Chapter Text
The worst part of extracting was not being able to look behind you. Not just the general unease of having your back out in the open--that was part of it, but when you were extracting, you never knew if there was a Twisted nearby...or right behind you. It made you want to constantly check behind you just to be sure, but then you'd probably mess up on the machine, and the noise that made would put you in even more danger. Still, you could never shake the feeling of being watched.
At least, that's how it was to Boxten. Surely a braver toon wouldn't feel nearly as afraid while working on machines. Why did it have to be him who was good at this?
Suddenly there was a faint footstep behind Boxten. It took everything in him not to whip his head around--and in his resistance, he froze. The machine stopped pumping ichor. It let out its harsh, deafening buzz. Oh, boy, now Boxten was in trouble.
Quickly he dashed behind a bookshelf next to him, hoping and praying that whatever came his way wasn't smart enough to scan the whole room.
He waited for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few agonizing minutes. Soft steps made their way over to the machine. Boxten waited anxiously for the Twisted to walk away so he could finish up and get off that floor. But then whatever had walked up to the machine...started extracting?
Cautiously, Boxten peeked his head around the shelf to see the machine, and he spotted Poppy turning the valve happily. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Poppy, you scared me."
Poppy jumped a bit at Boxten's sigh, but quickly she calmed down when she realized who it was. "Sorry there, Boxy! Didn't know you were there!"
"Ah, that's alright," Boxten replied. "You finish that machine, I think that's the last of them."
"Alrighty!" Poppy chimed.
Boxten turned to face the rest of the floor, keeping watch for any Twisteds. He chuckled silently to himself, wondering how Poppy always managed to stay bubbly and cheerful even on the creepiest of floors. Blackouts, ice floors, even the presence of Twisted Dandy, nothing could unnerve her. He had to admit, that was always something he liked about her. It felt like even in the direst of situations, he could rely on her unwavering smile to feel just a bit better.
Before he knew it, the machine was done, letting out its signature DING! The elevator could be heard opening in the distance, and now Poppy and Boxten dashed to make it in time. They saw the others rushing as well, first meeting up with Tisha, then with Goob and Scraps, then Brightney and Teagan, and as they all filed into the elevator, Vee finally arrived last and made it in just before the door closed.
Having been a long time fan of Vee's gameshow, Boxten could hardly contain his excitement at being inside an elevator alongside the renowned hostess. "I can't believe I'm in the same elevator as the Vee..." he let slip.
Upon hearing her name, Vee immediately took notice. "You're a fan of the gameshow, Boxten?"
"Who isn't? You've got such fun questions, I love trivia!"
Vee smiled at Boxten. "Haha, who doesn't?"
Overly excited, Boxten asked, "Is that one of your trivia questions?"
Vee replied bluntly, "No."
"O-oh...okay." Boxten turned over to Poppy, who looked like she was holding in a bout of giggles. "Uh...you okay, Poppy?"
"You really are a fanboy, aren't you?" Poppy managed through sputters.
Boxten turned beet red and started to lose his balance slightly. "W-what, y...I...no!"
Poppy stepped closer and helped Boxten stay standing. "Sorry, bud, I shouldn't have laughed at that."
After regaining himself, Boxten sighed and said, "No, it's...okay." He stood looking down toward the floor, grasping his arm with his hand.
Just before Poppy could ask what was wrong, the elevator door opened, the run resumed as usual, and Boxten went off by himself to extract.
Poppy decided to follow him, just in case. He seemed to be walking mindlessly about the floor, lost in though--probably pretty negative thought, judging by his posture.
She decided to get his attention. She tapped lightly on his shoulder, to which he immediately yelped, stiffened, and turned around. When he saw Poppy standing there, he relaxed, letting out a shaky sigh.
"Oop, sorry, Boxy," Poppy said.
"No, no," he responded, "I was just...I guess in a bit of a fog there, heheh."
Poppy looked straight into Boxten's eyes with all the sincerity and solemnity she could muster. Seeing her look, Boxten knew something serious was happening, and he steeled himself for whatever she'd say.
"Boxten."
He waited for her to continue. After a few moments, he decided to break the silence. "...Yes, Poppy?"
She closed her eyes, let out a light sigh, looked right at Boxten again, and continued. "Are you okay? You've been down in the dumps a lot lately, what's wrong?"
Boxten looked to his side and nervously responded, "O-oh, it's...I'm fine."
Squinting, Poppy examined him closely. "Nope, not buying it, tell me what's wrong."
Boxten huffed in slight frustration. "Poppy, it's just--come on, I'm okay, there's nothing to worry about." With that, he turned to walk away, but was immediately halted when Poppy tugged his arm.
"Boxten," she annunciated, her eyes glimmering. "Please."
After a drawn-out sigh, Boxten tried to muster an answer. "It's...I'm just...I feel like such a wuss."
In disbelief, Poppy asked, "...Why? What makes you think that?"
"...I mean, every moment I'm out here on these runs, the tension drives me insane and I jump at the slightest thing...you even saw when you tapped my shoulder just now."
Putting her hands on his shoulders firmly, Poppy stated, "Boxten. You are one of the bravest Toons I've ever known."
"...Me?"
"You go out, by yourself, to find machines and extract them so well under the pressure of everything going on in a run--that's amazing!"
Boxten was awe-struck, but still his look bore a hint of disbelief.
Poppy continued. "Let me tell you something: a real wuss would never even go on a run in the first place."
"...But...no one else here seems scared. Like, you and Goob both have the most persistent smiles I've ever seen, for instance."
Poppy waved her hand. "Oh, I just like being cheerful, and Goob's the most carefree Toon ever. You know that."
"Yeah, but...your guy's willingness to run into danger that I'd steer clear from is just--"
"Boxten, running into danger is not courage, it's recklessness."
"...Gee, I didn't know you had all this wisdom hidden up your sleeve."
"Eh, I'm just saying things that sound probably right."
At that, the two burst into a fit of laughter. For about half a minute they sat there, nearly unable to breathe, trying to regain themselves. As soon as Boxten did, he managed to say, "You're perfect, Poppy."
"So are you!" she said back.
"Heh...well, I'd better get back to finding machines. This floor ain't gonna complete itself."
"Alright, good luck, buddy!" Poppy cheered before turning and walking off.
"Thanks. Oh, wait, one more thing."
Poppy turned back around. "Hm?"
After a second, Boxten gave her a tight hug. "Thank you, Poppy. Thank you so much."
Poppy hugged back and smiled warmly. "Any time, boss man."
After the hug was over, Boxten and Poppy parted ways with smiles and waves, and Boxten began his search for whatever machines were still undone.
His heart sank when he then immediately heard Poppy shriek and a splattering of ichor nearby.