Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In order to remind yourself how you got yourself into certain situations these days, you had to start all the way from the beginning.

For argument's sake, you weren't a normal person.

Thinking of your past was taboo for you, first off. While not exactly a normal thing, it didn't really separate you from the masses either. Which was good, because you preferred to remain inconspicuous when it came to your personal life. Nobody would ever know anything if you had anything to do with it.

Second, despite the aforementioned past, people would describe you as bright and cheerful. You kept up a smile to even the grumpiest and rudest of people, and your immediate reaction to someone in need was to give them anything they needed to help out.

You weren't naive, though, as many people would have guessed. You just believed everyone deserved a second chance.

But not even Satan and his undead army would take you on if your friends were threatened.

You were quite happy to say people also thought you were a walking contradiction.

Getting off track.

The city you took shelter in was quite close to a mountain known as Mt. Ebott. It had quite the ominous reputation, as it was said that anyone who traveled there never returned.

Well, about two years ago, the world had received the shock of its life.

Monsters, magical beings that could live many, many years, had been trapped under Mount Ebott for millennia and were finally freed when the barrier keeping them all there was destroyed.

By an eight-year-old child (now ten) named Frisk who had fallen down and befriended them all.

And then a year or so later, another surprise had presented itself.

With monsters out in public, humans with the ability to control magic, called mages, came out into the open as well.

Now the second thing, in particular, had an effect on you. Why?

You were a mage.

You didn't hold anything truly special, in your opinion, because your magic at the time being had only manifested with your empathetic ways and your hobbies. There were even fewer mages than there were monsters.

Now you didn't particularly care about being out in the open, other than the initial irritation of something personal to you just being outed without being asked about it; Although that couldn't particularly happen since you had no ties to any clan or guild of any kind. What you HAD cared about was that other beings could see your soul, which was the well-spring of any magic in a being. Souls were a thing that was hammered into a mage because as soon as magic began manifesting, another mature mage nearby would notice and ship you off to a school in order to be able to control it. You had already a mask of sorts to keep over your soul, but now you had to really work hard in order to build up a barrier around the culmination of your being to keep it safe from lookie-loos.

But with the bad history between mages and monsters, there was tension between the two groups. There were some ties here and there, and relations were definitely on the mend, but generally mages and monsters stuck to their own.

Not to mention the humans without magical manifestations began to feel outnumbered and some were rather hostile about it.

You truly didn't care. You were all living beings with feelings and stories and most of you had friends and family, so why the hell did the differences matter?

Digressing again.

With the information of you being one of the mages out in public, all of the friends your age and race disappeared, saying you had tricked them into liking you, and that you were just a filthy manipulator.

That wasn't exactly your fault because despite not having any ties to any magical guild as there was an unsaid law in the magic community to keep it an absolute secret; those who broke this law would suddenly disappear, before the lead mages in power had decided to bring out the magical ones. But you moved forward, throwing yourself into your college studies and clubs in order to fill and ignore the void that came from their rejection.

Then, as fate would have it, you had been out for a walk during one of your sleepless nights when you caught sight of three young looking thugs accosting a large genuinely confused-looking skeleton monster that wore a white and red armor of sorts.

As was usual for you, you immediately jumped in and defended said monster.

Every type of magic had its positive and negative side. Your type of magic, which could be summed up in one word, made you an illusionist, the only one alive as far as you knew. Being able to read people's emotions also enabled your magic to play off your opponent's biggest fears. It was NOT your favorite thing to do, but it was necessary to use as you noticed said thugs had knives and looked quite ready to use them on such a kind looking person.

Racist bastards...

Once they ran away screaming like little girls, you had quickly pulled back your magic and turned back to the magical being with your cheerful grin, asking if they were okay.

You immediately decided you liked the monster as he had enthusiastically thanked you in a loud boisterous voice, giving you a bone-crushing hug (heh, get it?), saying how the 'GREAT PAPYRUS' was ever so happy to meet such a kind human. He was a culinary student who coincidentally went to the same college you did and had a late class he was just leaving from when those 'threatening humans' had cornered him. Walking him to his rather nice and expensive looking red sports car, you had exchanged numbers before watching him drive away and then skipping home, happy you made a new friend.

And that's how it all started.

Your new friend Papyrus introduced you into his personal circle, absolutely adamant in thinking they would adore you as much as he did. The first friend you met was a cute and shy yellow dinosaur monster named Alphys, who worked at the University you both went to as a scientist studying the importance of souls. Papyrus had texted you, asking if you wanted to have lunch with the two of them, and you had readily agreed. The poor girl had a stutter and was very wary of new people, but as soon as you mentioned you liked anime, that nervousness was kicked to the curb as the three of you gushed over what genres you liked the most. Lunches with them soon became a regular thing.

And when you noticed they weren't being treated equally by other people on campus, you vehemently stood up for them, going above and beyond by organizing a rally in the honor of them and every other monster trying to work hard to help their families attempt to thrive.

That, in particular, gained you a lot of attention by mages, civil rights activists, and racists alike.

But most importantly, by the people who cared the most about Papyrus and Alphys.

One day, your two very good friends told you that two people were going to join the three of you for lunch, and you had been delighted to hear it was Papyrus' brother and Alphys' girlfriend. Apparently, they wanted to thank you for caring and fussing so much over their loved ones.

The meeting had certainly been an interesting one.

Undyne was a tall, intimidating looking fish monster, complete with beautiful blue scaly skin, long scarlet hair, fins for ears, and a single eye, as her left one was covered by a black eye patch. She was athletically skinny, with easy to see muscles making subtle curves in her form. Her sense of fashion was a black muscle tee and tight fitting yet stretchy pants with red boots completing the look. As soon as Alphys had spotted her walking into the cafeteria with a much shorter skeleton monster by her side, she had squealed loudly and jumped to run and go give her girlfriend an amorous hello.

You watched bemusedly as Undyne had picked her up without any semblance of effort and kissed her on the mouth before placing her down and be led to their table with the short skeleton monster shuffling behind them.

As soon as Undyne had seen you, she had immediately picked you up and crushed you to herself in a hug that made any air in your lungs quickly leave as she spun you around, thanking you profusely in a raspy yet friendly voice for being so good to the love of her life and dorky best friend. After being able to regain your bearings, you had simply said you cared about them very much yourself when the skeleton you hadn't yet met walked up to your side.

Sans (were all skeleton monsters that existed named after fonts?) reached about your chin since you were about 5' 9", wore a blue hoodie unzipped over a white t-shirt and black jogging shorts which completely clashed with the pink slippers slipped on over white socks. His skull was much rounder than his brother's and not as long; in fact, it wasn't as anatomically similar to a human skull as Papyrus was. The fact that he had a perpetual grin with completely straight teeth and much larger and darker eye sockets that had pinpricks of white light acting as irises didn't help much either.

"hey there. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. pap's brother." He spoke in a deep, lazy baritone which he didn't have to open his mouth to be heard clearly, yet was very pleasing to the ears as he held out his left hand to shake. Spotting something strange, you grinned brightly in return.

"I'm Y/n. Y/n the human!" You chirped back brightly as you pressed your hand against his and gave it a firm shake before sitting back down as innocently as you could.

The four monsters, however, were all staring at Sans' hand in astonishment.

"Something wrong?" You asked in your most angelic sounding voice, making them all turn to gape at you as your grin became a shit-eating one. Winking at an appalled Sans, you snickered to yourself.

"Nice whoopee cushion in the hand idea. But you can't prank a prankster."

It was silent for a split-second before Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus burst out laughing, making Sans snap out of it and return your grin with a lazy one of his own.

"tibia honest kid, i didn't think you would notice." Papyrus' and Undyne's laughter cut off with a loud groan as Alphys laughed even harder, and your (e/c) eyes widened in response.

That was a pun.

Oh, it was on.

"I'd be telling a fibula if I said I didn't have maaagic to help me." You shot back as you wiggled your fingers teasingly, barking with laughter and simultaneously confirming you were a mage as Papyrus gave an irate shriek and Undyne performed a lovely facepalm, holding up a wheezing Alphys.

Sans, on the other hand, was ecstatic, if the brightening of his white eye lights and his broad grin was anything to go by.

"i think we'll be getting along just fine bud."

Two more instant friends.

A month after gaining said friends, tragedy struck you personally.

Upon coming home from class, you had been hit with the horrifying sight of your house lit ablaze.

Calling 911 first with a call to Papyrus right after, you had kicked your door down with ease (courtesy of martial arts lessons) and ran inside to save the two kittens you had been taking care of before bolting back out, coughing for air.

Everything that you had worked for all by yourself... Gone. Just like that.

Your four extremely worried friends had rushed over to find you a bawling mess at the back of an ambulance, cradling two petrified kittens to your chest as firefighters battled the fire that had already charred most of your home. You were pretty sure even the top level barrier that you kept up diligently around your soul went down for a bit in your distress, because your friends' eyes would unfocus from time to time when they spoke to you (probably your magic reacting wildly from your emotions), and Sans would glance at you weirdly when he thought you weren't looking.

By the time you were able to get any semblance of order with your emotions, the fire was out and you eyed the black splintered ruins of your home in an uncharacteristically subdued manner. But when a firefighter, who to his credit didn't even double-take at your monster friends, walked over with the chief of police to show you the remnants of a makeshift firebomb that had been thrown through a window you had stupidly left cracked open, the despair had gone up in flames (pun intended) as you became incensed with fury.

It only grew when they pointed out a chilling message that had been spray-painted onto the side of the house that the fire had not reached.

Monster Loving Freak.

What had happened wasn't an accident.

It was a hate crime.

You cracked that barrier down over your soul again, knowing that if you hadn't restrained your magic in such a way, everyone within a mile radius of you would have seen some very dark things.

For Undyne, and strangely enough Sans, saying they were pissed would have been an understatement; Undyne needed to completely destroy an old tree in your yard with her sharp teal spears in order to calm down a bit, and the air around Sans began crackling with static as his sockets became a void like black before a bright blue and yellow light flared in his left eye.

Alphys, despite shaking nervously at the sight of your magic flaring furiously around you, loyally helped a distraught Papyrus in calming you and your two baby kittens down.

When your temper and magic had cooled to somewhat manageable levels with only tiny flare-ups now and then, the authorities had cautiously approached again and asked if you had any relatives you could stay with. Seeing you hesitate before shaking your head no, all four monsters surrounding you jumped at the chance to take you back to the gated community they lived in with all the other monsters.

You wanted to decline the offer, because you didn't want to be a charity case (monsters came out of Ebott with a whole lot of gold that made every single one of them fucking rich on the surface), but knowing they weren't going to give up, you conceded, letting Sans take your car and Papyrus drive you there as he insisted you were still too shaken up to drive yourself.

Letting your kittens burrow into your hoodie pocket to sleep as you two sat in tense silence, you had a single thought left as you began drifting off.

How do I get myself into these situations...?

Chapter Text

"Mmf..."

You shifted out of an entirely dark... sleep, feeling completely dazed. It took a moment for you to realize your magic had probably protected your mind of its own accord from any nightmares the day before would have caused.

The day before...

You kept your eyes shut tightly because if you opened them now, it meant you would have to face the day and you weren't at all ready yet.

'Maybe that WAS the nightmare... Maybe I let my guard down against my emotions and they overtook me...'

But when has luck ever really been on your side in the grand scheme of things? Wishful thinking never really worked for you in situations like these.

You first twitched your fingers, and let them slowly smooth over what it was you were laying on.

Cloth. And what you were laying on was cushiony.

A bed. You were in a bed.

But... these weren't your sheets.

A soft mewl made your ear twitch slightly, and you could feel two warm furry little bodies brushing up and tickling your face, a paw swatting your nose gently soon after.

'Mother, the time to awaken has come.' A familiar authoritative feminine voice spoke within your mind, a peppy male voice following soon after. 'Yes, mother! It's time to get up! You have slept for many hours and your friends are waiting for you!'

Well, if your kittens weren't freaking out about where you were...

Instincts warred with anxiety and came out on top, eyes fluttering open to gaze dully at the ceiling.

A ceiling that was not familiar.

"Fucking shit..." You cursed under your breath, moving to run a tense hand through your hair, which was completely revolting against your desires to stay untangled after who KNOWS how long you've been asleep without wrapping it up.

So it happened...

It really, really happened.

.....

"What do I do now...?" With nothing from your past that was any sort of suitable to go back to...

The despair came back to mingle with the intense anger you felt threatening to knock down the shield around your soul. All you could think of was the charred skeletal remains of your home. It had been four years since you first bought it... You had saved up your own money to buy a modest little home and furnish it yourself...

How do you start all over from something like that...?

'Calm yourself, Mother. The fluctuations of your magic will alert the other magical beings within this whole community if you are not careful.' Glancing over by the side of your head where you could feel a tiny dip in the mattress, two kittens sat there, staring at you boldly.

Selene was the quiet and mature female kitten and had short white fur that had a moon-like sheen to it, sporting a black dot on her head and bright blue eyes. Apollo was a cheerful little male short-hair with an oreo colored coat and golden eyes that shone like the sun. They were not litter mates, but they were rather close since you had rescued them off the street as five-week olds.

Magic was a very old thing. It was fickle, not something to be controlled but rather something that had to be reconciled with to attempt a balance in a mage's life. Magic was also something a bit more basic in nature; it was run on instinct and more feral urges, which was why animals were more receptive to it, and those with magic had to practice with it from a young age to not let it be so complacent with their emotions.

Because of this basic nature, those with magic could understand the language of animals if they so wished.

"Selene, Apollo..." You greeted quietly, using effort to sit up slowly, and giving a soft groan. "Are you okay...?"

'Still a little sleepy from all that smoke mother, but we are doing considerably well!' Apollo bounced around you in a circle before hopping into your lap with a delighted twitch of his little pink nose.

'But that is a question more suited for you, is it not?' Selene continued, not moving from where she sat and daintily licking a paw before smoothing it over one of her snow-white ears. 'You jumped into a flaming house to save us after all.' There was an irritated tone that stemmed from affection in that little mental voice, and you couldn't help but wince at it.

"You're both Mama's babies... I couldn't just leave you in there to die. What would I do without you?"

Deep silence was the only answer you received before she got up and trotted over in an elegant manner, brushing her head against your hand. Taking that as a silent apology as well as forgiveness, you lovingly scratched behind her ear before gazing around at the room you had been residing in.

This seemed to be a... child's room.

'We were placed into the head healer's house, while you slept. She is a friend of your monster friends that you have not met yet. Quite kind; Cares for a human child. This is that kitten's room.' Selene explained quietly as you looked around to calm your wariness.

"Ah..."

'Papyrus said to tell you to come downstairs once you woke up!' Apollo cajoled as he climbed his way up your sweater, moving to perch upon your shoulder. 'C'mon mother, they're waiting for you!"

"Alright kit, alright, I'm getting up..." Sighing softly as you denied to let yourself be sad in front of your friends, you held the looming depression at bay and moved to pick up Selene, letting her hitch a ride in your hoodie pocket as you got up slowly. Stabilizing yourself, you shuffled to the door and after taking a deep breath, let the sadness ease from your lungs and placed a small congenial smile on your face before leaving the room.

The house (if you could call it that, it was practically a mansion!) was quiet, though downstairs you could hear the sound of tired, muffled voices being slowly carried through the air. Knowing your sense of direction sucked majorly, you instead ambled towards the top of the staircase and took a deep breath before calling out, letting your voice ring clear in your uncertainty.

"U-Uh... Hello?" Cringing slightly as you heard the voices immediately went silent from your wary call, your eyes widened as two familiar shouts quickly broke the quiet, involuntarily stepping back as you heard pounding footsteps follow that.

'Abandon ship! She's a goner!' Apollo cried as he jumped off your shoulder and ditched you, Selene following quietly after him down the long staircase, knowing exactly what was coming when two figures slid through an open doorway. They looked around wildly until they spotted you and immediately began to try to beat the other in getting to you first.

"HUMAN!!"

"NGAAAAAH! YOU HAD US SO WORRIED PUNK!"

It would have almost been amusing to see the scramble of who would come out on top if you weren't so sure about the death knolls of some bell upon seeing Papyrus trying to wrestle Undyne down in order to be the first to give you a death hug. However, Undyne wasn't the formal Captain of the Guard for nothing and was able to fling him off before lunging for you, making you squeal in protest as her muscular arms lifted you half a foot off the floor and crushed you to herself.

"Gckk-!!" You struggled for air as panicked fish noises filled your ears, the hug getting infinitely worse when Papyrus decided he wasn't going to get screwed out of his turn and began to hug you so you were sandwiched between two worried/relieved monsters.

'FML...!'

"U-Undyne, P-Paps, I-I-I think s-she needs her s-s-space..." You could hear Alphys titter nervously from the side, and you wanted to cry out for mercy, but alas...

"heh, quite a bone-crushing hug you're giving there." Your two pals groaned at the pun, consequently letting their hugging loosen a bit and letting you breathe in sweet precious air.

"Erck... Not that the love-ngh... isn't enjoyable, but... Could you possibly get them off me? N-No rush or anything, it just... feels like my already irritated lungs are collapsing...!" You wheezed out, a rough coughing fit starting up not a second later and causing a frightened pair of friends to let you go.

Unfortunately, this meant your face having a delightful meeting with one of the linoleum steps. "Ow."

"Oops!"

"U-Undyne!

"MY APOLOGIES HUMAN!"

"nice faceplant there." You groaned in pain, yet lifted a hand to give a single wave.

"No worries... My face and the floor have an on and off relationship, they're just getting reacquainted..."

'Humans are rather dramatic creatures.' You huffed sharply at Selene's gentle jab, not even caring at this point when Papyrus yanked you back up by your waist and hefted you into his arms with laughably minimal effort.

"WE ARE GLAD YOU HAVE AWOKEN! WE WERE VERY WORRIED!"

"And why exactly is that...?" You glanced at a nearby window with a frown; it only seemed like mid-morning and it was only around midnight when your friends had corralled you into Papyrus' car. "I understand if it was about what happened, but I was only asleep for a few hours right...?" Seeing the current occupants of the room shift nervously, you frowned and gave each monster a look. "What?"

"you, ah... it's actually been longer than that..." Seeing your skeptical raise of the brow, your punny skeleton friend elaborated with a very strained smile. "it's uh... been four days."

......

"WHAT?!" You had thought all that mess happened yesterday!

Papyrus jolted at your outburst but began nodding rapidly as Undyne chimed in.

"Yeah, punk! You scared the hell out of us!! The first day we just thought you needed to sleep off that 'shock' thing you told us humans go through during a crisis or whatever, but then the next day came, and the day after that and you weren't waking up..."

"WE WERE BEGINNING TO THINK YOU HAD...." Papyrus hesitated heavily, giving a soft, but audible gulp.

"F-Fallen d-down..." Well, shit, were you feeling guilty about your own personal bodily functions now... "F-For some reason, w-w-we couldn't be s-s-sure if the h-healing treatment was working b-b-because something is blocking a-anyone from seeing y-y-your SOUL..." Tensing, you glanced over to Sans as he gave a tired chuckle.

"yeah, was giving tori a rather bad time... and it actually refused to let my magic pull your SOUL out 'nd check to see if it was ok. Strange, seein' as blue magic has the strongest pull for uh... that sort of thing." Ooooh shit, you knew what that tone meant.

Sans was a scarier monster than most people gave him credit for. He already knew that he couldn't just peer inside and take a look at your soul like he could for anyone else's (which is why you formulated your blocking shield in the first place) and frankly, that already pissed him off. You were friends, yes, but he didn't really like unknown things in the potential that it could anyway hurt anyone he cared about, especially when it came to Papyrus.

And he was starting to guess that you had something worth keeping from him and the rest of your friends.

Correctly, you might add. You knew you must have tipped him off when you had lost a bit of your control on that day. Stupid, stupid!!

"A-ALTHOUGH APOLLO MIGHT HAVE MENTIONED THAT THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY TO YOU...?" Whipping a wide-eyed expression towards a concerned Papyrus, you tossed a miffed glance to a sheepish looking kitten winding himself around Alphys' ankles.

'S-Sorry mother... They were so frantic, I thought it might have calmed them down a bit...'

'I told you she would not be pleased with that, but you didn't listen.' Digging an ever deeper hole for your dear mother, kits...

"You got some explainin' to do, not telling your friends something serious like that, punk." Allowing yourself a deep groan at how wonderfully that not even your first full twenty minutes of being awake was turning out to be, you closed your eyes and slapped a palm to your head.

"Agh, okay, okay, fine. I'll explain okay? It's a really long story..." At that moment you caught a whiff of something absolutely delicious, making your stomach helpfully interject by growling loud enough to catch all of the attention in the room. You couldn't even blush at all of the tension breaking laughs.

Score one for human bodily functions.

"Shall we all feed the beasts in our stomachs? Or am I the only one that needs to eat this morning?" Dangling from your wonderful skeleton friend's arms in a lackadaisical manner, you watched as Undyne brightened and snatched up a giggling Alphys before running back through the doorway she had burst from, two kittens right on her heels. Strangely enough, Papyrus followed at a much more sedate pace with you in his arms, Sans hanging back to be able to walk by his side as you all moved into the next room.

"How are you feeling human...?" Hearing Papyrus' indoor voice would never stop surprising you because he hardly ever used it. Closing your eyes once more, you gave a soft sigh.

"yeah, how's it hanging?" Trying to hide your twitching lips at Papyrus' soft grunt of displeasure, you gave a noncommittal hum.

"...I don't really know." You softly replied, placing your hands on your stomach. "I had that house... for four years. I was so proud when I was able to buy it for myself, y'know? Now all of it's just... Gone."

You could tell they didn't really know what to say to that, and you had to struggle to keep that sad twinge in your soul from spreading like a disease.

"I for one, am just relieved that you are safe and well." Blinking slightly at the very fond tone in Papyrus' voice, you glanced up at him to see him staring down at you with a warm smile and a light dusting of orange over his cheekbones. "It could have just as easily happened when you were home instead. I am saddened you lost your possessions, but I would have to say I prefer you over your home."

....Oh my.

"bro's got a point," Letting your head hang back, you watched the upside down image of Sans giving you a much softer smile than what you were used to, "i know it's hard... losing everything you worked really hard for. but rather that than you. it'd be a shame for any harm to come to that pretty face, huh?"

"QUITE TRUE, BROTHER!" Papyrus was then back to his booming, reedy voice. "NOW LET US HAVE SOME OF THE QUEEN'S BREAKFAST!"

Peeking at both brothers, you could see their own form of blushing covering their cheekbones as they attempted to act casual, moving into what was a rather grand dining room.

Good. Maybe the others wouldn't notice your own mundane blush then.

"Yo lovenerds! You gonna sit down or what?" Sighing at the teasing undertone in Undyne's words, you gave a pointed glare towards her form sitting at a large table, which did nothing to get rid of the large pointy grin she was flashing at the three of you. It didn't help that Alphys was giving you that look that you were very familiar with. Apparently, you and the skelebros were her favorite ship, despite how ridiculous sounding it was. Why would the two like you?

"As you can see Undyne, I cannot control where I'm going at the moment because my dear cinnamon bunny of a friend has me in his hold." That grin was starting to really make you uncomfortable at this point; It was borderline predatory with whatever she was beginning to think of... "Papy, could you put me down now? I'm just going to sit down."

"AH! YES, OF COURSE!" Being placed gently on your feet, you stretched, giving a soft hum of bliss as you felt your spine pop in multiple places before meandering over to a chair and sitting down across from where your fishy friend was sitting.

"Y/n, you're such a tease." Raising an incredulous brow at Undyne, you frowned.

"How am I a tease?" She pointed over at the skelebros with a snicker, and you turned to see them staring at you with their colored magic raging over their faces in a deep blush. The hell? "What's wrong with you two?"

"e-eh... n-nothin'..." Sans mumbled as they sat on either side of you, desperately avoiding eye contact with you as your brow furrowed.

"S-so oblivious..." Alphys mumbled softly as she peered down at the phone in her hands, shaking her head as Undyne began to cackle with laughter.

"She's even worse than we were Alph!" Being the only other girl at the table, you were pretty sure they were talking about you, which only made your lost frown deepen.

'I am so confused...'

"o-oh hey kiddo! mornin'!" Looking up at Sans' nervous voice, you blinked as you spotted a young child with dark brown hair and tanned skin decked out in pink and blue pajamas stumbled in sleepily, smiling at the chorus of good mornings that they immediately gained from all your friends. Guess this was the kid that Selene had talked about. They were carrying a small flower pot with only a single flower with golden petals in it for some reason...

"Oh? Who's the little cutie?" They seemed to snap to attention at the sound of your voice, turning pretty chocolate brown eyes towards you and jumping up and down in excitement. Blinking, you watched as the child began to flail a single hand in the air, making rapid movements.

"YES HUMAN FRISK, SHE HAS FINALLY WOKEN UP! Y/N, THIS IS FRISK!" Your eyes widened exponentially as the kid ran around the table, stopping at your side with a large grin.

This was the kid that was the ambassador for the entire monster population?! But that meant... You were in the King and Queen's house!!

'Damn, this is gonna be a very overwhelming morning...' Shaking your head to rid of the disorienting thoughts, you smiled down at the bouncing child. You always did have a soft spot for children... "Hey there sweetie... Is this your home?" They gave a rapid nod, and you began to wonder where that sudden energy came from. "And I guess I was sleeping in your room, huh...?" You grimaced as they gave you another nod. "Man, sorry about that... Hope I wasn't a burden..." They shook their head with a vengeance before their hand began to move rapidly once more, making you blink.

"frisk doesn't really like to talk, so they use sign language instead." Sans cleared up, making you nod in understanding. "need a translator?"

"No, hang on, let me just..." You had felt a flicker of something interesting when Frisk attempted to speak to you, so you focused... "Run that by me one more time kiddo?" They nodded and did it one more time.

"I'm just very glad you're awake and okay." Grinning, you ruffled their hair, making them giggle.

"Thanks, cutie. Now you can have your own room back."

"Y-You understood them..?" Nodding over to Alphys as the others gaped at you, you began to explain. "Yeah, remember how I told you guys I can read emotions? Well, with the magic I have, emotions leads to intent, which lets me know what the cutie here is intending to say. It's not mind reading or knowing the future or anything, but it's kinda close depending on the angle you look at it from."

"T-That's fascinating! That's much different than how we do it!" Slowly shaking your head at Alphys' enthusiasm, you heard Undyne scoff as you demurred.

"Please nerd, that's pretty dam- darn cool." You snickered softly at her attempt to curb her language around Frisk, making her shoot you an accusing glare. "Why have you never told us about what your magic does before?"

"Because it's not that interesting." You lied by omission, running a hand through your hair. "Other than emotions, my raw magic only manifests in the way of my hobbies and interests. It's nothing cool like spears or bones."

"DON'T BE SILLY HUMAN! YOU ARE NOT US! EVEN THOUGH I AM VERY GREAT, YOU CANNOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO US!"

"Yeah! I think it's pretty cool!" Frisk quickly seconded, making you grin fondly down at their little face. Oh, deflecting was too easy.

"Aww, you're so sweet Frisk. I should give you a kiss. After all..." You grinned almost evilly and pointed at the potted flower tucked in their arm. "Tulips are better than one!"

Their eyes widened in delight before they roared with laughter, Sans right there with them as the others groaned in despair.

"PLEASE HUMAN Y/N! IT IS MUCH TOO EARLY FOR SUCH HORRIBLE JOKES!"

"Aww, but Pap! I'm as bright as a morning glory!" Even Alphys and Undyne couldn't hold back laughter at Papyrus' betrayed expression, and you watched with a proud grin as Sans fell off his chair, wheezing. Ah, glorious chaos...

"Ugh! Enough puns at my expense!!" Blinking at the sound of a new and very irritated voice, you looked back towards Frisk to see that a face had morphed in the center of the little flower they carried and was now glaring up at you.

Huh... Even monster plants existed?

"What are you looking at, freak?" Raising a brow at such rude venom coming from a flower, you grinned as an idea came to you. 

"Hehe, hey Sans." Wiping away a cyan tear from his eye socket as he stood back up, he gave you a bright, eager look as you pointed the angry vegetation, your grin reaching shit-eating levels. "Remember that faceplant I did earlier?" You watched in delight as he lost it along with Undyne, bony hands clutching your hoodie as he buried his face into your shoulder.

"o-omg, p-plehs stahp...!" Frisk, despite not getting the joke, gained an extremely pleased gleam in their eye before they flicked the stem of their captive, making it yelp.

"Be polite! Introduce yourself!" It gave a growl of irritation, hesitating for a minute before it plastered a grin on its face as it stared up at you.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" His smile began to twist demonically, making you raise a brow. "You think you're so special, huh? Making friends with a whole bunch of monsters? I bet you feel really great about yourself-" He broke off with a shout as Frisk suddenly produced a spray bottle out of nowhere and began spraying Flowey with water.

"No trying to psychologically scar Y/n!"

"It's true! I bet the weirdo only made friends with monsters to look good to the public- KSSSSSSS!!" He hissed in protest as Frisk merely sprayed him again, your expression turning rather bemused.

"heheheh... maybe some weed killer would work better, kid?" Sans offered, his wheezing laughs now mere chuckles as he turned dimming eye lights over to them both, leaning away from you slightly.

"Fite me trashbag!"

"don't tempt me weed." Sans was now leaning heavily against your form, and you idly wrapped an arm around him so he would remain (somewhat) upright. You didn't notice the slight flush of blue on Sans' face or the ecstatic glance Frisk seemed to give a bothered-looking Papyrus.

"So I'm guessing his attitude is a normal thing?"

"Y-Yes."

"You have no idea."

"yep."

"INDEED."

"Huh. I just thought you might not be a morning person. It'd make sense since you're not a sunflower." You clutched Sans in your mirth as Flowey gave you an 'I'm so done' look, laughing along with the skeleton in your arms and Frisk as Papyrus shouted at the injustice of morning puns. Oh, were you gonna have fun bugging the hell out of this creature.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS! YOUR MAJESTY, PLEASE TELL ME THE FOOD IS READY TO BE SERVED!!"

Turning around in your chair as you heard a soft feminine laugh, your eyes widened at the sight of a seven-foot goat woman with kind-looking red eyes clad in a violet dress and holding a mass of plates in her hands.

The Queen of Monsters.

"Why yes Papyrus, breakfast is indeed ready."

"It smells delicious Toriel!" You weren't even aware Undyne could sound that respectful...

"O-Oh! Do you need any help with that ma'am?" Letting go of Sans, you stood and moved towards her, blinking as she gave you a motherly smile.

"That's rather nice of you. I am very pleased to see you awake."

"Ah... Thank you for taking care of me and bringing me into your home, your majesty!"

"Now now, please, just call me Toriel." You were immediately dazzled by her elegance, but you tilted your head to the side as a pleasing warmth radiated from your soul. "Something wrong, my child?"

"....I have a strong urge to call you Goat Mom for some reason..." You murmured softly before covering your mouth with a hand, blushing in embarrassment as everyone behind you began to laugh. About to apologize, you were stopped as a flushed Toriel put the stack of plates down on the table before enveloping you in a warm, fuzzy hug.

"If it makes you happy to call me Mother, then please do so." Her voice was soft and you'd dare say loving, making your eyes start to mist up. You buried your face into her dress as you tentatively wrapped your arms around her much taller form.

Yeah. This was definitely not your regular morning.

Chapter Text

You realized at this juncture that if someone had told them you would have become friends with a large goofy skeleton two months prior, had your house burnt to the ground a few days ago, and now been sitting a royal family's house eating breakfast casually with your loud group of friends, you would have tackled them, slapped them in a straight jacket and hauled them off to the nearest loony bin.

Heh.

But just look at your life now.

After helping the oh-so sweet motherly goat monster set up the table, it wasn't long before all of the yummy looking food was placed onto the surface of it.

