No World Beyond

Chapter one

Looking back, Gumball realized he had seen the moment it all changed. It would have been easy to see the warning signs, if he had known to look for any.

They had been eating together at the dinner table. Anais monologuing on about something forgettable, Richard and Darwin stuffing their faces, and Mom...Mom was staring into her second glass of wine. Lost in her own thoughts as she stirred the dark liquid over and over in a listless, monotonous rhythm.

Gumball had been watching her as he ate. She'd been acting a little weird towards him lately, sometimes very distant, sometimes very close. She seemed uncomfortable around him, but also eager to spend time with him. This erratic behaviour alone was enough to make him concerned for her...but then there was the drinking.

A glass of wine at dinner had been the norm for a while. Gumball had overheard her explaining to Richard that she just wanted to unwind a little after work, and that was it. The topic had never come back around. But last week, she'd started refilling her glass.

As he kept an eye on her, things got weirder. Nicole bit her lip and flicked her eyes up to look back at him, then back to her glass. Her gaze caused him to feel slightly uncomfortable, but he couldn't figure out why. All he knew was that it wasn't her usual gentle, motherly look. There was something more to it. An intensity he had never seen before. Noticing the awkward air, she quickly drained the glass in one gulp, powerfully set it down, waited for everyone to give her their full attention, licked her lips, and spoke.

"So, since your father's going to go visit his mother for the weekend, why don't we do something together as a family tonight?"

She was met with a chorus of agreement.

"Tomorrow's family movie night, so why don't we do that tonight instead?" Richard suggested.

"Yeah!" Darwin quickly agreed, while Anais merely shrugged her uninterested assent.

"Do you have enough time for that though? You have to go in-"

"Oh, I'll have enough time!" Richard assured her.

"...I was really thinking more along the lines of a board game or puzzle…" Nicole trailed off, once again looking sadly into her wine glass, and the tiny drop that remained at the bottom. "Something interactive…" She said in a voice so low that it was virtually inaudible. Then her expression changed, and even Gumball could see the idea flash across her face. "Actually, a movie would be perfect." Nicole nodded, her lips forming a slow smile. "You go decide the movie and set things up." She turned to face her son, once again giving him that odd look. "Gumball, would you be a dear and help me with the dishes?"

"...Okay Mom." Gumball wanted to groan, but suppressed it. If he got stuck helping her, not only would he be denied input on the movie choice, he would also lose his favorite spot on the couch! Which meant…

"Come on, honey. We don't want to keep them waiting." She smiled.

It wasn't long before Gumball had his sleeves rolled up and was elbows deep in water, scrubbing away at the plates as quickly as he could. Every time he'd finish one, he'd hand it to his mother who was waiting with a cloth to dry them and put them away. When she was waiting for him, she'd lightly rest a hand on his shoulder, looming over him in anticipation. Being watched so intensely like that was quite distracting.

He tried to ignore it. It wasn't a big deal, nothing more than his mother showing him a little physical affection. She'd been doing that a lot as of late. A small pat on the shoulders here, a gently rub on the arms there, that wasn't really an issue. If she had stopped at that, he probably would have gotten used to it. All of that changed when she'd taken to kissing him on the forehead from time to time. Not only had Gumball thought he was getting a little old for that kind of thing, mixing her new behavior and drinking habit made it all seem wrong to him. Wrong in ways he wasn't able to explain to himself, let alone to anyone else. He wanted to ask her to stop, but he hadn't managed to say anything yet. So the touching and kissing continued.

He finished cleaning the casserole dish and handed it to Nicole, who opened the cupboard above the sink to put it away. It was directly above Gumball, so she stood behind him and leaned over to slide it in. Gumball scrunched up his shoulders in discomfort as his mother pressed him into the counter. Really, she could have just asked him to move…

With the dish away, Nicole brought her hands down and cupped them under Gumball's chin, forcing him to look straight up at her. Her expression was unreadable to him. She seemed thoroughly amused, but there was something else lurking in her eyes. Something almost covetous, laced with private mischief. She smiled, but Gumball didn't like the look of the curl in her lip. It was a hard smile, the one of a person who knew something the other didn't…

She lightly patted his cheek. "Movie time." She sang, just a little too eagerly.

