Chapter Text
“Bendy!” Boris had exclaimed behind Mugman, rushing from behind himself and just making his way towards his younger brother.
Neither of them had any brightly colored, festering lines concealing their faces anymore. Mugman finally saw them as they really were once more. It wasn’t his brother and the devil, but a demon, and a wolf with nearly translucent chains connecting them to himself and his brother respectively. Bendy’s face was round, and Boris’ was long. But while Bendy’s face had shimmering eyes and a smile, Boris’ a slight squint and his mouth was downturned into a grimace.
But, this wasn’t something that kept his attention much. He turned back to look at his brother, letting the blue glow as something to behold within his pie-cut eyes. There he floated like a beacon within the dark trees of the forest that loomed around them all. A brilliant hue of blue that held the pink so gently within a broad chest and a cage of ribs. Cuphead’s soul still called to him, his eyes always meeting its view before taking another moment or so to simply stare at his brother.
“Cup- you’re-“ Mugman’s knees buckled and they hit the soft ground as he stared up at the spectral form of his older twin. “You’re alive.”
His eyes stung, tears quickly welling up at the corners of them. Mugman’s palms opened to the ground as he watched his brother float closer. His eyes remained transfixed on the form in front of him, his head swaying slowly on his shoulders. The gentle pink drew in his attention once more. He brought an arm up, fingers lighting up with the same soft color as the soul before he’d feel cold hands grab ahold of his rim.
“Hey, hold on, you’re empty! What happened to YOU, huh?” Cuphead asked, suddenly brimming with a smile. “Ha, and yeah, I’m alive- no thanks to YOU, Mugshot! You’re getting TOO good with your aim nowadays, huh?”
Mugman’s head sank into the cold, wishing he could just rest here forever more and listen to his brother try and make light of the situation. His breaths came out slow before a laugh had escaped his chest and bubbled out from his mouth. He shook his head, watching the wisps of the ghostly hands float around him. This surely had to be reality, right? Mugman couldn’t be so sure but- he’s never seen any figment with such a soft color.
“Yeah, I know…” Mugman said, eyes slowly sliding back up to Cuphead’s and his smile dropping. “..wait- but- no, it wasn’t MY fault.”
The relief was cut short by the harshness hidden underlying Cuphead’s words as he quickly scrambled to stand on his cumbersome body. “That- I didn’t mean to-! It wasn’t- IT WAS HIM-!”
“Hey, hey, relax! I was just tryin’ to make a joke!” Cuphead said, still smiling warmly despite the quickly souring mood.
“But I didn’t-!” Mugman scowled as he continued with a shout. “Where WERE you?! Do you know how much I was- that- I-!”
Tears spilled over his cheeks in rapid succession, blurring his view. Mugman turned away, holding onto his own head and trying to simply wipe them himself but then, the cold ghostly hands reached out instead. He turned to look at the palms, watching as fingers carefully curled around his cheeks and swiped gently at his overflowing tears. He stared up at Cuphead again, his heaving chest slowing.
“Yeah, I know, ‘m sorry. I just- that blast kinda sent my soul flying wayyyy away. Trust me, I tried coming back as quickly as I could, Muggy.” Cuphead replied, voice no longer sickly sweet with comedy. “And look, I made it back.”
“…and made another deal.” Mugman murmured.
“Well- I mean, you knew I was alive then, right?” Cuphead replied as the younger of the two reached up back towards his brother’s chest. “..right?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t explain why you even made a deal with the demon.” Mugman continued on. “There’s no way that you just jumped into it- right?”
“..I meannnn, uh, it was a life or death situation, Mugman-“, Cuphead began, averting his gaze. “I’m real sorry?”
“…are you really?” He asked, staring intensely at the heart that was merely inches away from his hand.
His fingers crackled with a pink glow, mimicking the same color as the soul within Cuphead’s body. He reached closer, four fingers pressed together to make a broad pad as he flicked his wrist and felt a brilliant flash of heat flood into his digits. And just like that, Cuphead’s spectral form was thrusted from him and taken back to the empty corpse that was meant to be his older twin. He watched the blue hue fade deep into the chest and vanish.
Mugman eyed his brother’s calix wearily as he ignored the banter between the two others. The body came from the ground with its limbs twitching and thrashing to life. One leg down, and then the next. His brother’s arms pushed upwards, trying to use momentum in rising from the ground but the movement was unnatural. His arms twisted to and fro, one hand lifted into an outstretched position towards the sky before it dropped down, feeling at his surroundings at chest-level. Mugman moved forward, reaching out and taking ahold of the corpse’s wrists.
