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They watched the sun set across the water surrounding Pica Pica Island with a smile behind their mask. If they didn’t know any better, they’d say that the sunset seemed to last forever, for it had always been there whenever they decided to visit the island. Regardless of this, the sunset always seemed to relax them. It was comforting.
As they enjoyed the warmth coming from the sun as it slowly retreated, they found their mind wandering towards their friends(it still felt weird to think that, but in a good way, it felt nice to finally have friends, good friends), the friends they met along their journey, both before and during the… adventure.. through those weird portals.
They thought again how lucky they were to have met these people, even though the circumstances… could have been better.. Ellie, the one who helped jumpstart it all. Without her, they assume they probably would have just followed Stitches’ orders until… well, they didn’t really know how long his rule would have lasted. Perhaps that was a good thing.
The two were practically inseparable since they returned, which would probably be why people who would come across them would be confused as to why they were currently alone on the beach right now. Cereza needed some help teaching some of the new recruits in her little “Underherøs” project, and Elizabeth volunteered to help. As for them, they preferred to stay away from fighting, even the non-lethal kind, for… well.. reasons obvious to those who were friends with them..
They shook their head in an attempt to steer away from that train of thought, and brought their mind to their other friends.
Speaking of Cereza, her team of heros seemed to be working well! They didn’t really do much, in all honesty, but they all seemed happy, and sometimes they train with each other to get better at fighting(luckily without the need of death). Cereza seemed to enjoy leading them, as whenever the two hung out after her training sessions, she always looked happier. They were glad that she was.
When they and Ellie were finally able to go back home and met up with everyone again, Cereza was a little disappointed that they weren’t comfortable with having that rematch she wanted with her rival, but thankfully understood and didn’t push it. They assured her that they might be ready in the future, but, for now..
..They were really getting off track with this, huh..
They turned their thoughts towards the Moth King, King Timothy. The two actually became good friends, believe it or not. It may have been because of how they treated him back when he was still in the lab(or, he was supposed to be in there), regardless of Elizabeth’s quite rude comments. Perhaps he appreciated it. Perhaps he didn’t care regardless.
Sometimes, Tim and Timbolt come out, but they don’t treat them any differently than they treated anyone else. They were still people, after all.
As for the Moth Queen, Alexandria, it was… difficult to say.. it appeared she still held a grudge for when they.. well… beat her up, for lack of a better description, even though they did bring back her husband.
Though, she did seem to be slowly warming up to them, not objecting as much whenever they laid against her incredibly fluffy body(don’t judge them, it was really comfy).
Bella, Handy, and the Baron seemed to be doing well, last time they heard from them. They were always out exploring the world, outside of the four ones they were used to, but sometimes they came back to visit, or sent postcards and letters. They all seemed to be having fun, and they were glad Gregory was getting better.
El Salserissimo and them… they don’t think they really interacted that much at all. They were now that much gladder(is that even a word? they didn’t think it was, but it fit what they meant to say) that Cereza was the one to go after him instead of them, they didn't think they would have been able to convince him to help. That, and they still had no idea where he went. It was still a wonder that she even found him to them.
The Don is.. kinda like a weird uncle to them, they guess? The fun kind, the one that would let you sneak a cookie or two from the cookie jar while your parents were distracted. He did just that, except it was more than just cookies. And there was no one really stopping him from doing this. In fact, it seemed just about everyone wanted to steal a cookie from the jar, to continue onto that metaphor. They even saw Mr. Stitches attempt to steal a brownie.
(they totally saw how the don looked at him, and vice versa. if it wasn’t for the fact that they knew nothing about relationships, they’d totally help set the two up with each other.)
Speaking of, him and T. Bur seemed to be doing better in the public eye. ..Sort of… In the eyes of the bosses, at least. All the minions were still iffy about them. Which confused them a bit, considering the two were the ones who helped bring them back. T. Bur said to not dwell on it too much, but they couldn’t help it.. If a monster someone like them could be forgiven for their past actions, then surely these two could, too?
They sighed. There was nothing they could do about it right now. Especially with them just sitting here on the beach. The sun was almost gone, they thought somberly. They sort of hoped that it would sit there forever.
They found their mind going over the people they and Elizabeth met over the adventures they had going through those portals: that little girl who lived in a giant ship in the sky(what was it she called it? a.. a “space ship”?); the eccentric pink-haired man with a little bear-themed girl; the large number of individuals that were too big to name each member, that acted like a weird, chaotic family; that hyper, purple girl with her.. admittedly really scary wolf companion… and a large town of animals.
Surprisingly, that last one was the most normal-acting one of all of them.
They found their thoughts wandering off to the reason they went on that adventure in the first place.
Puzzleman.
