Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A frosty dawn froze the winter’s land. Snake was inside his apartment, in his fluffy sweater with a cup of hot cocoa. The TV kept blaring on about the recent money shortage; Snake soon got bored. Wolf was asleep in the other room, and he didn’t want to wake him. Snake yawned and smacked his lips before placing his hot cocoa on the table and getting up. He started slithering towards the fridge, when he heard Wolf’s phone ringing from the couch. His friends had come to his birthday last night, and Wolf got too drunk to drive home, so Snake let him sleep in his room. Even though he ended up sleeping on the couch, Snake had felt something deep down inside him that told him he should let Wolf sleep in his bed. It was an odd feeling, like a balloon was being blown up in your chest. Shark told him it was ‘love’, but Snake pushed it away. How could it be love? Wolf is his best friend! Diane is the one he loves, not him. Besides, Snake couldn’t do well with soppy stuff anyways. He picked up the phone.

Hello?” he said, his voice still croaky from the night before. “This is Mr Snake. Who’s this?”

"Hey, Snake! It’s me, Diane!” said a familiar voice. “Where’s Wolf? I need to talk to him.”

“Well, he’s sleeping at the moment, and if I woke him up, he’d be tired and hungover,” Snake joked. Diane paused for a second.

“Well, ok. But it’s urgent!” she said, distress toning her voice.

“Well, how about I come instead?” resolved Snake “C’mon, I’m the next best thing to Wolf. Besides, when I come back, I’ll tell him.” Diane paused again.

"Sounds like a plan,” she agreed. “Meet me outside The Museum of Fine Art, 9:30 at max.”

“Right. I’m on my way.”

Snake slithered towards the large building, still in his sweater and trying to keep a low profile. It had only been a year and a half since their last heist, and even though nothing bad had happened yet, Snake was still wary. He finally approached the museum, Diane waiting for him.

“Oh, finally!” Diane let out a sigh of relief. “I thought something bad happened to you!” Snake followed her up the stairs towards the museum, smiling to himself.

“Bring back any memories, Diane?” he joked. Diane simply scoffed.

“This is important. It’s no place for joking around!” Diane tutted. “This is why I was considering not bringing you!”

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry,” Snake rolled his eyes, before his face became serious. “So, what’s the problem?” Diane settled down at a table, and invited Snake to sit opposite her. She leaned forward as he sat down; she grabbed a newspaper and pushed it towards him, implying for him to read it. He picked it up, reading the headline aloud. “’Money shortage threatens the city’?” Snake groaned. “I came all the way here to talk about this? I’ve heard nothing else on the TV all morning!” Diane slammed her fist on the table, pinning her ears back.

“Don’t you get it?!” she snapped. “The government is running out of money, and soon, they’ll not have enough money to pay me! I might lose my job, and if I don’t have a job, I can’t pay bills, and if I can’t pay bills, I probably won’t get a house and if I-I….” Diane put her hands on head, trailing off into gibberish and becoming overwhelmed. As if it was an instinct, Snake leaned closer and held her hand with his tail. Diane looked up from the table, her face wet with tears.

“Don’t worry. You won’t lose your job. Everything’s going to be better in the end, trust me,” Snake said, care shining on his face. “And even if you do, me or Wolf would be happy to let you stay until you’re all good to go.” Diane’s saddened frown turned into a joyful smile, light coming back to her eyes. “Come on. How about we go get a bagel?”

Chapter Text

Snake knocked on Wolf’s door. “Hey, buddy!” he said. “You ok?” He opened the door to see Wolf massaging his forehead.

“Oh, hey Snake,” he smiled.

Snake sat on the bed beside him. “How are ya feeling, bud?” he asked.

Wolf groaned in pain, holding his ear. “Well, I’ve got a migraine, I’ve a painful ringing in my ear, I’ve thrown up twice this morning and I’m tired as hell,” he explained surprisingly calmly for a hungover person. “I think I drank a bit too much last night...”

“Yeah, you think?” Snake giggled. “You made up a challenge to see how many push pops you could put in your mouth!”

“Heh, yeah…” There was a short pause. “I’m sorry I ruined your party.”

“What?! No! You made it five times better just being there!”

“But I got way too drunk!”

“It was my idea to buy the beer, pal!” Snake retorted. Wolf just sighed. “Oh! Another thing. Diane’s worried about losing her job. She spoke to me this morning.”

“Oh, really?” Wolf’s face suddenly turned worried. “Is she ok?”

“Yeah. We went to go buy a bagel, then she went home.”

“Good. I might still talk to her later.”

“Yeah, you need your beauty sleep, bud.” Wolf lay back down and pulled his cover over him. “Goodnight, Wolf.”

“Goodnight, Snake.”

