Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Edge grabbed the can opener and a can of tuna. He had seen that stray around again and it looked thin as always. Swiftly opening the can, he walked outside and set it down on the porch. Then, he sat on the steps and waited.

Sure enough, after 15 minutes, the stray came to eat. It wasn't an impressive looking animal by any means. Shaggy medium length black fur, missing the tip of their left ear, blind in the right eye, covered and scars, declawed on the right hind paws, and missing their tail tip. Overall, the animal looked like it had been through hell. It was also a rather skinny cat with its ribs visible through its black fur.

Edge reached out a hand and they immediately came over, rubbing their face against his gloved appendage. The cat only ever let Edge approach it and only then after two months of feeding it. It came by every few days to eat and be pet before disappearing.

Stroking the cat, who climbed into his lap with a purr, Edge could remember when he first saw them 5 years ago. The stray who was so thin he could see both their ribs and the bones in their back was staring at him through his apartment window. Even then the cat had been wound covered and half blind. When Edge had walked over to the window, the cat disappeared.

Two days later the cat was back and Edge decided to leave some tuna on the balcony for them which they ate. Every couple days the cat kept coming back and watching him. Whenever he tried to grab them to take them to the vet, they would run off. Eventually, Edge gave up trying to catch the cat and just fed them, though he did slip some wormer into their water since he didn't know if the cat had parasites.

Eventually after two months, the cat had rubbed themself against Edge's legs and purred. Through some experimenting, Edge learned it was best to just let the cat come to him for affection and not try to grab them. Edge remembered when seven months after meeting the cat he moved and hadn't thought he would see it again, but a week later the cat was again peering at him through the window.

Over the five years, Edge had moved a total of 7 times for work and each time the cat found him.

"You're quite the mystery," Edge mused. He heard a meow from inside and saw Doomfanger slip through the cracked door. His cat, Doomfanger, had been adopted 8 months before he met the stray. Doomfanger was also a black cat with a torn ear, but with short fur and green eyes. The stray's single good eye was a piercing red color that stared into your soul while the blind eye was a muddy pinkish color.

Doomfanger strolled over and joined the stray in Edge's lap, licking at their ear. Edge was surprised that the two cats got along since when they first met they were hissing at each other.

After an hour, Edge scooped up Doomfanger and headed over to the door.

"So, do you want to come in this time?" Edge offered the stray. The cat stared a long moment before turning and walking off. Edge just watched them go before heading back inside and setting down Doomfanger.

"Okay Doomfanger, it's time for your food," Edge said as he opened a new can of food and set it near Doomfanger.

(Elsewhere)

Red couldn't sleep. That wasn't particularly unusual though. Red has been an insomniac for years spending many nights tossing and turning. He stood, feeling a bit better from eating his first meal in days earlier.

'Why did I mess up? Why?' Red thought as he moved over to his computer. He idly opened the computer and began scrolling through various things.

Red lived alone in a small 1 room apartment on the more unpleasant part of the city. His fridge was almost always empty and the only things in his tiny apartment was a fridge, a couch, and a desk with a computer.

'I... what's even the point of living like this? It... would be better... if I just stayed that way,' Red thought, his hand brushing over the mask lying on his desk.

"I should just leave this place permanently. It would be better if I wasn't living like this anymore. Red will be gone... forever," he muttered. The more he thought about it and said it out loud, the more appealing the idea seemed. He could leave all this behind for a better place.

"I'll just clean the place up a little and go through with my plan tomorrow. I'll drop the rent off and go," Red told himself. He spent the rest of that night preparing.

Chapter Text

Edge had been surprised when he managed to get the paperwork for his most recent case done early. With that being all he had to do today, he was able to head home to Doomfanger. As he pulled into the driveway, he was surprised to see the stray laying on his doormat.

"What are you doing here? I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow at least," Edge said as he reached down to pet the cat. The cat purred happily at the affection.

"I'll go get you some food," Edge said as he unlocked the door. To his surprise, once he opened the door, the stray darted inside.

'They've never done that before,' Edge thought. He saw they had headed to the couch where they were now lying next to Doomfanger. Edge decided to go ahead and feed the two, grabbing two cans of cat food.

After the stray was fed, Edge expected the cat to head back outside, but they didn't. Instead they began roaming the house with Doomfanger.

"Have you decided to stay?" Edge asked. The stray meowed and rubbed against Edge, purring happily.

"Well, I have been trying to get you to stay a while. What changed?" Edge asked, not expecting an answer from the cat. The cat, being a cat, didn't answer. Edge scooped up the scruffy black cat and was surprised they didn't object.

"In any case, you need a bath if you're going to stay," Edge said. He carried the cat to the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. He grabbed the soap and some flea medication for the cat. Setting the cat into the tub, Edge was surprised they didn't put up any fight, instead seeming to relax and enjoy it.

"By the angel, you're dirty," Edge muttered as he scrubbed the cat. He did his best to be gentle as he scrubbed them to not open any old wounds. While he scrubbed, he could see the cat was a boy. Rinsing out the soap, Edge picked the cat up and grabbed a towel.

"Well, you'll need a name now. How about... Beast?" Edge said. The cat, now dubbed Beast, rubbed against his hand. "Beast it is then."

Edge decided to run out to grab a bowl and collar for beast since it he would need to book a vet appointment for the weekend with work.

Edge looked around the pet store. He grabbed some cans of cat food since he was feeding two cats everyday now, some new toys, a cat tower, two bowls (one for food and one for water), and a red collar.

Looking at the tags, Edge remembered the time Beast had stolen and gnawed on a chicken bone when Edge had bought a bucket of chicken. Edge found a tag shaped like a chicken wing and grabbed it with a grin. He paid and walked over to the machine to put Beast's name, as well as his address and phone number, on the tag.

Edge slipped the collar onto Beast who purred.

"There, now we just need to get you a vet appointment," Edge said. At the word vet, Beast gave him an unimpressed look before leaping off the couch to inspect cat tower Edge had constructed. Doomfanger looked down at Beast from where he was perched on the cat tower and Beast leapt up to join him.

Edge chuckled and snapped a picture of the two unimpressed looking cats.

As Edge lay in bed that night, Doomfanger and Beast were asleep nearby. Doomfanger at the end of the bed and Beast underneath the bed. Now all Edge had to worry about with Beast was any health complications the vet would diagnose him with.

Chapter Text

When the weekend arrived, it took Edge two hours to get Beast into his carrier. Why? Well, Edge had managed to book a vet appointment. As it turned out, all animals seemed to hate the vet.

