Mugman just covered his big smile with his two hands and he looked back at Cuphead with teary eyes as well.

Still with the jaw of his big teary smile dropped, Cuphead pointed his finger at Mugman and he spoke in a wheezing voice. “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” He cackled.

Mugman wheezed a few laughs of his own. “No they ain’t bro! Even Toriel-!” He pointed his left thumb at the direction Toriel went… but then…

Cuphead and Mugman bit their lower lips as they tried to contain their big laughs within their bloated cheeks, realizing that even Toriel knew what they were talking about. They looked at each other, saw their goofy bloated faces, and finally unleashed their loudest laughter bottled up from their diaphragms all erupting to the ceiling. The laughter bounced and echoed across the halls making the laugh louder than it was supposed to be, and the boys didn’t care. They both buddy hugged, leaned on each other for support, and let their arms and legs fall like jelly as they cried in laughter; they looked like a goofy upside-down V of two idiots slumped together with three waterfalls of tears (two waterfalls from their closest eyes mixed into one) and two gaped-open mouths twice the size of their face and the equal force of their leans balanced each other that they were able to keep standing. During this laugh, a yellow star glowed between their cheeks.

They laughed and laughed even as their stomachs started to hurt, then they started to cough and then breathe in between laughter ‘til they could not laugh anymore and instead cough and cough while crying with tears. For a good few minutes this mix of coughing, breathing, panting, crying, and a few bits of laughing went on… until finally they both sighed with satisfaction and opened their eyes.

They both looked at each other with satisfied smiles, and then suddenly with closed eyes, Cuphead raised his right hand for a high-five.

“What?” Mugman raised an eyebrow.

“Yer not in trouble.” Cuphead opened his eyes and grinned with his sparkly smile. “Yer welcome.” He closed his eyes again, waiting for his high-five.

Mugman’s eyes widened in realization, and then he smirked with a mischievous idea. He high-fived Cuphead’s face, and the latter recoiled, widened his eyes, and gaped his mouth open in amused shock.

Mugman began bubbly giggling and started to run towards the direction Toriel went to, but Cuphead, as he fell forward due to Mugman leaving, caught Mugman’s head handle, yanked bubbly squealing Mugman back to him (which also helped pull himself to a stand) and he sandwiched Mugman between a noogie on his right cheek, and a cheek-to-cheek rub cuddle on the other.

“Who’s the best bro?” Cuphead teased.

“YOU! YOUUHUHUHAHA!” Mugman squealed as he kept laughing and struggling.

Cuphead giggled. “Nah.” He turned his noogie into a hug that had one arm each buddy hugging the other and the other hand holding the other’s hand. “You’re the best bro.”

“Awwww…” Mugman smiled warmly, closed his eyes, and folded his fingers on Cuphead’s backhand. With a deep breath, Mugman took his time to enjoy the hug… but then he snickered at an idea. “Well duh, I’m still the one who solved most of ‘em puzzles.” He opened one eye to Cuphead and pointed his thumb at himself.

Cuphead’s mouth gaped open. “Ohoho you wanna RUB it in?!” He began to give Mugman a noogie again as he said ‘RUB’, and the latter began laughing and squealing again. “You wanna RUB it in?!” He pressed his noogie even harder and then carried him with that noogie.

Mugman squealed in laughter and failed his arms around as he was carried. “CUPHEAD! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Giggling, Cuphead continued to happily noogie hysterically laughing Mugman while he walked around the tree towards the direction Toriel went… but then Cuphead stopped to a standstill, and curious Mugman gently stopped laughing and opened his eyes.

A small rectangular castle-like house stood in front of them; It had a doorless castle doorway with large cubes of rocks lining the arch, crenels lining the borders of the roof, and two long red beds of leaves flanking the left and right of the doorway.

“Is that Toriel’s home?” Smiling Mugman looked at Cuphead as he pointed to the house.

“Oh wouldn’t YOU like to know!” Cuphead smirked and noogied Mugman a little faster while he walked to the entrance.

“HEY-! HAAHAHA!” Mugman tried to push Cuphead away.

“Wouldn’t YOU like to know!” Cuphead carried Mugman higher as he noogied him harder.

“STAHAHAHAHAP! CUPHEAHAHAHAHA!” Mugman tried to push himself away from Cuphead but he was being pushed back by the noogie on the other side of his face that pressed on him mildly painfully. “OW!”

Cuphead laughed. “That’s what happens when you fight the looove bro.” He said as he entered the castle doorway that had a wooden door being held open by patiently-waiting Toriel.

“NO!” Mugman continued to laugh while trying to get away from Cuphead. "I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS IS LO-...." But then…

As they passed through the door, Mugman began to sniff something sweet and buttery (and Cuphead watched curiously). Soon after, Cuphead was sniffing the air too. As they took a synchronized deep breath, there were two strings of brown buttery air that entered both their big nostrils. With their backs goofily bent backward (with their butts pointing up), they began floating in the air as they were sniffing and their floating bodies followed the scent trail.

Toriel giggled. “I am glad you loooove the surprise my children! Oh that reminds me!” She closed the front door, closed her eyes, turned towards Cuphead and Mugman, and then spread her hands. “SURPRISE!”

A few seconds of silence went on with no response.

Toriel opened her eyes, and they widened in shock as she saw they were not there. She ran to the hall to the left, where the dining room/living room was, and she saw Cuphead and Mugman floating side by side in the middle of the room; the room had a long rectangular table on the left with three chairs of varying sizes, a big brown sofa (one as big as Toriel), next to it a fireplace, a small two-foot tall bookshelf to the right of the fireplace, and a fireplace tool stand with four tools hanging in a circle (one tool resembled a shovel, one resembled a pike pole, and the other two were being shadowed by the aforementioned two at the front).

Dreamily sighing and sniffing, Cuphead and Mugman floated and followed the two strings of brown buttery scents which formed into two very thin gas hands that were flirtatiously rubbing the middle underside of their small and big noses respectively with their gaseous index fingers. The scent trail led to a hallway to the right… to a kitchen.

It had a light brown refrigerator on the leftmost, then a sink next to it, then a counter with a white chopping board, then the pie… Mmmm the pie.

The boys floated closer to the pie and as they were next to it, their sniffing sniffed faster. They opened their eyes, and they each made a big smile while their eyes reflected the image of the pie… but then, because they were conscious already, they fell down facedown to the floor. They pulled themselves up with the help of the counter ledge, stared at the pie with their butterscotch pie-shaped eyes and salivary tongues dangling and dripping from their mouths, and then licked one full clockwise round of their faces each like dogs. One more time, they sniffed the pie, and the brown buttery scent was then vacuumed into both their big nostrils.

With a big smile, Cuphead grabbed Mugman’s blue tennis ball of a nose with his right hand and pulled it off of his face with a ‘pop’, and Mugman was surprised.

“Nhey!” Mugman glared at Cuphead annoyed, his voice changed as if his nose was being pinched.

Cuphead pinch-pulled off his own tiny nose and then pinned it to Mugman’s face like it was a corkboard, while the latter reacted in surprise, but then smiled at the idea his brother was getting. Cuphead attached the big blue nose to his own face and Mugman giggled as he watched. In sync, they sniffed the pie once more, and the brown buttery scent was vacuumed to their nostrils.

“Ya know…” Mugman smirked; his voice turned squeaky and high-pitched, slightly like Cuphead’s, but he still had his signature low voice. “Ya could’ve asked before ya yanked my snoot off.”

“Aw come on pal!” Cuphead winked and gently elbowed Mugman’s closest elbow; his voice turned nasally and slightly lower-pitched, but he still had his evidently squeaky voice. “Ya were thinkin’ the same thing.”

Mugman giggled. “Ya thinkin’ what I’m thinkin?” He buddy hugged Cuphead while raising an eyebrow to him in suggestion.

“OHHH YEAH!” Cuphead firmly buddy hugged Mugman

They each reached out a free hand towards the pie.

“CHILDREN!” Toriel yelled from behind.

Toriel rushed in and gently caught Cuphead and Mugman’s reaching hands.

Toriel sighed in relief. “That was close! Better to wait for it to cool my chi…” Slowly, Her eyes grew shocked and confused.

Cuphead with a big blue nose and Mugman with a tiny red nose were looking back at her attentively as if there was nothing wrong.

“Oh my! What happened to your noses?!” Toriel backed off slowly a bit.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other and then gasped. “Ohhh!” They giggled, detached their noses, and put them back to their appropriate faces.

“We just did the old switcheroo!” Cuphead switched the positions of his pointed-up index fingers.

“More like a-!” Mugman snickered. “Switch-a-snoot!” He goofily booped his own nose.

Cuphead gasped and his eyes turned into stars. “EYY! OKAY WE’RE OFFICIALLY CALLING IT THAT!” He tightened his buddy hug that they clinked.

They shared a laugh together mixed with Cuphead's squeaky hiccups and Mugman's pig snorts.

Toriel continued to stare at them shocked and confused. Cuphead and Mugman looked at her and noticed.

“Oh! Before ya blow your wig…” Mugman raised his right index finger in explanation.

In sync, they grasped their head handles with their left hands, looked at each other with a smile, then nodded.

“Blow my...” Toriel glared at them offended and covered her ears. “THIS NOT A WI-!”

Suddenly they pulled their heads up 'popping' them from their necks.

“OH MY GOODNESS!” Toriel backed off, hands clinging to the walls.

Cuphead cackled and slapped his left knee. “That prank never gets old!”

They clinked their heads together happily like a drinking toast.

Mugman giggled. “We’re okay by the way. It’s just a thing me and my bro could do.” Mugman shrugged his shoulders as he smiled apologetically at Toriel.

“It’s great for stacking too!” Cuphead scooped up Mugman’s head with his own, causing the latter to squeal.

They laughed together as they enjoyed a moment of being stacked together.

Toriel was holding her chest as she panted, but then she let out a big exhale to relax and then smiled intrigued at what she had learned.

“Well… You certainly did surprise me.” Toriel chuckled nervously, but then covered her head and looked at the corner of her eyes. “I do not have a wig…” She said to herself saddened.

“No no!” Cuphead wiped his free right hand left and right as if he was erasing something. “’Blow your wig’ meaning ya… ya just… uhh, what does it mean?” He looked above him where Mugman’s stacked head was smirking back at him.

Mugman giggled. “Get excited.”

“Yeah, what he said.” Cuphead smiled in relaxation.

“He has bad comblahblahsion.” Mugman grinned cheekily while his body pointed its thumb to Cuphead.

“Gee!” Cuphead folded his arms and glared annoyed at Mugman. “You wanna announce that on the radio pal?”

Mugman cleared his throat, then stretched out his straw which turned into a gloved hand, and turned the mouth of Cuphead’s red-striped bendy straw towards him. “Stay tuned to Cuphead radio for more dum-dum comblahblahsion of my best friend.” He said in his radio announcer voice.

Smirking, Cuphead hit Mugman’s side head with his right palm, causing him to laugh bubbly. “Get outta here!”

Playfully and roughly, Cuphead lifted bubbly laughing Mugman’s head from his own and tried to shove him back onto Mugman’s neck, but then Mugman’s straw gloved hand gripped hard onto Cuphead’s bendy straw.

“REMEMBER ME FANS!” Squeaky and bubbly Mugman spoke to Cuphead’s straw like it was a mic that his bendy straw desperately clung to. “REMEMBER WHO TOLD YOU OF THE TRUTH ABOUT CUPHEAD!”

Cuphead giggled. “LET GO!” He tried to yank Mugman’s head away.

“NO!” Mugman giggled as he continued to cling to Cuphead’s bendy straw.

Toriel's gentle smile widened with her left side teeth showing as she watched snarky Cuphead try to pull Mugman off of his straw while teasing him, and Mugman kept squealing and laughing with such thrill while continuously talking about Cuphead being a dum dum, and then soon Cuphead challenges about how much of a dum dum Mugman is as well.

“They’re definitely not them… but…” Toriel’s smile closed and tears began to form in her eyes.

Finally, Mugman’s grip on Cuphead’s straw slipped through, and the former’s head was put back on his respective neck. Cuphead wrapped his arm around Mugman’s neck trapping the latter, grabbed the latter’s blue straw, and, like it was a mic, spoke through it repeatedly “Mugman is a dum dum! Mugman is a dum dum!” all while Mugman struggled and whined “Cuphead stop! Quit it already!”

“Children!” Toriel gently called.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at Toriel in a pose of Cuphead pausing from talking to Mugman’s straw and the latter pushing Cuphead’s face away to the point he was squishing his face.

“I have another surprise for you.” Toriel tilted her head to the right, raised her eyebrow, and smiled. “If you become best friends again that is.”

The boys both gasped and smiled at the same time. They let go of each other, and Cuphead held out his hand for a handshake.

“Let’s call it a dum-dum truce!” Cuphead said, closed eyes and smiling.

Mugman giggled. “Yeah!” He takes Cuphead’s hand. “Dum-dum truce!”

They shook their hands once… but then, with those same hands, they high-fived each other, then low-fived, high-fived their straw hands together, and then clinked their heads together.

“Bro!” They said as they winked at each other.

Cuphead and Mugman both shared a moment of laughter, and soon Toriel laughed along. She took both their hands, walked them out of the kitchen, then back to the main entrance hall, and then towards an unfamiliar long hallway where three doors about three-four feet apart stood on the left wall; the hallway in order was a light torch, the first room door, a tall flower vase with reeds, a side table with a small flower vase with a six-petalled red flower, and an empty long frame behind the red flower (Cuphead and Mugman could not see clearly what the rest of the hallway comprised of). They approached the first door on the left.

“Well… This is it!” Toriel said happily as they approached the first door on the left.

All three of them, Cuphead, Toriel, and Mugman, stood looking at the door.

“It’s a room for the both of you!” Toriel rubbed her hands on the front rims of their heads. “I hope you like it.”

Mugman and Cuphead gasped, looked at each other with smiles, and they both opened the door together (Mugman twisted the handle while Cuphead pushed the door).

The walls were painted cozy red, and the floors were lined with light brown planks with lots of perpendicular crosses. There was a large lamp on the left, a flower crayon drawing attached to the wall, a chest, a shelf full of shoes with some papers and an empty photo frame on top of the shelf, a wardrobe, a bed, two goat-shaped stuffed animals on the right of the bed, and an open chest full of toys down of the bed.

“Wwwowww…” Cuphead and Mugman said as they scanned the room, but then frowned at the bed which looked fit for only one.

Toriel gasped. “Oh my!” She covered her mouth and shook her head. “I’m terribly sorry, I only prepared a room for one!” She facepalmed herself and breathed through her teeth. “I’ll be right back, I’ll see if I can find another bed.”

Toriel rushed to the right along the long hallway, and Cuphead and Mugman smiled gratefully as they watched her go.

“So…” Cuphead placed his hands on his hips and smirked at Mugman. “Wanna call the truce off and wrestle? Winnah gets the beeed!” He sang a tune as he said 'beeed', held his hands up and wiggled his fingers at the ready.

Mugman squiggle-smiled in excitement and reflexively covered his side stomachs with his hands at what those wiggly fingers meant... but then shyly looked at the lower left corners of his eyes and began touching his index fingers together. “I-I was thinkin'…. I was thinkin' that we could…” He smiled sheepishly, looked at Cuphead, and raised his palms face-up. “Share it?”

“Share it?!” Cuphead snickered. “We’d hardly fit!” He raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips.

Frowning, Mugman rubbed his left elbow and looked away shyly. “M-mmoow waisins tu mmmmdlllee.”

Cuphead blinked confused but then smirked. “Speak up bro.”

Mugman let out a big sigh. “You’d laugh…” Head-turned to his left, He looked at Cuphead by the upper right corners of his eyes.

“Yeah, so?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. “I still wanna hear ya, don’t leave me hangin’.”

Head still left-turned, Mugman glared. “Now that’s just mean…”

“What?!” Cuphead stared shocked but then sighed as he dropped his arms. “Well... I can’t promise I won’t laugh…” He walked towards Mugman and held his shoulders. “But I’ll be honest.“

Mugman grunted and turned his eyes away towards the left. “I know, that’s why you’re the worst.”

“Aw come on! You’re my best pal!” Cuphead gave a big grin and raised his shoulders for a moment. “Whatever it is I’ll lend ear to ya… if I had one that is.” He giggled at his own pun.

Mugman smiled, turned his head to Cuphead, and then shyly rubbed his arm. “I said…” He looked at the lower left corner of his eyes. “…more reasons to… to cuddle?” He tilted his head to normal and grinned.

Cuphead glared in shocked confusion and let go of Mugman’s shoulders… and then his eyes turned bored and unamused.

Mugman’s smile grew forceful and bigger. “I-it’s a good ol’ manly brotherly cuddle o ‘course!” He chuckled nervously as he raised his shy and shivering left index finger in explanation. “Y-ya know… the brawlin’…” He gently punched the air twice. “The wrestlin’” He lunged his chest forward like he was doing a body slam. “The huggin’” He hugged and swayed himself twice. “And uhh Elder Kettle singin’ ‘til we’re snoozin’…” He looked at the ceiling with a dreamy smile… but then shook himself awake. “B-but I-I can do the singin’ ‘stead!” He looked at Cuphead… but was surprised to see he wasn’t there anymore.

Mugman looked to the right and saw Cuphead was already climbing up the bed.

As he watched, Mugman’s eyes became glossy and watery, and he closed his eyes as he sighed in disappointment. “I-it….”  He sniffed and wiped a tear. “I-it’s okay… y-you can take it, I-I’ll j-just…” He started walking toward the right.

“Hey! Where’re ya goin'?” Cuphead called out.

Mugman stopped, confused about why he was called, and then he turned to look at Cuphead.

Cuphead was sitting on the bed, smiling warmly and spreading his arms wide. “I thought ya said ya wanna cuddle?” He raised an eyebrow… But then he widened his eyes realizing what he said, and then cleared his throat loudly. “I MEAN-!” He cleared it again loudly. “Manly bro cuddle?” He warmly smiled and spread his arms again.

(Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IotSCSLOKnc)

From a devastated frown, Mugman slow-gasped ‘til his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped surprised… and then… he slow-exhaled with a dreamy “Haaaaaaa…” accompanied with the happiest and purest open-mouth smile, knuckles squeezing his base (chin), and twinkling eyes of a wish coming true.

Cuphead blushed, surprised at how cute Mugman looked. He quickly shut his eyes and looked away “MUGS!” He sighed. “Oh brother…” He thought as he opened and rolled his eyes, and smiled on his hidden left lip. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Starting with a bubbly giggle, arms forward and open for a hug, Mugman jumped to the air, pedalled his legs as if they were windmills, laughed louder as he looked at Cuphead (who smiled and kept his arms open at the ready) and tackled him with a big bubbly laugh. Cuphead caught Mugman, and they giggled together as they crashed onto the soft cushy pillow on their heads.

Cuphead closed his eyes and sighed half-dreamily and half-wishful of something manlier. “You are such a baby bro.”

From his closed-eyes wish come true indulging the cuddle, Mugman’s eyes burst open. “BABY BRO?!” He glared confidently at Cuphead.

With one big battle grunt, Mugman rolled Cuphead over behind him, spun him to his back, and kicked his butt off the bed.

Upon landing his bum on the floor, Cuphead’s eyes widened in surprise at what just happened.

Meanwhile, Mugman was bubbly giggling, kicking off his shoes, and then digging his feet under the covers of the soft blanket until…

“HEY!” Cuphead sprung standing, glaring with his big villainous smile at Mugman who jolted bubbly screaming, and cowering while trying to sink his body as far as the bed can sink.

“NGGAAH!” Cuphead grabbed hold of Mugman’s body and tried to yank him out, but Mugman had his fingers and toes clawed to the sides of the bed that he was clinging to it with bubbly screaming and laughter.

“NOOOOHOHOHO!! NOOOOOHAHAHOHOHO!” Mugman screamed with tears splashing out of his eyes each time he was being pulled from the bed but it was failing.

“YA DON’T WANNA LET GO?!” As he yanked, Cuphead towered his face over Mugman’s squiggly smiling, shivering, and thrilled face.

“NOOOHOHOHOHO!” Mugman shook his head more intensely.

Cuphead let go of Mugman, raised his wiggly fingers high “YA DON’T WANNA LET GO?!” AND DARTED HIS FINGERS TO MUGMAN’S SIDE STOMACHS.

Bursting out in the loudest laughter and the loudest snorts, Mugman buckled his arms and legs and wiggled his body all over the bed trying to avoid the tickly wiggly fingers drabbling on his side stomachs. Cuphead giggled and moved his wiggly tickly fingers up to Mugman’s armpits, and back down to his side stomachs, and Mugman’s laughter loudened and softened depending on Cuphead's finger pressure. Cuphead kept wiggling his fingers, reveling at Mugman’s bubbly laughter with evil laughter of his own… until Mugman started to kick the air.

“AH! FOUL, YOU DON’T KICK ME IN THE FACE!” With that, Cuphead rolled up Mugman with the blanket he was under, and carried him above his head as if he was about to throw him.

“NOOOO!” Mugman said joyfully screaming, laughing, snorting, and wriggling to break free of his cocoon blanket. “NOOOHOHOHOHAHAHA!”

Cuphead threw Mugman down the bed and he bounced up to the wall, which then bounced back to Cuphead and he caught hysterically laughing Mugman with his hands like a ball (Mugman didn’t feel pain because the blanket cushioned the hits). He threw Mugman down to the bed again, and he bounced up to the wall and then bounced back to Cuphead who then caught Mugman on his chest, and then, on the floor behind him, body slammed him down like a wrestler, causing the room to shake. Mugman kept laughing hysterically while snorting and crying his bubbly heart out. Cuphead grabbed the blanket and pulled it sending Mugman spinning so fast like a top that it caused the latter’s laughter to spin as well like he was in a spinning ride. After like 10 super-fast spins, Mugman landed face down on the floor pounding and kicking the floor with his fists and feet while his eyes were spinning and he was still laughing.

Meanwhile, Cuphead got on the bed, kicked off his shoes, whipped the blanket in the air, and held his hands open as he let the blanket fall gently onto his body… and then suddenly Mugman playfully snarled like a monster with his ‘RAAAR!’ and tried to pounce on Cuphead, but Cuphead’s reflexes caught Mugman’s wrists before the latter’s fingers could touch him. They bubbly laughed as Cuphead struggled to keep the latter at bay while Mugman kept pressing his hands forward to get a hold of him.

“IIIII’M GONNA GET YA!” Mugman said playfully as he tried to push his hands towards Cuphead.

Cuphead giggled. “Huh? Whatcha say Mugsy?” He raised an eyebrow

“IIII’M GONNA GET YA!” Mugman said louder and pushed his hands harder, but Cuphead’s grip was too strong.

Cuphead giggled. “Oh? How are ya gonna get me?” He said as he drabbled his fingers teasingly onto Mugman’s hands he caught.

Mugman leaned back as far as he could, and then bumped his forehead onto Cuphead’s forehead with a loud clink and an "EGH!”.

Cuphead laughed out loud at the silly forehead clink. Mugman pushed his forehead and nose against Cuphead’s forehead and nose, and the latter pushed back as they play some sort of face forehead-nose push-o-war. They were squishing their noses against each other, pushing their foreheads so hard it hurt, and playfully growling their voices out…

“I’M GONNA GET YAAAAAAAAAA…….!!!!!!” Mugman kept yelling his battle cry on and on

“NO YOU’RE NAAAHAHAHAHAAAA……!!!!” Cuphead yelled his own battle cry on and on.

Their voices clashed and they kept yelling on and on and on as if it was a contest on whose voice would tire out first, all while Mugman kept pressing his hands forward while Cuphead kept holding them back, and they pressed their foreheads and noses together with all their strength… until Cuphead broke into laughter with harmless ticklish squeaky hiccups in between because of such fun he had, and it caused his grip on Mugman’s wrists to loosen.

Mugman laughed as well at the victory he won, feeling a bit ticklish as Cuphead’s nose was wiggling on his nose... and remembered how Elder Kettle used to wiggle his nose spout onto Mugman’s big baby nose years ago… but also because of Cuphead’s infectious laughter. His evil smile grew as he looked at Cuphead who was just laughing there wide-open for him to be tickled back… but then his evil eyes gently melted into

warm endearing ones.

Cuphead kept laughing and laughing, not caring about what was gonna happen anymore nor about his in-between squeaky hiccups that he found slightly annoying, he knew he had lost and was okay with it… but then he was hugged and clinked on his right face, and he gasped and stopped laughing in surprise. When Cuphead looked, it was closed-eyes Mugman smiling and snuggling on his face like he was his favorite teddy bear.

“Good night buddy.” Mugman gently said as he squeezed his hug a little.

Cuphead’s heart melted so much that he just smiled, but that smile smirked a bit, half-wishing he got some tickles as well. He one arm hugged Mugman closer to him, gently laid him to the right on the bed, and closed his eyes. “Good night pal.”

They both moved and wiggled their bodies ‘til they were both under the cover of their one blanket, and both within the tiny bed they were sleeping on, without breaking their hug. In sync, they took a deep breath each and sighed it out dreamily as they slept into their own dreams.

From outside the room, Toriel sighed. “I suppose I will just have to sleep on the couch for… a very long time.” She entered the open room and smiled. “Good news! I found an extra b-“

Mugman and Cuphead were peacefully snuggled in the tiny bed for one; Mugman was tightly hugging Cuphead, while the latter was one-arm buddy hugging him, but soon he hugged Mugman with his other arm as well, mimicking Mugman's teddy bear hug. Bubbles soon floated up from their heads as they entered into dreaming.

Toriel smiled warmly and chuckled to herself. She walked over to the lamp and switched it off with a ‘CLICK!’. Then, the sound of clockwork being winded up turned once... twice... thrice… frice (four times)… five times… then it paused… then played into a gentle music box melody.

Music Box Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyT-EqLNJ_M

Toriel walked back to the door… but stopped halfway to the center of the room. She smiled, letting her tears fall on her face… and after a moment’s thought, she turned to the boys.

She walked over to them, gazed at their gentle and pure sleeping smiles, then kissed Mugman’s forehead, and then kissed Cuphead’s.

Toriel stood there, watching them. “A second chance… thank you.”

She walked to the door, leaving Cuphead and Mugman to sleep with the music box melody.

To the boys, it was a sweet gentle melody… to Toriel… she smiled very wide, as it reminded her of…

“Home…” Toriel turned to the boys from the half-closed door (tears whipped from her eyes as she turned). “Welcome home… my children.”

With that, she closed the door, and the room was dark.

-End of Chapter 7-

Speaking of music, I forgot to add this in Chapter 4 “Not Feeling Up to It right now sorry”

Napstablook Music (Recommended: Play 2x Speed):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeJx04_47Lc

Will be pasting it on the chapter, but in case I do not, just play it as soon as the Napstablook fight starts.

This was absolutely heart-warming and fluffy to write, I couldn’t stop smiling every time I kept on fiddling and editing this chapter. I hope you love it as much as I do! I’m going to be posting my September plans this weekend. I’ll leave in fluffy heaven for now. Please enjoy this picture as I close the story.

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Cuptale (Cuphead x Undertale) Cover Photo

Synopsis: Mt Abott suddenly appears out of nowhere and Cuphead, dragging Mugman along, runs to the mountain to investigate. Soon they fall into the chasm and are attacked by the monsters of the underground. As they explore, they discover a tragedy that befell the underground, make friends along the way, and have a bro jolly fun adventure of a lifetime.

Read the fanfic Now! (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/cuptalecupheadxundertale/665197697031192576?source=share)

Table of Contents (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/cuptalecupheadxundertale/683556798922358784?source=share) 

This has taken me weeks to finish but I'm finally done! Please enjoy this eye candy while you wait for the next chapter. (But please don't devour it like Mugman and Cuphead did).

Will post something on Thursday again (I think).

Enjoy!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Synopsis: Mt Abott suddenly appears out of nowhere and Cuphead, dragging Mugman along, runs to the mountain to investigate. Soon they fall into the chasm and are attacked by the monsters of the underground. As they explore, they discover a tragedy that befell the underground, make friends along the way, and have a bro jolly fun adventure of a lifetime.

Full poster will be posted on 06/22/2022 10pm Tuesday.

See you :D

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Chapter 5 “The Spider Bake Sale”

Bubbly excited screaming and laughter erupted from the pink-walled hallway on the left where big smiling Mugman was hands-forward running out of, followed by growling and war-shouting Cuphead who was sprinting after his brother. Mugman turned right and kept running to the lower right of the room away from Cuphead as fast as he could, but then stopped as he reached the corner.

