Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your first memory was of your workbooks back from when you were eleven. Eleven you had been a jumble of self-confidence and energy, always in a frenzy to take down any challenges. The math problems were never a dare intimidating enough to make you back down.

Thirteen. You`ve just met your new teacher. You didn`t do well in the test overall, but you managed to pull off a score higher than average… in a subject you`ve never learned. The test scores took you to a lower class, but the teacher knew better than to judge you by your class level. He had proposed the idea of participating in a math tournament, the hardest and most well-known one. You had brains for math, although you never had studied for it on a high level, and he was determined to put your talent to good use. You accepted the challenge.

Fourteen. You were exceptional. Just four months into math, but you`ve scored higher than the ones who studied for almost two years now. You always preferred geometry, and your perfect geometry scores were more than enough to put you on a higher rank right there up in the sky. You were even better at Round 2 in the tournament, and you were accepted into the two-week long summer camp for the thirty most achieving students out of a sheer ten thousand. And all the others were older than you.

Fifteen. You were accepted into high school a year earlier. Everybody was surprised. You were filled with hope, will, confidence, and determination.

Or maybe that was just your mind fucking with you. Maybe you were just full of yourself.

Sixteen. You`ve had quite enough. All the competition was mind-boggling. You were infested with panic attacks. The will to die. Loss of sleep. Hours and hours of internet surfing, ignoring the looming ton of homework threatening to sweep off your feet. Swearing. Prohibited sex in prohibited places.

Seventeen. Fuck that year, now you aren`t even sure of what you are. A girl with quite a sparkly past, only to have been proved unworthy in a new school full of talented kids. One might not call you unworthy, but your parents sure did, even if it was behind your back.

You were, more or less, undetermined to carry on anymore.

And right now, you were again woken up from that sweet, sweet nightmare of yours with an uncertain prod from your sweetie of a roommate.
“Y/n, you okay there? It`s high time you woke up…”

They always said tomorrow comes, no matter what. Sure, it does. Who said it`s got to be pleasant?

You`ve had quite enough of tomorrows. A lifetime (as short as it was) of studying, tests, unnecessary tension, grades… You`ve come to a point where nothing really mattered except your well-being, which, at the moment, was exceptionally ill.
And that`s why you`ve decided to pull a break and cancel all your classes for the next semester. You settled in a room with a roommate. You were far away from home, making it easier to ignore your parents calls questioning your sudden, and apparently, ‘dumb’ decision. Well, the heck. You decided not to care.

The first week of your winter break was nothing different to heaven. You cuddled day and night in a blanket on the couch. You watched movies. You chatted with your roommate Joshua. You ditched the schoolwork. After all, the next semester was a break, a personal present for yourself. And you were sure you could catch on your studies the semester after that, and you were in dire need of some time out of the books.
Your roommate was a sweet guy from England who had a shock of blonde hair and stunning amber eyes. Joshua was tall and lean; his voice was sweet as candy; his bubbly personality attracting anybody near… and he was gay. It was the reason you had agreed to a male roommate, after all. Not that he`d jump you if he was not gay, but your parents insisted.

Unlike his usually childlike mannerisms, he was quite the flirt, and often he didn`t show up the whole night. He never brought his one-night stands or boyfriends in the flat he and you shared, but some days he`d stagger inside with a drunken blush and disheveled hair, smiling and whispering dirty jokes into the phone. Next morning, he`d groan and ask you for a cup of coffee, muttering curses and rubbing absentmindedly at the fresh hickeys blossomed on his neck and collarbones.

Apart from that, he was undeniably smart, and he spent hours in his room messing around with blueprints and scribbling down foreign equations. As you were a student yourself, you found yourself asking for help on subjects he seemed to have covered, and that was how you became friends with the sweet kid. You spent numerous movie marathons with Joshua, went shopping together, and cooked for each other. It was like a funny marriage with a best friend, and you became attached very quickly. In two years, you and Joshua reached a point where there were no secrets or misunderstandings.

Until one day, when Joshua skidded into the living room, all huffing and panting.

“Hey y/n… I got a…. q-question for…. you….”

You turned the TV volume down, surprised by his abrupt appearance.

“Jesus, slow down Josh! What`s the matter? Ask away!”

“You…you fond of monsters?”

What kind of question was that? Well, it has been only several months since a mountain decided to open up and spew a whole nation of monster over ground. It was a strange phenomenon overall. The decided ambassador between the two species was an 8-year old kid (The name was Frisk, who apparently broke whatever was locking them inside) and both species were having a hell of a time adapting to the changes. But yeah, you had no problem whatsoever. You had always praised yourself on being quite the opposite of racist, and this was no exception.

“Well, I don`t have any monster acquaintances, but yeah, there`s no reason to hate. Actually, I`m just curious, you know, they`re just really different.”

“Well, if you had the chance to get to know them, would you accept? Just saying.”

“Hell yeah! I mean… well, I`d really love to. Who says no to a new friend?”

Joshua let out a suspiciously relieved sigh. He swept his blonde hair over his sweating forehead.

“That`s a relief. See… I got this… monster buddy, we got to know each other in a project. He`s just come out from the Undergrounds after months of organization, and I`d really like to let him stay here. He`s got nowhere to live.”

What?

Now Joshua was proposing you to live with a monster, fresh out of the Underground, and apparently a friend of his whom you never heard about.

“Well, now, I didn`t know you had a monster friend. How come you never told me?? Anyway, I`m totally fine with this monster buddy of yours staying over. When`s he coming?”

Joshua looked like he is having a hard time trying to form the perfect words until he finally opened his mouth.

“Um… actually, they`re coming a bit early this evening. Around five?”

Woah. It`s three now. Two hours? He has got to be kidding you. And most importantly…

“Wait. They? How many are you bringing in?”
You asked with a note of disbelief in your voice.

“F…four…. and possibly more…”

He`s really got to be kidding you.

“Look, Joshua, I don`t mind some new flatmates, but when I say some, I mean the amount we can handle without anybody, at least, sleeping on the goddamn floor. You sure these friends will fit?”

“I`m not entirely sure, to be honest. But they`re really desperate and they`re willing to sleep on anything as long as it`s indoors.”

“That`s just sad. Why don`t they get a house for themselves? I heard most of them has got plenty of money for at least a home.”
That was true. After all, the currency Underground consisted of precious gems and gold, and obviously, when a cent in the Underground was a coin of gold, many monsters were more than capable of buying a house to stay in.

A more than necessary example was Mettaton, the infamous robot monster star with the most glamorous pair of legs all of humankind has ever seen. His shows had to start from scratch, as no one was truly interested in any show that a monster had made. Well, they were proved wrong as Mettaton`s addictive shows gained huge popularity in mere days. Now, Mettaton had enough money to buy all the haters into fanboying his rich ass. You loved his shows as well, you had to admit. The guy was quite the genius when it came to show biz.

“They said it was complicated. Better to stay with someone they knew.”

“So that someone`s you? And I never guessed you befriended monsters.”
Joshua seemed to flinch at your sudden aggressive tone.

“I…I`m sorry about this, really. I know it`s waaaay too rushed. But really, y/n… just this once? Just until they manage to find someplace else?”
He stuttered, nervous, unlike his usual self. This whole monster thing was pretty secretive considering the friendship you established with him, but you decided not to prod.

“You know what, I was just being an ass,” you said, sighing.

“I`m just worried. I`m a huge guest person, as you know, and I`d be more uncomfortable watching them being uncomfortable. I`m sorry for being cranky about that.”
You rubbed your eyes, suddenly very tired. Yes, you were a sucker for guests. You`d probably fall over yourself trying to make these new friends comfortable in every way. And, judging by the number of the new flatmates, it wasn`t going to be easy to be comfortable in this flat.

When you had first picked this flat, you had two more roommates who left shortly due to personal schedules. That left you and Joshua in a four-roomed flat full with a kitchen and a living room, which was more than you had ever wished. The flat, which was breathtakingly large just twenty minutes ago, was now painfully small considering the guests.
You regained your senses.

“You know what? We should get ready. I`ll take care of the rooms, and I`ll move my stuff the smaller one over there. Can you help to tidy up the kitchen and the living room?” You get to your feet and start towards your room.

It was fortunate to have little to move, you were never very fond of messing up your room or buying a lot of clothes.

At one point in your life, you were all head over heels for plushies, clothing and small stuff littering your desk and bed. That was put to a stop when your parents decided they might be a distraction to your studies. As stupid as that might sound, it did have an effect on you and you gave up resisting. To think about it, you were only thirteen at the time. How harsh. You made a mental note to buy yourself some stuffed animals to cuddle. You smiled at the thought of lying in the arms of a giant teddy bear after a hard day. Everybody deserved to be a kid now and then, didn`t they?

You gathered your sheets up and picked up your pillow when you realized there would be another way to clear up more space for the guests.

“Hey, Josh!”
You yelled, hoping Joshua would catch your voice over the vacuum he was holding. To your relief, he turned it off and answered back.

“Yeah? Whzza matter?”

“You up for sharing rooms? You know, that way, we could clear up another room for these guys.”

Joshua blinked.

“Well… Three is better than two, I guess… Yeah, I`m up for it. Just got a bit more tidying up to do.”

“Great!” You were suddenly pumped at the thought of endless movie nights together, in bed. Literal Netflix and chill with a gay bestie. AMAZING.

“You know, you really are quite the host. Willing to give up that much personal space? You shock me sometimes, Y/n. And until now I thought you didn`t like strangers.” Joshua laughed.

“I don`t, given that most strangers I`ve met have been jerks or pervs or way too nosey. I`ve got a good feeling about this, though.”
You really did.
After all, what could go wrong with meeting a couple of Joshua`s friends? You trusted Joshua enough.

“I`m still kinda pissed you didn`t tell me about these friends of yours a bit earlier. And you KNOW I`m a curious little shit!” You punch Josh lightly in the arm, and he laughed louder.

After a full hour of vacuuming, mopping, moving, and lifting you finally got to a point where you could actually persuade yourself that this was quite good for four new residents. The three rooms for the incoming guests were cleaned up to perfection, with a large bed and another mattress set up to serve as a comfy bed. the smallest room you and Joshua decided to share was now a literal fort of movies, game consoles, and books, serving as a comfy nest which both you and Joshua agreed on being PERFECT. The kitchen and living room were not bad either, and you were not surprised as Joshua has always been the tidy type.

“Y/n, you know, if you put just a little more effort, we could actually tell them this was a hotel. I`m surprised at what you can do in an hour. Why all the mess until now?” He snickered.
You blushed, too aware of yourself the past week. You didn`t even bother to clean up the empty bags of chips littered in front of the couch until now.

“Gimme a break, Mom. I was having a lazy week.”

“A lazy week?? Preposterous! I expect more of you, young lady!” Joshua put his hands up on his hip and put on his mock-mom voice, making you laugh out loud.
“Stop that!”

And the doorbell started ringing.

What? It was still twenty minutes until five. Well, twenty minutes wasn`t that much of an unexpected rush, but still, you weren`t that keen to show yourself all messy and sweaty to strangers. But the curiosity was unbearable.
You bounded to the front door and swung the door open with a big smile, unaware of Joshua yelping “Wait, no!” while tripping over himself to stop you.

Whatever greeting you were planning to say died away in your throat.

Your smile faltered as you tore your eyes away from the massive torso to look higher, higher, and even higher to meet a pair of…
sockets.

A pair of sockets, unblinking, met your eyes. For a second, you wondered if this is a hallucination. Then suddenly, the bone around the hole moved to enlarge the sockets, lifting the brow of the skull high. How that was even possible you decided not to think about. Underneath the sockets was a mere ridge of a nose, a heart-shaped hole in the place where it should have been. More down, there was a massive line of perfectly smooth and square teeth, which, to your horror, opened wide…

“OHO! SO, YOU WERE THE HUMAN SANS TOLD ME! ALTHOUGH HE TOLD ME THE PERSON WAS TO BE A MAN… I GUESS MALES COULD HAVE DIFFERENT BODY TYPES OTHER THAN THE NORM WE LEARNED IN THE VIDEOS?"
You stared at the giant skeleton in front of you, not even aware of its- no, his claims of you to be a man. Your eardrums were hurting, but you didn`t realize that either.

"WELL THEN, HUMAN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS COME! SANS WILL COME AS WELL, AS WAS PLANNED, IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES. I ALSO HEARD YOU AGREED TO TAKE BLUE AND STRETCH IN WITH US! THAT IS VERY GOOD, HUMAN. THE MORE THE MERRIER, AS" THEY SAY. NOW, TAKE ME INSIDE AND GIVE ME A TOUR OF THE KITCHEN, HUMAN! AS AN HONOURED GUEST, I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW OFF MY ADMIRABLE COOKING SKILLS AND PREPARE ONLY THE BEST FOR THE HOST.”

The booming voice, loud enough to resonate in your abdomen, rattled off as you stood there, completely dumb. You vaguely realized that the booming, cheery voice was that of the immense skeleton in front of you, but that did not stop you from gawking at him (from his voice, you supposed it was a ‘he’).

Joshua, now just behind you, pulled you to the side and patted you quickly to bring you back to your senses. He swiftly put out a hand, which the monster eagerly shook in his huge grasp, and started to introduce himself fluidly in his ‘bar voice’.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Papyrus. I am the host to bring you here, and this is my roommate, Y/n. Together, we take care of this house. She has agreed to all of your coming, as well. Y/n, this is Mr. Papyrus.”
A nudge from Joshua woke you up from your trance, and you came back to Earth, realizing that you have been staring at Papyrus`s huge teeth for too long. You took the skeleton`s hand much more eagerly than before, and Papyrus made what you thought was a smile.

“I`m sorry, Mr. Papyrus, I`ve been staring at you too long, it was rude of me. Please come inside.”

“PAPYRUS.” He boomed, making you flinch. You just noticed the billowing red scarf behind him, and you almost stepped into another trance just by staring at the dancing fabric.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“NOT MISTER PAPYRUS, PLEASE CALL ME JUST BY MY NAME.”

Oh. Okay. Sure.

“Of course, m…. Papyrus. Oh, and, nice to meet you.” You stammered.
No matter how intimidating this monster`s size was, you couldn`t help but feel a little comforted by his cheerful tone. As you replied, across Papyrus`s skull spread what you were now certain was a smile. Joshua caught your relaxed gaze and smiled, leading the skeleton inside.

“I told you it wasn`t gonna be that bad.” Joshua murmured from behind your back.
You actually felt a kind of warmth blossoming in your heart. It has been too long without chatter, no matter whether the source of that chatter was, from a human or a tall ass skeleton.

“Sure, Joshua. You`re never wrong. So, tell me more about this guy. Is he all bone for real?”

Chapter Text

Just twenty minutes later, you heard a second ring of the doorbell. This time Joshua hurried out to welcome the guests inside, while you busied yourself by showing Papyrus around the kitchen. He seemed to be interested in the kitchen overall, especially the stove.

You heard a dull rattling outside the kitchen, something you now recognized as the sound of bones moving against each other.

“OHO, A LADY HUMAN, YOU SAY! WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE!”
The booming voice caught you off guard. What? The voice was surprisingly similar to that of Papyrus`s, but it was just a tad bit higher. The volume was, of course, well above what counts as an ‘indoor voice.’ And, though it was hard to catch above all the noise, you heard a second voice, and a third.

“ooh, a lady? i`ve got to check this out.”

“where have all your nonexistent manners gone, stretch?”

“i was talking about the flat.”

“well, how inquisitive you are, stretch.”

“oh? i`m quite flat-tered, sansy.” You winced at the casual pun.

As you made your way outside the kitchen, you met three pairs of curious sockets. Two of them had lighting, unlike Papyrus, one of them having white orbs inside of them while the other had cyan stars floating inside.

Another strange thing you caught is that the owner of the socket with no lights was as tall as Papyrus, but the other two were considerably shorter. You probably could reach their height with a tiny tiptoe, you mused to yourself.

“nice to meet you, y/n. the name`s sans, and i`m papyrus`s brother. joshua here told us about you. we`re very sorry to be…. intruding…. in such a rushed manner, and i`m very glad you decided to agree on us coming, so kind of you.”

The skeleton at the very front, with white eyelights, reached over to shake your hand. Real bones, huh? Still, you could feel the subtle warmth, the buzz of life, the slight give-in as you squeezed his fingers enthusiastically. Majoring in biology, human anatomy at that, you couldn`t be not excited at the sight of moving SKELETONS just chilling around. So cool! You haven`t felt this way about your studies for quite a long time, and you were quite grateful of the coincidence.

Sans was wearing a casual blue jacket and shorts. Unlike Papyrus, he had a rounder face (skull, whatever) and less huge teeth. He was still far from what you would see in a real skeleton inside you. His bones were flexible like Papyrus`s, and even though he was complete bone, you could see his smile and the slight crinkle of his eyes when he introduced himself. His relaxing demeanor was more than welcome.

Wait, how come are you just getting along? How come are you so relaxed? Weren`t they strangers? Well, all this ‘comfy strangers’ thing was, honestly, a first for you.

“HELLO, HUMAN LADY! MY NAME IS BLUEBERRY, CALL ME BLUE. I AM STRETCH`S OLDER BROTHER,” the skeleton with starry eyes clapped the tall skeleton`s back, “AND I, ALSO, WAS VERY PLEASED AT THE GREAT NEWS OF YOUR AGREEING TO US STYING IN THE FLAT! WE THANK YOU VERY SINCERELY, MISS Y/N.”

Well, what a cutie. You grabbed the outstretched hand the skeleton had offered you, smiling along to that infectious happiness painted all over the sweet monster`s face.

Blue had the demeanor of a child, so you had a hard time trying to wrap your mind around the fact that he was, in fact, older than the lanky, chill skeleton beside him. Other than that, you could see that he was practically a total sweetheart. A large baby blue bandanna was wrapped around his neck, finished off to a huge ribbon flapping behind his head. He had on large cyan gloves and matching boots, both seeming a little too large for his figure. They still suited him well.

So. CUTE.

“last but not least, i`m stretch, y/n. a pleasure to meet you. thanks for all this, agreeing to us coming and all… i seriously thought you were going to say no. it`s great to see someone… accepting. and many, many thanks to that, darling.”

He was true, on a lot of points. The human race was just a load of racist bastards.

“Nice to meet you, Stretch. No need to thanking me really, we all needed some company around the house.” Stretch smiled at that comment.

“sure do, darling. company is good.”

His voice was like a soft keyboard, all silky and casually light. It sent shivers down your spine as he gave a small laugh. His voice must be something you like, you mused. After all, he could pull off saying ‘darling’ to a total stranger without sounding like a weirdo.

Stretch was tall and lanky, with the demeanor of some random chill DJ. He was wearing an orange hoodie, and his face was relaxed in a way that got you wondering if this guy did drugs. If drugs existed in the Undergrounds. Overall, he was really similar to Papyrus in looks. You wondered how two beings so alike in look could sound so different.

“So, um, we cleaned up a bit earlier, but I`m afraid that the space provided won`t be exactly large, so to say. We`ve got only four rooms, and me and Joshua are willing to share… that`s still only three rooms left for the four of you.”
You speak to Stretch. Sans was beside Joshua, discussing stuff with a hushed tone. Blue had dashed off to the kitchen, and you could hear Papyrus and Blue jostling around inside. That left you alone with Stretch.

God, it has been such a long time since you talked with anybody you didn`t know, much less formal guest speech. You hoped it wouldn`t be too long before you could start acting like roomies around these guys.

“that`s more than we ever wanted, honey. like i said, we`re really grateful you even considered bringing us in. see, we have a bit of problem we got on our hands, and we couldn`t afford to handle that anywhere outside in the public. a little complicated there, darling.” He gave a wink.

Well, you hoped it wasn`t anything illegal, this ‘problem’ the guy was talking about.

“luckily, sansy was in touch with joshua, and staying wherever he lived was more than a perfect option for us.”

Suddenly, Stretch leaned over.

“even more lucky to find you, darling.”

Then he straightened, turned and walked away in Sans and Joshua`s direction before you could say a word.

You were downright positive you were blushing. What a forward, cheesy line. Still, you loved it. What could go wrong with a bit of flirting? A little action was more than welcome. You haven`t been in a relationship since you were nineteen, and you haven`t been laid in more than six years. And this chill guy with the most damn sexy voice-

Where were you going? You slapped yourself mentally. Even though you were obviously thirsty for love and could need some romance in your mundane days, these guys were guests, and still total strangers whom you first met a mere fifteen minutes ago.

Four guys, at that, total reverse harem, they`re super cute, and they`re monsters~! You love new stuff, you do, you curious bitch, you`re totally attracted, the tiny voice inside your head squeals with joy.

You tell that voice to shut the fuck up.
Simultaneously, you were brought harshly back to Earth with an earsplitting ring of the house phone you and Joshua both never use. It was probably your parents calling, since you`ve- ‘gracefully’- blocked them on your cellphone without them noticing.

Ugh, what the fuck now?! The last thing you wanted was a lecture on her decision to skip the next semester, and you knew you couldn`t stand up to any of your parents. You picked up the phone, dreading, and the expected yell cut through your ears the moment you said “Hello?”

“Well, Y/n, It`s a surprise you even picked up at all! I knew you were getting tired, but this… this is a bit too much, don`t you think? What are you even going to do with all that time?!”

“Chill, Ma. It ain`t that big of a deal. It`s not I can`t continue, you know. I`m just taking a break.”

“Why do you need a break? Are you ill?”

That was one way to get around.

“Yeah, I`m a bit sickly. Just the usual slump. You know I get sick around the winters. The doctors told me to get a bit of rest, and I`m planning to do so. Don`t worry, I won`t fool around or anything.” You rant on, sighing in relief knowing your parents didn`t say a word when your health was involved.

After a long silence, your mom replied.

“Okay, Y/n. I get it. Still, you`ve got to promise me that you`ll be carrying on with your schoolwork the semester after that, okay? And make sure to keep in touch. I want to keep track of your health.”

Dang, bossy. You weren`t going to call her back often, though. Maybe once in a while when she got really, really pestering.

“Sure, Ma. I`ve got to… got to go shower or something like that, okay? I`ll call you later. Bye.”
You hung up as fast as you can before you could hear her making any more demands. The old receiver dropped to the ancient phone with a thunk. Phew, no squabbles at all. Just a minute longer and you could have been sweating.

You had better things to do. Really, your life has never been more interesting. Four fucking SKELETONS have just showed up, and you weren`t going to stand around making small talk with your parents. You were eager to go make new friends.

And now here you were, smothered between two skeletons, one with literal stars in his eyes, both shouting about how amazing your induction stove was. The three of you were crammed against each other at the table, and your induction stove was out of its cabinet (where it had stayed unused for a long time) and was now on the table in its whole glory.
You had a normal stove, yes, but you had bought a new one so 1) you could try out new recipes and 2) not get another burn from the flames. It was nothing special, but obviously, it was to Blue and Papyrus.

“HUMAN! HAVE YOU EVER COOKED SPAGHETTI WITH THIS AMAZING HUMAN INVENTION YOU OWN? HOW EXPENSIVE IS IT? I MUST PURCHASE IT!”

“MWEH! THIS WOULD BE AMAZING TO MAKE SLIGHTLY CRISPY TACOS… THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE APPROVES!”

“Well, thank you! I never thought this one would come in handy like this… If you like cooking, you`re more than welcome to use my stuff! I`m a fan of cooking as well, you know.”

Papyrus and Blue both turned their eyes from the stove to you, sparkling with excitement.

“I DID NOT KNOW YOU HAD SUCH A FINE TASTE IN HOBBIES! THE CULINARY ARTS… THE GREAT PAPYRUS VERY MUCH APPROVES!”

“YES! SO DO I! WE COULD DO COOKING SESSIONS TOGETHER, HUMAN, THE THREE OF US! WE COULD MAKE TACOS-“

“AND SPAGHETTI-“

“TOGETHER! WE SHOULD START TO MAKE A SHOPPING LIST RIGHT AWAY!”

And on that cue, Blue and Papyrus both zoomed out with the largest of smiles. You couldn`t help but smile along. It seemed like you were going to have to pull out your old skills along with your old fancy cooking utilities. You haven`t cooked for a long time, but you had some skills up your sleeve from what you had learned from your mother and the cooking classes a few years ago.

You gave an unconscious smile, and wandered outside the kitchen. Blue and Papyrus was, from the rustling you could hear, unpacking in their rooms. You turned to the murmuring sounds of conversation coming from the other room. You were curious to see what Joshua was up to with Stretch and Sans, and you were more than eager to strike up a conversation with either of the two. Better if possibly both.

“…so basically I`ve got signals of all these disrupted timelines and they`re- Oh, Y/n! Where`s Blue and Papyrus?”
Joshua looked up from whatever he was doing. In front of him lay a laptop with a screen full of codes, and Sans was staring at the screen with his eyelights expanded to twice their size from before. Stretch was, well, stretched out on the bed with a lollipop stick between his teeth. Judging by all the baggage piled up next to the bed, they hadn`t been unpacking yet, whoever`s room this might be.

“Blue and Papyrus are unpacking, I think. Oh, by the way, how did you decide on the rooms? There`s only three.”

“Blue and Papyrus said they were going to share the largest room.”

You nodded. Obviously good choice: the large room was, to everyone`s relief, large enough for two, with a king-sized bed. Still, as you didn`t know how comfortable these guests were with sleeping with each other in the same bed, you had decided to throw in another layer of mattresses on the floor to serve as another bed.

“i think i`ll be staying here in this room, and stretch the next. the windows are just great, y/n. this room gets so much sun it`s startling.”
Sans mused, watching in a trance as the sun started to set. You turned your head to the window, and you had to admit, the sky was very beautiful at the moment with all the orange and pink streaks running across the wispy clouds.

“and you better start unpacking, sansy. i`m going to my room, too. care to join, darling? i make great company.” Stretch winked at you, and Sans chuckled.
You blushed. Charming guy had you just where you wanted to be.

“Sure, why not? Love a bit of company.” You laughed, and Stretch slowly peeled himself off Sans`s bed.

“I`ll go and do my stuff, too, Sans. Better to leave you to your unpacking! Me and Y/n are in the room over there, feel free to come by if you have anything you need.” Joshua closed his laptop and swung it up to his side.

“I`ll be at our room on Netflix. Don`t forget to bring popcorn! See ya.”
The last statement was directed at you. Another night of binge-watching Netflix! YES! Man, you couldn`t wait to see the next episode of what was cut off yesterday night.

You carefully closed the door behind you, Stretch now out beside you and Sans opening the zipper of one of his large bags. He gave a grateful nod to your direction just before you closed the door.
You headed to Stretch`s room with him close by your side, and plopped down on a chair as Stretch closed the door behind you.

Stretch began to unzip his luggage as well and started to pile up his clothes on the bed.

“So, Y/n, what brought you to accepting us in the house?” He started casually. You pondered for an answer, eyes absentmindedly following his long, graceful fingers.

“There was no reason to say no, to be honest. And I missed a bit of noise around the house as well.”
You said honestly. Stretch`s left eyebrow? Eye…brow…bone? Went up as if to say “Oh?”.

“That`s it?”

“Yeah, that`s it.”

“That`s surprising.”

“In what way?”

“well, to be honest, not all humans we met were really willing to accept us in any way. quite seldom, actually. and now you`re here, willing to give up personal space, accepting us, willing to share a house with four… not that small… male… skeletons.”
Stretch seemed to think for his words.

“not that we have a problem with that in any way, darling, but i was just curious. heck, i`d decline if four bulky men turned up and wanted to share a house.”

You laughed at that, a mental image of four burly men ringing a poor guy`s doorbell.

“I do trust Joshua, and he told me that you guys were good friends of his.” Technically right, although it was a bit too on-time.

“wow, `s a lot of trust you have there. your husband must treat you real good.”
You started at the word ‘husband’.

“Husband? No, we`re not married.” You snicker. It might look like that, you realize, to a stranger`s eyes. Especially so if considering Joshua`s words back at Sans`s room, inviting you to a night of Netflix and cuddles.

“oh, my bad. boyfriend?”

“Nah, nah, not that either. We`re just friends. He`s gay, too. Wouldn`t be interested in me even if I was.”
Stretch glanced up from the cabinet where he was piling in his clothes.

“gay? what`s that supposed to mean?”
Huh? You guessed maybe there wasn`t anything as such in the Underground.

“Well, the norm is for boys to like girls and girls to like boys in this society. Gay means when somebody is attracted to someone of the same gender, or sex. You can say ‘lesbian’ if it`s between two females. By Joshua being gay and a man, that infers that he won`t be interested in me, a woman.”

Stretch seemed surprised.

“strange. i never knew about such social norms, there`s none like that in the underground.”

“The Underground society sounds nice.” You`ve seen what Joshua went through sometimes, receiving hate just because he was attracted to men. A world without such discrimination would be much nicer. Especially if that discrimination could point its sharp side towards a harmless, sweet guy like Joshua.

“i still can relate, though. i heard you humans can only reproduce in a heterosexual relationship, right?” You nodded.

“maybe the reason behind such differences is that a monster couple can reproduce regardless of sex. just saying. still think that a monst- a man`s got to love who he loves.”
You laughed at Stretch`s little vocabulary confusion. You were already starting to like this guy with his small talk. You felt like you were talking to an old friend.

After an hour that felt like minutes, you checked the time and gave a little start. Apparently, Stretch was done unpacking and you were oblivious to the passing time, totally into the series of small talks about monster/human society and culture differences. By the time Stretch was getting back to his feet after stuffing his large- now empty- travel bags under the bed, you had learned about monster politics, monster leisure, monster currency, and bits more here and there.

Stretch was right about being good company. Even though it was a mere hour in his room, you were already comfortable with him and had started to call him Stretch without inserting an accidental ‘Mister’ in the front. Stretch seemed to have stuck with the term ‘darling’ for you.

As you walked out of the room, laughing with Stretch behind you, you stumbled into Joshua. Joshua smiled at you as he saw you and Stretch grinned as well.

“I`m off to get some groceries, you wanna join, Y/n?”
You looked at the clock. Half past seven.

“At this time of the day?”

“We don`t have enough food for these guys. Come on, you know the store`s just around the corner.”
Joshua made a little pouty face, and you laughed.

“Okay, sure thing, Josh. You wanna come too, Stretch?”
Stretch gave you a lazy grin.

“Sure thing, darling.” He echoed you.

“Wait, let me get my jacket, then. Can you call Sans for me? He wanted to go as well.” Joshua scrambled back into his room with an excited face.

“i`ll get sans. you might want to get a jacket too, it was pretty cold when we got here.” Stretch headed towards Sans`s room.

As you, with the same excited face as Joshua, jumped into your room and grabbed a fur hoodie, you couldn`t help but feel happy. Not the ‘happy over a cup of morning coffee’ happy, but something more like a ‘happy to rejoice with a long-missed friend’ kind of happy. You liked morning coffee a lot, to admit, but you knew that accepting these guys in was one of the best decisions that you`ve made for a long time.

You just knew it in your soul.

Chapter Text

You didn`t even realize you were half-skipping down your way to the grocery store with Sans, Joshua, and Stretch by your side. You were forcefully tucked into a coat by Joshua- “It`s real cold! I don`t want to force-feed your sick ass again…!” -and now you were silently grateful for that as your breathing made small clouds in the searing cold.

“Maybe we should have brought Blue and Papyrus with us… They were very keen on cooking, and they said they were making a shopping list, too…”
You murmured, remembering Blue`s overjoyed expression.

“they`d have to go to a larger store than anywhere we`re going now, though. don`t feel bad about it, i`m sure they`re still busy unpacking,” Sans replied in a reassuring tone.

“yeah. and people really wouldn`t be really calm around four monsters in a group to be honest.” Stretch piped in.

You agreed to that. Still, you knew you would get something for them… Spaghetti? Spaghetti and tacos, they had said. You made a mental note to get some pasta noodles and taco ingredients.
Meanwhile, Joshua was having trouble with his zipper, which, apparently, was stuck on a strand of overgrown hair.

“Lemme help you there,” You fished out the strands he had problem getting at, “There.”
“I did tell you it was way past the time you needed that haircut, Josh. That`s it, I`m buying you a hairband.”

“Aw, I`m really fine, Mommy. Though yeah, I think you`re right about that hairband.”

Joshua`s hair wasn`t that long when you had first met him, but a few months earlier he had set his mind on growing it out. Now, it was messy in layers, the bottom strands long enough to fall just past his shoulder. You had to admit, you liked it that way because his blonde hair was just too beautiful in locks.

“…and i thought you said they weren`t a damn couple…” You hear Sans snickering somewhere down the street with Stretch.

“they aren`t, i swear! they`re friends,” Stretch laughed.

You and Joshua hurry to catch up with the skeletons. Apparently, Joshua had overheard their conversation, and he was now in a fit of laughter.

“You`re right Stretch. We`re in no relationship. I`m… somebody who`s far from any relationships… I… I can`t believe you guys thought of me and Y/n that way!..... Oh, hold on, it`s just too hilarious…” Joshua wheezed. You couldn`t help but laugh along with him as the four of you stood at the corner of the sidewalk.

Joshua was serious when he said he was ‘far from any relationships’, you knew that much too well. You knew Joshua worked in a famous strip club/bar, and you also knew that with his good looks and charming demeanor, he was the most wanted among the people who worked there. He made good money, you were sure, but he did get all sorts of- by that, you meant really ALL SORTS of- customers.

But Joshua, being Joshua, was very okay with everything. He even made jokes about it, and you liked the fact that you didn`t have to step on eggshells anytime you had a conversation about jobs.

“told ya, sansy.” Now Stretch was smiling as well. Joshua was still wheezing over his laugh.

“i`m sorry! no reason to laugh….! I just figured, since you guys shared a room and a bed and all…”

“We do share, but yeah, we`re just real intense cuddle buddies,” You snicker.

“what about me?” Stretch piped in. Now it was Sans`s turn to burst out laughing.

“What about you?”

“well, joshua here is apparently a cuddle buddy of yours. what about me? i love cuddles.”

Seriously, this guy. You weren`t even sure he was joking.
You liked it.

“Sure, why not? I mean, we met, like, just two hours ago, but yeah, I`m willing to make new cuddle buddies anytime. Netflix tonight?” You grin with a mischievous glint in your eyes.

“you betcha, baby.” Stretch winked.

“when did you even learn to wink?” Sans asked incredulously. Stretch winked once more at him.
“i have my ways.”

“Hey, I want in, too!” Joshua piped in with a fake frown. Sans snorted.

“Guess it`s movie night, then, folks! What I wouldn`t give for new friends.” You murmur the last line mostly to yourself as the four of you approached the grocery store, Sans and Stretch obviously interested in it.

“Say, you`ve just been out of the Underground, I heard Joshua say.”

“that`s right, but we`ve done some research so we could adjust faster… still fascinated by all your technology, though,” Sans replied, his sockets wide as you passed through the automatic front doors.
You glanced at his eyes for a second. You still weren`t used to bones moving flexibly.

“Seems like we`ve attracted some attention,” Joshua murmured.

Sure enough, curious stares, disapproving glances, and hushing whispers were now focused on your small group. It was no wonder as it has been merely five months since the monster were out. This part of the town was particularly rare of monsters, and you found yourself agreeing with Stretch`s words about how bringing Blue and Papyrus along could`ve broke out in a small commotion.

You weren`t intimidated, though. As being a foreigner, you were used to people acting like this around somebody different. A bunch of racist stares weren`t going to quench your fun with these awesome guys.

“C`mon, guys! I have this recipe in mind you guys have definitely got to try. Oh, and you should try out these drinks as well!”

You led your way around the aisles with Sans and Stretch. Joshua had taken a tour to the pastry corner, probably looking for something to bake. Joshua loved baking. Sans and Stretch were wide-eyed to see the aisles and aisles of human food.

“Oh right, can you guys eat the… you know… all this human food?”

“sure thing, we just need a bit of magic now and then. no problem in eating anything you guys have.” Well, that was a relief. You took Sans`s advice and grabbed a carton of milk. Several cans of Guiness beer, and…

“Bunch of freaks.” You heard someone mutter.

What an ass. You stood up from your crouched position, the can of beer in your hand, sighing as you turned to go another way… when a large hairy guy blocked your sight. Ew… you were not a fan of those chest hairs poking over the top of his way-too-loose top.

“What`s a cute little exotic sweetie`s doing here, all alone with monsters?” He grinned at you. Was this a flirt or a confrontation? Either way, it was a bad one. Sans and Stretch was a few steps away from you, examining human alcohols and obviously too locked up in a conversation to hear you and this man.

“Get out of my way, I`m trying to shop here.”

“Now, now, pretty, don`t be rude-“ His breath smelled awful.

“Ha, says this guy. Well, pretty please, get out of my way. You`re being racist and I`m trying to get my groceries.” You grimace, trying to corner around him.

“Not so fast, sweetie-“ You cut him short by turning around instead of trying to get past him, only to be blocked my other burly guy. Shit.

“You see, sweetie, we`ve been watching you when you came inside, and my chap here and I decided-“ You winced at the very inappropriate wording, “-that you were pretty dang cute. Want to go out sweetcheeks? Surely we`re better than those freaks over there,” The burly guy pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Sans and Papyrus.

“Get the fuck away from my face, I ain`t playing your games. And no, those ‘freaks’ you`re pointing out are probably very much nicer than you dicks.” You seethed.

“Wow, sassy. C`mon, girl, I love a bit of attitude in bed, and I`m willing to share that moster-fucking pussy or whatever.”

“What the fuck? We`re calling names now? And that`s just way too rude. If you like attitude, you could jerk your rude dick off your ass then. As I said, I`m trying to shop here. Leave me alone.”

You weren`t scared. Heck, your parents had made you practice something similar to martial arts back when you were a kid, due to ‘safety’. What had seemed like a sweaty, aching bad decision back then had proved to be quite a good one as you ran into encounters like this often in this unruly part of the town.
And it was great to show off your backflips to your friends, as your slightly chubby figure suggested that you weren`t the athletic type around.

You knew you were capable of giving a couple of stunning blows and running away in cases like this, but right now you had friends. And you were in a mall.

“Feisty, I like that.”

“I said back off, pervs. Don`t you think you`re egging me way too long? Go find something better to do.” You sighed, exhausted.
Suddenly the hairy man behind you snarled. You felt the point of something sharp digging into your back.

“That`s not an offer, monster-fucker! Come quietly, now, we don`t want to make a mess.” That last sentence was whispered in your ears, definitely intended as a threat.

But, judging by his slight tremble as he held his knife, you knew these guys weren`t quite so confident about sticking it in your back.

“Dude, this is the mall, for god`s sake. Go wield your sword somewhere else.”

With this you turned quickly, remembering your moves and knocking the knife out of the man`s hand. It fell on the tiled floor with a clatter. You jabbed the man`s nose with your elbow for a stunning blow, quickly turning shortly after to grab the other man`s head. You brought it down to crack it over your knee. You kicked the knife away, and it skidded across the tiles to slide under one of the snack aisles.

You rushed over to Sans and Papyrus in a heartbeat without bothering to glance back. This gave you only seconds. You snatched both their arms and yanked them out to the next aisle. You could hear faint yells behind you, coughing as they shouted garbled curses. Good, you must have given them nosebleeds.

The next few moments were a flurry. You throw-pushed the grocery cart over to a dumbfounded Joshua while pushing away other customers to pull away from the jostling people. Indignant shouts were heard around you, but you ignored and ran. You pulled yourself and the two skeletons out of the store as fast as you could. It was lucky that the entrance was so near.

As you pulled the two skeletons into some bushes behind the store wall, the two men burst out of the entrance, shouting. On the other side of the mall, you could hear the scream of a security guard whistle. The two men, both with bloody noses (to your pleasure), realized that now it was their turn to run. With a surprised “Shit!”, they started to run, security guards close behind them.

As you brushed away at your wrinkled coat with an exhilarated snicker, you realized that there were two very confused skeletons in a jumble beside you.

“what in asgore was that?!” Asked Stretch, peeling a leaf off from his chest.

“you got a death grip here, kiddo. i would be bruising if i wasn`t all bone.” Sans was massaging (But why? Did that help?) his arm.

You and the skeletons stopped for a second.

Then you burst into hysterical laughter.

“Man…. I`m sorry guys…” You actually had to take a breath before you could start talking.

“It`s a rough neighborhood we`re living in right now, and they were all hyped up and racist about how I brought you two into the mall. I just had to do that, sorry.”

You were practically wheezing with laughter. How was this so fun?! You were sure you hadn`t had this much fun in weeks. The image of the two guys with bloody noses, tripping over themselves to run, brought another fit of laughter. You turned from the two monsters to snort with laughter.

When you calmed down a bit and was sober enough to turn around to check on the skeletons, your eyes met a pair of- obviously not laughing or smiling- sockets.

Your heart dropped with your smile.

What were you thinking? You mentally slapped yourself. You met these guys just several hours ago, and now you had practically ripped their arms out of their shoulders to pull them out from their peaceful shopping. Then you had a literal fit of laughter in front of them in a fucking bush of leaves. You really had to pull yourself together, you mentally scolded yourself.

“Look, I`m sorry, I was just… I-I was in a bad situation, and I didn`t want to make a big clamor in there with you guys- I`m sorry I pulled you guys out like that. I-I really shouldn`t be laughing right now, I know… I`m- “

your rambling was cut short when suddenly, Sans`s eyelights expanded to twice their size.

Then he suddenly started to laugh, a loud, clear, genuine laugh. Stretch was smiling as well.

“Wha- I- “
You stammered. You were at a loss for words. Now what could you do? Laugh along? Apologize?
Then Stretch opened his mou- teeth- oh whatever. Mouth.

“darling, we`re not mad. no need to start apologizing. we`ve got strong bones, you know, you could start pulling us around anytime!”

“although we`ve met, like, three hours ago, you stood out for us. we were listening to your conversation, you know, we just couldn`t butt in at the time… you know, we feared of things turning out worse. and we should be sorry for being no help, really.” Sans flicked away a leaf from his skull, still smiling

What?

“we`re really sorry about that, darling. and you really have got to stop apologizing. i`m really grateful for your standing up for us when you barely know us. and you didn`t even call the guards, which we`re particularly grateful for…”

What, now?

You finally wrapped your mind around the situation. They weren`t mad about you yanking them around and throwing them in the bushes. They were thanking you for standing up for them, and not calling the guards in a sticky situation. You knew too well that such actions (involving guards or the police, or any type of human forces, on that matter) weren`t going to end in any monster`s favor in any situation. They knew that unfairness too, and they were thanking you for it.

Thinking about it, you felt like a cool-headed, smart, courageous hero. But you knew, in reality, you were just sick of making a bigger clamor and that was the reason to your actions.

But you knew that these monsters, even though you just got to know them a few hours ago, were a million times better than any average human. You knew it in your soul.

“Hey, guys, no need to be thanking me! I just hate big clamors, that was all. And you guys are, according to my perfect intuition, much better than those assholes. And three hours is more than enough for my intuition.” You smiled.

“And no apologies about being no help! I understand that the situation would`ve probably turned out worse that way.” You added quickly as Sans took a breath to say something. Sans stopped, and relaxed. That made you feel really good for some reason.

At that moment, a seething Joshua stomped out of the mall, two huge grocery bags dangling painfully from both of his arms.

“You better explain this right now, Y/n! What in hell?!” He yelled, and the three of you burst into laughter.

The walk back home was hilarious. You described the situation to Joshua, Who quickly turned from angry to surprised to hysterical laughter.

“So that was why they were bleeding! Man, the look on their faces… That`s it, you`re teaching me those slick moves. Right now.”

“No way, you couch potato! As if you`d move a muscle!” You punched Joshua, laughing. Sans and Stretch flinched, looking guilty. You caught their sheepish smiles.

“What? Don`t tell me you guys are lazy, too!” You put your hands on your hips, whirling around in fake anger.

“n-nah, kiddo, we`re really productive…! really!”
Sans stuttered, matching your fake anger with wide, guilty eyes. Joshua and Stretch snorted with laughter.

Well, it was obvious that both Sans and Stretch was quite the couch potato. Couch bones. Whatever. Not that you minded. You were lazy too, if you could be. You smiled to yourself at the thought of a lazy afternoon together with your new friends, binge-watching Netflix and listening to music all day.

The four of you arrived and started unpacking your groceries. You had managed to put the spaghetti and taco ingredients in the cart before your confrontation, and you were delighted with yourself for that. You had also bought (although it was poor Joshua who had paid) a bottle of soy sauce and greens, as well as the cans of beer and some milk. These were about it, you could cook up some stuff from your home recipes.

As for the skeletons, they had grabbed… two humongous industrial-size bottles of ketchup, and two jars of honey of no smaller size.

You decided not to ask.

Joshua had bought some pastry dough, flour, eggs, butter, and raw chocolate. Your mouth watered at the thought of eating Joshua`s delicious baked goodies. He never cooked, but he was exceptionally good at baking. Until now, you had always cooked the meals and Joshua had always made up the delicious desserts, making you feel like you were eating at a fancy restaurant.

“Not bad, whaddya say?” Joshua asked, a grin on his face.

“Yup, I agree. Sorry for bailing out on you earlier.” You replied, a prick of guilt nagging at you.

“Nah, no problem. As long as you cook up some good stuff for me! I`ve missed your cooking.”

You laughed. “Sure.”

Stretch and Sans was both gone in their rooms, and you heard a distinct “joshua? can you come check this out?” from Sans`s open door. Joshua turned towards the voice.

“Guess that`s my cue. See ya later, karate girl!”

“It`s not KARATE! It`s just some kind of fusion boxing…” You huff. Joshua was already sliding Sans`s door shut behind him

You turned around in the suddenly very quiet house. As you could tell by the muffled sounds of delighted shouting coming from Blue and Papyrus`s room, they were obviously okay and having fun. You decided to check up on Stretch.

“Hey… Stretch?”
You peek out from the door. Stretch was leaning against a chair, his phone in his hand. He looked up from the screen at your voice.

“heya to you too, darling. wazza matter?”

“Nothing, I guess? I just needed a- “
You snickered.
“-cuddle buddy to keep me out from my misery. Care to watch a movie?”

Stretch seemed surprised for a moment, but then his grin returned to his face. His sockets crinkled in a way you now recognized was a smile.

“more than welcome, darling. just a sec, i`ll go change.”
He stood up and opened the drawer with a smile, and you closed the door behind you as you headed towards your room to change as well.

Your face flushed red. Jeez, give a guy some space, you met him just today, your inner voice scolded.

That didn`t matter much now, did it?... You thought to yourself as you couldn`t help but giggle at the image of Stretch with leaves all over his hoodie, a dumbfounded expression across his sockets.

Chapter Text

You jumped out of your room, now all changed into comfy clothes. A T-shirt and shorts were always the best, that was your personal rule.
You opened Stretch`s door to see Stretch cuddled up next to Blue. Stretch gave a sheepish smile towards your direction.

“hi, darling. blue wanted to join… if that`s fine with you?”

You had wanted a night to learn about Stretch in the first place… But really, Blue was too much of a sweetie to decline. You smiled at the cheerful smile Blue had in your direction.

“Sure, why not? You guys got a good movie to watch?”
You slid down next to Blue, the three of you huddled on Stretch`s bed.

In Stretch`s room was a large TV, just appropriate to watch using the bed as a sofa. The last person who had used this room was way too lazy and was wealthy enough to buy a new one; so, she had left it there. To think about it, you thought to yourself, maybe Stretch had picked out this room in particular because of that…

“nah, darling, we haven`t really got any movies from the underground… blue and i were hoping maybe that you could show us a human movie, perhaps?”

“Sure thing! Blue, you like romance?”

“I SURE DO, HUMAN! I LOVE ALL SORTS OF ENTERTAINMENT! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE IS NO PICKY VIEWER!”
Blue`s boisterous manner reminded you of your young cousin. TOO. CUTE.

“Okay, then… let`s start with something sweet.”
You flicked through your movie files, landing on what you thought could be appropriate: no sex scenes, no violence.

“This is La La Land, I hope you like it, guys!”
You turn on the TV with a confident smile. Who could not like La La Land?

Sure enough, Blue and Stretch was totally mesmerized as the first song announced the beginning of the movie. Music was always the fastest way to catch someone`s attention, you thought to yourself. You liked to watch people getting indulged in your favorite movies this way.

“I Love It, Y/n! I Cannot Believe How Music Can Be So Relaxing And Exciting At The Same Time!”

You could hear Blue whispering in your ear at some point, his voice considerably quieter than his usual booming volume. You smiled as you caught Blue`s expression, obviously proud at himself for keeping his voice down low enough to not disturb his brother from the movie. Just adorable. Although you knew he was older than Stretch, you couldn`t help feeling a pang of childish adoration for him whenever you saw him.

Then, judging by what you had seen of Blue so far in the past few hours, you knew that he did have a mature side to him as well. Not only was Blue more than capable of all kinds of household chores, he was falling over himself trying to look out for Stretch. And Stretch acted the same over Blue as well, you thought, feeling a prick of jealousy in your chest.

You didn`t have any brothers or sisters, you were the only child. The closest you had were some cousins, some of them much younger and some of them just one or two years differing with you. The younger ones never paid much attention to you, you were just another ‘relative’. The ones about the same age had never liked you, due to your attending high school one year faster, and despite being younger, achieving much more. You winced, remembering the awkward glances between you and your cousins while your father`s voice, boasting about your grades, could be heard from outside the door.

You decided not to think about that. You just needed friends, that was all, you weren`t the only single child on Earth. And now, you had new friends around you, watching La La Land by your side. You were better off in the present than you had ever been in the past, with Joshua, Blue, Papyrus, Sans, and Stretch…

You caught yourself staring at Stretch`s sockets, now intent on watching the screen. His long, ivory fingers were moving along to the jazz, his phalanges drumming his knees over his crossed legs. If you concentrated, you could hear that sound of bone tapping bone…

Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap.

Relaxing, you thought to yourself. You felt drowsy enveloped in the songs and the soft tapping sounds. Then you heard a soft creak out of your trance, opening your eyes to see the door open a crack. Joshua poked his head inside.

“Mind if Sans and I join?”
He whispered over the movie. You nodded, indicating to come over and sit beside you. As Joshua shuffled inside, you could see the silhouette of two other skeletons beside. Great, the whole crew!

Joshua, Sans, Papyrus had changed too, all T-shirts and shorts. Your stomach did a happy flip at the thought of a slumber party. It was ages since your last friendly cuddle night. As the three figures shuffled inside, Blue and Stretch woke up from their fixed gazes on the screen and scooched over.

After a minute or two of jostling, the six of you were all comfortably located either on the bed or the floor in front of it. You were sitting on the edge of the bed, Sans in front of you with Joshua on the floor, Papyrus and Blue on either side of you.

Then where was Stretch?

You made a small turn to search for Stretch.
You stifled a yelp as you found him, right behind you, legs crossed uncomfortably in front of him, leaning sideways to get a better view of the screen.

He grinned as he heard your unsuccessfully stifled yelp.

“don`t worry darling, i`m just sitting behind you, no movie-ing around.” Stretch whispered, leaning forward to reach your ear.

“Was that a- that was terrible.” You snickered at his godawful pun.

“nah, you love it,” He whispered back. You could see he was smiling, by the way his sockets crinkled at the edges.

You glanced down at his uncomfortable position.

“Hey, Stretch, I really don`t mind, you can unfold your legs or poke into me or whatever… Your legs look a tad bit uncomfortable, all folded up like that.”
You murmured, wincing at the sight of tangled bones. Stretch smiled.

“nice of you to say that, darling. you sure you don`t mind?”

“Yeah! Really, I`m fine.”

“well, thanks then, y/n. i was getting a cramp here, to be honest.”
You giggled as Stretch unfolded his tangled limbs with a satisfied sigh. With his right leg folded at a more comfortable angle, he stretched his left leg out to rest by your side, leaning left.

“Better?”

“better,” he agreed.

You turned your head to the movie. Thankfully, the others were so mesmerized that they weren`t disturbed by that small struggle. You glanced down at Sans`s wide eyes, his eyelights unwavering and bright. Might be a pain in the cinema if they were brighter, you thought to yourself, smiling at the mental image of Sans trying to tell the others he wasn`t looking at the phone.

You tried to concentrate on the movie as well, but it was kind of hard to focus. Maybe it was because you had already watched the movie several times before.

Or maybe it was because of the gentle hum, the soft heat from Stretch`s leg, an inch away from your thigh.

The movie ended to everyone`s praise.

“WOWIE! WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY! AND ALL THIS TIME, I NEVER KNEW WHAT JAZZ EVEN WAS!” Papyrus boomed. You winced at the volume, but was smiling at his delight nonetheless.

“I AGREE! THE SCENE WHERE HE PLAYED THE PIANO AT THE RESTAURANT… IT WAS LIKE A SOUL SINGING! JUST BEAUTIFUL.”
Blue and Papyrus were both loving it, to your delight. You felt proud for picking out that movie.

Joshua interrupted the enthusiasm with a gentle nudge to your arm.

“Hey, it`s already over ten. Aren`t you tired?”
But you were reluctant to sleep, not just now. Maybe an hour more, you thought.

“…”
Joshua seemed to get you. He knew too well about you to miss your disappointed drooping shoulders.

“Hey, why don`t we tell Blue and Papyrus about what happened at the mall?”
Joshua suggested, reaching over to turn on the lights. Sans started snickering, along with Stretch.

Blue and Papyrus now had their gazes on Joshua, a curious expression flitting across their faces.

“WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MALL?”

You knee-crawled over Stretch`s leg to go and sit beside him. Stretch scooched over to let you sit. The half of your butt on where Stretch was sitting felt warm, to your surprise. Well… you supposed that if their hands and legs were warm, why not their butts? It was only logical. Still, it felt strange to feel that warmth.

Usually you were grossed out by the thought of sitting on a warm spot somebody else`s butt had made a second before. It felt all sweaty and so on. But, somehow, this kind of heat didn`t feel gross… Was it because that heat was just the magic? Or was it because skeletons didn`t sweat? Or no, did they sweat? You had absolutely no idea. But it felt good regardless.

“…and then y/n did a jab like this! and tossed the knife out of his hand like this!...”

Sans was describing your escapade with a whole lot more action than you remembered. Blue and Papyrus was listening with their sockets wide to his- ‘mostly’ true- description of what had happened in the mall. Joshua was talking along with Sans as well, filling out the details while Sans stopped to catch a breath.

Sans`s behavior was quite different to what you had observed a few hours before. Unlike the lazy, chill demeanor he wore back then, he was now very enthusiastic and descriptive. You figured it was because of his brother, you could see it in the way Sans treated the tall guy. Papyrus must be real close to him, you thought.

You turned your head to Stretch to meet eyes (sockets?) with him. Stretch smiled at you.

“isn`t blue the cutest?” He smiled at you, his gaze flitting over to Blue for a second. You nodded.
Same brotherly love here too, you thought. These guys were just getting better and better.

“Hey, Stretch, does Blue like to cook tacos? Or does he just like eating them?” You asked, a sudden thought flitting across your mind. Stretch looked at you, mildly surprised.

“how did you know blue liked tacos?”

“Oh, he was checking out the kitchen with Papyrus earlier… and he mentioned tacos. A lot. So I got some taco ingredients for him… But I`m not sure if he wants to cook or just have them, so I thought maybe you`d know.”
If Blue liked to cook, he was welcome to do so. If he just liked to eat, you were more than willing to cook for him. Same went for Papyrus, you thought.

“that`s incredibly kind of you, darling, i really appreciate you thinking about that for my brother,” Stretch said, now a soft expression over his face. His genuine smile indicated that he was indeed thanking you for doing that for his brother. You blushed, suddenly shy under the praise.

“blue likes both cooking and eating, but i think he was really interested in cooking in your kitchen with your stove, if you`re okay with that…” Stretch trailed off, searching your expression.

You smiled for him

“Sure! I mean, all you guys are more than welcome! It`s not my kitchen or Joshua`s, you`re part of the house too, you know. And nah, no need to spoil me, I just love tacos as much as Blue, that`s why I bought `em.”
You added the last line jokingly, and Stretch smiled even wider as he seemed to realize you really did care about all the four guests.

“just saying, darling, just saying. oh, by the way, blue isn`t really familiar with human food… and he`s really curious. just saying. i would put any- ah, inedible… objects… you could say- out of the way if i were you.” Stretch said that with a knowing grimace. You laughed at his expression.

“Hey, aren`t you sleeping, Y/n?” Joshua asked from the other side of the room.

To your surprise, Blue and Papyrus was already out of the room, and the clock was pointing eleven. Sans and Joshua were halfway out the door. Already? An hour? You were still reluctant to sleep, but you figured you should let Stretch sleep. It was too late, and he was probably tired.

“Kay, I`m coming! Good night, Stretch! See you tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the small talk.” You scrambled up, only to trip over Stretch`s leg and fall flat on the bed.”

“jeez, darling, i knew you liked me, but i had no idea you were fall-ing for me that fast.” Stretch laughed.
Fortunately, Joshua and Sans were already out and wouldn`t have seen you trip over Stretch`s leg.

You made an angry huff.
“That was awful!” You huffed, only to break down in giggles.

“nah, you love it,” Stretch laughed. You giggled all the way out of his bed.

“good night, darling. see you tomorrow morning,” Stretch called out from behind the door as you turned to close it. You made a small wave before closing it, already excited at the thought of showing off your cooking. Stretch seemed to like honey and Sans liked ketchup, you recalled from the groceries earlier, and you were already sure of what to make tomorrow morning.

Your heart was fluttering with excitement all the way to your room. You felt like these guys were long-time friends instead of strangers, and you were more than happy to spend your (now FREE) semester with these lovely skeletons.

As you opened the door to your room, Joshua was already picking out another movie all cuddled up in blankets in the bed. You snorted, and dove into the bed. Joshua laughed.

“Sorry, ain`t in a mood to sleep.”

“Ditto.”

You and Joshua stared at each other for a second, and then broke into laughter. You knew each other too well.

“Horror movie tonight?”

“You bet! Dare you not to close your eyes.”

“Dare!”
You felt like a kid again, getting excited over new friends, a horror movie, and a dare. And the thought of cooking breakfast. As you huddled into Joshua, the eerie music of the movie quieted in order not to wake up the skeletons, you felt a warmth you haven`t been feeling for a long, long time.

You knew, at first, that you had been wary about being friendly with strangers you had met a few hours ago. Now, although the fact that you had met them a few hours ago haven`t changed, you felt like they were friends, more than strangers. To be honest, they didn`t feel like strangers at all, now.

Blue and Papyrus were both just too cute, Sans was chill in his unique way that made you super comfortable around him, and Stretch… Stretch made your heart flutter like you haven`t for a long time. You loved to be around him, he just oozed comfort and… and… heaven knows what else. You couldn`t describe it, but it felt good.

You let out a content sigh.

Stretch

This was absurd.

Stretch lay back in his bed, trying to digest the day in his brain.

He had arrived at the house at five…. just six hours earlier from now….
Was it even possible to get attached so fast?

The whole ‘darling’ thing had started out as a mere habit of his. Then now, he had become too aware of his words every time he called you ‘darling’ or ‘honey’ or even called your name. The way your attentive eyes swung back to meet his whenever he called you…
Stretch shook his head. He really needed to get a grip on things. A grip… like you gripped him when you were running out the store-stop. STOP.

Stretch hobbled out to the kitchen with cramped legs from being in the same position for too long. He opened the refrigerator and fished out the plastic bottle of honey, and popped open the top.

As he guzzled in the honey, he couldn`t get his mind off how you blushed when he complimented you about your thoughtfulness for Blue.

Gulp.

Oh, talking about how you bought taco ingredients for Blue… There was too much to like about you.

Another gulp.

Stretch felt an orange blush creeping up his face, his skull feeling way too hot all of a sudden. He threw his head back to gulp down another healthy dollop of honey.

The way you stood up for them… How Stretch and Sans were both awestruck when you suddenly pulled those… MOVES on the two guys who were obviously much bigger than you…

Stretch put one trmbling hand over his face. Stretch`s skull was literally glowing orange as he recalled the image of you cracking the guy`s head over your knee.

So calm. So chill. In control. Stretch knew that you must have had your share of hardships.
Yet, you were so cheerful, so kind! How a human could willingly let four big monsters in the house, Stretch had no idea. He knew that Sans and Joshua, the human boy, went back a long way, but he was also positive that you had met Sans for the first time as well as the others. He knew it in the way how Sans didn`t (yet) make those puns around you.

Well, if Sans wasn`t making puns, Stretch sure was going to. And he`d make you laugh.

Stretch threw his head back with the bottle. Gulp.

He had already succeeded in making you giggling, Stretch thought. He thought of your small body, trembling as you stifled your giggles, pushing the covers to the side as you climbed down the bed- his bed…
He felt another orange burst of color spread across his face, and he wasn`t sure if that was because of the honey or because of that image… of you.

Stretch clicked the cap back on, and put it back in its place in the fridge. He had already drunk a quarter of that bottle, and now he was unsure if he was drunk or not. Either way, he was sure that he could not get him out of his mind.
It was official now, he thought with a shiver, that he was developing a crush towards this lovely human girl.

Chapter Text

You pulled out of the bed next morning, woken up by the sudden flow of light from the window. Joshua had pulled the curtains apart.

“Jeez, give a girl some morning sleep…” You grumbled.

You had stayed up way too late yesterday night watching Joshua. But Joshua was, being the superman that he is, already awake and fully dressed. You sleepily trudged across to the shower.

“I`ll be out to buy some stuff for the guys, can you wake them up and make something to eat?”
Joshua`s voice called from outside the bathroom door.

“Sure, Josh. Hey, can you grab a loaf of bread for me while you`re out? We`re out of bread and I want to make sandwiches.” You called back, and heard a distinct answer.

You stripped of your pajamas and stepped into the shower. It was very chilly outside today, and the shower was filled with steam after a minute. You loved to shower hot.
As you scrubbed at your elbows and knees, you went through the recipes in your mind. You were planning to make honey blueberry pancakes this morning, and you just couldn`t wait to see Blue`s face light up at the sight of that dish. Giggling to yourself, you stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel

It had been so long since you were determined like this, let alone being so happy.

You had put on jeans and a knitted sweater, which was surprisingly hot to wear in front of the stove. Dangblast, you thought, but this sweater is too cute to take off! You decided to let it stay put, you had a high tolerance for heat anyway.