They had gotten along a bit better ever since they met again during the later half of the portal adventure, but there was still some awkwardness between them. Well, between everyone and him, really..
Especially with T. Bur and Mr. Stitches.
Especially Mr. Stitches.
The two seemed to avoid each other like the plague, Puzzleman moreso. The die-headed creature seemed to really regret his actions, but didn’t know how to apologize to him, where to even start with it. They wanted to help, but he just shook his head when they asked. It was something he had to do himself, he said. He just needed to find the right time.
That was a month ago.
They understood these things took time, but.. really…?
They shook their head free of that thought. Not the time, Cori.
The sun was fully gone now. All that was left were the stars in the sky, and the moon slowly rising behind them.
While beautiful in it’s own way, they missed the sun.
They got up, and made to head towards the portal to head back home, when they suddenly had a thought, a random thought, one that made them stop in their tracks.
Puzzleman.. he has a die on his head, right..?
Dice… are meant to be rolled.... right……?
So….. what happens… what happens if they tried to roll his head like a die?
Faintly, in the back of their mind, they thought this was a bad idea, that they probably shouldn’t mess with him — they were thinking of rolling his head, after all.
Probably wouldn’t be a very pleasant experience.
But, a much larger part of their mind was curious about what would happen. You know what they said, “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”
(they didn’t really know who this, “they”, was. they were probably a wise person.)
(probably)
Luckily for them, Pica Pica Island was actually where the die likes to hang out. Probably because he likes the sunset, too.
That, or it was because it was the farthest away from where Mr. Stitches and T. Bur are currently residing..
....It was probably the sunset.
It was a pretty sunset.
They wandered around to where Puzzleman resided, in a small island not too far off from the main Pica Pica Islands. They didn’t know if he chose to live here because it was just that comfy, or if he just wanted as far away from everyone as possible.
They didn’t come to question that, though, it was time to answer a different question.
They finally came across Puzzleman’s homely little hut that he resides in, and looked around. They didn’t know if they should be grateful for the darkness hiding them from sight, or annoyed at how hard it was to actually see their target.
They chose to be grateful when they saw Puzzleman standing (floating?) a little ways ahead of them, staring at the moon that was seemingly hovering just above the water. Target acquired.
Now, for the hard part.
It was now that they had their doubts about doing this, but it was too late to back out now.
They slowly creeped up behind him, careful not to make a sound to give up their plans. Closer, closer, and closer… until.......
Their hands quickly darted out in front of them, grabbing at the man’s floating head.
(—it was only now they realized they didn’t even know if the die would come off, or if something would happen if his head were removed, but before they could regret their choices too much—)
“Wh- What the—” Before Puzzleman could finish, they quickly backtracked, taking his head with them.
Their previous worries were quickly subdued when Puzzleman proclaimed his complaints about this. Very. Loudly.
“KIDDO!!!” He yelled, his two dot eyes glaring at them as they ran, his body struggling to find and follow them.
They ran, and continued to run, now very regretful of what they did, and were half-tempted to just give up right now, and give his head back.
“ KID,” The die yelled, bringing them back to the present. “ WHAT ARE YOU D—“ Before he could finish his sentence, they quickly became aware of a small rock in their path as they tripped on it, and in that panic, they threw their hands up, letting go of the die accidentally.
Puzzleman yelped in surprise as he was tossed into the air suddenly, before landing onto the ground, rolling a bit before finally landing with a small oof, them unceremoniously following suit.
They got up onto their knees, and looked up to see what number he landed on.
(and to see if he was okay, of course… but mostly to see what number he landed on.)
It was a one.
Before they could ponder it any longer, something grabbed their hood, and they were roughly pulled back onto their feet. They turned to see Puzzleman’s body push past them and over to the discarded head. As he picked himself up, he turned to face them with a glare on his face, and they flinched.
This really was a bad idea..
They braced themselves.
“Why you little-”
Before he could finish, they heard a large explosion from a while away.
The two quickly turned their heads towards the sound, the direction being from the main Pica Pica Islands, specifically, the salsa volcano.
It didn’t.. didn’t seem to be a normal volcano eruption, especially considering it was made of actual fire and smoke instead of… whatever a volcano made out of salsa erupts..
They also assumed this because of the tired yet apprehensive expression their companion held. Silence went between the two, until he spoke up.
“Don’t tell Stitches.”
They gave him a thumbs up.
It wasn’t long before Stitches found out. Honestly, they weren’t really surprised, rumors travel fast between the minions. Some minions exchanged rumors with each other, then El Salserissimo found out, and told it to Cereza, who told it to Elizabeth. Elizabeth told it to them, and, well, they’d admit, they weren’t really the best at keeping secrets, but they did at least try. Ellie saw through it, unfortunately, and kept pestering them until they spilt.
