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Glisten shook as he sat behind the stack of crates. His face had mostly cracked off, and in place of the glass, ichor seeped through the cracks. Everyone knew what happened to a Toon when the ichor overtook them. They became twisted, and broken, and lost all toonamity. So why was he still conscious??
It would've been better, he thought, if the gooey, icky, gross and nasty stuff had taken his entire toonamity. He wouldn't have to experience the throbbing pain in his face whenever he attempted to teleport as he used to, or look at his once gorgeous and beautiful cosplay now ruined because of the stupid stuff that corrupted him. It was unnatural. He technically didn't need to eat anymore, but he always had a specific craving for something he couldn't place. His mind always drifted to the remaining toons on the above level, and that's when he'd stop and do something- anything to take his mind off of it. It wasn't fair. He curled in on himself, in the fetus position, and buried his head in his arms, while avoiding the shattered area as best as he could.
Since he was about 13 stories beneath the surface (He'd lost count since he'd been there for so long, but it was definitely in the double digits), he couldn't remember how long he'd been down there. Definitely more than a week though, he'd scratched off 9 marks on the wall, then forgotten to continue. He'd never be allowed back u and into the museum, even if he wasn't contagious- especially now that he looked like this. The children would be so disappointed to see him like this, so ugly and broken like so.
Thick, dark ichor seeped from his remaining eye, and his sclera was now a light pink instead of the usual white. Of course, he couldn't see the color change, since there were no mirrors on this level. Other than himself, of course; but he can't use his reflect ability. He'd been having trouble keeping balance before getting stuck on this stupid level, but now?? He didn't even attempt to try. Though, now that he was thinking on the subject of reflections, he wanted to see what he looked like now. He stood and began looking for the spot he hated, the specific spot where he was attacked by Brightney. His glass remained, untouched. He picked it up and got a look at himself for the first time in what felt like ages.
And when he saw what he saw, he was glad that there were no other toons around to see what had become of him. He dropped the piece and cried harder; he'd never felt as grossed out and disgusted before, not even when Pebble had brought a live rat into the museum. His beauty had been diminished to a few shards of glass, disgusting ichor, and drippy makeup, which had smeared as a result of all the crying he'd done. 'Horrendous,' he thought. 'I look Horrendous.' He clawed at his remaining glass, hoping to rip it off so he didn't have to see himself, or anything ever again. 'The pain will be worth it eventually,' he gaslit himself while swallowing a lump in his throat. If he was going to suffer, he was going to suffer his way. He didn't want to see- himself, or anyone else- ever again.
Then, he heard a distant rumbling. His head shot up, and his attention went to the sole operating elevator. A small 'ding!' could be heard, and his remaining eye widened as he heard the door open for the first time in what felt like ages. Shrimpo was the first voice he heard, who found a reason to complain about the floor per usual, and although he wasn't fond of the crustacean, it was still so good to finally hear some more voices after so long. Small chatter came from Scraps and Vee, the paper craft and the Television head, who talked about something Glisten couldn't make out. If Scraps was there, could that mean..?
"Please- is anyone there..?!" Glisten called, using his voice for the first time in awhile. Since he hadn't had a reason to speak, his voice was hoarse and scratchy, and it almost hurt to speak. The chatter stopped, and Glisten was almost afraid that he'd been left again, or that he was just hallucinating, so he rounded the closed off corner and walked to the elevator. Lo and behold, a group of toons stood, stunned silent. Even Shrimpo had stopped his complaining for once. Glisten realized that they were staring at him, and he looked down, ashamed to look so mangled and bruised like so in front of his old friends (SOME toons excluded(coughShcoughrimpo cough cough)). "..Does he have to be alerted or something, like Rodger..?" Cosmo whispered, trembling slightly and leaning into Vee's ear. Vee shrugged hesitantly, "I.. don't know.. I haven't been to this floor since our last run with him.." Glisten was a little puzzled at first by what they meant, but then it hit him so painfully that it nearly knocked him off his feet.
They thought he was one of them.
