Chapter Text
~~~ 9 months ago ~~~
Carmine was a heart-breaking case. A family adopted him early in his life, raising him with love and patience, but also with the structure and discipline so crucial for Fells. His family had owned Fells for years and knew how to treat them right. Although Edge was aware of their reputation, he had never met them until they brought Carmine to him, ruined by the first generation of soul-chips. They could no longer handle him.
“when are you going to do something about this?” Stretch asked. They were both standing in the playroom, watching the seven resident sanses have free time. Stretch was slouched against the wall, but Edge was ramrod straight as usual – ready to intervene in the blink of an eye if necessary. The colony had immediately surrounded the castle jungle gym in the middle of the room when they had been herded inside, watching the clatter bridge where Carmine and their newest addition, Spike, were posturing and growling at each other. The unease of the group was apparent as the status of their alpha was challenged by the newcomer.
“I was hoping they would just need a few days to sort out their new pecking order,” Edge said concernedly.
“it’s been two weeks,” Stretch pointed out, picking his teeth with his pinkie.
“Eleven days,” Edge corrected, frowning at Stretch’s disgustingness.
Stretch shrugged dismissively. “you shouldn’t have kept spike,” he said. “we have an odd number now, and after getting this many fells together it’s inevitable that there’s going to be fighting.”
“Spike chose to stay,” Edge reminded Stretch. “I think Carmine can handle a large group – Spike just needs to fall in line.”
A few moments of silence before Stretch decided to break it again. “what if he won’t?” He asked.
“He will, he’s just stubborn,” Edge said as if he hadn’t been worried about that very thing. “It took a few days, but after I got him to submit he became quite loving.”
“to you,” Stretch said. “he doesn’t listen to any other monsters. none of these guys do.”
“That’s why only blue magic users are allowed to work with them without me present,” Edge said.
Stretch grunted. “ya, well that gets tiring.”
“Blue magic is a crutch; you know that they would mind you if you’d assert your dominance,” Edge said. It was an old argument that he knew he’d never win. “You need to be consistent.”
“edge, there are six of them. seven now,” Stretch pointed out. “not everyone has your stamina.”
Edge directed his attention back to the sanses. He had to give that one to Stretch, Fells could be exhausting for those who don’t appreciate their charms.
“and i don’t mean just magic-wise. fells are always pushing their limits and trying to piss everyone off just for the fun of it, and having to force them to do what i say all the time gets old really quick,” Stretch continued. “i like swaps; berry is always a good boy.”
“You just can’t comprehend how they think,” Edge told him. “Fells want security. They test boundaries because they need constant attention and feedback, it shows them that they’re important. Having an owner that corrects every bad thing they do, without losing their temper, reassures Fells that they can trust that owner to be in control, even in the worst and scariest situations. They are simple creatures and that is how they understand love. Spoiling a Fell is one of the worst things anyone could do to them, it would only lead to chaos.”
“you trying to tell me that i spoil berry?” Stretch said.
“I tell you that all the time,” Edge replied.
“ya, well … he looks so happy when he gets new things,” Stretch said. “it’s cute.”
“It is,” Edge agreed, which appeased Stretch. “Just don’t ever adopt a Fell,” Edge couldn’t help but add.
“i don’t plan to,” Stretch chuckled.
They lapsed into a companionable silence, watching the angry alphas again while they continued their display. One of the pack members suddenly snatched something from another. The rest started to pick sides and taunt each other, itching for a fight to ease the tension in the room.
“Fang!” Carmine snapped from the bridge, staring at the offending sans intensely. “No!”
Fang just showed him his teeth instead of returning the toy. Carmine looked dumbfounded by the blatant disrespect.
“FANG, GIVE IT BACK TO LECTER!” Edge said firmly, and Fang did. Apparently, it was a gnawed-on key chain that someone must have dropped, or else Lecter stole it from an unguarded pocket (actually, that was more likely). Edge would wait until the Fells went to sleep before getting it back to avoid whining and pouting, things were unstable enough right now. The residents quieted down after that, unsure what to do next.
“this is taking too long. stalling has made carmine look weak to the pack,” Stretch said. “the only reason they aren’t running amok right now is because you’re here. you should help carmine assert his dominance.”
“If I were to fight this fight for him now, they would turn on him the second my back was turned,” Edge countered.
“they’ll turn on him if spike kicks his ass,” Stretch added. “maybe you should treat spike like an omega that doesn’t need to be taken seriously?”
“That would make Carmine look like he was intimidated for eleven days by a weaker opponent. And then they would probably all start picking on Spike – he doesn’t deserve that,” Edge responded, letting himself get distracted. “Carmine’s gotten so much better at controlling his temper, I’m afraid Spike is going to set back all of his –“
Edge was interrupted by screaming and howling. Both papyri ran to the jungle gym before they even knew what had happened. Looks like Carmine had finally snapped, literally – he had his sharp fangs buried into Spike’s radius and ulna, as if Carmine had gone for his throat and Spike only had enough time to get his arms up to protect himself.