As he had predicted, all the space on the couch was occupied. Gumball sighed and turned to face Nicole's reading chair. It was big enough for both him and his mother, but it would mean being squished next to her for the entire movie. And well, she was getting uncomfortably touchy lately. As he thought it over, trying to find some possible escape, her hand came down and gently guided him towards the loveseat.

A bargain buy, she had wanted it for her new reading hobby. Gumball couldn't help but smirk whenever he saw her lounging in the chair, clutching some trashy romance novel. He never thought his mom could get into that kind of thing, let alone be so utterly absorbed in them that she'd forget to make dinner sometimes. He guessed she needed a hobby now that she wasn't working so many hours.

Nicole was overjoyed to be working for the Rainbow Factory's up and coming rival Prism Corp. When an executive had shown up for a meeting with Mr. Yoshida, she had impressed him with her incredible work load. Always looking for good employees and ways to undermine their hated rival, he'd offered her a better position and salary at Prism.

Her promotion and raise had netted them not just a better quality of life, but a bigger home. One where finally, everyone had their own room.

There had also been the side effect of Nicole enforcing her will on the family more and more, however. Her new job as a manager came with plenty of authority, and she'd gotten used to it. She reveled in the power. Things at home had started to become more orderly as she grew into her new managerial role at work. Gumball had seen the satisfied smug smile she'd started to wear coming home, the way she looked down her nose at other people. And of course, the way she would not take no for an answer. He guessed she just wanted to continue having that powerful feeling so long denied her, but it was irritating that she always got her way - even if her way always seemed gentler on him than the others…

Gumball climbed in first, leaning against the left arm with the hope that she would stick to the other. Instead, Nicole sat down, leaned over behind him, and jostled her son into her embrace. Hugging him tight like a stuffed animal, she rested her chin on his head.

Gumball eyed the room from his new prison, and locked eyes with Anais. She gave him a concerned look and a confused shrug. She knew something was weird and that their mom was acting strange - but wasn't going to say anything on his behalf. Darwin and Richard however, were too absorbed in arguing over which movie they wanted to watch to take notice. Nicole gave a huff of impatience and spoke up,

"So have you three decided yet?"

"Well dear, somebody here can't accept that The Deer Hunter Part II: Reloaded is the superior sequel and that it's bold new direction laid the groundwork for the rest of the series, and the entire action genre!"

"And it's not my fault that somebody is such a grandpa and stuck in their ancient dinosaur ways that they can't accept that The Deer Hunter 6: Nick's Revenge is a cinematic masterpiece and a cornerstone of my generation's culture!"

Nicole's heavy sigh carried her hot wine breath over Gumball's face, and he squirmed a little to escape it. How could she stomach something so bitter, so often? She just squeezed him tighter to control his movements and tried to keep the building irritation out of her voice.

"Well! If you two can't agree, I guess we'll just have to go with someone else's idea…"

Gumball inwardly groaned. If they went with Darwin or Richard's ideas, Nicole would probably fall asleep and he could wriggle free.

"Let's see...It was Gumball's turn last week…" she gave him an affectionate squeeze as she said his name "...And Anais's before that...And since you two just forfeited your turns...Oh, it looks like it's my choice this time." She beamed at the family, who all tried to hide their disappointment.

"Not another chick flick…" Darwin pouted as he reluctantly opened Elmoreflix on the TV.

"Open my account, dear." Nicole smiled.

Darwin shuddered and muttered "This can't be happening…" repeatedly until Anais snatched the remote from him. She opened the menu of Nicole's 'watch later' list and began to scroll, trying in vain to stifle a laugh.

"Days of Fleeting Sunset?" She giggled.

"Casa de la Romancia?" Darwin answered her in an equally skeptical a tone.

