Hello all! So this will be my first Cuphead fanfiction. A few things to note before we begin:

I have never played the game (it's on Xbox and I do not own one because I'm a Sony and Nintendo girl for life. Here's to hoping it'll be on the PS4 one day), but I've watched several people on YouTube play it and I get the storyline, mostly because it is real straightforward. I do love the mechanics and the graphics, and I think the co-op is pretty neat. Overall that game definitely deserves the praise it gets!

With that being said, I've seen the Cuphead fandom and noticed it's still relatively new, so I wanted to add my story to the list. Besides, they are brothers and I'm a sap for brotherly stories, soooo... here we are!

This story will contain a few things not suitable for younger audiences, which will be mentioned in whatever chapter it will appear in. This is just a general warning.

That's all for my notes; please enjoy! I own nothing but this plot. This is set about three years after the game ends, and since I'm not sure on the official ages, for this story, Cuphead will be 15 and Mugman will be 14. If anyone knows how old they are, please let me know! Thank you and enjoy!

Brother's Soul

Chapter 1

Mugman sat in his and Cuphead's room, looking outside as he paused in his writing. He'd taken to writing in a notebook sometimes whenever he needed to clear his mind- it wasn't exactly a diary, per se, because he never kept it private- he knew Cuphead had read it a few times- but it was more of a means to dump his thoughts out. And right now, he needed to do that.

The sky was perfectly clear, save for a few clouds that floated past. A butterfly flew past his window and Mugman smiled lightly before looking down at the latest page he was writing. It wasn't super long, but it felt like he'd been writing for ages. He rested his head in his hand and felt that familiar crack running down his face. It started at the top of his head, and ended just under his bottom lip.

It hadn't gotten easy for the younger of the brothers, and despite the time, there were scars that would never fade, both inside and out. A lot of healing to be done, but at least he could say he WAS healing, compared to when he first started...

Mugman picked up his pen and resumed writing again. He knew Elder Kettle would be coming for him and his older brother soon to help him run some shopping errands, and he didn't want to worry him yet again.

'Date: May 13th

It's been almost three years since... since everything happened. The Devil's Casino was finally, finally closed down for good, since its owner... well, he's no longer alive anymore. The Devil is finally gone, has been for awhile, but the effects of what he did to me, of what he put Cups through, of the many citizens of Inkwell Isle that he robbed of their freedom and almost killed... it lingers like a bad smell you can't get rid of. Believe me, I've tried.

I... I still have so much to heal from, but I'm not coping anymore. I'm not... having nightmares, well, not as much. I'm moving on with life and I'm trying to grasp the actual reality. But I always, always wonder why.

Why did we have to go back, why couldn't Cuphead just leave things alone, why did I have to go through any of this? What is there to gain from it? I still don't know, and the reality of it is, I might never know. It gets annoying sometimes, letting these question swirl over and over in my head when I know I can't fully get closure since the only creature who could give me that is gone.

I... I lost a lot of myself, physically, mentally and emotionally. I've healed physically, but mentally and emotionally, it is still a raw wound. Cups knows now, though. He didn't know before, and it was so, SO hard to open up to him, especially since I didn't have a huge... I guess understanding? Acceptance? I don't know. I just know it was hard and I was so scared... I thought I'd lost my brother, and I could never handle it. I didn't before, and I knew I couldn't then. But he stayed with me, and... I'm grateful.

It's honestly thanks to him, to Elder Kettle, to Hilda and Cagney, and... shockingly, to King Dice as well, that I've begun to truly accept and heal and slowly move on from what happened to me. I'm not crying and... wanting to die. I'm happier than I've been in a long time.

Speaking of Cups... he's been though it, too. I don't remember the beginning of the whole thing, but I know Cups had taken a lot of guilt- over me being captured, tortured, possessed, he blamed himself for so long and it just... it was hard. He was so cold, so distant... and so scared, like me. It's a lot, you know? But it's even harder when you try and take all that pain and bottle it inside. I've had to learn it the hard way, and so did he. But he's the same big brother I've always loved, always adventurous, always a flirtatious troublemaker... but he's changed so much, too. He's fiercely protective of me, more than I've ever recalled him being. It's sometimes... smothering.

He wants to make up that night to me... but he doesn't have to. I'm just grateful we didn't lose each other in the end. But I was also surprised at all the support that we've gotten... especially one in particular... King Dice.'

Mugman stopped writing. That one part had always baffled him and as he looked at the writing below. That one detail that he still couldn't make sense of... what was he to do about that?

"King Dice..." Mugman leaned back in his chair and stared outside once more.

The person in question currently lived at the very edge of Inkwell Isle III, in a small place, secluded to himself. Years later, and while the die had changed, he still preferred to be alone.

"I wonder... is this what would have happened in another time...?" He closed his eyes, leaving his notebook open as he drifted off to take a small nap. "Us befriending... him..."

Mugman soon dozed off, knowing Cuphead would come fetch him when it was time to head out.

'Why is it... that I still don't know how to make sense of you, Dice?'

And complete! This is just the first chapter, so I'm sorry it's so short, but I would love to know what you all think.

Until next chapter!