Chapter Text
Fanny walked to work, already tired. Vicious was still angry with Mugman for whatever reason, and it had taken a lot of convincing on her part to make the old woman give up the idea of beating the man out of her shop. Mugman hadn’t really helped there. It seemed he was just as ready to be the old woman’s punching bag as Cuphead was. What the cuss was with these brothers and this old woman? If they were so damn scary, what did the old bat do to earn such docile loyalty from them? Fanny may never know.
The rabbit had a coffee with a muffin. She hardly had time to taste it. All the arguing and placating had taken up Fanny’s morning. She’d be lucky if she didn’t end up late. The sun was just about to peek out from over the horizon when she rushed into the hospital. She hurried through the locker rooms and to the nurse’s station, where she was blocked.
“Hey, what the hell? I still need to clock in,” Fanny protested.
The head nurse shook her head. Her arms were held out like she was ready to catch Fanny if need be. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Cottontail. You need to see the head adviser immediately.”
“I’m going to be late for my shift!”
“Now!” the head nurse barked. Fanny only spared her a moment’s glare before she turned on her heels. What the hell? Damn hothead thought she could just shove Fanny around because she was running late once?
Oh, if only it had been that.
Fanny would have loved any disciplinary action. She’d even take janitorial work over what she walked into that morning.
Termination.
Effective immediately. She was to clear out her personal effects and leave. Why? Because of that sunblazing Brute, of course. They couldn’t have someone like her on staff. A married woman moving in with another man? What about the hospital’s reputation? The trust of the patients? They had to protect the patients. What stardust! It didn't matter what Fanny said. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t true. They had already made their choice, their assumptions about her. She just had to take their words and backhanded advice. The stupid cussing head shaking. Even if she said she was getting a divorce, they would have still fired her. Probably. Her begging and tears didn’t matter. Her years and experience didn’t matter. Her dedication and the number of times she’d saved their crooked tails didn’t matter! She was irredeemable. After all, what kind of wife did that to her poor husband?
With a hollow pit in her chest, Fanny was given a box and escorted away. Dovil wasn’t there. She had a later shift. Was Brute going after her now? Was he going to try and ruin everything around her? Was Dovil safe? Could she stop all this from getting worse? Stars, she hoped Dovil didn’t get into trouble or try to stand up for her. They didn’t both need to lose their jobs.
What was she if she couldn’t be a nurse? A problem. A cuss-up. A burden. She felt her eyes sting and bit her lip to stop more tears. Her makeup was already ruined. Her tears were wasted on these cussers. What the hell did she care? No. If Brute was outside, she wouldn’t let him see her cry too. Not anymore. She cleaned off her face and left the hospital with a meager box of her things and the tattered remains of her dignity. The wolf wasn’t there. Fanny trudged down the street, expecting him, but there was no sign. He hadn’t waited for her here. Mugman seemed to just appear at Fanny’s side. She didn’t see where he had been lurking, nor did she really care.
“Want me to carry that for you?” Mugman offered.
“Shut up,” Fanny said with no energy. “You shouldn’t be carrying anything with that broken hand.” The best thing she had. Gone. It was the only decent thing she was good at. Mugman didn’t take offense to that. If he had questions, he didn’t ask them. If he noticed her swollen eyes, he didn’t comment. In some ways, he was easier to deal with than Cuphead. His brother would have definitely bothered her about it. Holy cuss, did she miss Cup? Did she want to talk to him about this?
Brute had slandered her to her job. He’d said she had moved in with a man. It wasn’t true, but what if he’d seen her with Cup? Was he in trouble because of her? Were his grimy buddies looking for him? For Dovil? Suddenly, Mugman’s presence next to her felt very necessary. Not that she’d thank him or Vicious. No. She was more angry that it had to be like this. That more people were being hurt because of her. Again.
Maybe this wasn’t worth it. Fanny glanced at her reflection in the glass of shops they passed. What was she risking? Her friends? Her livelihood? Vicious’ store? And for what? So she could live in a tiny apartment alone somewhere? So she wouldn’t argue with Brute anymore? It wasn’t worth it. Dragging Vicious and Cuphead into her mess. Dovil. Hell, now Mugman, too. They weren’t worth risking. She was definitely not worth all this. She was being stupid trying to leave Brute. So what if he wasn’t bliss in a bow? He was comfortable. Familiar. Still better than what she’d had before. If she went and apologized to him now, it wouldn’t be so bad. Things would be different with her job gone, but he’d wanted her to quit for a while. That had to placate him, didn’t it? Taking away the one thing that made her even a shade of a good person. It was a worthy price, right?