The pancakes were turning a delicious shade of golden brown. You had put a lot of effort in these even though the recipe was simple: a perfect circle for each one, more milk to make it soft, extra virgin olive oil to make it light, several more beats to make it extra fluffy. You had also set the fire small so it would be cooked to the inside without burning at the bottom.
You really, really wanted the guys to like your cooking.

The pancakes were done in a few minutes, as you had made them a bit thinner than usual. You intended to pile them up to form a sort of crepe, and then cut them in half like a cake. Your mouth started to water at the smell of freshly cooked dough, and your tummy growled in turn.
You opened the refrigerator to grab a new bottle of honey. As you layered the pancakes one by one, you added a healthy dollop of honey in between. The honey was rich and good, you knew this brand wouldn`t be sickly sweet even though you had added a lot. Lastly, you added a handful of blueberries on top.

The results were three piles of pancake, now oozing honey at the sides. You sliced each pile in half, and you were more than pleased to see that your calculations had been right. Each half-slice would be just right for one person to eat, and the sight of honey flowing from the sides was just perfect. As you moved the halves onto six separate plates, a drop of honey fell on the back of your hand. You licked it off.
Mmm, perfect!
Another success, you thought to yourself as you mentally patted yourself with pride.

Time to wake the boys, before your masterpiece got cold, you thought. You quickly stacked the six dishes into the oven, which you turned to ‘preserve’, basically meaning ‘keep warm’.
Nifty… maybe Mom was right about buying an oven that could do this.

The first for you to wake was Blue and Papyrus. Blue was asleep on the bed with his sheets all gathered between his legs. It was the first time you had seen Blue without his gloves, and you stood there for a second, marveling at his ivory fingerbones. They weren`t as long as Stretch`s, but they were quite elegant nonetheless, which was strange to see on Blue. You shook your head. The time to admire would come later.

“Blue? Papyrus? Breakfast is ready, time to wake up!”
The word ‘breakfast’ was more than enough to make Blue and Papyrus`s sockets fly open.

“HU…HUMAN? HAVE YOU COOKED BREAKFAST??” Papyrus asked you with a sleep-confused voice.

“Yeah, Papyrus! Come and eat, it`s already nine! I hope you like pancakes, by the way.”

“ALTHOUGH TACOS ARE THE BEST, I DO LIKE PANCAKES! THANK YOU, HUMAN! WE WILL BE THERE RIGHT AWAY.” Blue cheered, already sitting up on his bed and totally awake. This guy must really like tacos.

You smiled and closed the door, heading for Sans`s room. You creaked open the door in case he was awake and changing clothes… only to see him out and sleeping on the bed.

“Hello? Sans?”

Man, this guy slept like the dead.
…No pun intended, you thought. But really, he didn`t even make a sound.

“Sans? Breakfast is ready … Sans…?”

Well, that left you no choice. You tiptoed across the room and lightly poked him in his shoulder. Sans opened one socket blearily to see you. Both his sockets flew open the next second.

“Whoa, sorry to startle you! I just… I made breakfast, and I thought I might wake you up for that.”

“oh, no problem, y/n, thanks for that.” Sans laughed as he saw that he had startled you as much as you had startled him. He gave a little yawn and pulled himself up, stretching as he got up.

“i`ll be there in a jiffy, thanks for the morning call!”

You now headed towards Stretch`s room.
No wonder, he was dead asleep just like Sans when you opened the door.

“Stretch? Breakfast is ready!” You called out. Thankfully, Stretch opened his sockets to your call. He propped himself, rubbing at his sockets. His sockets found you standing at the door.

“oh, hi, y/n. thanks for waking me up. i`ll be there in a mo`, wait up!” he said, smiling wide in his sleepy trance. You smiled back, giving him another glance as you closed the door. You could hear rustling and a ‘thud’ behind you as, you assumed, Stretch got out of bed.

As you approached the kitchen Blue and Papyrus poked out of their room, now fully dressed. Blue gave a little sniff, and the stars in his sockets expanded slightly.

“WHAT IS THAT DELICIOUS SMELL? IS THAT THE PANCAKE?”

You giggled at Blue and Papyrus`s enthusiasm.

“Sure, Blue! Come sit here, you two, I`ve brought some more chairs so you could sit.”
As Blue and Papyrus sat down eagerly, Sans and Stretch shuffled in as well. It was a large kitchen that served as a ‘dining room’ as well, and the table was indeed large enough to fit all the guys here. Still, it felt much more full than when only you and Joshua had been there to sit at the huge table.

You brought out the pancakes in the most casual manner you could pull off. You were determined not to show these guys how much you were eager to be complimented.

The boys did not let you down.

Stretch was already drooling at the sight of honey dripping from the sides. Blue gave a little yelp of joy when he saw the blueberries perched on top of the pancakes, and Papyrus did a little jig when you laid a steaming plate in front of him.

“whoa, kiddo, you learnt to cook? these look amazing, honey-stly!” Sans grinned, picking up his fork and staring at the steaming pile in front of him. These guys and their puns, you thought, smiling to yourself. Awful but appropriate.

Stretch was already involved in his pancakes. You swore you could see a light flicker in his eyes as he devoured the pancakes.

“darling, you got more honey? i…i…this is too good for words.” He paused to take a breath. He was smiling ear from ear (…ear-places, whatever) and there was a spot of honey on his cheekbone. You laughed, and opened the refrigerator. You looked inside to see two bottles of honey… both only three quarters left.

What the heck?! You only used one bottle, right? What happened to the other bottle?

You grabbed one and handed it over to Stretch. Stretch, catching your confused expression, stopped a second.

“what`s the matter, y/n?” Sans asked, catching your expression as well.

“I… I used from just one of the bottles, but both of the honey bottles are just three quarters left, I have no idea why. Maybe we bought a bad one…?” You mused. Stretch stopped for a moment, and slowly sat back. You could see an orange flush creeping up to his face.

“n-nah, that was me,” Stretch muttered. You stifled a snort of laughter.

“What? You just ate that much honey?” You giggled uncontrollably. Sans had a knowing grin on his face, and Stretch was getting more and more orange by the second.

“it`s-it`s just a thing… i just really like honey, okay?” He stammered, now practically glowing a shade of clementine. You guessed it was the equivalent of a human blush.
Would it be warm when you touched it?

You reached out to wipe off that bit of honey off Stretch`s cheekbone without thinking, still laughing at his absurdly cute orange blush.

It was warm! You marveled at the hot still lingering at your fingertip as you licked at it, your tongue wiping off the honey. The sweetness made you giggle even more.

Then you looked up at Stretch to jump in surprise as you saw that he had gone completely orange to the skull. He stared at you, a dumb expression on his glowing face.

“i-i- j-just a mo`-“ He practically leaped out of his chair and bolted into his room.

He dashed out again a second to the table, only to dash back in with his unfinished plate of pancakes.

Sans, Blue, and Papyrus were silent for a second, staring at the door where Stretch had disappeared into.

Then Sans started to laugh his head off, guffawing and nearly choking on his pancakes. Blue and Papyrus stared at him in turn, clearly confused.

“WHAT`S SO FUNNY?”

“STOP LAUGHING, YOU`RE SCARING ME!”

“ho, boy… this is so good… ha- “
Sans stopped to catch his breath. His plate was already polished off, and he winked at you as he picked up his plate and stood up.

“guess stretch is a real shy bit, don`t you think so too, honey-?” Sans laughed again while putting his finished plate in the sink with a clatter.
It was your turn to blush, and you grinned as you felt the heat rise to your cheeks as well.

“you`re mean, you know that, kiddo? playing with a monster like that…” Sans shook his head in fake disbelief. You laughed, Blue and Papyrus starting to laugh along as realization dawned on them.

“OH BOY, I`M GOING TO GO HARRASS HIM! HA, SO MUCH FUN!” Blue announced, clearly delighted at the thought of disturbing his brother. He jumped up to dash to the sink with his finished plate, and ran off to burst into Stretch`s room. You could hear a startled scream and a delighted shout as the door slammed behind Blue.

Sans was in his room too, grinning at you behind the door. good luck, he mouthed as he closed it.

Now you were at the table with a giggling Papyrus. He had finished his breakfast, too, and now he was looking at you with interest.

“Don`t look at me like that!” You said, giggling. Papyrus laughed a clear, tinkling laugh, and you felt way too happy it almost felt surreal.

“SAY WHAT, HUMAN, I`LL HELP YOU WITH THE DISHES, AND THEN WE CAN THINK OF A PLAN TO GET YOU TWO TOGETHER!”

“I dunno about that last bit, but if you`re willing to help me with the dishes, you`re more than welcome, Papyrus,” You grinned. Papyrus wiggled his eyebrow (…bone, whatever) at you and started towards the sink.

As you stood side by side with Papyrus, you couldn`t help but notice how you have changed in such a short period of time. If you could carry on changing like this, maybe, maybe…

You could enjoy just a bit of romance.

“Hey, Papyrus, say what, you wanna cook with me for lunch later?” You proposed while scrubbing at a bowl.
Papyrus whirled around, the sudden movement spattering a few droplets of water on your face.

“WHA- OF COURSE, HUMAN!! I- THE GREAT- OF COURSE! I WOULD LOVE THAT!!”
He sputtered, obviously very delighted. You smiled at his enthusiasm.

“I heard you liked spaghetti, so I bought some ingredients for it the other day.”

You could swear you could see nonexistent stars in Papyrus`s sockets.

“HU-HUMAN!!!” Papyrus lifted you up in a death hug, squeezing the air out of you. You squirmed desperately, trying to breath.

“You- gasp -you like that?” You asked as he put you down, trying to catch your breath.

“OF COURSE I DO, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE READY FOR IT, JUST WAIT AND SEE!”

“Oh, I can`t wait, Papyrus. I bet it will be the best,” You smiled, fist-bumping Papyrus`s arm. Papyrus blushed, his blush orange like Stretch`s but a bit closer to red.

“OF COURSE, HUMAN, THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN MAKE THE BEST SPAGHETTI IN THE WORLD!”
He declared, wiping his fingers on a towel as his eyes scanned over the satisfyingly clean dishes. He was really good at this, you mused to yourself. Your dishes sparkled with a sheen that you were sure wasn`t there before.

After having your own breakfast with Joshua when he had returned, you got to the delightful task of picking out even more movies to see in the evening. A never-ending slumber party was something nobody could hate, and you were excited to spend the night with your new friends.
After a few minutes of delving through your endless files on your laptop, you finally settled on what seemed interesting. You turned it on after a pause.
After all, you did want to check for any steamy scenes- you just felt that Blue and Papyrus wasn`t quite ready for that, even though you knew they probably would be at least twenty years old.

You were startled awake by Papyrus peeking inside at the door. You had fallen asleep during the movie. It was no surprise, since you had gotten to sleep over four o`clock the last night. You blinked several times to get the sleep out of your eyes.

“HUMAN?” Papyrus called, his head still poking inside at an awkward angle.

“LET`S COOK LUNCH, IT`S HALF PAST NOON!” Papyrus did a little happy jig. Half past noon?! Damn, you must have been really tired. No wonder in that, you did experience quite a lot yesterday.

“Sure, Papyrus! Thanks for waking me up, I might have slept through lunchtime if you hadn`t,” You mumbled, a little bit embarrassed but excited again at the thought of cooking.

Your dream life was coming true, you thought. Cooking, watching movies, making friends. Staying up late and taking naps in the day. All the good stuff.

You got to the kitchen to see Papyrus already onto work. He was having trouble with the induction stove, so you demonstrated how to use it.

“Just be careful with it, I`ve cracked it quite a few times,” You told him, and he nodded enthusiastically. You didn`t feel worried, though. Papyrus didn`t seem like the guy that would be careless with somebody else`s stuff.

“I DECIDED TO COOK THE SPAGHETTI JUST BY MYSELF, HUMAN! I WANT TO SHOW YOU MY SKILLS!!” He boomed, thrusting out his chest in a boisterous manner.

Oho?
Well, he was more than welcome!

“Okay then! The ingredients are over- oh, you already found them, never mind. I`ll be waiting!”
You called out as you patted him on the back and turned to return to your room.

An hour later, you heard Papyrus shout, “LUNCH IS READY!!” from the kitchen. You closed your laptop, excited to try out The Great Papyrus`s spaghetti.

But as you entered the kitchen, you could sense, immediately, that something was a little wrong.

The kitchen looked fine. The induction stove was clean, nothing was broken.
But the smell… this smell was familiar. This wasn`t the smell of any pasta. This wasn`t olio, rose, or carbonara.

This was the smell of…… the cold buckwheat noodles dish you had loved back in your home country.

Sans, Blue, Stretch, and Joshua had come to the table, too. Sans had a knowing grimace on his teeth. Stretch was averting his eyes from you, still a little bit orange, but he looked like he had calmed down. Joshua was keeping his face emotionless, but when you and he locked eyes, he seemed to say, What`s this smell?! with his eyes. Blue was less excited than his usual self, and there was… was that fear in his eyes?

A delighted Papyrus set down plates of noodles, each for every one of you. This sure didn`t look like spaghetti, you thought as you gazed down at the suspiciously clear, brownish fluid pooled around the noodles.

“COME ON, TRY IT! I TRIED A NEW RECIPE THIS TIME, SINCE IT WAS MY FIRST TIME USING THIS MAGICAL STOVE!” With this, Papyrus looked attentively towards the three skeletons with a hopeful expression.

Sans was the first to eat. He took a bite, surprisingly calm.

“the best as always, bro.” He said, his words amazingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever. You stifled a snort of laughter as his eyelights disappeared as he took a bite, and another, and another.
Blue and Stretch had also taken a bite, and Blue was trying to- very quietly- stifle a gag. Stretch had closed his sockets tight, obviously forcing himself to gulp. Joshua was nowhere to be seen, but you could see that he had gone in for a big bite by the way a large portion of his dish had been eaten.

It was your turn. To your relief for Papyrus, he hadn`t quite realized that everybody was struggling with his cooking. And you were determined not to let this sweetheart down, no matter how bad it was.

You took a bite, slightly afraid.

Then… a burst of flavor swirled around your mouth.

How he had managed to do this you had no idea. This tasted exactly the same to the buckwheat noodles that you had thought of earlier.

The so-called ‘buckwheat noodle dish’ was a specialty of the small, old restaurant near your father`s workplace back home. It had quite a startling taste, you had to admit, and was not easy for the unexperienced to eat, let alone foreigners. It was a taste original to your home country. And a strong one at that.

Papyrus had somehow managed to perfectly mimic that nostalgic taste. And you totally LOVED it.

Your eyes flew wide open, and you stared at Papyrus`s confused face. Sans, Blue, Stretch, and Joshua (now returned and looking greener than before) were looking at you with a knowing glance, pity in their eyes and a grimace on their faces.

“This… this is amazing!!” You gasped. You could hear the guys gasping behind Papyrus along with you.

You wolfed down the noodles. Ah, so many memories… you had missed this taste.

“Papyrus, you`re the best. I love this. Ah, man, how did you do this??” You paused between gulps, and soon your plate was polished down.
“Can I have some more? It`s just too good, man.”

Papyrus stared at you, surprised and delighted. Then he whisked away your plate from your hands, bounding into the kitchen.

“OF COURSE, HUMAN! I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE YOU ENJOY!”

The skeletons stared at you, dumbfounded.

“he-hey, kiddo… you don`t have to be that nice…”
Sans`s eyelights were twice their usual size.

“What do you mean? You guys don`t like that? I mean, it`s strong but… It`s delicious! Anybody? Is it just me?”

Blue stared at you with horror. Stretch`s orange blush had returned with a stricken expression, his mouth wide enough for you to see the nothingness behind his teeth. Interesting.

Your thoughts were quickly cut off as Papyrus appeared, your dish refilled with the noodles. Papyrus was smiling so wide you were sure his teeth were going to pop out from their places.

“You know what? Maybe you and I should cook more often together. I never knew this taste was replicable.”
You said, giggling as Joshua and Blue`s mouths dropped in horror.

Chapter Text

A day had passed, and you had made so many memories in such a short time.

Stretch was still avoiding you a little, turning orange whenever you sneaked up on him. You loved it, and you started to sneak up on him just for the sake of it. Yes, you were a mean girl.
One time you had barged into Blue`s room to invite him to a movie night, only to jump into a VERY surprised Stretch who was pulling on a new sweater at the moment.

You smirked, recalling the memory.

”Heh, nice ribs.”

“tha-that`s sexual assau- h-hey! wha- g-go away!!”
You and Blue had both burst into laughter, Stretch trying to keep his angry face on but failing and eventually joining in.

Now you knew, for a fact, skeleton monsters could blush to the ribs.

You jumped up at the sound of your name. Sans was calling you outside the door, and you cracked it open. Half past eight… was he inviting you to dinner?

“kiddo, you want to grab a burg at grillby`s?”

“Grillby`s?”

“yup, the one and only. come on, joshua`s coming as well.”
You jumped out of bed. Well, who could say no to a good burger?? AS you stumbled to your feet, you could see that Sans and Joshua were already dressed up and ready to go. Joshua was practically smothered in his scarf, which was surprising considering that he hated covering up his neck. He always said that he felt claustrophobic in a neck warmer.
No wonder, he started to grumble.

“Sans, I hate this thing. Can`t I go without it?”

“nah, pal, you`re going in that. i`m tired of you coughin` around me.”
Sans slapped away Joshua`s hand, which was creeping up to untie the knot on his throat.

“let`s go, kiddo. it`s just around the corner.” Sans winked at you.
You really needed some time to get over how these guys` sockets moved.

“Which is more the reason to leave this scarf back ho-“

“shush, mate. you`re wearing that scarf.” Sans flicked Joshua in the arm playfully, cutting him short.
Joshua huffed indignantly, and grumbled something under his breath. Those two must be real close, you thought, as you pulled on your boots.

You stood up to see Stretch in front of you with a lollipop stick between his teeth. He paused for a second, then reached out to throw an orange piece of clothing around your shoulders. It was a knitted neck warmer, and you looked up curiously.

“don`t want you catching a cold either,” he grumbled softly.

When did this guy get so forward…? You tried to keep your calm as you felt your face heating up. You wasn`t sure if the heat was from Stretch`s face, now inches away from you, or if it was just you.

“Yeah, uh… thanks, man. I`ll be sure to, uh, keep this on.”

You mentally punched yourself.
Stretch smirked (how dare he?!) and turned back to walk away to his room.

“Wake up, Y/n, we`re going!” Joshua called out from the door. He had a giant grin on his lips.

“What the hell are you laughing for?”
Joshua shrugged, snorting with laughter. “I dunno, you know, Sans?”
You punched him in the shoulder.
“Whatever, just take me to this Grillby place, I`m starving.”

Grillby`s was not far away from your house, just a few blocks down the street. The bell jingled pleasantly as the three of you entered the store. Sans sighed happily as you entered the place, the sudden warmth making your cold face tingle. The place was like a bar, just bright enough to serve as a restaurant as well.

The first thing you noticed about the place was the smell. The delicious smell of something you couldn`t quite point out danced in your nostrils and sang on your tongue. Burgers and fries, you could only think of that much. You were sure they served drinks here as well, judging by the totally smashed rabbit monster you could see at one of the tables. As the three of you made your way to the front, you felt yourself getting warmer and warmer. Joshua was fumbling at the knot on his neck to get the scarf off.

Then you saw the bartender.

Clearly, he was more of a bartender than just a ’staff’, judging by his fancy white shirt and black ironed vest. But the strange thing about him was that he was literally made of flames. Red and orange flames danced around his silhouette, and only the glasses perched on top of god know where indicated where his eyes were. You could hear him crackling like a real fire, and couldn`t help but stare at the flames licking at the collar of his shirt.

“ey, grillbz, i`m back,” Sans greeted the man, plopping down on a chair in front of him. ‘Grillbz’ crackled quietly, nodding back.
He made a couple of gestures toward Sans, his glasses bobbing up and down his face. You could hear the crackles and hisses of the flames every time he shuffled his hands.

“yeah, this is the guy i told you about, his name`s joshua. this is y/n, his roommate. yes, I did not know we`d have company. nah, she`s real sweet. she likes papyrus`s cooking. crazy, huh? guess he did have a talent, we were just to ignorant. i know, he`s the coolest.”

How Sans and this silent fire man were having a conversation you had no idea. Joshua, next to you, was wearing the same perplexed expression as you, probably thinking the same thing.

“…so grillbz, y/n. y/n, this is grillby, owner of this bar/restaurant.”
You turned to see Sans looking at you and Grillby. Grillby had his hand out for you to shake.

If this guy was willing to shake my hand… Well, he wasn`t going to burn you, was he?

You reached out and took his hand. You couldn`t stifle the yelp as a tingle went up your arm, similar to the sensation you felt when you hit your elbow wrong on a table. It was just really warm though, and you let out a breath you didn`t know you had been holding. Grillby crackled, and you realized that he was laughing.
Now you understood- at least got a glimpse on how Sans had been communicating. Grillby`s face was full of emotion. The flames that made up his face were flexible and colorful, and you could tell what was going on by studying how they flickered white and yellow.

“So, um, what have we got to eat?”

Joshua`s voice called you. He was sitting next to Sans, and you could hear a distinct rumble as Joshua`s hand flew to his stomach, a mortified expression on his face. Sans snickered, and Grillby looked shocked at the sound.

“two original sets for the guys, the usual for me, thanks grillbz.”

“Wow, you must come here a lot,” You mused. Sans looked like he was at home.

“sure do, kiddo. who doesn`t like a good burger? and you know, grillby can make a mean burg, and i was bone to eat.”

BA DUM tsss

Sans winked at you, Joshua groaning behind him. Grillby was heading towards the three of you with a platter balanced on his arm. In his other hand was a glass of clear, green-tinted liquid.

“complimentary glass, he says.” Sans swung his head side to side, unsure if he should offer the glass to Joshua or you. Joshua shook his head. Typical of him, he was never the drinking type.
But you were, and you eagerly took the glass.

Smell? Okay. First impression? Well, you could see that it was infused with magic, the way it swirled around in jagged…. leafy patterns…. was that a chrysanthemum? And the patterns left a trail of white bubbles as they disappeared. You took a tentative gulp.

It. Was. DELICIOUS. You couldn`t even register what you were doing before you threw back your head, guzzling in the liquid with large gulps. Gulp, gulp gulp. And that was it. You didn`t even realize you had downed the big glass until your tongue touched glass.

Sans was staring with you, his jaw dropped. Joshua was peeking out from behind him, a startled expression on his face as well.

“you…did you just down that?” Sans asked with incredulity.

You nodded, suddenly feeling giddy with joy.
You looked at the steaming burger in front of you. It looked big and delicious, and you grabbed it and started to wolf it down. Grillby crackled quietly.

“Whazdis you gave me?” You asked Grillby, tripping over your tongue to form words.
Grillby crackled, and Sans gave a little snort of laughter.

“truth liquor, he says.” Sans told Joshua. Joshua grinned mischieviously, eyes glinting in your way. He scooched over closer to you, bending over the table to get a closer look at you.

“Hey, uh, Y/n… so, uh, what do you think of me?” Joshua asked, now totally enjoying your state.
You gave a drunken hiccup before replying,

“A nerdy slut. Also my bestie, cuz you`re nice and cuddly and you make funny sex jokes.”
Joshua`s eyes widened as your hand flew to your mouth. Your face was really hot, but you couldn`t say “I didn`t mean that!” no matter how hard you tried. You just broke into stammering at ‘didn`t’.

“Augh, how could you?! No more dirty jokes for you!” Joshua made a fake-angry scowl.

“how about me, kiddo?” Sans asked. It was his turn to look nervous.

“I… I honestly don`t know a lot about you. You love your brother…? You sound like fun, but i`m guessing we need more time.” Okay. That wasn`t so bad. Honest and true.

“hmmm… is that so? how about blue and papyrus?” Sans asked, taking a long drink from the ketchup bottle next to his fries, which were also drowned in ketchup.

“Ah, Blue and Papyrus are ADORABLE! I just love them, they`re so cheery to be around. They`re like sunshine. And I really love Papyrus`s noodles. I can`t get over the fact that you just drank that ketchup, by the way. Does Stretch do that with his honey?”
Sans flinched, guiltily putting the ketchup bottle down. Joshua looked horrified by the fact that you hadn`t been faking your enthusiasm towards Papyrus`s cooking.

“Then what about… Stretch?” Joshua asked.

You felt a blush forming on your cheeks even before you replied.
Nope. Wait. This couldn’t be happening.

Too late.

“Nnngh…. Stretch is way too nice I can`t believe it… It`s like high school all over again. I don`t want to admit it and I`m hiding it well, but it does damn feel like something.”

Did you seriously just say that you didn`t want to admit it, out loud?

“But I`m scared to jump into a relationship, and I think he knows that- hic -and he`s really nice to me, but I`m just mean and I like to see him blush and suffer.”

What in the actual fuck?

“And I really want to see him right now- hic -and I know it`s only been like two days and it`s really creepy of me- hic - but I don`t give a shit and I want to spend nights just- hic -watching movies- hic -and…”

Your hiccups were now uncontrollable, like your damned mouth, you thought. What the fuck.

“You….. hic -do you have Stretch`s number? I can`t ask him because I think he might be- hic -creeped out,” You asked in a slurred accent, grabbing Sans`s arm. Stop explaining, for fuck`s sake, you screamed silently.
Joshua made a strangled sound as you made another small hiccup, and Sans stared you with wide sockets. Grillby crackled, but you were too drunk to read his expression. You could swear he was laughing, though.
Joshua tried to say something between his snorts, but stopped short as you whipped your finger up to your lips, glaring at him.

“Don`t- hic -don`t say anything, I`ll probably die of- hic -embarrassment. Just- can you give me the- hic -number?”

You were practically whining now, and Sans was trying not to choke on his laughter. Joshua was already in a fit of laughter, doubled over himself.

“I tried,” He said as Sans nodded, still unsuccessfully attempting to smother his laughter as he flicked out his phone. He handed his phone to you, and you fumbled for the buttons on yours. You could hear the distinct voice of Sans calling Grillby somewhere in your now-forgotten conscience.

“Thanks!” You smiled at Sans drunkenly. Whatever, you had dug a pit so deep under yourself that now you couldn`t even attempt at giving a fuck. Maybe you were really thankful and it was just the liquor effecting you.

You had just typed in Honeyboy for the number when your eyelids started to droop. You were drowsy, you realized too late. You felt your head hit the table before everything went black, the sounds of spitting flames lingering in your ear.
Maybe there would be a God, and he would be kind and forgiving. You prayed to die in your sleep as your consciousness drifted away.

You woke with a start, bumping hard into Stretch`s skull as you jolted up.

“OW!” You exclaimed, your hand flying to your forehead. Stretch had literally jumped a meter back, his hand also on his skull. You had to pause a moment before the stars behind your eyes disappeared and you could focus again.

When you had regained your senses, you could see that Stretch was, again, by your side. Not too close, though, you pointed out to yourself. He looked scared to come too near, and he was eyeing your forehead.
You reached up to feel a bump where his skull had bashed into. It would probably leave a nasty bruise judging by how it throbbed.

Dangblasted skeletons with their dangblasted skulls.

You tried to get to your feet, only to realize that you were totally smothered in blankets. Your sweater was off and you now had a T-shirt on, and you were stripped of your jeans and had on shorts instead.

“Did you undress me?!” was the first thing you could blurt out.

Stretch immediately turned orange like a drop of ink on a canvas. He quickly shook his head, panicked.

“no! joshua carried you home and undressed you! you`re in your room, sans told me magic alcohol could do that to humans time to time.”

“Am I still in effect?” The first thing you had to check before you started to talk.

“probably not. you might have gotten a nasty cold, though, as another side effect in these cases.”

“Great,” you sniffed. At least you were in a bed. Thinking about his words, you actually could feel aa runny nose starting to develop. And a headache too, shit. What could get worse? You couldn`t even blush thinking back on what you had said back at the bar, you were too mortified.
Guess there was no such thing as a forgiving god, seeing that you were still alive, you thought.

“you… you want a cup of tea?” Stretch asked quietly. He still looked a little nervous to disturb you. You were still mortified to look at him in the eyes, regardless of whether he knew about what happened or not.
But that tea sounded good.

“Sure, Stretch, thanks. I`m sorry to bother you.” You muttered quietly, trying to figure out if the sensation you were feeling was a headache or not.

“ah, no worries, darling. wait here, don`t move, it might hurt.”

You could swear that you had seen him smiling on his way out the door.

A few minutes later, you cracked open your aching eyes to the sound of the door creaking open. Stretch`s head was poking inside.

“i brought tea, you up for it, darling?”

“Sure, thanks, Stretch. Augh, my head is killing me.”

Stretch gingerly held the steaming mug. Was it possible for him to get a burn? You decided to save that question for later as he settled down beside you.

“Uh, sorry for all the fuss. Are Joshua and Sans alright?”

“yeah, they`re in sans`s room. shh, no need to worry, they`re fine.” Stretch lifted a pillow from his side to set it between your back and the wall as you scooched backwards, propping yourself into a sitting position on the pillow. He handed you the mug.
You sipped at the tea, wincing as you almost burned the tip of your tongue on the hot liquid. It was okay to sip, though, and the fragrance was really nice.

“so, uh, i really couldn`t sleep, and sans and joshua are busy doing stuff, so… mind if I stay here for the night? somebody has to check on your symptoms, you had quite a healthy portion of magic there…”
Stretch trailed off. You tried to focus on drinking your tea.

A part of you wanted him to be around, a part of you was worried that you might drool on him or something.
Eh, the heck. You didn`t want to get sick on a magical truth serum. If your symptoms needed checking, you were going to have it.

“Sure, Stretch, `s more than welcome. I`m sorry for putting you into so much trouble,” you murmured, staring into your now empty mug. The tea was great.

“okay, then. let`s get you- here-“
Stretch gently pulled the pillow out from behind you, straightening the covers as you slid down into a comfortable position.

“c`mere, the wall`s cold.”
You scooched away from the wall, nearer to Stretch. He was sitting cross-legged on one side of the bed. You were too tired to say or do anything, but as you fell asleep for the second time today, you could feel a bony hand ever so softly skimming the top your forehead.

Stretch

Stretch glanced down at your face in the dark. You slept quietly, no snoring or anything except the occasional sigh. He skimmed his phalanges down the bump from when you had bumped into him. It was a relief you had woken up at that very moment, he thought, even though it had resulted in you getting that nasty bump.

Whatever he was getting to at the moment, Stretch decided not to think about it.

He just couldn`t help it. Could it be true, all those things that Sans had said? Joshua and Sans were clearly amused by the whole thing, Stretch wasn`t sure if they were joking or not. If it was true, though…

He glanced down at your face again. He hesitantly skimmed the tip of his fingers on your forehead, down, down… to fondle your cheek. So soft, Stretch marveled. So soft and so… alive. No matter how much magic was humming in his bones, he could not match you. Stretch could feel every small move as you breathed, every small nudge on his fingers as your heart beat softly.

Thump. Thump.

Stretch gripped his wrist with his free hand to stop it from trembling.

Thump. Thump.

He felt his skull heat up.
Was what Sans had told you true? Did you really want to see him that badly? Did you really feel something around him?

Thump. Thump.

Stretch strained to hear your heartbeat over the sound of his own magic rushing upwards to light up his skull.
Now both of his hands were trembling, and Stretch had to take them back in fear of you waking.

Thump. Thump.

He knew it too, he was such a creep. Stretch sighed as he searched your face. What he wouldn`t give to hold those soft cheeks in his hands, to press it to his.
It was just surreal, how it felt watching your face, lit up by a shaft of moonlight from between the curtains. Stretch could stay like this forever.

It was unfair how you made him fall for you this hard in just a matter of days.

Thump. Thump.

Chapter Text

“Nnngh…”

You groaned awake. Your headache felt like there were two iron hands splitting your skull apart. You tried to go back to sleep, but it was too bright to sleep anyway. You unfolded your cramped arms to see that you have been holding onto something warm and hard.

It was Stretch`s arm. Stretch was asleep beside you in a sitting position, one leg on the floor and leaning against the bedpost. His neck was bent at an awkward angle that was sure to hurt when he woke up.
You removed your arms from the tangle, being careful not to wake him up. Your arms were imprinted red by being mashed up against hard bones for so long, and the marks were moist with sweat. Stretch was really warm.

To think about it, your runny nose was almost gone, and your headache felt like a normal hangover instead of a fever. You silently thanked Stretch for staying.
You stared at Stretch, thinking about the incident at Grillby`s last night. You knew Stretch had a thing for you, too, judging by how he acted around you.

Even though you weren`t ready (and Stretch probably wasn`t, either) to jump in a relationship, and you had met this guy a few days ago, you were inclined to be something more than friends. It had been a long time since you had felt anything like this, let alone this way around a guy you barely knew.

What could hurt, you thought as you held up your hand to Stretch`s cheek. Just a few dates, and a few movie nights… that could be alright.

Your palm brushed against Stretch`s cheekbone.

Yeah, it would be okay. No problems.

Out of sheer impulse, you leaned over to...
You leaped out of bed, blushing madly. You decided not to think about what had gotten into you at the moment. You pulled on a large sweater of Joshua`s and hobbled out, checking the clock as you went by. Ten? You slept a damn lot, you grimaced as you hopped on one foot to pull on your socks.

And Stretch sat on the bed, wide awake since even before nine, glowing a shade of burnt orange and trying to register what had happened.
Maybe he should sleep more often around her.

You tackle-hugged Joshua and Sans sitting at the kitchen table, apparently having a conversation over whatever was in the laptop screen in front of them.

“I`m so sorry, guys!!! I didn`t know I would have passed out like that!” You frantically apologized. Sans laughed, shaking his hand as if to say no big deal kiddo, it`s fine. Joshua was smiling, too.

“Nah, it`s fine. Besides, we did get our revenge by telling Stretch what had happened!” Joshua snorted with laughter.

“NO.” You gasped. You jumped to fake-strangle Joshua, and he made choking sounds.

“Help, Sans! She`s killing me!” Sans laughed even harder.
You noticed the dark shadow beneath his sockets. You looked around in surprise to see that Joshua had tired eyes as well.

“Hey, what did you two do last night, anyway? Were you awake the whole night?”

“Yeah, we had some- researching, I guess- to do.” Joshua made a gesture towards the laptop. So Sans was a nerd, too?

“The two of you together? What for?”

Sans and Joshua began to look a little uncomfortable.

“I mean, you don`t have to answer if you don`t want to… I was just curious and being nosey, that`s all.” You held up your hands.

“nah, we think you should know.” Sans squirmed in his chair. Joshua paused for a second, then took a breath.

“So, uh, I think we`ll be having more guests by the end of the week.”

What?

“What do you mean by that?”

“What I`m saying is that there might be more monsters to come live in our house.”
Not that you were complaining about monsters or anything, but honestly, there was no room for anymore now.

“Is there a reason for them to come here out of all places? I mean, Blue and Papyrus are even sharing rooms right now, so are you and I. There`s just no more space, you know that.”

“Uh, they`re friends of Sans`s… and-“
Joshua took a deep breath.
“Yeah, they can`t go anywhere else. Monsters can`t see them, except the guys living here.”

“Are you saying can`t see as in literally can`t see, or as in can`t be seen?”

“The latter.”
Now you were suspicious.

“Are they criminals or something?
You heard Sans mutter “could be, for the love of asgore” under his breath. Joshua flinched.

“Well, they are a bit- rough- you could say… But no, they aren`t criminals. It`s just me and Sans fucking up stuff… Really, they haven`t done anything wrong. It`s just that they shouldn`t be seen by other monsters. Actually, the same goes for Blue and Stretch, you know. It`s just… a thing. I`ll explain later.”

You squinted, thinking. You knew that Joshua wasn`t going to tell you anything more even if you asked.

“Look, I`m all up for it and all. But the thing s that there is literally no room. How are they going to fit?! I`m fine with it as long you guys think of a solution for that, you know.”

Sans and Joshua paused, exchanged glances, then sighed with relief.

“if that`s the matter, then we`ve got it all sorted out, buddy.”

Huh? That wasn`t an answer you had been expecting.

“How?” You asked incredulously. You weren`t going to say yes to anything like the four of them sleeping together, you were sure.

“We`ve made plans to renovate this house!”

Oh, for god`s sake. Srsly?

“Well, Joshua, you`ve got to be kidding me. Where is the space for renovation?! This house is large enough, we even demolished the garden to add that extra room the last time! What are you planning on, breaking down the house next door??”

“What- no! I`m talking about adding another floor!”

“That`s more like i-what?!” You stopped dead. Your eyes hurt from opening them so wide.

“uh, kiddo, me and the others are willing to pay for this, really. i mean… they`re our friends, and they`re in dire need. i`m really sorry about this, i`ll take care of whatever happens.”

Were they this desperate? To actually consider adding a story to the house?

“please? kiddo? i`m really sorry about this, really…” Sans trailed off.

“Hey, hey no need to be sorry. I`m fine with all this, I`m just concerned. Is it really okay to, uh, bring them here? I mean, from what you guys have told me so far, they might be better off somewhere under special provision-“
You were cut short by Sans`s panicked “no!” and Joshua`s yelp.

“Okay, okay. So, uh, new guys, huh? Monster`s shouldn`t know about this? I get it… Anything else I can help you?” You sighed, holding your hands up.
Your house was going to be crowded by the end of the week.

“actually, just saying yes is much more than i could ever wish, kiddo.” Sans looked relieved.

“we`re going to pay the expenses of course, and, uh, just to say thanks, uh… i planned a trip for you guys.”
Now it was Joshua`s turn to look surprised. He turned back in his seat to face Sans.

“What? A trip?”

“well, y/n can`t stay in the house while it`s being all fixed up, can she? i booked a flight and a hotel in palm springs so she and the others can stay there for a few days. i reckon red and edge are coming in about five days, so it`ll be more than enough to get ready…”

“Palm Springs?!” You yelped. God, you loved hot springs. And you hated the cold. AND you had always wanted to go to Palm Springs, you just never got the chance.

“Sans are you serious?! Man, I love you so much!!! All this for letting in a few more roommates?” You yelped. Sans seemed amused by your sudden change of mood.

“yeah, kiddo. no worries, i`m doing this `cause i really appreciate you being so nice to us, even though we`re monsters and all.”

“Wow, I don`t deserve that…. Oh, and what about Joshua? You coming, too?”

“Me and Sans aren`t going. We got a lot of stuff to do, and someone`s got to stay behind and take care of the house.”

“Oh. Okay. Uh, so, uh, thanks, Sans. I really appreciate it. When`s the flight?”

“oh, actually, the flight`s today evening. at seven.”

“What???? Why didn`t you tell me earlier? Dang, I`ve got nothing to wear…”

“i booked it an hour ago,” Sans shrugged.

God, were these guys all this rushed??? You had to start packing NOW. Although a part of you was frustrated by the thought of packing, another part of you was absolutely pumped at the thought of leaving on a trip just a few hours later.

When you were a kid, your parents would tell you about your trip schedules weeks earlier from the actual event. You would spend hours in bed fantasizing about what you would do there, what food you would eat, what swimsuit you would wear, what kinds of people you would meet… Then you would spend the last few days before your trip in a constant nervous state of giddy excitement.
Now, having to prepare for a trip due today all of a sudden, you couldn`t even wrap your mind around the fact that you were indeed going to Palm Springs.

You made a mental note to get Sans some souvenirs or anything, you were so grateful for this sudden present. You recalled a faint memory of Joshua telling you that the skeletons were quite rich, but you didn`t even think they would be rich enough to have the guts to book a flight on impulse.

The first thing you would do is waking up the other guys to tell them about this, of course, you thought.

You barged into Blue and Papyrus`s room, only to find it empty.

“Hey Josh, where`s Blue and Papyrus at?” You yelled.

“Blue is doing the laundry, and Papyrus is in his room!”

“Papyrus ain`t in his roo- never mind, he is.”
Papyrus emerged from the bathroom, cutting you short. He had on a t-shirt and shorts, probably his comfy clothes. It was weird seeing him without his billowy red scarf. He was much more alike in looks with Stretch than you had thought, seeing him in clothes like that.

“Hey, Papyrus, did Sans tell you the news?”

“WHAT NEWS, HUMAN?”

“We`re going on a trip today!! At seven!!”

“OH, YES I HEARD, HUMAN! I AM VERY EXCITED AS WELL. SANS TOLD ME THAT HE PICKED OUT A SPECIAL PLACE FOR US, SO WE COULD STAY IN THE HOTEL ALL DAY AND STILL HAVE FUN!” Papyrus`s face lit up.

Stay in the hotel all day?... Oh, you realized Joshua`s words saying that Stretch and Blue should also be out of anybody`s sight. Well, no problem in that! You loved a little break, and you were sure the resort- hotel- whatever was there would be awesome to stay in.

“SO, HUMAN… CAN YOU HELP ME PICK OUT THINGS TO WEAR? I WANT SOMETHING COMFY YET STRIKING, AS THIS IS A SPECIAL OCCASION!”

Papyrus said that so solemnly you couldn`t help but crack a smile.

“Sure, Pap, only the best for the great Papyrus!”

“THAT IS RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU ARE THE BEST AS WELL!”

“Okay, then, I`ll be here in a jiffy! Just gotta tell Stretch.”
You assumed Blue already knew as well. Blue and Papyrus were both early birds, you had noticed the past few days.

Time to go tell Stretch.

Thump. Thump.

You poked your head inside your room, where Stretch was now leaning in the chair. He was staring intently at his phone, and hadn`t even noticed you.
You creeped behind him, and suddenly grabbed his shoulder with a “Boo!”

Stretch practically leaped out of his clothes. In that short moment he had thrown his phone across the room, and it landed on your bed with a poff.

You and Stretch stared at each other for a second.

Then you leaped for it, flinging yourself on the bed as you reached out your arm to grab Stretch`s phone. Stretch let out a little scream, scrambling to get up and fling himself with you with his hand outstretched towards the phone as well.
He was just a little bit short.

Your outstretched hand clamped down on the phone, and Stretch`s body landed on top of you, knocking you out of breath. You had the screen already tilted your way to show you the contents Stretch was so desperate to keep from you.

And… were those… women`s swimwear?

Stretch had climbed up to reach the phone, and he lunged to yank it out of your grasp. He didn`t put it back in his pocket, though, he just swung his arm to snatch it away and immediately fling it behind his shoulder with one swift swing.
The phone landed somewhere behind him with a CRACK.

You paused for a second, holding your breath and Stretch gasping for air on top of you. You could feel his ribs digging into your back.
Then you burst into choking gasps of laughter.

Stretch jumped off of you. He was SO ORANGE, you almost felt sorry for playing that prank on him. But nah, you weren`t really sorry. Damn, could this guy get any cuter when he was agitated? You cackled.

“So you like women`s clothing, do ya?”
Stretch huffed.

“duh, darling. i`ll wear a bikini for you any day.” He retorted, looking away from you. You laughed even harder, seeing Stretch all huffy, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

“Well, I guess I`ll be looking forward to that trip- wait, you know about it?”

“yeah, heard you guys talking about it a few minutes ago. i`m just packing some stuff for myself.”

You doubled over in laughter.

“Okay, bikini boy, I`ll leave you to it. I guess I`ll have to pack my stuff as well, we should get ready by five to catch that flight.” You climbed out of bed to bend down and fish out your carrier. You snickered to yourself as an orange light glinted off the case`s smooth black surface.
Damn, he was just so fun to violate.

Stretch was silent for a moment. Your smiled faltered as the orange glow faded away. Did… did you make him angry? You turned to apologize-
And Stretch suddenly lunged to topple you over. You yelped as he pinned you down to the ground by your wrists, but you couldn`t do anything. He had a grip of steel, and you couldn`t move although it didn`t hurt.

You lifted your eyes to see Stretch gazing down at you.

“darling, take care, i ain`t no easy fun. you might have to… deal with the consequences.”

He leaned down, and you squeezed your eyes shut.

You felt a warm, hard- something- pinch your nose. You hesitantly opened your eyes to see Stretch looking down at you with a smirk on his teeth. He suddenly got to his feet, nudging your thigh with his knee for a second as he propped himself up.

“guess i gotta go and pack my bikinis,” He grinned as he strolled out your room.
You rushed to your feet, gripping the bed as the blood rushed to your head.

“Did- did you just bite my nose?!”
Was all you could call out to the empty doorframe.

It didn`t take long for you to pack. You were done packing by three, and now you were looking around the kitchen cupboard for your essentials. By your ‘essentials’ you meant your home country sauces, you always took them around with you in case you had to cook. And you had already picked out a recipe for the skeletons to whip up at the resort. Sans did say that there was a kitchen there, so… You were very excited. You hummed as you fished out another bottle and set it down on the counter.

Something rustled behind you.

You whipped your head around to see Blue.
He turned a shade of cyan as you turned around to face him properly.

“Hi, Blue. You need anything?”

“UH, I JUST… I JUST WANTED TO CHECK IF THERE WAS ANYTHING I CAN TAKE TO COOK AT THE HOTEL.”

“Damn, Blue, a step too late! I`ve got some taco ingredients, they`re already packed in my luggage! You can settle with that?” You asked, a smile forming on your lips as Blue`s shy expression slowly morphed into that of joy.

“IS THAT TRUE, HUMAN?! CAN WE COOK AND EAT TACOS AT THE HOTEL?! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE APPROVES!!”

Dawwwwww. You would buy a million tacos for him just to see that look on his face.
You nodded enthusiastically, and Blue rushed back to his room after giving a little shiver of joy.

“i can see that blue`s really likin` you, darlin`.”

You glanced to the side to see Stretch leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. His sleeves were pushed up to the elbow, showing the ivory bones underneath. The bones were thicker and smoother than those a human, you realized. They looked more like real arms instead of arm bones.

“likin` the arms?” Stretch had a lollipop stick between his mouth. He flexed his nonexistent biceps, and you laughed.

“What`s with the lollipop sticks, by the way?”

“Ah, just need something in my mouth, but Blue doesn`t like me smokin`.”

“You can smoke?” You blurted. They had no lungs… Did smoking have any effects at all?

“yeah, sure we can. you know, a fat cigar between my teeth, all tucked up in a fancy suit? smokin` hot, you could say.”
Stretch wiggled an eyebrow (…bone) at you. You snorted.

“Not so bad, honeyboy.”

“honeyboy? you callin` me honeyboy?”
Stretch lifted the eyebrow he had been waggling.

“Yeah, you had a honey thing, didn`t you,”
You leaned back on the counter.
“-honeyboyyyy?” You drawled, giving him a sly grin.

Stretch looked surprised for a second, but didn`t look fazed, to your disappointment and confusion.

Then he sauntered up to you in three long strides, and whisked you up by your waist.

It was your turn to look surprised.

“i do, honey, that`s why i`m falling for you, you naughty girl.”

Hu-huh?

Stretch whirled you around, his surprisingly strong arm lifting you up from the floor entirely and pulling you to his chest. His other hand was still in his pocket. The apron you had on bloomed around you like a skirt, and you squeezed your eyes shut, too surprised to make a noise. You heard Stretch chuckle, then you were suddenly lifted high up in the air.

“Wha-what- Stretch!” You exclaimed as Stretch swirled you around back to ground, now both his hands on your waist.

“just playing, honey, just playing.” He winked as he stuffed both his hands back in his pockets, turning to leave.
You stood there in dumb silence. Your arm was tingling where it had been mashed into Stretch`s. It was warm.

Stretch stopped, and glanced back.

“you and i should dance sometime,” he remarked as he started to make his way out of the kitchen again.

What had gotten into him? This was so different from the shy boy you knew from hours ago.
…And now you had to go on a trip with him…
You bit your lip as you felt the blood rush to your face. Damn.

The first thing you had to get when you got there was a swimsuit. You didn`t care if you were going to stay in the hotel room all day long, you were going to get one.

A nice one.

Chapter Text

Sans had given Blue and Papyrus a heavy makeover to make them look like humans. Now they both had on overly large coats, hats, scarves, long jeans, and gloves.

“But how are they going to pass through the airport if they`re going to be covered up like that?”

“ah, i have a friend who works there, i can get her to let you through.”
Sans winked at the door, one arm over Joshua`s shoulder. Joshua blew a strand of hair from his eyes, waving at you. Stretch, Blue, and Papyrus was already outside and waiting for you.

“Okay, I gotta go now. Thanks again Sans, I`ll make sure to have the best of times!!” You waved, hobbling down the front steps with your luggage. You gave a shrug as one of your bags, slung over your shoulders, threatened to slide down.

“c`mon, gimme that,” Stretch murmured, beside you in a blink.

“Nah, I can- hngh! -handle it,” you grunted.

“you sure?” Stretch hinted, grinning.

“…No,” you admitted.

“i thought so.”

Stretch plucked the backpack off your shoulder and slung it across his own. It held much more stable on his broad shoulder bone. You studied the ground for a second before hurrying over to catch up with Blue and Papyrus, who were already ahead and heading down the street. They were chattering to themselves, obviously excited by the thought of the trip.

The sky was dark already, and the streetlights had started to light up. Stretch kept his pace same to yours, taking one long stride with his long legs while you took two.

“say,” Stretch called. You turned to look at him. He was glancing upwards toward the lights.

“you think, if there lived somebody up there in the sky, would they look down at night and think these lights were stars?” He mused.

“…”

You felt a flush creeping up your neck. The lights made Stretch`s face light up with a pearly glow, and you were mesmerized by it.

“i do like you, y/n. and i`m not making a joke this time.”

“…”

“…”

“I know. Uh, um, I don`t know what to say.”

“you don`t have to say anything darling, you`ve met me just days ago.”

Stretch glanced down to meet your gaze. You quickly turned your head, unable to meet his sockets. You wasn`t sure if the expression on his face was just a default toothy grin or a half-smile.

“though i would like to know what you think of me,” He mused. You flinched, the memory of the truth serum too vivid in your mind. If there were other potions like that, you would like the no-awkwardness potion right now, you thought.

“I like you, too, I`m just too scared to jump into any relationship,” You murmured after a moment of thinking.

“afraid of a relationship? not because i`m practically a stranger?”

Stretch`s question made you smile.

“I don`t think you`re a stranger, Stretch, I won`t be walking side by side with you this if I had thought that. I dunno, maybe it`s just something in my soul that likes you, I feel comfortable around you.”

The sidewalk was dimly illuminated by an orange glow.

“And yes, I, uh… I`m actually technically in a relationship right now.”

Stretch whirled to face you.

“what?!”

You cringed.

“It`s not like that, it`s very one-sided!”

By the way Stretch was staring at you, you weren`t sure if you could explain the situation without sounding like a very big jerk.

“i`ll listen, y/n, but if you`re in with somebody else, i won`t try to barge in.”

The way he said it, it sounded rather like “i`m fucking out, that`s just mean” than what he was saying.

How could you explain this….? You hoped that you could tell this story well.
You really didn`t want to lose Stretch.

By the time the four of you arrived at the airport, (which was, fortunately, near enough to walk to from your house) your story was coming to an end and Blue and Papyrus were already exhausted by being so excited.

“OKAY, HUMAN, SANS TOLD ME TO GO THIS WAY! FOLLOW ME!” Blue shouted, waving at the three of you to follow him.

“-so yeah, that what I meant when I said I was still in a relationship,” you just finished in time to run after Blue. Half past six, the huge clock on the wall indicated. The four of you were just in time.

To your great relief, your storytelling skills weren`t half bad. You summed up your current relationship with Rick quite well, you thought. But you weren`t sure what Stretch was thinking about at the moment. He looked like he was thinking to himself, and although he had nodded all this time to indicate that he was listening, he hadn`t said a word.

You deserved it, a part of you whispered. You ignored it.
The only reason you were self-conscious about this was because you cared about Stretch, not Rick.

Just like Sans had said, there was a monster waiting for you where Blue lead the three of you to. She looked like a giant bee, with the translucent dragonfly wings and her antennae floated around her head and were glowing green. She looked a bit sad, and she was constantly swiveling side to side as if to check out all the dangers possible in the place.

As she spotted the four of you heading towards her, she jumped up and- was she floating?? Yes, she was floating- floated towards you.

“H-hi! My name`s Dally, Dally Whimsun. I-I believe Sans sent you, r-right?” She stuttered.

“THAT`S RIGHT, MISS DALLY! SANS TOLD US TO FOLLOW YOU AND, UH, GIVE THIS TO YOU.” Blue held out a bottle. Dally looked at him with wide eyes.

“So Sans really did keep his promise…” Dally opened the bottle, and took a long sniff. Her face relaxed into a happy smile. You could smell a whiff of saltiness… like the ocean, but a little more subtle.

“Thanks, buddy. Your ride is over here, come with me!”

Whatever was in that bottle, it seemed to work wonders. Dally was practically skipping and she had lost her stutter. She led the four of you around winding corners to pull you into what seemed like a back door to the plane.

“Okay, you can ride here- here- here- and here. I wish you a comfortable flight, and oh- yes, your luggage- here, this should do, you can have that. Okay, I think that`s all, have a great trip, guys!”

Dally disappeared back through the entrance she had led you through.

You watched with your mouth open as Blue and Papyrus, one by one, stuffed the bags into a small cardboard box Dally had brought from behind the seats. It looked like it could barely fit your carrier, yet all your luggage, with all the others`, disappeared into it. When all the luggage was gone, Papyrus picked the box up and folded (WHAAAT the fuck) it neatly.

“What was that?!?!?”

“HAVE YOU NEVER SEEN THIS, HUMAN? IT IS A DIMENSION BOX! DO YOU NOT HAVE THIS?” Papyrus held out the cardboard box for you.

You held it. It was pretty heavy for a cardboard box, but you could hold it up with one hand- which meant it was nowhere near the weight of all your luggage that was somehow inside it.

“Woah, Papyrus, this is awesome!! Just imagine the things we could do with this technology!! Man… You guys are too awesome. Sometimes I wonder what the human race has been doing all this time.”

Papyrus and Blue laughed. Even Stretch, who had looked serious until now, cracked a smile.

“I KNOW, HUMAN! WE MONSTERS ARE VERY COOL INDEED!” Blue thrust out his chest, clapping Stretch`s back. You almost lost it when Stretch`s sockets widened at the impact, and you choked back a snort.

“ARE YOU OKAY, HUMAN? IS THAT COLD STILL BOTHERING YOU?” Papyrus asked, mistaking your choke for a cough.

You shook your head, handing him back the box.

“I`m fine, thank, Papyrus. So, uh, maybe we should sit down?” You tried to change the subject. Now was a bad time to laugh at Stretch, you still weren`t sure if he was pissed or not.

“YES! CAN I TAKE THE SEAT BY THE WINDOW? I WANT TO SEE THE LIGHTS.”

Papyrus settled into the seat by the windows, and Blue sat down next. You gestured for Stretch to sit next. You sat at the last seat by the corridor. Blue and Papyrus tucked themselves in comfortably, looking surprised to find blankets under their chairs. They started chatting again with a newfound excitement, leaning back their chairs and fiddling with the window.

You glanced at Stretch. He was still silent.

…Maybe you should just muster up the gut to talk first.

“…”

“H-hey, Stretch…?”

Stretch whipped his head down to see you, startled.

“huh? oh, sorry darling, was just thinking.”

Whew!! He wasn`t upset, that was obvious, and you noticed that he had called you darling, too.

“That`s a relief, I thought you were really pissed.”

Stretch looked confused.

“why would i be pissed?”

“Y`know, just, uh, me flirting with you when i technically was still in a relationship and all…”

“oh, that relationship… if what you told me back there was true, there`s no reason i should be angry in any way. i`m not pissed about it. i was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

People started to board the plane, one by one. Stretch pulled his hat further down his skull, hiding his face from view.

“hmm, how to put this… i was really confident about you and me back at the house, i had a feeling you liked me as well. and i had always been a bit of a rusher so i was keen to flirt and make an impression. but now, hearing your story, i`m not so sure about it anymore.”

Stretch shrugged, tugging his muffler up as more people swarmed in. The flight attendant started to call out precautions through a garbled microphone.

Your heart clenched.

Unfair, a voice inside you hissed. All that stuff with Rick wasn`t even your fault! How could he say that?

“So, uh, you`re saying that you`re not sure about- our current state, not anymore? Because of what I told you?”

You fought back tears. What`s the matter, you scolded yourself. Ain`t that big of a deal.

“you could say that, yeah. uh, i gotta stop talking, okay? see you when the flight`s over.”

Stretch sunk back into his seat, completely hiding himself from view. A gloved hand darted out from underneath his blanket to tug Blue`s neck warmer up as well. As it darted back in, you turned your head to look away. The plane started to move, slowly.

You hoped Blue and Papyrus wouldn`t notice your hot face as you fished out your cellphone to change Honeyboy to Stretch.

The flight ended before you knew it. You had fallen asleep, and you woke up to the jolt of the plane as its wheels landed on ground. How you had slept through this deafening sound you were unsure, but you were thankful for that bit of sleep.

Even though you still felt horrible, you could at least fake a happy smile now.
So you forced a smile at Blue and Papyrus, trying to match their enthusiasm as you mingled in with the crowd, jostling outside.

“DALLY SAID WE COULD KEEP THIS, SO WE MIGHT AS WELL TAKE IT! MY SHOULDER BONES STILL ACHE FROM CARRYING THAT BACK THEN.” Blue grumbled, flexing his shoulders.

“ah, bro, c`mere,” Stretch laughed, grabbing Blue`s shoulders and flexing them. Blue`s shoulders popped satisfyingly, and Blue sighed.
You couldn`t deny that the brothers were really cute. But you couldn`t even muster a smile.

By the time the four of you arrived at the hotel Sans told you, you were totally exhausted. The hotel was great, very fancy, but you decided to admire it tomorrow. You were just too tired to do anything. The one thing that caught your eye as you went inside was the large letter MTT shining in bright neon on the doors.

The four of you approached the front desk. Fancy, you thought as your boots clacked against the marble floor.
The lady at the front desk was… a hand. Literally just a hand, standing there like a statue. You assumed the monster was a lady by the slim fingers and well-filed nails, painted bloodred.

“Hi, we booked a room under the name Sans…”

“Okay, just a second… yes, I see it. Here are your keys, I`ll give you two. Your room is at the eastern side of section A. Great choice, it has a lovely view! I hope you enjoy your stay.”

To your surprise, the hand wasn`t a lady. The monster`s voice was a silky baritone and that of a man`s, and had a slight Russian accent. The way he had grabbed the tiny keys with his huge hand- which was his entire body- was amazing.

You navigated your way through the winding corridors to the room the hand man told you. The key fit and turned satisfyingly, and you opened the door wide to… a possible heaven.
You just had to love these clean, fancy hotel rooms.

The only problem, you quickly realized as you started to unpack and look around, was that there were only two rooms. And each one had a king-sized bed.

Before you could even open your mouth, Blue and Papyrus dashed into one of them in a flash.

“I`LL GET THE PUZZLES!”

“HAVE YOU BROUGHT THE JUNIOR JUMBLES, BLUE?”

“OF COURSE! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE DOES NOT FORGET! OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!”

“OH, UH, SEE YOU LATER, HUMAN! BLUE AND I AM PLANNING SOME THINGS… BY OURSELVES! DO NOT COME IN!”

“UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!”

“YES! UM, GOODNIGHT!”

Just like that, the door was closed.

FML, that was all that was going through your head.

“i`m done unpacking, uh, mind if i use the shower first?”

“Go ahead,” You muttered.

“huh? didn`t catch you the-“

“I said no, I do not mind.”

The last words escaped your mouth as a hiss.
Stretch turned from the bathroom door, startled.

“what`s the matter, darli-“

“Don`t darling me, Stretch, I`m really not in the mood.” You turned to face away from him. You heard him suck in his breath behind you… but letting it go instead of saying something.
You heard the door creak behind you as he entered the bathroom without saying a word.

After a few minutes of unpacking, you grabbed your toothbrush and toothpaste along with your pajamas. Stretch emerged from the bathroom.

You briskly passed him to enter, and locked the door behind you with a click.

The knob was turned all the way to the coldest, and you had to wait a few seconds until the water started to run hot. You let the water run through your hair and over your shoulders.

”Don`t let go of me, please.”

“I won`t be coming back, Rick. Don`t wait for me. I`m sorry.”

“Come on, babe, how can I let go? Please, just… I`ll be waiting here, right here. Please.”

“Rick…”

You sighed. You unconsciously put one hand over your stomach, and Rick flinched.

“Ba-babe…”

“Rick, I`m sorry. I can`t say I`m coming back. Or even be able to be in a relationship again.”

“Babe, I just… You can`t just leave on your own like that! What about me?”
Rick`s voice started to rise. You could sense a hint of anger, formed by frustration.

“What about you? Rick, I can`t do this anymore. It`s too hard on me.”

Rick`s face hardened.

“Babe, don`t you know how much I love you? I can`t live without you. I`ll die without you. I`ll kill myself for what I`ve done.”

“Then maybe you shouldn`t have done it in the first pla- Okay, Rick, I get it, get up.”
Rick had crumpled to his knees.

“Baby, I`m begging you. Please.”

You turned to leave, taking off by impulse. You couldn`t stop running as you heard Rick scrambling to his feet behind you, letting out a wail.

“Babe! I`m not done, I never will be! I-I`m not letting go! You`re the only-“

His voice was cut short as you desperately slammed the door behind you, in a frantic hurry to get out of his house. You practically flew down the stairs and started running… to anywhere. Anywhere but here.

You could still hear Rick shouting through the blood pumping in your ears.

Rick had blasted your phone with numerous calls and messages for a few days after the incident. And you being you, you had messaged him after a while that you were sorry, and yes, you were giving him a second chance. That was only in words, you thought as you rinsed out the shampoo. You blinked as some of it got in your eyes.

Being Rick, he seemed satisfied with your answer, though. He never called or messaged you after that. And you knew he was never going to unless you messaged him back. That was the sole reason you had agreed to that second chance in the first place.

You tugged on your pajamas awkwardly, trying not to get it wet on the moist tiles. You creaked open the door the see… an empty bed.

Your heart clenched once more.

