Chapter 7
I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends except the kids. All credit goes to Mondo Media
Russell stormed inside the house and slammed the door behind him as he rushed up the stairs to the bedroom, causing Lumpy to peek his head out into the hall to see what was going on. Once he saw the two drenched bluenettes, his eyes widened in confusion and wanted to know exactly what happened. "Russell." The former pirate ignored him and set Umi on the ground and kneeling down to her eye level. "Listen, I want you to dry yourself off and changed clothes so you don't get sick, okay?" Umi nodded before heading towards the bathroom, and Russell slammed the bedroom door behind him quickly.
Lumpy threw open the door to see his husband struggling to remove his shirt before tossing it to the floor. "Russell, will you please tell me what's going on." He demanded while closing the door behind him. His eyes widened at the trail of fading bruises across Russell's torso as he kicked off his pants and boxers, reaching for the closet until Lumpy grabbed him. The two stood in silence for a moment before Lumpy cupped his cheek gently. "Calm down and talk, okay?" Russell nodded silently, and Lumpy's eyes widened when he saw tears run down his face. "Y-You were right about him," He choked out a response before covering his face with his hands. "Alexander found out about us, and he found out who Umi really was. He's been watching us, Lumpy; he's been watching all of us," He erupted into sobs, and Lumpy pulled him close to comfort him. "He wanted to make sure I was dead permanently, so that's why he came back. He wants to take over Happy Tree Town and use it for a base, and he said he would kill anyone who opposed them-" He was cut off by coughing up blood into his hand and shivering. "They almost fed Umi to the Kracken, and he's gonna attack the town in an hour," Russell pulled away with wide eyes and darted away. "I need to warn them."
"Hey, hey slow down," Lumpy pulled on his arm and gave him a tight hug. "I can tell everyone what's going on. Just take it easy."
"Lumpy, I can't just-" He was cut off when Lumpy pulled him forward for a fierce kiss, running fingers through his hair and keeping him close. When they separated, Lumpy kept a hand on his cheek lovingly and gave him a soft gaze. "Get yourself warmed up, and I'll warn the others." As stubborn and reluctant Russell was, he couldn't deny that he was a cold, shivering mess from the swim in the ocean. He nodded silently before heading towards the bathroom.
After 20 minutes, Lumpy had managed to brief whoever he had in his contacts about the situation and told them to hide in case pirates might invade their home. Umi, now dressed in warm clothes, held onto him tightly and followed him wherever he went. The older bluenette heard footsteps and turned to the stairs to see Russell dressed in a red and white stripped shirt, blue jeans, knee-length brown boots with low heels, a long black coat, and his infamous jolly roger hat. Lumpy glanced at his waist to see his sword tucked in its sheath carefully, and he lowered his head in response. His old pirate attire. I thought he got rid of it. Why's he wearing it? He turned to the toddler and gave her a look, signaling that he wanted to talk to the bluenette alone. Umi nodded and quietly made her way up the stairs.
Lumpy pulled Russell into a tight hug, and Russell didn't hesitate to return it. The older bluenette nuzzled his neck with closed eyes and kissed his cheek. "You don't have to do this, you know?"
"If I don't, who will?" Russell pulled back and cupped both of his cheeks gently and pulled his face close. "They might do something to you and Umi, and I don't want that to happen." Lumpy leaned in and softly took his lips with his own, causing Russell's hands to trail down and grab his shirt. The older bluenette deepened the kiss and stroked his sides gently as Russell grabbed a handful of hair before they both pulled away. "You know what to do, right?" His husband nodded in response with a nuzzle. "Lock the doors, turn off the lights, close the curtains, and keep quiet."
"Why am I so lucky to have you?" Russell replied with a smile before kissing his cheek with a nuzzle. "Just wanted to make sure everything is under control."
"But, what about you?" Russell lowered his head and held the other's arms, and Lumpy's heart filled with concern. "You know I have to do this."
"I know," Lumpy sighed and pecked his nose. "Just stay safe." Russell nodded and gave his husband a final kiss before stepping out of the front door and out of sight.
Shifty loaded the gun in his hand before handing it to his twin, who reluctantly took it with a concerned gaze. Shifty then began to close the blinds and turn off all of the lights before leading his brother and sons upstairs into a bathroom, closing the door behind them in a hurry. "Daddy, what's gonna happen to us?" Jack asked with a frightened tone as he and his older half were placed in the bathtub.
"Nothing, because we're gonna be okay," The older thief replied softly before heading for the door once again. "Stay with them until I get back."
"But Shif-"
"Please, brother. We won't stand a chance, especially when we have so much more on the line," He cupped the younger's cheek with a worried glance as he took a quick peek at the two behind the shower curtain. "We're thieves, not fighters. Let's leave this to the others." After a pause, Lifty nodded and pecked his brother's lips before the elder disappeared to grab whatever supplies they needed to survive the attack.
Once Shifty returned, he locked the bathroom door behind him and gave the toddlers a few pillows and some blankets in case they had no choice but to spend the night in the bathroom. The twins nodded in a sign of thanks as they began to get settled in as the older thief stayed close to the door in case there was a shooting that needed to be done.
Sniffles removed a tile from the floor to reveal a hidden trap door underneath. He threw it open before turning to his boyfriend and children. "Alright, we may still have time, but I'd rather we hide now to be cautious."
