Chapter 7 "Home"
The ruins seemed to go on and on endlessly and were beginning to be a little monotonous for Cuphead and Mugman, but what always distracted them were some of the new sights and new things they would see. Such was this…
A dark brown leafless tree stood far ahead beyond the mouth of the narrow corridor, and the boys' eyes glimmered to see such an enchanting tree that they ran to it. As they exited the hallway mouth, they stopped and watched the tree from top to bottom with their glimmering eyes while their hands glided behind them.
The tree had about eight branches radiating from the center and there were barely any leaves on them, just some tiny ones and some big ones which would eventually fall off swaying down to the bed of vibrant and healthy-looking red leaves on its roots.
Cuphead and Mugman took an awe-inspired deep breath. "Wwoooowww…" They smiled in awe as their glossy eyes reflected the image of the tree.
"Oh dear…. That took longer than I thought it would…" Toriel's distant worried voice said.
Cuphead and Mugman blinked, noticing Toriel's voice was in earshot. They peeked to the right, looking beyond the tree, and saw worried Toriel walking hurriedly from a castle doorway towards a spot on the right side of the tree. Cuphead snickered while Mugman smiled warmly. She stopped there, picked up her phone from her right pocket, pushed a button with her left index finger, and then placed the phone under her fluffy right ear.
"Oh… I hope you are alright my children…" Toriel said worriedly to herself.
She then looked to her right… then her eyes widened as she saw Mugman and Cuphead, leaning on their right watching her, and as they were noticed, they stood normally, smiled, and waved.
"Children!" She raised her voice as she ran towards the boys and put her phone back in her pocket.
Toriel and Mugman & Cuphead ran towards each other. She knelt down and placed her hands on their shoulders, and they smiled comfortably in return.
"You're okay!" Mugman looked up at Toriel with his kind eyes while gliding his hands backward.
Eyes closed, Toriel chuckled, then she opened her eyes. "Of course, I am alright my child! How about you? How did you get here?"
"Duh, we walked." Cuphead snarkily smiled as he folded his arms.
An irritated exhale puffed from Toriel's nostrils as she looked annoyed at Cuphead. "I mean, how did you get here in one piece? Are you hurt?"
Cuphead tsked. "Nah!" He flicked his hand down. "We're A-okay. Right Mugsy?" He looked at his brother but then gasped as he noticed a few cracks on the side of his head right and a few bite holes on Mugman's black turtleneck before Mugman turned to look back at him. Mugman gasped and saw some cracks on Cuphead's head and bite marks on his turtleneck as well.
Mugman nervously chuckled, touched his index fingers repeatedly, and looked at Toriel. "Just a few cracks here and there."
"Oh you poor boys. Come here and let me heal you." Toriel showed her hands which both glowed leaf green.
After a momentary look at each other, and then a smile each, Cuphead and Mugman stepped forward and let Toriel's embrace wrap around them, and Toriel's glowing leaf green hands glowed brighter accompanied by a low humming of power. The leaf green aura wisped and chimed from her hands, they twirled around the air like ribbons, and then the aura wrapped around the two brothers starting from their heads down to their arms, to their fingertips, bodies, stomachs, hips, legs, and finally to their feet inside their shoes. Soon, the pain on Cuphead and Mugman's heads was receding, making them sigh in relief, and they watched the cracks on each other's heads fade and recede 'til it was just smooth and shiny porcelain, and the holes on their clothes repair and weave together, all while their full bodies were layered within a green aura. Toriel let go of her embrace, and the last leaf green aurorean light ribbons of the green aura seeped into the bodies of Cuphead and Mugman 'til there was nothing but two clean and shiny good-looking boys. Cuphead and Mugman began to pat, rub and turn each other's squeaky clean heads as they inspected them with such curiosity… and they smiled, but then Cuphead roughly and playfully hit Mugman's head with his hand.
"Hey!" With a playful smile, and with his right hand, Mugman hit back on Cuphead's head, and the latter just bubbly laughed.
Toriel groaned and rolled her eyes. "Please don't hurt yourselves after I've just healed you my children." She looked at them strictly. "This is exactly why I told you to stay in that room! So that you wouldn't get hurt! Why didn't you listen?!"
Mugman frowned, looked at Toriel, started to shiver, and started to touch his index fingers. "I-I-!"
