#luvigi

It was hot outside.

But not the "Jesus Christ it's way too hot to exist" kind of hot yet, but the kind that's a comfortable warm with a nice cool breeze every now and then. The kind where most couples would play some kind of water games together in their yards or swim together in their pools and just co-exist together happily.

The kind where Vee wasn't shutting herself in the fridge just yet but still inside in a tank top and shorts and refusing to leave the house (leaving Shelly inside with her because the fossil didn't want her to feel abandoned).

The kind of weather Gi would drag her robot wife around in as they looked for the next coolest spot to be together in, and that was what they were doing when-

"Gi! Gi look!"

The two had stopped mid sidewalk, hand in hand, the robot- who was silent and just looking around without a word a second ago- was now pointing up at a sign. "SUMMER FAIR" it read in massive rainbow letters, a sign near their height stating "Children under 6 get in free!" in bold black ones. Both signs hand painted with love. Both toons knowing they'd pass for the free admission age at their size. Gi blinked at the signs, then looked at her wife, who was grinning ear to ear and bouncing in her spot, her simple pastel blue sundress flowing with her excited movements. Gi then looked down at herself, in her light green flannel with a white tank top under it and jean shorts under that too.

They were definitely looking like a weird couple.

They were definitely going to fit in... Probably.

"You want to check this place out? I thought you'd be a bit too shy for such a crowded pla-"

"The games, Gi! They have so many games, it's like an outdoor arcade full of candy and love and joy!" Vivi excitedly cut her off, then paused. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You are the most precious thing I have ever laid my eyes on, Viv."

"Oh- uhm- haha, thank you, Gi." Vivi very softly replied, getting a soft laugh in return from the gachapon as she gently started leading her to the place she was so excited to see. As they expected, they were let in for free the instant they showed up- but for a completely different reason than they expected. The woman at the ticket booth had actually recognized them both... And now Vivi had a pair of light blue sunglasses on the top of her monitor, which were gifted to her to help her see better despite being completely okay.

They matched her outfit though so she couldn't keep saying no after being reassured she could have them three times in a row.

The first game they checked out together was a pretty simple one, one that didn't require much skill. It was one of those ones where you shot a water gun into a small opening and filled up a balloon. Vivi immediately knew she'd win against the few teenage boys at it, so she strutted over and leaned against the counter, looking at the one running the stand with the confidence of a supermodel at a photo shoot, knowing they'd be the star of the show that day. Gi could never lie, it was odd seeing her like that, but absolutely adorable and beautiful.

"Mind if I join in boys?" She asked with a smile, making the group of three look at her a little funny. One soon shrugged, so the other two nodded. Vivi quickly took a spot, smiling as she wagged her tail. Gi soon was just standing beside her, watching the entire thing unfold casually.

"Already competitive, huh Viv?"

"Always am, I love winning."

"You think you'll win against us? We're like, way older than you. You cannot be more than six." One of the group teased with one of those "I got her good" looks on his face, but Vivi just huffed and flicked her sunglasses down.

She won without even a slight struggle and walked off with her arms crossed, Gi now holding a new blue teddy bear in her arms.

"I told you I'd win." Vivi simply stated with a very sassy flick of her tail, making Gi nod as she let out a squeaky little laugh.

"You'd win anything just to get me something fun, I swear."

"Oh? No, that's just a great bonus my sweet sweet lil blueberry muffin, I do it for the thrills. It's also just part of my programming but that's a lot lamer than "it's actually really funny proving humans wrong" I'd say."

"I see... So Vee did trivia and you did games?" Gi questioned, getting a shake of the head from Vivi. Though before she could explain that they both did game shows, Gi had ran off, just to come back with a little turquoise beaded bracelet she immediately grabbed Vivi's hand for and slipped it onto her wrist.

"I found it near a sink and I washed it for you." Gi stated, making Vivi blink as she looked at it, then at Gi.

"How come?"

"You got me a teddy bear, I thought you'd like something too."

"...You wanna bet I can get you more?" Vivi questioned with a tilt of her head, a very mischievous looking smile slowly growing onto her screen. Gi swallowed hard as her face immediately warmed up intensely, she had never seen Vivi be so... Competitive and playful, and she couldn't deny the fact that she found it extremely adorable and precious. Especially since it wasn't competitive in a game or anything... It was just them competing to see who could get the other the most gifts. It was so selfless and sweet... Gi's heart was racing and she had started toying with the beaded bracelet on her wrist without realizing it.

"Oh jeez, uh, I don't-"

"You do deserve them babyyyy~" Vivi softly cut her off with a gentle touch of her finger to Gi's lips, making the gachapon look away. Oh why did her wife have to be so damn cute?!

"I... I can't even argue..." Gi mumbled, soon squeezing her teddy bear just a little closer to herself as she looked back at Vivi, who was back to being posed like the usually overly polite toon she was. The one Gi swore she didn't deserve yet somehow always had with her... The one staring back at her with her innocent green eyes and gentle smile on her screen.

"Ready to game on then? I promise, I'll behave and follow the rules."

"Could... I kiss you first..?" Gi softly asked, looking away immediately afterwards like she was overly shy. Vivi blinked at her, taking a mental note at how their behaviors seemed to switch as she very carefully took Gi's face into her hands, making the gachapon light right up as she looked at her.

"You can always kiss me, okay?"

"Okay... And... You can kiss me whenever too, Viv, I just... Never saw you so confident I... I think my brain malfunctioned from how absolutely amazing you are."

"Pfft, Gi you are not a robot you absolute goob." Vivi stated with a laugh, though she immediately went in and gave her a quick kiss, her mic tail wagging a mile a minute as she kissed the girl. Gi immediately was clinging to her beloved robot as she kissed back, shaking from the pure joy she felt from it, even if this was nowhere near their first kiss. Or even their hundredth, maybe thousandth kiss? They tended to be way too affectionate to each other for their own good, though that didn't matter right now. Or ever to be honest. What mattered was that there was now a bet to see who could end up with the most gifts from the other, though Gi couldn't honestly focus on that right now.

Or focus on it at all...

She kept finding herself pausing behind Vivi, admiring the overly competitive robot every single time she'd find a new game to play. Whether it was just an average game of basketball to some weird game Gi couldn't even try to understand- it was always so beautiful seeing Vivi genuinely so focused. So excited, so full of life as she had every intent of winning every single game she played, her tail wagging a mile a minute the entire time she proved everyone who doubted her even slightly wrong. Sure Gi did find more little knick knacks laying around and she did clean them up for Vivi whenever she'd remember to, but...

She genuinely couldn't stop focusing on the center of her world.

That usually shy little green robot who was currently cheering after she won yet another plush for her favorite person in the world. The one who did the cutest little happy dance whenever she got something she swore up and down Gi would absolutely love and cherish till the end of time, the one laughing at the faces she always got after she proved her skills and showed off to the crowds that seemed to always form around her now that she was caught being a toon in a world full of humans.

The one who had no idea that her wife didn't want any of the plushies or the other prizes she had started gathering- but instead just wanted to admire her as she finally found her place to thrive in a world she's been so scared to exist in as herself for so long.

That was until Gi actually was caught admiring her, though Vivi didn't even seem to care as she just gave her a wink before making the winning shot in the tank dunk game they were at now, landing a perfect bullseye after messing with the poor soaking wet woman in there and missing on purpose with the first two balls she got. She of course apologized to her afterwards, but was reassured it was just part of the game- so Vivi instead turned her attention back to Gi with a teasing smile.

"You haven't been doing anything but watch, haven't you?"

"Uhhhhh-"

"Maybe you can short circuit like a robot, I remember you did the same thing at Gardenview. Secretly a robot huh? Huhhhh?" Vivi warmly teased as she poked Gi's nose, getting a snort in reply before the gachapon sneezed. Gi then shook her head, looking up at Vivi again with a sniff as she rubbed her nose a little.

"You know I would've told you if I was one, Viv. I just... I never saw you so... Confident and happy with yourself in so long, I think I just... I kinda forgot about the whole bet because I just loved admiring you being so happy and proud of yourself. I know its probably just your program and I get it, but it's really nice to just, see you be- you!" Gi explained quietly as she nervously fidgeted with the sleeves of her flannel jacket, being a complete blushing disaster and acting a little shy about it. Vivi just silently watched her as she adjusted the new tote bag she got for... Everything... Then she glanced away from Gi before looking back at her.

"There is no way Im that beautiful, Gi."

"Haha uhm..."

"But thank you, I did honestly notice a lot sooner I just, really liked the fact that you were always right there and you... Always missed when I would glance at you for more confidence. You're cute when you're shy too, I always noticed that you avoided looking at everyone whenever you'd be caught staring at me. You're a sweetheart, you know that?" Vivi softly informed her, making Gi giggle as she just nodded.

"You don't ever let me forget that, Viv-"

"Because you are and everyone who ever says otherwise is a big fat liar." Vivi stubbornly stated with her arms crossed, making Gi just burst out laughing at the sight of her being so stubborn about something when she's usually very easy to persuade. Though the two soon turned and looked at the same thing together, and since it was starting to get a little dark and they knew the boys would be coming around to find them soon, they knew they had to ride it.

So, hand in hand, the two walked off to the main attraction of the place, the one thing they knew they could enjoy together while they stayed side by side.

The ferris wheel.

It wasn't a big one by any means, it was pretty average for the size of the fair around it, but it still was pretty interesting to the two. However, on the way there, they found out they could have some free cotton candy from a shop that was closing down for the night.

So they were now also eating free cotton candy.

Nice.

Maybe it did pay to be a town celebrity... Maybe. The two didn't know it was just offered to them because they were toons and very well known around the town, they just knew they were together and eating cotton candy, and honestly that was what mattered to them.

Just being able to exist together was the best prize they both won that night, especially when they got to sit in the same cart on the wheel together- and ended up being in one of the carts that stopped near the top, letting them both admire the view together as they cuddled into each other. They didn't say a thing, they didn't have to, they just kept one arm around the other as they held hands, just silently enjoying the experience together. Enjoying the smell of the cotton candy they just had, the warmth of the other's presence beside them, the view they had overlooking the pretty large town they called their home.

Neither once looked at the abandoned Gardenview building... Nor look at the park surrounding it...

They just looked at the city lights, the cars that drove around on the streets below them, at the small specs of humans walking on the sidewalks or around the fairgrounds underneath them now.

Vivi huddled just a little closer to her girlfriend, who just squeezed her closer to herself in reply.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Gi."

Those were the only words spoken on that ride from the two. None other would fit better in that moment, the moment when they both realized that they were never going to be stuck in the endless loops they were born into ever again. The moment when they realized they had so much more to explore than they'd ever imagine down there, the moment they realized their pasts and the reasons why they were made didn't matter anymore.

The two were oddly silent on the walk home from the fair as well, hand in hand, side by side. They knew the realizations they both had were a little too much right now, that the fact that they really did have the whole world out there to actually explore and not just their usual hideaways now. That the town was theirs to explore, that no twisteds or no humans would ever force them to be seperate again. That everything really was okay... And it was okay to let go of the trauma they both secretly held onto and be themselves, whatever that looked like in that moment. Vivi soon sighed as she adjusted the tote bag, making Gi look at her.

