"M-my boy!" Elder Kettle exclaimed as he took in the sight of the monstrous cup.
Not again…! Mug thought as he remembered just how powerful his brother was in that state. Both family members stared at the cup with fear and disbelief.
"You're coming over here to watch with me!" The Devil sneered as a single claw wrapped around the kettle's handle and yanked him over.
"Elder Kettle!" Mugman cried as he tried to follow his guardian. A mutated Cuphead stepped between the two with a loud snarl. The young mug stopped short, large sawblade-like teeth only a couple feet away from him. Mug began to back away from the very dangerous cup. Fear jabbed into his heart as he stared into the very same face that had beat him senseless without giving any thought to his actions. It gargled and began to follow the child.
"No, Cuphead! Don't do this!" He cried out, hoping his brother would somehow act different than last time. But it kept coming toward him. Mug realized that words didn't do much to sway the mutated cup. Perhaps it would take some solid evidence to reach Cuphead. Luckily for Mugman, he had just the thing. "Before you decide to thrash me, I want to show you something first!"
A small gloved hand went to reach into his pocket and pull out the black and white photo of he and Cuphead playing yo-yos. The monstrous cup saw this movement and just assumed that the child was reaching for a weapon. Mug almost had the picture out of his pocket when a large gloved hand slammed into him. It pinned him to the wall by his throat. The black and white photo fluttered out of Mugman's hand and to the ground. Little eyes shifted to the right and down to see the picture just a bit off to the side. Poor Mug attempted to reach for it as the hand pressed him hard against the wall. He groped for the photo for a few agonizing seconds and eventually caught its corner. Without another thought, the little mug whipped it up for the mutated cup to see. Cup snatched the picture from his hand and released the mug child while intently studying the piece of paper. The young mug took this moment to rub his throat and attempt to recover from the grip. For it had aggravated his previous wound that had not fully healed just yet. He coughed a bit before explaining the photo to the mutated cup.
"That's us, Cuphead. We're best friends, a loving family. Please come back to me." Mugman pleaded and extended out a friendly hand to the creature. Its glowing yellow eyes softened as it looked from the paper to the child. The young cup seemed to have enough influence over the demon at this point to show other emotions besides hate. For the demon had not explored its host's soul and memories deeply yet. The longer it stayed, the less the red cup would have influence over it. Cuphead let out a moan of understanding as he repeated the smaller cup's action. He gently took the mug's hand in his hold.
"Come on, let's take down the Devil together!" Mug said confidently to the monstrous cup. The oversized head nodded in agreement. Its teeth still hung out of the mouth that wouldn't close completely.
The Devil realized that the pesky little mug might actually be getting to his slave. But he would have none of that and, thus, proceeded to change this scenario.
"No!" The black creature hissed, summoning purple electricity to his fingers again. Two clawed fingers flexed as the electricity streams seemed to transfer over to Cuphead. Mugman saw purple streaks flash across the yellow eyes. The poor cup roared in pain and let go of the mug child's hand as well as the photo. It groped at its oversized head and hoped that the torturous bolts would cease. Eventually they did. But now he looked at Mug with pure hatred instead of understanding. It had just been reprimanded for being soft and now it was mad at the little mug for causing his master to hurt him. The young mug picked up the picture and held it out again. For he knew that was the best way to get through to Cuphead.
"Don't let him control you, Cuphead!" Mug reinforced. The black creature's slave simply made one of its hands glow red. It then took a swing at the smaller cup, who barely edged himself away from the glass arm's range. Unfortunately, the picture had not made it out of that range and started to disintegrate in Mugman's grasp. The child let go and watched his prized photo flutter to the ground. It was merely a pile of ash by the time it even touched the carpet. The hope in the child's heart began to fade just like the photo did. Mug looked back toward his mutated brother. He tried to be confident and not show fear.
"I don't want to fight you, Cuphead." The little mug said calmly. Another red fist came barreling his way. He jumped out of the way and kept staring the monstrous cup in the eyes.
"But you're leaving me no choice….!"
Cup had made his decision. He was no longer listening to his little brother. The darkness inside him was making it clear that its mission was to destroy the mug child. Mugman realized this too and immediately called for his demon to help.
"Come on! I need you to come out now!" He said to himself, pounding at his chest. A glowing fist came his way for the third time. Mug had to cease his pounding and get himself out of the way. He then returned to his frantic thumping. "Cuphead needs you!" Mugman urged.