"Hey!" Cuphead put his hands on his hips as he looked defensively at Toriel. "We heard you were in trouble so we went lookin' for ya. It was Mugs' idea!" He splayed his showing hand at Mugman who gasped.
"Oh my…" Toriel covered her mouth, and then looked at Mugman. "Did you now my child?"
"Oh! Y-yeah! I did!" Mugman beamed as he placed his fists on his hips proudly like a hero.
"And even if we stayed put, brawls were brewin' once them monsters started comin'" Cuphead jabbed the air with his fists a few times. "So we figyad, since ya said you were comin', we'd meet ya halfway!" He splayed his hands in explanation.
"Oh I see…" Toriel said as she bit her lower lip and held her right fist close to her chin. "And… what about the puzzles?"
Cuphead made raspberry sounds (which Mugman giggled to) as he flicked his hand down. "Pisacake."
Mugman looked at Cuphead in shock. "Wh-what didja just say?" He giggled.
Cuphead held his hands on his hips proudly. "Pisacake."
Looking away, Mugman squiggled a very big smile and he bit his lower lip trying to hold back laughter, while Cuphead raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Toriel glared strictly… but also clamped her mouth shut, trembling and fighting to hold back her laughter. "Mugman no!"
With one last snicker, Mugman gulped down his laughter and then rested his left hand on Cuphead's right shoulder. "It's piece of cake." He giggled. "And hey! I'm the one who solved em!" He pointed his thumb at himself.
Cuphead snickered. "Bro, some of em we just had to push rocks." He folded his arms.
"Oh yeah…" Mugman put the knuckle of his finger on his mouth in thought.
Toriel sighed. "I suppose… none of this would've happened if I was a lot more responsible… instead of making you wait for so long while I prepared this surprise…" She looked at the corner of her eyes in thought.
Cuphead and Mugman gasped. "Surprise?!" Their eyes glimmered in excitement.
"Wait let me guess…" Cuphead tapped his tinking chin three times. "Does the surprise have a bag of flour?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at Mugman.
"Butterscotch?" Mugman giggled and looked at Cuphead.
"AND Cinnamon?!" They both said in sync as they looked at Toriel. Without looking, they both bumped their closest fists at each other.
Smiling, sighing, and rolling her eyes, Toriel looked at the boys. "Why don't you boys come inside and see for yourself… before any one of you begin to spoil it." She chuckled.
Toriel stood up. "Come along children." She turned around and walked towards the direction she came from behind the tree.
The boys watched her go, then they looked at each other smiling, but then Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
"Uhh, what did I say?" Cuphead held his hands on his hips.
Mugman cupped his right hand on his own mouth and leaned closer to Cuphead's right imaginary ear to whisper. Cuphead's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped with a big smile on his face at what he understood. Tears started to form on Cuphead's face and he started to wheeze in laughter, while Mugman just covered his big smile with his two hands and he looked back at Cuphead with teary eyes as well.
Still with the jaw of his big teary smile dropped, Cuphead pointed his finger at Mugman and he spoke in a wheezing voice. "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" He cackled.
Mugman wheezed a few laughs of his own. "No they ain't bro! Even Toriel-!" He pointed his left thumb at the direction Toriel went… but then…
Cuphead and Mugman bit their lower lips as they tried to contain their big laughs within their bloated cheeks, realizing that even Toriel knew what they were talking about. They looked at each other, saw their goofy bloated faces, and finally unleashed their loudest laughter bottled up from their diaphragms all erupting to the ceiling. The laughter bounced and echoed across the halls making the laugh louder than it was supposed to be, and the boys didn't care. They both buddy hugged, leaned on each other for support, and let their arms and legs fall like jelly as they cried in laughter; they looked like a goofy upside-down V of two idiots slumped together with three waterfalls of tears (two waterfalls from their closest eyes mixed into one) and two gaped-open mouths twice the size of their face and the equal force of their leans balanced each other that they were able to keep standing. During this laugh, a yellow star glowed between their cheeks.
They laughed and laughed even as their stomachs started to hurt, then they started to cough and then breathe in between laughter 'til they could not laugh anymore and instead cough and cough while crying with tears. For a good few minutes this mix of coughing, breathing, panting, crying, and a few bits of laughing went on… until finally they both sighed with satisfaction and opened their eyes.
