Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter.
I should warn you while this is lighthearted and fun, this story takes a more serious side. Also get a box of tissues. It's a real emotional roller coaster. Also shout out to one of my pals and writing partner LexieLuthor98! You're awesome!
Now, let's continue our story...
Season 2, episode 7; No place like home
It was a new day in Inkwell. The sun began to rise, the birds started to sing and the flowers opened up their little buds, feeling the warm sun on them. Light rays peeked into the bedroom of the cup brothers, as they were peacefully slumbering in their beds.
Mugman was hugging his pillow while Cuphead laid on his back, mouth opened and drooling a bit. The sound of birds chirping outside woke them out of their sleep. They sat up, as well as bonking their heads on the ceiling of the bunk beds, slipped off and gave a quick stretch.
"Morning, Cuppy." Mugman yawned. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah I think so." Cuphead replied. "How about you?"
"Yep. Wonder if breakfast is almost ready. I'm getting hungry."
"Same here. Let's get dressed and head down stairs. Maybe Elder Kettle is making pancakes."
"Ooooh I love pancakes, especially his recipe."
The boys got dressed and hung out in their room for a bit, waiting for Kettle to tell them that breakfast was ready. The rule of thumb for them was to wait for him to inform them that food was served. It helps with preventing distractions and disasters.
After a while of playing, there was a knock at the door.
"Boys! Breakfast is ready!" Elder Kettle called from the other side.
"Be right there, Elder Kettle!" They both replied.
They then got up and headed out of their room. After descending from the staircase, they entered the kitchen, but for some reason it was really dark, making it hard to see.
"That's odd. Why are the lights out?" Cuphead asked. "Did the kitchen light blow a fuse?"
"I'm not sure. Let me check."
Mugman went over and switched on the light and almost in an instant, there were several loud
POP!
They jumped and looked and saw Elder Kettle, Audrey, Josh, Andy, Monica and even the goat jumped from behind the table wearing birthday hats, and popped party poppers.
The table was decorated with plates of confetti, two party hats, and paper centerpieces. Balloons were wrapped around the chairs and streamers and a large banner reading 'Happy Birthday!'.
"Surprise!" They cheered, as Josh and even the goat blew on party horns. The boys were so shocked they began to blush.
Kettle then scooped up the boys in his arms and beamed.
"Oh happy birthday, my boys! Oh what a great day to celebrate!" He beamed.
"Aww Elder Kettle." Mugman smiled. "This is really sweet."
"Yeah! I nearly forgot it was our birthday." Cuphead mentioned. "With the adventuring and all."
"Well, I'm glad I remembered. I wouldn't forget my boys' special day. Now I made the pancake batter and we'll start the celebration."
He then placed the boys in their chairs and Audrey and Josh slipped party hats on them. Audrey then gave each of them a kiss on the cheek.
"Happy birthday, guys. We're so happy we can celebrate with you."
"Oh yeah. When Elder Kettle told us about your birthday, we wanted to help." Josh mentioned. "We want to celebrate with you guys."
"Oh wow! That's so cool! Thanks!" Cuphead smiled as Kettle placed down a plate of stacked pancakes in front of them.
They ate and laughed together and Kettle told fun stories of them when they were very little.
After a bit, Kettle then announced. "Now boys, shall we go on with the birthday tradition?"
"Yes! Yes!" They cheered.
"What's the tradition?" Andy asked, sipping on some coffee.
"Well, since they share a birthday, they get to choose one place they would like to go to." Kettle explained. "We'll spend a few hours at the first location and then head to the second one before going out to dinner. Then we'll come home and have presents."
"Oh that's so sweet!" Monica smiled. "I think having fun traditions on your birthday is wonderful. Makes the day more special."
"Very true." Kettle replied. "Now, who chose first last year?"
"I think that was me, Elder Kettle." Cuphead piped up. "It's cool that Mugsy chose this time."
"Aw, gee, Cuppy…" Mugman blushed. "That's nice of you."
"Hey it's only fair." Cuphead shrugged.
"So, Mugman, where would you like to go for a bit?" Josh asked.
Mugman pondered a bit and then came up with an answer.
"Would it be possible to go to the art museum?"
"Sure! Sounds like fun!" Audrey piped up.
"I think I read in the paper that the art museum is doing a discount today." Josh recalled. "Groups of seven or more get in for half off."
"Perfect! Let's go after breakfast." Monica suggested.
The birthday boys nodded and proceeded to eat their breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, the group headed to the city towards the large museum, which was a few blocks from the theater.
The group entered the building and were greeted by an enormous lobby, decorated with white, brown, and black ties, cream walls, a hallway leading down to the exhibit, and a large brown desk in the center. There was an anthropomorphic lemon wearing a suit, tie and glasses who was sitting behind the desk.
He looked up and saw the group approach.
"Ah! Welcome to the Art Museum. How many for today?" He asked.
"Five adults and two children." Kettle replied.
"Alrighty, sounds good. And since there's more than five in the group, it's half off."
"Perfect!" Audrey beamed.
After paying for their tickets, they headed off to see the different paintings, sculptures, and displays. There were other people in the building as well, gazing and appreciating the different pieces of art.
As Mugman read over the inscription of one painting, Audrey noticed that Cuphead was shuffling his feet a bit, looking a bit restless.
"You ok, honey?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'm getting a bit bored." He replied. "I don't want to complain since Mugsy chose today, but it's kinda the same thing."
"I get it. But I do appreciate you willing to do this for him." Audrey replied. "It makes him happy knowing he can do this, especially on his special day."
"Yeah I guess." Cuphead replied, shuffling some more in his seat.
