Work Text:
At a lone cabin near the edge of a forest known as Acorn Acres, two cogs were walking right to the entrance. The entire space had no trees and flat dirt, since a cog know as spruce cleared it all up, he didn't like the nature anyways.
Right next to him, a cog named Chip walks besides him. The poor man has been overworking again, and he is pretty tired. Despite that, he still intended that he wasn't, straight up telling Spruce that he can go back to his house. Spruce had to drag him out of his office just because he was so darn tired of Chip treating himself like this.
As they entered the door, Spruce and Chip enters the living room, a single couch with some blankets on it and a smaller fireplace filled with nothing but wood can be seen, since he never uses it to burn wood, cause thats just wasting food. The couch also having a massive bite mark due to Spruce gnawing at it at one point. Chip plops onto the couch, Spruce meanwhile goes to the kitchen to get Chip a nice cup of oil. Chip does not want to be here. Yes, he knows that Spruce was just being nice, but he still feels on edge. What if the override activates here? He doesn't want to scare away Spruce because of it, he was one of his best friends, more like a brother actually.
As Chip ponders the question, Spruce comes back with a cup of oil. "Yah better not be planning to sneak out back to tha office, ya hear? Yah need to have a good sleep for once." Spruce may be a reckless cog, but he seems to be getting more worried these days. Sooner or later, he may have to learn about the override, but not tonight. Tonight...an interesting event is about to happen.
Chip stares at his cup of oil and takes a few sips. It was sort of stale, but he didn't mind. He watches as Spruce sits down next to him, staring at the filled fireplace. "So, have yah heard the news? Misty should be able ta come back to work tomorrow after that incident. Had a speedy repair aye heard." Chip looks at Spruce, eyes widening a bit. "Oh, thats good to hear."
Spruce looks at him, a mischievous grin implying on his face. "Oh yeh, she would be definitely be happy to see yah again...Fish Revvington."
"Ugh, Spruce!" Chip grumbled to himself, hearing Spruce laughter. Spruce has not stopped calling him 'Fish Revvington' after Misty recognized him as that when they woke up. What in the world was she 'dreaming' about during all that time? Apparently, some weird stuff judging by him showing up with a normal fish's body.
"Ehehe, yah know eyehm just teasing yah Chip," Spruce says. Laying back on the couch. After what felt like a few minutes, Spruce suddenly stood up. "Oh right, aye just remembered, aye bought something that imma try out real quick." Spruce stood up and walked to the side of the room, dragging a coffee table in front of the couch. He then left the room, coming back with what looks like a cassette tape and a cassette player.
"Spruce, what is that." Spruce looks up at Chip. "Ah, this is a cassette player. Aye recently bought one just to try out playing music. It even came with a free cassette tape with pirated Dave Brubot songs. Yah know how expensive his record players are these days."
That was understandable, Dave Brubot was one of the most popular singers out there, and Chip was actually familiar with him. Before they were sent to their areas, Dave hosted a small performance as a way to celebrate. All of the other managers were there as well.
Spruce pops in the cassette tape, and pushes the on button. The cassette tape seems to be a bit statically in the first couple of seconds, but it eventually started playing a few Dave Brubot songs that were in low quality. "Heh, seems like it works."
After letting the cassette tape play for a little while longer, Spruce grabs the cassette tape and placed it on the table, pushing the coffee table to the side. "How was it chip?" Spruce asked. Chip looks back at him, thinking. "Eh, it worked fine." Spruce smiles, then stands up from the couch. "Well, that should be enough for today. Aye want you to charge up here for tonight, aigh?" Chip sighs "alright. Good night then."
As Spruce turns off the lights and leaves for his room, Chip covers himself with the blanket on the couch, and drifts to sleep.
...
Chip suddenly woke up to what feels like the middle of the night his eyes staring up in the ceiling. He moves his head around, looking around the living room. He was starting to have some sort of headache, not the one that signals that the override is about to happen, but it was slightly uncomfortable to him. As he looks at the room, his eyes lays on the cassette tape and the player. Maybe he should just play some music.
Without lifting from the couch, he stretches his arm to the coffee table and puts it right next to him, and sets up the cassette player, putting the volume at the lowest setting. After that, he lays on his back on the couch, snuggling into the blankets once again.
At one point, his eyes were starting to feel more droopy than usual, it actually took force for him to keep them open if he wanted to stay awake. He even notice that the background felt more...thick? The outlines that surrounds the objects of the living rooms feel like it was surrounded by thick ink, and it feels like black stars were forming everywhere.
