Spooky's Story Corner

That's it.

“After the bell rings”

Mommy's Favorite Doll

Day 5: maid dress

Once a relationship begins with him, its awkward, its messy and its so incredibly shy but bold. One moment he's easily messing with you and being his usual mean self, and the next he's hesitating even touching you because he doesn't know if he's gone too far and doesn't exactly know how to apologise for it. Losing Ribbit and Kaufmo, and now dating you, after everything?? He doesn't exactly know how to deal with being close and emotionally open with another person. That was meant to be Ragatha or Pomni's jobs. (To him, anyways)

At the start of the relationship, he's unsure how to act around you. Does he still act like an asshole? Does he give you special privileges? Does he worship the ground you walk on? All sorts of questions run through his head until you guys find a balance. Figure out how your new dynamic works with your relationship. Figure out how he's meant to feel okay with being close with someone after what happened. He will need a LOT of reassurance and patience and time to be able to feel like he can exist as himself around you.

Whenever he does, do NOT point it out. Just let it happen. Act natural. He's like a cat. If you try to lean into what new privilege he's given you, he will run away and withdraw because fuck how is he meant to process that and why aren't you freaking out what do you mean it's okay for him to act like this and not like a funny rabbit he's just a cartoon and-

Mental tangents like that would happen in his little purple head. Sometimes you gotta let him get it all out because he doesn't exactly want answers yet. He needs to figure those things out on his own, but he does need(and want, but he doesn't know how to say that yet) you to be there with him. He so desperately wants that intimate connection, but he has no idea how he is permitted to have that. He doesn't feel like he should be. Not after everything that's happened and everything he's done. This is lowkey turning into a Jax analysis but shut up and enjoy, if you want Jax, you gotta be ready for that trauma.

He's, once comfortable enough, not above begging for you to forgive him if he does upset you too much. But there would definitely be times where he'd feel too proud(scared) to even act lovey dovey with you because what the hell, that's cringe!! (He's worried you'll kick him to the curb the moment he really starts to open up, even though that was how the relationship started, he's a traumatised cartoon rabbit okay, give him some time and love).

In front of the others at the start of the relationship, he definitely pretends that you begged and pleaded for him to be with you and you didn't reveal the truth about how messy his confession was (I might do a separate post about how I imagine that happening). You knew he hadn't properly processed that you guys were even DATING yet, so you gave him the time he needed, let him say what he wanted in front of everyone and spoke to him about it later. Eventually though, he starts treating you like he does behind closed doors in front of everyone, but acts the same as he does with everyone else regardless. You're working on it though. Sometimes you distract him just so he doesn't terrorise Gangle, and you think he's picked up on that since lately when he gets clingy(he'd never admit that), he loudly states he's going to "go see what crybaby is up to" before slowly walking away from you. Definitely not watching you in the corner of his eye.

If you don't bite the bait though, then he'll respond in one of two ways.

Response one; he whines. This happens more often earlier in the relationship. He ends up groaning, loudly complaining and slumping in on himself, insisting you don't care about Gangle(about him), that you won't even go save her(you won't pay him attention), and that you're boring him(not giving him the affection he wants so badly). He then stands where he is until you come over to give him some loving. Which you do. You have to refrain from teasing him because he doesn't understand yet that he is free to ask for your attention when he wants or needs. He'll need some time for that.

Response two; he latches onto you. This happens. A lot. (Once he realises you are comfortable and you aren't going anywhere) He pauses where he stood then goes back to where you are and fully wraps himself around you with only the tiniest bit of shame. Like. He is fully around you. It does not matter what you're doing or where you are, he is on you like a leech. Moulding his body to yours as much as those cartoony restraints will allow. If you're lucky, he might grumble and mumble about how it's "been too long since you paid attention to him". Maybe even throw in a "missed you so much" if you've been busy or one of you went on an adventure while the other stayed. More on that later.

If he goes on an adventure, and you stay back for no reason, he'll try to coax you into joining until Caine decides "Adventure starts NOW GO" and kicks him into whatever he's cooked up. If you stay back for a proper reason, then he'll definitely whine and mope about some of the adventure because he misses you and how certain parts of it would've been more fun with you there. Definitely rambles all about it to you later. (gives you the glamourised version first to make himself seem "cooler", despite you reassuring him he's already appealing to you)

He adores you. Definitely the type to "Oh you want that? Ha, beg for it." meanwhile he's already halfway through getting it for you. If you're shorter than him (you are, don't lie), then he absolutely holds things just out of your reach and says things like "I'll give it to ya. For a kiss. C'mooon, you know you can't resist this charming face." And slooowly lower his face to your level so you can give him a smooch. Go on. Do it. He'll get a little flustered and safely put down the thing you want and start stealing as many kisses as he can.

