Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cold. It was cold. It was so, so cold. Skeppy staggered with each step. Towards where he didn't know, nor did he care. It was so, so cold. A melody, unbeknownst to Skeppy how he knew it, settled into his mind. It was the staggering, slow melody of the whipping winds, the whirling snow, the cold creeping into his skin, into his bones, into his very being. And, the final touch was a slowed, simple melody of a song that he used to know so well. In another lifetime he had stayed frequently...in...Snowdin. Yes. Snowdin. With...Wilbur. And Tommy. The slowed, eerie music seemed to bounce off of every surface. He staggered forwards, through the waist-deep snow, with only his cloak to keep him warm. So...cold...

"SKEPPY!"

Warm. Warmth. It was warm. It took Skeppy about a few seconds to register this in his mind as he sleepily looked up. He was seated next to a fireplace, the hot flames licking at the air. He also had a sweater on that he didn't remember having. Wait. This was Bad's sweater. No. No. No. No, no, nononononoono. This was another bad dream where Bad came back from wherever he had been. Skeppy would apologize a million times over and Bad would pull him close and comfort him as he cried. It'd be back to how it'd been before. Before Skeppy had become a monster. Now, he didn't mean it as scorn to the monsters, or mobs, that inhabited the underground. He meant that he was a true monster, a disguting thing that shoud've never ruled the underground. Hell, he'd offered Technoblade the crown, but the other had declined.

"No, Skeppy. You're a good ruler. You've just made a mistake, and when Bad comes back you can make up for it."

"When."

Skeppy was very sure that Bad was never going to come back. Oh, how he missed the other's touch, his smiles, the warm moments where they cuddled. It was a memory now. Nothing but the past. It was a different life where all of those loving things had happened. Back when he had deserved to be loved. Before this mess.

"Skeppy?" Skeppy's head whipped around to see Bad standing in the doorway of, that he now realized, Tommy and Wilbur's house.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Skeppy breathed. "It's not like all of the other times, is it?" Bad stiffened.

"No, Skeppy, it's not..." Bad trailed off. "You've dreamed of me?"

"Every night," Skeppy admitted. "Every single night. I wish about how we could go back. Before I did all of this shit and messed up." There was no usual 'language!' and for a second Skeppy wished for that familiar phrase to come out of his husband's mouth. They never officially divorced. Bad just left. But nothing did come out of the other's hosue, except for a shocked gaze and teary eyes.

"Skeppy, you--"

"I REGRET IT ALL!! "I REGRET EVERYTHING I DID. WHEN I'M NOT DREAMING OF YOU, I HAVE NIGHTMARES OF ALL OF THOSE CHILDREN'S DEATHS. THE CHILDREN THAT I KILLED. THE CHILDREN THAT I FORCED MY CITIZENS TO KILL." Skeppy's breathing was harsh and uneven as he curled up into a ball from his position on blankets on the floor. "I'm so horrible--"

"Stop that now!" Bad said, rushing over and pulling Skeppy into a hug. "You are amazing, I love you, and you are the best husband I could've ever asked for. Sure, you made mistakes, but you feel bad for them and you know that what you did was wrong. It doesn't make up for it just yet, but it's a step," Bad said, rubbing circles on the crying King's back.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Skeppy's broken voice made Bad stiffen.

"I... Skeppy, I..."

"It's okay if you can't," Skeppy lied through his teeth, his soul twisting in on itself and threatening to break.

"No, it's not that I don't want to, and after all these years, I still love you from the bottom of my soul...it's just that I need time. I need time to heal." Skeppy's heart dropped. "But I think I'll heal better with you here." His hopes soared again. "But I need time." It was a rollercoaster of emotions that made Skeppy feel like he was a teenager again. Tears spilled down from his eyes as he let out a choked laugh as he wrapped his arms around Bad.

"Bad, I--"

"Shh, Skeppy. It's going to be all right." They pulled away from each other. The crown that sat down a few feet away from him, as well as the royal cloak, glinted in the soft light of the flickering flames. For some reason, not wearing that crown or cloak made him feel free of responsibility. "But why were you out in that snow?" Skeppy froze.

"George...he's...going to come to the...castle. I'd have to fight him. I can't let the people down. I'll have to kill him, Bad."

"No, you don't." Skeppy looked at Bad. "You can always spare him. I think that many have gotten attached to him, no? He's different than the rest of the fallen humans."

"W-Well, I suppose so," Skeppy agreed.

"That wasn't the other reason why you were out there, was it?" Bad's eyes narrowed. He knew Skeppy too well.