As Chip closes his eyes once again. The cassette tape suddenly stops, and he opens his eyes once again. He can suddenly hear a ringing in his ears (does he even have ears?) and what sounds like someone singing in the distance. He wanted to move to the cassette tape to see what was up with it, but...
He couldn't move. He straight up just couldn't move. Yes, he can still close his eyes and move them around, but he can't move, at all.
Chip tries to move his hands, it started to feel like they were moving, but then it suddenly felt like it was back in the position it was at a moment ago. It was the same for his legs, he doesn't even know if they moved or not, because it would just feel like there were in the original position again.
He tried to at least call Spruce, but all it sounded like he was saying were weird grunts, like a weird "ach, ach, ach," noise. Was he even saying them out loud? or is it like when he tries to move his body, and it was only like how it was before?
Suddenly, he looks in the corner of his eye, and noticed that the fireplace previously filled with wood had a black void inside of it. He swears, he sees what looks like a pair of legs in the fireplace, just standing there.
Chip closes his eyes, he does not want to deal with whatever that thing was. This was already terrifying enough for him.
When Chip opens his eyes once again, the two pairs of legs seems to be gone from the fireplace. He felt relieved for a second...until he looked at the corner of the room.
He sees...a figure, a familiar figure. He was singing a familiar tune, and it was slowly dancing in the background. What is it even doing there? The groove that this figure is doing felt so, hazy, like it has an after image to it. Whatever it is, Chip wants it gone.
All that chip can do is stare as it ominously dances in the corner, until that thing suddenly appeared right in front of him.
It moves it giant cylinder mouth likes its talking to him, but all that Chip can hear was the faint sound of singing. Now that Chip can observe the figure, he asked himself...why does this figure sound so much like Dave Brubot? Now that Chip realizes if, this figure does look a lot like Dave Brubot: the long cylinder mouth, the cymbal on his head with a record on it...all except there was absolutely no details on him, he was just completely black.
Chip could only stare at this Dave Brubot doppelgänger as it stands right in front of him. After what felt like an eternity, Dave walks to the other side of the couch, and sat on the couch. It was weird to Chip, Dave was sitting on Chip's feet, yet he doesn't feel anything. Was this only a hallucination?
The Dave figure just...sits there, staring at the fireplace, as if its lost in thought, or like its waiting for something.
Suddenly, Chip watches as down the chimney, a stream of soot puffs out of it, and he was terrified of what he was witnessing: there were more Dave Brubots coming from the chimney, a total of 3 more, to be exact. They all looked exactly the same, silhouettes of Dave Brubot with no details at all. They surround the one that was here first, and just stood there.
Chip was freaking out at this point. He was worried that there would be even more Dave Brubots that were coming soon. He desperately tries to move once again, and even tried to speak, but it was no use.
But then, all four Dave Brubots suddenly turned and stared at Chip. They were staring at him like a bunch of bugs that had their hiding place lifted up. They were just staring at them, and then the three that were standing up suddenly started to move towards chip.
No no no nO NO NO NO-
As the ringing from his hears disappears, Chip suddenly jolts up from the couch, revving his saw in retaliation. He took a bunch of breaths, looking around the room to see where the Dave Brubots went.
The entire scenery, it still looked like it was outlined by thick ink, and it still looked so statically. His eyes still felt so droopy, and he feels like he is about to fall asleep.
Chip tries to make sure he does not go through that thing again. He does not want to see all of those Dave Brubots staring back at him again. What would they do to him if they were to reach him? Would they turn him into another Dave Brubot? He has the correct body type and cog branch, all they had to do was replace his head with...His mind was going too wild. He does not want to find out nor think about it, for he does not want to lose his Chip-manity.
But then, the worse happens. He hears the ringing noise once again...and it feels like his whole body ragdolls into the couch. The room he was in suddenly felt like it was getting darker, and Chip desperately tries to move once again. It did not work, he was motionless once again.
He sees it. A figure coming from the distance. He cannot see the details of the figure, but he knows what is about to happen. As a last ditch effort, Chip tries to yell at the figure, but all that he could make was a hiss noise. He probably didn't even make that noise, perhaps it was a trick once again.