"I understand you don't like it Beast but I have no idea what you might have caught living out there," Edge said. Beast huffed unhappily from the carrier in the passenger side seat of the car. Pulling into the parking lot, Edge parked the car before exiting the vehicle with the carrier.

"Hello, do you have an appointment?" The human woman at the reception desk asked.

"Yes. My name is Edge Fell and this is my cat Beast," he answered.

"Okay, please just fill out this form and we'll be with you in a moment." She said.

Edge looked over the paperwork. It was just the typical stuff like his phone number and if Beast had had his shots.

"Hi," Edge turned and saw it was a skeleton sitting next to him that had spoken.

"Hello," Edge said.

"My name is Papyrus," the skeleton said.

"I am Edge," he introduced himself.

"Do you know if this vet is any good? I've never been here," Papyrus asked.

"The service is excellent and they've helped with my other cat," Edge said before standing to drop off the paperwork.

When he returned to his seat, he decided to continue talking to Papyrus.

"So, you have a dog?" Edge asked looking at the white dog next to Papyrus.

"Yes, this is Toby. He belongs to my brother technically but he's working today," Papyrus explained.

"I'm here for my cat Beast. He was a stray I've been feeding until recently and I want to get him checked out," Edge said.

"Do you have another cat?" Papyrus asked.

"Yes, how could you tell?" Edge questioned.

"You mentioned being here before but only recently adopting Beast, so I figured you had another animal. I asked about a cat because you just seem like a cat person," Papyrus explained.

"Very observant of you. My other cat, Doomfanger, is the one who I've taken here before," Edge said.

"Papyrus Tale and Toby?" One of the nurses call.

"Oh, here's my number. You seem like a nice guy, maybe we can talk again and be friends!" Papyrus said, handing Edge a piece of paper as he walked over to the nurse.

'What an odd monster,' Edge thought as he tucked the paper into his pocket.

After several minutes, Edge was called back.

"So, what are we going to need to do today?" The nurse asked.

"Beast used to be an alley cat. I want him checked for any health issues and to get him up to date with his shots," Edge explained.

"Okay. Can you put him on the scale?" The nurse asked. Edge lifted Beast out of the carrier and set him on the scale.

"He weighs 9 1/2 pounds, so he's underweight," the nurse explained, "My guess is he's at least 5 years old based on how he looks."

"I expected something like that. He only showed up every few days at my house for food," Edge admitted.

They continued to check over Beast. Eventually the doctor came in and examined him.

Then, they began giving Beast his shots with Beast meowing unhappily each time.

"Well, besides being underweight and pretty scarred, he's a healthy cat. He also appears to be of magic descent interestingly," the doctor said. Magic descent animals usually were a bit different than normal ones. Weighing a bit less, living longer, and being more intelligent were all common traits of magic descended animals. It wouldn't be Edge's first time dealing with magic animals though as Doomfanger and several of the police dogs were also magic animals.

"He's also one of the calmest and nicest cats I've worked with. If he wasn't so underweight and scarred, I wouldn't believe you about him being an alley cat," the doctor laughed.

Edge thanked the doctor and took Beast home. He'd have to get Beast on a regular diet to lift his weight but otherwise Beast was cleared as healthy.

When Beast was let out of his carrier once back at the house, he darted off to hide under the bed.

"You really like hiding under there, don't you?" Edge muttered as he peered under the bed. His attention was drawn away from his cat by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Hello?" Edge said. His body went rigid as the person talked. "What?"

Chapter Text

"Hello?" Edge questioned as he answered the phone.

"Sir, I'm sorry to tell you but your brother, Red, has been declared missing," the caller was a lady who worked for the police department that Edge had run into a few times at work.

"What?" Edge said as he stiffened in shock.

"His land lord reported him giving in rent early and no one seeing him since. His work said he quit a few weeks ago and his neighbors said he was acting odd," she said.

"Thank you for telling me, what will happen now?" Edge asked in an emotionless tone.

"There's going to be a small investigation into before the case will be closed or investigated further," she said.

"Thank you for letting me know," Edge said before hanging up. He quickly dialed one of his higher ups.

"Spear?(Fell Undyne)," he said.

"Yeah Edge?" She asked.

"I want in on the investigation involving my brother," Edge told her.

"You sure man? I know you and he had a strained relationship," she said.

"I'm sure," Edge said firmly.

"I'll see what I can do," Spear said before hanging up.

Edge sighed as he collapsed onto his bed. After a moment, Beast crawled out from under the bed and leapt up to lay next to him. Beast prodded him with a paw and gave a concerned meow.

"I'm alright Beast," Edge said as he stroked the cat. Purring, Beast curled against him.

Edge lay there numbly just petting the cats for several hours.

'What happened to Red?' Edge thought. His brother had always been resilient and foul mouthed. Edge didn't know what might have happened. As he lay there, he thought back to their fight.

Edge had recently got into the police academy and Red had been spending every day just laying around. Edge had snapped at him and they had been arguing. The breaking point had been a few things. Red not showing up to support Edge, Edge not sleeping, and a couple other things that just piled up.

Eventually, this blew up into a fight. Edge remembered a confrontation turning into an argument when some… harmful words had been used eventually this escalated to the two actually getting into a physical fight.

Edge knew now he had been overreacting but he changed his number, blocked Red, and moved to a different apartment closer to the academy. After several months, Edge had tried to call his brother’s number only to find out Red had also changed his number. Edge had been to sore still over the things said and too busy to put anymore effort into contacting Red.

He eventually discovered Red had moved out of their old apartment and several of his old friends hadn’t seen him. As it turned out, he had moved to some other part of town or out of it, the exact details weren’t clear.

As work piled up, Edge just decided his brother was a grown monster who could take care of himself and focused on his old life. If Red made any effort to contact him, he would reply but Red hadn’t so Edge told himself he didn’t care.

Edge missed Red and now… he might never see his brother again. Doomfanger nudged Edge and Beast pawed at his face in concern.

“I’m alright,” Edge muttered as he pet the cats. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep with the cats curled against him.

Chapter Text

Edge sighed as he walked into the room where he and the other two officers investigating his brothers case were meeting.

"Mutt(Fellswap Papyrus), Blue (Underswap Sans)," Edge greeted. Edge had gone to school with Blue and knew the other had met Red. Mutt was an acquaintance Edge had actually met through Red.

"Hey Edge," Blue greeted.

"Hey man," Mutt said.

"So, what do we have as evidence?" Edge asked.

"Well, no one saw him leaving his apartment one day and there's no camera footage. So far, other than the land lord checking the room with his neighbors after a week of not seeing Red for a week to see he wasn't there, no one has been in his room," Blue explained.