"Daddy, what are we hiding from?" Candy pipped up from behind her siblings as Sniffles got to his feet. "We're hiding from pirates so they won't hurt us."
"And we'll be safe in there?" Sammy asked while pointing to the secret passage, and Sniffles nodded in response before ushering his son towards it. Danny gave a concerned glance to both of his parents before slowly climbing down the latter. Once he was far down enough, Nutty ushered his daughters to follow him, although Candy was reluctant to leave her mother's side. "It's okay. I'll be right behind you." After a moment, the youngest triplet followed her sister down the latter, and once she was far enough, Nutty began to climb down after before glancing up at the bluenette. "Are you getting whatever we need left?" Sniffles nodded and pecked his lips sweetly. "Yeah. It won't take me long." The greenette nodded before descending into the bunker with his children.
Sniffles carried a bag of extra supplies over his shoulder as he stepped down the latter, closing the trap door along the way before reaching the bunker and keeping a gun close to him. He stepped over towards the nearby bed and pulled Nutty close to him as the triplets kept far away from the door. The five of them huddled together in hopes they would never be found by the pirates.
Flippy threw curtains closed with a glare before storming towards the kitchen and turning off all of the lights as Flaky and Ruby stayed close towards the stairs in silence. Ruby held onto her mother's leg in fear as she shrouded away, afraid of the look her father had on his face as Flaky decided to stay out of his way. Once all of the lights were turned off, Flippy pulled his family towards a nearby closet and nearly threw it open. He took a handgun and a knife and gave it to the red-head before closing the door. "Flippy-"
"You know why you have that." The veteran pulled the two of them close, giving them both a peck on the cheek before hearing a knock on the door. The three paused before Flaky ushered himself and his daughter out of sight as Flippy headed for the front door quietly. He looked through the peep hole and breathed out a sigh of relief before turning to the others. "It's okay, just Fliqpy." The greenette opened the door to allow his doppelganger inside and Fliqpy tossed another gun at him. "You might need it. Who knows how many pirates we'll be up against."
"I appreciate it," Flippy took the gun from him and nodded before glancing at the two red-heads with a loving gaze. Ruby stepped forward to hug her father and uncle tightly, who didn't hesitate to return it, and Flaky followed suit, first hugging Fliqpy before stepping towards his husband and cupping his cheeks. The two pulled each other into a deep kiss and stayed in that position until Fliqpy coughed to get their attention. The couple pulled away, and Flaky's hands rested on the greenette's shoulders as Flippy grabbed his chin. "Stay safe." He muttered softly.
"You too." They gave each other a final kiss before the two greenettes exited the house and locked the door behind them. Flaky lowered his head with a concerned gaze as Ruby nuzzled his leg. He grabbed his daughter by the hand and lead her towards the living room and pulled out his phone. "We'll be okay," He whispered as she positioned herself in his lap. "Daddy's gonna protect us don't worry." Ruby said nothing but snuggle up to her mother with closed eyes. The red-head looked over at the ring on his finger and fear filled his chest once again. "Please be safe, Flippy."
Handy cocked his gun as he lead Petunia and Lilac to the basement, making sure there wasn't a ruckus behind them. He threw open the door and ushered them inside, slamming the door behind them and locking it. "Handy, are you sure the pirates will attack?" Petunia asked with concern as she pulled the toddler closer to her. Lilac hid behind his mother with a frightened gaze as his father barricaded the door. "Lumpy wouldn't lie to me," He responded with a stern gaze. "He wouldn't lie about something as serious as this. Besides, you know how these pirates are. Now that Russell isn't leading them, they're different from who they were when we last saw them."
"Yeah, but. ." The bluenette trailed off with a lowered head as Lilac held onto her arm tightly with a whimper Handy stepped closer to them and lifted her chin so she was facing him. A moment later, he pulled the other into a gentle kiss as his other hand cupped her cheek. The two were still for a moment before Petunia pulled back, feeling more relaxed than before, although she still had a bit of concern hiding in her gaze. She soon nodded and glanced down at the toddler holding onto her leg tightly. Lilac glanced up at his parents with frightened eyes and turned towards the small window to see the sun slowly begin to set. "Papa, Mama, what's gonna happen to us?"
"Nothing. We're going to stay here and be safe," Handy picked him up and held the violette-haired toddler in his arms. "Mama and Papa will make sure to protect you especially."
"Really?" Both parents nodded before heading to a place to sit. Petunia was hesitate due to the dust in the area, but sat next to her husband and son. Lilac sat in her lap and leaned against the bluenette with closed eyes. Petunia and Handy gave each other concerned glances and squeezed each other's hands in comfort.
As the rest of the town prepared for the attack, Russell sat on top of a hill where he could spot the town below him and see the ship resting on the water. He placed a hand over his eye patch and lowered his head, thinking back to the night of the mutiny. He began to believe Alexander was fooling him into making him believe he was on Russell's side and reciprocated his feelings before the mutiny took place. The feeling of betrayal lingered in his chest as a glare grew on his face before lifting his head back to the ship once again. Russell wanted to avoid conflict, but because his old crew were threatening his family and friends, they didn't give him much of a choice; the thought of Umi or Lumpy dying at the hands of Alexander was something he didn't want to imagine. If anything, he believed it would immediately set off his hysteria.
Once the sun disappeared, Russell stood up from his spot, clutching the sheathed sword in his right hand and waited for the pirates to arrive on land. This time, he would be able to finish what they started and put his past behind him for good.