"N-No, Vee, Cosmo, it's still me-!! I'm still here..!" Gasps of shock and horror came from the group. Shrimpo moaned and groaned again. "Great! Now we have to baby sit Mr. Ugg-uly-face and get these machines up!" No one seemed enthusiastic about that idea. "Not it," Toodles commented, pressing her finger to where her nose would be. "Nose-goes rules!!" Everyone else's fingers went to their noses, except for Goobs. "Aww, man!! I was too slow." He said, lying through his teeth. Everyone knew that even though they dragged on the ground as he walked, Goob had an arm just as strong and fast as Scraps' tail. He could've easily won nose goes. Goob pushed through the crowd of toons and grabbed Glisten's clothed wrist. The broken mirror jumped at the sudden touch. "You guys go get those machines up. I'll stay with Glisten." No one argued and they all ran off, but not without leaving behind a few teasing remarks. Some not-so-teasing from Shrimpo, who likely meant what he said about hoping the two would get locked in a food-processor..
Goob held Glisten's hands in his plastic claws, gentle so he wouldn't scrape himself on the shard portions. Though, he wouldn't lie and say no if someone would ask him if he was also being gentle because he cared so much. Glisten refused to make eye contact with him in any way shape or form. Goob had kept trying to get a nicer look at the mirror's face, but he'd only look away. This resulted in a game of chase, one that made Goob smile. "What's wrong, Glissy?" he asked after a beat, holding the golden portion of Glisten's face. "Are ya broken? Is your makeup smudged? Are you crying?" "Is there an 'all of the above' option..?" Glisten commented, moodily. Goob giggled. "Yeah, that's Option D."
"I choose D.." He replied, pulling away from the red and blue claw. Goob's smile faltered for a second before returning, nice and strong. "Do you need a hug?" He offered, extending his arms towards him. Glisten looked up a little, and inched into his chest. The ichor that dripped from his cracks and onto his chest seeped into the fluffiness, and Glisten pulled away in horror. He was about to apologize, but he wasn't even able to get out the beginning vowel before all the breath was knocked out of him as he was pulled back into a tight hug. Goob's arms were wrapped around the both of them three times over, and he hummed and twirled them around happily. Glisten's remorse didn't vanish, but it melted a little, and he hugged back, tears no longer flowing for their original meaning. If he had a mouth, he'd be beaming.
Of course, everyone would find some sort of excuse to circle back around to the elevator, leaving the 5 machines unfinished. There were 'lots' of 'instructions' and 'chocolates' around the two hugging toons. Vee though, wasn't interested in filling her inventory or artificial stomach with candy and instructions that zhe already knew. Zhe focused on filling the machines and only on that- that is, until she saw Cosmo looking upset. Zhe looked at the wheel, back at the pastry, sighed, and abandoned her machine to talk to the roll. "Hey," Zhe said, adjusting her bowtie as Zhe walked over. Cosmo looked up and saw the Green-and-Black TV-head standing over him. "Hello, Vee," he said, waving. Vee sat on the floor directly next to him, and pat ground, inviting him to sit down. Cosmo fiddled with his hoodie strings before following suit. "So.. what's on your mind right now..?" Zhe asked, getting the inevitable out of the way now. Cosmo had already looked like he was on the verge of tears before, but now he'd lost control and fat tears began to stream down his dough.
"I miss Sprout," he whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke. Vee nodded and rubbed his back. "I know you do. This may be a lot to process for you." Zhe looked back at the half-filled ichor machine, and back at Cosmo. "I'm thinking of letting Goob and Glisten stay a little longer." Cosmo understood and nodded, wiping his eyes. "No one deserves to have to go through what I did," he mumbled around the lump in his throat, even though he felt like it wasn't fair. "I didn't ever get to actually say goodbye to him properly." He clenched the pocket of his hoodie with both hands and bit his lip, trying not to break out into sobs. Vee placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently. "I know. It still hurts, doesn't it..?" Zhe croaked, fighting back tears of her own. Zhe wasn't as close to Sprout as Cosmo was, but they were still good friends, and Sprout always made great cookies that even Vee would want to eat. "We'll never get to try his baking again." Cosmo smacked Vee's arm lightly and snickered. "No dark humor, Vee," he scolded, though it was obvious it made him feel a little better. Vee snickered too, fanning herself with a hand to cool her screen down. "I know you'll need some time to heal, maybe you'll never see him again." Vee said. "But he'll always be on the 27th floor. And even if we.. never get that far.. at least we know where he is."