'Toriel must really like cooking...' You thought to yourself with an impressed huff, looking at the huge spread. There was eggs, pies, bacon, pancakes, and you were pretty sure you were seeing a quiche over by where Undyne was sitting...

Speaking of which, she was talking. "Hey Toriel, where's Asgore?" Ah yes, the King of Monsters. That was a very valid question...

Your brow rose imperceptibly when Toriel's expression twisted just a bit in an indignant manner as she sat at the head of the table. "He is still resting... The meeting with the government officials late last night didn't really go so well, and he came home exhausted. But he will be down later."

"what nonsense were those guys talking about now?" Sans asked, piling food on his plate as Frisk sat across from him, placing a sassy flower on the table.

"He was attempting to speak out against the injustice monsters and the supporting humans face. Some of the... officials believe that any human willingly consorting with our race deserve what comes to them." You could tell just by how she said the word that she didn't think very highly of said officials. "Even more so with the heads of the mage clans... Tensions ran rather high last night, especially since there was a certain incident being discussed..." You didn't have to look up from your plate to know that everyone was looking at you, and you tensed uncomfortably; You really didn't want to think about it right now.

Feeling a gloved hand squeeze your thigh, you blinked and glanced over to Papyrus to see him giving you a small smile. He said nothing, just giving your skin a gentle rub before a reassuring pat, making you blush slightly and smile as you ducked your head.

"Well, enough of politics. Dig in everyone!" As soon as she said those words, everyone but you began chowing down. You hadn't filled your plate yet, and you hesitated, not feeling as hungry anymore.

"Y-Y/n, would you like a cinnamon bunny...?" Glancing over at Alphys, you saw her holding out a plate piled high with delicious looking cinnamon bunnies. It was one of your favorite monster foods to eat, and she knew it. Sneaky otaku friend...

"Yeah... Thanks Alph." You snagged one as you could already see others eyeing the plate, and started to nibble on a sweet ear. Despite your stomach growling its immense protest at being empty, you weren't really feeling up to eating like you knew you could.

That didn't go unnoticed.

"you doin' ok, pal?" Sans murmured softly as he poked your arm to get your attention. You had currently been staring at the kittens settling themselves beside your plate on the table in a slightly distant manner.

"Mmhm."

"then why aren't you eating?"

"I am eating." You emphasized your statement by taking a bite of the cinnamon bunny in your hand, chewing absently as you broke off small pieces of your bacon and handed it to the kittens to eat. "See?" He gave a soft irritated grunt, and you sighed, knowing you should just placate him.

"Hey Undyne, mind passing a slice of that quiche over here?" You drawled, looking up and realizing she had been staring at you as well.

"Course nerd. You need to eat. We couldn't exactly feed you these last four days, you being knocked out and all." She pointedly passed you the whole pie, her yellow eye narrowing when you only cut out a small piece for yourself and put it on your plate. "Seriously?"

"Y/n, isn't going four days without eating a b-bad thing for humans...?" Alphys asked nervously, watching you closely as you forked up a bite to your mouth and chewed slowly.

"Yes, though we can go three weeks without anything on our stomach. Most people still get very hungry after two or three days without eating, at least in the U.S. Even so, I'm fine."

"BUT HUMAN Y/N! YOU EAT QUITE A LOT! I RECALL YOU EATING HALF A POT OF MY GOURMET SPAGHETTI A NUMBER OF TIMES!"

"And that was even after eating a whole bunch of snacks during our sleepovers." Undyne added, pointing a webbed finger towards you. "You need to eat punk."

"You're not supposed to gorge yourself after going so long without eating..." You muttered, wishing they would just drop it. "I need to take it slow anyway..."

'Moooom!' Apollo whined, nipping at the fingers you didn't even know you were drumming against the table. 'That doesn't mean NOT put anything else on your plate! After what happened and four days with no food, you need your energy!'

'Indeed.' Selene added, licking her front paws to get rid the remaining taste of bacon. 'I doubt you are fully yourself after rushing inside a house on fire to rescue Apollo and I.'

The table went deadly silent at those words and you had to hold back from giving a strangled shriek of annoyance. Goddamn it Selene!

"You did what?" Frisk interjected with wide, worried eyes.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO DANGEROUS!?"

"are you kidding me, kid...?" Sans hissed in disbelief, giving you a 'how could you be so stupid?' kind of look as Toriel gave you a worried glance.

"Thanks so much..." You grumbled at the white kitten, frowning as the only notion that she gave she was listening was a regrettable twitch of the ear. "Look, I couldn't have just left the kittens in there to die okay? The house was already too far gone when I called 911. They wouldn't have survived."

"So you're just an idiot with no sense of self-preservation." Flowey snorted in amusement, making you glower at him.

"watch it weed. she ain't an idiot. she's just reckless." You gasped, placing a hand over your heart as though wounded.

"I am not reckless! Right?!" Your loving friends merely gave you a deadpanned look.

"hell yeah you are."

'Very much so.'

"S-Sorry," Alphys answered with an apologetic giggle, "but you really are."

'They're right mom!'

"If it makes you feel any better, I like that spunk of yours." Undyne cackled softly.

"Everything they told me about you makes me think you are!"

"My ego can't take this many consecutive hits." You clung to Papyrus' humerus as your friends laughed at your expense, turning pleading eyes up towards him since he was the only one who hadn't agreed yet. "You don't think that I'm reckless, do you?!" Your eyes widened as he gave you the flattest, most unamused look you've ever seen on his face.

"YOU KNOW HOW WE FIRST MET, AND YOU'RE TRULY ASKING ME THAT?" You lurched away with a gasp of mock hurt, placing the back of your hand dramatically against your forehead.

"Et tu, Paps?!" The table exploded in laughter, his 'NYEH HEH HEH's above it all as you gave a deep pout, letting your lip tremble. "Fine! Just for that, I will no longer give you any cuddles!" He immediately stopped with a horrified 'WHAT?!' and you harrumphed as you playfully turned your nose up at him.

"BUT HUMAN! WE ARE CUDDLE BUDDIES! FORGIVE ME!"

"It is too late! I am already wounded!" You kept up the act, leaning against Sans in fake despair. "The betrayal is too strong; I suppose I will just have to find someone else to cuddle..."

"well, we're already punnin' buds, and i hate putting in extra effort, but i don't mind signin' up for that position." Blinking upon feeling phalanges pressing against your waist, your chair moved over the floor easily as Sans pulled you closer to himself, and you glanced down at him to see a devilish teasing grin. That annoying blush flared across your face as if on cue when he winked at you.

"S-Sans, stop playing around..."

"who says i'm playin'?" Hnnnng...!

"NYEEEEEEHHHHH!!! I WILL NOT GIVE UP SUCH A CHERISHED POSITION SO EASILY!!" You gave a squeak of shock as a much bigger bony arm wrapped around your waist and you were pulled you out of Sans' grasp over to Papyrus, your back pressed against his side. He hadn't even slid your chair over to himself; Your legs were now the only parts of you left on the chair as he held you tight, and you could feel your blush deepen as you felt his skull nuzzle into your hair. You couldn't see what exactly Papyrus was doing, but you believed he was glaring at Sans because your punny friend's grin grew a bit thin, light blue sweat beaded on his skull, and you could have sworn his left eye jealously flickered blue for a split second.

Oh shit, brain to body, BRAIN TO BODY, abort, ABORT!!

Wiggling, you realized Papyrus had a firm grip and shot pleading glances over to the girls, throwing them evil looks as you noticed they only sat there and watched like your life had suddenly turned into an anime. Frisk was looking absolutely delighted, like the boys confirmed a suspicion of theirs, and Flowey watched as though he was disgusted yet incredibly intrigued.

Turning your desperate gaze to Toriel, who was looking utterly bemused, your eyes made contact and she took pity on you. "Boys, that is enough. There will be no fighting at the table." She pinned the two with a motherly glare, and they seemed to freeze and shiver with fear before giving a defeated 'yes ma'am (nyeh)', Papyrus shifting to let you go safely. You immediately jumped up and away from the table with a nervous laugh once his arm was removed.

"Ahaha, whelp, it's a beautiful day outside, birds are singing, flowers are blooming and all that! I think my lungs need some fresh air! Thanks for breakfast G-Goat Mom!" Everyone watched as you scrambled through the open doorway towards the back foyer, interesting sounds such as cats yowling, a piano crashing, and even the din of crashing chairs (despite no such thing happening) coming from your exit before you slipped outside, the sliding door slamming shut behind you.

The skelebros shared a look of regret in the deep silence that followed before everyone else started laughing very loudly.

"FUHUHUHU!! DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON HER FACE?! That was priceless!!!" Undyne started to grip her stomach as she rocked back and forth in her chair, howling with laughter as Alphys began to squeal with excitement.

"T-That was just like an anime!! My fan-fiction and manga is writing itself!!" Alphys grasped Undyne in her glee, causing her girlfriend to wheeze at the hilarity.

"Nice going boneheads. If she liked you before, she definitely won't now!" Flowey cackled, not even deterred by the spritz of water shot at him as Papyrus winced and Sans threw his head back with a groan.

"is it really that obvious...?"

"Clearly!" Undyne pounded at the table gently as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Now now boys, if she's your friend, I don't believe she will be chased away by this." Toriel calmly said, a knowing smile on her muzzle. "However, you both seem to... really like her, do you not? If so, treat her how she deserves to be treated. She is a person, and your friend; Not a toy or an object. Understand?" Her kind smile hid an intimidating undertone behind it, and it had both skeletons nodding their heads rapidly.

The only thing scarier than a pissed off you, was an angry Toriel.

"Sooooo...." Frisk gained a mischievous tone as the kittens moved over to them, who peered at the skeletons in interest. "Which one of you is gonna be Y/n's...."

"FRISK..."

"kid, don't-"

"Bone-friend?"

Not even Flowey could resist laughing at the deep flushes of magic covering the skelebro's faces.

You weren't even embarrassed by how fast you had peaced the fuck out of there. But now you were outside and unless you wanted to be super amazingly rude-which you didn't-you couldn't exactly leave. Where would you go anyways? That's right- fucking nowhere.

However, that left you pacing around the backyard like a complete idiot while trying to come to terms with what just happened.

Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope-!

You were a demisexual. You had figured that out pretty early in your life. You were never attracted to anyone, ever, in your rather short existence. And you figured 'if I'm not attracted in some shape or form, why force it right?' You figured it was something that should just happen naturally.

Oh, and it happened... but...

Was it normal to be having a panic attack because two brothers who weren't human were kinda, sorta, maybe fighting over you?

No? Yeah? Really? Okay, cool, you weren't losing your mind any more than what was already gone then.

'But why?!' You ran your hands through your hair (a truly nervous habit of yours), and whimpered to yourself as you came to a stop beside the porch steps. 'Why would anyone like me?!?!'

Now now Y/n.... Maybe it wasn't what it seemed! Maybe they saw you as a friend, but they were just super clingy... And jealous...

..........

Oh, who were you fooling? You weren't that oblivious!!

It was just... Absolutely mind boggling. Why? First off, you were a mage; To monsters, that is practically an immediate stop sign! Now you didn't really give a damn that they were monsters, but even if you weren't a mage, what could have magnetized those two wonderful beings to you?

You were a hot mess. You had some serious baggage that you were definitely not ready to show anyone just yet, and you had never been in a relationship in your entire life. You had no shame, and while that was good for some very funny times, that was NOT acceptable for a relationship. You were awkward, you were closed off, you were secretive, you were childish, and they...

Well...

Papyrus was like a warm spring morning. The sun was almost a perfect comparison to his personality. He was warm, and pleasant, and passionate about everything he liked. He believed there was good in everyone... That everyone could be a nice person if they really tried. Even though this world ate up people like him, you didn't want to see that innocence destroyed; There was so little of it nowadays... Yes, he was childish, but damn it, he cared so much! He was an absolute sweetheart! His bashfulness was so cute, and you knew that he was actually very self-conscious of himself on the inside. But he was fun, and loud, and cheerful, and boisterous... He makes anyone who's patient enough to look past his blinding confidence want to believe in themselves and prove that they're as great as he insists everyone is. He was very sharp; He could be an oblivious person at times, but he wasn't stupid. He could think of strategies and battle plans in a snap- and intelligence was quite the turn on for you. Most of all, he was caring and great with children... He loved his brother so much, and he would do anything for his friends. He treated you so well... And we've already clarified the fact that you were attracted to two skeletons, so you didn't have to stress that you thought he was incredibly handsome.

Sans, on the other hand, was a complete foil to his brother. Oh, he was very kind and caring, there was no doubt about that; You could tell he cared soooo much. But even without your emotional radar, you could tell he hid a lot of things behind that grin of his. You respected his privacy wholeheartedly and something told you he appreciated that about you. He was the moon on a breezy fall night. He was calm, cool, and collected. He genuinely liked silly humor, which you adored, because the terribleness of his puns could always make you laugh. He was extremely self-confident; His smugness was irritating yet attractive. But even then, sometimes you could spot that inner little introvert that he truly was. He was immensely intelligent- oh god, that cold and calculated gaze he sported when he was serious, or thinking something through could make you melt. That baritone (an absolutely guilty kink of yours were voices) was something you've definitely dreamt of before. Yes, he was lazy, and a complete slob, but that didn't matter; you've always been on more of the messy side because of all your creativity and you were a lethargic person from time to time. He had an air about him that automatically made you relax and feel more comfortable than you've ever been with anyone.

The fact that you thought so highly of both of them absolutely let you know that you liked them much more than as friends.

But..!

They were brothers! Loving brothers!

You couldn't ruin that!

You'd be damned if you ruined that relationship...!

S-So... You would have to pull them aside and tell them that. Soon. You couldn't... You couldn't get involved.

But would that... ruin your friendship with them?

You whimpered to yourself again, plopping down onto the second porch step and dropping your face into your hands. It took every ounce of determination you had inside you to hold back a sob.

Why couldn't you ever remain happy...?

You were so lost in your inner turmoil, you didn't hear the sliding door behind you open.

But you definitely heard the deep, rumbling voice that came a few seconds after.

"Howdy!"

Looking up with a surprised gasp, you looked back with wide eyes to see at least an eight foot tall goat man looming above you, and his horns were incredibly long and curved. He had long floppy ears like Toriel and short blonde hair that flowed to his shoulders, complete with a goatee (heh). Despite how incredibly intimidating he looked, the potential level of threatening was significantly lowered by the fact that he wore a gaudy hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and flip flops.

You blinked owlishly, not knowing exactly what to do. "Err..."

"Your name is Y/n, yes?" He had such kind, fatherly violet eyes, but they hid such sadness and pain... It took your breath away. He gave you a soft smile, seeming to understand your shock. "I am Asgore, it is very nice to meet you."

Holy shit, the King of Monsters looked so much more regal on TV. Right now, he just looked so... So dorky!

"A-Ah... It's really nice to meet you too, your majesty..."

"Oh, please, just Asgore. Formalities get very tiring after a while..." A shaky smile took your lips as he chuckled, before he stepped a bit closer. "I haven't frightened you, have I?"

"O-Oh no, not at all! You just surprised me. Toriel said you were resting, so I didn't expect to see you soon..." You shook your head vehemently, frowning slightly at his wry smile.

"Yes, well... Your politicians are very suspicious of monsters still... We've made some leeway in the past two years, but it is still a slow climb to having rights as full citizens..."

"Ugh... That's so irritating. It's not like you all came to the surface with the intention to hurt us or take our land or anything." You looked down, disgusted at the human race. "You're all living beings with feelings, just like us... None of you deserve any less than humans. If anything, you deserve more! At least you guys don't discriminate against your own species because of race, gender, or sexuality!" You ranted before catching yourself, covering your mouth and ducking your head with a blush. "Uh... S-Sorry, I was venting..."

You tried to hide your face from his surprised look, before his smile turned warm; The slight tension in his very broad shoulders eased as his laugh boomed in your ears. "Golly, Papyrus and Alphys sure weren't joking when they said you were rather passionate about equal rights!"

"W-Well... Yeah, it's always been a big subject in my life..." For more than just the very obvious reason of sexuality... "It's just... Not fair, you know...?"

"The unfortunate fact of life is that it's not always fair, child..."

"Don't I know it..." You grumbled softly, placing your chin in your hands as you looked over the rather fabulous garden the backyard sported.

"Would it be alright if I sit beside you?" Blinking slightly in shock, you gave him a slightly incredulous look that he even thought he needed to ask that question. "Of course you can! I mean, it's your house right?" He gave a good-natured chuckle as he stepped closer, before easing himself down on the steps beside you. Wow, he was still towering over you by a good two feet!

"Yes, but I know for experience that most humans are not comfortable to be so close to monsters, especially a monster of my... stature."

"Good thing I'm not most humans then, huh?" You gave your first genuine grin of the day, feeling it widen as his rumbling chuckles moved in waves through the steps.

"Yes, it is a great thing indeed." He surprised you yet again as he produced two saucers in his gargantuan paws, which held two teacups filled to the brim with a steaming yellow liquid. "Would you like a cup of tea? It is my favorite. Very good for the soul."

"Oh. Yeah, thank you." Gingerly taking the cup and saucer from his hands, you giggled slightly as you realized they were much bigger in your hands than they looked in his own. Bringing it up to your lips, you sipped at the liquid quietly. It was sweet, flowery even. You sighed in bliss as you felt the tea dissipate upon contact with your tongue, but the heat left behind trickled like liquid into your soul, easing the away the stress and pain that was constricting it. "That feels heavenly..."

"Indeed my child." He sips at his own tea, and you notice a far away look in those wise violet eyes.

You began to wonder if he saw you out here during your mini-breakdown and decided you needed the comfort.

"So... You are a mage?"

"That I am, good sir." You nodded once in confirmation before giving an apologetic look. "Sorry if that bothers you. I know monsters and mages don't have the best of history..."

"Not at all, young lady! I am actually very glad that a mage decided it is worth their time to become friends with monsters!" You gave a soft sigh of relief as he gave you an assuring glance. "May I ask what guild you belong to?"

Ah geez... "Oh, uh... I'm a drifter." At his questioning look, you bit your lip. "It means I don't belong to a guild. I'm not part of any magician group." He blinked as if astonished.

"I had not known that was possible... Every mage I've met seems very set on climbing through the hierarchy within the guilds of the Five Cardinal Clans."

"Yeah, there's not many of us drifters... Most mages want to pursue what they call a 'noble' living." You made air-quotations, snickering at his amused expression. "As for me... Well, the drama with warring factions and the struggle of power between the Clans... That's not my thing. I prefer a much simpler way of life. For humans, life is way too short to live it just to please people. So I live by my means instead. Plus, since I'm a drifter," You give him a mock-conspiring glance and smirk, "I don't have to live by their inane bigoted rules."

He literally choked on his tea and coughed roughly before losing it; You watched with a delighted grin as he released a booming laugh, actually slapping his knee in his mirth. You were pretty damn sure everyone in the house heard that one. "By Golly, that is the best thing I have ever heard! I must agree with you, politics is not my favorite thing about being King."

"I bet!" You chuckled along with him, seeing him attempt to soften his coughs by pounding on his chest.

"I am very glad to see the Undyne, Alphys, and the boys gain such a kind human as a friend..." You flushed and ducked your head in embarrassment.

"They're people too... I just treat them how they deserve to be treated..."

"That's just it, child; You see, we were beginning to lose hope." Peeking up at him with a soft frown, he sighed as he turned his sad gaze over towards a patch of snapdragons. "We all knew it would not be easy to assimilate into human society upon leaving the underground... However, after two years of barely any steps forward... Some of the less optimistic monsters were beginning to believe that the humans' contempt would never change. My wife and I try very hard to make sure our people don't give up hope, but it is a struggle." You nod, feeling that emotional radar registering the tremendous stress and doubt the King had in himself. It must have been hard... "When Papyrus first spoke about you helping him through a rough situation, I almost couldn't believe it... It sounded too good to be true, you know. Sans was especially suspicious; He is not the most optimistic."

"You're telling me. He has quite the big-brother complex, though you can't blame him. Papyrus is an amazing person." You felt the affection of said brothers beginning to build up in your soul again before you hurriedly squashed it down. This was so not the time to be thinking that.

It didn't help that Asgore tossed you a knowing glance either before continuing. "But you met Alphys, and you stood up for them-for ALL monsters-in such a passionate way. Even knowing the ridicule and hate you would possibly receive as you did it. And doing so has indeed cost you dearly...." You grit your teeth as you turned your head away, knowing his eyes were full of pity. That wasn't something you wanted from anyone.

"Y/n.... Believe me when I say I am deeply sorry for what has happened. You did not deserve what has befallen you. It has only happened because you support us. If... You wish to change that... We will understand."

Needless to say, you performed quite the double-take in response, staring at his downcast expression with disbelieving eyes.

"Ah wait, hold the phone! You think that because some jerks burned down my house just for being friends with monsters and advocating for their rights, I would completely ignore all of you?" At his slow, confused nod, you nearly went into hysterics from how hard and sudden your laugh was. "O-OH! Oh God, that's hilarious!! A-As if.... As if I would ever abandon my f-friends like that!!!"

The poor guy was looking so lost and confused, that you had to bite down on the inside of your cheek to try and stifle the manic giggles, wiping away your tears of laughter with frantic hands. "L-Listen your Majesty... those four dorks in there are the first friends I've had in a whole year. When mages came out in the open, every human friend I had rejected me, saying that I had manipulated them into becoming friends with me just because I had magic." As his eyes widened, you turned towards him and stared with bright, determined eyes. "Papyrus, Alphys, Sans, and Undyne are my only friends, and I cherish them greatly, even after knowing them only a short time. I would do anything for them. If they need me, if any of you need me, I will be there. I'm not running away."

".....But... But Y/n, child, you're a target now... There are people who would do much worse-"

"Then let 'em try! I'm not going to hide away and forget all the kindness monsters have given me. You all deserve much better than what you've been given, and damn it, I'm going to help and do whatever I can to make sure you get it!" You were so passionate with your words that you actually slammed your fist down against the wooden porch, feeling a fire burn away at the empty feeling that was in your soul.

You are filled with determination.

"...I must say, I certainly wasn't expecting this..." Asgore was telling the truth; His astonishment was through the roof. "You must be certain, child... The destruction of your house would only be the beginning."

"Believe me when I say I'm very ready for it Asgore. Besides, whether you believe it or not, I've gone through worse even before all of you poured out of Ebott."

"that doesn't make me feel any better kiddo." Jolting sharply with a squeal at the baritone voice behind you, you pitched forward from the scare, flailing your arms as the ground moved towards your face...

Then came to an abrupt stop as you felt a hand firmly grasp the back of your collar.

"heh... you fallin' for me already?" Oooh, you were going to kick his bony butt...

"Sans. Buddy. Pal. Chummy Chum o' friend of mine." You hissed angrily as you looked back at his incredibly too smug grin. "You have got to stop doing that."

"doin' what?" He replied in an innocent tone that did not match the evil smile that was splitting his skull.

"You know exactly what, you colossal jerk!" You shouted in return, throwing your hands up in the air as you sat up properly again. "Are you trying to kill me? Is that what it is? Because I swear, one of these days, these mini heart attacks you give me when you pop up out of nowhere just might do it!"

"suppose i better tone it down then, don't want you to be a dead weight."

"AGHHHH! SANS!" Looking back in shock, your jaw dropped to see everyone crowded around the screen door, staring at Papyrus with wide eyes as he covered his mouth. "WHOOPS!"

"Were you all seriously eavesdropping just now?" Your stare turned horrified as they all nodded slowly. How did you not hear them?! "How much did you hear?"

"E-everything from the drifter part and on...." You felt your face turn as hot as a stove in your embarrassment, and you cringed away in a groan.

"Nooooo, you all heard my anime worthy speech...." You hid your face in your hands with a strangled noise, hearing soft sounds of laughter in response to your pain.

"You're such an emotional nerd Y/n! That was one hell of a fire you had goin' there!"

"YES HUMAN! YOU WERE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT US! WE ARE THE SAME FOR YOU!!!"

"If you're going to help us, we're helping you too!" You were feeling all kinds of mortification about this, but you'd be damned if you didn't admit you were a bit pleased that they felt the same.

"Ah, that reminds me... Child, during your... sleep, we could not see if the healing was working, because we could not see your soul..." Pursing your lips a bit, you turned to Asgore, who was looking slightly nervous. "Not even Sans could pull it out... Is your soul well?"

"Oh yeah, it's just fine, trust me." Not wanting to keep secrets and make everyone mistrustful, you decided to just get this over with. "I'm shielding my soul, so no one can see it without my express permission. It's something I created all on my own. Nothing against you guys, I've had this for years. I'm just a very private person."

The following silence was all kinds of awkward.

"....are you hiding something from us, kid?" It was easy to tell where Sans' mind was, and your glare was vicious as you whirled on him.

"Nothing like LV or EXP if that's what you're assuming." His grin was weak and his eyes were dim as you two had a tense stare down, making even Asgore and Undyne titter nervously.

"we don't know that." You threw your hands up in the air in exasperation, cause UGH!!! Why was the sexy skeleton so suspicious of everything?!

"The shield has nothing to do with that! It hides a bad side effect from my magic for Christ's sake!"

"Whatcha mean?" Huh. Even Undyne was uncomfortable with the glare down.

"I told you guys my magic is very receptive to emotions, which enhances my ability as an empath, to the point where I can even act as an accurate lie detector. That's because my soul is extremely open and accepting of all the things around me. It lets me pick up emotional hints from people, animals, and even places very easily. But!" You held up a finger as you attempted to explain to the enraptured monsters. "There is a HUGE catch. Since my soul is so very open, I am literally an open book. If anyone caught even a glimpse of my soul, they'd know every single thing about my existence."

"really." Sans, the unbelieving asshole, was so lucky you had a crush on him, otherwise, you'd let him have it. "that doesn't sound that bad."

"Maybe for you, peeping tom, but I'd rather not let someone know every damn thing about me. I have absolutely no control over it. Would you want to know all that? My whole past? My dreams? All of my fears? My quirks? My nightmares? My guilt? My baggage? Everything?" Seeming to finally realize what you were getting at, his eyesights shrunk to pinpricks as a light blue tinted his skull, his grin turning into more of a grimace.

"oh..."

"Exactly. You don't. And I don't want any of you to see it either. That is why I have a shield over my soul. It is just much safer for all of us this way." You quickly concluded your lesson, not surprised at the multiple uncomfortable looks you were getting.

"T-That sounds... Terrifying. B-But doesn't keeping that shield up a-all the time drain you...?" Alphys stammered, looking extremely worried for your health.

"Not anymore it doesn't. It's sort of a practice thing. I've had this up for years now, and only let it down when I'm sure I'm absolutely alone. It's become second nature at this point." You shrugged, pointedly looking away from Sans' unsure expression.

"Is there any way for us to see your stats then Y/n?" Asgore gently urged, wincing slightly as Toriel turned a very stern look towards him.

"Dreemurr, she has every right to her privacy-"

"Yeah, you know what, there is. And I'll show you guys if only to make you all calm down. I'm certainly not a threat to any of you." You gave Sans a very sharp look as you stood up, stepping down the porch and backing up a little, before making sure all their eyes were on you. "Now I'm only doing this once."

Only magic could touch a living being's soul. That's why a normal human would probably never see their own soul unless they were very intimate with somebody who had the ability to pull it out. But since you were a mage....

"Just think of this as a science lesson of sorts guys." You announced, watching their uncomfortable shuffling. "It'll make it much less awkward for you." You looked down at your chest seeing the outline of your soul before willing it to push forward.

And your audience gasped.

There was no magical leak or curtain that would normally appear before the soul leaves its host. Why?

Because that's what the barrier protecting your soul did. It kept all of your magic in...

And any peepers out.

Your friends couldn't help but stare at the chrome heart floating right in front of your chest.

"THAT'S INSANE!!" Undyne shouted enthusiastically, hopping up and down in her excitement.

"I-Incredible! Extraordinary! W-Who knew such a thing could exist!?"

"yeah, somethin's shieldin' alright.... i can't get a reading on anything from 'er... that should be impossible." You felt a vindictive sort of pleasure at his disgruntled expression; Served the asshole right.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WHEN IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU BROTHER?!"

"Please, everyone, we wouldn't want to disturb our neighbors." Toriel reprimanded before nodding excitedly to you. "Continue my child."

"Alright everyone, this chrome thing you're seeing here," you gestured languidly to what you were talking about, "is the shield. This part is not my soul in any way, this is just my magic. My soul is inside."

Frisk, the adorable munchkin, raised their hand as if in class. "Y/n, how are you going to show us your stats if you need to take off the barrier to do so? Wouldn't that expose your soul which would be bad?"

"Good question Frisk! You see, underneath this shield, I have another one closely covering my soul. If you'd see this one like a metal barrier, the one underneath is more like a veil. It covers up less but requires less work to sustain. Still, it does block a lot compared to how it would be if I had nothing covering it at all. It makes sure to hide the true color of my soul and all that. Anyway, I'm not taking this shield all the way off, I'm only going to peel back just a little bit so you guys can be my basic stats. You all ready?"

Seeing their nods, you raised your hands so they would hover above your soul, and slowly, but surely, a light silvery mist began to form and float around the heart that was glowing only slightly.

"Alright guys, go ahead and Check!"

Scrambling to do so as you gave the word, all of their eyes locked upon your soul.

And they froze.

*Y/N

*LV: 1 EXP: 0

*ATK: 24 DEF: 32

*HoPe: 4125/4300

*She told you so!

Only Flowey had the proper words for what they were seeing right now.

"You've gotta be shitting me!"

Chapter Text

It had been a few minutes since you had given your stats to your group of friends, and despite being stared at like a freak of nature as you sat criss-cross on the grass in front of them, you could understand their shock. By this time, you had neatly wrapped your soul back up in its little spell and let it sink back to its rightful place inside your body.

Even so... Damn. Your hypothesis had been right. Your Max HoPe DID go down.

Oh, it was still a good number, which you appreciated, but the event of your house being so maliciously destroyed had taken a good chunk out of your Max HP.

Unacceptable. Even though it was still a ridiculously high number, losing so much gave you a sense of vulnerability. You'd have to fix that; Find something to be happy about.

That's going to be a challenge...

Idly wondering who would be the first to speak after Flowey, you smiled pleasantly as Toriel released a shaky breath.

"M-My child... How is this possible?"

"You'll have to be a bit clearer in your question, Goat Mom. What do you mean specifically?"

"Ah... Your HoPe... You have an LV of 1, yet it's so high..."

"Because I'm a naturally optimistic person." You shrugged, not really caring so much about their incredulous stares now.

"THEN I IMAGINE IT WAS HIGHER BEFORE THE INCIDENT." Flinching as you looked at a thoughtful Papyrus in shock, you grimaced as Sans rose a brow bone over in your direction.

"'s my bro right?"

"....Maybe..."

"how much higher?" Stubbornly looking away with a pout, you crossed your arms in front of you, refusing to answer.

"Y-Y/n?" Alphys stuttered quietly in question.

"It doesn't matter anymore, it's gone!"

"OF COURSE IT MATTERS HUMAN! WE MUST KNOW IN ORDER TO KNOW WHAT OUR GOAL IS!" Your brows furrowed in confusion, not comprehending what he meant.

"Your goal?"

"Yeah! We need to know how much it was before so we can help you get back to that! We did say we'd help you!" Blinking at Frisk, you were really hoping the smile spreading across your face didn't look as goofy as it felt.

"Uh... well... My Max was six thousand, two hundred and fifty-six before..."

.........

Okay, now you were a bit bothered by the stares you had gained.

"man, sure sounds like a lot of work."

"And I'm OBVIOUSLY not worth it." Man, your sass was at an all time high with the skele-pun today. Looking away from his cringe (you noticed Flowey was very much enjoying the trouble you were giving him), you locked gazes with a jittery looking Undyne, noticing a peculiar gleam in her eye.

