Chapter 1: Tea Time
Summary:
Marshmallow services the Commander with tea and the two realize how they actually enjoy the other’s company.
Chapter Text
"Tea, my commander?"
"Yes, thank you."
The masked man—although currently unmasked and without his hefty weapons—sat down at the small, round table.
He had a rather formal presence; perfect posture and one leg crossed over the other. All of this despite just being in the company of Porky’s maid. His orange-colored hair was a bit disheveled due to the helmet, but he didn’t seem to mind too much.
Again, he was just with the maid.
Lil Miss Marshmallow, after setting the cup and small plate down in front of him, poured some tea.
There was a comfortable silence between them. Truth be told, they did have a bit in common; prime examples could be that both were considered robots and served Porky.
Except the masked man wasn’t a robot; not like Marshmallow, anyway. Half of him was a Chimera, altered for the pleasure of their master. The remaining parts were human flesh.
Sometimes he thought himself a monster more than a simple robot. That’s what chimeras were, after all.
He pondered this as he fixated his gaze on Marshmallow. Her blonde pigtails that barely fell past her shoulder, her somewhat pale, fully mechanical body. The two, although not very deep, lines going down from her eyes to her neck. Even with all the robotic features, her face didn’t look too far off from a human one.
Her eyes were a clear, glowing purple that the masked man knew all too well would easily brighten into yellow if displeased in the slightest. Frankly, what gave her away was not only the two facial lines, but the two screws she had in lieu of hair ties.
What they also shared was their service to Porky. Both were technically forced to be of use: one as a maid that does everything for him, the other as the commander of the strongest army ever known.
But she enjoyed doing so. It was like blind loyalty. She carried out his orders, simple as they may be, without question and took pride in it.
The masked man, however, felt nothing when doing anything for Porky. He just did it without a single complaint. He felt no devotion toward the young tyrant.
Marshmallow noticed his eyes on her, green and red pupils unintentionally staring. He had become so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize he hadn’t blinked for far too long.
"Commander? Is there something else you require?" she questioned, suddenly right at his side.
He blinked, shaking his head and momentarily looking away from her. "No, that is all."
A small hum left her mechanical lips as she backed away from him. Seeing his cup empty, she placed her hand on the tea handle, and he nodded.
She poured him another fill.
It wasn’t really a secret, but as much as she cared for her master, Marshmallow didn’t mind serving the commander. She enjoyed his company.
He didn’t speak too much, but sometimes, it was a much better alternative to Porky yapping orders away.
Besides. If she weren’t a robot, she’d reckon they’d be the same age. The commander was quite young and handsome.
But because of Porky, he had matured too quickly. His childhood had been ripped away from him. All of this unbeknownst to her, of course.
"Well… you’re the one who’s staring now."
Marshmallow blinked, closing her eyes and turning her head away just as he did. She had been staring, hadn’t she?
"Forgive me, my commander," she requested respectfully, even bowing.
And for the first time, she had finally seen some type of expression on his face. Right now, it was confusion.
"I wasn’t angry."
Of course he wasn’t angry. Why should he be angry?
All she mustered out was, "Forgive me if I speak out of line... but you seem more talkative today."
She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t a smile.
It was so small one nearly wouldn’t be able to tell. But the maid caught it, and something inside her robotic body fluttered at the sight.
"Is that right? Master Porky’s told me to be more... social. And upbeat. He’s even tried to force my lips upward on multiple occasions."
His voice also sounded slightly more... cheery. Marshmallow did her best to hide her excitement, practically hopping back over to his side. "But, Commander... you were smiling just now. Just now!"
Then it was gone, replaced with that same confused stare as before. "I must've not noticed."
It really was sad how a boy his age didn’t even know when he smiled. If he hadn’t been drastically changed, perhaps he would’ve been able to do so more often.
"You didn't, but I did. And it may not seem like much to you, my commander... but as one of the many who have seen nothing but an apathetic expression from you every hour of the day, it’s very nice to see you show other emotions and gestures... such as a smile."
She then bowed again. Her words and actions made the masked man questionably blink before glancing away from her, his cheeks warming a bit. "I was... unaware you paid such attention to me. There’s no need to bow, Marshmallow..."
Now this was something new entirely. Never had the intimidating commander ever looked flustered; yet that may have been because he was usually surrounded by the Pigmask Army.
"I probably don’t have any right to say this..." she spoke, hands behind her back and gazing up at him with a gentle expression. "But you really should smile more often. It makes you look more handsome."
He wasn’t used to such compliments; compliments in general. Sure, some of the Pigmasks loved to toy around with him sometimes and try to force a grin, but it never usually worked.
He cleared his throat, trying to disregard her words as he avoided her eyes. It makes you look more handsome. "The army says I’m a man devoid of emotion... but I’m assuming if you can get a smile out of me this time, I don’t doubt you can do it again."
Marshmallow felt something well up inside her for the second time. Of course, as a droid she was unable to blush, but if she could, she most likely would’ve in that situation.
"Does that mean only I get to see you smile? Not even Master?"
"I would assume so. What reason would he need to see me in such a vulnerable state?"
She froze. Vulnerable state? If he thought of merely smiling a vulnerable state—
"Oh my, Commander," she muttered, dramatically placing a hand on her head and falling backward. He’d willingly show me vulnerability?
He blinked for a second before standing up, catching her with one arm and slight concern. "What is it? You don’t seem... to be running low on..."
Marshmallow looked up at him with those purple eyes of hers. "That’s right... I forget you aren't the brightest when it comes to social interactions, so you may not have exactly payed attention to your words."
"What?"
She stood, back to normal, and patted his chest. "Nevertheless, if you insist on me making you smile again, I insist we continue doing this. You may not be an expert conversation starter, but you are indeed pleasant company."
He despised not knowing what was going on. And honestly, he was confused on why his face continued to heat the longer he stayed with the maid.
Yet pushing that out of his mind for now, the masked man turned his back to her, ready to sit in his seat. "Alright then. Prepare some more tea... and then come sit. You are also fine company, Marshmallow."
Chapter 2: Repairs
Summary:
The masked man returns from his failed mission at Chupichupyoi Temple, furious at his defeat. He’s able to be calmed only by the presence of the maid.
Chapter Text
"Commander, you’re still a little… staticky."
"I can do the repairs myself."
The masked man stormed away from the two Pigmask captains, heading toward his quarters. He made sure the door was shut and locked.
He practically ripped the helmet off his head and threw it onto the small bed. He didn’t bother fixing his hair—which was all over the place due to the excess lightning—or anything along the line; just took off his jacket as if it was 104 degrees.
The commander even pulled his collared shirt over his head and tossed it in a fit of rage. He banged a fist on his chest, hoping that would do something. Unfortunately, there was just another wave of shock.
Maybe he used too much lightning.
He was furious. By now he knew Lucas not only by name, but as the asshole who was getting in his way.
He had pulled two needles in front of his face; the one on Snowcap Mountain and Tanetane island. Hell, gave him and his friends a physical shock too.
So he was bewildered on how a bunch of freaks were able to stop him at the temple. Defeat him, nonetheless.
His eyes were bulging. A vein appeared on the side of his forehead, practically ready to pop out.
And then a rather calming voice rang from the other side of the door after a knock. "Commander?"
That was enough to tranquilize him. Just a little.
"Come in," he called after taking a deep breath.
There entered the mechanical maid of Porky, warm smiles and greetings as always. "Welcome back, Commander. How was—?" As his bare back was facing her, she was only able to see one of his clenched fists on the bed; that was enough to tell her what she needed to know.
While he rarely got this angry, it was times like these that Marshmallow knew to simply do her job. She asked, "Do you require anything, my commander?"
"Yes," he responded rather too quickly. He even whipped his body around to look at her with those dilated eyes again. "I am still suffering from the damage of my own lightning, my defeat… I am not as strong as I need to be."
"You’re the strongest one in the entire army," the maid bluntly disagreed, both as reassurance and a fact. "Our toughest soldier."
"It’s not enough. I need more. I won’t let a child who came out of nowhere defeat me again."
Marshmallow softly hummed. "You’re aware I’m sure, Commander… he looks a lot like you. The resemblance is a little concerning."
The soldier unmasked released a sigh through his nose. He picked up his helmet, almost as if lamenting. He was somewhat calmer now.
"Yes, I’m aware. I knew of doppelgängers, but I never expected to see one of me. And he is able to pull the Seven Needles just as I. He was easily able to infiltrate our army because of it."
"Yes, but… we also don’t have the brightest of brains in our army," the maid remarked with a gentle laugh.
On that the commander was forced to agree. Now there was a bit of amusement in his expression. "You’re right. They let the dog pass too without question."
Seeing as he was now no longer willing to start swinging for no reason, she felt the urge to ask him again. "Do you require anything, my commander?"
The soldier now looked at his helmet and then down at himself. "… help with repairs, please."
❧
Marshmallow had her back opened, a bunch of mechanical tools poking out of her. She used them to make minor modifications to his helmet, as that was what he believed to be the source of all the lightning remains.
He sat in front of her, simply watching. He ended up wearing a tank top, repeatedly moving his robotic arm back in a small circle.
"Commander," she began, though kept her eyes on her assignment, "what was so important about your mission? I know everything you do has significance, but I’ve never seen you so upset over a defeat."
He wasn’t aware she didn’t know about his recent venture. "I needed to pull this needle to be ahead. It’s like a race of sorts… if I had gotten my hands on it, he would’ve been out. But now we’re at a tie, and everything depends on me getting to the last one."
"Hmm… Master’s put a lot of stress on you, hasn’t he?" There was a hint of a frown on her face.
"I fight with everything I can no matter the battle. But this boy and his team have clearly increased in strength… which is why I must as well."
In truth, Marshmallow wasn’t very in the loop about these Seven Needles. She’s heard talk about it among the army and even from Porky himself; along with the commander, of course, but he was pretty vague about it. She managed to put together enough pieces to understand most of the situation.
"Well." She returned her tools back inside her body, sitting up on her knees with his helmet. "The farther you go in your journey, the tougher your opponents will be; that’s how it always is, I fear."
The maid placed the helmet atop his head to see how he felt. "When you fight enemies weaker than you, you don’t progress much, if at all. It’s important to face challenges so you can be better."
He thought about what she said. As always, she couldn’t be more right.
"Thank you," the soldier acknowledged her with a subtle nod. Both for the work and advice.
Marshmallow then took it off, placing it on the floor. "That being said…" She inched a bit closer to place her hands on both his shoulders. "No matter who you fight or the outcome of it, you are still our strongest soldier; my strongest soldier."
She rested her face in his hair, orange and soft. Considering all that he did it was a miracle he managed to keep it like that. It wasn’t very neat, but it was so cozy.
He lay his head on her chest, a warm smile creeping up his face. Not that it was large or beaming, but it was genuine. That’s what mattered most to her.
"Every day, I think of how glad I am that I was able to retrieve you from the tower before we destroyed it."
This made her gears shift. Or something. If she had a heart, it would be beating rapidly at his words. Whenever he said anything like that, there was always a sort of feeling that welled up. It was a welcoming one.
She smiled brightly. "I am too. Or else who would make your favorite tea?"
He let out a low chuckle. "Yes, you’re right. Only you can."
Marshmallow lightly hummed before pulling away—to her own discontent—to face him. Her fingers moved from his shoulders down to his hands and she twined them together.
"You’re going to win whatever battle next comes your way. And you’re going to find that needle first. When you do, you’re going to pull it. And then… well, we’ll see what happens from there. Everything will be fine."
The commander gazed into her eyes. His smile never faltered. He failed to understand just how infatuated he was with this maid.
"Yes. Everything will be fine."
Chapter 3: Bloody Rescue
Summary:
Once Marshmallow finds herself in some trouble after going for a walk, the masked man swoops in to eliminate those attempting to hurt her.
Chapter Text
The day was uneventful for Marshmallow. Porky required nothing from her, and neither did the Pigmasks; though they technically weren’t allowed to ask anything of her anyway.
The commander was out on a mission. Probably getting his hands dirty so their master didn’t have to, but the issue is that he was out there and not with her.
It really was boring without him.
But if Porky didn’t need her at the moment, there was no reason she couldn’t go out for a walk. While it had no effect on her physically, she’d heard that it raises both happiness and morale, so it was worth a shot.
Then she remembered she was a robot. Not a single benefit from exercising would have any effect on her at all.
But by the time Marshmallow figured this out, she was already out in the open air. It wouldn’t make any sense to turn back now. Besides, she was a bit curious about how she’d feel after this. Maybe humans were right.
The maid walked. And walked. And walked. She walked a lot. Not that it would be much trouble getting back, but she didn’t realize how far she had actually strayed. She wasn’t familiar on where she was at the moment, but the forest seemed calm and welcoming.
That was until a bunch of rowdy voices worriedly spoke to each other; they weren’t exactly quiet, but not so loud that anyone more than four yards away would be able to hear.
"Hurry up! He’s looking for us; and if he finds us, we’re fucking toast."
"If you would shut up, he’d have less of a chance of finding us out here! This is all your fault, you wanted to steal that phone. A fucking telephone. What were you even gonna do with it?"
"If Porky thinks it’s valuable, then you know we could get bank off of this! Don’t act like y—"
The two men appeared to be Pigmasks. Traitors, if they were stealing and running away. Marshmallow realized this when one rammed into her before he could finish his sentence.
"What the…"
The maid stumbled back but didn’t fall. The Pigmask did. She looked at the two of them, not one bit of emotion in her eyes.
Next to the fallen man was a black telephone, where you spin a wheel to dial. The plug wasn’t too long.
"Hey… that’s his maid," the second pointed out.
The first didn’t even bother to stand up yet, only observe. "Yeah… how much you think she’s worth? Ex-boss definitely won’t wanna be rid of her."
Marshmallow didn’t need to hear any more of this. One, they were stealing from her master, their master. Two, they were now talking about snagging her.
No one appeared to be after them. She took it upon herself to get rid of these renegades.
She wasn’t the strongest fighter out there, but the maid did have a multitude of tools in her back that could scare. And bringing them out did worry the Pigmasks a little.
"You will be eliminated for disrespecting the king," she warned the men bluntly.
The first thing she did was try a drill attack. Worried that he’d lose an arm, the first Pigmask rolled away before standing up.
"Great, now she’s ticked off!" the second complained, whipping out a gun. It wasn’t a regular one, however; this one contained saltwater.
He fired it immediately. Unfortunately, it hit Marshmallow square in the middle of her stomach. Due to being mechanical, she deeply felt the impact.
"Ah!" She flinched, stumbling back a few steps. This was practically the equivalent to pain in a human. That would fuck up her interior completely.
"You got another one of those?" the first questioned. "Knock her out right here."
The maid prepared for another attack; she wasn’t down yet. She was forced to close in on them, as her attacks couldn’t quite reach a far distance.
She flung one of her attached tools toward the first Pigmask again. He only had a regular gun and so used it to block the hit. She pushed and pushed against the weapon until it flung out of his hands, where she then took a chance to kick him in the place where no light shines.
"Son of a bitch," he cursed, holding on to his crotch.
The second threw a regular bomb. It was aimed right for Marshmallow, and so hit her without any impact on their surroundings.
This stunned her for a moment. But it also really pissed her off.
The purple in her eyes intensified brightly. The drill now spun rapidly.
Quiet shuffling made its presence in the forest. All three froze.
The Pigmasks held their guns up, ready to fire. The second aimed specifically at Marshmallow.
With lightning speed, a golden sword was pressed on his neck. Very slowly, the blade sliced across from right to left. The second Pigmask dropped the gun, hands immediately flying to the gash where red blood poured like a waterfall. His uniform was staining already.
When the perpetrator removed the sword, another spurt of blood sprayed out into the open. He began to choke violently as he fell to his knees, the life already leaving him.
At the violent sight, the first Pigmask whipped his head around in fear. He damn near pulled a muscle. "W… who’s there? Show yourself!"
The same sword stabbed right through his stomach. He let out a grunt, also dropping his gun to shakily move his hands toward the wound.
The blade was yanked out. Then plunged right through the flesh again, near his left ribcage. Pulled out once more. Forced the weapon into his heart. The killer twisted the sword at an outright leisurely pace, causing the Pigmask to scream in agony.
Marshmallow was mostly unfazed by all the brutality going on in front of her. She recognized that brand all too well and so felt comfortable enough to return the tools into her back. Her eyes dulled to their normal brightness once more.
After choking and gasping for oxygen for about a minute, the Pigmasks died. Their bloodied corpses lay on top of each other, and their wounds were staining both them and the forest ground with blood.
"I’m sorry you had to witness that."
The masked man spoke from behind Marshmallow, squatting as he wiped his sword with a nearby leaf. "The king assigned me to get rid of them. Unfortunately, they had objects that slowed me down."
There was blood all over his uniform. Some had even gotten on his right cheek.
Despite being so young, things like this was what made him extremely menacing.
"I see. Were you supposed to give them such a painful death?" the maid calmly asked.
"He didn’t care. They just had to be eliminated."
"So why didn’t you make it swift?"
Now he glanced up at her, the pupil in his green eye slightly dilating. "I saw the way they hurt you. And I heard them talking about taking you, too. They deserved it."
A bit of confusion waved over her. "Nothing can hurt me. I’m a machine, Commander."
He too was lost, rising to his feet and letting his sword drop. He stood just inches away from the maid, simply examining her with his eyes.
Then he placed a hand on her cheek, gently rubbing what appeared to be brown rust with his thumb.
If only he understood how this made her feel.
"This is from a mechanically effective weapon. I know it hurts you, Marshmallow."
She found herself twirling a small strand of her blonde hair out of slight nervousness. "Well. You didn’t have to commit such an act on my part. I could’ve handled them just fine."
The masked commander pulled away to pick up his sword. There was still some blood on it, but it was smeared. Better than having it be fully coated.
"But I did." A hint of a smile was on his face. "The king sent me to kill them, remember?"
Oh. That’s right.