They reached the candy shop. Mugman held the door open for her. Fanny didn’t utter a word of thanks as she passed him. The rabbit headed toward the back of the shop. She was going to pack. No one wanted her here anyway.
“Where ya headed?” Mugman asked.
“My room. Leave me alone,” Fanny said flatly.
Mugman narrowed his eyes. “I’ll wait for you.”
Fanny grit her teeth. “No, you can go home.”
Mugman’s brows flew up in surprise. “Wh—”
“It was all stupid. All of this. What was I thinking? Cussing waste,” Fanny growled. Mugman didn’t move. Fanny felt a spark of anger and spun on him. Suddenly, it was all too much. Why did it have to be like this? She dropped her box with a bang. Cups and pictures bounced out of the cardboard and scattered on the floor. “I said leave! Get out, you cussing idiot! I don’t need you anymore! Go! You’re such a damn eyesore! Sunblazing hell! No wonder no one can stand your stupid face!” Mugman lifted a hand, his mouth opened and closed. Fanny’s annoyance spiked further, as though he was the cause of all of Fanny’s hardships. “Cussing hell! Read my lips! Cussing leave! Tell your damn brother to jump off a bridge for all I care!” She spun around to march toward the stairs. A hand closed around her wrist. Fanny screeched at being touched. She whirled around to slap him, but he caught her arm easily. “Let go! Are you cussing insane! Let me go, you creep!”
“Fanny, I don’t think you mean that,” Mugman said. Holy cuss, he wasn’t phased by her struggling at all. Just how strong was this freak? He didn’t even seem bothered using his casted hand. He towered over her. “Look, you lost your job, right? Or something bad happened. Did Brute do it?”
“Let me go! Stop it!” Fanny leaned back, yanking at her arms uselessly.
“Promise you’ll listen to me, and I’ll let go,” Mugman said. He blinked. “Actually, promise not to hit me.”
“Cuss you!” Fanny snarled and tried to kick him. Mugman blocked with his own leg. “You cussing freak! You glass-faced jerk! You stupid, dumb, selfish, idiotic, c-cussing—” Fanny’s voice broke.
Mugman’s brows pulled together. His grip loosened, and Fanny yanked her hands free. “Fanny, it’s not your fault.”
“Cuss you! Y-You don’t know anything! Don’t you cussing pity me!” Fanny snarled as she started for the stairs again.
“Goin’ back ain’t gonna fix anything,” Mugman called after her. Cuss him! She went around the doorway. “He’s the problem, Fanny, not you. Not this time. If ya go back, you’re just lettin’ him win.”
That made her freeze on the first step. “What?”
“Of course, he’s gonna be a cusser,” Mugman’s voice drifted toward her. It didn’t sound like he was coming closer. “He’s ticked you’re gone. He can’t stand you makin’ your own choices. If he loses you, he loses to you. Cusser can’t stand that. He may even rather break you before he lets you win.”
Fanny took a step back to stare at Mugman in bewilderment. He knew? Had Vicious told him? Cuphead? Mugman glanced at her before he knelt down and started cleaning up some things that had spilled out of her box. “How the cuss could you know that?”
Mugman glanced up at her again before placing a child’s drawing on top of her other things. It had been a crude, rough drawing as a thank you from a special little girl. “I know. There are a lotta creeps like him in the world. Once ya know what ta look for . . . People who refuse to see you as a person. Folks that can’t handle their own little worlds challenged. Folks that’d rather make you into a villain or a monster before they’d ever make peace and move on.” Mugman picked up her box and offered it to her. “The best you can do is move on by yourself. Whatever the hell they do, that’s on them. You have to look out for you. Their problems ain’t your problems. You don’t owe them your life. What they do isn’t your responsibility or fault.”
Fanny blinked at him in a daze. She gingerly walked back to him and took back the box. She waited for him to bring up her harsh words from earlier or demand something. An explanation, maybe. Or an apology. Instead, he just smiled. “Are you stupid?” It slipped out before she could think better of it. Mugman’s smile slipped. Fanny shook her head. “No, I mean, I just cussing yelled at you. I tried to hit you. Why the hell are you being so cussing nice? That’s just . . . weird.” She couldn’t think of a better word for it. “You should be ticked.”