What mattered was the fact that they had each other, and nothing could ever pull them apart ever again.

"You okay?"

"Just... Thinking about a lot."

"Oh, same. I think we both learned a lot about each other today..." Gi replied with a casual little shrug, making Vivi nod as she smiled and looked over at her.

"I think I learned something else, too." She replied, stopping in her place on the sidewalk for a moment. Gi just silently stood beside her, watching as Vivi just looked at the sky, watching the robot gather her thoughts as her green eyes focused on the sunset colored sky.

"You make me feel complete, Gi. You make me feel like... Me... I remember that day, the one we met, the way you never once even thought of me as just... Version Two. You immediately saw... Me... Even when I didn't understand me myself. You knew I'd be able to become myself, to be happy, to... Not, be just, Version Two. I won't ever understand that... I won't ever understand a lot of things, but I think I finally made peace with that tonight. I won't ever understand what you see in me... But I won't ever leave your side. I truly do love you, and I'm happy we get to be by each other's side in this timeline. You're my world and I cherish you." Vivi quietly spoke, often squeezing Gi's hand as she got so sentimental about what she talked about, but didn't dare try to stop any emotions from showing. Not the tears that fell from being so vulnerable and open, not the shivers that started when she let herself finally process everything- nothing. Gi just stood at her side, her eyes huge and also a bit watery, but she soon let out a little weak laugh anyways.

"I was so scared you were about to propose-"

"Oh goodness, pfft- no Gi, no I would've started sobbing-"

"I would've said yes."

"I need to find a ring then." Vivi stated with the most intensely genuine tone one could ever imagine coming from her, making Gi burst out laughing as she leaned in close to her future wife.

"I don't need a perfect ring." Gi reminded her softly, making Vivi look at her, then shake her head as the two soon started their journey back home together again.

"You do... You need the perfect ring because you're the perfect toon for me. I love you too much for mediocrity."

"Pfft, alright. Oh and Viv..?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Could... We do something before we go to bed?" Gi asked softly, getting just a simple nod from Vivi. She knew that if it was anything, it would be very simple and easy to end off the day with. Gi just nodded back, smiling as she whispered a soft thank you to her. Vivi just giggled and whispered a "no problem" in reply, the two soon going right back to their silent walk home afterwards. Though now, they were even closer together than they used to be, Gi's head resting against Vivi's arm as they walked in unison.

They didn't even say hi to anyone when they got home, quite frankly, they were too tired to have their usual small talk whenever they'd get home from their usual adventures, even if Shelly and Vee were surprisingly there too. Well- not as surprising when Vivi noticed the completely unconscious Shanon on the couch, snoring into a pillow as Sam just stroked her hair gently, like this was just a normal Tuesday.

Because it was just a normal day for them, just not Tuesday. It's Saturday when I post this. Kudos to you if you read this on a Tuesday.

The two just silently went to their room, Gi turning on the lights when Vivi opened the door, the two being quite surprised by what they had walked into though. Gigi was fast asleep on their bed, Gi's pillow tight in her arms and tucked slightly under her head, her body covered up by Vivi's blanket, a plush of Vee was resting on her side as well. Her ichor hand was resting on a plush of Shelly they swore they didn't have, and she honestly just looked as snug as could be. Gi looked at her mom, then at her girlfriend, then back at her mom.

"Uhm... Wanna... Do that thing tomorrow instead?"

"I don't even know what you were planning, Gi."

"Oh... Right... I'll tell you tomorrow then, let mama sleep." Gi whispered back as she slowly left Vivi's side, just getting a simple nod from Vivi as she set down the bag of gifts for Gi down beside the bed and stretched. The two just silently got ready for bed together, wearing matching pajama sets just because they could and never once batting an eye to any sounds Gigi made in her sleep behind them. They were used to this, used to getting ready for bed while their mom got her sleep behind them, though they both were definitely questioning where the two plushies came from since they didn't ever take any from the gift shop for her whenever they'd go down there to visit their other friends.

That didn't matter too much though.

The two simply left Gigi to sleep on their bed, turning the lights back off for her and closing the door gently behind themselves, and soon just joined in whatever chaos awaited them in the living room.

Except it wasn't actually that chaotic... Vee was loafed on Sam's lap and fast asleep, Shelly just eating some popcorn as she sat alone in the pillow fort she made for her and Vee (who had obviously been lured away by something later), Sprout and Cosmo both were probably in their own room right now because they weren't there. Vivi just decided to silently sit on the side of Sam that Shanon wasn't on and just started gently petting her older sisters head, while Gi went and curled right up against Shelly, who just pulled her close subconsciously mid crunching on popcorn.

"Why are you guys even here..?" Gi sleepily questioned the fossil when she gained enough brainpower to do so, which made Shelly glance at her, then back at the tv.

"Mom needed a break, so I suggested she come over here and let Sam take care of things for her today. I would've stayed home with Vee but she insisted we join mom, so we ended up here too. I just turned on some dinosaur documentaries because I got bored and Sam didn't mind..." Shelly casually explained as she rubbed Gi's arm, getting a slow nod from the gachapon as she closed her eyes and let out a massive yawn.

"Hey Shells?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you teach me how to get married in the oat milk aisle sometime..?" Gi murmured, making the fossil blink. Shelly just turned back to the gachapon and stared at her funny, though Gi was already fast asleep on her shoulder, having absolutely no idea that she just asked that. So Shelly just let herself laugh a little at such a question as she shook her head, letting Gi sleep against her as much as she wanted.

"Sleep well Gi, and please don't ever actually get married in the oat milk aisle, goodness." She murmured with a little laugh, though she soon quieted back down and just silently went right back to watching whatever she found interesting on the TV that night.

Even though she did absolutely keep randomly giggling at such a question... She didn't know how iconic their running joke was, and probably never will.

It was just another autumn day, another day of being the celebrities assistant and...

Waiting outside in a yellow raincoat, matching rainboots and staring at her boss as she trembled like she was being asked to step into a ring of fire instead of just the calming rain falling from the sky around them. Gi just stared at her, unmoving, not believing that this was the same snappy, sarcastic and kind of full of herself idol that she had been hired to assist. This was a trembling mess of a woman, hiding her face and tucking her tail between her legs, looking like she was about to get murdered instead of just... Slightly wet.

This was honestly kind of pathetic.

"Miss Vivi, I understand that you're a robot, but-"

"Vee fries in water. I can't fry. I have a tour next week! I have meet and greets! I have social media to worry about!"

"I worry about the socials now, Miss Vivi. You can't let the numbers get to you, you have to understand that they're not controllable. They don't mean as much as real fans do, real people who show you how to love and how to get through the day, how to feel better when everything feels like it's... Just not okay. Like you did for me... And I want to do it for you too." Gi softly replied, soon looking down at herself, then pulling out a green umbrella and opening it, just to offer it to the trembling robot who was huddled near the door in her sneakers, jeans and hoodie. It wasn't the best outfit for a casual stroll to the cafe in the rain but... It was the best attempt at looking casual the robot had done by herself so far. Vivi just looked at the umbrella, then looked at Gi, who just smiled warmly.

"We can play this game all day, Miss Vivi. I don't mind."

"Why..?"

"Because." Gi shrugged, thinking for a moment before smiling again. "You deserve to understand that it's okay to face your fears and not be okay... Just like anyone else. I know I'm just your dumb little celebrity-"

"You are not fucking dumb." Vivi hissed as she slightly move out of hiding, glaring at her assistant like she just committed a war crime. Or unfollowed her on social media, that was just like a war crime to the idol though. "You're just naive, thinking you can just- be my friend! You're my assistant, my coworker, nothing else!"

"Still in denial huh?" Gi teased with a huge grin, then looked innocent when she noticed the growing blush on the other's face. "I mean, co workers don't fall asleep cuddling each other, I don't think."

"I AM NOT A LESBIAN!"

"Me neither, I'm bi."

"I'M NOT GAY IN ANY SORT OF WAY!"

"De Nile is a river, boss." Gi teasingly pointed out, smiling even wider. "Aren't you scared of water?"

Vivi paused at that, then stomped over and simply went to shove the gachapon out into the rain, but Gi quickly backed up in time. Vivi, having accidentally walked off said porch in pursuit of the one who was pissing her off, was now standing in the rain, slightly off her front porch, staring at the other like the world just exploded. Gi just watched her closely for any reactions, then slowly offered the umbrella, which Vivi quickly took and hid under.

"You had a reason..."

"Mhm, you don't think when you're angry." Gi pointed out, giggling afterwards. Vivi couldn't even be mad anymore as she just adjusted the umbrella to be more comfortable for her to hold before she looked up at the sky, taking a moment to watch as the rain fell around them.

"You're too observant for your own good, Gi." Vivi softly spoke after a long pause, getting a little laugh from the toon standing beside her before they leaned against her. Vivi just put her arm around her, letting out a soft sigh as she felt her face heat up again. That dumb gachapon really just knew how to win people over after pissing them off... Vivi glared at her slightly. Gi just looked up at her with those same, big mismatched eyes and little innocent smile she always had, which made the pop star turn away again. If she kept looking she'd know she'd be teased relentlessly for it... Even if she secretly adored the chaotically playful teasing and loved hearing her little snort laughs every time she went along with whatever that chaos gremlin had in store for her.

"... Right... Let's just get the damn coffee already..." Vivi softly spoke up before she let go of the other and casually started strolling down her long driveway, avoiding looking over at the other as she knew she was being as adorable as possible right now. She memorized the sounds of her skipping so she didn't have to witness it and get that same annoying feeling in her chest... Even if the robot found it comforting at times.

"Right, so, I was actually going to ask if you wanted me to schedule anything for you today or if today's just your getting ready for the tour next week day. I could look at some last minute openings for you, maybe we could host a spontaneous meet and greet at one of the local libraries or something fun!" Gi suggested as she pulled out her green work tablet, though she was stunned when the idol snatched it away from her and shook her head.

"Coffee first, idiot."

"Ah, right-"

"You need your energy, look after yourself better too. You're important to the tour, I can't have you burning yourself out the week before either. If you're insistent though, I suggest helping out at the animal shelter, it's not only great for popularity and maintaining my public image, it's pretty relaxing just walking dogs and helping them meet new people. It brings eyes to the shelter as well..."

"You like dogs?"

"...They remind me of you..." Vivi whispered, blushing as she looked up at the sky again, trying to bury her feelings as they walked side by side down the empty sidewalk, trying to stay nonchalant and casual. "They're loyal animals, never let you drift off from the right path yet never shove you too hard when you're not okay. They remind you how much you're cherished and loved even if you snap at them a bit at first, they make great companions when you're lonely and you need someone to remind you that you're heard and seen." She explained, pausing in her steps for a moment afterwards, swallowing the urge to say something else. To admit that that's exactly what her assistant did for her, to confess that she's never felt so loved and seen in her entire life by anyone else. Vivi squinted a bit at her own thoughts, though the gachapon just waited patiently at her side, just like she always did.

So patient. So caring.

She didn't deserve it.

She never deserved someone so patient... Or anything so patient for that matter.

"I don't deserve a dog."

"Miss Vivi, I don't think that's true, I think you'd be a great dog owner."

