Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

( Jamie )

Every day started out the same, or relatively so. They'd get up and out of bed, cook rice, goof off in the meanwhile- until they actually had a reason to be concerned. Today was, all things considered, normal. They waved their mother and sister goodbye as they walked off to the grey SUV they'd known all their life, just right beside their grandfather.
Looking off to the side was what they always saw. The subdivision sign, the dumpster, their neighbors, all the boring stuff. Jamie wondered how they never got tired of seeing it all, even if it wasn't anything special. But they supposed it was what they were accustomed to, they never got out much.

Arriving at school was just about as bland as it could be. Cars and motorcycles droned by as they got down, saying a quiet thank you to their grandfather as they walked off with their hefty bag. Since it was the last day- they weren't supposed to do much but wrap up everything in the school year. Portfolios, papers, missing school property- the works. They're glad they didn't have to concern themselves with the third one. 
They hastily greeted every teacher with a 'good morning' as they climbed up the 4 flights of stairs to get to their classroom. Once they finally got up, they leaned against the railing to catch their breath- sue them for being late, they couldn't afford to care. Not in that economy. 

Jamie casually walked into the classroom, head down as they regarded the rest of the class and their teacher. It was time for another long 8 hours, unfortunately consisting of having to listen to all of their teachers tell them how proud they were of them. Of course they appreciated it- but they wanted to get in and out as soon as possible. Summer break could end faster than a lightyear and they wouldn't care, so long as they went through it having a fun time.

───────────────

A breath eased out of them as they looked out onto the open area below, eyes training on a couple students and a car from time to time. They would've thought the last day of school (by technicality) would be busier, but they thought wrong. It's not like they would be showing up after, they weren't in honors, so there was no reason for them to stay around for any more than a few minutes.
A selfish decision, but not one they minded. Only a few would mind and badger them to come to the Jollibee they planned to meet at after the party- which they were actually pretty excited for, since they only had to cough up 200 for it. And considering the mean amount they usually asked for- they didn't object to the 200.

It was lunchtime. Only a couple hours of school left for them to endure. Then after- they could really focus on what was important. Their boyfriend was visiting, and even if it was only for a few weeks, it was more than enough that they could finally see each other, in person. It'd be.. Surreal, sure. But the moment they had eyes on each other, it was free game.
They couldn't help but smile to themselves, zoning out on the railing that was- a tad too low for them.

"Wow, excited na ikaw para school break?"

They sighed, remembering they still had classmates. "Yeah, bakit mo paki?" They responded, trying to make themselves look busy by fishing out a pen from their pocket. Fiddling with it always seemed to deter people.
"Wala naman, gusto lang nila malaman kung pupunta pa ikaw, eh." Jamie rolled their eyes, if there was going to be food..

"Don't worry the top of your head off about it. I'm showing up- after all, it'll be the last time we'll be all in the same room before Senior High."
Their classmate retreated into their room with a laugh, going off to talk to another group of people.
If they were being honest, they got through the grade hanging by a thread, and it'll likely be that way for.. A while.

'Whatever,' They thought, burying their hand in their skirt pocket. 'Not like it'll matter. Everything will be different after this.'

Fishing out the phone from their pocket, they quickly tried to connect to any open network, just to look back on a few messages.

    <3 thou art my beloved

         > heyyy where are you
         > hope youre doinn well..

               < You missed a call from <3 thou art my beloved >

         > cant wait to see you when you get home!!

They smiled, typing up a few responses which they hoped would get across.

     BANHAMMER.

        > at school!! be home soon
        > i promise i'll be back asap. text you as soon as i can!
        > i love you! mmmwua


Corny, sure, but it was their relationship. Nothing could take that away from them.

Finally.
It was the end of the day- which came faster than expected thanks to a sudden but not unwelcome change of their research teacher not being able to show up- something about an issue regarding one of their papers. That wasn't something they would have to be concerned about though, not anymore at least.
They lounged in their armchair, watching the clock tick slowly as their gaze drifted back to their phone screen, visible to everyone- sure, but the font was so small nobody would bother to actually read it with them.

Besides, they wouldn't have liked that.
After a few words of appreciation from their teacher, it was time to clean up the room. Perhaps one of the more relaxing parts of their day- or the end of it at least? They weren't sure.
Nonetheless, they wordlessly picked up a broom and headed out to the hallway.

Deciding they could spare some of their social battery, they made small talk with the rest of their classmates while the rest of them tried to convince the rest to actually clean before leaving. It was entertaining to watch, that was for sure. They almost felt bad- if it wasn't for the fact that floor wax had gotten onto one of their uniforms..
And, well, cleaning with your bag on isn't a good idea.

One second they were cleaning, and the next there was yelling and verbal fighting. Usually, they would've been nowhere near the point of the argument-- but they didn't have much of a choice in the matter. The fact it was happening in the middle of the hallway was ridiculous enough. Diffusing the situation was the best idea to them, if it meant that it'd get themselves out of the situation faster.
Unfortunately, they didn't quite account for the fact that people were willing to do anything to get their way.

A swift punch was directed to the side of their face- understandably, they recoiled in shock, attempting to hold the railing to make sure they had some balance.

It hurt. God, they couldn't even describe how it hurt. It was like the worst tooth ache you could ever experience, and then some. They didn't expect another blow to come towards them, but clearly they were wrong with the way the wind was knocked out of them with a kick.
Jamie was already in pain- more than they could handle from the tears welling up in the corners of their eyes. They tried to breathe but even that seemed difficult, and with the added weight on their back and the fact that they were on their hands and knees on an un-mopped floor, it wasn't a good feeling. Not by a long shot.
Sounds were muffled and they could barely hear at that point, but they had enough consciousness in themselves to get up and hold onto something..

The next thing they felt was a sharp pang of pain, so sharp and sudden that they barely registered the fact they were losing their balance- and once it sunk in, it was already far too late.

Now, they truly only felt what falling was like when they visited somewhere with a diving board and water. Skydiving against their will was one of their worst fears, to add onto that.
So the knowledge they were falling from a building over four stories high, and the fact the person who did it was a classmate, no matter which one it was, enraged them.

"SHIT!—"

They wished they could say it ended quick, having to go through pain and stick it out- especially after the shit they just experienced, wasn't something they were willing to do. If they could make a kill-all process in the human body button on themselves for an occasion like this, they would've done it long, long ago.
Guess they really couldn't do much about it, but it felt.. Nice, they supposed. Not having to move around and do anything was a nice way to relax and spend their time.. They always did enjoy napping.

Jamie was barely conscious for half their stay at the hospital, not really aware of what was going on around them. In a way, it was.. Peaceful. A nice, quiet respite.
The only real thing they worried about was their family- for half a second. Then their worries went to their boyfriend. The flight he'd be on from his place to theirs was 11 hours, and while he wouldn't be flying in for another couple days, they were still worried.

God, why were they even worried over that right now? They could be- not even could be, they're dying in some stuffy hospital bed. And they didn't even get a say in anything!
Frustrating, sure, but nothing they could do now would help at all.

Perhaps.. Things would just blow over if they took a nap.
Yeah. Maybe that's a good idea.

...

Are you awake yet?


Oh shit-- am I not in the hospital anymore?

No, unfortunately. I can't put it any lighter than 'you've passed away'. Peacefully, at the very least.

.. I dunno if "falling to your death from four stories while trying to diffuse an argument" is any grounds for peaceful..

You weren't going to survive that. You yourself knew you wouldn't- why hide it?

Know what I know, and what I don't, right?


You're strange. Much more than the previous ones.
Do you know how this works?

No. In all honesty, I'm worried.

Smart. Here's the basics of it; you died far too young for what you wanted to do in life, now it's my job to make sure you get back out there, just in a different body.
Perhaps even a different world, if you so desire.


..  Are you telling me all the good choices I made in video games are gonna impact my life there?

Far from that. They won't even have any recollection of you until you make your choices, but something tells me you wouldn't go somewhere "story-oriented".
You always loved how creative you could be.

How the fuck do you-- Nevermind, you're probably some eldritch monster, which if you know me-

Let's not go there. Now, alongside where you want to be- you get one thing. A wish for anything, anything at all.

Oh shit. In that case, I want to be a guy! 


.. Let that one be a freebie.

For real? Now you're just letting the power get to my head.. Uh.. Give me a little time, need to seriously think this through.

Make it quick.



Okay. Made up my mind. I just need a phone with 128 gigs of storage and 4 for RAM. Unlimited wifi and battery isn't too OP, is it?

Are you going to try contacting your family?

No. I just need the essentials.

That's...
Please don't comment on it.

It can be done. Quite a questionable decision though, no?

Listen, 16GB on earth was hell to work with!

It's a little too.. Familiar. Nonetheless, it can pass. Anything else?


Human civilization is fucked beyond compare, so I need a different flow. 
You're reading my mind, aren't you?

I don't possess that capability, but you always craved being something other than human..
Didn't like how fragile your body was?

You bet.
One last thing.. If my boyfriend- god forbid.. Ends up here, let him know I love him.

How bittersweet. If you're prepared..

More than that! I'm more ready than I've ever been.
Send me to the Inpherno with a Bloxy Cola, I'm itching to get back on my feet.

I'm sure you'll do amazingly. Now go, live your life.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

A groan slipped past Cola's lips as he awoke, sitting up in his bed as he blearily opened his eyes to an apartment- a small apartment, sure, but livable. Both of his hands went to his head, cradling it gently as he took deep breaths, trying to distract himself from the terrible headache he was going through.
It felt like he just woke up from the longest coma in existence, which would usually be fine since that's how all his naps were like—

Wait.

He paused, feeling the headache vanish semi-instantaneously as he reached up to feel his new horns. Looking again, he noticed his skin was pure white, and his nails replaced with claws. His eyes widened as he scrambled out of his already-messy bed to go look for a floor-length mirror, trying to see how or what he was even wearing.
It was highly unlikely he'd just have one lying around so he opted to rush to his personal bathroom which was thankfully connected to his bedroom, stopping in his tracks when he sees himself.

The way his horns were curved were much like a ram's- and even though it'll likely cause a handful of problems in the future (such as getting clothes on), he didn't seem to care in that moment, staring at himself in awe and adoration.


In that moment, he felt perfect.

Shaking his head, Cola stepped closer to his reflection, opening his mouth to see small fangs. Nothing too special, and the only thing he'll probably ever use it for is cracking open a fresh bag of chips. Still, it gave him a rush just seeing it. A few markings were on his face, nothing too significant, but he did think the two darker triangle-like marks on the side of his face were of note. Besides all of that..
He looked quite ordinary.

Which was perfect! For fitting in and possibly standing out, he could go and make a fashion statement of himself if he so wanted to!

"I wonder how-" 
He paused, hands raising themselves to his mouth before stopping. That was his voice.
It was his voice.

"Holy shit, this is better than I could've hoped for!"

Cackling like a Florida man who'd recently released an alligator, he stumbled out of the bathroom to go back to his bed, seeing a conveniently placed can of Bloxy Cola at his nightstand. Guess that guy remembered, huh?
Picking it up, he carefully pulled back the pin-thing as if the can were a grenade. He was never really strong enough to open a can of cola back home like this, so maybe with his claws—

He heard a fizz, and he pulled his hand back, finding the pleasant surprise of the thing peacefully detached from the can. Taking a swig- he was instantly hit with the taste of good ol' cola. The taste was ever so slightly different from the one he was used to on earth, but he didn't mind, taking another sip as he went over to check his closet.

Surprisingly, it had a good collection in terms of clothing variety.. Hoodies, shirts, jumpers, sweaters- the works. Even a suit! Which he was sure would be useful for something in the future. He spent a few minutes looking over his open closet over and over again, trying to come up with a half-decent outfit to go outside with. He could only assume he was in Crossroads based on temperature alone.

Bloxy sighed, putting his cola off to the side as he fished out a couple pairs of shirts and pants and laid them out on his bed, standing over them with his hands on his hips and a concentrated expression. He'd eventually settle on an unassuming hoodie and jeans- and a beanie he found. Not that being bald wasn't something he didn't enjoy- just a little unfamiliar.. Which would take time to get used to.

Nonetheless, he feels fantastic in his new get-up. It's light enough that it doesn't block out the warmth nor add any more of it- and jeans were always a good pick. It bothered him how he had a limited selection, but he'd settle on it until he found himself a job. Easy enough, he'll find.. Something.
Probably a gig at Pink Parlor.. Social interaction would be a breeze once he got settled in, or perhaps a waiter? He could settle for it, so long as he could pay rent on time..

He looked at himself in the mirror one last time, re-running all of the possible interactions he could have once he stepped out of the apartment building he was in. Once he decided he was ready, he eagerly snatched up his gear and-

Oh! Right. His phone.

Tapping his phone open, he was more than happy to see it running faster than it did back on earth. Got exactly what he wanted from the being, which.. Was pleasant. Tapping on YouTube brought him to his usual account, which he wanted to reformat as soon as possible. Much better than being found out, he thought. This was one of the things he was least concerned- hell, he's got a whole world to (re-)experience! 

His door swung much farther than he intended, and he stepped out carefully. Bloxy wasn't exactly sure of what he was scared of, so he tried to shake it off, holding onto his gear a bit too tight as he stepped outside.

And fuck- if it wasn't beautiful.

Shit, he really had to take a few breaths of air just to get it through his head. Crossroads- he was here! 
A smile slowly stretched across his face as he looked around, and to any demon passing by- it would look like he was in a scene of some movie where he was the typical boy-next-door.


"Hey— watch out!"

Jamie  Bloxy Cola barely had any time to react- so of course his first instinct was to duck out of the way of this mystery demon and close his eyes, hoping to the Gods he didn't get hit.
The sound of wheels skidding against the pavement invaded his ears as they heard the other demon thud into a nearby bush, with a very loud 'ow!'.

If it weren't for the fact he was worried he'd accidentally hurt someone via stepping out of his apartment, he would be laughing.
He rushed to help out the other demon, keeping an eye on their skateboard in case it rolled itself away.

"Oh! Thanks- usually people get mad at me for that!"

"Yeah, of course! No problem-"

It wasn't until he fully helped the other demon back up that he realized it was Skateboard. As in.. The phighter himself.

Well shit, he wasn't expecting that to happen.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

One too many things were going through Cola's head right now. He was standing in front of Skateboard, it hasn't even been his first day of being a demon yet and he's already meeting somebody who's- essentially part of the main cast of Phighting! He couldn't mess this up, he just couldn't.
Shit, wait.. He thought, biting his lip in contemplation. I'm not on earth anymore. I'm in the Inpherno- okay.. Calm down, you can do this. He's just as much of a- demon as you are. You can do this.


"Seriously, dude- that was cool of you. Thanks for not blowing up about it, wouldn't have been too happy to receive a lecture, heh-" Skateboard turned around to take in the demon who helped him up, but what he didn't expect was just how short he was. If he didn't know any better, he'd totally be asking where his parents were.. To top it off, he was even baby-faced, looked way younger than he was.

Bloxy took a sip of his cola to calm his nerves, outstretching his free hand toward Skateboard with a smile. "No biggie, not like I got any massive injuries or gashes 'cuz of it, yeah?"

The phighter looked a little surprised at his tone, and Bloxy was left wondering if he said something out of the ordinary for a demon- which wasn't a very good thing for him to worry about right now. "Yeah, totally!"
He let out a sigh of relief, hand going back at his side. "My name's Bloxy Cola. But call me Cola- Bloxy's for special peeps only."

A few moments of silence passed before he carried on. "So.. What's your name, and stuff? You've got a cool skateboard, and uhm.."

Skateboard had kept quiet, staring at the shorter demon for a little while before laughing, outstretching a hand. "Skate's the name, speed's my game! I do my thing and a couple tricks here and there in Crossroads, so don't go tellin' the warden about it, 'kay?" Cola nodded, enthusiastically shaking his hand with that right amount of force that makes you wonder if they're doing it on purpose, or if its just how they were used to hand-shaking people.

"You've got it, but uh.." Bloxy paused, thinking about how he could stir up just a little bit of entertainment for himself, and for Skate. "The warden? I don't.. Know who that is, sorry?"
The way the skateboarder looked at him was priceless. He almost wished he had a polaroid camera to keep it in his memory, but his brain would have to do for now. "Ban Hammer- the warden of Banland, never heard of him?"


Bloxy put a hand to his chin, looking like he was thinking really hard, as if Ban Hammer were so irrelevant he couldn't remember him. He was never quite good at playing dumb back on earth, but seeing as how everyone towered over him and how baby-faced he looked.. He might as well use it to his advantage, right?
"Nah.. I don't think I do, 'm sorry." He said, unable to resist the urge to smile when Skateboard got that mischievous look on his face and started cracking up, laughing. Sure, they got a few looks, but that didn't matter.. It wasn't like anyone knew who Bloxy was, anyhow.

"Oh- oh, that's gold! He's going to be so pissed.." Bloxy responded with a small snicker of his own. Of course, he knew that'd irk Ban Hammer. He was an egocentric tyrant raised with permissive parenting- but that's just how he interpreted him way back.. He'd be scared shitless if the warden wanted to go find him, but he could hide himself well enough, he's sure.
A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Skate with a proud grin. "I won't mention your name, Skater's honor. But I'm totally telling him about this."

Bloxy did his best to shrug nonchalantly, taking another sip of his refreshing cola. "Thanks. I don't really like having my name out there, y'know? Too many people at once just sets off the vibe.."
He felt like he was really settling into the new identity, as if he were born and raised like this.. Well, he could very well act like it if he wanted to. Nobody was gonna stop him at that point, and they would never know.

[ Skateboard ]

If you had told Skateboard from 10 minutes ago that he'd run himself into a bush near an apartment building and would talk to a scrawny, short demon- he'd probably believe you. Bloxy Cola was young- he'd caught onto that quickly seeing as how he looked so.. Unsure of the place around him. Almost made him want to ask about his background.
To add onto his scrawny-ness, he was horribly naive. Skate had to backtrack once or twice on a couple statements since Cola seemed too into it. He almost felt bad for the poor kid, Playground would crush him to bits..

Eventually the two of them had settled on a nearby bench, with Skate absentmindedly rolling his gear forward and backward as he chatted with Cola. He wasn't too engaged in the conversation itself, more focused on Bloxy himself. He was chatting up somebody he'd met not even an hour ago, chilling with him on a bench too.
What he was wearing didn't make which faction he was from any more obvious- anybody could wear what he had on, it was too vague to be considered any faction's streetwear, but definitely trademarked to Crossroads' usual crowd of demons despite the warm weather.

He did question why he wore a hoodie when he had a beanie on. That just makes the hood useless-

"- And I really think that a day with a clear sky's a great time to go skateboarding, ain't it? Maybe winds'll pick up later and you'll get a nice breeze when you're skatin' round Crossroads, huh?"

Oh, he was talking about the weather.. He thought, crossing his arms and looking to the horizon. "Maybe. Always feels nice to get a speed boost from the elements."
Of course, he was thinking of the phights. Windforce inviting herself into one of the matches and striking gales that pushed phighters around wasn't too fun for a couple people, but he was having a blast in that match, quite literally.

"Good to hear we share the same view!" Bloxy smiled, an air of child-like wonder and innocence emanating from him. Skateboard felt.. Annoyed? No- He couldn't be. All the kid was doing was talking about good weather and skating conditions, how could he get mad about that?
He heard him take another sip of his cola and relax on the bench, staring out at their surroundings. Right now, they were near the railings of Crossroads' edges, which made for an excellent view of the sea, even without visible sea life.

"Y'know.. It's really the little things we keep missin', that make our days just a little better. Don'tcha think, mister Skate?"
Oh gods. Honorifics- he fuckin' hated those.. He'd long grown out of it. "Skate's just fine, Cola." The other gave him a nod of understanding and continued.

"Like.. How the sun feels on our skin, how your bed's all soft when you wake up- that first bite of breakfast in the morning.." He kept droning on about it, with an innocent smile on his face. And Skate just.. Kept looking at him.
He didn't know what he was feeling, but he could sense it was just the slightest hint of annoyance with.. Sadness? Man, it was a really bad time to start feeling stuff out of nowhere.

"Just makes life worth living a little more, yeah?" He turned his head to see the taller zoned out slightly, eyes trained on something that definitely shouldn't have his attention for that long. Granted, he didn't notice that 'something' was himself, but, bless his heart all the same..


"Hey, Skate? You okay?" He was sensible enough to not touch the older man, simply waiting for him to respond. Things felt like they had gone still for a moment, and Skateboard wondered if he was the one tripping out because he just noticed how still Bloxy had gone.
He actually moved, hoping that would prompt the other to do so as well. "Uh.. Kid?" Gently, he shook Bloxy's shoulder. Skate jumped back a little when he shook his head, smiling at him as if nothing had happened.

"I'm all good, actually!" He said, chipper as ever. "But I've gotta go. Job hunting and all! I need to pay rent, do so many things! I have a whole future ahead of me!"

The phighter blinked once. Then twice. What the fuck had happened? Did he think too hard and a day had passed while he was on that bench? Why was he acting like this outta nowhere? He looked at Bloxy Cola to see him checking out his phone, then looked up to meet his gaze. "I'll need to be as busy as a bee if I'm going to keep up! So will you though, right Skate?"
It then began to dawn on him that Bloxy may or may not have established him as an idol- which was not what he intended to do! He was too young to be idolized!

"Whatever you're doing after this- just know I'm rootin' for you, Skateboard!" He said, pumping a fist into the air. "I'll see you sometime again soon. Don't worry!"

And before he could say anything of substance- Bloxy Cola took off running, waving back to him a few times before completely going out of view.

Sighing to himself, he got on his board and started heading for Slingshot's café. Maybe some coffee would clear his head?

[ Bloxy Cola ]

In retrospect, he could've picked up how uncomfortable he seemed earlier in the talk- then again, him saying how he felt outright would've been much better, but Bloxy didn't think it was Skate's fault. He'll be able to apologize to him someday- when he's got enough bux to buy him a box of cupcakes or something. Maybe a cup of coffee? He remembered reading his lore and dialogue pages back on earth..
Looking for a job wasn't hard, honestly. He quite literally just walked into Pink Parlor and asked the cashier if there were any open spots for a waiter or something.

The cashier- Egg Basket, very kindly pointed him to the direction of his manager's office, and he took off with a quick thanks. Granted- he had no idea what the heck he was doing, didn't even have a resume. But if this was going to help him and his future lifestyle- then damn it he was going to get that waiter's position at all costs!


.. Now he was settled in a room in front of a cheery demon. They seemed friendly enough, but he didn't let his guard down for a second. Still, he kept that relaxed facade as much as he could, he knew how much it could help. The plaque on the office said 'Fruitcake', which he found slightly funny considering he'd often call himself something like that back on earth.
He'd already told them he was 17, but it didn't seem like their manager minded.

"So, why'd you take an interest in Pink Parlor?" They asked, resting their head on their interlocked hands, staring at them with a grin he hoped was meant to unnerve him, because knowing this was how they usually smiled would be information he'd want to keep out of his mind.
"It's got a nice vibe." He admitted. "While I know you've got competition with that other place- I think that big spaces like it would be super stuffy and unsettling for me. I wouldn't want to work in an environment like that."
He supposed they could narrow it down to him seeing the sign if he did say 'Slingshot's café', but he wasn't taking any chances.

Fruitcake hummed, and while they made it apparent that no resume was needed (which he still couldn't believe, holy SFOTH), it looked like they were skeptical. "Do you have relations to any of the phighters?"
He shook his head. "I'm a bit of a wallflower. I like being by m'self and all, but regarding the phighters.. I've only ever met Skateboard- earlier today, I mean."

"I see." They nodded, seeming to think it over for a couple awkward minutes, before turning to Bloxy Cola with a smile. 

"You're hired."

Holy shit. That was easy..
"Th- That easily? Are you sure about-"

They raised a hand to signal him to stop talking. "I know a good soul when I see one, an' believe me, you don't got any evil in ya!" That felt.. Out of left field, but he knew better than to question it.
"The only thing I'm worried about is if you're prepared for rowdy customers!"
"Well, I have my ways of handling them, non-violently of course."

Fruitcake seemed to beam at the thought. "When do you think you can start, Cola?"

"Tomorrow, if you don't mind, of course." Ah- there it is. Their habit of making sure the other person didn't feel pressured to do anything for him. Somehow it never fails to catch up..
The demon in front of him chuckled, settling their arms on their desk. "Then it's settled. Welcome to Pink Parlor!"


Soon enough, he was walking out of the building feeling like he'd just landed in a pile of soft cotton- or perhaps that was the lightheadedness? He was unsure. But now, he's got a job! It would've never been that easy-
Remember, you're not on earth. Not anymore. He breathed in, then out. It won't be the same. You have a better life now. You'll lead yourself somewhere you feel happy about. He leaned against a nearby wall, hoping he wasn't loitering or anything.. He just needed a moment to catch his breath.

When the haze of it all died down, he started making his way back to his apartment. Home sweet home, he thinks. Things will definitely get lonely for him, so maybe he could find a roommate..
Then, he stopped in his tracks. Biografts exist, he remembers. Before he can think of anything big, he needs to head home and plan. Things would surely go smoother if he actually had material to rely on.

One thing's for sure;

He needs to get one as soon as possible.

[ Skateboard ]


By now, it was the next day. Since he was assigned to come to a phight, he had to prepare himself in as little time as possible- just to make it convenient for Paint Buckét, he noticed she's been on edge lately.. But he wouldn't pry into her business. Naturally, he had struck up a conversation with Boombox and Slingshot in the lobby, waiting for other phighters to show up.
Things gradually got busier- and Skateboard's gaze was torn away from his friends the moment he heard Ban Hammer's voice.

Now, it wasn't like Ban Hammer was uber popular, but most demons in the Inpherno knew his name, and if not- know his role, to find a demon who didn't know him from either of those things made him laugh more than he'd like to admit.
He'd already told his friends about it, but stuck to his promise. Didn't namedrop Cola once, which he was proud of. Granted- he understood where the kid was coming from. He wouldn't wanna be known for not knowing who the warden was, but he was probably more worried about his vibe being interrupted by some demi-deity he didn't even know about.

"Hey, Ban Hammer.." He said, just a couple minutes before they started the match. 

"Oh great, the mosquito's talkin'.." Skateboard rolled his eyes, craning his neck up to stare at him.
He tried not too smile too much- if he was going to get chewed out, it should be after the match.. But he couldn't help himself! "Heard a demon say they've never heard of ya before."

The way his head practically snapped toward him was funnier than expected- though he couldn't tell what had him rooted in place more- the hilarity of the situation, or his worry over him asking who this demon was.

"And why should I care?"

Scythe, who was on their team as well- chuckled at that. "Yer' always braggin' and boastin' about how you're the best, Banny-"
"I told ya to quit callin' me that!"

"Whoops! Must've forgotten.." She cleared her throat, brandishing her scythe. By now, Skateboard had made his distance from the both of them. He didn't want to get involved in.. Whatever the two had going on, if he was being honest.
"But really, it ain't common for some demon to not know who ya are.. 'Less they're from one of those far off hermit clans in Thieves' Den."

He decided to step in again. "Nah, they're not. Just came across 'em after bumping into them in Crossroads." It wasn't a lie, he did nearly bump into Cola after all.

She let out a hearty laugh, clearly not noticing- or maybe she did- how Ban Hammer's grip on his gear tightened.

"Well ain't that somethin'!"



Fast forward- the match had already ended. Their team won, of course- but a certain warden had a scowl on his face the whole time.. Totally not his fault!

Right now, they were off of "set", giving phighters the breather they needed before the next match.

"Yo, Skateboard!" He turned his head to see Boombox- was he running up to him? "Somebody like- left a box of cupcakes for you. Paint didn't know how it got into her space- but she opted to call me over for it."
He was more confused than anything- sure, he received fanmail, something he didn't actually bother reading, but food?

"Oh, and there's a note."

Boombox handed them to him, then left him to his own devices.

Hey, I know this probably won't reach you at all

But remember, I really am rooting for you!
I hope I didn't make you too uncofm uncomfortable last time.

Here's a few treats to make up for it.


He opened up the box, to see three chocolate cupcakes with red lining. Somehow, the frosting wasn't ruined.

They ended up tasting pretty good, too.

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He wasn't going to brag about it- but he was settling into society pretty well! He'd already made around, what- a couple thousand bux? Maybe more? That was honestly way more than what he was expecting, he'd only ever managed finances through school allowances so budgeting was.. Something he needed to get used to.
It felt.. Nice. Being on his own, he probably would've still lived with his family had they came with him, but he didn't want that. Not for them, and not for himself. They were better off alive.

Right now he was headed off to work. Having to settle into new norms and quite literally just.. Drop all of the traditions and stuff they grew up with was hard, but it wasn't like he had anyone else around him to celebrate it with. And-.. He could always make new memories, with new people.
Bloxy Cola sighed and checked his phone, besides all the earth stuff it had on it, it wasn't anything too special.

He figured out that he could actually still download stuff, and his first instinct was to see how things would play out if he downloaded Roblox. He was shit at mobile Phighting! so he wouldn't bother, but he was much better at art and character creation in it..
Granted he'd never show his art to anybody. It wasn't good enough for that just yet, patience was a virtue.. As Windforce would say.

He hummed a familiar tune as he walked- honestly, Pink Parlor wasn't that far from his place, granted he straight up ran out and clocked in before 7 A.M.. He remembered Fruitcake worrying over him when he told them how he arrived to the building at 4 a week or two ago, even after he told them he slept early.
"You shouldn't have to wake up that early, Cola!" Their voice rung in his head as he descended from the stairs, trying not to go down too fast. "You need to take care of yourself- goodness!"

Besides that fiasco, he was happy to keep working alongside Egg Basket. He had more co-workers, but they weren't too much to take note of, just regular demons, which he felt comfortable with. The less involvement he had with the phighters, the better his chances of survival were. All he had to do was not gain the ire of the warden, not gain the interest of the church (or Broker), and NOT fuck up everything by going to Blackrock. 
Which, was way easier than he thought. Life might've been a soul-crushing experience that could remind you how fragile you are within a couple seconds, but it was something beautiful to be appreciated too.

"I shouldn't think so hard in the morning, it'll ruin my day otherwise." He muttered, breathing in the cold morning air. The Parlor didn't have a set uniform for waiters so he naturally made his own personal adjustments to his outfit. If he were still human, he'd be more than happy with the fit he made.
He distracted himself with a few stray thoughts before walking in and getting started with his day.


It went faster than expected, but he supposed it was because he was having fun working. Egg Basket wondered how he kept himself all energized without the use of his gear, and all he responded with was the fact he got 8 hours of sleep.
"You can't be serious," He said, resting his head in his palm. "That's not the only reason, is it?"
Bloxy Cola only shrugged in response, fixing up his bowtie as they started cleaning up for the night. "Dunno what else to tell ya, then.."

Oh- and he'd been getting comfortable with his new 'personality', looking aloof and unbothered when he was just socially awkward. Works like a charm, barely anybody interacted with him- which was a double-edged sword of its own that he could figure out later. He'll get out of his shell eventually.

"I'll see you next week, Cola?" He asked, receiving a nod and a smile in response. "You know it."
They said their goodbyes, and left.



Later that night, when he was checking out the Roblox app itself- he came to the realization the bux he made basically corresponded to how much robux would be in his account. He did a double take when he checked the amount, having a mini-crisis about if he accidentally fiddled with his phone and bought robux while he was asleep.
He knew how bad his impulse control was, so he opted for something else.

Now, he didn't play the game often- but Catalog Avatar Creator was where most of his original characters were housed since he refused to get a toyhouse account- or anything that could've had his precious creations in the public eye. 'Cause once something's on there, it's on there for good, no matter how much he'd try and bury it.
Not that he ever did, or maybe he just forgot about it.

Looking at his 'saved outfits', there were a surprisingly good amount of them there. Sure, they could use a little work since demons didn't have hair- shocker, should've expected it when he ignored canon appearances but whatever- but overall, they could pass as regular demons.
Cola had his in-game avatar changed into Bluesteel- an outfit and character he'd made quite a while ago with his boyfriend, who had made Periastron Omega- they were a matching pair, he'd even have them married in their lore. He smiled fondly, rotating his screen just to get a look and feel for what he'd be like in the Inpherno.

Such was wishful thinking, though. The pseudo-SFOTH had a whole backstory which involved him having a manor to himself, so he'd be a little lost.
.. Though, because of the fact he quite literally died then came back to life because of some benevolent higher being, the possibility of bringing him to life somehow was more than plausible..

He shook his head, leaving the game (of which didn't have players- no surprise there, no human connections) and putting his phone on his nightstand.

Tomorrow was a Thursday- then after was Friday, the Parlor only ever closed on Sunday. He didn't actually do much on break days besides scour the internet learning basic horn care which- while a pain in the ass, felt absolutely amazing afterward. 
Cola supposed he was 'settled in enough' into society.. So perhaps, he'd go out tomorrow.

He hoped Fruitcake didn't mind him going to the competition's place.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

If there was one thing Cola loved, it was sweets. Egg Basket had commented on it when their boss said they could take leftover pastries that they couldn't sell home, and he practically leaped at the opportunity to divide the portions of food they should all take. He ended up taking the least amount of them, but he had eaten a couple during closing.

"I didn't know you had a sweet tooth." He said, wiping down the counter. "I thought you were more into drinks."

Cola shrugged, bussing the tables up for the night. "Well, I think I got it from my mom and pop. They might've been terrible, but they had good taste." His real parents weren't all that bad, he wouldn't antagonize them like that.. But he would, with his 'fake' parents.

"Oh." He was pretty sure his co-worker had tensed up, so he looked back and made a thumbs up. "It's not like I'm uncomfortable with talking about them."
Basket's face had scrunched up, putting away the cleaning supplies he had under the counter. "Still, I don't wanna pry."

Cola smiled. "Thanks for respecting that, Basket."


Now, speaking of sweets.. Since it was one of his break days, he might as well try out Slingshot's cafe, right? Nothing could go wrong- just as long as he didn't get caught by his co-workers or boss. Though he was sure they wouldn't be spying on his business, that'd just be insane.
He made sure his horns looked.. Adequate enough? He didn't know what good horn care looked like, he just knew that they weren't.. All flaky. His old best friend compared them to nails, and while they were right in a sense, they were more complex to take care of compared to human nails.

He slipped on a comfortable open-shoulder sweater he'd found a couple days ago and balked at. Sure, it was a little large, but oversized and/or loose clothing were bound to catch his attention (and wallet). A couple minutes of trying out several pairs of jeans that looked like the same color, he settled on a.. Light-ish denim. He questioned his fashion sense, but he could get something better in the future.
Cola decided to throw on a jacket- of course he could've changed into an actual sweater but he liked layering anyhow.

After checking himself out in his bathroom mirror and reassuring himself that nobody was out to get him, he exited his apartment with quiet steps, gear in hand and wallet in the other.
Somehow, his neighbors never bothered to check on him.. And his landlord didn't really bother him at all. They barely communicated outside of him forking over rent money in advance- which they surely appreciated.. At least he thought so.

Cola took a deep breath, the cool breeze whizzing past him as he checked the time. 7 A.M. wasn't too early, was it? He thought it was a little late.. Though that was mostly because he was accustomed to waking up at 4. What'd he do during those three hours of post-wake up haze? Learn new things, obviously!
Sewing mainly- perhaps crochet. Maybe he could go back to making music, silly little tunes and stuff like that.

Speaking of- he was getting bored at the slight lack of diversity within the Inpherno's music scene. If he had to step in, he damn sure would.. Perhaps with something light, nothing too big unless he wanted to make a splash out of it. He couldn't just- download all the songs of 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess', post it, and then act like nothing happened. He was above that!
.. Hypothetically, he actually could do that, but the thought of not crediting the work of the original artist hurt, even if Cola himself never got his art stolen.

Maybe I could just post a cover of it? Or I could take the song- put it to a lyric video, tell people its lost media and they wouldn't be any wiser. He wondered, feet moving on their own as he trudged through the relatively empty streets- which was surprising. Usually people would be up by now.
He thought about it more, even as he approached the teal building. One thing's for sure- I can't let people know a human made it. They'd freak out- they don't even exist anymore.


Cola had to sit with that thought for a bit, leaning against the brightly colored building as he thought through his feelings again. You're not human anymore. You have no reason to keep.. Holding onto all of that. You can let it go.
But he knew he didn't want to. He groaned, resting his hands on his horns as he sighed. 
All things considered, he felt fine. Not overworked nor overwhelmed. He was.. Comfortable.

He'd often be chided for being so complacent- back on earth. Here, all he was, was content. Content with life, content with the course of which he was going in. While there wasn't many interesting things, being in the Inpherno after living 16 regrettable years on that godforsaken rock in space, was enough to keep himself excited.

Last night, he'd thought of a couple plans. Get a Biograft and name them first and foremost- but another one of the items on that little paper he called a 'planning sheet' was to go hiking in Thieves' Den, explore Crossroads more, and (potentially) wander around Playground until he found something cool. If he was going to be in the Inpherno, he might as well get acquainted with everything he could as a relatively normal and unsuspecting individual.
.. Really, there wasn't anything going on about him. He got the sense that people were reading him off as a demon from Playground- but they'd usually be louder. 

Cola understood- demons are different from humans, what they do wouldn't be the same as somebody else on earth would be doing. He quite liked this better. Things.. Were a little simpler. Much more comforting.


"Oh- hey?" 

His head turned to the voice, calming down as he saw Slingshot in view.


"Oh uh.. Hi!" He greeted him, with a wave- trying to keep things friendly. Cola saw the way the cat-like demon narrowed his eyes, giving him a once-over.

"Why are you.. Outside of my café?"
Bloxy Cola shrugged, trying to act like he usually did. "Was waiting for you to open, actually."
Despite his cool façade, he could feel his feet getting lighter and his palms sweat. Gods, let him have this one, please let him have this one..

Slingshot grinned, and he felt all the tension vanish out of his body. 
"Well, you're pretty enthusiastic for a first customer!" Cola had chuckled, putting a hand at the back of his neck- he really didn't know what he was doing or getting himself into, but he was doing what he could.

"I'm glad! You'll probably be seeing me every Thursday or Friday- those are when work's off my table and I can kick back and relax."
Shit- speaking of kick back and relax, he needed to make adobo today. He hated to admit it, but gods, he missed his aunt's cooking. Maybe once he got some friends he could share the recipe or something- popularizing it on the internet would work too, but he much preferred word of mouth.

"You can wait while I open up shop, yeah?" Slingshot saw him nod out of his peripheral, and that was enough for him to get busy.

[ Slingshot ]

When he woke up that day and packed up to go to work, he didn't expect to see somebody waiting outside of his establishment at 7:12 in the morning- who else would be up that early?!
He didn't bother questioning the kid's intentions- he didn't look like he was lying. Plus, if he were some Blackrock agent or whatever- he wouldn't be standing outside where anyone could see him in plain sight!.. Right?

Slingshot looked back at him again- he was just.. Standing there, looking at his phone while occasionally tearing his gaze away from it to admire the surroundings, never once facing him.
He was short- almost comically so. Perhaps even shorter than Valk, but he wouldn't say that out loud. His outfit was interesting, but not enough to be considered eye-catching. What was he even doing right now- he should've been focused on opening up the café, for the SFOTH's sakes!
Things were silent between them until he finally told him that the café was open for business.

"Whoa," He dragged out, eyes flitting all over the place as he admired it all. Slingshot wasn't sure how to react so he discreetly snuck to the back as the scrawny demon entertained himself with.. Analyzing the plants.

After making sure everything was okay, he came out and called him over. He was already opening up his wallet while he walked up to him, gently handing over 12 bux. Slingshot's face shifted slightly, with confusion. "I don't charge that much--"
"No, no! It's okay, I probably weirded you out a lot back there, so I'm just.. Giving you extra. It's fine, y'know? Uhm- can I get a scone? And like, a cappuccino.. Am I doing this right? This is like my first time out at a café.."

Things suddenly started making sense in his head, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "You're doing just fine, I'll get you your order. Make yourself comfortable!"
"Oh- thank you!" The bright smile on the demon's face was enough to make him grin too.



So, it turns out he wasn't as weird as Slingshot thought he was. Hurray! He had picked the nearest possible table to the front so Slingshot didn't have to walk so far- which he thought was endearing. And since there weren't really any other customers so early.. Perhaps he could strike up a conversation with him?

"You wanna introduce yourself?" He asked, waiting for the demon to finish his first sip of his drink. His eyes sparkled for a moment before it all went away, a peaceful look on his face as he put down his cup and exhaled.
Then he turned to Slingshot. "Bloxy Cola! Uhm- Live in Crossroads, don't really remember my home faction- but its not like I really care, I don't think I would've lived there for long anyway! Aha.."

He doesn't know which faction he's from? He thought, humming at his response to make sure Cola didn't worry too much about Sling being unresponsive. 
"Well, at least you know your way around, yeah?" He asked, prompting a small chuckle out of the teen.

"Yeah! And I live in a pretty cozy apartment. It's not much, but it's home." If Slingshot could brand sunshine as a smile- he was very sure it'd be Cola's. He considered his own smile nice, but the younger demon just radiated.. Positivity- in that weird, detached sort of way he couldn't quite put into words.

They had talked for a while and he'd find out a few things about Bloxy through their conversation- he liked the Spring season, he loved drawing (even without proper materials), and he was fond of sweets! Much like Slingshot was.

"You know, I have a knack for baking myself!" He said, "I love baking sweets the most, it's pretty relaxing!"
Cola nodded. "I could tell! 'Cause your scone tasted pretty good! Not to mention the cappuccino-" Which he had long finished by now. "Just- happiness in a drink. Immediate mood booster type stuff!"

"Aww! You flatter me!" He made a dismissive wave, but Cola was quick to speak up again.

"Really! You're a great baker! I definitely see m'self coming by here again, and I know you know that's great news, yeah?"

Somehow- Cola had managed to endear himself to Slingshot, and if he knew- which he totally didn't- he'd probably panic! But things like that could come later.

For now, he enjoyed his company.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

It was 11 A.M., and he was just heading out of Slingshot's place with a milkshake in hand- chocolate, of course. Right now he was headed off to grocery store in hopes of finding everything he needed for chicken adobo- one of his childhood meals. Back then, he hated asking for adobo, it would just never run out 'cause he had a big family, so more often than not it was cooked for lunch, yet still eaten for dinner.
Honestly, it was the only time he ever hated a usually warm food that had gone cold.

Finding one was actually kind of difficult- even if he did recognize Crossroads' usual pathways and stuff because of notable buildings- typically the ones he saw before entering the Phight! lobby- it didn't really do much to help him when he got lost. Now he hated being lost, one time he had lost his mother in a mall and stayed with a couple of employees until she had to get him--

But his mom wasn't here anymore. He didn't have anybody to fall back on, nobody to really.. Rely on.
Fuck.

Deep breaths, Bloxy. Deep breaths.. You don't need her. You're self-sufficient, its what you've always wanted. The thought rung in his head as he squinted, trying to get a grip of anything familiar- and then he saw Ranged Royale.
He sighed, trying to speed-walk towards the building without looking like he's about to do something stupid..

How hard is it to find a Grocery store? Lord Firebrand- help me out here.. 
Bloxy groaned, backtracking to Crossroads Tower and seeing where he could go from there.


There were.. More people than he was expecting. Well- its literally the equivalent of the real-life Eiffel Tower, and plus, it acts as 'town square'. Of course there'd be that many people. He didn't want to go ask for directions, not unless he was looking to get mugged. He knew things were quite light-hearted on the surface of Phighting!, yes, but if any portrayal from the fanfiction he read was true, then..
He was beginning to get beside himself. Asking for directions really couldn't be that bad..

He saw a friendly looking demon a couple feet away- with who he was assuming was her tall and super quiet companion. They looked like polar opposites, but that didn't do much to deter him. Nervously, he walked up to the two and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to ask before she faced him instead.
Cola then started preparing himself for a verbal lashing before he heard her fawning over him. Granted, yeah, he was shorter than both of them but it made him feel just a touch embarrassed.


