Work Text:
A rusty can was kicked down the street, the metal clattering against concrete each step of the way. The black paw that kicked it followed behind, sending it further and further away from where it once lay. It was odd for there to be a can on the sidewalk, even weirder it must have faced harsh enough conditions to rust, but there was no thought given to how or why it was present. The rabbit who sent it flying over and over needed something to relieve his frustration and anger and that was the only thing around. He could have taken his anger out on the cause, but he decided against it. For the sake of his reputation and social life he bit his tongue and solemnly walked all the way home by himself. Occasional mutterings were made but nothing more than remarks about his so called friends and family.
“Goes to show how much people care…”
CLANK!
“Soon as you’re no longer working nobody will bat an eye towards you after that”
CLANK!
“Ungrateful bastards… they should be lucky I'm still around and in their lives!”
CLANK!
With a few more minutes filled with laments of his anger and the continued metallic noise, he arrived home. A quaint little house sandwiched in-between two others dead in the middle of a block awaited him. It was his little slice of heaven amongst the bitter world that constantly turned his back on him, a sanctuary filled with memorabilia of his prime as well as home to one another.
“Hay Felix!” He shouted as he entered “Ya left the door open again!”
After a few seconds a voice responded from down the hall, the high pitched tone making the rabbit’s ears twitch “Mmmph! Sorry about that Oz, kinda just wanted to take my boots off as soon as possible, how'd it go?”
Oswald let out a long drawn out sigh as he hopped onto the couch. He practically melted the way he sunk into the cushion, body spreading out across the entirety of it. He didn't respond but made an audible grumble, giving the cat all the info he needed.
“I'm sorry to hear that dear, you ever try and just tellin’ ‘em it's your birthday?”
“But they should know! Already!” the buck yelled as he threw himself forward and buried his face into his palms. A small squeak came out of his lips shortly before talking again, this time his voice a lot more shaky “How hard is it to look up a date!? I didn't know half of their birthdays’, but I managed to do a quick Google search and find out!” He squeaked again, this time drawing it out into a whine “Do they just not care?...”
By this point Felix had taken off his work shoes and made his way into the living room. It already hurt to hear his partner be on the verge of tears but to see him actively was a hell of a lot worse. Every year it happened, a constant despite the increasing number the rabbit racked up when it came to his age. September 5th would roll around, Oswald would get really excited, go hang out with his friends and singular family member, and they would never bring up his birthday. Granted he didn't tell them his birthday, but he did have some sort of point. They were toons, famous ones at that. People had documented so much of their lives with or without consent and their birthday was public knowledge, so much so that even random people would wish them a happy birthday just because they were fans. Oswald didn't have that luxury though. He was nearly 100—98 to be exact—and the spotlight that had shone so bright down upon him had long since shattered, nobody seeming to care other than the one he shared his life with.
With a small sigh, Felix kissed Oswald on the cheek. He remained silent as he brought him into a hug, the only sound present was the whines' of the rabbit and the increasing purr from Felix’s throat. It vibrated through him and to his partner, the gentle sensation enough to soothe his sadness and uncover his eyes.
“I love you” he said with a sniffle “I'm sorry, I don't know why this always gets to me…”
“Ain't a thing to say sorry for Oz, who wouldn't be mad nobody even thought to check when you were born?” Felix pressed Oswald into the crook of his neck, holding him there to let the vibrations continue to soothe “I love you too”
He kissed him, this time pulling his face back to secure a proper smooch on the lips. It wasn't for very long and Oswald barely even realized it happened, but after seeing the cat so tenderly look at him he kissed back. Both shared the same look of adoration for one and another before returning to what they would usually do on rough nights either one would have. It was nothing special but both found peace in simply relaxing on the sofa watching TV, one sitting normal while the other laid down with their head in their love’s lap. It wasn't what the rabbit had planned for his birthday, but it was certainly what he needed. An entire afternoon and subsequent night watching TV, both taking turns changing the channel every so often until they landed on something they both enjoyed. Old reruns of the twilight zone played quietly on the screen while they shared the warmth of each other's touch. Gentle hands caressed the rabbit’s long ears and a deep purr resonated through the cat, starting at his legs until it crept upwards to the point he could feel it in his chest.
