[Synopsis: All of the delicious donuts BDay brought to the Office have all been eaten by someone! Fortunately, Officer Bro and Detective Stoner are on the case, and they plan on getting to the very bottom of it!]

[Location: Polus outpost]

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"One more person, and we're good to go!" Captain announced.

"Good, good. I invited Sheldon to play another round with us today, just so everyone knows, and the last we spoke, he said he'd be here at about this time!" MrEgg replied.

"Yeah...It's a shame TheGentleman and MrCheese couldn't make it today," Gnome frowned. "I heard that MrCheese has a pretty bad cold."

"Yes, I heard as well. The two also have plans for tomorrow, granted MrCheese is doing better by then, so he told me," the orange crewmate replied. "...At least I get to be my OG color again for a while, right? Ha!"

That was when the sound of someone spawning in sounded off, and the familiar maroon figure with an egg on his head spawned in.

"Sorry I'm late," he announced. "Did I miss anything?"

"Shel', you made it!"

The two brothers took a moment to greet on another, and everyone prepared for the round to begin...But before Captain could hit the start button, a familiar-looking blue hand rose up from the crowd.

"Oh hey guys, one more thing before we get started!"

It was BDay who'd made the announcement, and when everyone turned to face him, they saw that he was holding two flat boxes in his hands...Judging by the Krispy Krew logos on the tops of them, everyone could quickly figure out what was inside, and they all grinned.

"I knew we were probably going to have a full lobby today," he continued. "So I figured I'd treat you all to the best donuts I could find! And these aren't normal dozen boxes; there's a whopping fifteen in each box, so everyone gets two!"

A cheer rang out across the entire lobby.

"And I happen to know what a lot of you enjoy, so I think everyone will be happy with what they get!" BDay added. "We can all chow down in the lobby!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement!" Captain spoke up. "In honor of BDay's generosity, I elect that we play this round with NO Impostors, so that no one has anything to worry about but filling up the task bar and getting closer to feasting upon the sweet, cakey goodness bestowed upon us today!"

The crew cheered even louder.

"Man, could I go for a donut about now..." Bro smiled. Since BDay had claimed blue as his color, he decided to go with grey, but to compensate for his usual color loss, he'd suited up in his old police cap and the matching skin to boot.

"Wow, Bro," Player remarked. "You actually look pretty good in that outfit."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to wear somethin' blue," he nodded. "And y'know how cops are 'bout donuts, right? Heh..."

"Alright, everyone, I've made the tweaks necessary!" the lobby host called out. "And, ah...Judging by the fact that I'm still here and not in the Cheater's Lobby, it seems safe to assume the Innersloth gods know my intentions and have spared me...Well, is everyone ready to start?"

Everyone nodded and agreed...except for Stoner, who was flopped over one of the dropship seats, clearly UTI.

"Stoner? Stoner!" Captain called out again. "Buddo, ya hear me!?"

"Huh, what..."

He finally rose his head and looked at the white crewmate, his eyes red and tired-looking.

"Ohhh...Sorry, Mr. Stay-Puft," the green crewmate slurred. "I, uh...I got pretty darn baked before coming on t'day. Aw, man...Just gimmie a sec to stretch out and stuff."

He sprawled out across the seats and stretched his hands and legs out, then pushed himself up and stood up straight, giving his invisible arms one more stretch as he got onto his feet.

"Aaaaaaalrighty," he strained. "Yeah, I'm ready to roll now."

"Okay!" Captain replied, finally pressing the button to begin. "Let's get down to business!"

With that, the game started...Everyone had six tasks; two common, three short and one long, do the first thing everyone did was head down to the Office to scan their passes and see what else they had to do in there, if anything. BDay put the donut boxes on the table before going to scan his pass, and once everyone was finished doing that, they all branched off into different directions, leaving the Office...As everyone got their tasks done, small groups formed across the outpost. Without any Impostors to worry about, everyone was at ease, and no one as afraid of being sliced during a conversation...Player, Captain and Veteran grouped up after a while, and they all headed into the lab.

"I gotta admit, Captain," the red crewmate remarked. "This was a pretty good idea. Feels good to just focus on the tasks at hand and have a breather from the whole murdering part. I mean, it still feels like the game, but without the stress."

"Yeah, things feel pretty chill," Veteran nodded in agreement. "We should do this more often, Cap."

"You guys really like this change?"

"Sure we do! And I can't wait for later when we get to feast on BDay's donuts. I hope he got me one of the strawberry frosted ones with the sprinkles."

Captain stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"Bleugh. Well, I'm glad that you enjoy them more than me," the white crewmate told him.

"Oh, hey guys, I gotta branch off for a minute and take care of a weather node," Player suddenly announced. "I'll meet back up with you guys in front of the dropship, okay?"

"Alright, hurry up and come back!" Veteran told him as he left. Player waved to his two best friends on his way out, passing by the orange and cyan-clad couple on his way out.

"Oh, hey MrEgg, Ria," he greeted. "You look pretty good in cyan, y'know?"

"Thanks, Player," Ria smiled. "I didn't think it would look all that great with my bandana, but Eggy really likes it."

"Glad Mother isn't here. I wouldn't have gotten to see your new look," MrEgg told her, taking her hand and nuzzling his visor into her forehead. She returned the favor, smiling bigger as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Beanie man, you are forgetting someone."

Player looked up behind the couple to see where the third voice had come from. A familiar coral figure in a swimming mask and snorkel stood there, looking at him with a slight eyebrow raise.

"Oh! It, ah...It's you!" the red crewmate exclaimed, jumping a bit when he saw her. "Ah...what's your name again?"

"Snorkel," she replied in her signature thick accent. "I, ah, have been with Egg and Missus."

"Oh...for the whole round?"

"Even when Ria broke off to finish our tasks," MrEgg nodded. "...She says I need protecting."

"Oh...But there are no Impostors this round."

"That's alright, old chap. Hey, it's nice to know how much other people care about me."

That's true...Well, I've got one more thing left on my list, so I won't hold you guys up for too long."

"Good talk, Player!" MrEgg smiled, giving him a pleased nod before heading inside with his wife and "guardian" alongside him.

"She really does care about you, doesn't she?" Ria asked as the new group of three went into the lab.

"For someone I've known for such a short time, yes love."

With that, the three of them went into the lab, and Player headed out to take care of his own business...From that point on, the groups seemed to spread out a bit more as each crewmate got closer to finishing their tasks. They knew they were almost done, and they couldn't wait until everyone was finished.

Two other crewmates who'd strayed from their old groups found themselves together in Communications. Gnome had to finish rebooting the Wi-Fi at the same time Dum was venturing in to upload her data from Electrical. Judging by the task bar at that point, those were the last two tasks that had to be done before it would be time for BDay's donut feast.

"So, where's Engineer?" the pink crewmate asked offhandedly as she stared at her upload screen, her best friend shifting her feet from her toes to her heels every few seconds as time passed. "I know there aren't any Impostors this round, but I figured he'd wanna stay with you a while."

"Oh, he hasn't been gone for very long. He just had to go into the Specimen room to take care of the manifolds. He should be coming back any minute!"

"Or any second?"

The purple crewmate's familiar voice rang out into the small building just as Gnome turned around from finishing her task, Dum's finally going through all the way as well. The lime crewmate met her boyfriend halfway and threw herself right into his hold, causing him to spin around a couple of times.

"I missed you~!"

"I was only gone for five minutes, Gnomey," he giggled. "Didja finish your last task?"

"Sure did!" Gnome chirped, exchanging a quick grin with Dum. "Jess did too. Task bar is finally full!"

"Wow, that didn't take long to fill," Engineer remarked. "Welp, with everyone finished up, I guess the next course of action would be to-"

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Without any warning, a bloodcurdling, agonized scream rang out across the entire outpost.

"...What the heck was that?!?" Dum wondered aloud.

"It sounded like it was coming from the Office," Gnome realized as she let go of Engineer and stood up straight. "And it sounded like BDay!"

"But there are no Impostors this round, right?"

"I know! That's what's worrying me! If we have no Impostors, then something must be really wrong!!" the lime crewmate replied, taking Dum by the hand and dragging her along towards the Office as she ran, the purple crew member tailing close behind. "Let's go!"

By the time they got there, a lot of others had gathered as well, and all eyes seemed to be trained on BDay as he hovered over the two donut boxes on the meeting table.

...The two opened, completely empty donut boxes.

"They're gone...They're all gone!!" he exclaimed, looking absolutely distraught. "How could this happen...!?"

His knees caved, and he broke down crying right then and there...The crew gathered around was shocked. All of the donuts were gone? What'd happened to them!?

"Whoa whoa, what's goin' on in here!?"

Bro was the next crewmate to enter the scene, and it didn't take him long to figure out what the situation was.

"Th-there's nothing but crumbs left..." BDay whimpered. "How...Why...Who...Who ATE THEM ALL!?!?!"

He sounded just as confused when asking the question as he was upset...Most of the others seemed pretty baffled as well; everyone was well aware that the donuts were meant for AFTER all of the tasks were done, so everyone should have gotten the idea to NOT eat any until then.

"...Good question, BDay," Bro replied as he examined one of the empty boxes. "Lucky for you, I think this is a question I can get to the bottom of."

"You..." he sniffled. "...You're gonna try to figure out who did it?"

"I ain't just gonna try, I'm gonna do it," the grey crewmate in the bright blue uniform replied. "Officer Bro is on the case."

"Whoa whoa, wait. YOU'RE gonna try to figure out who did this??" Engineer asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure you know how to do something like that?"

"Hey. I watch a lot o' Forensic Files and stuff like that," he replied. "I've learned a few things since my first day on the job."