They didn’t know the specifics, Puzzleman didn’t really explain that much, just enough to satisfy them. For some reason, when his head is rolled, random things can happen, ranging from good luck, to treasure(he gave a warning look at the way their face lit up at that), to nothing, to… well….. explosions.. It all depends on what exactly is rolled.
They told her this(well.. they wrote it down in their journal for her to see, but… same thing,,,), and she must have told someone, and somehow, that grapevine led all the way to Mr. Stitches.
Which led to now. With Mr. Stitches at Puzzleman’s hut, in front of them and the dice himself.
Puzzleman was obviously very uncomfortable with this, sweating (they didn’t question too much on how a dice could sweat) and avoiding Mr. Stitches' gaze.
Before the one-sided staring contest could go on any longer, he finally spoke.
“So..” His voice growled, making their companion flinch. “Do either of you happen to know what happened last night with that.. explosion... on Pica Pica Island’s main island…?” Mr. Stitches’ eyes narrowed, and though he didn’t have any pupils to show, they could tell he was glaring intently at Puzzleman. So, against their pounding, non-existent heart, they stepped up, and raised their hand, trying to push the blame onto them.
After all, it was kinda their fault to begin with.. They were just glad nothing bad happened..
Mr. Stitches looked at them with slight confusion, and they quickly got out their journal, and wrote down what happened, what they did.
They showed it to their ex-boss, who read over it, his expression not changing once. Once he was done, he read it again.. And again..
“So.. you’re the one who caused it..?” His voice was expressionless, and they didn’t know if they would like it better like that, or with the anger they knew he must be concealing.
They held up their hand and made a “so-so” motion, before stopping, and just nodded their head, before looking down.
There was a tense silence from all parties(well, they were always silent, but that still didn’t change the fact they were tense), before Mr. Stitches gave a tight sigh, and kneeled down to pat their head. They flinched at first, then looked up in confusion.
“It’s alright little one, you’re fine. No one got hurt.” He got back up, and gestured towards the door. “Now, if you may, I need to talk with your.. companion, here.. alone…” At that, Puzzleman tensed even more(they didn’t think that was possible). They stole a glance at the die, before looking firmly at Mr. Stitches, brows furrowed.
(not that anyone could really see it, mask and all. honestly, they doubted they even had eyebrows, but that didn’t stop them from making the motion.)
Mr. Stitches, however, did not budge. “Us two will talk back home, alright? Now then, run along, little one.” He gestured to the door again. They stared at the door, before sighing defeatedly, and taking a step towards the door.
They were about to continue before they stopped, and turned around, rushing to give a hug to the now startled Puzzleman. They feel him tense a bit, before hesitantly returning it.
They squeezed tight, mumbling a small apology. The die gives a reassuring squeeze back. “It’s alright, kiddo..” They continue for a moment longer, before he slowly pushes them away, to their disappointment.
“You better get going..” He muttered, head nodding towards Mr. Stitches, who they almost forgot was there. They hesitantly nod back, and make their way out the door, leaving Puzzleman alone with the man he’d rather be far, far away from.
Puzzleman watched as the kid left his sorry excuse of a home, and reluctantly turned his attention towards the only other person in the room…
Stitches…
The one person he wasn’t ready to see, right here in front of him. Just his luck..
He figured he should probably be holding some sort of grudge against the kid, as they got him into this situation in the first place, but.. He can't fault the kid for being curious.. Sure, they could have asked first, but he knew he would have denied them anyway..
His thoughts were interrupted by Stitches growling down at him, eyes narrowing. He couldn’t help but wince when he saw the look in his.. eye…. sockets…? Just.. with the barely concealed rage in his expression, he wondered why exactly he was trying to hold back, especially since the kid was gone now, far enough away that they wouldn’t have to bear witness to whatever would happen to him.
Puzzleman could see Stitches was about to talk, so to just save him the words he would have to say, he decided to say it for him.
(he needed to give him an apology, anyway. better now than later.)
“..I know you hate me for what I did to you...” He mumbled, looking away with a grimace. That seemed to stop whatever Stitches was going to say, replacing it with an eyebrow raise. He didn’t say anything, so Puzzleman took it as a sign to continue.
“I only did what I did because.. because I wanted a purpose, something to fulfill my never-ending existence.. and.. and I used selfish means to complete it, complete me… and i ended up hurting so many people… Rena… she was far from the first, far from the first to be broken by me……”
There was a horrified silence from both sides, before a hollow laugh came from the die.
