Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Open?” Gumball looked down at the screen of his phone, drowning out the idle chatter of the living room TV. He figured the brightness of the screen, or the distance he held it from his face might have marred his perception, but no, no no… That definitely said Rob.

He swung his legs off the couch, carefully stepping into the darkness when the light of the TV dimmed. Are you still watching? He let out a huff as he waited for his eyes to adjust, and oh my god there was a silhouette at the window—

Somewhat of a sharp finger tapped against the glass, but it still resulted in a dull thud. Gumball felt adrenaline filling his veins, knowing exactly what was coming. Finally, a burst of fun on this dreadful, gloomy day. Ever since Rob’s last outburst, the rage gleaming in his eye, and the crushing grip he held—Gumball had been dying to have a taste of his mortal enemy’s newfound hatred. He scurried to the door as quietly as possible, frantically opening each lock. Greeted by a gust of chill air, he set a bare paw against the porch, and then his smile fell.

There were no ropes tightening at his ankles, modern devices of torture, or bear traps. Not even a rock flew past his head. It was just Rob, standing curled in on himself with a wet eye.

“What?” Gumball glanced behind himself.

The cyclops sniffed, fidgeting his phone in his hands. “The box… I want the box back.”

“The box you gave to me two weeks ago? Photos of me taken from a long-distance lens, batteries from my smoke alarm?“ Gumball clarified.

“Yeah. I want that back.”

Gumball watched intently as Rob straightened his posture and gulped. The notion set his stomach aflutter. “You wanna get back together, Rob?” He cooed, inching closer with a sharpened claw. He dragged it along the taller boy’s arm, hearing the static screech against the intrusion. It sent tiny shocks throughout his finger, like running his palm along the expanse of an old box-shaped TV. “You miss me.”

Rob swatted his hand away. “Get the box.”

“You were crying for me.”

“Get the box.”

The kitten pouted, stepping back into his house. If it had been daytime, he would have happily continued the back and forth until Rob hoisted him up by the scruff. But alas, he gingerly traversed the darkened household and felt around for the box under his bed.

When he made it back downstairs, Rob was sat hunched over on the front steps. His static crackled in bursts of white. The wind nearly masked the boy’s airy whines and hitched breaths. Gumball’s heart shook in worry, ears flattening tight against his skull.

“I cried, too,” He called out. “I cried when you said you didn’t want to be my nemesis anymore. But we are again.”

Rob kept his head lowered, an anxious tremor guiding his feet.  Gumball did nothing but watch him. He was interesting to look at. His hair formed in scalene shapes, and swooped to cut his hexagonal face on one side more than the other. Gumball figured it gave the impression of side swept bangs. Did that mean Rob’s hair was long? Pieces of his hair, body, and floating face buckled and expanded idly, every once in a while. The sound of his right cheek, his left temple, and limbs whirring sent a soothing lull throughout Gumball’s body.

He didn’t know how to approach this sort of thing at all. As routine began to harden within the rivalry the two boys held, direction and purpose seemed to evaporate into thin air. It was the type of thought Gumball harassed on sleepless nights. It was the type of thought he tried to mask with overcompensation in his relationship with Penny. If he and Rob were to sever their ties as enemies and focus on a newfound thread, would it shine a brilliant, effervescent scarlet? Was there a method to the double entendre of flames at their pits of their stomachs?

“Why are you crying? Everything’s back to normal.” He called, silencing his shameful wandering thoughts. He stared out past the lawn and the house across, to the pinpricks of stars in the blackened sky, and noted that even if he and Rob were face to face, he had never felt as unbearably close as he did in that moment. And still, neither of them, it seemed, wanted to be any farther apart.

“I can’t keep doing this.”

Oh, that hurt. More than it did that day in the mall. More than the wall and every inch that it cracked between them, beckoning the light of the truth to shine through. Gumball liked Rob where he was, because if he were anywhere else, they would be utterly inseparable. But god, did he want to break that barrier, just once, just once. He plopped down beside him urgently.

“I can’t hurt you…” Rob shrugged, finally looking at Gumball. “I wasn’t meant to be anything, Gumball. I was a mistake.”

Gumball fidgeted with his fingers. “You mean your parents didn’t plan to have you when they did? ‘Cause mine didn’t… I’m not a mistake, though. You’re not a mistake.”

“I’m a mistake because I mean nothing to you.” Rob spat.

