Disclaimer: Hey! Now I have no clue what drove me here. I don't play online games, yet I'm able to write fairly decent stories about them. Undertale and Bendy being prime examples. Since Bendy has returned to its hiatus until chapter 4's release, I found interest in Cuphead. 'Why not write another story to pass the time?'

And here we are! The first Cuphead category story ever!

I own Nicky.

"Speaking"

Thinking

"Reading"

"And so, I want each and every one of you to try and do research on an art form from the 20th century. Look at different popular artists, companies, anything that you find interesting as long as it isn't offensive." The teacher frowned, and tapped her yard stick on a desk in the front row. "Is that understood, Miss Iwerks?"

"F-five more… minutes," came the mumbled reply from under a mop of black frizzy hair.

The teacher's lips tightened, and slapped the ruler on the wood in a bang. "MISS IWERKS!"

"The answer's 42! Wh-whoa!" The eighteen year old jumped back in her chair, her face having a red mark from being pressed against the desk, and waved her arms around trying to prevent herself from falling backwards. Stabling herself, she looked up at the teacher. "Uh… yes, ma'am. Art stuff-art history. Got it."

The bell rang, drowning out the laughter from the students around her. "Way to go, Disney!" She heard someone yell, shoving her as they walked past and out the door. Frowning as an embarrassed and angry blush tinged her cheeks, she shoved her binders into her bag and left as fast as she could. Nicky hated having to sign up for the art class, but it was the only open course left to fulfill her requirements for graduation. She'd much rather take drama, or guitar perhaps. Of course, this also didn't help because of her wonderful last name.

Why not have the same last name as one of the creators of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse? No harm could come from that, right? Oh, fear thy sarcasm! Nicky slammed her locker open, and stared tiredly at her reflection in the mirror. Light brown eyes complete with bags, short hair that brushed along the edge of her gray sweatshirt. "Classy as always, Nick." Roughly throwing in the binders she didn't need, she closed the door and locked it. "Looks like I'll be paying a stop at the library on the way home."

Stuffing her hands in her jean pockets, Nicky trudged out of the school. Nothing can possibly get worse than this. She loved art. She did. But with her name, people would assume and make jokes that she loved animation and all things cartoony and funny. She didn't. Yeah, she had a sense of humor, but it was more dark and sarcastic. Which usually was a turn off for any one who tried to befriend her. She was fine being a loner. Never hurt her before.

"Here we go," Nicky smirked. The library was one of the oldest buildings in her small town, and was certainly a sight to behold. Gray stone walls, and large pillars in the front on either side of the sign at the top. "Let's see what Mrs. Graves has." Up the stairs and pushing the heavy oak doors open, she smiled at the elderly woman behind the counter on the left. "Afternoon, Graves."

Mrs. Graves was a kind woman, and regardless of her age, she continued to work at the library. For fifty years, she worked there, and no one had ever said anything bad about her. Even at the ripe age of seventy-five, and with her husband passed away, she still worked with a smile on her face. Her blue eyes brightened at the teen, lighting up her wrinkled face. "Good afternoon, Nicky. Are you looking for something in particular?"

"Need a book on art history. Anything will do," she shrugged. Mrs. Graves nodded, and sat down the book in her hands.

"Well, let me show you what we have." Leading her into the building, she brought Nicky into the far back corner. "This entire row along the wall here is what you're looking for." Her smile fell, watching Nicky look at the books unimpressed. "You really should be more cheerful, dear. What did art ever do to you?"

"It's not art, Graves. It's the fact it helped lead to animation and cartoons. What it did to me? Made me a joke at school, you know that. It was fun when I was a kid, Mrs. Graves, then it just… went all to pieces." Mrs. Graves opened her mouth to speak more, but Nicky cut her off. "I'm sorry, but can I please just find a book to go write my essay?"

Sighing, she began to head back to her desk. "Alright, Nicky, dear. But remember, this behavior is going to come back to hurt you in the future." Once she turned around the corner, Nicky bunched her brows together in confusion.

"Hurt me? It's just a dislike of cartoons and animation. It's not like my opinion is gonna do anything drastic." She trailed through the books, and frowned. "I want something interesting. I don't care for any old stuffy artist. Is there anything good in here?" No, there wasn't. Great. "I'll just check the library at school tomorrow. Better than waiting around here for an answer to fall from the-"

A soft thump came from behind her, and Nicky turned around in confusion. "Huh?" A thin book laid on the floor, its cover blanketed in a thin layer of dust. "That… wasn't there before." Moving over to the book, she knelt down and picked it up. "Hmmm… pffft!" Blowing on the cover, the dust created a small cloud, and she coughed. "Oh, that was a mistake!" Blinking back tears, she looked at the book more carefully.

"CUPHEAD 'Don't Deal With The Devil'" was the title, owned by Studio MDHR and published by Moldenhauer Bros. Or was it Moldenhaver Bros.? The word was hard to distinguish. It looked like a u though. "ACME Publishing company-okay, is this a joke?" ACME was the name from Warner Bros. used in Looney Tunes cartoons. This weird book, despite its simple look, more than likely focused on cartoons.

