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It had been a while, hadn’t it?
Gumball thought as he was walking with Darwin to his next class. He didn’t really know why, but after what had transpired with the weird fleshly superintendent put him off for the rest of the day. Then he went to bed and slept. And slept. And slept.
It was no doubt one of the longest sleeps of his life. Like years of dreams past him over the course of one night. In fact, his whole family had to drag him out of bed that day. Usually that was Darwin’s job when he felt too lazy and wouldn’t listen to his excuses, but even he felt it too. That something was different. Heck, even Anais’s voice changed along with his and Darwin. He forgot about just… existing. Not to say he enjoyed it. One class was more than enough to remind him why he didn’t yet it felt nice to do something again after what felt like 7 months or 7 years.
He had been so caught up in this that he only just noticed, with Darwin walking with the exaggerated swagger of an orange goldfish with legs. A certain bounce that he knew and was entitled to. Not wanting him to show him up, he started to walk with more flow and purpose. Something recently that Anais pointed out as strange because he “gained smear frames”, and he was using it to match his brother’s energy.
“Hey, what’s up with you today? You've got that misplaced confidence that only people who think they’re hot stuff have before they get canceled. You know, confidence?” He said with him loathing the last word. He had been through enough ego-destroying days that it became a fact of life, all he could hope is for no old stuff to be trudged up soon.
“Uh… dude? Earth to bro?” He waved his hand in front of Darwin where he finally turned and looked at him.
“What? Can’t I just be having a good day?” Gumball narrowed his eyes at his avoidance. “Well, not if I don’t know about it. If I’m having a good day, you’ll know.”
“Isn’t that a problem that you overshare? If you were having a bad day then I would also know.” Gumball’s face fell but he conceded his point. “Regardless, can I know what’s made you so happy, because it’s kinda unnerving to me not to know.”
Darwin’s face contorted into excitement before leaning in closer. “I have a secret.” Gumball leaned in closer as well. “Let me guess. You’re adopted!” The two both chuckled briefly before Darwin straightened up. “No, something less well known this time. I wrote Carrie a super romantic love letter, and I’m about to slip it in her locker today to surprise her!” He explained as he brought the letter with a half embarrassed half proud smile.
Gumball gasped surprised but more in disbelief. “Whoa, look at you?! I thought you and Carrie had the whole steady sweeties type vibe. You know, the ones that don’t need to fill the silence with exposition of their whole day.” Darwin looked confused at his analogy before being worried. “And why is that a weird thing for me to show her how much I care. You think my method is too on the nose? Trust me. I know what’s on the nose. Take it from your older brother who’s used to stuff like this. And actually has a nose.” Gumball remarked coolly before rephrasing and clasping his hands together.
“You’re doing something I would do. I respect it, given that it works so well with me.” Darwin relaxed, nodding sarcastically at his boast. “I’m glad you think it’s thoughtful. Though that’s because you and Penny know each other. Part of me isn’t sure how Carrie will react.” Gumball’s expression softened and he put his arm around his brother. “As long as you’re lowkey about it, she’ll love it. I know both of you and Carrie like the back of my hand. Offering that letter will be like opening a vampire’s coffin to present them with your beating heart so you can make out. At least, that stuff works out in those movies she watches, right?”
Darwin became reassured as his face became one of determination. “Yeah, you’re right! As long as I’m honest, she’ll appreciate it since it works for you and Penny.” Gumball briefly looked away but nodded cautiously. “Oh! Yeah yeah of course… most of the time.”
The two get to Carrie’s locker and Darwin floats to slide the letter in her locker, able to float due to feeling lighter than air. He settled back down and gave Gumball a high five. “See dude, it will work out. Keep the super big romantic stuff to me.” He said with a smirk as Darwin looked down the hallway and gained the same smirk with more excitement as he saw two special people approach. “Speaking of which…”
Darwin mentally prepared himself for the confrontation. Be casual, Gumball said. If Carrie finds it right away, great! Then he can have a smooth time knowing how she feels about it. If not, it will be a good surprise, won't it? He thought about it as he quelled the nervous and uncertain butterflies. Thankfully, he wasn’t focused on that for too long as Gumball and Penny tackle-hugged each other and started babbling lovingly.
