Chapter Text
Battat/Green Pippins
-In short, you drove him insane.
-First you, a Lightner - a Human, no less! - he's never heard of, shows up from who knows where (certainly not Hometown - even Darkners knew Kris was the only human around) and insists on seeing him and the other Mikes. Specifically. Ok.
-Then you call him that. “Battat”. The name of the MINIGAME he let the KIDS play. NOT you. Did they tell you? But the kids had never called him that - they seemed as confused as he was. (And you said it with such confidence?! There was no way you weren't making fun of him!)
-But when he snapped at corrected you, you had deflated. (You looked so put out, it almost reminded him of Tenna. Definitely didn't make something twist in his chest, though, no siree-) You asked if he had some other name he'd rather go by, and he went quiet. He’d had a unique title when he still worked for the King of Diamonds, sure, but once he got to TV World, he got used to just being called out as another “Pippins”. Sometimes “Greenie” to single out his color. It had been a while since anyone had called him by a proper name. (Other than Mike, of course.)
-But then his coworkers just HAD to open their big mouths and say THEY didn't mind being called “Pluey” and “Jongler”! Then Susie made it worse by asking why he didn't want to be called “Battat” when it “fits”. Kris, with that deadpan voice but slight smirk that the die KNEW from years of watching the kid meant they were only doing this to be annoying, silently agreed with a nod. The little prince sided with the Lightners immediately. Of course. “I think it's a nice name!” he had cooed.
-But you. It was when you leaned down ever so slightly, hands clasped, eyes pleading, and uttered a single, begging “Please?” that “Battat’s” fate was sealed. He threw up his hands. Fine! Whatever! Just as long as you didn't call him anything but Mike while he was in costume! You promised immediately, cross your heart.
-(Don't ask when he started looking forward to hearing you call him that. Or started looking forward to your voice period. Don't be stupid.)
-Because that was just the START! You had hardly been around Castle Town for a few days before you came and asked about Mike. You wanted to see his theory board. So he had dived into the deep end, partially to intimidate you into leaving him alone, partially as a chance to flex his knowledge and get his thoughts out.
-And to his utter confusion and excitement… You listened. You followed what he said. You even helped him brush away some of the more ridiculous theories by tying info together.
-Pluey and Jongler had been some of the only people to try to listen at all (which he appreciated more than he'd ever admit), but you kept up with his train of thought. And then- AND THEN! YOU! UTTERLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE YOU! Offered him info.
-That old mailman. You knew of him somehow. How was a mystery Battat would get back around to, but for now he tucked it away. You already knew that guy and Mike were related. Said the guy still mentioned “Mike” as a friend. (Emphasis yours. For some reason.)
-In a moment, Battat had you by the shoulders and wanted everything you knew. You grabbed some note cards and jotted things down. A weird creepy face with pink and yellow eyes that looked like the front of the Mike door. A realistic microphone. Some monster doctor you heard had fallen into a Dark World a long time ago. Whatever you thought would help, you told him.
-(He didn't miss how you paused occasionally. He could tell you weren't spilling everything. But the look on your face when your thoughts wandered to the town shelter… You seemed… worried. And conveniently didn't put that on the board. …Well, he wasn't about to lose the biggest lore dump he'd ever gotten, so he didn't push it. But it did leave him wondering just how much was in that pretty little head of yours.)
-The two of you spent so much time at the theory board that you only realized how many hours had passed when Jongler brought you both dinner. You didn't solve Mike exactly - you seemed just as baffled by the guy as well, even with all this extra info - but it was the most fun Battat had in a long while.
-(and at some point in his manic frenzy, he may have blurted out that he could kiss you. Then whipped back to the board and pretended he didn't see the blush on your cheeks. Or feel it on his own.)
-Battat got used to seeing you around after that. Judging by how much time you spent in the Mike Room, he'd have considered charging you rent if you weren't the Town's “Caretaker.” Pluey jokingly gave you a red Mike bowtie so they'd have to let you in. (Not like you helped with any of their work! Or like he’d ever actually kick you out.)
-Sometimes, you brought desserts you made with the Prince's help, or treats you bought at the cafe. Sometimes, you asked to play the minigames. (And don't think he didn't notice that you always left him with the highest score of the session!)
-He taught you Poker the way Pippins played it, because you asked.
-The three of them had even participated in the dojo - again, because you asked. They had done it first in costume, then as themselves with their “normal” attacks… and then Tenna had showed up and wanted to see Mike’s “fighting debut”, so Battat drew the short straw and had to battle a third time. Then Tenna joined in on Mike’s side, and Battat had to battle a fourth time! Everything was sore the whole night after, and he made sure you knew it was all your fault the next day!