“CARMINE!” Edge roared in a way he rarely did with sanses, his voice deeper than usual in his alarm. Everyone froze at the commanding tone and Carmine’s eye lights darted up to Edge’s. In them the skeleton could see tumultuous magic churning with wild rage and panic, Carmine looked confused and desperate and he had reached his breaking point. It wasn’t the first time; but it was the first time he’d ever hurt another sans like this. Spike was terrified. “DROP IT.”
When Carmine let go, Edge had a brief moment of relief that the skele had enough sense to obey his order, however it was only so he could turn on Edge instead. The smaller monster launched himself at the skeleton, bloody fangs bared, with clear intent to harm.
Stretch gave Edge a strange look when he just stood there and let Carmine land on him, then staggered back a few steps and took a bite to the shoulder.
“dude,” Stretch snerked. “what the hell was that?”
“SHUT UP, STRETCH,” Edge said.
Stretch shrugged and popped a lolli in his mouth.
Edge struggled with the squirming, growling creature in his arms more than he should; the skeleton was over seven feet tall and astonishingly strong. Before cars were invented, Stretch had seen him effortlessly carry his horse home in one arm after she pulled a shoe (while carrying the cart she was hitched to in the other) without the use of gravity magic. This fight should have been over before it even began.
“need some help?” Stretch asked around the candy.
“JUST PUT THEM TO BED,” Edge said as he got the writhing sans under control and started for the quiet rooms.
That wiped the facetious smile off Stretch’s face. “aw man,” he complained to no one as Edge left. As soon as the door closed, Stretch looked over to the residents and they immediately scattered throughout the room and started making as much mayhem as they possibly could before Edge came back. Before Stretch decided which Fell to pursue, Spike came over to him with his injured arm cradled in the other. “okay, let’s see to you first,” Stretch said and took Spike’s good hand to lead him to the medical room, making sure to lock the door behind him. He knew it would be a disaster in there when he came back.
~~~~
“Hush,” Edge said, trying to soothe Carmine as he cut through the exercise room (he didn’t want the adoptable sanses hearing screams echoing down the hall). Once inside Edge closed the door, effectively sealing in all sound. Edge opened his arms and Carmine immediately leaped out and started pacing around agitatedly, flexing his claws while he snarled and expressed his frustration.
“Carmine, come here,” Edge offered, sitting on the floor close by.
But Carmine continued his tirade, so Edge waited. After several minutes, Carmine stopped and stared off into the distance. Then he then lunged at nothing, snapping at thin air with sharp teeth. Edge didn’t know exactly what Carmine was doing when he got like this. Was he reliving the incident in his mind, or was he hallucinating that Spike was actually there? The poor alpha’s mana was surging around his body erratically, the natural flow scrambled by the large scar on his soul that Carmine had given himself when he clawed the chip out (it was a wonder he had survived it). Carmine’s breath started to hitch.
“Come here, baby,” Edge tried, painfully gently. Again, he was ignored.
Edge truly felt Carmine would get better if he accepted Edge’s care. The skeleton had offered to be the sans’s owner once. Carmine predictably declined, preferring to stay with his own in the kennel and not have any unnecessary association with the skeleton monster. Edge understood; he probably never wanted an owner ever again after his family had damaged then abandoned him. Edge was disappointed, but it was fine – he was Carmine’s safe place, and as long as none of the residents knew that this is what he and Carmine did behind closed doors, it was enough to satisfy Edge’s caretaking urges. It was critical for both of their reputations that everyone believed Edge was disciplining Carmine after an outburst, not trying to cuddle him.
Carmine crumbled to the floor and wept bitterly, ignoring Edge's every attempt at solace. It was difficult to watch, but eventually Carmine fell asleep and Edge scooped him up to carry him to the main kennels. Stretch was there, reading a story to all the sanses as they settled down for bed. Some were chittering to each other softly and others were listening to Stretch make silly voices. A few of the younger Swaps and Lusts were playing quietly under their covers, but everything went still and silent as soon as Edge stepped inside.
“how’s -?” Stretch started but was interrupted when all the residents started whooping and cheering. It woke Carmine up and he looked at them, confused at first until he realized what that meant. Then he smirked and pawed at Edge to put him down (kind of rudely, to be honest, but Edge let it go this one time). Carmine immediately began to strut in front of the kennels and showboat, then all the adoptables started to celebrate, too (just because everyone else was).
“you did it on purpose,” Stretch said, coming to a realization.
“Did what?” Edge asked, a shadow of a smile on his face.
“made it look like carmine was the only sans strong enough to make you sweat,” Stretch said. “how’s your shoulder?”
“Fine – he didn’t bite down that hard,” Edge said dismissively. “It was worth it.”