"Tell you what; after this, we'll take a break at the park and you can run around."
"Ok! That sounds great!" He beamed.
After a nice peaceful trip to the art museum, the group decided to take a break at the park. After all, it was a nice sunny day outside with very little clouds.
Not that I mean any offense to any anthropomorphic clouds that might be reading this. I like clouds. Just the really big fluffy ones you can make shapes out of.
Oh look! That one looks like a duck!
Oh, and Lexie says give a shout out to the ones with the eyes from Super Mario Brothers. They're really cool.
Anyway, sorry for getting off track.
Like any curious child would do, while the adults were talking and laughing, Cuphead and Mugman decided to sneak off to play some baseball with each other. Mugman stood at the ready, baseball bat in hand while Cuphead held the ball firmly in his hand ready to throw.
"And now, Cuphead, the best pitcher in the world, heads to the mound." Cuphead narrated, as if he was an announcer at a baseball game. "He's got a good eye on the batter. He relaxes his hand and prepares for the throw."
In response, Mugman hit the ground playfully with the bat, getting into the mode.
"Then…he THROWS the curveball!"
With his might, he threw the ball, giving it a nice curve. It got closer and closer to Mugman, but he was ready. He then took a step and then-
WHAM!
He hit the ball hard, sending it flying high in the sky.
"And the ball is going! It's going! It's going! And it's goooone!" Cuphead cheered. "The crowd goes wild, the fans screaming their heads off! It's a real homer, folks!
"Whooooo!" Mugman cried out grinning as he ran all over the "bases" to "homebase". He then did a cute little victory dance before high fiving his brother.
The boys laughed and had the most fun they've had in a while. But…there's no party crasher better than a creepy stranger.
And no, I'm not talking about the Devil, but we'll get to him later. Yes I know, hard to believe he's still in the series. Thought he would've been abyssed by now.
Oh well, I guess the impenetrable invisible sweater can't kill him. Though it was funny to see him get electrocuted.
*Snicker snicker*
Oh sorry did we get off track again? Sorry, my bad. Anyhoo.
"Nice hit, Mugsy!" Cuphead cheered. "That was awesome! You must have sent that to the moon!"
"Thanks!"
After a pause, Mugman then asked "Uh Cuphead? Wasn't that our last ball?"
"Oh man it was!" He groaned. "Ugh not again. How do we keep losing them?"
"We gotta get it back!"
"I think it flew over there."
The boys ran further and further from the sight of the rest of the group searching for the ball. They looked in bushes, pushed aside branches and searched behind rocks that were nearby."
"Ah banana oil…" Cuphead groaned. "I know it's our birthday, but there's no way Elder Kettle would get us another ball,,,"
"Yeah. I would hate to ask Miss Audrey or Mr. Josh to help us…" Mugman trailed off.
Then they heard a voice coming towards them.
"You boys looking for this?"
The boys looked up to see what appeared to be a man. Now, before you ask, this isn't a human man. It's a toon man, but man were his features awfully ugly. He had a long warty nose with a bit too colorful suit.
If creepy was personified…I'd think it'd be this dude.
"Oh, thank you sir!" Mugman sighed in relief.
"Yeah, thank you! We've been looking for that." Cuphead added.
"It's not a problem at all."
Then after a pause, the man asked, "So what brings you boys all the way out here by yourselves?"
"Well, we were playing baseball and I accidentally hit the ball too hard." Mugman explained. "We knew our caretaker would be mad since we lost the other ones so we came to search for it."
"Oh dear, your caretaker? You have no parents?" The man inquired.
A sad look came upon the boys' faces. It didn't bother them a lot if they brought it up on a different occasion, but since it was their birthday, it kinda made it hard, since they had no memory of their parents.
"Y-yeah. We-we don't have any parents." Cuphead sadly replied, rubbing his arm.
"Oh no, I'm awfully sorry to hear that." The stranger replied. "That must be devastating for you."
"A bit." Mugman stated. "We, don't have any memory of them."
"Aw, that's quite a shame." The man replied with a solemn nod.
He then gave a smirk as he bent to their level, "I have a proposition for you boys. I happen to run a very nice candy store. Why don't you come with me and my candy will be in the house?"
Cuphead's eyes lit up with pure excitement.
"Free candy!?" He squealed.
"Yes. And creme pies, ice cream…and treacle tarts."
Cuphead started drooling. Next to cookies, treacle tarts were his absolute favorite dessert.
"Yes! Yes! And Yes! Come on Mugs, let's go!"
"But Cuppy! Elder Kettle said not to go with strangers!" Mugman argued, feeling worried. "Besides, he also said it was wrong to take candy from strangers too."
"But he's giving it to us for free!" His brother whined.
"Oh dear, I forgot to mention, I have lots of puppies and kitties there too." The stranger added. "You can pet them if you'd like."
Mugman's mood then changed from cautious to joyful.
"Puppies and kittens?" He gasped.
"And bunnies too." The stranger replied.
"Oh boy!" Mugman squealed. "I'm gonna hold him and squeeze him and call him George!" He could feel his excitement bubble inside him. He loved spending time with cute little baby animals.
"That's right! Now follow me!"
Then he started walking away in an oddly cheerful way with the boys trailing behind him. …like dude did you drink something weird? Kinda weird when you walk like that.
Just saying.
The weirdo eventually took the boys right by a nice looking carriage (yeah yeah old fashioned I know but cars were expensive back then okay?).
"Wow, what a nice car you have." Mugman pointed out."
"It's a very special car. It takes us to my special candy and pet shop." The man smirked. "Hop aboard."
He opened the back seat for them and they proceeded to walk towards it. However, just as they were about to climb in…
"EXCUSE ME!"