 Cuphead let out an evil villainous cackle, causing Mugman to stiffen, tremble, and then whimper all with a big squiggly smile on his face. Mugman rotated his trembling head 180 degrees to look behind him and see Cuphead with his arms wide, fingers spreading like claws and wiggling in preparation.

 “Dead end Muggy boy.” Cuphead said like some evil deep-voiced cowboy while his teasing eyebrows wiggled.

 Mugman shivered and his squiggly smile stretched even more and became even more crooked with all the thrill he was feeling. He walked backward, but soon realized with shivering shock (his body grew goosebumps and his pupils trembled) that his body was moving towards Cuphead (because he was facing 180 degrees behind him), so he rotated his body while walking backward that it looked like he was walking in a ‘U’ towards the corner of the wall without facing away from Cuphead.  

 Cuphead let out an evil giggle. “Ya know… back in the rocks… didn’t ya say ya wanted a tickle?” He raised an eyebrow and wiggled his fingers faster at ‘tickle’.

 In addition to his goosebumps, Mugman’s spine shivered like a hissing cat and his smile grew wider as he squeaked in thrill.

 “Wh-what?!” Mugman took a squeaky inhale. “I- I never said that!” His back squeezed into the corner behind him. Unnoticed by him, the shivering straw on his head popped into an exclamation point for a moment.

 Cuphead’s eyes noticed Mugman’s straw, his smile widened even more mischievously, his evil giggle started slow and then hastened, and his fingers wiggled even faster. “Your straw says otherwise, Mugsy.”

 Mugman scrambled his trembling arms to get a hold of his straw from shaking. “CUPHEAD SSTOOP!” He said with a smile.

 “Oh, you’re gonna get it for tryin’ tuh tickle my stomach baby bro-!” Cuphead shrieked as he felt a tickle on the top side of his bendy straw. His eyes fiercely glared at Mugman as he giggled and said “AND MY STRA-HAW! COME-!” He blinked and then frowned as he realized confused-frowning Mugman was actually too far to tickle him.

 Cuphead weakly whipped his head to the right making his straw stir from the back of his head towards his front, and on the tip of his bendy straw was a black bug with eight legs skittering and clinging to it.

 “AAAGH!” Cuphead’s eyes trembled and his entire body jolted. “SPIDER! SPIDER!” The tip of his bendy straw turned into a hand and he backhanded whipped the spider away flying to the wall on his left.

 Cuphead panic-heaved in quick successions as he arms-forward ran towards frightened Mugman and hugged him while the latter hugged him back.

 Mugman’s eyes wandered up, and as he looked at the ceiling, he made a wheezing gasp while his eyes shrank.

 “EFEFE-!” Mugman spoke in a wheezing voice and Cuphead noticed him in concern. “EFEFEFUFIFACUPHEAHEAHEADUGHUGHUGH!” His shivering right hand pointed towards the ceiling which Cuphead’s eyes followed.

 Above them was a blanket swarm of black large spiders that covered the entire ceiling, some were slightly smaller and younger while some were adult-sized, standing on the ceiling with some skittering to find their space, but all of their glossy glowing crimson red eyes were fixated on the boys.

 Cuphead’s pupils shrunk as he let out a wheezing gasp of his own. “EFEFE-!” Already hugging, He and Mugman wrapped their arms like snakes around each other’s bodies even more. “EFEFEFUFIFAMUGMAHAHAHANNUGHUGHUGH!”

 They continued trembling and speaking in wheezing gibberish as their arms continued to elongate and wrap like 4 snakes (two arms each) around their entire upper bodies (from their chests to their stomachs), and finally, they constricted and tightened each other for dear life. As they kept squeezing each other, the color from their shoes up to their exclamation point straws gradually turned pale white (whiter than their cup and mug heads). Then… their bodies sank deeper into the corner of that room… and they died.

 Their light blue spirit energy wisped out of their eyes and formed into their respective gloomy closed-eyes ghosts floating towards the ceiling. As they glided up to the ceiling, their eyes fluttered open in waking, and then suddenly sprung open in fright and they shrieked as they were nearing the blanket of upside-down spiders that were smiling with teeth from within their mandible mouths and giggling like creepy squeaky bats.

 As they noticed the creepy spiders, ghosts Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright, their ghost forms shivered and their straw haloes turned into exclamation points. They turned to each other and screamed as they pointed their fingers at their ghost forms. In one swift downward stroke of their head straw hands, they parried each other’s pink hearts on their ghost chests. As if by vacuum cleaners, their spirits were sucked back into their dark eye sockets and they awoke with huge gasping of air.

 “RUUUN!” Cuphead yelled at the top of his lungs.

 Cuphead and Mugman ran in split left and right directions respectively, but their rope-tied, snake-constricting, hug held their upper bodies together while their heads and legs were gaining distance apart as they ran on air (so it looked like a weird hourglass shape of their heads and legs as the bases and the middle which is their upper bodies constricted by their arms). After a good few seconds of running apart on air, their over-stretched hug pulled them back and it whipped them together, and they grunted loudly in pain as they slammed flat into each other’s faces (forehead-to-forehead, and nose-to-nose).

 “Oooowww…” They both groaned.

 The spiders giggled even louder, and some even laughed as they watched the boys, and it caused the boys to freak out and then run forward aimlessly while screaming in terror under the continuous ceiling of creepy bat-like laughter.

 “Don’t let go of me buddy!” Mugman cried out as he ran.

 “NO! YOU DON’T LET GO!” Teary-eyed Cuphead glared and towered his face over Mugman.

 “NO! YOUUUU!!” Mugman constricted his hug even more and yelled at Cuphead’s face that drool was all over the latter.

 “NOO! YOUUUUHUHUHU!!” Cuphead tightened even tighter than Mugman’s hug and yelled at the latter’s face with more drool.

 SPLAT! They ran straight onto a wooden sign.

 “Oooooooowwwww…..” They both moaned loudly in pain.

 The spider giggling and laughing turned into a massive creepy loud cackle fest, all while poor Cuphead and Mugman were lying side by side lowly moaning in pain with dizzy swirly spinning eyes still trapped in their rope-tight hug. At first, their vision was blurry and spinning, but then it slowly became steady as they focused on the blurry brown rectangle in front of them. The brown rectangle then became a sign with cobwebs on the upper left and lower right corners and a text in black was written on it.

 “Spider Bake Sale.” Mugman said. “All proceeds go to real spiders.”

 Cuphead and Mugman gasped in realization. “Ohhhh….”

 They both looked up and behind them and noticed the spiders that were watching them eagerly. Cuphead and Mugman gave very big but nervous smiles.

 ”Uhh… maybe we should buy something?” Mugman smiled nervously at Cuphead.

 “Y-yeah… good idea.” Cuphead smiled back nervously at Mugman.

 Initially, Cuphead and Mugman used both of their hands to push themselves up, but their arm movements caused their hug to squeeze and wiggle around their stomachs and armpits which made them giggle at the small tickles they felt.

 “MUGS!” Cuphead yelled as he smiled at Mugman.

 “He-hey! I didn’t mean to!” Mugman giggled.

 Carefully and slowly this time, they pushed themselves off the floor and stood up facing the creepy spiders. Altogether, the spiders pointed their eyes in the direction behind the sign. Cuphead and Mugman turned their heads exactly 180 degrees around and saw two cobwebs on the left and right behind the sign, the left was small while the right was big.

 Together Cuphead and Mugman, with a bit of wobbling (and a bit of annoyance at each other’s miscoordination), towards the smaller cobweb on the left.

 A big text woven in spider silk was written in the cobweb.

 ‘Spider Donut: 7G’

 “Mmmmm!” Cuphead and Mugman licked their lips as their mouths salivated.

 “A donut sounds delicious right now eh pal?” Cuphead smiled at Mugman.

 Mugman nodded eagerly with his long Scooby-Doo tongue sticking out and flailing around.

 Cuphead tried to move his hands, but his wrist and his arms wiggled Mugman’s left stomach, causing him to jolt and laugh.

 “I’hahi’ll do it! I’ll get the coins.” Mugman shot a teasing glare at Cuphead.

 Cuphead giggled and shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry bro.”

 Mugman used his left hand to fish the coins from Cuphead’s left pocket on his red shorts. He took out a few jingling coins on his left hand, counted three viewing from over his brother’s right shoulder, then passed it jingling on his right hand, and then fished with his left hand in that same pocket for more coins that jingled at the drabble of his left fingers.

 “Hurry up already.” Cuphead playfully bumped his right hip to Mugman’s right hip.

 Mugman giggled as he tried to balance his stand. “I’m counting sheesh.”

 With the sound of coins being clink-clipped together by fingers, Mugman pulled out his hand and unfolded his fingers to reveal a handful of fourteen gold coins. Letting his hands tilt down to the weight of the coins, Mugman let the gold coins fall on the floor jingling in front of the cobweb.

 Some of the spiders from the ceiling rappelled down using their spider web produced from their posteriors, while some climbed and skittered down via the wall and the small cobweb on the wall, and they all caused Cuphead and Mugman to back away in creeped out disgust and fear. As the spiders landed and crawled over to the coins, the spiders fiddled their legs on the jingling coins, moving and shuffling them around as if they were counting. When they were done, the smaller swarm of spiders took the coins and carried one or two at a time while the large spiders carried three or four at a time, and then rappelled up while some climbed up the web.

 Cuphead and Mugman’s glossy eyes reflected the pink glazed donuts of purple bread, and their mouths drooled to the point saliva was dripping from between their teeth, to their lower lips, to their chins, and then splashing to the floor. They both rushed in to get the donuts but again forgot they wrapped up tight in their hug and tripped forward in front of the donuts.

 Cuphead and Mugman smirked at each other.

 “Okay, to be fair, you told me not to let go.” Mugman raised an eyebrow and tilted his head down to Cuphead, making his smirk more teasing.

 Smirking, Cuphead rolled his eyes. “Why’d ya listen to me?”

 “Cuz yer the big bro.” Mugman sassily remarked as he bumped his left hip to Cuphead’s right.

 Cuphead’s smiley mouth gaped wide-open. “Oh you did not just use the big bro card against me!” He pushed his right shoulder against Mugman’s left shoulder and they bubbly laughed together.

 “Instant karma bro. So does this mean ya wanna let go?” Mugman giggled and raised an eyebrow as if he were challenging Cuphead.

 Cuphead opened his mouth as he was about to rebut… but then stepped to look at the right corners of his eyes, and then looked up at the ceiling at the spiders again.

 Cuphead made a very big but sheepish smile as he shyly shrugged his shoulders at Mugman. “When we get outta here?” He suggested.

 “When we get outta here.” Mugman nodded as he smiled and then giggled.

 Cuphead and Mugman opened their huge mouths, scooped up the donuts with their jaws like shovels on the ground, and began munching like jolly and goofy crocodiles with the donuts staining their teeth in purple, black, and pink. Their lips were dirtied with purple, pink, and black crumbs of the donut, and they licked their lips clean with satisfaction.

 “I liked how crunchy it was!” Cuphead looked at his brother as he placed his hands on the floor at the ready.

 “A-hahand gooey too! Not too sweet, it definitely was somethin'!” Mugman looked at his brother as he too placed his hands on the floor at the ready.

 In sync, Cuphead and Mugman pushed themselves up with ease (unlike the previous hassle hustle earlier). Mugman was going left while Cuphead was going right so they bumped into each other.

 “Where’re ya goin'?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow in confusion.

 “Out.” Mugman pointed to the hallway they came from on their left. “Where’re YAA goin'?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I wanna check out what they’re sellin' in the big web over there.” Cuphead pointed over to the web on their right.

 They both glanced at the bigger web on the right corner.

 “No way!” Mugman whipped his head back at Cuphead and glared at the latter. “We already bought something, let’s get outta here!”

 “Aw come on, it’ll be a quick check!” Cuphead shook his arms teasingly, wiggling Mugman’s body a bit causing Mugman to giggle at the tickles.

 “O-hohor maybe ya just want tuh keep huggin.” Mugman smirked.

 “EAUGH!” Cuphead stuck his tongue out… then after a pause looked at the upper corner of his eyes and an involuntary tiny blush warmed on his cheeks. “Don’t pretend ya don’t want to.”

 “EAUGH!” Mugman spit his tongue out of his smiley mouth as he glared in surprise at Cuphead.

 Cuphead squeezed shut his eyes and bit his lower lip in regret, while Mugman bit his lower lip with delight as he looked teasingly at Cuphead.

 Mugman giggled. “I can’t believe ya-!”

 “Yeah me neither, shut up.” Cuphead pulled Mugman along as he walked to the large cobweb on the right.

 Mugman’s smile grew as he walked with his brother. “I lo-!”

 “SHUT UP!” Cuphead’s glare got bigger as he gritted his teeth in his part-embarrassed, part-irritated, part-happy smile.

 They both shared a giggle fit as they walked to the large cobweb on the right.

 Another text was written in silk on the cobweb.

 -Spider Cider 18G-

 “Wait…” Mugman narrowed his eyes at the text. “Cider? As in… alcohol?”

 “Ooo!” Cuphead’s eyes glimmered with excitement as he accidentally pushed Mugman aside to look at the text (causing Mugman to grumble and glare a little). “Let’s try it!”

 “Cuphead no!” Mugman pushed back as he glared, while Cuphead glared back in confusion. “We’re barely legal!”

 “Uhh, we’re pre-teens?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and smirked.

 “Yeah! Six years underaged!” Mugman towered his head over Cuphead as he looked his large bloodshot eyes furious eyes into the latter’s; they were nose to nose.

 “Aw come on.” Relaxed smiling Cuphead, with his hand that stretched all the way from Mugman's hip, gently booped Mugman’s nose and pushed him down back to normal head level, which surprised him and calmed him down. “Ya remember what Porkrind said about alcohol right?”

 Back in his shop in the Inkwell Isle, while they were buying new magic potions…

 “Ha!” Porkrind slammed the counter and pointed his finger at Mugman. “Why do I drink alcohol he asks!” He laughed while loudly patting the table. “Why it’s only the best thing that’s ever been invented! Moonshine, Vodka, Whiskey, Beer…” He sighed in satisfaction. “Trust me kids, it’s water from heaven that will change your life.

 Eyes twitching, Mugman stared at the wall nervously; deep down he was fighting back the temptation to try drinking. Meanwhile, Cuphead’s mischievous smile stretched bigger as he sensed his brother’s hesitation.

 “You know you want to buddy.” Cuphead wiggled his eyebrows as he leaned closer to Mugman.

 Mugman mumbled nervously and he looked with shaky eyes at Cuphead. “This spells trouble and you know it.”

 “Yeahhh….” Cuphead rolled his eyes to the upper left corner in thought, and then slyly looked at Mugman with his half-closed eyes. “If Elder Kettle knew that is.” He grinned mischievously and wiggled his eyebrows.

 Mugman squeaked as he bit his lower lip and looked at the wall realizing Cuphead’s ‘bad’ idea.

 “Come on!” Cuphead gave Mugman a gentle shake. “It’ll be our buddy secret! Nobuddy will know but us.” He giggled.

 Continuing to stare at the wall, Mugman’s mouth squiggled (his left end was frowning while his right end was smiling); he wanted to laugh at the pun, but he was also terrified of the consequences of giving in… but it would still be so much fun if they tried and eventually he squeezed his eyes shut and grumbled knowing this.

 Mugman chucked his hand into Cuphead’s left pocket and began digging it for more jingling coins. Meanwhile, Cuphead was giggling at Mugman.

 “Ya know, technically you’re the one buying it.” Cuphead grinned mischievously.

 “Shut up.” He said as he stuck his tongue out in focus.

 Cuphead huffed and glared at Mugman. “Rude.”

 “No I mean it’s supposed to be a secret don’t blow it.” Mugman smirked at Cuphead.

 “Ahhh!” Cuphead squeaked due to his surprise. “Buddy!!!” His hug picked giggling Mugman up to the air and he shook him left to right over and over. “I lo-!”

 “Shut up!” Mugman’s eyes widened suddenly. “Wait what was that las-“

 “Uh-uh, you told me to shut up.” Cuphead put Mugman down as he smirked.

 “You said the L-word.” Mugman’s eyes narrowed as he smirked.

 “I didn’t say nuthin’.” Cuphead’s eyes narrowed as he looked into Mugman’s.

 Mugman just grumbled, wishing what he suspected was true while he kept fiddling and counting the coins he was fishing from Cuphead’s left pocket; Cuphead meanwhile was giggling at Mugman’s grumbling. When he was done, he clinked the coins together in his palm, brought his hand out of Cuphead’s pocket, and then unfolded his fingers to reveal a handful of 18 coins, which he then threw onto the floor.

 Like before, the spiders came down, counted the coins that were shuffling between their legs, and took them up rappelling back to the ceiling. Afterward, from the large cobweb on the wall, another swarm of spiders brought down a brown ceramic flagon that they carried in swarms to the open space on the floor, and then set the heavy flagon down, accidentally squishing a leg of a spider on the left which screamed and trembled in pain as it tried to yank its leg out while the other spiders rushed to its side trying to help yank it out.

 Frightened and with quick reflexes, Cuphead and Mugman rushed to the flagon and picked it up.

 The spider’s leg was trembling, bent upwards, and the middle was squashed flat; the spider in question’s screeching lessened and was calming down. The other spiders skittered to the injured spider's squished leg, while some went behind the spider, then they began pulling the spider and its leg apart, and finally, the leg came off; The boys were watching in creeped out teeth-gritted frowns and they shivered once the leg popped off. The spiders faced the boys and waved their legs like ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’ (the seven-legged spider waved its leg that was holding its detached leg). In response, the boys nervously smiled, tightened their hug a bit, and then waved their hands (which were by their opposing their hips, while their occupied hands were holding the flagon) at the spiders. Both of them chuckled nervously, then faced the exit, and then walked on and on while continuing to nervous chuckle.

 They stepped into the previous room they were in (the one where they met Napstablook earlier) and after a few seconds of nervous chuckling, they both unleashed their biggest and loudest sighs of relief followed by continuous panting of stress.

 “Good thing…” Cuphead continued panting. “We don’t have…” He panted more. “Spider enemies…” He panted more. “At home…"

 “Don’t…” Mugman panted. “Don’t jinx it…”

 Together they took a deep inhale and then a big exhale to finish. They smiled at each other in a few seconds of silence.

 “Uhh… you can let go now...” Mugman said, referring to their snake-constricting hug that was still in place.

 “No you let go.” Cuphead teased as he smirked at Mugman.

 They both kept smirking at each other without moving…and standing… and waiting… as if it were a game of ‘firstonewholetsgoistheloserwhilethewinnergetsthebigbrocard.’

 “Wanna drink the cider?” Cuphead looked at Mugman with a big smile as he lifted the cider to their faces.

 “Sure!” Mugman replied with his own bright and big smile.

 They tilted their heads towards each other and tangled their respective blue and red straws together until they twisted into a big funnel of blue and red candy cane stripes.

 “Cheers!” They said to each other and then clinked their heads together.

 “Together they lifted the flagon up to their funnel, and poured the black cider into the funnel which began pumping liquid into their straws and into their respective heads…… and suddenly their eyes and mouths opened in shock.

 “LEAUGH!” They both yelled in disgust with their crooked tongues spat out, their funnel untangled into their crooked disgusted straws, their arms untangled into goofy spread out hands, their pupils looked in different directions, and their legs were twisted around.

 They both pinched their noses and blew them, which caused their straw to literally spit out their milk onto each other’s faces.

 “Yuck!” Cuphead wiped off his face of milk. “What was that?!”

 “Eaugh!” Mugman rubbed his tongue repeatedly with his two hands as if he was trying to remove the taste. “That was the most horrible thing I’ve ever tasted!” He looked at Cuphead.

 “Man apple juice was waaay bettah than this stuff.” Cuphead lifted the flagon as they started walking towards the northern exit.

 “Or a milkshake.” Mugman said as he walked beside his brother and put held his hands behind his back.

 “Or a soda!” Cuphead's eyes widened as he smiled.

 “Or root beer!” Mugman's eyes widened as he smiled.

 They both slurped their lips, paused walking, slouched, and looked dreamily at the space in front of them with their salivating tongues sticking out of the left end of their mouths. “Mmmm! Root beer! Jinx!” They both pointed their fingers at each other.

 “Double jinx!” Mugman pointed his finger at Cuphead.

 “What?!" Cuphead's eyes widened in surprise. "No way!” He narrowed his glare and smirked snarkily.

 “Uh-uh!" Mugman wagged his right index finger. "That was for the ‘Eaugh!’" He assumed his goofy disgusted spit-out tongue face. "...earlier.” He smirked snarkily at Cuphead.

 Cuphead covered his eyes with the wrists of his fists and grunted in frustrated realization. “You’re right!”

 “2-2?” Mugman raised an eyebrow and smiled as he buddy hugged Cuphead.

 “2-2.” Cuphead smirked at Mugman as the former buddy hugged the latter. “You still owe me two hotdogs!” He booped Mugman's nose.

 “Well you owe me two…” Mugman tapped his tinking chin twice. “Somethin’.” He booped Cuphead's tiny nose. "Hey that DOES feel good!" He made a big smile.

 Cuphead giggled. “Deal!” He buddy hugged his brother. "AAAND told ya."

 Cuphead and Mugman buddy walked together, arms wrapped behind each other’s necks, and playfully booped each other's nose as they giggled and laughed into the next room.

 -End of Chapter 5-

Author’s Note

Sorry, I’m a few weeks late on this chapter. I’m considering to trim the interaction between Cuphead & Mugman and the monsters since I’ve already demonstrated the idea in Chapter 3, and that it’s taking too long for me to reach the important interactions of the cupbros and the rest of the underground gang (Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, etc.), and overall it would make the story too long and draggy. So I’ll probably congest their interactions into one event, or employ a more Cuphead Run n Gun style where they evade or shoot the monsters, but it will also be full of small talk like at most two sentences of exchanges.

We’re almost at “Home”, I really thought this chapter would be it, but I got carried away with the story.

“Take your sweet time my children! I’m just… minding my own business”. Toriel smiled nervously, hoping no one would know what she’s up to. She suddenly sniffs in suspicion. “Wait… is something burni-! OH MY GOODNESS MY PIE!”

I’ve been itching for her to come back, so you’re not alone in this struggle.

I’m juggling multiple projects right now, not just this fanfic, so it’s taking more time than I anticipated. So it might be June when you’ll see the next chapter, sorry guys, just doing my best to give you a quality story.

Enjoy!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Cuptale (CupheadxUndertale) Ch6: Homebound

Buddy walking. Singing a merry but out of sync song. Giggling. Teasingly pushing and shoving each other. Cuphead and Mugman entered the next room and saw another wooden sign in front of them. They walked over to the sign.

“Didja miss it?” Mugman read aloud.

“Hey!” Cuphead glared at Mugman who was surprised. “I wanna read it.”

Mugman smiled apologetically and backed away from the sign.

“Didja miss it?” Cuphead read aloud with a smile. “Spider Bake Sale down and to the right.”

“Nnnnope!” Mugman shook his head with pride, and Cuphead giggled in reaction.

Cuphead continued to read. “Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders. Huh! Swell!” He smiled and, with his brother, walked on merrily…. Until both their eyes opened in shock realization.

“W-what…” Mugman nervously looked at Cuphead. “W-what was that caboosie word?...”

“Eheh…” Cuphead forced a smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Prolly no biggie pal.”

“H-how do you know?!” Mugman squeaked and his pupils trembled in nervousness.

“Do ya really wanna know?!” Cuphead whimpered as his pupils trembled in fear.

“NO?!?!” Mugman’s pupils shrank and trembled even more as his body shivered.

After taking a deep breath, they both assumed their signature buddy hug and took a step forward… but then their faces became more and more scared (they started to sweat more, their bodies shivered, and their pupils shrank), and they put that forward foot a rubber-squeaky step backwards, then took another step, and then scrambled running back to the sign.

-Made by spiders, for spiders, OF.  SPIDERS.

The boys made two huge shocked wheezing gasps.

“Wait I don’t get it…” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and narrowed his glare at the sign to see if he read it right.

“Wait what…” Mugman glared annoyed at Cuphead.

“Made by spiders yes… but then for spiders…” Cuphead scratched his straw.

Mugman grunted furiously and urgently he splayed his hands at Cuphead. “WE’VE BEEN-!”

“Shush Mugs!” Cuphead capped Mugman’s mouth using his index finger (so it looked like Mugman was kissing it while glaring shocked at Cuphead). “I’ll crack the code.”

Mugman swatted Cuphead’s wrist away while grunting. “What code?!” His eyes squeezed up in cringe and confusion. “Yer reading comprehension?”

“Yes my reading comblablahsion.” Cuphead was opening and closing his ‘talking’ puppet hand as he said ‘comblahblahsion’ mockingly. “Look if yer peeled eyes can understand what this thingamajig can say then so can I.” He pointed his thumb to himself. “Just gimme a minute.”

Mugman sighed and folded his arms annoyed. “At least ya wanna get your brain milk stirrin’.”

“So… made by spiders… as in the spiders cooked up the donuts and this stuff right?” In ‘stuff’ Cuphead pointed to his flagon of Spider Cider.

“Yep.” With bored eyes, Mugman said unenthusiastically.

“For spiders’… is there supposed tuh be a… no I mean what?” Cuphead glared even more confused.

“Put a ‘made’ in this part.” Mugman tapped on the sign the space between the comma and ‘for’ on the sign.

“So… made by spiders, made for spiders?” Cuphead looked at Mugman.

“Mmmhmmm!” Mugman nodded while staring unamused. “And…?” He raised an eyebrow, encouraging Cuphead to continue.

“And made of-!” Cuphead backed away, and made a wheezing gasp as his eyes shrank in shock.

“NOW YA GET IT?!” Mugman resumed his worried look.

“WE’VE BEEN EATING SPIDERS?!?!” They yelled at each other as they squished their noses together and stared into each other’s terrified eyes.

As they kept looking into each other’s intensely shivering eyes, they made synchronized 5-second long wheezing gasps.

“Well that explains the gooeyness!” Cuphead smiled at Mugman, who also smiled back.

“And the crunchiness!” Mugman pointed his index finger up as he made a point. “But this stuff?!” He grabbed the flagon from Cuphead’s hand and pointed at it while showing it to his brother.

They both glared at the flagon in cringe, and then spat their tongue out while looking away in disgust (as if they smelled horrible garbage).

Suddenly, close to Mugman, the sound of three croaks together with hopping approached.

“Whoa!” Cuphead and Mugman backed away in caution, and saw three Froggits looking at them.

“Oh! Okay.” Cuphead looked at Mugman. “Do your thing Mugs!”

“O-oh!” Mugman cleared his throat. “Hey buddies!” He waved and smiled really wide and a little forced. “Lookin’ happy and jumpy today!”

Cuphead snickered while looking and Mugman.

“What?” Confused, Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.

Cuphead made a cheeky grin. “’Hoppy’… and jumpy.” He spoke in a squeaky voice that sounded like he was laughing at his own joke.

Starting from a snicker, Mugman laughed his heart out together with Cuphead.

“You can make jokes but ya can’t fix yer comblahblahsion.” Placing his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow, Mugman smirked at Cuphead.

“Hey I’m the cool and funny one.” Smiling with confidence, closing his eyes, Cuphead pointed his thumb at himself. “Yer the smart and cute one remembah?” He winked and pointed at Mugman.

Mugman’s smirk relaxed into a flattered and grateful smile at Cuphead. The boys looked at the Froggits and caught them smiling at them.

The right Froggit croaked. “I have heard you two are quite merciful for a couple of humans.” He said.

Cuphead snickered and looked at Mugman with a very cheeky smile.

“Bro nohoho!” Mugman giggled and then smirked.

Cuphead giggled. “Say it.” He poked Mugman’s left cheek, which caused him to snicker as if he were tickled.

“Didja mean…” Mugman’s smile stretched wide. “’Cupple’…” He tapped on his own ceramic clinking head twice (meanwhile Cuphead’s smile grew really really big and tears came out of his eyes). “…of humans?”

They both hollered in laughter that it echoed along the halls.

“EYYYY!” Cuphead and Mugman pointed their fingers and winked at each other.

The Froggit stared and croaked unamused. “I did not intend that pun.” He croaked again.

The leftmost Froggit croaked raising his head up as if he were superior. “I warned you about it, but you never liste-“

The middle Froggit croaked and raised her head a little higher than the left. “Have you seen our fourth Froggit around here?”

The leftmost Froggit sighed in disappointment and then he glared annoyed at the middle Froggit.

Confused, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other non-verbally asking if they knew the answer.

“Uhh, we’ve met about a dozen other fellas along the way.” Cuphead smiled at the middle Froggit.