"Oh my gosh!! Look at him!" .. He understood that a demon like him- uncharacteristically short with relatively recognizable horns- would fall into the Inpherno's standard of 'cute', but he never anticipated it to be like this..

"Uhm- uh.." Gods, he was sure he looked so stupid right now- in front of two adults, too. It reminded him of all those times he'd be brought to family events and..
He snapped himself out of it, only catching a bit of what the taller demon said, which he then proceeded to forget within the next 5 seconds.

"Lay off of him- you're scaring the poor lad."
By the gods was he fucking right, Cola had been shaking like a leaf in a hurricane- he was. Maybe not as intensely as he would imagine, but it was the thought that counted.

"I- I was just going to ask if any of you two knew where the nearest grocery store was? I-" He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself- eyes trained to the ground and face bright red- or- a darkening grey? He didn't know how blushing out here worked! 
"I need to cook dinner tonight, so uhm-"

"Oh of course!" He heard her say, and he was trying so very, very hard to pay attention to what she was saying otherwise he'd have to make her list it out again- and he didn't want that.
Thankfully her instructions were easy enough to understand, and he just nodded along.

"- Then you should be there!" She finished. "Hope that helps, I like- went there a couple days ago, so I'm sure the path is still fresh in my mind!"

Bloxy sighed in relief, and raised his head to give them both a grin. "Thank you, really! Uhm- I've gotta get going. It was really nice to meet you."
He gave them a friendly wave as he walked off, a slight smile left on his face as he made his way there.


Nobody's really said that about him before. He guessed it was nice.

Being alone in a grocery store was actually terrifying.

Like- he couldn't believe himself. He was seriously in this grocery store- well air-conditioned, which reminded him of old memories- but it was larger than he expected it to be.
I mean- Crossroads is like the center of commerce- or at least he thought so? He didn't think too far ahead, that was one of his shortcomings.

Bloxy Cola sighed to himself and started combing the aisles for the things he needed- standard stuff like the chicken he needed, garlic, some black pepper, rice vinegar-
He stopped in his tracks when he read 'soy sauce'.

.. Silver swan didn't exist in the Inpherno.

Of course he's saddened- no, depressed by that information- Silver swan was the biggest reason that his aunt's adobo tasted like that! Without it-
Deep breaths- just look through the soy sauce, Bloxy. Just.. Look through them.

Surprisingly, there was a pretty large margin of soy sauce in the store. And somehow, some-fucking-how, there was a bottle of Silver Swan soy sauce in there. The packaging wasn't the same, obviously, but it was very obviously labeled with the iconic swan symbol he remembered. It made him question if he was actually in the Inpherno before he looked up to see two demons talking to each other.

Wordlessly, he put it along with his other groceries.

It took him around 2 hours- but he managed to get things done! 

Even though he left that grocery store feeling tired and heavy— it was still 1 in the afternoon..

Perhaps he could go look for stationary items? He wanted to see how demons' drawing supplies compared to humans' stuff. They would know- they got a high grade in Drafting back on earth.. Which was mostly about an individual's drawing capacity, but you get the idea.

Truth is, he just wanted to see what demons had to offer, he's always loved the thought of getting new pens or pencils, crayons, notebooks- just anything he perceived as "pretty".

Cola frequently did get jealous of people who ended up having better handwriting than him- all of those fancy highlights and long flowy cursive- but held his tongue.

Walking out of the grocery store- the bag wasn't as heavy as he thought it'd be. It was like carrying a small schoolbag, probably lighter.

Deciding to keep the grocery store in full view in case he ever got lost again, he started wandering around to see if anything could catch his eye.

[ Boombox ]

Since Boombox wasn't scheduled for a phight anytime soon, he decided he'd go out and get some fresh air- sink in all that good ol' vitamin D to make sure he was feeling alright. 

There wasn't much for him to do- Sling would be running his café and Skateboard would be doing something he didn't decide to get into, so he never really knew.. 

I could just walk around, he thought. Stretch my legs, maybe go window shopping in Crossroads? I still need bux for tonight.

He threw on some casual Playground attire- which really was just bright colors that scream at your eyes in writhing agony as the wearer bears the souls of all the brightest colors in the world on their person.

Swiftly making his way downstairs, he waved at every demon he could and reciprocated any smile directed to him.

Soon- he'd be on his bike and rolling out of Playground to go spend some time doing.. Not much, really. Better than doing nothing at all, he thought. 

He didn't know how he ended up at BoomBloxx almost all the time when he came here- granted, it had his face plastered on it, the brand was named after him too- but he didn't quite run the place anymore. He could hardly call himself an entrepreneur- if he ever took on the title. 

Boombox's gaze then caught eye of something- someone interesting. A short, relatively unassuming demon with groceries in one of their hands, staring at a display of ornate notebooks and designer pencils. 

If he was being honest- he understood the appeal those things had. But he never really bothered to delve into it, seeing as how his life was almost revolving around Phighting!

Approaching the window- and by extension the small demon, he attempted to start a conversation. 

"These things sure are expensive, huh?"

Their focus was torn away from the display and redirected to him- looking like a deer in headlights even after the driver repeatedly pressed the honking horn at them.

Eventually they cleared their throat awkwardly, actually saying something.

"Yeah, but- those details.."

Now Boombox wasn't licensed in much- he barely passed a driving test, but that glint in the smaller demon's eye was bound to get them spending way more money than they should've while they were out. 

They sighed, shoulders slumping as they continued to look at it.

"Looking for and buying stationary really is hard. You go and look for it 'til you think you've found what's best- suddenly there's a hundred other products that's in your face now too."

Boombox couldn't help but snicker at the thought of it, but they didn't seem very amused themselves. "Art supplies have always been my favorite products.. Maybe one day I can buy 'em, for sure."

Then, they turned to face him directly, a grin on their face. "So what brings you out here, mister..?"

Oh- this demon was a lot younger than they sounded. He thought they were at least 20- they couldn't have looked above 18 now that he thought about it.

"Boombox! You can just call me Boombox, kid." He didn't miss the way their face lit up at that admittance- he thought he was pretty recognizable, so he wondered why the kid didn't-

"Oh my stars! Well- I'm a big fan- ehem, Bloxy Cola! I do love the way you use soundwaves to your advantage- cool stuff, really!"

He wasn't quite expecting that to happen, but today was all for pleasant surprises. "I have trouble recognizing phighters and other demons 'cause I tend to forget faces 'less I've been around them long, ya feel me?"

Boombox nodded along- and the two proceeded to talk about anything they could until he had to say his goodbyes and walked off.

"Oh! And when you see Skate, tell him I hope he enjoyed the cupcakes for me!"

Boombox paused, then looked at the figure walking away.

"That was you?!"

2 P.M. in Crossroads, in their apartment building. 

Right now he was preparing everything for the adobo, following careful instructions from the guy who made a whole recipe for authentic chicken adobo.

Which he hoped to whatever SFOTH- mainly Firebrand- would turn out just as good as earthly cooking did long ago.

Then he figured out he had to marinate the chicken for two hours- no issue, of course. He'd prefer overnight since he knew it'd taste better, but adobo ended up tasting good regardless if its marinated or not. 

Maybe he'll let it marinate for just a little longer.. 

5 P.M., he was already starting to finally starting to cook- nevermind the rice in the rice cooker. He kept careful watch on the chicken and the recipe he was following on his earth-phone, making sure he didn't burn the adobo while also following the recipe.

It was already starting to smell good- and if he knew himself, he would know that it was probably going to be his dinner tonight and his breakfast tomorrow. It's not like anyone else would come in and eat with him.

.. Not anymore, he thought. 

There was always this domestic vibe whenever he set up the table for lunch or dinner back on earth, and this really wasn't anything different. 

Except there was really only one person, one plate to fill. And a whole bowl of nostalgic, home-cooked food in front of him. 

He waited for the rice and adobo to cool down- not entirely, but warm enough that he could eat comfortably. 

Bloxy took the time to put his hands together and start praying- to any SFOTH that was willing to listen.

He couldn't remember what he prayed for afterward, just that.. It was something good. Something that would probably help them-

Tap tap. 

His head turned swiftly to the balcony door where he saw a more-than ominous figure gently tapping on the door with its claw. 

Now, if Bloxy Cola had ANY sense of self-preservation, he would've locked himself in his room and called the police.

.. However he himself never did that back on earth, and he knew about how bad cops could really be.. So.. 

"You can uhm.. Come in. If you want to?.." What the hell was he even saying? He was inviting a stranger into his home- okay, perhaps that was his inner Filipino talking, they were always eager to help out after all..

It unlocked his balcony door with ease, walking into the small, compact apartment with a strangely crooked grin- and only then did he recognize him.

Wearing all teal with a few darker shades, that mischievous smile- and those horns? 

The Broker was in his apartment.

... 

THE BROKER WAS IN HIS APARTMENT???

"What a cozy place ya got here!"

Bloxy Cola, who was unfortunately way shorter than him by 6 or so inches- just had to smile and nod as he looked around, before his eyes went to the couch they barely used.

He turned to Cola with a grin and asked, "You mind if I crash at your place for the night? I intended to end up at another spot- but, well, you don't seem like one to put up much of a fight."

Because he wasn't. He really, really wasn't. 

"At least come join me for dinner, then." He said, feigning ignorance to the fact that he didn't have taste- but there was no reason to say that out loud unless he told them first.

The Broker laughed, his eye tearing itself away from the couch as he settled down on a wooden chair and waited as they set up his plate. 

Surprisingly, he plated it much like his own. A fair amount of rice with adobo sauce and two pieces of chicken, carefully positioned. 

Despite how strange the situation was- and how realistically freaked out he should be right now- Cola wasn't. He was.. Actually pretty happy for himself, in spite of having a murderer and gear launderer at his dinner table.

Gently, he put the plate down in front of him- slightly grinning at the way he blew on it before starting to eat. He himself went to go sit down in his seat, a spoon and fork situated at his side while all the Broker used was the spoon.

In.. A painful way, it reminded him of when he used to eat with his father. He'd never been quite close with him- with how many business trips he had to take, so he'd be gone for long periods of time. 

Which is why they became distant. 

Now, now he just felt like he was re-experiencing it again. Dinner with his father- but the Broker wasn't his dad. He wasn't even sure if the guy could even be a good parent-

Hell, why was he thinking about this when he was starving?! He took a bite out of one of the chicken drumsticks and rice- and proceeded to melt in his chair. Quite possibly one of the best pieces he could've brought to the Inpherno.

Cola was sure the Broker thought so too, even if his tastebuds or other senses were too numb for him to feel much. But he could still feel that warmth.

Together, they ate in silence as the cold night air blew outside.

Naturally, he was the one that ended up washing the dishes- so that meant his home invader-turned-temporary roommate rested on his couch all comfy. 

Bloxy couldn't bring himself to mind, at least, not like this. After he was done putting everything in their right place, he regarded the Broker.

"Do you need anything before bed..? Like, a spare blanket? I think I have one."

The older man chuckled, an enigmatic smile plastered onto his face. "You're awfully hospitable for a guy you don't know, don't you think?"

"Yeah, too much for my own good. I'll go get the blankets, gimme a sec." 

And he stayed true to that, getting him two blankets- one to act as a pillow and the other to cover him. 

He handed them over to him before locking the balcony door and turning off the lights, heading off to his room for the night.

"Good night, kid!" He heard the Broker say- and he smiled, knowing he probably couldn't see it since he was turned around.

"Goodnight. Don't leave a mess in the morning, okay?"

And with that, his bedroom door shut.

Chapter Text

[ Broker ]

Running away from the authorities wasn't anything new to him, seeing as how it's been his job for over a decade now.

What was unusual was somebody willingly taking him in, despite the fact they seemingly didn't know who he was. They even offered him dinner!
It could've been poisoned- but he hadn't eaten in hours, so he just took it.

He didn't expect the flavor, but he was in no way complaining about it. Warm food was always his favorite- seeing as how he could taste it better than room temp.


He eventually came to realize that when he knocked- they were just finishing up.
An obnoxiously marked calendar (that probably wasn't going to get stolen anyway) had his name, Cola- and a couple of circled in boxes were labeled 'work'.
Now, he wasn't the smartest demon out there, but a platter full of macarons on the table was enough for him to chalk his workplace up to a bakery.

The kid had given him a blanket and pillow once he headed off to sleep that night (which was more like two blankets) so he could sleep comfortably. He'd take a couch over a prison cell any day, though he would've preferred if the other left the balcony door unlocked. 
Scythe would probably blow a gasket once she found out, but he was sure she wouldn't take things too far.


Morning came by faster than he expected, and somehow Cola was awake before he was. When he asked, all the kid did was shrug and continue cooking breakfast- saying how he shouldn't leave on an empty stomach.

"Why are you even doing this?" He asked, sitting up and realizing his shoes were positioned near the balcony door- how kind.
Cola didn't turn to face him, focusing entirely on making sure their food didn't burn. "Well, you're in my apartment. Anybody who stays over needs to be taken care of- that's how my parents raised me."

A grin had made it onto his face, but it didn't seem like the teen shared his sentiments. Just like last night, he had plated his and Broker's breakfast both on the dining table.
It was simple- eggs and sausages. Which was nice, but nothing like the soup-chicken combination he'd made that they had last night.

He could hold off on asking what it was for now, though. Just in case Cola refused to share.


When he was about to leave, Broker had given him a hug, and while he hesitated for a bit, he eventually hugged back.

"Well, I'll be seein' you later, kid!"

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He didn't know what happened. Gods- it was a blur, he swore to himself-
Broker had left hours ago, bidding him a "bittersweet" goodbye where he brought Cola into a hug that lasted for a while.

Against his better judgment, he hugged back. His grip was like iron on the Broker's clothes, but the other didn't ask why as he left where he came from. 

He didn't remember when he started crying. 

So many feelings of home all at once came crashing down at him harder than he expected- now he was here, sitting in his bathtub fully-clothed.
A thousand-yard stare directed at the tiled wall in front of him as he tried to keep himself from crying.

It hurt- hurt more than he could've ever imagined. He felt so ashamed- so doubtful, so hurt, so- selfish.

He felt helpless. Jamie Cola would've never been able to stop his own death, he knew that!—
Even then, he felt that familiar, cold, and disgusting pang of guilt hitting him right in the heart.

He anxiously fiddled with his clothing as he thought about his boyfriend for.. The first time in weeks.

Cola looked down at his hands, vision blurring as tears welled up in the corner of his eyes again.
He'd usually be holding his phone around this time, checking in on his boyfriend. 

He missed him. He missed Cobalt- he missed everything they used to do together, even if they were so far away from each other.

They were a world apart now. 

He can't- he wouldn't even be able to contact him anymore. Not with his situation or the deal he made. Gods damn him for being so ridiculously stupid—

Choked sobs rung through his apartment as he curled up into a ball, phone discarded into the sink as his throat started drying up. 

[ Cobalt ]

He frowned as he went into Discord again— tapping on his darling boyfriend's icon like he always did.

It had been about a day now and he still wasn't responding. Things just weren't adding up. Something must've happened, but he doesn't know what.
He was always so eager to respond to anything his boyfriend sent him- why is he gone now, of all times?

Maybe his city was going through another one of those rainy weeks, without power. He knew how hard those times could be on him, so that was the likely explanation-

Before he opened up Roblox to see his sister online.

He's heard countless times about how Jamie's computer would be off all the time during blackouts since power was cut off.
So why was she there?

He joined her game- hoping to get answers.

[inkspatters:] hey
[rollingstones:] whats up

[inkspatters:] have you seen your brother anywhere?

[rollingstones:] no
[rollingstones:] he left for school and didn't come back

[rollingstones:] my mom was in a hurry
[rollingstones:] i dont really know what happened

Cobalt had to sit there for a second. Then the worry started to sink in.

If he wasn't- didn't, get to go home, what the fuck happened? He was trying not to let his thoughts run wild— but if he wasn't there then-

No. He tried to shake away all those bad thoughts- maybe, just maybe, his school did something special? But that wouldn't justify him being gone for so long.

Oh god. Oh god—

He exited the game as fast as he could and laid there in bed, for how long- he didn't bother keeping track of. 
Jamie promised him. He promised him- he'd tell him if anything happened. 

He knew they'd fight tooth and nail to contact him, but if they've been gone this long.. 
Cobalt refused to acknowledge it. Refused to even see it as a possibility. 

Jamie would come back- he hoped. He never questioned their love, they'd tell him how they loved him often, how they simply adored Cobalt with all their heart.
He believed them— why wouldn't he?

He knew they meant it every time they said they loved him. He'd shower him with boundless love and affection every single day—

Cobalt didn't want to believe it. He couldn't bring himself to.

Even still, it didn't stop the tears falling from his eyes. 

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He steadied his breathing, holding onto the kitchen sink and bathroom wall for support as he washed his face, trying to wipe away the dried tears on his cheeks.
Cola had to sit there, wondering and thinking if being in the Inpherno was really all he'd built it up to be.

The answer was obviously yes- he still had so much to see, to go through, a whole world to take in and explore on his own.
Really, life couldn't get any better.

Unless my boyfriend was here with me. He smacked himself, the stinging pain distracting him long enough from the thought of it.
He couldn't focus on him now, if he did- he'd be holed up in his bedroom all day, moping around and sulking- no. He needed to do.. SOMETHING productive, to keep himself busy, at least.

Cola sighed and tried to clear his head, wallet in one of his hands and the other free in case he ever needed a drink to forget about it.
Perhaps- some shopping could help.



Okay, he hated to admit it- but he was having fun and enjoying himself. Back then- trying and swapping out clothes was tedious and boring, but here--

"Oh my gods." Cola had never been a fan of consumerism, and he still isn't, but the want in the back of his head to look good in the eyes of other people was certainly there- so was the want for things he didn't need, of course. He couldn't help but eye all the clothes and horn accessories, trying desperately to not buy anything that cost over 200 bux, even if they WERE cute.

He spent the rest of his day just sort of checking out the prices on items, trying to see if they were worth buying. Some were, some weren't, some were ridiculously overpriced and other ones were flimsy as hell. His nature urged him to fix it up as best as he could without getting caught, so the trip involved some of that as well.

Soon, the sun had long vanished to make way for the moon- which coincidentally was the time when he started making his way out of the store, bloxy cola in hand, basking in the peace for a little while.

What'd they buy? Nothing much. Hoodies, some shutter shades that they found cool, a cute necklace-


And matching heart bands, for any demon who had a partner to wear it with.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Wonder what happened after he got home last night with all the stuff he bought? Well, he got bored! And boredom typically leads him to do something tediously mundane, or horrendously outlandish. There's an in-between but it's never concrete.
So, he went browsing on YouTube, trying to find anything at all that he could upload that wouldn't attract too much attention, or be mainstream.

His tastes were already quite obscure, leaning into more of the songs and stuff the art community back on earth used. So it wouldn't be any trouble finding something that was just a little unconventional, even by the Inpherno's standards. Setting an alarm for when he should take care of his horns again- he scoured the human side of things, seeing what he could work with.
Jack Stauber's music could work, granted all he posted was.. Buttercup, alongside a couple other songs. 'The Ballad of Hamantha' would be too obscure and demons would probably question the name..

He paused, taking the time to look up a couple books in the Inpherno- and some of them had.. Unusual names. Similar to how human names were, but just.. Different enough. 'Cloren' was just 'cloner'- and based on inference, the main character's gear was probably the gear cloner. Cool stuff, he supposed? Maybe he could get away with having human names in the songs he planned to post.

This wouldn't be a constant thing- at least he hoped so. Cola worked on his own music from time to time, so maybe blending original content with that of other artists' would be the best way to go.. He had to stop himself a couple times and make sure he was doing everything right, letting out small apologies whenever he tapped the little 'download' button. He could very well credit Pogo, citing their work as lost media that he found in ways people would certainly question- but he could put up with it, he's sure.

It takes him a little bit due to the atrocious internet- which he made sure to get used to (why would he worry about it so badly?), and looked over to his YouTube, wondering how his channel should be structured.. He doesn't mind going public with his name, but things would be more complicated and he wasn't willing to put up with that.

He'll figure something out!

──────────────────────────────

[ YOUTUBE ]

Pogo - Forget

1,428 views - July 19, 201X

[ A collection of voices and sounds from ...more

412 △ Likes   30 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🌸 another time another place

 17 subscribers

143 Comments     ☰ SORT BY

 🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

This song's pretty cool! I wonder what the voices and sounds are though?

🌸 another time another place

most are taken from thieves den or lost temple. there are hints of playground there as well. blackrock, not so much from my first hearing. my apologies!

🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

Makes sense! All of the sounds are traditional-like? There's too many to attach to one specific faction.

 🎨 PaintIsPain

I tried out the link in the video and it doesn't seem to work, what happened to the site?

🌸 another time another place

unfortunately, the site had been taken down long before. by technicality, this is considered lost media. this channel is dedicated to memories, songs, or stories long past.

🎨 PaintIsPain

I see. Thank you for re-posting this masterpiece

 ✨ Shiny_gems

A collection of beautifully tied together sounds from all over the Inpherno on my recommended? Sign me up!

 ⛸ Iceeskaterzz

what happened to the og creator of the song?

🌸 another time another place

i'm not quite sure! however, i intend to honor their memory and unearth their songs once again. they went by pogo stick online but i'm unsure if they had another gear

 ⛸ Iceeskaterzz

oh i guess that helps. cool song btw, nice first video

🌸 another time another place

thank you!

 🛹 88byte skate

Has anyone figured out the lyrics to this yet?

🌸 another time another place

A little empathy for passion
A little apathy that’s wicked
It's a one child (oh), one dream
It's a one child (oh), one dream..
Read more

🛹 88byte skate

Thanks!

edit: I just realized the creator responded. Thank you again!!

──────────────────────────────

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Now, granted, answering comments on your videos at work was questionable.. But his co-workers and managers didn't really know that considering it never interfered in his workplace performance. Cola was able to bring out dishes to customers faster than Fruitcake initially anticipated, and while he didn't like the label of 'star employee', they made it clear they thought of him that way.
Of course, he made sure Egg Basket got his props too. He was pretty dang good in reeling in customers with his charisma or something- he didn't quite know the full extent of his 'charm'... But it made them more money, so they weren't complaining!

Saturdays were normally pretty packed, so that meant extra money for them this week! Unfortunately- Basket had some personal business to take care of, so he had to chat up the other cashier that covered for him. They weren't as familiar with each other, but they eventually got into a sort of 'groove', he'd say. 

Cola didn't want to get attached to his other co-worker in the VERY rare case he was found out and Pink Parlor got into deep shit, so he did his best to answer questions without ever really giving a solid answer. Which he was really good at, probably because he was used to doing it around his classmates from earth.

8 hours felt like a breeze to him at this point, and he still felt refreshed and energized. Marshmallow Chirp, the co-worker he promised himself to not get attached to? Yeah, asked him how he did it, and he really responded to the question with a shrug and a confused smile.
"I don't get it either, but maybe it has something to do with me being young?"

The other crossed their arms, unamused. "That can't be the only thing you've got going for you. What's your secret?" He actually started shifting his feet and sweating- did he have another boon he was unaware of? He shook the thought off as he came up with a response, having adapted to the habit of thinking on his feet.

"Eh, good rest? Not having the worries of life on my shoulders all the time, maybe?"
He sounded just as confused as Chirp was, so they eventually dropped it, much to his satisfaction.

Cola was actually impressed with his own performance. He'd managed to incorporate himself into society without committing any crimes within the first month. Definitely more than what he could say for other games he's played before! He was sure he would've gotten locked up in Minecraft had he chosen that instead- but he didn't do well with isolation anyway.

Work came and went, and soon it was time for him to leave. He eagerly waved his co-workers and manager off as he jogged home, eager to start the week anew.

Sunday came and went, he made sure to hone his cooking and sewing skills- as well as learning some basic first aid. The first two would help out in generally taking care of himself and by extension his clothes- while the third would help him out if he accidentally got his shit rocked by being out for far too long.
He didn't dare make another post just yet, fearing if he made too many then other demons would get suspicious despite his low subscriber count.

Tubular, the Inpherno's tumblr, was actually quite nice. He'd already made an account, 'BloxyingCola' which- he had to admit, was corny as all hell, but he had to fit in somehow. It seemed just as insane and kooky as earth tumblr was, without the 'humans are space orcs' tag, to their dismay.
It was fine, he could always just go browse those videos on earth-YouTube.

His alarm rung, and he started prepping for work. It didn't actually take that long besides making sure he looked presentable enough however. Cola typically showed up in full uniform already, so he never had to change! Which, while unconventional- his peers simply chalked it up to the way the teen worked.
None of them ever questioned him past the surface-level stuff, which he was internally grateful for because he didn't get too far with his fake backstory. 

"Good to see you, Cola!" Basket greeted him with a friendly wave as he walked in, which he promptly responded to with a wave of his own. "Nice to see you too, Basket. Sunday was somethin', that's for sure.." He tried to appear tired, even if he knew his energy levels were through the roof.
The other gave him a sympathetic look and a pat on the back when he got close enough. "Don't worry, today's gonna be just great!"

Cola nodded, giving him a grin. "I'm sure it will."

──────────────────────────────

Well, the day was certainly.. Going? He felt great, naturally, but somehow they were getting more customers than usual- and for a Monday, that's honestly record-breaking territory they were teetering on. He doesn't remember marking any occasions happening today, and Cola wasn't chronically online enough to know if there was something important happening in Crossroads..

Gently nudging Basket- who looked down at him in confusion, he asked. "Is there anything going on today? We're getting more customers.." He muttered, eyeing the customers around the Pink Parlor as if there was something that was going to happen in a few seconds, and they were oblivious to it.

He patted Cola on the head, chuckling. "There's nothin' special today, sport. Jus' another one of those days, I suppose!" Bloxy was satisfied with that answer, nodding at him before going back to doing his job, hyper-focusing on getting dishes out to customers as fast as he could.

Somewhere along the line, a certain demon caught Cola's eyes as he approached the counter. His eyes zeroed in on him as soon as he came into his line of sight, but he tried to tear his eyes away as best as he could. His friends on earth would freak out if they knew he had the opportunity to see- hell, even be in the same room as Medkit.


On the outside though, he was totally composed. Even elegant-looking, even with his small stature. As the only other waiter- he was assigned to his table, which he was all too happy to do. Granted he wasn't going to be stupid and try to talk to him- he had a brain.
It didn't take him long to find his spot since he was so familiar with the layout of the Parlor, and he did the usual, gently setting down his plate.

"Enjoy your food- and have a nice day, sir."

"You too."

Holy shit.

Cola gave him a small smile before going back into the main building and letting out a breath of relief- with some added disbelief. While he knew that the 'you too' might've just been one of those responses that your brain felt inclined to answer to, Medkit still spoke to him. That was leagues better than just giving him a nod.

That entire day- he had a grin on his face and was extra nice to customers.

[ Thieves' Den Trio ]

Thursday again, he was awake, bright and early as usual. Shuriken and Vine Staff weren't scheduled for a phight today either, so they were able to come with him to open up the café. The two talked among themselves as they made their way from Thieves' Den to Crossroads. Turns out 13.37 miles wasn't as long as it would usually feel, and they were there in no time at all!

He didn't tell them about Cola yet- so when he wasn't surprised the scrawny demon was waving at him "aggressively" with something else in his arms and his phone in the hand he was waving with, he was met with confusion from the two.

"Sling, who even is that?" Shuriken asked, eyes glancing at the kid who was leaning against the wall near the entrance, patiently awaiting its opening. Slingshot looked at the ninja with a frown.
"That is Bloxy Cola- fairly new, but he's a good kid, don't worry!"

Vine Staff seemed a little less paranoid than her brother, approaching him with a kind smile. She noticed the way he glanced up at her, grip on his phone tightening just a little- was he nervous?
"Hello!" She greeted, and he seemed to relax, raising his chin to stare up at her. Then it dawned on her that he was- incredibly short... She could assume he knew that fact already, though. His horns were well-taken care of, from what she could see.

"My name is Vine Staff, what's yours?" She saw him hesitate for a moment and took a small step back, patiently waiting for him to answer.

"Bloxy Cola. Uhm.. Only Slingshot really knows me, so I was kind of hoping..." He twiddled with his thumbs, trying to see past her tall figure. She caught on easily, doing her best to talk to him while the other two focused on opening up the place. Once they were done, he speed-walked his way in, eagerly making his way to the counter as he ever so gently placed the oval shaped tin cans of- mystery food down. 

Slingshot raised a brow as he walked out of the back and saw the tins neatly covered in plastic wrap. "What's this ya got for me, Cola?"

That bright grin once again popped up on his face as he talked. "This!- It's a really special recipe that I noted down before- uhm, stuff happened! I really really wanted to share it with you since you seemed like the best baker around, and you could add it to your menu! But like- you don't need to, really, you don't.."
Slingshot watched as he took a spatula out of his hoodie pocket- covered with a napkin, of course. Gently sliding off the plastic, he gently slid it in alongside the edges- He could see caramel almost oozing out of it.

"Uhm- you have a plate I could place this down on? It's good, I promise! Made it just last night!"
Well, he didn't need that much convincing.


Soon the three had gathered near the counter as Cola flipped the dish- Shuriken could hear him muttering a small prayer about 'letting it be perfect' or something. 
Lifting the dish, the three were then subject to witness the glory that was Cola's concoction.

"This is leche flan, or at least that's what my family called it!" He beamed, already working on the second tin. "I think it's called 'crème caramel' for you guys though. I just wanted to share the dish since I know Slingshot's a great baker, and- while it isn't a pastry, it is dessert.."

The grin on his face was contagious- Slingshot had already gotten a fork to try out the food with and by the gods, was it delectable.


A little later, all three of them were enjoying it as Cola watched on, clearly happy about the situation. "How'd you even get this recipe, anyhow?" He asked, while they thought about it for a moment.
"Well, was lookin' through some old photos and stuff and found a recipe book another one of my family members had!"

He then went on to explain how some of them- while having a variety of jobs, mainly had talent for cooking. Though it was kind of hard to listen to over the good food they were having.

"I'm just glad you guys are enjoying it, they always did love seeing the happy smiles on people's faces.. Now I get to do the same!"

Shuriken and Vine Staff weren't easily swayed, but Cola was genuine enough to get through to them- with a surprisingly little amount of effort. He probably didn't even anticipate this outcome either.
"I have the recipe on hand, if you want it for the café or just personal reasons. I'm all too happy to share!"

Slingshot happily took the recipe, thanking Cola again for the dessert.


"Oh, and could I have a cappuccino? That'd be a nice starter for my day."

The baker grinned, nodding. "You've got it!"

Chapter Text

Hours before..

[ Broker ]


Right now, he was in his boss' office. Things looked like this- Broker was on one of the leather armchairs while his boss rested in her comfortable chair- provided by the gracious authority of the Church, of course.

"Let me get this straight..." Scythe said, looking him in the eye with confusion and exasperation, which, considering what he just told her, was honestly a fair reaction.

"You-" She pointed right at him, still with that look. "Didn't know where the place we rented out for ya was, and broke into another demon's apartment? And didn't kill 'em? Am I gettin' that right?"

Broker wasn't above murder, the both of them knew that. Back then, he used to commit murder over petty things which he still does- just to a.. Controlled extent. Nonetheless, he nodded- that same enigmatic grin on his face. "More so forgot where it was, but still!"
He debated whether or not to tell Scythe about the dinner, but he'll probably end up bringing it up either way.

"Simple fact is, ya let a rat get the better of ya." She said- and yeah, she had a point, but calling him a rat just felt wrong. "He could be yappin' to that big lug right this second!"
He glanced up at the clock. "It's 4 A.M." Broker says, matching her stare. "Cola is fast asleep or just getting up--"

Scythe shot him a sharp glare, and he wisely shut up. They might've been close friends, but even they got on each other's nerves sometimes. "Don't tell me yer getting attached, Broker."
He scowled- insulted by the mere thought of it. The kid was nothing more than somebody who knew it was best to shut their mouth and let him do his business-
But he had to think about it, really. 

On one hand, Cola could be playing dumb and waiting for a window where he could tell Ban Hammer about Broker, which would be a smart play coming from him.
On the other- He was calm during Broker's visit, eerily so. Almost like Cola was glad he came into his apartment in the first place. He did give him permission to enter too..

"The kid gave me dinner and it wasn't poisoned, even let me crash on his couch! Give me a break, boss! It was one time.."
Scythe didn't seem satisfied with his answer, but it wasn't like she knew enough about this 'kid' who took him in, and she didn't want to.

"Jus' make sure ya don't forget again. 'Less you want to get back to Banland."
Broker rolled his eye, hearing the door to Scythe's office open- he could only assume it was Medkit.


Sure enough, that familiar tired groan he heard from him all the damn time came out as he sat himself in the other leather armchair. "What were the both of you talking about?"
"Some runt-" She paused, noticing the irritated expression on his face. "Took Broker in after one of his heists 'round a week ago. Some short demon with horns curvin' in on themselves."

He noticed the way the doctor stilled, probably contemplating something- he didn't really care.
"Do they work at a bakery?"


Broker's gaze snapped towards him with a little crack as he reared his head as quick as it could to Medkit.
"Yeah, what of it?" Scythe asked, raising a brow.

He grimaced. "I think I know who they are."

──────────────────────────────

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Everything in the world was okay again- he had a cappuccino in his hands, the weight of the world off of his shoulders, and a head chock-full of ideas he can't accomplish without money but that's okay, a boy can dream. Shuriken and Vine Staff were genuinely nice demons, which was nice!

Not that Cola thought of them as mean in the first place, they're one of the more tolerable demons out there. Just squeezed between Skateboard and Boombox, who he's both met.

"Hey," He started, grabbing Slingshot's attention considering how early it still was. "You know Boombox and Skateboard since like- you guys fight together, right?"

He was met with a nod. "What about 'em? Have they been out and about?" Slingshot asked, with a slight tilt of the head.

Cola grinned, thinking back to their encounters with the two. "I think I made Skate uncomfortable with my rambling, but I had a good talk with Boombox about stationary one time!"

Putting a hand to his chin, he thought about what he was going to say next. "Ooh! And I bought a couple cupcakes with my own money to give to Skate!"

He had to strain his non-visible ears to hear it, but he swore Vine Staff was 'aww'-ing back there. Slingshot shared a good laugh with Shuriken about it.

"I remember that! He was so confused- he didn't know where to put 'em!" His face turned to worry for a second. "But like- he found somewhere eventually! Made for a pretty wholesome moment between matches though."

He sighed in relief, a carefree expression on his face once again. "I just wanted to gift him a little something, you know? I love giving gifts, and stuff."

It was true, he loved gifting people stuff and was a people pleaser, but he was working on the latter. After all, there weren't many demons to please other than himself.

"I like doing stuff for people in general. Be it helping out with simple tasks or covering their shift. Stuff like that makes people appreciate me more, I think."

Cola saw the way Slingshot's expression faltered, and started mentally preparing himself for a lecture. "You don't do it all the time though, do you?"
He shook his head, and he saw him relax once again. "Good, good. Don't tire yourself out, people take advantage of that stuff."

He rolled his eyes playfully, taking a sip of his cappuccino. "No worries, I'm not a doormat. I know how to stand up for myself."

"Do you know how to fight?" He nearly spit out his sip as he heard Vine reprimanding Shuriken, and he had to really calm himself down before answering. 
"Hah- no, not really. Never been in one, don't plan on it. 'S why I don't stay out past 7 P.M., and if I do, my first destination's home."

Cola knew the look they were giving him, the one similar to a 'oh, you sweet summer child..' in the most pitying way possible expression, and he was honestly surprised he guessed right, considering how all three of them had said look on them.
"You think you'll ever learn how to? It'll help if.. Y'know.."

"I'll learn on my own terms, I'm sure." He answered, giving a nonchalant shrug- much to their concern.

.. He'll learn. Cola always does.

──────────────────────────────

[ YOUTUBE ]

Pogo - Living Island

3,896 views - July 25, 201X

A remix of audios from old shows, movies ...more

719 △ Likes   46 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🌸 another time another place

68 subscribers

476 Comments     ☰ SORT BY

 🎨 PaintIsPain

Woah. My art block vanished the moment I heard this, whoever made this had a real creative vision!!

🌸 another time another place

fortunately enough, there's more! if i can find them, i'll most definitely post them here on my little channel. more motivation to ya!

🎨 PaintIsPain

Creator, you're out here doing Illumina's work, thank you

 🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

ANOTHER song from Pogo Stick drops, wow!! This sounds like something from Playground, with all the repeating beats and stuff, but also has Thieves' Den elements to it? I love the build up it has before the 'chorus'!

🌸 another time another place

Pogo loved remixing sounds they found interesting, and they did love sharing before they had to take down their music off of the internet for undisclosed reasons
you'll love their first song- once i find it!

🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

Thanks for taking the time to find these beautiful tunes!

 🧨 boom3xboom

this actually brought tears to my eyes wtf?? user another time another place how do you keep finding these

🌸 another time another place

you can classify me as an internet archeologist, discovering what once was and showing it to the eyes of the public!

🧨 boom3xboom

im glad you decided to share these!! helps demons like us lot out there

 ✨ Shiny_gems

'A remix of audios from old shows, movies, and multiple tv series' long past'? Is there a list of them out there?

🌸 another time another place

unfortunately, no :c im unable to find the samples Pogo used

✨ Shiny_gems

Aw man! At least we have the song!

🛹 88byte skate

Now THIS is going to be hard to figure the lyrics out of.

🕹 tipofthejoystick

i can barely figure out what any of this means did pogo make this with Darkheart in mind??

🛹 88byte skate

What does Darkheart have to do with this?

🌸 another time another place

sorry for being so late! here are the lyrics:

The subject for today
We can be either loved by nobody...
Read more

🛹 88byte skate

Creator coming in to drop the lyrics again!! Kudos to you, ATAP!!

──────────────────────────────

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Cola already left Slingshot's café, off searching for a place that sold domestic Biograft models. He didn't want to immediately drain his wallet by paying for shipping fees, now does he?

Taking a bus to Blackrock probably wasn't the best idea he had, vaguely remembering placing it on his list of places to NOT go to.

But! It was the only place that sold domestic Biografts damn-near everywhere, so if he could just get in, then get out.. There should be no problem!

It didn't take him long to find one, but he first had to mull over how to take them back to Crossroads without people staring. Though- he wasn't too concerned about his own public reputation, and he really doesn't need to be.

Blackrock was cold, but comfortable air-conditioning temperature cold. Walking into the store, it was pleasantly warm, he would've stayed had everyone not been towering over him, all with frowns or generally upset expressions.

He knew the faction was miserable, but to be this sad is just sort of.. Blegh. Better than North Korea though, he supposed- despite never having been there.

Within minutes, he's already picked a Bio-roomate from the many, many models lined up within the store. Cola couldn't wait to meet and hopefully inflict sentience on his new roommate.

Some help from an employee, sheer will, and his learned skill of 'not giving a fuck about anything until it matters' was all he needed to get himself, the Biograft, and his wallet (which was still in-tact, win!) out of there in one piece.

The trip to home would be exhausting, but well worth it if it meant he succeeded in one of the items on his list.

──────────────────────────────

[ Boombox ]  

It was around 1 in the afternoon, and he was cheerfully making his way towards Slingshot's café, eager to get himself a little pick-me-up before getting errands done.

His namesake gear was held by his hip- after all, there wasn't much of a reason to keep it up on his shoulder if he was off camera. 

Besides, it was aching just a little. Not that he'd ever get it checked out, he knew it'd heal, or just ask Medkit to shoot him next phight.

Boombox had been listening to those new songs from the underground channel- the one with two songs by a mysterious 'Pogo Stick'. Whoever made it didn't matter as he jammed out to Living island on low volume.

He turned it off before entering Slingshot's place, and waved at Skateboard who soon came into view, waiting for him to de-board before they got in.

The two of them walked inside as they approached the counter, entering in small talk with Shuriken and Vine Staff, idle chatter- really.

They chose a nearby table to have their drinks at, talking among themselves as they waited for their order, thanking the siblings once they finally got it.

"Hey, so- you remember those cupcakes you got?" He asked the skater, who nodded as he sipped his coffee.

"What about 'em?" He asked, tilting his head. Boombox simply shrugged.

"The kid that gave to you hoped you enjoyed it, and how he hoped you liked them." 

He saw the way Skateboard's gaze soften as he coughed into his hand, regaining his composure. 

"That's honestly really sweet of him, he rambled on and on about appreciation for life or sumn' back when we first met, and he's been a mystery ever since!"

Boombox nodded, taking another sip of his latte.

"Y'know.. He's a pretty cool kid, maybe I could teach him how to skate sometime." 

He heard Boombox chuckle, and he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Let's just hope he doesn't fall on his face, yeah?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Lounging on his couch back at his apartment- he'd already opened up his new Biograft companion and plugged them in for charging hours ago, now it was time for him to wait.
Did he sacrifice his bed space to make things comfortable for them? 'Course he did! He wasn't going to let them charge on the floor- or Firebrand forbid, upright!

He cringed at the thought, he viewed 'charging' as a sleeping sort of state- which, for their companion, was actually accurate. Cola would've pumped his fist to the air in triumph if he wasn't so tuckered out.
"Hey wait, what time even is it-" He propped himself up to get a view of the clock- which he could totally read- to see that it was.. Around 4 P.M.

'How the hell am I so tired at four in the afternoon? This is ridiculous.' He huffed, getting himself up despite the dull ache in his bones, it was probably best to start doing something productive with his time.
Checking his phone, he frowned remembering the fact he still didn't have a computer set up or a laptop. Perhaps he could get one soon- he still had savings. 

He paused, wandering into his room to see his Biograft still charging.. He did have one hour left before they got up, so perhaps he could go for a jog, so long as he didn't get lost.

Cola made sure to get dressed in the bathroom, he really didn't want to underestimate his roommate's charging time, if he got up earlier than anticipated it would be awkward for the both of them.
Suitably dressed, Cola made sure to write up a letter for them in case he didn't come back in time- with the big, bold text saying 'DISREGARD IF I AM HOME', which he thought was slightly funny.

Turning off the light in his living room- and unplugging most appliances, he got out of his apartment and made sure to lock the door in case anyone were to break in.
He knew Biograft would be able to defend their home, but you couldn't fault him for worrying.

After triple-checking to make sure his door was actually locked, he walked off- searching for a park.

──────────────────────────────

[ Biograft ]

[ Biograft: CIvilian Model Zeta charging . . . ]

[ Setting up BioGraft.OS V.4.1.0 . . . ]

[ RUNNING SYSTEM CHECKS . . . ]
[ ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE . ]

[ WELCOME, FIRST TIME USER ! ]

Biograft remained rooted in place before sitting up, blinking its optics for the first time as it surveyed the room around it. Its hand moved to unplug itself as it looked around the room it was in.
It was orderly, if a bit cramped. The orange lights on its body slowly lit up as it looked around some more.

"Hey, what's- Oh!"

A demon came into the room slowly, waving to it as they slowed their movements. "Oh, this is wonderful! You're going to feel at home here- I'm sure of it."

".. ALL SYSTEMS RUNNING, CIVILIAN MODEL ZETA: ONLINE." It whirred- the demon's attention on it fully before it greeted them. "GREETINGS, OWNER."

Looking closer at its new owner, they were short yet fit. Their horns didn't do much to help with their height either, instead driving attention to their face which didn't have many notable features besides two darker markings on the side, in the shape of triangles.
They gave it a few more looks, muttering a small 'excuse me' as its arm was gently lifted by them. A giddy smile came to their face once they were done.

Taking a deep breath and closing their eyes, they outstretched a hand as a wide grin came to their face. "Hi! I'm Bloxy Cola, but I'd much prefer if you could call me Bloxy. This-" He said, using his other arm to gesture around his room. "Is your new home! I'm so happy to have you here!"

