Chapter Text
Chapter One:
Cuphead’s POV:
Cuphead and Mugman stood at the entrance of The Devil’s Casino. They had just landed a job here after running across a ‘Help Wanted’ sign somewhere not too far from their house. So, they filled out a resume, turned it in, and bam, they had a job. Cuphead’s stomach felt a little tight. Kettle did always talk terribly about the place, but he never said why. It was, most likely, just a place to gamble, but the rumors he heard, along with Kettle’s negative views, made him feel uneasy. ‘I heard they deal in souls there,’ ‘I heard The Devil himself runs it,’ ‘If I were you, I’d stay away from there,’ ‘Two good lads like you shouldn’t dabble in such dark places’ ‘its bad news,’. Though, Mugman always brushed it off. It’s probably just hogwash, he’d say, just made up stories, and biased heedings. He figured that it was likely just people trying to be “Anti-Gambling”.
Mugman must have seen the look on his face, because he laid a hand on his back, smiling in a way that said ‘What could go wrong?’ Ironic. Their roles seemed to have switched. Cuphead shrugged in response. It was probably just the name of the place that discouraged him. “The Devil’s Casino” didn’t sound safe.
They opened the doors and stepped inside. The smell of alcohol immediately caught his senses, and the sound of cheers, boos, clinking glasses, and chattering set the atmosphere. Voices of all different pitches were audible, and it felt strange to hear them all at once. He didn’t think he had ever been to a place crowded with so many people.
Looking through the clumps of people, Cuphead tried to spot an employee. Everyone’s clothing was formal, and he couldn’t spot any pattern that hinted at being a uniform. His next thought was to wander and ask around, but before he could mention it to Mugman, a squeaky voice addressed them.
“Hello there, sirs! You look new. Can we help you?”
Cuphead looked down to see someone- someones- who measured up to about up to his chin. They seemed to be a pair of conjoined twins, each one its own half of a domino chip.
“Yes, please,” said Mugman. “We’re here for a job.”
“Ah.” The top chip put his hands on his hips. “You’re looking the manager, then?”
“Yeah.” Cuphead scanned the room again, seeing nothing but people crowded around games and tables. “Would you mind pointing him out for us?”
“Of course not.” The bottom chip turned themselves.
“He’s right over there.” The top chip pointed to a bar sitting near the back of the casino.
“Behind the bar?” Mugman asked.
“Yup.”
“That’s him.”
“Thank you.” Mugman smiled and looked at the man, trying to make out his features from here.
“Yeah. Much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome. I’m Pip by the way,” Said the top chip, removing his hat to hold politely at his chest.
“And I’m Dot,” Added the other piece, leaning into a half curtsey. “If you ever need any assistance, give us a holler.”
“I’m Mugman, and this is my brother Cuphead.” He gestured to him. “Thanks for the offer.” He smiled. “I will keep it in mind”
Pip and Dot straightened up, the top putting his hat back on before waving. “Good luck.”
For a short moment Cuphead wondered if he should mention that they had already had the job, but then it crossed his mind that they might be wishing them good luck with something else. The Devil’s Casino… He had to be over-thinking the name… right? It was more than likely just a trope to help spice up business. Maybe they had a hard-to-deal-with manager they were wishing them luck with... Mugman thanked them again and turned back to him as the pair walked away.
“So,” Cuphead looked back at the manager. “I guess we’re hitting the bar on the first day of the job, huh?”
“Looks like it… I don’t think we’ll be having anything to drink, though…”
He shrugged. “Probably not.”
As they approached the back of the casino, he was able to get a better look at the man working behind the bar. He was tall, lean, and was a little taller than he would have imagined, making his five foot seven body feel more like it was five foot four. He had a floating die for a head, and his wardrobe seemed to be almost exclusively purple as his suit, shirt, pants, and bow tie were all the same color.
Once they were in front of the bar, the man behind it saw them, meeting their gazes with a knowing, and charming smile. Cuphead’s chest immediately tightened more, and a warm pooling settled in his stomach. The sudden feeling almost made him pause. He glanced at Mugman, seeing him unaffected… It had only been him that felt that just then…?
“Why, hello there, boys.” The man leaned in on the counter. “I’ve been told to expect you. You’re looking for the boss?”
Cuphead felt his entire body tense. There was something in that man’s voice... Something about him felt wrong.
“Yes,” Mugman replied casually. “Would you mind pointing us in the right direction? That would be wonderful.”
The die pointed to a door even nearer the back of the casino. “He should be back in his office, over there.”
“Thank you,” said Mugman.
The die met his gaze easily though Cuphead felt like it locked.
Mugman lightly tugged his arm, “Let’s go.”
Cuphead forced himself to look away, and he felt something in his chest shift in a somewhat unpleasant manner. They walked away from the man behind the bar, and Cuphead felt slightly conflicted. He was glad to walk away, but he wanted to go back…
“Um.. Cups,” Mugman said lowly. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah…” Cuphead looked at Mugman and then glanced back at the man. “There’s something about that guy that makes me feel… strange... I don’t think I like it.”
“Oh... He felt okay to me.”
Before Cuphead could think about responding, they were already in front of the boss’ office. He started to knock on the door, but he paused before he could touch it… Heat was practically radiating off of it… He gave Mugman a questioning look, which he returned. So, it wasn’t just him this time… He knocked, and there was no response. Cuphead was about to knock again, but then a deep, raspy voice answered.
