꧁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚄𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈☆ - AN AUL FIC (REWRITE)

EIGHT || AFTERMATH

FINALLY!!!! I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I've been unbelievably busy with school. I had exams two weeks ago and I have exams again next week, I'm just so tired. Anyway, this ended up being the longest chapter so far.

Edit: Okay mistake on my part, turns out chapter 4 is still the longest💀

Sorry if this chapter feels a little off. I've been having a lot of writer's block lately.

ALSO! 700 READS!!!!! LIKE WHAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH

My baby Captain just needs a break. Give my man a vacation

Word Count: 6674

CAPTAIN THIRD-PERSON POV

Recovering from an incident like Mr. Cheese's sudden slide into bloodlust for The Gentleman, especially followed by his (unsuccessful) attempt to murder Stoner and his (successful) attempt to scratch Captain's face like a cat, wasn't easy. The day after had been the hardest so far; Mr. Cheese hadn't taken kindly to Captain's refusal to let him see The Gentleman and refused to rejoin the crew.

Maybe it was for the best, Captain thought. It wouldn't do for a fanged Mr. Cheese— yes, for some reason, he hadn't morphed back— to freely roam the HQ. Anything could set off an attack.

He didn't like having to explain this to the others, though.

"Mr. Cheese... needs some time to... process the separation."

His exact words had been: If you make me go out there, I'll kill you, Player, anyone else who gets in the way of me killing The Gentleman, and then myself, but the crew didn't need to know that.

There were other setbacks to not having Mr. Cheese around: the workload of three missing crewmates was too heavy for even Captain to carry, and he was forced to spread Rose, The Gentleman, and Mr. Cheese's tasks among the crew. Thankfully, Player recovered quickly, and he was up and about the day after the attack. The crew wasn't too thrilled about the extra tasks, but it was that or letting the HQ's power collapse, and Captain wasn't going to let that happen.

Between the stress of leading the crew, his long task list, and the look on The Gentleman's face when he told him about the attack, it was a wonder Captain got through that first day at all, but he found that with every day that passed since the attack, the tension dissipated somewhat. The crew seemed calmer somehow.

Even after tragedy struck, after the unthinkable happened, he guessed it was true. Life goes on. He was no exception.

Lately, he'd made a habit of doing his tasks with Stoner. It turned out he got lonely during the day, too, and the arrangement worked out well for them both. Captain could talk and talk and talk, and Stoner never seemed to mind.

His favorite moments, though, were when they watered the plants in the Greenhouse. Among the plants, Stoner became the chatty one; each day, he'd pick a different plant and teach Captain about it. He'd tell him its scientific name, the name Stoner had given it, where it grew best, and every other fact he could think of. Captain listened attentively, fascinated by the sea of green and how well Stoner navigated it. The Greenhouse quickly became his favorite room in the HQ.

Hanging out with Stoner, it was... relieving. He didn't have do him any favors, or make any grand gestures for Stoner to like him. He was allowed to simply be.

He wondered if this was what having a friend was like. He didn't ask Stoner if they were friends; he might just be tolerating Captain, being nice, and if it was all in his head, he'd rather keep the fantasy than be crushed by the harsh reality.