(Author's Note)
First of all, thank you for the seven favorites! I am happy you enjoyed this story!
If you really enjoy my content, please leave a comment and/or leave a star (fave), this will let me know you enjoy it and it will help bring more quality fanfic to be published.
Hello! Sorry For the long-time delay. Here is your Chapter 2! The reasons for my delay were due to work and that I'm also working on writing a book as well, so thank you for being patient. I might start a weekly report in my DeviantArt Journal or other updates in other websites such as or Archive. In the journal I will be posting my roster in pending fanfic for 'Bro, You're the Best', potentially Phineas and Ferb, and others.
If you will notice, some of the details of the scenes in the story are different. They were actually based from my memory of playing the game, how it would look like in the Cup bros' perspective, and essentially they were mistaken interpretations. However, I decided to leave some of those as is.
Enjoy the next chapter! Until the next few months... again.
Cuptale Chapter 2 "Tu-Toriel"
(Facing Front/Back Shot: Mugman Left, Cuphead Right)
(Facing the camera/Profile shots: Cuphead left, Mugman Right)
Toriel emerged from the arch behind her and walked on with a smile and hands held together in front of her lap as if she was praying. Not too far behind, Cuphead and Mugman raced each other bubbly laughing and trying to push each other out of their imaginary race track.
"Children?" Toriel's voice called.
With one hand of each squishing the other's face, Cuphead and Mugman looked attentively to Toriel as they were called.
With her back quarter-turned, she glared at them strictly. "Please! Be careful!"
Without letting go of each other's faces, Cuphead and Mugman slid their glances towards each other for a moment, then let go, stood normally, and looked at her; the former looked with a raised eyebrow, while Mugman just looked with his eyebrows creased.
"We are not out of the ruins yet! You could be attacked by monsters!" Toriel looked forward and walked on towards the giant dark shadowy doorway that stood one floor level above.
The shadowy doorway was a giant cone-headed design with the summit of the doorway sharp-pointed up. On the left and right of the doorway were two sets of gray stone stairs; the first pair diverged to the opposite corners leading to a large midway stone landing and then the second pair converged leading to the second level. A rectangular bed of red leaves lay between the stairs.
"Wow…" The two brothers whispered in sync as they smiled in awe and held their hands together as they watched the majestic view. Unnoticed, a yellow star sparked between their grasp of their held hands.
They looked around them and saw that there were several towering and looming buildings, all with pink brick walls. Directly above them were two balconies, one on the left, and another on the right.
"Children!" Toriel's urgent but sweet voice called.
The boys saw Toriel standing next to the bottom of the right staircase far ahead.
"Make haste!" She nodded firmly.
Cuphead groaned while Mugman just smiled endearingly. Hand in hand, facing the shadowy doorway, they walked forward together.
"She's like a mom." Cuphead whispered while coning his right hand towards Mugman's non-existent right ear.
"Yeah! Isn't that cool?" Mugman whispered back with a big smile as he gently nudged his brother's elbow with his own.
"Elder Kettle's cool." Cuphead whispered and smiled at Mugman, "She's…" He darted his eyes at Toriel. "Kinda bossy."
Mugman chuckled. "A mom's a mom bro, we finally get to have one." He shrugged his shoulders and raised his carefree left hand and his right hand holding Cuphead's at the same time. "And isn't Elder Kettle kinda bossy at times, ya know, cause he's our mumandad?" He raised an eyebrow.
Cuphead smiled. "Well when ya put it that way…" He rolled his eyes.
Mugman giggled, closing his eyes and half-covering his smile while at it, and then continued watching his way.
Something shiny red thing sparkled from the lower left corners of Cuphead's eyes, and he looked towards it. On the left and right along the path Mugman and Cuphead were walking on were two parallel lines of red leaves arranged in a royal runway style. With a big mischievous smile, Cuphead gently elbowed Mugman's stomach, and the latter noticed.
"What?" With a smile, Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.
Cuphead pointed at the floor on the left line of leaves closest to Mugman and then to the right next to him.
Mugman hummed and smiled. "Pretty."
With his right hand coned like a megaphone, Cuphead began exhale-screaming towards their left. Mugman just looked at him with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.
Cuphead then took a bow to the right with a hand on his stomach. "Thank you!" He then bowed to the left. "Thank you!"
Mugman giggled. "Weirdo."
Cuphead let go of Mugman's hand, buddy hugged the latter, and pointed his megaphone hand to the left while exhale-screaming "MUGMAAAN! MUGMAAAN! AHHH! YOU'VE GOT FAAAANS!"
Mugman laughed and then bowed to the left. "Thank you!" and then to the right. "Thank you!" He gasped, picked up a leaf from the line, and sniffed it. "For me?" He looked at the empty left with sparkly eyes to the left as he held the leaf to his chest. "Thank You!"
Looking at his brother mischievously, Cuphead giggled. He pointed his megaphone hand to the left and whispered. "He's a big-nosed blueberry!"
Mugman gasped. "Hey!" He smiled and glared.
Cuphead laughed and pointed his finger at Mugman. "Look at your face."
"Oh yeah?! Well…" Mugman coned his left hand like a megaphone and pointed it to the right whispering "HE'S A TINY-NOSED JELLYBEAN!"
Cuphead laughed out loud and pushed Mugman off the runway, and Mugman ran back in yelling and pushed the former out of the runway.
Toriel sighed and smiled. "Children!" She called gently.
"We're coming, we're coming!" Cuphead called back as he and Mugman ran to her.
Toriel silently chuckled and climbed the stairs on the right. Cuphead ran to the left of the stairs, while Mugman ran to the right, and as their feet almost reached the foot of the stairs…
"Whoa!" They yelled as they felt their hands be anchored to each other, and they fell down sitting on the floor.
Mugman and Cuphead looked at each other, the former with widened eyes and the latter with a scrunched eyebrow but both with open mouths. Then, they looked at their held hands, and then gasped.
"Ohhh!" They both said in sync.
They laughed; Cuphead with his hiccup squeaks and Mugman with his snorts.
"Okay then-!" "Why didn't ya say-!" Cuphead and Mugman both said at the same time, and they laughed as they noticed that they did.
They stood up and ran opposite of their initial directions, but as their feet almost reached the bottom of the stairs…
"Whoa!" They yelled again as they felt their hands be anchored to each other… again, and they fell down sitting on the floor, again.
They smirked at each other.
"Yeah, this is why there's such a thing as being too… 'clingy'" Cuphead raised his free hand and wiggled his 'quotation' fingers as he said 'clingy'.
Mugman laughed, and he let go of both their hands. Meanwhile, Toriel snickered and covered her squiggly mouth.
"Race ya to Ms. Toriel?"" Cuphead smiled, raised an eyebrow, and placed his fists on his hips.
"I call dibs on the right!" Mugman pointed to the right stairs.
"Oh you're on!" Cuphead grinned, stepped a foot towards Mugman and raised his fist in front of his chest. "Onetwothree go!" He dashed to the left of the stairs, leaving a white dust cloud behind him.
Mugman gasped. "Hey! No fair!" He dashed to the right stairs leaving a white dust cloud behind.
Toriel gasped. "Children!" She scrunched her eyebrows.
The boys ran up the stairs with racecar noises spitting out of their mouths like 'vrooom!' 'brrrrrrr!' Cuphead made it up on the next level first, while Mugman was determined and fiercely sprinting up from the middle landing. As Mugman landed on the second level, he sprinted to Toriel, while Cuphead closed in.