“Come in.”
Cuphead pushed the door open, and heat practically flooded out, causing him to blink several times to try to adjust. His eyes had trouble taking in the room, but when they did, his heart dropped as if he had missed a step on the stairs. Not only did he open this goddamn door to see that his boss was Satan, realizing this really was quite literally, “The Devil’s Casino” but he also met eyes with none other than the man who had just been behind the bar. He looked at Mugman, who looked back at him nervously.
“Come in, come in,” The devil said, smoke from his cigar escaping his mouth.
At first, Cuphead didn’t move. He just stood there, his eyes hesitantly setting themselves on his new boss, who raised an eyebrow at them.
“Well, come in.” He said a little more forcefully.
Cuphead approached the desk, glancing at Mugman, who was now shaking, to make sure he was doing the same. He took a gulp, meeting The Devil’s gaze again. He felt the die’s eyes burning a hole into his- their heads, and he found it hard to look his boss in the eye, especially with the extra set of eyes on him.
“Hello, sir.” He said surprisingly steady.
“Hello, boys…” His eyes settled on Cuphead for a moment, and then they moved to Mugman, who visibly jolted. “So, you’re the two who sent in our most recent applications…?”
“... Yes.”
The Devil nodded and blew out a puff of smoke. “I see… Good... Cuphead, you’ll take Dice’s place as the bartender... and you, Mugman, you’ll be a waiter… Do you boys think you can handle that?”
“Yes,” Cuphead said again, biting the inside of his cheek.
The Devil waved dismissively, and said, “Alright, then... Get going.”
Cuphead wasted no time turning on his heel, grabbing Mugman’s wrist, and getting out of there. He could feel his brother’s arm trembling, and it only made their escape feel even more urgent. He didn’t run, but he walked very quickly, and the relief he felt once he stepped outside of that door was unexplainable. The door closed behind itself, and he huffed.
Mugman ripped his arm away, causing Cuphead to practically spin around. The sound of pills rattling in their bottle caught his attention before the actual sight did, and his heart went from its rapid pounding to a dead stop. Mugman’s whole body was quivering so badly that he was struggling to open the bottle in his hand, just as much as he seemed to struggle to suck in gulps of crooked air.
At first, Cuphead was stuck. His feet were nailed down, and his body was still. Eventually, his brain told his body to move, and he walked forward, taking the bottle from him. Mugman’s shrunken pupils snapped up to him, and Cuphead almost dropped the pills. He quickly popped the top open and dumped a couple of pills into his palm. He dropped one into Mugman’s hand, and Mugman let out breath somewhere between relief and exasperation.
Cuphead started to ask if he wanted him to get him a glass of water, but before he could say anything, Mugman had already shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed it dry.
“... Are you okay?”
Mugman took an unsteady breath and closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall. He exhaled deeply, letting his response come out with it. “Mhm…”
It took a little longer than it usually did for his shaking and breathing to calm down, and even longer before he steadied completely. Cuphead leaned on the wall beside him as he waited for Mugman to feel better, looking over the layout of the casino. He started to mentally note where things were, trying not to think about all the previous events. There was a stage near the left wall, a bathroom on the right, an arcade near the front, and scattered game tables just about everywhere else.
While he was examining the game tables, he met eyes with a tall, chubby cigar. He seemed to take their eye contact as an invitation, and walked his way over to them. Cuphead mentally cussed at himself. He should have just stuck to looking at the arcades. He threw a glance at Mugman, who’s eyes were still closed, but he seemed to be doing a lot better.
He looked back in front of him; the cigar was there.
“Ah, there ya are,” The man said, his voice raspy, but lighter than The Devil’s. “Cuphead, and Mugman, right?” He pointed between them as he said their names.
“Yeah,” Cuphead said, standing up from the wall, and offering a hand. “And you’re…?”
The cigar took his hand, and smiled, showing a gap between his two front teeth. “That’d be Wheezy.”
“Nice to meet you, Wheezy,” Mugman chimed in, his voice sounding slightly lulled.
He offered his hand as well, and Wheezy let go of his to shake it.
“Trust me. The pleasure’s mine.” He let go of Mugman’s hand and looked back to Cuphead. “Now that we’re acquainted, we should really get to work. We’ve been short staffed all week, and my boyfriend’s had us rotatin’ shifts like horses on a carousel.”
“Your boyfriend works here?” Mugman asked.
And as if on cue, Dice, who had been walking by, stopped dead in his tracks, and walked up behind Wheezy. “What’s that?”
Dice, for the moment, wasn’t paying Cuphead or Mugman any mind, but Cuphead’s stomach still shifted, and his muscles still tensed.
“Ah, boss. I was just tellin’ ‘em about how you had us rotatin’ shifts-”
Dice knocked him upside the back of his head, causing a flurry of ash to fall loose, filling the air with the smell of cigar smoke. Cuphead just barely kept from coughing.
“Wheezy, I am not your boyfriend.” Dice said casually as he dusted his hand off on his other hand. “Don’t mind him, boys. he doesn’t have a lick of sense.”
Wheezy smiled and turned towards the die as he rubbed the back of his head. “C’mon, boss. You’re no fun.”
“I’m not supposed to be any fun.”
“You’re also not supposed to be-”
Dice gave him an unamused look that made him stop his sentence.
“Right… Now, it’s time to get along to work. Any questions?” He looked away from Wheezy and focused his attention on Cuphead and Mugman.