“Why does it matter what I think..?”

The cyclops gave a hundred yard stare, mouth forming and faltering words. “Let’s… go with… You’re the only person I tolerate…”

“Look… I know we have this whole power thing going on, but…” He paused, damning that barrier to all hell. He reached a tiny paw to Rob’s shoulder, making him blink. Glass shattered, metal combusted, ice liquefied at the speed of light. All around them, a fire burned, enshrouding them both in bountiful heat from the center of their unified core. “You get to be your own person… I should’ve buzzed off when you told me to. I’m sorry, Rob.”

Rob softened considerably under his touch, and he leant closer. “Thank you.” The static quieted down, leaving them in gentle nighttime ambience, faces only centimeters apart. “Can I make a request…?”

“Anything… I owe you.”

“Take five… Help me find something better to do, and if it doesn’t work out… I’ll be your nemesis again.”

“Deal…”

Too fast for comfort, Rob slipped away and stood up, motioning awkwardly for some distance between them with a sheepish smile. “Um… Sorry for being so… Yeah… And you could get rid of that stuff, I, uh… I’m not really proud of it.”

The brunet backed away slowly, his smile returning tenfold, and thanks to a brilliant moment of déjà vu, Gumball hopped to his feet. “Wait, Rob! Do you still hate that song?”

Rob looked down at his feet, and if Gumball weren’t a cat, he wouldn’t have heard him giggle quietly. In that moment he imagined Rob must have felt just as important as he did. “No, I uh… I actually like it.”

Again came that feeling, intoxicating and addicting and new, as Gumball tossed and turned on the couch. He splashed his face with cold water, thought of math or his teacher’s butt. Nothing could stop his mind from replaying an alternate version of the night, where he did more than just look at Rob’s lips.

In the morning, he was in trouble for not sleeping. But at least he could chalk his sexual curiosity up to sleep deprivation, and nothing else.

Chapter Text

Guided by a fin, Gumball bit down into a soft wedge. Syrup gushed through his teeth, and in that moment, his eyes snapped open with newfound vigor—only to see the cold stares of his family as they sat with stickied and emptied plates in front of them.

“Gumball, are you even listening to me right now?” Nicole asked. “Starting tonight, the wifi will be disconnected at eleven thirty, sharp, and you will hand your cellphone over to either me or your father before you shower. You know you have trouble focusing, yet you still choose to stay up late on a school night?”

“Yes,” If he had to be honest, he only heard the bulk of her lecture. Half of his body screamed for delicious nourishment, while the other half was still trying to wake up.

Nicole sighed into her hands before walking away into the living room. “Whatever. This isn’t for my benefit.”

He could hear her take soothing breaths as he ate quietly with the rest of his family. “And you know what?” She called. “Where did you go? Because you left the door unlocked all night. Anyone could have taken you off the street, anyone could’ve followed you home, and anyone could have broken into the house while you were away. Where did you go?”

“Mom, I was just getting some fresh air on the porch. Then I came back in, and I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry I forgot to lock the door.”

“Don’t do that.”

 The morning continued with double checking and sluggish walking to the bus stop. Gumball vaguely remembered a kiss to the top of his head, a cat nap against his brother, and several shrieking stops, until he followed the blur of orange into the school.

“I wish I had some coffee…” He mumbled, leaning against a wall of lockers.

“I wish you had some sleep. Today’s swim team tryouts through second and third period, and I wanted you to watch me!” Darwin whined.

“Swim-schwim, they have to let you on the team regardless. It wouldn’t be politically correct if they didn’t.”

“Stop being cranky,” Darwin hushed reaching in to enter his brother’s combination. “After lunch you’ll be so tired, you’ll think you’re having a burst of energy.”

Gumball practically blinked the bloodshot out of his eyes, like a switch went off inside his head. “Oh my gosh, Darwin! I have to tell you something, but before you say anything about me lying to mom, technically I did get some fresh air.”

“You went somewhere without me!? Oh, come on!”

Gumball covered Darwin’s mouth. “Rob came crawling back to me. At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out he just wanted to clarify his intentions from our big breakup back at the Elmore Mall, and we’re officially broken up now. Now I know what you’re thinking,” he pulled away, ignoring Darwin’s bored expression. “’But Gumball, aren’t you sad?’ See, normally, I would be! But he actually wants me to help guide him down the right path. I can see it now… Gumball Watterson… Mentor.”