The next fist that came his way was too fast for him to avoid.
"Aw crap..." He barely got out before the powerful hand slammed into his gut. It sent the little mug rocketing away screaming. His glass body dug into the wall. Pieces of the wall crumbled around him and fell to the floor. Dust clouds danced around his body as he felt the demon finally waking up. The other three people in the room watched fiery pupils glare through the clouds. Mug and his demon had been through this routine so many times that the transformation was nearly instantaneous by now. His enlarged body dislodged itself from the depression it made in the wall and strode forward to confront the opposing demon and its slave.
"Now things are getting interesting!" The Devil said with pure delight. Watching other beings fight and kill one another was his second favorite thing only to killing organisms himself.
Mugman's demon tried talking to the other one before jumping right into a fight. Perhaps he could scare it into letting the young cup go. Kettle and the dark creature watched as the two cups began screeching at one another. Their ear-piercing shrieks only made the Devil even more excited for their battle, even though his patience was starting to drop at the lack of brutal violence.
"What's happening?" Elder Kettle wondered.
"They're talking!" The black creature snapped. "Now shush so I can listen to their threats." It was almost as if he would have taken a front row seat with a big tub of popcorn on his lap. Like he was going to see the movie of the century.
You better let that boy go or we'll have to force you out! Mug's creature warned.
"And why would I do that?" It replied, sounding almost just as cocky as its master. "I've got a nice comfortable spot in the back of this child's mind. I'd like to see you try and make me!" There was no avoiding it. This other demon was directly challenging him and Mugman.
The mug child's eyes narrowed as he growled in frustration. He then roared in acceptance of the duel. Cuphead roared as well. His roar was much louder than the mug's due to the large cup size. Both of the cup brothers lunged at one another with glowing fists. They collided a few times before Cup dived forward with jaws wide open. Mugman dropped to the floor and let his sibling fly over his head. The large glass body kept going and slammed into a wooden shelf. Pieces of wood exploded in all directions as the structure crumpled upon impact. Mug and his demon watched as the cup's body sat up, groaning in annoyance. A single board of wood poked over the brim of his cup. His large gloved hand tossed it out and got up.
The mug child jumped forward with a blue fist, aiming for the large head. Cuphead's demon was ready for this and grabbed the thrusting arm. Using the child's own momentum, he spun around and tossed it into the wall. Mug winced in pain. Photos and other garments rattled against the house's cement structure but did not fall. The large cup wasted no time in approaching the young mug again. With a glowing red fist ready, he slung it forward. Mugman ducked to the side as the fist collided with the wall, spraying more chunks of their home across the floor. The little mug brought his two glowing fists together and slammed them down onto his brother's large cup. Yellow eyes bulged out as it was forced to the ground. It seemed to be winded at the moment, so the parasitic creature attempted yet again for the other one to realize that they didn't have to fight.
Give up? Mug's demon asked.
"Give….up? I don't know the meaning of that!" It spat. The dark creature then forced Cuphead up and pinned the mug child to the wall by its wrists. "I'm just getting warmed up…." Large teeth bared right in front of Mug's body. The Devil clapped his gray paws while Kettle stared in bewilderment about what they were saying, growing evermore worried for his boys' sakes.
I can't move! What do we do? He panicked and tried to break free from the grip.
Spit fire at him. The demon suggested.
No! I wouldn't do that to Cuphead!
Well, you better do something or that thing is going to crush your chest! And me! It said frantically as the teeth came ever closer to his home. The other demon purposefully approached slowly to increase the fear factor of the child. Mugman breathed quick and short breaths. He was running out of time to think of something. Mug closed his eyes and swiftly brought up one of his enlarged boots. It collided with Cuphead's crotch. The gaping mouth immediately narrowed. Its eyes wavered and watered as the cup child ultimately crumpled to the ground in pain.
Interestingly effective…. The parasitic creature noted. For he never thought of that spot as being a particularly sensitive and vulnerable place.