As the night progressed and both drew tired Felix’s mind wandered on what he could do. He was comforting the love of his life and being the best boyfriend he could be, but that still felt like not enough. Just telling everyone who knew Ozzie it was his birthday recently and they should do something felt sort of disingenuous. He had to find a way to remedy the mistake everyone made some way or another, let the rabbit know he was loved. Maybe even go as far as doing something reminiscent of the past, “the glory days” as the buck put it. For now he decided to just get some rest, push those thoughts aside and appreciate the rabbit cuddled up to him. He soon drifted off to sleep followed right behind by Oswald who had little cartoon Zs float above his head. Both were content for now in each others’ warm embrace, their love being the only thing they needed to keep each other warm in the nights that began to grow cold. Black fur that recently grew thick due to winter also helped, but it was mainly their love.
The following day was sad. Perhaps not as sad as the previous, nonetheless a gloomy cloud hung over both toons. Felix had to go back to work meanwhile Oswald lingered on the couch, the only drop of joy the brief moment when Felix kissed him goodbye before leaving. Both usually worked during the day and would reunite in the evening, since a layoff happened Oswald had taken a more domestic role. It wasn't ideal and it bugged him greatly, making him feel useless while his partner worked, but Felix assured him it was okay. Things needed to be cleaned, dishes couldn't be left to rot in the sink, and things constantly broke around the house but with the jack-rabbit of all trades around they all were taken care of. After it was all taken care of there wasn't much left to do sadly. A majority of his day was spent moping around, waiting for Felix to arrive back. When that time finally came the cat burst through the door, much more eager than usual to see his partner.
“Oz! I got the idea of a lifetime” He exclaimed, hanging up a hat he never actually wore and dashing for their bedroom “Hurry up and put your shoes on”
Oswald sat up, puzzled “Wha-... You… you mean my shoes I haven't wore since the 40s?”
“Righty-O!”
Oswald looked on in disbelief and made his way down the hall “Felix can ya tell me what exactly is going on? What are you planning”
When the buck turned the corner he stood in confusion seeing Felix wear clothes. For work the cat was only required to wear a pair of boots, but there he stood in an outfit Oswald had never seen before. His steel-toe boots were swapped out for a pair of more casual ones, still rather bulky on his black paws but less of an eyesore with the way they matched with the pants he wore, slightly baggy jeans with several old stains on them. He still lacked a shirt but on his torso was a black jacket with several different pockets which he promptly zipped up, covering his furry chest. Felix didn't seem to think anything of his look but his boyfriend had the exact opposite reaction, making his opinion very apparent.
“You look ridiculous” he put bluntly.
The cat didn't pay him no mind and pulled out his magic bag, retrieving a headlight from it and slapping the band around onto his head.
“call it whatever you want, I call it safety!”
“Safety for what?”
“Urban exploring of course!”
“...” Oswald blinked “Urban– what?”
Felix rolled his eyes “Exploring, ya dope!” he reached back into the closet and pulled out Oswald's old pair of shoes, dust practically ingrained into the soles “I heard something on the radio on my way to work and on the way back I figured since you had a crummy birthday, why not go on an adventure to cheer ya up! Like old times, ya know?”
Oswald grabbed the shoes and scratched his head “And your idea of an adventure is exploding an abandoned building?”
“Not just any abandoned building—an abandoned building where there's been 17 reports of people going missing!”
“...”
Oswald stood in stunned silence. He struggled to believe what he was both hearing and seeing. Even after Felix threw him his old pair of grey overalls he still was frozen, the clothing covering his face. The cat noticed and walked over, raising an eyebrow curiously.
“Uhh… Oz?” he waved a hand in front of the buck “You good?”
Oswald pulled the overalls off his face, a deep frown now present “If you wanted to breakup you could have just told me instead of doing a whole murder plot”
The cat scoffed “If I wanted ya dead it would have been when we were competitors, do you really think I'd wait 90 years and become your boyfriend to do it?”
“Well what am I supposed to think!? You're suggesting we go out to some abandoned building–”
Felix raised a finger “an abandoned mall to be exact”
“THAT'S NOT ANY BETTER!”
The yell pinned the cat’s ears against his head and he flinched backwards. A ring was present in his sensitive hearing and with one last look at himself and the safety gear he put on, he dropped it. The jacket was thrown to the ground, boots kicked off, and pants came undone with one quick huff. Oswald stepped back and placed a hand in front of his mouth, wincing as he soon heard the loud clatter of the magic bag hitting the ground.