Soon after Wolf had gone to sleep, Snake had realised he was hungry again. He was in the city now, looking for a bite. He went passed a pet shop, and in the window, were five, juicy little guinea pigs. For a second or two, Snake fell into a sort of trance, flicking his tongue. But he roughly fought the urge. I’m a good guy now! I can’t go breaking into pet shops to eat those furry, tasty little pigs...Grr! Fight it, Snake! As if he was forcefully being dragged along, Snake slithered past the guinea pigs, and he swore one of them winked at him. Still, he slithered along the streets, looking for a worthy café. He finally came across a place called, ‘Hattie’s Green Tea’. He shuffled in, glancing around nervously. He got to the counter, and he asked for one scone and a coffee. He settled down at his table, and waited patiently for his meal to come. Suddenly, a man and his overly dressed wife walked in. The woman glanced over at Snake, her large red lips seemingly forever in a pursed position. She scoffed, disgusted, and leaned over to her husband’s ear.

“Come on, darlin’” she said in her strange, raspy voice. “There’s a snake in here. Let’s leave.” The man looked over at Snake, anger flaring in his eyes. He ringed the small bell on the counter to grab the attention of the bartender.

“What can I help you with, sir?” she asked, her joyful face beaming in the sun.

“You know there’s a snake in here, right?” the man growled.

“Oh, yes. H-He’s one of our customers,” she said, obviously intimidated by the man’s appearance.

“Ah, see…You can never trust a snake,” he murmured, just loud enough for Snake to hear. “One minute you can trust them, and the next, they kill you and take your money. They’re conniving, squirmy, thieving, over-sized maggots. Always have, always will be.” Snake had heard enough. He reared up, facing the large man, anger boiling in his chest.

“What do you have against snakes, two-leg?” Snake hissed, his pupils dilating in rage.

“Oh, dear me, I’m sorry,” the man began mockingly. “That was offensive…to the maggots!” Rage filling his chest, Snake lunged at him, pinning him down and coiling around his waist. He felt his fangs sink into the guy’s shoulders, and he heard the screams of other customers. He raised his head, preparing to strike at the guy’s face, before he heard a loud bang. A few seconds later, he felt a sharp pain in his lower neck. He felt very weary all of a sudden, and he fell to the floor, before everything went dark.

Chapter Text

It was loud. Too loud. Snake stared around as screaming was cut off by gun shots, and his father’s bloody body lay dead on the ground. Looking up, he saw a short figure staring down at him, laughing manically. Suddenly, Wolf was running towards him, desperately trying to catch his attention. The short figure pulled out a gun, before there was a loud bang and Wolf collapsed the floor. Snake let out a saddened scream before he squirmed around in terror.

“JOEY” …

“Snake!” a familiar woke him up. He bolted upright and gasped in his breath. He stared around to see Wolf and Diane looking at him, worry piercing their eyes. “Are you ok?”

“Wolf!” Snake leaned forward and gave his friend a hug through tears. “I-I thought you were dead…”

“Dead?” Wolf said, confusion tainting his tone. “Snake, what did you dream about?” Snake paused, and the awful dream came back into his head.

“I-I can’t remember,” he lied. He looked around, suddenly realizing he was in a hospital. There was blood being transferred into his neck, and his side still had this stinging pain. “What happened to me?” Wolf and Diane gave each other nervous glances. Diane nodded to him, indicating he should speak.

“You were shot,” Wolf finally replied.

“Shot?” Snake gasped. “What happened while I was unconscious?”

“Well...” Wolf began. “The bartender called the police, and a woman was arrested for shooting you. You were losing blood fast, and the paramedics helped you out as soon as they could. Once you reached the hospital, I got a call from them and I came as soon as possible to see if you were ok.” Snake slumped back in his bed, staring at the blankets. The door opened and a doctor walked in, folding his hands together.

“Mr Snake?” he said. “I have some news.”

“What? Is it good or bad?” Snake frowned.

“I’m afraid that once you get better, you’re going to prison.”

“What?!” Snake snapped. He felt frustrated, and he growled. “B-But why?”

“You physically assaulted another man, he’s in the waiting room currently,” the doctor replied.

“Snake?” Wolf frowned, turning to him. “Is this true?” Snake paused. He wasn’t going to lie to his friend again.

“He called me untrustworthy and an over-grown maggot!” Snake gushed out his emotions. “He said snakes should never be trusted and his stupid wife wanted to leave the café just because I was there! I’m not untrustworthy, and I had ever right to attack him!” Snake caught his breath, panting. Wolf simply looked at him.

“You know, you’re such an idiot sometimes, you know, right?” Wolf sneered. Snake stared for a moment, before noticing his jokey tone.

“Yeah, I suppose I am,” Snake agreed.

“At least you won’t be alone in prison,” Wolf smiled.

“What do you mean?” Snake asked.

“You’ll see.”

Snake shuffled on his orange shirt, frowning as usual. His scar had gotten better, and he’d been sent 6 months in prison, minus a few months since it was a minor injury. He still wondered what Wolf meant by, ‘You won’t be alone’, but he would probably find out soon. The guard pointed towards the entrance to jail, and Snake slithered inside, only to see a very familiar face…

“Piranha?” Snake exclaimed, seeing him in a little police outfit in front of an empty cell.

“Snake!” Piranha gasped before running forward and giving his friend a ginormous hug. It only lasted a few seconds however, as Snake wasn’t the biggest fan of hugs.

“What are you doing here?” said Snake, looking up and down at his little friend.

“I’m police man now!” Piranha spun around to show himself off. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story,” Snake sighed.