The boys and the man turned around to find a couple quickly approaching them. But it appeared to be not just any couple.
The woman, a teacup, was an average sized woman with a yellow dress, yellow heels, a large yellow nose similar to Mugman's, yellow scarf, a yellow ribbon tied around the handle, and a yellow fedora with a white bow crowning it.
Whereas the man, who also had a coffee mug for a head, wore a green suit with a small green nose similar to Cuphead's, a curly mustache, and also wore a green fedora hat that rested on top of his head.
"What do you think you're doing!?" The woman shouted. "You stay away from them!"
Turning to the Cups, the green clad man asked, "Do you know this man, fellas?"
"Erm, well, not really." Cuphead sheepishly replied. "But he promised us free candy and baby bunnies to pet."
Turning to the strange man, the man rolled up his sleeves.
"Taking advantage of little boys huh?!"
Before the Cups knew it, the woman pulled them back and held them in a protective hug while the man sucker punched the creepy man in the face, knocking him clean out. While it was funny to watch, which it kinda was, the boys were in shock by that.
The man then took a breath, unrolled his sleeve and approached the boys and the woman.
"You know never to go anywhere with strangers, right?" The man calmly asked. "A creep like that will promise anything to get you hooked, and then when you least expect it, you're gone."
"Yes, you boys need to be more careful." The woman added. "That man could've hurt you, or many other bad things could happen to you. Don't be doing that anymore, okay?"
"O-ok." The boys replied.
Just then, they heard the sound of bushes rustling and footsteps approaching. A branch was pulled aside and who to appear but Audrey, Josh, Monica, Andy, and Kettle.
"Boys!" They cried.
"Elder Kettle!" They cheered.
The boys slipped from the woman's arms and rushed over, hugging their caretaker.
"Are you boys alright?" Kettle asked. "We went to find you but you were nowhere in sight."
"We're ok, Elder Kettle." Mugman answered. "It's just, uh, we, kinda almost let a creep take us, but this nice couple helped us out."
Pitching the bridge of his nose (or spout?) he lectured, "Boys, what did I tell you about going with strangers?"
"To not to." They glumly replied.
"Look, I know it's annoying to bring up rules again and again, but I don't want anything to happen to you." He calmly stated. "I got very worried and didn't know if you were hurt or lost."
"You were lucky Andy had a tracking spell to find you, otherwise, we'd be out here til dinner time." Audrey pointed out
"Or even longer than that…" Andy added.
"Sorry." The boys replied once more.
"It's ok. We're glad we found you." Josh mentioned. "Can't have you lost on your birthday."
"Oh, it-its your birthday?" The woman asked.
"Yeah. We just turned ten today." Cuphead smiled.
"Oh! Well happy birthday, sweeties!" The woman smiled.
"Thank you!" They smiled.
"And thank you for helping the boys." Josh added. "That was really nice of you to do."
"Oh don't mention it. It's what any mother would do for their sons."
"Oh you have children?" Audrey asked. "That's sweet."
"We had children." The man chimed in, rubbing his wife's back. "But we had to give them away a long time ago, due to financial concerns. We were young and dumb and couldn't afford to take care of them back then so we had no choice."
"Oh I'm so sorry." Andy mentioned. "But I don't think two people who were in love are considered dumb."
"It's no trouble at all. I'm sure the young ones are happy now. I'm sorry I never introduced myself. My name is Caramel Brewer, and this is my husband, Joseph Brewer."
"Yeah, but everyone calls me Cuppa Joe."
It took everything in Audrey's power to not laugh. She couldn't help but think the names were interesting, especially since they were based on coffee drinks. Thankfully, she managed to keep herself from laughing.
Looking at the young Cups, Caramel sighed. "You look exactly like my boys. They were so small, with the sweetest blue and red noses."
"Yeah, and the red one has your eyes, Melli." Joe smiled.
Cuphead began to blush. "Oh wow. That-that's nice."
"No need to be so modest, sweetie." Caramel giggled. "Here, I'll show you a picture."
She reached into her dress pocket, come on ladies we all love dresses with pockets (I know Lexie does!) and pulled out a small photo. She then showed it to the group and almost in an instant, Kettle's eyes widened and nearly gasped.
Andy looked at him, confused and concerned. "You ok, Elder Kettle? You look like you saw a ghost. I know I've met a ton in my travels."
"I'm alright…I'm sorry but that looks just like the boys when I first found them!"
They looked closely at the photo and sure enough, he was right. The photo consisted of two smiling infants, wearing red and blue onesies (granted, not that you could tell 'cause the photo was grayscale) and had cups for heads!
Whoooooaaaaa didn't see that coming! And I should know, I'm the narrator.
"Whoa…." Andy gasped.
"That looks a ton like the Cups!" Monica exclaimed. "But that would mean…"
"They're your…sons?!" Josh finished.
The boy's eyes grew wide, trying to wrap their minds around the whole thing. Even Elder Kettle was in complete shock.
"Wait…so we have a mama and papa?" Mugman gasped.
"And we're not orphans?" Cuphead added.
Caramel shook her head as she replied with a gentle smile, "It appears not anymore…"
Without thinking the boys rushed over and hugged her, as she held them tight in her arms and close to her, tears streaming down her face. Their father joined in, giving them a group hug.
No one said a word for what seemed like hours when Andy broke the silence by claiming "Wow…this day just keeps getting more and more interesting."
"Yeah. It does…" Audrey trailed off.
Monica eyed the parents with a hint of suspicion, but not wanting to ruin the happy moment, she kept silent. Though something in the back of her mind told her this was too good to be true.
After a bit, Caramel pulled the boys back, just to get a look at them.