They both looked at each other with satisfied smiles, and then suddenly with closed eyes, Cuphead raised his right hand for a high-five.
"What?" Mugman raised an eyebrow.
"Yer not in trouble." Cuphead opened his eyes and grinned with his sparkly smile. "Yer welcome." He closed his eyes again, waiting for his high-five.
Mugman's eyes widened in realization, and then he smirked with a mischievous idea. He high-fived Cuphead's face, and the latter recoiled, widened his eyes, and gaped his mouth open in amused shock.
Mugman began bubbly giggling and started to run towards the direction Toriel went to, but Cuphead, as he fell forward due to Mugman leaving, caught Mugman's head handle, yanked bubbly squealing Mugman back to him (which also helped pull himself to a stand) and he sandwiched Mugman between a noogie on his right cheek, and a cheek-to-cheek rub cuddle on the other.
"Who's the best bro?" Cuphead teased.
"YOU! YOUUHUHUHAHA!" Mugman squealed as he kept laughing and struggling.
Cuphead giggled. "Nah." He turned his noogie into a hug that had one arm each buddy hugging the other and the other hand holding the other's hand. "You're the best bro."
"Awwww…" Mugman smiled warmly, closed his eyes, and folded his fingers on Cuphead's backhand. With a deep breath, Mugman took his time to enjoy the hug… but then he snickered at an idea. "Well duh, I'm still the one who solved most of 'em puzzles." He opened one eye to Cuphead and pointed his thumb at himself.
Cuphead's mouth gaped open. "Ohoho you wanna RUB it in?!" He began to give Mugman a noogie again as he said 'RUB', and the latter began laughing and squealing again. "You wanna RUB it in?!" He pressed his noogie even harder and then carried him with that noogie.
Mugman squealed in laughter and failed his arms around as he was carried. "CUPHEAD! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Giggling, Cuphead continued to happily noogie hysterically laughing Mugman while he walked around the tree towards the direction Toriel went… but then Cuphead stopped to a standstill, and curious Mugman gently stopped laughing and opened his eyes.
A small rectangular castle-like house stood in front of them; It had a doorless castle doorway with large cubes of rocks lining the arch, crenels lining the borders of the roof, and two long red beds of leaves flanking the left and right of the doorway.
"Is that Toriel's home?" Smiling Mugman looked at Cuphead as he pointed to the house.
"Oh wouldn't YOU like to know!" Cuphead smirked and noogied Mugman a little faster while he walked to the entrance.
"HEY-! HAAHAHA!" Mugman tried to push Cuphead away.
"Wouldn't YOU like to know!" Cuphead carried Mugman higher as he noogied him harder.
"STAHAHAHAHAP! CUPHEAHAHAHAHA!" Mugman tried to push himself away from Cuphead but he was being pushed back by the noogie on the other side of his face that pressed on him mildly painfully. "OW!"
Cuphead laughed. "That's what happens when you fight the looove bro." He said as he entered the castle doorway that had a wooden door being held open by patiently-waiting Toriel.
"NO!" Mugman continued to laugh while trying to get away from Cuphead. "I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS IS LO-..." But then…
As they passed through the door, Mugman began to sniff something sweet and buttery (and Cuphead watched curiously). Soon after, Cuphead was sniffing the air too. As they took a synchronized deep breath, there were two strings of brown buttery air that entered both their big nostrils. With their backs goofily bent backward (with their butts pointing up), they began floating in the air as they were sniffing and their floating bodies followed the scent trail.
Toriel giggled. "I am glad you loooove the surprise my children! Oh that reminds me!" She closed the front door, closed her eyes, turned towards Cuphead and Mugman, and then spread her hands. "SURPRISE!"
A few seconds of silence went on with no response.
Toriel opened her eyes, and they widened in shock as she saw they were not there. She ran to the hall to the left, where the dining room/living room was, and she saw Cuphead and Mugman floating side by side in the middle of the room; the room had a long rectangular table on the left with three chairs of varying sizes, a big brown sofa (one as big as Toriel), next to it a fireplace, a small two-foot tall bookshelf to the right of the fireplace, and a fireplace tool stand with four tools hanging in a circle (one tool resembled a shovel, one resembled a pike pole, and the other two were being shadowed by the aforementioned two at the front).
