Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rules & Regulations (subject to change)

1. Please do not make requests if they aren’t open. They will be deleted and ignored, no matter how good the scenario or the brawler suggested
2. Please keep in mind, I’m not used to writing ‘x reader’, I've read plenty, but never wrote any. So please excuse that while I get my bearings on writing them
3. All my themes for the fanfics are generally T-rated or under, nothing above that.
4. I have three types of ‘x readers’ (at least, for now): Platonic, romantic, and suggestive.
   • Platonic implies purely friendship, familial bonds, etc. Nothing romantic or suggestive about it. Most of the time, pure fluff and feel-good vibes
   • Romantic implies one of two things:
     • One, the fic revolves around the reader and the brawler(s) have developed feelings for one another, but it's not shown until the end (for one reason or another), or it could also be the start of developing feelings between the parties involved (this could be overlapped with platonic, keep that in mind).
     • Two, the reader is in a relationship with the brawler, and they go through a scenario (whether wholesome, romantic, angsty, etc) together. No suggestive themes implied.
   • Suggestive implies things like making out, touching each other, suggestive banter, etc. I refuse to go beyond this, as my audience is generally against complete NSFW. Note, this can overlap with romantic above. 
5. I have a strict moral code. Especially on which brawlers I will do platonic, romantic, or suggestive. This is because of canon lore, implied lore from BS and SC, or because of my headcanons. With that being said, you might see me write outside of my headcanons (for those who know my headcanons more in-depth)
   • Platonic only: Leon, Nita, Jessie, Penny, Squeak, Gene, Tick, Eve, Gus, Spike, Otis, Willow, Sprout, Shade, Trunk
   • Romantic (+ platonic) only: Janet, Edgar, Poco, Emz, Lily, Kit, Crow, Bibi, Ruffs, Hank, Cordelius, Sandy, Mr. P, Mico, Buzz, Doug, Moe, Meeple, Ollie, Finx, Alli, all the robots except Tick
   • Suggestive: Everyone else not listed in points 1 & 2 are free game (they also qualify for platonic and romantic)
6. For pronouns, I try and be as inclusive as I can, so keep this in mind...
   
   • My default pronouns for the series are they/them
   • The pronouns will be listed like so in the series: F!reader, M!reader, NB!reader, D!reader, GF!reader, and NP!reader (NB is nonbinary, D is demi, GF is genderfluid, and NP is neo pronoun)
   • For my gender non-conforming readers (especially those with neo pronouns), please provide examples, I'm begging you. I don't know them all, and it's easier if you provide examples.
   • For my demi or genderfluid readers, please specify what they are. If they follow under the neo pronoun category above, just keep that in mind, too.
   • My beta reader and I aren't perfect, so if we mess up the pronouns, feel free to let me know, and I can fix it asap! :)
7. Please do not rush me to write more or faster. I have a life outside of social media, writing, and drawing. I have an actual job, have friends & family to hang out with, etc.
8. I am allowed to reject any request, even if it fits the criteria above. Especially if it makes me uncomfortable.
9. If I find out you are someone with questionable morals and/or into certain demographics (whether online or not), I'll delete your comment and not do the request. You can block me, I really don't care.

Disclaimers!

1. I upload my fanfiction (not just this series) inconsistently as of now, so please be patient!
2. I have a billion ideas but little time. So please be patient with me!
3. The 'relationship' tags will hint at which brawler was written. If you don't see the tags update, I most likely repeated a brawler for that chapter.
4. The 'character' tags are the brawlers that are written about, mentioned in the fic somehow, or do have voice lines. 
5. I won't be putting '(Brawler) - Mentioned (Brawl Stars' for the tags because all brawlers will eventually get talking lines, promise!
6. In general, I write my stories and fics with my headcanons and AU in mind. When requesting, if you have a specific headcanon in mind, I should be able to include it (unless it's something questionable, then I won't do it)

Updates Log!

• 8/3/24: I have a few requests I need to do, and some brawlers to write about. You will see the following brawlers in this order
  • Requests: Mortis, Buster, & Bo
  • Brawlers I'm Writing: Ash (done), Colette (done), Chuck (done), Cordelius, & Charlie (Yes, I only realized that's 4, 'C' named brawlers in a row lmfao)
• 8/24/34
  •  No update in honor of the BT this weekend. See yall next weekend!
• 8/31/24
  • Due to me being sick and my beta reader going through some irl stuff, updates will be a bit slower. Apologies for that! But we did manage to get the 6th chapter of Snowpark done if you're curious!! (Already updated on the SnowPark fanfic!)
• 9/7/24
  • Edited tags
• 9/28/24
  • Few things of notes;
  • Changed some disclaimers, and updated the characters tags
  • I'll be doing Inktober on my Twitter (@LadyAnnebelle), so I'll be pausing fanfic uploads altogether until November. Thanks for understanding!
• 11/2/24
  • Fanfic uploads are back! While I didn't update this one, I did upload a Maisie/Amber!
  • Next weekend will be Charlie x reader, promise!
• 11/9/24
  • It feels good to upload fanfics again! 
  • Next in the series will be Cordy x reader (To be posted 11/23/24)
  • After Cordy is a commission I received (TBD on when that'll be posted)
  • The next actual fanfic upload is 11/16/24 (Chapter 7 SnowPark)
• 11/23/24
  • Updated each chapter notes to include what the theme (Platonic, Romantic, or Suggestive), the fanfic is meant to be. Anything with an * has a note right underneath it
  • Next chapter is the commission, then I'm pausing fanfic uploads until I can get my creative mojo back
• 12/3/24
  • Okay so, after speaking to my beta reader, we decided to not have my commission as apart of the series, as it's written in third person instead of first person. If you want to read it, its 'My Hero', a Surge x reader fanfic! Hope you enjoy regardless!
• 1/6/25
  • I do apologize for suddenly abandoning the series and going no-contact for a while. I posted on Twitter what mostly happened but I had several breakdowns during my creative break, which crushed my spirit, and almost... my life, if you catch the drift. But I'm back on social media right now.
  • A few things... I have a few fanfic gifts to do first, none of which are going to be a part of this series, so I apologize for that!
  • Once I upload the fanfic gifts, I'll resume working on this series (plus my incomplete SnowPark fanfic). The brawlers that I have in mind to write (not necessarily in this order): Mr. P, Griff, Lola, and Buster.
  • I will most likely take requests when I finish the 4 above, don't quote me on that. I'll make a Tweet about it don't worry!
  • Last thing, since I'm taking a break from art, I'll (try) uploading fanfics twice a week. That'll depend on how fast my beta reader and I can get them done, but I do aim to at least keep the Saturday uploads.
• 2/1/25
  • I'm genuinely so sorry for the wait on an update for this series, I caught bronchitis earlier this week and it's been kicking my ass. My beta reader, Snowy, got caught up in IRL stuff so fae's taking longer to beta read my stuff.
  • With that being said, to make up for being absent this month, I'll tell yall the next brawler for the series (check next point)
  • It's Buster. It's a Buster x reader that was an OG request for the original Buster x F! reader from earlier in the series, but I misunderstood the initial request and had to re-write it. But I finally wrote something else for this Buster x F! reader instead. I'll post it ASAP, promise! It's done, it just needs to be beta read.
  • The next brawler after Buster is Griff, which is half-finished right now. I caught bronchitis right in the middle of writing it; unfortunately, my mind's too frazzled to write any more on it for now.
  • On a different note, I wrote drabbles for all 30 (yes, 30) ships I have during December and January to try and get my creative spirit back. It worked, and I'm writing all kinds of drabbles!
  • I will not post the full work until March 1st, as I'm posting them one by one on Twitter (@LadyAnnebelle is my twt, btw!)
  • But I promise to work more on this series, SnowPark, and one fanfic gift for a moot. That's all for now, love yall as always~!
• 2/19/25 
  • For right now, all fanfic uploads will be halted (except for my drabbles for my drabble series, as those were already beta-read)
  • My beta reader is going through some IRL stuff, and I'd rather pause my uploads to give everyone the best quality stuff possible instead of unedited slop just for views/kudos/comments.
  • I hope yall understand, and I'll see yall in at the end of the month with my drabbles uploaded!
• 6/13/25
  • Quick update, will be writing the Mr. P x reader soon, don't know when it'll be uploaded. 
  • I will open requests open sometime soon, don't ask me when, but I will announce it on Twitter (@LadyAnnebelle). See yall later!
• 7/1/25
  • Finally finished all the brawler x readers I wanted to write, now requests are open! I know it took so long, don't mind beta reader and I :')
  • For requests, just fill out the google forms that I made (this is to keep track of requests easier then using the a03 comments)
  • If for some reason, you don't have social media, just use your a03 account in the forms. If you don't have a google account, then feel free to use a03 comments. 
  • Google Form for requests: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQmjBfu-bD3Dw8Dob2TV_khf5yNYXh04UzPlP6qSBwdgeA7Q/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=106906899553824734350
  • Other then that, I'll start writing the requests that I have gotten already, so see yall soon!!

Chapter Text

Mortis’ Mansion, Mortis’ Mortuary Attraction, Sundown

          After a long day of hustling and bustling for Starr Park’s PR team, you return home to the Mortis’ mansion. It was just exhausting! It didn’t help that Starr Park requested you visit certain attractions today to help take pictures for their social media account. You’ll also be doing this tomorrow too, adding insult to injury.

“Ugh, this sucks.” You say out loud, entering the kitchen. You saw Frank washing dishes, and you smiled.

“Need help Frank?” you offer, rubbing your eyes. Frank grunts and waves his hand in dismissal. You nod, and then inquire about Mortis’ whereabouts. He froze, but grunts. Over the years you’ve been living with the Mortuary Trio, you began to learn the various grunts Frank would make daily.

“Can’t keep track of him either, huh? Well, that’s fine. I’ll wonder about the mansion for him then. Happy dishwashing!” You tell him, yawning.

As you wandered the mansion, you began to think about the way Frank froze. Hardly anything scared the giant, yet he froze at your question. Like he was hiding something, or knew where Mortis was, but didn’t tell you for some reason. As you thought about this, you heard running footsteps behind you.

“Auntie y/n!” Emz exclaimed, hugging you from behind. She then took a quick selfie with you, making you smile awkwardly. It was odd, you weren’t even married to Mortis, but she already called you ‘Auntie’. It was quite cute, honestly.

“Good evening Emz. Have you seen your uncle?” You asked, yawning. Emz’s eyes widened, clenching her phone.

“Ummm, you see, I-I have this thing, see you Auntie y/n!” Emz stuttered and ran away. You stared in bewilderment. Both Emz and Frank didn’t answer. That’s just odd. They both knew where he was and refrained from telling you. But why…?

          You walked around the mansion again, trying to find Mortis. He liked hanging out in darker places, his bedroom, or his luxurious bath in the master bedroom. You check the bedroom and master bathroom, but nothing. It’s also too bright outside for a lot of the main areas hung around in to be dark. There was one place to check, but you never go in, as it was normally kept locked. Mortis was also very adamant about not allowing y/n in that particular room.

          A long walk later, you find the place in the room in question: a lone room off the opposite wing of Morits’ bedroom. Generally, Mortis was the only one who went in and out of the room, occasionally putting boxes in there. Frank and Emz don’t seem to go to this part of the wing, or even in the room in general. You eventually walk up to the room and notice how it was unlocked, with the door partially open.

          You quietly open the door, and peak inside. With the limited light, you can see Mortis’ outline. He reached inside the refrigerator inside and pulled something red out, making your heart drop. You stare in horror as you see the blood pack reach his mouth, and calmly open the door.

“Mortis, what are you doing?” You questioned, visibly concerned. Mortis' face blanched, nearly crushing the red pack in his hand. He shakes, hiding the blood pack behind him.

“Y-y/n, my love! I-I can explain!” Mortis stammered, sweating slightly. You stare in bewilderment, as you then notice his fangs are longer than they usually are. Mortis swallowed, and he opened his mouth, his fangs now at their usual length.

