❝ ＭＩＲＲＯＲ ＭＩＲＲＯＲ ❞

Bold, golden strips of sunset light shone through the glass of the window leading into the open bathroom of Gummy's brightly coloured apartment.

Gummy stood with an enthusiastic gaze fixated in the crystal clear pane of his bathroom mirror, excitement crossing his expression.

He admired his beaming smile in the reflection, before releasing his energy into an enthusiastic performance.

Gummy performed his little dance, happily watching himself in the reflection of the glass with pride in his cobalt eyes.

He completed his adorable show, stopping with an overjoyed expression including fingers spreading his beaming smile open and allowing his green tongue to dangle outside.

Gummy then yawned, stretching his exhausted arms over his head and scrunching his eyes closed. He flopped his arms back down, drowsy eyes watching the movement of his reflection.

"Goodnight, mirror me! It was really fun!"

He jumped from the wooden stool that increased his height so his gaze could fix onto the oval shaped mirror, his feet landing with a thud against the turquoise tiled floor.

Gummy slowly wandered back into his apartment, exhaustion painted across his face and movement.

Seconds after he left the room, a small thud echoed mysteriously through the bathroom. The stool that Gummy had used to raise himself closer to the mirror had toppled to the ground in a puzzling collapse.

However, this question was soon answered as a wicked chuckle echoed through the room. It seemed to be coming from within the mirror's glass as it was a little muffled.

Suddenly, a mysterious Gummy pushed his way through the mirror as if the pane between him and the real world was water.

However, this Gummy seemed to be the creator of this cackling laugh as it became louder when his face popped out from behind the glass.

The warped version of our fun-loving green pal leapt from inside the mirror dimension, creeping out of the bathroom and further into the real world.

~

Dawn had crept over the dazzling night sky, sending beams of amber sunlight into the now clear, azure heavens above.

Gummy had collapsed with exhaustion onto his hot pink beanbag, allowing sleep to control him as the previous evening became night.

However, a rattling bang seemed to echo through his living room, followed by multiple more thuds, which sounded as though they were coming from his front door.

Gummy was captured by such deep sleep, he didn't notice the alerting sound. He continued to snore, overlapping the noise until he heard it again.

This time, Gummy slowly opened his now half-lidded, azure eyes, attention striking the wooden panel leading to the outside world.

The knocking continued as Gummy raised himself from his collapsed position, hands around his mouth as it slowly opened to release a weary yawn.

He slowly slid from the beanbag, eyes still only half-lidded with exhaustion as he leisurely headed to the door as angered knocks still flew through the room.

Gummy finally opened the door - to be met with an angry Harry, an irritated (Y/n), a furious Kala, an agitated Granny Peters and a raging Mr. Kronk.

Gummy smiled that all his friends were there - especially (Y/n) - who he admired absentmindedly, still with half-lidded eyes.

She turned away slightly in response while blushing a little. Although she was still vexed, she couldn't let a look like that slide.

However, she then remembered why she was here as she noticed what she'd brought with her still in her tight grip. She sighed, turning back to Gummy with a more irritated expression.

Harry coughed a little, alerting them back to the current situation. Gummy noticed a thin, black moustache on Harry's face, chuckling.

"Nice 'stache, Harry! When'd you grow it?" Gummy asked innocently.

Harry sighed, before stomping his foot and giving an agitated answer.

"I didn't! You drew it on me while I slept!" He shouted, rubbing the doodle to see if it would help remove it.

No such luck.

"AND IN PERMANENT INK!" Harry shouted, earning a confused expression from his green pal.

"You painted a happy face on my speed bag!" Kala added, raising her pastel blue sports bag decorated with a marker drawn smile above Harry's head to show the possible culprit.

"My kitchen is a disaster!" Granny shouted, holding up a fork that looked as though it could've been crushed by a car.

"And look what you did to my commemorative snow globe collection!" Mr. Kronk completed the list, angrily raising his smashed holiday decoration with an agitated growl.

"And..." (Y/n) began, looking into her hands to see what she'd brought, tears building up in her eyes before she could complete the sentence.

"...I don't wanna talk about it..." She said sadly, holding the item close to her chest and turning away.