Okay, you thought, it wasn`t his fault if he wasn`t going to-
Your thought were cut short when Stretch shuffled into the room smothered in his outdoor clothes, a plastic bag in one hand.
He fished out a bowl of convenience store ice cream and two plastic spoons. Strawberry and vanilla ice…

“i, uh, thought you might like ice cream.”

“I`m not in the mood. Don`t like strawberry anyway, have it to yourself.” You turned your back on him. You rubbed the towel at your head furiously, trying to wring your scalp and make the tears go away. Your eyes stung and your nose tingled.

Stretch didn`t move.
“…y/n,” he murmured.

You did not turn to face him. A single tear rolled down your cheek.

“why are you angry?”

“I reckoned you`d know the answer better than I did,” you retorted, trying to keep your quivering voice steady.

“…i don`t.”

“Then you`re either being an asshole or a total idiot, Stretch.”

You whirled around to face him.

“I like you, and you know that. I wanted to go on dates and have a great time, maybe get over my past. I might not have the cleanest of histories, I`ll admit it… But I didn`t know you would ditch me that fast, just because I had an awfully clingy past. After all you`ve done…”

Stretch stared at you. His hand had stopped in the middle of pulling off his scarf.

“But you know what? It`s totally fine. I get it that you don`t want any trouble. I get that a few days can be forgotten, I`ll forget about anything what I thought had happened. I won`t get in your way.”

You picked up your pillow and your laptop.

“y/n, i-“

“So you had better stop calling me darling or anything, whatever you`re trying to do, okay?”

Silence.

“I-I`ll go sleep on the sofa or something. Good night.”

You were heading out the door past Stretch with your pillow under one arm and laptop in another when he grabbed your arm. You tried to yank it away, but his grip was unbreakable. You opened your mouth to shout, tears rolling down your cheeks.

“y/n, let me explain. please.” Stretch was staring at you with panic in his eyes.

You glared at Stretch as the two of you sat silently on the bed, facing each other. The tension was so thick you could feel it pressing against your eardrums. You were, thankfully, not crying anymore, and you were successfully holding the tears behind your burning eyeballs.

“look, i- …i messed it up, didn`t i?”

You nodded.

“see, uh, what i said about being confident meant that i was sure i could get you to like me the way i did. after i heard about what you had said at the bar i was flirting shamelessly… i told you i was a rusher.”

You were still glaring at him. Where was he getting at?

“then you told me about this… faux-boyfriend of yours. and what i meant by being unsure was that i wasn`t sure if i should keep on flirting the way i did. by what i heard from you, that relationship you had sounded traumatic- and i wanted to find another way to approach you.”

You tried to process Stretch`s words in your brain. Stretch was slowly leaning towards you.

“what i`m saying is that i still like you a lot and i do want to get involved in a relationship. i`m just… trying to think of an easier way to get you out of that nasty past.”

Stretch reached out and brushed your shoulder with his fingers. A tingle ran up your spine.

“i`ve fallen for you hard, y/n. and no rick`s going to change that.”

A part of you sighed with relief and a part of you silently cursed Rick. Stretch was looking at you with a nervous expression, searching your face for an answer.
You took in a deep breath.

Now was really the time to move on.
Your soul told you so.

You reached up to touch Stretch`s fingers on your shoulders. Stretch`s hand froze in place.

Thump. Thump.

“I`d like that too.” You said quietly, looking down at the sheets as a flush creeped up your face.

“like… like what?”

“That relationship.”

Thump. Thump.

You looked up to see Stretch gazing at you softly. His sockets were endless voids of unreadable emotions.

“…even though we`ve met a few days ago?”

“Even though we`ve met a few days ago,” you confirmed.

“then we should call it love at first sight, darling,” Stretch laughed softly as he leaned to turn you and pull you into his chest. You felt his ribs gently digging into your back.

You sucked in a breath. This guy...

”I’m sorry for acting like a jerk,” you whispered.

You ran a finger over his ivory arm to his hand and entwined your fingers with his. How things turn out, you mused to yourself, breaking a smile.

“Thanks, Stretch.”

“me too, darling.”

“so, uh, darling, you want that ice cream or not?”

You did love strawberry.

“Say, Stretch, where did you learn how to flirt? You had any girlfriends down in the Underground?”

You asked Stretch, now both tucked into bed. The only light source was the pale shaft of moonlight from between the curtains.

“nah, wasn`t into it that time. i watched a lot of movies when the barrier broke.”

“Movies? Really?”

You should have guessed when he did that twirl with you in the kitchen, you thought to yourself, amused.

“mmhmm. why, you don`t like it?”

“I like it. Cheesy and all. You should flirt with me more often.” You laughed softly.

Stretch pulled you into his arms, his bones digging into the flesh of your stomach over your shirt. You could feel a warm gust tickle your shoulders.

“i`m such a lucky skeleton,” Stretch whispered as he closed his sockets.

You squirmed to turn and face him. Stretch peeked open one socket sleepily. You nuzzled into his shoulder.
It was warm.

“Me too, honeyboy.”
You closed your eyes.

Thump. Thump.

And Stretch tried to sleep for the next hour, trying to calm down. By the way his soul was humming and buzzing, he was sure you would wake up any moment.

Chapter Text

You had been a total bitch to Stretch, that was the first thing that came to your mind as you woke to the light coming from the thin curtains.
You`d have to apologize sooner or later, you thought as you blinked your sleep-heavy eyes. You started to unfold your arms, only to find them held securely in place by a pair of… ivory arms.

Stretch was spoon-hugging you in bed.

Ah, maybe that was why you were so warm. You smiled.

“awake already, darling?”

You turned your head to see Stretch smiling down at you. You felt the heat rush to your head so suddenly that you felt dizzy.
Ah, the way he looked at you! You couldn`t believe the turn of events. You were babbling about your damned relationship… and at the end, you had somehow managed to MAKE ONE. With a guy you had met less than a week ago.

Okay.

If you were going to be in a relationship that made you happy like this, you were going to make every moment of it good.
After all, you were, indeed, on a trip…

“Ha, I can`t believe this right now,” you giggled nervously.

“neither do i, darling.” Stretch looked nervous. He reached forward to brush your face with one outstretched finger-

You flinched as you felt a spark on your cheek, jolting you awake.

Your hand flew to your cheek and Stretch snatched his hand back.

“What was that?!”

Stretch stared at his fingers for a second. It grew orange from the tip to your horror. The colour sped up, climbing up his arm in tendrils. The tendrils spread beneath his shirt and-

BUZZZZZZZZZ

Something started to buzz, a similar sound to that of a bumblebee`s.

Then Stretch broke into the largest smile that you had ever seen.

He jumped to his feet, snatching you up by the waist, swirling and swirling in little circles. He was smiling so hard you were sure his cheekbones would hurt. Your shirt, bunched up in his fingers, rippled in the air. You yelped and squeezed your eyes shut.

“What`s- oof -what`s the matter?! Is something wrong?!”

“oh, darling, nothing could be better!”

You stared at Stretch, who now had put you down and was wringing his hands, orange smoke curling up from underneath his hoodie.. You had never Stretch be like that before.

“i finally get it! why i was so attracted to you in such a short matter of time! you and i we-were- “

Stretch couldn`t even speak properly.

“oh, stars! how could i be so LUCKY!”

Now you were getting quite scared. You stared at Stretch as he trembled in his place, seemingly overwhelmed by something.

“oh, i can`t- i`m sorry, darling, can you give me a moment?”

And that was it, Stretch rushed out the door, grabbing his coat and hat on the way out. You stared at the empty doorframe where he disappeared. What… what had happened?

You couldn`t get yourself to move. You needed some time to register what had- oh, hell, you couldn`t understand what was going on!

Then your phone started ringing.

“Y/n! What the heck did you do?!” Joshua yelled over the speaker. You winced, pulling the phone back from your ear.

“What did I do?! Is it Stretch?!”

“YES it`s Stretch!! God, how did this even happen?! How could- Damn, this is so unreal it should be FAKE! What the hell!!”

“What the fuck, Joshua, stop yelling and tell me what`s going on!!”

Joshua silenced.

“You mean you don`t know what happened?”

“DUH. I mean, I did confess I liked him and we decided to figure this out together. But seriously, is that supposed to be a big deal?”

Joshua was silent. Without his voice, you could hear Sans yelling in the background.

“What in hell`s going on?! Did I do something wrong?!”

“Well, apparently you DID, soul-marrying STRETCH!!!” Joshua yelled in exasperation.

Haha. HAHA. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!?!?!?!?” You bellowed over the phone.

You heard a slam as Blue and Papyrus rushed out of their room, obviously startled by your shouting. You hurriedly gave them a half-hearted, apologetic smiling before closing the door and hissing-

“Great, now I`ve woken Blue and Papyrus up! And what the fuck do you mean by soul-marriage?!”

“Ugh, wait a sec-“

Then you heard some rustling as Joshua handed Sans his phone.

“welp, kiddo, looks like you`ve gotten yourself in something big there.”

“SOUNDS LIKE IT, Sans, what`s going on?!”

“uh, so, um… you want me to explain, kiddo? it`s kinda long…”

“Well, YES?”

“okay, kiddo, so, uh…”

Sans paused for a second.

“..you know that monsters and humans both have souls, right?”

“Yes…?”

“so, since monsters are much more aware of these souls, we pretty much use them for any kind of social bond or confrontations. and for more- intimate- situations.”

“Uh…huh?”

“now, so the phrase soulmates, in our case, has a deep meaning. it indicates to a pair of monsters who were- ah, born to be, so to say.”

“And, uh, that meaning…?”

“we don`t know for sure. maybe it`s the magic, maybe it`s something else… but there`s just one monster for another when it comes to soulmates, that`s why it takes so long for us to find mates. we practically live forever, though, and we don`t stop searching until we find the right mate before we actually- uh, get married.”

“…”

“and yes, a soul marriage happens when two monsters who were born to be together meet… the soul recognizes it, and bonds. that`s what happened when stretch touched you, you felt that, didn`t you?”

Holy.

“So you`re telling me- that I, a human- who met Stretch less than a week ago- was BORN to be with him- and our souls married themselves?”

“yup, kiddo, that`s it.”

“…”

“i don`t understand it, either. uh, stretch is really hyped right now, can you go and um- uh- do whatever? i`ve got to check…”

“WHAT- wait, Sans-“

Sans had hung up. Simultaneously, Stretch burst through the door with a deafening SLAM!

“my darling!”

Stretch was NOT in a normal state, you could see that. Before you could say anything, he scooped you up one of his arms like a feather.
Then he threw you into the air to catch you with both his arms, bridal-princess style. You yelped.

You were going to fucking lose your mind.

“Stretch, put me-“

“ah, darling, i am so happy right now.”
Stretch was looking down at you with adoring eyes (sockets, sure) and a smile running across his face. He leaned in to-

Be blocked by your frantically held up palm.

“Wa-wait!”
You squeaked.

“Uh, so we`re… married now…?”

“technically, yes. oh, how things turn out, doesn`t it?”
Stretch let out a soft laugh.

You and Stretch were sitting on the bed, finally relaxed enough to sit and have a talk.

“Uh, so, uh…. Damn, I can`t even talk properly, sorry. So now our souls are bonded, you say???”

“yes, my darling, i believe so. i don`t understand how this happened, either…”

Stretch pulled up his shirt to show you his ribs.

The orange tendrils that had climbed up his hand earlier were still there. The arm they had climbed up was entirely a shade of clementine, and the tendrils split up at his shoulder. Your eyes followed the thickest strand to rest at the middle of his ribcage. There was a bright something behind inside, and it was glowing very brightly.

“that`s my soul. my magic responded to your touch, and my soul sent these-“
He made a gesture toward the tendrils.
“-out to bond.”

You tentatively held a hand up to the orange on one of his ribs. A wisp of glowing smoke curled up from it to swirl around your hand. As your hand reached closer, an orange flame popped up to lick it.

Your finger made contact with the rib.

A dozen of those little flames instantly shot up to the touch, clinging to your hand. This was kind of cute, you thought as you traced the rib up and down, fascinated by the way the flames licked at the tip of your fingernails. It was warm, not scorching hot.

Thump. Thump.

Something hummed in your chest. You felt something… something like the feeling of butterflies in your stomach.

Stretch sucked in a breath. You looked up to see him clenching his sockets closed.

You focused back on the little flames, now stroking the length of the rib, your fingers skimming across two of those ivory curves.

“d-darling, i-“

Stretch was trembling, you realized. His phalanges were digging into the fabric of his shirt by holding it too hard. You jerked your hand back.

“Oh, uh, sorry! I zoned out for a minute there- Did I hurt you?“ You squeaked.
Stretch let out a breath.

“nah, you didn`t hurt me darling. it was just- uh, it felt strange.”

Stretch blushed orange, quickly pulling down his shirt.

Ooooookay. You made a mental note to be careful with the ribs.

Enough with the touching, now was the time to sort this out, you scolded yourself.
The two of you settled down, staring at each other.
How was this going to turn out you had absolutely no idea whatsoever. You were too shocked for emotions.

You and Stretch spent the next hour sorting the stuff out.

From what you had gathered, you were somehow the one and only match for this monster, and that was why you had fallen for him so fast. Now, your soul was bonded with Stretch`s in a ‘soul marriage’. You and Stretch were both unsure how this had happened, but since, hypothetically, you were the one for each other, Stretch was eager to follow you around and jump into being a soulmate.

“that could be why you were comfortable around me, darling,” Stretch mused.

Okay, maybe.

It was just hard to take in, the fact that you had met your soulmate and was now going to spend the rest of your life with this monster. And only yesterday you were telling him about Rick…
But you weren`t complaining. Thinking about it, it did feel right, all this. The only thing that you were feeling bad about was that there were absolutely no memories whatsoever with your new ‘husband’.

Your heart swelled as the word ‘husband’ rolled around your mouth. Maybe Stretch and Sans was right about this. Maybe you really were destined for Stretch. How could it be otherwise, when you were feeling like this towards a guy who was technically a total stranger?
If you had no memories, you were going to make it.

It was easier than you thought to mentally imprint the word ‘wife’ in your brain.

Strangely, it did not feel rushed. You were totally calm.

You just needed a little more time to not be shy around Stretch, who was now shamelessly treating you like a goddess.

You spent the rest of the day solving puzzles with Blue and Papyrus, who had whipped up a few handmade puzzles for you. It was different from the brain teasers you had seen so far, and you were a little amazed at their creativity.

“OF-OF COURSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS-“

“AND THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE-“

“IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF MAKING GREAT PUZZLES, HUMAN!”

“FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO RECOGNIZES THE BEAUTY! I APPROVE OF YOUR TASTE, HUMAN!”

As you chattered delightfully with Blue and Papyrus, Stretch was there the whole time right behind you, occasionally running his fingers through your hair or nuzzling his head into the back of your neck.

Blue and Papyrus had been very shocked to hear the news.

“STRETCH!!!!!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO THE POOR NICE HUMAN, SHE`LL HAVE TO LOOK AFTER YOUR LAZY PELVIS UNTIL SHE DIES!!”

Blue had whined, Papyrus too shocked to say a word.

Then Papyrus had sniffed you, his sockets squinting while he focused.

“It`s True,” He whispered.

“What`s true?”

“I CAN SMELL STRETCH IN YOUR SOUL, HUMAN! IT`S TRUE! OH, I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! SUCH A WONDERFUL SURPRISE,” Papyrus had said, thumping a blushing Stretch in the back.

You wondered what Stretch smelled like.

To think about it, what did you smell like? You made a mental note to ask Stretch later. In the meantime, he was busy basking in your presence, a constant smile fixed on his teeth.
He reached in to hug you by the waist, startling you and making you drop the puzzle piece you had been holding. Blue`s skull went a shade of cyan.

“GO-GO INTO YOUR ROOM IF YOU WANT TO CUDDLE, BROTHER! THE PUZZLE- HU-HUMAN, YOU CAN CONTINUE, UH, TOMORROW! PAPYRUS AND I WILL LEAVE YOU TO, UH, D-DO YOUR THING.”

Blue rushed into his room. Papyrus stared at the door where Blue had just went in.

“I`LL, UM, I`M GOING TOO! I WILL COOK SOMETHING TO EAT, HUMAN. SEE YOU LATER.”

Just like that, Papyrus disappeared into his room.

“so, the two of us, huh…?”

You turned to see Stretch grinning down at you.

Thump. Thump.

Before you could say a word, Stretch scooped you up bridal style. Orange smoke started to curl up from the inside of his hoodie, and his orange right arm spouted flames that started to lick at your calves. He laughed at your blush, and carried you inside.

“you want to watch a movie, darling?”

“Y-yeah!” You managed to squeak.

The next three days in the hotel was a frenzy of sugary sweet.

You were thoroughly disappointed by not being able to visit the hot springs once, but staying in the hotel was better than you had expected. Blue and Papyrus were a never-ending oasis of creativity, and your brain was teased to its very limit. You felt smarter than ever, having solved all those strange puzzles.

Blue got to cook those tacos, and he had managed to make them nicely. Stretch was more than surprised to see that, somehow. You taught Papyrus and blue how to make a fluffy cloud egg, to their delight.

“FLUFFIER THAN TORIEL`S PIE!”

“OH THIS IS AMAZING, HUMAN!”

And Stretch… he was more of a cuddle than you had realized. He was constantly by your side, quiet but insistent. One time he had been leaning on the bathroom door as you showered, startling you when you opened the door.

“What are you doing here?!” You yelped.

“listening to you hum while you shower,” Stretch had said.

Then he had scooped you up the way he did, plopping you down on the feathery pillows with a soft poof.

He did like to hug you and cuddle with you, but he never went farther than that. You were thankful for it, and although you didn`t know why he did so, you appreciated it. You were still scared to jump into touchy-feely stuff.

You held up the test stick, horrified.

You were just a second late to hide it as Rick opened the door.

You sat there on the toilet, exchanging horrified stares with Rick, your panties at your ankles and the pregnancy test stick in your hand.

It showed two clear, pink lines.

You shivered, a sudden chill running up your back..

“what`s the matter, darling, are you cold?”

Stretch pulled you closer into him. His ribs nudged into your back. He sleepily stroked your hair with one bony hand.

“No, I`m just… I can`t believe that we`re going home tomorrow! The trip ended too fast.” You whined quietly.

Stretch laughed softly.

“maybe it felt short because you slept so much, darling, my lazy sweetheart…”

He nuzzled the back of your neck with his forehead, sending tingles your back. You scooched and turned to face him.

“I wonder how the house would`ve changed. Oh, and the guests… I`m curious about them,” You mused, cupping Stretch`s cheekbones in your hands.
Stretch`s smile faltered for a moment.

“oh, the guests…”

He stretched one hand backwards to reach his phone with a grimace.

“What are you texting?” You asked to the phone in front of your face. Stretch wasn`t showing you the screen.

“Cheating already?” You playfully nudged his ribs with your finger.

“haha, i wouldn`t in a million years, darling! i`m just, uh, texting sans…”

“Sans? For what?”

“oh, because of the guests.”

Huh? The guests?

“You know them?”

“we haven`t met, but i`ve heard from sans. says that they`re a bit- how to put this, rough, i guess? i`m curious to hear about how they`re doing so far.”

“What?! They`re there already?”

“seems like it,” Stretch stared intently at the screen.

“huh, seems like they`re getting along so far.”

“Really? Hey, you`re making me curious, too! Wait a sec, I`m gonna call Joshua-“

You sat up and fumbled around for your phone.

“Hello…?” A very tired voice called from the speaker.

“Hi, Josh! Everything good back there?”

“Oh, hi, Y/n. Yeah, I guess… The house is done getting fixed, looking good. The guests arrived yesterday night.”

The way Joshua practically sighed the word guests made you nervous.

“Why, what`re they like? Are they skeletons as well? I think I heard Sans tell me so…”

“Yeah, they`re skeletons. Just, uh, make sure to be nice to the tall one especially.”

What?

“They`re guests, why would I be not?”

“Just- uh, just trust me. Be nice, okay? Hey, uh, I gotta go. Hope you enjoyed your trip.”

Joshua hung up before you could answer. You glanced around at Stretch, who was now wearing a grimace. He laid down his phone to put his arms around you.

“wasn`t such a happy note, eh? hmph, bringing those guys in… sans had better think something up fast.”
Stretch grumbled.

You laughed.

“Hey, why the frown? They`re just guests, I`m sure we could go along. I`d like more monster friends.”

Stretch`s gaze softened.

“i`m sure you will, darling, i`m sure you will.”

Yeah, you thought, what could go wrong?

You felt Stretch sleepily nuzzle you as you, too, felt yourself drifting into sleep.

Joshua

Joshua hung up the phone, resting his forehead in his palm.

His headache was killing him. First you, and now these guys?

He was only fortunate that Sans was here to help him. Sans was already on the job, showing Red and Edge around the place. Joshua winced as he heard stomping from upstairs, and some shouting. He was holding onto his sanity like holding onto a raging tiger, he was sure he would lose it anytime now.

He had been like that since you were- for god`s sake- soul-married to Stretch a few days ago. Not that he disliked Stretch or whatever, but still, it was so rushed it felt like a summary.

A summary of this damned chaos, Joshua screamed in his mind as he heard something break with a deafening CRACK! from upstairs.

He wasn`t sure how it worked, to be honest. From what he had gathered from Sans, soul bonding was made when the two had magical powers that fit in really well with each other. Nothing could be said about soul bonding, Sans had told him, but that theory had a lot of evidence for it.

And yet, now you had bonded with Stretch when you were a human without an inkling of magic in you. The only theory he and Sans could muster up was that you balanced out Stretch`s portion of magic and matter, as Stretch had a lot of magic and very little matter in him. Joshua wasn`t convinced, though, and he was genuinely worried about you.

If anything should happen to you, he thought, there`ll be a lot he would have to fix up. And he sure wasn`t going to help you if that bastard Rick showed up. Joshua grimaced as the countless images of Rick, either come to pick you up or to yell at you, flipped behind his eyes.

He weren`t exactly in good terms with Rick, what with being your roommate and all… And Rick was not going to like it if he found out that you had practically married a monster out of nowhere.

Joshua jolted awake from his thoughts as Edge crashed his way down the stairs.

Great, what NOW?!

“HUMAN, DO YOU HAVE A STOVE?”

“Y-yes, we do, but… Why do you ask?”
Joshua answered, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. Please, he begged silently. Not that, please, anything but that.

“I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, HAVE DECIDED TO GENEROUSLY COOK UP SOMETHING TO EAT FOR YOU MISERABLE CREATURES.”

Fuck.

“Uh, that`s great, Edge, but really, I don`t have a say on that… There`s another roommate, y/n, she`s the one who`s in charge of the kitchen. She`s coming home early tomorrow, maybe you could ask her?”

“HMPH, I DO NOT ASK… BUT THIS ONCE, FOR I AM IN A GOOD MOOD.”

Joshua silently apologized to you.

“what`r ya sayin` right now, skinny? y/n? she a girl?”
Red`s head poked out from the stairs. His gold tooth glinted as he grinned.

Joshua silently begged you sorry.

“Yes, she`s a roommate,” emphasis on roommate, Joshua thought.

“huh. a girl, ya say? heh. this is gunna get fun.”

Red laughed a low, menacing laugh as his face disappeared behind the stairs.
Well, this just couldn`t get any worse, could it?

Red was a monster Joshua couldn`t get the hang of. He met the guys yesterday, and by now he had a pretty good idea of what Edge was like. But Red…
He called Edge ‘boss’. He wore a collar. He stuttered and sweated when Edge yelled.
At the same time, he threatened to eat Joshua`s throat if he did any wrong to Edge. He had a golden tooth. He had summoned a Gaster Blaster one time when Sans approached him from behind, something Joshua had only heard about from Sans.

”it`s extremely draining, and i have to focus hard to summon one of those bad boys.”

Well, so much for ‘focusing hard’. Who was this guy? Joshua felt unsafe around him.

Joshua winced as Edge stomped up the stairs, startling him.
Ah, he was sure those stairs would break within a week. A month, at the very most.
He sighed as he got up to search the fridge. He wasn`t that much of a drinker, but he was sure he needed a drink right now.

“looking for something?”

Joshua whirled around.

“Sans, you scared me. Thought you were Red for a second there.”

“ah, my bad. red and edge are upstairs, i think they`ve gone to sleep or whatever.”

“Mmhmm.”

Joshua popped the top of a can of beer he found in the fridge.

“hey, pal, uh, i`m sorry about all this clamor.”

“Nah, don`t mind me. I`m fine with it. And, uh, it`s partially my fault, too… I should`ve thought it before I launched that right away.”

“hey, hey, that`s none of your fault, you know that. i`ll stay around until this all gets back in place, okay? i-i`m sorry for pulling you into this…” Sans trailed off.

Joshua took a long swig.

“I`m just worried, that`s all. What if we can`t find a solution? What if we do? What about Stretch and Y/n, what are going to do about them and their- oh, never mind… this is too unreal.”

Sans looked down at Joshua. He sat down at his side, resting his skull over his folded arms.

“it`s gonna work out, buddy, okay? it`ll turn out tibia fine.”

“Really not the time for jokes, Sans,” Joshua said. But still, he cracked a smile at the pun. Ah, how he hoped it would turn out fine like Sans promised.
He took another big gulp.

“don`t drink more, okay? i know you`re a terrible lightweight and have hangovers from hell,” Sans called out over his shoulder as he turned to return to his room.

Just this one can, Joshua thought. He would need a bit of alcohol to get to sleep tonight.

Chapter Text

CRASH!!

What the fuck was happening in the house?!

The four of you flinched as another muffled crash came from the house. Papyrus swallowed, and knocked on the door.

“WE`RE HOME! …HUMAN? SANS?”

A few moments later, the door opened to show Joshua. And damn, was he in a bad state.
Joshua`s unruly hair was even unrulier than usual, a mop of blond swaying down the side to brush his cheeks. Under his eyes were dark rings, and his smile was dull. He had on pink ragged fur slippers and in his hands was a fire extinguisher.

“Hi, Y/n. Had a nice trip?”

“I did, but… what happened? What`s with the fire extinguisher? What was that crash?”

You climbed up the stairs and inspected Joshua with his cheeks in your hand. Thankfully, the dark circles were only dark circles and not bruises. He didn`t seem to be physically hurt.

“I`m fine, I just had a drink last night and now I`m suffering the hellfire hangover of mine.”

“Ah, that explains it. That beer I left in the fridge?”

“Mmhmm. Oh, and don`t worry about the crash or the fire extinguisher. Uh, one of the guests, uh… decided to check the stove… there was a small fire, it`s under control now.”

“That was one hell of a ‘checking out’, Josh. You sure everything`s okay?“

Joshua looked uncomfortable.

“Yeah… Just, uh… try not to let them use the kitchen for so long, I told them you were in charge and now they`ll probably ask you if they can. Sorry, I just wasn`t ready for the responsibility.”

Joshua grinned sheepishly. He hadn`t lost his humor, which was a good thing…

Time to check out these ‘guests’.

You tentatively stepped into the house. Blue and Papyrus followed close behind, and Stretch was talking to Joshua. Probably about the soul thing, you thought as you could see Stretch lift up his orange hand for Joshua to see in the corner of your eye.

The house smelled faintly of smoke and mustard. Mustard? You opened the refrigerator to see…
Bottles and bottles of mustard. There were about a dozen in total, and they were large, too.

Whoever these guests were, they weren`t the norm, you were sure.

The stove was slightly burnt at the edges. You`d have to scrub it out later. You sighed and opened the bag you`ve been holding to fish out the sauces you had taken. You started to put them back in the cabinets one by one.

The trip ended too fast. You had found out that some of the rooms had private hot tubs in them, you`d have to arrange another trip soon. You were eager to spend another trip with Stretch.

Somehow, thinking about it, you thought as you stacked the bottles into the cabinet, all this felt a little surreal than delightful. You had spent the few days at the hotel in too much of a frenzy of sugary sweetness that you hadn`t had the margin to think things through.

You had no problem with Stretch, you were sure that he was a total sweetie. Although he didn`t seem sure of what to do around you, he was always the protective sweetheart who stayed beside you on all occasions. But somehow, although you had gotten the concept of ‘soulmates’, you weren`t sure what to think of it.

When you said that you had liked Stretch, you had meant it as a ‘shall we watch a movie together’ or a ‘let`s go on a date’ type of like. You weren`t expecting to be married.

Maybe it was just that you needed some time to adjust, maybe it was just that your soul didn`t realize what it had done quite yet.

After all, Stretch was a good guy, and it couldn`t be bad living with a guy like that, could it?

You just needed some time to figure it all out and make new plans for the future, that`s all.

You sighed, putting all the complicated thoughts away for later. You`d have plenty of time for that in the future. Right now, you had guests to meet.

You got to your feet and turned-

To see a monster of a skeleton standing behind you.

No pun intended, you thought as the huge skeleton looked you through, his sockets trailing from your head to your feet and back to your head again.
Although he was about the same height as Papyrus or Stretch, he had on these huge black shoulder pads that made him look much larger and more menacing. He wore a bloodred scarf around his neck, similar to that of Papyrus`s but thinner and ragged around the edges. He wore a pair of badass black leather jeans. Large gold studs, scarred and chipped, decorated around the length of his red belt, which matched the color of his scarf.

“ARE YOU THAT Y/N?”

That Y/n?

“Well, yes, I am that Y/n, nice to meet you, too.”

“YES, HUMAN, I ASSUME YOU ARE DELIGHTED TO MEET ME. MY NAME IS EDGE. THE OTHER HUMAN INFORMED ME THAT YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE KITCHEN, SO I HAVE COME TO ASK YOU IF YOUR KITCHEN IS FIT TO COOK IN.”

Who was this guy? And did he not catch the sarcasm in your voice?

Your anger got the better of you, and you indignantly put your hands to your waist. You had to say something, even if this guy wore fucking gold studs on his belt.

“Hey, I`m not usually rude to my guests, but who are you to be asking if my kitchen is fit or not when you`ve just met me? For fuck`s sake, at least say hello already.”

The large skeleton looked taken aback.

Then his sockets narrowed in fury.

“DID YOU JUST-“

He closed the distance between you and him in two large steps, his words escaping his throat in an animalistic growl.
You weren`t so confident all of a sudden. His teeth weren`t smooth like Papyrus`s or Stretch`s, you realized, they were jagged and nastily pointy.

You realized that it would hurt a lot if you got bitten by them.

“-SWEAR AT ME?”

The monster grabbed you by the front of your shirt and lifted you up like you weighed nothing. Before you could make a sound, something whizzed past the skeleton and in front of you.

It was an orange, glowing bone, giving off waves of scorching heat that even you could feel..
It had placed itself in front of the large skeleton`s throat.

You stretched your neck to glance behind the startled monster`s skull. Behind him was Stretch, his right eye glowing, illuminated by an orb of light with sparks flying from it. His hand was outstretched, encased in a sheen of clementine smoke.
The lollipop stick in his mouth was bent at his teeth.

And in front of his throat was another bone, looking more thicker and heavier, glowing a shade of blood red.

You tried to rasp a warning, and another voice came from behind Stretch-

“ya touch my brother, yer skull is comin` down with `im.”

The menacing growl came from behind Stretch. The large monster had set you down with a scowl on his face. You hurriedly backed away from him, stumbling on your own feet. You still hadn`t seen the owner of the voice threatening Stretch.

These guys were the guests….?

No wonder Joshua had looked so out of it.

If they were going to be your new flatmates, you had to get along. They had to get along.
And you hadn`t even seen the renovated house yet.

You held up your hands out in front of you.

“Chill, guys! We`re in a house, might as well talk it out!!”

For a moment, the tension held.
Then the orange bone dissipated from under the skeleton`s throat.
You could see that the red bone under Stretch`s had disappeared as well, from what you could glimpse around the large skeleton.

The tension dropped a little. You sighed.

Time to sit down and… get a grip on things…
You were exhausted already.

“Red and Edge, huh? Uh, I`m sorry for being rude to you earlier, I was angry for a second there.”

Edge sniffed. He turned his head slightly, which you assumed was an apology as well.
From what you had gathered so far, he was just like Papyrus… with, maybe, an abused past? But he was basically the same. Hmmm…

Everyone had calmed down enough to sit and talk, and you were trying to figure out what these guys were like, and how you could ease up to them as flatmates.
You were now sitting at the table with a glaring Stretch seated beside you. Red and Edge was sitting the opposite side from you. Joshua was standing at your other side, leaning on the table. Sans was nowhere to be seen, probably in his room, and Blue and Papyrus had gone to move their stuff to separate rooms upstairs.

As you tried to think of something to say, you couldn`t help but get uncomfortable under the stare Red was giving you.

Red… Although Edge was bigger, you felt more intimidated by this monster.

He had on a red turtleneck sweater, and on top of that, a black fluffy jacket with a ring of fur around the top. Contrary to this, he was wearing only a pair of black basketball shorts and black sneakers on his feet.
The strange thing about his outfit wasn`t just that. He had on a red collar with golden studs around it, full with a gold buckle…

The only thing you had gathered about Red was that he was very protective of Edge, whom you had learned was his younger brother.
Maybe it was a skeleton thing? All the guys seemed awfully protective of their own brothers.

“Um, my name is Y/n, and I`m also a flatmate of yours. I`ve been living here with Joshua for two years, and I`m happy to see you guys-“
Not. Well, not much, at the very least.
“-staying here. We`ve already told Sans, you guys are welcome to stay for any period of time. I guess you guys stay upstairs…?...”
You trailed off.

Stretch scooched closer to you, and Red`s eyes narrowed as he squinted at your chest.
You self-consciously pulled up the neckline of your shirt and Red, catching that small action, made a small smirk at you.

How were you even going to stand these guys….? You were very doubtful you could go along well.

At that moment, you turned to the sound of Blue coming down the stairs. He poked his head out from behind the wall.

“HUMAN, ME AND PAPYRUS HAVE FINISHED- OH, ARE THESE THE NEW GUESTS? WELL, THEN, HELLO, RED AND EDGE, I`VE HEARD ABOUT YOU FROM SANS! MY NAME`S BLUE-“

“WHO THE HELL IS THIS SOFT MUSH OF A-“

SLAM!

Stretch was gone from his place beside you in a flash. He had knocked Edge to the wall a few feet away, and had him pinned with a fist at his collar. Surprisingly, Edge wasn`t fazed, and he was standing his ground with both feet on the ground and a gloved hand at Stretch`s wrist.

“i think red here told me to stay away from you, and the same goes for my brother, you prick.”

Stretch slowly lowered his arm from Edge`s collar, and Edge jerked his hand away from Stretch disgustedly.

“I`LL KEEP THAT IN MIND, LOLLIPOP.”

The insult was clear in Edge`s voice as the two stared each other down.
Red had his hands over his sockets and was peeking at the commotion with- was that pride in his face? He had on a grin that sent a tingle down your spine, but you didn`t know why. It couldn`t be pleasant though, you were sure of that.

You`d need some more time to get used to this guy. Or at least get a hint of what this guy was like.

Blue was standing where he had appeared, dumbfounded. He seemed mildly insulted, but, being the sweet, light-spirited guy he was, he just turned towards you and continued speaking.

“I WAS SAYING, ARE YOU GOING TO JOIN ME AND PAPYRUS FOR ANOTHER MOVIE NIGHT? WE FOUND ONE THAT WE WANTED TO SEE, BUT WE WANTED YOU AND STRETCH TO COME ALONG.”

He wasn`t inviting Red or Edge, you noticed.
They deserved it, you thought, Edge had practically insulted him and his brother at his face. And Red wasn`t stopping him anytime soon.

But you weren`t keen to set them out just like that. Not just yet.

You wanted to give these guys a chance, get to know them better.
Who knows if they actually turn out to be good guys, unlike their first impression?

“Uh, I`m fine, Blue, I`ll spend the night with Red`n Edge… You know, newbies?”

You gave Blue a shrug and an apologetic smile.

Stretch had whirled around at that, and was now staring at you with his arm still in the air by Edge`s chest.

“darling, what`d you say?”

You heard a small cough as Red, behind you, made an unsuccessful effort to stifle a snort.

“Um, I`d like to get to know these guys better. Flatmates and all. And,”
You squinted your eyes at Stretch.
“-I`d like all of us to get along, you know.”

Stretch`s arm fell to his side. He sighed, now uninterested in Edge, and walked to your side. A hint of guilt colored his cheekbones.

“sorry, darling, i know.”

Stretch leaned down to kiss you lightly on the cheek.

“i`ll be in blue`s room, call if you need anything, darling.”

Stretch disappeared behind the stairs, softly patting you as he passed.
You turned again to face Red and Edge, Stretch`s soft touch still lingering on your shoulder.

You sighed.

“I get that you aren`t exactly friendly with the others, but… please, we`d appreciate it if you guys, uh, let your guard down a bit and got along.”

Edge sniffed disdainfully. You knew that he was going to try and be a bit more of a flatmate, though, you could see it in the way the tension in his shoulders relaxed a bit.

Red, on the other hand, was still studying you with a fixated stare that he made no effort to make subtle.
You shrugged suggestively, hoping that he would at least answer you.

A moment passed, and Red finally opened his mouth.

“okay, lady, i get what`cher sayin`. me an` boss`ll stay quiet, if you want us ta.”
He leaned back in his chair with a smirk.

This motherfucker… You silently sucked in a deep breath, trying hard not to lose your calm.

“Okay then, I think that`s settled, wonderful. Uh, and about the kitchen, you can use it whenever you want Edge… Just be careful not to burn or break anything, okay?”

Edge smirked a little at that.

“Um, I`ll go upstairs now… Have a good night, guys, see you in the morning.”

You turned to climb up the stairs when Red`s voice called out.

“lady, is that lanky bones yer boyfriend?”

Huh?
You stopped to face Red, who had his chin propped up in one hand and looking up at you with an unreadable default grin.

“Soulmates to be precise, why do you ask?”

“soulmates, huh? …just askin`.”

Red looked like he was thinking about something, but he quickly regained his poker face.

“Um, okay, uh, goodbye, then…”

“lady,”

You stopped once more.
What now?!

“Yeah?”

Red now wore a smirk, but this time, it wasn`t an annoying one. Somehow, the way the lights glowed his sockets up red, he looked a little tired.

“ya don`t hafta stand up for us, ya enjoy yer movie or whatever. thanks for that before, but we really aren`t the type ta mingle, i hope ya get what i`m sayin`.”

“…Okay. Good night, then.”

Fine. Whatever.

You climbed up the stairs in a hurry to get out of the kitchen in case somebody started speaking again. Behind you, you could hear Edge furiously whispering to Red. His voice was uncharacteristically small, but you could hear a few pieces as you went up…

“Brother, Are You Sure We Have Made The Right Choice? Coming Here? I Cannot Trust Your Decision.”

“h-heh, boss, it`ll turn out to be fine- they`ll go on ignoring` us, that`s tha best we can do…”

“Hmph. You Had Better Be Right About This, Red. I`m Going To Search For Other Places Just In case, Keep That In Mind…”

You felt a pang of guilt stab at you.
These guys had nowhere to go, you knew that. And they were staying here solely because they really had nowhere to live, at least not under a roof.
And they were wishing to just be ignored.

Whether they wanted it or not, you would make them part of the family. You were too fond of the other skeletons already to just ignore these guys, no matter how big of jerks they were.
But you`d have to ease up to them first, of course.

You just wished that there won`t be any fights in the future.

The movie night was successful.

You were surprised to see that Blue and Papyrus had picked out a Japanese animation. But it was a very famous one, and Papyrus was in tears by the end of You Are Umasou.

“HUMAN… HOW COME I CANNOT SEE DINOSAURS AROUND HERE?! I WOULD LIKE TO TELL THEM HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND BE YOURSELF…”

Ah, you didn`t have the heart to tell him.

“Uh, dinosaurs live very far away from here, maybe one day I`ll take you to see…?”

“THAT IS GREAT, HUMAN! I- sniffle -I WOULD LIKE THAT.”

After the movie, Papyrus and Blue had gone to their rooms. To your surprise, the second floor consisted entirely of smaller rooms, making enough space for many more. The only space other than living quarters were the winding, narrow hallways navigating between the rooms. Joshua had moved his stuff here, and now you had your room in the first floor entirely to yourself. The other guys had moved all their stuff to the rooms on the second floor as well.

“darling, are you going to sleep now?”

“Yeah, I`m really tired.

“haha, you do look so. okay, darling, see you in the morning. love you,” Stretch leaned in to brush your forehead with his teeth in a cute skeleton peck. You giggled and squeezed his hand once before you turned to descend the stairs. Stretch also disappeared into his room.

Before you could go, though, Blue called you.

“HUMAN? I-I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, CAN YOU GIVE ME A SECOND?”

“Huh? Of course, Blue,” Blue led you to his room.

“HUMAN, I AM… VERY CONCERNED ABOUT YOU AND STRETCH.”

You and Blue were seated on the bed, facing each other.

“Hmm? Um, by that you mean…?”

Blue sighed.

“YOU DO REALIZE THIS IS NOT NORMAL, RIGHT?”

“Uh, it`s new, I`m sure of that… Maybe it could be a little abnormal?”

“IT IS QUITE SURELY NOT NORMAL, Y/N… FOR MONSTER STANDARDS AS WELL. THERE IS SOMETHING OFF, AND I CAN`T GET WHAT IT IS, I`M JUST THANKFUL TO SEE YOU TWO GETTING ALONG AT THE MOMENT.”

“….Is it?”

“YES. AND WHAT I WANTED TO TELL YOU WAS… AH, HOW TO PUT THIS…”

Blue took a deep breath.

“STRETCH DOES NOT TELL ME ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS. BUT I DO KNOW, EVEN IF HE HIDES IT, THAT HE HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT AND HAS MANY SCARS. I DON`T WANT TO SEE HIS SOUL UNDERGO ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN.”

He looked down at his gloved hands.

“…AND ALTHOUGH I APPRECIATE YOU STAYING WITH HIM, I AM NOT SURE IF THIS SHOULD CONTINUE ANY LONGER. IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, I AM AFRAID BOTH OF YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES VERY HARD.”

“…Blue, I don`t get what you`re trying to say. How can I break a bond that has been already established?”
You started to tremble, but you barely noticed it.

“…I`M SORRY, HUMAN. I DON`T KNOW WHAT I`M SAYING EITHER, IT`S UNFAIR FOR YOU. PLEASE DON`T TELL STRETCH I SAID THIS.”

“…”

“I…I SHOULD PROBABLY GET TO SLEEP. THANK YOU FOR…FOR YOUR COMPANY. GOOD NIGHT, HUMAN. I`M SORRY.”

Blue turned from you, his shoulders slumped and his usual happy smile nowhere to be seen.

You got up and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind you.

Your heart was thumping.

”I`m not sure if this should continue.”

“Wh-what do you mean? No, no…”

“Babe, you know what I mean. I`m not happy about this either… please, try to understand.”

“But I- but I set up all the plans! I`m working part-time, night-time… I`ll be able to save up enough money without Mom knowing by the end of July…”

“Babe… you know this isn`t going to work. We`re both going to suffer.”

No. Not this time. You would continue anything that was yours.

It`s just because it`s the first time they`ve seen a human and a monster bond, that`s all. We`ll work this out together. We`ll find our way through any problems, together.

You tried in vain to ignore the spot in your mind gnawing at your conscience, a spot you had been forgetting about for so long.

You didn`t care, you thought as you tried to relax. You have Stretch.

You laid down in bed, too many thoughts threatening to suffocate you in your sleep.
Blue was wrong. This may bring on some problems, you were sure of that. Heck, your mom was a biggie that you had to solve already. But you knew that Stretch would be there for you.
The solution didn`t have to be breaking up. It could be staying together.

Your heart shivered.

Blue

What was wrong with him?

Blue paced around the room, trying to think of ways to apologize to you. He had just told you to break up a soul bond, just because he didn`t want to see his brother suffer…

He was such a selfish jerk, Blue thought as he jammed in palms into his forehead. His fingers scratched at his sockets, only the gloves keeping them from making a mark.

He was in such a sticky situation. He didn`t want Stretch getting hurt again, his orange soul had too many cracks that he always tried to hide from him.
And now, Stretch had gone and carved out his soul, giving you a part of his very being.

The orange spot practically shined from your silvery soul. How your soul had gotten that colour in the first place Blue decided not to ponder over. Stretch probably couldn`t see both the silver colour and the orange spot unless he took it out of you. But Blue could see, and he knew too well that unless Stretch took it back, the orange piece would stay there, possibly forever.

A piece of Stretch.
A piece of his soul, the culmination of his very being.

Yet, in Stretch`s orange soul, there was no silver.

Blue needed to do some research.

Chapter Text

The morning was more peaceful than in the day.

It had been a while since you`ve woken this early.
4AM…

And high time to go and cuddle with your hubbie.

The nightmares have been keeping you from a decent night of sleep. Most of it was just garbled darkness, hands scraping at your thighs, the occasional image of blood sprayed across the bathroom floor…
Nothing differing from your usual share of bad dreams, but today you wanted some comfort.

So you headed up the stairs and navigated through the winding hallways to stop at a door.
The door had a sticker with the word “stretch” written on it with a pen.

You creaked open the door to see Stretch laid out on the bed, one hand behind his skull and the other on his abdomen.
The wrinkled sheets were pulled down to his stomach, and you could see a healthy portion of his ribs winking at you in the pale moonlight.

Stretch`s face was relaxed when he was sleeping, you noticed. You didn`t want to disturb him, at least not now.

You leaned down to gently sit beside him, taking care not to rustle the sheets.

An orange glow was dimly lighting up his ribcage.

You peered in to see a glowing orb the shape of an upside-down heart, hovering behind his ribs. Was that a monster soul? You leaned in to take a closer look, your breath ghosting over Stretch`s chest.

It was white in color, if you had to describe it. But the glow it was giving off was a sheen of orange, and clear clementine smoke danced off it in tiny waves. A thick strand of magic was curling up to his right arm, you noticed, to paint itself along the length of Stretch`s arm. It was the orange tendril from the night at the hotel, but it was getting considerably lighter in color as the days went past. Now, what was left was just a trace of where the magic had trailed across.

You were intrigued by this small, humming thing. This… this little dancing gem, making up the whole of Stretch…

You leaned even closer, your nose millimeters away from Stretch`s bones.

And you saw it, the cracks, light leaking out of them in zigzagging shafts, the large chip at the tip-

“see something you like?”

You jumped. Stretch was glancing down at you with a half-open socket, a smile ghosting his teeth.

“Ah, um, I wanted to cuddle, so, uh…”

“mmm, c`mere, darling, come to honeyboy~”

Stretch playfully pulled you inside as you tumbled into the sheets. You giggled, nuzzling Stretch`s shoulder as he pulled the covers up to encase you in his arms.

Warm as always, warm like a fireplace on a Christmas Eve…
Warm like a cup of hot chocolate on a ski lift.

On an impulse, you skimmed your hands down the length of Stretch`s ribs. Stretch sucked in a breath, clenching his teeth.

“Does that hurt?” You asked, your fingers hovering over the middle of his chest.

“no, it just feels… unexpected. feels good, darling, go on.”

Stretch looked down at you, his sockets half closed.
You smiled, closing your eyes and nuzzling in to stroke his ribs again. Warm and soft… They didn`t feel like what you thought bones would feel like, they felt more… alive. Humming with Stretch`s lazy magic.

Your thoughts had started to wander back to last night again, but this time you stopped them from escaping any further. Instead, you focused on the sensation of Stretch`s ivory body under your fingertips. Although he was all bone, you could feel the slight squeezes and shifts under your palm as he moved.

You had a nasty habit of nibbling on your fingernails. You had that habit since you were little, and now your fingernails were no more than round stubs at the top of your fingers with jagged edges. On the other side, your short fingernails left your fingertips soft and round, and now you were using that to your advantage as you scored down the middle of Stretch`s chest with the sensitive tips. Ahh, so warm, so smooth…

Stretch let out a small gasp.

“d-darling, just a sec…”

You lifted your hand, opening your eyes to see Stretch with his mouth open, panting softly as beads of magic collected on his skull. Around his cheekbones dusted a fine clementine glow.

You realized, with a sly grin, that rubbing his ribs were… actually turning him on.

“I take it that this feels good?” You smirked, twirling a single fingertip over the center of his ribs, just touching the surface. Stretch`s socket quivered slightly.

“…yes, i guess…”

The orange glow colored deeper, and Stretch turned his head slightly, looking embarrassed. He let out a stifled choke of a gasp as the tip of your finger licked at his chest.

What a cutie. You`d have some fun teasing this honeyboy.

But not just now, it was half past four in the morning and you had another day waiting in front of you.
You laughed and pulled your hand away, giggling at Stretch`s relieved sigh as he pulled you into his arms, closing his sockets.

You were now facing Stretch`s chest, Stretch`s arm folded beneath your head and his chin on your forehead.
Stretch was already asleep when he had pulled you in, and now he was breathing rhythmically against your scalp. His breath smelled faintly of smoke and honey.

You had decided not to ask him about the cracks in his soul, you were not the one to prod. Besides, he would know about his own soul better than anyone. He would know if those cracks were fatal, and by the way he acted, they weren`t serious stuff at all, you assumed.

You glanced at the humming heart inside his chest once more before you closed your eyes.

And you felt yourself drifting into a light sleep, comforted by the warm bones pulling you close to Stretch`s chest, the soft orange glow dancing slowly behind your eyelids…

You jolted awake at the sensation of fingerbones on your forehead.

Stretch was fondling your hair, running his fingers through the curls.

“did i wake you up, darling?” He asked, a smile curving the line of his teeth.

“Hnnngh… what time is it?” You asked back, your eyes bleary from sleep.

“it`s half past eight, only papyrus is up at the moment.”

“Uhhh… half past eight?”

You sighed. No reason in sleeping more, you had a fitful four hours of good sleep by Stretch`s side.

“Ah, I guess I should wake up now. Thanks for the morning call, honeyboy.” You leaned in to plant a light kiss on Stretch`s cheekbone. You made a big yawn, and stumbled out of the bed.
Stretch scooped you up, swooping in for a kiss. His teeth nudged against your lips for a second, sending a tingle down the back of your scalp. You giggled.

“Haha, it tickles!”

Stretch grinned, leaning in to nuzzle the crest of your neck. You laughed as his bony fingers darted in to tickle the side of your stomach, making you wriggle helplessly in his arms.

How could this possibly go wrong?
You hugged Stretch`s skull to your chest.

Having escaped from Stretch`s tickles, you descended the stairs to the kitchen. Stretch had gone to shower, and you were planning to cook up a nice meal for the guys.

You opened the refrigerator, only to face an unpleasant surprise.

How the heck were you going to make French toast… if you didn`t have any eggs? And you bought two dozen eggs only a week ago… And now, in their place, there were only bottles… and bottles… of mustard…
You whipped your head around in a frantic search. The counter? No. The table? No, not there. Beside the stove-

Ah, there it was.
A corner of the egg carton peeking out from the large trash can.

You hurried over to the trashcan, fishing out the carton gingerly. There were two cartons stuffed down there, actually, and one was untouched with all the dozen eggs still inside. The other had six left in it. You fished one out and held it gingerly in your palm. The trashcan was located right beside the hot side of the refrigerator, and you didn`t know how long they were there.
You cracked it open at the sink and watched, horrified, as a glob of dull yellow poured out from the crack. It immediately began to stink. It hadn`t been off for long, you could see as you could make out the intact parts of the yolk. Just a day earlier, and you might have saved them…

SLAP!!!

Your hand flew to your cheek. Tears were starting to form in the corners of your eyes.

“Did you do this?”

“I- But-“

SLAP!!

“Okay!!! I did it, I did it!! Stop- s-stop-“

You were sobbing.

“Don`t ever touch the food.”

“It- it was a science experiment! The teacher gave us-“

SLAP!!

“You heard me, and you will not touch the food, NEVER!”

You flinched at the shout, flailing your legs to back away from your father. You barely noticed your cheek stinging.

Your mind went blank.

And like a miracle, Edge appeared at the stairs.
Ah, you were so going to regret this, a small bit of your fading conscience sighed.

You slammed the refrigerator door closed.

“WHAT IS THIS HORRID SMELL?!”

Ah, the nerve this guy had…

You stomped over, the carton of spoiled eggs in your hand.

“What are you going to do about this?” You seethed, your words hissing through your teeth.

“WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT WHAT?”

“You-“ You took in a deep breath. Your vision was going red with anger, and you were sure you were going to lose it-

“What`s going on?” Joshua sleepily dragged into the kitchen.

You slammed the carton down on the table, just lightly enough to keep the eggs from breaking.
Joshua`s eyes went wide at your cold glare, directed towards Edge. Your teeth were clenched so hard your jaw was starting to ache.

Guests, they were guests, calm down, a voice in the back of your mind tried to coo.

But now your anger was much louder. What kind of guests fucking threw away the food in the refrigerator?! For mustard?!

“Well, I came down to make you guys breakfast, but I guess I CAN`T, `cause all eighteen of our eggs are now inedible, thanks to whoever brought all the mustard bottles!”

The last two words were half-shouted.

You hated throwing away food no matter how cheap or how little the amount, a habit developed due to the trauma of your poverty-stricken youth. It wasn`t long, as your father managed to get a job with a good pay when you turned nine. Yet, you were embarrassed to talk about it openly, but you had told Joshua about your youth. Now realization dawned on Joshua`s expression as he stood in his spot.

That habit of yours did get extreme at times, especially when you cooked. You saved all the ingredients you could for later use, and you always bought exactly the amount you needed, which resulted in frequent trips to the store.

And now, all the eggs you had bought were spoiled. You were extra furious because the amount of eggs you had bought was far more than you usually did because of the new guests.

“IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO THE MUSTARD BOTTLES, THAT IS NOT ME, THAT IS MY BROTHER, RED. AND STOP YELLING AT ME, HUMAN, YOU`RE TESTING MY TEMPER.”

Edge`s voice was dangerously quiet, but you were too angry to notice.

“I`m sorry.”

Managing to say a simple apology, you brushed past Edge to ascend the stairs. Red`s room was near the entrance.
You knocked on the door.

“go away,” Red`s muffled voice came from behind the door.

You ignored it and burst through the door. Red whirled around, his eyelights glowing with anger. The fur jacket was on the bed, and he was now wearing only the crimson turtleneck and his shorts. The air crackled with static that made your hair bristle.

“what`d i just say-“

“Look, I`m sorry for bursting in, whatever, now will you please get your mustard bottles out of the fridge and explain why you`ve thrown away my eggs?”

“what the fuck do ya think yer doin`, bustin` in and orderin` me around?”

“I`m trying to make a meal. Why do you even have mustard in there? It doesn`t need to be refrigerated.”

“i like my mustard cold. ya better answer my question, lady.”

Your mental snapped.

You took a step forward to glare into the monster`s sockets.

“Hey, I`m not interested in whether you like your mustard cold or boiling, you just spoiled my perfectly good eggs and jammed the refrigerator full of your fucking condiments. So you better get down there and clear out the refrigerator, I`m not playing these games.”

Red swooped in on you, his hand darting out to grab your neck in a flash. You slapped it away, to Red`s surprise.

“oh, you fuckin`-“

Red`s eyelights disappeared, leaving his sockets empty. In his hand formed a thick, jagged bone with a crimson glow encasing it. It quivered, and shot out at you with the tip aimed at your eye-

For you to catch it, and swing it at his chest with a deafening CRACK!

You had acted totally on impulse, what with the bone flying at you and your anger blinding you. Red looked startled. He probably hadn`t been expecting it, and one bony hand was clutching at the spot you had whacked with the bone.

The bone disappeared in your hand. Red let out a choked cough.

“get out of my room,” he growled.

“Not until you clear the fridge.”

“you know what? i`ll fucking clear it for you. i`ll clear it right now, actually.”

Then Red`s left socket lit up a brilliant crimson and a giant dog-shaped skull formed behind him. It was almost as big as Red`s entire form, and it was also glowing the same crimson as Red`s eye. It opened its mouth-

-Sans burst through the door behind you a second late as a thick beam of blinding light shot out of the skull`s mouth with an earsplitting CRACK!!! like that of lightning.

The dancing black spots died away in your eyes for you to see a gaping hole in front of you, on the floor, and you could see through it that Red had indeed hit the refrigerator. It was now only a charred pile of burnt plastic. A wisp of smoke curled from it, and through the jagged mound, a thick, yellowish liquid started to ooze out. Mustard, you recognized
Joshua and Edge stared at you through the huge hole, horrified.

You were fucking done.

You brushed past Sans, your face burning as your sight went red from fury.

“hey, i`m not done here, ya little shit-“

“FUCK YOU.”

You descended the stairs to grab your coat. You needed some fresh air, and you weren`t in the mood to be around to clean up this mess.
Breakfast was long gone.

You slammed the front door behind you. You decided to head to Grillby`s, you needed a powerful drink possibly some magic to wipe this off your mind.

Maybe a magic drink that gave you superpowers to kick Red`s ass out the house.

The freezing morning air felt good on your burning cheeks, and really helped you to calm down. You hadn`t checked up on Stretch, you realized, but you were sure that he`d come around later.
Now you wanted some alone time to calm down. If that was possible when a huge jerk of a monster you`ve met just yesterday was breaking down the house.

You were now at the front steps to Grillby`s bar. You opened the door to be welcomed by a gust of warm, alcohol-scented air.

You trudged up to the front.
You could see monsters staring at you from the tables. Only natural, since there were no humans whatsoever around the place.
You plopped down on one of the high stools.

“Hi, Grillby.”

The flaming figure whirled around.

You gave him a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, I`m back again.”

Grillby let out a string of crackles and sparks. You assumed he was referring to the incident last time you came here.

“Ah, don`t worry about it, I was fine! Oh and by the way, thanks to that drink-“

You suddenly realized that, like Red and Edge, Stretch wasn`t supposed to be seen by other monsters as well.

“-I-I got to know what monster alcohol was like!” You finished lamely.

Grillby tilted his head. His expression was… nervous?

“Uh, anyway… I came for a drink. A strong one, maybe? I need something… to get my mind off stuff.”

And maybe acquire superpowers, you thought as Grillby turned towards the bottles behind him, skimming his flaming fingers over them and picking out several.

You glanced around you, trying to get a better view of other monsters while you were waiting.

And, to your surprise, you realized that they were all staring at you with unreadable expressions.

You quickly turned your head.

What?! Why were they all staring?? You tried not to glance again, and now you could feel numerous eyes practically drilling holes in your back.
Maybe it was a bad idea coming to this place.

You woke from your thoughts as Grillby put down a glass in front of you with a clink.
It was shimmering with golden flakes, fizzing tiny bubbles that rose to the top and popped in small twirling wisps of golden steam.

“This is beautiful! Ah, looks good.”

Grillby let out a soft crackle. His face was unreadable, and the way the flames danced around his frame was… a little different…

You put the glass to your lips, tilting in to let the liquid enter your mouth.

Scorching.

That was all you could think of as the liquid, like magnet, forced its way through your teeth. You couldn`t pull away the glass. You made a choke, which was quickly muffled by the liquid bubbling at the base of your tongue. It burned its way down your throat.

The glass was empty before you knew it.

You pulled your head down to look at Grillby, who was staring at you with that same unreadable expression.
Suddenly feeling very light-headed, you looked down at your fingers to see shimmering gold smoke curling from your skin.

“What did you do?”
You asked Grillby, your voice coming out all garbled. You shook your head vigorously, trying to shake away the black spots that were now dancing in your vision.

You felt your head and vision slowly clear back to normal.
Your throat was now dully tingling instead of scorching, like you had downed a shot of vodka.
Yet, although you were still a little shocked, your body felt much lighter than before.

“Phew, that was a strong drink! I almost experienced death there, Grillby,” you laughed, your mood considerably better.
Maybe it was a side effect of the drink.

Grillby`s unreadable poker face was now gone, and he had on a relieved smile. What was that for?

“What did you put in this?”

“A revealing potion.”

The voice came from beside you. There sat a half-rabbit-half-human monster, studying you with large, curious eyes.

“My name`s Paige Cinnamon, nice to meet you.” She held out one fluffy paw.

“I`m Y/n, nice to meet you, too.”

You took her hand, softly shaking it. It was warm and fluffy, and her fur was soft like the feathers of a newborn chick.

“Uh, what is a revealing potion, exactly?” You asked.

Paige laughed at your inquiry.

“Basically, it`s a drink that effect you depending on your actions. When you came through that door, you reeked of hostile magic… A strong one, at that. I think Grillby wanted to check you out, maybe see what you`ve been up to.”

You tilted your head to indicate that you still didn`t get it.

“Uh, what I`m saying is… to us, you smelled like you`ve just killed a monster. Brutally. You smelled like threats and death, and that was why we were all staring, sorry about that. If you had, though, killed a monster, you would have passed out when you had that drink.”

You whirled to face Grillby. He flinched, looking very apologetic. He crackled softly.

“He says he`s sorry about doing that… you know, uh, not all humans are really that open to us, and I think we were all a little bit afraid when you came in.”
Paige shrugged with a smile.

“What were you going to do if I had blacked out?” You blurted out.

Grillby made a series of crackles.

“Ah, he says that he would`ve called Papyrus… says you smelled kinda like Sans`s magic, made him guess you`ve hurt Sans somehow. Grillby`s real close friends with Sans, you know.”

You sighed. Okay, you understood what was going on.

“Yeah, I get it… I`m sorry for scaring you guys. I just had a fight with a monster, maybe that was why I smelled.”

“Oh, must have been a bad one. Anyway, I hope you get it sorted out. I`ve gotta go, maybe another time? You`re the first human to come here alone… maybe I could show you around these parts.”

“Sounds great! Thanks for that, see you later, Paige.”

Paige was sweet, and she had a knack for making friends, you noticed. You were already starting to like this monster.

Paige left your side, waving goodbye. You waved back, and turned to Grillby. He had made another drink for you. This time, it looked normal, without any steam or fizzing or sparkling flakes.

“This isn`t going to make me pass out, will it?”

Grillby crackled frantically. You laughed at his expression.

“Just joking, I ain`t mad. Thanks for the drink. Uh, I might have to get going after I drink this, how much is it?”

Grillby shook his head.

“Huh?”

Grillby made a small x with his fingers. Free, huh?

“Wow, thanks! I really appreciate it, man.”

