Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once there was a regular-looking island, surrounded by Atlantic waves, where many islanders resided.

It was a common fact that the earth’s population was mainly spread out throughout the six continents – excluding the restricted glacial environment. However, simultaneously, there appeared to be others who most enjoyed the friendly viewpoint of living in isolation.

Away from any stressful crises and highly dynamic cityscapes.

Hence, the alternative option was to stay in the various small islands worldwide. While some were well-known and considered perfect locations to escape reality, others were classified as uncharted territory, almost as if they were nothing but folklore. Mysterious and, in all honestly, just impossible to discover any hint they ever existed around the globe.

Even when navigating with the usage of a map was deemed futile.

Now, most of these whereabouts consisted of a coastline crammed with sand and overgrown greenery, describing a leisurely paradise.

However, despite that, this island, in particular, was fascinating.

It all was connected toward the layout, where it was possible to see that it was branched out into two separate regions; the North and the South. In the North, the setting was considered the most progressive, as it was urban-oriented, just packed with a collection of many cities. Overall, more than half the population occupied this sector. Meanwhile, there was the South, which was formed of agrarian geographies. Its nation’s land was not as densely packed, yet those who preferred to embrace the silence were keen to work in the countryside.

And the latter is where this narrative takes place.

Amongst the vast open latitudes and thousands of kilometers of flora, it was possible to catch sight of a small village. Roughly speaking, it encountered about a hundred occupants in this cozy neighborhood.

Although it seemed to be just any ordinary place – where a country person would be up to par to make a living for themselves – most citizens truly believed they were living in misfortune, surrounded by this eerie and inexplicable aura.

The justification?

Well, in short, legend has it of a great thief who struck fear into every mortal’s eyes.

One where nobody knew for sure who or what they were, including where they originated. So much so that it went along the lines of people not being self-aware enough about how they should direct to this individual. So, the pronouns they, them, or even it became a standard method among those who had any guts to touch on any subject related to the stealer.

Until out of nowhere, someone resolved to name them finally; The Pink Thief.

Such a name spread out, undoubtedly becoming the official term to use, preferably than just pronouns.

Now, the logic behind this denomination came from the few rare instances where few residents managed to obtain, simply by mere glimpses at a distance. Particularly, those who were lucky enough to spot them have described this unknown creature as wearing a full-body outfit. Of course, it was tough to divulge precisely what pieces it included. Still, eventually, two aspects slowly enhanced as the standard tropes, which everyone, who witnessed any of its physiques, agreed on.

Foremost, the black cloak reached down to the feet while covering the neck and head.

And then, there was the pink mask.

It more or less resembled an awful imitation of a mask worn during a carnivalesque festival, showcased by its human characteristics – accurately a face, including the noticeable shut-lips and nose features. Weirdly enough, the eyes were quite an enigma. Somehow – if this individual did have eyes – they were hidden underneath a pitch-black framework. When analyzing the case, it came across as if the user was visually impaired when wearing the mask because no ordinary mortal was able to see throughout the dark.

Conceivably, in reality, the locals weren’t dealing with a human being. And in turn, it ushered them to grow much more hectic, frowning just at the mere thought of said figure.

More alarming yet?

This beast was vicious.

It knew no bounds to its targets; vandalizing private property – generally, residential buildings– followed by committing theft on whatever valuables pinpointed in said establishment. It happened nearly every week, transpiring at randomized times and not carrying any rhyme or reason as to who was the next target. Sure, at first glance, it appeared the individual focused on just targeting rude to greedy people. Still, at the same time, they would end up stealing from others who technically didn’t deserve it.

Just as the people were close to figuring out its patterns, the ruthless bandit would throw them for a loop, returning to its unpredictable tactics. In such a way, it is as if they were purposely messing around, simply to further out its chaotic energy and continue generating mayhem amongst the poor islanders.  

It was an Alice in Wonderland level of maddening cycles.

Just who was this monster?

Was it a ninja? With its stealthy moves, wherein, in some way, miraculously pull ridiculous stealthy stunts, not only during the daytime but also during the night. Maybe a warlock? It did use some mystifying strategies to, once again, somehow teleport in and out of any scenery.

Or, more adequately, could this be the work of a simple scoundrel near its puberty phase?

Well, nonetheless, whatever it was, one question always popped into everyone’s mind; How? – as in, how was this possible?

How could one silhouette cause such a massive hysteria within a village?

Indeed, anything was feasible in this context.

No one was scotch free of its wrath. One minute, they’re there. The other, they’re gone.

Hence, it extended to the point where the citizen’s vastest concern was the welfare of the youthful population, especially the children.

What if this uncultured behavior of the thief’s wrongdoings enabled them? Or, adding insult to injury, possible kidnappings?

Such a possibility wasn’t farfetched, all because of more rumors that were spread out.

Now, although very little is known about the thief, it was presumed that said mythic meddler owned a lair just near the outskirts of the village, which was a forest.

Or more known as the Last Willow Grove.

It was a lush foliage settlement – mainly organized out of oak trees – renowned due to its mysterious connection to a sad legend - one depicting a widow who, due to suffering the demise of a loved one, blindly wandered through the forest to find a divine nature until she abruptly fell out of the face of the earth.

It was problematic to clarify what truly happened. Hence, people began to believe it to be the work of some lousy voodoo in the green zone. And that dark magic fused with the thief, thus transforming them into a horrible monster. One who lures his victims into the Grove, never to be seen again.

Possibly, the fiend would end the lives of its victims or maybe commit cannibalism.

Perhaps, it was a little silly, but who could disagree with such logic?

Then again, these were just rumors, right?

Anyway, now, the reflection of any soul purposefully wanting to roam in such a killer domain was ludicrous enough. Still, surprisingly enough, that wasn’t the main reason why the people wouldn’t adventure in the beyond. To some, the thief residing inside could be enough. Yet, at once, it was also because of the number of wolves that centered in its hollow paths – who not only inhabited it but added, it was also considered their hunting field – possibly also connected to the Last Willow Legend.

It was bad luck all around in that suspicious Grove.

Years came and went, all until the present day.

It was an ordinary day, as the citizens were busy performing their mundane tasks so that they could provide for themselves and their loved ones.

Even though the financial and economic status of the town was dry, it was still enough to survive. Income and wealth inequalities didn’t have much impact in the area, as everyone worked like they were one big community. Or, nearly everyone tried to do so, as others wouldn’t dare facilitate the lives of others, as petty crimes were felt amongst them. They were not as insane as the pink masked figure, but they still imposed some problems on others.

Sunset was beginning to set in. It seemed the day ended on a neutral or even good note because not much happened during its duration.

Then suddenly, screams were heard from afar, coming from somewhere within the village.

It appeared that someone was crying out for help.

This resulted in a colossal catastrophe of people screaming for dear mercy.

Nearly everyone was running around as if they were a pack of wild chickens, dodging away from the claws of their prey. Women tightly held their children in an attempt to protect them from whatever horror was occurring, dragging them home and locking the doors and the windows.

Amidst that, suddenly, the sounds of blasting whistles were audible. Everyone finally froze, allowing them to observe the scene of a couple of police officers running in the direction where that loud cry might have come from. Without any hesitation, the rest of the residents followed afterward as curiosity piqued their best interest.

When reaching the destination, everyone was stiff and bewildered at sight before them as they lifted their heads to spot the individual disturbing the peace.

It was The Pink Thief; standing on someone’s rooftop.

It appeared just to be standing there; menacingly.

A man was heard amongst this confusion, located in the front yard of said propriety. It appeared to be the owner, who was definitely the one who gave that blood-curdling scream. He furiously yelled at other officers, who showed up earlier, trying to ease the agitated man but to no avail. During that, he was holding his wife and child, who the latter appeared to be recollected, unlike her parents.

The officers, who were previously blowing out whistles, finally made it. They diverted the crowd so that they could step in. Then, leaning backward, they held their firearms and pointed them at the figure, who remained still, even if threatened at gunpoint.

At long length, a perfect view of the thief’s entire demeanor.

It was finally possible to pinpoint some features, mostly its clothes. It wore a full-body outfit; a black one – cargo pants and a shirt, which the last piece had a small cape covering the chest and the shoulders on top of it –matching gloves and long boots. And of course, what’s not to forget the two items that gave out, it was indeed them; the black cloak and the pink mask. Yet, another item no one had ever spotted before was a brown leather satchel diagonally positioned around his torso.

Their aura, although vague, felt so threatening.

The cops began shivering, not knowing how else to remain still.  

After swallowing a lump clogging the throat, one of them clicked the revolver hammer, trying to keep the weapon steady, even if she was in total control. “Y-You are under arrest! Surrender yourself, and we won’t shoot!”. She yelled, showing signs of sweating profusely out of her forehead.

Still not alarmed, the individual retorted by calmly folding their arms, demonstrating how unfazed this situation indeed was to them.

Chewing sounds were heard underneath the mask, which led the owner to grow irritated.

“Hey!! Are you deaf or something?! Get out of my property, you freak!”. The man cursed out, pointing at his target.

As she pulled his arm, his beloved quickly quieted him down. “Honey! Stop being an idiot and let the police handle this!”.

“Daddy, stop it! You’ll hurt its feelings”. Cried out the little girl.

The man promptly ignored his family, still staring out at the pink masked thief. “Like HELL, I’m going to sit here and let you steal from us! Just who the hell do you think you are?!”.

Those words were enough for someone in the crowd to share an identical emotion.

“Yeah, dirtbag!! Say something if you dare!”.

Eventually, an angry mob was formed, chanting profanities while raising their fists in the air, where the main objective was to give the trespasser a sense of fear.

However, unfortunately, there was still no adverse reaction met.

Instead, they appeared to be admiring the view as they plopped their hands on the waist; almost as if they were purposely mocking the people below.  

A quiet wheeze was heard until it was expanded to a burst of roaring laughter.

This resulted in the townsfolks quieting down, discomfort and nervousness being noticeable on their faces. It was unbelievable, as this was the first time, ever, anyone had heard anything coming from that individual. Strangely, the laughter didn’t appear monstrous or uncanny; in fact, it almost sounded like one, typically coming from any male human.

After what seemed like an eternity of echoey laughter, the thief eventually calmed down. It used its right hand to grab something out of its pouch. It was difficult to tell what exactly was going on because immediately after, they threw said contents to the floor.

A bleak, intense smoke spread out.

It was such an intensive toxic cloud that every villager had no choice but to cough uncontrollably since it was making its way to the lungs.

When it cleared up, everyone was shocked to find… nothing!

The thief had vanished into thin air, feeling as if they were nothing but a gust of wind.

Chapter Text

What just happened? How was this possible?!

Did everyone just suffer through the same delusion?

Whatever that was, the people were utterly baffled, including the authority figures. Therefore, the next scene occurred with everyone retiring from the vicinity, resulting in a few collisions between citizens since the heavy fog had yet to transpire. And that didn’t prevent them from doing whatever means possible to protect their properties and loved ones from the clutches of the thief, who was undoubtedly still amongst them.

Except one individual hung around, whose cough was still heard near where the presumed offense seized up.

It belonged to a tall, dark-skinned dude in his late twenties.

He came across as just some regular guy, yet unlike the other tenants, basically, it was as if he honestly didn’t belong there. And what assigned it away was his physical appearance, as his medium-looking spiky jet-black hair was tinted blue on its pointy tips, as opposed to his eyebrows and trim chin beard, which stayed in its natural color. He unraveled a pretty casual look for a spring season – neither for a superheated nor chilly climate.

Regardless, that wasn’t the prominent explanation for why others marked him off.

Subsequently, whacking the smoke that stuck around with the use of his indicators, he flickered his hazel eyes to keep himself stable by what just ensued. Although it might sound unorthodox, he could have sworn there was an orange fragrance glued to that contaminated air.

Anyhow, when caressing his nose, fanning out the blackband-aid positioned over, he ultimately attained control of his insights and could catch sight of his surroundings. He curled down, letting him pick up the rake again, which he accidentally set loose due to the attribute he was formerly startled by.

As he was about to proceed with his tedious labor, he directly quelled as his focal point drove back to examine the rooftop. Unexpectedly, a light-headedness consistency materialized within him. Not solely because he was still under the effect of the dew, but because of something else.

Something very much profound, as his blood core began throbbing uncontrollably.

It was quite an exhilaration. Never in his vitality would he assume he’d be able to maintain the excellent chance of catching a peek of this impenetrable silhouette up close. And to touch upon that, this individual ended up not standing out as some fairy tale of a myth so that offspring would conduct well.

 It was quite a fulfillment to him, resulting in discretely grinning in a daydream condition.

‘Wooooah’. He reflected, emitting a lengthy sigh. ‘Talk about a scene! Not a single care in the world… Damn, if that wasn’t awesome~!’.

Now, that was the prominent explanation; condoning the Pink Thief, despite his mischiefs.

If truth is given any account, this blue-haired man didn’t come off as to approve of the amount of buzz circulating the small town when the subject would drop anchor on the pink varmint —for example, dubbing the thief from the numerous slurs connected to solely existing as if it was a supernatural being and such others. It just didn’t sit right with him. In-depth, he firmly believed that the crook was just a regular individual who was assumably dealing with some rough stuff. Or, conceivably, they were exploited by their dysfunctional family, as the shoddy individual didn’t know the basics of morality.

Why so convinced in these hypotheses?

Reasonable question.

Something about that pink figure somehow was able to retain him up all night while at the same time transmitting goosebumps. He couldn’t help but be seemingly so mesmerized by them; someone who was courageous, in addition to sensitive, where the latter was mostly in his point of view.

He was obsessed; he was just aching with inquisitiveness.

A slight grunt escaped his smiling lips as he jerked his head at the mere illusion of ever acquiring another lucky strike of witnessing them furthermore.

Welp, that is how reality functioned, but it still assembled his fumble of aggravation. 

“_Maaan”. Initiated the young man, mumbling only to himself, so no one else could hear it. “_{What I would do to meet them…}”. Clutching the grip of the rake, he inclined on it, pressing his weight onto the object.

“Mordecaaiiiiiii!!”.

All of a sudden, a scream was given attention in the backdrop. It snapped the tall local out of his imagination land to the point that he practically lost his equilibrium, having to depend on the rake to keep himself persistent.

“Dude! Dude!!”.

When Mordecai came to stable terms, he surveyed his surroundings, as he was indeed taking notice of a familiar voice yelling out to him. It didn’t take long to know who those shouts were owned by, as he saw somebody rapidly closing in.

Someone who looked to be the same age as the prior young man.

On closer inspection, Mordecai identified the tanned skin with a brown short-textured spiky haircut, which matched the light curtain beard he held on his chin. His left eye, which had a vascular birthmark around it, suffered from heterochromia, puffing off a greyish shade.

There was no doubt about it; it was none other than his roommate and best pal, Rigby.

Mordecai stood motionless, holding off for his friend’s arrival, and once he saw him reaching a halt, he casually waved at him. “S’up, dude?”. He asked, but once he discovered his buddy was shivering in excitement, he took a step back.

It was time to mentally get ready for whatever words were roughly going to be spewed out.

“D-Dude!! I’m fucking livid~! Did you see that shit?! Bro, you could see it for miles!!”. He beamed exuberantly, setting his hands over his hair. “_{The Pink Thief actually showed its ugly mug…} like, duuuuuude. It’s about fucking time~!! I’m telling you when someone catches them, we’re gonna see some intense action! Maybe someone will rip its throat out~!”. Hitting a fist on his other palm, he evilly grinned, very much enjoying that sadistic possibility.

Meanwhile, the other man could merely gaze in disbelief at what he had just listened to, pursued by showcasing a severe manifestation. “What the fuck…? Bro, that’s disgusting! Not to mention over the top! You honestly believe someone is going to capture him?”. He quirked an eyebrow.

His best friend slouched down at that question. “U-Umm… maybe?”.

“Pfff~!”. He amusingly balled his eyes. “Get real, dude; like hell, that’ll ever happen. These cops are nothing but jokes! Legit, the worst I’ve ever seen~! They can’t even get off their lazy asses and catch the ‘fat bandit’-”. He aired quoted in a sarcastic tone. “-much less the person who everyone believes to be from hell or whatever bullshit”. He chuckled a bit, mainly to soothe himself.

“Ah!”. The brunet man confidently exclaimed as he crossed his arms. “That’s because that guy is weak compared to the Pink Thief! I’m sure the fuzz is just preparing for the real thing!”.

“Suuuuuure, Rigby… You keep believing like that~”.

Now, Rigby was becoming frustrated. “Dude, what’s your deal?? I bet you’re just acting like that because you haven’t been a victim yet!”.

A weary sigh was heard. “What the heck are you talking about?”. He indifferently asked, deciding to go back to the assignment of raking the rest of the leaves. “Yo, help me out, dude! And don’t you dare bail on me again”.

His friend moaned loudly at that stern voice, yet he chose to assist along, snatching a trash bag and flopping its raked contents. “Dude, I’m telling you! I was robbed last night! They stole my pillow!!”. He dramatically cried out, resulting in his friend stopping his task at hand, instead opting to stare into the unknown blankly. Despite that, the short man continued. “Oh, c’mon! Didn’t you see how I looked in the morning?? Like, hello?! My head was on the fucking mattress! You have any idea how uncomfortable that is?!”.

“…What?”. That was all his friend could answer back, as he finally had the mental capacity to glance him in the eyes. “Are you serious~?”. Mordecai was now wheezing, engaged by his friend’s so-called sorrow, which provoked the other man to growl.

As a way to demonstrate how annoyed he was by his friend’s drought of consideration, he smacked him in the arm. Unfortunately, it didn’t earn much of an impact on him because his deeds of roughness were equal to a minor.

Very fragile and petty.

Regardless, he was not about to surrender, as he went on punching him considerably. However, that only further worsened his case because Mordecai had yet to reverse his response, as he upheld on cracking up, not having the capability to quit. 

So, since that was not functioning well, he went with the next exceedingly best thing to get his attention.

“STOP TALKING!”.

A couple of chuckles later, the blue-haired man did in some way have sufficient willpower to stop it, stroking a tear off his sight. “Ahah~! Thanks for the laugh, man. I needed it~!”.

“No, you!!”. Stating such a lame recovery, he was almost about to punch him again but was thwarted as his wrists were clasped on the spot. “_{This is so fucking unfair}”. He bitterly thundered.

And Mordecai strengthened on smiling. “Dude, chill out. Now, c’mon; are you actually for real? You sure you didn’t lose your pillow somewhere? Maybe, underneath all that mess in your side of the room?”.

“What?!”. The short man struggled from such a firm grip, ushering Mordecai to set him loose because he was just assembling a blockhead of himself. Caressing his wrists, he goggled back at him, supposedly insulted. “Why would you say that?? You saw the pillow last night, and you know I sleep still and-“.

“But you don’t. You're always moving around!”.

“Shut up!! The point is; I looked everywhere, man! I wasted my morning just looking for the stupid thing! Shit got me in a bad mood!!”.

Why they were still arguing over such a worthless topic, Mordecai will never figure out.

Still, he resolved to give his honest opinion. “Dude, think about it… Why would the Pink Thief rob something so absurd such as a pillow? If you ask me, I wouldn’t be surprised if they stole half the junk you have… but even then, that would definitely be impossible~”. He scoffed at him, followed by discharging short grins.

“Look who’s talking!”. Rigby had about enough of the constant attacks he was obtaining until he gradually smirked. “Hmph~! Hmph~! I see what’s up! You’re protecting that thief because you like them~!”. He kept snorting in delight.

A crimson red color was splashed all over the tall man’s complexion, not at all anticipating his best friend to give him such a comeback. It quickly matured to frustration as he gripped his fists.

“What?? Dude, that was uncalled for!! Take that back or else!!”. He lashed out at him, raising his hand, yet his companion didn’t feel unnerve in the slightest bit.

He figured out he had hit a nerve somewhere inside Mordecai’s body, which pushed him to laugh.

“Aww~! What’s the matter~? Does wittle Mordecai have a crush on the thief~? If you like them soooooo much, why don’t you two wed it o-OUCH!!”. He felt relatively well-built energy going straight into his arm, generating an unbearable weep to elude. “Ahhh… What was that for??”.

Massaging his sore knuckles, he kept on glaring down at him. “I warned you, dude! Seriously, what’s your problem, Rigby?! You can’t say those things out loud! I’ll get in trouble, and I’m not in the mood to deal with whatever bullshit the rest of the town has to say about me”.

“You started it!!”. The whimpering man cried out, rubbing his arm to lessen the ache.

“Dude! If you continue to be annoying, you’ll get more where this came from!”. He rapidly showed the same fist he used to cause the brutality, causing his friend to sigh angrily.

“Fine, fine. _{I’ll be quiet…}”. He mumbled. “You know, I don’t understand why you make it such a big deal! I was just joking around!”.

“Whatever, man! You know I-”

“Uh~ Uhhh~! Mooordecai! Rigbbby!”.

The two dropped their sore moods in a flash as they witnessed a senior man strolling toward them.

Chapter Text

It was Pops; the jolliest fellow in the village.

A forty-year-old white fellow who took satisfaction in looking as dapper as possible evident by his groomed Verdi mustache and thin chin beard. As he was brought into this world in a distinct era where most of the gentlemen were under cultured statutes, he was still very much influenced by those sophisticated ways ever since he was a strapping young boy. Everyone knew for a fact who Pops was, not only due to his sweetness in addition to his odd nature but also because of his physical description. It was possible to observe a brownish eye color and medium size white curly hair, decorated with his famous black top hat.

And that social butterfly attribute correspondingly comprised the youthful pair, too, as they were the jolly man’s employers. Predominantly in the custody of assisting around the cottage or any different task they were inquired of accomplishing.

In exchange, the man authorized them to linger in his house, not having to pay rent or anything else.

In actuality, as of presently, both the guys were located on the man’s lawn, getting rid of the leaves that dared to drop in the owner’s gorgeous blossom garden.

Watching over the fellow, Mordecai smiled in contentment, very glad that his boss returned in one piece and still in such high spirits. Pleasingly enough, he finally had somebody else to chatter to, rather than having to put up with his best buddy by himself.

“Hey, Pops! How was the marketplace?”. Raised the taller man, noticing the two groceries bags his lively boss was holding.

Arriving at his employers, he seated the bags on the pavement to lengthen his body a little after pushing through an extended trek. “Oh, positively extraordinary, my good man!”. Grinned the optimistic old chap. “So many good people stood trading such rich goods, even after this hour! Jolly good show!”.

Rigby lifted an eyebrow. “You mean the smelly market that reeks of gross fish? Yeah, _{super extraordinary}”. He sarcastically reacted, mainly muttering to himself.

The confused senior man gazed at his oldest employer. “I deeply apologize, Rigby. I couldn’t quite comprehend what you just said”.

“I said-AH!!”. He choked due to another strike felt in the exact arm, directing him to perk up at his friend, who secretly conveyed a death look while putting up his fist. “Nothing!! I said nothing!”. He quivered back at his superior, not wishing to suffer a replication deed of violence again.

“Oh… Well, so be it!”. The man offered a warm smile to his staff, seemingly clueless about what had just happened between the two. “I see you boys have executed such a tremendous work~! Exceedingly well-done~!”. He clapped his hands with an immense grin. “Let us head inside, my dear friends! I believe it is almost time for supper, so let us prepare”.

Wording that circumstance, he was about to clasp the groceries, but Mordecai beat him to it as he snatched them sooner, encompassing an idea that they might be a speck too hefty for Pops to tolerate. As the tall man went inside, the older man exhibited a thankful smile, while the other young man could only put on a show that he was gagging.

When inside the cabin, Mordecai plopped the bags near the pantry – not far from the kitchen –followed by stocking them in their respective place. Pops also settled to assemble something to keep himself occupied as he reached out for the silverware so he could formulate dinner. Meanwhile, Rigby only sat down on the kitchen stool, lazily bending on the counter.

Out of nowhere, the jolly man halted, instantly glimpsing at his employers. “Mordecai, Rigby, did some riveting scene occur during my absence?”.

The sole man who was assisting alongside examined him. “Why do you ask that, Pops?”.

“Oh, well, on my way home, many people were behaving so alarmed over something. It was a rather nervous sight”. He worryingly described.

The white-eyed man perked up. “Oh, Pops, you missed it!! The Pink Thief showed up!! We saw them, man!!”. He excitedly beamed, feeling very proud of that triumph.

And then there was the jolly man who felt more restless. “Oh, how tragic! What did they do?”.

“Nothing Pops, they were just on some guy’s roof”. Expressed a repose Mordecai, wrapping up stocking everything, followed by locking the pantry. Patting his hands together, he walked toward the other two men. “It was the one over there”. He indicated the home through the kitchen window, which was seen closely ahead of their location.

Going along with the orientation his finger was pointing, Pops followed it up by wrapping his mouth, deeply concerned about this. “Oh, poor Mister Josh and Miss Emily! I do hope the thief didn’t attempt to steal anything. Little Candice is much too young to witness such perils. Let's expect she doesn’t get influenced by that horrible thief too”. He puffed out, embracing himself to relax.

Subsequently, a substantial hand reached his shoulder, it coming from Mordecai. “Don’t worry, nobody got hurt, and everything around still looks the same”. He reassured that by conveying a big smile, which did come off as a successful result, noticing the man was much mellower now.

However, Rigby thrust his lips onward, not caring about the mushy scene he had just caught sight of. “Hey, Pops!”. He called out, wholly disregarding the brutal glow of his best friend, who was conscious of what was about to happen next, judging by that tone of voice. “This guy over here and Mordo-baby were discussing whether or not we could catch the thief so that we can rip their throat out!”.

“Rigby!”.

Yet again, he shunned him. “But!! This guy says it’s impossible because the cops can’t even catch that fat bandit”. Giving some enlightenment on the topic, he turned to Pops. “What do you think? You also want to rip their throat out just as much as I do, right??”.

Was he genuinely doing this, even after clarifying that the thief had been to their neighborhood?

The blue-haired man tried to keep his composure, enduring very profound blows in the event he wouldn’t lash out at the brunet. Ultimately, his anger was still detected as his eye began shuddering uncontrollably. When he was about to yell at his roommate, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the older man, developing a surprising look to see that he was contemplating an answer, as an index finger was on his jaw.

So, curiosity took over, and he decided to wait and see what the man was about to respond.

“My, I don’t know about that gruesome penalty, Rigby”. Openly spoke out to the older man. “We, here, entirely go with the gallows. I believe it’s a better effective punishment, don’t you presume?”.

It was pretty jarring to listen to such an unconcerned manner when talking about this issue, eliciting the tall man to swallow a tough lump stuck in his throat, not at all desiring to reply to that query.

At the same time, Rigby rolled his eyes. “Alright, whatever! Sheesh! Why doesn’t anyone want to follow my ways?!”. He scowled.

Mordecai folded his arms, emitting a fatigued puff. “You know damn well why! Quit being an idiot, dude”. Abruptly, he poked him in the shoulder, slightly injuring the short man.

“STOP TALKING!”. He yelled, using a hand to rub the ache away. “Pops, you still haven’t answered the question!”. He groaned, impatiently gazing at the elderly man while bouncing his leg. “Do you think we have what it takes to take them down?!”.

“Well…”. Pops seemed to reflect deeply as he mashed a button in the oven to preheat. “Well, Mordecai has a point, Rigby. If they can’t catch the lowest ranking bandit in the village, how are we supposed to defend ourselves?”.

Stupefy by that, the white-eyed man growled, now acknowledging that his best friend made a good point when they were in the yard. He quickly lost focus on Pops, hearing Mordecai’s smug grunts next to him, which led him to groan angrily.

“After all…”. The jolly man continued, now leaning on the balcony, feeling slightly distressed. “I do support the notion of catching that Pink Thief as soon as possible. I hate to see others suffer through their actions. It’s quite unfair that they opt to target however they please. Even we aren’t safe from their clutches”.

An awkward silence hit the pair, nervously looking at each other.

Sitting on the balcony that Rigby had his arms on, the tall man stared at the aged fella. “W-What do you mean by that, Pops?”.

The other employer coughed a bit. “Y-Yeah, Pops. A pillow ain’t that much of a big deal. I was just messing around, ya know~? I’ll just go get another pillow in the closet o-or you know...! Maybe it is underneath my mat-”.

“Oh my!! We have been targeted again?!”.

“AGAIN!?”. The young duo simultaneously asked. 

The oldest of the house continued. “Pops, what the heck?! What’s even going on??”.

“Yeah, Pops! What gives?!”.

“Well, umm…”. Now it was Pops’ time to feel unnerved at this situation, not having the guts to shared eye contact with his staff. Having no choice, he let out a long-dreaded sigh. “That’s not… Well… Do you two recall the moment when the house was in chaos, all because I was trying to find my precious possession?”.

Rigby quirked an eyebrow, but then he snarled frustratedly. “Ugh, that was the worst day of my life! Like, legit, I was suffering through a heart attack! I thought we been robbed or something!”. He rubbed his temples in agony. “Cleaning is so boring!!”.

His roommate stayed quiet, but not before balling his eyes at his friend’s moaning essence once more. “Yeah, we remember, Pops. Speaking of which, did you ever find out where the thing was?”. He asked, dangling his leg, gently hitting his heels on the counter.

Out of a sudden, a string of tears leaked down Pops’ cheeks, causing both boys to be startled by such a sudden change of mood in the elder.

It was so rare to see him ever weep, but when that was the case, something dreadful undoubtedly transpired.

"I-I... I lied!!". The elder man finally burst out, covering his face. "I never found my golden pocket watch!”. Loudly confessing that, he sobbed a couple more times. “Oh, my poor father’s belonging is gone! The only thing I have left to remember him by, and it’s just lost! It must have been stolen under the clutches of that nasty thief!”.

It caught both employers by surprise, speechless as to what they had just paid attention to.

The poor man kept at it with his laments, which made Mordecai jump to the floor and go towards his superior to console him. As that happened, a furious Rigby also jumped down, clenching his fists.

“Are you fucking serious?! That… bastard was the reason I cleaned the house?!”. He roared, hitting his fist on the counter but quickly moaned out loud, feeling much pain from it.

Mordecai lowered his eyelids at his friend’s priorities as he kept massaging the elder man’s back.

Waving his hand back and forth to ease the pain, the brunet was back to his agitated state. “Oh, that’s it! I’m going to march into the stupid forest and kick its stupid ass!”. Without losing a moment, he went straight to the entrance door to grab his coat and beanie.

The blue-haired man let out a loud snort. “Alright, good luck out there, dude!”. He smirked as he led Pops to sit on the stool so that he could relieve tension. “Don’t forget that the last guy who tried to go into that forest didn’t stand a ghost of a chance, but eh! What do I know, right~?”.

“I don’t give a shit! I can take him on! I’ll get your watch back, Pops!”. He was trying to put on the coat while moving spirally out of control, only to end up stumbling on the wall, causing a painting to fall and hit his head.

That latter sound was enough to frighten the elder, now acknowledging what was happening. “N-No, Rigby! It’s feasible you might not return in tip-top shape!”. He dried his soaked face using his magenta handkerchief, which was inside his vest pocket. “Please, listen to Mordecai and don’t do it! My pocket watch is not as valuable as your life!”.

Rigby had to admit; that Pops made a good point.

Or rather, that is what the other two men expected he would say.

Unfortunately, that didn’t appear to be the case because the brunet demonstrated a serious complexion over his shoulder, landing solely on his pal. Such an unpredictable emotion caused Mordecai to shiver, supposedly feeling a little uneasy automatically.

Turning around to face both of them, Rigby shrugged.  “Alright, maybe I can’t do it by myself… That’s why YOU are coming with me, man!”. He pointed at Mordecai in a very confident posture but diminished it when he only obtained a disappointing retort as his best friend crossed his arms.

“No way, dude. You’re by your own. Like hell, I’m going to kill myself in that forest”.

What he said held some truth, but at the same time, Mordecai began contemplating. Although this journey would be a death sentence for the two of them, something hit his brain as he realized this was it.

This was his chance to meet the Pink Thief up close finally.

His ultimate dream, yet he was throwing it out the window.

It was amazing how his fascination with the thief was enough for him to be dragged into doing such dangerous stunts. Should they genuinely risk it? Maybe, if well prepared, the pair might be able to pull this off without any harm coming in the end.

As he began to accept that this was a reasonable idea, he was flabbergasted by the sudden narrowly heavy poundage on him. Lowering his eyes, he found a weeping Rigby on his knees, wrapping his arms around his abdomen.

He continued to sob loudly, now leaning his head on his stomach. “C’mooon, bro! You know I don’t want to go alone! Please, man! I need your help! You’re my best friend! Do me this solid! Do it for me, man!” He began shaking Mordecai’s leg, weeping even louder.

After watching that pathetic scene, Mordecai shook his head. ‘Man, how did I end up being friends with this guy?’. The blue-haired man introspected until a weak smile appeared on him.

"Alright, alright, you big baby! I’ll come with you”.

“R-Really??”.

“Yeah... really~”. He helped his friend to stand up on his feet. As he saw him using his hoodie sleeve to wipe the remaining tears, Mordecai quickly attacked him, giving him one big nuggy that caused his best friend to laugh. “What would you do without me, dude~? Hmph~?!”. He cracked up while messing around with his hair.

Yet, the brunet could care less. “T-Thanks, Mordecai! Y-You’re the best!”. He happily stated, now hugging him.

While that was happening, the jolly man watched the duo with a small heartwarming smile but gradually lowered it.

<Beep! Beep!>

Suddenly, he bolted out of his seat after hearing the oven – it was done preheating.

The two boys heard that, too, watching a busy Pops stand up and quickly handle their dinner.

Mordecai sighed before releasing the short man. “Well, you might have managed to convince me, but this means I make the rules around here, got it?”. He sternly pointed at himself until he looked out the window, watching the darkness of the neighborhood, which was only lighted by a couple of street lamps. “This might be suicidal, Rigby… Are you sure you're up for it?”.

“Heck yeah! It will be worth it, man! I mean, honestly, I want to kick their ass, but we’re mainly doing this for Pops, right?”.

A brief yelp escaped the tall man’s mouth, but thankfully it wasn’t that loud. “U-Um… Yeeeeeah~ For Pops…”. Mordecai couldn’t help but feel a little bad, overlooking the fact as to why they were truly doing this.

Convinced by that, the white-eyed man removed his coat and walked back to the entrance hall. “So, what’s your big plan then?”. He asked, hanging the cloth back in its place.

Rubbing the tip of his chin, Mordecai proceeded to snap his fingers, now remembering what he was thinking before. “We start by going to Skips’ place tomorrow morning. Maybe he can help us out”. He smiled, crossing his arms. “Being the wisest man of the town, he might help us understand what happens in that murderous place”. Explained Mordecai.

Rigby nods, grunting approvingly. “Seems legit. Then what?”.

“Well, you boys can start by having a warm and delicious meal with me!”.

The boys looked at Pops, who was already setting the food down on the kitchen counters. Smelling the delicious scent, both boys’ stomachs began to growl.

“OHHHHHHHHH!! Food! Food! Food!”. They chanted in unison.

Rigby quickly jumped on his chair and began to chug his supper, and so did Mordecai, dumping the contents in his mouth hungrily.

“Mordecai?”.

Hearing his name mutedly, the tall man puzzlingly peeked at the older man, quickly swallowing down what he was munching. “What’s up, Pops?”.

“It’s just… if you boys are really up to retreating my precious watch... Please, be as safe as you can be. That forest is a jolly bad show, my friend. A jolly bad show… I do not want you two to be in any sort of danger under my consent. I adore you two so much that if anything would happen, I…”.

Pops let out a minor hiccup, trying to fight back the tears that began to rise.

Mordecai comprehended that his boss had all the right to be concerned, but he didn’t have to make him anxious in the process.

Enduring a deep sigh, he kept his composure, returning to glance at the elder. “Nah, Pops, don’t say that! Rigby and I have it under control. I promise you; we’ll be back in one peace!”.

“Promise?”.

Hesitant at first, Mordecai silently nodded.

He couldn’t let Pops know he was nervous, so he maintained the façade.

Seeing his boss content with his answer, he watched as he finally bit his food while spicing up some conversation with Rigby, who in turn would explain, excitedly, what he and Mordecai were going to do tomorrow.

Mordecai could only look out the window, glimpsing back at the rooftop of his neighbor’s house.

‘Am I truly ready to meet him…?’.

Chapter Text

Morning arose, and after numerous annoying attempts to get Rigby out of the mattress, the duo eventually made their way to the Master Builder’s workplace; the Workshop, located not too far from where they resided.

Skips was an intriguing older man; an individual of very few expressions, constantly straight to the point.

It was highly infrequent to be able to have a full-on dialogue with him, as he would refuse primarily due to the distractions of his typical busy career or simply because the man wasn't up to participating in them. In the event he would react, it was plausible to hear low-pitched grunts or just shift his head, either when it comes to affirming or denying something.

Not that the man was mute or anything. Far from it, he could communicate just fine.

He just preferred not to.

Nonetheless, he was deemed the most respectable individual in the village since he was the only handyperson encountered within the neighborhood, where his job mostly centered around woodworking. There were other times the man would perform other jobs, such as plumbing, and was just as capable of resolving them. In general, there wasn’t a single thing that this man couldn’t pull off, regardless of its difficulty level.

On their way to the building, the two young villagers met up with their closest friends, the two youthful girls called Margaret and Eileen, who had the precise same age as the boys. As of matter of fact, they almost appeared to be their female counterparts, as their heights were identical too.

It was a fascinating coincidence, one that other town folks took quite a notice of.

Anyhow, after giving them a quick greeting, the boys eventually arrived at the workshop.

As one of them knocked, the two quickly backed away by the sound of the door slowly screeching; it appeared to be unlocked. It was such an uneasy sight that both guys gazed at each other, wondering if they should enter or not.

Well, they might as well. Not like the wise man would really take much offense to that, since he personally knew them all thanks to their superior, as they were buddies with one another.

Entering the said work area, the two men were bewildered at its interior.

The place was in disarray, as small pieces of wood were scattered all over the floor, close by the lumber storage area. Not too far, they could also spot the room very much filled with equipment, including a workbench, some storage tools, a stationary machine area, and even a finishing area.

Strangely enough, no sign of its landlord anywhere inside.

“Umm… Hello? Skips? It’s Mordecai and Rigby!”. The taller man kept darting the place, this time to find any sign of human life present at the moment. Yet, all he heard was a background racket, consisting of birds and faint voices of people chatting outside, leading him to scratch his chin. “Weird…”.

During that span, the brunet was casually wandering while observing the room. “Told you it was too fucking early to visit the old man…”. His dull voice hinted at annoyance, which prompted his friend to look at him.

“It’s close to ten in the morning. The heck you talking about, dude?”.

“Again; too fucking early!!”.

What a shocking twist; Rigby was complaining, yet again, for the second time ever since they woke up.

At this point, Mordecai could only roll his eyes, deciding to thoroughly neglect his friend’s attitude, knowing full well there was no point quarreling over it. It seems the white-eye brunet also knew of that as he didn’t dwell on the matter further and, without hesitation, made himself at home, plopping onto one of the old sofas.

On the other hand, the blue-haired man kept roaming around, still trying to wrap his head around this bizarre circumstance. “It’s not like Skips to just get up and leave…”. Stating that, he made his way to the main desk, which belonged to the older man, as he spotted a couple of disorganized sheets.

They seemed to be letters.

Something about them caused the man to become captivated, as he unknowingly selected one of them, internally examining it. However, it was in complete jabbering. Therefore, he could only look on, having no idea what kind of language this was.

Heck, he had no idea if this was even an actual language, as it was filled with symbols.

Wait… Were these symbols… hearts?

Was this-

A long yawn caught Mordecai by surprise as he turned around to its source, watching his best friend lazily push himself down on the couch so he’d feel cozier.

After a sigh of relief, he began to ponder out loud. “I wonder if something happened…”.

Unlike him, the short man didn’t appear all that concerned over the owner’s disappearance, as he placed his hands behind his head and shrugged off. “Urgh, he’s old! He probably needed to take a piss or something and still hasn’t returned. You know how old people are; always taking their sweet time in the bathroom”.

“Is this how you treat your elders?”.

Both men gasped in unison as they gazed directly at the source of that raspy voice by the entrance door, only to find the proprietor himself; blankly staring at them.

Oh man, was he enormous!

Not to the point he was pudgy. Oh no, quite the contrary. His thick and tanned biceps for arms was indeed more powerful than anyone could ever imagine due to being under the lifting influence of the number of jobs he would perform daily. Just like Pops, the man was someone of old age, but compared to their boss, he seemed a little older. The most notable aspect of his appearance that verified that was in his hair, but it was much fluffier, prompting the man to have it rolled in a bun, so it wouldn’t get in the way of his eyes while he was in the middle of his task.

And speaking of which, he appeared to have returned after executing some tasks. He held his trusty toolbox and wore his usually dirty labor apron tied around his core, which was also wrapped around his topless torso.

So, why would he leave the entry open?

Then again, it’s not like the entire village, even the most challenging residents, took breaking and penetrating with such aggravated importance.

Far from it.

However, just in case, each residential installation did have a padlock on the door.

And deadbolts, levers, hooks, and possibly a triggered firearm.

Again; just in case! You could never be too sure about these things, right?

Interestingly enough, Skips didn’t appear to have any of those safety devices on his door. Even though he was the one who installed them on the other townspeople’s homes.

Yet again, Mordecai snapped out of his trance, discovering that the wise man was still intensely looking.

His natural green eyes almost acted like weapons; burning a hole through their souls.

Until a small smile was seen on his lips. “Ah, just kidding. You can settle down”. Indeed, he had lowered his heavy expression, but his raspy voice had such a lifeless tone that it could cause anyone to wonder if the man implied what he pronounced.

Rigby was the first to release a long-needed gasp for air, mostly from how long he held his breath and the couch. That, in turn, caused the tall man to laugh, who wasn’t all that diverted with what was happening beforehand.

Leaving the door agape, the significant individual, who was barefoot – a tendency of his for some odd reason – stepped towards his workbench, where a piece of broken furniture was seen. Not a moment to lose, he placed the toolbox on the table and was ready to go back to another ongoing project.

“So, what can I do for you, boys? You’re up prematurely. Particularly you, Rigby”. He dryly referred to.

“Yeah, well… Umm… We… Uh. What we doing here again?”.

Mordecai squinted at Rigby’s selective memory. ‘Oh, my fucking god…He lost his brain again’. He reflected, proceeding to facepalm in frustration.

Dropping his hand, he moved toward the wiser man, steadily leaning on the wall next to the station. “Skips, we need your help with something really important!”.

“Mm. Forget about it”.

“W-What?”. Dumbfounded by that reply, he straightened his back. “I haven’t even said what it was about!”. He quickly added.

“No, but I know you two want to go to the Last Willow Grove”.

It was pretty unbelievable what this man was qualified to do, as he was, in fact, assumed as the wisest man who ever lived, somehow managing to learn so many minor details continually, not just from the townlet but worldwide, as well.

“U-Umm… Ho-How did you kn-?“.

The more prominent man was quick to interfere. “Pops informed me. I met up with him earlier today”.

Mordecai fell into speechlessness, dreadfully peeking at the unknown, basically acting as if he was being filmed for a comedy skit. 

“Anyway”. The occupied man continued in his deadpan voice, using the hammer to hit the nails he carefully positioned. “I comprehend you guys want to retrieve Pops' pocket watch, but it’s better to classify it as lost. Even if you guys encounter the thief, you won’t outlive the atrocities that Grove has in store. You two do know what comes about to those who dare to break in”.

His tone was ominous, he couldn’t lie, but Mordecai needed to pressure the man further. “Skips, we understand! Trust me, it’s not like we haven't been beaten over the head at that stuff! But that’s why we're here! We thought that, maybe, you had something that could make our journey a little less of a pain!”.

“Even If I had something, I wouldn’t just hand it to you”.

Mordecai was baffled at those words, leading him to groan loudly while throwing his arms in the air. “What?? Whhhhhhy??”.

“Both of you are irresponsible regarding these subjects. You’re still immature, for Watcher’s sake!”. He sighed, deliberately unwinding his tone of voice. “Pops might depend on you two, but we both can agree that you don’t have what it takes to defend yourselves. Besides, I won’t be able to come to your aid if you two culminate in some drastic situation”.

Mordecai felt worthless, not knowing how to answer back to Skips since discussing this matter appear to be futile. It’s not like he didn’t trust his assertions; they did retain some truth, but he wished he’d have a little more faith in them.

“Hold up!! What’cha talking about, man??”.

The tall man looked on as he witnessed the miracle that was his best friend getting out of the couch and drawing near them. ‘Look who found his brain~’. He internally teased.

After being attentive to all that discussion, Rigby wasn’t at all accepting it well, as he stopped next to his friend, so he could begin to talk about how disappointed he was over this. “We!!”. He started, pointing between him and the blue-haired man. “We are more than capable of getting in that forest and return in one piece! And you know what?? I bet we can even do it in one day! What you think about that, uh?!” Argued Rigby, who, alas, kept on loudly making a fuss about this.

Much to the other’s dismay.

Already feeling appalled and annoyed by this, Skips figured he wasn’t going to get any work done so soon. If he kept on having to listen to the short man’s numerous ramblings, who at this point was just talking to himself about his strength and big brain, he’d most indisputably snap. So, he placed the hammer down on the table, staring intensely at it, almost like he was conflicted over this matter.

Until he finally looked at the duo, but primarily at Mordecai.

“I will assist you both in trespassing the Grove… but, on one condition”. He crossed his arms, giving a callous look. “Tell me, and I mean, the absolute truth; why do you boys insist on going to this area?".

Chapter Text

Mordecai was somewhat frazzled by such a question, spurring him to freeze and stare at Skips, who, in turn, stared back at him with his solemn eyes.

He was patiently waiting for a justification for his relatively straightforward question.

Such an intense look was enough for the blue-haired man's heart to commence beating at a somewhat fast pace.

Should he tell the truth? What would Skips make of it? Would he laugh at him for being such a ridiculous reason to enter a murderous domain?

So many questions were floating in his skull, resulting in the build-up of an unbearable headache, which further on brought an even more unpleasant sensation, all because of Rigby. He seemed unaware that the two other men had stopped paying attention to him a while ago. So, he kept on rambling in the background as if he was some type of a narcotic maniac.

After what seemed like an endless period of static, Mordecai let out a frustrated groan at the notion that he had to stick up for himself since his friend didn't come off, so he intended to help. “I…”. He engulfed once again, followed by discharging a long puff giving him the confidence to face Skips. “I-I… I want to meet the thief! Personally!”.

Shouting those words, he shut his eyes tightly and leaned away, holding his breath in anticipation of Skips’ reaction. It was a way to flinch away at the possible antagonistic or perhaps uncontrollable laughter from what he would acquire as a comeback.

The room stayed uneventful except for an absentminded white-eyed man, which provoked Mordecai to open one eye, finding it odd that he had yet to take notice of any retorts arriving from the wise man. And it shows as the young man felt in disbelief when noticing that Skips’ face showcased a dumbstruck facial expression. However, his body language remained very unbiased.

It was genuinely difficult to tell what was even ensuing at this point.

Well, one thing was sure, the villager couldn’t relieve the fact that he was extremely uncomfortable, as suddenly the elder's eyes moved up and down, practically working as if he was secretly observing every little detail of him; estimating if his words held some certainty or not.

This felt so surreal.

Was that genuinely all the man could react to? No sounds, no words, not even a chuckle?

Just plain silence?

This was eating away the poor blue-haired man’s sanity, unable to hold how agitated he stood. “W-What? That's it?! You’re not going to say anything?! I just gave you my honest answer, man! The least you could do is give me something to work with!”. Shivered Mordecai, sensing the adrenaline scatter through his body.

Skips remained in the void as his facial expression returned to its vacant one, becoming more tricky to tell what the man was pondering. In a sudden twist, he vocalized a small grunt alongside a stern nod. And without verbalizing anything else, he advanced towards his desk, making Mordecai stare at the man even more perplexed than before.

‘Did I say something wrong?... Oh, a course I did. Stupid!’.

Contemplating that pessimistic thought, he slapped himself, and his face suffered minor pain in the process of doing it. Still, that was nothing compared to the emotional ache he sensed under all his anguish as his cheeks began burning up in shame.

Good news, it appeared that physical self-act was enough to finally compel the white-eyed brunet to refresh his brain, misplacing his train of thought.

“Wait, what happened??”. Pushing his head back and forth in between his roommate and the bun-haired man, he just now realized he wasn’t receiving any attention. It crushed him at first, but it automatically led him to a moodily frown. “Were you guys even listening to me?!”. He nitpicked, wanting the men to know his feelings were hurt. “Super rude of you both, you know?!”.

Catching his eye on what he needed inside the desk’s drawer, Skips picked it up as a low-pitched jingle was heard. “Quiet down, Tho-, Rigby”. The wiser man murmured, ignoring Rigby’s sore pouts. “I’ll be right back. Don’t touch anything”. He gravely warned, promptly resigning to another section located inside and closing the door behind him.

Wait… Was the Master Builder about to call him a different name?

It confounded the shortest man. So much so that he looked up to Mordecai so to figure out if he heard the same fictional proclamations. And apparently, he truly wasn’t hallucinating, as his friend also faced him while sharing a parallel expression, only being able to shrug off what just happened. 

--

About ten minutes of waiting later, a door clicking was heard as Skips inserted himself back into the room, where he left his guests. They were unwinding by playing a game of thumb wrestling on the couch but immediately stopped, spotting the owner approaching them.

However, they became more curious when seeing the large box he was carrying with both his hands. It seemed pretty heavy, and the duo quickly saw some big things sticking out of it.

Putting the box on the coffee table in front of the pair, Skips grunted. “Okay. Your journey isn’t going to be easy, as you are well aware”. He dryly declared, patting the sides of the box. “That’s why I’m allowing you two to choose any tool from my arsenal”.

“Wait, you’re actually helping us??”. Mordecai asked dumbfoundedly, not at all expecting such a sudden decision to be made by the older man.

While that was occurring, Rigby was awestruck by the number of excellent and sharp weapons the wise man owned. “Yeay-yuh!! A course he is, man! Skips would never let us down!”. He excitedly spoke out, proceeding to rummage through the box.

A loud grunt was heard in return before the man skipped back to his desk. “Just pick a weapon”.

And so, the boys did what they were told to do, not wasting much time obtaining their weapon of choice.

Mordecai opted for the classic archery class, holding the Barnett Jackal crossbow. Shortly after, he found the leather bag that included its multiple arrows. Standing straight, he strapped the weapon to the quiver, ending with him connecting said kit around his torso, feeling the heavyweight contents on his back.

Simultaneously, the other young man fell under the gaze of a long spear. It was so shiny and pointy that the latter feature spawned a burning curiosity.

Without hesitation, he poked the very tip of the weapon with his index finger, immediately releasing it and broadcasting a small yelp. Automatically, he inserted his finger into his mouth, sucking the small red liquid leaking out.

A thing that revolted his friend. “Dude. Just… why?”. Was all Mordecai could speak out after being a witness to the foolish stunt he pulled off.

Even though he wasn’t losing much blood, a lightheaded feeling inserted itself into his brain, but that didn't prevent him from peeking at his companion. “ST-STOP TALKING!”. He cried out before going back to sucking the sensitive skin of his finger.

“Mordecai! Rigby!”.

Hearing their names, the duo quickly dismissed their brief argument and ran to where Skips was, seated on his armchair by the desk.

Aware of their presence, the builder spread a large sheet of paper and stared down at it. “This right here is the schematics of the Grove. Your objective is to arrive at this area”. He pushed his finger to the middle of the map before continuing to explain. “This is where the thief lays dormant”.

Before Mordecai could inquire of the obvious, his friend interjected by pushing him away so that he could take a better look at the map. However, the taller man didn’t budge from his spot but was alarmed by that motion.

The white-eyed man felt like he got the gist of it, yet confusion was met in his mug. “Wait! In the middle of the forest?? That’s the hiding spot? How has no one gotten to them yet??”.

“Dude, do you have the brain of a baby?”. Insulted his friend, now pushing him aside. “Doesn’t the word pack of vicious wolves not ring a bell??”.

“No, because that’s not a word. It’s a phrase~”.

A smug look was seen as he spelled that out in an overconfident way. In the end, he achieved another brutal voice to the arm.

Succeeding that, the two broke into a fist fight as an exhausted Skips watched on.

After rubbing his cheeks to relieve some tension off his body, he stood up and spread his thick arms to separate them from continuing their violent actions.

"Enough! Do you two want to find the thief or not?”.

Both boys silently nodded before one last punch was thrown.

“Rigby!”.

“What? You punched me first, so I punch you last!”.

A fierce grunt echoed in the room, forcing the two to concentrate on the older man and opting to end their quarreling for good finally.

In par to approve that decision, Skips resumed with his explanation, now holding a black sharpie. “I’ll be marking the known hunting spots, so whatever you do; do not end up in or near them!”. After finishing the undertaking, he pointed at the black crosses. “Another word of advice; if in close proximity of a cub, do not hesitate to flee the scene. A cub can always mean that a larger pack is roaming closely by. Oh, and-”.

As the man kept warning them about various other things, such as venomous flora or what to do in case they get lost, the duo simultaneously nodded, taking every fiber of information in.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long for Rigby, who eventually resigned from thinking and became distracted by random things being broadcasted in his melted brain.

It was such an exaggerating sum of new knowledge.

Obviously, he was making a big mistake; the best course of action would be to pay attention to every little detail the Master Builder would explain since this unknown and unexplored territory could lead to his demise. At the same time, it’s not like they would stay there for that long.

Their objective was to retract the pocket watch and return it before sundown. And if they did encounter the thief, they’d just run away.

Well, maybe kick their rear at least once, but other than that, that was it.

It was simple as that!

After an eternity, the elder man stopped talking, resulting in the brunet regaining control of his whereabouts.

“Okay, I think that's everything”.

“Oh, thank the Watcher…”.

“Mm, actually, one more thing before I forget”.

A loud moan escaped Rigby, leading him to slam his head on the desk. “Skiiiiiips… This is way too much for me! Like, cut us some slack! I didn’t go to college for a good reason, you know??”.

“I’m sorry, dude; do you want to die at twenty-seven?”. Not hearing a response, Mordecai looked back at Skips and waited for him to continue.

And he gladly did so. “As I was trying to say, I have one more thing to tell you. I see you two chose your preferred weapons, so let me give you some tips on handling them. Rigby, do not overreact or swing the spear all over the place when in dire circumstances. Your stamina will rapidly be drained, leading you to become invulnerable to near prey”. Finishing that, he turned to the other man. “Mordecai, do make sure not to panic, as well. If under attack, ensure you know where you aim and stack as many resources as you have. In the event you do run out of arrows, the Grove is littered with sticks; use them”.

Both villagers nodded, transmitting the message that they heard his hints loud and clear.

Getting off his seat, Skips passed the map to Mordecai, followed by the two exchanging more words. However, Rigby had enough, so he picked up his weapon off the floor and went outside for some well-deserved fresh air after being cooped up in that building for what seemed like hours.

The workshop wasn’t exactly a nice place to be in due to the wretched stench of wood.

As he left through the front door, he could have sworn he heard a strange noise from the nearby bushes. He stood still for a moment until he shrugged it off, thinking he heard things. Carefully, he stretched his arms to position the spear on his back, which was knotted down by a torso belt.

Chapter Text

When Rigby fled the workshop, Mordecai was still conversing with the bun-haired man, asking how to manipulate the crossbow under pressure since he had never experienced handling such a weapon.

After being enlightened on the matter, he took a deep breath and gave a convincing smile. “Skips, we promise we won’t let you down!”.

A small grunt was responded, yet he smiled, placing a hand on the youngster’s back. “I know you won’t”.

“…What?”.

“Just promise me you’ll keep Rigby out of harm's way. The sheer amount of emotional absurdity he holds is frightening”.

Mordecai couldn’t agree more with the man’s remark, opting to react by gradually bobbing his head.

Until the sudden realization hit him. “Hey, Skips? I never got to ask; How did you…?”. He paused for a second, ending it by shrugging. “I mean, it’s not like I wasn't expecting you wouldn’t know, but still… how do you know so much about this place?”. He suspiciously raised the question. “And why did you decide to help us? Or, what was up with that weird question of before?”.

Even though there was so much more he wanted to ask, he was unexpectedly interrupted by a low-tone laugh and his shoulders being grabbed by a pair of strong hands.