Mugman tackled his brother. They rolled along the ground, trying to overpower one another. The mutated mug ended up tossing Cup away and into the wall, just like it had done to him. Mug attempted to hold his big brother against the wall by the wrists. But Cup's arms were thicker than the mug's and they threatened to break free of the grip. The young mug sensed it was going to lash out with its teeth. So he quickly let go and jumped back. The cup's teeth would have crushed Mug's head if he had not moved. Mugman stood in shock for a second at the deafening sound of the teeth clanging together. However, one second was all the monstrous cup needed to make another move. Its large head barreled into the young mug's torso and tossed him to the ground. A hiss of pain emitted from the child. Cuphead grabbed his sibling's leg and started to drag him closer. Mug instinctively lashed out with his other leg. His foot hit the cup slave square in the knee. The large hand let go as it moaned in pain and fell to its knees. Its opponent stood up and bombarded him with streams of dark blue magic at close range. Mug forced the demon to stop the assault after a few seconds. He watched as the enlarged body lay on the ground groaning in pain.
We don't have to keep fighting. It is your decision. Said the demon, giving the other one a second chance to forfeit. But I suggest you ask the boy what he wants. And I guarantee he will tell you to stop fighting his brother.
"Ask the kid? That's unheard of!" It hissed back, insulted that a demon would ever suggest such a thing. "Demons don't compromise! They dominate! And they certainly don't ask mortals what they want! You're not a demon anymore!"
No, I'm not. Mug's parasitic creature said calmly with a shake of its host's head. We have become much more than that!
"What is this we? Demons certainly never give anyone assistance nor ask for help!"
Our bond is much more than just any possession. We lend our strength and talents to one another and fight for what is right. These creatures are more than just puppets waiting to be controlled. They have a heart and feelings. And that's not something that should be taken advantage of. He admitted with a tone of sympathy that Mugman had not heard from him before. This mug here, he is my… friend.
Wait, you really mean that? The child questioned. He had not known that was how the demon truly felt. For all he knew, the dark creature could have just been tolerating him and thought nothing more of this child in which he resided.
All the while, the Devil faked a dry heave, as if to say that all this mushy talk was making him sick. Poor Kettle could only stand there in confusion as the boys shrieked away and the demonic creature reacted so dramatically.
I do. It wasn't Cuphead nor the kettle that changed my mind. It was you, Mugman. And you are much stronger than you believe.
The young mug had taught him to care for others. And now he found this to be better than anything he had ever learned in Hell. There was so much one was oblivious to when they had been confined to the dark vortex in which all demons lived. The information was very one-sided coming from the Devil. But now that he was out in the real world, he could actually experience different things for himself and be his own judge about what is right and what is wrong.
Cuphead's demon saw that he and his host were having a moment and took this opportunity to pin the child to the wall again. A large hand rested against his chest.
"And this teamwork is exactly why you're weak!" It hissed back.
On the contrary, it is why we are strong! The demon argued. Its confident words filled Mugman with a newborn inspiration to work hard and win this fight. Mug's smile toothy smile widened. He then gave a powerful swing of his fist to Cup's head, tossing him away. The mutated cup stumbled back towards the opposite end of the room, holding its eye that had felt some of the strike. It grumbled in frustration and let out another roar. Tearing the hand away from his eye, the monstrous cup made his hands glow red. Pulses of red magic were tossed in the young mug's direction. Mugman easily dodged these attempts. He noticed a few broken pieces of wooden boards on the ground. Stepping on their edges, he flipped them up into his grip and lobbed them forward. Cuphead was forced to stop any attacks he had planned and block the incoming wooden missiles. Mug came flying up behind them and pinned his brother to the wall again. This time with his teeth attached to his arm. A sense of impending danger flashed down the young mug's spine. For the monstrous cup was getting ready to bite too. Mugman immediately pulled himself back to get out of range of those powerful daggers. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and felt two of the fangs catch his upper back and slide up to his shoulder. Poor Mug recoiled in pain. His eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to press a hand down on the awful gashes. But it was in a spot that was hard for him to reach. The demon could feel the child's body starting to wilt.
I know it hurts, Mugman. But you can't collapse right now. That thing will crush you if you do. The parasitic creature warned. Mug gathered his strength and went to stand up straight. He then looked back into his brother's piercing eyes. There was a certain glint in its eyes that brought memories of his last encounter with this version of Cuphead come flooding back to him. How it had bit him, beat him senseless, and was ruthless just like the person who had made him that way. And he also remembered how sad he was at the thought of his own sibling killing him. That there was nothing he could do to change what was happening. It had weakened his heart and soul. Now that feeling had come back and Mugman found himself unable to move. His mutated body trembled as he stared at the monstrous cup in utter fear. The demon realized that his host was too scared to move.
