Chapter Text
It had been three nights since Mothman had admitted to Horrorvale that he was a lying fraud who had put everyone in danger. Three nights since his life got ruined completely.
It hadn’t gone well, but that was to be expected. Of course no one would like that they were going to be used as engine food so some bounty hunter could be famous! But at least Mothman still had his crew. And he had… Webs.
Which was a surprise, to be honest. Mothman had thought that Webs would want nothing to do with him besides rub it in his face that he was better than him. And he was right to. Mothman KNEW Webs was better than him. It had been obvious ever since he realized he had been an idiot for working with the aliens. He messed up big time.
So imagine his confusion when Webs offered to have a drink with him. Even after everything he had done. Mothman had agreed, so here they were, sitting together at the bar in the Bone Zone.
It was awkward. Of course it was. They had been rivals for so long and hated each other's guts that now this… this friendliness… It just felt odd.
“So ah… what have ye been up to?” Webs asks, trying to break the silence between them.
“Nothing much,” Mothman replies, setting down his drink. “I haven’t really left my house except for work.”
“Oh, okay.”
There’s another pause between them. As if this entire night hadn’t been awkward pauses.
Mothman wonders what he should say. Maybe something about their current confusing thoughts on each other.
“Is this you wanting to… put aside our rivalry or something? Be friends?” he asks.
Webs inhales sharply, and takes a big sip of some of his drink. “Somewhat. I’m still mad at ye for what ye did, but I can see that yer tryin’ to… what’s the word? Repay? Repent? Whatever. Yer tryin’ to be better.”
“Yeah.” He leaves it at that, even though there’s more he’d like to say. Such as why Webs was giving him another chance, after how he treated him.
Maybe he should be grateful about this second chance and not question it. Hopefully he wouldn’t mess up again-
…Why was he so concerned about wanting to be friends with Webs anyway? Just a week ago he had thought of him as a drunken idiot who was a sorry excuse of a bounty hunter.
He had thought of himself as so, so much better than him. The better bounty hunter, who everyone adored. Who was never supposed to mess up. And Webs and Alice’s team were that thorn in his side that just wouldn’t go away, who kept ruining things.
A lot had changed in just one night.
“Oi! Fuzzball! Hello?” Webs says loudly, snapping Mothman out of whatever thoughts he had.
“Huh? What?” Mothman blinks. Oh yeah. He was in the middle of a conversation.
“You zoned out fer a minute there,” Webs says.
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff,” Mothman mumbles. “Nothing important.”
Webs looks like he doubts that, but he doesn’t press for more answers.
“So. Officially no longer rivals, then?” Mothman offers. “You’re the better one. No question about it anymore.”
“Aw, stop fluffin’ up my ego like that,” Webs says, waving a paw dismissively. “But sure. No longer rivals.”
Webs holds out a paw for Mothman to shake it, who just kind of awkwardly puts his wing in Web’s palm. Sure. That’ll work.
No longer rivals.
Mothman had gone home after that as the sunrise started, back to his house where he had been spending most of his nights. He set his crossbow down on its stand, and went over to his nest, flopping down into it and staring at the ceiling.
More thinking. Like he needed that. All he’d been doing was thinking about what an asshole he’d been. Does he really need to repeat it again? Webs was still giving him a chance, and he was so confused as to why.
He doesn’t deserve this.
He so, so doesn’t deserve how forgiving everyone is. What does Webs even see in him besides a selfish idiot? Why would he ever want to spend time with him?
And why does Mothman want to spend time with him? He thinks back to earlier, what he thought at the bar. These feelings about wanting to be his friend, they were very new and very confusing, about wanting to spend time with him, hear him laugh, be close to him-
WOah woah woah woah where did those thoughts come from??? Mothman sits bolt upright, a look of confusion on his face. What. WHAT. No. No ABSOLUTELY NOT. He CANNOT be getting feelings for death-damned WEBS MCGREGOR. Out of ALL undead!
Mothman buries his face in his wings. No no no no no this cannot be happening to him!!!
Maybe if he ignores it it’ll go away. These feelings. These unwanted and embarrassing feelings.
Well. Mothman takes a deep breath. Maybe he’s in luck. He’s pretty sure Webs is more into women from what he’s seen. Maybe he won't have to worry about this at all. Or it’ll just make the yearning worse.
Maybe it will be fine! Maybe! Maybe he won’t have to worry at all!
That’s a lot of “maybe’s”.
Meanwhile, Webs was walking home from the Bone Zone, back to his own little home sweet home.
That went… well? Ish?
Webs unlocks the door to the stump, going inside and shutting it behind him. He walks through the dirt passageways until he reaches his underground house, sitting down at the table immediately.
Now what. The past few days had felt too normal. Going around doing regular bounty work, spending time at the bar, it was too normal. Sure, it was good to sit down and relax and not have his friends or home be in death-threatening danger, but the adventures were exciting!
That and it felt weird to be friendly with Mothman. That feathery prick. Well. He can’t really think that anymore, he can see the poor guy is trying so hard to be a better person. He doesn’t want to abandon him to fend for himself. Yeah, he has his crew, but even with them it’s probably tense because of the whole ditching them to be captured thing.
Webs takes off his hat, and then leans on the table. Now then, he can’t go getting attached to Mothman of all undead. It would be best to take this non-rivals thing slow, right? One of them would probably mess up if they aren’t careful, and he doesn’t want that.
And why exactly does he not want that?
“Why do I care about the opinion of some frilly ninny?” he says outloud. “He’s a cowardly idiot who's trying to be better. I shouldn’t care this much.”
Yet he does.
Funny how this is working out, isn’t it?