Work Text:
Tug Tug
"Hey, Licorice. Where are we going next?"
Mushroom Cookie tugs at the sleeves of Licorice's robe.
"I'm hungry."
Licorice brushes them off, his eyes fixed on a map. He's deciding which town he and Mushroom will scurry off to next, after being shooed out of the last ones like alley cats for stealing food and loitering.
"Licorice, I'm hungryyyy!" Mushroom repeats.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, um. Look for some wild mushrooms, don't eat the purple ones, they're poisonous.” Licorice starts crossing off certain sections of the map. Mushroom lets go of his sleeve and starts walking to find something edible, the purple mushroom kept circling in their head, they had tuned out the rest of what Licorice said.
After a few minutes, Licorice started to worry. It shouldn't take that long to find a mushroom in a forest, he followed the trail of sticks and leaves where he saw Mushroom wandering off.
"Mushroom? Did you find any edible shroomies?” Licorice asks into the forest. Silence.
"Mushroom?" he repeats.
A groan from afar.
"Mushroom!!" Licorice's footsteps pick up speed.
"Licoriceee..." Mushroom moans like a zombie, looking up at Licorice from the forest floor. "Mushroom?! Are you okay, what- what happened?"
"I found us shroomiessss......" Their arm trembles as they lift it, presenting Licorice with the handful of purple mushrooms.
"Oh no no no no no." Licorice falls to his knees to meet Mushroom, clasping their hands in his. "Oh I'm- I'm so sorry Mushroom I-"
"It's okay Licorice... have some... they'll give you... good dreams..."
"Gah! Shut up! We need to find a doctor!"
"Poison Mushroom..." they whisper.
"Huh?"
"My name... it's Poison Mushroom... ohhh... that's right....."
The forest was silent, as if it too was mourning.
Licorice scooped Poison Mushroom off the forest floor, into his arms and stared. He gazed into the now-dead eyes of the little cookie, whose breathing was slow and ragged.