“Please don’t lie to me, Mortis.” You cautioned, crossing your arms. Mortis sighed heavily, and took the pack out, jiggling it in his hand lightly.

“As you can see, this is a blood pack. Yes, I am a vampire,” Mortis lamented, looking right into your eyes. “Please don’t be upset, my love…”

You stare back, your mind swirling with questions. You’ve seen a lot of things in Starr Park, some things normal humans would never believe exist. But here was Mortis, literally telling you he’s a vampire. With a blood pack in his hand. You then walk closer to him, smiling gently.

“May I see you drink from the packet?” you inquired, curiosity nearly pouring out of you.

Mortis’ eyes widened, perplexed by the request. He looks down at the blood pack and hesitantly nods. He opened his mouth, biting into the blood pack. You watch as his fangs grow larger, sinking into the blood pack. Soon, the blood pack was completely drained, just shriveled-up plastic in his hand.

“Well, you don’t see that every day.” You say, after finally processing what you just witnessed. Mortis chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. He then placed the empty blood pack in the biohazard bin. You then hug Mortis, which he instinctively hugs back.

“I’m assuming you don’t care if I’m a vampire?” Mortis asked, running his fingers through your hair. You shook your head, finding comfort in his touch.

“I was too scared to say anything to you about it. I genuinely thought you would be turned off by it, or straight up break up with me. I-I’m sorry for thinking differently…” Mortis lamented, hugging you tighter. You chuckle, pulling away to kiss his lips.

“I am shocked, but this is Starr Park. A lot of stuff happens here.”

“You’re not wrong my dear. You’re not wrong about that.”

The two hold each other for a while, enjoying each other’s company. Mortis ran his hands through your hair once more, making you smile. You had a lot of questions about vampires, and how Mortis doesn’t seem like a traditional vampire. He never asked to suck blood from you, or anything. He never dared try to either.

“Hey Mortis, curious about something…”

“Yes, my love?”

“I guess I’m curious why you’re not a traditional vampire.”

Mortis scoffed playfully, pulling away to stare at you. “I am classier than any traditional vampire!”

You laugh, kissing his nose. Mortis then proceeded to talk about the differences between traditional and modern vampires. You listen in on his various rants, willing to learn about vampires. In a way, you were learning more about him. Especially with his usual flare, the stories were entertaining. You were happy to be dating Mortis…

Chapter Text

Candyland, Mandy’s Candy Shop Entrance

The rainbow-colored streams, fluffy pink bushes, and gummy-esque fences. Just a giant toothache and many dentist visits waiting to happen. From inside the candy store, Y/n looked up from her phone, shaking her head as some kids tried and eat the attraction. Despite the clear ‘do not eat’ signs EVERYWHERE, they still want to eat it. Y/n then grumbled, scrolling through her phone, waiting for Buster to pick her up. A few days earlier, he asked you for a date at the Turbo Theatre. You didn’t think he would be into you, grouchy demeanor & resting bitch face.

            But Buster clearly saw something…right?

Eventually, you hear loud honking from outside. You looked up, and chuckled. Outside was Buster in the driver’s seat of a Starr Park-branded car, waving his arm excitedly out the window. You grab your stuff and walk out the door to get in the passenger seat.

“Since when Starr Park have vehicles that you can rent and drive around?” Y/n inquired, buckling her seatbelt. Buster grinned, rolling the window seat up.

“They’ve always had vehicles for rent! This place is massive, after all!” Buster replied, pressing on the gas to drive.

“I mean, I know it’s big. But most people take the trains to get around the park. Why would you rent a car?” Y/n wondered, looking at Buster.

“Some attractions simply work better with cars than trains, but obviously, you must pay to rent the vehicles for the full immersive experience. Like at the Turbo Theatre!”

Y/n opened her mouth to question but decided to drop it. You just never heard of such a thing as renting cars in an amusement park, no matter how big and extravagant it was. But you had to admit; the view from a car, driving around the park was an experience. It was like driving through a metropolitan city. The lights, the advertisement boards, the guests walking around, wandering the streets like it was New York City. Even the traffic, as seen with a traffic jam in the middle of the road. Looks like Larry and Lawrie are giving guests actual tickets like they were legit cops. Well, Larry was giving them tickets. Lawrie was lecturing and damn-near screaming at them.

“Oh come on, this is just a little too real now. This simulates normal big city life a little too much.” Y/n complained, feeling your temper rising. Buster frowned, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that’s the only thing about renting a vehicle here. It’s almost too realistic.” Buster agreed. “But thankfully, the Turbo Theatre is not far from here.” Buster continued, seeing Larry and Lawrie redirect traffic. Buster waves to the twins and drives past them. He checked the speed limit, muttering ’25 miles per hour’ under his breath.

“Looks like you’re not even immune to getting tickets huh?” Y/n joked, nudging Buster’s side. The cameraman laughed.

“No one’s safe from the twins. Especially us brawlers. Not even R-T; he’s not safe from the twins either.”

“Wait, seriously? You guys aren’t even safe?” Y/n asked, staring wide-eyed at Buster. He laughs, shaking his head. He then began telling his story of how he got his first ticket with the twins…

After pulling up to the ‘drive-thru theatre’ part of the Turbo Theatre, you see Buster get out, talking about snacks and drinks. You wave to him, also getting out of the car while clenching the tickets. The movie tickets were on brand for a drive-thru theatre; paper-thin material, with perforated lines that once held the ticket number and the movie title. Even the coloring made the tickets seem more worn, and like how it was when drive-thru theatres were at their prime. It was quite nice to see something retro be popular in modern times.

As y/n pondered on this, you got on the hood of the car, as it was a nice day out, with a gentle breeze. The sun was starting to set, and the movie would start any minute. You then feel your emotions stir up, feeling both anxiety and anger rise in tandem. Why were you feeling like this?

            You felt hurt.

            Disappointed.

            Furious.

            Even…scared?

But why?? Nothing happened, you were just waiting for Buster to come back with snacks. Maybe even a drink. But no, you were feeling like this. Feeling every ounce of your emotions in and out. Like some wishy-washy ‘stereotypical woman’. It fucking sucked. It genuinely did. Why couldn’t you just grasp your emotions? Take better control of them?

You felt fine on the car ride here, which was the worst part.

Amid your boiling emotions and rising temperament, you felt a light tap on your shoulder. You looked up, eyebrows furrowed, and a giant frown. You see Buster take a step back, shaking the popcorn bag in front of him, holding onto the two large drinks in his left arm tighter.

“Hey… what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Bologna. Your face says it all. What’s wrong?”

It was a long silence, as Buster sat next to you on the hood of the car. He placed the popcorn bag in between you two and handed you one of the sodas. You sipped it, feeling the cool, fizzy liquid down your throat. It helped calm your temper down, now that sugar was entering your body. It was cliché, to see food and sweet, sugary drinks calming a temper down. But it sure did work for you at least.

“I’m sorry. My mood just changed. I can’t control it very well, but I’m not trying to be mean. I just have some heavy mood swings, which have caused harm to those around me. Primarily why I keep the grumpy, and self-assured façade up often. I-its just-” You stammer, waving your free hand around. Buster then grabbed your hand, making you look at him.

“It’s no big deal. I know how your mood swings can be. I’ve observed them before. I was just wondering if anything was bothering you.” Buster interrupts, smiling gently. Y/n sighed in relief and shook her head, sipping more soda.

Your mood swings made it hard for people to get along with you, let alone a date. So it was refreshing to have Buster here, not completely fazed by your mood swings. You eventually dug your hand into the popcorn and popped some in your mouth. Buster ended up throwing popcorn into your mouth, making you chuckle. Despite the raging emotions, that cheered you up by a long shot. The pair played popcorn basketball until the movie started. Both stopped giggling like schoolchildren and watched the movie.

A little while into the movie, you can see Buster is nervous about something. He played with the lid of his soda and messed with the straw a bit. He also stopped eating popcorn, which was one of his favorite things. You frowned, eating some popcorn.

“Hey, are you okay?” Y/n asked, swallowing her popcorn. Buster sighed, his face flushing a light red.

“I-I was wondering if I could…” Buster starts, sweating a bit. Y/n raised an eyebrow, sipping her soda. Buster then gulped, looking right at you.

“If I could put my arm around you?” Buster finished. Y/n smiled, nodding.

Buster then placed the popcorn in his lap, scootching over to you. You then feel Buster’s right arm wrap around you, and you cuddle right into his embrace. It felt warm & comforting yet protective. It was a nice feeling, to be in the embrace of someone you trusted. You smile lovingly and watch as the main protagonist also wraps his arm around the love interest.

Sure, it happened a moment after Buster wrapped his arm around you, but it is a funny coincidence.

Chapter Text

“Y/n, you are to report to Rumble Jungle this instant.”

“Why? Rumble Jungle isn’t a part of my list of attractions!”

“Too bad. I need the reports from the Shaman trio, and they will not answer my calls. Now get out of my office!”

You then scoff, leaving your boss’s office. You hated your boss, you genuinely did. Always demanding of your time, resources, and sanity. Sure, you were fucking good at your job, but c’mon! There were plenty of other agents who could visit. So, why pick you? You already had the biggest list of attractions to visit. Why pile more on you? It was mindboggling. Unfortunately, you didn’t have to ponder this as you rush to a train, hopping in. You look on your phone for Rumble Jungle’s stop; another 4 stops away. You put your wireless earbuds in to play music, sitting in a nearby seat. You then see an email from your boss, with the reports he requested. You roll your eyes, scanning through the email.

The ’reports’ he’s asking for are just stuff the Shaman trio have yet to send to their agent. You wanted to scoff at their tardiness but then relented, knowing their limited technology use. The Shaman trio probably used modern technology the least out of all the brawlers. As you pondered, you realized something: you saw the two step-kids, Leon and Nita, more often than Bo himself. Your fellow agents say Bo’s pretty good-looking, and respectful. It’s the respect part the agents primarily care for, as the other brawler trios can be quite… standoffish to their agents.

Suddenly, you hear the train call for the ‘Rumble Jungle’ stop, and you get off the train. You walk towards the entrance of the Rumble Jungle, reading the rules. You groan, forgetting about the ‘no shoes’ rule of the attraction. Yes, it is perfectly sanitary and mostly safe, but man you didn’t like taking your shoes off. But rules are rules.

And no agent is above the rules.

You begrudgingly took your shoes off and left them with the staff member by the gate. When inquired about the main office for the Rumble Attraction, she pulls out the ‘Employee’s only’ map from underneath her stand. As she pointed to where it was on the map, you suddenly felt shivers down your spine. It also felt like someone was just watching you, staring with the intensity of a big, hungry predator. Waiting to strike its meal when the meal’s most vulnerable.

You felt something hit your arm, making you rub it briefly. The staff member glares at you, and hands you the ‘Employees Only’ map. You hastily apologized, thanking her for the directions. The staff member scoffed, waving you off. As you wondered about the attraction, you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You stop walking to observe your surroundings. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was like you were hallucinating. Sure, you didn’t get a lot of sleep, but surely you weren’t seeing things.

Right?

You tell yourself this as you climb a ladder, leading up to the wooden bridges that connect the attraction. After climbing up, you see Leon standing in the middle of the 4-way bridge intersection. You chuckle, dusting yourself off. When you squint your eyes, you see that ‘Leon’ is a mere clone. You chuckle, pulling your Starr Park Agent badge, plus some lollipops.

“Alright Leon, where are you?” You asked, waving your badge and lollipops around.

After hearing faint giggling and rustling of leaves, you felt a tug at your jacket. You glance down and see Leon re-appear next to you. You bend your knees to meet his height and give him one of the lollipops. Leon happily takes it, as you inquire about Bo’s whereabouts. He pulls his hood up, grinning ear-to-ear as he suckles on the lollipop.

“Dad? Er, not sure. Might be on the north end battling brawlers. Why?”