Come on, Mugman! You can't freeze up on me right now! It urged.
Cuphead, on the other hand, looked happy about this in a greedy sort of way. He licked a couple of his teeth before slowly plodding toward the petrified mug child. Poor Mug was so terrified that his mind didn't even register what was going on at the moment.
Kid! You gotta move….now! The demon roared. Mugman finally snapped out of his trance with a violent flinch only to realize that his brother was almost on top of him. His brown boots stumbled as he attempted to get out of the way. Cuphead ended up pinning the mug to the ground. Large fangs viciously snapped at Mugman's upper body. They clanged loudly in front of his face as he held back the oversized cup with a single arm across its neck. Mug's heart skipped a beat each time the fangs narrowly missed him. It took all his will to keep the opposing cup child at bay. He didn't know if the mutated cup would ever give up its biting fury. The other demon finally realized it wasn't getting anywhere and reared the body back. A glowing red fist prepared to come crashing down onto the mug, who responded by striking with his own glowing hands into the cup's gut. Cup squealed in pain and backed off. His large cup shook back and forth, trying to regain his composure.
Mugman took this opportunity to stand up and lunge forward. Another powerful blue strike was mere inches away when Cuphead's meaty hand lashed out and grabbed his brother. The bright red hand latched itself to Mug's torso and hung on firmly. Poor Mugman began to scream in pain. On top of his brother's suffocating squeeze, the magic also felt like it was burning him. His feet lashed wildly back and forth as his body was suspended above the ground. This lasted for an agonizing few seconds before a flash of red swept across his vision, tossing him to the ground and out of the grip. The whole world seemed to spin to Mugman. His glass body was sprawled out across the ground as he panted heavily. Patches on his stomach still felt like they were sizzling. Fiery pupils rapidly looked around, trying to figure out which way was up or down. The demon sensed heavy footsteps coming toward the body.
You have to get up, Mugman! It yelled to try to focus the child.
That's easier said than done! Mug retorted as he pressed his hands on the ground. A blurry figure of his mutated brother approached the stunned body. Cuphead removed the enlarged straw from his head. The monstrous cup chuckled evilly as it tapped the purple and white straw on its hand. Mug had made it to his hands and knees when he saw his large sibling raise the object above his head like a knife. His body shuddered in fear as he realized he would not be able to get up and out of the way fast enough. It tensed, preparing for the worst. To his surprise, the other demon growled in annoyance when it found that it could not bring the straw down past cup level. The glass arms shook, but went no further. Yellow eyes looked up at it in confusion. But then Mug's demon remembered how the child's soul had fought against him when he had tried to hurt Mugman when he was sprawled helplessly on the ground in the Devil's lair.
You're lucky that your brother refuses to attack someone who is down. Cuphead's influence must be powerful enough to deny him this one strike. The parasitic creature told him. Allow me to give you a boost. Mug felt a surge of energy flow through him. His glass body immediately stood up and streaked to safety, leaving the monstrous cup with a scratch on its arm. One hand returned the straw back to its cup as its yellow eyes stared down at the spot oozing a white liquid. The gaze moved from the wound to the mug child's clawed hand. A few drips of the white and sticky blood fell from Mug's claws to the ground. Cup studied this and realized that it was missing a weapon that the young mug had.
"Two can play at that game!" Cuphead's demon hissed. It then brought its hands to eye level. With a pained grunt, the demon forced claws to form on the cup child's hands. The large mouth roared in challenge. For it was ready to fight with a fever. Kettle watched as the Devil's eyes glowed bright in utter joy. Its smile stretched wider and gave the elder a sense of impending doom.
The monstrous cup lunged forward. Mugman followed suit as the two cups clashed in a fury of teeth and claws. Kettle stared in horror as his boys fought mercilessly. Neither one of them tried to block anymore. They just tried with all their might to subdue one another. A deep chuckle grew in the Devil's throat as the two children fought like animals. Flecks of their white, sticky blood flew across the room's floor and walls. Nasty, cursing growls echoed from both of them.