"However, if the need should arise again, I would gladly terminate anyone that stands in your way." His eyes stared into hers. "Just say the word and I will be there."
This made Marshmallow smile warmly. "Thank you, Commander." Her tone was now somewhat playful. "Though I doubt I will need my dear, strong, commander to come rescue me in times of need."
He didn’t quite catch her teasing. "Well, then you won’t have to say the word. I will simply be there."
"We’ll work on your lack of reading the room."
The two began their return to base as they conversed, leaving the bloody corpses behind for the other army members to clean up and get rid of.
Chapter 4: Poisoned Separation
Summary:
The masked man gets gravely injured on one of his missions, leaving Marshmallow stunned as she’s brought to see him in one of his “final” moments.
Chapter Text
Honestly, Marshmallow hadn’t been around her fair share of death.
She was a simple maid, after all. Created to cook, clean, occasionally pick out Porky’s nose hairs. Serve tea even, though that was normally saved for a special guest of hers. While she had tools that shot out of her back, they were really meant to either fix things or defend herself.
So yes, the concept of death kind of made her a little uncomfortable. She had never killed anybody. Nor had she witnessed many dying. Very rarely a Pigmask soldier. But that was a long, long time ago.
Marshmallow was a robot. She believed she was incapable of truly caring for somebody and their safety. That all changed when their commander took charge.
He was different for some reason. He had stolen whatever gear resembled a heart in her body without even trying. So naturally, whenever he went out for missions, especially dangerous ones, she worried.
He always came back to tell her she was so concerned for nothing. It brought her relief.
So when his one-day mission turned into two, three days, of course she figured something was wrong.
❧
The masked man felt horrible on his way back.
In the flying ship, the Pigmasks aboard expressed concern and fear. For their leader was on the floor, back against the wall with his eyes unintentionally closing every few seconds.
"Uh, Commander… are you sure everything’s alright?" one asked.
"Just return to base as quickly as possible," he bluntly replied, taking an uneven breath. "Andonuts will cure me when we arrive."
A female member of the army leaned toward the other, whispering, "He was struck with a blade of poison… it was said he’d feel the effects slowly before passing. You really think he’s alright?"
"Hold on, passing?" Though he was in shock, the former’s voice was a whisper. "I didn’t hear that. So the Commander is gonna…"
"We won’t let him." She shook her head to emphasize her statement. "The scientist better do his job… he’s important to the king."
"Huh. I thought the king didn’t really care about anyone. Y’know, because he’s still sort of a kid and all that. At least he looks like one."
"I don't think it’s care he has for the Commander. But something is important about him that he can’t find in anyone else. And unlike him, we’re all ordinary. If he dies, we’re all fucked."
That was food for thought. It didn’t help that the masked man had begun to sweat, inhaling only labored breaths in between long pauses.
❧
That same Pigmask roamed outside a white door inside of a lab similar to the Chimera one, arms crossed over his stomach. Despite not having as many supplies, it was far closer. And time was of the essence.
What his female colleague had said to him earlier really bothered him.
Half of it was for his sake. Three quarters, maybe. But before he became a member of the army, he was a man of compassion. Based on his current thought process, he still had that in him.
He caught their commander smiling more than once in the presence of the maid; almost the entire army knew, and around her were the only times he ever did. He thought he was slick, always sneaking past others in his free time just to see her. And he swore, he swore there was far more emotion in Marshmallow’s tone ever since they first met each other.
He knew what it felt like to lose someone dear, without seeing them in their final moments. He figured if she were capable, he wouldn’t want her to have to deal with that type of grief.
Not that he didn’t have faith his leader would survive. If Dr. Andonuts didn’t heal him, there’d be hell to pay.
His feet took him in the direction of where the maid resided. He had the place memorized like the back of his hand; he was one of the first to enlist, after all.
He lightly knocked on the door. Quick footsteps rushed over from the other side, and it was yanked open by a happy and relieved Marshmallow.
Her excitement faded when it wasn’t who she expected at the door. "Oh… hello. Is there something you require?"
He ignored her disappointment. "Sort of, yeah… do you mind coming with me? It’s important."
As per her commitment, the maid shut the door and followed him without a word. As soon as they started walking, he began to speak.
"During our battle, we were ambushed. I don’t really know who they were. They called for backup that we were unprepared for. Some of us died. Some of theirs died. But one eventually struck the commander with a poisoned blade. He wasn’t doing so well on the way back… I think he’s dying as we speak."
This made her eyes widen. Her body almost froze. "He… what?"
"But Andonuts is taking care of it! I have faith he’ll save him. I just wanted to bring you over… just in case, you know?"
He had his mask on, but it was clear in his voice that he was genuine. He truly didn’t want the commander to die, not especially without seeing her.
She grabbed his sleeve and lightly tugged on it. "What is your name, sir?"
"Silas," he bluntly responded.
"Silas…" she repeated in a whisper. "Thank you for telling me."
He brought her to that same white door. He knew no one but the Commander and Andonuts would be inside, so he simply opened it and walked right in.
On a hospital seat sat the masked man, unmasked with messy, orange hair all over the place and eyes closed. While keeping on his attire from the pants down, he had been forced to remove any article of clothing on his upper body.
His left abdomen had a large, disgusting looking patch on it. Dimmed yellow and even lime-colored pus stained just about the entire thing. A thick tube stuck out, bits of sickly green liquid being sucked out of his system.
"What’s… going on?" Marshmallow asked, rushing over to the scientist.
"Please, I implore you to stay back," the old man, Dr. Andonuts, warned without so much as a glance. "This is a highly invasive procedure. Distractions may be deadly."
Despite the warning, he didn’t seem entirely focused on the task at hand.
Staring down at her commander’s pale, weak body worried her. He breathed in and out, but barely. It looked like a task that required too much effort on his end.
"I’m not leaving," she insisted. One of her hands lightly touched the top of his head, gently rubbing his scalp. "Not until I know that he will be okay."
Whether it was her words, actions, or mere presence, the unmasked man opened his eyes as soon as he knew she was there. "… let her stay."
Even on the verge of possible death, the commander was still able to give orders. Orders that Andonuts was forced to listen to.
Marshmallow’s other hand reached for his hanging off of the seat. Slowly, his fingers twined with hers.
It was a feeling he was unfamiliar with, but one he figured he could enjoy, at least for the moment.
The maid had her eyes glued to the tube of poison exiting his body. The fact that only bits were withdrawing at a time disturbed her.
"There must not have been a lot of poison in his body," she commented in hopes he would agree.
She received a different answer instead. "I’m not so sure about that. You see," Andonuts began to explain, "his heart is silent. He isn’t capable of pumping blood. While that may make you think death is unachievable for him…"
The commander was intrigued by that last sentence. "I’m… right here." He couldn’t bear to lift his body and so only lay there, staring at the ceiling with an uncomfortable numbness all over. "What’s happening to me?"
Marshmallow wanted to know too.
"The poison is traveling through your entire body, you see," the scientist replied almost bluntly. "It’s attacking everything. Your organs, your nerves—which is the reason you can hardly stand—and if even a single drop were to touch your brain, you would paralyze completely. From head to toe. Your brain would fry, melt even.
"You’d be placed in a comatose state. A comatose state that would be impossible to wake from. And a coma where one doesn’t awaken… well, I consider that a form of death itself."
The commander was at a loss for words. The inability to move—which was getting worse by the minute—that was the poison taking effect on his nerves. His lack of breathing, his lungs. He was getting extremely dizzy.
Marshmallow seemed to unintentionally have a stronger grip on his hand after listening to all that, eyes almost glaring at Dr. Andonuts. "If you know all this, then why aren’t you removing the poison more efficiently? He could lose his life!"
He was unfazed by her sudden hostility. "This is the most efficient way possible, Miss. I had no choice but to cut open a hole in his body in order to place this tube under his skin. It’s vacuuming out every ounce of poison it can get."
The commander’s throat was dry. His sweating had become more profound. His stomach was twisting and turning in terrible ways.
Marshmallow frowned, suddenly incapable of looking anywhere but the one person below her gaze. "What does that mean, then?"
"I fear it’s his Chimera strength that’s allowed him to last this long."
The boy has suffered more than enough; this the scientist knew well. He’d rather watch him sleep than continue on with worse troubles in the future.
Before the maid could even think of reacting poorly, the door burst open. Silas, who had been standing guard the entire time watching with pity, was startled and jumped away.
The child they all called king was rolled in on a wheelchair by one of the Pigmasks. Unnaturally pale skin, nearly the color gray, as usual; not once had anyone ever seen him remotely healthy.
And was he furious. It didn’t matter that his bangs blocked his eyes. His mannerisms showed enough; the banging of his fist on the armrest, the yelling.
"There you are! When the hell did you get in here!?"
When it dawned on Marshmallow that King Porky was speaking to her, she virtually froze. She already messed up by turning her body too many seconds after he addressed her.
"I’m talking to you, Marshmallow! I had to make one of these guys lug me down here. That’s your job! Why, you—!"
He stopped screaming at her and instead sighed as if wanting to calm down. It was all futile, at least when compared to the real issue behind her.
As the Pigmask brought Porky closer to his subordinate, he shoved his maid out of the way. "Just move."
With this, her hand slipped from the commander’s. Because of all his scolding, the child-like dictator hadn’t even noticed once.
But the weakened soldier did. His vision had slowly begun to go blurry. What he realized was that the warm pressure in his hand was gone, replaced with a sort of cold emptiness that just felt wrong.
"You," Porky scolded Andonuts with a literal scowl, "you better keep him alive. I don’t care if that means taking apart each one of his remaining limbs to fix him! He needs to stay alive, you hear!?"
The scientist still had a sort of dull, unfazed expression despite all those desperate shouts. "Considering his symptoms… the poison is already above the neck area. I’m afraid there is nothing more I can do."
"What are you waiting for, then!?"
Marshmallow had completely tuned Porky’s ordering out. The only things she paid attention to were Andonuts’ words in response.
One of her closed fists was placed on her chest. Her mouth was slightly open as if wanting to say something, but not a single sound came out. Even the purple in her eyes dimmed down completely, like there was no longer a sign of life in her.
The commander, now numb in every part of his body, forced his head to turn right a little. He could no longer inhale through his nose and the only thing that left his lips were extremely shallow breaths.
He hadn’t blacked out yet. While his vision was no longer clear, he made out the blonde pigtails behind the child-king next to a blob of pink.
His fate was more than clear, however. Maybe he’d survive, wake up out of whatever coma he’d get into, but not without extra modifications to his body. Maybe he just won’t survive.
He sent the maid that small, genuine smile she had come to love so dearly. Pale, sweaty, and even a tad blue on the lips now, he still managed it.
She wanted nothing more than to return to his side. Her feet even moved before she realized it.
Only two steps in, Silas grabbed her shoulder. He turned her around; anything after that was unnecessary for her to see.
"Fix him," Porky spat out, spinning himself around in the wheelchair and rolling toward the door. "Ele—" He quickly corrected the name. "Marshmallow, take me back to my room. And don’t disappear like that ever again."
Not a word was spoken to him. She took the metal rods in her hands. Silas opened the door, him and the other Pigmask walking behind the two side-by-side.
Andonuts glanced down at the commander, seeing as they were alone once more. "I’m sorry, my boy." Finally, there was a sort of sympathy in his eyes.
"Just," he barely mustered, voice weakly raspy, "just do… do what you have to… do."
Marshmallow did not smile. She did not ask if her king required anything. She didn’t even catch what he muttered under his breath.
"The hell was she doing in there anyway…"
Silas watched her the entire time. Back slightly slumped. He could practically feel her sudden emptiness.
The maid had finally known what it felt like to lose somebody. The commander hadn’t even died yet and she felt so dejected. Lost. Seeing his skin pale, his oxygen slowly leave his body; it was horrible, especially knowing the outcome was damn near the equivalent of passing away.
Marshmallow had no idea what was going to happen, but her hope wasn’t grand. Something told her that if even her commander were to survive and wake up, he would not be the same one she knew and came to love.
Chapter 5: Soulmate AU, I: Lost Possessions
Summary:
A few items of Claus’ have gone missing out of nowhere and without probable cause. He soon finds out that the person unintentionally collecting them is someone he will have a connection with forever.
Notes:
Despite being the same character, their personalities are pretty different. This chapter features Claus, though with physical aspects of the Masked Man.
Because the plotline of Mother 3 doesn’t exist in this chapter, his Masked Man aspects are because of a sort of accident.
Both Claus and Marshmallow are fully human.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A boy with orange-colored hair stared at himself in the mirror for a moment.
He really had gotten older. His face was far more mature and his eyes even appeared less tired. Strange eyes of his, one green and one red. He didn’t like to talk about that.
His mechanical right arm had just gotten repaired, elongated to match his real arm length on the left. He didn’t like to talk about that either.
But besides all that, he figured he was somewhat okay. He was tall, fixed his hair a bit nicer every morning, and even got compliments from some of the townspeople on how handsome he had gotten.
It did flatter him a little that the robot arm didn’t scare everybody off.
"Hey, Claus! Can you hurry up already? Our breakfast’s gonna get cold, and Dad refuses to eat without you!"
Then there was that. His twin brother was more than a pleasure to be around, except when he complained as if the two were still thirteen years old.
Though in the years, Claus had become more of a sleepyhead than Lucas. A little embarrassing to say the least.
"I’m coming, I’m coming!" he called back, stepping away from the mirror. "I just need my…"
He looked left and right for his hairbrush, but couldn’t find it. Weird, he thought, I always leave it on the nightstand.
It just seemed to up and walk away. But with his twin on the verge of yelling at him again, Claus decided to abandon the short search to instead head downstairs.
In the kitchen was his father, Flint, cooking up some bright yellow omelets. Lucas was sitting at the table, quietly nibbling on the bit in front of him.
The blond perked his head up at his arrival. "There you are. These omelets are pretty good. He wouldn’t let me eat until you got here, though."
"It’s important that we eat as a family," Flint told him as he slid an omelet on a dish in Claus’ usual seat next to his brother. "Hopefully I’m starting to replicate your mother’s recipe a little better."
The ginger sat, cutting up a piece with his fork and knife. "It’s definitely starting to look like Mom’s omelets. She liked adding basils to it."
Flint lightly hummed as he sat down in front of his sons. "I’m glad to hear."
After finishing a mouthful, Lucas tapped his twin on the arm with his elbow. "So what were you looking for upstairs?"
"My brush. I don’t know where it went."
"Huh. So that’s why your hair’s all over the place today."
"Okay, listen—"
"Boys," Flint cut in before a petty argument began. "I’m sure it’ll turn up somewhere, Claus. If you still can’t find it, just use your hand to comb it through."
It wasn’t an entirely big deal or anything; he could just get a new one or do what his father said. It was just weird, is all.
❧
Claus walked through the small village of Tazmily. He was actually kind of excited to eat the chocolate bar he had gotten from one of the villagers.
Yet when he reached into his pocket, he found it empty. He stuffed his hand in his other one, but also found nothing.
"What the hell…"
There was literally no other place Claus could have put it. He took the bar and in his right pocket it went as he needed to help his father move a box.
And he was really looking forward to eating the chocolate, too.
First the hairbrush, now the chocolate bar. He started to believe even more that somebody was playing a trick on him. Lucas? A thin maybe, but even as a kid he wasn’t the biggest fan of pulling pranks like that. Their childhood friend Fuel? A definite maybe, as that motherfucker would still put ants in Claus’ cup of water at his age and laugh.
And no one else was really their age besides five other kids, who each mostly minded their own business; Nichol, Richie, Angie, and Nana were it. Alle was a bit younger. She wasn’t much to go around town, though.
End of the day, he could just go ask for a new chocolate bar. If there even was one left. This didn’t bother him that much yet.
❧
No, what bothered him was when he opened his eyes from a quick afternoon nap, the teal shirt he wore was gone.
Claus stared at his half nude body in both surprise and annoyance. Now this was getting too weird to ignore.
The sound of his brother’s footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. "Hey Claus, you up ye—?" When Lucas found his twin deep in thought, he blinked. "Oh, you sleep without a shirt now? I guess it could be kind of comfortable."
"No, stupid." The ginger immediately rose to his feet, looking through his cabinet for other things to wear. As the weather was pretty warm, he stuck with a white undershirt and a short sleeved black button down left open. "Did you take my shirt?"
"Uh… why would I do that?" Lucas asked, simply lost. "I have my own shirts to wear, mind you."
"Well somebody’s taking my shit." Claus was quick to walk out of the room.
"Wait! Where are you even going?"
"To find out how my stuff is going missing and who’s the reason for it!"
"Oh, okay. Hey, I’m gonna come too!"
Flint watched his boys questioningly as they left the house in a hurry. Even their loving brown dog, Boney, whimpered in slight confusion.
Tazmily hadn’t really changed in the past few years. Everyone just got a bit older. New people even travelled to the islands. Overall, they were still friendly to each other.
Most of the time, anyway.
Claus thought about this until he heard the soft voice of his brother. "Oh, sorry about that."
He turned his head to find a girl about their age with high, blonde pigtails. Her eyes were an amethyst color, competing in uniqueness with Alle’s near-gray ones. She wore a simple, knee length blue dress and had a tiny black backpack.
"No, I should be sorry. I wasn’t watching," the girl apologized with a small smile.
Oh. Claus didn’t know what it was but something welled up within him as soon as he laid eyes on her.
Her head turned toward the older twin. For a moment he felt embarrassed, but she also stared, mouth open slightly as if wanting to speak. Nothing came out.
Lucas, in between the two, felt the awkward tension the most. "Uh… do you guys know each other?"
It took a minute, but the smile returned to her face. "That depends…"
She took off her backpack, opening it and pulling out a short sleeved teal shirt. The same one Claus owned that had gone missing earlier.
"… if this is yours."
The ginger gently took the shirt from her, examining it for a moment; it was indeed his. He returned his gaze toward her, still in a bit of shock.
"How did you…?"
"I’m assuming this is yours as well." She revealed a brown hairbrush that he searched for in the morning. "My hairbrush is far different than this one."
