#spoiler: jessie acquires a fruity angel uncle

[dreaming-of-brawlstars]

A Mortifying Discovery: Part Two. Part One is here.

Desc: Colt’s been running around Starr Park for ages now, and had depended on Jessie as his navigator. But sometimes a map doesn’t do justice to what’s there.

Warnings: Referenced memory alteration/wiping. Amnesia. Fridge horror. Some angst.

Author’s Note: Hurt/COMFORT. Comfort comes around the end but it’s comfort. Happy ending.

Extra Note: posting this separate because scrolling to parts can be a bit difficult on mobile and I just wanna simplify it.

“Okay, creepy spooky haunted house with a radio,” he muttered, moving forward slowly through the dark. “You got this, Colt.” He looked ahead of him, watching the dark area. “Just a few minutes. Find the radio. Turn it off. Call Jessie.”

His mind worked in circles as he walked, and he kept repeating that mantra. He looked around, his eyes finally having adjusted to the darkness. The house seemed big, very big. But it was only because the windows are tall, he reasoned. It’ll all be fine. Just a few seconds.

He concluded that it had to be coming from upstairs after a brief search of the floor he was in resulted in nothing, and he heard the radio slightly louder as he was near them.

He moved to the stairs, carefully ascending them. Then he heard a creak. It was just a small one, then another. Looking down, he could see that all the steps squeaked at the slightest weight. It made him cringe as he took another step up, holding on tight. Another creak. A few steps later, the stairs creaked louder. He held onto the railing, biting his lip as he kept going. Then he was on the top step.

It was probably made like that for the creep factor, since the steps looked and felt firm enough, but it still managed to unnerve him.

Slowly walking around the hall, he glanced at every door, trying to figure where the radio came from, following the sound. Finally, he found a room that seemed to be the source, and he pressed his ear against the door to make sure.

“And so, listener…” Yep, that was most definitely the radio. He went to open the door, noticing it wasn’t locked. But it was jammed.

“Damn it.” Colt briefly shifted, pressing his shoulder against the door on the side with the knob, leaning all his weight into it. If he could get past it without breaking the door open, he would be fine. “Hurry up, you stupid…!” He urged, gritting his teeth as he heaved his entire body against the door.

The door gave away slightly, and Colt let out a groan when he noticed a chain deadbolt. However, his solution was in reach. He saw a golden cane, reached his hand through, and grabbed it. Once he had it, he used it to slide the chain out of the bolt, opening the door.

“Which of our senses can be trusted?”

When it swung open, he froze.

It was a bedroom, a large bed in the middle with the radio speaking on the nightstand next to it. In the bed was someone sleeping, breathing softly.

Colt gulped, stepping into the room slowly and propping open the door with the cane. He carefully made his way over to the radio, watching the resting person.

“Which of our thoughts can be believed?” Colt hesitated to reach out to the radio, looking at the sleeping person.

They were wearing a Starr Hat, just like he used to. A felt yellow hat with headphones. Without thinking, Colt reached to take it off of them.

“Which story that we tell ourselves can be regarded as truth?” As he pulled the headphones off of them, he faintly heard the voice on the radio coming form the headphones too. He briefly glanced at them, then at the person. “It’s important to remember tha-a-a-“

Colt turned off the radio, ignoring the voice continuing from the headphones as he looked for a place to put it, eventually placing it on the nightstand next to the radio. He had his eyes on the person.

Pointed ears and purple hair. Weird, but not the weirdest thing Starr Park could do to a person. They seemed to be sleeping deeply, like most guests of Starr Park, but he noticed that they were wearing something different. Something white stuck out form under the dark comforter.

He wasn’t sure if he should wake them up or not, seeing as they weren’t awake. He decided to go with the former. He leaned closer towards them. “Hey. Wake up.” He tried to make his voice sound soft and comforting, even though there was something about that person that made him nervous, and he hadn’t been feeling well for days. “You’re not in a safe place, you should probably get up.”