Mugman snorted. He chuckled, his shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. “Oh, you’d have ta try a lot harder ta tick me off. Remember, I grew up with Cuphead. Learnin’ ta figure out what the problem is without an explanation comes with the territory.” Mugman shrugged. “Vicious told me a little, and I just pieced together the rest. You said this mornin’ that Cup wouldn’t be upset if I helped ya, and you’re right. I wouldn’t’ve agreed so easily if I didn’t really believe that.” Mugman gave her a smile. “What you’re doin’ is brave, but it’s also scary. I know runnin’ away or goin’ back is temptin’, but you are doin’ the right thing here. It ain’t easy, but it’ll be worth it once everything is all over.” Mugman’s smile suddenly turned sly, and he looked all too much like Cup. “And if that means gettin’ yelled at as you work through all this, well, that ain’t the worst job I’ve had.”
Fanny scowled and turned away. Why did it feel like he was the type to keep score? Some sort of tally? Would he blackmail her later?
“Wher—”
“I’m going to go unpack,” Fanny refrained from snapping. “I need to think about what I should do next.”
Mugman blinked and nodded. “I’ll be here.”
Fanny sighed and nodded. Why did she feel like this one might be even more difficult to shake than the other? Was that even possible? Was Mugman the scarier brother? He certainly had some . . . surprising insight. Calling him a moron was a disservice. How the hell had he read her so completely? Was that a dish thing? Fanny shelved those thoughts for later.
“What the cuss was all that racket about,” Vicious said, hobbling from the storage in the back.
“Nothing, just Mugman pointing out how stupid I am,” Fanny admitted honestly. “I—I lost my job at the hospital. Brute. You were right.”
Vicious closed her mouth, scowling. “Damn wolf,” she muttered. “I should have taken him for every penny he had when I had the chance,” she spat.
Fanny shrugged. “It’s okay.” It was not. “I’m going to unpack this and then help around the shop.” She was not going to cry in front of Vicious. She’d kept the tears back so far. “Looks like you might get a full-time employee for a while.”
Vicious snorted. “Don’t think this means you’ll shorten your sentence,” she told Fanny gruffly before hobbling back out into the main area of the store.
“Of course not,” Fanny agreed dryly. She got to her room and emptied her meager box. Dovil was going to flip her feathers later. Fanny didn’t know who she’d be more worried about finding her. The violent, selfish wolf or the protective, impulsive bird. Dovil better not quit on some stupid principle. Those patients needed her.
The rabbit looked around the room and the lumpy bed. A mix of her things and Vicious’ decor, all in a bit of a mess with her carelessness.
Was it worth it? Was that even the right question to ask? She felt like it wasn’t, but then she didn’t know what to ask. Her mind went back to Cuphead and Mugman. Was Mugman in the same position as Cuphead? Something similar to her? How? It was still baffling.
Fanny found herself mindlessly working around the shop: organizing, decorating, selling, and cooking. Eventually, she started cleaning things that didn’t need cleaning. Mugman had helped with some heavy lifting, but mostly, he hung around the walls like a lurking coat rack with a scarf. Finally, Fanny found she’d exhausted all of the distractions she had in the shop. The rabbit couldn’t bring herself to put off what pressed the back of her mind anymore.
“I’m going out,” Fanny called up to the landing. She tugged the little jacket she had changed into closer. Most of the work for the day was done and, even if she had to live there, Fanny was not wearing that uniform a second longer than she had to. She didn’t really wait for Vicious to answer back as she opened the shop door. Mugman ghosted behind her like a shadow. Fanny fiddled with her bob a little, brushing her hair one way and then another. She needed to get it trimmed. It was threatening to be too long, and Fanny hated when her bangs started to get into her eyes.
“Where are we headed?” Mugman asked as he scanned the street casually.
Fanny watched him and contemplated lying. She still felt bad for taking her anger out on him earlier and resigned herself to sharing the awkward truth. She turned her eyes to the sidewalk ahead of her. “I’m going to Dr. Oddswell’s to apologize to your brother for being an absolute pill and the worst excuse of a friend on the face of this pathetic planet.” Fanny waited for a response and had to glance back when she didn’t get one. Mugman was studying her like one would look at a dog, trying to judge whether it would bite or not. “What?”
“Why?” Mugman asked.
“Why?” Fanny parroted incredulously.