Among the chaos, Mug felt a forceful hand slam against his torso. He cried out in pain before ducking to the side, letting his claws slide across his brother's cup. The young mug had only escaped for a second before his brother was right on top of him again. Mugman barely had a moment to take a breath before their claws were flying in all directions again, growls trumpeting in their cups. Mug caught a decent blow on Cup's arm. The white liquid pooled around the rip in his shirt. Cuphead merely responded by rolling his claws over his little brother's shoulder. Unlike the mutated cup, the little mug roared in pain as the blood exploded onto his glass body. The lack of Cuphead responding to the attacks made both he and the demon wonder if they were even making any progress in defeating the mutated cup. So Mugman tried with his teeth instead. Thorn-like fangs latched themselves onto Cup's shoulder.
Surely… he must be feeling this! Mug thought as the liquid soaked his fangs and sopped into his mouth.
Cuphead most likely feels the pain. The dark creature responded. This only made the mug child feel even worse about what he was doing. The other, well, it probably just doesn't know what it means. Like I said before, pain is very different in our realm.
"You're going to die!" The voice inside the cup child's head roared as it prepared to bite the mug right back. Mugman sensed it baring its fangs. He tried to step back as one of the dagger-like teeth raked across his arm. Mug recoiled back, pressing a hand against his newest wound. It had felt like a sword had just cut his glass arm.
He-he almost had my arm again….! The mug child gasped as he winced. Yellow eyes threatened to droop closed as he clenched his teeth. Mug's demon could sense that the child was distracted by a previous memory.
Yeah, and he'll kill you on the spot if you give him the chance! It warned. But Mugman still dwelled on the past as blood pooled under his glove. Look out!
It was only then that the young mug looked up to see his brother lunging toward him with fangs bared. Mug caught the two clawed hands in his and held him back. The cup brothers ended up brim to brim with shaking arms, trying to overpower one another. Neither could get an inch on one another.
Without giving a warning of attack, Cuphead whipped his large head up. It head-butted the young mug, causing him to let go and stumble back. A throbbing pain seized his head. He rubbed it with his glove as his opponent pushed forward. Mug's glass body was thrown to the ground yet again. His eyes focused on the massive teeth trying to clamp down on him. A glass arm reacted to keep the monstrous cup away. But it wasn't fast enough to keep one from pricking his nose. Mugman felt a trickle of blood form on his nose as he used all of his might to keep the clamping jaws from reaching him again. With the help of his boots, Mug kicked off his big brother to the side. White liquid sloshed over their brims and out of their bodies as they clashed together again.
Elder Kettle could tell that his boys were running out of energy, and fast. Their blows slowed as their breathing became heavier. The old kettle even noticed that his boys even began to lean against one another for support as the battle seemed to become less important to them. He just couldn't take watching this anymore and pleaded to the Devil for anything to be done. It was a longshot, that's for sure. But something was better than watching his grandsons fight one another until they dropped dead.
"Please stop! They shouldn't be fighting each other like this!" He prayed as he caught a glimpse of Mugman missing with a swipe of his claws and just let his head rest on Cuphead's shoulder, panting wildly.
"Your mug doesn't have to fight back." The black creature simply said. It was as if he had claimed the young cup as his own and was betting on his own monster to destroy the other one.
"He does if he wants to stay alive!" Kettle argued back. The large head of the cup child drooped as Mugman caught it in front of his chest. Its demon realized it was being helped and pushed the mug child away as best it could.
"Exactly. So he should just give up and accept his fate." The Devil explained with a shrug of his paw and a gleeful flick of the tail. Elder Kettle noticed his cocky posture and pursued with his reasoning that this was wrong.
"You're sick!" He gasped. "If they keep this up, neither of them will survive!" The furry creature standing next to him just chuckled happily.
"I think I can live with that." It explained and averted its attention to the dueling cups. Kettle was forced to watch yet again too. They noticed Mugman trying to put his brother into a chokehold. For it was hard to reach toward the body with such large teeth bowing outward.
We've gotta do something quick or this thing's going to shred us even more! The demon urged. Mug silently agreed with his guest. No sooner had the parasitic creature said this, a large clawed hand seized the young mug's head. Two of the claws dangled down into his cup. The other two swung precariously in front of his fiery pupils. Yellow eyes widened in fear as his older sibling's other hand grabbed his arm. Mugman felt panicked at this situation. Both of them were close to collapsing, but this other demon just seemed so hell-bent on destroying the mug and its partner. They were running out of techniques to try against this creature that was only beginning to truly understand what pain was.