You drank the liquid in front of you. This time, it was subtle and sweet, tasting a little like good champagne although it had a brown color like strong whiskey.

“Ah, that`s really good. Thanks for the drink, Grillby, I`ll be around later!”

You gave Grillby a smile before heading out the door.
You were too mad to think of anything else before, but you now had to go to the grocery store to buy stuff, maybe more eggs. Ugh, just thinking about that bastard Red back there… You sighed and headed towards the store, the wind extra cold on your warmed cheeks.

Even though he had wrecked your kitchen, you still had to eat, as well as the others.

Edge

Edge swallowed as he stared at the remnants of the refrigerator, smoking and charred. By his side, the human boy was staring at the pile just like him.

Edge glanced up to see Red`s outstretched palm, and the fading Gaster Blaster grinding its teeth.
It had been a while since Red got that angry, angry enough to blast a hole in the ground with Sans in front of him.

“Fuck you!”

Edge`s soul almost stopped when he heard you yell at Red. Then you came running down the stairs, grabbing your coat as you dashed out the front door and slammed it behind you.

For a second nobody made a sound.

Then Red screamed a guttural growl.
Edge only had a second to glimpse Red`s left eye burst into scarlet flames before another Gaster Blaster appeared. He was blinded by another ray of light, and the whole house shook.

Edge closed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact of the house collapsing into him. He wondered for a split second if he should protect the human boy next to him.

But nothing came down.
Edge opened his sockets, just a crack, to see a whole wall of huge bones blocking his sight. The bones enclosed the whole room around to block the laser beams from getting outside. They were glowing a shade of deep cobalt blue, and smoke was curling up from where the laser beam had hit the surface.

The bones dissipated to reveal Red and Sans facing each other, their left eyes both flaming and their hands both outstretched.
The glow from their eyes slowly faded away to the default round eyelights.
Edge let out a breath he didn`t realize he`d been holding.

Sans seemed to be saying something to Red in a hushed tone, and although Edge couldn`t hear it, he knew Red was now a little calmed down. At least enough to stop blasting the house.

Edge wasn`t fond of you, that was true. You didn`t seem to be afraid of Edge or Red and you had the nerve to shout at them.
But Edge knew that you did have a kind heart for a human, considering the way you accepted them into the house. Edge knew that there weren`t many humans, or monsters at that, that would willingly accept him and Red into their homes.

Although it would take some time, Edge did want to get to know you better. He was tired of acting the Big Boss, and now, in this vanilla world of Sans, was the chance to be peaceful for once.

Though Edge doubted you`d ever get along with Red now. Red, with his infamous temper.

He`d have a talk with Red later.

Chapter Text

Sans

“put the blaster down, red.”

“oh, now yer here to order me around instead o` that bitch?”

“i said, put the blaster down.”

“uh-huh, i hear ya.”

“p u t. t h e. b l a s t e r. d o w n.”

“n o.”

The bones surrounding Sans and Red dissipated as Sans gathered his magic inside the pit of his gut. He could see that Red was also summoning another Gaster Blaster, by the way his magic crackled unevenly around him.

Then, from beneath, they could hear a soft gasp as someone sucked in a breath.

Joshua and Edge were on the first floor, Sans could see them through the hole that Red had made. Joshua was covering his head with his arms, but Sans could see his eyes between them, peeking up at Red and Sans. Edge was also hunched over with one arm over his head, one arm outstretched awkwardly over Joshua`s back as if hesitating to protect him or not. Red`s eyelights followed Sans`s and back.

Then, in a silent agreement, both skeletons slowly lowered their hands. Red`s eyelights returned to normal. Sans put out the tension in his sockets as well, feeling a cool relief as his eyelights returned.

“look, y/n`s upset because you spoiled her eggs, not because she doesn’t approve of your drinking preferences.”

“hah, as if i`d believe that, the bitch came and fuckin` ordered me ta clear the fridge.”

“…you did dispose of her stuff when you put in those mustard bottles.”

“what?! i cleared out nothin`, what the fuck are ya talkin` about?”

“the cardboard box. with the round stuff inside.”

“y`ve got ta be kiddin` me. those things were edible?!”

There was no such thing as eggs in the Underground, only the ones that hatched and made monsters. The concept of eating eggs was a total new to Sans as well when he had first learned about them.

Ah, now he got it. Red hadn`t done that on purpose.
Sans sighed, putting one hand to his forehead. There was a lot of explaining to do to these guys…

“those were fucking snowdrake eggs, why else would she be keepin` them cold? there were no signs of life, though, no soul hummin`, so i just threw them away. i clear out her trash, and now yer tellin` me that shit was edible??!!”

“yes, apparently. humans eat eggs around here, and those aren`t snowdrake eggs, those are chicken eggs.”

“what the fuck is a chicken?”

“…i`ll explain later. c`mon, you better apologize to y/n fast.”

“i ain`t apologizing` to tha-“

Red stopped, looking distraught.

“`kay, maybe i should. but i want her apology as well.”

“tell that to her yourself. oh, and you better do something about that fridge, we need that if we want to eat.”

Sans could hear Red huffing quietly as he headed out the door.

Sans turned to descend the stairs, and whirled around again to the sound of a door creaking open. Stretch was peeking out from his room.

“what the hell`s going on? somebody had a fight? i can smell the magic from here.”

“nah, just a little misunderstanding. didn`t she tell you?”

Sans thought that you would have gone to Stretch`s room. Where were you?
Stretch`s sockets widened.

“was y/n involved?! why- ugh, is she hurt?”

“she`s fine. red almost got dusted, though, if that blow was any harder it might have taken away your one hp.”

“i had a nap, i got eleven. and don`t fuckin` put it like that. yer no different.”

Red snarled at Sans from behind him, his fingers curling to make a fist as he appeared from his room. Sans held up his hands.

“okay, okay. uh, so, i guess y/n`s not in your room?”

Stretch looked distraught.

“no! where is she?!”

“She`s out.”

The voice came from the stairs, making Sans jump. It was Joshua, a very displeased expression on his face.

“She grabbed her coat and just left. I`m guessing she`s out for a drink, or maybe shopping for whatever was in the fridge. Maybe both.”

Red flinched slightly behind Sans. Stretch`s face scrunched up.

“Ah, she`ll be fine, Stretch, no need to be worrying. By the way, what are we going to do about-“

Joshua made a gesture towards the hole in the floor.

“-that?” He finished with a sigh.

Sans felt sorry for Joshua. A lot.

It was a bad idea bringing all these skeletons in. First Joshua had to renovate the whole house, now he had to deal with these guys, who had just busted up the refrigerator, put a hole in the ground, and made you run out the house.
Joshua looked tired. Sans couldn`t blame him.

“i can call muffet for that, she`ll fix the house in no time. in the meantime, i guess you guys-“

Sans glanced at Stretch, then Red.

“-should better stay in y/n`s room, just during muffet`s visit. can you tell blue and edge, too?”

“got it.” Stretch disappeared into Blue`s room.

Red`s expression was unreadable as he brushed past Sans and down the stairs.

“i`m sorry.”

That was all he could say to Joshua, now standing at the doorframe.

“Mm, don`t. It`s okay. It wasn`t your fault, either.”

Joshua shuffled his feet. On his feet were ragged pink fur slippers. Sans smiled.

“so, uh, kiddo, when are you planning to give those back?” Sans pointed at Joshua`s feet.

Joshua looked down, and laughed.

“Ah, they`re so comfy, though! Maybe a little later?”

Sans laughed together.
After a few moments, both their laughter died away to an awkward silence.

Although there were important matters to tend to at the moment, Sans felt the need to say something about what was going on. At least to Joshua. Maybe he could figure out what was going on. As much as Sans hated to discuss about serious things, this was a matter that had to be addressed sooner or later.
Of course, knowing Joshua and his lightning wits about him, Sans knew that he would`ve probably felt the problem already. Sans opened his mouth reluctantly-

“hey, pal, about y/n and stretch-“

“Uh, Sans, I wanted to ask you-“

Sans and Joshua both stopped.

“you first, kiddo.”

“Nah, you first.”

Sans smiled.

“okay. uh, about y/n and stretch… something isn`t really right. maybe you`ve felt that too?”

“Just what I`ve been intending to ask. Yeah, I can sense something`s off, but I can`t get what it is. I think maybe I feel it in the way they act around each other, I guess…? But I can`t pinpoint it, though…”

Smart kiddo, as always.

“you see, kid, a soul bonding works the same for both the two, only reasonable to be so. but what i`m seeing is one-sided.”

Joshua was now listening intently. He wasn`t leaning on the doorframe anymore, and had on his ‘serious face’, Sans liked to call it.

“What do you mean by that?”

“uh…. okay, i`ll explain from the start. when a monster bonds with another, the exchange parts of their souls. quite literally. a piece of one monster`s soul is transferred to the other, who also, in exchange, gives him or her a part of their soul as well. usually the two monsters have different colors in the magic their souls give off, so after a soul bonding, their souls will give off a glow with a mixture of those two colors.”

“Uh-huh?”

“but stretch… a piece of stretch`s soul had already been transferred to y/n`s, but i can`t see y/n`s soul in his.”

And now Stretch`s soul has a big-ass chip at the tip, Sans thought with a grimace. How Stretch was not noticing it Sans had no idea.

“You can see that??”

“it`s a sans thing. i`m guessing stretch hadn`t noticed yet.”

“Ah, Blueberry knows then?”

Yes, Blue knew. He had come to Sans with tears in his sockets.

”I DON`T UNDERSTAND WHAT`S GOING ON! IT`S NOT SAFE, STRETCH`S SOUL IS BATTERED UP THE WAY IT IS ALREADY… WHY IS THIS HAPPENING, SANS? IS IT BECAUSE Y/N DOESN`T HAVE MAGIC IN HER?! I CAN`T FIGURE IT OUT!”

“maybe that could be it, kiddo, i`m not sure, too… i promise i`ll figure it out as soon as i can, i`m doing a lot of research right now. uh, can you keep an eye on him? stretch, i mean?”

“OKAY… I CAN DO THAT. THANK YOU, SANS. I`M REALLY WORRIED, I`M JUST…”

Blue trailed off, his usual smile scrunched up as he tried to blink away the magic pooling at the rim of his sockets.

“yeah. he`s really worried. none of us are sure of what will happen to stretch if this continues for a longer time.”

Joshua grimaced.

“Got any clues why this is happening?”

“no. the only theory we could come up with was that it was because y/n didn`t have magic in her… but i have a nagging feeling that that isn`t the case. i`m planning to do some research on her soul itself, actually.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with her soul?”

“i`m guessing not, but… it`s a color i`ve never seen before,” Sans admitted.

The norm was red, cyan, orange, blue, purple, green, yellow, and a silvery white for monsters. Sometimes Sans could see a color like turquoise or pink depending on the mix of strongest traits. Joshua, for instance, had a red soul, but a shade darker, which made it closer to a cross between blood red and mahogany brown.

But your soul, it was nothing like Sans had seen so far. It was a dark silver, clear and bright yet somehow dull, dull like a mixture of many disagreeing colors. It wasn`t quite grey, though, and Sans couldn`t really name the color.

And Sans could see the spot, shining, a lighter patch of silver at the corner of your soul. It glowed a shade of Stretch`s signature burnt orange color, and made a small bulge where it had combined with your soul. That, also, was very disturbing. The soul was supposed to be smooth… But yours hadn`t given a piece of itself away, which left no gap for Stretch`s soul piece to fill in.

Something was wrong here, Sans was sure.

He would have to do more research. With Joshua, of course, Sans knew nothing about humans. He wasn`t planning on telling you or stretch, though, not just yet…

Reader

You sighed in relief as the store`s glass doors zinged open. Your ears felt like they were going to crack, they felt like icicles on the side of your head.

There weren`t a lot of people in the store, and you happily grabbed a cart.

You pulled your cart around, happy to be able to dance through the corridors without having to worry about barging into other people.
Your previous bad mood was almost gone.
Maybe it might have been the alcohol, you thought.

You nibbled on your lower lip as you held up two brands of cheese, trying to decide which one would serve more fit for your recipe. Cheddar…. not bad…

You tensed as you heard a rustle behind you.

Whoever the person was behind you, they were either very quiet…

Or they were creeping up on you.

You tried to whirl around- only to be stopped by a pair of huge hands, no, paws on your shoulders.

“Who is it?!” You squeaked.

The monster was too strong. You couldn`t even wriggle in these canine paws, the claws threatened to dig in and break skin. You didn`t have a chance against this guy.

Then came… a surprisingly feminine voice.

“Stay still,” the voice growled.

“You don`t want to make a mess in the store, do you?” Another voice snarled, masculine this time.

“Let go of the cart-“

“-And follow us out.”

“Quietly.”

You slowly let go of the cart.

The huge paws roughly turned you towards the door, and led you out, practically dragging you forward as you scrambled to match the pace.

You were out in the cold again before you even knew it.

“Do you know-“

“-Why we are doing this?”

You shook your head slowly, not able to make a sound. By the sound of their voice, they seemed to be much taller than you. You still couldn`t see them.

“You killed a monster, didn`t you?”

The feminine voice whispered at your ear, making you flinch. The monster`s breath smelled like cold snow and rain, with a hint of rusty earth.

Maybe it was blood.

“I-I didn`t kill anybody,” You managed to squeak.

“Liar.”

“Liar.”

Both voices hissed at your ear.
They were now pulling you to a darker corner in the street.

"We could smell you-"

"-Since you brushed past us on your way out of Grillby`s."

Didn`t... didn`t they know?? Grillby confirmed you did no wrong... Were they too far away too see?

Ah.
You remembered.
The big monster couple you had brushed past just outside the front door to Grillby`s...

They had big puppy ears.

“You smell like death.”

“You smell like hate.”

“You smell like bones.”

“You smell like-“

“-Hostile magic.” Both voices snarled in your ear.

You couldn`t even talk back. Your shoulder was going numb from being held too tight for so long, and you could barely feel your fingers.

“So-“

“-for Sans.”

The sound of a blade slinking out of its pocket hissed behind you.

“W-Wait-“

Was all you could manage before the monster holding your shoulders let go.

At the whooshing sound of the blade swinging down at you, you instinctively dropped to your knees. You could feel the heavy blade graze the back of your head as it swung over your head and hit the wall next to you instead with a loud CRACK!

You could see that it was a huge axe. You lifted your eyes to see two enormous half-dog-half-human monsters, clad in black hoodies, towering over you. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw their eyes glistening red with hatred and malice.
The one holding the axe pulled it easily out of the bricks. You felt your legs going limp as the monster twirled the huge axe around like a stick.

“Managed to avoid that, did you?”

“Well then, let`s see if you can avoid-“

“-THIS!”

The monster let out a snarl, swinging the axe down on you.

You couldn`t get out of the way. If you could take just one blow, then acted like you were dead, maybe you could at least-

Your racing thoughts were cut short as you instinctively rolled into the ground, holding your legs up in the way as the blade swung down and-

-Embedded itself hard in your thigh.

You were not expecting that to happen, you didn`t know why. You were too startled to even scream.
Then the pain shot up your spine.

It seemed like they had hit bone, you thought through your groggy, fading conscience. Feeling faint with pain, your eyes focused on your thigh where the axe had hit. Around the blade, blood was spewing everywhere, spitting crimson onto the pavement around you. Your flesh screamed in agony as you weakly attempted to crawl backwards.

“I… really didn`t…”

You gasped as the monster yanked the axe out of your thigh. The action made your severed muscles scream, and blood shot up like a fountain as the axe pulled itself out of your bone and flesh.

“Ugh, so much blood.”

“She`ll bleed to death.”

“I don`t want that on my clothes.”

“Smells like iron.”

“Smells… too intense.”

“Let`s leave.”

“Let`s leave.”

The two monsters wrinkled their noses, coughing as they seemed to be overwhelmed by the scent of blood. They then backed out of the corner, dragging the axe over a bag of trash on the way out as if to wipe your blood away.
Their footsteps faded away.

You ripped a piece of fabric from your t-shirt, gritting your teeth as you wrapped it in a tight knot on your thigh. Like a cruel joke, your phone had cracked by the impact of you hitting the ground to avoid the first swing.
You could only hope you could drag your way across to someone who could help.

It was getting dark, and in this town, there won`t be a lot of people around to help you in this time of day.

Maybe you could… you could get to your house. It wasn`t far from here.

You crawled to the sidewalk dragging yourself by your hands. It was a miracle you hadn`t passed out yet. You winced with every move you made, your thigh shooting pain up your spine and fuzzing your mind.

You can do this, you can do this, just to the house… they`ll help you… they can use magic…

Papyrus

Papyrus was worried. Stretch, Blue, Red and Edge were all downstairs, hidden from sight, and Muffet was making her last touches to the floor. She had done a great job in fixing the house, now good as new.

“I`m done, Papy darling. So, about my payment…”

Muffet gave him a sly smile.

“AH, YES, MUFFET! HERE IT IS-“

Papyrus fished out the wad of bills, handing them to Muffet.

She always calls the highest prices, Papyrus thought with an inward grimace, good thing she liked human food. She had cut the price to half after being served one of Joshua`s pastries.

Oooh, darling, you have to teach me how to bake with flour sometime! Delicious, ahuhuhu...”

As Muffet skittered down the stairs, Papyrus couldn`t help but think about you. Where were you? Joshua had told him that you`d be okay, but were you really?
You really should have come home by now, Papyrus sighed worriedly. It was getting quite dark.

When you came back, Papyrus would make you pasta again, and join in for another movie night. You must be really upset… He could fix that. Nothing a good plate of spaghetti and a good movie couldn`t solve. And then he would tell Red to apologize.

Papyrus smiled as he turned to descend the stairs, now filled with determination at the thought of making you a delicious plate of spaghetti. You really liked it, Papyrus could see that! Well, who wouldn`t like his delicious cooking?! Papyrus grinned.

Then Papyrus heard a piercing scream come from downstairs. It was Muffet.

Had she run into one of the skeletons hiding downstairs?!

Papyrus scrambled down the stairs in a desperate hurry. No, no, she couldn`t have… they were told to stay in the room…
But Muffet wasn`t anywhere near that room.
Instead, Papyrus could see the tip of her dress poking out from the front door.

Muffet`s head poked out from the doorframe.

“Papyrus, darling! Come-come see this!!! Oh, I can`t-”

Muffet`s face was contorted with fear and nausea. She dashed out the lawn, swiveling around whatever was there down the stairs, one hand clutching her mouth.

What was it? What had made Muffet so surprised?

Papyrus hurried over to the front door. Muffet was already gone without even saying goodbye.

There was nothing there! Was this a prank? Papyrus swung his head left and right to see if anything was there.
Maybe it was a prank. Papyrus sighed, annoyed. He then turned to close the door when he heard a soft moan… coming from below.

Papyrus was sure his soul had stopped for a second that moment.

Red

How could Red apologize to you about those egg things?

Technically, he hadn`t been intending anything bad when he had thrown those stuff away. Well, he thought, he did need to apologize…

Ugh, but the way that brat yelled at him! And ordered him around!

He never took orders from anyone except Boss. Really, anyone who tried that would get dusted on the spot… Everyone knew that back in the Underground, nobody dared to touch him…

But this brat?! Ah, how surprised Red was when you grabbed that bone and cracked it across his ribs… You have got some spunk, Red thought, unable to help but feel a twinge of respect. Although it was a light blow that took away only half an HP, it was a remarkable feat. But still, you were a huge bitch. You could`ve asked nicely, really. Ugh.

And Red was no good at apologizing for what he didn`t feel really sorry for. Of course, throwing those away could`ve been a mistake, but still- Couldn`t you just get over it? Red could buy you twice as much eggs if you wanted. Why the hell was Sans making Red apologize?! Damn this vanilla universe, Red thought with a grimace.

And how long did Red have to be cooped up like this, with this kid Blue and Stretch? He wanted to go to his room. Was the spider girl done? Did she need some more time?

Your room was clean and not unpleasant to stay in, Red had to admit. It wasn`t plastered with pink, either, unlike what Red had initially thought all female human rooms would be like. It didn`t have much in it.
The clothes were all hung neatly over a clothes rack on one side of the room. The cabinets were neatly pushed to one side. There was a table with many books stacked on one side, and a laptop in the middle. Some of the books Red recognized the cover: he had seen some of them in the trash piles at the Underground.

Hmm, you must be quite a smart human… The books Red recognized weren`t easy ones. Heck, he had used them for his studies as well…

Red snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Muffet skittering down the stairs. Ah, finally! Back to his room!

Then suddenly, a scream.
And the pit-patting sounds of her feet running out. Between the curtains, Red could see Muffet, one hand covering her mouth, almost tripping over herself as she ran out of the lawn.

Then Papyrus started to yell for Sans. Judging by the direction of his voice, he was at the front door.
His voice was desperate.

“what`s going on?”
Stretch asked to nobody in particular.

“IS MUFFET GONE?” Edge asked. Red nodded, whirling around from the window to see Stretch opening the door and stepping outside. Blue had sat up from the chair, surprised by the sudden scream. Edge was behind Stretch, ready to follow him out.

As Stretch opened the door, the overwhelming smell of blood almost knocked Red off his feet. Stretch wasn`t slowly stepping out now, he was already gone from the doorframe.

You. It was you. The blood was smelling of you.

Red stood, frozen in his place by the windowsill.

Stretch`s scream ripped through the heavy air.

Chapter Text

Papyrus

This was… this was wrong.

Even if Papyrus did not know about the human body, he knew, clearly, that this was wrong.

“Hnnngh… Papyrus…?”

You moaned softly, your words coming out in a garbled mess.
Papyrus could see the thin, uneven trail of blood where you had dragged yourself along. Blood… talking of it, you reeked of it. The overpowering smell of iron was making Papyrus dizzy.
Papyrus`s soul thrummed like crazy.
He could do nothing but stand there for a second, watching in horror as the pool of blood at your leg slowly widened.

You let out a soft breath, then closed your eyes.

“Sans…” Papyrus whispered.

Then his wits came crashing about him.

“SANS! SAAAAAAANSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!” Papyrus yelled in a frenzy, his voice cracking.

He leaned in to scoop you up- but stopped. What if he did something wrong? The humming in your soul was dangerously shallow and quiet. What- what had happened? Papyrus couldn`t see clearly, it was too dark outside.

She would be fine, Joshua had said. Well, he was wrong. VERY.

Papyrus whirled around as he heard the familiar rustle of Sans walking towards him.

“whazza matter, bro? is something-“

Sans`s sockets widened, his eyelights growing to twice their size.

“-wrong…” he finished. His voice trailed off to a choke.

In a split second, Sans was next to Papyrus, his left eye spitting blue sparks as he encased you in his blue magic.
Papyrus could smell the horror in Sans`s magic as blood dripped like a waterfall from your thigh as he lifted you up from the puddle.

He turned to another rustle to see Stretch approaching from behind him.

“hey, what`s going on-“

Stretch stopped as he saw you, encased in blue magic and now in Sans`s arm, lifeless and limp.

Then he let out a choked scream.

Behind him, Edge and Blue appeared as well. They stood silently in shock as Sans carried you from the front door and into the living room. The blood dripping from your thigh made a trail of droplets on the floor.

Red appeared a second late with his hand covering his nose. His face was that of utter shock, and his eyelights were even bigger than Blue`s or Sans`s. The hand at his face dropped.

Nobody dared to make a sound. The only thing that could be heard in the house was your shallow breathing and the pit-pats as the blood dripped to the floor.

“somebody get a towel.”

Sans`s voice was unusually calm. Nobody moved for a second, then Blue stumbled into your room. He emerged with a towel, probably from the bathroom. It lifted up into the air and into Sans`s hand, and Papyrus could see a dim blue glow lighting it up.

Sans laid you down on the sofa with the towel below your bleeding thigh. Papyrus could see the wound now: a deep, straight gash running across the width of your upper thigh, gushing blood from the severed arteries inside it. If Papyrus squinted hard, he could swear he could see a glint of bone.
The smell of blood was almost too much to bear.

You had tied up your thigh with a piece of clothing just above the cut. Your flesh was turning blue and green around it in a severe bruise. But, when Blue reached in to untie it, Sans blocked him with his now bloodied hand.

“she tied it to stop the blood flow. smart of her, if she didn`t, she`ll already be dead by now.”

Blue pulled his hand back. He was too shocked to make a sound, Papyrus noticed. Everybody was.
Stretch`s sockets were almost blank when he reached out a trembling finger to lift a strand of hair out of your lifeless face.

“can you call joshua for me?” Sans broke the silence.

“Already here. What`s wrooooooohh!!!! What the fuck happened?!?!”

Joshua swooped in to examine you. All the skeletons, including Papyrus himself, backed away from you. The skeletons were now standing in a circle, a step away around you as Joshua examined the wound and your face with frantic fingers.

“Sans, can you call 911 for me? Hurry, uh, my phone`s right here,” Joshua fished in his pocket to hurriedly pass it over to Sans. His other hand was pushing down on your wound, blood seeping through his fingers.

Then you made a small moan.

Everybody stopped except Sans, who was now over at the kitchen with Joshua`s phone, his voice quiet and urgent as he made his call.

Your eyelids fluttered.

Then your eyes focused on…
Red.

Your eyes widened, your lips turning pale.

“I-I didn`t hurt you! I-I didn`t- A fight! It was a fight! It was just a fi-“

Then your eyes rolled backward into your head, to everyone`s horror.

That instant, Stretch whirled on Red.

“what. the. fuck. did you do to her?” He snarled, unable to control the trembling in his voice. Red stared at Stretch, a blank expression on his sockets.

Papyrus tensed, getting ready to pull the two apart if someone lunged. They couldn`t afford to have someone fighting with you in such a state.
But Papyrus, too, wanted to know what Red had done to her. He was rough, but was he that evil, to make you like this…? Did he really do this?

“it wasn`t him, stretch, calm down.”

Sans had finished his call and was now standing at the kitchen.

“then who was it?”

Stretch was still snarling, but he had turned away from Red.
Red, too, did not look angry, just shocked at your sudden talking.

“it was… it was the dogs. dogamy and dogaressa, sound familiar?”

Papyrus couldn`t believe what he was hearing. Dogamy? And Dogaressa?
They were famous for acting in the moment, but they didn`t strike Papyrus as the type to do a thing like this. Guess he was wrong, Papyrus thought as he leaned to your wound with a grimace.

Sure enough, he could smell the earth and steel. A hint of snow.

No wonder your wound was so bad. If you had received that large axe to your stomach or your head…
Papyrus shuddered. It won`t be pretty, that`s for sure.

“where are they?”

Stretch was alarmingly quiet. In his right socket was forming a glowing orb of magic, faint orange flames licking at the rim. Sans stopped for a second, then answered.

“i`ll deal with them. right now.”

Stretch silently glared at Sans for a moment. Papyrus was worried that he might start to attack Sans, but let out a breath as the glowing orb in his sockets faded.
No matter how angry he was, he could not be seen, and Stretch knew that.

Papyrus felt a pang inside his soul as Stretch turned to you with his shoulders slumped and his sockets dark. Tendrils of orange smoke bloomed at the tip of his fingers, reaching towards you. They fluttered and dissipated at the touch of your uneven, ragged breath.

You would get well soon… Papyrus hoped. For Stretch. For everyone.

“I`ll be taking care of Y/n tonight, don`t wait for me tonight,” Joshua called behind him as he disappeared through the front door. A white car with blaring red lights and red stripes had come, and the humans had taken you away on a stretch.

Sans closed the door.

“okay, i`ll call dogamy and dogaressa now.”

Sans gave the others a knowing look, and one by one, the skeletons turned towards the stairs.

Papyrus stood still. He wanted to know why they had done this. Dogamy and Dogaressa… The sweet puppy lovers. Why?

The house was now totally silent. The sound of Sans`s phalanges clicking with the surface of his phone was eerily loud in the dark.
Papyrus gave a little shudder. All this fear, all this seriousness was getting to his bones.

“yeah, hi, doggo, it`s me, sans. yeah, nothing`s going on. say, have you got dogamy`s number? or dogaressa`s? huh? `kay, thanks, doggo. okay. bye.”

Sans pulled the phone away from his skull and clicked away again. Papyrus felt his nonexistent throat go dry. He just hoped that you would be… okay.

“hello, dogamy. it`s sans. what do you mean, am i alive? just- hey- stop talking for a sec, dogamy- wait, what? what?! shit, okay…”

Sans stood there for a full three minutes, listening silently. Papyrus couldn`t read his expression. Over the phone, he could just make out Dogamy`s gruff voice rambling on. What was he saying? Papyrus strained to hear, but Dogamy`s rolling accent was too hard to decipher at this volume.

“okay, dogamy, i get it. sure. sure, i`ll tell her. maybe later you can tell her yourself. okay, i`ll call you back. yeah. uh, tell dogaressa, too, will ya? okay. g`night.”

Sans hung up. Wasn`t he going to call them to the house? No sorting things out?

And on his face was an expression of… relief???
What was going on?

Reader

You woke with a gasp.

The last thing you could remember was dragging yourself to the front porch. Fuck that, there really was nobody in the streets. You had seen a very pretty girl, and then Papyrus… Vague images only, though. Somehow, in your head, the girl had five eyes… ugh, your mind was fucking with you.

Your head spun as you tried to look around.

“Shhh, it`s okay, I`m here.”

Joshua. You recognized Joshua`s voice from beside you.
You slowly turned your throbbing head to face him. He looked a bit tired, but he was looking at you with a bright smile.

“Jesus… my head is killing me. What happened? I remember seeing Papyrus…”

“Well, you managed to come to the house, but you had lost a lot of blood. We called 911 and brought you here. Uh, your leg was pretty wrecked, they had to do a big surgery to get your arteries together. The bone was cracked a bit, too… But it went really well, the surgery, I mean! The doctor says you`re gonna be fine.”

Ugh… So that`s what the pain was. It was like someone was repeatedly slamming your thigh with a large rubber hammer. You looked around you to see that you were in a hospital bed.

“Hnnngh… A major surgery? How long have I been here?”

“Ah, about that… uh, you`ve been here for two days and a half, I think? Including the surgery hours. You slept for a long time, we all thought you had fallen into a coma or something. Turns out it was just the blood loss, I guess.”

Two days and a half?! Ugh, these monsters were going to be the death of you someday.

And damn.

“Did you get anything to eat?!” You asked Joshua, pulling on his wrist.

Joshua gave you a sheepish grin. You started to shake your head. Just slightly, though, so it wouldn`t hurt.

“Oh, no, don`t tell me you`ve been eating ramen noodles again.”

“I-I did eat burgers, too…”

You glared at Joshua. He laughed.

“Okay, Y/n, I`ll take care. Everyone`s waiting for you, actually, to come home. They`ve been missing you.”

“Right… When can I get out? I feel horrid. And-“

You sniffed, scrunching up your nose comically.

“-I probably smell, too.”

Joshua snorted with laughter.

“Eww. Damn. Okay, the doctor said that you can get out, actually. As long as you keep that on for at least two weeks. You healed really fast, I think it was Papyrus`s magic. He stopped by to check up on you and did something with his magic. Cool, huh?”

He pointed at your leg. Keep what on?
You lifted the covers to see your whole right leg wrapped in a thick cast. Oh. Good thing it was winter, at least you didn`t have to sweat in it. Still… it would be annoying.

“Uh. Shit. I didn`t know I had that. Cool, anyway, I want to take a shower.”

“Kay. Uh, can you stand up by yourself?”

You slowly lifted your leg. Ow. Ow ow ow. You slowly pushed it out of the bed, pulling up the upper half of your body with it. you still felt a little dizzy, but it was much better than when you had woken up.

“Great, can you, uh, move? Here-“

Joshua handed you… crutches. Shit, you haven`t been in crutches since that one time when you had broken your ankle after falling down some stairs. But you had them long enough to know that they sucked. Especially on your armpits.

“Ugh, I hate crutches…”

You reluctantly took them, swinging up to stand on your feet. Whoa, that was dizzy.

“Great. Great! Uh, you want me to help? No? Okay, let`s get out, then. Attagirl!” Joshua patted you on the shoulder affectionately, and laughed as you punched his calf with one of your crutches.

The hospital let you keep the clothes, as you couldn`t get the cast in your tight jeans. Joshua grabbed a taxi, and you were at home in no time.

“Nngh, my head hurts.”

“A lot?”

“Nah, don`t worry about it. Feels like a light hangover.”

Joshua grimaced.

“That`s saying a lot.”

You laughed. Joshua opened the front door.

“We`re home!”

Stretch

Stretch opened his eyes. The ache in his chest that had been continuing ever since you left for the hospital was… getting dull.

Please, Stretch hoped, let her be okay. Please.

Last time when Papyrus had gone to the hospital to see how you were doing, he had told Stretch that you were still not awake. Although Sans had settled the misunderstanding with the dogs, Stretch was still going to make them pay if… if you… if something happened to you.

Stretch couldn`t bring himself to think about your… death.

For two days, the skeletons and Joshua lived on packaged food and the occasional burger from Grillby`s. Stretch missed your cooking. Even though it had only been a mere two days, the absence of your smile and your subtle touches was like drilling a hole through his chest. How could he bear it if you were to be gone? Forever?

Still, he had high hopes. The doctor had told Papyrus that, at this rate, you would be able to leave the hospital in a matter of days. And by the way the pain in his chest was dulling, Stretch`s soul fluttered at the slim chance that you might actually be coming home today.

“We`re home!”

Wait.

Like this? Really? Had his hopes reached the stars?

The familiar scent of your skin wafted up to Stretch`s hungry senses as he sat up in his bed. Mmm, how he had missed this… He could already feel your silky curls in his fingers.
Stretch sprang up from the bed and ran down the stairs.

Stars, your face… Your smell…

Stretch wanted to hug you so badly, only if you weren`t in those crutches at the moment. You were struggling to take off your shoes as you plopped down on the ground.

Adorable.

“i missed you, darling.”

Stretch`s voice came out all cracked. He swallowed a choke as he felt hot magic pool at the rim of his sockets.

Joshua smiled and brushed pass Stretch, giving him a reassuring clap on the back and leaving the two of you together.

You lifted your face to give Stretch the most beautiful smile he had seen.
He leaned down to kiss you.

“thanks for being fine, darling…” Was all he could manage before sinking into a state of absolute bliss as you abandoned your crutches and pulled Stretch into your arms.

Red

“We`re home!”

Red shot up from his chair. Stars, thank you…

Red had a lot to say. He was in no way angry at you now, not one bit. He was in no situation to be angry now. He just…

”apparently, dogamy and dogaressa thought that y/n had killed me. so they decided to, uh, get my revenge, i guess? maybe stop her from killing anymore?”

“why tha fuck would they think that?!”

“they smelled… your magic on her. hostile magic. and you know you smell more like me than any other monster around this place.”

“…so they thought… because o` my magic… that y/n had attacked ya?...”

“yeah. and you smell way more like death than i usually do, so i guess it`s only logical that they thought so.”

“huh… b-because… of me… ya say… ”

Red had fucked up. Too much.

Two days, he spent trying to figure out ways to make it up to you. He cleaned. He shopped. He bought eggs. He apologized to Stretch for making you leave the house in the first place. He set up plans to apologize to you when you came back home.

But he knew too well that it was of no use if you were dead. Before Red could even say sorry in person…
You had to come home. You had to.

Red would let you scream at him. He would let you hit him. He would let you order him around. He would let you throw away all the mustard in the world. Just… just be alive, lady, Red begged in his head.

Red slowly descended the stairs, his soul shaking his ribcage. Please, he begged silently, be fine. Please. Please.

He peeked around the corner. At first, he could only see Stretch`s back bent over. Had… had something happened? His soul almost screeched to a stop when, to his immense relief, your hand poked out to pat Stretch`s back. Stretch was shaking uncontrollably.

“Shh, I`m fine, nothing to worry about… Did you get something to eat? No? Hmmm… Well then, see, I have this new recipe…”

Your voice sounded fine. Red could feel Stretch`s magic dance with relief, curling from him in thick tendrils and curving the air. Your hands smoothed down Stretch`s back, your voice soft and reassuring.

Then Stretch leaned in to hug you, and your face poked out over his shoulders to lock eyes with Red.

Red froze.

He stared at your wide eyes for a second, then almost fell over himself trying to run up the stairs. He was so desperate that he didn`t even realize that he had shortcutted into his room. His soul was pumping like crazy.
Red grabbed at his chest, gasping for air.

What was wrong with him?! Was it because he didn`t want to barge into their special moment? Was it because he was overwhelmed at your return?

No.
It was because he was afraid.

He was afraid that you would not forgive him. He had made you go out the house, he had made the dogs mistake you for killing Sans. He was responsible of those crutches.

He wouldn`t forgive himself if he were you.
He wouldn`t forgive himself if he was Stretch.
He wouldn`t forgive himself if he was anybody else.

Fuck that, even he himself would have a hard time getting to terms with what he had done to you.

Speaking of Stretch, he had already been avoiding Red, and Red did not blame him. Although Stretch stated that he wasn`t angry at Red as he knew all that was just a series of misunderstandings, his dislike for him was clear.
Stretch treated Red like anybody else, but Red could see it in the way Stretch`s sockets turned a shade darker when he looked at him. Red could feel it in the way Stretch`s magic went just a bit colder when he got near.

It… it was inevitable. Red hated himself, too, what could he do about the others?

The only thing he could do, in the very least, was to avoid all the others altogether for their sake. It was always like this, his temper would fuck things up, and he would get to the point where he would never be able to make up.

Papyrus stared at him, his mouth open as he sat sprawled on the floor. His hand was clutching at his left socket… which was seeping bloodred magic from the newly made cracks running across it.

“bro, papyrus, i…” He trailed off as Papyrus frantically backed away from him, his legs kicking the air.

“i… bro, i`m sorry, look-“

“GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU SICK JERK!! STAY AWAY!”

That was the closest Papyrus had gotten to swearing, he thought as his soul made a painful kick.

Red gasped in a shuddering breath as he dropped to the floor, clutching his chest.

“i`m sorry, kid, I`m sorry…”

Red whispered the meaningless words into the air. He bared his fangs as his soul squeezed inside him, sending a jolt of pain down his spine.
His breath hissed through his teeth to dissipate into thin tendrils of smoke.

Now he had no chance of ever saying them to you in person, he thought as he smirked weakly.
What a loser.

He was too afraid. Too afraid of being rejected again, when he already was an outsider. Too afraid to try and make up, only to fail.
He… he shouldn`t have yelled at you there. His fucked-up temper… WHY did he scream at you? Swear at you? Break your house and your refrigerator? Try to attack you?

It was no use now.

Red dug his phalanges into his red sweater. His sharp phalanges broke through the fabric and scored down the center of his ribs. The collar shifted as the turtleneck pulled down, the spikes nudging into the back of his skull.

“i-i`m sorry, lady.”

I`m too much of a scared jerk to be `round ya.

The door behind him closed, a faint crimson tendril of magic clicking it locked.

Chapter Text

The crutches were going to be the death of you, you were sure.

You shifted on your good leg to turn towards the stove.

”but darling, what if you fall down? what if you get burned? it`s just too dangerous, letting you cook-“

“I`ll be fine, honeyboy, what`s the fuss? I`ve been cooking for more years, baby.”

“i…still….”

“Okay, baby, what are you going to eat then?”

Joshua sleepily walked into the kitchen, a pack of ramen noodles in his grasp. Stretch made a startled choke, and Joshua froze in his steps as he saw you with your mouth open.

You shook your head in exasperation.

“Nuh-uh. Nope. You can`t stop me now.”

“but darli-“

“NOPE.”

Now you were at the stove, making omelettes.

The fridge, to your horror, was packed with all kinds of condiments… and eggs. About four dozen eggs were piled up in their cartons neatly in one corner. You had to get rid of these eggs somehow, so you had decided to make omelettes for lunch.

Breakfast was long gone, as you had woken up too late, you thought with a grimace. The medicine was making you sleep more than ever.
Showering was hard, too, you had to do it with a large plastic trash bag over your leg. Didn`t make you feel good, but it was the only way to keep the water out of the wound.

Dressing the cut was also hard work. The doctor was generous enough to keep the cast just beneath your leg, not all the way covering it- that way it was easier to undo it and dress the wound. It had been three days since you got home, and now you excelled at tying the bandages. You were sure you could be a nurse someday.

The wound looked bad, numerous stitches running across the width of your thigh. There was a large but fading bruise where you had tied the piece of clothing above the cut. The flesh around the wound was bumpy, but like the doctor had said, you had healed fast and now it was looking actually quite okay. No infections, no pus. Maybe you would get a tattoo over it later, you thought as you poured the beaten eggs into the oiled pan.

Stretch was sitting at the table behind you. You knew he was keeping an eye on you to catch you if you had to stumble or fall down. But you were doing quite good in keeping a steady pose, and Stretch was getting less jumpy at your movements.

“Babe, uh, can you pass the salt over there? It`s too far away too reach…”

In a zap, Stretch was handing you the small shaker.

“Man, I`m sorry to bother you.”

“nope, darling, you can use me in whatever way you want to, make me help.”

You laughed as Stretch pecked the side of your cheek.

“Haha, really?”

Well, he could help out with something…

“hmm? and what is that, darling?”

Did you just say that out loud?

Shit, this medication was going to be the end of you.

“Uh, um, nah, it`s nothing. Forget it.”

“c`mon, darling, i can do anything for you! you know that.”

“Nah, really, it`s fine.”

“darrrllliiinnng….” Stretch whined, nuzzling into your neck softly.

His fingers climbed up your back, making you giggle. His breath tickled your neck. Ah, the familiar smell of honey and smoke… Smoke, why did he smell like it, anyway? You knew for a fact that he was a smoker, but he hadn`t been smoking since he was here. And the smell wans`t that of cigarette smoke either. It was closer to… the smell of burning pinecones in the embers of a campfire. The smell of soft ash.

“You smell like smoke.”

“don`t change the subject, darling! so, what was it?”

Ugh.

You felt your face heating up from your neck.

“I..I was talking about showering, okay?”

Your face probably looked like a beet now, you were sure. You couldn`t even look at Stretch`s wide sockets as he stared at you. Stretch started laughing.

“oh, darling, you`re so red right now… so adorable. you know what? i`m going to help you shower. don`t you try to stop me.” Stretch laughed, flicking your flushed nose as he turned to the kitchen entrance.

Fuck. Was this even real life?

“Hey guys, I made lunch!”

For the first time, everybody in the house was gathered around the table.

Your cast made it impossible to sit at the table, so you had had your meal in advance beside the stove, standing up.

Stretch, beside you, helped deliver the omelettes to the table.

“I made omelettes, hope you guys like it. Uh, there were a lot of eggs in the fridge-“

Red flinched visibly. He wasn`t looking at you in the eye, you noticed. Maybe he felt responsible for the incident? Well, you were sure he would return to being his usual self in no time.

“-so I thought this was a great chance to make this!”

Blue and Papyrus were already involved, wolfing down the food. You stifled a giggle as Papyrus emerged from his plate with ketchup around his teeth.

“USUALLY I WOULD DISAPPROVE OF THIS MUCH KETCHUP, BUT THIS IS DELICIOUS, HUMAN!”

“heh, usually i`d disapprove of there being anything else than ketchup, but this is truly delicious, kiddo. your cooking is just egg-cellent.”

Blue, Papyrus, and Edge simultaneously groaned at the pun. Sans stopped for a second-
-and grinned.

He leaned back in his chair.

“well, i did make some mean hot dogs back in the day, but i gotta step up to ketchup with y/n`s cooking.”

“UGH, SANS, NOT AT THE TABLE-“

“i never thought that anything could go along with ketchup, but seems like eggs could be a sui-table solution.”

“Seriously?” Joshua snorted with laughter at Sans`s smirk.

“ah, of course i`m serious, i`m just egg-spressing my approval towards this dish!”

“AUGH!!!!”

Blue, Edge, and Papyrus simultaneously threw up their hands. Joshua was in a fit of laughter. You couldn`t help but laugh, too, at their comical reaction.

Red was smiling.

“huh, i know, just pun-tastic, isn`t it?”

“yup, quite egg-xquisite.”

Edge put his gloved hands to his skull. Red was laughing along with Sans. It was good to see them all together like this, you thought as Blue reached over to put a hand over Stretch`s mouth as he started to speak.

“Wow, I gotta step up my pun game, gatta mustard up what I`ve got!”
You winked at Red and his sockets widened to twice their size.
Stretch stopped mid-breath.

“NOT YOU TOO, HUMAN!!!” Papyrus wailed, and Sans snorted with laughter.

Red sank into his fur jacket, his eyelights fixed on you.

“What? I can make a mean pun, too!”

You laughed and Joshua grimaced. Yes, you had made a one too many puns when you were with Joshua. He always said that he hated puns… but nah, he loved them.

At that moment, your phone on the counter started ringing.

“Oops, sorry, incoming call. Just a mo.” You tried to hurry over to the counter, but Stretch was just a second faster. He handed you the phone.

…Mom?

“Ma? Why did you call?”

You had failed in trying to go away, your crutches didn`t allow you. Instead, you now stood there, your mom on the phone, everybody awkwardly staring at you as you tried to look away.

“So, I heard that you`re hurt.”

What????!!!!!
You whirled on Joshua.

You told her?! You mouthed at Joshua, who stared at you with his eyes wide.

“Who told you that?! I mean, I`m not hurt, Ma! I`m fine!”

Stretch opened his only to be silenced by you slamming your finger to your mouth.

“Well, apparently, your hospital record here says-“

Fuck.

“-that you`ve just been through a major surgery, involving major arteries, bone fracture, flesh wound… Did you have a road accident? And how did you get back home in two days?”

“Uh, I just…”

Sans lifted one brow.

“…fell down the… um, stairs. Really hard. Yeah.”

“You sound very convincing.”

Blue`s mouth was open wide.

“HEY, BUT YOU DIDN`T-“ And he was cut off by Papyrus`s hand on his mouth.

“Who was that?” Mom`s voice garbled through the speaker.

“A friend.” You automatically answered.

“Boyfriend? Are you still hanging out with Rick? Didn`t sound like him thou-“

“Not my boyfriend. Not Rick either. Jeez, Ma, I said he`s a friend. By the way, I`m really fine, don`t worry about me. I`m practically running around right now.”

oh? Joshua looked at you.

“Is that so? Well, I`m checking up on you next week, you can convince me then.”

SHIT.

“Hey, Ma, I`m really-“

“Relax, I`m not going to eat you or anything. I have other things to tend to as well, I`m just passing by. Next week.”

“It`s fine-“

“Hey, I`ve got to see my daughter at least once in a while, isn`t that so?”

Like you cared. Probably checking up on my schoolwork, aren`t ya?

Well, there was no arguing with her.

“Okay, when are you coming?”

“I`m thinking next Wednesday. I`ll text you before I visit. Take care, and take your pills if you got any from the doctor.”

“Okay, Ma. Bye.” You hurriedly hung up.

You turned to face Joshua.

“We`re fucked.”

Shit. What would you say to Mom? Or to Dad, if he came? About the renovated house?
It was clear that the skeletons had nowhere else to go. But would they be safe from your parents` keen eyes? You were sure they would be checking them out if you told them you had new roommates. If you didn`t tell them about getting new flatmates, they`ll be inquiring about the new rooms. Either way, they were going to find out.

You didn`t know on what point they would be more offended, the fact that you were now living 24 hours with six monsters, or the fact that you were living 24 hours with six more guys. Or the fact that you married one.

Joshua put one hand on your shoulder, putting a stop to your racing thoughts.

“Hey, uh, maybe I can convince her not to come? Tell her I`m throwing an orgy or something?”

“Shut it, my mom hates you enough without that.” You let out a bitter laugh.

“…Just saying. Sorry for putting you in this.”

“Ah, it`s not your fault, Josh. I guess I`ll have to talk it out with her. Uh, or maybe you could at least- Eh, forget about it. Getting caught lying might actually send me back home.”

Joshua winced.

Last time, you had told your parents that Joshua was a girl. When they had unexpectedly visited your house, it had been a disaster.

RIIINNNGGG

The doorbell interrupted the movie. You and Joshua was enjoying a movie night, your finals were over yesterday. He and you were both in pajamas, and a box of popcorn was sitting half eaten in front of you. Ugh, who was it in this time of day?

“I`ll get the door!” Joshua scrambled up from the sofa.

“Is Y/n there?” A muffled voice came from the door. A familiar voice. Too familiar. Wait.

“WAIT JOSHUA-“

You turned a second late as Joshua swung open the door to your Dad`s face staring at him, his mouth open.

“Who are you, and why are you at my daughter`s house in pajamas?”

And Joshua had to answer things like was he your boyfriend, did he have any intentions towards you, did your girl roommate actually exist… and finally, was he gay. And thanks and no thanks, he was.

You still felt terrible about putting Joshua into a situation where he had to actually come out in front of your parents after having to answer those stupid rude questions. And, although your parents reluctantly agreed to let you stay with Joshua solely because he was gay and ‘wouldn`t attempt to jump you’, they didn`t like him. For stupid reasons apparently.

“Hey, it`s okay. Really. It`s my fault for bringing these guys here, let`s think of a way to make them accept the way things are.”

“Now how are we going to do that?”

Joshua pursed his mouth. You could practically see the gears spinning in his head.

Then he smiled something wicked.

“I got a plan.”

Joshua`s plan wasn`t half bad, and it had put you out of your misery. Ugh, if it wasn`t for him, you would have been considering making the skeletons stay in the garage or the bathroom until your mother was gone. Or maybe just go back home with your livid parents.

Now, everything having been settled, you were selecting yet another movie to watch with the boys. Edge wanted in, too, to your surprise.

”AND I HOPE YOU WOULD LET MY BROTHER TO JOIN IN AS WELL.”

“Uh… of course, Edge. Um, does he actually want to?”

“I ASSUME SO. RED HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE WORST AT HANDLING THINGS LIKE THIS.”

Edge was smarter than you realized. Not the rough hot-headed Papyrus you thought he was, but in reality, he was more like you. You could relate to him.

He was very proud, too proud at times. He didn`t like backing away from stuff. Yet, he knew what was going on, and he tried to adapt to it. Although it couldn`t be easy for him, he didn`t say a word. The most remarkable thing about him was how he treated his brother.

Red and Edge both seemed to care about each other an awful lot, but Edge never let it on. Red did, however… it was uncharacteristic of him, even. He treated Edge like he was the savior of his life. He never said a word back to Edge, even if Edge said stuff that would more than piss off his ass. He didn`t even look mildly annoyed.

You wanted to get to know them better. Especially Red.

From what you had learned from Edge, he was extremely apologetic in his own way. He didn`t know how to vocalize it, that was all. You just wished he would ease up a little bit.

So…. what would be the perfect movie for him? For you to ease up to him?

You hobbled up from the sofa.

Edge was at the table with Blue. They were talking in uncharacteristically hushed tones, discussing about who knows what.

“Uh, Edge…?”

Edge whirled around at your voice. Blue turned, too. Huh, what was it with these two?

“HUMAN. BEFORE YOU SPEAK, WE MUST KNOW THE ANSWER.”

“Huh…?”

“WHAT IS BETTER, LASAGNA OR TACOS?”

The two skeletons stared at you, waiting for an answer. You couldn`t even laugh, they were so serious.

“…You want to know?”

You racked your head. Come on, you could do this… what could be a successful cross between these two?

“It`s a…”

Edge and Blue`s sockets narrowed in anticipation.

“…pizza fold.”

“A… PIZZA FOLD?”

A pizza fold. A pizza fold. Somebody please boil my worthless brain, you groaned inwardly.

“Yeah. It has a lot of cheese like lasagna, folds like a taco. The best foods in one.”

Edge and Blue, somehow, seemed to be buying it. Blue was now leaning in his chair, one gloved hand at his chin, lost in thought. Edge`s face was blank as he stared at the air in front of him, probably trying to form an image of a pizza fold. Blue raised his head.

“YOU KNOW WHAT? I`M GOING TO COOK PIZZA FOLDS. FOR BREAKFAST TOMORROW.”

Then he dashed up the stairs. Edge stared at where he had disappeared.

Adorable as always, your boy baby Blue.

“Hey, uh, Edge?” He snapped out of his trance.

“I`m sorry to disturb you from, uh, your discussion, but I gotta ask you something real quick.”

“HE LIKES ROUGH, BASICALLY. HE WOULDN`T BE HAVING ON THAT COLLAR IF HE DIDN`T LIKE IT.”

“Uh-huh. Rough. Got it.”

“HE WON`T CARE MUCH ABOUT THE PLOT, REALLY. WOULDN`T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TITANIC AND STAR WARS, FOR GOD`S SAKE.”

“Seriously, man? Got it. By the way, you know a lot of movies, don`t you? For a guy who just got to the surface?”

“I LIKE MEDIA. OH, AND ALTHOUGH I HATE TO ADMIT IT, I HAVE TO SAY THAT HE WOULD PROBABLY LIKE ANYTHING RATED R OR NC-17.”

“Ha. Okay, got that.”

“BUT NOT GORE. UH, IT MIGHT… BRING BACK SOME BAD MEMORIES.”

“Rough but not gore, huh? I think I know what you`re getting at. Thanks, Edge. Uh, I`ll see ya later.”

You had in mind just the right movie. One that met all Red`s standards, from what you could learn from Edge…
But you weren`t sure if Blue and Papyrus would be up for it. Heck, you could make for a movie night with just Red and Edge this time. Maybe Joshua.

The movie was selected.

Now, you had other problems to tend to…

“darling, are you getting ready?”

Shit.

You were just sneaking into the bathroom when Stretch`s head poked into your room.

“I, uh…” You felt dizzy, the blood was rushing up to your head so fast. The veins on the side of your head throbbed.

“going to shower, huh?”

Stretch grinned at the plastic bag you were holding up. In a flash, he was standing beside you, picking the bag from your fingers. You stared up at him with your mouth open.

“you won`t be needing this today, darling.”

“I- Uh- Were… were you serious about that…?”

“of course, darling, why would i be joking?”

You felt like you were going to black out.

Stretch slowly, very slowly leaned in to your lips. You squeezed your eyes shut and gripped Stretch`s shoulder. You had abandoned your crutches to go into the bathroom, you needed something to hold onto.

Then he pulled out at the last second, his teeth only brushing your lips. You gasped indignantly. How dare he! Teasing?! You really needed to step up your game, he was playing you like a joystick.

“Hey!” You huffed. Your face was burning.

“mm, gotta take off your clothes if you`re going to shower,” Stretch whispered in your ear, making the back of your head tingle.

Now there was no turning back.

You slowly hobbled over to the bed with Stretch holding onto you. You whipped your head up at the sound of the door clicking behind him, and you could see a tendril of orange magic fading at the doorknob. Stretch laughed at your startled expression.

“just don`t want anyone barging in. don`t worry, darling, i won`t do anything…”

How convincing, you thought as Stretch let out a breath through his teeth with a heavy hiss.

You slowly pulled on the knot on the side of your thigh. The bandage unraveled beneath your hands, exposing the wound in your thigh. You pushed it down. The cast, falling along with the strips, made a thunk as it hit the floor.
It was a good thing you dressed it every day, otherwise it would have been stinking with your sweat and pus and a bunch of other unpleasant odors. The wound was looking good, too.

Stretch ran one trembling finger just above the wound, where your bruise had left a slight green trace.

“good to see you healing fast, darling… you have no idea how worried i was…” Stretch murmured.

“It`s fine, honeyboy, a girl`s gotta be tough!” Stretch laughed at you as you made a fist and swung it in the air. His laugh, soft like the splashes on a drum, resonated in your chest.
Da-damn… give a girl some air, you couldn`t even breath…

You quickly looked down at your thighs, unable to look at Stretch as he ran one phalange down your cheek.

“so soft…” He murmured.

He froze as you reached behind your back and inside your shirt.

You bit your lip as you felt your bra unclasp in your fingers. You slowly pulled your hands out from behind you, and turned to see Stretch glowing faintly.
The shade of clementine and soft mandarine orange.

“c-can i undress you?”

His voice was trembling as his fingers wandered around his thighs, lost and trembling.

“Y-yeah.”

And like that, he was kissing you as his hands lightly settled on the hem of your shirt.
The tip of his phalanges scored gently against your hipbone as he lifted it an inch.

And the kiss...
Until now, your kisses with Stretch was no more than an affectionate peck on the teeth every time. Now you could do nothing but hold your breath as something… something that resembled a tongue, but not quite- slithered into your mouth that Stretch had opened along with his.

The inside of your eyelids lit up with a soft red light as it glowed.

It was like caramel, hard and smooth but with a little bit of give- flexible, and warm. It tasted sweet and tangy. Just like how he smelled, you thought, your head foggy with the overpowering sensation. Stretch`s tongue gently swirled around yours and into the deeper parts of your mouth.

It was warm, not wet though... Maybe it was the magic. You started to feel weightless as the caramely tongue circled the roof of your mouth.

His phalanges skimmed across the side of your stomach as he lifted your shirt, slowly, upwards... and over your head. The straps of your bra slipped off your shoulders.
Your instinct was to pull your arms inside, but you were too occupied at the moment to do so.
Stretch let out a long breath as the bra dropped down from your arms entirely.

You froze as you could feel the sudden cold on your skin.

Stretch`s tongue slowly pulled out.

You didn`t dare open your eyes as he slowly leaned away from your lips.

“beautiful…”

Chapter Text

“beautiful…”

You felt like you were meting in an oven. Stretch`s whole body was motionless except for his sockets, shifting from your face to your belly and back to your face.

“L-like what you see?”

You stammered, unable to look at his face. Stretch hummed deep in his chest.

“yes, darling, i do…”

His voice was no more than a whisper as his fingers skimmed up your stomach. They were barely touching, but you could feel the trail like it was branded into your skin. They stopped just beneath your breast, subtly nudging into your skin rhythmically as you tried to keep your breathing under control.

“i… may i go higher?”

You nodded. Your face was still averted, and you had to suck in a breath as you felt Stretch`s fingers so slowly climbed up the hill of your chest. Your ears started to ring quietly by the rush of blood in your head.

Stretch`s phalanges tickled- their movements pulsing along with your heart. They skimmed the surface of your skin just below your nipples.

You bit your lower lip as you tried to ignore the heat inside your pants.

“We- we should- get to the shower Stretch…”

Stretch blinked out of his trance.
He smiled slowly.

He put one finger tentatively to your pants as if asking for permission. Well, yes… but you still weren`t sure if you could take off your panties without letting Stretch know how wet you were.

“Uh, I`ll have to stand up to get them off-“

“i have a trick… if you don`t mind?” Stretch grinned, one bony finger hooking your waistband.

Huh? What trick?
You tried to maintain your breathing calm as Stretch`s knuckles dug into the side of your stomach.

“Um… okay, then?

At your words, Stretch`s right socket flickered orange for a second. What?
Then you looked down at the sudden air on your skin to see yourself naked.

You gasped and slapped your hands over yourself, trying to hide it from Stretch. What? What was that magic? Had Stretch just made your shorts- and panties- disappear????

“What did you do??” You squeaked. Your voice came out an octave higher than the usual.

Stretch chuckled, apparently amused. You were sure he was laughing at your blush- you felt like a tomato right now.

“i teleported them-“

Stretch held up his other hand. In his fingers were your panties and your shorts, bunched up in a ball.

“-here.”

That trick was cool indeed. Except maybe if it wasn`t your panties and shorts he had played it on. You curled your toes in embarrassment as Stretch put the ball of clothing down on the bed which flopped open to show you a- much too evident- moist spot smack in the middle of your panties. Thankfully, Stretch didn`t seem to notice.

“let`s go shower now, princess.”

The pet name was whispered into your ear as he leaned in to graze his teeth along your neck. Shit… You made a little shudder as he leaned away to leave the spot burning.

Stretch`s right socket flared up with those orange flames again, and you suddenly felt weightless. Was he going to- was he going to teleport you into the bathroom??? You were just starting to open your mouth to stop him- when that weightlessness disappeared, leaving you in Stretch`s arms. You were now being carried bridal-style, Stretch`s arms supporting you by the small of your back and the underside of your thighs. You shifted to concentrate your body weight off your injured leg.

Your sex felt so vulnerable exposed in the air like this.
You couldn`t even try and cover it now, your hands were around Stretch`s shoulders and neck for support.

“H-hey,” You managed to speak as Stretch straightened up and started to walk to the bathroom.

“yes, darling?”

“uh- don`t you think- if you`re going in with me…” You made an attempt to gesture at his clothes.

Stretch looked at you for a moment- then grinned.

“mm, naughty, baby… you want them off?”

Stretch pecked you on the nose. You blushed again.
It was going to be his fault if you dropped unconscious by popping a vein in your brain.

“I- it`s unfair! I`m all na-naked…”

Stretch chuckled.

“okay, darling, anything for you-“

His right socket flared. In a fraction of a second, his clothes were now piled up in a bundle beside your own small ball of clothing on the bed.
Wait.

You froze.

You dared not to turn your eyes towards Stretch`s now naked body, but you could feel his now exposed ribs digging into the side of your breast. You could feel his shoulder, warm against your arm.

You gasped as your nipple brushed against one of Stretch`s ribs. They were not cold, they were warm- still, the different body temperature made your skin jump.

Stretch raised one brow.

“sensitive place?”

You turned your burning face silently.

You felt that weightlessness again, this time supporting only your legs in the place of Stretch`s left arm. His left arm was now slithering over your stomach and to- over the hill of your chest-

You squeezed your eyes shut.

You bit down on your lip as one phalange skimmed over one of your already hard nipples.
Above you, you could hear Stretch let out a breath. It tickled your face in a soft swirl of smoke and honey.

“your heart is racing, beautiful… i can feel it…”

You opened one eye, just a tiny bit, to see Stretch with his sockets closed in concentration. You realized that he was actually listening to your heartbeat.

Stretch opened his eyes.

“mind if i… continue?”

You nodded.

It had been so long since you`ve felt the butterflies in your stomach flutter like this. Not since… not since Rick.

”You- you sure about this, babes?”

“Absolutely, baby. You wanted this, too, didn`tcha?”

Rick laughed. He nodded.

“I did, babes… I did. Uh, just- we can keep quiet, right?”

“Ha, can you?”

Rick snorted and flicked your forehead.

“Ow! Jerk.”