"So we start there," Edge said.

The three got in Mutt's van to drive over.

"So, this part of town isn't the best place to live. It has a history of murders, robberies, and other miscellaneous crimes," Mutt said.

"What about the building?" Edge asked.

"Owned by 56 year old Alan Dread(Fellswap Asgore). I've met the guy. He's a tough old man who's a bit grumpy but not the worst guy. He's got a small criminal record from his teens involving theft but that's it. Most of the apartments are small and cheap. One main room and a tiny bathroom," Mutt explained.

"What about his work?" Edge asked.

"Small retail store owned by Gary (fell Gerson). Again, an older man who's a tortoise monster. He's 134 years old, once again a minor criminal past in his younger years but other than that fine. He was one of the people to report Red's suspicious behavior. Apparently Red has Ben working there for 7 years at least part time before quitting two weeks ago," Mutt said.

"You mentioned neighbors, who are they?" Edge questioned, writing down the information in a notebook.

"23 year old Bunette Valentine who works as a waitress at a strip club(just a random Underlust rabbit monster), Beat Blook(Dancetale Napstablook) age 29, and Bratty Gator and Catty Cat, ages 26 and 27 respectively," Blue said.

"Any information on their relationship with Red?" Edge asked.

"Nothing specific but we can ask them when we get to the building since we have their room numbers," Blue said.

"We're here," Mutt said.

They all exited the vehicle and entered the building.

"We're going to talk to Alan Dread first," Edge said, "We need to get Red's room key to." The three headed to a small reception desk. Blue reached over and rung the bell on the counter.

"Oh, you three must be the police investigating Red's disappearance," a goat monster came over to the counter.

"Yes. Are you Alan Dread? The building owner?" Edge asked.

"Yes, that's me," he said.

"Well, we want to ask you a few questions and get the key to Red's room," Mutt told Alan.

"I don't have any problems with it," Alan agreed to their request.

"Did you know Red beyond him living here?" Blue asked.

"He helped occasionally with odd jobs around for some extra cash. Mainly stuff like fixing sinks, fridges, and other stuff," Alan explained.

"Anything else? Did he maybe have any odd behavior?" Edge asked.

"Well, he would occasionally head out late at night. He said he was taking a walk. He's also seemed... sad, for a long time. Recently he's been more dull, just not seeming the same. He's gone out more and would usually look tired all day," Alan explained.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Mutt asked.

"Not that I can think of," Alan said.

"Thank you for your cooperation sir," Blue said.

"Here's the key to the room. Feel free to ask the other tenants questions as long as you don't cause issues," Alan said as he handed over the key, "Room 103."

They found themselves standing in front of Red's first floor room. Slipping in the key, Edge unlocked the door and pushed it open. The three walked in and looked around.

"It's surprisingly clean in here from what you said about your brother," Blue muttered. The entire room looked like it had been cleaned before Red had apparently disappeared.

"There shouldn't be any room service so that means he cleaned it himself," Mutt said.

"Let's look around," Edge said.

Edge found himself looking at the computer. He didn't know the password so he decided not to mess with it until he could actually access it. Looking at the desk, he saw there was some pencils and pens in a cup and some blank papers. Shuffling through the papers for anything that might've been written, he felt his fingers graze something that wasn't paper.

Picking up the object, he saw it was a mask made of a cold and hard material that almost resembled his brother's face.

"Look at this," Edge called. The two walked over and he showed them the mask.

"Edge, that looks like one of the missing's masks," Mutt said.

"The what?" Edge asked.

"I work mostly on missing persons cases. There's been a string of disappearances that whenever they disappear a mask resembling their face is found. If they ever turn up again, that mask seems to disappear and they never talk about it," Mutt explained.

"How many have shown back up?" Edge asked after a moment.

"...only 4 out of around at least 230 recorded cases Edge," Mutt finally said. Edge tensed at the words.

"Edge, are you okay?" Blue asked.

"I'm fine. We should go question the neighbors who reported him missing," Edge said.

Knocking on door 102, they waited until a white rabbit monster opened the door.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hello ma'am. You're one of the people who reported Red missing, correct?" Blue asked politely.

"Yes, I'm Bunette Valentine," she said.

"Can we ask you some questions about Red's disappearance?" Mutt asked.

"Sure, come in. I don't have work until tonight," she said. She led them inside to some chairs and sat across from them.

"So, what is it you want to know?" She asked.

"What was your relationship with Red Fell?" Edge asked.

"He was my neighbor and a sort of friend. We met when he helped with some jerks who wouldn't take no for an answer when I was walking home from work," she explained.

"You work at a strip club as a waiter and... entertainer, correct?" Edge asked.

"Yes. Red helped me a couple time with more... persistent people," Bunette said.

"Could any of those people have been involved in Red's disappearance possibly?" Mutt asked.

"I don't think so. Most of them weren't smart enough or skilled enough to do something like that without being caught. They also probably would have sent a ransom or just killed him," Bunette pointed out. They continued questioning her for a while, getting some information on anyone potentially involved.

"You might have better luck with Bratty and Catty since they worked with Red at the retail place or Beat since he usually stays home and works from home," Bunette said.

"Thank you for your time, we'll be heading over to talk to them," Blue said politely.

The three headed over to knock on door 4 where Beat Blook lived across from room 103.

"Uh, who are you?" The ghost asked as they looked at the three.

"We were the ones assigned the Red Fell case," Blue explained.

"Oh, okay. I guess you have questions?" Beats said.

"Yes, we do," Edge answered.

"Well, come in I guess," Beat said as they led them to a couch and a chair.

"So, what was your relationship with Red?" Edge asked.

"He was a nice guy and my neighbor. Occasionally he would help me with my music. I write songs and occasionally release albums," Beat explained.

"What sort of help did he give?" Mutt asked.

"He helped set up some of my supplies and also played guitar and sang a couple times for me," Beat answered.

"Yeah, he had a guitar in his room. Any changes in his behavior you noticed?" Mutt said.

"Well, he was quieter. He seemed resigned about something but I don't know much. I remember him making a weird comment about finally leaving something behind but he was muttering so I couldn't hear everything he said," Beat said.

"Anything else you can tell us?" Blue asked.

"Well, he was definitely cleaning around when he disappeared, I could hear a vacuum," replied Beat.

"Thank you for your help." Mutt said.

Now, the three knocked on door 104, the home of Bratty and Catty.

"Hello?" Catty opened the door.

"Hi, we want to ask some questions?" Blue said.

