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A/N: I hope this is an interesting introduction to this au/storyline ^^
Cuphead stared up at the building in front of him and Mugman. It was a quaint home with a chimney formed like a kettle's spout. A straw roof hutch was propped up, exposing that the roof could be accessed.
Multiple garden tools lay near the back of the small building, making it clear the garden patches surrounding the yard were in use.
The fence out front of the home was propped open with a rake and had a sign that said ‘Busted do not close’ to stop any from closing it. Cuphead also noticed that half of the fences were painted mainly on the inside.
Weird rocks aided the fence line with weird little symbols on each.
“Well, boys this is your Elder Kettles house.” Henry said shutting the driver's side door once he was fully out. “You should head on in and talk to him. I'm sure he’d be glad to know you both made the trip safely.”
The 2 watched Henry grab their belongings and head around toward the back. Leaving the 2 of them to approach the front porch by themselves.
Cuphead was the first to approach the door with Mugman not too far behind him. Giving himself a moment to prepare himself, before he rapped his knuckles against the sturdy wood.
The sound of shuffling behind the door could be heard as Cuphead and Mugman waited patiently. So when the door swung open, they were expecting Elder Kettle only to blink blankly at the dog that sat their tail wagging excitedly.
Mugman let out a small laugh before reaching forwards and petting them. “Awe, He’s so fluffy.” Mugman exclaimed. The dog seemed to excitedly lean into Mugman's hand rubbing against him as Mugman knelt to hug the rather large dog.
“I didn’t know Elder Kettle had a dog.” Cuphead said. Slightly musing to himself as Mugman got sloppy kisses from his new black-furred friend.
“That’s because he doesn’t.” Another voice answered. Cuphead snapped his head up to stare at a boy around their age. Their red eyes bored into Cuphead's own with a bit of a challenging look.
“Oh.. uh, Hi.” Cuphead greeted. The boy simply sidestepped as Cuphead walked forwards. Making Cuphead stop his approach. “Yeah, I’ll tell Mr. Kettle you’re here.” They said before walking away.
Cuphead couldn’t help but feel like he’d just been brushed off. A small bitter bubble swirled in his stomach, but looking at Mugman playing fetch with the dog doused the feeling with a warm coat. Maybe the guy didn’t mean to come off so cold.
“Boys!” A familiar voice called. The 2 cups turned to see Elder Kettle standing there with a bright smile. “I’m so glad you made it, please come closer, I must have a look at my favorite grandchildren!” He said and Mugman raised a brow.
“We’re you’re only grandchildren.” He pointed out and Elder Kettle waved a hand in the air. “Still my favorites.” He cooed and Cuphead felt embarrassed as he was pulled into a hug by their grandpa.
“Last I saw you 2, you were learning how to do basic math. How have my boys been!?” He said giving Cuphead’s head a small Noogie. Mugman held his hands up when Elder Kettle tried to give him the same treatment.
“We’re… fine.” Mugman said taking a small step back bumping into the dog who watched the encounter with interest. Elder Kettle noticed the withdrawn approach and tilted his head.
“We’re good. For the most part.” Cuphead said rubbing his head and fixing his straw a little, as Elder Kettle turned towards him.
“I see. Is that why your parents aren’t with you?” He asked and Cuphead winced. Mugman however grabbed the stick from the dog and tossed it towards Cuphead.
“Mom and Dad aren’t going to be joining us.” Mugman said and Elder Kettle frowned with concern. “Oh, I see. I take it they were busy.” He asked and Mugman shrugged watching Cuphead throwing the stick for the dog who excitedly chased it down the trail they’d taken to get to the house.
“Sure, we’ll go with that.” Mugman said and Elder Kettle watched Cuphead leaving the 2 in awkward silence.
“Alexander.” Henry called. The 2 turned and Mugman stared as Henry placed a hand on Elder Kettle's shoulder. “Me and the boys should be getting home. Linda’s probably worried.” Henry explained.
Elder Kettle nodded and a loud whistle startled Mugman and Cuphead. The dog perked up and turned towards the young boy standing on the porch waiting for him. The dog took off towards him and was quick to heel at his side.
Cuphead walked over and Elder Kettle put a hand on his shoulder while Henry walked over to his car. The strange boy and his dog were not too far behind the older man.
“See ya’ Newbie.” The strange boy called and Cuphead stared as they hopped into the back of Henry’s truck with the dog. “Uh… See ya’.” Cuphead called and Henry started up the car waving as he headed back down the path. The dog stared at them as the 3 made their leave.
“Who was that guy?” Cuphead asked and Elder Kettle peered back down the trail. “Henry’s boys? They’re named Bendy and Boris.” Elder Kettle said opening the house door to let the 2 inside.
“They visit quite often. Especially if something breaks down. They’re our closest neighbors so I tend to ask them for help.” Elder Kettle explained as they walked through the living room over towards the stairs.
“Makes sense.” Mugman said as the 2 were brought to a door with their names on it. The door swung open to show a medium-sized room with 2 closets on either side of the bunk beds and a desk under the window adjacent to it. Seemed they also got a separate bathroom included.
“I’ll leave you 2 to get settled in. All I ask is that you don’t make too much noise at night. An old man needs his sleep after all.” Elder Kettle said, the 2 of them nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t that big of an ask after all.
A/N: Sorry it's so short, but I can promise the next one will be a bit longer. These will be in one-shot pieces, unless they say they have more than 1 chapter. ^^