“Jerk? Naughty~”

“Wow. I can`t believe you just said that. Get those jeans off, perv-“ You laughed and squeezed Rick`s face, leaning in for a kiss.

…No.
No. Now you were with Stretch. You were with Stretch. With Stretch.

Stretch pushed gently, applying more pressure than just skimming. He rolled the nub slowly around the ball of his index fingerbone. You gasped at the stimulation- It was like your body was on fire, and even it was just a nipple, it felt much more intense than when you did it alone.

Masturbation… You were a fan of pleasure, you knew it. It had been years since you had sex- but you had masturbated countless times.
Every single one was the exact same.
You didn`t even bother buying a toy or trying to put your fingers in, just playing with the clitoris was all you did. It was like a ritual now.

A ritual to forget everything that had happened, a ritual to forget that feeling, like your heart was going to burst any second.

Like now.

You nudged your head into Stretch`s chest as he softly pinched the nub. It felt so good… It was like a warm lick of soft fire across your flesh, spreading from the contact. Your sex must be dripping now, you thought through your groggy conscience. It was throbbing.

“ah- darling, you are so-“

Stretch leaned down to your mouth. Your lips opened to meet his sweet tongue.

“-beautiful.” Stretch mumbled around his tongue in yours. His voice, kept low and quiet, hummed in your mouth. Delicious.

Beautiful, he says. Beautiful.

“…let`s go shower.” Stretch whispered as he slipped his tongue out from your craving mouth. You whimpered. You wanted more, more, giddy and faint by the overpowering scent of honey… You wanted Stretch, wanted his tongue, wanted his kiss. Wanted that caramelly smoke to lift you up and into oblivion.

Stretch walked to the bathroom door, a curl of orange magic opening it as he carried you in. You were practically melting in his hands, you scolded yourself, and blinked to clear away the enchanting heat taking over your head. Time to shower. And then, you could watch a movie.
As much as you wanted this, your leg was broken- and even though Stretch would be probably the gentlest of gentlemen in bed, having a broken leg just wouldn`t do. You sighed.

Maybe… if not bed, then maybe something else…

Stretch pulled aside the curtains with his magic as he held onto you. The magic was really convenient, you thought as another dancing tendril picked up the shower head. The aluminum pipes jiggled as the head floated to land in Stretch`s hand. Now you were free of his arms, supported wholly by his orange magic.

“as much as i`d like to keep you in my magic, i guess i can`t hold you up the entire shower… so here-“

Stretch sat down on the bathroom tiles. You raised one eyebrow.

“I don`t think that`s really clean… What are you doing?”

Stretch grinned. He tapped his lap. You gasped as your weightless body floated towards him. His magic hold on you disappeared, plopping you gently on Stretch`s lap.
Shit.
You tensed your thigh muscles. No… nononono, no way you were going to let your dripping sex tough Stretch`s thigh.

Speaking of his thigh, it was surprisingly comfortable for a seat made of bones. His bones were thicker than what you would normally see in a skeleton, and it didn`t dig into you like you had thought they would.

And you now couldn`t help but glance at Stretch`s naked body- specifically, where, for a human, a penis would be located.

“looking for something, darling?” Stretch laughed softly. Shit, did he catch you watching? It wasn`t intended, really…

“I didn`t mean to, for real-“

You stopped at Stretch`s smirk.

“…Okay, maybe I am a bit curious. I know nothing about you guys… And yeah, you`re a skeleton, I guess I don`t know what I was expecting at all.” You sighed.

A little let-down, maybe? After all, the thing you had enjoyed most in sex wasn`t what you felt- You had enjoyed watching the expression on Rick`s face as he thrusted against you, getting undone on you, his breath quickening, sweating-

You stopped. You mentally slapped your face, trying to get out of it. You just liked to see your partner, whoever that might be, in a state like that. Now, if Stretch didn`t have a dick, you weren`t sure how you could turn him on and give him physical pleasure.

“i can make one if i`m in the mood.”

Stretch`s quiet murmur woke you up from your thoughts.

“R-really? I mean, you don`t have to, not for me, I was just wondering-“ You stopped.

You felt your face going red. Stretch pulled you closer to his chest, turning on the water.
Water started to spray from the shower head, the sound echoing around the bathroom.

“wondering?” Stretch prompted.

“…I was wondering if you could feel good. I mean, with that. If you made it with your magic.”

Stretch`s sockets softened as he seemed to get what you were saying.

“mm, we do have different spots from human bodies, that`s true… but yes, i feel it when i make it. similar to humans in that part, i guess?”

A part of you let out a breath you hadn`t realized you`ve been holding. Someone might think it strange, but you had to admit, there was nothing that turned you on more than making your loved one squirm under your hands. Not quite like bondage, you just liked to please your partner. Now it was a relief to hear that you could actually attempt to stimulate a body you had no idea about. Skeletons… did they have nerves, even?

“c`mere, darling, don`t want the stitches getting wet.”

You leaned against Stretch`s shoulder as he held the shower head behind you to your hair. The flowing water soaked into your scalp. Perfect, not too hot neither too cold. You closed your eyes in satisfaction and nuzzled against Stretch`s chin. He ran his hand along your thigh and onto your knee.

“so soft…”

After shampooing(”your hair- how can something be so silky? mm…”) and soaping, now you were sitting on Stretch`s lap as he washed the last of the soap bubbles away from your back. It was so relaxing and stimulating at the same time, you were getting a little tired from being turned on so intensely for so long.

“darling-“

You turned your eyes to see Stretch averting his sockets from you, a fine clementine glow blooming on his cheekbones.
His free hand was curling and uncurling its fingers at your thigh hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“do you… do you mind if i… may i…” Stretch seemed at a lost for words.

You realized that he was asking for your consent if he could explore you.

“Go on, it`s fine.” You whispered, closing your eyes as you turned to nuzzle the crest of his neck. It was so warm… you didn`t feel cold despite being wet and naked.
Especially if you were tuned on like this.

You gently bit down on the inside of your cheek as Stretch`s fingers navigated between your thighs, higher, higher…

You couldn`t help but let out a stifled gasp as his fingers made contact with the bundle of nerves bedded in your flesh. Stretch`s fingers froze.

“did i hurt you?”

You gulped down your excitement.

“N-no, it`s… it`s a sensitive spot.”

You could feel the slow lift of his chin on your forehead as, you assumed, he slowly smiled.

His fingers gently pried open your thighs to reveal your sex. Holy shit, you were dripping. Your sex was throbbing with need, you needed Stretch so badly, his fingers, his- his-

Your thoughts cut short as one of his phalanges rolled across your clitoris. You gripped his shoulder where you had been holding on, and you could hear a chuckle from above your head. Your head was spinning. Please, more, please…
Stretch`s fingers explored the wet folds of your sex more eagerly, in pace with your enthusiasm.

“Hnnngh… Streeeetchhh…” You let out a breathy moan. Stretch`s breath hitched, and his fingers started to pick up speed.

Stretch was poorly experienced, you could see that by the way he hesitated in touching you. Still, he was amazing. Even though he didn`t know about the human female sex, his fingers and his movements felt like fire on your skin. The occasional tingle of magic at his touch was more than a plus.
His bony fingers were hard enough to bring impact, yet soft enough to stimulate without hurting. The way he stopped for you to breathe, almost as if trying to memorize the sensation…

“darling…”

Stretch breathed into your wet scalp. The hand clutching the shower head against your back was trembling. You couldn`t reply, though, you were too busy trying not to jerk as his phalanges dug into the corners of your sex.

“Streeeetchhh… More…”

“baby, please, look at me-“ Stretch`s fingers went still.

You raised your head to meet Stretch`s sockets. Why…? Was there something wrong?

“are- are you okay with this, darling?”

Stretch`s skull glowed with a beautiful shade of burnt orange, the rim of his sockets burning like the embers in a fire.
He was asking if you were okay with this, you realized, because of the story you had told him. With Rick. Not much, but it was probably enough for him to know that you were probably scared.

But no. It wasn`t… it wasn`t that you were scared of. It wasn`t physical contact, not anymore, not with… not with this magic in front of you.

You leaned forward and grasped Stretch`s shoulder to whisper into his teeth. Smells like, smells like honey and smoke, you thought as your brain started to melt n your body heat.

“…I love it.”

You jerked as a finger poked at your slit. You were biting your lip in an attempt not to make a sound: if this got any more intense, you were probably going to draw blood.
Your hands balled the sheets into your fist without you even knowing. Ah, it was unfair, how was he so good at this? And he wasn`t even a finger inside you yet.

Stretch was sitting cross-legged and naked between your legs while you were spread-eagled o the bed. Now was not the time to be shy, you were married to him- but that didn`t save you from blushing like a tomato. You gasped as the finger started to slide into you.

“did-did i hurt you? is it supposed to go in?” Stretch`s voice was nervous. His finger was frozen an inch inside you- making you impatient, making you wriggle in anticipation.

You laughed softly.

“Yeah, um… I haven`t done this in a long time, though… so don`t, uh, don`t be surprised even if I look like I`m in pain, okay? It can- ache, I guess- a bit at first.”

Stretch frowned. He seemed to think about something- get on with it, you thought as your heart fluttered impatiently in your exposed chest. You wanted him to be in you.
Stretch sighed.

“i don`t want you to be in pain… so tell me the instant it starts to hurt, darling, alright?”

“Alright.”

Stretch closed his sockets for a second- and opened it as he started to move his finger again.

Ah, this feeling- the familiar throb as the blood ran to your swollen sex, the tightening as you felt a tear of liquid roll down the entrance.
You mewled as Stretch`s finger unfolded deep inside you.

Oh- just there, he was- he was so deep-

“Baby- I-“ Your back jerked into an arc as the tip of his finger started to move, licking at just the right spot. Just- just a little more, you were so close-

And your heart skipped a beat as Stretch pulled his finger out at the last moment. Oh, you were so close… so near…

“What did you pull out for?!” You panted, your muscles straining as you tried to climb down the peak Stretch had pulled you up. It actually hurt, your swollen sex that was just drooling with need.

“to do this.”

What?

You stifled a gasp as Stretch leaned down, lower, lower-
And slipped his tongue inside you.

The first that crossed your mind was- what if you don`t smell good? Or taste bad?

But that thought dissipated away as the mountain you had just climbed down lifted you up in its arms again.

Stretch`s teeth nudged against your aching slit as he pushed his tongue inside you, lengthening it inside you with his magic. The tip grew ever longer inside you and it tingled as it danced. Stretch`s breathing on your sex hitched as your walls started to jolt.

You panted- you weren`t getting enough air, you were going to be suffocated by the coil tightening around your core. God, this was…

Stretch`s tongue didn`t hurt at all, being caramelly and soft. But it was long and flexible- You felt your legs shudder at the sudden lick deep inside your belly. You writhed in pleasure, and the orange magic pinning your injured leg in its place shivered against your wriggling hip.

“Ah- Stretch- I think I might- I`m close-“

You couldn`t even form a full sentence. Your mouth opened mid-word to gulp in air as you panted. You were so, so close, the coil inside you about to burst, Stretch`s tongue snaking against every inch inside of you-

And you choked in a shuddering, body-wracking gasp as the most intense orgasm you had felt came crashing down on you.
Stretch`s tongue danced inside you as your walls clamped down, lengthening your orgasm and arching your back as your sight blurred.

Only when your walls let go, jerking and throbbing from the aftershock, did Stretch`s tongue slide out of you. You shuddered as the warm rope grazed against your opening as it retreated to Stretch`s mouth.

Stretch`s tongue disappeared into his mouth, leaving it dripping with your cum. That was… that was so hot yet embarrassing somehow… Now you had to close your legs, it was dripping, Stretch needed to let your leg go of his magic…
You were still too high to form a sentence, though.

“B-babyyy…”

You surprised yourself as your voice came out a breathy, uneven whine.

Okay, maybe not, that was too awesome for words.

Stretch was looking down at you with a smile. Brighter than the sun… your groggy mind vaguely joked about sunglasses.

“darling… you are beautiful, you are so beautiful… so special… my love… my baby… my y/n…”

With every word he planted a kiss on you. On your thigh, on your ankle where he held it up, on your knee, on your belly, on your chest, on your neck…

And you closed your eyes contentedly as he leaned in to kiss your lips, ever so softly.

It tasted like honey…
Honey and smoke.

Chapter Text

You squeezed your eyes shut as you plopped head first into your pile of pillows.

The movie was on in Edge`s room for him and Red to see, you were just waaaaaaay too tired to join in. Although the shower with Stretch went no farther than that, you were drained nonetheless.
That was one hell of an orgasm.

So, the movie was settled, the plans were set for Mom, the shower was done… Now what did you have to do? You were tired, but you didn`t want to go to sleep yet. Maybe get Stretch from his room? Nah, you were too exhausted.

Maybe you should go check on Sans, you thought. You haven`t talked with him for a while.

“Sans?”

“c`mon in, kiddo.” Sans`s muffled voice trailed around the door. You creaked it open and took a tentative step in.

The room was clean… in a dirty way. You could see that Sans was putting in minimum effort to keep in clean, but it was an effort anyway. At least there were no clothes lying around. Except for that one sock.

“that? uh, papyrus makes me clean up, but he can`t get me to pick that up.” Sans chuckled. Your face flushed as you realized you`ve been staring at the sock. But really, who leaves a single sock in the middle of the room? Smack at the center?

“Um, cool. Say, uh, I guess I haven`t been speaking much with you lately, how`s it going?”

“i`m fine kiddo, doing good. `m more worried about you, though, i haven`t had the time to get to apologize to you properly.”

“Huh? Apologize for what?”

“you know, bringing these guys in and everything. should`ve asked you before making a solid deal with joshua.”

“Hey, no worries, really, I don`t mind. At all. I- well, technically, you guys brought me to Stretch, didn`tcha?”

Sans stopped for a moment. His face was a little weird for a split second… or was it just you and your tired eyes?

“mm, nah, you were gon` meet eventually,” he murmured quietly.
You nodded.

Um. Awkward.

You stepped over to plop down on a chair.

“Uh, so I`ve been wondering- oh, this might be a little personal, you don`t mind?”

“fire away, kiddo.”

“About you and Joshua. How did you get to know? Is it recent? I mean, he never told me about you guys, so…”

Sans laughed.

“did he, now? well, joshua knew frisk well, and he went searching for her when she disappeared into that hole and to underground. to us.”

“What?! How come he never told me that? So did he fall in too?”

“mm, no, but he did find frisk as soon as the kid succeeded in breaking the barrier. that`s when i met him.”

Huh. You had a lot of questions for Joshua.

“and there`s this… project i`m working on. i`ve been working on it for a long time, actually. so when i saw joshua and got to know him, i asked him for some help. on that project, i mean.”

“Really? Well, he is one smart guy, I guess.”

“pretty smart. really smart, actually. i was able to figure out things that i never would`ve without him.”

Damn. Coming from this guy, somehow it made Joshua a real badass in your head.

“and when we were doing an experiment, something went… terribly wrong. uh, the rest of the guys were involved as well, except paps. we couldn`t tell the rest of the monsters about it, it was… it was pretty bad. so i guess we decided the immediate solution was to get the guys to joshua`s place. stay until the problem was fixed.”

Ah. So… whatever it was, you were sure these guys staying here wasn`t because of a good situation.

“Huh. Well, I hope it gets fixed soon. Are you guys doing that every night?”

“yeah. i fell kinda sorry for him, he`s losing sleep over my project. and now i`ve gotten you tangled up as well. heh, how things roll, kiddo, i`ve got a lot of things to apologize for.”

You felt your expression soften.

“Joshua will understand, I`m sure. He already told me there might be more coming, he didn`t seem fazed about it one bit. I`m fine, too.”

“you shouldn`t be.” Sans muttered under his breath.
Well, damn.

“…Why?”

“the guys coming… uh, they might not be as… as approachable as the guys here.”

You laughed.

“Hey, I`m still trying to be friends with Red. You saw how we fought the first day, it can`t get any worse, can it?”

Well, shit, judging by Sans`s expression as he stared at you right now, it could be.

“…Okay, maybe. Don`t worry, I`ll get as ready as I can. In the meantime, let some steam off! I swear the last few days I`ve never seen you do anything but work. Someday you might explode, man.”
This was genuine advice coming from experience. You grimaced.

“yeah, i probably should. i`m supposed to be a lazy monster, guess i`m just losing my pace.”

“Hey, you know what? Maybe we can play games with Joshua. Right now. I was looking for something to do anyway, it`s high time you got to join in my regular routine with Joshua. You in?”

“sure i am kiddo, but, uh, joshua is out right now, if you don`t know yet?”

What? Joshua is out? But he was here just a few hours ago…

“What do you mean he`s out? Out where?”

Sans shrugged.

“he didn`t tell me, just said he was going to work.”

Shit. No. At this time?? He couldn`t bring in anybody, was it okay? When was he going to come? Were you in charge of the house? Until when?

“Just a sec, Sans. I gotta call him.”

“well, kiddo, he asked specifically not to call him-“

Sans`s voice was cut short by the buzz of your telephone as you pushed the call button too fast, and Sans shrugged again.
“guess it`s okay if it`s you…”

Joshua picked up the call. You winced as the loud music blared suddenly in your ear.

“Hellooo???” A slurred voice called out.

“Hey, slut, I ain`t done with you, who you callin`?” A gruff voice called out over the phone in the background. You grimaced. Jeez, the guys at that place should know better than to use their best cards like that… they should know better than to give Joshua away to guys like that.

“Josh, are you at the club?”

“Y/n? Is that y-you? Fuuuuck…. You scared me, thought it was Sans…”

“Josh. Are you drunk?”

“Jeez, mama… y-yeah, jus` a little bit, I am- Hah- Ahh! Uff- God, Ed, not when I`m on the phonnnhaaa!!! Wait- slow-“

You could hear intense huffing in the background. By what you could hear, it wasn`t Joshua, it was the owner of the gruff voice you had heard earlier. Well, you didn`t expect this kind of company… You winced as you heard a loud slap, then a yelp of pain from Joshua.

“Look, Joshua, I`ll hang up if you`re busy…”

The sound of huffing went on for a few more seconds, leaving you hanging.

“Okay, I`ll hang up now-“

“Wait! W-Wait-“

“What is it?”

“I- uh, don`t tell Sans- or the other guys, o-okay? Hnnngh- I-I`ll be there about ten, maybe, aah- M-master called me, he said- he said he needed-“

Joshua was cut short as a choked gasp was drawn from him.

Master was the owner of the place. Joshua was, indeed, the most valuable player they had there. Of course, the others were all good-looking, but Joshua stood out. What was more, he could take on more than any other could. And now, if Master had called specially for Joshua…

“Don`t tell me that guy`s there,” You whispered furiously into the phone. Joshua gasped.

Uh-oh.

The gruff voice in the background let out a menacing laugh.

“That guy? Am I famous, sugar? You tell your girlfriend about me?”

You flinched as you heard another loud slap, and Joshua`s voice as he yelled.

“H-hang up, okay? I`ll- ah- ngh- I`ll be there soon.”

Joshua was panting.

“You sure, Jo-“

“Hang up already!!” Joshua shouted.

You fumbled on the phone, trying to hold back your horror as the call ended with Joshua`s choked shout with yet another sound of impact on flesh.

Jesus. You knew it was bad, but… You could never get used to it. Even though Joshua told you it was totally fine and he knew what he was doing, you just couldn`t help yourself poking your worrying nose in his business.

And now Sans was looking at you with a funny expression in his sockets. His eyelights had shrunken from their original size. Shit… He wasn`t supposed to hear, you fucked up. You didn`t know he was there.

“was that… was that joshua? at work?” Sans`s voice was quiet.

“Yeah. Uh, I guess I shouldn`t have let you heard that, sorry, um, don`t mention it to Joshua, okay?”

“…”

“…Promise?”

“if you wanted me to promise that, you shouldn`t have let me hear that in the first place, kiddo.”

You stood in your place as Sans talked. His voice was quiet and he wasn`t looking at your face.

“look, i`ll promise, kid. i`m just a bit shocked, okay? i won`t let it on around joshua.”

“…Okay. I`m sorry, Sans. Uh, I`ll leave now.”

You turned to the door. Shit. You messed up. And now you had to… you had to go pick up Joshua. You had to make sure he was okay. Last time that guy was with him, Master had to take Joshua home back to you. Master didn`t say much, but he had let on that this guy, whom now you knew as ‘Ed’, wanted to take Joshua home with him. With consent, of course, he had said… But how was Joshua supposed to make a clear indication that he did not want to do so if he was fucked and beaten silly?

“wait.”

You glanced back at Sans.

“you might find me and my magic handy if joshua is hurt.”

“Huh?”

“if you`re going to get him, i`m coming with you.”

“I… I don`t think he`d like it, Sans, I`m sorry. I`ll… I`ll bring him home fast. Is that okay?”

Sans stared back at you for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.

“look, kiddo, joshua`s… joshua`s a very close friend of mine, i`m just worried, okay? that call bothers me. a lot.”

You sighed.

“I understand, Sans. I`m worried sick, too. Say what, I`ll bring him back today, maybe we can convince him together. Howzat sound?”

“great, kiddo. thanks. drive safely.”

Okay, time to take out your car.

You brushed the dust from the steering wheel. God, it had been a long time since you drove. Your leg felt fine enough to put away the cast for a moment and take a short drive, thankfully.

The place was not that far away, but you knew that taking the car was a good idea in cautionary measures.
That didn`t change the fact that you still needed some time to warm up to driving, since you didn`t like to, and you sucked in a breath as you almost ran into a wall turning a narrow corner.

The familiar sign greeted you from across the road. You pulled into the parking lot, sighing with worry. Please, let him be- less wrecked- this time…

You pushed open the big steel door. The huge doorman knew you as Joshua`s friend, and he let you in without a word into the hall. Damn, you didn`t- you just didn`t like this place. At all.
You grimaced as you navigated your way around the tables, the mini stages that were everywhere, through the sweaty people dancing to the loud music. Lord, this place was so painful to the eye with these neon lights everywhere in the dark.

Ah, finally, the front desk, everyone called it.

Master was in his sharp, unwrinkled suit as always. A white ironed shirt, a black vest with the front buttons open. Black slacks that matched the vest. His wavy black hair rustled in its fixed place as he turned to see you.

“Hello, Y/n. I assume you`re here to pick Joshua up?”

His silky voice was light. You could hear the slight agitation in his voice nonetheless. No wonder, he wasn`t happy the last time that ‘Ed’ guy was here.

“Yeah, Master. Is he done?”

“About time he is. I think he`ll come out before five minutes.”

“Kay. Uh, look, can you… not call Joshua whenever that Ed guy decides to barge in? I`m sorry, but I just… I`m really worried about him, and I really don`t like how he gets all wrecked every time he… gets home from-”

You paused.

“-work.”

Master gave you an apologetic smile.

“I`m sorry about that, darling. I hate this as much as you do. We try to get to terms with that with the pay or maybe letting Joshua off other schedules. And… Edward is a customer nonetheless. I`m trying to keep it as less frequent as I can. I hope you will understand.”

You understood. It was… it was Joshua`s work. You didn`t have the right to barge in. Still, that didn`t stop you from getting worried sick.

“I get it, I`m sorry to be like this. I`m just… worried every time, that`s all.”

“Don`t worry. I take care of my players, and Joshua is the MVP. You know I make sure of that.”

“Not so sure about that,” You mumbled under your breath.

That moment, one of the doors creaked open to reveal Joshua leaning against the doorframe.

“Eddie`s left, Maste- Y/n? What are you doing here?”

Joshua`s voice was hoarse. His face was swollen and his eyes were red. He wasn`t looking good.

“Come to pick you up, idiot. Good thing I did. You can`t even walk properly, can you?”

Joshua gave you a sheepish, tired grin.

“Thanks, mate. I appreciate that.”
He hobbled towards you to sling one arm over your shoulder. Jesus… He reeked of alcohol. And cum. Gross.

Master gestured towards the back door. His face was unreadable.

“Thanks, Master. See ya.”

You managed to wave goodbye as you hauled Joshua out the door. He coughed.

“You smell like beer and cum.”

“Actually, it was vodka. And I washed down, there`s no cum on me.”

“Gross anyway. Did you drink a lot?”

“Nah. You know I don`t drink much. Just the amount he made me have.”

“And how much is that?”

“Uhhh… two shots, I think?”

“That`s still enough to give you a hangover. A bad one.”

“Meh, I had no choice.”

You opened the car door for Joshua to stumble in.

“Great, you brought the car! And I thought we had to walk home.”

“I`m not that thrilled about it, my car`s gonna reek of alcohol. And cum.”

“I do not smell like cum!”

“You do.”

“Do not!”

“Do so! And it`s gross! What did he make you do, anyway?”

“You sure you want the details?”

“Well, I want to know what made your face swell like that. And make you walk like that.”

“Eh, no big deal, actually. He slapped me a few times, tried out fisting, a bit of choking, maybe? Nothing varying much from the usual.”

A silence passed between the two of you.

“Why do you put up with him?”

“I don`t- it`s not a relationship, it`s not like I`m putting up with him. I`m just doing my work and sticking with my job. I can handle it, I ain`t a fragile flower, you know.”

“You`ll always be a fragile flower, you idiot. Sans said his magic could help you, let`s get home. Quick.”

“Wait. You told Sans? I told you specifically not to-“

“He was there when I made the call. I`m sorry, I just… I didn`t know you`d pick it up in the middle of that.”

Joshua crossed his arms and sighed.

“I guess he was bound to know someday. It`s fine, don`t worry about it.”

“Sorry.”

You made a turn. You were close to the house, you could see the lights.

“Thanks for the ride. I really… I really appreciate it.”

“Nah, don`t mention it.”

“Sometimes I don`t know how I`ll live without you. Seriously, thanks, mate.”

Joshua`s voice trembled. You glanced sideways, but quickly turned your eyes as you glimpsed Joshua`s ears going red.
This guy... He was a fragile flower. No matter how well he hid it.

“Besties forever, right?”

You pulled into the garage. Joshua opened the door weakly.

“Stay there, I`ll help you out.”

“Thanks.”

You pulled Joshua out with his arms around your neck.
He stumbled as he tried to get up on his legs.

“…Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You don`t have to do this.”

“You know that I do, Y/n.” Joshua murmured under his breath, his voice no bigger than a whisper.
His fingers tightened on your shoulder.

“I hate it.” You bit your lips as you tried to keep your voice steady.

“Get Sans to fix you, okay?”

Joshua

Joshua stumbled into the front door with one aching arm around your shoulder. He heard you grunt as the light blinded the both of you momentarily.

God, every inch of his body was screaming. His ass felt ragged and numb, and his cheeks and face stung. His arms ached from straining for so long. Joshua could barely keep himself up with his weak legs.

“We`re home!” Your voice rang in his eardrums. God, not so loud… his head felt like it was splitting apart.

Joshua turned to the sound of footsteps. Ragged pink slippers… Sans? Oh. Right. You said that Sans was going to fix him up.

Joshua straightened himself from you.

“Hi, Sans.”

Sans`s sockets traveled up and down his body. The three of you stood there silently for a moment. Please, his legs begged him, sit already!

“I… I want to sit down…”

“here.”

Joshua felt his body going weightless as Sans`s left socket lit up a bright shade of cobalt.

“I`ll leave you to it, then. I`ve got to shower.” You walked away to your room. Did he really smell that bad? He was sure he had made sure to wash everything away…

Sans`s voice woke him up from his thoughts.

“one hell of a job, huh, buddy?”

Joshua felt mortified. He… he wanted to keep this a secret from the skeletons… although they were going to find out eventually at some point.

“…Yeah. Uh, I don`t need a lot of magic, I`m fine, really-“

“shhh, you ain`t fine, pal, you know it. i`ll fix you up.”

Sans carried Joshua, hovering, up the stairs and around the door to his room.

“okay, where are you hurt?”

Joshua sucked in a deep breath. He just hoped Sans wouldn`t be grossed out.

“Don`t be surprised, okay? It`s better than it looks.”

He lifted his aching arms to lift the sweater up his head. The muscles in his chest pulled like crazy, and he had to bite in a cry. Ugh, every time… Every time he was bonded up, his flesh hurt too much. The ropes felt like they were cutting into him. He needed to work out, he thought as he balled up the clothing and dropped it next to his feet.
He could hear a soft hiss as Sans gasped audibly. Fuck… He couldn`t blame him if he was shocked by the weird zigzagging bruises.

He pulled on his belt and pushed down his jeans. He wasn`t a belt guy, but this was one more of Edward`s requirements. And now Joshua winced as Sans choked on yet another gasp as his sockets took in the sight of what that very belt had made across his thighs.
And the worst…

Joshua hooked a finger in the waistband of his boxers. Tight underwear would kill him after a night with Eddie, he always made sure to wear boxers even though Edward didn`t like them as much as tight ones.

“You sure you want to see this? I mean, it`s totally fine if you just heal the bruises-“

“i`m fine. seriously.” Sans`s voice was tight with shock.

“Well, don`t blame me…” Joshua pushed the boxers down to reveal his abused cock.

Red, swollen, and the skin around it was all irritated pink due to friction. There were little nicks splattered all across the soft skin near his groin where Eddie had used his sticks. Bruises were here and there around the hipbones.

“I`m gonna turn around, okay?”

Shit… Joshua only hoped Sans wouldn`t- Really, he didn`t even have an idea on how he would react.

To his surprise, Sans was silent as he slowly turned around to show hm the horrible purple bruises across his backside. There were probably red fingermarks as well, Eddie had slapped him a little more than usual.

“…stay still, buddy.”

Joshua bit his lip as he felt a finger slide down his spine. A strange sensation rippled out from the touch across his back. Where the ripples had passed, there left behind a cool, numb tingle.

“Is this the healing magic?”

“yup.”

“Feels good.”

“sure do.”

“Say, how come you guys don`t do this on Y/n?”

“Dogamy`s axe is magic as well, what we can do about it is quite limited.”

“Ah. Uh, can everybody do this? The healing magic, I mean.”

“probably. we vary in style and expertise, though. paps is really good at this. much better than me.”

“Yours feel good enough.”

True, Sans`s magic was working its way through Joshua`s whole body now. He gave a little shudder as he could see a tendril of cobalt blue smoke poked out from between his legs to lick over the inside of his thigh. The stinging was replaced to the same cool numbness as the tendril fondled the nicks. The bruises around them were fading as well.

“so, pal, i`m not the one to prod, but this shit… this is dangerous stuff, you know.”

Joshua sighed.

“Yeah, I know, Sans-“

“i never took you for the gangster type, and i`m fine with living with one, but these bruises are going to-“

What? Wait.

“Huh? A gang…ster?”

“that`s what you`re doing, isn`t it? i heard you getting tortured over the phone, and you weren`t going to spill the beans- you`re determined, i can see that-“

“What? What?? No, I`m not a gangster, Sans- Oh, haha-“ Joshua laughed. So that was what Sans had thought…
He turned to see Sans with his hand, encased in blue, in the air. He was staring at Joshua with confusion in his eyelights.

“I ain`t doing anything like that, Sans. You don`t have to worry.”

Sans frowned.

“like i said, i`m not worried about you being a gangster, i`m worried about these damn cuts. i mean- how come you got cuts on your genitals if that ain`t torture?”

Lol. This guy. Was so naïve.
Time to spill the beans, he would`ve known sooner or later, anyway.

“I… I work as a male prostitute for men. In a bar. A little away from here. I, uh, I have sex with people for money.”

Sans`s socket crinkled as he frowned, taking in what Joshua had said. Then his eyelights expanded to twice their size.

“well, that`s some weird shit right there! why the fuck are you doing that?! are you broke?”

“Nah. Not broke, that`s just my work. Why, you never seen one before?”

“no?! what kind of world are you humans living in? does y/n know this?”

“Of course! Do you not have prostitutes in the Underground?”

“no!! i- that`s absurd. what in asgore`s beard. holy stars- i mean, loving somebody for money? that`s strange in itself… and why the hell would a person do this-“

Sans flailed his blue hand, gesturing at Joshua`s healing bruises.

“-when they`ve come for love?”

“Ah, I probably won`t call it love. It`s just sex. For pleasure.”

“having sex is pleasurable because it`s an act of love... how can this be pleasurable in any way? for either one?”

…The Underground must be a nice place.

“Mm, not so much here, I guess sex in places like that is more physical pleasure than love. And I`m just… helping them out, you could say. For good pay.”

“you do know that every one of us has enough human money to last you a lifetime and more, right?”

“I have plenty money, too. I`m just doing this… because of a promise I made, okay? Just- I`m fine, really. You don`t have to get upset over it.”

“wouldn`t you be worried if i or y/n or whoever stumbled through the front door with cuts and bruises all over every night?”

“It isn`t every day that I`m working! It`s just every once in a while-“

“still.”

“Okay, I would, but- I`ve been doing this for a very long time, you really do not have to worry about me.”

“how can i not worry-“

“I said I`m fine!”

Sans froze.

“Forget it. I`m fine, they don`t hurt anymore. Thanks for healing me.”

Joshua stepped back from Sans`s touch to pull his boxers back up. Even though is bruises and pains were much better, his back still ached a little when he bent.
Sans`s hand dropped.

“good night, then. great talk, joshua.”

Sans`s voice was quiet and tight. He turned, and Joshua fumbled to pull on his sweater.
It did smell a bit, he thought somewhere in the back of his mind as he turned to close the door.

”What did I tell you about not-“

“I wanted to help!”

“Well, look where that GOT YOU! For fuck`s sake, couldn`t you just listen to me?! FUCK!!”

“Don`t yell at me!! I wanted to fucking help, that`s all, you asshole, I`ve seen you bleed in the shower! You want me to hang around seeing you like that?!”

“If you can`t stand that, then go BACK HOME!”

“FUCK YOU!”

“Don`t fucking talk to me like that, I swear-“

“What the hell is wrong with you? Trying to kill yourself, are ya? I said, i can fucking HANDLE this!! I`ve got to help, you`re going to waste yourself away! Besides, I`m good game, they love me. And you know that, for fuck`s sake!!! Why are you trying to baby me like that?!”

“Do whatever you wa- Shit- FUCK! Don`t you understand, Joshua? Can`t you see? This is fucking mortifying, this is- You don`t want to step into this, I swear, just fucking LISTEN to me!!”

He was crying.

Joshua put a hand over his shoulder.

“Hey. Let`s put together a club. Start from scratch. You don`t- you won`t have to take it all on your own. You need money, a home, and you know I do too. It`s the best option for now, and you know it.”

“Joshua… don`t try to joke…”

“Get up, champ. I`m not joking. C`mon.”

“You`ve got to study…”

“How can I study when I`ve barely got the money to live a day? Come on, I`ve got friends. We`ll start a business. I can be your MVP.”

“I don`t fucking want that!”

“But you need it. Jeez, pull yourself together, I`m not a fragile flower.”

“You are, Joshua.”

“Am not.”

Chapter Text

“Okay, I think it`s okay for you to put the cast away now. How did you do that, by the way? You healed so fast you got me thinking you were a werewolf.”

The doctor laughed as you yelped happily and handed the nurse your crutches.

“Congratulations, man! Finally, now I can actually scold you when you get in the shower with Stretch!”

You blushed as Joshua crossed his arms at you in mock-scolding. You never had sex, not yet, but you did shower with Stretch a few times after that.

“You knew that?”

“Knew it only too well, the house isn`t actually soundproof, you know.”

“Shit! Is it loud??????? Fuck, what would the others-“

“Juuuuuust kidding. I saw your clothes one night, we can`t hear you a bit. Heh, lucky guess.”

“Jerk!” You punched Joshua`s shoulder as you hobbled towards the elevator. Your leg felt oddly naked without the cast you had on for the past week, and you still needed a teensy bit more time to wake up your muscles. The cut was looking good, too, now just a fresh scar across your thigh.

It was Wednesday, and you had two hours before your mom visited. You had to get rid of the cast, which, thankfully, you could, or she would`ve been fussing over you for at least a few days.

“Say, you really do look good, don`t ya? Guess Sans did a good job?”

Joshua`s face hardened.

“Yeah, his magic`s awesome. But I really… I really wish he wouldn`t fuss over me like that.”

“I wouldn`t be surprised if I were to be in his place. He`s just worried, that`s all, and you know it.”

“Right… You know, I should apologize.”

“What? What did you say to him?”

“…I kinda yelled at him to mind his own business.”

Joshua facepalmed.

“I really shouldn`t have.”

“I agree. Well, we could buy some ketchup on our way home if you want a present, we`re low.”

“Good idea. Sure. Maybe something for your mom, too?”

…Nah. She probably wouldn`t need anything.
And you really didn`t… want to get her into thinking you appreciated her visit. Mean, but true.

“Nope, I think she`ll be fine without it.”

“Sure. Hey, there`s a spot-“

You pulled into the parking lot.

Whew… As you entered the mall, you couldn`t help but wish to yourself that everything would go as planned. Your mom… Waiting for her to come was like the calm before a storm.

You and Joshua had told Red, Edge, and Stretch to stay in their rooms. They were supposed to be patients Joshua was taking care of… for his studies, you planned to tell her. Nothing she won`t love about a medical student. And of course, the disease had to be non-infectious.

Sans was supposed to be a fellow student who helped Joshua with his studies.

Papyrus and Blue were Sans`s friends who helped you get better. Wasn`t that much of a lie, really, you thought to yourself as you ran over your words for Mom. Hi Ma, how`ve you been, yes, my studies are going well…

Her job… what would you say if she asked if you had a job?
I`m a student, I`m planning to focus on my studies after this… Oh, will it work? What if she asks about what you are doing at the moment then… Shit, you decided not to ponder over it so much. Things would turn out okay.
You hoped…

You stepped into the house with Joshua close behind you. Stretch dashed over to take the groceries from your arm.

“good to see you up and walking again, darling.”

“Thanks, babe. You know about the plan, right? Staying in your room till Ma`s gone?”

“sure do, baby darling. i`ll miss you.”

You laughed and playfully punched him in the arm.

“It`ll just be for a few hours, dummy.”

“dummy? i`m offended.”

“Meh. Get up there, I`ll call you when Ma`s gone.”

“aww, but babe, can`t i stay for now?”

The doorbell started to ring. What???? Wasn`t she supposed to come an hour later?
You glanced at Stretch and jerked your head towards the ringing front door.

“Guess you can`t, honeyboy. Stay put, okay? Love ya.” You stood on your toes to give him a friendly peck before nudging him to the stairs.

“…love you too, darling.” Stretch disappeared behind the walls.

Ring!

“`Kay, Ma, `m coming!”

“The meeting ended earlier than I expected. Here, I got something for you-“

You now sat at the table with your mom. Joshua was in his room talking with Sans, while Blue and Papyrus were still upstairs. The plan was for when your mother began to get curious and ask questions, so they weren`t going to come out unless they had to.

Now your mother handed you a bracelet. It was made of silver, you guessed… and had a shimmering pearl dangling from it.

“Cute. Where`d you get it?”

“Well, I got it from a friend of mine. It`s supposed to keep monsters away, you know.”

...What?

“…Uh, why would I need to, Ma?”

“Isn`t it obvious? You`re hurt-“

“I`m fine now, as you can see-“

“Don`t interrupt me. You`re not fine, just because you`re out of the cast doesn`t mean you`re strong enough. Anyway, you know what the experts say. That monsters prey on the weak.”

You winced. It was a good thing your mom didn`t know how you got the cut, she might have put you in a safehouse if she knew you had gotten that from being attacked. By a pair of dog monsters.

“That` s a load of lies-“

“No it`s not. I heard that a friend of mine almost got robbed by rogue monsters too, the poor thing…”

There was no arguing with your mom if she was like this. Shit, change of plans.

“Okay, fine, I`ll put it on. Thanks. It`s pretty.”

“You`re welcome. Oh, how`s Joshua doing, by the way? Is he here now?”

“Yeah. Uh, he`s busy doing schoolwork.”

“Hmph. Why aren`t you doing yours?”

“Ma, I told you, this semester-“

“Yes, I know. But still, won`t you have to at least flip through the books? How are you going to continue your studies if you forget anything-“

“I won`t forget, Ma-“

“Y/n.”

“Jeez, okay, I get it! I get it. I`ll look at the books.”
Not.

“Good. Have you got something to eat, by the way? I`m feeling a bit hungry.”

“Sure, Ma. You want some tacos? Or spaghetti? We have pizza, too-”

“Tacos and spaghetti? Pizza? No wonder you`re looking… heavier than usual.”

“Ma!”

“What? It`s true, you`ll get overweight if you carry on with that drastic food that boy gives you.”

“Ma, Joshua has a name. It`s Joshua.”

“Anyway. Do you even have greens?”

“Yes.”

“Not very convincing. Forget it, I won`t be having any tacos or spaghetti or whatever. So, tell me, how`ve you been doing?”

“Wow, thought you`d never ask,” You muttered under your breath.
The meeting must have been awful or something, your mom felt much grumpier than usual. Or maybe you were just missing out.

“Your attitude is making me pained. You`ve been doing any work lately?”

Shit, the unwanted question.

“Nah, I`m planning to continue with my studies, so I guessed getting a job just won`t do for… six months of a break.”

“Then what are you planning to do for six months?”

Fuck, the very much unwanted question.

“I… I`m planning to rest? Get some steam off?”

Your mother sighed as she laced her fingers together.

“That`s such a waste of time. Really? Just sitting around and doing nothing?”

“I- I`ll flip through some books, Ma, I said I would! And I`ll uh, maybe start writing again?”

“…I don`t like it. But I`m sure you`ll make the right choice, I`ll leave you to it. Just promise me You`ll at least read through your biology from last semester-“

That`s not even ‘leaving you to it’.

“Okay, Ma. Jeez.”
You sighed. Ugh, how longer did you have to put up with this??

“Well, I hope you find something healthy to cook up for morning.”

Wait. Waiiiiiit. WAAAAIIIIITTTTT.

“Wh-What are you saying? Morning? I get it, Ma, I`ll have a healthy breakfast from now o-“

“You know what I`m saying. I`m staying here. For two days. I hope Joshua won`t mind, will he?”

“You should`ve asked me first!”

“You`re my daughter!”

“That doesn`t mean you can barge into my house like that!”

“Since when was this your house?”

“I- Wha- I can`t even figure out how to respond to that Ma, what about Joshua?!” You spluttered.
You were fuming.

“He won`t mind! I`ll be sleeping in your room-“

“How do you know if he won`t mind?! And why do you think I`ll be letting you sleep in my room???!!!”

“I`m your mother!! Y/n, for god`s sake!”

“Didn`t I state very clearly that didn`t just let you do things?!”

“Whatever. My flight isn`t until Saturday, I`m staying Thursday and Friday.”

“You are so rude.”

“Don`t speak to me like that.”

“It`s true.”

“Y/n L/n! Your attitude is getting out of-“

“OKAY! Okay!!! Stay for two nights, whatever! And leave! I`m not a baby anymore, please ASK me next time! Or just don`t make a next time at all!!!”

You stood up to stomp to your room- and stopped.
As much as you hated to sit with your now angry mother, if you just hid in your room, it was a matter of time before your mother found out about the skeletons. And if she did, it wasn`t going to be pretty.
You closed your eyes and breathed slowly through your teeth. One… Two… Three…

“Fine. My room is this way, Ma, follow me.”

“Do you think you can just-“

“I`m sorry for yelling, Mother, now, this way.”

You reluctantly escorted your seething mother to your room.
Thank god you cleaned it up the other day.

You opened the door and pushed your mother inside, a little too eagerly.

“I`ll be sleeping in the spare room, stay here and don`t come out, Joshua might bring some friends and-“

“Gay friends?”

“No, Ma-“

“Can`t you tell him not to-“

“MA.”

“Jesus, Y/n! I do not like you hanging around with homosex-“

“Don`t be like that, please. And I said, they are not gay.”

You hurriedly closed the door with a last glimpse of your mom unpacking her suitcase. Thank god, at least she brought her own clothes…

“Josh! Mate, I need you. Quick.”

You desperately whispered at his door, your ears straining to hear if your mother came out of the room. She probably wouldn`t she would be too busy nosing around in your stuff to check on your private business. But still it would be a disaster if she did come out, and you were frightened.

“What`s the matter? Something wrong?”

“It`s my mom.”

“Guessed so-“

“It`s serious. She- she gave me this charm, saying it`ll… protect me from monsters.”

Joshua froze.

“Shit. Change of plans.”

“Change of plans.” You agreed.

Now Sans, Blue, and Papyrus were all cooped up as well, all disguised to be Joshua`s ‘patients’. There was no better option. Even further, you put them all together in the largest room, which was Edges. At least that way you could at least convince her the rooms were empty by showing her the empty ones.

“so how long are we staying like this again?”

“Two days, I guess. I- I`ll be taking her out, I`m sorry, guys… Really…”

Stretch kissed your forehead as he retreated into the darkness of Edge`s black room. You could make out to pinpricks of red as Red stared at you with and annoyed expression.

“it ain`t got nothing to do with you, darling. see ya.”

You closed the door, heaving a sigh.

Shit… You hated this situation. Ugh, now your mother was probably going to monitor your life and nose around you for 48 hours. Oh, how you wished for Saturday to come. You were going to miss the movie nights… even if it wasn`t for just two days.

You opened the door to your room. Your mother, like you had expected, was shamelessly flipping through your notebooks.

“Ma, don`t touch my stuff.”

“I see you are doing well. What`s your laptop password?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, don`t you think I should know the password to my daughter`s laptop?”

“No?”

“Come on, Y/n, it`s your mom. We have no secrets, right?”

No.

“Being my mom ain`t gonna tell you my password.”

“…I swear, Joshua is inflicting a bad influence on you.”

“Don`t even start, Ma. Please. I want to spend the next two days happily.”

“That hurts.”

“Good,” You mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I`m sorry.”

Fuck. When was this going to end?

You decided not to sleep. You were good at that, and you had to stay guard if you didn`t want your mom suddenly deciding to wake up and snoop around the house.

You dragged a chair to the hall in front of your room, trying not to make a lot of noise. Your mother was- at least, for now- sound asleep on your bed. You plopped down on the chair and opened your laptop.

It had been a while since you had check your laptop, you had so much going on the last few days with the skellies around.
15 unread messages… from Rick.
Rick… You had to settle this somehow. But how? Now?
At least… At least you could read the messages. Show him that you didn`t just close up on him.

* babes, you doing alright?
* i haven`t heard from u lately
* I miss you…
* msg me back when you see this
* Busy?
* great news, i got promoted
* not even bothering huh
* no worries i get that you`re busy
* but msg me back ok
* I miss you babycakes
And so on.

Okay… maybe just an acknowledgement that you`re alive. And doing well.

* hi its me I`m doing fine so no worries mate

…No. This was… this was rude for him as well as Stretch.
At least not over a message box.

* we have to meet sometime, i got a lot to say

Okay.
You clicked the message box shut before he read it. You didn`t want to talk about it just now…
You`d arrange it later.

You turned on a movie that you had given Red and Edge. You had missed out on that movie night… and you hoped they had enjoyed it. Maybe get some education on human sex. By the way Stretch had no idea about it, you assumed they would, too.
The movie started, and music rang in your left ear. Your left Airpod was in your ear, but you had taken off the right one just in case. You needed your ears free to hear if your mom woke up.
Could it be bad for the machine? You wondered with a grimace as you hesitated with the Airpods case open. Nah, it will do.

Mm, the movie was hot and good. Nice. You weren`t even sleepy… You could do two nights. Three nights, actually. You just needed some naps while Joshua took care. Perfect.

The movie was almost finished when you heard a rustle behind you. The stairs? Who was it?

You paused the movie and stood to turn around. It was Red, sneaking down the stairs.
His sockets locked with yours, and he opened his mouth, only to stop as you put a finger to your lips with your eyes wide.

You popped in the earphones and closed the laptop, setting it down on the chair. You tiptoed to the stairs.

“What do you need?” You whispered.

“i- i didn`t know y`would be awake.”

“Yeah, just keeping an eye on Ma.”

“damn. yeah, uh, i needed something` to drink, s`all.”

“Okay. Uh, stay in your room, I`ll get it for you.”

Red`s sockets widened.

“ya okay with that?”

“Sure, why wouldn`t I be? C`mon, go upstairs, don`t want Ma seeing you.”

“…sure.” Red turned and quietly climbed up the stairs.

You rubbed your eyes as you opened the fridge quietly. Water… mustard, just in case.
The clock indicated it was half past four. Wow, the time went fast, you had to stay alert for just a few more hours.

You tiptoed up the stairs with the water bottle in your arms and the mustard bottle in one hand. You had brought a large bottle for the water, for the other skeletons.
You could hear your mother`s muffled snoring through the door. Good, she was sleeping deeply.
You creaked open the door to Edge`s room.
Pitch dark…

“Hey, I got water, can anybody turn on a light?”

A red glow lit up at one corner.
It was Red, his hand encased in a soft crimson glow.

“thanks. uh, the others are sleepin`.”
He approached you with cautious steps over dark figures.

You handed Red the mustard bottle, and set the water bottle down on the floor beside you.
Sure enough, the others were sleeping. The figures Red had stepped around were, you could make out, Blue and Stretch. On the other corner was Sans. In the middle of the room, Papyrus was sprawled out on a mattress. At the far back end, Edge was curled up in a deep sleep.
You smiled as you could see Blue reaching out a sleepy hand to put it over Stretch`s chest. The guys… the brotherly love.

“yeah, uh, i`ll take care here, ya get down there an keep an eye on… your parent.”

“`Kay. Yeah. Um. Uh, take care.”
You turned to open the door.

“i appreciate the mustard.”

You glanced back to see Red glancing back at you with softened sockets.

“No problem.” You smiled as you stepped out and closed the door behind you.
Oh, you were going to cook up something nice for these guys after your mom had gone, you felt a strong urge to make up to the boys.

You smirked as you wondered how your mother would react to this thought. Probably mad.

You descended the stairs back to your post at the chair. Thank god, your mother was still snoring in her deep sleep.

Ugh… Just two more days, you could do this, you can do this…

Blue

Blue was worried.

Stretch seemed fine on the outside… But when he was sleeping, Blue could see how he turned in his sleep, how the space between his shut sockets scrunched up. How his phalanges clawed at his chest with every movement.

The orange soul in Stretch`s ribcage was not looking good. The soul was a little leaning to the heavy side opposite from where the chip was. Around the chip, the orange glow was darkening like a bruise.
Blue edged a tiny bit closer to Stretch.
The glow… He could see the unnatural orange glow through his shirt. A glow he had seen for so long, but not in… not in this state. Not like this.

What was wrong? Stretch seemed more than happy around you. He shined a smile whenever you were around. You were like the sun to him-

Blue`s thoughts were cut short as the door creaked open. His soul froze in his chest- and he instinctively shut his sockets close in an attempt to fake sleep.

It was you- Blue could smell it. He relaxed a bit.
At least it wasn`t that horrible woman you called Ma.

“Hey, I got water, can anybody turn on a light?”

Then Blue jerked his sockets open as he could hear a thump next to his skull.

Stars… It was Stretch`s soul.
And it was not a favorable sight.

The orange, lopsided heart seemed to feel your voice. It danced and quivered at your voice. It repeatedly rammed into Stretch`s ribcage, bleeding orange smoke from the chip. The orange tendrils reached towards your way before dissipating.

Blue shifted his head to look at you. Were you doing some kind of magic?

No.
You were not.

You were… frighteningly oblivious, you and your soul. How… how could you?

Blue glanced back with his soul wrenching in pain, down at Stretch`s orange, bleeding soul ramming frantically against his ribs… weakly reaching its tendrils of smoke towards your motionless, calm soul. It wasn`t even buzzing back at the desperate, uneven hums Stretch`s soul was making.

It just… it just stood there in its proud silvery form.
The orange bulge on the side was too uncomfortable to watch.

Stretch`s soul whined as it rubbed against his ribs, facing your answerless soul.

Blue tried to choke back a sob as he reached out one trembling hand to put it over Stretch`s ribcage… maybe it would blind his soul from yours…

Chapter Text

You blinked your bleary eyes as an alarm went off in your room.

You had watched three movies straight, and now you didn`t even feel like you were living in a real world. Seriously, your head was still humming with the Marvel theme…
But what could be more unreal than your mother waking up with six skeletons huddled above her on the second floor?

You hurried into your room to see your mother up and squeezing the toothpaste tube over her toothbrush.

“Morning, Ma.”

“Mm. Good morning. I`ll be out today with Joshua, call me if you need me.”

Huh?

“Out? Where?”

“Joshua wanted to show me around his colleague`s facility. We had a talk yesterday, I`m thinking it might serve as a workplace for you to gain some experience in the future.”

“Um. Yeah, okay. Great. Uh, I`ll stay home, text me if anything, okay?”

You hurried out the door with your mother entering the bathroom behind you.
Was… Was Joshua serious?

You climbed up the stairs, heading towards Joshua`s room. Really, you would totally understand if he wanted to sabotage your mom…

“Hey, morning, fam.”

“Fam? What-“ Joshua started to laugh as you creaked the door open to his room. He was pulling on his shirt.

“Careful, Ma might freak out if she saw you and me together shirtless.”

“Hmm. Nah, i still have my trousers on.”

You giggled and pushed him playfully as he leaned down to hug you.

“Um. Guess she told you about me taking her out.” Joshua murmured into your shoulder before pulling away.

“Yeeeeaaaahh… Why on Earth would you do that? I mean, I`d understand if you wanted to take her somewhere quiet and leave her without a clue where she-“

“Haha, maybe, but not quite. What she said is true- I`m just taking her out to take a look around Brian`s facility. You know he`s quite the powerful man, I`m guessing your mom`ll be cooperative. You and the guys do need a break from her- and I know you haven`t got any sleep standing your night shift at her door.”

Joshua made a smile at you.
And it was fucking beautiful.

“You`re the best, man. I love you.” You leaped into Joshua`s arms for a hug. Jesus, this guy… He was just too good for you. It wasn`t an easy feat, taking your mother on for a whole day…

“I love you too, honey. I`ll get ready now, stay safe with the guys, kay?”

“Sure. Um, I really appreciate it. Really.”

“I know, hun. See ya.” Joshua waved over his back as you turned to enter the hallway.
Great.
Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus Christ, man, it had been a single day, and you were already this excited to spent time with your skeleton friends instead of your own mother.
Couldn`t blame yourself, though… Although your mother considered your studying abroad a better chance of education, you had agreed to do it mainly because it meant you could live away from her. And you had spent the best two years of your life so far.

You leaped down from the stairs, caught by a new energy. A day without Ma! The less the merrier, you snickered under your breath.
Your mom was just appearing from your room, fully dressed, as you bounded towards her.
She was always a fast shower and a fast dresser.

“Enjoy your trip, Ma! Um, I`ll make dinner for you, so don`t bother to get any weird groceries, okay?”

“I`m not eating if you make pizza!” Your mother yelled over her shoulder as she headed towards the front door.

“I won`t!” You shouted back as you climbed up the stairs, nodding gratefully at Joshua as he brushed past you fully dressed as well.

You practically leaped into Edge`s room as soon as you heard the front door click downstairs. Mom was OUT!

“GUYS!! Ma is out, get some air!”
At the sound of your voice, Stretch and Blue stirred from the corner of the room. Sans was still sound asleep at the other corner, and Red was also sprawled on his bed. Damn… these guys slept like rocks. And Edge- Papyrus- where-
Edge emerged from the bathroom. It was… the first time you had seen him in a shirt and jeans, not his black and red battle garments.

“Lookin` good, Edge. Jeans suit your long legs.” You couldn`t help but compliment. His legs were pretty long… you hadn`t noticed it inside his large boots.

“…THANK YOU.” Edge huffed after a moment of silence. Hmm. Can`t take a compliment, huh? You made a mental note to make compliments. A lot.

“Hey, where`s Papyrus?” You asked Sans, who was now sitting up and palming his bleary sockets. Sans held up one sleepy finger to point at Red- Jesus, was Red sleeping on Papyrus??
Beneath Red, Papyrus was sleeping in a vampire pose. You shuddered a little at how close he looked to a real, dead skeleton with his arms folded on his chest like that. How did he even maintain that pose with Red on top of him?

You tiptoed your way to the bed where Red and Papyrus were sleeping. Edge`s room was so dark, they probably didn`t know it was morning. Well, time to wake `em up.

You leaned down to hear Red`s deep breathing. Snoring? Close, close… then you smushed his cheeks together with your hands. Ho, boy! Did their bones have a little give? It wasn`t rock hard like you thought they would be.

Red`s sockets flew open and his eyelights rolled around frantically before pinpointing on your own eyes. You laughed and let go.

“Time to wake up, Mustard.”

Red reluctantly sat up and palmed his sockets, just like Sans.

“did`ja jus` call me mustard? and mashed my face?” He muttered, seeming annoyed by the light in his sockets as he blinked.

“Mmhmm. Mom`s out, I guessed you guys might want some air. And some food. I`ll fix you up breakfast soon.” You hummed happily as you patted Papyrus`s shoulder, waking up from his vampire sleep.

“sounds great, darling.” You glanced behind your shoulder to see Stretch awake and yawning hugely. You stared into the void behind his teeth for a second before it snapped shut. Blue was blinking away his sleep beside him.

“Yup! You guys want to play games after breakfast?”

Stretch hugged you closer to his chest as you wiggled in his grasp to reach for the shaker of salt.

“Lemme go, I gotta cook,” You giggled as he nuzzled into the back of your neck.”

“mmm, you ain`t you`re gonna cuddle with me, darling.”

He nipped playfully on your bare neck, making you yelp and giggle more.

“i missed you, y/n…”

You smiled as Stretch sighed contentedly. His sweet breath tickled your ear.

“It`s been a day, Stretch.”

“i know, i know… but a day`s too long without you. and… we didn`t get a chance to shower as well.”

You cleared your throat in embarrassment as you felt the flush creeping up to your cheeks. To be honest, you missed them too. Probably more than he did.

“Ditto, baby. Well, we aren`t getting that chance when Ma`s here, so… c`mere, you naughty monster!”

You laughed, whirling around to pull a startled Stretch into your arms. The pots behind you clattered on the counter as you slammed against it, yanking Stretch into a deep kiss. Stretch made a little moan in the back of his throat.

His tongue had materialized in your mouth as well… Mm. Honey. Sweet. You sucked at his tongue, making him whimper.

“Hah… you like that?” You mumbled around the caramelly sweetness.

“mm…” Was all Stretch could manage as his shaking hands fluttered around your waist at a loss for where to go.
Mm. These guys didn`t have a clue… Of course. No humans in the Underground.
More fun, right?

You guided his hands in yours up to your chest.
Stretch pulled away from you, startled, his sockets hazy with giddy pleasure.

“we`re- we`re not in the shower-“

“Shh. Who says you can`t touch over clothes?” You laughed as you squeezed his hesitating bony hands to the flesh of your chest.
Stretch looked down at his fingers in wonder, clenching his teeth as he flexed his fingers around the plumpness.

“so soft, darling, you`re so soft,” He whispered as he leaned in to nuzzle your neck.

You smiled, closing your eyes as his gently squeezing fingers roamed your chest.
Ah… feels so good. You haven`t felt this way since-

“WHAT KIND OF GAMES ARE WE PLAYOOOOHHHH-“

Your thoughts cut short as your eyes flew open to see Papyrus frozen at the entrance of the kitchen. Stretch`s fingers flew off your body, and he jumped nearly a meter back.

“I- UM- I- I- I- I`LL GO CHECK MY ROOM!”

Papyrus darted out of sight.

You stared at the spot where he disappeared.
Then you started laughing like crazy.

Stretch was blushing so hard you were sure he`d turn into a real orange.

“what are you laughing for?!”

“I- it`s hilarious- Ha- Oh, I can`t breathe-“

Stretch crossed his arms and huffed.

“Why are you acting so shy anyway, it`s not like he haven`t seen-“

Realization dawned on you.
They, in fact, haven`t seen anything like this.

“Oh. Um. Well. I mean, you and I are soulmates, innit? We can do whatever we want… okay, maybe a little less publicly next time, shy boy.” You laughed as Stretch glowed even deeper.

“well, things like that are… very private in the underground.”

“Oh? Oh yeah, I`ve always been curious about how you guys… um, do it.”

Sex education time.
But to be honest, you were a little curious. Okay, very curious. If Stretch became this shy about touching you a little, then no wonder you haven`t heard about monster sex anywhere in public. How was it like? From what you had gathered from Stretch`s oblivion to your body parts, you were sure it wasn`t quite like what humans had.

Stretch grinned, then puckered his teeth together in what resembled a thinking pout.

“maybe later, darling. don`t wanna spoil the facts without… demonstration.”

You gasped indignantly.

“Not fair! Well, I`m not telling you how human sex works, too!”

“i have the internet, you know…”
Stretch wiggled his brows at you. How dare he. Unfair.

“Not fair.” You pouted, and turned back to your cooking.

“far or not, i`m going to have to explain this to papyrus… my brother will be scolding me for days if he tells on me.”

You laughed at the image of Blue pacing around a mortified Stretch. Stretch leaned over your shoulder to peck you in the cheek before turning around to walk away.

This… this is how it should be. Without your mother. Safe and happy.

Still…

A nagging doubt, the reason to its existence unknown, whispered at the back of your mind.

You`re not worth it. Not yet.

Go away. Go away.

Sans

Sans leaned back on the couch, palming his aching head.

Too much work… He needed to sleep more. Be the lazybones he really is once in a while.
But he could not stop.

He knew there were more coming… If the solution wasn`t presented fast, then the stream would continue on endlessly. It had slowed down considerably, thanks to Joshua-

Joshua. Ugh.

Sans palmed the ridge between his sockets. He didn`t- he couldn`t even start on Joshua. Joshua… That kid really needed to find answers, how was he even able to continue on living the life he had right now?

The image of Joshua`s deep red soul danced in front of Sans`s shut sockets. Too much determination. Too much dark. Mingled in with the scents of strange, old men now Sans knew the origin of. For the love of Asgore- That determination would be the death of that kid someday.

He was much like Frisk in… many ways.

Sans heaved himself up to his feet.
No time to waste, he had too many important matters to tend to. Joshua had stated very clearly that he didn`t want Sans to nose around in his business. And no matter how much Sans hated that, Sans didn`t want to fight over his privacy. That would be something your mom would do.

