#voidball

[pov switch]

As Rob rounded the corner, he glanced around the empty hallway. There were only two doors, one led to an “employees only” area and the other was labeled “utilities.” He cautiously slunk down the hall. 

The second door opened and a voice whispered, “Psst!”

He looked down to see Voidball’s eye watching him through the crack in the door. They beckoned for Rob to come inside and-- after looking to make sure the coast was clear-- Rob did so. The door closed behind him with a click, and then he was enveloped in shadows.

“It's dark in here,” Rob breathed. 

“Give it a second.” Voidball's voice came from right beside him, making him jump. “If I'm right about this, it should happen any second now...”

For a moment Rob didn't know what they meant, but then—in the quiet darkness—the static on both of their bodies flickered to life, giving off a pale glow. With this hazy, flickering light, the details of the room came into focus.

It wasn't much of a room at all, really. It was a storage closet of some kind that was only barely big enough for the two of them. Various chemical cleaners lined the rickety shelves, and a chain attached to a lightbulb hung from the ceiling. Rob tugged on the chain, but the bulb didnt turn on. It must have been dead. Although, it seemed like they wouldn't be needing it, after all. 

Voidball brushed past him and sat down on an upside-down bucket. Rob crouched down to be on their eye level. Now that he was closer, he noticed how the static that covered the left side of their face was actively dripping. Oozing droplets of the stuff would roll off of their face, fall, and then vanish before they hit the ground. 

“So…” Voidball smiled sheepishly. “I assume you know what I'm going to ask you?”

Rob furrowed his brow. “Elaborate.”

“Well, as far as I can tell, the events in both of our universes are close to identical.” They ran their hand over their unwarped paw thoughtfully. “Meaning if I did something, you did the same thing without realizing it.”

A huge part of him wanted to stop Voidball before they said what they did next. 

“So if we've done the same things to try and get revenge, then that must mean we both bought…”

“Yeah,” Rob said solemnly, staring at the floor. 

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. 

“Do you…” Voidball spoke quietly. “Do you still feel bad about it?”

“Of course,” Rob answered. He felt bad about it every day. 

“So he got a hold of the remote and he ejected you,” said Voidball, their voice wavering as they recounted the memories. “Sent you back to that place... and then for some reason, he went back to save you, even though he was falling apart. You got the upper hand-”

“-but I couldn't bring myself to do it,” Rob finished for them. “So I went back.”

“And then you were friends for a moment.” A forlorn smile crossed Voidball’s face. “And it was kind of nice.” 

“Yeah…” Rob smiled sadly. Their conversation still echoed in his head, even though it had happened months ago.

“I guess I owe you an explanation…” they said after a moment. “For what you saw.”

“Well, yo dont have to-

“No, no.” “you deserve that much. 

“Ever since I learned about the whole… y'know, thing about the world- or, er- universe? You know what I mean.” “It's been really isolating. You get it. It's really scary to be the only person who knows the truth about everything.”

“So when I got to be the nemesis, I thought, maybe I could use this as an opportunity! I thought that maybe if I put him through enough crazy dangerous situations, that he would notice how he always comes away from them  unscathed. And then he would figure it out and understand, and I wouldn't be alone anymore.” “I was being selfish. I know that now. But the damage is done. He seriously hates my guts

[End Manuscript]

very abrupt and unsatisfying, i know. you can lob all of your frustrations and questions into this blogs inbox /lh

Ah, Joyful Burger. What better place to throw away your livelihood and relinquish your mortality to the all seeing eye of Burgey? Fun for the whole family! 

In all seriousness though, it was comforting to be surrounded by the overly goofy architecture of the restaurant. The burger-shaped seat cushions and brightly colored tables made it kind of hard to stay mad and still be taken seriously. 

Once they had ordered their food, the group wondered which of them would be paying the tab—however, as it turned out, both Gumball and Robin had previously been co-CEOs of Joyful Burger, so they got half off every order. That basically meant the four of them would be eating for free.  It wasn't clear how exactly Rob’s status as an ex-CEO transferred over to their universe, but they guessed capitalism just transcends logic. 