"Harmony's Awakening?"

"Shores of Love?" Richard groaned with them.

"The Breadmaker's Song?" The three of them all laughed together, heedless of the annoyance building on Nicole's face.

"Oh, oh, wait!" Darwin called, trying to suppress his laughter long enough to speak "This one's the best: Distant Hearts of the Sunset Mountains!" He could hardly finish the name before collapsing into hysterics along with Anais and Richard.

"Fine then!" Nicole snapped. "If that one's 'the best' then we'll watch it!"

The trio quickly shut up and exchanged guilty looks with each other. Gumball just shrugged. They brought this on themselves - he hadn't done anything. Not that he really could, anyways. Though he hated to admit it, it was kind of cozy being cuddled like this. At least, it was, until the movie passed the first act, and the romance really started to heat up. He could hear his mother's breathing change ever so slightly, it quickened in time to the pounding of her heart. Gumball could feel that too, as she hugged him tighter, her chest pressing against the back of his head. He scrunched his shoulders up and grimaced. He could practically hear the blood rushing through her veins. This was really getting to be too much.

As if she sensed his growing unease, Nicole unwrapped one arm from about him and planted it on her own thigh. That hand soon began to wander, however, as the protagonists of the film stared into each other's dreamy eyes. It stealthily descended from her thigh to his, sliding down to his knee and then back up until it touched his belt. By the time the two characters on the screen embraced, she was caressing his belly and chest, and practically panting into his ear.

Gumball became more and more uncomfortable as he watched the movie. To try and put himself in a better mood, he tried to imagine the characters as himself and Penny, but it didn't work. They didn't match. Or rather, she didn't match. Gumball could easily slip himself into the shoes of the dashing, reckless, young man - but the suave, serious, slightly older woman he was paired with...That didn't match Penny at all. There was no innocent, almost bubbly nature to her, in fact, the character reminded him more of…Well, it was hard not to be reminded of her when she was so close - almost wrapped around him like a snake.

From then on, the sight of the two lovers on the screen stirred eerie things in his mind. The beginnings of thoughts that felt wrong. So he turned away from the movie as best he could, swivelling his head to look out the window. Or rather, at the window - it was too dark outside now, and too bright inside, to see anything but the living room reflected back at him.

He saw himself in his mother's arms. And he shivered at how small he seemed. How trapped. It scared him. And then there was her expression…She was completely enthralled in the movie, fiercely biting her lip as the scene played out. She held him firm as her fingers began a little swirling dance around his belly button. And she started to shift her legs strangely, as if she was trying to squish her thighs together.

On the screen, the woman finally got her man, and the characters shared their triumphant kiss, and Gumball could feel his mother's body tense around him. He swore he heard the smallest of needy whines squeeze out between her lips. She leaned into him and started to whisper into his ear in a voice as faint as falling snow.

"Gummyp-"

"Alright! I'm off! See you later, honey!" Richard exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

"Gah!" Nicole jolted in her seat, suddenly wrenched out of whatever mix of film and fantasy she had nestled herself into. "Richard, you-!" She yelled, spitting her irritation across the room at him before she caught herself, and gritted through grinding teeth "Yeah, go. Just go…" Only Gumball heard her mutter "...You fat bastard…" under her breath as she slumped back down into the couch.

Gumball could have heard anything she said, no matter how low her tone. Her mouth was still only inches from his ear, which was still ringing from her angry shout. Gumball tried to calm his racing heart as Richard meekly shuffled out the door and Darwin and Anais stared at their mother. For her part, Nicole regained her composure and ignored the dumbfounded looks of her other children. She had thoughts only for one of them, though her mood was now ruined.

Her temper now as sour as her breath, she turned to face the TV again. She watched it only lazily, her mind overtaken by thoughts known only to her. Gumball continued to eye her reflection in the window. Her frown slowly faded, but he knew the fury remained.