“Sorry I haven’t been in contact with you,” Piranha looked to the side shamefully. “I did get a call from the paramedics, but I just assumed they were calling to tell me to take my worm tablets.”

“Your what?”

“Nothing!” Piranha flinched. “It’s good to see you again, though.”

“Unfortunately, you had to see me like this.”

Chapter Text

Snake sobbed in his cell. It was 2 days till Christmas, and he wouldn’t be able to spend it with his friends. Piranha had said to him that he’d try to convince Misty, the chief of police, to give him a free release. But so far, there was no news. Snake rolled over, staring at the ceiling. He didn’t often want to admit it, but he missed his friends. He especially missed his best friend, Wolf. Suddenly, that fuzzy feeling came back. He tried to fight it, but it seemed impossible. Suddenly, there was a knock on the metal bars of the cell. Snake sat upright wearily. Piranha was standing there, but he seemed in a rush, desperate to tell him something.

“Look, I don’t have much time,” Piranha began. “Be ready at midnight!” Before Snake could even question what he said, he scampered away, heading towards the office. Be ready at midnight? What was that supposed to mean? I suppose I’ll have to wait and see… He lay down again, and slowly, but surely, fell asleep.

A loud buzzing woke him up. Snake was startled, so instinctively, he coiled and hissed aggressively. The buzzing turned out to be a metal saw, chipping away at stiff bars on his window. Soon, they fell to the ground, and a familiar face popped up from outside.

“Wolf!” Snake whispered, getting closer to the window. “What are you doing here?”

“Look, um…” Wolf checked around to make sure nobody was listening. “Don’t let Diane know about this, alright? She’ll kill me if she does!”

“Your secrets safe with me, buddy,” Snake rolled his eyes.

“Good. Anyway, we couldn’t let one of our buddies miss out on Christmas. Now, c’mon! I don’t know how long Shark can distract the officers!” Snake grabbed his old, rusty prison bed and brought it just below the window; Wolf helped him out and they rushed down the ladder leading to the car. Tarantula was hacking the security systems on her tiny laptop, and Wolf shifted into gear; they were off! Shark was standing outside with some other police officers, and before anyone could blink, Shark jumped into the car. Unfortunately, they had timed the jump wrong, and instead of landing in their seat, they landed on Snake instead.

“Hey! Watch it, Moby Dick!” Snake snapped.

“Oops, sorry!” Shark shuffled back into his seat, and Snake stretched, letting all the tension escape his muscles. He looked over at Wolf, his fluffy fur blowing in the wind. Snake tried to say something, but he mumbled out something that sounded like a quiet, monotone scream. Wolf looked at him with confusion.

“Are you trying to say something, bud?” Wolf asked. Snake paused.

“I-I missed you,” Snake finally said, not meeting Wolf’s eye.

“I missed you, too,” Wolf replied. Snake felt like his heart melted; his skin grew sweaty and his face turned warm. Wait. Do I like this feeling? Snake decided to ignore fighting it for now. It made him feel happy. Maybe I like this ‘love’ thing after all.

Christmas was tomorrow. There was going to be a garden party being held by Diane, and Snake and his friends were invited. He was organizing the presents for his friends, when there was a sudden knock at the door. Snake went to the door and opened it, only to see Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula.

“How’s it going, lover boy?” Shark teased.

“W-What? What are you talking about?” Snake said, confused.

“Oh, please. We all saw what’s happening with you and Wolf,” Tarantula shrugged her shoulders.

“And it looks like somebody has a cru-ush!” sang Piranha. Snake blushed in embarrassment.

“WHAT?! No! Y-You’ve got me all wrong!” Snake tried to push the thought of having a crush on Wolf, but he couldn’t help it. He felt his face go red.

“HA! You’re heating up!” laughed Tarantula. “That proves it!” Snake growled and moved away from the door, getting back to his present wrapping. He heard his friends walking in, before suddenly realizing it was their presents he was wrapping!

“DON’T COME IN HERE!” Snake yelled. “I’M WRAPPING YOUR PRESENTS!”

“Ok, then,” Shark sighed. “Then I suppose you wouldn’t like to know that Wolf and Diane got into an argument…” Snake whipped around and stared at his friend.

“They got into an argument?! Are they still a couple? Is Wolf single now?” Snake asked excitedly.

Shark folded their arms and gave a know-it-all smirk. “I told you so,” they simply said. Snake suddenly realised what he had said.

“T-That doesn’t prove it! It’s none of your business!” he snapped. “Also, DO NOT peek at your presents!” He heard Shark sit down behind him, followed by Piranha and Tarantula. There was a short moment of silence.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Shark finally said. “But come on, you have to be honest with us. And yourself.” Snake stopped folding the wrapping paper. He thought for a moment, and he realised Shark was right. He should be honest about it, to himself, and his friends.

“Ok, fine,” Snake grumbled. “I…I may have a tiny crush on Wolf…” He glanced over his non-existent shoulder. Shark was raising their eyebrows suggestively. Snake sighed. “Okay, a big one. Happy?” There was another moment of silence.

“Doesn’t that feel better?” Shark asked him. “Getting it out there, and off your chest?” Again, Snake realised they were right; it did feel better.