Claus just couldn’t find the correct words. By simply looking at this girl he could already feel a connection of sorts. He didn’t quite know what it was yet, however.
She didn’t really mind his speechlessness and only explained further. "These items just showed up out of nowhere… I didn’t know what to do. But your face, it was etched into my brain. Oh wait, was that chocolate bar also yours then? It appeared on my bed. I’m sorry, I ate it."
"Claus," he blurted out.
He saw the confusion in her face and relaxed a bit, regaining some of his calm composure. "My name is Claus."
What did that have to do with anything she said? Nothing, really. But even so, she gazed up at his multicolored eyes with such a sparkle in hers it attracted him.
"Well, it’s nice to put a name to a face. I’m Marshmallow."
Now he smiled sincerely, something he normally did not find himself doing often. Immediately he knew there was going to be something between them. How she received his items, he had no clue.
Perhaps it was just fate for them to have crossed like that.
Lucas, watching the entire time, lightly scratched his cheek, unable to comprehend anything that he just witnessed. "Uh… what?"
Notes:
* soulmates: one loses their item(s) and it ends up in their soulmate’s possession
Chapter 6: Obedience versus Loyalty
Summary:
As the masked man returns from an unsuccessful mission, Marshmallow stumbles upon him and the two come to a disagreement.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The masked man walked down the long hallway, eyes glued forward. The king was not a big fan of him failing his given tasks, which is unfortunately something he managed to do this one time. Maybe, maybe second.
Was it a big fail? No, all he did was not murder someone for once. He wasn’t sure why Porky enjoyed the idea of indirectly having countless deaths on his shoulders. He definitely wouldn’t bother to ask, especially after today.
He placed his finger above the button that opened the doors of his quarters when her voice rang a few feet away.
"The army is already talking about it."
The robotic maid, Marshmallow, walked up to him with her fingers intertwined together. She didn’t say much yet, seeing as he appeared… too calm. Almost as if he hadn’t gotten a long and loud scolding from the king mere moments ago.
"About what? My supposed failure?" he questioned without much life in his voice.
He normally spoke like this to everyone else except her. Even if it wasn’t much, the commander had more spirit when with the maid.
"They’re all on your side, you know," she continued in hopes of cheering him up just a little. "They’re a bit surprised you didn’t finish the job… but they still have their strong respect for you."
"I see I’ve been reduced to a simple murderer," he muttered, practically so low she nearly couldn’t hear.
She couldn’t tell what it was he felt at the moment. Anger? Sadness? Regret? His face never told, never even gave slight hints to his emotions.
Marshmallow waited another moment before speaking again. "Commander… why is it you didn’t fulfill the king’s orders?"
He really didn’t feel like answering that question at the moment. He himself didn’t truly know the correct response, either.
Instead of saying that, what left his lips was, "All the king wants is people to be killed. It’s sickening."
The maid was fairly surprised at this. She initially figured that thoughts such as those would never run through his brain. She herself had even heard Porky say that the commander was ruthless.
Yet he had also called him things like his little toy, or even a little monster. Why was that?
Unfortunately, that slight insult did bring up certain emotions within her. She tossed any other notions out the window.
"Even if it may seem trivial, or even wrong… the master’s wishes must be respected and fulfilled. Always," she told him, lowering her gaze to the floor.
The commander dared to ask his next question. "Why is that?"
Just a second later, Marshmallow lifted her head so fast that if she were a human, her neck could have snapped. "What?"
He finally looked away from the button and at her instead. "Why must his wishes always be fulfilled? You said so yourself, sometimes they are trivial and wrong."
"Yes, but… they must always be attained. No matter what, Commander. You as well know this."
Her tone was serious. Serious, and either disappointed or angry. He couldn’t tell which yet, though he had no reaction to her words.
"Commander…" The maid took one step closer. "You do understand this, right?"
After another awkward moment of silence, the masked man finally spoke again. He was more subtle with his words, hesitant even.
"Why should we? What gives him the right to send out completely ridiculous orders? Expecting us all to comply without protest?"
He truly didn’t know what had gotten into him. Never in his entire time in the army had he expressed such a feeling, and definitely not to the king’s maid. For a moment, he thought about taking back his words; but it was too late now.
Marshmallow was beyond shocked. She simply stared at him, unblinking. "The king… he has his reasons. For everything. No matter what, we comply because it is our duty. Commander… he is my maker. As well as yours."
Because neither knew the truth of his existence, the masked man said nothing at this. He believed it to be true because it was all he knew about himself.
She continued to speak. "We are all loyal, Commander. We cannot disobey him, and we won’t disobey him."
"You are loyal," he snapped. A little too harsh, as it made her freeze. "You are loyal, Marshmallow. I am, unfortunately, obedient. That is a major difference between us. I am obedient."
Obedient. What did that matter? End of the day, he still listened to Porky just like the rest of them.
Her previous disappointment began to turn into slight anger. "Are you saying you’re not loyal to the king?"
"You have a mind of your own, Marshmallow. You don’t have to agree with his ideals because you are his maid."
"That wasn’t my question, Commander."
The masked man paused. Did he want to answer that question to her, of all people? It’s clear they shared rather different opinions on the matter.
"No," he finally replied. This caused her to blink in confusion; she couldn’t believe it. "No, I am not loyal. As I said before, Marshmallow… I am obedient. There is a strong difference between the two."
Really, this was news to her. She knew he wasn’t good at sharing his feelings—or rather having any, for the matter—so the last thing she expected him to harbor was a sudden dislike for their king’s beliefs.
How long had he been holding this in, actually?
"You aren’t afraid of him discovering your disloyalty?" she questioned in suspicion.
"No."
"Why is that?"
He gave her no sort of emotion. It was hard to tell what he felt. "I’ve overheard many times that I am a necessary use in his goals. What those goals are, I’m still unsure."
"You’re not afraid of any punishment?"
"Death isn’t an option for me, the reason stated previously. It isn’t an option for him, either. The worst he may do is, I believe, have Andonuts conduct his experiments… nothing I haven’t dealt with before."
For some reason, this made her livid. As a follower of Porky, Marshmallow couldn’t stand to have anyone disloyal to him go without proper punishment.
She always labeled him the exception to everything in her book. But something like this, this was too far even for her.
"… I see," was all she could mutter now.
She wasn’t going to run off telling the king what she had heard. Marshmallow just knew that his opinion was wrong.
Even the masked man could sense the tight tension in the air. With that last bit of exchange, he said to her, "Nothing he does will ever scare me."
He pressed the button to open the doors to his quarters; it’s what he’s been trying to do since the beginning of the conversation.
"I’ll see you."
With that, he entered his room and closed the doors behind him. She was left standing there, practically dumbfounded.
Could this have been considered their first fight? Disagreement? It was odd.
Marshmallow knew she and the commander were different in some way. She just didn’t expect it to be in terms of their loyalty.
Notes:
( chapter inspired by a comment )
Chapter 7: A Second Chance
Summary:
After Lucas pulls the final needle, a new world is created. The masked man and Marshmallow are reincarnated, meeting each other for the first time again.
Chapter Text
Lucas held his dying brother in his arms, hot tears running down his face. "You…"
The commander of the Pigmask army looked up at his twin. Despite the tears falling out of his right eye, he managed a smile.
"Can I ask you… for a favor?"
The blonde was nearly dumbstruck that he could try such a thing in his final moments. But he’d never deny his brother anything, especially now; so he slowly nodded.
"If the rumors are true and you have the ability to recreate the world…" A tiny trail of blood dripped from the redhead’s bottom lip due to the excessive hit of the lightning. "I don’t have to tell you to bring Mom back. You already know that. But if you think I should return too… then do me a solid and bring back Marshmallow."
It took Lucas a minute for him to recall her name. "You’re talking about… his maid? Why? She tried to kill me and the others over a yo-yo."
A chuckle escaped the commander’s throat, though that caused a sting of pain to shoot throughout his entire body. "Ah…" he winced, though kept that smile. "It’s just… out of everyone in that army… she was the most human."
The younger twin took this into consideration. They must have spent quite some time together for him to say something like that about a complete robot.
But now the man unmasked placed his focus on Lucas, as he felt himself take his last few breaths. His vision had started to blur.
"But whatever happens in the future… just promise me you’ll take care. I’m sorry for everything."
Lucas felt another wave of heavy sadness take over. "None of this… none of this was your fault, Claus."
With all the torment he had put his younger brother and his friends through, hearing that made his body fully relax. It was like their last goodbye; finally, the eyes of the former commander closed. His body fell limp.
The fact that his twin, who he had hoped would come back for the past three years, lay dead in his arms hadn’t fully processed yet. Lucas was in a state of complete shock, momentarily unable to move.
His father was the one to place a gentle hand on his shoulder, breaking the silence. "To create a new world… to continue living in this poisoned one… what will you do, Lucas?"
The blonde could hear the subtle cracks in his voice, clear as day. If he himself wasn’t going to react, somebody had to. And it was about time Flint stepped up to be Lucas’ father after three years.
Lucas didn’t want anything to do with this world anymore. It had been far too cruel to everyone, and to him the most. Why was it that bad things happened to good people?
This question roamed through his mind as he slowly blinked, not yet lifting his eyes from his deceased brother. What did Claus ever do to deserve his fate?
If creating a new world would bring back his mother, he’d make it happen faster than a heartbeat. More so, if he could prevent this from ever happening to his family in the first place… well, that was a sealed deal.
Whether the world would be destroyed or revived for a better cause… Lucas was willing to take that risk.
With that, he took a deep breath. He calmed his tears. He gently placed his older twin on the ground to rest in peace and rose to his feet.
Flint got on his knees next to his eldest son. He was barely lucky enough to have one of his boys alive, which he was more than fortunate for. However, the loss of his wife and second child weighed on him heavy.
Kumatora, Duster, and Boney, his close companions throughout the entire ordeal, stood together on one side. They all smiled at the boy, giving nods of encouragement. Out of every trial they faced, this was the one where he needed them the most. And there they were.
Lucas walked toward the needle, standing behind it. He faced everyone.
All he wanted was a world where none of this had ever happened. A world where people weren’t corrupt, where people got along as they used to.
Most of all, he wanted his family back. He would do anything for that; and he hoped revealing his heart to the dragon underground would allow his wishes to be granted.
And so he placed both hands on the stick of the needle. Taking one final breath, he lifted his arms to release the crown into the air.
After all, it very well could be his last.
❧
The sky was a clear baby blue. It blended so well with the bright sun. There was a slight, slight breeze. It was just a perfect day.
The sun shone a little too much for a young, teenage boy. He held his arm over his eyes, an annoyed groan escaping his lips.
But his brain told him to sit up. Listening to his thoughts, he removed his arm from his face and slowly rose to a sitting position. His entire body felt extremely sore.
He opened his eyes. One green and one red pupil stared at the emptiness that surrounded him. All that was there was clean, green grass.
He hadn’t heard the voices miles away from him yet. However, there was a sort of spring behind him. With maximum effort, he stood up and walked over to the water.
His reflection was clear as the current day. Bright, orange colored hair. Ivory toned skin.
His body felt strong. Despite just waking up, he was full of energy. For some reason, having two normal arms seemed off.
Not much farther, a young girl stared out at the open field in front of her. She too had just woken up from an unknown slumber, unfamiliar with her surroundings.
She stood, taking a few steps forward. Where was she headed? Truly, she had no clue.
Her feet took control of her entire body. Somehow they knew where to walk before she did. She walked and walked until finally, a hint of orange was spotted another mile away.
Tedious, she thought. But she was still determined to get to the color that popped out so much.
The boy glanced up from his one sided stare off in the spring. To his surprise, he found someone walking toward him. In his direction, anyway.
The girl got closer and closer. He squinted to try and make out who it was. When she was within enough distance to have her features seen, he stopped squinting.
She was blonde, her hair already up in two high pigtails. Her uneven bangs covered her entire forehead, and nearly touched her bright, purple eyes.
The boy seemed to stand up in a hurry now, eyes wide. Seeing her awakened something in him; memories that seemed to be pushed back in his brain rushed to the surface.
He remembered everything. Three years ago, he was killed by a wild Drago altered by what he would come to know as the Pigmask army. They did unspeakable things to him, ultimately returning him to life at the cost of half his humanity. He did unspeakable things.
But she was there the whole time. The corrupt king’s maid, Marshmallow. The robot who always kept by his side. She proved he was able to feel. He felt human around her.
And then he nearly killed his brother. Truthfully, he didn’t care about his accompanying friends as much. But he almost killed his father. That one hurt.
Then he killed himself. All the pain, all the grief came at once and it was too much. In his final moments, he just wanted two things.
But there he was now. Alive. He had a heartbeat. He had an arm. These things suddenly felt strange, as if they didn’t belong in and on his body. Where was all the metal?
He looked at the girl again, who was now a lot closer than before. That was Marshmallow. Marshmallow, a human. She wore that frilly blue dress he was so used to seeing, minus the apron.
She wasn’t a maid anymore.
She had a memory rush as well, recognizing the orange pants and open, black jacket. Everything she had done with the commander throughout the years hit her like a truck. All the feelings she held despite being a cyborg.
And while she wondered about him for a second, the fierce loyalty she had for Porky seemed to have faded into nothing.
The two were a mere foot apart. It was silent between them for a minute.
Until finally, she spoke. She started to smile. "Commander…"
"No," he immediately stopped her. Even his voice had more spirit than when he was under control. "Marshmallow… my name is Claus."
For some reason, her eyes began to water. God, her eyes watered. She could really, truly cry.
The blonde took the two steps needed to comfortably, yet tightly wrap her arms around his neck. She was no longer looking at the ruthless commander of the most powerful army in the Nowhere Islands; she was hugging a human boy with a racing heart. Her heart raced. God, she had a heart.
His arms were firmly around her waist. He held her like she’d disappear the moment he let go. He was scared to.
Claus closed his eyes, resting his face on her scalp. He recalled the times they had to sneak around just to see each other for a few minutes. How she’d be waiting for him every time he returned from a mission.
Marshmallow lifted her head, taking a moment to gaze up at him. Her hands rose from his shoulder to gently cup his cheeks. A few tears slowly ran down her face, but she smiled.
"Surely we couldn’t have done anything to deserve such a kind fate," she ended up whispering.
Claus placed his left hand on hers, lovingly staring down at her. "Maybe not us… but I think I know who’s responsible for it."
For just another second, he shut his eyes. Thank you, Lucas… I’ll see you soon.
Chapter 8: Soulmate AU, II: Death Timer
Summary:
To know when you die is both a blessing and a curse. For Claus, meeting his soulmate was the best and possibly also the worst thing to happen to him in his teenage life.
Notes:
Hello, everyone!
I know it’s been over a year since I updated this — time passes by so fast! So many things happen, from life itself to just simply forgetting (which I am guilty of).
But I’ve seen the love through my email even when I haven’t touched this in so long, and I really appreciate it! It gave me my reason to open this back up again because I truly do enjoy these two characters.
That, and I’ve also had this specific draft nearly finished for a long while. Hopefully I haven’t lost my touch!
Again, thank you so much for the love and I hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter Text
❧ day 1 ⇩
“Claus! Did you eat your breakfast?"
"Yeah, Mom! See? I cleared my plate."
"Then you could at least put it in the… this is Lucas’."
A ginger-haired teenage boy blew his mother a kiss as he ran out the door. "You’re the best, Mom!"
The woman sighed, picking up both plates off the table; one clean, one still having bits of omelet on it. "These boys…"
While Hinawa loved her children dearly, as nearly adults they still didn’t know how to clean up properly sometimes.
"Perhaps I should stop coddling them…"
As Claus passed by his father in the front, he waved. "I’ll be back!"
Flint, the man tending the sheep, looked up for a mere moment. "Where is he off to so fast?"
It was a good day. He was able to sleep in, which was something his brother normally did. The weather was perfect; clear skies, a little breeze, and just enough sun that made sure people weren’t getting cooked. He would join Lucas and Fuel in wherever life took them.
He slowed his running to walking. All he needed was to run out of his house, not cause any possible ruckus around the town. He’d catch up to them on time.
It was good. He could just feel it; today was going to be a great day.
Just one second of glancing down at his watch was what was needed for him to unintentionally hit someone. His arm, actually. As he put it down, some girl was too close and received a slight whack on the side of her stomach.
"Oh! My apologies," she gently acknowledged.
Claus made the mistake of looking down at her. He didn’t care much for her appearance, though she was pretty.
In the corner of his right eye, he saw the numbers: 4y, 10m, 3w, 4d.
He froze. He’d heard about the idea of soulmates, though he lowkey thought it was fake. Lucas hadn’t found his yet. Fuel did mention he had something to say to the twins, though.
And he had been spending more time with Angie lately.
But Claus also knew of the death sentence that came with knowing who you would spend the rest of your life with. And he did not like the fact that in the next four years, his time would come. He wouldn’t even make it to thirty.
The poor girl in front of him seemed just as shocked at her fate. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t say a word.
Neither of them spoke for a hot minute. They were both processing their final dates.
Finally, Claus tried to say something. "I have f—"
"No sharing," she quickly cut him off. "Not yet."
Instead of saying how long she had to live, the girl held her hand out with a welcoming smile. "My name is Marshmallow. It’s nice to be able to meet you."
He took her hand, gently shaking it. If they were destined to be, he really wanted to let her know they only had the next four-and-something years together.
"Claus."
She was fairly short and wore her blonde hair down, it reaching to her upper back. Her eyes were colored amethyst, a slight contrast to his bright green ones. Her soft expression was genuine and she appeared cheery.
"Do you have time for a walk, Claus? I’d like to get to know you a little."
If this was his person, his soulmate—he kind of hated using that term, as it sounded just a bit corny—he would at least take the time to get to know her, too.
And based on how carefree she seemed, she must’ve had at least forty years on her clock. Good for her.
"Yeah, sure. Let’s go."
❧
Claus returned home later than usual that night. Lucas was taking a nap while his parents spoke nonsense at the kitchen table.