"No," Skeppy admitted. "It's not." Bad waited for an answer. "I wanted to feel something, Bad. I felt so scared, I wanted to be free again for the final time. I wanted to get lost. I wanted to die, Bad. I wanted to somehow have an excuse to not kill that human and to feel anything but fear or dread. I wanted to go back to you, to the past, before all of this."

"We can't go back, Skeppy," Bad said, squeezing Skeppy tighter in his arms. "But that was a stupid decision, you muffin. If you died...and word got back to me...I don't think I would've been able to handle it. I would've died from sadness." Bad's gaze proved that he was not joking. Skeppy nearly choked.

"It was so cold, Bad. It was so, so cold..." Skeppy admitted. "It seeped into my being. It numbed me. But it felt relieving. To feel nothing." Bad's worry flashed across his face.

"Never do that again. I almost lost you," Bad trembled and Skeppy's tears poured down his face.

"I promise."

"I love you, you muffin."

"Even after everything?"

"Even after everything." There were a few more moments of comfortable silence.

"I'll spare George," Skeppy repeated it to himself as if to convince himself that it was possible.

"It's going to be hard to face him...but I'll be right here with you, every step of the way." Bad gripped Skeppy's hand. "Ya muffin. I'll always be here, from now on."

"I love you, Bad."

"I love you too, Skeppy."

Chapter Text

The two had slept on opposite ends of the couch of Tommy and Wilbur's house. It wasn't like sleeping in the bed back in the King's room, warmth, love and cuddles all night long, but it was a start. Skeppy woke up to the sound of coffee being made in the kitchen. It was most likely Wilbur. 

He was proven right as he stepped into the kitchen. A sleep-deprived Wilbur stood there, bags under his eyes as he stirred a cup of coffee.

"Oh, hey Skeppy," Wilbur said, looking up. It gave Skeppy an even clearer view of the man's dark circles.

"Wilbur." 

Wilbur lowered his gaze. 

"I know, I haven't been sleeping well--" Skeppy placed a hand on Wilbur's shoulder. 

"What's wrong? You can tell me anything," Skeppy assured Wilbur. Their eyes locked, and thousands of memories swam like minnows in Wilbur's eyes. Thousands of lifetimes and thousands of mistakes. Wilbur had a challenging life, and Skeppy had been there to support him during it. But, there were some haunting moments that made Skeppy chilled to the bone. There was something else there, a kind of guilt that nobody could free him from but Wilbur himself.

Skeppy tore himself out of his thoughts.

"I'm..." Wilbur trailed off, about to say 'fine'. "God, Skeppy... I... just... I'm not okay." Skeppy nodded. Once the first few words had been spoken, the dam was broken and the words tumbled like a flood out of Wilbur's mouth. "I couldn't protect them, I couldn't protect Tommy, I failed and I let thousands die--" 

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Skeppy said. "It happened. We know it happened. But we've made up for it. We've saved the Underground. Tommy's here." 

Wilbur's tears subsided. 

Bad watched, proud of his husband, as Skeppy brought Wilbur in for a hug. 

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"Don't worry, I've got Wilbur," Tommy assured the rulers of the Underground. "I'll be taking a day off to take care of him. Oh, and Skeppy?" Skeppy's eyes locked with Tommy's. "I believe in you." 

Skeppy didn't know how those four words choked him up so much. He embraced Tommy quickly before he and his husband left for the castle. 

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"You'll be fine," Bad assured Skeppy as he walked to the elevator. "I'll be right here with you."

Skeppy smiled, though it was wobbly.

"Thanks, Bad."

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Skeppy and Bad waited at the barrier. 6 human souls stayed in their containers, floating up and down, vibrating.

Just looking at them made Skeppy sick.

Bad grasped Skeppy's hand, squeezing it. 

"I'm right here, Skeppy."

That's right. 

They were going to face this together. 

Bad turned to face Skeppy, their faces inches apart. After all these years, Skeppy's face still lit up red. Bad's face had a light red tint to it too.

Skeppy didn't waste a single second. He pulled Bad in and kissed him. 

It was short, yet passionate, raw, and it was everything Skeppy had been missing.

Bad didn't pull away.

When they finally separated for air, Bad leaned his forehead against Skeppy's.

"I'm right here." 

"I could never thank you enough." 

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Extra: 

George frowned. 

Skeppy hadn't destroyed his Mercy button. 

Bad was standing next to him, hand in hand.

Something was off here. 

"Human... it's nice to meet you..." Skeppy trailed off.

*Skeppy is sparing you.

"I... am not going to hurt you. I see how you have interacted with the citizens. You're... merciful. Unlike the others." 

George frowned, but then a smile graced his lips.

*MERCY.

"I hope we can set aside differences." 

Wait. 

This was a True Pacifist Run. 

Sapnap appeared, as well as all of his friends that he had made during his journey.

Fuck.