A gleam she only ever had when she saw a challenge.

"Y/n...."

"No, Undyne."

"What?! You didn't even know what I was going to ask!"

"Yes I do, I know you. No."

"But Y/n!"

"I said no."

"Come on, just-"

"It's not gonna happen."

"But look at your Attack and Defense! Come on, you know I can take it!"

"Not a chance. I'm not doing it."

"NGAAAAAHHHH!" Seeming to realize where Undyne's head was, Asgore sighed as he stood up, and clapped his former apprentice on the shoulder. "Now now. Y/n has only woken up this morning. It is probably not healthy for her to have a spar so soon." She groaned sharply at how right he was, her yellow eye narrowing as you threw her a triumphant smirk.

"Fine... But I'm not forgetting this punk! We all know magic has both offensive and defensive sides to it, and you know I know you can fight without magic! I've seen you in the dojo!" Twitching slightly as everyone but a smiling Papyrus looked at you inquisitively, you stood up and ambled closer, shoving your hands into your pockets.

"I don't like to fight Undyne. You know that. I only do it because it's a good idea and self-defense is a necessary skill to have in this crazy world." You pursed your lips as your brow furrowed in thought. "Although... training with you might be a good idea since I seem to be on a hit list now..." A large toothy grin spread across the mermaid's face, though it was contradicted by the somber mood that fell upon everyone at the reminder. You squeaked as she wrapped a strong arm around your shoulders and pulled you into a tight hold, affectionately pressing her knuckles to your head in a much softer noogie than you knew she was capable of giving.

"You got it punk! Absolutely no one will be able to mess with you when I'M through with you!" You snickered softly as you fell limp and just let her finish; You knew from experience that struggling against Undyne was just NOT a good idea.

"Alright, that's enough excitement for now." Toriel's pleasant alto interrupted the manhandling, the motherly monster clapping her paws to gain the group's attention. "We have much to discuss now that Y/n is up. The Chief of Police would be happy to know that she's awake."

"Agh, I'm going to have to make so many calls..." You groaned in despair as Frisk was ushered back inside with Asgore's urging, Undyne putting you down with a grin and following her girlfriend back inside as well. "I lost practically everything in the fire... The only things I have left are the kittens and what I had in my bag..." Your head shot up and you glanced over to Toriel. "Err... Where IS my bag?"

"Oh! Let me fetch it for you, my child! Come in and sit down as I do; I have a slice of butterscotch pie for you. I did not miss that you didn't eat very much." She gave you a stern look, and you immediately nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." You murmur, effectively cowed as she hustled into the house, you not far behind before you felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of your hoodie. Blinking, you looked over to see Sans grasping at the dark fabric. You raised a brow at his contrite expression and tried to push away the irritation that welled up in response. He was still your friend after all; he probably had a reason for his pushing.

"Yes?"

"hey, listen..." He glanced away for a quick second, his free hand meeting his skull with a dull clack as he rubbed it absently. "i, uh... hope you're not too mad at me. i was kinda bein' a jerk.."

"Damn right you were. I respect your privacy, don't I?" He winced at that, before giving a single nod.

"yeah, ya always have... m'sorry. i just wanna make sure i can keep my family safe."

"I get that, trust me I do. And I know that you haven't known me all that long, but damn it, there are reasons why I keep that stuff private." You crossed your arms with a frown, popping your hip out to the side. "If I wanted to hurt any of you, wouldn't I have tried to do that already?" You leaned in closer to hiss at him in a much quieter voice. "Would I have jumped in without a care in the world to help your brother when a bunch of thugs was harassing him at knife-point?"

His breath caught before he inhaled shakily, letting his bony hand trail down his face. "right... you're right... and i owe ya everything in the world for that."

"No, you don't. Know why? Because that's your brother, the only one you got." You reached up to gently grasp his fingers and pull his hand away from his face, watching as those little lights moved to peer upon your face. "He makes you happy, and happiness is what you deserve."

"....ya think so?"

"Duh, numbskull." You smiled as a soft chuckle left him and as you moved to let his hand go, his phalanges closed around your own, causing you to blink. "Er..."

"we still friends?"

"Again. Duh." A pleased smile took the strain away from his face, the white lights brightening in his sockets.

"cool... but i still feel bad."

"You should. You hurt my feelings, dude."

"i know. and i wanna make it up to ya."

"Buy me a sketchbook or a journal then." Your expression turned sorrowful as you looked down. "I'm sure I lost all of my art and works except what I had in my bag from the fire..." His eyes widened, as though he didn't think of that before a rumbling groan left him. He knew how much your art and writing meant to you.

"i'll add that to the list then. but i wanted to do somethin' else."

"Oh?"

"yeah... wanted to take you out or somethin'." A small double-take was your response.

Uh oh.

"Um... You mean to Grillby's like we've done before?" His expression shifted into something a bit more nervous and frustrated as he glanced away, a light blue flush moving over his cheeks.

"no, not like that... i meant-"

"HUMAN!" You realized right then and there that if Sans didn't absolutely adore his little brother as much as he did, he would have used the filthiest words he knew to cuss him out; you could tell from the pure annoyance that rested on his surprisingly expressive skull.

"E-Eh, yes Paps?" You were both relieved yet unsure as you turned back to look at the angelic looking skeleton peering around the screen door. Wait a minute, did he ever leave...?

"THE QUEEN IS WAITING FOR YOU! SHE HAS ACQUIRED YOUR BAG AND IS QUITE ADAMANT THAT YOU EAT SOMETHING ELSE!"

"can it wait a bit bro? we're kinda talking." You giggled nervously at Sans' disgruntled look, shifting slightly on your feet.

"I'M AFRAID NOT BROTHER! SHE WAS QUITE INSISTENT, AND I MUST ADMIT I'D RATHER NOT ANGER THE QUEEN..." All three of you felt a chill at the mere thought, and you nodded rapidly. "Yeah, I hear that. Better hurry inside then." You hopped through the door with a flourish, before looking back with a confused frown as you realized they were not following you, evidenced by the gentle grip Papyrus had on his brother's shoulder. "You guys comin'?"

"GO AHEAD HUMAN! I MUST SPEAK WITH SANS FOR A MOMENT! WE WILL BE INSIDE SOON!" Glancing over to Sans and not able to gather anything from his smiling face, you nodded reluctantly before skipping off with a musing hum.

'Wonder what they're gonna talk about... Eh, s'not any of my business. I just hope Sans never tries to be sneaky and get a look at my soul.'

You didn't want anyone to know how intimate your soul was with The Void after all.

Watching his younger brother close the glass door, Sans let his skull tilt slightly to the side as he rose a brow bone, shoving his hands into his pockets out of nervous habit.

"so what's up bro?"

"I APOLOGIZE FOR MY INTERFERENCE BROTHER... BUT I WISHED TO SPEAK WITH YOU BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENED." Papyrus gave him a guilty, apologetic glance, wringing his gloved hands as Sans groaned softly.

"gotta say, bro, that was a real bone block... but i guess you're right, we should talk about this..." Sans eyed him before sighing.

"ABOUT BREAKFAST, I-"

"you really like her, don't ya...?"

"I-I... I, UM..." Papyrus tittered before giving a deep sigh. "...Yes... But you do as well." He watched Sans flush a light blue in response, his gaze shooting off to the side before he gave a single nod.

"yeah... she'd be a girl after my own heart if i had one." His grin quirked slightly at his brother's soft huff. "but... if you really like her that much..."

"NO. THAT, BROTHER, IS WHAT I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU ABOUT. YOU CAN'T KEEP CODDLING ME THIS WAY." Looking up at his younger brother in shock, he was pinned by an awfully serious, narrow-eyed look. "Sans... Like Y/n said, you deserve to be happy too. You give up a whole lot for me; You may not think I notice, but I do. And you cannot do it this time."

Whoa.

"b-but paps... i'm happy when you're happy."

"I cannot be your only source of happiness brother. I feel as though I have been awfully selfish all this time by letting it slide, but I shall not allow it now." It was always disconcerting whenever Papyrus used his true voice; He may never know it, but he sounded an awful lot like their father. "I see how happy she makes you... In the month you've known her, your smiles have become more... genuine."

Sans has also forgotten how sharp and observant his brother was as well. Years of resets were to blame for that. He felt an icy feeling of guilt niggling in his soul before roughly pushing it away; He could worry about that later.

"she makes you happy too, though... you can't lie to me bro, i've seen the way you look at her." Papyrus let his sockets close as he inhaled shakily, gripping at the bones of both his arms.

"You are right Sans... I care for her very much. She's always so positive and attentive... I feel as though she truly cares about what I have to say. She does not mind my more... 'childish' tendencies, in fact, I believe she enjoys them. She always encourages me to do my best and gets genuinely upset on my behalf when others doubt me. She makes me feel... safe." Sans watched as Papyrus gave a dreamy sigh. "She's sweet and kind... But she hides much. She does her best not to show it, but... I know. It is as if... She's afraid to get too close. As though we might reject her." Opening his eyes again, Papyrus looked back down at his brother, who was watching him closely. "Have you noticed...?"

"yeah... i know what ya mean." Sans rubbed at his skull as he glanced down at the ground. "s'not fair of me to pry, but... i want to be someone she can turn to... someone she can confide in. a shoulder she can cry on..."

"As do I brother. I want to always give her a reason to smile."

"a reason to laugh."

"Make her feel safe."

"see her succeed."

"Hold her when she's sad."

"let her know how i feel."

"Always encourage her."

"be there by her side."

"But then... There's you." The two brothers locked gazes, each trying to read the other's expression.

"and there's you."

Silence reigned for a little while before deep sighs filled the air in unison. They were in too deep. The short time they had known you didn't matter; when a monster felt a soul deep attraction, there was no going back.

"What are we to do Sans...?" The eldest brother looked out over the peaceful garden in thought, before his sockets widened slowly as a thought came to him. That thought flourished into an idea.

A crazy... Sick... Wonderful idea.

"listen, paps... we're brothers. we've always been close, and we've shared everything... still do, right?" Papyrus blinked, before nodding slowly in confusion, not knowing where Sans was going with this.

"so... why can't we share her too?"

The following silence was deep and heavy with the implications of that suggestion.

"I... The only person I've ever been good at sharing anything is with you, brother... If it's you, I don't think I'd mind." Papyrus' expression was clouded with worry and no small amount of hope. "But... Nyeh... are you sure...?"

"sharing is caring bro." Seeing that his little brother was cautiously, yet very seriously considering his mad idea, his grin started to widen. "although... we'd have to get her to agree too."

Papyrus froze at the mere thought of coming to you with such a proposal. "Do you think she'd agree to it...?"

"well, here's the thing bro... Y/n ain't stupid. she's probably already figured out that both of us like her after that mess at breakfast, if not before." Papyrus nodded absently as Sans chuckled. "and since she hasn't rejected us outright, i'd say she has some feelings for us too. but knowin' her, she doesn't want to come between us as brothers and is tryin' to find out a nice way to tell us that by not getting involved with either of us."

"You're probably correct brother... She has always adored our relationship, for whatever reason..." Papyrus mused to himself with a hum, stroking his mandible thoughtfully. "So... If we explain our agreement to her, and say we do not mind... She might agree?"

"that's the idea."

"But... What if she doesn't...? Would she still be our friend...?" Sans stopped, hesitating only a bit before nodding.

"course paps. i don't think it'd be like her to end such a good friendship like that."

"Then... Either way, we must have hope!"

"heh... i dunno about you, but HoPe was something i never had much of." It took a few minutes, but when the joke registered, Papyrus groaned pitifully.

"SANS! REALLY?!" A deep rolling laugh came from Sans as his brother fumed, throwing open the glass door with a shout. "HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!"

"nah, not really." Sans strolled back inside as though he didn't have a care in the world, his usual lazy grin plastered on his face as a grumbling Papyrus stomped in afterward.

"CLEARLY!" Sans went automatically limp as his brother picked him up, snickering as the stress from the conversation lessened in his soul, and morphed into a different worry.

The worry of rejection.

"Brother?"

"yeah, paps?"

"Thank you, for easing my concerns." The two skeletons shared a fond, loving glance as they moved towards the living room as Sans chuckled.

"no prob bro. now we just need to find a way to get her alone and talk to her." Sans could already see the gears turning in his brother's head as his expression turned thoughtful, the puzzle presented to him being looked at from every angle as they entered the living room where everyone else was present.

The boys couldn't help but smile at the raptured expression of you taking your first bite of butterscotch pie. If Toriel wanted to sell her pies, she could make a killing off that stuff.

"Mmf... Oh hey, guys..." You murmured in greeting as you tried to focus on the feeling that made you think your taste buds were making love. "Y'all okay?"

"OF COURSE WE ARE HUMAN! IT'S NOT LIKE THERE WAS ANY DANGER NEARBY OR ANYTHING!"

"yeah. what paps said." Your eyes narrowed imperceptibly at the skeletons before you shrugged, taking another bite of the delicious pastry that took residence with a plate on your lap. "so what's everyone talkin' 'bout?"

"Y/n needs somewhere to live!" Both boys blink at Frisk's outburst, looking around as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah... Thankfully the college and my editor understood the situation and are letting me take a month or so off to recuperate. The insurance company said they'd cover everything, but... Even if they could rebuild my house just the way it was, moving anywhere near that general area again would be a very bad idea. Hell, living alone anywhere would be stupid. I called the Chief of Police, and... they know who did it. The people that did it wanted us to know who did it." Your expression turned somber as you leaned back against the couch you sat on, hands clasped tightly together. Sans looked as though he was about to ask, but as your eyes flickered quickly over to a smiling Frisk who was being dutifully distracted by Flowey, he seemed to realize this wasn't something that should be discussed in front of the kid. "And any monster-friendly apartments in the city don't have any more vacant spaces."

"I keep telling the loser she could stay with me and Alph," Undyne grumbled softly as she crossed her arms, glaring at you, "but she keeps sayin' that's a bad idea. Can't imagine why!"

The deadpan expression you gave her was probably extremely impressive. "Hellooooo? You and Alphys are a loving couple. You may be my number one ship, but I don't want to accidentally be a... barrier, so to speak." Toriel giggled daintily behind a paw as both monsters in question flushed at the innuendo, before guiltily looking at each other.

Well, you weren't lying...

"We would offer you a room here... But if any news channel caught wind of another human besides Frisk staying with us, it would not look very good." Asgore is visibly saddened that this is the case, and you quickly nodded in understanding.

"As it is, there is probably reporters looking for me already... I'd hate to cause any of you any more trouble than I already have." You frowned deeply, pressing your fingertips to your temples and rubbing at the area where a headache was beginning to blossom. "But... Either way, that leaves me stuck. Hotels are out of the question; People could find me easily if they wanted to."

Frisk, who at that moment had tuned in without anyone noticing, asked quite innocently, "Well, why not stay with Sans and Paps?"

You had never known true silence until that very moment.

Chapter Text

Absolute pandemonium had ensued a few seconds after Frisk's seemingly innocent statement.

Undyne and Alphys, not surprisingly, had been all for that idea, incredibly evil gleams in their eyes as they exchanged excited glances. Toriel had been slightly concerned at the thought of you staying with two boys (who obviously had a thing for you at that- gotta love that motherly instinct) but had agreed that was probably the best solution. The kittens had meowed their pleasure at the suggestion; They rather liked the skeletons. Asgore had meekly agreed as well, despite looking incredibly uncomfortable with giving his opinion, and Flowey didn't really give a fuck other than looking like he was really enjoying your discomfort.

However, the worst (or best- depends on your view) part of it was that the skelebros had gone absolutely stiff, looked at each other very silently for a long time, and then as delight began to crease their skulls for a reason you couldn't fathom, had cheerfully confirmed their assent to the idea.

"WE HAVE PLENTY OF ROOM HUMAN! WE WOULDN'T MIND IT AT ALL IF YOU CAME TO LIVE WITH US!"

"yeah, it makes things a lot easier on all of us. we can make sure yer safe, and you don't have ta spend money on buying a house or anything else you need shelter wise. it's a win-win situation."

No, no it wasn't! Living daily with sexual tension or jealousy always hanging in the air is not how you imagined living your life!

Sensing your rising panic, Undyne stood up and grasped you by the head, forcing your overwhelmed eyes to make contact with her sharp yellow one.

"Y/n, you don't have much of a choice. This is wartime." You blinked slightly, frowning. Wartime? "Unless you plan to move to another city and let those... jerks win," She nodded at your offended and aghast expression as though she had expected it, "...you can't exactly be choosy here. You said it yourself; It's not safe to live on your own. It's either staying with me and Alph or staying with Sans and Papyrus. Which is it gonna be?"

Grrr... As much as you hated it, she was so very right... You hadn't thought of it that way.

Gah... Okay, either stay with an absolutely adorably sappy couple who were probably getting it on several times a week and were possibly very loud about it, which would cause your fill of sleep to plummet to virtually nothing...

Or, live with two very crafty skeleton brothers who you had a building affection for, and were very sure liked you back, but had to tiptoe around to make sure there was no jealousy to fuck up any relationship.

.......You supposed death was not an option at this juncture.

"....You know, you're very hard to argue with sometimes..." You replied in a soft, defeated tone, watching her eye light up victoriously. "Fine, I'm staying with the brothers." She let out a wild whoop as she jumped up in the air, her little celebration joined in by Alphys who was squealing happily at the thought of her ship living together.

Sneaking a quick glance at the skeletons in question, you narrowed your eyes at the very smug, self-satisfied looks they were excitedly exchanging. What the hell...?

Those looks weren't challenging... They were collaborative. 

What were they planning?

"Well then! Since that is settled, why don't the two of you take Y/n and introduce her to your home, since it will be her new one?" Toriel calmly suggested, standing up and placing a furry paw on your shoulder. "It has been quite a day for her, and you two should help her get comfortable." Sans was quickly put down as they both nodded, Sans shuffling over to pick up your two kittens and let them burrow into his hoodie.

"c'mon kiddo. it won't take long to get you settled since you don't have much." He trailed off as you shot him a flat look that said 'really?', making him grimace. "that was tactless."

"Incredibly so, ya bonehead." You grumbled, taking your purse into your grasp as Papyrus strolled over and snatched you up, tucking you under his arm with exuberance.

"TO YOUR NEW HOME HUMAN!" You gave a dull wave to everyone else as the tall skeleton carried you out the door, sighing softly as the door to the royal family's mansion soon obscured your view of your friends, the door clicking shut.

The walk was silent, at first, and you swayed as Papyrus marched along cheerfully, chattering in an animated way despite you not being able to bring yourself to listen. Without something interesting to distract you, you could feel yourself slowly slipping into depression.

Oh, fuck, not now...

A bony hand came within your line of sight and grasped at one of your low hanging hands, and lolling your head to the side, you blinked slowly as you spotted Sans watching you with a diminished smile.

"you doin' okay...?" About to say you were fine, you weren't able to even get your first word out when he said, "if you say you're okay, i won't believe ya. papyrus has been trying to get your attention for the last few seconds." Wincing, you glanced further up to indeed spot Papyrus watching you with a worried crease between his brow bones.

"Ah... Sorry Paps... What were you saying...?"

"I WAS THINKING ABOUT CLEANING OUT OUR GUEST ROOM, SO YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN SPACE INSTEAD! SLEEPING ON THE COUCH WOULD GET TIRING AFTER A WHILE... WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

"Oh... I'd hate to be a burden, though..."

"NONSENSE! IT IS THE LEAST I COULD DO FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL FRIEND!"

"Well... That'd be nice. Thank you Papyrus."

"EXCELLENT! I SHALL BEGIN ONCE WE MAKE IT HOME! OH! SPEAKING OF WHICH!" You blinked as he adjusted his grip on you (thank god, your stomach felt like it would become one huge bruise now), and your eyes locked on a large house, though was modest compared to the royal mansion, that favored a wooden look, almost like a log cabin. "WELCOME TO SCENIC OUR HOUSE!"

"Oh, it's lovely boys, but uh... Why is there snow on the roof?" The last time you checked, you were in a pretty warm state in the middle of August...

"eh, we were too lazy to clean it off after coming topside." You gave Sans the blankest look you could manage as he unlocked the door and pushed it open before you sighed.

Monsters and magic of course. I'm a Mage, why do I even ask such questions anymore...?

"so, uh... this is our house. it's yours now too, though." Somehow, you managed not to flinch at that as Papyrus set you onto your feet again, and the three of you strolled into the house where you stopped and looked around curiously.

While not as big as the mansion the three of you just left, the place was definitely bigger than your modest little home. It had a hall that led off towards dining room, and probably branched off to a grand kitchen, since Papyrus loved to cook. The living room was large and homey looking with a gaudy green couch pushed against a wall and on the wall opposite of it was a tv stand with a large flat screen TV placed atop it. A multitude of pictures covered one particular wall, tastefully hung in a pattern, and a certain warmth filled your soul as you realized they were all pictures of your friends and new acquaintances enjoying the surface. Why would anyone hate such wonderful creatures just for being who they were...?

"FEEL FREE TO LOOK AROUND AND ENJOY THE GLORIOUSNESS OF OUR HOUSE, FRIEND! MEANWHILE, I SHALL GO AND CLEAN UP THE GUEST ROOM! SANS, MAKE SURE SHE FEELS WELCOME, WON'T YOU?"

"you got it paps." Sans winked at his brother as he gallivanted off into the recesses of the house, watching the kittens jump out of his pockets and begin to explore before glancing over to you as you approached the pictures for a closer look. "whatcha lookin' at?" Shuffling to stand at your side, he smiled as he caught sight of all the pictures. "oh, yeah. s'our little gallery. didn't have many pictures back under, so we make up for it whenever we can now that we've made it up here."

"I see..." Your eyes roamed over each individual picture, noticing a certain pattern that made you frown. "You're hardly in any of these..."

"that's cause i'm the one holdin' the camera kid." He chuckles as he fondly gazes over each and every one of the photos. "wouldn't want my ugly mug ruinin' the nice view, eh?"

"Don't be stupid, you're a pretty handsome guy-" You cut yourself off as he whirled around to stare at you intensely, and you coughed awkwardly as you attempted to backtrack. "You've just got that.. look about you. You sorta... light up the room when you walk into it... y'know?"

"you sure you're talkin' 'bout me kid? i don't recall ever being a lamp." He snickered, but you could feel the disappointment radiating in his magic.

"Really, cause you light up my world like nobody else-" You couldn't help but make the ultimate cheesy reference to a certain song and watched in delight as he cut you off with a loud snort, covering his grin with a skeletal hand (not like it would do much...). At least it made the disappointment go away.

"why? why does that line exist!? stupid boy bands!"

"Well, I mean, it's better than being rick-rolled..." At the confused look he gave you, you sighed before holding your hand to your mouth as though you had a microphone. "Never gonna give you up~ Never gonna let you down~ Never gonna run around-"

"and desert you!" The lights were bright in his eyes as he grinned widely, throwing his hands up in the air. "that's one of my favorite songs ever!"

"What? You actually like that song dude?"

"it's a good song!" He defended immediately, looking nonplussed. "don't judge me!"

You giggled, hiding the spreading grin on your lips behind a single hand. "Dude, that is like, one of the biggest troll songs in existence. It's not just a cheesy love song, people play it as a prank most of the time." His offended expression went blank before a sly grin took its place.

"heh, really? no wonder i like it." Oh shit, why did you even say anything... "oh yeah, this is goin' in my arsenal, and you know it."

"Fuck my liiiife, the world was already doomed when you finally found out what a meme was..." Any regret for bringing up that certain subject was overshadowed by the satisfaction of seeing him smile so genuinely.

"one does not simply give me ammo, kiddo." Never mind, the regret could never be looked over. You threw up your hands in exasperation before ambling over to the couch and plopping down on it face first, screaming into the cushions. You could hear his chuckling grow in volume as he strolled over to you, and you could just picture the shit-eating grin he had on his face while he looked down at your prone form.

"Armageddon is coming, I swear to you." Your voice was muffled by the cushions but you were sure he caught the gist of it.

"hehe... see, this is what you need." Letting your head shift to the side so he could see you cock a questioning brow, he shoved his hands into his pockets as he glanced off to the side. "ya need people you care about surrounding you. bein' alone after what happened is definitely not goin' to help, in any sense of the word." You felt a cold pit settle in your stomach, amusement fading as you hid your face once more.

"Could we not talk about this right now...?"

"kid, holdin' all this in isn't good for ya..." You sneered at the worried tone, though he couldn't see it at all.

"Hi pot, I'm kettle." A weary, irritated sigh was your response, and you immediately felt bad. That was a low blow and you knew it; It wasn't his fault... "I'm sorry... I didn't mean that..." The extremely weak tone flowing from your throat immediately caught his attention, and when he leaned forward to catch a glimpse of your mournful expression, he quickly grew alarmed. "w-whoa, why're you-"

"You all... Deserve so much more than you're being given, y'know...?" His expression froze as his pinpricks began to analyze your face, and you turned to look at him as you nibbled on your bottom lip with woeful eyes. "First being trapped under Ebott for millennia... And now that you all have finally reached the surface... Humans still give you all sorts of trouble. It's just not fair..." Your hands tightened into fists in your hair as you sniffled softly. "It's funny... how it's not you guys that are the real monsters..."

"wait, wait, you're about to cry over us?!" Both anger and incredulity were becoming a dangerous mixture in his voice as the dulcet tones began to rise with the emotion. "shit, y/n, stop worrying about us! it was your house that was destroyed!"

Despite knowing it wasn't going to help at all, you couldn't help but get defensive.

"Haven't you noticed that I don't give a damn about myself?!" Not one to back down, your voice rose with your body to the challenge, lifting yourself up on your hands as the two of you locked glares. "Yeah, it was my house and possessions, but... You all are the ones that matter more! Since I'm not backing down, they might come after any of you next! Do you know how horrible I'd feel?!"

"if they'd try to go after anyone physically, it'd be you! it's not us you should be worried about!"

"I'll damn well be worried about all of you whether you like it or not! You guys are the only precious things I have left!" The admission left Sans floundering, and you felt hot tears welling in the corners of your eyes. You must have reached your limit if you were getting this emotional this fast.

You hated that.

"I-If I lose you g-guys... I dunno what I'll d-do... It doesn't matter if I've only known you four for a month or two... It feels like I've known you forever... Does that make sense?" You murmured in a wavering voice, dipping your head once again as you pressed the butt of your palm to your eyes, hiding the first few tears that began to fall down your face.

You had almost forgotten how it felt to cry. It had been ten years since you had really done so. You felt so weak whenever you did it...

Damn it, damn it! N-Not now...

You were suddenly swept up in a warm embrace, and you gasped softly as your face was tucked into a soft shoulder while two skeletal hands pressed into your back. You could feel your front being comfortably pressed against a warm rib cage.

What..?

"...yeah. it makes a lot of sense kid." Your eyes widened as you felt the reverberation of that baritone through a dense clavicle that was covered by something suspiciously soft and warm. "i get it... but you can't worry about us if you're not doin' good, get what i'm saying? we just want ya to be safe..." Your hands fumble slightly in your loss of what to do, your teeth nibbling gently on your bottom lip as you flushed. This was the closest you had ever been to him...

Probably not the best time to be thinking about that, though... Say something idiot!

"I... I-uh..." You gripped at the edges of his jacket, just barely holding back a tremble as you felt his warm breath ghost over your neck. "I-I'm um... not... used to people worrying about me... I've been alone a long time."

"well, ya better get used to it now sweetheart." The new and much more affectionate nickname made the flush spreading across your face deepen, throwing you for a loop. "we think yer worth worryin' about."

Shiiiiieeet, how hard was he going to drive that stake of feels into your soul?!

"Aww.... Aww man..." You pushed against his chest in order to regain your personal space and turn away, and you knew he was looking at you weird, but you just couldn't. "H-Hang on, I uh... have something in my eye here..." You moved to wipe at your eyes as you sniffled, trying to rid yourself of all traces of salt water on your face.

It didn't help that you could see him giving you a soft look out of the corner of your eye.

"it's okay to cry ya know."

"Crying gives me a headache... And makes me tired. I already wanna take a nap as it is..." The extremely worried look he was giving you caused you to frown. "What...?"

"listen, sweetheart, i like sleepin' as much as the next guy, but... you've been doin' that for four days. wouldn't sleeping more be a bit excessive?" You sucked in a sharp breath, glancing down nervously as you played with your fingers.

With your reaction, he was definitely going to demand to know what was wrong. And he deserved to know; They all did. They cared and worried about you, and you knew they'd understand. He didn't have to know everything, but... the technicalities would be less difficult to explain. You knew that.

That knowledge didn't make that first leap of faith any easier, however.

"That... wasn't... sleep." You turned shaky eyes so they made contact with skeptical eye sockets, and gulped in apprehension. "Uh... You see... I'm kinda sick Sans." You moved so you sat criss-cross on the couch, watching as the area between his brow bones furrowed. "Not physically, though sometimes my illness could affect me in that way, uh... Damn, how do I explain this...?"

"just take a deep breath and start from the beginning, okay? sick how?" Doing as he said and feeling a bit tightness ease from your chest as you exhaled, you only slightly hesitated as you tapped your forehead.

"Um... mentally. Are there... any monsters that have gone through depression?" His skull cocked to the side a bit in confusion and you sighed. "Guess not... Do you want the fast or scientific explanation?"

"scientific, please."

"Okay, so, monsters are mostly made up of magic while humans are made up of tissue and flesh and all that other stuff, right? Putting it in the way of bodily functions, it's our brain that controls our actions, which is up here." Pointing to your head, you waited until he nodded in comprehension before continuing on. "Our brain is part of the nervous system, which is sort of like the control center of everything we do. Nerves branch out from our spinal cord and lace through our entire body, and are attached to every organ, and muscle, and the brain sends out electro-chemical signals to certain parts of the body when the occasion calls for it and tells them what to do, like when I move my fingers for example." You waggled your fingers teasingly as an example, and he nodded as he chuckled.

"right. the magic in monsters kinda acts in the same way when putting it that way."

"Ah, good to know. Anyway, the brain is also the center of emotions and certain chemicals are released when we feel a certain way. Normally, while there are chemicals still moving around, it is balanced in such a way that humans aren't an emotional mess all the time. But uh... In MY brain, I... have an imbalance." A brow bone rose super quick in response to your hesitance.

"...an imbalance."

"Yes. A chemical imbalance. I'm not the only one this has happened to, and it's not life threatening-most of the time-but a chemical imbalance could mean a lot of different things to different people. In my case, it's uh, depression." Seeing his interested gaze, you patted the cushion beside yourself and watched him sit down, eyesights still focused on your face. You could hear fumbling and sharp muted thumps through the ceiling, but you decided to pay attention to that later. "Depression is a mood disorder caused by a lack of a certain chemical in our brain, such as one called dopamine, which is released when we're feeling happy. A feeling of despondency, dejection, and hopelessness in the person is the result." As his expression turned into one of concern, you winced, but moved onward. "I-It's not exactly curable but it can be treated with medicine and therapy. In fact, I'm going to need to get more since I lost the pills in the fire... Anyway, in addition to that, I have something called... Dissociation disorder. A very severe case of it."

"...i'm kinda afraid to ask, but... what's that?"

"When going through a traumatic experience, some people detach themselves from it as a response in order to 'survive' the situation. There are many different forms of detachment, but overall, it's a way to create distance to lessen the pain you could feel." An errant thought of how similar it is to LV and EXP automatically sickens you to your core and you violently push that morbid tidbit away. "It's like an on and off switch. When a person dissociates, they turn 'off' until they're ready to deal with their environment or situation again, and turn back 'on'. Me personally... My form is very rare, strange, and... Well, there's no specific name for it. 'Detachment' is achieved by... shutting my whole body down. It's like my mind gives up, and since the brain controls the rest of the body, it makes my body quit with it. It's not... sleep. It's like fainting, or going unconscious. I had been doing better, I haven't had a single episode ever since I met Papyrus and the rest of you. But even before then, my episodes never lasted so long. Only several hours at the most. But I guess... with the buildup, and that sort of trigger... My brain just needed a lot more time than usual. But that much time... is dangerous. It's never been that long before. I'm glad I was with you guys when it happened... If I was alone... I would have died from dehydration within three of those four days."

