Chapter Text
Big Deal often tried his best, but emotions would always be her favourite food. Fear, confusion, anxiety, shame. Delicious, delicious shame.
She could smell anyone's mood. A long time ago, she'd been able to use that to her advantage, but ever since Twelve got her grubby little fingers all over the Island, all she'd been able to taste was joy, excitement and the nauseatingly sweet *love*. It was absolutely repulsive, but at least in her home, she could block out all those tastes.
So imagine her excitement when she woke up to taste fear and shame on her tongue. Red claws raked underneath her fleece blankets, searching for the slightly sweaty lump that she allowed to crawl under her sheets the previous night.
She opened her eyes, finding nothing but a cold imprint of her spherical minion at her side. She sat up, her nose high in the air as she traced the source of the smell, her red iris growing wider. She crawled forward on her hands and knees, chuckling under her breath.
"My, my. Big Deal, this may be your best work yet." She paused, looking up to the gold cage hanging from the ceiling.
A shivering, fuzzy purple blob rattled the chain that held it above the ground, partnered with familiar, pathetic whimpers. Her claw seized two bars of the cage, pulling it closer to herself to peer inside.
Big Deal sat with his back to the bed, his short body hunched forward. He flinched as she crept forward, his thick arms reaching forward to shield his lap and the other half of the cage. "I'm so sorry, Ma'am!" He whined, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Four red talons pinched the skin at the back of his neck, her other hand holding the cage steady. She threw the irritating little blob over her shoulder, humming to herself as she heard him hit the bed with a yelp, then tumble to the floor.
Big Deal groaned weakly as he picked himself up, peering over the edge of the bed. His body jerked in absolute panic as the witch plucked a single, pale violet egg from his nest of newspapers.
"One, two, three..." She piled the eggs in the crook of one arm, pulling back and settling down on her bed, laying the clutch on her soft blankets. "Five eggs. I had no idea you could do this, Big Deal. Ha! Looks like you don't have to go out to find my breakfast anymore!"
She laughed, relishing the fear that clouded Big Deal like a delicious puff of cotton candy.
"Please don't, Ma'am." He grunted as he pulled himself onto the bed, reaching for the clutch. He yelped when his hand was smacked away, falling back to his butt with another whine. "I promise, it won't happen again. I just got so excited last night." His peach coloured cheeks flushed, and he lowered his gaze to his lap.
"What was so special about last night?" The witch picked up another egg, her eyes falling closed as she took a whiff. It reeked with shame, enough to make her mouth water. And yet...
"Bleugh!" Her nose crinkled, throwing the egg in a quick, panicked motion. "Disgusting! Horrible! What *is* that?!"
Big Deal gasped, jumping up from the bed and snatching the egg from the air. He smiled nervously, bringing it down to rub his cheek against the smooth shell. "Y-You let me sleep in the bed." He murmured through his blush.
"They're all tainted! Covered in that sweet, revolting slime!" She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, scowling down to the clutch. "You've ruined my breakfast, Big Deal. They're absolutely covered in *love*."
"Th-They're not for breakfast, Ma'am. They're just a mistake, I'll take them away." Big Deal stammered, reaching forward for the clutch again.
"How did this even happen?" The witch smacked his hand again, pointing to the remaining eggs to make her point. "Why were you hiding these, making such a delicious fuss?"
"I can only l-lay them when I get excited, Ma'am. And when I was under the covers last night, you put your arm over me..." Big Deal blushed again, cradling his only safe in both hands.
"You made these all because you got to sleep next to me?" The witch blinked, sitting back on her heels. She glanced down to the clutch, reaching up to toy with a piece of her hair. "Gah, do whatever you want with them. I don't care." She closed her eyes, waving her hand dismissively.
"Thank you, Ma'am!" He gasped, then started scooping up his eggs. "I-It'll only be for a few days, they don't keep very long!"
"Won't they hatch?" The witch frowned, watching him struggle to fly up to his cage and put them back in their nest with only one arm.
"No, Ma'am. They're empty." He called, assembling them in a proper, beautiful pile. He sighed, smiling down on his nest in pride.
"If you're so protective of dead eggs, I wonder how you'll react to real ones." The witch tapped a finger to her chin, her lips spreading into a wide, manic grin. She stood up, laying her claws gently on the little gremlin's shoulders.
"I guess that's an experiment for another day, hm?" Her talons dug into his skin, her cheek brushing against his as she smirked down to the nest. She laughed as he squirmed, drinking in the new, wonderful scent of shame and excitement. It was almost worth the tinge of love that infested everything he touched.