Archive of Our Own ^beta

The air was cold, and filled with the smells of spices, decaying leaves and moss, and a hint of rain. One of your hands held the handle of your mug, the other gently cupping the opposite side as you sat on a couch on the porch of your small home. This was something you’d learned to enjoy. You’d learned to accept that your body would never be able to fully let itself relax, but sometimes, in the softest moments between you and your boyfriend, you had experienced the pure bliss of relaxation. This had become more frequent, after all, he was all you’d ever needed. He was everything you had longed for, and when you met him, he sliced through the blinding fog that had chased you throughout your life. With time and his help, things in your life improved. And when the two of you had started dating? God, things got even better.

There were still rare moments where you would have attacks, but for the most part, you were happy, and okay. 

You gazed out into the surrounding trees that circled your property, watching the morning sun filter through the gaps of leaves, your gaze following the ones that would fall, how they danced in the wind. Allowing your mind to wander freely, you took slow sips of your morning tea. This one was a fall harvest blend, with hard spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves. It made your nose burn from the steam. But, the spices heated your body up. It was a calming sensation, and although the flavor wasn’t your favorite, you drank it anyway.

One of your favorite things about Autumn was the holidays and festivals. For the past 2 years the two of you had been together, watching horror movies during Autumn was a tradition at this point, and one you loved too. You had enjoyed creating lists of movies to watch together until Winter would come along. 

Back when you’d both started dating, you had been surprised. Your boyfriend was…..the complete opposite of what you were. He was open, physically affectionate and very romantic. He was forward, bold, confident, and all the things you’d dreamed about in a man. 

You on the other hand……were very closed off and you weren’t one for physical affection, it had taken you a solid 6 months to get used to it, and even now you still struggled a little with the whole thing.

With your… past… you had never really experienced true love, nor gotten a chance to…feel loved and be loved. But…if this is what it felt like, then…you were glad your first experience was with him.

Your mind flashed back to something he had done for you, during the early stages of your relationship. It was a memory you cherished and treasured deeply, just thinking about it made your heart soar and your face heat up.

Large skeleton hands gently held onto your waist as he looked at you, sitting on his knees. His eye-like orb was blood red, the black pupil in the center dilated wide from his overpowering feelings of something stronger than admiration. He was looking at you as though you were a goddess. You’d told him you were insecure early into your relationship with him. You’d gone on about how you hated certain bits of your body during one of your moody rants….weeks ago. You had thought he would have forgotten about it, since...it was just a silly rant after all. But now….you were here, as he kissed away your worst worries and fears, looking up at you all the while, with that worshiping expression. He started on your arms, taking his time to admire every spot, mark, and scar. You genuinely didn’t know what to say or do. This was the first time you’d ever been looked at in such a way. 

When he moved down to your stomach, you’d instinctively wrapped your arms around yourself, shaking your head with fear. 

His soothing voice cut through your racing thoughts. “D’ya…….trust…..me?” 

The question caught you by surprise, and although you were afraid, you trusted him immensely. Your words weren’t working right now, but you nodded a little, looking into his eyes, or, well, his eye. You still didn’t know how the whole thing worked with his banged up skull but you definitely weren’t going to judge him. 

“Alright……pumpkin.” He murmured, carefully removing your arms from your stomach, which you let him do, even though your heart was racing. God- what if he was disgusted with you? What if- what if- what if??  

His eye glanced up at you, before he looked back down and lifted your shirt, exposing your warm stomach.

You hadn’t forgotten the feeling of him kissing your tummy, feeling butterflies inside and your heart fluttering as you were mentally freaking out over someone being this close to you….loving every stretch mark as his big, warm skeleton hands caressed your soft belly. It was a little funny that despite him being a ‘skeleton’ monster, his bones were rubbery, and were very warm. You watched as he lavished affection on every part of you, whispering his sweet thoughts as his eye darted from your stomach and back up at your face every few kisses. You would’ve laughed at the idea that he was the one looking up at you instead of the other way around, but he had planned this out. You were sure of it, because before any of this had started, the two of you had sat down on the edge of your bed. 