He had too many important matters to tend to, he reminded himself tiredly.

Now, he was intent on finding out the reason to the imbalance between Stretch`s soul and yours.

Sans was very much attached to Stretch in many ways.
Stretch resembled his own brother in looks, and resembled Sans himself in everything else.
The two could read each other`s minds with a shared glance, they could read the other like a book, they could pun each other to the death.

Yet, one difference was that Stretch could not see souls if they were inside the body… And Sans knew he was still oblivious to the problem.
Sans intended to fix it before Stretch realized that his bond with you was an abnormal one.

It didn`t seem to get any better, maybe only worse. Sans had noticed the way Stretch`s soul went berserk around your presence. Stretch was pulled towards you without even realizing, he couldn`t stay away from you. He was practically motionless and limp for the whole twelve hours cooped in Edge`s room without you. And it was getting worse.

At this rate, Sans thought with a grimace, he would come to a point where he`d be following you around like a shadow. And that was not what a healthy soul bond looked like.

He… He did know one way to fix the balance.

With force.

But Sans wasn`t sure if you would live through it.

Sans`s palms kneaded the bit of skull just above his brow. Fuck…

Edge

Edge was starving.

He regretted not eating his portion of food the last night. He wasn`t in the mood to eat then, but now his nonexistent stomach was growling for content.
Were you cooking? He really needed your delicious food… Something to eat, please.

Edge briskly turned the corner into the kitchen.

And to his horror, you were… were you crying? Over the sink?
At Edge`s footsteps, you turned too quick, almost stepping over yourself.

“I- um, got a bit of onion in my eyes, uh- you`re hungry, right? I`ll fix you up-“

“YOU`RE SNIFFLING, HUMAN. IT`S UNHYGIENIC.”

Edge pulled out a tissue from the tissue box and swiftly muffled your startled yelp by slapping it to your running nose. You rolled your eyes at him, but took the tissue. Of course, she would be grateful for the Great and Terrible Edge`s kindness.
And that should stop her inconvenient runny human nose.

“I AM STARVING. YOU MUST BE TOO. BUT OBVIOUSLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING ELSE… BOTHERING YOU TO MAKE YOU DISTRACTED FROM COOKING.”

You were always very focused when you were cooking.

“TELL ME. I AM GREAT AT PROPOSING SOLUTIONS, THERE IS NOTHING I CANNOT HANDLE.”

You laughed half-heartedly. Why? It was true, Edge was great at solving problems. Nothing a little force could do… and if this puny human was too weak for it, Edge could always help his roommate.

“It`s… it`s quite personal, I guess. You won`t be very interested. I`m just being a baby over it.”

“WELL, IF THAT IS THE CASE, YOU SHOULDN`T BE! LIKE UNDYNE HAD ALWAYS SAID, YOU MUST FACE YOUR PROBLEMS HEAD-ON.”

“Yeah. Um. Thanks for the advice, big boy, uh, yeah. Say, you must be starving. Sit right there, I`ll cook up some stuff.”

You seemed in a hurry to change the subject. And Edge knew that you weren`t, in fact, very thankful for the advice.
Well, if you were going to be like that, then be it! You will regret not listening to him later.

“VERY WELL.”

Edge huffed and sat down on one of the chairs at the table. He clicked his phalanges in an uneven rhythm on the smooth wood.

Ugh.

Ugh.

Ugh, he could not take it any longer!

“HUMAN! I… I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS!”

You glanced back, surprised.
Edge felt a flare of deep crimson warm his cheekbone for a second. He… He didn`t mean to yell it out like that.
You laughed that half-hearted, cracked laugh again.

“It`s been less than a minute since you said very well, mister.:

“I AM JUST NOT VERY FOND OF CRYING, THAT IS ALL. IT PAINS ME TO… SEE A ROOMMATE CRY.”

“Oh, are you worried? For me? Sweetie.”

“NO!! I AM JUST MORTIFIED TO LIVE WITH SOMEONE SO WEAK!”

Of course! Of course?

“Well, Edgelord, it`s really nothing. Like I said, I`m just being a big baby.”

Edge remained silent. He fixed one displeased socket on your face… hoping you`d get the message.
That Edge was not convinced.

You sighed.

“Okay, Edge. I`m just… I had a- not very pleasant youth, okay? So now, with my mom around, I`m just not feeling very cheerful. Bad memories. I`m supposing you get the idea?”

“IS IT THAT BAD? TO MAKE YOU CRY?”

Edge had his healthy portion of bad times.
And he knew that the usual bad memory once in a while couldn`t be the reason to make you cry.
Now Edge crossed his arms in deep thought as he stared at your tiny back that looked even smaller than before.
It swiveled side to side as you busied your hands by chopping up vegetables.

“Mm. Let`s just put it… as a trauma. Really, nothing you can do about it.”

…No.

“YOU COULD ALWAYS FIGHT IT.”

You stopped your busy hands.

“I don`t think I can.”

“WHY?”

“How can you fight what`s already long gone in the past?”

Now you had turned, knife still in hand, your face looking more tired than ever as you raised your dull eyes to meet Edge`s sockets.
He could hear a quiet buzz in his soul as he recognized that expression.

“IT`S A TACTIC. THE GOAL IS TO… ELIMINATE THE REASON TO YOUR REASONLESS FEAR.”

Your eyes took on a quizzical expression.

“I`m not getting it.”

“CONFRONT YOUR MOTHER.”

“What?”

“YOU JUST SAID YOUR MOTHER REMINDED YOU OF BAD MEMORIES. NO WONDER, I HEARD HOW SHE TALKED TO YOU THROUGH THE FLOOR.”

“You heard all that?”

“YES. NOW, WHEN SHE COMES BACK, YOU CONFRONT HER. YOU TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL. YOU DO THAT, YOU LISTEN TO HER GOING SPEECHLESS, AND LEARN THAT SHE NO LONGER HOLDS CONTROL OVER YOU.”

You were silent. Your expression was unreadable as you stared at Edge.
Edge began to grow a little uncomfortable.

“THEN MAYBE YOU`LL BE ABLE TO STEP OUT OF WHATEVER FROM THE PAST THAT IS OBVIOUSLY NAGGING YOU. STOP BEING- UGH, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!”

Now Edge was feeling very uneasy. He could feel beads of magic forming on his skull as you stared at him with that same unreadable expression.

A painful moment of silence passed.
What was he scared of? He was just giving you advice! Good advice! Good- Good advice…?

Edge was beginning to question if he had said the wrong things- something he had never done before- when you opened your mouth.

“You know what? I`m going to do just that. Thanks, Edge.”

And you turned from him with a manic grin playing on your lips. It was small… but Edge was sure he had seen right when he noticed the curve of your mouth as you started chopping again.

And he was sure about spotting that tiny red spark that winked at him for a split second from your chest. Mm, getting determined, huh?
Edge couldn`t see souls, but he did know you were very, very determined if your soul had actually sparked so hard it showed outside of you.

Good. The Great and Terrible Edge, again, solving another problem for the weak, tiny human.

Edge thrusted out his chest in pride as he sat waiting for his food.

Chapter Text

Your mother came home faster than you liked… Even before you finished the boss fight with Red and Blue.

“YOU HAVE TO MAKE A JUMP THERE- AUGH, I`M GONNA DIE, RED-“

RINGGGGGGGG

Blue and Red froze with their controllers still in hand. The TV monitor made a sad pew-pew-pew-pew as both of their characters died.

“WE`LL GO!!” Yelled Blue as he frantically untangled his legs from the blankets on the sofa- But you stopped him.

“Nah, I`m telling my mother you guys can stay here-“
You were cut short by Red who stood to his feet.

“not too fast, lady. it`s jus` two days- one day now, innit?”

He grabbed Blue`s arm and briskly pulled him upstairs, leaving you open-mouthed and staring dumbly at the staircase where he had disappeared.
The cushions and the blanket were still pooled around at your feet. Oh, you should put them away-

RIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Someone`s fist pounded at the door.

“OKAY! Coming!!!” You dashed to the front door and opened it to see your mom and Joshua, looking quite… happy.
…Oh? Well, Joshua hadn`t been joking about being able to handle your mother, after all.

“I got dinner ready,” You muttered sourly.

Red had been right. If they had really stayed, you would probably be frozen in a panicked mess right now with your mother in front of you.
You had been in her grasp, as much as you had to admit, for many years now- That was not going to change in a matter of hours. Maybe if there was an event shocking enough- but playing games were not that kind of event.

“Good thing you did, I`m starving. Oh- Oh my goodness, what`s all this mess??”

Your mother`s hand flew to her chest as she took in the sight of the tangled blankets on the sofa.
You sighed, resisting a strong urge to roll your eyes.

“It`s okay, Ma, I was just playing games-“

“Games?! I thought you were out of that stage now, doing nothing, playing games-“

“Ma, I`ve made dinner. And it`s not what you would call a ‘stage’, playing games-“

“Don`t even start-“

“Don`t even start yourself-“

“Where have your manners gone?!”

“Well, apparently I haven`t any, thanks to the person who brought me up-“

Your words cut short as your head whipped back from a stinging, sudden force to your cheek. Your mother was red and seething- her hand was out where she had slapped you. You weren`t surprised, though, you knew it was coming. A bit of a bargain, that was… Still, you felt good saying that to her face.
Joshua stood in a rigid pose behind your mother, not making a sound. You were pretty sure he had been expecting this, though. That was confirmed when you saw his dull expression, as if to say Not again.

“Talk, Ma, don`t punch,” You grumbled, retreating from your mother to pick up the cushions on the floor.

Your mother stalked her way to the kitchen with her small bag clutched in one hand, fuming.

Joshua gingerly stepped towards you and leaned down. He gently took your face in one hand and angled your cheek to see where your mom had hurt you. Hm, concern? You didn`t need that, this was nothing.

“You look fine, I guess… maybe a small bruise?”

“Nah, wasn`t that strong. Say, she looked like she was in a good mood before, that, how`d you guys do?”

“Mm, nothing much.” Joshua took a step and plopped down on the sofa with a small poff.

“She was… I guessed she was thrilled to meet Brian. Meh, he did dress up nicely. I `m under the impression she wants to hook you up with him.”

You nearly spat. Typical of your mother- but really? When she knew you were technically dating Rick?
And this shocked you even more due to the fact that you were now in a very close relationship with Stretch.

“And you let her tell Brian that??”

“Nah, you know who I am. I did manage to block her when she tried to tell him about her daughter- just saying that she tried to. Might harass you later on… I might as well warn you, don`tcha think?”

Joshua picked up a corner of the blanket that was slowly sliding off the sofa. His fingers brushed at the frayed edges.

“I appreciate that. Okay, yeah… Stretch isn`t going to like it.”

You glanced up at Joshua`s face- to see it frozen in horror, staring at you. No, not you, behind you.

You slowly turned to face your mother, her hands on her hips, her abominable frilly purse dangling at her side.

“Who in hell is Stretch?”

“I told you, it`s just a nickname for Rick.”

Goodness, you felt so bad by just saying that. Despite your efforts, your mother did not seem convinced.

“Rick isn`t tall.”

“Being called Stretch doesn`t necessarily mean he`s tall.”

“Is that so?”

“Very much so.” You matched your mother`s sarcastic tone, and she narrowed her eyes- probably trying to figure out if you were being rude or not.
Joshua kept silent. His hands were busy at the counter of the kitchen, preparing the food.

You felt a little pang in your chest for Joshua. One was enough to suffer.

“Speaking of Rick, where is he now? Do you two have a decent relationship?”

“I dunno, haven`t seen him a while.”

“Good, I never liked him. Meet someone new. Maybe try and get married-“

Jesus, not again. You threw up your hands in exasperation as your mother waved her hands in the air, opening her mouth probably to talk about how you need a decent man to take care of you.

“Ma, I am not going to get married, at least not any sooner.”

“But you need a family! You know what they say-“

“I don`t, and I probably won`t agree.” You cut her words more harshly than you usually did. Your mother narrowed her eyes in anger.

Well, you had a reason to be angry as well. That was enough, really… you had already done so much, telling her Stretch was a nickname for Rick, telling her you were not going to get married- those were enough lies, and far too much rudeness towards Stretch.

“I`m just trying to get you in a healthy relationship.”

“I told you, I don`t need your help. I can deal with my own choices.”

“Look where your choices brought you now! Rick, with his insufferable ass-“ Your mother`s voice was rising in a way you were desperate to yank away from your eardrums.

“That`s quite enough, Ma.” You lowered your voice to warn her.
It was a silent promise between you and your mother, something the two of you had developed during the many years of endless fighting.

But this time, Mother was not backing down.

“You don`t like Rick as much as I do, and you know it! If you`re staying with him for your sexual pleasure like a touch-starved-“
You sucked in a breath to start yelling-

CRACK!!!

A deafening crack accompanied the sudden vibration in the floor, silencing the both of you. You glanced at the ceiling, where flecks of dust floated down from the obvious impact from upstairs.
Joshua was frozen in his place in the kitchen.

Shit… were they listening?

“What was that?!” Your mother squeaked, head whipping around in surprise.

“Neighbors.”

Well, don`t blame me, you thought as you grimaced at your lame reply. You couldn`t think of anything better.

“I`m sure that sound came from above.” Your mother`s eyes did not leave the ceiling.
But it was silent and still.

“Nah. Maybe your mind playing tricks on you. Didn`t hear nothing from above, right, Joshua?”

“Mmhmm. Yeah.”
Joshua was quick to reply from the kitchen. Smart boy, his hands were already busy again.

Your mother reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the ceiling to focus on you instead.

“Well, anyway, like I was saying, you should really move on from that Rick boy. He`s been nothing to you except bad influences.”

Hmm. Partly agree, partly not. The not part just because… Ma.

“I`ll consider moving. But not moving on. Stop trying to hook me up with men you find fitting, it`s the twenty-first century, for god`s sake.”

“Oh, deary, I`ve lived many more years, you should listen to my advice!”
Your mother threw her hands up in exasperation.

You were sure you could hear muffled voices from upstairs… but decided to ignore it. They`d know better than to make a racket.

“Mmhmm! Is that so!”
You commented dryly. Ugh… Your head was starting to hurt. Please, god.

“Don`t even start with the sarcasm, you know I hate it when I-“

Okay. That was far over what counted as enough.

“What about me?!” You shouted.
Both your mother and Joshua in the kitchen froze.

You could swear you heard an approving growl from upstairs. Probably Edge.

“You hate it, then what about me?!”

Your mom stared at you, dumbfounded. Your chest swelled with vengeful pleasure at the sight of your mom while you shouted at her- but it died away as the shock on her features melted away to that of rage.
Suddenly you weren`t so confident anymore.

“What did you just say?” Your mother asked you coldly.

It was just like that first time when you had actually snapped back at your mother.

”And I told you over and over again that your phone is-“

“I SAID I`m using my phone for schoolwork! How am I going to download my files any way else if you`ve confiscated my computer?!”

Your delight from looking at your mother`s shocked face did not last long as your father appeared, his hair tousled from sleep, from his bedroom with… with a golf club.

“Honey, not the golf club!” Your mother yelled, clinging to him as he crashed towards you-

You darted in the bathroom, slammed the door, and locked it just before the impact of your father crashing into it made the hinges whine.

“You- fucking- how DARE you speak to your parents like that-“

Your mother`s screams and your father`s pounding at the door died away at the sound of blood pumping in your ears.
Better to die right here, right?
Your mother and your father will regret what they did. They`ll feel sorry, even! Maybe they`ll mourn over your body, wishing they had been more kind. More understanding.
Maybe they`ll realize that it was just too much for a 16-year old girl.

You held up the razor blade to your arm- The one Dad used to shave every morning-

And crashed to the floor in a frenzy of a panic attack as you fought for breath.
The razor blade clattered onto the moist tiles.

What if you didn`t manage to cut yourself enough to die? What if they broke down the door and managed to nurse you back to life?

Oh… what a hell of a life would you live if you failed at an attempt to die?

Worthless… useless piece of shit… not even good enough to die… can`t even kill yourself…

Ugh. You blinked the memory away.

Now you were not that sixteen-year old you used to be. You were stronger. Mom was not. She`s just an old woman standing in front of you. Spitting with rage that she couldn`t even control. A loser. A pathetic fucker- Oh, you weren`t feeling so good…

Okay, maybe your trauma had gotten to you.

“I hate you-“ You managed to choke out before darting into the bathroom.
You failed to even close the door before you started to retch your half-digested breakfast and lunch into the toilet. The powerful wrenches in your gut wracked your whole body, leaving you trembling and gasping for breath before the next heave came to fold over your frame. The toilet was searing cold on your desperate hands, and your knees hurt on the hard tiles.

Shit. Shit. Tears welled, blinding you, half from the rough vomiting forcing open your sore throat and half from mortification. Why did you have to have a panic attack in front of your mom?! When you were fucking fighting???!!!
You let out a garbled scream into the toilet as another heave wracked your body. You heard the door lock behind you. Great, were you so gross your mother was locking you in now? To vomit alone? Were you-

Your thoughts cut short as one hand carefully gathered your hair at your neck, and one more slowly rubbed circles into your heaving back.

“J-Joshua?” You panted, eyes too watery to see clearly.

“no, darling, it`s me,” Stretch`s voice cooed. Your heart did a little confused turn.

“What- What are you doing here? Ma`ll see you- you have-“

Your words cut short as another dry choke forced its way from your throat. Your stomach was empty now- not that it stopped your wrenching heaves. Stretch`s bony hand was at the small of your back again, rubbing firmly.

“shh. i locked the door, she won`t be coming in.”

As if called, there was a rapping knock at the bathroom door. Stretch`s hand on your back froze.

“Honey? Are you-“

“Go away,” You rasped. Boy, was your throat sore.

“What? I didn`t hear-“

“I said go away, I hate you! Do you really have to interrupt my panic attack as well? Isn`t my life enough for you to barge in?” Tears threatened to roll down your cheeks.
Stretch`s hand started to move again, and now he pulled you into a protective hug.

You could hear a small sigh, and the sound of footsteps shuffling away from the bathroom.

When the footsteps were completely gone, you turned to face Stretch.

God, he was beautiful, looking at you with that worried face-

“Stretch, leave, okay? Thanks for that, I`m okay now, I don`t want Ma catching you-“

“how did you survive? to live on until this point?” Stretch whispered.
Bright pale magic was pooling at the curving rim of his sockets. Oh. Oh god, oh god no…

“Oh, baby, don`t cry… I`m- I`m very blunt is all, I`m very, very blunt… I`m okay… Baby…”

It was now your turn to caress Stretch`s shoulders and his skull as he scooped you up in his long, sturdy arms. For his usually steady arms, they were… trembling, frighteningly, as they held you close to his chest.

“i don`t want to leave you here,” He whispered heavily into your ear.

“It`s fine,” You whispered back.

You pulled back from a reluctant Stretch- who now had two clementine trails of stained magic over his cheekbones. You bit your lower lip. Stretch didn`t have to see you like this, he didn`t have to go through this. You wiped the stains with the heel of your palm.

“Go, okay? Just one more night.”

Stretch`s brow furrowed in a frown. You crossed your arms.

“Say yes, honeyboy.”

“…okay.” Stretch muttered reluctantly before helping himself and you onto your feet.
You patted his arm with a smile.

“I`m okay. Really. Stronger than you think.”

Stretch looked down at you for a second before leaning in to nuzzle you gently.

“oh, my baby… my poor baby… my darling…” The words he choked out sent a tingle down your spine. So… so long since you were loved like this.

You wanted your mother to disappear.

“Look, Ma, you gotta leave.”

“Is it because of that panic attack?”

“Partly. Anyway, you gotta leave. You`re making me die inside.” You smiled grimly.

Your mother was now seated on one of the chairs at the table, her phone in hand. Joshua was in his room. Couldn`t blame him, you wouldn`t be around your mother if you could help it.

“Very well. I`m tired of this place.”

“Yeah. Uh. Good news.” You partly had been not expecting she would agree this fast.

“But you`re coming as well.”

Oh. Of course.
What did you fucking expect, this was fucking Ma you were talking to.

“No, I`m not.”

“Your panicking right there very clearly shows the bad influence Joshua and his friends as inflicting on you.”
Your mother was turning away from you, starting to stand up as if to say this conversation was over.
It was fucking NOT.

“No it does not! How- Haven`t you thought about yourself being the cause instead?”
Your mother stopped to glance around at you.

“Please. You`re acting like a child.”

“And you`re acting like a manipulative parent. Oh, wait, that`s not acting.”

“Y/n, how dare you-“

“Ma. You`re going to give me another panic attack. This is fucking endless.”

“Language.”

“What am I doing wrong? What have I ever done wrong? Why are you so pissed, so- so unsatisfied with me?” You wrung your hands.

Oh… you couldn`t even brace yourself when your mom opened her pursed lips.

“You are weak. You are helpless in dire situations. You don`t know how to take care of yourself, you get easily manipulated. You need supervision-“

“oh, shut up, ma.”

Both you and your mother whirled around to see the figure, clad in a black leather jacket and basketball shorts, his fake gold tooth winking from his grimacing grin. You could see Stretch jumping towards him- but was yanked back by a cyan-colored gloved hand behind the stairs.

“A monster! You are- a monster!” Your mother gasped, taking a step back.

“mm, they tend to call me that. no more than yer insufferable attitude, though, ma`am.”

Red wore an unreadable smirk on his poker-face teeth. He glanced towards your way and gave you an apologetic nod. Why was he apologetic- oh. Because she was your mother? Oh, Red, baby, you`re more than welcome. You grinned widely at him.

“Excuse me?!”

You couldn`t help but feel a little amazed at the fact your mother had enough spunk in her to look disgusted in front of this skeleton, who, at first sight, you would know was more than capable of snapping a neck with a flick of his wrist.

“tha girl`s stayin` with us, and yer leavin`. yer overstayin` yer welcome.”

“What- this is Y/n`s mother you are talking to, you freak! How dare you-”

Red was suddenly an inch away from your mother`s face. Her shrieking came to an abrupt halt.

“don`t seem like a mother ta me.” He was quiet, but the slight growl in his voice was unmissable.

Your mother gulped.
Then she whirled towards your way.

“Y/n! Is this- an acquaintance of yours?!”

“Yeah, he`s a good friend. He has a name, by the way-”

“Good friend?! Are you out of your mind?! That thing has clearly manipulated your mind with magic, can`t you see-“

“I know very well if my mind is fucking manipulated or not, and the only person in here who`s doing that shit to me is you, Ma.”

“Y/N! I`m your mother, say something, you can`t just let it degrade me-“

“Ma. Didn`t I tell you he has a name-“

You palmed the throbbing sides of your head. Your ears were ringing.

“Oh, you`re standing for him, huh? Well, let`s see if you stay that way when you`ve been hurt and raped by those primitive beasts-“

“That`s quite enough.”

“aren`tcha supposed ta be her momma? i never had kids, but i sure don`t think i`ll be talkin` ta `em that way-“
Red was now clearly angry. His smirk, which seemed permanent, was now strained into a menacing bare-toothed scowl. His gold tooth glinted in the shaft of setting sun from the windows. He was still straining against himself, you could see that as he sweated, not to yell or attack your mother. He was… That was far more than she deserved.

“Shut up, you freaky rapist-“

You hardly felt your self-control snap.

“YOU SHUT UP!! HOW DARE YOU!!”

You were surprised at your own volume as you sauntered up to your mother to shove her backwards.

“Don`t-“

You tugged her arm, making her stumble.

“Call-“

You dragged her to the front door. She stumbled along with little resistance, probably too shocked to move a finger.

“My friend-“

You slammed the front door open, and it whined on its hinges.

“A fucking rapist.”

The last word was hissed through your teeth as you shoved your mother out the door. She took a step back. The horror was obvious on her face.

“To be honest? I`d rather fuck him than any of the men you picked out for me all these years!”
You slammed her suitcase, which Red had silently passed you while you were busy pushing your mother`s ass out the door, down in front of her. Your mother covered her mouth with one hand. Her face was redder than Red`s expanded eyelights.

“And to make myself clear, I am dating a monster. He`s awesome. Don`t come back.”

“I`m telling your father-“

You slammed the door as hard as you can and locked it, making sure to do it extra roughly so she could hear the menacing CLICK of the lock banning her and her screams out of the house.

You turned, seething, to see Red, shocked. His mouth was open as he saw you brushing off your hands.

Then, unable to suppress it, you burst into a shrieking fit of manic laughter.

Okay, maybe you didn`t have to laugh that loud- But you wanted to make your point clear to your mother outside.
So just a bit louder.

* Y/n, you better apologize. Right now.

* lol blocking ya good day to you too

And done.

Oh… Your heart soared. Who knew being rude was so… thrilling? So exhilarating? Oh, you needn`t care about your father. You needn`t care about nothing. Oh, the sweetness of it all… Your hands trembled as you clawed at the manic smile on your face.
Oh… If you knew it would be this easy to get your mother out of the house, you would have done it earlier. Oh, the sheer pleasure…

Edge

“But you`re coming as well.”

The six skeletons, huddled around that thin spot on the floor, gasped in unison. Dammit, just when things were going well!! What was wrong?!
This was like an unpleasantly realistic horror movie.

Beads of orange magic was starting to collect on Stretch`s skull; his phalanges were scraping against the ground where he kneeled. Blue was wringing his hands with a worrisome face. Sans had a scowl- something the skeletons did not see often.

“What Do We Do?!” Papyrus whispered frantically.
“We Cannot Just Let Her Leave Like That!!”

“quiet, they`re saying something.” Sans`s low voice silenced everyone`s mutters.

“Your panicking right there very clearly shows the bad influence Joshua and his friends as inflicting on you.”

Sans and Stretch`s eye sockets both burst into flames and Papyrus had to squeeze their arms to sober them up. Stretch had already put one giant bone to the floor earlier- they could not risk another. Couldn`t blame them, though, Edge thought as he felt his own anger building.

What he had told you a few hours earlier, it had no effect at all. He could practically hear you scrunching up in fear of that old haggard… who was obviously dominating your youth and your mental. Ugh, if only she was not your mother, if only Edge was not a monster- Edge would happily crash through this floor to flatten that weak human under his feet.

“Please. You`re acting like a child.”

Stretch`s breathing was alarmingly rough and fast. He was fully sweating now, and Edge could see his sockets scrunched up as he repeatedly curled and uncurled his fingers. Edge was this angry already- he could only imagine what Stretch was going through, seeing his soulmate mistreated like this.

“And you`re acting like a manipulative parent. Oh, wait, that`s not acting.”

Blue let out a very undignified snort. One gloved hand flew to his mouth. But Edge couldn`t help but snicker a little himself, that was pretty good.

“Y/n, how dare you-“

“Ma. You`re going to give me another panic attack. This is fucking endless.”

Oh, yes, it was. Edge silently cheered you on. More harsh language, if possible- He was not a fan of swearing, but the situation called for it.

“Language.”

Ugh. Talk about spoilers.

“What am I doing wrong? What have I ever done wrong? Why are you so pissed, so- so unsatisfied with me?”

Sans grunted his agreement. He had his chin in his hands, listening with that constant scowl on his face. Edge shuffled on the floor- this position he was sitting in was almost uncomfortable as the situation. Almost.

“You are weak. You are helpless in dire situations. You don`t know how to take care of yourself-“

“that`s it.”

Edge turned around in shock as he saw his own brother snap his fingers and to dematerialize in a puff of bloodred smoke. Shit!!! What??!!
He wasn`t expecting this, no! He would`ve thought it would be Stretch to lose his control first, but Red?! Why??!!

Edge stumbled to open the door frantically. Damn Red and damn his teleportation!! The other four skeletons stumbled to their feet as well- the situation had turned very messy in a matter of seconds.

The five skeletons crashed down the stairs as quietly as they could in such a frenzy. They froze, at the base of the stairs, as they realized it was too late.

“oh, shut up, ma.”

Red- Oh, what in Asgore`s ass.

Blue yanked Stretch back as he tried to lunge at your mother.

“Red Being There Does NOT Mean You Can Go!” He hissed at a rage-blinded Stretch.

Edge was too intent on listening to care. He needed to be there if Red was to lose his temper and have a go at the woman.

“A monster! You are- a monster!”

Typical of her to be racist as well. Edge expected that much. He tried not to look back as Sans`s low growl sent a chill up his spine. God, Edge had never seen the easygoing original act like this.
If that lady was to go on further, then it would not be Red she has to worry about.

“mm, they tend to call me that. no more than yer insufferable attitude, though, ma`am.”

His brother`s voice was surprisingly cool.
And to be honest, that was a good response.

“Excuse me?!”

“tha girl`s stayin` with us, and yer leavin`. yer overstayin` yer welcome.”

Good, good, keep your calm, Edge whispered silently.

“What- this is Y/n`s mother you are talking to, you freak! How dare you-”

Her disturbing shrieking was cut of by a quiet murmur. It was his brother, he was saying something to the woman- but it was quiet and Edge didn`t quite catch.
Nothing too serious, he hoped, the woman seemed like the person to sue monsters with the weakest of threats. And Edge very much did not want to see Red in court- defending himself in an unfair battle he was bound to lose.

That was the only reason Edge was holding back as well.
You`ve become a total softie, Edge laughed dryly in his mind at himself. So different from the ‘Great and Terrible’ he was back in the Underground. Oh, how he would love to treat the old haggard like he would do as the Head of the Royal Guard. He would leave her with a bigger trauma than she had ever dared to inflict on you.

“Y/n! Is this- an acquaintance of yours?!”

“Yeah, he`s a good friend. He has a name, by the way-”

Edge`s soul soared.

“Good friend?! Are you out of your mind?! That thing has clearly manipulated your mind with magic, can`t you see-“

“I know very well if my mind is fucking manipulated or not, and the only person in here who`s doing that shit to me is you, Ma.”

Papyrus yelped a little behind Edge. Edge glanced back to see him wearing a tiny grin, his face flushed with a reddish orange shade for having made a sound.
So that softie was learning to like rough words, huh?

“Y/N! I`m your mother, say something, you can`t just let it degrade me-“

“Ma. Didn`t I tell you he has a name-“

“Oh, you`re standing for him, huh? Well, let`s see if you stay that way when you`ve been hurt and raped by those primitive beasts-“

“That`s quite enough.”

Stretch struggled against Blue`s grip. Edge felt magic pool in his sockets. Sans`s breathing deepened, getting rougher. Even Papyrus`s smile was curling down to a frown.
How was Red standing there? Not attacking?

How were you standing this? How were you answering so calmly to such an insult, one that shouldn`t be used to even the ones you hate, much less your own daughter?
Edge slowly closed his sockets as it started to dawn on him, what you must have endured all these years, to reply as such to an insult like that. No wonder his small talk had little effect on you, this was not such an easy matter.

“aren`tcha supposed ta be her momma? i never had kids, but i sure don`t think i`ll be talkin` ta `em that way-“

Red`s growl was cut off by yet another maddening shriek.

“Shut up, you freaky rapist-“

That was enough. No matter what, that was ENOUGH.
Edge shot up from his sitting position to turn around the corner-

“YOU SHUT UP!! HOW DARE YOU!!”

All five of the skeletons froze behind the wall at your bellow.

Then all stumbled back as your- very mad- footsteps stomped near, approaching the stairs. Stairs? No, the front door.

“DON`T-“

A rough rustle and a yelp.

“CALL-“

Stomping.

“My friend-“

Another yelp, and what sounded like a rough shove. The front door opened.

“A fucking rapist.”
The last word was a menacing hiss.

“To be honest? I`d rather fuck him than any of the men you picked out for me all these years!”

Okay, now that was very cool.
Edge winced, giddy with adrenaline from your outburst, as he heard the slam of a suitcase outside the front door.

“And to make myself clear, I am dating a monster. He`s awesome. Don`t come back.”

Stretch hissed in pleasure.

“I`m telling your father-“

SLAM!

click

Then came your manic shouts of laughter.
It was the best sound Edge had heard in years.

It`s time for some clarifying.

Edge jumped down from the window, landing behind the old woman. She was typing away furiously at her phone- but quickly stopped as she heard the stomp of Edge`s feet hitting the ground.
She turned, and Edge stopped for a moment to savor the pale, horrified expression on her face.

“I AM Y/N`S FRIEND, I SUPPOSE YOU ARE HER MOTHER?”

The woman squeaked something unintelligent.

“GOOD. NOW, I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF FRIGHTENING YOU, THREATENING YOU, ATTACKING YOU, MANIPULATING YOU, OR HARMING YOU. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

The woman nodded a bit too eagerly. Her face found a little bit of color.

“THE REASON I AM CONFRONTING YOU RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE I HAVE GROWN TO CARE FOR YOUR DAUGHTER.”

A small choked yelp.

“SHE IS VERY KIND AND GOOD-HEARTED, UNDERSTANDING… UNLIKE YOU.”

Oh, so the woman has the guts to glare.

“BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, SHE DOES NOT SEEM… HER USUAL SELF WHEN YOU ARE AROUND. IT PAINS ME TO SEE HER LIKE THAT, AND IT MAKES ME-“

Edge took a step forward, stooping down. He matched the old woman`s eye level to stare at her.

“WONDER-“

A little closer.

“WHY.”

Now Edge`s face was almost touching the woman`s pale one. Ugh, Edge shuddered inwardly for being so close to this gross individual.

“She Is Very Traumatized By Your Dominance Over Her Childhood, And You Are Very Possibly Killing Her Slowly By Being Anywhere Close Around Her.”

Edge whispered. Oh… his voice was hurting him for keeping the volume so low.

“You May Be A Mother At Her Birth, But Now I See… Nothing But A Rude, Manipulative Controller- Something Nobody Wants Around.”

The woman was frozen. Edge didn`t care if she did not understand or refused to let the words sink in, he just wanted to state the facts.

“FURTHERMORE, IF YOU HATE MONSTERS SO MUCH, THERE IS NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD LIKE YOU.”

Edge straightened, leaning away from the speechless woman.

“AS Y/N IS NOT GOING TO OPEN THE DOOR ANYTIME SOON, I ADVISE YOU TO LEAVE. IMMEDIATELY.”

The woman opened her mouth to object. God, was she deaf??!!

“IMMEDIATELY.” The woman paled.

“But- My flight`s not-“

“your flight is just one hour from now. i cancelled the one tomorrow and booked a new one.”

Ho, Edge had not seen Sans come out the front door. His grin was default and unreadable, and his sockets were devoid of light.
The most frightening expression he had seen on the light-hearted skeleton.

“But I-“

“first class.”

The woman clicked her mouth shut. She turned to leave with an unreadable expression on her face.
Sans started to laugh, stopping her in her tracks.

“your daughter… apparently she is of no more interest to you than a luxurious trip. first class seats make you leave, huh?”

Edge could hear the undisguised, calculated mockery dripping from Sans`s quiet voice. Edge liked it.

“i`ll buy you as many tickets as you want if that keeps you from y/n, you greedy woman. leave and do not return. y/n deserves better.”

Edge brushed around the motionless woman to join Sans at the front door, which he briskly closed and locked.
He locked eyes with Sans.

Both skeletons nodded in a silent promise- you will not hear of this small interaction.

Chapter Text

Okay… You were a teensy bit worried. A teensy bit.

Your hand itched to look at your phone, to unblock your parents and see what they have to say. What a stupid idea- but somehow it made you very uneasy.
You fidgeted in your place at the sofa.

Around you, four skeletons were fixated to the screen, all drained from the incidents that had occurred the last two days. Your mother`s absence was like bliss… But it didn`t stop you from sweating over having blocked her.

Your childhood was refusing to let go of you so easily.

“Hey, uh, babe, I`ll go grab a cup of water or something, okay?”

“mmhmm. honey on the way, please?”

“Mm. Sure.”

You wiggled out of the pile of bones to get on your feet and head to the kitchen.

You were watching a movie with Blue, Red, Stretch, and Papyrus. Edge and Sans`- a strange combination- was in Joshua`s room with him.

You put both hands on the counter.

Your heart didn`t seem to slow down its adrenaline-fused pace. You reached out for the water bottle and guzzled the water straight from it. Ugh, better. The cold water was helping to clear your head.
Someday… when your father would come, you would have to be ready. You must learn-

“hey, lady.”

You whirled around to see Red. Shit! You had spilled some of the water when you were turning.

“Oh! Uh. Hi, Red! Um, I`ll clean this up, just a mo-“

“mm. take your time.”

You grabbed a nearby rag on the counter and started to mop at the dripping table.
Red had his hands in his pockets. Did he ever take that thing off? It looked like it needed a good wash…

“Yeah. Um, you want mustard? Is that why you`re here?”

Red fixed his eyes on his fidgeting feet.

“uh, nah. i`m- i, uh, jus` wanted ta say thanks.”

You looked up from the table, your hand still.

“Thanks? Thanks for what?”

“y`know, standin` up fer me an` shit. in front of yer mother. uh, didn`t really expect that.”

“What??”

You put down the rag on the table and faced Red upright. You playfully put your fists on your waist.

“That`s no biggie! We`re friends, aren`t we?”

Red`s eyelights flickered up towards you. His face, his teeth- was that guilt? Disbelief?

“it`s nice of ya ta think that, lady, but, uh. um. i`ve done nothin` ta be yer friend, did i?”

Huh?
Was this guy still worrywarting over that incident from the first day? Seriously?

“That`s… nah. Nah. I like you- and you stood up for me before I did, didn`t you?”

Red`s face flushed a deep crimson red in an instant, like a drop of ink in clear water.

“tha`- that`s jus` `cause what she was sayin` wasn`t true, now-“

“What? What was she saying then?”

“uh, she was callin` ya uncapable, space consumin`- unable ta take care-“

“She does have a point, you know-“

“no.”
Red`s voice was serious- it made you stop mid-word.

“tha`s what… that`s what ya call me. yer not that type at all, yer different, okay? ya deserve a lotta things- and that does not include yer asshat momma.”

Red`s hand flew to his mouth. His sockets widened. Why? Oh, was it because he thought he might have insulted you by calling your mother an- Lol, an asshat?
You laughed out loud for him.
Sure enough, that seemed to make him relax.

“You know what? No self-hate in this house, kay? Goes for both me-“

You put one sincere hand to your chest.

“-and you.”

And the other on Red`s.

Red was silent. His eyelights had shrunk, and now they were fixed on your face.

“Okay?”

Still silent.

“Red? Keeping me waiting?”

“oh! uh. okay. sure.”

You put your hands back on your hip, satisfied with his answer. Mm, this guy was somehow, unintentionally, talented in making a girl feel good. You smiled.

“Thanks.”

“s`nothin`.” Red grumbled.

“Nah. And I gotta thank you for not losing your cool as well, i would`ve had a ton of explaining to do to my dad if I were to send her home with a bone in her eye.”
You opened the refrigerator to fish out the honey, now a wide smile playing on your lips. Heck, with guys like this, you weren`t scared of your father barging in- right?

Red snorted loudly.
“you`re one tough gal, aren`tcha, lady?”

Red sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. You fished around some more to toss him a bottle of mustard. He caught it out of the air with one bony hand, and popped off the cap.

“Nice reflexes. And Y/n.”

“huh?”

“Y/n, not lady. I ain`t no lady, you heard me swear.”

That rewarded you with another amused snort from Red as he threw back his skull to guzzle the mustard down.

“mm, maybe something` else?”

“What?”

“m`just used to callin` something` other than names.”

“Like Boss?”

You sat on the table opposite from him. You gave a little shiver as the cold glass of the table made contact with your bare elbows- the return to the makeshift blanket tent in front of the TV would be blissful.

“mmhmm.”

“Huh. Pet names, huh-“

“it ain`t pet names! it`s jus`-“ Red trailed off.
His face blushed a deep crimson.
You held up your hands in amusement.

“Jeez, got it.”

“stretch won`t like it if he thought i was callin` ya pet names, now would he?”

“Got a point there. Nicknames, then, `kay?”

“sure, lady- uh, i mean-“

You laughed as Red spluttered for words. His hands, holding the half-downed ketchup bottle, flailed at a loss for gestures.

“Just call me whatever comes to mind, okay? I don`t mind lady if you`re comfortable with that- but I don`t really think you want to call me that… right?”

Red nodded slowly.

“Okay, whatever you want then. Nicknames`ll come with time, I guess?”

“mm. yeah, um.”

An awkward silence.

“`Kay, uh, I guess I`ll be off to the movie now.” You held up the bottle of honey for Red to see, and stood up from your seat. Red mirrored your movements and picked up his bottle of mustard as well.
You brushed past him, giving him a pat on the shoulder as you passed. Jesus- his jacket did need a wash, you noted as you noticed the mustard stains over it.

“hey.”

A low grunt made you stop and look back. Red was standing with his hands firmly pocketed in his jacket.

“thanks fer… bein` a friend.”

“Thank you more.”

You chuckled to yourself as you turned to leave the kitchen.

Red`s genuine smile was as memorable as his fierce snarl.

“great movie.”

“AGREED! WE MUCH WATCH THAT AGAIN.”

“Mm, sure, Paps! Say, I want to go on a trip… You guys up for it? We could talk about it with Joshua!”

Your whole body ached for another let-off-steam session with the guys. The spa room at Palm Springs was just begging for you to check in.

“GREAT IDEA, HUMAN!”

“sounds good ta me.”

“I WANT IN TOO!”

Stretch put one hand around your shoulder as he guided you towards his room.

“why, you want a bit of air, darling?”

“Yeah, exactly. I say this- Mom thing calls for a celebration.” Stretch grunted his agreement.

“I`ll go tell Joshua. Uh, see you in your room?”

Stretch blushed a pale clementine as he realized you had noticed his hands guiding you to his room.
You laughed and smacked him playfully in his arm.

“See ya, honeyboy.”

You turned to Joshua`s room, winking at Red as you went. Red laughed and disappeared into his room, God, you felt so comfortable now! Matters were settled with Red- who was just a huge softie, now you saw- and your mother wasn`t around with her nosy behind poking around in the wrong places.

Blue gave a huge yawn behind you and muttered something to Papyrus, disappearing into his room. Going to sleep, huh? You felt a little bad for not spending more time to get to know them- if you were to go on a trip for real, that would be your chance.

You knocked on the door.

“C`mon in!”

The door opened to reveal Sans and Joshua sitting opposite to each other at the table, indulged in their laptops. Edge was sitting on the bed with his phone in his hand. Um… a- a folding phone? That was… You decided not to question his ancient technology.

“Hi, Josh, movie`s over and the boys are going to sleep.”

“Mm. What was it you watched-“

“Transformers. They loved it.”

“Uhuh. I should watch it again, I used to love it- Oh, um, yeah, I gotta- oh, I should`ve told you earlier!”

Joshua wrung his hands, looking up from the screen.
You tilted your head in confusion.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong. Um, I`m supposed to pick Bee up from the airport tomorrow night, and uh, I happen to have an important appointment-“

Joshua winced slightly as Sans`s phalanges froze for a second.

“-at work. So, um, I was wondering if you could pick Bee up for me? Please?”

Okay. A little awkward, Sans was clearly not in a good mood. Still not settled, huh? You guessed it was still a touchy subject between the two.

“Yeah. Sure. Back from her business trip, huh?”

“Yup. Sweet girl- she said she got you presents.”

“Damn! Sounds great!”

Bee was an old friend of yours, and had grown attached to Joshua as well as she came to visit you quite often. She was from Korea and had experienced quite a bit of racism- and she absolutely loved Joshua when she learned that he was not in the least bit racist, and furthermore, knew how to cook up traditional Korean rice cakes.

She visited the flat quite often, and as she was not a monster, you were planning to show her your new roommates if they were fine with that. Not tomorrow, though- she was a very busy girl.

And oh, right. You still haven`t mentioned why you were here in the first place.

“Oh, and Josh, I`ve been thinking,”

“Hmm?”

“Um, how about going on another trip? To Palm Springs? Everybody this time- sound okay?”

Joshua glanced up.

“Yeah, sounds cool. Next week maybe? I need to let off some steam, too.”

“Mm. Great. How about you two?”

“TRIP SOUNDS NEAT.”

“m`in.”

Sans was still not looking up from his screen, you noticed. Must be doing something very important- or still a little pissed from his disagreement with Joshua, maybe?

Oh well, you got your answers, Stretch was waiting.

“Great. Um, I guess I should get to sleep now- g`night, guys.”

You turned to step out the room and waved at Edge through the crack before you closed the door.
He nodded back, looking like he was hesitating if he should wave back or not. Aww- still needed to warm up a little? You were starting to like these guys… a lot.

And you really wanted to get in Stretch`s room, the cold was killing you.

Stretch was on his bed with his phone. You sloppily climbed up next to him, giggling as Stretch reached out to pull you into his ribcage. He didn`t have a shirt on- you smiled as you ran one hand over the smooth curve of bone. A little sweaty, huh? Magic sweat was fascinating- it didn`t even smell.

You heard Stretch softly suck in a breath as you ran one finger across one of the lower ribs.

“What are you watching?”

“well, i, um… nothing.”

You bit back a snort as you saw a bead of magic pop form on his skull, almost comically. What`s with the hand, too? Scratching at his chest? Definitely something that made you want to tease him

“Nooooothiiiiiingggg?”

You stuck your face out to mush it up against Stretch`s. Stretch spluttered and jerked his face away from you- God, he was turning into a fruit. Such a pretty color, you thought as you laughed at his reaction.

“C`mere!” You tumbled over him, grabbing at his phone. It fell out of his grasp, making him yelp, and you flipped it over with a triumphant “HA!”

Oh. Um.

On Stretch`s screen were rows of bikinis. You remembered the last time you saw that on his screen- perv. Lol.

“Searching for bikinis again, huh?”
You smirked, and his face flushed even deeper- that shouldn`t be possible.

“um. uh- i- ugh, i can`t lie to you, can i? i just wanted to pick out something for you to wear on the trip.”

You raised one eyebrow comically.
“Hm! I`m not fit to be a model, I got my insecurities, thank you. But really, that`s sweet, babes… so what`ve you got?”

Stretch snorted at your response. He scratched at his skull nervously for a moment, and started talking again as you gave his shoulder a suggestive nudge. Why so shy all of a sudden, honeybaby?

“i know this may be a little- um, weird but- i want to see you in… this one.”

“What`s weird about- Oh.”

One phalange pointed at a piece a few rows down.

The design wasn`t very complicated nor was too revealing, and the model`s exquisite curves made the piece shine. Simple, panned out at either side of the model`s chest with a ring at the middle connecting the two, attached to the shoulder straps with a few links of a chain. A similar chain linked either sides of the model`s hips, connecting the cloth at her waist to form a lower piece.
You liked the design- but what caught your eye was not it.

The color… The two pieces were a brilliant shade of orange, a pale clementine, dazzling- and the exact same color as Stretch`s magic.

“You… you want me in your color, honeyboy?”

Stretch`s skull bloomed orange.
He nodded, trying not to look you in the eye.

Daw…..

“Sounds great.”

“really!?”
Stretch sounded genuinely surprised. You couldn`t stifle a laugh at that, could you?

“Yeah! Why not?”

“i- um, i thought maybe you`d be creeped out?”

“Why would I be? You`re my soulmate, aren`tcha?”

Your smile slowly fell as Stretch fidgeted in his place. Was… Was something wrong?

“…right?”

Huh?

“you… you are my soulmate, right?”

“Why are you asking that? Did I do something wrong?”

Stretch was quick to cup your worried face in his bony hands, pulling you in his grasp again.

“no, darling, you didn`t do anything wrong… it`s just me, i guess- i just- um, how to put this… get nervous when you aren`t around. a bit.”

Okay, you knew what that felt like.

You reached out to caress his smooth cheekbones, your hands playing around the shallow indents at the side of his skull.

“Baby, I`ll always be here- I was always her, for you, only for you… right? Soulmate?”

“…”

“What`s wrong, baby?”

You pulled closer into Stretch. His sockets were an inch away from your eyes, and endless void behind the smooth rim… A mandarin orange glow, which source you could not pinpoint, dusted the ivory of his skull.

“You don`t need to worry…”

You inched closer for a kiss-

And was blocked by a bony hand.

Stretch

Stretch absentmindedly raked his phalanges over his itching chest. He leaned closer to the floor- he couldn`t really catch what you were saying to Joshua downstairs, he could just make out your voice- Oh, what were you saying? He was- oh-

Stretch looked down in surprise to see an orange glow pooling at his pelvis.

Shit! Shit!!!!! Oh, this was so creepy- getting turned on by eavesdropping on your voice from upstairs…

HER VOICE

Stretch stumbled on the floor to sit up and lean on the bed.
He looked down at the pale magic swirling in smoky tendrils, lapping at his pelvic bone.

If only you were there to guide it, your soft, small fingers twirling around the smoke, guiding it up to form what you wanted, like you had pulled Stretch`s fingers down the wet- hot folds of- your-

Stretch writhed against the magic. No… no. It was getting a little out of hand. What would you think if you were to come inside and see him panting like this?

Stretch pulled himself up into the sheets, on his bed.

Stars, why was it so hot?! And his chest, oh, it itched- Oh, so hot. It was so hot.

IT HURTS

Stretch didn`t even realize he was sweating before he frantically peeled the fabric of his hoodie away. It clung to his bones… oh, get it off, please, it was so hot!!

RIIIIPPP

Oh. Um. Okay, he was not expecting that. You must not see this, what was wrong with him?!

Stretch hurriedly shoved his hoodie under his bed and started to claw his ribcage-
-and the door opened to you jumping onto the bed.

Okay… nothing messed up yet. Okay. No panicking. Why did he feel like panicking anyway? Maybe it was because he was very sweaty at the moment? Okay, calm down. Calm down, nothing wrong. Focus on… focus on his soulmate in front of him.
You were perfect as you climbed up into the sheets. Your sweet scent reminded Stretch of that special brand of honey from Muffet`s, oh, yes, he did like it, oh, your neck-

Fuck. Was Stretch in heat? It was supposed to come a few months later… It wasn`t his heat, was it? It couldn`t be-

Your hand brushed his rib.

Fuck!!

Okay, maybe it could.
Stretch tried to calm down as one finger ran up and down one of his lower ribs. Oh, the most sensitive- Stars- Oh- Nononono, not the magic!!!!
Stretch dug his phalange into his palm so hard it probably could`ve drawn marrow. Thankfully, the sharp pain did help chase the magic away from pooling in his pelvis again. That might have gotten awkward.

what`s so awkward about getting a little turned on in front of your soulmate?

“What are you watching?”

Okay, all this couldn`t be good for his mental, he felt like he was having a heart attack as he frantically hid the screen from your curious eyes. Seriously- what was he thinking, picking out bikinis for you to wear?! That was just so… daddy. Was it? Um, was it not? Ugh whatever-

“well, i, um… nothing.”

Wow, nice answer, Stretch, he grimaced inwardly.

“Nooooothiiiiiingggg?”
Using your sexy voice again- augh, just kill him, why wouldn`t you- oh, FUCK

Stretch would`ve dusted on the spot if he could, his magic was practically flaming between his femurs. Please, stars, fuck… Your face, your cheek- why was it so soft against his face…

“C`mere!!”

Then he had to duck and twist as you lunged out to grab his phone, giving him zero time to get calm again. Stretch felt like exploding.

He was sure he could`ve when you got ahold of his phone, despite his efforts, and flipped it over to see the screen.

Okay, time to die now… your hesitant face.

“Searching for bikinis again, huh?”

Stretch blinked. You weren`t- you weren`t creeped out?

think she should be?

“um. uh- i- ugh, i can`t lie to you, can i? i just wanted to pick out something for you to wear on the trip.”

Did he just say that out loud?

“Hm! I`m not fit to be a model, I got my insecurities, thank you. But really, that`s sweet, babes… so what`ve you got?”

YOU`RE PERFECT WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOUR INSECURI-

Okay, get out of it. Stretch was surprised at himself for being sane enough to snort. He sure didn`t feel like himself, it felt like his nonexistent brain was at war with itself.
He scratched at his skull frantically. You were his soulmate- this wasn`t creepy, right?

right

RIGHT

“i know this may be a little- um, weird but- i want to see you in… this one.”

Stretch`s finger- it felt like it was moving of its own accord. It poked at the screen- at the dazzling two-piece, oh, just thinking of you in that piece instead of that model- in his-

ENCASED IN YOUR MAGIC, FOREVER BY HIS SIDE

Mmm! Okay!!! Let`s not think about that!!

“You… you want me in your color, honeyboy?”

Your voice brought Stretch back to Earth.

Did… did you like it?

why, expected her not to?

Stretch was nodding before he knew it. He did want you to wear that...

“Sounds great.”

What.
What?

A confirmation!!!!!!

YES OF COURSE

Stretch`s magic rushed to his skull so fast, Stretch felt like he was going to topple over.

“really???!!!!!”

Okay, he did not just ask that. Did he?

“Yeah! Why not?”

Oh. He did.

“i- um, i thought maybe you`d be creeped out?”

MMMM. High time he stopped talking!!!

“Why would I be? You`re my soulmate, aren`tcha?”

are you?

What? What was that?

nothing

“…right?”

It was out of his mouth before he knew it.

“you… you are my soulmate, right?”

Your face was confused.

SAY YES DARLING SAY YES

“Why are you asking that? Did I do something wrong?”

WHY DIDN`T YOU SAY YES-

Stretch hurriedly reached out to cup your soft face in his hands. It was just because he had a very tiring night listening to your mother, it must be. No need to panic… No need to make you panic.

“no, darling, you didn`t do anything wrong… it`s just me, i guess- i just- um, how to put this… get nervous when you aren`t around. a bit.”

A LOT

“Baby, I`ll always be here- I was always her, for you, only for you… right? Soulmate?”

Please. Please get your hands off his face. Please.

PLEASE KEEP TOUCHING TOUCH MY FACE TOUCH ME

Stretch felt his body tensing up.

not feeling so good are you?

“What`s wrong, baby?”

yes you know you coward.

“You don`t need to worry…”

YES I KNOW BABY
stop.

Stretch`s sight returned to see your startled eyes, blinking rapidly as you sat there frozen-
your kiss blocked by his own hand.

Chapter Text

You sat in complete shock.

“Stretch…?”

Stretch looked no less shocked as well. He was totally frozen in place.
Well… if he didn`t want to kiss you…

“At least let go of my waist?”

“no.”

“Excuse me?”

Stretch`s face was blank- you could practically see the gears short-circuiting inside his head. What was going on? Did you do something to break him somehow? You searched for a clue in his face- Something to offend him? Maybe it was something you said? Or was it because you searched his phone? No, it couldn`t be that, what was it?
Your thoughts started to race- they were going a hundred miles an hour.

Then you almost lost your shit as a fat bead of magic rolled down from on of his expressionless sockets, leaving a faint orange trail over his cheekbone.

“BABY! What`s-“

“shit! i- why am i crying? wait-“

But he wasn`t budging.

“Stretch! You gotta let go- now!”

“i can`t!!”

“What do you mean, you can`t?!”

“i can`t move!!”

“What- SANS!!! BLUE!!!”

You yelled, frantically wiggling in Stretch`s steel grip. Jesus- his arm was like it was made of rock. Stretch`s face was as panicked as yours, you could see that. Tears were pouring down his cheekbones like crazy. They left fine pale trails over his cheekbones- it was… it was frightening

You were scared.

But no matter how desperately you wiggled, his arm seemed to grow tighter by the moment.

Sans burst into the room just before you were on the verge of being crushed by Stretch`s arm pulling you inside, your head strained back by his unmoving hand stubbornly blocking your face.

He stopped abruptly at the door. Okay, it was a little bit your fault, it must`ve looked a bit strange calling him while you were on top of Stretch on the bed.
But this was a fucking emergency.

“Sans- get me out-“

You choked. Your neck was starting to cramp.

Sans darted in and grabbed Stretch`s wrist behind your back. You felt the pressure lessening as his hand started to peel away- only to let out a choked yelp as Stretch`s hand jerked away from Sans`s grasp into you to crush you against his chest. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the hand in front of your face disappeared to move to the back of your head and mashed your head into Stretch`s collarbone like a painful bear hug.

“don`t take her!”

Did he… Did Stretch just snarl?

Sans`s hand at your back disappeared.

“calm down, stretch, i`m not taking her. you`re hurting her- i need you to calm down and let go. okay? you can do that?”

To your immense relief, Stretch`s two hands pinning you to his bare chest slowly released their steel grip.
As soon as his hands disappeared, you stumbled back, almost falling off the bed.

“honey- i-“

“it`s okay, stretch, calm down.”

Sans started to palm his socket with one hand, the other hand patting your shoulder reassuringly. He let out a sigh.

“it`s high time we had a talk.”

Sans massaged the side of his skull as you and Stretch sat down, opposite from him on the dining table. Stretch now had his hoodie on and had wiped away the tear tracks on his face- but that didn`t keep him from looking shaken to the bone.

“okay, kiddo, this is what a monster soul looks like- oh, mind if i show her, stretch?”

Stretch nodded slowly. Sans took a deep breath-
and drew one hand from his chest, a bright glow following his fingers closely behind.

It was an upside-down heart, glowing a brilliant shade of clear cobalt blue, trailing behind Sans`s phalanges like he was pulling it on a string.
It was smooth- pearly, even- and tiny tendrils of blue smoke curled and danced at its surface. It hummed… that somehow reminded you of a heartbeat, the image of a heart thrumming in a ribcage.

Sans flicked his fingers inward, and the soul dashed in to disappear into his shirt.

“now, stretch`s soul- can you show us, stretch?”

Stretch frowned, clearly not understanding the situation, and nodded.

He made a similar gesture to that of Sans, drawing his fingers over his chest. He pulled out- wincing as he did- and his orange soul appeared, shimmering at the center of his shirt.

It was just like how you remembered it. Pale clementine glow, dancing tendrils, heart shape…

And the vicious chip at one side, leaking orange magic.

It wasn`t humming quietly like Sans`s, it was jerking and trembling unevenly. Lopsided, leaning to one side as magic dribbled down another…

“why did it hurt- shit.”

Stretch stared at his soul dumbfoundedly. His sockets slowly trailed upward to Sans.

“what is wrong with my soul?” His voice cracked.
You could just make out the tremble in his voice.

Sans put both his hands to his skull and started to palm his sockets.

“i don`t know yet- but i think this might be a clue. may i?”

He gestured towards your chest.
Oh- was he asking if he could pull your soul out? Okay… You nodded.

“Go ahead.”

Sans reached out his hand, his fingers lingering a few inches over your chest. You felt a slight tugging, somewhere deep inside your body, a location you weren`t really sure where it was.

Then… a brilliant glow shimmered at the middle of your chest.

It was… it was beautiful. It was the shape of an heart like Stretch or Sans, but it wasn`t upside-down, it was upright. It was shimmery and pearly- glowing silver like very fine brushed steel.
Your soul buzzed and hummed like electricity. A bit more actively than Sans`s, you noticed.

“What`s wrong with my- oh.”

Then you saw it, as Sans shifted his fingers, as your soul twirled to the side.

There was a bulge on the side of your soul. The color was much lighter than the rest there, and… was it- was it glowing orange?

Were those orange tendrils dancing on the bumpy surface?

“it`s the missing piece.”

Now you saw it. With Stretch`s soul floating and jerking next to yours, it was clear to the eye, the two souls looked like a jigsaw puzzle piece.
The bulge on your soul was the exact same shape as the piece missing from Stretch`s soul.

Sans

“SANS!! BLUE!!”

Sans jerked away from his dozing as your frantic voice pierced his nonexistent eardrums. Blue was in his room… he probably wasn`t going to hear you… What was wrong, anyway? That didn`t sound like a friendly call. And from Stretch`s room?

Sans flicked his hand, shortcutting straight to the front of Stretch`s room. Stars… he really needed to get some sleep, his skull hurt so bad.

“whazza matter, kiddo-“

Sans`s thoughts short circuited for a moment as his sockets took in the image. You were… in your pajamas, on top of a half-naked Stretch-

Okay. It wasn`t anything like that, Sans realized as he saw your frightened face. Almost ran back out right there.

“Sans- get me out-“

Were you choking??

Sans darted in to pry Stretch`s hand away from your waist. Damn, what was with the steel grip? Was something wrong? Stretch wasn`t the one to not let go when you asked…

But Sans faltered when he saw it.

Stretch`s soul thrummed in his ribcage, leaking orange magic all over the place. Was it- was it smashing against Stretch`s ribs?? Jesus, Stretch was going to get dusted if this carried on! Oh stars, Sans had to take action right now! What was wrong with him??

And Stretch`s wrist jerked out of his grasp.

Sans felt a chill as Stretch snarled at him. That face wasn`t the usual Stretch.

“don`t take her!”

What- what was going on? This was clearly not normal.

“calm down, stretch, i`m not taking her…”

Sans palmed his sockets as the two of you sat at the kitchen table, staring at the imbalanced two souls buzzing in front of you with shocked expressions.

He really needed to do something about this… Stretch`s soul was not looking good.

Soul bonds were supposed to be equal. A soul piece was transferred from one individual to another- and that other gave a piece back. It was supposed to be exchange, a give-and-take, not… not this one-sided thing he was seeing.

Judging by the horrified look on Stretch`s face, he knew it too.

This was not a soul bond.

“this isn`t a soul bond, is it?”

Stretch`s voice cracked.

And Sans could do nothing but nod.

Stretch

He should have known.

The sharp pain he felt whenever his soul buzzed… the itch in the middle of his chest. The ache he hadn`t been able to pinpoint.
The tug he felt whenever he was around you.

Now… Stretch could do nothing but stare at his bleeding soul. He didn`t want to believe it- But Sans had confirmed, this was not a soul bond. This was… this was something he did not know.

“how do i fix it?”

Stretch barely heard himself say.

Sans shook his head, his sockets tired and confused.

“i don`t know what this is.”

“Is there… is there nothing I can do to help?”

LOVE ME

“shut UP!”

Stretch clawed at his skull. What the hell was wrong with him?

He looked down at his soul to see it tugging at his magic, wiggling, trying to inch closer to yours. With every jerk it made, tendrils of magic crackled at the gaping wound in its side.

she`s not your soulmate

“Excuse me? Stretch?”

you know it

“shut up.”

you know

“shut up! SHUT UP!!! FUCK!!!”