“Oh I missed you sooo much!” Penny said affectionately. “No, I did more. Having to be in quarantine felt like forever…!” Gumball replied cutely which snapped Penny out of her love-struck daze for a moment. “Gosh, I was so worried about you and us and-” Gumball put his finger to her lips with his eyes closed with a bravado only seen with his girlfriend.
“Don’t worry my love, we’re together again. Cuddling like this is the most productive thing for us to do.” Gumball then changed his tone to a more casual one. “And also to not bring up that stuff. That sucked.”
Penny smiled and they continued their face nuzzling, with Carrie and Darwin both being the spectators. Darwin wanted to politely let it keep going but Carrie saved him by letting out a fake yet purposeful cough. The two lovers stopped and looked at her sheepishly before breaking it up while still holding hands. Darwin finally interjected seeing his opportunity.
“H-hey Carrie.” He waved at her that made Carrie give him a smile and a headnod. “What up, D? What’s up with G?” Darwin looked at her pointing at the two lovers before shrugging and walking next to Carrie. “I guess their natural habitat. I don’t think they can hear us.” He mentioned it as if it was a fact and got a laugh out of Carrie.
This prompted Gumball to lean over to look at the two trying to hide his fluster. “Rude. What’s hanging, Carrie?” She answered with her signature cool demeanor. “Eh, preferably a body but I don’t have a noose on me.” Gumball nodded with a smile with Darwin following even if he didn’t really get it. He watched as Carrie retrieved her objects from her locker with bated breath. She didn’t notice it and was about to tell her to search for a surprise when she spoke to Gumball again.
“Although I still don’t really get why you get all mushy about love?” Carrie added like it wasn’t a noteworthy thing. Gumball quickly looked at her expecting some kind of punchline but when there wasn’t one, he spoke up. “What do you mean? It’s the same stuff you feel with Darwin?” Carrie flicked her hair to the side with a sigh at his question.
“Yeah, but it’s more of a nice warmth sort of emotion. You’re treating it like it’s some drug.” Gumball nodded slowly and responded with more understanding. “So? It’s just with me, don’t let me ruin the fun.”
“Gumball, I think it’s something less with us and with her.” The three looked over at Penny who had finally ceased her affections. “I think she’s not about the whole touchy-feely part of love.” She smiled sympathetically and waited for Carrie’s rebuttal. Darwin also listened as it could give him a more in-depth view of it. Was it something good or..?
“I don’t hate it.” Darwin perked up at her response as she continued. “It’s just cringy to me.” He felt a subtle pressure at the top of his head and a not so subtle feeling of panic. “Like something only weak mortals do and… it just makes me uncomfortable.” Darwin could feel himself sinking into the ground both metaphorically and literally as Carrie shook herself off chills. “But that's why me and Darwin work so well, because he’s not a slave to his emotions. Unlike you and Penny”
Despite her compliment, Darwin couldn’t feel worse. Gumball noticed his brother’s reaction and tried to make the best of the situation. “Uhh, but like… what if it was done in a really caring little way?” He looked at Carrie with big puppy eyes then looked over to Penny. Upon seeing her boyfriend’s silent plea for assistance, she tried to appeal to her. “It doesn’t have to be that big of a deal. Is it really much of a mortal thing or a you thing?” She replied as carefully as possible to defuse the situation.
The mention of it being on her seemed to set Carrie off as her eyes narrowed dangerously. Both Gumball and Penny recoiled at her expression. She desperately was holding back something. Like an answer or a logical response but instead the lockers started to shake and rattle as she spoke in a restrained angry way. “It’s. Not. About. Me.”
Carrie faced them directly with her voice morphing into something demonic as the two stepped back. “Mortals should never let beings from the underworld into their hearts! It only invites suffering. Everyone is deprived of love in the land of the dead. So what happens when they hear those words?! THEY. WILL. CONSUME. THEIR. LIVES!” The lockers ceased their shaking as she backed away with a vaguely mournful expression as she finished with her voice sounding exasperated and somber.