“Felix… I– I’m sorry for yelling, but–”
“No, no, it's fine” he said coldly “stupid idea, I get it, don't worry”
“That's not what I mean–” Oswald stopped, wincing again as the cat got into bed, his back towards him “...” He looked towards all the gear on the floor and let out a sigh. “Listen, I'm sorry I just… I'm not really the most eager when it comes to adventure as you are”
“Exactly, it was stupid idea”
Oswald crawled into bed next to the cat. His ears drooped low in front of his face and he stared intently at his boyfriend, trying to measure body language in the place of an indifferent tone. When nothing was given he moved in and nudged Felix with his snout. No reaction was given the first couple times but as it grew irksome the cat’s tail flicked in annoyance, a low yowl soon followed. The rabbit didn't stop despite the warning and grew more bold, full blown nuzzling to make amends. He purred and that yowl faded in time with the anger, only deciding to speak when he heard his love groan.
“Are you mad?” he asked, ears still drooped.
“... No” Felix responded, finally flipping over onto his back “I'm just whining because I didn't step back and think for two seconds”
“Oh come on, it's not that bad, coulda’ been worse” he leaned down and kissed his boyfriend “It’s fine dear, I'm just tryin to figure out why on earth would you wanna go urban exploring of all things? ESPECIALLY as something to do for my birthday? Couldn't you just—oh I don't know—went out and bought a cake at the dollar store?”
“I thought about that but when I heard talks about this creepy place it reminded me back when were young” Felix sat up and placed his head in his palms “I kinda missed getting into trouble and chaos wherever we could, so I thought maybe for your birthday we could do something similar in case you missed it too, nostalgia and all that”
Oswald pulled back facepalmed “Oh dear animators…”
“What's it this time? Am I being too sappy?”
He shook his head “no, you're just making me feel like a jerk right now…”
With a snicker Felix wrapped his arm around the rabbit and kissed him, snickering once more upon seeing that white face flash black “Don't force yourself to do something just because it's got a little thought behind it, it wasn't just me throwing a hissy fit when I said it was stupid”
“It's not that bad of an idea, I'd be more willing to go if it wasn't for the whole missing person thing…” He said, continuing to bounce the idea around in his head. For what it's worth he didn't hate it, now that he knew the intent it was downright sweet. He deliberated on it for a bit before looking down at the pile of haphazardly thrown clothes, somehow that being the deciding factor “If we go wearing all that stuff isn't a necessity… right?”
The cat gave a half-nod half-shake of his head “ehhhh… it's for safety and all that? Abandoned buildings tend to have stuff on the ground you don't wanna step on or chemicals around you don't wanna get on you”
“Felix, we're cartoons…” he said, grabbing a hold of his head and popping it off like a lego “Ya really think we need all that to be safe? We're practically rubber”
“it's better to be safe than sorry” Felix grabbed his boyfriend's head and placed it back onto the vacant space where it once was. With a small slap it spun around on the rabbits’ neck, twirling around until it screwed itself back on his shoulders. “you're probably right about it being ridiculous though…”
The buck kissed his boyfriend and giggled “Thanks Tommy, now are we gonna do this today or–?”
“Yup! No better time like the present”
With that Felix hopped off the bed and scooped up his magic bag by the handle. It was the only piece of safety gear he needed. It had all sorts of items in it, most he couldn't remember, but he was sure out of all things it would come in handy. Oswald never really liked the bag, finding its appearance quite tacky, but it was Felix’s thing and he never said anything. He didn't have an eye for fashion much better than the cat either as before following his boyfriend he stopped to look at the pair of overalls there on the floor. He had phased out of them fairly fast but they were nonetheless a priceless relic in his eyes, a symbol of where he started nearly a century ago. Even if outdated.
Outside their small home their small car rumbled to life. With plans to go out almost immediately after getting home Felix had left the keys in the ignition. In hindsight it wasn't the smartest idea but nothing happened so no harm no foul. To his surprise Oswald didn't immediately follow nor was he there after a few seconds. It took a good couple minutes before the rabbit finally hopped out the door, wearing his pair of baggy grey overalls that were only held up by a singular button strap.
“I thought you said wearing clothes was ridiculous?” He remarked, opening the door for his boyfriend.
Oswald wagged his finger “no, I said you look ridiculous” he climbed in and shut the door behind him “I think I look quite well in this”
Felix’s eyes focused on the little black ball of fluff between the buck and the seat. It wagged from side to side softly, not enough where it was obvious but certainly enough to show excitement.
“Mhm… you ”
The wagging increased, now completely obvious.