Stretch looked back at the colony. “you made him a legend,” he chuckled. Carmine went over to Spike’s kennel. Spike shied away at first, not sure what his standing was now, but Carmine gave him finger guns and Spike beamed. “hope it doesn’t backfire,” Stretch added.
“You’re such a pessimist,” Edge said and bumped elbows with his oldest friend. “I’m prepared for some mutiny attempts. Are Spike’s wounds bad?”
“nah, he’ll be fine,” Stretch said. “he was mostly just shocked that carmine actually attacked him. i think for him it was all just a game.”
“Good,” Edge said, relieved. “You cleaned up the playroom?”
“of course,” Stretch answered. Once he had dealt with Spike’s injuries, Stretch had gone back to the playroom and enveloped all the naughty Fells in blue magic. He held them suspended above the ground until they stopped throwing tantrums and agreed to clean up their mess. He was a little tired now after expending so much magic.
The rare, tender look on Edge’s face right now reminded Stretch just how strong his love was once he accepted someone into his heart (though Stretch had no idea why he chose Carmine, of all their sanses). There was a time when Edge looked at Stretch that way …
“wanna fool around?” Stretch asked.
Edge looked at him and arched a brow. “We drove each other crazy when we were a couple.”
“i’m not asking to get back together,” Stretch said. The break-up had been mutual, and their friendship was stronger than ever now, but sometimes he missed having a lover who was as attentive as Edge was (and had such a big dick). “just a night of wild passion. you’re so good with your hands, and i know how much you liked it when i used my mouth.”
“It was the only time you ever shut up,” Edge teased. “Aren’t you dating someone right now?”
“not exclusively,” Stretch said, a little surprised that Edge knew that. Stretch didn’t talk about his love life; it felt kind of mean as Edge hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone since Stretch.
“It’s past 9:00 – Berry is surely worried about you,” Edge said, going over to Carmine to open one of the kennels for the night. Carmine chose to sleep with Spike; they would probably fuck a few times to solidify their ranks (Spike would end up becoming his second in command). Everyone else had to do that in a bonding room, but being alpha meant Carmine could do it whenever he wanted, with whomever he wanted, as long as he got Edge’s permission. “Keep it down,” Edge whispered to the two and turned back to Stretch. “You should get going.”
“is that a no?” Stretch said. He was still smiling (he always did), but being rejected by Edge stung a little.
“Do you love me?” Edge wanted to know. It wasn’t the first time he had asked Stretch that question.
“i love you in that outfit, but i’d love it even more if you took it off,” Stretch said in his best flirty voice.
“Cheesy pick-up lines?” Edge sighed. “I thought we’d be past that. Can you ever be serious about anything?”
“can you ever not be serious about everything?” Stretch countered. “it’s just sex.”
Ding!
Edge glanced at the door, knowing that only police and sans-control officers ever come over this late. “That’s probably a drop-off.”
“how about you eat me out after you deal with that? berry won’t mind me being late if it’s for a good cause,” Stretch said with a crooked grin. Stretch looked quite handsome when he did that, but his charm had lost its effect on Edge a long time ago. He was immune.
Edge gave him a flat look; he was obviously losing his patience with this conversation. He then made a gesture in Hands that didn’t have a human Sign Language translation - it was common monster slang that basically meant someone wasn’t worthy of a core soul trait – with subtle nuances that indicate which one. In this case it was navy blue. To make the sign indicating it was the soul trait that the monster actually had was a huge insult, good thing Stretch’s soul was orange or this might have turned into an actual fight. Stretch’s grin turned into a more amused smile instead.
“If you aren’t going to leave, then help me with the paperwork,” Edge said.
“ooh …” Stretch hissed as if the prospect of more work physically hurt him. Then he pulled out another lolli – Edge suspected that his inventory was full of them and probably nothing else. “nah. smell ya later.” With that, Stretch ported away.
Edge sighed. He will always care deeply for Stretch, but damn the guy was so annoying sometimes. He knew that Stretch loved him too, in his own way, but Edge couldn’t fathom how he once thought that they could be good mates for each other. It likely had to do with the fact that Stretch was the first real friend Edge had ever made. Stretch probably knew much sooner that they were romantically incompatible but stayed for the sex. They were better as friends and had pledged their eternal loyalty to each other as such after they split up.
Ding! Ding!
“YES, I HEAR YOU,” Edge called out and went to the foyer. He was correct, there was one sans-control officer he had worked with before (a silver fox monster) with two human police officers. On the ground in front of them was a large metal carrier with something inside that was growling angrily. “I APOLOGIZE FOR THE WAIT. I’M THE OWNER OF THIS ESTABLISHMENT.”
“Whoa,” one of the cops said with wide eyes when she saw Edge. The human appeared to be quite young to him, possibly a rookie (who knows? Edge wasn’t very good at aging humans, they were all babies compared to him). The other one was much taller, a barrel-chested male with a bald head.