God- the way he looked at you. You felt your heart fill with something new. A feeling you’d never felt before, but…..it filled you with such joy, you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling as you looked down at him. For the very first time, you felt like your body was being seen as beautiful. 

From that day on, you knew he was the one.

You hadn’t noticed the feeling of the couch dipping next to you, nor the warm hand that placed itself on your shoulder comfortingly. You felt yourself coming back to the present, as his warm and familiar voice pulled you out of your mind. “Good morning…pumpkin.” You turned your head to look at him, a smile coming up to your face as you were filled with that happiness and love you’d learned to soak up. 

“Hi…” Your voice was soft and dripping with love as you took in his expression. He looked tired, and you knew that his flashbacks had been coming back. He hadn’t been sleeping, and he’d been quick to tell you when the first one had happened. You felt a pull of sympathy tugging at your heart as you set your mug down on the coffee table in front of the couch you were still sitting on. 

“You still not sleeping, honeybun?” You asked, making sure your voice stayed at the same low volume. You knew his hearing was sensitive in the mornings, more so now with his lack of sleep. 

Skull shook his head, scooting up closer to you and wrapping his arm around your side. He pulled you close as he sighed through his ‘nose’, which was an adorable little upside down heart. You could feel his exhaustion, and you found it endearing that even during this time of frustration and struggling, his loving attitude and romantic feelings towards you never wavered. You leaned into his touch, letting him mess with your hair with his other hand as you listened to his slow breathing. 

“Stay….with me?” He mumbled, eye looking down at you with a pleading intensity you couldn’t say no to. But, you had work. Gah- what would you even tell your boss?....But…he looked so cute . God damnit you couldn’t say no to him…..not when he was looking at you like a puppy looks at their owner, with a treat in their hand. 

You slowly looked up at him. You’d been working overtime already to try and make up for the lack of funds in your account, and with the bills skyrocketing over the years, you were constantly raising your hand and begging for extra work. You could take a day off…..but you needed the work….

Skull let out a little whimper, his pupil dilating as he basically shot you right in the heart. He mustered up the saddest and most timid voice you’d ever heard him speak in. “Please? I don’t want to be alone today….I-...I really can’t…” He moved his hand from your hair, down to hold your hand. He squeezed it gently and you sighed and nodded, rolling your eyes up at him and pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Okay, baby, I’ll take the day off.” You had no other choice, it was either staying, or dying from the pain and guilt of saying no to his cute face. 

So…when Skull eventually let you go to get dressed for a lazy and cozy day with you, you walked back into the house with your half-empty mug in hand. You dropped off the mug in the kitchen sink, and then went to the bedroom to grab your phone. You usually always left it on your nightstand, and didn’t touch it until you actually had to get ready for work, since you’d found that enjoying moments off your devices was better than staring at a screen. You were quick to call your boss, letting her know that you’d had a ‘family emergency’ and needed to take a day off. Your boss knew that you usually never took days off unless you really, really needed to, so she gave you the day without a fuss. 

When the call ended, you set your phone back down on the nightstand, and turned to exit the room. Skull was standing at the doorway, wearing one of the fall turtleneck sweaters he had knit for himself. It was orange and white, and patterned with little ghosts, black cats and pumpkins. He was wearing his usual black shorts, and he was watching you with a big smile on his face. He looked thankful, touched by your kindness. 

“Right, so what’s on the agenda for today?” Your voice was warm and filled with care as you walked up to him, the carpeted floor muffling the sounds of your bare feet. 

“Cuddle…’n….maybe watch House?” He suggested with a tired smile. Ah yes, House MD, the show the two of you watched as often as time allowed you to. It was an old show, but a good one nonetheless. It hadn’t been the first time you’d finished it together and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was just too good. You nodded, knowing fully well what today would look like now that you were aware of Skull’s plans. 