He stared at the split-opened calix. His brother’s head was merely a lower jaw and a tongue sat perched upon some teeth. Mugman’s own mouth felt dry as he felt the body tug at his own hands, pulling him closer. He dropped his hands in accordance to what his brother wanted and he reached around Cuphead, hugging onto his torso as he was tugged more and more. Once he secured himself in this position, he felt quick pats on his arm before a full-body shudder escaped the corpse. Then, it fell limp as Cuphead’s spectral form emerged from the shattered cup.
“Uhhh, so smallll issue-“ Cuphead began before glancing over Mugman’s body. “..for one, imma need my coat back- and second, I can’t really pilot this thing with my noggin all in pieces.”
Mugman loosened his grip just as Bendy’s voice suddenly piped in beside him. “Well, what are we supposed to do??? Go and grab all your pieces and glue ya back together?”
He finally properly regarded the two. Boris’ tail was tucked nearly between his legs ears folding downwards and eyes staring at Mugman with a sheen of moisture in them. Meanwhile, Bendy had this sort of air to him that felt…familiar. The demon stood with his chest puffed out and his tail flicking again on st the ground in quick thrashes. Though, when they met one another’s gaze, Bendy only jutted out his chin in reply and lifted it. It didn’t deter Mugman from studying him, trying to analyze this short demon for any sort of answers to his questions.
Just what could’ve happened between him and his brother to even warrant a deal with HIM? What about Bendy, the only one amongst them who was actively dying, had spurred his brother on into making the deal? Or what had HAPPENED around Bendy to even make Cuphead panic so bad?
But just then, the memory of the searcher flashed across his mind. Surely, there couldn’t be just one.
“Mugs. Hey, hey, Mugs. Can I get my coat back??” Cuphead asked again.
“Hey, I asked ya a question.” Bendy warned.
The tone was definitely new.
Mugman glanced from his brother back to the demon to regard him once more. The first he’s ever seen of Bendy was nothing but a scared little thing that was infected with blot. A runner, just like Cuphead used to be. A fella who’d rather turn away danger than face it head-on. Though, it was probably because Bendy was weak. But in that moment, the demon held a particular air and cadence.
Fear, dread, desperation, pain.
He found Bendy groveling with blistering boils all across his skin. The demon’s black body was melting onto the ground, allowing strips of bone to even peak through for Mugman to behold. The hand that once grabbed his leg so tightly was now the one that had a shackle snapped around his wrist.
But back then, Bendy’s pie-cut eyes were a nice sheen of black. And now, Mugman could see a dull glint in them, tainting the shade. It drew him in. But, he couldn’t be too sure if it was fabricated or not. His sight had been constantly playing tricks on him, making his head spin. He searched across the demon’s form, hoping to find anything else that could strike him as fabricated.
“Mugman?”, Boris’ voice murmured out beside his head. “You, uh, you zoning out again?”
Mugman’s eyes snapped to look at his brother’s murderer with a glare before he’d settle himself down on his knees, holding Cuphead’s body on his lap. He shrugged off the trench coat from his own shoulders, draped it over his brother’s instead. He then carefully folded and pressed Cuphead’s arms through the holes of the coat one by one as he stared down at the shattered face. It had Mugman grimace but he needed to work. Once both arms were in, he rolled the sleeves up accordingly. He then slid his arms around the underarms of his brother, tugging him higher up and simply holding him against his chest.
“I’m fine.” Mugman replied simply as he tucked his head into the crook of his brother’s neck.
He breathed in his scent, holding the cold body close. Mugman noted that it still had that stench of death clinging onto it and he couldn’t help but grimace. He hated the heavy metallic stench, but he loved his brother all the same. He just wished he could have him whole again in his grasp. Mugman sorely missed the slow rise and fall against his arms whenever Cuphead breathed.
“Uhhh we should get goin’, yeah??”, His twin suddenly exclaimed out. “I don’t wanna stick around anymore than we have to! Come on, Muggy! Up and at ‘em!! Ya know what their appetite is, rightttt??”
Mugman’s limbs all felt heavy as he twitched them to life. He slowly pressed his knees down onto the ground, raising one foot up just to balance himself onto it, then the other. Raising the body up with him, he stood tall for all about two seconds before he felt his right knee buckle. But just as he fell, an arm shoot out to wrap around his torso once more.
“Careful-“, Boris began, eyes staring over Mugman with a look he’s only seen Cuphead have.
“‘M fine!”, Mugman huffed out in protest, raising his head up to properly glare at the wolf just as his twin’s spectral form sank into the body.
“Are you??? You’re hardly capable of standing!” Boris replied, head tilting before Mugman gave the wolf’s arm a shove.
