No one talked about Skull Boy's machine. No one talked about that time they'd all turned human- no one talked about the fact that half of the residents of Gloomsville Manor hadn't always been human.
It had hung over their heads like an elephant in the room for a while afterwards. Sometimes, someone would try to bring it up- but they'd be met by deaf ears, and after a while everyone seemed to forget that it was something that had happened at all.
"I think I might be related to a long line of beekeepers!" Skull Boy announced, his bones clacking as he dashed into the kitchen wearing his ridiculous beekeeper outfit. "Look at this honey I made! Hey, Ruby! You wanna try this?"
Ruby looked up from the scarf she'd been knitting and smiled.
"Sure," she said. "I actually just finished making some bread. We could have sandwiches-"
"Sandwiches?" Frank and Len appeared in the doorway, already drooling at the thought of food.
"I want some too!" Iris shouted, swooping up to the window on Squig's back.
"I'll have some, too, please," Misery said, coming into the kitchen. The cupboard above her head swung open suddenly and a cascade of pots and pans crashed down onto her head. "Ow."
Doom Kitty hopped up onto the table as Ruby started slicing up the bread. She licked at the lid of the jar as Skull Boy started to slather the slices with honey.
"Guess what?" Iris said as she crawled through the window and into the kitchen. "I got a new wig for Skull Boy! We're gonna have a Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow club meeting tonight!" She glanced over at Frank and Len and grinned. "You guys are invited, too!"
"Noooooo!" Len shouted, covering his head with his hands. "Ruby! Don't let her hurt us!"
"It'll be fun, you guys," Ruby said, setting out plates of bread and honey for them.
"Is the wig another mohawk?" Skull Boy asked warily.
"Yep!" Iris answered with a grin, scarfing down her own snack.
"No spiders this time, at least," Skull Boy said. "I think I'm related to a long line of people who are allergic to spiders."
It had become a habit, talking about the long line of ancestors he might have had. He was still curious- he would always be curious- about where he'd come from, but he was also wary of the trouble memories of his past could dig up.
He was pretty happy with things the way they were.
"Mohawks are much better with spiders," Misery said vaguely as she pulled herself out of the avalanche of pots and pans.
"Skull Boy looks cute with whatever hair he wants to have," Ruby said. She reached up on tiptoe and smooched his smooth bony cheek. "Even with no hair."
Skull Boy grinned and wrapped a bony arm around Ruby.
They never talked about the machine that Skull Boy had made. They never talked about what had happened for those few terrifying days.
But things had happened during those days, and no matter how much they pretended to have forgotten, they never really would.
And that wraps up this fic that lasted much longer than I meant for it to! I quite enjoyed writing it, though, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. ^^
There's also a bonus alt-ending chapter that I'll have up... soon... ish...