His mother was the first to say something upon his arrival. "Hey, sweetheart. Lucas said you weren’t with him and Fuel. We were a little worried."
"Sorry," the older twin apologized with a nervous grin. "I, uh… I met someone today."
Flint turned his head. "That’s new. Who are they?"
"Uh, her name is Marshmallow."
His mother smiled. "Oh, that’s such a cute name."
"… and she’s my, uh, soulmate. God, I hate that word."
Now his parents froze. Even Lucas opened his eyes, as if he was silently listening to the conversation the whole time.
Hinawa rose from her seat in a hurry to grab her elder son by the shoulders. "Claus… how long do you have?"
He frowned just a bit. "Almost five years. Well, not sugarcoating it, four years and ten months."
"Four years…" Hinawa repeated under her breath. She tightly embraced him.
Flint momentarily held in a breath. Four years left with his son? He himself had longer; a little over twenty years left. The last thing he ever wanted was to outlive his sons.
This thought made him turn to their second kid in concern. "Lucas… you haven’t received your timer, have you?"
Hesitantly, he shook his head no.
Flint sighed. After finding out how little time he had left with the eldest, he needed to know how much he had with his younger one. For all he knew, it could’ve been far less.
Although Claus was upset at his lack of numbers, he kept his enthusiasm and pat his mother on the back. "If I have four years left, I may as well make the most of it. Try not to be too down about it, or I’ll keep remembering."
Lucas stood up. "Can you always see the timer? That must be so dreadful…"
His brother shook his head. "Nah. If my brain gets the faintest reminder, it’ll pop up in the corner of my eye for about a minute. It goes away most of the time."
As Hinawa let go, Lucas went in to hug him. He felt the need to.
❧ day 2 ⇩
"Dude, you only got four years left?" Fuel asked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He sat with Claus and Lucas in a three-seat table. "That’s so unfair…"
"Yeah. They were all kinda freaked out, but now they’re okay. I mean, the last thing they probably want to do is make me worried for the next few years."
"Speak for yourself," Lucas abruptly spoke as he turned his head to face his brother. "I’m still very much freaked out."
"Huh. Well you can’t really tell."
"Good. That’s the goal."
Angie, now with two longer pigtails, then walked out of her mother’s shop, leaving a tray of freshly baked nut bread on the table. A knife was also there for cutting. "Thought you boys would be hungry."
"Hey, thanks!" Fuel greeted her with a smile. She leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips.
The twins waved at her, Angie doing the same before heading back inside.
Lucas sent him a warm smile. "You mentioned everything except how long you two have together."
"I didn’t really wanna bring it up," Fuel nervously shrugged. "We die together, supposedly. Little over seventy years left."
Claus was more shocked than jealous. "Huh. Good for you guys."
"Yeah… I really don’t know how fate works. It’s a strange thing, making all this happen." Fuel looked at Claus once again. "So how long does she have?"
"What?"
"Your girl. How long does she have left? I kinda wanna meet her."
It was at this point that he realized that he had zero clue when she would die. She didn’t know his four year predicament, either.
"Uh… she never told me. And I didn’t tell her mine."
Even his brother was surprised. "You didn’t tell her how long you had left?"
"We literally met yesterday! And in my defense, I was going to tell her but she stopped me. She didn’t wanna talk about the dates at all."
In truth, he had a great time on their walk yesterday. They were quick to get to know each other, and he already liked her. The connection was there.
"I mean," Fuel began as he leaned back in his chair. "Personally, I would tell her. She should know the rest of your lives together won’t be very long. And, well… it’s good to know hers. For all we know it could be longer… or even shorter than yours."
Claus didn’t even think about that. His life was going to be short, but what about hers?
For his sanity, he hoped her life would be longer, even if it was just by a day. He wasn’t sure how well he could handle the pressure of losing someone. They just met, but knowing they were supposed to be together…
"Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be seeing her later, so hopefully I’ll be able to tell her then."
❧
The two sat on the edge of the high cliff near Biff’s home. The sun was just beginning to set.
"Okay, I already know a lot about you. Tell me, what’s your family like?" Marshmallow asked with a grin.
"Uh, kind of generic. My dad likes to take care of sheep," Claus replied. "My mom’s pretty cool. Kind of scary when she’s mad, though. My dad’s just intimidating, but even he’s scared of her. And Lucas… well, you’ve met me. Just imagine someone the opposite. In all aspects."
Her face softened. "Sounds very loving."
"What about you?" he asked, turning his head to face her. "Where do you come from, Marshmallow?"
Her smile faded just a bit as she lowered her head. "Honestly? I’m not sure. I wasn’t born here, I know that. I have very vague memories of being in a completely different place. One nothing like the quiet life here."
Claus was intrigued. He leaned back to lay on his left elbow, putting his full attention on her.
The corners of her lips lifted again. "I live with my parents’ maid. Apparently, my mother and father were very wealthy back where they came from… which probably doesn’t make much sense to you, right?"
He nodded slowly. Wealthy was a term he never heard before. "What does that mean?"
"That they had lots of money. Do you know what money is?" Seeing him slowly shake his head, she continued to explain further. "Money is an object that people use to buy things. For example, you know how here one girl’s mother will make you nut bread if you simply bring her the nuts? If the concept of money were a thing here, she would already have gathered the nuts herself, but you would need to pay her money in order for her to make you that bread. Or else you can’t get it. Does that make sense?"
While the logic of it did, the morality of it didn’t at all. Claus furrowered his brows in slight confusion. "Huh. That seems a little…"
"Selfish, isn’t it? Unnecessary?" Marshmallow looked away for a second and out at the darkening sky. "Why exchange useless paper, useless coins with each other for utilities and necessities? It’s why I like it here so much. The concept doesn’t exist. You all live here so peacefully, so together. You wouldn’t even think, hey, give me something in return for what I gave you. It’s in your nature to be kind to each other."
The redhead took it all in. He knew she was sort of different, but not this kind of different. And while he was curious to know more, he didn’t like the sudden strange feeling in his stomach.
"But… no one in Tazmily has ever done that before." Claus now sat up to stare at her. "You said you weren’t born here. How different is your world from mine?"
Marshmallow faced him once again. This time, her smile was sad. "So, so different, Claus. I don’t want to remember the horrors of my world… all I remember is seeing ash and smoke, fire, rocks flying, even few people screaming… all on a tiny television. I was protected from all of it. That’s what I got for being wealthy. Claus, there was a difference between the rich and the poor. I’m glad to be in a world where everyone is treated equally. Your world."
At this point, all of this information was extremely overwhelming. Fire? People screaming? It was as if she was watching the end of the world.
And what the hell was a television?
God, four years wasn’t enough to know this girl. Despite practically spilling her heart out tonight, she was still such a mystery. There’s no way one could simply make up a strange concept such as money and the works of it. And the place she comes from? It sounded traumatizing to live there. How long had she been in Tazmily Village? How did she ever get to Tazmily Village? There was just so much that couldn’t be opened in the four years he had left.
But for now, all he did was gently raise her right hand. Claus closed his eyes and placed the back of it to his lips.
"Wherever you lived back then… it’s over. You’re here now, where you’re happier. This isn’t my world anymore… it’s ours, Marshmallow."
She felt butterflies in her stomach. Her cheeks warmed immediately. Marshmallow excitedly beamed; she felt her heart was going to burst right out of her chest.
"Thank you. Thank you, Claus."
❧ day 3 ⇩
As per usual, Lucas was sleeping in. When he was knocked out, the only thing that would wake him was the footsteps of Hinawa.
So Claus journeyed on his own to meet Marshmallow in front of Caroline’s shop. She was a bit nervous at first; but Fuel wanted to meet her, and she wasn’t against the idea.
He found her sitting at one of the tables by herself out front. She gently fiddled with her fingers out of slight nervousness.
Marshmallow had never gone out of her home much. Meeting someone other than the intended was always just a bit nerve-racking.
"Hey," Claus greeted as he sat down in front of her. "How early were you?"
"Not so early, I think. I was just here for about ten minutes," she responded as she looked toward the doors of the bakery. "This boy came to ask me if I needed anything, but since you weren’t here I said no. I don’t even know what he has in there."
The redhead lightly smiled. "That was probably Fuel. He’ll see me and come out in a minute. He helps out at his girlfriend Angie’s bakery. Well, it’s her mother’s, technically."
"Ah. Well that’s wonderful."
Fuel opened the door with one arm as he used the other to wave to Angie, who still stood inside. "Hey, Claus. Wait, is that her? I asked her if she wanted anything and she looked at me like I had three heads."
Marshmallow looked at him, somewhat nervous again. "Sorry…"
"Yeah, this is Marshmallow," Claus introduced.
Angie finally made it out, dusting off her hands which seemed to have some remains of bread powder on them. "Oh, you’re so pretty."
The four sat at the table now, easily talking it up. Little by little, Marshmallow felt more at ease. She didn’t really talk to anyone her age in Tazmily, so meeting Claus and then these two was nice.
"Okay. I know this might be a little personal, but I said this to Claus earlier—" Fuel began, eyes on the newly figured soulmates. "—it’s important that you guys tell each other how long you have. You need to know how much time you have with the other."
Marshmallow tensed at the idea. While he was right, she didn’t feel quite comfortable telling him just yet.
Claus agreed with his friend. Truly, he wanted to know how long she had left in this world. But he would rather her do it on her own terms.
"Listen, you don’t have to tell me yet if you don’t want to," the redhead assured her.
She thought about it for a moment before a soft sigh left her lips. "No, he’s right… it’s unfair to you. To the both of us, if we keep that from each other. If you don’t mind… I’d like to hear yours, first."
With no hesitation, he recalled the numbers. "Four years. Well, four years and ten months. Almost eleven."
She suddenly frowned. "Oh my… I thought my timer was short. As of today, I have exactly five years left."
In truth, this relieved Claus. He would much rather die before her.
"Well… that’s not too far apart," Angie commented with a small smile. "About a month or so."
"Yeah…" Claus grinned toward Marshmallow, placing a hand on hers that rested on the table. "I don’t know why they’re taking us out of the world so soon, but at least one of us isn’t waiting too long to see the other again."
This made her frown turn into a gentle smile. God, this boy liked her. He really, really liked her.
"Yes… we won’t wait long."
Angie leaned on Fuel’s shoulder, practically beaming at the sight of them. "They’re just so cute."
Her mother had called her in just a few minutes later. She was in need of more nuts to continue making nut bread.
Fuel and Claus volunteered to go grab some together; two collectors would bring a hell of a lot more nuts than one.
In the kitchen, Angie would teach Marshmallow how to make the bread with the remaining nuts she did have. It wasn’t too hard, really.
Though despite the cheery ambiance earlier, the latter did a whole 180; she appeared down.
"What’s wrong?" Angie curiously asked.
She debated telling her for a moment. But she had to get it out.
"Can I tell you a secret?" the blonde questioned.
Her frown made the brunette a little sad, too. "Yeah, totally… like, no telling Fuel type of secret?"
"Yes, if that means what I think it means… no telling Fuel type of secret."
"Of course, of course. What is it?"
Marshmallow leaned toward her and whispered in her ear.
Angie’s eyes widened. "… oh."
❧ day 4 ⇩
Marshmallow was excited to meet Claus’ family the next day.
"Uh, I’m getting kinda nervous already. Do you have to meet them today?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yes! I want to get to know your family," the blonde replied rather energetically.
"Yeah, but uh… can we do it like, next year or something? We just met like, four days ago."
"Nope! We’re soulmates, remember?" Marshmallow poked his back. "Which means we’re going to be together forever. So it doesn’t matter when they meet me."
"I mean, with that logic, my point stands."
"But so does mine! I wanna get to know them. Pleeeeease?"
"… alright."
So he led her the rest of the way to his home. Once arriving, he twisted the doorknob and very faintly opened the door.
"Hey, I brought Marshmallow over… I hope that’s alright—"
"What!?" the sound of a distressed Hinawa shouted from the other side. "You didn’t think to tell me this earlier?"
"It was kind of last minute! And how was I supposed to let you know anyway…?"
The door was then slammed in his face. "Well you’re gonna have to wait a second then. Sorry dear! My son doesn’t have very good communication, as you can see."
"Mom…" Claus grit his teeth, rubbing the side of his head.
Marshmallow only placed a hand on her mouth to contain her laughter. "She seems wonderful already… you’ve spoken about me?"
In just a few minutes, Hinawa opened the door with a bright, glowing smile. "Oh, you are so cute! Come in, please. I can’t believe my son didn’t give me a heads up. No one really helps me around the house here."
Flint looked up from the bed he sat on. Lucas was next to him. The two looked like they were just thrown there. Neither made an effort to move in fear the woman of the house was going to give them hell.
"Uh, hey," the younger twin waved a bit awkwardly. "Sorry for Mom being a bit… eccentric."
"I think welcoming is the word you’re looking for, dear," his mother corrected, her smile still bright. "Come, come." She gently took Marshmallow by the hands, bringing her over to the table. They sat down in front of each other. "Tell me all about yourself!"
Marshmallow enjoyed her time there. She bonded with Hinawa in hours, and when her husband and second son felt comfortable enough to not get eaten alive—she wondered what they did beforehand—they too conversed with her. Claus hung around, though currently felt like a third wheel in his own relationship.
And the entire time, there wasn’t a single mention of the death timers. Not hers, not Claus’s. It was relieving to forget about the entire idea for a day.
Marshmallow helped Hinawa in the kitchen that night for dinner. Flint appeared rather smug, leaning back against the chair with a sigh of relief.
"Uh, don’t you always help Mom for dinner?" Claus asked with a low chuckle.
"Yes… but having your girlfriend here is something I can get very accustomed to, my son."
Lucas slapped him on the shoulder. "Learn to help your wife."
"I do, and I love my wife very much. But I’m not a fan of dinner preparation. Listen, boys… you’ve known your mother for the seventeen years you’ve been on this earth… I’ve known her for the thirty-nine years she’s been alive. Well, maybe thirty-seven. My point still stands."
"What point?"
"That breakfast preparation is the best time to help my wife."
"Okay, food’s ready!" Marshmallow chirped.
Enjoying steaming, delicious food, the five were engaged in countless chatter.
Sitting next to her, Claus took one glance at his soulmate. She already fit in with his family so well.
Maybe it wasn’t too early to introduce her after all.
By the end of the night, they were actually disappointed to see her go. But it was very late, and she didn’t want her guardian to panic.
Of course, Claus walked her home. He was now accustomed to going back and forth; while it was unfortunate she lived across the entire town, near the Sunshine Forest, he still enjoyed picking her up and taking her back.
He looked at the rather small home. "Let me come by tomorrow. I want to meet the person who raised you."
Marshmallow got on her tip-toes to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. "We’ll be here the whole day, then. And don’t do anything fancy; she’s a really simple woman."
Claus blinked. He kind of just stood there with a dumb smile as he watched her walk into her house.
Though as he returned to his own, he sighed. They truly only had four years together.
What could they have possibly done to have earned such little time? Why couldn’t they be like Fuel and Angie, having the ability to stay together until they’re old?
He wished he met Marshmallow sooner.
❧ day 5 ⇩
Claus stood in front of Marshmallow’s for a second. He made sure to listen to her and not wear anything too fancy; a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt seemed to make the cut.
She said this woman was simple, but he wasn’t sure if she was the type to want to strangle him over not dressing appropriately.
He looked at himself in the hot spring for a second to make sure he was alright.
Finally, he knocked. He heard the faint sound of running footsteps before the blonde opened the door. She was so happy upon seeing him.
She lifted her arms and ruffled his hair somewhat. "Don’t be so stiff. And just be yourself. She wants to know who you really are, not just some facade to impress her or something. And the real you is perfect."
It was so corny, but it had his face turning pink in seconds. She did have a point, though.
So he followed her in as confident as he could. He was met with a very clean and organized house. The living room connected to the kitchen, where a woman was cooking it up; as it was a one floor house, he presumed their rooms were down the super miniature hall.
"I didn’t know Isaac had a neighbor," he mumbled.
The woman turned around once hearing the door close. She took off her apron and hurried over.
"Amor, this is your boyfriend?" she asked. While it wasn’t too thick, her accent was definitely noticeable.
"I wouldn’t bring anyone else," Marshmallow joked.
The redhead extended his hand out, warmly smiling at her. "How’re you doing? I’m Claus."
The maid shook his hand. "Very nice to meet you, Claus. I am Maira. Please, come eat. I also have sweets."
Her story began to run itself through his mind again. Maira and Marshmallow truly looked nothing alike. One had blonde hair and purple eyes, the other had brown hair and brown eyes. She must look like her father, they would say.
Marshmallow led him to the kitchen, where she whispered in his ear, "I really hope you didn’t eat already."
"Nah, I figured she would cook something. I had an omelet like, two and a half hours ago. Hey, you told her I’m your boyfriend?"
She looked away in slight embarrassment. "Well, she came up with that on her own."
Claus leaned his head toward her, a sly smirk on his face. "So you’ve talked about me too, then?"
Marshmallow turned her head back to lightly slap him on the arm. "Shut up." She didn’t notice how close he had gotten, though.
Setting the food down on the table, the maid glanced at them with a small smile. She dragged in an extra chair so Claus could sit down.
Once they were all seated and began to eat, Maira asked, "So how did you two meet?"
"I think we just bumped into each other," Marshmallow recalled. "Kinda cliché actually."
"Yeah. I don’t know what was so important on my watch that I had to look down," Claus added with a slight grin.
"Well be glad you did. I don’t think you would’ve even noticed me if you hadn’t accidentally hit me."
He glanced at her. "Notice you? Yeah, I absolutely would’ve."
She beamed.
The redhead turned back to the maid. "Where do you come from, Maira? I’ve never heard someone speak with your kind of accent before."
"A place very far from here," she responded. "Very far."
While it wasn’t as energetic as last night’s dinner, today’s lunch was just as enjoyable. Turns out Maira had come from an entirely different continent; another word Claus wasn’t too familiar with.