"I thought I told you-! Oh my goodness!" Toriel jolted as Mugman suddenly clung onto Toriel's leg.
"Ha! I win!" Mugman pumped his fist.
"Hey!" Cuphead glared at Mugman. "No fair!" He pointed his finger at Mugman. "That's because Toriel was standing close to the right side!"
"Yeah, well" Mugman glared back at Cuphead. "It goes to show cheaters never win!"
Cuphead balled a fist, his milk boiled and his straw whistled out steam like a kettle. "Why I oughta-!"
Toriel gently chuckled. "Quite the determined spirits you are, my children." She placed each of her hands over Cuphead's fist and Mugman's head handle on his back.
Cuphead huffed and folded his arms, while Mugman just stuck his tongue out.
Toriel knelt down between the both of them. "Now children, it's only a game." Her eyes glanced towards Cuphead. "Winning and losing is part of it." She looked at Mugman. "But… most importantly you both had fun. Right?"
All at the same time, Cuphead and Mugman huffed, closed his eyes, and turned his head away from each other.
"It wasn't fun when HE got a head start." Mugman's eyes slid towards Cuphead for a moment when he said 'HE'.
"And it wasn't fun that HE won because HE was closer." Cuphead tightened his eyes shut.
"Well it wasn't fun when HE" Mugman glared and nudged his head at Cuphead "could've won because HE" Cuphead opened his eyes glaring from the lower left corner of them. "got a head start and HE didn't warn me about it!"
"Well it wasn't fun when HE" Cuphead gritted his teeth and nudged his head forward at Mugman "won because HE got lucky because HE happened to be closer to you and HE-!" He pointed his finger to Mugman.
"Alright alright." Toriel said as she gently lowered Cuphead's finger. "In that case why don't you play fairer games then? Just a while ago you were pushing each other and laughing while at it."
Folding their arms, Cuphead and Mugman huffed and turned away from each other.
"That was different." Cuphead said.
"Yeah!" Mugman nodded.
Toriel scrunched her eyebrows to both of them. "Well…" She stood up and, with gentle hands, removed Mugman's arms from her leg; Mugman widened his eyes as he looked at her. "I don't want to be another opponent in this conflict."
For a moment, Mugman and Cuphead looked at each other, but then folded their arms and looked away from each other; they looked like mirror copies of one another if not for the blue and red shorts, the big and tiny noses, and the straight and bendy straws.
"I had thought that you two loved to play together." Toriel held her hands right over left hanging across her stomach like a hammock.
Cuphead and Mugman opened their eyes, and looked down at their own feet frowning.
"You two can follow me to the next room once you've resolved your differences." She turned around and entered the giant shadowy doorway behind her.
Footsteps that started loud began fading down, and once they did, Cuphead and Mugman turned their eyes towards the other. Facing each other, they both sighed, looked down, and let their arms dangle.
"I'm… sorry." Mugman looked at Cuphead from the upper corner of his eyes.
Cuphead folded his arms and his eyebrows were curved up. "I'm… sorry too."
Mugman tilted his head up slowly, and after a while Cuphead did too. They both started to smile.
Mugman raised his arms. "Bro hug?"
Cuphead grinned. "Bro hug."
They both ran to each other and gave each other a tough grab-tackling cheek-squishing clinking and cuddle moaning bear hug. Cuphead offered his right elbow to Mugman, and the latter hooked his left arm together with the former. With big matching grins they buddy-marched together to the next room.
Beneath their feet was a lighter-pink path starting from the entrance, then about a quarter-midway across the room zigzag-arched to the left, then straightened back to the middle at the latter quarter-midway, and then ended on the steel-barred arrow-headed closed gate. Toriel stood in the middle of the room, next to the zigzagged path that seemingly avoided her. On the right of the room next to Toriel, six large buttons were arranged in four rows: the first had a singular button, the second row had a pair, the third had a single, and the fourth had a pair; the first and third row of buttons were aligned in a column on a road, while the second and fourth rows were aligned in a column outside the path; together they all looked like two Mickey Mouse rings.
"Wooow…" The boys said as they saw the buttons.
Toriel chuckled, covering her mouth and closing her eyes. She tilted her head, and bent towards the boys a little. "It doesn't take much for you two to forgive each other does it?"
Cuphead giggled with closed eyes and rubbed the space under his nose with his free index finger. "We're best buds."
"And we're brothers!" Mugman smiled at Cuphead and raised their hooked-together arms.
"So yeah… We fight sometimes." Cuphead opened his eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and made a bigger smile.
"But we've had more fun than we've ever fought." Mugman grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "And we've always made up whenever we roughed each other up,"
"Aw come on!" Cuphead nudged his brother's side torso with his buddy-elbow, and Mugman giggled in reaction. "A bit of rough housin hurt nothin'." He made a few weak punches to the front making their hooked together buddy-arms shake.
"Well… it hurts a little." Mugman splayed his free hand… but then looked away in thought.
"Yeah…?" Cuphead smirked and raised an eyebrow.
Mugman's smiley mouth began to squiggle… and then he squeezed his eyes shut. "Okay so it's a little fun."
"YEAH!" Cuphead carried Mugman in a hug and they both laughed in their respective hiccupy and snorty laughs.
Toriel smiled at them, watched Mugman playfully push away Cuphead while the latter kept the former trapped in his hug, and a tear poured down her eye. While he laughed and pushed Cuphead away, Mugman noticed Toriel's sudden sparkly teardrop drip from her chin.
Mugman stopped laughing, and frowned. "Oh golly…" He covered his mouth.
Cuphead looked at the direction Mugman was looking at, frowned, and let Mugman stand on his feet.
Mugman stepped towards Toriel and reached out his hand. "M-ms?"
Toriel open-mouth frowned at Mugman's concern, and then wiped a tear from her eye.
"Excuse me." Toriel chuckled, voice gloomy. "Something must have landed in my eye." Toriel closed her eyes and smiled. "Well, shall we proceed my children?"
Mugman and Cuphead looked in concern at Toriel, then to each other, and then back to Toriel.
"Okay Ms. Err…" Cuphead swallowed. "Ms goat lady-"
"Toriel." Mugman whispered.
"Toriel!" Cuphead's head jerked straight. He scratched his head, and looked at her apologetically. "M-Ms. Toriel."
Toriel chuckled and looked at them. "Just Toriel, my children. You're both very polite, but there's no need for formalities."
The boys took a breath and then sighed.
"Okay Toriel." Mugman said.
Cuphead nodded.
"Well then…" Toriel closed her eyes and smiled. "Welcome to your new home innocent ones. And…" Toriel opened her eyes and pointed her showing hand towards the buttons. "I see you've noticed this puzzle next to me."
The boys' eyes widened and they gasped slowly.
"Wwooow!" Mugman's eyes turned into stars.
"Eh…" Cuphead giggled. "Not really my thing."
"Really?" Mugman raised an eyebrow. "There were lots of puzzles back at home. Especially when we fought those debtors."
"Yeah but…" Cuphead shrugged his shoulders. "Fightin' is more of my thing. I mean, yeah we won, but I like zippin' through 'em by instinct."
"Well in that case, I assume you wouldn't mind if I solved the puzzle." Toriel said.
Mugman gasp-inhaled through his nose and screeched reaching his 'stop' hand to her.