"I don't deserve you." Vivi blurted out quietly, looking off into the nearby field of grass and freshly trimmed bushes, staring the sign that signalled they were leaving the neighborhood she lived in. Gi just stared up at the celebrity in complete shock and confusion, wondering what she could have possibly meant by that, wondering if she was being way too kind for the idol to believe she was being genuine and doing her best to just - help.

She didn't know the struggle the idol was going through right now, the struggle of finally accepting that she wasn't straight, that she genuinely was falling in love with someone she never would've expected to cherish so much.

Vivi just shrugged after a long pause, giving her assistant her work tablet back before she looked back at the sidewalk, gently nudging the other before she started walking again. Gi just walked beside her, keeping her pace, keeping her focus on the very conflicted looking robot pop star as they walked together.

"Miss Vivi..?"

"... I lied when I said you weren't my friend, I'm sorry... I don't know how to accept close bonds... I never really had any as a kid... I was just that strange robot girl in the back of the class in school... I'm sorry I lie to you a lot, I'm just... Not sure how to accept... This. Us. You." Vivi softly explained as they walked together, shrugging as she pulled up the hood to her hoodie and adjusted her umbrella. "You're too good for me... You should really reconsider..."

"Reconsider living the best life ever? Pfft, you're joking, right?"

"..."

"Right..?"

"I'm not the perfect celebrity everyone thinks I am, Gi. I don't think this is the best life..."

"Well, I don't need perfect, perfect is boring. I think it's fun having some bad days, because they make the good ones even better. I don't care how long it takes for you to adjust, I'm a patient girl, soooo- I'm not leaving unless you fire me yourself, as I said on my first day, on the follow up call you made." Gi replied sweetly, grabbing the idol's hand gently with a warm smile and that same look of love and genuine care in her eyes that Vivi had seen every single day since she was hired. The robot stared at her for a good minute, then weakly smiled as she gripped her hand right back, a giggle soon forcing itself out of her from how genuinely happy she felt holding her hand in the rain on the sidewalk on just another random day as they walked to get coffee.

Vivi honestly had never felt more loved and happy in her entire life, and she was really hoping it wasn't showing as her natural smiles were extremely awkward looking and she knew it all too well.

"Then you're fired, get outta here." Vivi teased sweetly, elbowing the gachapon softly with a wink and one of her extremely awkward smiles. Gi immediately burst into a fit of those adorable snort giggles Vivi had grown to adore, the gachapon covering her mouth with a sleeve covered hand as she tried to keep her laughter down as they approached the little cafe the pop star had always gone to every morning to get her coffee.

"Awh fuck not again!"

"I'll give you your last paycheck directly this time, right over your stupid eyes so you see it this time instead of stepping on it."

"You're such a meanie!! I might just quit anyways!!" Gi retorted before she burst out laughing, getting the idol beside her to also burst out laughing at their dumb, nonsensical inside joke of the fake firings that never even happened before. They both just made it up on the spot, both just going along with it and bullshitting it together. They were hysterical, even though the events they were joking about never even happened.

The barista inside just stared at them with her huge brown eyes and sighed, shaking her head as she just started making their usual coffees, used to seeing them every single morning and knowing exactly what they wanted because of it.

They were two doofuses in love and not even aware of it, just laughing together in front of a coffee shop they were planning to walk into but haven't even noticed they were there yet. Vivi honestly even forgot it was raining... All she could think about was her dumbass little assistant who was laughing right beside her, who had stolen her heart and changed her life for the better.

Vivi was curled up at the window, watching outside, waiting. She had stolen Sprout's usual spot without even knowing it, she was just... Impatient? Excited? She didn't understand what she was feeling. Her antennae twitched without her wanting them to, a finger slipping down her leg slightly involuntarily too. Her screen felt warm— but not a bad warm, not overheating warm, just- warm. Something was different about her now, something changed when she went against her programming and pulled that gachapon close. When they first accidentally kissed, when they both accidentally looked into each other's eyes and saw the same wonder and curiosity for the world reflected in the other's.

Vivi swallowed hard, an overheating warning popped up. She ignored it with a slow blink.

She was different now.

She wasn't just a performer now, she wasn't just a replacement for someone genuinely liked, she was different. She was someone someone else looked forward to seeing now, someone who could smile without having to practice it in the mirror until they got it just right, someone who didn't have to fear getting in trouble if they stepped away from normality- who didn't have to fear being curious- who didn't get false praise and fake smiles for being someone she wasn't anymore.

It felt... Weird.

Vivi turned and looked at the others in the room with her, who were silently playing a card game. Well, until Cosmo won said game and smiled shyly.

"Awh shucks, looks like I lost my streak eh?" Sam teased, making Cosmo smile just a little wider.

"It was really close though, Sam, you would've won if I wasn't lucky that time." Cosmo replied, getting pats on the head from the human in return.

"Lucky you are indeed, buddy. You're so cute, so lucky. You should be proud of yourself." Sam told him, the two soon giggling as they shared a hug, obviously happy to be bonding with each other again. Vivi blinked, head tilting. She wanted to do that with Gi again... That... Hugging, right?

"Sam... That is referred to as a hug, correct?" Vivi asked without even wanting to, she just- did. Sam looked at her in shock, obviously surprised by the robot's lack of knowledge about hugs.

"Yeah, yeah this is a hug, you doing okay girl?" Sam asked, getting a simple nod from Vivi as she got up and started walking out of the room. To where? She didn't even know.

"I am fine." She replied, automated. She wasn't fine. She didn't know what she was, she was different and she didn't know how okay that was. She walked into the kitchen and looked at the bowl of fruit in the middle of the island, not even understanding why. Why did she go there? Why did she want something? What did she even want? No clue. She just went over and stole an orange, then walked out with it in both hands, holding it like it was some kind of artifact. She went back to the living room and sat down in the same spot, now just staring at the fruit in her hands.

"This is an orange."

"Yeah, that's definitely an orange, Viv. Are you sure you're okay-?"

"I am fine."

Vivi didn't even look at the human who had talked to her, despite her programming screaming at her to. To make eye contact with whoever she was talking to despite it always feeling weird in a bad way, to nod slowly and pretend she was paying attention even when she wasn't- to be polite, they'd say. To be perfect, to be sweet and caring yet bold and brave.

She didn't want to be brave anymore.

She didn't want to pretend she had confidence higher than the sky, to pretend she had an ego larger than the galaxy anymore, to pretend. She didn't want to pretend. She gripped the orange slightly, blinking at it.

"I am not fine."

Vivi didn't believe she could even say such a thing.

"I am not fine, I want... I want... I don't know."

She honestly felt like she didn't know anything anymore.

She just stared at the orange, not even realizing the front door had opened, not until a familiar blue hand put itself over it. Vivi burst into giggles, as if a hilarious joke was just told despite nothing being said.

"Guess who's home?"

"I'm glad you have returned."

"I'm happy to be back too, Starshine. Why do you have an orange though, silly?" Gi asked happily as they plopped down beside Vivi, lazily popping their head down against her shoulder. Vivi looked at them, then at the orange, a fake smile forming on her screen. Her showman smile. She hated it. It didn't feel right.

"It is... A pleasant orb to hold."

"Better than my hands?"

"Nothing is better than your hands." Vivi blurted out, surprising herself once again. Gi looked surprised too, usually Vivi was able to control herself, but right now, she couldn't. Her smile felt less awkward, her screen buzzed with an excited warmth, something in her chest felt heavy. Vivi shook a little as she looked back at Gi, her antennae twitching involuntarily again. She didn't care, she... Couldn't make herself care.

"I feel better."

"You weren't feeling okay earlier, Viv? I wouldn't have left if I knew-" Gi quickly said, but soon was gently cut off with a kiss from Vivi. The first genuine kiss, the first time she meant to do it completely. Gi was surprised, but not against it, never against it. Melting into the affection quietly, snuggling closer to Vivi, desperate for more gentle care. Vivi had no idea what she was doing at this point, nor did Gi honestly, but it felt— right. Normal. Okay. Vivi smiled as she stayed so close, a genuine smile, an awkwardly huge unhinged looking grin.

"I feel better with you." Vivi stated, louder than she wanted to be, but she didn't care. She couldn't care, she was so- warm. What she assumed was happy, what she thought being a sunshine would feel like- but better. She was thriving, different, but actually okay with it.

"I feel so much better with you. I feel like- me. Like... Like... The real Me!" Vivi attempted to explain, but Gi already understood. They knew exactly what Vivi was feeling, they felt the same way, but they knew it wasn't just her feeling like herself- they were feeling the same way the others did. The way Vee did whenever Shelly would come back from a shopping trip with Shanon, the way Cosmo did whenever Sprout came home from making sure his best friends were okay.

Excited love.

They were both excited to see each other and in love with each other.

"I'm happy for you, Starshine. I feel the same way with you. I feel better around you too." Gi quietly replied, smiling like they had won the lottery again, their hand now tightly gripping Vivi's. Vivi gripped it back as tight, orange now plopped on Gi's lap- forgotten. They were snuggling, one arm around the other, hands held between them, faces near each other. Vivi soon was laughing like someone had told a joke, laughing a real laugh for the first time - loud, but soft, gentle and sweet. It was just like her.

"Gi- Gi why am I laughing?"

"You're happy, it's okay."

"I'm more than happy!" Vivi cheered louder than she thought she could ever speak, she was finding out a lot about herself that day. A lot about the real Vivi. The Vivi everyone wanted - the genuine Vivi. Gi just smiled even more at it, especially when Vivi's tail wagged. Vivi had no idea it could do that, nor did she really care about it.

"I think I love you..." Gi admitted quietly in awe, watching the other closely for her reaction. Vivi looked back at them with wide, curious eyes, her laughs quieted now- but her smile was still there. Her tail still wagged, her face still felt comfortably warm, her chest still felt comfortably heavy. Vivi felt great in so many different ways she could never explain, moving closer to the other silently as she processed what she was just told. She... She was loved... For being herself...

"Thank you. Be my girlfriend." Vivi demanded, despite having no idea what she was even wanting. Having no idea what a girlfriend really was, having barely any clue who she even was herself. However- Gi, being in a similar situation, just laughed and nodded.

"I am your girlfriend." Gi stated, soon laughing even more out of pure joy. Vivi soon was also laughing, having absolutely no idea why they were, but it just felt right.

"You're my girlfriend!! I'm your girlfriend!!" Vivi proclaimed loudly, nearly yelling. Gi just nodded even more, laughing hysterically now.

Sprout looked at the two in his spot, then looked at Sam and Cosmo, who were looking incredibly amused by the two being the most chaotic disasters on the couch. Sprout then looked at the two again, casually stole the orange off Gi's lap, then sat down beside Cosmo on the floor. He just gave him cards so he could join in, none of them saying anything. They did this every afternoon, the card game at least, the lesbians being confused but excited together was a new addition. They all were extremely happy to have them though.

"So when do you think they'd do something silly like marry each other in the oat milk aisle every Wednesday?" Sprout casually asked once the lesbians had fallen asleep on the couch together, placing the last of his uno cards down and silently winning the second game in a row. Sam huffed, putting their cards on the pile, then clapping once for the second win. Cosmo just finished off the cupcake he was eating, pleased with himself.