“Yeah, it did,” he agreed.

Later, after Snake was done wrapping all the presents, Piranha had prepared them all a nice cup of coffee. They were chatting calmly for a while (mainly about Wolf and Snake), before Shark said something shocking.

“You should tell Wolf about your feelings,” they suggested. Snake spurted out his coffee, lightly staining the coffee table.

“What?! Are you insane? I can’t do that!” Snake snapped. “He has Diane, and he loves her, not me!” Snake’s words turned sadder as he went on. “He loves the pretty, goody two-shoes fox, not some dirty little venomous snake! Who would ever love me?” Tears welled in his eyes, before they dripped down his face into his coffee. “Great, now my coffee’s salty.” Snake placed it down on the table and rested his head on his coils. Shark wrapped their arm around him, giving him a small hug.

“C’mon, who wouldn’t love that face of yours?” they encouraged Snake.

“Um, how about everyone with a brain?” Snake grunted sarcastically. “For the last time, Wolf doesn’t love me!”

“But you love him, right?” said Shark. Snake glanced up at his large friend. “It’s obvious how close you two are. Maybe if you just confessed, he’d admit he felt the same way.” Snake thought for a few moments. He remembered all the heists they had been on, Wolf’s betrayal, but then they made up, the party, the softness of his fur, the kindness of his eyes… He sat up, facing Shark.

“Okay, I’ll tell him.”

Chapter Text

Snake growled as he fiddled with his tie. It had always been difficult for him to put it on, and even if he did put it on, he’d never been able to put it on properly. He was sort of looking forward to the party, but only because there was going to be food, and his friends where going. Finally, he was able to put the tie on. As he looked in the mirror, he thought he looked dashing. A fancy tuxedo, and red bowtie. He wondered what suit Wolf would be wearing, and a handsome image of him flashed in Snake’s mind; Wolf was wearing a white shirt with a black tie, and a navy jacket with only three buttons fastened at the bottom. Snake found himself blushing, and he snapped back to reality. He picked up a bag containing his friends presents, and he headed to the party.

As he entered the party, he realised he must have been the last one to arrive. Everyone else who was invited was there had arrived, and his friends where all dancing on the disco floor. Except for Diane and Wolf, who were staying noticeably far apart. He remembered how Shark had told him that they’d got into an argument soon after they busted Snake out of prison. Misty Luggins, the chief of police was there, but Snake kept his distance from her, since she would probably arrest him. Suddenly, there was a tap on his neck. Snake turned around to see Wolf staring anxiously at him.

“What’s up, bud?” asked Snake, his voice mixed with curiousness and concern.

“I-It’s Diane,” Wolf explained. “I have something big to share with her, but she’s still angry with me. What should I do?” Snake glanced over Wolf’s shoulder, only to see his other friends cheering him on quietly, signalling for Snake to confess to Wolf. Snake cleared his throat.

“Well, try and sympathise with her,” Snake recommended. “Say something soppy, like, ‘If your best friend or somebody close to you was not going to make it for Christmas, how far would you go to make sure they did?’, or some cheesy thing like that.”

“Okay, thanks, pal,” Wolf nodded. Suddenly, Snake realised his confession was due.

“W-Wait!” Snake called out. Wolf whipped around, facing Snake. “I have something to tell you. I…I…” Snake stuttered and struggled to find words. His friends where still cheering him on the back. “I-I…I…really like…your suit!” Snake grinned falsely. Defeat washed over his other friend’s faces.

“Oh, thanks, Snake,” Wolf smiled. “Now, off to apologise to Diane.” Wolf strutted away, while Shark, Piranha and Tarantula walked towards Snake.

“What were you thinking?” Shark asked. “You could have told him right then and there!” Snake sighed.

“I-I know,” he groaned sadly. “I can’t do it, guys. I just can’t.”

“Yes, you can!” Piranha smiled. “We believe in you!” Snake’s three friends huddled together and grinned approvingly. Snake smiled back. Suddenly, there was microphone feedback coming from the stage. Diane was holding a microphone, smiling gratefully at all the guests.

“Welcome, everyone!” she grinned. “Today, we celebrate Christmas, the time for giving. We recommend giving money to the Government Charity, as well as funding help for poverty and wars going on in many countries.” Suddenly, awful memories flashed into Snake’s head. It was almost exactly like his dream he had in the hospital, his father’s dead body lay on the ground, Wolf got shot, the tiny figure. But this time, there was a lady snake, carrying…a baby snake? Suddenly, he snapped back to reality, Shark supporting his back. Had he fallen over? Suddenly, he saw Wolf get up on stage.