Toriel walked to the right (her left), stepped on the second row's left button then to the right button. Then, she went upwards, stepped on the rightmost button and then turned left to step on the left button on the same row.
Meanwhile, as Toriel kept walking, Mugman's face slowly frowned more and his eyebrows creased more. As he watched his brother, Cuphead's smile stretched wider, turned more and more mischievous, and he snickered at Mugman's final reaction.
Toriel walked forward to the lever on the wall across the room, and pushed it down. On the left, the arrow headed gate slammed down open.
Toriel turned around and smiled at the boys. "This is just one of the multiple variations of problems that you would have to solve in order to proceed through these ruins."
"Heeey!" Mugman lowered his stop hand as his eyes began to dilate. "I wanted to solve that."
Toriel's eyes widened, then she closed her eyes and giggled while her right hand covered her mouth. "My apologies young one. We can solve the next one together as we navigate through the catacombs."
With that, Toriel turned around and walked towards the next room.
"But… I wanna solve it on my own." Mugman's voice softened as he touched his index fingers together repeatedly.
Cuphead giggled. "Uhh, you could still push those other two buttons over there buddy." He pointed towards the two unpressed buttons on the first and third rows.
Mugman's eyebrows creased in worry. "I-I dunno, I mean… it could trigger something dangerous."
Cuphead groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll do it."
"C-Cuphead!" Mugman grabbed his brother's hand. "Wh-what if it o-opens a trap door er somethin'?"
"Well, you can parry my ghost and bring me back like ya always do buddy." Cuphead grinned.
Mugman groaned, looked away, and folded his arms.
"Come on, I thought we were runnin' to adventah?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
Mugman folded his arms and pouted. "Don't make me go back on that Cuphead."
Cuphead giggled, let go of Mugman's hand, walked to the button, and jump-stomped on it. Mugman squeezed his eyes and whimpered… but even after a few seconds, nothing happened. Mugman peeked an eye open to see Cuphead teasingly grinning at him and holding his fists on his hips.
"Come on buddy, ya know ya wanna push the other one." Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
A sweat dropped from Mugman's head and his mouth squiggled nervously. Then, he grunted, punched his fists down, and stomped his way to the button on the third row, and Cuphead snickered as he watched.
Mugman's mouth squiggled as he looked at the idle button, and right then an imaginary image of the button smiling and laughing villainously at him appeared on the surface. He growled at it and raised his right heel… but then shut his eyes as he whimpered again. He turned his right tiptoe towards the surface of the button, touched it, then slowly and gently pushed it.
CLICK!
Something poked Mugman's sidestomachs.
"AGH!" Mugman yelled, his straw turned into an exclamation point, and his hands spread out.
He looked behind him to see Cuphead giggling with a cheeky grin and his index fingers were positioned on Mugman's side stomachs.
An involuntary grin crept up Mugman's mouth and he stomped his right foot while punching his fists down. "CUPHEAD!"
Cuphead burst out laughing while closing his eyes, hugging his stomach with one arm and pointing his finger at Mugman with the other.
"C'MERE!" Mugman attempted to grab-hug Cuphead, but the latter ducked under and ran towards the doorway Toriel exited to earlier. "HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Smiling Mugman chased Cuphead with his hands forward trying to catch his brother.
Laughing giddily, Cuphead ran out from the doorway followed by smiley screaming Mugman who was chasing after him.
"There you are ch- OH MY GOODNESS!" Toriel's eyes widened and she frightfully raised her arms chest-level away from the boys.
Her sight followed giddily laughing Cuphead who ran around her followed by joyfully-screaming Mugman who was swipe-grabbing the air in front of him while attempting to catch Cuphead. The boys ran around Toriel in a circle for about three times… until Mugman began jump-stomping the ground towards an open space while grunting and growling with a big smile on his face. Mugman turned around to face Toriel, folded his arms, sat cross-legged on the floor and pouted with a loud "Hmph!" and a smile on his face.
Peeking from behind Toriel, Cuphead cackled while pointing his finger at Mugman. He looked at Toriel who was looking downward while smiling back at him.
"Isn't he cute?" Cuphead pointed to his brother.
All at the same time, Mugman growled, shook his folded arms right then left, and then looked away with an 'I'm not talking to you' face.
Toriel chuckled while closing her eyes, and then opened them looking at Mugman. "There's a puzzle in this room waiting to be solved my child."
Mugman gasped and opened his eyes looking at Toriel with a beaming smile. "Really?!" His knuckles tightened under his chin (or base rather).
With closed eyes, Toriel chuckled. "It's just right across this bridge my child." And with that Toriel walked towards the bridge on the right.
Mugman squealed and squeezed his chin under his knuckles. "Bro, di-!" When Toriel's body moved out of the way, Cuphead was not behind her. "Cuphead?" He turned his head to the right where Toriel was walking across the bridge, but Cuphead wasn't there. He turned his head to the left and Cuphead was looking at a sign with his fists on his hips.
Mugman stood up and ran to Cuphead with a smile. As Mugman jumped to a stop on his left, Cuphead smiled noticing his brother and then went back to look at the sign with a raised eyebrow. Mugman bent closer and squinted.
"Press [Z] to read the sign." Mugman read it aloud. He scratched his chin. "Hmm… what's a zee-EEEEE!" Something poked Mugman's right hip, and he stomped his right foot facing Cuphead with a smile. "CUPHEAD!"
Cuphead giggled; his left hand was pulling back and its index finger was curved and raised. "What? I pressed the Z."
With a mouth-biting smile, Mugman gripped his fists while grumbling and then stomped his right foot while punched fists backward. "HOW IS THAT A Z?!" He giggled.
"I pressed the tickleZZZ…" Cuphead poked Mugman's hip (who jolted) as he said 'ticklezzz' and his grin stretched wider. "On your hipZZZ." He poked Mugman's hip again (who jolted again) and he giggled.
"HOW 'BOUT I GIVE YOU SOME TICKLEZZZ!" Mugman jab-poked his right hand into Cuphead's stomach and the latter yelp-laughed. "ON YER ZZZTOMACH!" He jab-poked Cuphead's stomach again and giggled, and the latter yelp-laughed again.
Cuphead jab poked Mugman's hip again making him laugh, and Mugman poked back his brother's stomach.
"Children!" Toriel's sweet but strict voice called them over.
Cuphead and Mugman looked behind them.
Toriel was looking at the boys strictly while standing across the boardwalk over the small river. "You can play once we have reached home. Please follow close to me while you're here."
For a few seconds, the boys looked attentively at Toriel… then their pupils slid back towards each other, and they grinned mischievously. At the same time, they jabbed a finger towards the other's tickle spots (Cuphead's stomach and Mugman's hips) and they laughed and yelled battle cries to each other such as "Ya!", "Haya!", "Take that!" over and over as they walked to the wooden boardwalk and started to cross it. In the middle of the bridge, Mugman was smiley-growling and pushing Cuphead's shoulders while the latter was wide-grin giggling and standing his ground on the bridge.
"MAYBE I ZZOULD PUZZ YOU OVER TO THE WATERZZ!" Mugman looked at Cuphead with scrunched eyebrows and a big giggly smile.
"AND MAYBE YOU ZZOULD COMEZZ WITH MEEEZZZ!" As he said it, Cuphead grabbed Mugman's hands and pulled them as he fell backwards.
"WHOAAA!" Mugman screamed as they fell into the river in a big splash.