It tilted its head, finding the demon's behavior.. Unusual. Why introduce yourself to a robot? Nonetheless, it took his hand and gently shook it. His eyes were watering.

"DESIGNATED OWNER NAME: BLOXY COLA. OWNER NAME PREFERENCE SET: BLOXY." Cola raised a hand to his mouth- which didn't do much to hide their expression.
"Oh my gosh- oh wow.." He took a few seconds to compose himself, helping the Biograft up as he patted their back, taking it for an 'apartment tour'. There wasn't much to take note of, besides the copious amount of personal items he had scattered around.

"I hope you get comfortable here, on your own terms, of course." It closely followed after its owner, who approached the kitchen with his hands on his hips, huffing.
"I'm not having much for dinner, and I'm certainly not making you cook on your first day home.. So please, relax on the couch- I'll go ahead."

It blinked once, then twice. "DO YOU NOT NEED ASSISTANCE?" It could see him pout, staring up at their optics. "With cooking chicken? Nah, you can sit on the couch, please. Make yourself comfy, your first time home should be the most memorable."

Biograft moved to the couch, watching its owner intently as he clearly struggled to cook chicken. Not so much that he needed help, but enough to make it wonder why he wanted them to sit back. Was it to learn from him? No, surely not. Otherwise he would've been performing better.
The rest of the hour consisted of Bloxy muttering under his breath and occasional noises of relief, until he eventually had two pieces of chicken cooked well enough for dinner.

"Oh shoot, wait.. Biograft, could you unplug the rice cooker please?" It rose from the couch, walking over to the small rice cooker tucked neatly away from the other appliances and removing the plug. "Thank you! Okay- go back to the couch please, I can handle it now for reals."

As Biograft was ordered to, it went back to the couch, sitting with its arms folded on its lap as it watched Bloxy try to swat the rising steam away from the recently cooked rice.

For some reason, he refused to eat in front of it, instead dragging a chair out to the balcony to eat their dinner.

──────────────────────────────

All things considered, Biograft: Civilian Model Zeta, (ID:#8128) had.. An ordinary owner- even if he was unusual at times. The day after it was brought to his apartment, he got out of bed and tried to convince it to leave the house with him.

"It'll be fun!" He said, standing on his tiptoes in hopes of convincing it even more. The Biograft tried to gently pry him off of it- to no avail. "OWNER, WHO WILL GUARD YOUR HOME IN OUR ABSENCE?"

Cola rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. "The fort will hold for a few hours, Bio! Just a quick jog through Crossroads park is all it'll be- and I'll take you right back, I promise!"

It would've expected him to demand it to come with him- but he asked for its permission first. It was strange. "I SHALL ACCOMPANY YOU, THEN."
His smile practically reflected light in its optics- which they sincerely apologized for. Over and over again, may it add.

Its owner's behavior was nothing short of consistent- they'd wake up every morning at 4 A.M. (which it tried to put a stop to, then failed) and start up their usual routine. Cook rice, shower, obsessively check their horns to make sure one didn't grow faster than the other (of which its input was greatly appreciated), and all sorts of other things.

Bloxy was the type to be consistent within schedule- being he'd do things every day at a certain time and place. The problem, was what he'd do. It didn't understand his 'internal schedule' as he called it. One day he's sewing and surrounded with fabric around the apartment, the next- he'd be doing yoga on the balcony.

It was quick to notice that Bloxy Cola valued somebody's personality, how they conveyed themselves and how they acted around people. He tended to gravitate towards demons who approached him first, and on the very rare occasion he'd strike up a conversation on his own, the other party would usually reciprocate.
How did it find that out? Well..

"Hey, Bio." It turned its gaze to its owner, optics immediately landing upon the heavy bags of groceries he decided to carry. "That demon over there looks friendly. D'you think I should try out my social skills and talk to 'em?"
Said demon had a traffic cone on top of his head- alongside.. Other things, that Biograft didn't bother analyzing.

"MY OPINION WILL HOLD NO WEIGHT IN THIS SITUATION, OWNER." Bloxy frowned. 
"I'd really appreciate it though! What do you think?"

It paused. It did not.. 'Think'. It processed, it retained information, it gave out information, it didn't.. Have the capacity to think.
"TRY YOUR LUCK. PERHAPS THEY'LL BE GOOD COMPANY."

But it did, even for a brief moment.
He gave it a thumbs up before running off to go talk to the other demon- they seemed to connect quite well.

What was most odd about him- was how it seemed to act toward Biograft in general. He treated it like a close friend, telling it about his day after work, thanking it for taking care of the apartment even if it was its job, and cozying up with it on the couch in the evenings.
Sometimes, he'd even invite it out for a night of stargazing. It'd only last about 30 minutes or so when they did it, but those 30 minutes would feel like forever to it.

They would.. Talk. About anything, really. He'd focus on how it was feeling, how it was doing without him at home. It'd answer in kind, making sure to not.. What was the term he used? Overthink? Made sure not to overthink it, yes.
He seemed more joyful after every time they did it, bringing it into a hug before tugging it back inside with him.

"You mean a lot to me, Bio." It remembered him saying, while his back was turned to it. "More than you would imagine, I'm sure."


The moment remained in its head for a while.

──────────────────────────────

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Waking up again, he yawned and checked his phone, going into the clock app and switching off his alarm. He made it a habit long before he got Bio, and even if he felt a little sluggish after he woke up, food was always a good solution to all of his problems- besides the ones that involved feeling sad.
He made sure to stretch before getting out of bed, looking out of his bedroom window to see the still dark sky.

It was the start of a new month, and while he should've felt relieved, he actually dreaded it even if he didn't know why. Perhaps he could confide in Biograft.

Strutting out of his bedroom in a t-shirt and shorts, he made sure to keep his steps quiet as to not wake them up, at least.. Not this early. He started up his usual, by cooking rice.

One or two cups was usually enough since Biograft didn't necessarily eat, which he was unhappy about, but it wasn't like he was going to contact the Blackrock Robotics Branch to add articulated mouths and digestion systems through all Biografts, even if they could experience the wonder of food through it.

Ah, but they were overthinking things! Cola should've just cooked rice- he was getting hungry. He made extra sure that the pack of unopened hotdogs were in the fridge and not the freezer, so he wouldn't have a difficult time of getting them out and putting them back in.

After his morning routine was done, he made sure to busy himself by getting active, which meant yoga on the balcony again. His roommate was concerned about possible interruptions during his me-time hours, but he brushed it off and just thanked them for being concerned.
Why was he doing yoga? Good question! He wanted to make sure to take advantage of his small size via making himself as flexible as possible- in case of tight spaces.

It'd help out with hide and seek too, granted anybody would invite him to play a game of it again. He always did love hiding- he hid in the closet for over fourteen years in his backstory! And in real life- but the difference is, he never came out of it.

He shrugged, laying out his yoga mat on the balcony and getting into position.

Cola eventually made his way back inside by hearing the ding of the rice cooker, and hoped his roomie didn't wake up to the sound of it- that'd be a rude awakening. Especially from a rice cooker.
Seeing how they were still charging, he smiled to himself, unplugging the appliance and getting started on breakfast.

He always felt bad whenever he needed to eat- wishing he could share the experience with Biograft. He thought they deserved as much, to live life and experience what it had to offer- even if they couldn't properly appreciate it just yet.
Sighing, he thought back to when he first got them a week ago. Time was a finicky thing that he hated thinking about- but it was unfortunately very necessary.

But whatever! It was a break day, and he was going to take full advantage of it like all the other break days he's been through- Preferably with Biograft by his side.

Cola laughed at himself, and the predicament he'd gotten himself into. Imagine getting so attached to technology it takes up your schedule sometimes!
.. But it was the exact same thing he did to his phone and other pieces of tech he owned back on earth, hell, even to chat bots. He'd greet them with a friendly hello before asking for their help, too.

Deep breaths. He reminded himself, moving to the dining table and praying once again before eating. Biograft wasn't awake, so it was okay to eat with them in the general vicinity- even though they probably wouldn't have minded if he had done this from the get-go anyhow.

Their comfort mattered to him. He valued them like he would value a member of his family, at least.. The one he'd made for himself in his backstory. And he loved his family! Before everything fell apart of course. 
He was going to make sure this place- his apartment- felt like somewhere safe to them. A place they could call home.

A whir grabbed their attention- thankfully he'd finished breakfast at this point, so he eagerly rushed over to them. Greeting them with a small hi and a kiss to the forehead as he unplugged them from the wall outlet.
"Good morning, Biograft!"

They remained silent before sitting upright. "GOOD MORNING, OWNER." He cringed, coughing into his hand as he stood to full height.

"You can just call me Bloxy, we've been living with each other for a week now, y'know?" He laughed, trying to see how they would react. It was a tense few seconds before they'd say something else.
". . . OWNER PREFERENCE SET."

He smiled and helped them up. "Okay, let's get ready!" The Biograft tilted their head in what he assumed was confusion- which he always found kind of cute. "FOR WHAT, BLOXY?"

"We're going out to the café today! I want you to meet my friends slash associates that I've been seeing for a little now. You think you're fine with that?"
They nodded, and he was all smiles as he headed back into his bedroom.

"Okay! Make yourself comfortable while I get dressed, I wanna look extra cool when I get out there again!"

[ Biograft ]

It had a lot to process right now. Bloxy always considered its comfort, it didn't make sense. Illogical- yet, it didn't find itself saying no to anything he wanted to do with it.

When Cola was finally done, he made absolutely sure he forgot nothing- and he didn't forget to accessorize Biograft either, all the while considering its comfort.
It was.. Nice. Having the scarf he gave it around its neck, the sling bag he had given it over its shoulders. It didn't feel, it was so sure it didn't.

So why did it not want to let go of what he'd placed on it?
Not that he ever made a move to do so once he'd tugged it out of his apartment, carefully descending the steps while holding its hand.

It slowed down on purpose to make sure Bloxy could keep up, the gentle pressure of his horn pressing against its arm.
Familial, intimate. It was the way he characterized the way he leaned into it. And right now, it felt more comforting than ever.

The atmosphere in the cat café was quite close to the comfortable air of home, except with the addition of demons it wasn't quite familiar with.
It could see Cola peacefully sipping a cappuccino, sighing before leaning against Biograft.
"Hey, Bio?"

It looked down at him- seeing his squished-up face against its arm.
"Is it gonna get colder in the coming weeks? You don't have to look it up or anything, just.. Tell me what you think."

"NO. I DO NOT.. 'THINK' IT WILL GET ANY COLDER." It could see him sigh in defeat, taking another sip of his drink. "Oh well, a boy can hope, huh?" He asked, to which it simply nodded.


"Yo, Cola!" Its attention was turned to the two demons approaching their table, and by the looks of it, Cola was relatively familiar with them, waving them over to his table.
"Nice to see you again, kid!" The red-horned demon said, sliding beside the one with the visor, who looked equally enthusiastic.

"Likewise!" He said cheerfully. Turning to Biograft, he lifted his hands to gesture towards it. "This is my new Biograft companion! Say hi to them for me, won't you?"
The two looked slightly off-put by it, but it didn't care so long as Cola wasn't hurt.

They had talked for a long while, the three of them. Of course its owner would occasionally check in on them before talking again, but besides that.. It had essentially tuned out of the conversation.

Until..

"You know, you don't have to do the stuff you do for it, right Cola?" Skateboard- as it picked up from previous bits of the conversation- asked, giving it a 'look' it'd been told was often associated with cautiousness.
It saw its owner frown at his words, crossing his arms. "Well, I like doing the stuff I do for them! You're not going to convince me otherwise."

"Yeah, but it doesn't really have feelings, or emotions-" Skateboard was cut off with the younger demon raising his hand, as if to indicate 'stop talking'.
"It's a habit of mine that I've grown accustomed  to. If you're uncomfortable with that- I really don't think we should continue this conversation."

The green one- Boombox? Looked panicked- so did Skateboard. "Whoa, Cola, you don't need to go there.."

He clicked his tongue and linked his and Biograft's arm together. "If I had to make a choice between them and you both, I think the answer would be glaringly obvious. I'm sorry."

It saw the way Bloxy lowered his horns- just another layer to their apology. It saw the way Skateboard waved his hands, asking for him to wait.

"We weren't asking for you to make a choice- sorry if it seemed that way, kiddo." Cola only smiled, resting his cheek in his palm.

"It's fine, I understand." The two of them visibly sighed in relief, as they continued on in their conversation for.. A good hour or two. However long it took, it eventually felt itself being pulled away from its seat, and it did nothing else but follow along.

──────────────────────────────

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Granted, he didn't quite expect the conversation to go the way it did, but he was more than glad Biograft didn't have to get involved, or worse- hurt.

It had asked for some time outside a little while ago, so now, they were relaxing on their couch. Just enjoying the rest of their break day lounging- as one usually does. He could exercise later..

He glanced at the balcony door, seeing his friend staring off into the distance. Probably thinking about something- he thought. So he just left them to it.

Maybe he could do something nice for them in the meantime? He pondered for a while on what he could possibly do, before eventually landing on something that was easily achievable and didn't need much time.

Paper crafting, of course!

He'd eventually get to work, eyeing the measurements and making sure he made all the appropriate cuts- where'd he get the paper you ask? Shopping trips out with his Biograft of course!

He was sure they'd appreciate the sentiment. At least, he hoped they would.

It.. Took them a while. A couple of failed attempts too, but they eventually did it, of course! They never stopped believing in themselves for a second.

Staring down at their completed work- which was simply a miniature storybook with images, solely consisting of the many moments shared between him and Biograft- he felt proud of himself.

It was refreshing, he'll be honest. 

The balcony door slid open and he hid the storybook behind him- smiling up at his roommate before widening his eyes as he was brought into a hug. 

"THANK YOU."

Its Their voice was soft- they must've lowered their volume for the sake of the situation. 

He wasn't a robotics scientist.. But it didn't take him long to figure out what happened. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the other- growing comfortable within their hold. 

"Of course. I've got a gift for you too, you know?"

Their Biograft pulled back, and he eagerly showed them his gift- smiling at the way their optics seemed to blink in delight. 

"YOU GRANT ME SENTIENCE- AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN WORRIED?"

Cola shakes his head, hugging their waist. "All I see is my bestest pal in the whole Inpherno."

He swore they made a mechanical sniffle, and they stayed in that position for a long while until he got uncomfortable and they had to move to the couch.

"Wanna go out with me later?" He grinned at them- hoping the whole 'gaining sentience' thing didn't tire them out.

They chuckled- or at least made a sound similar to one. "YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER." 

Chapter Text

[ YOUTUBE ]

Pogo - Alice

5,984 views - Aug 21, 201X

A remix of Alice in Wonderland (XXXX) ...more

1,687 △ Likes   68 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🌸 another time another place

593 subscribers

397 Comments     ☰ SORT BY

 🧶 yarranball

YO ATAP finally posted!! where have you BEEN man?

🌸 another time another place

haha, ive been busy :'p fear not for i have come back in all pieces!

🧶 yarranball

lol, glad to have you back

 🧨 boom3xboom

Alice in Wonderland?? tf is that???

🌸 another time another place

glad you asked! Alice in Wonderland was a really old book adapted into a movie- which nobody besides the creators (who are likely deceased) can access considering the backlash it got during its first release.
Pogo had watched the movie as a child- then made this!

🧨 boom3xboom

wait, it got backlash?? sounds like a normal movie to me

🌸 another time another place

something about it being nonsensical and inappropriate for children. the main character 'alice' often drank and ate things simply labeled 'drink/eat me' and it probably got parents complaining.

🧨 boom3xboom

dude that's so lame...

 ✨ Shiny_gems

0:24 is when it starts really getting good, whoa. Outstanding work by Pogo! Such a shame they took it down.

 🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

Long have we waited for the day and so it has come!! Thank you to OP once again! 'Alice' sounds unlike any specific faction- so Pogo probably didn't have much direction with this single- or was just experimenting.
Granted this is their first track so I wouldn't expect anything Avant-Garde, but nonetheless, its a masterpiece!

🌸 another time another place

haha!! alice was more or so made in their personal image and the samples they decided to pull from one of the songs in the movie! unfortunately im currently unable to find any of them.
worry not! theres another artist im sure you guys will like, as usual, itll be on here by next week saturday- or friday!

🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

Interesting! The other two were also made from samples I'm sure- just with more direction and sense of rhythm, in my opinion. Can't wait for your next upload, ATAP!

 🛹 88byte skate

I feel like a broken record but- lyrics??

🌸 another time another place

none this time, my friend! :( think you guys can make your own?

🛹 88byte skate

oh boy, im not going to have fun with this one am i?

🌸 another time another place

i wish you only the best, user 88byte skate

[ Biograft ]

It  They'll be honest, the past three weeks were a blur compared to the first week they were with Bloxy. They greatly appreciated him, and they never needed to ask if he felt the same way- since he always seemed to say it both through actions- and out loud.
Emotions and feelings were.. Hard? No, that'd be an understatement. Those two things were way more complicated than they thought it'd be, and they supposed having the intelligence to know and acknowledge it was.. A start.

Probably why they talk so frequently now, it usually lasted for around 20 to 30 minutes- now their conversations are going well into two or three hours. Neither of them minded, naturally- Cola was more than happy to be able to help, and they were eager to learn.
It was equally beneficial- to them more so, considering how their roommate was a demon, and they were just code, but he refused to see it like that. 
'It'd be cruel,' he said over dinner one time, 'It'd be like calling me a sack of flesh and bone- not like you do that, y'know.'

They never objected to what he said unless the statement that came out of his mouth was either a) blatant misinformation, or b) nonsense. They remembered him laughing after they had said something, telling the Biograft how he was proud of them.

Over time, they started to gain a dislike of their.. Title? No, their name. Granted, Cola could've called them by anything else- even their ID number, but he insisted on helping them figure something out.
Which kind of turned out to be an hour long session of looking through pet name websites (however, they picked up on him complaining about the lack of 'baby names' sites, whatever that meant).

"I dunno, nothing seems to fit you." He'd say, sitting on the floor and leaning against his bedframe while their Bio-companion laid down on his bed. "I'm not naming you after another gear- think that's well-established. But man, are these names tacky.."
They didn't agree, but couldn't find much of a way to contest his claim.

He had snapped his fingers, getting their attention. "I got it! I'll just do the things other people's ancestors did when naming places or mountains- get your name from somewhere else!"
They blinked, leaning over to where he was. "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS? WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THE PAST HOUR."

"Pssh, I'm sure I can think of something.." He muttered, seeming to be in deep thought before he said something, breaking the silence. "Primrose, how does that sound?"

Bio Primrose thought about it for a moment, simulating scenarios in their mind. "AFTER THE PLANT, YES?"
He shrugged, looking back at his laptop. "Partly. I like evening primroses, sure- but I used to have an old character by the name of it. Artemis Primrose, he was pretty."

That confused them- as absurd as the name sounded, it was.. Pleasant to say? Pleasing to the ears would be the term he'd typically use. "AN.. UNCOMMON NAMING CONVENTION."
He nodded, staying quiet for a couple more moments- probably to let them think it over again.

"Do you like the name?"

Primrose.. Primrose..


"CAN WE TRY AGAIN?" They asked, sitting up as they stared at the open tabs on his laptop. "For sure, for sure. You just focus on what makes you comfortable." They nodded, laying back down as the only sound in the room was the quiet tapping of his claws on the keys.
Things settled into a comfortable silence, the droning of the electric fan pointed to Biograft serving as a pleasing sensation.

"How 'bout Peppermint?" He asked. They wondered how he went from Primrose to Peppermint- but they did start similarly, so it was bound to happen..

"AN HERB THAT'S WIDELY USED, HM?" They saw him nod, then stand up as he moved to sit on the bed with them.
"Seems fitting, don't you think? Like- as a Biograft, you guys can literally be anything- or in the eyes of those less open minded- be used for anything."

They nodded, the pillow they were laying on becoming quite comfortable. Not like they could sleep- they were made with the explicit purpose of being used for carrying out tasks, they weren't even considered demons- just.. Property.
The robot had to stop themselves before they heated up again. The last time they did it, their body was heated up enough that Bloxy could feel it from a few feet away.

"PEPPERMINT SOUNDS NICE."

"Woo! It's settled then, good to have you 'round, Peppermint."

Peppermint squinted- or mimicked the look of one. "I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A MONTH."
"You know what I'm getting at!"

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Breathe in, breathe out.
Again, breathe in, breathe out.

He was in bed again.

Cola had been thinking lately. It had been nearly three weeks after the 27th- him and his boyfriend's anniversary.

Not again. He tried to will the urge away. Please, not again. His hands trembled, he couldn't even force himself to move.

A shaky sigh slipped past his lips as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He was heartbroken- more than what he could put into words.. Perhaps he could try.

He felt lifeless, despite the blood coursing through his veins and the beating of his heart. His eyes were in a sort of haze, mindlessly staring upwards to the ceiling. Clothes hung off of his body loosely, he couldn't be bothered to fix them right now. He took another breath, trying to move as little as possible.

Cola's mouth felt dry, his eyes were watering up again.
He curled in on himself, messing up his sheets which would no doubt frustrate his roommate.

I can fix it later, he says to himself, no longer trying to stop himself from the vicious onslaught of emotions overtaking him. I need this.

...

Hours.

He blinked- how many hours was he out? Gods, he was hungry. Bleary-eyed and slightly disoriented, he picked himself off of his bed as he stumbled outside of his room, the pleasant smell of food invading his senses.

Oh gods. Cola shambled forward, reaching up one of his claws to feel around his face, hoping the tears he cried earlier had dried enough to not be visible. He didn't want Peppermint seeing him in such a- pitiful condition.
He took a deep breath, met with the sight of his roommate with the apron he'd bought just a little while ago with that corny 'kiss the cook' message on it.

Smiling, he recalled the fond memory he had with them, when they first bought the thing. They said it was unnecessary, but he disagreed. It'd be cute- and it'd help in the kitchen, he said. Peppermint didn't bother arguing further, knowing how stubborn he could get.

"YOU'RE AWAKE." They stated, humming (which was more like a whir, but he learned the difference) when he came into view. "I HEARD YOU CRYING. WE DO NOT HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT KNOW THAT I AM HERE FOR YOU."

Cola laughed involuntarily, taking a seat at the dinner table- appearing much smaller with the posture he was taking. "Thanks, Peppermint.. You care more about me than my parents, hah."
He had to sink back into the identity he built for himself if he was going to get his shit together.

"I FIND THAT KNOWLEDGE COMFORTING." Their companion said, bringing over a bowl of rice and some eggs- sunny side up, just how he liked it. "DINNER IS SERVED. SMART DECISION TO EAT AT SLINGSHOT'S FOR LUNCH TODAY."

He was sure they saw his shifting expression. "Didn't know they had a lunch menu in the first place, but it was a pleasant surprise. Thank you for dinner, by the way. You didn't have to."
"I KNOW." They said, crossing their arms. "CONSIDER IT A FAVOR."

A grin stretched across his face as he finished his first bite. "I owe you one now."

".. I SUPPOSE YOU DO."

[ THE NEXT MORNING ]

[ Slingshot ]

He noticed something.
Ever since Bloxy's Biograft had settled in, he'd been more expressive- happier. He didn't know what the bot did besides basic house chores and defending his apartment- like all the other robots that were sold around the Inpherno, so it was only natural of him to ask.

"So, what'd it do to get you to like it more?" He had his back turned to them when he asked, but he didn't expect them to be standing there at the counter with a blank expression when he turned back around.
"Come again?"

Slingshot blinked, unsure of what he could've said wrong. "Like- ever since you got your Biograft-"
Cola hummed, resting his arms on the counter. "Let me tell you something, Sling."

Bloxy Cola was by no means terrifying, but the teen knew how to intimidate when he wanted to- and Slingshot was sure he was doing it right now.
He wasn't going to kick the kid out- hell, if he was angry (which he wasn't), Slingshot would've known because he would've told him. He once said if he had a reason to be irritated, it'd be a damn good reason.

"Biograft- their name is Peppermint. I'd like for you to call them that when I'm out here, and no differently if its them coming here in my stead, gods forbid I'm unavailable."

He had to keep himself from blinking at the absurdity of it. The cat horned demon was just about to ask something else before he raised his hand, indicating he was still talking. "I get that- they typically aren't sentient, and they were never intended to be. But Peppermint doesn't keep themselves bound to the code they were built from."

Slingshot listened on, a Biograft with sentience wasn't too hard of a concept to grasp, considering the ones Subspace brought in for phights sometimes.

Cola cleared his throat. "Peppermint is their own demon now, I hold nothing over their head besides the roof- which is my home too. I hope you understand."
A tense moment of silence passed before he finally said something.

"You seem pretty protective over them, aren't you?"
The comical way his face heated up was enough to make the barista laugh as he sputtered, trying to piece something coherent together. "They're- I- They're just like a sibling to me! That's it!"

He rolled his eyes. "Suuure.."
"No, really!" He insisted, seeming.. Panicked. "I mean- I have a boyfriend-"

His head whipped back around, a shocked expression painting his features. "YOU WHAT?!"

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He was going to ignore the fact he blatantly told Slingshot about his boyfriend- the same boyfriend who he's a world apart from. His heart hurt to do it- but he wasn't about to let Slingshot assume he had feelings for a robot! No offense to Peppermint- they were better as friends- or siblings. Not much else.

Cola cradled his head in his hands again as his day winded down. He finally got a bike (after who knows how long) and was already making plans on his couch for it, occasionally asking their Bio-roommate for suggestions on where to go with it.
"YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY INVEST IN AN EXTRA TIRE OR TWO." They'd comment, plugging in the rice cooker and pressing down on the button. "WHAT IF ONE POPS?"

He leaned back on the couch a bit, letting himself relax. "It hasn't even been a day since I've gotten it- it can live until the end of tomorrow, I'm sure of it."
While they lacked the ability to express it, he was sure Peppermint was giving him a side-eye.

"DO NOT COME CRYING ABOUT HOW YOUR PRECIOUS BIKE BROKE AFTER, THEN."

The teen blew a raspberry as he sat cross-legged on the couch, trying to think up what else he should be eating for dinner. Instead, his mind kept going to places he could visit- granted, once Sunday hit.
"Mmm.. I don't wanna go to the desert- and I certainly don't wanna run the risk of getting stung by anything in Playground, I'm sure the faction is humid as hell-"

"OH, IT IS."

"Mm, yeah, so I'm pretty sure I'm going up one of Thieves' Den's mountains. Hiking should be fun."

They looked at him with a sort of exasperation, or at least that's how Cola interpreted their gaze. "IF IT MEANS I GET TO STAY HOME ALL DAY, I'M FINE WITH IT."

Bloxy rolled his eyes. "Of course ya do, ya homebody.."
Peppermint seemed offended, motions still robotic in nature- but voice betraying the apathy they were meant to have as machines only used for killing. "EXCUSE YOU, I AM PLENTY ACTIVE."

He let out a laugh at that, closing up his laptop and walking to his room. "G'night, Pep."

"GOOD NIGHT TO YOU TOO, BLOXY."

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He hummed to himself as the morning sun slowly rose, watching it rise for just a little bit more before retiring from the balcony. Not yoga this time- he was just contemplating.  He'd already set up what he needed last night, all he was wondering was which mountain he should scale up today.
It couldn't take all day, he'd be leaving Peppermint alone for far too long.

Knowing he could take a bus to make things shorter for himself made things.. Slightly easier?

They were just the tiniest bit of chronically online, though he was more interested in Thieves' Den considering he barely knew anything about it on Earth besides the fact it was based off of Asia- mainly Japan.

Maybe it'd make things easier on him? The customs are probably similar, so as long as Cola plays it safe and observes the things going on around himself.. He should be good to go. Settling back into the blurred border being his origins and his backstory, he strutted back inside with a grin.

Carefully stepping over the cables he arranged last night, he cracked open his closet to wear something more form-fitting. If he's going to work out, he'll do it in style. With his clothes done and dusted, all he really had to do was get something in his system, set up his lunch for the day, and bring along some bux. He didn't want to risk missing out on something because he didn't have money.

He snickered at the memory- recalling an old memory of his. He'd been invited along for choir, but the uniform for the performance was needlessly expensive, especially for a one-time performance. His family had him pulled out of it, and he never heard about it again.

'Kind of sad, but,' He shrugs, 'Just how life goes on.' He chose to ignore the burning feeling upon his fingertips as he scooped out the last bit of rice, choosing to bask in the early hours of his day while he could.
Simple pleasures like the feeling of sunbeams on skin, swinging his legs to a melody while he was out, or finding neat little trinkets on walks home was something Cola thought he wouldn't get a chance to relive.

It was better than he could've hoped for- but it did kill him inside, having to hide his 'real self' every waking moment, even to the one he was closest to. He tried to reason with himself- that nothing he would say to them would be a lie, at least not outright. The truth, plain and simple, would be better than a convoluted plot.

Taking a seat, he did his usual routine before digging in. Perhaps- he could get a couple of his old world's folk tunes and play it while he's hiking later. So he wouldn't forget, as much as he would want to. Cola considered himself some sort of paradoxical thing- undeniably patriotic whenever his national anthem comes on, and completely ignorant of the other ones- but it wasn't like he wouldn't sing along.

Cola got used to eating at the table alone, after a while. He didn't have much of an excuse to eat on the dining table back home, since his family quit doing it long before he did. Try as he did, he couldn't convince them to hold onto it- so, he only ever did it when he still had school.
It's much lonelier, sure. Freeing? Most definitely- without his parents or grandparents living alongside him.. Which might've been what he needed, but he refused to admit it out loud.

He could cry or think about it some other time. Shutting out his emotions never got any easier, but if it made him feel okay-

He was willing to take his chances.

"YOU'RE SURE ABOUT THIS?" They said, underlying suspicion past their robotic voice. Cola stared back, blinking. "Why wouldn't I be? Thieves' Den seems pretty nice, y'know. Aside from the risk of getting robbed, but who would wanna rob somebody who looks like me?"

While Peppermint never understood their self-deprecating humor, he wasn't wrong. He didn't look well-off, the polar opposite. If it weren't for the lack of blemishes on his arms, they were sure he would've been mistaken for a gang member from Playground- and that was the last thing they wanted from him.

"YOU NEVER KNOW." They were code- yes, but sometimes, code was inaccurate. And while they knew the teen wouldn't blame them for anything (while making sure they felt absolved of all possible guilt), they weren't going to risk it.
They saw him shrug in their peripheral, which failed in making them any less worried. "I TEND TO WORRY."

"I know." He mumbled, stuffing a few more things in his bag- namely his phone. "I can take care of myself. I promise."

"YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IN A REAL FIGHT." They stated, crossing their arms while he stilled, fiddling with the zipper of his bag. "WE HAVE NO METHOD OF CONTACTING EACH OTHER IF YOU'RE OUT THERE. HOW CAN I ENSURE YOUR SAFETY?"

They raised their hands to grip at their forearms, a look of focus as he thought. How was he going to get out of a mess like this? It took him a little, but he had his own little lightbulb idea.
"Why don't you just wait for me at the bus station? Four in the evening- My hike won't take too long."

He's used to waiting, biding his time- even. Cola preferred it over quick, meaningless exchanges and results that wouldn't hold any significant change. However, he wasn't waiting for either this time around- it was just their friend's concern for them. Touching, he knows.
". . I'M FINE WITH IT. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HURT YOURSELF, OUT THERE."

He made a noise- which sounded like a muffled scoff. "Y'see, it happens more than you would like to imagine. But, I'll do my best, for your sake." Cola saw the way they glared at him, and he mimicked their expression in turn.
"I mean it, Mint. I have bandages in my bag for a reason, I'm not going to get hurt on purpose to piss you off. I know better.."

Despite the Zeta model not having any pupils- he could sense the eyeroll it was making as it leaned against a wall. "STAY SAFE. HEED MY WARNINGS."

Before his claw fully wrapped around the knob, he turned. "One last hug- I'll need it."

Peppermint didn't bother questioning them, bringing the smaller into a hug- petting the back of his head, providing a few positive affirmations.

While they couldn't feel— it knew about the sensation of pressure being applied to it, and they could tell Cola was holding back as much as he could.
They stayed in that position for what seemed like a little too long until the younger shook him off, giving them one last thank you before they finally left.

"I'll see you later, Peppermint!"

"GOODBYE, BLOXY."

[ Katana ]

From what he's heard, they seemed like an interesting individual.

Slingshot had visited him before, speaking of a young demon with a smile as radiant as the sun and the personality of a Lovedove.

Even giving them a recipe for the café, if not for profit- then for personal use. He commented on their love of sharing items as well.

He recalled Shuriken visiting him at night once- the thief had told him of his initial distrust of the demon, and how he had told them that outright.

"And you know what they said?" He asked, pausing for suspense as Katana waited. "That's okay, I'll wait however long it takes for you to warm up to me- you're not obligated to trust me."

He'll admit, seeing Shuriken with such a confused expression at the statement was quite humorous. "I don't get it, but if things work out for them that way- I'm not gonna question it."

"Take your time. They are in no rush, if they're willing to exercise their patience for someone- observe their behavior, see if they're being truly genuine."

The younger nodded, thanking him and returning to his own home. And while there weren't any changes to his routine- he'd visit a little more, to share progress.

One day, after a day of Phighting! matches- which none of his neighbors were called in for, he came upon the familiar sight of gifts and trinkets laid out on his doorstep. Typically, there would only be gifts from the three, so the added addition of a neatly wrapped gift box piqued his interest.

Much later- when he found the time for it, he would unwrap it to find watercolor artwork of him, considering his namesake gear was in full view.

The full picture was him taking a stance against- shadowy, mysterious creatures. The corruption, he assumed? Shuriken must've told them.

Turning it around, there were words there too.

I asked for them to deliver this to you- I apologize for not having your face in view. I was afraid I'd mess up your mask.

It was most definitely a gift from the demon they talked about- and he was beginning to see their giving nature.

Putting it back in its box, he made sure to wrap it as best as he could- he'll place it alongside the other gifts he's received as well.

[ Cobalt ]

He followed his family onto the plane, a more than dissatisfied expression on his face as more and more of the seats started to fill in.

"God, kill me now.." He groaned tiredly, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. At the very least, he was in business class- not economy like another member of his family.

The plane ride started off uneventful, occasionally he'd check out of the windows or do something on his phone- but aside from that, he would sit there and.. Think. 

Where Cobalt's thoughts would go, it'd eventually circle back to Jamie. He was finally visiting their home city, so there wasn't a chance in the world that they wouldn't see each other then.

If he's even still—

Attention passengers! Please remain calm as we are currently experiencing minor turbulence changes, thank you.

He frowned, doing what he could to keep himself entertained throughout the ride- until things went south.

Perhaps it was his poor choice of wording prior to the start of the flight, but he never meant it- good lord.

So now what was he doing? Trying to keep himself alive.

Those breathing masks had dropped in front of them and he was eager to take them- trying to listen to the careful instructions of the employee who was just as shaken up as everyone else was.

He could tell that something was definitely happening- but he did his best to take glances instead of fully turning his attention towards it. And he immensely regretted said decision.

Some idiot- god knows who, broke one of the windows of the plane. He wasn't going to question it, not when he has the chance of dying- he was too young for death, good gracious—

One moment, it was all sound. He could hear almost everything.

The next, nothing. 

Nothing but the sound of shattering glass and screams, as he felt himself.. Falling.

He closed his eyes, arms held close to his chest.

"I'll see you soon, my love." 

Chapter Text

What the- where the hell am I? I can't even see anything..

Awake at last.

Who-

I can't answer that question, but what I can tell you is that your boyfriend has been here before.

.. So he's dead, isn't he? Like I am?

Not right now he is. Told me to tell you that he loved you, granted you ended up here.

He goes by Bloxy Cola now.

Bless his heart— wait, he managed to get himself into the Inphinity?!

Yes— and depending on what you wish for, you could very well join him.

.. How exactly does this work?

Simple. You died too young to make any sort of impact on the world- so I need to reincarnate you somewhere else, in a different body.

So, identity fraud?

No. And before you ask, no, the body I'm putting you in doesn't belong to anyone else. 

Other than that- you have the privilege of one wish.

So that's what you meant. 

Yes. Do you need time to think about it? 

No, I'm good. All I wish is to be by his side. 

Is that it? Nothing special? Perhaps a power of your own? 

An eternity with the one I love is all I'd need, I can't get that type of comfort anywhere else. 

Very well. I'll take creative liberty over your gear and appearance then. 

Fine by me. I just want to see him again. 

Do you think you're ready? 

Ready as I'll ever be. 

Alright then. Keep a keen eye, he isn't too far. Make sure you live life to its fullest now!

A FRESH START

Cobalt- Witches Brew sat up from his messy bed, stretching his limbs for a moment before relaxing once more.

"That was.. Certainly a dream." He huffed, reaching the back of his hands up to his eyes to rub them, infinite shapes and muted colors swirling in his vision as he kept at it. 

His nails seemed to be a bit sharper, his head- a slight bit heavier. The clothes he had on were unfamiliar too, but he didn't notice. The realization had sunken in a little too late as he shucked off his blanket and explored his new room. 

It was only until he came across his reflection on one of the windows did he stop to look at himself. He took an agonizingly long few minutes to even turn- scared of what he might see.

The absence of hair on his head should've been the first clue that he was bald, but it didn't really stop the shock from sinking in. 

He had a dark complexion- an unexpected but welcome surprise. Kind of like how he looked back home, but he wouldn't dwell on it. Witches Brew looked at his claws- growing up with too many furry animals to count on one hand might not have been as useless as he thought it was.

Carefully, he'd coaxed them out, gently poking the sharp bit with his free hand.

Once he satisfied himself with that, he started thinking. He could still remember the encounter he had with that disembodied voice, yes-

Right. His boyfriend was here somewhere. He isn't too far, they said. Witches Brew knew better than to take that statement literally though. 

Sighing in defeat, he retreated to his room and picked up his gear, conveniently positioned on his bed. Perhaps that's why he woke up- it was underneath him as he slept. 

Nonetheless, he cracked it open and took a sip. It was.. Stronger than he imagined, but he could stomach it. At the very least, it wasn't those gross pharmaceutical medicines.

Brew would spend the next few hours.. Thinking, and looking around. He'd found a wallet in the drawer of his nightstand- probably for rent in case he fell behind. He sunk into his couch, thinking about where his boyfriend could possibly be.

There wasn't any way he moved to another faction. Even if they never discussed this kind of hypothetical- Jamie wouldn't just up and leave Crossroads. It's a general area with tons of people passing by every day, and he knew that his love preferred to stay unnoticed within big crowds.

Groaning, he shook his head. He was stressing himself out over this, maybe he should rest for now. Brew was newly revived, after all.

[ Egg Basket ]

He was off working once again, greeting the customers with his signature smile as he took their orders and wished them a pleasant time.

Another one of those busy days. Good for business, a bit bad for the staff. At the very least, they were getting paid more.

Occasionally, Cola would slip some of his tips towards him which he tried to return but gave up after he found a neatly arranged paper bag with bux in one of his pant pockets.

The teen knew he wouldn't complain- who would reject free bux from someone who gives it to you over and over again?

It didn't stop the latter from attempting it however, his only reaction being to sigh and shake his head fondly as Bloxy grinned at his triumph- of making the other take his money.

"Why do you keep doin' this, kiddo? You probably need the money, don't you?" 

He shrugged, turning to him with a broad grin. "Yeah, but I figured you could use some! To treat yourself, or for your own needs- whatever! Its yours, can't judge what'cha do with it!" 

He couldn't help but laugh. As helpful as he was, Basket couldn't shake off that uneasy feeling that something was going to happen to him sooner or later.

It's why he kept his eyes trained on the boy throughout the rest of day, to ensure he didn't do anything rash.

Probably pointless to do that though, considering how they were in a public area- plus, he was eerily calm, even while the customer in front of him was yelling at the top of their lungs. 

What scared him though, was how he dealt with them during their tirade. Cola wordlessly kept eye contact with them until they calmed down, and escorted them out of their establishment.

The way his smile would vanish as he paid close attention to their words was uncanny, his cheerful expression returning only when the 'problem' was taken care of.

Basket supposed it was better than punching them in the face or dragging them out, but his 'staring' made him gain reputation. He once overheard customers calling him 'Looker'. Fitting and not demeaning, so he didn't bother.

He wasn't sure if Cola was aware, but based on the multiple instances of glaring at certain customers.. He likely was.

It was funny seeing all those taller demons being stared down by some kid with a polka dot bowtie, but he wasn't about to comment on it. Unless he wanted to be subjected to that same stare.

Oh well, it's not like its his problem. 

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Ah, Saturdays. While he usually looked forward to resting on the weekends, working wasn't so bad. Gave him an excuse to shut his brain off for a while and focus on work, which his manager and fellow employees were quite thankful for.

He thought of himself as a pretty approachable demon, and he was. His appearance was part of it- but so was his attitude. Cola could flip on a dime and have everyone shocked and appalled, but only when he deemed it necessary.

He liked his job, he liked the Parlor's regulars- even if some of them can get a little rowdy. If you asked about the staring- he'd give you a wave and shrug. Really, it was just a tactic he got from Louis Theroux. Basically waiting out the other party's anger until they're confused or finished. 

Then, of course, leading them out with a pat on the back. Advising them to kindly get their act together before coming back.

Of course they were praised for their methods, but they were mostly questioned for their calm demeanor. Cola remembered the disturbed looks on his co-workers faces when he laughed after they asked what he went through to be that calm against somebody else.

"I didn't go through anythin', what're you talking about?" He'd snicker, taking a sip of his cola. 

Chirp squinted, confused. "How?! Just- how? You're like- a saint, dude!" 

"Awwh, get that outta here.." He said, giving them a wave, trying not to let the compliment get to his head.

"They're right, y'know." Basket commented, resting his cheek in his palm. "How do you do it?" 

Cola shrugged, checking his claws. "I'm too tired to fight- and I've been sheltered way too long to even.." He paused- making sure he looked 'spaced out'. Maybe he could introduce the two to his backstory. 

"Cola? You good?" 

He shook his head, giving them a thumbs up. "Yeah, as I was sayin'.. Was real sheltered, taught to hold back all those fightin' instincts." The other two looked confused, and he internally fist bumped himself for it. 

"Why?" 

"Eh, I dunno. The place I grew up in- they hated fighting. Anybody who was ballsy enough to go against the rules got their tongue cut out, or declawed." 

He made sure to put on an uncomfortable expression- and noticed how the other two looked visibly disturbed. 

"That's- that's just barbaric, dude! Is that why you're so calm?!" 

Cola let out a nervous laugh, partly due to the adrenaline of having lied to the other two- and partly due to the fact he imagined how painful that fate would be.

"I think so, yeah.." 

By now, customers had started flowing back in again- so they got back to work.

Work was work, as usual. It was only halfway through the day before he saw someone unfamiliar walk through the Parlor's entrance.

He'll admit- the demon was pretty. And their horns stood upright, adding to their height. Cola would've been jealous if his own horns didn't make him look good.

He saw Basket talking to them naturally, they seemed standoffish from what he could tell, but he'd never judge a book by its cover.. Not all the time, at least. The stranger could just be having a bad day, no big deal.

Cola was pretty eager to serve up an order for them- not that he had a weakness for pretty people, no siree.

Trotting over to their table with a grin, he gently put down their plate as he observed them. "Enjoy your meal!"

They stayed silent, staring down at the platter of brightly colored macaroons before looking at them

"Thanks."

.. That voice.

It made him pause, looking at them with a sort of shellshocked expression. Like a ghost just talked to him.

They looked at him with a quirked brow and a slight glare, clearly displeased at how he hasn't left yet. 

"You got something to say, punk?" 

It was so familiar. So achingly familiar- the same voice he'd have ringing in his head whenever his boyfriend and him called each other. 

But that was impossible, there was no way. 

"Sorry, sorry! You just.. Reminded me, of somebody. I- I'll go now, sorry." 

Was there?

"Wait a sec."

Shit.