“I have a special announcement to make,” said Wolf, facing Diane. He bent down on one knee, and brought out a beautiful ring with a green emerald on it. “Diane Foxington, will you marry me?” The words Wolf spoke struck Snake in the heart like spear. Tears ran down his face, his emotions flying. Anger boiled in his chest, his face went red. He had the urge to attack…

“NO!” Snake lunged up on stage, coiling around Diane. He wrapped his tail around her neck and squeezed it tight, choking her. He grinned manically as he watched her suffer, his pupils turning to slits. He didn’t care for the screams and gasps of the crowd; he didn’t care for the sound of police sirens. Once Diane was out of the picture, Wolf would be his. As he watched the light die from Diane’s eyes, Snake glanced up at Wolf. He was staring in shock, pain dimming his beautiful eyes, tears flooding out of them. Snake suddenly realised what he had done. He stopped grinning, and he loosened his grip on Diane. He glanced at the crowd; they were all petrified of him, staring with terror filled eyes. But none more so than his friends. Snake sobbed quietly, keeping his gaze on the audience.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I…,” he choked, his voice hardly heard. The immense force of the police chief landed upon him, almost crushing him. He heard chain cuffs click around his neck, and as he was being dragged away to the police van, the last thing he saw before the doors slammed shut, where the shocked faces of his friends. What have I done?...

Chapter Text

A snake was cowering behind a boulder, grasping a tiny thing wrapped in a blue blanket. She was scared, gasping for air as the battle raged on. She stared around, making sure the cost was clear. She blocked out the screaming of her friends, and as fast as a motorbike, she dashed for the coastline…

“Snake!” called a voice. He snapped back to reality, staring around. He was still in his cell, and Misty was standing outside it. “You have visitors.” Snake looked behind her, only to see his friends standing there. Snake glared and whipped his head back around, breathing heavily through his nose. Misty opened the cell gate, and Snake heard his friends walk in. “I’ll leave you be.” Misty walked out and shut the door behind her, leaving only Snake and his friends in the cell. There was an awkward silence.

“What were you thinking?!” Wolf finally snapped, a snarl tinting his voice. “Everything was going fine, until you stepped in and almost killed Diane! What’s wrong with you?” Snake didn’t answer. Wolf growled. There was another awkward pause.

“Guys?” Piranha’s voice echoed through the silence. “This might not be the best time, but the public are worrying about the rest of us being dangerous…”

“What? B-But we didn’t do anything!” Wolf cried. “This is all your fault, Snake!” Snake kept a straight face, but his insides were squirming with sadness. Wolf sighed. “It’s ok guys. We’ll just have to try harder next time-”

“Shut up already, Wolf!” Snake snarled, whipping around to face the canine. Wolf stared at him. “Don’t you get it?! Nobody will ever see as anything but monsters! I’m tired of trying hard, and even if I did try as hard as I possibly could, not EVERYONE would still see us as good! People can’t change easy!” There was a long pause. “Just go…” Wolf stood rooted to the spot. Snake bared his fangs. “I said GO!”

Misty burst through the office door. “What’s going on? I heard yelling!” she bellowed.

“Oh, we were just about to leave,” Wolf snarled, glancing back at Snake. He stared bitterly back. Misty opened the cell and the gang stepped out, following Misty out of the door. Shark looked back for a few moments, sadness in their gaze, before shutting the door behind him. Snake slumped back down onto himself. He wanted to drown in his depression. He almost fell asleep, when suddenly, he heard a voice.

“Here again, Snake?” He froze. He recognized that voice all too well. Snake growled, imagining he was sinking his fangs into that little rodent…

“Marmalade,” he hissed. “What do you want, you little scumbag?”                                                                                                                                     

“Oh dear, Snakey! That’s not how you talk to your old friends. Perhaps my training didn’t work out after all,” Marmalade sneered.                                                                                               

Snake growled aggressively. “Just answer my question, you little rat!”

“I can help you, Snake. I can help you escape; I can help you change the way people perceive you.” There was a short pause. “I can help you get the guy.” Snake’s eyes widened. How could he do that? He thought of life where Diane wasn’t with Wolf. He and Snake were at the beach together, watching the sun go down. They faced each other, and pressed their lips against the other.

“I love you, Snake,” Wolf would say.

“I love you, too, Wolf,” Snake replied. He rested on Wolf’s shoulder, and he started petting his head fondly. It was perfect…but it would never happen.

“No, Marmalade! I fell for your tricks before, and I won’t do it again! Now shut up and let me get some sleep!” Snake started to slither towards the corner of his cell, hoping to get some well-deserved rest.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to your parents?” Marmalade asked. Snake froze.

“You…Y-You know?” Snake stammered.

“Well, I would tell you, but…I won’t.” Marmalade’s voice stopped, and there was nothing but silence.

“W-Wait! Tell me!” Snake begged. “Please! I need to know! PLEASE! I’LL DO ANYTHING!” Tears began flowing from his eyes. There was a pause.

“Anything, you say?” Marmalade sneered.

“Yes! Please, anything! I just need to know!”

“Well, I have a few ideas…”

Chapter Text

Snake sat in his apartment, waiting for Diane. He’d broken out of prison and was in hiding, and had sent a message to Diane to come around to his flat to have a chat. There was a knock at the door. Snake answered it, and Diane stood there, ears pointing back.

“What is wrong with you?!” She said, inviting herself in. “First, you choke me, and second, you break the law!” Snake stared blankly at her. “Hm?! Are you not going to apologise?”

“Sit down, Diane,” said Snake, a heavy weight landing in his chest. She sat down and snarled. “I understand you’re quite upset, but everyone has their reasons.”