So they all sat and waited for their order number to be called out, Gumball and Rob on one side of the table and their alternates on the other. Both alternates acted like the other wasn't there; Voidball was drumming his blocky fingers on the table and Robin was staring out the window with a faraway look in his eye. Gumball worried the receipt in his claws. All was tense and quiet. 

It was clear that a conversation had to be started, but how do you start a conversation with yourself from another universe? What are you supposed to say? What questions are okay to ask? Is it normal for these two to get into scary shouting matches? And if they’re the same as these two, does that mean he and Rob should be more like them? Gumball didn't want that. That didn't seem like fun nemesis stuff. 

Was he supposed to be worrying about them so much?

And was he imagining that Voidball had tried to wink at Rob just now? 

Voidball stood up abruptly, his chair making a screeching metal sound as he pushed it out of the way. They looked uncertain for a moment, then pulled out their phone and pretended to be surprised by something on the screen. 

“Oh, would you look at that! I've got a call to take!” they said hurriedly. “Excuse me!” 

Voidball quickly left the table, banking left around the corner and then disappearing. That was weird, Gumball had seen their phone screen, and it was dark the whole time.

He also had no clue where they were going. The front entrance was to their right and the bathrooms were in the opposite direction to where they had gone. He was about to comment on that when Rob also stood up.

“Hah... Hahah- Sorry, I think I misheard you,” Gumball said, his voice wavering as he tried  to keep it together. “Your name is what?”

“Oh... You don't even recognize me, do you?” Not-Gumball said mournfully. “I guess that's understandable, I haven't looked like you do in a long time.”

“Wait-” Rob interrupted and Gumball glanced over to him. Rob was looking at Not-Gumball with a mixture of terror and disbelief. “You mean to tell me that in your world...” Rob’s voice trembled. “That you were one of the universe’s mistakes?”

Not-Gumball nodded. “Two sides of the same coin, ey?” They smiled ruefully. “I’ll say, few things are worse than getting stuck in that ‘Void’ place. I think I’d prefer it if the universe had just told me how lame it thinks I am and leave it at that, am I right? Like, send me an email or something, no need to go around chucking boring people into weird pocket dimensions like it's going outta style.” They spoke with a joking cadence, but something in their face made Gumball think it was a farce. 

“But-” Rob stuttered worriedly. “But that doesn't make any sense! If you and I are the same, then someone left you behind, right? But that shouldn't be possible since you’re the main character!”

“Pshh, ME? The main character? Get real, buddy,” Not-Gumball said, waving a hand. “No no no, that would be this guy over here.” Not-Gumball gestured to Robin with his thumb.

Robin sighed and crossed his arms in annoyance. “Not this again. Don't tell me you believe his crazy ideas, too?” 

“It isn't ‘crazy’ it's the truth! And the only reason I talk about it so much is because YOU refuse to listen to me!” Not-Gumball said accusingly.

“Yes!” Robin retorted. “Because you're insane!” 

“No, you just don't get it!” Not-Gumball shouted.“You are the MAIN character. Literally EVERYTHING revolves around you!” The graphics of their face flickered and glitched as their voice broke. “You have it SO good and you don't even realize it!”

As Gumball watched the two argue, a strange, new dread welled up inside him. He wanted to step in and say something, but he didnt know which side to take. 

“Shut up!” Robin shouted. “Don't act like I'm swimming in cash when you know very well that I'm not!”

“That's not what I meant and you know it!” A tear rolled off Not-Gumball's face. “You have a life! You have friends, a family—people who CARE about you! I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT!” They screamed.

“You being lonely isn't an excuse for regularly trying to kill me!” Robin yelled back.

“Alright alright, stop!” Rob shouted, stepping between them with his arms outstretched. 

Tension hung in the air as the two alternates glowered at one another. Not-Gumball was panting like all of their rage had stolen the breath from their lungs and Robin was sneering at them with so much venom that Gumball was surprised they didn't keel over right on the spot. Several seconds passed.

“I know we’re all a little stressed out right now,” Rob said, glancing between them. “You two wanna get back home, I get that.” Rob lowered his arms slowly to his sides as he spoke, “But that won't happen until we get my machine fixed, and fighting with each other isn't going to make that happen any faster.” 

Robin’s scowl deepended and he turned his back on Not-Gumball. Not-Gumball’s hands were curled into fists, shaking with anger. The static on their face buzzed a blazing white for a moment and then they sighed, ears drooping. 