“Who’re ya lookin’ fer?” Mugman smiled as he crouched and leaned closer to the Froggits.

The leftmost Froggit croaked he splayed his left foot. “We’re lookin fer’-“

The middle Froggit croaked she splayed her left foot. “We’re lookin fer the one who usually hops and watches over the candy.”

The right Froggit croaked. “We heard from everyone that some TWO TON SCUMBAGS ATE ALL OF IT!!” In anger, he leaned in towards Mugman’s face (who was shocked and leaned away), but then three flies flew out of the Froggit in the process (which Mugman and the Froggit’s eyes followed).

The three Froggits had their eyes locked onto one fly each and then suddenly they spit their long tongues out and caught one each.

“Do you know who did it?!” The right Froggit demanded.

Cuphead and Mugman (who stood up quickly) looked at the Froggits offended (eyes widened and mouths open) and their eyes began to well up.

“Hey!” Cuphead’s teary eyes glared at the right Froggit as he and Mugman hugged each other, while the latter cuddled up and cried with his face buried on Cuphead’s right shoulder. “Those two ton scumbags have feelings too ya know!”

“Yeah!” With some tears whipped off his face as he turned, Mugman glared half-furious and devastated at the same Froggit. “Whoever those two ton scumbag dingdongs were!”

Cuphead’s eyes widened in surprise, and he elbowed Mugman’s right stomach with his left elbow while glaring at him.

“Ow!” Mugman looked at Cuphead and noticed his glare. “Sorry.” He whispered while he rubbed his right stomach with his left hand and looked back with his pure, innocent, and apologetic eyes.

“Well!” The left Froggit croaked he raised his right index finger. “If ya see-“

The right Froggit croaked and raised her right index finger. “If ya see those scumbags… tell ‘im we hate ‘im, but wish he enjoyed the candy.”

The left Froggit sighed and looked down defeated. “No one ever listens to me.”

Cuphead and Mugman frowned in pity at the left Froggit, looked at each other, smiled, let go of each other, and looked at the left Froggit.

“We’ll let em know.” Cuphead placed his hands on his hips.

“And I’m pretty sure they’re very sorry fer what they did.” Gently closed eyes, scratching the back of his head, Mugman made a big apologetic and sheepish smile at the same left Froggit.

“Yeah!” Cuphead closed his eyes and beamed. “Whoever those scumbag ding dong doofuses were.”

Mugman’s eyes widened in surprise, and he elbowed Cuphead’s left stomach with his right elbow while glaring at him.

“Ow!” He glared back at Mugman and rubbed his left stomach. “Hey you started it.” He loudly whispered.

The left Froggit squeaked in surprise. “You!” He started to tear up. “You actually answered me!”

The right Froggit croaked and smiled. “We’ll tell everyone you friendly humans are helping.”

The middle Froggit croaked and smiled. “And thanks for letting us know where our friend is.”

Cuphead and Mugman buddy hugged each other.

“No problem.” Cuphead smiled.

“Froggy buddy.” Mugman giggled.

The Froggits squeaked in surprise and blushed.

Mugman’s giggle turned into laughter as he and Cuphead buddy walked out of the room to the exit at the east, while the blushing Froggits just watched them go.

“Ya know…” Cuphead smugged. “Those two were probably

cool scumbag ding dong doofuses.”

Tilting his mouth higher, Mugman laughed louder. “The best coolest troublemaking scumbag doofuses buddy!” He looked at Cuphead with a big smile.

“AND ding dongs.” Cuphead said as he closed his eyes raised his index finger

“

AND ding dongs!” Mugman said emphasizing ‘and’ and imitating his closed eyes and index finger raise.

They both laughed as they walked on and on and on and laughed and on and on about… they forgot why, and looked at each other with raised eyebrows asking why they were, but they shrugged their shoulders while continuing to laugh and laugh and never letting it stop… until the ground they stepped on gave way and their laughing cut off into screaming.

The walls rang and bounced with the loud terrified screams of Cuphead and Mugman as they fell and fell, hugged tighter and tighter, and screamed louder and louder than they should be, until...

Grunting, Cuphead and Mugman landed sitting on something crunching but cushy. When they opened their eyes, they saw a bed of red leaves beneath them that stretched left to right wide.

“ADVENTAH!” Mugman said sprightly as he punched both fists to the air and made his purest, biggest, and cutest smile while looking at Cuphead.

Gasping, Eyes glimmering, Cuphead smiled full of pride while covering his cheeks. “Okay okay…” Closed eyes, He pushed his ‘calm down’ hands twice. “You stole that on purpose but… YOU MAKE ME SO PROUD MUGSY!” His eyes opened with starry pupils as he bubbly shook his fists in front of him.

Something slow-gasped in awe in front of Cuphead and behind Mugman, and in caution the latter two snapped a look towards that gasp.

A bipedal ball-shaped monster with one eye, two horns on the upper side of its ball (not head because it could not be distinguished), and a scary sharp-toothed smile that looked like it wanted to eat them.

“I MUST HAVE THAT!” He said with a slimy hissing low voice (like Smeagol).

It thrusted its body forward, unleashing a set of three energy rings from largest to smallest that floated out with alien blaster sounds, and the rings flew towards the boys in a curvy swerving manner.

The boys screamed in fright (their bodies shivered and their straws turned into exclamation points).

“Okay he’s creepy.” Cuphead said to Mugman.

“Yeah!” Mugman nodded as he gritted his teeth.

Running, they jumped over the energy rings that swerved from below upwards, then ducked under another set of energy rings from above downwards, and then ran under the one-eyed monster, accidentally tripping him in the process.

“OW!” The one-eyed monster fell forward with its eye wide open in shock and it hit the ground. “OOOOWWWW!! RUUUDE!” It glared with a teary red-bloodshot eye.

Hugging, Cuphead and Mugman kept running, but then tripped on something large, and they grunted as they landed their loud clanging ceramic heads on the floor. Groaning and rubbing their heads, they look behind them at the thing they tripped on, and there on the floor sprouted out a large orange carrot monster that had a squiggly toothless smile.

“HA! Kaarmaaaaa!” The carrot monster spoke with a girly voice (she sang ‘karmaaa’ in a high note as if she was calling ‘diinneeeerr!’).

Cuphead and Mugman glared at it a bit disturbed.

"Your smile doesn’t have teeth." Cuphead said.

"Ohoho! Plants don't have teeth dummy." The carrot monster said.

The carrot monster for a moment retracted back to the ground and then, from its head, shot out a volcano-like eruption of cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, and other vegetables.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, trembled with straw excalamation points, and squeezed their hug tighter.

"HEALTHY FOOD!" Mugman screamed as he pointed at the falling vegetables.

"RUUUNNN!!!!" Cuphead yelled to the ceiling.

Leaving behind a white dust cloud, Cuphead and Mugman scrammed.

"WAIT!" The Carrot monster yelled.

"TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT!" The one-eyed monster snarled and ran furiously after the boys.

They ran to the upper left corner where the doorway was while swerving left and right, and jumping and ducking while trying to dodge the falling vegetables and the swerving energy rings. They went through the doorway and once in, climbed the set of stairs going up, and then dropped down into a hole which led out of an elevated opening on the wall of the main floor and landed on their feet. Together with holding hands they ran forward, but Mugman stopped, anchored Cuphead’s hand to a stop in the process, and read the sign on their left.

"There is only one switch." Mugman read aloud.

"Hey!" Cuphead glared at Mugman, who looked back in surprise, for not letting him read.

"Don't ‘hey’ me, we're in a rush!" Mugman splayed his free hand in the air as he glared back at Cuphead.

Something popped from the ground behind them, and the cautious boys looked to see what it was

"You have not eaten your greens!" The carrot monster called to them.

Then, the one eyed ball monster popped out of the elevated opening on the wall. "TELL ME!!" It ran after them with its creepy sharp-toothed smile.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, hugged each other tighter, and then ran away.

"I like the Froggits!” Cuphead whimpered as he smiled nervously while watching where he was running. ‘They make sweller pals!"

"Me too!” Mugman whimpered and then looked around. “I don't see it anywhere!"

"See what?!" Cuphead raised an eyebrow at Mugman.

"The switch dum dum!" Irritated, Mugman yelled at Cuphead.

"Hey don't call me dum dum” Cuphead poked the middle of Mugman’s nose. “Dum dum!" He poked it again. "And the switch for what?!" He splayed that same hand in the air.

"For that dum dum!" Mugman pointed to their right.

On their far right corner was another steel sharp arrowheaded fence-gate that protruded from the ground.

"You called that gate a dum dum?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow.

"No! I mean-!" Mugman raised an eyebrow in confusion, and then giggled. "Stop that dum dum!" He booped Cuphead’s tiny nose.

"N-ho way dum dum!" Cuphead smiled back and booped Mugman’s nose.

They stopped on the wall and turned around. The one eyed bipedal ball monster was running towards them, and the carrot monster was digging their path towards them.

"Uhh So what's the plan dum dum?" While looking around, Cuphead booped Mugman’s nose again.

Mugman glanced left and right quickly. "See those cracks on the floors dum dum?" He booped Cuphead’s nose again.

Cuphead glanced left and right and saw the cracks. "Yeah dum dum." He booped Mugman’s nose.

"One of 'em must have the switch dum dum!"  Mugman said as he booped Cuphead’s nose again.

Monsters were making their own noises as they closed in.

"Last one to find it is the real dum dum!" Cuphead booped his nose.

"You're on dum dum!" Mugman booped Cuphead’s nose.

“Boop!” They both booped their noses and immediately dashed away in opposite directions (Cuphead left, Mugman right) while leaving behind a large dustcloud.

With a big excited smile, Cuphead dove headfirst and with hands together pointing to the ground like it was a pool and he crashed through the ground screaming "YAAAHOOO!"

Meanwhile, with a nervous smile, Mugman stopped running right before the cracked land and stepped his tiptoe on it, and it immediately gave way making Mugman fall spinning clockwise screaming in terror until he hit the pile of leaves below. After a few seconds of laying, he pushed himself off the bed, shook his body off of the leaves (which also rustled as he did), and looked around the tight-spaced room.

Mugman grunted. “Dagnabit. No switcheroo in sight.”

“No.” A woman’s voice said beside him.

Mugman shivered and snapped a look to his right.

“But I see someone who needs a healthy diet.” The orange carrot monster with a crooked smile said on the leaf pile.

Mugman screamed, his uvula trembled, his tongue was crooked, and his eyes popped out looking at the menacingly laughing carrot monster. He jumped up into the air, His feet bicycle-pedaled three times on the air and then he dashed away to the exit on the right.

“WAIT!” The carrot monster yelled.

Mugman screamed in terror as he ran up the stairs, but as he kept running Cuphead’s screaming could be heard starting from soft quickly going loud, and before he knew it they slammed face front into each other (with loud ceramic clanging) and they stayed like that midair.

“Wnnnnh hufff tuh stup rmmmnnmmm tuh ich otha lnnnk zis.” Cuphead groaned with his side mouth.

“Whnnnnt?” Mugman’s muffled sidemouth voice.

Cuphead groaned. “Mmm ssmmmd, wnnnh huff tuh stup rmmnnmm” Mugman gently moved off of Cuphead’s face. “to each other like this.”

Mugman tilted his head to the right looking behind Cuphead and his eyes bulged in shock at what he saw.

“STARRY EYES STARRY EYES STARRY EYES!” Three one-eyed ball monsters were running towards them.

Cuphead tilted his head to the right looking behind Mugman and his eyes too bulged in shock.

“EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!” A mob of carrot monsters came digging quickly towards them.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, squeezed their hugs on each other, bicycle-pedaled on the air three times and then dashed away to the hall heading downwards leaving a white dust cloud behind. Then, the mobs of carrot monsters from the left and the one-eyed monsters on the right merged to the hall down and chased after the boys.

Screaming and hugging, Cuphead and Mugman popped out once more from the elevated window on the wall, landed on the main floor, and then ran away from that window that was soon flooding with the a mob of monsters coming out.

“Can we buddy search instead?” Hugging Mugman looked at Cuphead. “I don’t wanna split.”

“Then who’s the real dum dum?” Hugging Cuphead asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Can’t we both be?!” Mugman tugged his hug down a little as he pleaded.

While continuing to run, Cuphead and Mugman stared into space in thought about what Mugman just said.

“That’s… actually a swell idea.” Cuphead smiled at Mugman.

“I AM the smart one!” Mugman beamed and punched his right fist to the air.

“Yes you are pal!” Cuphead made a matching beaming smile.

They turned left to the pit towards the middle of the upper row and cannonballed together crashing through the floor and screaming with joyous thrill; Cuphead squeezed his eyes shut while Mugman was eyes-open looking up crying and both of them were squeeze-hugging each other as they fell and fell and fell… ‘til they landed on a bed of loudly crunching red leaves. They got up and like wild-dogs shook their bodies off of leaves.

They looked forward, and gasped with gaping smiles as they saw a golden switch on the wall. They bubbly giggled as they ran towards it and pulled it down together, which then caused a loud click and then a loud sound swords sheathing from above.

“STARRY EYES STARRY EYES!” The one-eyed monsters muttered as they fell from the ceiling.

Carrot monsters popped up from the ground. “EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!”

The carrot monsters that popped out made Cuphead and Mugman scream in fright and then run away bubbly laughing to the doorway next to the switch behind them.

Like before, Cuphead and Mugman popped out of the elevated window, landed on the main floor, and ran away laughing side by side towards the gate on the lower right which was now open.

In the next room, there was a bipedal standing cockroach-like monster with only two arms with crab claws and two flat feet shaped like clown shoes.

“Woah!” Cuphead and Mugman stomped their heels to a screeching stop right before the cockroach monster.

The cockroach monster was doing the arm wave dance move. “Oh! Hiya!” It waved its claw hand while bending his knees.

Cuphead and Mugman smiled. “Hi!” They waved.

But then, a large rumbling could be heard from behind them.

“STARRY EYES! STARRY EYE-VEGETABLES! VEGETABLE- STARRY EYES!” The mob of carrot monsters and one-eyed ball monsters were running towards them.

Cuphead and Mugman yelled in fright and then ran away.

The cockroach monster was just dancing happily singing “La la la la la la la la-“ When suddenly the mob approached him. “RREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” It shrieked like a rat as its body trembled.

Holding hands, they kept running and running down to the next room away from the mob of monsters that were chasing after them.

“AAAAAAAGGH AAAaAAGH!” Cuphead and Mugman screamed.

“ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” Cuphead punched their holding hands to the air.

Mugman looked at his brother in surprise curiosity, then open-mouth smiled and then held up their holding hands while yelling “ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Cuphead and Mugman ran and ran as they continued to yell their battle cries to the ceiling, until they encountered a couple of blubbing slimes in their path, and their battle cries turned into screams as they approached. The slimes launched the same sludge balls above that exploded into eight smaller sludges fireworks.

Cuphead and Mugman, still hand in hand, front flipped together over the slimes and under the tiny falling slime balls before they reached them.

They landed on their feet, and then turned right going deeper into the room, but gasped as they saw another metal-speared gate blocking the next room. Mugman looked around frantically, and smiled as he saw to his right a stone placard on the wall.

“This way!” Mugman ran as he pulled Cuphead’s hand who stumbled a bit but then started to run alongside him.

They stopped before it and tried to read.

“If you can read this, press the blue switch.” They read aloud together.

They looked around to find it.

“I don’t see it.” Cuphead said.

“It must be in the other…” Mugman stared in utter horror at the space in front of him. “…room…”

Cuphead and Mugman facepalmed themselves.

Then, the mob of monsters came in rumbling footsteps to the room they were in and then surround them.

“Uhh… any ideas?” Mugman smiled sheepishly to Cuphead.

“I thought you were the smart one.” Cuphead raised an eyebrow.

“I’m out.” Mugman spread his hands as his smile turned into a cringe.

Cuphead whimpered and then looked around the monsters that were quickly closing in on them, and then saw something apple green behind the mob of monsters.

“What’s that?” Cuphead pointed at the green thing as he firmly buddy hugged Mugman that it caused him to stumble.

“Wanna go?” Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.

Cuphead smirked. “You trust me?”

Mugman nervous chuckled. “Yeah. That’s why we get in trouble.”

Cuphead sikered. “Hold tight!”

“WOAH!” Mugman yelled as his hand was pulled and he stumbled onto Cuphead’s back into a piggyback ride.

“ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAA-“ Cuphead kept yelling and yelling (with Mugman screaming in terror) as he ran towards the mob of monsters.

“VEGETABLES! STARRY EYES!” Yelled the carrot monsters and one-eyed monsters as they respectively shot vegetables from their heads like volcanoes, and then energy rings from their eyes.

“OBEY!” The cockroach monster lifted its claws and its wings, from under its back shell like a beetle, spread its transparent wings and it fluttered as dozens of buzzing cockroaches spawned from its back and flew towards the boys.

All while he and his brother screamed in fright, Cuphead swerved left as he dodged the energy rings that blasted and charred the floor, then swerved right as he dodged a volley of vegetables splattering around, then jumped over a sea of cockroaches while he and piggybacked Mugman ducked another sea of cockroaches above them and sandwiched them into this narrow space, all while more energy rings and vegetable volcano debris fired to them .

“Mugs?!” Cuphead hissed out in concern.

“I’m holding, I’m holding!” Closed-eyes Mugman tightened his clutch onto Cuphead.

As he ran, Cuphead looked ahead and saw a rain of vegetables in the sky. Terrified, he ran forward and several times he would stop before a vegetable would drop in front of him.

Mugman looked behind him and gasped with his eyes bugging out of him. “JUMP!”

Immediately Cuphead jumped and then Mugman’s straw turned into a gloved-hand and swatted the vegetable above him, but then they landed on a sea of flying cockroaches that carried them all the way to the switch.

Cuphead and Mugman scrambled around and panic-swatted away the cockroaches crawling on their bodies saying ‘getthemoffgetthemoffgethemoff!!!’ When the cockroaches came off there were various bite marks on their ripped up clothes and they were panting and whimpering. They got up and saw a small 1-ft apple green headless statue with a switch on its neck-plate.

“Is this it?” Mugman asked innocently.

Cuphead glared irritated at Mugman. “I thought ya said you were out of-“

“Just flick the switch!” Mugman angrily snapped at Cuphead.

Annoyed, Cuphead put his fingers on the sundial-shaped disc switch and twisted it. The floor suddenly and quickly slid open a trapdoor revealing a hole beneath both of them, and they both stared down horrifically at the hole, stood there as if an invisible floor was still there, and then they wrapped their arms around each other in a very very squeezed-tight hug (to the point that they even wrapped their legs around each other’s backs) as they continued to stare horrifically at it and stand on the space.

“Bro?” Mugman asked with a squeaky terrified voice.

“Yeah?!” Cuphead’s voice squeaked.

“What’s with this place wanting us to keep falling down?” Mugman looked at Cuphead horrifically.

Cuphead nervous chuckled. “I-I dunno, we just can’t seem tuh keep up with it.”

Both their eyes widened in surprise at the pun Cuphead made, and then Mugman giggled while Cuphead smiled proudly.

Mugman looked at Cuphead. “Nii-!” Then they suddenly fell down the hole “IIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH-“

They screamed as they fell and fell until their bums landed on a slide going down down, and they were approaching the floor with red leaves below until…

“WE’VE GOT FRESH SPINACH!” A bunch of carrot monsters popped up by the mouth of the exit to greet them with their crooked smiles.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright, they tightened their hug even more (to the point they were squeezing each other’s bodies to a pulp), and then they stopped themselves from sliding (despite it being literally impossible). They turned around, ran in place for about two seconds (with some running cartoon sound effects) and then dashed up the slide. They kept screaming and screaming, and running and running up the very very steep slide defying the force of gravity behind them. They kept panic-running and running until…

“HEED THE OVERMIND!” The angry and grumpy looking cockroach monster popped out from the mouth of the exit ahead of them.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright.

“I’M NOT GONNA PICK ON YOU!” The one-eyed monster popped out from the left side of the exit mouth ahead.

The one-eyed monster fired from its eye three energy rings, and from beneath the wings of the cockroach monster dozens of cockroaches were dropping like dead insects towards them. The boys screamed in fright and stopped running, letting themselves fall down the hole back to the slide below.

Ahead they saw the vegetable monsters again.

Cuphead mumbled. “Ouchie time.”

Mugman squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hug (As if it wasn’t already suffocating enough). “It was nice knowin’ ya buddy.”

Cuphead squeezed his eyes shut because of the suffocation and in anticipation of what’s to come.

They slid out of the slide, feeling a sudden loss of flooring beneath them, but then their bums landed in a bed of spikey things. Cuphead and Mugman sprung up in the air screaming with tears of pain, shaking their legs and covering their own bums.

“Pineapples can cure you, you know!” The carrot monsters said as the boys kept screaming in pain with pineapples stuck to their bums.

Cuphead and Mugman hit the ground running, crying and whimpering away from the vegetable monsters with pineapples stuck to their bums. While they were running up the stairs, for about four times they yanked out bunches of pineapples making them yell in a big “OW!” on each yank, and then they hugged each other for comfort once they were done.

They popped out of another elevated opening on the wall and then looked around, noticing (describe the first room they were in of this puzzle); they were back in the first room.

Mugman gasped and then rotated his brother’s head by his handle to the upper right of them. “Look!”

Next to the pillar was a light blue neckless bust which was up-to-their-stomachs tall. They ran towards it and saw a red ‘sun disc-like’ switch.

“Wait a minute…” Mugman looked at it suspiciously. “That’s not a blue switch. That’s a blue statue with a red switch.”

Cuphead groaned. “Who cares let’s switch it!”

Cuphead turned the switch clockwise while Mugman glared in horror at Cuphead’s once again impulsive act. The floor beneath them slid open, and again (uninfluenced by gravity) they stared at it horrifically, then hugged each other very tightly, and only after that they fell down the hole again.

“NOT THE STINGY PINEAPPLES AGAIN!” Mugman yelled in horror.

As they landed on the slide again and they were closing in on the exit, Cuphead stared at it as if he were staring down his fear.

“JUMP!” Cuphead yelled.

As they exited the slide and without hesitation, Mugman and Cuphead buckled their legs and then kicked both feet up, making them leap in an arch above the bed of pineapples which were layered over the bed of red leaves; meanwhile the carrot monsters that were waiting there watched them fly over with their monotonous crooked smiles which could not be distinguished if they were watching in awe or in shock.

They landed on the cement floor with Cuphead firmly on the ground while Mugman wobbling and tilting towards the bed of pineapples. Cuphead pulled Mugman towards him, and Mugman’s landed on Cuphead’s shoulder with a clink on their heads.

They looked at each other with confident ‘I saw what you did there’ smiles. “Nice clink bro. Jinx!” They pointed their fingers to each other.

“Hey!” The carrot monsters yelled from behind the boys.

They turned around and screamed as they saw a volley of fruits and vegetables about to rain down on them. They then dashed up the stairs away from the vegetables.

“WE DON’T WANT YOUR VEGETABLES!” Mugman yelled back as they ran.

“YEAH! THEY’RE FULL OF VITAMIN DUHHH!” Cuphead yelled back.

Mugman’s mouth squiggly smiled and then he unleashed a bubbly cackle fit, which Cuphead proudly smiled with starry eyes at Mugman.

Mugman looked at Cuphead with his precious jolly smile. “I gotta remember that!”

“I AM the funny one!” Cuphead said excitedly and proudly.

“Y-hes you are buddy!” Mugman said while giving a hug, which Cuphead reacted with starry eyes looking back.

“THERE IT IS!!” Said a creepy eye peeping from the exit ahead.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed as they saw a creepy eye.

The eye shot three energy rings from smallest to biggest going towards them. Cuphead and Mugman took them full blast and ended up groaning with dizzy spinning eyes as they kept running until Cuphead tripped and they both fell forward hands reaching towards the monster’s eye.

“AIEEEEE!!!” The eye-monster yelled in pain as he fell.

All three of them collapsed onto the ground floor with a thud, with Cuphead and Mugman still hugging each other and with eyes spinning, while the one-eyed monster with creepy smile was covering its tearful eye with his two hands. The ground below them shook, and under their stomachs a bunch of carrot monsters popped out sending Cuphead and Mugman flying.

“It is waay past lunch time!” The carrot monsters said together.

Frightened and whimpering, Cuphead and Mugman landed on their feet and started running towards the next room until

“I AM THE SWARM!!” The cockroach monster yelled while dozens of cockroaches swarm out of his wings and blocks the exit.

A couple of slimes also manage to intercept their way.

Cuphead and Mugman gasped as they were blocked. Mugman turned around and he and Cuphead were back to back sandwiched between the two groups of monsters (one-eyed monsters and carrot monsters on the left from the first room, and slimes and a migosp on the right from the second room). The monsters fired their attacks at the boys.

“SPIN PARRY!” Mugman yelled to the ceiling in a panic.

Mugman ran in a counterclockwise while Cuphead ran in clockwise so they splat their faces onto each other. They looked up, and screamed as the attacks were coming close, and then hugged each other really tight and squeezed their eyes shut anticipating the end. Sounds of vegetables splattering, lasers firing, bugs buzzing, and slimes splotching could be heard around them, but they felt nothing. They opened their eyes and looked around them to see lots of debris of attacks littered around them, except for the one circular spot they were hugging on.

They both gasped and then looked at each other with starry eyes. “WE’RE ALIVE!”

“HEEY!” The one-eyed monster yelled from the side of the first room. ”HOW!” He jump-stomped the ground. “DO!” He jump-stomped the ground again. “YOUI!” And again. “DO!” And again. “THAT!” And again.

“You’re probably not eating your carrots Loox!” The carrot monsters said looking at him. “It’s good for your eye!”

The cockroach monster screamed and grunted as he punched his claws downwards. “I DON’T CAAAARE!” He began stomping his right foot repeatedly.

Frightened, Cuphead and Mugman recoiled away from the cockroach monster and then turned their attention to the one-eyed monster.

“I’m sorry, do what?” Mugman turned to the one-eyed monster and raised an eyebrow.

“THE STARRY EYES!” The one-eyed monster Loox yelled as his smile looked more forceful, his fists punched backwards and he leaned towards the boys. “The red one could do it!” He pointed his flat open 90 degree rotated hands (poised as if trying to regain composure and prove his point) towards Cuphead. “You could do it!” He pointed those same hands to Mugman. “WHY CAN’T I DO IT?!?!” He pointed both his index fingers towards his one eye.

The one-eyed monster squatted, placed his fists forward, and at the same time started to twitch his eye to make something happen, but instead he shot three energy rings again.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed and backed off. The energy rings hit the floor in front of them.

“Hey!” Cuphead glared at the one-eyed monster. “You can’t just shoot laser eyes and ask us how to do… do what?” He looked at Mugman with a raised eyebrow.

“The starry eyes.” Mugman said casually as he pointed his right index finger to both his eyes.

“Ohh!” Cuphead’s eyes widened, but then he squatted a bit and started to twitch his eyes. “Am I doing it?”

“Okay stop, you’re freaking me out.” Eyes cringing, Mugman held Cuphead’s shoulders, making him stop and relax. “Ahahand…” He gently smiled as he chuckled. “You do it only when ya blow yer milk about somethin’.”

(blow your wig: 1930s slang for ‘get excited’)

“Really?” Cuphead smiled. “Like how?”

“RRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” The cockroach monster screeched as it pulled its antennae down with its claws and stomped both its feet repeatedly. “I DON’T CARE I DON’T CARE I DON’T CAAAAARE!!” With a thrust of its arms forward and a spread of his back wings, he launched a swarm of cockroaches towards them.

“Hey! They don’t need roaches! They need oranges!” The carrot monsters erupted oranges from the top of their heads.

“THOSE!” Loox jump-stomped the ground. “AREN’T!” He jump-stomped again. “STAAARS!” And again as he fired three sets of swerving laser projectiles from his eye.

The slimes launched sludge balls from the top of their heads which then exploded like fireworks in the air.

Cuphead offered his arm to Mugman. “Wanna try again?” He smirked.

“YEAH!” Mugman eyes widened and he beamed.

Like before, they faced each other, chained their arms together, stuck the tips of their shoes together, ran in clockwise, spun really fast and held their free arms, free legs, and their straw hands out as they parried all the incoming projectiles. As the projectiles stopped firing, they slowed their spin and then walked slowly to a stop with some dizzy-eyed wobbling.

“THAT WAS SOO COOL!” Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other with starry eyes.

“THERE!” The one-eyed monster pointed both fingers at the boys. “HOLD STILL!” The one-eyed monster began squatting, twitching his eye and grunting loudly while trying to make something happen. Instead, he farted.