......

The easiest way to describe the small skeleton's expression was to say it was a mixture of horror and on the verge of flipping a shit, to be incredibly honest. He seemed to swallow roughly, glancing down at slightly shaking hands with completely dark eye sockets as he struggled to exhale a shaky breath.

"you... you could have died..."

"...Yeah."

"...a-and.... there's no cure...?"

"Not anything solid or medicinal, no. For some, it lasts for a while and they grow out of it, but for others, it lasts a lifetime."

"...how long have you had it?"

".....Ten years." A hissing breath was inhaled through his teeth as he reached over to tightly grasp your hand, seeming more so for his sake than yours. It was almost silly that you were rubbing your thumb in comforting circles over the carpal bones of his hand to calm him down; you were the one with the chronic illness!

"....it's silly... monsters were always told how much stronger humans were compared to us. it would take every monster in existence to match the power of a single human soul. and yet..." He took a deep calming breath as his eyes turned their attention to your clasped hands. "you all have so many things you can fall to... things we can't fall prey to. it's..."

"Rattling, isn't it?"

"...yea. bone-rattlin'."

Darkness.

Hello, old friend. Seems I've come to visit you again.

The comedic potential of the lyrics was too alluring to pass up, even if you were chuckling by yourself.

The inky blackness stretching on towards infinity was, sadly, not exactly a new sight for you. It was almost normal to you.

Well, as normal as being stuck in the Void could get for someone.

Hm... Speaking of such, you began to wonder if you would become graced with the presence of a friend who inhabited this realm.

"You rang, my dear?"

Heh. Speak of the devil.

"Nice to hear from you again, old friend." The first time you had fallen to your ailment, you had only been in your pre-teen years. The Void back then had been terrifying, and it was like a terrible nightmare that you couldn't wake up from. And then, a choppy yet soothing masculine voice sounding like it was nowhere and all around you at the same time had asked you to stop your thrashing and calm down.

Ever since then, this voice would visit you whenever your depression overwhelmed you. And in the ten years of having it, the two of you had gotten close. He was a monster that had an accident which landed him in the position he was in now, and it had practically wiped his existence from the face of the Earth. No one but his sons, an apprentice, and a few very close friends could barely remember him. You had spoken of your upsets, what had led you to become who you were today, and in the process of these confessions, the two of you had built a strangely affectionate relationship.

But even in those ten years, he had never given you his name.

"Ah, likewise darling. Though I must say, I do not like the method which brings you here." You chuckled at the annoyance settled deep within the glitched, staticky voice sounding in your head. You couldn't really speak in the void; Not through normal means. It was the same for breathing or wishing to move around. A normal human would have quickly lost their mind from the sensory deprivation.

Though to be honest, you would have too, the first time it had happened.

If your friend had not found you, that is.

"You know I cannot help that, my friend. The piece of the Void in my soul feeds off my illness and negative emotions. I have told you this before."

"Even so, my dear Y/n, it worries me. The Void has become temperamental as of late... As I have told you before, there is no time here. It feels as though it has been mere minutes as well as an eternity since you last visited. If you could tell me...?"

"Two months."

"Oh my, that's the longest you've ever gone! You must have had something to keep you happy and busy, yes?" With the genuine happiness that you could hear in the glitched tones, you couldn't help but smile to yourself, thinking of why your ailment had been so inactive lately.

"Yes... I've made... Some really nice friends. And they've made me very happy. They're monsters, and well... They've kept my mind off things."

"I am so happy for you, my dear!"

The two of you talked about idle things for what felt like forever, catching up since it had been a while since you two had spoken. He asked of your new friends and seemed incredibly thrilled for some strange reason when you spoke of Sans, Alphys, and Papyrus specifically. Upon asking why, he merely said he knew them personally before his accident and was glad to hear them doing well, but wouldn't say any more.

"Oh, by the way, Y/n.... I believe I felt your presence here, not too long ago, but I could not find you. It was worrying..."

Boy howdy, here we go.

"Well.... My friend, here's the thing... This is the second time I've been in the Void in a single day, I am sure of it. Though the first time, I was... Unaware. I could not sense as much as I usually do, and, even though there are no features in the void at all which can truly prove this to me, the energy of the Void felt... Different."

"....Different in what way?"

"Here, I always feel if you are nearby, and it's comforting, to say the least. I'm used to this portion of the Void. But where I was before... It was suffocating. The darkness here is neutral, yet welcoming, but in the other place, it felt... Malicious. Like it was closing in, trying to crush me. And you weren't there. I couldn't feel your presence. It was... Frightening."

The following silence wasn't at all comforting.

"My dear..."

"...Yeah?"

"How long did this previous bout you spoke of last in your world?"

"Er... Four days." You felt more than heard the sharp exhale he released, and suddenly you could actually feel static building up around what was probably your body. You knew this feeling. It was only ever present when your nameless friend was angry or nervous. Even so, this had a deeper urgency to it than it ever had before. "What the-... Hey, what's going on?!"

"Y/n, you are in incredible danger being here. You must leave, now!"

"What?! My friend, I do not understand, why are you so frantic?! You're freaking me out!"

"My dear, listen to me." The sensation of large slender hands grabbing your shoulders made you stiffen; Your friend usually made it a point to not touch you if he could help it, but at the moment the urgent choppiness in his voice let you know he did not care. "The Void is becoming insistent. Even if there is a laughably small piece of it in your soul, it is still infinite in its own right. The Void does not like being separated from itself, nor does it like that something it believes it owns is outside of its realm. Since the Void has been a part of your soul for a decade, it believes you belong to it at this juncture. It wants the Void in your soul to become a part of it." You weren't understanding the technicalities of why your friend was losing his shit, but as realization dawned, you felt an uncomfortable ice beginning to flow through your form.

Man, you just couldn't catch a break, could you?

"Do not space out now Y/n! This is much too serious for you to be daydreaming!" The hands shook your shoulders desperately to make you snap out of it, but even as you focused again, he kept on shaking.

"Stop it! You're making me dizzy!"

"I am trying to shake you out of your episode! You must leave! Leave now!" You were beginning to get disoriented as the feeling of static began rising to the point of being asphyxiating. "You cannot come back, do you understand? You must never come back, the Void might consume you if you do!"

"How in the utter hell am I supposed to stop that from happening when I have no control over that? And doesn't that mean you'll be all alone again?!" Contrary to common sense, you reached up to pull the hands at your shoulders away but was immediately foiled by what felt like another set of hands wrapping uncomfortably tight around each of your wrists and yanking them out of the way. "What the fuck-!"

"You cannot seriously be thinking about placing yourself in mortal danger simply for my sake!"

"It's not like that! You're my friend! It's not like you deserved this fate any more than I do! I can't just leave and forget all about you like you've done nothing for me, I care about you!" You struggled helplessly against the hands trying to shake you awake, feeling desperate as a sharp, dizzying pain began to pulse through your head. "I wanted to help you out of here! How can I do that if I can't see you again?! I don't even know your name!"

A sharp gasp of fear left you as another pair of hands cupped your face firmly before the fingers seemed to caress the sides of your face, making your struggles halt.

"If I tell you my name, my dear, will you leave willingly? And not come back?"

"You have my word. That's the least I can do for you'. The voice gave a sound similar to a sigh of relief, and you could feel a sudden drowsiness clouding your mind as the shaking quickly stopped. You could feel yourself slipping away, feel the comforting touch slowly disappear, and despite the dismay it brought, this was a deep exhaustion you just couldn't fight.

".....My name is WingDings Aster, though I go by Gaster. Now, remember, you promised me. Please darling..."

Wake

u

p

.

.

.

.

"--ake up!!"

You shot up out of your sleep into a sitting position, your eyes wide as broken gasps slipped through parted lips. Your hand tangled itself into your unkempt hair, your eyes staring unseeingly at your jeans.

Gaster...

"oh thank god, you're awake..." Jolting slightly at the harried baritone coming from your left, you peeked to the side to see your favorite skeletal comedian staring at your face with relief palpable in his features.

"....Sans?"

"yeah y/n.... you okay? sorry if you were havin' a good nap, 'm just a little jumpy about seein' you asleep, I guess... was worried you uh... wouldn't wake back up."

"N-No, don't apologize... Was having a bad dream anyway..." Taking deep breaths so the restriction in your lungs would ease, you gave a soft hum of content as you felt the sensation of warm phalanges pressing in between your shoulder blades and moving in gentle circles against the ridge of your spine. "How long was I out?"

"couple o' hours. pretty sure you were just nappin'."

"Yeah... Thanks..."

"my pleasure... c'mon sweetheart. paps made dinner."

Being helped up and led towards the kitchen, you let a soft sigh fall from your lips as you hid your hand in your sweater pocket and tightened it into a fist.

Remember Y/n, you have to remember.

Remember the man who speaks in hands.

Chapter Text

Sleep didn't come easy that night. Oh, and not for the usual reason either.

After a quiet dinner (well as quiet as it could be with Papyrus around), the skelebros decided a movie was in order. Not really feeling like it but realizing that saying no wasn't an option, you hooked up your laptop to the flat screen and picked out the Speed Racer movie out of the collection you had downloaded on your computer.

Hey, it was a good movie!

The kittens had somehow disappeared, probably exploring the house or whatever after dinner, and the two wedged you in between them on the couch as the movie started up and the lights went off. Throughout the whole thing, though, the boys kept offering you foods that you knew were high in sugar and caffeine and you had the feeling that they were trying to keep you awake for as long as possible. Papyrus himself didn't last long since he was used to a routine and passed out beside you, eventually grasping your hand in his sleep and keeping it trapped between his two much larger ones. Sans had been constantly dozing on and off during the movie but once his brother was out for the count, it was like he made it his life mission to stay awake and keep an eye on you if his constant glances toward you were any indication.

You finally got so sick of it during the montage making the Mach 6 right before the Grand Prix, you had actually turned to him when he glanced at you again and hissed quietly so as to not wake Papyrus. "What?!"

He double-taked, gazing up at you with wide eye sockets before giving a sheepish grin. "uh... guess i wasn't as stealthy as i thought..."

"No. You forget that I can feel the emotions and intent of those around me."

"oh, uh... right."

"What are you two so anxious about?" You huffed as you leaned back into the couch, looking at the TV but not really watching the movie anymore. "It's not like I'm going to spontaneously combust anytime soon."

"not a thought i wanted to imagine..." You gave him a capital L 'Look' and he raised his hands in apology. "a'ight, m'sorry... we're just worried about you, that's all."

"About me falling asleep."

"about you not waking up after falling asleep sweetheart." He gave a world-weary sigh as his sockets fell shut, and he seemed to deliberate for a bit before falling limp against the arm of the couch-- the opposite side of you. "i read that humans can sometimes wake up from a long sleep like that... but for monsters, that's not the case. so the thought of it makes us sorta antsy."

You felt the small wiggling feeling of guilt settle in your chest, and sighed; he had a point. That was something monsters didn't come back from- shit like that was an official Game Over.

"Alright, I get it... But I gotta sleep sometimes, Sans. Humans can't function without it- I can't be afraid of sleep."

"damn it, i know but... just humor us doll. please?"

"I am forewarning you, I can be a bitch without my sleep." For some reason, he chuckled at that and as you watched his expression shift, you blinked before narrowing your eyes at him. "Wait. Sweetheart? Doll? What's with the new nicknames?"

Huh. That was new.

You didn't know that his blue blush could glow in the dark. Dude was brighter than a lantern. Wonder if Papyrus was the same.

"er... well, uh..." You rested your chin on your hand as you watched his face in interest, his eye-lights looking at everything in the room but you. "just thought... t-to try something new, s'all... you don't like it or somethin'?"

Amused didn't even begin to describe your own expression, and you hated the feeling of delight you could feel flash through your nerves. Say no, just say no... "Well... I didn't say that..."

Damn your preference to tell the truth!

Turning to you, the expression of panic morphed into one of slight shock before slowly easing into something devilish, marked by a sly toothy grin. "oh is that so~"

You really liked making things harder for yourself, didn't you...?

Fortunately, he seemed to take pity on your conflicted self, and decided to get back to business. "so in order to not be eventually torn bone from bone by your sleepy bitchiness." You gave a nervous giggle as he waved a skeletal hand in the air. "what do we need to do to keep another episode from happening?"

"Oh well um... It only happens when I'm... really sad. I need to stay happy." Craving open a dark eye to peek at you, his constant grin turned into more of a lazy smirk.

"well, that doesn't sound too hard. me and paps will be able to do that, easy." Was it you, or did you detect a double meaning in that sentence...?

"Don't get too cocky bonehead. But I'll be frank, after meeting all of you, that was the only episode I had since."

"bet you we can kill two birds with one stone and raise your max HP too."

"Apologize my being pessimistic, but bullshit."

"ah ah ah! you need to be optimistic! i'm the one with blue magic, so you shouldn't be the one down."

"That was such a stretch."

"and you love it." He chuckled quietly at your quiet groan, and it only grew louder as Spritle and Chim Chim deliberately broke the fourth wall in the movie as his brother and his girlfriend were about to kiss. "now that's comedy."

"I can agree with you there. When I was smaller and I first saw it, I actually covered my eyes because I thought kissing was gross too."

"humans are so weird." You stuck out your tongue defiantly at him, and decided you didn't like the mischievous light that entered his eye. "bet you don't think that now, huh?"

"Well, now I don't know how I'd feel about it since I've never kissed anyone before." You returned in an ironically gloating voice, smiling haughtily.

You can honestly say you weren't expecting the incredulous expression he shot you.

"what? are you joking right now?"

"Who would joke about never having their first kiss when they're twenty-two Sans?" You frowned, not liking the turn the conversation had taken. He was about to tease you, wasn't he?

"no person has ever tried to make a move on you?"

Interestingly enough, his expression was affronted, not teasing.

"Nope. Besides, I'm a demisexual Sans. If I'm not interested in any specific person, I feel no sexual attraction towards anything." He flushed blue again, but hey, he asked. "I'm not going to give my first kiss to someone just for shits and giggles."

"oh... so uh. you've never... been on a date?"

"Nu-uh."

"never been in a relationship?"

"Negative."

"have you ever been attracted to anyone ever...?" You glanced over to him with a purposely blank expression, wondering what his angle was here.

"....You're asking all the hard questions today, huh?"

"just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"satisfaction brought it back."

"Touché, mon copain." He shrugged, your gazes locked as you tried to read what the other was thinking. His face gave nothing away, but the emotional radar was picking up a vague sense of anticipation and... anxiety?

After another moment or two, you sighed, realizing he wasn't going to let you avoid the question.

"....Yes."

"...recent?"

"Oh, my Stars. Yes, you meddler." Radar was reading hopefulness now. You gulped as you watched the eye-lights brighten further in the void-like eye sockets. He spoke again in an eager breathy tone.

"who...?"

"Self-preservation dictates no reply."

"oh c'mon doll, gossip with me." His grin was incredibly confident as he rose from his slump and shuffled closer to you, looking like the cat who caught the canary. "it's not that secret is it?"

You leaned away, blush raging over your face and a grimace on your lips. "Y'know what, yes, yes it is. In fact, it's so secret, I will never tell anyone in this entire world who they are. So fuck off."

"ooh, they? Meaning no gender, or perhaps more than one?" Your eyes widened and you floundered for a bit, his fiendish grin getting impossibly wider as he rested on his non-existent stomach and propped his skull upon his hands, tilting it to look up at you. He looked very much like the generic gossiping school girl in said position. If said school girl was a male preferred skeleton that only reached your chin. "your reaction makes me think the latter~. how scandalous."

"You are not fucking off. No fucking off is happening here." You were practically pressed up against Papyrus' side, feeling yourself being pushed into a metaphorical box at this point. "Can't we just pretend I didn't say anything?"

"oh no, you're not getting out of this that easy." He chuckled darkly. "i gotta make sure they're good enough for ya."

"My love life is not a democracy damn it, you don't get veto powers."

"as your friend, I disagree." You didn't need your mental radar to know he was radiating smugness. "now, who could they be...?"

"You're getting nothing from me."

"well then, i suppose i'll just have ta guess, now won't i?" His pointer phalange tapped against the bottom of his jaw as he looked up, pretending to look like he was thinking. Sweat trickled a cold unnerving path down the back of your neck. He was toying with you!

Ass. Hole.

"now if i think about this logically, the only reason you could be adamantly refusing to tell me who they are is if i know them..." Understatement of the year. "hm... who do i know that you are incredibly friendly with?"

"If I said Bratty and Catty, would you believe me and cut it out?" The responding look he shot you was almost worth the panic that was starting to set in. "Guess not."

"funny. i forgot to laugh."

"I regret nothing."

"so they're monsters?"

"........"

"i'll take that as a yes~." How was it possible for him to be looking more and more pleased...?

"There are no words for how much I hate you right now."

"you know you don't. why won't you tell me?"

"Because it wouldn't matter anyway! I'm not going to get involved with them because I don't want to mess their relationship up-" Before you could fully finish your incredibly blunt sentence, you both froze as Papyrus grumbled and shifted, disturbed by the raising of your voice.

Remember the grip he had on your hand?

While shifting in his sleep, he had pulled on your hand and before you knew it, the two of you were horizontal on the large couch with you wrapped up in his arms.

Laying on top of him.

Yeah.

You were very sure that whatever deities watching right now were laughing at you.

And you were also sure, evidenced by his shaking shoulders and his skull pressed deep into a pillow, Sans the Skeleton was doing the same.

"You jackass!" You hissed in a furious whisper, going completely stiff to minimize any possibility of waking up the cinnamon roll underneath you. Said cinnamon roll was nuzzling his face into your hair while you glared at his chuckling brother.

"ho-ho-holy shit..." He snickered, blue tears of mirth trailing from the corners of his sockets as he shook with the effort to keep his chuckles quiet. "y-you... you should have seen your face...!"

"Don't laugh at me! Get me out of his grip!" Even if you had the impoliteness to escape yourself, you had a feeling that the skeleton's grip was much stronger than it felt around you.

"mmm.... nah."

What.

"'Nah'? 'Nah'?!" Your voice was threatening to leave a whisper again. "Whaddya mean nah?!"

"it might wake paps up. he looks too peaceful. in fact," he gave a long drawn out yawn, moving onto his knees as he shed his hoodie, "i think i'll join 'im."

"Omg." As he shuffled closer, your eyes widened as a certain gleam of his eye-lights made you realize what he was about to do. "Sans no."

"sans yes." You began to scream internally as he fucking flopped down on top of your stomach. "huh. humans are soft and warm, aren't they? must be all that skin and stuff."

"Sans, despite not having one, you are a complete ass. Seriously, I do not have enough middle fingers to tell you how I feel about you right now."

"i'm sensing hostility from here."

"You don't say?"

"just relax kid. these hard bones pokin' ya?" You shifted slightly, frowning as you realized that between your spot on top of Papyrus and Sans draped over you, you weren't... exactly feeling all those sharp edges that you knew for a fact were there.

"...No. Physically, this is not uncomfortable at all. How are you guys so warm and stuff?"

"maaaagic~."

"I wonder, is there a word for how done I am with you? I don't think there is." The quiet deep chuckle vibrated through your body, and realizing he definitely wasn't moving, you exhaled deeply as you resigned yourself to your fate. You knew from experience that if he didn't want to, Sans wouldn't move without brute force needed, as he had gravity magic on his side. Staring up at the ceiling with a scowl, you tried to calm yourself down and focused on the steady breathing of the skeletons you were sandwiched between.

'Maybe I can get some sleep then...'

"oh hey. y/n." Peeking down at the offender with an annoyed cock of the brow, he tossed you an amused glance before his eyes fell closed. "don't worry too much about those people you're interested in... who knows?" He yawned again, starting to drift off to sleep.

"they might even... agree to share you..."

What the fuck did he just say...?

"Sans? Say that again?"

No answer.

"Sans, there's no way you could have fallen asleep that fast!" Your whisper was borderline panicky. "Sans!"

You gained a soft snore in response.

........

So yeah.

You didn't get much sleep that night.

Chapter Text

Not even a fucking wink of sleep was to be had.

And the immediate blow up of noise upon your impromptu skeleton bed and blanket waking certainly didn't help either.

After the one-sided awkward verbal dance ended up with you sandwiched in between your two roommates of not even one day on the couch, you had let the final words Sans spoke sink into your brain.

they might even agree to share you...

You wish you had been hearing things when he said that. You were seriously wondering what the hell he was thinking when he said it.

Sans may have been a jackass for literally falling asleep on top of you, but he wasn't stupid. Not in any sense of the word. Yes, you avoided telling him who you liked, but that didn't mean Sans didn't have any good guesses about it.

Was your affection for them just as obvious as theirs' was for you...?

The thought made you shudder. What if Undyne and Alphys found out about this weird little advance in your... whatever you had with Sans? You'd never survive.

Oh, and speaking of the cute couple...

You know, you'd think that after getting introduced to your new home after your old one went up in flames, being denied to visit an old friend anymore, the new constant feeling of being hunted while in the presence of your two skeletal friends, and no fucking sleep the night before, you'd get to take a day to try and get your shit together.

However, there was no changing Undyne's mind after she had set it to accomplish something.

Two skeletons vigilantly watching your every move almost as if you would pass out any moment was exhausting enough, seeing as little to no sleep made you even crabbier than usual--

But goddamn it, WHAT WAS A SHOPPING TRIP GOING TO DO TO HELP YOUR NERVES?!

Undyne had unceremoniously burst through the door while you were eating an awkward breakfast with your new roommates (your imagination had not done Papyrus' actual flustered reaction justice), immediately homing in on your seated form as she stomped up to you, and you knew by the sight of her fiendish grin that you were not going to like what would happen next.

And you were right.

"Get up punk!" She loomed over you with her hands on her hips, her sharp smile making you very uneasy as Alphys shyly waved hello from the door. "It's about time you relax with some much needed girl time!" She pushed a plastic bag into your hands (where had that come from?), and then pointed up the stairs which you could see through the entrance of the kitchen. "Go and get changed and then we'll go; you won't be recognized with this on."

"Girl time...? You mean we're going out...?"

"NO QUESTIONS! GO CHANGE!"

You and your skeletal pals blinked, completely disoriented by the sudden demand. "Wha...? But what is it?" Narrowing your eyes suspiciously at the innocent looking bag, you cautiously peeked in and immediately blanched upon seeing pastel pink. "I am so not wearing this."

"WHAT?!"

"B-But Y/n... You don't have anything else to wear... You lost all your clothes in the fire." Alphys pointed out, looking nervous.

"I give absolutely no fucks right now. Abandoning my hoodie and jeans for this... thing is not an option." You placed the offending bag on the table and stood up, slowly backing away as though it was a poisonous viper.

Until you felt your back hit a muscular barrier of sorts.

Oh god.

"You are going to wear it, we are going to have a girl's day, and you are going to like it." Undyne's voice...

It was the source of nightmares.

"Now hold up!" You whirled around to face the intimidating glare of the former captain, and decided pleading for your life was the best option. "Give me a break! Just where exactly are we going that I need to wear that.... girly monstrosity?!" When her fierce expression shifted into a sympathetic one, your anxiety skyrocketed. Then your heart plummeted as Alphys delivered the final blow.

"We, uh.... p-planned to take you shopping before-"

You didn't even let her finish.

"Noooooo!!!"

And so chaos descended.

"Shit, she's getting away!" You heard Undyne shout as you sprinted from the kitchen, ignoring Alphys' surprised squeak and rounding a corner to make your escape upstairs.

You should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

Before you could make that liberating step towards freedom, pristine white bones shot up from the floor and barred the stairs, making you skid to a stop. "Aw hell!"

"UHM, I'D HATE TO BE A BOTHER Y/N, BUT YOU REALLY DO HAVE A NEED OF CLOTHES." Your head whipping behind you, your eyes widened as Undyne and Papyrus advanced on you cautiously as though you were a wild animal, hands raised to show they were not a threat. "IF IT IS ANY CONSOLATION, I WOULD NOT INTERFERE IF THIS WAS NOT WHAT WAS BEST FOR YOU!"

"Betrayal of the highest caliber! I hate shopping with every fiber of my being!" You bared your canines-sharp for a human, pitiful for a monster-and slipped into a defensive crouch, growling as your space was encroached. "Come no closer!"

"Alphys, want any popcorn?" Sans watched from the couch, amusedly munching on popcorn as his specters never strayed from the scene.

"R-Really Sans...?" There wasn't even a word for how exasperated the scientist was with the lazy skeleton. "Where'd you even get that?"

"Come on you weirdo! We just want to make sure you've got something else to wear! I hate shopping too, so I know how you feel, but you can't exactly take a shower with your clothes on like Papyrus used to do with his battle body."

"WHY UNDYNE? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BRING THAT UP?" Papyrus was flushed a bright orange, giving Undyne a 'how could you' look.

"well, she ain't lying bro." Seeing an opening as they were distracted by the small tangent, you slowly began to tiptoe around them, making it to Undyne's side before Papyrus noticed. "Y/N NO!" You hissed like a pissed off alley cat as your fishy bestie rounded on you and pounced to grab you, failing epically as you dodged, and hitting the floor.

"GET BACK HERE!" She howled out as you bolted for the door, prepared to vault over Alphys to get away.

However, your mischievous little babies decided that now was a good time to show their faces, and ultimately cause you more misery.

Both Apollo and Selene had shot from under the couch to block your path and pounced on your feet, making you squeal as the bitch known as Gravity demanded you follow its' law.

SMACK!

Oh, hello floor. How long has it been since we last met, a day?

"funniest wipe-out i've seen in a while!" Sans was not joking, he was literally rolling on the couch, clutching his stomach area as deep chuckles wracked his form.

"Y/N, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"...Donh wowwy Papywus..." You answered, the floor muffling your words. "My noshe ish pwobabwy bwoken, buh dat's owkay..." Of course, Papyrus didn't waste any time picking you up off the floor, and you rubbed your sore nose with a disgruntled expression as he laughed boisterously.

"NYEH HEH HEH! IT APPEARS I'VE FINALLY CAPTURED A HUMAN!" What?

"Good job Pap!" Undyne stood and clapped the taller skeleton on the shoulder, ignoring his wince as she pointed up the stairs. "Now take her to the bathroom so she can change!"

"AFFIRMATIVE!" Being held princess-style by your skeleton tank of a friend, there was no chance of escaping without casting an illusion, which sweet Papyrus did not deserve.  He spoke cheerfully, grabbing the plastic bag of doom from Undyne. "ONCE AGAIN I APOLOGIZE Y/N. THIS IS MERELY FOR YOUR OWN GOOD." You had to accept defeat with grace.

And by grace, you meant with extreme salt.

"Traitors. You, Apollo, and Selene are all filthy traitors. Sending me to a horrid death by long lines and crazy women while wearing something pink and frilly." You grumbled, flipping a snickering Sans the bird with as much hostility you could put into it as Papyrus strode to the stairs. "How dare you. You're evil. It's such a cruel way to go out in this world."

"I DO BELIEVE YOU'RE BEING RATHER OVER-DRAMATIC."

"Ohoho, that's rich coming from you."

"YES, I UNDERSTAND WE'RE BOTH METAPHORICALLY BLACK IN THIS INSTANCE, BUT IT DOES NOT MAKE MY STATEMENT ANY LESS VALID."

"At least I don't snuggle a human like a teddy bear in my sleep."

"I AM SENSING AN INCREDIBLY HIGH AMOUNT OF BITTERNESS IN THE AIR FOR SOME REASON." Realizing you had probably hit your limit with being mouthy to Papyrus without getting checked by Sans, you merely crossed your arms and huffed, staying quiet as he carried you up the stairs and over to what must have been the bathroom door. "NOW WILL YOU GO IN THERE LIKE A GOOD HUMAN AND CHANGE WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE?"

"Since you're too sweet to lie to, I have to say that I probably won't." He performed a double take in shock, cheek bones flushing orange.

"S-SWEET? YOU THINK I'M... N-NO! DO NOT THINK I CANNOT SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING! YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO USE YOUR FEMININE WILES AND HONEY LACED WORDS TO DISTRACT ME, BUT YOU CANNOT JAPE THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" How a six and a half foot tall skeleton managed to be so cute, you would never know. He opened the door and carried you inside, setting the bag on the sink and placing you down on the closed toilet. He began to back away slowly, and for some reason you felt he was nervous of your most likely predatory expression.

"MAY I BRING TO ATTENTION THE UNFAIRNESS OF YOUR SOUL'S SHIELD BLOCKING MY ABILITY TO TURN IT BLUE AND KEEP YOU STILL?"

"Reasons like that are what it was made for."

"NYEEEEH.... HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE A SHOWER TO CALM YOUR NERVES Y/N? MAYBE IT SHALL HELP YOUR MOOD?"

"Bite me."

"NOT REALLY THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR THAT, NOW IS IT?" Your jaw dropped as he quickly closed the door, and you shot up to furiously bang on the wood with both hands.

"What did you just say?!" Gaining nothing but his unique laugh in return, you seethed as you felt blood rush to your face.

Damn skeletons...

"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THIS ROOM UNTIL I KNOW YOU HAVE TAKEN A SHOWER AND CHANGED! DO NOT TRY TO ESCAPE BECAUSE I WILL BE OUT HERE KEEPING WATCH!" Goddamn it. You groaned loudly before glancing over to where the bag of clothes sat on the pristine white sink.

Why you?

Meanwhile downstairs....

"So..." Undyne and Alphys had cornered Sans themselves after the squabbling of you and Papyrus began to fade out upstairs, wearing almost identical grins.

Sans, despite keeping up his usual grin, eyed them both cautiously, light blue sweat dripping down his temple. "so....?"

"H-How'd last night go?"

Oh, yeah. That's right.

Sans had took refuge in his room and secretly texted Alphys yesterday after the little talk about depression with you, worried out of his skull of how this would affect your soul, and asked for advice. The two of them were peers and friends after all, and he wanted a second opinion about all this. Alphys, throughly concerned, had started writing up theories and soon came up with an idea as well as a cover in order to gain more information about it.

*pun-master

n, u r sure it'll wrk?

*MewMewFan

yeah! just need her consent and all that.

ethics r a problem here.

*pun-master

rite. k.

'll think of somethin'

*MewMewFan

i'll ask with u. might help.

i'll present it 2 the board also.

all this sounds dangerous. m'worried.

*pun-master

same.

not sure how 2 break it 2 paps.

*MewMewFan

how's she settling in anyway?

*pun-master

think she's in shock still.

she :) but it don't last long.

*MewMewFan

hm... maybe we can distract her.

*pun-master

o, uh... need 2 ask u somethin'

*MewMewFan

?

*pun-master

'member when me and paps took r time comin' back in from the yard at tori's 2day?

we both like y/n. so we talked...

and we agreed 2 share 'er.

...how do we tell 'er?

Biggest mistake he made this timeline.

Her next reply hadn't come for five minutes, and that's because she had fangirled for a full three of those and took the other two to call Undyne and tell her the news.

And when she DID text back, she had invited Undyne to make it a group text.

He soon got to know the horrors of two girls on a shipping craze.

Alphys said it would be best to do a romantic sort of thing that will lead up to the confession. Something to break the ice and any awkwardness with it.

But Undyne, of course, had said that the two of them should throw caution to the wind and just frickin' tell you. It was time to stop dancing around each other; it wasn't like monsters to waste any time with telling their feelings to a person they liked.