They talked to the two but neither had much to say other than Red had been acting off and suddenly quit for seemingly no reason.

"So, we'll talk to Gary tomorrow and see if he has anything to say and try and get into Red's computer?" Blue asked.

"That seems the best course of action," Edge said.

"I'm fine with it," Mutt agreed.

Edge got home and quickly grabbed the cat's food. The two were already following him around and giving him dirty looks since he was home late and Edge wasn't in the mood to get scratched. Edge quickly reheated some lasagna to eat.

Finally, Edge decided to head onto the couch and see if that new drama episode had come out to distract himself from thoughts about his day. The cats came over a plopped themselves on his lap as he watched his show.

Chapter Text

Edge slipped out of his bed, careful not to wake the cats. Creeping to the kitchen, he grabbed a breakfast biscuit and a cup of coffee. He ate and got dressed before quickly opening a can of cat food and darting out the door. He didn't want to deal with the cats begging for treats or pestering him for pets when he had work.

He hopped into his car with his coffee and began the drive to Gary's shop where he, Blue, and Mutt were meeting.

"You ready?" Blue asked as they stood in front of the shop.

"Yes, let's get this over with," Edge said as he pushed open the door.

"Eh? You looking to buy something?" The old turtle at the counter asked.

"No, we're here about Red Fell's disappearance," Blue explained.

"Oh, the kid, yeah, come on back so we can talk," he said and motioned for them to come behind the counter.

They sat in the employee break room, which was a small room with two couches and a small kitchenette.

"So, our first question is how long has Red worked here and when did he quit?" Blue said.

"Kid worked here part time for a year, then worked full time for six years, before he suddenly quit around two weeks ago," Gary said.

"Any reason he might have quit? Or anything that could link to his disappearance?" Mutt asked.

"All I know is he was a good worker. Helped fix things up before we sold 'em. He also helped with any security. He never asked for any more pay than minimum wage and rarely took extra cash unless something like a holiday was coming up," Gary said, "He seemed to be doing the same as always but he's been getting worse over the years. He never was one to talk about it but he was often distracted by something during his break and always sort of gloomy when it came down to it."

"Anything else you could tell us?" Blue asked.

"He was a bit of a weird one. He could put on a happy front but beneath you could tell he wasn't really happy if you knew him long enough. Good with mechanics and fixing things, wasted potential really. Kid should've gone to collage as an engineer or electrician or somethin' but never did. I know he also worked the occasional odd job, usually related to repairs." Gary said.

"Was there anything else that might be helpful to the investigation?" Edge asked.

"He was regretful, I'll tell you that. Never talked about his past much or what was going on in his life but he regretted something. Had a tendency to neglect himself to. I know for a fact there was times I had to tell him he couldn't show up to work smelling like a pigsty. Sometimes he wouldn't have lunch on break either. I know for a fact that sometimes other people would ask but he would always just say he wasn't hungry or ate a large breakfast. Honestly, he wasn't taking care of himself," Gary said.

"Odd, his apartment seemed clean when we saw it," Blue muttered.

"I think he was planning this. Whatever happened, it was something he did himself. Maybe he ran away, maybe he ended it, though I hope he wouldn't, maybe he got involved in something. I don't know what exactly happened, but he chose to do this," Gary said.

"You think he might have... offed himself?" Blue asked.

"Like I said, he was struggling. People tried to help but he wasn't one to let them in. I hope he wouldn't but I can't be sure," said Gary.

"Thank you for your help," Edge said emotionlessly as he stood.

Once they were out of the building, Blue asked, "Edge, are you okay?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him in years Blue and hearing he might have... well, it's a shock," Edge mumbled.

"We didn't find any dust man and if he had done that, we probably would have," Mutt tried to comfort.

"Yeah, yeah," Edge muttered.

"We're going to be talking to the chief about what we've found tomorrow. How about you go rest until then?" Blue suggested.

"I... alright," Edge said.

When Edge arrived home, he just flopped onto the couch. Meowing, Doomfanger jumped up by his head and began prodding him. Beast followed, jumping up and kneading at the back of his shirt.

"Stop it you two," muttered Edge. Doomfanger promptly swatted him.

"Ow, you little sh**," Edge growled as he sat up. The two nuzzled and rubbed against him, meowing concernedly.

"Sorry, I'm just... tired," Edge muttered as he pet the cats. Edge stroked the two, rubbing Beast around his torn ear as he purred. He scratched Doomfanger under the chin.

Edge just lay petting the cat for a few hours before he got up and grabbed dinner. As he finished eating and began washing the dishes, Beast perched on the edge of the sinking and batted at the water.

"Beast, no. I'm washing dishes," Edge said as he nudged the cat away. Beast just meowed before resuming batting at the water.

"Beast, no," Edge said as he scooped up the cat, who meowed unhappily, and set them on the floor.

Eventually, Edge was lying in bed. Doomfanger half lying on his chest. Beast, meanwhile, was content to curl near his feet. Edge pet Doomfanger as he finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

The chief of their police department was a human man who had been doing this for 20 years.

“After looking over the information you’ve gathered, I think we can group this case in with the string of mask related disappearances,” the chief said.

“Which means?” Edge asked.

“This evidence will be handed over to the team handling this. Edge, since the case concerns your brother, we will tell you if there’s any info on him. Other than that, you will return to business as normal and be assigned to other cases and calls,” the chief said.

“I understand sir,” Edge said reluctantly.

“Yes sir,” Mutt and Blue said.

Edge understood that the case was linked to a much bigger case and why the chief was handing it over to the team, but he didn’t like idea of not being involved in the investigation.

Edge spent the rest of the day responding to calls, dealing with a robbery and some car wrecks, before finally heading home.

He had stopped and picked up some food on the way home so he wouldn’t have to cook. Edge sighed as he walked to the table and pulled out the chicken and green beans.

Idly, he picked at his food. Beast jumped up on the table with a meow. At the same time, Doomfanger jumped into Edge’s lap. Edge tore off some small pieces of chicken and fed it to the cats.

Edge finally began relaxing with the cats hanging around. Finishing his dinner, he cleared away the trash and put the dishes in the sink. Edge then went and sat on his couch, flipping on the TV with the cats curling next to him.

The next day, as Edge was heading home from work, he got a call.

“Hey Edge, you know about cats, right?” Blue asked.

“Yes, I have two cats,” Edge answered.

“So, um, could you come over and help me? I… uh… a cat had kittens in our laundry room,” Blue said.

“I’ll head over now,” Edge said, “Don’t touch them.”