“Don’t worry about it”. He comforted him, gently pushing the blue-haired man towards the front door. “Just do what I said and focus on your quest”.

It was a little daunting that the older man would dodge his questions, but he decided not to pressure much on it, judging this was Skips he was chatting to. As he made it to the front porch, Rigby jumped down to the rock pavement and waited for his friend to finish up whatever he was doing.

“Let’s go, dude!! I’m already starving!”. He wailed, impatiently tapping his foot down.

“Hold up, man!”. He spoke out before turning to the bun-haired man. “Thanks for everything, Skips! We’ll do our best!”. He assured while clenching his fist, which earned the man to nod afterward.

And thus, the duo simultaneously departed from the location, waving goodbye to Skips, who watched on. He crossed his arms when he could no longer spot them in the distance, as a low sigh was heard under his breath.

“It finally ends”.

That was all it was muttered before he skipped back inside.

-

A few minutes later, they were close to reaching the exit gates of the village.

Rigby was the first who excitedly pointed that out as he ran straight ahead, leaving his friend behind. It’s not like the blue-haired man wasn’t as excited as him, but due to the amount of weight he was carrying, he decided to keep a steady pace, not wanting to lose all his energy just yet.

Thankfully, the white-eyed man didn’t dash off too far, but at the same time, it led Mordecai to stop in his tracks as he heard his friend let out a short screech, followed by witnessing him collapse onto the stone pavement.

“Rigby!!”.

By how badly that collision seemed, the blue-haired man could tell his friend suffered immense pain, which compelled him to run to his aid.

However, when he was about to catch up, he closely ran the risk of also losing his balance as something came into contact with his right leg. Luckily, he was sharp enough to prevent himself from suffering the same fate as his friend by heavily stomping the floor a bit further away with the other leg and placing both his hands on the floor. After releasing a sigh of relief, he stared below only to notice a fragile wire connected between two trees, placed opposites of each other.

It baffled him as to why this was there, but he decided to let that go for now, as he automatically stood up, carefully making sure he wouldn’t brush near the rope again, and ran ahead. Stopping, he looked down at his chum, still on the floor, as if he had fallen unconscious.

Fortunately, he was fine, as his body was seen moving up and down to extract oxygen from his lungs.

Mordecai instantaneously positioned himself and lifted the short man off the ground, who was trying to get rid of any evidence of sobbing. Dusting him off and making sure the brunet was alright, the tall man was now wrapping his brain around what just happened or what was even going on. Before he could, he eavesdropped on a belly laugh from the shadows of the alleyway, prompting the duo to turn their heads and examine said direction repeatedly. Immediately, they spotted what seemed to be the suspect hiding in the shady area, responsible for pulling such a mischievous prank.

The tall man was the first to point at them. “What the hell’s your problem?! We could have gotten seriously hurt!!”. 

It was hard to tell who Mordecai just roared at, but it was feasible to catch a glimpse of a cocky smile on the individual’s lips as it gazed at the guys.

“You know who else could have gotten seriously hurt~?”.

It finally spoke, disclosing some arrogance in its voice as if it was taunting the two individuals.

At first glance, both friends stared on in confusion, not sure if this was a rhetorical question or if the person genuinely expected them to make a reply.

Until it hit Rigby, who revealed a dreadful expression.

Without acknowledging it, he extended his arm as if to try to prevent the horrid tragedy about to transpire right in front of their very own eyes. “Wait…! NO! DON’T-“.

“MY MOM~!”.

Delightfully shouted the individual as he jumped out of the shadows to reveal a dark-skinned man – a little older than the duo – wearing a green cloak. His dark green eyes were filled with joyous tears, wheezing loudly at his supposedly hilarious joke. Meanwhile, the two villagers were groaning out their frustrations, fully recognizing what they got themselves into. In the end, this indeed wasn’t the first time they were duped by this chunky bastard of a man, which enraged them even further, especially Rigby.

“Fuck off, Muscle Man!!”. He yelled out as the cloaked man removed the hood off his head, revealing his long brown hair. “Like, shouldn’t you be hiding or something?!”.

He placed both his hands in the cotton shirt’s front pocket and pulled a pastry out of it. “Tsk, chill out, bro~ Ya know nobody gives a remote crap about me”. He casually said, now eating said creamy food.

Mordecai shook his head, indicating his disgust over this. “That’s because the cops around here are useless!”.

He shrugged. “Maybe, but like, I also got the skills of blending in with society~!”. He took another bite before pointing at them. “You ladies wouldn’t understand such talentst~”. His voice was filled with such assurance that he failed to pay any to his mouth, which was full of dough.

“Ah!”. Sarcastically snorted the short man. “People can see your fatass for miles!!”. After pointing that out, he paused for he heard faint voices coming to pass in the background, forcing him to face the direction of the source.

It didn't seem he was hallucinating because the other two men repeated the same action of the brunette along, interested to know who was conversing near them. And coincidentally enough, it just so happened to be two police officers who appeared to be patrolling the streets.

Catching a better glimpse of the authority figurines, the short man glared at the other brunette. “I’m telling!”.

“Pfff~ Whatever, man!”. Amusingly replied the wide man, crossing his arms and shrugging in the process. “Go ahead~”.

“Gladly! POLICE!!". He screamed, using his hands near his mouth like a megaphone. "The fat bandit is here!!”.

Hearing all that commotion, the two officers made it to the scene where the trio was located, clearly spotting the man being denounced. However, rather than acting impulsively, they simply waved to him.

“Hey, Mitch! Fancy seeing you around here!”. Lightly mentioned one of the cops, as the other went for an enthusiastic high five. “How’s the mistress?”.

It did appear Muscle Man had a real name since he reacted so naturally.

After greeting the officer, he went on to nonchalantly shrug with a smile while pulling the belt of his pants a little higher. “Eh, ya know! Doing her thing. Got to love her, man”. His smile had instantly turned to a naughty one. “Hey! You know who else asks how my babe is doing~? MY MOM!!”.

A burst of blunt laughter was heard from both the people in uniform, as it continued for a little too long. When they eventually calmed down, they quickly gave kudos to the wanted man in the form of various high fives. During that, Mordecai and Rigby simply watched on, not afraid to express how offended and disappointed they were at this nominal clownery of a scene.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the supposed group in charge of keeping the town in check. And that included ensuring that no criminal was allowed to get away without suffering the consequences of their actions.

Yet, here they were.

It was no wonder that they had yet to control the pink threat.

And indeed, nothing terrible happened to Muscle man, as the cops agreed just to leave, continuing on their merry way as if nothing peculiar happened. There was no way they were that naive not to see the undeniable because everyone knew what the fat bandit looked like.

This village was quite something.

When they were indeed alone, Mitch targeted the pair, or more so the white-eyed man, with a sleazy smile. “So, what were you saying, loser~?”.

“Shut up, fatso!”.

“Yoooo! Not cool, man!”. He articulated angrily, pointing at the short man. “Leave my weight out of this or else!”.

Instantly, Mordecai opted to intervene. “Or else what?? You’re going to make another lame momma’s joke?!”. He barked, knowing for a fact the other man’s harsh words meant absolutely nothing. “Like that shit is new to us!”.

That was enough to calm the thick man down before grumpily turning away. “Pff, whatever, man. You guys are lame!”. He silently opted not to argue further as a thought sprung to mind, resulting in switching his gaze back at them. “So, is it true you ladies are going to kick the Pink Thief’s ass or something?”. He calmly yet curiously raised the question, showcasing a neutral expression, even when the two friends stood there in shock.

“What?? How the hell do you know that?!”.

“Rigby!”.

Muscle Man smiled again. “You girls don’t exactly have the softest voices. I could hear everything from the outside~”.

The short man gasped, only now realizing that the sound he heard earlier did belong to someone. “You fucking sicko! So, it was you who was fucking with me! Why you gotta be so noisy?!”.

The tall man could only roll his eyes, growing quite annoyed with this bandit. All he wanted was to get started on their quest and finish it before it was too late. And by that, it mostly referred to fearing he might lose his chance to meet the thief up close.

But knowing the man wasn’t going just to let them go, he decided to go along. “Yeah, we’re going to the Last Willow Grove. So what?”. He questioned with a deadpan expression.

Out of nowhere, the fluffy man darted into a rather upset mood. “Well… You guys better know what you’re doing… That forest is legit, no fucking joke, man”.

“Oh, my fucking Watcher, we know!”. Blurted out Rigby, rubbing his cheeks. “Holy shit! Can everyone just stop mentioning the fucking obvious?! You’re going to give Mordecai a heart attack!!”. 

Crossing his arms, the person who was just directed narrowed his eyes in confusion but then decided to brush it off, opting to face the bandit. “Yeah, why do you even care?”.

“Unlike you, ladies; I know how fucked up that forest can be!”. He sternly stated. “You guys have no idea of what…”. He hesitated, feeling his bottom lip quiver. “What’s it like… to lose a close bro”. A bit of emotion could be seen in the man’s eyes, which made the duo speechless. However, he kept on talking, primarily to himself at this point. “I had no idea; he was serious about wanting to go… I thought he was just messing around. I… I should have stopped him, but… I didn’t want to go in there... It's been so long since I last... saw him... Maybe he'll be back?". He slowly covered his face. “Shit…”.

A chill ran down the blue-haired villager’s spine, not at all comfortable hearing this rather out-of-context monologue. From the bottom of his heart, he wished that the man was just messing around, but as the man kept gloomily looking at the floor, the tall man realized that he was being serious.

Sequentially, this scared him. 

In that meantime, a few tears rolled down the bandit’s cheeks, but he aggressively wiped them away before glancing at the other guys, who had yet to move. “What are you two ladies looking at?! I’m not crying!”.

Rigby squinted his eyes. “Dude, no one said anything”.

“Shut up!!”. He shouted, putting the cloak over his head. “I’m warning; you chicken-heads better be prepared for the worst!” And on that ominous tone, he simply went back to blend in with the shadows.

Mordecai felt his chest tighten hearing those last few words as he proceeded to watch the man disappear. Whether he was messing with them or not, the idea of losing his best friend…

Well, it made him feel sick.

Then again, why was he so worried?

Sure, that forest was a massive death trap. That much was evident at this point, but they did ask Skips for his wisdom. Maybe it was his stubbornness acting up too, but there was no way he would let Muscle Man’s words enter his head; once he had a goal in mind, he would do all means possible to reach it, even if the world tried to stop him.

Concurrently, Rigby fell silent, unsure how to feel about this. He looked up at his friend as if he was about to say something to him but was quickly interrupted by hearing their names being called out in the distance.

“Pops?”.

It was indeed the jolly man, as he stopped in front of them, breathing a sigh of relief.

“O-Oh, I’m so delighted I made it to you two! Look!". He heartily articulated, holding a backpack with both his hands. "I brought some snacks in case you two get hungry during your major and wild adventure!”.

The taller man finally snapped out of his trance as he saw Pops hand him the leather gear. He gladly took it but then gave it to his best friend, who wasn’t carrying much on his back. “Thanks, Pops. We appreciate it~ But I’m sure we won’t take long in there”.

“I know, but you can never be too sure~!”. He gleefully said as he proceeded to hug his employers. “Oh, I’m already missing you two! Do be cautious out there! I’ll be cheering you on~!”. The man happily yelled out.

The two nervously stared at each other as they felt their necks becoming crushed under the immense resilience of their boss, yet they tried to act as casually as achievable.

Finalizing conveying their farewells, Mordecai and Rigby rapidly left so that they wouldn’t get sidetracked by anyone else.   

Taking one big breath, Mordecai smiled confidently while staring at the forest ahead of them.

‘Finally… It starts here. We’re coming for you, Pink Thief’.

Chapter Text

Penetrating their way into the Last Willow Grove realm, the two adventurers were astonished at the shift of scenery around them. Not because they moved from a clustered human settlement to a woodland biome but because they could have sworn it was morning when they departed their quarters.

The expansive foliage enclosing them was so opaque and misty that it made it tough to tell what was ahead or closely by. Regardless of such climate, they could still pinpoint some intriguing characteristics, such as the area being dominated by enormous oak trees, some of which were theorized to reach the elegant atmospheres. And when dishing about multicolored flora, none of the million flowers known throughout the world were seen.

Solely green shrubs or other identical woody plants.

Even more alarming was the attribute of how freezing this zone was. The damp temperature crashed into their faces, arms, and in Rigby’s case, even the legs. It was quite a wonder how it was practicable that no trees were shedding into their winter skin.

As they kept hiking along the dirt route, the leader between the two reached out for the map located inside his arrow quiver and began scanning it. It seemed they were moving on the proper footpath, as the track seen on the map came across as the same one they were met with at the moment.

That was, until he reached a screeching halt, much to the dismay of his short friend, who grumpily stopped behind him.

Swapping his eyesight between the map and the site in front of them, he realized this would be harder than he had previously pondered. Whether the Master Builder developed this map or not, it appeared to be outdated, as described by the trajectory seen in it; there was no longer any path underneath them.

Just grass.

Sooner or later, they would ultimately end up lost, even with the aid of the sheet of paper, since there was no other method they could navigate to travel safely.

It's not as if he was blaming this entirely on Skips, far from it. It would be pretty outlandish to do an endless amount of investigation on this death trap of a forest, so he understood it very well.

Wait, did this suggest the bun-haired man has come here countless times to create this map?

Well, whatever was the case, Mordecai couldn’t fib; he was beginning to feel excessively stressed out over this. And it didn’t alleviate that his companion showed signs of lethargy and turmoil, as he heard him precipitously tap his foot down while his hands were around his abdomen.

“Why’d we stop?? C’mon, slow-poke, hurry it up!!”.

Even though the purpose of his whining was to pressure his friend, it appeared not to have seized much effect. The blue-haired man kept himself focused on the map, hiding his anxious sentiment from his friend.

After a few seconds of silence, eventually, a sigh was heard, yet his eyes remained aimed at what he was clasping. “Unlike you, I’m trying to navigate this stupid useless map”. He blankly enunciated, using his finger to create an imaginary path on the paper.

“Man, forget the map! This place literally looks the same!!”. He spelled out, moving his head to check the ambient around them. “This is fucking stupid! We might as well be following the wind or something!”.

Raising his head at that sarcastic remark, the leader was about to yell at him but stopped as he was interrupted by a very strange breeze; one that appeared to be advancing from the rear, gently blowing their hairs forward in a steady rhythm.

This, in turn, gave him an idea.

“Dude… I think you’re up to something”.

Those words alarmed the brunet, not even sure how to appropriately react. “Wait, really?!”. Expressing his confusion, he observed the leader putting a finger on his tongue and then raising it above his head. “What the heck are you doing?”. He asked, finding this a bit too bizarre for his taste.

As Mordecai felt the wind in his wet finger, he proceeded to look in the direction it was coming from, which caused him to be inquisitive. “This wind is pretty weird, dude”.

“Why are you saying that? It’s wind”. He specified in a dull state, raising his shoulder.

“No, dude. Something about this isn’t sitting right with me! Why would it be coming from town?”. Letting out his puzzlement, he looked at him. “I mean, did you feel any wind back at home?”. He watched the white-eyed man struggle a speck until he simply gave up by shaking his head. “Exactly! Nothing! So, it must have some sort of purpose!”. He stated, now a little stirred. “Maybe, it can guide us to where we need to be!”.

While Mordecai found this line of logic to make sense, the other man didn’t feel so assured about it, especially in that conclusion. In actuality, he was pulling an apprehensive look at how worried he felt for his friend, deep down wondering if he was feeling alright.

Suddenly, the wind was blowing at a much stronger rate, which caused the short villager to shiver violently, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to self-heat. “Brrr! D-Dude, I think you’re starting to hallucinate… and we just got here!”. He sighed, lowering his eyes. “Man… Maybe we should head back…”.

As he reinserted the map back into the container on his back, the tall villager fearlessly carried on. “Be my guest, dude. I’m going after that wind!”

“What?!”. He gasped, watching his friend abandon him. “H-Hold up!”. Yelling those words out, he quickly pursued afterward. “Dude, I’m just saying; this is starting to smell! Like... seriously bad!! Why aren’t you freaking out?!”.

A couple of short approval grunts came out of the leader’s throat. “Hmph~! C’mon, Rigby~! We’ve dealt with much worse crap in our lives, but we always managed to cope with it! Check it; even this place looks pretty peaceful!”. He beamed, spreading his arms to prove a point before grasping the handle of the heavyweight quiver around his torso. “I’m telling you, man, we got this in the bag!”. He confidently said to encourage his friend.

Rigby fell into an ambivalent hush.

Not that he was against his best friend, as the arguments he pointed out seem to be pretty much genuine.

Nevertheless, something about this place reeked of bad vibes.

He was not sure why; it was just how he felt.

At the bottom of his heart, he didn’t want to experience the horror that Muscle Man was forced to suffer through. Or worst, he didn’t want to kick the bucket in such an unpleasant spot.

On the other hand, they had already been here for about a couple of minutes, and nothing appeared to be wrong. Sure, the atmosphere was weird, but no dangers seemed to be lurking out.

So, if Mordecai was convinced the two could pull it off, who could dispute that logic?

Ending on that closure, Rigby showed a vicious smile, dauntlessly moving a little faster until he walked alongside his best friend. “Yeah-uyy! This forest got nothing on us, brookies!!”.

The two were now smugly grunting, one after the other, while performing a fist bump. Eventually, they replaced those assured sounds by opting to spice up some conversation about unrelated topics, so they’d had something to do until they reached their peculiar and deceptive destination.

-

Back at the village, Skips was just about done fixing the small-sized project.

With no one to bother him, he was free to work at an undisturbed pace in his pleasant domain. Nonetheless, his brain was crammed with an unspecified hypothesis, primarily related to the guests who visited him earlier today.

Thankfully, he managed to pull through, all because he took notice of the annoying creaking sound coming from the front door.

Another young brunet man – a little more youthful than the best friend squad – had entered the workshop. He breathed profoundly, as sweat was seen on his forehead and topless body. Whoever this kid was, he didn't come across as an outsider to the owner or the workshop because he was quick to grab a towel in one of the other building divisions.

Placing it around his neck, he calmly approached the older man. “Hey, Skips. I’m back from my-“. He paused, now realizing what the man was doing, sequentially forcing him to speed up his pace. “Skips!! W-What did you-?!”.

“Relax, Thomas”. He said composedly, still locking his eyes on his task, yet he purposely did that, for he knew who was standing next to him. “Miss Eileen requested we work on her birdhouse as soon as possible”.

“W-What?! B-But-“. Thomas could only stutter, not finding the right words to express how upset he was. “Y-You… You told me to go workout!! Why would you do this to me?!”. He cried out, now feeling a little melancholy. “Maaaan…”.

Hearing all that fuss, the bun-haired man ultimately shifted his head as he saw a tanned man with a short light brown faux hawk hairstyle and a light chin curtain of a beard. He kept observing him, now taking a glimpse at his revealing abdomen and man pecks, which weren't showcasing much of a built body. Yet the most recognizable feature was a fake tooth necklace hanging around the neck, as the chain was composed of a thin rope.

Without warning, Thomas gasped and recoiled away as he felt the older man poke him in the stomach, causing his nervous system to grow sensitive. “H-Hey! What was that for?!”.

“You said you been growing muscle”. He disapprovingly enunciated in his raspy voice. “You need to start taking this seriously if you are set to work with me”.

Such a one-sided statement made the tall young man pout. “Really?? How am I supposed to grow muscle if you never let me work?? Uh?! C’mon!!”. He crossed his arms, not daring to look at the older man. “It’s always Thomas clean this! Thomas fetch that!! Like, I’m sick of it!!”. He rubbed his cheeks frustratedly, then pointed at the nearly-done project with his hand. “You don’t even let me work on the ONE thing that someone actually asked me to do! You’re just discriminating against me!”.

It’s true; Skips hasn’t been all that straightforward with his intentions regarding training the kid.

Not since that one faithful day.

After being begged thousands of times to give him a chance, Skips decided to allow his student to accompany him on one of his jobs; fixing a kitchen pipe for a resident. Although he was initially hesitant, this could be a great way to see his kid evolve professionally, allowing him to take on a more challenging practice.

All it was required was patching up a sink. Indeed, this could be an easy task that even his pupil could pull.

Oh, how much he regretted it.

It crushed him to say it, but Thomas was much too absentminded.

Not that the bun-haired man was stating Thomas doesn't have what it takes to become a Master Builder. Deep down, he knew he had, but something within him was missing. Or, more precisely, a piece was blocking the student from reaching his full potential. And so, all the trainee could do when it came to handling any assignments was his own personal way – the reckless way.

Speeding up the technique as much as possible, including bypassing essential phases.

Again, Skips knew his pupil wasn't doing this on purpose or anything equal to that. So, he opted for a new learning method; have his kid perform basic tasks, or in other words, chores.

It was a way to teach him about responsibilities and emphasize the art of concentration.

These classifications did take time, so the wise man would continue this until he's seen enough improvement to allow him to deal with more complex challenges. Yet, that didn’t stop the young man from disobeying his orders, even after being strictly warned not to work on something deemed too complicated.

Even though the kid was a pain in the neck to deal with, the bun-haired man still very much cared about him.

This, in turn, led him to reminisce about the day he first met Thomas; abandoned on his front porch.

Only a mere little minor, crying into a goat plushy, tightly clutched in his tiny arms.

Watching over such a heartbreaking scene, compassion overtook the wise man's soul, leading him to welcome the child with wide open arms.

It was awkward at first, as the baby felt a little discomfort in this new home, found in a town filled with strange people. However, as the days went on, the little one began warming up to this unique setting, sensing a happy and cozy environment. And so did Skips, who started to feel attached to this kid, eventually enjoying the idea of having a little bundle of joy running around his workshop.

Oh, how sweet and cheerful his kid was. Always so curious about whatever he was doing.

Which guided him to the day when a young Thomas startled his father figure by disclosing he wanted to become a Master Builder. It was so heartwarming to hear such news that Skips made it his promise to pass on his techniques to his new future student once he reached the right age.

Flash forward to a couple of years later, where Skips was forced to tell a teen Thomas the whole story about his origin. Sooner or later, he was bound to be suspicious of the fact there was hardly any childhood evidence in the workshop. And yet, the bun-haired man never wanted to stumble upon that by accident after overhearing a conversation between him and Pops.

Needless to say, his student didn’t take it that well, leading up to the moment when his behavior changed drastically.

He impulsively acted out using violence, especially during his rebellious phase.

Luckily, when he was close to adulthood, it seemed the young man had finally mellowed in his attitude, portraying a gentler personality to those circling him. And when attaining the twenty-one mark, Thomas officially became Skips' disciple.

However, something happened; his personality had radically become unstable out of nowhere. Not only was he more belligerent than before, but he was also regularly portraying other negative traits such as nervousness and even sad moments, followed by waving them off as if nothing happened.

Overall, just shapeshifting his moods without any rhyme or reason.

Skips had a couple of theories about how this happened; in one of them, he preferred not to presume about it, opting to connect this uncommon occurrence to a particular party his pupil was invited to about two weeks ago.

Nonetheless, watching such radical behaviors led Skips to evolve a tremendous amount of self-awareness in his pupil.

The best course of action to help him discharge all that stubborn weight would be to relieve him by channeling his moods into something a little healthier and more productive. And since his pupil has been making some adequate progress, maybe it was time to have him execute short labors.

Glancing back at the birdhouse, he knew what he had to do as he stepped aside from the workbench.

“Go ahead”. That was all that was spoken out as he neutrally folded his arms.

For the first time since he entered the building, Thomas finally smiled. “Finally!”. He faced the object but was immediately stopped by his mentor, whose arm got in the way. “Aw! What now??”.

“You know what needs to be done?”.

Raising an eyebrow at that simple question, Thomas was back to smiling, only a little more cunning this time. "Ah~! Easy! I have to decrease the friction on the wood, so I need to use sandpaper!”. He confidently illustrated, followed by grinning brightly, watching his tutor remove his arm, meaning he was correct.

So, he picked up said tool and began rubbing it on the little house. 

Scanning him, Skips felt a little disgusted that his disciple wasn’t going to take a shower before touching the object but decided not to hang around on that. “Don’t forget to paint it, then leave it to dry for about an hour. If the paint still feels unfinished, then-”.

“Skips, stop! I know what I’m doing! Just trust me!”. Shouting that, it resulted in him losing concentration on the endeavor, which caused the sandpaper to slip out of his hand. “Shit-“.

“What did you do now?”.

“Nothing! I just lost my focus!”.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Here, let me show you how it’s done-“.´

“NO!”. Thomas was quick to shove the man away, enough to make sure they were at a safe distance from each other. “I can do this by myself!! Damn!”. He was about to rub the house again when-

“Don’t cut yourself”.

A clamorous groan escaped Thomas, which Skips heard perfectly well while on his way to his desk.

Just as he previously thought; his kid's future wasn't as dim as it appeared.

Chapter Text

It truly felt like an eternity had transpired since they first stepped foot in this lethal and tranquil woodland.

Furthermore, they have been in there for so long to the point that it was confounding to even transverse. Instead, they were forced to walk amongst the dense leafage and the vast — reaching troposphere levels — trees.

Rigby was entirely correct; nothing about this green zone stood out, leading anyone to believe they have been running circles in the niche for who knows how long.

Beneath the surface, the duo wished that wasn’t the case.

Anyhow, while Rigby lazily pursued behind, Mordecai maintained his role as the leader, holding a lantern in his hand to light up the inconspicuous path. At first glance, the short man’s expression lingered impartial until it culminated into a bothersome one. Never did he imagine that such a spine-chilling adventure could somehow manage to be so monotonous at the same time.

The gloomy atmosphere, the numbing cold ambiance in his sensitive skin, and the silent treatment?

All that was enough to drive him nuts, having about enough of this place.

And he wasn’t shy to let the whole world know as he stopped in his tracks. “I can’t take THIS anymore!!”.

Such a scream resulted in Mordecai letting out a short shriek, in addition to halting his steps, for he did not expect to hear such loud noises after minutes of nothing. 

In a quick swift, he turned around and shushed his friend with the use of his index finger. “_{Dude, keep it down! We’re in} their _{territory! You want us to fucking die?!}”. He angrily mumbled, clenching his fist.

An unnerve Rigby instantly covered his mouth with both hands but slowly unleashed it enough to be seen out in the open. “_{Well, I’m sorry!}”. He whispered loudly. “_{But this is not how I imagined today to go!}”.

“_{Well, that makes two of us}”. And thus, he proceeded ahead.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t just the brunet who was suffering. The blue-haired man was also initiating showcasing signs of weariness, not acquainted with the fact this search would be so vastly tedious. After everything Skips precautioned, perhaps he should have pinpointed this matter to them too.

Well, no matter. What's done is done.

“What do you think Pops’ doing right now?”.

That indeed surprised the tall man as he glanced at his friend, who seemed a little down. “I-I don’t know”. He conceded, not even sure how to appropriately respond. “Maybe going through his normal stuff or something like that”. He paused, now looking ahead. “Why’d you ask?”.

“No reason”.

“Dude”.

A long sigh escaped the short man. “I was just curious, man. Get off my back”.

Deep down, the tall villager was convinced something was up, but as he was about to pressure his friend into spilling the beans, he stopped himself, mentally and physically. That sudden move caught a distracted Rigby by surprise as he crashed into him, yet Mordecai didn’t flinch one bit, continuing to stare dead ahead in a frozen state. The main reason for that was that he was too preoccupied with something that completely threw him for a loop.

Far off into the distance, a luminous light was seen, distinguishing the rest of the heavy atmosphere.

“Rigby!!”. A loud shush was heard from his best friend, but the leader promptly ignored it, pointing straight at the unknown light source. “Look!!”.

Bidding to that by leaning sideways, the man blinked in astonishment while taking a step back. “What the-? Yoooo...! Should we be worried??”. He confusingly raised the question, gazing up at his companion, who had yet to share eye contact because of how speechless he felt.

Ultimately, he was able to react with a radiant shrug. “Who cares, man~?! Let’s go check it out!”.

Without hesitation, the two ran directly towards it.

Due to lugging less weight, the short man bypassed his pal, as he was about a couple of meters from their new goal. “Yes!! Dude, we're finally getting somewhere and-“. He halted in the middle of the track, as his focal point was still focused ahead of him. “-AND, it was all for fucking nothing!!”.

When the blue-haired man caught up with him, he was shocked to see that the light had vanished out of thin air. And the worst part was the fact that nothing appeared to be interesting around here; only more darkness and misery. And the latter indeed went straight into their souls after this depressing revelation.

Could it be that from the short passage of time in this forest, their brains have become so overwhelmed to the point they were finding other means to cope with the insanity?

Well, whatever the answer was, the two were not pleased in the slightest, as they loudly groaned and released their frustrations in various ways; with Mordecai kicking a nearby oak tree while Rigby immediately fell face first into the grass.

“Fucking dammit!”. The white-eye villager muffled out as he had yet to move from his flat position. “This is such bullshit, dude! I want to go hooooome!”.

Mordecai let out an angry sigh, punching the same tree while staring at his feet. “I don’t get it… I swear there was some weird light right over here!”. He positioned his arms around his waistband, attempting to wrap his head around this situation. “Like, what gives, man?!”.

“What gives what?”.

“Shut the hell up, Rigby! I’m not in the mood!!”.

That statement forced the short man to raise his head. “What the fuck?? I didn’t say anything!”. He spoke out, genuinely confused as to why he was holding a grudge against him.

“Dude! We're the only ones here!! Who else could have talked??”.

He had now stood up. “I don’t know, man! You're tripping!!”.

“I’m what?!”.

As the two got closer to each other so they could move on to argue bitterly, a surprisingly soft laugh was heard. One which caused them to freeze instantly. It was apparent none of them did it, so it only meant one thing...

They weren’t as isolated as they previously assumed.

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar gleaming light befell on them, brightening the spot they currently stood. And worst yet, both the duo sensed it right next to them, resulting in their skin reeking of goosebumps, despite warming up their bodies as if it were some sort of heater. If truth be told, none of them wanted to peek, but at the same time, it became impossible when their subconsciouses were being irritating, itching with a burning curiosity.

So, after cautiously using their peripheral vision, they followed it up by moving their heads at the source, as a terror-stricken feeling fell on their bones.

A ghost.

There was a humanoid spirit… floating right next to them.

It was unnatural. Its mesomorph body didn’t appear to be acting like a regular phantom, such as the ones from the horror movie genre. It was tough to describe, but even though its feet were seemingly hovering, its body appeared alive. As in, if approached, it was possible to touch and feel its skin.

However, that wasn’t the scariest part. Its body was nothing compared to the intense light that emitted from its hollow blank eyes, powerfully staring down at the duo.

Intimidating them.

If that was its true intention, then they had to give it props; it was indeed working.

As of the juncture, an uneasy silence had become their only friend. The duo feared that if they attempted to move a single minuscule muscle, the ghost would react violently toward them impulsively. So, if they played their cards right and stayed still, behaving as if they were statues, maybe the apparition would leave them alone.

In reality, interesting enough, the ghost’s aura appeared to be solely smiling. And it wasn’t an evil one or anything like that, but a genuine smile as he switched its gaze between these two strange humans. Until it faded away, acknowledging that these guys were not going to budge from their act. It is as if they were those terrifying statues located in some gallery.

At this point, the ghost appeared more worried than anything, realizing that the two have yet to shift positions ever since it's been spotted, including breathing or even blinking. It wasn’t hard to tell, as the face of the tallest between the two looked a little purple, while red veins were visibly growing in the brunet's eyeballs.

“Umm… Hello?”.

“…”.

“…”.

All of a sudden, both friends automatically shrieked at the top of their lungs after hearing a calming, echoing voice. In the midst, Mordecai unconsciously dropped the lantern in favor of holding his best friend for dear life, who, in turn, reciprocated the same motion back at him.

A hasty attack arose out of the ghost; which was covering their mouths.

“Shhh!!”. He nervously shushed, glancing in every direction. “Don’t you guys know about this Grove's curse?! You’re going to get us in trouble!”. It loudly murmured the last words, now facing them.

Despite that, the white-eyed villager kept screaming in a muffled tone as the spirit prevented him from releasing his terrifying nature out in the open due to the power of its palm glued to his mouth. Meanwhile, the tall villager stood still, curious as to what it just spoke out.

As Mordecai managed to settle down, he finally took a good look at the seemingly young and friendly male spirit.

He was wearing a rearward black cap, making it possible to see some turquoise-colored tuft of hair sticking out from the front. It was quite an interesting feature that led the blue-haired man to contemplate if that was his natural hair color, as there was the likelihood of altering when meeting one's fate.

The taller man was at a loss for words, yet that didn't prevent his nosiness from leaking out as he slowly peeled off the spirit's hand from him. “Dude… Who… are you?”. He carefully asked.

The humanoid essence evolved neutral, leaning his head a little to the side, potentially scanning him by the use of its lifeless eyes. An attitude that both perplexed and tensed up the villager, wondering if he questioned something out of the ordinary.

Eventually, the wild soul retorted with a small smile. “I…”. He softly chuckled, followed by shrugging. “I don’t know~! I seem to have lost my memory when I became… well…”. He signed to himself with a clear face. “…dead”.

Hearing that latter word, Rigby started to fiercely struggle, proceeding with the casual spirit to release him as both tall men witnessed him tumbling on his rear.

Afterward of releasing a painful moan while rubbing his lower back, he raised his head at the mystical creature. “What the fuck, man?! How is this possible?! Skips didn’t mention there would be fucking ghosts around here!!”.

“Oh, there are tons of people roaming around!”. He happily stated, now turning to Mordecai, who was in awe. “It’s actually not that bad. Whenever it’s safe, we throw parties in the lower layer. It’s freaking rad!”. He excitedly spoke out, levitating a little higher into the air, which pushed the short man to hide behind the closest oak tree, not trusting this occult scene.

This led the ghost to descend, feeling a little bad.

On the other hand, Mordecai rolled his eyes at his best friend's immature behavior. “Sorry about him. His a little slow on things”. He disapprovingly pronounced.

“_{Stop talking!}”. Angrily whispered the short man, holding on to the tree.

The transparent man shrugged. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I kind of remember acting like that when I got here”.

“Woah! Hold up! So, you really died here? What happened?? And why did you decide to come?”.

He looked down to contemplate before shaking his head in defeat at the tall man. “For real? I have no clue, man. All I remember is coming here and then… poof; I died! Although…”. He quickly pulled something out of his back pocket. “Somehow, I had this with me… maybe you guys can make sense of it?”.

After closer inspection, the soul was holding an old, worn-out photograph, making it difficult to tell what was happening. The blue-haired man tried to find the significance by squinting his eyes. Not alone, as he was back in the company of his friend, who decided to leave behind his hiding spot.

Until Rigby gasped. “T-That’s… That’s Thomas!!”. He shouted, prompting the other two men to shush at him so that he could keep his voice down. “No, I swear it’s him!! I can tell it’s the fucker by his ugly necklace!”. He growled before looking up at the floating man. “You know him?!”. He only received a shrug as a reply.

“Dude, are you serious? A course he’s not gonna know!”. He returned to look at the photo, ignoring his friend’s scowling. “It does look like Thomas. And that girl… isn’t she…?”. He stayed quiet for a bit until he snapped his fingers. “It’s Starla…! Wait, but what would mean…”. He then gasped, realizing his theory was correct. “Muscle Man?!”.

Now, it was time for the brunet villager alongside the phantom to shush the taller youngster, but he was too petrified to notice them.

Yet, Rigby obliviously continued. “Ghost dude, we know these guys! They live in the village where we come from!”.

“You… You two came from the village? The one just outside from here?”. He asked while pointing at the two men so that he could be clarified on the matter.

Taking a sharp drag, the blue-haired man eventually darted at the spirit. “Yeah, and so do those people in the photo. To be honest, we don’t really get along with them. Well, except Thomas. His not that bad”.

Should he bring up his new finding to them?

Well, perhaps, but Mordecai thought it would be best if he remained quiet. He knew Rigby wouldn’t help him out, and their new friend would undoubtedly be even more puzzled as his amnesia blocked his old memories.

When he was deep in thought, he didn’t even notice that his friend was giving him an offended look.

“Speak for yourself, motherfucker! I wouldn’t mind ripping that guy’s throat, too!”.

Looking back at him, he grew a sense of disgust. “Rigby, it’s been two weeks. Move on, man!”.

“No, I won’t! We had all the right to step in and do what was right! Besides, might I remind you that he's responsible for giving you that scar??”. He pointed at his nose, which did make the tall man rub it.

Until he stopped by shrugging indifferently. “Whatever, man. You act like we didn’t start the whole fight”.

“As If! Yo!! Ghost dude, back me up here! Tell this guy, he's full of-“. Rigby paused, now checking the abundance of greenery encompassing them.

Their brief companion had unexpectedly vanished.

So, without his eyes, the atmosphere was back to complete twilight. Not even the lantern could save them because it had broken upon impact.

The duo was back to feeling the animation felt in this isolated forest.

“…shit?”.

Chapter Text

“Ghost dude?? Where’d you go?!”.

When Rigby kept yelling out to their new friend, hoping he would still be around, Mordecai made an effort to get the lantern to function again.

Without any light source, the two villagers would run the danger of wandering haphazardly around the horrendous dusk grove, which would undoubtedly pan out to leaving them much astray from their goal.

Not to mention, how were they supposed to return home?

Realizing their only source of sunshine was nothing but useless scrap metal now, he groaned angrily. “Urggggggh! FUCK!!”. He screamed, causing a large echo to ensue, followed by throwing the lantern into the vast unknown. “Fucking great! He was probably our only chance to know where we could find the Pink Thief!”. Frustratedly spelling that out, he turned to Rigby while breathing heavily. “And now, he’s gone!! All because of you and your stupid priorities!!”.

Witnessing a finger being pointed at him, he grew discomfort. “H-Hey! Don’t look at me like I’m responsible for this!”. He threw his arms out of self-defense. “Why’d you always blame me for every little thing?!”.

“Because you are a fucking screw-up!!”.

Those words emotionally wrecked the short man, mortifying him to the point he felt speechless. He never thought his best friend would say such horrendous utterances, but apparently, it wasn’t over yet as he heard him groan again.  

“Also, let's not forget if you hadn’t mentioned that stupid fight, he’d still be here!”.

Now, the white-eye villager was furious. “What?! That makes no fucking sense. He must have forgotten we were a thing because of his amnesia, you jerk!!!”.

“That’s not how amnesia works, you absolute dumbass!”.

“Oh, yeah?! W-Well… This is all your fault too!!”.

“What?! How?? Do explain it to me!! I’m just dying to find out what brilliant conclusion you just made up!!”.

“B-Because; fuck you!!”.

Gritting his teeth, Mordecai gripped Rigby by the shirt and tugged him closer. “No, fuck you!!”.

As the two were about to throw their first punches, a paralyzing emotion struck their bones and muscles.

Only this time, it was due to some unnatural growling sounds.

“What… was that?”. Asked the brunet, now hugging his friend, not at all in the mood to continue their quarrel, as his body melted into a panic fit. “G-Ghost dude…? Is that you?”.

The two were praying to the Watcher that it was just their stomachs acting up since it’s been a while since they last ate. That probably wasn't the case, but still, it didn't matter what it was.

As long it was harmless!

Suffice it to say, they were confronted by a dreadful reality, as many red famished eyes emanated from the bushes in their current location, carefully looming the pair on all fours.

‘Oh no…’.

Oh, how effortlessly it was to hear their restless hearts pound at absurd velocities as they kept holding onto each other.

After many warnings given to them, the ominous nightmare manifested its way into existence; as the two became fresh prey to the local atrocities of this forest.  

Was this the end for them?

“_{Nice going, Mordo-fuck!}”. Loudly whispered the short brunet, trying not to startle the angry pack of about a dozen beasts. “_{You lured them in!}”.

Mordecai glared at his companion, only moving his eyes in an attempt to duplicate what he was doing. “_{What?! Shut the fuck up! If you had just stuck to the plan, we wouldn’t be in this mess!}”.

“_{What plan?? The fucking Pink Thief?? We’re going to fucking die, and all you’re thinking is that bastard??}”.

“_{Yes! The main reason why I even decided to join you in this stupid adventure was because of the thief!}”.

“WHAT?!”.

That loud reaction coming from the shorter villager had unintentionally begun the hunt.

An impatient wolf pounced on the leading villagers, but Mordecai was quicker to dodge it by shoving his friend off of him, resulting in the two splitting up and the wolf dismounting on nothing. When it realized it didn’t catch anything, its eye became fixated on the tallest man as it began moving towards him, and so did another one of its brethren.

A shaky gasp escaped Mordecai’s throat, stepping back from the carnivorous pack.

Meanwhile, after that harsh shove, Rigby fell on his posterior, losing his backpack in the procedure and landing on something that compelled him to let out a sharp hiss of ache. When lifting his body, he looked to glimpse at what was below him.

The spear.

The villager had utterly failed to recall that they brought weapons from Skips’ arsenal, sorely in the case of an emergency. And currently, they were dealing with more than just an emergency; they were dealing with their lives as they were close to transforming into chewing toys by these bloodthirsty wolves.

In a swift move, Rigby got up while holding the spear in one hand. Turning his attention to a blurry background, he ultimately spotted his friend, who was about to get attacked by two beasts.

“Dude!! The weapons!”. He pointed multiple times at his own back to better signify what he was trying to convey.

Succeeding, he froze at the sight of three wolves carefully stepping towards him, showing their large and bloody fangs, most likely spawned due to some poor prey they last devoured.

And Mordecai took note of the familiar voice, leading him to grab the crossbow and an arrow from his quiver, now becoming self-aware about the weapon he brought along. Unfortunately, that triggered one of the wolves to attack the blue-haired villager, but it was suddenly put down by the considerable strength of an arrow shooting its way into its head.

Watching his accidental but top-notch performance at hunting, he felt stupefied, examining his weapon of choice. “Holy shit… This is sick!!”. Immediately after, he turned sour as he grabbed more arrows. “Alright! Who’s next?!”. He yelled out, ending by cocking the weapon. “Come at me, bitch!”.

As he was busy shooting more arrows toward any wolf who tried to approach or attack him, his best friend was dealing with his side – striking any predator with the same ill intentions on his side. 

It was unknown what was happening, but something within the white-eyed man had this sudden weird urge to eradicate anything that tried to tangle with him.

“Yeah-uyy~!! This is fucking awesome!!”. He laughed at this beautiful feeling as he continued to stab various predators. “You, furry fucks, better back off before I ‘Death Kwon Do’ your asses!!”. 

He felt so overpowered. So alive!

Unfortunately, while he was busy gloating, he became sidetracked by the world around him, including a little pup hiding in a nearby scrub, as its pupils grew as if it was a feline ready to leap into action. It sprung out, aiming its mouth with very few sharp teeth at the villager’s head. When accidentally using his peripheral vision, the short brunet caught sight of it, automatically making him screak at the top of his lungs.

Acting impulsively, he automatically clutched his spear closer to himself, bracing for any impact.

Everything was moving way too fast until a screeching halt transpired as the next thing heard was a small body dropping into the soil, followed by the observation of a red liquid leaking out of its head.

Petrified and out of breath, Rigby stood still, watching over his new catch, who eventually went limp after twitching for a couple of seconds. Such a devastating moment wasn’t swept under the rug as the rest of the wolves stood still, realizing that their youngest companion was no longer spiritually with them.

This led them to scowl at Rigby simultaneously.

“_{…I-I can explain}”.

As predicted, the wolves were not about to hear the man’s reasoning. And as punishment, one of them sent out a loud howling screech into the ambiance, basically executing it to transmit a cry for help.

The brunet swallowed a massive lump stuck in his throat before returning to shivering. “W-Wait!! I-I was just- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!!”. He insisted, but it was proven to be fruitless yet again to reason with these wild animals.

The deed was done, and unfortunately, more wolves were closing in, given the cue to come forth and help dispose of their new enemy.

That became quite obvious as Mordecai stepped backward, detecting other vicious creatures ambushing him. “Dude?! W-What happened?? Why are there more of them?!”. Shouting loud enough for his friend to hear, he shot another arrow.

His last one.

This revelation was like a slap to the face, but he was not about to give up. In an aggravated state, he threw the quiver and the crossbow at them but was met with surprise; they dodged the large bag with ease, and adding insult to injury, one of the beasts caught the weapon using its mouth.

And in one bite, it was broken in half, as the wolf’s gaze was still set on the tall man.

Shivering at that ominous view, he accidentally inclined his back on an oak tree, resulting in flinching at the wooden touch. Trapped like a mouse, he tried to climb up said plant to have a better chance of survival, yet there weren't any possibilities to do that, leading his feet to slip back onto the soil. On the other side, Rigby did pay attention to his question but was too busy having a shaky staring contest with the wolves, trying to act like the more significant alpha predator.

Yet, that was proven to be worthless.

Turning his attention to Mordecai, he became hesitant but resolved to divulge the truth. “I-I… I might have killed a cub…”. He pointed out, cringing a little.

“You WHAT?!”.

“It was going to bite my head off!! What the heck was I supposed to do?!”.

While the white-eyed man was drawn away by attempting to explain himself, he didn’t take the notion of the enraged barking that was arriving from the fierce pack.

Until one of them took a bite out of his leg.

Everything ran blank for Rigby.

Nothing could ever clarify the pain he was sensing.

He couldn’t even listen to his own blood-curdling scream echoing through the forest, only perceiving the vibration escaping his sore throat.

Mordecai watched in absolute horror as the shock value within prevented the man from reaching out to his friend or even having enough brain power to yell out his name.

His Fri- No… His brethren! This couldn’t be happening.

A splash of fluid was directly leaking out and hitting about everywhere as the beast continued to gnaw on and pull out his leg with the use of its tremendous hazardous fangs before an enormous puddle materialized underneath him.

This was Mordecai’s breaking point.

Something had arisen inside him as the glass-shattering sound was heard in his brain. He felt his body furiously tremble in place as he began to lose control of all his senses and any detectable logic.

The next thing he knows, he's facing the numerous wolves ahead of him with clenched fists, breathing heavily in their direction, no longer feeling a fiber of fear when in visual contact with them. And without a single warning, he charged out at the confused animals, using all his violent and forceful intentions against them. Yet, despite such a change of body behavior, the furry pack didn't let that get to their head, as they attacked back with everything they got, including using their paws with hurtful nails to rip his clothes in addition to his body. Luckily, they would only slightly scratch his skin, but it still did quite a lot of damage as he began to sense a burning feeling in them.

However, the scarier part was the somehow brutal force in the villager's fists was more significant than the grey fur balls, but in turn, it caused gashes to appear in his knuckles as he would hit the preferred sharp weapons of the beasts located in their mouth. 

More flames were felt, but at this point, he didn’t care about the pain; his best friend needed him.

After having enough of the psychotic attitude of their human enemy, the animals growl at him, slowly backing away, which allowed an excellent opportunity to transpire.

One, the tall man was not going to waste.

When the time came, Mordecai escaped his cat and mouse game, promptly running directly towards the other pack, which was still severely injuring his best friend. In one move while approaching, he quickly grabbed the forgotten spear out of the floor, and with the assistance of a long jump, he sliced the most troublemaker of them all.

Clean in half.

Without feeling any pulse, the wolf's fangs released Rigby, who, in turn, crashed into the soil in a frozen-like state, yet his body would occasionally convulse from time to time.

The previous pack and the other one, who was harassing the short villager, witnessed that in shock. That expression rapidly disappeared into more agitated growing as they all began to sprint out. Unconsciously, the blue-haired man dropped the spear, opting to carry his injured friend and placing him over his shoulder.

And thus, the chase truly began, as Mordecai rushed as fast as he could to who knows where to get away.

Terrifying enough, a group of about thirty wolves was not far behind as they relentlessly chased afterward.

As he kept sprinting for dear life while guaranteeing his friend wouldn’t fall off, he unexpectedly felt his senses return to him; allowing him to be in touch with reality again.

One that wrecked him internally.

‘What the fuck happened?! Why am I running?! Oh, shit!! They’re ganging up on us?!’.

The latter, he assumed when he peeked over his free shoulder, as he gasped in utter apprehension, indeed witnessing that to be the case.

What the heck was wrong with these wolves?

They couldn’t be accurate, as they ran faster than a gazette or a cheetah even. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to them, and that thought terrified the tall villager, giving him an enormous amount of adrenaline injecting itself into his veins. 

Occasionally, he would jump over small obstacles, like tree roots or rocks, while still keeping a quick pace. It wasn’t always successful due to how dark it was, and that eventually bit him in his rear, as at some point, he made one wrong move with his foot when he landed on the soil, generating it to ache. He must have pulled a muscle under there, but he couldn’t stop now.

For all he knew, the moment he slowed down, even a little, was one step closer to their deaths.

He couldn’t let the wolves gain on them.

After minutes of being chased, he painfully closed his eyes as his stamina began reducing.

His feet were so sore, all the way to the bone. His shoulder was under a lot of pressure due to the body weight of his pal. Tears were running down his cheeks, feeling a deep burning sensation hit his lungs, making it harder for him to breathe. And alongside all that, his heart was beating so fast that he felt he could get a heart attack at any moment.

All his body parts were screaming in his ears; wanting him to put a halt to this horrible torture.

Realizing that simply going straight wasn’t helping, he decided to take a sharp left turn, using his free hand to grasp a small tree branch, so he could accumulate enough balance to pull that stunt. That, in turn, took some of the pack members off guard, yet others drifted afterward, excessing their speed towards their target.

At this moment, Mordecai’s vision was so blurry that it almost felt like he was heavily intoxicated after drinking various shots.

Was he seeing a few bright lights in the distance? He wasn’t quite sure.

His speed began to lower to a shaky one until he just lost consciousness, dropping his friend, who had woken up from the heavy impact of the rugged dirt below.

“A-Ahh… W-What happened…? Uh?! M-Mordecai!!”. The short man was about to reach out to his friend but winced in pain, feeling his mangled leg shoot pain into his nervous system as it went on to bleed further. “O-Oh, fuck! It fucking hurts!”.

As Rigby opened his distressed eyes, he gasped in fright.

The wolves had caught up to them.

Yet, for some reason, they slowed down; now strolling directly at them at a steady pace.

Without hesitation, dismissing his nuisance of a leg, he grabbed Mordecai by the arm and painfully tried to drag both their bodies as far away as possible while a blood trail followed behind. It appeared this tactic was working wonders until, without realizing it, they were trapped.

A giant tree root was in their way, preventing the short man from continuing on.

With Rigby’s painful leg and Mordecai’s fatigue body, what were they supposed to do?

If they somehow did manage to escape, where would they even go?

Nowhere to hide, nowhere to call for help… It was hopeless.

This was the end.

Thus, the duo opted to surrender in despair as they watched the wolves ganging up on them.

“Rigby…”. Heavily puffed out the taller man, turning his drowsy gaze at his friend. “_{I-I’m sorry f-for everything…} This… is all my… _fault”. He gasped for more breath. “If I… didn’t yell at you… we’d still have a chance to… escape”.

The short man abruptly interfered. “N-No, it’s my fault, dude! I shouldn’t have been so stupid! I should have paid attention to what Skips told us! I…”. His eyes turned red from the waterfall of tears leaving his sockets. “Fuck… We’re going to die for real, aren’t we?”.

“At least… we’ll die together, dude…”. He gave him a small smile, slowly lifting his arm and presenting him with a fist. “Love you, man… You’re the best brother a guy could ever ask for~”.

Rigby eyed in disbelief, but as he looked at the fist, he smiled at Mordecai. “Love you too, man… Thank you for being there for me~!”.

Thus, they shared one sweet bro fist, accepting it as their last one.

Chapter Text

All hope was lost.

Squinting at the yearning grey threat, they observed them closing in step by step, baring their teeth to undoubtfully show that they were about to come to be their next feast. In addition, the scent of blood that reeked out of one of the villagers would surely compel any predator to attain a contact high. Coupled with the fact the young squad has done nothing but be associated with the affliction of the fuzzy group, it would most certainly lead them to be finished in an unpleasant fate.

Therefore, it was possible that when encountered in such an unstable position, it would push anyone’s life to flash through their eyes, which, in this case, totally didn't exclude the duo.

Could it have been potentially possible to prevent this nerve-racking end?

Well, if they could time travel, the white-eye villager would absolutely do anything in his power to warn his past self from ever arriving here. If he simply introduced himself in his current state, there was no way his past self would dispute an argument.

Intriguingly enough, Mordecai wouldn’t reverse a thing.

It was odd because, if anything, this adventure has proven to be nothing but a pure catastrophe. More so, if the tall man did, by some miracle, survive this horror, it would surely grant him permanent brain trauma. And yet, in a bizarre twist, he still felt grateful to have such an option to fulfill his deepest dream.

Granted, it wasn’t, but it was still worth the shot in the end.

Even so, the blue-haired villager felt this to be so zany; out of all the ways he would go down, mangled by carnivorous beasts, surprisingly, wasn’t on the list. Not like he would have wanted to perish in any other way, besides a natural death, of course, but he could have sworn that he was anticipating another much slower and painful demise due to his past.

Life unquestionably had its random convolutions.

And so, with that in mind, the pair slowly shut their eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

When unexpectedly, a miniature detonation made its way between the two parties.

Integrating itself into the soil, a toxic grey gas outstretched out into the ozone further obscured the potential shady space. It caught the villagers so off guard that it provoked them to cough uncontrollably, incapable of withstanding such an intense smog.

The short man was gripping onto one of the small tree roots, trying to lean away from the insufferable atmosphere, yet his leg made it outlandish impossible to do so. “W-What the-“. He couldn’t even finish that sentence, as he was back to coughing out loud before swallowing the saliva down his throat and gasping for more air. “Argh!! It got in my nose!!”. He cried out, wrapping said nostrils as tears dripped out of his swollen eyes.

It was tough to control their lungs, particularly for Mordecai, who had yet to fully recover after he was trusted to partake in that awful chase scene. He tried to take stable puffs, using his hand as a shielding mask. However, he immediately stopped, as he could have sworn there was something familiar about this fog.

It had an orange flavor touch to it.

When the mist had evaporated out of thin air, Mordecai detected they were no longer the focal point of the wolf's eyesight. Instead, they had instinctively retrieved a couple of steps, aggressively barking at the upper area of the tree – where the duo was still leaning – almost like they were spooked by something.

It was such an uncommon thing to see.

Why would these top-of-the-food-chain forest predators be so on edge?

Due to their burning curiosity, both villagers raised their heads to check what the fuss was all about, and lo and behold; it appeared the creatures weren’t just barking into the unknown.

Because standing on a large branch, there stood the delineation of someone.

Soon after, it fearlessly jumped off the branch, which, such a tumble could presumably lead to some shambled bones. Yet, it didn’t appear to be the case because when coming into contact with the soil, it landed perfectly still on one knee while its gloved knuckles hit the ground for support.

As it straightened its back, the duo gasped in unison.

Could it be likely that they were sharing a heavy-inducing comatose dream?

Ahead of them, facing the vicious pack, the figure stood, wearing a long black cloak that went to its ankles as it swung alongside the swift breeze.

“The Pink Thief!”. They both integrated with a breathtaking expression.

Exclaiming their awe, it made the figure shift its veiled head to the side, allowing the two villagers to see that there was an unusual humanoid pink mask on their face; one that kept the mysterious aura around this individual intact.

This was unbelievable; it really was the thief.

Unfortunately, there was no time for questions because it immediately turned its full attention back onto the murderous pack, entering a fighting pose to signify it was prepared for the battle.

At first, the wolves were hesitant until a brave soul decided to charge at full speed ahead.

Yet, the masked individual kept still.

Viewing that, Mordecai’s first instinct was to stick his arm out panickily. “Watch out!!”. He hollered while his speechless best friend could only look on at this admittedly cool scene.

When the wolf was about to reach its legs, the mysterious pink person jumped up, releasing a slight jingle of marbles hitting each other as it stomped its brown boots on the furry creature, who whimpered at such a force.

Only now, after witnessing that cruel act, the furry pack decided to insert themselves into the action so that they could avenge their fallen comrade. They ran towards the threat, yet, the figure didn’t look one bit worried at the new challenge.

Unlike the immobilized villagers, who were shivering in place.

Using its left hand, they unzipped the satchel hanging around the thighs and removed a tiny sphere from it. With no hesitation, they popped it underneath the mask, as steady chews were heard within it until the impossible happened; bright and intense flames shot out of its breath, generating fear within the animal group.

