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Croissant wasn't feeling good that day. She was someone rather happy and positive overall. But that morning, she'd just started to spiral into nasty thoughts about the future. She'd always been confident that everything would be alright. That was until Gummy showed up and not only only proved her wrong, but showed her that if she was to make a mistake, it might lead to the actual end of the world. And no matter how positive one can be, this was a scary thought. She did that mistake once. She could do thousands of time.
Overall, she didn't say much. The woman just stayed in her room for the day, texting her coworkers that she wasn't feeling well and that she needed to rest. Gummy didn't buy it. She obviously wasn't just feeling bad. He'd seen her work despite her pain more than once. So he decided to comfort her by himself. The minute he saw the text, he jumped out of his own bed and ran to Croissant's place. But of all people that he could meet while trying to reach his partner, of course, OF COURSE ... he had to meet HER.
Timekeeper was floating right to Croissant's room with a grin, barely even acknowledging Gummy's presence. And that only made the man feel even worse. He grasped his riffle, growled and glared at her.
"YOU !! Don't you dare go in her room. I don't want you around her, not right now."
"Mmmh ? Sorry, I believe that it's not your choice to make. I came here because Croissant told me that she was not doing good. Like it or not, I will come to see her."
"I know how you can act. If you say even the slightest thing that makes her more upset than she already is, I'll destroy you."
"How thoughtful. Do you think I'm some kind of devil, perhaps ?"
"... You already know what I'm about to answer."
"I'd rather hear it directly from you. Reading a story isn't as fun if you already know the ending, now is it ?"
String grasped his riffle, held it against his chest and growled.
"I know how much you're able to hurt her. I dedicated the entire life I remember to bringing her to safety. I'm not letting you take it away."
"It's strange that you cannot even consider the possibility that I might genuinely want good things for her just as much as you do."
"You know FULL WELL what you've become in that future. You were a monster. A being that only cared about it self preservation and who left her so-called "friend" to deal by herself with the worst disaster this earth has ever known."
"Do you really think we were the same person ?"
"Yes. YES YOU ARE."
"So do you think Croissant and the director were entirely the same being ?"
"She ... She's ..."
"Tell me. When you see her, happily working on her little machines to make the world a better place and ending her day by buying herself a little sandwich to eat with her friends, do you see the same being ? Can you look at me in the eyes and tell me that there are little to no distinctions between the two ?"
"S-she went through a lot, alright ? She was ... Tired and lost, but she fought as hard as she could."
"Now look at me and think about these words for a second."
And Gummy thought. He stayed silent as the gears in his mind started to work, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt ... A little guilty ? He couldn't forgive timekeeper, he really couldn't. Their actions were their own and maybe they could've done better ..? But they went through the same thing. And they saw the future. And when they probably analysed everything that could've happened, the weight of the guilt they must've felt was probably ... More than he could possibly imagine.
"You still left her alone."
"What was she supposed to do ? Just wait and see ? Was she meant to see herself die again and again ? I didn't see these futures myself. But I saw her. I may not be her. But I could've been. Just like this Croissant could've been the director. Now I don't care if you can't stand me. Many, many people don't like me. But Croissant does. And right now, she's the one thing that helps me feel a little better. So I'd like it if you stayed out of my way when I try to make her feel better."
The woman closed her eyes, sighed and began to fly away before Gummy finally worked up his courage.
"W-wait !!"
His voice was mixed between insecurities and his usual serious self. It wasn't exactly something very welcoming. But timekeeper stopped. And she silently listened.
"Listen ... I'll admit ... M-maybe you'll be better to do the talking than me. I'm not the best when it comes to making people feel better. If I were to go out to buy her a meal and a drink ... Would you help her out in the meantime ?"
Timekeeper stared at the man for a bit, smiled and threw a wallet in the man's hands. Surprised, Gummy juggled with it for a couple of seconds before finally catching it, shoving it in his pocket and see the time goddess looking at him, visibly amused.
"You should buy her an egg sandwich."
"I know. They're her favorites."