He is. SO. SO. SOOOOOO. Addicted to your touch. To your attention, to your everything. Even at the start of the relationship. He's just more in denial at the start. The longer you guys are together for and the more comfortable he becomes, the more (obviously) stupid in love he is. The other cast members absolutely adore talking about it and teasing him about how he's become a softie and shit, because they KNOW that you're able to reel him back if he even thinks about going too far.

He does thrive in it the teeniest bit though because with the others "bullying" him, he's able to act like a silly rabbit victim and whine for your attention and help because he's oh so helpless and can't defend himself, he needs you to defend him and save his dignity and his pride!!

He would never admit how down horrendous he is for you unless he's feeling super clingy, and even then, once he's recovered, he'll act like it never happened. He does ask you not to tell the others about his moments of vulnerability at the start, but as you continue the relationship, he learns he can trust you not to reveal that part of him to the others. He learns to trust that you won't hurt him. Even if you did, you're absolutely persistent enough to get him to talk to you about it so you can clarify what happened and sort out whatever the problem is.

He's such a stupid idiot. He watches you in the corner of his eye- not meaning it in a creepy way- he's just mesmerised by you. He's captivated by how you exist and how you love him. Him. Out of anyone else in this hellhole. You're a real person, who even after all this shit, through everything that's happening, you love him.

And he loves you.

He adores you. He trusts you, and he wants to be with you all the time. He wants to feel human, despite knowing he's "just a cartoon", that they're trapped in whatever the fuck they're in, that at any moment, everyone could be gone, and you could decide you hate him- you love him. You make him feel human again. You make him feel like maybe he doesn't have to be an archetype and be an asshole and claim he's being funny.

You make him feel like he doesn't have to suppress what he's feeling and pretend that he's a-okay with being a weird little cartoon rabbit. That he's okay with the wacky adventures that happen. That maybe he's gained a little bit of hope for escape. Or maybe that he's okay with being here if it means he gets to be with you. I mean, who knows what you'd think if you saw the real him- would you even like him still? Would going back to the real world take you back to where you came from? Would you guys remember what happened here? Would you remember you loved him?

Does he... really want to leave if that means a chance of losing you? Even if that meant going back to the life he had- the life where he got tired and sore and hungry- the life where he got to sleep in a bed of his choosing and eat foods he liked and feel full after?

Sometimes it gets too much, and he comes to sit with you. You've learned to accept that sometimes he just needs to be with you. To feel you with him. He's had a few nightmares before about losing you. About you abstracting. About the others telling you everything and you leaving. About him abstracting and you running in fear, leaving him because he's not him, but he was! He just wasn't physically him anymore-

But those were just nightmares. Silly nightmares that don't matter. Maybe one day he'd open up to you about those, but for now, he wants to lavish in every second of your attention. He wants to... not suppress but avoid those thoughts for now. Hey, if you pester him enough, he might ask Caine for a journal to rant in and get his thoughts out! Even if he says that's stupid and childish, you're the one who proposed the idea. Because you care. Because you worry. So. He might do it. Just don't look in the bottom drawer in his bedside table, okay? There's nothing in there, but don't look.

Anyway back to the more happy stuff!! He definitely insists on having a photo album and detailed writings on what happened that day. His memory hasn't been as strong as it once was, so having those detailed explanations makes him feel almost like he can remember it. Almost like he can experience it again. He adores staring at photos of you both (or you alone. or photos you took of him and wrote about how much you loved him) when you were busy.

He simply adores you!! He's so, so, so down bad I swear. Yes, he'll have moments where he acts like an ass, or days where he's feeling particularly down in the dumps and wants to suffocate in your warmth- just don't mention that he's crying yet, he's not ready to admit that part. He's more than ready to die for you, but he's not sure how he'd live for you. He'll do his best to adjust to any healthy habits you try to enforce because it's you!! You care!! You love him, and he loves you!! God does he love you.

When you're together, he can't help but just. Stare. Memorise the way you talk. The way you move. The way you feel. It's addictive and he can't believe he even gets this. How can you, oh so precious and kind and amazing you, love him? Sometimes he questions it. You answer him earnestly every time. You tell him he is charming, and he is kind, and he is deserving of love.

He always goes quiet for a while when you do. He'll hold onto you again- wrap around you and hide his face as he shakes, trembling around you as you feel tears coming from him. Give him a few minutes, and he'll say something about how "You're pretty alright too." Before meeting your eyes and then going on a lovesick tangent that you have to interrupt with a kiss because it's flustering you.