Dreamily sighing and sniffing, Cuphead and Mugman floated and followed the two strings of brown buttery scents which formed into two very thin gas hands that were flirtatiously rubbing the middle underside of their small and big noses respectively with their gaseous index fingers. The scent trail led to a hallway to the right… to a kitchen.
It had a light brown refrigerator on the leftmost, then a sink next to it, then a counter with a white chopping board, then the pie… Mmmm the pie.
The boys floated closer to the pie and as they were next to it, their sniffing sniffed faster. They opened their eyes, and they each made a big smile while their eyes reflected the image of the pie… but then, because they were conscious already, they fell down facedown to the floor. They pulled themselves up with the help of the counter ledge, stared at the pie with their butterscotch pie-shaped eyes and salivary tongues dangling and dripping from their mouths, and then licked one full clockwise round of their faces each like dogs. One more time, they sniffed the pie, and the brown buttery scent was then vacuumed into both their big nostrils.
With a big smile, Cuphead grabbed Mugman's blue tennis ball of a nose with his right hand and pulled it off of his face with a 'pop', and Mugman was surprised.
"Nhey!" Mugman glared at Cuphead annoyed, his voice changed as if his nose was being pinched.
Cuphead pinch-pulled off his own tiny nose and then pinned it to Mugman's face like it was a corkboard, while the latter reacted in surprise, but then smiled at the idea his brother was getting. Cuphead attached the big blue nose to his own face and Mugman giggled as he watched. In sync, they sniffed the pie once more, and the brown buttery scent was vacuumed to their nostrils.
"Ya know…" Mugman smirked; his voice turned squeaky and high-pitched, slightly like Cuphead's, but he still had his signature low voice. "Ya could've asked before ya yanked my snoot off."
"Aw come on pal!" Cuphead winked and gently elbowed Mugman's closest elbow; his voice turned nasally and slightly lower-pitched, but he still had his evidently squeaky voice. "Ya were thinkin' the same thing."
Mugman giggled. "Ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin?" He buddy hugged Cuphead while raising an eyebrow to him in suggestion.
"OHHH YEAH!" Cuphead firmly buddy hugged Mugman
They each reached out a free hand towards the pie.
"CHILDREN!" Toriel yelled from behind.
Toriel rushed in and gently caught Cuphead and Mugman's reaching hands.
Toriel sighed in relief. "That was close! Better to wait for it to cool my chi…" Slowly, Her eyes grew shocked and confused.
Cuphead with a big blue nose and Mugman with a tiny red nose were looking back at her attentively as if there was nothing wrong.
"Oh my! What happened to your noses?!" Toriel backed off slowly a bit.
Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other and then gasped. "Ohhh!" They giggled, detached their noses, and put them back to their appropriate faces.
"We just did the old switcheroo!" Cuphead switched the positions of his pointed-up index fingers.
"More like a-!" Mugman snickered. "Switch-a-snoot!" He goofily booped his own nose.
Cuphead gasped and his eyes turned into stars. "EYY! OKAY WE'RE OFFICIALLY CALLING IT THAT!" He tightened his buddy hug that they clinked.
They shared a laugh together mixed with Cuphead's squeaky hiccups and Mugman's pig snorts.
Toriel continued to stare at them shocked and confused. Cuphead and Mugman looked at her and noticed.
"Oh! Before ya blow your wig…" Mugman raised his right index finger in explanation.
In sync, they grasped their head handles with their left hands, looked at each other with a smile, then nodded.
"Blow my..." Toriel glared at them offended and covered her ears. "THIS NOT A WI-!"
Suddenly they pulled their heads up 'popping' them from their necks.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Toriel backed off, hands clinging to the walls.
Cuphead cackled and slapped his left knee. "That prank never gets old!"
They clinked their heads together happily like a drinking toast.
Mugman giggled. "We're okay by the way. It's just a thing me and my bro could do." Mugman shrugged his shoulders as he smiled apologetically at Toriel.
"It's great for stacking too!" Cuphead scooped up Mugman's head with his own, causing the latter to squeal.
They laughed together as they enjoyed a moment of being stacked together.
Toriel was holding her chest as she panted, but then she let out a big exhale to relax and then smiled intrigued at what she had learned.
"Well… You certainly did surprise me." Toriel chuckled nervously, but then covered her head and looked at the corner of her eyes. "I do not have a wig…" She said to herself saddened.