"Broooo, duuuude, you watch that show, too?" Stoner asked, poking his head up out of the crowd. "I think it's, like, getting rebooted soon."

"Yeah, I've seen the trailer," Bro replied.

"Would you, like, I dunno...want a hand in solvin' this case? Thought we might make a pretty good team; just a thought."

"Another member on the case, huh? Well, if you know we much as I do, I'll be more than happy to take you on the case."

"Yeah, bruh. Detective Stoner's gonna help you get to the bottom of this crime."

"And Stoner as your detective?" Engineer spoke up again. "I...I dunno, Bro. I'm not sure how efficient he would be considering he's...not exactly a concrete law abider himself."

"Nerd bruh, I live in the Golden State. I ain't breakin' any laws with Ms. Mary Jane, a'ight?"

"Even with that in consideration, Stoner, it might...affect the way you think and process information. If someone is going to inspect the scene for evidence, I think it should be me."

"Engineer, c'mon. Gimmie a chance, would ya? Just 'cuz I like puffin' the giggle bush doesn't mean my head is in the clouds all the time. How do you think I'd have gotten my Bachelor's degree in geology?"

The purple crewmate sighed lightly.

"Fine, fine. Just make sure you don't taint any of the evidence. It's the most important part of solving a case."

"No problemo, amigo. Just lemme grab some new duds."

"Duds??"

Stoner left the Office for a minute or so, returning to the scene with, of all things he could have had in his quarters, a tan deerstalker and brown-checkered Inverness cape.

"...How long have you had that, Stoner?" Bro inquired curiously.

"Old Halloween costume. Figured I'd dust it off and put it to use again," the green crewmate replied. "We ready to bust this case wide open?"

"Ready as ever, Stoner. Let's get down to the inspection."

They looked over the meeting room carefully, searching everywhere they could think for potential evidence...To their good fortune, whoever had committed the crime had left behind a trail of wet footprints in the carpet.

"Hey, Officer," Stoner addressed. "Check this stuff out."

They both inspected the impressions, which lead right to the table and then back out around the wall and out the same door they came in from. And by the looks of the distance between the footsteps, whoever it was entered in a hurry, did the job quickly and then exited in a hurry, dragging melted snow in with them. The moisture in the carpet spread out slightly beyond the prints, but the spots were caved in from the wetness, meaning they could be accurately measured.

Stoner whipped out a measuring tape and stretched it across the diameter of one of the round footprints, and then another two to ensure they were all the same width.

"How wide?" Bro asked him.

"Nine inches," Stoner replied, whipping a camera out an taking a photo of the evidence along with the measuring tape. When that was put away, he pulled out a tiny feather duster and a small container of black powder, dipping the tips of the brush inside.

"Can't help but notice the boxes are opened," the green crewmate pointed out. "Willin' to bet our culprit left something behind."

He dusted the top of one of the boxes first...Lo and behold, something showed up.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I was right."

He pulled out his magnifying glass and got a closer look at what he'd uncovered; it was a partial fingerprint clinging to the lid. No others were visible though, save for a small smudged bit on the side flap of the top part which was too distorted to use. It looked as though whoever it was made sure to be careful about how much evidence was left behind.

But not careful enough.

"So we got a footprint and we got a fingerprint," Bro nodded. "Good start...But let's see if there's anything worthwhile on the inside."

He lifted up each of the box lids, and the duo scanned the insides. At first, nothing was visible but a few crumbs and icing smudges, but Stoner wasn't about to close the boxes without going over everything with a fine-toothed comb, so he pulled his magnifying glass back out and had a look.

...In the second spot, he found something.

"Gotcha."

"What is it, Detective?"

In response, Stoner pulled out a cotton swab and took it to the bottom of the box, keeping his magnifier in place to see what he was doing properly.

"Spit, Officer," he answered him. "Suspect must've been so freakishly hungry, they drooled onto the box in the middle of their forbidden feast."

"Spit...That can be tested for DNA," Bro realized. "Seal it up, Detective."

Stoner pulled out a small plastic bag and stuck the swab with the collected evidence inside, then sealed it shut.

"Dude, how'd you fit all that stuff in there?" the grey crewmate asked him.

"Secret pockets in the inner lining, heh heh..." Stoner replied. "Alright...We got a footprint, a fingerprint and a spit sample. That should be enough to help narrow things down."

At that point, everyone was gathered in the Office, and the crime-solving duo lead them to the main room to share what they'd learned and to begin the deduction process.

"Alrighty...I've figured out a few more things 'bout the crime based on the evidence I have," the green crewmate began. "First off, this was done solo. Only one set o' footprints, one fingerprint and one spec o' drool...So only someone with a MASSIVE appetite could've done this."

All eyes fell upon the yellow crewmate with the shining gold crown, and he looked back at all of the eyes on him, seemingly confused.

"...What? I didn't do it," he shrugged.

"Ohhhh ho ho ho, we'll see about that, Cuisine King," Stoner replied. "And one more thing. The spit and fingerprint can only point to one person and none other, so I'll be takin' that evidence to the lab for some definitive proof of whodunnit."

A lot of sighs of relief could be heard, and almost everyone seemed at ease with that knowledge...Stoner frowned, hoping at least someone would appear noticeably nervous.

"Man, whoever it is is good, gotta admit," he told them. "But before we delve into the sciency stuff, first things first...The footprints."

"We're gonna measure everyone's feet," Bro announced, extending his hand and motioning for Stoner to give him his measuring tape, which he did. "Not everyone's feet are the exact same size, so the ones that don't match the prints well enough are gonna be cleared."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Captain nodded. "...Veteran. How about you step up first?"

The yellow crewmate was practically shoved towards the two investigators from some people within the crowd, and he stood up straight, deciding he had no other choice but to comply.

Bro stretched the measuring tape across the width of his round foot, and everyone saw his eyebrow go up a bit.

"...Huh. That's a twist," he mumbled before standing up and making a surprising announcement.

"It's not him," he said. "Feet measure 10 1/4 inches. Too big to have left those prints."

"...So I'm cleared."

"Looks like it," Stoner nodded, looking at the measuring tape himself. "Wow...Goes to show he's gotta at least have some self control, bruh."

"That's good to know...Phew."

Veteran stepped back into the crowd, smiling at his best friend. Player himself looked a little surprised that Veteran had turned out to be innocent, considering how he was sometimes.

"Officer Bro. You got a clipboard I can use?"

"They're kept in the drawer under the scanners. Go 'head and grab one."

Stoner fetched one of them from the drawer, along with a blank piece of paper and a pencil, and he began to write.

"What'chu loggin' in there?"

"A suspect list," the detective replied. "Made a list of everyone here, and I'm gonna cross 'em out as we narrow this case down...starting with our buddy Veteran."

He crossed the yellow crewmate's name out to log his innocence, and then he tucked the clipboard under his hand and looked up to face the rest of the crew again.

"Alright, everyone go ahead and get in line," he said to them. "We'll do this one at a time."

They did as instructed, and everyone got into a neat line...Slowly but surely, the number of potential suspects started to decline, and when everyone had gotten their feet measured, the two investigators updated them about their discoveries.

"Alright, here's what we've learned from the measurements taken," Bro spoke. "...Captain and Big Egg. You both have feet measuring at roughly ten inches, so you guys are cleared."

"Awesome!" the white crewmate cheered, pumping his fists into the air. "Proven not guilty!"

"Name's Sheldon, Officer Bro, but thanks anyways," MrEgg's older brother corrected lightly, nodding his head a bit.

"But we ain't done yet," the grey crewmate dressed in blue continued. "MrEgg, Angel, Rose and Gnome. You all have feet measuring between 8 and 8 1/2 inches; too small to have been able to left the tracks, so you guys are off the hook too."

All four of the addressed crewmates heaved sighs of relief, smiles forming across their faces at the good news.

"How's the list lookin' so far, Detective?" Bro asked his partner.

"Have a looksee."

Stoner showed off his list, and Bro scanned over all the names, both labeled and unlabeled.

___________________________________________

SUSPECTS:

                    Player
                    Veteran(CLEAR)
                    Captain(CLEAR)
                    MrEgg(CLEAR)
                    Ria
                    Sheldon(CLEAR)
                    Gnome(CLEAR)
                    Engineer
                    Dum
                    Angel(CLEAR)
                    Snorkel
                    Rose(CLEAR)
                    BDay(Victim-not likely)

___________________________________________

"Wow. Suspect list is cut down more than half already just by checkin' the footprints, huh?"

"Seems that way, Officer," the green crewmate nodded. "...Everyone else has a foot diameter of about 9 inches; they can all fit in the holes, judging by that, so to narrow our list down more, we're gonna have to dig further down into the knitty gritty."

"And how are you going to do that?" Engineer inquired.

"Spit and fingerprints are different for every person who owns 'em, Mr. Pushy Suspect," Bro snapped. "...Stoner. Why don't you take our samples to the lab and prep 'em for testing while I ask these guys a few more questions? Preferably the fingerprint first, since it won't take as long; Imma get an ink pad out of the drawer and get 'em all so you can make comparisons."

"Good thinkin', partner dude," Stoner nodded, turning to the crew one more time before heading out towards the lab. "Oh, and hey. Everyone who's been cleared can leave now."

The seven confirmed innocents all spoke amongst one another as they left, both relieved that they'd been proven clear and curious as to who it was. Veteran whispered to his best friend before leaving.

"Bro, you weren't cleared...It isn't you, is it?"

"What? No, Veteran, it's not."

"Are you worried I'll tell someone?" he asked. "Your secret's safe with me, I promise; I know how it feels when you suddenly get the urge to eat a truckload o' good grub. I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

"Vet', it's not me," he insisted. "But I hope Bro and Stoner really do know what they're doing so that they can prove it isn't."

"Well...Okay. Good luck, compadre."