"Oh my goodness. I still can't believe it's you. I-I thought I would never see my babies again."
"M-Mama…" Mugman whimpered, hugging Caramel tight. "Why didn't you come see us? Didn't you love us anymore?"
"Oh, my sweet Mugman. I loved you and your brother with all my heart." She replied. "I just couldn't bear to see you both living with us while we were under such financial trouble.
Cuphead didn't say anything in response but just hugged Caramel tighter, tears streaming his face.
"But that's not important anymore. We found you and now we can be a family again." Joe replied.
"Yeah!" Cuphead grinned, as happy as an officially ex-orphan can be. "I'm happy too!"
As happy as Elder Kettle was for his boys for finally finding their real family…he couldn't help but feel sad. He raised the boys ever since they were babies and loved spending time with them. It was a bit hard for him to see that.
Audrey looked and saw his sad expression.
"Are you ok, Elder Kettle?"
"Yeah, I-I'm fine, Audrey." He stammered.
"You sure, Mr. Kettle?" Andy asked in concern. "I know it can be a lot to take in."
"I'm positive. I'm glad they found their family." He simply put.
No one asked him about his feelings. Audrey could see that he was happy but also sad too.
"Why don't you boys come with us to our home?" Caramel proposed. "We're well beyond our means now, so we want to get to know our little boys."
"Oh are you sure?" Josh asked. "We don't want to intrude."
"Nonsense! You are all more than welcome to come." Joe informed them.
"Oh, that's really nice of you." Monica smiled. "Thank you for the invite."
They then headed out of the forest, minds still swirling from the previous events.
A few moments later, the group gathered in the extravagant living room of the Brewers for tea and biscuits (yeah yeah love the irony don't we?)
The living room was rather spacious; floors covered in luscious carpets, sofas soft and luxurious, memorabilia of Caramel and Joe's own adventures hanging on the walls as photos, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting.
The adults sat on the sofas while the cups were sitting on pillows next to them, as they drank tea and chatted with each other.
"Well you have a very lovely home." Audrey piped up. "It's so welcoming."
"Why thank you Audrey." Caramel replied, sipping her tea. "The wealth has been in the family for many generations."
"It all started many years ago when my grandpapa started a startup coffee company. It was booming, cause everyone needed a boost of energy. And it's been popular ever since."
That caught Audrey's attention.
"Wait, they're wealthy? Then how come they said they were in a financial crisis when they were born? Something doesn't sound right…"
Then, Audrey saw a small glow from her bag and peeked inside. Her sketchbook was glowing, indicating there was something wrong. But what could be wrong? There were no imps or baddies around. Still, it wouldn't just glow like that unless it was for a reason. Not wanting to make a scene, she closed the flap of her bag and took a sip of her tea.
The boys, oblivious as ever, were playing with a very nice looking train set (yes, the exact same brand of "choo choo" that the Devil wanted that one time. Good ol foreshadowing!).
"This train is so cool!" Cuphead beamed.
"Yeah! The paint on this is brand new! So clean and fresh." Mugs added.
"Oh I almost forgot!" Joe chimed in. "I also got us baseball mitts so we can all play catch!"
He then threw a couple of baseball mitts at each of the boys.
"Wow! Thank you!" They gasped.
"Look at the stitching!" Mugman beamed.
"And it's a great fit too!" Cuphead added.
Audrey could see that Kettle was doing his best not to say anything, as he stirred his tea a bit faster than before. She knew the boys were very grateful for what he gave them, but seeing them with brand new stuff made him feel like they were…replacing him.
"Are you alright, Elder Kettle?" Audrey asked in concern.
"Huh? What? Oh sorry I-I was lost in thought that's all." He quickly answered.
"Not to worry, Mr. Kettle. You did a fantastic job raising our sons. They'll get regular meals, go to the best schools, and we'll make sure they aren't in any danger."
"Sounds really great, huh Elder Kettle?" Cuphead asked excitedly.
Kettle, trying to put on a brave face, replied "I suppose. I mean I want you two to have the best education and life. No harm in that."
Mugman could sense something was wrong. He then walked to him and grasped his hand.
"Elder Kettle, please know that Cuppy and I appreciate all you've done for us. We couldn't have asked for a better caretaker. Maybe you can come over and visit, we can have more fun talking to each other and talking about our adventures."
"Yeah! Just because we have parents now doesn't mean we don't love ya Elder Kettle." Cuphead smiled warmly.
That made Kettle feel a bit happier. He knew that he could still see them. They would need to figure out scheduling and the best times for him to come.
"Yeah…"
Elder Kettle couldn't help but let a small tear leave his eye. He was gonna miss his boys so much, and it was going to be lonely without them.
Audrey bit her lip, feeling sadness wash over her. She couldn't imagine what Kettle was feeling, especially now. He was connected to them and now letting them go was going to be very hard.
################################################################
A bit later, it was time for the adults to leave the house. They each gave a warm hug to the young brothers, trying to hold back tears.
"I'll miss you little rascals." Josh smiled, wiping a tear.
"Yeah. We'll miss your annual fights, your long hours listening Dirk Dangerous on the radio, all of it." Audrey added, rubbing Mugman's back as she hugged him.
"But you'll promise you'll visit us?" Mugs asked.
"Of course! We love spending time with you boys." Josh answered. "Besides, where else are we gonna find adventures with the heebie jeebies?"
The boys looked at Elder Kettle, who was off to the side a bit, trying to not show too much emotion. They rushed over and gave him the biggest hug in the world. He gently wrapped his arms around them and for a while, just hugged them, not saying a word.
Finally, he looked at the boys and felt hot tears slipping down his face.
