#citm

Cups in the Middle (or CitM) is an AU about Cuphead and Mugman as high school seniors figuring out what they’re going to do after they graduate, all while financially struggling after losing their parents.

CitM may or may not have any other characters besides Cuphead: DDWTD. (I still haven’t decided whether to add BATIM, DW, etc.)

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚

pairing: Mantle!Reader x Fangs Fogarty

summary: [requested] Reggie Mantle’s distaste for the Serpents has consequences for his sister who has fallen for Fangs.

The ceiling fan spun in slow motion, making it easy for [Y/N] Mantle’s eyes to follow the blades with her eyes. She lay on her back, gaze staring off into the distance as it seemed to inevitably do throughout the day. The only sound she could hear was the music playing lowly in her headphones. Songs outlining the crippling feeling of heartbreak only added fuel to the painful fire brewing inside of her chest. Silence enveloped [Y/N] when that song ended and she waited for the next one to start.

This next song - although having nothing to do with heartbreak - hurt the most out of anything she had been listening to. It was the song that was playing when she first laid eyes on Fangs Fogarty.

Riverdale High was buzzing more than usual, but [Y/N] was trying her best to block it out with her music. Today was the day that the Southside Serpents were transferring to Riverdale High and the Northside couldn’t be anymore upset, angry, and afraid. [Y/N] had already gotten a lecture from not only her parents before leaving home, but from her brother Reggie as soon as they arrived at school. [Y/N] didn’t share the same aggressive feelings Reggie held towards the Bulldogs, however knowing that a large majority of the students were part of the Southside Serpents did make her nervous. No matter how hard she tried to push down those feelings, she couldn’t stop her mind from making immediate judgments about people she hadn’t even met. For that, she had her brother’s and parents’s endless anti-Serpent propaganda to thank.

After scanning over her locker one last time, [Y/N] shut her locker, looking down towards her binder as she began to make her way down the hall. She didn’t get far, however, before she bumped into somebody, sending her books tumbling out of her arms and her earphones being yanked out of her ears. “I’m so sorry,” [Y/N] shook her head at her own clumsiness as she bent down to pick up her books and shove her earphones into her pocket.

A leather clad arm came into [Y/N]’s line of view as the person she bumped into was helping her pick up her books. “Don’t worry about it, it was my fault,” he spoke as they both stood up, [Y/N]’s books split between the two of them.

[Y/N] looked up towards the boy in front of her, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him. He was good looking in every way someone could be; defined facial structure, hair done up perfectly, a good sense of style, and a built body. His kind smile only added to his attractiveness. [Y/N] was certain she’d never seen him around school before; he was impossible to miss. “Thanks,” [Y/N] finally said to him, her eyes unable to leave his.

“Don’t mention it,” he held [Y/N]’s books out to her, “Gives me an excuse to talk to you.”

Fangs’s comment only makes [Y/N] grin wider as her eyes fall to the books being held out to her. “Smooth,” she comments, adjusting her books in her arms. “I should get to class.”

“Without even letting me know your name first?” he quipped gently.

[Y/N] bit the inside of her lip to suppress a smile that would be big enough to be considered psychotic. “How about you tell me yours and if I like it, I’ll tell you mine?” she negotiated playfully.

The smirk on the boy’s face had stretched into a grin and it seemed that it was now his turn for his eyes to fall to the ground shyly. “Fangs Fogarty,” he replied, finding the confidence to look [Y/N] in her eyes again.

[Y/N] was taken aback; she tried her best to mute her facial expressions from telling him that, “Fangs?” she repeated, unsure if she’d heard that correctly.

“Yeah,” Fangs confirmed with a smirk. “Your turn.”

“I’m [Y/N],” she told him. Fangs watched her, seemingly awaiting her to speak further. “What?” [Y/N]’s face fell slightly.

“What about your last name?”

Just as [Y/N] was about to answer, the bell cut her off, signalling that it was time to head to class. [Y/N] looked back to Fangs with a smirk, “I guess you’ll have to wait and see Fangs Fogarty,” she shrugged, walking past him with a smile that she couldn’t seem to get rid off. However, when she turned to look back at Fangs, her smile was wiped off of her face at the sight of the Southside Serpents logo adorning the back of his leather jacket.