That was the thing though, you weren't a monster, argued Sans. You were human, and humans did things a lot differently. For one, he had only known you for a month-two for Papyrus-and there was a chance you would have thought it was going way too fast.

However, Undyne wasn't having it. You may have been human but you were a mage, Undyne said, and therefore were much more in tune with your soul than most humans. If the attraction was soul deep like it was for him and Papyrus, there wasn't going to be much complaint there. Alphys completely agreed in that respect, saying that humans were pretty weird for that; it really should be reversed, since humans didn't live as nearly as long as monsters did.

But then the subject of there being not one, but two of them dating you came up.

He did his research, and while some humans could deal the aspect of having more than one partner at the same time in.... sexual matters, it was complete taboo in the romantic department. It was always a couple, rarely a trio, and good luck finding any-open relationships at least-with more than that. That was going to be the biggest obstacle in this whole thing.

And so, the two of them decided to come today to kidnap you under the guise of 'Girls-Day' to really talk to you about how you felt, and try to help their ship sail.

Yippee.

"didn't ask her on a date or anything... or well, i suppose i did, but paps became the cock-block police when we were at tori's, she probably forgot about that..." He muttered that last part to himself, but like a pack of sharks, they heard it and grew even more zealous.

"Did you at least talk about it?!" Man, when Alphys was in shipping mode, her shyness was nowhere to be seen.

"...i may have hinted it to her?"

"What. Exactly. Did. You. Say?!?!" Undyne had grabbed him and held him up, her excited expression practically rabid looking.

"uh... she had mentioned she had never had her first kiss-"

"WHAT?!"

"and then she said she liked someone, two people specifically-"

"N-no way!!!!"

"and i got the feeling she meant us because she wouldn't tell me who they were-"

"Oh my god. Oh my god!!!"

"oh my stars, let me finish!" Undyne dropped Sans back onto the couch and promptly sat on the floor, holding an attentive Alphys in her lap and staring at the short skeleton like little kids would at a tv screen.

"Sorry. Please continue." Sans sighed in irritation before sitting up and scooting to the very edge of the couch cushions. "like i was saying... i asked why she wouldn't tell me who they were, and she was saying she didn't want to ruin the relationship between them and then- get this! paps had fallen asleep before the whole convo beside her and she got kinda loud, right?" Sans was now animated, using his hands as he talked and his eye-lights brightening. "he shifted in his sleep, pulled her on top of him, and snuggled her with her wrapped up in his arms. she couldn't get away."

They both squealed loudly, Sans snickering away with a large grin as they attempted to get the giddiness out of their system. "Just l-like an anime!"

"What happened next, bonehead?!"

"well after she calmed down since i wasn't gonna help her out, i said not to worry about the people she liked because they might agree to share her."

"And what did she say?!"

"...dunno. i fell asleep after that." Soul-felt groans reigned loud in the air from the both of them, their heads hanging as disappointment deflated their shipping high.

"Really Sans...? F-Freakin' really...?"

"Fail man. Complete and utter fail..."

"did i mention i fell asleep on top of her?" Their heads shot back up to catch sight of his shit eating grin, and their eyes widened as they realized he was serious.

The house shook with their responding screams of complete happiness.

Seriously, it was so loud that cars outside began to blare their horns at the offense of being disturbed.

"WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE?!" Sans looked up to catch Papyrus peeking around the corner of the wall at the top of the stairs, wearing a worried expression.

"don't worry paps." Sans chuckled as he watched the girls squeeze each other and giddily hop up and down. "the girls are just fangirling right now."

"AH, THAT MAKES SENSE."

"NERD, GET YOUR BONY ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"I CANNOT! I MUST MAKE SURE Y/N DOESN'T ESCAPE!"

"No need, seeing as I finished already." Everyone froze upon hearing your voice, and Papyrus straightened up and looked behind him. He gasped.

"Y-YOU LOOK SO CUTE! SEE, THE PINK IS NOT THAT BAD!"

"Paps, I look like a gumdrop."

"BUT GUMDROPS ARE DELICIOUS!" Oh, what Sans wouldn't give to see your face right now.

"L-Let us look at you!"

"Ughhhh....."

"CEASE WITH YOUR SALT!" Papyrus disappeared behind the wall with a determined expression. "COME SHOW EVERYONE HOW GOOD YOU LOOK!"

"Nuuuuu, Papy, have mercyyyy..." Those downstairs could hear the sound of dragging feet on the wooden floor as you whined in protest.

"THERE IS NO MERCY HERE, ONLY SPAGHETTI!"

"That doesn't even make any sense! What spaghetti?!"

"OH, I DON'T HAVE ANY ON ME AT THE MOMENT, I JUST BELIEVED IT WOULD BE FUNNY TO SAY." Papyrus came back into view, looking like he was actually struggling to pull you forward. "WHY ARE YOU BEING SO ORNERY?!"

"I am not being ornery!!"

"OH MY STARS JUST-" He finally gained the upper hand and pulled you into view, wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you from running away. "THERE! LOOK EVERYONE, ISN'T SHE CUTE?"

Oh.

Wow.

How could someone not know how good they looked? 

A casual light pink dress with a white frilled hem that reached your knees and an open back framed your form along with a long sleeved white sweater that covered your arms. White tights covered your legs and tall brown multiple buckle strap gore boots completed the look.

It couldn't work for everyone, but you pulled it off rather well.

'now only if you could realize that,' Sans thought as he watched you squirm uncomfortably in place.

"K-Kawaii desu ne~!"

"Yeah nerd, you look great!"

"it looks good on ya doll, really."

"Nooooo..." You groaned pitifully as you turned to hide your face in Papyrus' side, your cheeks flushed pink. "I haven't looked this girly in at least a decade... I don't know how to feel..."

"YOU LOOK PRETTY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES WITH WHAT HE BELIEVES IS AESTHETICALLY PLEASING!" Before you knew it, you were once again swept up into his arms and he was carrying you down the steps. Made you wonder if there was something about that he liked. "ALTHOUGH I PERSONALLY WAS FIRST DRAWN IN THROUGH YOUR KIND AND INTERESTING PERSONALITY."

Subtlety, thy name is not Papyrus.

Oh well. Sans could at least appreciate how your blush shifted from pink to red in response.

"Come on punk, don't you at least feel better now that you're all clean and in fresh clothes?" Undyne huffed as her one yellow eye pinned you with a piercing look.

"....Yeah, I guess.." You admitted softly with a grumpy look.

"G-Good! Trust us, you'll be able to look for clothes that you like, I p-promise. And after the shopping, we'll head to a sushi and ramen bar!"

"What." Your head shot up from its resting position as you laid still in Papyrus' arms, a hungry gleam passing through your eyes. "Sushi? Ramen? Holy shit, why didn't you say that earlier?"

Alphys responded with the most irritated deadpan expression you had ever seen on her face to date. "I-I was going to, but you had screamed like a banshee before I could e-even finish."

"....Oh yeah."

Undyne guffawed, moving to take you from Papyrus' grasp and place you over her shoulder. Because you couldn't be trusted to use your own two feet apparently. You wonder why. "Alright let's go, we're burning daylight!"

"have fun gals." Sans chuckled as he handed you your purse. "enjoy yourselves."

"I'll try to..." You sighed softly in despair as you dangled from Undyne's shoulder. "Thanks."

'Have fun Mother!'

'Try to keep your head up.'

"You two are still traitors." You shot the kittens the evil eye before the goodbyes were interrupted by Papyrus.

"OH WAIT! ALPHYS!" The shy scientist looked back at him with an inquisitive expression, and he pulled out his cell phone dangling it for all to see. "HAVE YOU TEXTED METTATON RECENTLY? HE SAID YOU HAVEN'T MESSAGED HIM BACK SINCE YESTERDAY AND HE'S GOTTEN QUITE IRRITATED WITH YOU."

Whoa, wait, Mettaton? As in the super sexy famous robot? These guys knew him?

Alphys' features twisted guiltily, and she frowned as she pulled out her phone. "I g-guess I haven't... I've been so d-distracted with everything recently that I..." Flicking on the device, her eyes widened as she spied how many messages filled up the home screen. "W-Whoa. 32 messages... Wait..." She peered closer at the most recent one before gasping in horror. "He finished his tour early and is coming home TODAY?!?!"

You all turned towards the door as you heard the tell tale loud thunks of someone quickly coming up the porch, and whoever it was paused for a moment before the door was promptly kicked down.

Was that.... A metallic pink high heel?

"Why Hellooooooo darlings~!!"

Chapter Text

Yep.

That was Mettaton.

In all his metallic, effeminate glory.

Aaaaand he had also kicked the door down. First Undyne and now Mettaton? Papyrus looked like he was screaming internally as he stared at the remaining splinters of wood that still existed. Makes you wonder how many times he's seen this particular scene; his 1000% done expression makes you think this is not the first, nor will it be the last time this has happened.

Rest in Pieces, you poor, poor door. Quite literally.

"Well, don't jump up all at once." The (possibly) iron made celebrity sauntered through the front door almost as if he owned the place, looking absolutely fabulous in his black metal plates-why were the shoulder pieces so pointed and outrageous?-and accented pink chassis and boots. His hair was very stylish and bangs were placed strategically over his right eye. He looked incredibly close to a human as a robot could get. He probably could have passed for one if it weren't for the bolts and gray hue that the metal that made his 'skin' was. His weirdly expressive face was pulled into a pout. "What's with the silence, my dears? I may be breath-taking, but we're all friends here aren't we?"

..........

The awkward silence was real.

"....well." You glanced over to where Sans was still lounging on the couch and noticed his eyes were a lot dimmer than usual. Not to mention his eternal grin was stretched a bit too tight to be considered amiable. "looks like we'll be needing a new door. thanks, tin-man."

You had to hold back a soft snort of amusement, aware that you were still dangling over Undyne's shoulder and she would have definitely heard you.

"I SUPPOSE I SHOULD PREPARE FOR OBTAINING A NEW DOOR. I WONDER HOW LONG THAT ONE WILL LAST. SINCE IT SEEMS NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO OPEN ONE NORMALLY ANYMORE." Kinda being hypocritical there, aren't we Papy dear? "WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, PERHAPS WE SHOULDN'T EVEN REPLACE IT. I SUPPOSE WE COULD LIVE WITH A LARGE GAPING HOLE IN THE HOUSE." Oh-ho! The skellyroll was quite the sassy one!

"W-wow." Even Alphys was surprised.

".....I think you've been hanging around Y/n too much, Papyrus." Undyne added, obviously trying not to laugh.

"I resent that!" You shouted, squirming around on her shoulder and starting to beat your fists on her muscular back. It was almost as if you were hitting something with the density of a brick wall. "Put me down fish wife. Put. Me. Down."

"Only if you promise not to try and escape nerd."

"Not like there would be any point in doing so anymore." With that, you were placed on your feet and immediately had to quell the urge to run for your life like you really wanted to.

You had a feeling it wouldn't end well if you did.

"Oh, but Papyrus darling, aren't you happy to see me?" You lightly pursed your lips as the whirring, slightly electronic voice of the superstar flowed almost flirtatiously through the air, and you watched as the superstar strolled forward. His arms extended and wrapped around the tall skelly, who's cheekbones were highlighted by a light orange as he smiled like the sweetheart he was.

You felt an ugly, green feeling settle in your chest. (Don't ask how you could feel green. You swore you weren't high.)

On a whim, you decided you didn't like him. You just decided that you didn't like his synthesized voice. Or the swaggering vanity he seemed to hold. Yeah. Definitely not because you were jealous that the metallic celebrity was hugging one of the two people that you shouldn't be crushing on. That wasn't possible.

.......

Undyne and Alphys were staring at you again. Shit.

"WHY OF COURSE METTATON! I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE MY FAVORITE SEXY RECTANGLE!" You were trying not to be incredibly obvious as you grit your teeth. The hell kinda greeting was that? He wasn't even rectangle shaped! "BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE THE BEST CELEBRITY IN THE WORLD DOES NOT MEAN YOU GET PRIVILEGES TO DESTROY PARTS OF MY HOUSE!"

"our house." Glancing back at Sans, you realized there was a stiffness in his shoulders that you weren't used to seeing as he smiled pointedly at the robot hugging his brother. "cause, y'know. we have a new roommate and all. s'her house too now."

"OH, YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT SANS! METTATON, MIGHT I INTRODUCE YOU TO Y/N, A GOOD FRIEND OF OURS! SHE-"

"Had a run-in with some positively horrible souls, and no longer had a place to stay." You stiffened slightly in surprise as Mettaton unwound his arms from around Papyrus before they extended towards you, his hands wrapping around your biceps. "I heard it on World News in Japan darling; what an absolutely dreadful situation." You were lifted a few inches off the ground and suddenly brought closer to the robotic male, your eyebrow twitching as your personal space was encroached. You may be tolerant, but you had a problem of a stranger all up in your grill. And how many times would you be picked up today? "It would be a tragedy for anyone of course, but I made a point to hurry back, seeing as you are the friend of my dear Dr. Alphys and my lovely cousin Blooky!" You blinked, before cocking your head to the side in confusion.

"So... you guys know each other?"

"Oh yes! She was one of the first friends I had actually!" You peeked over towards Alphys, a small smile stretching your lips as you caught her embarrassed but incredibly pleased gaze. You looked back at Mettaton, your smile widening further at the prospect of being able to tease one of your besties.

"She's pretty wonderful, isn't she?"

"Not many can top her, gorgeous." You giggled as Alphys tittered, her blush flaring deeply across her scaled face.

"Y--Y-Y-You guys!!! S--Stop it!"

"You can't be mad at me for telling the truth Alphys dear." Heh. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Perhaps being flirty was just his default phase or something. Based off what you've seen on his shows, you wouldn't put it past him.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I agree that she's the best person in existence, I would suplex the both of you for teasing her." Undyne chirped brightly, her grin wide and sharp. She was the only person you knew besides yourself that could make a credible sounding threat while looking so cheerful.

"Now now, there's no need to be so combative. The lovely human and I are merely discussing one of our favorite topics. At least I assume it's one of hers, seeing as she practically created an entire event in her and Papyrus' honor." Your face grew hot as he winked at you and you ducked your head in response.

"O-Oh.... So you, uh... heard about that huh...?"

"You'd have to be a complete recluse not to, darling~. The entire monster community was abuzz about it afterward. Surely you noticed how every monster you saw on the street would give you quite the hello?" Your face contorted in confusion; you didn't notice anything different...

"Nooooo...?"

"that's 'cause you're extremely oblivious towards what others may think of you." Despite not being able to turn and look at his expression, you could hear the immense amount of frustration in Sans' voice. Why did he sound so irritated? "either that or you just don't care."

Probably a nice combination of both, if you were perfectly honest.

"Such a humble thing, aren't you?" You wanted to shrink away into nothing as Mettaton's face steadily moved closer to your own. "We would have met earlier if it wasn't for my tour! But alas, work must get done you know."

"Well, yeah, I understand that, but um... Could you possibly put me down? This is the fourth time I've been picked up like I was a doll this morning." You gestured to the floor with a blank look, and he chuckled before lowering you back onto the ground. "Thank you."

"Anytime beautiful. Tell me, what do you do for a living?" You glanced nervously over to where the girls were standing, noticing Undyne was scowling impatiently and Alphys was twiddling her fingers. Probably best to make this quick.

"W-Well, I'm trying my hand at getting a PhD. in Art-yes, that is possible-but uh... I've already established myself as a semi-decent author...?" You rubbed the back of your neck in embarrassment, looking around at everyone to see them giving you interested looks.

"YOU NEVER TOLD US THIS Y/N!"

"Oh, uh... That's because I used a pen-name for it- y'know, something different from my actual name, so people who are fans won't bother me in public if they hear my name. That and the stuff I write about is pretty controversial; I've gotten a lot of backlash for it. Which was a good call, seeing as reporters might be chasing me for a little while until this whole thing blows over..." You muttered the last part to yourself, sighing as you pulled at the hem of the dress you had on. "Before then, I had written what the public would consider appropriate for young adults and up."

"What is the title of that controversial work of yours?" A conflicted grimace took your face as you glanced at everyone before looking down at your feet.

"Um.... When the Willow Withers...?" You flinched as Alphys, Mettaton, and Sans gasped aloud and a yelp escaped your mouth as your hands were suddenly grabbed.

Mettaton and Alphys were the culprits.

"You're telling me you're (P/N)!?!?" It was not shameful how nervous Alphys' intense gaze made you. It was not.

"You're the genius writer of the hit tragic love story between a sweet city girl and an herbal monster?!" Mettaton's raptured look was only adding to your discomfort. It literally had you squirming in place.

"I-If I say yes, would you perhaps stop crushing my hands...?" You were able to grit out from your teeth, only relaxing once they had released your hands from theirs and you quickly popped some of your achy joints. "Thank you."

"I'm honestly not surprised that you're so much of a nerd that you wrote a book." Undyne chuckled as she snuck a glance at the skeletons, who were blushing slightly. "Alphys freakin' adores that book. Not sure why, since I haven't read it, but since you're the one who wrote it..."

"it was the first recently made book that me 'nd alphys read comin' topside." You just knew Sans was pointing a huge shit-eating grin in your direction, and you forced yourself not to turn around. "s'been one of our favorites ever since."

"I AM NOT ONE TO USUALLY READ UNLESS IT IS SANS WHO READS A BOOK ALOUD TO ME BEFORE BED, BUT PERHAPS I SHOULD MAKE AN EFFORT TO READ THE COMPOSITION IF IT IS Y/N WHO WROTE IT! I SHALL ALWAYS SHOW SUPPORT FOR MY FRIENDS!"

OH HOLY FUCK NO.

"P-Papy, I'm not so sure i-it'd be a story that you would like..." You interjected as you whirled around to face him, trying to hide your rising panic as the precious skellyroll only gave you a confused smile.

"NONSENSE! THE FACT THAT YOU WROTE IT GUARANTEES THAT I SHALL LIKE IT!"

"i-i'm not too sure about that paps..." You and Sans exchanged an extremely worried look as he waved you both off.

Your novels weren't particularly..... Papyrus friendly. You really didn't want to be the reason why the cinnamon roll turned into a sinnamon roll.

"Now I definitely have to read it if it's making you two dorks act like that." Undyne grinned sharply as she looked in between you and Sans. "I'm sure Alphy wouldn't mind reading it again, but with me this time." Alphys' scales were flushing red around the face, but upon seeing her give her girlfriend the infamous 'bedroom' eyes you knew she had no objection to that idea.

You were thoroughly regretting saying anything about your occupation now.

"Why, that novel is my guiltiest of pleasures gorgeous!" Mettaton gushed as he gripped your shoulders, excitement running through his visible optic sensor. He sure sounded proud of it despite it being a guilty pleasure. "The way you wrote the tragic star-crossed romance between a monster and a human pushing past their differences to embrace true love, comparable to the desperate flood of emotions of Romeo and Juliet~!" Your face flushed in embarrassment as he fanned his face with his hand, with a pink flush somehow spreading across his metal cheek. "The audacity of almost insurmountable obstacles constantly trying to keep them apart! Oh, and let's not forget the very... detailed intimate moments between the lulls of tension...~" Holy shit, was he drooling?

"Ehehehe... well, uh..." This was truly the most embarrassing moment of your life so far. You were very sure that nothing could beat this... "I'm sure those scenes weren't very good... I uh, haven't had any experience with that sort of thing..." Fuck Undyne for snickering at your current awkwardness. "I've never had a significant other, nor a... partner so to speak, and at the time of writing, I knew very little about monsters... My research was done from afar. So, uh! I had to use my imagination with it; I'm very sorry if any of the opinions were inaccurate or any of you were offended by what I wrote..." Your words began to dwindle into silence as you fidgeted in place.

"Offended?! Why darling, for someone who has no experience with such intimacy or monsters, you were surprisingly on-point! While there were a few inconsistencies and inaccurate tidbits, those were hardly noticeable when they were over-shadowed by the pure emotion in the whole text! And the creativity was boundless!" You cracked a shaky smile at the pure confidence dripping from his words before blinking as he gently grasped your chin, turning your face so you were looking at him while his voice suddenly dipped low. "Although, if you'd ever wish to fix those little misunderstandings for another novel, I would have no issue helping you with that, beautiful~."

....Was it you, or were you sensing sudden feelings of resentment coming from behind you?

"M-Mettaton!" Alphys suddenly shouted with a shocked tone, her jaw dropping as Undyne suddenly hunched over the arm of the couch, trembling slightly. What was wrong with them? He was just offering help...

"To be very honest, I wouldn't mind a few pointers for my next novel. I do want to know what my readers would like to see. What do you suggest Mettaton?" You asked in a virtuous manner, turning licit eyes to the robotic superstar. Alphys, in turn, pointed wide eyes towards you while Undyne literally dropped to her knees as she buried her face into the couch, her shaking getting ten times worse.

"Jesus, s-she really has no fucking idea..." Undyne chortled out as she pounded a fist into the cushions, and you tossed her a baffled look.

That choking feeling of mal-intent from behind only grew as Mettaton's arm suddenly wrapped around your waist, pulling you flush to him. "Well gorgeous, as they say, practice makes perfect." His face grew uncomfortably close to yours as your chest pressed up against his chassis, and your face expression twisted cluelessly as his lips gained a seductive quirk to go with the purr his electronic voice had dropped into. "If you wish to learn more about said... encounters, we can certainly meet up one day. Since you're a mage, I am very certain we could make some lovely magic together~."

"O-Oh my god..." Alphys whispered as she clutched Undyne's shoulder, who looked very close to losing her shit. You were still unable to see the skelebros' reactions, but you had the feeling that they weren't enjoying this.

You weren't understanding! Why was everyone acting so weird when Mettaton was only offering assistance, albeit in a very weird way?

-Suddenly, a strange tiny creature that only Optima-Chama's Readers could see-known as Y/n's Sinful Devil-popped into existence on her shoulder. The little creature sighed wearily at its owner's ignorance before pulling a comically large hammer that wore the label of 'REALIZATION' out of nowhere. It rubbed its hands together in preparation before winding up its swing and smashing it against the back of the clueless Y/n's head with immense force, promptly disappearing once its job was accomplished.-

Almost as if something hit you with the force of a speeding train, the perverted side of your mind finally caught up with what your captor was suggesting.

Oh.

.........

Ohhhhhhhhhh.

Well, this suddenly became. Awk. As. Fuck.

Not to mention when your eyes widened and your jaw dropped at the sudden understanding, Undyne lost all semblance of control and collapsed to the floor, practically heaving with the strength of her laughter while she clutched her stomach. What would you do without best friends?

Your sputtering certainly wasn't helping any as you instantly became a blushy mess. "H-H-Holy mother of-... N-Not to be r-r-rude M-Mettaton, b-but I, um, uh... D-Don't think t-t-that someone l-like m-m-m-me would be c-cut out for s-something l-l-like, uh.... that." You squeaked out uncomfortably as you began hoping that whatever deity that existed would take mercy on you and strike you down.

Of course, you just weren't that lucky.

"Oh don't be so humble darling." You might have released a soft 'kya!' as he suddenly dipped you, eyeing your red face with intense interest. "You have a rather delectable feel to you that any person would die for in order to taste it~."

CRACK! 

SNAP!

''CRACK'? 'SNAP'??' Everyone blinked in unison before turning their attention to the two skeletons in the room, faces paling at the dark murderous auras leaking from both of them. They were nicely finished off by smiles that reminded you of Sebastian Michaelis' patented grin when he was about to kill someone. The miasmic feeling was not as dense around Papyrus, but only by a minuscule amount.

Was... Was that the sound of their self-control breaking?!

Alphys, ever the mediator, decided to jump in before her greatest creation was turned into scrap metal. "M-M-Mettaton, you just got b-back right? I-Isn't N-Nabstablook waiting for you at h-home?" Mettaton seemed to realize he was in danger and immediately jumped on the opportunity to exit stage left.

"I do believe you are correct Alphys dear!" With a quick motion, you were back on your feet, your mind reeling as the celebrity blew you a kiss before prancing towards the doorway. "I'll make sure to get your phone number from Alphys later darling! Toodles~!"

Heavy silence fell as he disappeared from view, the venomous atmosphere lessening just a bit as the feel of his soul left the building.

.....After a minute or so of standing there, you were suddenly very eager to go on the surprise shopping trip.

"W-Well uh... How about we go on that shopping trip now girls?" You offered, smiling nervously as you attempted to rub away the blush that seemed thoroughly ironed into your cheeks and ignored the stares from behind that were burning holes into your back.

"YUP!" They shouted in unison, Undyne jumping up, picking up Alphys and throwing a complacent you holding your purse over her shoulder before sprinting out of the doorway.

"We'll bring Y/n back later nerds! Don't wait up for us!"

The brothers stared after their exit quietly for a short while before Papyrus spoke up.

"YOU KNOW, BROTHER, I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT HE WAS OFFERING Y/N... BUT, I BELIEVE I LIKE METTATON A LITTLE LESS NOW."

Sans couldn't help but laugh loudly at his brother's statement.

Anticipating that you would be bringing home quite the haul as well as the fact that if you took your own car you'd probably be recognized in public, Undyne had tossed you into the back of her 201X Nissan Titan XD (fucking monsters man, they were loaded), placed Alphys in the passenger's seat, and hopped in before practically speeding out of the gated community as if to get away from the terribly awkward moment that just transpired.

Talk was minimal as the three of you headed to Ebott City's SuperMall, letting the speedy drive and loud music wash away the uncomfortable feeling of seeing both skeleton brothers pissed off.

One of them angry was scary enough, but both? At the same time?

Not even the Devil and his undead army would take them on...

"Welp." You attempted to break the silence as Undyne turned into the parking lot of the Mall, slipping into the nearest parking spot she could find close to the entrance. "That was, uh... certainly something."

"Yup." Undyne nodded awkwardly, helping her girlfriend down from the truck as you grabbed your purse and hopped out yourself.

"I-I've never been so afraid of Papyrus before..." Alphys murmured quietly, taking Undyne's hand as the three of you strolled across the street and into the mall. "I've never seen him so f-furious. Sans, sure, b-but even that's pretty rare... I would have never believed h-he would get mad at his favorite c-celebrity if I hadn't seen it myself! I still can't f-fully believe it!"

"Yeah, it's the goobers that ya got to keep your eye on sometimes. They're the scariest when pissed!" Undyne threw an arm around your shoulders, her toothy grin causing the unease to flow from your muscles. "Although, I'm thinking there was a reason in particular why they were acting like that."

Nevermind. "Shut up 'Dyne."

"Whaaaat~?" She tried to place an innocent expression on her face, but you gave a single glance that let her know you knew it was bullshit. "I'm just sayin' that those dorks seemed awfully heated that Mettaton was basically offering you ta, y'know-" Ignoring your 'Hoe don't do it' glare, she lifted her hand to her smirking mouth, made a V with two fingers, stuck out her tongue and-

"I don't know you!!" You shouted as you threw your arms up, your face flushing red in mortification as you began speed-walking ahead of the cackling weeaboos.

"W-Wait Y/n, we're just playing!" Alphys was able to choke out between mad giggles, and you heard her tapping footsteps speed up as she tried to catch up with you. "I'm sorry about how, um, b-bold Mettaton was... He's pretty flirty, but that was uh, unexpected to say the least..." Once she was in reach, she grasped your hand and smiled affably.

"You're telling me!" You squeaked out, holding your free hand out sharply as you looked at her with honest bewilderment. "I mean-....I-I have no words..."

"You didn't have any words then either punk!" Undyne snickered, coming up on your other side with her hands behind her head. The three of you obviously got some stares even though monsters had been on the surface for two years already; a small yellow drake monster in an incredibly cute light blue dress and black tights holding the hand of a tall human female wearing a very girly pink dress with a just as tall intimidating blue skinned piranha mermaid monster with flaming red hair sporting a simple black tee, jeans, and a leather jacket walking beside them and acting like they were all best buds.

Yeah. Not your usual everyday sight.

"Look, I've never had someone flat out tell me that they had no problem doing the horizontal tango with me right to my face bro." You argued with a harrumph. "Let alone a fucking national superstar. Or at least if someone has, I have never noticed."

"Which we can believe since you're a freakin' space cadet." Your fishy bestie rallied back with her usual large smile.

"It was still rather s-sudden wasn't it...?" Alphys gave you a sympathetic glance as she patted your arm before letting you go. "I think you were the first mage that Mettaton has o-officially met and he's a-always had a thing for humans..."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that it was rude as fuck. Funny, but rude."

"Exactly!" You cosigned on Undyne's statement despite not agreeing on the fact it was funny at all. "Like we JUST met not ten minutes before that. Bitch, I don't know you!" You flailed your hands, your dearly beloved friends trying to smother their laughter in response.

"For someone who was extremely slow to realize she was being flirted with and then was i-incredibly embarrassed afterward, y-you're remarkably good at writing... 'ahem' e-e-erotic scenes," Alphys muttered vacantly, pinning you with a watchful eye, "L-like... really good."

"Okay, one," You held up a finger to count your reasons, "I have no explanation for that. None. Whenever I grasp a pen and write or type on my computer, I just seem to spit out gold, not too brag or anything. Two: Neither of you should be talking shit because you're both closet perverts- Don't deny it, you've made me watch some weird hentai with the both of you, and I've actually read some of your fanfictions Alphys," You quickly cut off any complaint that was about to come from their open mouths and you smirked as they subsided with pouting, blushing faces, "And three: We live in the modern age. I may be a virgin in body, but I'm definitely not in mind. The internet is both a curse and a blessing."

"Well, that's only sorta true, but... You've just never..." It was almost comical to see the fish faced badass who you've seen lift an entire couch with four people on it struggle with words. "Seemed... interested in that sort of thing, get what we're sayin'?"

"That, my dear kohais, is because I am what is known as a Double Demi." You cheerfully explained as the three of you just walked through the strangely busy mall to scope out which places you would shop at. It was a weekday; was it a skip day or something for the local highschoolers? "I am a demiromantic and a demisexual, which means I don't feel romantic attraction or much primary sexual attraction without an emotional bond of some sort first."

"T-That actually... Explains a whole lot about you." The yellow being next to you looked contemplative as she nodded, while Undyne looked slightly interested with the direction the conversation had taken. "Like you've seen people as attractive, but you don't look at them with l-lust in your eyes."

"Correctamundo."

"And romance and uh... intimacy go hand and hand with you by extension," Undyne added with a brow raised.

"Indeed."

"S-so uh... have you ever been on a date?" The three of you had somehow wandered upstairs and were leaning against a balcony over looking people walking around below. You shook your head.

"Not a real one. I've been on hangouts that were like awkward forced double or triple dates where I was a third or fifth wheel who didn't even want to be there... Back when I still had those no-longer human friends of mine. Some of them were cool with me just not being attracted to others, but others labeled me as a prude or my personal favorite, 'Ice Queen'." You snorted softly in amusement. "There were a few guys I had to reject in high school that just didn't take a hint and would keep bugging me about it. And then it came out that mages existed and then once people found out I was a mage, all those 'friends' went bye-bye."

"Tch. Don't get me wrong Y/n, you're my favorite human besides Frisk, but some humans are just..." Undyne grit her teeth as loyalty for you warred with honesty before the truth won, "Stupid."

"Trust me Undyne, even members of our own race feel that way."

"I-I'm glad you feel c-comfortable with your p-preferences though..." Alphys smiled proudly as if she was looking at a family member who did the right thing. "It's sort of f-freeing..."

"Yeah, fuck everyone else." Undyne ruffled up your hair in a playful manner, chuckling as you swatted at her hand. "You're awesome, and whoever can't understand that doesn't deserve to have ya around, okay?"