The figure once again stands right in front of him, it started to move his hand toward Chips's head. Chip could only close his eyes. He can feel the hand getting closer to him. This was it. Whatever is going to happen to him, whenever if he would be taken into the night, or if he would be assimilated, he embraces on what is going to happen next.
Then. The figure touches his head...
...
"Chip, are yergh alright?"
Chip shot opens his eyes. He sees Spruce as he lightly pats his head to wake him up. Spruce must of heard his chainsaw rev up, and came to check up on him. That doesn't matter anymore, he was just so glad that Spruce was here, and that the Dave Brubot clones were all gone.
Chip can only stare at Spruce, he was still pretty spooked with what he just witnessed. After staring at Spruce for what feels like a whole minute, Chip finally speaks up. "...for some reason, I couldn't move at all. I was just laying down on the couch and weird things happened."
Spruce tilts his head. "...so sleep paralysis?"
"Yeah, if thats what its called."
Chip looks down for a moment, trying to remember what else happened in the night. It was a very...strange night to be exact, and he hopes he doesn't remember it one day. But then, he remembers: he must ask Spruce a very important question
Chip stands up and stares at Spruce dead in his eyes, holding his shoulders with both of his hands.
"Spruce...would you still be my friend if I was Dave Brubot?"
"...what."
Spruce stares at Chip, trying to process what he just asked. "...uhhh, sure? Why would you-" Spruce then notices the cassette play right next to the couch, the cassette tape containing recorded Dave Brubot songs placed inside. Spruce, seemingly getting some possible context, looks back at Chip, and sighs.
"Yeah, of course I would, Chip."
...
...
"Oooooooooooh, the spoopy Dave Brubot is about to get you Chip."
"Spruce." Chip grumbled. It has been a few days since Chip had sleep paralysis, and of course Spruce is now teasing him about it, especially since Chip has finally calmed down about the situation, and he feels a bit embarrases about it. Why did he find that situation so scary? Well, at least Spruce has been teasing him less these days, especially since his growing worriness.
"Come one, Spruce. What did I tell you about teasing him about that?"
"Heh, sorry."
After a long day of work, Chip and Spruce, now along side two other cogs named Mary and Misty, were chilling in front of the fireplace that was lit for probably the first time ever, with Spruce sitting on the couch while the rest were sitting on a rug in front of the fire. Some calmer music was playing in the cassette player, with a few new cassettes right next to it. It was such a strange week indeed, from Misty's accident to now chip suddenly being scared about Dave Brubot from that sleep paralysis moment. despite all of that, the group of very strange friends seem to have make it out okay in the end.
"Thanks, Mary," said Chip, looking back at the cog on his right. Mary stares right back. "Your welcome." Mary stretches his arms a bit, letting out a little yawn. "You know, if Spruce doesn't stop teasing you about it, make sure to tell me, alright?"
Chip puts his hands in the air, in a stop position. "Don't worry about it." While he does appreciate Mary for sticking up for him, he doesn't want her to go overboard or something, he knows about Mary's tension between Spruce due to their different ideas, he doesn't want her bias to show too much. And plus, the teasing has been slowing down, now that the past couple of days has been weird for the both of them, also adding the brother relationship they pretty much had, so it was normal.
After feeing a little tap on his shoulder, Chip then looks to his left, where Misty is seen holding one of her fish plushies. It was a pretty run down plush, but he can tell that she loved it very much.
"If you want, you can hug the fish plush every time you feel spooked, it helps a lot with me." Chip chuckles. "Its ok Misty, thank you though." It was strange, if feels like Misty was acting more...appreciating than usual. It was very nice to se her interact with the both of them much more often, other than just sitting there and staring of into the distance. It was a welcomed change.
Chip stands more upright. "Well, since we were able to make it this week, lets have a small little celebration or something. Who wants to go get the marshmallows?"
Everyone stares at Spruce.
"Huh? Do eyeh have to get it?"
If Chip had a mouth, he would of been smirking as he stands up and walks to Spruce, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come one, you know where they are...Palm Campbell."
Misty and Mary started giggling, meanwhile Spruce rolls his eyes. "Ok ok, yegh got me," Spruce mumbles, hiding a small smile. Oh how jokes can come full circle.
As Spruce goes to the kitchen and get some marshmallows, he checks on a small little hidden cabinet. There, he hid the Dave Brubot cassette tape, where hopefully Chip would not find again. It was probably for the better anyways.
"Hold on, eyegh got the marshmallows," Spruce yells, as he closes the cabinet.