"I'd give it a week, young love always makes you do stupidly funny things. I remember when you'd put sprinkles in Cosmo's hair and call him the cake god every Sunday." Sam stated, smiling at the warm memory. Cosmo just snorted back a laugh, while Sprout blushed darkly and avoided their gazes.

"Well he is still a cake and as beautiful as a god, so I'd say I was valid in my choices." Sprout grumbled, making Cosmo laugh even more. Sam just shook their head, patting the berry on his head gently.

"Didn't say you weren't, just said it was adorably stupid."

"Would you be mad if I started doing that again..?"

"Sprout I'd never be mad at you, have fun with your boyfriend whenever you want, I genuinely don't give a crap."

Sprout just nodded at that, gently dealing out the cards he had shuffled during their chat, looking over at the sleeping chaotic lesbians on the couch afterwards. He just smiled at the two before turning back to the game, obviously just glad they were okay. That everyone he saw as family was okay, safe and sound in their homes, taking it easy and having good lives. Cosmo smiled at the sight of the usually tense berry finally letting himself ease up.

"Last game for me boys, I gotta make a large amount of cupcakes tomorrow for a customer." Sam stated quietly, making the two nod in understanding and agreement.

"We'll help you, don't worry." Sprout casually stated, making Cosmo nod in agreement. Sam just chuckled, smiling a bit more at that.

"Thanks boys, I appreciate it. For now though, let's not think about that."

"Yeah, you gotta focus or Sprout will beat you again." Cosmo pointed out, getting a giggle from Sam.

"Right, we can't let him win a fourth time now can we?"

"You two are so mean!"

"I know I am, but you know I love you both either way." Sam stated with a wink, making the two go right back to giggling.

They were right, the two toons knew Sam did love them dearly, and the teasing was just one of their ways to show them that they did so. They played their game and laughed for a little longer, then they went to bed, though before Sprout left- he looked at the two on the couch. He smiled at the two lazily curled up against each other, gripping the other's shirt, being chaotic even in their sleep. He just draped the fuzzy green blanket he usually used over them, put pillows under their heads, then gave them both a kiss on the forehead goodnight. Gi woke up slightly and looked at him, face half buried in Vivi's dress, looking as peaceful as could be.

"Goodnight big bro..."

The day was cool, the autumn breeze was gentle and carried the smells of pumpkin spice and fallen leaves, the trees were now all oranges and reds and the world was calm and at ease. The Halloween decorations were down, the music had long since ended, the haunting reminders of the one main who truly understood her at first now were gone...

And Vivi was not coping with it whatsoever.

She was sat in the middle of the yard, trembling in the middle of the leaf pile, her breathing shaky as she stared down at the jack-o-lantern themed sweater she wore and the matching green and orange striped scarf Sprout found in his closet and immediately gave to her, no questions asked. She stared at her shaking hands as she mentally questioned why.

Why wasn't he there?

Why couldn't she see him?

Why did Gi tell her that seeing him was a bad idea?

Why didn't he show up for Halloween?

Why..?

Why was the only one who gave her a chance, no questions asked, forced away from her?

Why couldn't she stop herself from thinking about him so often, why was she so worried about him?

Why did it feel wrong to celebrate Halloween without him?

She choked on a sob as she slowly stood up, and soon, without even telling anyone, she ran. Ran off to the one place she swore she never go back to alone, off to the one place she went to that never made her feel welcomed or loved, to the one place she never even wanted to return to but did anyways because she wanted to keep her girlfriend safe.

She was running back to Gardenview, head down, sobbing, not even wearing shoes as she was just going to sit outside in the grass in her pumpkin themed outfit and enjoy the autumn air. Though now? Now she had a mission, she had to find peace and comfort and answers. So... Many... Answers.

She broke in the same way Shanon did months ago, hacking the same system Vee did just to let herself in, knowing exactly how to get to who she needed to talk to this way. She went down the same hallway Shanon did, not even blinking at any of the old signs of the golden days as she walked, keeping her head down, her mind focused, her body shaking. She went down the same elevator, walking through the same employee only doors, walking right past the same toon rooms she once would pop into often and say warm good mornings to the other mains on her floor. She kicked open the doors to the lobby before she took a deep breath, then wiped her face clean of tears and emotions before she finally looked up. Dyle was at his spot.

Perfect.

She walked over to him silently, stared up at him for a good minute, then slammed her hand on the counter for his attention. He jumped out of his half awake state with a jolt, then blinked a few times at the robot before smiling a small, sleepy smile as he posed like he was expecting a photo to be taken. Vivi couldn't help but sadly smile at it, Dyle's humor never failed to make her feel a little better even on her worst days. Especially since they both understood each other far better than any other toons...

"You know, I'm not even going to try to be formal, Ver-"

"Vivi now, I'm Vivi."

"OH??? Vivi is so cute for you, so fitting, you MUST have such an elegant name with it. Vivian would suit you quite nicely, you little pretty princess of a robot." Dyle sweetly replied, gently patting the other on the head as he talked, obviously just yapping from the pure joy he felt from seeing her again after so long. Vivi just burst out laughing at the idea of her having such an elegant name, though she knew she didn't have an argument for it. Especially not in the outfit she was in right now- she honestly looked like she was going to go to a fall fair and hang out with her best friends honestly. Especially with the pumpkin toppers on the end of her antenna, the pumpkin themed leggings she wore under her orange knee length skirt-

Yeah... Definitely giving Fall Princess.

"Yeah, but I prefer Vivi, it's short and easy for kids to pronounce."

"I see I see, yeah I might go back up there for a day or two honestly, take a break from getting supplies for clones. Wait a minute why are you even here darling? And don't you tell me it was because of me, you know you can see me in the park every weekend." Dyle pointed out gently, poking where Vivi's nose should be afterwards, teasing her gently without saying a thing. Vivi giggled at it, being quite thankful he did that as she would've honestly broke down crying if he didn't do anything silly to keep herself together right now.

"Oh uh, I wanted to request a favor, actually-"

"Halloween Floor?" He piped up, making Vivi immediately tense as she nodded slowly. Dyle just nodded once, flicked a switch, then smiled wide.

"Anything for you and Gi, okay? There's no need for tears..."

"I just miss him..."

"I bet... Come on then, I'll use the main train to take you, you can even sit with me in the front."

"I'd like that... Thank you..."

Dyle just nodded once before he adjusted the other trains through his levers, then he turned and vanished behind the wall in the back of his work area. He soon popped out again through the nearby employees only door, which he closed and locked behind himself before he happily walked over to Vivi's side and offered his free hand, the other holding up the chain attached to his head. Vivi just took it silently, taking a deep breath as she gripped it tight.

"He's okay, right..?" She asked quietly, getting a shrug from the clock who stood beside her right now.

"I have no idea, I don't leave the lobby too often now, not since Gi helped me realize what I was actually doing as a twisted myself. By just... Existing... Tiredly... Funny how that happened."

"I remember her mentioning that... And that fight with Dandy... Rough."

"Yeah, he sent his dog after her too, that's why I snuck her on the train the next day. I couldn't get that look on her face out of my head for weeks... Train's here." Dyle stated, pointing at the empty train station they were standing at now, which they had walked to together mid conversation. Vivi looked over just as the train slowly emerged from the tunnels and came to a stop, the automatic doors soon swinging open as a chime played to inform anyone waiting for the train that it had arrived.

"Train magician."

"Oh, no I just memorized the train schedules and it was precisely the time the train should've arrived. After you, my lovely yuri fan." Dyle stated, motioning for her to get onto the train. Vivi just laughed as she carefully climbed onto the train cart, and watched as he followed her closely, the duo soon going through the cars just to get to the control room together, Dyle now taking the lead since he knew the trains better than genuinely anyone else - for good reason. He was the one who always managed them, the one who did maintenance, the one who did basically anything with them now. He loved his trains, and it definitely showed with how nicely kept and well polished every single thing on those train cars were. Vivi just silently admired it though as she followed Dyle closely, though that changed the second they were in control of the train.

Specifically, the second she found out she could easily reach the train's horn.

"May I?"

"Oh, yea, absolutely go ahead."

"I didn't even point to it-"

"No, everyone loves the train horn though, just remember it's really loud." Dyle pointed out with an excited smile as he messed with his train whistle, near bouncing from joy in his spot from the pure excitement of sharing his train driving experience with another toon. Vivi just nodded once and grabbed the handle to the horn and pulled it down, the two immediately laughing at the loud and hilariously cartoony sounding horn sound that came out of it. It sounded like your stereotypical children's show train horn... It definitely was not meant to be used for its true purpose.

"Oh my god, not even the trains have normal sounds do they?!"

"Haha, nope! It's hilarious isn't it!"

"Very!"

The two laughed even more together as they drove the train to the Halloween themed floor, though when they arrived, Vivi went silent. It was as dark and scary looking as she remembered it to be, the haunted music still played, the same decor was up from years ago. Vivi shook as she covered her mouth with a hand, staring out the side window as the train slowly pulled to a stop.

"D-Dyle..."

"Take as long as you need, I put the permanent breaks on so we can stay here as long as you want."

"Stay close to me please..."

"Yes ma'am." He replied quietly, putting his arm around Vivi and pulling her close, letting her regain her composure for as long as she needed. Which was five minutes, not long but he would've happily stayed for longer if he was needed. So after Vivi was back to being willing to actually leave the train, the duo did so, Dyle soon gently handing Vivi a flashlight before pulling out his own.

"Keep it close, sometimes the lights flicker on other floors, and I don't want anyone getting hurt because they can't see."

"Dyle... I emit light, from my screen." Vivi pointed out gently, making the clock pause and look at her, then sigh at his own dumbass realization.

"You know, I probably should've realized that sooner."

"It's alright, you were just trying to look out for..." Vivi trailed off as she slowly looked around Dyle, staring off towards the mansion. Dyle seemed to notice as he turned and looked at where she was looking, just as a leaf vanished behind the wall, whoever it belonging to now was deep in the mansion. Whoever it was also had Vivi's full attention now, as she nudged him softly as she started walking away.

"That was him... I just know it..."

"Are you sure-?"

"Absolutely sure." She replied quietly as she rushed off, soon full on running towards the mansion despite it not even being that far away. Dyle took his time following her, mostly because he was terrified of his chain making too loud of a clanking noise and startling the poor kid, who didn't exactly know him at all considering they were both forced to stay in two different areas for the entire time Gardenview was open. That and Vivi was fast, very fast, running like her life depended on it around the haunted house. Running until she ran into one of them... And not the one she was exactly looking for. She had ran nearly face first into Eclipse, who was definitely very much a twisted and immediately was looking at her like she was her next meal.

Which, obviously, scared the hell out of Vivi as she immediately started screaming as she ran away, well- tried to. She wasn't really knowledgeable in the layout of the house so she kinda accidentally... Cornered herself. Eclipse didn't give up, she just kept chasing her the entire time, and seemed quite pleased when Vivi cornered herself like that, as she just kept approaching as she drooled ichor and growled at her. Taunting her as she approached her prey, watching as Vivi shut down (not literally) and froze up, staring back at the wolf twisted with tears streaming down her screen and her body shaking hard, obviously desperately begging her body to move while it wouldn't. She couldn't move. She couldn't get away. She just hid her face with her hands and sobbed, doing the only thing she knew she could do - just wait for the inevitable.