With that, Veteran left with the others...The remaining suspects in the Office were Ria, Snorkel, Engineer, BDay, and his sister Dum, all standing in a line. Bro went down the line with his ink pad and a piece of paper, having each suspect press their thumb and forefinger in the spot of the paper beneath where their name had been written. Nobody protested, and no one seemed very nervous about giving out what could turn out to be undeniable evidence against the culprit.

...Until Bro reached the end of the line and asked Engineer for his two prints.

"May I ask you something, Bro?"

"That's Officer Bro to you," he quickly corrcted the purple crewmate as he dipped his thumb and forefinger into the ink pad. "...But you may."

"How do we know YOU aren't the one who ate the donuts?"

"What would make you think it was me?" he asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well for starters, you seemed pretty eager to hop onto this whole 'whodunnit' case not long after the discovery that the donuts had been eaten," Engineer explained. "It wouldn't surprise me if you did that just to cover yourself."

"You really think that, huh?"

"And second, if I recall correctly, you mentioned something about how cops are with donuts before the start opf the round...And considering your outfit and role in this operation, it seems a bit suspicious to me."

"Hey, I was lookin' forward to this as much as-"

"And THIRD," the purple crewmate interrupted him. "You haven't measured YOUR foot and compared it to the impressions in the floor. Nor have you taken your own fingerprint yet. Are you planning on doing that?"

Bro stepped back, then slowly crossed his invisible arms, giving the poindexter a venomous glare.

"...Alright then. I will," he replied, grabbing the tape measurer off of the ID scanning station. "And YOU can do the honors if you think you're so good at this."

Engineer nodded and took the measurer, then stooped down and measured the diameter of Bro's foot...He nodded lightly as he read the length.

"Alright. 9 3/4 inches." he announced. A little too big for the impressions."

"What'd I tell you?"

"I get it, I get it, you're cleared," Engineer frowned as he gave him back the tape measurer. "But even if you are innocent, you better hope you're doing this right. When all of this is said and done, I'm gonna have a look at whatever evidence is collected myself to make sure it all adds up."

"...Granted it is not you," Snorkel piped up.

"It's not, Snorkel."

"Hmph...We'll see about that," Bro sneered as he pressed his own thumb and forefinger against the ink pad and pressed them down onto the paper above the other suspects' names, writing his own above it. "Now...While we wait for Stoner to come back with the fingerprint test, I have a few more questions for all of you."

Everyone paid close attention to him.

"First off...Russki. Where were you at ten minutes before the discovery of the eaten donuts?"

"Was with Egg ever since round start."

"Can you confirm this, Ria?"

"Yes," she nodded. "She's stuck to him like glue this whole time."

"And what about you?"

"I was with them for most of the game, too," Ria confirmed. "And I did everything I had to do in the Office at the start of the round, then went with them, so they know I wouldn't have had the chance to make all the donuts disppear."

"This is also true," Snorkel confirmed. "I have been watching both to protect. Have seen nothing strange."

"...Protect."

"да."

"...When there are no Impostors you need to protect anyone from."

"You never know what may happen on outpost so far from motherland," she told him. "Something so really bad with reactor in Specimen Room, and boom. Next thing you know, is Chernobyl on Polus. Do we want that? No. Do I want Egg in way of that? NO."

"Wow...um...A'ight," Bro finished. "Well...If that's the case, sounds like you two are probably good. But just to be sure, I want you guys to stay during the fingerprint comparison, just in case."

The two crewmates looked at each other and shrugged, nodding in agreement with the officer in front of them.

"Yooo, Officer Bro, dude. I finished the fingerprint testing, here's the enlarged image."

The green crewmate in the detective wear returned with a piece of paper that had an enlarged picture of the fingerprint from the scene on it. Bro handed him his samples from the suspects for him to compare, and Stoner set them down on the table as he took his magnifying glass to them.

"Learn anything from the print?" the grey crewmate in the ploice uniform asked him.

"Hm...Well, it looks to me like part of a whorl fingerprint. The lines look like they kinda spiral into a point instead of looping around a center or bending into an arch-shape," the detective explained. "...Now according to the research I conducted in the Lab, the majority of fingerprints are loop fingerprints, so anyone with a loop print is off the hook."

"Well, who's got a loop print and who doesn't?"

"Imma workin' on it. Leeeet's seeee..."

It took a moment for Stoner to examine all of the fingerprints, but when he did, he made his announcement.

"A'ight. Mrs. Egg, Player's sis and the BDay Boy are all proud owners of loop prints. And the Commie's is an arch; rarest kind there."

"Huh...Guess I am rather special here, нет?"

"I was hopin' it wouldn't be BDay," Bro remarked. "I mean, he's the one who loves 'em the most out of anyone, so it'd have been a pretty big twist."

"Then again, BDay is the one who bought them in the first place with his own money," Player pointed out. "Honestly, if it'd been him, I don't think I'd have been as upset as I will be when we find out who did do it."

At that remark, Bro slowly turned his head around to look at the red beanie-wearing figure.

"...And why's that?"

"Well, duh," Player responded. "Because now we know all of his money went down the drain and no one else is going to get to enjoy what he brought."

"You make yourself sound real proud."

"...Of what?"

"Stoner," Bro addressed. "Player and Engineer both have Whorl fingerprints, I assume?"

"That's right," the green figure confirmed. "...So we're down to the last two."

"Good, good...Glad we came this far so quickly, partner. You did good in the lab."

"Thanks, compadre."

"Wait," Engineer spoke up. "How do we know-?"

"You ain't in no place to be speakin' outta line, Mister," Bro warned him, pointed at him with an accusatory finger. "Not until your interrogation."

"Interrogation?" Ria echoed. "What're you guys gonna ask them?"

"Basic stuff. The order in which they did their tasks, who they were with, where they were at shortly before the discovery of the crime...Stuff like that. It all helps to put the puzzle together all the way."

"But the DNA evidence Imma be testin' shortly, and the fingerprints Imma be lookin' at?" Stoner chimed in. "Ohhhh, boy. There's gonna be only ONE person those will point to. And whoever it is...well...They're not gonna be in for a good time."

Both Player and Engineer gulped, then looked at each other...Both of them cast harsh glares in the other's direction.

"Player...It isn't you, is it?" Dum whispered to him.

"No, sis, it's not. I already told veteran the same thing, too."

"I'm not so sure I believe you, Player," Engineer rasped. "...But then again, I'm not sure how much I trust these guys to do this the right way. They're known to make a lot of mistakes."

"I can only hope they're doing the right thing myself..." BDay whined. "My precious donuts...I..."

The blue crewmate's gaze suddenly hardened as well, and his fists clenched as he turned to face the two remaining suspects.

"Whichever one of you it is," he told the red and purple beans. "There's gonna be absolute HELL TO PAY when this whole thing is figured out. I'LL decide what's to be done with you...And it won't be pretty, I promise you both that."

The two of them stepped back a bit, surprised by BDay's sudden outburst...He never got angry, so they knew this whole thing really did mean a lot to him.

...Maybe a little too much, to be honest, Player said to himself.

"Alright," Bro spoke up again. "Those of you here who've been let off the hook. We want you all to keep a close eye on each suspect while we take the other in for questioning in the Security office."

"Will do," Snorkel saluted, glueing her eyes onto Player and Engineer as soon as she received the order. "...You two are not going anywhere."

"I get that..." Player replied dryly.

"Actually, yes you are for now," Bro corrected him. "We're takin' you with us first."

"Oh...O-oh, really?"

"Mmmmm-hm," Stoner nodded. "C'mon, Beanie man. We're jut gonna ask you a few questions, is all."

"Well...Okay."

Player nodded and accepted somewhat hesitantly, and the next thing everyone else knew, he was being taken outside through the western Office door, and he, Officer Bro and Detective Stoner all disappeared into the snow.

...The walk to Security was a bit shorter than Player would have liked. Regardless of whether or not he was guilty, he wasn't comfortable being grilled by what were perhaps the two most thick-headed individuals in the lobby. Sure, his sister and her boyfriend weren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed either, but he at least knew they would be fair to him in a situation like this...unlike these two were likely to be. Especially Bro.

When they entered the small office, Stoner pulled out one of the folding tables against the wall of the room and flicked it open, Bro doing the same with three of the chairs set up inside. They positioned two of them on the side closest to the security monitor, and the third closest to the exit...That was where their suspect was to be seated.

As soon as the three of them sat down, Player tensed up, preparing for the worst as best he could.

"Alright," Stoner began. "Where were you on the day of today between twelve-thirty p.m. and one o'clock p.m.?"

"Well, I...I did a lot within half an hour," the red crewmate answered him. "We had a pretty decent number of tasks today to make up for the lack of Impostors, so..."

"A lot of people formed groups throughout the day, I've noticed," Bro chimed in. "Were you in one of these groups?"

"Yeah, for most of the time we did our tasks, I was with Captain and Veteran."

"I see..." Stoner nodded, folding his hands on the table. "And was there any point at which you strayed away from your group?"

"Well...Oh jeez..." Player sighed. "To be honest, not until shortly before the discovery was made about the donuts."

The two investigators looked at one another, eyebrows raised.

"But I have an alibi," Player hastily added. "I only left for a minute to do my last task: fixing the weather node just south of the Lab. I got back up with the others in the lab pretty shortly afterward. A-and I stopped to talk to MrEgg for a minute before I left. Ria and Snorkel can tell you that!"

"Hope so, bro..." Stoner nodded slowly. "So, uh...You never went to the Office in between the time we all scanned our passes and the time at which the crime scene was discovered?"

"No. N-no, I didn't. I just got the node maze done then headed back into the Lab. Nothing else."