“So just drop it.” With that, she teleported with a loud crack leaving only the charged atmosphere where she was.
Penny looked uneasy at the spot where Carrie once was, like she just was burned by fire. “I… I didn’t know...” She turned back to Gumball and spoke with an apologetic tone. “I know you were just trying to make her feel better but… maybe we shouldn’t have brought up something so sensitive.” Gumball only nodded back weakly, feeling rattled by Carrie’s outburst. She was usually so contained and lowkey, and she was fine being with Darwin before? He felt partially responsible which Penny saw in and comforted him. “Don’t blame it on you. She just… needs time.”
Penny stood up straight and spoke softly to Gumball. “I’ll talk to her when I have the chance. See you after recess, baby.” She waved him goodbye, a farewell that he wasn’t really paying attention to because he remembered what Darwin gifted to her. The letter. In her bag. That she would find.
Gumball snapped out of his reverie to look at the puddle that was Darwin. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” He asked as he gathered the melted Darwin and reshaped back to normal. Darwin looked at him with a haunted expression. “We gotta get that letter back. But how?!”
Gumball pulled him close. “That’s what I was thinking of. A plan with you as the diversion. If we’re going to make sure you two don’t break up, marry someone else out of wanting to be normal, divorce when you meet each other when you’re old and senile and spend the rest of your life bickering with someone that hates you, so we’re getting that letter back.”
“Uh… that’s oddly bleak but let’s do it.” Darwin said cautiously knowing that Gumball’s plans weren’t always the best but he couldn’t exactly say no.
Darwin walked out of lunch to see Gumball signaling to him to come here. He was surprised that his plan actually worked seamlessly. Usually it would involve someone getting hurt physically or their pride hurt. He walked over the wall bordering recess to join him, putting the sign down.
“So, was my diversion good?” Darwin asked as Gumball wiped himself down of a grease that was too bright of a color to be grease. “Yeah, of course. Your part went flawlessly. Mine a little…” Gumball gestured by making a mouth with his hands before furiously charading washing them. Darwin realized what he meant. “Ohhh. I didn’t tell you about the backpack part, did I?”
“Nope, but I managed. As always.” Gumball replied, continuing to brush himself off. “You know, if she finds out and tries to eat you, it won’t be too bad.” Darwin’s face scrunched up in knowing disgust and dreading horror. “For one, don’t imply to me like she’s going to try and eat me! Second, I don’t want to know how you got out.”
“I just out-grossed a literal slime bag.” Gumball proclaimed leading to an awkward silence. “Do you want to-”
“No! I’ll uh… t-take your word on it.” Darwin flashed a desperate smile to move on.
“Good, so what in heck is this thing made of? I’ve tried everything to destroy this but it’s indestructible!” Gumball said as he struck the letter against the concrete wall to show sparks come from the wall itself. Darwin thought about it before he realized and held out the necronomicon. “Oh, it was one of the pages from this book Carrie gave to me. You know, when we started dating?
“The kitty stickers??? They BURN! Oooh, I like it.” The book stated.
Gumball took the book and started reading through it. “If this stuff is connected to her, maybe we’ll find some more answers on why she doesn’t want it. Come here.” Darwin joined him as they flicked through the pages.
There were a lot of symbols that Darwin saw that he only recognized by Carrie showing them to him. While Gumball was getting distracted pointing out odd or cool creatures shown, Darwin wanted to understand why. Why was Carrie so hesitant to entertain love? Eventually, they came across a page marked by Carrie herself with a folded corner.
“Hey, I’ve seen this page before, it’s a classic.” Gumball mentioned looking at the page about spells and potions about inducing love. Darwin just glanced back at him unsure. “What do you mean a classic, it looks brand new to me?”
“I mean uhhh. Like it looks like a classic piece of literature to her kind, you know. I didn't like, try to say I’ve seen it before you.” Gumball backtracked sheepishly as they read through it with Darwin speaking aloud.