He waited patiently for him to wake up before he decided what to do next. As he thought, they began to stir, waking up slowly. He noticed how they buried their head into their pillow more, and their brows twitched a bit as their head slowly turned to look at him, making him stiffen a bit in his place.

After a moment of struggling against sleep, they seemed to give in again, stretching briefly and turning. Colt’s eyes widened as two white wings emerged from under the covers and behind their back before relaxing, and they curled up with a contented sigh.

Wings. Actual wings. From behind their back. That was not something Colt had ever seen in real life.

Colt blinked a couple times, trying to process what he had just witnessed. When he did, his brain shut down entirely, leaving him stunned and unable to react. He stared at the person on the bed, who seemed oblivious to everything.

He. He should probably call Jessie. She might be able to help, right?

Colt didn’t know whether to think or say anything. He didn’t even feel like breathing properly, which didn’t seem to stop him from being able to talk though. He found himself fumbling with the radio, numbly attempting to turn it on.

“Colt?” She said quietly. “Are you okay?”

“I...uh…” He trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say. What was he supposed to say? “I’m. Good. Nothing attacked me. Turned off the radio…but I think maybe I need your help with something….”

She was silent for some time before replying. “What?” He knew that tone; she was nervous and worried and he hated it.

“Why do you think this place had a radio?” His voice broke a little, but he ignored it. “I-I mean, mine had one just like it. I-it was playing the WKBRL stream and everything and… I found it. On a nightstand. In a bedroom.”

Silence. More than one minute passed before her shaky voice filled the silence again. “Is there someone there?” She asked in a quiet voice.

Colt stared at the winged person sleeping, biting his lip and nodding.

“Yeah.” He answered. “He had the Starr Hat with headphones too.”

Another pause followed that, and he could hear the panic in her voice. “Is he alright? Is he hurt?”

“I don’t know.” He replied. “I tried to wake up but and then - wings, Jessie. He has wings.”

“Oh, Mortis’s bats-?”

“No.” Colt cut in quickly. “No, no bats. He’s got wings. Two big white wings with golden feathers on his back. And they’re moving. Like birds or something. Like real ones.”

“…no, Mortis is a vampire. His deal is bats and dark stuff, not… whatever you just described. That sounds more like Crow. Are you sure it’s not-“

“He is right in front of me. He is a guy with purple hair, pointy ears, and two giant white wings on his back. Like some angel.” He shook his head slightly, then sighed. “Jessie, I am serious about this. He’s got wings.”

She didn’t reply. He heard her breathing become laboured as she took in what he had told her.

He could practically hear the gears turning inside her head.

“It. It sounds like Mortis, purple hair and pointy ears, but I’ve never…” He could almost hear her shake her head slightly. “It can’t be him. What do you mean he has wings?”

“I’d send you a picture if I could.” Colt answered simply.

There was a pause, and then he heard her let out a breath.

“Okay. Okay.” She said shakily. “Okay, I guess I believe you. I trust you. Just… be careful. Please.”

“Will do.” He replied. Then his focus turned to Mortis. “Should I…” He paused, hesitating slightly. Should he wake him up?

“We can’t just leave him.” She spoke quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. “Maybe he knows something. Maybe he can help. Strength in numbers.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Alright.” He stood up straight, pulling the cane out of the door and putting it on the floor beside him. Taking a deep breath, Colt moved closer to the figure.

He reached over to their shoulder, trying to avoid touching the wings, shaking it gently. The man didn’t move or respond to Colt’s touch.

With great effort he managed to shake him slightly.

“Mortis, wake up.” He murmured, shaking the body a bit. “Come on now.”

The man shifted slightly in his sleep, mumbling something. After a minute, the person’s eyes opened slightly and looked directly into his face.

Colt jumped, and took an involuntary step back.

He could see them blink, adjusting to the darkness of the room, before looking around slowly, looking at him. With a frown on his face, he watched his gaze turn to where the radio was still sitting on the night stand.

His eyes narrowed a little. There was something familiar about that face, but he couldn’t quite place it. He felt a pang in his chest; he didn’t want to remember.

He shook his head, focusing back to look at him, watching his expression.