After 15 minutes, Edge arrived at Blue’s house with a bag containing a blanket, some cat food, and other stuff he thought might be needed. Knocking on the door, it only took a minute before Blue answered.

“Thank you so much. Honey is out of town so I didn’t know who to talk to,” Blue said.

“How did the cat get in?” Edge asked.

“Someone, *cough* *cough* Honey *cough* *cough* left the laundry room window open,” Blue explained.

“Show me the cat,” Edge said.

Blue led him to the laundry room where the cat and her kittens were curled in a basket of laundry.

“Well, she seems decently friendly and well groomed. No collar, but we should see if she has a microchip,” Edge said as the cat sniffed at his hand.

“So, should I take her to the vet?” Blue asked.

“Maybe wait until the kittens are a bit older. Give it a week or two and the kittens eyes should open. By then, you can hopefully move them. You might want to call a vet just to talk with them though,” Edge advised.

“Thanks. I, uh, don’t have any cat stuff,” Blue said.

“I brought some food a bowls for now. I suggest you grab a litter box or something as well,” Edge said handing over the bag.

“Thank you so much,” Blue said gratefully.

“Don’t mention it. I’m going to head home now,” Edge said.

“Oh, you want some tacos for the road? I made too many forgetting Honey was going to be out of town,” Blue said.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Edge said and Blue gave him a plastic tub with some tacos in it.

Edge headed home. He quickly fed the cats and ate one of the tacos Blue gave him and stored the rest in the fridge.

Chapter Text

It was Edge’s day off. He sighed at he stared at the ceiling. A ping on his phone caught his attention. Reaching over, he opened up his phone.

(B=Blue, E=Edge)

B: Edge, are you going to go to the festival?

E: What?

B: The peace festival? You know, the one to celebrate the 762th anniversary of when the human-monster war ended?

E: Oh, I forgot that was coming up

B: How could you?! It’s the biggest event of the year in this city!!!

E: I know that. I’ve just been distracted since Red disappeared

B: Oh, sorry. Me, Honey, Mutt, and Razz are going to the festival, maybe you can come with us and it’ll get your mind off of it?

E: Maybe.

B: Well, I heard Sans’s hotdog shop will be open again this year and they’re holding a competition to see who can stack the most hotdogs on their head

E: Are Honey and Mutt going to enter again this year? We all know that one of the human kids are gonna win

B: Knowing that they won’t win hasn’t stopped them before

E: They make fools out of themselves every year

B: Yeah, either in the hotdog stack contest or the drinking contest

E: Yeah… I remember Red cheated at that one year and got banned

B: That was a wild year

E: Yeah. How are the cats doing?

B: Good. I need to go pick up some stuff for them. I called the vet and got an appointment to check the momma cat for a microchip

E: Well, I won’t keep you any longer.

B: Text your later

Edge sighed as he set back down the phone. Edge thought back to a festival back when he was a teen.

Red was chatting amiably with Sans who ran the hotdog stand. Edge watched his older brother with a frown. This was the first festival since their father had been arrested earlier that year.

“See ya later Sans,” Red said as he walked away with to hotdogs. Edge was sitting next to Razz, chatting happily with the other skeleton who was 3 years older.

“Heya bratling, got ya a ‘dog,” Red said as he handed his younger brother a hotdog. Edge took it with a scowl, ignoring his brother to talk with Razz.

“Come on bro, the dance show starts soon,” Red told Edge as they began walking to the large plaza near the center of the city where a large dance was held for the festival.

“Quit acting like you’re in charge,” Edge huffed as he walked toward the plaza. Red just sighed as he followed his younger brother.

‘I shouldn’t have acted so harshly with Red,’ Edge thought regretfully. Their father had gotten arrested when Edge was 12. Red had been 21 at the time, nine years older than Edge. Technically, Red was Edge’s older half brother from their father’s one night stand.

Red had ended up with their father, Fell, when his mother died in a car crash when Red was one. Edge meanwhile had been the son of Fell’s wife who died. She was murdered by someone who had been unknown at the time, but it was later revealed to be Fell who had done it, when Edge was 9.

Edge shuddered slightly as he remembered his father, who later died in an attempt to escape prison. He had been taken in by Red and lived with him until he reached 22, and they had their fight.

Edge sighed remembering that their father had been part of the cause of their strained relationship. The number of times he had argued with Red about their father was ridiculous. Edge hadn’t believed about his father killing his mother for a while, but had come to terms with it.

Then, Edge thought back to the festival. The festival had been where Edge had made some of his best and worst memories. He was going this year like always.

‘Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen Red at any of the festivals since our fight,’ Edge thought. It was odd now that he thought of it since Red had always adored the festival more than any other time besides gyftmas.

Edge shook away the thoughts and got up.

‘I need to feed the cats,’ thought Edge as he got up.

Chapter Text

Edge sighed as he stroked Doomfanger who was lying in his lap.

"Beast, don't," Edge said as he looked at the cat who was about to push over a glass of water. The cat and Edge stared at one another a long moment before Beast decided it wasn't worth it and jumped down.

Edge hadn't expected the news of his brother's disappearance to hit this hard. After all, he had gone 6 years without a word to Red. Yet, Edge couldn't help but worry and wonder. A nagging part of him thought his brother was dead and they had never fixed their relationship.

Edge pushed the thought away as he tried to think of something less depressing. Thinking of the festival brought back a landslide of memories.

Winning various games at stalls

Riding the Ferris wheel

Red cheating at a drinking game by watering down the alcohol

Mutt and Honey making fools of themselves at the hotdog competition

Edge chuckled softly at the thought.

'Hmm, I wonder if that Papyrus guy will be at the festival,' Edge wondered as he pulled out his phone.

(P=Papyrus, E=Edge)

E: Papyrus?

P: Hello Edge!

E: Hi. Are you going to the festival?

P: Of course! I love to play the strength test games and puzzles while my brother runs a hotdog stand

E: Huh. Has your brother ever heard of the hotdog contest?

P: Of course, Sans invented it after all

E: Wait, your brother is Sans?

P: Yes, he is.

E: How come I've never seen you at his stall?

P: I help him set up but don't usually hang around while he's in business. Too close to the greasy food stalls for my liking.

E: Well, I'm not a fan of the grease places either. I just go to watch some acquaintances make fools of themselves in the competition.

P: Is it those Mutt and Honey guys? Sans has mentioned how they keep competing and losing by a embarrassing amount

E: Yes. They don't give up. They say it's a tradition at this point.

P: Of course. Well, maybe we could meet and talk?

E: Yes, I was hoping to talk more.

P: I'll probably be in the puzzle and games section

E: Ah, I have you tried the agility course?