“I’m Seargent Gafferty, this is Officer Park,” the male cop introduced. “Got one of those sanses in here, needs to be put down,” the cop said with an expression of distaste, gesturing to the carrier.
Not one to take anyone else’s word for anything, Edge looked at the fox. “WHY DID YOU BRING POLICE, ASH?”
“Hey Edge,” the fox said with a small wave. “They brought me, actually. There is some kind of legal investigation going with this guy’s owner and they wanted to make sure he was taken care of. He’s … kinda messed up.”
Since Edge had LV, he was unable to glow his eyes true blue to calm the sans, but his eyes did glow a similar shade when he used gravity magic. The skele probably wouldn’t know the difference, so Edge blinked it on. The female officer gasped when she felt the momentary tug on her soul – gravity magic was eager; when it was enacted, it wanted to be used. Edge was very good at bending it to his will, so suppressing its effect was easy enough, but it still took a second before he could turn it off. He ignored her and bent over to peer inside the window of the crate. All he could see was a balled-up blanket, but it was moving as if something inside was hiding in it. He began to project comfort and goodwill from his soul (things someone would never expect he could feel if they were to judge him on his menacing appearance, which unfortunately happened quite often). He missed Officer Park’s blossoming smile.
“Be careful, it’s violent!” Seargent Gafferty warned right before the sans threw himself against the side of the crate, snarling. The humans and fox flinched from the loud noise of the door rattling in its hinges. Edge put his hand on the crate to keep it from tipping over then straightened up, frowning. He picked the carrier up from the dolly to put it on the counter so he could see better (and get it away from the humans). When he put his eye sockets back to the window, he made a clicking sound with his teeth - sometimes non-verbal communication was more effective when a skele was scared. It sounded just like the chattering sound that some sanses make when they are relaxed and happy, just lower in pitch. The sans quieted for a few moments, as if considering his response, then hissed. Edge purred next, but the skele just rattled his bones. It was good that he was communicating, even if the message was clearly ‘leave me alone.’
“Do you have a tongue?” Officer Park asked. She was staring at him with a really dumb look on her face. Edge frowned at her unprofessionalism.
“Sooji, don’t forget why we’re here,” Seargent Gafferty said quietly. “That thing is dangerous.”
“HE’S A FELL,” Edge replied, not answering her inappropriate question. Even though Edge hadn’t even seen him yet, he knew. “AND HE’S SCARED. FELLS ARE TRAINABLE; THEY JUST NEED THE RIGHT OWNER.” He put his arms around the crate so he could move it back to the quiet rooms.
“It’s fatally injured,” the cop said and walked over to Edge before he could get away. “We didn’t bring it here for you to train. You have stuff here to euthanize them, right?”
“ONLY VOLUNTEERS AND EMPLOYEES BEYOND THIS POINT WITHOUT INVITATION,” Edge said, indicating the yellow line on the ground with his chin. Seargent Gafferty looked down at it then back at up Edge, as if considering disregarding the huge, magic skeleton’s boundary. Edge maintained eye-contact, saying nothing, and wisely the human stepped back onto the other side.
“THE COUNTY REQUIRES ME TO HAVE SUCH FACILITES ‘IN CASE OF EMERGENCY’,” Edge continued evenly. “WHATEVER THAT MEANS. BUT I’VE NEVER USED THEM. I HAVE ACCESS TO ON-CALL HEALERS WHO ARE QUITE SKILLED. ASH, CAN YOU PLEASE FILL OUT THE TOP PORTION OF THE PAPERWORK?”
“On it,” Ash said, picking up the clipboard on the counter. He had done this several times before.
“It’s too mean to adopt out, there’s no point even trying to fix it,” Sergeant Gafferty said. “It’s ribs are shattered – soul’s cracked and fading, that means it’s dying, right?”
“IT COULD MEAN THAT,” Edge confirmed, wishing they had told him that sooner. “THANK YOU FOR BRINGING HIM HERE. NOW IF YOU’LL EXCUSE ME, I NEED TO TEND TO HIM – THIS SITUATION HAS BECOME URGENT.”
“He’s so sigma,” Sooji said to Ash in a hushed voice. Ash could tell she was infatuated with the skeleton, and he rolled his golden eyes. He liked girls who were short and cute. She also had long black hair tied back into a ponytail with straight bangs and her slightly winged eyeliner made her almond-shaped eyes look very cat-like. Ash would have no problems dating a human this pretty, but apparently he wasn’t her type.
“Monsters who were born underground are like that,” Ash said. He didn’t get why someone like her would go for Edge anyway. The guy looked cool, but he was huge dork when he wasn’t angry. “They suffered a lot down there, then when they came to the surface they had to deal with discrimination. My great-grandparents said that they never fully assimilated.” He tried not to sound accusatory, he was still considering asking Sooji for her number. “There aren’t many left.”