"No no!" Cuphead wiped his free right hand left and right as if he was erasing something. "'Blow your wig' meaning ya… ya just… uhh, what does it mean?" He looked above him where Mugman's stacked head was smirking back at him.
Mugman giggled. "Get excited."
"Yeah, what he said." Cuphead smiled in relaxation.
"He has bad comblahblahsion." Mugman grinned cheekily while his body pointed its thumb to Cuphead.
"Gee!" Cuphead folded his arms and glared annoyed at Mugman. "You wanna announce that on the radio pal?"
Mugman cleared his throat, then stretched out his straw which turned into a gloved hand, and turned the mouth of Cuphead's red-striped bendy straw towards him. "Stay tuned to Cuphead radio for more dum-dum comblahblahsion of my best friend." He said in his radio announcer voice.
Smirking, Cuphead hit Mugman's side head with his right palm, causing him to laugh bubbly. "Get outta here!"
Playfully and roughly, Cuphead lifted bubbly laughing Mugman's head from his own and tried to shove him back onto Mugman's neck, but then Mugman's straw gloved hand gripped hard onto Cuphead's bendy straw.
"REMEMBER ME FANS!" Squeaky and bubbly Mugman spoke to Cuphead's straw like it was a mic that his bendy straw desperately clung to. "REMEMBER WHO TOLD YOU OF THE TRUTH ABOUT CUPHEAD!"
Cuphead giggled. "LET GO!" He tried to yank Mugman's head away.
"NO!" Mugman giggled as he continued to cling to Cuphead's bendy straw.
Toriel's gentle smile widened with her left side teeth showing as she watched snarky Cuphead try to pull Mugman off of his straw while teasing him, and Mugman kept squealing and laughing with such thrill while continuously talking about Cuphead being a dum dum, and then soon Cuphead challenges about how much of a dum dum Mugman is as well.
"They're definitely not them… but…" Toriel's smile closed and tears began to form in her eyes.
Finally, Mugman's grip on Cuphead's straw slipped through, and the former's head was put back on his respective neck. Cuphead wrapped his arm around Mugman's neck trapping the latter, grabbed the latter's blue straw, and, like it was a mic, spoke through it repeatedly "Mugman is a dum dum! Mugman is a dum dum!" all while Mugman struggled and whined "Cuphead stop! Quit it already!"
"Children!" Toriel gently called.
Cuphead and Mugman looked at Toriel in a pose of Cuphead pausing from talking to Mugman's straw and the latter pushing Cuphead's face away to the point he was squishing his face.
"I have another surprise for you." Toriel tilted her head to the right, raised her eyebrow, and smiled. "If you become best friends again that is."
The boys both gasped and smiled at the same time. They let go of each other, and Cuphead held out his hand for a handshake.
"Let's call it a dum-dum truce!" Cuphead said, closed eyes and smiling.
Mugman giggled. "Yeah!" He takes Cuphead's hand. "Dum-dum truce!"
They shook their hands once… but then, with those same hands, they high-fived each other, then low-fived, high-fived their straw hands together, and then clinked their heads together.
"Bro!" They said as they winked at each other.
Cuphead and Mugman both shared a moment of laughter, and soon Toriel laughed along. She took both their hands, walked them out of the kitchen, then back to the main entrance hall, and then towards an unfamiliar long hallway where three doors about three-four feet apart stood on the left wall; the hallway in order was a light torch, the first room door, a tall flower vase with reeds, a side table with a small flower vase with a six-petalled red flower, and an empty long frame behind the red flower (Cuphead and Mugman could not see clearly what the rest of the hallway comprised of). They approached the first door on the left.
"Well… This is it!" Toriel said happily as they approached the first door on the left.
All three of them, Cuphead, Toriel, and Mugman, stood looking at the door.
"It's a room for the both of you!" Toriel rubbed her hands on the front rims of their heads. "I hope you like it."
Mugman and Cuphead gasped, looked at each other with smiles, and they both opened the door together (Mugman twisted the handle while Cuphead pushed the door).
The walls were painted cozy red, and the floors were lined with light brown planks with lots of perpendicular crosses. There was a large lamp on the left, a flower crayon drawing attached to the wall, a chest, a shelf full of shoes with some papers and an empty photo frame on top of the shelf, a wardrobe, a bed, two goat-shaped stuffed animals on the right of the bed, and an open chest full of toys down of the bed.