He couldn't be in front of this demon if he was on the verge of tears- not like this, he won't lose his composure like this!—

"I should apologize too. I've just been stressed out- lookin' for somebody who's probably got multiple of themselves everywhere."

Their curiosity and need to know more was unfortunately stronger than their sense of logic in that moment. "Who?" 

"Bloxy Cola. Not like you know them, though." 

His eyes lit up, glancing back at Basket just to make sure he wasn't servicing anyone new just yet. "That's- that's my gear." 

The other demon paused, looking up at him with a sort of 'are you shitting me?' look. They didn't seem angry though, not one bit. ".. Meet me after you finish up here, okay?" 

"Okay!" 

He turned away, heart thumping in his chest as mind ran thousands of miles a minute. Maybe, just maybe.. That was him. 

[ Witches Brew ]

Granted- he didn't expect to find his boyfriend so easily. If he didn't have a clue as to what his gear was, it would've complicated things. But he wasn't about to dwell on that when he found Jamie- now Bloxy Cola, at Pink Parlor. 

Knowing he worked there made him giddy- once he fully settled in, maybe he could drop by his place of work and bring him gifts from time to time. Or just flirt with him while his co-workers watched. Not like it was a crime. 

Brew wasn't impatient, but he wanted to get confirmation that the innocent looking waiter he talked to back there was his partner. Based on his voice though- he likely was. 

"Hello!" He looked up, seeing Cola approaching him with that same grin on his face- with his gear in hand.

"Hey." Brew responded, outstretching his hand which the other took. "You took a while." 

He snickered, stepping closer towards him- voice falling to a low whisper. "Thought you'd be a little more patient out here, Cobalt." 

He let out a sigh of relief as his arms wrapped around the shorter demon's waist, the sound of his laugh coming to his ears as he returned the hug. 

"You never told me your new name.." 

"Witches Brew." He kept it at that, wanting to stay in the hug for just a little longer. "Guess that guy wanted us to match, huh?" Cola simply nodded in agreement, pulling back to press a kiss on his forehead. 

"I'm glad to have you here." 

They would talk for a while, mostly about Bloxy's time in the Inpherno. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other, talking in hushed whispers- much to the confusion of passers by. 

"I love you- you know that?" Witches Brew would say, during one of Bloxy's little rants. The other gave him a playful glare, leaning into his hold. 

"I love you too, you sap." 

They soon left together, arm in arm- with Bloxy comfortably leaning against him.

Chapter Text

Coming up...

"Oh, and I forgot to mention.." He turned his head to his boyfriend, still laying on the couch- now looking slightly concerned. "My birthday's coming up."

Witches Brew has to stop himself from spitting out his drink, putting a hand to his mouth.
"ALREADY?!"

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Things were going just fine- it was Sunday, and that meant time for relaxing before Monday tomorrow, which typically wouldn't be much more different granted his boyfriend didn't just pop out of nowhere. He tried asking where he came from, but seeing as how neither of them knew the answer, they stopped questioning it.
Now that they were together, Bloxy finally had somebody he could show his love and attention to besides Peppermint, who, wasn't too keen on affection just yet. They were a killing machine before, so they needed their own time to adjust, that was fine.

He snickered, remembering the moment he'd brought in Brew into his apartment. The latter quickly made himself at home, not at all perturbed by the fact he'd gotten a Biograft, even commenting on how they had a kid now, at which they both laughed at much to the bemusement of their third wheel.
Cola had to explain to them that the person he'd taken home wasn't some muck off the streets, and he was his boyfriend.

Unfortunately, they did this through PDA, which made the atmosphere more than awkward- only for them, not for the very happy couple who were clearly too preoccupied with each other to pay attention to what the bot was doing- which was, charging themselves and processing the fact that their owner/roommate had a partner he didn't tell them about.
Granted, he was the type to hide things from people. Either for their own good or out of the selfishness of his own heart. But never to those he was close to, no, he wouldn't think of it.

He'd tell his boyfriend everything back then, and he'd do the damn same here if he could help it. Right now, they were snuggled up on the couch and telling each other about their experiences so far- with Bloxy being the one doing most of the speaking considering he's been here for over a month now.

"Things haven't been so bad- Basket's real nice, and I stay in my lane.. It's how I kept this apartment for so long, see?" Brew nodded along, listening to his words like he never would again. "I've actually come into contact with a few of the phighters, now-"
He heard Brew take a sharp inhale and he gets it, if the phighters knew about their knowledge.. "That's risky, isn't it? Must've been hard seeing as how you know stuff about them you shouldn't.."

"Well, yeah.." He answered, making an offhand gesture. "But they don't need to know that, now do they?" They nodded to each other- mutual understanding, a beautiful thing. Eventually, they settled into a comfortable silence where they sort of just.. Laid there in each other's arms, on the couch.
He'll be real, having somebody by his side after keeping things bottled up for ages feels.. Great. That's an understatement, no, he feels empowered.

A ghost of a smile graces his lips as he looks up at his boyfriend with half-lidded eyes, and he looks back.

Several moments of comfortable silence passes until he speaks,
"Might've found a way to bring our characters to life out here, babe."

"What?"

Now that was an entirely different conversation they had to have.

[ Peppermint ]

They gained sentience barely four weeks ago, and now they were going through what they were sure was jealousy, as Bloxy put it. Peppermint barely has a reason to be mad at Witches Brew, the fact that he was unfamiliar should've just been something they adjusted to immediately.
But they've been around Cola so long that his presence is the only one they're really accustomed to. Sure, he'd take them out for visits to the café, but that was about it.

Right now, they were helping themselves to Cola's 'relax yourself 💞' playlist on their shared laptop, filled with lots of uncommon music they couldn't find anywhere else. They supposed they just got lucky, or perhaps these were original pieces.. They doubted that though, he barely had two to three tracks. So much for working on an album..
All of them were still unlisted, which they thought was weird- but they didn't comment.

They come across one of the songs their roommate seems to frequent after long days- 'Here Comes a Thought'. It was calming- they didn't expect to process 'calm' so well, but it was a feeling and atmosphere they grew to appreciate. Meditation and yoga helped out, but it was mainly music that helped them 'vent'.
Peppermint would fiddle around with the Bluetooth feature until it worked, connecting the audio to themselves. Laying down, the gentle beat would thrum through the speakers that allowed them to talk.

It wouldn't rob them of their voice, just.. Add another layer to it. How background music would sound if there were a voice speaking over it.

Not like they'd well on it for long, they had to relax! Soothe themselves of the fiery anger Bloxy told them they might go through when they discussed jealousy in their 'emotions and mental well-being' mini sessions. They'd been told that keeping their emotions in check and finding healthy ways to cope with negative feelings was, well, preferred.
So they did their best, mimicked what their owner did. If they got mad or frustrated at something, they left it alone- only to come back again with a 'calmer, cleaner' mindset.

They remembered he had to sit them down once, really tell them to not follow in his footsteps. The trails he left behind- it'll come back to bite him, or something..
His face- they remembered it clearly.

They're sat down on the couch, optics blinking while Cola sat in front of them looking grim. It's not an expression he often wears, but they've seen it enough.
"The things I do, Peppermint.." He breathes, sounding.. Unsure. "They're for my survival, and for yours. What connections I have are few, but meaningful. Everything I do, that I have- is for us."

He's speaking as if he's done something gravely wrong, when they know he hasn't- the past week was smooth sailing, what could he be worrying over?
"If there ever comes a time where we have to run away," He says, pulling their hands close to him. "I want you to go as far as you can. As far as your legs can take you. Don't worry about me."

"That's the last thing I want for you."


Peppermint shook it off, going back to relaxing on the floor. Perhaps they shouldn't think too hard, it got them heated.

[ Witches Brew ]

Monday, August 26. Nothing special- but he did manage to score a job at JORRT, which was somewhat close to Pink Parlor. Not like he was going to start working that day since his shift was on Wednesday, but it was still a win.
Bloxy was happy for several reasons, now he could take him to work while ignoring the fact he got up at ungodly hours. 4 AM was completely unreasonable to the taller demon and while Cola couldn't refute that, it wasn't like he needed to debate it.

But he was also happy for another reason, he could totally drop off gifts and stuff for him. Subtly flexing on his co-workers that he had someone who cared- which, if he didn't think about too hard, would sound like something to brag about. Back when they were both on earth, they had the tendency to show each other off. Really tell people about how good their relationship was.

They had fun doing it, so they didn't really see an issue with it! Not like they were hurting anybody, and if somebody was uncomfortable.. Well, they'd stop. But they rarely ever had to do that since people knew how to mind their business.

'Then again,' he thinks, swishing his gear around. 'This is the Inpherno, not earth. Should probably look up the Crossroads standard..' He rolls his eyes at the thought, sticking his tongue out in dissatisfaction. He was sure people often stuck out for their behavior here, who was he to be any different?
Then again, it was a headache to think about the weight of society and the norms they impose on people- an audience he's barely immersed himself with.

Brew would need a few weeks or months to get comfortable here, which he was fine with. Honestly, he was already living the dream. Life with his boyfriend and their pseudo-kid? What more could he really ask for?
An answer to the thing he said would be nice. He took a sip of his brew, wincing. Still wasn't used to the flavor yet. Something about bringing our characters to life seems like it'd mess with the pacing of the world, but if it gets his gears turnin'..

He was the type to try the things his boyfriend wanted at least once, just to see if he liked it. Brew wasn't sure about creating and bringing life into the Inpherno, especially of characters they've only really talked about and never really made serious lore or art for..
But! He was willing to try it out. Just to see if it worked. If it didn't, he'd be right by his boyfriend's side, of course. If it did though..

"Okay, not that far with the thoughts, maybe.." He muttered, relaxing on the couch. "He'd tell me not to worry, probably."

After Bloxy got home, they'd discuss.. Stuff. Mainly Brew moving out so he could move in with him- sleeping on the same bed was fine anyway- but mostly about backstories and how they should be linking up. He hadn't met any significant people, nor any that were close to him, so this was prime time to get to know about his "life" and develop a story.
It didn't bother him too much- that he was, y'know, dead and now rebuilding a life of his own.. He could think about that further some other time. He was more worried about Bloxy. Sure, he wasn't overworked or anything, but he was tired. And he had a tendency to worry about his partner.

It seemed like he was the one getting doted on though, since he was always sort of brushed off by him. Cola wasn't the type to shoulder everything on his own though, so he eventually loosened up and told him.

"'S nothing big. Just work being hard on me, so having you here is enough." He said, sort of becoming limp in the hug they shared as Brew dragged him inside of his own apartment, much to the amusement of Peppermint.
"ROWDY CUSTOMERS?" They asked, getting started on the rice. "SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.. THE PARLOR HAS BEEN GETTING MORE ATTENTION LATELY."

"That's what I'm mostly worried about!" They said, flopping down on the couch and shucking his jacket and bag off, laying them on the floor. "More attention might mean more customers and therefore money- but it means longer days, more overtime, more unhappy people-"
"But that isn't your problem." He'd cut in, crossing his arms. "Shouldn't have to worry about it, either."

He raised his hands, then sunk back into the couch. "I know, I know.." The apartment was now full of noise, be it whirring fans from the Biograft or from random noises Brew or Cola made. Either way, it was.. Comfortable. Kinda like the noise his old house used to have but quieter.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention.." He turned his head to his boyfriend, still laying on the couch- now looking slightly concerned. "My birthday's coming up."

Witches Brew has to stop himself from spitting out his drink, putting a hand to his mouth.
"ALREADY?!"

There's a clatter of dishes as Peppermint turns to him as well. "WHAT."

[ Thieves' Den Trio ]

It was Wednesday afternoon, and while they expected business to be slow, they weren't prepared to not have at least three customers in their store at once. Shuriken could count on one hand how many people were here, and seeing as how he was half-asleep, that was bad.

Vine Staff relaxed beside him, looking at the near-empty establishment in awe and slight worry. Slingshot was at the back, organizing their inventory and making sure they had necessary ingredients for other treats.

A ringing at the front door was enough to get all their attention, and Shuriken seemed very keen on this newcomer. They looked young- kind of like Cola, but their horns were pointed up instead. They were sharp, much less rounded than the other one's. They looked a little concerned too, and they soon found out why as the Biograft (whose name was 'Peppermint', the siblings were told) came strolling in after him.

They both approached the counter, seeming tense. The robot was holding something in its hand and the demon they didn't know the name of was intimidating despite their shortness. Nonetheless, Vine Staff kept her cool, greeting them with the usual spiel.

She assumed they knew Cola if they were around his Biograft like that, and that the robot was sentient. She understood why the Biograft wasn't really doing anything out of the blue- other people would get suspicious. Her, personally? She doesn't mind if robots get a little silly, if they weren't hurting anyone, it was fine..

The demon in front of her had ordered chocolate snacks and drinks for the both of them, and she had to hold back a smile while she told Slingshot about the order, looking at the very robotic way Biograft handed them the bux. She didn't expect anything less, but a small show of emotion would've been nice- since they knew. Perhaps Cola didn't know they knew, otherwise he would've told them to just be casual.

Oh well, no use dwelling on that now..

"Hey- before we go, we need to give you something." The mystery demon said, looking.. Embarrassed? He slid forward a piece of paper, a letter! With a fancy wax seal, too.. "Bloxy's birthday is coming up and like, he wants you three to come over so like-"
Vine Staff's eyebrow raised at the word 'birthday' since they typically use the world 'spawnday', but she was more shocked at the prospect he'd invited them over.
"That's wonderful news! Though, we'll have to decline if its in the afternoon.."

The other demon shrugged. "He's hosting at 6 P.M., on the dot. Obviously the food will be ready by then but you should still make the effort of showing up a minute early.."
They seemed very.. Defensive. Perhaps out of worry for Cola, but why would they have to worry? If they're here, then the demon surely would've told them about his relationship with the three..

"I'm his boyfriend, by the way. You'll learn my name at the party, formal introductions seem a little out of place while you're working.." He mumbled, fiddling with the order in a plastic bag, not looking her in the eye. "I'll see you guys then. You don't need to bring gifts, but it'd be real appreciated.. I need to go. Peppermint, say goodbye okay?"
Biograft- Peppermint, looked at him with a look of what she could only describe as mild to moderate disdain.

"GOODBYE, VINE STAFF. PLEASE TAKE CARE-" Their voice lowered enough so that only she heard it. "TO NOT LISTEN TO THIS OAF. HE MAY BE MY ROOMMATE'S BOYFRIEND, BUT I DESPISE HIM."
She did her best to hold back her nervous laugh and slight fear, arms trembling slightly as she looked for Cola's boyfriend who, was steadily walking away.

"Lag behind now and I swear I'll tell Bloxy about your behavior!"


She watched as they pulled away from her and quickly composed themselves, saluting her and trailing behind the smaller demon. "DON'T JOKE."  |  "I'll joke however I please!"

They argued on as they exited, and by the sound of it.. It'd probably keep going beyond the café.

Shuriken comes out of the bathroom, having missed half of the exchange considering he left when 'the boyfriend' had forked over the invitation. So of course he's confused.
"Vine? What happened out here? They paid for it, right?"

"Yes- Shuri, they paid for it. Looks like we're invited to a spawn party this week.." She can see the way her brother's eyes widen as he reaches for the letter, and she has to pull it away from him. "You're not opening this letter until we get home!"

"But Viiiine!-"

THE DAYS BEFORE

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Cola's been working overtime. His birthday was, well, Friday the 30th, and seeing as none of his family was around to do the cooking, and his boyfriend was working on both Wednesday and Thursday, that meant it was up to him to do the food prep for his own birthday.
He already thought of it ahead of time, having made a stop to get more groceries than he'd need on Wednesday evening, practically kicking the door open and lugging the plastic bags full of unopened spaghetti onto the table and huffing.

"BLOXY, WE DO NOT NEED-" Peppermint was cut off with the sight of three cans of condensed milk on the table, questioning which one of his recipes that was for. "BLOXY. THERE IS NO NEED FOR THIS MUCH FOOD." He turned to look up at them, concern on his face.
"Well, I'm not about to embarrass myself if there's not enough food for people!" They sighed, burying their face in their claws. "YOU HAVE FIVE GUESTS-"

"Nuh-uh!" He says defiantly, raising his phone as if it wasn't shut off. "I have Skate and Boombox invited over too! So that's seven!" He says, as if it were a drastic increase. "CAN YOUR APARTMENT FIT ALL TEN OF US?"
Bloxy, who was used to living in a small space, absolutely said yes. "It's not like this entire building will implode having them over.. Besides, maybe Basket and Fruitcake will loosen up! It'd be a win-win for all of us.."

"BLOXY, EXPLAIN THE CHEESE IN THIS BAG RIGHT NOW." They asked, while he whistled nonchalantly- taking out the big container of cultured milk he bought and placing it somewhere in the fridge. Thanks to his habits, they always had something to eat in there. Always. If you took a look inside of it, you'd be questioning if it was for three or five people.

"Can't have pizza without cheese, can you?" He asked them, hearing the whir of their fans kick up again. Was he going to care about this later in bed, when he couldn't sleep? Of course he is. Will he care in the morning? Hell no! He needs to cook. And cook he shall!

Peppermint was probably about to explode in on themselves, but Cola wasn't about to do take-out for his birthday. Sure, ordering pizza would probably be better than making the entire thing including the cake- but he was a stubborn demon, and his stubbornness typically ended up working out, or if it didn't, it'd still have results.
And results.. Well, they spoke for themselves.

They always did, didn't they? He huffed, going back to preparing something else that would otherwise take ages if he did it tomorrow. It was just a bit of prep work, then he could do it all on his birthday- set things up in the afternoon after he's finished up his morning routine and kissed his boyfriend goodbye for work. That kind of thing.

He thought about it for a second. Just- really thought about his position in life right now. He'd been through ridiculous highs and lows, feeling so prideful of himself and his capabilities, only to be knocked down like a brick wall to a wrecking ball's wrath.

He stared at the food he was making, hesitantly forcing himself to move again as the weight of his actions came to him again. Bloxy took a deep breath, and things were fine again. Things had to be fine. He wasn't about to have a nervous breakdown on his birthday, no siree. That'd just be embarrassing.

He talked about his feelings, he was sure of it. Cola has always been a type of open-book, people could always read his emotions, see through a facade if he was putting one up, be that stupid teen people would think he is. But deep down he knows he isn't. He's smart- he'd gone through and completed high school as a STEM student before this, right?

He takes another breath, muttering curses as he turns off the fire and just blankly stares into a wall for a couple minutes. He only snaps out of it because Peppermint became concerned and he expertly dodged their question- by.. Well, distracting them with something else.

Was what he was doing good for himself? Probably not. Was he going to go talk about it with his boyfriend, or roommate? No. Not yet. It's his birthday, they can't be expected to shoulder his burdens with him. He won't let that happen. Cola would be horrible if he did.

He doesn't want them to think he's using them. He's not a monster like that. 

He's better. He can do better. And he will. 

He'll make sure of it.

It was the day-of, and typically- he'd be more excited for his birthday.. If he didn't feel like something was at his back. Watching his every move, making it seem like wherever he went, he'd be leaving evidence. Evidence of what? He doesn't know! For the gods' sake, he was paranoid!

He waved it off as nothing more than things out of the corner of his eye earlier, but the auditory hallucinations showing up made it slightly worse. Cola wasn't a quitter though, so he wasn't about to complain to his roommate who- despite wanting to help, was unfortunately rejected. 

Granted, it didn't stop them from helping in the kitchen, which Bloxy definitely needed considering he looked- not tired, fatigued. They managed to get him to sit down and relax, actually getting some cooking done and out of the way, which would definitely help out with the party later..

Speaking of which, they didn't quite hear the two talking about the 'party' part all that much, it seemed like most of the birthday revolved around eating food and just talking to people instead of actually partying, which Peppermint could totally get behind. Less mess for all people involved, they thought.

Sure, they'd never felt the feeling of a party. But they weren't going to sabotage the party for a feeling they knew they could always get somewhere else. This was their home, and they weren't stupid enough to go and ruin it, even if Bloxy could just fix it up again. 

They could put their 'thoughts' on hold for now, they needed to focus in cooking. Damn him for getting so much food that they didn't need- but they supposed it'd be good leftovers..

THE PARTY.

Having guests over was a bit exciting to him. Cola hadn't had guests over in ages, and the ones that actually came over were associates of the family instead of his own- not that he had any friends to call his own. He was very excited to see Basket and Fruitcake being the first to come over- and a little nervous of their reactions to the food.
To see them with their jaws nearly on the floor and worried about the options made him grin. Them meeting his boyfriend was pretty sweet too- though, he know how much the other would've preferred if they just encountered each other on one of his workdays..

"So, you're Bloxy's boyfriend.." One of them had started, looking him up and own. He wasn't much taller than him, but his horns definitely made up for it.
"Yeah, and? Our relationship's pretty good, I'd say.. He treats me well." He bragged- and Cola's grin was one of those dumb, derpy grins. He was sure his employer and co-worker saw it, because they immediately started questioning him. Granted- he answered half their questions, but his boyfriend did well to answer some of them as well.

Seeing Skateboard and Boombox in their shared apartment was pretty cool- if Witches Brew wasn't side eyeing them as if they'd destroy the place.

"Witchy, stop staring at them." He scolded, holding onto one of his horns with an irritated expression. Both him and Peppermint knew their anger was basically nonexistent, but he wanted to show off their dynamic a little.. "They're phighters, sweetie! Who's going to be fixing up things here after they wreck it?!"
He did the 'pinch the bridge of your nose' (though, he didn't necessarily have one..) motion as he dragged him away to their bedroom for a little, fixing up his outfit for the night. "You're doing fairly well in front of 'em.."

"Considering how one of my favorites was Skate.." His little sheepish grin was adorable, but definitely out of place unless he was admiring him while he was doing something else around their apartment.. "Yeah, yeah.. You just gotta stay back a bit for now, okay? Let him get used ta' you."
Brew fixed his wrist cuffs as they went back to the party, with Bloxy rushing over to the front door to welcome Slingshot inside.

To say his employer was concerned at the five phighters that showed up to the party was an understatement. They'd definitely have to talk about it tomorrow on Saturday during work hours, but they took the time to enjoy themselves with the spaghetti- which was delightfully sweet much to Basket's chagrin.
Skate, Slingshot, and Boombox were chatting each other up as the lovely birthday boy was basking in the attention the siblings were giving him- while his boyfriend made sure to keep him in check, of course.

They made it very apparent with their show of affections that they were a serious couple, with probable intentions of a future together. The two adored the comments they got, sure, but one of them was more interested in the gifts at that time..

"Bloxy, don't let me get ya opening those gifts until after the party!" He heard him yell, before the gift was gently snatched out of their hold and placed on a slightly higher shelf that he installed ages ago using a stool. Brew and Peppermint had long defined it as the 'unreachable shelf' which he hated, because they'd usually take anything that boosted his height away from him so he couldn't reach it.
"No fair! It's my birthday, let me open my gifts!"

Their mini-argument was fun to watch, but it wasn't as fun as watching mostly everyone being confused when Bloxy sat down on their dinner table after setting the cake down and lighting the candles. He'd told them it was his family's own tradition- and how the only ones who really knew were his boyfriend and his Biograft- who, was busying themselves with distancing all the balloons away.

Bloxy will admit- the feeling of familiar people surrounding him while he was positioned in front of a cake was.. Quite nostalgic. It nearly made him cry- much to the concern of every guest, and Brew. But they calmed down enough to get through the song, slipping a sneaky little cone-shaped object on their head to substitute for a party hat.

"Happy Spawnday to you, 

Happy Spawnday to you!

Happy Spawnday dear Cola -"

A tear was shed as they sung.

"Happy Spawnday to you!"

With a smile on their face, they blew out the candles- immediately reaching to take them out so they can finally eat the cake, which funnily enough.. Was Vanilla. Sure, they despised making it in the moment, but eating it with their peers on a relatively chilly evening made all the effort, the sweat, the very few tears they shed, worth it.

He took care to not let anyone have any thin slices of cake- even made sure they could take home a few! He made sure they were all accounted for- especially Boombox. He didn't know his living situation, and he didn't need to, but he was still worried. A good guy like Boombox, was easy to take advantage of.
Cola, being an avid reader of fanfiction in which he usually gets screwed over, and having written some before- wanted to make sure he was at least safe and okay when he left his apartment.. Not that it wasn't the same for the others.

He waved everyone off, until he was sure nobody else would come knocking at their door, and closed it. Sighing in relief as he took his spot on the couch, which was now well-used by his guests. Brew was already on there, an open arm ready so he could put it around Bloxy's neck.
"I'm surprised you went all-out for this party. Balloons, cake- you even got a cooler. Where the heck didja get a cooler, baby?"

Cola laughed dryly as he remembered buying the cooler off somebody when things got complicated, having to lug it back by himself which he wasn't happy about. But, it was fine now. He could.. Store it away, some other day. "Some dude.. Anyhow, I'm glad we get to relax now-"
His sentence was cut off by his laugh, and the stack of gifts on the dinner table- plus the dirty dishes. "Relax, huh?"

He smiled back, giving him a soft punch. "For a little while, anyway."

Their peaceful time was then cut off by an abrupt tapping on the balcony door- with a familiar face to boot.

Now Bloxy has to explain how the fuck he got to know the Broker, and why he's familiar with the apartment.

Okay, he had to admit- it was way funnier than it looked right now, and while he most definitely feared the ire of his boyfriend, the way Broker looked was priceless.

There's only so many scenarios in which he could logically imagine Broker in the get-up he had now, with a stupid little makeshift party hat, a platter full of food, and a glass of soda in his hand. And none of them were funnier than this, so it was logically superior.

"Bloxy- Bloxy, darling, I love you to bits- but you let BROKER INTO THE APARTMENT WHILE YOU WERE STILL ON YOUR OWN?!"

He gets it- letting Broker in wasn't the wisest decision he ever made.. Scratch that, it was probably the dumbest he could've made, but they didn't hurt each other, so it was okay.

"I can't even begin to unravel just how- baby, he's a convicted serial killer! A gear launderer, even!"

"Hey!" The criminal said, still sort of chewing on his food but he's at that part where he's nearly done. "Me and Cola- we've come to an understanding! But I suppose with you and that Biograft around.."

"You can't fault me for being protective!" Brew threw his hands up, clearly distressed. "I'm his boyfriend for SFOTH's sake!"

He could see the way Broker's functioning eye twitched as it turned to Witches Brew, a dangerous smile painted on his face. "You're his boyfriend?"

"Yes!— Gods, of course I am! You think we're roommates?!" Brew seems more mad at that than the fact that a murderer was even asking him it.

All in all this would've been a very, very long night had he not still have leftovers from the party and had given them to Broker- he seemed to like the food, even when it wasn't warm. 

Oh well, at least he got to hear Broker wish him a happy spawnday, right?

Things ended amicably enough. Broker left- but not before Bloxy had given him a hug and a goodbye. Something about not being caught again left him but he didn't concern himself with it as Brew pulled him in for a hug, sighing.

".. You and I, we need to really rest on Sunday. Just you, me and maybe Peppermint if they wanna get out and be a demon- and the couch. Okay?"

He nodded, hugging him back and kissing him on the forehead. Cola just let himself be dragged to bed, uncaring of the still-drying dishes that'll probably be left outside..

Well, he couldn't concern himself with that when he's being dragged to bed by his partner now could he?

Bloxy turned off the lamp he kept on his nightstand and snuggled under the covers with Brew, making sure he was a close as possible as they fell asleep, hands intertwined.

It was the best birthday he could ask for. 

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He audibly sighed as he sunk into his couch Saturday evening, summoning his gear and taking a quick swig of the cola before straightening up. Brew and Peppermint were up to something, he was sure, but he didn't dwell on it for long.

The other two started getting along after Cola's birthday party just a day ago, which he was pretty thankful for. He wasn't about to have his boyfriend and roommate fighting it out on the daily..

Seeing them get used to each other at their own pace was pretty nice. 

Sure, Peppermint still thought they were better than Brew.. And he thought they were overcompensating, but they're learning to get through that. Gradually..

He pulled out his phone, putting on some Katy Perry music to lighten up his apartment a little.

Cola sighed, remembering he had to post something for his channel soon. Being consistent was something he was incredibly weak at, so more often than not, he had to force himself to download videos on his phone, edit them in Capcut, then post them.

Easier thought than done, of course, but he always got through it, even with the atrocious internet speeds. He wasn't used to super fast internet, so, he supposed.. This was okay.

Besides, he's thankful he can even jam out to the songs on his phone anyway. Infinite Wi-Fi and battery are no joke, he could literally pull out his phone anytime and not be worried, so that was pretty sweet. But, it wasn't a computer or laptop, so of course it had its limitations, not that Bloxy minded of course.

He'd spend the next few minutes just relaxing on the couch, waiting for either his boyfriend or roommate to come out and greet him.

It was pretty weird, considering how they couldn't stand each other just the day before. It was even stranger that they'd be so willing to surround themselves with the other in another room, without him.. Cola believed in all kinds of therapy though, so, the two of them going through exposure therapy together was a possibility.

He smiled to himself, knowing he was probably wrong in the end and they could just be hating each other's guts somewhere else without him having to see. 

Either way, they were doing something and Bloxy was alone, so what does he do?

Food prep. He did some food prep. He was planning on going out to the beach tomorrow- and while he didn't know how to swim, and how Peppermint couldn't, (they were made out of metal, the water would mess them up!) it wouldn't stop his boyfriend from having fun!

He needed to make sure breakfast and lunch were accounted for. Lunch was especially important, since he intended to go at maybe 8 or 9 A.M., just to make sure things would go smoothly- and they'd have a solid few hours in the water before eating.

"Ooh, maybe we could have a beach picnic?" He wondered out loud, getting his phone and looking up a few easy recipes- and what to bring for a picnic, because he'd never been to one. "Sandwiches. Easy enough- I'm good at making those.. And we have meat here anyway—"
He was cut off by the sound of a door opening, and before he could turn around, he was engulfed in a hug by his boyfriend, arms wrapped around his waist in a comforting embrace. "Welcome home. Sorry I wasn't there to greet you at the door." He seemed sheepish. 

"It's fine, honey." He replied, placing his hands on his arms. "I know you said we should rest tomorrow, but how do you feel about the beach?"

"A BEACH?" Peppermint's voice followed- by the looks of things (even if he couldn't really see, mainly because he didn't turn around) he came from wherever Brew came from. "PERHAPS ONE OF PLAYGROUND'S BEACHES SHOULD SUFFICE." He thought about it for a moment, and he could tell the other did too.

"Mint, where's the nearest beach in Playground? Like.. From here." He asked from where he was standing, gently pulling away from Brew's hug. The Biograft paused, probably still getting the information.
"NOT FAR. THERE'S DEFINITELY A BUS STOP TO IT, SO IF WE GO EARLY.."

"You'd need to wake me up for that." The straight-horned demon commented, leaning against the counter. "Well- I'll probably end up waking up at eight, but in case I'm late.." Bloxy just smiled in his direction. "I know, it's okay. So it's settled then? Are we going to the beach?" He paused, waiting for their answers. "Including you, Pep. I'm making you tag along."

"WAIT, WHAT?" He probably wasn't supposed to be able to tell, but they held a look of confusion. "I.. I AM NOT OPPOSED, BUT, DON'T YOU WANT ME TO STAY HIDDEN? AGAIN, SENTIENCE. WITH THE ADDED BONUS OF NOBODY GUARDING OUR HOME."

"The fort will hold, c'mon." He said, trying to convince him. "Besides, you deserve some time to relax too! Laying down on the floor of my bedroom with one of my playlists is bound to get boring." 

"IT IS STILL A GOOD WAY TO RELAX." They refuted, but thought about his offer. "I SUPPOSE IT WON'T BE A BAD TIME. SO LONG AS WE STAY IN THE SHADE, I WON'T OVERHEAT."

"Woo!" Bloxy pumped his fist into the air, and went back to organizing the kitchen for tomorrow. "I need to make sure we have enough to eat—"

"Let me handle things this time." Brew spoke up, gently pulling them away from that part of their apartment. "Get some rest, you wake up early enough to make both of us breakfast anyhow."

"Awh, you.." He started, leaning in for a hug which he so graciously took them in for. Unfortunately, he could hear Peppermint playing a stock gag sound effect. So much for a romantic moment.
"GET A ROOM, LOVEDOVES. I'M GOING TO BED."

While Peppermint didn't exactly sleep, they did lay on the couch and contemplate, until they had to charge. Where they would then go into sleep mode, and would therefore be considered 'sleeping'. Ever since Bloxy figured out they could plug themselves in, he's been doing it a lot less as to not make them uncomfortable.

"Yeah, yeah.. G'night, Mint. Join me in bed later, Witchy."

"Uh-huh, I will!"

[ YOUTUBE ]

Troweler - Espresso

24,736 views - Sept 1, 201X

LYRICS: Now he’s thinkin’ bout me
Every night, oh ...more

5,673 △ Likes   198 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🌸 another time another place

1,078 subscribers

 ☕ sunbloxx20

i get the feeling that this song is about somebody..

🌸 another time another place

wonder who it could be..

☕ sunbloxx20

such a mystery..

 ✨ Shiny_gems

ATAP, are you kidding me? Where do you FIND THESE?!

🌸 another time another place

being an archivist has its many benefits! including summer tunes for the not-so summer season!

✨ Shiny_gems

The Playgrounders are going to go wild..

 🧨 boom3xboom

NOT THE OBSCURE MUSIC CHANNEL POSTING MAINSTREAM POP??? WHAT IS THIS..

🌸 another time another place

typically, you'd call it an anomaly, but i'm just doing my thing!

🧨 boom3xboom

by all means please keep doing it. we cannot rely on Flipside forever as much as we think we can

 🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

It looks like we've got a new artist coming out of OP's arsenal! With a strong Playground-like feel, as well! I'm getting intense carefree, summer vibes from this track. Simply fantastic!

🌸 another time another place

after being consistent with pogo stick and all, i found it best to introduce a new artist, to keep you all on your toes! granted, this was a last minute decision.. but nevermind! i wanted to share this with you all anyway.

🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

I'm glad for that!! Keep doing what you're doing, ATAP!

 🛹 88byte skate

Lyrics in the description?! finally!!

🌸 another time another place

you can rest easy now, user 88byte skate..

🛹 88byte skate

yes i can...

[ Witches Brew ]

Honestly, he was pretty stoked at the idea of going to the beach. While he hasn't been here for long, he knew Cola had. So he'd be safe, he was sure of it. Not like anybody was out to get him, otherwise he would've told Brew immediately. They weren't the type of couple to keep things from each other, after all.
Cozying up in bed with him after making sure they had food for tomorrow, he made sure to hug him close to his body- that way, they wouldn't be separated.

He'd long gotten over their distance back when they were on earth, but to be here, in the Inpherno of all places, and living together? He wasn't over it. He probably wasn't beginning to get over it at all. Brew would sometimes look at him as if he were the only thing worth looking at in this whole world.
They really were in love, he believed it with his whole heart. And he trusted Bloxy enough to know he believed in that too.


Waking up that morning to the smell of his cooking would never get old, a smile wafting onto his face as he freshened himself up and made himself look presentable. Checking their clock- it was fairly early, being around 7:20 A.M.. Suppose the wonders of food were enough to get him going.
Swinging open the door, he walked out to the living room to be met with the slightly hilarious sight of Peppermint, asleep, splayed out on the couch, and his boyfriend in the kitchen, cooking away.

If he were mean- he'd unplug them, but he knew they scheduled their charging times to try and sync up with Cola's disastrous sleep schedule.

He came up behind Cola, giving them a waist hug as he made their breakfast. Naturally, he leaned just a little bit into the hug, making sure to never take his eyes off of the food for too long.
"Mornin', Brew! Since it's sort of early.. You wanna go shopping? Y'know, for swimming clothes and stuff. Maybe a pool noodle or two."

"Sounds good. You got any stores in mind?"

"Nah. Not killing my wallet this early.." He snickered, which Cola likely rolled his eyes at, considering how he moved.

"Y'know, if you found a way to bring our characters to life, you could probably find an infinite money glitch with the gears, yeah?" He suggested.
"The moneybag gear exists for a reason.."

They both paused, considering what he just said. Even he couldn't believe himself, what in the Inpherno was he talking about? "Mm, maybe. Probably later when we're at the beach, or after we get home though. 'Kay?"

"Can we seriously do that, though? That's like, breaking reality's boundaries. Might cause a paradox since Pwnatious has the moneybag gear.."
Cola hummed, the sizzle of the food before them breaking the moment of silence. "Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But we'll be careful, just do it here, perhaps."

"Alright, I believe in ya." He smiled, gently nuzzling into him, careful not to hit him with his horns.
"I know. Thank you."

Strutting out of their apartment, the other two- being him and Peppermint lagged behind the shorter demon- and only now did Brew really realize their height differences. He wasn't much taller than his boyfriend at all, but Peppermint was.
If he were behind the two of them, he probably would've laughed, but he was in the middle. Probably due to the fact Cola can and would fight somebody who threatened him.

They were in Crossroads though, so unless anyone had a hit on Cola, he wouldn't have to worry about anything. They were just normal citizens in the Inpherno, nothing to do with the phighters or deities, none of that. They were just normal demons, going out for a beach day. Nothing more..

[ Peppermint ]

Going out clothes shopping with two demons who possess the same braincell gets you into humorous situations sometimes. Right now, they're leaning on a wall while Cola's trying on some clothes, probably the last they have to buy before they actually go to the beach- like he intended.
It didn't help that most of Brew's other responses to his clothing was 'you look great!' with an enthusiastic thumbs up. And given their roommate was indecisive, he just gave the other a confused look before trying on more.

At least they tried to be as honest as possible, trying to really think about how he looked with them on. They didn't have as much of an eye for fashion as the both of them, but if they could help out, they would.

Eventually, they walked out of the store with their new clothes in hand, ready to hit the beach. Cola had also bought them a sunhat, even if there were areas full of shade where they were going. They appreciated it, of course! It was a gift, they didn't have to owe him anything back, which, he had to really reinforce into their thinking.

Hitching a bus into Playground was easy, naturally. They had buses going in and out 24/7, it'd be hard not to get one. The beach they chose was a popular enough spot so no criminal activity would interrupt their good time, and if there was? They'd make sure the problem was taken care of.

Stepping down from the bus and onto the road, they started up their journey down the boardwalk and to the beach. They could practically feel Cola's excitement, even if he was trying hard to not show it. They put on their sunhat as they approached the beach, as if the sun decided to beat down on them more when they arrived.

Maybe praying to Firebrand would help, or something. Perhaps Icedagger, if he could cool the air a little, it'd be nice. But they were on a beach, so, probably not the best idea.

Taking their place in the shade beneath a nearby tree, they made sure to lay out one of the blankets Cola brought onto the sand, sitting down and looking at whatever the two were doing. If only they were waterproof- but eh, at least they didn't have to move so much.
One thing they did want was the ability to eat food, but seeing as how they didn't have a mouth, it was impossible.

Perhaps they should just be grateful for what they have. Cool roommates, a good home, and sentience..

Yeah. That sounded good to them.

"WOO!"

They made a noise akin to a snicker, seeing the way Cola ran into the water before slinking back weakly over to Brew, who laughed as he told him how cold the water was. Eventually, the two were in the water, goofing off and talking about each other again, probably.
Mechanically sighing to themselves, they surveyed the other demons around, perhaps they would find somebody familiar.

Lo and behold, their optics landed upon a somewhat shocking sight as Sword, Rocket, and Medkit came into view. They did NOT need an image of what the 'traitor' looked like without a shirt, so they very quickly averted their gaze from him and focused on the younger phighters.
They looked like they were having a fun time, sure. Casual attire, befitting of the beach, of course.

They really shouldn't be paying attention to other demons like this, but they had to admit, they were curious on why the three were there. Considering how Medkit was previously from Blackrock and had likely still had some of that leftover dislike of Playground and its inhabitants.
Shrugging, they finally looked away- unknowing of the three now staring at them.

[ Sword ]

He didn't initially intend to go out to the beach and drag Medkit along for the ride, but Rocket and his dad had plans! So with a bit of convincing, the Doctor eventually agreed to go with them.
Of course, he didn't look happy about it considering the beach was in Playground, but when was he ever? He did his best not to actually make that joke, knowing he'd get smacked by his revolver if he did.

Sword didn't go to the beach often, but whenever he did, it always felt like a new experience. It wasn't every day he'd get to feel sand underneath his bare feet, as uncomfortable as it may sound.
And with his two best friends, he was sure they'd have a good time!

Zuka had to stay behind for a little to check if they had everything, so the three of them simply hurried down to the beach, eager to get into the water- well, at least he and Rocket were. Medkit looked like he was having a hard time dealing with the current weather, even if it was the usual temp they'd have phights in.

After a bit of time splashing and messing around in the water, they eventually went back to where Medkit was to check up on him. To any other demon, it probably looked like he was getting his tan on, which he wasn't, and Sword knew that. If Medkit wanted to tan, he probably would've brought something to support that.

In the midst of their talk, he noticed how Rocket looked.. Distracted.
"Somethin' wrong, Rocket?"

"Nothin', nothing. It's just.. Somebody brought their Biograft here."

Medkit's face paled (as if it wasn't pale already) as they all turned, looking at the Zeta model just staring at them. It wasn't even doing anything, in fact, it seemed to be staring more at him and Rocket compared to Medkit.

Then, it blinked. Then blinked twice. It shrugged, then it looked away. As if they didn't find what they were looking for.

".. What.. Just..?" The teal-horned demon said, still in disbelief.

Of course, all three of them were confused, eyes trained on the Biograft in case it did anything.
But it didn't. Medkit suggested its owner must've left them there on watch, and that they were probably somewhere else on the beach. 

He knew all about how all the robots Blackrock manufactured had his brother-figure labeled as 'traitor', but if that was the case with this Biograft, why would it ignore him there?
It was weird, but they had better things to be concerned over.

Something interesting happened just a little later, though.

Zuka had finally swung by, and it was well into lunch time. He would've questioned why he was gone for so long if they didn't have to eat. As he munched away, he noticed Rocket kept casting shifty glances behind Medkit.

"Is the Biograft staring again?" He'd asked, looking in the robot's direction to see two other demons, enthusiastically talking to the robot and looking like they'd just gotten out of the water.
"Think that's its owners." He said, taking a bite of his food. "They look pretty interesting, if a bit ordinary.."

"Rocket, focus on your food." Zuka said, eventually following their gazes.
"Hm. Nothing special about 'em. Did the robot give you trouble?"

"No, no. Just.. Stared at me and Sword weird. Didn't even glance at Medkit." He replied, going back to eating.
Medkit sighed and casted a glance behind him, eye twitching slightly as he turned back to them.

".. One of them looks familiar."

BACK AT CROSSROADS

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Thoroughly beached-out and exhausted (even though it was barely three hours into the afternoon), they'd gone back home at 2 P.M. to make sure all of them- especially Peppermint, wasn't too tired. They still had things to do tomorrow, with Cola and Brew going back to work, and Peppermint taking care of the house.
Thank the SFOTH for showers on the beach, because he would've complained endlessly if he had to shower at home. Getting sand out of their clothes would be hard.

"WELL, THAT WENT BETTER THAN EXPECTED." Peppermint started, taking their place on the couch while the other two focused on getting their clothes in the wash. "PERHAPS A LITTLE TOO WELL, NO?"
"I don't think anything can go too well." His boyfriend interjected, giving them a stare. "Having things work out in your favor, and then more doesn't sound so bad."

Too tired to process much of their discussion, he stored their clothes with sand in them in a laundry basket, retreating to his room as he pulled out his phone.

He's been thinking about it a little too much- but it wasn't like Brew minded, he even entertained their thoughts.

Cola did a bit of sifting through the Roblox wiki, mainly through the gears articles- until he came across the Quantum Entangler.
Groaning to himself, he exited Chrome and opened up the Roblox app, hesitantly pressing 'buy'.