“Why don’t you worry about YOURSELF, huh?? I’ll do just fine taking care of both myself, AND Cuphead!” He hissed out.
Though, Mugman was relieved to feel his brother’s body become lighter in his grasp. The body’s muscles spasmed with confusion but he just loosened his grip to grab ahold of Cuphead’s wrist. He felt the arm jerk and twist before he’d simply drop his hand lower to settle within his brother’s. Finally, Cuphead stopped moving so much and simply returned the hold with a slight squeeze.
“Come on, we have to get going.” Mugman murmured out, looking back towards where the searcher should be.
“Boris, is your leg okay??” Bendy had questioned, concern clear in his voice.
“It hurts, but I can handle it. Where does the map say to go?” Boris asked in return as he moved away from the two twins.
Mugman felt a weight pressing against his shoulder. Turning his head, he looked to his brother’s body. The tongue twitched with an attempt to speak, but only strangled gargles escaped his non-existent throat. Mugman grimaced at that, glancing away to look back at the strange pair he’s landed himself.
Bendy’s eyes were studying the unrolled paper that was clearly the map. Which confused Mugman, as he thought that Boris was the one who had the map. But just as he thought to ask about it, the demon turned away and bolted off towards a direction with clear conviction. With this sudden charge, Cuphead’s body suddenly found itself being yanked along and right out of Mugman’s grasp.
“Sh-! HEY! Calm down, will ya?! You’re dragging my brother around!” Mugman snapped out in reply as he ran behind the two, hands outstretched in the hopes to grab ahold of Cuphead’s once more.
But in his haste, his legs nearly gave in once more. Mugman was operating on an empty mug, and an exhausted body that refused to exert anymore than he’s already had. Just as his head swayed and his whole body found itself ready to drop, once more the wolf had grabbed ahold of him. Grabbing ahold of the arm that secured itself to his torso, he squinted at the sight of his brother’s staggering corpse trying to keep up with that impulsive demon.
“We need to- to get there.”, Mugman wheezed out. “I need to get back to him.”
“..Can I help you now?” Boris asked softly in return.
“..Fine.”, He said, resignation heavy in his voice. “You okay to lift me again?”
Boris gave a quick nod before simply tightening his grip. Mugman had returned his gesture by stepping away slightly from him. Thankfully, Boris loosened his arms when he moved so he took this opportunity to walk around the wolf and pat at his back. He got the hint. Boris squatted down, a whine once more leaving him as he did so. Mugman climbed onto his back, arms draped around his neck and legs secured at his waist. Boris’ hands now settled onto the underside of his thighs just as he straightened his legs and lifted his spine.
“You feel good..?” Boris asked, a slight pant leaving him as he spoke.
“I’m secure. But no, I don’t feel GOOD, and I know you don’t either. So let’s catch up before YOUR brother is impossible to find, yeah?” Mugman huffed.
“Yeah.” The toon holding onto him started moving forward, and after a few strides that had one of his legs lag behind, he finally found a quick enough pace to keep up with Bendy.
As they moved, Mugman stared at the view of his brother’s corpse still reaching behind itself, grasping at nothing but air. It was a sight that made his soul twinge with even more pain through his body. His arms secured himself tighter on Boris, hoping to keep himself wide awake for wherever they may be going but his head was falling heavily on Boris’ shoulder. His eyes remained fixated on Cuphead, hoping to see that head suddenly be repaired by some stroke of luck or magic. White liquid spilled out between the cracks, dripping down onto the coat that Mugman had just wore.
“..Just..hang in there.”, Mugman murmured out, fingers twitching as he recalled holding the body in his arms just moments prior. “..for me..”
His eyelids felt heavy, and the straws in his head continued to roll with every step. He could hear the groans of the searcher grow in numbers, and Boris’ pants getting heavier. Small whines left the wolf, clearly low and in-pain, but Mugman hadn’t dared to release him. He wanted to watch Cuphead, hoping that they’d just somehow get to that miracle machine and never have to worry about anything ever again but soon, he found himself only meeting darkness.
Not even the lines of his fragmented mind had appeared here. No red, no pink, just black. And honestly, he couldn’t be too sure if this was reality or fiction.
The panting beside his head HAD to be real, so he focused on it. Listening to Boris draw a breath in and out, wishing it could be Cuphead’s. Wishing he had the consistent confirmation that his brother was okay. Mugman dragged these thoughts into a slumber that was forced upon him and his exhausted body.
His limbs loosened. He was vaguely aware of this, but he felt Boris’ grip tighten on his thighs as he sank deeper into unconsciousness. A warm, firm grip was nice.
It’s too bad it didn’t belong to anyone he deemed trustworthy, but it’ll do. It’ll do for now.