“Reasons?!” Diane snapped. “What were your reasons for almost killing me?!”

“No, Diane.” Snake stared at her coldly “What were your reasons for trying to take Wolf from me?” Diane’s expression turned from angry to confused.

“W-What?” Diane stammered. “What are you talking about?”

“You know, you and Wolf was pretty quick to jump to conclusions,” Snake sneered, letting out all of his bitterness. “You’ve only each other for a year or so, and you’re already getting married?” He scoffed. “Desperate or what?” He slithered over to the cabinet, where he picked up at bat. Diane stepped back, intimidated.

“Snake, w-what are you…” she stuttered.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be quick,” Snake advanced towards her, but his insides where squirming like mad. Diane tried to get out through the front door, but it was locked. She turned around, facing Snake, who stood in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Diane.” He swung the bat, and Diane collapsed on the floor. The door unlocked, and Marmalade stepped in.

“Good job, Snakey,” he grinned. “Now, let’s get away from here.

Snake forced himself to look away as Diane woke up. She was strapped to a chair with a long rope on a large motor boat with him and Marmalade. Marmalade hadn’t told him where they were going, but it had to be somewhere far from the police. Diane got a look at her surroundings.

“Marmalade,” she snarled, before turning to look at Snake. She stared at him with anger and confusion. “Snake? You’re with him?” Snake didn’t answer. He just turned away, gazing out at the open ocean. “Why, Snake? Why did you do this?”

“Because I had to,” Snake replied.

“You didn’t have to do anything! I really thought you’d changed. But you betrayed me. You betrayed your friends. And you betrayed yourself.”

Snake had heard enough. “Look! I don’t what to hear another squeak out of you! I have to do this! I need to find the truth about myself, where I come from, who I am! No matter the cost!” Diane’s face fell. “Now shut up!” Snake whipped back around, facing the ocean once again. The ride was silent from then on.

Soon, they reached an island. But it wasn’t filled with fields and grass and animals. It was bare and dusty, with no creatures in sight. They docked the boat, and Marmalade and Snake dragged Diane out of the boat onto the island.

“Might I ask where we are?” Snake asked, his fight or flight instincts kicking in.

“Oh, Snake,” said Marmalade. “I thought you of all people would recognise this place.”

“What do you mean?” Snake started trekking slowly over the island. He then started to notice small buildings that had been destroyed in some kind of war. Suddenly, the nightmare flashed in his head. There were explosions everywhere, and loud noises. Snake cried out in agony. Blood dripped onto the floor.

“SNAKE!” screamed a voice. Snake was brought out of his nightmare. Diane was stressed. “Are you ok? You were screaming in pain!”

“Yeah, I-I’m fine,” replied Snake.

“Do you remember now?” Marmalade teased. Snake continued on. He came to a shabby, destroyed house. However, it seemed…Familiar. He shuffled in, and was met with a blown-up table and a destroyed kitchen counter. In another room (that was more or less destroyed), there was two bashed up beds and…a cot? He peered into the cot, and scooped up a small teddy bear. Suddenly, he found himself laying in the cot, screaming and bawling like an infant. Wait…was this a memory? The house didn’t seem to be destroyed, and there was the crackling of a radio in the background, so he appeared to be remembering something. He was still screaming, when the kind, caring eyes of an oddly familiar snake peering over the cot. She picked Snake up with her tail and cradled him softly.

“It’s okay, my darling,” she shushed lovingly. “Mama’s here. Is my little Joey hungry?” Snake burbled in reply. He suddenly found himself staring at the little bear again, breathing heavily in shock.

“My name…is Joey,” Snake turned to look at the smug guinea pig. “And I…saw my mother…” Diane gasped. Marmalade didn’t flinch.

“Well, Joey. How about you do what you came here for?”

“What?”

“You came here to remember your past. Now, remember.” Marmalade snapped. Snake struggled to see properly as flashes of his past appeared in his mind. There was blood everywhere. His father’s corpse lay on the ground. Screaming was cut off my explosions.

“I-I can’t!” cried Snake.

“DO IT!” Marmalade shrieked. Snake shrivelled in agony as he saw his kind being murdered in front of his eyes. He was swiftly in the cot again, and his father was guarding it. A large figure stood in front of him. He loaded a pistol, and…

“NO!” Snake screamed as tears flowed down his cheeks. “I CAN’T DO IT!”

“YOU PATHETIC SNAKE!” Marmalade screeched and kicked him in the ribs. “REMEMBER ALREADY! YOU STUPID WASTE OF SPACE!” Snake bawled on the floor as Marmalade screamed insults at him. It was too much.

“Marmalade! Stop!” shrieked Diane. The kicking stopped, and Snake opened his eyes weakly. Diane’s eyes shone with the same care his mother had. “It’s ok. I’m here.”

Snake panted for breath. “But I can’t…remember.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Diane asked. “Your mind is a river and your pain is like logs. Let your river flow.” Snake froze for a moment. He slowly got up. He took a deep breath, and exhaled gradually. He closed his eyes and let his river flow.

Chapter Text

The sun shone in the bright sky. The grass was greener than the colour itself, and the sky was bluer than a sapphire. Young snakes played football in the open space ahead. An infant Joey watched the older children play. His mother sat beside him, her face beaming with joy.