“If one decides to induce attraction between a born underworld being and a mortal, they shall be ever called a heretic as the love two different beings share is a powerful fuel for all underworld creatures?” Gumball read the same note of warning thinking about it. “So if an underworld being is in love with a mortal, they start emitting some kinda creepy signal that tells other demons and stuff that the mortal is tasty. Sheesh, it’s like some messed up BO.”
“Dude! You know what this means?!” Darwin explained to Gumball as he shook him and let him guess. “We… need to summon some kind of mystic soap or something?” Darwin proceeded to balk before continuing. “It means Carrie doesn’t want this note for a reason. It puts a target on my back!” Gumball now got it staring at him straight ahead. “I knew it had to be something important. I mean, Carrie doesn’t just wig out for no reason unless it had something to do with her ghostly ties.”
“So what now?” Darwin sighed now feeling lost. He had done all this without knowing that she wasn’t rejecting him but wanting to keep him at an armreach. Is that why she always wanted to be so nonchalant about their relationship? Gumball thought sympathetically for his brother’s plight. Just then, he heard something that would fix their problems.
“Let’s just toss it. It’s not an issue if she doesn’t see it?” Darwin glanced where his brother was facing to see a garbage truck moving by and was motivated by a desperate sense of relief. “Y-yeah, what’s the worst that could happen?” With that, the two boys ran up the edge of the schoolyard talking with the hope of ending the conflict.
“We can finally just be done with your plans and not have to worry about it.” Darwin explained breathlessly as Gumball looked back and answered.
“Yeah of cour- wait. Did you imply my plans were bad? They’ve gotten us out of this mess?”
“I mean yeah, but they also usually get us into stuff like this.” Darwin mentioned as he yanked the letter out of Gumball’s hands. Gumball knew with his angle, there wasn’t any way he was going to throw it well but it was too late.
A toss by Darwin made the letter fly around in the wind giving it enough time to fly directly into Hector’s open backpack instead. The two stood there both dumfounded with Darwin’s face drained of its color, literally. Gumball simply looked exasperated as he threw out a remark.
“Wow, you throw worse than I plan, am I right?” He playfully bumped his arm against Darwin’s before laughing weakly and sighed in disappointment. This day was truly cursed, wasn’t it?
Time came to a crawl as Darwin walked up to the front of the class. He worried himself sick with how he would bring all this up to Carrie. So much so that even Gumball’s words of reassurance didn’t help it. He knew all three of them were still on friendly terms, but doubt kept him in perpetual fear of her rejection. He planned to hide it all and he wasn’t even able to do that with him having to read the letter out loud courtesy of Ms. Simian. Regardless, he trudged forward, giving Carrie soy sauce. It wasn’t much, but it was the least he could do.
“Love has no limits, my friends. This is why I’m doing this.” Darwin started as he read through the letter. He had already read out the apology note from Hector. If she wanted to know, then he wouldn't be afraid to be vulnerable.
“Dear Carrie…” He started with a gasp befalling the group except for Gumball who was smiling and giving a thumbs up, Penny whose eyes widened before softening with baited breath, and Carrie who was beyond flustered staring at him like she was trying to kill him with her glare. It didn’t matter to him:
“Your smile answers my silent scream, your eyes with such a gleam,”
“You’re my greatest dream."
“My eyes well up, you make me feel seen,”
“You’re my greatest dream.”
“Your attitude, with an edge that can tear, revitalizes and grants me air.”
“You’re the blade and I’m the sheath, the only one I need.”
“Without you, I can’t breathe! Without you, I can’t breathe!”
By the time, he was on his knees singing his heart out much to the silence of the room. Was it awkward? Yes, and he couldn’t hope for something better. With a relieved sigh, he bowed elegantly and signed off.
“And that’s why I love you, Carrie.”
Only after he finished his sendoff did portals erupt from the walls. Eldritch limbs and eyes oozed out of the wormholes sending everyone in the class to the center of the room. Carrie immediately stood at attention to the event yelling with a panicked tone. “EVERYONE, RUN!”