It was like this the entire car ride. The very long and somewhat boring car ride. Turns out the mall was way farther out then either expected, according to the map app Oswald fumbled around with—much to his boyfriend's detest—it would be a 3 mile drive until they reached the area where the city ended and forest began, and another 8 until they were at the old mall. Rumors regarding the mall slipped in-between their casual talk and playful arguing/flirting, it doing nothing but adding more mystery to location. For starters it's very odd placement in the middle of nowhere stemmed from some attempt to expand inwards, start off with the mall on the edge and then add more buildings on the way back. This plan never came to fruition as it was too costly and the entire project was scrapped right as it was about to finish construction, leaving the old mall abandoned in the middle of the woods. People naturally found an abandoned mall in the middle of the woods alluring and set off to explore, just like the two of them, however there's been countless cases of people going missing there. Rumors of all types circled the area, some believing it was home to some serial killer, others believing it was a go to spot to end one’s own life. None of them could be proven but they couldn't be debunked either, police investigation of the area only ever found an abandoned mall with zero signs of those who disappeared.
Their talk came to a head when they arrived in a rundown parking lot, potholes and cracks engraved into the pavement after years of facing harsh weather made the drive in bumpy. Face to face with the mall the buck found it strange, and now with the sun nearly below the horizon downright creepy. It was a sizable stone building with boarded up glass windows, most broken with only the cracked fragments jutting out in the frame giving it a look as if several jagged mouths lined the outside. Surprisingly, he wasn't deterred. It did truly remind him of him and Felix’s older days back when they would do all sorts of stuff like staying in an abandoned mansion just for a dare. The creepiness wasn't any more intimidating than anything he ever did before and got out of the car without a second thought, watching his boyfriend's reaction.
“Woah! This place is worse than they described” Felix chuckled and got out, briskly walking towards the entrance “I gotta work tomorrow so we can't stay too long, maybe 3 hours at the most”
Oswald struggled to keep up, constantly having to readjust his overalls as he ran “Mgh! Wha- what are we gonna do for 3 hours?”
Felix shrugged “I dunno? This place is massive! There could be some cool stuff in here”
“Thought you said it shut down right before it opened?”
He nodded “Yeah, right before it opened, meaning stores would have already been set up wouldn't they?”
“I… I guess?”
The two found out for themselves as they stepped through an empty sliding glass door. Someone had clearly been there before them as all the shards had been swept to the side, making a perfect entryway for them to go inside. A giant banner hung above the entryway reading “Dirt Mall! Grand opening!”, an odd name for a mall but one neither bat an eye at. They were too preoccupied by figuring out where to go, the entire place massive with even a skylight visible above main plaza, the last shreds of daylight finally disappearing.
“Time?” Felix asked, rummaging around in his bag.
Oswald pulled out his phone from his overalls “9:26”
“Huh, longer drive then I thought” Felix retrieved a flashlight and lended it over to Oswald “Turn it off, don't waste your battery in case something happens.
He grabbed the flashlight but stopped upon hearing the last part, raising an eyebrow curiously Oswald asked “You scared there's actually something here?”
Felix dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand “pfftt, don't kid yourself” he closed the bag and began to walk towards an abandoned kiosk “I'm not scared there's something here, I'm scared that the here is home to some sorta structural damage”
“Structural damage?”
“Yeah? Why else would this place get closed right before opening? The only logical reason is it ain't safe to have so many people in one area, could cause a sinkhole or something” the cat grabbed through pamphlets on a rack, opening it up he flipped a few pages on one before tossing it to the floor. As he opened up another he mumbled under his breath “your fat butt alone could open up a sinkhole probably…”
The pamphlets were suddenly yanked from his hands. He apparently didn't mumble quiet enough as Oswald stared him down, ears half limp, and a nasty scowl present on his face.
“I heard that” he said, tapping his foot against the floor.
In response Felix rolled his eyes and sauntered over, tail flaunting behind him. He stopped right behind Oswald and wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. At first the rabbit thought this was an attempt to soothe him but soon goosebumps covered his body proving otherwise. Black furry hands moved from his waist downwards, zoning in on his hips. He shivered but didn't push or shove away, the sensation of fingers combing through his fur made him gasp. His heart raced and soon he melted into the touch, pushing back into Felix’s hands. A whisper tickled his long ears, one specifically feeling pointy teeth graze it.
“I think ya misunderstood ” Felix growled out, mouth closed around the small bit of skin his fangs caught “I never said it was a bad thing”
A loud yelp echoed throughout the entire mall. Hands which once were tender turned harsh, grabbing a hold of his behind and squeezing. Felix immediately let go upon seeing Oswald pull away, the poor flustered rabbit’s face as dark as their surroundings. With a snicker, he walked past his boyfriend and scooped up a specific pamphlet.
Oswald took a second to recover, rubbing his rear end until it no longer hurt “Did ya really just insult me just to do that?”