P: Yes, though at this point I think a few are rigged considering no one ever seems to get through unless they're lucky.

E: I know what you mean. I watched a friend get through one once and never succeed again.

P: I know! Obviously they're rigged.

E: Almost positive they are.

P: Well, I have to go pick up my lazy brother. I swear I can feel he fell asleep at work again.

E: Well, see you at the festival.

P: Hope to see you!

Edge set down the phone with a smile. Papyrus's enthusiasm and energy was contagious even over text. Beast caught hi attention by pawing at his leg with a meow.

"What do you want?" Edge asked and Beast brought over a toy. The toy was a fish on a string that he would wave around so they would chase it. Taking the toy, Edge began waving it back and forth. Soon, Beast and Doomfanger were eagerly chasing the fish back and forth.

After several minutes, a phone call interrupted the game.

"Edge, we need you to come downtown. We're dealing with a bad crash resulting from a drunk driver and need some extra help," the dispatcher told him over the phone.

"I'll be right there," Edge said as he quickly grabbed his police vest and made his way out the door.

Chapter Text

With the apartment empty of Edge, the two cats were alone and free to play. Beast lounged in a sunlit area near the window. Meanwhile, Doomfanger stole the couch for a nap.

After a few hours of sleeping, they began wrestling with each other. Then, they knocked over a couple of non breakable objects.

Boredly looking around, Beast hopped up onto the window sill. Doomfanger followed close behind. The two pawed at the latch a moment before nudging the window open and leaping down.

They walked across the grass out to the sidewalk which they followed out of the neighborhood. After several minutes, they arrived at an alleyway behind the Chinese place.

Beast meowed and received several meows in return. A large black cat with one eye, a grey and black tabby with near pitch black eyes, a dirty white long haired cat missing an ear and eye, a gray cat with short fur, a small cat with black and white patches, and a oddly colored calico with a black body and peach and tan spots walked from the shadows.

The large black cat walked over to Beast and began inspecting him before licking his ear. Beast gave a noise of protest but didn't try to move as the black cat began grooming him and fussing over him. After the black cat was satisfied with Beast's cleanliness, they went to greet Doomfanger with a simpler nod.

Beast walked over to the other 5 smaller cats. The tabby quickly pounced on Beast and the two engaged in a playful wrestling match. When it was getting rough, the long haired cat intervened. Beast purred as he nuzzled the long hair. Then, he walked over to greet the gray cat.

Then he playfully batted at the oddly colored calico who gave an annoyed hiss. Then he greeted the black and white cat with a lick on the ear. The small cat batted Beast's nose in response to his actions.

The group continued to hang out. Doomfanger and the black watching from a perch on one of the dumpster and only interfering if they got too rough. Beast and the other five cats playfully pouncing on and batting at each other. After a while, Beast and Doomfanger headed to leave. Beast made a motion to follow but the others didn't, making him look disappointed as he and Doomfanger walked back to the house.

They hopped back through the window, knocking it shut behind them. The two cats walked over to the couch and curled next to each other until Edge came home.

Chapter Text

Edge pulled on the black jacket with red embroidery. Most people wore clothes decorated with various colorful patterns, designs, and embroidery for the festival. Edge had owned this same jacket for four years now as it showed up on his door as an anonymous birthday gift. It was embroidered with cats, fire, and several other small things in red string. The quality was amazing and it seemed hand sewn, so Edge had worn it to every festival since getting it.

Edge said goodbye to his cats as he slipped out the door. He climbed into his car and drove over to where the main part of the festival was happening.

"Edge!" Blue waved him over.

"Hello Blue. How are the cats you found doing?" Edge asked.

"Good. I got them in to the vet. The mom does have a microchip and we contacted her owner. He came over and picked up her and the kittens," Blue explained.

"Really?" Edge said.

"Yes. Turns out he and his brother were looking for her. They actually live in town. Their names are Cupid(Underlust Sans) and Pink (Underlust Papyrus)," Blue explained.

"I believe I have met them. I know Pink has volunteered at the shelter where I first got Doomfanger. Cupid was involved in a case a couple years ago," Edge said.

"Yeah, I remember that. It seems Cupid is doing better now. He mentioned he got therapy when I saw him," Blue said.

"Good to hear. Are they here tonight?" Edge asked.

"Yeah, Pink and Cupid are helping over at the animal shelter's booth to raise money," Blue answered.

"We should stop by and see them," Edge said.

"Hmm, fancy seeing you Edge," Razz said as he walked over.

"Razz, are your brother and Honey already making fools of themselves?" Edge asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. They've been balancing random stuff on their heads for weeks as practice," Razz sighed.

Edge also sighed, "What went wrong with them?"

"Who knows," Razz muttered.

"Come on you two, they aren't that bad," Blue interjected.

"Blue, Honey tried to lick stuff first to make it stick on his head. He also put glue on his head one time, remember?" Razz pointed out.

"There was also the time those two graffiti their own cars," Edge reminded.

"...maybe you have a point," Blue said as he looked over at the two. Honey and Mutt were currently sipping on some cider they had gotten from a stall and talking wildly.

"Idiots," Edge and Razz said at the same time as they watched Honey fall back laughing from something Mutt said.

"Let's head over before they get hurt," Blue said.

Edge sat with Blue and Razz as they watched their brothers enter the contest. Mutt and Honey stood with several other monsters and a few human kids. Sans began stacking hotdogs on the contestants's heads. The first to lose was a dog monster. Soon, Mutt and Honey fell out of the competition at the same time.

Eventually, there was a tie. Frisk, reigning champion, and Twirl(Dancetale Frisk) were the last two standing with 53 hotdogs on each of their heads. Frisk lost at 62 hotdogs and Twirl took the title from Frisk who had won the past 4 years.

"'Kay, shake hands and let's eat some 'dogs," Sans said. Twirl was given a free hot cat as their prize and everyone who participated got a hotdog.

Edge chuckled as he walked with Razz, Blue, Honey, and Mutt.

"I told you two you weren't going to win," Razz said.

"C'mon, it's fun. You should try it one year," Mutt said.

"I tried it once and was left with grease all over my skull," Razz glared at Mutt who just chuckled.

"Where we heading now?" Honey asked.

"We're going to see Pink and Cupid over at the animal shelter's booth and then head over to the puzzles and games," Blue explained.

"Then, we're going to check out any rides they have and go on the Ferris wheel," Razz added.

"Sounds good," Honey said.

"Hi guys," Cupid said.

"Hello Cupid, good to see you again," Edge greeted.