"Hm...Well, the DNA analysis we get from the spit sample will tell us whether or not you're bein' honest with us," Bro told him. "So you'd be tellin' the truth if you said the spit wasn't yours?"

"Yeah. I would be telling the truth," Player replied. "I'm not lying, I swear."

Bro leaned in closer over the table, and he saw the red crewmate shrink back as he narrowed his gaze at him.

"...Then are you willin' to provide some proof?"

"Proof?" the red crewmate echoed. "I-if it'll prove it isn't me, then yes. What do you need as proof?"

"Your own DNA, bruh," Stoner replied to him, pulling out another cotton swab from his cape and handing it to Player. "Imma compare samples from you and Mr. Geeky Man and see which one matches the spit we found in the box."

"...So you just need my own spit?"

"That's the gist of it."

"Well, okay then."

With that, Player stuck one end of the swab in his mouth and rubbed the inside of his cheek with it, then gave the sample to Stoner. The detective stuck the swab in another plastic baggie and stored it away in one of his cape pockets.

"Well, there's our first piece of proof,"  Bro nodded. "And Player. You're sure there isn't anything you're not telling us?"

"I-I don't think so. At least not anything I think might be important."

With that, the grey crewmate turned to his detective partner.

"Detective Stoner," he addressed him. "Boot up the sample inspector and put the first swab through the test while we switch suspects. Should be done by the time we're done with the geek."

"Will do, Officer," the green crewmate replied as he got up and started making his way out of the Security office. "Player, dude. You're free to leave for now."

"Wait, th-that's it?"

"For now," Bro said to him. "Until we find out anything else. Go on back to your sister; she'll keep an eye on you for the time being."

"Alright," Player nodded, seeming slightly more at ease as Bro lead him out of Security and outside into the snow. When they got to the Office again, the crewmate in uniform handed the red-clad suspect over to his sister.

"Keep an eye on him," he told her. "If it's him, we can't have him getting away...Engineer. You're up. Let's go."

The purple crewmate shot Player a slightly suspicious glare as he approached Officer Bro, which earned him a piercing glare in return. Engineer only shook his head in disappointment as he followed Bro outside, staying close behind him as they made their way to the Security office for his interrogation...By the time they'd made it to the entrance to Electrical, Stoner was coming back from the Lab, and he joined his partner and their next suspect as they went into the building and entered the Security office. Engineer took the same seat Player had as the other two sat across from him.

"I really do hope you guys know what you're doing with the DNA samples and such," the purple crewmate told them. "DNA evidence might be definitive, but it still has to be handled carefully. I worked with it during the werewolf escapade, so I would know."

"Chillax, need bruh," Stoner nodded. "We ain't gonna bitch this up...To tell you the truth, man, I think it's Player; he was actin' jittery during the meeting."

Engineer let out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't think he'd have the stomach for something like that...*sigh*...I'm just glad this is going to be over soon. I've been frazzled since the beginning of this fiasco."

Stoner nodded in understanding, then pulled something else out of the pocketed lining of his Inverness cape.

"Wanna Sprite Cranberry?" the detective asked, handing Engineer the soda can. "Grabbed one o' these from my fridge as I was gettin' my gear on, but, ah...Guess you could use one more than me."

"Well...They are my favorite," Engineer remarked as he opened the Can, taking a long swig from it before letting out a refreshed sigh. "Mm...Haven't had one of these in a while. Thanks."

"No problemo, compadre."

"Don't you guys get too comfortable just yet," Bro told the two of them. "We still have yet to see the results of a DNA test from you."

"Well, whoever's spit was at the scene of the crime, it's not gonna turn out to be mine."

"...That's what the last guy said," the officer told him, sitting up straight in his chair and folding his hands again. "Now. Can you give us an account of your whereabouts from the start of the round to the time at which the crime scene was discovered."

"Well..." Engineer began. "I was sort of all over the place this round; my tasks were all strewn about the outer buildings of the outpost. Gnome and I were together for most of the time, though."

"But not the entire time?" Bro asked him.

"No, we had to break off from each other a few times to get certain tasks done."

"I see...How many times, might you say?"

"Four. Maybe five, I forget. But we joined back up with one another within a minute or two of each time."

"Did you enter the Office at any time after everyone scanned their passes?"

"No, not until we all went in there to see why BDay was screaming," the purple crewmate replied, taking another sip from his can. "Closest I got was opening the last waterway on the outside wall just a minute beforehand."

"And how long was this before the discovery?"

"Well, just a minute, I think. But like I said, I was only gone for about that long. Gnome can tell you that much if you ask her."

"And where were you ten minutes before the crime discovery?"

"Ten minutes? Um...At that point, probably somewhere in between Electrical fixing the wires or monitoring the tree. Uh, Gnome was with me then. Heh...We we're in there for a few more minutes afterwards before we kept at it with our tasks. Got caught up a little."

"Broooooooooooo..." Stoner drawled. "Like, keep it PG, man."

"Sorry, Detective."

"And when was the next time you two separated?" Bro asked.

"About maybe seven or eight minutes or so after we got done with that; we had to do a couple more things in O2, and then Gnome had to finish the Wi-Fi reboot while I took care of the last waterway on the Office wall. They were our last tasks."

"And this was only a couple minutes before the crime scene was discovered that you left?"

"That's right, but I was only gone for a minute or so. Even if I was nearby, and even it I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, I couldn't have eaten THIRTY donuts in the span of a minute, if even that. Especially when you take walking distance and pace into account; the player speed is only 1.25 this round."

"True...true..." Stoner nodded. "But when was the last time you ate?"

"This morning."

"What'd you have?" Bro asked him.

"A banana."

"That's it? Just a banana?"

"Yeah, we're out of eggs and cereal; Gnome and I are gonna head to the store and buy some later this afternoon."

"M-hm...And what did you eat for dinner last night?"

"Half a toasted grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of ham."

"Just half?"

"Yeah, I wasn't very hungry," Engineer told them, taking another long swig from his soda can. "I don't have a big appetite. But I do drink a lot o' stuff throughout the day."

"Well...You better hope your DNA test results can back up that claim," the officer responded. "Stoner. Care to offer another swab?"

The detective did just that, and Engineer swabbed his inner cheek before giving it back, watching as Stoner stored it in a plastic bag and sealed it up.

"Good, good. The evidence isn't tainted. Maybe you do know a few things about this, huh Stoner?"

"Detective Stoner, bruh," he corrected him lightly. "And well, yeah. When there isn't much on the tubes, you start finding stuff like crime shows and investigations and stuff like that interestin'."

"True. I've watched a few myself..."

Engineer tipped his can of Sprite upside down and finished it off, then tossed it into the trash can sitting in the corner of the room.

"Okay. Is that all you need me for?"

"For now," Officer Bro nodded. "I'll take you back to the Office and have the others keep an eye on you until the tests are done. Once both samples have been compared, we'll know which one o' you it is."

"Alright, good."

"Stoner. You know what to do."

"Absitively posolutely, Officer."

The green crewmate watched as the two left the Security office, finally leaving the room and heading to the lab following not too far behind with not only the swab containing Engineer's spit, but the empty Sprite can as well.

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

Engineer and Player stood around idly as they awaited Stoner to return with the results of the DNA test. Every so often, Player shot the purple crewmate a knowing glare, which was always returned with a shake of the head. Captain, Rose and MrEgg had returned from their quarters to see who the culprit really was, each alongside their respective partners.

"I...I have the money to get another two boxes," BDay remarked to his girlfriend. "Do you want me to do that?"

"Hmm...You know what I think, snookums?"

"What's that?"

"I think that whichever one of them is should have to pay for 'em themselves. Y'know, to kinda make up for what they did to ya."

"Heh...Th-that's not a bad idea, Rose. Wait, but what if they eat THOSE donuts, too?"

"Well, you could just have 'em give you the money to get them yourself," Player suggested, of all people. "That might work if you want them to come back safely."

"Uh-huh...Bold idea coming from you," the blue crewmate replied to him, a skeptical glint in his eye. "Very bold idea."

"Y'know, to tell you guys the truth, I don't think it's Player," Veteran spoke up. "I mean, both me and his sister already promised to keep it secret if he confessed it to us, and he still said he was innocent. And now he's thinkin' up ideas on what to do with Engineer if he turns out to be our man. If he were the one who did it, then I doubt he'd be sayin' stuff like that. Let alone sayin' much at all, really...He gets pretty quiet when he's hiding something important from us."

"You really think it's Engineer?" Dum asked her younger brother. "He's...not exactly known around here for being able to down an amount of food as big as that."

"I mean, everyone else has been cleared. Even Veteran. Who else could it be?"

"Player, stop. Just stop, okay?" Engineer snapped at him. "I'm getting tired of this. If it was you, just say so, alright? Look, what's the worst they can do? Make you pay for some donuts? Big freakin' deal."

"Trying to get me to confess to a crime I didn't commit, huh?"

Engineer didn't respond right away. He simply peered out the large window and looked out towards the lab, where the definitive DNA test was being conducted at that very moment.

...I know it won't turn out to be mine, Engineer said to himself. But what if Player IS telling the truth? Then...The only other thing I could think of is that it would have to-

His train of thought was suddenly derailed when he saw Stoner exit the Lab, a piece of paper in his hands and a confident look in his visor...The moment of truth was almost upon them.

Officer Bro let him in, and the two of them took a peek at the results printed out on the paper before nodding to each other. At that point, they had the attention of everyone in the building.

"The DNA test results are in, dudes and dudettes," Stoner announced, stretching his hands out and cracking his knuckles. "And we have our guilty man. Bro, you care to make the announcement?"

"Don't mind if I do, partner."

Everyone listened in, wondering who the culprit was...Player and Engineer each gave each other nervous looks as they awaited the answer.