“How old is Edge?” Sooji asked, intrigued.
“I don’t know – around 200, maybe?” Ash guessed. He had heard Edge say once that he was out of stripes when the barrier was broken (which he knew was in the 1850s), but he didn’t know exactly when Edge was born - he’d never asked. “Boss monsters are immortal though, so he could be much older.”
“Oh, my goddess, the things he’s seen and lived through!” Sooji’s eyes sparkled. Well, there goes any chance of Ash scoring a date with her now, he can’t compete with that look. “Edge!” She chirped, trying to get his attention. “Can I have your number?”
While the two had been chatting, Edge and Gafferty had begun arguing about the Fell. The Seargent was insisting that Edge euthanize him, while Edge had been vehement that that it wasn’t necessary. Neither wanted to budge and they had both gotten quite irritated with the other, especially Edge as he really wanted this altercation to end so he could get to work.
The skeleton did flick his eye lights to her when he heard his name (now back to his default red color), but he chose to ignore her. Again.
“It is a lost cause!” The human said.
“I HAVEN’T EVEN ASSESSED THIS FELL’S CONDITION –!“ Edge started.
“shit!” the sans croaked angrily. “ass. cock!”
“I HAVEN’T EVEN ASSESSED HIS CONDITION YET,” Edge repeated a little calmer. “IF HE IS INJURED BEYOND REPAIR, HE WILL DUST NATURALLY - BUT AT THE VERY LEAST I CAN OFFER HIM SOME COMFORT BEFORE HE DOES. I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR INCESSANT INTERFERENCE.”
“It’s still not adoptable, even if somehow it doesn’t dust naturally,” Gafferty said.
“I AM CONFIDENT HE WILL SURVIVE THIS. AND I AM THE MOST QUALIFIED TO DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FOR HIM ONCE HE’S RECOVERED,” Edge said firmly, as if daring Gafferty to challenge him.
Gafferty was exasperated, his red soul projected it in waves. He just wanted to protect people from getting hurt by this creature, why won’t this guy just listen to him? He started to walk toward Ash, reaching his hand out. “Will you –?“ was all the human managed to say before he was shoved across the floor by an unseen force.
Edge’s arm was still raised in perfect form, eyes blazing blue. “DON’T EVER TOUCH A MONSTER WHILE ANGRY. MALEVOLENT HUMAN INTENT IS DEADLY TO US.”
Ash’s heart was racing. It was horrifying to see a human come at him so directly – humans had no idea how powerful their souls were. Ash had immediately darted behind Edge. Not his bravest moment, but his soul wasn’t orange and, being a fox, he was inherently driven by his instincts to seek safety when threatened (and Edge’s HP and ATK were much higher than his).
“ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, ASH?” Edge asked, concerned.
“Y-yeah,” the fox replied.
“So sigma …” Sooji whispered, looking like she just came in her pants.
“I wasn’t going to …” Gafferty started after a few moments of awkward silence. He glanced at Ash, who was taking deep breaths to calm himself down, then re-adjusted his shirt. “I was just reaching for the clipboard.”
“IT IS WITHIN MY RIGHTS TO ASK YOU TO LEAVE,” Edge said, not sure if the human was being truthful.
“Okay,” Gafferty finally relented. “But I’ll be back in a few days. If it survives and it’s still this unstable and violent -”
“I NEED TIME WITH HIM,” Edge interrupted, blinking off his eye lights (he still didn’t lower his arm, though). “GIVE ME SIX MONTHS.”
“No way,” Gafferty said. “One month. If I come back and you can’t prove it’s not a danger to people, I want it destroyed.”
Edge gave a tight nod. That’s probably the best offer he was going to get, and he didn’t want this fight to escalate into something he could be arrested for, he had already put himself at risk for retaliation. All monsters knew that humans could be very spiteful and tend to stick together, Edge would have no chance in a court of law.
Edge continued to watch the human distrustfully for a few moments before he got the message.
“Officer Park,” Gafferty said, grabbing the dolly and opening the door to leave.
Sooji put a note on the countertop, she had written her phone number on it. “Call me?” she said.
“Officer Park!” The Seargent repeated a little louder. She made a guilty face before hurrying out the door with her partner. Only then did Edge drop his defensive stance.
“You are welcome to come to the back with me if you don’t want to be alone right now,” he told Ash, picking up the crate again. “But I need to focus on this skele.”
“pussy!” the Fell hollered when the crate was jostled, then rattled his bones again.
“Actually, yeah …” Ash said, feeling bad now that he had ever thought Edge was a dork. “That’d be nice, thanks.”
Edge led him to the quiet rooms, pulling a chair for him along behind them with blue magic. Once inside he set the crate down in the corner, the Fell inside was having an absolute conniption. Ash took the chair and wheeled it over to the opposite corner and sat down quietly … until the first thing Edge did was open the door of the crate.