Gummy watched with a confused and heartbroken expression, eyes fixed on his sorrowful girlfriend to catch a glimpse of whatever it could be.

That's when he noticed it - an image of himself and (Y/n) when they first became a thing, clutched in her unhappy hold with an enormous tear splitting the two of them up.

Gummy felt a pang of sadness and guilt shoot through his heart. He knew that he hadn't done any of these things, but if (Y/n) assumed that he'd done this, who knows what could happen next.

Gummy only wanted to sort the concern with (Y/n), but thought there and then that it would be better to address everyone in one question followed by a simple statement.

"How do you know it was me? I was asleep - honest - the drool's still wet on my pillow, see?" He asked, holding up his oatmeal coloured cushion as it dribbled splats of saliva onto the shiny floorboards below.

"We have proof!" Granny yelled, signalling to the others to all pull out their mobile devices.

With that, Gummy was surrounded by luminous phone screens, images of what appeared to himself doing all these things his angered companions were so worked up about - drawing Harry's moustache, decorating Kala's speed bag, destroying Granny's kitchen and disassembling Mr. Kronk's snowglobe display.

Except for (Y/n). She didn't bring out a device, but rather remained with her broken photo pressed against her broken heart.

Gummy turned his saddened attention from the luminous screens to his shattered girlfriend, sighing in response. He turned back to the rest of his irritated associates.

"I do take a good selfie..." He chuckled nervously, failing to lighten the mood.

"But I don't remember doing any of that!" He cried, hoping he could finally allow his friends and neighbours to understand that he didn't do any of these horrible acts.

He sighed, a disappointed frown controlling his face as he shifted his attention back to (Y/n).

Before he could release a single apology, a thunderous shatter rumbled from the corridor and below the staircase, capturing everyone's attention.

Gummy quickly turned back to his distracted friends. "Did I do that too?" He nervously asked.

With that, vibration filled the area as the mobile devices shuddered to alert their owners of something new.

They glanced at their screens in response and unison, to be greeted with another photo of what appeared to be Gummy, an enormous explosion of crimson and amber coloured fire rumbling behind him.

Kala frowned, studying the image. "The Gummy in the picture does have a goatee..." She muttered.

"A very debonair, evil looking goatee at that I might add..." Harry concluded, almost admiring the image.

Granny sighed, preparing to state the inevitable. "There can be only one conclusion..."

She caught the attention of everyone surrounding her, their surprised gazes fixated on her nervous expression.

"Gummy has... a doppel Gummy!" Granny cried, earning confusion from her companions, especially Gummy himself.

"A who-sit-what-see?" Gummy asked, absolute uncertainty controlling his frown.

"An identical but opposite version of yourself!" Granny continued.

"As if having one of them wasn't enough!" Mr. Kronk grumbled.

(Y/n) continued to stare with misery at her torn photograph, until a smile crept across her face. Gummy would never have done this. She knew it had to be the doppel Gummy. Although she had no proof, she knew it would be true.

"Come on, guys! We've gotta capture this counterfeit Gummy!" (Y/n) cried, earning a smirk from Gummy and surprised expressions from her sister and friends.

She tucked the photo away, dashing from the corridor and down the stairs, her sister, friends, neighbours and boyfriend soon following.

~

Steaming layers of pastry decorated the pavement leading from the staircase into the florescent building, tomato sauce dribbling down the side accessorised with thinly cut pepperoni.

Gummy began to drool once again at the sight of what felt like hundreds of flavoursome pizzas drawn across the street as Harry explained his plan.

"Not only is this a better mousetrap, but it's baited with Gummy's favourite pizza - pepperoni and marshmallows." Harry stated, pointing towards the oversized mousetrap at the end of the feast, another baking hot pizza draped over the edge to lure the devious doppel Gummy in.

"We should catch that doppel Gummy no problem!" Harry continued, pride in his stance and gaze at Kala and (Y/n).

Kala watched with concern as her sister had her grasp tight around her boyfriend's shoulders. Gummy was tugging against the restriction to feed his temptation of gobbling down every pizza in his sight, while (Y/n) pulled him back to help him resist.