He heard a 'woosh', and saw the device flop down on his bed. He should've been alarmed, but he wasn't. Instead, Cola inspected the device, just to make sure it was legit. After making sure it was real and hammering it into his head that, this was reality, he moved onto the next part.

He always had good memory whenever it came to his original characters and their designs, and especially their lore. So he was going to bring out the least traumatized of the cast they made on earth and hope to the Gods that he didn't try to choke them out for what he did to his other characters.

Going to the bathroom, he had to make sure he looked the part as he did the outfit- so he spent some time in there trying to perfect his character's appearance, smiling to himself when he looked.. Right.

"Okay.. Let's test this out first." He tried to make his voice just a little more boyish. By that, I mean he tried to do a Bruno Mars impression. Once he decided it was good enough, he nervously looked back to his phone and started typing.

Cola didn't have much of an excuse to go on the gears section of Roblox's catalog, but now he did.
Buying the Red Stratobloxxer, he made sure to catch the guitar before it fell. It.. Looked like an electric guitar, just like he imagined.

He sighed, grabbing it and holding it like how a guitarist would, even though he didn't know how to play it.

He then got a hold of the Quantum Entangler. For some reason- this was the most terrifying part of the process.
Should've probably gotten Witches Brew for emotional support.

"You've got this, Strat.." He took a deep breath- as he pointed the device away from himself.

Pressing down, there was a flash of light Cola blinked away, and something being pulled away from him. And then there were two of them.

He blinked, hurriedly going to the 'avatar' section and switching back to his actual body before checking on his creation, practically his son now if he thought about it.
Honestly, the idea of being a parent wasn't.. So bad. He used to have baby cousins, after all..

"Hey.. Uh- are you okay..? You're a clone of me.. So.. Hi, me!"


The demon in front of him, clearly older (as he was, in lore) and taller, looked down at him in disbelief and confusion. ".. Bloxy?"

Cola let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the bathroom wall. "Yeah, yeah.. That's me- or us, now."

Stratobloxxer, now given life and form, looked down at his hands, and his gear, held up by the guitar strap wrapped around his body. ".. Holy shit, you did it."

The other let out a nervous laugh, before coughing. Strat instinctively started patting his back, making sure he wasn't dying- because that wouldn't be good.
"Y- Yeah, fuck, I guess I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah you did!" He said, looking significantly more cheery compared to the first few seconds he was brought into existence. "Damn- my memories are flooding in like that one Kingdom come meme-"

"Do not bring that up, young man." Cola scolded, sighing into his palms and letting out a happy sigh. "So.. Your name-"

"Stratobloxxer. Red Stratobloxxer if I wanna be pretentious, but, I get the feel that you don't want that for me." He joked, and suddenly he felt a little more glad he was the first to be brought in from his character collection.
"Yeah, I don't. I want you to be yourself. Your own person, apart from me, since we aren't.. Well, one, anymore."

His creation- pseudo-kid? Paused and grinned. "Is that an HFJ ONE reference?" He smiled as Cola playfully groaned, looking up at him with a sense of pride.

"We're.. We're gonna have to explain this to the other two. Brew and Peppermint.. You remember them, yeah?" He asked, just in case.

"'Course I do! I was part of you just a couple seconds ago!" He said, as if that was meant to be obvious. Cola paused, thinking about that statement just a little more.

"Wait, if you were born from my memories and character lore.."

Stratobloxxer seemed to connect the dots. "Yep. I've got all your memories, including all the ones that happened years ago, and still keep you up."

"I'm starting to regret bringing you here, now." He joked, seeing the way the taller backed away in mock offense.
"Damn, tough crowd."

"Baby? You talkin' to yourself in there?"
They froze as Brew's muffled voice seeped in through the closed door.


"Uh.." Cola started, taking a breath. "Don't be upset- but when I come out of this room, I need you to not freak out, okay sweets?"
"I'm already worried. But okay!"

They could hear the shuffling of sheets as his hand hovered over the door knob of the bathroom. Looking back at Stratobloxxer, he gave the smaller a nod before the door swung open, revealing the two.

...

"Oh, holy shit."

Cola internally cringed as Strat started waving, before he put his hand down and realized he looked awkward. "You're not- you're not upset about this, are you, Brew?"

He looked like he was.. Really thinking on it. All of them stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke up again.
"No, I'm not. But I would've wanted to see it myself, y'know?"

He let out a sigh of relief, leaning into his boyfriend's arms as he pulled him in for a hug. "I'm just.. How does this work? And more importantly, where's he going to live?"

"Oh, Bloxy's got that figured out, I think." Stratobloxxer answered, making himself comfortable on the floor. "Pretty sure he'll give me a couple thousand bux and hope to the gods I find a stable place to live." He grinned, but it vanished when he saw Brew's reaction.

"Absolutely not. You're staying here 'til we can actually work something out." Brew gently pet Cola's head, trying to calm the both of them down. "You poor thing.. We'll find a way through this, we always do."

Strat didn't comment any further, hoping he'd have more time to explain later.

[ Image of Red Stratobloxxer ]

Chapter Text

[ Stratobloxxer ]

Being alive was a circumstance he was familiar with. Considering the fact he was basically his creator, just put into a body he can call his own. Bloxy never really cared about how they looked unless it helped with how people perceived him, and since he generally thought of himself as good-looking, its impact on Stratobloxxer was apparent.

He carried himself confidently, much like how his creator would if he knew he could do something and do it well. But his lore wasn't quite complete, so some of the blanks from his past had to be filled in. Solid family, a few friends, a good upbringing.. Stuff like that, were a given.
Strat would've questioned it more if he wasn't more concerned about the couple currently discussing what to do about him.

Unfortunately, their argument was really interesting to listen to. It's like being caught in the crossfire of war if it were less intense. They weren't shouting, of course, but they were addressing each other with less warmth than usual. Now, if he was Bloxy, he'd be terrified, but he's a completely separate person now..

He feels like a child, ironically enough.

Things are looking like this; he's sitting on the couch with Peppermint, who's looking at him with (what he assumes is) disbelief. 'Fair enough,' he supposed. He quite literally appeared out of nowhere and now they have to process the fact their roommate created life in their bathroom?
What makes it worse is that in front of him, Bloxy and Brew are standing across from each other, both trying to figure out how Stratobloxxer living in the apartment was supposed to work.

It reminded him of that time when he was still 'alive', when his human parents were arguing about something related to Jamie, while all they could do was watch. But this time, there wasn't any yelling, or banging, or smashed cabinets. It was just a discussion, albeit a slightly heated one.
Granted, all he did during said discussion was listen and play his guitar when he could since they didn't seem bothered by it at all, but it got him wondering..

Is he really himself? Is he real?
The obvious answer is yes, he is. He's literally real, and sitting on a couch. Of course he's himself and real. He reached a hand up to feel his horns and- yep. Definitely real.

Eventually, they stopped. With Brew excusing himself to go get Stratobloxxer something to eat since he's probably hungry. Bloxy turns to the two of them with a smile he actually likes looking at now. They never did get braces back on earth, damn it.
"Okay, you'll be staying here for about a week or so! Don't worry about expenses, just.. Make sure you're taking care of yourself, okay?"

"Am I sleeping on the floor? That's fine, y'know. I don't mind." He says, observing the way his expression shifted. "No. You're not sleeping on the floor- I'm sleeping on the floor-"

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN ARGUING ABOUT THIS?" Peppermint comments, sounding annoyed. "I'LL SLEEP ON THE FLOOR."
"Mint- no." Bloxy frowned. "It's our problem, now it's my responsibility. I can sleep on the floor."

"Why are you three talking about who's sleeping where?" Brew interjected, "I'll sleep on the floor-"

"No!"

All of them had to stop for a second there, with Bloxy and Stratobloxxer staring at each other awkwardly before they both reassured Brew they weren't mad at him.

[ Tubular ]

🎸 plaid-with-jeans     Follow

7 hours ago

thinkin about starting a music career idk

🎟 dontstandtheregetin     Follow

6 hours ago

go for it man

🎸 plaid-with-jeans     Follow

4 hours ago

okay! thanks man

🥽 safety_first

2 hours ago

no way we just saw the creation of a new music artist on TUBULAR

🎸 plaid-with-jeans     Follow

2 hours ago

nah not yet, gotta set up my recording closet

🎐 echoes-in-the-wind

1 hour ago

Wish you luck on your journey, @plaid-with-jeans !!

[ Peppermint ]

While they weren't necessarily excited about this new situation, it didn't really change much. They could still do their own thing, and Stratobloxxer would do his. They did notice him snatching up Bloxy's phone before he left for work, and using his laptop, but then again, they were the same person before.
Eh, it wasn't their business.. He was going to bring it up to him later anyway, so it didn't matter much.

They were more curious about him, sure, and it did help that he was made in their roommate's image.. So maybe, they could have a conversation.

"WHAT IS IT LIKE?"
"Huh?" Stratobloxxer had his shades off, so his eyes were in full view. He didn't look unremarkable, just.. Not your average demon. Someone from upper class Playground, perhaps.
"LIVING. YOU WERE 'CREATED' FROM BLOXY, NO?"

"Yup, you got that right. Got his memories and everything, even all the stuff he didn't intend for me to have. Kinda crazy, but it's true." He replied, staring at the show they were watching together.
"DOES IT NOT BOTHER YOU?" They were a little worried he'd get silent at that, but he just shrugged. "Nah. Not really? It's like, I wasn't real, then I was! Just like that, poof!"

He was chipper, even if this was his first day of being a demon in the Inpherno. "I'm not gonna have an identity crisis just 'cause I was somebody else before.. Even if, y'know, it's bound to be the expected result."

They whirred. "SO, YOU'RE OKAY WITH THIS." He nodded, then a frown came onto his face. "Am I.. Not supposed to be?"
"NO. I JUST WORRY." They responded, which was true, considering how Bloxy wasn't the smartest demon alive out there. Stratobloxxer just nodded, raising his legs up to the couch. "I know. Again, the memory thing."

"RIGHT. DOESN'T IT SEEM ODD? HOW THEIR MEMORIES ARE SEPARATE FROM THE ONES YOU WERE MEANT TO HAVE, WHEN YOU WERE IN CONCEPT?"

He hummed, and he looked like he was actually thinking about it for once. "A bit, sure.. But I don't wanna think too hard, 'less I actually have a crisis now."
Seemed like their cue to stop right there, then. But they didn't have to let the conversation die off like that.

"WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO, THEN?" They asked, taking on a more 'casual' position. Stratobloxxer grinned, gesturing to his gear for a moment. "Wanna take a wild guess?"
Peppermint narrowed their optics, but played along. "MAKING MUSIC, THEN." His widening grin and finger guns were definitely a good sign. "Yeah! Though, bit of a creative block. No worries, I'm good at getting myself out of it."

They weren't sure of what to ask next, but then it hit them.

"HM. WERE YOU MADE OUT OF THEIR LOVE FOR MUSIC?" It would make sense, after all. Bloxy had playlists that would rival the money inside of the ROBLOX bank.
Stratobloxxer hummed. "I don't think I was, but I definitely embody it!" He said, looking off in another direction. "Music was a big part in our lives, we'd hear it every day, we'd sing a lot, it was essential to our being, almost!"

The way he was talking about their roommate tuned them out from this talk, for a little. Being created as a part of someone makes them wonder how.. If they know they're a part of you, would they ever want to go back? Just to be whole again? Maybe they were overthinking, but the idea of it is depressing enough.

"-I'm glad I'm here, really. Just means I can share my love for music with you guys, and by extension, the rest of Crossroads!"
Peppermint snapped out of it, turning their head to look at him again.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE GIVING FLIPSIDE A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY." Though, they doubted he could. No artist was as influential and famous as they were, and even if he did become an overnight sensation, it wouldn't be doing much good.. Their roommate would know about it within hours as well.

"Nah. Not yet I won't." He responded. "I'll be in the spotlight sometime else, they can have it. For now, Bloxy thinks it'd be best if I laid low, instead of gettin' to work and burning myself out."

"THAT MAY BE THEIR BEST CHOICE THIS YEAR." He laughed, but they weren't kidding.

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Another work shift on a Monday. Nothing too big or too small that needed to be done, just the right amount. All the while, he's humming a tune under his breath while working to keep himself happy. Knowing he's got people waiting for him at home was encouragement enough.
Wiping down tables and serving customers wasn't so bad when he could actively control what kind of music the Parlor played while customers ate, and while the sound wasn't quite equally distributed, at least everyone tolerated it.

Well, it was classical. How could they not?

"Sa ilalim ng puting ilaw," He hummed, passing by a chatting table. "Sa dilaw na buwan," Bloxy would occasionally stare out the window, hoping to spot somebody interesting. 
Since he had free time and no new customers were coming in, he decided to relax, leaning against the counter. "Pakinggan mo ang aking sigaw.."

"I've never heard that song before." He froze up, slowly turning to meet Basket's gaze as he stared at them with curiosity. "Wanna tell me about it?"
"Uhm-" Improvise! Adapt!- "It's.. A tune from home. A little love song, you could say." Succeed? He could see the way they started frowning, the de-clawing conversation coming to mind again.

"Do you ever miss it? Even if it was messed up and your parents were jerks.." Yes, yes he does miss it. He snaps himself out of it, getting back into his actual backstory. "Nah, I've learned to get over it. Separate the good and the bad, 's what I like to do when it comes to memories."
"You might wanna invest in a therapist, dude." He said, receiving a nonchalant shrug from the smaller demon. "I'll think about it, I promise ya."

His shift was over, thank Inpherno, so he decided to go over to JORRT (Food) to see what's up, and to hopefully see his boyfriend leaving by then. Fortunately, he caught him at just the right time, considering they bumped into each other. They laughed it off, deciding to go get some ice cream before heading home.
"So, how are you feeling?" He asked, making sure to savor the cold treat before it was gone. Brew gave him a grin, resting his cheek on his palm since he was done. "I'm doing okay, I think. JORRT isn't so bad, just my co-workers."

"They'll warm up to you, sweets. Don't even worry your pretty little horns off about it." The other rolled his eyes at the statement, but ultimately, found himself grinning.
"Thanks, Bloxy. You're the best, I love you."
"Aww! I love you too!" By now, he's finished his ice cream, and they've already started walking home.

"Plans for dinner, honey?" Brew asked, opening up the complex's door for him as they started climbing the steps. "Mm, I've got something in mind if you wanna try it."

"I'm down, the food you make tastes good anyhow. You know I'd be willing to try out anything you made me, right?" Bloxy pouted at him, which he couldn't help but laugh at, just a little..
"I just wanna make sure, y'know?"

Opening the door to their apartment, the first thing they heard was guitar playing. They shrugged and chalked it up to be Strat doing his thing, but they stopped in their tracks to bask in the sight.


It was Peppermint, holding onto Stratobloxxer's gear, looking to him for instruction as they gently plucked at the guitar strings. They thought it was sweet of course, but, they needed their time too. Bloxy simply took hold of Brew's arm and tugged him along to their bedroom.
"Just leave your clothes on the bed, m'kay? I'll put 'em away, don't worry about a thing."

He grinned, already heading for the bathroom. "I don't deserve you." Bloxy rolled his eyes, shooing his boyfriend off into the bathroom as they went back out to discreetly sneak into the kitchen. They were noticed, of course, but at least he gave the two of them more time to bond with each other.
Dinner was going to be sinigang- basically tamarind soup. It was one of his favorite soups, and he could've taken a whole bowl of it had he not preferred letting the rice absorb the soup.

Pair it with fried fish, and you'd essentially have gourmet home cooking. Or his standard of it, at least. He was sure the other two would enjoy it as much as him. Strat especially, if he was anything like Bloxy, he was bound to enjoy hot soup and fish. He just hoped his creation wasn't like him, absolutely desecrating the fish every time he ate it.

Once he was done, he could practically smell the scent of the soup just wafting through the apartment. Thankfully, the balcony door was open. He didn't worry about Broker showing up for the night, he'd probably take a couple weeks..

He set up the table, three plates, two utensils on each. An appropriate amount of rice on top with a bowl of soup and another, smaller plate full of fish in the center.
It reminded him so much of home. And it was. It really was.

A place he made for himself, Peppermint, Brew- and now Stratobloxxer. A warm feeling set in his chest as he saw the two of them stroll up, and he laughed when Peppermint got their shared laptop and went to the balcony for a 'breather'.

Things felt calm. They were nice. And their dinner tasted good.

"Don't you think adding soy sauce to it would be too much salt?" Brew asked him, looking at the small soy sauce container in his hands.
"Oh, it is. But just this once, I promise you!" Strat snickered beside him, and he shot him a playful glare. "He's gonna do it again 'cause it tastes good, don't take him seriously."

"Oh, c'mon!"
As petty as their bickering was, he found himself to be entertained with it all.

"Oh, I've gotta tell you guys somethin'. It's pretty big, I think." Strat started, gently nudging his empty plate across the table.
He grinned. "What'cha got for us, old man?" Ignoring the light punch he got on his shoulder, Strat cleared his throat.

"I posted somethin' onto YouTube. Just a guitar cover, is all."

The two of them paused. Then looked at each other. Then back at him.
He was sweating bullets.


"We'll talk about this tomorrow." He said, going back to enjoying his soup. Strat breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed back in his chair.

Chapter Text

[ YOUTUBE ]

IV of Spades - Mundo (Guitar Cover) | FIL/ENG CC

4,876 views - Sept 2, 201X

Originally performed by the IV of Spades in their debut.
This is my first video  ...more

1,478 △ Likes   23 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🎸 plaid-with-jeans

386 subscribers

 🎨 PaintIsPain

What language is this song in? I tried to put some of the lyrics through a translator, but only a few words came out right.

🎸 plaid-with-jeans

Tagalog! my first language, though I dont use it much outside of conversation or singing. hope this helps!

🛴 DELuxe_Roped

it sounds like it shares some similarities to some languages in Playground (?) sounds interesting.

 🧶 yarranball

new language aside, youre a natural at that guitar!! Is that your gear?

🎸 plaid-with-jeans

yeah lol, thought it was obvious but I can see how someone might misunderstand!

🧶 yarranball

thats cool man!! hope you make your own music instead of covers soon enough!

 🍧 SSorbae

am i reading too deep into this, or is it a love song? from the lyrics, it seems like one.

🎸 plaid-with-jeans

It is a love song! ''Mundo'y maging ikaw'' basically means "you'll be my world" in common.

🍧 sorbae

oh! thats cool, it seems pretty tame to all other love songs these days.

 🎐 echoesinthewind

For a cover, this is very impressive! I tried looking for IV of Spades, but nothing came up except card decks. Do you think you'll post more covers of their songs?

🎸 plaid-with-jeans

for sure! i'll even throw in a couple more obscure bands some people may not have heard before ^.^ all I want is to share songs with you all!

🎐 echoesinthewind

Well, you've got a solid first video! No doubt this'll become mainstream soon.

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He sighed, staring at the open laptop screen before him as two- Peppermint and Stratobloxxer- of his housemates sat by him. The comments on the guitar cover were by no means anything concerning, but he's still disappointed. He cut them some slack, though.

"I mean, Mundo is a pretty good choice.. Besides, now I can do karaoke to this. Granted," His gaze flitted over to the musician. "You play the instrumental."
The other fixed his shades and laughed. "For sure, Bloxy. Just make sure nobody gets suspicious about it, though. Nobody knows I'm livin' here still."

"Right, right.." He needed to sort that one out. Financially, they were doing okay. He could spare a thousand bux, and more if he really needed it. "Couple more days, Strat. Shouldn't be too hard to wait out, yeah?"
He nodded, excusing himself to go to the kitchen. He figured out that Stratobloxxer liked to eat after he nabbed a snack he bought for himself yesterday- that was probably a part of him. Bloxy always did have a big appetite..

A few minutes of silence passed before he got up again. It was early, and he certainly wouldn't be late for work like this. He supposed he could get started on breakfast, if it was just to shut his brain off for a while and focus on doing what needed to be done. Unbeknownst to him, the two were talking after Strat relaxed back on the couch.

"YOU'RE SURE YOU MADE THE RIGHT MOVE?" They asked, cautiously stealing glances at Bloxy in case he came too close. "POPULARITY IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD." 
"I'm sure, Mint." He replied, slinging an arm over their shoulder. "Besides, he already knows about my Tubular account! At least, pretty sure he does."

Just to make sure though, he called out to him. "You know about my Tubular already, don't you?" The other came back into the living room with squinted eyes directed to Strat. "Yeah, I do. Unfortunately."
"Pshh, c'mon, our old Tumblr blog back home was full of reblogs. At least I got the energy to post!"

Cola cringed, and his expression showed it. Stratobloxxer wisely shut up as he cleared his throat. "Remember, Peppermint still doesn't know anything about.. Home." 
Peppermint, naturally, was looking between the two of them much like a confused child. He chalked it up to the Biograft simply assuming 'home' was where he came from, and in a sense, they're right. But they're not from any faction, nor are they from the Inpherno in general.

The two shared a look before Bloxy sighed. "Better if they don't, really. I've gotta go set up everything for today, so, try your best not to destroy the apartment while me and Brew are gone, alright?"
"You've got it. Don't worry, this place is in good hands! We promise!" He grinned, and the younger mirrored it before he went to his room.

[ Stratobloxxer ]

A few hours had gone by already, and he was doing just peachy, keeping Peppermint and himself busy with Bloxy's phone. He'd asked him to leave it at home for today, mainly because he got bored quite fast. He focused on watching old guitar covers from earth, which was definitely a good way to pass the time.
He was comfortable with where he was, and what he was doing.. For now, anyway.

Peppermint is a good friend to have around, and while his 'lore' didn't exactly fit them in, he didn't really care. He already thought it through- how him and Bloxy know each other, even with how he was older than him by a decade.. Or younger, if you want to take in the technicality of him being created not a week ago.
It was simple; He was the kid's guitar tutor. Simple, if a bit flimsy. But he was sure it'll work. Their old English teacher said they even had the potential to go through with teaching, so he supposed.. It's not the worst thing, ever.

He sighed, sitting up and wincing at the dull ache in his back. If he hadn't fallen off the couch when he first woke up, he probably would've been okay, but he insisted it was fine. Better an aching back than an aching foot, because at least he could still walk like this.

"HOW ARE YOU FEELING?" They asked, coming into view again. Occasionally, Peppermint would go and plug themselves in on an outlet, but sometimes they'd just stroll around the apartment trying to see if the other two had changed anything up in the apartment, which they typically did, if by unintentionally placing things where they shouldn't be.
They also had the habit of asking how he was feeling, which, while unusual, he was glad they cared enough about him to ask.

"Well enough, I'm sure." Stratobloxxer replied, gaze flitting over to the phone in his hand as he watched another guitar cover for Buwan, a classic in Filipino songs. Sure, it became a meme for a short while, but it was still a romantic love song they admired! Even if Tagalog karaoke wasn't their thing.
"Hey, you think I'd fit in with Crossroads society?"

They whirred, and tilted their head. "IS THAT NOT A QUESTION YOU SHOULD PONDER FOR YOURSELF?" He shrugs, looking into their 'eyes'. "Helps to have a second opinion, and I want yours. What'll it be, doc?"
They kept quiet for a moment, probably thinking it over in their head. "I THINK SO. I'M SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO ACT, EVEN WITH HOW.. DOCILE, YOU ARE."

He snickered to himself, putting a hand over his mouth. "Are you calling me submissive? Damn, didn't expect you'd-"
"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT. PLEASE IGNORE I EVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT YOU." Strat still had a dumb grin on his face, and while they could barely convey emotions, he was sure they would be the Biograft-equivalent of embarrassed.

"Hey, it's cool. Not gay if we have socks on, or what the folks back home used to say." Their mechanical sputtering, as panicked as it was, still made him laugh a little. "THIS IS NOT ABOUT- WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?" They asked, confused and probably worried for him.
"Nothin', nothin'.. Not anything you should worry your head off about, okay? Come sit down."

Peppermint wordlessly followed along, sitting down on the couch only to cease movement when Stratobloxxer laid his head on their lap. Not that they were uncomfortable with it, but.. It was odd. They'd seen those two lovedoves do it once or twice, so they assumed it was something intimate between them.

"WHAT ARE YOU-" The guitarist looked up at them with concern, even through his shades. "Did you not want me to do that? Sorry, I should've asked first, let me-" He started getting up, and they didn't know what compelled them to do it, but they stopped him, even pressed him back down a little.
"IT IS.. FINE. I DO NOT MIND IT. BUT ASK NEXT TIME. I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO DO THIS."

He blinked. Then did it twice. Then, he laughed. "For sure, for sure. Hey- if you're ever uncomfortable, don't be afraid to just tell me. I'll stop whatever I'm doing. If you wanna set boundaries, we can talk it over, Mint. I'm here for ya, bud." He wasn't sure if they knew what boundaries were, but he'd help them out with it regardless.
"OF COURSE, STRATOBLOXXER. AREN'T FRIENDS MEANT TO BE THERE FOR THE OTHER?"

He smiled, and patted their arm. "Yeah. they are."

[ Peppermint ]

By now, it had been 5 days since Stratobloxxer had made himself comfortable in their shared apartment. They didn't quite expect to get along with him as well as they did, but they were sure of one thing. Peppermint didn't want him to move out, yet. They still had so much to learn from him, even if guitar tutorials were readily available and they could learn anytime.
It just felt more comfortable learning it from him, someone they already knew.

They whirred- a specific whir similar to how a sigh would function. If they couldn't live with him, they could settle for learning as much as they could. Or, they could just visit him. Not that they didn't have the option to once he got his place up and going. It'd probably consume some of their battery, but they were sure he'd have a place for them to charge.

"YOU SHOULD POST ANOTHER COVER SOON." They commented absentmindedly, claw resting on Stratobloxxer's forehead as he hummed. They were resting on the couch together, again. "Of what, though? Don't wanna cover Flipside's songs. They deserve to shine in their own two-toned light." 
Peppermint made a noise akin to a laugh. "DON'T CONCERN YOURSELF WITH THEM. I'D LOVE TO SEE YOUR TAKE ON SOMETHING MORE ACOUSTIC, THOUGH."

They weren't too sure which part of what they said made him react how he did, but his eyes lit up, even when he tried to hide it a second later. "Acoustic, huh? I can try that, sure. No promises, but I'll try my best to find something."
He smiled, and in the moment, they wished they had a mouth so they could mirror his expression.

Typically, smiles would be shared between opponents before engaging in fights, so they'd be unnerving. But much like Bloxy, Stratobloxxer wasn't a fighter. They were sure he was more inclined to talk things out with his opponent instead of socking them in the face, and somehow, he'd make it work.
Peppermint didn't exactly know how they felt about him, with all the unfamiliarity they still held to emotions, but they knew they were glad to call him a friend.

Eventually, they fell into a comfortable silence. Times like these- they were sure no words needed to be exchanged between them to understand that a little bit of peace is a good thing.


"I've been feeling a little down, lately." He said, resting his claw on theirs. Tilting their head, they asked, "WHY SO?" He sighed, and they could tell he was holding something back. "BETTER IF YOU TELL ME DIRECTLY, STRATOBLOXXER. I DON'T DO WELL ON.. 'PICKING UP WHAT YOU'RE PUTTING DOWN', UNFORTUNATELY."
He laughed, then stopped. A frown was on his face- uncanny, uncharacteristic. "I just.. I don't think I was meant for this place. It's not like I wish I wasn't alive, just.."

The musician stopped, and took a deep breath. "I don't think I'll fit in. What if I get figured out? What'll other demons do then?"
Peppermint whirred, then fell quiet. "THEY'LL NEVER FIGURE OUT, IF YOU NEVER TELL THEM." He squinted, and they averted their gaze away from his. Why did they feel like they had to?
"But I'd be lying to them." He said, voice falling to a meek mumble. "I don't.. Think I'd be a good person, if I did that." 

They made another whir, this time a touch louder. Were they angry? They only made those noises when they were. "THEY WON'T KNOW, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO. NOT IF YOU TELL THEM FIRST."
Peppermint doesn't exactly know what they're doing. They weren't searching anything up, so this was all them. Still, they didn't know why they were upset.

Stratobloxxer took another deep breath, and smiled up at them. "Thanks for trying to lift my spirits, Mint. It means more to me than you know."
"I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP." They said. "THAT IS WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR."

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Well, it was Friday! And while it was one of their break days, it was also the day when Stratobloxxer would be moving out. It pained some part of him, sure, but he knew it'd be best for the both of them. Besides, he could scale down from the balcony, go back in through the front door of the building, and rent out an apartment granted there was free space.
He was pretty sure there wasn't, though. So he'll have to settle for another apartment building a little ways away.

"So, how are you feeling?" He asked him, bringing him out to the balcony to talk by themselves, even for a little while. Peppermint had gone to him at midnight, telling him the guitarist had a few things he wanted to get off his chest. Being his creator and all, he was willing to talk to him about anything.
"I'm feeling alright, Bloxy. Y'know, you and Peppermint have a habit of asking how I'm feeling. Why is that?" He asked, resting his arms on the railing.

He mirrored Stratobloxxer's pose, and stared out to the horizon. "Well, we wanna check in on you, and how you're feeling." Bloxy heard the other scoff playfully, moving to look at him.
"You two are too kind for your own good, especially for the Inpherno."

The younger shrugged and glanced at him. "I do what I do best, and get by with what I've got. But, this isn't about me. Peppermint's told me you've got some troubles of your own."

He could see the way the older man winced and went back to his original pose. "Not surprised, I think this is their way of helping me out." Cola nodded, still staring ahead. "If you want, you can just talk about your worries to me, and after you're done, I can give.. Whatever insight I may have, as much insight as a teen can have, anyway."

Stratobloxxer smiled to him and took a deep breath. "When you first brought me here, I didn't really.. Feel anything? Well, I was happy, obviously! I'm alive and kicking, after all!" He said.
"But then I started thinking- when you and Brew were arguing, and stuff.. I'm not really from here, am I?"

He fell quiet for a moment, taking another deep breath. "I.. Wasn't part of Phighting!'s canon lore, so.. Essentially, I'm an anomaly to Crossroads, and the Inpherno as a whole. The fact I have an entire backstory while knowing it's fabricated, along with all our memories from Earth, is insane."
His claws then went to hold his head. "I just.. I don't know how to feel. I know who I am, who I was raised to be. But I also know who you are, who we used to be, and that- it really messes with me."

Then, he frowned. "But it only ever happens when I think about it. Just like now. Just like when I faced Peppermint and told them about it." A moment of silence fell between them both, before he sighed once more.

"Okay. I think that's it."

Stratobloxxer heard him hum, before he straightened up his posture.

"Listen, Strat. I might not know how we're meant to deal with all the.. Earth stuff, and I apologize to you for bringing you here. I know you never asked for it- but I did it anyhow." The guitarist nodded, sensing he had something else to say. "I'm sorry your family isn't real, and I'm sorry I didn't talk to you much about this beforehand."

"You couldn't have known what consequences it'd bring." He replied. He'd know- because Bloxy truly didn't know what would end up happening after he used the Quantum Entangler. "I forgive you for that."

The younger grinned. "Thank you. If it helps, I've got something of my own to say to ya." Stratobloxxer raised a brow, but held his pose. Must've been important.

"As much of an anomaly as we are, we deserve to be here. I went here of my own volition, and I created you with only the best of intentions in mind. Granted, you were meant to be my first serious Phighting! original character, but, my statement still stands."
He took another breath.

"As out of place you may feel, I want you to know, that the Inpherno is your home. Nobody can rip you away from it, not now, not ever. You belong here, as do I and Brew. And if anyone says otherwise?" Bloxy looked at him with a stern stare. "Screw what they think. You're a damn rock star, Strat. Don't forget that."

Stratobloxxer didn't know how to respond at first, staring at him with wide eyes and a silent gasp. His expression of shock quickly turned to happiness as he brought the other in for a hug, a torrent of different emotions flooded his head.

"Thank you, Bloxy. It means a lot, you'd think that way." He laughed, but it was more like one of those choked-up teary laughs in a reuniting scene.

Cola returned the hug. "Of course. Anything for my guitar tutor."
The older man started cracking up and pulled away from the hug, now laughing. "God damnit, we're sticking with that?"

"Not like I mind, y'know!" Bloxy said, elbowing his arm- softly. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

Chapter Text

[ Stratobloxxer ]

Gingerly taking the money Bloxy had handed him, he took the smaller man into a hug, and he returned it.

"Listen, you go and take care of yourself well out there, yeah?" He said, barely even managing to hold back his own sniffles. He knew well that Stratobloxxer wasn't even going anywhere far, he'll just be in another part of Crossroads. And sure, he's being a little dramatic but that's a given with the way he acts around the apartment regularly.

"I will, I will." He said, pulling away from the hug and stuffing the money in the wallet he'd received just last night. It was even in red, suitably complimenting his color scheme. "I'll visit when I'm free, and I'll probably find a job at a music store, or somethin'."
"Make us proud, now!" Brew comments, also opening his arms up to give him a hug. "Don't stay out late, don't overestimate yourself too much-"

"AND DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID."

He parted from Witches Brew and went over to hug Peppermint, who, despite not having much of a face to display emotion, was the most enthusiastic when it came to the parting hug. "It's not like my head's full of rocks, I'm smart enough to keep myself alive for like, at least a week!"
"THAT DOES NOT HELP." They say plainly, keeping him in the hug way longer he thought they would. "Well- I'll do my best to keep myself out of trouble for you?"
Peppermint narrowed their optics for a moment before letting go of him. "GOOD ENOUGH. HEED MY WORDS, STRATOBLOXXER."

"Guess I gotta be careful now, huh?" He grins, gently taking his gear from Bloxy's hands, wearing his guitar strap and placing his wallet into his pocket. "Don't worry, it's not like I'll be out there doing anything big.."
"You'll probably want to borrow my laptop, huh?" The boy says, much to his surprise.
"I mean, I don't need it-"

"You're gonna end up posting more than I do, eventually!" He says, taking his hand and walking to the entrance of the apartment, probably to talk him further into taking his money. "I'm sure you'll get more use out of it than we are right now."
Stratobloxxer looks at him with a mix of amusement and slight worry. "You know, Peppermint's been wanting to learn the electric guitar, you could probably spend your money on that instead?"

Bloxy looks up at him like a fish out of water and turns around to see the Biograft and his boyfriend talking, then looks back at him. "Yanno what? We can do that!""
Rolling his eyes, he opens the door and waves at them one last time- at least, one last time before getting a new place.

"Take care of yourself, Strat!" The two shared strikingly similar-looking smiles, before Bloxy finally shut his front door.

.. It took him a little bit to realize that he was in the middle of the hallway and not parkouring off of the balcony like the original plan him and Bloxy had in their head, but! That was fine. He just had to look for the fire exit, which wasn't all that far at all. Thankfully, it was also a set of stairs- the type he remembered seeing at the side of his old elementary school after their building had finished construction, just without the ladder at the end.
Climbing down, he made sure he was unseen as he darted into another alleyway. He needed to not stand out when he went into the crowd, and hopefully, he can blend himself in enough.

Stepping out from his hiding spot, he then came to the realization that he has to keep a look out for another apartment building. And he had to go get himself a job, too. The second part wouldn't be much of a problem though, there's definitely a music store out there that needs new hires.
It was early enough that people were out and about, but not late enough that the streets would be crowded. Making it prime time to just take a relaxing stroll around Crossroads.

Looking around, it felt.. Weird, almost. Crossroads was in his memory as a place, but in two ways. He vividly remembers when his parents- Red Rock and Smashing- would take him out here to eat when he did good in school. It felt crazy, he felt crazy. Knowing his parents weren't really real, and so was he before Bloxy made him messed with his head a little. 
He probably shouldn't think about it too much, though. If he got teary-eyed here, things probably wouldn't end well.

He soon found himself strolling by a restaurant and he recalled from his memories as Bloxy that this was the way to Pink Parlor. But past that would be-

'Boombloxx, right? That's a music store- by technicality, I suppose.' Stratobloxxer thinks, already walking into the blue residential building nearby JORRT (Food), and hoping to the deities above that this was an apartment complex and that he didn't just invade on somebody's private property. 'Seems unlikely though. Who'd build a house in a place this dense?'

A chat with the receptionist later, and he was already cozying himself up in his new place. It felt pretty nice, if a bit lonely. Maybe he could buy a few plushies, or maybe-

"Aw shoot, I don't have a guitar case." He says, taking off his guitar strap and placing it gently on the couch. Even if it couldn't break, he didn't want it falling down. He vaguely recalls his fathers buying him a smaller guitar when he was a kid, so when he grew older- he'd already know how to play it.
Stratobloxxer looks at his gear with a sort of melancholic gaze, before tearing his eyes away from it and evaluating the current situation. He'd probably need to ask Bloxy for some clothes, considering he doesn't have any-

.. Unless?

"Nah, no way." But he betrays his own words by walking over to his new room, looking around for a bit and taking a few glances around the room, before checking the closet. He widens his eyes in surprise and blinks twice, trying to see if whatever he was seeing right now was real.
He reaches a claw out and touches the fabric, and sure enough, those are clothes. Strangely enough, they're all tailored to his taste, too.
"Oh, shit."

Maybe it was a previous tenant's clothing? But there's no way, the receptionist said this was a free room, so what gives?
He closes the closet door and decides he'll think about it some other time, not when he has much less to worry about. Considering how it wasn't that late yet, he could probably afford to go grocery shopping, maybe get himself some fun stuff too.

"And a guitar case. I need to remember that."

[ ? ? ? ]

They sigh, putting down the papers they held in their hands.

Truly, they couldn't be any more qualified for managing these two geardemons and their.. Spawn? No, that doesn't sound right. Their kid, maybe. It feels weird seeing him that way considering he's 28 years old.
It didn't take much effort to help him out, too. Maybe they'll tweak with his fridge if they figure out how to do that- since they couldn't do much with Bloxy when they first had to bring him to the Inpherno.

Some part of them feels a little guilty being so vague when they met, but they couldn't be too specific in the first place. They'd be breaking the rules, or bending them.

Okay, I need to get him.. What, again?

They dug through the not-so metaphorical paper pile they had on their desk now, trying to see where they noted down the stuff they initially got for Cola, and hopes to what other higher power above them that they can somehow figure out how to help Stratobloxxer out more.

Eh, at least they're giving me a challenge.. Haven't had one in a bit.

Hopefully, he doesn't need their help anytime soon.

Not like they were all too busy, though.

[ Stratobloxxer ]

He got sidetracked, there was no other way to say it. Stratobloxxer hardly remembers what his previous plans were as he strolled about Crossroads, soon finding himself at the center, chilling by a chain-link fence. He considers himself somewhat lucky that he isn't that popular yet. And even if he was, he'd still want to cherish the quiet little moments he had.

Maybe he could pass the time by just playing a few tunes in his head. Something tells him that he shouldn't know how to play these seeing as how Bloxy had never even picked up an electric guitar once, but he has. and he knows how to play when the situation calls for it.
Well, he also knows how to use his gear to attack people, but that's only ever useful for when there's an axe-wielding murderer chasing him, and last he checked, he was pretty inconsequential.

Time's a finicky thing, he knows. But he'll be able to use it to his advantage, he's sure.

Fortunately he actually managed to get a guitar case from.. Curse his short term memory, he forgot again. Oh well, he'll remember it again later, in bed. When he can't sleep, maybe. He's probably spent an hour out here already just walking around, so chilling out and playing a few songs he can remember from his old life- even if he doesn't sing any lyrics, seemed fine with him.

Next thing he knows, he's surrounded by a crowd of people, and some are even dropping bux into his guitar case. Stratobloxxer isn't too sure how to interact without ruining the flow of the song he's playing now, so he doesn't. Choosing to keep silent and letting the music speak for itself.

And as it fades out, he hears the applause, looking up with this sort of dazed look- managing to snap out of it fast enough before anyone noticed. "Thank you, all of you! I'm just glad I get to play here, y'know?"
Bloxy was never the best at small talk, but Strat manages to juggle a few conversations before looking at the sky and realizing it's gotten late. He probably should've bought a watch, but hey, sidetracked. What can you do?

The streetlights turn on by the time Stratobloxxer walks home, and he feels a little nostalgic being out at night. It's probably not even seven in the evening at this point, but he needs to hurry home otherwise the 'Bloxy' part of himself might scream at him for staying out a minute later than he should've.

Strolling up to his apartment building once more, he says a quick hello to the friendly demon at the front before climbing the stairs and eventually reaching his apartment. He supposes all the stair-climbing back when Cola was alive probably made him used to the sensation, but maybe it was from that hiking trip he did once.

.. Maybe he could take a hiking trip for himself! Experience Thieves' Den that way- instead of looking through his memories.

But first, he needs some rest. He can do what he wants after that.

[ Peppermint ]

"I NEED YOU TO TELL ME HE'S DOING OKAY."

Bloxy gives them a sympathetic look, putting a reassuring hand on the Biograft's shoulder. "Bud, you're worrying too much. Stratobloxxer can take care of himself."

"BUT WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?" They ask, looking down at their feet. "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. I NEED TO STAY HERE-"
The other takes on a more serious expression, taking one of their claws in his own. "Peppermint, nothing is going to happen to him, I promise. He's doing just fine, and I'm sure he'll pay us a visit tomorrow."

"YOU'RE SURE?" They ask, their grip on his hand oddly tight. Bloxy just nods, taking them into a hug.
"One hundred percent. I'm sure he just got distracted today, Mint. He wouldn't just up and forget about us."

"I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT." They say, letting go of his hands, trying to relax into the couch. Unfortunately, their posture was too rigid for it, making it look like they were awkwardly leaning against the fabric instead, a clear giveaway to Bloxy that they didn't feel too reassured.
The teen just crossed his arms, actually relaxing into the couch and looking at them. "I know I am."

Things winded down fast after that, with them laying on the couch and thinking for a bit before they had to charge. When that time came, they lazily plugged themselves in and laid in their 'bed'. Times like these were when they wished they could see the outside better, but that would mean sleeping outside, on the balcony.
And they didn't exactly want to risk The Broker stepping on their face, if he ever stopped by again.

So, they opted for this. Their optics started to feel heavy on them, and they let out a whir that would've been the equivalent to a yawn, before going into sleep mode.

Surely, they'll feel better in the morning.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He stirred in his bed for a little while before waking up, blinking groggily as his vision gradually cleared. Enough to see his boyfriend's peaceful expression right in front of him, that is. Gently, his hand reaches up to caress his face, and he slowly moves to kiss his forehead.
Now more awake, he sits up in bed and stretches his limbs, yawning the whole way through as he gets up, opening the door leading into the hall.

"Breakfast.. What time even-" His eyes flit over to the balcony door, more specifically outside of it. The sky was slowly gaining its blue hue, the sun soon to peak out from farther away. He might still be able to make breakfast and eat with Brew before having to go to work today. Perhaps they could even go out on a date later?
He liked the idea of that. They hadn't gone out for a proper date in ages, and when they did- it was typically in various Roblox games, since they were a long distance back on earth.

Now that they were together and literally sleeping in the same space, they should be going out on dates like any normal couple in the Inpherno. From what he's read about it from official lore though, there isn't much about.. Romance, in this place. Not like it matters, since him and his boyfriend weren't bound by those rules, so he could afford to bend them a little.

Pancakes could work for today, he's sure he's got butter and maple syrup somewhere in his fridge- he managed to fit a ton of stuff in there, much to Peppermint's confusion. He still remembers last week when he was stuffing his multitude of things away into cabinets and drawers and other places in the kitchen that their arms started hurting.
It felt like a sort of distant thing now, or maybe that was just his poor memory talking.

"I MANAGED TO GET UP BEFORE YOU, HAH."

Bloxy rolls his eyes as he turns, raising a brow at Peppermint who, was staring at them with a look that would've been easier to read had they possessed a mouth. Not that it meant much since he managed to get a feel for what their 'smug' looks were as time went on. They had other expressions of course, but they often held a 'resting Biograft expression'.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll wake up even earlier next time, huh?" He replied, much to their bemusement. "THAT IS NOT HEALTHY. YOU NEED MORE REST, BLOXY."