"It's going to be very hard for me to not see you in the cottage. But know that my door is always open for you two."
Turning to Cuphead, he added. "Cuphead, please look out for your brother and protect him no matter what."
"I-I promise." Cuphead answered, his voice cracking.
Turning to Mugman, Kettle mentioned. "And Mugman, promise me that you'll take it easy on Cuphead, and never stop being there for him."
"O-ok, Elder Kettle." Mugman whimpered, his lip trembling.
"Oh no no no please don't cry. I know this is very hard for you boys, especially now, but know that I will never stop loving you both. You made my life very special."
"You mean it?" Cuphead asked.
"Of course! I know we had our ups and downs but that's the joy of being a caretaker. And the best thing was I got to spend it with you two."
They then hugged once more before he released them. After getting in the final hugs, the group bidded goodbye to the boys and then headed out. The boys still waved goodbye to them, even when they were out of sight.
However, this was going to be a real shock to the boys.
Joe's eyes started glowing a bright yellow with red pupils while he grinned a devilish smile.
Yeah, remember how I said the Devil was gonna appear later? Well, it's now.
While that was happening, little did the boys know that the Devil along with bash and shriek and henchman were watching via magic mirror in the throne room. As the boys still waved goodbye, Joe approached them and snatched Mugman's mitt right from his hand.
"The masquerade is over! We'll take back those presents!" Joe snapped.
"Huh!? Papa?! What's wrong?" Mugman asked, in complete shock. "Why-why do you look angry?"
Cuphead looked and seeing Joe's angry face made him very, very nervous.
"M-Mugsy I think the better question is, why does he look e-evil?!"
Then Joe snapped his fingers and it turns out it wasn't Joe it was a group of imps!
"Ahh! AUDREY! ELDER KETTLE! HELP!" Cuphead shouted at the top of his lungs.
Carmel's form then changed to a terrifying demon,
"It's too late, little ones. Your old man is GONE!" She taunted.
She snapped her fingers and some of the imps grabbed their arms, holding them back from running away.
"LET US GO-!" Cuphead screamed.
The imps just ignored them, quickly tying them up and gagging with rags and dragging them into the house. The Devil was quite satisfied and waved his hand over the mirror, making the reflection vanish.
"Those fools fell for it! The brats are ours! I'll have to give myself a promotion!"
And then literally the word "PROMOTION" appeared above him and he just snatched it up in his hand and smacked it on his chest, grinning from ear to ear as he gazed at his new badge.
Again, mostly cartoon logic.
"Congrats, your despicableness!" Bash smirked.
"Oooohhh so shiny!" Shriek gasped.
"Duh way to go boss." Henchman smiled.
"With those brats under my control, I can force Audrey to do anything I want!" The Devil laughed. "I'll start by making her dump that loser friend of hers and marry me!"
He then got up from his throne, pitchfork in hand and headed to the center of the room.
"Come along, boys. It's time to complete the second phase of the plan."
The three imp minions scampered towards him and with a strike of the pitchfork, the four instantly vanished from the room.
Meanwhile, unaware of what had happened. The group arrived back at the cottage. No one said a single word when they were returning. They were all filled with sadness, emptiness and a bit hurt from the previous events.
The group sat on different seats in the living room while Elder Kettle sat sadly on his armchair, looking at a picture of the boys. Audrey could just feel the sadness around him, and she had never seen him like this.
"Hey you doing ok?" Audrey asked calmly. "I know this is really hard for you right now."
Kettle took a deep and sad sigh. "I'm fine...it's just that I miss my boys. But...they're only kids. It's the right thing to be with their family."
"I'm sorry, it's gotta be difficult to let them go." Andy chimed in. "But they said you can visit them anytime."
"That's right they'll still want to hang out with you." Josh added. "But I can understand how hard it is for a parent to do something like that. My mom cried a lot when I first started college."
"I know...it's just not gonna be the same without them." Kettle explained. "After the war, I was very lonely. I was alone in my cottage hoping to live out the rest of my days in peace. Until they came around…"
Ten years ago…
Elder Kettle was cleaning his old weapons in his living room of the cottage. It was a quiet evening, with the exception of sitting by a crackling fireplace during a harsh winter storm. It didn't bother him, seeing that he was safe inside his home. As he was cleaning he heard a knock at the door.
"Who in the world could be outside during a storm?" He wondered, as he got up and proceeded to the door. "Better make sure they're ok."
He opened the door just a bit and gasped. On his front step, he found two crying infants in a basket, not a single responsible adult in sight. They were wrapped in a small blanket, but he could clearly see it wasn't much protection from the storm.
"Oh my gosh! Hold on little ones let's get you inside!" He gasped, quickly scoping the basket in his arms. Once back inside, he closed the door shut, the babies still crying and shivering.
He takes the trembling babies from the basket and wraps them tightly in a warm blanket that was draped over the couch.
"Oh I can't believe this is happening!" Kettle panicked. "It's ok! Shhh shhh come here…"
He held them close in his arms, bouncing them lightly, trying to calm them down. The crying still proceeded, but the shivering began to cease. He needed some way to help them.
"Come on boys…it's going to be alright. Let's get you two some warm milk."
A moment later, the Cups were well fed and happy as can be. The baby with a small red nose made happy coos, as the one with the blue big nose shuffled happily in the blanket. The basket was placed on the sofa, as the babies were snuggled up near the fire.
"Heh! Looks like the milk worked!" Kettle beamed. "How are you boys feeling?"
The one with the red nose gave more happy baby talk while the blue nose one giggled. That to Kettle meant they were feeling much better, especially since he could see some color in their cheeks.