"Want want want!!" Gummy shrieked, his tongue dangling from mouth towards the spicy pastry on the ground.

Kala sighed, turning her attention back to her proud friend. "Harry, if the doppel Gummy is the total opposite of Gummy, what makes you think he'll even like pizza?"

"Well, because he..." Harry began, soon losing his track as he understood where Kala's idea had come from.

"Wow, that's a good point..." Harry whispered, falling into realisation.

"Maybe he likes the opposite of pizza!" He continued, an idea springing to his mind.

"Tofu?" (Y/n) replied, guessing what could possibly be the opposite of pizza to join in her sister and friend's discussion.

However, her attention snapped from her wriggling boyfriend as Gummy shot from her grasp, dashing down the street. He scooped up every pizza on the pavement, tossing the whole thing in his mouth with almost every step.

"The trap!" (Y/n) cried, noticing that Gummy was briskly turning the corner, gulping down every slice decorated with slices of pepperoni and melted marshmallows.

As they turned the side of the navy building further down the street, Harry, Kala and (Y/n) in lead were met with the enormous mousetrap, with Gummy plopped against the wooden panel.

A fiendish cackle echoed from behind, as Gummy's foul doppelganger took enjoyment from the situation, stood proudly on the wooden trap further behind his superior version.

(Y/n) watched with a vexed gaze, annoyance burning inside her like a roaring flame. Gummy's wicked version noticed this, ending his string of villainous laughter. He toned his down cackling, chuckling a little in response before smirking and winking towards her.

(Y/n) felt the foul emotion continuing to boil inside as her boyfriend's sinful doppelganger slid behind the next building across the street.

Gummy hadn't noticed the previous few seconds of events - his head was buried in the flavoursome food, consuming the pizza in only a couple bites.

"We've been outwitted by the fiend again!" Harry screamed, throwing up his hands in disappointment.

"Wow, the doppel Gummy really is the opposite of the real Gummy! Our Gummy doesn't have any wits at all!" Kala cried, earning a displeased glare from her sister.

"At least not fiendishly outwitting type wits!" She continued in response, nervously hoping to calm the frustration she had provided (Y/n) with.

~

An ear-rattling burp rumbled from within Gummy's now overflowing stomach out into the air that flowed through the corridor leading to his vivid apartment.

He recieved a disgusted expression from Harry and Kala, but a softer, almost entertained response from (Y/n) as he released the sickening sound. She wrapped her hand around his, giggling with amusement.

"I dunno, guys, that doppel Gummy sure is tricky. He's like a ghost, no one can catch him!" Gummy continued.

"Where will he strike next?" He cried rhetorically, not prepared for what could be on the other side of the doorway.

Gummy innocently took his free hand, pressing it against the towering door to allow it swing open. He gasped in shock at what greeted him, the sensation of (Y/n) gripping tighter running up his arm.

Little changes in the room had shot into focus - Gummy's laptop in a different position on the crimson desk, calculations strewn across the previously clean chalkboard, and a towering indigo chair filling the center of the room.

As if on cue, the seat swung to face the surprised batch of friends that had suddenly entered. The seating was filled with none other than Gummy's irritating, despicable doppelganger.

He chuckled evilly. "I say, old chum, care for a spot of tea and conversation?"

He raised a small teacup balanced against the arm of the chair, a clink rattling through the shock filled air as he removed his old fashioned cigarette from the corner of his fiendish smirk.

Suddenly, cyan material that Kala and Harry hadn't noticed their feet were positioned against snatched them up in a screaming bundle.

Gummy and (Y/n) watched with terror swimming through their eyes as their friends were pulled into the sacks, now dangling from the ceiling with the string that tightly closed the bags.

(Y/n) turned her gaze back down, only to be met with the devious smirk of her boyfriend's despicable doppelganger. She rolled her eyes, wanting to cross her arms in distress, but also wanted to keep her claiming grip to Gummy.

The sound of malevolent chuckling soon followed the feeling of being watched by a burning, demonic gaze as (Y/n) shifted her gaze back to her real boyfriend.

Gummy turned his view from his shrieking friends hanging in the ultramarine material against the ceiling back down to his devious double.

"What are you doing here?" He innocently asked.