-(But standing across from you? Especially the third time, when it was just you and him in the ring. With your stupid, giddy smile at the lines that tumbled out of his mouth. Your own occasional quip in response. Sometimes you wove through his attacks like a trained dancer, only to trip on your own feet and faceplant adorably into 5 damage. You didn't mind a bit - you even encouraged his attacks because you “wanted to see”! But you never raised a finger yourself. And that little spotlight of a brightly colored human soul that felt like it was shining just on him - just for him - when he looked at it too long- Well. Doing quadruple-duty wasn't. As bad as it could have been.)
-Sometimes you'd come find him during one of his shifts as Mike. You seemed quite fond of Tenna, and heaven knows the old TV ate up any positive attention. And true to your word, you never slipped up or incriminated him, so it was fine.
-In fact, the only stressful incident was the one time Tenna complained about Pippins in front of you. Battat was used to it. But you?
-You glanced at him. Your face wore an expression he'd never seen you wear. And then you calmly, carefully disagreed. Some Pippins could be a handful, but many of them had stuck with Tenna this long, hadn't they? A few worked even harder than your average Shadowguy.
-Tenna was flabbergasted. Had you ever met a Pippins, he asked? You locked eyes (or lack thereof, due to the Mike costume) with Battat again and held his gaze for just a moment. Some Pippins were quite nice, you assured Tenna. Wonderful even. (The suit suddenly felt like it ran a few degrees hotter than normal.) Battat jolted when Tenna asked Mike if he'd ever heard of such a thing. After managing to turn the conversation around into how hard the whole studio worked and how an operation like this is only possible as a team - all with Tenna at the head, of course! - it actually improved Tenna’s mood! So the situation was saved, despite your meddling!
-(Nevermind how scrambled Battat’s brain felt after.)
-You seemed to go out of your way to flatter Battat after that day, and it drove him nuts! In costume? Mike was so dependable, wasn't he, Tenna? So smart! Such a smooth talker. Great singing voice too! Just amazing, you'd say. And Tenna would gush and agree, all while you fixed Battat with such a smug, KNOWING look. (You just LOVED seeing him fluster. Making his job harder!)
-Out of costume? Castle Town was all the brighter for Tenna’s performances with the Mikes making it all possible - but make no mistake, you always added! You enjoyed their company as themselves just as much! Pluey was a musical phenom. Jongler was one of the most considerate people you'd ever met, you insisted. And you never, NEVER seemed to pass up an opportunity to compliment how sharp Battat looked today. Or how clever he was.
-Once you said his face was cute when he was lost in thought, and he flustered so badly he spun his own head across the room. (You had laughed so hard. It was a nice laugh but Why was teasing him so much fun for you?!)
-And don't get him STARTED on Pluey and Jongler. They were convinced you went out of your way to see him specifically. That they rarely saw you on their shifts, but if Battat wasn't in the Mike room when you visited, you would either find him or wait for his shift to be over. That you stared at him when he wasn't looking. (All doughy-eyed, according to Pluey. Whatever. They were just looking for something to tease him about. Especially Pluey.)
-And worst of all was when you didn't laugh like you were teasing him. When your face was so sincere and downright tender looking at him. When you aimed that smile at him that you didn't seem to have for anyone else. Not the kids, not the other Mikes - though you and Jongler were comfortable around each other from day one, and you and Pluey got along like a studio on fire. (Quite literally, that one time during Lightners Live - don't think he forgot!) But for Battat…
-You reminded Battat to rest and eat and take care of himself. Sometimes gently, sometimes as obnoxiously as his coworkers. (And now that he was getting triple-tag-teamed, he found himself less and less able to ignore those things without someone calling him out on it. Ugh.)
-You really did seem to love listening to him talk for some reason. Even when you came to Castle Town exhausted from… whatever your actual, real work was, you always seemed to perk up seeing him, asking him about his day and letting him vent. Laughing about the kind of chaos that Castle Town could get up to.
-(Maybe it helped that he learned what kind of warm beverage and snacks you liked and kept those stocked like the Mikes' and Tenna’s preferences. You could get whatever you wanted from the Cafe, but once you knew where he kept things, you would usually swing by the Mike Room first.)
-But he initially had no luck talking about your work. You'd describe what you were struggling with and complain a bit, sure, but there were never any names. Never anything that helped him place you in the Light World before you'd change the subject.
-And then one day, after a particularly dead end of Mike theorizing, you asked him for help with your own mystery.