“You’re going to have to wait until you’re older to play with the big children, Joey,” chuckled his mother. Joey let out a whimper. “It’s okay, my darling.” His mother scooped him up and gave him tender kisses. Joey giggled at the touch, and his mother brought him inside the house. His father sat at the table, reading the newspaper. He noticed his son and put down the newspaper, beaming proudly.

“There’s my boy!” he grinned, flicking his tongue at the infant. Joey tried to reply with a tongue flick, but ended up blowing a raspberry instead. His parents chuckled.

“You’ll get there one day, darling,” smiled his mother. She slithered over to the cot and placed the infant Joey inside. She kissed him on the forehead and beamed. “Night night, baby.” She slithered away and Joey closed his eyes. But as he fell asleep, he heard his parents talking.

“Honey? Have you read the news?” asked his father.

“No, I haven’t. What does it say?” asked his mother.

“It says here that the public are concerned about whether we’re a threat.”

“Ugh, what do those humans know?”

“They’re more powerful than us, y’know!”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I’m telling you this because we might have to move away, for Joey’s safety.”

“Well, I w-want my baby to be safe, but we don’t have the money to move. Where would we even go?”

“I don’t care where we went. Anywhere that was safe for Joey.”

“…We’ll discuss it tomorrow. I’m going shopping. We’re all out of food.”

“Ok, see you later honey.” Joey’s father kissed his mother goodbye and she walked out of the door as Joey fell fast asleep.

He was awoken by gunshots. Screaming. Explosions. As he opened his eyes, his father stood there, hissing and flicking his tail.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY SON!” he bellowed. A tall figure stood in front of him. They loaded a pistol and pulled the trigger faster than his father could react. He fell to the floor, limp and lifeless. The figure stepped over his father, and pointed his pistol at Joey. All at once, the figure collapsed. Joey’s mother stood behind them, grasping a brick. She dropped the brick and grasped her son, who was wrapped in a blue blanket.

“I-It’s ok, baby!” she sobbed. “Dada’s going to be ok, he’s just having a nap.” Joey glanced down as his father’s corpse. Before he could think, his mother dashed away, bolting for safety. Screaming echoed everywhere. Explosions screeched. Gunshots came and went. Joey sat there in his mother’s grasp as she bolted towards the coastline. She dodged bullets and narrowly missed grenades. The infant Joey was too confused to cry, and simply clinged on to his mother, gazing up at her face. Soon, she stopped. She grabbed a basket and placed Joey inside. He whimpered and cried a little.

“Shhh,” his mother shushed him caringly. “Shhhhh…It’s ok, my little one.” Tears started streaming down her cheeks. “I love you, and I always will. Even if we are very, very far away, I’ll always be with you, ok?” She kissed Joey on the forehead, cradling her son for the final time.

“Mama!” Joey burbled. His mother smiled, before pushing the basket away. Joey watched as his mother grew farther and farther away. His cries echoed through the air, his throat hurting after a while. Eventually, his mother and his home were gone, and Joey was left on the ocean, alone.

Snake gasped heavy breaths. He collapsed onto the rubble, holding in a cry of pain. He could sense Diane and Marmalade behind him, but he didn’t care. Tears ran down his face like a flood. My mother…she sacrificed herself for me…As his mind scrambled, he began asking more questions.

“What happened when the public found out?” he whimpered, his voice cracking. Marmalade smirked his devilish smile.

“The public didn’t find out. After the massacre, the president of the city found out and realised it would put a bad image of his country. So, he stated the rumours of the battle as false, and nobody was ever allowed to visit this island again.”

“So…So all those snakes- MY KIND, WERE UNRIGHTFULLY SLAUGHTERED, A-AND THAT JERK COVERED IT UP AND NOBODY BROUGHT THEM TO JUSTICE?!” Snake’s voice grew more powerful as his anger raised in his throat.

“Afraid not, Snake.” Marmalade was annoyingly calm, Snake thought. Suddenly, his thoughts came together like puzzle pieces.

“Hold on...If the public never found out about this, then how did you know where this island was?” Snake glared at the rodent, his mind rushing like a river.

“To be honest, I can’t blame the president for covering it all up. In fact, I’m grateful. It saved a lot of public figures at the time. Why do you think I was adored so much? My job was to keep people safe, correct?” 

“ANSWER MY QUESTION, YOU LITTLE…” Snake trailed off. Marmalade had answered his question. It all clicked. It all made sense now. He had learned the truth, but it was a truth he wasn’t happy with.

“You did this. You killed my parents.”

Chapter Text

A deafening silence pierced the air. The tension rose like a tsunami as the two animals glared at each other. Snake wanted to snap the little rodent’s neck. He wanted to tear him limb from limb. He wanted to rip out his guts and devour them…slowly. Wait a second...

What was stopping him?

“YOU BASTARD!” Snake roared. He lunged at Marmalade, baring his razor-sharp fangs. “I’LL KILL YOU!”