[Y/N]’s foot tapped absentmindedly along with the beat of the song as her chest ached under the vice-like grip of cruel reality. The fear that struck into [Y/N]’s heart was one unlike any other. She couldn’t get Fangs out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. But maybe the reason she wanted to get him out of her head was the exact reason she couldn’t. She couldn’t have Fangs. He was a Serpent and in this world, he and [Y/N] couldn’t be together. Which made [Y/N] want him even more.

After trying to fix her hair for the millionth time in the little mirror hanging against the inside of her locker door, [Y/N] had given up, deciding that she looked fine. She glanced to her watch, noticing that Fangs would be showing up at any minute now to talk to her as he always seemed to do at the end of the day. Throughout the weeks, the tension between the Serpents and the Bulldogs had grown to an unavoidable part of [Y/N]’s daily routine.

Dinners consisted of [Y/N] sitting quietly at the table as Reggie and their parents talked poorly on the Serpents. All that [Y/N] could think of was the reply she would give to Fangs’s recent text message. That and how he contradicted every stereotype her family casted upon the Southside students. He was kind, smart, and trying his best at Riverdale High despite all of the hate he and his friends got. 

“Hey, come here often?” Fangs’s voice broke [Y/N]’s train of thought.

All the anxiety that had been brewing at the memories faded at the sight of Fangs leaning against the lockers next to hers and smiling over at her. His presence alone made [Y/N] forget about everything going on around her. She was pathetically crushing on him. “I do actually, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” she joked.

“Ouch,” Fangs mimicked a tone of hurt in his voice even though he was actively trying to hide a smile on his face. [Y/N] couldn’t help but chuckle at his response as she put a few books into her locker. “Listen,” Fangs’s tone turned serious as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I came here to ask you something.”

[Y/N]’s head turned to Fangs in record speed at the words. Her heart sped up as she stopped all of her movements, keeping all of her attention on Fangs. This was it. “What’s up?” she tried to ask nonchalantly, but her smile that was increasing by the second was giving away her cool facade.

“Maybe this Friday we could hang out; grab a bite to eat or something?” Fangs asked, his eyes darting around as he was too shy to make eye contact with [Y/N].

[Y/N]’s heart fluttered as elation filled her being to the brim. Suddenly, an arm was outstretched between the two of them as its hand slammed loudly against the lockers beside them. Taking one look at the blue sleeve, [Y/N] knew exactly who was intruding on their moment. Her breathing quickened in pace as her mouth ran dry and her stomach quickly coiled on itself.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, snake?” Reggie questioned Fangs with a face as hard as stone.

“Reggie-“

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Fangs replied, cutting [Y/N] off as his demeanour toughened up to match Reggie’s.

“Reggie, please let’s go,” [Y/N] put a hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“I think it is when it concerns my sister,” Reggie replied.

Fangs’s face fell as his eyes flashed to [Y/N], “What?” he questioned.

Ashamed, [Y/N] couldn’t meet Fangs’s eyes. She shut her locker and tugged on the sleeve of her brother’s letterman jacket. “Let’s go Reggie.”

Thankfully, her brother listened and he followed her out of Riverdale High, questioning if she was okay.

“Thanks for telling me your brother was Reggie Mantle by the way,” Fangs finished his rather harsh greeting to [Y/N] at Sweetwater River that evening.

[Y/N] had texted him, asking him to meet her somewhere so she could explain everything to him. “I know you’re upset and you have every right to be, but I need you to understand why I didn’t tell you Reggie was my brother.”

“Is this some sort of setup or something?” Fangs looked around the wooded areas. “Were you just talking to me to set me and my friends up for some grand plan to attack the Serpents?”

“No Fangs!” [Y/N] protested, “I wouldn’t do that.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me that Reggie was your brother?”

[Y/N] swallowed the lump in her throat as she grew nervous, “Because I didn’t want you to look at me any differently. I know Reggie and his friends like to pick fights with you guys, but I didn’t want you to think I was like that because I’m not.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you were like that,” Fangs folded his arms as he shook his head.