“You're right,” they said. 

They turned their back to Robin to stare at the machine woefully—and it was then that Gumball realized they didn't have a tail. Across from them, Robin was staring at a wooden plank on the floor like he could make it burst into flames if he glared at it hard enough. It was clear the two didn't feel like making up. 

Rob turned his head to Gumball and nodded towards the two of them, giving him what he assumed was a “now's your chance to do something nice and main-character-ish” look. Gumball scratched behind his ears nervously. He didn't know how to solve this, but he had to try.

“You uh…” he said hesitantly. The two of them turned to look at him and he gulped. “You guys wanna go to Joyful Burger?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Something to eat couldn't hurt,” Robin murmured, some of the tension leaving his face. 

“I could go for a bite,” Not-Gumball agreed, wiping the tears from their face with their paw. 

“That's the spirit!” Gumball felt his optimism returning. “What about you, Rob? C’mon, I mean, when's the last time you ate?”

“Uh...” Rob thought for a moment. “...Monday?”

“Wait, what the what?!” Gumball looked up at him in astonishment. “How could you go THAT long without food? Aren't you hungry??”

“Well, yeah,” Rob said. “But saving everybody from the end of the world seemed just a teensy bit more important than, say, eating a sandwich.”

“Maybe, but you gotta take care of yourself, dude,” Gumball said. He shuddered. “Eugh, I sound like my mom.”

And so it was decided. The gang of doppelgängers departed from the warehouse and began their grand quest for Joyful Burger. 

[End Chapter 4]

“Gumball…”

“Gumball…”

“Gumball!”

Gumball startled awake. He was lying flat on his back and leaning over him was Rob, who looked uncharacteristically concerned. For a brief second he forgot where he was, why Rob was here, why he felt sore all over—but then it all came flooding back. The portal. The pair of bizarre pair of people that had stepped out of it. The explosion that had followed.

The explosion. Gumball quickly sat up and looked himself over for burns or wounds. 

“With how close you were standing to the machine when it blew up, you're really lucky you didn't get hurt,” Rob said earnestly. Judging by the reddish scorch marks on Rob’s arms, Gumball could tell he hadn't been so lucky. “You feel alright?”

“Yeah, I...” Gumball took a few deep breaths, smoothing his rumpled fur down.  “I think I'm alright.” Gumball looked around, a small part of him hoping they were the only ones in the warehouse. That hope was quickly squashed, however. 

The stranger from before was next to the machine, intermittently switching between inspecting its various mechanisms and scribbling things down on a small notepad. Not-Rob was there too, pacing back and forth in front of the dark wall of TV screens. Most of everything surrounding the portal was either scorched or laying on the ground in pieces. 

Rob must have noticed Gumball staring at them. “I don't know when or if I'll be able to get the machine working again,” he said. “For now, they're stuck here.”

Gumball rubbed his eyes. “So they're our problem, then?”

“I guess,” Rob said.

Gumball tried to collect his thoughts. Everything was happening so fast. He didn't know how to feel.

“Hey, uh, I'm sorry about earlier,” Rob said hesitantly. “I forget that the end of the world is really upsetting to most people.” He looked at the floor, seeming ashamed.

“Yeah,” Gumball muttered, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“Alright, buckerino,” the stranger said to Rob as they walked over. Gumball noticed they also had burn marks on their arms. “Number one, your Portal machine looks WAY cooler than mine. How dare you, that is SO unfair.” They hit the notepad with the back of their pencil. “But, number two, my Portal machine was better ventilated. I think that's why yours went kablooey.”

“Huh,” Rob muttered. “I didn't take that into account.”

“Clearly,” they said with a chuckle. They snapped the cover back over their notepad and smiled at him. “Your machine is built differently from mine, but I think I could still lend you a hand if you need it.”

“Huh. Okay,” Rob said.

As the two departed, discussing quantum physics, Not-Rob walked over to Gumball. He sat down on a wooden crate next to him, sighing. Gumball crossed his legs and tapped his fingers together anxiously. It took a little while for either of them to say anything. 

“So, alternate universe, huh?” Gumball said awkwardly. “What's that like?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Not-Rob replied. 