"Wwwowww…" Cuphead and Mugman said as they scanned the room, but then frowned at the bed which looked fit for only one.
Toriel gasped. "Oh my!" She covered her mouth and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry, I only prepared a room for one!" She facepalmed herself and breathed through her teeth. "I'll be right back, I'll see if I can find another bed."
Toriel rushed to the right along the long hallway, and Cuphead and Mugman smiled gratefully as they watched her go.
"So…" Cuphead placed his hands on his hips and smirked at Mugman. "Wanna call the truce off and wrestle? Winnah gets the beeed!" He sang a tune as he said 'beeed', held his hands up and wiggled his fingers at the ready.
Mugman squiggle-smiled in excitement and reflexively covered his side stomachs with his hands at what those wiggly fingers meant... but then shyly looked at the lower left corners of his eyes and began touching his index fingers together. "I-I was thinkin'…. I was thinkin' that we could…" He smiled sheepishly, looked at Cuphead, and raised his palms face-up. "Share it?"
"Share it?!" Cuphead snickered. "We'd hardly fit!" He raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips.
Frowning, Mugman rubbed his left elbow and looked away shyly. "M-mmoow waisins tu mmmmdlllee."
Cuphead blinked confused but then smirked. "Speak up bro."
Mugman let out a big sigh. "You'd laugh…" Head-turned to his left, He looked at Cuphead by the upper right corners of his eyes.
"Yeah, so?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "I still wanna hear ya, don't leave me hangin'."
Head still left-turned, Mugman glared. "Now that's just mean…"
"What?!" Cuphead stared shocked but then sighed as he dropped his arms. "Well... I can't promise I won't laugh…" He walked towards Mugman and held his shoulders. "But I'll be honest."
Mugman grunted and turned his eyes away towards the left. "I know, that's why you're the worst."
"Aw come on! You're my best pal!" Cuphead gave a big grin and raised his shoulders for a moment. "Whatever it is I'll lend ear to ya… if I had one that is." He giggled at his own pun.
Mugman smiled, turned his head to Cuphead, and then shyly rubbed his arm. "I said…" He looked at the lower left corner of his eyes. "…more reasons to… to cuddle?" He tilted his head to normal and grinned.
Cuphead glared in shocked confusion and let go of Mugman's shoulders… and then his eyes turned bored and unamused.
Mugman's smile grew forceful and bigger. "I-it's a good ol' manly brotherly cuddle o 'course!" He chuckled nervously as he raised his shy and shivering left index finger in explanation. "Y-ya know… the brawlin'…" He gently punched the air twice. "The wrestlin'" He lunged his chest forward like he was doing a body slam. "The huggin'" He hugged and swayed himself twice. "And uhh Elder Kettle singin' 'til we're snoozin'…" He looked at the ceiling with a dreamy smile… but then shook himself awake. "B-but I-I can do the singin' 'stead!" He looked at Cuphead… but was surprised to see he wasn't there anymore.
Mugman looked to the right and saw Cuphead was already climbing up the bed.
As he watched, Mugman's eyes became glossy and watery, and he closed his eyes as he sighed in disappointment. "I-it…." He sniffed and wiped a tear. "I-it's okay… y-you can take it, I-I'll j-just…" He started walking toward the right.
"Hey! Where're ya goin'?" Cuphead called out.
Mugman stopped, confused about why he was called, and then he turned to look at Cuphead.
Cuphead was sitting on the bed, smiling warmly and spreading his arms wide. "I thought ya said ya wanna cuddle?" He raised an eyebrow… But then he widened his eyes realizing what he said, and then cleared his throat loudly. "I MEAN-!" He cleared it again loudly. "Manly bro cuddle?" He warmly smiled and spread his arms again.
Home: watch?v=IotSCSLOKnc
From a devastated frown, Mugman slow-gasped 'til his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped surprised… and then… he slow-exhaled with a dreamy "Haaaaaaa…" accompanied with the happiest and purest open-mouth smile, knuckles squeezing his base (chin), and twinkling eyes of a wish coming true.