NEED HER

“Stretch, baby, I-“

SHE SAID BABY

“get the FUCK AWAY-“

LOVE

“GET AWAY!!!!!!!!!!”

The voices died away in Stretch`s head. His sight cleared back to normal- his bleeding soul stopped jerking.

And now Stretch could see you. Leaning away as you bit your lower lip with reddened eyes.

“baby- i-“

“I get it.”

Your voice was hard and tight. What- why? Were you angry?

“darling? what is-“

“What are you trying to do?”

Stretch`s head went white.

“what do you mean?”

You turned away.

No. No, please, no…

what have you done

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE

“Sans, do you have any way to get this bulge back in Stretch`s soul?”

“yes, but-“

“Can you do it now?”

Stretch felt like he was choking.
Choking on his own words.
Choking on his dripping soul.

“it`s really dangerous- i need a few more days to get ready.”

“When`ll it be okay?”

NO

“no- i won`t-“

Stretch`s vision started to blur again. He felt his hands grab at your arm- the bright light behind his sockets disappeared as Sans quickly forced the two souls back in their bodies.

“i`m- i-“

I what?

What did he want?

YOU

Stretch was brought harshly back to reality as his hand jerked. You had pulled away from his grasp.

“I understand, Stretch. Let`s just fix this.”

NO FIXING LET IT STAY

“In the meantime, I- I won`t bother you.”

NO NO

Fuck-

“excuse me-“

Stretch didn`t even feel his legs crack against the chair as he stumbled frantically to the stairs. He had to get away, he didn`t know what he would do- He had to find out what was wrong. He had to, he had to…

Stretch was very scared.

Reader

“how do i fix it?”

Stretch`s voice ripped at your heart. His voice was cracking, he didn`t have a clue. Neither did you, neither did Sans… What was wrong?

“i don`t know what this is.”

Sans`s dejected voice wasn`t helping.

“Is there… is there nothing I can do to help?”

“shut UP!”

…What?

“Excuse me? Stretch?”

You were panicking.

“shut up.”

…What was going on? Was it because- was it because you weren`t his soulmate after all? For real?

You reached out a trembling hand towards Stretch. Please, please no. He was so kind- he was so nice. All this time. Even when you were mad.
Even when he didn`t know the two of you were soulmates… but didn`t he really? And now-

“shut up! SHUT UP!!! FUCK!!!”

He was… he was angry. Was it because you weren`t his soulmate? When he had thought he had found his significant other? But he- didn`t he love you? Didn`t he say he was attracted to you? That couldn`t be a lie, could it…?...

And you had thought… this was real.

Please, not yet… It`s been a mere month, please, you were so happy, you were so loved…

“Stretch, baby, I-“

“get the FUCK AWAY-“

No…

“GET AWAY!!!!!!!!!!”

…Soulmates… so much for love… so much for… all those words.

“baby- i-“

Stretch was looking at you with a confused expression. What game was he playing here?

You weren`t playing this game.
It wasn`t fun.

…You had loved him.

“I get it.”
Your voice was tight. Your throat hurt. Your eyes threatened to spill tears. Your nose stung.

Your heart felt heavy.

“darling? what is-“

Please don`t call me darling.

“What are you trying to do?”

“what do you mean?”

Stretch`s sockets made your heart freeze.
You had… you had loved him.

You turned your head- you didn`t want him to see your face. You didn`t want to see his. You didn`t want to be a part of his act.

You would fix this- all would go back to normal. No strings attached. No more playing with emotions. No more… no more heart breaking.

Back to Rick.

“Sans, do you have any way to get this bulge back in Stretch`s soul?”

Sans`s face froze in surprise. He wrung his bony fingers.
“yes, but-“

“Can you do it now?”

Please.

“it`s really dangerous- i need a few more days to get ready.”

Okay. Few more days- it`s fine.

“When`ll it be okay?”

Sans opened his mouth, but was cut off by a strangled choke from Stretch.

“no- i won`t-“

One bony hand reached out to grab your arm.

No, don`t touch me…

You loved him, not as soulmates, as Stretch himself- he didn`t.

“i`m- i-“

Don`t make this harder, baby

You pulled your arm out from Stretch`s grasp.

It hurt.

No more acting, please- You would apologize, give him back his soul piece, fix this all. Then he could… resume his search for his significant other. Not you.

The longer he lingered, the more it would hurt.

“I understand, Stretch. Let`s just fix this.”

Stretch`s sockets hurt to look at.

“In the meantime, I- I won`t bother you.”

It hurt.

“excuse me-“

You didn`t look back as Stretch`s chair screeched against the floor, as his footsteps faded away to the stairs.
That confirmed it.

So many things were wrong.

You stared at Stretch`s empty seat.

Now you were just confused and scared.

“Is he going to be all right?”

I`m not ready to say goodbye.

Sans looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“to be honest, not really, he sure isn`t alright at the moment- i`ll take care of him, though. make sure he doesn`t dust… for the time being.”

“What should I do?”

“maybe not interact with him until we get this sorted out? i`ve never seen him- heck, i`ve never seen anyone ever act that way or have a soul like that. but one thing i`ve gathered is that you… being near him… isn`t going to help him.”

Not interact…

“I… I`ll be in my room then, thanks… Call me if you got news, please?”

“sure, kiddo. good night.”

Sans was looking fatigued.

So were you.

And it hurt.

Your legs took you to your dark room. Funny how things changed in a single night, you laughed in your mind. It really wasn`t funny at all.

It had been a long time…

* when can you meet? I was just rlly busy, sorry about that hard text; and i miss you baby

And…

ping

* missed you 2 babes maybe this Saturday?

No…

* sounds good see you at the café

You put the phone down after staring for a minute.

You tried not to cry too loud as you closed your eyes, waiting to drift into sleep.

Chapter Text

* Flight was cancelled due to a change of plans
* u guys wont have to pick me up this evening
* but thanks
* And I miss u we really have 2 meet sometime baby

You stared at the screen.

Shit… you really didn`t want to stay in the house. And you really wanted to see Bee, it had been a long time.
Bee was very busy all the time, though, and it was really hard to grab a moment with her. As a consequence, she was constantly single, constantly alone, and constantly tired. Probably. How she managed to pull off that schedule and remain happy and friendly you had no idea at all.

Well, due to that murderous schedule, now you had no choice but to linger around the house for a while. You really weren`t in the mood to play games or watch movies.

Maybe a little bit of cooking might help cheer you up, you thought as you pulled yourself up from the bed with a groan. You had nothing to do anyway- and it was nearing dinnertime.

Stretch never came out from his room for the night and the whole of morning. Not even for breakfast. Blue eventually got tired of waiting and picked up a plate to deliver it to his room himself. And now he wasn`t coming out, either.

Joshua was already out for work- earlier than you expected.
Although Joshua wasn`t around, Sans was doing whatever work he was doing, still in his room. Maybe researching for the soul stuff, maybe working on that project he was doing with Joshua.

You stepped into the kitchen, momentarily blinded by the sun from the window, and sighed.

It was… very quiet.

And you…

It hurt too much it was abnormal.

But you were always the girl to get attached too much it was unhealthy, you thought to yourself as you let out a dry laugh. Maybe you`d find some way to get attached to Rick again- things would go back to the way they were before… before everything.
You forced on a smile as you opened the cabinet

Pots- pans- ooh, you were excited to try out this new herbal salt- and eggs.
Red must really like the eggs, the refrigerator never emptied. Well, eggs are fine, you would cook deviled eggs today. Fancy. Maybe some pasta to go with it? Papyrus would love it!

The stove flickered on with the usual whiff of gas. The flames licked at the air, dancing- dancing in a flurry of bright orange…

Oh…

Above you, you could hear Stretch let out a breath. It tickled your face in a soft swirl of smoke and honey.

“your heart is racing, beautiful… i can feel it…”

You opened one eye, just a tiny bit, to see Stretch with his sockets closed in concentration. You realized that he was actually listening to your heartbeat.

You really thought he had loved you.

All those showers, those sweet words, those pecks and kisses- they were… they were genuine for you. Not just because of some soul stuff you really didn`t know about.

You had loved Stretch the way he was.

And to know that all that, to him, was because he thought you were his soulmate… You couldn`t blame him, no, you knew that monsters searched their entire lives for their significant other.
But was it really necessary to push you away just because you weren`t the one? After- after all that time?

It was unfair.

Stretch was looking down at you with a smile. Brighter than the sun… your groggy mind vaguely joked about sunglasses.

“darling… you are beautiful, you are so beautiful… so special… my love… my baby… my y/n…”

With every word he planted a kiss on you. On your thigh, on your ankle where he held it up, on your knee, on your belly, on your chest, on your neck…

And you closed your eyes contentedly as he leaned in to kiss your lips, ever so softly.

A hot tear traced its way down one cheek. Haha, why the hell were you crying? It was stupid! No reason to by a huge crybaby over it. It was only sensible, wasn`t it? It was only natural for him to act that way. Seriously, you could only imagine how it would be like to think that you had found the love of your life, only to find out it was a lie! A fake! A- a fake…

You guided Stretch`s hands in yours up to your chest.
Stretch pulled away from you, startled, his sockets hazy with giddy pleasure.

“we`re- we`re not in the shower-“

“Shh. Who says you can`t touch over clothes?” You laughed as you squeezed his hesitating bony hands to the flesh of your chest.
Stretch looked down at his fingers in wonder, clenching his teeth as he flexed his fingers around the plumpness.

“so soft, darling, you`re so soft,” He whispered as he leaned in to nuzzle your neck.

You smiled, closing your eyes as his gently squeezing fingers roamed your chest.

The fire from the stove warmed your chest and belly as you faced the flickering flames. Burnt orange flames curled around the small blue ones in the middle.

Your chest tightened around your heart- your soul. That strange spot you couldn`t pinpoint in your chest.

It choked you.

You wished Stretch would feel the pain as bad as you did- maybe reconsider coming back- but that was selfish. You had to let go. And… by the way he turned his back on you the last night, he probably won`t be mourning over the loss right now, you were sure. All the better, right…?

You would fix this. Fix this fast, let him go, let yourself go. Meet Rick and return to the old days. You didn`t really deserve that kind of unconditional love, anyway, you weren`t the right person for him…
You laughed shakily as you reached up to wipe your flowing tears with one hand. Haha, what did you even expect? Just like that, a sweet, loving guy destined for you, appearing out of nowhere and loving you like you were a princess? That was too much to ask for.

Haha…

Now you were crying. What the hell were you crying for? Jesus, you were such a loser. Just let go! Why couldn`t you? It`s been a mere month, you were nothing to him. He was nothing to you…

No…

“how did you survive? to live on until this point?” Stretch whispered.
Bright pale magic was pooling at the curving rim of his sockets.

“Oh, baby, don`t cry… I`m- I`m very blunt is all, I`m very, very blunt… I`m okay… Baby…”

You caressed Stretch`s shoulders and his skull as he scooped you up in his long, sturdy arms. For his usually steady arms, they were… trembling, frighteningly, as they held you close to his chest.

“i don`t want to leave you here,” He whispered heavily into your ear.

No…

That was all a lie. Not real. Not true.

I don`t want to believe that wasn`t true.

The flames in front of you blurred to an orange haze as tears clouded your eyes.

Someday, you would forget all this. The one month in your life, the feeling of smooth bones on your skin, the sweet caramel taste of his kiss, the warm roll of his name on your tongue.

Back to Rick, back to Rick, back to where you belonged…

Red

Shit, Red was famished. Why was he so hungry all the time? He didn`t recall ever being this way back in the Underground. He really needed something to eat- preferably some mustard.

He made his way down the stairs, brushing down his ruffled jacket down. He could hear the hissing of the stove as he neared the kitchen- were you cooking? Great! Your cooking was amazing, Red couldn`t wait.

Then he stopped in his tracks as he heard sobbing.

You were bent over the stove, your hands supporting you against the counter. Your back trembled and shook with every wracking sob you made. What… what was wrong? Everything was so fine, even your damned haggard of a mother was gone! Was she contacting you again? What was going on?

“lady?”

Red heard himself say. Shoot! He wasn`t planning to intervene-
You whirled around, your face a wet mess. Tears had left tight wet tracks all over your cheeks. Your lips were parched, your nose was running. Okay… what did he say now?! Red was panicked.

“ya- ya okay there?”

You frantically wiped your face unsuccessfully, obviously forcing a smile. Shit, Red didn`t need a smile! He felt horrible, barging in on you while you were in such a state.

“Yeah! Um! Yeah, it`s nothing. Uh, you hungry, right? Sorry, I- I`ll cook up something. I was just- you know-“

You wrung your hands in the air as you tried to even out your breathing, clearly at a loss for words.

“woah, it`s fine, lady- i`m sorry for barging in, uh, i`ll… just go over to my room-“

“Wait!”

…Huh?

You looked shocked by your outburst as much as Red. Red stood there, frozen in his tracks. Did he do something wrong…?

Then you opened your mouth again, clearly not angry about anything, to Red`s relief.
You were… you looked desperate.

“I just… Can you hang around? Maybe watch me cook?”

Huh? Well, no problem with that, is there…?

“…yeah, sure.”

“So, what I`m making here are deviled eggs.”

“deviled eggs? sounds evil, it does.”

“Haha, kind of, kind of. It`s really easy to make, though, not an evil recipe at all. Here- they`re boiled, help me peel `em?”

You turned off the stove, the bubbling of the water quieting down. Inside were seven- no, eight eggs.

“tha`s a lotta eggs.”

“Nah, not a lot for you guys. You know what, let`s let `em cool for a minute.”

An awkward silence passed for a few seconds. Red could see you out of the corner of his sockets drumming your fingers over the counter.
He felt the need to strike up a conversation or make a joke in the very least- this awkwardness and formality was making him uneasy.

“say, ya okay with me bein` around? ain`t stretchy boy be gettin` all angry and shit?”

Red immediately knew he had struck a wrong nerve when you bit down on your lower lip, hard, a flush coloring the base of your neck.

Blue

Blue stroked Stretch`s skull in his lap. The food remained untouched. Stretch`s lanky body was still on the bed, limp and devoid of energy.
His skull was frighteningly damp with sweat.

“DID YOU GET SOME SLEEP YESTERDAY?”

Stretch dragged his head up to blink one unfocused socket. He shook his skull slowly.

“WHY NOT- WHY NOT GET UP AND HAVE A BITE? IT`S DELICIOUS.”

Stretch shook his head again.
Blue felt his soul catch in his chest.

“BROTHER… YOU ARE MAKING ME VERY WORRIED.”

Stretch was still silent.

“CAN YOU AT LEAST TELL ME WHAT`S GOING ON?”

Blue tried not to make a sound as he saw, through Stretch`s hoodie, his soul jerk and spill an unhealthy amount of magic. It pulsed unevenly as it squeezed and leaked.

“i don`t know, bro… i`m confused.”

“DO TELL. I`M ALL EARS… RIGHT?”

He… He didn`t even laugh at the joke. Nor at least snort. Blue felt magic pool in the rim of his sockets- no! He had to stay strong for his younger brother, he could not be weak!

“say, bro… you knew about my soul, right?”

Huh?

“YOU… YOU FOUND OUT?”

That was all Blue could ask- he was planning to solve it without Stretch knowing… was all this behavior because of it? Was he in pain??

Stretch went silent. His soul hummed unevenly- it drooled magic like tears.

“I- I`M SEARCHING FOR A WAY TO FIX IT! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE CAN… FIX…”

Blue`s voice caught in his throat as Stretch`s body started to tremble.
Stretch pulled himself up, his lanky arms heaving as they supported his weight over the soft mattress.
Was he crying? Were those…

Pale orange tears.

And he had promised himself he would never make his brother cry.
That he would always, always stay beside him…

Now Blue was beside Stretch- but he had no clue what to do.

“B-BROTHER-“

Stretch locked Blue in a desperate hug. No… Blue felt like he was losing his mind. Below his chin, Stretch`s soul limped in a circle, drunkenly, like a beaten dog. Clementine magic, its shade dull and faded, spurted from the wound in its side.

“i`m so confused… the voices won`t go away- and now y/n, she… i don`t know, blue, what is happening? it hurts, it`s so painful-“

Sobs wracked Stretch`s body with every word he gasped out. He wheezed for air behind Blue`s skull, tears starting to seep in Blue`s clothes to dampen his shoulder.

It was- it could be fixed. Just like a puzzle. What was first? What should be- could be solved…

What could Blue solve?

Blue held Stretch to his chest. He fought the magic pooling, threatening to spill over the rim of his sockets, choking his breath and cracking his voice as he tried to form words to reassure his brother. None of the two knew the problem, though- how could he reassure Stretch when he had no clue…?

Blue had never felt so helpless in his life. He was supposed to stay happy for his brother, but how?

“What… What Did Y/n Do?”

Stretch let out a choked cough.

“she didn`t do anything- she`s just… she`s freaked out by me- and i don’t- i don`t blame her. i just… i just want to fix this, all this, get back to normal- oh blue, it hurts, it hurts so much…”

Blue felt a painful tingle as Stretch`s phalanges dug and clawed at his ribs and spine. His body heaved heavily against Blue as he tried to even out his breathing as sobs wracked his ribs.

“At… At Least… Eat Your Breakfast, Brother, It`s The- The Most Important Meal Of The Day…”

Reader

What a loser! Were you ready to cry just because Red made a joke about Stretch? Come on, pull it together! Don`t be a fucking crybaby…

“hey. ya know, uh, let`s forget it, `kay? c`mon, we got eggs ta peel.”

Red`s voice was a little higher and strained than usual. Great, well done! Now you`ve made the situation awkward. Not enough by calling him over on a sudden impulse, huh? You mentally punched yourself in the gut. What the fuck was wrong with you?

“Yeah! Um, Sure! Careful, those are hot-“

Red`s expression was unreadable at best as he picked up an egg.

“Did you find your soulmate?”

You didn`t even hear yourself blurting out.

Red`s face was startled as his skull jerked up at your question.

“no. why d`ya ask that?”

You stared down at your hands. The egg was half peeled.

“What do you think about meeting your soulmate?”

Red was silent for a second. You were too scared to look in his direction- you really had to shut up.
What did you have to gain by asking him this? You were… you were just being a clingy mess, snap out of it!

Then Red opened his mouth.

“well,”
Red started off cautiously.

“i would… like it.”

You almost laughed at that.
But Red wasn`t over.

“but i wouldn`t… bond.”

That was unexpected.

“Why?”

Red scratched at his skull.
“i`m too wrecked. got high exp, high lv, ain`t that clean, ya know? i don`t wanna wreck a clean soul by latchin` onto it.”

What was Exp? And LV? It couldn`t be something good, though…

“…But it`s your soulmate.”

Red grinned.
“don`t matter. i`m better off alone. who says ya got to be wit` yer soulmate, anyway?”

His grin faltered slightly, his hand sliding off his skull.

“…and they say love is inevitable with soulmates…”
Only with soulmates…?

His eyelights flickered, hazy, unfocused for just a second.

“i`d rather dust than bond my wrecked ass with someone i`d gotten ta love.”

His grin returned as fast as it had faltered, but it was a little forced, you could see it. He waved his bony hands in the air as if to wave away the conversation.

“don`t mind me, though, lady, just ramblin`. c`mon, peel `em eggs! `m starvin`.”

The deviled eggs were a success. Surprisingly, all three of mustard, ketchup, and honey were amazing alternatives for mayonnaise, and the eggs were all amazing. Some pasta was prepared as well, and you set up the table quick. You really weren`t that hungry, and Joshua wasn`t here- Although you weren`t sure if Stretch would come to eat, you decided to set up a spot. That`s- six, then. Six tables, six helpings.

Red was off to get the others.

You took his advice- not advice, really, but just a perspective, maybe- and decided not to ponder over your problem. It wouldn`t help either Stretch or yourself if you made a huge fuss over it- better just to stay clear of him and all the problem.

Just a few days, and Sans would fix it all.

Red appeared behind the wall with Edge and Papyrus by his side.

“I`ll be in my room, kay? Enjoy the eggs!”

You brushed past the three skeletons, giving Edge a pat on the way to your room.
You could hear their voices behind you as you closed the door.

“WHY WON`T SHE EAT?”

“she said she ain`t hungry, boss. c`mon, try these eggs, they`re egg-xquisite…

You silently thanked Red for not prying in your business despite all those questions and weird reactions.

You fished out your laptop. Still three hours left till Joshua came home- just enough for a movie. A sappy comedy, maybe?

But you really couldn`t focus on the movie… so much for cooking.

“don`t matter. i`m better off alone. who says ya got to be wit` yer soulmate, anyway?”

So much for that.

“i`d rather dust than bond my wrecked ass with someone i`d gotten ta love.”

You could relate to that.

…That calmed you down a little.
That`s right… You didn`t deserve that love. Stretch should be happy with his real soulmate, someone as sweet, someone as loving, someone as wonderful…

I must really love him.

A chill spread from the middle of your chest, sending goosebumps down to your toes. Your hair stood on end. You felt blood rushing to your head, so fast you actually had to grab a nearby shelf to maintain balance. Your eyes started to prick and sting.

You didn`t have the time to even sit down when the vision hit you, hard.

White dust weeped through the vicious crack.

“don`t worry, bro, i`m here! i`m here for you, i`m here- i`ll save-“

“I KNEW YOU WOULD- COME- BACK! FULFILLING- YOUR SENTRY- Duties…”

His voice was weak- it cracked as he gasped for air.
A happy smile…

“nonono, bro, look at me! look at me, come on, come on-“

“IT`S BEEN… A Lovely Time, Brother- I`m Sorry- for calling you lazy… and yelling… to stop smoking-”

A caressing hand, trembling and weak. Chest tightening.

He gasped again- fighting to breathe through the shimmering dust clouding around his face.

His sockets started to wink heavily, his humming bones hardening into lifeless curves.
His eyelights dimmed.

The hand that had been weakly clutching at the hoodie started to lose its grip.

“no, bro, stop talking, look at me, look at me, i`m here, i`m back, i can- i can- i- i`ll stop smoking, i`ll work….”

Tears pricked.

Silence.

The soft cyan glow faded.

Without it, the snow was startlingly dull and grey.

You opened your eyes, blurry with tears, your throat clamped down on itself.

Your arms were spread out in front of you.

Where Blue had been a second ago… lifeless.

Chapter Text

Reader

“Blueberry!”

Nothing fucking mattered right now! Nothing! You just had to- had to see Blue was here, still alive-

Your heart did a triple somersault when you saw the behind of Blue`s skull, very much alive and moving.
Without any thinking, you rushed to grab him. You could hear him yelp in surprise in the back of your conscience- but what mattered was him, alive in your arms, evidence to make the hot searing pain in your chest go away…

“Oh, I`m so sorry… I`m so sorry…”
You muttered those words over and over again. Your sight was groggy from the pain and overwhelming emotions- was that Stretch? Beside you?

“no, bro, stop talking, look at me, look at me, i`m here, i`m back, i can- i can- i- i`ll stop smoking, i`ll work….”

Oh…

All your thoughts, all the soul shit, all the love and fuckever went out the window as you clutched at his neck to pull him into your shoulder.

“I`m sorry… Oh, Stretch… Oh…”

Stretch made a surprised sound next to you- you could barely hear it over the thumping of your blood in your ears.

“I`m so sorry you had to- you had to see that… It`s okay, It`s okay, Blue`s here, he`s safe, oh, love… I`m here…”

Sans

Deviled eggs were awesome!

A shame only a few of them were ketchup filled- he could eat dozens. Mm, delicious…

And for all the better, Stretch was down at the table as well, silent as he ate the honey-filled ones. Blue was silent as well, twirling his fork around the spaghetti absentmindedly.

Stretch wasn`t looking so good after last night- Sans couldn`t blame him, he would`ve panicked if he saw his own soul like that. He couldn`t pinpoint what was wrong between him and you, but he knew it would be a little awkward as they had just found out that the soul bond was- in fact, not a soul bond.

Red and Edge was involved in the eggs and spaghetti- no reason for them to be concerned in any way. So was Papyrus.
Sans couldn`t help but smile a little as he watched his little brother wolf down the spaghetti with a huge happy smile.

The one that concerned him most was Blue.

If Blue was anything, Sans would say he was most like his own brother Papyrus. His happy smile, energetic actions, and friendly manners were identical to those of Papyrus`s, or used to be-
Now, he was very quiet, very down, no smile at all. His boisterous mannerisms were nowhere to be seen.

It probably had something to do with Stretch`s ill condition, Sans was sure. Blue`s love for him was unconditional- he would be killing himself for not being able to do anything at this point while Stretch`s soul continued to sap magic from him.
Sans would have to fix this fast. He could, he just needed a little bit more time to coordinate his magic. At least it wouldn`t end up in both of them dying. Sans grimaced.

He was done with both the eggs and pasta by the time Papyrus was done. The rest was still indulged in the dish, not quite finished yet. Stars, was that the time already? He needed to get that part done, Joshua was coming in less than an hour.

Sans picked up his polished plate and scooched back, getting up from his chair-

And stopped as you rushed into the kitchen with your eyes wide as his sockets.

“Blueberry!”

What. The.

All the skeletons froze as you tumbled under the table, dragging Blue along in your grasp. Sans heard a startled squeak as Blue disappeared under the mahogany.

What the hell? Sans dashed around the table, his plate now abandoned and forgotten. Stretch had disappeared under the table as well- and Red, Edge-

You were cradling Blue in your lap like an oversized baby, hunched over, Blue`s glowing skull totally embedded in you neck, your shoulders, and your chest.
One arm was under Blue and squeezing the bone of his shoulder.

And… one arm was around Stretch`s neck, pulling him close.

But that wasn`t what made Sans stop in his tracks.
Your soul was throbbing behind your shirt, and it was…

Your soul… was it glowing orange…?

And the bulge- it wasn`t like that before! Why was it fused to your soul? And what the- where did the whiteness go? It was the same color- all around!

Sans made a double-take as you began to sob uncontrollably.

“Oh, I`m so sorry… I`m so sorry…”

You turned slightly to cup your free hand over a dumb-stricken Stretch`s cheekbone.

“I`m sorry… Oh, Stretch… Oh…”

What….

“I`m so sorry you had to- you had to see that… It`s okay, It`s okay, Blue`s here, he`s safe, oh, love… I`m here…”

Sans`s trail of thought came to an abrupt halt.

Stretch`s memories from those timelines. The timelines where… How on earth were you able to see that?! You couldn`t even know about them unless- unless…

That was…. It couldn`t be.

Could it be?

A… soul bond.

“so what did you exactly see?”

You refused to speak. Sans sat with Stretch opposite from you- You sat with Blue`s arm pressed firmly to your body. That had been an improvement, you were not letting him go from your embrace fifteen minutes earlier. Red and Edge had felt the urge to leave them alone- they were already in their rooms.

“did you- did you see him dust?”

Stretch`s voice was strained and cautious.
So Stretch knew as well- that question was had to be asked.

But better him than Sans…

You nodded slowly after a moment`s hesitation.

Stretch plopped back in his chair- his sockets were unreadable from Sans`s angle.
Well… it would be better if Stretch saw for himself.

“excuse me, kiddo- may i?”

Sans gestured at your chest. You nodded. Still silent.

He tugged at your soul, beckoning for it to come out.
It was… heavy, to put it. The extra piece, now melted and fused firmly, added weight to one side and made it lean over. The soul hummed and jerked.

So strong.
The pulling.

Stretch sat frozen in his chair as he took in the sight of your glowing soul. There was a faint orange sheen to it, the color did not differ at the bulge… it was, obviously, one with Stretch`s soul piece.

Your soul had bonded with the piece Stretch had given.

“you`ve… bonded.” Stretch breathed out.

To the three skeletons` surprise, your face scrunched up in what Sans could only name as fury.

“What the fuck Stretch?!”

Reader

WHAT THE HELL?!

He was dumping you just yesterday, now he was all breathy and lighting up because your soul had somehow bonded? Without you even knowing? This was fucking absurd! You weren`t just going to let him accept and decline like you were some kind of object!! And you didn`t even have a fucking clue about what your soul was doing- heck, you had seen your soul for the first time fucking yesterday.

“Look, Stretch, I don`t know what game you`re playing here, but if you`re taking me just because my soul`s made some kind of bond, I`m not willing to accept that dumb offer.”

Stretch stared, wide-eyed. Blue squirmed uncomfortably in your grasp- you let him go, a little mortified. Had you been clutching at his arm all this time?

“what are you even saying?”

What the fuck- was he playing naïve?
You pressed down the urge to shout.

“Well, obviously, you dumped me just yesterday when you found out I wasn`t your soulmate! You fucking yelled at me to get away! DAMN! And now you`re suddenly all happy and shit about my soul somehow bonding with yours again? I mean- I want this relationship to be ours, not our souls`!”

Stretch`s expression was- that of confusion.
Not what you`ve been expecting.

He let out a massive breath…
He looked relieved.

“baby, no… you`ve got it wrong… i wasn`t yelling at you, i never dumped you- i`d never… i was just- i was hearing these voices, okay? i panicked yesterday, that was what the yelling was about!”

He wrung his hands, clearly at a loss for words.
You crossed your arms.

“Then why didn`t you bother to come see me?”

Stretch let out a nervous laugh.

“i… honestly thought you were creeped out by my outburst. i assumed you knew i was hearing voices in that haze- haha…”

What.

As you wracked your brain to process the things going on, Blue let out an uncomfortable cough.

“IF YOU`LL EXCUSE ME.”

He stood from the table a little too fast, turning to head for the stairs. Sans was quick to follow him upstairs.

“i`ll be working on this, kiddo. work it out.”

Okay. Okay. Wait.

“You thought… I was creeped out by you?”

Stretch shrugged.

“yeah? i mean- i just saw you, and you were jerking away from me and all-“

“So you- you weren`t dumping me?”

That got Stretch`s attention.

“why would i be dumping you?”

What?
Was this real?

“…For… Not being your soulmate after all? Well, that`s invalid now as I bonded, I guess, but…”

“what? no! no, i- i was really confused, i`d never-“

Stretch winced mid-word, then went silent. His teeth and sockets twitched as he seemed to wrack his nonexistent brain for words.

“So- I`m not dumped?”

“i- well- augh, why would you be? i was just very panicked about my soul being the state as it is and shit-“

Stretch wrung his bony fingers.

You felt a pressure you hadn`t been aware of lift from your chest.
At the same time, a new dark weight loomed over your heart.

“Well… That`s great I guess.”

Stretch`s face lit up happily. He sighed.

“i`m glad that`s settled- i was really worried i might lose you. sans said he could fix this, all we got to do is wait now, i guess?”

“Yeah. Great. Um, yeah. Uh, I guess we`ll be… fixed in a few days…”

Why weren`t you happy?

Stretch seemed to have caught the look on your face.

“…darling.”

You really didn`t want to answer, though.

“Yeah?”

“…can you tell me what`s bugging you?”

…What was bugging you?

“i`d rather dust than bond my wrecked ass with someone i`d gotten ta love.”

Ah.

You… you knew that submitting to your pleasure was not the way to go. You knew it in your heart- this was… this was not what you had earned, it was what your soul had.

You knew you shouldn`t let things fall into their places so easily. Too easily

“Look, Stretch, not to be rude, but- you know this isn`t… a normal soul bond. Not even.. after Sans had fixed whatever was wrong.”

Stretch was silent. The look in his sockets were unreadable.

“Well,” You let out a nervous laugh.

“I don`t know the significance of soul-bonding, I can only imagine. There`s no such thing for humans… when we choose who we want to be with, we choose… over time… and get to know each other…”

“…what are you trying to say?”

Your voice started to crack.

“I- I had a lot of time to think about… about us today.”

Oh- you were terrible at words.

“And- and I guess this… this relationship is… really not very- real, I guess, to me.”

Great…
Two ‘real’s in one sentence. Remember your English.

“Ugh, I`m terrible with words… What I`m trying to say is that I don`t feel very secure in this rushed relationship, I need more than a soul bond to- to feel… at home.”

Stretch`s voice was high and strained when he opened his mouth to answer.

“what do you need more than a soul bond?”

“I… I guess there could be nothing more secure than a soul bond to you, but… I don`t really know what that is, to be frank- I found out I had one just recently-“

Oh… you wrung your hands. Stretch was starting to fall apart.

“I just- I don`t know. I feel very insecure. I- I don`t want a relationship based on something I don`t really know…”

“do you… don`t you love me?”

Oh, no, Stretch…

“I do love you. I love you so much it`s unsettling. It just adds to the problem- You`re too good for me, that`s not going to help how I feel, insecure and shit… Oh god, I`m so terrible at words, I`m so sorry-“

Your heart ached just by saying this. You could- you could give up being all thoughtful and shit, just give in and return to your routines with Stretch… But that would worsen the nagging at the far end of your heart.
Nothing would change the fact that Stretch was too good for you.

“darling… no… what more do you need, i could love you more than anything…”

“No. Uh, I don`t want you to love me just because my soul did something that I don`t even know.”

“darling, i-“

“Let me be the reason.”

Yes.
This was it.

Stretch stared at you with his sockets wide, jaws open mid-word.

“Let-“

Your voice caught in your throat, but you dismissed the sudden catch.

“-let me try and earn your love. As Y/n, not a soulmate. As who I am, not what my soul did.”

“i- i already love you, darling-“

“No.”

Your voice came out harder than you intended to- all for the better… You drew in a breath as the reality sank in your chest with a blissful weight. You would accept something if you worked hard enough for it.
And you were willing to work for Stretch.

“I want to prove to you, and to myself, that I`m… worthy. Please.”

“baby, you don`t need to prove that…”

A weak smile.
No. You needed to prove it. Very much.

“I have my reasons, baby. Please give me a chance to earn your love- see me as Y/n, your roommate, not... not the owner of the soul that happened to bond with yours.”

Stretch`s expression wasn`t something you could describe.

Maybe confusion?

Maybe…

But you knew that this was the right thing to do.

Sans

Sans and Blue huddled around Sans`s door, nonexistent ears straining to catch every word.

“We Really Shouldn`t Be Eavesdropping,” Blue murmured.

Well.
Hypothetically.

Sans raised one brow, making Blue blush a little.

“i want them to solve this no less than you do, mate, c`mon.”

Blue nodded reluctantly and resumed to concentrate.

“Let- let me try and earn your love. As Y/n, not a soulmate. As who I am, not what my soul did.”

“i- i already love you, darling-“

“No. I want to prove to you, and to myself, that I`m… worthy. Please.”

Oh… Now Sans understood why you were all cooped up in your room. Now he knew why you weren`t keen to run into Stretch. He realized why you had acted that way when you found out your soul had somehow managed to make a stable bond.

“baby, you don`t need to prove that…”

“I have my reasons, baby. Please give me a chance to earn your love- see me as Y/n, your roommate, not... not the owner of the soul that happened to bond with yours.”

You were smart.

Sans wouldn`t have to worry anymore- stabilizing their bond would suffice for him. He had figured out a way, and he knew it would not inflict permanent damage… probably.
Although he hated to do it by force…

By this conversation, Sans could see that all the forced connections would see justice. By a smart girl who knew how to handle her problems and messed up relationships.

Sans was proud of you.

“That`s… A Relief. Stretch Had Said She Was Creeped Out By Him… Now I Can See It Was Only A Misunderstanding.”

Blue was now away from his spot at the door. He had heard everything he needed to hear.

Sans sat up as well. This position was death on his spine.

“yep, that sounds `bout right. whew, everything could`ve been so messed up-“

Blue`s brows creased.
Sans stopped mid-word.

Right… It still wasn`t a solved case for Blue, the wound in Stretch`s soul wasn`t going to mend itself.

Sans smiled.

“hey, don`t worry, i know how to fix that gap now.”

Blue`s response was immediate.
A relieved smile rushed to his face and his eyelights regained their sharp star shapes from the fuzzy haze he was wearing a minute ago.

“REALLY?! IS THAT TRUE?”

“yep. uh, might be dangerous, though… but to be honest, it`s mostly y/n in danger if something goes wrong, stretch is probably safe in any way.”

Blue was silent for a second. His smile fell as fast as it had come.
Bright cyan magic colored the underneath of his sockets, and Sans knew that it won`t take much to make that magic pool and roll down his cheekbones.

“I Feel Horrible For Feeling Relieved At That.”

Sans reached out to circle his arms around Blue`s loose bandana. Must`ve been having a hard time, he never wore his bandana in this sloppy way he did now. And now, he must be dizzy with relief to know Stretch would be safe- instead of you.
And the sweet summer child would be hating himself to bits for that right now.

Blue slipped into Sans`s arms with no resistance.

“it`s fine, i`d… i`d feel the same way if it was papyrus, `kay? it`s fine. they`ll be alright. y/n too.”

Blue nuzzled against Sans`s hoodie, his arms circling around his neck in response. His small frame shook and trembled against Sans`s still ribs.

“You Remind Me Of My Brother.”

Sans made a weak laugh.

So do you.

After patting Blue down and sending him back to his room with his old smile back, Sans leaned back into his chair with his papers in one hand. His sockets were practically closing down on themselves- there had been so much going on lately. Fuck that, there was still a lot going on. When would he ever get the chance to be lazy again?

It wouldn`t be long before the others came, one more… two more… shit, even three. The house was big enough to hold them, but it wasn`t the place Sans was worried about, not with these guys.

Sans kneaded his sockets with the heel of his palm, a habit he had taken on without even realizing.
All this was too frustrating. So much to think. Maybe it would be better after the problem between you and Stretch was solved? Maybe? No, Sans would have to figure out why your soul reacted that way… look out for possible future consequences that might occur.

Oh- he needed some ketchup. His skull felt like it would fall apart.

Sans shuffled to open the fridge. Oh, low on ketchup… he`d have to get a few bottles tomorrow. He grabbed a bottle and popped of the cap to throw his head back for a quick guzzle.

Good stuff!
Not good as Grillby`s, but still- ketchup was ketchup. And this was a good brand.

Sans scooched over to sit at the chair with his bottle of ketchup tight in his hand.

The house was eerily quiet when there was nobody around and all in their rooms.
Sans thought that he had missed being quiet… But now, actually being quiet-
It wasn`t as comforting as he thought.

Sans let out a dry laugh. Maybe Papyrus was right, he did need a little energy in his life.
Possibly now, all the nights working was killing him. Sans took another big gulp of the ketchup. All done already? Oh, he would have to go shopping first thing in the morning. He didn`t know he was running so low until now. His bad, he thought as he scooched back to sit up from his chair. Back to work…

RING

What? Who was visiting in this time of day? More like night-
Oh.

Joshua was back from work.

Sans grimaced. It was just too much for him to take in, the whole idea of prostitutes and whatever… Maybe in Red`s world, yes, but- Not in his! And Sans was sure there was no such thing in Blue`s world either. Ugh, the thought of it- and why did anybody have to be so fucking violent about it? Sans had nothing against the color purple, bet he was very sure it wasn`t supposed to be on human skin.

RING

Why was nobody answering the door?

Well… Sans had no choice, did he?

Sans gritted his teeth as he stood to his feet and slinked to the front door.
He could see Joshua`s lanky frame, slouched over, silhouetted against the panes by the bright street lights. One fuzzy arm seemed to support his whole body against the door.

Sans opened the door. Like he expected, Joshua stumbled forward as the leverage beneath him disappeared- straight into Sans`s startled arms.
Sans thought for a second his joints were dislocated- humans were heavier than he had expected. He shuffled to hold Joshua with a muffled grunt. Stars, he was heavy! And what was that smell?

Joshua`s hair was disheveled and all over the place. His clothes were surprisingly clean… but supposing he would`ve been naked when he worked, it was only logical his clothes would be fine. He smelled like that nasty cheap human alcohol, he absolutely reeked of it.
And to make that only worse, other scents… human scents, old scents, smell of lust and greed and sweat- not one, but two or three more… They mingled in with Joshua`s scent, almost snuffing it out.

“Heeeyyyy… You gonna stand- hic -all day sniffin` me?”

Joshua`s slurred voice brought Sans back to his senses.

“shut up, you`re drunk. don`t you ever learn?”

Joshua`s laugh bubbled from the back of Sans`s skull where he was slung over. Sans backstepped, dragging Joshua`s clumsy legs with him.

“Haha, I hate hangovers- hic -maybe you could do- hic -that… that healing thing again?”

Sans heaved to sling Joshua`s arms over his shoulders, turning a little to a more comfortable position.

“you want me to heal you?”

“Mmhmm… worked wonders…”

Sans scrunched up his nasal cavity, trying not to breathe deeply as another strong waft of alcohol hit his senses. Stars- how much did he drink? He was going to have a hell of a time tomorrow, Sans grimaced as he dragged Joshua up the stairs one at a time.
He could use blue magic, of course- but he was tired, as well as Joshua, and he didn`t want to strain anything by using magic.

Ugh.

Fuck that, he was too heavy.
Sans flicked his fingerbones, feeling that familiar whirl of magic around his skull. Joshua`s weight lifted a little off him. Just a little bit for the stairs… Nothing too much.

“Cool… Your magic is awesome… hic -I wish I could-”

“shut up. your breath smells.”

Joshua let out a drunken snort.
He lifted his head over Sans`s shoulder, bringing his mouth close to Sans`s face.

“I don`t…. smell.”

Fuck he did!!! Don`t fucking do that breathy voice!!! It fucking smells!!!

Sans scowled and pushed his head away, making Joshua laugh more. What the hell was he laughing for!? It wasn`t fucking funny! Last time he bailed, now he was asking for Sans`s healing magic again- and he had the nerve to breathe in his face? While he stank?! Oh, Sans really needed some fucking ketchup-

Sans had to bite back a shout of frustration when he realized that, in fact, he was out of ketchup for the night.

Okay, end of stairs. Sans dissipated his magic and huffed as Joshua`s weight slumped down on him again.

“you owe me many bottles of ketchup for this one, you fucker.”

“Fuuuckerr? That`s mean… hic … but I guess that`s… appropriate… Deal…”
Joshua laughed weakly.
Exactly how much did he drink tonight? Sans was not willing to find out.

Sans hauled Joshua onto his own bed. Great, now he`d have to do the laundry, the sheets will stink for days if he didn`t.

“strip.”

“What? And I thought- hic -you weren`t interested, haha…”

Sans sighed and palmed his sockets.

“i gotta heal you, you bastard. c`mon, i haven`t got all day.”

“But it`s night…”

Joshua let out another giggle as he started to strip of his clothes. The flimsy jacket that was probably way too thin for the weather… the black tank top that was too tight on him. The jeans that showed way too much skin. The dirty boxers damp with who knows what.

And bruises. Bruises on his ass, his thighs, his chest- less than last time, but no better. The occasional bite marks. Little nicks everywhere.

“you`re really fucked up.”

“Mm, thoroughly.”
Joshua flopped over to reveal his battered behind. He let out a small muffled laugh into Sans`s pillow as he turned his head to the fluffy part.
He was going to be the death of Sans, he was sure.

“not really the time for jokes, buddy.”

Sans skimmed one finger over Joshua`s spine, feeling the tug of crudely formed healing magic as it channeled through the tip of his phalanges. He was never really good at healing magic, but he could do a few things.
The bruises started to fade under his touch.

Joshua whimpered as Sans`s fingers hovered over his abused ass.

“It stings.”

Sans decided not to answer that. It was his fault sticking with that shitty job, Sans knew he could quit whenever he wanted to. It wasn`t like he was broke or anything. Even if he was, the skeletons were more than capable of covering him.

He did soften his magic a little bit when Joshua let out another whimper, though.
Just because.

“shoo, i gotta sleep now.”

Joshua tossed in the bed. He cracked open one eye.

“But it`s so comfyyyy.” He whined.

Sans palmed his skull. Was he always this clingy and whiney when he was drunk?

“just the night, you bastard. ugh, my bed is gonna reek-“

“Heh, thought so… Thanks…”

Sans tucked himself up next to Joshua, now clothed in a T-shirt and cleaner boxers, taking care not to touch him. He didn`t want to smell like those old men-

Joshua hummed happily and mushed his cheek against Sans`s shoulder, throwing one hand over his chest.

Guess that just went out the window.

Joshua sighed contentedly.
“You`re reaalllyyy good at aftercare, y`know…?” He murmured sleepily.

Sans snorted.

“you call that aftercare? i healed you, clothed you. nothin` more.”

“Meh. You`d make a great boyfriend someday...”

Sans blinked his sockets.
Haha, he laughed dryly in his mind, that probably wasn`t true.

“nah, mate- i`m real possessive, you know, i can be frustrating at times. and i`m really lazy, too, i`m sure nobody likes… that…”

But Joshua was already fast asleep.

Chapter Text

“Yeah. A date. Right now.”

“i`m supposed to stay in the house?”

“Meh, we could skirt around monsters if we saw some.”

“you sure?”

“Positive. Besides, it`s just dinner- what could go wrong?”

Stretch hesitantly got to his feet.

This time, you were going to a human restaurant, not Grillby`s. Just to keep Stretch clear of any monsters. You still weren`t sure what all the fuss was about, but if even Papyrus made a serious face, you were willing to listen.
And you really didn`t need any unnecessary company on a date.

That`s right, a date!

You were not joking about trying hard to get Stretch love you as who you are- you had fished out your old flirting skills back from your high school days. Time for some proper dating.

“You ready?”

Stretch did a slow spin in front of you.

Not the usual hoodie and khaki pants, you noticed. He was wearing black slacks and an ironed shirt, a grey coat to top it off. It was a nice change.

“Suits you well, handsome. Come on! I made reservations.”

Stretch made a smile and followed close behind as you opened the front door to the cool evening breeze.
Your heart thumped in your ribcage. Oh, this was what you wanted! The sweet anticipation of a date with your crush. Not really one-sided, though- but it would have to do. Stretch closed his sockets momentarily as he breathed in the clear air.

Right… they had been cooped up for so long, all these guys. You would have to make that trip occur ASAP.

“so where are we going, beautiful?”

Stretch slung one arm around your shoulder. Your breath made momentary clouds in the air, and Stretch eyed them as they faded away. Your teeth hurt as you ground them to keep the flush from creeping up your face.
This really was working after all- you felt like you were meeting this guy for the first time again.

“No flirting! I`m not ready yet!”
You squawked, making Stretch snort. He pulled you flush to his chest.

“eh, i`m supposed to make you flustered, right? lead the way, darling.”

You felt your face redden slightly as you started to walk, headed towards the restaurant you had in mind.

You had eaten there many times with Joshua. It was a nostalgic place for you, and you really liked the people who worked there as well. Definitely not the people that might have problems with Stretch. But also definitely the people who would make fun of you when you dragged your partially-one-sided-crush through the front door. Most definitely the people who would try and get you drunk in front of him.

Ugh- last time was a total happy disaster.

You loved the place.

The bell on the door jingled as you pushed your way through with Stretch close behind you, now holding your hand in his. He had fished out a beanie from the inside of his pocket and put it over his skull, covering himself up to the very top of his sockets. He could`ve passed for an actual human if you didn`t look close enough- good.
You didn`t want any problems to ruin the evening.

The restaurant was just like how you remembered it. Warm, dimly lighted by soft yellow lamps, a strong scent of various savory sauces and meat and cooked dough- wonderful. Perfect.
And just to make it better, a voice came to poke your ear.

“Hey, Y/n! Long time no see, sweetie!”

“Dan!!”

You practically jumped when you saw your favorite waiter plus manager.
He was a ginger-haired big guy with a friendly uncle beard. Joshua had introduced him to you, and as you slowly claimed your place here as a regular, the small talk between you two had become more and more frequent. One day he would ask about your newly done hair, one day you would ask about his fab jeans. It was indeed a matter of time before the two of you became good friends. If only you weren`t so busy, you would totally invite him over, even.

You tackled Dan in a flying hug. Oh, you had missed him so much! The last time you were here, you were with your dangblasted mother- and you weren`t able to come for a very long time.

“I see your mother`s not around.” Dan murmured cautiously, letting you go from his bear hug.

“Yeah! In fact, I brought a date~”

You pulled Stretch over by his arm, and the lanky skeleton shuffled to match eyes with the large bartender.
Stretch was easily taller than Dan, by a whole head or even more. Still, Dan was much more stocky- and you started to feel sweat break out on your forehead as you watched the two process the situation in their heads, sizing each other up.

You let out a breath you hadn`t realized you`ve been holding when Dan was the first to break out in a huge smile.

Of course… You would never expect less from this kind man.

He put a firm hand out in front of him, which Stretch took after a moment that thankfully wasn`t too long to make things awkward. Dan shook his hand enthusiastically.

Thank the lords he wasn`t freaked out by the sensation of bones and phalanges under his palm.

“Y/n`s date, huh? She`s a cool kid- You`re cool, mate. Here- I`ll show you to your seats. Y/n`s spot, haven`t forgotten!”

Dan winked sideways to your direction. Your spot! The spot you and Joshua always took when you two were out for a good evening to your own. You were delighted Dan had remembered that little pleasure.
But seriously, who was Dan not to remember?

“Righto. I`ll get you your usual, if that`s okay with you-“
You nodded enthusiastically.
“And good sir over here…?”

Stretch jumped a little, startled by Dan addressing him.

“oh, um, i`ll get whatever she`s having, thank you.”

“Great choice! I`ll be with you in a minute. Stay comfy!”

And like that, Dan disappeared back into the dim lights of the warm restaurant background.
You turned your head back to Stretch, who now had a warm, amused smile over his teeth.

Hmm?

“What`s that smile for?”

Stretch laughed. Obviously, he`d been expecting this reaction.

“you know. just… you. you`re really friends with everybody, aren`tcha?”

“That`s an overstatement. I`m a couch potato- I don`t have friends.”

You laughed as you poured the two of you water in the plastic cups on one side of the table.
True. You were a home-type of girl. The type who loved Netflix, games, chilling, and mostly, her bed. The type to not go anywhere because she hated to put on all that makeup and get dressed and shit.

“and you look much relaxed than i`ve ever seen you be.”

“Is that so?”

Stretch leaned back on the cushion of his chair.

“yeah. shows in your smile. y`know, you don`t have to be… around us, if you feel cooped up.”

“What- Haha, Stretch, what`d I just say? I`m a couch potato- I ain`t going anywhere. I love being cooped up. Especially if you`re in that coop.”

Stretch`s skull took on a faint orange glow.

“Only I`d wish for a tinier coop.”

Okay, the orange was evident now. Go, team you! You loved how the ‘date’ was going so far.

“huh- you`re good at making guys flustered.”

“Yeah, I pride myself in it.”

You sipped at the water to quench your parched throat you were making sure Stretch didn`t notice. He circled a single phalange over the rim of his own cup, eyeing the liquid thoughtfully.

“Say, doesn`t it hurt?”

“doesn`t what hurt?”

“You know… the… um, the crack.”

“oh, my soul? um.”
Stretch scratched at his beanie for a while, then eventually slipped it off his head and shoved it back into his coat pocket.

“i guess it does hurt a bit. not like pain, but more like… an allergy? my chest itches, i sweat a lot. and i hear these… voices. nothing really meaningful, but they blabber a lot.”

Stretch`s sockets scrunched up for a split second.

“Are you… can you hear them? Like, now?”
You were cautious to ask this.

“yeah? kind of.”

Oh.
No wonder he was reluctant to get out of the house.

You suddenly started to feel a little bad for pulling him out of the flat to get him all the way here. It wasn`t a long walk, but it wasn`t a short walk, either- And he would surely be much more comfortable in his own room.

Stretch caught your expression and grinned lightly.

“eh, nothing i can`t handle. besides, i`m excited to try out the food- if you like it, then i`m all up for it.”

Ooh, now this was a topic you liked. You scooched closer, excited, patting down the table with your hands like a drummer.

“Well, in that case, you won`t regret it. The steak here is just marvelous- you know, they cook it over coals and embers, so the meat doesn`t really burn outside before the inside cooks. Still, the way they do it lets them manage to keep the juices inside…”

Your lengthy praise about the food was brought to justice when Dan appeared with two steaming plates of your favorite steak plus pasta combo to your attention.

“wow, this stuff is really good!”

“Told`ja.”

Stretch wolfed down the food with no less gusto than you did. You couldn`t blame him- Gods above, the food was awesome! Even more awesome than last time! But then, you always felt that way when you came here.

“i can see why you like the food here. it`s similar to your cooking.”

“Oh, jeez, don`t flatter me. That`s like comparing my booty to Kim Kardashian or somebody.”

“who`s kim kardashian? what`s a booty?”

You winced at his not-too-subtle volume, and glanced side to side to check if there were no people around to hear that.

“Human celebrity. And forget that I even said that word, gawd.”

Stretch snorted. You grimaced. He was so going to look it up on the internet.

“i am so going to look that up on the internet.”

Called it.
Fuck.

“Man. Eat your food.” You grumbled, making Stretch laugh.

You twirled a bit of noodle on your fork, and leaned a little to look out the window.
The view was no different from all the other visits you paid the place with Joshua, your mother, your father, and Rick.

Irony, how things have changed so much in such a short time and yet nothing changed at all.

“what`cha looking at?”

Stretch`s curious voice ended your trail of thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. Just, you know, dazed off.”

“you seem to do that a lot, darling.”

“I do?”

You had tried to hide that habit from Stretch.
Apparently, you hadn`t done a very good job at it.

“um, not much, though. i do that a lot, too. old things?”

“Yeah. Um, finished already? Jeez, I didn`t even see you eat. Gotta catch up.”

You indulged in your meat again, hoping Stretch hadn`t caught the obvious attempt to change the subject. Your old memories were nothing to be proud of- maybe the ones with Joshua, yes, but not the ones with Rick, even if they were good ones. And most definitely not the ones with your parents. There were no good ones to bargain with.

“take your time, honey. i like watching you eat.”

You stopped mid-chew.
Stretch stopped with you, an orange glow lighting up the rim of his sockets.

“oh, not in that- stars, didn`t even imagine it would sound that weird. i can`t even pinpoint the source of weirdness. you just look cute, okay? gawd, i talk too much. eat, baby.”

You snorted a little at that. Stretch`s brows scrunched up in concentration as he looked away from you, a furious expression on his face. You grinned only to make him even more orange… He looked like an absolute orange now.

Did you have a fruit fetish?

Better not to answer that.

“W-Well, thank you for that,” You stuttered.
You were a little self-conscious this time when you started to eat what was left on your plate. Stretch`s sockets were boring holes in your forehead, you were sure. You`d go home and find two black burns.

You cleared your throat. Getting a little quiet…

“So, uh, Blue seemed to have cheered up a bit.”

Stretch suddenly started to look guilty.

“yeah, i`m immensely grateful that he did. i really shouldn`t have neglected him with my problems… i fussed over my soul a lot with him, made him worry- although i`m sure he would`ve found out somehow. he`s too cool to keep secrets from.”

Now he was making you a bit guilty.

“Yeah… um. I`m sorry for- for…”

Stretch seemed to have caught your hesitation.

“hey, darling,”
His voice was considerably lighter.
“if you`re worried about what your soul did, no worries, okay? you`re here with me- because you didn`t care about what your soul did, innit?”

You bit your lower lip. You really didn`t have an answer for that right there.
Stretch blanched.

“shit, maybe i worded it wrong. what i`m saying is- i really appreciate your way of seeing it, and i don`t want you to change, sunshine. let`s continue with the dates, let`s make blue happy. sansy`s gonna fix this, you know. it`s not permanent- i wouldn`t care if it was, anyway. it doesn`t hurt around you.”

“Really? Around me?”

“mmhmm. it doesn`t bother me when i`m near you.

“How near?”

“this much?”

Well that wasn`t very far, was it?
You didn`t have a problem with that, though. And your heart was already too fuzzy to care- he liked your way of seeing and approaching this problem? You couldn`t have asked for a bigger praise.

“Okay… Is it okay to… you know… sleep away from me?”

Stretch put his fork to his teeth, his sockets pondering.

“yeah, i guess,” He settles.
“i think it`s just getting worse with time. sans said he could work on it on Sunday- so i guess it`ll be fine? it`s only two days from now.”

“Mm. Okay, but… call me if you need me, okay? I don`t want you all painful and shit- I did that to you.”

A new wave of guilt hit you.
And for nearly two days- you`ve been mad at him for a stupid misunderstanding. You`d have to make up to him for that one.
On the trip, you thought, on the trip…

Stretch`s nervous voice brought you back to ground.

“sure, babe. i`ll be there. in the meantime, i think… it`s high time we should be going…”

Sure enough, the restaurant was flooded with light- from what you could only see as a monster. A few of them, actually, not one. They were a little far away from your table, fortunately, but you could make out their silhouettes. Was that a purple flame? More like a purple flaming girl, maybe? Related to Grillby?
Wait- this was really not the time.

“Put on your beanie! Let`s get out of here.” You whispered frantically.

Stretch fished his beanie out and pulled it down to his brows.

“Head down, okay? I`ll get you out of here.”

You pulled on his wrist to navigate through the jostling crowds, adrenaline pumping through your veins.
Kinda reminded you of that incident at the mall when you guys first met.

Ha- good memories.

You didn`t even get a chance to say goodbye to Dan as the two of you ran out the front door and quite a long distance on the streets. Thankfully, you were seen by no one- no monster, to be exact. The two of you huffed to catch your breath as you stood, bent over, hand clutching your knees.

“ha… close… call…”

“Hho… I… agree…”

Stretch burst out laughing between gasps for air.

“haha… it`s like an… escapade… c`mon, lets- let`s catch our breath, we should… huff -go home.”

You nodded, too out of breath for words.

The two of you picked up a slow pace as you wobbled through the dark evening streets back to your home. Wow… the stars were beautiful tonight. Even more perfection to add to an already perfect night.

“The stars are really clear tonight. The sky isn`t usually this cloudless, but today…”

“yes,” Stretch breathed next to you.

His phalanges gently touched yours, just skimming.

Why were your fingers all trembling and shit? You weren`t a fucking teenager, you were- you were…

Well, fuck that.
You felt yourself melt away as Stretch`s bony fingers linked around yours in the shyest, high-school-est, sweetest grip you ever got from him.

“you know, i think i`m starting to get what you`re saying.”

“Huh?”

“well- i really didn`t think much about myself, it`s… it`s in our blood- or lack thereof- to trust the instincts of our soul.”

“Ha, good one. So?”

“so i did follow my soul without question when it pulled to your direction, which it is still doing right now… but i never thought about you as who you are.”

You glanced pointedly at Stretch for him to carry on as the two of you shuffled towards the dim light of your house.

“now i`m starting to get to know you as y/n, i guess… it`s a little late, but-“

You squeezed Stretch`s fingers in your hand. Stretch stopped mid-word.

“Thanks.”

Stretch swallowed his nonexistent throat.

“yeah. um, yeah. great.”

“So. How do you like it?”

That earned you an orange blush.

“…not bad, i guess.”

Not bad?

“Not bad?” You echoed your thoughts.
“Jeez, that hurts.”

“good! i mean- ugh, you`re just making fun of me. c`mon, i wanna get home.”

“Gooooood~~?????”

You twirled around an orange Stretch.

“UGH! stop that!”

Stretch was smiling. Stretch was smiling!
And all this in just one day of dating.

You really did strike gold, after all. A few more days, and you would feel at home with yourself being with Stretch.

“i`m the one supposed to get you flustered, okay?”

“Whatever, crush.”

“did you just literally call me crush?”

“I like to be straightforward.”

“meh. you always did.”

“Meh? Mweh.”

“you sound like blue.”

“Mwehmwehmweh.”

“nyeh.”

“You sound like Papyrus.”

“nyeh.”

“Mweh.”

“nyeh heh.”

“MWEH heh!”

The two of you were out of air from laughing by the time you reached the house.
The neighbors would be thinking there were two madmen in the town.

Sans

Ugh…

Smells like alcohol…

Smells like old men…

Smells like…
Strawberries.

Strawberries?

Sans`s sockets flew open as his nonexistent brain short-circuited to take in the situation.

Joshua was sprawled all over him. Face on his shoulder, arm over sternum, one leg wrapped tight around his femur- totally naked and reeking of bad choices. How the fuck was he naked?! Sans was sure he had clothed him last night!!

It took all of Sans`s self-control not to teleport away from his bed. Joshua was still physically touching him- didn`t want his roommate to end up in the void, now, did he?
Sans gritted his teeth in an attempt to stay sane.

Joshua let out a tiny snore.

FUCK!

Why did Sans even bother to help him in the first place?! This was fucking awkward. When Joshua wakes up and remembers everything, he`ll be skirting around Sans for a week out of embarrassment. If he wakes up and doesn`t remember anything-

Well that ain`t gonna end well.

Sans stopped himself from considering the possibilities of Joshua not waking up and started to peel Joshua`s arm off his ribs. Joshua struggled a little, making Sans`s skull break out beads of blue magic.

Fuck- why were human bones so not flexible, Joshua`s arm wasn`t bending!!! Did Sans really have to use blue magic?

Then Joshua opened one eye, still fuzzy from sleep. Still haven`t woken up, probably-

“It`s warm!”

Okay, that`s it-

“GET OFF!!!”

Sans tumbled off the bed in an attempt to wrench himself away from Joshua. Joshua bolted upright, suddenly very awake.
He stared at Sans for a moment, then his eyes flicked down to his naked self.

Joshua screamed.

Should Sans scream?

Yes.

So he did.

“WHY THE FUCK AM I NAKED?!?! WHY THE FUCK AM I HERE?!?!?!”

“LOOK, I KNOW YOU`RE PANICKED, SO AM I!!!!!! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NAKED?!!!?”

“Well, OBVIOUSLY, you stripped me!!”

“AAAAHH!!! why would you even say that??!!! NO I DID NOT!!!”

“Then WHY am I NAKED???!!!”

Sans wanted to dust.

“LOOKIE HERE BUDDYCHUMPAL-“

“Did you just say-“

“YES. now shut up and-“

“Buddychumpal?”

“FUCK!! look, kid, you were drunk as a skunk last nigh-“

“Drunk as a skunk?“

Could Sans dust by will? It was just 1HP, after all.

“SHUT UP. so i carried you up here, healed you, clothed you, and put your whining ass in my bed because YOU WEREN`T FUCKING LEAVING, and went to sleep next to you. okay? END of story.”

“I`m still not over that buddychumpal thing.”

“will you shut up?”

“Nah. Anyway, if you clothed me, why`m I naked? Had second thoughts-“

“NO. i have no idea. PLEASE.”