"CHILDREN!" Toriel shouted as she ran to the bridge.
On the boardwalk, Toriel looked down and saw Cuphead and Mugman laughing with their symphonized hiccups and snorts as they floated on their backs on the slow-flowing river.
They both stood up and Mugman splashed a wave at Cuphead who ducked his mouth into the water taking the splash head on, and then emerged to spit a mouthful of sprinkling water to Mugman who laughed and shielded his face with his arms.
"EEEEEEHEEEHEEEWWW!" Mugman laughed. "YOU ZZZZPIT ON ME!"
"AND YOU ZZZZZZZPLASHED ME!" Cuphead laughed with hiccups on his voice.
Their laughter was full of synchronized snorts and hiccups as they stood in the stream… When suddenly a woman's voice cleared her throat from above them. They both stopped laughing and looked cautiously above.
Toriel had a shadowy face with only her piercing and glaring red eyes looming above the boys. "Children…"
Mugman glumly looked down and touched his fingers together, while Cuphead just looked down frowning in defeat.
"Getzzz… Outzzz… of the waterzzz." She said with her growly voice.
From frowns, the boys looked up confused and they were staring at Toriel with surprised open 'o' mouths. As the boys looked closer, her strict frown curled into a smile on the right end of her lip (the boys' left). In a loud eruption, the boys laughed pointing their fingers at Toriel who then also laughed with her eyes closed and her right hand covering her mouth. Toriel bent down, reached out her hand. Cuphead grasped it as he was pulled up to the boardwalk, followed by Mugman who waded towards the bridge and was pulled by Cuphead who bent down and helped him.
Cuphead giggled and then faced Toriel with his fists on his hips. "That waz ffunz!"
"Do zzat againzz!" Mugman pounded his fists down in front of him (as if there was an invisible surface) and he laughed in sync with his brother.
Toriel chuckled, and when she was done she put her hand down and smiled at the boys. "The puzzlezz are waiting for you my childrenzz."
"Yezz ma'am!" They both saluted like soldiers with smiles.
Laughing, the boys ran across the short bridge over to the next island, and Toriel just watched them with a patient smile.
She sighed. "Children will be children."
With a bit of pushing each other, laughing Cuphead and Mugman stopped in the middle of the island and looked around. Cuphead saw something on his left, gasped, and then stared at it with bored eyes.
"You see where the puzzle is?" Mugman asked.
Bored eyes still glaring, Cuphead grabbed his brother's chin (or base rather) and turned it towards the direction he was looking at.
Ahead of them, on the pink wall, was an idle lever pointing upwards and yellow arrows surrounded and pointed towards the lever.
Mugman glared at it with bewildered eyes and a surprised open mouth, while Cuphead just continued staring at it with his semi-circle half-closed eyes.
"I-Is that…?" Mugman pointed towards the lever.
"Yyep." Cuphead said unenthusiastically.
Toriel let out a small polite giggle. The boys looked behind them and saw her smiling at them and standing prim and polite with her paws in front of her.
"Go on. Solve it." She closed her eyes.
Cuphead smirked at Mugman, and the latter raised an eyebrow in reaction.
"Yeah buddy, go on." Cuphead pointed his eyes and nudged his head towards the lever.
Mugman groaned, yanked his hand away from Cuphead's and walked towards the lever.
By the lever, Mugman looked up noticing that it is a bit higher than his head. He stood on his tiptoes, then pulled the lever down and it made a loud metal click.
Toriel applauded, and after a moment's observation at her, Cuphead did too with a smirk on his face.
"Excellent my child." Toriel said sprightly, like she was watching a child on a merry-go-round.
"Yeah bro, grrreat job!" Cuphead winked!
Slouching and groaning, Mugman walked back to his brother and folded his arms. With closed eyes and a giggle, Cuphead buddy-hugged his brother.
"Well then," Toriel clapped his hands. "The second part of the puzzle is on the next island, if we can proceed that is."
Cuphead and Mugman just walked across the boardwalk to the last island.
Mugman groaned. "Mmm wumum solfifun muh woawn."
Cuphead giggled. "Aw come on, there's probably another one. She did say this place was loaded with 'em."
Mugman looked at his brother, and then smiled.
They arrived at the next island and looked to their left. Two levers were on the wall, the left had arrows surrounding and pointing towards it, and the other had none.
Cuphead smiled teasingly at Mugman and the latter just frowned back… and then smugged. Cuphead raised an eyebrow as he kept looking at his brother's sudden smug. After a few seconds, Cuphead's eyes then widened and he opened his smiley mouth as if he wanted to squeal. Mugman's pupils slid looking towards the levers, then slid back to Cuphead, and finally at the same time he tilted his head and offered his buddy arm. Biting his squiggly and trembling lower lip as he snickered, Cuphead hooked his left arm onto Mugman's arm, and together they giggled and ran towards the middle of the levers.
Both of them stopped before the levers and glanced at the left and right ones at the same time.
"Hmm…" Mugman scratched his chin and then looked at Cuphead. "I think it's this one bro." Mugman winked and gently elbowed Cuphead.
"What makes you say that… bro?" Cuphead winked and elbowed Mugman back.
"I dunno!" Mugman raised his carefree hands and snickered. "Maaaybe it's because of the arrows pointing to it?"
"Hmm, you make a good 'poooint' winky winky." Cuphead winked twice, causing Mugman to giggle.
Toriel giggled as she heard 'poooint'.
"Buuut…" Cuphead rolled his eyes and bent to the right as he did. "What abooouut THEOTHERONE!"
Mugman and Cuphead sprung towards the right lever.
Toriel gasped and reached out her 'stop' hand. "CHILDREN NO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO-!"
Jumping together with feet pointing forward, Mugman and Cuphead yanked the lever slamming down.
"Pull, the other…. One." Toriel closed her eyes and nervously smiled.
They then laughed frightfully and energetically as they sprung away from the lever hugging each other with closed eyes. After a few seconds of nothing, they peeked one eye to the lever they pulled and then slid them to look at each other.
"Aw man!" Cuphead slouched, letting his arms dangle.
"Phew!" Mugman wiped his forehead.
"Th-that lever does… nothing, my children." Toriel's smile twitched.
"Oh…." Cuphead turned around along with Mugman. "So the right one was the wrong one?" He smirked, raised an eyebrow, and curved his back hands on his hips.
Mugman snickered and it grew into a bubbly giggle.
"Aaand the left one is the right one?" Grinning, Cuphead was pointing towards the lever with arrows.
Mugman's bubbly giggle turned into a snorty laugh, which made Cuphead look at his brother and giggle. Toriel snickered into a giggle as she covered her face with her paw.
"Y-you know-!" Cuphead's giggle interrupted him. "People should reeeally be decisive with their directions." He bent towards his right as he said 'rreally'. "Left, right" He pointed left and right. "Right, wrong" He flipped his left and right palm open. "Up, down-!" He pointed up and down.
Mugman hollered in laughter, and it made Cuphead giggle again.
"East, west, north, south." Cuphead pointed right, left, up, and down.
Mugman laughed louder, tears started to form in his squeezed shut eyes, and he fell chest front to the floor pounding his fists and kicking back the air.
"D-dugh-!" Mugman's rough inhale interrupted what he was supposed to say. "Don't you mean…. ZzzzzZOUTH!"
Cuphead burst out laughing to the ceiling together with his brother and he fell sitting on the floor, hugging his stomach, and kicking his shoe heels to the floor.