“My boss needs some reports. But I need Bo’s signature for said reports.”

“Oh, boring adult stuff? Fine… I’ll take you to him.”

After making it to the north part of the attraction, you and Leon encountered Nita, who tagged along for the adventure. You hand Nita one of your lollipops, and Nita bites into it, finishing it in one bite. Your eyes widen, as she also eats the plastic and paper stick. Nita grins, swallowing the lollipop. You decided not to comment, as you wished to not be mauled by Nita or Bruce.

“So, y/n, are you single?” Leon asked, unwrapping the new lollipop. You nearly choked on saliva, coughing violently. Your face becomes beat red, looking down at the preteen.

“I am… but why do you want to know?” Y/n answered, raising an eyebrow.

The two Shaman kids grin and talk in their native language. You didn’t know how to feel about Leon asking you that question out of the blue. But it was too late to ponder, as 3 brawlers jumped out of the trees. They land near the three, almost trapping them in. Leon & Nita growled and began attacking the 3 brawlers. You stood back, as it was protocol to not interfere with the fights the brawlers made.

When you finally get over the initial shock, you see that the three brawlers are Mico, Edgar, and Crow. You groan, standing further back. You felt your back hit a tree, going on high alert. The assassin brawlers were often petty, willing to group up to get back at brawlers who pissed them off. You notice a glint in Crow’s eyes. He then threw his daggers right at you. You panic, dashing to the right. As you ran from Crow, you tripped on a tree root. You then saw Crow in the air, daggers in hand, with a dangerous look on his face. You curl up, expecting the worst.

The sounds of a loud yet controlled scream hit your ears, and you shake, trying to understand what was happening. Explosives go off, followed by Crow’s shrieks of cries. Edgar and Mico’s cries came shortly after, and the scene became silent. Leon and Nita ran up to you, seeing if you were okay.

“I’m dazed but alive.” You respond, rubbing the side of your head.

You look up and see Bo in the flesh. Your eyes widen, heat spreading across your face. He was fucking hot. Toned features, long, dark-colored hair, and a confident stance, looking out in the distance. After a short while, Bo turned around and walked up to you, holding a hand out. You snapped out of your daydream and took his hand.

“I-uh, thank you, Bo.” Y/n stammered, your heart rate going up. You examined his facial features closely. Dark eyes, serious expression, and chiseled facial features; no wonder your co-workers thought he was attractive.

“You are welcome,” Bo replied, looking around again. He then hears Leon and Nita giggling behind him. He gave them a funny look. The two whistled, as you told Bo why you were here.

“Ah, the reports. Yes, I apologize. They are in the office.” Bo explained.

A little while later, Bo returned, reports in arm. He then offered to walk you out of the attraction. You gladly accepted the offer, and you two talked about Starr Park, brawler-related drama, and each other. It was very refreshing since most of the brawlers you spoke with had a lot of stuff going on. None of them were as willing to talk and have a nice, non-heated discussion as Bo could. It also gave you time to process your thoughts, as everyday life in Starr Park often grew hectic and chaotic.

You suddenly feel Nita and Leon grab both of your hands. You smile at the gesture. When these two weren’t causing mayhem, they were quite sweet. A side rarely anyone sees; most brawlers preferred to keep caution and their distance from the two.

“Do you enjoy having Leon and Nita around?” Bo questioned. Sure, you had your reservations, as they acted like wild animals most of the time, but overall…

“I don’t mind them. They seem to like me. I’m not sure if it's the candy or not.” You replied truthfully. As you say that, Leon and Nita dig in your pockets for lollipops. They beam when they find the last ones in your possession. Bo chuckled and shook his head.

“They do like the candy. But they like you a lot more then candy. And so do I.” Bo states, turning to y/n.

You freeze at this confession. Your heart pounds, face heats up for the millionth time that day. You knew he was that blunt, but not that blunt. He firmly believed that talking was only for conveying information. Long, eloquent sentences and monologues were not necessary.

“Wait, since when…?” You asked, facing Bo fully. 

“A while. I did not have time to talk to you at all. So, I stayed away, hoping to find a time to converse in a more personal setting.” Bo clarified, adjusting the reports in his arm.

The two mischief makers then giggled again, whispering to each other. You looked down at the two, but they immediately stopped giggling. They whistled, putting their arms behind their backs. You were sure Leon and Nita were behind this but decided to worry later. Bo points out the Rumble Jungle entrance, and you grin. You two walked out of the Rumble Jungle, arm-in-arm, discussing possibilities for a date…

Chapter Text

Location: Castle Courtyard

“It’s fockin’ noon already?!” Ash exclaimed, glancing up at the clock tower.

Y/n looked at the clock tower’s ringing noises, then at Ash. Both sighed and continued to search for Moe. The cheeky rat ran away from Ash hours prior. Moe typically never ran away from whoever his guide was. However, whenever y/n came around, he would immediately dip. It then turns into a long search party of trying to find Moe around Starr Park– only to find him in some secluded spot.

“This is getting fockin’ ridiculous; Why does the little focker always run away when yer around?!” Ash rants, waving his broom in the air.

“I’m not sure either… maybe he just doesn’t like me.” y/n replied, looking underneath some bushes.

“Nonsense. Yer his veterinarian, and aye know you ain't no animal abuser.” Ash reassures, setting the broom by his side.

Y/n smiles at Ash’s words, standing up to stretch. Being a veterinarian at the Biodome was hard work, but y/n loved the work. The patients and the treatments are to be able to see the progress of their improvements. Even when they struggle or cannot treat a patient, y/n knows that she did her best in trying. Even with all this, it made no sense as to why Moe would run away from y/n whenever Ash was in the vicinity.

After 15 minutes of searching the usual tunnels and burrows around the courtyard, the pair settle on walking through the castle. Maybe Moe was running around inside, causing mayhem as he typically did. Ash prayed that wasn’t the case– he didn’t feel like cleaning up after Moe yet again. Y/n then offered to help him clean up if Moe caused any problems, making Ash’s eyes widen.

“No, no! Me jobs to clean, not yers!”

“Nope. I’m the reason Moe keeps running away, so it’s my responsibility to help.”

“Bullshite! Castle and the courtyard’s me problem, not yers. ‘Sides, it ain’t polite to let guests clean up the park.”

“I’m not a guest!”

The two argue as they explore the castle, rounding various corners and hallways. Their voices and footsteps bounced off the walls, scaring the local rodents away. While the castle was kept clean by the rest of the janitorial staff, the rodents were always a problem. It was like the castle was cursed to have a rat infestation. But guests don’t mind them or the dust too much– it added to the ambiance of the attraction. Y/n stopped mid-argument at the sight of a shadow and hid behind Ash.

“Aye see someone’s scared~” Ash teases, patting y/n’s arm.

“H-hush!” y/n said, blushing lightly.

Ash chuckles and reassuringly squeezes Y/n’s hand. Y/n’s face heated up more at the contact and squeezed his hand back. The pair stay like this, trying to look in the particularly dark hallway. The only light visible was from the candles on the wall sconces and chandeliers. Ash then squinted his eyes and saw a humanoid rat, waving its arms in the air.

“MOOOEEEEEEEEEE-!”

Moe mischievously giggles and blows a raspberry at the duo. The rat ran away, and the two gave chase. Moe is good at giving Ash a run for his money, double so when y/n is with him. They still don’t understand why either; the two were on friendly terms! Ash even visits y/n at the Biodome without his trash can armor. And he rarely took the trash can off.

‘Maybe Moe was jealous?’ y/n pondered, rounding a corner with Ash. ‘But jealous of what? Ash and I are just friends. Also, where is Moe? We’ve been running for a whi-’

Suddenly, y/n crashed into Ash, yelping out in pain. Ash's eyes widened, and turned around to comfort y/n. After confirming y/n was okay, he swore out loud.

“Fockin’ rat. Always running away.”

It was a dead end, and there was no sight of Moe or the way he went next. Moe is clever; he outsmarts people, escapes the clutches of his chaser’s hands, and simply maneuvers past them. That’s how he managed to avoid being eaten by Crow and Kit over the years.

“HOW DOES HE ALWAYS DO IT?!” Ash rants, pacing around the tight corridor.

“I’m not sure but it’s concerning. Moe could get hurt.” y/n replied, rubbing Ash’s arms.

“Aye ain't concerned about that! Rat’s smart. I’m concerned about why he always runs away when yer around!” Ash caterwauled, shaking with clenched fists.

As Ash turned around to pace around the room again, a wall suddenly shuts the two in. Only a dim light was visible from the ceiling.

“ARE YOU FOCKIN’ SERIOUS?!” Ash yells, waving his fist in the air. “NOW WE FORCED TO PLAY AN ESCAPE ROOM GAME?!”

“Ash, please, keep it down. Your voice echoes…” y/n pleads, rubbing your ears.

With those words, Ash froze and looked at y/n, face full of guilt. He then walked over and rubbed the back of y/n’s hands. Y/n smiles at the gesture, feeling a lot calmer after being trapped with Ash. Although worried about being trapped, Ash reassures y/n that there’s always a way out. The castle was designed like a giant escape room– it was a part of the attraction’s mystique. However, Ash doesn’t know every way out of each part of the castle…

30 minutes into searching, and nothing. But they searched for any signs of pressure plates, they filled the room with light chatter. Said chatter included how Ash was going to strangle Moe when they escaped. Y/n simply laughs, knowing full well that Ash won’t strangle Moe. Ash makes a gesture about how he would choke Moe and slams his hand into the wall out of frustration. Suddenly, Ash felt his hand go into the wall, and a warm light emitted above the pressure plate. Both peeked into the warm light, and saw a note written on semi-translucent paper.

“‘Answer the following question and you’ll be free; Do you have any romantic feelings for anyone?’” y/n read aloud.

Once both had processed the question, both looked at each other with furrowed eyebrows and nervous facial expressions. Y/n’s heart was pounding and began to sweat lightly. Sure, y/n has feelings for Ash, but never gathered the courage to say anything. Y/n also had no clue about Ash’s feelings either– he was hard to read. It didn’t help that the janitor didn’t let too many people in his life. Grom & Moe are the main ones he hung around, and maybe his fellow tank brawlers.

“Um, you see, I do but-” y/n began, rubbing the back of your neck.

“-Yer too nervous to confess?” Ash finished, twiddling his thumbs.

Y/n nodded to this and glanced at Ash. Ash doesn’t meet y/n’s gaze, twiddling his thumbs faster. The silence was thick and awkward. If there were crickets, they would be chirping loudly right now. Y/n glanced back at the note, sighing, it was getting warm in the room, and the air felt heavy from both anxiety and the humidity. The claustrophobia was in, and the urge to leave ASAP crept in.

“H-hey Ash… you know that question? On the paper?” y/n asked. Ash nods. “T-to answer the question, I have feelings for you.”

“Wait. Are ye bein’ serious? Ye ain’t sayin’ that to pull me leg are ye?” Ash inquired, looking up.

“N-no! I’m being serious! I legit have feelings for you!” y/n exclaimed.

“Well, aye’ll be, aye have feelings for you too.”

The wall trapping them in opened, and both looked at the now-open hallway. Grom leaned up against the wall, with Moe on his shoulders. The Biology Trio was also nearby, trying not to giggle like schoolchildren.

“FINALLY! We have been waiting for this for months!” Moe huffed, waving his arms in the air.

A long yet hilarious explanation later, Ash and y/n looked at each other with embarrassed looks on their faces. Turns out Grom and Moe got tired of waiting… waiting on Ash and y/n to confess their not-so-obvious feelings toward each other. So, they tried to get them to secluded places to get the pair to confess. After many failed attempts, Grom and Moe got the Biology Trio involved. This led to the trio suggesting using the castle attraction’s unique escape room-like mechanics.

“That’s fockin’ clever. Shoulda expected that from Starr Park’s smartest trio.” Ash compliments, smirking widely.