As the front door shut, Gumball looked at the couch. There was now a large space for him to sit. He wouldn't have to be in...this situation anymore. Gumball licked his lips nervously and made his move, but just as he started to get up, Nicole's arms pulled him back and held him tightly to her breast. She rolled over a little, trying to pin him to the couch with her body. Her mouth once again pressed close to his ear as her legs intertwined with his.

"No."

There was no room for arguing. Gumball's excuse of needing to use the washroom died before it ever reached his lips. This was an order. He didn't understand it, but she needed him in a desperate, clingy way. Gumball bit his lip and decided that...Maybe, maybe she really needed this...Maybe he should just let her hold him. Just for the movie...

Besides, even if he put up a struggle, he doubted he could escape. Nicole was strong, athletic, and just plain bigger than him. Gumball was at an extreme disadvantage if things got out of hand. He furrowed his brow at that thought. Out of hand? What was he thinking? She was his mother, not a monster. She would never do anything to him.

...Right?

He tried to dismiss the creeping doubt that crawled up his spine. It was no easy task however, as the sensation's progression was once again matched by Nicole's hand sliding up his belly. Though, this time was different. She no longer lightly caressed him, in that unnerving yet strangely enjoyable way. Now she dragged across, pressing, scratching into him, as if he would slip through her fingers with a lighter touch.

The movie went on, but no one was really watching it anymore. Darwin and Anais were nodding off over on the roomy couch, Gumball was trying not to think about the situation his mother was putting him in. It made him feel dirty, and used in a way he couldn't quite explain.

Nicole bounced her foot back and forth furiously. Her eyes were fixed on the TV screen, but her gaze seemed to bore straight through it, beyond it, to some distant place only she could see. Her tail stopped flicking and she sighed wearily. Her hold on Gumball, and her whole body slackened, but he didn't dare move a single muscle now. Her anger might have dissipated, but it could be easily rekindled out of her present exasperation.

Finally, the credits began to roll, and everyone made their hasty exit to their bedrooms. Everyone except Nicole. Though Gumball had immediately leapt gratefully to his feet and started towards the stairs, he stopped and looked back at his mother. She stayed reclining on the chair with a forlorn expression on her face before she sat up and made for the kitchen, half stumbling. Concerned for her, Gumball watched as she poured yet another glass of wine. How many had she had by now?

Nicole looked up from her drink and saw him.

"...Go to bed, Gumball…" she muttered, and put her head in her hands with a sigh halfway between bewilderment and a desperate exhaustion.

Slowly, he did as he was told, worry gnawing at him. He'd never seen her have this much to drink before. He'd never seen her act quite like this before. Was he doing the right thing by leaving her alone down there with yet another drink? Maybe he should try talking to her...but...being alone with her struck a chord of unease in him.

He slunk upstairs to his bedroom, unable to decide if he was cowardly, or just a bad son.

Some time later, Gumball muttered a curse word that he knew would get his mouth soaped out if his mother ever heard him say it. With a disgusted sigh, he watched as his video game character died a slow and agonizing death-by-cutscene. The heroic space marine was slowly, horribly crushed to death in the grip of a giant alien's hand.

Gumball stared at the screen, thinking about 'movie time' and the soft, warm arms of his mother closing around him. Sure, she hadn't crushed him into paste, but...There had been little in the way of escape opportunities either. He shook his head, trying to keep such strange thoughts out of his mind. She had just...just wanted…Something.

A hug? No, no it had to have been more than was more than that. A cuddle, he supposed. But wasn't that what Dad was for? The way she had been touching him was bewildering to say the least. It had an oddly nice vibe to it, but...it wasn't right. It felt as though she…He struggled to finish the thought. He rebelled against it, not wanting an answer, but needing one all the same.

She...wanted? Wanted, yeah. Wanted him. But for what? Or rather, had it been that she wanted more - more of him. More of him than she could ask for? More than he could give her?

He tapped his fingers on his controller. The ideas he was considering were making him greatly uncomfortable. He stared at the gently glowing screen and set the controller down. He'd give this level one more shot before bed. But for now, nature called.