[Y/N] gave him a look of disbelief, “Yes you would have,” she refuted. “The second you knew my name, I knew you would have assumed I was like my brother. You wouldn’t have given me a second glance.”

“You’re a Northside superstar by association” Fangs said, “Why should a Southsider’s second glance matter to you?”

[Y/N] rolled her eyes at Fangs’s ignorance, “Because I like you Fangs!” she finally came out with it, wiping the cold look off of Fangs’s face. “I really like you and I didn’t want you to know that Reggie was my brother because if you did, this-“ she gestured to his folded arms and squared shoulders, “-is what I would’ve gotten in return!” Fangs shifted in his spot, his eyes falling to the ground as he wasn’t expecting that response from [Y/N]. “And if my relation to Reggie ruins everything,” [Y/N] continued, “Then maybe I should’ve said something sooner, but I didn’t because I thought you knew me just enough to know that I didn’t care about this Serpent-Bulldog shit.”

When Fangs was silent, [Y/N] decided that this was it. There was nothing she could say to Fangs to make this better. Even though it hurt her, she put on a brave face as she made her way past him. She didn't get very far however as Fangs caught her arm and turned her around. Before [Y/N] could ask him what he was doing, he kissed her, answering her before she even asked.

The kiss was everything [Y/N] dreamed it would be. The warmth of his hands resting on her waist had the excitement of a foreign touch and the comfort of a familiar one. His hold on her and the way he kissed her told her that not only did he feel the same way, but that he acknowledged that everything she said was right. Judging by the hold Fangs had on [Y/N], it was safe to assume that he liked her too much to let Reggie Mantle get in the way of them and [Y/N] couldn’t help but feel the same way.

And just like that the two of them were in love and sneaking around like the teenagers that only seemed to exist in movies and songs. Riverdale was a small town which made the prospect of sneaking around seemingly impossible, but by knowing Reggie’s schedule and locating the more secluded areas of the town, [Y/N] and Fangs were able to be together as freely as they possibly could be.

When they were together, they talked about nothing pertaining to the Serpent-Bulldog tension, nor what would happen if Reggie found out about their secret relationship. Instead, they took turns, first, talking about themselves and then absorbing the information told to them by their counterpart. Falling so deeply into Fangs’s world was eye opening and riveting and [Y/N] could only hope that Fangs felt the same way about diving into her world.

At first it was as easy to decipher their lifestyles from one another as it was to find the border between the Northside and the Southside, however, the more time [Y/N] dwelled on it, the sooner she realized that over the years, they had become familiar with the same lonely moon, and the same stars that glimmered with hope against the seemingly endless night sky.

“I knew it!” Reggie Mantle’s deep voice bellowed against the night air in the middle of Fox Forest. “I knew there was still something going on between you two!”

What started off as another secret rendezvous with Fangs turned into the nightmare that the couple had been dreading. The quiet bliss that was once Fox Forest was now replaced with the agonizing sound of Reggie’s yelling and [Y/N]’s rapidly beating heart. “Reggie,” [Y/N]’s voice wavered, “Please just leave it alone.”

“[Y/N] are you crazy? Being out here with a Serpent? You’re lucky nothing happened to you!”

“Reggie, I’m fine,” [Y/N] stressed, glancing to Fangs who stood beside her. His demeanour was tense as he looked back and forth between [Y/N] and Reggie. “I promise,” she reassured her brother.

“Listen man, I’d never hurt her,” Fangs promised Reggie.

“Bullshit!” Reggie shot Fangs down, “All you Serpents are the same; no good, useless scum.” He looked back to [Y/N], “We’re going now,” he reached out and took her by the arm and began to pull her along before she could protest against Reggie’s stereotypes.

“Reggie, no!” [Y/N] protested, wincing as she tried to free her arm from her brother’s painfully tight grip.

“Let her go, you’re hurting her!” Fangs reached over trying to pry Reggie’s hand off of [Y/N]’s arm.

Reggie released [Y/N]’s hand, only to use it to push Fangs away. “You stay the hell away from my sister,” he warned through gritted teeth. He looked back to his sister, “You’re not gonna see him again,” he told her. “And if you do, it’ll be over my dead body.” Reggie’s hand found [Y/N]’s arm again, “We’re leaving.”