“Alright, go sit on the couch, I’ll get the blankets.” You placed a kiss on his cheek, and then handled the rest of the supplies while Skull went to the living room. 

When you finally made it over to Skull, you were carrying blankets, pillows, and you’d changed into more comfortable clothing. Basically just a matching knitted turtleneck sweater (that matched with the one Skull was wearing) and no pants, because fuck that shit! You were gonna be comfortable, and you were gonna do it right .

You distributed the pillows and blankets between the two of you, and you snuggled up close with your boyfriend. Skull was quick to turn on the tv, and opened up Prime Video, using the arrow buttons to scroll down to the continue watching page. He pressed on the middle button, selecting the show, and then the play button. 

As the episodes went on, Skull’s hand gently came up and down your arm, scratching it in the way he knew you liked. You were warm and cozy, and you could feel Skull relaxing against you. Usually he’d fall asleep a few times, and you’d let him. Today was no different.  

Eventually after god knows how long, you were feeling hungry. You slowly and carefully got up without waking him and went to get a snack. When you returned, you had some cookies in a small bowl in one hand.

With some precision and skill, you were able to get back to the position you’d been in earlier, and Skull stayed asleep through it. Mentally proud of your abilities, you took a proud bite of your cookie, enjoying the tingling in the top of your head from eating something so sweet. 

You weren't surprised when after a few minutes, a skeleton hand slowly reached into your bowl to steal a cookie. Skull had a skill for getting his hands on food. You knew the reason why, but it always caught you by surprise with the speed in which his claws latched onto anything consumable.

 He slowly began munching on the cookie, and you were proud of him and how much he had progressed. Back when you’d first met him, he had struggled with eating and would inhale any food he was given. You would never be able to understand the desperation he had felt back when he’d been trapped underground. You’d always been well fed and taken care of, to say that you understood him would be unfair. After all, what would you know? 

Besides the point. He would eat slowly now, and you were glad he was getting better. 

“How you feeling, baby?” You asked after some time, glancing up at him with a small smile. 

He responded with a low hum, and it reverberated in your chest, shaking your insides. “Better.” Skull murmured as he pressed a skele-kiss to your head. 

“That’s good. You wanna take a nap?” Suggesting a nap at this hour would definitely end in the two of you sleeping for the rest of the day- morning naps just hit different, and with you being shamelessly lazy, and him being so tired….welp, you already knew you were in for the laziest day of your life.

The speed in which he stood and picked you up made you laugh and squeal with excitement and joy. When the two of you made it to the bed you shared, he laid down, still holding you. He basically curled up around you like a cat would. You were happy to be here with him right now, despite the circumstances, listening to his adorable purring noises and his slow breathing as you were lulled to sleep.

You woke with a start, the feeling of the bed underneath you shaking and a bright red light shining like a beacon in the darkness that enveloped you. 

This could have elicited fear in anyone else, but not you. Instead, you felt worry clawing at your heart as you sat up, eyes landing on your boyfriend’s large form. He was hunched over on the edge of the bed, on his own side. You rubbed away the remaining sleepiness in your eyes, and you crawled over to him, being careful not to startle him. You knew how he’d get during his ‘moments’ by now. 

“Honeybun?” You called, your hand coming up to his shoulder in an attempt to make your presence known. You couldn't see his face, but you knew he wasn't…okay. 

After a few moments he turned to look at you. Red glowing tears streamed down his face from his sockets, and you saw his orb-like eye trembling in his skull, his pupil constricted to the point where you could barely see it. But then, as he stared at you, he seemed to snap out of his thoughts. His pupil dilated, wobbling at the edges like a full moon reflecting on a rippling lake.

“Hey…it’s okay. C’mere.” You soothed, opening your arms for a hug. 