“Uh…. hi.” Colt started.

“Who are you?” Mortis mumbled, actually reacting pretty calmly to the situation.

“Uh, Colt.” Colt said, holding out his hand for him to shake.

As Mortis looked at the offered hand, his eyes scanned Colt’s features and body language closely. “Where’d you come from?”

“Long - long story,” He dodged the question. He noticed Mortis reach for the radio on the stand, quickly putting his hand in the way. “No! That doesn’t matter,” He frowned a little when he saw Mortis’s face fall. He continued speaking anyway. “Just - listen to me please. Do you recognize me? Or this place at all?”

“Um,” Mortis frowned a little. “This place is…” He looked away, taking in his surroundings before he glanced at Colt again. “…I’m afraid I don’t recognize it…?”

A flash of confusion and mild alarm crossed Mortis’s face at the realization. He blinked, waking up slightly more.

“Apologizes, I don’t have a proper…” Mortis’s eyebrows furrowed and he tried to think. “Well this is terribly wrong.”

“What?” Colt frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I don’t exactly have any memories here,” Mortis seemed to shiver at his words, mumbling something to himself before speaking further, “Or any memories for that matter. My memories are… gone. Completely erased. No recollection whatsoever.”

Colt blinked a few times, staring at him for a moment. “Erased? So like everyone else here…” He tried to smile. “It’s - it’s not easy. I’ve been there. Starr Park-“

“No! No, you don’t understand.” Mortis threw his legs over the side of the bed, stumbling when he attempted to stand up. He seemed more distraught by this. “You do not understand the extent of my condition. You do not understand how far I have fallen.”

“Fallen?”

“Fallen.” Mortis echoed, and there was a certain weight to that word. But by judging from his expression, Colt could tell the Mortis wasn’t sure why. He repeated, softer, “Fallen…?”

Colt swallowed hard before continuing, unsure of how to approach this. “What happened to you here, Mortis?”

Mortis paused, taking a few steps towards the door, leaning against the wall behind him. He ran his fingers through his hair for a second, taking a couple seconds to calm down. His eyes caught the golden cane against the door, he raised his arm, reaching out to take it. He picked it up, looking at Colt for a brief moment. “I don’t remember. I can’t remember anything. Not a thing. Not even the…” He shook his head. “Not even…”

“Mortis?” Colt prompted.

Mortis lowered his arm, letting it hang by his side, the gold cane clutched between his hands. He breathed in deeply, staring at the carpet beneath his feet. “My memory is… gone. It’s all… a white void.”

Mortis held the cane closer, nervously wringing it in his hands. He stared blankly, presumably trying to remember something. He kept glancing up at Colt, seemingly hoping for a response, expecting a response, or something that might give him answers to the questions he had.

But there was none.

“That means your memory has gone, right?” Colt asked. “I’ve been there-“

“You don’t understand, I’m not supposed to forget. I don’t forget. What I am doesn’t forget!” Mortis cried. “I can’t remember who I am! I’m supposed to protect people, what kind of protector am I?!” He screamed. He took a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. His breathing began to quicken, getting shorter.

“Hey, hey, take it easy.” Colt tried to speak softly, keeping his arms at his sides. “Calm down, buddy. Just slow down. It’s okay…”

“What kind of protector am I, Colt?!” He yelled, throwing his free hand out towards him. “What happened to me? Where am I?!”

“Easy.” Colt said, stepping forward. “Take it easy.”

“I can’t take it easy!” Mortis shouted. “I can’t take it easy! I can’t take it easy!”

“Mortis, stop.” Colt said firmly. “It’s a long story, but the short version is that Starr Park - where we are - is a fan of memory wipes.”

“I am a creature of the light! My memory doesn’t get wiped!” Mortis screamed, holding the cane closer to his chest

“Mortis, you can’t know that for sure.” Colt’s expression turned more serious. “They did it to me.”