Cosmo looked a bit skeptical, but only said, "At least he's suffering in a familiar place. Somewhere he called home." He smiled and his cheeks dusted a light pink. "Maybe we can find a way to turn them back, and everything can go back to normal." He and Vee both knew that was highly unlikely, but the TV head entertained the thought, anyway. "We can get Tisha to deep clean the kitchen on Saturdays, just like she used to." Cosmo smiled. "Sprout and I can make our own cookbook, and Brightney can read it for the book club's monthly book."
Cosmo and Vee talked until they saw A bright red glow approach rapidly, and their heartbeat increased as adrenaline drove them to their feet and away from Brightney. The two friends swallowed large amounts of oxygen as they took refuge behind a storage rack. The red glow eventually faded out as the Brightney left them. Once the toons had caught their breath, they looked at each other and began to laugh. "We could talk a little longer," Vee said between laughs. Cosmo nodded and sunk back onto the floor, back against the storage rack.
Toodles giggled behind her hands, standing next to Scraps who was doing a machine. Scraps was smiling too, just not as obnoxiously as the young toon. "I see you're entertained by the idea that Goob and Glisten like each other?" She asked, not looking up from the wheel. Toodles nodded. "Yes, I am! I love seeing people happy together! Like.." she lowered her voice. "Like Sprout and Cosmo.." Scraps glanced at her, and saw her fallen expression. She paused her progress on the machine and bent down to level with her. "Hey Toodles, you know it wasn't your fault..?" she said, voice a comforting murmur. Toodles looked off to the side, a small frown sporting her face. "Everyone tells me that." "Everyone means it."
"I get it, it's ok.." The 8-Ball kicked her feet. "Please don't start droning on about how I need to forgive myself. I will eventually, just.. not right now.." Scraps nodded. "Do you wanna do this one?" she pointed to the bright red circle that was attached to the machine. Toodles' mood rose, and she nodded. She held her arms out in a 'T' shape, and the paper-craft lifted her into the air, and up to the wheel. Toodles cried out happily as she was lifted, and continued spinning. 'I could get the next one,' Scraps thought.'It seems no one is doing any.' The machine let out a 'ding!' signaling completion, just as Scraps' arms began to get tired. She lowered Toodles to the ground and dusted her claws. "Alright! I'm off to find another machine." Toodles side eyed her. "You're not interested in what Goob's doing?" "Of course i'm interested, but we tell each other everything in the elevator." Scraps walked off in the direction of the fake elevator. She waved back at Toodles. "Stay safe!"
Scraps wasn't concerned about her brother being with Glisten. Though her older sister instincts were screaming at her to get Goob away from that twisted monster, she trusted her senses; Glisten could talk, he was conscious, and he could control himself enough. Besides, she knew her little brothers' affection for the mirror was almost as unmatched as the familial affection they had for each other. She promised she wouldn't be too clingy.
Goob finally put Glisten down after a long hug that would've cracked Glisten if he wasn't already broken. He wasn't crying anymore, and his eye shone with happiness and affection. "I missed you," he mumbled, pressing his forehead to Goob's. The ball of fluff beamed back at him and his arms wrapped around Glisten again, but this time the hug wasn't as long. Glisten didn't mind all the hugs. He'd missed any affection in general, so he didn't mind the surplus Goob was supplying. If anything, it wasn't enough. He pressed his cheek against Goob's mouth, and Goob pecked him. "Again?" Glisten asked. Goob continued to pepper the remaining side of Glisten's face with kisses and smooches. Glisten wished he could kiss back, feel Goob's fluffy, furry lips against his, but wishful hoping gets you nothing, so he pulled away, leaving Goob confused, and worried. "I'm sorry, was that too many kisses..?" Glisten shook his head. "Not at all." He sat down. "I just wanna talk, now." Goob could hear a machine ding to signify it's completion, and looked to where the sound came from. "Goob..?" Glisten called from the floor. The fluffy craft didn't need to rethink, and plunked down next to Glisten, whose shoulders dropped in relief.