Cuphead blushed, surprised at how cute Mugman looked. He quickly shut his eyes and looked away "MUGS!" He sighed. "Oh brother…" He thought as he opened and rolled his eyes, and smiled on his hidden left lip. "Don't look at me like that."
Starting with a bubbly giggle, arms forward and open for a hug, Mugman ran to the bed, went around to the left side (Cuphead's open arms followed Mugman as the latter moved), and tackled Cuphead with a big bubbly laugh. Cuphead caught Mugman, and they giggled together as they crashed onto the soft cushy pillow on their heads.
Cuphead closed his eyes and sighed half-dreamily and half-wishful of something manlier. "You are such a baby bro."
From his closed-eyes wish come true indulging the cuddle, Mugman's eyes burst open. "BABY BRO?!" He glared confidently at Cuphead.
With one big battle grunt, Mugman rolled Cuphead over behind him, spun him to his back, and kicked his butt off the bed.
Upon landing his bum on the floor, Cuphead's eyes widened in surprise at what just happened.
Meanwhile, Mugman was bubbly giggling, kicking off his shoes, and then digging his feet under the covers of the soft blanket until…
"HEY!" Cuphead sprung standing, glaring with his big villainous smile at Mugman who jolted bubbly screaming, and cowering while trying to sink his body as far as the bed can sink.
"NGGAAH!" Cuphead grabbed hold of Mugman's body and tried to yank him out, but Mugman had his fingers and toes clawed to the sides of the bed that he was clinging to it with bubbly screaming and laughter.
"NOOOOHOHOHO! NOOOOOHAHAHOHOHO!" Mugman screamed with tears splashing out of his eyes each time he was being pulled from the bed but it was failing.
"YA DON'T WANNA LET GO?!" As he yanked, Cuphead towered his face over Mugman's squiggly smiling, shivering, and thrilled face.
"NOOOHOHOHOHO!" Mugman shook his head more intensely.
Cuphead let go of Mugman, raised his wiggly fingers high "YA DON'T WANNA LET GO?!" AND DARTED HIS FINGERS TO MUGMAN'S SIDE STOMACHS.
Bursting out in the loudest laughter and the loudest snorts, Mugman buckled his arms and legs and wiggled his body all over the bed trying to avoid the tickly wiggly fingers drabbling on his side stomachs. Cuphead giggled and moved his wiggly tickly fingers up to Mugman's armpits, and back down to his side stomachs, and Mugman's laughter loudened and softened depending on Cuphead's finger pressure. Cuphead kept wiggling his fingers, reveling at Mugman's bubbly laughter with evil laughter of his own… until Mugman started to kick the air.
"AH! FOUL, YOU DON'T KICK ME IN THE FACE!" With that, Cuphead rolled up Mugman with the blanket he was under, and carried him above his head as if he was about to throw him.
"NOOOO!" Mugman said joyfully screaming, laughing, snorting, and wriggling to break free of his cocoon blanket. "NOOOHOHOHOHAHAHA!"
Cuphead threw Mugman down the bed and he bounced up to the wall, which then bounced back to Cuphead and he caught hysterically laughing Mugman with his hands like a ball (Mugman didn't feel pain because the blanket cushioned the hits). He threw Mugman down to the bed again, and he bounced up to the wall and then bounced back to Cuphead who then caught Mugman on his chest, and then, on the floor behind him, body slammed him down like a wrestler, causing the room to shake. Mugman kept laughing hysterically while snorting and crying his bubbly heart out. Cuphead grabbed the blanket and pulled it sending Mugman spinning so fast like a top that it caused the latter's laughter to spin as well like he was in a spinning ride. After like 10 super-fast spins, Mugman landed face down on the floor pounding and kicking the floor with his fists and feet while his eyes were spinning and he was still laughing.
Meanwhile, Cuphead got on the bed, kicked off his shoes, whipped the blanket in the air, and held his hands open as he let the blanket fall gently onto his body… and then suddenly Mugman playfully snarled like a monster with his 'RAAAR!' and tried to pounce on Cuphead, but Cuphead's reflexes caught Mugman's wrists before the latter's fingers could touch him. They bubbly laughed as Cuphead struggled to keep the latter at bay while Mugman kept pressing his hands forward to get a hold of him.
"IIIII'M GONNA GET YA!" Mugman said playfully as he tried to push his hands towards Cuphead.