“Wouldn't have done it if you didn't like it” he remarked.
“And how do you know I liked it?”
Felix stopped and pointed towards his boyfriend's tail “The puffball doesn't lie”
With a quick glance back, Oswald fell silent. He couldn't think of any retort and followed, making sure to put a hand over his butt to cover the insistent excitement. Excitement soon faded and confusion found its way in the deeper they went into the mall. Felix had found a map detailing all the current open stores as well as the locations of future ones that should be there a few weeks after the would be opening. Metal shutter doors covering presumably empty rooms were all that were there of the stores that never came to be. The few that were both present and open had already been ransacked, the explorers before them already taking whatever goods were there and scattering the rest across the floor. The mall was in all honestly rather boring and with nothing to find or do they were prepared to just skedaddle fast and appreciate the neat experience. By complete chance something had caught Oswald’s eye making him stop, a small store at the very end of the mall drawing him near. Eyes that weren't as well adjusted to the dark as his boyfriend's struggled to tell what was on the sign, a raise of his flashlight told him all that he needed and his pupils widened.
“Fe-Fe-Fe-Felix…” he stuttered as he pulled on his boyfriend's shoulder.
Felix stopped and raised an eyebrow “Huh? What is-” his eyes followed the beam upwards “... It…”
They turned to each other as if making sure this was real and neither a dream. Both leaned over and nipped each other on their ears, a small strike of pain confirming their reality. They definitely weren't dreaming and had found the jackpot for two people of their age, an entire store dedicated to records and vinyls. Both feared if the place was gotten to first and hurried inside, not after a quick check to make sure no blood was drawn of course. Black fur was still unstained; they set off and had all their hopes come true. Unlike the rest of the stores this one was completely untouched, as far as they could tell at least. Records all with different colored sleeves lined the walls and sat pristine on racks, just practically asking to be taken. Felix didn't even bother to look on what was what and just started stuffing things in his magic bag haphazardly, the unlimited space the perfect storage unit for whatever he could get his hands on. Oswald was the complete opposite, taking his time in flipping through the records to look for any he didn't have. There was a lot of generic stuff which he breezed by but as he went from group to group he started to notice how all the sleeves were pristine. Not a speck of dust was on any of them and that wasn't just strange, it was downright abnormal for something that had been abandoned for so long.
“Felix… shouldn't these be a lot more dirty?”
The cat stopped his blatant thievery and spun around, hands filled with an entire stack “whaddya mean?”
Oswald pulled one off the very top of Felix's pile and pointed to it “Dust grows on things that set still for too long unless someone specifically cleans it off, none of these are dusty”
“...” Felix sat the pile down and dragged a finger across the side, rubbing it with his thumb he found it squeaky clean “I… I uhh… I didn't noticed” he scratched his head and looked around “Weird…”
Whatever good mood they were in vanished in an instant. The creepiness of standing around in an abandoned mall where people went missing had finally dawned on them, the dark of the night only making it worse. Paranoia took root and while Felix was just plain confused, Oswald's prey instincts had him eyeing his surroundings as his heart rate picked up. Shadows danced around his vision and the beam of his light, shapes around him turned into horrid monsters until light revealed them as things as simple as a small CD stand. Felix picked up on this anxiety and stepped closer, nearly pressing his body against the rabbit.
“You okay, Oz?” He asked.
“Yeah… I'm… I'm fine” Oswald grabbed his boyfriend's hand and crept towards the exit “Let's… let's just get outta here, it's getting late anyways”
“I'm with you on that, I got a few things anyways so it wasn't a total bust” he shuddered, a cold chill running down his spine as an image ran through his head “and the creepy mascot in the store made me wanna leave anyhow”
Oswald raised an eyebrow “What mascot?”
“the one standing behind the counter, it was a statue or something” Felix gestured behind him “If you didn't see go take a quick look, I dunno if it's a dog, a bear, or what”
Oswald stopped dead in his tracks and leaned over to look, not remembering a mascot, statue, or whatever of the sorts. Sure enough there was nothing there, just like he remembered. Behind the counter was an empty space that he pointed out clearly with the beam of his light. Both stared in perplexion at the empty space and it was only a low static growl behind them that made them come to the same conclusion. There wasn't a statue. There never was a statue. What Felix saw standing behind the counter was the very face that stood towering behind the two toons. They heard the growl but dared not move, body’s frozen with fear at the hot breath washing down onto them. It smelled like rotting flesh and decay and with shaky hands Oswald was the first to brave whatever was there, turning his head upwards only to be met with a hideous visage staring back. Empty red eyes bore down on him, two soulless disks accompanied by an empty smile that was anything but friendly. Razor sharp teeth lined a long muzzle which dripped a black goo from the sides, staining the ground and only worsening the abhorrent smell. Felix looked up soon after and was met with the same face, his blood running cold. The two toons looked at each other and before either could say a word—they were off.