“Sooo… does that mean class is dismissed?” Tobias said smugly to Carrie before arms reached out to grab him and sent the rest of the class into a frenzy to leave along with Carrie. Miss Simian tried in vain to reprimand the kids when it was already too late. “Hey! Class is not dismissed unless I say so?!” She chased after the kids as Darwin realized what he had done. “Carrie, wait!” He yelled before sprinting out to follow her.
This left only Gumball and Penny in the room. Gumball was in shock before yelping as multiple underworld creatures tried to hold on to him. He escaped and panted along with Penny, who had joined him. After a moment of glancing at each other, Penny took a deep breath before glaring at Gumball.
“Did you start this?” She said in unsure agitation. Gumball frantically waved his hands in front of her as he explained. “Look, I swear to you that I was just trying to help Darwin and Carrie! Like you did to her?” She took his words into consideration before sighing. “I…tried. She just didn’t open up to me. However, you better have a good idea for how we’re getting Carrie out of this.”
Gumball nodded while holding Penny’s shoulders. “Me and Darwin figured this stuff out, and I think I might know why all of this started. I just need you to help me with a plan. Carrie’s our friend, so do you trust me?”
Penny, catching his total conviction, calmed down and spoke resolutely. “With my heart.”
Darwin chased after Carrie through the halls and into the storming playground. She saw her overlooking a green portal coming from the ground. He could hear part of a conversation that Carrie was having in the swirling pit of souls.
“You draw a heavy scent, young specter. Like you’re trying to draw us out for a feast…"
“You don’t understand! He didn’t mean it! I…we’re not…”
“Liar! You’ve tried to hide it from us but the red string of fate cannot be broken by a childish desire for security!"
“Carrie!” Darwin stood a safe distance away from his girlfriend as she grimly communed with the tempest of spirits. “I know you’re only trying to protect me. If that means we can never be truly together, I’ll do it! I love you too much to tie you down!"
Carrie turned to him startled by his presence, her eyes haunted and disheveled. “Darwin? T-that’s not…?”
“It’s exactly what it means! You try to deny our morsel by hogging him and keeping quiet. Now you try to sympathize when he was being a lothario!”
The collective group yelled out causing the ground to crack slightly, making it audible to everyone and having Gumball make some uninformed comment about it somewhere nearby.
“Look, whatever that is, I’m not that!” Darwin pleading now, trembling from nerves and the howling wind. “I only care for you! So please, if you want to cast me out into the underworld. Then it’s not because I didn’t love you, but because I didn’t love you enough to see what I was doing!”
Carrie visibly flinched now feeling guilty. “D-don’t say that… You shouldn’t ever… have to deal with someone like me! So cold and distant who can barely even tell the truth to you!” Her voice grew with a shaky regret.
“Do you see all your games lead to futility, young specter?” The voices ask her again, growing in agreement. “It only leads to mistakes!”
Carrie looks down, shaking before screaming in her own demonic voice. “THERE WAS NEVER A MISTAKE!” The voice of souls simply laugh in amusement at her rebuttal.
“Quaint, as from our perspective, we’re looking at one right now.” Carrie recoiled at the pressing words as hands began to silently stalk Darwin, circling around him like predators.
“You try to perpetuate the cycle of a foolish mortal with a powerful ghoul? You’re broken, unworthy of affection. You don’t need him. Only we do.” The hands lunged and violently dragged Darwin to the main pit with Carrie barely catching him with her telekinesis, but the sheer amount of spectral hands created a stalemate.
“Darwin! Why… Why aren’t you resisting?” Carrie asked as she strained herself with misty hands.
Darwin simply closed his eyes and glanced back at her serenely. “It’s what I deserve. For trying to show love to something so troubled that the troubles try to eat my face, right?”
Carrie choked up as her grip slipped but she heard something, footsteps?
“CARRIE!”
She saw Gumball sprinting with her necronomicon with a face of panicked determination while Penny joined him with a horrified unease. Gumball reached out and helped Carrie hold onto Darwin with his hands as he gave her the book for her to levitate.