Out of desperation, Mug stomped on his brother's foot. A shriek of pain emitted from the large cup as it let go and tried to back away. But the young mug didn't let him get far. He pushed the older cup down just like it had done to him. A deafening roar came from the mutated mug as he prepared to bring his claws down on the opposing person and defeat it for good.
Every part of Elder Kettle's body tensed when he saw what was about to happen. He felt there just had to be a way to put an end to all this fighting. If the Devil wasn't going to listen to him, perhaps one of the boys would. Without another thought, he blurted out a plea to his grandsons.
"Boys, stop!"
Mug heard this and immediately ceased what he was doing. His clawed hands slowly returned to his sides as his whole body heaved in pain. Audible, pained breathing came from both of the cup brothers. The mug child looked sympathetically in the kettle's direction.
"….please!" Water welled up in the elderly person's eyes. Mugman went to back away upon his guardian's request. But the other demon saw the mug's guard was down. In a split second, it stood up and brutally swiped its claws across the mug child's chest. Kettle gasped in alarm while the young mug winced in pain and nearly toppled over backwards. It felt as if his chest was on fire as his eyes fell closed. The large-fanged cup lowered its head and unleashed a liquid cannon to its mutated adversary at close range. A bright red liquid engulfed the young mug and sent him crashing into the wall, which cracked intensely from the impact. Mug collapsed to a sitting position as the attack ceased. Eyes still closed, he sat there writhing in pain. Teeth were gritted so hard that his white blood seeped between the fangs. Mugman felt a numb spot on the back of his head. He had no doubt that his mug had cracked around his handle.
I….can't….move! He desperately thought as his head moved mere inches away from the wall before falling back. Poor Mug's whole body just seared with pain. It felt like all of his energy had been drained. His deep breathing had now fallen to quick and shallow breaths. Without seeing his surroundings, he thought he could have been back in the Devil's lair, his life hanging by a thread. The pain was just as intense.
"And the cup wins again!" The satanic creature announced with a toothy grin. Elder Kettle's heart sank at this vision. His little mug was mortally wounded at this point. There was no telling if it could even get up anymore. Every part of the child drooped, even the straw. A couple tears fell down the kettle's face. He was aware that Mugman had probably been in a similar condition in the cup brothers' previous encounter with the Devil.
"Mugs! Mugs, can you hear me? Are you okay?" He called out in his grief. The young mug stayed silent. Only the Devil answered to such silly questions.
"Are you blind, old man? That look does not mean he's okay." It growled, taking great pleasure in rubbing this pain in the kettle's face.
Meanwhile, Cuphead emitted victory roars and threw his fists into the air. He circled around puddles of their life essence, not taking any notice of anyone but himself. The sound of the deep, resounding vibrations made their way to Mugman. Teeth clenched even harder as he attempted to open his eyes. Fiery pupils fluttered into view. His mug drooped a bit to the left. A blurry image of his brother, guardian, and the Devil came into view. After a few seconds of dizzying obscurity, the figures started to become crisp.
What's he doing? The demon inquired when he realized Cuphead was circling around with no clear purpose.
It-it's what Cuphead does when he wins a game…. Mug thought, letting out a big sigh of pain. But the sight of the young cup doing something familiar brought hope to his heart. Perhaps Cuphead wasn't lost to the darkness after all. Perhaps there was still some way to reach him….
Cup's gotta be in there! Please! Help me talk to him! I think if it really comes from me, he'll listen.
Okay, but first we need to get up. As long as we're down, the other demon will think he's won.
Mug's heart sank at the thought of finding the energy to do anything more. But it wasn't just for himself. If this attempt was successful, it could save his brother from the darkness clinging to his soul.
Brown boots slid outward as the clawed hands placed their palms to the ground. His straw rolled around against his brim as he attempted put his mug upright. This caught the attention of Elder Kettle and the Devil. Cuphead, however, was still so busy with his celebration that he failed to notice such a small noise. Mugman's whole body shook as he made it a couple inches upward before falling back to his bottom. The young mug's next attempt was a bit more successful when he found the arm of a chair to hold onto. Mug felt his legs start to give out yet again. He was able to twist his body around and lean against the wall to prevent himself from going all the way back down. Clawed hands shakily pressed themselves against the dull brown wallpaper. Down on his knees, a hiss of pain emitted through the tightly gritted teeth. Eyes closed as his whole body felt as stiff as a metal bar. His head drooped down, causing a small puddle to form just in front of his knees. This exposed his cracked mug to the onlookers. Kettle could only wince in horror, thinking how painful that had to be.