"I told him about, you know… what used to be home," Marshmallow told the maid.
She shook her head. "That is home no more. Where we are now, this is home."
While he was glad to hear they enjoyed it in Tazmily Village rather than the hell they seemed to come from, he was so curious. Marshmallow hasn’t given him all the answers. Not on purpose, it seemed; he recalled her saying it was all she remembered.
Maira must’ve known it well. But as she didn’t say anything more, Claus didn’t press.
When they were done eating, Marshmallow stood from the table. "I’ll be right back. I’m going to use the bathroom."
She left down the hall. Claus picked up the dishes in an attempt to help the maid.
He followed her to the sink. She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"No, thank you," he acknowledged. "The food was great."
Maira lightly chuckled as she began to wash the plates. "Claus… listen to me, please."
Uh oh, was all he could think. But he kept his ears open.
"I love Marshmallow like my daughter. Please, if something bad happens… stay by her side. Always."
Was something going to happen to her? God forbid, and Marshmallow would be on her own.
Well, not totally. They were soulmates after all.
"Yeah, of course. I promise," Claus agreed with a nod. "But is… everything okay?"
Just then, Marshmallow returned. "Did I miss anything?"
Maira was the first to turn around. "No, amor. Go with your boyfriend."
She took Claus’ hand and dragged him to her room. He sent a grateful grin at the maid before he was taken away.
But what she said deeply concerned him.
❧ day 6 ⇩
The day was spent as it normally would be.
Claus and Marshmallow met in the center of town. Fuel, Lucas, and Angie actually spent time with them too. Eating out, playing ball, simply just talking. Whatever they thought of doing, they did.
Though the younger twin did kind of feel like a fifth wheel, as he hadn’t found his soulmate yet and he was surrounded by two pairs of them.
It was a good day. The weather was perfect; clear skies, a little breeze, and just enough sun that made sure people weren’t getting cooked.
A wave of dejavú hit Claus.
But seeing Marshmallow so content and laughing with his friends and family made him soft. He loved that she was genuinely happy.
He wanted that for her all the time.
When it was time to part at sunset, Fuel and Angie, of course, left together.
"Just in case we don’t hang tomorrow… see you all Thursday?" Fuel told the other three.
Claus and Lucas nodded. Marshmallow, however, only blinked.
She then smiled too, waving the couple goodbye.
"Now I gotta walk home…" Lucas purposely muttered a little too loud for attention. "All by myself… in the dark…"
"You’ll find the one soon, Lucas," Claus told his brother with a grin. "Don’t be a baby. I’ll see you at home."
"Yeah, yeah."
The two then walked to their sort of renowned spot; the edge of the high hill near Biff’s home. They sat closely next to each other, feet hanging off the cliff, and stared off at the darkening sky.
"You know, I never did corny shit like this before meeting you," Claus finally spoke, a soft grin on his face.
Marshmallow kept her gaze in front of her. "Oh yeah? So you never came up here before?"
"Well, I’ve come up here with Lucas… I just never thought I’d be staring at the sky. Not that I mind it much, though."
The blonde lightly sighed through her nose. She couldn’t face him.
He noticed this right away. "What happened?"
The second she thought of it, her timer appeared in the corner of her eye. No matter how much she tried to lie, it was time to come clean.
"I… I’m sorry. I haven’t been honest with you. At all."
Claus blinked. He now turned to the right to look her in the eyes. "What do you mean?" He began to think it was about her entire past before showing up in Tazmily.
Her eyes now lowered to the ground below her. "When I first met you… I was surprised. For sixteen years, I only have recollection of associating with Maira, even when we came to Tazmily. Then, she let me leave one day… and well, there you were. And I get my timer… which leaves me surprised.
"How could after so many years of isolation, I get so little time on the remains of this earth? To make friends, to find the one—you. To get married, have a child, live the simple life I want. With you.
"Claus, when I saw you for the first time, I had a week to live. A week on the dot."
After she stopped speaking, he took a moment to process what she said. Everything.
It’s been six days since he met her. Tomorrow was her last day.
Claus tried to find his words. His entire body was frozen and numb. He truly couldn’t believe what he just heard. "Why… why didn’t you say anything?"
The weakest smile started to form on her face. “I thought soulmates and the timer were a ruse of sorts. I mean, it sounds like a joke when you mention it; why would you meet the person you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with, just for whoever is up there in the sky to tell you when you die? To take you away from them and their families, in situations like ours?
"I was never told about it until I arrived at Tazmily, but Maira knew. It must’ve been a concept everywhere. When I first saw you… I questioned, how could someone be my soulmate despite only knowing them for a week? There can’t possibly be any love in such a short timespan.
"So I wanted everything to fall naturally… if I told you then and there how long I had, then you would have tried to force the time together. Or maybe you wouldn’t have tried at all, and after a week I wouldn’t be cared for anymore. Just an unfortunate thought that came with your death date. I didn’t want it to be that. I wanted to see if you and I would have that connection, that love, in just a week. Like a silly fairy tale. And, well…"
Suddenly, her eyes teared up. Her smile dropped. "I did. I really did. I didn’t expect it, but I, I really, really like you, Claus. So much. Your family, your friends, Tazmily itself, Maira… every one of these things, I can’t bear to leave them. There’s still so much to see, so much to do, so much to…!"
By now, her cheeks were pink and stained with falling tears as she furiously wiped at her eyes with both hands. "I don’t want to die. There’s so… so much more you and I have to do together. I want to get to know more about you, I want to grow old together like your friends. I want to tell you everything about me. I don’t want to die, Claus…! I want to be with you."
He couldn’t speak. Words didn’t even form in his brain.
Claus had never witnessed a soulmate death firsthand. He never thought his first would be his own.
He didn’t realize one week would pass by in a blur. Had he known he would have spent every single minute he could with her. Why she was so silent about it, it all made sense now.
Maira’s words also began to play in his head, now. "Please, if something bad happens… stay by her side. Always."
It wasn’t her that was going to leave. It was Marshmallow.
The only thing he felt he could do now was take her into his arms. Claus had no idea what to do, what to even think. He could only listen to the sound of her crying, feel his shirt getting wet near the left shoulder as he attempted to gather his thoughts.
He would lose her tomorrow. All the time they spent together, while so little, made him happy. Knowing this girl was supposedly the one he was to spend his life with was exciting. He wouldn’t dare want anybody else.
But it wouldn’t be for the rest of his life.
"You’re not going to die," was what he finally mustered out. Voice cracked, so low it was nearly a whisper, face right by her ear. "I’m not going to let you die, Marshmallow."
She sniffed, gathering her words. "H… how? You can’t… you can’t change fate."
"I will. For you, I’ll defy fate." His embrace tightened just a little. He was angry, upset, conflicted. But that goal was the only thing running through his mind at the moment. "Just trust me. You’re not going to die."
She didn’t know if she should. While Marshmallow would confide in him for anything, this was her life. She didn’t want to give her hopes up.
Yet Claus was so determined. He hugged her as if she would disappear the moment he let go. He sounded serious, like he’d be willing to punch god in the face through the Prayer Sanctuary.
"I’ll go to the Prayer Sanctuary and punch god in the face myself if I have to."
Oh wow.
While one hand remained around her waist, his left lifted to cup the back of her head. Claus slightly pulled away from the hug momentarily to look down at her. Glassy, puffy purple eyes gazed up at him. She looked more scared than anything.
His eyes flickered to her lips for one second before he leaned his head down. Marshmallow placed both her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up to close the shortening gap between them.
She had never kissed anyone before. While she did think about it sometimes, she didn’t expect it to be warm. Soft and passionate. Wanting. Lips moving in perfect sync like they were meant to be. And they were.
Claus wasn’t going to be the one to pull away first. His hand gently combed through her scalp, fingers holding the back of her head. He leaned his forehead to touch hers and felt another set of tears running down her cheeks.
She moved her arms to wrap around his neck. Her body unintentionally shifted closer to his.
Marshmallow felt so much love in that singular moment. With him, all her worries melted away. She could take on anything with him at her side.
She pulled her face just two inches away to catch a breath of air. Her lips nearly quivered as a fresh set of tears coated her eyes.
"I don’t want to have to leave you."
"You’re not going to." Claus still had his hand behind her head. "I’ll make sure of it."
The two then leaned into each other for a tight hug. They stayed in the embrace, both unable to let go of the other. He rested his chin on her shoulder, closing his eyes.
Claus almost refused to let her stay home without him that night. She assured him she still had the one day left on her timer, which would be the remainder of the night and then some. She would die tomorrow, but it was unknown when.
He didn’t believe her at first, but the way she cried about everything made him change his mind. Her eyes were still puffy when he left her at the door.
"I’ll see you tomorrow, Marshmallow," he confidently told her. "I promise."
The blonde tried her best to smile. A little one appeared. "See you tomorrow, Claus."
When he returned home, he practically burst the door open. All of the emotions he felt with her suddenly burst out of him; anger at her lie, sadness at her fate, determination to change it all. His mother looked at him, lost.
"She lied. She fucking lied."
She comforted him as he spilled everything. What Marshmallow told him, how she felt, how he felt.
His eyes were glued to wall. "I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner… she refused to tell me the second we met. I should’ve known then and there it wasn’t going to be long."
"You were blinded by your own date," Hinawa gently replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You couldn’t have possibly known. It’s not your fault."
He dropped his face into his hands. "I didn’t think I’d like her this much, Mom… fuck, man."
She didn’t bother telling him to watch his language this time. "That’s what happens when you find your soulmate, dear… no matter the circumstances, no matter how long you have with them… you always fall in love. That’s the principle."
He never really liked the words in love. He thought it was corny.
But god, did he love that girl.
His mind began racing with different thoughts now. Claus looked up and at his mother. "Mom… how long do you have with us?"
In the seventeen years he’s been alive, he never thought to ask. And she never told him or his brother.
Hinawa softly sighed, turning her head away. "Your father has about thirty years left, I think. I knew he would survive longer than me."
Claus blinked. He didn’t like that response. It meant bad news. "Mom… I asked about you."
"One year, sweetheart. Two days from now, I have one year left to live with you all."
He placed a fist to his mouth, looking away from her. "Are you serious?"
Hinawa began to smile. "Yes. I’m sorry, Claus."
He couldn’t face her. "Does Lucas know?"
"He will when he returns with his father. I never leave either of you out of anything."
"If I knew…"
"What would you have done, Claus?" she asked, her smile dropping. "You can’t change fate. The reason for it all, I couldn’t tell you. Life truly works in funny ways… but no matter how much you try, you can’t change what is laid out for you. Believe me… your father and I have learned to accept it."
Claus stood up. "No." He glared down at his mother. "I’m not going to accept it. I’m going to make sure Marshmallow stays alive, no matter what. And in a year, I’m making sure you stay alive, too."
Hinawa frowned, still sitting down. "Honey… the more you try to resist, the harder it will hurt. Please, take a second to think about it all, at least."
"I’ve thought about it enough. I don’t care if no one else tried before… I’ll be the first to do so, if I have to. But neither of you are going to die. Not as long as I’m still alive."
He stormed off to his room. While she wanted to chase after him, she thought it was better to let him sort his emotions out.
Claus was always hasty, after all.
Flint and Lucas suddenly walked through the door, holding what appeared to be gathered materials from the forest.
"We’re home!" Lucas chirped. "I’m exhausted."
Flint chuckled. "Made him do some dirty work today." He was the first to notice his wife down. "Hinawa? What’s wrong?"
Lucas’ twin sensor went off. Something wasn’t right. "Where’s Claus?"
She looked up from where she sat. "Sweetheart… come. There’s something I have to tell you."
❧ day 7 ⇩
Claus didn’t sleep a wink last night.
As soon as the clock hit 8AM, he jumped out of bed. He brushed his teeth, washed his face. Changed into black pants and a gray t-shirt. He didn’t even bother to fix his hair. He nearly forgot his shoes.
He was running out of that house before his entire family could even open their eyes. Only a few people were out and about, though it was still far too early to do much.
Claus barely noticed Isaac as he passed by his property. Once he reached Marshmallow’s home, he lifted his hand to knock on the door.
He hesitated for a moment. What if he was too late?
That fear made him knock multiple times.
He expected Maira to answer the door, but there her daughter was. Blonde hair slightly disheleved, very slight bags under her purple eyes. She looked like she didn’t sleep at all either.
Relief washed over him. What mattered was that she was still okay.
The two wrapped their arms around each other. She brought him in.
"Maira’s still sleeping?" he asked.
"Yeah… come. Let’s sleep too. I can’t fight off death after an all-nighter," Marshmallow joked, dragging him to her room.
Claus stopped, tugging her to a halt too. "What if you don’t wake up?" He began to worry again.
She only smiled. "I won’t let death come get me yet. Let it at least reach ten o’clock first."
He couldn’t help the horrible feeling that bubbled in his stomach. His chest started to hurt.
"Are you sure? Maybe you should wait until tomorrow to…"
But he was already being led to her room. She didn’t seem to mind him not wearing pajamas like her. "Take off your shoes. Come lay with me."
Before he knew it, he was next to her in bed. His arm was out, hand on her back. She was cuddled up against him.
Something about this felt a little off. Like it was too early.
But with her life on the line, he may as well do all he could with her.
"You should try and get some sleep, too," she lowly told him through a yawn. "We can wake up refreshed."
While he didn’t want to, Claus found it impossible to resist when she closed her eyes. Not only did he miss a full night’s rest, but her pillows were so comfortable.
When he jolted back up, he stared at the clock. It read, 10:57AM. Fear built up as he shook Marshmallow awake.
"Hey, hey… we took a nap. It’s pretty late."
She didn’t open her eyes. Claus immediately started to freak out. It was too late. He knew she shouldn’t have gone to sleep.
"Marshmallow…?"
Then in one second, she woke. Her eyes slowly opened as she yawned. "Mm… what time is it?"
The redhead sighed in relief. He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Thank god… uh, it’s about eleven."
"Oh, we have to get up, then. Come on."
As soon as he pulled away she hopped out of bed, full of energy. She hummed as she walked over to her closet, picking out a dim orange dress. She sent him a small grin. "Like your hair."
This made him smile. He ended up following her as far as he could, and stopped at the bathroom.
"Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be out!" was what she said before the door was shut.
Claus patiently waited. The only thing he was paranoid about was that timer. He needed to be prepared for anything today.
Maira walked by. She didn’t really seem to mind much that he was in the house so early in the day and waved. He did the same.
True to her word, Marshmallow was ready in those few minutes. She walked out refreshed, with that orange dress on and her hair done in two high pigtails.
She held out her hand for him to take. "Shall we go?"
And he did. "Yeah… let’s go."
Maira was at the door before them. When they arrived, she temporarily removed her hand from Claus’ to take both of hers.
"I love you, amor. Please, be careful… come home today. Me prometes."
Marshmallow softly smiled, taking her in an embrace. "I will, I promise. I love you too."
Claus stared at the two, a quick feeling of sadness washing over him. He would make sure this wasn’t their last goodbye.
Maira watched as the two left the house, hands held and fingers twined. They began to pass Isaac’s home, where he was chopping up wood.
"Morning, kids," he greeted with a wave. Claus and Marshmallow returned the gesture, both saying, "Hello."
Unintentionally, she had walked a little too close to him. Isaac lifted the axe he held to chop the last piece of wood. Somehow, the axe was facing the opposite way.
Claus’ reflexes kicked in; if he hadn’t yanked Marshmallow away by the arm, he would have butchered and cracked her head open.
He held her tightly. She gasped as she held onto his arm.
Isaac was completely clueless as he examined it. "Huh… why the hell did I lift it like that?"
"Oh…" the blonde muttered. "Oh, I’m going to have to deal with a lot today."
Claus sighed. He needed to keep his eyes on her at all times if he was going to cheat death.
They walked into town, heading over to Angie’s mother’s place. When they saw the two through the glass door, they headed outside to meet them with smiles all around.
"Hey, what’s going on?" Fuel asked.
What went on was one of the younger girls practicing her archery skills. Which wasn’t a bad thing, except she missed the target, by like, a lot. The wood with a very pointed arrow flew way past and ended up heading straight for Marshmallow’s head.
Angie gasped. "Marshmallow, watch out!"
Her reflexes were god awful. While she could only stare at it coming straight for the bridge of her nose, Claus took action and grabbed her waist, tackling her down to avoid it.
But in the process, he got the arrow stuck in his shoulder instead.
And it actually hurt. "Son of a—"
"Claus!" The girl was revealed to be a fourteen year old Alle when she ran over in concern. "Are you okay? I’m so so sorry, I don’t know what happened!"
Fuel couldn’t help but smile a little. "You just starting? You gotta be careful, you could kill someone with that thing."
"I know, I’m sorry…! But I never miss like that…"
"You’re good…" Claus mumbled as he sat up. Marshmallow did the same and looked at his shoulder, worry written all over her face.
Alle got on her knees next to them. "Okay, my mom and dad said that if this ever happens, do not pull it out. You could literally bleed out if you do."
"That’s really great, Alle. I think we should go to Tessie though before I get to the point where I can’t control what comes out of my mouth."
They were very much on board with that as the five made their way to the nurse’s quarters in Jackie’s Inn. Not the farthest distance away, but to the redhead, it felt like an eternity. Just a minute in and he was already swearing profanities.
Angie was covering Alle’s ears on the walk. "Claus, please! You’re going to ruin this poor baby’s dictionary."
"She’s learning to shoot arrows, her dictionary is the last thing she should be worrying about."
Fuel couldn’t help but crack a smile behind them. "What bad luck, right?"
"It isn’t any sort of luck," Marshmallow corrected, wearing a fully neutral expression. "I have death coming after me today."
"What?" he questioned, looking toward her now. "I thought you said you had years left…"
"I lied." She turned to him with a frown. "I apologize."
Fuel was just too shocked to say anything else.
Tessie checked it out. Did her nursing thing… lots of blood for just one little arrow in the shoulder. But he was okay.
"There. Good as new," she had cheerfully told him once wrapping a bandage around the area.