The last thing [Y/N] had from Fangs was the look of pure hurt that was written all over his face. [Y/N] could only imagine that her face looked the same way, mixed with a subtle hint of embarrassment. Being dragged home by her older brother in front of her new boyfriend wasn’t exactly a light [Y/N] wanted to be seen in.

It had been almost two weeks since [Y/N] last saw Fangs. She had taken it upon herself to hide away in her room, avoiding contact with her family and even her friends. Reggie had tried multiple times to speak to [Y/N], but he just didn’t get it. He hurt her in a way that she never expected Reggie to ever hurt her. It was clear that nothing mattered to Reggie more than their reputation. Not even his own sister’s happiness. Reggie had tried to speak to [Y/N] on multiple occasions, but until he could understand just how much it hurt her to be away from Fangs, [Y/N] couldn’t bring herself to talk to him.

A hollowed out hole in her heart and stomach was made annoyingly present. Every thought she had from the moment she woke up to the moment she fell asleep always had something to do with Fangs. Sometimes, these thoughts wouldn’t even leave her alone in her sleep. But she wasn’t angry at that. She was thankful that on some level, she could still spend some time with him where surely, Reggie wouldn’t intrude again.

In the beginning of [Y/N]’s isolation, it was purely out of pain and although that pain still lingered now, she found this as a way of getting back at her brother in the best and only way she knew how to. [Y/N] and Reggie were close and lacking their daily communication had to be uncomfortable for him, because it was so for her. In the beginning she had begged Reggie to see eye to eye with her and gave him the chance to get to know Fangs, but he refused, building a wall between the two of them to avoid any chance of negotiating with his sister. [Y/N] figured she could do the same thing too, but only better.

A light knock on the door caused [Y/N] to roll over onto her side, her back facing the door as she curled up into a ball on her bed.

“[Y/N],” Reggie’s voice called softly, but [Y/N] didn’t answer. “[Y/N],” he called again, but received no reply.

She heard Reggie sigh before the door shut. [Y/N] let out a sigh of relief, proud of herself for getting one more step closer to breaking her brother down. However, when she turned back around to lay on her back, she was shocked to find that she was a lot closer to getting what she wanted as what she wanted stood right before her in her bedroom.

“Fangs,” [Y/N] breathed, pushing her headphones off of her head and sitting upright. “What are you doing here?” she began to fix her hair, trying to look as presentable as she possibly could in her mismatched pyjamas and undone hair.

“Your brother came and found me,” Fangs replied, his eyes scanning over [Y/N], taking her in to make up for the all the time she had been out of his sight. Fangs took a step closer to [Y/N] and sat on the edge of her bed in front of her. “He talked to me; told me everything that was happening with you and how he was worried about you,” Fangs reached up and pushed some hair behind [Y/N]’s ear, “I told him I was worried about you too.”

[Y/N] let her head rest in the palm of Fangs’s hand as it made its way to cup her cheek. “I missed you,” she confessed in a whisper.

“I missed you too,” he answered in the same manner, pressing his forehead to hers. “So Reggie and I got to talking and he said that he’d be open to giving me a chance if it meant that it would make you happy again.”

Expectations...

The whole thing already seemed like a terrible idea and Vienna was suddenly questioning how she’d wound up here-- sitting on the side of the bar in a sleek little black dress with Tripp beside her somehow attempting to act as some sort of wing-man for her. Though she definitely wasn’t expecting anything to actually happen tonight using it all more as a means of getting out of the house to do something that wasn’t actually work for once. Plus, she had the company of her friend even though he seemed to be fixed on the idea of helping her get her “game” back-- whatever that meant. She’d been with the same guy for the last ten years and now that it was over being back on the field felt weird and foreign and frankly knew that tonight she was sure to feel uncomfortable and completely out of her element. However, she hadn’t exactly had the heart to tell Tripp that looking for a casual hook up was something that she wasn’t interested in as she sat at the bar, fidgeting with the bracelet on her hand trying to distract herself. “You know what-- this-- I already don’t know about this idea.” Vienna turned to Tripp already flustered from psyching herself out at the thought of it.