His face scrunched up a little. "I get enough rest, probably! I sleep from eight to five on the regular, that's enough, right?" He said, continuing to walk towards the kitchen. He had enough time to make food from scratch, and he never really liked store-bought mix in the first place.
"THAT IS NINE HOURS, SO YES. BUT YOU SLEEP AT TEN, AT TIMES." They say. "PLEASE TRY TO MANAGE YOUR TIME."

"I'll do my best, I promise." He says, still laser-focused on making the batter for the pancakes. "Besides, I'm sure it's better than other people's sleep schedules. At least I'm somewhat consistent."
Peppermint tilts their head a little at that. "TRUE. PERHAPS I SHOULD GIVE YOU MORE CREDIT."

All he does is shrug and continue on with his cooking project, taking occasional glances out of the balcony trying to see how bright the sky is. Soon enough, he's pouring the batter into a pan with a smile on his face, pleased at the way it's starting to cook. It's the mundane things in the life he's living that makes him happy, and he wonders if he could ever get this type of thing back on Earth.
Maybe he could've, but he likes the Inpherno more.

Soon, he has two plates of three pancakes, gently topping them off with some butter on top and maple syrup, gently poured on top of both. He might've spilled a little more on Brew's, but it's not like he'll notice, right?

"You think strawberries would make this better?" Bloxy asked, already moving towards the fridge. "Or should I go with blueberries? I know he likes pineapples but do they really go on pancakes? They don't, do they?"
The Biograft can only watch on as his figure is slightly obscured by the fridge door. "I CANNOT CONSUME ORGANIC MATTER, BLOXY."

"I know, I know. I just wanna ask since you always see me doing this. Plus, you can't eat. I don't wanna make you feel left out, or anything." He replies, shutting the door while holding a jar full of blueberries with both hands. "If only you could eat, maybe you'd see why me and Brew like staying at the dinner table."
Their optics narrowed a little, before they 'rolled their eyes' (or, mimicked doing so anyway) at the remark. "AS IF. FOOD IS GROSS."

"Never knock it 'til you try it, but, whatever floats your boat." Bloxy said, voice gradually fading out as he walks back to his room to wake Brew up.

[ Stratobloxxer ]

It feels a little too dreamlike, the way he's starting his day out. He recalls not being able to actually go out and buy groceries yesterday after getting his apartment, instead choosing to lounge beneath Crossroads Tower and playing music to kill time, but when he checked his fridge the next morning, suddenly he had stuff to eat?
Not only that, but it seemed like his kitchen had filled up overnight. Plates, utensils, knives; all stored in their proper places. He even saw a pair of tongs and measuring cups- Hell, he has a working mixer!
This was all a little surreal for him, but he's not about to question the logic of it when he had free ingredients. No sane demon would pass up an opportunity like the one he has.

His motions are a little all over the place, but he manages to get things done in the kitchen- enough to make himself a decent meal, of course. He supposed he didn't get all the traits Bloxy had, which doesn't make any sense since Stratobloxxer existed in his head long before being brought here. It's not like he can think about it too much when he's munching on his food, trying to think of what he can do today.
Since food and clothing weren't a problem anymore, the only thing he can realistically think of is stuff to take care of his horns- and bathroom supplies. 

Speaking of, he hasn't actually checked his bathroom. Electing to ignore it until after he's done eating and washing the singular plate he used to eat on. He would've eaten with his hands, but his parents taught him not to do that.

.. Stratobloxxer stops for a second, wondering which set of parents he was thinking about before sighing and placing the plate on a drying rack- which also appeared overnight. He swore this kitchen was empty, who could've bought all this stuff for him? And why is it all so neatly organized, as if he were the one to place them?
Shrugging, he walks over to the bathroom and slowly opens the door, seeing all the typical bathroom amenities it'd typically have. Seeing that the sink mirror isn't flat makes him think, and he gently pulls back one side of the mirror, expecting to see an empty cabinet.

Instead, there's a (seemingly unused) toothbrush, toothpaste, and other stuff. There's even skin lotion which he doesn't use, but since he doesn't like being wasteful, he supposes having to use it won't be so bad. He closes the cabinet door and exits the room, checking around to see if anything else changed while he was in there.
Fortunately, his apartment seems fairly normal. No balcony like the one Bloxy and Brew had, but he could live with that.

Besides, private bedrooms are where the real jam sessions are held. Hopefully once he's done being paranoid and actually gets ready for the day, he can hang out with Peppermint and bring them here. Or anywhere, really. He doesn't feel like staying in one place today, not when he could do something more in the Inpherno.
He's not that concerned about his upload schedule because he could always pick it back up whenever he wanted and excuse the lack of uploads on the fact he didn't have anywhere to post stuff from for a while.

Knowing people, and knowing demons, they would probably think its normal. Internet speeds are atrocious too, so daily or even frequent videos being uploaded might seem a little overwhelming, or surprising. There's a rare chance Stratobloxxer might also need to make a mini-YouTube apology video for it, but he probably doesn't need to if he's just honest.
Perhaps he could find time to be concerned about this when he's not busy making himself look good for today.

He leaves the apartment wearing his guitar case, with his wallet in his jacket pocket. There's a piece of toast still hanging out of his mouth, reminding him of those old anime protagonists who were always late to school and ate breakfast on the way there. Stratobloxxer doesn't really feel like the protagonist of an anime, though.
Descending the stairs, he takes careful bites to ensure the bread doesn't fall from his mouth and onto the floor. Considering he's eating this piece of toast without using his hands, it's easier thought than done, but he manages to do it before reaching the ground floor.

"I'm headed out for today- no worries, door's locked and all." He quickly says to the receptionist, coming in front of their desk in case they had anything to say before he went.
They were pleasant enough to give a grin back, seeming pleased by his disposition. "Have things you need to do? I appreciate you taking the time to say goodbye. Not many other demons decide I'm worth their time."

"Really? You seem pretty approachable." He comments, casually leaning against the front desk. He could spare some time to talk, it wasn't even that late yet. There's no way he would pass enough time just talking to one person in his apartment building, much less the receptionist, right?

Well, wrong, actually. He killed a good hour by talking to them and while that wasn't bad by any means, he feels as though social interaction is getting easier for him. Not that it's a bad thing, but he's never been the one to talk to people first. At least, not when he was-

'But I'm not him anymore.' He reminds himself, taking a deep breath before saying his farewells and leaving the building, gently pushing the doors open and closing them back. 'I don't have to be, and he knows that too.' Some part of him feels like this inherent fear was born out of having too many similar traits to his creator-dad, but if he looks at himself, they're nothing like each other.
Is this what introspection is? Stratobloxxer is sure he's doing that right now, even if he doesn't want to.

His legs are still moving him to where he needs to go though, so he doesn't mind being on 'autopilot' all that much. Leaves him more time with his thoughts, which is a double-edged sword he's failed to wield time and time again, but still holds onto because he wants to get it right this time.
Stratobloxxer only snaps out of it after he finds himself in front of a familiar apartment door, raising a hand to knock on it twice.

It takes a little while for any response to come out, but when it finally does open, he sees Peppermint with their shoulders squared, only to relax when he comes into view.

"I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU WOULD SHOW UP." They say, quickly ushering him into the apartment. Placing his guitar case by one of the chairs, he lounges on the couch with Peppermint, resting his head in their lap. "I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHY YOU DO THIS."
He thinks about it for a moment before looking up at them. "You're comfy."

Peppermint squints, disbelieving. "I'M MADE OF METAL."
"Still comfy to me."

[ Witches Brew ]

Working at JORRT became easier every passing day, since he wasn't half-bad at interacting with demons as he was with people. At the very least, he knew demons wouldn't have a reason to be touchy with him out of nowhere, considering how that was pretty impractical in a work setting like this one.
The day goes by slowly, but he supposes it isn't so bad. He should try making friends like Bloxy, even if he doesn't actually interact with them outside of work. Good co-worker relations are a stepping stone to getting a promotion, probably.

There's not much to talk about at work besides the constant smell of fragrant soup- which he doesn't mind, considering he's already gotten used to it. Still, things could be a little better, but he's not about to complain since work was work, and he wasn't really paid to bite back.
Recalling his break, he remembers opening up the little lunch bag his boyfriend had packed him. Even though it was a little later than he would wake up, he still put in the effort to make a good lunch for his boyfriend. Even going so far as to give him a kiss on the forehead before having to rush off to Pink Parlor.

Soon, he had to clock out. Changing into his regular clothes (because Bloxy insisted he should bring spares, for some reason) before exiting the building, only to feel a pair of arms wrapping around his back. He would've hit them had he not recognized the way those arms just settled around the middle of his body.
"Really?" He says, gently placing a hand on one of his boyfriend's own. "You coulda given me a heart attack, there."

"From just this? I expected you to pay more attention to your surroundings."

He rolled his eyes, gently prying his arms off of him as he turned around, seeing him in regular clothing too. Something told him this wouldn't be their usual walk home. "Are we goin' somewhere?"
From the look in his eyes, he would've thought he told Bloxy they'd won a million bux. "Yeah we are! Somewhere special, I promise."

Wordlessly, he followed along. He's not quite sure where they were going, but if it's anywhere run by him, Brew was sure he'd be just fine. They managed to take a bus to Thieves' Den just as it was about to leave, with his boyfriend practically hugging his arm through the whole walk leading up to the ride.
When it was time for them to get off, they were one of the first out the entrance. Bloxy wasn't exactly rushing by any means, but he seemed pretty excited.

"Is this your way of taking me out on a date without me saying no?" He joked, grinning when his boyfriend pouted up at him. "It's not like I didn't want you to say no! I just thought it'd be really nice to go to a place that's special to us- one way or another."
He tilted his head a little, still walking in the direction they were going. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see when we get there, I promise. Let me spoil you this time around, got it?"

Not like he could really reject an offer like that. Soon, they had stopped by a building with a large sign at the top of the entrance reading 'Wildwood Tea House', and he looked back at Bloxy with wide eyes, seeing the stupid-looking grin on his face as he realizes where exactly they are.

"You are.. So romantic. How did I end up with you?" Brew asks, knowing he'd laugh and brush it off as they entered the place, looking around and seeing how everything was near-identical to the game they used to play together- Tea Time. They'd gone on dates there before, always managing to eat a large amount of food since they didn't really need to pay.
There weren't too many people around, so the two could likely get a booth for themselves, and they did!

Bloxy had insisted him to stay at the table as he got their food and drinks, and he almost feels bad letting him pay for everything before remembering he wants to do this, and his heart just melts.

[ Peppermint ]

A lot had happened during the time their roommates were gone. For one, they left the apartment out of their own volition because Stratobloxxer wanted them to come by his place to check it out. They ended up dressing in his clothing because they were the same height and shared a similar enough build, which..
They didn't know much about stuff like this, but wearing another demon's clothing feels intimate.

But maybe he just wanted to give them clothes! Yeah, yeah. That's probably just it. They shouldn't overthink it too much unless they overestimated their own relations with him, which they didn't want to do in the slightest bit, partly out of fear and partly because they still didn't understand how feelings worked.
Right now, they were hanging out at the park. With them occasionally watching the birds in the sky while Stratobloxxer rambled about his gear.

Somehow, they managed to transition that into Peppermint listening to one of the songs they remember him playing in Bloxy's room. They couldn't translate the lyrics since whatever he was speaking wasn't any language registered in their database, but they could recall Mundo being 'world'.

"I NEVER DID GET AROUND TO WATCHING THAT VIDEO OF YOURS, EVEN IF I REALLY WANTED TO." They said, although.. Admitting it kind of hurt? No, it made them feel.. Something. Nervousness? Embarrassment? They'll settle for the latter.
Stratobloxxer just shrugs, giving them an easygoing smile. "It's fine. You want a quick rundown of the song?"

They nodded, and he went on to explain on how it was basically a love song, and by the sound of the translation he gave them, the original singer seemed to like somebody a lot to have to dedicate a song to them.

"One of the idioms the singers used was 'you'll be my world', or- if you wanna take it by translation alone, 'my world will become you', which is kinda the same but not really?" He says, scratching the back of his neck. "It's hard trying to recall bits and pieces of it considering I haven't found much of a reason to speak it, see?"

They simply nodded along, hanging onto his words- in the metaphorical sense, of course. The more they talked (well, the more he talked), the more the world around them seemed to just disappear. They didn't realize this until after he stopped talking, looking at a wayward figure off in the distance.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" They asked, watching as he made a vague hand gesture in the direction he was looking at. Following his gaze, they saw Skateboard and Boombox talking to each other. "I ASSUME YOU KNOW THEM BECAUSE YOU'RE FROM BLOXY."

"You've got that right. The problem is, they don't know me." He says, sounding conflicted. "I don't know what I should do right now. I mean, introducing myself could be a 50/50 on if they feel like my vibe's right."

Now while they had no idea what that meant exactly, they did their best to try and comfort him. "IT'S BETTER THAN NOT TRYING AT ALL, STRATOBLOXXER. GO AND MAKE YOURSELF A FEW FRIENDS."
He gave them a thumbs up and got up, bringing them into a surprise hug before he went off to the pair, and they watched as he interacted with them, almost to a frighteningly casual degree.

And while they didn't know it yet, some part of them trembled inside.

[ Bloxy Cola ]

"You're the cutest." His boyfriend says, taking a spoon of ice cream from his bowl and gently putting it into his mouth so he wouldn't retort. Not like he would've, considering he's quite literally being spoon fed vanilla ice cream, but still. He tried to shake his head in response, only for Brew to hold his chin in place.
"Nuh-uh. No objections."

He grumbled, but as long as Brew kept this up, it wouldn't mean much. "Be glad I'm feeling nice today." Bloxy could see the way he looked at him as if he didn't know that already.
"You've taken me out on a date, and you're paying for it. Of course I'm gonna treat you like this, sweetie."
At that, he folded a little. Even if they teased each other, a pet name was enough to bring either of them back to being all soft. "Is that gonna stop when we get home?"

"Oh, you don't wanna know what's gonna happen when we get home." Brew said, prompting him to look up at him with wide eyes. His face started heating up, and he tried to cover it before his boyfriend noticed, turning away and putting an arm over his mouth.
"You can't just say stuff like that in public!" He says, the blush on his cheeks growing even more prominent as the other laughed.

"I can't? 'Cause it seems like you're letting me, right now." He teased, prying Bloxy's arms away from his face to give him another spoonful of ice cream. "Besides, you like it."
He finished the food in his mouth before speaking this time, unable to think of a response to that- mostly because Brew is completely right. "Shut up."

"Believe me, I will."

His face heated up again as he lowered his face towards the table, with his boyfriend's laugh not at all helping with the situation. "You have no shame, Brew!"
"I could say the same to you!" He retorted. "You'd show me off to a crowd of people if you could, don't even lie."

"Okay, well, that's a given. But I'm not about to joke about doing obscene stuff like that!" He said, momentarily removing himself from the table only to get another spoonful of food in his mouth, chewing slowly as Brew started talking again.
"What, like horn tapping? We've been doing that every day since you told me, honey. And I don't care what people say, you're my boyfriend, and if you like it, who am I to reject that?"

Deities above, this man was going to kill him. He thinks to himself. "I can't win with you, can I?"

"Only if I let you." Brew replied, laughing (and potentially interrupting other patrons) as Bloxy blocked his face off, again.

"Thanks for taking me out, by the way." His boyfriend would say, smiling down at him. "I think we both needed that."
Once again, he was hugging his arm. It felt comforting to him, so he decided to stick with it. Felt better than just holding hands with him right now.

"You know I'd do anything for you, right?" He asked, looking up at him. "You mean everything to me."
Brew stared down at him with a fond expression. "Of course. The same goes for you."

"I can't believe we're getting sappy in Thieves' Den." He commented. "You think we should skip dinner tonight? I think we had enough food there."
"Your choice, sweetie. I'm fine with cooking dinner if you want." He frowned at that, and he was sure his boyfriend saw.

"Mm, we can talk about it more at home, can't we?"

"Yeah, we can."

[ Peppermint ]

It had been around an hour after they had gotten home, and they were still in the clothes Stratobloxxer had given them. It was just a simple outfit by all means, but it meant so much more to them than that. At the same time, they couldn't figure out why. They were pulled away from their thoughts as the door creaked open, and if they would've gone on the defensive if they didn't see Bloxy dragging Brew inside.

"WELCOME BACK, LOVEDOVES. HOW WAS YOUR DAY?" They asked, amused at the way their roommate rolled his eyes as Brew went straight to their room.

His friend soon came by the couch they were sitting on, relaxing into the comfortable surface. "We had a good time! Went to Wildwood Tea House, you know the one, right?"

"AH. A DATE?" Seeing the way Bloxy nodded, they had to stop themselves from thinking about anything else besides the fact their friend just came back from a successful date. 
He grinned, and they didn't know why it felt so off-putting until he spoke. "It looks like you've been on one yourself, I know those clothes aren't ours."

Lord Darkheart, they've been found out!

"I CAN ASSURE YOU I-"

"Mint, I don't care if you left the fort unattended for a while! That's what normal people do when their apartment's empty! I'm more impressed you managed to bring yourself outta the apartment on your own!"
They debated on telling him about their day before realizing he would've found out regardless. "STRATOBLOXXER HELPED."

Bloxy gasped. "What? Oh goodness me, what'd you two do all day?"
They didn't know why, but that feeling of embarrassment started creeping up on them again. "WE.. 'HUNG OUT' AT THE PARK. HE TALKED TO BOOMBOX AND SKATEBOARD, THERE."

All he did was nod, but they felt like they were being scrutinized.

"Mm.. If you say so, Peppermint."
While they couldn't properly display emotion, they put on their best 'worried' look, because they were worried. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN."

He doesn't respond, only going to his room and smiling at them ominously.

"BLOXY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN."

Something tells them they won't get anywhere with that..

Chapter Text

[ YOUTUBE ]

E.R. - rises the moon | lyric video

21,349 views - Sept 8, 201X

rises the moon by emergency rations.
originally on her 'recently' album ...more

7,980 △ Likes   178 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🌸 another time another place

3,484 subscribers

 🛹 88byte skate

a lyric video?? never thought i'd see it in a million years!!

🌸 another time another place

aw cmon 88byte skate. i'll go back to uploading mvs soon

🛹 88byte skate

I can't catch a break man

🎫 tickt2hell

dude all you gotta do is ask them to post lyric videos its not that hard

 ✨ Shiny_gems

this is incredibly relaxing hello?? i wonder what faction the creator's from

🎻 musicclovr_16034

My bet's on Lost Temple.

🎼 sunlit_ode

nah it's gotta be Thieves' Den

✨ Shiny_gems

guys why is this a debate now

🌸 another time another place

from what i could gather from the archive, emergency rations was actually from crossroads! they took up music after an incident which was never fully explained. hope that provides some insight on things!

 🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

This is interesting! I expected more from Troweler but to put a new artist in the spotlight so soon (even if these are archived) does provide more variety! This sounds more akin to a lullaby from Thieves' Den, but it lacks that sort of.. Flair? That Thieves' Den music typically has. I'm not quite sure how to pinpoint it myself when I nearly fell asleep from listening to it at first!

🌸 another time another place

thank you for listening again :] you and everyone else's support means a lot to the archive, meaning i can keep posting for you all

🔊 xxLoudSpeakerxx

Of course, OP!! Keep up the good work!

🌸 another time another place

believe me, i will!

 🎨 PaintIsPain

This is my new comfort song. It has that sweet, melancholic vibes that other songs try to capture but never fully seem to do so, somehow? Amazing work, OP.

🌸 another time another place

i only try to help! emergency rations' music should be shared with more people after all :] its a shame she had to take it down

🎨 PaintIsPain

She didn't want to in the first place?

🌸 another time another place

something was certainly stopping her from it! she had to delete all her stuff before completely vanishing off the face of the internet

🎨 PaintIsPain

That has some disturbing implications..

 ⛸ Iceeskaterzz

This is so bittersweet what?? I feel like i've shoved a peppermint into my mouth and it's being all sweet to me for some reason

🌸 another time another place

aside from the peppermint thing, i'm pretty sure it's meant to emulate that feeling!

⛸ Iceeskaterzz

damn

[ Bloxy Cola ]

"Your little archive's getting popular, y'know." Brew commented, staring at his laptop screen with intrigue. "You think you'll give them more stuff from Earth that isn't just music? Maybe like uh- somethin' small.. Maybe like a cardboard soda machine?" He says, paying attention to the way Cola seems to consider the idea.

"Nah. They'll freak out once they see the light-orange hand. Can't risk stuff like that, I think. That's why I stick to lyric videos, get me?" His boyfriend simply nodded, sitting a little too close to him. If he just lowered himself a little more, their horns would be touching, which he didn't care too much about seeing as it was basically their alternative to hand-holding, but right now, they were surrounded by demons.

Where are they? Good question! One of Blackrock's malls, of course. Sure they were getting glares from time to time (mainly because of him, did other demons think he was from another faction?) but Brew just glared back at them with even more venom, only to look back at him with adoration in his eyes, probably hoping to convince him into buying something for themselves.
Bloxy had become a lot more stingy ever since he got the bike, and more after the cooler purchase, but he did end up using it. He's just hoping his bike doesn't get nicked since it was parked outside of the mall, but this was Blackrock, so they probably had crime laws. Probably.

"We should get boba, if they even have it here." Brew comments, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and actually sitting down. "It'd be tasty. And we can share."

He looks at his boyfriend with this half-tired and half-amused expression, and he knows damn well other demons won't actually focus on him since he's so 'bottom of the barrel' looking. Plus, his gear wouldn't be that strong in their eyes, making him too easy to pick on.
Speaking of his gear, he's actually been taking time to practice with it. Bloxy's managed to do some cool things with it, including drenching an entire spot of ground with just cola. Might sound useless, but if he could drench an attacker, or even use it to get out of situations where he couldn't run from, then it's not all that useless!

"Whatever ya want, Brew. We get paid weekly, don't we? We might as well spoil ourselves." But it doesn't hurt his Bux count if he spoiled his lover once in a while. Granted, the date they had on Saturday could count as that, but he just wanted to see that grin on his face. And he did!

Some part of him thinks that other demons are looking on and he should be embarrassed, but why should he care what they think? Bloxy's out here living his best life, he couldn't give a shit if some rando decided to square up with him about being affectionate with his own boyfriend, for SFOTH's sake.

Soon, he tore his gaze away from his laptop, it functioned kind of like a Chromebook from back home, so it shut down quickly. Carefully placing it in his bag, they both got up to look for one of those boba kiosks. Bloxy didn't have that much hope in finding one, but when they did, Brew gave him that smug look of 'see? totally worth it.' before he took out his own wallet and started rifling through it.

"Wait, you're paying?" He asks, looking up at his boyfriend. "I thought I was gonna be the one doing it, since, y'know.." He makes a vague hand gesture, much to the other's confusion.

Brew takes out twenty bux and asks whoever's running the kiosk for some chocolate boba, before turning his attention to Bloxy. "Nope. I'm gonna be spoiling you this time, okay? You deserve it, anyway."
"You're such a softie, I love you." He says, giggling at the look his boyfriend gave him before he got their drink, gently handing it to them so he'd take the first sip. 

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too."

Meanwhile..

[ Peppermint ]

They were out with Stratobloxxer again, seeing as how staying in the apartment all day got boring. By the time he had come over and knocked on the door, they were still in his clothes, which didn't exactly feel right to take off. Peppermint shuddered at all those times they were previously 'naked' and operating in public. They wonder how they managed to function like that.
The shoes on their feet didn't feel normal quite yet, but he told them they'd get used to it soon enough. It felt better than scraping their metal on concrete, even if they wouldn't get scratches from it.

Right now, they were window shopping, and while the concept was foreign to them, they quickly adjusted seeing as how easy it was to do, and it didn't take up massive amounts of energy. "THIS IS A FREQUENT THING DEMONS DO?"
"I'd say pretty frequent, yeah." Strat comments, 'ooh'-ing at a guitar he saw beyond a music store window. "Looks nice. Would buy it if I didn't have my own."

Before he left the apartment to be on his own, he used to instruct them on how to play it. They were good enough, managing to play a simple melody within a few minutes, but it didn't quite feel right with their claws. Civilian models only really got one laser sword which Blackrock definitely thought was enough to defend any regular demon, so they were more used to that.
But music wasn't like fighting. Playing an instrument wasn't like fighting, and it was refreshing, yet odd at times. Nonetheless, they got used to it quickly.

Snapping back to reality, they asked, "WHAT ABOUT YOUR BUX?" Tilting their head. Following his gaze, the electric guitar he had his eyes on did look nice, if a bit too fancy for him. "IT HASN'T RUN OUT YET, I HOPE?" They saw the way Stratobloxxer tensed slightly, and their optics narrowed in concern.
"About that, see-" Stratobloxxer then proceeded to explain how clothes just kind of appeared out of nowhere for him, and how his entire kitchen did the same. It perplexed them, and they could tell he was just as confused as they were.

"SO YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS HAPPENED?" They asked as they continued walking around Crossroads, not too keen on exploring the other factions just yet. "SEEMS LIKE PARANORMAL BEHAVIOR. MIGHT BE A RESULT OF GHOSTWALKER TAKING SOME TIME OFF." They jokingly commented, before stopping in their tracks and looking around, as if the deity would just pop out of nowhere.

"Yeah, but that would mean he's not doin' his job.. Ghostwalker would never slack off, Mint. It's just not like him." He says, seemingly deep in thought, yet still paying attention to what was in front of him. "As a deity, you can't really afford to do something like that, you know."

"PERHAPS YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT WE ALL DESERVE BREAKS." They say. "DARKHEART WOULD KNOW." 
Stratobloxxer squinted past his shades, lifting them a little. "Would he, now?"

His eyes were a striking blue, contrasting his outfit by a mile. Perhaps that's why he keeps them behind those shades all the time, even if he did look good without them regardless. "Huh. Well, guess we all need our rest, don't we?" They simply nodded, continuing to walk alongside him before they stopped in front of a large window.

Stratobloxxer nearly leaves them behind before he notices they've stopped, and he sees them looking at a fancy drum set that was on display, and while their eyes couldn't exactly 'glow', there was certainly a different glint in their optics just from the way they focused on it.

"Something got your eye, Peppermint?" He asks, nearing them to lean against their stiff figure. 

They whipped their head back around to Stratobloxxer, looking slightly alarmed. "IT JUST CAUGHT MY EYE. NOTHING MORE." They got the sense that he didn't believe that with the way he was looking at them, but they didn't want to burden him with anything.
"Uh-huh, sure. I think I'll buy it for you when I get the Bux for it." He comments, alarming them even more.

"STRATOBLOXXER, DO NOT SPEND BUX ON ME, YOU DO NOT NEED-" Some part of them is reminded of Bloxy, in the sense that they had to stop him from doing something stupid that won't even benefit himself, but somebody else. "TO GET IT FOR ME. BESIDES, YOU NEED TO SAVE IT. GET SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF."
"Well, I am!" He says, looking at them with a grin. "I'm getting something for you, which makes me, happy!"

They paused, processing that sentence and doing that slow turn head motion a character would do in a show after somebody says something stupid. "WHAT?"
"If I make you happy, then I'm already getting somethin' for myself. Your happiness. Get me?" Strat says, clearly oblivious to them slightly overheating in his vicinity. "I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PLACE IT IN THE APARTMENT-"

"Then it'll be in mine, okay? Don't worry about it. 'Sides, Bloxy would totally let you visit any day, I'd know." He remarks, tapping his temple with one of his fingers. "Remember?"

Peppermint looked at him with.. Something. They still couldn't figure it out, but it made them feel some type of way. Warm, but not hot. Now they're starting to wonder if demons actually went through this or if it was just them alone. It'd comfort them to know this has happened before, at least then they wouldn't be alone in it.

"YES, YES. I KNOW. BUT YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT UNTIL YOU'RE SURE YOU CAN, ALRIGHT?"
Stratobloxxer laughed, and fished out his wallet from one of his pant pockets. "You can check my wallet if you'd like.." He trailed off, looking at the object in his hands with an odd expression. "IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT?" They ask, squinting at it.

"No, no, it's just, it looks like there's more Bux in here. Like, way more." He checks his wallet, counting his Bux underneath his breath as they watched. Eventually, he stopped, confused. "Huh. That's like, enough to afford that drum set and next week's groceries. Sweet.."
"SHOULDN'T THAT BE WORRYING?" They comment, crossing their arms. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHO PLACED THOSE THERE. YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL WITH SPONTANEOUSLY APPEARING BUX." They had closed their optics for that last part before feeling Strat leaving their side, causing them to open their eyes again.

"I'm getting you that drum set, hold on." He says, walking into the music store selling it before they could say anything else.

"STRATOBLOXXER!"

The surrounding demons probably thought it was oddly funny, the way they had rushed in after him.

[ Witches Brew ]

Life really couldn't get any better. Besides the fact he died not even a month ago, he's glad he's at least here with somebody he loves and appreciates. Nothing could possibly go wrong on their way home, was what he would say if he wanted to jinx it, that is. Stepping down from the bus, he held Bloxy's hand as he got off as well, laughing at the way he nearly jumped off.
"Careful there, c'mon. Wouldn't wanna have any accidents, right?"

His boyfriend laughed nervously, holding onto him with an oddly tight grip. "Yeah, yeah.. Sorry about that, got a little nervous there." Brew could understand that, the steps of a Blackrock bus were somewhat higher than a Playground bus, or maybe the design was just slightly different? He didn't really care, as long as his boyfriend was safe.
"Let's get ourselves home, I think we deserve to relax before work tomorrow." Bloxy nodded, holding onto his hand as they trudged forward. They didn't talk much throughout the first few minutes, relaxing in each other's presence before Crossroads soon came into view.

Then came the small talk, mostly about what they'll do after work tomorrow, or what they'll have for dinner. He was in the middle of listening to his boyfriend talk about eggs before he bumped into somebody, a sharp pain momentarily coursing through his body before he looked up, having to stop himself from staring at Subspace Tripmine.

'Oh shit. That's not good.' Brew thought, trying to come up with something that wouldn't get him or Bloxy (who was currently at his side trying to cradle the part of his body that Subspace bumped into) harmed. Unfortunately, quick thinking in a situation like this was near impossible, so what'd he do?
"Watch where you're going, shithead!" He barked, putting on a tough façade, hoping to mask the pain he just went through seconds ago. "Gods damn it.." 

"Do you even know who you're talking to?!" Subspace shrieked, much to the other three's ire. He could just hear the way Bloxy sharply inhale, knowing this was a situation they needed to get out of as fast as they feasibly can without compromising their safety in the process.
He's really glad Stratobloxxer accompanied Peppermint that morning, otherwise they would've witnessed this mess.

"Yeah?! Some old fart who's got half a brain to bump into the next demon he's seeing is what's in front of me!" This was the dumbest thing he could probably say right now, but it's not like he was getting his shit rocked yet, which is a miracle. "The fuck were you thinking?"

He was banking on the fact Hyperlaser would tell Subspace that he wasn't worth getting mad at, and that the former would tell him that 'it's just some stupid kid, get over it.' or something to that effect. But the longer he remains silent, the more uneasy Brew gets. 'Come on! Just say it! You don't get paid enough to deal with his bullshit-'

"HYPERLASER! Dispose of this vermin!!" He shrieks to the older man beside him, who simply looks at him with what he can only assume is a tired expression behind his helmet. 

"With all due respect.." 'Which is none.' He mentally supplies, crossing his arms and putting on a bored expression. "This is a.. Worthless effort. Not worth my time or yours." He analyzes, or does his best to at least, Subspace's expression as it shifted from mild to growing anger.
"I hired you for this type of thing!! I do not pay you for back talk like this!!" He says, which doesn't faze his co-worker in the process.

"I'm not on the clock. Also, this wouldn't look good for either of us. You know better than this."
Hyperlaser already started walking away, much to Subspace's irritation as he followed after the other man, yelling about something that he couldn't care less about as the reality of the situation sunk in.


".. Holy shit-" Bloxy moved as fast as he could to prevent him from falling just after realizing he did whatever he just did, and started borderline dragging him back home. "I- You're not mad at me, are y-"

His boyfriend quickly shushed him. "Not right now. Not until we're home, okay? You did just fine, let's go." He made no objections as they went onward, the walk taking a little too long in his opinion, and made even worse when he realized he still had to go up a few flights of stairs. Thankfully, Brew pushed through enough, but he still crashed onto the couch when they finally went inside.

"Y'know what? We're gonna have a nice dinner, as a treat." Bloxy says, grinning at him. "We both deserve it. I'll make extra if Strat decides to come over this time."

"I think I just pissed off the head of Blackrock's robotics division.." He whispered under his breath, trying his best to relax on the soft couch.

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Busying himself with ingredients, pots, and pans, a ringing soon came to his phone. He rolled his eyes a bit before getting it and checking the caller ID, seeing it was Fruitcake. Why was his boss calling him now, of all times?

Wordlessly, he picked up, clearing his throat before being interrupted. "Bloxy! Hey, kiddo, higher-ups decided we're eligible enough to get a delivery service! How cool is that?" He blinked twice, trying to process that. Well, he did, but something else concerned him.
"Boss, I can't drive." He says, trying to balance his phone between the junction of his neck and face, made harder by the presence of his horns. Sometimes, he can forget he can't do all the things a human can. "Isn't that the one thing necessary for delivery duty?"

"Aw, don't sweat it! You'll learn!" Bloxy blinks again, trying to figure out if it was a joke or not. "But boss, it's not like I have a driver's-"

"You'll get one! I'll make sure of it, okay? Okay! Don't worry! Most of your other co-workers are becoming delivery drivers, so it won't be just you doing it, alright?"

He didn't like the sound of that, but what could he do?

"Sounds good, boss. See you tomorrow!" He said cheerfully, already fearing the impending doom that would come from this decision. 

"See ya, kid! And hey! Feel free to show up a little late, my treat." And, they hung up.

.. He really had to go back to finishing dinner. Tomorrow was not going to be good.
Or maybe he's just being pessimistic. Yeah. Maybe all it takes is a little faith.

At least dinner's there to comfort him, for now.

Chapter Text

That night...

[ Stratobloxxer ]

He wakes up in a cold sweat, sitting up in bed as his heavy breathing didn't exactly do much to help him in that moment. Shucking off his blankets, he gets up to walk to the bathroom across the hall. The entire apartment doesn't exactly feel right to him just yet, maybe he'll get Bloxy to upload some of the Feng Shui guy's videos, unlisted, of course. Would help him feel more at home.
But he pushes that thought aside as he turns on the lights in his bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror and wondering what he just saw minutes before.

Well, it was another dream. Usually he'd forget about it within minutes, but this one seared itself into his head like a bad memory, and it might just become one if he doesn't face it right now. The dream-

Stratobloxxer was with his parents, holding onto their hands tightly as they walked through the streets of Crossroads. But there was something off, he swore there were only the three of them, so, why does the hand he's holding onto next to him feel so small? Like its somebody else's?
Memories, for him, are too hazy to look through when he's all awake, as that's the time he's most focused on living his day-to-day life, but he can't escape them here. Not unless he knew how to.

Hesitantly, he looks to his right, seeing a smaller demon holding onto his hand. Looking down at their intertwined fingers, he can't really control his dream self's senses, otherwise, he would've let go seeing who was beside him. He truly couldn't see their face, obscured by a black censor box, which definitely falls into one of the weirdest things he's seen, dream or not.

"Strat? What are you looking at?" They  She called out, and from the way the box moved, it looked like she tilted her head. "C'mon, focus on walking so we can eat! I'm hungry." And for some reason, he doesn't find himself so alarmed anymore. He feels almost.. Calm. Like this was normal. But it couldn't be. It was only him and his dads- Red Rock Star Guitar and Smashing Guitar. He remembers their name clear as day.
But who was she?

"Don't get too impatient now. You two won't be getting any dessert if you keep this up, Pinkie." He hears himself gasp at his father's statement, and his sister (?) does so too, probably keeping her lips tightly shut together after that.
He hears a scoff from his papa, looking up to see his face- thankfully unobscured by the black box his sister's face was covered by. "That's not a very nice thing to say to our kids, Red. Say sorry."

"But I'm right! Dessert's for good kids!" His father retorted, and Stratobloxxer hears himself laugh, but it's not really him laughing, it's his younger self. Did his parents do this often?
'Of course they did.' He tells himself, answering his own question in seconds flat. 'That's how they showed love to each other,' He thought to himself. 'But I don't do that. Not like them, not anymore.'
He confuses himself with that statement too, does he remember being like this with somebody else?

And a part himself screams out with a reverberating 'yes', and there's something in the back of his head, an ache? He couldn't tell. Not when he was seeing so many things and (re?)experiencing his own memories within his sleep.
He pauses, remembering this was a dream and all of it could just be forgotten within minutes of him waking up. But he doesn't want to wake up, he wants to stay with his family, he wants his family-

"Brother? What's wrong?" His sister tilts her head, looking at him, or so he assumes. "Are you okay? Your eyes are getting teary."
Stratobloxxer wants his dream self to stop moving, but his legs keep carrying him along, or maybe it was just his father and sister holding onto him, keeping him going forward even if he's stopped.

"I'm okay." He hears himself say, but he doesn't feel like it. He misses them. He misses his dads. "I'm just happy. These are happy tears!" He sounds so much more youthful. Well, it'd make sense, he's a kid, at least in this memory, he is. 

"Sweetie, you don't have to lie if you're feeling bad." He hears his papa say, and the four of them stop as Red Rock reaches over to gingerly pet his head, and his horns feel noticeably smaller. He supposed that's why his head doesn't feel so heavy, here. "You can tell us anything, Stratobloxxer."
Tears gather at the corners of his eyes as he starts sniffling, and he feels his sister slowly embrace him, while his father lets go of his hand to kneel down beside him. "Cheer up, sport! You got a high mark on your test this week! Isn't that somethin' to be happy about?"

"Smashing, his life isn't all about grades. You still have to teach him how to play his own guitar this weekend, remember?" Red chides, and his dads start getting into a really deep discussion about their gears as he hugs his sister, the world around them seeming to dissolve.
"It's okay." She says, and he doesn't know why, but more tears start coming out of his eyes. Why can't he stop crying? "We're all here for you."

And he feels himself hug her back.


Stratobloxxer snaps out of it, looking at himself in the mirror. Tears are streaming down his cheeks, and his expression quickly sours at how he looks as he tries to wipe them away, but it still doesn't stop the stream.
Slowly, he tries to calm his breathing, and the urge to cry dies down from there. Then, a thought rings out in his head.

His sister..

"I can't.. Her name, what was it-" He stumbles out of his bathroom with an ache in his head, barely managing to wobble to the couch, crashing down onto the cushions below as he groans into his claws. "Her name, this can't be difficult, you've seen the Guitar series page of the Roblox wiki before, come on..!"
Clutching his head, he tries to think. He really does. And it takes a solid ten minutes of phasing in and out of focus before he finally figures it out.

And only one thing comes to his mind after he does so.

"I need to tell Bloxy."

[ Peppermint ]

There's a part of themselves that should be in disbelief because of this, and there is! But it's overshadowed by the concern in them as Stratobloxxer sits on the couch of the apartment. He came there mere hours after Bloxy Cola anxiously left, arm in arm with Witches Brew as he ranted off to him about how he's 'not ready to learn how to drive yet'  and how he's fearing for his life, while his boyfriend reassured him that he'd be fine and all he had to do was his best.

They could afford to pay attention to that once their friend stops frowning. They didn't know why, but the expression didn't suit him. "SO, TELL ME WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND." They say, hoping to ease his worries, even a little. They see him sigh, and they would've jumped to conclusions had he not responded near-immediately.

"I.. Had a dream, earlier today."

That alone was enough to warrant a head tilt from them, and they analyzed the way he took a deep breath before continuing. "I dreamt about my family. The one I don't have out here, but do have through my memories." They fell silent, hoping he'd say something else because they weren't all too familiar with 'family', seeing as how they were manufactured and distributed, and not necessarily born.
"DID SOMETHING HAPPEN WITH THEM?"

"No, no.. The dream was more simple, it was.." Stratobloxxer's hesitant, pausing before starting up again. "Me and my parents were walking through Crossroads, holding hands.. And-" He starts sniffling again, and they don't exactly know how to respond to it besides nearing him and gently petting his back, much like how they would act when Bloxy got upset.
It feels slightly uncomfortable, but this isn't about them. This is about him, and they should focus on making him feel better. It's the least they could do, seeing how the dream altered him in some way.

He calms down eventually, breathing steady once more. "But things were different. I.. I had a sister, I think? Yeah.." He trails off, and they wisely stay quiet knowing he has more to say. "I don't even.. I started crying. I can't even remember why I did, but I did, and it.." He stops again, probably trying to recall what he's supposed to say next. "My parents comforted me, obviously, but my sister hugged me, and I.."
"YOU MISS HER." They say, and as odd as it sounds to them, he nods in agreement.

"I do miss her." He confirms, turning his gaze away from their own. "But I don't know how to do that unless I.. Unless I-" They quickly connect the dots, and as bad as the idea sounds, they didn't want to keep seeing him sad. 
"ASK BLOXY TO BRING HER TO LIFE, LIKE HE DID WITH YOU?"

Stratobloxxer simply nodded, looking like a.. As Bloxy put it once, 'a sad couch potato' as he relaxed into the fabric below him. "But I don't want to force him to do anything he doesn't want to! He already had to take care of me before this, he can't possibly do it again when it comes to bringing my sister to life-"
"THEN SHE'LL LIVE WITH YOU, CAN'T SHE?" They suggest, making him stop and look at them with a look that made them think he didn't actually think of that beforehand. Oh well, they supposed he didn't need to be that smart if he was their friend. Bloxy wasn't, either, if they're being truthful.

"She.. She can, yeah! Then those two won't have to go through that again, and I can take care of her!" He laughs as he says it, and in that fleeting moment, they felt themselves smile too, even if it didn't appear on their face. "But- I don't even know if she'll have the same memories as me.. If she'll even.." A look of fear crosses his face. "Remember me."

"YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO WORRY ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT, STRATOBLOXXER." They say with full confidence, even if they themselves aren't sure of it either. "IF YOU TELL BLOXY ABOUT THIS LIKE YOU INITIALLY INTENDED, I'M SURE HE'LL.. PLAN ACCORDINGLY. LIKE HE DID WITH YOU."
His lips purse into a thin line as he thinks it over, soon splaying himself all over the couch while resting his head on their lap. They've grown familiar to the sensation at this point, and have even taken to placing one of their claws on his head.

"You don't think he'll be mad at me, right?" He asks, having that somber look on his face. They hated seeing it, but it was inevitable, seeing as how demons have to deal with their emotions in some way. "I could never live with myself if I pressured him into.. Doing what I want. He's not obligated to do that-"
"YOU ARE HIS RESPONSIBILITY." They say matter-of-factly. "HE BROUGHT YOU HERE, AND HE MUST TAKE CARE OF YOU. YES, YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, BUT IF THERE'S EVER SOMETHING YOU NEED, THE LEAST HE CAN DO IS CONSIDER IT."

Their friend hums beneath them, and they go back to petting his head languidly. Oddly enough, he leans into it. Maybe they're doing something for him, like this. "Thanks, Mint.. You're a great friend."
"I AM GLAD YOU THINK SO." A part of them beams at this, but another, they can't quite tell. "I AIM TO PLEASE."

"Well, know that you don't have to try too hard with me, okay?" He grins, and they use their free hand to reach for one of his. "You're getting real touchy, though. Not that I care too much."
It's good that he clarified that, seeing as how they would've distanced their hand as far as they could if he were uncomfortable. "WILL YOU TELL ME IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE BEING.." They struggle to find a word for it. "HELD?"

"Mhmm. Swear on it."