Joshua yanked back the covers to stand up shamelessly. Sans blanched. Human parts were so… so meaty and… floppy and… GUH! Descriptive words- Sans hated his ability to speak English now.

Sans was pulled harshly out of his self-tormenting grimace by Joshua`s surprised yelp.

“What- Is this seriously the time?!”

What?

The clock on the wall pointed- eight thirty.
And it was dark outside.

Sans almost fainted- could skeletons do that? Sans never had a first-hand experience.

STARS, he had slept until fucking eight thirty. Probably because he had used magic yesterday when he was tired. YOUR fucking fault, Joshua!!!! You BASTARD!
And the machine was supposed to be checked and tuned at seven-

“The machine-“
Joshua breathed, realization setting in.

The machine!!!!

Sans and Joshua dashed into Joshua`s room, side by side, Joshua only in his underwear and Sans in the smelliest T-shirt he has ever had on. Thank the STARS you were out on a date with Stretch, probably, Sans would have dusted himself if Stretch saw this and decided to make fun.

But now was definitely NOT the time for that train of thought!

Joshua punched the keys with panicked jabs. The screen, it lit up, but it wasn`t the usual black dots, oh...
Oh, something was wrong, Sans could already feel it-

Oh. No.

Shit. Shit.

“They… they`re coming.” Joshua breathed.

“it`s soon.”

Sans heard himself say. His voice was faint to his hearing.

“The brothers from the…”

“the bad timeline.”

Chapter Text

You closed the front door behind you, still huffing from laughter.

“i`ll go shower now, babe. i had a great time- uh, end it off with a kiss?”

Stretch comically fluttered his sockets and pouted out his teeth.

“Ha! How cliché. Fine, honeyboy-“

Mm. You loved those little pecks. Probably could taste honey later if you licked your lips…
You gave Stretch a friendly squeeze in the arm as he turned to ascend the stairs.

Time to figure out what to say to Rick tomorrow.

You sighed as you stepped into the living room, lost in thought.
Maybe Rick would take it easy. Or maybe you could lie? No, that was not an option, he would find out about it sooner or later, not to mention it was very rude to Stretch if you did. How would you even say it? God, you shouldn`t have texted him the way you did- you were in a damn deep hole.

You were just about to sink into the sofa when a waft of smoke hit your nose. What?! Was this smell coming from the kitchen?!

“Hey! Who`s smoking- What?”

Your indignant voice trailed away to confusion when you saw Joshua sitting on the ktchen table, half naked and with a lit cigarette in his hand, Sans on the opposite side and looking miserable.

“I never knew you smoked.”

Joshua lifted his limp head at your voice.

“I don`t. Just thought I`d try it out.”

“Why are you half naked?”

“No idea. Ask-“

“no idea. PLEASE.”

You tilted your head in confusion as Sans glared daggers at a snickering Joshua.

“Um, okay. Uh, so what are you guys doing here… smoking?”

“yeah. it`s nothi- actually, maybe she should know?” The last part was directed to Joshua, who nodded reluctantly.

The smile was off his face now.
Sans sighed and shifted in his chair to face you.

“look, kiddo, uh, you know there might be more monsters coming… right?”

Yes, you`ve heard.
You nodded.

“well, uh, due to a small problem-“

Joshua winced.

“-there might be two… on their way. a bit sooner than we had expected.”

“Um, is that supposed to be bad? I mean, I`m fine with more in the house…”

Okay, where was this going? Sans`s grim tone was making you nervous.

“first thing is that they`re coming really soon. two weeks from now.”

“Great! Maybe we could take them along on our trip, it should be around that time-“

“stars, no! uh, sorry bout that, it`s just- ugh, second thing anyway, is that they are… dangerous.”

You laughed nervously.

“Hey, you guys are dangerous as hell, too! How could I be in more mortal peril when Red almost had my eye out?”

Nobody was laughing along.
Okay, what the fuck?

You felt your smile fade away as your eyebrows scrunched up into a frown. Sans, you better explain what`s going on, mate!

“what i`m saying is, just… they aren`t as sociable, aren`t as stable- i just wanted to make sure if you`re okay with these guys coming in.”

Um.
That was a little scary.

But if they were anything like the guys you were with right now… maybe you had a chance? After all, you had become friends with Red at the end, although he had attempted to gouge out your eyes at first encounter.
Screw possible bad results. Besides, dangerous friends were badass if you had `em. Kind of?

“Do they have elsewhere to go?”

Sans opened his mouth, eyelights darting, and closed it again with an audible click.

“…no. guess not.”

“Well, looks like I have no choice! Besides, I`m totally fine. I`ll just, uh, steer clear if you`re worried a lot.”

Sans let out a breath. His face was a mixture of relief and newfound worry.

“thanks for that. still got a lot of problems, though… oh, right, uh, your soul, too… but i`ll be ready to fix it by sunday. sounds okay?”

“Sounds great. Ugh, talk about problems, mate- Mind if I join?”

Sans lifted one brow, but scooched to sit in the next chair for you to sit together at the table. You noticed the bottles of beer on the table and reached over to pick one up.

“Please don`t tell me you`ve been drinking, Josh-“

“nah. it was me. out of ketchup. human alcohol is nasty, though! how come you guys enjoy that stuff?”

You snorted as Sans made a disgusted scowl.

“You get used to it, I guess. Monster drinks are better, though, I gotta give you that- and this is cheap beer.”

“i`m buying monster drinks next time. by the way, what`s getting in your hair, kiddo? sounded like you had a real biggie you wanted to talk about back there.”

You let out a sigh and popped the top off the beer.

“Tell me about it. You know about Rick?”

“rick? uh, i`ve just heard the name, i guess?”

“What? Jeez, you`re in for a long trip.”

And you launched into the saga of you and Rick`s twisted relationship, leaving out the details but providing Sans with a pretty accurate timeline of the main events that brought you and Rick to this point.

“And tomorrow, because of that stupid text I sent him out of impulse, I have to meet him. Had to meet him sooner or later, though… I have no idea what to say! Some help here?”

“wow, that`s pretty messy, kiddo. real damn hole there.”

“I am very much aware, thanks. So- any help?”

“…`m not good at relationship stuff…”

Sans shrugged.

“maybe i could, you know, put him in the void?”

“What`s the void? And no.”

Joshua snorted. He sucked long on his cigarette, which might have passed for sexy with his shirt off and all if he hadn`t fallen into a fit of coughing at the end.
He took a moment to calm his breath, then waved his cigarette in the air.

“Break up with him! No reasons, just tell him you`re done. You know, teen movie style?”

You huffed and crossed your arms.

“Teen movie breakups do come with reasons, Josh! What am I gonna tell him if he asks why?”

“don`t you have plenty of reasons? i mean, from what i`ve heard right now, you do, kid.”

“Meh. Too overdue.”

Sans snorted.

“meh me, kid. those ain`t too overdue for nothing. anyway, if you don`t think that`s gonna work, maybe tell him you`re pent up? stressed out?”

“Hmm. Not bad, not bad…”

“I just don`t get why you fuss over him too much. Just dump him, ya know?”

You wrung your hands. Well, you`d like to do that! It wasn`t your fault you were so untalented at cutting off relationships. Only more reasons to you not making many in the first place.

And Rick… He was a clinger. He was a devoted-for-life type of guy. He didn`t give up easily, he was a master at apologizing. He didn`t know how to let the other person go.
But what was the point in apologizing if things were already the fucked-up way they were?

And he really never learned.

“I wish it was that easy.”

Sans sighed and patted your shoulder. Joshua leaned back in his chair with a concerned frown on his face, musing.

“Maybe take Stretch with you?”

What? Oh, no.

“Ugh, that would be a disaster. There`s no way he`s coming.”

Little did you know.

The night was fine for both you and Stretch. No happenings, no skeleton nuzzling in with you. Stretch must be holding off well, you mused as you brushed your teeth. Just one more day, and he`d be finer than ever! You hummed happily as you swayed your hips around in the bathroom.

Better to stay happy in the morning- you needed your spirits up high.

Rick had texted you overnight-
* café today right? see ya at twelve?
* sure m8
* cool
-just like the old days.

As you worked through your clothes, rummaging for the most clean, casual look you could go for, you couldn`t help but feel a twinge of regret. Regret for… regret for things turning out like this? Regret meeting Stretch?

Not meeting Stretch, no, that wasn`t something you`d ever regret in your life. If you had something you regretted, it would be trying out new stuff.
As you were brought up to compete and to engage in challenges, you hated changing things when they were settled to go for new ones. Rick was like an old couch- you really didn`t want to get up to sit somewhere else even though it was crappy and musty. Old habits, yes, but it would be a lie if you weren`t scared to jump into a new relationship. There were simply too many memories you`d have to neglect.

But then- what had to be done had to be done.

So you tugged on your grey sweater and your jeans, comfy and casual and the least suggestive in your wardrobe.
Okay…

Finally time for some seriously overdue talking.

The café was quiet as ever. Not that there were no people coming in and out, but the tables were all secluded and the place itself had a calm vibe to it by default. Soft jazz music skirted around you ears and the sweet scent of coffee tickled your nose.

Only half past eleven- And you had walked all the way here! You were always bad at timing.

You pulled out your phone. Youtube would help waiting.

5 unread messages

The first three were from Rick.

* u at the café?
* Im almost there
* see u at 12

The next two were from Joshua.

* Good luck m8
* can u buy some ketchup on ur way home?

You smiled. Right, Sans had said they were out of ketchup. Silly skeletons and their silly drinking habits. You`d have to buy mustard and honey as well, they didn`t last very long every time.
Wow- already this accustomed to the boys already? You could get used to this! Hell, you`d miss them if they decided to leave, all the boys.

You did have a lot of events during that time…

But you loved the cooking sessions with Blue and Papyrus, the small chats with Red and Edge, Sans caring for you and Joshua like a mother hen, and… and Stretch. You couldn`t imagine him going away. He wouldn`t, right? After all, he was your soulmate. Technically. But still your soulmate!
You were here for him and you, after all. To start things over.

The train of thoughts were much more effective than Youtube when it came to time-killing, you learned, as the small chime from your phone indicated it was twelve o`clock.

Almost simultaneously, the bell at the café door jingled as a customer pushed his way inside.
That familiar neat hair, that coat you recognized from last winter, that wide smile, those clear brown eyes…

Rick.

Rick strode over to your table, recognizing you the instant he entered the place. His long gait was eager… You felt your heart clench in your chest. You were not so sure all of a sudden.

“Hey, babe! You look… wonderful! It`s been so long, I didn`t… I didn`t know you had cut your hair.”

You shrugged, subconsciously running your fingers through your shoulder-length hair. It was originally longer than that, but you had cut it out of impulse about two months ago.

“Yeah. Uh, cut it out of impulse. You`re looking good, too. I remember that coat from last winter.”

“You do? Smart girl. Anyway, nice of you to call me first- I thought you were ignoring my messages, you never read any of them for such a long time!”

His laugh was just how you remembered it- clear, tinkling, light like a spring breeze.

“I was really busy. My mom visited me, too.”

Partially true, you thought. It had only been for two days, but… Still counted, right?

“Jeez, really? No problems this time?”

“Yeah. Still hates you.” That rewarded you with a snicker from Rick.

“Mmhmm. Thought as much. You remember the times we, uh, snuck out in high school?”

“You bet. Ma still doesn`t know- She`ll probably throw a fit when she finds out.”

“Totally.”

You laughed half-heartedly as Rick shrugged off his coat with a smile. The buzzer started to hum loudly, and you whisked it off the table where it rattled against the hard wood.

“I`ll get the coffee, you wait here.”

“Sure thing, babe.”

sure thing, babe.

That had sounded so much better when Stretch had said it.

Shaking away your thoughts, you headed to the counter where you switched the buzzer for two cups of coffee with a quick thanks.
Just a simple latte for you, something fancy for Rick. He always liked to try out new menus.

“Heeeyy, you look even more beautiful standing. Love the jeans. What`ve you got for me?”

“Shaddup, I`m fat. I got you a Café Sua, I think you wanted to try that out when they were advertising it?”

“Ah, you read my mind, babe. My girl.”

Rick took the mug eagerly, holding it gingerly when he saw the steam rolling off the top.

Not your girl.

“Hey,”

You started. You felt yourself beginning to sweat. You never experienced something like this before, it was usually you who got clingy and shit and eventually dumped. You`ve never left someone before.

“What I said about… having to talk…”

“Oh yeah, baby! I had a lot to tell you, too- I finally got that job I told you about, the one with the… Babe?”

Rick stared at your dull face. His brown eyes filled with confusion.
Great…

It hurt more than you had anticipated.

“We… I think we should break up.”

Fuck- why did your voice have to crack? It wasn`t that big of a deal, Y/n, it`s just a normal breakup, it`s okay…

Rick blinked like he couldn`t believe it.

“But… but babe, we- we just got here… I… Is it because of last time? Uh, I got a job, and I`m studying again, I`m… I`m fixing-“

“No, it`s not you, babe. You`re fine. It`s just me. Uh, yeah. No worries.”

“No worries- Y/n! What are you even saying? There`s nothing wrong with you! I mean- if you want me to fix something, I`ll fix it. If you need something, I`ll do it-“

“Rick… I`m sorry, I don`t think it`ll work out this time.”

Rick`s face crumpled.

“But why?”

His words were now a choked whisper.

I know, baby, I`m sorry, this hurts me too…

Oh, you were so torn. You were so torn you were forgetting your determination every second. His flushed face was just too much for you to take in.

“I… I`m just- I had too much, Rick, okay? I`m not mad, I`m not angry or trying to find fault in you, I just… The memories are too much for me.”

Rick pursed his lips. You could see he was gritting his teeth in the way his jaw set and twitched.

“Is this… because of that?”

You nodded.
Not entirely a lie as well.

Rick`s face was grim when he raised his eyes to meet yours.

“I get it.”

Huh?”

“What?” You asked. Your tone was unbelieving- just like how you felt right now. Jesus, why did it hurt? This was what you wanted… right?

“I said, I get it. I understand. I`m sorry for trying to hold on last time.”

“Um. Uh, I really don`t know what to say to that. Cool. So… What are we now, friends?”

That sounded real bad out loud, you thought as you concentrated on not letting the tears spill.

But Rick shook his head.

“Nah… I don`t think I`ll be able to handle that. I`ll just be waiting here. No pressure, but- I can`t give up on you. Never. But I respect what you`re saying, that you, uh… you don`t feel like being in a relationship with anybody anymore-“

That`s not what I`m saying.

“-so I`ll wait until that passes. Until, um, you`re ready to get back with me.”

You blinked, half frustration, half grudging acceptance- you had expected this, after all- and somewhere, in the very far back end of your mind, a bit of relief that you hated yourself for. A relief that came from knowing that Rick would still be there for you.
That bit didn`t go away easily, haha.

“I… I don`t think that`s ever gonna happen, Rick…”

“It`s okay. I`ll just wait here… Just in case you feel like being in a relationship again.”

And you were too much of a pussycat to tell him you were already in a relationship, a burning, intense one, with someone you had come to love so fiercely it was unreal. You couldn`t tell him that- when he was here, telling you he`ll wait a lifetime for you to come back to him.
Which, you knew, was probably not true.

The best option here was just to say yes and walk away, then wait for him to fall for another girl and forget you. Finally get to go separate ways. You just couldn`t bring yourself to do it first… Loser.
A pang of guilt pierced your stomach, reminding you painfully that you were too scared to even justify Stretch.

That wouldn`t do…
But you were an insufferable loser.
And you knew you were no less of a clinger than Rick was.

Because it hurt. Hurt like daggers.

“…Cool. Uh. I have to be getting home, Rick, uh… I`m sorry I called you out for this. Really.”

“No problem. My house is really close anyway.”

Rick`s voice was tight. The milk steam on the top of his coffee had dried up.

“…Yeah. Great seeing you.”

You stood up, anxious to end this painful conversation. A second more and you might break. This was way too quick and agonizingly slow at the same time- You never imagined the two years would end like this.

Rick`s desperate voice stopped you cold.

“Y/n… I love you.”

The laugh that escaped your lips was shaky and dull.

“I really don`t deserve that, Rick.”

“You do.”

“Not the time… I`m sorry.”

You glanced back to see Rick with his eyes cast down at the floor.
Oh… You wanted to run back and hug him, say you`re sorry, say you`re okay…

You weak-willed being, you…

You hated yourself so much for not being able to stay angry with Rick for everything he`s done, intentional or not.

You have Stretch.

You obliged.
And ran out the door before you could hesitate a moment longer.

Stretch

Stretch was woken by a sharp tug in the middle of his ribcage, then the sound of the front door clicking shut. Groaning, he checked the clock- twelve o`clock? Noon? Did he really sleep until now? Was he- Ow!

Stretch yanked up his shirt, half expecting a wound in his sternum. Nothing! Then what was wrong- OW! What-

The pain was bordering on unbearable. Was it…

Oh… yes it was. It was his soul. You were out of the house. Shit, Stretch should`ve warned you! You c

Stretch leaped out of bed, pulling on his khaki shorts and hoodie as he stumbled towards the door. Grab the coat, too- Grab the beanie- Stretch panted, the pain was getting stronger every second.
He slammed open the door and stumbled down the stairs.

“whoa- where`ya goin`?”

“i- my soul-“

Red, startled by Stretch`s panting appearance, trailed his eyelights down to his sternum. His sockets widened in something Stretch recognized as shock.

“yer soul`s some`n wrong, i can see that- y/n just got out, is that supposed ta be related?”

“yes! will you help- gasp -help me follow her?”

“follow her?”

Red voice was incredulous at first- but he eyed Stretch`s ribcage again, grimaced, and then hooked Stretch`s arm over his shoulder as he, with his other hand, pulled the hood of his jacket over his own skull.

“put that beanie on low, ashtray. hold tight.”

Stretch obliged, closing his sockets- and felt his nonexistent insides do a slow, familiar somersault as he felt himself momentarily exposed to the gaping void as Red teleported away. His soul thumped in slow motion for a split second.

When his feet touched the ground, the stabbing pain in the middle of his chest died away so fast it was alarming.

“she`s there- took me a second ta find her. ya need me, or can i go home?”

“i guess i`ll manage. thanks, buddy.”

Red nodded slightly, but Stretch was too busy searching for you to see him blip away from beside him. Where were you? If you went any farther again, he- Oh. There you are… Who was that beside you? A friend, maybe?

Stretch didn`t want to barge in anything, but the throbbing in his chest, no matter how much it had eased by closing the distance (thanks to Red), was too much for him to bear. He looked around- the middle of the street, and you were in a café… The bushes. Hmm, leafy and tall enough. Not creepy at all. At all.

Stretch quickly stepped into the foliage behind the café and curled into a squat. The windows were large and open, he could hear all your words through it. He wasn`t actually planning to eavesdrop… but hey, his soul absolutely throbbed- he had to stay near. He would have to apologize later, he thought as he gritted his teeth. Nosing was really not his usual act.

“Shaddup, I`m fat. I got you a Café Sua, I think you wanted to try that out when they were advertising it?”

Your voice.
Stretch`s nonexistent ears perked up immediately. Oh, just hearing your music soothed the ache around his sternum… better than music.

“Ah, you read my mind, babe. My girl.”

What?
Did- did that man just-

Why weren`t you…

Was… Was that Rick?

“Hey, what I said about having to talk-”

“Oh yeah, baby! I had a lot to tell you, too- I finally got that job I told you about, the one with the… Babe?”

Stretch resisted the strong urge to crane his neck and look into the window. He could feel your soul- it was hesitating-

“We… I think we should break up.”

Stretch`s soul thrummed happily in his ribcage. But no- You were in pain. You were in so much pain. Your soul was so strained it hurt Stretch to be around it.
Your voice started to crack.

Oh... You were in the middle of the inevitable. For Stretch.
And it was hurting you so much. Stretch didn`t want that.

You`re doing good, baby, slow down, you don`t have to put yourself in so much pain…

“But… but babe, we- we just got here… I… Is it because of last time? Uh, I got a job, and I`m studying again, I`m… I`m fixing-“

Stretch flinched at Rick`s voice. His voice was softer than his, sweeter than his, all the more appeal… and he could feel your soul jerk to every syllable he uttered. He could see why you loved him. You really did love him, way too much, so much your soul was straining in a way it shouldn`t.
Stretch hated it.

“No, it`s not you, babe. You`re fine. It`s just me. Uh, yeah. No worries.”

Your voice was dull.
Dull with pain.

“No worries- Y/n! What are you even saying? There`s nothing wrong with you! I mean- if you want me to fix something, I`ll fix it. If you need something, I`ll do it-“

Oh… your soul was faltering. It was a matter of seconds until it gave in, Stretch could feel it in his bones. You were just too good to deny love. No matter who, no matter how.
How could you deny this?

“Rick… I`m sorry, I don`t think it`ll work out this time.”

That must break your heart.

Oh, baby, you were in so much pain... Stretch hated himself for eavesdropping, for not being able to just barge in and end the conversation. He wanted you to be happy. Just wnated you to have a smile instead of that dull, strained expression he could imagine without even seeing.

“But why?”

“I… I`m just- I had too much, Rick, okay? I`m not mad, I`m not angry or trying to find fault in you, I just… The memories are too much for me.”

Stretch would take them away. He`d love you so fierce, make you feel so loved that you would forget anything that had hurt you. Make you the happiest you`d ever been in your life. Love you more every day than the day before. Give you so much love it would overflow, more than you could ever wish for.

“Is this… because of that?”

…Stretch would learn what that was someday.

“I get it.”

Rick`s voice was like a trigger- your soul crackled like a fire at the three words. Stretch felt a new ache in his soul as it suddenly jerked towards you. Magic rushed to Stretch`s head, making him dizzy.
Just imagine how much you would be going through.

You`ll be fine, darling, just a little more…

“What?”

Your tone suggested the state of your soul.

“I said, I get it. I understand. I`m sorry for trying to hold on last time.”

And a small sigh of relief.

“Um. Uh, I really don`t know what to say to that. Cool. So… What are we now, friends?”

Stretch pulled in a breath to sigh-

“Nah… I don`t think I`ll be able to handle that. I`ll just be waiting here. No pressure, but- I can`t give up on you. Never. But I respect what you`re saying, that you, uh… you don`t feel like being in a relationship with anybody anymore… so I`ll wait until that passes. Until, um, you`re ready to get back with me.”

Ready to get back with him? You were Stretch`s mate! Not his! Surely you would say no!... Would you?
Stretch`s mind started to race a thousand miles an hour. Surely you wouldn`t go back?

“I… I don`t think that`s ever gonna happen, Rick…”

Stretch leaned back into the wall as all the energy dissipated from his body. His skull fell back with a clunk on the bricks.

“It`s okay. I`ll just wait here… Just in case you feel like being in a relationship again.”

A moment of silence.

“…Cool. Uh. I have to be getting home, Rick, uh… I`m sorry I called you out for this. Really.”

Oh… Y/n, you didn`t have to be so good. Listen to your soul, listen how it calls out for someone else, oh, darling…

I`m so sorry I didn`t know. I`m so sorry you have to go through this. I`m so sorry I can`t help you right now. I`m so sorry I decided to keep you as my mate.

“No problem. My house is really close anyway.”

“…Yeah. Great seeing you.”

Stretch pulled out of his trance to sit up as he heard you start to shuffle around. Getting up? He would have to somehow follow you back home… Would he be able to hide the whole way? Maybe?

“Y/n… I love you.”

Rick`s voice was sincere. Sincere- braver than Stretch. Stretch could see how you two could`ve been happy, loving each other, always sincere, truthful…
Stretch stopped mid-step.

“I really don`t deserve that, Rick.”

Darling, you do. You deserve all the love in the world.

“You do.”

“Not the time… I`m sorry.”

And thank you for giving me a chance to love you the way I should. Not Rick.

And Rick was so much better at this too…

Your footsteps stopped for a painfully long moment. Hesitating.

Please. Please. I`ll love you better. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for going through all this. Please come to me. I`ll give you all the love in the world, I`ll love you to my death. I love you as who you are, Y/n, now I know it`s not just my soul…

And Stretch plopped down as all the strength in his legs went out, cued by the sound of you running out the door.

Chapter Text

The night wasn`t as bad as you initially expected it to be.

Yes, your head was full of Rick and his sad eyes following you out of the café- but you soon discovered that Stretch was more than a good distraction.

Ever since you ran into him at the front door (huffing and suspiciously out of breath, who knows why) he followed you around like a shadow. He couldn`t seem to get enough of you- you were fine with it, but he really was a little different from the usual. Pinching your cheek, running his fingerbones through your hair, the occasional peck on the forehead. Hugging you to his waist whenever you were near.

Then, he actually knocked on your door at 3 o`clock in the morning.

“darling? you asleep?”

Stretch`s muffled voice was nervous.

Fortunately, you were not sleeping. You were about to, though.

“Not yet, baby, you wanna come in?”

Stretch shyly opened the door to step in with a pillow in his arms. He scratched at his skull nervously. The underside of his sockets were darker than usual- maybe he wasn`t feeling so good? A pang of worry brushed your heart.

“uh, i couldn`t sleep, and… my chest hurts a bit, i guess… can i sleep with you tonight?”

Oh, baby… Anytime you want.

You smiled brightly up at him and scooched over to clear up a spot for him to crawl in. You held up the covers, inviting him inside the warmth.
Stretch`s nervous face transformed into a smile.

He clicked the lights off then turned towards your bed. Magic was cool- you could see the faint outline of his bones under his thin white cotton T-shirt in the dark. The faint but pale orange glow was just enough to see his smile.
And oh… the warmth!
Immediately after Stretch entered the bed, you were enveloped in a cocoon of warmth. Was he doing it on purpose, you didn`t know- warm waves seemed to roll off him, swirling around the whole of the bed, shifting under the covers to reach the farthest spots on your back.
You sighed contentedly.

“Mm, baby, you`re so warm…”

Stretch nudged your lips gently with his teeth. His sockets crinkled with pleasure.

“turn around, darling, i want to have you close.”

You obliged, and as soon as you showed him your back, one arm underneath him unfolded to rest beneath your head, serving as a slightly hard pillow. It was surprisingly comfortable- you hadn`t expected that. His humerus fit the crevice between your chin and neck like a puzzle piece.
His other arm reached over to circle your waist. Stretch gently pulled you flush against his chest, settling you into a comfortable spoon. His warm, bony hand rested on your stomach, and you could feel one phalange lazily rubbing circles into the soft fat of your abdomen.
You could feel the ridge of his pelvis resting against the fat of your butt. He really was incredibly tall, you thought, you never really realized it around him. But in this position, his head was above yours and his chin rested on the top of your head- and his pelvis was below yours. That was easily a head taller already, right? And his legs were probably longer than yours, too…

“comfy?”

Stretch`s drowsy voice rumbled in his chest and into yours. You nodded against his chin and gently put your hand over Stretch`s bony one at your stomach. He squeezed your belly gently in acknowledgement, once, before shuffling a little and soon breathing rhythmically in a content sleep.
This feeling… this feeling would be contentment. Love. Perfection.

Getting over Rick was bound not to be so hard.
You would love Stretch forever- bask in this dizzy warmth, love him back more than he ever loved you. Give him your heart and take him in your arms.

Just… fix Stretch`s soul, then everything would be alright. Everything would be alright, the two of you would start of brand new and perfect…

Sans was waiting for the two of you at the kitchen table next morning.

You had showered quick with Stretch- no fooling around this time. The both of you were nervous. Sans looked as nervous as well, his usual blue hoodie zipped up and smoothed down by his anxious hands. Joshua and Papyrus were nearby at the table as well.
Damn… What was going to happen if even Papyrus looked grim?

“oh, you`re awake… good, good…”

Sans`s default grin was tighter than usual. You couldn`t even point out his dull, unfocused tone, he looked so out of it.
He sighed like the wind seeping out of a deflated air tank. Stretch sucked in a breath next to you.

The atmosphere had deescalated so quickly it was alarming.
The cuddly night you had with Stretch was already in the back of your memory as you tried to take in the grim situation. Sans said it would be okay…. right…? Why was everybody so frozen in anxiety?

“look… i am ready, kiddo, i couldn`t get more prepared. still- you have to know this is very, very dangerous, okay? i`m not sure about stretch, he`s probably going to be fine, to be frank. but you…”

Sans pursed his teeth together in what now looked more like a grimace than a grin.

“…you be strong, okay?”

Stretch`s arm snaked around your waist to go still at the edge of your stomach, trembling. It seemed to scream no!!!. You put one reassuring hand over his, even though you weren`t sure if you were convinced in the first place.
But really, it was all for Stretch… You didn`t care about anything if it meant Stretch would be safe from harm again. Anything.

“papyrus is gonna hold you during all that, okay? uh, for cautionary measures.”

Papyrus stood up from his chair with an unfamiliar sense of silence about him. His teeth were set and tight, unmoving. You wanted to get over and hug him, tell him it was alright… But was it really…?

“This Way, Human.”

Indoor voice…

Papyrus led you to the sofa, Sans, Stretch, and Joshua following closely behind. He sat down slowly and deliberately as if not to disturb the mattress underneath- what you recognized as worry.

“If… If You`re Ready.”

What?
Oh, Papyrus wanted you to sit on his… his lap? Would that be necessary…?
You paused for a moment, opening your mouth to question- but stopped yourself as you registered Papyrus`s serious face. Yes, this was probably necessary, you could see it in the way he gestured reluctantly for you to sit down. The poor guy seemed like he was about to cry.

“Okay… Uh, like this?”

Papyrus nodded as you gingerly settled down on his femurs. Warm, a little hotter than Stretch`s body temperature, and his bones had less give. You stifled a yelp as Papyrus`s arms circled your waist to set you closer to his armor-clad chest. The steel of his everyday armor wasn`t edgy, thankfully, it was rounded and warmed by his body temperature and wasn`t very uncomfortable to lean against. It was just a little strange for you to wrap your mind around, the position was a little more intimate than you were used to.
You might have blushed if it wasn`t for the heavy silence threatening to suffocate everyone in the clearing.

“can you sit here- yeah, like that. lean and stay still, okay?”

You felt your heart thump at your throat as Stretch sat down on the floor with his back to the cabinet stand where the TV was propped on. His body was kept relaxed, but his face wasn`t… and the expression he wore made you infinitely nervous. The reality hadn`t struck before now, you realized with a pang of anxiety. Stretch`s tightened expression constantly reminded you of the possible bad consequences you haven`t been thinking about until now. But…

Please- you could get close to perishing, they could put you in pain, whatever, you didn`t care. As long as Stretch was fine, you were fine.

“joshua- stay back, okay? kiddo, you ready?”

You gulped.

Yes.

There was the familiar yet unsettling tug deep in your chest again. Sans had his hands outstretched to either sides, his sockets closed in concentration.
Your soul and Stretch`s emerged almost simultaneously.

Oh… Stretch`s soul was looking bad now. Thin cracks spiderwebbed across the smooth surface, starting from the vicious wound that seemed to be even larger than before. It was still leaking an unhealthy amount of magic. Papyrus gasped softly behind you as he took in the sight of magic dribbling over the lopsided shape. Stretch pursed his teeth tightly.
Your soul, on the other hand, was throbbing with power. You stared at your soul, mesmerized. It was silvery, now with the faintest sheen of orange you could just make out, bigger than Stretch`s by a measure. The bulge was less prominent than before, less like it was actually two parts. Now the soul looked like it was swollen on one side instead. It hummed- you could see Stretch`s soul spewing magic as it responded. It pushed against Sans`s magic to wriggle closer to yours.

“papyrus, hold tight. get ready, kid.”

Sans`s warning was never enough for the searing pain that followed shortly after.

It felt like every inch of your body was enclosed in a small hurricane with razor blades. You never knew throbbing and searing could occur simultaneously until now- you couldn`t feel your numb body and yet feel it in the most breathtaking sensory stimulation you have ever experienced. Even your insides hurt, it would`ve been less painful if someone was to separate your flesh alive and tear apart every vein in your body with tweezers.
Your throat gave a little ripping throb you barely registered- oh, you must have been screaming. You didn`t even know. Somewhere in the back of your conscience, you heard mingled shouts… Is Stretch okay? Sans said he would be alright…

Your eyes started to burn. Your nose stung like there were a thousand bees swarming inside your nasal cavity. Your lungs couldn`t get enough air and squeezed at your chest to make you gasp for oxygen. Your legs and arms were paralyzed in their place, muscles twitching and screaming as they started to cramp around your bones.

And your head… your chest… White-hot pain blinded your frantic eyes. Your chest stung with every ragged gasp. The deep part inside your ribcage sent scalding pain signals up to your foggy brain.

Oh… Had it been an hour? A minute? A day? It hurts…

Where is everybody else?

Where are you…?

A light. What?

Bright… searing… Your eyes hurt. A familiar shape. Those lights? Oh. Home?

Your hands. Small. Chubby. Short hair. Child feet. You are small. You are home. You know where you are. Back in the old days.

Familiar white. The feeling of crisp fibers. Paper. Ink. Smell of books. Smell of ink.

Y/n!

Footsteps. Door opens. A voice. Familiar. Hurts. Stop.

Anxious. Nervous. Okay. Study. Book? Pen? Study. Math? Math. Okay. Study.

Pick up the pen. Open the book. Calculations. Calculations.

Your friends. Party. Messages. Letters from your boyfriend. Games. TV. Comic books.

y/n, kiddo, you hear me? come on, can you hear me?

A shout. Familiar. Yell. Shout. Smash. Crack.

Okay. Study. Study. Study. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math.

Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math. Paper. Pen. Math.

“Who is this?”

What? Study. Ignore. Voice continues. Nosing. Around the books. In the cabinet. In the boxes.

“Is this him?”

No. Not him. Found? Letters? Messages? No, hid it well. Hid it well? Where? Found? No. Cannot be.

“I told you not to hang around with him.”

But he is fun. He has a nice voice. He is friendly.

“When did you start dating him?”

I didn`t. I am lying. But I like him.

He likes me.

Don`t take him away.

Y/n!! Can you hear me?!

“No more hanging out. No more parties.”

Mother`s voice. Mother`s face. Father`s voice from outside. Where? No. Mother`s voice. Mother`s shout. Mother`s yell. Mother.

“And who is she?!”

My friend. I like her. She is kind. I like her. She is fun. I like her. She is friendly.

I like her.

“She`s stupid! You know about her grades! Oh my god, why do you hang around with her? Stop that.”

But please.

I like her.

Don`t take her away.

“Is this… Is this a sketchbook? Do you draw?”

Yes. I like drawing.

I draw very well. My friends like it.

“Ugh, I`m throwing this away. You shouldn`t spend time on things like these, you got your exams coming up.”

But I studied. I studied. I studied.

Don`t take it away.

darling

Stretch?

darling

“Study more.”

Taking the things away. Taking everything away. Don`t take it. Don`t take it away.

Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away. Don`t take it away.

“I`m taking this away. Your parties. Your friends. Your love. Your hobbies. Your accessories. Your movies. Your phone. I`m taking this away. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study. Study.”

A wrenching. It hurts. Don`t take it away. Fight. Yours. No letting go. Not this time. No. No.

No. No. No. No. No.

“I said, I`m TAKING THIS AWAY

She took it away

SCREAM

The world was all fuzzy when you opened your eyes.

Immediately, there was a hard impact on your chest that pushed all the wind out of you- it didn`t hurt, but it surprised you. Your eyes frantically rolled around and finally adjusted to the sight around you.

Stretch was the one who had given the impact. He was now clutching you tightly in his grasp, as much as he could while he kneeled in front of you with his head nuzzling your stomach.

He was… sobbing.

Desperate, heartbroken sobs that wracked his whole tall frame.

You recognized a hard ache in the middle of your stomach. You looked down to see a pair of bony arms, sweating red-orange magic. They were trembling.
You turned your head around just a slight bit to see Papyrus`s skull, also sweating that reddish orange magic, trembling and nudged firmly against your shoulder and neck. His whole ribcage and armor heaved against your back. The magic holding his joints were strained from holding too tight.
You nuzzled Papyrus`s head back- he jolted back, his large sockets startled and still full of worry. There were tired rings around them. He slowly lowered his strained arms, his worried sockets slowly filling anew with relief.

You settled your eyes back to Stretch. Just a little higher, and Sans was sitting on the floor with his back hunched over in what you recognized as fatigue. His eyelights were pinpointed on you, full with worry mixed with relief and horror. Joshua was next to him but closer to you, and he had one hand gripped tightly around yours. In fact, he was holding so tight his knuckles were white. Your hand actually hurt. His wide eyes were focused on you- they held so many emotions and questions neither of you were able to answer.

Your other hand, you felt, was clenched into a fist and lodged at the side of your waist. You slowly held it up- god, why did your arm hurt so bad? Your muscles were screaming like the day after an intense workout- and uncurled your aching fingers. Wow, you had clenched that hand so hard into a fist that there were actual gouges in your palm. If you didn`t bite your fingernails and they were just a bit longer, you would have definitely drawn blood.

You felt a small movement at your stomach- Stretch had held up his head.
Now, he was looking at you with sockets that held infinitely many emotions.

Those were eyes that understood you. Shared your emotions. Not just his bones- the void behind his sockets held you. They seemed to penetrate through your very mind. And he was crying… Crying, overwhelmed, too many emotions…

There were many clementine tracks and smudges all over his cheekbones and all the way down to his chin, fresh pale orange magic still trickling over the paths.

It was successful…
You knew it.

“i didn`t know, darling. i didn`t know.”

Stretch whispered. His voice was tight and hoarse.

“It`s okay, babe- Are you alright?”

Oh, your voice was even hoarser. Did you really scream that much? God, your throat stung so much to speak. Your voice was a scratchy mess.

“it didn`t hurt a bit, darling, it didn`t hurt me… why, why are you asking me?! you are… i know it hurt you so much, why are you asking me?!”

Stretch was close to tears again. Oh… what did he see? What did he witness?

Oh, baby, I`m fine, I`m very blunt, I`m fine.

“I`m okay, Stretch.”

A bead of pale orange magic made its way down Stretch`s stained face.

“i love you, darling.”

It was all over.

You slid down Papyrus`s femurs to kneel and take Stretch in your arms.

Hug me, baby. It`s over now, I`m fine. It`s all okay now.

Sans

“papyrus, hold tight. get ready, kid.”

You closed your eyes tight. Oh… This was not going to be easy, Sans could feel it.

His magic was fined to the point. He usually kept it blunt, more damage- but this called for precision. Just a wrong nick, everything could go very wrong in a matter of seconds. Sans had to be very careful.

He pulled your soul close to inspect it. Okay, at least your soul remembered its original size and shape, there was a slight indent where the bulge was connected. Sans just had to carve that bit away carefully- By the way Stretch`s soul pushed at Sans`s magic, there won`t be any problems filling in the chip after that. This would be a breeze for Stretch. Maybe some memories when he was filled in? But no pain for him, Sans was positive.

On the other hand- Sans grimaced as he eyed you, trembling in Papyrus`s arms. There was a good reason he had gotten him to hold you.

Sans sucked in a final readying breath and pulled your soul even closer. Okay, here we go…

The instant his razor-sharp magic cut into the indent, a spasm wracked your whole body. Stretch`s sockets widened as you writhed in Papyrus`s arms.

Your eyes were unfocused- your short nails scratched and clawed at the sofa. Your voice cracked as your screams lengthened into a raspy yowl. Papyrus, even with his insane strength, struggled to hold on as your legs frantically flailed and kicked at his tibiae.

“sans!!! stop that, you`re hurting her!!!”

Despite Stretch`s desperate shout, Sans could never peel his eyes away from the delicate job he was working on. Oh, he was sure your wasn`t supposed to- but the indent didn`t cut clean. Your soul was so sticky it felt like Sans was trying to slice liquid magnet. Every millimeter Sans`s sharp magic slid through the sticky silver, Sans had to focus his blue magic to stop the flab from reattaching.

Your screams were getting hoarser as your throat started to give in. You were barely breathing; your desperate gasps were often cut off by a bout of severe dry coughing.

Oh, please hold on… don`t fight… Sans wasn`t even one-thirds of the way through…

Sans could feel beads of magic forming and sliding down the back of his skull, he was trying to focus so hard it hurt. He had to use his magic so concentrated, so much in such a tight space, the air around your soul and his magic started to crackle with static. He had to keep it that way, though… if he let go, your soul would buzz and jerk- and that would never do if he wanted to keep his makeshift blade cut smooth along the indent. He could already feel your soul humming furiously under his magic grip.

Okay, a few millimeters more. Your screams were now ragged yells.

A bit more… A bit more… His magic was halfway through, the flap was bending backwards now due to his blue magic pulling at it in the opposite direction-

And suddenly your screams stopped so abruptly Sans froze. Stretch screamed, jerking and almost leaping to his feet. Sans felt his soul go cold.

Shit- please, please, no, Sans was doing alright- oh, no, are you… Are you…

But no… you weren`t dead. Your body went slack, but the skeletons could see you breathing. Sans silently thanked the stars. His soul had almost jerked out of its place when he had seen you go limp in the corner of his socket.

Sans dared to move his magic a half of a millimeter down the indent.

You jerked, making Sans almost lose his grip in surprise. But yes, Sans was still doing right. Your vital signs signaled no distress. Well, you were distressed, obviously- but you seemed so much better now… You even had your eyes closed so calmly instead of rolling around those unfocused pupils… could it be that your soul was slowly adjusting to normal? Maybe even finish the procedure itself? Falling asleep, maybe? Sans felt a flutter of hope grow in his chest.

And suddenly, your eyes opened wide.

They were… they were focused. Focused on something in front of you, slightly below you- but Sans saw nothing there.

“My… my book?”

You were muttering, dazed, your voice hoarse from screaming.

What…? Your books?

Your hands slowly ascended to rest in front of you like they were propped on a desk.

What were you seeing?

“Y/n!”

Joshua yelled in panic as your mouth went slack. You made a small whimper as a single tear rolled down your cheek, to everyone`s horror. Stretch made a choking sound- but his body was still immobilized and held in place by Sans`s blue magic. He could do nothing more than to reach out one arm as if to caress you from a distance away.

And you- what were you doing-

Sans felt a cold lump grow in his throat as you shivered and curled around Papyrus`s arms, squeezing your legs together like a scared child.

Your right hand pinched like you were holding a pen, and your left hand flicked like it was flipping through pages. Your right hand made a scribbling motion.

Sans felt a tug on his magic as your soul hummed in distress. Not the time to watch your reaction, Sans had to finish this no matter what. There was no going back now.

Sans inched his magic down your soul. You were… startlingly, unsettlingly reactionless. But Sans could see it- Stretch must`ve caught it, too, Sans could hear a soft gasp. He could see Papyrus`s grip on you tighten a bit.

Your face was scrunched up in what Sans could only describe as pure, unmasked fear and fury. The two emotions that disagreed- and yet went so well together on that frightening expression you wore now. You panted as more tears welled in your now bloodshot eyes.

“y/n, kiddo, you hear me? come on, can you hear me?”

Sans called out in heart-stopping worry, but you barely reacted at his voice.
Your right hand jerked and your left hand flicked, faster and more violent than before.

Sans moved another millimeter, wincing as a bead of silver leaked out the side. Now, finally, he was doing some serious damage- progress. Mixed colors spewed in smoky tendrils around your newly made wound and circled your soul.

“Paper. Pen. Math.”

What…?

Sans glanced up. What… Did you just say that?

Your face was so purely frightened it sent chills along the length of Sans`s spine. The volume of your muttering had died away that it was no louder than a whisper, but Sans could still make out the words paper, pen, math repeated again and again on your lips. Your features twitched as the lines around your frown deepened.

You gave a huge shudder as Sans moved another cautious millimeter, your knuckles going white around the phantom pen you were gripping. Your neck twitched as your eyes started to roll around as if you were possessed.

“No. I`m. Message. Letter. No. Friend. He`s a friend. No. No. No. I-I`ll study. Study. Math. Math.”

Joshua called for you once more, now desperate and more than panicked. You really weren`t looking so good.

“Y/n!! Can you hear me?!”

Suddenly, your whispered mutters raised to a frantic rambling. Your voice was high pitched and alarmingly tight- somehow reminding Sans of a scared child`s whines.

“Mommy, please, I`m studying! I`m doing exactly what you told me to do! No, he`s a friend, I don`t- No, no! I never-“

Oh… Sans wanted to stop so badly. You were in so much pain Sans couldn`t bear to watch. Stretch whimpered as a bead of clementine magic rolled down his cheek. Your face contorted and your left hand curled and uncurled around your sweating palm.
But Sans couldn`t stop. Not here.

A little bit more.

You yowled in that unsettling baby voice.

“No! Mommy, not Amber, she`s a friend, I like her, no, no, Mommy! No!”

Shit, Sans almost lost his grip on your soul. He added some more magic to keep the cut-out flap from trying to bend towards your soul again. God, when had it become so strong again? How did that happen? Now the flap was flailing against Sans`s magic towards your pulsing soul. Stretch`s soul was jerking against Sans`s magic too, rubbing against the resistance as it reached towards the silver soul in distress.

Stars, another- another millimeter-

Tears poured from your eyes as you strained against Papyrus`s grasp. Stretch moaned your name as you choked on your own sobs as tears and snot flowed feely down your contorted face. Your legs flailed- but your arms were just shaking in their unsettling position, knuckles turning a disturbing shade of white as you clenched your fist around your phantom pen.

“Not my sketchbook, Mommy, please, I draw really well, you`ll love it, please, just once- See my drawing! I drew my friends, please, I draw trees- NO! NO, no, nonono-“

Then Sans felt a tug.
In his own chest.

He looked down in surprise- out of the corner of his sockets, Papyrus jerked his skull simultaneously. Was he feeling this too? This- this pulling?

Sans`s soul thrummed against his ribcage. His sternum throbbed as the glowing heart rubbed against it, sending jolts of magic energy down his bones. What-

Oh. It was your soul… His soul was straining to get to your soul in front of him. The silver figure was now pulsing in waves, a strong rhythm, the flap writhing in Sans`s magic- That thing was pulling at Sans`s soul. And Papyrus`s. And Stretch`s. And the flap.

No wonder Stretch`s soul acted that way around her. The pulling was… something Sans had never experienced before. He was gripped in need before he even realized it- if he had delayed so much as a second, his soul would already be out and humming along to your soul. Stars, this much power, this much pulling- what was wrong with your soul? Or more precisely, what was your soul capable of?
It was fortunate both Papyrus and Sans`s amount of self-control was like no other monster. This pulling… It clawed at Sans`s conscience, making his body shudder with need. He felt his magic rush to his skull. Vaguely, he heard Stretch whimper as his bones rattled with strain. Sure enough, Stretch`s soul was buzzing against Sans`s blue magic. Oh, stars, stop! It was hard enough already!

Sans focused on the flap again. If he were to lose his grip now, everything he had done so far would go back to nothing. He was grievously fatigued now… But could he stop?

He ignored the aching pull at his chest and forced the tip of his fined magic yet another bit down the pulsing soul. His magic was close to dissipating in the pure, silvery energy your soul was bleeding away, he had to concentrate. He felt his stamina close to fading away into nothing, his knees buckled as his joints struggled to stand his weight and the stress of magic.

More. More. Faster- he wouldn`t be able to hold on much longer-

Stretch screamed your name as his soul spewed magic in Sans`s blue grasp. Surprisingly, your frantically twitching head jerked towards his direction- your maddened eyes suddenly clouding with confusion for a second-

And your features contorted into a mixture of blinded fury and desperation so intense Stretch and Joshua simultaneously gasped in horror.

You`re close. It`s almost done.

“No! Don`t take it away, that`s mine, THAT`S MINE! You FUCKER! FUCK YOU! That`s fucking mine! You fuck-“

Furious, frantic rustles. Limbs flailing. Hoarse screaming. Vicious tugging at his chest. You wailed a bloodcurdling cry- Sans could see Stretch struggle against Sans`s blue magic as he opened his teeth in a silent cry that matched yours.

A sickening crack.

A little more.

“YOU!! YOU FUCKER!! DON`T TAKE IT AWAY! NO! NOOOOO!!!!”

Almost there, almost there, almost there-

“MINEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

And the cut was complete.

Sans directed the lost piece directly towards Stretch`s bleeding, pulsing soul- he didn`t have time to check on both you and Papyrus. The crack he had heard earlier didn`t sound very good…

As the silver piece connected with Stretch`s orange one, it hugged the flap to itself hungrily as if it was kissing it. The silver mingled in quickly… Just like Sans had thought. It was fascinating to watch- silver tendrils melted into the welcoming orange clouds that glowed with a newfound strength. It didn`t bleed anymore.
Stretch arched his back, throwing his head back, overwhelmed. Sans could hear a guttural moan from his teeth- it was chilling to the soul, in a way Sans wasn`t sure if it was good or bad. His legs thrashed and spasmed in their splayed-out position on the floor.

Sans didn`t have a clue to what Stretch would be going through right now. Not pain, that wasn`t pain…

What would it feel like?

The memories that weren`t his, the feelings he didn`t know, the emotions he never felt. What would it feel like to take them directly to the soul? That wasn`t an impact Sans could measure and analyze.
Even though he had lived through many resets, he never had the chance to even get close to bonding. Yes, there were no monsters he actually felt attracted to as well, but he had really never felt the need to be honest.

Now- he was… a little curious as he watched Stretch`s sockets go blank and dazed.

The mixed emotions displayed in the gaping voids of Stretch`s sockets as the completed soul slipped into his sternum was… something Sans would not forget.

Sans plopped down as he felt his knees weaken. How long had he been doing this? He was so out of strength and magic it was unreal. Once more, his stamina trolled him. Sans laughed weakly. He didn`t expect it to be this hard, but your soul was much stronger than he had anticipated. He could still feel the damned pulling on his soul- your soul hummed with angry need. Angry about everything Sans had taken away. Its pulsing seemed to scream, accusing Sans as it slipped inside your chest with a shaking flick of his wrist.

Your soul had experienced too much loss to accept repeat.

“Hey, you okay?”

Sans glanced behind him to see Joshua kneeling at his side. His eyes were worried.

Sans let out a tired snort.

“not me you should be worried about, buddy…”

“Oh. Um. Yeah, uh, sure… I-I`ll get something for Papyrus`s foot. You stay put, okay?”

Papyrus`s foot?
Sans whirled around to check on his brother. Oh- A small bone in Papyrus`s foot was slightly fractured… nothing serious, thankfully. That must`ve been what the crack was. Maybe you had stepped on it when you were thrashing around?
But Papyrus didn`t seem to notice the injured foot, he was too caught up and heaving with strain. Of course- he was the closest to you, his soul would`ve felt that insanely strong pulling from just a mere few inches away. Oh, Papyrus was the coolest, he was so amazing… Sans thanked the stars for giving his brother the self-control and stamina he himself didn`t have.

Joshua returned from his small journey to the kitchen with a small pack of ice and a jar of emergency magic powder Sans had brought along with him.

“I know you guys have healing magic- but I guess a little numbing would help. Oh, and take the magic. You`re drained, Sans, you know it.”

Joshua raised his eyebrows suggestively as he handed Sans the small glass jar, then reached out to wrap the ice pack around Papyrus`s foot. Papyrus winced slightly as he shuffled his other foot. Joshua gave him a worried but genuine smile and patted his rigid shoulder. He then sat down to take your hand in his, gripping it tight as if to yank your consciousness back to Earth.
It would be a lie if Sans was to say Joshua did nothing to help. He was there when you almost wriggled out of Papyrus`s grasp in a near-seizure; he was there when Sans`s knees almost gave from the extreme stress. He was there when Stretch almost lost it and had nearly burst through Sans`s weakened magic.

If it weren`t for him, things may have not turned out to be as successful. You might have died.

Now, you were alive- but you were so still Sans had to double check if you actually were. The slow rise and fall of your back were almost imperceptive as your body took in shallow amounts of air. Alive… And your soul was recovering fast.
Everything was over. You would be fine. Stretch would be fine.

After a few eerily silent minutes, you stirred a little in Papyrus`s still rigid arms around you. Stretch`s skull perked up at your movement.

You opened your eyes.

Stretch couldn`t help himself- Sans understood- and the breath was knocked out of you as he barreled into your abdomen with a cry of mixed relief and worry.

You looked dazed, but you were yourself again.

Your tired and adjusting eyes scanned around the surrounding while you absent-mindedly nuzzled at a tired Papyrus. Sans smiled weakly to himself.

Good job, me.

He deserved a rest. And some ketchup.

Good thing you bought some last night.

Chapter Text

Joshua returned from the second floor with the rest of the skeletons shuffling behind to follow him.

Sans and Papyrus, both drained, sat on the sofa with their arms limp by their sides. Stretch had healed Papyrus`s foot, and now it had a small ice pack perched on top to numb the aftershock.

You sat on the floor with Stretch. He seemed like he had no intentions of letting go, and he held on to you like you were a lifeline. He had you on his lap and both his arms were locked securely around your waist.

Red and Edge were the first to come down the stairs- but they had to scooch quickly to the side as a cyan blur burst from between them and straight to Stretch.

A yell.

Now you were shifted to rest on one femur as Blue took over the other. Sobbing, the sweet summer child clung to his younger brother as his trembling gloved fingers grasped at the fabric of Stretch`s shirt. Stretch looked down at Blue`s skull embedded in his chest with sockets full of apologies and love, rubbing large circles into the shuddering small figure`s back.
You considered getting up to leave these two together for a while, but as you shifted in your position to stand up, Blue`s hand shot out and gripped yours.
You looked at him in surprise. His watery eyelights were looking up at you, illuminating the cyan tear tracks down his cheekbones. His smile was full of fatigue and overwhelming emotions, but it indicated happiness- as bright as the moon.

“THANK YOU, Y/N, THANK YOU! YOU… YOU SAVED MY BROTHER`S LIFE…!”

You felt yourself blush. Oh, you were responsible for this, you deserved really no credit at all.

“Sans and Papyrus and Joshua did all the work, Blue, I really did nothing…”

Sans sighed contentedly from the couch as he took another sip of the steaming tea Joshua had gotten for him. Magic infused…? You could see green smoke curling up from it in tiny tendrils.

“only half true, kid. you went through the most.”

Red and Edge approached the two of you on the floor and plopped down on either side of you.

“mmhmm, anybody could see tha`. ya look spent.”

Red`s voice was light, but you could catch the sincere worry behind the amused tone. He shifted in his seat, his eyelights focused on you. Edge gave a small huff behind you.

“IT`S A MIRACLE EVERYTHING IS OKAY. ONE SMALL NICK, AND YOU COULD BE GONE. FOREVER.”

Sans nudged Edge with a sleepy grin.

“hey, edgelord, i`m the one who did the magic- i don`t make mistakes. stop scaring her.”

Edge crossed his arms and let out a disdainful “TCH.”

“EVEN IF YOU DID WELL, WE COULD HEAR HER SCREAMS, YOU KNOW! WE WERE ALL WORRIED SICK.”

You laughed lightly, holding back a wince as the air scratched at your sore throat.

“You were worried about me, Edge? That`s sweet.”

Edge snorted. Nothing about his posture gave away his relief- except for his eyelights, which quivered a little as they went fuzzy around the edges.

“WE TRIED NOT TO, TRUSTING SANS WAS A BETTER OPTION THAN WORRYING OUR PELVISES OFF AND SOMEHOW EVENTUALLY MEDDLING WITH THE PROCESS. BUT ‘NOT WORRYING’ IS RATHER HARD TO DO WHEN YOUR SOUL STARTED TO CALL AT OURS FOR HELP.”

Huh? Your soul did what?

You threw Sans a questioning glance, whose eyelights were suddenly not so amused anymore. He shifted a little at his seat on the couch to sit up. Papyrus straightened a little as well. What the hell? Your soul did what?
Edge continued to speak.

“WELL, AROUND THE END, YOUR SOUL STARTED TO PULL ON OURS. GOOD THING ALL OF US- EH, OR AT LEAST MOST OF US- WERE STRONG-WILLED ENOUGH TO RESIST THE PULL.”

A flash of red caught your attention at the corner of your eye. You turned your head from Edge to see Red, glowing crimson at the base of his skull. He sighed and scratched his skull.

“boss…”

“I ACTUALLY HAD TO USE BLUE MAGIC TO KEEP HIM FROM BURSTING OUT THE DOOR- AND THROUGH THE FLOOR AS WELL. WHAT IN ASGORE WAS THAT, ANYWAY??”

You paused your idle circling on Blue`s palm, giving Sans a look asking for explanation.

Sans sat up from his seat entirely, pulling his arm from the armrest where it had been draped over. He fidgeted a little, then sighed once.

“i guess i`ll have to tell you.”

“So… what you`re saying is that… the culmination of my being is… greedy as hell?”

Sans opened his mouth and closed it once, wringing his fingers.

“well- uh, i wouldn`t put it that way, but you could… say that.”

Stretch`s fingers tightened their grip a slight bit at your waist.

“is she gonna stay like that for a long while?” He asked Sans. Sans nodded.

“i mean, didn`t you realize it? focus on your soul now- it`s still pulling. it always has, from the day we arrived. i don`t think it`ll go anywhere soon. especially more now that i`ve taken some away.”

To your mixed curiosity and horror, the six skeletons squinted their sockets in unison, concentrating.

Blue was the first to react of the three who wasn`t there. He gasped audibly as his sockets flew wide open.

“IT`S TRUE!”

Red`s eyelights expanded as Edge`s face went slack with realization just after. He had one bony hand over his sternum, and his sharp teeth were locked in concentration as he slowly recognized whatever your soul was doing.

Okay…
From what you had gathered, your soul pulled on anything near and did not let go easily due to your childhood traumas. That was why your soul had maintained a lopsided balance with Stretch`s until now, that was why…

Was that why Stretch had been so easily attracted to you?

You tried to ignore it, but the lump in your throat throbbed as a sickening thought grew in the back of your mind. Stretch had really fallen for you because of your soul, not you yourself.
Great thing you had started that project on ‘making Stretch like you’ then, you tried to calm yourself down. So many things have happened, you didn`t have the emotional space for any more worries.

It still sucked that people could be attracted to you because of your fucked-up childhood. That was just… so full of shit.

You grimaced as you turned to Sans.

“Any way to fix that?”

Sans shrugged with a hint of defeat.

“i tried to find out- at least a hint of what`s going on… but i didn`t find anything yet, kiddo. we`ll have to find out a way to get you out of that mentally.”

“Are you suggesting therapy or stuff like that? Because believe me, they don`t work on me.”

Sans held up his hands.

“woah, kid, nah. `m not suggesting therapy. i`m just stating that we`d like to help in any way.”

“…”

You had no words for that. Everything was so full of shit.
You couldn`t tell him that them helping you was even worse than sending you off to some stupid trauma therapy you had tried and failed so many times. You were much of a burden already… and they were trying to help you?
Their kindness was memorable, but you felt like you`d be more comfortable if they just sent you away and out of this flat.

I don`t want to be the source of discomfort. Is that selfish as well?

Sans raised one brow, and you let out a huge sigh.

“Look I`m sorry, guys. I really didn`t know.”

“of course you didn`t, darling…”

“Still. This just- It really sucks. I mean- I can`t even control my past, which I should`ve let go a long time ago- and now I`m just posing a huge inconvenience for all you guys because of that.”

Blue slid down Stretch`s lap and tentatively reached for your hand. He gave you a tiny smile.

“NOT YOUR FAULT, Y/N. BY THE WAY, WE`RE QUITE STRONG- IT`S NO INCONVENIENCE, REALLY.”

“AGREED. WE`D LIKE TO HELP OUT- MUCH LESS DISLIKE YOU.”

Papyrus shuffled his legs as he sat up to look at you straight in the eyes.

Well… thanks… but you just felt uncomfortable.
Not uncomfortable- you felt horrible.

“don`t say that, darling.”

“Did I say that out loud?”

Stretch nodded. He pulled you more securely into his lap as one hand slipped your messy hair over one shoulder.

“it`s okay, alright? we care for you- we want to help.”

“…You`ve already said that. Uh…ugh. I just feel really confused. I mean- I could, you know, get back home if you-“

“ain`t gon` happen, kid.”

“-Okay, I think that`s a little too far gone. Anyway, I really don`t want to, uh, give you guys discomfort or anything.”

And I don`t want unintended affection.

Can Stretch be…

“look, kid, we like you. being pulled to you a little isn`t a big deal, you know? it`s not like we`re archenemies or anything.”

Sans snickered to himself as he swung his legs. You felt a little smile creep up your face as well- you let it come to your lips, even if the smile felt unsettlingly empty. It didn`t feel like a smile.

You`d somehow, somehow…

Set this right.

Papyrus

Papyrus curled and uncurled his toes on his injured foot as he racked his nonexistent brain for the right words.

Red was sitting opposite him, his crossed legs barely fitting into the seat of the kitchen chair. He raised one hand to scratch at his skull before dropping it and sighing.

“what`cha bring me out here fer?”

Papyrus glanced at Stretch, seated next to him.
He had not intended to bring him along, but Stretch had insisted he came along. Whatever Stretch had seen during the procedure, it was making him very concerned about anything that even remotely had anything to do with you. Couldn`t blame him, though… if Stretch had seen what you were experiencing- or more, had experienced- during that frightening seizure of yours firsthand… If Papyrus was to be in his shoes, Papyrus thought, he might`ve felt the need to be a little overprotective as well.

“I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT Y/N.”

It had been three days since Sans had cut out your soul. Ugh, Papyrus winced at his own wording- but there was really no better way to describe that madness.
Stretch`s easy smile tightened at the mention of your name. He didn`t know what Papyrus was getting to, Papyrus hadn`t told him except for the fact that you were involved. Now he was visibly leaning forward to Papyrus`s words.

“I KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT THE PULLING IS… SOMETHING ELSE.”

Something else it was.

Papyrus grimaced inwardly as he recalled the memories of trying to secure your flailing limbs while trying very hard not to give into that insane tug at his chest. Even thought Sans had pulled your soul out farther from Papyrus, it was a minor change in distance itself, and it didn`t help one bit that you yourself were pressed against Papyrus in that vulnerable state you were in.
Foreign emotions had overwhelmed Papyrus`s mind, fogging his conscience and clouding his ability to think straight. His self-control was pushed to its limit in the very least.