"That's good! Lemme just…" Just then his eyes caught something under the small sheet of the basket. He lifted the blanket and saw a folded note.
"Oh a note?" He pondered, as he picked it up and unfolded it.
The baby with the red nose gave a cute "Aba!" That made Kettle smile before turning his attention to the note.
He read the note, and it said;
Dear friend,
I'm sad to say by the time you read this letter, my husband and I will be gone. We made a deal with a very evil being by mistake and he will stop at nothing to have our children for himself. Please protect them and keep them safe in our absence.
And my boys, if you're old enough to read this, please know that your father and I love you very much. I just know you'll grow up to be amazing men someday and do incredible things. I can no longer be with you, but I will always love you.
He finished reading the note and squinted his eyes, trying to make the names of the two children.
"Hmmm… the names are smudged, let's see if I can figure it out…"
Sadly, due to a combination of poor eyesight and the names badly smudged from the storm, he kinda had no choice but to improvise what the note said.
"Let's see…ok that looks like a C…and that an M…ah I see."
Turning to the boys, he announced.
"Well, Cuphead…"
"Baba!" Cuphead giggled.
"Mugman…"
"Ababa!" Mugman beamed.
He then took them in his arms, grinning from ear to ear.
"Looks like you two are going to live with me for now on. I promise to take care of you both."
The babies gave a happy laugh in response. Kettle gave them a warm hug before sitting on his easy chair and rocked them gently to sleep.
End of flashback
"Wow…I had no idea you found them like that." Audrey gasped. "I can't imagine them being out in the cold."
"Yeah…I'm just glad they found their family." Elder Kettle sighed glumly.
Monica stirred in her seat, feeling very disturbed by the situation, which caught Audrey's attention.
"Mon?" Audrey asked in concern. "You seem really quiet more than usual."
"Hey Audie. I need to talk to you in private." Monica simply put.
"Oh of course. Excuse me."
The girls stood up and walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Audrey knew something was up, especially if she wanted to talk in private.
"Did you notice anything off about their parents?" Monica asked.
"A few things." Audrey answered. "I mean, for starters, they said when they gave up the boys, they were in a financial pinch, and then when we're chatting with them, they said they have money passed down from generations."
"I don't like this…something feels terribly wrong." Monica muttered. "I walked in their house and I felt…a dark aura. Like something evil was present. Maybe it's just me.
"I know I can't sense magic, but the sketchbook was glowing a bit at the house." Audrey recalled. "It must be a warning of some type."
"Maybe we should check on them?" Monica suggested. "Just to be safe."
"I agree." Audrey nodded. "I'm getting that weird feeling too."
The girls then came back to Elder Kettle and the guys, who saw them return.
"Elder Kettle, Monica and I were talking and we're getting a bad feeling about the boys." Audrey announced. "We know they're with their parents but something doesn't feel right."
Josh pondered for a second before he stated, "You mean the fact that they lied about their reason for giving up the Cups? Yeah I caught that too."
"Yeah that does seem a bit off." Andy agreed.
Kettle pondered over it for a moment. The thing was he didn't really think much about it, due to feeling depressed and emotionally drained. Thankfully, he began to think more clearly, and after recalling the day he met the boys, something clicked.
"Wait a second… they referred to them as Cuphead and Mugman...but I was the one who gave them their names! Not them!"
"Really? I didn't know that!"
"Oh gosh! We gave them to complete strangers! Maybe criminals!" Andy gasped.
"We have to act fast! No one hurts my boys like that!"
Without missing a beat, Kettle got up from his chair and raced upstairs. A few minutes later, he came down all decked out in all his military equipment. It was the same outfit he wore in that one episode in season one, when he thought the boys and Audrey were gonna kill him.
Ahh, memories.
He locked and loaded his pistol, his face very very serious.
"It's time to go to war!"
Meanwhile, back in the "house", poor Cuphead and Mugman were bound to chairs, rags tied tightly around their mouths while they struggled to break free. For small imps, they know how to get things done.
"There. Now you two won't escape." One taunted, as the boys struggled in their bonds.
Just then the door slammed open and the Devil walked in very proudly with Bash, Shriek and Henchman walking behind him. He approached an imp who saluted him.
"Are the brats secured?" The Devil asked.
"Secured, your nastiness." The imp reported. "They put up a fight trying to escape, but we managed to get them bound and gagged."
The Devil turned to Cuphead and gave him a sinister grin, one that sent a cold chill up Cuppy's spine. Now keep in mind, they haven't really seen him since that time at the pier. You know, the time he got electrocuted.
Still funny.
Anyway, because they haven't seen him in a while, they thought he was gone or gave up hunting him down. Seeing him there told them that he wasn't even thinking of stopping.
"Ah well well well. I've been looking forward to the day where I finally have you in my grasp." The Devil sneered, as Cuphead struggled in his bonds. He then grabbed Cuphead's shirt collar and glared at him.
"I could just rip out that soul of yours right here right now…but I want to have my bride first. Then I'll take what belongs to me."
He released Cuphead, making him hit the back of his chair. Mugman yelled at him but it came out in muffles, causing the Devil to roll his eyes.
"I'll deal with the scaredy cat later. Now let's prepare for my bride's arrival."
He snapped his fingers and Bash and Shriek approached him. He then hands them an envelope with Audrey's name on it.
"I want you two to find Audrey and deliver this ransom note!" He ordered.
"Oh yeah. Sure, your nastiness." Bash replied, taking the envelope from his boss.
The two of them headed out, the Devil anxiously waiting for them to return with Audrey. However, some time passed...and it seemed like the group wasn't coming. The Devil was getting a bit impatient, minus Henchman who was playing 'go fish' with the other imps.