They kicked into a dead sprint, running as fast as their little bodies could take them. Behind tailed whatever thing lurked inside this mall, it's tall lanky build making a distinct squeak with every step. It seemed to inch closer steadily but neither cared to confirm this, looking back felt like staring into the jaws of death itself and both were content having their eyes set on what was ahead.
“I’m sorry, I'm sorry, fuck! Holy fuck I'm sorry!” Felix husked out in-between sharp gasps for air “This– This was stupid… fuck, I'm sorry”
Apparently they didn't need to get caught by whatever chased, Felix already being chewed up by guilt. It pained Oswald more than anything that could happen to him physically and he wished to tell the cat he wasn't at fault but his lungs simply couldn't muster any words. All that came was desperate wheezes while he tried to focus on escaping, his running constantly impeded by his overalls. They were baggy and felt like were constantly almost snagged at his heel, tripping was a death sentence and he was forced to hold the extra length up while he ran. Holding it up had its own set of challenges as the singular strap wasn't the most secure in the world, the button teetering on the edge of completely popping off every second the extra weight of the pant legs were held up. This crisis caused by his clothing slowed him down, not greatly, but just enough where he matched his boyfriend's running speed despite being faster. It was almost comical the way he alternated between holding the legs up and securing the strap, constantly swapping between the two every move. The only thing that stopped it from being funny was the creature right behind, its long arms extending towards them.
“GOTCHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
It spoke, its voice a mix between this awful static and thousands of different people speaking at once. It sounded both high and low pitched at the same time, like it was traveling through dead air in hopes to find a frequency that fit only to get stuck on all of them. It's laugh was even worse, like nails on a chalkboard only in reverse, an unfathomable bass vibrating their bodies. This voice left the buck too stunned to think as he froze, staring up at the thing which seemingly grew five times in size and held his boyfriend in its hands. A small tail on its butt confirming it as a bear wagged with malevolent glee at the flailing cat in its grasp, completely forgetting about the other one down on the ground.
“AHHH” Felix shouted, striking the bear’s hand repeatedly “HELP!”
Oswald finally snapped out of it. He shook away whatever impact the bear’s voice left in his head and prepared to do something. He stopped just short of taking action after he realized: what was he too do? He was absolutely dwarfed in size and with Felix held so casually in the palm of the bear’s hand he struggled to find out what he could do. By the feeble attempts to get free he could also see the cat do nothing, his attacks at best ant bites to the thing. He did notice right below the cat was that bag he found tacky and with it an idea.
Without any more wasted time he dove for the bag and grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on “Hay ugly!” He called out as he pulled out a record “FETCH!”
“!”
The record flew through the air and an exclamation mark appeared above the bear’s head. Felix hit the ground with a small “thud” as they watched the giant creature dive for it, grabbing the record midair with two of his teeth.
“Huh… maybe he's part dog?” Oswald remarked.
“Would’a make sense why he singled me out” Felix mumbled as he rummaged through his bag “Whatever he is–” he pulled out a bowling ball “–he doesn't have us pinned anymore!”
The bowling ball was hurled with surprising ease towards the bear’s face and the record he held in his mouth dropped to the floor. It clattered to the ground and next to it fell the bear, now on his hands and knees with a proper view of him given. He definitely had grown in size since they were in the store. They didn't know how but it stood what looked to be as tall as the entire first floor and then some, about 10 feet at most and minimum of 8. A monochromatic color scheme had adorned his fur much like the small rubberhose toons before him, but the bear differed in a few articles of clothing that stood in contrast. Shoes had red circles on them, shorts were this greenish hue, and a brown collar hung around it's thin neck. Most prominently were its ever present empty eyes glowing a bright red, a burning beacon in the dark that stared at them and the damage done to its snout.
Despite the appearance that gave the impression of a toon, red drops leaked down its face belie the true nature of the bear. He bled. Not only that but he was hurt, the impact of the bowling ball shattering his snout and leaving the area around bloody with broken teeth fragments stabbed into his lips. A toon would have bounced back from such a hit like nothing but it was clear whatever this bear was, he was anything but a toon. The scariest part was that he didn't even seem mad or angry at the hit. He just stared at the cat and rabbit with a newfound curiosity as his broken face regrew into a demented smile. He was ecstatic.