“Eugh, spare me… Your relationship has undertones my young mind would rather not comprehend.”

“The heck’s that supposed to mean? Gosh, Darwin.” The feline huffed, a feeling growing in his chest he refused to identify. Acknowledging something is to prove its existence, so he looked down at his books as he walked, grounding himself to the exhausting reality of math class after a sleepless night. That was something that, however excruciating, he was prepared to face with Penny.

As a small child, Gumball discovered that given enough determination, he was able to manifest his every whim into existence. When he wished for a friend closer than family, right under his own roof, the amazing world turned his pet into his brother. When no breath he exchanged, no morning, night, or dream felt complete without the mantra of Penny, Gumball, Gumball, Penny, it was like the world paused just for them, a sanctuary of unity in solitude amongst the stars. He felt, the more he got what he wanted, the less he knew what he needed. And he feared that one day, he’d leave his gifts from the universe behind, like toys he’d broken, ready to be replaced.

In class he sat near Penny, soothed by her calming glow. Only then did he feel safe enough from his own guilt to fall asleep.

Darwin was a bullet in the water. The blanket of humid air coupled with the smell of treated pool water kept Gumball subdued on the bleachers, but the racing in his heart had his mind alert. His pupils narrowed to slits, following his brother in the lead. Second hand competitiveness overtook him, and if he didn’t hate the pool so much, he’d jump in and claw at the students on Darwin’s tail fin, like the time he tried out for the cheer squad and did his worst so Penny’s admission would be guaranteed.

Darwin tapped the ledge of the pool before darting back around, and Gumball hopped to his feet, clapping sharply. “Woo! Go Darwin!”

“Unless you’re trying out for the swim team, get back to class.” Coach Russo droned over the sound of splashing. She didn’t have to tell him twice.

Thankfully, as he meandered out of the room, he was greeted by excitement. Rob swayed idly against the lockers across the hall, tapping his fingers around a lidded tumbler. The distant, patient look in his eye faltered at the sound of heavy doors shutting, and at the sight of Gumball, he offered a sheepish grin.

“Hey,” He fidgeted a bit, slowly handing the tumbler to his unspecified acquaintance. “It’s coffee… I figured you’d need it since I visited so late.”

Gumball smirked, taking in a whiff of steam. “My mom doesn’t let me have coffee.”

“I’ve seen you make it when she isn’t around…”

“You still watch me?” Gumball took a long sip, imagining by the look on the cyclops’ face that if he had his own coffee, he’d spit it out.

“No, I don’t.” He sputtered. “I stopped that a long time ago, like, before Joe.”

“That’s a shame… You really stroked my ego. But hey, here’s to a new era! Friends?” Gumball held out his free hand. “Temporarily,” He clarified.

Rob rolled his eye, but he couldn’t hold back his smile. Gumball let out a tiny labored breath when Rob wrapped his warm, squishy hand around his paw. Something about the linger, the smile, sent lightning bolts throughout his chest.

“Anyway, you should probably get back to class.” Rob pulled away. “I’ll see you around.”

“Wait, no!” Gumball snatched his wrist, and like playing Russian roulette with a gun full of desperate excuses, he choked out, “I could pass out any minute and wake up on a plane to Cambodia for rhinoplasty. You wouldn’t want me to do that, right?”

Rob stared down the length of his own arm with a quirked brow. “Um…”

“Let’s do that rebranding thing.”

Chapter Text

With a scarce lookout, they dashed into the back lot, through a hole in the playground fence worn by years of teenage debauchery.

“Not like I’m scared or anything,” Gumball huffed, sucking gulps of coffee through his tumbler. “But are we gonna get caught for this? Again, not like I’m scared…”

Rob dusted off his boxy clothing apathetically. “I never did.”

“So where are we going?” Gumball fought a tremble.

Rob pursed his lips, shrugging with a shifty eye. A piece of his hair contracted against the wind. “I don’t know, I... didn’t think this would happen.”

Gumball breathed out, crossing his arms awkwardly to his chest. “First time for everything…”

The two shuffled into a makeshift path of hoofprints and bicycle tire tracks, the air between them thicker in essence than in mass. It was as if they’d been covered by a blanket of guilt, which started at the pits of their stomachs and synced with every accidental contact of the eyes. They tripped over their feet, so as to not fall into rhythm. They maintained a healthy three feet apart, but never spaced any farther than four. It wasn’t until the path gnarled into a narrow, one-person trail that they snapped out of their folie à deux. Rob halted in place, blending into the shade, as Gumball took the lead effortlessly.