The guinea pig swerved out of the way, making Snake pummel to the ground. He wouldn’t give up yet. He shot up and dived for Marmalade’s neck, this time managing to hit him, but the guinea pig was sly. He grabbed Snake by the shirt and was somehow able to slam him against the floor. The two fought like two vines fighting for sunlight. But the other would not stop until his enemy was defeated.

Snake was suddenly greeted by a surprise when his enemy suddenly fell to the floor. Had he finally defeated Marmalade? Snake grinned triumphantly, until he saw Diane with a…remote? Stick? Whatever. She was clasping it in her paw, and Snake frowned.

“What? I ruined your little moment of pride?” Diane smirked.

Snake didn’t want to admit it, but Diane was right. “…Maybe.”

Diane grinned. “C’mon. Let’s go home.” The two of them approached the boat, when Snake saw something in the distance. There was another boat drifting over the waves towards them.

“Who’s that on the boat?” Snake asked.

Diane looked, then she cringed. “Yeah, about that. While we were on the boat, I used a chip I had in my pocket to contact Wolf and the rest of the gang.”

Snake couldn’t help but smile to himself. “Oh, you sneaky fox-”. Snake was cut off by a sharp pain in his back, then just in the middle of his shirt. He looked down. The familiar tip of a knife was poking out of his chest, the silver ruined by his blood. Suddenly, he felt faint. The knife was brutally ripped out of his body, no doubt by the dastardly guinea pig himself.

“NO!” Diane screamed.

“As I always say, Diane. A good criminal always has a plan B up his sleeve.” Marmalade sneered and wiped the blood off the knife with a handkerchief. Snake knew what he had to do. With his last fraction of strength, he coiled around Marmalade, growling. The guinea pig squeaked, not expecting this turn of events. Snake shut his eyes and threw himself down on the guinea pig’s head before effortlessly twisting his neck. There was a deafening cracking sound. Marmalade fell limp. Snake dropped him. He turned to Diane, who was understandably frozen in fear. He smiled, before falling weak again and falling to the stony ground.

He could hardly open his eyes because of the pain. It was horrible. He heard Diane fall at his side, crying. Poor thing. She didn’t deserve this. And it was all his fault.

“Diane…” He managed to croak. “I…I-I’m sorry, I…”

Diane caringly shushed him. “It’s okay, Snake. I forgive you. It’s ok.”

Then, he heard Wolf’s frighted yelp. That gave Snake the courage to open his eyes. Wolf scooped him up, trembling on his knees.

“Snake? SNAKE!” Wolf whimpered. “C’mon, bud. Don’t do this!”

“It-It’s alright, Wolf. I’ll be ok.” Snake smiled at his best friend; all tension was broken. He felt at peace almost.

Snake lay there, his breathing heavy. His friends were gathered around him, tears forming in their eyes. Wolf knelt next to him; his breathing slowed as he quietly cried.

“This…” Snake began, his voice only just louder than a whisper. “This is how I always wanted to die. Among my friends. My family.” Wolf cradled him closer, his soft fur now wet with tears.

“You can’t leave me, bud,” Wolf sobbed as his voice broke up. “You can’t.” Snake looked up at his sad friend and smiled.

“Look at me, Wolf,” Snake began. Wolf looked into his eyes. “Not everyone will like you, and that’s ok. You should only focus on the people who love you.” He glanced at Diane, who’s face was streaming with tears. Snake turned back to his friend. “Diane loves you. I love you.” Wolf burst into tears, grasping Snake in his arms.

“I love you, too, Snake,” Wolf sobbed.

“Don’t be upset, Wolf,” Snake gasped. “I’ll be at peace, away from my mistakes…” Snake pulled his friend closer to him, pressing his forehead against Wolf’s weakly. “Think about all the great times we had together…I had so much fun…” Wolf smiled a bittersweet smile, tears still streaming down his face. Snake looked around at all of his friends. As he felt the last bit of energy leaving him, he had the power to speak again. “My life was damp and dark…Thank you all for being the light to make it brighter.” He closed his eyes and embraced the darkness like a warm blanket.

2 years later

Wolf walked slowly through the graveyard; tulips held in his paw. He stopped at a tombstone, and knelt down and placed the tulips leaning on the small rock. He stood up, his eyes already filling with tears.

“Hey, buddy,” Wolf began. “It’s been a while.” The wind blew almost silently as he stood there, gazing down at where his friend was buried.

“Everybody still misses you. I still miss you.” Wolf wiped the tears from his eyes as his voice broke up. He paused, gasping for breath as he sobbed.

“Thank you for saving Diane. For everything you’ve done.” He smiled. “Thankfully, Diane didn’t lose her job. After you passed, so many people gave charity funds to the government in your honour. People love you, Snake. I love you.” There was another pause.

“Me and Diane got married a year after you died. If you were still here, you would have been best man. But because you…” Wolf trailed off, holding in his tears. “Piranha took your place, and I made sure to talk about you during the groom’s speech. Everyone raised their glasses for you.”

“Around a few months later, Diane got pregnant. We were both so happy. Shark got them a cute little shark outfit to wear, and Piranha got them a toy fish. Soon after, our precious baby was born. You would have loved them. It was a little baby boy, with big, beautiful green eyes.” Wolf smiled a bittersweet smile. “His name is Joey.”