Gumball hummed to himself as he washed and dried his hands. He opened the door and hit the light as he walked into the hallway, only to stop cold as he saw his mother leaning in the doorway of her room, staring at him. Chin down, staring up at him with that same intensity from before. He gave her a puzzled look, and she raised a hand and beckoned for him to come to her. Her nightgown, seemingly only thrown about her, slid off one shoulder with the movement. Gumball didn't like the flushed, enigmatic half smile on her face, or the way her eyes seemed only half alert.

"Come here Gummypussh…" she slurred, and backed into her dark room.

Gumball hesitated a moment further, then followed her. Perhaps against his better judgement. Whatever reason she wanted him had to be a good one at this hour. Did she need him to do something for her? Was there something she wanted to talk about? Maybe she would explain her odd behaviour towards him. If she didn't, Gumball made a mental note to bring it up at some point.

The feelings of nervousness and fear returned as he entered his mother's bedroom. The only light to be found was a pale moonbeam streaming in from the open window, giving off a dim illumination. It lent everything an eerie, silver aspect. Taking a few more steps, he was about to call for her when he suddenly planted his foot into something soft and warm.

Looking down, he recognized the nightgown his mother had been wearing just a few moments prior. The door shut behind him and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his chest. Gumball tensed up as a hot, naked body pressed against his back.

"M-mom?"

Nicole ignored him, leaning around to kiss his cheek, then moved down to kiss his neck. Gumball gave an involuntary moan as she nibbled him, and started to push him forward towards the bed. What was she…? His pajama shirt was suddenly pulled off over his head, causing him to break away from her in fright.

"Mom w-what're you doing?" He demanded, and then blushed when he saw her naked, moonlit body bared before him. Nicole tossed his shirt aside and advanced on him wordlessly. Her tail swished back and forth in a slow pendulum rhythm. "Mom! Wh-" Gumball backed up until he hit the bed, falling onto it. His mother reached him before he could right himself, and pushed him down with one hand as her other began to tug at his pants. "What's going on?" he begged her.

"Sssshhh…" She pulled him up onto the bed and dragged him up to the centre, sitting atop him.

"Mo-!"

Nicole slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Sssshhh."

Stripped and held down, Gumball felt a rush of fear he'd never felt before. Utterly helpless beneath her, with nothing to cover him and his shame. His mouth dried up as shivers raced each other up his spine. His mouth trembled under her hand; she looked ready to devour him. Bite by bite, until there was nothing left.

He felt like she was already consuming him, the way her half lidded eyes roamed along his figure, savouring every detail. She licked her lips and removed her hand from his mouth. She gestured for Gumball not to move while she leaned over, took her wine glass from the nightstand and drank long and deep. Frozen with fear, he obeyed. He didn't move a muscle until she replaced the glass.

"...Mom?" he whimpered.

She said nothing, simply gripping his shoulders again, pulling him up into her embrace and roughly kissing him. A kiss of primal passion and desire long denied. The heavy, bitter wine on her breath overwhelmed him. Gumball half-gagged in surprise, utterly unused to the revolting taste. He nearly choked on her tongue as it darted into his mouth and examined him thoroughly.

His mother's grip on him tightened, and she pushed him back down into the bed. She surged past his teeth, rolling over his tongue and straining to reach his throat. Disgusted and terrified, Gumball squirmed beneath her, and desperately, violently, threw his head to one side to escape her kiss, sucking in a breath to call for help. But her hand slapped over his mouth once again.

"No."

She hissed the word, and said nothing more, pressing her lips against his and forcing her way back inside him. Now whipped up into a blind panic, Gumball finally brought up his shaking hands and vainly tried to push her away. Ripping his mouth from hers once again, he cried out.

"Mom, please!"

Then he was stunned. His cheek stung with pain.

"M-mom?"

She struck him again, harder. Then whispered into his ear as tears welled in his eyes.

"Don't struggle."