The duo was in complete shock. It almost seemed as if the thief was a flamethrower.

More distress sounds were heard, followed by a sulfurous odor, as most of the pack suffered second-degree burns. Thus, due to their tremendous amount of anxiety in their fur coats, they cowardly fled the battle, knowing it was useless to deal with this pyromania sociopath.

Everything happened so fast until all it remained was one poor adult pup. It was stricken with immense fear as it saw the thief slowly approach, which led its first instinct to run away and go after the rest of its brethren.

Oh, but it was so late to do so because the next thing that happened was its body becoming immobilized by some sticky substance, which spread onto its paws.

Kneeling near the panicked animal, the concealed figure seized another small pearl. Only this time, they scrunched it with the use of their fist until it was nothing but pure dust.

One that released a sweet aroma all around, hitting the villager’s noses which caused them to sense such a numb feeling in their muscles.

Succeeding that, the mask owner, in one gentle blow, threw the contents towards the mammal, who, unexpectedly, became somewhat tamed, even more than the boys. Its snout was now seen with its tongue out, waggling the tail all over the place, as it gave a long lick on the thief’s mask, which, in turn, received a rub on the head.

No words or sounds were heard.

Just complete silence between both parties, excluding the wolf, who was adoring the affection it was receiving.

The guys continued to gaze in amazement, not knowing how to react appropriately. 

After what seemed like forever, the white-eyed burner was the first to regain his composure after dealing with such a delicious smell. “Duuuuude! Like… are we… dead?”. Confusingly muttering those words, he hazily blinked his eyes as tears were seen rolling down after having them open for a highly long time.

However, Mordecai didn’t move a single muscle, not having the strength to pull his eyes away from the rather stunning thief, as his jawline had yet to close.

That was the coolest thing he’s ever seen in his life; he doubted anything could ever top that.

They were so powerful! So mysterious, so brave… so dreamy.

Eventually, he snapped back to reality, using his digits to rub his sore eyes. “Damn, dude… I feel like I’m on another plane of existence or something”.

“Same”. That was all that Rigby could reply.

In a trice, both guys froze up as they noticed the thief was staring in their exact direction.

It was as if the mask’s soulless eyes were secretly judging or even checking for anything considered suspicious of them, which caused discomfort in Rigby’s soul.

On the other hand, Mordecai didn’t mind that at all.

In the meantime, the substance faded out of existence and freed the wolf’s feet, yet the canine’s intentions still appeared docile, behaving like a happy dog when seeing its owner, who seemed to be the Pink Thief now.

As the thief stood up, zipping the pouch shut, they followed it up by showing its palm out into the distance. Interestingly enough, that affected the wolf’s behavior in a snap of a finger, who just ran away, like it was commanded to do so, despite no words being spoken.

Shortly after, although it looked like it lasted for an eternity, the unpredictable individual approached the otherwise trespassers and eventually towered over them, terrorizing the poor villagers. Out of nowhere, they pointed at them, which caused both villagers to recoil at the sudden movement.

Still silence all around until a short exhale was heard.

“You two have about ten seconds to explain what gives you the right to enter my domain”.

They spoke.

Its voice… The first vocable sound.

Oh wow! How can it be put into words?

Mordecai simply found it so relaxing and mature, coupled with addictive. Although they spewed mere threatening words, he, deep down, wanted to hear more. Just having the pleasure of listening to them talk non-stop, for hours upon hours, no matter the subject.

It was such a wanted pure bliss to his damaged brain cells.

At the same time, it had a stern tone, but the tall man believed it to be the case because of the situation at hand. And yet, something else caught his curiosity.

He couldn’t help but wonder.

“A-Are you a guy?”.

The pink thief lowered its hand, appearing to be taken back by that question, as they stared at Mordecai, who had an expression that could only be described as someone who just took heavy amounts of morphine.

On the other hand, there was Rigby, who didn’t appear all that hype over this scum as he fearlessly prepared himself to go on with his mouth. “Excuse me?! Your domain??”. He questioned with a bitter attitude. “Bitch, do we look like we want to steal anything from you?! You literally live-in prover… In p_ro…. _{In pr…}”.

While it looked like he was just having a hard time spelling that last word, in reality, his body was reacting very negatively; quivering intensely whilst showing a state of blurred vision.

Until, out of nowhere, he automatically banged the back of his head on the tree.

This, in turn, caused Mordecai to spiritually return to the real world, especially being awakened by the sound of that crash, leading him to notice his friend’s sudden loss of motion. “Dude?! Holy shit, Rigby!! Speak to me!!”. While shouting, he tried to shake him awake but was stopped as a hand got into contact with his shoulder.

A relatively firm but delicate hand.

Turning his attention away from his best friend, he saw the thief, who was now kneeling to his level as he took advantage of his shoulder for support, observing the short man’s injury as if they had just now noticed it.

“An infected leg”. They calmly stated, examining the pool of liquid leaking out. “He'll keep losing copious amounts of blood if the wound isn’t treated”.

Mordecai’s world was spiraling out of control.

Was he about to lose his best friend, all because of a bite wound?

This couldn’t be happening.

He felt so utterly useless, having no idea what to do.

While the villager had an emotional conflict, the masked thief carefully analyzed his expression. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking regarding this scene, but suddenly they straightened their back.

“Can you get up?”.

The young man looked up, feeling slightly surprised at that question until he gave them a slight nod. Placing his hands on a large root, he managed to get enough energy to lift his body. However, a sense of fatigue was still spotted within him, having to place a hand on the tree’s body so that he could catch his breath.

“Are… Are you sure you're fi-“.

“Yup! I’m feeling superb!”. The blue-haired man quickly added in with a big smile and a thumbs up. “Just dandy!”. Finishing that, he bowed, allowing a loud exhale to escape him.

The thief was quiet at first but then shrugged. “I might have something to stop the bleeding. Help me carry your friend up the Tree”.

‘Tree? What tree?’. He wondered, giving the masked figure a perplexed look.

Noticing it, the Pink Thief was quick to point above them so that Mordecai could see it for himself.

And indeed, a sapling was sitting right beside them, but it wasn’t just any ordinary tree.  

It was a Willow Tree! Possibly, the only one that lived amongst this massive green zone.

So, did this mean that the legend behind this Grove was absolute?

It could be a silly coincidence, but something about this tree – filled with an abundance of water due to the humidity of the atmosphere – didn’t feel normal.

For starters, it’s height; we’re talking Jack and the Beanstalk levels of great altitude.

Well, more like metaphorically speaking. It was still humongous when compared to the rest of the flora, not to mention when it came to its diameter, as well. Next, it had small natural lights floating around, giving a sort of magical vibe to these downward arching forms of a weeping willow. And finally, with the use of these lights, it was possible to notice its thick arching branches covered in slender and oval-shaped leaves.

Admiring such a sight, Mordecai’s thoughts were taken over by the sudden realization.

If this was the thief’s domain, as they previously mentioned, did this mean that both he and Rigby had accidentally stumbled their way into the belly button of the Grove?

So, Skips’ knowledge was actually correct?

Before he could wonder more about this bizarre coincidence, he heard an audible noise of someone clearing their throat. It prompted him to look at the thief, whose arms were crossed and appeared to be impatiently staring at him, as their foot tapped multiple times on the soil.

“Oh, I’m sorry! It’s not like this is a matter of life, death, or anything like that. Or do you not care about your supposed brother?”. They sarcastically gestured, air quoting the latter word.

The blue-haired man was shocked at that assertion, arousing a blush to take shape on his cheeks. “H-How much did you hear?”.

“A lot, trust me. Now, let’s go!”.

Without muttering another word, Mordecai held his best friend over his shoulder, directly following after the figure, as the two made their way to the top of the Willow Tree.

‘Is this real…?’.

Chapter Text

After about an hour or so, an attentive and still topless Thomas ceased to move.

His eyes wandered around the wooded object while retaining a large acrylic paintbrush covered in a red pigment, assuring himself that he didn't omit any remote spot. When confident he was finished, he released the brush and breathed out tiredly, yet very fulfilled, rubbing the sweat off his forehead with his arm.

He had finalized his ultimate masterwork; a birdhouse.

Well, in his argument, it was more than just a simple wooden house to nest small birds because it was made on his lonesome. Which was a straight-up lie in itself, but he was not about to allow that tinsy fact to get in the way of this great accomplishment.

Admiring it further, he saw the intense bright red roof, combined with the macaroon cream color walls of the house. Although it was empty from the inside at the moment, Thomas knew this artistic beauty could make any birdie happy and have the luxury of staying in such a comfy and cute place.

Well, even if he didn’t do all the labor work, he still felt satisfied with himself, knowing that his techniques to achieve his professional goal were starting to improve. Sure, deep down, he wished he could have done more, but for what is worth, it was still a heck of an achievement. Continuing with his bright reflection, this was only the mere beginning as there were still plenty of other projects his hands could grasp in the future.

“When you’re done looking at that, go take a shower while it dries”.

The young brunet man could only numbly stare dead ahead at the wall of hanging tools, not at all happy that his moment of self-reflection was ruined with that dry and bold tone of a request. As he turned around, he glimpsed at the senior man responsible for spewing such an audacity about his odor, encountering him sitting by the desk, scribbling at random papers.

“Really? You seriously doing this to me?”. He moodily uttered. “Don't you have anything else better to do than to ruin my moment over here?!”. He snapped, putting his foot down.

After a brief moment of nothing, the elder finally glanced at his disciple before quickly returning to his task, as small chuckles were heard.

“What?! What’s so funny??”.

Not perking up, the elder man casually pointed at the nearest mirror.

Confused by that behavior, the pupil decided to check it out as he walked to the mirror hanging near the bathroom door. A gasp was heard at what he witnessed; his shirtless body looked like a circus attraction, where the majority of it was covered in colorful stains, seen on his hands, arms, jeans, and his small hairy chest. His poor tooth necklace also had a red color to it, almost like the teeth belonged to a scary animal after devouring a helpless prey. Nonetheless, the most embarrassing part of it all was a significant bright red mark on his forehead, which must have happened when he had concluded his work.

Well, now it all made sense. But Thomas still held a grudge against his teacher.

“Hurry up. You still have a few deliveries to make”.

A low upsetting groan escaped the tall brunet, who ended by conveying a glow at the elder. Yet, he decided to do what he was previously ordered, knowing of the terrible consequences if he didn’t oblige. Still, it didn’t stop Thomas from cursing out random words under his breath on his way to the bathroom while making sure the older man wouldn’t listen.

-

Half an hour later, heavy steam escaped the restroom as a fully clothed Thomas departed.

As he left the door ajar – so it could keep throwing away all the hot temperature out of the room – he walked back to the working division, carrying a medium size towel over his neck to keep drying his short but messy hair.

“Alright, Skips! I did what you said, so can you please give me real directions this time?? Last time, you literally sent me to the outskirts of space with that weird-ass language of… yours?”. He had finally glanced ahead, spotting the man standing near his masterpiece. “Hey!! No! No! Stop it! Don’t you dare!!”. Nearly tripping over himself, he sped towards the station, convinced his mentor was about to do something absurd, like dropping a rock on the object just to check its durability.

Yes, it was bizarrely weird, but it was a tendency he would pull nearly every time on most projects, whether it was made of metal, wood, or any other type of material. In turn, this infuriated the young disciple, triggering him immensely, yet unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to prevent him, no matter how hard he tried. 

However, to his surprise, he only saw his teacher staring at the object, leading the pupil to slow down and stand next to him. It could be possible that while he was gone, Skips must have done some finishing touches on it, but it didn’t appear to be the case since Thomas knew his work inside and out, and nothing looked out of place.

So, what was going on?

Thomas tried to nudge his mentor to get his attention, still not feeling comfortable with him near his craftsmanship, but due to the massive strength he had compared to him, perhaps his body mass wasn’t deemed enough to compel the man to move anything.

“Skips?”.

No reply.

“Skips!!”. He called out near his ear. “C’mon! Is there something you’re not telling me? Is my effort not good enough for you?!”.

Even though he was angrily yelling, his eyes appeared to be communicating in a whole different language as they began to swell. And realizing that, he opted to hide them by using the towel to absorb any leaking tears.

Despite his occasional defiant behavior, Thomas has continually marveled at his old man's fantastic skills and engaging knowledge. He might have been young and ignorant when he told his teacher he wanted to follow in his footsteps, but as the years went by, he still meant it; he truly wanted to be a Master Builder, a job that he always found so extraordinary and inspiring.

All thanks to Skips.

Unfortunately, there were moments when Thomas wanted to give up; as his doubts and fears smothered him in a tight blanket.

And it didn’t help that his teacher never allowed him to do anything.

If he did something, his tutor rarely valued him professionally. Overall, he was instead criticized when it came to mostly anything. Sure, the pupil knew he wasn’t perfect in his craftsmanship and in no way accustomed to the basics, as horrible visuals came to mind.

Expressly on the day when his mentor agreed to give him a chance, he messed it up due to how nervous he was.

That was his one opportunity to impress him, yet his liability of a brain didn’t let him, as the voices inside his head wouldn’t shut up.

‘H̶̥͠i̷̥͊ṣ̷͆ ̴̹͠ḍ̷̓i̵̟̚s̸̀ͅa̴̳̾p̵̟̂p̷̤̃o̵͍͑ȉ̵̖n̷͚̋ṫ̵̙e̸͖̅d̴̮̕ ̶̰̃i̷̜̍n̷̬͌ ̴͎̋y̴̡̓ơ̶͉ú̸͎’.

A loud gasp escaped the young man, startled by this edgy and incoherent voice, which was tough to tell if that was him doing it since it didn't sound in the slightest like him. Nonetheless, it kept echoing in his brain, almost giving him a headache, but the buzzing noise eventually disappeared into oblivion when he closed his eyes for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, it appeared that the brief shocked sound coming from the brunet was enough to provoke the bun-haired man to snap back to reality as he finally spotted his student, who appeared to be crying.

“Thomas? What’s the matter?”.

Cleaning his remaining tears, the brunet looked away. “N-Nothing. You were just… standing there, and I thought you finally kicked the bucket”.

Quirking an eyebrow at that snarky remark, the older man fully turned to his kid. “Is that so? Thomas, tell me what’s wrong”. He demanded, now crossing his arms.

Oh, how much Thomas wished he could, but his insecurities didn’t allow him.

Continuing with his previous statement, his skills weren’t as sharp or perfect in comparison, but he still tried to develop them, despite receiving negative comments afterward. Sure, it was apparent his teacher wanted what was best for him, as he forced him to do tedious tasks until the right time came.

Oh, he knew what Skips was doing.

Sure, he supposed this was an alternative way to push his skills; a way to slowly develop them and thus become a better builder.

Yet, the negative feedback kept being a recurring theme every day.

It was eating away his sanity to the point that Thomas grew hastily, which led to his anxiety rising, and so did the voices that kept trying to brainwash him. Pushing him to do things he knew he shouldn't do, but he followed along in the end, ending himself in disruption yet again. It also didn’t help that he had just left a tricky and confusing phase in his life, followed by other deeply personal issues, which he was dealing with alone at the moment.

“Thomas, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself”.

“Uh??”. That was all Thomas could express, taking a step back from the sudden dry voice.

A long sigh escaped the elder man. “Come with me”. Saying that he placed a hand around his student, pressing him towards the couch as the two sat down. “Listen, Thomas; I know I haven’t been giving you a fair deal by having you perform meaningful tasks, but keep in mind that I’m only doing this, so you can learn from the basic things and then apply them to the bigger ones. You understand what I mean?”.

He nodded, followed by the young man lowering his eyes. “But… I don’t feel like I have improved a thing, Skips…”.

“Don’t say that. You have been improving yourself, professionally”.

“Y-You mean it? Y-You think I have what it takes to…?”. He stopped in mid-sentence due to releasing another sob.

“A course, but…”. He stopped, almost like he was contemplating something, making the pupil a little upset.

Was Skips just lying to him so he’d feel better?

Well, whatever was the case, the older man was back to looking at him. “Well… Look, I understand you’re a little conflicted. Trust me, I know that feeling very well; I also suffered through it”.

His eyes widened at that. “Really? I always thought you were born with those amazing skills of yours~”. He teased, showing a small smile.

Skips sighed, rubbing his cheek, but then decided to show a smile too. “Ah~ Well, some people are born with some talent, that is true. But they only become talented with enough practice. And, in your case, you are still developing. Our job is much more dangerous and complex than someone who wants to learn how to play the piano. So, we only get to experience it when we truly reach the right age”.

A surprised Thomas kept focusing on everything his old man was lecturing about while cleaning the remaining tears on the towel. However, as he went on, the pupil was dumbfounded by how much he was talking. In turn, it was starting to be a little difficult to keep up with him, as he couldn’t help but find this funny.

“Anyway, you know I worry about you, right? I know you have some grudges against me, and I apologize, If I ever made you feel like less of a person. That is the least I want to accomplish from you. What I want to see is for you to have faith and fight your own battles because no one else understands them but y-”. Skips was a little taken back by his pupil, who released a short snort but was quickly covered with a cough. Yet, the man continued. “What I’m trying to say is if you wish to become a professional like me, you need to build yourself first and-”.

After trying so hard to suppress his laughter, Thomas couldn’t take it anymore as he burst out, much to the older man’s delight.

“Pfff~! S-Sorry, Skips~! I-It’s just- Ahahah!!”. He cheerfully tried to speak, releasing chuckles as he went along. “W-Where is this coming from~?? Man, I never thought you could make this sound so weird!”.

Skips grunted at that behavior. “Go deliver those packages”. He rapidly commanded as he stood up and walked towards his desk. “When you come back, you’ll wash the bathroom with this”. He threw a toothbrush at an unexpected Thomas, who managed to catch it in midair after several attempts to get both hands on the somehow slippery object. Without warning, the bun-haired man made his way towards the front door with his toolbox. “I’ll be leaving to do my regular rounds. When I get back, I want that room spotless”.

“What?! Skips!!”. He stood in disbelief, watching him grab the doorknob of the entryway. “I-I’m sorry!! Please, come back! I was just joking!”.

“Mmm, I wasn’t~”. Casually finishing that short retort, he left his workplace.

Thomas only stood there, unsure how to react to such a response.

Chapter Text

Two hours had expired, and Thomas was about to make his last stop to deliver the final package.

Playing the delivery boy was always a painful job for him; very dull in addition to embarrassing.

Not only was he tasked to deliver packages that could surpass his body weight, but then he was bound to engage in random conversations with older adults. And no matter the subject, it always led them to ask how Skips or even his friends were doing.

And as a response, Thomas would discreetly let out a wearily sigh followed by smiling sweety with the typical neutral answer of articulating everything was all right. Only to then turn his head and lowly grunt at the chatty elder who kept on flapping their lips about whatever. And having no power over such clutches, the disciple could only beg the Watcher to free him from this socially awkward torture.

It was a known fact that the village had an aging population.

Whenever a younger demographic roamed around, they would immediately stand out since it was an unusual sight to find such a group. Thus, every single citizen in the small town was well aware of who Thomas was and what he did for a living.

And that even included the best friend duo and the ladies duo.

Moving on to the current situation, after having to listen to the same question again for the twelfth time in the past two hours alone, he was so close to clutching the toothbrush and sticking it up their b-

Well, in short, it was just so exhausting and excruciatingly painful to be paying attention to these people, not just during today’s events but every other day of the week. Still, it had its advantages, especially regarding receiving treats or tips. It might appear artificial, but after putting up with these people, the least they could do was compensate him with something nice.

Eventually, Thomas sighed in relief as he stood on the entrance mat of his last client’s house, carrying a rectangular box underneath his armpit. He lightly knocked on the door. No reply was given back, prompting him to peek inside at one of the windows, only to be entirely dimly.

“Mmm… Maybe she’s hanging out with Maggie”. Speaking one's mind, he turned around, now reflecting upon himself on what he should do next.

Should he leave the package here or personally give it to her?

The first option did seem to be the best one since the clock was ticking, and he had yet to start the chore his teacher, unfairly but at the same time, fairly, had ordered him to do.

On the other hand, the customer did ask him to work on the broken object, placing all her trust and faith in him. So, the least he could do is repay by returning it safely to her hands. Also, if he did leave it here, there was that scary possibility of the pink masked creature coming in and stealing it away.

Since there was no way he was letting that happen, he went off to find her.

When reaching the village’s core, he caught a glimpse of a tanned brunette woman sitting on a fieldstone wall, staring out into the distance, preoccupied with the perspective around her.

Her fluffy hair was rolled into a ponytail, but unlike Skips' hairdo, hers was slightly elevated, showcasing a somewhat adorable nerdy fashion to her appearance. And when referring to equivalency, her stature was as short as Rigby’s, yet she toppled him by just a couple of centimeters, primarily due to her hair.

Without a moment to lose, the young pupil sped up his pace before she had any intentions of leaving. “Hey! Eileen!!”. He exclaimed, noticing at the distance that the brunette girl was now examining every direction as if she was unsure where his voice was coming from.

He landed his feet on top of the rock wall in a short jump, halting just next to her. And such a brisk move led her to flinch in place, immediately directing her dark brown eyes to the person who just scared her, only to release a loud exhale.

“Oh, my Watcher! You scared me, Thomas!”. She stated in a breathless tone as she gently slapped his leg, to which the pupil could only lightly laugh. “You knew I wasn’t paying attention, and you still decide to do that?? Meanie!”. She nervously smiled, adjusting her comical large glasses on her face.

Thomas was uneventful at first but then calmly shrugged. “Hey, serves you right for scaring me back when we played cowboys and space rangers~”. He teased, stuffing his hands in his pockets while the package was firmly placed in the small space between his torso and the arm.

A surprised look was seen on her facial expression. “Whaaaat?? Are you seriously still upset over that?? That was so many years ago! Let it go, Tommy~!”. She expressed, playfully rolling her eyes, only to end it by laughing alongside her friend, who followed afterward. “Ahah! Aw, it's been so long, uh? Where ya been~?”.

Squatting down next to her, he sheepishly grinned. “Oh, ya know; Skips giving me hell and all that… Usual stuff, ya got me?”. He explained with a smile on his face, but his tone of voice wasn’t all that active.  

She gave him an apologetic grin as she held her legs. “Oh, c’mon, don’t be so harsh on Mister Skips! You know he only wants you to succeed, right?”.

“Yeah… I guess…”. Quietening for another second, he removed the box under his arm, now holding it with both hands. “Anyway, here’s your birdhouse back! Told ya I could pull it off in no time!”. He lied but refused to let his teacher keep all the glory.

A long squeal was heard as she gently grabbed the box and opened it to see its contents. “Oh wow~!! It looks so cute~!”. She beamed, closing the box and hugging it. “Thank you so much~! I love it~!!”. She happily expressed but then stopped to reach out to her dress pockets. “Here! Thanks for the great work, delivery boy~”. She handed a small tip to the disciple, who took it while rolling his eyes.

“Don’t even joke about that… but eh, no probs! All in a day’s work and stuff…!”. He shrugged nonchalantly, holding in how self-satisfied he felt. “Welp, gotta bounce!”.

Witnessing the man straightening his back, she quickly jumped out of her rocky seat. “W-Wait, but you just got here, though! Can’t you stay for a little longer?”.

Raising an eyebrow, the young brunet man looked down at her. “Umm… Well, I wish I could, but I got stuff that Skips wants me to work on. Otherwise, I'll sleep outside”. He spoke vaguely, for he knew there was no point giving out much context. “But, what’s up? Did Maggie leave you alone?”.

A sigh was heard as she traced the sidelines of the box. “Well, sort of, b-“.

“Well, then where’s… _{Mordecai or Rigby}-?”. He growled as his right eye twitched by the mere mention of their names, but he quickly pushed those feelings aside, remaining neutral once again. “-at? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind chilling with you or whatever…”.

Eileen gasped. “What?? So, you don’t know where they are either?!”.

“Uh?”.

A sigh escaped her lips as she carefully placed the birdhouse on the floor. “Well, here’s the thing; we have no idea where they are! Mags and I have been looking for them ever since lunchtime, but nothing yet! We did see them earlier today, but they said they were busy with something and just left!”.

‘T̸̠̾h̵̟̆e̶̛̻ý̴̺ ̸͖̓b̶͔͑e̸̻̓t̸̮͋t̷͇͂ḛ̴͗r̴͎̒ ̵̈́͜b̴̼̅e̶̬͐ ̴̱͛d̸̤̈́ě̵͚a̸͉̒d̷̉͜’.

Thomas’s pupils shrank down, but he quickly pushed that corrupted voice away. “O-Oh, I see…! Umm, so, what does this have to do with me?”.

“Well, a while ago, Mags and I met up with Starla, and she told us that Mitch spotted them in the Workshop, but she didn’t specify why. So, we were hoping you would know something...?”

What was she talking about? What Workshop? His and Skips’ Workshop?? What the heck were those two doing that prompted them to go there? And so early in the morning nonetheless??

Shocking yet… his mentor didn’t mention a thing about him being visited by the duo.

“T-Tommy? Are you feeling well?”. She gently asked, placing a hand on his leg.

“I… I don’t k-“.

“Eily!”.

Both youngsters turned to the source of the new but familiar voice, spotting a tall, dark-skinned young woman jogging at them. It was none other than Margaret herself, seen by her short redhead hair and the freckles covering her face and shoulders.

Halting in front of them, she gasped for a bit of air until she straightened her back, surprised at the sight of an extra person in her oceanic eyes. “Oh! Hey, Tommy! Didn’t recognize you there for a sec! What’s up~?”. She smiled, placing a hand on her hip, watching him give a simple wave as a greeting.  

“Mags, you're back!”. Said the short woman, indeed glad to see her. “Did you find anything~?”. She asked with a hint of hope, but then it faded into a frown, watching her close friend lamentably shake her head.

“N-No… Not in the alleyways either”. Lowering her eyes, she sighed. “Where the heck could they have gone too? It’s not like them to just bail on us!”.

“Yeah… And, apparently, Tommy doesn’t know a thing either”.

Stating that, now both girls were stuck in sorrow.

It was apparent they cared immensely for those two guys since the four of them were basically considered a quadruple bestie group. There wasn’t a single day they wouldn’t meet up. If not to chill out, then it would be venture around, which the latter always tended to end in trouble for the four of them.

Although they were just rumors, most townspeople had the wrong idea about the group, believing that something more profound was happening; especially when it came to a possible attraction between the two tall youngsters and the two short youngsters.

It made sense, no? Opposite gender and identical height? Perfect love match!

However, it was nothing but just speculation. It was pretty evident because, in the past, the group exhibited discomfort whenever someone mentioned those gossip. They were just friends who enjoyed each other’s company.

And Thomas was well aware of that because he knew the girls.

In fact, he used to hang out with them.

It was back when he first stumbled upon the village. The three of them got along well since they were in the same age group. In addition, how much energy and curiosity the trio had in common led them to become fast friends. Residents would always be unnerved whenever they were together because it meant a misfit action was not far behind, like stealing cookies from the cookie jar or pulling a prank on the senior citizens.

Such good times… until Mordecai and Rigby showed up.

He wasn’t jealous of them; he just loathed the fact those nobodies somehow managed to catch the attention of his only close friends.

And sure, he could join along in their adventures, but… it just wasn’t the same.

‘Ṱ̵̋h̷̟̄e̸̙̓y̷̳͗ ̵̟̑h̴̭́a̵̙͛v̵̠̐e̸̼͐ ̶̬͠f̸̪̋ó̶͔r̴͚̀g̷͉̕o̵͚̍t̶̳̄t̶̫̒é̸̠n̶̪͐ ̸̟̒å̶ͅb̴̎ͅo̴̟̓u̴̧̕t̵̯̉ ̴͔͐y̷̧͂ỏ̸̫ǘ̷̝.̷̘́.̷͎̄.̶̯̉ ̶͖̿J̵̙̆u̴̙͛s̶̗̈́ṱ̵̐ ̸̠̉l̷͇̀i̷̹̓k̴̺̉ę̸̏ ̷̤̂S̴̥̀k̷̹̓ĭ̴̢p̷̙̂s̵̘̏ ̸̧͠w̴̭̔i̷̩̕l̶̗͂l̴̢̚.̶̖̈.̴͉̈.̶̡̅’.

Gripping his head, he tightly shut his eyes to try to get these voices to shut up.

He… wasn’t jealous. He refused to be.

Besides, he would never want to be near those guys after what happened two weeks ago.

Repaying attention to the current topic, he awkwardly stared at his two friends, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to think of something that might help out the situation.

After pondering enough, he snapped his fingers. “Listen; if you girls really want to find the guys, why not check out Pops’ place? They must be chilling there or something”.

It appeared to have worked because, in the next scene, he saw their eyes brighten up.

“Hey! That’s not a bad idea! I don’t think we went to check there, did we, Mags?”. She cheerfully asked her tall friend, who replied by shaking her head.

“Nah, I don’t think we did! Come to think of it, it’s interesting we’ve had yet to see Pops today either!”. Saying that she spread her arms out to her other friend. “Tommy, you’re a genius~!! I could just hug you~!”.

He recoiled at that, violently shaking his head. “Um, ahah~ N-Nah, thanks! I’m good!”.

The two ladies laughed at their friend’s anxious nature until the specky girl gave a composure nod.

“All right, then off we go to visit Pops! You coming, Thomas?”. As the student just stared blankly at her, Eileen showed an apologetic laugh. “Oh, ups~! Ahah, right… Well, good luck with that!!”. She grabbed her package and her friend’s hand, who was confused due to lack of context but then decided to brush that aside.

“Bye, Tommy! See ya later!”.

It was the last thing he heard the girls say before disappearing into the background.

Yet, the pupil said nothing in return, still baffled over this situation.

Although he refused to admit it, it was highly odd of those guys to just disappear like that, especially without leaving a single trait behind. Usually, especially with Rigby, they were so loud and obnoxious that they could be heard or seen for miles, including the days when he would deliver parcels.

Yet, funnily enough, he also saw no sign of them.

Why didn’t Skips tell him anything? Was there something he was missing? Or, could it be that Mordecai and Rigby were secretly…?

Pushing his hand into his jean pockets, he grabbed the toothbrush from there, as he had accidentally shoved it in before he left the Workshop. Something about this object triggered the young man as he quickly threw it to the ground with brutal force, proceeding to stomp it while bitterly sneering.

Turning his head at the path his friends took, he chased after them.

Chapter Text

Mordecai’s thoughts wouldn’t pipe down, no matter how hard he tried to.

He still could not accept that this was genuine. Specifically, where he sat at the moment, as he gazed upon the sight of the entire oak forest, all the way from the top of the Willow Tree.

No joke, the field of vision was boundless, yet strangely enough, he couldn’t see a way out of this green zone of a place. Eh, he didn’t mind it all that much; this place was way safer than anywhere else on that hellish ground.

And speaking of which…

It was impossible to contain all his excitement as he sat by the edge of a wooden floor. He was grasping his right leg tightly – while the other one was dangling out of the platform – as he leaned his head above it to linger casually.

Or, more precisely, he was attempting to be.

‘I’m at the thief’s hideout… Holy crap! This is fucking insane!’. Thinking to himself, he displayed a large grin, intensely staring at the floor.

When referring to the said hideout, it was truthfully encountered on the upper side of the Tree, rather than inside. Then again, perhaps that was an intelligent decision due to the high-reaching altitude and being hidden by the many ovals with serrated edges leaves. And on top of the many branches, there were wooden platforms throughout the godlike Tree, where at the moment, he was located on a small one.

Turning his head to the right, he could see the masked individual’s personal belongings; a hammock bed tied to two smaller tree branches, some supplies, and… that was about it.

Mordecai was stricken dumb at the lack of embellishment.

Judging by the thief’s actions, he always thought they were materialistic or at least enjoyed anything that appeared attractively shining since there were times they would steal valuable possessions.

And yet, now that he was thinking about it, this scenario made no sense to him.

Like, what was the purpose of the valuables? To sell them? Well, that couldn’t be it because if that was the case, why were they still living in the middle of a vast green zone with no residential spaces nearby?

After everything that has been stolen, the thief must be insanely rich – indeed achieving the possibility of living a lavish life in some villa or something like that.

Yet, he digressed.

There were other platforms on this massive Tree, so the one where he was must be a small portion of the amount of stuff they possess, which led his pesky curiosity to get the better of him, wondering what else they had lying around.

Yet, he stayed still, for this was no time to snoop around.

He was distraught for his friend.

It had been a couple of minutes since he was left alone, and he was commencing to feel restless over how bad his health was. He looked back at the scenery to keep his bothersome mind from wandering into the cynic territory. And it sort of helped, as he was now admiring the thousands of tiny shiny fluff balls that flew around the Tree, which, in closer inspection, were fireflies.

So many colors burnished the Willow Tree, giving it a relatively serene and magical look to it.

That is, until he was diverted by a sudden thud sound, which sounded like someone had landed on the platform. Surely enough, as he inclined his head back to the right, he saw the Pink Thief standing there, whose mask was facing his direction.

“I finished patching up your friend, but he has yet to wake up. I’m not sure when he will”.

An immediate sound of a heart skipping a beat was heard coming from within the tall man.

He stood up, carefully looking at his pink masked hero. “C-Can… Can I see him?”.

The thief solely nodded, gesturing him to follow as they both mounted the rope ladder to the top platforms.

-

As they reached up, Mordecai couldn’t help but release a terrified gasp, finally viewing the state Rigby was in; he looked absolutely dreadful as his body was stuck in a comatose state, laid on the hammock bed of the platform.

Granted, he was no longer bleeding due to the woolen bandage around his bitten wound, but his face demonstrated such a pale and sick look to it. Even worst, it was feasible to note that he was having a tricky time breathing, as his chest would move up and down in infrequent moments, showcasing a long weak pause from time to time before a small need for air was heard.

Kneeling to his friend’s side, he was about to touch his forehead but quickly pulled away, not only because of how steaming hot it was but because he felt revolted over the amount of sweat it stretched out to his hand.

Brushing his hand to extract any repugnant fluids, he lowered his gaze. “This is all my fault… If only I weren’t so fucking stupid… Rigby would have made it all right”. He lamentably said, followed by covering his eyes as he began sobbing.

Further away, the figure stood there, presumably watching this drama of a scene happening. It was unknown how they felt about this until, in an unexpected twist, an angry sigh was heard.

“Stop it! Both of you are to blame!!”.

Stupefied by this, Mordecai’s hands touched down onto his lap before slowly looking at the thief.

Not hearing a reply from the trespasser, they felt the need to elucidate their logic. “I mean, for some stupid reason, you two decided to enter a place called Last Willow Grove. If you have some sort of weird death wish, there’s no better place that I would recommend!!”. Admitted the mysterious individual, whose arms were now folded.

The villager was at a loss for words, but shortly after, he showcased a ridiculous shrug, puzzling the thief.

“Fair!”. That was all he said as he smiled brightly at them.

“What?”.

“You make a good point! We wanted this, and in turn, we suffered the consequences. Fair and square, I guess!”. He shrugged again, now raising his arms to signify his defeat on that logic.

Curiosity started to grow, but the thief decided to throw down the many questions paddling in their head. “You… Tsk”. Murmuring that impatient tone, the villager couldn’t help but chuckle, yet they ignored it. “Well, I’m glad we can be on the same page regarding your stupidity”. Sarcastically mentioned the thief.

Now, the young man let out a heartwarming laugh, placing his hands on the back of his neck, no longer feeling all that tense around the intimidating figure. “Pfff~! So, you know how to have a sense of humor~?”.

“Ah, wouldn’t you like to know”.

Did Mordecai just hear a quiet snicker coming from the Pink Thief?

He instantly shook that thought out of his head as he tried to hide his crimson face by looking elsewhere. “Hmph! Y-Yeah! We acted pretty stupidly…”. He lightly coughed to keep himself calm.

That sudden behavior change was quite conspicuous in the thief’s body language as they leaned their head to the side. Observing such a nervous wreck, they began to wonder but quickly brushed that thought away.

As if there was a meaning behind whatever just happened, and quite frankly, they didn’t care.

“And yet, those wolves!”

Startled by the change of topic, the thief looked back at the villager, who had risen from his position while shivering in place.

“Like, damn!! That was fucking scary! Those wolves are fucking insane!! They were planning to really eat us alive! What the heck was their problem?!”.

“Simple; your friend’s blood had such a strong scent to it that it became a dead giveaway to hunt you down”. He nonchalantly answered as they began to explain. “We are talking about wolves; predators who enjoy hunting for substance. Hell, you morons could be running circles for hours, and they’d care any less. In the end, you two would still be bait”. Pausing for a bit, they began to ponder out loud. “Still, I’ve never seen them have such a vendetta. Did you two mess something up?”. They inexpensively asked, somehow already knowing the answer.

Mordecai gulped, showing a nervous smile. “Umm… n-no?”. He chuckled but grew agitated, feeling like the thief’s eyes were burning through his soul.

He couldn’t see it, but he felt the heavy weight hitting him in the head.

And thus, he felt weak, opting to take the ‘L’ and surrender. “Okay!! Rigby killed a cub! I know, I know! He shouldn’t have, but… his not really the type of guy that follows simple rules. I mean, seriously, Skips gave us pretty clear instructions on how to prevent this, but he-“.

The figure took a step back, not at all expecting that. And no, it wasn’t from the fact that these two bastards did something stupid, but it was more towards that strange last name he just spewed.

Did this moron personally know Skips?

It was possible since that does sound like something the older man would enunciate, but that would mean-

Once again, the mysterious figure stopped their train of thought, and they felt their blood boil hearing the continuous rattles of excuses coming out of that guy’s mouth. 

‘Dear Watcher… How much longer do I have to put up with this idiot?’. They lightly snarled to themselves, placing a hand on the hip.

Well, they could always leave to another platform, knowing the other guy wouldn’t follow them due to his lack of knowledge of this luscious place.

And yet…

“T-Thank you”.

“Mm?”. It was all the pink masked figure could remark as they turned back to Mordecai. “What did you say?”.

“I said; thank you”. He repeated, now showing a small smile. “Seriously, I mean it! We’d be dead if you hadn’t interfered… S-So, it was pretty cool of you to save our dumb butts!”.

Where was this sudden appreciation coming from?

Man, that guy was filled with so many emotions that even the thief couldn’t keep up.

In turn, they became overwhelmed as they looked away, opting to shrug off his appreciation. “Don’t be so grateful. I was simply getting the pack away from my domain, and you two just so happen to be in the way”.

A small laugh escaped Mordecai. “Ah… Then, I guess we got lucky!”.

Silence stood between them until the thief lowered its vision, noticing a small splash of fresh blood on the wooden platform.

How was that possible?

They could have sworn they cleaned any blood remains off the short trespasser, and none of it had leaked out to the floor. So, they traced its eyes to its possible source, leading up to be… Mordecai.

“What did you do to your hands?!”. They snapped, which caught the tall man by surprise.

Moving his hands closer to his face, he saw them covered in deep wounds as fresh blood continued to emerge out of the skin. Some of it even looked dried due to how long it had been since he obtained those gashes.

“Oh wow… Wait!! Is my hair covered with any blood?!”.

The thief just stood there as the man turned around so that they could oblige to his irrelevant question. The back of his hair did have some red stains, as well on his shirt and neck, definitely caused by the few times he touched those spots during their conversation.

Yet, they were not about to give him the satisfaction of an answer. “I’m sure we have more important matters to attend to than me checking you out!”. Barked the masked thief.

“Wait, you weren’t before?”.

Angrily groaning at the man’s attempt of… whatever that was, the thief approached him, immediately grabbing his wrists, forcing the tall man to face him. “Shut it! I need to ensure it’s not infected!”.

Mordecai was a little stunned by that leap, but he had no intentions of struggling away.

Instead, he blushed lightly at the attention he was receiving. “D-Dude or… dudette?”. He shook his head at that before he resumed. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious. Trust me, I’m perfectly fine!”.

“Oh really?”. They doubtfully asked, not at all sounding convinced at the man’s stubbornness, but decided to let the charade continue, just to see how long it would last.

In reality, Mordecai didn’t feel any pain coming from his hands.

An occasional sting would occur here and there. Yet, it wasn’t something he felt the need to be worried over, especially to the point that he would fall into a coma or perish, especially when it came to having a couple of deep scratches on his hands.

As he was ready to reply to the figure, his brain mentally slapped him.

‘Dude, what the heck are you doing?! This is the perfect chance to spend some alone time with the thief! Don’t screw this up; just let them do what needs to be done!’.

His eyes went wide, likely hesitant if he really should.

‘Just fake it, man! They definitely won’t resist your amazing acting skills!’.

At that last thought bubble, he smirked, discretely grunting to himself.

Until he blankly stared back at the thief.

“AhhhHHHHH!!”.

He dramatically fell to his knees, demonstrating an agonizing expression on his face. “F-Fuck!! I can’t lie anymore! M-My hands are burning like hell!!”. He yelled, pressuring his hands between his legs.

The masked man, seemingly shocked by the impulsive behavior, quickly aided the fallen man. “You idiot! You should have said it sooner!”. They were gazing around, but after not finding what they needed, they stared down at the young man. “I ran out of med kits, but maybe I have some laying around in the other platforms. Let’s go!”. Gripping his arm, they pulled him up, followed by leading the man out the platform, ensuring he would keep up.

As he subsequently did, a small mischievous smile was seen on the villager’s face.

Very much pleased with himself.

Chapter Text

Sometime later, the thief and the villager were tracked down on another platform. It was located on the lower crown space of the Tree, where-

“AHH!!”.

“Keep still!”. The masked figure impatiently shouted at his troubling trespasser, holding a small cotton ball. “I’m trying to neutralize the wound!!”.

Leaning back, Mordecai held the hand that was applied by that hellish cotton, not wanting to deal with that torture again. Well, it was assumed as one because it was soaked with an antiseptic liquid, where it was possible to see the bottle of said fluid sitting between them.

The tall man swayed his hand a little, trying to relieve the insufferable discomfort he felt in it. “Fuck!! Why does it burn so much?!”. He fussed, prompting him to blow on his hand while swinging some more, but unfortunately, it didn't lessen the pain.

“Oh jeez! I wonder why, you freaking genius!”. They sarcastically growled. “I swear if you continue doing that, I will put you in a coma! Maybe then, you will stop acting like the literal toddler that you are!!”.

An offended gasp broke out of his vocal cords as he opted to sit down on the floor with his arms crossed, demonstrating how resentful he felt. “Aww!! Now you’re hurting me, but emotionally?! Why are you so meeean?!”.

In reality, the villager genuinely didn’t take it to heart; he just felt like this was the most appropriate way to react in such a position. Meanwhile, the thief did not. It was noticeable that they were trying to handle this as best they could, yet patience wasn’t portrayed as their strongest forte.

“Oh, dear Watcher… Just stand still before I tie you down!!”. 

Kneeling in front of him, they violently pulled his arm so the treatment could be continued. During that, the villager continued to wince various times, trying to keep himself steady. Still, it was becoming problematic even after the number of wet pokes he would receive.

Worst yet? This was only the onset, as the other hand had yet to be dealt with.

At some point, he was about to oppose this unfair action, only to be surprised that they had finished applying the liquid. While he carefully tried to move his stiff hand, the masked individual was rummaging through a box that was next to them, precisely the one where the bottle was taken from.

Mordecai simply watched on as he began to feel an awkward silence rise between them.

Mayhaps this was a better time than ever to start spicing up on some conversation. Who knows, maybe he’ll receive the answers to the hundred and one questions that were burning through his numb mind.

Looking elsewhere, he cleared his throat using his other hand to get their attention, but it didn’t appear to show any results because they were still focused on their task.

“What? I’m listening”.

Never mind.

A brief mortified blush made it to the villager’s cheeks, but he quickly decompressed after taking a deep breath, as his brain was back to its tremendous energy.

‘Okay, now say something, anything! Just do it, you fucking pus-!’.

“I was wondering!”. He began, casually looking at the richly decorated pink mask in front of him. “You don’t appear to be enjoying having Rigby or me around, so why do you bother helping us?”.

Another smack sound effect was heard within him.

‘The fuck?! Why’d you say that?! Now they’ll think we don’t appreciate their help!’.

“U-Um!”. He panicked, now lowering his gaze. “Which ya know; it’s not like I’m not thankful or anything!! I-It just, I had this weird feeling you probably didn’t care and-“.

“You got a good point”.

Now, millions of questions were inside his brain as he froze, staring intensely at his savior. “W-What? About what?“.

“Your logic of before”. Unemotionally stating their reply, they picked up the bandage roll and promptly unrolled it. They then proceeded to articulate their line of thought. “These wolves are not at all normal. I’m… not sure why exactly, but to put it mildly; their bites are no joke. They can either be deadly or will result in altering your body into one of them”.

Mordecai was in utter disbelief.

That description genuinely felt like those black and white horror movies, where a person’s neck would be in contact with a vampire’s fangs; they would painfully and gradually turn into one. It wasn’t a flawed concept; just replace the word vampire with wolf and... boom!

A completely new idea!

Even though it wasn’t the most suitable time to think about this subject, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was a similar movie theme related to the horrors he had just suffered.

Then again, he hoped to the Watcher that wasn’t the case.

If this journey taught him anything, he found a new triggering mechanism for his PTSD. If such Media did exist and he was forced to sit through it, he would most undoubtedly have a mental breakdown right there and then, but not before he’d choke the person, wanting nothing but pure misery in their useless and miserable l-

Wait; why was he still thinking about this?

It might be best to stop it before he becomes detached from reality.

Fortunately, a sudden leather touch was enough to do just that, as the thief held his hand again, now carefully rolling it with the bandage. 

And as they wrapped his hand, they resumed the explanation. “And since your little friend was bitten by one, what was I supposed to do? Allow him to transform and trash the Tree?”. The masked figure irritably sighed. “So, might as well clean the mess you guys started”.

Its last remark drove Mordecai to lighten up a little, feeling a warm wonder in his body, which led him to grin.

“Aw, really~? Isn’t there a possible chance that you also felt bad for us~? After all, comparing the two of us to you is like a joke!”. Exclaiming that, he got closer to the thief, who lost focus on their work at the sudden approach, ending their grip on the wool fabric. “You got to tell me your secret, dude! Or duddete, not judging~”. He sheepishly smiled.

“About what?”. They asked in a dazed tone. “Also, I told you to stop moving!!”.

After giving a small apologetic face so his savior wouldn’t release another outburst, he made an effort to elaborate further. “Those weird things you were throwing at the wolves! Like, were they the same ones from yesterday??”.

The masked individual ultimately faced the blue-haired man, almost as if they were trying to make sense of what they had just heard. “You mean-“. Automatically, they flinched. “W-Wait… What do you mean by yesterday?!”.

“In the village, man! Or woman, still not judging”. He quickly let out the latter with a shrug, proceeding with speaking excitedly. “You were standing on the roof of one of my neighbors! Which, by the way; don’t listen to a thing that guy said. His all-talk b-”.

“You…You live in the village?”.

Blinking multiple times at that confounded-toned question, he unmindfully nodded. “Yeah! Both me and Rigby! Anyway, as I was trying to say; that guy is kind of lame. Like, I really feel bad for his wife and kid, but yeah, I saw you throw some sort of ball, and then you disappeared! It was so cool that-“.

Mordecai kept blathering on as his eyes brightened, describing in detail what he saw on that faithful day. While that was happening, he lost track of himself, including his surroundings, paying no mind to his savior, who was stiff as a rock.

It was blatantly obvious that no emotion could be seen in the thief. Yet, from within, a burning sensation had penetrated its way into their soul, recollecting those events until they led to a specific scene.

«Ba-dump~ Ba-dump~ Ba-dump~»

What was going on?

Tightening the grip on its chest, the thief tried to ease up how loud, not to mention actively, his heart was beating.

‘S-Stop it… It can’t be…’.

“So, is it true!?”

Suddenly a frightened yelp exited out of the figure, not at all prepared for that sudden burst of energy since they had stopped paying attention to whatever ramblings the villager was spewing on about for a while.

“What!? What do you want?!”. They yelled out in a frustrated tone, trying to get a hold of themselves.

Despite that, Mordecai didn’t recoil at all, leading him to repeat the question with a little more context. “Are your balls- Pfff~”. He lightly laughed, covering his mouth. “Y-Your… Ahaha~!”.

“Very mature of you”. The figure disapprovingly murmured.

“W-Wait, hold up! L-Let me finish; I got this~!”. Holding in his laughter, he felt confident again. “What I was trying to ask was; are those… things like little bombs with weird powers in them, or something?”.

Silence was all he was met with, as the thief didn’t move a single muscle.

“You really think I would just tell you that?”. Their voice was much dry and deep, definitely broadcasting some temper in it.

“Aw, what?! Why not??”. He pouted. “Is it like a secret technique you can only pull off??”.

Annoyance wasn’t even the right word to describe how they felt at the moment.

The amount of curiosity fleeing out from the tall man was beginning to eat away their sanity, leading their body to react violently and feel their blood rise. Until it ended on repugnance, watching the bandage hanging below the young man’s hand, which has yet to be fully patched.

Placing a hand on the mask, they regrettably cursed themselves for what they had just done.

They should have known this guy was from that village, yet here they were.

‘Why…? Why did I decide to act so stupid now?! Oh, yeah… the Tree… Shit…”. That internal conflict was enough for something to snap inside as they raised their head.

“S-Shut up… SHUT UP!!”. They yelled out, which made the villager recoil away. “You listen to me, you son of a bitch; you guys are not the first imbeciles I had to help out! And you most certainly won’t be the last!”. They lied, but the blue-haired man didn’t need to know that. “But I draw the line in helping people from the likes of you!!”. He sternly pronounced, pointing at him. “So, why should I tell you about my secrets?! What’s stopping you from leaving and telling that simple-minded town of yours about my whereabouts, mm?!”. Standing up, they clenched their fists, then turned to gaze at the scenery below them. “I don’t even know who the hell you are!! Why wouldn’t I believe that you simply came here to kill me?!”.

Mordecai had finally settled down after his hero was done with that aggressive vent. Raising his half-patched hand, he stopped it at chest level while demonstrating a blank stare.

Puzzled, the thief observed that and then at the man’s face, noticing it was slowly broadcasting a smile.

“Shiiiiit, where are my manners~?!”. He laughed, now placing the hand on his own chest. “My name is Mordecai! Mordecai Quintel. Also, my friend you helped out too? His name is Rigby, but you might have already known that”.

It was unbelievable what they were witnessing.

Just who the hell was this guy? What was he accomplishing acting like this? To gain their trust?

Like hell that would ever happen!

“Why are you like this?”.

“Like what?”. Mordecai questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Being so apathetic towards me!! Have you forgotten who I am?!”.

“Not really. Your gear is pretty unique. Which, by the way; I dig the pink mask with the twirl black lines around it!”. He clicked his tongue accompanied by a sly smile, gesturing finger guns at them. “Pretty cool!”.

“Y-You-!!” They tried to stay calm, straining themselves from having an episode involving grabbing the man’s neck and snapping it.

Or worst, but they digress.

“You know what?!”. Growling that, they turned back to him. “Since you love playing the Question Game so much, now it’s my turn!”. Watching the speechless nature of the young man, they took a deep breath before gazing intensely at the man’s eyes.

“Just why the hell are you even here? Be honest!”.

Chapter Text

Ah, shit, here we go again.

If Mordecai had a nickel every time someone asked him a question that ended on the ‘be honest’ aspect, he'd have two nickels.

Which wasn’t a lot, but it was so phenomenal that he was inquired about it twice.

Déjà vu crept up into his brain, thinking back to the minute when Skips challenged him. Actually, that wasn't the main issue. It was what ensued afterward.

That weird reaction he received.

It was such an agonizing pain having to spill the truth to the wiser man. He specifically remembered his body cringing at every second from how humiliated he felt. Oh, how he wholeheartedly loathed the way he chose to shed light on his answer. In the heat of the moment and due to not having enough fuel to power his brain correctly, he just let out the first thing that popped into his head, accepting it to be how he should respond. 

Now? Thinking back, it was indeed foolish. It went to the point that memory was expanding into his brain and further increasing his anxiety as if it could jump out of his throat at any moment.

Skips just had to kick him while he was already down, didn't he?

Still, although he won't articulate it out loud, he never got to understand why he was only met with such hazy feedback.

Well, it didn’t matter because he was now put into a totally distinct scenario; now, it was the Pink Thief themselves who were questioning him.

Heck, in all honestly, he would be much more inclined to grant the whole ‘admiration towards the thief and maybe a slight crush’ context to Skips than responding to the masked figure.

Oh, one hundred percent on the choice. No questions asked.

Yet, vagueness was all that his brain came across as he watched his intimidating savior, who was waiting for something to come out of his mug.

And that certainly wasn't helping at all. If anything, it only resulted in Mordecai sweating profusely to the point that he could melt at any second. He had such an inner blow from how much heat had moved into his bloodstream. It might be possible the thief would catch that apparent and slight meltdown behavior, but right now, he couldn’t stop himself.

What should he do?! Was this genuinely the best time to confess to everything?!

Sure, the Pink Thief was someone of interest to him. It was mainly due to how cool, expressive and mysterious they behaved. In addition to how much of a caring person it was showcased as well, despite the excuses they would retort.

However, as pointed out; they hardly knew each other.

It would be so awkward.

Adding insult to injury, how would they even react?!

If Skips stared dumbfounded, then the thief would indisputably obliterate him on the spot.

Oh, he knew it was conceivable.

He did witness them handling that pack of wolves like it was n-

‘Ah, fuck! Stop mentioning those damn wolves’. He snarled, slapping himself in the process to keep his bearings in check.

It did help, but afterward, his face shifted to a frown.

Perhaps, they’d laugh in his face. Ridiculing him for having such a stupid reason to come here. Surprisingly, that possible aftermath emotionally damaged his soul and heart even harder. Much more than the execution option, as it made him feel inferior and worthless in comparison.

After all, could someone with such a profile ever have a thing for him?

It was hard to believe.

Meanwhile, on the other perspective, the thief began feeling disturbed at this unanticipated treatment.

Why was he taking so long to answer such a straightforward question?

This felt so out of character for the villager, especially since the pink mask owner could have sworn this guy was so energetic just a couple of seconds ago. Hence, some exasperation had come into contact with them, just wanting him to hurry it up because the suspense was subjectively killing them.

Could he even answer? It appeared he was having a tough time trying to do so.

Realizing that, they started to feel a little bad just watching the blue-haired man twitch and struggle with his demons. Or, in other words; his own thoughts. In fact, they were so convinced that the young man would collapse at any minute from holding his breath for such a long time.

In the end, the thief’s anxiety rose to a ridiculous degree.

‘C-Could it be… that he…’. They didn’t even dare to go on with that train of thought, which led them to curse themselves angrily.

Impossible! He couldn’t be!

However, at the same time, it’s not like the man was being hesitant for no reason. Something consequential must be happening in that head of his. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell what, and quite frankly, he was afraid he was the right choice…

Or rather, the right person.

As time passed, silence kept eating the remaining sanity left in the villager and the thief. It honestly behaved as if it was their only friend, as both individuals continued being haunted by their frightening thoughts.

Only provoking their hopes and dreams to be crushed under such an immense atmosphere.

Still, it was Mordecai who felt the most pressure because he had yet to answer the question after what felt like hours had transpired.

What to do? What to say??

It’s not like he could just tell the absolute truth about why he decided to join in on his friend’s suicide mission…

Wait.

Finally regaining control of his chaotic body, he managed to open his mouth, but not before he cleared his throat to get the thief’s attention, which did appear to have worked as they flinched slightly at that unforeseen noise.

And on that note, the volume in his vocal cords functioned again. “Yeah, actually; there is a reason why we decided to come here!”. He sternly said, crossing his arms. “We’ve come for the pocket watch you stole from us!”.

“P-Pocket watch?”. They unhurriedly recited with stuttering was taken notice in their voice.

Mordecai was not anticipating such a reply, but he couldn’t let it be shown. “T-That’s right! So… umm… give it back!!”. He demanded, but it automatically made him lower his gaze. He still needed to be careful with his words, fearing he might trigger something within the thief. And so, he ended by nervously smiling at him. “Please?”.

More time ran by them as the two kept their staring contest.

Well, it was unknown if the mysterious masked individual was glancing in his direction, but that didn’t stop the villager from feeling more buckets of sweat going down his forehead.

In an abrupt twist, the thief turned around and walked to the platform’s edge as their cloak swung with the rhythm of the wind.

“I’ll be back”. 