Cuphead was working on undoing his ropes, but they tied him up pretty good and struggled to get the knot untied. Finally, after a bit, the Devil came up with a wicked idea.
He coolly turned to Cuphead, a terrible smile appeared on his face.
"Hmm wonder what's taking them so long…well, It seems that they actually don't care. Wow, look at that. They actually said 'we don't want anything to do with them. They drag us down.'"
The boys felt a wash of sadness over them. Did Elder Kettle not want them anymore? I mean, this was coming from the Devil for crying out loud, but they were feeling so much sadness and shame that they didn't think about it.
"Such a shame, but I guess that's what you boys get for being so annoying and a constant burden to your caretaker." The Devil added. "Or should I say 'ex-caretaker.'"
Cuphead was getting annoyed and shouted at him, which came out in a muffled yell. The Devil simply chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully.
"I can see why they wouldn't want you. All you do is mess up and then someone has to fix it. And to think your parents left you, because they didn't want you."
"It's NOT true!" Mugman shouted in a muffle, tears streaming down his face.
"Oh? If it was, where are they now? They're not coming back and neither are your so-called friends." The Devil taunted.
Cuphead couldn't hold it in any longer, and began to sob. It came out in a muffled sob. Of course, the Devil was absolutely no help and made things worse.
"Oh don't worry I'll make sure I'll give my darling the best wedding gift; a new set of tea cups."
Cuphead got more nervous and began to struggle more, but the Devil couldn't care less.
"You know, I'm getting a bit impatient. I think I'll take your soul right now."
Cuphead looked away terrified but the Devil grabbed his handle making him look at him and reaching a hand to his chest, ready to take his soul.
"NO!" Mugman screamed.
"Don't want you to miss out, and don't worry this will hurt. A lot." The Devil taunted. The boys gave a muffed blood curdling scream, as their worst enemy gave them a horrible grin.
Before he could reach into his chest to grab his soul, suddenly, the door SLAMMED open and here was Elder Kettle all decked out in his military uniform and shotgun...and man was he TICKED!
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BOYS YOU CREEP!" Kettle shouted.
"What the?!" The Devil gasped, shocked.
"Let them go!" Audrey barked, sketchbook in hand as the others had their weapons out.
"Audrey! Elder Kettle!" Cuphead cried out, tears slipping down his face.
"Oh please! You can't hurt me with that worthless-!"
Before the Devil could finish,
BAM! Elder Kettle shot right next to the Devil, barely missing him.
"Try me, you filthy animal!" Kettle growled, cocking his shotgun again. When a man does this, he means business.
"Oh! You almost hit me!"
"Kinda the point, stupid." Josh mentioned.
The Devil snapped his fingers and his imps charged at the group, resulting in a huge battle. Fires were shot, magic was blasted, imps getting knocked back in groups. It was insane.
While one part of the group was fighting off the Devil and imps, Monica and Andy snuck from behind and started untying the boys, who were overjoyed for their arrival.
"You boys okay?" Monica asked as she took off Mugman's gag.
"Miss Monica! Mr. Andy! You came for us?" He asked.
"Of course! We couldn't let him get away with this." Andy mentioned, after untying Cuphead.
The little cup looked at Andy with sad eyes as he asked.
"So, you don't think we're annoying?"
"Of course not!" Monica answered. "We actually missed you boys very much!"
"Yeah! It's more fun with you guys!" Andy chimed in. "We love you guys so much."
Cuphead felt tears slip down his face and they gave the heroes a big hug, overwhelmed with joy.
"It's ok we're here now." Monica assured them, rubbing their backs. "Once they take care of the Devil, let's get you boys home."
They then moved the boys to a safer spot of the house, watching as they battled the king of the underworld. After a bit of battling, the Devil was defeated, as his eyes had that swirl look like Pokemon would have in the anime when they were defeated.
"And that's for taking advantage of sweet little boys!" Audrey shouted, out of breath.
The Devil got up and glared at them.
"You may have beaten me, but I will be back! I will have what I want! Come, Henchman."
Just then, Bash and Shriek, who were banged up and wrapped in bandages, rushed in and cried.
"Wait! Wait for us!"
The Devil grumbled as they approached him, striking his pitchfork and teleporting out, leaving the heroes alone.
Once he was gone, the boys bolted to their caretaker, tears slipping down their faces.
"Elder Kettle!"
He then embraced them in a big hug. He could feel them shake from their sobbing, but he didn't care. His boys were safe and with him once more.
"It's ok, it's ok I'm here now…" He kept assuring them, rubbing their backs.
"H-He said you guys d-didn't love us anymore and we were annoying." Cuphead whimpered.
"No no no no. I will never stop loving you both." Kettle assured them. "Look, we all do things to annoy each other and it's part of being alive, but know this; don't let him or anyone else tell you about how I feel about you both. I loved you both from the day we met and I will forevermore."
"And we all love you too." Audrey added, as she felt Josh wrap an arm around her. "Couldn't imagine having fun without you."
"And I am so sorry about what happened. I feel terrible he spoiled your birthday. How about we go home and take it easy?" Kettle asked. "I think we had a lot of excitement for one day."
"Will-will we still open presents?" Mugman squeaked out.
"Uh, of course!" Andy replied. "What's a birthday without presents?"
The group huddled around the saddened boys for a bit, while all that remained of the "house"...was an old picture of Caramel, Joe, and the boys, shattered.
Epilogue
As the heroes departed back to the cottage, back in the underworld in the cells, the boys' real parents, yes real-real parents, were in the cell, as Caramel was gazing out at the dark room.