"Here to look at the animals?" Cupid said, motioning to the various pens where people could meet cats and dogs.

"I already have two cats Cupid, I don't need anymore," Edge said.

"The rest of us will look though," Blue said.

"I'll show you four around then," Pink said and began showing Razz, Mutt, Blue, and Honey around.

"I thought you only had one cat?" Cupid said as they watched the others go look around.

"I had one. I only got Beast to stick around recently since he's a stray," Edge explained.

"Huh. Well, I'm sure they love living with you," Cupid said.

"I hope so," Edge said. He sighed quietly as he sit down.

"What's wrong?" Cupid asked.

"I just have a lot on my mind," Edge said.

"Like what? Did something happen?" Cupid asked.

"My brother disappeared," Edge said after a moment.

"You mean the one you had the fight with?" Cupid asked.

"The very same," muttered Edge, "How did you hear about it? We don't talk a lot."

"Dance told me. He used to be Red's rival for a long time but after the fight Red apparently disappeared and Dance hasn't really seen him since," Cupid explained.

"I remember those two arguing over who knows what," Edge said rolling his eyes as he remembered the two's antics, "They would never admit they were actually friends."

"Yeah," Cupid laughed. The two sat and talked, mostly about cats as the others looked at the various animals.

When they were finally preparing to leave, Edge slipped a 20$ bill into the donations jar.

"Hopefully I'll talk to you soon," Edge said as he left.

Edge was walking around the puzzle and game area. Blue was winning a whack a mole game for the 5th time. Blue knew how to swing a hammer with scary ease and usually won various whack a mole and strength test games.

Razz meanwhile was playing ring toss to try and win a pair of embroidered gloves. Honey and Mutt were playing a giant jigsaw puzzle game.

"Papyrus?" Edge said as he noticed the tall skeleton.

"Edge! Tango, this is who I was telling you about," Papyrus said as he waved over another skeleton.

"Hello," Edge said.

"Greetings," said the new skeleton.

"Edge this is Tango, Tango this is Edge," Papyrus introduced them.

"As he said, I'm Edge, I'm a member of the police force," Edge said.

"I'm Tango, I work at the dance studio," Tango said.

"Well, want to try and go through the obstacle courses?" Papyrus asked.

"Let me grab someone real quick, then we can," Edge said as he walked over to Razz and Blue.

The five of them competed to see who could finish the courses fastest or who could make it farthest. Eventually, the five sat together at a picnic table, tired but happy after having run every single obstacle course.

"I made it the farthest on the rigged one," Tango said.

"Well I got the fastest on three of them," Edge said.

"Hey, Bro, I grabbed us some churros," Dance walked over to where they were sitting.

"Dance?" Edge said, recognizing the other skeleton.

"Edge? Geez, I haven't seen you in years. How's Red doing?" Dance asked. Edge looked down at his hand at the mention of Red.

"Red disappeared and was declared missing two months ago," Edge said quietly.

"Oh, um, s-sorry," Dance said awkwardly.

"You didn't know," Edge muttered.

"Well, bro, want to head over to the rides now?" Dance asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, do you guys want to join us?" Tango asked.

"I need to grab Sans first," Papyrus said.

"Me, Razz, and Edge can come, we just need to grab Honey and Mutt first," Blue said.

"We'll see you there then," Tango said as he and Dance walked off.

Edge walked with the others through the area filled with various rides. There was a carousel, a stick to the wall ride, several swings, haunted houses, mirror mazes, and the Ferris wheel.

"Honey, let's go check out the mirror maze," Blue said dragging Honey towards the attraction.

"Razz, can we go on the stick to the wall ride?" Mutt asked.

"I suppose," Razz said.

"Yes! I want to see if I can stand on a wall this year," Mutt said.

"Mutt, that never works," Razz said. Mutt didn't listen and made a break for the ride. Razz followed with a sigh.

Edge began walking around. Then, a bright blue with gold embroidery outfit caught his eye.

"Dream?"

Chapter Text

“Dream?” Edge said.

“Edge? I haven’t seen you in years, how are you?” Dream had been an assistant teacher at Edge’s high school until one year he didn’t show up again.

“I’ve been good. I thought you’d moved away,” Edge said.

“I did for a while, but I missed this place,” Dream said.

“Why did you move?” Edge asked.

“I… my brother disappeared and I acted impulsively,” Dream explained.

“…my brother disappeared as well,” Edge said.

“Sorry to hear that. Hopefully he’ll be found,” Dream said.

“Did they ever find your brother?” Edge asked.

“No, the only thing they found was a mask that looked like his face,” Dream said sadly.

“A mask that looked like my brother’s face was found as well… Dream, what was your relationship with your brother like?” Edge questioned.

“We had gotten into a big fight and hadn’t talked in months when he disappeared. It just… hurt so much, knowing I would likely never be able to repair my relationship with him,” Dream said.

“Odd, our stories are so similar,” Edge muttered.

“Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I agreed to volunteer at the animal shelter booth,” Dream said.

“Don’t let me keep you then,” Edge said.

“Bye, I hope your brother gets found,” Dream said as he left.

Edge thought over the similarities in their stories as he went on a couple rides.

As he stared up at the moon from the Ferris wheel, he wondered if all these people who had gone miss were still alive.

Chapter Text

Edge was wandering around the stalls of the market portion of the festival.

'Hmm... I believe the stall selling those good pans should be around here,' Edge thought. He had heard from Blue that there was good quality cooking supplies around. He wanted to get some since he always had trouble finding good quality pans at the normal store.

Looking around, he saw a variety of stalls. Some sold candles or carvings, others sold 3D printed items and homemade crafts, while others sold shirts, jewelry, and other merchandise.

Then, a stall caught his eye. It was a small cart with several cat masks hanging off some hangers. A grey cat monster was running it.

The cart was a bit off the main area. The cat monster's tail slowly swayed back and forth as they one paw opened and closed.

He noted a human woman walking over to the cart. The cat monster's tail slowly offered the woman a calico cat mask with folded ears. Edge was watching as she was about to put it on when a loud noise caught his attention making him turn. He saw that a stall selling pottery had been bumped into and several bowls had broken.

After making sure everyone was okay, he turned back towards the cart, only to find it gone. Edge felt chills, but he didn't know what from.

As he finally found the stall selling the good pans, he thought it over. The masks had almost resembled the one he found when searching Red's house, except they were cat masks, not masks of people.

Unable to shake the thoughts of the cart selling the masks, he wandered the area to see if he could find it again. He caught a glimpse of the cart 3 more times, but it always seemed to disappear in a matter of moments.