“Why?” he repeated.
“The hell do you mean why?” Fanny demanded. “I owe him one. You wanted me to!” Mugman frowned. It was like she had just failed a cussing test. “What!” she demanded more heatedly.
“If you’re apologizin’ because you want his forgiveness and his help, I’d rather you didn’t. If that’s the case, you’ve done enough,” Mugman said in a tone that had Fanny’s fur bristling. Who the cuss did he think he was? Mugman continued before Fanny could snap. “Cuphead has been hurt enough and used enough for several lifetimes, and I don’t want to see him used again.” That took the fight right out of Fanny. “But if you are apologizin’ because you are genuinely sorry and regret what happened, I won’t stop you.”
Fanny blinked. “Why’s that?”
Mugman sighed. “Because Cuphead deserves some apologies for the stardust he’s been through and will never get them. I think it’d do him good to hear a real one.”
Fanny frowned. “You know you’re weird as cuss. How the hell can you tell if I’ll be genuine or not? Moonrocks! This is none of your business!”
Mugman smiled instead of getting offended. Somehow, that annoyed Fanny all the more. “Oh, I’ll know. As for it bein’ my business or not, well, I am nosy.” He said this with an uncaring shrug only a younger sibling could manage. “It’s rare that I can protect Cup. I ain’t lettin’ him get hurt when I can help it.”
The question was on the tip of her tongue. Protect Cuphead from what? Fanny doubted Mugman meant her. Not really. No, there was definitely more behind those words, but how far did Fanny want to go? How much could she know until she knew too much? They were already in her mess, but was she really willing to pull herself into theirs? Maybe someday. Maybe when she was feeling completely reckless and stupid. Not right now, though. She had to manage her own life falling apart first. That was more than enough at the moment. She didn’t want to get twisted up in mob things. Brute’s cussed-up friends were plenty. Fanny faced forward again. “I mean it. The apology. I don’t do it often, so—” She left the word to hang there between them.
A silence fell for a while. Bird song and traffic filled that space for a few heartbeats before Mugman replied. “I believe you, but don’t ever try that stardust on him again.”
Fanny felt a chill slowly slide down her spine all the way to her tail. It wasn’t said harshly or coldly. Maybe it would have been better if he had. It wasn’t a threat, just a warning. Yet there was some finality to it that could have easily been a brutal threat. Hell, it was more like a promise to some unimaginable end for her. It was a line that was drawn, and it was up to Fanny to never cross it. It was a good thing the rabbit never intended to do so. “I won’t,” Fanny murmured between numb lips.
“Good. I’m glad,” he said warmly. Fanny didn’t look back to see the smile she was sure matched that tone. Mugman was the scarier brother. Fanny decided that then and there.
Horrible mistakes of the past aside, the walk to Baker Street was pleasant and the fresh air did Fanny some good. Her thoughts and spiraling worries seemed to ebb away with every gust of spring air and breath of fresh flowers and new leaves. Fanny was so ready for warmer weather, even if that would bring a lot more rain. Rain could wash away problems, at least for a little while.
Luckily, today wasn't the day for rain. The sun shone down on them, glaringly bright. Fanny found herself pausing on the sidewalk. Oddswell’s house had a new frame, a skeleton of new wood and muscles of brick that were slowly reforming what flame had stripped away. It would still take many weeks before it could be lived in again. She’d almost all but forgotten about that. Cuphead didn’t really share much about the quest outside what the papers already had. What else didn’t she know?
Mugman turned away from her. Fanny perked her ears at him questioningly. “I ain’t goin’ in with you. Apologize ta Cup, I’ll figure out what ta do about the guard job. You just go say what ya gotta say. I’ll walk ya back when you’re ready.” He was headed to the back of the house next to Oddswell’s. Was he really going to sneak in through the back door?
Fanny clicked her tongue. Why was it all so complicated? Well, hopefully, this would help uncomplicate a few things at least. She adjusted her jacket and approached the front of the house. She knocked on the heavy wood door with her fist, ignoring the metal knocker. The door opened to a floral-patterned wall. Fanny blinked.
“Oh my, excuse me. Sorry.” A soft-spoken voice had Fanny looking up and up. An elephant woman smiled down at her with all the warmth of a slightly flustered mother. “We were just on our way out.” She held the brim of a tasteful sunhat that matched her floral dress and the purse she had looped over a shoulder.