And then, Bro finally spoke, turning to the red-clad, beanie-wearing crewmate.

"...Player?"

His eyes widened in disbelief and horror.

"Y...yeah?"

"You're off the hook," the officer told him. "...It's Engineer."

"WHAT!?!?!"

Everyone gasped, turning towards the purple figure with their visors bugged out in shock.

"The DNA don't lie," Stoner informed them. "That ain't anyone else's spit we found at the scene. Take a looksee."

The purple crewmate rushed over and took a look at the DNA test...The bar lengths and patterns of his labeled profile all matched the labeled sample test results on the top of the page, and his ID photo was displayed beside it.

"This...this can't be right. This can't possibly be right," Engineer argued. "I didn't do it! I never even TOUCHED those boxes!"

The investigators weren't having it. Bro pulled out a pair of steel cuffs as he approached the culprit.

"No matter how much you fight it, the proof is right there in the spit," he told him. "...You're under arrest, donut thief."

But Engineer wasn't having it either. He tried to escape when Bro approached him with the cuffs, only to be grabbed by Ria and Snorkel.

"Do not resist," the coral crewmate warned him. "You will only make it worse."

"I didn't DO IT, SNORKEL!!"

A rush of adrenaline rushed through him, and he managed to struggle free from the grip of the bystanders, headed for the door.

...Only to be blocked by the familiar lime figure that was his fiancée just a moment later.

"Gnome, what are you doing? We need to go, these guys did something wrong here!"

She sighed deeply, refusing to budge.

"...They're right. DNA doesn't lie, Engineer," she told him, visibly disappointed. "I'm sorry, but...You need to answer to this. Look what you did to poor BDay."

"Gnome, DON'T DO THIS TO ME! I've been framed somehow! I DIDN'T EAT THE FU-"

He was cut off when a sudden jolt of electricity coursed through his body, and his strength drained as soon as it had appeared...Bro finally managed to secure his hands in the metal restrainers as the culprit collapsed, putting his taser away the moment he was cuffed.

"...cking...donuts..."

His anger faded into unconsciousness, and his limp body was hoised upright by both Gnome and Officer Bro.

"What do you say we do with 'im?" the police crewmate asked his partner. "You finished solving the crime. I say you decide."

"Hmmmmmm...Well, during that whole werewolf fiasco that happened last October, our man here built a cage. He put his girl into it to see if she would turn at midnight...And when she didn't, she was off the suspect list for who was the monster eating everybody."

"Wait, weren't you dead by that point?" Gnome asked him.

"Duuuuh. I was a ghost, dudette," he replied. "And I say it's HIS turn to be caged up like the ravenous donut-eating beast he turned out to be."

"Weird...I didn't think he could eat so much in just one sitting. He's NEVER done something like this before."

"That's just it. I'm thinkin' it was more than one," Stoner informed her. "My guess is that with all of the times you two separated during your tasking, he went back to the Office several times to snag a few each instance until they were all gone."

"Still...I can't believe he was capable of something like this."

"Anyone can be capable of anything in the heat of the moment," Bro told her. "That's just how we as human beans are...Alright, Stoner. Let's put this guy in solitary confinement for a good long while."

"I'm with ya, compadre."

With that, they dragged the still-unconscious Engineer out of the Office and into the Storage unit where the old cage was kept...The few remaining in the Office stood by and began to discuss the events of the case, wondering how Engineer could have done what he did, and why.

"...I should have known it'd have been purple man," Snorkel spoke up. "...Is always purple man, no?"

"What do we call him then?" Dum asked. "Man behind the...It's not really a slaughter. No...The butcher?"

"I think butcher only applies to meat," Veteran told her.

"Yeah, you're right, that won't work."

"Man behind the cruller?" Ria suggested.

"Not close enough...Anyone else got any ideas?"

She got no response excapt for a few head shakes and shrugs.

"Yeah, me neither," she deflated.

"I'm just glad they did the testing right," Player nodded, heaving out a sigh of relief. "Man...I guess they do deserve a little credit, don't they?"

"For a couple o' thick heads," his best friend nodded. "...Alrighty, guys. Let's go tell the others that it was Engineer."

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

"...Ugh...What...?"

When Engineer regained awareness, the first thing he recognized was that he was in Storage. The faint smell of kerosene and metal entered his nostrils as he focused on the fuel container and spare parts lined up against the walls and scattered in a semi-organized fashion.

...The second thing he recognized was that he was viewing the room through a set of steel bars.

"What the-!? AGH!"

When he stood up straight, the top of his head bashed against the metal ceiling of the cell he was in, and he hissed loudly as he rubbed the site of the impact...He realized the cage he was in was the same one he'd built during the werewolf incident.

...And he didn't have any means of leaving said cage.

Oh, no. No, no, no, what did they do to me!?

That was when he heard the closed doors of the small building hiss, and they opened to reveal a familiar lime figure in a pointed cap, who stepped inside and approached the cell he was contained in.

"Engie..."

"Gnomey," he recognized immediately, his face lighting right back up. "Oh, thank God. Gnomey, you gotta get me out of here, we need to leave this place, everything's gone crazy ever since those two-"

"Engineer, calm down," she told him, gently gripping one of the cell bars with her right hand. "...You don't have to keep this up anymore, we already figured you out."

"I-I, what...?"

"I just want to know why you did it, okay?" she said to him, her tone soft. "We're gonna fix this somehow, but in order to do that, we need to tackle the source of the problem...Did you maybe have some kind of, I don't know...sudden craving?"

"I already told you, I DIDN'T DO IT!!!"

"You don't have to lie to me, Engie-"

"I'm not lying to you! I'm innocent! Get me out of here, Gnome, GET THE KEYS AND GET ME OUT!!!"

"AH!"

In the heat of his desparation, he grabbed hold of the front of Gnome's neon green exosuit and tried to pull her closer...forgetting for a moment that there were metal bars in the way and accidentally slamming her forehead into one of them in the process.

The moment he realized what he did and let go, Engineer's fiancée recoiled from the impact, stumbling backwards and bringing her hand up to her face.

"Oww..."

When she removed it again, Engineer got a clear look of the mauve and dark yellow bruise left on her forehead, and his visor bugged out in horror.

"Gn...gnomey, I..." the purple figure stammered. "I-I didn't mean to...I-I just sorta lost it for a second, I wasn't trying to...Oh my God..."

Gnome just shot him an angry look before turning to leave.

"...You need some time to cool down. We can't fix this problem if you won't cooperate."

With that, she headed back towards the doors.

"Wait, Gnome, no! Come back!"

She didn't listen to him. By the time he was done pleading, she'd already walked back out into the snow, shutting the doors behind her and ignoring him as best she could as he continued to call for her, pounding on the bars of his cage as he screamed.

"Gnomey! Don't leave me here! Gnome...! GNOOOOME!!! HELP ME!!!"

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

Officer Bro and Detective Stoner got some well-deserved credit and even a few cheers from the crew in the Office. They promised everyone that Engineer would very literally pay for what he'd done as soon as he stopped acting like an animal so that they could talk him into replacing BDay's donuts. The blue crewmate was more than grateful, and Player was still relieved as ever that they'd conducted their testing and experiments properly and brought the right crewmate to justice.

And with a job well done, they figured that until Engineer calmed down enough for them to confront him again, it was time for a bit of a celebration.

"Well, Stoner, looks like we cracked the case," Bro nodded as he and his detective partner walked through the snow. "Poindexter won't be gettin' ANY donuts ANYWHERE anytime soon."

"Heh heh, you can say that again, Bromigo," Stoner nodded. "Well, now that the mystery's solved and all that, you wanna crash at my pad for a bit? I got plenty o' coke to go around."

"As long as it's the soda kind, I'm game."

"Radical."

The two made their way to Stoner's quarters, and the green crewmate snapped the light on once they entered...Bro was surprised to see just how neat and tidy everything looked.

"Wow...You keep this place in orde better than I thought you would've."

"Ey, I might live up to my name, but I ain't chill enough to live in a pig house. I guess I like to impress."

"Well, you impressed me."

Bro kept looking around, nodding in satisfaction at the good condition of the cabin. Heck, the only part of the cabin that looked remotely messy was the kitchen. All that he spied were a few dirty dishes in the small sink, an empty coke can on the sink's edge, and a separate plate on the counter that had nothing on it but a leftover piece of a...

Wait a minute, he said to himself, peering at the small, pink frosted, sprinkle-covered piece of cakey substance on the plate, getting a closer look at it. Is that part of a...?

"Yo, Stoner," he addressed, raising an eyebrow. "Where'd you get the donut from? Engineer ate 'em all, didn't he?"

"Huh?"

The green crewmate eyed the unfinished confection, then answered him.

"Oh, that. Sorry 'bout that, Bro. That thing's been sittin' there for, like, a week or something. I keep tellin' myself to throw it out, but y'know how procrastination is, right man?"

...Something about Stoner's response didn't sit well with Bro. Maybe it was how his eyes looked when he saw it sitting there? Or maybe it was how quickly he spoke when he answered him...Stoner usually didn't speak so swiftly.

As Stoner opened the fridge door, Bro stepped closer to the unfinished donut. Ensuring that Stoner couldn't see him from behind the door, he picked the piece up and examined it...A donut that'd been sitting out for at least a week would be firm and crumbly, with stale icing and little to no smell about it.

But the piece squished ever so slightly in between his thumb and forefinger, and it smelled fresh. It was even still ever so slightly warm. And...was that little damp spot on one of the bitten ends drool? Spit dried quickly in small amounts; it was made of mostly water....It wouldn't just stay wet for a week.

...Like Stoner had claimed.

"A'ight, man, you want regular or cherry?" the green crewmate asked him, unaware of what he was doing."