And he didn't. He simply sobbed quietly, tears burning trails down his cheeks as her hot breath filled his face again. Knowing what was coming, and fearing another slap, he meekly opened his mouth for her. She made an approving noise and snaked her tongue deeper as her hands, whose touch turned softer, shifted to explore his nethers. She caressed him, squeezed him, and rubbed him. It was hers, he was hers, and she made sure he knew that before moving to touch herself. With her body pressed up against his own, Gumball could feel her every movement as she teased herself. Her knuckles dragged across his semi-erect member as her fingers darted in and out. All the while, she held him down with her weight and her tongue tried to wrestle with his, while he tried to avoid hers. She got the better of him, and twirled and twisted him into her power.

Caught in her control, Gumball felt like a boat adrift on rough tides, pulled this way and that at the whim of some angry sea goddess. At her mercy as she broke the kiss and crawled up to kneel with her lower lips mere inches from his mouth. A single drop of something fell from her slick entrance and Gumball shivered despite how warm it was against his skin. Nicole looked down at him as she lowered herself onto his face.

He squeezed his eyes shut as the sopping fur of her nethers was driven against him. He kept his lips tightly pressed together, not wanting to taste her. Instead, her juices were smeared across his face and nose as she shifted her hips back and forth. Unable to breathe otherwise, Gumball was forced to smell her as her clit rubbed against his nose.

He cringed at the unfamiliar, if not unpleasant musk. It wasn't long before Nicole tired of his reticence and brought her hands down, prying his eyes open to meet her impatient gaze.

"Lick." She commanded.

Gumball trembled at the scowl in her eyes and warily extended his tongue. The twitch she made as he touched her scared him, but the tightened grip on his head terrified him more. Finding the taste of her not as bad as he'd feared, Gumball began to swab back and forth inside her, wincing as she lightly pulled on his fur. As he probed deeper, she groaned and shifted above him, and her hands began to gently massage his scalp. Gumball, though still terrified out of his wits, found some small solace in that if he simply did what she wanted, she might stop hurting him.

As he pleasured her, she tensed around his head further, and Gumball found the pressure unbearable. Much of her weight resting on his jaw made it hard to continue lapping at her, but he redoubled his efforts out of fear.

Despite his sensitive ears being painfully squished against his head by his mother's thighs, her growing moans and ever more laboured breathing rang out clear to him. Her breathing quickened suddenly, and very quickly, turning erratic. With quick, short, and shallow breaths until she ground herself into his face, arching her back and letting out a long, satisfied "NNNNNNNnnnGGhuh!"

Gumball mewled and writhed as her massaging touch became claws digging and raking across his scalp. His pained cries were soon quite drowned as she came. He choked and coughed, bubbling for air as she flowed down his chin and cheeks to soak the sheets beneath.

Slowly, Nicole removed herself from her son's face, sitting on his chest instead and smirking down at her handiwork. A hand still trembling from orgasm reached out and patted his soaked cheek.

Only able to breathe in the form of panted, strained sobs, Gumball stared up at his mother with bleary, uncomprehending eyes that were clouded by hot, fresh tears. He wanted to scream at her 'why?' He wanted to beg her to stop, to tell him what he'd done wrong, why she was doing this to him, what had he done? God, would she stop, please? Please? He loved her, he'd forgive her if she just stopped, just told him why.

Why, mommy?

But all he could muster was a wavering, muted bawl as she once again changed positions. She slid her rear down his belly and teasingly along his shaft, settling down on his thighs. Gumball inhaled sharply as she touched him. The same hand she had used to strike him moments ago, she now used to service him. Bringing him to readiness with rigorous, eager little pumps and twists. Despite his efforts, his body proved highly receptive towards her touch.

Gumball bit back his moan, shocked out of his wailing by the little electric pleasures. This...this shouldn't feel good. He didn't want this. He didn't like it. But...ah, he did. It was something else. Something he'd never experienced before. There was an animal drive in him, that had secretly longed for this. And now it compelled him to give in. He refused, and the animal within ignored him.