It took a moment for Fanny to realize she had to go back down the stairs in order for there to be room for the elephant to get by without squishing her into the wall. There was no way Fanny could sidestep around this woman or the other way around. “Oh! Sorry. Yeah.” Fanny fumbled back and into the yard. The elephant woman stepped out, followed by an older elephant man and a youth. It was a little hard to tell with the wrinkles that came with being an elephant, but his smaller tusks helped in Fanny’s guessing. The older elephant turned back toward the doorway. “I should be back tomorrow, mid-day at the latest. You take care, Ginger.”
“You too, Albert. Send my regards to the rest of the family,” another voice called back. It wasn’t until the elephant had left the entrance that Fanny spotted the old gopher waving them off.
Albert tipped his hat at Fanny as he passed. “Madam.”
Fanny could only nod. How the hell had they all fit in that place?
“Hello, can I help you?” Fanny turned back around from the elephants to the gopher. She watched Fanny with that disarming smile that some old women had, nothing like Vicious. This old woman looked like her hugs could rival the warmest, softest blankets, and her goodies could cure any sorrows.
“Yes.” Fanny cleared her throat. “Is Cuphead around? I need to talk to him.”
A brow went up at the name, and the old gopher tapped her chin thoughtfully. She didn’t come down the stairs, making her tower over Fanny, who hadn’t moved out of the yard. “I think he’s in the backyard.”
“Can you get him? Please. It’s, um—It’s important,” Fanny asked. She didn’t really want an audience, and she had no idea how Cuphead would react to seeing her. He’d have every right to yell at her or tell her to take a hike off a short pier.
“Sure thing, deary. Come inside and have a cookie while I get him. Do you like lemonade?” the kind gopher asked.
“That’s okay, I don’t plan to stay long,” Fanny said. She climbed up the stairs and followed the old woman inside. She shut the door behind her and gawked at the home. The interior of the house was far more richly adorned than the outside. There was a chaotic mish-mash of chairs and couches, art of cars and fields, books and random nick-nacks. There was a television in one corner and a radio against the other wall of a sitting room. The stairs had a rich carpet going up them, and down the hall was a phone affixed to the wall. It was like someone went to an auction and bought whatever they fancied without a care if it matched. It nearly came off as tacky, but there were bubbles of hobbies here and there that made it all feel more lived-in and welcoming. A chessboard here, a half-finished puzzle there. A few different notebooks, papers, and books in the mix. A lost clock gear under the coffee table next to a couple playing cards.
Fanny supposed it’d feel cluttered if it wasn’t such a spacious area. There wasn’t a hint of dust on the shelves, and the only crumbs were on the huge plates. Fanny perched on the edge of the couch and gazed at the plates and bowls. They must have been the elephants’ doing, considering the size. The rabbit stacked the dishes so they’d be easier to carry but stopped there because she didn’t know where the kitchen was.
Fanny heard the back door open and the sound of the old gopher’s cane and shuffling steps on the carpet. The rabbit chewed her cheek in nerves as Mrs. Gopher came up the hall, a familiar dish man in tow. He spotted Fanny, and the rabbit stood up.
“Fanny,” Cup said. His expression was impassive and his tone was neutral.
“Cuphead.” Fanny gave a tiny nod. Stars, she wanted to combust. Why were apologies so hard?
There was a heartbeat of silence. Cuphead didn’t come any further into the room, and Fanny didn’t move to approach him. Hell, she was hiding behind the coffee table and comically large dishes that had been used as snack plates and cups. Mrs. Gopher stepped up to the table and took one of the stacks of dishes, halving Fanny’s defenses. “I’ll leave you two to talk. If you need any refreshments, I’ll be in the kitchen.” She smiled at Fanny and disappeared to the back half of the house.
“What’re you doin’ here? Is Vicious alright?” Cuphead pocketed his hands. He was as impassive as a stone wall. Fanny was surprised he wasn’t telling her to get out.
“She’s fine,” Fanny assured quickly. Now or never, Cottontail. Fanny took a deep breath and stepped around the table. “I came to apologize. What I did was stardust, and I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. It was cruel of me. Cussed up. I’m scum for it, and I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Cuphead blinked and slowly raised one eyebrow. Fanny was not used to this silent version of the glassface. “You walked all the way here to say that?” he asked and rubbed the back of his head.