Just a little farther! Come on, Mugman! His parasitic creature urged. The little mug could even feel that his puppet master was having trouble pulling the strings. A slight tug on his joints and soul urged him on. For it was nowhere near as powerful as it was when it pulled him up when the demon bat had been attacking. With a deep breath and moan, one boot found its way to the floor. It took a few seconds more for him to find the strength to swing up the other one. Panting heavily, the mug child slowly lifted his head and turned around to face his brother once more. This time hopefully to talk instead of more violence.
Cuphead had still not noticed that his opponent was on his feet again. Mugman stood there peacefully without any weapons poised to strike. His eyes fell into a sympathetic, and even praying, tone. White essence dripped off his body as the straw drooped in front of his face.
"Looks like mugface wants a second beating!" The Devil sneered, finally getting his slave's attention. Its roar ceased abruptly as it turned to face the other cup child. Yellow eyes narrowed, saying that it was annoyed that it would have to lift a finger again. Mug took a step forward very stiffly and did his best to hold his head upright. The mutated cup took two steps. Its fangs bared as he let out a hiss of warning. That the mug should just play dead if it did not wish to have any more pain. Mugman opened his mouth. Everyone expected him to hiss right back. Instead, what came out shocked every person in the room.
"C-Cuphead." Came a distorted voice. It was Mugman's but with a dark and bubbly filter over it. The combination of sounds made it clear that he and the demon were completely in sync with one another.
"Huh?" Both Elder Kettle and the satanic creature flinched in surprise. For the elderly kettle, it was a pleasant surprise. The Devil, on the other hand, knew this meant his former ally was no longer on his side, but in fact fighting for mortals. And this was the exact opposite of what he had taught that species.
"This has to stop. We shouldn't be fighting." Tears flooded down Mug's yellow eyes. "I don't want to fight my own brother. Please, Cuphead. I know you're in there. If I can control a demon, then you can too. Your will is much stronger than mine. Can you do it for me? Because I love you, bro."
Cuphead stood there in complete awe. His mouth dropped open and eyes were wide. A confused rumble sounded in his throat. The young cup's demon was impressed with what it was witnessing. Illegal…but yet captivating. It was unable to stop staring at the mortal that had bonded with a once evil creature. Mug and his demon had total trust in each other. The dark creature had accepted the child as its friend, and thus, increased their abilities even further.
"Oh my – Mugman, you did it! You're completely controlling the demon!" Kettle praised his son, feeling so happy that he forgot about the big brawl the boys were just having. Mugman slowly and gently held out a clawed hand toward his brother. He invited the other dark presence to join him in a handshake of truce. And for once in its life, it actually considered doing something nonviolent. That perhaps the pair was right, that there was another choice to be had. It considered this for a moment as it stared at the welcoming hand. The Devil's heart burned with hatred when he noticed his slave actually making a choice for himself. Its own minion was disobeying him. Cuphead's hand started to reach out for the other one.
"This is impossible!" The satanic creature hissed. "It can't end like this! It won't!"
Determined to see that the mug child was killed and out of the way, he took control of the young cup's body. Purple electricity circled around his black, furry arm. The same thing happened to Cup's arm that was extending towards his brother. Faster than the blink of an eye, the Devil shoved his arm outward as if he were attacking somebody. Poor Cuphead's body was forced forward, performing the same action as its master. Unknown to him, the claws on that hand grew longer and ripped through his glove. The young cup was still just as dumbfounded when his body acted without him doing anything. Fiery pupils watched as the extended silver claws punched right into Mugman's torso. Poor Mug screamed so loudly that the windows in the room shattered. Cup still watched the child in his confused state. For he had no idea what to do as its former opponent thrashed about in its grip. The mutated cup continued to stare as his arm unconsciously pushed the mug down. Its glass body flopped onto the ground and seized wildly, still making its monstrous screams.