Ever since they were taken prisoner, all she could think about were her boys. Her heart broke when she left them on the doorstep, and her heart still ached as each day passed. Though, it was hard to tell how long it's been in the underworld. Was it a few months? Ten years? Fifty?
Joe, struck by guilt, wrapped an arm around her and gently gestured her closer to himself, in an attempt to comfort his heart-broken wife.
Finally, she broke the silence by sighing. "I feel like we've been here for eternity. I miss my boys so much…"
"I know Melli...me too. I just wonder how they're doing out there...alone." Joe mentioned.
"I just hope that man took them in. I couldn't imagine what they would be going through right now...but I have to keep hoping they're fine." She added, her voice cracking a bit.
"I'm so sorry, Melli...it's all my fault..." Joe quivered, trying his best to hold back tears. "I never should have made a deal with him…"
"Joe, don't say that. We had no idea about him and you were looking out for me." Caramel reassured him. "You were willing to do anything for me. Our boys are away from him and out of harm's way. And we're both alive and well and I couldn't be happier."
Letting a few tears roll down his porcelain cheeks, he wiped them with an arm and gave Caramel a gentle kiss on the cheek, nuzzling his face on hers.
"I love you Melli...always have and always will."
"I love you too." She beamed.
Just then they heard POOF! Followed by grumbling
"Those fools ruined my plans! I was so close!"
They knew that cocky British voice all too well. And who to enter the dungeon but the Devil himself. Caramel felt her heart quicken and held tightly to Joe, who held her in a protective hug.
Even behind bars, he was willing to protect his wife at all costs.
Looking down on the two cups with a taunting grin, he asked, "Oh good you two are still here. Enjoying your stay?"
"Hardly." Caramel growled.
"If this were a "luxury hotel" I'd give it a zero on the Yellow Pages." Joe commented.
"Har har, very funny." The Devil mocked rolling his eyes.
"What do you want now?" Caramel asked.
"Come to mock us? I think you've done enough damage as it is!"
"Hey it wasn't my fault you two didn't think twice before dealing with me." The Devil was brought up. "And besides I know I can't break your spirit the old fashioned way but when I have what I want I'll make sure you break."
What, you gonna 'torture' us for the millionth time?" Joe asked, annoyed.
"Oh come on! I've been torturing you for ten years! Why aren't you scared?! Begging for mercy?!"
"Really don't know what you're talking about." Caramel replied, shrugging.
In all fairness, the Devil hasn't really done anything to them. Sure the occasional scare, but nothing too drastic. Plus, he kinda sorta forgot about them when Audrey came into the picture. They did laugh a bit when they heard him throwing temper tantrums when things don't go his way.
It's actually really funny. I should know, Lexie and I saw it multiple times.
"If by 'torture' you mean getting us bored outta our minds, sure." Joe deadpanned. "Ya got us."
"Also we saw one of your minions walk with something like a large golden spoon?" Caramel asked.
Blushing furiously, after a short pause, he could barely contain his anger as he shouted behind him, "...ALRIGHT! WHO'S BEEN STEALING MY PITCH SPOON?!
"Wowwwwww see Melli I called it! It is a pitch spoon!" Joe laughed.
Caramel busted out laughing and then added.
"Oh that's far too funny! So what does that do? Make ice cream?"
That caused Joe to laugh harder as the Devil snapped.
"Shut up! That's not what it's used for!"
"Why don't you tell us?" Caramel joked. "You'd give us the inside 'scoop'!"
In between laughs, Joe sighed lovingly before kissing her cheek, "Ah Melli I love you and your jokes."
"Awww you're so sweet!" Caramel blushed.
"Don't mock me! Besides, I don't need it since I have my pitchfork!"
Oh pitch spoon and a fork, you must have a knife and plate too!" Caramel mentioned.
After yet another pause, it seemed obvious that…he didn't have the entire set.
"Wait...you DON'T have a knife and plate?!"
Blushing furiously once again, the Devil shouted, "No! I don't!"
"Ok ok I have an idea." Caramel snickered. "IF you get married, cause it sounds like the bride doesn't like you that much, Joe and I will get you a knife and plate. Then, you'll be all 'set'!"
"Yeah buddy we feel bad, someone definitely ripped you off." Joe laughed.
"And that's saying something."
"Ugh!" The Devil shouted as Caramel took a sigh.
"Oh man, that made my day."
"Whatever! I'm going to leave! My head is killing me." The Devil grumbled, rubbing his temples with his fingers.
"Ahhhh love it when he leaves in a huff like a toddler." Joe mocked.
"I agree."
"Shut up! I am not a child!"
"Ohhhh yes you are." Joe taunted, snickering.
In a grumbling fit, the Devil stormed off, leaving the now amused couple behind in their cell.
"Oh you make me laugh." Caramel sighed, embracing her husband.
"I love you too." Joe replied, kissing her cheek again, making Caramel smile and blush.
As the Devil departed, he could still hear their laugh echoing in the cave. He entered the throne room and slumped down, defeated once again. He was still aggravated that his full-proof plan failed and now he was back to square one.
He sat up, snapped his fingers and the magic mirror appeared, revealing to him the group as Cuphead and Mugman happily opened their presents, thanking their friends and caretaker.
Anger boiled in him, and his attention was focused on Cuphead.
"Just you wait. One day you will be all by yourself and then, your soul will belong to me."
Oh man that really tugged at my heart. I based it off of another Adventure of Sonic the Hedgehog episode. But wait! Their parents are still alive?! That's crazy! Looks like things are gonna get more interesting. "Toon" in next time for another thrilling adventure!
As always, thanks so much for reading. Don't forget to leave a review, but let's avoid the flames please :D