Everyone, Cuphead, Mugman, and the monsters, just looked at Loox in awkward silence.

Loox grunted in frustration and then jump-stomped again. “HOW DO YOU DO IT?!”

“Well, what blows your wig pal?” Cuphead splayed his right hand.

‘We don’t have wigs dummy!” The carrot monsters said, and launched more vegetables and fruits.

Cuphead and Mugman zipped around dodging them.

“He meant woah-!” Mugman jumped back as a tomato splotched in front of him and splashed on his clothes a little. “He meant what gets ya excited, dummy!” He placed his fists on his hips as he glared irritated at the carrot monster.

“OOOOooooooooo!” Cuphead looked at Mugman with starry eyes and a big smile. “Got ‘im Mugs!”

They high-fived each other and laughed.

“I JUST WANT TO SEE THE STARS!!! IF YOU CAN DO IT...” He pointed at Cuphead. “THEN I CAN DO IT TOO!!!” Loox looked fiercely with a very forceful smile at them as he pointed his thumbs at himself. “AND I!” He jump-stomped.  “CAN!” And again. “SEE!” And again. “THE STARS!” Again. “ANY TIME!” Again. “I WANT!” And again.

The attacks kept coming and Cuphead and Mugman just kept running around.

“Ohh! Hmmm Cuphead?” Mugman turned to his brother. “Can we make stars?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Apparently with our eyes!” Cuphead smiled as he pointed to his eyes. “Only Hilda could do it at will though.”

From above their heads, they each parried a pineapple away from them.

“Well, what else do ya like Mr. Eye? I mean, Mr. Loox was it?” Mugman asked in confusion.

“Well, I like it when other people DON’T PICK ON ME! ESPECIALLY ON MY EYE!” Loox yelled towards the carrot monsters who just laughed.

Cuphead and Mugman just looked at Loox in confusion and then looked at each other.

“But…” Mugman (along with Cuphead) looked back at Loox.  “We’re not picking on ya.”

“But we’d pick ya to be our new pal!” Cuphead beamed as he splayed his warm-hearted open hands.

Mugman curly-mouth smiled at Cuphead. “AWWW!” He giggled.

“Hey I can still noogie you.” Cuphead smirked at his brother.

Loox gasped. “You didn’t pick on me, AND you made a pun!” His pupil turned into a star. “THANK YOU! WOAH!” His eye fired star-shaped swerving laser projectiles.

The boys just watched it twirl around the air with stars in their eyes. It twirled and whirled in spiral and wavy directions before exploding into a noiseless rainbow star-shaped firework.

“WWwwoooooooowwwww!” The boys and even the monsters (even the grumpy roach monster) looked at the firework in awe and with their own star-shaped pupils.

“I did it…” Loox said, baffled. “I DID IT!” He punched his fists to the sky as he smiled bigger, now happier (his cheeks pushing up his eyelid) instead of forced. Loox began laughing and kicking his heels midair together as he ran away hopping with gold coins flying out of him. “I CAN FINALLY SEE THE STARS!!”

Cuphead and Mugman buddy hugged each other and smiled as they watched Loox go.

“Yeah…” The carrot-monster said. “BUT I DON’T SEE YOU EATING YOUR GREENS!” Again, they erupted a volley of vegetables going towards them, but this time, instead of the vegetables raining down on them, the fruits and vegetables instead twirled in the air and then swirled around the boys who screamed and hugged each other in fright at first, but then the whirlwind of vegetables started to lift them up gently.

“Woaaaah!” Cuphead and Mugman said in awe as they looked at the vegetables swirling around them.

“EAT!... EAT!... EAT, YOUR, GREENS!... EAT!... EAT!... EAT YOUR GREENS!” The vegetable monsters chanted and danced their heads left and right like they were in a ritual.

“NO WAY!” Cuphead yelled back as he folded his arms.

Mugman on the other hand had his mouth squiggled in the heebie-jeebies as he looked around the healthy food that were threatening to attack them.

From the whirlwind storm surrounding the boys, some of the fruits and vegetables launched towards the boys hovering at the eye. The boys screamed (their straws turned into exclamation points) and they dodged upwards, lower left, left, lower right, and even had to pop their heads off just to dodge one bullet seed before they pulled them back secured to their necks.

Mugman looked behind them and saw a spinach flying towards him. With a reluctant squiggly frown, he opened his mouth, let the spinach shoot to his mouth, and then began chewing.

Cuphead gasped and looked at Mugman. “Mugs!”

Mugman squeezed his eyes shut and just kept chewing and chewing, and then eventually swallowed making a one big gulp down his throat. Then, he licked around his lips with his big slurping tongue, and then drummed his stomach with his hands.

The carrot monsters gasped. “He ate his greens…” One of them said.

“Mmmm! That wasn’t bad at all!” Mugman smiled at Cuphead.

Cuphead looked horrifically at Mugman. “What?!”

Mugman was surprised by Cuphead’s reaction. “Oh! Sorry.” He scratched the back of his head. “I guess I really was hungry. It was like… a hamburger, without the…. The hotdog sandwich thingy.”

Cuphead snickered.  “You mean the buns and the patty?”

“Yeah!” Mugman said with his cute smile.

“You want more?” The motherly carrot monsters approached Mugman and then chucked a carrot onto his mouth. “There’s plenty more where that came from!”

The carrot monsters kept stuffing Mugman with different other vegetables, even if he was already a mouthful, and he just kept chewing as much as he could while started to cry.

“HEY!” Cuphead yelled angrily.

The carrot monsters stopped talking and looked at Cuphead who was running towards the carrot monsters while yelling a battle cry, jumped on one of the giant carrot monster’s heads, and then bit it.

The carrot monsters gasped, while the one bitten just watched Cuphead horrifically.

Cuphead began to chew, but then shivered in disgust and spit out what he ate. “YUCK!”

“YNNNNFNNNFNNNFNN!!!” Mugman tried to talk, but the vegetables stuffed onto his mouth plugged up his mouth and what came out, along the borders of his mouth, was his spit with bits of vegetables instead.

Cuphead glared confused at Mugman. “I dunno what he said but…” He glared with a menacing smile at the carrot monsters. “I think you’d be better stewed up!”

The carrot monsters screamed in fear. “WE ARE NOT VEGETABLES!! WE ARE VEGETOIDS!”

Panicking, the Vegetoids quickly burrowed underground, leaving Cuphead to twirl in the air a bit before landing on the floor sitting confused at what happened. Mugman ran over to Cuphead held his hands and pulled him up.

“FNNUHFNHFNNNNNFNH!” Mugman talked while holding Cuphead’s hands.

Cuphead giggled. “Hold still Mugs.”

Cuphead rotated Mugs’ head 180 degrees back, and then patted on his handle really hard causing latter to spit out the food that was stuck on his mouth and he coughed as he did.

Smiling Mugman rotated his head back to normal facing Cuphead. “I said-!” He coughed. “I said you have to peel the carrots before you eat them.”

“Ohhhh!” Cuphead’s smile widened. “THNNNNKKKYFFFFFFFUFFF!” He said as he closed his mouth and spoke with lots of spit.

“HEEEY!” Mugman playfully pushed Cuphead and they both started a giggle fit.

“NGGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” The cockroach monster yelled from behind them.

Cuphead and Mugman looked in the direction behind the latter and saw the cockroach monster was screeching and pulling its antennae off, literally, but a new set of antennae grew back after.

“Y’know, this guy was in a swell mood when we first saw ‘im.” Cuphead said as he looked at the cockroach monster.

Cuphead and Mugman looked next to the cockroach monster on the right and there were a couple of slime monsters just blobbing by idly.

“Well… maybe it’s because… he was having some alone time?” Mugman smiled at Cuphead.

Cuphead smiled. “And dancin’!” He lightly pounded the air in front of him.

“Let’s say we do that ducky shincracker swing ding Mr. Cockroach taught us!” Mugman swung his dancing fists in front of his chest left and right.

(Ducky shincracker = Good dancer)

“And do that blob jive to get rid of these guys?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and also swung his dancing fists right and left to mirror Mugman’s pose.

Mugman giggled. “Ya know it!” He winked.

The cockroach monster beared its claws against the boys. “YOU WILL ALL-!” It gasped.

While smiling jolly at the monsters and chaining their buddy arms together, Cuphead and Mugman were were bending their knees over and over, bobbing up and down in a fast pace like jolly jelly. In response, the slimes were bobbing faster and matching the boys’ speed. Cuphead and Mugman stopped, held their closest hands together, and they did a synchronized fluid and rubber band like arm wave starting from Cuphead to Mugman and vice versa. The slimes protruded out their arms, and they held each other’s closest ‘hands’ and also did an arm wave of their own.

The cockroach monster started to smile and then giggle. He then started to do his dance of bending his knees and then do his own arm wave.

The slimes then slowly danced and squiggled away from the area, leaving behind a couple of piles of coins.

“La la la la la la la la la!” The cockroach monster waved his arms left and right quickly as he danced. “Let’s do the armwave!”

Cuphead and Mugman giggled. “Sure!”

The cockroach monster offered his claw hand to Mugman, who along with Cuphead frowned.

“You can hold the top side of it!” The cockroach monster smiled as it looked down at Mugman

Mugman smiled, then looked at Cuphead who smiled and nodded, then looked back at the cockroach monster “Oh-okay!”

They did the arm wave starting from the cockroach monster, then to Mugman, then to Cuphead, and all the way back.

Cuphead giggled. “That was fun!” He looked at the cockroach monster.

They all looked around and saw lots and lots of coins littered around the place.

“Oh no no this won’t do!” The cockroach monster shook his head. “Here, let me get those for you!”

With a stretch of his claws forward, and a spread of his back wings, dozens of buzzing cockroaches flew around in swarms. The swarms blanketed the place seemingly just skittering around aimlessly, but then gold coins started to sparkle and move around to the top of the blanket of cockroaches

“Woah!” Cuphead and Mugman said.

“It’s a little gross but cool.” With his hand curved on the right of his mouth, Cuphead whispered to smiling Mugman who nodded in agreement.

“I wish they were butterflies though.” Mugman shrugged his shoulders as he smiled sheepishly.

“What?!” The cockroach monster glared irritated at Mugman.

Cuphead and Mugman nervously backed off a bit from the cockroach monster.

“I mean-! Uhhh…” Mugman began nervously touching his index fingers together.

Cuphead nervously chuckled. “He meant, cockroaches are cool!”

“Oh really?” The cockroach monster smiled flattered and then giggled. “Aww thank you, you shouldn’t have!” It waved its claw up-down as it was flattered.

Mugman nervously giggled. “Yeah! They are! M-mr…” He began touching his index fingers repeatedly.

“Migosp!” The cockroach monster did another armwave as he smiled at Mugman. He spread his arms and elytra wide.

(Elytra – leathery ‘wing cases’ of beetles, cockroaches, and other species used to protect their flying wings.)

The cockroaches from all over the floor flew back to Migosp, delivered the coins to his claws, and then flew back to his wings and he folded them back into his elytra.

“Here you go!” Migosp handed the coins to Cuphead and Mugman.

Happily, Cuphead and Mugman split the gold evenly to themselves.

“Thank you Mr. Migosp!” Mugman smiled at the cockroach monster.

“Oooo!” Migosp said as if he were making a bass drop. Then, he started beatboxing and making bending hip-hop like moves while sliding away from the scene.

Cuphead and Mugman just smiled and did tiny dances following the beatboxing rhythm of Migosp until he disappeared behind one of the pillars.

Cuphead smirked at Mugman. “I thought you’re supposed to be the smart one.”

Mugman looked back confused. “Whaddya mean?”

Cuphead snickered. “Hotdog sandwich thingy?” He rested his hands on his hips as he raised an eyebrow

“Oh!” Mugman chuckled. “I guess I don’t think much when my tank’s empty.” He patted his stomach. “I just chow down.”

Cuphead giggled, put the coins in his pocket, and buddy hugged his brother. “I can respect your dum dumness.”

Mugman raised an eyebrow, smiling with intrigue. “Why?”

“Hmmm…” Cuphead tapped his chin (or base rather). “I dunno. Why do ya stick with me when we get in trouble?”

Mugman giggled. “Fair.” He shrugged his shoulders

They walked forward a bit, and then looked to their right. Hiding behind the pillar was a blue neckless bust with a blue switch on it.

“Is that-“

“Yes.” Mugman smiled, relaxed. “Yes it is.”

Cuphead smirked. “Reminds me of that time when Toriel hid behind the Toriel.”

Mugman’s eyes widened and he looked at Cuphead with a gaped-open mouth.

“Wait, I mean-!” Cuphead started to bubbly laugh.

Mugman started to bubbly laugh and cover his face.

Cuphead held his hands up and looked at the ceiling. “HEY LOOK! I DIDN’T WRITE THE LINE OKAY SOMEONE’S MAKING ME SAY IT!”

Cuphead and Mugman just laughed together as they flicked the switch, which caused a loud unsheathing sound to happen.

They walked forward and saw that the gate was open, and they crossed it while merrily buddy walking, laughing, beatboxing and doing tiny freestyle dances of their own.

-End of Chapter 6-

Buddy walking. Singing a merry but out of sync song. Giggling. Teasingly pushing and shoving each other. Cuphead and Mugman entered the next room and saw another wooden sign in front of them. They walked over to the sign.

“Didja miss it?” Mugman read aloud.

“Hey!” Cuphead glared at Mugman who was surprised. “I wanna read it.”

Mugman smiled apologetically and backed away from the sign.

“Didja miss it?” Cuphead read aloud with a smile. “Spider Bake Sale down and to the right.”

“Nnnnope!” Mugman shook his head with pride, and Cuphead giggled in reaction.

Cuphead continued to read. “Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders. Huh! Swell!” He smiled and, with his brother, walked on merrily…. Until both their eyes opened in shock realization.

“W-what…” Mugman nervously looked at Cuphead. “W-what was that caboosie word?...”

“Eheh…” Cuphead forced a smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Prolly no biggie pal.”

“H-how do you know?!” Mugman squeaked and his pupils trembled in nervousness.

“Do ya really wanna know?!” Cuphead whimpered as his pupils trembled in fear.

“NO?!?!” Mugman’s pupils shrank and trembled even more as his body shivered.

After taking a deep breath, they both assumed their signature buddy hug and took a step forward… but then their faces became more and more scared (they started to sweat more, their bodies shivered, and their pupils shrank), and they put that forward foot a rubber-squeaky step backwards, then took another step, and then scrambled running back to the sign.

-Made by spiders, for spiders, OF.  SPIDERS.

The boys made two huge shocked wheezing gasps.

“Wait I don’t get it…” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and narrowed his glare at the sign to see if he read it right.

“Wait what…” Mugman glared annoyed at Cuphead.

“Made by spiders yes… but then for spiders…” Cuphead scratched his straw.

Mugman grunted furiously and urgently he splayed his hands at Cuphead. “WE’VE BEEN-!”

“Shush Mugs!” Cuphead capped Mugman’s mouth using his index finger (so it looked like Mugman was kissing it while glaring shocked at Cuphead). “I’ll crack the code.”

Mugman swatted Cuphead’s wrist away while grunting. “What code?!” His eyes squeezed up in cringe and confusion. “Yer reading comprehension?”

“Yes my reading comblablahsion.” Cuphead was opening and closing his ‘talking’ puppet hand as he said ‘comblahblahsion’ mockingly. “Look if yer peeled eyes can understand what this thingamajig can say then so can I.” He pointed his thumb to himself. “Just gimme a minute.”

Mugman sighed and folded his arms annoyed. “At least ya wanna get your brain milk stirrin’.”

“So… made by spiders… as in the spiders cooked up the donuts and this stuff right?” In ‘stuff’ Cuphead pointed to his flagon of Spider Cider.

“Yep.” With bored eyes, Mugman said unenthusiastically.

“For spiders’… is there supposed tuh be a… no I mean what?” Cuphead glared even more confused.

“Put a ‘made’ in this part.” Mugman tapped on the sign the space between the comma and ‘for’ on the sign.

“So… made by spiders, made for spiders?” Cuphead looked at Mugman.

“Mmmhmmm!” Mugman nodded while staring unamused. “And…?” He raised an eyebrow, encouraging Cuphead to continue.

“And made of-!” Cuphead backed away, and made a wheezing gasp as his eyes shrank in shock.

“NOW YA GET IT?!” Mugman resumed his worried look.

“WE’VE BEEN EATING SPIDERS?!?!” They yelled at each other as they squished their noses together and stared into each other’s terrified eyes.

As they kept looking into each other’s intensely shivering eyes, they made synchronized 5-second long wheezing gasps.

“Well that explains the gooeyness!” Cuphead smiled at Mugman, who also smiled back.

“And the crunchiness!” Mugman pointed his index finger up as he made a point. “But this stuff?!” He grabbed the flagon from Cuphead’s hand and pointed at it while showing it to his brother.

They both glared at the flagon in cringe, and then spat their tongue out while looking away in disgust (as if they smelled horrible garbage).

Suddenly, close to Mugman, the sound of three croaks together with hopping approached.

“Whoa!” Cuphead and Mugman backed away in caution, and saw three Froggits looking at them.

“Oh! Okay.” Cuphead looked at Mugman. “Do your thing Mugs!”

“O-oh!” Mugman cleared his throat. “Hey buddies!” He waved and smiled really wide and a little forced. “Lookin’ happy and jumpy today!”

Cuphead snickered while looking and Mugman.

“What?” Confused, Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.

Cuphead made a cheeky grin. “’Hoppy’… and jumpy.” He spoke in a squeaky voice that sounded like he was laughing at his own joke.

Starting from a snicker, Mugman laughed his heart out together with Cuphead.

“You can make jokes but ya can’t fix yer comblahblahsion.” Placing his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow, Mugman smirked at Cuphead.

“Hey I’m the cool and funny one.” Smiling with confidence, closing his eyes, Cuphead pointed his thumb at himself. “Yer the smart and cute one remembah?” He winked and pointed at Mugman.

Mugman’s smirk relaxed into a flattered and grateful smile at Cuphead. The boys looked at the Froggits and caught them smiling at them.

The right Froggit croaked. “I have heard you two are quite merciful for a couple of humans.” He said.

Cuphead snickered and looked at Mugman with a very cheeky smile.

“Bro nohoho!” Mugman giggled and then smirked.

Cuphead giggled. “Say it.” He poked Mugman’s left cheek, which caused him to snicker as if he were tickled.

“Didja mean…” Mugman’s smile stretched wide. “’Cupple’…” He tapped on his own ceramic clinking head twice (meanwhile Cuphead’s smile grew really really big and tears came out of his eyes). “…of humans?”

They both hollered in laughter that it echoed along the halls.

“EYYYY!” Cuphead and Mugman pointed their fingers and winked at each other.

The Froggit stared and croaked unamused. “I did not intend that pun.” He croaked again.

The leftmost Froggit croaked raising his head up as if he were superior. “I warned you about it, but you never liste-“

The middle Froggit croaked and raised her head a little higher than the left. “Have you seen our fourth Froggit around here?”

The leftmost Froggit sighed in disappointment and then he glared annoyed at the middle Froggit.

Confused, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other non-verbally asking if they knew the answer.

“Uhh, we’ve met about a dozen other fellas along the way.” Cuphead smiled at the middle Froggit.

“Who’re ya lookin’ fer?” Mugman smiled as he crouched and leaned closer to the Froggits.

The leftmost Froggit croaked he splayed his left foot. “We’re lookin fer’-“

The middle Froggit croaked she splayed her left foot. “We’re lookin fer the one who usually hops and watches over the candy.”

The right Froggit croaked. “We heard from everyone that some TWO TON SCUMBAGS ATE ALL OF IT!!” In anger, he leaned in towards Mugman’s face (who was shocked and leaned away), but then three flies flew out of the Froggit in the process (which Mugman and the Froggit’s eyes followed).

The three Froggits had their eyes locked onto one fly each and then suddenly they spit their long tongues out and caught one each.

“Do you know who did it?!” The right Froggit demanded.

Cuphead and Mugman (who stood up quickly) looked at the Froggits offended (eyes widened and mouths open) and their eyes began to well up.

“Hey!” Cuphead’s teary eyes glared at the right Froggit as he and Mugman hugged each other, while the latter cuddled up and cried with his face buried on Cuphead’s right shoulder. “Those two ton scumbags have feelings too ya know!”

“Yeah!” With some tears whipped off his face as he turned, Mugman glared half-furious and devastated at the same Froggit. “Whoever those two ton scumbag dingdongs were!”

Cuphead’s eyes widened in surprise, and he elbowed Mugman’s right stomach with his left elbow while glaring at him.

“Ow!” Mugman looked at Cuphead and noticed his glare. “Sorry.” He whispered while he rubbed his right stomach with his left hand and looked back with his pure, innocent, and apologetic eyes.

“Well!” The left Froggit croaked he raised his right index finger. “If ya see-“

The right Froggit croaked and raised her right index finger. “If ya see those scumbags… tell ‘im we hate ‘im, but wish he enjoyed the candy.”

The left Froggit sighed and looked down defeated. “No one ever listens to me.”

Cuphead and Mugman frowned in pity at the left Froggit, looked at each other, smiled, let go of each other, and looked at the left Froggit.

“We’ll let em know.” Cuphead placed his hands on his hips.

“And I’m pretty sure they’re very sorry fer what they did.” Gently closed eyes, scratching the back of his head, Mugman made a big apologetic and sheepish smile at the same left Froggit.

“Yeah!” Cuphead closed his eyes and beamed. “Whoever those scumbag ding dong doofuses were.”

Mugman’s eyes widened in surprise, and he elbowed Cuphead’s left stomach with his right elbow while glaring at him.

“Ow!” He glared back at Mugman and rubbed his left stomach. “Hey you started it.” He loudly whispered.

The left Froggit squeaked in surprise. “You!” He started to tear up. “You actually answered me!”

The right Froggit croaked and smiled. “We’ll tell everyone you friendly humans are helping.”

The middle Froggit croaked and smiled. “And thanks for letting us know where our friend is.”

Cuphead and Mugman buddy hugged each other.

“No problem.” Cuphead smiled.

“Froggy buddy.” Mugman giggled.

The Froggits squeaked in surprise and blushed.

Mugman’s giggle turned into laughter as he and Cuphead buddy walked out of the room to the exit at the east, while the blushing Froggits just watched them go.

“Ya know…” Cuphead smugged. “Those two were probably

cool scumbag ding dong doofuses.”

Tilting his mouth higher, Mugman laughed louder. “The best coolest troublemaking scumbag doofuses buddy!” He looked at Cuphead with a big smile.

“AND ding dongs.” Cuphead said as he closed his eyes raised his index finger

“

AND ding dongs!” Mugman said emphasizing ‘and’ and imitating his closed eyes and index finger raise.

They both laughed as they walked on and on and on and laughed and on and on about… they forgot why, and looked at each other with raised eyebrows asking why they were, but they shrugged their shoulders while continuing to laugh and laugh and never letting it stop… until the ground they stepped on gave way and their laughing cut off into screaming.

The walls rang and bounced with the loud terrified screams of Cuphead and Mugman as they fell and fell, hugged tighter and tighter, and screamed louder and louder than they should be, until...

Grunting, Cuphead and Mugman landed sitting on something crunching but cushy. When they opened their eyes, they saw a bed of red leaves beneath them that stretched left to right wide.

“ADVENTAH!” Mugman said sprightly as he punched both fists to the air and made his purest, biggest, and cutest smile while looking at Cuphead.

Gasping, Eyes glimmering, Cuphead smiled full of pride while covering his cheeks. “Okay okay…” Closed eyes, He pushed his ‘calm down’ hands twice. “You stole that on purpose but… YOU MAKE ME SO PROUD MUGSY!” His eyes opened with starry pupils as he bubbly shook his fists in front of him.

Something slow-gasped in awe in front of Cuphead and behind Mugman, and in caution the latter two snapped a look towards that gasp.

A bipedal ball-shaped monster with one eye, two horns on the upper side of its ball (not head because it could not be distinguished), and a scary sharp-toothed smile that looked like it wanted to eat them.

“I MUST HAVE THAT!” He said with a slimy hissing low voice (like Smeagol).

It thrusted its body forward, unleashing a set of three energy rings from largest to smallest that floated out with alien blaster sounds, and the rings flew towards the boys in a curvy swerving manner.

The boys screamed in fright (their bodies shivered and their straws turned into exclamation points).

“Okay he’s creepy.” Cuphead said to Mugman.

“Yeah!” Mugman nodded as he gritted his teeth.

Running, they jumped over the energy rings that swerved from below upwards, then ducked under another set of energy rings from above downwards, and then ran under the one-eyed monster, accidentally tripping him in the process.

“OW!” The one-eyed monster fell forward with its eye wide open in shock and it hit the ground. “OOOOWWWW!! RUUUDE!” It glared with a teary red-bloodshot eye.

Hugging, Cuphead and Mugman kept running, but then tripped on something large, and they grunted as they landed their loud clanging ceramic heads on the floor. Groaning and rubbing their heads, they look behind them at the thing they tripped on, and there on the floor sprouted out a large orange carrot monster that had a squiggly toothless smile.

“HA! Kaarmaaaaa!” The carrot monster spoke with a girly voice (she sang ‘karmaaa’ in a high note as if she was calling ‘diinneeeerr!’).

Cuphead and Mugman glared at it a bit disturbed.

"Your smile doesn’t have teeth." Cuphead said.

"Ohoho! Plants don't have teeth dummy." The carrot monster said.

The carrot monster for a moment retracted back to the ground and then, from its head, shot out a volcano-like eruption of cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, and other vegetables.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, trembled with straw excalamation points, and squeezed their hug tighter.

"HEALTHY FOOD!" Mugman screamed as he pointed at the falling vegetables.

"RUUUNNN!!!!" Cuphead yelled to the ceiling.

Leaving behind a white dust cloud, Cuphead and Mugman scrammed.

"WAIT!" The Carrot monster yelled.

"TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT!" The one-eyed monster snarled and ran furiously after the boys.

They ran to the upper left corner where the doorway was while swerving left and right, and jumping and ducking while trying to dodge the falling vegetables and the swerving energy rings. They went through the doorway and once in, climbed the set of stairs going up, and then dropped down into a hole which led out of an elevated opening on the wall of the main floor and landed on their feet. Together with holding hands they ran forward, but Mugman stopped, anchored Cuphead’s hand to a stop in the process, and read the sign on their left.

"There is only one switch." Mugman read aloud.

"Hey!" Cuphead glared at Mugman, who looked back in surprise, for not letting him read.

"Don't ‘hey’ me, we're in a rush!" Mugman splayed his free hand in the air as he glared back at Cuphead.

Something popped from the ground behind them, and the cautious boys looked to see what it was

"You have not eaten your greens!" The carrot monster called to them.

Then, the one eyed ball monster popped out of the elevated opening on the wall. "TELL ME!!" It ran after them with its creepy sharp-toothed smile.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, hugged each other tighter, and then ran away.

"I like the Froggits!” Cuphead whimpered as he smiled nervously while watching where he was running. ‘They make sweller pals!"

"Me too!” Mugman whimpered and then looked around. “I don't see it anywhere!"

"See what?!" Cuphead raised an eyebrow at Mugman.

"The switch dum dum!" Irritated, Mugman yelled at Cuphead.

"Hey don't call me dum dum” Cuphead poked the middle of Mugman’s nose. “Dum dum!" He poked it again. "And the switch for what?!" He splayed that same hand in the air.

"For that dum dum!" Mugman pointed to their right.

On their far right corner was another steel sharp arrowheaded fence-gate that protruded from the ground.

"You called that gate a dum dum?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow.

"No! I mean-!" Mugman raised an eyebrow in confusion, and then giggled. "Stop that dum dum!" He booped Cuphead’s tiny nose.

"N-ho way dum dum!" Cuphead smiled back and booped Mugman’s nose.

They stopped on the wall and turned around. The one eyed bipedal ball monster was running towards them, and the carrot monster was digging their path towards them.

"Uhh So what's the plan dum dum?" While looking around, Cuphead booped Mugman’s nose again.

Mugman glanced left and right quickly. "See those cracks on the floors dum dum?" He booped Cuphead’s nose again.

Cuphead glanced left and right and saw the cracks. "Yeah dum dum." He booped Mugman’s nose.

"One of 'em must have the switch dum dum!"  Mugman said as he booped Cuphead’s nose again.

Monsters were making their own noises as they closed in.

"Last one to find it is the real dum dum!" Cuphead booped his nose.

"You're on dum dum!" Mugman booped Cuphead’s nose.