“But you’re a-“ Mortis stammered, looking for a word and wildly gesturing with one hand. “You’re a - you’re a human! A mortal! You’re weaker, more fragile. I’m-“

“Stop it.” Colt snapped, taking another step forward, grabbing Mortis’s waving hand by the wrist. “If this is you trying to convince yourself about some weird internal complex or-“

“Listen to me!” The other shot forward suddenly, yanking his wrist violently away from Colt, glaring at him furiously. “Please listen to me!”

There was a long pause. Colt sighed, nodding a little. “Fine. What are you, then?”

“…” Mortis heaved for a moment, trying to compose himself after the outburst before answering. “I am Mortis, a creature and bringer of the light.”

Colt wasn’t sure whether to believe this guy, or if Starr Park had experimented on some person and brainwashed them enough to convince them that they were some angel. Either way, he thought that maybe he should just stop making assumptions and be a bit careful as he went along.

Especially now.

Colt nodded slowly, still unsure. “Okay. That makes sense.” Colt shrugged. “So… what happened to you here? Why haven’t you got your memories anymore?” Colt asked.

“I don’t know.” Mortis admitted, “I have to confess that I’ve gotten no clue as to how or why I’m here. I don’t… recall getting here?”

“Any last memories?” Colt asked. “What’s the last thing you recall?”

Mortis stayed silent for a moment, glancing around on occasion.

“Home.” He mumbled it softly, but it sounded unsure. “I was thinking ‘Surely, this is home’, but I don’t know what home is…” He shook his head lightly before he looked back up at Colt. “I must admit, I feel rather lost.”

“Lost?” Colt blinked. “How so?”

Mortis shook his head again. “Nothing.” He muttered. “I… I was here for a reason.” He looked up as if something clicked. “I’m here to protect people.”

“Yeah, you said that.” Colt nodded.

Mortis glanced down briefly. “I protect people. But, I think I was scared… then I was safe? But that doesn’t make sense.” He said. There was something about how he spoke; it seemed almost like he wasn’t completely sure about what was happening either, like he wasn’t entirely sure that what he knew was true. “I was scared for… myself. Not just others.”

Colt narrowed his brows slightly, studying the other before deciding to say something. Maybe it would clear up things. “I’m guessing normally you’re worried for other people, being a protector, like some angel?”

Mortis’s gaze softened, and he stared at the ground quietly, nodding his head. “Yes… an Angel! I’m an Angel!” Mortis snapped out of the slight daze, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “Angels don’t forget! They can’t.” He shook his head before pausing for a long moment, eyes wide in wonder and confusion. “I can’t remember who I am…”

“You do, though.” Colt added.

“I know who I am. I remember my name, I remember the things I’m supposed to do, I know things; secrets never to be told, knowledge that is not to be spoken.” He paused. “But I don’t know a thing about… this.” He waved his hand to gesture to everything before putting it to his head. “It’s all a bright, white void.”

There was a moment of silence, with only the sound of fireworks in the distance. That caught Mortis’s attention, and he slowly turned to a window.

“…what’s that?”

“A firework show.” Colt sighed, “Happens every night. Same time. And it always ends up like this.”

“There’s- There’s fire.” Mortis walked to the window, forcing it open. “Are-are those screams?”

“…yeah.” Colt hesitated to answer, following Mortis slowly, trying to avoid touching his wings. “Same time, every night. Then the loop restarts after radio creep goes on some lecture-“

“They’re in danger!” Mortis turned to Colt, and Colt could notice his breathing picking up. “There’s fire, there’s explosions - what do you mean ‘then the loop restarts’!? What’s going on?”

“Long. Story.” Colt moved his hand to Mortis’s wrist, sensing that he was about to do something. “You should sit down for this-“

“No,“ Mortis yanked his hand away, now putting a foot on the windowsill and using his other hand to help himself climb out. “There has to be something I can do. Something I can stop.”

“MORTIS-“ Colt attempted to grab the angel as he leaped. However, when a firework went off, he flinched to hide instinctively. He hesitantly opened his eyes, looking out the window in a panic.