"Noooo! Mugs!" Kettle called out as he watched his boy's body shrink back down to normal size. Its roars turned to childish wails. The flops and twists of the little glass body died down as the wound festered and bled profusely. And it was draining the little guy's energy by the second. Tears streamed down the kettle's face as he watched Mugman's body lay there on its back, twitching every time he tried to take a breath. "Mugman….!"
"You have sixty seconds to say goodbye and then we're going to Hell." The Devil said hastily and shoved the elderly person forward. For he wanted the little mug to die and fast. He had been such a nuisance to all of the dark creature's plans. It was only fitting that its life should come to an end in front of his own eyes, so the Devil thought.
Elder Kettle stumbled forward and stood before his dying grandson. His gaze fell to the multiple puncture wounds. It felt as if his heart was going to stop too. Mugman's life was fading and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew there was a Miracle Heal in the cabinet, but the Devil would never let him get close to it. For it would sense what he was doing before he could even step into the kitchen. His tear-flooded eyes then moved to Mug's face. The young mug's expression was ridden with pain and sorrow as tears crawled down his cheeks. He only breathed half breaths, like his life essence was pooling in his throat and drowning him. Crouching down as best he could, Elder Kettle put his boy's little hand in his. It shook violently like a leaf caught in a harsh breeze. The tan kettle could feel that it might slip out of his grip at any moment.
"Mugs, I'm so sorry." He apologized through his incessant tears. Kettle couldn't help but feel that this whole ordeal was his fault. That he should've been able to do something to prevent his last living relatives' deaths at the hands of the Devil. And now his world was crumbling, turning to dust. He watched as the little mug's eyes began to droop closed.
"Please stay with me, Mugs!" Elder Kettle begged as he lightly slapped the boy's cheek with his other hand. It forced the eyes to open back up a little. "I'd give anything to get you and your brother back." The satanic creature was listening to the kettle's words, but he didn't care none. For Cuphead was a slave he did not want to give up and Mugman had foiled each and every one of his plans to get revenge. Under no circumstances did he want the young mug to live. The Devil merely twisted his trident between his claws and tapped his toes in annoyance. His patience was growing very thin.
"Any last words to the mug should be said now." It snapped. Kettle almost threw an angry glance his old friend's way. But he was too sad to tear himself away from his dying boy.
"Just remember that your brother and I love you no matter what." The elderly person said as he wrapped up his forced and final goodbye.
Cuphead's mutated body stood there watching the whole scene. Its large cup cocked to the side in confusion. The cup's demon wasn't even sure what it was witnessing at this moment. All that it knew was that the kettle was sad for some reason. Why was it sad about the death of someone? In the realm of demons, they all just turned a cold shoulder when this happened. But this was different. It seemed to actually mean something to the tan kettle. Cuphead's demon took in the body language of this person and tried to consider why this might be so. Yet, it was very difficult for him to comprehend. For he had never seen such a reaction to death before.
Kettle let Mugman's hand slip out of his and gently placed it on the floor. He felt the Devil yank him back over by his handle. Mug, on the other hand, could sense that his guardian was no longer by his side. Instinctively, he wanted to say something. Only pained moans came out of him. His glass arm shook and tried to reach out for his grandpa.
It's over, Mugman. I'm sorry. The demon apologized. I never thought it would end this way. They stared up to the ceiling as the world started to blur.
Elder Kettle and the satanic creature noticed Cuphead still staring at his little brother in total confusion. The mug had shown sympathy and understanding to him. Did that mean that he should feel something like that too? It was all just too much for the demon to comprehend in one sitting.
"Hey, you! Get over here! We're leaving!" Its master hissed. But the mutated cup still took no notice. This made the satanic creature mad that its slave was refusing to listen to commands. He growled in annoyance and hooked the cup by its handle before teleporting away with its two prisoners. All that was left in the house was a dying boy, gasping for breath.
Just be calm, Mugs. The parasitic creature said to him. It could feel its host freaking out about the pain and how long it was taking for death to consume him. For a death by flames in the Devil's pit was almost instantaneous.
Death will come soon. It will claim us and then there will be no more pain. The creature's words echoed through his mind as his body became calm. Mug was still not dead, but being calm seemed to numb the pain a bit. All he could do now was just lay there and wait for the endless void to consume him.
"….Hello? Anyone here?" Mug barely heard as he drifted into a state of numbness.