The five then separated from Alle, who once again apologized and wished him a well recovery. Their group shrunk back to four.
"Alright, we need to do something huge today," Fuel announced. He then turned to Marshmallow. "You being alive by now still is… a miracle, no offense. It’s still early, but I didn’t think anyone would even be able to start their day."
"Fuel," Angie scolded as she hit his upper arm.
"No, I understand," Marshmallow sadly agreed. "I don’t know how long one normally lasts on their final day.. but what do you mean something big?"
"I dunno… but it’s gotta be something big."
Claus was hesitant. Not on the idea—he would never oppose such a thing, especially coming from Fuel—but on his words. He was still deadset on keeping her alive.
"Why don’t we have a feast?" Angie suggested. "Like, all of us? My mother can bake, your mother can cook, Claus. Fuel, your father and Claus’ can help set it up outside."
Her boyfriend grinned. "Hey, that’s a great idea!"
Marshmallow started to smile, too. "My mother can pitch in, too… I like to think she’s a great cook."
Claus glanced at her. He liked the thought of it all. Maira could finally be introduced to at least some of the townspeople there.
He wasn’t going to let this night be her last. But Marshmallow thought it was a perfect way to celebrate her final hours.
"What do you think, Claus?" Angie asked, seeing that he was the only one who hadn’t responded yet.
He looked down at Marshmallow. She looked up at him, elated at the idea.
He then turned back to Angie and nodded. "I’ll tell my family to get started, then."
❧
Least to say, everyone was on board. It wasn’t too long before Hinawa and Caroline were in the kitchen, cooking it up.
Flint and Lighter were outside in the front. They effortlessly set a long table, while the twins and Fuel brought out chairs for everyone. Angie set everything up, whether it was with cloths or bringing out utensils.
In the distance, Marshmallow and her maid were nearing the isolated home of her soulmate. She was a bit nervous.
And if she was nervous, Maira was beyond anxious. Never had she ever spoken to a single one of these people in her entire time in Tazmily.
The blonde held her hand, a soft smile on her face. "Everything we do, we do together… what’s this one little thing?"
Maira finally cracked a smile, gently squeezing her hand and placing a kiss on her head. "Yes, you are right."
So when they were eventually in the sight of Claus, he grinned at them. "Hey, you guys finally made it!"
He turned to the others outside with him. "Marshmallow, you’ve met everyone except Fuel’s dad, Lighter. Lighter, this is Marshmallow."
Hooking her arm with her maid’s, she extended the other to shake his hand. "Hello."
He shook it firmly, his smile warm. "How’re you?"
Instead of Claus introducing her, Marshmallow looked at the entire group and then back up at her caregiver. "Everyone, this is my mother, Maira. These are all my friends I’ve told you about. And you can kinda tell which one is Claus’ twin, really."
Despite taking care of her since she was a baby, she still never got accustomed to Marshmallow calling her mother. But it was sweet and always left a warm feeling in her chest.
Everyone enthusiastically waved, like they’ve known her for centuries. Flint and Lighter both moved to shake her hand one at a time.
"Never seen you around Tazmily before. Glad you could make it," the former told her.
Lighter smiled. "We were told you’re a wonderful cook. Why don’t you head inside and meet his wife and Caroline?"
Though she was hesitant, Marshmallow nodded. A slightly nervous smile creeped up her lips as Maira began to walk toward the door.
She slowly opened it, revealing two brunette women making conversation in the kitchen on the left. Once hearing the door, they stopped and turned around.
Hinawa’s face brightened. "You must be my in-law! Please, come in. And grab a spatula while you’re at it."
Caroline waved her over with a smile. This made Maira less nervous as she joined the welcoming mothers.
❧
The feast turned out larger than any of them had expected. With the extra helping hand, different kinds of meats, greens, and desserts were out. Hinawa and Caroline were a little jealous of how fast Maira was able to whip up something out of nearly nothing; and for it to taste good, nonetheless.
Everyone sat at the large table, "children" on one side and the adults on the other. While they ate, they talked all the while. It was like a scene straight out of a weird romance movie.
"Lucas," Hinawa spoke, "you haven’t found your soulmate yet?"
"You’re asking this again?" he questioned, clearly embarrassed. "No, I haven’t, Mom."
"It’s just strange, is all! I’m sure you’ll have one, but it’s odd they wouldn’t be in Tazmily…"
"I mean, Angie and I didn’t really get the soulmate-reveal-thing until we were like, twelve," Fuel brought up. "And we’ve known each other since we were babies. We all did. Maybe you’re just late too."
Lucas shrugged. It wasn’t a big deal to him, anyway. It’s not like he was desperate to know the day he’d die.
"So Marshmallow, how long have you and your mother lived in Tazmily?" Caroline politely asked. "We’ve never seen you until recently, and worse her."
The blonde smiled at Maira before turning back to the baker. "We’ve been here for a while… but kept to ourselves. It was just so different from where we came from… it’s a very complicated story. I’ll be happy to share it with you all one day. The two of us."
Claus turned his head. She sounded so confident saying that. It made him smile.
The rest of the dinner went as smoothly as it could. It proved that the idea was a perfect one. Not only did everyone get to know Maira and Marshmallow, but it was a nice reunion that they all very much needed.
They were there for hours. They had started at sunset, and by the time dessert was done, the sky was as dark as it could be.
"Kids, help clean up the table so Flint and Lighter can fold up the table," Hinawa told the five as she and the other mothers began picking up the dishes.
"Oh…" Lucas muttered, "but it’s so much."
They did, of course. Flint and Lighter were internally grateful they got to evade dishwashing. Once everything was cleared, the two took charge of the table.
"Why can’t I do all the stuff that you two do?" Fuel questioned. "I’m strong enough!"
"Because your old man’s here to do it himself. When I’m not, then you can take my place; but until then, you still gotta learn how to help around with other stuff."
"Oh, he helps plenty at the bakery," Caroline told him with a soft beam. "It really takes some of the stress off with the two of them there together."
Fuel looked triumphant.
It did take some time for the mothers to handle dishwashing. Fortunately, they had such wonderful children who offered to help at some points. But they waited for quite a while, and so by the time they actually asked, the three were nearly done.
"Oh, so nice of you to ask on the last dish," Hinawa lightly scolded her eldest son.
"Oh, okay! My bad…" Claus slowly retreated back outside.
The sky was at its darkest now. The adults still hung around the house once finished, while the five teens roamed a little farther off, closer to the town square.
"How is your shoulder feeling?" Marshmallow asked the redhead, placing a hand on the wound where he was hit with Alle’s arrow earlier; it was still neatly wrapped.
Claus moved his arm around in a few circles. It did hurt, but was overall tolerable. "Could be better. I can move it though, which is what matters."
"Yeah, I completely missed out on that," Lucas brought up with a small smile. "You got shot by Alle?"
"Accidentally. But yeah."
Marshmallow frowned. "I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault."
Angie placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "No, it isn’t. You’re just having bad luck today, is all."
"It isn’t just that, I’m afraid." She shook her head. "It’s all… on purpose. I’m supppsed to die today."
"Don’t say that," Claus quickly cut in. "I told you. I’m gonna make sure you come out of this okay."
"I mean… he’s kinda right, in a sense." Fuel blinked, bluntly blurting it out. "I’ve never had to witness anyone lose their life over the soulmates thing… and I mean this in the most respectful way, but wouldn’t you have been gone by now?"
"That is the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever heard," Lucas muttered loud enough for him to hear.
"While true, you’ve evaded an assassination attempt," Angie recalled, "what I assume was an assassination attempt, anyway."
"Two," Claus corrected, "two attempts, actually. Before we came to you guys she almost got butchered by Isaac’s axe."
They grimaced.
But Marshmallow started to think about it. Could he be right? The day was nearly over, yet there she was still.
"What happens when you… survive the day?" the blonde twin hesitantly questioned. "Has that ever even happened to anyone before?"
"I doubt it. Because they’ve never tried to evade it." Claus placed a hand on his soulmate’s, bringing her attention to him. "Marshmallow… you’d be the first."
"I’d… be the first," she repeated, disbelief in her voice. A wave of hope washed over her as she smiled. "I’d… be the first."
"You’d be like, a part of history," Fuel giddily told her. "Just imagine that. First person to ever survive god’s plan is a teenage girl."
Angie lightly slapped him on the arm. He laughed. Lucas laughed. She then ended up laughing too.
Marshmallow felt her entire body relaxing. Truly, she had found beautiful people in such a short time. Her face flushed a dim pink color as she looked at the ground, not once losing that elated expression.
"Thank you, everyone… really."
When the time came, they returned to the twins’ home and bid each other goodbye with hugs. Angie and Caroline were the first to depart, Lighter staying a bit later to have a few beers with Flint.
Marshmallow and Maira had begun to leave soon after. As usual, Claus would accompany them.
"Make sure they get home safe, sweetheart," Hinawa warned.
He sent her a thumbs up.
Marshmallow held his hand the entire way. "This was fun. Did you enjoy it, Maira?"
"Yes," the maid replied with a small smile. She walked just a few centimeters behind the two. "It was nice to meet everybody."
The blonde lightly chuckled. "See, I told you! If we had met them earlier, then we could’ve spent more time with them."
Before anyone could say anything to that, they entered the Sunshine Forest. Right at the rocky arc, a bat came flying toward Marshmallow. It opened its mouth, as if ready to bite.
Claus punched it away out of reflex. The three watched as it dropped to the ground.
Maira pushed the two forward. "Go, go before it wakes up."
"Are bats really that dangerous?" Marshmallow asked as they arrived at their home. "They look kind of cute."
"Yeah… not when they carry rabies and other diseases that can kill you," Claus countered, glancing at her.
She pursed her lips together. "I take that back, then."
"Thank you, Claus," the maid acknowledged as she gave him a hug. "For everything."
He smiled as he returned the gesture. "Hey, not a problem. I’m glad you finally got to meet everyone."
Once they separated, he looked down at his girlfriend. She had the brightest beam on her face.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better than ever," she joyfully replied. "I have so much to thank you for. You really changed my perspective of things. Literally Maira’s, too… my mom."
He simply smiled. "How come you swap between her name and calling her your mom? If you feel that way, you should just call her that all the time."
She seemed a little embarrassed. "I just don’t know if she likes it… I like to let people know she’s my mother because she is one to me. But I don’t know how she feels about it."
"Really? It seems pretty obvious to me," Claus responded as he turned to said mother. She was already inside the house, looking out at them with one of the most joyful smiles he had ever seen on someone.
Marshmallow also looked at her. This made her happy.
She then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
"For?" His hands were on her lower back, arms around her waist.
"You know what for," she mumbled in his ear. "Like she said, for… for everything. Everything you’ve done since we met. It’s only been a week, but it’s been the best week of my life."
When they pulled away, the two simply stared at each other. There was a lot he wanted to say, but felt he couldn’t say it. He loved her already, but it was too early.
He wanted to save it for later, when they’ve truly gotten to know everything about each other. No matter the circumstances, one week is never enough to really know someone.
So instead of talking, he moved his hand behind her head and placed his lips on hers in a gentle, passionate kiss. She still couldn’t get over the many sparks it gave her.
Maira lightly shook her head with a small smile. "Teenagers."
Both pulled away. Claus ran his hand down her cheek, keeping it there for a minute.
She smiled up at him. "So I guess I really will be the first to survive my timer."
"Yeah… so I’ll see you tomorrow. We all will."
Marshmallow chuckled. "It’s past midnight already. I’ll see you later."
Hearing her say that made Claus smile, too. "Yeah. I’ll see you later."
She gave him one last kiss on the cheek before slipping away. He tried to touch her for as long as he could, but once her hand broke from his, she was gone.
At her door, she turned around. Both her and Maira sent him warm smiles.
"See you soon, Claus."
"Yeah… see you."
She closed and locked the door. For some reason, Claus felt good. Not so much energized, but good. About everything.
❧ day 8 ⇩
When he awoke the next day, Claus went to have breakfast with his family before anything. He had a new bandage around his shoulder.
"How you feeling?" Lucas asked.
"Great, honestly. But Tessie said I have to keep it wrapped for a few days, to like prevent infections or something," his twin responded.
"That’s good to hear. On another note, it’s nice to have you at the table again," Hinawa joked as she sat down.
"What do you mean?" he questioned through a bite of his breakfast.
"Ever since you started seeing Marshmallow, you haven’t been here much," Flint explained. "Which by the way, no judgement here. Especially after finding out the whole timer problem."
Lucas looked up from his plate and at his brother. "How’s she doing, by the way?"
Claus smiled at them all. "You know… I think she’s alright. I have a really good feeling about today."
"Good." His mother nodded in approval. "Then say hello for us."
He nodded.
Despite his content emotions, the weather was the complete opposite. Skies were a dim gray, the sun blocked by darker clouds. It looked like it was going to rain.
It drizzled once he neared the entrance of the forest. While it did close to nothing, he put his hand over his head like an umbrella. He still got a little wet.
Claus arrived at her house a little faster than usual. Absolutely no one was outside due to the weather. It was a nice day to stay inside.
He knocked on the door. There was no answer at first.
He knocked again. No answer.
He started to worry. Were they sleeping in? He would’ve too had he not planned on seeing Marshmallow.
Marshmallow. The wave of happiness he felt all morning suddenly drowned away and was replaced with a gloom feeling. One of increasing fear.
His hand flew to the doorknob. Claus didn’t realize he was twisting it open. The door pushed inward. Why was the door open?
By the time he stepped inside, he was soaked from the rain that quickly changed from a drizzle to a pour. He respected Maira, but he couldn’t even take off his shoes.
Marshmallow. Marshmallow. Marshmallow.
Not a single other thought processed through his brain. She was the only thing occupying his mind.
He didn’t even hear the soft cries coming from his soulmate’s bedroom until he got there. He should’ve known damn well what to expect.
Maira had her daughter’s limp hand in hers. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she glanced up at the person she left the door open for.
Claus couldn’t move at first. He only stared down at Marshmallow, who laid in bed on her back, utterly lifeless. Her blonde hair was let loose and spread out, some falling over her baby blue night dress.
Her face had paled. Her bright, amethyst eyes had dimmed and almost seemed like they were forced open. Tears the color of blood stained her cheeks. Her mouth was just the slightest bit open, as if she tried to speak.
That’s what he hoped it was, anyway.
That was when his feet finally moved. Maira fully stepped back just in time as he slid on his knees next to the bed in her place.
“Hey, hey…” His voice trembled already as he placed a hand on her right cheek. “What are you doing?”
He wiped the tears away with his thumb. The way it felt on his fingers, however, it might have actually been blood. His heart began to race.
She didn’t budge at all. No part of her showed any sign of life, yet he continued to resist the idea.
“Marshmallow, we did it. Come on, stop playing around. We evaded death like three times yesterday. You won.”
When she didn’t react, Claus started to laugh. It was an empty laugh. There was no smile behind it.
“Seriously, babe, wake up.” He lightly smacked her cheek. “Everyone’s waiting for us. Marshmallow, get up.”
Maira couldn’t say anything to him. Seeing him in such a state of denial, she had to turn away.
His eyes began to water as he shook her body. “Marshmallow, come on. Marshmallow, please.” His laughs slowly transitioned into gentle sobs. Soon, his vision blurred. “This wasn’t supposed to happen, Marshmallow…”
He picked up her dead body to tightly wrap his arms around her waist. Her head fell back as he cried into her shoulder. His body slowly rocked back and forth. He couldn’t bear to let her go.
They were supposed to spend their lives together. A week was nothing. Four years was nothing. Like every pair of soulmates, they wanted to grow old together.
Not everyone gets to experience that fantasy.
“Fuck, Marshmallow. Come back… come back, Marshmallow, I need you… please, come back!”
There was still so much he didn’t know about her. Probably things she never knew about him, either. The idea that he would never kiss her, never hear her soothing voice, never see her again the moment he let go agonized him.
“Please… don’t leave me.”
He never got to tell her that in such a short time span, he loved her. He thought he would have the chance.
Perhaps she thought so, too.
❧
No matter how hard one may try, death is inevitable. No reason is reason enough to take a life, but when it is time, it is time. To try and cheat death only hurts the cheater himself.
Chapter 9: Cyborg’s Ambush
Summary:
Marshmallow follows after the commander on one of his patrols, the both of them finding themselves in a battle together.
Notes:
after so long, i’m finally back again! currently replaying mother 3 once again (i’ve lost track), and finished this little chappie pretty quick. i always tell myself im gonna be more consistent updating this, but i never am, so we’ll see how this works out.
Chapter Text
The Pigmask army’s apathetic commander recalled the enthusiastic demands of his king.
"Just need you to go on your daily patrol today! Hee… hee… report to me of anything suspicious!"
His laugh sounded exactly like that. But then again, it could also have been his inability to do so without coughing right after.
Most of the time, nothing happened on his patrols. Though he knew to have his sword on him always.
This time, however, he sort of ditched his helmet. Considering patrols were something he did daily, the extra shit wasn’t necessary today.
He walked out of Thunder Tower, their usual spot for operations as of late. It’s where most of their forces resided, though the masked man was always traveling from New Pork City to most of the island.
He enjoyed being in this spot the most because of one specific… person? Thing? He didn’t know exactly what to call her, as she was physically more machine than him. It was interesting to the entire army that the king’s maid was more emotional than he, however.
Lil Miss Marshmallow, knowing the commander’s day-to-day schedule by heart, found it odd that his helmet was perched on his office desk. She knew he was out, but why without something he wore every single day?
"Perhaps it was accidental," she told herself as she took it in her hands. Though it wasn’t technically in her job description, she was beyond happy doing any task for the king’s right hand, even if he never asked.
And so she walked out the doors of the tower, passing by many army members. The king was far too busy at the moment relishing in whatever he had in his rich New Pork City, clearly not needing her at the moment. When he felt like summoning her, she would be at his side.
Though for now, only her masked leader was her concern.