Toriel also laughed louder, she covered her eyes with one hand, and she held her stomach with the other as she bent down.
"M-maybe-!" Toriel inhaled. "Maybe they should… 'switch' it up." Toriel laughed louder.
Mugman and Cuphead's laughter died down. "Huh?" They raised an eyebrow to Toriel.
Toriel's laugh calmed a little and she frowned. "B-because… ummm…." She held her hands together with her thumbs touching each other.
Mugman's eyes widened in realization, then he crawled over to Cuphead and whispered into his non-existent ear using his cupped telephone hand while the latter leaned in to listen.
Cuphead gasped and widened his eyes. "Ohhhhhh!" He giggled while Mugman smiled.
"Ssswitch!" Cuphead and Mugman pointed to the lever switches as they spoke in sync. "Them up!" They then started to laugh again.
Toriel beamed and then joined in the laughter politely covering her mouth.
"D-don't you mean…" Toriel snickered. "Zzzwitch, them up?"
All three of them hollered in laughter with giant open mouths pointing to the ceiling; Cuphead with his hiccups and rolling on the floor, Mugman with his snorts, back kicks, and fists pounding on the floor, and Toriel with her right hand politely covering her mouth, and her left hand hugging her stomach.
Toriel sighed and wiped a tear from her right eye with her index finger. "Alright children." She wiped a tear. "Please, solve the puzzle so we can proceed."
Cuphead giggled. "Don't you mean-!"
"NO!" Mugman covered Cuphead's mouth and giggled. "Wehe'lll never get outta here."
Cuphead giggled and easily removed his brother's hands. "Dramatic plot tiwst, Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUNNN!" He shook his hands as he sang.
Mugman laughed again. "I'll flick the switch before ya start to go bonkers again." He walked towards the left lever.
Cuphead snickered. "Don't you mean-!"
"I'M NOT LISTENING!" Mugman giggled as he closed his eyes and covered his non-existent ears.
"Lizzening to me go bonkerzzz?" Cuphead giggled, raised an eyebrow, and proudly placed his backhands on his hips.
Mugman unleashed a large holler of laughter as he pulled down the lever which then clicked. "STOOOOP!" He ran back to Cuphead and covered his brother's laughing mouth.
The metal barred gate near Toriel slammed down and opened the way to the next room, and she quickly glanced at it as it did so.
Toriel looked back to the boys. "I-hai'll be waiting in the next room." She walked to the next room while trying to cover her mouth of giggles.
Cuphead and Mugman watched Toriel pass to the next room. Mugman's hand was still covering Cuphead's mouth… and then Mugman's pupils shrunk as he glared at his hand where some drops of liquid started to drip out between his fingers.
"EEEEEWWWW!" With shrunken trembling pupils, Mugman looked at his trembling hand like it was infected.
Cuphead burst out laughing, his pupils were shrunk, and his hand pointing at his brother's face.
Swiftly Mugman took off his glove and then smacked it across Cuphead's closed eyes.
"AAAAHAHAHAOOOWWW!" Cuphead yelled with his smiley mouth opened and his spread out fingers trembled.
"OH MY GOLLY I'M SORREEEHEEEHEE!" Mugman hugged Cuphead.
With a mischievous giggle, Cuphead pinch-picked-up the glove from his eyes and looked at his brother. "Oh you're gonna get it."
Mugman's pupils shrunk. "NO! NO!" He ran towards the next room laughing giddily.
Laughing villainously, Cuphead sprinted after Mugman holding the latter's drooly glove.
In the next room, Toriel was happily watching the boys on the left of the entrance, and Mugman was in front of Cuphead backing away with his 'stop' hands raising and pushing towards Cuphead.
"I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORR-!" The drooly glove was thrown splattering onto Mugman's face. "EEEEEEHEHEHEWWWW!"
Cuphead laughed. "You sound like you're having fun more than you're grossed out buddy."
Mugman pinch-picked-up his glove from his face. "Can I get your glove? This one's got your drool in it."
"No way that's yours!" Cuphead giggled as he pointed at the wet glove.
"You've literally marked it with yer weirdness, now gimme yours!" Mugman pointed towards his brother's hand.
Laughing, Cuphead took off his right glove and exchanged it with Mugman's glove.
Toriel chuckled. "Well, you two seem to be adept at resolving your conflicts with each other."
"Eh, it's a bro thing." They said in sync, and then they gasped at each other. "Jinx!" They pointed their fingers at each other and laughed.
Toriel chuckled. "So it seems. Well, do you see the training dummy?"
Cuphead and Mugman leaned slightly to their right to peek past Toriel and they saw a training dummy standing on a big space of road next to the path leading to the next room.
"Well…" Toriel continued. "Just as that flower attacked you, other monsters may do so as well while you're staying in the underground. But… have no fear!" She smiled. "Whenever you enter a fight, simply strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time, until I arrive to resolve the conflict." She chuckled. "But, as far as I've observed, you have proven very exzzzeptional with this task in the previous room." Toriel laughed.
Cuphead and Mugman giggled in reaction.
"Does that mean we passed the test?" Mugman pounded his fists in front of him.
"Oh yeah!" Cuphead's head jolted upright as he smiled at Mugman, and then he looked back at Toriel. "Do we Toriel, do we?"
"Well, consider it as one of your final tests." Toriel nodded. "It won't be me whom you will always be talking to. Just imagine that this is a very different monster, a… stranger, as you call it. This dummy shall help you with that."
With raised eyebrows, the boys approached the dummy and just stared at it. Toriel walked with them and the stood in front of the exit.
"So… we're supposed to… talk to it Ms. Toriel? I-I mean Toriel?" Mugman looked at her as he pointed to the dummy.
"Yes my child." Toriel nodded.
"Aww man, dummies like these make me want to give it a few wallops." Cuphead punched the air in front of him with left-right jabs, and then an uppercut.
"Oh my!" Toriel covered her mouth with her hands. "We wouldn't want to hurt anyone would we?"
Cuphead frowned at the abrupt concern. "But, didn't ya say we would be attacked by monsters?"
"Yeah, shouldn't we fight back" Mugman formed a finger gun on his right hand.
"Well…" Toriel scratched her chin while sliding her eyes left and right. "As well-reasoned as you are, I assure you that any form of violence won't be necessary my children." She bent a little forward to the boys. "Any form of conflict can be resolved with a proper conversation, and a few good jokeZZZ." Toriel chuckled. "Would you like to hear my example?" She smiled patiently.
Cuphead and Mugman smiled at each other. "Sure!" They placed their fists on their hips as they smiled at Toriel.
"Well, what did the skeleton tile his roof with?" Toriel raised an eyebrow.
Cuphead and Mugman giggled a little. "What?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, while Mugman spread his hands to the sides of his hips and stood on his tiptoes towards Toriel.
Toriel snickered. "SHIN-gles!"
She beamed to the boys, but as she looked at each one of them she saw Cuphead and Mugman staring back at her with creased and raised eyebrows. Sweat started to form on her head and her smile cringed… when suddenly Mugman gasped.
"OHHH!" Mugman smiled and then giggled while closing his eyes and squeezing his fist under his chin.
"I don't get it." Cuphead shrugged his shoulders. "What are shingles?"
"They're tiles for the roof." Mugman raised his left index finger.
Cuphead was confused; his right cheeked was squeezed up towards his right eye. "I still don't get it."