"I thought you were about to leave," He said, voice trembling a bit. "To go where?" Goob gestured up, his claws flopping back onto the floor. Glisten shrugged. "Away from me." Goob held Glisten by his shoulders. "Why would I wanna be away from you?" Another 'ding!' in the distance signified another machine being filled. Glisten tugged at the ribbon that was tied around his left wrist anxiously. "I dunno.. it's just a feeling.." He tugged harder, ichor darkening his vision as he began to cry again. Goobs worry increased, and he immediately brought the broken mirror in for a hug. "You'll never have to be alone again," Goob mumbled. Glisten let out a confused croak. "I've just decided," Goob said, pulling away a bit, "I'm taking you back with us!"
Glisten looked a bit surprised. He'd never considered resurfacing, especially now that he was the way he was. "Back.. up..?" He squawked, eye widening. "Would they even.. have a place for me, at this point..?" He was referring to what they'd turned Brightney and Rodger's rooms into; a storage. Glisten was still up on the surface as he watched it happen. The others started putting supplies (candies, chocolate boxes, kits, dand-aids, etc.) in their fallen peers' rooms. Glisten found it to be a little insensitive, but he also had a huge sweet tooth and an excuse to hide candies and chocolates in his room. "They haven't turned your room into storage yet, if that's what you're asking about." Goob said, feet swinging side to side. Glisten let out a sigh of half-guilt-half-relief. He was a little happy they hadn't forgotten him so quickly. "Is it bad that i'm relieved?" he mumbled, leaning into Goob's side. Goob shook his fluffy head, and wrapped a long, rubbery arm around Glisten. "No, it makes sense you'd be happy about that. To me, it shows they still care about you."
"Do you think they'll let me back up? Given that I look like.." Glisten gestured to his appearance. "..like this?" Goob kissed him again and squeezed his shoulder in assurance. Before he could say anything, a final 'ding!' followed by the sound of blaring rang in the air, and the two stood quickly. "Well, we'll find out. Just know, whatever happens, I promise you wont ever be alone again." Glisten was a bit curious about what that clarification was needed for, but before he could ask, their hands locked, and they started off to the elevator. Glisten was so used to it being quiet, and dark to an extent. The sudden change of pace made his head spin, but his grasp on Goob's hand grounded him. They neared the elevator to see everyone already there. To their shock, Goob had Glisten hooked to one stringy arm and trailing behind him. Vee leaned over to Cosmo. "I didn't mean i'd bring him along," Zhe muttered. Cosmo was quiet. Shrimpo, of course, was first to voice his concern- or in this case, hatred- on the situation in front of them. "I HATE that a twisted is coming with us!!" he shouted. Scraps pushed her way to the front. "Goob, what are you doing?!" she hissed. Her tail lashed from side to side, and her pupils were slit to the size of a coin. There was obviously not much time for discussion, as they had about 20 seconds remaining. Goob brought Glisten into a defensive hug, and held his chin high in defiance. "I'm bringing him with us!" he declared.
"There's no time for this, Goob-!" Vee cut in, stepping right up to the entrance. "We have to go, now!" Goob shook his head. "Not if I can't bring him with us." It was Glisten's turn to be shocked, and he looked right into Goob's eyes. The fluffy craft didn't look back, and stared straight ahead, right at Vee, with a strong look of determination. There was a beep, signaling the 10 second mark. Scrap's tail stopped lashing, and her eyes widened in fear. "Goob, please-!" Her voice raised an octave. Goob pulled Glisten closer. "Goob, I can't lose you yet, please Goob.." 5 seconds. She stepped out of the elevator, only to get pulled right back in by Poppy and Vee. "Let me GO-!!" She shrieked, struggling against the hold of the two women. Cosmo joined in, his head lolling backwards due to the sudden shift in balance. Goob shook, and held Glisten just as tight as before, if not tighter, and his pupils were glossy with tears of remorse. If Scraps could describe it, it would be as if his eyes were trying to give her a hug.
Then, the elevator timer ticked 0, and the door slammed shut with a deafening 'THUD'.