The maid knew he would cover the forest of Murasaki today. She had seen him so often that she even knew the exact route he took each time. She skipped every other step in hopes of catching up.
"Commander?" she called out, turning her head both directions. "You left something at the tower."
Further ahead, the unmasked man stopped walking at the sound of the familiar voice. He blinked, turning around. "Marshmallow?"
The blonde maid smiled at hearing her name. Considering she left not long after he did, his figure was visible pretty quickly.
He simply stared at her as she came closer. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, you never go on patrol without being fully uniformed," she answered as she held out his helmet. "I wasn’t sure if you forgot it."
The commander took it from her, placing it over his head. "No, it was intentional. I figured I’d leave it for today. But if you came all this way just to return it to me, I couldn’t just give it back."
"Oh…" Her amethyst eyes dropped to the ground as she held her hands together. Of course, how would he forget? He couldn’t do such a thing. She started to feel dumb for assuming so. "My apologies. I should’ve known better."
"No need for that." His face always softened around her, and it was clear how genuine he felt as his tone also changed. "I appreciate your attentiveness to me. Thank you, Marshmallow."
A bright smile crossed her face. The now masked man always found the right words to say to her to make her feel emotions machines weren’t supposed to feel. She always wondered if he was capable of those same feelings.
Unfortunately, before their conversation could continue, a loud rumbling was heard not too far from them. The trees even trembled as the noise inched closer and closer.
Marshmallow didn’t hesitate to open her back, her infamous large drill being the first weapon to pop out before multiple machetes and clippers followed. Her companion tightly gripped his sword, preparing for a battle.
Though it wasn’t a person or even an animal heading toward them. What appeared a few seconds later was the most massive machine they’ve seen yet, about six times their size. It seemed to be going for the look of a pig, though it was round and had four short, extremely curved legs that made it tip up a bit. It’s arms were long and bent downward at the elbows with black claws for hands. It had sort of a fuschia color for eyes, and an open brain covered by a transparent dome on the top of its head.
Even the commander was surprised, though found it difficult to express. "What is that? A chimera?"
"No… it appears to be a simple robot, through and through," the maid responded, taking a step back. "Well… perhaps not so much simple."
The cyborg seemed to scan the two in front of it, its eyes specifically targeting the masked man. Without sparing another second, it powerfully swung its arm at him.
He jumped out of the way and back, standing by the maid. Even though she was right next to him, the pig still opened its mouth to reveal a cannon, firing a devastating beam only at him.
Both hopped away, him to his left and her to her right to avoid the hit. Marshmallow used two of her large clippers as legs of sorts to walk toward the robotic beast, while the commander jumped high enough to reach the same height. He swung his sword, while she attacked wildly with a drill and machete combo.
The cyborg knocked them both down like flies. As they hit the ground and slid a few inches, her weapons retreated into her back again.
She rose to her feet after he did. "Could this be an enemy with the same operations as us?"
"No," he replied rather bluntly as he fired multiple beams from his arm. "This is one of the king’s creations. He must have sent it out as a test."
Both flipped backward to avoid the electric wave that flew toward them. The commander had the same tool and so sent a stronger wave out twice.
Marshmallow was confused and had no trouble showing it. "What? Why would he intentionally attack you?"
He sent another beam at the beast. "I’m not sure. To test the machine itself… or even me."
She flinched when the pig rapidly swung at him once more, its powerful arm now sending him feet away. She realized he spoke the truth as he sent another beam from its mouth only at him. Unfortunately, he almost evaded it. Almost.
Not once did it aim any of its attacks at her. In that case, she technically should sit this one out. But hearing her commander let out the smallest of grunts at the double hit he just took, it made her angry.
Marshmallow once again released all of her gadgets from her back, running on her two feet this time. Her eyes changed into a bright yellow when she attacked wildly, drilling and slicing the pig monster with no thought of stopping.
The masked man watched for a moment. She flipped and swerved every which way to attack at different angles.
The very slight widening of his eyes would only have been noticeable if one were right in front of him. He knew she was capable of defending herself, but the speed and surge in strength sort of came out of nowhere.
He did like it, though.
Finally coming out of his trance, he knew the quickest and most efficient way to defeat it was in the palm of his hand. Dropping his sword, he shouted, "Out of the way, Marshmallow!"
It was loud enough for people in a mile radius to hear. She temporarily stopped attacking, landing on the ground and glancing back at him.
As much as she wanted to go against it for his protection, the last thing she’d ever do was disobey her commander’s orders. And so, she ran away from the machine and toward him.
Just as the pig was preparing its cannon, he held his hand out in front of him. A bright light engulfed the area for a moment before a devastating magical attack left his palm. Flashing lights of blue, pink, and white rapidly launched toward the robot, a move impossible to dodge for even the fastest of foes.
After the magic hit the now quaking beast and dispersing, it exploded. Bits and pieces at a time until it fell forward, leaving nothing but remains of what it once was.
Marshmallow stood there in awe, slowly turning her head to her commander. He was just slightly hunched over, taking slow, deep breaths.
She stepped closer to him, placing one hand behind his back and the other on his chest, gently bringing him back up. "Are you hurt?"
The masked man placed his hand over hers, regaining his composure. "No. Used up a lot of my energy, is all."
Marshmallow softly smiled at his touch. "Where did you learn such… power? With the might you wield already, along with that… I can see why the king made you such a high rank."
"He says I have an ability that no other man possesses. It must be that. Unfortunately… I could not tell you how I learned it. I’m not a fan of using it."
"Like always, I’m in awe of you, Commander. Do you have a name for said power?"
"… I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s some form of psychokinesis."
In the short distance, the two heard a whispering voice.
"Uh, yeah… you might need to tell the king to call Andonuts again."
Both whipped their heads to their left, finding a Pigmask soldier hiding in the bushes. Realizing he had been caught, he flinched.
Granted, the masked man was right. Their leader was testing out the enormous machine. Nothing to really kill the guy over.
"Yeah, they destroyed the shit out of that thing. Made it out with probably just a single scratch."
The colonel on the other line was confused. "… they? It was supposed to only attack the commander."
Seeing the sudden glare on both his and Marshmallow’s faces, the soldier fell back on his previous statement. "Oh, sorry! I meant he destroyed it. My bad."
With that relief, the commander and his maid began to walk back to the tower they came from. It was clear why Porky Minch insisted he went on patrol today, and he really wasn’t in the mood to fight another robot.
Besides, considering where he was stationed right now, he wouldn’t even know if he spent the rest of his day with the robotic companion at his side.
Chapter 10: Beloved Loss
Summary:
The Masked Man and Marshmallow spend all of their time together in the three years since he officially joined the Pigmask army. Both discover new feelings that develop over time before all of it is stripped away in an instant when the war between good and evil starts.
Chapter Text
"This is Li’l Miss Marshmallow, as Master Porky likes to call her — though most of us just call her Marshmallow. She’s his maid, but don’t hesitate to ask anything of her."
For a moment, he thought she was just a normal girl. Bright blonde hair tied up in two pigtails, a white headpiece suitable for a maid. White apron over her little blue dress, long white socks, and brown loafers. He realized she was full machine once seeing the screws posing for hair ties and the two, faint lines dragging down her face from her purple eyes.
The Li’l must be because of her very short stature.
"Good morning, Commander." She bowed, her voice sounding rather smooth for a robot. "Pleased to be of service."
The young rank nodded in the direction of the Pigmask colonel that introduced her to him, allowing him to leave. He ran his left hand through his orange hair that stuck up a bit.
"Is there anything you currently require?" she asked, hands folded in front of her stomach.
What did he need? Everything would be given at his disposal since he was at the top rank in the army.
But this was still the first week since he first awoke. He had no idea how things ran around here, no matter how many times the soldiers or even Porky Minch himself gladly explained it to him. It would just take a bit of getting used to.
"Are you confused, Commander?"
Or maybe someone else could give him some insight.
"I... require ..." The word just didn’t come so naturally. "Miss Marshmallow, where am I?"
The question seemed to throw her off a bit. "Pardon?"
He sighed. "No, forget it, it was a silly question."
"No, no! I was just surprised, is all... although it has been just a few days, yes? I can understand your confusion." Marshmallow smiled, bowing once again. "Currently, we are stationed in the Empire Porky Building. If you still feel unsure, I can gladly show you floor by floor... although that would take quite some time."
"Actually... that would be helpful."
"Then please follow me."
As they walked, the boy discovered that he was a visual person. He only needed explaining once, but had to actually see whatever it was to understand. His subordinates skimming through the blueprint of the 100-floor building wasn’t any help, and he didn’t feel authoritative enough yet to speak up.
After possibly half a day, Marshmallow concluded, "And this is the first floor. There isn’t much to see here, save for the lounge in the next room, the hot tub in the last one, and the exit."
The commander placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "Thank you. I hope I didn’t take you away from any of your duties."
She blinked multiple times, wondering why he was showing such a high form of respect to her. "Not at all, Sir. Please, no need for such formalities with me. I am a simple maid."
He stared down at her for a moment. There was no expression in his face at all. It was impossible to read him, see what he was feeling.
"I see. Nonetheless, thank you. I appreciate your service."
❧
"Walk a little faster! You think I have all day!?"
The demands of their king, Porky, didn’t really seem to bother Marshmallow one bit. She picked up the pace only slightly, pushing him on a wheelchair with all kinds of machines hooked up to his body in the halls of the 23rd floor in the hundred-floor building.
The new commander followed behind them, not really concerning himself with how quick he wanted things to be done. This was his first week being in this place, meeting all these people, and most importantly, gaining consciousness.
He didn’t know who he was before. Clearly, he had some kind of human life, but the numerous repairs on his body showed a grave change from that former lifestyle.
Finally, the three arrived at a door that she opened. Inside were a few soldiers unmasked, sparring against each other with iron swords. They seemed to be having a grand time, chatting and laughing while clashing blades.
Until every single one of them turned to the entrance, finding their king staring at them. It was impossible to see his eyes under his heavy white bangs, but based on how his fingers violently trembled, he did not seem happy.
No words were exchanged. The group of eleven soldiers scrambled to find their pig helmets and put them on their heads, shielding their faces from his view. Unfortunately, some of them had ditched the armor completely and so were left in their simple, loose, clothing. They lined up tight and straight.
The commander only watched. It was odd to him that they feared somebody clearly incapable of doing any real harm. He realized that when listening to the instructions of what he was made to do, the king could barely breathe. Barely speak without having a hacking fit.
"Some of you have yet to meet your new superior…" A violent cough erupted from his throat, some spit flying to the floor. "… now is the time. This is who will be commanding you all starting today. I would like to see his battle prowess! I wanna make sure he can be ruthless , a killing machine!"
The eccentricity in his voice caused another attack. Everyone dismissed the bit of blood that followed the line of spit.
"Sir, yes sir!" all the soldiers shouted in unison.
As Marshmallow set him against the wall, away from all the future action, the door opened once more. A much larger figure, wearing a pig mask with grand horns on its head, led the troop of many soldiers in uniform into the training facility.
"Gathered everyone not stationed here, your Highness." His voice was gruff, but even he took a quick bow to show respect.
"Good…" A sickening hack left his throat again. "Give me a good show, Commander ."
That last demand was directed directly at the aforementioned boy. Though his face remained apathetic as ever, he was confused.
He even looked to the maid for assistance. She stared back at him, shaking her head. She had no clue.
That’s when the large Pork Trooper walked to the middle of the room, tens of soldiers following to surround him. In total, it had to be over a hundred of them. It was so cramped, about thirty of them sat out for the moment.
"Listen up! Over in that corner with the king will be the man in charge of you all, including me." He turned to him, and though it was impossible to tell his face due to the mask, his venomous intentions were clear in his voice. "Today, we see if he’s worthy of the title."
The soldiers all cheered, though the ones with the actual pig masks over their heads sort of squealed. Must’ve been a strange setting on the headgear.
The commander simply stared at them all. He then turned to Porky, who snickered under his breath. Clearly, this was a test of his strength.
As he was told earlier, his chimera strength.
And so an iron sword was tossed to him. He caught it with his left hand, one of his remaining human limbs.
The sword felt weightless. Which was odd, considering he was clearly a very young boy and a sword itself wasn’t exactly a light weapon, no matter the material.
Porky watched him enter the fray. He knew why he made this boy the commander of his rising elite army. He just needed to make sure all the enhancements made to his body were working as he needed.
He chuckled under his breath, folding his hands in front of his face. "Come on, my toy… be the good chimera I created you to be."
Marshmallow stared at him. Her eyebrows lowered just a bit. As expressive as she could possibly be, she found his behavior strange.
She didn’t have any knowledge on the names humans called each other, but she was aware what a toy was. That didn’t seem like something somebody would want to be called.
Nevertheless, she turned her attention back to the center. Even if she thought the setup for his training was off, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t the least bit curious at how their new chimera would operate.
The commander glanced at his surroundings. It was a lot of soldiers, not counting the ones sitting on the side who were preparing to jump in at any given moment. The Fierce Pork Trooper was a terrifying unit himself.
But he wasn’t scared. Instead, he used a finger from his left hand to press a tiny button on the back of his right wrist. Immediately, his mechanical right hand began to transform into a cannon, easily replacing what was previously there.
Finally, he said the first words they’ve heard all day. "What are you waiting for?"
Squealing, about twenty soldiers charged toward him. Like it was nothing, he jumped three feet high and blasted them all with his arm cannon. It was second nature to him already.
Most of them went flying. That shit burned , and it showed in how some of them groaned, loud and uncomfortable.
The maid’s eyes dilated in awe. She found it impossible to tear her gaze away as he fought against multiples of soldiers at a time and coming out without a single scratch each time. The group started with over a hundred, and they dropped about forty. The sitting soldiers had run out already, and it had only been about seven minutes.
Fortunately, nobody was too hurt. As soon as they saw how powerful he was and took a hit, they backed down. Few who weren’t dealt extreme blows went in for a second round, but tapped out after that.
The commander sped by like a flash, swinging his sword to knock down three soldiers at a time. When he rolled forward and created a reasonable distance, he blasted his cannon. Even at such a minimal power, it threw the Pigmasks feet away. At one point, he even sprouted wings to fly higher than ever.
Marshmallow folded her hands in front of her stomach. Immediately, she knew her master had made the perfect decision in naming him such a high rank.
"He’s… he’s amazing," she muttered under her breath.
Because she was right next to him, Porky giggled like the child he was. "Duh. He needs to be, or back to the lab he goes."
His melee prowess was not to be undermined, either. When many began to crowd him at once, he dropped his sword and punched away. Jabs and crosses across the board with the occasional devastating hook. Those were what they seemed to avoid, as when one took a right hook to the head, they actually saw his face dent for a hot second. Lots of them backed up.
With just a few left, the Fierce Pork Trooper took his stand. "Not bad, kid… not bad at all."
The commander simply stared at him, no sort of emotion behind his multicolored eyes. He couldn’t help but think, however, that not bad was an understatement. He wasn’t one to boast, but he had taken out a considerable amount of the army in a short time period.
He just didn’t understand sarcasm.
The Pork Trooper bum rushed him, sort of disregarding the sword. The commander swerved out of the way, blasting him multiple times with his cannon. He was smart, knowing that their size difference was a key in the trooper having the advantage.
Marshmallow blinked at how fast he took him out. Though it was nowhere near as quick as the other soldiers, especially due to a few coming to the larger one’s defense, what really took the cake was the sudden magic power that left his palm.
First, it was the wave of lightning bolts that shot down from the ceiling. Some of them missed, but most made their target. The second was what sealed the deal; the silent commander launched a powerful spell that lit the room in bright turquoise, pink, and white colors, blinding everyone in the room.
Even Marshmallow had to adjust her eyes to see through the near-blinding light. There, she saw all the soldiers on the floor, Pork Trooper included.
Porky erratically jumped from his seat, ignoring the sudden pulsing his body felt. " Yes !" he screamed at the top of his lungs. " Yes ! It worked!"
The extreme coughing made him sit down again. Marshmallow didn’t tend to him because her gaze was stuck on their new addition.
The commander stood in the center, turning around to see what he had done. Over a hundred Pigmask soldiers down in a little over twenty minutes.
He pressed a button on his cannon, reverting it back to a simple mechanical arm. He then ran it through his ginger hair and back, which had stuck to his forehead a little. After all that fighting, he only broke a small sweat.
Marshmallow, to say the least, was mesmerized.
❧
Fortunately, the maid found herself spending more time with the emotionless commander as he was instructed to tour Thunder Tower that day.
She never thought it’d be possible for a machine to feel any sort of sentiment. It was strange that the half human couldn’t and she was feeling whatever the hell was similar to flustered for a robot.
"Commander… are you sure this is the most viable way to the tower?"
"I’d assume so. I can fly, and it’s much faster than stopping three different times for the same kind of ride."
"Sure, but… this is something I am very unaccustomed to."
Marshmallow couldn’t turn red, but she sure felt warm. This was because the commander had resorted to holding her in his arms and close to his chest as he zipped through the air. He wasn’t too high up in the case of lightning strikes, as he was warned. Her arms, by force, wrapped around his neck. He had no issue with this.
"My apologies. I wasn’t aware it made you uncomfortable," he replied, stoic as ever.
"I… no, it’s not that…" She actually stumbled over her words. "I’m sorry… I’ve been rendered speechless."
Once they arrived some time later, he stood straight in the air. His hands moved to an even stranger position, where his mechanical one wrapped around her waist and his left, human hand held her thighs close to his body.
It took her a moment to react properly, as for just a second she enjoyed the way he had her. It was difficult to describe, but being so close to his chest invoked an emotion she thought only humans could attain.
"Commander!" she gasped.
He lowered his head. "Sorry. Are you uncomfortable?" He gracefully landed on the ground, gently putting her down after. "I thought it was the best way to keep you from dropping and hurting yourself."
The maid couldn’t help but think of how sweet it was, despite him saying nothing more. For such a ruthless character, outside of battle he sure didn’t act the part.