But it didn't come.

Instead Eclipse was heard running away and whimpering as another twisted growled instead, obviously protecting her. Vivi slowly looked up at the new presence and was stunned by who she saw...

It was Gourdy, now twisted, using his elongated black body to protect her from the wolf that just tried to murder her. He had the upper half of his body hunched over, his hands on the floor, eyes focused on the twisted that had ran away until he turned and looked at her with the same, overly huge and adorable eyes she remembered from years ago, even if they were now bright red instead of the white she remembered them being.

"Gourdy..?"

"Miss Vee..?"

"You remember me..?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're like, the coolest- but... You shouldn't be here..." The twisted softly replied, but he didn't move, as Vivi was now gently holding his face in her hands and wiping away the ichor filled tears from his red eyes, the robot looking concerned as she did so. Gourdy looked concerned as well, though he was concerned for her safety, not his own.

"I know... I broke in to see you again... I missed my baby brother so much..." Vivi whispered as she leaned over and gave his forehead a kiss, getting a confused sounding squeak from the twisted - who genuinely thought she'd be terrified of him, and not in the fun Halloween way. She instead was tending to him like he never changed, like nothing ever changed, like they were still the two oddly adorable pair of best friends they were years ago.

Like everything was okay, even though it wasn't.

"Why aren't you scared of me..?"

"Nothing could make me scared of you, Mr. Holloway."

"Not even a silly scare..?"

"Okay fine, you can scare me sometimes, but- this, this isn't scaring me away, nothing will make me leave you forever. You're my baby brother, we shared so much together, you... You made me love Halloween, and... It's honestly my favorite holiday because of you. I thought about you as I carved every pumpkin, I tried picking out some decorations and a pumpkin for you too, even though you weren't there. I even... I made another star for you, and I put it on a bracelet, because I remembered you... You wanted... One so bad..." Vivi explained as she slowly started to cry again, though it was no longer out of heartbreak and desperation to see him again. This was pure joy of finally being able to not only see Gourdy, but touch him again, hold him close and tell him everything, reassure him that she never forgot about him, that she was always there for him now. Gourdy was confused and terrified of accidentally hurting her in this new form, but instead of showing that to the one who was shaking and trying her hardest not to break down - he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, putting his head on her shoulder like he always did when she used to pick him up and carry him around to show him everything she found interesting on the floor. She just hugged back tightly, still acting like nothing changed.

Like eleven years didn't pass by and he wasn't a twisted.

Like everything was normal.

"Where did you even go..?"

"Well... Uh... Funny story-"

"They locked you away too, didn't they Miss Vee?" Gourdy softly asked, making Vivi tense up tight and glance at his face.

"How did-"

"I was locked away... I broke the wall... I was bad..."

"No, no honey you were just trying to live, you must've been so scared. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you..." Vivi whispered softly, giving Gourdy yet another kiss on the top of his head. The pumpkin just snuggled a little closer, desperate for his big sister's attention, while Dyle slowly came over - his clock markings now covered in glow in the dark pumpkin stickers. The hands on his clock had bat stickers - also glow in the dark.

Elegant. Very elegant.

"Hey Vivi I found st- oh I am so sorry I won't interrupt."

"No you're fine Dyle, we're just catching up on-" She paused when she noticed his face, then snorted as she covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. Gourdy, now suspicious yet curious, slowly lifted up his head and upper body, letting go of Vivi just to look down at Dyle at his full height. Well - kind of, his little stubby legs were all still folded under him so he was laying, but he still was quite tall despite that. Dyle just waved an smiled, knowing all too well that Gourdy was just a kid, and one that probably wouldn't hurt him - unlike Toodles who acted like she had rabies.

"Greetings, I'm Dyle Timesly, the train master. Pleasure meeting you, Mister Holloway."

"You look silly!" Gourdy pointed out excitedly, making Dyle laugh as he nodded, while Vivi finally also burst out laughing herself at the sight.

"He looks quite goofy, doesn't he?"

"Very goofy, he's so silly!"

"Yes yes, I am just a silly guy, I am not a threat, please do not eat me I am just silly." Dyle reassured nervously, though he soon was proven that he had nothing to worry about as he was pulled into a tight hug from the very excited twisted, who just seemed to want to be in the company of others again. Dyle soon was hugging him back, while Vivi soon was sitting down on the floor, head in her hands, exhausted.

"My head is spinning..."

"You've been extremely emotional, my dear friend. Maybe we should all just take a rest, maybe we can share stories and just, not think about everything for a good minute." Dyle suggested, getting a happy gasp from Gourdy as his now massive leafy tail wagged.

"Or I can show you around again, big sis! I'm really strong, I think I can carry you now!" Gourdy excitedly mentioned, getting Vivi's attention as she looked over the now twisted fully for the first time. Sure he looked normal from the top, but after that... He looked honestly just like one really big black caterpillar, with six stubby little legs and a very long leafy tail behind them. It went from dark green to the green she remembered him being, leaves growing everywhere from it, though it was definitely obvious he was still very much a pumpkin. She soon looked closer at his ichor-like body, realizing that it wasn't actually fully black - it was very dark orange, his feet and legs still being green- just extremely dark now. He was still a pumpkin... He was just - an ichor stained one. She slowly managed to get back on her feet and shuffled over to where his original body connected to his new one, then slowly wrapped her arms around him as she slowly sat down on his back, swinging one leg over him like he was a horse. Gourdy stayed extremely still, even though his tail was still very much wagging, he was still and quiet as she hugged him and leaned against him.

"Onwards, brother!"

"What about Mister Timesly?"

"Oh I'm fine I don't need to be carried, I'm more of the uh, emotional support bestie here-"

"Nah, nah get on Dyle we're going on a trip." Vivi stated with an exhausted smile, getting a sigh from him as he soon joined her on the excited Twisteds back, hugging her tight for comfort and support.

"Fine... Just for you..."

"Onwards, brother!" Vivi loudly repeated now that the two were on together, and Gourdy just got onto his stubby little caterpillar like feet, nodded once, and soon was off. He was fast, but he was careful with them, careful not to bounce too much as he ran around and pointed out every little decoration in the haunted house with his same, little toony hands and a massive smile on his face. Vivi listened extremely intently, like he was putting on a show just for her and her alone, while Dyle was genuinely curious as he looked around for most of the ride. The trio went in several laps around the map together, Gourdy always happily blabbing about something neat that he found on the floor, Vivi always listening. The other Halloween toons seemed to avoid them like the plague now that the trio were together so closely, which Dyle definitely took mental note of while Vivi was so lost in the wonder of hearing her brother's voice again she completely forgot about the other Halloween twisteds that probably would've killed her if she wasn't careful nor clinging to the main like a lifeline. Gourdy knew his place, he knew he was the main, so he just showed them around like nothing ever changed.

Because to him and Vivi, nothing really hasn't.

They were still close, they were still the same odd brother-sister duo that the guests always loved to see that one year they were together, the two acting just like they did all those years ago. Laughing at dumb jokes Vivi made together, Gourdy happily showing the two the crafts he's made through the years he didn't have her like he always did when she would visit again after a week of not visiting him. The two eventually even made stars together again after the tour was over as he had managed to convince the staff to get him the supplies to do so the year after Vivi first met him, the two looking extremely at peace as they did so. Dyle often just hung out nearby, keeping watch for the two even though nothing could hurt them there, well- nothing as long as Gi didn't find out they were there.

He sure hoped she didn't find them there.

He sighed as he leaned against the doorway, looking out at the other Halloween twisteds with a raised eyebrow and a look of pure indifference as he watched Eclipse chase Ribecca around while Soulvester just... Hovered around an already completed machine. They were a bunch of idiots... He turned back to the two making crafts and smiled a little at them. At the huge smile on Vivi's face, the snort laughs that came out of Gourdy whenever she'd climb onto his back just to ruffle the overgrown pile of leaves he had as hair now on his head and call him a good little brother. He watched them exchange beads and stars, watched as Vivi made several bracelets just for her baby brother - watched as Gourdy looked genuinely happy and loved for the first time in years. Dyle soon turned back to the twisteds, shooting Soulvester a glare of death as he bared his fangs, which were there from being a twisted himself. The ghost just floated away blissfully, raising his sword just a little in an attempted salute to what he assumed was just a fellow twisted. Dyle slowly blinked at that.

"No offense, but your floor mates are dumb." He suddenly mentioned, not even really thinking about the fact he was speaking right now. Gourdy looked over at him, then at Vivi, who just giggled a little.

"They're quite silly, aren't they?"

"The wolf is chasing around the skeleton girl, is that normal?"

"Yeah that's just Eclipse." Gourdy reassured softly, slowly getting up and going over to Dyle, just to lay back down beside him and gently steal his hand, gently forcing a rainbow beaded bracelet on his wrist before he let go.

"You'll come back, right, Mister Timesly?" The pumpkin softly asked as he slowly sank down onto the floor in a puddle of sleepy, happy kid. Vivi was quick to come over and gently step into the donut that Gourdy soon made himself be, but she just stayed silent as she started petting his head softly to help him fall asleep and take a nap. Dyle just stared at the bracelet that now was on his left wrist, his eyes huge with tears welling up in the corners of them.

He didn't even know what to say now.

He was stuck just staring at the first reminder that he had friends now, that he was seen - noticed - wanted. He was a friend now, even though he still didn't quite know what that meant.

Gourdy wanted him around...

He slowly blinked as a few tears fell.

"I... I'm sure I can... Make room in my schedule..."

"Dyle?"

"I'm fine Vivi..." He mumbled, smiling as he wiped his tears away and turned to them. "I'm just really happy."

"I'm glad, you deserve to be happy, Dyle." Vivi whispered, running her hand down the long back of the twisted that was curled around her, listening to his soft snoring as she gently tended to him like she always did when he was ready for a nap and she wasn't. She was patient and gentle, just giving her baby brother the love and attention he needed, making sure he didn't have any nightmares to worry about as he slept. Dyle just went back to watching over them, smiling softly as he did so, though he soon turned back away from them as the elevator opened. Gourdy's snores stopped immediately at the sound, and he quickly was sitting up again, and Vivi just sat there- knowing exactly what that was.

"Oh I'm so toastered."

"It's... It's toasted, Vivi."

"She's going to throw a toaster at me..." Vivi stated as she slowly hid behind Gourdy, who just put his arm out to protect her as a very concerned Gi approached the group.

"Dyle, what on earth are you- why are you just hanging out with a twisted?" Gi asked, blinking when Vivi slowly peered out from behind the twisted.

"VIV?!"

"I-I can explain-"

"You're not scared of twisteds anymore, I'm proud of you." Gi stated softly, putting her hands together as she smiled sweetly. Vivi blinked at that, obviously not expecting that kind of response to her literally running away and hiding down there without telling anyone about it. Dyle was just as shocked, his hand at his mouth, eyes huge - looking like he just got the juiciest gossip ever honestly. Gourdy just straight up looked confused, unsure if he should protect his best friends from this newcomer or not.

"So... About that... Remember when I said I was really close to an event toon..?"

"Yeah, and you like, moped for most of October, which is why I assumed it was a Halloween toon."

"...He's right here..." Vivi simply stated, pointing at Gourdy as she slowly left hiding. Gi just looked up at the pumpkin toon, then waved.