Gumball glanced down at himself, seeing that his member had betrayed him. He cursed it. And shortly he cursed himself as she loomed over, and a blinding pleasure engulfed him. It felt so good, and he hated it.

He hated the way she moaned, and the way her hands kneaded his chest as she rocked her hips this way and that. He hated the way they both huffed for air. And most of all, he hated the way part of him screamed out for more. He wanted to push up against her, he wanted to run his hands all over her.

He wanted to taste her again.

The bedcovers twisted in his grip as an impotent rage boiled within him. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. For a brief moment he opened one eye, and saw that his mother paid him no heed at all. She was lost in her own desires, caressing one breast while her eyes rolled up and her tongue lolled out.

She didn't care. She didn't care whether he liked it or hated it. This was all about her, and her needs. Still, Gumball resisted the desire to moan and give in to her soft fur and alluring warmth. For his own pride, he supposed. His body might have betrayed him, but he wouldn't give up.

Gumball didn't know how long the ordeal went on. How long she slammed herself down on him. His hips groaned and he whined pitifully until she reached over and slapped him harshly again. Time seemed to lose meaning as she bore down on him. She pressed herself upon him, around him. She encompassed him with her one sided desire. He was trapped in her prison of confused pleasure and aching pain. There was no longer a world beyond her flesh.

Battered and bruised by her thoughtless affections, Gumball served the needs of his mother until he could endure it no longer. He groaned and felt himself release deep inside her. She tensed and gasped, the hand that steadied herself sank its claws into Gumball's chest, and he cried out as she took what she should never have desired. He never received the slap he expected however, as Nicole staggered from her exertions, and leaned over him. Gumball whimpered and looked away as she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. A show of affection that he could not tell was genuine, or mockery.

Then she collapsed on top of him, and quickly fell into a deep, drunken slumber. Gumball, trapped helplessly beneath her, wept until exhaustion eventually drifted him into a landscape of terrifying and painful nightmares - with nothing to cling to for comfort but his violator, still slick with the exertion of defiling him.

The next morning, Gumball groaned at the dull aches in his body as he woke up. He was too hot, and soaked with sweat and his face was all sticky. Unsure of his surroundings, he slowly opened his eyes and found a pair of arms wrapped around him.

Oh.

The reality of what had happened swept over him in a roiled wave of horror. Though she was no longer lying on top of him, she still clung to him tightly in her sleep. Once again he played the teddy bear as she gently chewed the end of his ear as she dreamed. The small but sharp pains jolted him further awake, but what hurt more than any of his physical sufferings was the sinking pit in his chest.

That really happened. It happened. It hadn't been some...some nightmare. She'd…

She'd…

The word arose in his mind, and his first reaction was to lash against it.

No, it-it hadn't been like...like that. This was different...his own mother...it couldn't be…

That.

But the word stayed stubbornly in his mind. It haunted him even as the woman next to him woke and lazily stretched. She lightly ran a finger along his cheek, her touch causing him to shiver. The word persisted, but he still refused to acknowledge it. No...No. That couldn't be. She didn't mean it that way. She wouldn't do that to him…It, it had to be something else...

Nicole continued to contentedly snuggle him until her alarm went off. She sighed and rose from the bed to silence it. Gumball turned over to avoid looking at her naked body. It was the first movement he had made in many hours, and it hurt. Gumball didn't make any more, simply staying put as he heard his mother prepare and take a shower.

He still had not moved by the time she came back. He remained huddled in the covers as his mother dressed. He heard her pull out her desk chair and turn it to face the bed. It made the slightest of creaks as she leaned back into it.

"Gumball."

There was no anger or commanding tone in her voice. It was flat, and hollow. Slowly, Gumball sat up and looked at his mother. She was slouching in the chair, her posture all weariness. Her expression was much the same. They stared at each other for a long moment before Gumball spoke.

"...Why?"

A/N Thank yous go out to Whiskers Mooncat and Piper of Reason for read throughs and edits.