Chapter Text
The first thing he remembers, truly remembers, is music.
The distant honk of an instrument he had no name for ringing throughout the lab. Its reverberations rattling the metal table he had been dumped onto unceremoniously. It didn’t even have a melody or tempo; it was just noise.
None the less, he felt a sense of… curiosity? Yes, curiosity. He felt a sense of curiosity towards the noise and simply followed wherever it led. He and his split bioforms had fallen from the table and slithered on the ground; they followed the sound for as long as it would play. Music was so different from the chittering speak of the scientist who created him. Unlike speech, it was a meaningless sound.
Yet, he couldn’t stop that it moved his meager consciousness in a way he could only assume humans felt too. The scientist, who had been the source of the noise, had him following behind while he honked his horn for hours. Now, he thinks, it was pretty degrading to crawl on the floor just for another second of that sound. However, it was forgivable for a simple minded being such as himself before… well… before things got complicated.
-
It was jarring, to say the least, finally meeting the man he was created to serve. Nothing could compare him for the first confrontation of his namesake. Not even the hours of E. Gadd showing him picture after picture of the man to prepare him for his life as a ghost hunting tool. He wasn’t nervous, no, he didn’t have the nerves necessary to be rattled, but it was a bit… awkward? Yes, awkward, being placed in front of someone you’ve literally been modeled after.
Luigi was much more erratic than he was led to believe. Now, that could be from the current circumstances. A ghost infested hotel wasn’t the best place for an introduction. The man’s nervous ticks shook his body; his feet never settling in a single place. Gooigi could practically smell the fear pouring from the green plumber. He watched the man putter around the miniature lab while listening to E. Gadd’s speech and began cataloging his movements.
His training taught him that imitation was key to success in these instances. Imitation got him the best results before the mini scientist gave him a form. Imitation got him less stress tests on his durability by mimicking the properties of a fallen jello cup. Imitation kept him in E. Gadd’s good graces, so he began to shuffle in place to match Luigi’s unrest. The action did not go unnoticed, as Luigi stopped his panicked pacing to keep a skeptical eye on the green copy.
“Gooigi will be a wonderful asset for you, he’s gone through some extensive testing that will make him essential on your journey.” E. Gadd prattled as he pushed Luigi to the door. “Come, lets see how you two work together, shall we?”
-
The cage was… new. It was hard for the dispassionate blob not to feel pity for Luigi’s confused and betrayed cries from inside the cage. E. Gadd assured him it was temporary, if he could work with Gooigi well enough.
Gooigi had long since resigned himself to E. Gadd’s little consciousness transference device the day some of his matter had hardened over the scientist’s face. He never knew what to do in the situations the scientist placed him in so he simply stood there and observed. Sometimes he would play back phrases he remembered when prompted, but overall, he would stand and watch. E. Gadd’s invention made it so whatever you would call his consciousness would be pushed down and the user of the invention would take control of his body. Of course, Gooigi wasn’t actually being suppressed, at any moment he could gain back control. The little EMP device in his mass was easy to tamper with. But the less E. Gadd knew about his intelligence the better.
The first time Luigi entered into his form it had been a shock to both of them. He’d never been so close to an emotional being before. Feelings of pride and excitement were normal when he was tested with E. Gadd, but this cocktail of emotion was-was… overwhelming. His fear, his doubt, his pain, his worry, his elation, he’d done it, he’s controlling Gooigi, he’s gonna get out of this cage. Oh, it was too much. But in some ways, it wasn’t enough.
Being released from the control had been equally as jarring, the sudden stop of feedback to his limbs had him wobbling forward and back as he ran an internal diagnostic check with his Goo. He hadn’t noticed Luigi running over in excitement and raising his hand towards the goo man. Gooigi turned and starred at the hand, confused. He’d never been introduced to this social mannerism before, he wasn’t sure how to respond so he mimicked.
He raised his hand to the same specifics of Luigi, same angle and weight distribution, a perfect mimic. This seemed to please Luigi as his hand shot out quickly and slapped Gooigi’s raised hand. A ripple went down the goo’s body as his confusion rose. Apparently, the motion was finished as Luigi began moving around him to investigate him further.
It took a second for him to lower his hand; he filed this new move away for later, it seemed to be something his new… owner? Master? Co-worker? Who knows…was fond of doing after a victory.
“See, I knew you two would get along well. It’s an interesting invention, is it not? He’s made completely of ghost essence and, uh, well, a splash of coffee. He’s quite durable and can fit perfectly though grates so he’ll be perfect for squeezing into tight spaces.”
Luigi finished his initial roundabout, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Coffee? Why coffee?”
Gooigi perked up at the new voice, he’d only ever heard two in his existence. It wasn’t deep, but it had a jubilance to it. A bit rough, like he had been screaming recently, but a subtle softness below the grit.
E. Gadd had the audacity to look sheepish. “Why, uh, flavor of course!” Liar “Are you hungry, Luigi? I’m sure Gooigi will be more than happy to- “
Luigi flushed and began to stutter. “N-no, no, no need for that I was just a curious.”
Luigi turned away from the scientist in an attempt to save face. He stepped closer to the goo man and began poking at his form. His gloves stuck in a few places from the humidity in the air, but Gooigi’s body always bounced back. Was this a new mannerism? It was hard to tell; Luigi had on an inquisitive face, but the stare of E. Gadd had him moving his arm towards the plumber. Luigi looked shocked as Gooigi poked the tip of his nose before pulling back. It wobbled a bit, similarly to Gooigi’s body, before stopping. He’d never touched someone before, he had always been the one touched and it was always by gloves.
Skin was… Soft? What was “soft”? Soft was… Luigi. Luigi was soft, yes, that’s what soft was. Skin was soft. Gooigi liked soft.
Luigi blinked in surprise at the poke. He paused for a second, before a soft smile stretched his lips. His eyes crinkled and his cheeks rose as a soft laugh escaped his throat. A… giggle, If he remembered correctly. Luigi had giggled.
“He stills needs a lot of work; you know. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach Gooigi some new tricks.”
Luigi turned away from the blob, smile still gracing his features.
“I’m sure he’ll be a great student.”
Gooigi begins to think soft isn’t the only thing he liked.