“Boop!” They both booped their noses and immediately dashed away in opposite directions (Cuphead left, Mugman right) while leaving behind a large dustcloud.

With a big excited smile, Cuphead dove headfirst and with hands together pointing to the ground like it was a pool and he crashed through the ground screaming "YAAAHOOO!"

Meanwhile, with a nervous smile, Mugman stopped running right before the cracked land and stepped his tiptoe on it, and it immediately gave way making Mugman fall spinning clockwise screaming in terror until he hit the pile of leaves below. After a few seconds of laying, he pushed himself off the bed, shook his body off of the leaves (which also rustled as he did), and looked around the tight-spaced room.

Mugman grunted. “Dagnabit. No switcheroo in sight.”

“No.” A woman’s voice said beside him.

Mugman shivered and snapped a look to his right.

“But I see someone who needs a healthy diet.” The orange carrot monster with a crooked smile said on the leaf pile.

Mugman screamed, his uvula trembled, his tongue was crooked, and his eyes popped out looking at the menacingly laughing carrot monster. He jumped up into the air, His feet bicycle-pedaled three times on the air and then he dashed away to the exit on the right.

“WAIT!” The carrot monster yelled.

Mugman screamed in terror as he ran up the stairs, but as he kept running Cuphead’s screaming could be heard starting from soft quickly going loud, and before he knew it they slammed face front into each other (with loud ceramic clanging) and they stayed like that midair.

“Wnnnnh hufff tuh stup rmmmnnmmm tuh ich otha lnnnk zis.” Cuphead groaned with his side mouth.

“Whnnnnt?” Mugman’s muffled sidemouth voice.

Cuphead groaned. “Mmm ssmmmd, wnnnh huff tuh stup rmmnnmm” Mugman gently moved off of Cuphead’s face. “to each other like this.”

Mugman tilted his head to the right looking behind Cuphead and his eyes bulged in shock at what he saw.

“STARRY EYES STARRY EYES STARRY EYES!” Three one-eyed ball monsters were running towards them.

Cuphead tilted his head to the right looking behind Mugman and his eyes too bulged in shock.

“EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!” A mob of carrot monsters came digging quickly towards them.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, squeezed their hugs on each other, bicycle-pedaled on the air three times and then dashed away to the hall heading downwards leaving a white dust cloud behind. Then, the mobs of carrot monsters from the left and the one-eyed monsters on the right merged to the hall down and chased after the boys.

Screaming and hugging, Cuphead and Mugman popped out once more from the elevated window on the wall, landed on the main floor, and then ran away from that window that was soon flooding with the a mob of monsters coming out.

“Can we buddy search instead?” Hugging Mugman looked at Cuphead. “I don’t wanna split.”

“Then who’s the real dum dum?” Hugging Cuphead asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Can’t we both be?!” Mugman tugged his hug down a little as he pleaded.

While continuing to run, Cuphead and Mugman stared into space in thought about what Mugman just said.

“That’s… actually a swell idea.” Cuphead smiled at Mugman.

“I AM the smart one!” Mugman beamed and punched his right fist to the air.

“Yes you are pal!” Cuphead made a matching beaming smile.

They turned left to the pit towards the middle of the upper row and cannonballed together crashing through the floor and screaming with joyous thrill; Cuphead squeezed his eyes shut while Mugman was eyes-open looking up crying and both of them were squeeze-hugging each other as they fell and fell and fell… ‘til they landed on a bed of loudly crunching red leaves. They got up and like wild-dogs shook their bodies off of leaves.

They looked forward, and gasped with gaping smiles as they saw a golden switch on the wall. They bubbly giggled as they ran towards it and pulled it down together, which then caused a loud click and then a loud sound swords sheathing from above.

“STARRY EYES STARRY EYES!” The one-eyed monsters muttered as they fell from the ceiling.

Carrot monsters popped up from the ground. “EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!”

The carrot monsters that popped out made Cuphead and Mugman scream in fright and then run away bubbly laughing to the doorway next to the switch behind them.

Like before, Cuphead and Mugman popped out of the elevated window, landed on the main floor, and ran away laughing side by side towards the gate on the lower right which was now open.

In the next room, there was a bipedal standing cockroach-like monster with only two arms with crab claws and two flat feet shaped like clown shoes.

“Woah!” Cuphead and Mugman stomped their heels to a screeching stop right before the cockroach monster.

The cockroach monster was doing the arm wave dance move. “Oh! Hiya!” It waved its claw hand while bending his knees.

Cuphead and Mugman smiled. “Hi!” They waved.

But then, a large rumbling could be heard from behind them.

“STARRY EYES! STARRY EYE-VEGETABLES! VEGETABLE- STARRY EYES!” The mob of carrot monsters and one-eyed ball monsters were running towards them.

Cuphead and Mugman yelled in fright and then ran away.

The cockroach monster was just dancing happily singing “La la la la la la la la-“ When suddenly the mob approached him. “RREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” It shrieked like a rat as its body trembled.

Holding hands, they kept running and running down to the next room away from the mob of monsters that were chasing after them.

“AAAAAAAGGH AAAaAAGH!” Cuphead and Mugman screamed.

“ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” Cuphead punched their holding hands to the air.

Mugman looked at his brother in surprise curiosity, then open-mouth smiled and then held up their holding hands while yelling “ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Cuphead and Mugman ran and ran as they continued to yell their battle cries to the ceiling, until they encountered a couple of blubbing slimes in their path, and their battle cries turned into screams as they approached. The slimes launched the same sludge balls above that exploded into eight smaller sludges fireworks.

Cuphead and Mugman, still hand in hand, front flipped together over the slimes and under the tiny falling slime balls before they reached them.

They landed on their feet, and then turned right going deeper into the room, but gasped as they saw another metal-speared gate blocking the next room. Mugman looked around frantically, and smiled as he saw to his right a stone placard on the wall.

“This way!” Mugman ran as he pulled Cuphead’s hand who stumbled a bit but then started to run alongside him.

They stopped before it and tried to read.

“If you can read this, press the blue switch.” They read aloud together.

They looked around to find it.

“I don’t see it.” Cuphead said.

“It must be in the other…” Mugman stared in utter horror at the space in front of him. “…room…”

Cuphead and Mugman facepalmed themselves.

Then, the mob of monsters came in rumbling footsteps to the room they were in and then surround them.

“Uhh… any ideas?” Mugman smiled sheepishly to Cuphead.

“I thought you were the smart one.” Cuphead raised an eyebrow.

“I’m out.” Mugman spread his hands as his smile turned into a cringe.

Cuphead whimpered and then looked around the monsters that were quickly closing in on them, and then saw something apple green behind the mob of monsters.

“What’s that?” Cuphead pointed at the green thing as he firmly buddy hugged Mugman that it caused him to stumble.

“Wanna go?” Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.

Cuphead smirked. “You trust me?”

Mugman nervous chuckled. “Yeah. That’s why we get in trouble.”

Cuphead sikered. “Hold tight!”

“WOAH!” Mugman yelled as his hand was pulled and he stumbled onto Cuphead’s back into a piggyback ride.

“ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAA-“ Cuphead kept yelling and yelling (with Mugman screaming in terror) as he ran towards the mob of monsters.

“VEGETABLES! STARRY EYES!” Yelled the carrot monsters and one-eyed monsters as they respectively shot vegetables from their heads like volcanoes, and then energy rings from their eyes.

“OBEY!” The cockroach monster lifted its claws and its wings, from under its back shell like a beetle, spread its transparent wings and it fluttered as dozens of buzzing cockroaches spawned from its back and flew towards the boys.

All while he and his brother screamed in fright, Cuphead swerved left as he dodged the energy rings that blasted and charred the floor, then swerved right as he dodged a volley of vegetables splattering around, then jumped over a sea of cockroaches while he and piggybacked Mugman ducked another sea of cockroaches above them and sandwiched them into this narrow space, all while more energy rings and vegetable volcano debris fired to them .

“Mugs?!” Cuphead hissed out in concern.

“I’m holding, I’m holding!” Closed-eyes Mugman tightened his clutch onto Cuphead.

As he ran, Cuphead looked ahead and saw a rain of vegetables in the sky. Terrified, he ran forward and several times he would stop before a vegetable would drop in front of him.

Mugman looked behind him and gasped with his eyes bugging out of him. “JUMP!”

Immediately Cuphead jumped and then Mugman’s straw turned into a gloved-hand and swatted the vegetable above him, but then they landed on a sea of flying cockroaches that carried them all the way to the switch.

Cuphead and Mugman scrambled around and panic-swatted away the cockroaches crawling on their bodies saying ‘getthemoffgetthemoffgethemoff!!!’ When the cockroaches came off there were various bite marks on their ripped up clothes and they were panting and whimpering. They got up and saw a small 1-ft apple green headless statue with a switch on its neck-plate.

“Is this it?” Mugman asked innocently.

Cuphead glared irritated at Mugman. “I thought ya said you were out of-“

“Just flick the switch!” Mugman angrily snapped at Cuphead.

Annoyed, Cuphead put his fingers on the sundial-shaped disc switch and twisted it. The floor suddenly and quickly slid open a trapdoor revealing a hole beneath both of them, and they both stared down horrifically at the hole, stood there as if an invisible floor was still there, and then they wrapped their arms around each other in a very very squeezed-tight hug (to the point that they even wrapped their legs around each other’s backs) as they continued to stare horrifically at it and stand on the space.

“Bro?” Mugman asked with a squeaky terrified voice.

“Yeah?!” Cuphead’s voice squeaked.

“What’s with this place wanting us to keep falling down?” Mugman looked at Cuphead horrifically.

Cuphead nervous chuckled. “I-I dunno, we just can’t seem tuh keep up with it.”

Both their eyes widened in surprise at the pun Cuphead made, and then Mugman giggled while Cuphead smiled proudly.

Mugman looked at Cuphead. “Nii-!” Then they suddenly fell down the hole “IIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH-“

They screamed as they fell and fell until their bums landed on a slide going down down, and they were approaching the floor with red leaves below until…

“WE’VE GOT FRESH SPINACH!” A bunch of carrot monsters popped up by the mouth of the exit to greet them with their crooked smiles.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright, they tightened their hug even more (to the point they were squeezing each other’s bodies to a pulp), and then they stopped themselves from sliding (despite it being literally impossible). They turned around, ran in place for about two seconds (with some running cartoon sound effects) and then dashed up the slide. They kept screaming and screaming, and running and running up the very very steep slide defying the force of gravity behind them. They kept panic-running and running until…

“HEED THE OVERMIND!” The angry and grumpy looking cockroach monster popped out from the mouth of the exit ahead of them.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright.

“I’M NOT GONNA PICK ON YOU!” The one-eyed monster popped out from the left side of the exit mouth ahead.

The one-eyed monster fired from its eye three energy rings, and from beneath the wings of the cockroach monster dozens of cockroaches were dropping like dead insects towards them. The boys screamed in fright and stopped running, letting themselves fall down the hole back to the slide below.

Ahead they saw the vegetable monsters again.

Cuphead mumbled. “Ouchie time.”

Mugman squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hug (As if it wasn’t already suffocating enough). “It was nice knowin’ ya buddy.”

Cuphead squeezed his eyes shut because of the suffocation and in anticipation of what’s to come.

They slid out of the slide, feeling a sudden loss of flooring beneath them, but then their bums landed in a bed of spikey things. Cuphead and Mugman sprung up in the air screaming with tears of pain, shaking their legs and covering their own bums.

“Pineapples can cure you, you know!” The carrot monsters said as the boys kept screaming in pain with pineapples stuck to their bums.

Cuphead and Mugman hit the ground running, crying and whimpering away from the vegetable monsters with pineapples stuck to their bums. While they were running up the stairs, for about four times they yanked out bunches of pineapples making them yell in a big “OW!” on each yank, and then they hugged each other for comfort once they were done.

They popped out of another elevated opening on the wall and then looked around, noticing (describe the first room they were in of this puzzle); they were back in the first room.

Mugman gasped and then rotated his brother’s head by his handle to the upper right of them. “Look!”

Next to the pillar was a light blue neckless bust which was up-to-their-stomachs tall. They ran towards it and saw a red ‘sun disc-like’ switch.

“Wait a minute…” Mugman looked at it suspiciously. “That’s not a blue switch. That’s a blue statue with a red switch.”

Cuphead groaned. “Who cares let’s switch it!”

Cuphead turned the switch clockwise while Mugman glared in horror at Cuphead’s once again impulsive act. The floor beneath them slid open, and again (uninfluenced by gravity) they stared at it horrifically, then hugged each other very tightly, and only after that they fell down the hole again.

“NOT THE STINGY PINEAPPLES AGAIN!” Mugman yelled in horror.

As they landed on the slide again and they were closing in on the exit, Cuphead stared at it as if he were staring down his fear.

“JUMP!” Cuphead yelled.

As they exited the slide and without hesitation, Mugman and Cuphead buckled their legs and then kicked both feet up, making them leap in an arch above the bed of pineapples which were layered over the bed of red leaves; meanwhile the carrot monsters that were waiting there watched them fly over with their monotonous crooked smiles which could not be distinguished if they were watching in awe or in shock.

They landed on the cement floor with Cuphead firmly on the ground while Mugman wobbling and tilting towards the bed of pineapples. Cuphead pulled Mugman towards him, and Mugman’s landed on Cuphead’s shoulder with a clink on their heads.

They looked at each other with confident ‘I saw what you did there’ smiles. “Nice clink bro. Jinx!” They pointed their fingers to each other.

“Hey!” The carrot monsters yelled from behind the boys.

They turned around and screamed as they saw a volley of fruits and vegetables about to rain down on them. They then dashed up the stairs away from the vegetables.

“WE DON’T WANT YOUR VEGETABLES!” Mugman yelled back as they ran.

“YEAH! THEY’RE FULL OF VITAMIN DUHHH!” Cuphead yelled back.

Mugman’s mouth squiggly smiled and then he unleashed a bubbly cackle fit, which Cuphead proudly smiled with starry eyes at Mugman.

Mugman looked at Cuphead with his precious jolly smile. “I gotta remember that!”

“I AM the funny one!” Cuphead said excitedly and proudly.

“Y-hes you are buddy!” Mugman said while giving a hug, which Cuphead reacted with starry eyes looking back.

“THERE IT IS!!” Said a creepy eye peeping from the exit ahead.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed as they saw a creepy eye.

The eye shot three energy rings from smallest to biggest going towards them. Cuphead and Mugman took them full blast and ended up groaning with dizzy spinning eyes as they kept running until Cuphead tripped and they both fell forward hands reaching towards the monster’s eye.

“AIEEEEE!!!” The eye-monster yelled in pain as he fell.

All three of them collapsed onto the ground floor with a thud, with Cuphead and Mugman still hugging each other and with eyes spinning, while the one-eyed monster with creepy smile was covering its tearful eye with his two hands. The ground below them shook, and under their stomachs a bunch of carrot monsters popped out sending Cuphead and Mugman flying.

���It is waay past lunch time!” The carrot monsters said together.

Frightened and whimpering, Cuphead and Mugman landed on their feet and started running towards the next room until

“I AM THE SWARM!!” The cockroach monster yelled while dozens of cockroaches swarm out of his wings and blocks the exit.

A couple of slimes also manage to intercept their way.

Cuphead and Mugman gasped as they were blocked. Mugman turned around and he and Cuphead were back to back sandwiched between the two groups of monsters (one-eyed monsters and carrot monsters on the left from the first room, and slimes and a migosp on the right from the second room). The monsters fired their attacks at the boys.

“SPIN PARRY!” Mugman yelled to the ceiling in a panic.

Mugman ran in a counterclockwise while Cuphead ran in clockwise so they splat their faces onto each other. They looked up, and screamed as the attacks were coming close, and then hugged each other really tight and squeezed their eyes shut anticipating the end. Sounds of vegetables splattering, lasers firing, bugs buzzing, and slimes splotching could be heard around them, but they felt nothing. They opened their eyes and looked around them to see lots of debris of attacks littered around them, except for the one circular spot they were hugging on.

They both gasped and then looked at each other with starry eyes. “WE’RE ALIVE!”

“HEEY!” The one-eyed monster yelled from the side of the first room. ”HOW!” He jump-stomped the ground. “DO!” He jump-stomped the ground again. “YOUI!” And again. “DO!” And again. “THAT!” And again.

“You’re probably not eating your carrots Loox!” The carrot monsters said looking at him. “It’s good for your eye!”

The cockroach monster screamed and grunted as he punched his claws downwards. “I DON’T CAAAARE!” He began stomping his right foot repeatedly.

Frightened, Cuphead and Mugman recoiled away from the cockroach monster and then turned their attention to the one-eyed monster.

“I’m sorry, do what?” Mugman turned to the one-eyed monster and raised an eyebrow.

“THE STARRY EYES!” The one-eyed monster Loox yelled as his smile looked more forceful, his fists punched backwards and he leaned towards the boys. “The red one could do it!” He pointed his flat open 90 degree rotated hands (poised as if trying to regain composure and prove his point) towards Cuphead. “You could do it!” He pointed those same hands to Mugman. “WHY CAN’T I DO IT?!?!” He pointed both his index fingers towards his one eye.

The one-eyed monster squatted, placed his fists forward, and at the same time started to twitch his eye to make something happen, but instead he shot three energy rings again.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed and backed off. The energy rings hit the floor in front of them.

“Hey!” Cuphead glared at the one-eyed monster. “You can’t just shoot laser eyes and ask us how to do… do what?” He looked at Mugman with a raised eyebrow.

“The starry eyes.” Mugman said casually as he pointed his right index finger to both his eyes.

“Ohh!” Cuphead’s eyes widened, but then he squatted a bit and started to twitch his eyes. “Am I doing it?”

“Okay stop, you’re freaking me out.” Eyes cringing, Mugman held Cuphead’s shoulders, making him stop and relax. “Ahahand…” He gently smiled as he chuckled. “You do it only when ya blow yer milk about somethin’.”

(blow your wig: 1930s slang for ‘get excited’)

“Really?” Cuphead smiled. “Like how?”

“RRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” The cockroach monster screeched as it pulled its antennae down with its claws and stomped both its feet repeatedly. “I DON’T CARE I DON’T CARE I DON’T CAAAAARE!!” With a thrust of its arms forward and a spread of his back wings, he launched a swarm of cockroaches towards them.

“Hey! They don’t need roaches! They need oranges!” The carrot monsters erupted oranges from the top of their heads.

“THOSE!” Loox jump-stomped the ground. “AREN’T!” He jump-stomped again. “STAAARS!” And again as he fired three sets of swerving laser projectiles from his eye.

The slimes launched sludge balls from the top of their heads which then exploded like fireworks in the air.

Cuphead offered his arm to Mugman. “Wanna try again?” He smirked.

“YEAH!” Mugman eyes widened and he beamed.

Like before, they faced each other, chained their arms together, stuck the tips of their shoes together, ran in clockwise, spun really fast and held their free arms, free legs, and their straw hands out as they parried all the incoming projectiles. As the projectiles stopped firing, they slowed their spin and then walked slowly to a stop with some dizzy-eyed wobbling.

“THAT WAS SOO COOL!” Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other with starry eyes.

“THERE!” The one-eyed monster pointed both fingers at the boys. “HOLD STILL!” The one-eyed monster began squatting, twitching his eye and grunting loudly while trying to make something happen. Instead, he farted.

Everyone, Cuphead, Mugman, and the monsters, just looked at Loox in awkward silence.

Loox grunted in frustration and then jump-stomped again. “HOW DO YOU DO IT?!”

“Well, what blows your wig pal?” Cuphead splayed his right hand.

‘We don’t have wigs dummy!” The carrot monsters said, and launched more vegetables and fruits.

Cuphead and Mugman zipped around dodging them.

“He meant woah-!” Mugman jumped back as a tomato splotched in front of him and splashed on his clothes a little. “He meant what gets ya excited, dummy!” He placed his fists on his hips as he glared irritated at the carrot monster.

“OOOOooooooooo!” Cuphead looked at Mugman with starry eyes and a big smile. “Got ‘im Mugs!”

They high-fived each other and laughed.

“I JUST WANT TO SEE THE STARS!!! IF YOU CAN DO IT...” He pointed at Cuphead. “THEN I CAN DO IT TOO!!!” Loox looked fiercely with a very forceful smile at them as he pointed his thumbs at himself. “AND I!” He jump-stomped.  “CAN!” And again. “SEE!” And again. “THE STARS!” Again. “ANY TIME!” Again. “I WANT!” And again.

The attacks kept coming and Cuphead and Mugman just kept running around.

“Ohh! Hmmm Cuphead?” Mugman turned to his brother. “Can we make stars?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Apparently with our eyes!” Cuphead smiled as he pointed to his eyes. “Only Hilda could do it at will though.”

From above their heads, they each parried a pineapple away from them.

“Well, what else do ya like Mr. Eye? I mean, Mr. Loox was it?” Mugman asked in confusion.

“Well, I like it when other people DON’T PICK ON ME! ESPECIALLY ON MY EYE!” Loox yelled towards the carrot monsters who just laughed.

Cuphead and Mugman just looked at Loox in confusion and then looked at each other.

“But…” Mugman (along with Cuphead) looked back at Loox.  “We’re not picking on ya.”

“But we’d pick ya to be our new pal!” Cuphead beamed as he splayed his warm-hearted open hands.

Mugman curly-mouth smiled at Cuphead. “AWWW!” He giggled.

“Hey I can still noogie you.” Cuphead smirked at his brother.

Loox gasped. “You didn’t pick on me, AND you made a pun!” His pupil turned into a star. “THANK YOU! WOAH!” His eye fired star-shaped swerving laser projectiles.

The boys just watched it twirl around the air with stars in their eyes. It twirled and whirled in spiral and wavy directions before exploding into a noiseless rainbow star-shaped firework.

“WWwwoooooooowwwww!” The boys and even the monsters (even the grumpy roach monster) looked at the firework in awe and with their own star-shaped pupils.

“I did it…” Loox said, baffled. “I DID IT!” He punched his fists to the sky as he smiled bigger, now happier (his cheeks pushing up his eyelid) instead of forced. Loox began laughing and kicking his heels midair together as he ran away hopping with gold coins flying out of him. “I CAN FINALLY SEE THE STARS!!”

Cuphead and Mugman buddy hugged each other and smiled as they watched Loox go.

“Yeah…” The carrot-monster said. “BUT I DON’T SEE YOU EATING YOUR GREENS!” Again, they erupted a volley of vegetables going towards them, but this time, instead of the vegetables raining down on them, the fruits and vegetables instead twirled in the air and then swirled around the boys who screamed and hugged each other in fright at first, but then the whirlwind of vegetables started to lift them up gently.

“Woaaaah!” Cuphead and Mugman said in awe as they looked at the vegetables swirling around them.

“EAT!... EAT!... EAT, YOUR, GREENS!... EAT!... EAT!... EAT YOUR GREENS!” The vegetable monsters chanted and danced their heads left and right like they were in a ritual.

“NO WAY!” Cuphead yelled back as he folded his arms.

Mugman on the other hand had his mouth squiggled in the heebie-jeebies as he looked around the healthy food that were threatening to attack them.

From the whirlwind storm surrounding the boys, some of the fruits and vegetables launched towards the boys hovering at the eye. The boys screamed (their straws turned into exclamation points) and they dodged upwards, lower left, left, lower right, and even had to pop their heads off just to dodge one bullet seed before they pulled them back secured to their necks.

Mugman looked behind them and saw a spinach flying towards him. With a reluctant squiggly frown, he opened his mouth, let the spinach shoot to his mouth, and then began chewing.

Cuphead gasped and looked at Mugman. “Mugs!”

Mugman squeezed his eyes shut and just kept chewing and chewing, and then eventually swallowed making a one big gulp down his throat. Then, he licked around his lips with his big slurping tongue, and then drummed his stomach with his hands.

The carrot monsters gasped. “He ate his greens…” One of them said.

“Mmmm! That wasn’t bad at all!” Mugman smiled at Cuphead.

Cuphead looked horrifically at Mugman. “What?!”

Mugman was surprised by Cuphead’s reaction. “Oh! Sorry.” He scratched the back of his head. “I guess I really was hungry. It was like… a hamburger, without the…. The hotdog sandwich thingy.”

Cuphead snickered.  “You mean the buns and the patty?”

“Yeah!” Mugman said with his cute smile.

“You want more?” The motherly carrot monsters approached Mugman and then chucked a carrot onto his mouth. “There’s plenty more where that came from!”

The carrot monsters kept stuffing Mugman with different other vegetables, even if he was already a mouthful, and he just kept chewing as much as he could while started to cry.

“HEY!” Cuphead yelled angrily.

The carrot monsters stopped talking and looked at Cuphead who was running towards the carrot monsters while yelling a battle cry, jumped on one of the giant carrot monster’s heads, and then bit it.

The carrot monsters gasped, while the one bitten just watched Cuphead horrifically.

Cuphead began to chew, but then shivered in disgust and spit out what he ate. “YUCK!”

“YNNNNFNNNFNNNFNN!!!” Mugman tried to talk, but the vegetables stuffed onto his mouth plugged up his mouth and what came out, along the borders of his mouth, was his spit with bits of vegetables instead.

Cuphead glared confused at Mugman. “I dunno what he said but…” He glared with a menacing smile at the carrot monsters. “I think you’d be better stewed up!”

The carrot monsters screamed in fear. “WE ARE NOT VEGETABLES!! WE ARE VEGETOIDS!”

Panicking, the Vegetoids quickly burrowed underground, leaving Cuphead to twirl in the air a bit before landing on the floor sitting confused at what happened. Mugman ran over to Cuphead held his hands and pulled him up.

“FNNUHFNHFNNNNNFNH!” Mugman talked while holding Cuphead’s hands.

Cuphead giggled. “Hold still Mugs.”

Cuphead rotated Mugs’ head 180 degrees back, and then patted on his handle really hard causing latter to spit out the food that was stuck on his mouth and he coughed as he did.

Smiling Mugman rotated his head back to normal facing Cuphead. “I said-!” He coughed. “I said you have to peel the carrots before you eat them.”

“Ohhhh!” Cuphead’s smile widened. “THNNNNKKKYFFFFFFFUFFF!” He said as he closed his mouth and spoke with lots of spit.

“HEEEY!” Mugman playfully pushed Cuphead and they both started a giggle fit.

“NGGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” The cockroach monster yelled from behind them.

Cuphead and Mugman looked in the direction behind the latter and saw the cockroach monster was screeching and pulling its antennae off, literally, but a new set of antennae grew back after.

“Y’know, this guy was in a swell mood when we first saw ‘im.” Cuphead said as he looked at the cockroach monster.

Cuphead and Mugman looked next to the cockroach monster on the right and there were a couple of slime monsters just blobbing by idly.

“Well… maybe it’s because… he was having some alone time?” Mugman smiled at Cuphead.

Cuphead smiled. “And dancin’!” He lightly pounded the air in front of him.

“Let’s say we do that ducky shincracker swing ding Mr. Cockroach taught us!” Mugman swung his dancing fists in front of his chest left and right.

(Ducky shincracker = Good dancer)

“And do that blob jive to get rid of these guys?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and also swung his dancing fists right and left to mirror Mugman’s pose.

Mugman giggled. “Ya know it!” He winked.

The cockroach monster beared its claws against the boys. “YOU WILL ALL-!” It gasped.

While smiling jolly at the monsters and chaining their buddy arms together, Cuphead and Mugman were were bending their knees over and over, bobbing up and down in a fast pace like jolly jelly. In response, the slimes were bobbing faster and matching the boys’ speed. Cuphead and Mugman stopped, held their closest hands together, and they did a synchronized fluid and rubber band like arm wave starting from Cuphead to Mugman and vice versa. The slimes protruded out their arms, and they held each other’s closest ‘hands’ and also did an arm wave of their own.

The cockroach monster started to smile and then giggle. He then started to do his dance of bending his knees and then do his own arm wave.

The slimes then slowly danced and squiggled away from the area, leaving behind a couple of piles of coins.

“La la la la la la la la la!” The cockroach monster waved his arms left and right quickly as he danced. “Let’s do the armwave!”

Cuphead and Mugman giggled. “Sure!”

The cockroach monster offered his claw hand to Mugman, who along with Cuphead frowned.

“You can hold the top side of it!” The cockroach monster smiled as it looked down at Mugman

Mugman smiled, then looked at Cuphead who smiled and nodded, then looked back at the cockroach monster “Oh-okay!”

They did the arm wave starting from the cockroach monster, then to Mugman, then to Cuphead, and all the way back.

Cuphead giggled. “That was fun!” He looked at the cockroach monster.