".....Why is it monsters hear stuff like this and their immediate reaction is 'Oh cool, glad you know yourself' when some humans just can't seem to fucking get it? Most people my age would go, 'Wow, that must mean something's wrong with you', but you guys just immediately accept it like I'm telling you the time and shit. I flippin' love monsters." You grinned as you hooked your arm around Undyne's waist and affectionately patted Alphys' spiky head, ignoring any and all weird and disgusted glances towards the three of you. "I know I was crabby about having to go shopping and because I haven't had sleep, but I have the best girl friends I could ever ask for. I love you guys."

Their flushed but incredibly pleased expressions said it all.

"....Try not to get too sappy on us, okay?" Your fishy otaku friend muttered as she tried to hide her violet blush behind her red bangs, making both you and Alphys giggle.

"Don't go all Tsungire on me and I won't."

"I am not a Tsungire!"

"Only Tsungires say that!" You and your drake bestie shouted cheerfully in unison, ultimately causing Undyne to groan, grab you, and sling you over her shoulder. "Let's just get you some clothes, you dork!"

For the first time ever, you had a smile on your face as you went shopping for clothes.

Chapter Text

As overzealous as your sweet monster OTP could be, they were always cognizant of your likes and dislikes.

You had directed Undyne to the Hot Topic first, which allowed the three of you to fangirl over the collection of anime and Disney shirts. You personally lost your mind upon seeing the Harry Potter shirts and sweaters, allowing yourself the very rare splurge as you quickly bought some Gryffindor outfits. As it was stated before, you were a very down to earth person, and you hardly ever allowed yourself a (material) treat outside of your art supplies and journals.

Hey, don't judge.

Afterwards, you merry band of otakus ventured off towards the more boring stores, though you could hardly call anything involving Undyne boring. Your dear monster friends had actually managed to perform the impossible-- You actually enjoyed this shopping trip.

Well uh, that is... Until it was time to shop for underwear.

That was when the nightmare began.

"No!"

"You know it must be done! Just give in already!"

"I refuse!"

"B-But you really need underwear you know-"

"Society says I do actually, so society can go suck a lemon!"

"Stop being so difficult!" Undyne was struggling to pull you towards a store that was interestingly named Adam & Eve, yanking on your leg as you gripped on the tile floor with your nails, using all the determination you had in your SOUL to keep from moving a single inch in the general direction of that store. Good thing you all took trips back to the truck to store your shopping bags from earlier so your hands were free. "You know you need this!"

"I'll admit that! But do we really need to go to a lingerie store?!"

"Since you need new ones, might as well make 'em sexy enough to seduce a certain pair of skele-"

"Fuck you!"

"That's Alphys' job!"

"And I bet she enjoys it- damn it! I have a dress on Undyne, it doesn't matter if I have tights on right now! Stop yanking!"

The poor shy monster was watching the two of you struggle along the sidelines, blushing heavily at the vulgar language being exchanged and nervously tittering as the three of you garnered some stares from passersby. "Y-You guys, people are looking at us pretty weirdly right now... I'm pretty sure some people are videotaping us too..."

"Mind your own damn business ya nosy weirdos!" You immediately hissed at those watching, baring your canines as the people shuffled along in a hurried manner, keeping their heads down. "Yeah, you better keep walking!"

"Ngahhh!" Yowling as you were suddenly yanked up from the ground, you struggled to no avail against the strong grip of the ex-captain who was now strolling into the devil's den with a whistle. "C'mon Alphy, let's get this over with."

"Rape! Assault! Murder! Redrum Redrum Redrum!!" It was probably the most ridiculous you had ever looked; kicking your legs and beating your fists on your best friend's back as though you were a little kid having a monster (heh) tantrum. Very mature of you. "This is bullying! Forced! Coercion! A sentence to Death! I wasn't meant to see St. Peter today!" Did you mention that you were ignoring any and all stares pointed towards you? "Carry on my Wayward Son!"

"Goddamn it Y/n, this is sooo not necessary." Undyne sighed heavily as she blocked one of your feet from accidentally hitting her face. "You're acting like we're forcing you to kill someone."

"To be fair honey, s-she probably wouldn't have kicked up as much of a fuss if you hadn't said she could use these next few things in order t-to 'seduce' Sans and Papyrus."

"Shhhh, your logic is putting me down babe, let me have this."

"Whyyyyy.....? Why must you do this to me...?" You had ceased your struggling and just rested forlornly on the leather clad shoulder, pouting in a pitiful manner. The three of you ignored the wide-eyed looks of the female workers and some sole shoppers as Undyne carried you to the changing station. "I dun need this... Villains, the both of you!"

"Oh, quit with your bitchin'. You are not leaving this store until you have at least twenty new pairs of underwear!"

"A-And socks." Alphys murmured, blushing heavily for some reason, "You need a l-lot of socks too..."

"Nnngh... I at least like socks, I guess." Undyne set you back on your feet once she realized you had resigned yourself to your fate, and you crossed your arms bitterly. "I had a collection of them before the fire... I really like the knee high and thigh high kind-" You cut yourself off as you realized even Undyne was blushing as the two of them stared at you with flustered expressions. "...What?"

"...Wow. You're freakier than I thought." Undyne chuckled as she glanced away from you, a totally embarrassed grin on her face. "I mean, I kinda already figured since you're a human that's into two skeletons, but I never imagined-"

"Earth to Fish Wife! I do not have a thing for the skelebros!" They both pinned you with a disbelieving look that clearly said 'How's that denial tasting honey?' You, of course, did your best to ignore the (truthfully) astonished looks as you turned away towards where you could see your certain size being displayed. "And now I shall continue to deflect any more questions about who I like as I go to shop for something I wouldn't mind wearing, so if you'll excuse me-"

"Nope!" Being grabbed by your arm, you were corralled into a changing stall by the fiery haired monster. "We will be finding you things to wear while you stay in here!"

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? I can shop for myself you know!"

"Not today you won't! You are gonna stay here and we'll find what you need and you'll try on what we give you!" She pulled the curtain shut, ignoring the sight of your dropped jaw. "And don't even think of running because I'll drag you back!"

Ughhhhhhh.....

"D-Don't worry Y/n, we won't get t-too excited about this..."

"You're a lying liar who lies Alphy, and you know it. You're almost as bad as she is since it's involving 'your number one ship'." You huffed as she merely giggled before hurrying off after her girlfriend, thundering footsteps lightly accented by pattering little steps that sounded out your doom.

The next hour.

Was.

Excruciating.

Undyne was fucking determined to make sure that at least half of the delicates you needed to buy were as skimpy as possible. And every time, you had to throw them right back in her face because either A: You would not be comfortable wearing the lacy or practically nonexistent under clothing all day when you needed to get shit done, B: They weren't your size, or C: Both.

B and C was quickly rectified when you finally got fed up and told her your size; If she was going to make this moment hell, might as well make sure she got one thing right.

Alphys was better in the sense that she seemed to know your limits; she went the more cute and frilly route rather than straight up sexy, but you still freakin' noticed how the only colors she got was either white, pairs close to your skin color, blue, or varied forms of a fiery orange color.

You really thought Alphys had more subtlety than that.

And, as promised, Undyne always had her only eye out to make sure you didn't sneak away. Not that you tried, it would have been a pretty stupid dick move to try and ditch your friends just because you were past the ultimate level of embarrassment.

After all, all your new belongings were in Undyne's truck.

However, you still forced them to get you some at least semi-normal everyday pieces, because c'mon; you may have been an author, but you didn't stay home all day.

When they were finally satisfied with the multitude of bras and panties you had accumulated, you had put your clothes on in record time, and then sprinted out of the dressing room with a delighted cackle. "Freedom!!"

Undyne rolled her one yellow eye, huffing in exasperation. "Wimp."

"Hypocrite."

"Whatcha say punk?!" You were probably the only human who has never cowered in fear when the Former Captain of The Royal Monster Guard stomps up to you with challenging look on her face.

"You heard me~." You snickered, waggling your eyebrows at her deviously. "You talk a big game, but I bet if YOU were the one we were picking lingerie for-" A webbed hand clamped down on your mouth before you could finish, but you bet she could feel your shit-eating grin against her palm if her flustered glare was anything to go by.

"Shut yer trap, you nerd." Alphys had launched herself into orbit, obviously daydreaming of Undyne in fancy lingerie, and you had to use all your strength not to laugh when Undyne made the mistake of glancing at her.

The scales on her cheeks turned the oddest shade of violet.

"Err... babe?"

"S-So sexy..." She was too far gone to give a coherent answer; you shook silently with laughter as Undyne reluctantly deliberated something before throwing her head back with a loud groan.

"FINE! BUT JUST ONE!" Alphys jumped out of her reverie with a squeak as Undyne literally picked you up and held you above her head, scowling in her embarrassment. "I'm trusting you Y/n, so I swear to the stars if you pick out something just to embarrass me-!"

"Now now, I have more dignity than that, don't you trust me?" It was obvious by the way she was analyzing your snarky grin that she didn't. "What's the matter? Think I'll pick out something kinky just to spite you? Honey, you don't need any my help to be kinky, because I'm sure Alphys really enjoys those fangs of yours when the two of you are home alone-"

"NGAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Suddenly you were soaring out of the changing room, yelling 'I REGRET NOTHING' at the top of your lungs. Somehow you had managed to do a cork-screw flip in the middle of the air, prop yourself off a rack and land on your feet as though you were a gymnast.

"Perfect form!" You had probably gained some rattled and weird looks but you merely chuckled, dusted yourself off, and started to do what was asked of you. You could look for some cute socks while you were at it.

While wandering around for something that you could be sure Undyne wouldn't murder you for, you had found out that apparently, this particular lingerie store had a section that was almost separate from the rest of the place that displayed... cosplay outfits. Both regular and sexy.

Like, holy shit.

You recalled that Undyne was now the head bodyguard of Asgore's negotiating council. She took the job very seriously.

Your (e/c) eyes fell on the policewoman's outfit.

Close enough.

Your smile was probably evil looking as you searched through the rack for a size that would fit (using that term loosely- or rather tightly if you know what I mean) and the part of the store you were in was pretty much vacant, so you were surprised to feel a hand suddenly clamp down on your shoulder out of nowhere.

"Pardon me m-miss, are you alright?" Looking behind you with a 'Bitch, WTH?' face, your eyes narrowed accusingly on a young fair-skinned girl who looked like a nervous wreck, brown hair in a neat little ponytail and dressed in a worker's uniform. Pretty, but seemed a bit too stressed out. Actually stressed is too kind of a word. She looked like a simple unexpected hello would cause her to jump out of her skin.

"Uh, I was until you suddenly popped out of nowhere like the Blair Witch...?" She was lucky you had learned to quell your survival instincts or she might have become a permanent fixture in the nearest wall. "Do you normally creep up on customers like that?"

Your (justified) attitude seemed to fly completely over her head. "L-listen, I can get you out of here quickly. You can use the worker's exit to the stairs to get away and I'll call the police."

"Huh? Get away from what...?" You planted your feet stubbornly as she began pulling at your arm, growing more and more hysterical by the minute. She had a strong, clammy grip for such a frail looking thing, but you weren't moving a centimeter. "Dude, you need some Ritalin or a joint or something? All this panicking is kinda bad for your health, plus you're not making any sense-"

"Come on, we don't have much time!" You winced as her voice ripped through two octaves and came out sounding squeaky. At this rate, the whole store was gonna hear her screeching. "We have to hurry before they come back to find you!" Your radar was picking up disgust and panic, and the mixture flaring so close to your personal space was making you uneasy.

"Before who comes back?"

"Them! T-Those satanic creatures! The monsters!! They were holding you hostage, weren't they?!" Cue record scratch.

Did this bitch just...?

Your lips slowly curled up into a cold grin as your eyes flashed a quick red. Your usually legendary tolerance was significantly lowered this day; you were not in the mood for people's bullshit. "Are you talking about a tall blue-skinned fish monster and a short yellow-scaled drake monster near the changing rooms?"

"Y-Ye- Wait, what's a drake...? N-Never mind, it doesn't matter! Those evil beings kidnapped you, didn't they?!"

Well, they technically did, but she didn't need to know that.

"I do believe you've made a mistake miss." With a quick yank, you easily freed your hand from her chilly grasp as you pinned her with a stony look. "I am not being held hostage by anyone; I'm merely shopping with my friends."

"F-F-Friends?!" She spat out as though the very word was bitter poison in her mouth. "Y-You're friends with those... filthy ani-"

"Let me stop you right there... Jenny." You flicked a quick glance down to her name-tag, taking a deep breath to restrain yourself before you ended up committing a felony. "While you certainly are free to think what you want about others, your racist narrow-minded opinion of this world is not shared by all. Least of all, the customer you're trying to accost at this moment, who very much adores the people she is friends with." You narrowed your eyes dangerously, the corners of your fake smile twitching with your annoyance. "In fact, I would very much enjoy it if you got out of my face and left my friends and I alone."

Her pretty face scrunched up into something vile in response, her cheeks turning an unseemly red. "Ugh!! So you're a disgusting monster lover?! I-I should have known, you came in with those faggots to buy lingerie, I bet you're fucking them both you whore-"

Your eyes once again flared red as your annoyance switched to anger, and you let loose a guttural growl, watching as her big mouth snapped shut immediately. "Bold words to tell a mage, you know?" Her eyes widened marginally, her skinny form shaking slightly in place as you smirked and lifted a finger, holding her terrified gaze. "I get it now... You're afraid of magic specifically, but their appearance only justifies your beliefs. Magic isn't inherently 'evil', but you wouldn't know that; you just judge people from appearance and fear what you don't know. I can sense your intent honey, so you can't lie to me." You barely let magic wisp and coalesce onto your finger, taking care to let the illusion seem invisible to any cameras but watched as her gaze quickly turned confused.

A blood red-winged butterfly was resting on the tip of your finger.

"Magic is dependent on the person using it. Depends on how much they care. How quick-tempered they are. So it can either be gentle and comforting," taking a quick glance at her soul, you chuckled as you held your hand in a cupping motion as the butterfly began to morph before the two of you, "Or be scary and fear-inducing." An ugly rat took place of the pretty insect, sitting in your palm and baring its teeth at the slack-jawed woman, and it took everything you had to keep a straight face as she screeched in horror. "Monsters are generally the first option. So, do yourself a favor Jenny honey. At least try to understand monsters, humans are a lot worse compared to them after all." You smiled pleasantly as she sprinted off with a yelp, the illusion quickly dissipating into nothing and your irises of your eyes losing the red color as you turned back to your task with a light hum.

A moment or two passed in silence before you called out to the empty space. "You two going to come out? I know you're there."

There was a quick second as a sheepish feeling registered behind you before you heard the rustling of clothes. "A-Ah..."

"Hey..." You smiled and glanced back to see Undyne and Alphys coming out from behind circular racks, Alphys looking a bit sweaty and nervous while Undyne looked pissed and proud. "Uh... I got worried because you were taking a while since I know your devious mind, so we came lookin' for ya and... You okay punk?"

"I'm fine, it was just a weirdo." You shrugged as your magic's insistence to be further released slowly grew weaker and weaker against your ribcage. Your control was not its best today... "I've handled them before."

"You sure...?" Alphys moved to gently grab your hand, raising her other clawed hand to soothingly rub at your arm. "We h-heard the stuff she said."

"Yeah, I'm quicker to my temper today... I wouldn't have gotten so hissy so fast if those boneheads had let me get some sleep..." You grumbled softly, throwing your chosen costume for Undyne over your arm. "I'll be sure to talk to her manager before we leave. Good thing I was able to stop myself from heading to jail."

Undyne crossed her arms, a strange expression rolling over her face. "It's because of us that she even bothered you though..."

"So?" You shrugged without a single care, deciding to pick up a really short Deadpool dress. A little too lacy for your tastes, but it covered what it needed to... At least up top. A pair of shorts and maybe some tights and you could make this suitable to wear in public. "She had no right whatsoever to say what she did. I was here to shop for what I needed because I lost what I had, not to get harped on by more racist assholes."

You felt the gray feeling of someone else's guilt and regret settle into your brain. "But-"

"Undyne. I said yesterday that I would never EVER abandon monsters because of what happened to me." You turned with a stern expression, eyeing her saddened grimace with fierceness in your eyes. "I've told you before; you are all important to me, so I'm not going to scorn you just because other people can't handle the fact that I find you better overall than my actual race. Did you not believe me?"

She gave you a bewildered stare before her expression softened, the heavy feeling in your head becoming light and fuzzy. The feeling doubled as Alphys smiled up at you. "...I guess I do now."

"Good. Now, on a lighter note," You tossed the outfit over to Undyne, watching as her warm look quickly turned irritable as a giddy smile spread your lips, "I made sure it would fit- well, relatively speaking... Let's pay for our shit and get some good food, yeah?"

"I k-kinda already did that..." Your wide-eyed gaze prompted Alphys to finish. "We did kinda force you in here, a-and you've been pretty patient with all our fussing, s-so I just decided to pay for your stuff... Y-Your bags are by the cashier desk." You stared at her for a little while longer, frowning just a bit.

"I owe you one, and no, that is not a question; That shit was probably expensive. I don't care if you are rich as fuck, I totally owe you a big favor." The drake giggled softly as you turned to get another outfit, missing her sly little smile.

Although a quick, foreboding feeling did make your stomach tumble a bit.....

Anyway, after picking up a Link's dress (yes, as in Link's green tunic that was more like a dress) that came with a cap, and a healthy amount of knee-highs, thigh-highs, and garter socks (still don't know why your besties were looking at you weird), the three of you had paid for your remaining stuff, and filed a complaint with a store manager who looked ready to rip her bothersome employee a new one.

You kinda felt bad for the hearty tongue lashing you just knew Jenny was gonna get.

Well, almost.

Maybe.

........

...Okay, not at all really.

"SO."

That two letter word was absolutely loaded with grim possibilities as you paused from grabbing a plate of Tiger Rolls off of the sushi conveyor belt, seeing Undyne shoot you a heavy stare out of the corner of your eye. After the three of you had put the last of your bags in the truck, you headed to the nearest sushi bar, hearing that the few choices of ramen they carried were quite delicious. You were not disappointed by what you were seeing.

But what was coming was going to wreck your gluttonous high, you just knew it.

"Sooo...?"

"How did you settle in last night?" You inwardly resigned yourself to the fate you knew was approaching.

"It's not like they were planning to have me move in, and I didn't exactly have anything to pack away last night you guys." You chomped down roughly on a crunch roll, letting the savory taste flood your tongue before swallowing. "Nor did I get any sleep. So, horribly, I would say."

"You've been s-saying that all day..." Alphys murmured as she snapped a quick picture of her steaming bowl of beef ramen, and posting it on her UnderNet profile. "Why didn't you?"

"The boys wouldn't let me." Undyne choked on a mouthful of soup and noodles as Alphys' jaw dropped, and you quickly realized your mistake once they turned to look at you with wide eyes. "Not like that you perverts, damn!" Your face flushed red as you scowled. "They were just trying to keep me awake, okay? Whenever it looked like I was about to fall asleep, they handed me something sugary to eat."

"Because?"

"Sans said it was because they were worried if I fell asleep, I wouldn't wake back up again."

Their expressions sobered up relatively quickly at that.

"...They're both such dorks... " Undyne grumbled without much inflection. "But... I can see where they were coming from."

"Don't get me wrong, I understand why they did it," You began as you tossed some coconut shrimp into your mouth, "But after a while without sleep, the human body shuts down. I'm going to need to sleep sometime. It just sucks that they're going to worry about it for god knows how long."

"It did give us q-quite the scare... Particularly t-them." Alphys nodded somberly in understanding before deciding to change the subject. "So uh... What did the three of you do last night then?"

"Papyrus decided to clear out the guest room for me, Sans and I talked a little before he went to his room, I took a quick nap before he woke me up for dinner, and then after that, we watched movies until they fell asleep." You shrugged as you slurped up some of your pork flavored ramen (damn this shit was good). Undyne didn't look very convinced.

"And that's all?"

"Yes, Undyne, that's all. Whaddya want me to say?" You raised a brow as you shot her a deadpan. "We declared our undying yearning for each other and made copious amounts of love?" You felt no remorse when Undyne performed a perfect spit-take and watched with vindication as Alphys had to help her recover, deep blushes spreading like wildfire across their cheeks.

"F-Fucking Stars, Y/n!"

"I am not sorry."

"I-If only..." Alphys muttered, squeaking slightly as you tossed a glare at her. "W-What?! I'm j-just saying!"

"Guys, seriously..." You groaned deeply, your hand resting against your forehead. "Just don't. Please don't start."

"Nu-uh, this is gonna be talked about whether you like it or not." Undyne pointed her chopsticks at you from across your booth sharply, her eye narrowing in annoyance. "It is literally painful to watch the three of you continually dance around each other when it's so freakin' obvious to the rest of us!"

"I don't-"

"Real talk right now nerd. I sense a lie coming from you, and I will suplex you out of this restaurant." Oh shit. She was serious. "Do you like the skelebros?"

You went silent, gingerly picking up your glass of Sprite and sipping at it while averting your gaze.

As the awkward silence stretched on, Alphys had to intervene as Undyne looked ready to flip the table. "I-I understand if it's a sensitive subject and all, but... Even Asgore, Toriel, and Frisk figured it out yesterday, and that was the first time the four of you met..."

'Well, fuck me...' You griped to yourself, releasing a deep sigh in response. 'If a ten-year-old can clearly see it, then I'm screwed...'

"Well?"

"Fine, fine, I admit it!" You whined out loud, cringing as both monsters let loose high pitched squeals of glee in response before you shushed them both, giving apologetic glances to families that were glaring at the three of you for your volume. "But that doesn't mean I'll act on it!"

"And why not?!" Honest to god, Undyne reached across the table and grasped your collar, shaking you vigorously in her excitement. "You dorks are PERFECT for each other!!"

"We've seen how they look at you, you know!" Alphys agreed, her hands flat on the table. It was clear she had hit shipping mode, and the breaks had been removed. "Sans can't shut up about you when we're working at the lab!"

"And Papyrus always talks about you when we hang out, especially when we're sparring. Says he's headed to the dojo where you work out at when he has nothing else to do." The sharp, exuberant grin stretching her face had caused your own to heat up to dangerous levels. "That cinnamon bunny actually said to me and I quote 'Y/n has very strong limbs and is extremely flexible! It's hard to believe a skeleton exists under all that softness she has! I wonder how her skin would feel under my phalanges...'"

Fucking. Shit, that. could. be tAKEN IN MANY WAYS, PAPYRUS!

"Look look look, I get it! The feeling is mutual, and I understand that!" You removed Undyne's hands from your collar, ignoring how hot your face felt while clearing your throat to try to get rid of the nervous lump there. "But... But I can't!"

"Please explain in vivid detail as to why you can't!" You and Alphys winced in unison as your table was promptly shushed by at least three other booths. Undyne glanced around sheepishly before slowly sitting back down in her seat; in her excitement, she had actually jumped halfway out of it.

"Is it... Is it because they're m-monsters...?" Alphys asked sadly, causing you to vehemently shake your head.

"Trust me, I couldn't care less that they're monsters."

"Then why Y/n?" Their now earnest expressions were giving you whiplash. They really needed to decide how they were going to feel about this whole thing, really. "If they like you, and you like them, why not go for it? You can't use the excuse that you're scared of rejection because even YOU know that they like you. And you're one of the most romantically oblivious people on the planet."

"Thanks for that." You muttered sarcastically, dragging a hand down your face in your exasperation. "Guys, I... It's hard to explain... They're brothers; they have absolutely the most precious brotherly relationship I've ever seen... I don't want to fuck that up."

"Please explain. I hear you talking, but you're not making any sense, how exactly could you fuck that up?" You took several deep breaths and gripped your glass tightly. When you spoke once more, your voice was a few octaves lower.

"A long time ago, I... was almost an older sister." Looking down at the table, you didn't see just how surprised they looked at the sudden change in your demeanor. "I was really excited about it... But at the last minute, it was taken from me. And when I look at Sans and Paps, I see what I could have had, you know?" Slowly stirring your straw around in your soda, you sighed softly and popped another piece of sushi into your mouth. "I don't want my being involved to mess with that."

".......W-Well, I can see your point, but I'm still confused..." You could see they didn't really know how to process that itty bitty piece of info. "HOW exactly could you mess that up if you obviously don't want to?"

"If I choose to date one, I'd hurt the other's feelings, and it could cause jealousy to mess with their relationship. Case in point, the breakfast from yesterday morning."

"Polyamory exists dumbass." You wondered if you'd ever get used to Undyne's everlasting bluntness.

"Soooo, you're saying I should date both of them."

"I know how weird that may s-sound, but hear us out! Sans and Paps have always, always been at each other's sides, even when they were baby bones. T-There were a lot of shortages underground, so everything they had, they shared!"

"Food, living space, clothing- well actually, that was until Papyrus hit his growth spurt... But you get what we're saying!" Undyne snickered to herself as she tossed back a few more rolls. "Point is, they both like you a lot, and they know each other better than anyone else ever could. As long as all three of you know about it and agree to it, there's nothing wrong with being in a relationship with both of them."

"Would that be fair of me though...?"

"I g-guess that depends on how much you like them and if you can handle them b-being with someone else..." A slow blink was your reply before you began thinking.

You liked them both. A lot. It was almost frightening how much affection you had for them; even when you first met them, it was almost as if you were greeting an old beloved partner despite how weird that sounds.

Now... How would you feel if someone else came and just stole that away from you?

Let's just say you were not expecting the ardent refusal your raw magic gave the idea, the tameless and wild flare up of your soul energy possessively shouting 'Mine!' taking you by surprise and causing a light spark of electricity to zap in front of your nose.

Your eyes widened.

"Oh fuck."

To say Alphys and Undyne were ecstatic would be an understatement. You thought they wouldn't notice that little slip-up? They are beings literally made of magic Y/n, of course they'd notice!

"They're going to worship us when we get her home~!" Your otaku bestie was shaking, stars settled behind her large glasses as she smiled brightly. "The OT3 is imminent Dy!"

"Holy shit, we gotta get you home!" Slapping down a gold coin onto the table, Undyne lifted up Alphys and pulled you out of the booth by your arm, with you protesting all the way.

"Whoa whoa WHOA, just because I realized shit doesn't mean I'm gonna confess tonight!"

"As stupid as it is, we know that already punk!" You were already being pulled out of the restaurant; you had no chance, you silly goose. "But we gotta drop you off with your stuff, and me and Alphy have to get working on the manga-"

"Shhhh! Undyne!" The blue-skinned badass actually yelped as Alphys harshly pinched her side and landed on her feet as she was dropped. Sweat beaded on her forehead as you stopped in your tracks and gave them both a suspicious look.

"Did you just say manga? What manga?" They both looked like they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar; Undyne actually scuffed her boot against the ground as she looked away with a whistle. "Alphys..."

"I-It's n-n-nothing bad! W-We just... um... m-made a manga of o-our surface life...?"

"And.... I'm a part of it."

"If you count making a side manga about you and the boneheads along with the actual one, then yeah." Undyne, despite her sheepish gaze, did not look at all sorry, unlike her girlfriend.

".....I better be able to get to read this shit you two." Letting loose a shout of victory, Alphys grabbed your hand and Undyne's as she nodded vigorously.

"A-And maybe help a little too?!"

"We'll see." You chuckled to yourself as Undyne gave a wild whoop, shrugging off her jacket to wrap around Alphys' shoulders, and the three of you hustled back into the mall plaza in the direction of the truck.

As you were walking through the crowd though, you were suddenly shoulder-checked by some asshole. Hard. "Ow!! Watch where you're going jackass!"

"How'zabout a pretty girl like you stop parading around with animals toots?" You whirled around, ready to fire a verbal cannon at the asswipe who dared to insult your friends, but when you caught sight of the sneering face, you groaned aloud.

Take the douchiest person you could ever think of, give that person a cock and balls if they don't already have any, magnify their horrible personality to the tenth power of Jerry, make them a stereotypical rich captain of the college football team man-whore, and you would hold the formula for Daniel Bailey.

This jerk liked making your entire college experience ever since your coming out as a mage a complete annoyance. Especially after you met Papyrus and Alphys.

"Goddamn it, I'm trying to enjoy the time I have away from you." You moaned pitifully as his eyes lit up with much less than innocent glee, actually stopping his stride to turn back and approach. "The fuck are you doing here; doesn't the football team have practice today?"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Miss Witch!" Of course, a scene such as this wouldn't be complete without the jackass's posse flanking him to make him seem even more threatening; A tired sigh slipped past your lips as about two other guys with letterman jackets on as well as three banshees disguised as college cheerleaders hanging off their arm also approached from behind, and every single one of them curling a lip at you. "Left your boiling pot to go looking for some newts and eyeballs?"

Sad thing was, you actually knew a guy and a girl in this group. Tyler Macanan, a lanky turned hunky guy with chocolate skin, short dark curly hair, soft hazel eyes and cheerful exposition, and Persephone Collins, a pale ginger-headed buxom flyer with pretty brown eyes that was actually kind of low in confidence and weight. They were two of the people who ditched you once information of you being a mage became public.

You felt a soft pang of nostalgia hit your soul.

"Very original Einstein, come up with that yourself?" You donned an unimpressed expression, crossing your arms. You had heard way more hurtful things from Christian mothers who liked throwing their bibles at you. "Or are you still getting your insults from the internet?"

"Aww, what's wrong she-devil? Can't take a little truth?"

"More like can't take how my personality shifts into a dull gray whenever I'm within a two-yard radius of you." You droned dully, enjoying the fleeting sight of anger flitting over his face before you heard familiar voices behind you.

"Yo punk, why'd you stop?" With Undyne suddenly behind your shoulder, muscles and scars clear to see on her arms, it wasn't difficult to see why the boys shrunk back almost unnoticeably. Glancing back, you could see her analyzing the group before you, a scowl quickly forming on her face. "These guys messing you Y/n?"

"Nah, don't worry about it 'Dyne." You knew it wouldn't take much for Undyne to go completely ham on these jokers, so you had to be the peace-keeper. Unfortunately. "They're no threat."

"Hmph."

"You've got a pet monster to protect you now, harpy?" Daniel scoffed, the others besides Tyler and Persephone smirking in response. Those two just gave you interesting looks you couldn't exactly decipher at the moment. With so many people around, you were receiving too many emotions at one time. Distinguishing who's was who's was rather difficult. "What, can't stand up for yourself anymore?"

"Pfff- I can protect myself just fine, thanks." You rolled your eyes, spying how the flakes looked astonished as they realized Alphys was standing beside you as well.

You were a little surprised to see Alphys pushing her glasses up her snout and speaking in a confident yet non-patronizing tone. "Mr. Macanan, Miss Collins. Pleasure seeing you. How has your day been?"

".....I-It's been fine, Doctor." She still had the same airy little voice...

"As has mine Doctor. Are you... Friends with Y/n?" And Tyler still sounded like most teenage girls' fantasies.

"Best friends actually." Pleasant surprise lit up your face as she gripped your hand, a proud smile on her face. "You can't get much better than her you know."

"Shit Alph, you're making me blush..." You rubbed the back of your head, giggling quietly. You noticed how their eyes showed a bit of sadness and jealousy before clearing up quickly.

Huh.

"Heh, just like a witch. Makes friends with animals." You spared a mere glance to Daniel before completely ignoring him, looking back at your former friends. You tried not to feel too much pleasure at his frustration with not being able to goad you into a fight.

"Has your asthma been getting better Tyler? And you've been eating, right P?" They both blinked owlishly at you in response before Tyler gave you a dirty look.

"And why would you care?"

"I've always cared dumbass. What, you think just because you both scorned me for something I had no control over that I just forgot all about you? Sorry, but I'm not as shallow as you two." It seemed they weren't expecting the built up venom that you spit at them, and when you turned away, you missed their confused looks. "C'mon 'Dyne, Alphy, let's head home."

Walking away with your head held high and your besties flanking you, you thought that was the end of it...

"From what I heard, you don't have a home to go back to."