-The end of the Prophecy. That ancient tale that the Prince lived his life by. That the old Spade King got locked up trying to enact the Roaring from.
-He didn't know much about the Prophecy, but you did. You knew so many bits, but not what the end was. All you knew was that… it didn't sound pretty.
-(It had upset the kids, you said. Susie had smashed something, and the prince had broken down into sobs. You never wanted to see them like that again. Battat agreed. He didn't like seeing you look so somber either.)
-Jongler was acting as Mike, and Pluey was asleep, but your tone was hushed and hesitant anyway. You had suspicions that the old Card Kingdom jester, or Seam, or maybe even that mailman had seen it, but you still weren't sure what it WAS. And didn't feel like you could just ask any of the people who knew.
-The two of you didn't get very far, and he could tell you were being very selective about what you told him, but you seemed satisfied just getting your own tangled thoughts out. He could still see the way you smiled, weary but grateful, as you thanked him.
-And then he spent the entire rest of the night after you went home. And several nights after. Not trying to solve Mike. But trying to solve you.
-You, who knew so much and yet so little. You, who came from somewhere beyond the dark and yet nowhere in or near Hometown every day. You, who talked as if you had been with the Deltawarriors this entire time, and yet Battat hadn’t seen hide nor tail of you in TV World.
-Kris would share strange looks with you, but was tight-lipped when asked for info. Susie shrugged and deferred to Ralsei, and grilling the little prince made him stutter and stammer out some excuse of you being special and prophesied and magic letting you come from afar.
-Battat asked everyone he could think of about you. Queen had never heard of you coming to the library, and her “Attempts To Dox” you had no results. The Spade King only scoffed that he had nothing to say about the “Lightbringer” that wouldn't reveal itself in due time. The old wizard Seam was cryptic, suggesting you were crucial to the Prophecy, mirroring Ralsei’s language… only to suddenly offload the research back onto Battat. “Have you simply asked our dear Caretaker? Perhaps in the Castle?” Yeah right. Battat had never even seen your room.
-And then. Right as Battat walked out of Seam’s Seap. That one strangely faded Rudinn had overheard his conversation with Seam. And just. Slithered right up and gave him the solution outright.
-The town was named after you. Ralsei's orders, on the downlow.
-But the town… Was dedicated to the Angel. He had heard the prince and several others mention that as well.
-...The Angel who it was rumored had a room in the Castle. The room on the first floor behind the cauldron that Ralsei had forbidden other Darkners from ever entering.
-And he had never seen your room… Kris and Susie had them, but you? Was he really supposed to believe that Castle Town’s own caretaker had no room in the castle? The facts fit together too perfectly. How could he NOT look?
-And if there was one thing Pippins were good at, it was slipping in and out of places they weren't supposed to be in! That was how Battat had gotten into the Mike Room in the first place, after all!
-Took some research. Had to poach a magic key from the little prince. Snuck to the room early in the morning, when his coworkers would never look for him up at that hour anywhere but the theory board.
-He shut the door behind him as softly as he could. Despite the ornate heart and wing design on the door, the room itself wasn't very grand. Dark walls made of the same neon blue brick of the castle outside. A shelf with a few pictures of different dark worlds and some trinkets. Bed looked comfortable though. (But how many pillows did one person need?)
-He glanced through the items on the shelf, looking for anything incriminating. A framed picture of a city skyline, dotted with fireworks shaped like Kris, Susie, and Ralsei. One of the Spade Prince’s MP3 players. A small, handmade, heart-shaped plushie. A single egg. (???) And there in the corner, was that… THE MIKE BOWTIE THAT PLUEY GAVE-
-“Battat?”
-He whirled around.
-The Grand Fountain itself was visible through the open doorway on the far wall, casting shimmering rainbow shadows around your form.
-For a moment, the two of you stared at each other in mutual shock. (If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought you were glowing. Thought he saw the flickering candles of the room give your shadow wings, and the fountain crown you with a halo.)
-And then. You smiled. Chuckled slightly into your hand. “You know, you could have knocked?”
-And as he stammered out excuses and accusations and questions, all you had to offer in way of explanation was to gently close the door behind you and walk right up to him, lean into his ear, and whisper. “Looks like you're not the only one with a secret that needs kept, eh, ‘Michael’?”
-And before he could even begin to process how close (and how warm!?!?) you were, you pressed a kiss to his cheek and walked out.
-He stood there. Holding his cheek. Frozen. Face as red as his fellow Pippins. Gave his head a good shake and spin to try and clear it. Rolled a perfect 6! Didn't matter. Didn't help how he felt.
-You were the angel. And he was so cooked.