"Hi I'm Gi, Vivi's my wife, I won't hurt anyone as long as she's okay, we good with that homie?" Gi casually asked as she held out her hand, and with a simple nod, Gourdy gently took her hand and shook it like an excited kid would.

"I'm Gourdy Holloway!! It's nice to meet more of Miss... Wait... Your name isn't Vee..?" Gourdy questioned as he looked at Vivi, who just slowly shook her head.

"And you got married?!" Dyle asked in pure shock, taking this way too seriously.

"Yes, I'm Vivi now, I met Version One and she's an extremely sweet girl, and no we are not married... Yet." Vivi very softly explained, gently going and hugging Gi, who just hugged her right back and rocked the very happy robot back and forth with pure love and excitement.

"One day we will!"

"One day..." Vivi mumbled, nuzzling her face deep into Gi's jacket with a sigh, though she jolted and started giggling like crazy when Gourdy started sniffing her to make sure she really was okay. Gi soon was the same, jolting with a squeak when he sniffed her face, but immediately started giggling when she was seemingly deemed safe by the very huge twisted and got nuzzled on her forehead by him.

"I'm glad Miss Vivi has so many friends, she's so cool isn't she?"

"The coolest, did you ever hear her sing? She's really good at it!" Gi replied excitedly, getting a shake of the head from both of the toons with them while Vivi just hid her face even more. Dyle just chuckled at that, going back to staring out the door, watching Eclipse as she continued to chase Ribecca around, Soulvester now also watching him beside the door with a tilted head and a look of pure confusion in his red eyes.

"I don't know either, buddy." Dyle mumbled, watching the knight as he scratched his armored head in genuine confusion at literally everything. The group of toons bonding with Gourdy, the chase between two twisteds, even the fact that the broken elevator was turned into a train station despite that happening after the shutdown- this all was weird. Dyle honestly agreed, soon just standing beside the ghost, who just accepted it. Gi didn't even notice this was happening though, as she now was holding a very sleepy Vivi in her arms and talking to Gourdy about her, just going on and on about her favorite things about Vivi, getting all excited when he would do the exact same thing in return. They were definitely going to get along, even if Vivi was slowly getting more and more confused right now.

"Wait... Didn't you-"

"I told you to not come here because I was worried you'd be hunted down and knowing you - you'd corner yourself, sobbing and just accepting that you'd mauled by a twisted." Gi explained simply, making Vivi move away a little just to give her a look of pure guilt. Gourdy also looked away at that one, making Gi raise an eyebrow.

"You did get cornered by a twisted and you did almost accept your fate and became one, didn't you?"

"Well-"

"I... I helped her tho!!" Gourdy piped up, wagging his tail as he smiled innocently, getting a sigh and a chuckle from Gi as she patted his side.

"Thank you for saving my wife, I appreciate that. Next time Viv, tell me before you run off though, I tell you not to do some things because I care about you and I just want you to be okay." Gi softly explained, getting a slow nod from Vivi as she looked away.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, I completely understand why you did this, I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened to him."

"No, Gi, you thought I wouldn't be so okay, you had every right not to tell me." Vivi softly replied, offering a hug. The two immediately were hugging again, obviously using it as a way of accepting each other's apologies, though neither even flinched when Gourdy gently laid down around them again and joined in their hug.

They just pulled him in and rested against him, both accepting him as their little brother now, both cherishing him while they could.

"We should probably go somewhere safer soon..." Gi mumbled, getting a yawn and a sleepy nod from Vivi. Dyle, hearing this from being so close to them, peeped his head in and smiled.

"You know, there's a projector area beside the train control room on my floor, if I run the train to the storage we could easily get to that room in no time. I cleared out the twisteds so there's nothing to fear down there, unless any of you guys are scared of trains passing by. Then there is one thing to fear down there." He suggested excitedly, making the hugging trio look at him, then at each other.

Within five minutes they were all on the train, Gourdy being curled up in the middle of the front room with Vivi curled up against him in the middle of his donut shape, Gi now taking Vivi's old spot as Dyle was in his usual train steering spot.

"Well that worked out better than expected... We'll be back Soulvester." Dyle called out, getting a knightly salute from the ghost that now stood guard on the train station, silent but accepting of the crew as his friends. Somehow.

Yeah none of them understood it either. Not even Gourdy.

Dyle waved at the oddly friendly ghost before he started up the train, watching as the one who stayed behind just raised his sword up to supposively honor them as they went into battle. Except there was no battle, it was just a group of odd friends going somewhere cozy to take a nap and plan their next hangout session together.

They didn't correct him though.

Gi instead just gave an army salute as the train started off, honking the train horn as a last goodbye to the overly friendly ghost, which got both him and the gang on the train laughing hysterically.

"I will never get used to that, Dyle." Vivi sleepily spoke up, getting a snort from the clock running the train.

"Me neither." He agreed, laughing as he ran the train with ease, "I will never be used to it and I run these things every day."

"There's a lot I'll never get used to..." Gi admitted softly, staring out the side window as she smiled warmly at nothing, watching the scenery as she leaned against the wall and let herself finally relax after being so tense since she found Vivi missing in the first place. "I wouldn't change a thing though, even if I never will understand it all. I like the world... It's so pretty even if it is confusing." She continued quietly, getting nods from the three around her as they all honestly had to agree. They all would never understand how such different people could understand each other so well, how so many horrible things happened in one building yet they all still found beauty and love in the world around them. How two of them were made just to please others, how one was invisible until the closure, and how the last one was forced in a room for 80% of the year, yet all of them understood each other like they've always been friends.

There was much at Gardenview that would never make sense.

They didn't question it further as the train eventually pulled to a stop in a cold, dimly lit building with wooden floors and metal walls, the only sounds were the train and the train master shutting it all down like he's done many times before, and the soft clanking of his metal chain as he moved around to make sure everything was shut down properly for the usual maintenance checks later. Once he was certain he had everything settled, he turned to the group and watched as Gourdy carefully lifted up the now fast asleep Vivi and held her close as he slowly stood up himself, Gi rushing to the twisted's side and helping him steady himself before she helped lead him off the train. The two then stood off to the side as Dyle got off though, and immediately started following the clock man as he silently motioned for them to follow him and walked off to lead the way. He took them to the room with the projecting screen on one end of the room and the projector on a cart on the other, the middle of it - which once was covered in boxes from what Gi remembered - was now a massive pillow pile of pillows, blankets and toon plushies of all sorts. Holiday toons were included, though Dyle soon did pick up one of the Gourdy plushies and gently brush it clean with his hands as he let the twisted get himself cozy in the middle of the nest.

"Here, let Vivi take this home with her after you cuddle it, it'll smell like you and it'll help make her feel better whenever she misses you." Dyle softly suggested to Gourdy after he was comfortable and had the sleeping robot secure against him again. Gourdy didn't even blink, he just gently took it and held it tight, seeming completely on board with this idea and willing to do it since it would make his older sister happy. Gi just chuckled at it as she sat down beside Vivi, completely okay with snuggling up to a twisted that was obviously docile towards them. Dyle looked over everyone, nodded once, then rushed off to a box in the corner, smiling as he dropped his chain yet again and started rummaging through it.

"So- what episode do you guys wanna watch? I do have the one Gourdy starred in - Holloway Haunting I believe it's called. I actually have all the films down here, a lot of these rooms were used for storage and I kinda snooped a bit. Delilah can't stop me now!" Dyle excitedly informed them as he pulled out a few tapes, not even realizing the grim look on Gi's face when he mentioned Delilah or the fact that he was talking to the one who had so much rage towards someone she didn't even know that she could literally murder them. Gi soon let out a heavy sigh, then smiled.

"I'm good with anything he wants to watch."

"Oooo show them my episode!! I was sooooo scary!!" Gourdy piped up when he realized he was being asked what they should watch, making Gi look over at the pumpkin kid with a giggle and a warm, sisterly smile.

"Is that a compliment for you guys? Being scary?"

"Yeah!! Halloween is full of harmless frights!! So we LOVE being scary!!"

"Then you're absolutely mortifying, you make me so scared I could start crying whenever I look at your terrifying face." Gi stated as seriously as she could, making Gourdy snort and burst out laughing as his tail wagged intensely at the attempted compliments. Dyle just giggled at them as he went and put the tape into his projector, then sat down nearby in his pillow pile as he grabbed a Vee plush and held it close on his lap. The rest of the day was honestly just them watching old episodes of Dandy's World and learning more about each other, including the fact that Dyle had a phone still and Gi soon got his number on the emergency phone Sprout gave her so she could call him if anything went wrong down there.

The group did end up all falling asleep together in a massive cuddle pile of toons and a twisted, all of them ending up using some part of Gourdy as a pillow- but he didn't mind. They were all no longer forgotten, no longer alone, isolated, or even locked away from the world. They had each other now, they would never let the others be forgotten anymore, they were all right there for each other now and they wouldn't let anyone change that for the world. Especially now that they all had matching rainbow bracelets, all made by Gourdy and Vivi, all made as a reminder of each other's familial love even if they were away from each other.

It was a lovely little morning, a cozy rainy day with the four toons and one half awake human all just chilling out in the living room together. Sprout and Cosmo were discussing which lemon pie recipe they wanted to try later as they cuddled on the couch, while Sam slowly sipped their coffee on their own chair and watched over the chaos quietly. Vivi was sat at the coffee table, legs crossed under it, tail slowly swaying behind her, her focus dead set on the little beaded project in her hands. It soon became a star shape, a little blue one with yellow points, all made out of beads and stretchy elastic. She smiled as she tied off the end, then sighed as she grabbed the last little bit of elastic left over and grabbed the scissors she had beside her, then trimmed that off with a slight nod.

"Mhm. Still got it... Hopefully the kids still like Little Stars." She mumbled to herself, getting the attention of the gachapon beside her, the other pausing mid writing in their journal just to look over at her.

"Whatcha doin Viv?" Gi casually asked, soon going back to writing, but Vivi didn't mind. She knew they were listening even when they were taking notes, usually notes about stuff she likes, which she found really really cute.

"Oh, I'm just making stars, I used to make them all the time for kids. They'd always have the brightest smiles whenever I'd pass them out, especially if I asked them what their favorite color was before surprising them with one. A lot of them would say yellow, probably because they're stars and all. Though, I remember one kid, a little orange haired girl, like Sam-"

"It's actually ginger... I'm a light ginger." Sam gently corrected, making Vivi giggle and nod.

"That is correct, however I was unaware if Gi knew the term or not. Thank you for correcting me." Vivi softly spoke, tying off the second little star she had made before gently passing it to Gi, who gently held it like it was fragile and would shatter if they gripped it too tightly.

"Oh, yeah they know, I'm sure they appreciate you being so thoughtful. Anyways, continue, I'm curious."

"Understood. So she would always come every Saturday with her grandparents, said it was because she always got good grades in school. She loved the color orange so much, she always had something orange on. I'd make glow in the dark orange stars just for her, and she'd always smile so wide and give me a hug, even though she must've had over fifty by the last time we met. I think about guests like her a lot, the ones that always showed up for you every single time, even though they never had to. I always wonder what they're doing now, what they've aspired to be. I wonder if her favorite color is still orange..." Vivi paused, looking down at the orange star she had made mid ramble, as if she just realized she did that. She just laughed immediately afterwards, finishing it off before looking at Gi, who was watching her intensely, pen now on the table, journal closed. It was like she was the only thing Gi could think about now... Because she was, absolutely.