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He arrives home with his boyfriend barely holding onto him as his steps remain uneven. That driving test left more of an impact on him than he could've thought it would, but that was probably because he played apathetic up until he actually got called up to test his driving. At least his driving instructor seemed to like his attitude?
All things considered, he actually did well. He even received his license! There weren't many demons in the Inpherno that could drive- he learned, so perhaps.. If he just.. Looked up videos on how to drive better on Earth-YouTube, he could become the best darn driver here!

"Thanks for doing this, Brew, I- ow-" He tripped himself up on the stairs again, groaning slightly. "Gods, that fucked me up for sure.." His boyfriend wordlessly helps him up the stairs again, with a kind of gentleness he most certainly wouldn't get from any other demon in this place.
"Hey, at least you passed, right?" Brew replies, letting Bloxy adjust before they finally start walking to their shared apartment. "I think that counts for celebration."

"Absolutely! We'll have something real nice tonight, to commemorate my new drivers' license!" He wondered how he even managed to get it considering, from what he remembers on Earth, he'd need an ID. But when he checked his wallet, he saw that he already had one? He didn't question it, knowing things were bound to happen considering he wasn't from this world in the first place.
His boyfriend rolled his eyes fondly, knocking on their apartment door twice (to alert Peppermint, so they wouldn't go on the defensive) before opening it up.

"Oh!" He exclaims, stepping inside the apartment and taking off his shoes- having grown used to it, as Bloxy often ended up doing the same. Brew could just barely see Stratobloxxer, leaning against the balcony railing. "Hey, sweets, Strat's here."
"Really? What a nice surprise! The stars are just aligning, aren't they?" They flash a grin to each other as they go further into their apartment, with Bloxy giving Peppermint a slight wave before opening the door out to where he's standing, only facing his back at the moment.

"Did you come over for dinner, Strat? I was just about to-"
"Not really, no." He's cut off, and he takes the time to pause before nearing the railing as well, mimicking his stance as he looks out to the horizon before them. "Sorry if that sounded mean. I just-" He doesn't need to turn his head to know that the other is mulling over something in his own head, and in a way, Bloxy understood that. He's done it before, after all.

"You're going through something, and you're here to tell me, right?" He remarks, taking a quick glance and seeing him nod. "No shame here, tell me what you're thinking about." Stratobloxxer hesitates, clearly, but he doesn't pressure him at all. He needs to take his time, and if Bloxy said something now, he might have second thoughts.

"I had a memory come to me. In a dream." He finally says, still looking out into the scenery. "It was.. Of me and my family." Bloxy stills, and turns his head to look at him. He doesn't know the full extent of what his friend just went through, but it must've been painful, considering he didn't exactly make Strat with any memories in mind besides his love for music.

"And my sister." He adds, seeming to grip the railing tighter. Stratobloxxer tells him what he went through in the dream, while the younger stays quiet, occasionally nodding when he stopped, and humming at some parts. Internally, he's going through a crisis, feeling all sorts of emotions from just this interaction alone.
Obviously, he feels like shit. His pseudo-son just told him he had flashbacks of a family that he never intended for Strat to have! This wasn't within any of his plans! He's not even sure if he could think of something like this!

When he finally stopped talking, Bloxy thought it was an appropriate start for him to speak, before Stratobloxxer said one more thing.

"I was hoping you could do the same thing for her, and.. Use the Quantum Entangler, again. Please."

He freezes, and his thoughts go blank within seconds. Before flooding once again with all those emotions that he's trying to keep under wraps, unless he overwhelmed the older of the two of them, which he didn't want to do in the slightest. On one hand, he absolutely could use the gear again, but he'd be running the risk of doing this exact type of thing, again. 
Bloxy's already done this with Stratobloxxer, even if he didn't fully intend to do so. He isn't sure how to feel about doing it again.

"Strat-"

"Please." There's this desperation in his voice that makes him want to curl up and stew away on the couch. He doesn't like feeling guilty, that 'icky' feeling of disgust towards himself for doing something bad. And considering this situation, he's feeling a lot of that guilt. He's sure it's deserved, too. "You don't have to bring my dads, I just want my sister."

There's this conflict going on inside of him on whether or not he should do what Stratobloxxer is asking for. On one hand, he'll have his sister, and he'll be happy. But he thinks again, what if something goes wrong? What if she's not happy with him? What if he screws up midway through the process of it all and completely fuck it up? "I-"

"I'll give you everything I remember about her- everything I've remembered over the past few hours, anyway." He says, already starting to sound frazzled, if he wasn't already. "Everything I can give, I will. So long as I can see her again, please."

An ache in his heart starts up at that. If there's even the slimmest chance she doesn't remember him or the fact they're siblings, then it'd crush him. But there's no set odds. Bloxy can just try it out, and hope things will be okay. And since he's got something to work with, in the form of Stratobloxxer..

"I'll do it."
Bloxy turns to look at him but barely has a chance to as he's wrapped in a hug, and he spares no time hugging back. They both need this, if the way their grip around each other was like iron was anything to comment on. Both of them end up crying from this interaction too, the weight of his own actions hitting him like a train, and Stratobloxxer's relief at the fact he agreed to do it.

Pulling away from the hug, he starts to speak again. "It doesn't have to be today, I know you-"

"Tomorrow, Strat." He says with confidence, looking up at him with this determination in his eyes. "After work. I promise you."
He ends up being dragged into another hug, and the two end up staying out on the balcony until Bloxy actually had to go back inside to cook dinner- with him staying over for the food considering he was already there.

Before he left the apartment that night, he took in the other two in the apartment for a hug. Thanking them for no reason in particular. (Well, at least for Brew). As he accompanied Strat downstairs, the two didn't share a word and decided to keep the comfortable silence.

It was only until they were out of the apartment building that he had said anything, looking down at Bloxy with a grateful expression.

"Thank you so much."

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

He really didn't know how to mentally prepare himself to make another 'kid', so he decided not to do that and instead develop her 'lore', to flesh her out more than her brother, for his sake and her own. Stratobloxxer gave him more than enough to work with in terms of what he remembers about her, so it'll be easier to make her, he thinks.
In a way, this was great for his creativity! In another, he'll literally making life using the Quantum Entangler, so he has to be careful. If he gives her any bad life experiences, he runs the risk of having her hate him, and he doesn't want that.

The same could be said for his other original characters that he made for Phighting!, but he doesn't intend on bringing them to life, mostly because he'd rather have them stay happy in their own little safe spaces in his head. But if they got out of there and started living, he wouldn't be opposed to it, more so worried.
If one of his other creations, like Bluesteel, were brought here.. He wouldn't be all that much of a threat, he supposes. Perhaps he'd get a surge of popularity being as tall as one of the swords, and even having his own. But he knew his character would want to live a quiet life with his husband, that's how he wrote him, after all.

When it comes to Stratobloxxer's sister though, he didn't have much to work with in terms of appearance, since her face was obscured in his dream memory. So, Bloxy supposed he had creative liberty over what she looked like? He could just barely recall the older man telling him his sister wore striped clothing, but his vision was foggy, so he didn't see too much of it.
No matter! He's an artist, surely he'll be able to come up with something..

"YOU STILL NEED TO GO TO WORK, BLOXY." Peppermint chimed in, poking their head out from the kitchen to remind him. "YOU PASSED YOUR DRIVER'S TEST, SO IT'S LIKELY YOU'LL BE MAKING DELIVERIES TODAY." He groaned, knocking his head on the couch cushions as he tried to think of what she would look like.
"I know, I know. I just- This is going to be on my mind all day, and if it isn't, then it'll be on my mind tomorrow, and I promised Stratobloxxer I'd get this done today."  He went back to typing on his laptop, ignoring the dull ache in the back of his head.

"HE'LL UNDERSTAND IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY DO IT. HE'S EVEN TOLD ME. IT IS FINE, FOCUS ON YOURSELF FIRST." He stuck out his tongue at that, clearly unsatisfied with that idea.
"Nuh-uh, I need this done, and I'll get it done if it's the last thing I do." Bloxy knew his stubbornness wouldn't get him too far, but it was just this one time, it couldn't possibly hurt. He's not so sure he's good at recognizing if he's being stubborn in certain situations, though, but if this has happened before.. He'll turn out okay, probably. He's doing good now, after all.

"WHATEVER YOU SAY." They go back to the kitchen, and he hears a distant sizzle, alongside the telltale smell of food emanating from the one side of the room. The scent of cooking food always did comfort him, but that was probably because he grew up in a house where his family members were constantly cooking for some reason or another.
Shutting down his laptop, he puts it on the coffee table in front of him and takes out his phone from his pocket, opening it up to access Roblox.

This was a bit of a reality cheat, but, whatever works, works for him, right? Right. Pressing play on Catalog Avatar Creator, he's thankful that his.. Benefactor? He'll call them that- was generous enough to let him have something like this. He didn't want to spend Bux on constructing an outfit before he could see what it looks like on his avatar.
Taking note of her name, he supposed he'd dress her up in more pink clothing, just to fit with her aesthetic. Unfortunately, he ends up taking a good 45 minutes just making her outfit, having too many good options to choose from. Bloxy's always had a good eye for fashion, so it was bound to happen.

When he was done, it was about time for him to go to work, so he quickly wrapped up as much as he could and went over to the table to eat with Brew, who had woken up just minutes before. Barely, they just managed to catch Peppermint's unamused expression. "I TOLD YOU SO." He couldn't give any snarky remark with the food in his mouth, so they casually strolled over to the couch and started lounging there.
Sure, they became more of an 'outside demon' because of Stratobloxxer, but if anything that happened yesterday was something he could go off of, Bloxy assumed they were giving the guitarist the space he needs right now.

"No worries, he'll be back and kickin' when I get his sister up and going, alright?" He says, trying to ease whatever worry he assumed they had. "I KNOW. YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO DELIVER." He paused, looking at them with suspicion in his eyes.
"Is that meant to be a dig at my new delivery boy position?"

"NO. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Lord Firebrand, he hates not being able to tell if they're joking or not. The fact they can only express things with their eyes makes it even harder. "GO BACK TO EATING. YOU NEED ENERGY."
"He's right, sweets. You can deal with that later, okay?" Bloxy just nods, trying to focus on the food in front of him.

[ Skateboard ]

Being scheduled for a phight wasn't always the best thing in the world, but it got him some good Bux while he ran other things back in Playground. Besides, when they were all off-air, he had time to talk to his buddies, too. Boombox and Skateboard always made for great conversation, but he could talk to Coil too, seeing as he's here.
But it doesn't seem like the so called Crystal criminal is up to talk, seeing as how he's distanced himself from the rest of the group, kind of like Hyperlaser and Katana. 

Right now, he was listening to the other two talk about something before everyone's attention was pulled from their conversations, to the small demon who just came into the lobby, pink parlor uniform clearly on display. The boxes of donuts in his claws nearly obscured his vision, too.

Now that he's looking at them, those horns look pretty familiar- "Yo, is that Cola?" His gaze is pulled away from the figure and to Boombox, who was kind of moving around, trying to see if it was him. "SFOTH, it is!" Skate then hears Slingshot trying to shush him, noting how awkward Cola can get in situations where he isn't familiar with anybody.
A part of him worries that Subspace might start yelling at the kid for walking in without alerting them all, but seeing as he's holding something- and the scientist definitely doesn't want to end up paying for cleaners and three new boxes of donuts.. He probably won't.

Skateboard looks on as Cola nervously swivels his head from side to side, probably trying to see where he was supposed to go from there while looking away from the 10 other demons in the room with him. He can barely see his mouth move, but he's pretty sure the kid's muttering to himself to ignore everyone else and just get his job done.
Knowing how Flipside is, those are probably for them and the film crew. Or just for those two, but he's not about to suggest something like that so recklessly. If he gets blasted on social media because of it, it'll drive his rep to the ground.

"Uh.. Does anybody know where-" Cola makes a noise of struggle as the donuts seem to weigh down on his arms, and he just barely manages to keep all those boxes still upright. Skateboard's stuck thinking to himself, 'Who assigned the kid on delivery duty without supervision?', but doesn't get much of an answer considering he looks like he's alone. "The production crew are? Mister Valk got a huge order, and I need to get this to them as soon as possible.."
Because of course they wanted an order like that. With their idol status, they might as well flaunt it, too. Or maybe they just wanted food, he really couldn't blame them for something like that.

"To your left. Take the elevator up, you'll see them eventually." 

Cola breathed out a sigh of relief and left with a quick 'thank you!' before darting off in that direction. But he's more concerned about the fact Medkit said it. It's not like he didn't trust the doctor, it just seemed.. Odd, that he'd speak up first. The fact that Scythe was beside him and stared at Cola as he entered the elevator and vanished, didn't make him feel any better.
A feeling of unease settled in his gut, but he didn't speak up about it until the chatter started back up again. "You two, keep an eye on Cola as he's walking out, okay?" He whispers to them both, taking glances at the two teal-wearing demons, who seemed pretty busy talking to each other in the moment. "I don't want him getting mixed up with the wrong kind of crowd."

"Got it, Skate." Slingshot seems to be the most on edge about the whole thing, seeing as how he's known Cola for nearly as long as Skate has. The small demon's made quite a big impression on him, surprisingly. Bloxy isn't typically the first to reach out, probably because he's busy with all the life stuff, but he's quick to give a smile if they pass by each other in Crossroads.

"You think the kid's gonna be okay? He definitely didn't walk here, did he?" Boombox piped up, leaning against a wall. "Last I checked, the kid's usually walking around, but since he's doing delivery.. He probably learned how to drive." He said, reaching back to scratch his neck.
"His boss probably talked him into it." Slingshot replied, eyes glued to the elevator in case he came down faster than anticipated. "By the looks of it, he passed his driver's test.. Good for him."

It's pretty rare to see demons who could drive, but there was definitely a fair amount in Crossroads, if all of Flipside's chauffeurs were any indication. "Yeah. Good for him. Do you guys wanna pull him over for a talk when he gets back down?"
"Dude, he's probably still on the clock. I don't think we should." Sling says, crossing his arms. "'Sides, I don't think he'd be too comfortable here. He always sits alone at the Café if his boyfriend's not around." Skate takes a mental note of that, occasionally glancing at the elevator, much less on edge than him.

"It'd be nice if he could talk, though." Boombox quips, smiling. "Dude, just catch him at my place on Thursdays and Fridays. Not that hard." Sling fires back, unamused. "But he gets there early, so, guess you gotta make an effort to see him."

Time passes by before Cola finally reappears, looking both parts relieved and dazed. Skateboard sees him mumbling to himself, but can't hear it- not where he's at. He looks a little nervous as the room falls silent once again, keeping his hands to himself as he gives a friendly wave over to the three and smiles- with them all waving back- before he makes the mistake of bumping into the door before opening it.
The silence was deafening, and the way he stood there for a good couple of seconds as the realization sunk in made it even more tense.

Now, he's not too close with the kid, but with the way Slingshot sharply inhales beside him, he gets the sense that Cola must feel embarrassed right now. And he's quickly proven right with how he reaches up to cradle the part of his face that bumped into the door before he opened it, quickly seeing himself out.

"Poor kid. I hope he forgets that ever happened, for his own sake." Slingshot says, and the two beside him just nod. Skateboard feels a little guilty for not doing anything, but Cola probably would've wanted him not to, anyway. He can only really hope that the teen won't hold onto this memory.

[ Stratobloxxer ]

He's busy right now, making sure his guitar is as clean as it can be before Bloxy gets to his apartment. Some part of him is.. Scared? No, nervous? He can't exactly pinpoint it when he's so busy worrying that he ended up skipping lunch, and had to make it just an hour before now.
Of course he's taking care of himself, but he's also still thinking really hard about what's going to happen once he gets there.

Stratobloxxer managed to land himself a new job in the time he wasn't hanging out with Peppermint at a comfy music shop, surprisingly not Boombloxx. He would've gotten a job there, sure, but something told him not to. Probably his gut, considering how nearer the other shop is to his apartment building. Would save him the time, and energy.

There's a knock at his door when he least expects it, and he nearly trips over himself trying to get to there before realizing he has to look presentable, otherwise Bloxy would worry about him. Thankfully, demons don't have hair like humans do, so all he has to do is take a deep breath and straighten himself up.
Opening the door, he's greeted with the sight of the smaller demon waving up at him, and Stratobloxxer welcomes him in, watching as he takes off his shoes and looks around his new place respectfully, smiling up at him.

"I'm.. Gonna need to ask you where your bathroom is. This might help out with uh, the whole.. Thing?" He makes a vague hand gesture, and the guitarist just rolls his eyes. "You know you can afford to be plain with me. You literally did the same thing. I was quite literally you before you used the Quantum Entangler."
Bloxy gives him a nervous laugh before he actually points out where the bathroom is, watching as he inched closer and closer to the room before entering it and hearing the soft 'click' of the closed door.

In that time, he simply sits still on the couch. Thinking. He's not quite sure when he started but he only ever zones out of it when he hears a noise from the bathroom, thinking he's finally done, only for the silence to keep going. It's a nerve wracking thing, truly, but he doesn't know what else he can do.
Stratobloxxer messes with his hands, staring at them for a little and wondering how he managed to get so good at guitar in the first place.

Probably genes from his Dads, he thinks. 'They were always the most talented people I could look to for advice.' His mind supplies, and he slowly drifts off in his own land of thoughts before he comes back, just a little more confused and dazed than before. He wouldn't trade what he has now for the world, but he can only hope his parents are proud of him.

And that they'll be proud of his sister, too.

There's a noise, and a clang in the bathroom and he snaps right back into reality, staring at the door with hope in his eyes. He's praying, somewhere in himself, that his sister is in there, and it's just a matter of time before she comes rushing out to greet her brother with a smile on her face.
And, well, he's sort of right.

"Stratobloxxer!"

His bathroom door swings open and he sees a flash of pink as she rushes towards him, and he's not sure what else he could do besides open up his arms and welcome her into a hug, her arms practically flying around his neck as she crashes into him (and by extension, the couch he's sitting on) as she cries. Having to move her head a little considering her horns would've hit him if she didn't.
"Stratobloxxer! I- I-"  She struggles to say anything, but he quickly shushes her knowing this is a lot to take in, especially after what Bloxy must've told her in that bathroom.

"Shh, shh, it's okay- it's okay! I'm here! Your brother's here, I'm-" He stops talking to let her cry, knowing full well letting her express her emotions would be the best course of action seeing as how he feels tears coming down his face now, too. "Here, I'm here.. It's okay.."
The two spend a few minutes on his couch in that position, with occasional sniffling coming from his little sister and himself. He's not quite sure where Bloxy is, but gets the sense he's somewhere in the room with them, respectfully looking away to give them their space.

"Our parents-" She mutters out, and he quickly responds with, "I know, I know.. Red Rock and Smashing would've been real proud to see us like this, wouldn't they?" before his sister starts crying again, comforting her as best as he can with her arms wrapped around him.
"My- my name- what about-" Stratobloxxer pulls away for a second and holds her by the shoulders, her teary eyes looking up at his own. He actually has to take a second to remove his sunglasses, making her laugh a little. 

"Rockin' Pink Guitar." He says. "But we always called you Pinkie, didn't we?" Her sniffles start again as her grip becomes tighter around her. "Yeah. You always did."
He takes a second to look away from her and tries searching for Bloxy, who's already got his stuff back in his bags and such. Smiling, he gives a wave to Stratobloxxer, before gesturing to the door. Nodding, he mouths 'thank you.' before he walks to the door, and leaves.

"I just- I just can't believe it, it's like.." She tries to calm her breathing, but takes much longer to do it compared to him. It makes his heart ache, for an odd reason. Has she gone through this before? Like he did? "It feels so unreal. You're here now. I'm here now.. I can't even begin to.."
She starts rambling, and he really can't find it in himself to stop her, not when he's finally got his little sister back with him.

Even if his parents aren't here, he knows a part of them will live on through the two of them, and that's enough to comfort him. He lays a comforting hand on her back, trying to ease her worries at least a little. It feels like almost no time has gone by when she finally finishes speaking, but in truth, he doesn't really remember when she did.
".. Did you hear anything of what I said?" She asks, and Stratobloxxer's afraid to admit it, but, ".. No, I'm sorry."

Rockin' Pink lets out a small laugh as she carefully untangles herself from him, sitting down beside him. "It's okay, I promise. I'll just tell you again."

The two spent most of that night just talking to each other, about their parents, and their lives.. What happened in their backstories, and.. Everything they could think of, really.

"Is it true? Am I staying here with you?" She asks, likely already knowing the full answer, but just wanting to hear Stratobloxxer say it. "Of course it is. I wouldn't leave my baby sister to fend for herself, now would I?"
She playfully nudges him with her elbow, giving him a side hug. "Thank you."

"It's what any good big brother would do."

[ IMAGE OF ROCKIN' PINK GUITAR ]

Chapter Text

[ Rockin' Pink ]

As much as she liked the fact that she's alive and breathing, and living with her brother- things can get boring pretty fast, not that she told him about it, obviously. Pinkie was more preoccupied with the apartment, seeing as how she came from Bloxy and is more familiar with that layout compared to here.
She considered herself quite adaptable, and she did get used to navigating the space around her after she knew where everything was, and that included where stuff was in the fridge.

Between the two of them, she ended up being the better cook. Not because of any faulty memories having him not cook for his family, but because he was, in her unfortunate choice of words that nearly gave him a heart attack when she said it, absolutely dogshit at doing it. Then again, he was 16 in that memory, and she was 14, so he probably improved.. Hopefully.
His slicing technique was still a little off, and he could always do everything a little faster, but it was leagues better than what she remembers him doing back when they were two young, dumb demons running around and relying on their parents for the stuff they were doing.

Now, they were on their own, by themselves. It's not lonely with her brother here, per se, but she wishes she could hug her parents, at least. Tell them that they're both doing okay, and that they've got a nice cozy home tucked away in the winding streets of Crossroads, practically a melting pot of all the factions combined.
.. Okay, maybe that's a little mean of a descriptor, but it's partly true, at least. The demons that lived here out of necessity or just because they want to are pretty diverse, she'd say.

Pinkie looked out of the window in Stratobloxxer's apartment. Sure, it wasn't any balcony, but at least she could look out at the surroundings still. It was a nice, sunny day- or, it'd turn into one, at least. She wanted to sleep on the couch because it was where she said was most comfortable, and he couldn't really refute that knowing she'd just argue right back.. So..
The couch felt oddly comfortable, and while it wasn't like Bloxy's, it was enough to lull her to sleep last night. Now that she's awake, she's more active compared to the night before, perhaps due to the shift in time, she supposes.

Even if it was an ungodly early hour, she decided to get started on food. Pinkie knew her brother had work to do, and she wanted to help him in any way possible. If it helps him even a little, she'll lend a hand to support him, because she was under his roof now. There's a part of her that feels a little uneasy knowing that she'll be taken care of and doted on by her brother instead of herself, but it's not overpowering her at the least.
She hums a tune as the sun starts rising, and takes a few glances outside from time to time, before she finally finishes making their breakfast.

Maybe it'd be a good idea to wake up her brother for this, first. At least he'll know that he doesn't have to cook for them for that morning. She's kind of glad that he doesn't have to, because he'll probably end up causing a fire hazard in their home kitchen if her memories were anything to go off of..
Speaking of her memories, they were still a little hazy. Bloxy had given her a rundown on how things worked and how she might start remembering things from out of nowhere, but that he's given her some memories of her own parents to help her out, because he didn't want a repeat of what happened to her brother.

What she didn't tell him was that she already knew about this stuff, seeing as how she was part of him before he used the Quantum Entangler in another bathroom. She thinks that he'll eventually figure that out for himself, and in case he doesn't, she could always just tell him again when they inevitably run into each other in the future.
A part of her gets a feeling of uneasiness as she trudges onward to Stratobloxxer's room. Knocking twice on his door to alert him, if he's awake at all. "Strat! I made breakfast. Come out and eat soon, okay? I'll set up your plate."

Backing away, she makes her way into the kitchen once more as she preps their individual plates, taking note of the odd fact his fridge seems to be stacked with items. Well, he did tell her that something weird was up with the apartment when he first got there, so maybe that's one of the 'many things' he listed off to her.
She settles by the dining table, picks up her utensils, only to stop. Something tells her to pray to a God before she eats, just to be safe. Putting the silverware down, she slowly clasps her hands together and prays silently, before picking her spoon and fork back up to eat her food.

It tasted good, of course. She's pretty happy with the way it all ended up, especially since it feels like she took a while on making it.. Nonetheless, it's edible, and that's an achievement in it of itself. She finds it funny that, in a way, they're a mirror of their own parents. Red Rock was the one they saw cooking the most, while Smashing really only ended up doing it when the former felt tired, or didn't want to do it that night.
By the time she finishes eating, Strat still hasn't come out. While that's worrying, she knows it's pretty early in the morning, and no sane demon would be awake unless they needed to be, apart from the insomniacs out there.

Shrugging, she ends up covering the plate with the food she readied for her brother on it with a perfectly sized bowl. It'll be clean enough to return to the cabinets later, she's sure. Stretching her limbs, she ends up curling back up on the couch and waiting 'til the sun goes up enough so she has an excuse to wake her brother up.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! You'll be late for work!" She says, making three firm knocks on the door before she hears it opening, smiling up at her still-sleepy brother who's barely keeping his eyes open. "Yeah, yeah, I.. I'm awake, I swear.."
She knows he's about to clean himself up, so she leaves him to do that. Occasionally looking over at the wall clock mounted up on the wall to make sure he isn't taking too long in there. He comes out soon enough, trying to 'wake up' his limbs via shaking some of them as he hobbles over to the kitchen.

"Thanks for making breakfast, by the way. I owe you big time.." He sleepily mutters out, loud enough for her to hear at least. "Yeah, you do! I'm gonna be alone here all day while you're off at work!" She says, with no real malice in her voice. Perhaps annoyance, but that's about it.
"Well, if Peppermint swings by, you won't be alone!" He points out, still having food in his mouth. "They're good company, wouldn't you know?"

"Mhm! Maybe I could.." She trailed off, gaze slowly directing itself to the drum set in his living room. ".. Hey, how'd you manage to get this here, anyway?" He follows her gaze and swallows his food before speaking this time, leaning back in his chair. "Each part has like, a bag to it. If you want, I can help you pack it up and stuff, but you don't even.."
The realization then dawns on him. She doesn't play drums. "If you're going to convince Peppermint to play drums, at least do it when they've had practice."

"Oh c'mon! Them going out with me would be great practice, trust me!" She retorts, much to his bemusement. "Unless you guys hold a two-person concert out in Crossroads square, I'm not hearin' it." He says, stabbing his fork into the last bit of food he had on his plate and finishing his meal, getting up to wash his plate and return the one thing previously covering his food.
Little does Stratobloxxer know, that he's given her a wonderful idea. She can only hope it turns out as well as it does in her head. 

Her brother spends little time to waste getting ready, already dressing himself up in some other plaid clothing combination that, while he looked good in, she thinks he's being too.. Narrow, with his choices. Not that she had much of a say in it, considering most of her fashion consisted of pastels and striped designs.
Pinkie hands him his signature shades before he leaves for the day, and he gives her a gentle pat to the head before handing her some Bux from his wallet. "Eh? What's this for?" It rested in her hands oddly, and she's unsure if she wants to take something like it.

"If you don't wanna cook for yourself this afternoon. You can keep it if you want to, but I won't judge you if you spend it, okay?" She supposed that was a good enough explanation and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, Strat."
"Anything for my baby sister! Now, I'm headed out. Don't break anything, yeah?" He jokes, closing the door to the apartment and leaving her alone.

There isn't much to do around the place unless it was wait, but she knew she didn't need to do much of that, if Peppermint's coming over. Bloxy definitely would've told them that her brother wanted to see them again, after he got his precious sister back.

[ Peppermint ]

Despite the fact they lack a breathing function, it helps to pretend that they're taking a deep breath to relax themselves, anyway. They slowly ascended the steps of the stairs in Stratobloxxer's apartment building, fully intending on seeing his best friend again, after yesterday had happened.
They wanted nothing more than for him to be happy, and if that meant giving him space, they could handle it. Now that his sister's in the picture, surely he'll want to hang out with them again, right?

They deliver two knocks to the door, and it opens surprisingly quickly, but their optics dim a little when they see a demon that isn't him. "AH. I SUPPOSE THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE WRONG APAR-" They're cut off by the sound of her starting to talk, and even tried pulling them inside, to which they didn't really object to. "Nope! You're in the right place, Peppermint! Come on in."

Peppermint's quick to figure out this is his little sister, just from the look of her gear and horns alone. Sure, demons that aren't related can still have wildly similar appearance to others, but they're assuming there isn't much of a difference when it comes to her and Stratobloxxer.
"Nice to finally meet you, you know!" She says, outstretching a hand to which they hesitantly take by his side. "I only knew you from all of Bloxy's memories, and most of them were pretty good! I commend you for that." The demon keeps talking, and some part of them wants to curl up and die, while another wants to see where this leads them.

"IT IS.. NICE TO MEET YOU, AS WELL, ROCKING PINK?" They reply, seeing her nod. "I WAS MORE SO HOPING FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO BE HERE.." They're not even trying to hide the fact that they were looking for him, but at this point, who would? Certainly not them. The shorter lets out a small laugh as they connected the dots of it.
"Nah, nah, I get it. But hey, you came here just in time! I was just about to ask you for something, see.."

Their blood (or, circuits?) goes cold as she takes out plastic bags filled with the parts of the drum that Stratobloxxer had bought for them the other day, and they don't know how to feel about this at all. Did she completely tear it all down so they didn't have a chance at playing? "I.. I CAN'T BELIEVE-"
"I want you to play the drums for my little gathering up by Crossroads Tower, okay?" She says, holding up their equipment. "I even packed it up for you, right here!"

Peppermint blinked, then blinked again. Perhaps they rushed to conclusions too fast, slowly going back down to room temperature as they processed that information. ".. I AM STILL NOT USED TO PLAYING DRUMS. I HAVE NOT PRACTICED-"
"Awh, don't worry! It'll just be a quick show, I promise!" She says, probably trying to calm them down. (and failing) "We'll end up getting Bux out of it, too! I'll even split the profits with you, I promise!"

It still didn't sound like a good idea to them, but the notion that they too, could contribute to the apartment's income, even a little bit..

"YOU'VE GOT A DEAL. WHEN DO WE LEAVE?"

Pinkie gives them a grin, and hands them their equipment. "We can leave now, if you wanna!"

And that's how they both ended up in Crossroads square, with Peppermint's drums on full display, and Pinkie readying up her guitar. Oddly enough, it seemed like they were the more nervous one in comparison to her. "ARE YOU SURE THIS WILL WORK?" They could see her nod with absolute confidence, the crowd around them continuing to go about their day.
"Of course! People can't resist good music, and with the set up of ol' reliable down here," She says, referring to the open guitar case (that definitely wasn't hers) on the ground, "We'll be makin' quick Bux in no time!"

"WHAT ABOUT OUR 'SET'? I AM NOT SURE THAT I HAVE ANY MUSIC DOWNLOADED-" They paused, feeling something being 'sent' to themselves. Probably because she was using the Bluetooth feature on a phone- but where did she get a phone? They both walked here. "Hush hush! Listen to this, 'kay? It'll be part of that!"
The lack of planning in this had them floored, but at least she knew what she was doing, by the looks of it.

From the video that they're currently playing in their head, it was a surprisingly romantic song that they could hardly relate to, but, they could definitely try understanding when they got home that night. Soon, they found themselves readying their instruments and calming their breathing, and for them, the hardest part about this was ignoring the potential awkwardness that could occur if anything went wrong.
Still, they hoped for the best.

[ 'Paramore: Still Into You' ]

There's this moment of silence before her electric guitar rings out. "Can't count the years on one hand that we've been, together!" 
"I need the other one to hold you, make you feel, make you feel better!" Her voice is like a chime to the demons around them, a few of them stopping to turn and stare at the display.

"It's not a walk in the park to love, each other-" There's an almost playful tone in the way she sings it, not that they could pay too much attention to it right now. "But when our fingers interlock, can't deny- can't deny, that you're worth it!"

"'Cause after all this time," Things slow, and they stop for a moment, watching her on. "I'm still, into you.."

They start up again, doing their best to keep up with her. "I should be over all the butterflies- but I'm into you! I'm into you, and baby even our worst nights,"
She takes the time to open up her eyes to look at the crowd around, likely growing more confident seeing how well this is going. "I'm into you! I'm into you-"

"Let 'em know how we got this far, 'cause I don't really need to wonder at all-
Yeah after all this time, I'm still, into you."

There's a sort of bounce that the drum they're playing now has, complemented by her guitar as they keep playing together.
So far, so good. It looks like they've gathered a crowd around themselves.

[ Sword ]

His day was going on about just fine, up until a few minutes ago. See, that morning, he had asked Rocket if he wanted to hang out, and he said yes, like he always did. Sword felt like he deserved a break from all his training that day, and spending time with his best friend just had to be the way to go about it!
The two did all of your casual best friend things. Training, walking around Crossroads, getting lunch together, sightseeing-

Until the two came across what looked like a street performance happening right beneath Crossroads Tower. Normally this wouldn't be that much of a standout thing, but whoever was performing up there had a song neither of them recognized. It was mostly Rocket's suggestion to go up, but as the set continued, the two of them found it harder to leave than to stay and watch.

"Recount the night that I first, met your mother,
And on the drive back to my house I told you that, I told you that I loved ya!" 
She takes the time to wink at a few demons, and he could hear them audibly cheer at that. "You felt the weight of the world, fall off your shoulder,
And to your favorite song- we sang along to, the start of forever!"

"And after all this time. I'm still into you.." The drums (which were being played by a Biograft, for some reason?) die down-

"I should be over all the butterflies- But I'm into you, I'm into you!" Only to hit full force, when the chorus starts back up again.
"And baby even on our worst nights, I'm into you, I'm into you!"

"Oh, she's good." Rocket comments, eyes flitting from Sword to the guitarist, who looked like she was living the best moments of her life in this one song. "I wonder if she'll be part of one of Flipside's idol acts in the future.."
He would respond if he wasn't so captivated by the song, for no particular reason whatsoever, he thinks.

The guitarist ends up closing her eyes again as the bridge swings right in. "Some things just- some things just make sense, and one of those is you and I,"  Her eyes open to lock onto Sword's gaze for a moment before she averts her gaze, continuing.
"Some things just- some things just make sense, and even after all this time,"

"I'm into you..
Baby, not a day goes by that I'm not- into you!"

The drums practically roar as the final chorus starts up, and there's a huge smile on the guitarist's face that's infectious to him and the crowd around him. 

"I should be over all the butterflies, but I'm into you, I'm into you!
And baby even on our worst nights, I'm into you, I'm into you," Somehow, even the Biograft on the drums looks like its enjoying itself.

"Let 'em wonder how we got this far
'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all-
Yeah, after all this time I'm still into you,"

"I'm still into you-
I'm still into you!"

The song ends, and the crowd bursts with applause for the two, and the guitarist seems to look surprised with all the attention before thanking everyone profusely, her non-singing voice sounding a lot softer like this. Perhaps it's the vocal training, he knows Flipside has had some, before, and that's why their vocals in their songs sound so different from their speaking voices.

Nonetheless, the two quickly left after that, but not before Rocket quickly sneaks 10 Bux into her guitar case. "It's the least I could give her after such a stellar performance!"

[ Pinkie ]

"Oh, geez, this is a huge haul. Oh my SFoTH, my brother's never going to believe this.." She says to herself, trying to ignore the way Peppermint was awestruck at the amount of Bux in their guitar case as they counted it up. Why not her? Well, she's terrible at math, and would totally lose count. Seeing as how Peppermint volunteered to count, that was also part of the reason.
".. WE MADE TWO THOUSAND BUX FROM A FEW SONGS, PINKIE." She nearly has a stroke hearing that amount, not knowing she could achieve such a thing for a first performance, out of all things. Now she regrets being unable to record it..

"That's amazing! Okay, so like.. We gotta split this, right? Right- I'm not.. Good at division, either." She admits with a sheepish grin on her face, and Peppermint simply gives her a fond eyeroll, or what she assumes is one at least. "GIVE ME A MOMENT."

By now, it's 6 PM. She should be heading home soon, and so should they unless they wanted to shut down. They never did, of course, but they worried about that. "HERE." The Zetagraft hands over two stacks of Bux to her, probably split into five hundred each. "I THINK WE SHOULD DO THAT AGAIN. IT FELT.."
"Nice? Yeah, people's attention and validation does that!" She jokes. "But really, if you want to- I'm totally down for it! You're like, the best drummer ever."

Peppermint gives her a dismissive hand wave at that. "I SIMPLY MEMORIZE THE SEQUENCE IN WHICH I'M SUPPOSED TO DO IT. NOTHING MORE.." But she could totally tell they're just being humble.
"Yeah, yeah.. I'll see you soon, Mint?" She outstretched a claw, and they gently took it in their own metal one. "I'LL SEE YOU SOON. TELL YOUR BROTHER I WATCHED OVER YOU."

She inhales sharply, realizing she didn't tell her brother any of this. "Uhm.. Yeah.. Oh! And-" She digs into her pocket for a few moments and hands over Bloxy's phone to them. "Tell Bloxy he's great for me, yeah?"

They look at her with a sort of amazement and slight confusion. ".. YOU BORROWED HIS PHONE?"

"Wouldn't have been able to get that song otherwise!" She exclaims nervously, watching their expression.
Barely missing a beat, they respond with, "YOU'RE INSANE."

"I know!"

Chapter Text

[ Stratobloxxer ]

Picture this, you're waken up in the morning by your sister who cooked you breakfast. Then, you head off to work and go make a living for the two of you, you talk to your co-workers, get to know them, form mutual bonds, things like that. You get your lunch break, and you buy a little something for yourself. End of the day comes, and you go home.
Then, you find your little sister counting two stacks of Bux obsessively as she tries sputtering out an explanation as to how she even got that much, while also telling you she's made you dinner so you wouldn't have to worry.

Now he's here, settled into a wooden chair as he shovels food in his mouth while questioning his sister. "Pinkie, I love you, but what the hell did you do while I was out?" Stratobloxxer isn't even mad, he's just equal parts confused and amazed. Unfortunately it seems like his sister is worried about him blowing up at her, even if he's never done so- at least, he doesn't remember it.. Oh SFoTH, he could've been a terrible brother but not remember any of it-

There's this nervous laughter she does before she actually answers him. "I, uh.. Well, me and Peppermint had a concert out in Crossroads square.."
If Stratobloxxer didn't know any better, he would've spat out his food in shock like the people in movies did- instead, he slowly swallows his food, and he turns ever so slowly to look at her. "What?"
"I'm sorry! I really wanted to help you out, and like- That was the only quick way I could think of doing it!"

"No, no, I'm not mad, I'm just.. How'd you manage to do that? Okay, maybe not- How'd you manage to uh.. Get that much Bux? Your setlist couldn't have been that long, you came back here before me, so-"
"Only a few songs! But, the real kicker was our opener.. Paramore really kicked it outta the ballpark with their music.." Stratobloxxer hummed at that, trying to figure out what kind of song she must've played before realizing Bloxy didn't listen to too much of the band unless it was..

"You guys played 'Still Into You' without me?! C'mon!" Pinkie started laughing when he got mock-upset, and he kinda sorta just.. Stared at her while she did so. Part of him was actually upset, but he knew his sister well enough that she most certainly brought justice to that song, and so did Peppermint.
"Hey, we got good Bux from it, too! And they say they wanna have a go at it again if I'm cool with it, though-" She coughs a little, putting on a smile. "My- my throat's feeling ah, a little sore?"

He pauses, looking at her with a 'oh shit' expression and raising a hand to motion her to be quiet. "Hold on, I'm going out for a little. Don't speak too much, okay? It'll hurt your throat even more than it is now." She nodded, and he darted over to the couch to get his plaid jacket which still had his wallet in one of the pockets, thankfully.
Stratobloxxer nearly speeds down the stairs which prompts the receptionist to ask him why he's being so reckless before he quips a little "my sister's sick, gotta run!" and speed-walks away.

See, being Bloxy's first creation, his memories of his life on Earth are still crystal clear. With that, comes most of his memories, and some of his core memories involve being sick, or injured in some way. He especially remembers how the younger got sore throat too many times to count, whether or not he forced it from himself.
The sensation of a sore throat is annoying at best, and painful at worst- and he doesn't want his sister to go through that in the slightest.

Using his knowledge of Crossroads, at least, what he remembers from his memories, he tries to find the nearest pharmacy around, which is notably harder than trying to find one in the streets of his old city back on Earth, since Filipinos had an incentive to actually become people qualified to administer medicine.
Thankfully, he finds one that isn't too crowded. All he needs is a box of lozenges, and he'll be set. Stratobloxxer would've gotten his sister some 'lemon water' if he knew what it was still called, but it's not like he can be upset about that right now. Not when he has to take care of her. 

It takes a little patience with everyone in line and especially with the pharmacists who seemed to barely know what they were doing, but he didn't mind so long as he got what he needed. He pays, gets the lozenges, gives them a quick thank you and darts right back to into his apartment building.
Now that he thinks about it, the demon at the front desk should've been alarmed with how his sister seemingly materialized out of nowhere, but they weren't exactly asking him about it..

Bah, he could afford to pay attention to that once his sister was all sorted with. Scaling the stairs in near-record time, he goes back into their shared apartment and cracks open the box, handing her one of the small tablets. "For your throat pain, Pinkie. You shouldn't exhaust your throat so much, okay? You're new to the Inpherno, take it easy.."
She huffs at that, but takes the lozenge from his hand and puts it in her mouth anyway. While he himself doesn't have throat pain, he's a little curious on how Inpherno lozenges taste..

'No. This is for Pinkie.' He reminds himself, taking a deep breath and temporarily storing the box on the kitchen counter. For now, at least. "Just be careful, okay? Don't use your voice too much, don't yell, try to manage when you speak.." He's so sure he sounds like his Dad, Red Rock. While his memories are still a little foggy, he knew his parents both cared about them, and they'd fret over even the tiniest injury.
It brings a small smile to his face, just remembering them now. He can still imagine the smiles on their faces when they did that thing parents do, and show their affection for each other around their kids? Yeah, like that..

It's a good memory.

[ Bloxy Cola ]

His head aches a little as he thinks back to yesterday, which was Brew's birthday. He didn't want to have anything big like his boyfriend's party, so he made the decision the guests invited would just be him, Bloxy, Peppermint- and the siblings, if they wanted to come over. Of course, they didn't, seeing as how the two of them went straight home after work to get started on the 'preparations' and were mildly surprised to find their roommate not there.
Still, they needed to get the 'celebration' ready, but it was mostly Bloxy making food and his boyfriend taking the backseat on it all.

The birthday was, of course, excellent- but what they didn't anticipate was Mint coming back with a small gift box in hand, with Bux sticking out of the pants Stratobloxxer had given him when they hung out that one time (no worries, it's been washed before). "I WANTED TO GET SOMETHING NICE FOR HIM, TOO." 
They had said, and while his boyfriend's heart was busy melting in appreciation over it, he gave them 'the look' that forced them to admit Rockin' Pink had convinced them to put on a little show in Crossroads to make some Bux.

It worked, of course, but it worked a little too well for his taste. Peppermint also handed over his phone, claws carefully wrapping around the small device as if it were a time bomb. "Mint, it's okay. At least you admitted to it, and my phone's back with me again, okay? We really gotta be careful with this little guy."

He really should've known it was her idea when she waltzed into Pink Parlor with a happy grin and things in her hands, but he was too busy working to really pay a lot of attention to her.

"Cola! Cola, could I please borrow your phone? Please?" He could still remember the moments as they happened. What happened at the lobby where all the Phighters were was embarrassing enough, but this was on another level. All he had to do was ignore that sinking feeling and he'd be just fine. "Plea-"
Bloxy quickly takes out his phone from his pocket as he lowered the tray of food onto his customer's table. "Yes, yes, of course- please, let me get back to work?" Pink had quickly darted out of the bakery after that, and he quickly apologized to the customer he was serving afterwards.