Your heart shattered as you heard his near-silent whimpers, as his breath shook and his body trembled. He hugged you tightly, wrapping his arms around you as though you’d disappear then and there if he didn’t hold you.

“Please…. don't leave….me.” His voice shook, dripping with fear interlaced with worry and a tinge of anxiety. You shook your head, rubbing his back in soothing circles as you slowly began speaking to him. 

“I’ll never leave you, baby. I’ll always be here for you. You're safe, you’re loved, you're here with me.” You said what you knew he needed to hear as he was hunched down and burying his face into your shoulder. His grip remained tight, but slowly, with your comforting words, he began to calm down and his grip loosened. You made no move to end the hug, instead continuing to comfort him with your touch. 

Time wasn't a concern of yours right now, you listened and focused on him as you removed one of your arms to bring your hand up to the uncracked side of his head. You held him, and gave him what he needed. The size difference was a little silly, but you knew he appreciated this immensely. You’d never been too good at comforting anyone, you could barely handle receiving comfort as is. But…you loved him. The least you could do was this .

Eventually, he shuffled a little and you knew it was time to let go. You let him release you from the hug, and you allowed your arm to drop to your side, your other coming back down to sit on your lap as you shimmied around so you’d be sitting on your butt rather than your knees. 

You knew how hard it was for him to speak when he got like this, so instead of waiting for him to speak up, you were the first to break the silence. 

“D’ya wanna talk about it?” You asked, as he was facing you now. He looked into your eyes, and slowly nodded. 

And so he did. He told you about his nightmare, being vague as to not trigger himself again, but luckily, you knew about his past enough to understand and piece bits together into a story that made sense. 

When Skull finished, he looked at you with a sad expression. It pained him to remember such horrible things of his past. Your heart ached at seeing him like this. You didn’t know how to make the flashbacks stop, and you hated that they hurt him this much. 

A gentle tap at your jaw brought you back to the present, and your jaw unclenched out of instinct. He always knew when you were holding tension in your face, and even now, when he was still coming down from his mini-attack, he was still so attentive towards you. 

..

…

..

“You okay?” He asked, and seeing his worried expression made you feel bad. You chuckled, your hands coming up to cup his cheeks. You leaned forward and gave him a little kiss, looking into his eyes as your expression softened. 

“I should be asking you that, baby. Not the other way around.” You cooed. 

Skull shook his head, kissing your forehead. “We’re a team, pumpkin.”

God you loved him-

A week had gone by in a flash, and Skull had become so much more affectionate. He had been getting his sleep in again, and was doing really well. He wasn’t exhausted anymore, and was ecstatic to watch horror movies with you when you’d come home from work. Things were back to normal and you couldn’t have been happier. 

Today, though, was….different. You couldn’t understand how in the world it was possible for him to get 5000 times more affectionate and romantic, but he was .

You woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside, the early Saturday sun filtering into your bedroom through the windows. When you sat up, Skull was standing there with a cup of tea for you, and a plate of breakfast. 

This wasn’t the first time he’d made you breakfast like this, but something about it just made you feel…strange. 

….In a good way, though. 

A big smile was now on your face as you greeted Skull, rubbing your eyes as you looked at him. “G’morning..”

“Good morning, pumpkin.” Happiness and love radiated from him as he walked up to your side, handing you the plate and the mug, which you took gratefully.

“What’s the occasion?” You wondered out loud, raising an eyebrow. 

“Just wanted to….surprise you. ‘S all.” He responded, kissing your head and watching you as you ate the food and sipped your tea. It was all perfect. Bacon, eggs, hash browns. The tea was a black peppermint one, so you’d get the energy from the caffeine and feel refreshed from the peppermint. 

You rolled your eyes at his response in a joking way. Yeah, he was definitely onto something…. 

You finished your delicious breakfast, and your tea soon after, feeling full and refreshed.

“We’re going somewhere fun today, go get dressed.” Skull kissed your cheek and then took the empty plate and mug to the kitchen, leaving you in the room, wondering what he was planning. 