That was all Mordecai heard before the thief allowed their body to lean forward, fiercely falling off the platform. Such a courageous move led to an unconscious gasp to be heard as the blue-haired man extended his arm out to them until he remembered the obvious.

‘Right… They basically own this place…’.

Chapter Text

Momentarily after, a leather backpack was tossed onto the wooden pavement. It then ensued with the thief stepping onto it as well, counting on the fact that his trespasser didn’t have any witty notions of disappearing into who knows where.

Amazingly enough, there he was; sitting down where they last left him. However, simultaneously, the thief froze in place, catching sight of the blue-haired man performing first aid on the hand that was dismissed.

Or, preferably, they watched him grimly accomplish it.

“You are doing it wrong”.

Calmly, the villager darted at his rescuer. “Nah, I’m goo- AHHHH!!”. While distracted by reporting on the masked individual's cold tone, a sum adrenaline rush ran through his veins, for he had accidentally sprayed a plump substance of antiseptic liquid on the deep wounds, inducing him to become stiff as a rock. “Ouuuuchhhhh….”. He moaned strenuously, putting much pressure on his hand due to that insufferable pain.

Observing everything that had just transpired, the pink bandit couldn’t help but chortle, very much delighted at this. ‘This fucking guy…~’. Carrying the bag over their shoulder, they made their way to the agitated villager. “You good?”. They casually questioned, placing a hand around their hip.

Gritting his teeth, the tall man sucked some air through them. “Ahhhh! Fuck! Why did I do that?! Ah! My hand!”.

Plopping the leather material down, they shook their head. “You dope! You obviously have no idea what you’re doing". A drained exhale was heard before they extended an arm to the villager. "Hand me the box”.

Without hesitation, he obliged his request, but after that, he became inquisitive. “Yo! I thought you wouldn’t help people from the likes of me”. Using the one hand that was now wholly bandaged — as he finished it by himself during his savior's absence — he managed to roll his fingers to air quote. “What gives?”.

They shrugged, kneeling to the box to get the tools they required. “I’m sure anyone can feel sorry for you after that attempt of yours~”.

“Aw, thanks~! ...wait”. Finally acknowledging the implication behind those words, he pouted at them. “Hey!! I’m not as worthless as you think!! Compared to Rigby, I can take care of myself just fine! So, what’s up??”. He gravely exclaimed while chest-thumping.

“Mmm… I’ll believe it when I see it for myself~”. They chortle, which led Mordecai to look away bitterly.

Well, at least he managed to push the Pink Thief to laugh, so that was still quite an outstanding achievement; one he undoubtedly wouldn’t ignore.

Hence, he agreed not to say anything, letting the thief and himself enjoy this moment.

-

One last snipping sound was heard, followed by the thief holding the thoroughly done bandaged hand, assuring themselves that everything was correct in addition to scanning any spots they might have missed. 

Convinced that his task was in order, they dropped the pair of scissors back into its box and dusted off their hands. “There. Feeling better?”.

The taller man returned to confront the masked figure in puzzlement as if he was caught for not paying attention. "W-What?”. He lifted his hand to gaze at it as a tiny blush emerged on his cheeks. “Oh wow! Y-Yeah~! Thank you!”. He smiled brightly, moving his wrist so he could see the back and front of his hand, persisting in admiring the fantastic work.

Giving attention to all that enthusiastic feedback, the thief only bowed their head. They pulled the bag closer to them and rummaged through it to find what they needed. When doing so, Mordecai could only watch over them, wondering what they were up to.

Until he was confounded at what the thief yanked out; a small, richly decorated in gold carving pocket watch.

“You mean this? You literally just risked your life-”. He paused to stare at the object. “-for this thing?!”.

‘Thing?’. Confusingly regurgitated the villager to himself. “Umm…”. His brain was a little foggy for a couple of seconds, but then he slowly recovered his grip on this existence. “W-Well, I’m sure that costs a lot of money! _{Or somethin’ like that}". He shrugged.

“Wait… You don’t even know if it does?!”.

Such an aghast tone in their question provoked Mordecai to be in a reflection state; if truth be told, this was, word for word, the first time glimpsing at the watch up close. Heck, he didn’t even know his boss maintained such a golden cherish until last night.

So, it made sense that he had no idea about its properties.

“Pff… Nah! Like I have a single clue about it!”. He casually retorted.

“Then why did you-!!”. They stopped, taking one deep breath. “Oh, my Watcher, what is even happening…?”.

Mordecai felt insulted at that previous remark, opting to stand up with his hands morphed into fists. “Hey!! Don’t judge me! I might not know how much that watch is worth, but I know it does to someone!”. A loud sigh was noticed as he felt his body relax a little, recalling the person to whom this object belonged. “_Pops…”.

Glancing up at him, they slowly stood up too. “What was that? I didn’t hear that last part”.

“We don’t own the watch”. He admitted. “It’s from our boss, Pops. It was given to him by his father... as inheritance before he passed away. It's legit the last thing he has to remember him by…”. He sorrowfully explained. “That’s why we are here, okay?”.

Startled by that revelation, the thief stared down at the watch in their hand. “Really? You two are doing this…  just for your boss?”.

“You don’t get it, man! Or wom-“.

“Stop saying that!!”.

The tall man recoiled from that yell but was quick to calm down. “Sorry! Sorry! I don’t know what your identity is supposed to be! I don’t want to misgender you”.

“I couldn’t care less if you did or not! Just-“. They halted, which then ended with them groaning a little. “S-Sorry for snapping at you. Can you just answer the question, please?”.

It was pretty fascinating that the thief would want to know about this so badly, yet he dusted it off. “Okay… Umm… Oh yeah!”. He nodded, getting back on track with his thoughts, and therefore, he began again. “Like I was saying; you wouldn’t get it! Pops… is like… the only guy that ever gave a remote crap about us! He’s legit the most caring man in the entire village… Scratch that; in the world!! He doesn’t deserve getting his watch taken away...”. He hesitated for a bit until he decided to give in. “And… I guess you can say he’s like the... father figure… that I haven’t had for a while”.

Like a punch to the gut, the masked individual withdrew a couple of steps at that heavy bomb of a confession. A sudden lightheadedness sensation entered their nervous system, unsure of how they should react or even what to say.

‘Did he also lose his-‘.

Wait, what if this was all a ruse to lower their guard?

Quickly composing themselves, the thief stood their ground. “Tsk… W-Well, tough luck!! I stole it fair and square!”. They clutched the golden object in their hand, then pointed at themselves. “I own it now!”.

“What?! Not cool, man! You really doing this to me after I let out all that?!”. Anger rose within the blue-haired man, feeling apathetic about their correct gender, for he felt like he had just been backstabbed. “I won’t let you get away with this!! Give it back! It does not belong to you!”.

The atmosphere between them was close to claustrophobic as tensions became high.

In a swift move, the thief slid away from the villager, instantly stopping at a safe distance from him. “If you truly want it, then come and get it!”. He challenged, dangling the watch to him.

Without consideration, Mordecai accepted that challenge by quickly advancing toward the thief. Regardless he nearly tripped on his feet when he saw the thief avoid him by simply ducking down and performing a somersault on the floor. Turning around, he saw them facing him with their arms intersected, almost like this wasn’t even worth breaking a sweat over.

“W-What?! How did you-“.

Automatically, this made him realize the height difference between the two, as Mordecai was much taller in comparison, yet they weren’t as short as Rigby.

In all honestly, they had a relatively average size for… umm… both genders, he guessed.

Slapping himself on both cheeks, the tall man settled on to try furthermore, but it was deemed impossible because, somehow, the thief was always one step ahead of him.

In actual fact, he didn’t intend to hurt them; he only wanted the watch he promised his elder he would return.

And thus, he tried again.

And again.

-

Again…

It felt like hours had passed after the many endeavors he made an effort to pull, as the blue-haired man was out of breath, kneeling on one leg to pull himself together.

No matter what he did, he consistently failed to reach them in time.

Having enough of this annoying cat-and-mouth game absurdity, he finally spotted the bag from which the thief seized the golden valuable. He immediately began checking its insides to see if he could find something useful against the watch snatcher.

Something did catch his attention, as he felt something soft reach his fingers that when he tugged it out, it was revealed to be a pillow.

A very familiar pillow… 

Despite that, he tossed it away, not finding it to be such a great weapon compared to the next thing he got in his hands.

A gun.

A water gun, to be precise.

Squeezing the trigger, a wicked idea reached his head as he turned to his savior and perpetrator, who appeared to be puffing with their hands around the waistband. However, after their attention was centered on the tall man once more, they became unhinged.

“This ends here, Pink Thief!!”. He gravely shouted, aiming the weapon at them. “Hand over the watch, and nobody gets hurt!”.

Finally, having a good look at what he had in his hand, they shook their head amusingly before performing a combat-style pose.

“Do your worst~”.

Hearing that, Mordecai lowered his aim and ran towards them, leading the figure to gasp at the sudden move, not expecting such a move.

They merely thought they were going to be squirted with some water.

Knowing full well they had little time to pull it off, the thief still tried to dodge his attack. Unfortunately, Mordecai had already reached out to them, as he was just mere centimeters from grabbing the watch from his adversary’s hand.

However, what the villager wasn’t anticipating was that the masked individual had turned sideways, resulting in him punching them in the face, ending with the two crashing down due to the heavy collision they received from each other.

Releasing a painful groan, Mordecai slowly got on his knees, using his fingers to rub the soreness from the upper area of his back, for it was where he got the most damage.

Rapidly, his eyes brightened at the sight of the gold watch on the floor, which led him to snatch it, enjoying the sweet feeling of a well-deserved victory.

His little plan had indeed worked; he managed to fool them to perfection!

Following that, his facial expression had fallen to one of fear. Mostly from finding out that the watch must have suffered some harm when it crashed on the floor. Leaning it near his ear, he tried to listen for any sign of life.

«Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock»

A sigh of relief escaped his vocal cords, indeed aware that it was working wonders, as he enjoyed the nice relaxing rhythm generated by the clock’s hands.

That was, until he gazed down, spotting another object on the floor; one he didn’t remember catching sight of before. At first, it was a little hard to tell what exactly way, but once his blurry vision wandered away, he covered his mouth in stupefaction while his eyes were showcased to be wide open.

This wasn’t just any ordinary item…

It was the Pink Thief’s mask.

Chapter Text

Standing on the front patio of the jolly man's home, the two young girls were devastated by what was on the right side, opting to incline the white balustrade to glance closer.

What they saw was the older man’s remarkable garden, replenished with so many multicolored flowers that could make any rainbow whine in anguish.

Only now, it wasn’t looking so extraordinary.

In particular, its sweet and fresh texture had lost all colors due to the cycle of transpiration, demonstrated by how wilted it was illustrated. In addition to that, the poor plants were enveloped by undesirable company, comprised of weeds. It didn’t seem like much maintenance and love had been provided to the poor yard, which automatically made the duo worried sick.

“Gosh, this is awful!”. Eileen clamored, bewildered by all this. “I’ve never seen the garden look so… sad. You don't suppose Pops has noticed it, yet, Magg-“. She halted, detecting she was isolated on the porch. “Margaret??”. As she was just about to check any sighting of her close friend, she quickly managed to locate her moving towards the small hut near said grassland. “Hey, what are you doing?”.

Arriving at the door to the wooden building, the tall woman entered it. “Duh! What do you think?”. Indicating that out, she exited, carrying a watering can. “Hey, see if there’s like a place where I can fill this!”.

Uncovering a solution didn’t take long, as the short woman spotted a puny faucet near the garden. “There!”. She took advantage of her finger so her pal would acknowledge it. “Try over there!”. Hearing her gratitude, the brunette positioned her arms on the top of the rails.

Moving toward the faucet, she put the bucket down, loading it with water. “Like hell, I’ll let Pops’ pride and joy suffer! After everything he’s done to us, we might as well do something in return, no~?”.

She shrugged, now looking off into the distance. “I suppose… but don’t you find it odd that Pops or the guys haven’t been taking care of it lately?”.

The redneck girl stood motionless, beginning to question that logic too. “I’ll admit; it is weird. Not to mention no one has answered the door yet…”. Setting her hands on her hips, something within clicked her. “You know… maybe they went to Luminus Plaza? It could explain a lot about what’s happening with the garden and the guys’ sudden disappearance!”.

“Perhaps… but why wouldn’t the guys tell us that? Or even Pops? He was in the marketplace yesterday and said nothing. I even said hi and everything”. The brunette let out a small gasp, recalling something. “In fact, it was around the time when the Pink Thief showed up!! Did you know of that??”.

“What?? No way! I had no idea!”. Intersecting her arms, she pouted. “Maaaaaan, this sucks! Our stupid boss just had to annoy me before the end of my shift…!”.

“Oh, don’t worry!”. She comforted her with a sweet smile. “I didn’t see them either, but I saw people screaming and acting so out of control that it just had to be them”.

“Yeah, that does seem obvs”. Turning off the lever, she grunted while picking up the can. “Uff! Heavy!”.

“Lift with your legs! Not your back!!”. She yelled out.

“Oh, wow…! What would I do without you~?”.

She beamed at the redneck’s attempt to scoff at her. “Whatever! At least I’m trying to help out! You know I’m not cut for heavy weights!”. She heard her friend evilly laugh, which made her pout. “You know what, just for that, I’m not helping you anymore! I do tend to clean up after your hazardous mistakes, so I deserve a break before the inevitable~!”.

Puffing her cheeks, she dramatically stood on top of the garden, ensuring she wouldn’t step on anything. “Mmm! It seems like someone is still upset about yesterday because she couldn’t reach the higher shelves~”.

“Hey!!”. She frowned. “You’re such a meanie!!”.

Following that, the two girlfriends cheerfully laughed, not taking much of those insults to heart.

Oh, and that wasn’t wordplay.

“Hey Maggie… If we do find where the boys are at, do you think we should… You know…”. Her cheeks turn bright pink, rubbing her arm shyly. “Tell them about us?”.

A puff of air was heard from the redneck as she began to water the flowers. “Well, sooner or later, they’re bound to find out, right? Besides, didn’t we agree to tell Tommy first?”.

“Aww… and we just saw him…”. She groaned. “Man, with all the stuff that’s been happening, we completely forgot!!”. She paused. “Do you think he’s mad at us?”.

“What you mean? He looked fine”.

“That’s not what I’m saying-“.

«Creeeeeeak»

Interrupting her line of thought, the two girls looked at the house’s front door, causing both of them to gasp while provoking a stupefied Margaret to release the can as it fell into the yard.

It was indeed the jolly man, but something wasn’t right about him; just like the garden, he also had such a pale appearance, mostly seen on his exhausted face and messy hair. His clothes weren’t as tidy as he had always intended, to the point that he wasn’t even wearing his vest and top hat.

Two integral pieces of fabric connected to his character.

“Oh, Margaret and Eileen! It is the two of you! I knew I was hearing voices”. He smiled weakly while waving at them. “I didn’t know you decided to stop by! Such good spirits today, is it not?”.

“P-Pops?! W-What happened?!”. Yelled out the redneck. “Is everything okay??”.

He nodded calmly. “Oh, don’t be so concerned abo- Oh my!! Margaret! My poor little garden!”.

Gasping was heard from the older man, leading the girls to look back to the green area to see it completely flooded as the watering object leaked its contents onto it.

Margaret gasped as she quickly gathered it up. “P-Pops, I’m so sorry!! I just- umm, I…“. Her words were now stuttering, feeling extreme guilt over her stupid mistake.

Witnessing that, Eileen decided to cut in. “Yeah! She just wanted to help out, Mister Pops! She didn’t mean to destroy it!!”. She exclaimed, trying to defend her poor sweetheart, who was still agitated.

The jolly man couldn’t help but sweetly smile as he placed a hand on Eileen’s shoulders, looking between her and the tall woman. “Oh, do not feel so low, my dears! I know the two of you have good intentions in your actions. It’s just you simply lack in experience!”.

Both girls ashamedly blushed at that comment, feeling apologetic.

That sudden downhearted mood led Pops to resume. “Which is very normal to go through! You girls are still young and energetic!”. He grinned. “I remember when I was your age; my papa would always complain that I was a bit of a loose cannon when it came to my actions!”. Reminiscing those fond memories with a dreamy smile, he looked back at them. “You’ll learn as time passes, so do not lose hope just yet~!”.

No wonder Pops had the most sunshine manners known in the village.

The redneck released a loud exhale of relief; very glad she wasn’t in trouble due to her careless attitude. She placed the can down and walked toward her girlfriend and the homeowner.

“T-Thanks, Pops…~ I didn’t mean to mess anything up… You’re not mad at me, right?”. 

A chuckle was heard in the man as he patted her shoulder. “Do not fret so much, my dear Margaret~ All is forgiven! Although, I do apologize if I showcased such a rancor mood towards this mild accident!”. He worryingly declared, placing a hand on his chest.

“N-No!! Never! I just wanted to make sure, ya know~? But thank you anyway~ Those words were just the right thing I needed to hear~!”.

“I’m glad~”. He smiled, now noticing a strange-looking box near the brunette. “Oh, is that yours, young Eileen?”.

Hearing him, she smiled, opening the box. “It is! Check out what Thomas did~!”. She held the birdhouse in her arms, so the older man could see it, who became awestruck at such a masterpiece. “I know, right~? That awful storm from two days ago knocked it down and split it apart! I was devastated, but everything is perfect now~!”.

“Oh, jolly good show! What a cutie birdie home!”. He happily clapped. “Such heartwarming news to hear on this fine morning!”.

The duo was speechless, staring at each other and then at the garden owner.

“What are you talking about, Pops?”. Nervously questioned the redneck. “It’s almost four in the afternoon”.

Pops flinched at that shocking revelation, almost like he wasn’t aware of that.

He was about to reach down to his pocket but quickly intercepted himself, realizing that his most precious belonging had yet to be in his possession. Automatically, it led him to stare out at the direction his young employers took off earlier today, as concern became visible in his expression.

They still haven’t returned yet.

‘N-No, keep it together, old chap! Mordecai promised you everything would be fine… but it’s such a dark and scary place!’. A chill ran down his spine as horrible visuals came to mind. “M-Maybe I should have gone with them?! Oh, could it be something horrifying happened, preventing them from returning??”.

Pops shook his head, frustrated at those thoughts. He couldn’t believe his own mind would just jump to such outrageous conclusions.

It couldn’t be true!

Before the elderly man could continue imagining the unthinkable, his torso was squeezed by two pairs of arms, trying to reconcile the poor man, who was close to shedding some tears in front of them. Noticing the man had eventually calmed down, they decided to let him go, still worrying peeking at him.

“Oh, Margaret and Eileen…”. He sobbed a couple of more times, pulling out his handkerchief. “It’s been so hard to do anything with such a preoccupied mindset”.

“F-From what?”. Eileen stuttered, slowly holding her girlfriend’s hand, who, in turn, replied by gripping it closer. “Mister Pops, you can trust us! Just tell us what’s on your mind!”.

“Yeah! And where’s Mordecai and Rigby?? Aren’t they with you??”.

Initially, the sweet man was about to admit to the whole truth but decided against it, fearing that if the girls knew everything, they’d surely want to follow the boys so they could check their whereabouts.

And in turn… what if that led to more possible disappearing cases?

“I just been thinking of… what kind of sweets would you girls prefer after the amount of goodness you have given this ol’ chap~!”. He laughed, going in for another hug. Only now, he tightened the grip around his young friends, who in turn felt overwhelmed.

Margaret detected most of her pain around her back, where the notion of it breaking in half by that sheer amount of force wasn’t farfetched. “P-Pops…!! W-We c-can’t bre-breath!!”. She cried out while the other poor woman couldn’t even make a single sound, all due to the cause of his arm being around her neck.

Surprised, he promptly released them, allowing the girls to have their space, who gladly took it, as uncontrollable coughing was heard between the two. 

“Oh dears, I’m terribly sorry!! Oh, blast all! I can never tell my own strength!!”. He grumbled, placing both hands on his hips. “How does one even see these sorts of things?? Very odd indeed…”.

After they managed to catch their breath, both girls nervously laughed while reassuring the elder that there was no need to worry about them.

-

During that period, a particular young silhouette watched on, hidden between the alleyway of two houses on the opposite side, as a frustrated sigh was heard.

Why did the jolly man downright decide to ignore Margaret’s question?

Something peculiar was going on, especially concerning the suspicious behavior of the absentminded man, and Thomas wasn’t ignorant of that. He knew of those particular characteristics, primarily due to his mentor, who was old friends with the jolly man, and in turn, he had known him since the day he weirdly arrived at the village.

Sure, Pops occasionally acted dramatically over small things, but when it came to his employers, he never wavered to speaking what was on his mind.

So, why the sudden change of tone?

While still busy with his thoughts, the pupil continued to eavesdrop on the trio - who were now discussing other random things - unmindful of the footsteps that could be heard coming from behind him.

“Yo, Thomas! Why you acting like a weirdo, bro?”.

Alarmed by that deep and sleazy voice, he spun around in a millisecond, only to sigh in relief that he wasn’t in any sort of anger to begin with. “D-Damn, Muscle Man!! Why you gotta scare me like that??”. He barked at the hooded man, trying to ease his own beating heart.

Removing his hood, the fat bandit was now laughing at his reaction. “Man, where are you even looking at~?”. Shoving him against the wall, he mischievously chuckled at the groan coming from the brunet. “Out of my way, loser!”. Looking in the direction where the pupil was staring, he grunted disapprovingly. “Laaaaame… Why you spying on those guys?”.

Thomas could only panic, fiercely trying to pull the man back into the shadows. “D-Dude!! We’re going to get caught! What do you think you’re doing?!”.

“Relax, lady! They haven’t seen us”. He kept watching until he grew bored. “Man, I’m out of here… Way to make me waste my time, Thomas! Now, move over!”. Arrogantly saying that, he pushed him again, turning back around.

“Argh!!”. He angrily sighed at him, rubbing his own shoulder, but stopped immediately registering the situation. “Hey! Wait up!! I want to talk to you about-!!”. He gasped, placing both his hands in the air in self-defense, watching the guy pull a gun out of his pants.

Yet, it didn’t last long because the next thing he knew, his being squirted with water on his face.

“A-Ah! W-What the fu-?!”. More water was dropped on him, leaving him to cough. “S-Stop it!!”.

“Pfff~ I got you good, loser~!”. He laughed, enjoying the aggressive facial expression on his face. “Relax, it’s just my brand-new water gun. Got no clue whatever happened to the last one, but whatever! Have you been swearing when I’m not looking, Thomas?!”. He growled, raising his fist, prompting Thomas to cower. “Because you know what happens when I catch you pulling that!”.

“W-Why do you care?!”.

“Why do you think? You know Jeff hates it when you do that, dude”. He chest-thump a couple of times, nodding along with the beat. “Doing a favor for the bros”.

Thomas felt his body stop at the mere mention of that name before gritting his teeth in anger. “A-Are you serious!? Why did you have to mention him!? What is actually wrong with you, assh- AH!!”. A punch landed on his stomach, forcing him to recoil in pain.

“I warned you, Thomas! Why you gotta be such a hassle with the simplest things??”.

Rubbing his own stomach to push the pain away, he could only stare at that bastard of a man with sore eyes. “Y-You don’t get it, d-do you??”. After receiving a shrug from the other, he lowered his eyes. “Mitch… Jeff and I are not a thing anymore. You should know that! You were there!”.

“Dude, I thought you were just overreacting“.

“No, I wasn’t!! We had that huge fight during that stupid party, and then he just left us, Mitch! Without telling us a damn word!! I’m surprised you’re still acting like you don’t give a shit, after TWO FUCKING WEEKS of his absence!!”. He spelled it out irritated. “When are you going to wake up to the real world, man?!”.

Hearing the man’s tantrum, a chill ran down Mitch's spine. Having no idea how to handle it. Every word escaping the necklace owner's mouth was like getting slapped on the face; continuously getting bombarded by truth bombs.

Watching him motionless, the pupil sneered. “Whatever… Bye, Muscle Man…”. Not wanting to look at the thick man any longer, he began to talk towards the jolly man’s house, as the trio of before had already gone inside.

The fat bandit could only watch as he remained alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Text

Mordecai didn’t budge. He just couldn’t. He was afraid.

There it was; the mask of his savior just abandoned on the floor.

None of this was supposed to happen. He only wanted what belonged to him. Well, scratch that; what belonged to his boss, but nonetheless, never in his life did he mean for this to happen.

Straightening his back, he stared ahead of him to find the Pink Thief, who was beginning to lift themselves up, but only managed to get on their knees, presumably to keep steady before fully standing up.

«Ba-dump~ Ba-dump~»

Mordecai’s heart was rocking out like crazy, almost like it was about to pop out of his chest.

The cloak… it also had fallen off their head. It was resting on the back of the neck, yet he couldn’t see the thief’s face all that well yet, due to their back facing the villager.

Still, Mordecai was not about to let this opportunity go to waste; as he began to check every new little detail, he could possibly catch on to the thief.

For starters, the feature that caught the most of his admiration; was the hair. While it was amazing what he saw, he couldn’t help but cringe simultaneously. It had a deep brown color to it, yet its hairstyle was compelled of a long Shaggy Mess, indeed having that vibe of neglect when it came to brushing or stylizing it. On the other hand, the thief kept it hidden underneath the hood, so it made sense that they never cared much. 

A smile spread out to his lips, now daydreaming at such a sight. ‘I wonder what it’s like touching it… I bet it’s like a fluffy sheep~’. Chuckling at that thought, a slight pink blush made its way to his cheeks, but he opted to shake it away, wanting to see what other new feature he could find.

Surely enough, he did find something else; the revealing skin at the back of the neck. It was a little tough, to be specific, but it appeared to have a natural bisque color to it.

So smooth… So tender…

Drool made its way out of his mouth. ‘Holy fuck… I wonder how it tastes like…~ Hold up, what the-?!”. Heavily flushing at those random impure thoughts, he self-flagellation by smacking himself on the cheek so that he could snap out of it.

Where did these come from?!

Ending his conversion of becoming a heater, he now wondered what they were doing due to the fact they had yet to move out of that kneeling position. Again, it was hard to tell, yet it looked like they were now rubbing their cheek, presumably from that unintentional punch they were thrown at.

In all honestly; they kind of deserve it.

More silence was felt as Mordecai was too frightened to say anything about the situation.

Luckily, it didn’t last long, yet that didn’t stop Mordecai from becoming even stiffer at the vision ahead of him; the thief was shuddering in place.

Using one of the knees allowed them to finally stand up and face the tall man while broadcasting a furious expression, obviously seen on their reddish facial expression.

Hold up… Could it be that the thief had yet to tell that something was out of place, a.k.a. the fact that the pink mask was on the floor and that their head was out in the open??

Well, it didn’t appear to be the case because they kept acting like everything was normal.

“What the hell was that for, asshole?!”. They snapped, clenching their fists while breathing heavily.

No fucking way.

They… He… Oh, dear watcher; It was a man!

In better words, they looked like one, but Mordecai didn’t want to misgender his savior. Then again, moving back to when they showed a lack of concern on the whole misgendering thing, maybe he was free to give them the gender that was presented in the villager’s eyes.

He/Him.

Oh, where to begin with this guy? Well, how about with ‘Oh no, he hot!’.

All this time, the thief turned out to be none other than a regular-looking human, not some monster or mysterious creature. Simultaneously, Mordecai already knew he couldn’t be one due to the identical male anatomy form he showed, regardless of how well hidden it was and still continues to be. In addition, him being a guy was also something he had an idea of due to his deep, mature, and very sexy voice – whereas the latter was mainly in the villager’s view.

Speaking of that, he didn’t appear to be that young, but not as old as Pops or even Skips. If he could take a small guess, perhaps he’d be centered around his late thirties or early forties, as it was possible to see some exhaustion underneath his eyes and wrinkles on his face…

His rather attractive face, whose chin was covered in an extended goatee of a beard, colored similarly to his hair. Mordecai could never deny such a stunning detail; for he had a massive kink over bearded men.

Taking a step back to his previous theory, his skin did indeed have a lovely bisque color; not to the point it was identical to his skin color, but it wasn’t too bright either. 

Mordecai kind of liked it; It fit him to a tee.

However, a new quality struck him the most, even more than his brunet hair.

Oh, that was nothing compared to his eyes; his two beautiful eyes, resembling two desirable and pure blue gemstones – the rarest of all precious stones. It absolutely gave him whiplash to witness such a treasure as he could see his reflection in the thief’s eyes.

He couldn’t take it anymore; legit, he was about to suffer a major meltdown. He felt his own hot body go back to its bashful ways, trying to hide his reddish-colored face to the point that he looked like a tomato.

In the meantime, that all this ordeal was taking place, the thief kept staring at him, only now, he looked very perplexed at this bizarre behavior that the villager was suffering through.

‘What the hell is wrong with him now??’. He wondered, trying to make sense of it all until he lowered his gaze.

«CRASH!»

A visual of a grass-shattering realization rang through the thief’s ears, all the way throughout his body, as his pupils shrank down to a small dot. Well, metaphorically speaking, but that didn’t change the fact that he now understood what was going on.

The abnormal shock he was suffering through now could not even be described in words as he finally noticed the familiar scattered object on the floor. Worst yet, a slight breeze got into contact with him as he shivered at the touch made in his hair, which lightly swung along with its direction.

This couldn’t be true. He couldn’t believe this.

His worst nightmare… had somehow managed to martialize itself into this cruel reality.

The Pink Thief has revealed his secret identity to someone. But it wasn’t just someone; but an idiot, who just so happens to be a damn villager from that damn village.

Pulling the cloak over his head and face, the no longer masked individual was trying his best to contain his screams, filled with pure exasperation. That was until he slowly became numb, letting go of the hood, which kept covering his head.

After everything that’s happened? What’s the point in trying to fight against it?

What’s done is done. Now, the thief had to suffer the inevitable…

Oh, dear Watcher, he was going to die, wasn’t he?

Eventually, after suffering through a wave of uncontrollable emotions, he sighed, opting to face his fate in the most honorable way possible. He stared down at the villager… who had yet to move or make a single sound.

He was still kneeling there, looking like a complete and utter mess.

Which was starting to get on the thief’s nerves, so he promptly gave him a light stomp on one of his legs to get his attention. Sure enough, it worked as he witnessed him straighten his back, staring up at him.

“Well?”. The thief spoke, broadcasting some temper in his question.

Mordecai kept his mouth shut, wanting to express something, anything, but no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t.

And for that reason alone, the thief became more restless. “You finally know what I look like!! Are you seriously not going to say or do something?!”. Yet again, he was met with more silence as he began to feel delirious at this infuriating situation. “Are you deliberately trying to piss me off? Because guess what?! It’s working!! I just can’t make sense with you! You really can’t say one fucking word about all this?! Do you want me to beg? Is that it!? Beg you to express something?? Anything?!”. He growled, followed by grabbing the man by his white shirt’s collar, unintentionally being face to face with him. “Just what the hell do you want from me!? TELL ME!!”.

Violently shaking him, the blue-haired man finally snapped out of it, but only by a short mile, as a goofy and melted expression was seen on his face, blinking fondly at those stunning blue eyes seen in his captor.

“S-Sorry…~ I-I didn’t… Ahahah~ Wait, let me rephrase that~”. Releasing a deep exhale, a heartwarming smile was seen on his lips, almost like he was heavily drugged. “Holy moly, you are so breathtaking, man~!”. He dreamily pronounced, not breaking eye contact with him. “Why you gotta hide all those gorgeous features in that ugly ass mask~? You so greedy, ya know that~?”. 

A hush ambiance made its way between the two. Only the sounds of the wind were heard.

The thief was confusingly blinking at what the man just said before his infuriating stature had vanished, replaced by a daunted one, as his cheeks heat up to a similar shade seen in the villager.

How could this guy be more focused on admiring his looks… than blackmailing him?!

Unless… Oh, no.

No, no, no!! This… Could it be?!

After all these years of debating whether it was possible or not… the one referred to in the prophecy has stepped forward and decided to find him.

His only wish has been finally granted, and there it was; sheepishly smiling at him.

This was big news; the thief should be happy.

And yet… a significant conflict had intersected his thoughts; this was a man in his twenties.

The gender wasn’t the thing that got to him, but rather the age.

For a long time, the owner of the pink mask always thought that the one from the prophecy would be someone around his age.

This guy appeared to be much younger than him, which in turn, led him to become a little uncomfortable.

Maybe he misunderstood the situation? Well, he doubted it at the same time because all the signs this villager would give him were nothing but strange coincidences.

 So, while he was almost convinced that this guy was the one, he still had his doubts.

A loud groan was heard leaving out of the thief, which resulted in Mordecai finally regaining his strength as if his soul was sucked back into his body after being stolen by someone; that someone being the thief.

Roaming his eyes in the situation he was in, he was met with shock as his face was just a couple of centimeters from touching his savior’s, which looked like he was about a shove away from kissing him.

“Umm… D-Dude?”. He nervously called out before clearing his throat. “Umm, you c-can let go. I don’t think I’ll fall anytime soon, ya know~?”.

Hearing that, the thief quickly released his grip on the man’s shirt, trying to hide his flustered face. “S-Sorry… I didn’t...”. Letting out a couple of coughs, he ended by tensely looking away and crossing his arms. “I’ll forgive you for that punch if you promise me never to tell this to anyone… This is really important to me”.

“Wait, about what exactly? The whole uncovered part or…”. He cut himself immediately as he saw the thief give him a severe look. “G-Gotcha! The revealing part thing, got it~!”. He shyly chuckled, proceeding to give him a confident smile. “No worries! I won’t tell a single soul!! You can bet on that~!”. Ending on that, he trailed his fingers through his own mouth, signifying a zipping form, as he then threw the imaginary zipper away with a bright smile seen on his face.

“P-Promise me!? Because I swear, I won’t hesitate in-“. The thief angrily pointed at him but then decided to stop himself, watching how unfazed the man was. “What was your name again? Mordecai, right?”.

Mordecai’s eyes brightened as he finally stood up while dusting himself before giving a stern nod at his hero. “Yeh, that me~! Ahaha~ I’m surprised you remember it”. “He smiled brightly.

“Tsk, what do you take me for? I’ll have you know I’m careful with my surroundings!”. He asserted, placing one hand on his hip.

“Ah~! I believe that! S-So…”. After careful consideration, he inhaled in order to push his fears away. “M-Maybe you’re going to shut me off… but can you tell me your name? Please~?”. He pleased with hopeful eyes, placing his hands together as a way to get the thief to work in his favor.

And unfortunately, it was indeed working wonders as that made its way into the Pink Thief, who in turn felt bashful and lightheaded at such a scene. 

Should he really share this information with this guy? Eh, he already knew his secret identity, so… why not?

Clearing his throat, he stared gravely at Mordecai.

“My name is-”.

«THUNDER!»

Loud flashes of light struck out as the air became much stiffer and windy, followed by peals of thunders, which caught both men off guard, especially when it came to the vibration felt on the platform where they stood.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, such a strong convulsion led Mordecai to lose his balance, accidentally crashing his way towards the thief, which caused them both to collapse. Nonetheless, they automatically held onto each other until the earthquake finally ended.

When that eventually occurred, the villager was in shock, now noticing his current position on top of the Pink Thief, who had a deep shade of red while staring back at him.

One that wasn’t far off from the blush that could be seen in Mordecai as well.

Before any words could be exchanged, a large grey cloud emerged out of the air, seen out of bounds of the platform, as the duo observed it morph into… a girl?

What was going on??

Finalizing her appearance, an evil smile spread out to her lips as her eyes opened to stare down at the man who owned this domain.

“Hello… Benson~”.

Chapter Text

At this specific moment in time, confusion was the only reaction Mordecai could pull as a wave of questions washed over his face.

What? How? Why?

Those were just a few of them. And if he kept them coming, he’d be there for an eternity.

However, one always bothered him the most; who was this chick?? Or did she even identify herself as one?

Moving on, now the villager couldn’t help but be in awe at her strange-looking form, not resembling much human characteristic save for her upper body, which had a beige skin tone covered in multiple freckles.

Weirdly enough, she did resemble the Ghost Dude from earlier when it came to levitating in the air. Yet, it didn’t appear she was a spirit. More so, some sort of Therianthropic creature, as the feature that entirely stood out was the sight of her large ponytail having an identical look to what was attached below her waist; a vast fluff and curly mass composed of clouds, white as snow.

Suddenly, she moved toward them, leading the villager to stand up and take a couple of steps back, not finding this woman trustworthy.

Descending on the platform, the large mass had materialized into legs, matching a tall structure, as she finally seated her hands on her hips. “Well, well, if it isn’t, LiTtLe bEnSoN~?”. She scoffed, looking in various directions as her hips moved from side to side. “Surprise to see me~? You really shouldn’t have~!”. She giggled, leaning a little forward, revealing a bit of her medium size cleavage. “You know, at this point, you’re starting to make this way too easy for me~! C’mon, do you know how easy it was to get the drop on you?!”.

What the heck was she talking about? Benson?? Was that the Pink Thief’s real name?

Turning his attention to the man in question, he was surprised to see him casually watching her before witnessing him rubbing his cheek as a way to show his annoyance towards all this.

“Long time no see, CJ”. He tiredly sighed, crossing his arms. “You always find ways to be as bothersome as ever, don’t you?”.

Mordecai leaned his head in skepticism. “Wait, he knows her too?! What the-“. His thoughts were interrupted, hearing the new trespasser, who apparently was called CJ, laughing in a mean-spirited way at the thief.

“Aww~ I love it when you try to show me your sense of humor~ You really think I’m that hard to take down~? Ah~!!”. Prompting deriding the hooded man again, her body became stiff and cold as the wind blew in their faces, mostly catching the villager off guard, who almost collapsed again. “You always tend to underestimate how much I can do, Benson…”. She snarled as flashes of yellow were seen inside her eyes which spooked the villager, not at all expecting such a freaky scene.

Rubbing his eyes to ease the pain, he eventually managed to see again. “Holy shit!! What was that?? What is even going on?!”.

Overhearing that new voice, the cloud lady finally looked at the other man. Not that she didn’t notice him before. It’s just that she didn’t care, for she was much too busy, wanting to proceed with scoffing at the thief.

In her eyes, she was sure he didn’t belong in the forest, and witnessing that scene of the two on the ground… could only mean one thing.

“Oh… wow…~!”. She gave a broad smile at him. “No way!! Is this… Oh my Watcher, this is just too precious!! Is this guy really supposed to be the one she referred to~??”. She asked the Pink Thief, who could only glare at her.

“Uh?! What even??”. The tall man began to feel exasperated, not at all enjoying her mocking tone, as he also turned his attention to the cloak wearer. “Pink Thief?! How do you know this chick?? And what is she talking about??”.

Shaking her head at those questions, she stingily shrugged, opting to continue to be in the spotlight of attention by pushing the thief out of her way. “Pff, you dolt! Who doesn’t know Benson around here~? Trust me, moron; you’re not that special~! Then again, I suppose you should feel a little proud of yourself from the fact you’re the first intruder to know~”. Scoffing again, she went back to inspecting his physical appearance, who recoiled a little at the fact she was in his personal space. “But really? You are the one?!”.

“I’m… what?!”.

Regaining his strength, the thief was about to open his mouth to reprimand the cloud trespasser but was interrupted by erratic laughter that echoed throughout the forest.

She sarcastically wheezed, which led both men to become a little uncomfortable, yet she kept her façade. “Oh my…~ I-I can’t breathe~!! Like… No way!! He even has no freaking clue on what’s even going on~?!”. In a brief second, her insane behavior was put to a stop, as she simply broadcasted a wicked smile. “Aren’t you fucking pathetic~?”.

That alone was enough for the thief to push her away and stand in front of Mordecai, who could only look on in awe as he saw him point at her. “Leave him out of this, CJ!!”. He barked, now clenching his fists together. “This is only between you and me, so don’t waste your breath with your snarky remarks!! If you have come for revenge after I banish you into that scepter, then I'd be more than glad to put you back in your place!”.

“Urgh!!!”. She groaned, acting like a moody teenager. “Shut up!! You really thought that stupid gadget was enough to put an end to me!?”. Yelling that, her hands began to glow. “Well, I have breaking news to tell, you spineless prick; you can never stop the Goddess of Wind”.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt was shot out of her hands and came into contact with the duo, but the thief quickly pushed Mordecai out of the way by slamming himself towards him, leading them both to escape that shocking attack successfully.

Such a foreseen body pounce led the tall man to crash down, but now the thief was on top of him. This really wasn’t the best time, but the villager felt his body heat up at such a heroic and alluring sight until he was distracted by the smoke that came out of the giant mark on the platform, presumably where the firebolt impacted onto.

It was pretty unnerving how close they were about to get electrified.

Well, maybe not to the cloud girl, who violently shuddered. “Really? Really, Benson?! Why do you bother trying to save this… nobody?!”. She fumed before placing a hand on her hip. “Don’t tell me you actually believe that this is the one who’s gonna break the curse!!”.

‘Curse?’.

“How desperate can you possibly be to believe that the next guy that shows up is going to fix everything!? Pathetic!!”. Her body lightened up, beginning to replenish her power so she could strike down again.

Yet, the cloaked figure quickly realized that as he moved his head to the side and stood up, running towards the object in his focus. Picking it up, he promptly threw it at her to prevent her from continuing her recharging, which appeared to have worked, as she almost lost her balance at the sudden feathery comfort smashing her in the face.

Looking down at what just hit her, she raised an eyebrow while showing an offended look. “W-What the-?! Is this a fucking pillow!? What the heck?!”.

“Enough!! I warned you, CJ!!”. Angrily shouted the thief, pointing at her. “If you wish to continue this futile fight, then so be it!!”. Ending on that, he picked up his mask and placed it back on his face. “I’ll ensure you are completely banned from this forest… for good!!”. Standing his ground, he presented a rigid fighting pose, where only his cloak was seen majestically swinging with the breeze.

“Hmph!! Then, let’s end this unfinished business~!”.

And thus, the fight had begun.

Chapter Text

With a snap of the fingers, the weather centered around the Willow Tree was unwillingly shrouded by grey shadows of heavy clouds, as the aura evolved much stiffer, nearly tough to draw breath even.

CJ’s hazel irises vanished from her sockets, only supplanted by a mighty yellow glow, filling in her enraged scleras. When charged up, she levitated off the platform as intense shock waves infiltrated into her body, behaving like some sort of battery.

As she felt the powerful, deadly voltage reach up her fingertips, a blast of forceful wind was liberated off her. It spread out, blowing a circle that kept expanding the further it distanced itself from CJ, resulting in the thief spreading his arms and then connecting them, forming a shield to withstand any intention of his body falling off the wooden floor. Unfortunately, he couldn’t thoroughly compete against it, as he felt his feet slide back, yet his body remained erect and determined to stand still. The same couldn't be said for the poor villager, who was easily knocked onto the floor. Only now, he decided to stay there in the hopes he wouldn't get in the way of this upcoming feverish confrontation. 

Extending her arms toward her enemy, she chucked a ball of pure ignition at full strength, but the pink masked man was quick to accomplish a side flip. In the midst of that, he managed to throw one of his spheres at her, but it had blown off to who knows where as CJ dodged it in a flash. With enough stability, he landed perfectly still near the platform's edge and stood up with clenched fists.

Oh, but this was only the beginning.

Pithily after, more lightning bolts were reaching out to him, deeming a perpetual typhoon of attacks. 

Mordecai shrieked, realizing some were heading his way, so he retracted his legs and pulled them closer to his torso. However, knowing that he would still be considered a sitting duck just out in the open, he clumsily moved up and slid underneath the hammock bed, positioning his arms over his head to have a better chance of survival. 

Meanwhile, the thief knew it was hopeless to continue dodging the sparkly spheres. So, he opted to allow gravity to do its job by tilting his body back and dropping off the platform. Successfully, he stomped both his feet on the lower wooden surface and promptly dashed away, transitioning from platform to platform.

Witnessing such an act, the cloud girl growled furiously, seen by how much she was shivering in place. “HEY!! Get back here, you coward!!”. Morphing her legs back into their cloudy form, she blasted off afterward, still assembling an effort to land a hit on him.

Simultaneously, her onslaughts would unintentionally affect the Tree; harming it until smoke was visibly hovering on the burned-down contrived spots.

When the coast appeared to be clear, a terrified Mordecai got out of his hiding and observed the scary sight of what remained in that chance before completely losing sight of them. It bothered him immensely that he couldn't tell anymore if the Pink Thief was all right or not.

Yet those worries were pushed aside as he gasped in a panic.

It seemed his hazel eyes had yet to catch a break as he instantly captured the horrifying scene of multiple small blazes all spread out, roasting the wooden body of the poor majestic sprout.

This was disastrous!

If CJ's aggressive wattage wasn’t stopped soon, the entire Tree would be burned to a crisp.

On that note, a dread connected itself to the blue-haired man's thoughts. ‘Oh, no… Rigby!!'. He retained the reality that his comatose best friend was still in the upper area, blissfully unaware of what was happening. 'He’s going to get seriously fucked if he gets hit by her!’.

Mordecai couldn’t let that happen, but what could he do?

If the thief had a tough time dealing with her, how was he supposed to be of any use?!

Still, he couldn't just stand there; there was no way he was about to let his savior handle this on his lonesome. 

When pondering a solution, he caught a glimpse of the leather bag – the one that he pulled the water gun from – which, due to everything that had happened until now, its contents were spilled out. It was possible to see a pile of stuff formed near its opening. 

Stuff that perhaps could be the solution he required to his predicament.

Without hesitation, the villager knelt next to it, browsing through something that could be worthy of his time, yet found nothing. Only Yet managing to accomplish a bigger mess, as the valuables were seen scattered all over the platform.

This was so frustrating; what could he use to neutralize this maddening woman??

Then again, thinking back, didn’t the Pink Thief mention some sort of scepter?

Maybe, that could be the solution to his problem. It was unknown where he could find such a random object, but he was sure the downward locale of the Tree could provide him a clue. After all, that’s where the masked individual went to get the bag, so maybe there is a high probability of finding what he desired.

However, this idea was super dangerous, and he was well aware of that. The thief was still trying to shake off the maniac, and there was a higher chance that his confidence was bound to nothing.

Just a hoax.

Nevertheless, a slim chance or not, Mordecai had to push to the limit.

Hence, he smacked himself on the face to loosen up his body and mind, sensing an adrenaline rush joining his bloodstream. “C’mon, dude!!”. He slapped himself again. “Snap out of it! It’s time to show off what you’re made of!”. Puffing out a couple of heavy exhales from his mouth, he rapidly ran and jumped off the platform with enough balance.

-

Sounds of muffled, thick breathing was heard behind the pink mask.

At the moment, the thief was clutched on a foot square size platform, safely hidden under a large branch that held a bigger platform. It was one of the few hiding holes located in the Tree, and thankfully he was quick to become unnoticed.

Shifting his eyes around the perimeter, it seemed the thief had lost sight of his hunter. 

Until a sudden crackle was heard; someone was above him.

Carefully, he was about to move a hand into the satchel, but when doing so, the branch was abruptly sliced in half. He was sharp enough to jump down to a significant size branch – which had no platform glued on top. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough reaction time to get out of the way, as a large chunk of the branch had collapsed onto him, forcefully landing on his leg.

A small yelp escaped him, groping a tremendous amount of pain, yet he was quick to ignore it. With the use of his other leg, he kicked the branch, proceeding to use all possible strength to shove the large wood trunk off. It took him a few seconds, but after gritting his teeth, followed by one more kick with enough force, he was free. 

Everything was quiet until the sound of wood impacting the soil far below was heard.

It was quite a drop from there.

Subsequently shaking his head to get rid of any cynical emotions, he attempted to stand up, but it was proven to be rather tricky. Thus he got down on one knee to rest his busted leg a little, calmly rubbing it to speed up the process.

Unfortunately, a confident stormy petrel was not about to let him do that.

“Found you~”.

Giving attention to that weirdly intimidating voice, the pink masked person perked up in the nick of time, witnessing CJ about to body slam into him. Unconsciously, he executed a simple roly-poly, just enough to dodge her. Yet, he wasn’t able to stand up. Seeing her busy struggling her foot off the hole she unintentionally made inside the branch allowed him to renew his previous attempt to reach for his leather satchel.

Yet, he froze.

Patting his waist several times, he eventually realized that the belt supporting the satchel was no longer there. He was glad his mask covered all his emotions because if that weren’t the case, his clouded enemy would surely catch a glimpse of the pure dismay on his face.

What happened to his possession?!

Peeking below him, he sighed in relief, catching sight of his belonging hanging on a small twig connected to the Tree, close by another platform below him.

When he removed the log off of him, the satchel must have gotten stuck to it and miraculously landed there.

Heavy cursing was heard under his breath, but he halted when his attention was set on the sound of light stomping drawing near, leading him to gaze back at his enemy.

And be surprised that she was towering over him; taunting him as her arms were folded.

The thief tried to get away by dragging himself, but CJ was not about to let that happen. So, she stomped on his wounded leg to keep him still, triggering a loud shriek to be taken notice of.

It was a very amusing sound, but she was starting to feel tedious, in addition to disappointed. “Dear Watcher, you truly are pathetic… Where’s all the fire from before?!”. Grabbing the area of the cloak around his throat, she hanged him up to the point that choking sounds were heard. “C’mon, what’s the fun in killing you if you’re not going to put up a good fight?!”.

The answer to that rhetorical question was an elbow to the face, prompting her to release him and get on her knees. A hushed moan was fired out as she covered her face, not at all expecting such a move due to being much too distracted sneering at the thief.

After the masked man conducted a somersault with one foot to obtain some safe distance, he was cursed under the notion that he was stuck with her. He couldn't jump or run due to the damage he still felt to his foot. Hence, he grabbed a sharp wooden stick – a remnant of what was left from the sliced branch – and aimed it at CJ, who, after rubbing the discomfort off her face from his attack, ultimately peeked at him when sensing she was in danger.

“Enough, CJ! You know this battle isn’t going to accomplish anything".

She meaningly chuckled at that ice-cold tone in his voice before stopping to showcase a stern expression. “Oh, you sweet naïve, Benson… You don’t know that… but why not experiment with the idea~?”. She shrugged indifferently with a much-deranged smile on her lips. “After all, what are we truly losing if I put you down~?”.

“It’s hilarious how you can call me pathetic when you have no idea what you’re doing”.

“Oh, but I do!!”. She snarled, slapping the weapon away from her face, yet the thief kept a good grip on it. As she slowly stood up, the cloud menace admired the miserable scene of the thief performing a slight jump on his one foot to get away from her. Despite that, she resumed her train of thought. "There’s nothing my Queen doesn’t know!! And she told me the truth about you!”.

“What truth?!”. His voice was evolving to a more vexed one. “You know what?! I don’t even want to hear it because I know you blindly convinced yourself that whatever that bitch of a spider told you, it’s the truth!”.

“T-That’s…”.

“CJ, you are becoming the very thing you promised never to turn into; an ignorant pig, like those villagers!”. He witnessed her gasp as her expression changed to a horrified one, slowly backing away from him. “You are better than this!! And deep down… you know of that!!”.

“S-Shut up…”.

Despite her weak tone, he maintained his ground. “I have never intended to hurt you in any way, and you are well aware of that, too!! I only forced my hand because you started being a threat to me! You never even gave me a chance to explain myself!!”.

“Shut up!”.

“Why do you still keep on listening to what that woman has to say?! She has no clue what’s even happening!! Why do you even give her the chance to be near y-?!”.

“SHUT UP!!”.

Howling that, her hands brightly sparkled more voltage potency, directly placing them on the branch they stood, causing strong electrifying waves to flow into the thief’s body. The pain was so unbearable that he unconsciously released his grip on the wooden weapon as he convulsed in place.

Wailing in agony.

It felt like his skin was so close to combusting, scenting a painful burn in his organs and bones.

Although she was the one causing this, tears ran down her cheek, starting hotly at the misery ahead of her. “Y-You think I’m some mindless slave that listens to everything some stupid master says!? Well, newsflash: I am bound by no one’s rules but my own! Others might think I am vulnerable, but I AM A FUCKING MENACE TO SOCIETY, AND I AM HAPPY TO BE ONE!!”.

She was charging up unimaginable energy and sending it at an extensively rapid rate, which led the thief to bent down, becoming weakened by such torture. Unable to respond or even defend himself.

CJ very much enjoyed this scenery.

It felt so good to have her way. And once her attack was fully finalized, nothing could stop her from continuing her wrath on the people who have done her wrong.

She wanted everyone to feel her pain… She wanted to see the world burn…

Her mood was much pleased. Just thinking of the amount of wickedness she would pull in the future.

She chuckled before gazing down at him. “Hmph~! I supposed I shouldn’t be that shocked that you have yet mentioned how much I have grown in my powers! I have become much stronger since our last encounter, and there’s nothing YOU can do to stop me this time, for I will personally finish this charade and FINALLY be free of these shackles!!”. She wickedly laughed, ending by toning it down to a smirk.

The Pink Thief couldn’t do anything.

His body was coming to be much too shattered to the point that his arms were now on the floor. Clenching his hands into fists. Incapable of withstanding the ache any longer.

“Say goodbye to your family line, little Benson~!”.

She was approximately so close to unleashing her full power until…

“ACK!!”.

A sharp object was flung at CJ’s head, rendering her to release her hands from the Tree’s arm, resulting in the thief’s body becoming limp, entirely tumbling.

She brushed the struck area, and her eyes spun wide open, glimpsing at her hand.

It was coated in blood.

“What the heck?! Who did this!?”. Exclaiming that in anger, she frustratedly scanned her surroundings, finally stopping when she looked up to see… a fierce-looking Mordecai, located on a higher-level platform, tightly holding a wooden slingshot with one hand while the other was grabbing the elastic cord. “You…”.

He lowered his aim and pointed at her with his index finger. “Hey!! Leave him alone!! Pick a fight with someone who truly deserves it!!”.

CJ glowered at this bold move until she quirked an eyebrow at him; indeed, finding the perfect person that fit that description into perfection.

And Mordecai quickly understood that as drops of sweat dripped down his forehead.

“Shit…”.

Not knowing what else to do, he opted to flee the scene.

An upset sigh escaped her vocal cords, shaking her head at that cowardly act. “Fuck… I almost forgot about that loser…”. In a snap, her bad mood had evolved to a neutral one as she raised her shoulders. “Oh, well, no matter!”. She froze, hearing murmurs of moans. She peeked down at the thief and gave him a mean-spirited smile. “You know what, Benson~? Why don’t you lay there, like the true damsel in distress that you are, and I’ll go teach that little prince charming wannabe a lesson or two~? Mmm? Sounds good?”.

He tried raising his head to look at her, but it was hopeless, as he slumped back down, groaning in pain. “Y-You…”. He gasped for air. “…Wouldn’t dare…”.  

Laughing could be heard at that dreadful attempt to threaten her. “Aw~! Could it be you really care for this worthless guy? Or do you simply wish to use him to achieve your personal goals~?”.

That last question struck the thief. Just speechless to what he had just heard, but before he could add anything, he was violently kicked off the branch.

He crashed down like a rock, but thankfully he was caught by the wooden surface below him.

“I’ll be back to finish the job!! You can believe me on that!”. Turning to the direction where she last saw the villager, she gave one last sneer. “Oh, and Benson~? Between you and me; you gotta admit this guy is a bit too dumb to be the one… Just saying!”.

Stating that, she blasted off.

“M-Mordecai!!”.

The Pink Thief grunted in pain, trying to pressure his body to move, but it was proven to be worthless, as he brutally coughed to the point that blood was leaking under the mask and dripping to the floor.

He couldn’t let her get away with this or allow her to hurt his trespasser.

He was not about to let her opinions get into his head. 

He had to be strong.

Unfortunately, he slowly began losing control over his body before slumping down, drifting off into the unconscious. 

The wind was blowing harder.

So much so that it managed to push off a particular leather bag onto the platform, as out popped a few small spheres, rolling their way towards the masked figure.

Chapter Text

Well, on the bright side; at least he was safe inside his mind.

Mordecai cowered underneath a platform, squatting on the loose area of the branch while keeping his balance by placing a hand on the ceiling and another one on the arm of the Tree.

He was mortified by what he got himself into, as he tried to steady the rhythm of his breaths and his palpitated heart. Then again, it wasn’t easy to hide in such a place, as he did have to do a bit of climbing and parkour, so that could be another reason why his body was extremely shaky.