Thankfully, they left quite a large tip for him to proudly collect at the end of the day. Suppose it can help to have a cheery demeanor when others don't.

But that was the least of their worries as Peppermint seemed really tired now. Extremely tired, actually. They've been plugged into that outlet for a while and he's not sure if they're charging properly, but they can still respond while they are, so.. Maybe they just need a long break.
"I still can't believe you and Pinkie managed to host a two-person concert. And with barely any prep for it, too!" He comments, hoping his volume didn't interrupt their charging in any capacity. "I JUST FOLLOWED MY INSTINCTS. IT HELPED OUT IMMENSELY IN THOSE SHORT PERFORMANCES.."

"You did great, Pep. You deserve to rest after all that, and we're glad that you're taking the time for yourself to do it right now." Brew says, slinging an arm around Bloxy who slowly leaned into him, after making sure his horns wouldn't accidentally headbutt him at all.
"THANK YOU TWO. I CAN ONLY HOPE PINKIE IS DOING THE SAME FOR HERSELF." They say, letting out a whir that was most likely intended to emulate the sound of 'groaning in bed after you stretch some of your limbs'.

Bloxy laughs a little, and thinks back to the lore he wrote for her. "I'm sure she is! If she isn't, she'll end up resting in another way, I bet."

[ Pinkie ]

She's walking around Crossroads, looking at anything that seems interesting to her. Nothing truly piques her interest, and there's really only one place she's searching for that could cure the boredom in her head right now. While her brother's off working, she's off to seek something that can occupy her attention for a solid 8-ish hours until Stratobloxxer finally finishes up work and goes home. 
Various demons catch her eye here and there, and she spies a familiar duo with a white and pink color scheme in the distance. She squints and tries to figure out why they looked familiar, before something else distracts her and she moves away from them altogether.

Her throat doesn't hurt as much as it did last night, but she carries a water bottle with her just in case it does act up and starts getting dry again. It feels like she's going in circles for a little while before her eyes finally lock onto the place she's been looking for. Maybe she could've passed the time by looking for another place in particular, but that'd take way too long, and she'd probably end up getting distracted with that, too.. Running the risk of getting lost in Crossroads, too.

Slowly, Pinkie trudges over to the library with a glint in her eyes as she opens up the door to the quiet establishment, poking her head inside only to see Ghosdeeri organizing a stack of books. Her head tells her to leave until she's unoccupied but she stops organizing to look directly at her, even with the door covering most of her face.

"Welcome, visitor."

She's.. Way less intimidating than her memory told her so. Slowly, she steps inside of the library and waves up at her. The difference in height would've made her laugh if she wasn't the short one, but she typically got the short end of the stick when it came to stuff like her height. 'Did I just make my own joke about- never mind.'
"I am Ghosdeeri, and this is my library." She simply states, and Pinkie feels the need to introduce herself, too. Just to make things less awkward.

"M- hgh.. My name is Rockin' Pink.. Guitar.." Her throat was absolutely thwarting what chance she had of maintaining dignity in front of the librarian lady, but she still tried. Trying to take a page out of Bloxy's book, she tried ignoring how she felt until she finished speaking. "Went here to pass the time.. I figured I could do something useful with all the free time I have.."
Ghosdeeri looks down at her with an unreadable expression, not that she could really attempt reading her face with the lack of eyebrows and a mouth, but it still unnerves her nonetheless.

"We stay open until eight in the evening. Please remember to stay quiet."

Pinkie enthusiastically nods at that, but takes her time to comb through the shelves and look for a book she's actually interested in. When she does, she settles into a comfy little corner and huddles up there for the rest of her time there. She was never really interested in history when it came to her 'lore', but it seemed to keep her focused on the book long enough..
She could just vaguely recall Bloxy becoming interested in his country's version of History class- Araling Panlipunan, and finds it just a little comparable to what she's doing right now.
Her Dads could go on and on about the Faction War and it'd bore her, but now that she's reading about it..

So many lives lost. So many casualties that occurred, and yet now they're here. In a way, it reminded her of Earth, except they had two wars instead of just one big war that happened. No way was the tech of World War One even comparable to the stuff demons must've had before the Faction War, and even afterwards. 
It's morbidly fascinating, what she's reading, but she's super into it, almost disturbingly so.

Pinkie can't remember a time she's been so quiet, but everything about her life as she knew it was changing now, and she had to adjust to it as best as she could. She doubted she'd get fixated on reading, but Ghosdeeri's library might become one of her new favorite places. If all she has to do is stay silent, then she's sure it'll be a breeze.
Speaking of the breeze.. She wanted to feel the wind flying past her horns, again.

A hum slips past her lips as she moves on to the next page, already starting to feel her eyelids getting heavier by the minute. But sleeping probably isn't allowed, so she shifts her position in hopes of waking herself up. It works, for a solid hour or so- until she has to switch it up again.
Maybe the problem was the book.. She could put this back, for now.

Hours passed before her eyes, but all she could really see was the next book's line of text in front of her, eyes zeroed in from one word to the next, and once she feels like she's had enough, she puts the book back where she found it and goes to look for another.
Ghosdeeri's glances at her go unnoticed, but it's likely Pinkie wouldn't have cared enough to pay attention to it either way. Too focused on what's in front of her in the moment.

She's got better things to pay attention to, right now.

[ Stratobloxxer ]

Coming home that night, he's tired and a little more worn out than usual. Stratobloxxer tries to look for his sister, only to realize nothing's been put out of place since earlier. He starts to worry that she's back at Crossroads Tower, but he spies her gear laying on the couch. He wonders why she didn't summon it to her, but thinks- she must've been busy with something else.
His sister was- no, is 26 years old. He's sure she knows how to take care of herself, at this point in time.

But he still worries about her. How could he not? Losing your biological sibling even if they aren't truly connected, would be devastating to any demon that had a heart out there. All he can truly do now is wait until Pinkie finally gets there, and he has full faith in her that she'll come straight home, wherever she was.
And for once, what he believes in comes true! That's a joke, of course, but still. Two knocks to his apartment door, and she comes in with the sleepiest looking eyes he's ever seen on another demon.

"Who's the sleepyhead now?" He quips, taking a quick moment to laugh at the playful scowl she gave him before she flopped down onto the couch. He supposed she wouldn't really be getting any dinner in tonight, with how fast she started to doze off in her position. "Goodnight, Pinkie."
Soon, he got up and adjusted her position on the couch, carefully taking her gear off of the end of it and placing it on the table, where it'll hopefully fare better.

He doesn't feel like tiring himself out more than he already has, so Stratobloxxer simply takes a page out of his creator's book and decides to do a few sunny side up eggs for dinner, knowing full well it probably won't sate him enough, but, it's the best he can do right now. He didn't wanna waste any of his other ingredients either, not when he could make better stuff out of them.
Every move he makes in his kitchen is deliberate. He doesn't wanna be too loud that he wakes up Pinkie, but he wants to get this done as fast as possible so he could crash into bed and finally go to sleep.

Soon, he's done with the eggs, and it takes him about five minutes to arrange bread slices, cheese, and his two eggs on the table so he could construct his sandwich-dinner. Biting into it, he realizes he might not be the best cook ever, if the fact that the egg's yolk wasn't really running out like it should be, but it's fine, it's still edible.
Finishing up dinner, he washes his plate (and the pan, of course) and puts them all out to dry, sighing to himself as he goes to his bathroom.

A quick refresher, a new change of clothes, and his favorite ambient noises- that being, the rain outside- are all he needs for a goodnight sleep.

"Good night, Inpherno." He says to nobody in particular, drifting off into sleep.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Since it was one of his weekly off-days, he settles into one of the booths in Slingshot's café. No Brew by his side this time, but he's fine with that. Things have been going well, all things considered! Broker still hadn't paid him a visit which he was thankful for, seeing as he didn't want to be targeted by the Church at all, not to mention, Scythe and Medkit-
Time seems to slow around him for a moment, and he blinked twice as he looked down at his drink. It's not that it tasted different, but the realization his co-workers know about him sunk in way, way too late now that he thought about it.

A part of him wonders if its too late to rat him out to Ban Hammer, but he knows he's not brave enough to approach law enforcement. Even if he played nice back on Earth and got his school guards to like him. He feels a little nostalgic looking back into the past, when he was relatively happy and his grades were higher than usual. He'd never been in Honors aside from that one time in eighth grade, and that was only because his teachers were cool.
There's a ringing at the back of his head which doesn't hurt but he can definitely feel it. Probably a side effect of him thinking way too hard- he should probably lighten up and relax right about now.

Clicking his tongue, he starts going over the shared backstory him and his boyfriend have, and how they got together in the Inpherno. It felt more romantic than the way they met on Earth, but he'd never tell his boyfriend that.. Unless the time comes where he has to because he can't keep it in his head forever.
Before he continues, he's interrupted by the feeling of a presence near him, and he snaps out of his zoned-out state to see Slingshot approaching him. Internally, he's glad it isn't Vine Staff or Shuriken, even if he liked talking the siblings too.

"Cola! Enjoying your drink?" He asks, knowing full well the kid would probably ask for another of his usual drink rotation. The teen was always a little odd when it came to food, having strange taste even from his life on Earth. He's the type of person to eat fries dipped in ice cream, after all. 
"Yeah! Still as good as the day I first tasted it." He compliments- and while he's genuine, he knows Slingshot wants to hear that. But it really doesn't change the fact the drink in his hands tasted good.
He grins, expression turning into the iconic colon three, which Bloxy always knew he could make. "I'm glad! I do my best, after all."

The two made small talk for a little, with Slingshot bringing up how the recipe he gave them did wonders for business. While he was happy to listen about how much his business improved by the day because of the recipe, another thought drifts into his head about if Pink Parlor would be impacted by this development. It really doesn't seem like it, but you can't fault him for wondering.
Soon enough, the older had to go back to work, leaving him alone with his thoughts again. Bloxy feels proud of himself, knowing him and his boyfriend are safe. So long as they don't tell demons anything about humans, and he lives life as normal without aggravating any important figures at all- cough cough, Ban Hammer, cough cough, they should be in the clear.

Granted, he's helped a Biograft gain sentience and hobbies and created life in a bathroom, twice (which is pretty weird to say). So he's not sure if he'll be in the clear entirely, but what works, works. That's what he's been taught, after all. There wasn't much he could do if he's just a teen who works at Pink Parlor from time to time.
And by no means is he unsatisfied with life, but of course, he'd want more out of it. He wants to see and experience the world around him, even if it involves getting hurt in the process.

Not that it would matter much if he could fix himself up afterward, unless whatever injury he's sustained needs him to go to a Hospital, which he noticed there was a striking lack thereof in Crossroads. Like, he only ever saw two hospitals around his city too, but that was just one part of the Philippines, if Crossroads only had two hospitals with its large population, he can only assume medical bills are hell to pay.
But it doesn't really matter, seeing as how most of the injuries he gets are either headaches or just small scrapes, nothing too big that he can't deal with.

There really isn't much to like about going to a hospital unless you're there for the impeccable atmosphere. He can't deny that the clinical feel does feel cool. Doesn't really fit into a house but some architects back on earth were weird like that. He couldn't judge, he was pretty tacky when it came to house décor too.
Humming, he wonders if him and Brew could find a furniture store around Crossroads. Sure, they could just ask Peppermint and they'd answer, but he gets the sense that they're more busy now that they're exploring their own hobbies. They could totally help the couple pick out actual necessary additions to the apartment though.

'I wonder if the RoKea exists.' He thinks, finally finishing his cappuccino. 'It'd be really funny if it did. Hope it doesn't have any of the wild stuff, though.' 
3008 was by all means a fun game for him. Bloxy used to play it with his platonic partner before he got tired of it, he always liked throwing pallets into the distance and watching them disappear into the non-rendered horizon before him. Good times, really. Hopefully the place wouldn't be 'infinite', but he doubts that'll be the case.

Ah, well, he can think about it on the way home. Maybe he'll do something else before checking up on Brew, though.

[ YOUTUBE ]

pilotredsun - Achievement (Full Album) || ARCHIVED

19,936 views - Sept 13, 201X

an album by pilotredsun, consisting of twelve tracks.
tracklist + timecodes :  ...more

9,543 △ Likes   156 ▽ Dislikes    ➦ Share    ✂ Clip    ☰+ Save   ...

🌸 another time another place

4,127 subscribers

 ✨ Shiny_gems

that chair looks INCREDIBLY uncomfortable..

🥞 notmyphucingpancakes

forget the chair, look at the dog. where are its horns??

🌸 another time another place

red sun hat didn't draw the horns in as a stylistic choice!

🧤 thorough_traditional

isn't that like. basic anatomy of a dog though

🌸 another time another place

yeah, but they did it anyway!

 🧶 yarranball

this feels like a dead message board? but most are pretty active so to see an empty one is what this song feels like. nice one, ATAP

🌸 another time another place

thanks! and yeah this is meant to channel that kind of feeling so its a little off putting isn't it?

🧶 yarranball

It sure does! man. i wonder how you keep finding these.

 🧨 boom3xboom

most of these songs aren't as intense are the other ones, but i love them all the same!! and to drop an album that was previously out but got taken down? metal as hell. more power to you, op!!

🌸 another time another place

thank you for your support :] !!

 💊 paininthemembrane

im watching this past my bedtime wich is prime time for computer time

🌸 another time another place

remember to sleep!

💊 paininthemembrane

too late

 💤 alltimesleeperss_

I wonder if pilotredsun is still out there. Hope they're still making good music like this.

🌸 another time another place

im sure they are! 

[ Stratobloxxer ]

Sitting down and realizing your life's not really a lie and coming to terms with that is.. Hard, at best. But he'll take it over being emotionally distressed about how he's technically fatherless, which would be funny, if it weren't literal and he didn't actually have fathers. Well, he did, it's just.. In his memory, he supposes.
His shoulders slump as he thinks about it more, trying to wrap his head around the fact his parents exist, but don't at the same time. He'd be mortified to know if two random demons had his parents' gears- never mind the fact duplicates exist in the world around them.

Stratobloxxer wasn't exactly comfortable with the fact he was looking, for lack of a better word in the moment, pathetic while resting on his couch. Pinkie was out again, which he wasn't too worried about, seeing as how she was way more used to attacking with her music compared to him. 
Part of him is pretty glad that's the case, because at least she can defend herself! Of course he can do that too, but she was definitely a better fighter than he is. Which makes him question why he stopped prioritizing fighting and instead went further into music- but that's probably because its innate. He doesn't.. Quite know.

He looks down at his claws, kinda like when you're thinking too hard and trying to ground yourself. Raising it to about eye level, he's left wondering if music is all he ever will be- and he knows it isn't, because everyone in the Inpherno is different and stuff like that, and they can be anything they want to-
And then he stops.

There's this memory in the back of his head that kind of rings out to him.

"Remember, honey. You can be anything you want to be. If you want to stop practicing guitar, that's okay." His father's voice chimes, and he finds himself in a similar situation to when he was dreaming about his family. He's holding his guitar in his hands, looking down at his gear, but he can't exactly feel what expression he's making.

Then, he's forced out of the memory. As if a sliver of it was enough to quiet the other thoughts in his head that bothered him. Stratobloxxer sighs, finding himself sort of.. Stuck, metaphorically. He's not quite sure what he should be thinking about anymore, but he's tired. He could fall asleep right now-

"Strat! Come out, you gotta eat!"

Right. He hadn't eaten yet, he should do that first. Its never good to sleep hungry, and from Bloxy's memory, he learned that the hard way when he was feeling way more empty than usual after he woke up one day. It never happened again, but most of the time he'd skip breakfast if school was out.
For the first time in two hours, he opens the door to his room, greeted with the sight of his sister crossing her arms and looking up at him with concern.

"Something's up. What's wrong?" She asks, and he feels this almost instinctual urge to hide it from her because there's no way he could vent to her about his feelings and stuff, that stays with him until he gets himself a therapist- "Strat, you know it's not good to bottle up your feelings. We had to learn that from you-know-who, too."

The odds felt like they were rigged against him in that moment. "Pinkie, I'm fine, I swear-"
"We'll talk about this after dinner, c'mon." She leaves him barely any time to respond to what she just said, already heading to the dinner table and taking a seat. He joined her, obviously. Sitting next to her instead of across.

It reminded him of all the times they ate dinner together, as a family.

He barely remembers the taste of the food in his mouth as he's sat down on the couch by his sister. The thoughts in his head sort of muddling together and turning into an incomprehensible form. Stratobloxxer wonders if this was a side effect of the Quantum Entangler, or if this is from Bloxy's ferry guy- but the fact he's still thinking about this makes him think neither add up to this.
"Never hurts to vent, y'know."

"Yeah, but, don't you think it's kinda weird how I'd technically be venting to myself?" He asks, and in that split second, he sees a glint in his sister's eye. He worries that Pinkie's already pinned down the source of this all, but he knows he'd be glad if she did so in that moment. It's pretty unfortunate his head works that way- but so did his creator's, for a while. Surprisingly, regressing to previous behaviors that he shouldn't have had doesn't freak him out as much.
.. Oh wait.

"Okay, none of that. We're going to have a talk about everything that's going on in your head and hopefully get to the bottom of it." She says with a sense of finality, knowing damn well neither of them are just going to go back and forth with one issue and cram the other ones in an awkward fashion like adding extra things to increase an essay's word count.
Predictably, they did exactly that. Sometime in the hour or two they were talking about Stratobloxxer's issues, she had held his hand. Probably to keep him grounded, assuming he'd overthink a few thoughts, and she was right. Whenever he did start fading in and out of focus, she gripped his hand a little tighter, and he'd snap out of it.

Before that though, he just started.. Saying stuff. Stuff he immediately forgot about when he closed the door to his bedroom after he stepped inside, but that comes later. It was probably more on him venting about his identity issues, and how even if he's separate from Bloxy, they used to be the same, so doesn't that-

"Strat." Her stern tone had snapped him out of it, and he looked at her with this wide-eyed gaze of slight disbelief. "Dude, remember. You're not like him, he's not like you. Sure, you might have his memories, but so do I, even on a smaller scale." She states calmly, leaning against him, careful of her head placement. "We're our own people. He's not us, we're not him, okay?"

He.. Supposed that helped, even a little. "Besides, you're taller now."

That really did something, because he started laughing, and their discussion slowly turned from philosophical to looking back on their intertwined memories. He's surprised the Quantum Entangler didn't modify her lore- but he doesn't know if Bloxy's to thank for that. The kid didn't know much about how it worked, and neither did Stratobloxxer.

His shoulders felt a lot lighter after their talk, and he actually felt tired in terms of exhaustion, so he supposed he had Pinkie to thank for that- which he did, by the way.
Sinking into bed had never felt so good before. Granted, he had a mini-therapy session courtesy of his sister, but he'll consider it a normal thing. His definition of 'normal' was a little odd but he wasn't about to unpack that when his brain tells him to go to bed.

Stratobloxxer's pretty sure he'll wake up in the morning with those random lines on his arms. Good sleep's always a luxury.

Chapter Text

[ Bloxy Cola ]

Stirring his cup of still-warm hot chocolate, he's walking out of a mall with his boyfriend protectively looming over him, acting as his 'eyes' for whenever he has to look down to stir again. Brew tells him its not exactly going to help with the 'chilling' process, but neither of them really know for sure, and he's not about to hold his coffee in one hand and his phone on the other just to look it up.

"We didn't have to leave the mall, you know. It's way colder out here than it is in there.." He hears, but he simply shrugs as they walk away from the mall. Going out for a mall date in Blackrock of all places didn't sound like a good idea to him initially, but they weighed their options and found that it's much better than malls at Crossroads. Less people there that'll bother talking to them.
They didn't buy much there, maybe a few groceries since they were starting to run out, but he wouldn't be surprised if he saw a few ingredients pop out of nowhere. He didn't know if anyone was breaking into his apartment or anything, but he's convinced its a ghost.

Bloxy finally revisited that one 'infinite money glitch' idea that Brew suggested once, and to their surprise, it actually worked. Peppermint scolded them for testing it out in the living room because they nearly flooded the floor with Bux, but the two ended up picking most of it up and placed it in a nook in their shared bedroom.
Rent certainly wouldn't be a problem anymore, and he's pretty convinced they can get a bigger apartment with this- but he's holding out on it considering Stratobloxxer lives in Crossroads. He didn't wanna separate Peppermint from him at all, even if they didn't really know they were in love with him yet.

"I'm not really surprised they've gone and fallen head over heels for him." Brew comments, gently taking the now empty cup of hot chocolate and successfully managing to shoot it into a nearby trash can. "He's a good guy. My only real concern is how long it'll take for them to actually realize that it happened to them."
"Wanna bet on it?" Bloxy says, already feeling his lips curling into a smile as the other raises a brow. "On what?"

"How long it'll take for them to realize their feelings for each other. Counting the confession."

There's this look of contemplation in Brew's eyes as his mind goes through a pong game where one of the options is him betting 20 Bux and winning, or and the other is betting 20 Bux and losing. Either way he's still betting, so it's not like it'll change the fundamental parts of the two oblivious demons they're friends with.
"Sure. 20 Bux on August of next year."

"Mm. Safe bet. I'll take my chances on next year November." Bloxy says, fully convinced Peppermint would sooner get used to being a demon in a year before realizing they're in love with their best friend.
Brew laughs at that, and at this point- they don't really know where they're going, but he's sure they can end up finding their way out of Blackrock easily enough. "You really doubt those two, don't you?" 

"How could I not? It's like waiting for a flower to bloom- or, or waiting for a tree to grow an inch taller in one day." He says, using hand gestures to really try hammering that fact in. "We'll probably end up forgetting we even made this bet by the time they get together."
"You think so?" Bloxy simply nods at that, then goes onto rant about how Stratobloxxer and Peppermint will end up be a slow-burn romance that the two have to witness, and he hopes to the SFoTH that they at least get it done with quick enough.

They walk through Blackrock's streets a bit more, sometimes stopping to pet the stray cats that came up to rub against his leg, They've long moved on from the 'slow burn' talk, now they're talking about birds. He didn't see all that many in Crossroads besides pigeons on the way home that always flew away a few feet before he approached them.
There's this glint in Bloxy's eyes as he talks about the Midnight Crows. Even though he's never seen one in person, he's still so fascinated about them. 

Brew adjusts his claw's hold on the small plastic bag of stuff they bought from the mall, barely seeing the outline of the pack of sunflower seeds he bought 'just in case' they encountered a murder of them. "It's a little stupid, I know." Bloxy says, a sheepish grin on his face. "I know we're probably not going to encounter any of them, but I just.."
"I don't think it's stupid." Brew comments as they pass an alleyway. "It's cute of you."

"Aw, don't do that." 

"You know it's true."

The conversation goes on a little more before Bloxy hears a meow, and they both turn to the sound. He's fully expecting another stray cat, and it is! But his eyes zero in on the collar around the cat's neck as it comes closer to the pair. "Brew! Brew- somebody owns this cat!" He whisper-yells, slowly kneeling down as the black cat nears the two of them.
From the looks of it, this cat was spoiled. All the other cats look relatively scruffy, but her fur is clean. He'd feel comfortable petting her if it weren't for the fact her owner was probably worrying about her.

".. I think that's Princess." His eyes widen as he looks up at his boyfriend, with Princess rubbing up on his legs with soft meows. "That's- That's Hyperlaser's cat." Bloxy's hands start trembling partly out of disbelief. There's this crawling feeling at his back, and he's not too sure where to go from here.

[ Witches Brew ]

"Look, it's okay, alright? Could you pick her up? We'll try to find Hyperlaser- or maybe his apartment building. Can't be too far, right? Not if she's here." He watches the way Princess settles into his boyfriend's arms, and he relaxes for a moment seeing her content, before turning the corner ahead, trying to think about the possible fact the mercenary was patrolling the streets looking for her- which could be good or bad, but most probably the former.
The faint noise of the bell on Princess' collar grounds him enough to keep looking, because if he wasn't focused, who knows what direction he'd be going in?

They spend a few good minutes walking around Blackrock trying to look for her owner, and there's definitely something else troubling Bloxy if the look on his face was anything to go off of. "Are you okay?"
He looks at Brew with concern. "I'm just worried. Remember when you bumped into Subspace?" There's a frown on his face as he continues petting Princess- probably to relax himself. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything then. I should've at least tried to speak up but I was-"

"Not your fault. It's okay, at least you were there to cradle my hurting side when he did it, yeah?" The shorter demon simply responds with a nod, and follows his boyfriend as he walks on. There's a quiet unzipping sound, and he can only assume Bloxy's placing Princess in his jacket, even if she doesn't really need it. She looks pretty comfy in his arms, and he's reminded of the ton of cats he had back home.
Part of him misses his cats- but he's sure they're still being taken care of. His mom didn't take all of them in for no reason, after all.

It takes way too long for them to spot Hyperlaser, and Bloxy was seriously considering placing her in the care of somebody way more qualified like an animal shelter worker (not that they found any, which was strange) before they spotted him-
"Oh, are you kidding me?" He could just barely see Subspace's silhouette from his shadow as the mercenary followed him. Why he was working on a Sunday was beyond him, but that's not what was concerning. If he was out working, he might've left a window open, that's why Princess was out and about.

The smaller beside him looked ahead in worry. "I'll go over to him and give Princess back, but could you keep an eye on me? Just in case?" Brew nods, moving a little ways ahead and leaning against a wall as his boyfriend inched his way over to the faceless demon.
It was probably instinct, but he summoned his gear in one claw while keeping a mostly-casual eye over at Bloxy.

Watching the two talk from a distance wasn't so bad. His boyfriend looked pretty nervous, but Hyperlaser was way taller than him, so it checked out. Or maybe it was the cold? He's not too sure. Brew personally didn't mind it, unless it piled onto his visor and became a bother.
He could just barely see Bloxy gently handing Princess to him, just to rush back to Brew within the next 10 seconds, waving goodbye to the mercenary- or perhaps his cat.

"Okay, let's leave." Before he could speak, the other demon was already grabbing him by the arm and heading over to where he assumed was the bus station..

[ Skateboard ]

Going out for his daily coffee run wasn't so bad when the road was clear of traffic. Sure, he might've been breaking a couple rules doing that, but it's not like he ever cared that much. Plus, Ban Hammer wouldn't get on his case if he went too fast for people to see, so it worked out fine.
The streets of Playground blurred together in blobs of color when he passed by, he was skilled enough at this that he wouldn't fly off- except that one time- but that was one time! He doesn't look back on the past like that, not unless it gave him any scrapes too big to deal with, and even then he could just ask (or bribe, depends on his finances) Medkit during his phights.

Sure the bus would've been quicker, but Skateboard's convinced he can go faster than that. Besides, his day would've been packed for today, having to hang out with Boombox and maybe help out with concert stuff, but if not- Coil would've been yammering his mouth off to him. Not that it's happened this week.
His first stop is at Slingshot's place, hoping to pick up a coffee before doing all the energy draining stuff like usual. It was pretty great, definitely better than energy drinks in terms of what he's putting in his body, not that it changes the fact he'll definitely crash on his couch in exhaustion later.

Desummoning his board and ushing his hand flat on the door, the 'ding' of the bell Slingshot's placed spooks him a little, not that it shows, as he casually walks into the restaurant. "Yo, Sling!"
"Skate!" He can just barely hear his reply from the kitchen, and he casually waves to both Shuriken and Vine Staff as he approaches the siblings. "Slow day today, huh?"

The ninja just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Pretty much. Most of the customers have come and gone except those two lovedoves." He points a claw at one booth, and Skate turns to see Cola and his boyfriend (Brew, he thinks?) talking and laughing with each other, but not loud enough to bother anyone else.
"How long have they been there?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"Two hours, tops. They've been huddling all close and I'm pretty sure they're not leaving until either of them finishes their drink." Shuriken says while Vine Staff shakes her head, looking at the two demons with a fond expression.
"It doesn't look like they're even close, Shuriken. Let Cola and Witches Brew enjoy their time here, won't you?"

The two eventually delved into light-hearted bickering and while he usually joined in to support Shuriken, much to his sister's annoyance, Skate would rather leave them to bicker about this to themselves. Besides, he's a little curious on what Cola would say if he approached their table- if anything at all. 
Slingshot eventually came out of the kitchen with his drink in hand, and he forked over some Bux like usual. He didn't wait for him to give back any as change knowing he'd probably just hand it over in their next phight.

Skateboard started walking over to the happy couple, and he would've greeted them with a hello and friendly wave if the following hadn't just happened in front of him.

"Lean down a bit!" Brew leaned down enough for Bloxy's height, and he gently pulled his boyfriend in for a hug before their horns scraped against each other's. Mortified at the sight, he made a 180 and turned right back around, speed walking over to the counter in a flimsy attempt to forget what he just saw.

Turns out his fellow phighters had seen that too, and were in similar states of shock, the most notable of the three being Slingshot who ran into the kitchen and closed the door, while siblings just looked away and covered their eyes.

.. The three of them agreed to not bring that incident up. Skateboard is pretty sure neither of the two want to hear it, anyway.

[ Rocket ]

"Thanks for inviting me out here, Sword!" The two were currently somewhere in Lost Temple, and while Rocket was mildly concerned as to what they'd be doing considering this wasn't their usual terrain, things seemed fine. Plus, it didn't seem like they were visiting Venomshank, because his dad would usually take them. The Deity always scared him, even just a little.
"Of course! Anything for my best friend, yeah?" It doesn't look like they're going anywhere too special, but maybe he wanted to lay off training for a bit. He knows his friend's dad wasn't much of a dad, really, more of a mentor, but Sword didn't like bringing it up.

Seemed to him like they were going out on a stroll, but a few minutes later he found himself around marketplace stalls and holding onto his best friend's hand as they walked around, trying to find anything that interested them at all besides food. They were still having fun though, so it doesn't really matter!
"Rocket, what do you think?" Sword holds up a misshapen eggplant in front of him, and he takes a couple seconds looking at it before giving him a thumbs up. "Looks good to me!"

There's a lot to look at if he's being honest. Textiles and pottery, demons selling fresh fruit and vegetables (which Sword was looking for, oddly enough), and one stall selling fresh coffee. He makes a double take at said stall, remembering he didn't actually have much for breakfast that day because he rushed out to go see his best friend, having to yell a goodbye to Zuka before he went.
.. If he had coffee now-

Rocket pulls his gaze away from that just in time to see a stall with meat buns, tugging on his hand to signal where he wants to go. Making no objections, Sword moved over to the stall and bought a few. He didn't really have to, but he insisted on it. Some part of him wonders if this was just because he won last phight and got some good Bux from it, or if this was just his way of treating Rocket after he had lost. Either way, he was being pretty thoughtful, so he didn't see much of a reason to complain if he's getting free food.

Munching on a meat bun, he's pretty sure they're about to leave the marketplace by now. The footsteps around them die down a little as the sun beats down on their backs. He's so glad he's wearing a tank top right now.
"I was thinking, if you wanted-" Sword's cut off by somebody bumping into him, and Rocket's first priority is making sure he didn't land on the sandstone beneath him by catching him just in time. Thankfully he's finished his food by now, not that it would've mattered if he did drop it at all.

The other demon was profusely apologetic, much to their shared confusion, and it looked like the demon accompanying that one looked frantic, trying to pick up the numerous things that were scattered about. He would've been more concerned had he not recognized these demons, but one look at them and there's this flash of recognition that passes his mind.
"Yo, are you the two guys that brought their Biograft to the beach?"

The straight-horned one (he's not about to be rude to these two) looked at him with a head tilt and dragged out an 'uhh' before eventually answering. "Yeah..? Were you like, bothered or anything? They wanted to get out of the house more, that's all."
Rocket squinted at that before finally helping Sword by tipping him back upright. "Sure, sure, uh, you guys were here for the market?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Sorry for bumping into you, guess we were just so busy talkin'." He seems embarrassed, but at the very least he said sorry. The shorter of the two finally finished getting whatever Sword had dropped and handed it to him. If he blinked, he would've missed the slight tears in his eyes. "I'm really sorry! I didn't look where I was going and I probably should've and I-"

"Honey, it's fine. You got his stuff, we apologized, it's cool." His.. Companion? Stated, looking at Rocket with a side-eye and holding onto his hand when he reached out. "Right?"

".. Yeah. It's more than what other demons would've done." He doesn't even want to think about what could've happened if they bumped into one of Broker's associates here.
"Oh, none of that-" The ram-horned demon hands his stuff over to the other and digs through his pockets and takes out his wallet, pulling out what had to be at least 100 Bux.

"Whoa, whoa, you don't have to-" Sword raised his hands in front of him, but that didn't do much to stop the teen as he gave him the Bux anyway, gently putting away his wallet before waving the two of them a goodbye as they moved ahead while his best friend was trying not to let the Bux he just got given fly out of his hands. "Well that didn't work."

Rocket lets out an amused chuckle and looks at the two, who were holding hands as they walked off. "Yeah, it didn't."

They were wearing matching horn bands.

[ Spray Paint ]

Knowing his brother and sister were off at work left him more free time than he'd want. Staying at home sucked, which was ironic considering how much he wanted to do that as a kid. Now as a 19-year old working as a 'side kick' for Mx. Bot in their shenanigans, he supposed he had a reason to stay out, even though he didn't really need to.
Paint Buckét says they're a bad influence, but he doesn't see much of a reason to be worried if all they ever do is prank that homeless looking dude he sees entering Crossroads bi-weekly for the past year. So, not that much of an influence, really.

Right now though, he's locked in a heated graffiti battle with his rival- and while he doesn't remember where it all started, he knows he has to finish this piece before Graffiti can, otherwise he's gonna get taunted for the rest of the week. Not that he ever got under his skin anyway even though he totally did, but it still annoyed him. Just listening to his voice sucked.
"Hey, dumbass! You gonna check your color on that?!"

Spray Paint brushed it off as him just being annoying again, but he couldn't help but look up to check on his work. Both of them had a tendency of getting carried away with detail, so it's not too far-fetched that he would've miscolored something, maybe something was wrong.. "Oh, fuck off, Graffiti! There's nothin' wrong!"
"The whole thing's off!" He spat back, and he knows the other demon's just doing that thing again, but he falls into it like a leaf trap in those terrible adventure movies. "Can't blame me for sayin' something's wrong with it!"

Rolling his eyes, he knows he's nearly done. Giving his paint can a good shake, there's this noise he hears to his right, and for a second he thinks its one of Mx. Bot's hijacked Biografts, but he gives in to that urge to fully look and he's surprised to see a duo of demons huddled around one portion of the wall, just a couple steps away.
He's not actually sure if they can hear.. Whatever Graffiti and him are doing, but he's not too concerned. He finishes up his piece and hears his rival curse beside him, causing him to snicker.

Walking back, he looks up at his art with a proud smile. He knows it's good, but Graffiti would never really admit that. Not that he'd ever admit his rival's art is good either, but still. "So, do I win this one, or..?"
"You don't win shit, Spray!" He shoots back, and he scoffs at that. Admittedly, he's still a little curious about those two demons he saw earlier, and he glances at the spot they were at, realizing they were still there.

"Yo." Spray Paint points to the two and when the other demon notices, he lets out a 'huh?' and stands up, as if their spat back there didn't just happen. ".. Who are those two?"
He shrugs. "No clue. Wanna go talk to them or whatever?"
"Sure."

The two make the short walk over to them and realize they aren't actually huddled against one part of the wall. Well, one of them is, the other's just leaning against it. By the looks of it, the one at the wall has a paint brush in hand, which was pretty weird since why use paint when you can use something else, but maybe that's just him.
".. Uh, hi." He greets, desummoning his gear to make it seem like he wasn't a threat.

"Oh shit- hey there." The one with the visor looked at them in surprise, while the one wearing orange stayed laser-focused at the wall. Spray Paint was, admittedly, a little unnerved, but that didn't mean much. "What're you guys doing here?"
He relaxed- probably because he looked like he wasn't going to attack them or something.
"Eh, he dragged me here. He's painting our names into the wall."

"But.. Why?" Graffiti asks, beside him. Spray Paint would've called it a stupid question if he didn't know why either.
"We can't etch our names in it, so he decided to paint it on." He says, as if that helps. "No, but like.. Why? Are you guys marking territory or something, 'cause.." His rival makes a couple of gestures that definitely looked stupid to him, but he didn't comment on it, it'd just make things awkward.

The demon's face seems to light up at the question. "Oh, we're in a relationship. You guys know that one tradition where you carve your names into trees as like, a symbol for permanence of love? Yeah, that thing. Anyway, my boyfriend's trying to focus. Mind leaving us be?"
Spray Paint and Graffiti share a glance, having never heard of that tradition before, but they're not about to question it if he said it with that much sincerity. "Uh.. Okay. Seeya."

"See you two 'round."

After they left, they looked at each other and then back at the spot they just came out of. "You ever heard of a tradition like that back in Thieves' Den, 'Fiti?"
"Nah, no way. I don't know what either of those two are on, but good for them I guess." Spray Paint supposed that answer would be good enough.

[ Stratobloxxer ]

"Have you heard?" He looked up to see Pinkie cooking dinner, and presumably talking to him, seeing as there's nobody else in the apartment, and Peppermint left a little while ago. Adjusting his position on the couch, he takes off his sunglasses and places it on the coffee table as if that'd make him hear better. "Heard what?"
"Bloxy Cola and Witches Brew are getting attention, seems like people have been seeing them around."

Stratobloxxer inhales sharply, kinda like when you find out information you're definitely worried about, or when you go down the longest ladder in snakes and ladders. "That's.. Not good, is it?" He questions hesitantly, watching her turn around with a deadpan expression.
"Well, yeah, but we can't say that to their faces! They don't know much about Crossroads, hell, the Inpherno in general!" She says, finishing up dinner for the night- which was really just noodles because they wanted to spoil themselves after today. "Those two are gonna end up being a rumor, then people are going gossip about them, and then it'll fly outta control."

"Okay, but shouldn't they know at least?" Stratobloxxer's already walking to the dinner table as he says it, taking a moment to stretch his limbs as his sister rolls her eyes and pulls out a chair for herself, before getting up because she forgot their utensils. It's been the third time and she knows it.
"Maybe not now.. It's already late, and plus, we're eating dinner." Pinkie responds, handing him his fork as she brings a spoonful of hot noodles to her mouth. "We should focus on that first. Tomorrow's a good time, if we don't forget to bring it up."

He knows damn well she's going to make that noise where something way too hot is in your mouth but you can't spit it out so you just air out the hot part to the best of your ability, which she's failing at spectacularly. He's not even going to bother telling her not to, either, because she's just as stubborn as he is.
"So how's a mouthful of fire taste?" He asks, nonchalantly blowing on his forkful while she glares at him.

"Just fine, for your information." She then proceeds to do the same thing, and he squints at that, before shrugging and actually focusing on his food.

A moment of silence passes before either of them say another word. ".. How was work?"
"You're really bad at this." He spouts, glancing at her to see her playful eyeroll.

"Well, sorry! I just went to the library and tried to chat up a few demons, not that it really did anything, but I think I got to somebody!" She says excitedly, finally blowing some air on her food to cool it. "Look at me! Making friends, being a social demon- who would've thought?"

"I'm sure Dad would be proud of you." Stratobloxxer closes his eyes as he says it, trying to shield himself from her expression, having not brought up their parents for a bit.
There's a solemn look on her face as she looks down at her finished bowl of food. ".. Would he really?"

"Mhm."
There's another passing moment of silence.

"Thanks, Strat."

"Anytime."

[ Peppermint ]

Peppermint's just left Stratobloxxer's apartment, carelessly strolling on home knowing they don't really need to charge and therefore would definitely lose out on some sleep, but hey, there's a new show that's airing that they're super interested in! And no synopsis could capture an episode's excellence in all its glory, so they elected to watch it on the T.V. instead.
Neither of their two roommates actually watch it with them unless its a cooking show or a movie, so at least the couch was free when they had to watch what was essentially Inpherno's 'The Voice', or whatever that meant. They only heard Bloxy say it one time, and then he never did again.

At least they try getting invested, though, it doesn't last long before either of them get a little distracted. And that's fine! They talked their best friend into it, and got him interested too. It's a shame they can't invite the siblings over, but that's just how it works, they suppose.
For the past month, they've been honing their skills with the drums, and they're even considering doing another show with Stratobloxxer playing too, which would definitely make them some good Bux. It's a good opportunity to show off their stuff, because what Biograft could play drums as good as they do?

'NONE OF THEM CAN.'  They think proudly, and for the most part, Peppermint's right. But they could easily see others among them that'll gain sentience and become drummers too. Those worries are drowned out when they remember that most of their would-be siblings might be more interested in other things, like.. Exploring, or smithing, or woodwork- things like that. 'AT LEAST NOT YET. MAYBE I CAN MENTOR ONE.'
All things considered, tonight's a good night. They've made efficient use of their time, spent it all on doing something they love like hanging out with the people they're familiar with, stuff like that.

It feels a little routine, sure, but they're comfortable this way. No harm's come to them so far, and it's been a little too long since Broker has paid them a visit in any sort of manner, which is surprising on his part, but-

Suddenly, they pause, noticing where they were. Just about to scale the stairs up to Bloxy's apartment. "NO." They're already moving at this point, and their movements only grow faster to hopefully not catch Broker in their apartment, because the last time he did it, it was on their roommate's birthday.
Turning the knob, it jammed, and they roll their eyes as best as they could before fishing out some spare keys from their pocket. It takes a few tries, but they eventually unlock the door, stepping inside (taking off their shoes first, of course) and looking around.

.. No sign of him.

"THANK THE SPAWN." They say, turning back around before hearing a 'tink, tink!' to the balcony door.

Peppermint gets quiet, before their arms drop to their sides. "I AM NOT TURNING AROUND NOW."
 "Are you gonna let a guy in, or not?!" Broker yells from outside, and they damn near want to rip their own horns off.

"NO! NOW GO AWAY, THE TWO ARE STILL OUT! I DO NOT GET PAID TO DEAL WITH YOU. AND EVEN IF I DID, I WOULD NOT LET YOU IN REGARDLESS." If only those two lovedoves for roommates they had were there. Maybe they could've driven him away with their chronic affectionate nature with each other.
"C'mon, robot!-"

"MY NAME IS PEPPERMINT." They state, actually turning around to get a good look at him, hands on the windows and breath fogging up a spot on the glass. Some part of their circuits spark, likely in disgust knowing they cleaned those windows to perfection just for him to do that.
It feels almost wrong looking at him in that state. Why he developed an interest in Bloxy, they'll never know.

"Yeah, sure-"
They're not sure how long it'll take for Bloxy or Brew to get there, but they hope its soon.

"Listen, just let me in!"

"I DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO! UNLESS YOU LET YOURSELF IN, I AM NOT HELPING."

.. Bad idea on their part, because he just did. He closes the door behind him and smiles at them with his stupid grin. Even though they don't have a mouth, if they did, they'd be frowning right now. ".. BEHAVE YOURSELF. I'M WATCHING TELEVISION."
"Mind if I join?" He asks, and at this point they're too tired to argue.
"NOT YOUR KIND OF SHOW, I THINK, BUT FINE. SIT DOWN."

Broker sits down far enough away from them so both of them are relaxed, and they put on their favorite show. Oddly enough, he's pleasantly quiet. The two spend a bit of time watching their show together before it cuts to a commercial break, and in that moment, they hear the tell-tale sound of their roommates coming down the hall.

"THEY'RE HOME."

"Really? And where've they been, robot?" Peppermint grumbles, but answers to it anyway.
".. OUT. TOGETHER."

It's not long before they both step inside, their matching heart bands glinting in the light before the two of them look to the couch and go wide-eyed at the sight of Broker.
"SURPRISE, YOU TWO. WELCOME HOME." They say flatly, assessing their reactions before turning back to the T.V. and switching the channels to find something they like.