“Honestly, if it weren’t for you guys, we probably would have been stuck never confessing forever.” y/n admits, blushing lightly. Everyone laughs at this and walks out of the castle. Ash and y/n then discuss when they could go on a date…

Chapter Text

Season: Autumn

Time: 7:30 am

“You will arrive at your destination in 10 minutes.”

Y/n sighed, gripping the stirring wheel tightly. The robot GPS was guiding y/n to Starr Park to drop off a huge shipment of merchandise. Normally they don’t drive or deliver merchandise; they only pack the boxes and check if each truck has the correct items. But their co-worker called out sick, and y/n was now stuck delivering. Delivering merchandise would be exciting, but from what they were told about Starr Park’s gift shop, it isn’t a pleasant experience. Something about the owner being a dickhead half the time.

            ‘I just hope the owner is in a decent mood today…’ y/n thought, turning a corner.

Around the corner was the delivery zone and the entrance gate. Y/n sighed, recalling the information their boss mentioned. All the warehouse trucks go through this gate to keep the illusion of Starr Park alive and immersive. This meant that they had to flash an ID and explain that the usual driver was sick. Next will be a mandatory truck search to ensure that all outsiders are not carrying anything to harm equipment, guests, and employees. Afterward, y/n should be able to enter Starr Park and head to the back of Starr Park’s gift shop.

            At least, if this all goes according to plan…

“Um, hello. I’m here to deliver merchandise to the gift shop.” y/n states, handing them y/n’s ID badge.

The two security bots scan the ID, and the bot with mostly black metal pulls a taser out.

“You’re not the usual driver.”

“I-I understand, but he’s sick right now. I was asked to take his place.”

“Step out, we have to search you and the vehicle.”

Y/n grumbled but complied, getting out of the truck. The security bot with predominantly white features told y/n to put all belongings on the nearby table while his brother, Lawrie, searched the truck. The white bot, who they learned is named Larry, patted them down, starting from the shoulders. As Larry began his search, Larry fired off a few questions.

“Your pronouns?” Larry asked, patting y/n’s sides.

“Ah, they/them, please.” y/n replied, smiling lightly.

“Dually noted. It’s for our system’s records, to avoid this mishap when you return next time.” Larry explained, patting y/n’s legs.

Larry rapid-fired the rest of his questions, and they answered each. After the questionnaire and Larry updating his systems, he told y/n to step through the metal detector. Y/n does so without hitches, and Larry clears them for the body search. The two were now waiting for Lawrie to finish searching for the truck, watching the serious cop as it happened. The two struck up a conversation, asking about y/n’s sick co-worker.

As the pair continued with their conversation, y/n felt a stare. An intense, eyes-burning-in-the-skull type of stare. They turned around and saw a lady with white hair, extra-long sleeves, and a thick book in her arms. She was looking at the duo, eyes full of excitement and curiosity. Larry followed their gaze and chuckled.

“That’s Colette, one of Starr Park’s most popular brawlers and an employee of the gift shop. She has been coming here to look inside the truck for months now.” Larry comments, gesturing to Colette. “Although she is supposed to stay away from your co-worker, as he gets uncomfortable with her around,” Larry adds, looking at Colette. She stared right at Larry as if silently begging to get close.

“Do you mind if she meets you? I will tell her to stop if she makes you uncomfortable.” Larry states, pulling his ticket gun out. Y/n glanced at Colette and looked into her eyes.

            Wonder, marvel, and admiration.

Y/n’s co-worker has complained about the gift shop employees before, and he never looks forward to visiting. The boss is rude, one of them is a complete grump, and another is a lunatic. There was more to the list, but from what y/n can tell, Colette wasn’t either of those things.

“That’s fine.” y/n replied, waving Colette over. Colette grinned and ran over.

“HIIIII! OMG HI, HI, HI! I’m Colette, brawler for Starr Park and an employee for Griff at the gift shop! What’s your name?!” Colette babbled, shaking y/n’s hand aggressively. Y/n had to blink, trying to adjust to Colette’s overly excited and fast-paced voice.

“It’s y/n, a pleasure. I’m the gift shop’s driver and deliverer today.” y/n introduced.

“OHHHHH! You mean c/w/n?! I try and befriend him, but he doesn’t seem interested in being friends. But I’ll befriend him one of these days! Also, may I ride in the truck with you?!” Colette yapped, holding the thick book tighter. Y/n glanced into her eye again.

            Hope, pleading, and curiosity.

“Ah, sure, that’s fine. I’m just waiting for Lawrie to search my truck.” y/n replied, gesturing to Lawrie.

“I’ll fix that~” Colette chirped, running away from y/n.

Y/n was about to ask what Colette meant but soon understood after Colette ran up to Lawrie… to bug and pester the bad cop to hurry up. Lawrie swings his taser, talking about how he needs to do his job. Larry chuckled at the scene, walking up to Lawrie. After an exchange, Lawrie sighed, stepping away from the truck and walking towards them.

“You’re free to go. Just please get Colette to calm down.” Lawrie states, glaring at the superfan. Y/n nodded in understanding, and went to the table with the belongings, but saw it was gone. Colette grinned, waving y/n belongings.

“Got your stuff! Let’s go~!” Colette chimed, bouncing up and down outside the passenger door.

“You have my keys, Colette. Can you unlock the door?” y/n asked, shouting across the pavement.

“Wait, you’ll let me unlock the door? C/W/N never let me touch the keys, or even let me in the truck…” Colette questioned, looking at y/n with hopeful eyes.

Colette’s words hurt y/n. Was c/w/n that much of a dick to Colette and the gift shop members? What Colette was asking for was small. All she wanted was to enter the truck, explore, and ask questions about it. To marvel and stare in amazement at the inner workings. It wasn’t like Colette wanted to drive the truck around or take the thing apart.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Just don’t touch everything.” y/n reiterates, as Colette unlocked the truck.

The pair made it to the gift shop, and y/n backed the truck into place. Colette runs to the trunk, and shakes, staring intently at the trunk. As they unlocked the trunk, the back door opened. Colette ran towards the back door and greeted her co-workers, waving excitedly. They can hear Colette talk to her co-workers about how kind & patient they are.

“Are you sure y/n is what you say?” a grumpy voice asked.

“Edgar, I’m certain! Y/n has a different vibe than c/w/n, promise!” Colette replied.

Y/n raised an eyebrow and slid the truck’s door up, revealing this month’s merchandise to them. The grumpy teen walked over to y/n with a flatbed cart and began putting boxes on it. Colette rode on her flatbed cart over to y/n and almost crashed but was stopped thanks to y/n’s foot. Edgar’s eyes widened, stopping his movements for a moment.

“What?” y/n asked.

“Nothing.” Edgar replied, resuming his previous actions.

Y/n stared in bewilderment as they helped Colette off the flatbed. C/w/n mentioned the grumpy teenager before, and how aloof he is. Looks like c/w/n wasn’t wrong, but it did make y/n wonder why Edgar was so surprised at helping Colette. It was like no one helped Colette. In the middle of thinking, y/n heard some footsteps.

“I need the clipboard.”

“Oh, you must be Griff. Yes, hold on.” y/n replied.

After fishing around for the clipboard in the trunk, y/n holds it out to Griff. Griff grabbed the clipboard and began looking over the merchandise, making Edgar and Colette pause their unloading. Colette giggled and hugged Y/n, squeezing tightly. They pat Colette’s arms, letting Colette keep hugging. Physical affection wasn’t an issue; it was welcomed. Y/n didn’t grow up with a lot of physical contact, as their parents typically didn’t give hugs or anything. Colette seemed to have a lot of love to give, so it was nice to receive affection.

Griff walked up to the affectionate duo and coughed, handing y/n the clipboard back. Colette’s eyes widened and let go of y/n. Y/n’s face flushed lightly, as Edgar and Colette resumed unloading the truck. They then walked over to pull out various boxes and cardboard merchandise holders. Edgar paused unloading and looked at y/n again, although y/n didn’t understand why… it was protocol for the drivers to help unload the trucks.

‘Where was Griff? He should be helping too…’ y/n thought, handing Colette a box.

A few hours went by, and the three managed to unload the truck. Y/n grabbed a rag to wipe the sweat off and stared proudly at the now-empty truck. Edgar went back inside to grab water, and Colette walked up to y/n.

“Hey, I just want to say thanks. You aren’t as mean as c/w/n and don’t mind us. You even let me explore the truck!” Colette thanked, fiddling with her scrapbook. Y/n chuckled, waving her off.

“It’s nothing. You’re just a bundle of energy, and ever curious. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“C/w/n thought it was annoying…”

“Screw him. He’s just unfriendly.”

Y/n heard a ringtone and pulled out the radio attached to their hip. Y/n held the button down and heard the boss mention that they were needed back at the warehouse. Y/n confirms and holstered the radio.

“I have to get going, but I’ll see you next time.” y/n said, walking towards the truck.

“WAIT! Is it okay if I get your number? I want to chat with you more…” Colette asked, tugging at y/n’s sleeve. Y/n smiled and nodded, pulling a notepad out to write down the phone number…

Chapter Text

Location: Ghost Station

Time: 11:55 pm

“Ms. Y/n, why are you out so late?”

You jumped at the sudden voice, eyes darting around the darkened Ghost Station. Turning the cell phone’s flashlight on, you begin scanning your surroundings. The sounds of rushed footsteps and faint giggles made you on edge. When the footsteps stop in your vicinity, you shine your phone light in that direction; Blue eyes reflect off the light. Your heart started to pound, and you prayed to whatever godly presence that it wasn’t a demon.

A ghost.

A poltergeist.

A phantom.

But then, a familiar yellow balloon dog floats in your vision, and you put a hand over your heart.

“Gus, you scared me!” you retort, clenching the cell phone.

“Sorry, Ms. Y/n!” Gus replied, sitting on the bench next to you. Spooky floats into your lap, and you pet the balloon dog.

“To answer your question,” you breathed, sighing deeply, “I’m here to go on a private train ride with Chuck.”

“So, you’re finally going on a date with Uncle Chuck?” Gus asked, grinning ear to ear.

Your face flushed bright, but you nod. Gus cheers, clapping happily. He then talks about how much Chuck wanted to court and date you for months. The kid mentioned something about Chuck working hard to write a bone-chilling serenade just for this date. You then realized that Gus was probably not supposed to say that to you, but decided to pretend you didn’t hear him to keep the song a surprise.

The Ghost Station’s clocks simultaneously went off, and you realized it was midnight. You then see a green glow from one end of the train station, and the green ghost train appears, stopping in front of you. Gus waved goodbye, and he ran away with Spooky. You wave back and get up to the door of the train, but you halt your movement at the sound of Chuck’s voice over the station’s intercom.

“All aboarddddd the Ghosstttt Trainnnn! Horror, screams, and terror are not tonight’s ride– only love, romance, and swoons.”

You giggled at the introduction Chuck used a variation of his usual introduction whenever he’s conducting the Ghost Train. You then stepped inside, keeping your bag close to you. Once inside, you saw the ‘spirits’ float around and leave the train, making you the only passenger on board. The doors close, and you sit down to watch the usual highlighter green train turn into a dark magenta color.

“Next Stop: Candyland!”

Once the train begins to move, you fully immerse yourself in the music and find yourself entranced by the sounds; Soft, haunted melodies are in tandem with the fast-paced romance harmonies– an unusual but pleasant song to those who hear it. You glance out the window and see the Ghost Station in its entirety. The ‘ghostly’ residents talking and hanging out while some float around to get from place to place. There were even several ghost animals walking the streets of the abandoned station.

“May I please have Ms. Y/n in the Conductor’s Quarters?” Chuck called over the train’s intercom. You raised an eyebrow but got up to walk to the conductor's quarters several carts over. You see the ‘Conductor’s Quarters’ sign and unlock the door. Chuck looked back and waved.

“So, what did I do to get invited to the Conductor’s Quarters?” you teased, walking up to Chuck. Chuck held his hand out, and you let him hold your hand.