“What are you doing?” Ash said, pulling his feet up as if the floor was now lava.
“I don’t think he actually wants to hurt anyone,” Edge said, sitting down. “But if he tries, I won’t let him near you.”
Ash put his feet down and pushed himself closer to the door. Once there he realized that the Fell had gone completely still and silent, so he relaxed and trusted that Edge had this under control.
Edge started to project safety from his soul. “Hey,” he said to the Fell in a soft voice and tapped his claws on the ground. “Want to come out?” He clicked his teeth like he had earlier.
Silence.
“I need to look at you,” Edge told him, tugging on the blanket but not pulling it off. The Fell immediately yanked back into the corner of the crate with a grunt, still not letting himself be seen. “It’ll be a lot easier if you come out on your own.”
Edge gave him a few moments to think about it before scooting closer. The Fell heard it and rattled his bones again before yelping and whining. “Don’t rattle your bones, you’ll hurt yourself more!” Edge said, scooting back in alarm.
The Fell growled and hissed a few times, but it was for show. Edge could see the blanket trembling, the poor skele was scared shitless. “fuck!”
“Your vocabulary is so vulgar,” Edge said, trying to lighten the tense situation. “My sanses are very well-behaved. If you live with us, you need to have better manners than this. I won’t tolerate you teaching them bad habits.”
Edge pulled a small antler out of his inventory. He’s found that chewing can be very comforting to Fells. “I can’t give you bones to chew on,” Edge explained, levitating it into the crate and setting it down. “But I found that most Fells like the taste of these. They’re hard so it feels good on your teeth but also have minerals in them, so it’s better than rawhides or chew toys.”
Oh yeah, this is one of the reasons Ash considered Edge a dork – there is no way any of these sanses understood even half of what he was saying, yet he talks to them like they are monsters.
“If you don’t like that I have deer hooves – but I’d have to leave for a moment to go get them,” Edge offered.
Silence …
“I can stuff them with cheese or peanut butter …” Edge tempted. Two glowing red eye lights peeked out from under the blanket. It was the first glimpse Edge had gotten of the skele, and he immediately lit up his own eye lights blue in response. There was a quick banging sound as Ash’s chair levitated up a centimeter (before Edge had a chance to null the effects of his gravity magic) then fell back down. It skidded a bit on its wheels, but Ash didn’t fall off. He blinked in surprise.
“I apologize for that, Ash,” Edge said over his shoulder, but didn’t break eye contact with the skele.
“It’s fine,” the fox replied.
“I’m sure you’re hungry,” Edge tried. “If you come out, we can go to the kitchen and I’ll make you whatever you wish to eat.”
The Fell hissed then snatched the antler, pulling it under the blanket and hiding away again. At least Edge could hear him gnawing at the gift. He counted it a small win.
“Hey, I’m gonna get out of here,” Ash said, standing up. “Thanks for letting me chill out. I feel a lot better.”
“It was no problem,” Edge told him.
“Could you … you know, uh, not tell anyone … about what happened?” Ash asked sheepishly. “It’s kind of … embarrassing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Edge said smoothly.
Ash smiled. He felt a little bad for the intimidating skeleton; just downheartedly sitting on the floor by himself like a kid who just fell off his bike. He was trying so hard to help this Fell, but all he’s gotten in return is frustration.
“Hey,” Ash said, and Edge looked at him. “That Fell is really lucky you fought so hard for him. I don’t think many would have done the same. He’ll be okay.”
“Thank you,” Edge said, deadly serious. What a dork.
Ash gave him a little wave and left.
~~~~
It was the middle of the night. Edge usually had infinite patience, but this time he was feeling pressure from the fact that this Fell was so injured, and Edge still hadn’t gotten him out of the crate. Every time Edge had tried to get closer or reach out to him, the skele had rattled his bones and hurt himself, so Edge was forced to back off. Edge had even tried to tug at the skele with blue magic (something he didn’t like to do to sanses who weren’t used to it) but the poor, traumatized sans immediately flew into a blind panic and again, Edge had to give up.
Edge’s only hope was to get him to come out of his own volition. Edge had left the room for a few minutes to get different options of food and toys to see what the sans might prefer, he had also put out some more antlers and deer hooves stuffed with different things. After some time he even tried to coax the Fell out by eating food himself, hoping the smells and sounds of him enjoying the burrito he had made would be enticing enough, though he really didn’t feel like eating. But again, no dice.
He put the burrito down on the plate and nudged it closer to the crate with the other offerings he had laid out. Edge had never had this much trouble with a sans before, the little guy must have been very mistreated – or else he was really was slowly dusting from his injuries. “What is your name?” Edge asked for the millionth time.
The Fell growled, but it was half-hearted. Edge hoped it was just because he was sleepy and not because he was falling. “I was hoping you’d be out before I called the healer. It’d be better if you’d trust me at least a little and let me comfort you before I introduce another stranger, but I’m afraid we’re running out of time.”