"Cherry, thanks..." Bro replied, sticking the peculiar donut piece in his pocket and putting the dish in the sink. Stoner noticed him there as soon as he shut the refrigerator door, and he seemed to tense up again.

"Oh...You chuck that old donut?" he asked, seemingly concerned.

"Yeah. Figured I'd would since you weren't doin' it,"

"Oh. Heh. Thanks, Bro. Here's your drink."

He took the cherry cola from his detective buddy, then the two tapped their cans together for a toast before tipping the bottoms up and taking a swig.

"Good stuff..." Bro nodded, trying to act as calm as possible before perking himself up. "Oh, hey, Stoner, I just remembered something. I need to go log the info on Engineer into the outpost files. We'll need 'em to figure out how to handle him with the donuts next time."

"Oh...Will you be long?"

"Nah, it'll only take a few minutes. I'll be back shortly, so hang tight."

"Tight as I can, bruh," Stoner replied, sitting down in one of his chairs and flashing the blue-suited crewmate a thumbs up...With that, Bro finally made his way out the door, shutting it behind him in a lax manner.

And as soon as he planted his feet in the snow again, he ran east towards the lab like his life depended on it, shutting the doors behind him. He booted the sample inspector back up and took a look at the monitor above it, which displayed the same results of Engineer's DNA test as the one Stoner had printed out. His ID photo was displayed alongside the test graph, proving the DNA that'd gone into the sample inspector did indeed belong to him.

But something still felt off to Bro. Like there was something he was forgetting...And then something hit him.

"That's it. The fingerprint tests," he remembered. "We never used Player and Engineer's prints to tie them to the scene; we just used the DNA samples...Where's the paper I had everyone put their fingers on? Or the enlarged print sample?"

He searched around the Lab desks and in cabinets for the needed papers, but he had no luck.

"They gotta be around here somewhere. It's not like someone just..."

He stopped, then diverted his attention to the trash bin sitting against the wall of the Lab to the left of the telescope...He peered inside, and discovered two crumpled-up pieces of paper, two empty plastic bags, one that had a swab in it...and an empty can of Sprite Cranberry. The same one Stoner had given to Engineer during his interrogation.

He pulled one of the pieces of paper out and uncrumpled it, recognizing it as the piece that everyone had put their fingerprints onto. He stuck it on the counter and pulled out the second, which was the enlarged image of the fingerprint at the scene.

His gut feeling growing stronger, he flattened both papers as best he could, then opened one of the Lab cabinets and pulled out a high-power magnifying glass. The instrument was usually used for taking a look at puncture wounds or other small injuries sustained by crewmembers, but right now, he needed it for the prints.

He took a close look at Engineer's print, then the partial print found at the scene. They were both the same fingerprint type, but Engineer's didn't have any parts that resembled the partial one identically. The end of the spiral it made was too far off to the left for it to match the one found on the donut box. And Player's didn't match it either; the spiral shape on his finger was a different shape, with the curved lines on its left more spaced out and going towards the bottom end of the print.

And he already knew his own print, as well as everyone else's on the chart, wasn't the correct type.

And there was only ONE fingerprint from ONE individual who hadn't been cleared by the footprint test that wasn't there.

...Or was it?

Officer Bro went into the cabinet again and pulled out a tin of activated charcoal powder, which was usually used for flushing out toxins that may have been ingested or absorbed in Polus's harsh environment...It was the closest thing he had to fingerprint powder at the time, and he hoped to GOD that it would work.

He put on a pair of rubber gloves, pinched some of the black powder out of its tin and sprinkled it all over the edges of the paper, making sure to coat as much of the perimeter as he could. Once the outer edges were almost completely covered, he tipped the paper upwards and let everything slide off to see if he got anything.

"...Bingo."

He himself had handles the paper as well, so it was no surprise that his own fingerprints were on it. And it was easy to compare them to the sample he'd already pressed down onto it.

...But then he noticed the prints on the paper that DIDN'T belong to him...They were the ones that Stoner had left behind.

He took the high-powered magnifying glass to his prints, then looked over at the sample from the crime scene to see if he spotted any similarities.

...Oh my God.

Bro's eyes widened in shock as they kept switching from Stoner's prints to the sample print. The spaces between the lines, the shape, the location of the spiral point lining up perfectly.

...They match.

His attention was drawn back to the plastic baggie in the trash bin, and he fished it out...The bag was labeled "CRIME SCENE" in permanent black marker, so he knew this was the swab he'd taken from the box.

He pulled the two swabs already in the sample inspector out of their viles, then opened the bag, stuck the crime scene swab inside, pulled the piece of donut out, collected the spit off the end of it with another swab from the Lab cabinet, then put it in the comparison slot of the machine and booted it up, starting a new inspection.

One last time, he reached into the trash big and pulled something out: the Sprite can...It'd been dusted for Engineer's fingerprints, which were plain as day on the can and painted black from the powder he'd used. And the two remaining, empty baggies in the bin were labeled "Player" and "Engineer 2" respectively.

Now why would Stoner need TWO samples of Engineer's DNA?

"...Of course."

The second sample was a decoy taken from the soda can, used to compare to the sample he'd gotten directly from Engineer's mouth towards the end of the interrogation. He must have swabbed the lip of the can where the purple crewmate's mouth had been for a second sample, then used it to compare to the first one...knowing that they would come out matching.

A new piece of the puzzle had been added, and the truth seemed more and more obvious...But Officer Bro almost didn't want to believe it. He had t be more sure. He had to be as sure as he could possibly be before he mustered the courage and confidence to point his finger at who was looking more and more like the real culprit.

Bro looked around the Lab a bit more for anything else suspicious, and he discovered something hidden beneath the microscope on the counter; a piece of paper jutting out from beneath it.

Upon pulling the paper out, the officer realized it had Engineer's fingerprints on it, one labeled "Sample" and the other labeled "Engineer." The sample photo on the left side of the paper was a black fingerprint against a shiny, metallic cherry red background.

It was one of the fingerprints from the Sprite can...Nothing like the cardboard, green polkadotted box the donuts had been in.

He must've tried to hide this thing once he realized the background didn't match the actual sample, the grey crewmate said to himself. ...Why wouldn't he have thrown it away with the other things, though...? Hm...well...He never brought the fingerprint evidence out. Or even mentioned it again. Maybe he was in a rush to try and get it done before the DNA results came in, and sorta...forgot about it. Lucky for me...unlucky for him.

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

The sound of the sample inspector went off, and Bro looked up at the monitor above it to see what the test results had been.

...He found himself looking right into the eyes of his partner when his eyes hit the screen.

"It was Stoner's DNA at the scene in the donut box...It's Stoner's..."

...

...

...

IT WAS STONER.

"Ohhh my God, ho-lee crap, it's HIM. HOOOO MY GOD. I...I gotta go get him. I NEED TO GO GET HIM AND BRING HIM IN."

He ran out of the Lab like a bat out of hell and rushed back to Stoner's quarters, barging in with a pair of handcuffs already in hand and a look of white hot rage on his face.

"HANDS IN THE AIR, STONER, DON'T MOVE!"

...But it was only after he hollered the command that he realized his detective partner, the one who'd deceived him and lead him right along the trail of lies, was gone.

Officer Bro searched every nook and cranny of the cabin; under the furniture, in the closet, behind the shower curtain, in the cabninets, even inside the FRIDGE. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"He must've caught onto what I was doing and made a break for it," he said to himself. "But he hasn't left the game; we'd have gotten a message if he did...He's hiding SOMEWHERE."

As he walked back outside, pondering where to look next, his eyes fell upon the Storage unit...where the framed prisoner was being kept.

First things first. I gotta right some wrongs.

He rushed towards the building and opened the doors, making his way to Engineer's cell...The purple figure inside shot Bro a glare so deadly it almost hurt his eyes to look at him head on.

"You...You've RUINED Gnome's trust in me, and for NO GOOD REASON. When I get out of here, I'm going to take you to my lab at home and USE YOU AS A GUINEA PIG-"

"Don't start throwin' threats at me just yet, Engineer," Bro interrupted him. "I'm here to get you out."

With that, he pulled out the keys to the cage, unlocked the door and opened it up...Engineer stared at him wide-eyed.

"...Why?" he asked him, figuring there had to be something Bro wanted for him to have let him out of the cell.

"I did a bit more digging in the Lab...And I know the truth now. It wasn't you. It was never you...You were framed. The real culprit set you up to take the blame in his place."

Engineer's eyes widened even more.

"...Who was it then?"

"Bear with me?"

The purple figure nodded.

"...It was Stoner."

Engineer's hands dropped in shock.

"...I knew it," he whispered to him. "I had a feeling it was him ever since we got the fingerprint samples from everyone, but I never got the chance to suggest the idea."

"You're right...And I'd like to apologize for not considering the option when it was starin' me right in the face the whole time," Bro said to him. "So, I, uh...I'm sorry. And please don't use me in any experiments."

The framed crewmate slowly stepped out of the cage, surprised by just how genuine Bro sounded in his apology...It looked like he'd really been knocked down a few pegs for once and shown a bit of humility.

"...Good," he said to the officer. "Good...And I won't if you can make it up to me."

"Alright...Well, first things first. We've gotta go tell the others. 'Specially your girl; seems like you went a little nuts in here," Bro remarked as the two stepped out into the snow, heading to the Office.

"Yes, that needs to be cleared up."

"But there's something else."

"What's that?"

"Stoner's gone into hiding. He probably figured out I was on his tail once I spied some evidence I his cabin and bailed. All I know is that he hasn't left the game yet."

"So he's still here..." Engineer replied. "I'll organize that part."

The two of them entered the Office and headed towards the crowd...Gnome had a ice pack pressed against the bruise on her forehead, and she was talking to Veteran and MrEgg about the ordeal.

