[ Cookie Run Oneshots ]

[ Caretaker: Onion Variant AU ]

Timekeeper liked watching. They liked watching the cookies go about their day. It was entertaining. But nothing was more entertaining than messing with events that had already happened.
"Hm." They looked around the open time- entryways? Pockets? It really didn't matter.
"Ah. Wonderful." They knew where to go.
He had watched this many times, she had no idea why she liked it. He didn't watch the death of the child, of course. But it was rather amusing seeing the rest of the child's family happen to be so calm while their little girl was dead In the dining room.
And finally, she brought herself there.

The older daughter was playing upstairs. Timekeeper knew she blamed herself.
"You shouldn't.." she whispered to herself. "It's not your fault."
The house shook. Timekeeper knew this was normal. She held her hand to the wall.
"Oh..it was you, wasn't it? You didn't do it on purpose." Her words were directed at the rickety building they all stood in, waiting patiently for fate to take place.
Psh, fate.
How pitiful.
He lunged forwards, snatching the young girl as the chain of the candle-lit ceiling decoration snapped. They rolled across the floor, ramming into the wall.
Timekeeper had to leave quickly, because the lovely little Time Balance Department showed up to fix the issue he'd just caused.
Onion Cookie was crying now, terrified.The chandelier was shattered across the wooden ground. Timekeeper blew the candles out and left with a flash.

Her earliest memory was Croissant Cookie showing up to take her away. She knew she'd been saved, but by whom? Onion never knew the answer to that.
Of course, she could always just go and find out, but where's the fun in that? Plus, that would get her in trouble. Whoever saved her fucked uo her entire timeline, which meant her existence in that version of many was no longer needed. She was taken away, erased from their lives, and raised here. Pretty sad, huh?
"Onion. Onion!"
"Huh?" She jolted up from her train of thought. An older TBD—Time Balance Department—was tapping on her desk.
"Croissant Cookie would like to see you. It's not urgent, just fairly important."
Onion sighed, lifting herself off her chair and stretching.
"Well, alright. Where is she?"
"Her work area, I'm sure."
"Mk."

"You wanted to see me?" Onion tied her hair back up into its usual ponytail, waiting for a response.
"No. The.." she paused. "The director wants to see you."
"Oh..?"
"Mhm."
"You seem a little.." Onion hesitated the same way Croissant had. "Unsettled."
"The director is.." Again, a pause. "An important person."
"Alright.."

"Onion Cookie, was it? Sit, child."
A smile etched across the directors face.
"I want you to answer a couple questions for me."
"Alright..?" Onion was cautious, unaware of what was going on.
"One. Do you know who saved you?"
"No, but whoever did messed up pretty badly with the whole timeline thing. Surprised the TBD hasn't found them after all these years." Onion twirled her hair in her hands.
"Two. Are you sure the TBD is the answer? Are you aware I saved you? Would you join me if I wanted you to leave with me?"
Onion couldn't even process what was going on. The director saved her? What did they mean, are you sure the TBD is the answer? Join him in what? Onion asked him the latter.
"Would you join me, if I wanted you to leave with me?" She repeated.
"Why would you leave?"
"To put it simply; it's rather boring here. Messing with time is entertaining. Why do you think I saved you?" His laugh sounded like bells, but was tainted with a sort of darkness.
"You..why me?" She was confused. This was all happening so fast.
"Because I saved you. You're not supposed to exist. That's what makes it fun. You come with me, away from the Departments sheltering, and you get to live." The director spun with her arms out, laughing again. It sent a shiver down her nonexistent spine.
"Another question. Who will be the director when I'm gone, hm? Who do you think?"
Onion had always felt a sort of familiarity with Croissant. Something about how she acted, she supposed. He had always been a caring cookie.
There was also a familiarity in the directors eyes.
"You've always been a smart one, child. Who is going to be the director?"
"..you will." She paused. "...and Croissant."
"Precisely! You are quite clever, aren't you?" Croissant (?) clapped her hands together. "Alas, this is where your correction ends."
Had she read her mind or something?
"Call me Timekeeper Cookie."
"Well. Timekeeper Cookie. Where would we be going?"
There it was again. The sweet, sickly laugh that made her ill.
"Limbo." And then there was a flash.

Onion had never seen so many cogs. They were huge.
"Do you like my lovely little area? It's quite cozy."
Cost was not the word to describe it. Maybe beautiful. Shiny. Golden. But cozy? There was quite a bit of brass and gold here. It didn't look very comfortable.
But here she was- and it suddenly hit her what had just happened.
Croissants future self was- here? The director? Timekeeper? He had saved her all those years ago? And then took care of her, along with the TBD as a whole? The director and her sister figure were the same person? And where in the world was she really? Limbo? What even was that? Why did Timekeeper save her? For fun? For the fuck of it? Something was very wrong—
"You and your rambling." And Onion stopped talking.