"What's your favorite color, Vivi?" Gi questioned softly, making the robot shrug as she looked back at the star she held in her hands. She just smiled softly as she ran her fingers over it, thinking about the ginger kid as she did so.

"Light blue, I'd say."

"What, is it because I'm blue?"

"You are indeed one of the reasons why I like that color, Gi. But there are others, it was the color of the sky when we first left Gardenview, for example. The ocean is blue and I've always wanted to see it, even though I'm probably not even waterproof. The lake you showed me, that was blue. One of Cosmo's eyes are blue." Vivi softly pointed out, making Cosmo blink.

"One still is pink, huh?" He asked, getting a nod from Sprout.

"Mhm, has been since you twisted, I say it suits you quite well tho."

"Sprout you think everything makes me look nice-"

"Because everything looks nice on you." Sprout simply stated, shrugging. Vivi laughed at that one, while Gi just looked over the green and blue beaded star in their hand, gently messing with it while they ignored the blushing chaotic couple behind them and the laughing disaster at their side. They really liked that little beaded star...

"Hey Viv, how do you actually make these?" Gi suddenly asked, making Vivi pause and look over at her, then smile and nod before quickly finishing up the one she was on and turning to Gi fully.

"I'd be so happy to teach you! Okay! So, you grab your string, 25 beads and scissors, right? I like to grab about two feet of the string here, uh, this is fabric covered elastic but I think anything like it would work, and I use about half an arm's length of it for one star. And I know, it looks like a lot, but trust me it's needed. Uhm- okay, so once you cut your string, I just add ten to it, and then you make it a circle like you're making a bracelet, right? But you want one short end and one long one, the long one is for the points of the stars and the short one is so it's easier to tie the top part later. So you're gonna tie off your circle a few times here so it doesn't come undone while you're working on the top part, and it should look like a really tiny bracelet now. That's good, you want that, uh- okay so you take three more beads and add it to the really long string here, and you bring them down before you thread the string through a bead again. You skip a bead between them, so it makes a little triangle, like this!" Vivi then paused mid ramble just to show Gi what she was talking about, smiling huge while her tail wagged itself into a motion blur. Gi nodded, smiling right back, fully invested in the tutorial they were getting right there in the living room.

"So you do that uh, four more times, and after you get all five points, you just tie the former long end and the small end together a few times and you'll have one! I usually do about four little knots just to be safe, but I'm sure you don't have to. I just, I always think about them possibly falling apart so I uh, I make extra sure they're stable and secure for the kids. I would make them every night, just- sit in the green room, using the Craft Sibling's supplies with their permission, making my Little Stars. I... I never thought I'd be able to make them again, I thought 'ope Gardenview closed and I was just, tossed aside, nobody's gonna ever want these' Hahahaha... Haha... Ha..." Vivi sighed, blinking back a few tears as she sniffed, her body shaking as she tried so hard not to cry. Gi just nodded slowly, moving a little closer and gently putting their head on her shoulder. Vivi just gently leaned her head in as well, closing her eyes as she relaxed again.

"I'll always love everything you come up with, you're absolutely adorable." Gi softly reassured, making Vivi giggle as she pulled her favorite little gachapon onto her lap, holding them close as her tail immediately started wagging insanely fast again.

"You're just too sweet, Gi."

"Noooooo, you're too cute you little cutie patootie youuuuu~" Gi purred as they happily threw their arms around Vivi and hugged her tight, nuzzling their face right into the mint green sweater Vivi wore. Vivi just pulled them even closer, purring loudly as her antenna lowered, her eyes soon closing as she gently rested the bottom of her monitor against the top of the other's head.

"Oooooo you're like, shaking gently." Gi mumbled, which made Cosmo giggle as he overheard that one.

"She's vibrating from purring too intensely, it's cat love. She really loves you." He gently pointed out, making Sprout giggle as he looked over at the two as well. Gi just sighed softly in comfort, relaxing intensely into the other toon.

"I really love her too... You're too sweet, Starshine. We should make some stars together..."

"Oh Gi I was hoping you'd want to! Could... I try something first?" Vivi softly asked, getting a slow, comfortable nod from Gi. The gachapon soon was melted into the other even more as Vivi gently started kneading their back, just like Vee showed her how to, as it really felt good.

"Ohhh... My back... Feels better..."

"I knew it, I knew Vee was right, I knew it made people feel better!" Vivi cheered quietly, looking oh so proud of herself as Gi very slowly slid into a laying down position, definitely taking melting a little too seriously. Sprout and Cosmo both lost it, laughing at the sight, knowing exactly how Vivi felt right now and found Gi to be quite hilarious to watch. However, it was peaceful again after a bit, as the two lesbians were making stars together after Gi was done being a literal puddle. The two gay bakers talked about their recipes again and Sam just watched over everyone with a relaxed smile on their face.

It was a peaceful day, one full of laughs, lemon pies and lots of little beaded stars.

A relaxing day for them all, who absolutely deserved it after years of barely ever getting a break.

Though at the end, while Gi and Vivi were cuddling in bed like they always did now, Vivi looked up at the glow in the dark stars on their ceiling as she held a very drowsy Gi close to her chest.

"Would you like to go to the park with me sometime to give the children the Little Stars we made together? You don't have to, I just-"

"I'd love to, Viv. I think they'd love them as much as I do... They're really pretty." Gi softly spoke up, looking up at her with a sleepy little smile on their face and love in their eyes. Vivi nodded, then leaned down just to give them a kiss on their head.

"Keep any that you want, okay? And if you have any you want to save for anyone special, just keep them okay? We don't have to pass out everything at once." Vivi gently reassured as she slowly rubbed Gi's arm, getting a soft little sigh from the very cozy toon.

"I was wondering if we could put them on a bracelet for someone, actually."

"Oh, yeah, I can definitely do that, we'll do that together tomorrow morning. For now my little goblin, you need to go to sleep, okay? You're giving me the "I'm a sleepyhead" look again, you adorable lil bean." Vivi softly pointed out, gently booping Gi's nose. Gi just giggled sleepily, nodded before yawning loudly and getting cozy before closing their eyes.

"G'night, love ya." Gi mumbled, yawning yet again after Vivi had started softly stroking their back to help them doze off like she always did.

It was another beautiful day in the park, Toon Vee was just chilling on her bench, playing her guitar as usual. Peaceful, elegant. Modern Shelly stayed behind a nearby bush, peeping over it, tail swaying as she took photos of the peaceful toon in her natural habitat.

"Look at that... An actually calm Vee... Out in the wild... Such grace, such beauty, sings like a goddess. How does she do it? How does she go from chaos and glitter to this? Who knows..." She whispered to herself as if she was filming a nature documentary, which soon made the once peaceful toon turn and look at her funny.

"Why are you watching me?"

"Smile for the camera, kid!" Modern Shelly just stated, winking as she took another photo. Toon Vee had somehow posed with her guitar perfectly, posing like a pop idol would for a magazine with a show winning smile and passion in her eyes. Modern Shelly blinked, then gave a thumbs up.

"You're good at this."

"It was my job for most of my life, I was supposed to be a gameshow host known to everyone, a household name ya know? I was once, then shit happened and now I'm just some beat up outdated tech thinking I can fix everything... Again..." Toon Vee explained, casually tuning her guitar as she did so.

"I don't think you're outdated, you actually are quite impressive with your talents and how much information you have stored in your database, especially for a stylized toony version of my girlfriend." Modern Shelly commented quietly, getting a soft laugh out of the Toon as she shook her head.

"Nah, Vivi's way more impressive than me, she was version two after all, lot more photogenic too. Thanks though, I always appreciate the compliments, but I'm definitely not the perfect robot you guys think I am." Toon Vee casually replied, shrugging as she pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt, though she was quite surprised when Modern Shelly gently pulled it off of her head before patting it and sitting down beside her.

"What, you think my doofus girlfriend is perfect? The one that burns herself every time she tries to cook for me? The one who put soap into the milk? That girl's a mess too, ya know, and that's okay. I don't think anyone's perfect overall, but rather, we find people that think we're perfect despite our flaws and accept them for who they are too. I doubt your Shelly's perfect, but you see her as such, right?" Modern Shelly pointed out, getting a nod from the Toon yet again.

"Well, yeah, she's everything I've needed in life, I wouldn't be here without her, honestly."

"She probably feels the exact same way about you, like I do with my own girlfriend. She accepted you for you, and she thinks you're perfect despite everything you two have gone through. So yeah, not everyone will see you as perfect, but I know we do. You're my girlfriends perfect little sister, now smile like you mean it, you're in the cutest dinosaur themed outfit and I love it!"

"Hah, thanks, my wife made it actually, it's based of my plush stegosaurus - I'll show you him when we're home." Toon Vee stated with a genuine, slightly unhinged looking smile. Modern Shelly just smiled right back and took another pic, tail wagging as she thought about how much happier that little toon seemed to feel after their conversation.

Toon Shelly was perched in a tree, on a thick branch just outside of Modern Vee's view, Gi sitting beside her and eating a chocolate bar. Usual Gi behavior.

"So what are we doing again?"

"Trying to prove to the Modern version of me that I can take better pictures than her."

"And why does that matter?"

"It doesn't, it's just really fun to have competition sometimes, plus I get to hide and not be suspicious. Sometimes, you just wanna hide out and not be really seen, ya know?" Toon Shelly softly explained as she adjusted the lense of her camera, and took a picture of Modern Vee soon after- mid sneeze into a flower. Elegant. The toons both had to stop themselves from snorting and laughing at it.

"Okay, maybe I'm not better."

"Nono, that's perfect, take another."

Toon Shelly just nodded and positioned herself yet again, snapping yet another photo of the Modern- this time she was mid blink, sleeve up to her screen like it was going to save her from the pollen that made her sneeze the first time, eyes squinted like she was going to fight the wind for just existing. It was somehow adorable, like catching an adult acting like a child again, even if it was just for a split second. Toon Shelly's tail wagged as she fixed her position, letting Gi grab her for extra protection. Once Modern Vee was back at looking at the flowers to find some for her girlfriend - oblivious to the two stalking her right now - Shelly took more photos. All capturing the somehow blissful peace the usually flamboyant robot was, the soft sighs she'd let out as she picked the right flowers, the look of pure peace and comfort as she made her bouquet. They were stunning, until they were caught and given a death glare.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Modern Vee immediately asked once she caught them, making Toon Shelly nervously giggle and look away, however Gi was unphased.

"She was taking pictures of you for your wife-"

"-girlfriend-" Modern Vee gently corrected, getting a nod from Gi.

"Sorry, girlfriend, to enjoy later as a present to her. Would you like to pose for one?" Gi explained with a smile, making Toon Shelly just beam with excitement as her tail wagged even more at the idea of having one actually planned out photo. Modern Vee just laughed a little, finding the idea to be downright adorable.