They all looked around and saw lots and lots of coins littered around the place.

“Oh no no this won’t do!” The cockroach monster shook his head. “Here, let me get those for you!”

With a stretch of his claws forward, and a spread of his back wings, dozens of buzzing cockroaches flew around in swarms. The swarms blanketed the place seemingly just skittering around aimlessly, but then gold coins started to sparkle and move around to the top of the blanket of cockroaches

“Woah!” Cuphead and Mugman said.

“It’s a little gross but cool.” With his hand curved on the right of his mouth, Cuphead whispered to smiling Mugman who nodded in agreement.

“I wish they were butterflies though.” Mugman shrugged his shoulders as he smiled sheepishly.

“What?!” The cockroach monster glared irritated at Mugman.

Cuphead and Mugman nervously backed off a bit from the cockroach monster.

“I mean-! Uhhh…” Mugman began nervously touching his index fingers together.

Cuphead nervously chuckled. “He meant, cockroaches are cool!”

“Oh really?” The cockroach monster smiled flattered and then giggled. “Aww thank you, you shouldn’t have!” It waved its claw up-down as it was flattered.

Mugman nervously giggled. “Yeah! They are! M-mr…” He began touching his index fingers repeatedly.

“Migosp!” The cockroach monster did another armwave as he smiled at Mugman. He spread his arms and elytra wide.

(Elytra – leathery ‘wing cases’ of beetles, cockroaches, and other species used to protect their flying wings.)

The cockroaches from all over the floor flew back to Migosp, delivered the coins to his claws, and then flew back to his wings and he folded them back into his elytra.

“Here you go!” Migosp handed the coins to Cuphead and Mugman.

Happily, Cuphead and Mugman split the gold evenly to themselves.

“Thank you Mr. Migosp!” Mugman smiled at the cockroach monster.

“Oooo!” Migosp said as if he were making a bass drop. Then, he started beatboxing and making bending hip-hop like moves while sliding away from the scene.

Cuphead and Mugman just smiled and did tiny dances following the beatboxing rhythm of Migosp until he disappeared behind one of the pillars.

Cuphead smirked at Mugman. “I thought you’re supposed to be the smart one.”

Mugman looked back confused. “Whaddya mean?”

Cuphead snickered. “Hotdog sandwich thingy?” He rested his hands on his hips as he raised an eyebrow

“Oh!” Mugman chuckled. “I guess I don’t think much when my tank’s empty.” He patted his stomach. “I just chow down.”

Cuphead giggled, put the coins in his pocket, and buddy hugged his brother. “I can respect your dum dumness.”

Mugman raised an eyebrow, smiling with intrigue. “Why?”

“Hmmm…” Cuphead tapped his chin (or base rather). “I dunno. Why do ya stick with me when we get in trouble?”

Mugman giggled. “Fair.” He shrugged his shoulders

They walked forward a bit, and then looked to their right. Hiding behind the pillar was a blue neckless bust with a blue switch on it.

“Is that-“

“Yes.” Mugman smiled, relaxed. “Yes it is.”

Cuphead smirked. “Reminds me of that time when Toriel hid behind the Toriel.”

Mugman’s eyes widened and he looked at Cuphead with a gaped-open mouth.

“Wait, I mean-!” Cuphead started to bubbly laugh.

Mugman started to bubbly laugh and cover his face.

Cuphead held his hands up and looked at the ceiling. “HEY LOOK! I DIDN’T WRITE THE LINE OKAY SOMEONE’S MAKING ME SAY IT!”

Cuphead and Mugman just laughed together as they flicked the switch, which caused a loud unsheathing sound to happen.

They walked forward and saw that the gate was open, and they crossed it while merrily buddy walking, laughing, beatboxing and doing tiny freestyle dances of their own.

-End of Chapter 6-

Author’s Note:

After 4 Months We finally get another chapter!! I took long with this one because the struggle came from the question of how Cuphead and Mugman would solve the puzzles, deal with the enemies, and at the same time infuse the Run n Gun mode here. 

Unfortunately this will be the last time that I will incorporate this Run n Gun idea; it will take too much time to progress towards the major events of the story, and it might dull out the momentum. However, this idea will be incorporated into a ‘tell’ instead of ‘show’ techniques instead.   

Chapter 7 isn’t far behind fortunately. I tend to write down the major scenes hidden in a notebook a write. 

Yep! Ask them any question at the comments below and they can answer you!

See you next time!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Title: Cuptale (CupheadxUndertale) Ch2: Tu-Toriel

Read the fanfic Now!

Ch2: (insert link here)

Doing an Amino campaign while editing the latest chapter. The campaign is basically posting the entire fanfic on Amino but I'm posting every chapter on a weekly basis. Chapter 2 will be released on Amino by Wednesday 22:00 PH Time. Did you know this fanfic got featured, got 48 likes, and about 6-10 comments? It's doing really well on Amino, I'm so happy!

Chapter 6 is done, but needs editing and polishing for it to be readable.

For now, please enjoy this wonderful representation of Chapter 2.

'Til next time!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Title: Cuptale Chapter 1 (Cups Fallen Down)

Cover art

Read the fanfic here:

Cuptale Updates:

Good News: Draft 100% Complete!

Average News: 2nd Draft Editing at 10%. But this is usually the fun part that makes me feel alive about writing.

I'll be dividing the chapter into multiple parts since the draft reached up to 10,000 words, I got lost in the zone that I got that far. Hope this gives you a little more to be excited about.

And one more thing:

Yep, same day as the release of the Delicious Last Course, it's my birthday. I've had Crash Bandicoot come out that day years ago, and now it's the Cuphead DLC.

This is just a cutout from the sketch I'm prepping, so there's a surprise coming.

That's all for today! See you on Thursday, 10Pm!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

My blog posting schedule will be in soft deadlines of Tuesday and/or Thursday at least 1 a week just to get the ball rolling. If not Cuptale, I'll be posting regarding my sketches and other Cuphead content you may find interesting. So if I miss a post day, I'll most likely post on Thursday. If we're lucky I'll post on both days :D

Did you know I literally use a quill?

I've been using it to write my drafts. It does give that Hogwarts student feel and scholar or philosopher or great writer. It helps squeeze out some creative juices better than typing on the laptop.

Okay the last 2 pages I chickened out and used a regular ballpen instead lol, it was annoying to use at the time and I needed to write a lot.

It's also why my signature has a quill sketch.

The con is that it takes too long sometimes and it takes great patience to use a quill properly, it will sometimes spill splotches of ink and ruin the paper.

Anyway, these are just 4 pages of the very long chapter I have written. It's probably about 10K words, but I might break it into smaller chunks so it wont be 1 big block of text.

Thank you for waiting with me! I'm writing as good as I can everyday, in worst days I could only write 1 sentence, and even worser (is that a word??) I cant write at all due to life.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

HELLO! I AM NOT DEAD... BUT IT'S HARD TO LOOK ALIVE X_X

But I've been researching about blogging and super blogging and having schedules (sorry I'm a nerd, not naturally social with media), so I'm trying to maje a calendar and set some goals.

In the meantime, here are some behind the scenes shots about the cover poster I'm making.

Might add some snippets about the upcoming fic soon. Hang tight!!

[cuptalecupheadxundertale]

Chapter 3: Baby Bro :P

With smiles (the former relaxed and the latter with genuine happiness), Cuphead and Mugman were clapping their hands together at a near snail’s pace in a pattern while they recited together:

 “Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s men! Bake me a cake as fast as you can! Roll it!” They rolled their fists in the air as if they were turning a bicycle pedal with their hands. “And pat it!” They patted their laps.  “And mark it with a B!” They drew a B in the air in front of them. “And put it in the oven for baby and me!”

 Cuphead started to smile more confidently. They clapped at a faster pace.

 “Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, baker’s-men! Bake me a cake as fast as you can! Roll it!” They rolled their hands. “And pat it!”  They patted their laps. “And mark it with a-!”

 “C!” Cuphead’s beaming smile stretched as he punched the sky.

 “Hey!” Mugman’s smile surprised opened wide.

 Cuphead giggled as he continued clapping. “And put it in the oven for-!”

 “Cuppy and Me!” Mugman’s voice changed to toddler-like.

 “Heey!” Cuphead said pretend-annoyed as his eyebrows scrunched.

 They both giggled, and their claps got faster, harder, and overall more intense.

 “Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker’s-men! Bake-me-a-cake-as-fast-as-you-can! Roll-it! And-pat-it! And-mark-with-a-!”

 “M!” Beaming Mugman raised his fist, and Cuphead laughed at the same time.

 “And put it in the oven for-!”

 “Mugman, yeah him.” Cuphead rolled his eyes as he said with a dull voice.

 “He-hey!” Mugman’s eyebags squeezed up his eyes as he giggled.

 They clapped really fast and their voices were close to shouting. “Patacakepatacake!! Baker’smen!! Bakemeacake, as, fastasyoucan!! Rollit!!” They rolled their hands. “Andpatit!!” They patted each other’s laps. “Andmarkitwitha-!!”

 “Uhh…” Cuphead looked at the corner of his eyes, and Mugman burst laughing.

 “Andputintheovenfor-!”

 Mugman gasped and his eyes widened. “FLOWEY!”

 “And-!” Cuphead gasped and his head snapped looking at the direction behind him.

 Looking across the long long pink hallway, Cuphead saw nothing else but the pillar closest to them and the occasional vines on the right-side wall. His eyebrows scrunched and his eyes paced left and right as he found it strange... and then he blinked in realization.

 “Wait a minute…” Cuphead smirked and slowly turned his head to Mugman.

 Mugman squeaked in fright and his eyes widened. “Really, I swear… I thought Flowey was…” His eyes searched the room but no one was in sight.

 Cuphead placed his fists on his hips and kept his smirk. “What… ‘stalk’ing?” He raised an eyebrow.

 Mugman’s eyes widened and he stared in surprise at Cuphead for a good few minutes… and then his mouth squiggled as he let out a snicker, and finally he unleashed a loud holler of bubbly laughter that echoed across the halls.

 Covering his ears and shutting his eyes, Cuphead giggled from the sudden reaction of Mugman. He peeked an eye open. “Geez, you were really tickled by that pun.”

 Mugman’s laugh calmed down into a snorty fit of laughter and he wiped a tear in his eye. “S-sorry! It was really…” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Blooming!”

 Squeezing his eyes shut, Cuphead snickered into a loud gentle laugh, and soon after Mugman followed laughing in sync with his brother.

 When they were done, the both of them sighed and looked at each other.

 Mugman frowned and touched his index fingers together shyly. “B-but seriously, I thought I saw Flowey behind ya.”

 Cuphead hummed with a smile on his face. “Well, if we’ve got each other it ain’t a problem.”

 “Hey!” Mugman looked with concern. “We barely made it out clean back there. He… it was kinda strong.”

 Cuphead snickered, noticing he changed ‘he’ to an ‘it’. “Hey, we beat the Devil, remember? If we face that pansy again we’d definitely beat that guy… thing.” Mugman snickered at this. “No matter how much we get our butts kicked.”

 Mugman smiled and sighed in relief. “Okay. If ya say so.”

 Cuphead tsked. “’If I say so.’” He said in a mock imitation of Mugman’s deep voice. “Ya gotta have more faith than that bro. Stop being such as baby bro.”

 “Hey!” Mugman scrunched his eyes annoyed. “I’m the older bro now not you.” He folded his arms.

 Cuphead giggled menacingly. “Weally? Zen wai r u whining wike one.”

 With puffy cheeks, Mugman pouted and folded his arms, and Cuphead giggled. Suddenly, the phone was ringing from Mugman’s pocket and the boys’ eyes lit up attentively. Mugman picked up the phone, clicked a button that beeped as he did, and placed it on his ‘ear’.

 “Hello?” Mugman answered.

 “Hello Mugman! This is Toriel!” Her gentle happy voice answered.

 Mugman smiled at Cuphead, and in reaction the latter smiled back and crawled closer to the phone on his brother’s ear.

 “Hey Toriel! How are ya?” Mugman asked with a beaming smile.

 “I’m well. Your kind question is appreciated my child! I called to tell you that I’m running a little late for my errands. You’re going to have to wait for five more minutes.”

 “Oh!” Mugman’s smile faded a little. “Um, okay, we’ll wait!”

 “Thank you my child! Be safe!” She said endearingly.

 *BEEP!*

 Mugman put back the phone in his pocket.

 Cuphead yawned while patting his open mouth repeatedly. “Welp, now I’m bored.”

 He laid on his back on the floor with his hands on the back of his head inside the loop of his cup handle. With a smile, Mugman laid beside Cuphead.

 “Well, let’s keep playin’ pat-a-cake then!” Mugman raised his hands to his chest.

 “Pfft! No way!” Cuphead rolled his bored eyes as he flicked his hand down. “That game’s for babies. Like you Muggy!” With a teasing smirk, he booped Mugman’s big nose, and the latter’s goofy intersecting pupils looked at it.

 “Hey!” Annoyed, Mugman swatted away Cuphead’s wrist and the latter giggled in reaction. “Why’d ya play it with me then huh?” He folded his arms.

 “Well duh, I like makin’ my baby bro happy. Boop!” With a wink, Cuphead pressed Mugman’s noise.

 Still folding his arms, Mugman grunted and turned away from Cuphead. “I’m not a baby!”

 Cuphead giggled. “Yeah you are.” He pulled his brother by the shoulder bringing him close that their heads clinked. “I mean come on! I give ya the big bro card and all the fun ya could think of was Pat-a-cake?”

 “Hey!” Mugman glared a little offended. “It’s a fun game!”

 “H-yeah… for sippy cups.” Cuphead rolled his eyes. “Ya coulda thought about ‘Mercy’” With a villainous smile he clawed his hand, as if he were holding Mugman’s hand and painfully squeezing it until he cried for ‘Mercy’.

 Mugman gritted his teeth in worried fright. “Too painful.”

 Cuphead tsked. “Thumb Wrestling?” Cuphead closed his fist and pressed his thumb in the air as if he were trying to pin down an opposing thumb.

 Mugman cringed. “Pretty much the same.”

 Cuphead snickered. “Wimp.”

 Mugman grunted and tightened his fists.

 “Tag?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow as he pushed his brother’s shoulder a little roughly.

 Mugman looked around mumbling nervously. “There’s not much room here to run to.” He touched his index fingers together.

 Cuphead sighed. “Welp, at least I got one fun game that we can play.”

 Mugman smiled and his eyes brightened. “What is it what is it?”

 “Boop!” With a big goofy smile Cuphead booped the center of Mugman’s big nose and the latter’s goofy pupils looked at it.

 Cuphead laughed while Mugman grumbled and tightened his fists annoyed. Mugman picked up the phone from his pocket, dialed it, and put it on his non-existential ear.

 RING… RING… RI-

 “Hello! This is Toriel!” Her sweet voice answered.

 “Hey Toriel. Are ya comin back yet?” He asked eagerly.

 “Just a few more minutes my child. Are you bored?” Toriel with happy casual concern.

 Mugman groaned. “Cuphead has turned my nose itno a push button.”

 With a mischievous and happy smile on his face as he laid cuphead-rim-to-mughead-rim next to Mugman, Cuphead pushed his brother’s nose using his index finger while playfully saying “Boop!” and again “Boop!” and again “Boop!” all while Mugman watched with an annoyed stare without doing anything to stop it.

 Toriel giggled. “I’ll be back before he makes blueberry puree of your nose my child. Oh-!”

 *BEEP!*

 Mugman squeaked, his mouth scrunched, and his cheeks blushed red. Eyes popping, He looked furiously at the phone. “MY NOSE IS NOT A BLUEBERRY!!”

 Pupils shrunk. Teeth biting his lower lip while snickering. Tummy trembling as he snickered. Cuphead unleashed a large holler of laughter from his Pacman-like open wide mouth towards Mugman’s face; his uvula was visibly wagging. Head shivering due to the tremoring shockwave vibrations of Cuphead’s holler of cackling, Mugman on other hand was twitching his eyes in annoyance. Cuphead’s laughter turned into a big heave of air.

 Mugman looked at Cuphead with the former’s watery eyes trembling, his milk boiling, and his breath heaving. “CUPHEEEAAAAAD!!”

 Cuphead laughed pointing his finger at Mugman. “SHE CALLED YA A BLUEBERRY NOSE!!” He kept cackling while hugging his stomach.

 Milk steaming from his head, Mugman grunted and gripped both his fists very tightly as he glared angrily with tear-flowing eyes back at Cuphead. “Sssstoooop!...” His face flushed redder.

 Cuphead wiped a tear. “Ya know why-!” He snickered. “Yer nose is called ‘Blueberry’?”

 Mugman’s eye twitched in annoyance. “Cuphead no!”

 “Aw come on!” With a sly and confident smile, Cuphead wrapped his arm around Mugman’s shoulders while clinking his head on Mugman. “I know how much you love punny puns.”

 A few seconds of pausing happened with happy Cuphead and irritated Mugman staring at each other... until Mugman’s mouth broke into a few giggles but more tears came out of his eyes.

 “Ahh! You giggled bro.” Cuphead winked and pointed his finger while he pressed his cheek against his giggling brother’s.

 “I-hi did! I did!” Mugman giggled, and then grunted in regret. “And I hate it when ya do that when I’m still mad.”

 “Bro, she was just teasin’ ya!” Cuphead splayed his hand in explanation. “Don’t be mad if she likes havin’ fun with ya and yer chic magnet asset.” He booped Mugman’s nose.

 Mugman gave a few seconds to look at the finger that booped his blue nose, his so-called chic magnet asset, and then looked at Cuphead. “Okay, what were ya talkin’ about?”

 Cuphead giggled. “Ya know why yer nose…” He booped Mugman’s nose. “Is called a blue-” he booped again. “Berry?” And again.

 Mugman bubbly giggled. “Wh-hat?”

 “Because it’s Blue!” With a big beaming smile, Cuphead booped Mugman’s nose. “Berry much!” He playfully pushed and wiggled the center of Mugman’s nose.

 Mugman and Cuphead broke into their respective snorty and hiccupy laughters.

 The phone rang from Mugman’s pocket again, and Mugman answered.

 “Hello?”

 ‘BARK! BARK!’ A puppy squeaked over the phone.

 In a surprised and confused frown, Mugman glared at the phone.

 Noticing Mugman’s reaction, Cuphead snickered. “What’s up?”

 With a confused eye twitch, Mugman looked at Cuphead while pointing at the phone. “There’s a…” Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and his eyes widened as it did. Then, he smirked. “I… think it’s for you.” Mugman reached the phone to Cuphead.

 Cuphead smiled while raising an eyebrow in suspicion. He took the phone and placed it on his ‘ear’.

 ‘BARK! BARK!’ The same puppy squeaked again.

 “What!” Cuphead yelled with his head leaning away from the phone, eye pupils shrunken and looking at the phone, and his smile beaming.

 Mugman let out a holler of snorty laughter.

 Cuphead splayed his hands, one of them holding the phone. “What happened?!” His voice squeaked as if he was going to laugh.

 “I literally just answered it and that puppy was on the other end!” Mugman pointed his finger at the phone.

 Cuphead snickered. “Did Toriel become a dog??”

 “Stop, please!” The phone trembled as the gentle but demanding voice of Toriel spoke.

 The brothers gasped and then brought their heads closer to the phone.

 “Come back here with my CELLHPONE!!” Toriel yelled.

 The phone beeped, ending the phone call altogether.

 Looking at the phone, Cuphead and Mugman cringed; the former had a slight smile while the latter was biting his lower lip worried.

 “Should we help her?” Mugman looked at Cuphead.

 “Nah!” With a confident smile, Cuphead flicked his hand downwards. “She’ll be fi-!!” His eyes widened, his mouth formed an ‘o’, his bendy red-striped straw straightened and an imaginary lightbulb popped out with a ‘ding!’ at the top like it was an idea. Slowly, his smile turned into a wide mischievous grin.

 In confusion and worry about Cuphead’s idea (knowing it wasn’t a good one), Mugman raised an eyebrow.

 Cuphead’s straw turned back to normal. “Ya know…” He looked at the corner of his eyes and tabbed his tinking chin three times. “Now that I think about it, I think that’s a grrrrreat idea bro!” He swung his fist in front of his chest and winked. “We definitely sssshould help her!”

 Mugman’s cheeks cringed up and his shoulders tensed as he got the natural ‘Cuphead’s got a bad idea’ sense. “Okay… I still don’t see what you see innit, but yeah!” He smiled brightly. “We should definitely get out there and-!” His eyes shot wide open, and his pupils shrunk at the same time. “Get out there… And… get… out… Ohhhhh…” He frowned.

 Lower lip biting, grin stretching even wider, Cuphead snickered into a noticeably loud giggle as he enjoyed Mugman’s entire reaction.

 One end of Mugman’s lip twitched, and he nervously chuckled. “A-actually… I think yer right…” Sweat dropped beside Mugman’s eye. “Sh-she’s probably-! I-I mean I’m sure sh-she’s just fine, l-like ya said!”

 Looking at the upper corner of his eyes, Cuphead hummed in thought. “I dunnnooo broo…” He tilted his head down towards Mugman while looking at him, and the latter’s mouth squiggled and backed off a bit in nervous reaction. “She sounds like she’s in trouuubuhhhhle!” He sang a tune in ‘trouuubuhhle’.

 Mugman shivered. “Th-then we should go find her and-!” As he noticed what he said, he shrieked and grasped the rims of his own nerve-wrecked trembling head.

 Cuphead cackled. “But Mugs! You remember what Toriel-!”

 Mugman growled and grabbed his nerve-wrecked trembling head. “I KNOW I KNOW!!” He grabbed Cuphead’s shoulders and pulled him nose-to-nose. “YOU’RE NOT HELPING!!” His furious bloodshot eyes stared into laughing Cuphead’s shrunken pupils trembling with thrill; Mugman’s nose was towering over Cuphead’s tiny nose mimicking how Mugman is towering over bending-back Cuphead.

 Cuphead giggled. “Yes I am. I’m-!”

 “YOU’RE-!” Mugman furiously squished his nose against Mugman’s nose and pushed his face so his bloodshot eyes closer to Cuphead’s eyes.

 “Helping you get in trouble!” Cuphead said at the same time.

“HELPING ME GET IN TROUBLE!” Mugman said at the same time.

 As they continued staring into each other’s eyes and squishing their noses against each other, Mugman’s eyes paled and he frowned in shock, while Cuphead bubbly giggled.

 “Jinx!” Cuphead leaned his head back and booped Mugman’s nose with his finger. “You owe me a hotdog bro.” He winked.

 Furiously growling, Mugman let his bubbly brother fall to the floor and then folded his arms grunting. Then his head straw straightened with an imaginary lightbulb popping out of it, he smiled, and he snapped his right finger as he dashed it across his chest. He pointed his finger at Cuphead. “You talk to it!!”

 “Wh-hat?!” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and giggled.

 “Yeah!” Mugman picked up the phone from his pocket and brought it closer to Cuphead. “I mean ya basically know how to bark like a dog, especially since you love hotdogs!”

 Cuphead snickered. “Uhh, not sure if you were trying to make a pun…” He giggled. “Or you’re serious and ya dunno how that works.”

 “Come on bro!” Smiling, Mugman splayed his hands, one of them holding the phone. “Just bark at the puppy! It’ll probably get distracted and Toriel can get his phone back!” Mugman beamed.

 After listening to the idea, Cuphead stretched his beaming smile even more, and his cheeks were squinting his eyes. He giggled and then snatched the phone from Muman “Gimme that!”

 Cuphead and Mugman giggled together.

 Cuphead dialed on the phone and put it on his ear. They both waited in giggly excitement as the phone rang.

 The phone was answered to the sound of a puppy that was snoring and humming sweetly over the phone.

 “Hellooo?” A distant voice of a motherly woman called. “Little puppy…? Where are you…? I will give you a nice pat on the head!”

 As she said this, the puppy stopped snoring.

 “… if you return my CELLPHONE!” She yelled at the ending word.

 As she said that, the puppy continued to snore.

 Cuphead took a big inhale… and BARKED LIKE A PUPPY SEVERAL TIMES!

 On the other end, the white puppy jumped up in fright, and then barked back at the phone on the floor repeatedly.

 Cuphead laughed. “It barked back!” He pointed to the phone as he happily looked at Mugman.

 “Ooooohhh!!” Mugman shook his fists in excitement. “Let’s bark at it together!”

 In sync, Cuphead and Mugman were puppy barking at the phone, and the puppy was barking back with equal intensity.

 “Ah! There you are!” Toriel’s close voice said from the phone.

 Over the phone, the puppy began to bark even faster as if it were towards Toriel.

 “OH MY GOODNESS! BAD DOG! YOU DO NOT BARK AT A WOMAN WHO IS TRYING TO GET HER PHONE BA-!” Toriel gasped. “NO!! COME BACK HERE WITH MY Cell…” Her voice was getting farther away.

  Both their eyes on the phone, Mugman stared in horror while Cuphead just cheekily, beamingly, and mischievously smiled at the former.

 “Well… looks like your plan went… ‘arf’ of hand buddy.” Cuphead’s smile stretched even wider.

 Furious blood-stricken eyes with shrunken pupils. Milk boiling. Gripped fists trembling. Mugman glared and growled at Cuphead. His furious eyes turned to the exit of the room in front of them and they melted into watery worry, his fists released, and his lips pursed while he whimpered.

 Still with a big beaming smile on his face, Cuphead teasingly and mischievously scooted closer to the sad Mugman and buddy hugged him. Mugman glared back, his milk starting to boil again.

 Cuphead sighed and pretend frowned. “I dunno buddy. It looks like you and I are gonna be spending the rest of your lives….” His eyes rolled to one corner. “Waiting for Toriel…” He moved them to another corner. “Eating vine leaves… for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…” His eyes fixated back at Mugman. “But hey!” He smiled.

 Mugman flared out an exhale. “Bro, stop that!”

 “At least we’ve got each other!” With a big smile, Cuphead clinked their heads together.

 “Bro, stop stealing my lines I get it!” Mugman’s milk boiled and he was gripping his fists.

 “We can keep playing that game you like baby bro!” Cuphead pinched Mugman’s cheek.

 “Cupheaaad!” Mugman growled as his face started to puff like a pufferfish and blush.

 “And best of all, I can keep booping your nose whenevah I want.” Cuphead positioned his index finger in front of Mugman’s big blue nose while the latter’s furious eyes focused on it. “Boop!!” Cuphead pressed his brother’s nose and Mugman squeezed his eyes shut as he received it.

 Fists trembling, eyes twitching with fury, body trembling, mouth scrunching, milk boiling, Mugman stared at the exit across him.

 Meanwhile, Cuphead hugged Mugman with a clink, and breathed in as he felt a sudden warmth. “Aaaah! A warm hug, deserves a warm mug. Or wait… was it the other way around? Awarmmugdeservesawarmhug… hmmm, I dunno.” He shrugged his shoulders carefree.

 Mugman’s cheeks puffed, he closed-mouth screamed, his milk boiled faster, and his face turned completely red… until he paused… and then made a long exhale which brought his entire self back to normal.

 “Alright!” Mugman held his head up and placed his fists on his hips. “Come on buddy!” Mugman grabbed Cuphead’s hand, stood up, and started walking towards the exit.

 “Hey!” Cuphead said with a pretend-surprised smile. “Where’re ya goin buddy?” He raised an eyebrow.

 “What’s it look like?” Mugman looked at Cuphead with determined eyes. “We’re goin’ tuh find Toriel and help huh (her)” He pointed towards the exit as they walked towards it.

 “But Bro!” Cuphead squeaked as he rooted his heels to the ground that started to screech as they slid while Mugman kept walking. “Toriel said that should stay put! Wouldn’t ya…” With a mischievous grin, he leaned his head forward. “Get us in trroouble?”

 Mugman’s mouth squiggled as he listened, and he started to sweat as he looked back at his brother. Then he turned his head to the direction of the exit, and found that he was one-step away from exiting the room.

 Closing his eyes, Mugman took a big inhale. “We’re not going into trouble.”

 Cuphead’s eyes widened a bit as he felt a certain familiarity in that line.

 Mugman turned his head around and smiled with confidence at Cuphead. “We’re goin’ to adventuh!”

 Cuphead’s sparkled and he gasped very very slowly at Mugman, and the latter just grinned at his brother’s reaction. Mugman looked to the exit, took a step forward, and…

 RING! RING!                                                                                

 From his right pocket, Mugman picked up the CELLPHONE and answered it.

 “Hello?” Mugman greeted with concern.

 “Hello?! Hello?!” Toriel sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re alright.”