Swiping more dust off from the black and blue publication, she stood up in a huff. "Cuphead. If they're going to play a prank, then they could at least make it more original." Still… she was curious. Looking around to see if anyone was nearby, she moved to the small chair a few rows over. Next to the dictionaries, translators, and thesauruses, she leaned against the wicker chair and opened the book. It was a traditional cartoon story, and the teen finally got the answer as to why it was called Cuphead. The main characters literally had cups for heads. "Figures."

"Once upon a time, in a magical place called Inkwell Isle, there were two brothers named Cuphead and Mugman. They lived without a care under the watchful eye of the wise Elder Kettle." Gee, this was already getting really childish. She wasn't even halfway done. "One day the two boys wandered far from home, and-despite the Elder Kettle's many warnings-ended up on the wrong side of the tracks and entered the Devil's Casino."

The creepy image of the Devil's head topped the building, surrounded by large die and playing cards. Suitable for a cartoon casino. Flipping to the next page, she studied the page for a moment. The brothers were playing at a Craps table in the shape of a coffin with skeletons, and a man in a purple suit with a dice for a head watched them. "How on earth do two kids know how to gamble anyway?" Nicky muttered. "Inside, Cuphead and Mugman soon found themselves on a winning streak at the Craps table. 'How dawg!' exclaimed King Dice, the casino's sleazy manager. 'These fellas can't lose!'"

Turning the page, she inched deeper into her seat. This wasn't a cartoon or animated feature. This was a kid's book. She was allowed to enjoy those. "'Nice run, boys,' laughed a newcomer. The brothers gasped. It was the casino's owner-the Devil himself! 'Now, how about we raise the stakes?' he suggested with a toothy grin." Nicky heard a small crackling noise above her head, and she leaned back to look upwards. The single light hanging over the reading area was swinging gently back and forth, and the bulb was flickering. It's just an old building. Nothing to fret over.

"'Win one more roll, and all the lot in my casino is yours!' the Devil boomed. 'But if you lose, I'll have your souls! Deal?'" And of course, they were going to take the deal. There'd be no story if they didn't. "Cuphead, blinded by easy riches, nodded and grabbed the dice for a throw. 'Good gosh, Cuphead, no!' cried Mugman, for he understood the danger. But it was too late!" Mugman was cowering behind the table, as his brother threw the dice, dollar signs in his eyes.

"'Snake eyes!' laughed the Devil while slamming the floor. 'You lose!' The brothers trembled in fear as he loomed over them. 'Now about those souls…'" Man, this monster was even bigger then she'd thought when drawn against the brothers. "They… they're cups. Do they even have souls?" Nicky joked, giggling. "The brothers pleaded for their very lives. 'Th-there must be another w-way to repay you,' Mugman stammered. 'Yes, p-please, mister!' Cuphead added."

The Devil knelt closer to their height, and pulled out a roll of parchment from subspace. Typical cartoon logic. "'Hmm, perhaps there is,' the Devil snickered, pulling out a parchment. 'I have here a list of my runaway debtors. Collect their souls for me, and I just might pardon you two mugs.'" That was clever. Of course as it was the Devil, he would possibly not fulfill his end of the deal. He could still quite easily kill them if they succeeded, but what other choice did they have? "'Now get going!' the Devil roared, kicking the boys out most rudely. 'You have 'til midnight tomorrow to collect every one of those souls! Otherwise I'll be the one collecting yours!'"

Nicky flipped the page. "Cuphead and Mugman were terribly frightened and ran away as fast as they could. 'C'mon, Mug!' panted Cuphead. 'We have to find the Elder kettle. He'll know what to do!'" Flipping her thump through the other pages, she closed the book, and yawned. "Not a bad story, if I do say so myself. But I should get back to work. Maybe I'll check it out later."

A loud crack came from above her head, and Nicky jumped in her seat. The bulb had blown sending pieces of glass onto the floor. The entire area where she sat was now pitch black, and eerily quiet. "Mrs. Graves?" She asked, holding the book to her chest nervously. "Anyone?"

A static crackle was her only answer, like from an old stereo, and she looked around for the noise. "Well, Cuphead and his pal Mugman, they like to roll the dice." A barbershop quartet sang, from… inside the book? "What the…?" Nicky held up the book, trying to see it through the dark. There weren't any batteries or speakers in it, right? Maybe she triggered something. "By chance they came 'pon Devil's game and, gosh, they paid the price. PAID THE PRIIIIIICE!"

"Okay, this is getting weird." Nicky looked around. She wanted to set this down, but figured it didn't hurt to listen to the song. It suited the plot, so maybe it was apart of the story. Leaning further into her chair and having it bump into the bookshelf behind her, she looked down at the story. "Just listen a little longer, girl. Then you can put it away, and get back to work."

"And now they're fighting for their lives, on a mission fraught with dread. And if they proceed but don't succeed… WEEEEELL…"

*BANG*

Nicky collapsed onto the floor in a heap, her body falling onto the book as a large Oxford dictionary from a higher shelf landed square on her head. If Mrs. Graves had heard the girl's words, and had turned the corner just seconds earlier, she would've seen a glowing book, and Nicky vanishing into thin air. Instead, what the elder came across was the book finishing its song, and an open page revealing a human girl in a forest just near the casino.

"THE DEVIL WILL TAKE THEIR HEADS!"

It's a weird thing, writing for a game that hasn't been out long enough to see how other authors see it. But it's times like this I take things into my own hands.

Until next time!

Angel