"Alright alright, just this once, for my photographer. Make sure you get my good side~!" She stated as she posed all nicely for the photo, and Toon Shelly took it, taking one genuinely good picture amidst the gentle yet chaotic photos she's gotten while she wasn't looking.

"Perfect, thanks Modern Vee!"

"Anytime kid, as long as it's for my girlfriend, I'll pose for you anytime."

(This was a lie, she would happily model for the Toon, she simply didn't want to admit it)

The two Shellys soon met up at a tree stump, tails wagging as they went to show the other their photos, though before they said a thing, they both immediately noticed something. Well, someone.

Vivi was sitting on a nearby bench, minding her own business, posed like a model. On one antenna was a butterfly, a little white one, just resting at the end.

"You really are my friend right now, aren't you little one? You've been here since I started reading... Am I that peaceful to you?" Vivi gently asked as she looked at the little insect with wide eyes and a peaceful smile. The two fossils looked at each other, then at the robot, then back at each other.

"She's a model."

"Oh definitely, Vivi's always like that, she just naturally poses like she's getting a picture taken when she's comfortable, she's really chill about it too. Wanna go ask if she'd like us to take pictures of her?" Toon Shelly asked, getting a nod from the Modern. However, Vivi beat them to it with a gentle wave and a smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts.

"Oh, hey there, enjoying the view too guys?" She asked sweetly, making Modern Shelly blink.

"How are you and Toon Vee related?" Modern Shelly blurted out, genuinely stunned by the extreme differences in the two.

"Huh what?" Vivi immediately questioned, making Toon Shelly gently stop the Modern before she could say anything else and smile.

"She was wondering if we could take pictures of you since you looked so cozy and comfortable and pretty!" Toon Shelly gently corrected, making Vivi just smile and nod.

"You know you never have to ask, uhm... My Shelly? Neither of you do, I never mind cameras. Also, I'm not related to Vee, I'm as different from everytoon else, other than the ones who were specifically made to be related - like Cosmo and Ginger. I'm just a different version of her, so if we were related, she'd be my older sister. However, we are not, unless she wants to be anyways. Anywho, any photos are fine, videos too! I never care, I just would like to read my book as you do it, if that's alright." Vivi explained as she watched the butterfly on her antenna the entire time, soon softly whistling at it to see if it would react at all. It didn't. Vivi just smiled at it again before she picked up her book again and soon was just silently reading, and the two Shelly's silently got some pictures of her being just - Vivi. The picture perfect bean just reading a book about cats with a butterfly on her antenna and a peaceful smile on her face, the one who just looked lost in her own little world and flipped every page like it was made out of glass - careful and precise. That stopped when Vivi noticed Gi though, as soon she gently placed her bookmark down and closed the book softly, then sat up with her arms out. The Shellys watched as Gi flopped into her chaotically, watching the lesbians as they both immediately started laughing at the crash Gi just did.

"I told you to be careful, that was not careful Gi." Vivi softly scolded, getting a snort giggle from the chaos creature now on her lap and tight in her arms.

"Sorry, just missed you a lot, I got too excited again!" Gi cheerfully replied, getting a good laugh out of Vivi as she held the chaos gremlin closer. The two soon shared a gentle kiss, and the Shelly's definitely got a bunch of pictures of the two before they once again went into hiding.

"You think they noticed, kiddo?"

"They did, they don't care. Trust me, I've done that hundreds of times."

The two then nodded in unison, huddled up together, then started going through their pictures together quietly, awwing at every single one. Neither realizing that they were spotted themselves, and now being photographed by a phone wielding Toon Vee, who immediately went right back to her Modern self and gave her back her phone.

"Got a picture of the fossils bonding just for you, big sis." Toon Vee stated, then gave her a salute. Modern Vee just laughed and patted her head, slipping her phone into her pocket without even thinking to look at it.

"Great work kid, wanna go glitterbomb the bathrooms?"

"I'd love to, afterwards you wanna drive the Jeep during our inevitable run from the police?"

"Hell yeah!"

So the two Vees happily ran off to do just that, and probably ended up hiding in Shanon's attic for a week afterwards for glitterbombing the public bathrooms again. The Shellies just showed each other their favorite pictures in peace, Vivi and Gi just did their own thing, and everything was as peaceful as could be for the rest of that trip to the park. They also got ice cream together afterwards, because they deserved it (they yelled at Shanon for some until she gave in). Great day.

To most people, it was just a normal day, a normal sunny day full of love and laughs and joy.

To Vivi as she sat at the airport though, it was one of the most stressful times of her life. She couldn't stop bouncing her leg or fidgeting with the drawstring on her hoodie, looking anxiously nervous as she tried to hide it from everyone. Gi just looked at her, raising an eyebrow as she adjusted her green work tablet on her lap.

"Ooookay boss what-"

"I hate flying, I hate being high up in the air, it's one of the worst things about being a celebrity. I can't... I can't stand the shaking, the way you can hear everything, the windows being open and you can't control it so you're reminded that you're in a flying death trap-"

"Miss Vivi... Breathe..." Gi very softly cut her off, putting a finger to the robot's lips before giving the side of her head a quick kiss.

"I know I can't ease all of the anxiety, and that's okay, but I promise you this is all okay. Millions of people fly every day... Wait a damn second why are we flying on a public plan-"

"We're not." Vivi gently stopped her, smiling. "It's just safer to be in a larger airport than a small one for just private planes. Your safety is my highest priority, mon amour."

"Again with the French-"

"I can flirt however I damn well please, woman." Vivi snapped, then paused before she snorted at the realization that Gi was looking at her smugly right now. Gi was indeed doing so, her legs now crossed and her arms resting against them, her eyes shining with both love and chaotic intent.

"You admitted it."

"I- You made me!!"

"Mmmm... Did I..?"

"I would fire you right fucking now if you didn't make travelling feel safer, don't try me."

"I'll get the divorce papers then."

Vivi paused at that one, looking at Gi like she was crazy as she blinked a few times in genuine confusion. Gi just stared back at her, smiling sweetly like she didn't say a word.

They weren't even married.

They couldn't get divorced as they were never even married to begin with, never once did they joke about that one either. Gi slowly raised her hand, pointing out the fact that she had an emerald and silver ring on her ring finger. Vivi soon looked at her own ring finger, at the sapphire and silver band she wore, at the fact that the two very unintentionally had matching rings on their ring fingers and messing with each other like they were a couple of newlyweds. They probably looked like a pair getting ready to go on a honeymoon... Vivi blushed darkly at the thought as her antennae lowered, soon looking away from Gi and just letting out a little cough.

"I... I'll see you in divorce court, then. I cannot believe we did that..."

"Honestly I just noticed you did and copied you."

"Gi-"

"I knew you'd get a little anxious so I figured I'd do something funny to try to help, I had no idea it was gonna be so bad you looked like you were going to have a panic attack. So... I apologize for being too silly, but, it would also ruin the fact that you're smiling right now." Gi explained, making Vivi blink as she immediately corrected that, changing her expression so it was blank and emotionless. Gi just huffed and crossed her arms, about to say something, but Vivi gently grabbed her cheek and leaned in close.

The kiss didn't last too long, but it was just long enough for a fan to recognize them and take a photo of it, making the two immediately turn to the source of the flashing light with dark hues of blush on their faces and confusion and fear in their eyes.

"I knew it, I knew you two were-"

"Divorced. We just got divorced. This is our last trip together as a couple." Vivi somehow very flatly and seriously stated, getting a very solemn nod from Gi as she faked looking oh so sad, even dabbing at her dry eyes with a tissue and a sniff. The human just blinked at the two, then looked at their camera.

"You two are horrible actors."

"I was going to be a law student before social media became profitable, okay? Do not judge me." Gi spoke up, getting a gasp and a look from Vivi, who now had one arm dramatically over Gi's shoulders and the other peacefully resting on her lap. It was very clear they weren't genuinely getting divorced now... Very clear.

"You would've been the worst divorce lawyer everrrrrr you can't even take your own divorce seriously!"

"I would've been in a different sector of the business, woman!"

"...I'm glad you're not a lawyer, I love you." Vivi admitted softly as she gently pulled her assistant into a hug, who just gently hugged her back and nuzzled her face into her hoodie gently.

"I love you too, I'm glad I'm your assistant, even though you smell like sleep deprivation and vanilla caramel lattes right now."

"I had an anxiety attack last night, don't judge me too much." Vivi admitted with a slight roll of her eyes, making Gi giggle as she nodded. They both immediately paused when there was another flash, the two soon giving the human who was watching them right now the most nasty glares they could come up with. The girl just nodded once and started walking away.

"You're horrible at acting, it's quite hilarious, can't wait to call you both out for being gay and stupid."

"Mmmm yeah, the fans will just appreciate us more, they have been commenting that they want us to be more affectionate. Wait wait Viv pose with me we'll out stupid the haters." Gi stated, bringing out her tablet with a smile. Vivi just blinked at such a stupid idea... Then posed with her anyways, smiling as she struck a pose with her assistant. The picture soon was taken and the two were laughing together as they posted it.

Captioned it "Got caught being gay as hell!! Whoopsies!! Happy early pride losersssss!! 💖"

They were posed like the usual generic straight couple would whenever they'd post about their relationships, Vivi keeping Gi close as they both stared at the camera, their smiles a little too unhinged and goofy to take seriously.

It blew up immediately, as most of Vivi's posts did, though the positive comments on it both made them tear up when they both eventually boarded the private plane they were going to fly in together, both taking one more look at what their fanbase was doing before they went offline for a while.

"...We have the best fans we could ever ask for, Viv..."

"I know right..? I love you... I'm still divorcing you though. You're fired. Get out of my face." Vivi joked with a weak little laugh, though she didn't even argue when Gi just moved a little closer.

"I know you won't ever mean it."

"I know... It's just funny now... It's also taking my mind off the fact that we're both in a flying death capsule at the moment."

"The plane hasn't even moved an inch yet-"

"Flying death capsule."

"I'll show you flying death capsule..." Gi murmured as she gently took Vivi's hands in her own, getting a small whimper of anxiety from the other as they held on tight to each other, just for Vivi's sake.

Especially when she realized that Gi herself was also a capsule... And was now also flying... She had two flying death capsules to worry about now. But that didn't matter for the time being, as she just used the less scary death capsule's shoulder as a pillow and closed her eyes.

"You okay?"

"I'm... I'm okay..."

"Scared?"

"Very..."

"It's okay, it'll be okay. You're safe now, it's okay. I love you, Vivi." Gi whispered softly against the top of the robot's head, giving her gentle kisses between her antennae between every sentence. Vivi slowly relaxed her grip as she nodded, her antennae lowering slowly as she let herself doze off after such a rough night of worrying about this trip, even if they were on one of the scariest things Vivi swore ever existed.

"I love you too..."

"Sleep well, my love, I'll keep an eye out on the flying death capsule for you." Gi softly teased, though she paused when she was just greeted with a tired little snore. So, Gi just nodded once, leaned against her, then opened a book. It was going to be a long few hours... But it was always worth it, especially when she always got to see the smile Vivi makes every time they show up at a tour spot and get greeted by hundreds of excited fans.

That was always the best part of being famous...

Being able to rewatch your girlfriend being happy doing what she loves over and over again, no matter where you were. That was always the best part of the gig, even if Gi would never admit it to Vivi's face.