“I’m not about to ask why this happened but whatever you need us for, we’ll help! Now is there something to clog this stupid spirit burrow?”
Carrie flicked her gaze back and forth regaining composure. “T-there might be a spell to seal this rip in our realm! Just keep the hands at bay!” Gumball nodded at Penny who initially seemed scared but upon seeing Darwin's position, needed to help.
“What can one mortal and fairy help with your plight?! We need to feast!”
The voices responded with Gumball rolling his eyes and pulling Darwin more. “Can’t you just go back into your hibernation like the stupid beavers you were talking about earlier? You go dam yourself back up while we do something you can’t, live! Penny, do a little housecleaning.” He gave Penny a confident glint.
Penny reciprocated and with a moment of concentration, she morphed into her minotaur form and began to use punches and long sweeps with her buff arms to repel the hands attempting to drag Darwin under.
Carrie finally gasped in relief as she started a spell to close the portal. Glyphs appeared on the floor surrounding the portal as Gumball talked to Darwin.
“Dude, are you okay in there?! I swear when I meant this day was cursed, I didn’t mean it literally?! Do the hands hurt?”
“No, but they’re really cold and wet and their fingernails are dirty. So it could be better.” Darwin shrugged with only Gumball’s concern breaking him out of his relaxed stupor. “I admit it! My plan to help you is only getting hurt! Please, just try and escape. Carrie doesn't want this! None of us do! So grow another pair of legs if you have to, but help me help you!”
It finally dawned on Darwin looking at Carrie scared out of her mind, his brother pleading for him and Penny tearing through hoards of hands for him. He smiled and started struggling for them. “That’s only the sweetest thing you’ve ever said. It only took one of your siblings to be dragged down into H-E double sticks by creepy ghost hands.”
“Yeah, times like this are where words like that come out.” Gumball shrugged as the two brothers began to work together.
The symbols surrounding the portal grew brighter as Carrie joined to help Gumball by possessing his body to add extra telekinetic strength. “There! All that matters now is making sure you’re not taken by them first.” She said in a gangly raspy version of Gumball’s as she helped him through his body. However; the number of hands kept multiplying as more savored the chance to grab at the succulent food seasoned with the curse of love. Eventually, Carrie had to levitate Gumball’s arms to lift Darwin in conjunction with her own ghostly ones to keep him still.
“There’s so many of them that we have to get off! Gumball, if you have some kind of plan, now’s the time!” One of Gumball’s eyes reverted to normal as she tried to brainstorm on the fly. He did have one. One he used before in a similar situation. If there was any time, it’s now.
“Carrie, using my body. I need you to flex!” He said in his normal voice before she responded in her possessed voice. “What do you mean flex???” Gumball’s eye was completely convinced. “It’s kinda personal but on my count, flex with me okay?”
Carrie took his word and with a 3 seconds of strain, his tail extended accompanied by a slidewhistle, making Gumball’s face flush.
“Did it work?” Carrie asked with Gumball immediately backtracking. “I-I mean yes but the other way! Suck back in and flex!” “Where do I flex?!”
Carrie yelped more hysterically as she strained with Gumball again. This time, the tail sucked itself back in with a reverse slide whistle as Gumball guided Carrie’s possession.
“Flex through your fingers, Carrie!” She followed feeling an unknown sensation as it traveled through her arms and fingers before something emerged:
A familiar set of claws, now spotted with chipped black paint.
“Gumball…these are…?” Carrie asked in brief wonder before turning her possessed eye to his own. “May I…?”
“Go ahead.”
Gumball said coolly before his possessed body gained a wicked smirk of the two souls inside of it agreeing as it began to slash wildly at the hands to drive them away with Carrie’s telekinesis giving Darwin a front row seat to the carnage.
The portal started to collapse as the spirits started to wail in frustration. “YOU CAN’T AVOID YOUR DESTINY! AND YOU CAN’T AVOID US!” The portal grew smaller as Carrie called Penny over to their location.