Gumball made note of this, watching Rob’s cut reflection in the gemstones they passed. He was like an animal of prey, resigning to its fate in the face of a hunter. Gumball himself, on the other hand, never had to wait or stray or worry, over anything in hindsight. It was like the world only went so far, never truly hurting him in the long run, never putting him through things he couldn’t handle. While for others, like poor Rob, who he’d never truly known, had to sleep with one eye open, if they had any eyes at all. Coincidence, dumb luck. Those were two of the many blessings and curses Gumball had been granted from the world that Rob could benefit from. So he used this reasoning, albeit loosely, to take Rob’s cold, clammy hand, and behave absent-mindedly in response to the cyclops’ defensive jerk. “Talk to me like we just met,” he said, his voice a whisper amongst the brush and snapping branches. “Like I didn’t find you hiding out in my basement.”

Rob laughed, giving a trusting squeeze. “Following a stranger in the middle of the woods isn’t my usual Monday… But, I eat breakfast and lunch at school,  and being homeless, they let me store seconds for dinner… I can shower in the morning if I’m quick enough, and Rocky’ll sometimes pay me to clean chalkboards, sweep, mop.. I know everything in class, so sometimes I check in with Anais for missing work.”

“Anais!?” Gumball sputtered in disbelief. “You talk to my sister—My evil, socially illiterate sister—“

“I scoot to her desk, she looks at me like she knows how I’ll die, and that’s the start of our transaction.”

Gumball burst into a fit of breathless laughter, cutting Rob off momentarily. “Besides an actual five year old, do you talk to anybody? I know Tina and Jamie are ninth graders. Jared, Claire, the Detention Gang, Hotdog Guy…” He heard Rob groan softly.

“I used to get bullied. Because of my hair, and being a pushover... I used to be friends with a lot of underclassmen because of how bad it got. That’s why I wanted to be friends with you.”

It was then that they’d come to a particular clearing, even dreamier in the day than it was at night. Bramble-shaped shadows peppered their path, sunbeams shooting through gaps in the forest canopy. The cable-knit sweater felt especially suffocating to Gumball’s fur, and his ears twitched downward.

“I heard you were nice,” Rob mumbled, pulling their clasped hands apart. “Great things followed you everywhere—I wanted that… I wanted to be a part of that.”

As Gumball turned to face Rob, the heart of the woods was no home for breeze. The ground hissed like rousing embers, and up each trunk grew a steady flame. It would be so easy to get up close and personal… Right here, like he did when he had his first kiss with Penny.

Penny… Gumball’s stomach churned. “I’m… not nice. Sorry…”

“Yeah, evidently . It was like I didn’t even exist. You only cared about Molly being missing for a year.” Rob spat.

“Look… I’m sorry. I just didn’t remember you.” Gumball paused, struggling to remember the day he’d gotten Molly back. One minute he’d begun his journey, and the next, Molly sat in the back seat of Mr. Small’s van, safe and sound, despite seemingly appearing out of thin air.

Rob harrumphed, though he appeared slightly appeased. He let his gaze fall to the sizzling ground, picking at the scarred flesh of his wrist—Pink, as it hadn’t burned enough to glitch like the rest of his arm.

“Maybe if you tell me what you looked like, I could think back as far as I can.” Gumball took his last tiny sip of coffee before chucking the cup, proving his full attention.

Rob took a breath. “My face was round… I had a lilac eye. And I had real, brown hair, that covered half of it, and I was blue...” He swallowed meekly. “Ring any bells..?”

Gumball pictured it in his head, so sweet and unassuming… The Rob he knew now had such a rare, charming smile, one that stirred his brains into soup. He imagined that never changed. He could see it then, just vaguely, a happy boy approaching him with open arms. But that was as far as the memory went. He nodded gently. “Yeah, I can kinda picture it.”

Then came the effervescent smile that riled him up, almost as much as the daggered glare. “You can?” Rob’s voice was soft, like he’d found a precious jewel beneath a sea of ash, careful like even the tiniest breath could blow it away. “That means a lot to me..”

By lunchtime they’d made it out the other end of the forest, but the fire didn’t fizzle until they split.