You came to a screaming halt.

"O-Oh no..." Alphys whispered, sharing a frightened glance with Undyne as you went scarily still.

"Did I hit a nerve she-devil?" A single pair of footsteps approached from behind, and Undyne rounded with a growl, protecting your back. "You know, it makes a whole lot of sense though; you seem like you fit along with other trash on the streets. If you were smart, you'd ditch the weirdos, and then you'd only have one problem to deal with. They're the reason you lost your house, right?"

"How about you fuck off?" Undyne hissed furiously at the douche who seemed to be having fun with poking a sleeping jaguar, while Alphys was trying to do her best to keep you calm. "She doesn't need assholes like you messing with her day!"

Remember how it was explained Magic was old and more basic in nature?

Well, right now, you were holding back every basic instinct to keep from curb-stomping a motherfucker, and your magic was not happy about it.

Your magic sort of reminded you of a middle-schooler who was doing everything they could to change their parent's mind about something.

Can't we just-

'No.'

But it would be so easy to-

'No, goddamn it.'

But he deserves it!!

'We've already caused enough trouble for our friends.'

C'mon, all you have to do is slip him into the tiniest illusion-

'I am not going to turn Daniel Bailey into a drooling vegetable!'

But it would feel so good!

'And that's why I can't do it!'

But... But...!

'No, and that's final!'

.....Can't we at least knock his ego down a few pegs...? Or several...?

............

You were the Queen of One-liners...

YES!!!!

With a smirk that could freeze over the first three layers of Hell, you turned to grasp Undyne's shoulder. "Hey 'Dyne. I got this."

She took one look at your face and immediately got out of your way, enabling you to get a clear look at the damned bastard's smug face. His posse of assholes was looking a bit worried about where this particular situation was headed, and your former friends were actually glaring at Daniel.

You were also gathering a bit of a crowd.

Might as well give 'em a show.

"And tell me, Bailey, what exactly would you know about being smart?" Your grin twisted cruelly. "It's not like you're letting your education get in the way of your ignorance." He did a double take, actually looking a bit scared as he saw the dark smile on your face. Damn who's a scary bitch?

He tried to save face though, flexing his arms subtly and taking a stance to seem superior.

"You're the ignorant one; obviously too stupid to realize that those monsters will get you killed!"

"Wooooow, I don't know what makes you so stupid, but it seems like it really works." You could feel your excitement rising as you decided to put this asshole in his place, your magic crackling giddily in your veins. "The government could use your stupidity as a military weapon, I mean seriously."

"Why you little bitch-!"

"Oh shut up, you'll never be the man your mother is." You waved him off nonchalantly, placing a hand on your hip as he choked inarticulately on his rage. You could hear how hard Undyne was trying not to laugh as she kept Alphys by her side, and light jeers and laughs could be heard from your current audience. "What's wrong, are you actually speechless? Miracles do come true!"

"At least I'm popular you dumb whore!"

"Is that really the best you can come up with? I thought we were in college, not grade school."

"Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot you were a virgin." He sneered at you as if that fact somehow made you lesser than him. "Can't be a whore if you don't let anyone in your pants. Not that anyone would want to with how ugly you are. At least I can get some."

"Congratulations: You have a higher risk of getting an STD than I do!!" You trilled happily, snickering at his twitching face. There were actually people laughing out loud, and Undyne was one of them. "And you know, I specifically remember in Freshman year in college just how salty you were when I said I didn't WANT to have sex with you even if you were the last guy on earth-"

"Shut your fucking mouth!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you liked the truth!" This was fun. You were actually enjoying this. "But then again, I guess the possibility of you liking what I personally have to say is just as low as the chance of you getting a girl to orgasm-"

That did it. If there was one way to piss guys like Daniel Bailey off, it was to insult their ability to pleasure a woman.

"Why you!!" A large fist came flying towards your face.

In less than two seconds, he was on his back, and you were above him with your heel in his armpit, twisting his arm to keep him still.

Undyne released a loud cheer while a gasp of shock rippled through the watching crowd.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Bailey... You think you'd know better than attack someone who hadn't raised a hand to you." You squeezed his wrist a bit tighter as you looked down at him in mock disappointment, a squawk of pain ripping unattractively from his throat.

"Aghhh!!! Damn you, you goddamned witch!!"

"You know, it wasn't nice for you to mention the loss of everything I worked for... It's a little suspicious. You better hope that if you were involved, I don't find out about it, because if I do," You leaned down with a dangerous grin, letting a tiiiny illusion that only he could see allow a black substance to seep from your eyes and mouth, hearing him suck in a petrified breath.

"I will gladly become your worst n i g h t m a r e."

"Y/n! Hey punk, c'mon, we gotta go, we've got company!"

Lurching your head up at the sound of Undyne's urgent voice, you dispelled your illusion and looked at her confused as she pointed in the direction of where you just came. You glanced that way and saw several people trying to push through the heavy crowd to get to you, some holding microphones and others holding large cameras. The familiar logo on the side of those cameras made your blood run cold.

Ebott News.

Fuck!

"Yep, time to go!" You chirped as you gave Bailey's arm one last yank before jumping over to your friends, ready to sprint the hell out of Dodge.

Imagine your surprise when you were once again picked up by Undyne. "Wha-?!"

"I got ya, nerd! Let's get out of here!" Hauling her squealing girlfriend up in her other arm, the ex-captain began booking it to the exit closest to your waiting vehicle, actually vaulting over people who didn't get out of the way fast enough. "Move it or lose it, people!!"

"S-S-Slo-o-o-ow d-d-down-n-n H-h-h-hon-n-ney-y-y!!!"

"Whooooooo!!!!" You cheered out as the three of you burst out of the mall with a flourish, leaving idiots and reporters alike in your dust. "I fucking love shopping!!"

Chapter Text

Settling In- Papyrus' POV

As much as Papyrus loved his classes and such, it was a necessary thing to need a day break within his usually busy five-day week. His brother, the lazybones, was surprisingly just as busy as he was, and actually worked throughout the whole five day week. Today was Sans' half day, so while he was gone now, he would soon return home to find something a little different about it!

In fact, he had to let their newest occupant know of the new development immediately!

"Y/N!" With his usual energy, Papyrus came bounding down the stairs, his eye sockets seeking out his first ever crush (and hopefully soon to be date-mate). He first spotted the kittens playing upon the carpet, and then lit up as he saw you lounging on the couch looking like your usual pretty and adorable self, clad in a simple sweatshirt and pajama bottoms and boredly watching an episode of what seemed to be a high school anime of a... Host Club? You glanced up in question at his call, red spreading lightly over your cheeks in what was the human's form of a blush. You had been doing that a lot lately, ever since you had come back from that shopping trip with Undyne and Alphys in fact.

He could only hope that was a good thing.

"Yes Papy, what is it?" You spoke softly, picking up the remote from your side and pausing the CD. He was proud he could keep the effect of what your sweet voice did to him subdued.

.....Not like that you silly sinners.

"SURELY YOU'RE TIRED OF HAVING TO KEEP YOUR SEVERAL BAGS OF NEW CLOTHING DOWN HERE BY THE COUCH?"

"Um... Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"WELL, YOU WILL BE ELATED TO KNOW," He posed heroically, his scarf flapping behind him as it usually did when he meant to make a statement, "THAT I, YOUR WONDERFUL... FRIEND, HAVE CLEANED AND REFURBISHED THE GUEST ROOM! IT IS NO LONGER THE GUEST ROOM AND IS, IN FACT, YOUR ROOM AS OF THIS MOMENT!"

He didn't notice the slightly conflicted light that flashed through your eyes before you forced a brittle smile onto your face. "That's great Paps... Are you letting me go see now?"

"YES, YES! COME AND SEE IMMEDIATELY!" You chuckled at his excitement, slowly getting off the couch with a soft groan and stretching out your back until-

pop Pop POP!

"Whew... Okay, I'm good now, let's see your handiwork, yeah?" You walked past him to head to the stairs, not noticing the bright orange flush that painted the front of his skull.

If only he knew how you made those uncomfortably arousing noises...

"Uhhh, Paps? You coming?" He blinked out of his reverie, turning to see you stalling at the foot of the stairs and eyeing him curiously.

"OH... OH! YES, INDEED! I MUST SEE YOUR EXPRESSION OF IMMENSE JOY WHEN YOU SEE YOUR ROOM!" Wasting no more time, Papyrus flew up the stairs and down the hall to the door that rested between his and his brother's, with you following at a much slower pace. He bounced impatiently on his feet as you walked towards him, amusement plain on your face. It seemed like you were taking forever to get to the door when it had really been only ten seconds!

"Alright Papyrus." You murmured, placing your hands into your sweater pockets, slouching almost like his brother would. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"OF COURSE! BEHOLD Y/N, YOUR NEW ROOM!" With a quick twist of the door knob, he threw open the door, his grin stretching over his skull happily.

Your expression went scarily blank as you stared into the room, the only hint of surprise was the light parting of your lips. "Whoa."

"WELL, DON'T JUST STAND THERE!! GO IN, GO IN!" With a gentle nudge to your back, he watched as you took a few steps past the threshold. His eye sockets followed your form, his large form in the doorway as he analyzed your every action.

Over the two months, three days, thirteen hours and counting that he'd known you (of course he kept meticulous count!), he had carefully remembered and catalogued even the tiniest bits of info about you because firstly- sometimes those pieces of info were few and far between, and secondly- he wanted to learn everything he could about the one he liked. He was much more observant than people gave him credit for.

That one time you had let it slip that you liked the color red?

That was the color of the comforter, sheets, and the curtains.

That single glimpse he had gotten of your old room once and saw you had art stuff everywhere and drawing on the walls?

He had generously bought an art easel and a desk underneath the window that was filled with brand new sketchbooks that Sans had bought for you.

When you had gotten curious about his magic and he had conjured some bones for you, and you had gushed over how cool it was?

He had crafted the drawers and even the frame of the bed out of bones he didn't need anymore, fusing them together with magic. Sans only donated the bones that made the bedposts.

And of course, he had placed his own little touches by making sure the pillow casings resting innocently at the head of the bed were orange and blue. 

The room wasn't perfect and was still pretty bare and colorless (unfortunately), but it had a closet and a lot of potential for what you could do with now that it was your own space! That surely had to make up for its shortcomings!

...................

He was beginning to worry.

You hadn't moved an inch or spoken a single word since you first entered.

He began to wring his gloved hands in the silence that had fallen.

".....Y-Y/N?" He moved his hulking frame further inside, eyeing your still form with extreme worry. Did you not like it...? Perhaps you had found something wrong? "ARE YOU OKAY...? IS THE ROOM ADEQUATE ENOUGH FOR YOUR LIVING HERE? IF IT'S NOT TO YOUR LIKING, I CAN ALWAYS REARRANGE IT-"

"No... N-No, Paps, it's... fine." Papyrus decided that he did not like how watery and cracked your voice sounded. Not one little bit. "It's... more than what I could have hoped for, r-really, it's just..." A shuddering breath left you; he could see the tension in your shoulders and the vibrations in the back facing him. "This just s-sorta... hits it all home you know...? That I... Lost something p-precious to me... I lost my home... Again."

Again...?

Oh.

Oh no.

You were crying now.

They weren't gigantic waterworks; just quiet sobs as you pressed your palms against your eyes.

But Sans had told him they needed you as happy as possible. And Papyrus was never really good at failing.

It was enough to make him step forward.

You gasped softly once his arms were wrapped carefully around your squishier form, gently pulling you back against him. He tucked his skull into the crook of your neck, noticing the light tremor that went through your body as he did so.

"...P...P-Paps...?"

"I... I know it is hard, Y/n... Losing everything that seemed safe to you." His true voice was something he didn't use often as just the sound of it made him feel like he was forgetting something... or someone important, yet could never figure out what or who. His usual volume wasn't meant for a situation like this though. "Sans and I... We went through the same thing when we first came to the surface you know. We didn't want to go back under at all now that we could see the sun and stars... So we didn't have a material home for a few months... But!" Pulling back to grasp your shoulders, he turned you around, smiling down at your tear-streaked face in a consoling way. "We... Always had each other! And as long as we had that, we always had a home! Because... you always have a home if you have people that care about you and make you happy."

Moving to pull off a glove, he extended a phalange slowly so as to not startle you, carefully watching your expression to see if you were disgusted by his large hands. He was a little self-conscious of them, which was the reason why he wore his large red gloves.

But of course, you didn't flinch or try to pull away as he rubbed away oncoming tears from the corners of your eyes. You never rejected him, no matter what he did. Your genuine interest and care for him were why he fell for you.

You were always pretty in his opinion, but it hurt to see tears on your face.

"There is no need to cry... We are here for you."

You were able to gurgle out a soft, broken laugh, a soft sniffle following soon after as you reached up to grasp his hand and wipe away the traces of your tears.

His SOUL pulsed.

"T-Then I guess... My h-home is wherever you g-guys are... Right?"

Cue the embarrassing hot flush of magic over his cheekbones.

"N-Nyeeeehhhh..." This was not going at all as planned! He was supposed to cheer you up, not end up remembering quite intensely exactly why he had fallen for you! "O-OF COURSE! YOU'RE ALWAYS AT HOME WITH SANS AND I! AS WELL AS UNDYNE, ALPHYS, AND I SUPPOSE TORIEL, ASGORE, FRISK, AND EVEN FLOWEY NOW TOO..." Papyrus rambled on, trying to keep his eyes off on the very tender look you were watching him with.

How was he ever going to confess his true feelings if he got so flustered when you spoke such sweet, genuine words...?

Through the open door of the room, the two of you could hear the rattling of the (NEW!) door, before it swung open with a soft creak.

"hey, i'm home- huh...? where is everybody...?"

Stars Bless his brother's ability to incidentally appear out of nowhere!

"WELCOME HOME BROTHER!!" The tall skeleton took the opportunity to leave the embarrassing situation, hopping out of the room to lean against the banister, calling down below to his relieved looking brother. "UP HERE- I WAS SHOWING Y/N HER NEW ROOM!"

"aww, bro, i thought you were gonna wait until i got home..."

"I APOLOGIZE, I WAS TOO EXCITED TO SEE HER REACTION!"

In his hurry to escape, Papyrus didn't notice how you had grasped at the place your soul resided... or whispered softly to yourself.

"Soon Y/n... You'll do it soon."

Political Talk

A polite knock sounded on the door, interrupting your (regrettably) slow typing.

"Hm...? Who could that be?" A quick glance at your laptop's clock had you frowning.

2:30.

"The boys aren't supposed to be back until the evening..." As it has already been addressed that you were quite the oddball, it would be no surprise to any deity or perhaps cosmic witnesses to your life story that you had dropped to the floor in a crouch, and stealthily sneaked up to the door with ninja-like movements. It didn't matter that this was a gated community filled with trustworthy monsters; your personality demanded this precaution.

As a louder knock reverberated throughout the house, you inched up slowly to line up your narrow gaze with the peephole.

I got my eyes on yo- oh hey, it was just Asgore!

What was he doing here...?

Quickly standing up and putting on your 'I swear I wasn't doing anything weird' face, you opened the door with a cheerful smile. "Hello, Asgore!"

"Howdy Y/n!" He grinned back pleasantly, a plastic bag holding something in hand. If he was any taller, you'd be hurting your neck while looking up at him. "I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I wanted to know how you were settling in, but realized I didn't have your phone number... Neither did my wife, or child you see." Oh shit, you had totally forgotten about that. Well, that had to be rectified immediately. "Since your new home is close to mine, I just decided to visit instead of calling the girls or boys for your number."

"Oh." That first part made you twitch lightly, and it seemed he noticed if you were correctly understanding that flash of sympathy that was curling at the back of your brain. "Welp, it'd be rude for me to just let you stand here. Come on in." Moving yourself out of the way, you realized that unnaturally large doorway was probably made with Asgore's height and horns in mind; normal doorways would be damn near impossible for Asgore to move through. "Make yourself comfortable... Would you like something to drink?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you. Here, I've brought a box of my own special mixture." Handing off the plastic bag he carried to you, you tilted your head to the side curiously.

"A whole box?"

"Ah, well..." A sheepish smile spread over his muzzle, a deep chuckle rumbling from him. "It is a... House warming gift of sorts."

"Oh." There was too many feels here that you weren't prepared for. Thankfully, he had literally handed you an escape. "Well then I'll just... Go make some then, just a sec." You hurried off into the kitchen before your awkwardness with the particular subject could stagnate the king's visit.

It was just too fresh to face...

You could hear the sounds of Asgore moving chairs around in the dining room as you filled a tea pot with water, and placed it on a hot burner of the stove. Were there chairs in the house big enough to hold him...?

"Umm... I don't need to use magic to steep this, right?" You called out, moving to get some cookies from the sweets cupboard. "I'm not very good at making magically enhanced food."

"No no, the magic is already in the pouch of herbs." You squeaked as the king's contralto voice came from directly behind you, making you jump in shock. "Oh, my apologies... I did not mean to frighten you."

"I-It's okay..." Damn it, were all monsters trained in off-sight stealth?! "Just uh... Make some noise next time? I don't exactly have the best memories of people sneaking up on me."

"Right, right..." Placing the tin of sugar cookies onto the counter, you leaned against the flat surface and became locked into a staring battle with your current guest.

.........

Awkwardness abound.

"So..." He began softly, coughing once into a fist. "Have you... Seen the news recently?"

"I've been trying really hard not to."

"Two new bills have been presented to the public... Concerning magic. One is a completely new concept while the other strives to strengthen the current law involving magic." Ah yes. The law that restricts monsters and mages alike from using magic in an offensive manner unless it is a life or death situation. How could you ever forget? Mages were better off staying in hiding; they only had to make sure that people didn't see them use their magic before coming out. "They both might affect monsters... as well as some mages dramatically."

"Oh?" Picking up a cookie, you began nibbling on it as you handed one over to him. "Do tell."

"The first brings up the idea of creating a... military division specifically for magic users." You almost fucking choked on a chunk of the pastry heading down your gullet.

No.

Not just no, but hell no.

That was just a World War begging to happen.

"I see you have the same view as I." A wry smile curled over his muzzle as he watched you beat on your chest, coughing in order to clear your trachea. "Allowing the government access to magic in such a way could have dire consequences."

"P-Putting it mildly..." You murmured coarsely, gripping at the front of your shirt tightly. "It would be d-detrimental to world peace, let alone the peaceful tone that monsters are trying to keep." You'd be damned if you willingly let your government exploit your magic in any way. "And the second bill...?"

"It is a stipulation to the first one..." A world weary sigh hissed from his nostrils. "With so much 'concern' over how magic could be used against the nation and its citizens, the government has presented the second bill to the public... One that wishes to categorize the different forms of magic and restrict the use of certain types and levels. Boss monsters such as I and stronger mages would be unable to use our magic at our own discretion." The teapot whistled shrilly upon the stove, and gestured for him to continue while you pulled cups for the tea out of the china cupboard. You heard him take a deep breath as you moved to pour the hot liquid. "The leaders of the Cardinal Clans have supplied their system of ranking in exchange for the promise that if the bill is passed... The provisions do not affect the Clans."

You nearly scalded your hand with boiling water. You really needed to stop doing dangerous things when people were dropping bombs on you.

Those slippery, power hungry bastards!

"That's not right..." You growled, placing the tea bags into the cups to steep, and watching as the golden coloring dispersed through the water. "That leaves so many loopholes that could be manipulated... And Congress just agreed to that?! That means only Monsters would be affected!"

"And mages that hold no allegiance to guilds. Drifters like yourself." Your eyes widened, and you swear your heart skipped a beat.

That added a whole other level of fuckery.

"That's bad. Oh sweet holy Cheesus and crackers, that is bad on sooooo many levels." Without being able to use their magic to protect themselves, strong drifters could be sought after by Tracker Mages looking for a quick pay, and literally forced to join the Cardinal Clans who were always struggling for power. Like you, for example. It happened enough already, but with that particular bill passed, all hell would break loose. "And since drifters are so sparse and spread out, we have no legal representation at all... We'd literally be forced to follow something that we weren't able to give our opinion and decide o-" You twitched as you felt a spark of triumphant accomplishment.

Wait a minute...

Your eyes narrowed slightly and you quirked a brow over at the suddenly abashed looking king. ".....Your majesty... I believe you're keeping something from me. This wasn't just a social call, was it?"

".....I'm afraid not." He sighed as he picked up his teacup, cradling it in his hands and looking down into the liquid with big soft, forlorn eyes. "You see Y/n, I do not have many allies in the meetings... What small victories I've been able to gain with Frisk beside me are becoming few and far between. My people are becoming impatient... Though we may have citizenship, we are not treated like equal citizens. Mages only fair a bit better because even though they are still humans, they wield magic." A deep frown created creases upon your face as you picked up your own cup of tea, sipping lightly at the magic drink. The soothing feeling the hot tea splashed onto your soul only offered temporary relief. "The setback these bills could create if they pass might create severe unrest amongst my people."

"So... Why have you come to me then Asgore?"

He released a deep sigh, lifting his head to once again make eye contact with you.

"...I wish to offer you a place on my negotiating council."

What.

"I'm sorry, wait, what?" You blinked rapidly, an astonished expression nearly etched permanently into your face. "You want me to help you fight the bills?"

"Yes."

".....Why?"

"You hold equal rights in high regard. And while I wish I could say that I have decided this with no ulterior motives in mind, that would not be the truth." He reached out to place a paw on your shoulder, violet eyes gazing into yours beseechingly. "You are already known as a monster supporter. Your tragedy has started quite the uprise in the Monster and Mages Civil Rights Movement." You flinched, your gaze flicking away to hide the pain that was probably within them. "The bill personally affects you and other drifters such as yourself. You said to me that you would always remain by my people's side in our struggle for equality... Does that still hold true now?"

"Always." You swore with deep inflection, before hesitating. "But... I'm a civilian."

"That matters not. You are a mage with no allegiance to any guild or magician's group. You very much fit the bill."

"Asgore... You can hardly use me to represent drifters; I'm probably the most radical mage you could find. I'm friends with monsters, I stay far away from any group with magical affiliation attached to it... I... I'm in love with two monsters." His expression was a mixture of deep sadness and elation as he regarded your deep flush. "My views would cause a lot of uproar, saying that I wouldn't be trying to be objective about what should be accomplished. And I doubt all drifters are friendly with, or at the very least, hold indifference for your race."

"Would it be possible to somehow hold a meeting...? Spread the word among mages such as yourself who do not wish to have their rights taken away?"

"Many drifters are drifters for a reason... There are hardly any mages that were born into obscurity. We have cause to stay in hiding... But." You nibbled on your lower lip nervously. "We also have a hidden community-- We hold a certain respect for each other... We converse and congregate; we just don't stay in groups permanently because of how dangerous it is. I'll see if I can spread the word, but I can't promise anything." You sighed as you shook your head.

You could see the curiosity in his eyes, but thankfully he held back questions out of respect.

"So... Will you stand by the side of Frisk and I? Even with the danger that will most definitely come with it?"

"...Yes." You nodded once, turning your gaze to the window and watching the blue sky. "Because it's the right thing to do. When do I start?"

"Once I have let the other members know, you will join Frisk and I, and perhaps occasionally Toriel, every Monday evening to head to the meetings. I believe this will take affect at the beginning of September."

"Understood."

The rest of Asgore's visit was filled with quiet idle chatter.

Family Night- Toriel's POV

Saturdays were always a loud and cheerful event in the Dreemurr's household.

Not wanting to miss and lose all the family Frisk had made now that monsters had free reign to roam, they had craftily devised a plan to see everyone; because despite there being the fact of everyone living rather close to each other, they all had rather busy lives.

So Frisk, the little darling, thought holding game and movie night plus a sleepover at the Dreemurr mansion on the weekends would be a great way to catch up in case they hadn't seen each other the whole week.

Everyone had eagerly agreed.

At the moment, Frisk was entertaining Alphys and Undyne with Mario Kart along with Flowey, evidenced by Undyne's unholy shrieking and the buttercup's snarks.

It was very much the norm for a Saturday night.

Only this week, there seemed to be a new, and hopefully permanent, addition to this engagement.

"Gorey, pass me the cinnamon if you would?"

"Ah, of course." A gigantic white paw placed the cinnamon shaker into Toriel's slightly smaller one, where she studiously sprinkled cinnamon into the butterscotch mixture she had concocted in a large crystal bowl. "Golly, that's a much larger batch than you usually whip up dear."

Smiling up at her husband, she sighed softly as their gazes connected.

When their kind had first reached the surface, she had so much anger and disgust in her soul for the monster before her... Even though it was clear he felt remorse for what he had done to the deepest degree.

But not hate. Monsters didn't really have it in them to hate.

Toriel could never truly hate her other half.

She tried to keep her distance though. She really, really did. Toriel had wanted Asgore to believe that what they had could never be reforged. She wanted to stop seeing the loving hope in his eyes that she crushed time and time again, wanted to stop feeling the horrible guilt as she injured his soul more and more.

But for some reason, every time she did, there was a feminine voice that would repeat a certain phrase in her head. She couldn't remember who said it, or even when it happened... She only knew that the voice only wanted to help.

Even if you think he doesn't deserve it... The pain of regret will hurt much, much more if something happens, and you didn't tell him how you felt.

After a few months of the guilt, and that voice repeating those damning words, she finally gave in. If only to make it all stop hurting.

Toriel was extremely glad she did.

"Papyrus made it known to me that Y/n will be joining us tonight, and has warned me that she can eat quite a lot." The female boss monster chuckled softly, pouring the thick golden liquid into the prepped pie crust and moving to roll out the dough that would be placed on top. "She seemed to like the pie from this past Tuesday; I thought it would be wise to make a much bigger pie than usual."

"Oh, that is wonderful news!" Asgore grinned widely, before heading to his personal cupboard. "I shall make some tea for when she arrives then."

"So excitable Fluffybuns." She placed a paw over her muzzle as she giggled, seeing a light pink blush through the snowy white fur on his cheeks. "You enjoy our new friend's company so much?"

"Well Tori... Perhaps it is just me, but... Whenever I look at Y/n, I feel as though I'm greeting an old friend..." He rubbed the back of his head as he frowned slightly. "A daughter even... Is that strange?"

"...Not at all Gorey." Reaching over to grasp his hand, she gave him a reassuring smile. "To be honest, I thought it was only I feeling those emotions."

They exchanged a quiet look, but as he opened his maw to reply, a sudden burst of noise erupted from the living room.

"Yeesh, what took you idiots?"

"It took you punks long enough! You finally made it!!"

"'eyyyy, for once, it wasn't me bein' slow. look at y/n." An indignant 'oi' was the quick reply as the sound of the door shutting soon followed.

"It's not my fault you guys suddenly sprung this on me! I had no idea what Saturdays meant for you. I couldn't come empty handed!"

"REALLY Y/N, THE QUEEN MAKES SO MUCH FOOD, THERE WAS NO NEED TO MAKE A BATCH OF COOKIES!"

"Well, I did anyway, okay!? Gosh diddly darn!"

"D-Don't worry Y/n, Frisk and I a-are looking forward to your cookies."

"Yeah!! And Flowey is too!"

"Don't group me with you fools! I don't want any of that trash she brought!"

"Aww Flowey, are you still mad at me for all those plant jokes I made almost a week ago? Don't be a stick in the mud."

"Y/N, WHY?!"

"I will end you!!"

"And I thought our little household couldn't possibly get any rowdier." Asgore chortled, placing a filled teapot onto the stove to boil.

"A truly silly idea, that." Toriel giggled along with him before shooing him out the kitchen with the promise of finishing the tea for those who wanted it. She smiled fondly as she heard her husband greet you, before directing you towards the kitchen to put the cookies away for later. You sped into the kitchen with a mischievous cackle, ducking your head as little white bullets chased you along with Flowey's enraged threats. Sans wasted no time trying to berate the talking vegetation for that, and soon an argument broke out that everyone was either trying to dissolve or instigate.

"Woo!" Your smile was wide and bright as you readjusted the large plate of cookies in your arm, stumbling as you did so. "Never a dull moment around here! Hiya Toriel! How's your week been?"

"It's been busy, but no less lovely, thank you." It was easy to be cordial to someone who just glowed vitality and cheerfulness such as you did. "Do be careful, it's been at least two months since we've had our last injury at one of these events. That's our longest record so far." A snort of laughter was your reply.

"Holy Radcliffe, if it wasn't for the fact that I know those people in there, I would say that's pretty sad. No, wait... Nah, never mind, that's pretty good considering Undyne and Papyrus."

"Exactly my point my child." With a simple flick of the wrist, a few balls of fire spiraled around the now prepped pie, and the motherly monster set a timer placed on top of the stove. "You can place your cookies here on the counter dear; thank you for bringing them."

"Ah yeah..." Once your arms were free, you scratched the back of your head in embarrassment. "Paps kinda warned me last minute, and I became hard pressed for time... Since I wasn't exactly invited, I thought bringing food would be polite."

"Nonsense, you're always welcome here Y/n. The boys made no mistake by inviting you to this function."

The flash of emotion she saw was quick. Almost unnoticeable even, but Toriel had lived for many, many years and she knew a troubled soul when she saw one.

You quickly picked up your guise again however.

"Well, that's definitely kind of you Goat Mom." She heard the light strain in your voice as you leaned against the counter casually. "I'd tell ya the same, but I'm pretty sure you already know you're welcome at the boys' house."

"Ah yes, that reminds me. How have you been settling in?" Asgore had told her of his visit the day before, but she wanted to hear it from you. "The boys have been kind to you, have they not?"

"Oh yeah, definitely!" You nodded your head rapidly, chuckling. "Papy, uh... Fixed up the guest room for me and I was able to put my clothes and things up the way I like it... Sans and I have kinda been bickering over what monetary contributions I make to the household; he doesn't want me to pay any of the bills since he says the scientist job that he has kinda takes care of that already. It's kinda overwhelming..."

"I'm sure he simply wants you to get used to things before worrying about any of that, child." Her face contorted in amusement as she watched you grimace. "Although Sans is quite the tricky monster."

"Ain't that the truth..." You muttered, sighing as you stated up at the ceiling. "I'm so used to paying bills by myself that I feel like I'm taking advantage of things if I don't contribute somehow..."

"But my dear, you are so young. Surely it hasn't been that long since you were living with your family?" You froze up just a bit before coughing awkwardly into your fist.

"Oh, I uh..... I don't have any."

What? "You mean you have no parents?"

"Nope."

"No siblings?"

There was a light pause. "Nu-uh."

".....My child, how long has it been since you had the luxury of being able to depend on someone else?"

"Err...." It was clear you were debating on whether not to answer, but a stern look reluctantly loosened your lips. "About a decade give or take...?"

Toriel knew how to read in between the lines.

Knew basic math too.

Undyne had mentioned you were twenty-two.

That meant you had been on your own since you were twelve years old.

Not even a teenager...

"Well." A determined gaze pinned you were you stood. "I can very much tell you that is no longer the case. It would be presumptuous of me to speak for all monsters, but you can always depend on the Dreemurr family if need be. Everyone deserves trustworthy people they can lean on in times of crisis."

"...I don't understand..."

"What is it that you do not understand Y/n?"

"Do I.... Deserve something like that? Do I really deserve... People like all of you...?" You asked quietly, moving to grip your shoulders. "As friends? As... F-family...?"

It was at that moment, and that moment only, that Toriel saw not the strong, carefree mage that her loved ones had spoken of, nor the young woman with a bright smile and closed off, hollow eyes that she had seen twice now...

But instead, she saw a vision of an awkward lanky teenager with arms wrapped protectively around their form who obviously wanted something that they saw in front of them so desperately, but was much too afraid to ask for it.

You were already being hounded by so many people from so many angles. Trying to rush your recovery by pushing you into happy settings would not help.

A mother's gentle touch might however.