“THAT…” the bear forced out, a static snicker soon following “TICKLED”
Oswald took a step back “What… what the–”
“OSWALD!”
His voice being called had him spin see Felix grabbed once more, this time by something unknown. A gloved hand with unknown origins had stretched from the darkness, scooping up the cat as well as his bag. This time around Felix's arms were grabbed along with his body leaving no chance of escape. Oswald was just forced to watch, powerless to do anything as his boyfriend was rapidly dragged into the shadows by something unseen. He couldn't even catch a break to register what happened either. White clawed gloves swooped down to grab him and he narrowly dodged, jumping out of the way as his fur was grazed. Before he knew it he was in a sprint again, he had dropped his flashlight and ran through the mall without any idea on where he was going. The map had disappeared along with his boyfriend and without light he was quite literally in the dark on where the exit was. Getting to the exit was the least of his concerns at the moment, the mental image of Felix yelling for help pushing any thought of escape out.
“RUN RABBIT! RUN RABBIT! RUN! RUN! RUN!” The bear sung, a magical melodic tune hidden under his hoarse static.
The terrifying voice of the bear was muffled, Oswald’s vision blurred and his eyes fixated on the vague outline of a metal shutter lifted a foot off the ground. He didn't know what store was behind it and he didn't care either. Adrenaline gave him tunnel vision and with the bear getting closer every step he blindly slid. At the same time the thing chasing reached out, claws primed to tear flesh. Just when it looked like he wouldn't make it in time he closed his eyes, praying for the best.
WHAM!
Oswald heaved. He lay still on the floor and feared what he might see when he opened his eyes. It was only when his pulse died down did he notice the lack of something holding his body in a crushing grasp. In fact, all he felt was the cold stone cooling his sweat laced body. A large metal imprint in the shape of the bear’s face greeted him when he opened his eyes, the loud noise the crash of his purserer into the wall of metal. He grimaced as he saw blood pooling on the underside near his feet and stepped back. Toon injuries inflicted on non-toon creatures didn't exactly seem the most pleasant and he didn't want to imagine what the bear looked like after the collision.
On the bright side it seemed like the bear had hit his head hard enough where he wasn't getting back up. At least not for now. On the bleaker side it was dark. Dark not just as in his eyes unable to see his surroundings, but in the way that he didn't know what to do. His mind was still spiraling to figure out what the hell happened and adrenaline coursing through his small body didn't help. The rabbit was in a state of shock and disbelief, refusing to believe what he knew he saw. His boyfriend had been grabbed and pulled into the dark by something with an inhumanely long arm and he had barely managed to outrun some curel parody of a toon. He had no plan on what to do and with no way to even so much as survey his surroundings, he collapsed.
There on the cold floor he stared blankly into the dark. What started out as something fun to do in the wake of his birthday spiraled into a situation he wished to disassociate from. The only thing on his mind to distract was the sweat stained overalls he wore. Inconvenient running in as they were, he couldn't help but stare at the cloth. It brought back the memories of the old days, ones where people actually cared. Not just friends or family, but entire groups of fans cared enough to send him letters or wish him the best while he walked the streets. The spotlight had long since dimmed and now he found himself where he was the second he was phased out. Alone, in the dark, and with Felix gone, not a single soul who cared.
“SURPRISE!”
A chorus of voices all shouting at once left him in a daze and he sat up, clutching his face. Lights came on burning the buck’s eyes which had grown used to the dark and he struggled to adapt. Steadily, the brightness waned and he could spot each and everyone of his friends all gathered together. Krazy, Horace, Ortensia, Fanny, Foxy, Woody, Toby, Tom & Jerry—the animals not the brothers—Bugs, Pink, the Warners, even his brother Mickey was there. Curiously, two much larger toon-esque creatures stood amongst them all, a jet black cartoon cat and dog. Giant bright smiles were on all their faces and in the middle was his boyfriend. Felix was his usual jovial self, in his hands a cake with icing reading “happy 98th!”. Above hung a number of colorful streamers and a giant banner proclaiming just as happily “HAPPY BIRTHDAY OZZIE!”.
The buck was left dumbfounded and stared blankly at the get together of all his friends “wha-... Wha-... What…. What is… wh- why are you all?...”
Mickey chuckled “Heh, we're here for your birthday of course!”
“We really didn't know you always got so worked up when we didn't celebrate it” Horace remarked as he took off his hat in shame “We sorta just assumed you didn't want it to be mentioned… sorry”
Ortensia winced “That may be my fault, I knew you were always kinda ashamed of your age so I was the one kinda told everyone just to not mention it?”