The Fell grumbled and shifted under the blanket, stretching out a bit. Edge pulled out his phone and reluctantly texted the best healer he knew. It only took a few moments for her to text back that she was on her way. It was very fortunate that ghosts don’t sleep.
“A lot of skeles live here,” Edge informed the sans as he put his phone back in his inventory. “They are happy.”
The blanket shifted again. “They want for nothing; food, toys, friends … love. I provide for them everything they need.”
The Fell peeked out at him again, his eye lights were still bright which was reassuring. Edge should have tried this sooner instead of thinking this Fell would prefer food or objects. He cut himself some slack, though - every other time he’d had to get abused Fells to trust him, that had worked. But just like monsters, each sans is different.
“I don’t know what happened to your owner, but it appears he wasn’t treating you properly,” Edge said cautiously. The Fell blinked. “He was bad, wasn’t he?”
The Fell whimpered. “You can stay here,” Edge said. “With the other Fells ... or with me. Do you want a good owner? I would love to have a good sans again. I don’t have any of my own right now.”
The Fell poked his head out. It was the most Edge had seen of him and his bone structure was stunning. “What a handsome skele you are,” Edge complimented, and the Fell smiled a little. “Do you want a hug?” Edge held his arms out in invitation.
The Fell flinched a little at the movement but didn’t disappear again. He was tempted. Very tempted and Edge’s soul hurt for him. “I won’t hurt you, baby.”
“rito?” It was the first thing the Fell had said that wasn’t a cuss and Edge smiled.
“Yes, it has beans and rice in it,” Edge picked it up to show it off. “Chicken. Cheese. You like cheese?”
The Fell licked his teeth and crawled out a little more then paused, looking up at Edge again hopefully. “chn … z?” he tried.
“Yes, good! Cheese; you almost said it,” Edge scooted a little closer and this time the Fell didn’t balk. “Try again.”
“ch…mm?” the Fell said, eye lights following the burrito now as Edge moved it up and down a little.
“Good boi,” Edge said even though he got it more wrong than his first try. “It’s yummy, you can have the whole thing.”
The Fell came out enough for the blanket to fall away. He was naked and his body was covered in scars and bruises. Edge cringed when he saw the damage to his ribs. Gafferty was right, they were gnarled with old scars where they weren’t splintered or broken off entirely. The ends were barely hanging on with his red magic, if they fall off, they will dust and the healer won’t be able to fix it. If that happened, Edge would have to get a prosthetic rib cage made for him. It would be expensive, but Edge will do it if he needs to. He’ll do anything to save this Fell’s life at this point.
“Here – oh,” Edge was surprised when the Fell bypassed the burrito entirely and curled up in his lap. His small body was tense and quivering, as if he wasn’t sure he could actually believe Edge wouldn’t hurt him. Edge gently wrapped his arms around him and enveloped them both entirely in loving intent, beginning to purr. The Fell whimpered again and started to relax, he was exhausted. “It’s okay, you’re safe.”
Edge continued to tell the Fell that he was a good boy and how he’d be happy and loved here even after he’d fallen asleep. When the healer texted that she had arrived he told her that she was welcome to just phase through the walls to the quiet room – she knew where it was.
“Hello,” she said in her wispy, echoey voice. “Can I come closer?”
“Hello, Venti,” Edge greeted. “Yes, he’s asleep. Maybe if we’re quiet we can do this without him waking up. He was very scared earlier and I don’t know how he’ll react to you in his space.”
“Understood,” she said kindly, hovering in front of Edge. He gingerly shifted the Fell around so that she could see his front, he snored loudly – completely conked out. Venti laughed softly before she realized the extent of the injuries. “Oh, my. His poor soul.”
Not only was the Fell’s soul completely exposed, but now that Edge can get a better look at it, he could see that it was covered in cracks and scars. It’d been a long time since he’d seen a soul so wounded (the image of a battered blue heart flashed through his mind and he immediately shoved it out of his head - it wasn’t the time).
Edge caressed the Fell’s shoulder with his thumb worriedly. He could see the uncertainty in the healer’s face as she raised her hands, determined to fix this. She got very close to the bones before they picked up her green glow – being a ghost, she couldn’t touch anything. If she tried to set the bones in place, her hands would just pass right through them. Edge would need to do that part.
“Okay,” she said after a few minutes of general healing. “Please put his ribs in place one by one and hold them there so I can reform them.”
“You can do that?” Edge asked, surprised at the level of her power. He had expected that all she’d be able to do is re-attach them.
“Of course,” she said with a smirk. “I trained under Lady Toriel herself.”
Edge had to force himself not to roll his eyes or make a disgusted face, he didn’t want to offend his best healer. And, as much as he didn’t like the goat monster’s philosophy on sans rearing, he had heard she was the most talented healer monsterkind had ever known. Looks like the rumors were correct.