Nonetheless; what did he get himself into?

Well, the answer was quite obvious; if he hadn’t done anything, his savior would have certainly perished. And he had no one to blame, but himself… well, maybe that crazy chick too, but mainly him.

If he hadn’t wasted so much time trying to discover some stupid worthless object that was mentioned in a total of one time, he could have come to his aid in no time, preventing the absolute shocking scene that he caught a glimpse at, before picking up a rock to shoot at her.

Still, he did manage to help out with something, but now he was being chased by a literal Goddess. Or that’s what she liked to call herself.

Well, might as be useful and take the bullet now.

Soon after, his intrusive thoughts were thankfully interrupted, but not for a good reason.

In his peripheral vision, not far from him, there was a large mass of clouds roaming around.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-’.

How did she know?! Could it be she heard his inner voice??

His traumatized and overly stressed brain was ringing an annoying loud pitch noise that went all the way to his ears, and down to his thundering heart, as he firmly grasped his chest, sensing that the noise he was producing inside his body was echoing throughout the beyond of this massive forest.

Cold chills ran up his spine, as he sensed the malicious present approaching him, but when he blinked, she had disappeared out of sight. After holding it in for what appeared to be hours, he released a much-needed sigh of relief, thankful that this terrifying scene was over.

Maybe she realized that no one was around and left, but… where did she go?

“Boo~”.

That sudden close-ranged noise in his ear was enough for him to scream bloody murder. It was so thunderous that a certain brunet from above was reawakened, blinking his dazed eyes, only to fall back into his deep slumber.

Suffering through that mortified jump scare, the blue-haired man had lost control of his body, as he slipped on his own two feet, trying to find any surface to hold on to, but due to how alarmed his nervous system was, he wasn’t able to, diving down to his upcoming doom. 

Confoundingly, he never did get to taste the ground, as his shirt was tugged by the crazy lady.

Witnessing him hold on to dear life, CJ couldn’t help but snicker. “Watcher, your useless, man!!”. As she was done with her harsh scoffing, she uncaringly projected him towards the nearest platform.

Dealing through the fall damage wasn’t much of the problem, however, the same couldn’t be said about the insufferable and severe pain he endured on his wrist, as he coincidentally fell on top of it, twisting it in the process.

Ironically, the torment he felt was nothing compared to the gashes he had in his hands or the treatment that he received afterward.

Kneeling on one leg, he sucked a sharp breath through his teeth in addition to releasing a few painful sounds, as he grabbed his wrist, pressuring his nervous system to stop howling so tumultuous. When he heard the sound of feet stepping on the wooden surface, he shut off any audible noise from his throat, blazing at the fact that his new enemy had decided to land within his reach, almost like she was purposely provoking him so she could get some sort of hot reaction.

Well, if that was intentional or not, one thing was certain; it was gravely working.

“What the f- Argh!!”. As he was about to reproach her, more pain inserted itself into his veins, leading him to snarl his moans, before glaring back at her, now only using one eye. “W-What’s actually wrong with you?!”.

She placed a hand on her chest, offended at such a question. “What’s wrong with me!? Look who’s talking!! You just had to butt in when you’re not wanted!!”. Her anger was beginning to reach her peak, as her hair had flashed from its white color to grey, but after taking a much-needed breath, she was able to turn back to normal. “Y-You… You’re nothing special!! Especially to Benson!! You’re just going to turn the curse into a bigger catastrophic mess, so I’m doing everyone a favor!”.

The amount of gibberish coming out of her mouth, not to mention how inconsistent her actions were, led the confusing villager to blink various times, almost like he was about to suffer a brain aneurysm. “What… even…?”. He couldn’t even form a complete sentence in his numb mind, but eventually, with enough willpower, he was able to look back at her. “What the fuck are you talking about?! Am I going crazy?!”.

CJ slowly raised one eyebrow, dumbfounded at his reaction. “You… You really have no idea what’s going on? Hasn’t Benson told you anything, yet??”. She already had an idea how the villager was going to respond, so she was quick to cackle, not allowing him to achieve that moment. “Don’t bother~! It doesn’t take a genius to figure out he refuses to give you any context! As expected, of course, he would become overwhelmed~!”. She giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

He gritted his teeth at her spiteful teasing. “About what?! Why don’t you just spell it out since you seem so keen to think that I’m that stupid?!”.

“Oh, stop acting so overdramatic! I’m talking about the curse of the Last Willow Grove, you complete doofus!!”. She watched as his anger had washed away, being replaced by curiosity. “You know?! The one that involves this stupid place?! At the very least, you must have heard about it, right?!”.

Well, this was interesting.

The tall man finally stood up, rotating his wrist from time to time, as a stretching exercise to have a better feel for it. “Umm… I… I do know there’s a legend behind this place, but I had no idea there was a curse involved… b-but so what?! What does that have to do with anything?!”.

She numbly stared at the blue-haired man, as her only reaction was to exasperatedly sigh while using her fingers to rub circles around her temples.

Mordecai clenched his fist, knowing full well she was mocking his intelligence again.

“Man, you know?”. She placed a hand on her bicep while the other pointed upwards, poking her own head. “I would have looooooove to waste my time and patience explaining the whole ordeal to you, but quite frankly, what’s the point? You’re not going to live for much longer~!”. Evilly grinning at his priceless terrified expression, she opened her arms as lightning volts spread out between her fingertips. “It’s too bad, really… I mean don’t get me wrong; your kind of cute, but I can’t have you messing up my plans”.

“P-Plans on w- AHHHHHH!!!”.

Once again, he didn’t have a chance to elaborate, as his body was now heavily convulsing, immobilized by the electromagnetic radiation coming into his contact, as the maniac held him down by placing her hands on his shoulders.

The more her grip kept tightening, so would her power increased ferociously.

Mordecai now understood the same struggles his savior was also forced to suffer through, as he didn’t have enough brainpower to struggle away. He couldn’t even fully comprehend the situation, as more immeasurable agony was being shot through his already powerless body.

And CJ knew that, as she wickedly grinned. “Enjoy your permanent nighty night, you- ARGH!!”.

A puff of smoke bashed itself into her face, disorientating her surrounding area. As she kept screaming at how much it was burning and if karma wasn’t bad enough, she unintentionally placed her hands on her face as some voltage shocked her in the process.

When that happened, the blue-haired man was able to escape her grasp, but he just stood still, blowing steam out of his nearly burned skin and unconsciously coughing out ashes.

It weirdly felt like he was just hit by a comically large bomb, yet no grave injuries were made.

Well, there went more of his brain cells.

When he had a baring of his environment, he was back to coughing, only this time it was due to the choking hazard of orange fragrance, yet he was able to witness his perpetrator walking circles around the platform, groaning at the pain she felt in her beautiful face.

Soon after, she uncovered her hands, leading Mordecai to back away in horror.

Her face was terrible; half disfigured on the right side as there was a hole of flesh, covered in veins and blood. Her eye, cheek, and half the lip were contorted definitely caused by the detonation that blew off near it.

“M-MY FUCKING FACE!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”.

Her shrieks were the stuff of a nightmare and worst yet, was when she dashed using all her stamina towards the villager, who automatically screamed at the same time, shielding himself with the use of his arms, so his demise wouldn’t hurt as much.

Suddenly, jumping down from the platform above, the masked individual hung both his hands on a branch, and with one good wing, he was able to coordinate his limbs into propelling into CJ, just in the nick of time before she reached out to his trespasser.

Such a kick to the stomach was enough to push her far off, nearly overlapping the edge, yet she heavily stomped her foot down, stopping any intentions of falling off.

Hearing all that commotion and the fact that nothing had happened to him, he peeked ahead, but his view was obstructed by his once again savior, who had landed in front of him.

“Pink Thief!!”. 

CJ gasped at that weird name, as she opened her eyes to see her wounded and tattered-looking archenemy – who was reunited with his satchel, reconnected around his waist -, facing her while standing his ground in front of the villager.

“I-Impossible…”. She bewilderedly stated. “H-How?! How the fuck are you still standing?!”.

“Hmph! I missed you too”. He paused, noticing her new distortion. “Would you look at that? Now, your face matches your personality…”. Ridiculed the masked man as he crossed his arms, enjoying the sight of anger seen on her face. “I wonder if it was intentional~!”.

Death-threatening eyes were set on her enemy, yet she briefly stared at the tall man behind him, who was trying so hard to suppress his wheezes, as that led her vision to twitch intensely.

“Y-You…”. Her form was back to flashing from white to grey, yet she meanly smiled at his enemy. “Tsk! Pink Thief, uh?”. Repeating that name, she amusingly snorted, covering her mouth. “You already been given a pet name~? How appropriate~!”.

He shrugged. “You know; jealousy is considered a disease. I hope you get that treated~”.

Hotly groaning at that sentence, she rapidly threw a lightning ball at him, but he was quick to dodge it by performing a side roll and standing up afterward, almost like he didn’t break a single sweat.

And he made sure she’d know that, as he placed his hands on his hips. “C’mon, where’s all that fire from before~?”.

Raising his hand, it was possible to see a ball twirling around his fingers, before being briefly thrown at the ground, confounding CJ’s eyes, yet she was still alert to her environment.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to protect her, as she fell into a loop when an unexpected kick stumbled her feet, followed by another to her jaw, that did the trick to force her to fall off the platform. It was a bit appalling, but it had soon turned irrelevant to her, as her legs transfigure back to cloudy and fluffy, allowing her to float in mid-air.

With one thrust, she hovered above the platform, blowing the heavy orange fragrance off so she could pursue her enemy, but he was much too quick, as he would perform stunts to dodge her destructively aura.

It was such a tense fight, yet Mordecai’s eyes wouldn’t stop following every move made by the thief, as a warm and dreamy smile made it to his lips, scattering itself onto his cheeks.

Having enough of this constant dawdle, she shivered furiously, gripping her own hair, pulling some of it in the process. “ARGH!! Why don’t you just fucking sit still, so I can show you where my fire’s at!!”. She yelled out, as she charged toward the thief, who now appeared nonchalant with no intentions to move.

And that caused the villager to gasp, snapping out of his trance. “Benson, look out!!”. But as he warned him, the cloaked wearer placed a small blue-colored ball into his mouth, followed by blowing out its contents in a shape of an ice-cold wind, completely freezing his opponent as chunks of ice were seen on her limbs and torso. “…Woaah…”.

Wait, did he accidentally call him out by his real name?

As the Pink masked man witnessed her trying to struggle away, he gestured his approval by giving her the OK Sign. “Perfect; I have encapsulated the definition of weak and invulnerable in one block of ice~!”. 

And that was officially the last straw; something within CJ shattered.

Both men gasped, witnessing her morph her fluffy touch into a mass of grey thickness. Furthermore, so did her height changed, increasing at such an alarming rate, successfully breaking off her icy prison into smithereens. 

Mordecai was about ready to pass out due to his trepidation, yet he managed to pull himself together, but not to the point he was okey-doke with this insanity. “H-Holy shit!! What the heck, man?! She’s turning huge!!”. He nervously pointed out, not having the guts to stand up.

“Stay calm! I have a plan to d-“.

That was all the thief could yell out before both of them were slapped by a harsh wind.

CJ’s human form had vanished out of thin air, as she morphed herself into one giant menacingly blackened cloud towering over not only the Willow Tree but the heavy atmosphere of the forest.

A roar of wind and rainfall was heard through the trees, moistening the green zone, including the Tree, which began to strongly judder, almost like it was about ready to have its roots pulled out of the earth. Most of the objects that were scattered on every platform were suffering from the damage; breaking upon impact with the floor or saturated due to the water.

It was something out of an inducing nightmare.

A storm pushing down heavy rain and murderous tornados; a very good description of all this.

Both the men’s hairs were soaked, as they struggled to adapt to this typhoon weather.

The villager was able to grab onto the wooden surface by lying flat on the floor, while the thief, whose head was now revealed out in the open, was squatting down with both his hands on the floor to stay firmly in place.

Scarily enough, his mask didn’t seem to catch that memo, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to catch it with both his hands, before it flew off into who knows where.

Never to be seen again.

With one click, he connected the pink object safely to his belt, making sure this wouldn’t be a recurring problem that he had to deal with in the future.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips until he was caught off guard by a scream.

“The watch!!”.

That very object was able to escape the villager’s pockets, but unfortunately, unlike what happened with the thief, he wasn’t so lucky in catching it.

Automatically, the now non-masked individual sprinted afterwards it, despite the villager’s attempt to verbally stop him. Perhaps he should have listened to him, as he was stunned by the motion of his body being pushed at an alarming pace, mostly caused by the change of the wind’s trajectory, as he began moving a bit too fast for his taste.

Granted, that wasn’t going to stop him from reaching his goal.

He was so close to grabbing it in mid-air, ignoring the terror-stricken view below him, which if he wasn’t able to push himself back as soon as possible, he would surely plummet to his death.

However, something happened.

Time stood still in his blue eyes.

Breathing was now steady at the sight of his hand holding the watch with one hand, yet his body was literally hanging off, except for his left foot, which was still planted on the platform.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t just the golden object that was grabbed, as he turned his head to see Mordecai, who was right behind, tugging his arm, using all his strength to pull him back in.

The Pink Thief was in awe, not sure how to react to such a fearless act; he saved his life.

Interestingly enough, his cheeks were definitely showing more emotion than his eyes, as, despite this intolerable weather, his body was strangely heating up.

Not for long, thankfully, as the wind changed direction once more, forcefully pushing them back to the center, as the two crashed into each other and then down to the wooden floor.

The thief groaned at the pain he felt in his jaw but was quick to squat down, so he could look at the villager. “Hey!! Are you okay??”. It did appear to be the case because he saw him gesture a thumbs up while faceplanting down. 

Eventually, the young man raised his torso with the support of his elbows, only to be tormented by strong raindrops. “H-Holy shit!!”. He used his arm to cover his head, so he wouldn’t be pounded as much. “This is insane!! What the hell do we do now?!”.

The thief squinted his eyes, as he stuffed the watch in his satchel, before standing up. “Do you still have that slingshot with you??”. He witnessed the blue-haired man grab the object he referred to out of his jeans pocket, where he kept it hidden. “I need you to trust me on this!! Go grab something and climb up to the very top, so you could get close to her! When I say ‘now’; shoot it at her!!”.

“Wait, what?!”. With enough strength, he was able to stand up so he could look at him better. “Like what?!”.

“I don’t know!! Like a rock or something like that!! Just do it when I give you my signal!! This might be the only chance we have to get rid of her!!”.

Although Mordecai had no idea what the other was planning, he trusted him.

Maybe a bit too much.

Still, he couldn’t help but worry. “W-What are you going to do??”. His expression went back to neutral, pursing his lips hearing his savior, who was now looking down.

He was laughing in disbelief before he stared back at the blue-haired man with a faint smile.

“Something absolutely bat-shit insane!!”.

Scarily enough, that was a good enough answer for the tall man, as he confidently grunted. “Then let’s go fucking crazy!!”. Saying that with an assured smile, he presented a fist.

The Pink Thief stared at his hand.

Until an identical smile spread onto his lips, as the two performed a fist bump.

They immediately parted ways, as the blue-haired man was examining his surroundings, trying to find ammunition that best described based on what he was told to do.

In the meantime, the oldest man was jumping from branch to branch and platform to platform. However, it has proven to be a challenge, because as he navigated his cloak would get in the way, so he decided to release himself from that burden by removing it. He watched it drift off into the unknown, yet not for long, as he rapidly continued ascending without a second thought.

When he managed to reach the highest peak of the poor mistreated Willow Tree, he pulled some contents out of his satchel.

Six colored balls - half of them were green and the other blue.

No time to waste, he dumped the contents into his mouth altogether in addition to tightly shutting his eyes, to strengthen his teeth, as he managed to crush them into pieces, before beginning to chew.

Tears were rolling down his eyes, as he began to feel a frosty taste in his mouth, yet that wasn’t going to stop him from continuing with his goal.

Shortly after, an out-of-breath villager had reached out to the thief, pulling himself onto the platform, but he had no intentions to rest now.

He needed him; he had put all his trust in him and he was not about to mess it up.

Mordecai couldn’t let him down.

Drops of both rain and sweat were visible on his forehead, as he fully straightened himself.

He stood next to the thief, pulling out the slingshot and the perfect projectile to use, yet it was impossible to see what it was, as it was hidden inside his clenched fist, while he watched him struggle with whatever he was chewing in his mouth.

“Hey!”. He called out, which brought the attention of the other man. “I-I don’t know what’s about to happen… but I believe in us!”. He sternly inclined his head, gesturing he meant what he just stated.

A small smile was seen on the thief’s face at that, yet directly after, a stiff feeling was tangling in his taste buds, as if something inside was charging up.

It was time.

He shut his eyes. ‘This is it… Concentrate and give it all you got! You only have one chance’. Was all the inner speech that the thief needed, as he dragged a large breath into his lungs, all the way until they were so full that no more air could be stored.

When he felt he was at his maximum capacity, he felt something taking over him as he raised his head upwards and blew everything out with all his strength, clenching his fists for better support.

And out, it resulted in freeing a large tornado out of his mouth.

Mordecai had no words to describe this terrifying, but quite staggering stunt.

This was it.

This was officially the wildest, most awesome fucking deranged thing he had ever seen.

Nothing in the whole wide world could ever topple this. There was no way it was possible! 

The cyclone kept being puffed out of his mouth, as it knocked down its evil cousins without a sweat, continuing to expand its way skywards. Small snowflakes were twirling and circling it until it finally crashed against the obnoxious and dangerous pile of grey wrath.

It was transforming the fluffy mass into a glacial, as Mordecai could have sworn, he heard faint screaming like the cloud was begging them to stop.

Unfortunately, the villager couldn’t seem to find any fucks to give her.

Becoming nothing but an icy block, the thief stopped as he turned to Mordecai. “NOw!! Shoot it now!!”. His voice cracked, yet he was able to rant that out before drowning in a fit of coughs, resulting in the contents he had chewed falling off.

He should be worried over that, but Mordecai did what he was told without a second thought, as he placed the jewel he held on the string. Ignoring the pain in his wrist, he managed to get enough perfect precision, as he shot the valuable out into the air, hitting the ice right in the middle.

A hush sound of tranquility was heard, as no more rain or wind blew all around.

Still, it was much eerier than anything, as both of them stopped, staring at each other with uncertainty, yet none of them were brave enough to let out a single sound.

«CRACK! CRAAACK! CRACK!»

Multiple ruptures occurred altogether, as it ended with a loud detonation of ice, shortly after. The impact was so enormous, forcing both men to fall off the platform due to its blast radius.

It didn’t take long for both to collapse down onto a platform, which interestingly enough, was the very same one they originally were at before CJ decided to show up.

As they felt the harsh collision of the hardwood, their bodies remained still.

Knocked out.

And to rub salt on the wound, if maybe Mordecai had fallen a bit to his right, he could have had a safe landing, as the pillow from before was located just a few centimeters from him.

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, chilly weather had immersed the vast green zone, as small star-shaped snowflakes were descending in every direction, including onto our fallen heroes.

The small drops of icy cold wonders on the skin were enough to awaken Mordecai, who hazily blinked before finally opening his eyes to see that it was snowing. He steadily pushed himself to sit on the wooden surface, as he groaned at the massive headache that he felt from all the action he somehow managed to cope with.

Weirdly enough, feeling this new calm refreshment, regardless of the chill that swept over him due to how wet his light attire was, peace overtook him, gawking at the beautiful and magical snowy scene above him, as more snowflakes bombarded him.

It truly felt like a winter night… Until he realized that this was all caused by a dead body.

Mordecai chocked at that disgusting image while trying his best not to regurgitate his empty stomach or whatever he had left from his breakfast.

Welp, more fuel to add to the dumpster fire that was his traumatized and dazed brain.

At least, everything was back to normal…

Oh, who was he kidding? Nothing about this place was normal. Maybe the most appropriate thing to say was; that at the very least, they were finally safe…

…He was never going to fall asleep again, was he?

Be that as it may, no matter how bleak everything appeared to be, there was always that tiny sparkle of hope that somehow always miraculously managed to soothe the environment.

And speaking of that; the villager’s attention was quickly set on the thief, as he heard dry fits of coughing coming from his direction. It really did appear he was suffering quite a bit, especially based on the fact that his body would vibrate from time to time.

Using all the strength he had at the moment, the pink mask owner managed to turn over to look up at the dimmed sky, thinking it would facilitate his lungs to perform their job. However, he puzzlingly blinked at the unexpected sight of the tall man in his peripheral vision, who was standing on his own two feet, towering over him.

“Dude…”. Nonchalantly began his trespasser. “That was absolutely bat-shit insane~”. Goofily vocalizing that, he bent down, wrapping his hands around his knees. “But next time? Maybe you should warn me before you decide to pull this off. Like… Holy shit, we just killed someone”.

The Pink Thief could only emotionlessly stare at him, as his chest kept steadily rising up and down, so air could enter his bloodstream and swiftly help him regain back his senses.

And yet, the way those last intense words were pronounced, toppled with the neutral facial expression he was pulling, automatically led him to release a couple of weak chuckles against his will, having to place a hand over his own stomach.

“P-Pfff~! Wh-W_hen _you sa_y it _like thAT-!!“. Pain shot through his hoarse vocal cords, prompting him to cough louder, leaning to the side with the support of his elbow, so his trespasser wouldn’t be hit with his germs.

The main in question did recoil a little, but that was because he was cringing at his current throat condition. “W-Woah! Even your voice wasn’t ready for that!”. All jokes aside, he watched as the coughing had toned down, now replaced by gasps for air. “Are you… Are you going to be alright?”. He nervously asked.

The thief cleared his throat a couple of times until he finally swallowed the painful lump in his throat. “Ah… Y-Yeah, I’ll be fine…”. He was about to touch his Adam’s apple, only to let out a small yelp at how delicate it was at the moment. “My t-throat… _{Fuck, this is going to bite me later}”. He frustratedly groaned at that impulsive thought, before slowly laying back down. “I didn’t think this through…”.

Crossing his arms, resting them above his knees, the other man raised an eyebrow. “Man, I don’t think our brain cells were even present during that shitstorm!”.

Deliberately after stating that in such a serious yet comical tone, they both laughed.

Not for long when it came to the thief, as he was back to releasing his contagious fits. “A-Ack! S-Stop m_aking me laugh!”. Aggressively trying to yell that, he carefully placed a hand over his chest to ease the pain. “I fucking knew it; y_{ou d}o _want to kill _me!!”. He clenched his fist, trying to yell that out, but it proved to be worthless.

“Pff~!! Man, if that was the case, I could have just let you fall off to your death!”. He casually teased, yet he couldn’t help but show a big smile at the glaring look he was being given afterward. “Ahahaha~!! S-Sorry, I didn’t mean t-that~! I just needed to let that out of my system!”. Cheerfully stating that he patted his head off of any snowflakes that it might have landed on him, followed by happily sighing over this nice moment the two just had. “Ahhh~ Anyway; need a hand~?”.

He hesitated at first but then sighed. “Y-Yeah… Just… Give me a couple of seconds…”.

Mordecai released a couple of more snickers, as he slowly straightened himself. “Hey! Go easy on yourself, man! I mean; it’s not like you just defied the laws of nature or anything like that~!”. He teased in a light-mannered way, only to stop when witnessing him stick his arm out.

Carefully considering his current condition, he aided him to his feet, before releasing his grip on him, noting he was able to steady his balance.

Or, that was the case, until he witnessed him fall to his knees.

“Oh, shit!! Benson!!”. He cried out automatically about to reach out to him again but was interrupted by a gesture of a palm close to his face, which was waving as an attempt for the thief to show him that he didn’t faint.

“I-It’s okay! I’m fine! I’m… fine”. More steady breaths were heard until he was able to fully position himself back to an erect stature without any help. “Just… kind of dizzy and… out of breath…”. Shaking his own head, he was able to get rid of this annoying light-headedness feeling, before nodding at the floor. “I’ll live…”. 

A concerned Mordecai wasn’t that confident about that last comment, as he realized how serious the situation was. “Dude, are you sure about that? I mean, look at yourself!!”. He pointed out, leading the pink mask owner to oblige.

Surely enough, the Pink Thief didn’t appear to be in tip-top shape.

While his mask and satchel did appear to be the only two items in perfect condition, the same couldn’t be said about his attire, which was a complete mess – covered in scratches where it was possible to see blood and bruises underneath.

“_{She really pulled some risky shit on you…}”. He murmured, mostly to himself, until something caught his eye. “Hey, whatever happened to that black cape of yours?”.

“I got rid of it”. 

Like a slap to the face, he was awestruck at that response. “W-What?! Why would you do that?!”. No moment to lose, he quickly looked around. “Where did it go?! Maybe we can still find it!”.

The other man raised an eyebrow at the sheer panic in his voice, before giving him a sheepish smile, finding his behavior a little humorous. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you can relax. It flew off with the wind, so I doubt we’ll ever see it again”. He looked back at himself, blowing a small raspberry. “Watcher…”. The shock was immediately replaced by an unconcerned shrug. “Eh, nothing but a quick patch-up can’t fix this”.

Mordecai stopped all emotion and rational thought in his brain.

It was unbelievable how much the Pink Think was showing such a lack of concern over this whole ordeal, which in turn got him in a state of disbelief, but more so concerned and frustrated.

Oh, he was surely about to blow some steam out of his system.

He took one deep breath, placing both his hands together, before opening his eyes, showing a very disappointed look. “Okay… L-Let us be clear on what just happened… First off, I’m not even going to mention the fact that you were fucking electrified by a fucking insane bitch!”. As he spoke, he promptly poked each finger on the opposite hand. “Also never mind that you almost died back there, or that you pulled that fucking sick stunt, or even the fact that we killed someone!”. He paused. “Actually, I forgot where I was getting at with all this”. He threw his arms up in the air. “My main point being; Why are you acting so fucking chill over all this?! You act like you’ve dealt with this before!!”.

The thief could only sigh at that blowout.

“Trust me; it’s not just those villagers of that town of yours, that wish me dead”. Bitterly saying that he placed a hand on his own hip. “The amount of… lack of a better name, creatures that roam this place is considerably pretty common around here. Some of them even hate my guts, as you clearly saw”. He pointed it out by waving at the snow that was still dropping on them, followed by walking towards the main trunk of the Tree. “But never in my life, I went too extreme on anyone”. He shoved some of the snow off his clothes, as it melted into the Willow, absorbing it in the process. “This was my first time… And maybe I was too harsh, but I was not about to let her get away!!”. He hotly snarled, before lowering his head. “I’d do anything to protect my home”.

Mordecai nodded at that explanation, yet something had piqued his curiosity, as he lowered his eyes. “I see… Umm, hey, Pink T-“. Interrupting himself, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, can I call you Benson? That’s your name, right?”.

Turning around, he leaned his head to the side. “Yes, it is… but why are you asking for my permission? I thought you were already accustomed to calling me by my real name”.

“I was?”. He paused for a few seconds, before snapping his fingers. “Riiiiight… Well, talk about a slip of a tongue~!”. Smiling at that, he shrugged. “I mean, I only heard it from her, but still, I had my doubts… I wasn’t even that aware, ya know?”.

“It’s alright, I suppose. But, yeah, you can call me Ben… son?”. He squinted his eyes at the strange joyous look he was giving him, but decided to move on, opting to not press further on that matter. “Um… Anyway, was there a point to all this?”.

Quickly snapping out of his trance, he snapped his fingers. “O-Oh, yeah! Well… Umm, that girl… CJ, right? Well, she mentioned something that…”. He paused for he knew he had to be very careful with whatever words he was about to choose. “Listen, I know we just got out of some major shit, but… I really need to know this!”. Blowing some air out of his lungs, he directly stared at him. “The heck’s going on?! What was that about me being the one or whatever?? And is it true that there’s a curse related to The Legend of the Last Willow Grove?”.

Benson’s body became stiff from those bombshells.

That damn cloud just had to run her mouth on details that didn’t concern her.

Well, just like before, no need to cry over spilled milk. If the prophecy was true and not some sort of joke, sooner or later he would have to explain everything to him.

It did appear this was a perfect time than any to do so, but… was he really ready to deal with that? He still had so many doubts planted in his mind and-

Wait… did he just say the word legend?

“What the hell was that?! You think… all this is a legend!?”. He felt offended at such a remark, but quickly calmed down witnessing the other man back away from him in self-defense.

“Okay, okay!! I guess not?! I-I mean, yeah, I don’t think it is! The Willow Tree is real, I can see that!”. He stuttered in his words, not having the right power in his brain to keep calm, yet he decided to continue to see where this would go. “But like… It is true that… this Tree showed up because… of a corpse?”.

An exhaustive sigh was heard, followed by a face palm.

He really needed to educate this man. “Alright, fine! I’ll tell you the real story. However!! Are you sure you’re prepared for it?”. The thief paused, watching him vigorously nod. “Okay… _{Where to even begin…?}”. Leaning on the body of the Tree, he crossed his arms trying to think of something, instead opting to stare at Mordecai. “What do you know about this… legend?”. He repugnantly questioned.

“I know it began many centuries ago or something like that”. He stared out into the unknown, trying to better recall the details of this story. “An old woman lost her husband due to old age, so she went into this forest to find some Goddess that could ease her pain… Erm… But I think she never did find her because she was eaten by wolves… And her remains were sunken into the earth!”. Finishing his story, he could only shrug at the end. “That’s the gist of it… Could you believe that parents tell this story to kids so they don’t misbehave? Pretty fucked up, if you ask me!”.

However, Benson was frozen in place, too busy cringing at the absolute atrocities that he was just told, rather than to pay attention to whatever the blue-haired man was talking about afterward.

‘Fucking bastards…’. Internally vexing, he tensely stared at the villager, not because he was upset at him, but because of the audacity to spread such monstrous fabrications. “And people just accept that shit?!”. 

A lump got caught in his throat, as he visibly swallowed it down, frightened at the thief’s scary… yet strangely arousing behavior.

Still, why was he being so overprotective over this? Was this really such a big deal to him?

Or was there more to this story that he doesn’t know?

Chapter Text

After a moment of mentally preparing himself for what’s to come, the Pink Thief exhaled very quietly, as he began to tell the real story behind The Last Willow Grove.

“About a century ago, there lived an elderly couple. Although life wasn’t exactly nice to them, mostly because they were forced to deal with such a crappy environment – or in other words; your village –, they didn’t care all that much because they had each other’s company. You see, their love… was something out of this world. In general, when reaching a certain age, most couples would lose the sparkle in their marriage, right? Well, this wasn’t the case. Their love and affection kept growling every day, almost to a sickening degree even. They truly could never get enough of each other. In fact, they were also farmers. They had a little farm next to their house, where from there business would be conducted by selling their vegetables and fruit. It was their way to finance their expenses”.

He paused noticing Mordecai, who had sat down on the wrinkly, but still functional hammock bed. Curiosity was the only emotion seen on his face, as he paid attention to every little detail.

And so, the thief opted to continue.

“The townspeople… they believed that the couple… or more specifically, the husband was some sort of warlock, because of the way he would grow his... somehow high-quality products; it was way too fast for their mindless brains to comprehend. So, one day, they received an intervention from the town…”.

*******

“Burneth the warlock!! That gent is spreading dark energy into our children!!”. Yelled a man in the middle of a flock of people, where everyone was seen holding pitchforks or hot torches.

The poor sixty-five-year-old elderly couple held onto each other; concern spread out in their old and tired eyes.

The husband decided to release his grip on his poor wife, despite her sad warning to stay away, he stepped forward to handle the carnivorous crowd. “Mine dear people, prithee! This must be some sort of misinterpretation coming on your part. I am nay warlock! I am but an m're sir, happily married to the sweetest mistress in all this vast universe”.

Hearing such a sweet speech, the old lady pushed her fears away and stood next to her husband to defend his honor.

"Such felonies to sayeth to mine own sweet Peter!”.

“The biddy is already under his spell! We must capture that gent before it’s too late!”.

Hearing such a threatening statement, the two elders backed away, horror-struck at the large silhouettes of people, as they were swallowed whole by them.

*******

“They locked the man in a prison cell, torturing him with the idea… that he would never see his wife again, as this was his final night. The poor old lady tried to convince the townspeople to stop this madness, but no one would listen to her.  Nighttime came and so did his demise”.

*******

“Peter!! Peter!!”.

The poor lady was trying to reach out to her poor mistreated and humiliated husband, as the animalistic crowd held her back from stepping too close to the gallows.

“Nay!! This is a mistake!! My lief is innocent! He is no warlock! Why will no one listen to me?!”.

She kept being pushed away from the scene but was able to catch a glimpse of her husband, whose body was covered in gashes and red sauce – coming from tomatoes – as she witnessed his neck being wrapped on a noose.

“No!! Stop it!! PETER!!”.

*******

“She kept struggling, but when she made it to her husband… his body had dropped”.

A sudden chill entered Benson, as he held himself looking out at the snow, which was beginning to wear off.

“The now poor widow was devastated. Feeling the heavy blame for the townspeople’s actions land in her consciousness. All her happiness was sucked out of her life, now that the only person she ever loved was gone from this mortal realm. From that moment forward, she felt helpless, alone, moping around in her house for days, weeks, not being able to eat or sleep a wink”.

He paused to take a deep breath.

“Until… she remembered the forbidden forest beyond the gates of the town. Some would call it a mythological pile of crap, but in her eyes, she truly believed that there lived a… beautiful lady; the Goddess of Love and Peace, to be exact. And so, her objective was clear; find this Goddess, so She could help her deal with the misery”.

*******

“Oh dear, oh dear! This was not such a fancy idea after all. Such a spooky place”.

The poor lady wandered through the forest, but she immediately stopped as something caught her attention, witnessing a faint glow emerge in front of her.

It was a tall, young and pale lady, reminiscent of a classical painting as her eyes remain shut.

Her long and smooth green hair would go all the way down to her lower back, as on the very top of her head there lay a crown of golden leaves – which had a close resemblance to a Civic Crown. And then there was her stunning white dress – which did reveal a bit of her cleavage –, that stopped near her ankles, where it was possible to see that she was barefoot.

Witnessing such a sight, she lowered her eyes to show much respect to her. “Oh, my Watcher. Could it be I have stumbled upon the beautiful sight of the Mistress of Love and Peace?”.

Approaching the old widow, the lady nodded. “Yes, but do not be afraid to call me by the name I was bestowed by the Gods above; Miss Deku”. Her voice was so angelic filled with such sweet whisperings that could put anyone at ease. “Oh, little Beatrice. Such unworthy misfortune couldn’t possibly be the reason for such a long journey?”.

“Oh, dear me! So, you have heard of my predicaments, oh Miss Deku? Won’t you help a poor old lady that has recently become a widow in this senseless world? I have lost everything and I have nothing that could bring my happiness back! Please, help me reach out to my dear husband! The true love of my life!”.

After a brief moment of silence, the majestic lady, unexpectedly, laughed in hysteria. 

The old lady was puzzled at such an uncultured scene. “My! W-What is this about, oh Miss Deku??”. She had to admit, that this was rather unsettling to her, as she took a few steps back.

As she finished her kindred mean spirit laughter, her eyes had finally opened to reveal a green color to them, including the malicious shape in them.

“Ahh~! Did you like my small performance, little Beatrice?”. She sneered, showing the poor widow her true colors: a rather arrogant personality. “Let’s be clear on one thing; you are in denial! Move on, lady, for you, are not worthy of my time!”.

“But… W-Why??”.

An impatient sigh was released, but she decided to fancy her a little. “Oh, let us see; You call the love between you and your husband true? AH! Your much of a comedian, as you are a hag!! Your relationship doesn’t even scream platonic!”.

“T-That’s not true! I truly love my dear Peter! He is the man of my life, the light to my hollow soul, the star in my galaxy. Why would I lie about such true intentions?”.

“If what you say is true, then we shall engage in a battle to the death!”.

“W-What outrageous acts?!”.

“Silence!! “.

Yelling that, she materialized a golden staff out of existence, gripping the handle with much strength and stabbing it to the ground as a golden ring made out of sparkles flew out of her.

“If you truly love this pesky old coot, then prove it to the Goddess of Love and Peace; by engaging in this matter!”.

“I… I cannot! I am much too old!”.

“Well, if you insist on being a coward and a liar, then begone from my sight!”.

*******

Slowly leaning his foot on the Tree, the thief tapped it a couple of times.

“It was ridiculous, but despite the possible consequences, the widow felt the need to prove herself to the Goddess. But more specifically; to her late husband. It didn’t end all that well, as you can expect…”. 

After much time, he finally looked at the tall man, who nodded his concede at that statement, yet his expression was so sour. Both from how uncomfortable and frustrated he felt.

However, he did not say a word, not wanting to interrupt the story.

“It was hopeless for the poor old widow. She opted to run away because if she continued to stand there, she’d be a sitting duck! But this, in turn, caused the Goddess to become furious at her. So much so, that she sent out wolves to catch her. It didn’t take long for them to corner the poor bruised lady, having no intentions of letting her escape again”.

*******

She had nowhere to run, seeing the wolves roaring lowly at her.

“Oh, have mercy for I did not wish to anger anyone! I simply came to ask for help!”.

That assertion led the Goddess to reappear in front of her, which quieted the wolves.

“You cheating beggar woman! You have broken the rite when you intended to run away! As for that, you must be punished for your cowardice!”.

“Please, I wish to make it up to you! I will be good! I promise!”.

“It is too late, for you have become responsible for the chosen path of shame in your family! I shall bestow a curse upon your future generations… for eternity!”.

The older woman could only gasp in horror hearing all of this.

“P-Please!! I can change!! Don’t drag my poor family into this!!”.

She began to cry, begging on her knees.

“Must I repeat myself?! You have angered me for the last and final time!”.

At that decision, her golden staff appeared in her hand, and she banged it on the ground a total of three times, before throwing her arm out.

“Finish her off, my children!!”.

*******

“T-The wolves… th-they…”.

Benson was quick to turn around, as he faced the Tree, so the villager couldn’t see his facial expression. “The wolves mangled her body. Piece by piece… Her body was so unrecognizable… So much… b-blood. She… didn’t make it, _{perishing halfway through her torture}”. He quietly explained.

Mordecai felt sick to his stomach.

Yet, after a few seconds of silence, his curiosity got the better of him. “W-What… _{What happened to her body?}”. He asked in a hushed tone too, now standing up.

“Well…”. The thief peeked over his shoulder. “It’s hard to explain, but her body just… magically turned into a seed and morphed with the dirt. It’s believed that other Willows in the area were sucked into the dirt, allowing her seed to grow and become…”.

Taking a deep breath to remain calm, he leaned his head on the giant sprout.

“The Last Willow Tree”.

Chapter Text

A faint cold breeze interconnected the area.

At first glance, it did seem the Grove’s unarguably normal roots have finally come to its own terms – no longer demonstrating a winter setting and the air was much less smothering.

In the end, a much better scenery to be at, yet, none of the two men had taken notice of it.

Benson fell into a deep meditation state, leaning his forehead on the wooden body of the Tree as if he was paying his respects to the mournful loss. Unconsciously, he let out a desperate sigh, clenching his fist on the wood to keep his bearings in check.

Until, suddenly, he developed a stagnant posture, for he felt the presence of someone nearby.

Opening his eyes, he watched on as a glum Mordecai placed a hand on the Tree, copying an exact identical etiquette as him – closing his eyes and inclining his head on the natural wood.

«Ba-dump~ Ba-dump~ Ba-dump~»

There it was again; that bothersome sound.

In a discrete motion, he concealed his emotions by turning his head to the side, whilst placing a hand on his chest to calm his heartbeat. Deep down, he felt so deeply touched that his trespasser would ever consider doing such a sweet gesture, but in turn, it resulted in him becoming embarrassed, not wanting to be seen in his current emotional state.

One he wasn’t felt in years.

How was this guy able to have such a level of power over him?

“_{She didn’t deserve it}”.

The thief blinked at that low pitch assertion, eventually gaining the courage to look him in the eyes. “W-What did you say?”. He loudly susurrated, for he was still unsure if there was a misinterpretation of what he heard.

“She… didn’t deserve it!”. When restating his remark, his tone of voice was a bit louder and at a much more aggressive volume, yet not out of annoyance for having to repeat himself. “Man, it doesn’t take a freakin’ genius to figure out that she was happily married. Like… What gives you the right to judge someone else’s relationship?!”. Even though it appeared he was referring to this question towards the thief, in reality, he was talking to the absent lady. And just thinking about her, made his blood boil further. “Fuck!! And then she had the audacity to spit in her face even after knowing that the woman lost her fucking husband!! Like, you have to be an extra kind of a bitch to do that!!”.

It was quite interesting watching the villager have a heated reaction, yet the bearded man remained reserved, inwardly acknowledging everything he was saying.

Conversely, it didn’t appear his trespasser was done with his sermon, as it did seem he was about to open his mouth again, but no audible sounds were coming out. Irritation was the only emotion felt and no matter how hard he tried; his audio would always end in stuttering.

It even went to the point where the thief began to worry a little, fearing he might punch something and further damage his hands, which had yet to fully heal.

Luckily, after running a hand over his soaked hair, he managed to be at total ease. “Man… And then she had the balls to curse down the entire family! Like, c’mon, was that really fucking necessary?! Bro, it’s not like it was their fault you were on your period!”.

Although he knew the villager was speaking out of frustration, inevitably a weak smile unfolded on his lips. “Eh… Good point…”.

Physically agreeing with that reply, he slowly met his eyes. “Right?! Like, the fu-“.

Before he flew off the handle again, Mordecai managed to hit the brakes.

In one blink, all his anger was washed away by a stream of cold anguish that furthered into his soul, as he noticed the pure downcast look noticeable on his hero’s exhausted face.

It didn’t even appear the man himself took notice of the fact that he stopped talking.

Additionally, greater concern overtook him.

He was hesitant at first, but he couldn’t just allow this to continue.

Seeing him so sad… truly felt like a kick to the stomach.

“Benson…?”.

Effortlessly, he gently compelled the vacant man to face him, yet he still demonstrated no reaction out of his eyes. So, the villager opted to try another approach by placing a hand on his cheek, which did successively snap the thief out of his trance, flinching at such a sudden touch.

However, he remained still, captivated by such a comforting and warm touch, not having the energy to struggle away.

Temporarily, unfortunately.

In a slow tone, the thief cleared his throat to get the man’s attention, which brought the two to perform eye contact, finally staring at each other’s different-colored iris.

Oh, yes; still considered the masked individual best feature in the blue-haired man’s opinion.

Placing a hand on top of his, he quietly groaned. “I-It’s… okay… _{I’m fine…} Thank you”. He slowly removed the hand off his cheek, taking a deep breath to control whatever unstable emotions he had left.

Mordecai could tell that this story deeply disturbed the thief.

He wanted to comfort him further, proving he could trust him with anything and that he didn’t need to hide his emotions. Despite that, he decided against it, for he understood the other man had his boundaries.

They had yet to reach that level of roman- Friendship! Definitely friendship!

A sigh escaped his lips, not knowing what else he could do to help out.

Until he was caught off guard by how illuminated both their bodies were at the moment.

Gazing around, he saw the fluffy and cute lifeforms of before – shaped liked balls – returning to their humble and favorite place to hang out, purposely neglecting that previous unnerving scene, as they used their tiny tranquil bodies to highlight the area around them.

It had appeared that most of the snow had rapidly melted into the grass and soil below, freshening them, which in turn, made the Tree look much healthier.

Truthfully, the open area was much safer to be at, as it was possible to see with better clarity.

And the Pink Thief was quick to identify that as well, as he finally manifested a serene look.

Mordecai couldn’t help but be mesmerized at the glowing look he was unintentionally showing off, as it quickly penetrated its way into his heart, consoling him in the process.

Maybe… everything that he was forced to endure, wasn’t all for nothing.

“Umm… Hey!”. The tall man waited until he got his attention, before showing a small, but sweet smile. “Thank you… I’m happy you decided to tell me the whole story. It really opened my eyes!”. He watched him nod as a reply, reacting as if it was no big deal. “So… Just curious; Whatever happened to the Goddess?”.

“Well, currently she lays dormant underneath the Grove’s surface”.

He squinted his eyes, not knowing how to properly retaliate to that. “Excuse me? You mean like… inside the ground… here? _{Right now?!}”. He pointed down while loudly whispering that latter sentence. “Oh, shit… I called her a bitch… Am I in danger?!”. Paranoia had entered his brain, as he frantically stared at any possible sightings of Her. 

The bearded man let out a chuckle. “Relax, I’m sure she didn’t hear you”. He calmly walked to the edge, so he could look at the scenery of the forest. “Only the next generation of the widow’s family can wake her up…”.

“Really?”. He followed alongside and sat by the edge. “How can they do that?”.

He fell into a deep silence, before slowly crossing his arms. “I’m not sure… but it’s possible that every new generation must partake in the Goddess’s challenge, just like their poor ancestor was forced to endure”.

“Hold up… So, the family was actually harassed by her?!”. He noticed the man’s quiet nature again, yet he kept pressuring him to answer. “Like… Is it still happening?!”.

“Now? Perhaps”.

More silence.

“That’s insane!! Is there no way to stop this crazy chick?!”.

Turning back to the Tree, the mask owner sighed. “That’s for me to find out”. Ignoring the man’s puzzled expression, he took a couple of steps to the nearly destroyed bag, grabbing each item that was scattered and stuffing it back inside. “I might have a theory on how I can lure her to me. From what was told, she owned a golden staff. It’s believed to be made by valuables that belonged to previous victims. So…”. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. “I might… have been stealing from your village to accomplish my goal”.

An astonished Mordecai was in shock at that confession, before secretly clenching his fist, silently celebrating the fact that one of his theories had proven to be correct all along. 

So, there was a good reason for all this.

Finishing his happy demeanor, he turned back to him. “So, what your saying is that she’s some sort of materialistic God? Like, if she knows you own so many shinnies, she’ll be interested in you and wake up?”. He watched him nod. “Tsk, another nice trait to add to her personality… but wait…”. He pondered for a bit. “W-What are you going to do afterward?”.

“Kill her”. He blankly pronounced. “What else?”.

Mordecai was in awe. “But… why?”.

Done neatly cleaning the platform, he tied the bag but angrily threw it to the ground. “What the hell do you mean by why?! You said this whole story made you open your eyes, so I’m sure you can figure it out by yourself!!”.

“Y-Yeah, I get that, but… no offense, is it really worth it? She’s a God, Benson!! You’re a human, just like me!”. Saying that he was now a little apprehensive. “In fact… Why are you even doing this in the first place?”.

Benson recoiled for a second, but regain his posture. “B-Because… This story means so much to me, that I refuse to have any other generation suffer through it!”.

His anger was honest, but the way he spoke it… made it seem like he was concocting it.

So, the villager tried to go for a different approach. “I see… but the way you’re saying it… I mean you do seem to know what you’re talking about, which is amazing that you’d care so much to the point you’ll do anything to find out the truth!”. His praise was immediately self-abrupt by spinning his body around, so he was now facing him. “Still, why would you insert yourself into that mess? From what I got; I get that vibe that you don’t know them on a more personal level, so why the sacrifice?”.

“Hey!!”. He felt agitated at that claim but was quick to look the other way. “I live here!! W-What else am I supposed to do?!”.

This was the point where Mordecai undoubtedly began to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As the blue-haired man was about to ask more questions, he promptly froze in place, flinching at the loud sound coming from above them.

It almost appeared like… a body had collapsed.

“Rigby!!”. He happily pronounced, fully standing on his own two feet. “Dude, I think he’s awake!! C’mon, let’s go see him!!”. Using the ladder – usually seen in playgrounds –, he quickly made his way up to the higher platforms. 

However, Benson didn’t budge, noticeably stuck in a deep trance.

-

When Mordecai finally made it up, he was about to rapidly approach, only to stop mid-way, as he spotted the complete devastation that was his best friend, who had somehow managed to leave his resting place, seen here by his form faceplanting the wooden surface.

“Oh, damn! Rigby, are you… are you okay?!”.

A deafening environment was felt.

Until the white eye man was quick to lean his head, so he could look at him. “Yeah, I’m fucking meditating, dude”. Casually announcing he was back to fall flat on his face, promptly groaning in agony.

The blue-haired man could only frown at his disorientated behavior.

Still, he wasn’t going to let his abandoned friend stay like this, so he carefully placed him back onto the hammock bed, ignoring any audible moans coming out of his mouth.

When he felt comfy, the short man rubbed his own face. “Duuuuuuude… Like holy shit… I was having such a weird-ass dream! There was a huge cloud above me, but then there was a giant ass tornado made out of ice or whatever and it froze the thing up! And then it was snowing mini things! It was so wild… Bro, why do you look so fucked up? What happened to you?”.

“Dude… How long have you been awake?”.

“I’m awake?”.

Mordecai still felt boggled at his so-called fantasy image, yet he shook his head, as he decided not to dwell on it further. “Never mind. But for real, dude, how do you feel?”. He kneeled next to him, laying his arms on top of the edge of the bed.

“With your hands?”. Confused by that bizarre question, he finally maintained control over his senses, which allowed him to check his surroundings, becoming so appalled by them. “Wait, the fuck!? Where are we?! What’s even happening?!”.

At this point, a startled blue-haired man was so speechless at how perplexed his friend was acting, removed his arms off the hammock. “What do you mean?! Dude, you were literally in a coma for a couple of hours!! B-“. He briskly coughed a couple of times, before looking back at him. “The Pink Thief and I had to handle your ass all the way up here! They patched you up and everything!”.

“Wait… What?!”. He took another good look at his surroundings again, only this time, his facial expression demonstrated a look of amazement. “Wooooah… No way! Is this really the Pink Thief’s domain?!”. Watching his friend reply by nodding his head, automatically made him ponder. “Weird… I don’t remember being in a coma…”. He paused. “But whatever!! What are we waiting for, dude?! Let’s kick that thief’s ass and get the watch back!!”.

Holy Moley, Mordecai completely forgot there was a main quest to all this.

With all the craziness that he just went through in the past couple of hours, he could have thought that his entire existence was sent to some alternative universe, where he was forced to be the victim of whatever relentless torture this forest had in store for him.

“I see your little friend has finally decided to join us in the real world”.

Both villagers stared in the direction where that voice came from, spotting the masked thief, holding a small sack over his shoulder. It did seem he was back to wearing his pink mask on his face and some sort of scarf around his head, hiding any traces of skin or hair out of sight.

A feature that led Mordecai to become a little upset that he would continue keeping his whole identity a secret. Then again, in no way was he about to suppress him on the matter. It was obvious he wanted his privacy, so the best thing the tall man could do is respect that.

He did give him his word.

“YO, YO!!”. Rigby hollered, pointing directly at the owner of this domain. “It’s the Pink Thief!! Holy crap, man!! Let’s jump its fucking a-aaAAAAH!!”.

The other two men could only emotionlessly look on, witnessing the hilarious failed attempt of the white-eye man getting out of bed, only to end in him crying out in pain, possibly due to his leg which had yet to properly heal.

While he kept squirming loudly, this proceeded with the masked individual turning his attention to the tall villager, who in turn, simply shrugged.

“Yeah… He’s stupid that way”.

“STOP TALKING!!”. His frustration was replaced by more whining, as he peeked over where the pain was located. “What the heck?!”. He placed a hand on the bandages, carefully rubbing them. “Why the fuck do I have this on?!”.

He stared at his best friend through narrowed eyes. “Dude, your seriously mean to tell me you got amnesia from what just happened?! You know; with the whole wolves th-“.

“WOLVES!?”. In his instinctive acts, he was quick to cling to his roommate, who vigorously tried to push him away. “Where?! Oh, fuck!! I don’t want to be eaten!!”.

“Du-Dude!! Get off me!! You’re going to mess up my hair!”.

“Well, you’re the reason my leg is messed up, so screw you and your ugly-ass hair!!”.

“What did you say?!”.

Tapping his foot at the scene ahead of him, the Pink Thief growled.

“Okay, enough you two!!”. He quickly dropped the bag down and paced over to them, trying to push the two off each other by standing between them. “This is just ridiculous! Stop it!!”. When he was able to successfully get the two to calm down, he sighed at the short man. “Listen to me; those wolves will not harm you again, okay? I made sure of that”.

“How the hell can YOU be so sure of that, uh?!”. In the heat of the moment, the short man slapped his hand off him. “It’s not like you had to deal with them!!”.

Silence overtook the thief, as he secretly glared at Rigby.

And Mordecai had a hunch about what was happening underneath that mask, becoming a little perturbed about what’s to come to his friend’s other leg.

So, he wasted no time intercepting the situation. “D-Dude! Show some respect!! The Pink Thief is literally the reason why we’re still alive and y-“.

“Ah, yeah. Cool story, bro”. He uninterestedly stated, now rubbing his own stomach. “Man, I’m so fucking hungry! Do any of you guys got sh- AH!!”. A punch to the arm was enough to force him to hold his tongue, as he rubbed his arm in distress. “Ahhhh... D-Dude…!!”.

“The hell did I just say??”.

“You can’t hurt me! I’m crippled!!”.

“Being crippled doesn’t automatically make you an ass!”.

“Yeah, well… You’re one too!”.

Once more, the thief was back to insert himself. “Oh, for the love of- Can you two stop getting into senseless fights?! _{Fucking Watcher…}”. He annoyingly groaned, before walking over to the bag and placing it near them. “Here; I got some rations for the two of you. I’m sorry if it’s not much, but I wasn’t expecting a couple of idiots to drop here today!”.

Mordecai smiled brightly as he dragged the bag closer to them, unconcerned over that small insult. And so was his best friend, who briefly ignore it since he was too busy rummaging through the bag.

“Woaah… Thanks! That was pretty cool of y-“.

“Where’s the water?”.

Another slap was heard, followed by another short scream.

The thief promptly ignored those. “There must be a container with some leftovers, but I guess it’s not enough, right?”. He watched the brunet grab the container and shake it a little, hearing very little liquid inside. “Figures… Then, I’m off to fetch more”.

“W-Wait… Off? As in, off, into the forest?!”. Questioned a worried blue-haired man. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m sure we can survive with that water…”.

“But I’m thirty…!”. Added the whinny white-eye man, ignoring his friend’s dazed expression.

The thief shook his head. “I appreciate the concern, but there’s no need for that. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Besides, that’s my last container with any water in it, so I might as well go refill the rest. You worry about eating, okay?”. He was about to walk off, only to turn back and aggressively point at them. “But I swear to Watcher, you two better not fuck up my stuff, or I’ll break both your legs, got it?!”. And thus, he jumped off, leaving his trespassers alone.

Mordecai and Rigby stared at each other, taking the thief’s empty threat perhaps a little too earnestly.

Chapter Text

Nighttime had begun to cover the clear skies of the Village.

Inside the jolly elder’s man home, especially in the living room portion, there sat the two young girls, who were quietly enjoying some light snacks consisting of baked goods and juice, on the cozy chesterfield sofa. Joining them, but sitting a bit far off, on an identical fabric armchair to the right, was a rather perturbed Thomas, who had joined along a while ago.

The owner of the residential building eventually approached them, sitting on the only other available armchair, holding a cup of tea with both his hands.

After making himself comfortable, he peeked at one of the closed windows. “Oh, jolly good show! It seems that pesky storm is long gone”. He took one sip, before looking at his young guests. “My, isn’t this a recurring theme, mm?”.

“Yeah!”. Asserted the redneck, pulling the cup away from her lips. “I just hope it didn’t do any heavy damage around town!”. She sighed. “_{My yard must be a mess for sure}”. Murmuring that, she noticed the box that was sitting next to her girlfriend. “Lucky you, uh~? Aren’t you glad I convinced you to stay? Now, you don’t have to ask Skips to fix your birdhouse again!”.

Thomas froze, intensely glaring at Margaret, but opted not to say a word, as he took another bite out of his croissant.

Eileen sweetly smiled, as she dusted her hands off any white powder. “Ahah~ I suppose I should be glad that I did listen to you!”. Stating that, she looked at the elder man. “Thank you for letting us stay during the storm, Pops! We’d definitely be in a pickle if we did leave~”.

Chuckling at that small joke, he gently nodded. “But of course, young Eileen! You are more than welcome to stay as long as you please! You, Margaret, and Thomas! My home is always open for those who need it, so do not hesitate to come over for a visit!”. Cheerily declaring that he took another sip out of his tea.

The girls’ eyes sparkled at the nice nature of their old neighbor, very much appreciating it with tremendous respect, before going back to their late afternoon snack.