 “Hey Toriel!” Mugman smiled. “Are you alright? What happened?”

 “Well, a strange white puppy kidnapped my phone… but before that, it also took my bag of flour.” Toriel said.

 “Wh-hat?!” Mugman smiled and raised an eyebrow.

 “What’s she sayin?” Smiling, Cuphead went over to Mugman’s side close to the phone.

 With a smile, Mugman moved the phone closer to Cuphead. “She said some small white puppy stole her phone AND a bag of flour.”

 “OHHH!” Cuphead giggled and yanked the phone closer to him, which Mugman didn’t mind. “We were barking at it!”

 “Ahh! That explains the puppy barking at the phone earlier.” Toriel chuckled and then sighed wishfully. “If only I had been quicker I would’ve properly snatched it right back.”

 “Ehh.” Cuphead shrugged his shoulders. “Ya win some ya lose some.”

 Mugman hummed in confusion. “Why does she have a bag of flour?”

 On Toriel’s side, she is staring into space in silence, shocked at Mugman’s suspicion. Then to shrug it off, she smiled at the phone. “I see you are sharing the CELLPHONE I gave you.”

 “Oh yes!” Cuphead and Mugman said in sync; on their side they are both leaning their non-existent ears close to the phone.

 “And you are both well-behaved!” Her voice spoke from the phone.

 “Yeah!” The boys said in sync again with big smiles.

 “I guess…” Cuphead interjected while slyly looking away.

 Mugman snickered at Cuphead’s reaction.

 “And you are both still in the same room!” Toriel said sprightly.

 “Still in the same room… room… room…” The words echoed into Mugman’s head for a bit… and then his eyes bugged out, and his frown opened slowly as he started to gasp very slowly. Meanwhile, Cuphead’s smile gradually grew even bigger up to his cheeks as his eyes watching Mugman’s reaction gradually narrowed.

 “Hello?” Toriel called. “Are you still there my children?”

 Cuphead yoinked the phone out of pale-eyed jaw-dropped Mugman. “Yeah Toriel, we’re still in the room!”

 Unmoving, Mugman’s eyes slid to his right staring in horror at Cuphead and squeaked in shock noticing his lie.

 Toriel sighed. “That’s a relief. You are such good children!!”

 “Good children! Good children! Good children!” Toriel’s voice echoed through Mugman’s thoughts and his squeaky gasping turned into dreadful moaning, while Cuphead’s snickering turned into giggling.

 “So good, that you deserve three stars!... If I can give you that is.” Toriel sighed wishfully. “Especially you Mugman, I know how much you love puzzles, but they would be too dangerous to solve them by yourself.”

 Cuphead giggled and patted Mugman’s shoulder. “Yeah! They would be too dangerous for ya… baby bro.” He clinked his head against Mugman’s.

 Glaring at his brother, Mugman growled, tightening his fists while his milk boiled.

 “Thank you so much for being so very patient my dear children. Just wait a bit longer. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Be good, alright?” Toriel said.

 “Okay! Bye Toriel!” Cuphead ended the call with a beep and put the phone in his pcoekt. Then he squealed in excitement while looking at horrified Mugman and hugged him.

 “I…” Mugman’s squeaky voice spoke in horror. “I did a bad thing…”

 “I know!!!” Cuphead cuddled Mugman’s face. “You make so proud bro I love you!” He beamed.

 Moaning, groaning, Mugman just slowly curled himself into a ball on the floor and cried while smiley “wheeee!” cheering Cuphead kept hugging as he was brought along to the floor.

 Cuphead leaned closer to Mugman’s non-existent ear. “Welcome to the dark side buddy.”

 Mugman curled even further into his ball just cried, and Cuphead just cuddled him. In the midst of his crying, Mugman roared and roughly pushed Cuphead away.

 “Hey!” Cuphead glared at Mugman and then rolled his eyes. “Fine. Be that way.”

 Cuphead stood up, looked forward, and then gasped. About five feet away across the exit, a bed row of red leaves laid and glimmered in golden sparkles to the eyes of Cuphead. As he looked at them, his eyes glimmered with golden sparkles too. In such beaming excitement he jumped to the air, ran midair pedaling his feet in place three times and then dashed diving to the bed of red leaves. He bubbly laughed as he rolled around, spread his arms and legs and waved them on the leaves as if he were making a leaf angel.

 Meanwhile, Mugman was still sobbing miserably trying to curl deeper into his ball; he made a puddle of tears next to him.

 Cuphead popped his head out of the leaves like a party popper with leaves for confetti and looked at the miserable Mugman next to the tear puddle. “Come on bro! Adventaaaaahhhh!!” He whispered the last word loudly as he made threw a rainbow curve of red leaves above his head.

 Mugman moaned and cried even louder.

 With a goofy giggle, Cuphead scooped up a pile of leaves into his arms, and stretched his arms like a cartoon about three feet longer over to Mugman. “Adventah!” He whispered loudly as he dumped the pile of leaves onto Mugman’s head.

 Mugman groaned irritated and his blue eyes visibly glared through the gaps between the leaves back at Cuphead. Cuphead’s hands, which were still stretched out, picked up a handful of leaves from the leaf pile on Mugman’s head and loudly whispered “Adventuhhhh!!!” while he sprinkled leaves three times on the floor making a trail that led to himself.

 With a blank stare at his brother, Mugman pushed himself up a little, letting the remaining bundle of leaves fall off his face and some on his head milk.

 Cuphead scooped up a bundle of leaves into his arms and then threw them up while spreading his arms to make rainbow shaped leaves and opening his mouth wide letting them fall into his throat, which he choked on and coughed out by punching his chest. He stared awkwardly at Mugman, and then suddenly spread his arms while smiling confidently and said “Adventuh!!”

 Stubbornly, a smile crept up to Mugman’s face, and he couldn’t help but snicker into a giggle. Cuphead smiled more mischievously as he caught Mugman smiling.

 Mugman pushed himself up and ran towards Cuphead tackling him down as they both bubbly laughed in the rustling leaves.

 Mugman sighed. “Well, no going back now I guess…” He scratched the back of his head.

 “A-hand miss out on all the fun?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow and folded his arms with a snarky smile.

 Mugman brought out a shy but happy smile. “N-nah.” He giggled sheepishly.

 “Then raise your right hand and accept your initiation.” Cuphead raised his right hand and knelt properly.

 Mugman raised an eyebrow. “Initiation?”

 “Yeah!” Cuphead beamed. “I mean, no matter what, yer stickin with me!” He pointed his thumb to himself. “And ya might as well take in the spirit of adventah with ya and not be some stick in the mud!”

 “Hey!” Mugman glared and smiled at this conclusion. “I’m just-!”

 “Yeah I know, I know Mugs.” Cuphead pushed his ‘chill out’ hands. “It’s how ya bail us out every time, but ya also gotta enjoy life tuh the fullest, ya know what I mean bud?”

 With a shy smile, Mugman looked at the corner of his eyes understanding Cuphead’s point of view, and then nodded with a big smile.

 “Then, raise yer right hand!” Cuphead said raising his voice as he raised his right hand.  

 With a beaming and giggling smile, Mugman raised his right hand.

 “I, (state your full name)”. Cuphead held his head proud.

 Mugman chuckled. “I, Mugman…” His eyes shifted left and right while his right cheek gradually cringed up in confusion. “Kettle?”

 Cuphead’s eyes widened, his smiley mouth gaped open, and then he let out a snickering laugh.

 Mugman giggled and blushed a little. “Th-that was a guess…” He began to touch his fingers shyly.

 Cuphead heaved. “Are ya sayin’ grandpa’s first name was Elder?” He, and Mugman, laughed out loud. “Like when he was a baby people called him ‘Baby Elder’?”

 Cuphead and Mugman hollered in laughter.

 “Well…” Mugman looked at the corner of his eyes. “Didn’t people used to call me baby MugMan?” He smiled with his right cheek cringed as he thought it was a bad pun.

 “Ahhh, good point good point.” Cuphead nodded. “But which one are you??”

 Mugman just raised his shoulders smiling shyly and they both just laughed.

 “So…” Mugman raised an eyebrow and looked to his right. “Am I gonna repeat everythin’ ya just said or are ya?... ya know.” He shyly pointed a finger at Cuphead as if he was hinting ‘say something else’.

 Cuphead’s mouth ‘o’ed in realization and then grinned mischievously with his eyes narrowed at Mugman.

 Smiling and widening his eyes, Mugman moaned while his arms shivered in fluster. “Cupheeaaaaadd!” He sighed. “Me and my big wit.” He said while looking at the lower corner of his eyes.

 Cuphead laughed, and then raised his right hand. “I, Cuphead Kettle.” He winked twice.

 They both giggled.

 “I, Mugman Kettle.” Mugman raised his right hand.

 “Promise to risk my life, including gambling my soul, facing meanies and monsters, and getting my butt kicked all for the sake of fun and adventuah!” He looked back at Mugman with a big smile on his face.

 Eyes twitching in tension, shoulders shuddering, and frowning, Mugman looked back at Cuphead quite scared. “Nnnnoooo?”

 “Uh-uh Mugs.” Cuphead shook his head. “The spirit of ‘Adventahh!’” He said ‘Adventahh’ in a loud whispering voice while sprinkling leaves on himself. “Compels ya to say yes without hesitation.”

 “Bro, I’m pretty sure that if we didn’t fall to the underground we would’a went flyin’ in space with Hilda and Djimmi.” Mugman shrugged his shoulders.

 Cuphead hummed and tapped his tinking chin. “Yyyeahhh… but we wouldn’ have met Toriel.”

 Mugman groaned. “True but…” He sighed and splayed his explaining hands. “Look, I just got a better reason, can ya just hear me out?” He smiled sheepishly.

 With a smile, Cuphead huffed and folded his arms. “Alright, but I don’t see what’s bettah.”

 “Well…” Mugman touched his index fingers together. “I’d do it ‘cause… I’d be with my bro.”

 Cuphead’s eyes widened and he felt a warm hug wrap around the little heart in his chest.

 Mugman raised an eyebrow. “What? It’s always an adventah with my best buddy around.” He blushed a little and touched his index fingers together.

 Cuphead smiled endearingly and then rolled his eyes. “Why do ya always have tuh make things icky?”

 Starting with a hum, Mugman giggled while his eyes looked down.

 Cuphead sighed. “Alright alright.” He cleared his throat. “I, Mugman Kettle, promise to… whatever icky thing ya said.”

 Mugman laughed. “Be a true bro to my bro.”

 Cuphead’s smile squiggled and his eyes started to water. He inhaled. “All for the sake of fun and adventah.” He scooped up a bunch of leaves and raised it above Mugman’s head.

 Mugman giggled. “All for the sake of fun and adventah.” He closed his eyes as he let the leaves sprinkle into his head milk like cereal. He then opened his eyes to Cuphead. “And…” He held out his hand. “Our cupbrohood.”

 Cuphead’s squiggly smile widened to the point the ends of his mouth almost touched his squinting eyes. Tears started to pour down from his face. “And…” He sniffled. “Our cupbrohood…” He took Mugman’s hand.

 All of a sudden, a yellow star between their hands sparkled only for an instant and the brothers gasped as they noticed.

 “Whoa! What was that?!” Mugman’s mouth ‘o’ed in surprise.

 “It’s…” Still with his squiggly smile, Cuphead sniffled and his eyes watered even more. “It’s the power of our cupbrohood.”

 Mugman gasped and his eyes started to water, his shiny affectionate slightly shivering pupils started to enlarge, and he locked eyes with Cuphead who was looking back with the same matching enlarged shiny affectionate slightly shivering pupils. They looked at each other, their mouths started to tremble, and so did their arms wanting a hug.

 “AUUUGGH!!” Cuphead grabbed the rims of his cup head. “I CAN’T TAKE IT C’MERE!” He spread his arms wide inviting a hug.

 They both tackled each other into a growly bear hug like ‘MMMMMMMMRRRRRRMMMmmmm!!” and they roughly cradled each other.

 “Just… don’t. Say. The L-word.” Cuphead said while squeezing his eyes shut.

 Mugman squeezed his eyes shut too and tightened his hug. “I love you bro.”

 “EAUHEAUGHEAUGHEAUGHEAGH!!!” Cuphead yelled.

 Mugman snorted into bubbly laughter, keeping his chin stable on Cuphead’s shoulder while Cuphead just kept on making funny vomiting noises.

 Suddenly a frog-like monster hopped close, and Cuphead and Mugman gasped while they flinched away from the frog while looking at it side-by-side, without breaking their hug.

 *RIBBIT!* The frog-like monster stared at the two with all of its four eyes; two on its head, and two on its abdomen which kept rolling its pupils around.

 The hearts on Cuphead and Mugman’s chests started to visibly glow from within, and the boys gasped as they noticed.

 “Whoa! Okay uhh, heyya fella!” Cuphead waved a hand at the frog-like monster and then looked at Mugman. “Say hi bro.” He shook Mugman’s shoulder.

 Mugman chuckled nervously and waved a hand. “Hey uh… Ribbey and Croaks’ cuzin lookalike… sir.”

 The frog-like monster squeaked in alarm, then scrunched its eyebrows in anger, and then hopped towards the boys, who then screamed and scrambled out of the way. On opposite sides, Mugman and Cuphead turned around to see the frog monster standing and sticking onto the wall. It looked to its left eyeing at Mugman, who shivered as he was noticed. The frog leapt to Mugman and the latter screamed and trembled while his straw turned into an exclamation point. Then, Mugman dashed to the right where Cuphead was, leaving behind a white dust cloud that the frog monster leapt through.

 Mugman scrambled to a stand by Cuphead who watched him in worry. After landing on the spot where Mugman left a dust cloud, the frog monster hop-turned towards the boys and croaked his mouth open, unleashing a small swarm of four or five flies flying towards the boys. The boys screamed in alarm with their bodies shivering and their straws turning into exclamation points. They ducked the flies to the point that their chins almost touched the ground, but the flies stopped, and then flew back towards the boys’ behinds.

 “YEOW!” Cuphead and Mugman leapt to the air covering their bitten bums.

 “ALRIGHT THAT’S IT!” Cuphead hastily landed on his feet, dashed to the frog monster and pointed his finger right in front of frog monster towards his face and it squeaked in shock. “YA TRY THAT AGAIN AND I’LL BLOW YOUR FACE UP!!” Cuphead looked at the frog monster furiously.

 The frog was trembling, its mouth more squiggled, and its eyes was quickly shifting between Cuphead and his glowing blue finger gun.

 At first, Mugman’s eyes were stern and angry, but then they creased into concern. “Whoa, whoa!” He ran over to Cuphead’s side and gently pushed Cuphead’s finger gun down, and then stepped towards the frog with open arms. “Heya chum, ya look kinda shaken there. You okay?”

 Trembling, the frog looked at Mugman’s hands, then at his kind smile, then switched back and forth.

 Watching his brother, Cuphead released his glowing finger gun and smiled.

 “C’mere froggy buddy.” Mugman wiggled his ‘come here’ fingers twice.

 The frog croaked and scrunched its eyebrows. “I am not a froggy buddy!” Its rough and croaky voice spoke.

 Cuphead and Mugman’s eyes widened, and they leaned their heads back.

 “Oh-kay?” Mugman slid his eyes at Cuphead who snickered. “That was anti-climactic.”

 He leaned in next to Mugman’s shoulder, cupped his left hand like a megaphone to his mouth, and said “Shut down!”

 Mugman grumbled as he glared annoyed at Cuphead who giggled back in reaction.

 “And I-!” The frog placed one of its webbed feet on its chest and it made a croak. “Am not a Ribbey or a Croak! I am a Froggit!” The Froggit slammed down its foot to the floor and made a croak again. “Don’t you humans know it’s rude to call people names when-!” It made a croak again. “You haven’t even asked?!” It croaked again.

 “Oh…” Mugman covered his mouth in realization, but then he lowered his hand and smiled. “Sorry there Mr. Froggit.”

 “Hey!” Cuphead put his fists on his hips. “That ain’t an excuse to be attackin’ us like that. That kinda hurt.” He rubbed his bottom a bit.

 From an angry glare, The Froggit’s eyes creased and it croaked gently. “I am terribly sorry boys. There’s some candy beyond that door over there.” It nudged its head to its upper left towards the dark tall doorway a few distance behind itself. “As a token of my apologies.”

 Cuphead and Mugman gasped with starry eyes staring at the doorway. “CANDY?!” Their salivating tongues stuck out splattering spit in random circular directions.

 Mugman’s stomach grumbled very loudly, and both of them looked at it in surprise.

 Looking at Mugman, Cuphead giggled. “C’mon!!” He took the hand of happy Mugman and they ran through the doorway together.

 Inside, between two rivers flowing next to the ends of the side walls, stood a short Greek pillar that had a gray bowl of glossy sparkly rainbow-colorful jellybeans. The boys’ pupils glimmered and reflected the bowl of rainbow jellybeans. They licked their lips with their giant ‘Scooby-Doo’ tongues, and then dashed to the bowl leaving two white clouds of smoke.

 They eached grabbed two fistfuls of candy and began munching on them with loud “AMMNAMNAMNAM!” noises; Mugman was alternating his munches between the candy on his left and right hands, while Cuphead was shooting balls of candy into his open-wide mouth like they were basketballs and clamped his mouth shut whenever he shot one in.

 With closed eyes and a big closed-mouth smile, Cuphead rubbed his belly and licked his lips at the taste of the delicious candy. He poised his hands to grab more, when suddenly Mugman swiped the bowl for himself.

 “Hey!” With scrunched eyebrows, Cuphead glared at Mugman.

 Like a ‘cha-ching’ chiming cash register, Mugman’s jaw dropped three-times-lower than a human mouth possibly could, and began to pour the entire bowl of candy to his open mouth.

 Cuphead’s shocked open-mouth gradually smiled in amazement and he laughed out loud. “Waitwait, Imma help ya with that!”

 Rushing over to Mugman, Cuphead held the base of the bowl and kept pouring the seemingly infinite waterfall of candy to Mugman’s inflating and bloating mouth. While pouring, Cuphead interjected his open mouth into the stream of candy, and after gathering a regular mouthful he went out of the way to chew and pour some more candy to Mugman. Finally, the bowl was empty, and Cuphead shook the bowl making sure none was left. Then, he tapped Mugman’s jaw, and it shut like a cash register with a ‘CHING!’

 Mugman chewed the candy in his jumbo chipmunk-filled mouth’ his smile was showing with his saliva and the disgustingly masticated candy rolling around his mouth and being crushed by his teeth. After a few good rounds of chomping, with closed eyes, they both gulped down their giant lumps of candy down their throats, rubbed their giant bellies, and exhaled in satisfaction with a loud whispering “Ahhhhh!”

 Cuphead’s belly was only as big as a ball, while Mugman’s body was as big as a giant pumpkin’s.

 “Still hungry buddy?” Cuphead opened his eyes to Mugman.

 With a big smile, Mugman shook his face and then licked his lips with his giant ‘Scooby-Doo’ tongue while drumming his belly.

 Cuphead laughed. He winked and pointed his finger at Mugman. “Now all we gotta do is stick ya on a stick, put ya over a spit, and turn ya ‘til yer roasted!”

 “Hey!” Mugman smiled with a raised eyebrow and put his fists on his hips. “What do I look like, a pig?” Then he snorted like a pig, and he gasped. “Uh oh.”

 For a few seconds Cuphead tried to hold back his laugh behind his squiggly smile and teary eyes, until he unleashed a large holler of cackling laughter that echoed through the halls. In reaction, Mugman blushed, smiled sheepishly, touched his index fingers repeatedly and instead looked away towards the pillar that held the bowl.

 At the frieze of the pillar, right below the cornice, was a stone placard with a carved text in it.

 “Take One.” Mugman narrowed his eyes as he read it a second time, then nodded at it with a smile, and then looked away casually…. Then, in shock, his body jolted to a stand and his eyes widened at the same time, and he snapped his eyes back at the plate.

 ‘TAKE’… ‘ONE’. Mugman’s eyes looked at each individual word.

 Mugman heaved a very slow gasp as if he was out of air while he stared at the text with his pale-white eyes.

 Cuphead approached Mugman, looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow, and then at the placard his brother was staring at. For a moment, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the placard, until he gasped with a big smile, and cackled so villainously (the kind that lightning would follow) as he slowly turned his gaze at Mugman.

 A tear dropped from Mugman’s right eye. “Wh-what… what have I done…” His body chubby body trembled and then shrunk back to its regular size.

 Two hands clasped to Mugman’s shoulders making him squeak in fright, but then those hands massaged those shoulders. “You have done well…” From the shadows, villainously laughing Cuphead’s face emerged and he positioned his mouth closer to Mugman’s ear. “My apprentice.” His voice was cunning and creaky like the door of a haunted house.

 Mugman took a deep inhale and closed his eyes while teardrops flowed out of them. “I’m sorry Elder Kettle.” He whispered.  

 In the surface far far away, he could hear Elder Kettle’s scream echo to the air. “YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!”

 More tears streamed down Mugman’s face, his slimy cold ran down his nose, and he sobbed with such dread at what he had become, while Cuphead, with now his normal body, just bubbly laughed at Mugman’s priceless face.

 Cuphead buddy-hugged Mugman. “Bro, it’s no big deal, you were hungry and you had no brekkie this mornin’.”

 Mugman sniffled. “Brekkie?...”

 “Yeah ya know…” Cuphead looked at the corner of his eyes in thought. “Pancakie for brekkie cuz you were hungry!” He looked at Mugman with a big grin.

 With the same gloomy eyes, Mugman stared at Cuphead in silence, and suddenly a snicker broke out from his squiggly mouth. “Stop that I still feel awful right now!” Mugman pushed cackling Cuphead away and folded his arms as he resumed his sobbing. “And that’s not even a word!” He snapped back at Cuphead.

 “Uhh, yeah it is!” Cuphead placed his fists on his hips and tilted his head on one side.

 “No it’s not!” Mugman punched his fists down.

 “Uhh, yeah it is!” Cuphead tilted his head again. “It’s said by those people from the down under.” He gasped, his eyes widened, and he smiled wider. “Or…” His eyes slyly looked towards Mugman.

 “Noooohuhooo!” Mugman stomped his feet.

 Cuphead snickered. “The underground!”

 Mugman growled and stomped his feet repetitively.

 Cuphead giggled just pulled his brother for a clink. “Bro, if it makes ya feel any bettah, I helped ya do it, so ya never did it on yer own.”

 Mugman gasped. “I-I didn’t?” He smiled.

 Humming an ‘uh-uh’, Cuphead shook his head and shook his brother’s shoulder. “You were starving, I wouldn’t let that happen to ya.”

 “Aww.” Mugman wiped a tear. “Thanks bro.”

 Suddenly, they both gasped, their straws extended vertically straight accompanied with a ‘DING!’ bell sound. “Ohhh…” They smiled at each other. “So that’s what it feels like!”

 “Jinx!” Cuphead booped Mugman’s nose again for a moment. “Ha! Ya owe me two hotdogs!” He held two fingers.

 Mugman gasped. “Heeey!” He smiled and folded his arms. “No fair, you ruined the moment!”

 “Uh-uh!” Cuphead wagged his finger. “Jinxing is non-biased and is unmerciful. No bro moment can be your saving grace here bro.”

 Mugman rolled his eyes. “Fine, ya win.”

 “Yes!” With closed eyes, Cuphead pumped his fist.

 They both turned around and walked towards the doorway behind them.

 “I like my hotdogs hot and spicy.” Cuphead formed a pinch using his thumb and index finger.

 Mugman smirked. “Ya like anythin’ spicy.”

 “Duh, cuz they’re hot. Like me.” He pointed his thumb to himself while smiling with his million-dollar smile.

 Mugman licked his finger and touched Cuphead’s right cheek.

 “Tsss!” They both said as if imitating the sound of steam.

 “Jinx!” Mugman yelled.

 Cuphead widened his eyes and his mouth o’ed in surprise, and then he shut his eyes, covered his face, and shouted at the thrill of losing.

 Mugman giggled. “Karma.” His voice bounced on the walls as they passed through the doorway.

 “Yeah yeah.” Cuphead lightly punched on Mugman’s arm and the latter giggled.

 Suddenly, the Froggit croaked, waiting by the right of the doorway. “Did you boys like the candy? You look pretty stuffed after taking one each.”

 The boys’ pupils shrunk. Mugman’s mouth started to scrunch and he started to tremble and sweat.

 “Y-yeah!” Cuphead’s trembling right hand made a thumbs-up and then he held it in place with his left hand to stop it from shaking. “It was really sweeeet!”

 The Froggit croaked. “I hope it makes up for our awkward incident awhile back.”

 “Aww.” Mugman smiled sweetly.

 Cuphead giggled. “No probby Froggy.” He placed his fists on his hips.

 “And…” The Froggit croaked and all four of its eyes looked at their lower corners in a moment’s thought. “I’d like to have that hug now.”

 Mugman gasped while he covered his big open mouth while Cuphead just smiled. Slightly uncovering his mouth, Mugman grinned at Cuphead and the latter just nudged his elbow with his own elbow and nodded his head at the former.

 Bubbly giggling, Mugman circled behind the frog with open arms. “Come here froggy buddy.” He picked up the frog in a hug.

 The Froggit squeaked in surprise as he was squeezed, and with all four eyes, he looked at Mugman above. Eventually, the Froggit’s eyes half closed, its crooked mouth smiled, and it closed all four eyes.

 With his head tilted slightly to the right, Cuphead smiled proudly at Mugman with his fists on his hips. He sighed regretfully, wanting to keep watching. “Come on bro. We’ve gotta find Toriel.”

 Mugman put down the Froggit and then ran over to Cuphead.

 The Froggit croaked twice. “Before you leave…” Its four eyes opened looking at the boys. “I have some advice about the rest of the monsters.”

 After a brief look at each other, the boys leaned closer, hands on knees, to the frog and smiled at it attentively.  

 “If you act a certain way, or fight them until they are almost defeated… then they may not want to fight you anymore. And if they do, please…” The Froggit closed all his four eyes. “Have some mercy on them, boys.” The Froggit ended with a croak.

 “Ohh!” Mugman’s eyes widened in realization.

 “Uhh… What did he say?” With a raised eyebrow, Cuphead scratched his cheek.

 “He doesn’t want us to hurt the other monsters here.” Mugman splayed his explaining hand.

 The Froggit croaked and hopped closer to the boys. “Can you do that, please?”

 The boys smiled at each other, and then at the Froggit. “Okay.” They nodded.

 The Froggit raised its closed right webbed foot, which was like a fist, reached for Mugman’s hand (which Mugman generously lent) with the other foot/hand, and dropped a clinking thing onto it (a clink which made Cuphead’s eyes widen). When the Froggit pulled back his hand, two gold coins were left on Mugman’s palm.

 Mugman and Cuphead gasped, though for Cuphead it was a very lengthy gasp of surprise with his pupils reflecting the shiny coins, and Mugman eyed Cuphead’s reaction with cringed up worried cheeks.

 “Take care boys.” The Froggit croaked.

 “Oh we will! C’mon Mugs!” Cuphead grabbed Mugman’s hand and ran off.

 “Whoa! B-bye Mr. Froggit!” Mugman waved as he was pulled to the direction behind them.

 The Froggit croaked and waved goodbye.

 The boys ran past a pile of read leaves on their right.

 “C’mon Mugs! We gotta earn more coooooiiinnss!!” Cuphead’s pupils changed into gold coins.

 “Whoa, whoa!” Mugman raised an eyebrow as he ran with Cuphead. “Being nice doesn’t always get us paid bro.”

 “Oh? Watcha call that?” Cuphead smirked as he pointed at the gold coins Mugman was holding.

 “Uhh…” Mugman looked at his coins with a sweat drop on his head and a raised eyebrow. "Ummm…” He bit his lower lip.

 “Yeah, exactly. C’mon, if we keep being nice to them we can get rich in no time!” Cuphead ran faster as they turned left to the next room, away from another leaf pile on the right.

 Mugman snorted. “That’s just silly, that’s not how things work. WHOA!!!”

 The boys stepped on soft sandy ground which crumbled and gave way, and the boys screamed (so loud that their uvulas trembled) hugging each other for dear life as they fell.

 “UGH!” They grunted as they landed onto a soft crackling pile of something.

 Quickly, they both rose to a sit and they looked around to see some red leaves falling from their face to the rectangular bed of red leaves that they are sitting on and rustled as they moved their hands.

 With a big smile at Mugman, Cuphead sprung his open hands up in the air. “Adventuh!!”

 Mugman giggled and playfully pushed Cuphead that it knocked him over with an “Oof!” lying back onto the leaf pile, and they both shared a moment of laughter.