"I can still barely believe someone like him could have even pulled it off," the yellow crewmember remarked. "What do you suppose you're gonna do about that?"

"I don't know yet," she told him. "...I just hope we can find a way to solve this problem. We can't do that if he keeps insisting he didn't do it."

"He didn't do it."

When Officer Bro made his announcement, all eyes turned to him, and then to the convict beside him. Most of them were quick to notice that he wasn't in cuffs.

"He didn't?" Player asked. "How...What makes you think that?"

"The sample from te crime scene was never put into the test machine...A second sample of Engineer's DNA was."

"So there was a goof in the Lab," Dum surmised.

"Not a goof, civilian. It was an intentional switcheroo on Detective Stoner's behalf."

"But why would he do something like that?" BDay asked.

"...To cover himself. The DNA from the crime scene was disposed of, sitting in the trash...I fished it out and ran the test on it."

"And?"

"...It belongs to Stoner," Officer Bro finally dropped. "He offered to assist me in my investigation to divert the blame away from himself, and he set Engineer up to take it."

The Office nearly shook on its foundation due to the volume of the shocked gasps and exclamations the rest of the crew emitted.

"Holy crap..." Player whispered, raising his hands to his mouth. "I...I can't believe he would do something like that."

"Eating all the donuts is one thing," BDay remarked. "But...but FRAMING someone else for it? That crosses a line! A MAJOR line!!"

"OH MY GOD, ENGIE!!!"

Gnome threw her ice pack onto the floor and ran right towards Engineer, enveloping him in the tightest squeeze she could muster as her tears began to spill.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, I'm sorry I didn't let you out, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I-!"

"Gnomey, Gnomey, I...ah...It's alright now," he assured her, returning the embrace. "You know now. I'm okay...We'll both be okay, alright?"

He held her close, planting a tender kiss against the discolored spot on her forehead.

"And...I'm sorry I bashed your head into one of those bars by mistake. I shouldn't have lost my cool like that."

"You didn't mean it, Engie. You were upset...And for good reason."

Her fists clenched, and she gently pulled herself away from Engineer, fire in her eyes.

"Stoner did this...When I get my HANDS ON HIM..."

"We need to find him," Engineer said to her. "He's gone missing somewhere out here on the outpost. Probably hiding somewhere...It's time to organize a man hunt."

Once the word was spoken, Engineer had everyone's undivided attention. He took Gnome by the hand as he spoke.

"We're going to search every nook and cranny of this camp...Officer Bro, search all of the cabins. Snorkel, Ria, MrEgg, you three scout the Lab and Specimen Room."

"Will do, Officer," MrEgg saluted.

"Captain, Dum, you two search Electrical. Rose and BDay, you two look in O2 an the Boiler Room. Gnomey, you and Sheldon take Weapons and Communications.

"We're on it like butter on toast, hon'," Rose nodded, holding BDay close.

"Player, Veteran, Angel. You three stay here and search the Office. Every part of it; for all we know, he might come back here to try and hide if he isn't already."

"We'll keep our eyes peeled," Player promised him.

"I'll look around outside...and search the vents."

"The vents?" Bro echoed. "But there aren't any Impostors this round. How're you gonna do that?"

"...I'm an Engineer, remember?"

"Oh...Right. That update. We don't really use the new roles, do we?"

"I do have Engineers on 2 with 75 percent odds!" Captain announced. "Is anyone else here an Engineer?"

Nobody answered him in the positive when he popped the question.

"So that would mean there's a chance Stoner is one...Well, he's gotta come out at some point; ya can't stay in there forever!"

"And he's still in the game," Engineer added. "...Which means he's gotta be around somewhere."

"Everyone SCATTER!!"

As soon as Captain gave the order, everyone split up into their respective parties and started the search...Officer Bro scoured the cabins, including his own, searching in every spot in them that he had in Stoner's own quarters, but with no luck in any of them either. Captain and Dum found nothing in the Security office or in the outside fenced area where the circuit breaker was, and Rose and BDay came up empty-handed in O2 and the Boiler Room; not even the tree room, where Stoner liked to collect herbs and bury himself in the soil, turned up any evidence.

The only traces of Stoner that MrEgg, Ria and Snorkel could find in the Lab and Specimen areas were the monitor with his test results on it and the forged comparison sample paper hidden under the other papers in the Lab, but no Stoner anywhere. Gnome and Dum found nothing in Weapons or Communications, and Player, Veteran and Angel weren't having much luck themselves either. It was almost like he'd completely disappeared.

"But Engineer said he hasn't left the game, right?" Veteran asked his companions as he looked under all of the tables and in the cabinets again. "You don't think he HACKED the game somehow and left the outpost, do you?"

"I wouldn't know..." Angel replied, sighing a bit as she shook her head. "It's a shame what he's done today. He and I were pretty close friends before I got sent to the Cheater's Lobby...I thought I could build that back up now that I'm back, after being gone for so long. But..."

She sighed again, massaging her face with her hands.

"...This is low, even for him."

"Yeah...You got a point."

"Guys, c'mere!"

The yellow and banana-colored beans perked their heads up at the sound of Player's voice and followed it over to the south end of the building. They found him standing in the thin stretch of hall leading from the Admin entrance to a hole in the ground at its end, pointing at a set of wet footprints just in front of it, leading out from the hole and turning into Admin.

"I don't think Engineer's come by this way yet," the red crewmate told them. "...If Stoner really is an Engineer, then these must be these prints."

"They look pretty fresh, too," Angel pointed out. "They're still wet, and these little purple bits of dirt look new."

"Yeah...Hey, and that reminds me of something. Didn't he and Bro say there was only one set of prints at the scene, coming and going?"

Angel and Veteran nodded.

"Stoner tried to say that Engineer went back to the crime scene multiple times to fetch a few donuts each sitting...But that would leave more than one trail. So there's an inconsistency."

"My God, you're right," Veteran realized. "Ghee...I guess we'd have gotten suspicious at some point or another then, wouldn't we have?"

"Seems that way...Speaking of suspicion, I have a feeling I can tell where these prints are headed."

The trio followed the trail to Admin, and they seemed to stop along the length of the table...And Player was well aware that they stored emergency bedding underneath the table.

He turned to Angel and Veteran and rose his finger to his lips, telling them to keep quiet. Then, he slowly, carefully got down onto his hands and knees and took a peek beneath the tabletop and into the small storage space.

The blankets were messy, bunched up and folded tightly around one another...Almost as though they were wrapped around something.

Player took an even closer look, and his visor widened when he saw the blanket heap slowly rising and falling, the faint sound of shudders breathing coming from inside it.

He turned to his two companions, nodded again to confirm his expectations, then slowly reached for the corner of the upper blanket, pinching it with his thumb and forefinger.

With one quick flick of his hand, he tore the portion away, revealing Stoner's familiar face inside.

"...Aw, snap."

"I got him guys, let's get him!"

He, Angel and Veteran pulled the fugitive out from under the Admin table, peeling the blankets off of him in the process.

"The gig's up, Detective," Veteran sneered at him, "You're busted."

"Heh heh, about that, Broseph...The gig's only up when I say it's up."

That was when Stoner started to struggle in the their grip, and they could tell pretty quickly that he had the strength to escape.

"Help, HELP! Someone! We go him, but we can't hold him for much longer-AH!"

As he was screaming, his grip on Stoner loosened just enough for him to pull the rest of himself out of the trio's grasp and break free, and the moment he was out of their hold he bolted, making a mad dash around the corner from where his trail of footprints had started and heading back to the vent to hide. By the time the trio had caught up with him again, he'd already dove head first into the hole in the ground.

"Oh no..." Player huffed."

"Wow...sugar rush really kicked in, didn't it?" Veteran remarked.

"It certainly seems that way," Angel agreed, sighing deeply. "Well...He went into the vents. He could be anywhere now."

"Where do you think he might go, Angel?" Player asked her.

"He's not going anywhere."

The phantom voice came from the same hole Stoner had just hopped into...And the green-clad figure was quick to resurface, being pulled up by the sprout on his head by a familiar purple hand, which was joined by a familiar purple face...Judging by the culprit's dazed look and the mauve blotch in the center of his face, Engineer hadn't hesitated to enact a bit of physical revenge on him.

"Engineer! You got him!" Player cheered, pumping his fists into the air.

"Yep. Good thing I was in the correct tunnel system when you called out. Otherwise I might've missed him down there. And my timer was almost up too...Close call."

"I'll gather the others," Angel smiled. "Player, can you and the guys keep an eye on him while I get everyone?"

"Sure, babe. We won't let Stoner go anywhere else."

Angel smiled, and what that, she was off...It was high time to decide how to dish out some justice for everyone.

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

It didn't take long for everyone to determine what to do with Stoner once he regained consciousness and found himself at the mercy of a very disgruntled crew; Player's suggestion from earlier came into play, and BDay gave Officer Bro the list of donuts he had in his first two boxes...With his former partner now dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit and metal bracelets in place of his deerstalker and Inverness cape, the officer left the game with him and took him to the local Krispy Krew, making doubly sure that his prisoner had his wallet on him.

"And don't you make a scene..." Bro warned him as they went in through the door. "I'm already pissed enough at you. Besides, I already went through your wallet to see if you have enough cash to pay for this, so don't act like you don't have enough."

Stoner decided it was in his best interest to comply, so he relayed BDay's first order at the front counter and got the two boxes...He got a few odd looks from the other patrons while he placed his order, which only added to his humiliation.

...He hated situations like this. All he wanted was to just go home and forget he ever did anything like that. Heck, he could barely remember his feeding frenzy to begin with except for the fact that he did it at all...And once he realized he had, he panicked and searched for a way out for when the crime scene was discovered.