..

....

……

And so, you got ready for the day. After getting out of bed, you were quick to walk to the bathroom. You brushed your teeth and combed your hair, washed your face, and then got dressed. 

Today was another cold day, so you settled on a pair of comfy sweatpants and a cozy knitted sweater. You slipped on your favorite boots that matched perfectly with your sweater.

When you walked out of the bedroom, dressed and ready to go, Skull was waiting for you at the front door.

You smiled and did a little spin, posing like a model in a joking way, to which Skull chuckled and complimented you. “Wow, looking good, pumpkin.” He had a wide smile on his face, and he wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Oh shush I look like I rolled out of bed and just walked over here.” You joked. You knew there was nothing wrong with looking lazy, and your boyfriend loved you either way. 

The two of you joked around some more before Skull finally walked you out of the house, holding your hand and kissing your head after you’d walked for a few minutes. You wondered where Skull was taking you. 

You begged him for hints, anything , but he didn't budge. 

At one point, after passing a crosswalk, one of his skele-hands came up to your eyes, covering them entirely. Well- there were some gaps but….you shut your eyes anyways when he told you to trust him and keep your eyes closed. You felt his other hand snaking around your waist, keeping you safe from any potential dangers as you continued to walk, now blinded by his warm hand.

What in the world was he planning?

After walking for a little longer, he stopped, and kissed your cheek before removing his hand.

“You can open your eyes now, pumpkin.” 

And so you did. You opened your eyes and….ironically enough, you were standing in front of a pumpkin patch. At the old farm that used to sell pumpkins back in the day. It had closed down because of some accident from what you’d heard, so to be here again after so long…

Your eyes widened as you suddenly felt a rush of joy. “You- but- how?! I thought they closed this place down years ago!” You exclaimed. 

Skull chuckled, looking at you and your excited expression. You were ecstatic . 

“They did, but they opened back up this year. C’mon let’s go pick out some pumpkins.” He kissed your head and began walking with you into the patch.

You were practically skipping, beaming with joy at such an amazing opportunity.

You remembered the day he’d asked to be your boyfriend. Skull had known and had heard about your obsession with Autumn, and the tradition of carving pumpkins, baking and all things Fall and Halloween. So, he’d taken you to ‘hang out’ at a pumpkin patch. 

You’d never forget when he’d looked at you with that adorable eye of his. How it wobbled as he confessed his love to you, and how you made him feel…..how he told you all the things he loved about you, and how he had wanted to be more than just friends.

You…..had been frozen in place. You had no idea what to say in that moment, but before he could start thinking that you’d rejected him, you’d kissed him. 

As the two of you walked through the pumpkin patch, you’d point at funny looking pumpkins, and joke around about them. You’d doubled over with laughter as Skull pointed at one that looked like a butt, making a stupid pun, and god you were so childish- and when he continued to crack (ha ha) more jokes, you were almost in tears. And he was too. 

Skull was high off of his love for you, and you could see it in his eyes, in his face, and in the way he would look at you.

He was…very affectionate, and very romantic throughout the entire time the two of you spent picking out what pumpkins to get. He would sometimes lean down and would give you a soft kiss. Or he’d compliment you, or whisper something sweet into your ear. 

You’d eventually chosen two big pumpkins yourself, and Skull had chosen two for himself along with two for his brother. He carried them in a little cart that the workers at the patch had handed to him at the entrance. As he pushed the cart around, your arm came to link around his, walking side by side as you chatted about casual things, referencing cute memories here and there.

You…..were happy right now. And what made things even better was the fact that it was early in the day, as well. There weren't that many people here, which worked wonderfully for the two of you since you both equally hated strangers. It was a calm morning.

After the two of you took some pictures and purchased the pumpkins, Skull made a quick shortcut to drop off the arsenal back home, which wasn't too far so it didn't deplete his reserves as badly as it used to. He was a lot stronger than he used to be. 