Meanwhile, the young Master Builder apprentice remained quiet, not sharing any emotions as he kept biting his food in small chunks. He might have been much too distracted eating, but Pops was quick to note his deadly silence, not to mention how his eyes were sorely fixated on the floor as if he was deep in thought.

Or perhaps he wasn’t feeling much too comfortable on the topic of conversation, so he decided to change it to small talk.

Leaning on his chair, a content smile was seen on his lips. “My, isn’t this pleasant? Having a nice social interaction accompanied by some sugary goods~?”.

He witnessed the two girls physically concur with his question, yet still no sign of any reaction coming out of his other guest.

This was the point, where Pops began to worry about Thomas’ well-being.

It wasn’t hard to observe that the young man had been showcasing this behavior since he entered his humble home, but he thought nothing of it since it wasn’t rare for him to have such a mute condition.

Still, in his opinion, it had gone for far too long, so he carefully placed his teacup on the coffee table and cleared his throat, trying to get his attention. The brunet with glasses was quick to realize what the older man was attempting to do, and since she was the closest to his childhood friend, she gently shook his leg.

Doing so, Thomas finally snapped out of his trance. “Mm? What?”. He was puzzled at what she wanted, before noticing she was pointing at Pops, so he looked at him. “Oh, sorry, Pops… Were you talking to me?”.

“Not yet, I have, my good man”. He worryingly said, before giving him a small smile. “D-Do tell; how have things been in the Workshop?”. His facial expression turned into a frown as he witnessed him simply shrug at his question. “Have you been learning much?”. He was met with another shrug.

Eileen nervously fidgeted, as she looked at the owner. “M-Mister Pops, I don’t think Thomas wants to talk that sort of stuff…”. She respectfully explained. 

Margaret decided to insert herself into the conversation. “What’s up, Thomas? Are things between you and Skips good? Did something happen?”.

«Silence»

“Did something happen?”. He bitterly repeated, before crossing his arms. “I think there are better things we should be talking right now! Like, why haven’t Mordecai and Rigby showed up yet?? Uh?!”. He snapped at the group, who in turn felt alarmed. “I feel like I’m the only one who’s seeing the obvious here!!”.

“Oh, Thomas”. Despite that blowout, the older man kept a calm expression on his face. “Please, rest assured! I’m sure no… harm has come to the boys! They must be in Luminus Plaza by now”. Pausing to grab his cup, he promptly took another sip. “I asked for assistance because… m-my golden pocket watch was missing a few clogs. They insisted on going by themselves, regardless of how many times I insisted to accompanied them”. He added, now smiling at the kid. “They will be back in the upcoming days, so there’s no need to worry”.

The room was back to a peaceful setting, only this time much less unnerving.

Thomas was dumbfounded at that, before turning his attention to his friends, who didn’t appear to showcase any puzzling expression, only steadily agreeing along.

“Yeah, Pops told us that before you showed up!”. Mentioned Eileen.

Margaret suppressed the need to chuckle at the pupil’s expression, using her hand to cover her big smile. “Look at you, Tommy~! Worrying over the guys~?”. She cynically commented.

“I-I… I wasn’t!!”. He pouted, covering his heated cheeks. “I-I could care less about them!!”. He drank his juice in one swing, ignoring the light teasing coming from the girls. He then stared back at the jolly man. “But hold up… Mitch mentioned something about the guys going off to visit Skips… I wasn’t there, but it did happen right?”. He watched him nod. “So… what’s up with that?”.

Pops tilted his head. “I beg your pardon, but what do you mean?”.

“Like… If they went to Luminus Plaza… Why waste their time going to see Skips?”.

“Simple! They went to ask him to fix my belonging, but he, unfortunately, said he couldn’t because apparently, he was missing some important tools. In fact, he was the one who suggest they go to the Plaza and fetch him what he needed!”. Giggling at the imaginary memory, he crossed a leg on top of the other. “That location does sell absolutely everything!! So, in a few days, they’ll be back and Skips will be able to help me! I am very much glad I could always count on my boys in case any situation such as this occurs. Jolly good show!”.

Both he and the girls cheered on that, as they raised their glasses, making a toast at the boy’s endearing behavior.

Amidst that, Thomas felt stupid.

Now, it all made sense to him; they simply asked him to help out with Pops’ problem.

It was no wonder that Skips didn’t mention anything to him, and why would he even? His student would probably just shrug off that detail, just as he was doing at the moment.

Yet, Thomas couldn’t help but fear the worst.

It might sound ridiculous, but deep down, he dreaded the thought of his teacher replacing him for those two guys. That alone was enough to make him extremely jealous and angry, to the point he wanted to find the boys and give them a piece of his mind for trying to steal Skips away from him.

So, does he admit perhaps he overreacted a tad too much?

Perhaps, but he could never be too sure about this matter.

Still, internally, he wished he would stop having second guesses on everything. At this point, he didn’t even know if he should blame his personality or his childhood PTSD when it came to his abandonment issues.

Growling at that, he smacked his fist onto his head. ‘C’mon, Thomas… This is Skips! This guy has been there for you through thin and thick! No matter what!! Why would he just give up on y-Y̴̨͂̀o̸̙͔̎ų̸̰̆̿ ̶̜͛̂ą̴̆͛r̴̡̀̆ḙ̴͂͂ ̴͎̫̈̐a̷͎͗͝ǹ̷͔̠ ̵̹̤̌̎ă̷̭b̸̗̓s̵͇̙̿o̷͉͙͊̀l̶̞̊ų̸̿t̴̰̏ę̷̱͠ ̷͗͜d̷͚̥̾̑i̸̮̓s̷̗̊ḡ̵̨̟ȓ̸̦͔̆ă̷͓̳c̸̮̍͊ḛ̴̑̀‘.

Thomas felt goosebumps crawling through his skin, as he automatically covered his own mouth. “_N-No…”.

‘N̶͚̈ọ̷̖̀̈́ ̷̗͘͘ẘ̸̬ö̶̱͉́͊ñ̷̛̗̩d̶̰̼̈́e̷̻͚͌̒r̵̻̿̏ ̵̲̻̀y̵̩̔̀ò̷̠͇̎ú̵̯r̸̳̂ ̸̙̝̀͝p̶̘͕̒a̶̢̗͂̉ṙ̷̫̪́e̶͉̣͆n̵̨̛̬͂t̴̢̬͛ś̶̘̼̌ ̴͇̤̂d̴̥͉͐̈́i̴̛̖̫̊d̴̛͇̼͌n̷͈̪̍’̶̰̠͆̀t̵͕̋̅ ̵̳̯͐̀w̸̭͠a̵̹̲͌͐n̴̙̜͗̃ť̶͜ ̸̟̺̃y̴̮̤͊ő̸͈̫͗u̶͔̜̎ ̷̲̕a̷̮̝̽͝r̴͚̯͌͌o̴̘̾̄u̴͕̚̕n̵̨̯̈́̋d̴̦͒.̵̞͋ ̵͇̉̀T̶̤͖̀̇ḩ̸̫͐ȩ̵̦̀͊y̸̯͐ ̴͙̼̄w̴̞̺͂ė̷̪͍r̵͇̺͗e̵̙̓ ̷̮̖͂t̴̹̬́h̷̟̍̂ȩ̸̹̓͘ ̸̙̤̿o̴̭̊́n̵̠̐̑l̷̢̛̟y̷̪͌ ̵̢̃͒ͅs̸̻̏m̵͚̽a̴̛͎r̶͓̙̅ṭ̸̓ ̵̧̘̈́p̵͖̔́ͅe̶̛̫̊ö̴͙̕p̴̭̆͜l̷̼̈́͐e̶͖͓̒͐ ̸͛͒ͅw̵̪͕͐̉h̴̻̖̏̕o̷̢̓̌ ̶͇̅̈k̵̗̑̕ǹ̴̪͜ȅ̴͓͚ẃ̷͖̓ ̵̼̃̀a̶̢͋ḩ̵̔̔e̸͔̪͌̈ȃ̷̻̖d̴͙͂ ̵̡̔̔o̴̘̰͌f̸̹̺͂ ̴̧̀ṱ̶̐i̴͚̾m̸̪͝e̶̟͔͆́ ̷͈̼̀h̶͚̹̆̒o̶̩̜̐w̷̖͒͛ ̶͚̃m̷̖͗͒u̵̳̦̔͆ć̸̺͐ẖ̴̛ ̴̙͖̅͒ȍ̷̢̖f̶͇̥͒̿ ̸̲̟̿̓à̸̢̹ ̶͓̓t̷͖͙̽̔â̸̧̊l̸̡̜̍̂e̴̗̖͂͂ṇ̷̯̀t̷̤̀̉l̸̯͖̊e̷̡̝͐͑ș̷̿s̶͍̈́ ̸̢͊ͅä̸̮́͜s̸̡̯͛͝s̵̘̏ ̶̰͇͆y̸̦̅o̶̡͚͆u̵̺͐̒ ̸̢̟̓̄w̵͊͐͜o̴̙̺͂ṵ̷̗̓̄ḷ̵́̌d̸̮̰̀̈ ̷̡̂́b̶̯͚͆͒é̶͚c̶̻͆͑ō̷̹̆m̷̱̪̀e̶̛̬̭!̷̙̖̈́͒‘.

“_{Stop it… Stop it…}”.

‘S̵͚͒̿k̴̢̰̈́͝i̶̥̯͌͋p̸̙͌̕s̸̫͉̋̐ ̵̨̠̌n̶͍̣͝ẹ̸̢͐̏v̷̺̆̽͜e̷̯̟͑̔r̴̝̻̆ ̶̞̔m̷͈̈́è̵͔̹a̸̦͖̽̈́n̶͈̂̋t̶̨̓̾ ̴̥̒͌t̷̬͒͘o̴̧̦̓̆ ̴͙̞͋t̶̰̿ã̷̙͉̓k̵͈̐é̸̬̕ ̴̰́ý̴̼o̴͇͕͊ǜ̵̺͎ ̸͉̐̇i̸̊̐ͅn̵̼̈́,̷̻̬͊́ ̷͈͛ḩ̴̛͎̿e̷̫͍̓ ̴͍̞̑j̸͙͂u̶̻̓s̶̘͊͊ẗ̵͔̙ ̸̻͌́f̷̼̏e̷̝̣͌l̸̡͐ṭ̸̍ ̴͕̥̆͒o̴̤̤͒̃ḇ̸̝́̃l̷͒̏ͅi̶̬͗g̶͕̽̐a̷̦͗̚t̵̢̤͆e̸̱͆d̷̝̏ ̴͎̊t̴͙̫͘o̶̫̩̒̕ ̸̗̱́̅d̶̘̙̀o̷̬̫̓̚ ̶̺̐s̶̜͙̊̍o̴͖̰̽…̷͙͗͝ ̶͙͗Y̵͕͋ò̶̼̺ư̸̲͘ ̴̨͉͋a̷̠̻͠r̷͓͕̐e̸̛̮̋ ̷͔̼̏͐s̶̭̳̕i̶̻̋͒͜m̵̪̈́p̸̙̀͛l̷̛͔̟͘ỷ̸̝ ̶̼̺̉̋ḋ̸̬̬é̸̻a̷̿ͅḑ̶̕͜ ̵̰̽ẃ̵̭ẹ̴̡̌i̶̡̎͌g̷̠̀̚ͅh̵̦̟̉ ̶̗̈́̓ţ̸̟͌o̷̫͋͌ ̷̧̉̾h̴͙͔̒̈́i̶͓̅̓m̴̘̼̃.̵̗̣̐ ̴͈̪̓D̴̢̅o̶̘̅͝ ̵̬͕̂ḫ̶̒i̶̲̗͛̊m̷̫̌̃ ̸̪̋͋a̵̩̎ ̶͍̳̕s̶͉͓̈́̃ö̸̝́l̷̡̺̈́̕i̵̱͍̕d̶̗̀̽ ̶̛͕̌a̸͎͐n̵̨͋ḏ̸̡̎ ̸̬͐̔j̶̩͆ũ̷̬s̵̙̰̀̂t̵̰̤̂ ̴̝̅̀k̴̨̕ĩ̵̫̖̒l̴̞̠͂͝l̷͕̿ ̶̥̤͝y̸͚̓̿ò̸͓̑ư̵̲r̵̻̽͜s̶̻͂e̸̜̙͠l̵̢͝f̶̻̓‘.

His headache was getting intense, and without even noticing, he gripped his hair. Small strings of tears were descending his cheek, where small droplets would slowly land on his lap.

It absolutely sucked. Every day with this agonizing pain. He just wanted the voices to stop.

However, no matter what he would do; they were always stronger than him.

For a long time, he promised himself never to express such vulnerabilities, but as the years passed, his mind became weaker and harder to handle.

It was only a matter of time before Skips found out and abandon him.

Repeating the cycle all over again.

“Thomas, my good man? Is everything alright?”.

Hearing his name being called out, led him to look at his host’s eyes, only to be taken back by how deeply glum they looked. Unconsciously, he moved his eyes, which led him to be more surprised that the other guests were also manifesting such a downcast look.

It took him a couple of seconds to realize… that he was quietly sobbing in front of them.

Quickly, he used his arm to get rid of any depressing evidence, before clearing his throat. “Mm, yeah! Everything’s fine! Just… tired and thinking about the storm and… all that…”. He weakly mentioned, lowering his eyes.

The redneck wanted to say something, knowing full well he was lying. As she was about to open her mouth, she felt a hand being placed on her leg, which resulted in her looking at the older man, who gave a reassuring smile.

Sensing that her friend was in good hands, she discretely nodded at the mustache man, before stretching her body. “Well… S-Speaking of that; I better get going. I need to go check on any damage in my house… Urgh! Just the thing I needed to finish off my day!”. Annoyingly groaning, she stood up from the couch.

And her sweetheart followed right after. “Yeah, me too”. Grabbing the package, she smiled at the elder man. “Thank you so much for the hospitality, Mister Pops! It was really comforting!”.

Pops couldn’t help but laugh at that compliment. “Why thank you, young Eileen! I very much appreciate the company~! Yours and everyone~!”.

After they shared their goodbyes, including a reserved Thomas – who only waved at them, as opposed to a farewell hug –, the two girls promptly walked out the entryway.

When the clicking sound of the door was heard, the mustache man turned his attention to his last remaining guest, slowly giving him a faint smile. “Well then! Since we are now alone, is there something you wish to converse, Thomas?”.

The kid raised his head. “Uh? What do you mean?”.

“Well-“.

«Bang! Bang!»

As he was about to add to his explanation, the two men heard someone lightly pounding on the door, which led the host to stand up.

“Give me a few seconds, will you, Tommy?”. Receiving a shrug as a response, he immediately walked towards the door and opened it, only to be met with surprise. “Oh, Eileen? Did you forget something?”.

She nervously grinned, shaking her head. “N-No, but I saw this stuck in the yard’s fence and I thought it belonged to you!”. Explaining that, she handed him the lost item, but not before the man blinked at it. “I gotta go now! Have a good night!”.

Before the jolly man could respond, he witnessed her rush out of his private propriety and into the poorly lighted public atmosphere, where far off, stood the redneck, presumably waiting for her return, so the two could go home together.

When he could no longer see them, he promptly closed the door, yet he remained near the entrance, as his focus was still set on the strange item he just received.

“Pops? Did something happen?”. The pupil received no response, which led him to turn his attention to the man himself, noticing such a perplexed look on his face. “What… What you got there?”.

Curiosity got a hold of him, as he decided to approach the man so he could see what all the fuss was about, only to furrow his eyebrows.

It was a long black cloak. One in very bad shape, seen by how shredded and dirty it looked.

A worried mustache man peeked at his guest. “I… I’m not sure, but this certainly doesn’t belong to me. I never owned a robe in my life!”. He slowly presented the fabric to his guest. “Is it yours?”.

“N-No, I don’t wear that stuff either… Hey, wait a minute!”. He quickly gripped the fabric into his possession. “Hey… This might sound weird… but what if this belongs to the Pink Thief?”.

Such a sudden theory, led Pops’ expression to turn pale and tense, immediately fearing the numerous possibilities as to why such a personal belonging managed to land near his home.

This, in turn, led him to restart his previous worries, as horrible visuals came to mind.

Could it be that this was a sign that his employers’ well-being was at stake?

He didn’t want to believe it, but after waiting so many hours for their return, it was beginning to feel as if it was the only logical explanation for this bizarre phenomenon.

Still, what could he do in return?

It was much too dark to venture out into the dangerous unknown, and he was not about to drag his wise old friend’s pupil into this. Just like with the girls, there was a high probability that Thomas would want to go check on them, despite his uninvolved behavior with the guys.

So, after he was able to shake these gruesome thoughts aside, he placed a hand on his own chest to ease his beating vessels. “I… Do you actually believe that? M-Maybe it belongs to one of our neighbors and it flew off their yard?”. He nervously smiled, until he felt downcast watching his guest shrug.

“It’s possible too… It’s just everyone keeps mentioning that they have some sort of black cape around the neck, so… maybe? Besides, it’s kind of weird looking. I don’t think I ever seen anyone wear this…”. He rubbed the item with his thumb, gravely analyzing it before being caught off guard by a couple of stains seen on the lower area. “What the heck are those?? Is that… blood?! Damn! Whoever owns this, must have been through something!”.

Noticing it too, Pops sighed. “Such an awful appearance, indeed… I wonder if they’re okay…”.

“Who? The thief?”.

Pops froze at that previous question, before nervously chuckling. “W-Well, if this does end up belonging to them, I hope… well… I…”. He kept stuttering on his words, deep down having no clue on how to retort back.

When that happened, Thomas could only silently watch him struggle, confused as to what was even happening at the moment. When noting the man truly was having a conflict with his words, he raised a hand, nicely gesturing him to stop talking.

“H-Hey, Pops! It’s cool! You don’t have to keep pretending”.

“P-Pretend?? About what??”.

“If you care about that guy… or woman, whatever, it’s totally cool on my part”.

A whispering sigh of relief escaped the older man’s lips, but in turn, he was bewildered by what he heard. “Is that so? You… don’t hate the Pink Thief?”.

“Eh… I guess I’m on the same side as Skips…”. He walked back to the living room section and grabbed the last remaining donut. “We don’t really have much of an opinion about the matter. Sure, it’s a bad thing what they’re doing, but…”. He took a bite out of it, before looking back to the mustache man. “Sometimes people do stupid things for survival… especially when it comes to this cruel world…”.

It was quite compelling hearing him say such a thing, which led the old man to reflect, staring down at the fabric. “I see… Well, no matter who this belongs to, it’s only reasonable to fix it up! I’ll make sure it’s brand-new again~!”. Determining that, he carefully rolled it and placed it on the kitchen counter. “Even if this doesn’t belong to anyone here, it’s only fair to help the owners!”.

The young pupil nodded. “You know… If you want… Tomorrow, I can go ask around town. Skips is definitely going to disown me when I get back home… So, who knows? Maybe he’ll even force me to work on more stupid tasks so he doesn’t have to look at me”. Finishing on that sad possibility, he ate the rest of his yummy donut.

“T-Tommy! Why would you say that?? Listen, I understand you’re dealing with a rough phase, where a person is slowly finding themselves out, but-“.

“I’m twenty-five, Pops”.

He gasped at that revelation, but in reality, it was only to him. “Already?? Oh, how time flies~!”. He clapped his hands together, reminiscing some old memories. “Aw~ I remember when I first met you! You were such a sweet and innocent boy~!”.

“I was five back then. Of course, I was stupid”.

“W-What?? N-No, that’s not what I m-“.

“Whatever, I get what you’re trying to say. No big deal!”.

“Oh, Thomas!”. As he spoke his concerns, he approached the young man. “Why must you be so hard on yourself?! This behavior is not healthy!”. Even after yelling that, it appeared to not cause much feedback, as he witnessed the young man shrug his words away.

“This is who I am… What else do you want from me?”. He followed by sitting on the large couch, resting his elbows on his legs and in turn leaning his head on his hands.

“I wish for you to have a little more compassion in yourself! You know Skips and I c-“.

“Can you NOT?! Damn!! I get it! You guys only give a fuck about me because I inconvenience you!! I know I’m just a simple burden!! Stop reminding me!!”. Heavily breathing after releasing that outburst, his angry nature melted away as he watched how frightful the jolly man was, which led him to puff out his frustration. “S-Sorry… _{I didn’t mean to yell}”.

Pops slowly sat next to him, worried over his depressing state. “It is understandable~ Do not worry about this old chap”. He grinned, patting him on the shoulder. “I see now you are having a hard time with some emotional baggage”.

Hearing that statement, Thomas stared at Pops in utter shock. “H-How did you…?”.

Chuckling at his reaction, he grabbed his cup of tea again. “You don’t become out of fashion to the youngster, before having to deal with heavy amounts of choices and experiences!”. He took a small sip, finishing his tea for good. “Once you get to my age, you’ll understand it better~”.

“I…”.

He felt speechless.

His brain was so foggy that he could no longer comprehend this situation he somehow got himself into. And Pops realized that, which resulted in him consoling the young man by placing a hand on his back and rubbing it in a nice comforting rhythm.

“Thomas, you are a capable young man. You don’t have to behave like the whole world is against you! You had a rough childhood, that’s true… but the best course of action you can take is to pass that barrier. No one wants you to suffer; especially me and Skips! We wish for you to be happy! And as much as we try to do so, it’s all up to you to reach that point in your journey…”. He smiled sweetly. “It’s okay to be scared… but we believe you can do it!”.

Stating that, he carefully held the young man close to him, rubbing his back to ease his negative mood, yet he received no affection in return.

Only a deadly silence.

‘A̶͉͂r̵̝͝e̴͔̎n̸͖͗’̷͔͝t̸̡͑ ̶̣͝y̶͔̐o̸̝͛ṳ̸̓ ̸͗ͅs̵͖͗u̸̹̍c̵̛͙h̵̭̓ ̸̱̈ȁ̷͎ ̴̰̋l̵̘̀o̴̱͌s̸̜̃e̵̫͛r̴̨̈́?̴͔͘ ̷̯̽Ḥ̵̐i̵̞͘s̷͈̎ ̸̛̗t̸̝͝r̸̜̂é̶̟å̵ͅt̵̙̎ĩ̴͖n̴͂͜g̸̰̽ ̴̉ͅý̴̨o̷̯͆u̷͓̚ ̴̺̇s̷̛͓p̷͇̚e̶̲̍c̴̳͒i̴̗͒â̵͚l̵̙͝…̶̰̓ ̶̺̑ Ÿ̴́ͅo̶̞͋ṵ̸̚ ̸̯̏ ̸̟̏a̵̳̍r̴͕̓e̵͗͜ ̵͚̾n̶̼̈́o̴̼͋t̷͎́ ̴̔ͅn̴̬̑o̸̼̎r̶̼̓m̶̻̿ǎ̷̠l’.

He didn’t want to… No… He really didn’t…

However, the pain was beginning to expand into his organs; his lungs… his heart…

He could no longer contain it.

This feeling… so insufferable. It was hard to breathe.

Tears were leaving his eye sockets, as he began to quietly sob.

He couldn’t stop it.

He felt himself being rocked back and forth by the older man, cooing sounds being heard near his ear to soothe him.

‘Ḷ̶̛ò̸̡s̷͎͗e̵̺̾ŕ̵̟!̸̙̿ ̷̛̣S̸̨̾o̴͕͆ ̷̱̈m̴̱̿ȗ̴͖c̸̙̈́h̴̜͊ ̸̙̍f̵̳͋ō̸̼r̴͖͑ ̵̼̐h̶̬͘î̴̤d̸͎̅i̵̲̅n̵̹͗g̸̻̍ ̸͕́y̷̟̅ó̴̱ǘ̴͇r̶̒͜ ̶̝͛w̵̢̽e̷̠͠a̷̩̕k̵̯̚n̴͔͂e̸̫͘s̸̡͗s̴͈̿ė̵̠s̶̰̃.̶̟̎ ̶͔̓C̴̙͌a̷̳̍n̸͉̅'̶̙̉t̸̬̏ ̵̮́y̵̤͐ö̴̻u̴͈͐ ̶̙̀d̵̤͊ǫ̵̿ ̴̢̄ä̸́͜n̶͉̐y̴̱̎ṫ̶͓h̴̹͆i̴̯̎n̴͚̋g̵͙͗ ̵̳̊ȑ̶̬i̵̒ͅg̴̛͚ḣ̵͓ẗ̷͚́?̸̖̌!̸͖̎’.

Yet the voices kept growing in his head.

 Taunting him. Smothering him. Hurting him.

“_{I don’t have a problem}”.

Chapter Text

‘Finally; alone at last’.

Carrying a backpack over his shoulder, the Pink Thief wandered deeper into the Grove, while maintaining a high alert status at anything that might jump out at him.

Soon after, he began traversing through the high vegetation at a much faster pace, yet he kept crouched down, knowing full well that stealth was not an option in this murderous green zone. Worst yet, his body still reeked of that yummy smell that could draw any wolf to crave his human flesh, so perpetuating a low profile in this scenario was a much harder difficulty, especially when near a habitat filled with multiple packs.

No longer having the small fluffy lights around, the environment was much dim, which was just another problem to add to the checklist of things that he was forced to handle.

Luckily, his trusty pink mask wasn’t just a tool used to keep his identification invisible to the world. Although the eyes of the mask were as dark as the Grove itself, it had some strange magic in it, that allowed him to navigate inky areas with no issues.

Hence, when spotting numerous packs of wolves nearby, the thief immediately stopped, hiding behind a bush. Peeking over, he cursed under his breath as to why the large sleepy wild canine family was in the middle of the path. Worst yet, this was quite an inconvenience to him, because this was the only way to reach his destination point.

He needed to keep in mind that he couldn’t just walk past them, so he climbed the nearest tree and bypass the area by jumping from branch to branch, without raising any suspicion.

Done with that obstacle, he landed on his own two feet and continued forward, but his pacing was at a much more casual rate, realizing that he wasn’t far off from where he needed to go.

It felt great to be by himself again.

Although stretching his injured legs wasn’t exactly a good idea due to the itchy pain he was beginning to feel in his wounds – especially in the leg that suffered through a collision with a falling tree branch –, it was still nice to feel the understated tone of not having to pressurize his brain into overthinking the safety of his trespassers.

It was one less thing to worry about in his stressful brain cells, but in turn, he was bitten right back by unnecessary feelings that have been creeping their way into his disorientated thoughts, resulting in frustration and despair.

In short; the whole ordeal between him and that blue-haired villager.

How much the scene of the annoying tall man burned through his eye’s sockets, including the moment he was bombarded by question after question – where, understandably, his main intention was to simply understand the concept of this hellish setting, but it still came off as nerve-wracking to deal with.

And then there was the immense guilt he felt in every thread of his body.

Precisely; most of what he’s been saying… might have been nothing but sweet lies.

Now, without pulling anyone’s leg, he was speaking the absolute truth when it came to the explanations he gave to the villager; precisely the whole exposition about this place.

However, his purpose and the completed tale of the Last Willow Grove origin?

Well, it was much more complicated than anything, but it still seemed like nothing was told.

Only sweet lies to hide.

Wasting a lifetime helping a family he’s never met?

Mordecai had every right to be suspicious and even the thief couldn’t blame him.

It was pretty much an insane thought to do for a living. In normal conditions, it might not be weird. But, in this context, it was extremely ridiculous and the Pink Thief wasn’t oblivious to acknowledge that.

Be that as it may, he was apprehensive to vocalize the truth; what if Mordecai wouldn’t look at him the same way again?

An appalling – in addition to awkward – blush made its way to his cheeks, as he unconsciously pulled the mask over his face, now covering himself by using his hands, mumbling his anger through his gritted teeth.

So, what, if that guy no longer respected or wanted nothing to do with him??

He could care any less.

It was silly… yet a sigh escaped his lips, feeling much more bothered.

Going back on the topic of honesty, this also related to the real story of this green zone, as his brain skipped off to another trance. Visions of what happened before the Goddess ordered her children to get rid of any existing evidence of the old widow came to mind.

*******

“Please, I wish to make it up to you! I will be good! I promise!”. Begged old Beatrice, whose knees were already firmly planted on the ground as she prayed for mercy from her captor.

Yet, said tall individual didn’t appear to be in such a graceful mood to fulfill her needy wishes.

“It is too late, for you have become responsible for the chosen path of shame in your family! I shall bestow a curse upon your future generations, whereas they must partake in the same challenge you were so keen to run off like a coward! Every generation will be doomed to find a life mate, which will lead me and the fool, who dared to fall in love with your disgusting family, to engage in a great battle… to the death!!“.

The older woman could only gasp in horror.

“P-Please!! I can change!! Don’t drag my poor family into this!!”. She began to cry, placing her hands on her distressed face. “They have never done you wrong!”.

The gracious green-haired lady could only sneer in disgust, as she turned her head away, demonstrating a lack of empathy.

“I, the Goddess of Love and Peace, have made the decision! As I have mentioned numerous times; you decided to surrender, so you must suffer the consequences of your actions!”. She strengthened her grip on her staff, as she suddenly fell into a deep meditation state. “Well… I suppose I could show the equivalence of small mercy… I have done it in the past, so I don’t see why I won’t fancy myself another little game~”.

She cackled maleficent, before staring down at the poor weeping widow, who was now showcasing eye contact, as her eyes lighten up with hope for what’s to come next.

“Very well, little Beatrice. Here is the deal between us and your future generations; I will surrender every fiber of breath and power within me, provided that true love is indeed obtainable in your family. Only then will the curse be broken and free everyone from their shackles”.

“T-True love will be obtained!”. Said a now composed and fierce Beatrice, who had now stood up. “My family is no stranger to that! Mine and my dear Peter’s daughter, Olivia, will surely prove you wrong!”.

“Oh, I will be the judge if little Marcello truly has compassion and deep feelings for little Olivia~”. Sticking the staff to the ground, she evilly smiled. “I very much doubt it, but I might as well roll with the stupidity, no~?”.

“You ungrateful witch!!”.

“Cry a river, little Beatrice. At the end of the day, I have the high ground on your family now~! So, until proven wrong, enjoy witnessing your family suffer a loveless bloodline… for eternity!”.

Roaring laughter echoed in the Grove, followed by the wolves, who served as background music, howling alongside their attractive master.

It was quite an unsettling sight, but the thing that got to the old lady was the sudden approach of a wolf, as it ran towards her direction with its fangs out, leading to-

 *******

“AHHHHHH!!”

«CRASH!»

When distracted by those visuals, the masked individual reciprocated back to the real world not only due to that sudden shriek but by also a heavy collision, as if someone was too sidetracked to notice where they were going.  

This in turn derived the thief to crash into the soil, falling flat on his face, as he didn’t have the flawless reaction time to jump out of the way or position his mask.

It didn’t lead to any heavy damage on his body, besides the aching feeling rise on his chest, but before he could move a muscle, he was instantly pulled up to his feet by a hand tugging his shirt from behind.

“H-Help!! Wolves!!”.

Confusion muffled the thief’s line of vision as he had yet to see who he just bumped into or what was even going on. And apparently, this was a life-or-death situation, as his forcefully entrapped by the arms and spun around, as if he was being treated like a shield.

And, indeed, the next thing he sees in his blue eyes was a pack of wolves running at them.

It was about a dozen of them, yet the thief fiercely dusted the unknown hands off him so he could put his mask back on his face, followed up by opening his satchel.

Exhaustion was met in his neurotic eyes after witnessing such a cursed daydream, altogether by the fact that he wasn’t anticipating that sudden strike toward him, so he opted to handle the situation in a zippy by repeating the same tactic as before; popping one of the spheres in his mouth and blowing high flames out of the mask.

In a shocking twist, it seemed these wolves might have been the same ones he dealt with last time, as they moved out of the way, splitting into two groups to dodge the deadly burn. It caught the thief by surprise and more so when he realized that he was about to get attacked by both sides.

However, he was able to save himself by performing a side roll and firmly squatting down. As their target had moved out of the way, some of the furry pests crashed into each other, while others had hit the brakes before suffering the same action.

Ironically enough, few who thought were so clever to prevent a headache to fall on them, were bamboozled, as a sticky fluid bombed into their paws, trapping them on the soil. 

It wasn’t for long, as their compadres were quick to help them out – biting the strange moist material and pulling it away with their teeth –, but it was enough time for the thief to grab the stranger’s hand. Taking leadership between the two, they ran between the large vegetation to lose sight of their predators.

Shortly after, they were being chased, and the wolves were ferocious to catch up.

They were dead set to get their revenge by hunting down these tasty meats.

The Pink Thief knew that simply sprinting wasn’t going to work wonders; his skin odor was a dead giveaway. Wherever they went, they would most undoubtedly be found, so he had to hatch a new plan.

And it seemed he might have to use extreme measures, once again, for this to take effect.

With perfect precision, he drifted through the soil, damaging some of the vegetation with his boots in the process, proceeding to dash full speed ahead.

Much to the dismay of the person, he was dragging alongside.

“Wait! Wait! Wait!! What are you doing?! W-We’re heading out toward the r-AVINEEEEE!!”.

Squealing was heard, as the individual felt an arm wrap around his belly, pulling him and then spinning him out into another direction. When opening their eyes, the individual was shocked to find themselves holding onto a tree near the edge of the deep gorge below.

It was quite a scary fall, as below they couldn’t even see the soil, due to being hidden by the multiple large sprouts, that compiled the darker area. 

It was a little puzzling as to how they got into this position, but they briefly decided to brush that aside because they were now mesmerized by the sound of crying coming from the wolves. Even though it was a little cruel, the individual couldn’t help but find it funny that the furry creatures weren’t expecting such a foul move, which ensued in the scene of them falling off the cliff and off to their dooms.

A few, to be precise, as others successfully were able to pull off a quick stop.

Momentarily, though.

No way of controlling it, they felt their canine bodies being blown away by a minty wind coming from behind, which was coming from the thief, who somehow managed to stealthily go under the dogs’ radar. He kept pushing the creatures with all the strength he had left in his throat, until a sudden motion of gagging rose within, causing him to fall to his knees and release various dry coughs, in excruciating pain.

Sad to say, his power wasn’t as strong as before, as one wolf stood victorious in all this.

When the masked figure was busy internally dying, the canine alertly positioned themselves in attack mode, full-on intending to obtain food for the night.

And the other individual fully took that as a slim possibility, as he snarled a short growl.

Using its body as an advantage point, they skated their way to protect the thief, which caught the animal off guard. When hovering on the air, light emanated off his form, growing brighter and wider to the point it became so eye soring to look at.

Including the wild dog, who cried out at the sudden blindness felt.

Not about to lose this opportunity, the figure flew at the beast and using their foot, propelled the dog off the cliff, surely terminating its life by the fall damage. 

Permanently.

Heavy breathing was released from their mouth, before sternly nodding to themselves.

It was insane what they just pulled, yet they were glad they could be of use to something.

“_{Good riddance}”.

Finishing that little murmur of a victory, the spooky life form turned around, spotting the thief, who appeared to still be dealing with his sore throat.

So, good news; the coughing had eventually stopped, which meant he wasn’t suffering as much. It was a miracle his voice hadn’t reached its limit yet. Nonetheless, his vocal cords were in a tumbledown state, as if there was a bomb located inside.

Ready to detonate, if he kept this up.

After the masked individual cleared his throat to clench it, he froze at the hand positioned near his face, which led him to grab it and be positioned back to his feet.

Feeling enough oxygen circulating in his lungs again, he finally took a good look at the figure who got him into trouble, but then redeemed themselves by saving him.

“F-Fives??”. He stunningly remarked. “You were the one who bumped into me??”.

The individual in question was a very familiar humble spirit, whose eyes were nothing but voids of pure white color, and his black cap was seen positioned backward.

Lightly chuckling at the thief’s reaction, he lifted his shoulders. “Guilty~! Ahaha~! Benson, my man!! I’m so glad I was able to find you! Seriously, you got me out of a messy situation!”. He raised his arm in the air. “Ahh~! It’s been forever! Give me some sugar!”.

The two performed a high five, a greeting they were accustomed to when seeing each other. 

Knowing there was no need to be on high alert, the thief carefully removed the mask, showcasing a feeling of tenderness on his face.

He placed a hand on his own waist, mostly to help his body relax a little more. “Long time no see, indeed!” Soon after, he was stuck in a frown. “My Watcher… What the heck happened back there?? I thought I told you to be careful when you plan to come up here!!”. Reprimanding the man, he watched him nervously rub the back of his neck.

Until he ended by tiredly slumping down, even if his body was still in mid-air. “Ufff… Trust me, today’s not going so well with me”.

A sigh was heard. “_{Tell me about it…} Hey, I’m sort of in a hurry right now, but you can come with me if you want. I’m off to the lake to wash up and fill up the water cans”. Adding that he positioned the mask back onto his face. “We can talk on the way”. 

“Oh…”. He shrugged. “S-Sure, I’ll accompany you! I… really have nothing better to do anyway~”. He anxiously laughed, moving his cap to a more comfortable position. “I don’t know when will I’ll be able to see you again, so I supposed this is a better time than any to catch up!”.

After a swift nod, the thief promptly ran deeper into the Grove, with Fives flying behind.

“Hey! What happened to you, anyway? Did someone give you a hard time?”.

The Pink Thief flinched at that question, but his pace didn’t slow down. “Well… y-yeah, sort of”. He hesitated for a few seconds until he peeked over at his friend. “CJ did”.

“Ah, so she gave you a hard time again, uh? No wonder! We could see that cloud for miles!!”.

“Yeah, but… I don’t think she’ll be back anytime soon… or ever”. He glanced at the unknown, a little anxious as to how the spirit was going to react.

“Ah, nice! Typical banishments as usual, eh~?”. He chuckled before he quiet down at the deafening posture he was seeing on the thief, which helped him realize the true context of his words. “Oh… Oh! Oh, wow…”. He reconsidered the situation, before lightly raising his shoulders. “Well… This is something… I never thought you had it in you to actually… shoo her off like that”. He sucked some air through his teeth. “Shit… Aren’t you afraid Susan might come after you?”.

It took him a while to answer that question, opting to just shrug at it. “In the event, she decides to show her face, then… Guess I’ll have no choice but to deal with her”. Realizing what he just said, led him to annoyingly grunt. “Great… more bullshit I have to deal with. _{I really didn’t think this through…}”.

Fives could only worriedly stare at him, internally acknowledging that this topic was quite disturbing to him, so he carefully thought of something to change the subject.

Before he could, he witnessed him stop in the midst of the tracks.

They had reached their destination; a beautiful lake was located not far from them, where a small waterfall coming from the only river available in the Grove, streamed down.

It was quite a serene area to be in, which led the ghost to admire such an amazing sight.

Meanwhile, the thief wasted no time sitting down on a large rock, near the lagoon.

When he did so, he took a couple of steady breaths, relaxing his muscles after having to deal so much with today’s events, including the fact he had yet to sit down. Soon after, feeling much more comfortable, he slowly began undressing, starting by removing the small mantle on his shoulders – connected to the shirt – and dropping it near him.

“So, besides that… did something else happen today?”. He casually asked, now removing the boots and carelessly dropping them on the soil.

Fives levitated forward, comfortably sitting by the edge of the pond with his legs crossed. “Dude… It’s just…”. He tapped on his own legs with his fingers, intensely staring down at them. “You might be a little upset about what I’m about to say, but… I found two guys who… _{might be from the village!}”. He sucked his own lips, embracing himself for his friend’s reaction.

Yet, nothing came of it, which led him to open his eyes and turn around to see the bearded man without the pink mask, much too busy disrobing the fabrics off him.

It had appeared the thief didn’t overhear his whispers, which led him to release a sigh of relief. On the other hand, he had to try again, because if anything new ever occurred in this hellish place, he always made sure to tell the other man, so he could be aware of his findings.

Despite that, he fell into a captivated condition, as his eyes landed on the thief’s torso, filled with old and new scars. Those included the two long scars spotted below his chest, yet it didn’t appear those were freshly made, because when compared to those types, it was possible to see some red juice leak out.

The ghost was awestruck, as he freed a long whistle. “Damn… More to the collection, mm?”. That teasing was enough to get the other man’s attention, raising an eyebrow due to lack of context, yet the ghost kept smiling, now pointing at his form. “If you keep picking fights with everyone, you won’t have a body left!”.

A small smile was finally seen on the bearded man’s lips, sarcastically flattered by his observation. “Tsk! You act like I have some sort of vendetta against everyone!”. He paused, using that moment to gesture, nonverbally telling his friendly friend to turn around. When that happened, it allowed him to take off his pants and underwear, and dump them with the rest of the pile. “Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone had one against me. Life hasn’t exactly been giving me much of a break! It’s either, I defend myself or… die trying!”. He shrugged. “But anyway… Cover your eyes for a sec”.

The ghost obliged to that, laughing at the commanding tone of his voice. “Dude, why do you keep acting all nervous? I’ve seen you… butt naked, and you know that doesn’t faze me anymore!”.

«SPLASH!»

Hearing that sound, gave him the cue to remove his hands, witnessing the thief hide his nudity underneath the body of water. “Heck, when we met… I was butt naked too!!”.

“I know, but…”. He shook his head. “Well, excuse me, but I enjoy the comfort of my privacy, thank you very much!!”. Moodily crossing his arms, he looked the other way. “Also, I’m not nervous!! I… I just don’t feel comfortable… not since the accident”. He hugged his own shoulders, but slowly began to rub them, washing the filth off.

“Oh, right… S-Sorry, I forgot about that… It’s been a while, ya know?”.

He nodded. “Anyway, I’m not about to do any deadly mistakes in here. Not before having to deal with… Her”. He sneered in disgust, yet he was able to keep his anger at bay, as he washed the rest of his body.

Fives recognized the meaning behind those words, as he gave him a thumbs up. “Good to hear that, man! But like, keep an eye out, okay? Seriously, I feel like her minion numbers have increased! This place is not even safe in the Grove’s Oasis!!”. 

He blankly stared at his worried friend. “Yeah. I heard. Some of your violent little friends and their leader made sure I was aware of that too”. He showcased some old scars on his arm, which appeared to be scratch marks more than anything, which caused the ghost to recoil, almost like he was ashamed. “Still… I wonder how’s that even possible…?”. Pondering aloud, he ended it by releasing a grin, expressing it in a such a sarcastic way. “Eh… Who am I kidding? This place has her name written all over! I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to ignore her own rules just for her amusement!”. He flared, before neutrally staring down. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but he’s right; what a special kind of a bitch!”.

Fives raised his head, piqued at those engaging words. “Hold up… His right? What’s happening right now?”. He thought for a long second, before smiling brightly. “Don’t tell me you… Have you actually met the guys that have been walking around the Grove??”. 

The thief stared at the humble spirit, doubt clustering his mind.

Yet, before he could reply, Fives lightly chuckled. “Yeah! That’s what I was trying to tell you! I bumped into two guys… villagers to be exact! They seem pretty chill guys to be honest. Though, one of them… gave me pretty weird vibes! I don’t know why, but almost like he could be… well… ya know?”. Stating that, he placed both his hands together. “Maybe, we got ourselves our guy?”.

Now the Pink mask owner just had to cut in. “W-Wait! What do these guys look like??”.

“A tall guy with blue hair and a short guy with heterochromia!”. Casually describing the individuals, he shrugged. “I didn’t get to spend much time with them because wolves showed up! Man… I wonder whatever happened to them afterward…”. He pondered, now looking out to the distance.

A shiver went up the bearded man’s spine, very much aware of who the ghost was referring to.

“I see… So, you met Mordecai and… umm… the other guy”. He was appalled at the fact that such information would skip his mind, as he went into loading mode.

Narrowing his eyes, he snapped his fingers over and over again, trying to recall any memory of the tall villager mentioning his name, but nothing sprung up.

Hence, he admitted defeat by simply raising his shoulders. “Yeah, the brunet guy! I know who you talking about. And sadly… I have met them”.

“What?!”.

“Yeah… In fact, I’m stuck babysitting them. That’s why I’m kind of in a hurry. Those idiots lured a pack all the way to the Willow Tree, so I didn’t have much of a choice but to help them out… besides, the guy I forgot the name was bitten by one of them”.

“Holy shit! That’s gotta be fucked up!! You think he’ll end up like CJ?!”.

He shook his head. “Doubt it… The bite was in recent shape, so I was able to neutralize the wound just in time before it took effect on his body. There’s a slim chance of him transforming, so I wouldn’t worry about it”.

“Oh, thank the Watcher!”. Sighing in relief, he then couldn’t help but giggle. “Look at you~! Caring about some random strangers, uh~? Villagers, nonetheless!!”.

“Hey!! I was not about to deal with another infected monster! It’s a miracle we have one less problem to worry about… It doesn’t make it completely safe to walk around, but… it’s something, I guess”. He pretended to act natural but became annoyed at the goofy smile seen on his friend, leading to splashing him with water. “You better not! There’s no need to dive deep into this!!”.

Fives couldn’t help but find this extremely humorous, even after being soaked with water, which he nonchalantly took without moving a single muscle frame.

Never in his life, has he seen the man react in such a timid way, which in turn, gave him a pretty clear deduction of what was really happening. So, as he was about to state his opinion on this, he was caught off guard by the thief’s hand, which was used to cover his eyes. He then proceeded to feel some extra weight on him, practically being used as if he was some sort of support cane.

When regaining back his vision, he was surprised to see that the bearded man was no longer in the lake. Instead, he was already near the possessions he left on top of the large rock, using one of his old fabrics as a towel to cover his bakery of a posterior area.

In one motion, using both his hands, the thief wrung his brunet hair out of any water, so the drying process would move at a faster rate.

It was unbelievable that the mysterious man was behaving as if nothing was happening, so the humanoid spook comically rolled his eyes. “Alright, then be honest with me; what do you think of the taller guy~?”. He gave a mischievous look, almost like that question had some definition behind it.

The thief released his hair in an instant. “I… I don’t know what you’re trying to convey, but he’s alright, I guess”. Drying his arms with another fabric, he stared off in another direction, feeling a little nervous to perform eye contact. “A bit annoying, but he means well… Not to mention how much of a sicko he is!!”. He added that latter part, in bewilderedness. 

“Aww~!”.

Benson blushed at that, now fully understanding what was going on. “S-Stop it…” He quickly turned around feeling more upset. “It’s not what it looks like! I… I just met him!”.

“C’moooooon, Benson~!”. He gave a smug look. “You gotta admit that’s quite a coincidence, no~? I’ll even say… you two make a perfect match right there~! Seriously, maybe we finally got the perfect man for you!”. He happily shrugged.

A sigh escaped the living man’s vocal cords, using it to vocalize his opinion on the matter before he sat down on the rock. “Such fucking prophecy… At this point, I feel like all I have been given was false hope to continue!”. Aggressively pronouncing that, he grabbed a new first-aid kit off his bag, and out of it, he removed a new bottle of antiseptic liquid and a couple of cotton balls.

When that happened, the spirit crossed his arms, pushing his lips out like a fish. “Still, you gotta admit it’s not every day you see some random guys coming here! There must be a good reason, right? Like its faith, or something!”. He pulled a familiar photo off his jeans. “I mean…”. He sighed looking at the people posing in the photo. “You know the rest of the guys and gals around here are growing restless… right?”.

The Pink Thief froze, disturbed that the humble ghost would invoke such a sentence. Yet, despite that, beneath the surface, it was bound to become a topic of conversation in due time.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded. “I know… I… I want this to end as much as you do, but you know I can’t just… believe what’s in front of me without seeing the proof… You know what I mean?”.

“I understand… Heck, the remaining survivors also do! But we just want to ascend and finally be at peace! And even if those who didn’t make it won’t say it out loud, I’m sure, deep down… they do too”. He rubbed his thumb over the photo, staring directly at the youngest man, who he early found out to go by the name of Thomas. “Or… descend into hell”. He weakly grinned.

That last comment made, accompanied by such weak laughter at the end, led the thief to reflect on himself and his actions. Until he promptly turned a blind eye, finally applying first aid on his wounds.

Yet, he felt required to continue this discussion.

“Fives, you… I’m not trying to be a hassle on purpose!! I only have one chance at this and if I mess up, it’s goodbye to everyone’s freedom, the Grove’s recoup, and….”.

Silence took over the thief, as he finally looked at the friendly spirit.

“…my family’s bloodline”.

Chapter Text

An assortment of sounds, belonging primarily to crickets, reverberated through the air, singing to their heart’s contents, overpowering the sounds of silence felt in the Grove’s foggy environment.

So delicate and so enchanting that-

«CRASH!»

In one second, all wildlife noise had utterly vanished, horror-stricken by the echo of a collision against a large sprout, which resulted in leaving a large hole in the trunk’s body.

“Ah… A-Ahhh… Ahh”.

Heavy breathing was overheard afterward as a bloodied woman in her early twenties – whose jet-black hair was half dyed in red – gently rose, even after suffering through such heavy damage to her bones and muscles over that crash.

She restarted her futile attempt to land a hit on her opponent, but since her stamina was at such a drained level, the strength in her punch meant absolutely nothing. Adding insult to injury, a swift knee to the stomach from her enemy was enough to wake her up as blood spewed out of her mouth, followed by falling to her knees, groaning in agony.

Gasps were heard in the distance. “S-Sarah!!”.

Now struggling was heard as a young brunette woman – also in her young twenties – was using all her strength to escape the clutches of a pair of arms tightly wrapped around her torso.

“N-NO! Let me go!! We can’t let her get away with this senseless bullshit!!”.

Despite that, the person refused to oblige. “We ca-can’t do a-anything!! If you would jus- Hmph!!”. Somehow, they managed to get the bad-tempered brunette to look at them, as an attempt of a stern face was seen on their slim, bearded face. “L-Listen to me!! If you intervene, you will DIE!! You and Sarah!!”.

“SHE’S GOING TO FUCKING KILL HER ANYWAY!!”. Her blood was now pumping much faster, reaching deeper into her muscles.

Oh, how much she wanted to release all of that power by going on a wild rampage against the shady monster that was incapacitating the other woman.

Nevertheless, in the end, it was all just a power fantasy to cope with her unbalanced anxiety. 

Still, she wanted to do something, but due to the more assertive nature of the male person, who didn’t appear to be her enemy, she was being held back. “I will not stand here and watch her fight a battle I’m supposed to join in t-!!”.

Unexpectedly, she gasped at the sudden feeling of being held, no longer being able to look at the misery taking place. A firm hand began stroking her short hair, which resulted in tears streaming down her cheek, becoming so overwhelmed at all this.

“_{I… I’m going to lose her…}”.

“_{Shhh… No, you won’t… She can handle herself…}”.

“I beg the difference, little Benson”.

The young duo quickly looked at the source of that voice as they witnessed the Goddess of Love and Peace in her full glory – wearing her typical long white dress – while standing near them.

“W-What did you just say?!”. Wiping the tears off her cheek, she shivered in anger. “Do you really want her to die?! Is that it??”. She slightly pushed Benson away, so she could directly stare at her. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”.

“Such foul language, little Cindy”. Demonstrating such disappointment in her voice, she held the golden staff closer. “I have to say; each generation continues to surprise me with its ruder and mean-spirited behavior”.

The brunette growled at the inconsiderate enunciation heard in her voice, yet she was overshadowed as the older brunet stepped forward to shield her.

“Y-You talk a lot of smack for s-someone who’s deliberately causing all of this!”. He fidgeted a little, yet a deep breath was enough to calm his nerves and stare directly at the Goddess. “You were the one who started this, all because you believe you are above the universe!! How much longer will you continue to humiliate us?! You have proven time and time again that no one in our family can beat you!!”.

“Yeah!!”. Screamed Cindy, placing her hands on his shoulder to make herself seem taller. “You cheating bitch!! Admit it; your prophecy was nothing but lies to give us hope!! Seriously; how is one single human supposed to defeat a God?! If you weren’t such a candy-ass and be a real woman, you’d let me fight too!!”.

“I suppose I’m not giving many favors… And neither are you~!”. She evilly grinned, placing the back of her hand near her lips. “It just further proves that your great-grandmother was wrong all along~! Not only did her little daughter fail to comply to my challenge… but True love is nothing but a farse!!”.

“That’s not true!!”.

“Oh~? Then how come I have yet to see it in little Sarah~?”.

More aggressive noises were heard as the young woman was about to lay her claws on the Goddess. Unfortunately, she was prevented from doing so by the nervous young man, who grabbed her by the shoulders, blocking any attempt of that happening.

Such an absurd sight was enough for the tall luxurious lady to cackle.

“Ah~! Ah~!”. She teased, wiggling her finger from side to side. “You know the rules; a Dunwoody isn’t allowed to touch me~ That would mean you are deliberately intervening! And if you think you’ll have a chance in helping little Sarah; you are most certainly mist-AKEN!!”.

A sudden chomp sound effect was heard as Sarah stuck her teeth in the Goddess’s arm.

Both Benson and Cindy were dumbfounded as they witnessed the agitated tall lady do everything in her power to force her to let go, only to fail miserably and feel her skin be torn off.

Sparkling liquid was now leaking out, which moved its way to Sarah’s tongue. Such a stomach-turning flavor resulted in letting go of her arm and spitting the contents to the ground, feeling nauseated by such taste.

“Ah!! Sick!!”. She coughed a couple of times before using her hands to wipe that flavor off her tongue. “ Oh fuck, it got in my mouth!!”. Complaining that, she quickly turned to the Goddess, who was pressuring the bitten mark with her other hand. “What the hell was that?!”.

“Sarah!! Are you okay?!”.

Turning around, the woman weakly smiled at her partner. “Y-Yeah! Just… I feel like I just tasted unicorn pi-”.

«BLAM!»

A deafening environment was met as the black-haired woman’s eyes grew wide open, witnessing the look of horror seen on the duo’s face before she gazed down.

A golden object had penetrated its way into her stomach.

Before she could react further, a violent kick to her back was enough to pull her off the spear, resulting in her collapsing like a rock and becoming limp on the grass.

“SARAAAAAAH!!!”.

Benson was petrified at such a morbid scene, yet before he fell sidetrack on his emotions, he was able to grab the distressed girl by hooking her arms. She was back to do anything in her power to reach out to her sweetheart but knowing it was futile, as she was much weaker than the older brunet, she gave up on any crack to fight him.

Until she looked up at him. “_{I’m s-sorry, big bro…}”.

Suddenly, a thunderous shriek was released from the young man due to being forcefully kicked between his legs. He promptly released her and fell to his knees, shivering intensely at the torture.

This was her chance.

She dashed towards the gruesome battle, preparing herself to do the unthinkable.

In one jump, she was about to knock the lights out of the Goddess, but what she didn’t know was that she was unintentionally triggering an effect.

The lady herself was prepared as she stuck her hand out. 

Everything came to a screeching halt as Benson, drowning in soreness, managed to finally stare ahead, only to witness the utter chaos in front of him; his sister collapsing to the soil.

“N-No…. NO!!”.

Rapidly standing up, he ran towards the young brunette and knelt to her aid.

“C-Cindy! Can you hear me?! Cindy!!! Wake up!! P-Please…”. He gritted his teeth. “D-Don’t leave me…”.

A link of tears was now rolling down his cheeks as he held her closer.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s eyes were moving spirally out of control as she tried gasping for any remaining sign of life left in her body. Unfortunately, it was proven to be difficult as her soul was becoming frail.

Until she heard quiet sobbing, prompting her to observe the distraught scene.

“_C-Cindy…”.

Hearing such a faint voice, Benson gasped.

He witnessed the gory scene of his sister’s beloved, painfully dragging her body towards them, leaving a trail of blood behind her, contaminating the tall grass.

When she reached them, she held her sweetheart’s hand, feeling her previous smooth and warm skin change straight away into nothing but icy cold.

“S-Sarah, I-”. A raised pale hand interrupted his train of thought as he fidgeted at how much it was covered in red fluid. “I… I really thought we could finally end this, but…”. He closed his eyes, sobbing a couple of more times. “Dammit…! I should have-“.

“_{Shhh… It’s okay~}”. She wholeheartedly murmured with a smile. “_{This w-was my battle, rem-remember?}”. Weak coughing was heard, in addition to more blood being seen. “_Fuck…”.

“I… I’m so sorry, Sarah! I tried stopping her, but… she didn’t listen to me!!”.

“_{Eh… Typical of Cindy, am I right~?}”. She faintly chuckled, which led the young man to show a slight smile between his tears. ”_{Lis-Listen, Benny…} We weren’t… enough proof, but y-you still have a cha-chance to prove her wrong! I know your future love… c-can! K-Kick her butt for us… won’t you? ”.