“Considering Ortensia was ya sweetheart for awhile and you was still on good terms, we sorta just took her word” Bugs remarked, rubbing the back of his head “Sorry about that, doc”
Fanny stole a cupcake from a table of caffetionaries and talked with a mouth full “Mmm… he never even mentioned his birthday when we were together, I didn't know when it was until last year” she stopped and swallowed “Ortensia had merit to assume”
“We got you a present!” Wakko added blankly, holding out a gift.
Oswald stared blankly at them all. His eyes had a glaze over them and he turned to each of them, face expressionless. With a still quiet voice he lifted his hand and pointed to Felix.
“I… I saw you get grabbed…”
His boyfriend nodded “yup! That was by my ex, he let me throw the party here and had this entire place setup so you'd feel like you were reliving one of your glory days of besting something way bigger than you” Felix gestured up to the large black cat with an eerie smile “I mentioned Cat, right?”
The Cartoon Cat waved “This mall is usually a lot nicer looking so me and my boyfriend–” he wrapped a long arm arm around the almost identical looking canine “–Dog, managed to make it look a whole lot more abandoned than it actually is, you should be thanking Felix for this though as all of this was his idea”
“...” Oswald looked at his palms. He was shaking and still perplexed. “What… what about the bear…” he looked behind him at the imprint in the metal door “his… his face…”
“Oh yeah, that's my other boyfriend” The Cartoon Cat remarked as he walked over “Yeah, no, he definitely got hurt” he lifted the shutter to reveal the bear perfectly fine, and oddly a shrunken down “It just so happened Skitzo over here likes it”
Skitzo gave a thumbs up, eyes now white.
The Cartoon Cat stretched his neck down to lean in and whisper “He likes it a bit too much if ya catch my drift”
Skitzo heard and nodded in agreement. He felt no shame for him or his tastes.
Still reeling from the encounter, Oswald finally stood up. The buck remained expressionless and walked over to his boyfriend. That ever so present big dumb grin was on the cat’s face, oblivious to whatever mental scarring he caused.
“I hope I managed to make this birthday unforgettable” he said as he held up the cake.
The small flames of a candle danced under Oswald’s eye. For what it was worth the cake was wonderfully made. It was covered in blue frosting with white icing around the edges, little engravings in black lined the bottom layer depicting small rabbits sitting and hopping. He assumed Ortensia was the one who did it by the effort and detail, but he didn't really care who made it.
“Sooooooo….” Felix nudged him “You gonna blow out your candle or are you just gonna devour the entire thing before anybody can get a slice?”
Oswald remained quiet and looked at the cake and then Felix. Then at Felix and then the cake.
The cat raised an eyebrow at this “Uhh… Oz–”
SPLAT!
White, blue, and orange fragments of the cake which Wakko deduced as carrot flavor were scattered across the room. The center point and the one whose face was absolutely drenched in the mess was Felix. Next to him was the birthday boy himself, huffing and puffing and with an indescribable anger. Everyone was silent, even the usual talky Woody Woodpecker didn't crack a joke and just watched his friend fume.
After a few seconds of this Oswald calmed himself and slicked back his ears which perked right back up “Okay… okay… I needed that”
Oswald then proceeded to grab Felix by the shoulders and bring him into a kiss. The tension immediately dissipated and everyone gave a chuckle, some a lot more awkward than others. The only exception to this rule was the Warners who childishly opened their mouths and feigned a gag at the display of love.
“Mmmmmmmmwha!” The buck pulled back, his lips and cheeks covered in cake “you’re an absolute moron who I hate, ya know that?”
Felix chuckled and wiped some cake off his face, ignoring the insult “hehehe, I guess someone's feeling batter?”
With a smirk, Felix smeared a bit of the debris on his boyfriend's nose. Oswald chuckled in response and nuzzled his boyfriend, the mess on his face worsening. He didn't seem to care though and while he and his love displayed their affection for each other the party goers decided to salvage the moment by picking up a cupcake off the table and placing the fallen candle on it. They were lucky enough that Fanny had a light on her and once she relit the candle they handed it to the rabbit and surrounded him. The trauma would surely set in after the party, but for now Oswald smiled and held the small cake in his hands. He was not only happy, but overjoyed everyone he knew close was there singing happy birthday in unison. Cake dripped down his cheeks and he heard his racing heartbeat in his ears once more, this time from the knowledge that people not only remembered, but cared.