“Oh nothing… except be my date for the night~” Chuck bantered, lightly kissing the back of your hand. You feel your face burn– Chuck’s more chivalrous attitude added to the charm you grew attracted to.

You then asked about the train ride and its route. He explained that he set up the train’s route to circle the entire park. Your eyes widened at this revelation as you see light up ahead. Chuck gestured for you to sit down at the conductor’s seat, and you quickly do so. You then watched as you saw the night sky, glittering with stars of different sizes. You even saw the Big Dipper.

“It’s so pretty…” You comment, staring in amazement. Chuck nods in agreement, clicking a button on the console in front of him.

“It truly is marvelous, is it not?” Chuck inquired.

A map of the route appeared in the signature highlighter green color the Ghost Train typically is, and you noticed that you two were about to hover over Candyland. You got up from the conductor’s seat, and sure enough, there was Candyland and the giant castle. It was so different at night; normally Candyland was bright, colorful, and cheerful thanks to the sun. With the moonlight’s gaze, it was calm, mysterious, and quiet. The only hint of light from Candyland were glow-in-the-dark candy crystals and warm lights coming from the watchtowers. You then noticed the other two fantasy-themed attractions, the Medieval Castle and Mad-Evil Manor. The Medieval castle looked about the same, calm and serious in demeanor, but Mad-Evil manor was very lively tonight.

‘Draco and his band must be performing right now for the late-night guests who stayed for shows.’ you thought.

“So, what do you think of the ride so far?” Chuck asked, sipping on some water.

“It’s amazing, Chuck, it truly is.” You replied, smiling brightly. Chuck nods in approval and offers you something to drink from the nearby mini fridge. You nod eagerly and open the mini-fridge. You roll your eyes playfully at the bottom shelf, which has various alcoholic beverages inside.

“Do you drink alcohol while on the job?” You joked, taking a water bottle out.

“I wish, but alas, Starr Park says I cannot drink alcohol while on the job,” Chuck replied somberly, sipping his water again.

“But you’re not on the clock.”

“Perhaps not, but I am still conducting the train, therefore, I am working.”

Three hours went by, and the train ride was over. You were sad for it to be over; you liked spending time with Chuck. He was such a gentleman too, he didn’t do anything to push the date one way or another, and he let the date flow naturally. While talking to Chuck, you heard the music from earlier. Your brain began feeling much more relaxed hearing the enchanting music. It was such a nice song… too bad you won’t hear it again anytime soon.

“Ah! Before I forget…” Chuck exclaimed, snapping his fingers. You blinked, snapping out of your daydream. The train conductor then hands you a small box, wrapped in dark green wrapping paper and a striped bow. You open it, and you find an MP3 player, with wired earbuds attached to it.

“Wait, what-” You wondered, staring at the MP3 player.

“A present. You can hear this playlist on it whenever you wish.” Chuck clarified, smiling gently. You smiled back and turned the MP3 player on. A little jingle rang, it said ‘Hello y/n, I hope you find this well. I have made each song in this playlist to show my affection for you. I hope you enjoy and reciprocate my feelings.’ You read the title of the playlist, and your heart fluttered.

Destination: Your Heart.

Your face heats up immensely, and you hug Chuck. He chuckled, hugging back. His body heat was much needed, as the train was quite cold. You let go of Chuck, and you put the earbuds in, playing the first song in the playlist. It was the song that was playing right now, and it sounded better on the MP3 than it did in the Ghost Train. You feel Chuck hold your hand, squeezing it.

“May I guide you out?” Chuck inquired.

“If you would be so kind.”

After Chuck leads you out of the Ghost Train, it disappears into the tunnel ahead, as if it never appeared. Once outside, you heard a song that wasn’t played in the Ghost Train, and you smiled brightly. It was such a sweet song, with no hint of scary or spooky music in it. Just pure love and affection, making it the odd one out of the songs in the playlist. But it was such a pleasant change.

“I’m surprised you made all these songs. I didn’t think you would make an entire playlist just for me.” You expressed, pulling one earbud out.

“You see, I cannot express romantic feelings well, only through music. So, I made this playlist,” Chuck sighed. “You can tell, but I am more old-fashioned. I enjoy the dates, the courting, the gift-giving. I believe romance must be taken slow.”

You nod in agreement, and the two discuss the next date. After noting the next date in your calendar, you yawn loudly. It was nearly 3 am, and you just wanted to crash onto your bed. Chuck smiled sheepishly.

“I do apologize for keeping you out this late… although I have one more request if you are up for it…” Chuck starts. You tilt your head curiously. “May I kiss you?”

When you fully registered Chuck’s question, your face heated up tenfold. It was so straightforward, yet so sweet. You nod shyly, and bend your knees to match his height, kissing him softly…

Chapter Text

“Welcome to the circus! Ladies and gentlemen, and anyone in betweeeeennnn~!”

You glanced up, seeing Byron in the ‘Ringmaster’ skin, singing the Bizarre Circus theme song. The theme song sat close to your heart, as it represented traits you wished to possess: boldness, curiosity, and confidence. Not the shy, quiet, and meek girl that you are right now. Sporting an oversized hoodie, joggers, and sneakers, you wear these things to mask your introverted personality. The subtle comfort from popcorn sat in your lap, the buttery taste entering your mouth every few seconds.

            “Welcome to the circus! Watch the Brawlers set the scene! Come young, come old, don't be shy, do be bold! There are stories to be told, and mysteries to unfold~!”

The word ‘shy’ made you curl into your hoodie more. Shyness– the one thing holding you back from going up to the circus cast. To ask for an autograph, a picture, or even a quick chat. More than anything, you would love to be pulled from the audience to join in the performance. But that was wishful thinking and would require some serious courage.

            “Bizarre curiosities, and dangerous deeds. The Brawler's circus will fulfill all your needs~!”

You smile at that part, as the Bizarre Circus always satisfies your desires each time, especially with its acrobat, Charlie. She never failed to captivate you with her long platinum blonde hair, an alluring voice, and perfect movements. You’ve watched the same show a dozen times but keep returning for more. You wouldn’t admit it out loud, but you had a major crush on Charlie.

            “You need a ticket, this show ain't for free! But do remember the amazing things you'll see~!”

In your pocket was the ticket to said show. You like keeping the tickets, and you try and sit in the same seat each time. It worked surprisingly well, as you always managed to get the same seat. It was a little weird, but you decided not to question it too much. You weren’t always the luckiest, so having this small bit of luck was nice.

“Now without further ado… let the show begin! And a quick note… someone in the audience tonight will be pulled suddenly to be a part of the show~!” Byron announces, tapping his cane on the stage. Before he left the stage, you swore he glanced directly at you with a cocky smirk on his face.

Before you could question it further, the lights dimmed, and snakes appeared on stage….

About halfway into the show, the brawlers paused mid-performance and smirked. You suddenly felt nervous, as Byron smirked similarly earlier. The ringleader walked up the steps, twirling his cane. Once there, he took center stage and tapped the floorboards underneath him. A microphone appeared from the ceiling, with Charlie jumping down next to him.

“Remember how I mentioned how an audience member will be pulled to be a part of the performance?” Byron inquired, pacing around the stage. The audience sat up in their seats, whispering amongst themselves. “The audience member has been chosen, and our dearest Charlie will pull the audience member herself.”

Charlie waves to the audience from the metal rod of the microphone. Your eyes widened as Charlie’s eyes met yours. Your face felt warm, and you sunk low into your chair. You feared messing up the performance as much as you wished to be chosen. Especially messing it up in front of Charlie– It would be too much to handle!

A spotlight suddenly shined onstage as Charlie appeared below it, spiders jumping from her shoulders. After performing a few acrobatic moves, she twirled her hair and hooked it onto the bar of the ceiling. She then swung around a bit, and then began moving towards… you? Your eyes widened in realization as she hung upside down and held her hand out. You gulped and took her hand, with the audience cheering as she pulled you two to the ceiling.

“W-wait, why me?! I-I can’t perform!” You exclaim, face reddening from Charlie’s proximity.

“Everyone has the potential to perform, even you, my quiet superfan~,” Charlie reassured, grinning widely.

“B-but what about my clothes?! O-or what moves to do-”

Charlie holds a finger to your lips, and you shut your mouth. She then giggled, pulling her yo-yo out. She swung it back and forth in front of your eyes, and you followed its movements.

“My dear y/n, you will start to feel drowsy, and a sudden surge of adrenaline– the adrenaline of a circus performer, like me. Mimic my movements, feel my past performances, and feel my presence through it all…” The French woman soothed, unwrapping the hair cocoon. Your eyes droop, and they close.

‘Welcome to the circus! Ladies and gentlemen, and anyone in betweeeeennnn~!’

Bizarre Circus’ theme begins to play in your mind, and you feel your clothes change. The outfit you now sport was the same as hers, except in your favorite colors. With the music and Charlie’s past performances in your mind, you pictured yourself as Charlie, moving with such grace. You then noticed the ground and flipped around to land on your feet. Charlie lands next to you, holding her hand against yours. You pushed against her hand, mirroring Charlie’s movements.

‘Welcome to the circus! Watch the Brawlers set the scene! Come young, come old, don't be shy, do be bold! There are stories to be told, and mysteries to unfold~!’

The two of you twirled around the stage like ballerinas, feeling the audience’s stares. Nita, Lola, and Sam began resuming their ‘performance’ on stage. As the two of you weave in and out of the brawl like needle & thread, the audience begins to chant the theme song once more. After a few moments of this, the brawl abruptly stops, and the two of you twirl in the center. Charlie then pressed her back against yours, and the stage underneath you began to shake.

 ‘Bizarre curiosities, and dangerous deeds. The Brawler's circus will fulfill all your needs~!’

As the center stage raised you two to the top, Bruce appeared from the ceiling, and you two flipped in the air. Once Bruce landed on the top of the platform, you two landed on Bruce’s shoulders, mimicking his hand and arm movements below. As the music slowed, snakes ascended from the ground as spiders descended from the ceiling. Once all appear, the three of you jump off stage, and into a giant pit below…

‘You need a ticket, this show ain't for free! But do remember the amazing things you'll see~!’

You find yourself on the ceiling with Charlie once again, and she clapped her hands. The spiders began to crawl in the direction of the acrobatics equipment. You get on it as Charlie used her hair as makeshift acrobatics equipment. After moving and performing various stunts with Charlie, you noticed below that Bruce was moving on a tricycle. He moved his hands up, and you two jumped off to land on his hands. Bruce then stopped in the center of the stage and got off the tricycle. After the music ends, you shake your head, feeling sluggish suddenly.

The audience then stood up, roaring with applause, as they threw various things onto the stage. You joined hands with the others and bowed to their praise. Charlie squeezed your hand, and you felt your heart flutter. The curtain closed, and everyone stopped bowing. Everyone left the stage for the cleanup crew to deal with, as you all chugged water.

“W-what happened back there? I felt like I was in a trance or something.” You state, looking at Charlie.

“I put you in a trance,” Charlie replied, wiping her forehead with a nearby towel.

“Huh? A trance-” you stuttered, looking confused. Charlie giggles.

“Yes, a trance. I knew you wanted to be a guest performer for the show.”

“W-wait, you know about that?! But I only told-”

You paused your rant, watching a spider crawl near Charlie. It waved its leg in the air. She giggled, and gently picked the spider up. She placed it on her shoulder, smirking at you. As Charlie began petting the underside of its mouth, her thick French accent took a more neutral tone.

“They know all. Especially when I request them to watch the audience.”

It all made sense. The sinking feeling of being watched after every show was always present, but you always brushed it off as paranoia. But all of it was real, and you wanted to pinch yourself. Your crush, the woman you admired from afar, was talking to you right now. And you got to be a part of a show with said idol crush!

“I- thank you… I had no courage to ever request to sign up to be a guest performer…” you thanked, grinning ear to ear.