He gently lifted the Fell’s first rib in careful fingers and held it where it should be. The sans whined in his sleep.
“It would be better if you used blue magic,” Venti whispered, though she focused her intent on the rib he was holding – sealing it in place and smoothing it out as much as she could. It would still show scars, but it was much better than Edge had initially hoped for. He was very impressed. “He’ll feel less pain.”
“I know, but most skeles get upset when it’s used on them,” Edge said. “It’s such a violation and I just barely earned his trust.”
Edge was able to let go of the first rib now (it stayed perfectly in place) and move to the next one. This one was a bit larger, however, and broken in three places. As he tried to finagle it, the Fell grimaced and twisted in discomfort. Edge immediately stopped moving his hand, closing his eyes while holding the rib where he had it (not quite placed well enough for Venti to heal it). He hoped the sans would go back to sleep.
“Edge -” Venti breathed, ever so quietly, but it was enough to jolt the sans fully awake. He took one look at the stranger floating so close to him and screamed, trying to get out of Edge’s lap and run back to the crate. He swiped at her with his claws (which just went right through her) when Edge tried to hold him in place, struggling as if his life depended on it.
“Hey, it’s okay!” Edge said, trying to not hurt the Fell more as he thrashed and cried. “We’re trying to help you! Don’t your ribs hurt?”
“shit! fuck!” The Fell cried out, redoubling his efforts. “cum!”
The Fell was able to slip out of Edge’s gentle grip and his claws scrambled on the ground as he tried to get away. “No!” Edge said and flipped him onto his back, holding him down. “You’re going to kill yourself!”
Venti flew in and angel bless her, she pumped her healing up to max – driving the green magic into the Fell’s bones with all her strength. The Fell screamed again, looking at Edge in confusion and fear. Edge held his ribs in place, rock solid. He wouldn’t let go, not this time. He couldn’t lose another one this way. They’d already gotten this far, if they didn’t finish it they’d have to try something else and it would be much harder now that the Fell was afraid of him again.
“Please calm down!” He tried desperately.
One of the Fell’s ribs broke off in Edge’s hand and the skele howled as his HP dropped several points. Edge looked at Venti in dread.
“Don’t let it go, it’ll dust!” Venti said, as if Edge didn’t know. “You need to hold him tighter, the ends are sharp!”
“I don’t want to hurt him more,” Edge said, trying to use one hand to secure the Fell and the other to pull the points of his broken ribs away from his vulnerable soul without breaking off any more. Why was this happening to him again?
And the inevitable happened (because of course it did). The Fell’s HP dropped to 0.099 and his body spasmed, causing Edge’s grip to slip and accidentally break another rib. The sound it made in his head was much louder than it could have possibly been in reality, but he knew what was going to happen next if he hesitated, for it had happened before. So Edge did what he had to do, what he should have done all those years ago; he enveloped the Fell in blue magic and ripped out his soul to keep it safe.
The Fell immediately went still with a surprised choking sound. Venti set to work when the blue magic put all of his ribs in perfect position. Edge opened his hand and levitated the rib he had where it was supposed to go. There were chips missing, but the ghost’s healing really was first rate – she almost seemed to soften the bones as she put them together, like she was molding the sans’s ribcage out of clay.
Edge’s guilt was overwhelming. He knew the Fell would never forgive him this betrayal and he stared at the floor, afraid to meet the other’s eyes.
“Edge, it’s done. You can put his soul back now,” Venti said gently after several moments of stillness. She had actually finished quite some time ago and had been waiting quietly for Edge to do or say something. She didn’t understand why he was as upset as he was but she didn’t question it. “It looks good, right?”
Edge schooled his face back into his usual stern expression (RBF) and stood. He had already shown Venti too much weakness, so he said nothing as he levitated the soul back into the Fell’s newly-healed chest. She was right, it looked great, but the pattern of the scars was quite distinct; this sans had been stepped on. He was lucky to be alive.
The Fell sat up, disoriented. He looked down and put a hand to his chest. He seemed surprised that it was whole and didn’t hurt anymore. When he looked at Venti, she smiled at him, but when he looked over at Edge, the skeleton wasn’t paying him any attention. The sans bared his fangs and hissed at him before running back into the crate.
Edge suppressed his hurt flinch. “Great work,” he told the ghost. “I am in your debt. Again.”
“No, silly,” Venti said. “This is my job, and I love it. Thank you for trusting me to help another one of your precious skeles. They are such wonderful creatures.”
“They are,” Edge agreed. “Would you like me to walk you out?”
“No need,” Venti said and floated straight up and through the ceiling.
Edge looked down at his hands after she left, they were covered in marrow, solidifying in his mind that he had literally held this sanses life in his hands. “I think I’ll call you Red,” Edge said. There was no reply.