But in the end, his desperate attempt to clear his name only ended with it being even more tarnished than it'd ever been, especially to those around him...And this was the only way he could give back some of what he'd taken away.

As they left the establishment with the new boxes, Bro spoke again.

"...Why'd you do it, Stoner?"

The green crewmate sighed deeply, the sprout on his head drooping.

"I...I couldn't help myself, man," he responded. "Before the round started, I puffed more of the devil's lettuce than I usually did; thought it'd keep me chill...Guess I forgot how hungry I was probably gonna end up. And when I smelled those donuts, I just...I lost it, Officer. I lost it..."

"And you decided it was a better idea to gain my trust, frame Engineer and have him locked up for somethin' he didn't have anything to do with."

Stoner's head dipped even more.

"Like you said...Anyone can be capable of anything in the heat of the moment."

"True...But that doesn't excuse anyone from any mistakes they might have made. And you're gonna be doing more to make up for it then just replacing what you ate..."

When they returned to the lobby, the old game had ended, and they spawned into the dropship. Captain announced that he would be starting a new round so that everyone could still gather around the Office table and have a comfy place to hang out as opposed to the cold-floored dropship that was carrying them back to Polus...Plus, the culprit had to be taken care of as well.

As soon as everyone spawned back in, BDay took the donut boxes from Officer Bro, thanking him one last time for going the extra mile to uncover the truth, and giving Stoner an angry glare before skipping off with the others...Bro took a moment to rejoin the group; he needed to put Stoner away while everyone else enjoyed their feast.

"Just so you're not tempted," Officer Bro remarked as he pushed Stoner into his cell in Storage and locked the door. "Besides, I think you've had more than enough to eat."

With that, he turned and left, then headed to the Office to chow down with the others, finally ready to see what the selection was like...The first box had an extremely wide assortment, and BDay went along the table giving each crewmate their respective one.

"Okay, Strawberry iced with sprinkles for Player and Dum, cake batter filled for Veteran, strawberry iced WITHOUT sprinkles for Captain, glazed and lemon-filled for Angel, glazed sour cream for you Engineer...I hope this makes up for what you had to go through."

"Oh, don't worry, BDay, I'm just fine now. Thanks for your condolences, though."

"No problem; glad to have you freed and proven innocent!" BDay smiled. "And here's a chocolate iced cruller for Gnome."

"Oh my gosh, how'd you know these were my favorite?" the lime crewmate asked.

"I can just tell these kinds of things with people~!" the blue crewmate smiled. "Alrighty...Here's a glazed cinnamon roll for you, MrEgg."

Ria gasped loudly.

"Cannibalism."

"Oh, Ria, you..." the orange crewmate chortled, exchanging a smile with her as BDay continued.

"A chocolate covered one for you Ria, glazed chocolate cake for Snorkel, and here's an apple fritter for Sheldon."

"Oh my God, I love these things..." the maroon crewmate grinned, taking in the warm smell of apple and cinnamon wafting up from the fritter.

"I had a feeling you would...And for you, my summer Rose, a raspberry-filled donut with chocolate glaze."

"D'oh ho ho, you know me too well, Big B."

"I couldn't ever forget your favorites," the blue crewmate smiled before turning to the last crewmate left at the table.

"Officer Bro...I hope you don't mind; I threw in an extra donut for you when I was giving you the list of what to have Stoner replace. You really earned it, y'know?"

He handed him two pastries; one a glazed blueberry cake donut and the other a standard one covered in chocolate icing and loaded with blue and white sprinkles.

"I had that one custom-made; hope you like it, Officer!"

"Wow...Ghee, BDay, that's awesome," the uniformed crewmate said to him. "Thanks for that."

"Keep up the good work...After we finish our feast, at least!"

With that, BDay set the box down on the table, parked next to Rose and fished out his own pick: a double dark chocolate-filled donut, before chowing down with the rest of the crew.

"...So what's in the other box?" Veteran asked, already curious about it.

"Oh, those are all chocolate-covered donuts; I know chocolate is liked by pretty much everyone here, so I figured I'd make sure everyone got some!"

"Who's the last one in there for, honey bun?" Rose inquired, pointing at the last donut in the first box.

"Oh...Whoops. The one that was in the first batch was supposed to be for Stoner, but...well...He already ate his."

Everyone chuckled at his remark.

"...Say, uh, BDay," Veteran spoke up, eyeing the donut in the box. "Would you mind if I, uh..."

"Oh, yeah you can have it! Nobody else probably wants it anyway," the blue crewmate shrugged.

"Cool, thanks!" the yellow crewmate cheered as he grabbed it from the box, putting his cake batter donut down for a moment. "Oh hey, guys. You mind excusing me for a minute? I kinda wanna eat this out in the snow; seems like it'd be good in cold weather."

"Uh, well...Okay," Player shrugged. His best friend certainly had a few quirks about him, that was for certain. "I'll save a chocolate one for you."

"Thanks man, BRB!"

With that, Veteran grabbed a paper plate from the center of the Office table, put what was left of his cake batter donut and the extra one on it, then left, and everyone else continued to eat and enjoy themselves...It was the perfect end to what had turned out to be a very eventful day.

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

The smell of freshly-baked donuts was now nothing more than a memory etched in the prisoner's brain, replaced by what smelled more like a dirty old hardware store than a bakery. The more he reflected on his actions, the more remorse he felt for them. His instincts had gotten the better of him, and he could have just as easily admitted to his mistake and offered to replace the donuts. But instead, he'd been stupid enough to try and play the clever card, and where did it land him? In a cage in Storage, with no one to talk to but himself.

...The others probably all hate me for doing what I did to Engineer, he said to himself, sitting down at the bottom of the cage and wrapping his invisible arms around his knees. ...But I guess I deserve this.

"Hey, dude."

Stoner looked up from the ground and towards the entrance to Storage. The familiar image of Veteran was heading over to his cage, a paper plate with two donuts on it in hand, one of them already half eaten.

"Veteran? Dude, what...What're you doin' here?"

"Well, I...um...This is gonna sound really weird," the yellow crewmate told him. "But I guess I wanted to thank you."

"...Whoa...I must still be pretty stoned, even after all this time. I thought you said you wanted to thank me, or somethin' weid like that."

"I did say that, Stoner."

"...Wait, what? What the...?"

"Yeah. I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but if you hadn't have eaten all of those donuts when you did, I probably would have. Last night for dinner, all I could find was half a can o' chicken, and I was so busy gaming this morning, I completely skipped out on breakfast and didn't realize it until I realized how hungry I was. I've been STARVING for the past hour, and I came THIS CLOSE to chowing down on BDay's donut feast ahead of time."

He drew his thumb and forefinger together, leaving just the tiniest sliver of space in between them, then sighed.

"...But by the time I was ready to do that, it turned out you already had. And from then until now, I was so worried about who'd actually done it that I was more caught up infiguring that out than my own hunger...I guess what I'm trying to say is that you, uh...in a way, helped me hone some self control, y'know?"

"...Bro, I can't tell if you're trying to mock me or if you're just wording some kinda gratitude in a weird way."

"Does this answer your question?"

He picked the uneaten donut up off the plate and slid it in between the cage bars, handing it to the green crewmate inside...It was his favorite kind; lightly iced with maple glaze and covered with cinnamon sugar.

"I managed to sneak out with it; the one from the first batch were supposed to be for you, but BDay told me I could go 'head and have it. But, um...Y'know, considering I was planning to do the same thing you had, I honestly don't think I deserve 'em."

Stoner sighed deeply and shook his head, looking down at the donut with a less than eager glimmer in his visor.

"You do more than me..."

"C'mon, Stoner, I...ugh...I know how it feels, and I just feel bad you had to take the fall before I got the chance to, okay?" Veteran told him. "Did you even enjoy eating all of those donuts in a frenzy like that, or was it just to make your hunger go away?"

"Well...I guess just to make my hunger go away, but...I-I don't..."

The green crewmate sighed deeply again, his breath escaping him with a slight shudder, and he curled into himself to try and hide the tear pooling in his visor.

"I'm sorry...I just...I couldn't stop myself, I couldn't, I..."

He sniffed loudly, squishing his face into his open palms, smearing the moisture in his eyes all over the rest of his face by mistake.

"Oh God, man, what's wrong with me...? I-I shouldn't be like this."

"Hey, hey...Take it easy there, dude. It's okay. It's gonna be okay...We all have our own problems we need to deal with, y'know?" Veteran told him, his usually rough tone of voice soft and soothing. "C'mon...It'll be fine."

Stoner finally remoxed his hands from his face, sniffling one more time before turning his head to look at his visitor.

"...It'll be fine, alright?" Veteran promised him again. "Once you're out of here, we can work on some of this stuff. You and me, a'ight?"

"You'd really do that for me...?" the green crewmate asked him, wiping his visor dry on the back of his hand again.

"Sure I would...Besides, just because you beat me to it this time doesn't mean I haven't eaten all the treats on everyone in one sitting before. Because believe me. I absolutely have."

He managed to get a giggle out of Stoner, and the green-clad prisoner finally accepted the donut from him...though he broke it in half and gave the bigger piece to Veteran.

"Yo, what, no. Stoner, that one's not-"

"Nah, go ahead. I'm not hungry enough to eat a whole one...Besides, I've had more than enough already anyways. Heh..."

"Heh...well...If you insist."

Veteran sat down beside Stoner's cell, and the two of them ate in each other's company...Stoner couldn't help but smile a bit at Veteran's generous offering; even after everything he'd done that day, maybe things would turn out okay after all.

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i threw in a couple squimpus mcgrimpus references in here if you didn't notice, lol  😂👌

Holy moly, I'm so glad I finally got this done; I've been working on it for ages! See you guys next time!