“..And I had the gall.. the gall to think I was helping .. that they should be thankful for what I’ve been doing.. I’ve been responsible for so many deaths, directly and indirectly, and I..” He chuckled humorlessly, gripping his face as tears started to fall down. “I thought I deserved love for what I’ve done, to be cheered for my work…”
Silence…
“..after what i’ve done... i don’t deserve anything…” He muttered quietly, brokenly. “i don’t expect you to like me, i don’t expect you to forgive me, i don’t expect you to want me around... me saying this doesn’t.. doesn’t magically fix everything i’ve done.. ...but.. just know that i’m…” His breathing hitched as he paused, eyes tearing up more. “i’m sorry….” His voice was so small, full of regret. He started outright sobbing now, breath hitching with every other cry.
He looked away from Stitches a while ago, he couldn’t bear to look at his face as he told him all of that. He doesn’t even know why he said all of that, he just.. cracked.
He doesn’t even know how Stitches is going to react to this information. For all he knows, he.. he might try and hurt him..
He might.. try and kill him…
(he’s not as horrified at that thought as he should be)
It’s only after that thought passes through his mind does he notice a blurry figure closer than before, and he panics momentarily before a large hand rests on his shoulder with a firm grip. He flinches, before closing his eyes tight and tensing, preparing for… something….. He doesn’t know what he’s expecting, but..
Whatever it is, it... doesn’t happen….?
He waits, and waits, and waits, but… nothing happens…
He warily opens an eye, and looks up, and.. he sees an expressionless face.. He doesn’t know what to expect from that.
He feels the hand tighten, before loosening, almost.. reassuring..?
He slowly relaxes, opening his other eye when he realizes he’s not in direct danger..
(for now, a part of him thinks)
(he would very much like that part to shut up please)
His thoughts are interrupted by a soft rumble from the figure above him.
“I accept your apology…” Stitches mutters, making his eyes widen. Before he could be too happy, though, he spoke up again. “ But, I don’t forgive you..”
Puzzleman felt his eyes droop, as if his smile turned into a frown, if he had one; and he sighed.
“I understand..” He said, because he did. He said it earlier, he didn’t expect a few simple words to solve all of his problems, to solve all of that trauma he had caused. That’s not how things worked.
Still, though, it was hard not to be disappointed.
“You can, however,” Stitches started to say, catching the die’s attention. “ Earn my forgiveness, if you really, truly want it.” He perked up, wager to prove his worth.
Stitches gave a brief smirk at his eagerness, before he quickly turned away, a frown forming on his face again. He got up, his hold on his shoulder moving to grip his hand, and he dragged him up and away from his hut, quite forcefully, to be honest.
“W..Where are you—“
“Home. That way, once you get some rest — because you need rest — I can tell you how exactly you can help. Plus, it looks like you need a better bed than that flimsy little hay bed you have. And, the kid is there.” Stitches interrupted, adding that last bit when he still looked apprehensive. He sighed, and let himself be dragged off.
And, honestly, the bed he did have thrown together.. really wasn’t the best…. at all… it might be nice to sleep in an actual bed. Or.. whatever Stitches gave him..
Anything was better than hay.
And… he was getting.. pretty tired……
In all honesty, he felt like he could just… sleep right here, right now...
They sat on the ground in the little hideaway T. Bur and Mr. Stitches had set up right next to the castle. Somehow, the two were able to set up a whole extra room next door without any of the minions noticing. And it was actually pretty cozy.
Ellie was sleeping(they didn’t question whether or not she actually needed sleep, just that she did) not too far away, and T. Bur was sitting on a small couch they had set up, messing with some gadget.
They didn’t really pay too much attention to either of them, though. They were too busy worrying about Puzzleman. They were starting to regret not trying to push further, maybe they really should have stayed, what if something happened to him, what if something happened to Mr. Stitches, what if—
Their thoughts were disrupted when they heard the wall click, and an opening.. for lack of a better word, opened up, revealing a disgruntled Mr. Stitches walking inside, holding something in his arms…. wait… is that—
“Sir, is that—” It seemed T. Bur seemed to notice as well, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by Mr. Stitches walking up to the couch, and placing the unconscious Puzzleman onto it, right next to the shark, who immediately jumped up onto his scooter.
“..I’ll explain later.” Mr. Stitches said gruffly, before turning to them, who was staring at the die in confusion.
“As for you,” He said, and they quickly turned their attention back to their ex-boss, “We’ll talk about that incident tomorrow. As for now, I want you to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t do anything.” When he finished, he immediately turned towards T. Bur, and walked away, motioning for the shark to follow, which he did, leaving the masked kid alone with the sleeping dice.
They had many questions, but decided they could be answered tomorrow, and quickly got up, only to quickly return with two blankets in hand. They gently placed the fluffiest one on top of him, flattening it out, before sitting down back down on the floor, and leaned against the couch, wrapping themselves in the blanket, and soon enough, they fell asleep.