"Thank you, Commander. No, I was not uncomfortable at all. You just took me by surprise, is all…" A short smile crossed her face. "I am a machine. There is no need for you to concern yourself over my well-being."
"… I see."
He paused.
"Marshmallow… is there a reason you’re still hugging my neck?"
She gasped, actually gasped , at the realization. The two were still so close to each other, and it was because she never let him go when he had already.
"I… forgive me, Commander." The maid took a step back, finally releasing him, and bowed. The warmth seemed to slowly ooze out of her body. "I failed to realize."
He shook his head. "No need. I’m flattered that you feel a sense of security with me."
Sure didn’t seem like it. Though he was right; she did feel secure around him.
"Well, by any means. Let’s head inside."
He nodded. "Please. By your lead, Marshmallow."
After greeting the soldiers at the door, the two spent the rest of the day together side by side.
❧
As time went on, the commander found himself seeing the king’s maid constantly. She came up to him to ask if he required things, as per her duty. But she didn’t have a direct duty to him. She did it out of her own free will.
There were instances he went to see her too, both out of his way and casually. They talked. Out of everyone in the army, she was the one who actually brought out some emotion in him. She was the reason his face had begun to soften. However, there were many instances that he felt she was more human than he ever was.
The Pigmask soldiers noticed it too. He showed up to training with a slight sparkle in his eyes. Every time they’d see the two together, they were close. There was a time the Pork Trooper caught their fingers twined. Word never made it to the king or his second commander Fassad to save their privacy.
One day, he sat alone in his quarters. His newly made helmet was perched on his bed along with the metallic pad he attached to his back, which gave him the ability to fly.
He was used to thoughts clouding his brain. These new thoughts, however, were extremely overwhelming. He couldn’t stare away from his helmet. In it, he saw a dozen sunflowers.
Of course, they weren’t actually there. His mind wouldn’t stop creating the image of them all day. Which was odd, because he never saw them before. The sunflowers, which was usually a symbol of happiness and warmth, left him with nothing but sadness and despair.
It was an awful feeling that he never felt before. He’s seen some of the soldiers dejected a couple of times, which is what he assumed he currently was. But he never knew that this sadness, depression, and anxiety could be so much . His stomach did flips in the worst way possible.
Part of him wanted to touch the sunflowers to feel the softness in hopes it would bring his mood up. The other half of him refrained from doing so in fear they would disappear.
That’s when there was a knock on his door. "Commander?"
He couldn’t respond.
The maid heard whispers from the soldiers of him not showing up to training that morning. That was concerning, considering it was part of his normal routine she had stored in her memory bank.
His door was unlocked. It wasn’t like him to not answer her call.
And so she slowly opened the door. There, she found her commander unmoving, sitting on his bed and starting at his helmet. He knew she had entered, but didn’t look at all.
Shutting the door behind her for privacy’s sake, she stepped toward him. "… Commander? Is everything alright?"
Finally, he spoke just a few low words. "I… can’t look away."
Marshmallow barely heard him. She walked closer until she was at the edge of his bed. Seeing him clearly now, something was wrong.
"What are you looking at, Commander?"
"… sunflowers. They’re… beautiful. And yet…"
The slightest crack in his voice was enough to make her sit on the bed in front of him. Her sensors were off the charts; despite his lack of heart, there were feelings within him fighting to escape.
Upon closer inspection, she saw the tears dripping from his right eye. That emerald pupil of his, one she found so fascinating because of its unique twinkle, was so dull. The life had been sucked out of it, leaving it to look just like the replaced, red pupil in his left eye.
Marshmallow squinted. There were no flowers, and she made that clear.
"I know they aren’t truly there. I could not ignore the sight this entire day. It’s as if… these have some sort of importance."
She folded her hands over her lap. "My systems tell me sunflowers are a symbol of peace and happiness. They bring warmth to those who surround them. So… why do you cry, Commander?"
"… I wish I knew. I’ve tried this entire time to stop, but it’s impossible. I’ve never felt this way before."
The maid took a moment to really examine him. He appeared to have recently showered, as his hair looked like a mop on his head with just a few water droplets falling on his knees from the ends. It completely covered his forehead, reaching his eyes.
Tear-stricken, his face was so innocent. As his lips quivered just a little, he tightly clenched his fists.
Seeing him like this made Marshmallow realize how much of a boy he really was. Everyone knew he was just a child no matter how much of a chimera they made him. But watching him cry, attempting to hold in those feelings of sorrow and fail to hide them like a normal child really showed him as what he was. A human boy.
She positioned herself to sit next to him instead of in front. She wrapped her right arm around his shoulders and placed her left hand on his head, bringing him into her body.
His eyes shot wide open. This was the last thing he expected.
"Whenever the soldiers aren’t happy, I see them give each other hugs. They stick together, keeping each other company until they’re in good spirits again. They are never alone.
"I’m not sure what is running through your mind, or why such a delicate flower has brought up miserable emotions. However… I would hope that this brings some sort of comfort, if even a little. If it is alright with you, I would like to stay by your side until this feeling passes."
He thought it was impossible to describe how that made him feel. Just her words alone made his stomach stop churning. The anxiety died down. Though he was still left with an excruciating sadness, being held made things a whole lot better.
The tears never stopped. The commander leaned into her chest, allowing himself this one moment of vulnerability.
"Of course… of course it’s alright. Thank you, Marshmallow."
Despite the sour mood in the air, the maid smiled. She gently stroked his head, running her fingers through his hair.
"Anything for you, my commander."
❧
It had been two years by this point of the masked man being a part of the army. He trained every single day, went on missions as per order of the king and Fassad (who everybody has a mutual dislike for), and most importantly to him, spent as much time as possible with the robotic maid.
He knew she was coming to his room any moment now, and so he tried to get himself settled. He took off his helmet, but forgot that it was still attached to the metal pad on his back and so accidentally pulled it.
A surge of stinging pain whipped through his body. It made him drop the helmet, and refusing to feel that tug again, he just fell with it.
"Son of a…"
The consistent three knocks at his door told him she had arrived.
"Commander?"
He let out a low grunt before picking up his helmet as he rose to his feet. "One second, Marshmallow."
The second he opened the door, the maid lifted her head up and down once.
"Commander, my scan tells me you are feeling some form of pain."
His short smile was wide enough for her to see. "You really are good. I don’t know what gave you the need to scan me."
"I heard you grunt from here. Usually, boys and men make that sound when they are in pain, distress, or…" She paused and blinked. "After reviewing, I have deducted that speaking further would be inappropriate."
His curiosity would jump another day. He moved out the way for her to enter. "I’m okay."
Once she walked in, he shut the door behind her.
"Since you are not hurt, may I ask why you aren’t wearing any kind of shirt?"
The blunt tone of her question made him look down at his bare skin. Truthfully, it was a dumb reason.
"Well, I am fresh out of the shower. I normally dress before putting on my removable mechanics, but this time I… forgot, somehow." The redhead held out his helmet to show her.
Said removable mechanics were the helmet with a covering on the left eye, which allowed him to scan anything and everything. A thin tube connected the bottom of it to the top of the metal pad attached to his back.
This came as a surprise to her, though it now made sense why he refused to let go of the helmet this entire encounter.
"That is where your wings sprout from, correct? I… was unaware that it was removable."
"It is, but as I’ve heard multiple soldiers say… it’s a bitch to deal with."
Marshmallow couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her face. "That’s very vulgar of you, Commander."
Over the years, he was the only one to not notice his own comfortability with the maid.
He blinked and turned around. "My apologies. I’ll show you. There’s a really small button under this that removes it from my back. It’s a magnet of sorts. I feel a strange pressure during its removal, but I need to take it off anyway. It’s far more relieving than the process of putting it on."
She did as told, sliding her hand under the thick pad. Upon her fingers touching a bump, she pressed into it and out popped the metal.
She caught it in both palms. A few short wires wiggled a bit as if searching for its connection.
Marshmallow tapped one with her finger. It was very sharp.
Her eyes darted to his back facing her. There were extremely thin holes surely coming from the pad along with dark bruising around the area. It looked very painful.
The maid frowned as she placed a gentle hand on the wounds. "Commander… you must be in a lot of pain."
"Initially, yes," he bluntly replied. "I grew accustomed to it. Though there still is that shocking feeling every time it goes on. The Doctor told me there was a sort of magnetic machine in my back that allows it to attach so well. It is the only reason I am able to release wings."
"And there is no other method of doing so? It’s clear this hurts you constantly."
"From what I’m told, the king wanted it implanted in me. The Doctor said it would inflict triple the pain this does, as it would break through my skin each time I need them, therefore causing permanent damage." The commander shrugged his shoulders. "I feel this method was easier."
Not that permanent damage still wasn’t being caused, but this was clearly far less severe.
She lifted her hand just a bit and in seconds, a cooling mist released from her palm and onto a spot on his back.
The unmasked man felt instant relief and his body sunk in relaxation. "What… is that?"
"It is an ointment to cool the burning sensation you felt after placing and removing your wings," she calmly answered as she rubbed it all over his back.
Just her touch alone was enough to make any wound he had less painful, but this was on another level.
He turned his head back just a little to look at her. "Are you a nurse, too?"
"I must have every ability suitable of a maid for Master Porky’s use." A smile creeped up Marshmallow’s lips. "However, I will gladly use the same precautions for you, my commander."
How he loved the endearment in her voice. It was so different when everybody else called him Commander . Even if it was just one word, it made all the difference.
"All done. Please, let it dry for a few minutes before putting on your clothes."
While he waited, he turned his body fully to face her. He gently picked her hands up, his thumbs on her mechanical knuckles.
"I never know how to thank you for all you do for me."
Her eyes darted away in slight nervousness. "It is nothing to write home about. I care for you the same way I care about the king."
For a moment, he blinked. Did she hold hands with the king like she did with him?
Realizing where his mind was going, the maid was quick to look back up at him, eyes wide. "Well! Not the exact same way… physically, I meant to say. Ah, not that I…"
The way she tripped over her words was funny to him. Considering she was a full robot, one would think she was incapable of doing such a thing. It was instances like these that made the commander realize how much more human she was than he.
"What I mean to say is that you shouldn’t worry about giving me thanks. I do it out of my own free will." She let out a silent sigh after finally getting it out.
"Commander, please. You make me nervous because you are not wearing proper attire."
"… but you told me that my back had to dry."
"I stand corrected. Please put on something."
A low chuckle left his throat as he backed away and went into his drawers to find something to put on.
To see him show the emotions he does made her happy. It was a very progressive two years together.
He returned to her side with a white, sleeveless tank top. He’d put the rest of his outfit on later.
"Better?"
Marshmallow took one step closer so that their bodies were nearly touching. She looked up at him with a bright smile. "Much."
Feeling her proximity, a quick memory from the soldiers appeared in his mind. Teasing him about the maid, they had told him to try something and see if she would understand.
"Yeah, man. You gotta hit her with the," and as he spoke, the unmasked soldier placed a hand on his comrade’s cheek, cupping it softly, "boom. Girls love that shit."
"Oh yeah, and add a little…" the second grinned as he did the same except rubbed his thumb on the former’s cheek. He even proceeded to move it down to his chin, as if ready to bring it up to his lips, "bam. But I don’t know if you wanna be prepared to kiss a robot on the mouth. I have no clue how that would feel. Or if she would even understand what’d be happening."
The unmasked commander was both confused and amazed at their comfortability. "I do not even know what’s happening right now. That is very… touchy."
"Yeah, you’re right. This is gay as hell."
"Aside from all that, just go for it! If you see that she gets uncomfortable, just stop. Easy."
"… if you both just set me up for failure, I will kill you both."
"Never, boss!"
Risking his dignity, the commander gently cupped her cheek in his right hand. His thumb naturally landed right by her nose, where he proceeded to rub with it.
For a robot, she was very cozy. And he felt that while using his own mechanical hand.
If the maid could blush, she would’ve looked like a fresh tomato. She had no idea when he picked up on things like this, but the last thing she wanted to do was complain about it.
So she smiled and leaned into his touch before placing her hand on the back of his.
Unfortunately for the commander, he did not think this far. Truth be told, he thought she would get uncomfortable and want him to stop. Also unfortunately, he liked it just as much as she did.
The cherry on top was that because he was still part human, he had the ability to blush like a lunatic. His entire face heated up in seconds, his cheeks being the prime attack of red.
Quickly, he cleared his throat and began to mess with the neck of his tee with his free hand, looking away in embarrassment.
Marshmallow kept her gaze fixated on him. She smiled lovingly. "I should be thanking you, Commander."
He still refused to look at her, waiting until his face cooled down. "Why… is that?"
"For treating me like this. For showing you care. It’s such a strange feeling, but… I enjoy it so much. I enjoy your presence. I hope you will stay by my side as long as you are able."
With those words, he found himself staring back down at her. His cheeks were still pretty pink, but it would go down soon. Instead, he showed her a short smile.
"Always. I will always be by your side."
❧
Marshmallow didn’t expect to be fully separated from the commander. Sometime within his third year of being with the army, the king was made aware of the sudden arrival of a destructive force. One that clearly posed a threat to him, or he wouldn’t have stationed his soldiers in different areas of the islands.
She wasn’t made aware of the plan that he confided the commander and top ranks in. All she knew was that her job was to be stationed in Thunder Tower for the remainder of the ordeal.
The maid wasn’t allowed to be anywhere else. What’s worse, her beloved companion was forced to be mobile, traveling wherever the king wanted him to.
That took away all chances he had of visiting her. They would have to become accustomed from seeing each other every day to maybe once every few weeks.
Though he was unable to show it, the commander hated it just as much as she did.
And so in front of the tower, the two mechanics stood in front of each other.
Looking like a true soldier, the commander had his helmet on. On his belt was a golden sword that emitted powerful lightning, a new weapon given to him in these times of war.
Marshmallow frowned. "When will I see you again?"
His voice was low. "I don’t know. I’m sorry you aren’t able to accompany us… your presence alone keeps me strong."
"I would only be a nuisance. It was a wise choice on the king’s end to station me here, but… I would much rather be by your side."
She took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head on his chest. "Be careful, please. I would like to see you as soon as possible in perfect condition."
His lips curled up. "I can’t promise that. But I will do my best to see you as soon as I can." His hands went around her body and on her back in a soft embrace. "The moment I get a second of free time, I will be here in a heartbeat. In the meantime, take care of yourself."
❧
Truly, Lucas didn’t plan on really hurting anyone throughout his entire journey. He was forced to, but he never wanted to.
As he traveled through Thunder Tower with his three close companions, he stumbled upon a room unlike the rest. It was a playroom for a child, filled with different kinds of toys and even a hot tub in the shape of a star.
But what rattled them the most was the presence of Marshmallow at the end of the room, seemingly guarding a yo-yo encased in a glass.
She watched them walk in and even greeted them. Were these people the so-called threat that concerned the king so much? They looked… harmless.
Though it bothered her how much the blonde child looked just like her commander. His features were softer and the color of his eyes were a beautiful blue, but the face was undeniable.
Her only mission was to guard the yo-yo. It was a silly artifact, but it must have meant the world to the king if he ordered her to protect it so closely.
After indulging in the hot tub with his friends (and politely asking, too) he had eyes on the toy. He used to love using them in his younger years, and knew he could kick ass with one now.
"I am so sorry," he began as he inched closer to the case. "Is it okay if I…?"
Marshmallow would have let it slide had he not reached his hand forward. Unfortunately, that was code to eliminate him.
And so their battle commenced. She was unaware that a god damn dog knew how to use a saltwater gun, let alone the fact that they even existed. She was also unaware that she was able to feel pain inflicted by that weapon, as it rusted her quickly. Lightning from the girl was a big weakness, too.
The maid was proud to say that she greatly injured them, at least. Her not-so-best moment was the fact that they overpowered her in the end, and she fell.
All she could think about as the dog opened the case was how she promised the commander she would take care of herself. Perhaps it would have been better to just let them take the yo-yo.
Her systems completely shut down after that. She uttered a bunch of random words and codes loudly before her gears exploded, leaving her stomach exposed with burnt wires and still metal. She collapsed.
Coincidentally, the commander was on his way to the tower. He was called to help overpower the team of four.
They fought through Mr. Generator and won that harsh battle as well before dealing with Fassad, who died after falling off the tippy top of the tower; not before giving the order to destroy it.
That order went to the commander. He had plans of retrieving something before doing so, however.
After watching the pathetic snake fail to hold all four of them on the ladder, thus all of them falling to their supposed deaths, he traveled to the entrance of the tower.
He climbed the stairs with two captains behind him. He had no idea what was in store when he opened the door to the playroom.
The robotic maid’s limp body lay there, all the previous life gone. As he walked over, he sat on his knees to examine her.
Her skin was so rusted that instead of appearing silver, it was all an ugly copper. Her mechanical insides were exposed. Her body was destroyed, burnt wires and loose gears out. Her eyes were no longer that amethyst purple that made each and every one of his days better; they were just off.
He placed his hands under her back to lift her and bring her into his body. His vision suddenly blurred in his right eye.
His body shook with anger. He knew who was responsible for killing his Marshmallow.
"Whoever this boy is…" he spoke loud enough to alert the captains to get a move on. "If he and his friends have yet to die from their fall, I will tear them apart myself. I want them dead."
❧
The masked man was already beating his foe in the race for the seven needles. He made sure to give him and his friends one of the worst shocks possible from his golden brand before humiliating them at Tanetane Island.
But at this moment was when he really planned on making good on his word; at the entrance to Chupichupyoi Temple. Lucas walked toward him attempting and failing to break through the vines.
At their presence, the soldiers wanted to fight them first. However, the commander stopped them.
"Stand back."
Lucas was in front of the three, staring at the commander who was a mere inch taller than him. As they locked eyes, a strange sort of sensation overcame them both.
The soldier didn’t care for it, or for the fact that he looked identical to him. What mattered was the vengeance he planned on taking for his fallen companion.
"For what you did at Thunder Tower… to her... I will have your head."
Lottery57 on Chapter 1 Sun 27 Mar 2022 10:05PM UTC
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