He returned, and surprised you further by taking you to the Autumn Festival. You were….beyond astounded. You hadn't expected anything like this, especially not something so thought out and planned. 

For the rest of the late morning and afternoon, you both spent it getting on different rides, and eating the hundreds of different snacks and food items. Skull, being Skull, ate a lot of food. He even finished whatever you left over from your plate. Sure, he’d eat slowly, but he had an infinite void of space in his ‘stomach’. You’d never seen him get full. 

At one point, Skull had ended up getting nauseous and he quit on the rides. You’d snickered as he was standing there, looking a little sad over ‘ruining’ the day, but you had been quick to comfort him. You couldn’t blame him, after all, there were some new rides that were…… extreme to say the very least. Even you had felt a little queasy getting off the ride. 

He had cheered up when you kissed him and told him it was okay. 

“Maybe we should stick to the chiller rides, yeah?” You peppered his face with little kisses, which made his whole face flush dark blue. It was adorable to see him like this, and it filled you with warm fuzzies.

The two of you finished the day by getting on the ferris wheel. 

Since monsters had surfaced, rides and attractions, and everything else had been enlarged to accommodate monsters and their sizes. Luckily, the ferris wheel pods were the perfect height and size and Skull was able to get into one with you without difficulty. 

As the ferris wheel moved, the two of you sat across each other. Up here, so high in the sky, you could see everything. The vastness of forest that surrounded the area where this year's festival was taking place. How the trees had different colors, some reds, yellows and oranges, and some were bare. You could see the mountain where the monsters had been trapped inside at one point, how snow capped the top of it. The clouds in the sky were beautiful shades of blues, pinks and purples as the sun had begun to set. 

It was beautiful….and so perfect.

And then….you realized that Skull had been looking at you, his pupil was at a normal level, though it seemed to constrict or dilate slightly. You looked at him, smiling sheepishly as you blushed a little. This wasn’t the first time you’d been on a ferris wheel with him, but something about the way he looked at you just felt so different . 

“I love you.” You said, your hand reaching to hold his. He seemed to be blanked out right now. 

…What was on his mind…? 

After a few moments, he seemed to snap out of it. He squeezed your hand, his pupil fully dilating as he smiled softly at you, with that same look in his eyes. The one you’d only seen a few times. Total and complete love for you….as though you were a goddess and he was your most devoted follower. 

“I love you too, pumpkin. And I want you to know how much I love you….and how much I care about you.” Skull started, and you were so oblivious…. 

“You’ve brought me so much happiness…over the last two years. And I’m so grateful that you gave me a chance…and….that you always accepted and supported me through everything. And….” Skull was getting nervous from what you could tell. His voice was a little shaky as a faint dark blue blush covered his cheeks.

You…still thought he was being romantic like usual, god you were such a clueless person.

And then……Skull finished saying what he was going to say. 

“I…..want to spend the rest of my life with you….and I-...I wanted to ask if….. you’d like to be my soulmate?....” Skull had turned into a complete and total bundle of nerves. 

In response to your silent shock at his question, he grew even more nervous and freaked out, as you froze at his proposal. 

He let go of your hand quickly to take out a small, rectangular box from the pocket in his shorts. He opened the box and inside, laid out were two collars. A simple silver one, and then….there was yours.

It was the most beautiful collar you’d ever seen. 

Upon realizing just what he was implying…tears filled your eyes as you nodded and hugged him tightly, on the opposite side of the pod at this point. You let out a happy “Yes!” and….he hugged you back, wrapping his arms around you and…he started crying tears of joy. 

…

..

.

When the two of you finally made the full rotation and came back down and exited the pod, you were both still trying not to keep crying. You had the biggest smile you’d ever had, and Skull did too. 

And now, the two of you were wearing your new collars.

A mark of your love for each other. 

And you felt so lucky…to have him in your life.