“Hahah, right, yeah…” Gumball mentally kicked himself. “So, um… Is there something I can call you besides Rob? Cuz, like, I already have a Rob, so it would be confusing to have two Robs to keep track of.”

“You can call me Robin, if that helps,” he said. 

“Cool,” Gumball sighed in relief. ”How's your life?”

“Pretty good, I think,” Robin said, seeming relieved by the change of topic. “I have a boyfriend named Pebble, he’s pretty awesome.”

“Oh, that's nice,” Gumball said. “I have a girlfriend, her name’s Penny.”

Robin looked at him strangely. 

Gumball’s ears flicked back. “What?” 

“What’s her last name?” Robin looked like he was trying to puzzle something out. 

“Weird question, but okay,” Gumball muttered. “It’s Fitzgerald. Are you okay? Do you need a drink of water or something?”

“No, it's just that...” Robin made a face. “My boyfriend’s last name is Fitzgerald.”

“Huh,” Gumball said, blinking in surprise. He scoffed nervously. “I-it's gotta be some kind of coincidence, right? I mean, what are the odds that YOUR boyfriend is MY girlfriend?” 

The two of them shared a moment of dread.

“What does he look like?” Gumball asked quickly, though he dreaded the answer. 

“Well that's kind of complicated,” Robin said. “I mean, he used to wear this shell all the time, but now it kind of depends on how he feels. Most of the time he’s a cool gold color, and he’s got wings and these cute little antlers.” Robin smiled dreamily. 

Gumball’s stomach dropped. “That's how it is with Penny.” 

Robin snapped out of his dreamy trance. “So does that mean-”

“Hey, blue boy!”

Both of them turned to look at the direction of the voice. It was... wow, Gumball really needed to ask them what their name was, this was getting ridiculous. 

“What in the world made you think that work?” Rob said to them, amused.

“Hey, cut me some slack here, skyscraper,” they joked, nudging Rob with their elbow playfully. “You know how often I'm in a room with more than one blue person? The answer is not often, my friend.”

“What do you want?” Robin groaned. 

“Can you get me that wrench?” Rob asked, pointing to a wrench on the ground next to Gumball. 

“Oh, and those ropes,” the other person chimed in, pointing to some ropes hanging down from the ceiling. “Oooh, and that tiny screwdriver! And that tire, while we’re at it.” They rubbed their hands together, smirking impishly. “I could use a tire.”

“Just the wrench will be fine,” Rob said. 

Gumball picked up the wrench and walked over to them. He held it out to Rob, but then the stranger snatched it from his paws and scuttled away to the other side of the machine. Holding the wrench between their teeth, they clambered up over the side of the machine, clinging to the vertical surface with their claws like a spider. When they reached the top of it, they took the wrench out of their mouth and unscrewed some bolts on one of the metal panels. Gumball looked to Rob for answers, but Rob just shrugged.

“Hey, ummm…” Gumball spoke tentatively to the stranger. They looked over their shoulder at him, polygons flickering unnervingly. Gumball resisted the urge to shudder. “Do you have a name?”

“Oh, don't get him started,” Robin warned.

“Oh hush, you're just jealous that your name isn't as cool as mine,” they said smugly, pulling a panel off of the machine and rifling around inside. They pulled out a fistful of wires and tossed them aside.

“You literally named yourself after a food,” Robin said in a way that gave Gumball the sense that they’d had this conversation before.

“Exactly,” the apparently food-named person said, grabbing the wrench and sliding back down over the side of the machine. They landed on the floor with a thud. “I named myself after something sweet. You are named after a felony.”

Gumball smothered a laugh and nudged Rob with his elbow. Rob looked unimpressed. 

“Oh my gosh.” Robin stood up. “For the last time, “Robin Dis Bank” is NOT A VALID-”

“Hey, no offense, but can you two please stop squabbling like an old married couple so they can tell me what their name is?” Gumball said.

“You hear that? I could divorce you a second time,” the food-named person said with a smirk, dusting themselves off. 

Robin sighed. “Just tell him what your name is.”

“Fine, fine,” they said, waving a hand dismissively. They took a deep breath, as if the notion of sharing their name with new people was a rare occurrence. 

“I am Gumball.”

[End of Chapter 3]

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bonus: here is what i actually wrote in the google doc directly after this line