Mortis was laying on the ground, clearly having fallen. Colt cursed to himself, looking at the height, estimating that he fell about two stories. He briefly considered jumping down too, but after deciding he didn’t want to risk getting injured, he turned to the stairs and ran down.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he hurried towards Mortis. He stopped abruptly when he saw Mortis on the ground, breathing heavily, but moving. He saw as the angel propped himself on his elbow, shaking his head.

“Are you okay?” Colt quickly asked. He knelt down next to Mortis, inspecting his body for signs of injury. Mortis waved him off. “What were you thinking!? Do your wings even work?”

“I’m fine, and yes, they do.” Mortis used his cane to push himself up, ignoring Colt’s attempts to help him. “Have faith in me, I didn’t become a guardian for nothing.”

Mortis opened his wings, making Colt back away. He bent his knees, ready to launch himself into the sky.

Another firework went off, and he froze in place, eyes widening in surprise. He even stopped breathing for a moment, staring at the sky in… fear? Colt watched as Mortis shook it off, readying to fly again. He leaped.

Light.

He barely made a few feet off the ground when the firework went off, freezing again. The second Mortis noticed himself falling, he fluttered his wings, landing roughly on one knee. He let out another soft sigh, lifting his head slightly as he gazed at the scene before him.

The fireworks and explosions continued to go off around them, bright light making him instinctively freeze in… fear? Terror? He grit his teeth, barely noticing the corners of his eyes starting to sting as more flashes of light filled the sky.

Why was this so terrifying?

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He was supposed to protect.

And yet…. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t react, because he had no idea what had just happened.

But he did, he was attempting to fly, to help people, and then… light. Light in the sky that made him freeze. He barely noticed himself hyperventilating until Colt touched his shoulder.

“Mortis. Look at me.”

Mortis took several deep breaths through his nose, trying to keep himself calm. It was difficult though. His vision was blurred from the tears beginning to spill over.

“I… I don’t understand any of this.” Mortis finally managed, “I don’t know why I’m scared of this. I’m scared for people - I always have been - but-“

His voice cracked, and he let out a chokes sob. He attempted to clear his voice frantically, gripping onto his cane with white knuckles.

“Light shouldn’t terrify me.” He whispered, taking shaky breaths. “I don’t… I don’t understand. This isn’t right. Why can’t… why aren’t I protecting those people… why… why can’t I help…” He closed his eyes tightly. “I… I need help.”

Mortis opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as the tears began to fall. He looked up at Colt, who was watching him carefully. “Help…” He repeated softly. “I need help.”

“Mortis?” Colt looked at his face, noticing Mortis staring wide-eyed at everything, as if he expected to recognize it. But he didn’t say anything. “Mortis, look at me. Please.”

Mortis didn’t say anything, only looked straight ahead as tears poured.

“Why am I so scared for myself?” He asked, quiet.

Colt blinked in surprise. “Maybe something happened. Starr Park is a pretty horrible place, they do lots of things.” Colt offered weakly. “Maybe they did something to you.”

Mortis shook his head. “No,” he paused. “I don’t - I’m an Angel, angels don’t forget, angels don’t worry for themselves, angels protect.” He stared. He was trembling. “I shouldn’t be here, and yet, here I am… and I’ve done nothing… nothing.”

Colt shook Mortis’s shoulder slightly, attempting to snap him out of it. “Hey, listen to me,” he said, hoping to get his attention without shouting. “Mortis? You there?”

“What kind of protector am I if I’m trapped like everyone else here?” Mortis turned to Colt, “I can’t even protect the ones in trouble.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My… My… humans. They were hurt. They were hurting. I was going to save, and yet here I am, stuck like this. I vowed to- I failed.” He curled up. “…how do I know that?”

“Seems like Starr Park couldn’t take everything away from you.” Colt shrugged. “But that’s good. Even if it’s not that much, it’s good. Yourname, where you’re from, why you’re here, what’s going on - kinda - it’s a good start.”

“How do you know?” Mortis’s question hurt Colt slightly, and he raised a brow at him wincing. “Colt?”

“You remember stuff about yourself.” Colt looked away slightly. “That’s more than I started off with.” He smiled.

