Work Text:
Shrimpo’s POV:
I looked away for a moment, just a few seconds and he was..gone. Ripped apart by the jaws of a Twisted.
My heart raced, it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I held onto the elevator door, hoping it’d open up and I get the chance to see him once more.
But I knew that wouldn’t happening.
Why am I even crying? He was being so stupid and stubborn to be at the elevator yet my heart aches for him.
“Shrimpo?” Someone called out, I didn’t bother looking at whoever called for me. My breath hitched as the person placed their hand on my shoulder.
“Get..OFF OF ME!!” I shouted as I pushed the person off their feet, it was Cosmo who tried comforting me. My breathing quickened with fear and anger.
Realizing what I had done, I squatted down to my knees and began crying once more.
“Itsallmyfault..itsallmyfault..,
It’s all my fault!”
—————————
‘I still remember the beginning of the day, how I admired him from afar as he made his way towards our group.’
“Heya Shrimpo! It’s reel-ly nice for you to come aboard on the run this time around!” Finn happily greeted and made his way towards me.
“I HATE YOUR PUNS! Let’s just get this over with!” Folding my arms across my chest with annoyance, Finn and I walked side by side as we made our way towards the elevator for our scheduled run.
Stepping inside, I sighed with annoyance. Why should I go down to the dark depths with OTHERS? I’d rather be anywhere else than THERE!!
I spoke inside my head as Finn ranted about his “fun” fish facts. Some jokes he makes does put a smile on my face BUT ONLY WHEN ITS JUST US ALONE! I have to, no MUST, keep my tough persona up or else I’d be seen as weak.
As the elevator made its way down, the sound of the lightbulb buzzing played through my antennas. It irritated me occasionally,
Once the door opened, everyone rushed out to do their part.
Finn was near me the entire time to “protect” me, I CAN DO THAT MYSELF BUT SURE WHATEVER. As I did nearby machines, Finn continued yapping about his stupid facts.
…
Everything was going smooth, everyone had enough hearts, excluding Finn because he kept getting hit due to him taking the Twisteds off of me so he was down to his last life.
After a few floors, things began to get worse with both our team and the twisteds. Looey was, ridiculously, getting hurt a handful of times to which prevented Cosmo from healing Finn.
A unsettling feeling brewed in my head as if something terrible will pass through the run. I brushed the feeling off, I’ll just have to keep my head up for anything.
I hadn’t noticed how quiet and focused I was being while working on a machine until Finn’s voice came through my thoughts.
“Hey you seem more clam-er today, cat-fish got ya tongue?” Finn leaned over me, giggling to himself from his fishy jokes. I sighed heavily, being honest I was too overwhelmed with the run to even think straightly about reality.
“How about you worry about yourself, fish-for-brains!” I hissed out loud at Finn, I couldn’t risk my title of being a bully by being vulnerable infront of anyone.
Once the machine finished filling up I, roughly, pushed Finn away from me and made my way back towards the elevator thinking Finn was beside me.
Upon arrival, I sensed the sudden shift in my environment as if I were alone. Trusting my instincts, I turned around and noticed Finn to be nowhere in sight.
“Great. Where did the water-head go now??” I, annoyingly, groaned out while spinning a full circle to check if Finn was close by but to my shock he wasn’t at all.
My mind raced with thoughts; ‘Where could he have gone off?, Why did he leave my side?’ He knew someone was already on the last machine so why did he go back out there instead of coming towards the elevator, especially on his last life?
As if on cue, the elevator opened loudly right behind me. I quickly walked inside the elevator and waited for everyone to enter as well.
I noticed most toon were making their way towards the elevator and safety entering beside me.
First came me-of course-, Vee, a couple of other people, Cosmo then finally Looey since he assumed everyone was in the elevator.
Finn wasn’t inside still and there was 15 seconds until the elevator door closes.
“Hey where’s Finn? I could have sworn I saw him with Shrimpo.” One called out, “Yeah me too, probably just running late is all.” Another calmly explained.
I payed no attention towards who spoke, my main focus was where the hell Finn was.
Everyone lowered their voices as the bark of Pebble echoed across the room, seems like Finn was being chased by him.
I quickly turned my head and pushed everyone away until I made it to the front of the elevator. My heart sank upon seeing Finn sprint his way towards the elevator with Twisted Pebble behind his tail.
‘Surely (shore-ly) he’d make it on time or atleast not get caught-‘
*Crunch*
Everyone gasped, including me. My hands shook in anger.
Finn screamed in full agony but was silenced as the Twisted torn his legs off of him and dropped Finn to the floor like a dog toy.
He fell limp, but still conscious, onto the floor under Twisted Pebble’s jaw. He, with all his strength, gazed up at me as he weakly smiled, his missing tooth still visible even from a distance.
I, uselessly, raised my hand up as if Finn were able to grab it.
The elevator door shut quickly, leaving him behind yet the image of Finn’s body still visible in my mind. My breathing quickened, not from sadness but from pure regret and anger.
My hands clenched tightly beside me, tears began building up, I couldn’t think straight. It happened so fast for me to say anything to him directly.
Someone called out my name but I couldn’t give any fucks about them until they mistakenly placed their hand on top of my shoulder.
From my instincts, I, roughly, pushed whoever was trying to comfort me off their feet. “Get..OFF OF ME!” I shouted out.
I fully turned towards whoever I pushed while trying to recover my eye sight.
When my eyes cleared up, Cosmo was on the floor with one hand on the side of his head and the other in Boxten’s hand.
I needed Finn’s comfort not Cosmo’s.
But after realizing what I had done to Cosmo, tears began flowing down my cheeks. I shouldn’t be seen like this but that didn’t stop me from crying in front of the others.
I squeezed my eyes shut and squatted down to my knees as I sobbed. My mind raced with harsh words towards myself.
“It’s my fault he’s dead..it’s my fault.” I spoke softly, feeling everyone’s eyes hover over me.
“It’s all MY fault!” …
“I think we should head up now..” Glisten called out while others agreed.
——————
*BONUS ENDING!*
No one’s POV:
The next day rolled around, there weren’t any runs scheduled so it was considered a free day.
Shrimpo, as usual, sat away from the others under Gardenview’s lobby tree. He sat there with a lot in mind, he also was waiting for someone.
He sat and thought, ‘Where the hell is he?’.
All those thoughts disappeared when he noticed a familiar-fishy-toon make his way towards him.
“Shrimpo! Fish-buddy, I missed you!” Finn happily skipped his way to Shrimpo.
“Whatever man I didn’t miss you one bit!” Shrimpo blurted out as he crossed his arms around himself, pouting angrily while looking away from Finn.
He had hoped Finn didn’t know what had happened after his death but..
“So I heard from the kelp-vine that you were crying when I died, is that true?” He grinned happily while leaning into Shrimpo.
Shrimpo grew hot as he, not too hard, punched Finn’s shoulder in an attempt to push him away from his comfort zone. “WHO TOLD YOU THAT FISH-FOR-BRAINS?”
“I won’t tell!~ But I’m sorry I died like that infront of you and the others, my mistake of course! Finn threw his hands up and waved them around as he told his apology.
“Just don’t pull that move again or I swear to DELILAH I’LL KILL YOU MYSELF!”
“Sure buddy..shore.”