“It is no problem! I do not mind doing anything for a fan of mine~” Charlie replied, grinning back. A few spiders then pull a small chest to you, and you bend down to pick it up. The note read, ‘To my favorite fan~’. Just as you open the chest, Byron calls out to the other brawlers.

“Break times over, everyone. We must get ready for the next show!”

You frowned as Charlie grumbled. She shook her head and put her hand on the box.

“I am sorry we do not have more time to chat right now. But perhaps we will get another chance in the future. Au revoir, madam~” hinted Charlie, winking at you.

Your face flushed again and watched as she ran off with the other brawlers. Once you were alone, you opened the chest. It contained a few Bizarre Circus souvenirs, a couple of autographed photos of herself, and a note. The note was written in scratchy English and a number. Your eyes widened, feeling your face heat up for the millionth time this evening.

‘Call me soon, my favorite fan~’

Chapter Text

‘Remember, don’t follow any creature or insect in the Enchanted Woods. Just get the samples, and leave. Cordelius and Lily are aware that you’re arriving shortly.’

As you trekked into the Enchanted Woods, Rosa’s words rang in your mind. You were tasked to collect mushroom and fungi samples for Rosa’s latest experiment, and right now, you didn’t want to be here. The hazmat suit you wore was extremely bulky, making walking a chore. The gas mask? It dragged your face down, even though it was properly fitted; it was just that heavy. But as you walked deeper into the Enchanted Woods, you slowly understood why Rosa made you wear all this.

For one, the haze was thick and colored red. Secondly, all the plants in the Enchanted Woods looked… alive– like they could come to life and eat you if you stood too close. The fireflies you saw on your journey also looked like they wanted someone to follow them. You had to remind yourself of Rosa’s warnings to not follow them and keep going– being living plant food was not on your bucket list.

Not that it should be on anyone’s bucket list…

You discovered a sample that’s on your list and began to scrape the dark blue shroom to get some of it in the petri dish. After filling a few petri dishes, you labeled them with a permanent marker. As you looked at the map for the locations of the rest of the samples, you felt an intense gaze burning into your skull. You flinched at the gaze and turned to investigate, but no one was there.

‘This damn haze…’ you thought, turning your flashlight on.

The flashlight didn’t reveal a whole lot except darkness, and silhouettes of various plant life. The only other light present was bright blue mushrooms and fireflies. There were no physical people in sight, nor an entity with eyes. After scanning for a few more minutes, you shook your head and put the flashlight back in your holster. You dragged your wagon behind you, following the route you labeled on the map. As you walked to your destination, you thought about who Cordelius and Lily were. From what the Biology Trio mentioned to you about them, the duo preferred to stay by themselves in the Enchanted Woods. Cordelius and Lily only came out of hiding for official Starr Park business, or if their limited friends dragged them out.

‘Perhaps they were hostile? It would make sense, as Bea voiced concerns earlier about pissing them off…’ You pondered, pulling the wagon over a rock.

After seeing the wagon not moving, you kneeled to pull the rock out of the ground. It seemed abnormally stuck in the ground, like it was glued into the ground. As you struggled to move and pull the rock out, you felt the same intense gaze from earlier. You sat up and looked around, cursing the haze again. After shaking it off as irrational behavior, you resume pulling the rock out. Suddenly, the rock sank into the ground, pulling your arm with it. You panicked, trying in vain to free yourself, but you only sunk further in. As the ground enveloped you up to your shoulder, you began to pray that you would survive today.

You felt something soft poke your back, and then heard a ‘vroop!’ sound. You immediately noticed how nauseated and sluggish you became, and you just wanted to fall asleep. Your vision somehow got worse, with the haze now being a dark blue to purple color instead of the red hue it usually was. After slowly sitting up, you barely registered that your arm was out of the ground as the red haze returned to view. A humanoid plant walked up to you, bending at the knees, waving its hand in your face.

“H-huh…?” you spoke, tilting your head. You then froze at the pressure of a large gun into your back.

“Human. Speak business or be obliterated,” A voice barked, pulling something back.

“I-I’m here… for official business… for the Biodome…” you replied, trying not to shake in fear.

The humanoid plant’s eyes widened and began to use its hands to make gestures to the man behind you. It took your mind too long to realize that the humanoid plant was using sign language, a language you understood. You sloppily pulled your hands up to sign.

‘Rosa told brawlers named Cordelius and Lily were expecting me today.’

‘That would be us. I’m Lily, and Cordelius is behind you.’

Cordelius soon pulled his gun away, slugging it over his back. He then walked over to your wagon and inspected your samples. Lily helped you up and you leaned onto a nearby tree for support. The two of you signed to each other, discussing your profession in the Biodome. You signed how you worked on the fungi and mushrooms in the Biodome, and Lily clapped her hands.

‘Cordelius is the protector of the Enchanted Woods, but he loves fungi the most.’

Your eyes widened to this, as hardly anyone liked studying Mycology. The proof was obvious when you were the only one who studied it besides Rosa. Sure, it wasn’t to the same extent as yourself, but at least you didn’t feel completely alone. With this new information, you felt hopeful– hopeful that you wouldn’t truly be alone in a dark world like Mycology…

“Human, give paper,” Cordelius demands, tapping his foot.

“O-on the floor… by your foot,” You replied, pointing to Cordelius’ feet. The short brawler glanced down and picked it up. He read over the samples and shook his head.

“You got wrong samples.”

“They’re wrong?”

All you saw was a nod from Cordelius, and him walking away with your wagon. Your eyes widened, leaning off the tree to chase after him. Lily noticed you limping and ran after you, her eyes narrowing lightly. She walked side by side with you as the two of you followed Cordelius, watching intently as he scanned his surroundings.

“Cordelius sure is diligent, huh?” you questioned, turning to Lily. She nods, and signs, ‘He loves what he does. Thing is he hates anyone coming into the Enchanted Woods.’

“Does he hate people?” you joked. Lily nods again, signing, ‘Oh he does. Hardly anyone catches his interest long enough to interact with him.’

‘A shame really. Cordelius would be cool to chat with about Mycology. He clearly knows a lot, and he’s helpful when he’s able to incorporate mushrooms.’ You pondered.

As you kept thinking, Lily suddenly yanked on your shoulder. You gave her a confused look, and she pointed downwards. After glancing down, you saw Cordelius kneeling on the ground, digging at a sample. It looked completely different from what you gathered earlier: bright blue, glowing, and bundled up like sardines. You found these everywhere on your journey throughout the Enchanted Woods, but you didn’t think much of it.

‘What taxonomy is this? Surely it’s not one I needed…’ you thought, tilting your head.

While going through your mental list of samples you were supposed to get, Cordelius snapped his fingers at you, then did a ‘gimme’ gesture. You slowly blinked, but then quickly grabbed one of your spare petri dishes. After putting it in his hand, he put part of the sample in it. He hands it back to you, and you label it with a permanent marker. The assassin brawler snatched the marker out of your hand and labeled the rest of your samples that were in the wagon.

‘Did I seriously get all of these wrong?!’ you thought, panicking internally. You were usually so knowledgeable of your craft, yet you got every sample wrong.

“Samples labeled wrong. You miss 4 samples.” Cordelius states, shoving the clipboard in your hand.

You squinted at the clipboard, and you struggled to see once again. The red haze somehow got thicker, and it was starting to annoy you. How did Cordelius and Lily see through this?! You saw a few fireflies hover near the clipboard, and your eyesight got better. The words became tangible, and you read out loud the samples you were missing.

‘Jeez, these samples were all wrong… I’ve been gathering different ones. Oops.’ You thought, scratching the back of your hazmat suit.

“Come, I show you rest of samples.” Cordelius commands, dragging your wagon once more. You and Lily looked at each other, and walked after him…

After a solid 30 minutes, Cordelius managed to get you the rest of the samples you needed, plus he updated the map you brought. Turns out it was outdated, and he never bothered to give the Biodome an updated copy. You sigh internally, hearing similar complaints from your co-workers at the Biodome; Cordelius doesn’t always help the Biodome when it’s convenient for them– only convenient for himself or Lily. It did make you wonder why he was helping you, considering his personality. You also didn’t want to point this out loud, as it was both rude and Cordelius could easily stop helping you.

And you kind of needed his help right now.

While walking back to the Enchanted Woods entrance, you noticed Lily is no longer with you two. It was a shame, as you liked hanging around her– especially using sign language, which was fun to use. Although you were more curious about Cordelius, something told you that he wouldn’t open up to you that easily– even if you two shared Mycology interests. Perhaps this was fine, as you could always visit the Enchanted Woods, under the guise of ‘sample collecting’. You snort to the idea as you nearly tripped on Cordelius again. The brawler didn’t seem to notice, as he kneeled to examine dim purple and magenta bottle cap mushrooms on the ground. You yawned, saying the scientific name of the shroom.

“Correct, human.” Cordelius congratulated, nodding his head.

“The red and black variants should be close by…” You point out, yawning once more. Cordelius glanced up and looked around. He then walked over to said red and black shrooms, near the base of a tree. He began to examine them, looking closely at them. You walked up behind him and peeked over his head.

“Magenta and purple ones will always have the red and black variants within a 3-foot distance. They feed off each other.” You babble, feeling excited.

Cordelius tilted his head back, eyes widened. You nodded, and you pointed to the spore exchanging process currently happening. Bright magenta spores suddenly went into the air, and they floated over to the shrooms in front of them. The black and red ones opened like an umbrella and absorbed the spores. Shortly after, they launched bright red spores, floating over to the magenta and purple ones.

“Fascinating…” Cordelius clapped, walking over to the other bottle caps. After watching Cordelius get excited, you then babble more on these bottle cap shrooms, and how much knowledge they fed off each other…

Chapter Text

Location: Turbo Theatre

Time: 10:00 am

Currently, you’re in line in the Turbo Theatre trying to get tickets for ‘The Queen’s Robin Hood’, Gray and Lola’s newest hit movie. It’s a medieval romance about a queen falling in love with Robin Hood, and it intrigued you. Not for the storyline, but for the queen herself; a grumpy, queen of hearts type of woman whose walls break thanks to Robin Hood. It’s highly rated by critics and you wanted to watch this movie more than anything right now. You even took time off work just to see this movie. You look ahead in line and see about a dozen people in front of you, making you groan internally.

‘How long until the line gets shorter?’ you thought, gripping onto your bag strap.

While waiting, you see Buster pace to the front where Fang is. He swipes his ID badge through the slot, and the register lights up. Buster calls for the next customer, and the group of 4 goes up to the front. You sigh, finally relieved that the line is starting to decrease. While waiting again you thought about Buster. He’s cute and goofy, your type of guy. However, you didn’t know if you could fully trust him. After all, anyone can act like anything. Why should you trust him? Or anyone, for that matter? They could betray you at any moment: getting to know you, getting you to spill your secrets, and then BAM! Your whole life… ruined.

‘I cannot let him into my life…’ you internally declare, stepping forward in line. After getting into your thoughts, you get called. You look up and feel your heart stop; Buster’s the only cashier. You sigh and walk forward to Buster, digging through your bag.

“One ticket to ‘The Queen’s Robin Hood’, a large popcorn, sweet and sour candy, and soda, please.” You list, pulling your card out.

“Will that be a medium or large?” Buster asked, looking at you.

“Er, large please.”

Buster nods and types into the register. Your total pops up and you swipe your card. The terminal flashed a red ‘X’ on the screen, declining your card. You swipe again and see that it declined once more. After trying a different card, you are about to walk out until Buster stops you. You glance back and saw him type something into the register.

“You’re actually our 1000th customer this week, so you got your entire order paid for, plus your ticket!” Buster exclaims, grinning ear to ear. You tilted your head.

“Wait… I am?” you inquire, not believing a thing Buster said. He nods eagerly. 