"The bones under your knees are called shins." Mugman knocked his knees together.
Cuphead gasped. "Ohhhhhh!" He pounded his right fist onto his left palm.
Mugman giggled. "You're so slow buddy."
"Says the mug who couldn't catch me." Cuphead smirked and folded his arms at Mugman.
Toriel sighed in relief. "Well, at least someone else thought it was amusing." She smiled. "Now, go on, practice talking to the dummy children."
"Well… you heard her." Cuphead smirked at Mugman. "Talk to the dummy."
Mugman snickered. "I already am."
Cuphead's eyebrows scrunched. "No you're-!" He gasped. "HEEEEY!" He beamed and pushed Mugman's shoulder.
Mugman burst out giddy laughing. "Well, I-I am the smarter one." He placed his fists on his hips.
"Ohoho really?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow, smiled snarkily, and folded his arms together.
"Duh, I'm an A-student, and I help ya with yer math homework." Mugman booped his brother's jellybean nose.
"Ohh? Then what's 1 + 1?" Cuphead held both his index fingers up.
"Two!" Mugman folded his arms.
"Two plus two?" Cuphead unfolded his ring fingers; he has no middle finger.
"Four!" Mugman proudly put his fists on his hips.
"Four plus four" Cuphead opened all his fingers.
"Eight!" Mugman closed his eyes as he beamed.
Cuphead wiggled his fingers. "You asked for it!" He darted all eight fingers to his brother's open armpits and tickled them, causing Mugman to jolt around and laugh while trapped in the arms of Cuphead.
"NONONONOCUPHEAHAAAHAHAHA!" Mugman twisted and jolted his body around trying to avoid his brother's fingers.
"See, if I'm the dummy, then how come you were dumb enough to fall for that?" Cuphead giggled villainously as he put more pressure in his tickling fingers, and Mugman started to shout as he laughed.
Meanwhile as it watched the brothers play, the training dummy grew a blush on its face, and Toriel was watching with a beaming smile and dilated eyes with the reflection of Cuphead tickling open-mouthed laughing and arms-flailing Mugman in them.
"STAAHAHAHAP!" Mugman gasped for air. "STOOP I'M SOREEHEEEHEEHEEHEHEHAHAHA!"
"Who's the dummy?" Cuphead smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"YOUUUHUUUHUUU!" Mugman squeezed his eyes shut.
"Whoo?!" Cuphead pressed his tickles harder, making Mugman shout and laugh.
"MEE-!" Mugman shout-laughed. "MEEHEEHEEHEHEHEEHEE!"
"Yeah that's right." Cuphead giggled and just held laughing Mugman in his arms.
As they laughed, Mugman pushed his brother's head away while Cuphead just tightened his hug firmer as if he was trying to keep his brother trapped.
Cuphead looked to his left and noticed that Toriel was looking at them with goofy goo goo eyes and a curly mouth.
Cuphead raised an eyebrow. "Wh-hat?" He chuckled.
Toriel's face jolted into a frown and she shook herself awake. "Excuse me." She chuckled. "You two are so adorable when you interact with one another."
"Aww, you hear that Mugsy?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow at the bubbly laughing and snorting Mugman who then smiled cheek to cheek back at the former. "She thinks we're cute when I tickle you." Cuphead tickled Mugman again as he said 'tickle', and the latter roared in bubbly and snorty laughter.
Toriel giggled. "Children, if you can please just-!" She gasped and witnessed that the dummy was floating, and soon Cuphead and Mugman stopped and gasped as they witnessed it too.
The dummy had pink blushing cheeks. It floated towards the wall behind it and phased through. Toriel, Cuphead, and Mugman glared at the wall bewildered and shocked. They stared at different directions in the corners of their eyes; in the last instance Cuphead and Mugman stared at each other.
"The next room awaits!" Toriel smiled and then quickly turned around.
Cuphead and Mugman stared at Toriel with one eyebrow raised each and then stared at each other. They shrugged their shoulders and just happily followed Toriel to the next room.
Inside, two patches of vines hung on the pink wall far ahead of them.
"Oh! Mugman?" Toriel smiled as she looked behind her. "There's another puzzle in this room."
Mugman gasped. "Can I solve it?!" He beamed while cuddling his knuckles under his chin.
Toriel chuckled. "If we can find it first."
Mugman excitedly mumbled and ran to the left-most vine on the wall, while Cuphead just watched his brother with a smile and folded arms, and Toriel watched with her hands held in front of her.
"Cuphead, right?" Toriel looked behind her.
"What's up?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
"Who's older?" She smiled patiently.
"Right now?" Cuphead tapped his tinking ceramic chin. "I'd say I am."
Toriel frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Right… now?"
Cuphead giggled. "Yeah, like a few minutes ago it was Mugs when he was the first one to apologize, and when he was looking out for me when I was crybabying." He smirked. "Until a few seconds ago when I was giving him his tickles I snatched the older brother card right out of 'im." He pointed to his thumb to himself and showed his million-dollar smile with his eyes half-closed.
Toriel's eyebrows creased.
"Ms. Toriel- I mean, Toriel!" Mugman ran back to her. "I checked both vines and there's nothing here."
Toriel chuckled. "That's not yet the puzzle my child, but you do have good intuition and initiative." She closed her eyes.
"What?! Aww…" Frowning, Mugman looked down and let his hands dangle.
Giggling, Cuphead gave his brother a buddy hug and Mugman leaned his head towards Cuphead's, making a clink as their heads hit.
Toriel smiled apologetically. "Just this way my children." She turned around and walked towards the path narrowed between thick walls up ahead.
Together, maintaining their buddy hug, beaming Cuphead and frowning Mugman followed Toriel.
"Hang in there Tiger." Cuphead shook his brother's shoulder.
Mugman grumbled.
Cuphead giggled. "Still think Toriel is a cool mom?" He raised an eyebrow.
Mugman's eyes looked towards Cuphead and he sighed. "Okay okay, so she can be a little naggy."
"I dunno…." Cuphead raised an eyebrow. "After those zee punz she pulled I'm zztarting to zee zah flip zide."
Mugman giggled. "How iz it zzat when I'm crozzing to zhe fip zide, you crozz over to the ozzer?"
They entered through the path narrowed by the thick walls.
Cuphead shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, balance?"
Mugman laughed. "And yet we can stand to be one inch away from each other." He laughed again. "Whoa!"
As Cuphead and Mugman stopped, stumbling their feet a little, before them was a giant frog-type of monster with three dots on its chest, two front feet, and two eyes blinking on its abdomen; its hind legs were probably blocked by its forefeet.
The frog monster croaked loudly.
Cuphead and Mugman's heads dropped a sweat as they stared at it with raised eyebrows.
"I-is that a-" Mugman pointed to the frog.
Cuphead's left cheek squeezed up to its eye in cringe. "I-it kinda looks like a cuzin of Ribbey and Croaks."
The frog squeaked and widened its eyes, and next scrunched its eyebrows seemingly offended.
Toriel stepped into the scene and glared at the frog, and the latter flinched clinging its webbed hands and feet to the wall behind it as it looked at the former.
As it looked at where it stepped, the frog sidestepped to its right away from Toriel, sticking its hands closely to the wall. Cuphead and Mugman watched the frog as it kept sidestepping and then eventually disappeared behind the thick wall on the right of the mouth of the narrow path.
The boys turned around and saw Toriel smiling at them. "Well done children. Just talk and stall for time." She walked off.
Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other surprised, and then smiled. Hands together they ran and followed Toriel turning left at the corner.
Far ahead as they ran, Toriel was standing before a bridge that was over a river. Cuphead mischievously grinned at Mugman, who just smiled back, and the former started to run faster while laughing, but then his hand was suddenly anchored back.
"Whoa!" Cuphead's body was turned towards Mugman as the force of the anchor pulled him back. "Hey!" He scrunched his eyebrows.
Mugman was open-mouth looking at the wall on Cuphead's right, and the latter turned to look at it.
A stone placard sign hung on the wall.
Mugman hummed. "The Western room is theAGH!" Something poked on his side stomach and he giggled in reaction. "CUPHEAD!"
Cuphead giggled. "Ya forgot to press the Zee-EEEEE!" His stomach was jab-poked by Mugman, and it caused the former to giggle.
"There! Happy?" Mugman giggled. He looked at the sign and cleared his throat. "The Western room is the blueprint of the Eastern room." He hummed and scratched his chin (base) with his free hand. "Sounds like a key to the puzzle."
"Yeah, yeah, c'mon nerd." Cuphead pulled Mugman's hand as they continued walking.
"Hey! I know deep down you're glad to have me." Mugman snickered.
Cuphead made a vomit sound and Mugman just laughed out loud.
As they reached Toriel, the sound of rushing water from the river filled their non-existent ears.
"This is the puzzle my children." Toriel said as she looked straight at the bridge.
Cuphead and Mugman gasped and they both ran in front of Toriel.
"NO CHILDREN!" Toriel pulled Cuphead and Mugman close to her.
"Whoa!" Cuphead and Mugman yelled as they landed clutching onto Toriel's legs.
The bridge was lined with four very long rows and about two dozen columns of metal tiles with sharp metal spikes that sparkled at the tips as far as their eyes could see.
"Ohh…" Mugman's right hand trembled as he covered his mouth.
"Cool!" Cuphead smiled at the spikes.
"Would you like to solve it Mugman?" Toriel looked down to Mugman on her left.
Mugman looked back at her and then back at the spikes. "Ummm… it looks kinda dangerous…"
"Agreed." Toriel stood properly and held the hands of the boys. "Well then, stay close to me children and follow my lead."
Toriel walked straight towards the third and fourth row of the spikes which were the only entrance to the bridge, and Mugman whimpered and Cuphead gasped with a big smile as her furry right foot approached the spikes when suddenly the spikes retracted into the smooth metal-tiled bridge allowing her foot to safely walked on it. As she continued walking, The spikes continuously retracted with resounding sword-like sheathing while the spikes behind them, as Cuphead and Mugman looked, sprung back up with resounding sword-like unsheathing.
"Whoa!" Smiling Cuphead and amazed Mugman said in sync, and they both gasped at each other and pointed their free fingers at each other. "Jinx!"
Toriel turned left on the third and fourth column of retracting spikes, going up perpendicular to the bridge.
"Would've been cool if we solved this puzzle together eh Mugs?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow to his brother.
Mugman chuckled half-heartedly smiling. "Would be cool if we actually get out clean when we do."
"Mugman?" Toriel peeked behind her left.
Mugman smiled back looking up at Toriel. "Yes?"
"Who's older among the both of you?" Toriel turned right to the first and second row.
"Right now? Uhh…" For a moment, Mugman looked at the river on his left. "I think Cuphead is." He looked back at Toriel.
Toriel glared at Mugman.
Cuphead chuckled. "Told ya."
They turned right at the sixth and seventh column of retracting spikes, going straight along the bridge.
She cleared her throat. "Pardon me but… I meant who was born first?"
"Oh!" Mugman jerked straight up and his eyes widened. "Sorry but…" He smiled. "We don't do that."
Toriel raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I mean, we don't know…" With a sheepish smile, Mugman scratched the back of his head. "And we don't talk about that."
"We think we're twins though." Cuphead shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, but sometimes we argue about it just because…" Mugman's eyes slid left and right. "Just because we're bros." He shrugged his shoulders as he looked up at Toriel.
"And fight about it…" Cuphead's eyes slid left and right. "Badly." He shrugged his shoulders as he looked up at Toriel.
"But we decided to take turns instead and base it on some of the tiny things we see." Mugman smiled at Cuphead.
They turned left at the eleventh and twelfth columns of retracting spikes, going up.
"Yeah like, I'm braver." Cuphead pumped his right fist up.
"I'm smarter." Mugman tapped his tinking head with his left finger.
"I'm buffer." Cuphead's right arm flexed, showing balloon-like muscles.
"And I'm… a millimeter taller." Mugman shrugged his shoulders and shrugged his shoulders.
Cuphead humphed and raised an eyebrow at Mugman in reaction.
"Ahh!" Toriel smiled. "So… it's like a game!"
"Yeah!" The brothers said in sync. "Jinx!" They pointed their fingers at each other."
They turned right at the first and second rows of retracting spikes, going straight towards the exit of the bridge.
"So I don't mind sharing the title of big bro." Mugman shrugged his shoulders.
"And I don't mind taking it." Cuphead pointed his thumb to himself and smirked at Mugman.
"Hey!" Mugman glared and smiled at Cuphead, and the latter just playfully spit his tongue out.
Toriel giggled.
They all stepped away from the last column of spikes and over to the pink road of the ruins again.
Toriel turned around. "Well as long as you-"
"Take care of each other, you'll be fine." The voice of Elder Kettle said.
Cuphead and Mugman frowned as Toriel said those words, and they felt a familiar loving warmth tug something in their chests as they looked with creased up eyebrows. At that moment, when Toriel spoke, they saw Elder Kettle himself.
"Y-yes…" They both said glumly.
Noticing their sudden sadness, Toriel blinked, frowned, looked away for a moment, turned around and walked on.
Cuphead and Mugman watched her walk away, breathing slowly as they did. They looked at each other noticing each other's matching dilated and trembling eyes and open-mouth frowns. After, they closed their mouths, watched their hands as they gently held each other, looked down to the floor at their feet, and then sighed. Together, they walked forward to the next room.
Toriel was facing the boys as she waited for them to approach.
"You've done well thus far my children. However…" Toriel looked at the corner of her eyes. "I'm going to have to ask you…"
Cuphead and Mugman still looked at her with the same sadness.
"You have to walk to the end of this room by yourselves." Toriel shut her eyes. "Please forgive me for this." She turned around and hurriedly ran towards the end of the room.
Cuphead and Mugman gasped. "Wait!"
They ran after her, but she was faster and soon disappeared to the far end of the room. The boys slowed down to a cautious walk and their eyes quickly paced left-right-left-right.
"Cuphead?" Mugman looked at his brother as his trembling left fist covered his chin.
Cuphead huffed. "Y-yeah?" He looked at his brother.
"Wh-why did she run off like that?!" Mugman looked towards the direction Toriel ran to.
"I-I dunno…" His shivering head turned towards the front as his eyes glanced left and right. "I-it kinda spooked me too."
They kept walking straight along the crooked zigzag lighter-colored pink road leading them towards the end of the room ahead… until Cuphead suddenly foot-stumbling stopped himself and hand-barred Mugman's path and hefoot-stumbling stopped too.
"Whoa! What's up?" Mugman asked.
On their left was a white Greek pillar standing by the wall.