Fanny nodded. “I should have come to say it sooner. I’m sorry. I didn’t think—Well, honestly, that’s it. I didn’t think, just assumed. I was an idiot and mean.”
Cuphead had gone back to silently studying her. Fanny fought the urge to fidget under that look. Or to lash out and snap defensively. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Fanny furrowed her brows.
Cuphead shrugged. “Okay, apology accepted. Tell Vicious I say hi. I’ll see ya around the shop sometime.” He turned as if to leave, and Fanny took a step forward.
“Wait. That’s it?” Fanny demanded. Cup glanced back at her. “Don’t you want an explanation? O-Or to yell at me? Something? I-I mean, I really hurt you.”
Cuphead tilted his head. A spark of confusion in his eyes. The first emotion he’d shown her. “Yeah? And I told you. I forgive you.”
“You shouldn’t! Not that easy.” Fanny frowned. “I should have to make it up to you or something.”
Cuphead snorted. He turned back to Fanny. “I ain’t Vicious, Fanny. If I want ta forgive ya, I’ll forgive ya. It doesn’t have ta be some big drama.” He tilted his head. His straw shifted with the movement. “But don’t misunderstand here. I can forgive ya, that don’t mean I trust ya anymore.”
That stung, but it still was kinder than she deserved, and she knew it. “B-But why?” Fanny nearly squeaked. “I’m awful! I did something terrible! You shouldn’t want to forgive me at all or ever talk to me again. You should tell me I’m a creep and a monster and the worst.”
Cuphead frowned. “Now, why the cuss should I do that?”
“Because I hurt you, you idiot!” Fanny snapped.
“Well, you apologized. I ain’t one for grovelin’ usually. Not with folks that don’t deserve it. What, are ya gonna do it again?” Cuphead challenged.
“No! Cuss no!” Fanny shook her head.
Cup smirked. “Well, now see? Problem solved.”
“You’re just going to believe me? Just like that?” Fanny gawked at him.
Cuphead shrugged. “Yeah. Pretty much. Deal with it, Cottontail. I got over it a while back, sounds like you still need to.”
“B-But. But. What about the trust? How can you forgive but not trust? How is that any different?” Fanny stared at him. “Are you stupid?”
“Maybe. Wouldn’t really be a surprise ta me.” Cuphead smiled. The cusser smiled like she hadn’t hurt him at all. She was offended on his behalf. “Look, Fanny. You apologized. That’s enough for me. You swear ya ain’t gonna do it again. Do that, and maybe we can still be friends again someday. If ya can earn my trust back. But fair warnin’, I don’t cussin’ trust easy, so you’re gonna have ta prove yourself.”
“I-I could hurt you again. Make a mistake or get angry. Something else or maybe even something worse,” Fanny warned. What the hell was she doing? “I could be lying and just want something from you.”
Cup’s smile disappeared. “True. That trust is gone, the friendship too, and we’ll be civil strangers. Unless ya push it. I ain’t a welcome mat.” Fanny shivered. Cup snorted. “Please,” he scoffed in a lighter tone. Now she felt annoyed at his easy dismissal. “I know ya wouldn’t do that. A mistake is fine. That’s normal. I could hurt you by accident, too, ya know. That’s the risk when it comes ta friends, right? Ya have ta trust they won’t and if they do, they apologize and don’t do it again. That’s like friendship one-oh-one, Fanny. Even I know that much.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t go makin’ it a mountain. Just prove that I can trust ya and you don’t wanna cuss with me, and everythin’ can be okay.”
Tears pricked at Fanny’s eyes and this time she couldn't blink them away. Her tears surprised the dish man. He took a step forward and dug into his pockets. “I’m a cuss-up! I just hurt people,” Fanny said.
“Me too.” Cup offered her a handkerchief.
“I’m not worth it!” Fanny sniffed.
“Me neither,” Cup said. “But folks tell me I’m worth it to them. I think you are, too. To a lot of people.”
“You shouldn’t be comforting me! You should hate me!” Fanny choked back a sob.
“Nah.” Cup smiled. “You cussed up. I do that too. Tryin’ ta be better, that’s good enough.”
“You’re an idiot.” Fanny bowed her head.
“I missed you too,” Cup said.
“I left Brute,” Fanny said around a stuffy nose. “And he got me fired from my job.”
“. . . What?” His tone dropped.
Oh, stars. This wasn’t going to be as short as she thought it would. Still, it was nice to finally let it all out.