“Absolutely!” Buster replies, grabbing your order and ticket. You grab the tray provided and the ticket, confusion littered across your face. Buster grins again, as he calls the next customer. You wanted to question Buster more but decide against it as you were holding the line up. As you present your ticket to the employee, he hole-punches the ticket and you move on to the theatre the movie’s in. 

‘Am I truly the 1000th customer this week? It’s only Wednesday after all. I know this place is popular but that seems excessive…’ you ponder, walking into the theatre. You find the seat number from the ticket and you sit on it. Upon further inspection, you find that the seat came with a recliner and a massage chair option. You grab the remote and turn it on, feeling the entire chair vibrate lightly. You tuned it up and relaxed.

‘Huh… this chair’s oddly comfortable. No other seat in the theatres has these massage chair options, and yet I have one? This is odd…’ you ponder, eating some popcorn. You then sip your soda, enjoying the refreshing taste of carbonated sugar water.

As you wait for the premieres to start, your mind wanders to Buster. Why is he being extra nice to you lately? The last few times you’ve been to Turbo Theatre have been like this– it always ends up with Buster doing something nice for you, like slipping you extra popcorn in the bag, getting a large soda when you paid for a medium, discounts on your orders, etc. It was always something , and you couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

It was starting to get worrisome.

‘Perhaps I should pay Buster back for all the things he’s done for me– I feel guilty all of a sudden’ You thought, opening your box of candy. 

The lights began to dim, and the primaries began playing. You smile and watch the various new movies coming out soon. None of them were that interesting, but you at least make a mental note of them to check out in the future. There were several advertisements for other parts of Starr Park as well, one of which was Mandy’s Candyland. You watch the commercial and see yourself in it. Your heart began to race– you forgot that you were in the commercial. 

‘Please please please God if you exist don’t let anyone in this theatre recognize me,’ you prayed, clenching your popcorn. You begin to eat your snacks faster, feeling your anxiety and fear go up as the commercial plays. Soon, you feel a tap on your arm, and you glance over to see Buster in the darkness with his finger over his mouth. He then places another thing of the candy you ordered in your lap and runs out of the theatre. Despite everything, the extra candy made you feel better. You open the second box of candy and watch as the movie plays…

‘Wow, that movie was amazing…’ You thought, squeezing the now empty popcorn bag. You and the other movie-goers clap as the credits roll and the lights turn back on. The movie ended a lot nicer than you expected– with the two protagonists not dying. While you preferred a good Romeo and Juliet-esque film, a happy ending was nice as well. Your mood suddenly shifts, and you look down in your lap.

‘I wish I could have a happy ending…’

Your thoughts swirl with negativity and harsh words, making you shake and quiver. Why can’t you be happy? Why must you be so defensive and reserved? It’s so easy for other people to trust; why must it be so hard for you? Why must you have been betrayed in your past relationships? All these questions plus bad experiences from your past relationships began to sufface, making you hyperventilate.

‘WHY MUST I BE SO BROKEN?! WHY CAN’T I BE NORMAL?!’ you mentally screamed, putting your hands on either side of your head. Several minutes of this pattern continued until you felt your shoulders being grasped.

“Hey, y/n, y/n! Look at me…” a calm voice spoke, snapping you out of your thoughts. You glanced up with tear-soaked eyes to see Buster kneeling in front of you.

“B-buster… W-what-?” you began.

“Hey hey hey, breathe for me. It’s okay; I’m right here,” Buster reassures, smiling warmly.

“But what are you doing here?” 

“Well, I saw you here still, and you looked like you were on the verge of a panic attack. So, I came over here,”

You sobbed into your sleeves, trying to process Buster’s words and actions. No one’s been this nice to you before, not as strangers anyway. But were you two strangers? You honestly didn’t know, but right now, you needed some form of comfort. Buster smiled and opened his arms. You instinctively wrapped your arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed your back, trying to soothe your aching heart and mind. 

“I don’t know what happened… But I’m sure it’s not your fault. You’re a strong woman; I can feel it deep in you.” Buster soothes, hugging you tighter. You nod, hugging just as tight. It’s been a long time since you received a hug like this; a warm, tight, protective hug. It made you feel… safe. It’d been a while since you felt safe.

“Thank you, Buster… I really appreciate it.” You thanked him, smiling somewhat.

“You’re welcome. Now, let's get you out of here,” Buster replied, helping you out of the chair. 

The two of you leave the room and chat at the concession stand. Fang grins and refills your soda, sliding it over to you. You sipped it and thank him, continuing your conversation with Buster. A few minutes later, Fang nudges Buster’s side and winks at him. His face reddens as he shushes his friend. The martial artist laughed and walked over to refill the popcorn machine.

“What was that about?” you asked, sipping your soda once more.

“I-I don’t know,” Buster replies, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, could you keep an eye on my soda while I use the bathroom?” you asked. 

Buster nods and grabs your soda. Upon entering the bathroom, you saw Maisie washing her hand. She groans in annoyance at the lack of paper towels in the dispenser. You notice that there was a pack of paper towels on the custodian’s cart, and open it for Maisie.

“Ah, thank you,” Maisie thanked, wiping her hand. She then turned to you. “You’re y/n, correct?” 

“Y-yes…  why do you ask?” 

“You know that Buster likes you right?”

“Wait, what-?!”

Before you could question more, Maisie left the bathroom whistling, making you question everything. You then entered a stall and thought about Maisie’s words. ‘Buster likes you’ repeated in your mind. Your mind flashed to all the nice things that Buster had done for you the last few weeks: the way he comforted you during your panic attack, the extra treats, the ultra-wide grins and smiles… it all made sense. He likes you. It felt odd to be liked in that sense, as it’s been a while since your last relationship. 

“Maybe I’ll give him a chance… like Queen Victoria did with Robin Hood…” you declared quietly. After finishing your business in the stall, you march out to see the Turbo Theatre trio chatting by the concession stand. You then walk right up to Buster with a smirk.

“Buster… do you like me?” you asked, crossing your arms. Buster spat his drink out, making his trio-mates hold back their laughter.

“I-uh, um… y-yes…” Buster admits, cleaning up his mess.

“Would you be willing to go on a date sometime soon?” you question, smirking wider. 

“O-of course… when are you free?” Buster replied, pulling his phone out. Fang and Maisie exchange fist bumps and watch as they talk about their future date…

Chapter Text

Location: Starr Park Gift Shop

Time: 9:00 am

“Thank goodness it's Friday!” Colette cheered, skipping along to work.

“What’s so special about Friday’s? It’s just another day for us.” Edgar huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Well a certain someone’s about to make her appearance~!” Colette retorted. 

Edgar watched as Colette snuck around the corner and peeked her head out. He followed, curious as to who she was talking about. After looking with Colette, he found y/n, currently arguing with Griff. He sighed and shook his head.

“What’s so special about y/n?” Edgar whispered.

“It’s because Griff talks to her when she appears,” Colette whispered back, giggling softly as she opened her scrapbook.

The emo teen looked at the current entry of the scrapbook and saw her scribbling Griff and y/n. Colette then drew a heart around the pair, making Edgar raise an eyebrow.

“Why are you doing that?” Edgar whispered, pointing to the drawing.

He got no response as Colette walked away with a shit-face-eating grin. Edgar followed her to the back entrance of the gift shop and entered with her. He shook his head, realizing he’d have to find out the reason himself… as usual. Not that it’s hard whenever he does, but he preferred a definite answer. However, this was Colette he was talking about, and he never got direct answers from her.

“Excellent, you two are here. Drive y/n out of my shop this instant ,” Griff commanded, walking by the two with a huff. Edgar sighed and walked over to you with his arms crossed. 

“Tell Griff to get his ass out here this instant.” you spat, glaring at Edgar.

“No can do; boss said you need to get out,” Edgar replied blandly.

“I don’t give a fuck, he needs to stop hiding about this refund that I was promised,” you ranted, curling your hand into a fist. Edgar sighed and shook his head.

“Colette, can you talk to her?” Edgar called out, turning behind him.

Colette nods and skips over to you. You glare daggers at Edgar as he walked away to Griff’s office. When Colette approached you, you shoved past her and followed Edgar. His scarf urged him to run and Edgar did so, feeling your presence behind him. After running to Griff’s office and hiding behind his desk chair, Griff glared at you.

“You are not welcome here, Ms. Y/n, now get out of my shop,” Griff coldly stated, looking up at you from his paperwork.

“The terms and conditions state that I’m entitled to a refund within 7 days of purchase, and it’s only been 3 days since I purchased it,” you replied, slamming the contract on the desk. 

“Section 3, line 5 states the following, ‘The seller must take the customer to dinner to discuss the refund within the 7 days or the seller can be sued for not fulfilling the terms and conditions,’” Edgar spoke out, squinting his eyes at the contract.

“You’re not supposed to help the customer, Edgar,” Griff chastised, pulling a banknote out. The scarf caught Griff’s arm and Edgar glared back.

“You always say ‘Look at the terms and conditions’ yet here you are, mad that a customer actually read the terms and conditions,” Edgar retorted. 

“FINE! Y/n I will discuss this with you later this evening at Barley’s Bar at 9 pm. Surely you know where that is?” Griff inquired.

“Yes, asshole, I know where it is– I fucking work there,” You replied, walking out of the office…

Location: Barley’s Bar

Time: 8:55 pm

“Ms. Y/n, what are you doing here? You’re off today,” Barley asked, walking over to you.

“I’m here to discuss a refund,” you replied, tapping your fingers on the table.

“Are you sure it’s only for that? Or is this a cover-up for a date with the boisterous business owner~?” Barley teased, his optic flashing a heart. Your face turned bright red and you threw a fork at him.

“Colette asked the exact same thing and the answer’s no,” you answered.

“Your face said otherwise~.”

“I’ll throw the other fork if you don’t skedaddle.”

Barley laughed heartily and retreated to the back, leaving you alone at the corner booth. You crossed your arms and stared at the front door, waiting for Griff to walk in. Your mind repeated Colette’s and Barley’s question, making you slam your head on the table. The idea of dating Griff isn’t a bad one– however, you didn’t think the man is even interested in dating. Or if he was into dating, was he interested in you ? Your mind swirled with these questions but your speculations were interrupted by a tap on the table.

“Ms. Y/n.” Griff greeted, sitting across from you.

“Griff.”

You two began to talk about the refund, and Barley came by to take their drink orders. The bartender bot side-eyed you while writing Griff’s drink order down. You gave him a knowing look and ordered water. He nodded to this and walked away to get the drinks. Griff faced you and resumed the conversation, pulling the original contract out. The two of you debated back and forth over the refund, and you grabbed the original item out. It broke because of faulty wiring, and the terms and conditions don’t include a warranty.

“So you either give me the refund… Or I will fight you for it,” You state, tapping your finger on the table. 

“If I agree to the refund, then you must give me time to give it back to you since you paid with cash,” Griff replied, clicking a button on the side of his register. 

“Oh please, like you don’t have the money right now.”

“The money I have on me is to pay for this dinner.”

You pause at that statement, repeating it in your mind. As you began to process his words, Barley came by with drink refills and took your food orders. Griff excused himself to the bathroom afterward. The bartender bot shot you a look, and you waved him off, signaling you were fine. 

“He likes you,” Barley stated.

“How do you know?” you inquired.

“I can analyze the emotions of my customers. While he does wear the cash register, he cannot hide from my systems,” Barley answered, turning back to you. “But would you reciprocate his feelings, y/n? You and I know how he is.”

That was the question you didn’t want to think about. Yes, you did have a crush on the gift shop owner, but you also knew Griff’s personality: loud, greedy, silver-tongued, and brash. However, there was something about him that intrigued you. He was like a book; an interesting cover with a good summary, but inside, it was filled with a story and journey of a lifetime– and you wanted to read and analyze every page of the book.

“I would accept,” You declared. 

Barley nodded to you and left to get started on the food orders. You could tell that Barley was apprehensive of your decision, but you were willing to take the chance. Life was about taking risks, even if the outcome was less than desirable. For you, life was too short to be cautious, so why bother hiding? You embraced this part of life well and it’s helped you over the years. 