Looking at it, Cuphead hummed and raised an eyebrow. "Bro… you don't think… that pillar is pretty suspicious do ya?" He smirked at Mugman.
Mugman gasped and smiled. "You mean Toriel-?"
"Yup!" Cuphead grinned and nodded.
As they looked at each other, they bit their lower lips as they goofily curly-lipped smiled. They dashed towards the pillar leaving a cloud of white dust behind them. Peeking behind the pillar, they saw Toriel hiding behind it.
With goofy smiles, they looked at each other and then gave a wink. They both bent their knees and readied their fists.
Cuphead whispered. "One, two, three."
"BAH!" The boys yelled, spreading their 'surprise' hands wide.
"OHH!" Toriel shrieked and stumbled away from the pillar.
Cuphead and Mugman bubbly laughed, approached Toriel and gave her a hug.
"Oh! Oh my." Toriel chukled. "You're not supposed to scare me like that."
"Heh. Well, technically ya scared us first." Cuphead raised his carefree hands.
"Sorry." Mugman shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh, pardon me my children." She gently placed her hands on Cuphead's right and Mugman's left faces, and gently rubbed them with her thumbs, while the boys held Toriel's wrists. "It was just a mere test to evaluate your independence. And it seems…" Toriel blinked and chuckled. "You both did excellently."
"Yeah!" They punched the air above, but then frowned confused and raised one eyebrow each. "Wait… independence?"
"Well you see… I must attend to some business, and I will have to leave you alone for a while." Toriel looked at the corner of her eyes.
"Aww…" Mugman frowned and let his arms drop. "Can't we come with you?"
"No, no!" Toriel's eyes widened and she shook her hands. "Please remain here. It is dangerous to explore by yourself."
Cuphead and Mugman sighed. "Okay."
Toriel smiled, and hummed. "I have an idea!" She pulled out a device from her pocket and handed it to the boys. "This is a CELL PHONE."
Cuphead and Mugman gasped. "Whoa!" And they both held it together with starry eyes.
"What's it doooo?" Cuphead's star eyes looked up to Toriel.
"Well…" Toriel knelt down. "It allows you to call me whenever you need anything. Just press this button to call me." She pointed towards the button that had a phone picture on the left. "Like so. "
Cuphead pressed the button and Mugman watched. Something rang from Toriel's right pocket rang and she picked up another copy of a phone from her pocket.
Toriel pushed a button from her phone and placed it on her ear. "Greetings! This is Toriel!"
Cuphead and Mugman heard the same voice from their phone, and they gasped as they looked at each other. "Cooooool!"
"It's like our telephone tin cans!" Mugman gently tugged the phone a bit as he leaned a millimeter closer to his brother.
"Yeah!" Cuphead did the same.
"Hey! Can I hold it?" Mugman scrunched his eyebrows and frowned as he tugged the phone again.
"No way I'm not done!" Cuphead looked angrily at his brother as he yanked the phone close to his chest.
"Aww come on!" Mugman angrily tugged the phone close to his chest. "You already called her!"
"Hey!" Cuphead tugged the phone and stood taller than Mugman. "I'm the older brother here!" His face towered over the latter's face while Mugman leaned back defiantly avoiding it.
"Hey no fair!" Mugman pushed his forehead onto Cuphead's head, and the latter pushed back; their noses were being squished together in the process. "You can't use the big bro card like that!"
The two brothers began loudly and open-mouthed arguing, roughly tugging the phone to themselves, trying to over-push the other by squishing their noses, and towards the end of their banter they started to push the other's chest.
"Ah-ahem!" Toriel put her fist in front of her mouth.
Hands on each other's shoulders as they stopped pushing and arguing, Cuphead and Mugman looked at Toriel. Gently, she sandwiched her hands on Cuphead and Mugman's hands which held the phone.
"Share. Alright?" Toriel smiled at both the boys each.
Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other and then smiled apologetically.
"Okay." They said in sync as they looked at Toriel.
Toriel nodded and stood. "Be good, alright?"
"Okay!" They grinned.
With that, Toriel turned around and exited the room.
Cuphead and Mugman waved and smiled at her until she turned the corner… and as soon as she did, Cuphead gently tugged the phone they were still holding, and Mugman tugged back. The boys glared at each other and then started to do a back and forth tug o' war on the phone.
"Come on it's my turn!" Mugman tugged the phone.
"No! It's mine!" Cuphead tugged it back.
"Mine!" Mugman tugged it back so strong, that he got the phone, and he looked at it curiously.
Cuphead gasped, and then growled. "Mine!" He pounced Mugman.
The two began to wrestle over the phone in a round dust cloud, and the two grunted and kept yelling 'Mine!' as they rumbled.
Mugman growled. "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" He stood up, spreading his 'stop' hands to the sides, while Cuphead leaned away staring in shock at Mugman.
"HERE YOU CAN YOU HAVE IT!" Mugman slammed the phone onto Cuphead's hands, pushed it to Cuphead's chest, looked away, and grunted while folding his arms and closing his eyes.
Cuphead blinked, and then looked at the phone he was holding. "Wait… really?" He raised an eyebrow at Mugman.
"Yeah!" Mugman glared at Cuphead. "I'm not fightin' my best bud over some stupid phone, you can have it!" He then turned away again, and glared at the corner of the wall.
For a few seconds, Cuphead stared at his brother with open-mouth surprise, and frowned as he looked at the phone; he felt an empty cold feeling creep up his chest. Cuphead sighed, and then tapped his brother's shoulder.
"What?!" Mugman glared at Cuphead, but then gasped as he was showed the phone.
Cuphead smiled. "Here."
Mugman looked at the phone, and then at Cuphead.
Cuphead chuckled. "Hey… you earned it big bro." At the end, his smile turned into a frown.
For a few seconds, Mugman looked at Cuphead, and then smiled endearingly. He placed the phone onto Cuphead's hand, and gently pushed it equidistant between them. "Share."
Cuphead looked at the phone they were holding together, and then smiled at Mugman. He then gently folded his fingers at the phone. "Share."
They then tackled each other in a tight cuddly clinking and cheek-to-cheek smiling bear hug.
"Come on, let's go!" Cuphead walked towards the exit of the room.
"Whoa whoa!" Mugman held Cuphead's hand, anchoring him down (the other hand held the phone). "Where're ya goin?"
"Whaddya mean?" He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we follow her?"
"You heard what she said. Stay," Mugman pointed his finger down to the floor. "Put!" He pressed that same finger down.
"What?!" Cuphead's eyes widened. "No way!" He scrunched his eyebrows and wiped his hands outwards. "That would be boring!" He folded his arms.
"Cuphead, she said it was dangerous to explore on our own!" Mugman spread his explaining hands. He creased up his eyebrows. "Bro, be reasonable, and please don't run us into trouble again."
Cuphead's eyebrows creased up too. "B-but…"
Cuphead looked at the crack on Mugman's head, and flashbacked to the time a bullet seed hit his head, and the time they fell from the chasm.
Cuphead sighed and smiled. "Okay. You win."
Mugman smiled gratefully and hugged Cuphead again.
"Well… since we're stayin' put whaddya think we should do?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
After a chuckle, Mugman held his hands up, as if waiting for Cuphead to clap them. Cuphead smiled in silence for a few, snickered and then clapped his brother's hands with his own.
"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's men! Bake me a cake as fast as you can!..." They sang as they clapped their hands together in a series of patterns in their all too familiar game.
-End of Chapter 2-