"Edge!!" Blue called as he ran over.

"Blue," Edge greete.

"Did you find that stall with the pans?" Blue asked.

"Oh, yeah. You were right about them selling the good quality stuff," Edge said.

"Were yout looking for something?" asked Blue.

"Yes. Have you seen a cart being run by a grey furred cat monster selling cat masks?" Edge said.

"Um, no. I don't think so. Maybe one of the others have?" Blue answered, "We're going to watch the firework show, do you want to join?"

"Alright," Edge said.

Edge, Blue, Honey, Razz, Mutt, Cupid, and Pink met up on the roof of a building. Several buildings gave people access to the roofs for the fireworks show.

“Hey, have any of you seen a cart selling cat masks run by a cat monster?” Edge asked.

“Actually, I did. Few years ago, maybe 4 years ago now? Eh, I don’t remember. Some cat monster approached me at one of these festivals and offered to sell me a mask. I didn’t buy any since they had this weird vibe and said something about trial period before I paid for the mask. Honestly, it was pretty creepy,” Mutt said.

“I think I saw them too. At the festival maybe 6 years ago, they tried to sell me a mask. I don’t remember the details, but I think you could take the mask for some amount of time to decide whether or not you like it. Then, you would pay. I asked about people stealing the masks but they said that either way the payment would be collected. Yeah, definitely really creepy. I left without looking any further,” Cupid said.

“Did you notice how similar they were to the mask we found at Red’s place? They looked to be a similar material and had similar craftsmanship.” Edge pointed out.

“Edge, are you sure?” Blue said, looking at Edge concerned.

“Actually, from what I remember, the cat masks did resemble the one we found in Red’s room,” said Mutt.

“Maybe it could be connected. Cupid mentioned them always getting their payment, maybe this payment has something to do with the missing people,” Edge said.

“Well, I guess we could bring it up with the chief and interview some people,” said Blue.

“Hey, the fireworks are starting,” Honey said.

Chapter Text

"Dream? Hello?" Edge asked when the phone was answered.

"Edge?" Dream asked.

"Hey, Dream, I was wandering if we could meet up and I could ask you some questions," Edge explained.

"Alright Edge," Dream said, getting the feeling Edge needed this, "We can meet at the Fluffy Cafe."

"That's the cat cafe on the east side of the city, right?" Edge asked.

"That's the one," Dream answered.

"When should we meet?" Edge asked.

"I'm free today, what about you?" Dream asked.

"I only have the morning shift, so can we meet around 3?" Edge questioned.

"Sure thing," Dream said, "See you then."

Edge stood and stretched after hanging up the phone. His break was over and it was time to get back to work.

Beast wandered the streets, ears flickering at the various sounds. A grey tabby with dark blue eyes leapt down from a wall. Beast calmly approached the other cats, the two circling each other for a moment. Beast gave the tabby a playful swat and before jumping away. The two playfully chased one another, swatting lightly and wrestling.

The two darted through the alleys, chasing each other happily. The two leapt up onto a fire escape, climbing up to the roof and perching near the edge.

'He misses you," the tabby told Beast.

"I know," he said, "but it's better this way. Everyone will be happier in the long run."

"Maybe," hummed the tabby, "but I'm not sure." The two sat together for a long moment.

"Maybe I should stay like this, like you," the tabby said as the gazed up at the sky.

"Don't," Beast said tiredly, "There are people who care for you. People that need you."

"There are people that care for you too," the tabby told him.

Beast just gave him a long tired stare before finally mumbling, "Maybe, but it doesn't always feel that way."

"Don't I know it," the tabby gave a sad chuckle. The two sat in silence, staring out across the city.

A bell chimed as Edge pushed open the door of the cafe. He could see several cats lounging around the area.

"Hello sir, table for how many?" A skeleton in a pale sweater and apron asked.

"I'm looking for a friend," Edge began.

"Edge, glad you made it," Dream walked up, and told the other, "He's with me."

The two sat at a table by the window, a calico with folded ears curled on the table.

"So," Dream began, sipping his coffee, "You want to know about my brother, don't you?"

"I- yes," Edge admitted, "I hope it's not too much of an issue."

"It's alright. It's been years," Dream said, "My brother was going to college to get his degree when it happened. It started with a fight, I had thought he was being distant and didn't approve of what I was doing with my life. I had wanted to be an actor at the time. One day, our usual small arguments escalated. He said I was friends with the people who had bullied and harassed him. I hadn't known but I think he thought I did."

"Erm, excuse me, would you like to get anything?" The skeleton who worked at the cafe had approached.

"Ah, can I get an Americano?" Edge said.

"Anything else?" He asked.

"I'm good," Edge said. After the other skeleton left, he turned back towards Dream.

"Where was I?" Dream muttered before saying, "Right. Our fight escalated and he stormed out of the house. Funnily enough, our fight was on the day of the festival, when we usually had the best time and spent the whole day together. I thought I would see him again the next day but... he didn't come home that night or the night after. A week passed and he didn't even come to get his most important possessions. I called the police to report him missing after calling his few friends and teachers and learning that none had seen him."

Dream stopped a moment to take a deep breath and sip of coffee before continuing, "After a few months, I was giving up hope. I saw reminders everywhere, so one day, I threw most of my stuff into a storage unit and moved across the country. Years have passed and my brother's disappearance became a cold case. I finally decided to move back here around a year ago after I lost my job in the city where I had moved."

"Here's your coffee," the worker set down Edge's Americano.

"Thank you," Edge said before turning back to Dream, "I'm sorry to hear that they never found him. How has it been since you moved back?"

"It's been nice. I've reconnected with some old friends and been feeding some stray cats," Dream said.

“I’ve actually adopted a stray I was feeding recently,” Edge told him.

“Really? Want to swap pictures?” Dream asked.

“Alright,” Edge said. The two pulled out their phones. Edge showed pictures of Beast and Doomfanger. Dream showed Edge pictures of a large black cat with one eye and five smaller cats.

“It’s funny, you know? The big cat, I call him Dark, reminds me of my brother,” Dream explained, “They both love books, don’t like bright light or water, and have a tendency to get followed around by weird people.”

“Honestly, Beast does share some similarities with Red. Both like naps and I think I saw Beast try and eat mustard just like Red did,” Edge laughed slightly, but the thought seemed to bounce in his head. The two talked a while longer before paying and heading home.

Edge stared into Beast’s eyes for a long moment.

“You know, I never realized your red eye is the same shade as Red’s eye,” Edge mumbled before putting Beast back down. Edge sighed before walking over to the kitchen and grabbed a can of the cat’s food.