 *RIBBIT*

 The boys gasped, Cuphead sat up, and they looked to the right (Cuphead’s left) where the croak came from.

 Suddenly, another Froggit pounced onto Mugman, who was screaming in panic while Cuphead shivered in fright with his hands spread and his straw forming an exclamation point. Cuphead yanked Mugman away from the Froggit, while the Froggit tripped onto the leaf pile.

 Cuphead points his glowing blue gun at the Froggit. “DON’T TOUCH MY BROTHER!”

 The Froggit squeaked in fright and it began to shiver.

 After calming down from his huffing, Mugman smiled. “Aww, it just probably wanted a hug.”

 The Froggit looked at Mugman and then started to blush. It dropped something clinking and then hopped away to reveal two more gold coins.

 The boys gasped, and Cuphead smirked at Mugman while the latter just glared confused at the gold coins.

 “Oh-kay…” Mugman raised an eyebrow.

 With a big greedy smile, Cuphead picked up the coins, and then opened his hand showing them to Mugman. “Huh? Huh?” He said teasingly.

 “If only you could get paid every time you were nice to someone back at home…” Mugman folded his arms as he smiled at his brother’s accomplishments, and then sighed. “Third time, then I’ll admit I’m wrong.”

 Cuphead laughed and then pulled Mugman to the right-side door to a running and laughing start. Through the door, they climbed up a set of spiral steps leading up to a small window that they fit themselves through their feet and they landed onto the floor which had the soft ground they fell from (which apparently did not have holes), and they ran towards the next room on the right.

 Slightly to the right before them was a single rock standing in the middle of the room, a square metal plate close to the rock, and a few inches after was a row of tall metal spikes that stretched to the walls of the room barring a passage through.

 Mugman huffed, smiled, and folded his arms. “This puzzle’s easy.”

 Cuphead snickered. “Ya call this a puzzle?” He smirked as he pointed his thumb at the rock.

 They stepped forward, when suddenly-!

 *RING!* *RING!* The CELLPHONE buzzed from Cuphead’s pocket.

 Cuphead picked it up, clicked a button and brought it closer to Mugman who brought his head closer.

 “Hello?” They both said.

 “Hello? This is Toriel.” Her voice spoke from the phone.

 “Hey Toriel!” They both beamed.

 “For no reason in particular, which do you prefer? Cinnamon or Butterscotch?” She asked politely.

 Cuphead and Mugman licked their lips.

 “Cinnamon!” Cuphead said at the same time.

“Butterscotch!” Mugman said at the same time.

 The brothers gasped and looked at each other as they realized they said different things, and then smiled at each other. “Cinnamon AND butterscotch! Jinx!” They pointed their finger guns at each other.

 “Ahh! I see!” Toriel hummed in thought. “Thank you very much!”

 The phone call ended with a beep. Cuphead put the phone back in his pocket and they both stepped forward until-

 *RING!* *RING!* The phone rang again, surprising both the boys, and Cuphead, after a groan, picked the phone, answered it, and brought it closer to Mugman who looked at it confused.

 “Hello?” They asked, more confused; Cuphead had a fist on his hip, while Mugman just brought his non-existent ear closer.

 “Hello! This is Toriel! Umm…” She paused. “Are you sure you boys… wouldn’t mind sharing the two flavors?”

 “No, we wouldn’t.” They said a little annoyed.

 “Well, I had to make sure because… I know you’re brothers and… It would be awful if you would fight over it and then turn up your nose if ever you found it on your plate.” She hummed in thought.

 “Watcha makin Toriel?” Mugman asked with a smile, which Cuphead smiled at too after listening.

 Toriel paused for a good long seconds. “Oh! That’s... nothing special. Thank you for being patient by the way!”

 The call ended with a beep.

 Mugman got the phone and put it in his pocket.

 “Watcha think she’s makin?” Cuphead smirked.

 “Hmm, bag of flour…” Mugman unfolded his index finger as he counted. “Cinnamon…” He unfolded his ring finger (no middle finger). “Butterscotch…” He unfolded his pinky. “Hmmm…” He tapped his tinking chin. “I think she’s bakin’.” He looked at Cuphead.

 Cuphead slurpily licked his lips.

 Mugman giggled. “I know. Thanks.” He started walking to the rock.

 Cuphead glared at Mugman as he started to walk too. “Hey, I didn’t say anythin’.”

 Mugman shrugged his shoulders. “Well, deep down you’re grateful.”

 Cuphead playfully pushed Mugman and the latter just giggled.

 Together they pushed the rock forward, not that they needed to, but it was out of habit of doing something together, and they didn’t mind. Once the rock reached the square metal plate, the spikes loudly sheathed themselves below the floor. Then, something fluttered near them.

 It had a ghost-shaped body, two transparent insect wings flapping on its back, two dropping antennae, slits for eyes, an upside down triangular mouth, and two thin arms and feet. “Oh… my…” It whimpered.

 Cuphead beamed and waved at the flying monster. “Hiya-!”

 “OHH!” Flinching backwards, the insect monster covered its mouth with its arms. “OHHHHHH!!!!” It flew away sobbing and leaving a trail of tears.

 Cuphead creased his eyebrows and reached his hand for the monster. “Heeeey! Wha-!” He sighed.

 “Aww.” Mugman looked at it pitifully as it flew out of the room. “It’s so sensitive!”

 Cuphead’s dilated and trembled. “My… money…”

 Eyes narrowing half-closed, Mugman glared at Cuphead with an open mouth. “Seriously?”

 A tear dropped from Cuphead’s eye, and he sniffled.

 Mugman snickered. “Aww, baby bro…”

 Realizing what he said, Mugman’s eyes widened and his smile opened wide in realization, while Cuphead’s eyes widened, his jaw slowly dropped opened in surprise, and his head slowly turned to Mugman. Holding back his laughter inside his mouth, Mugman bit his lower lip, covered his mouth with his giddy knuckles, and started to tear up of such fun.

 Cuphead’s open mouth started to smirk, and his upper eyelids closed into a sly stare. “What did’ja call me?” He rolled up his black sleeves, revealing his white arms.

 Mugman started to titter, tears poured down his eyes, his entire body trembled of laughter, and he bit his lower lip more trying not to laugh. “Y-you…” Mugman said as Cuphead stepped towards him, and Mugman lowered his knuckles to his chin while he shrank. “You have a soft spot…” He closed his eyes for a moment and bit his lower lip more, then opened to see Cuphead towering over him and wiggling his claw fingers. “… Baby bro!” He booped Cuphead’s tiny nose.

 With a big open mouth mischievous smile, Cuphead growled in a “RRRAGH!” and he attempted to pounce Mugman to the ground but the latter, after a shivering with such thrill, ducked below Cuphead, and the former instead landed onto the ground.

 With a bubbly, hysterical, and loud cackle, tears flying out of his eyes, and arms forward, Mugman sprinted for the exit over the spikes, but not before smiley and loud growling Cuphead tried to grab for Mugman’s legs only for Mugman to jump over Cuphead and make it over the spikes.

 “C’MERE!!!” Cuphead pushed himself up and chased after Mugman with a war shout of his own.

 Teary-eyed flailing-arms Mugman screamed and laughed for dear life (with some pig-snorting in between) as he ran through the narrow hallway away from smiling, snarling, and war shouting Cuphead. He turned to the right where the path was two-times wider, but he stepped into a spot of floor that immediately gave way and his scream of giddy laughter turned into terror as he fell flailing his arms around trying to grab something. Meanwhile, as Cuphead approached, he saw the hole that Mugman fell in, and then dove in headfirst with a big confident smile on his face.

 Mugman landed on his bum on a bed of crinkling red leaves with an “Ugh!” He looked up, and screamed in a “WAAAGHAHA!” with his straw turning into an exclamation point as he saw war-shouting smiling Cuphead diving after Mugman with arms held out ready to catch him. Scream of terror turning into giddy teary-eyed laughter, Mugman jumped up, pedaled the air three times with his legs, and then dashed out of the way before Cuphead landed with an “Ooof!” face-front onto the bed of leaves.

 Bubbly and hysterically laughing, Mugman stepped onto a thin bed of red leaves in the middle and then proceeded to run further, but then he saw a sign on the left and looked at it as his laughter calmed down into giggles. He read the sign “Please don’t step on-! JIMINY CRICKET!!!” As he looked to his left, he saw Cuphead sprinting after Mugman and he ran away towards the wall ahead, but also towards a couple of Froggits that noticed the boys.

 Mugman jumped over the first Froggit while he ducked the second which attempted to pounce on him. “CUTE FROGGITS! NICE FROGGITS!” He said as if he was trying to convince himself they were harmless.

 The Froggits squeaked and blushed as they looked at Mugman.

 “MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGS!” Cuphead war-shouted with his big smile as jump-tumbled over the Froggits who threw a total of five coins above them, and Cuphead snatched them with the straw-hand in the air as he tumbled. “THANK YOU!”

 The wall ahead was a dead end, and hysterically screaming and laughing Mugman turned around with his hands clinging to the wall to see Cuphead charging after him. Mugman ran to the left corner of the wall where the leaf bed was, picked up two fistfuls of leaves and threw them at Cuphead, but the latter just swatted them away.

 “END OF THE LINE YA MUGHEAD!” Cuphead wiggled his fingers at the ready.

 Cuphead attempted to catch Mugman in his arms, but Mugman ducked under the former’s legs (to which the former looked between his legs to see Mugman), bumped his butt against Cuphead’s knocking him over to the bed of leaves (to which Cuphead reacted in an “Ooof!”), and hysterically laughed with more snorts as he ran away. Taking a moment to smile in an ‘It’s on!’ way, Cuphead pushed himself up, turned around and continued the chase.

 Mugman sprinted through the red leaves, ignoring a seemingly zigzag path around the leaves, turned right, and then left running towards the door in the right which led to a set of stairs to the upper floor.

 On the upper floor, hysterically laughing Mugman popped out of a small window, landed onto the floor he fell from earlier, ran to his left to the spot on the floor where he saw a hole was, paused before the hole, and stepped onto the floor left of the hole, but it too gave way and he fell down bubbly screaming with a few bits of laughter towards the same red pile of leaves below. He popped his head above the leaves and saw that the room was empty.

 “I’M COMING MUGS!!” Cuphead’s screaming voice echoed from the stairs on the door, followed by footsteps that were running up.

 Mugman got up and hurried to read the sign he missed earlier (all while stepping on the crinkling leaves). “Please don’t step on the leaves. WHOA!” He looked around terrified to see the red leaves all around him.

 From the ceiling, Cuphead was bubbly screaming and laughing as he fell down to the bed red crinkling leaves a bit distant from fearfully looking Mugman… but then the latter raised an eyebrow.

 “Huh?” Mugman scratched his head in confusion.

 Mugman recalled that they’ve fallen at least two times each on the red leaves, but nothing happened to them.

 Meanwhile, Cuphead pushed himself off the bed of red leaves and playfully snarled as he ran towards Mugman, who then began to joyfully scream and run away to the wall again.

 “Oh no! Oh no!” The same ghost-like monster suddenly appeared and was watching them nearby.

 “RAGH!” Cuphead made a pounce for Mugman with a scary face that had his tongue out, but instead he had jumped over the monster.

 “AAAAGH!” The ghost-like monster screamed and covered itself as it shivered, but also dozens of clones of the ghost-bug monster flew out of it and fluttered towards the boys. In echoing “AAAGH!” “AAAAGH!” screams.

 Fluttering like butterflies, the ghost-bug monsters surrounded the boys both in a big circle, and Mugman stopped running before he could touch the ring. Cuphead looked around too noticing the ring, but smiled villainously as he noticed Mugman was trapped in the same ring as he was. Mugman screeched and shivered with the thrill of being trapped with the last person he wants to be. Cuphead ran towards Mugman and attempted to catch him with his arms, but the latter ducked it and ran away to the other side of the ring. Cuphead ran to catch Mugman, but the latter grabbed jumped over Cuphead, pushing his brother’s shoulders in the process for a boost, and Cuphead just gasped.

 “HEY! COME BACK HERE!” Cuphead yelled as he chased.

 Cuphead continued to swipe his arms at hysterically laughing Mugman who either ducked, jumped, or slid under his legs just to avoid getting caught by the former all while avoiding the fluttering ring of butterfly-like monsters surrounding them. At one point, Cuphead managed to catch Mugman in an arms-locked-tight hug from behind, which the latter reacted with an excited hysterical laugh and intense kicking to the air (meanwhile the butterfly-like monsters revolved around the boys faster accidentally complimenting the scene). However, using his trapped hands, Mugman poked Cuphead’s stomach and it caused the latter to laugh, and the tickles weakened Cuphead’s grip onto Mugman that it allowed the latter to jump out and run away again. Just then, the clones of butterfly-monsters flew back to the original monster, dissipating the ring in the process, and it allowed hysterically laughing Mugman to run away to the stairs.

 “SAVE ME! SAVE ME!” Mugman said loudly and energetically to the ghost-bug monster as he ran past it.

 “Ohhh! You’re playing!!...” The ghost-bug monster said as two coins fell from the monster to the floor. “P-please don’t hurt the other Whimsuns!” She said to Mugman.

 Cuphead swiped the two coins off the floor as he ran and chased after hysterically laughing and crying Mugman.

 Mugman looked around trying to memorize the path pattern that had no red leaves while he sprinted away from Cuphead and towards the stairs leading to the upper floor again. Arriving at the upper floor, Mugman sprinted until he neared the end of the wall (avoiding the two holes that were created), and then stopped to look at the floor. Massaging his head with both his hands, Mugman imagined the layout of beds of red leaves on the floor; on his right was a wide four-by-two rectangular bed of red leaves, and far ahead was a letter-p bed with a thin stem and a very large six-by-four rectangle. He looked back to see Cuphead popping out of the small opening on the wall, and then running after him.

 His straw turning into an exclamation point, Mugman shrieked and then bubbly laughed and ran downwards the imaginary vertical clear path avoiding the four-by-two bed of red leaves, then turned right after passing the open corner of the left wall, then as soon as he reached the wall at the end of his run he turned left running to the closed right corner far ahead, avoiding the large letter P of red leaves on his left. Once he passed the rectangle, he turned left, saw Cuphead following his running direction at least, and ran straight ahead, but then suddenly remembered there was a vertical thin bed of red leaves and turned left.

 “CUPHEAD STAAAHAHAHAHAP!!” Mugman yelled.

  “I’M GONNA GET YA! I’M GONNA GET YA!” Cuphead said with a big grin as he pushed himself to try to sprint even faster than he was already going.

 Hysterically laughing Mugman just continued running forward towards the exit ahead, without realizing that he stepped onto the floor beside a single square leaf bed and fell screaming again. Again, he landed on the leaf bed below, and again, Cuphead followed headfirst falling after Mugman with his screaming war shout. And again, hysterically laughing, but now coughing and then laughing again Mugman dashed out of the way, while Cuphead, after landing on the crinkling leaves, chased after him again.

 Along the way to the stairs, they met with a few more Whimsuns, which Cuphead would scare with his warshout yelling and Mugman would just bubbly laugh while asking them to save him. The Whimsuns would recognize they were playing, but in involuntary response, they would drop a few coins, which Cuphead would catch midair with his three hands (the third being his straw).

 All while escaping Cuphead, Mugman ran in the floor pattern he memorized: four squares down and five squares left both next to the four-by-two bed, down to the lower left corner of the room, seven squares right passing the P-bed on their left and turning before the thin vertical bed, five squares up next to the P-bed, four squares right towards the red square bed on his left where he imagined was the start of the L-shaped bed (three squares towards the wall on the right and five squares down), and finally three squares down, four squares right, and four squares up circumventing the L-shaped bed then turned right to the exit.

 In the next room, three mounds of rocks stood, each with a path to a metal plate ahead, and beyond the plates was a wooden bridge standing over a river and spikes were sticking out of it. Weakly laughing Mugman ran behind the leftmost rock followed by weakly shouting Cuphead who just stopped standing on the opposite side of Mugman.

 “P-PLEHEHEASE!” Mugman panted as he walked sideways trying to maintain his opposition of villainously laughing (and panting) Cuphead who was going around the rock to get to Mugman. “STAAHAHAHAHAHAP!”

 “Uh-uh!” Cuphead giggled as he continued shifting around the rock. “You’re gonna get what ya deserve!”

 “NO FAAHEHEHEAIR!” Mugman snorted. “THE ONLY TIME I GET TUH CALL YA BABY BRO AND YOUUHUHUHUHAHA!” He heaved.

 “No, you’re the baby bro.” With a mischievous smile, Cuphead narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger at Mugman.

 “NOO YOU!” With a smile, Mugman glared and pointed his finger at Cuphead.

 “No you!” Cuphead’s smile stretched to his cheeks.

 “NOO YOU!” Mugman pounded his fists onto the rock.

 Cuphead giggled. “No… You!” Stepping on the rock with his left foot, he jumped over it and pounced on Mugman who screamed with such thrill and began laughing hysterically.

 “NOO! NOOO!” Mugman laughed as he tried to push away Cuphead multiple times, but the latter kept on trapping the former in his hug.

 “Who’s the baby bro?” Cuphead teased as he pulled Mugman up to his head-level.

 “ME! MEEE! MEEEEHEHEHE!” Mugman squeezed his eyes shut.

 “Yeah, that’s right.” Cuphead then giggled as he noogied Mugman’s opposite cheek squeezing the latter towards his own cheek.

 Mugman moaned, frowning and squeezing his eyes shut as he was feeling a bit of discomfort in giggling Cuphead’s rough noogie.

 Cuphead let go of Mugman, and looked around the room to get familiarized.

 Mugman grumbled. “Iimmm waanninuh tickun.” He mumbled as he rubbed his left elbow while looking at it.

 Cuphead’s eyes lit up, and he mischievously looked at Mugman. “What was that?”

 Mugman grinned, his body stiffened, and a sweat dropped in his head. “N-Nothing! Nothing!”

 Something made a bubbly jiggly ‘BLUB, BLUB’ sound, and the brothers looked to their left following the direction of the sound. Two green slimy jiggly jello-shaped monsters stood rolling its bodies top to bottom like swimming jellyfish.

 “Woah!” Cuphead smiled. “Check out these guys!” He pointed his thumb towards the slime monsters.

 Slightly behind, Mugman walked up by Cuphead’s side, rested his elbow on his shoulder, and smiled at the monsters. Cuphead began bending his knees, causing Mugman to wobble in surprise at the sudden gravity which the former giggled at, and then stood up again. Mugman began to imitate Cuphead by placing his hands on his hips, bending his knees and then standing, bending, standing, bending, and standing over and over.

 The slime creatures started to roll faster and more intensely, and Cuphead and Mugman, after a looking at each other for a moment with a bubbly giggle, bended and stood faster and faster in sync with the slime monsters. Then, the slime creatures began squirting out slime balls out of its heads. The slime balls landed slowly towards the boys, as if gravity wasn’t affecting it.

 The boys looked at the balls with raised eyebrows, Cuphead with more confident intrigue while Mugman had more confusion and concern. The slime balls exploded into twelve smaller sludge balls flying in a radial circle, some of which flew towards the boys, and Cuphead and Mugman gasped (the former excited while the latter scared).

 Cuphead pulled Mugman’s hand as he ran towards the right, and the latter yelled with a ‘WOAH!’.

 Watching the flying slime projectiles, bubbly laughing Cuphead kept running until they closed in.

 “GET READY TUH JUMP BUDDY!” Cuphead shouted at Mugman.

 “O-Okay!” Mugman replied.

 The slime projectile closed in and they both jumped together in a front flip/somersault evading the crisscrossing slime projectiles (without spilling any milk from their cup heads). As they landed on their feet, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other with big smiles.

 The boys looked at the slime creatures noticing that they squiggled away from the scene leaving behind one gold coin each.

 With a smiley gasp, Cuphead’s eyes glimmered with the reflection of gold coins and he ran towards the coins while Mugman watched with a smile, folded arms, and a head shake. Cuphead picked up the coins and ran back with both his open palms shown to Mugman.

 “Huh?” With a confident smile, Cuphead brought his right hand forward showing the gold coin to giggling Mugman. “Huh?” He brought his left hand forward while pulling back his right hand. He pulled up more coins from his pocket and unfolded both his hands that were full of coins. “Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?” He brought his hands forward-backward-forward-backward-forward alternatively while showing the gold coins to Mugman who started to laugh. “Huuuuuuhh??” He sprinkled the gold coins from his right hand to the floor. Next, he made a waterfall of gold coins from his left hand by pushing them off by ones, twos, or threes with his right hand like some rich millionaire.

 Mugman laughed and laughed, and a snort was inserted at the end. “Okay okay.” He pushed his ‘stop’ hands twice. “Ya get paid for bein’ nice. I’m proud of ya.”

 On the floor picking up the coins, Cuphead snickered. “Whaddya mean yer proud of me? I’m a nice guy.” He pointed his thumb to himself.

 Mugman giggled and knelt down to help him. “Nice?” He looked at the upper corner of his eyes while humming. “Nah.” With a teasing smile he shook his head.

 “Heeey!” With a smile, Cuphead very weakly punched (which was like a push with a fist) Mugman on his right face and the latter giggled.

 “Good?” Mugman’s smile stretched to his right. “Yeah!” He nodded as he put the coins in his pocket.

 Cuphead snickered. “Ya mean good-lookin!” He winked as he put the coins in his pocket.

 Mugman laughed. “Yeah!”

 They both jumped up and shared a loud high-five.

 “That co-homeback was so cool!” Mugman’s eyes glimmered with pride as he closed his fists in excitement.

 “Pfft!” Cuphead rolled his eyes. “Aw come on, I know ya set that one up.”

 Mugman gasped. “Oh yeah I did!” He covered his smile with his right hand.

 Cuphead giggled while he rolled his eyes and shook his head at how slow Mugman can be. “Just go push that rock and let’s get outta here.” He pointed to the middle rock.

 Happy Mugman went over to the middle rock and together Cuphead and Mugman pushed the leftmost and middle rocks respectively ‘til they landed on the metal plates and could not push them anymore.

 Mugman looked at Cuphead with mischievous smile. “Ya know… ya could’ve challenged me into a rock race.”

 Cuphead’s eyes widened and he face-palmed himself. “Argh! Damn it, why didn’t ya say somethin’!”

 Mugman giggled as he ran over to the third rock. “I didn’t want ya cryin’ like a baby bro!” His giggle turned into a laugh.

 “OH YOU’RE REALLY ASKIN FOR IT!” Cuphead ran to chase Mugman again.

 Hysterically laughing Mugman hid behind the rock to attempt to juke Cuphead again until-

 “WHOA there, pardners!” A male cowboy voice spoke.

 The boys shook, stopped what they were doing and looked around.

 “Down here boys!” The cowboy voice spoke again.

 The boys looked down on the rock.

 “Yeah! Now we see each othah.” The rock spoke, its mouth moved from the bottom.

 Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright and they hugged each other in a clink.

 “WOAH there! Didn’t mean tuh scare the milk out of ya cups!” It chuckled. “But, if it stops ya from steppin’ over me, like what the red one did on one of my pardners over there, then a rock’s gotta do what rock’s gotta do.”

 The brothers smiled at the rock and, after a surprised look at each other, let go of each other.

 “Sorry ‘bout that, we were just… horsin’ around.” Mugman scratched his head, and he blushed a little.

 Cuphead snickered and he pushed Mugman and the latter giggled and stumbled.

 “Well, it does help tuh be polite. Whut can I do ya fer?” The rock tilted its mouth up, as if its face was looking at the boys.

 “Ya got any coins?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow. Mugman surprise-glared at Cuphead, and the latter noticed. “Oh yeah!” He turned back to the rock. “Ya got any coins? Please?” He clapped his hands together.

 With a nervous sweat on his face, Mugman chuckled as he scratched his cheek. “A-at least he got the polite part…”

 “Oh, sorry pardner! It’s not like an old rock would need anythin’ about coins.” The rock said.

 “How ‘bout just, m-move closer to that metal plate over there?” Cringe-eyed Mugman pointed his finger over to the metal plate.

 The rock rotated itself to look at the metal plate. “Oh! Alright, since ya asked so kindly, let’s rock and roll pardner.”

 Mugman and Cuphead chuckled.

 “Rock…” Cuphead whispered with his right backhand curved on his lips like he was telling a secret, and his left thumb pointing at the other. “…and roll.” He snickered with his eyes closed.

 “Technically, more like a rock and slide.” Mugman watched the rock casually.

 The rock slid halfway closer to the metal plate and then stopped.

 Mugman waved his ‘push to the side’ hand signal. “A little more.”

 “Huh? Alrighty then.” The rock moved a quarter closer to the plate.

 Mugman sighed and looked at it bored “A little more.” Meanwhile, Cuphead giggled at him.

 The rock slid off track to its left. “How’s that?”

 Mugman jolted in surprise at the rock’s unfollowing while Cuphead just laughed.

 “How’s that closer??” Mugman splayed his ‘what the heck’ hands.

 “Heh? You said ya wanted me closer to the metal plate, not standin’ over it kid.” The rock slid over to the metal plate. The metal spikes on the bridge sheathed down like resounding swords. “Did that help?”

 Maintaining his ‘what the heck’ hands, Mugman glared at the rock while Cuphead kept his laugh shut in his hand-covered mouth.

 “That is the cheekiest rock I’ve ever seen.” Cuphead whispered to Mugman.

 Mugman groaned. “Ya know what, yeah.” He smiled and put both his thumbs up. “Ya did great pardner.”

 “Yeah, rock on!” Cuphead winked as he rested his elbow on Mugman’s shoulder.

 “Hmm, if I had a pebble for every time I heard that joke.” The rock commented.

 With that, Mugman and Cuphead walked together towards the wooden bridge, but then suddenly, the spikes UNSHEATHED and the boys screamed in fright as they hugged each other.

 Rotating their heads 180 degrees, the boys looked behind them. The rock was apparently a quarter-distance off the metal plate.

 Cuphead and Mugman glared at the rock. “HEY!”

 “Hmm?” The rock’s mouth turned towards them.

 “Come on man!” Cuphead splayed out his hand but then retracted it to tap his tinking chin for a second. “Err-Rock!”

 “Ya almost killed us!” Mugman splayed out his hand as well.

 “Ohh, I see how it is.” The rock turned around and proceeded to slide back to its original start position.

 “WAIT!” Cuphead and Mugman reached out their hands.

  The rock paused and turned around. “Wha?”

 “Where’re ya goin?” Cuphead raised an eyebrow.

 The rock half-turned to the boys. “I give ya the help ya need and this is the thanks I get?” It faced back to the start position. “I’m goin’ back home.”

 “Wait wait!” Mugman walked towards the rock and sighed. “We’re sorry, we just need ya to stand on the plate. Could ya do that? Please?” He put his hands together and shook them.

 Meanwhile Cuphead just glared at the rock with confusion. “Its starting spot is its home???”

 “Well, I gotta say kid, you’re givin’ me a real work out here. But… since you asked nicely.” The rock slid to the metal plate and just remained standing there.

 “Thank you!” Mugman smiled, then turned around and buddy-hooked his brother’s arm. “Come on bro! Let’s cross before Mr. Rock changes its mind.”

 “Woah!” Cuphead said as he was pulled and he began running backwards. “Wait up wait up!” He chuckled.

 In the next room, on the right side, a round wooden table stood with a plate of cheese set on top of it. The boys approached the plate of cheese, sniffed it, and made some half disgusted and half amused smiles.

 “What’s it for?” Cuphead raised its eyebrow.

 Then, there was something squeaking behind them. They turned around, and saw a cute tiny mouse standing in the doorway of the mouse hole, but then suddenly walking shyly back to the darkness of it.

 “Aww hey little guy!” Mugman said as he approached it.

 The mouse just retreated back into the darkness.

 Mugman bent down to the mouse hole. “Ya like some cheese buddy?” He ran back to the plate, took a piece, ran back to the mouse hole and offered some. “Here!”

 “No!” Its tiny squeaky voice said. “Put it back! I… I wanna get it myself!”

 Mugman gasped and he had a familiar flashback of what he said earlier. Cuphead approached Mugman with an endearing smile, picked up the cheese from his hand, went back to the plate, and replaced the piece of cheese back. Mugman approached Cuphead and together they watched the mouse hole.

 “You know bro, I believe some day he’ll be brave enough to get the cheese.” Cuphead smiled at Mugman.

 “Yeah… me too bro.” Mugman’s smile stretched. “Me too.”

 They held their hands together, and unknowingly a yellow star glowed from between their hands.

-Progress Saved-

 -End of Chapter 3-

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