The hush of the wind was heard as it blew on the trio’s hairs.

“_{I will, Sarah. And when you reunite with Cindy; take care of her for me… okay?}”.

Smiling at his reply, she then firmly nodded, full-on set to fulfill his request.

In the short time Benson took to slowly place Cindy on the grass, Sarah rubbed her thumb on her love’s numb hand before giving it a sweet kiss. Out of a sudden, her green eyes automatically closed, leading her to surrender her body and descend next to her beloved.

More wind was felt to some significant extent, yet, none of the two girls reacted.

He was, officially, all alone.

Every fiber of his body was stuck in limbo.

That included his traumatized consciousness; just in complete shutdown mode, as his expressionlessness face lowered further down, leading to more compulsorily tears leaking out.

He felt so insignificant.

Until he quietly snarled between heavy breaths, escaping through grinding teeth.

Something within him… just snapped as he opened his eyes.

His blue irises were quivering while the default color of his sclera began flashing, morphing into a bright reddish color. Any essential function in his body was just not working for him, no matter how hard he tried to seek composure by gripping the fabric of his pants.

What was happening to him?

At some point, the green-haired lady nonchalantly approached from behind, sticking her bloody staff on the soil near the broken young man, who continued shivering angrily. “Now you understand, little Benson? Rules are never meant to be broken… but I’m afraid little Cindy was much too reckless to understand the memo~”. A gentle tone was heard in her voice, yet a mischievous smile was seen on her lips. “Inform me; how does it feel … knowing you are the last Dunwoody left~?”.

He refused to look at her, not wanting to give her the luxury of an answer. 

“To be all alone… What a tragedy~”. A hand was placed on her chest. “Still… little Cindy’s words burn deep in my being… Pathetic! What nonsense! I assure you, little Benson; I have been nothing but loyal to your family!”. She took a couple of steps away from him. “Or… Have I been lying to myself? Hmph! Nonsense!! If she is so keen believing in my so-called lies, then I shall not jest! This malediction has been going on for far too long…“.

Hearing such blabbering finally led the brunet to look at her with his corrupted eyes.

“_Wḧ̷̞_at̴̨̾… _d^ȯ̷͖ _yȯ̷͖^u _m̸̞̿e^a̴̛̹_n?”. As he stuttered, heavy steam was blowing out of his mouth.

Turning toward his direction, she evilly smiled, not at all fazed at how explosive he showcased. “You know… I like you, little Benson. At first, I wasn’t so sure as to why you were even present… but I can see now that your sister wished you to be there as some sort of comfort. I won’t lie; I adore a close connection between siblings. A love between a brother and a sister… is much deeper than a romantic one~”.

An eyebrow was raised at that strange wording, making him somewhat nauseated.

“And… since you are the last Dunwoody left… It’s only fair we change the rules of the prophecy! So, what do you say? I’ll make it extra special… just for you~!”.

A quiet atmosphere was met, yet a happy clap was heard before he could respond.

“Oh, the excitement is simply killing me! Are you ready to hear it all, little-“.

“Benson!!”.

*******

Automatically, a gasp escaped the thief as he was snapped back to his current reality by a harsh slap to the face.

It took him a while, but eventually, he managed to have a better perspective of his environment, as the first image that popped into his weary eyes was of the humble spirit. He was hovering right in front of him, hands firmly planted on his shoulders.

“Dude! You’re dropping the medicine all over yourself!!”.

Blinking at that, he lowered his head, noticing he was holding the bottle of antiseptic liquid in one hand and a dry cotton ball in the other. Moving further down, he saw his legs, soaked to the brim with the liquid.

And weirdly yet?

Only now was he feeling the absolute scourge as the medicine began poking his wounds.

“A-Are… Are you okay, man? S-Sorry about slapping you, I don’t know what got into me… Do you need any h-“.

“NO!!“. He spoke abruptly before quietly groaning. “I’m… Mmmm!! F-Fine! Just- Argh!! Don’t TOUCH me!!”. He punched the rock he was sitting on to release his frustration, trying so hard to suppress any loud noises.

Fives was skeptical. “A-Are you sure? It really looked like you blacked out over there! C’mon… Wanna talk about it?”. He was about to grab the bottle, only to see the thief act like a hassle by retracting his hand and leaning away from him. “Benson…”. He sighed. “I know you’ve been pretty stressful having to deal with your family’s curse, plus this place all by yourself… It sucks, I can tell, but don’t bottle up your emotions! It’s not good for you!”.

He shook his head. “There’s nothing to talk about!!”. Barking that, he finally gained enough courage to attend to his wounds properly. “I… I need to hurry! I’ve left those two idiots alone for far too long! I’m sure they have messed up something by n-“. He froze as he felt his wrists being gripped, stopping him from committing to any further movement from his hands.

Yet, he didn’t fight back.

Noting the man was in a much calmer state, the ghost gently stole the bottle from his hand and the cotton ball. He stood behind him as he began helping him out with his wounds, especially those where there was no way he could reach.

A sigh escaped the thief’s lips, surrendering himself under his friend’s grasp. “I… I’m just… I still can’t believe I’m next in line to… clear my family’s name. I know it’s been some time, but… it still feels so… surreal”.

“I can tell… but you never stopped believing in yourself, right?”.

A dry and empty laugh was heard. “Oh, I wish!”. Retorting that, he grabbed a piece of his gear, using the fabric to wipe out any abundance of blood still leaking from his torso and legs. “When you deal with this shit all your life… you begin to wonder, you know? To be honest… I’ve already lost most of my morale, and I’m pretty sure it’s not long before I fuck up… and join alongside my ancestors…”.

Such a phrase shocked the ghoul. “What?! No, Benson! Don’t say that! I know you can pull it off!!”. He watched him roll his eyes. “No, I mean it!! Hear me out; we are dealing with a great opportunity at the mo-“.

“AHH!!”.

Fives recoiled at the thunderous echo, witnessing the thief shiver in pain, trying to channel his breathing to remain sane. “U-Ups! S-Sorry!! I… I might have overdone it on the medicine!! _{What’s gotten into me today…?} B-But, hold on, I can fix this! I just need something to-“. He was interrupted by the sudden movement of the thief shoving his old shirt to his face, signifying him to apply it to his gashes. “W-What?? No, I can’t use this! I’ll ruin it!”.

“D-Don’t worry about it!! Just do it, please!!”.

Seeing there was no point arguing, he snatched the fabric and applied it to his body, pressuring the wound. “Okay… T-There! I think it stopped bleeding! You okay?”. He peeked over, so he could look at his face.

And in turn, a small smile was aimed at his ghost friend. “Yeah, I’ll be okay… Thanks for helping, but I got it from here…”. Notifying in a hushed tone, he regained the medicine, now applying first aid to his arms.

Fives nodded before crossing his arms as something sprung to his mind. “Wasn’t appeal the keyword you told me before? Well, someone did show up in the end! And you know what? I do believe we found our guy! Seriously, all you have to do is go with the flow, and everything will work out in the end!”.

A sigh was heard. “Fives… I can’t”.

“What do you mean you can’t?”.

“I can’t just go with the fucking flow!”. He stated in an unmistakable tone. “This is a very delicate decision that I need to make! And it’s not just for me, but you and the rest of these trapped bastards!”. Lashing out at that, he grabbed the bandage rolls and began unwrapping them a bit too violently. “You think I haven’t been banging my head against the wall for over ten years about this?!”.

“Benson-”.

“No, you listen to me!”. He flared, pointing in his direction. “I want this stupid curse to end just as much as you do! But… I only have one chance! I can’t just believe that the first guy I see is the one for me! This isn’t a fucking fairytale! We’re talking about other lives here, Fives! Everyone is counting on me!”.

He stared at the bearded man’s conflicted nature but didn’t flinch at any of the words he said.

Instead, he simply smiled at him. “Then, fine! All you have to do is spend more time with the guy! Get to know him better. As I said, from then on, the process will go smoothly!”. He grinned proudly, clapping both his hands together.

The thief only stared, unsure where to begin with the phantom’s logic.

“Dude… Now, you listen to me, okay? Right now… I don’t see you trying at all. All I see is a man who’s just scared to take the first step of commitment! You need to relax a little… and I mean it! You’ll end up hurt, and you can bet your ass the Goddess will take advantage of that!!”. He squatted next to him. “Don’t you see this is what she wants you to feel? She’s been causing fear in your family for generations, preventing anyone from committing to love! You don’t want to end up like them, right?!”.

“I… A course not!”.

“Then push yourself forward, man!”. Sternly declaring that, he stole the band-aid from his hands and began helping him enfold it around his wounds. “Show her in her stupid face that true love does exist!! You’re telling me you don’t like… this guy… umm… what’s his name again?”.

It was unbelievable how much his friend took this so solemnly, but he had to admit it.

He made a good point.

His family might have never gotten to defeat the Goddess because of the amount of fear she provoked in them. Thus, no amount of strength or love for their partner would be enough to take her down. Not like his ancestors didn’t love the people they chose to become soulmates with, but at some point, doubt clustering their disturbed and aching minds would be enough to trouble the battles even further.

Did this also mean that Benson was scared? Oh, definitely, he was terrified!

On the flip side, after being forced to endure that little adventure with Mordecai, something he thought he had lost so many years ago somehow miraculously reappeared; consolation.

And to think that such a regular guy as him would be able to ease his mind just like that. Even if the said individual was a villager of that blasted town, that caused the fruition of the curse.

It felt so ironic. As if this was some sort of cruel joke, the universe was pulling on him.

Life honestly had its strange molding ways.

However, the moment he decided to trust the villager with that slingshot, and in turn, he would repay by fully participating in his plan, even if little to no context was given to him, everything changed.

He had to admit; they made quite a good team.

Despite still not being so sure about the whole romantic aspect between them, he couldn’t deny that something about this man was giving him such a complicated yet cushy sensation.

Almost like a spark had ignited within him.

It felt silly wording it like that, but in honest truth, he had no idea how else to describe it.

Perhaps, it was time to stop overthinking so much and go with the flow.

However, was he truly prepared for that?

“I-It’s Mordecai…”. His cheeks warmed when mentioning his name, yet he continued to act neutral about it. “That’s his name”.

An indifferent Fives nodded. “Pretty weird name, not gonna lie… but I guess that makes him unique!”. Finishing rolling the last band-aid around his shoulder, he proudly posed. “Done!! You don’t look like a mummy, but you’re nearly there~!”. He laughed a bit before going into a hysterical fit and seeing the other man give him an affiliative smile. “Ahh…~ Welp, your good to go! But… you’re not serious about wearing these old things again, right?”. He picked up some of the worn-out and torn fabric, now covered in large red stains. “Like, I don’t know about you, but these are as good as gone!”.

“Yeah, it’s in pretty bad shape, uh?”. He sighed, reaching for his bag again. “Well, luckily, I came prepared”. Stating it, he pulled the bag over his shoulder and stood up. “Stay here for a bit. I’ll be back”.

-

A few minutes had passed, and Fives was sitting in the grass, pulling some of it in the process.

Regardless of being alone for a short amount of time, boredom began to spread into his brain. Internally, he wondered what kept his friend from returning or where he even went that made him want to go alone.

Before he could continue his thought process, footsteps were heard approaching him. It startled him a little, forcing him to levitate up to his feet, but he stood there like a statue.

Waiting for the inevitable to happen.

Thankfully, as the view became more explicit, it turned out to just be his old friend approaching the area. A sigh of relief escaped him, but he returned to suspend his breathing. Something interesting did indeed catch his eye about him; he was no longer naked.

When the bearded man made it to the area, Fives finally got a better look at him and his new outfit.

It was almost identical to the last one.

The only difference was its color pallet; it was composed of various dark shades of red.

An apple shade color was seen on the sleeve vest and the shoulder pads cloth – located on top of the shirt. There was a ruby shade on his puffy pants, where just below his knees, the fabric would be hidden inside his long brown boots, where a knife holder was connected.

That latter darkish color was also seen on his gloves and new cloak.

Speaking of the latter, compared to the older fabric, it was slightly shorter, stopping a little below his knee. And there was a brand-new feature on it. Not only was it possible to use it to cover his head, but now half his face as well. It worked almost entirely like a mask, where he could position it above his nose.

A new accessory was added; a white belt with a buckle shaped like an iron heart. It was positioned diagonally, in which the support area – seen above his waist – was where the pink mask could be safely linked onto. And now, he had a leather belt bag – which replaced his old satchel – hanging to the side of his right leg, firmly attached around his waistband.

In the end, Fives couldn’t deny it; he was very impressed.

And he made sure the man was aware of that as he released a long whistle. “Wooooah…! Nice new gear!!”. He grinned, floating around him. “Where did you get it from?? I thought you only had one outfit!”.

Connecting the mask onto his belt, he gave him a smirk while shrugging. “I have my ways~!”. Placing the bag back on the original rock, he repositioned the first aid products back into it before something hit him. “Umm… Hey, Fives?”. He paused for a second before looking him in the eyes. “I just recalled something… The thing is; the only reason why Mordecai even decided to come here… was to fetch a golden pocket watch I stole”.

“A pocket watch?”.

Finishing cleaning, he replied to the ghost by nodding. “Yeah… He said it belonged to his father… or father figure to be more precise”.

He floated a bit far off, pondering out loud. “That’s… kind of a weak reason to be here, not gonna lie… Most normal people would just forget about it and move on!”. He stopped, now turning his attention back to him. “Mmm… What do you think? Do you really believe in that?”.

“I… I don’t know, I-“. He paused as another memory flashed through his eyes, leading his face to showcase a serious expression. “Wait a minute!”. Swiftly, he unzipped his pouch and pulled a very familiar golden object out of it, becoming dumbfounded. “What the…?”.

“Yo!”. Screamed a stunned Fives, who was not even a second in and was already near the thief, curiously checking the object up close. “Is that the watch??”. He pointed with a big smile. “That looks hella expensive!!”.

He shrugged. “I suppose, but I’m not sure… Heck, I’m surprised I didn’t notice this when I replaced the satchel! How… did I even manage to get this? I thought he managed to grab the watch…”. He thought for a few seconds before snapping his fingers. “Right… When we were dealing with CJ, the watch almost flew away, but I managed to catch it!”. He rotated the object in every direction, discretely admiring it. “I wonder why he didn’t ask for it back…?”.

The soul raised his eyebrows at that information, especially at that last question. “No… fucking… way!!”. His pure excitement managed to catch the other man’s attention, who stood there waiting to see where this was going. “Dude, a coverup!!”.

“A what?”.

Moving towards him, he wrapped an arm around his neck. “Benson!! Think about it; if you were in his shoes and you found out that your watch was located here, would you really come over to fetch it??”. He watched him lower his eyes, followed by shaking his head. “Exactly! You’d be basically sacrificing your life for an object!! Man, I’m telling you; he doesn’t care about the watch!! I’m pretty sure he’s just embarrassed to tell you the truth!”. He promptly released him, floating a bit far off. “Bro!! He’s into you!!”. He happily beamed.

A blush made it to the thief’s face again, but he briefly brushed it off, grabbing the bag and carrying it over to the small waterfall. “I-I… I don’t know about that! With the amount of bullshit we been through, he must have forgotten about it! That’s just speculation, in my opinion”. As he pulled the water cans out of the bag and began filling them with water, he was surprised to see his friend giving him a scowling look. “Okay, fine! If we’re going with this logic, let’s say he really is lying about his intentions…”. He shrugged. “What do I do then? Before I left them alone, I overheard them say they only came for the watch!”.

“So?”.

He placed a hand on his hip, now giving a mean look at his friend. “So?? Fives, I’ll have to give back the watch! And if they have it, what’s the point being here?!”. He raised his arms to signify his point better.

For a brief moment, he pretended to be thinking hard about the situation as he placed his index finger over his lip. “Mmmmmm…. Then make up a lie to make them stay longer!”. He looked up to the dark atmosphere of the forest. “It’s the full moon week, so maybe you can use that to your advantage!”. He suggested, placing his hands behind his back, but noticed the bearded man was about to protest. “Ah, ah! I know what you’re about to say! Listen, sometimes you need to sacrifice a little lie there and then for things to work out, ya know?”

Placing the filled seven cans of water down, he stared disgustingly at his friend. “That is awful! We are talking about relationships, right??”. He observed him comically shrug, resulting in him crossing his arms. “You can’t be serious… Do you even know what’s the key to a good relationship??”.

“Tolerance!”.

He blinked at that unexpected answer before leaning on a tree. “Okay… And how important is honesty in a relationship?”.

After carefully thinking, Fives smiled. “Detrimental, but dangerous!!”.

A small unintentional smile made it to his lips. “W-What~?”. It appeared he couldn’t contain himself as small chuckles were heard. Not for long, as he managed to remain calm, running his hands through his hair, knowing this was no laughing matter. “Y-You're ridiculous! At the end of it all, I can’t just lie to him”.

“Hey, if he can, why can’t you?”. He asked with a bit of an attitude face before washing it away with a frowning expression, landing his feet on the soil. “Just reconsider it, man! I mean, I get what you’re saying! Lying is bad, especially if you want to gain your partner's trust. But either you stick to the plan, or we continue living in misery… one which might never end”.

This was a bad idea.

Although, what other choice did he have?

In reality, there was no way Mordecai would want to stay here of his own free will. Any sane person in his shoes would want to buckle up and back away from this place as soon as possible.

Never to return.

‘Focus! Just… go with it. He’ll understand, right? …Right?’. Taking that into consideration, he finally released a long relinquish sigh placing his hood over his head. “Alright, alright! I’ll try to put some effort in. I promise”. Pronouncing his word, he shoved the small water containers into his backpack.

Fives felt his light spirit rise again, cheerfulness and hope entering him. “Awesome!! We’re all pretty glad to hear that! And remember Benson; get to know him more!! Hang out with him and overall, let the process flow”.

“Yeah, I got it”. Positioning his bag behind his back, he walked over to the friendly ghost. “Well, I should head back. I’ll escort you back to the Oasis“. Stating that, he began walking ahead, promptly followed by the levitating being. “By the way… Thanks for everything you’ve done. I really needed to vent”.

He winked. “Don’t we all? In fact, you can do that with Mordecai!”.

“Oh… If I did, I don’t think he’d be comfortable around me”.

He laughed at the anguished tone in his voice. “Tsk, doubt it!! Trust me, it’s pretty simple what you got to do. You’ll be fine!”. He gave him a thumbs up. "We're counting on you!".

“Ah-ah-ah… Y-Yeah!”. He smiled at him before looking away, revealing a nervous frown.

This was going to be a very long week, wasn’t it?

Chapter Text

After successfully escorting Fives toward the ravine and saying their farewells, the thief was back into proceeding along the forest on his lonesome, whilst unquestionably conflicted.

From all his life experience, never has a thirty-minute journey back to his domain felt so eerie.

It wasn’t complicated to figure out why, but it was still demeaning even to discuss it. He knew that deep down, he had to be somehow able to influence his trespassers into dwelling in this green hell. And to add insult to injury, he had to do it in a way without raising any suspicion. Especially to the point, they won’t ask any questions and just accept it.

No way was this going to be manageable.

First off, never in his life has he pulled such a manipulation move on anyone. In point, it sickened him just thinking about it, as visions of that Goddess were brought into his mind, fearing the idea that he was turning into an identical copy of her.

A shiver ran up his spine, but he managed to pull himself together, deluding to the idea that he couldn’t be in the wrong. Essentially, sometimes ignoring your moral compass would be the best decision to pull when in a complicated situation.

Oh, boy, he was that desperate, wasn’t he?

Removing the hood off his head, he could feel the refreshing wind on his hair, yet that wasn’t quite enough to soothe him into completion. So, he unzipped his leather bag and grabbed a sphere out of it, but before he could pop it into his mouth, he noticed that his hand also unintentionally gripped the golden object.

It was quite a mesmerizing watch. Even he wasn’t sure why, since besides its richly decorated material, it appeared to be just a normal-looking pocket watch to see the current time.

And then it hit him, as he recalled the moment the humble ghost gave him that suggestion.

Maybe that could be his only saving grace.

After all, hardly any people knew much proficiency about this place compared to him. So, if he could exchange a couple of interesting things he’s heard in the past about this place and mix them into his lie, maybe, just maybe, he was able to sound convincing to people who weren’t as aware.

Again, it felt so wrong to manipulate, even if those villagers did so happen to trespass on his propriety and almost gave him a hard time. Still, it was apparent they didn’t deserve to go through such a malicious action since they never intended for any of this to happen.

Then again, if those two were kept at a relatively safe distance from any trouble, it wouldn’t be so bad. And in the misfortunate event that they do somehow end in any distressing affairs, the thief could always jump into action and do anything in his power to defend them.

As if those villagers were foolish enough to fool around, right?

Amidst his pondering, somehow, he was interrupted by the moment he was about to fall off due to the massive wind. Only to then be saved by that blue-haired man, which resulted in him shaking his head in disbelief. Despite that, a smile wasn’t farfetched from appearing on his lips as he finally threw the ball into his mouth, chewing it steadily and positioning the watch back in the satchel.

-

Shortly after, about a couple more minutes of walking on the miraculously peaceful path, where no dangers seemed to be seen for miles, he triumphed back to the Tree; his humble home.

Shockingly enough, it appeared to be intact yet so modest.

Not wanting to jump to any conclusions, he climbed the enormous tree. He wanted to see for himself if everything was indeed in its proper place, just like he had left off.

When reaching the lowest platform located, he removed the bag off his shoulders. He bent down to retrieve all the bottles from it, followed by opening a trapdoor in the wooden platform and safely positioned them inside, where it was also possible to see a few edible items in there, such as fresh fruits, jars with dried fruits, and canned food.

From all the bottles, he chose two and promptly locked them to his belt. Assured that they were safe and wouldn’t spill, he carelessly threw the bag – which still had his old gear – among the others, which were piled in the corner, with some leaning against the Tree’s body.

Carefully closing the door, he quickly ascended to the rest of the platforms by jumping or using the rope ladders in case it was much too high for him. 

Until he halted on one, spotting a familiar-looking pillow hidden underneath the destroyed hammock bed.

-

Once he got to the correct wooden floor, a surprised Pink Thief, tightly holding the feathery item under his armpit, stood comfortably near the edge.

His bothersome trespassers were dead asleep, especially the tall villager, who was snoring the loudest between the two. Both were sharing the hammock bed – that temporarily belonged to the disabled villager – altogether, drooling over each other.

Gross, if not a little funny.

In a hush movement, he squatted and slowly walked forward, ensuring his boots wouldn’t make much of a racket on the wood. When next to them, he placed the pillow down, proceeding to unlock one of the cans of water, and placing it on the floor.

«Ahhhh-hhaaaaaa!»

As he was about to perform the same tactic in the other container, his body froze.

Someone had released a yawn in his proximity, which automatically forced him to stand up and notice the white-eye villager was weakly rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Oh, he woke up.

… … …

Wait, what??

The unmasked individual gasped in trepidation, aware that he was out in the open. He tried to pull the mask, but unfortunately for him, it seemed it was stuck to the belt.

‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’.

Realizing he was not going to get his way, he opted for another strategy; he rapidly turned his back on his trespassers and pulled the hood over his head. And even then, he still felt it wasn’t enough to cover his identity, so he used a bit of the cloak around the neck as a mask.

During that process, it did appear the short brunet was awakened, but apparently, it was taking his time, as all he saw was blurry. Amazingly enough, it seemed he didn’t even notice what the thief was doing.

Or what he, himself, was even doing, as his brain was moving in airplane mode.

Until he blinked a couple of times, finally noticing someone was there. “M-Mordecai?” He yawned once more, followed by licking his lips. “Is that you, man?”.

Giving attention to his voice led him to grab the hood with both hands, ensuring it was extra effective on his enigmatic aura. “No, it’s me, the… whatever you call me thief”.

“Uh…?”. Out of a sudden, he heard snoring, promptly lowering his head, which sure enough came from his sleeping best friend next to him. “Oh…”. He couldn’t help but release another yawn, whereas his eyes began leaking some exhausted tears this time. “It’s just you, Pink Thief… S’up?”. He drowsily smiled.

“Umm, nothing much…?”. He felt a little weird being asked such a simple question before gently pushing the water containment closer to the villager with the use of his foot. “Here, I got you guys more water”.

Taking a look down, the white-eyed man gasped in contentment. “Oh, heck yeah!! Finally, I swear I was gonna die at any moment!!”. Oblivious to the eye roll coming from his hero’s expression, he reached out to the bottle but hesitated as he was about to take a sip of it. “Umm… Thanks for doing me this solid! Pretty rad of you… Oh, also the whole saving thing too and all”.

A smile formed on the bearded man’s lips at the villager’s awkward but sincere tone. “It’s nothing”. He could hear chugging noises, which led him to take a quick peep behind. “How’s your leg feeling?”.

No words came out of the other man, as he was still busy drinking, until he let out a loud gasp, signifying he was done quenching his thirst.

And it wasn’t that hard to notice as he violently threw the empty can to the floor.

“Wooo!! Damn, I really needed that!!”. Excitedly exclaiming his words, he fully opened his eyes and took a better look at the view around him. That included the fact that the thief had his back facing him, which allowed him to concentrate on the mask hanging on his belt. “Hey, why aren’t you wearing your ugly mask? Is that why you won’t look at me?”.

Upset at that uncalled insult on his gear, he crossed his arms. “Hey! I have the right not to want to look at you!”. He spoke nastily, only to slump his arms in defeat, knowing there was no point hiding the truth. “Fine… It’s stuck, okay? I don’t know what I did, but I can’t get it out of my belt”.

He nodded while placing a finger on his lip, analyzing the dangling object. “I see…Then come closer, dude!”. He gestured while gripping his other hand on the bed’s fabric. “C’mon, let me help you out!”.

Regardless, the thief didn’t move. “And why should I trust you?”.

“Becaaaaaaause, if you can trust Mordecai, then you can definitely trust this boyyyy~!!”. He beamed, pointing at himself with both thumbs.

The figure stood his ground. “How much do you know?”.

He shrugged. “Eh, not much!”. Nonchalantly spewing the truth, he leaned back on the bed. “But like, it’s not that bad, once you get past the voices in your h-“.

“I meant, what did Mordecai tell you?”.

He stood quietly before finally understanding what was going on. “Oooh! Well, in that case-”. Pointing at each of his fingers, he began numbering the scenarios. “-he told me the whole thing where you patched him up, and then he told me you two fought a literal bitch, and then he also told me the thing of you telling him the whole facts about this place…”. He paused. “Actually, he told me a lot of things, like holy shit”.

As he explained the brief synopsis, the Pink Thief stood by for him to mention something about the scenario that happened before they met CJ.

Only to be met with surprise that he didn’t.

«Ba-dum-»

‘No, stop it!’. Internally vexing at himself, he angrily sighed as another warm feeling began to rise to his cheeks. ‘His really keeping his promise…’. After a few seconds of silence, he once again held his hood – trying to cover as much of his head as possible – before retreating a couple of steps, stopping near the hammock bed. “Help me. Please”. He slightly begged.

Enjoying such a defeated tone in his voice, Rigby decided to oblige as, in one swell swoop, he untangled the mask and shoved it in the thief’s hand. “There ya go, man or whatever!”. He proudly stated, watching him place the mask on his face. “Consider this my way of making up to you!”.

Sensing it was positioned right, he finally turned around, having the courage to look at the short villager in the eyes. “Yeah… Thank you, I appreciated it very much”. He looked down at his belt and then back at him. “How exactly did you do that?”.

“I dunno”. He shrugged. “Pops always told me I have the blood of a raccoon because I’m good at these sorts of things”. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he nervously smiled. “I have no idea what that means, but eh… It’s kind of a weird flex, I guess”.

Smiling under the mask, a few chuckles were heard at that strange response. “So, you’re telling me you are some sort of pickpocketing thief?”. He crossed his arms, leaning on the branch to which the bed was tied behind the villagers.

“I mean~”. He started to feel giddy, proud that he managed to get the thief to laugh. “You can act all surprised and all that, but you’d be shocked to know that I’m pretty much a cool thief too~ N-Not as perfect as you… but I can be if you tell me your secrets~!”. More laughter was overheard, yet the white-eye villager somewhat raised his arms. “Just saying, man!”.

It was quite pleasing that the short man behaved in a rather friendly and casual manner. Although he had no idea what else the blue-haired man told him when he was gone, there was no way of denying that it felt great that he was calm enough to be on good terms with him.

Heck, he was actually starting to like him… not in that way, of course.

The short trespasser wasn’t exactly his type.

In fact, did the thief even have one?

“Man!!”. Hollered Rigby, startling the bearded man a little, as he watched him stretch his arms so he could feel a little more comfortable. “I’m glad that you're cool and all, but to be honest? This place is absolute shit!! Can’t wait to get back home soon and take a bath!”.

This was it.

“Umm… I’m afraid that’s not possible”.

«Silence»

“WHAT?!”.

Such an echo was enough to cause an alarmed Mordecai to wake up, disorientated.

When having a feeling of his surroundings, he groaned in annoyance. “Urrgh!! What the heck, Rigby?! Why did you- Oh, hey, you’re back!”.

Mordecai’s lousy mood was switched to a complete one-eighty as he noticed they weren’t alone. Yet, before he could say anything else, his eyes were set on the new gear the thief wore, which, deep down, made him feel a little flushed.

He had to admit; that this new color pallet fit him to a tee compared to the original design. It presented his fearless and caring personality. Perhaps with a sprinkle of aggressiveness too.

In addition, the Pink Thief quickly noticed that the tall villager was checking him out. Although it was flattering that he appeared to like his new outfit, at the same time, he was glad that the mask was able to hide his red-colored facial expression.

Meanwhile, an oblivious Rigby didn’t notice the intimate look they were both sharing unintentionally, as he still felt hot over what he heard coming out of the unknown individual’s mouth.

Briskly turning to his best friend, he showed him a pouting face. “Brooooo!! They said we can’t go back home! What the heck?!”.

The blue-haired villager snapped out of it, rubbing one of his eyes while turning his attention to his whinny friend. “Mm, what? Why?”. He asked, now looking at the thief.

In turn, the individual pointed up, making the duo stare at the full moon above them.

“Wooooah…”. They shared in unison.

The thief nodded at their admiration before clearing his throat to get their attention. “As I made myself clear; one individual forged the curse of the Last Willow Grove, and you can bet she is no laughing matter regarding the amount of power she owns. Worst yet, her full power is unleashed during the full moon week, and it can spread to every corner of the Grove. And that power is a barrier, which prevents any living beings or… spirits, to be exact, from leaving”. He unlocked the remaining watering can and gave it to the blue-haired man, who gladly accepted it. “The effects… used to be deadly, as the victim would feel a sense of struggle and lack of oxygen. And yes, they used to be, because now, the barrier isn’t much of a threat to anyone, but it can still force you to stay locked in throughout the week”. Taking a deep breath, he angrily crossed his arms. “So… yeah! Tough luck!! You’re both stuck here, which means… I have no choice but to take care of you, idiots!!”. He slowly walked a couple of steps from them. “_{Just my fucking luck…}”.

While the thief tried so hard to keep himself in character, the young villagers were in disbelief. They never imagined it was possible to somehow get into a bigger chaotic mess than the one they had already gotten themselves into.

Well, maybe not much for Mordecai’s point of view, as his eyes brighten up.

“Well, back to being depressed”. Showing off a deadpan expression, the short man plopped back on the bed, staring out at the sky or the unknown, depending on what was left in his brain.

“Dude~??”. Wheezing at his friend’s sudden negative mood, the tall man slowly managed to leave the bed without accidentally touching his leg. “Dude, chill out! This isn’t all that bad… It could be worst, ya know?”. He grinned, stretching his legs.

He stared back at him in disbelief. “…What? How??”.

“We could be down there”. He casually pinpointed that probability while shrugging.

Which led his friend to concur with that line of logic, yet a groan was heard, still feeling so aggravated. “But still!! Why aren’t you upset about this??”.

“Pff, why bother? It kind of does suck, but like… I trust the Pink Thief can help us out”.

“Mmmm!!”.

Smiling at his friend’s pouting, he shook his head. “C’mon, man, stop being so difficult over this… Aren’t you at least happy that I’m here?”.

“Yeah, I guess… It’s cool to know that I have you around!”. Pronouncing that, he turned to the thief, who was just standing there, watching them both bicker. “Okay… but just to be sure; is there really no other way to pass the barrier?”. Seeing him simply shake his head led him to groan again. “This sucks!! Skips didn’t mention this full moon, whatever bullshit!”.

“Dude, he probably did, but you were too busy not wanting to pay attention to notice!”.

“Then, why didn’t you say anything?!”.

“Bruh!! At this point, I don’t even know how the fuck I got here!! All this insanity has made me lose all my brain cells!”. Mordecai paused as he heard a small snort coming from the thief, which caused him to smile a little. “Besides… we still have each other. And I know the Pink Thief will be there for us if we get into trouble”. He wholeheartedly vocalized, now staring tenderly at his hero. “Trust me; I’ve seen their awesome moves~”.

Rigby blinked at that before looking at the thief, who was back to his quiet nature, seemingly staring at the tall villager. “Yeah… but what about Pops??”. He stared back at his best friend. “He’s probably worried sick about us!! I mean, how long have we been out?! Weeks, months, years?!”.

“It’s only been a day”. Retorted the thief, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, dude! Chill! It’s been-“. He gasped, patting his own jeans pockets. “Oh, shit!! Where did it go??“.

“What? What’s wrong, dude?!”.

“The…. The watch!! It’s go-“. He interrupted himself as a hand stuck out to him, seen holding said object he was panicking over. “Ah… R-Right, thanks~!”. He gladly grabbed it back, only to look down at it to check the time. “So… don’t panic, but we been here for about… seven hours, give or take?”.

“Shit! That’s ridiculous!! How do you expect me to know that?! This place doesn’t even have a sun! It’s always so bLoOdY dark!”. He barked out, leading to his voice cracking a little at the end of his sentence.

A feature that the thief wasn’t prepared to hear. “What was that about? I wasn’t aware you were British”. He said in awe, then turned his head at the taller man, who was laughing in hysteria.

“Pffff~!! Ahahaha~! N-Nah, he isn’t~!”. When he managed to ease himself, he cheerfully grinned. “We been living with Pops for a couple of months now, and some of his British accents have rubbed onto Rigby. Isn’t it cute~?”. He teased, poking his friend’s cheek, which resulted in him receiving a slap on the hand.

“STOP TALKING! I’m just scared, okay?! Damn, get off my face!!”.

In any case, Mordecai kept on laughing, causing Rigby to punch him repeatedly on the arm, yet nothing would budge his friend, feeling as if his assaults were the wind.

The bearded man could only disappointedly sigh at this. 

“Enough of this! There’s no need to be scared or angry over this! What’s done is done, so we move on!”. Stating that, he watched the miracle of the two villagers stopping whatever actions they were doing and focusing their attention on him. “Anyway… Since you two will be staying with me, I need to go on an expedition to fetch more supplies”. He rapidly pointed at Mordecai. “And you will be coming with me”.

The tall man was confounded at the news. “Me??”. He pointed to himself, still not assure if his ears deceived him. “Y-You… want me to come with you~?”.

A nod was replied. “I need help to carry everything we need. And… Riiiiigbby…?”. Although he hesitated, he still tried to pronounce his name, but when the blue-haired man gave him a thumbs up, he continued his explanation in a more casual tone. “And since Rigby is currently in a very delicate situation-“.

“Heeey!!”.

“-I think you should come with me while you stay and rest until you’re fully healed”.

“What?! I don’t want to be alone!!”.

The masked individual shrugged. “I forgot the part where that’s my problem”. A chuckle was heard from the tall man, yet the thief pretended he didn’t listen to it. “And believe me, when your leg gets better, I will make sure you do something around here! Besides, it’s a good thing that you slackers are working for me after forcing me to pull so much bullshit!!”.

“Slackers?! Bro!”. Rigby was dumbfounded hearing these accusations, placing a hand on his chest.

Mordecai could only grin, not really finding his insult to be a big deal. “Oh, wow! Finally, someone says it!”. He noticed the thief was looking at him, which led him to elaborate. “Yeah, he pretty much never works. Not to mention that Pops hardly ever puts him in his place, so I think it’s a good thing for his thick skull!”.

Rigby scowled, very offended hearing his best friend. “Dude, what have I ever done to you?! I haven’t hurt you… all that much!”. He folded his arms, angrily staring at the thief. “There’s no way I’m taking this!”.

“Hmph! Too bad! You two are under my rules this week, so you better get used to it! Or I will drop you down personally”. Benson growled, causing Rigby to grumble his obedience. “Now that we have that out of the way; rest you two. This has been a rather shitty day for the three of us”.

Rigby and Mordecai could only agree on that.

As the thief was about to leave, the tall man quickly grabbed the bag with the rations located on the floor.

At a rapid pace, he went towards him. “Hey!”. He watched him stop, leading him to do the same and showcase the bag. “Here! I saved some for you! I… I thought you’d be hungry too!”.

The thief puzzlingly stared at it before shaking his head, discretely smiling underneath the mask. “That’s… sweet of you, really, but that bag was meant just for the two of you. I have my morsels, so you don’t have to worry about me”.

“Oh! O-Okay”. He nervously chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck. “I… I thought that you’d probably-“.

“N-No! I-I mean… Y-Yeah, I get it! I… It was still nice of you, but… umm-“.

“Mm!! Yeah, Yeah, I gotcha, I gotcha… I’ll go eat then… Oh, thanks for fetching more water! I… I’ll definitely drink this while eating…”.

“G-Good…”.

A long pause hit them on the head as they awkwardly faced different directions, while Rigby could only squint his eyes at the eerie atmosphere centered between them.

Well, someone had to make the first move because if not, they would be stuck there for a while.

Maybe an eternity. 

So, the thief cleared his throat. “Umm… A-Anyway, if you two need anything… I’m just a few platforms up, okay?”. He observed him gesture neutrally. “Okay… Try and rest a little. I’ll wake you up when it’s time”.

Mordecai hesitated but slowly smiled. “You got it!! I promise I won’t let you down~!”.

“Tsk… I know you won’t~”.

Mordecai’s eyes widened, shell-shocked by such a twist; did his voice somehow get sweeter?

Well, one thing was certain, his ears were delighted by such sugar vocal, which led his blood vessels to act up and turn his body into the embodiment of a heater.

Oh, this man was truly a criminal; stealing his heart without consideration.

Not that he was complaining.

In the meantime, the man was having a meltdown – seen by his sheepish smile – the Pink Thief had left them alone, already stepping onto the platform above them.

Rigby could only stare at his friend.

“What are you fucking gay?”.

«POW»

A shriek was heard, but not before he grabbed his violent friend’s fist and pulled him in. Such an abrupt motion resulted in Mordecai losing his balance and landing on the unstable hammock bed. Such a heavyweight led one of the cords to untangle from the branch and drop both villagers onto the wooden floor.

They both groaned in pain.

More so did Rigby, who had to deal with his friend’s superior weight.

However, he was surprised to notice that his leg had conveniently crashed onto a pillow. When he moved his head to observe the object’s features better, he lightly punched the blue-haired man, whose body didn’t bulge, as his face was still planted down.

“Fucking… told you they stole my pillow, fucker”.

An exhausted sigh escaped Mordecai.

‘Maaan… Benson, please, don’t come back…”.

As the taller man hoped on his wish – not wanting to be further embarrassed – he wasn’t aware that the masked man had heard the entire commotion but didn’t bother to climb down and check up on them.

The reason?

He was too busy thinking about that silly blue-haired man, embarrassingly covering his warm face with both hands.

Chapter Text

A couple of hours passed, and a hooded Benson, without the mask, was standing on the highest platform – classified as the peak of the Tree – just gazing down at the green environment through his tired blue eyes.

Although he and his trespassers were presumably safe from the dangers of any occult trespassers that might have it in them to sneak up from below, he still felt the need to commit to the vigilante role. After all, if CJ could drop unannounced, there was a high possibility that someone could perform the same foul tactic.

Well, in all honesty, unlikely.

From all his experience, the only one who ever committed to such dirty play was the cloud lady, and she had become nothing but smoke now. So, it was unlikely for anything identical to occur.

In reality, boredom struck the masked individual.

Since he departed from the villagers, he’s been preparing for the future forage on his lonesome. Two bags were seen sitting in the middle of the platform, ready to be used when the perfect timing came. Once he finished preparing everything, he went to grab a bite to eat in the form of an apple, as a knife and a long apple peel were seen beside him on the wooden floor.

And now, there he was.

Waiting for the right moment to leave, so he and the tall villager could begin their little adventure into the dangers of the Last Willow Grove.

A yawn escaped his throat for the tenth time, briefly causing him to grab his throat, feeling a slight sting rise. After it seemed the pain had disappeared, he released it and went back to keeping an eye on any suspicious activity.

However, he failed to perceive that someone had made it to his current platform.

Mordecai watched his savior from behind, yet he appeared conflicted with himself.

A loud exhale was puffed out, finally giving him the courage to approach him. At the same time, he didn’t want to startle the bearded man, in fear he might mistake him for some sort of threat and take him down in one move.

So, he gradually stepped closer in hushed steps, and when still located at a comfortable distance, he finally cleared his throat. “Benson?”.

A sudden flinch was seen in the thief’s body.

As he was about to unlock the mask unconsciously and put it back on his face, he promptly analyzed the familiar voice in his head, which led him to peek over his shoulder. “Oh… It’s you, Mordecai”. Discretely sighing in relief, he tightened the grip of the mask back on his belt. “Is everything okay?”. He questioned, rotating his body to face him.

The blue-haired man shyly gave a light raspberry, dumping his hands in his trousers pockets. “Y-Yeah, everything’s fine… Can’t sleep”. He weakly chuckled, staring down at the wooden floor.

An eyebrow was raised. “Really? When I returned, you looked pretty zoned out. I’m actually surprised Rigby’s yelling was enough to wake you up~”. He lightly teased, placing a hand on his waist.

“Ahah~! Good point~!”. He amusingly uttered before walking towards the thief and stopping next to him. “To be honest, I thought you’d be asleep, but I couldn’t find you anywhere. You good?”.

He shrugged. “Yeah”. He went back to looking at the view of the Grove. “When you’ve experienced everything this place offers, it’s hard to find time to rest”.

“Yeah, I feel ya… I mean, I been here less than a day, and I’m… still pretty much horrified!”.

“Exactly”. He sighed before leaning his arm on a tree branch nearby. “So… How do you feel?”.

“About what?”.

“Being stuck in the Grove and… Yeah, pretty much that”. He sat by the edge, picking up the knife and playing with its sharp tip. “Your friend was really revolted at the idea, but you? You seem to be all right with all this”.

“Ah”. A blush emerged from his cheeks, yet a quick cough was enough for it to disappear. “It’s a little scary, and I won’t lie, but as I said-“. He admired the view before sitting next to him. “I believe we can get through this with your help~!”.

“Mm-Mm”.

An awkward silence landed on them as they both looked in different directions.

“Umm… Ya know?”. Began Mordecai, leading the other man to look at him. “I suppose that small nap was enough for my brain or something because… seriously, I have no idea if I can sleep again! It’s been nightmare after nightmare afterward…”. He paused a little before smiling. “I suppose the only thing that got me to sleep was dreaming about you kicking butt~!”. 

The thief felt his heart skip a beat but ignored it by peeking at the green scene ahead. “Y-You really seem to trust me a lot, uh? I suppose this tells me that you tend to talk to strangers regularly?”.

Blinking at that question, he ended by grinning. “Pff~ What do you mean by that? Dude, after everything we’ve been through?? Nah, you’re definitely my friend!”.

“Ouch”. Lightly expressed the thief, pretending to be in pain. “Did you really just put me in the friend zone~?”. He snickered until he quickly shut down, as his pupils shrunk in horror.

Did he just unconsciously state that he wanted to be more than friends?

“I-I mean-”. He nervously flustered, gripping the fabric of his pants. “I-I appreciate that!!”.

Oh, Benson could hide his words all he wanted, but Mordecai wasn’t deaf in the slightest.

Hearing such a cute revelation led him to place both his hands over his chest, feeling as if his heart had just exploded out of happiness. Not to mention how much he adored the fact the man was having a complete mental breakdown, which made the villager even more lovestruck with him.

Oh, this was too good to be true!

What did Mordecai truly feel about this pink masked thief?

Well, enough to know he had fallen head over heels for him.

There was just something about him that he couldn’t take his eyes off, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. Even though it might sound a little stupid, the tall villager always felt lonely when the village residents would bash the thief. They had all the right to do so. He wouldn’t deny that since he was nothing but a hassle to them. Still, in his opinion, Mordecai secretly kept on admiring this individual. And he has been ever since he found this village, after leaving his hometown because of… reasons.

More so, for the little time they had spent together, he was beginning to find his personality so charming. So full of life; something that the blue-haired man wished to see in a future partner. Of course, that also included his appearance, which was so out of this world.

Or, in other words, he still loved the beard. That detail and his oceanic eyes always got to him.

Mordecai snapped out of his daydreaming world as he noticed the other man was still petrified in shock. A smile sprung into his lips as he tried covering it before he was caught laughing at him.

That was also something he wanted in a romantic relationship; someone who could make him laugh without even trying.

Still, the taller man was beginning to feel bad ironically, so he decided to blame this one on the sleep-deprived demon in his head, behaving as if nothing happened. “Pff~! Nice one, Benson!”. He grinned, placing a hand on the floor and leaning on it. “C’mon, dude, like you’re ever in the friend zone. I mean, who wouldn’t be into you~?”.

Those words were enough to give the thief whiplash as he stared intensely at the villager.

Not because of the question but the nonchalant reaction he was currently showing.

Did… Did he not take his previous comment seriously?

Benson, deep down, was relieved, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. “Ah, me? People being into me? That’s cute. Did you forget that nobody even dares to think of me? I am the so-called Pink Thief, as everyone enjoys referring me”. He air-quoted. “Heck, before you found out, you were calling me that too!”. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m such a man-killer”.

Mordecai was about to react to that funny sarcasm but paused.

‘Man-killer? Did he not mean… lady-killer?’. He confusingly thought, narrowing his eyes at the view in front of him.

Noticing the baffled expression on the tall man, the Pink Thief shrugged. “What? Did I stutter?”. 

“But… That would mean- Hold up“. He slowly looked into the bearded man’s eyes. “Are… Are you telling me you’re… gay?”. He recoiled a hunch, worried he might have gotten the wrong message and the masked man would punish him in return. Yet, he was surprised to receive a simple, calm nod. “Wow…! And you’re cool with that?”.

“Duh!!”. He blurted out in an unmistakable tone. “What kind of a question is that?? Of course, I’m not ashamed in the slightest! In fact, I could care any less about whomever I prefer! Unless… you think there’s something wrong about that”. He didn’t want to sound angry, but his voice changed slightly towards that demeanor.

At that intimidating response, the blue-haired man was quick to jiggle his hands in self-defense. “No! No! No!! Trust me, man!! I find nothing wrong with that!! I am more than one hundred percent with you, dude! I support a man or woman who isn’t afraid to express his or her sexuality… O-Or rather, I support anyone!! As long as they’re not assholes about it”. He crossed his arms at that last remark, acting a little affronted about it.

“Oh, really? So, you’re telling me you support gay rights~?”. He tried not to laugh at the sheer panic in the man’s voice, provoking his angry tone to fall off him.

“Tots, dude! I mean, if it makes you feel any better… I’m bisexual! So, you can say I also support bisexual rights! Overall, love is love!”. Hitting his chest, he kissed that very same fist in a proud pose.

Now, it was the thief’s turn to be a bit taken back. “R-Really?”.

“Yup!”. That was all he casually replied before pulling out a big smile on his face. “Oooh~ I see what it is~! Could it be you’re trying to tell me something, Benson? Maybe you’re biphobic, mm~?”. He teased.

“What?! N-No! I d-don’t care at all about what you like! It’s just…”. The thief was trying to find the right words but couldn’t because the tall man was staring goofily at him while his hands were resting on his hips. This, in turn, made the thief laugh as he lightly pushed him away. “S-Stop it! I’m trying not to make this weird for the both of us!”.

Mordecai released a couple of light chuckles before stopping himself and gesturing to the bearded man that he was on the clear to resume with what he wanted to say.

And on that note, he proceeded with his explanation. “It’s just… I look at you… at your appearance, and I guess at your personality, and I just see a straight guy”.

“Oh, Benson!”. He gasped in shock, grabbing his own shirt. “You hurt me with your assumptions~!”. He cried out, posing so dramatically that even a hand was placed over his forehead.

Watching that sassy pose, the other man could only shake his head while a small smile appeared on his lips. “Never mind, I take it all back!! Especially on the personality part!”. He tiredly sighed with a grin.

Nonetheless, Mordecai was not about to let that one go so easily. “Oh, if only Mister Benson wasn’t so close-minded! It seems my poor hair needs to be colored in blue and pink to signify I love both genders!”. He kept on dramatically talking as if he was ridiculing himself in the process.

“Pff~! I like pink! Now, Mister Mordecai is the one who seems to be truly close-minded!”.

They both began to laugh.

And it felt so great.

Just enjoying their own ridiculous banter and not taking offense to any of it.

It almost made it seem like they had known each other for years.

A sigh escaped both of them as they began to relax and enjoy the silence around them.

Until the thief lowered his eyes. “Hey, how are your hands? Do they still hurt?”.

“Mm?”. He pulled up his bandaged hands and stared at them in wonder. “Wow, after everything that happened, I completely forgot about them! But… yeah, I feel pretty good! No pain nor anything!!”.

Nodding at that response, he scooted closer to the point that both their hips were touching each other. When comfortable, he grabbed one of his hands with the use of both of his own to analyze it closer, unaware of the shocking and bashful revelation seen on the villager’s face.

And without saying a word, the thief pulled his hand onto his lap and grabbed the knife.

A slight flinch was met in the blue-haired man, but it was a relief to see him cut out one of the connected wools. Stabbing it back on the platform, the bearded man began to carefully unpeel the bandages off, showcasing an unintentional serious expression from how focused he was.

A look that resulted in Mordecai’s heart melting in ecstasy.

Such soft care and tenderness were being given to him. Although the bearded man’s hands were hidden underneath the gloves, the blue-haired man enjoyed his touch as he unconsciously leaned in on him, resting his cheek on his hooded head.

It didn’t appear his savior even noticed the sudden breach of privacy in his personal space, as his brain and eyes were still busy with the task. And the happy villager wasn’t complaining in the slightest, as he went on to value this precious time as much as possible before he was caught in this position.

Such peacefulness almost led him to fall asleep.

Some long minutes passed, which made the blue-haired man chuckle at how much he was getting away with this. Glimpsing down, he noticed one of his hands was free from the cotton while the other was kept under the captivation of the thief’s grip. As he moved his fingers to feel if they were able to move well, it was still observable the gashes located on it, but as of now, they were nothing but old battle scars.

It was actually pretty cool to have them.

Sure, it would force him to reminisce about the horrible memory of how he obtained them. However, at the same time, he finally had an exciting story to tell to those who were curious enough to ask why his members were in such terrible shape.

Until now, he still couldn’t believe he had the strength to fight off those terrible grey beasts away from his best friend. It was unbelievable the amount of stupidity someone can go through just for the welfare of those close.

Dodging that theme, Mordecai peeked at the unmasked man as he saw him still oblivious to his surroundings, now handling in unveiling his other hand.

And at that moment, the villager thought it was time to have a little fun.

Leaning away, he used his free hand and mischievously pulled the hood off his head as he saw his brunet medium-length hair gently blow along with the rhythm of the light breeze coming back and forth. Admiring such a fantastic sight, he slowly rubbed a couple of the tips with his fingers, feeling the fuzzy sensation of it.

‘Fluffy sheep~’. Giggled the villager, now delicately holding a handful of hair on his palm.

“Did Rigby say something about his leg?”.

Mordecai’s vision expanded as his heart briefly pounded at eighty miles per hour.

Yes, he was jump scared by a question, and he was ashamed of it.

And the thief was quick to notice that, as he raised his eyes in confusion about what just happened, only to feel his cheeks heat up at what his own eyes were witnessing.

They were both so close to each other that no free space was seen between them. Worst yet, somehow, his head was revealed to the world.

Thankfully, it was just him, his annoying trespasser, and…

Wait a minute.

“Did you just pull off my hood?!”. He barked, pulling the hood back onto his head and gripping it tightly to hide his hair and reddened expression. “Don’t do that!! What if Rigby showed up and saw us?!”.

“Pff~! What are you saying? That would be a real miracle if that happened!”. He chuckled. ”Besides, what about your mask~? You don’t got it on!”.

“At least I’m facing backward from the rope that leads here!”.

“Suuuuure~! That certainly would help in something”. He teased, crossing his arms. “C’mon, Benson! What else was I supposed to do~? You left me hanging!”.

He peeked up at him. “What are you talking about?? I’ve been here all this time!!”.

“Yeah, but not mentally~! You were literally in your own little world! I was pretty lonely, ya know~?”. He leaned on him again with a big smile. “So, tell me; were you really focused on removing my bandages-“. He lowered down to his ear. “_{-or were you thinking of something in particular~?}”.

“M-Mordecai!!”. He bitterly snarled, shyly moving his head away from the tall man. “Do not test me, got it?! If I want, I can put you back in bandages!!”.

“Eheh~! Are you suggesting you would take care of me even after kicking my butt~?”.

The thief angrily puffed out, feeling his body temperature rise even further. And what made it even worst was hearing the villager amusingly laugh at his misery.

Yet, he opted to sigh, moving on to remove the leftover bandages. “J-Just shut up and answer my fucking question before I impale you alive! Is Rigby’s leg feeling any better or not?!”.

Deciding to take this matter seriously – despite not feeling all that worried over that threat – Mordecai blew out a conflicted breath. “Nah… Not in the slightest”. Such an upset response led the Pink Thief to straighten his back, yet no eye contact was seen between them. “After you left, he couldn’t stop complaining about how much his leg was burning. Shit, he was close to removing the ligature just to scratch the bite mark. I stopped him, but I think that made him even more anxious”.

When he finished, no reply was given back, as the older brunet man was busy contemplating the situation, placing his index finger and thumb underneath his jaw.

Meanwhile, Mordecai was not feeling all that comfortable recalling those memories.

So, he looked for a way to get rid of them by simply landing his focal point on something that could distract him. And it didn’t take him that long to find it, as he noticed the two bags located sitting a little far behind them.

Funny as only now he noticed them.

“Hey!”. He called out, which successfully resulted in getting his attention. “What are those for?”. He pointed behind as a way to give the thief more context behind his question.

Turning around, he stared at where he was pointing. “The bags? Each has essentials that we’ll need for our expedition. It’s mostly foraging tools and basic supplies. Water, some food, and weapons in case something dangerous happens. I’m not sure how long we’ll take on this, but it’s best to be safe than sorry”.

“Woah… So organized~! I like that!!”. He gave him a thumbs up with a sweet smile, yet he paused with a sad look. “Still, ya could have asked for help. I kind of getcha that you’re not used to company, but I could have helped too!”. 

The bearded man was dumbfounded at first glance but then grinned, waving off his preoccupied state. “Eh, like you said; I’m used to it. But… I’ll reconsider it next time, okay?”.

He nodded. “Okay~!”.

The two stayed silent once more, yet not for long as a snap of fingers was heard.

“Mmm!! I don’t think I ever got the chance to say it, but… I dig the new gear you have~! You look pretty awesome in it!”.

Benson chucked at the lovely compliment – internally having no idea how to react to it appropriately – yet that didn’t stop him from giving him a little confident pose. “You think so~? Ahah~! Thanks, it was time to change to a better look, I suppose! Those old rags were pretty much worn out at this point!”. 

“Ahah~! I mean, I much prefer seeing you in those!”.

“Really? How so?”.

“I don’t know. It just suits you, in my opinion~!”. He watched as the man’s expression went from blank to opting to roll with his response. “Well, I gotta say; I’m pretty stoked for our expedition~!”. He beamed, watching the bearded man grab his clothed hand and continue to unwrap it. That led Mordecai to lean on him again, despite the flinch he felt on the thief’s body. “To be honest, I was a little shocked at first, but like… I don’t know how much you really trust me, but I’m happy you decided to take me with you~! I promise I will behave my best! I mean… Not like I have a choice… you know this place better than me, so I don’t want to end up with a lost arm or something”. Crossing his arms, he began to feel a heavy weight on his eyes. “_{Seriously… we might be stuck here, but I’m glad to have you around~}”. He sighed. “_{I could really go for a bath right about now, man… Do I smell bad to you?}”.

