Thank you all so much for the positive reception to the first Cuphead Show fic I posted on here. Since it got so popular I was a little worried to post a follow up. But I did have this idea, since there are a couple of fics out there where Cuphead lost his soul I wondered what it would be like for him if Mugman managed to bring him back. Let me know what you think and if you want more chapters set in this universe.

Cuphead bolted upright, shock spreading through his system. What the hell happened? He felt like he was in some sort of daze.

"Cuphead!" He heard excited shouts from both Mugman and Elder Kettle, and an instant later felt both pairs of arms wrapped around him. "You're ok!"

"We were so worried."

"We thought you were gone forever!"

"I missed you so much!" Both were talking over each other and his clothes were starting to get wet, were they crying?

"Wha-? What happened?" Cuphead asked. Mugman and Elder Kettle released their grip and looked at each other with concern. Did Cuphead not remember what happened to him? How were they going to break the news to him?

"Uh…Cuphead? What exactly do you remember?" Mugman asked him cautiously. That was a good question. What did he remember? Now that his senses were starting to come back to him he tried to focus.

"Um…I remember being in the forest with you." Cuphead started. Mugman nodded encouragingly, trying to get him to keep going. "And then The Devil showed up, we tried fighting him off, but eventually he got the upper hand and then….then there was nothing. Just darkness, and I heard screaming, and I remember being really scared…" Cuphead trailed off as he started putting the pieces together. Oh god, no. No, he couldn't have. It couldn't have really happened, could it? "The Devil he…he took my soul, didn't he?" Mugman nodded as terror flooded through Cuphead.

"He did. I'm so sorry Cuphead, I tried to protect ya, I really did, but I couldn't stop him! I just had to watch as he…" Mugman trailed off, tears pricking at his eyes as he remembered that fateful day.

"I ain't mad at you Mugsy." Cuphead was quick to reassure his brother. "It's just…"

"I know, it's a lot to take in." Mugman said, wiping his tears away. "But I wasn't gonna give up, I knew there had to be a way to get your soul back. So we kept your body alive while we searched for ways to do it and reunite the soul with the body. It looks like it finally worked."

"But, The Devil! He's gonna be so mad that…"

"It's ok Cuphead." Mugman interrupted. "He doesn't know we've taken your soul back, he thinks you're still in the soul vault." Cuphead let out a sigh of relief about that. "Just make sure you don't accidentally run into him when walking around town and you'll be fine." Cuphead nodded. He should be able to do that. The Devil didn't come up to the surface much, it seemed he only did it recently to get Cuphead's soul, and, well, that wasn't going to be an issue anymore, was it?

Cuphead then noticed that Elder Kettle was in the room with him. Whoops, guess he heard all that, didn't he? But he didn't look surprised. "So I'm guessing Elder Kettle knows what happened?" he asked.

"Cuphead, the whole town knows what happened to you." Mugman told him. "We had to explain your disappearance somehow so…"

"Wait, disappearance?!" Cuphead interrupted. "How long was I gone?" Mugman and Elder Kettle gave each other another concerned look, wondering how to break this to him gently.

"...Six months. You were gone for six months." Mugman admitted. Cuphead shot up in bed again. Six months?! That was such a long time! He didn't think he had been gone nearly that long. Time didn't really mean anything in the underworld.

"Whoa, Cuphead, be careful." Elder Kettle advised him. "I don't know what it's like to have your soul forced back into your body, but I would imagine that you're not back to 100 percent quite yet." Cuphead nodded, he knew that he was right, his head was swimming and his limbs felt like they had turned to jelly, but the words "six months" just kept ringing in his mind. Has he really been gone that long? Trapped in the soul vault, in the clutches of The Devil? Kept in darkness, away from his family? His family, who must have been worried sick about him? Who was trying this whole time to get his soul back? Tears started to escape from his eyes and before he knew it he was sobbing. Mugman and Elder Kettle looked at him, concerned. They couldn't remember the last time he had cried like that, but damn it if the circumstances didn't warrant it. Mugman and Elder Kettle hugged him again, tears leaking from their eyes as well. They were so afraid that they would never be able to do this again. That they had lost Cuphead for good. Mugman in particular relished this hug. After all this time researching, sneaking around, coming up with a plan, it was all worth it just to hold his brother again. Cuphead reciprocated the hug, holding them tighter than he ever had before.

"Thank…Thank you. Thank you for bringing me back." He said through his tears.

"Of course." Mugman replied. "What else was I supposed to do? Just let The Devil have you? Leave you in the soul vault? You've always been there for me, I was just trying to return the favor. I need you Cuphead. I can't live without you." Cuphead cried harder at that. He knew his brother loved him, but it was nice to hear him say it out loud.

"I need you too Mugsy." He replied. "And Elder Kettle, I'm so sorry I got mixed up with the devil. It was an accident really, I…"

"Shh…" Elder Kettle shushed him affectionately. "It's alright Cuphead, what's done is done. I'm just glad that you're alright." Cuphead continued to cry on his family's shoulders for awhile until eventually the tears ran out. "So, how are you feeling? You know, physically?" Elder Kettle asked him.

"Not great." Cuphead admitted. "My limbs feel like they've been turned to Jello"

"Yeah, not moving around much for six months will do that." Elder Kettle told him. "Just rest up for now. We'll work on getting your strength back." Cuphead nodded. "Come on Mugman, I think it's time we let him rest."

"Wait!" Both brothers shouted at the same time. They both looked at each other, as if silently debating who should go first. Eventually, Cuphead continued. "If you don't mind Mugsy, would you mind staying with me? It's just…I don't wanna…" Ugh, he sounded so weak right now. He wasn't great with all this emotional stuff, expressing his feelings wasn't his strong suit. Luckily Mugman seemed to pick up what he meant.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." He admitted. "I know it's silly, but I'm worried that you're gonna disappear again. Like you waking up this time was a fluke."

"It's not silly." Cuphead told him. He had been thinking the same thing. Mugman had climbed into bed with his brother. It was a tight squeeze for the two of them, but neither minded. Mugman held his brother tightly, like he would slip away again if he let go. Cuphead sunk into his brother's embrace, slowly drifting off to sleep. Elder Kettle smiled and closed the door, letting the cups have their rest. After everything they went through, they deserved it.