“Now everyone, pull!” Gumball, Carrie’s possession over his body along with her telekinesis, and the full strength of Penny’s transformation created a chain link as they struggled and heaved to yank Darwin out of the portal until with one final push, Darwin flies out and slams into the group as the portal closes shut and with a final loud crack, the portal vanishes into light along with a wave that restores the weather. Like if it never happened.
The group lied in a heap. Gumball retracted his claws briefly lamenting the now completely chipped off paint before he rushed over to tend to Darwin. Carrie, who had her possession ended by the sudden launch, also got up and floated towards Darwin with Penny. The fairy was winded and back to her normal form but joined the circle around Darwin.
Darwin looked dazed but no worse for wear and before he knew it, he was thrust into a kiss with Carrie. The two shared a moment with Carrie finally shaking her misty eyes.
“Thank you. For meeting me in the middle. And dealing with me, huh?” Darwin simply smiled with gratitude as he felt Gumball’s arms wrap around him from the front and Penny’s from the back.
“It’s the least I can do.” Darwin sighed with relief as he took in of the impromptu group hug. Gumball also noticed the hug but relaxed into it.
“Finally, some quiet vibes after, quite frankly, a cursed day… I mean, that day was more cursed than-”
“Shh Gumball, don’t ruin the nice moment for the two of them.” Penny chided him gently as she held all three of them.
“Oh, yeah. It’s my bad.” Gumball nodded as he relaxed into the hug. He felt Darwin’s hold around Carrie’s and his hold over Darwin. A comfortable silence passed by as he admired the smell of rain still present through the air.
“I’m just glad to be of help for once, you know. To do this and make this whole relationship real, you know?” Gumball commented which Carrie responded to.
“Yeah, I guess when it comes down to it, you can be good at helping us get out okay. Like the mom of the group.” Darwin chimed in with her comment.
“I mean, if it’s anything like our mom, that would suit Penny more. You two can both be moms.”
Penny held back a laugh and for a moment, Gumball did too before fake gasping. “What?! I am not! I’m not the one to wear the pants in the group like that?!”
Carrie shrugged and stated her next point with a hint of sass. “Yeah well, you’re the only one actually wearing pants right now soo..?”
Gumball sighed again. “Touche.” The group felt silent together for another moment taking the scenery of the chirping birds.
“I got you guys, all day, everyday. I mean like, you’re all my closest friends. If we need anything, we’ll work through it together. We just have to work on the whole honesty thing.” Gumball continued as he relished the situation staring down at Carrie.
“I-I mean for now. We don’t know where the future is going so it’s not a guarantee. Now that I think about it, imagine me helping you with your wedd-”
He gagged which caused the others to look at him. “Well, with that intrusive thought out there, don’t try and think about it.
The group all gagged one after the other.
“I was talking more short-term but this is nice.” Gumball breathed as the moment finally passed and Carrie phased out of the hug. "Yeah sorry, but the moment is kinda ruined.” She sighed as the three remaining broke the hug.
“If we’re being honest, did anyone forget something?” Penny asked which Gumball seemed to consider. “I think if I did, it would be staring me right in the…”
He felt a hand on his shoulder as he slowly turned to his favorite teacher. Miss Simian.
“Watterson. Care to explain what kind of insane scheme of yours led to the whole class ditching while I held down the fort!”
Gumball had to physically untie his tongue as the three stood behind him. “Well, it's a- Wait, did you say hold down the fort?”
“Yes Watterson! I had to use the cafeteria food as weapons not usable under the Geneva convention to keep those demons out!” She glared as she crossed her arms. “I’ll only ask once, who. DID THIS?”
Gumball was preparing to just own up to cover for his friends. It’s only as he noticed Carrie’s expression wasn’t of worry but of mischief. She gave him a wink and he winked back as he turned back to his teacher with new confidence.
“Well, who do you think it was but the young man that started it. Tobias.” Miss Simian’s eyes rose in interest. She fell for it with Gumball pointing behind her. “Look! He’s right there!”
“Where?!” She quickly glanced over only to hear a loud crack and the group were gone.
Miss Simian took a deep breath. “I’ll just tell Nigel that this mess is part of the school’s tax writeoff…”