Mortis looked surprised at how happy Colt sounded at his admission. “What about yours,” he questioned. “Where are you from? Where does Colt come from?”

“You really don’t want to know.” Colt chuckled, glancing at the angel. “Besides, I don’t know. I’ve been awake for a while and I get some deja vu here and there, but nothing more. No memories about my old life, real name, or Starr Park and whatever was going on.”

“Then why do you know so much?” Mortis asked, and that gave Colt an idea. He watched as he reached into his duffel bag.

“You see, I wasn’t alone,” Colt pulled out a radio, turning it on. “Mortis, meet Jessie. She’s the one who woke me up.”

A small, red light flickered to life, indicating that Jessie was currently connected to the radio. “Hi.”

“Hello,” said Mortis quietly.

“Is that-“

“Jessie, meet Mortis.” Colt put the radio in Mortis’s hands. “He doesn’t remember how he got here, but he does know some things about himself.”

“Really?” Jessie sounded altered at that. “What do you know? Hold on I need to get a- got a pen. Okay, continue.”

Mortis nervously looked at the radio, then at Colt, who nodded encouragingly. Slowly, Mortis looked down at the radio in his hand, then looked down at the ground below. He glanced up at the sky briefly, then back down at the radio in his hand.

He sighed shakily.

“I know… I… don’t like fireworks. It seems like it’s the bright lights - which is peculiar - being a creature of the light and all.” He mumbled. He clenched his free fist, looking down once more.

“I don’t… really remember how I got here…” He sighed. “But I know I was here to protect - to save people. People here were getting hurt, and I wanted to save them.” He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a breath before he opened them slowly.

“I don’t know what happened.” His grip tightened on the radio. “I’m not sure why. Something just… I’m here now. And nobody’s saved. I guess I wasn’t much help.”

“You can help us now!” Jessie didn’t seem to listen to his doubts, slightly surprising Mortis. “Nobody can handle Starr Park alone. Why do you think Colt’s here? He’s my help, I’m his help. We’ll be each others’ help!”

“Yes!” Added Colt quickly.

“And we’ll find a way out of here!” Finished Jessie.

There was silence between them, and Mortis found himself relaxing slightly when he realized that he wasn’t alone in his distress.

“Thank you.” Mortis said softly, and then after another pause, “We can find a way out of here… together.”

“Of course.” Said Jessie. “And we can help everyone! But we should get to know each other first. You know your past, right?”

“Yes,” Mortis nodded. “I’m an Angel. A guardian to protect mortals.”

There was a moment of silence before Jessie broke it.

“…do you actually have wings?” She asked.

“Huh?” Mortis looked down in confusion. “Of course I have wings! What do you mean?”

“Do they work? Can you fly with them?” Jessie sounded excited, thrilled.

“Yes, they do work. I can fly with them, I would now but-“ He was cut off by a firework, flinching. “…maybe after the fireworks?”

Jessie hummed in response. “So tell me about yourself. Your life before here.”

Mortis thought for a moment. “Well, the humans here, they were the most important beings in my life and I cared for them greatly. Then I ended up trapped here.”

“Like us.” Suggested Jessie.

“Not quite,” He disagreed. “The humans here, they needed me, and I was there to help.” He frowned slightly. “…It is frustrating that I cannot remember.”

“Yeah, that sucks, huh?” Jessie agreed easily, “but hey, you might be able to help us out. You know… with remembering, and things and… stuff. Just let me know. We’ll figure everything out.” She sounded optimistic, almost cheerful.

“Right,” Mortis murmured, but he found himself smiling at her words. “Let’s just focus on making sure we can make it through this.”

“Okay. Sounds good.” Jessie nodded, and a moment later she added with a slight sigh, “Together. Our own trio.”

“Oh, yeah!” Colt perked up. “I like that. That’s definitely a thing we could use.”

“Exactly,” said Jessie, sounding relieved.

Silence fell over their little group, and for a few minutes, no more sounds were heard from either of them. Eventually, the fireworks stopped, the newly formed trio where nowhere to be seen.

At least, they wouldn’t be seen by Starr Park.