“Thank goodness I fell-” you voiced out loud.

“In love with you?” a voice finished. You jumped and whipped your head to Griff.

“What the-?!”

“Do not act surprised; I overheard your conversation with Barley.”

You shook your head to this as Griff sat across from you. He clicked a button on the side of his cash register, and the ‘mouth’ part opened. It revealed the bottom half of his face as he sipped on his drink through a straw. After glancing at your phone, you realized that it’d been a while since Barley came by. 

“Barley will be here with our food soon,” Griff said, setting his drink down.

“Wait, how do you-” you asked, raising your eyebrow.

As if on cue, Barley rushed out to your table with both food orders, plus your water refill. He hastily apologizes, talking about an onslaught of customers showing up right after he took their order. You wave Barley off as you stare at the food, mouth watering at the scrumptious bar food. Barley then raised his eyebrow at Griff, who stared back impassively. Afterward, Barley put the check on the table and left to tend to other customers. 

“Barley believes I cannot be a decent enough partner,” Griff observed, staring at the artillery bot from across the bar.

“Can you blame him?” you retorted, biting into your food.

“... Perhaps not. However, I can easily prove to you that I could be a good partner, if you would let me, Ms. Y/n,” Griff proclaimed, putting his hand on the table.

“As long as I get my refund, I’ll gladly accept.” You replied, taking his hand as you two ate dinner…

Chapter Text

“Up next, is the mysterious Lola, snake charmer and mystical dancer of the Bizarre Circus,” Byron’s voice rang, as the lights suddenly turned on.

In the center stage was a huge ball of snakes hanging from the ceiling like a Gordian Knot. You stared in fascination as the snakes suddenly dropped to the ground, where Lola stood before the crowd. She put her pointer finger up to her lips and swayed her body to the beat of the music. The snakes danced in sync with Lola, swaying their elongated bodies with her. You couldn’t keep your eyes off Lola and her elegant movements– specifically, her hips. The way they moved to the low, eerie music made your skin crawl. 

‘I didn’t know someone could move like that and still look amazing…’ You thought. 

As you looked up, you felt something crawl onto your lap, and you nearly jumped in your seat. It was one of Lola’s snakes, flickering its tongue at you. After a few seconds, it curled itself up and cuddled into your lap. You smiled, petting the scaly creature while staring up at Lola. She clicked her tongue and several snakes crawled up her body, wrapping around her waist. 

The snakes soon hissed and the music changed to a chipper and upbeat tune, making you and the audience sit up. Lola then glanced around the audience and made eye contact with you. She flicked her tongue at you and winked, moving her body to the music once more. Your face flushed to this as you pet the snake a bit rougher than earlier. The snake didn’t seem to mind nor notice as your mind raced with what Lola just did. 

As Lola reached center stage, she began to walk backward on invisible steps and reached the top, looking around the audience like an adventurer. The audience cheered her name, and you joined them. She blew kisses at the audience and smirked, nodding at the off-stage crew. A spotlight began to shine and scan the audience. 

‘Ah, I wonder what this is for...’ you pondered, putting your head in your hand. 

The snake in your lap uncurled itself and slithered up your chest. You chuckled and helped the snake around your neck. It then stood up and hissed upwards, its eyes glowing brightly. The spotlight then shined on you immediately and the music abruptly stopped. You froze at this and looked around in confusion. A lot of people were both glaring and staring at you in anticipation.

“Well, come on up. My darling snake has chosen you, so you get to help me perform,” Lola called out. “If you so wish, darling ~” Lola added, smirking at you. 

Your eyes widened to this and you glanced up at the snake, who flickered its tongue at you. You took another glance at the audience and deduced that not many people get the chance to perform with Lola. You took a deep breath and you stood up with the snake on your shoulders. The audience clapped and cheered as the music began to play again. As you made your way on stage, the snake on your shoulders spat up a flute. You blinked at the flute, trying to figure out how it knew that you could play it. After getting on stage, you pushed the thought aside and began to play to the song's rhythm, and the snakes began to dance around you. Lola then tossed her snake necklace on the ground, and you opened one eye at the familiar summoning noise.

‘The clone…?’ you pondered, closing your eyes.

The beat changed and you played your flute. You began to lightly twirl around the stage as your fingers moved over the holes of the flute. Lola and her clone began to mirror each other, with the snakes making various letters as they moved around the stage. Once the beat dropped, everyone on stage dropped to the ground, and the lights cut out. 

A few minutes later, you find yourself on the floor backstage, and you cover your eyes at the sudden intrusion of light.

“Oh, come on now, darling, surely you can handle some light~?” Lola teased, walking up to you.

“I-I can! I just wasn’t expecting it!” you retort, standing up off the ground. 

“Well, no matter. Thank you for joining me in my solo performance. I highly appreciate you being on stage with me.” 

“Wait, you wanted me on stage with you?”

“Oh come on, I had to invite you since you were staring at me like a kid in a candy store~.”

Your face heated up immensely with that comment– you honestly didn’t think she would know who was staring at her. The snake that was in your lap earlier slithered over to you and tapped your leg. You smiled and picked the snake up, allowing it to wrap around your shoulders. Lola smirked, scratching the underside of its head. The snake responded positively to her affection, shaking the tip of its tail. It reminded you of a dog, eager to greet its owner.

“Ah, hello my pretty, you are quite fond of them, no~?” Lola cooed, holding her arm out. The snake hissed lightly and began to slither onto her arm, soon settling on her neck.

“I’m not exactly sure how or why it's fond of me, but I’ll take it,” you replied, smiling as Lola and the snake bonded.

Byron made his appearance backstage, raising an eyebrow at you and Lola. You tilted your head at him, but Lola held a hand up to you.

“Got a problem, Byron?” Lola asked, standing between you and him. 

“Not at all,” Byron replied, holding his hands up. “I was merely curious if you’re trying to charm them like Charlie is with that girl from earlier~,” Byron added, smirking widely. Lola’s face turned red and she chased after Byron, who laughed manically. You tilted your head in confusion as you heard their yelling getting quieter as they ran away. 

‘Charming me…?’ you pondered, as you noticed a snake pointing to the door to the audience. You nodded your thanks to the snake and returned to your seat, where Nita’s performance was up next…

Chapter Text

Location: Snowtel

Time: 6:00 pm

“Y/n… what are you doing?” Gale inquired, tilting his head.

“Waiting for my time to strike,” you replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Gale shook his head, and you peeked around the corner. You were waiting for Mr. P to let go of his precious maroon suitcase so you could take it. Why? Well, you loved messing with him! Seeing him get riled up and chase you around the Snowtel was the best way to spend your evening. It always ends with you running into a dead end and ‘reluctantly’ giving it back to him. 

The last few visits, however, you noticed that Mr. P didn’t seem nearly as agitated when he saw you. You didn't know how to explain it, but he almost looked amused at your antics. It was mindboggling, to say the least. Right now, Mr. P was talking to Lou about something, but you were too far away to eavesdrop. The temptation to stalk closer with no cover to eavesdrop was strong, but your urge to grab the suitcase was even stronger. 

‘He just set it down, perfect! I just need to wait a few more seconds, then…’ you thought, narrowing your eyes at the suitcase. 

Mr. P walked away to grab something off the front desk, and you dashed to his suitcase. You managed to snatch it and ran down the hallway, laughing manically. Mr. P turned around and screamed, running after you. As he chased you around the Snowtel, you felt the exhaustion from your twelve-hour shift as a security guard hit you like a truck. It was a partially brutal shift, too, since you had to stop many guests from swarming the brawlers around the Hub. You shake your head and keep going, dashing into the elevator. The door shut in his face, and you slammed your hand on the up arrow. While you didn’t hear any more screaming, you just knew he was fuming.

‘I should probably end this game soon, I’m getting way too tired,’ you thought while taking deep breaths.

You hear the elevator doors open, and you dash to your immediate left to see Mr. P coming up the stairs. He ran towards you, and you ran the other direction, dodging guests and employees. Mr. P was keeping up, and it scared you to know that your fatigue was starting to affect your running. On your left was one of the entrances to the roller coaster ride in the Snowtel, and you jumped into a seat. The ride takes off, and you clutch the suitcase in your lap. From the many times you used this trick to get away from Mr. P, it should take you to the other side of the Snowtel.

However, the ride abruptly stopped as you were about to reach outside. You look back to see Mr. P messing with the command box, and he shifts the joystick backward. The ride went backward with the joystick movement, and you began to panic. The seatbelt in your lap wouldn’t unbuckle, and you were close to the start. You jerked it in a feeble attempt to make it unbuckle, but surprise, surprise, nothing. The ride stopped, and you felt a slight judgmental stare from Mr. P next to you.

“Mr. P! Fancy seeing you here,” you grinned, hiding your nervousness. He stared passively, and he held his hand out. “What, you want me to give you the suitcase? Like the one in my lap? Well, about that…”

Mr. P gasped when you finally managed to unbuckle yourself and jumped off the ride, suitcase in hand. You landed on your feet and felt a huge surge of pain go up your spine, but you didn’t care at the moment. With a weakened sprint, you ran to the east wing of the Snowtel. Further down, you saw a closet door open and you rushed to get inside, slamming the door shut. You jingled the closet door to see it was locked from the inside… which meant someone had to unlock it for you to get out. Panic started to settle in again and you realzied how much you screwed up at that moment.

‘No wonder the door was open! Someone was probably trying to unlock the inside knob! Fuck!’ you thought, pressing your shoulder to the corner.

It was pitch black in the small closet, littered with a mop bucket, various cleaning supplies, and a few brooms. You sigh and lean your shoulder against the corner, feeling your fast-beating heart slowly calming down. The fatigue and chase were finally taking their toll on you, making you drowsy. Despite the lingering worry that Mr. P or some random employee would open the door to find you inside, you kept yawning and eventually drifted to sleep, easing your grip on the suitcase's handle.

A long while later, you felt someone nudge you gently, and you opened your eyes to Mr. P hovering over your curled-up frame. You chuckled nervously and waved awkwardly, hiding your face behind his suitcase. He offered his hand and made a motion upward. Your heart began to flutter, and you felt your face grow warmer. He was stronger than he looked, but then you remembered that he’s a brawler. 

“How did you find me?” you wearily asked, yawning loudly.

Mr. P pointed to the ground, and you saw a porter near your feet. Its antenna goes off, and Mr. P scoops it to calm it down. You admitted to yourself that he looked quite cute when he was around his porters. The way he treated them with utmost care and delicacy… it made your heart melt. He set the porter down, and it slid by your feet. It waved its antenna at you, making your heart melt once again. 

‘Have you been sleeping well lately? R-T tells me you’ve been yawning more in the last few weeks.’

“Ah, not really. I suffer from insomnia,” you replied, yawning more, “I think me messing with you after I get off work hasn’t been helping,”

‘Definitely not. I advise you not to play our little game until you get proper sleep.’

“Wait… you liked me taking your suitcase?” 

‘Well, I don’t only just like you taking my suitcase, I like you as well, y/n.’

Your brain short-circuited at the blunt confession, and you blinked several times as he walked away whistling. You would be lying if you didn’t have the slightest of a crush on the luggage handler. Would you have admitted this out loud? Hell no. The man whom you thought merely tolerated your presence and game liked you? Especially in a romantic sense? It felt so surreal that you had to pinch yourself– it was, in fact, not a dream. 

“HEY! Get back here and repeat what you just said!” you exclaimed, running after him. Mr. P snickered and shrugged his shoulders.

‘I said what I said, Y/n.’ 

“But why? I thought I just annoyed you!” you replied.

Mr. P shook his head and typed into his phone again. He revealed that he actually likes the game and only permits you to play it. Anyone else who tried to play it gets hit by something else… or by him. You felt your face get warm once more as he walked you to the front door. You two then discuss going on a date sometime, once you've had proper sleep….