Cuphead giggled. "Huh? Whatcha say Mugsy?" He raised an eyebrow
"IIII'M GONNA GET YA!" Mugman said louder and pushed his hands harder, but Cuphead's grip was too strong.
Cuphead giggled. "Oh? How are ya gonna get me?" He said as he drabbled his fingers teasingly onto Mugman's hands he caught.
Mugman leaned back as far as he could, and then bumped his forehead onto Cuphead's forehead with a loud clink and an "EGH!".
Cuphead laughed out loud at the silly forehead clink. Mugman pushed his forehead and nose against Cuphead's forehead and nose, and the latter pushed back as they play some sort of face forehead-nose push-o-war. They were squishing their noses against each other, pushing their foreheads so hard it hurt, and playfully growling their voices out…
"I'M GONNA GET YAAAAAAAAAA….!" Mugman kept yelling his battle cry on and on
"NO YOU'RE NAAAHAHAHAHAAAA…!" Cuphead yelled his own battle cry on and on.
Their voices clashed and they kept yelling on and on and on as if it was a contest on whose voice would tire out first, all while Mugman kept pressing his hands forward while Cuphead kept holding them back, and they pressed their foreheads and noses together with all their strength… until Cuphead broke into laughter with harmless ticklish squeaky hiccups in between because of such fun he had, and it caused his grip on Mugman's wrists to loosen.
Mugman laughed as well at the victory he won, feeling a bit ticklish as Cuphead's nose was wiggling on his nose... and remembered how Elder Kettle used to wiggle his nose spout onto Mugman's big baby nose years ago… but also because of Cuphead's infectious laughter. His evil smile grew as he looked at Cuphead who was just laughing there wide-open for him to be tickled back… but then his evil eyes gently melted into
warm endearing ones.
Cuphead kept laughing and laughing, not caring about what was gonna happen anymore nor about his in-between squeaky hiccups that he found slightly annoying, he knew he had lost and was okay with it… but then he was hugged and clinked on his right face, and he gasped and stopped laughing in surprise. When Cuphead looked, it was closed-eyes Mugman smiling and snuggling on his face like he was his favorite teddy bear.
"Good night buddy." Mugman gently said as he squeezed his hug a little.
Cuphead's heart melted so much that he just smiled, but that smile smirked a bit, half-wishing he got some tickles as well. He one arm hugged Mugman closer to him, gently laid him to the right on the bed, and closed his eyes. "Good night pal."
They both moved and wiggled their bodies 'til they were both under the cover of their one blanket, and both within the tiny bed they were sleeping on, without breaking their hug. In sync, they took a deep breath each and sighed it out dreamily as they slept into their own dreams.
From outside the room, Toriel sighed. "I suppose I will just have to sleep on the couch for… a very long time." She entered the open room and smiled. "Good news! I found an extra b-"
Mugman and Cuphead were peacefully snuggled in the tiny bed for one; Mugman was tightly hugging Cuphead, while the latter was one-arm buddy hugging him, but soon he hugged Mugman with his other arm as well, mimicking Mugman's teddy bear hug. Bubbles soon floated up from their heads as they entered into dreaming.
Toriel smiled warmly and chuckled to herself. She walked over to the lamp and switched it off with a 'CLICK!'. Then, the sound of clockwork being winded up turned once... twice... thrice… frice (four times)… five times… then it paused… then played into a gentle music box melody.
Music Box Song: watch?v=DyT-EqLNJ_M
Toriel walked back to the door… but stopped halfway to the center of the room. She smiled, letting her tears fall on her face… and after a moment's thought, she turned to the boys.
She walked over to them, gazed at their gentle and pure sleeping smiles, then kissed Mugman's forehead, and then kissed Cuphead's.
Toriel stood there, watching them. "A second chance… thank you."
She walked to the door, leaving Cuphead and Mugman to sleep with the music box melody.
To the boys, it was a sweet gentle melody… to Toriel… she smiled very wide, as it reminded her of…
"Home…" Toriel turned to the boys from the half-closed door (tears whipped from her eyes as she turned). "Welcome home… my children."
With that, she closed the door, and the room was dark.
-End of Chapter 7-
I forgot to add in Chapter 4 "Not Really feeling Up to it Right now sorry' this song.
Music:
Napstablook Music (Recommended 2x speed): watch?v=yeJx04_47Lc