The thief finally shrugged after staying quiet, secretly amused in listening to whatever the drowsy man would spew out of his mouth. “_{Kind of… But don’t worry about it. I been through worst stenches}”. 

“_{Ahahah~ Really? Man, I would love to hear that story! In fact, I betcha you must have some pretty awesome stories to tell about the weird-ass shit you’ve been through in this forest!}”. He paused. “_{If you’re ever in the mood… Would you tell me?}”.

“_{If you’re up to believing me~}”. He warmly smiled, finishing unveiling his bare hand, which like the other one, was also filled with scars. He tended to it one more time to check if everything was okay with it.

“_{Eh… You betcha I would~!}”.

Such a response led the thief’s cheeks to showcase a light pink in them.

When filled with determination, he slowly looked into the villager’s eyes, expecting to see their hazel color. Yet, he was surprised to see them shut, followed by watching his chest gradually move up and down in a steady rhythm, as snoring was heard not long after.

More cold breezes passed through them, yet Benson didn’t feel cold in the slightest as he felt the body heat of Mordecai emerging with his own. It was pretty cozy, and even though his trespasser was in his personal space, he didn’t shove him away.

Instead, he remained still sitting there as his eyes stared back at the vast green space.

Chapter Text

Dawn emerged its way into the world, including the village.

Most townspeople had already started their typical schedule, specifically the merchants, while others were still in their comfy homes, preparing themselves for today’s mundane events.

In the midst, a sunlight ray broke into the jolly man’s house, entering through the window that belonged to the young duo’s bedroom. It slowly beamed its way into a certain cluttered young man, who was sleeping on one of the single beds, proceeding to annoy him into submission until he finally woke up.

Grumpily blinking the radiant pain away, the weary tooth necklace owner eventually rose to a sitting position. He crossed his legs and leaned his back against the pillow for greater comfort, which was located near the headboard slat of the bed.

A sudden yawn escaped him, automatically stretching his arms to crack some tense bones, yet he immediately stopped, realising that something odd was happening in his surroundings.

This was not his bedroom.

‘U̶h̶!̸ ̸S̵l̶e̴e̵p̷i̷n̷g̵ ̷b̶e̷a̶u̷t̶y̵ ̸h̷a̶s̴ ̷f̴i̷n̸a̸l̴l̶y̷ ̸a̷r̵o̵u̷s̸e̴d̵!̵’.

Thomas’s entire body froze in complete silence as his eyes quivered in fear.

The voices have returned.

Unexpectedly, a roaring beeping sound rang in his ears, forcing him to cover them to keep his composure. At first, he tried waving off the hellish audible pollution with the palm of his hands, but when that didn’t work, he turned to the pillow, squashing his head like ham in a sandwich.

Yet, despite that, nothing would work, as those noises instantly morphed into the shape of a headache, automatically leading some agonising tears to stream down his cheek.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fight it back as he had successfully done in the past.

It seemed as if the pain was getting much more robust and intense than before, forcing him to lose control of his senses and roll off the bed. As he crashed onto the wooden floor, his body began convulsing in place, having no brain power to stop it.

After long minutes of squirming and turning, the young man suffered through a hard collision as if his brain crashed into something, leading to something snapping from within.

Well, whatever that was all about, it appeared he had stopped moving on his own.

As the pupil regained control over his body, his eyes focused on the ceiling above him.

A sharp breath was released through his teeth. “Ahhhh… F-Fuck…”. He muttered in pain.

He bit his lips before losing all tension in his body, spreading his arms and legs apart and taking deep breaths to relax his racing heart.

Was it over?

‘G̷o̸o̵d̷ ̸m̶o̴r̶n̴i̵n̶g̴.̷ ̶A̸r̵e̷ ̸y̷o̵u̸ ̷f̴e̸e̵l̵i̶n̸g̶ ̸w̷e̴l̴l̵?’.

A groan was heard as Thomas positioned an arm over his eyes. “S-Stop it…”. He begged breathlessly as more tears ran down his cheek, splashing onto the floor. 

“_{Just stop and leave me alone… Please…}”.

‘O̸h̵,̵ ̸c̷e̶a̵s̷e̵ ̸t̵h̷i̴s̵ ̴f̴o̴o̴l̴i̸s̵h̸ ̶a̵c̸t̷.̵ ̴I̸ ̸s̸o̶l̶e̸l̵y̶ ̷d̷e̷s̶i̴r̷e̵ ̵t̵o̴ ̷s̶p̶e̸a̸k̸ ̸t̷o̵ y̴o̸u‘.

Directly after, he removed his arm from his face, revealing his bloodshot eyes staring out into the unknown as those distorted words entered the left side of his brain and gave him whiplash. However, his thought process was still blurry. Hence, it was hard to muster up the strength to comprehend what he had just heard fully.

Eventually, a soft laugh was heard, enough to snap him out of his dazed state.

Shaking his head to remove any leftover numb feeling, he finally was able to work with his vocal cords. “W-Wait… You want to speak… to me?”. He unsurely pointed to himself. “I… I don’t understand-”.

‘E̶h̸,̶ ̶t̸h̶a̵t̶'̸s̴ ̴c̶u̸te̵.̵ ̷D̷i̴d̴ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̷h̶o̷n̴e̷s̶t̸l̴y̴ ̶a̷c̶c̷e̸p̵t̷ ̴I̷ ̷w̴a̶s̸ ̴s̷i̵m̴p̵l̸y̴ ̸s̴o̸m̶e̸ ̶c̷y̷n̶i̵c̶a̴l̸ ̸v̴o̷i̵c̵e̸ ̶i̶n̶ ̸y̷o̸u̸r̶ ̸h̵e̷a̵d̸?’.

A scared gasp was heard as he managed to grab onto the bed and sit up. “Um… Y-Yes?”. He nervously stared in every possible direction before calmly standing up. “You haven’t been showing any other proof besides that!”. When he couldn’t find any suspicious activity that might cause this strange phenomenon, he lowered his head. “This is insane… What are you?”.

‘Y̴o̴u̸ ̴d̴e̸l̶i̴g̵h̵t̵ ̴m̶e̵.̸ ̶Y̵o̸u̶ ̷c̴a̸n̷ ̷r̶e̸f̸e̴r̴ ̴t̷o̶ ̸m̴e̷ ̴a̶s̶ ̸V̵o̶i̸c̸e̵,̶ ̴i̶f̸ ̴y̵o̴u̸ ̸w̵a̷n̷t̸’.

Blinking at those words, now the pupil was scratching his head. 

“Okay… Voice? W-What is going on? Seriously, I thought you were my depression, but you can actually talk to me?! Why haven’t you done that before?? Have you seriously been harassing me for years, and you just went along with it?!”. Angrily grumbling that he returned to his neutral expression, hearing more laughter within his brain. “Are… Are you even real?”.

‘W̷h̶a̷t̷ ̵c̴a̴n̸ ̸I̸ ̴s̷a̷y̶?̵ ̴I̵'̵m̴ ̵j̷u̸s̸t̸ ̵f̴u̷l̸l̷ ̸o̵f̴ ̴s̴u̷r̷p̵r̷i̶s̷e̷s̷!’.

“I’m guessing that’s your way of saying; I’m not going to give you any answers?”.

‘Y̷̨̅e̵͈̓s̵̬͠’.

“A course”.

‘W̸h̷a̷t̷'̵s̵ ̶t̶h̸e̵ ̷f̵u̴n̷ ̸i̸n̴ ̷t̶h̸a̸t̴,̸ ̴y̵o̷u̴ ̵k̸n̵o̵w̸?’.

Rubbing his cheeks, he sat down on the bed. “Oh, my Watcher, are you kidding me? What the heck does that even mean…? Do I look like I want to play games?!”. 

‘Ỷ̵͖o̸̹͌ủ̵ͅṇ̷̒g̵̥͝ ̶̮̓m̸̯̎á̶̼n̵̦̿,̴͚̕ ̵͚̔w̵̡̒a̴͖̓ț̶̂c̷̝̓h̷̹͠ ̸̱͠y̴̦͝ŏ̶͎u̶͗͜r̵͉̕ ̴̨̄t̸̹͗o̵͓̓n̸͍͝g̶͉̿u̸̻̅ë̴̘́!̵̮́ ̷̲̉’.

Beginning to feel agitated, he clenched his hands. “Why should I?! Just because you finally decided to talk to me doesn’t mean I’ll give you any chivalry!!”. 

He looked at his fists before growling loudly. “You really think you are better than me, don’t you?! You’re just like everyone else; a c—!!”.

‘N̷i̶k̶o̵l̴a̷i̸!’.

“WHAT?! Just what do you w—“. He paused. “W-What…?”.

‘L̶i̶s̶t̷e̷n̴,̴ ̵I̸ ̶t̶r̸u̴l̵y̶ ̸m̸e̷a̴n̴ ̵i̸t̷;̵ ̶I̴ ̸c̸a̶n̵'̴t̸ ̴t̸e̷l̷l̵ ̴y̴o̸u̸ ̵e̵v̶e̶r̸y̷t̸h̶i̶n̷g̵.̸ ̵Y̷o̴u̸ ̴n̶e̶e̶d̷ ̸t̷o̴ ̵f̴i̵g̶u̷r̶e̸ ̴i̷t̶ ̴o̵u̸t̴ ̸b̵y̵ ̶y̵o̶u̸r̶s̸e̵l̶f’.

Although he heard something that didn’t sound right, his anger still got in the way of his logic, which led him to groan. “Fuck, you were pretty annoying already, and now you want to come at me and sound like Skips?!”.

‘W̴h̴a̶t̶ ̴d̶i̴d̷ ̸y̴o̶u̷ ̶s̷a̵y̴?̶!̸ ̶I̸,̶ ̴i̵n̵ ̶n̴o̵ ̸w̸a̵y̵,̷ ̸h̷a̶v̴e̷ ̶a̶n̸y̴t̵h̸i̵n̸g̷ ̴i̴n̸ ̷c̵o̶m̵m̵o̸n̵ ̶w̷i̷t̸h̸ ̷t̴h̵a̶t̶ ̷o̷v̴e̶r̶s̵i̶z̴e̷d̷ ̸y̵e̸t̴i̵ ̵s̵c-H̸m̸p̴h̶!̶’.

Thomas was surprised at the sudden anger heard in the Voice, yet it seemed it could calm down as multiple sounds of clearing its throat echoed in his brain.

‘D̵e̶a̴r̷ ̸m̵e̷,̶ ̵I̸ ̴a̷p̸o̴l̷o̵g̷i̴z̶e̴ ̶f̶o̸r̴ ̵n̷e̷a̶r̷l̵y̸ ̴e̸s̸c̶a̵l̴a̷t̶i̴n̴g̴ ̵t̷h̶e̶ ̷s̶i̴t̶u̵a̵t̵i̷o̶n̵.̶ ̴T̸h̵a̵t̸ ̸w̵a̷s̵ ̴v̵e̶r̸y̶ ̷u̵n̴p̶r̵o̸f̸e̶s̸s̷i̷o̸n̴a̴l̷’.

“Umm… It’s cool?”.

‘I̵ ̷a̸p̴p̵r̷e̴c̵i̶a̵t̸e̵ ̴t̶h̷a̶t̷.̴ ̸N̸o̴w̴,̷ ̷a̸l̷t̶h̷o̷u̸g̵h̴ ̴I̵ ̸m̸i̴g̸h̷t̶ ̴s̴o̵u̷n̴d̷ ̵l̷i̶k̵e̷ ̵a̵ ̷v̵o̷i̸c̷e̶,̶ ̵I̵ ̷a̶s̷s̶u̸r̴e̸ ̶y̴o̴u̶ ̶t̵h̸a̵t̸ ̶I̶ ̴a̸m̴ ̴t̷h̸e̵ ̷ c̴o̶m̷p̶l̵e̶t̴e̵ ̸o̷p̶p̶o̸s̶i̸t̶e̷ ̸o̷f̵ ̴t̷h̷a̶t̴.̸ ̷Do̵ ̴y̵o̷u̸ ̶r̶e̵c̴a̴l̸l̴ ̵w̷h̸a̶t̶ ̷h̷a̵p̸p̵e̵n̵e̴d̴ ̴l̵a̵s̸t n̶i̵g̷h̶t̸?’.

Pondering those words, he stared intensely at the floor. “Well… I was in Pop’s house with Maggy and Eileen. They left, then I think I spoke some stuff with Pops… something about a weird cloak, I think. Then… I don’t know… Everything was so blurry”.

‘M̸m̵.̷ ̶W̶e̶l̶l̵,̵ ̶s̸o̸r̶r̵y̶ ̵t̷o̴ ̴s̸h̸o̵c̴k̷ ̵y̷o̷u̴,̷ ̵b̴u̶t̶ ̸y̴o̵u̵ ̴h̵a̵d̶ ̷a̸ ̵m̴e̸n̸t̷a̸l̵ ̵b̴r̵e̴a̶k̵d̷o̸w̶n’.

“What…? I really don’t remember a thing”.

‘I̶t̸ ̷w̶a̸s̵ ̶q̸u̸i̵t̷e̵ ̴a̴m̷u̵s̴i̸n̷g̸,̷ ̸I̵ ̷a̵s̸s̴u̷r̵e̵ ̵y̷o̵u’.

Rolling his eyes at the Voice’s mocking tone, he ignored it instead of analysing the room he was currently in.

It did appear to be a bedroom for two individuals, as seen by the observation that the space was divided into two; the right and the left. Each side owned a single bed that was located leaning on the wall. However, there was a difference between the two, which was the state it was in. On the left, it was in shambles, filled with random junk, whereas on the right, it showcased a little cleaner side, but not to the point of neat freak degree.

And what it seems at the moment, Thomas was sitting on the bed on the nearly pristine side. It had black sheets and a long pillow. While looking ahead, he noticed the other bed had orange sheets, yet surprisingly enough, no pillow.

The Master Builder junior couldn’t help but snort at that, even if he had no idea why.

His attention was then set on the many posters hanging on the wall, bringing him to stand up and look at them. Truth be told, he wasn’t even sure what he was looking at, as he saw in the wall décor random human beings and even weird characters.

What were these for? And who are these people? Were they famous or something?

‘S̴n̴o̵o̸p̶i̵n̸g̷ ̵a̷s̸ ̶u̷s̷u̴a̴l̷,̵ ̵I̸ ̷s̴e̸e̶?’.

“Uh?”.

‘O̴h̸,̴ ̶n̴o̸t̴h̷i̶n̶g̸.̵ ̵I̷t̸’̴s̷ ̴a̸ ̸f̵u̸n̵n̸y̶ ̶c̴a̵r̸t̵o̷o̶n̷ ̶q̸u̶o̷t̴e̷ ̸f̷r̷o̷m̶ ̵o̵n̸e̷ ̵o̶f̷ ̷t̴h̸o̶s̸e̶ ̵f̸i̸c̸t̷i̵o̸n̵a̵l̴ ̴c̶h̸a̷r̸a̵c̵t̵e̷r̸s̷ ̴o̶v̸e̵r̵ ̵a̶t̶ ̶t̵h̷a̶t̵ ̴ p̷o̵s̴t̴e̴r̵ ̶w̷i̷t̵h̸ ̶t̸h̶e̶ ̷o̵d̵d̴ ̴h̷e̶d̵g̷e̷h̸o̸g̸’.

Staring at the said decor, he hummed. “Woah… That’s so weird~!”.

‘W̸o̶u̴l̵d̷ ̶y̷o̵u̶ ̷e̶n̶j̷o̴y̵ ̷t̶h̶e̷ ̸i̶d̵e̵a̸ ̸o̶f̸ ̷b̷e̸i̵n̸g̸ ̴a̷ ̷g̸i̸a̸n̴t̵ ̷b̸l̸u̷e̷ ̶h̸e̵d̴g̸e̴h̴o̶g̴?̶’.

Laughing a little at such a preposterous question, he shrugged with a smile. “Maybe? Then again, If I could change into anything, I guess I could give it a try!”.

‘I̵n̷t̵e̴r̸e̶s̴t̵i̴n̵g̵ ̷a̵n̶s̴w̴e̵r̶’.

“Hey! Are you making fun of me or something?”.

‘O̸f̶ ̵c̷o̵u̴r̷s̵e̶ ̵n̴o̸t̸.̴ ̸I̶ ̸j̵u̴s̵t̴ ̵f̴i̶n̶d̶ ̴i̶t̷ ̵c̵o̸m̷i̷c̴a̶l̵ ̴a̸s̸ ̸w̵e̷l̸l̸’.

Amusingly raising an eyebrow, he leaned on the wall. “All right, don’t sprain yourself from laughing too hard~”. He sarcastically uttered, which led the voice to sigh. “So, wait… Do you know who these people are in the posters?”.

‘C̸a̶n̴’̶t̴ ̵s̸a̴y̶ ̶I̸ ̶k̷n̶o̷w̴ ̸e̷v̷e̵r̶y̵ ̶o̵n̵e̶ ̵o̵f̶ ̷t̵h̴e̷m̸.̵ ̵I̶ ̶c̶a̸n̵ ̴p̸i̵n̷p̸o̸i̶n̶t̵ ̴s̵o̵m̷e̴ ̴r̵o̸c̴k̶s̵t̵a̴r̴ ̵m̶u̶s̸i̷c̷i̸a̸n̵s̷,̶ ̷m̸o̶v̴i̷e̵-̶r̶e̷l̸a̸t̵e̷d̵ ̶p̸o̵s̵t̷e̶r̵s̷,̵ ̶a̵n̶d̷ ̴c̶a̴r̶t̸o̵o̴n̵ ̵c̷h̸a̵r̸a̸c̴t̷e̸r̸s̴’.

“Weird, I’ve never heard of them… Who decorates their room like this, anyway?”.

‘U̶r̷b̸a̷n̷ ̶p̸e̴o̶p̷l̵e̷ ̶a̷r̷e̷ ̶k̶e̶e̸n̷e̴r̵ ̵t̴o̸ ̴d̵o̴ ̷t̴h̸a̵t̷.̸ ̵T̷h̴e̶ ̵c̷i̷t̷i̶e̶s̸ ̵a̶r̷e̸ ̴u̴s̸u̷a̷l̸l̸y̴ ̶f̴i̵l̴l̴e̸d̵ ̶w̷i̴t̶h̴ ̶f̶a̶m̶o̷u̴s̸ ̴c̵e̸l̶e̴b̶r̶i̴t̷i̴e̵s̸ ̸w̵h̷o̴ ̷a̵r̵e̷ ̸s̸p̴o̴n̵s̸o̴r̸e̵d̵ ̶b̷y̵ ̵t̵e̵c̷h̷n̵o̶l̶o̸g̵y̴ ̴b̸e̵y̶o̷n̸d̴ ̵o̸u̸r̶ ̷c̴o̵m̷p̶r̵e̶h̵e̷n̶s̷i̴o̷n̴.̷ ̶I̵t̴ ̸u̶s̸e̴d̵ ̵t̶o̴ ̵b̶e̶ ̵t̶h̴i̴s̷ ̸s̵t̷r̷a̵n̴g̴e̷ ̸m̸a̴g̶i̴c̴a̵l̵ ̸ b̷o̴x̵ ̵c̵a̷l̶l̴e̸d̴ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̴t̷e̶l̴e̴v̶i̴s̵i̵o̵n̴,̶ ̴b̸u̶t̷ ̸a̸s̴ ̷o̸f̷ ̷n̷o̴w̴,̴ ̴t̷h̵e̸ ̵i̷n̸t̵e̷r̸n̵e̸t̷ ̶t̴r̸i̴u̶m̴p̵h̸s̷ ̶o̴v̴e̷r̵ ̴e̴v̴e̸r̷y̶t̷h̴i̵n̸g̸.̷ ̷I̸t̶’̵s̴ ̸p̷o̶s̸s̵i̸b̷l̶e̷ ̶t̶o̷ ̸d̷o̵ ̴e̶v̶e̶r̸y̴t̵h̷i̵n̷g̴ ̸t̴h̴e̸r̶e̴.̸ ̸S̸e̸a̵r̴c̸h̷ ̵a̵n̶y̴t̸h̵i̸n̴g̶ ̴b̴e̶y̴o̶n̸d̷ ̸w̶o̶r̴l̷d̸w̸i̶d̴e’.

“People in the city…? Woah…! Like, can I search how to get away with murder??”.

‘Y̴o̷u̵ ̵b̵e̸t̵t̴e̵r̵ ̴b̸e̷l̸i̷e̵v̴e̵ ̶i̴t̵’.

“That’s awful!”. He repulsively reacted until he smiled. “I want to go to the city~!”.

‘A̸h̸a̸h̴,̶ ̶I̴ ̸w̸o̵u̴l̵d̵n̴’̸t̶ ̵s̷a̵y̵ ̶t̵h̷a̷t̸ ̴i̸f̴ ̷I̵ ̴w̸e̴r̸e̷ ̸y̴o̸u̷’.

A disappointed expression was met. “Aw, what? Why?”.

‘N̴o̷t̷ ̴e̷v̷e̶r̸y̷o̸n̴e̸ ̸h̵a̴s̵ ̷a̴ ̷g̴r̵e̸a̸t̷ ̸t̶i̶m̸e̷ ̶i̷n̸ ̵t̵h̵o̴s̶e̷ ̷s̴e̸t̶t̷i̸n̷g̶s̴.̷ ̷M̷o̸s̸t̷ ̷p̶e̴o̴p̸l̸e̶ ̶t̷e̶n̷d̶ ̴t̸o̷ ̸b̸e̷l̶i̷e̷v̵e̸ ̸t̴h̵a̶t̷ ̶a̷l̵l̶ ̸t̴h̵e̶i̸r̶ ̶ d̴r̵e̶a̷m̶s̷ ̶c̵o̴m̶e̸ ̵t̷r̵u̷e̸ ̴w̴h̶e̵n̷ ̵d̶e̴c̶i̸d̷i̸n̶g̶ ̶t̸o̶ ̵l̶i̷v̵e̸ ̸i̸n̶ ̵t̴h̶e̷ ̷c̷i̵t̶y̸.̴ ̴H̷o̴w̶e̴v̷e̸r̶,̴ ̷r̸e̶a̶l̵i̸t̴y̶ ̷h̵i̷t̴s̵ ̶y̴o̵u̸ ̸l̶i̷k̵e̷ ̷a̸ ̴b̵r̸i̴c̸k̷ ̶a̸n̴d̸,̸ ̴i̴n̷ ̷t̷h̸e̵ ̵e̴n̵d̶,̶ ̷a̴l̸l̷ ̴y̴o̴u̶’̸r̵e̷ ̷l̵e̴f̸t̴ ̷w̵i̶t̶h̵ ̸i̴s̷ ̴n̶o̷t̷h̸i̴n̸g̸ ̷b̶u̷t̸ ̵p̷u̸r̸e̷ ̸m̶i̵s̵e̷r̶y̶ ̴a̵n̷d̴ ̷t̶h̶e̵ ̵w̶i̸s̵h̶ ̴o̴f̵ ̶s̷w̷e̸e̸t̵ ̵r̷e̷l̴e̴a̶s̷e̷ ̵o̷u̶t̴ ̵o̸ft̴h̷i̴s̴ ̷w̸o̶r̷l̵d̶’.

“Watcher… Is that what happened to you?”.

‘N̴o̴,̵ ̸b̴e̴l̵i̴e̸v̵e̷ ̸m̶e̶,̸ ̸I̸’̴v̴e̷ ̴n̴e̸v̴e̶r̸ ̴e̵x̸p̴e̶r̴i̶e̶n̵c̴e̶d̸ ̷g̴o̸i̶n̵g̸ ̵t̵h̴e̴r̴e̷.̴ ̵I̶n̸ ̸f̷a̵c̶t̴,̵ ̶I̵ ̶a̵m̶ ̵m̸u̵c̶h̷ ̶a̷l̵i̷v̵e̷.̶ ̸J̴u̷s̴t̵…̴ ̸r̸e̸s̵t̵i̶n̵g̵’.

“What do you mean by that?”.

‘…̴’.

When he heard no response, a sigh escaped his throat as he moved his eyes somewhere else until his focal point was set on the only closet in the room. And funnily enough, there was a photograph of a particular fat bandit on its door. It was decorated in tiny holes, primarily the work of the darts that were seen hanging on it.

There was no longer any doubt of where he was.

“Yup! I’m definitely in the guys’ bedroom! Which means… I’m still in Pops’ place?”.

‘G̵u̷y̸s̵?̶’.

Thomas automatically flinched. “Ah! W-Watcher! You scared me! I-I thought you left for good!”.

‘I̸ ̵a̸p̸o̵l̵o̸g̶i̴z̸e̸,̷ ̶o̶u̴r̵ ̵s̵p̴i̸r̷i̷t̸u̸a̸l̸ ̸c̶o̷n̸n̸e̴c̶t̷i̷o̸n̷ ̷i̴s̷n̶’̸t̵ ̵a̵s̶ ̸s̷t̶r̴o̵n̴g̶ ̶a̷s̴ ̸I̶ ̶h̷o̵p̷e̸d̶…̴ ̶D̶i̴d̵ ̶y̵o̶u̶ ̶p̸r̶e̵v̸i̸o̵u̵s̶l̴y̶ ̴a̸s̴k̸ ̸m̵e̶ ̴ s̸o̴m̴e̸t̶h̵i̸n̴g̶?̶’.

What did the Voice say?

“Uh? N-No, don’t worry about it… I was just talking about how this is Mordecai and Rigby’s room”.

‘…̴’.

“Hello? Are you still there?”.

‘Y̷e̵s̷,̷ ̶I̵ ̷a̷p̴o̶l̴o̴g̶i̶z̷e̷ ̴o̵n̶c̸e̴ ̵m̸o̸r̶e̸.̸ ̶A̴n̸y̶w̷a̴y̷,̶ ̴i̵t̴ ̸d̸o̴e̵s̴ ̴s̸e̶e̶m̵ ̵t̸o̵ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̴h̸e̵ ̷c̵a̸s̸e̵.̵ ̸A̷f̸t̶e̸r̶ ̸y̸o̷u̵ ̴h̸a̸d̴ ̵a̸ ̸m̷i̴n̵o̴r̴ s̶t̶r̴o̴ke̴ a̷n̸d̴ ̶f̶e̷l̶l̸ ̷u̴n̶c̸o̶n̷s̵c̷i̸o̷u̵s̷,̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̵o̵w̴n̷e̸r̸ ̷o̵f̸ ̴t̶h̸i̷s̸ ̴h̴o̸u̵s̷e̷ ̴d̴e̶c̸i̶d̶e̸d̶ ̷t̸o̸ ̴p̷l̶a̸c̴e̵ ̶y̸o̵u̶ ̴i̷n̸…̶ ̴t̴h̶i̵s̶ ̸r̵o̵o̴m̵’.

Nodding along that explanation, he crossed his arms. “How do you know that?”.

‘A̸s̴ ̵I̶ ̵s̴a̶i̴d̴,̴ ̵I̶ ̶a̷m̴ ̵n̴o̴t̸ ̶j̴u̴s̷t̸ ̵a̶ ̵m̶e̸r̷e̶ ̴v̷o̶i̴c̷e̷’.

Feeling discomfort with that answer, he ignored it again as he looked around.

‘H̵e̵y̵!̴ ̶S̸i̴n̵c̶e̸ ̴t̴h̴i̵s̵ ̴i̷s̷ ̸t̶h̵o̵s̵e̶ ̶b̸o̸y̵s̵’̵ ̶r̴o̶o̶m̶,̶ ̸w̷h̸y̴ ̷d̶o̵n̸’̶t̸ ̷y̸o̶u̴ ̸s̷n̵o̶o̴p̵ ̷a̷r̵o̷u̷n̸d̴ ̶a̸n̸d̴ ̵s̵e̶e̵ ̶w̷h̴a̶t̶’̶s̷ ̴a̶r̸o̴u̷n̶d̶?̷’.

“Like the quote, you said before?”.

‘E̶x̷a̷c̵t̴l̷y̵!̶ ̵G̸o̷ ̵w̸i̷l̵d̵,̵ ̸m̶y̷ ̸l̶i̵t̸t̶l̵e̶ ̴N̷i̸k̵-̶ ̴U̵m̸,̷ ̵T̶h̷o̵m̴a̷s̷’.

Curiosity improved as he decided to do just that, starting on the side he was currently on. Walking towards the closet, he opened it to see a complete mess of clothes and other useless things inside. Unfortunately, before he could close it, an avalanche launched onto the young brunette, as he was under attack by the multiple items falling onto him.

A laugh was heard, despite the look of misery seen in Thomas, who had a shirt on his head.

“Damn… Already starting on a good note, eh?”. He asked, primarily to himself, as he pulled the shirt off his head and threw it with the rest of the pile. “What do you think, Voice?”.

‘O̴h̴,̶ ̴h̵o̵w̵ ̷u̶n̴f̶o̸r̵t̷u̸n̴a̴t̵e̶ ̵i̵n̸d̸e̶e̷d̶.̸ ̶I̵t̸ ̴w̸o̵u̵l̵d̴ ̶t̶a̴k̷e̶ ̶a̵ ̸r̷e̷a̵l̸ ̵m̸i̷r̵a̴c̶l̸e̶ ̸i̶f̷ ̴a̸n̶y̷o̴n̷e̵ ̷e̴v̶e̴r̷ ̸f̶e̶l̶l̴ ̷f̶o̷r̷ ̶t̸h̸e̴s̴e̸ ̶t̶w̸o s̶l̶o̵b̴s̷’.

It was strange that he was still conversing with this disembodied suspicious voice. Although they started on the wrong note, the Voice appeared almost harmless and very polite. But, of course, it had its mean-spirited vibes, yet those were nothing compared to the insults and disgusting, foul language he had heard throughout the years.

Was this even the same Voice as before?

Moving back to the mess he was in, he noticed that both roommates shared the closet, as some items were smaller than others. Soon after, he quickly picked up the fallen objects and positioned them back in the closer, in fear that Pops would know something was out of place. As he was about to place the last pair of shoes in, one fell to the floor, leading a frustrated Thomas to bend down to pick it up. However, he stopped himself when noticing some weird books underneath the bed, which had black sheets.

Pulling them closer to his knees, he realised it wasn’t literature pieces but magazines.

“Oh, Mordecai~ What kind of dirty stuff you got down here~?”. He mischievously teased.

He shouldn’t be doing this, but it’s not every day someone gets good blackmail material to get back at those who gave him hell in the past. Still, the blue-haired man never gave him that much of a hard time, which promptly made him lose interest in checking his stuff.

‘D̷o̸ ̶i̴t̸,̶ ̴m̸y̶ ̶l̴i̸t̵t̸l̸e̶ ̸T̶h̸o̸m̵a̶s̸!̸ ̸O̵h̸,̷ ̵I̶’̷m̸ ̴j̸u̴s̷t̵ ̷a̶n̵t̵i̷c̷i̸p̵a̸t̶i̵n̵g̸ ̷o̵f̴ ̶w̴h̴a̴t̵ ̵c̶o̶u̷l̶d̷ ̶b̸e̷ ̶h̴i̵d̷d̸e̵n̷ ̶i̵n̷ ̶t̴h̴e̵s̶e̴ ̷p̷a̴g̷e̴s̷!̸’.

“Really? You’re into that??”.

‘E̸v̵e̴r̷y̶o̴n̸e̵ ̶l̷o̷v̶e̵s̷ ̴a̷ ̴g̷o̸o̶d̴ ̷g̷o̸s̴s̵i̴p̶ ̶o̴n̴c̷e̵ ̴i̶n̷ ̵a̴ ̸w̴h̴i̸l̸e̷,̶ ̵n̷o̴~̸?̵’.

Thomas silently stood still until he shrugged, almost agreeing with that logic.

However, his expectations fell short, seeing these were more than just the usual magazines you find underneath the bed.

They were… Hairdresser’s magazines.

Some were for women, but most consisted of men posing in rather stunning places, showing off their gorgeous hair.

“Ew… Does he jack off to this?”.

His curiosity peaked once more as he lowered his back to see if anything else was under the bed. But, instead, he was met with some boxes filled with cosmetic stuff like hair spray, among those other things you’d find at a salon.

Thomas definitely wasn’t expecting this but decided not to dwell on it, and it seemed the Voice wasn’t going either, as nothing else came out of it. So he put everything back in place with a new perspective; Mordecai wasn’t whom he thought he was.

The young man had later gone on to snoop on the messier part of the room but didn’t spend much time on it, for it was hard to see anything interesting in this trashy environment. However, he did notice some kid toys, comic books, and a small portable trampoline. Thomas couldn’t lie; he was jealous of the shorter man for owning a cool thing like that trampoline.

Only a little for the rest of the junk.

*Knock* *Knock*

Thomas’s body became stiff as he leaned onto the nearest wall as support, thinking he was caught doing something he shouldn’t have done.

Luckily, the knock appeared coming from the jolly man’s house entrance.

“Coming, coming!”.

Speaking of that, without hesitation, it seemed Pops had come forward from some room inside the building as Thomas heard his footsteps going past the boy’s bedroom door and stopping at the front door. An old door was given attention as it creaked open and echoed in the house, ending with a happy clapping sound being overheard.

“Oh, my! Skips! You finally made it~!”.

“Hello, Pops”.

A gasp escaped the young man. “Skips?! Oh, fuck!!”. Moving away from the wall, he gripped his hair to seek some composure as more uncontrollable breathing escaped his breath.

‘S̵h̶h̷!̴ ̴B̸e̴ ̶q̶u̶i̴e̴t̴,̵ ̵m̷y̴ ̶l̸i̸t̸t̸l̶e̶ ̵T̶h̷o̴m̸a̵s̶!̶ ̸L̵i̸s̶t̶e̸n̴ ̴c̶l̷o̸s̷e̵l̷y̸’.

“W-What?? No way! I need to get out of here!”.

‘J̸u̶s̴t̶ ̸d̵o̵ ̶i̶t̸’.

It was strange, but he felt compelled to do just that for some reason, as his brain wasn’t as stressed as before. So after swallowing a lump in his throat to calm his beating heart and shaky skin, he ended up leaning on the door to eavesdrop better.

Much concentration entered his cranium as he heard heavy footsteps enter the building.

The jolly man closed the door with a massive grin on his face. “I was just on my way to celebrate the birth of this magnificent day with some breakfast! Care to join me~?”.

He replied with a dry grunt as both older men entered the living room section.

They sat on the armchairs as Pops began pouring coffee into two of the three cups on the silver tray on top of the coffee table. During that, Skips quickly analysed his old friend, precisely his messy clothing. No colourful vest was seen above his shirt, which wasn’t as neatly folded and pristine as it usually was. More so, his top hat was missing from his head, which allowed anyone to see the moustache man’s curly white locks. Even worst, large eyebags were seen on his exhausted face, even if he tried hiding them with his cheerful demeanour.

After finishing his task, the sweet elder man gave his guest one filled cup, who quietly accepted the offering. Although that wasn’t anything new to the jolly man, something struck him as he was bewildered when he noticed his friend’s facial expression showcased a somewhat concerned look.

And on that note, the moustache man was quick to become sad. “Skips? Dear me, I have never seen you so glum! I assure you on my word that everything is all right with—“.

“I know, Pops”. 

Skips calmly reassured him with a smile. “I appreciate it, but that’s not what I’m worried over now”. He took a sip of his drink. “It’s you, Pops”. He dryly explained, causing his friend to become startled. “Did you sleep anything?”.

The top hat owner hesitated before sighing. “Oh, I’m afraid not”. He admitted. “I can’t seem to catch a wink of sleep!”. Taking a quick sip of his drink to keep sane, he looked at his friend’s green eyes. “So much has happened that I don’t even know how to wrap my head around it properly…”. 

He stared sadly at the boy’s bedroom door before gazing back at his friend. “I do believe he’s okay… but Skips, I have yet to hear any news from them! Now, I know I must keep calm, but… it’s been over twenty-four hours! Shouldn’t they be here by now??”.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Those two will be okay. It’s Mordecai whom I wonder the most”. The man said, sipping his drink. “Have a little faith in them. You’ll see this will all be over…”. 

He paused. “And hopefully soon”.

Pops stared at Skips from the sudden mention of just the taller man followed by such vague words, yet kept quiet as his lips were met with the cup once again. Simultaneously, so did the young brunet became confused at his mentor’s weird way of phrasing his words.

Why was Skips saying that in such a hopeful tone?

They went to Luminus Plaza, not to… that crazy and murderous forest, right?

“I suppose you are right, my good man”. Pops sweetly smiled, finishing his cup. “I must stand my ground and keep believing in them. They have never let me down, and I’m sure they won’t do it now!!”.

The other man nodded, approving his optimistic behaviour.

Out of nowhere, he stared at the duo’s bedroom, then back to Pops. “Is he…?”. He moved his head in that direction, provoking the host to look at it before quickly nodding.

A silence occurred as Skips placed his cup down.

“Good morning, Thomas”. 

Chapter Text

Mordecai tightened his grip on the backpack, standing on the border of a vast gorge coated in denser darkness with a few light spots hovering, presumably the fireflies.

Still, multiple trees were plastered everywhere, toppling each other, further obstructing the view and making it hard to tell what was below or if anyone could even walk there. Not like the tall man wanted to check for himself, but his pesky mind was undoubtedly curious, wondering how there was even a Grove below another Grove. 

This forest sure was ridiculously massive, much more than he previously believed!

A woodland biome capable of holding a new world to explore was like something out of a dream, but unfortunately, the constant eerie and pitch-black atmosphere ruined the mood. Even though it’s only been a day, this forest began to drive the villager mad, having enough of this constant void. He always enjoyed the radiant sun on his skin, for it was a comfort zone capable of easing his stress, whereas this forest was way too edgy for his taste. 

However, recalling that this forest’s curse was the work of a mentally unstable woman, a weak chuckle escaped him, but it seemed more mean-spirited than anything. So, to avoid losing his marbles just thinking about her, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cooled off.

When calm, he spun around and found no traces of his saviour. 

For some reason, the Pink Thief had excused himself and walked off to who knows where, but not before sternly threatening him not to run off. As if Mordecai had any place to be, but a few minutes passed and still nothing. 

Momentarily, he grew worried for his saviour’s well-being but also at the notion that those awful predators, or weirdly shaped humans, could ambush during his absence. In turn, it made him wonder why the thief would leave him alone in the first place, but he halted on the thought.

Finally, as luck would have it, the masked thief stepped out of the shadows of the trees. The tall man smiled brightly, witnessing him approach while carrying another bag, but noticed something was wrong as his expedition buddy inexplicably stopped afar from him. Eventually, the villager figured out why, amusingly watching the thief forcefully adjust the white belt around his waist as it continuously slid away from his grasp. 

“Stupid fucking belt! I remove you for a second, and you wanna act smug about it??”.

Overhearing his frustrating mumblings, Mordecai felt even happier to witness such a funny and adorable scene in full view. Still, deep down, he should probably help out because he appeared to be showcasing signs of hostility, but the dyed blue-haired man could not, only being able to laugh. The masked man wasn’t ignorant of the scoffing, which led him to showcase a death glare at his annoying partner. However, all Mordecai saw was the mask. Thus, that didn’t affect him in the slightest.

It infuriated Benson, leading him to approach while holding the belt. “What the heck is so funny??”. He roared but sulked when all he received in response was more laughter. 

Crossing his arms, the villager shifted his expression to a cocky smile. “Mm, now I see why you took your sweet time”. He snickered again but gagged at how close the Pink Thief was to punch him. “Y-Yo! Wait! Calm down! P-Please, don’t hit me!”. 

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down!”. Benson barked before attempting once more to connect his belt. “Watcher, this stupid thing was doing just fine a while ago!! What did I do wro—??”.

Out of nowhere, Mordecai gripped the belt and pulled him closer, almost causing him to lose his balance. Benson furiously gritted his teeth but became shocked when witnessing the villager get on one knee and help with his belt dilemma. And oh, boy, he sure was glad to be wearing the mask, feeling a strange heat get to his flustered face. And it didn’t help his nervous nature when realising Mordecai was at the right eye level of his crouch.

This was embarrassing, but he didn’t utter a single sound, not wanting to break his focused demeanour, for he genuinely believed he could free him from this predicament. It was nice that Mordecai didn’t ask if he needed help because he would most uncertainly object to his offering, feeling even more humiliated. And even though the villager pushed his luck by entering his personal space, it’s not like this is the first time he has done that, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.

At this point, he should get used to his behaviour. Wait… Should he??

Click.

The thief lowered his gaze and was astonished to see the belt comfortably positioned around his waist, having no intention of falling off.

He actually managed to pull it off, and Benson couldn’t be happier. Yet, bitter.

How do these annoying villagers keep figuring out how the belt works??

A quiet groan left his vocal cords, depleted by this ongoing unfair treatment.

“Did it~!”. The villager amusingly stated, who gradually stood up. “Now you won’t have to waddle like a penguin~!”. He softly chuckled. “But watcha think? Too tight? If you want, I can loosen it”.

Checking himself, the thief moved his hips to ensure the belt stayed and smiled. “N-No, it’s fine. Thanks, Mordecai”. Instantly, his mood returned to sour, resting his hands around his hips. “You have to stop doing this!! Why can’t you warn me whenever you do these sorts of things??”.

Mordecai massaged the back of his neck, displaying a soft smile. “S-Sorry~! I just wanted to help out, but… I sort of had that feeling you probably wouldn’t let me, even if I asked nicely”. He witnessed the thief lower his head, resulting in him casually shrugging. “Then again, watching you fail so hard made me reconsider my actions. It almost makes anyone feel—”. He leaned closer to his hero with a snarky smirk. “—sorry for you~”. 

A quiet atmosphere swam between them until the Pink Thief removed the mask from his face, revealing Benson with a heated scowling expression. Mordecai should be running for his life, but all he did was cover his wide grin, enjoying the sight. Seeing his reflection inside his oceanic blues again was a great pleasure, but the flames emanating from them didn’t help.

He might be in danger, but how could Mordecai resist laughing?

In addition, the thief’s mood grew even worst as he heard muffled chuckles escaping from his annoying companion’s hand, leading him to growl. “Y-You…!”. He growled, with cheeks turning bright red from anger. “You son of a bitch! You humiliate me, and now you’re stealing my insults??”. Then, connecting the pink object to his belt, he moodily folded his arms. “You’re seriously making me doubt my decision to bring you along!”.

His words surprised the villager, and he promptly waved his hands. “No! No! Please, don’t say that! I’m sorry! I’ll be on my best behaviour!”. He wholeheartedly swore, showing his hand and raising the tiny finger. “Pinky promise!”.

The bearded man raised an eyebrow but then peeked sidewise while grabbing his pinky with his own, dismissing the villager’s sunny grin. “I doubt that, but I guess you’re forgiven… for now”. 

“Neat!”. The villager beamed with a tiny blush. “You have my word!”.

“Sure”. Benson sighed. “You know, most people wouldn’t hesitate to flee from danger, but you really seem keen to join…”. He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t have a death wish, right?”.

“Pff~! Not now, at least!”. Mordecai happily declared, ignoring his saviour’s aghast demeanour. “So, hey, Benson! What’s down there, anyway?”. He pointed at the ravine to give the bearded man more context behind his question. “It looks way darker!”.

Although Benson should say something about his last retort, he instead exhaled. “This is the Grove’s Oasis”. He unenthusiastically welcomed, joining the tall man in gazing at the vast biome underneath. “It might seem like a dangerous abyss, but it’s a safe point for many. I’m not sure why, but there are no wolves down there. I guess the environment isn’t suitable for them”.

Mordecai whistled in amazement. “Wooooah! Wait, who decided to call it an Oasis? I mean, having no wolves seems like a paradise, don’t get me wrong, but… let’s be honest! Nothing about this place screams relaxation either”.

A short laugh escaped the bearded man. “I agreed, but… I’m not sure. Someone must have named it before the Goddess showed up. Truth be told, I’m not accustomed to what’s below. I have everything I need here, so I never had the idea to venture out”. While scratching his beard, he lowered his eyes. “Besides, the Oasis isn’t the place for me. There are some… interesting individuals down there whom I tend to stay away from for the sake of my sanity”.

“What??”. The villager exclaimed, dumbfounded by that information. “People live down there??”. 

“Unfortunately, they’re not people anymore… In fact, you’ve met one of them already”.

“I did…?”. Mordecai quietly lingered until he gasped, staring at Benson. “You mean CJ?? She lived down there??”. He saw him nod in response. “Mmm… So, I’m guessing… what was her name? Oh, Miss Deku, right? I’m surprised she allows these Gods to stick around”. He shrugged. “Thought she’d want this place all for herself”.

“Gods?”. Asked a confused Benson, turning his attention to his expedition buddy. “CJ wasn’t a Goddess. She was a fallen victim of Miss Deku’s minions’ bites. And just like the victims who met their faiths here, so was her soul imprisoned for eternity”.

Mordecai was thrown into a loop, speechless at what he was hearing.

Noticing his expression, Benson decided to elaborate. “Mmm… How do I put this? If a wolf bites someone, their souls become corrupted and ruthless, transforming into unimaginable monsters with powers beyond human comprehension! As a result, you begin to lose yourself. The person who you once were. Your personality. Your morals… and even the people you were close to”. He paused to look away. “Those become nothing but a distant memory. All you’re left with is bitterness”. He sighed. “Just like what happened to CJ and those who live down there”.

“WHAT?!”. Screamed a panicked villager as he positioned his hands over his hair. “I thought you said they simply transform into a wolf! What the heck, Benson?! Why did you lie to me??”.

A glass-shattering expression landed in the thief’s heart at that latter question. 

Yet he quickly composed himself by gazing away. “W-What do you mean? I-I would… n-never lie to—“. He swallowed a lump in his throat before taking a deep breath. “L-Listen. I-I’m pretty sure I said nothing of those sorts. I just didn’t give the full context! Besides, it didn’t matter if you knew of this back then because I… wasn’t expecting you and Rigby to stick around”.

Mordecai raised an eyebrow at his suspicious behaviour but agreed with his words.

Even if both are terrible faiths, he’d much prefer to see his friend turn into a werewolf than whatever insanity was inside the cloud girl. Speaking of CJ, now it was all made clear. Honestly, he felt awful for what he and Benson did to her, even if they had no choice. 

“S-So, you’re telling me that Rigby could have become… c-corrupted like CJ? He wouldn’t recognise me??”. Mordecai saw another nod in reply. “T-That’s… That’s so fucked up!!”.

“It is… and that’s why we’re here!”. Ignoring the villager’s confused expression, Benson sternly faced him. “It seems Rigby’s leg isn’t getting any better. The treatment I gave him should have taken full effect after three hours, but nothing happened! And when you described how he behaved regarding the pain, it seems he needs further aiding. So, before we harvest the resources we need for the week, we’re going to the Grove’s Oasis!”.

Mordecai blinked before looking at the area below them. “S-Shit… What’s the plan?”.

“I heard of these special red berries in the Grove’s Oasis. If everything goes according to plan, they can be used as medicine to heal any infection. So we’ll extract the herbs, return to fetch the needed resources, and only then we’ll return to the Willow Tree so I can properly heal Rigby”. The thief explained and folded his arms. “Sounds good to you?”. 

The tall man nodded, feeling a little confident. “Seems legit! But are you sure these herbs will help Rigby? How do you even know if they exist?”.

“As much I hardly ever go down there, I have my ways of knowing. Just stick to the plan, okay?”.

Mordecai blankly stared at him. “Alright! I guess that’s better than nothing!”. He comically shrugged. “You’re the boss, after all!”.

“Now listen up, Mordecai! Once we get down there, there’s no telling what can happen! I said it was a safe point, but not for us! And unless you don’t want to end up dead, and I hope that to be the case, you will do as I say! That includes never… ever leaving my sight! Don’t you dare run off to who knows where! If I tell you to run, you will do that, got that?? And stay away from those ghosts! Some of them are evil! They are nothing but trouble, and they will hurt you!!”.

After a few seconds of silence, Mordecai set his hands behind his head. “Eh, you don’t need to tell me twice! I might have lost brain cells, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the obvious!”. He paused. “But I mean… It does look pretty scary down there! So if you want to be extra sure I don’t just run off and do something stupid… maybe you should hold my hand~? Just in case~?”. He winked.

A red shade emerged onto the bearded man’s cheeks, but he quickly shook it aside. “Mordecai!! Take this seriously!! Any shit can happen down there, and I don’t want to see you die!!”.

“Aww~! I knew you liked me, but to this degree? Benson, you’re so sweet~!”. The tall man innocently said, yet he giggled at his saviour’s scowling face. “O-Okay! Okay! I was joking~! I’ll take you seriously, I swear~!”. He tried to give him a severe face, but it only ended with more laughter. “A-Ah, fuck~!! W-Wait! Benson, don’t take this the wrong way!”.

Such an attitude provoked the brunet to groan aggressively, knowing he was being mocked. “_{Oh, you piece of shit…}”. Before things flew off the handle, he surprisingly recollected himself quickly. “Tsk! Whatever! Let’s just go! Hand over your bag! There’s some equipment in there that we’ll need to climb down!”. Without a second to lose, he watched him remove the bag off his shoulders and give it to him. “Thank you… Oh, by the way, didn’t you mention you needed a bath?”.

“Oh! Well, now that you mention it—?! BensOOOON!!”.

Out of nowhere, the thief kicked him towards the ravine, catching the poor villager off guard. Unable to keep his balance, he screamed for dear life as his body fell into the darkness. And such a scene was enough to put the brunet in a good mood, laughing at his priceless reaction before showcasing a soft smile.

Maybe next time, he won’t dare to mess around. But, eh, who was he kidding? Mordecai would always find ways to be bothersome. Yet, in a charming manner. One that… he could get behind.

Benson wanted to enjoy his revenge a little longer but knew that playtime was over, and he needed to reunite with his annoying companion. So he held Mordecai’s backpack tightly and took several steps back to prepare himself.

When ready, he ran straight towards the abyss and jumped off.

-:-.-:--:-.-:-

Time went by so slowly.

Mordecai’s eyes were filled with tears as he kept endlessly falling, screaming for needed help, only to stop when skinking in a body of water, creating a massive splash on the surface. 

As he floated in pure shock, not having the time to regain his senses after that scary episode, the water gave off a warm adrenaline rush through his body and surprisingly removed any pain he had. Bubbles blew out of his nose in amazement, checking himself even if he had no physical changes. But, not for long as the lack of air got to him, so he swam up, gasping for air when reaching the surface. 

Checking his surroundings, he landed on a lake where a tiny waterfall flew through a hole in the dirt wall. It amazed him, but when he further observed around, he was astonished to realise the warmness of the lake came from the open air, surrounded by thousands of fireflies. And here he thought the area looked darker from above, but it was quite the opposite. It was way brighter, much more than back in the Willow Tree. 

Out of the brightened spots, the villager spotted Benson coming from above. Yet it didn’t appear he would land in the lake, which petrified him. 

Fortunately, the bearded man was aware as his hands grabbed the tips of his cape, turning it into a parachute. He hovered gently in the air before releasing the fabric, pulling a somersault and landing on a tree branch. Next, he jumped off with a flip to another wooden arm and repeated until his boots firmly landed on land, creating a small gust of dirt underneath. 

Mordecai was in awe after such a mind-blowing performance, with his jaw hanging wide open, even while watching his hero straighten his back and casually dust himself. 

A blush overpowered his cheeks, but he rapidly shook his head to snap out of it. “Holy crap, Benson! That was so kickass~! But did you have to kick me off like that?”. He narrowed his eyes, upset. “A little warning would have been nice, ya know?”.

“Seems like we’re even”. Benson smirked, putting the bags down while Mordecai sulked. “Are you okay? Feeling any pain?”. He asked while extending his hand out for him to grab.

“I was, but then I felt warm underwater, and the pain disappeared!”. The tall man retorted, grabbed his hand and got pulled out of the water. “Dude, this place is so bright! It’s ten times better than up there, like what?? If I were up there, I’d probably die of hyperthermia, but I feel like I’m drying up just standing here! How is this even possible??”. 

“That would be the light emanating from her fallen victims”. 

“F-Fallen victims? Do you mean the ghosts you mentioned before? So, wait… there are ghosts here??”. 

“Unfortunately”. Benson gazed behind to see a path between the humongous trees. “I found out that there are still plenty of spirits around here with good energy, giving off a warm sensation. They are responsible for the Oasis’ glow, but the ones who have been corrupted live among them. The longer a spirit lingers, the more their souls become evil”. He faced the tall man, who was shocked. “So, if you ever feel a cold breeze here, be prepared to run away because that’s not wind. It’s a sign an evil spirit hovers close by”. 

Mordecai blinked at the exposition. “Woah… Jeez, this is a lot to take in, man”.

Benson gravely strapped his backpack. “And there’s more where that came from, but never mind that. Let’s get a move on!”. He commanded and trekked along the path. “If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll be able to have a safer journey with no one getting in our way”.

“Sounds like a dream!”. Mordecai exclaimed, picking up his bag and following his expedition buddy. “Hey, so I’m confused. Why are there ghosts, but then there’s CJ, who looked… almost normal and with powers? Are some wolf bites unique compared to others?”.

“No, only those bitten, like CJ and Rigby, are given that treatment. The spirits that live down here were killed due to other factors. Maybe the wolves clawed them to death. Or perhaps they accidentally fell off this ravine. Or they ate something poisonous, amongst others…”. He sighed. “So, believe me when I say a person can die in unexpected ways here”. 

“I see… Wait. I did see a ghost up there! Ghost Dude!”. Mordecai exclaimed, leading the bearded man to peek over his shoulder in confusion. “Yeah! Rigby and I met him before those wolves got to us! He was actually pretty chill, so… is he one of those good spirits?”. 

“Um… I don’t know who this ghost dude guy is, but it’s possible?”. Benson shrugged. “That’s quite odd to hear. The Oasis is every victim’s hideout because, as I mentioned, her minions don’t roam around here. Nobody dares to go up there… except for—”.

Suddenly, the pair stopped when the zone darkened, with Mordecai witnessing every firefly disappearing. It was enough to cause suspicion, only to yelp at a chill flowing through his neck.

“Um, Benson—?”. 

“Shhh. Don’t panic, Mordecai”. Benson quietly soothed him, connecting the mask to his face. “We must have spooked the fireflies. Just stay close to me, and we’ll be fine. Now, come on”. 

“B-But, I felt something—”. 

Out of the bushes, multiple ghosts with melted faces rapidly floated towards them, which startled the villager, who froze in terror. Thankfully, before he was clawed by one of them, Mordecai found himself being immediately dragged by the hand and forced to run. The pack of wild phantoms echoed screeches and chased afterwards with sparkling red eyes. 

The Pink Thief transversed the path as fast as possible to escape those tormented souls. All the while, the tall man accidentally peeked behind and screamed.

“Holy fuck! They’re ganging up on us!! What do we do??”. 

Frustrated by this predicament, the masked individual growled. “We need to distance ourselves from them! Trust me!! I got a plan to get rid of— Ouf!!”. Unfortunately, a sudden collision came into contact with his foot, and he tripped, losing control to the point of accidentally dragging Mordecai along. 

However, the thief regained his power and did a somersault on the dirt, halting on one knee with his head hanging low. Meanwhile, the same couldn’t be said for the villager’s case who flat-out collapsed next to him, worrying the Pink Thief.

“Mordecai! Are you okay??”. 

Before he could get an answer, the Pink Thief gazed ahead and growled at the sight of being surrounded by multiple evil spirits. Something heavy landed not far from them, which made him stand his guard, automatically going for his pointy weapon trapped in his boot and aiming at the silhouette. 

It slowly rose, revealing to be someone, as they laughed maniacally. Somehow, it didn’t appear the ghosts found the mysterious shadow an enemy, going as far as to make way for it to pass. 

“Well, hasn’t it been forever?”. The shadow spoke with a nasty tone, approaching the trespassers and finally revealing a more prominent individual with an evil grin. “I thought you’d never come back, Benson~”.

Mordecai got on his knees in worry. “W-What the…? W-Who’s that creep?”.

The thief sighed and stood up. “A faithful follower of the Goddess of Love and Peace…”.

He glowered at the threatening individual. “Gene”.