His villainous double slid from the seat and edged closer, the sensation of a tighter grip passing from the real Gummy's fingers to his shoulder. He slid his thumb over (Y/n)'s trembling hand for reassurance.

Doppel Gummy's cheeky smirk dropped, a groan escaping his mouth before he answered the question.

"I was bored with being bad in the mirror world, where all they ever want to do is party..." He stated, his gaze still slightly fixed onto (Y/n). She squirmed a little in discomfort.

Gummy, however, had not noticed. "Party? That doesn't sound so bad to me!" He innocently added.

His mischievous duplicate sighed. "Well, it is to me. So, I thought I'd come here to be bad..."

His strong gaze continued to almost burn through (Y/n), as she began to nervously edge further behind Gummy to almost hide.

"...where it would be, more fun!" Doppel Gummy continued, as his superior duplicate noticed his awkward view of his girlfriend.

Gummy gave his villainous double a sudden displeased look, steering him away from (Y/n) and back into their serious conversation.

"So, you like doing bad things to people?" Gummy continued, earning a cheeky smirk from his malevolent copy as he began to release another evil laugh.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes behind Gummy, her hand still fixed against his while discomfort and anxiety felt like it was burning inside her...

...dreading what they could've got themselves into now, with just one simple question...

~

(Y/n) wriggled in her secure, tense position, the rope tightly strapping her to the royal blue seat not shifting.

She could see Gummy being almost abused from across the room, tears building in her eyes as his now rival thought it would be fun to bully his kind version.

Gummy was now stood with many sore body parts, a strange, crimson jelly sliding down his face from the top of his head, blue pen scribbled across almost his whole body, and increased breathing in response to the 'paper bag bang' surprise a few seconds ago.

"Don't you think that's enough now!?" (Y/n) screamed through her gritting teeth at her boyfriend's sinister double.

He let out a wicked cackle in response, slowly heading closer until she could feel his breath.

"There will never have been enough bad behaviour, darling..." He whispered cheekily, soon returning to the distressed Gummy.

(Y/n) continued to squirm from the restricted position, anger feeling as though it was being built up inside her like an unbreakable wall.

Gummy finally caught his breath from the last few minutes of pain, a smile soon crossing his face like an amazing idea had sparked in his mind.

"I wanna be bad just like you!" He screamed with what appeared to be excitement, earning a shocked look from his girlfriend and groans from Kala and Harry, still in the sacks hanging from the ceiling.

"Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can-" Gummy continued until he recieved an answer.

"Of course you can, my dear fellow." Doppel Gummy replied, holding his hands together evilly as he cheekily shifted his gaze from the screaming bags above to the irritated (Y/n) behind.

"It would be doubly bad to have you helping me be bad to your own friends!" He continued, the true Gummy's expression dropping a little with worry.

His smile returned as he leant his head across to mouth 'I've got this' to (Y/n), knocking down a few bricks of her wall of anxiety.

"Would you like first swing at the piñatas?" Doppel Gummy added, tossing out an idea of what his satisfactory version could possibly do badly.

Gummy scoffed at the suggestion to set the fake mood. "That's not bad enough! I've got the super duper baddest of bad ideas!"

"It's so bad, when you look up bad in the dictionary, you'll see MY idea!" He continued, earning an entertained giggle from (Y/n) across the room as she admired how her boyfriend lightened the situation.

However, panicked groans and muffled screams came from the tightly tangled material of the ultramarine sacks hanging from above, in fear of what could be happening below.

"Really? Do tell..." Gummy's wicked double asked, interest and curiosity flowing through his tone.

"Better! I'll show you! But first, close your eyes and cover them up with your hands, and I'll set it all up! No peeking, I want it to be a surprise!" Gummy continued, smirking to show the pride in his plan.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Doppel Gummy released in a villainous chuckle, scrunching his eyes closed with his fists over them.

Gummy smirked, gently pushing his malevolent doppelganger towards the open doorway. He slid beside the panicking bags handing from above, ignoring the muffled shrieks to lead his wicked duplicate outside the living room.

As he headed towards the doorway leading to the bathroom, Gummy took a final glance at (Y/n), who watched from her restricted seat across the room. He sent a final wink across