"Personally my child, I feel as if you deserve more than just that." A soft smile was directed towards your gaze, which tellingly screamed of the discord in your soul. "We all do, I'm sure... However, I know that simply smiling and putting up an act is not the same as truly being at peace." Placing a fuzzy paw upon your shoulder, she watched as you tensed slightly. You were not used to feeling so vulnerable in front of others it seemed. "There is no shame in wanting to be sure, Y/n.... But if you dally for too long, you might regret it later if the chance disappears."

There was a long moment in which you stared her with wide, conflicted eyes before a forced sound which may have been a laugh in a past life slipped from your lips.

"Funny... It feels like I've said something like that before... Somewhere..."

"It IS rather sound advice, isn't it? It's something similar to what I was told what feels like ages ago." A quick caring rub of the cheek and Toriel pulled away, stepping back to give you a bit of your space back. "Take the time that you need child... But don't take too long! Your friends are waiting for you to join them in their games." She tossed you a quick wink as she grabbed a tray that held a variety of drinks, and carried them out towards the living room.

Toriel wished she could say she was surprised when she spotted Sans leaning by the doorway that connected the kitchen to the dining room. The bonehead worried too much.

A quick warning glare had him trotting back into the living room though.

"sorry tori, guess i goat ahead of myself..." He flashed her a small guilty grin, a little shame-faced at the sight of her knowing smile and cocked brow. "i just..." A swift glance was shot back towards the kitchen. "i worry about 'er..."

"I understand Sans..." She whispered softly as to not grab attention, watching the family gathering excitedly shrieking at anime upon the TV with belying content. "Give her time.... She'll come around."

After a moment or two, you reemerged from the kitchen with a smile that was no less staged from before.

.....But the storm that raged in your eyes was a little bit clearer this time.

Night Terror

Something slithered around your throat, and constricted lightly, as if gently reminding you that it could crush your airway any time it wanted. You went stiff as it did, refusing to open your mouth and allow the Void's slimy fingers insistently pressing against your lips jam themselves down your throat.

The darkness roiled angrily at your defiance and the light, playful grip around your jugular tightened sharply, nearly forcing yourself make a deadly mistake and gasp in surprise.

And then, when you thought you would lose the battle and take a breath, something ripped away that menacing clench around your neck, and the feeling of smooth velvet-like fingers soothed the soreness with its cool, gentle touch.

My darling.....

You jolted up out of slumber with wide eyes, grasping at your heart as it pounded out a panicked rhythm in your chest.

The nightmare was already fading from your memory, but there was no way you could forget the suffocating inky blackness that seemed bent on crushing you underneath all that building pressure...

The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end as you sensed a sudden presence over your shoulder. Whipping your head around, there was no mistaking the sight of an alabaster skeleton like hand reaching towards your face-

With a mindless lurch of shock you went tumbling to the floor, biting down on your tongue to hold back the loud shriek of fear that you would have otherwise released. You immediately popped back up to look over at the corner of the wall that your bed was pushed up against to see...

Absolutely. Nothing.

.........

'Nope, nope, nope.' You quickly got up and did exactly what your feet were made to do right out of your darkened room. 'Fuck that, I've seen too many horror movies to just sit here and contemplate what the hell is going on.' Standing in the upstairs hallway, you strained to listen for any sounds of movement from the boys' rooms, but heard nothing but loud snores, one sprinkled with soft 'nyeh's.

Good. Your spazzing hadn't woke them up.

You tip-toed downstairs to minimize any creaking sounds your steps might have made, rubbing at your eyes with a quiet grumble. Fuck, the Void was lingering at the back of your mind...

Night terrors of the black emptiness were like the warning signs that an episode was close if you didn't get your shit together. In the past, when all you had to keep you distracted was finding a way to get your next meal and a relatively safe place to sleep, they were pretty common. They were less frequent now that you were older and you had the means to buy things to maintain your well-being.

They still majorly sucked whenever they showed though...

Knowing sleep was no longer an option lest you literally invite the devil into your mental domain, you picked your laptop off of the coffee table (you must have been pretty out of it before you went to bed, you practically carried your PC everywhere you went!), and headed to the kitchen. If you stayed on the couch, there was a chance your tired eyes would close before you had the courage to sleep again, so instead you moved to the dining room and sat at the table, prepared to type the night away.

The last thing you remember seeing was the clock on your computer screen hitting three-fifteen in the goddamned morning.

You hadn't even known you had fallen asleep once again until you felt paws pressing against your forehead as well as a hand on your shoulder shaking you awake.

"Noooo.... Goddamn it, let me sleep..."

"then let's move you back to your room y/n... sleeping hunched over on the wooden table can't be comfortable for you." You growled softly, cracking open one eye and glancing to your side to see Sans and Papyrus staring down at you worriedly, and the kittens sitting beside your laptop watching faithfully. "what are you doing sleeping here?"

"...Nightmare." Was your grumpy answer, raising your hand to wipe away the crustiness from your eyes. "Couldn't stay in my room. Came down here and typed. Must have fallen back to sleep."

'Poor Mother...'

'The constant lack of sleep will eventually be detrimental to her health...'

"...Shall I fix coffee for you and Sans as well as some breakfast?" God bless this skele-roll for being so damn considerate.

"That'd be fantastic Paps, not gonna lie." With a caring look, he rushed off into the kitchen with the kittens quickly following him, leaving just you alone with your other concerned crush. "I know I'm probably a little confused right now... But it's a Sunday. The fact that you and Papy are awake at the same time is astonishing."

"you know papyrus; he woke up early and when he came down here, he noticed you at the table. he woke me up because he was worried about ya." Sans seemed to deliberate something in his head before he cautiously reached out to stroke your hair. You had to hold back a content sound as his blunt phalanges drew circles upon your scalp. "how bad was it...?"

"Pretty bad..."

"wanna talk about it?"

"...No."

He sighed as if he knew you'd say that, but nodded in understanding. "okay. but uh, just so you know... i get bad dreams too. often, so i can understand." The comedian muttered, reaching up to rub the back of his skull. "if you... i dunno, need someone to talk to or something like that, i don't mind lendin' a metaphorical ear." Your tired eyes softened fondly on his timid expression before nodding once.

"That offer's a two way street then." You turned your attention to your pitch black computer, because you were way too prideful to let yourself blush this early after waking up, and turned it on as you ignored his sanguine look. Typing so late at night must have had you spewing garbled mush, so you had to check if there was anything salvageable from the verbal vomit; working while you were half delirious could sometimes create comedy gold.

1%. Shit, your baby was so close to dying... What a terrible mother you were. Your laptop did not deserve the disrespect!

"...heh... uh... were you working on a new story last night...?"

"Kinda." You frowned slightly as you once again peered over to your friend, blinking upon seeing his strained grin and pitch black sockets pointed towards the computer. "Why?"

"i was just thinking how weird it was that you were writing it in a font that people need specific training to read..." Furrowing your brow in confusion, you looked back at your computer screen to look at what he was talking about.

Wingdings.

The whole file was in Wingdings.

There were six pages worth of random looking symbols and hands filling the screen. No paragraphs. No indentation of any kind. Just straight (what you thought was) run-on sentences.

"What the fuck...?" You whispered in shock, scrolling through the whole thing with a disturbed feeling settling in your chest. "Did I do this...? I can't even read this shit..."

Wait a minute.

Wasn't the name that you were given by your friend...?

"maybe you should just delete it..." Sans urged, trying to scroll the mouse over to the red X at the top left hand corner of the screen, but you shooed his hands away.

"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, let me just..." Quickly highlighting everything, you changed the font to Aster despite Sans' protests...

And froze.

First, there was this at the top of the first page.

Dark, Darker, yet Darker. 

But after that?

The Void hungers. It hungers for me.

That's all that there was for six straight pages. It was repeated over and over and over again...

Until the very last two sentences.

I do not understand, and so, I am afraid.

The last sentence was bolded... As was the name under it.

Be not afraid my dear, for I am always with you.

-Gaster

The battery died.

Medicine

"Sweet Lordy Jesus Sans, I don't understand why you needed to come with me while I pick up my medication." A soft sigh fell from your lips as you reached out of your car window to grasp the Walgreen's bag being held out to you from the drive-thru window.

"i just wanted to see what the medicine looked like, y/n." The smug skeleton that drove you crazy in more than one way cracked open an eye socket to look over to you, lounging in the passenger's seat as though he had not a care in the world. "no need to get snappish."

He was so full of shit. Ever since he had seen that mind-rape garbage and particularly Gaster's name on your computer screen, he hadn't stopped hovering. You may have liked him and you knew he was probably just concerned, but since you were not dating as of yet, you were nervous about him being so far up in your personal space! "You could have waited until I got home to see."

"and miss spending my whole day off with you? not a chance doll." You sniffed haughtily as you placed the bag beside you on your seat, pulling out of the drive through and back out onto the main road.

"Bullshit, I know damn well you were looking forward to sleeping the day away. You're just using me as an excuse to be nosy."

"impossible," The bonehead snickered as he thumbed his nose indent, "seein' as i don't have a nose."

"Oh, screw you."

"buy me dinner first." You choked on air before scowling, reaching out to shove the laughing jerk's shoulder as a red blush ravaged your face. You made a sound of protest as he plucked the bag from your side, but focused on the task of driving back to Above Home instead of trying to snatch it back from him.

Yeah, Above Home. That was the name of the Monster's gated community. Asgore was awesome, but he kinda sucked at naming things.

"Dude, could you diggery don't?"

"i'm just lookin'."

You gave an unladylike snort. "The fuck you are."

"you have quite the attitude today."

"I blame nature." Along with the lack of heavenly rest, you had been feeling a dull ache all day in your lower regions which had once again lowered your legendary good humor. You were content being a female, but you hated the shit show that had to happen every month.

"mind explaining what a 'menstrual cycle' is supposed to accomplish again?" His deep voice sounded through the air as he pulled the medium sized bottle of pills from the red and white paper bag and examined the pills of Citalopram through the orange plastic. "it seems a bit... pointless."

"It makes a woman deeply regret her decision to not have a child."

"i dunno, i think it's to scare the living hell out of everyone around her."

"Just wait skull-for-brains. This is just PMS. If you're scared now, then I might as well move back out of the house before the red flood hits." He released a startled laugh.

"fuck, that is soooo gross!" Hard to believe him when he was laughing so hard that blue tears were seeping from the corners of his sockets. "nice try though, paps and i aren't scared of a little attitude. now that you're in the skeletons' bony clutches, we're never letting you go."

...Why did that fill you with such a thrill...?

"You seem to like gross things." You were an expert at deflection however, and you refused to broach the particular subject that had been floating in your brain for a good week now. You were pretty sure Sans had nothing on your level of procrastination at this point. "And learning. Put those two together, and I wouldn't be surprised that you've tried to learn about every gross thing you could about the human body now that you have access to the information."

"........"

"I don't hear you disagreeing~."

"shut up." A Grinch worthy smirk curled your lips upward. He had left himself wide open for this.

"Did you enjoy reading about a human's digestive system?"

"y/n, no."

"Or maybe it was the reproductive systems that made you giggle."

"stop."

"Bet you turned into an adorable blue blushy mess when you found out humans have skeletons inside them-"

"fucking drive y/n." You obediently drove onward with a smug grin of victory on your face, knowing that his skull was a radiant navy blue now and the silence left behind was probably bugging the fuck out of his ego.

During your routine of constantly checking your mirrors, you flicked a quick glance to your rear view mirror believing you weren't gonna see a thing but the usual sight of other cars behind you...

But instead, you did a small double take, because you were pretty damn sure that for a split second you saw a stark white mask like face dotted with lavender and sporting a large black grin.

Dafuq?

Was that...?

"so uh... these antidepressants." Blinking, your focus came back to the real world as Sans attempted to put that whole embarrassing moment behind him. "they're supposed to make you happy?"

"Not exactly." You shook your head as you kept your left hand on the wheel and rested your other arm on the compartment space between the two of you. "Citalopram is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, which replaces the chemical that my brain lacks, serotonin. It's supposed to alleviate feelings of despondency and may improve my energy level, but it won't have me skipping around and throwing daisies everywhere."

"mm. good. that's pap and i's job." He huffed lightly as though he was offended at the mere thought of some medicine taking that away from him and his brother.

"Thought the job sounded like a lot of work." You snarked, unable to hold back from teasing. "You think you can handle it bone boy?"

"trust me sweetheart," You blinked as a skeletal hand grasped yours, demanding your attention, "i don't mind working hard if the payoff is sweet enough."

He had gotten you back for making him blush.

But it felt like you both won as you subtly weaved your fingers in between his.

You can't keep stalling forever Y/n...

Rainbows Need a Little Rain- Sans' POV

Sans was worried.

There was no way around it, he was very worried about the woman he had fallen in love with.

Why? Well, let's count the reasons, shall we?

One: The last two timelines had given him enough cause to be worried about your physical well-being. (Don't ask, he REALLY didn't like talking about them.) And while you may have had your depression covered with those pills, that was only if you took them regularly. What if you forgot on a certain day and something happened?

Two: He had heard from Alphys, who had heard from Undyne, who was told by Asgore that you were going to be a part of the council negotiating for the civil rights of monsters and drifters like yourself. That was a dangerous job, especially since you had already hit the world headlines-twice mind you!-this year with a tragedy (that happened not two weeks ago!) that was really helping the Monster and Mage Civil Rights Movement pick up steam.

A lot of things with this timeline were causing him whiplash...

Three: Both he and Papyrus had yet to confess to you. The two of them wanted to plan out a special evening to bring it up before you started class back up again-- because after that, you'd be playing catch up and with their already busy schedules, you might not be able to get more than a glance of each other until weekends. The only reason he wasn't completely freaking out over this reason was the fact that after the staged 'Girls' Day', Alphys had texted him saying that only good things had happened and he could sense a lot more romantic tension in the air. (Can't call it sexual tension if two of the people involved hadn't even really thought of sex as a want or a need.)

Four and probably the most important reason: The Void and Gaster.

What did the Void have anything to do with you...? What did his brother have anything to do with you?!

He had not been prepared for all this shit... All these new problems were driving him out of his skull.

There wasn't much that he was sure about anymore...

But one thing he was sure about?

He loved to hear you sing.

You weren't very vocal (heh) when it came to that certain talent; You were kinda shy about it. He wasn't sure why, you always sounded beautiful.

Though perhaps he was a little biased. He had heard that love was blind, but perhaps it was deaf too.

Not that he had any ears.

He had popped back home from the college's lab (the probably setting sun unable to be seen through the thick storm clouds that gushed torrents of water onto Ebott City) to hear Papyrus rummaging around in the kitchen and find you staring out the glass doors leading to the spacious backyard, your gaze absolutely enthralled as you sat on a pillow...

And sweet notes slipping past your lips.

There was no rhyme or reason to them, but they were melodic; your soul must have just told your brain which notes to sing at what time. You looked hypnotized by the angry beating of raindrops hitting the glass in front of you. The kittens, deterred from going outside by the rain, were curled up in your lap purring nonstop and looking half asleep.

Sans almost didn't disturb the peaceful looking scene.

Almost.

"hey y/n. whatcha doin' there?" You were so placid and calm that you didn't even startle, merely stopped your humming and turned to glance at him.

The sheer awe and wonder in your (e/c) gaze took his breath away.

"Hi Sans... Welcome back." You gave him a small smile before turning back to the sight of the rain. "How was your day at work?"

"busy. working on two machines specifically; i would explain but both are kinda classified." Well, one of them you would get pretty familiar with if you agreed to what he and Alphys had planned. "you avoiding my question?"

"Thought it was rhetorical, since it's kind of obvious..." You murmured in a dazed fashion. "I'm watching the rain."

"hm." He lumbered over to your side, staring out into the downpour as well. "why though?"

"It calms me."

"you like the rain?"

"Love it, adore it..." Your whisper was reverent as you reached out to touch the freezing pane of glass. He could feel the chill of it from where he stood. "There are truly no words for what I feel for rain... It's too bad it's not a thunderstorm. With lightning and all the works."

"i'm glad that all that fuckery in the sky isn't happening... the first time pap and i went through a thunderstorm, he broke down the door to my room and nearly snapped my spine by hugging me." He would not add that he was hugging his brother just as tightly; he had a reputation to uphold.

"Aww, you poor babies..." Couldn't tell whether or not your sympathy was genuine there. "They aren't scary at all... To me, there's nothing better than thunderstorms."

"why?"

"...Maybe one day I can show you, when one comes along."

"I HAD WONDERED AS TO WHY THE CANARY HAD PAUSED IN HER SINGING!" A cranberry flush spread over your cheeks, making Sans chuckle as the two of you looked back to spot Papyrus resting his hands on his hips and smiling down at the two of you. His loud reedy voice caused the kittens to stir. "WELCOME HOME SANS. YOU MUST HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED BY THE HEAVENLY SOUNDS OF OUR ROOMMATE!"

"oh yeah, nothin' sounds better than her."

You hid your face in your hands. "Guys... Stop..."

"ey, just sayin' the truth sweetheart. you can't fault us for that."

Like a true creature of mercy, Papyrus cut in before you ended up passing out from too much blood heading to your face. "Y/N, YOU SAID YOU ADORED THE RAIN, YES?" At your curious look and nod, he continued. "WHY IS THAT?"

"Oh..." You blinked slightly before turning back to the glass door, a sad light flashing through your eyes as you spotted a ray of the sun's last bit of light breaking through the grey clouds. "...It washes all the pain away."

"pain is life." Sans couldn't help but drone, a bit of his cynicism bleeding through his voice despite his brother's chastising look. "it's inescapable. it's just one of those simple truths of the world."

"That is true," You nodded with saddened agreement, reaching out to touch the glass once again. "Everyone wants happiness... No one wants pain... But," Just like the sun breaking through those very rain clouds, a bright smile lit up your face and you looked back at their astonished expressions as you pointed at the seven colors flaming across the sky in a glorious arc, "You can't have rainbows without a little rain."

Sans didn't know how you managed it, but somehow, he fell even deeper in love with you.

soon... it has to be soon...

Babysitting

"Of course Toriel! I'm not doing anything tonight, and the boys will be out late today, so I don't mind watching Frisk and Flowey." You trilled cheerfully as you stared down at the equally excited child and irritated potted plant standing in your doorway. The boss monster behind them smiled with relief.

"Oh, that is wonderful! I apologize very much for dropping by without warning and asking this of you, but our usual babysitter had called in sick at the last minute... Asgore and I had already made plans for today." You knew by the light flush you could spot through her white fur just exactly what plans the two of them made. You chuckled softly.

"Don't worry about it Goat Mom. Goat be with your husband; I got this." You snapped your fingers and winked as you shot finger guns at her, making her and Frisk giggle and Flowey groan.

"That doesn't mean I'm not a little sheepish about this." You snickered as Flowey's expression made you sure he was screaming internally, before Toriel gently nudged them past you with a happy grin.

"Well then, have a good day you three! Be good for Y/n, Frisk. Flowey, try not to destroy anything in the house. I will be here tomorrow morning to pick them up." You waved goodbye as she hurried off, trying not to giggle at the fact that she looked so close to a school girl skipping to her date.

That was a hilariously weird thought.

"Welp." You closed the door and turned around to see the cutie smiling up at you and holding Flowey who was crossing his leaves and scowling. "Make yourself comfortable kiddo. Decide on what you wanna do, okay? I was planning to make cookies today just for the hell of it and now I have an actual reason to!" Their toothy smile widened as they nodded and they skipped over to the couch while you headed to the kitchen to break out the ingredients for chocolate chunk deliciousness.

While mixing everything together to make the dough, Frisk came padding in, placing Flowey on the counter you were working on. "What kind of cookies are ya making?"

"Chocolate chunk. My sweet tooth's kickin' up a storm." Working on kneading the dough in the bowl, you hadn't noticed how Frisk's left eye flashed a quick red before they moved to get a step stool, standing on it so they were able to reach the counter as well.

"Can Flowey and I help?"

"I love how you automatically offer my help, Frisk."

You chuckled in amusement before nodding, reaching over to pre-heat the oven. "Sure, you can help me make them into balls to pop them into the oven. If you're going to help Flowey, make sure you don't poison the dough."

"Screw you!"

"She's got a point Flowey."

"Betrayal!"

Trading snarks and calm back-handed compliments quickly became norm between you and Flowey as lop-sided and mismatch sized balls of cookie dough soon filled up several sheets of cooking pans, Frisk sniggering and occasionally refereeing when the barbed words being thrown around were perhaps a bit too sharp. With the three of you working together, it wasn't long until there was only a few scraps left in the bowl that could hardly make one cookie.

Damn, Frisk sure was a messy worker.

"I don't know how you did it Frisk, but you actually got flour all in your hair." You bit your lip to hold back a grin at the pout they were giving you. "How about you go clean yourself up in the bathroom while I clean up the kitchen, kay?" Nodding with an exaggerated sigh, they bustled out of the kitchen while you put the cookies into the oven and started to wipe off the very messy counter.

.......

"What the fuck?!" You squeaked as a piece of left over cookie dough splattered onto your cheek. Narrowing your eyes at a soft 'hee hee hee', you shot a glare over to the buttercup looking over to a random wall and whistling innocently in his pot. "You sure you wanna start this bro?"

"I don't know what you're talking about~."

"Oh, you don't huh?" Snatching up an egg you hadn't used, you cracked it in record time and held it over his petals, watching with satisfaction as the yolk and egg white fell onto his face with a vindictive 'splat'.

"...Oh, it's on."

"Bring it garden sprout!"

Flowey couldn't move really, so he used his vines to help him start the first food fight you ever had in your life.

Long story short, Frisk had come back to a war-zone of flour, broken eggs, and cookie dough.

"I can't believe you two." They berated, crossing their arms and giving you both a 'so sick of your shit' look.

"He/She started it!" You both shouted in unison, yolk drying on his leaves and flour smeared across your face as Frisk stared sternly at the two of you.

An egg yolk that was stuck on the ceiling fell to the floor with impeccable comedic timing.

..........

Frisk sighed.

"Am I the only mature one in this house right now?"

"Probably." You and the vegetation once again said in unison as Frisk went digging into a cabinet and threw some hand towels at the two of you.

"Clean the kitchen first, then you can clean yourselves. I'm going to set up the movies I brought." You obediently followed the fair order of the ten year old, making sure to get that spot of egg on the ceiling; it wouldn't do for Papyrus to come home and see his kitchen an absolute mess.

After that, you and Flowey took turns using the sink to wash off your faces, still messing with each other in a less hostile and more playful manner. You think he was officially forgiving you for all those jokes you had made at his expense when the two of you met.

By the time everything was finally clean, the cookies were finished. Quickly putting the hot delicacies on a large plate and balancing three cups of milk on a tray, you balanced Flowey on your head while ignoring his threats to kill you if he fell and strolled into the living room where Frisk was waiting impatiently. "So Frisky Bits, what are we watching?"

"Finding Nemo, and then Finding Dory."

Oh dear. They picked the two movies that literally displayed oceans of feels.

Soon, Frisk was laying across your stomach as you splayed yourself across the couch, and Flowey rested on the floor. Snacking on the treats the three of you had created, they teased you relentlessly on the tears you spilled as the first movie came to a close, and then the next one popped up.

And then, when Dory had met Hank the 'septapus' at the aquarium, something very weird happened.

"Hank is my spirit animal." A sudden laugh escaped your lips.

"I'm sure you're not the only one who's said that before. You won't be the last either." Giving a quiet snicker, you were taken aback as you were suddenly under the scrutiny of both Frisk and Flowey. "What?"

"...Who are you talking to, weirdo?" The vegetation asked, looking a little disturbed. You gave him a weird look right back.

"Didn't Frisk just say that Hank was their spirit animal?"

"...No?"

"Really? You didn't?" You blinked in shock, before staring up at the ceiling with a furrowed brow. "Wow. I need some sleep. Or maybe I'm going crazy. One of the two."

"I'll choose the latter for $200, Alex." Flowey scoffed, though there was a hint of strain in his snark...

"You're probably right, not gonna front." You gave a snort of amusement, not noticing the tense glance he shared with Frisk.

Soon, the movie credits were scrolling up the the TV screen and by that time, Frisk had fallen asleep. A sudden burst of tenderness flared through your soul as you watched their peaceful face, and you frowned at the unexpected feeling.

How had you become so fond of Frisk so quickly? You adored kids, sure, but this was rather... excessive.

As long as you were on the topic of weird happenings, how come Toriel and Asgore seemed to trust you already with the wellbeing of their adopted child? Of course you'd never hurt the adorable little thing, but it was still pretty damn strange.

Huh...

"Hey, idiot. What are you doing? The movie's over."

"Can't move. Frisk is asleep." You whispered back, reaching up to gently stroke Frisk's hair. They murmured quietly, smiling in their sleep which made you coo softly.

"Oh please..." The flower sneered as he stared up at the two of you, but you could see a light fondness in his eyes as he eyed Frisk. Groping for the TV remote, you turned off the electronic before carefully adjusting yourself so that you were laying a bit more comfortably.

You were very much prepared to fall asleep yourself.

"Oi. I've got a question for ya." You glanced down at Flowey, raising a brow at his serious expression. "Why are you so nice to monsters?"

"Uh... Because they're nice to me? Why be an asshole to someone trying to be nice to you?"

"Not what I meant dumbass." He scowled angrily. "Why are you still around despite the fact you had your house burned down because you're friends with monsters?"

Well. Looks like someone was trying to take Undyne's spot of Bluntest Monster Ever.

"Because it wasn't their fault." You shrugged with a soft hum. "It was the fault of zealots and terrorists who can't seem to understand that our races can be friendly with each other. I'm not gonna stop being friends with people who actually give a damn about my well-being just because idiots keep hounding me about it."

"Even to the point of fighting for our equality?"

"Yup."

"Even if your whole race scorns you?"

"Yup."

"Even if you get seriously injured?"

"Yup."

"Even if it ends with your death?"

"Yup."

".....You really are an idiot." He muttered, looking away sharply. "Don't you have anything better to do...?"

"Not really." You smiled brightly, which only made him more annoyed. "Everyone deserves to live under the sun and live out their lives happily. If it means I have to stand in front of a firing squad for that to happen, then so be it."

"...You'd do it too, wouldn't you?" You had no idea why, but he leaned his head against your hand and sighed forlornly. "That makes no sense..."

"It doesn't have to." You carefully brushed your fingers against his petals, watching him twitch in response. "I just want to do it. I'll do my best to protect all of you... Including you, ya cute little weed."

He bit you.

The little shit actually bit you.

You chuckled good-naturedly.

"Flowey, I've been shot, stabbed, beaten up by gangs, had holes rent into my flesh by magic, and have been bitten by rabid dogs. Those little fangs you got don't really hurt me."

"How the hell are you still alive?!"

"Death and I have an understanding. It's not on my to-do list, but it doesn't faze me." Flowey stared at you blankly before scoffing.

"You and the numbskulls need to hurry up and confess; you're all idiots because you're actually an... okay match and you're taking so damn long to start the relationship."

He laughed at your responding blush.

Chapter Text

You liked being a woman.

You liked being a woman that didn't really give a fuck about her appearance and yet could still look cute when she wanted.

You liked being a woman that could handle herself and be physically helpful.

You liked being a woman who wasn't at all afraid to speak her mind or wear what she wanted (within reason).

Overall, you were very much content with having two X chromosomes.

However, it hadn't been the first time you had said it, and it probably wouldn't be even close to the last.

But you meant it with every inch of your soul and every fiber of your being.

You fucking hated your menstrual cycle.

Or at least, the first three days of it.

"Fuuuuuuuck. Thiiiiiiiiisss. Shiiiiiiiiiiiit....." You moaned pitifully into a tabletop, whining as Mother Nature's monthly gift twisted your insides to the point where it felt like inner flesh and tissue was about to rip, "Someone end me already... I don't even care if I'm bludgeoned by this table, just make the pain end..."

"W-Wow." Alphys stared down at you sympathetically from her seat across the table, taking a sip of the Spider Cider she held in hand. "Is it r-really that bad...?"

"It feels like a demon is savagely ripping apart my uterus." Your muffled monotone was still somehow heard, your nails digging into the surface you were laying on as another contraction hit you. Hard. "Inch by bloody. Fucking. Inch."

"Damn. You look absolutely miserable." You raised your head to be able to glower balefully at Undyne, who was munching on some Spider Donut Bites. "That's so fucking metal that human women have to bleed continuously for a whole week every month; I am so glad monsters don't have to go through that shit."

"Yes, just inconsiderately remind me of that fact so I have another reason to despise you right now." You snapped, not feeling at all better as Alphys slapped Undyne's arm in a scolding manner.

"What's the first reason?"

"That you got your sweets before I did." You hissed, staring at both of their orders with big, yearning eyes before covering them with a hand. You would have ended up stealing their shit otherwise, and the cold Spider Cider would definitely make your cramps worse. Another reason you hated menstruation; you couldn't have cold, refreshing beverages without making shit even more hellish.

"That's not my fault. It's yours for making your 'regular' order so big. I mean, two Spider Croissants, a Mint Hot Chocolate, and a Molten Brownie?" Your fishy 'not-at-the-moment' bestie shook her head, her fiery red hair swaying beautifully with the movement. "It's a wonder how you keep yourself fit eating all that junk."

"Fite me."

"I plan to at training, you nerd."

"W-Why DO you eat so much sugar during your, uh..." It was almost funny to see Alphys struggle for words that would not set off your momentarily short temper, "Time?"

"Cravings. They're caused by hormones, I believe... The taste of sugar releases dopamine, which is a chemical in the human body that is associated with happiness." You grumbled as you forced yourself off the table and sit back in your seat. "So in simpler terms... Sugar makes me feel better while I'm on my cycle. And you already know I eat a lot. Hence," You gestured around the three of you to the cute and quaint looking interior of the coffee shop Muffet owned, "Why we are here."

"So, that's always what you get when you come here?"

"Nah, only on my cycle."

"Why not just t-take pain medication for the c-cramps?"

"Can't take it on an empty stomach. Would make them worse." Your breath hitched as the stabbing feeling hit hard once again. "Plus, taking the strong medicine I need all the time is bad too. It would fuck my liver up. So I regularly switch back and forth from eating heated things (which also dulls the pain) and taking Motrin." Your fingers drummed impatiently against the table top as you watched spiders scuttling to and fro above all of you on silky strands of webs. "I'm just taking out two birds with one stone by coming here."

"Man, Muffet must love it when you come here every month."

"Ahuhuhuhu~ It seems I've been found out~." Speak of the devil; The pretty, purple, and parsimonious spider monster strolled up to your table, one of her six hands pressed against her fanged mouth as she giggled while another held a tray of pastries and drinks. "I do have quite the love of money. But I assure you I do care about the pain Y/n is feeling at the moment." As the rest of her arms folded, she reached out to gently pat your back. "How are you feeling dearie~?"

"Wishing that I was dead." You huffed, but cracked a small fond smile up at her five eyes. "Since you're leeching money from me, I hope my order is done soon."

"And if I say it's already done?"

"I will love you forever."

"Well then, you better start loving me." Your eyes were probably glistening with stars as she picked your large order from your tray and placed it in front of you; you nearly began weeping with joy as you wrapped your hands around the warm mug of hot chocolate. "Everything just how you like it dearie." You quickly grasped a hand of hers and shook it firmly, taking the exact amount of change needed from your purse and slapping it in another.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

"I assure you the pleasure is all mine, Y/n." She giggled in reply, counting the dollar bills in hand and patting your shoulder.

".....You two a-act like you're good friends." Alphys blinked lightly in confusion, Undyne looking between the two of you like she wanted to know what the fuck was going on.

"I've known her much longer than I've known you guys." You explained before sipping your hot chocolate, nearly moaning at the slight pain relief as the heat hit the bottom of your stomach. "It's been... what, almost a year?"

"That's right." Muffet's small side ponytails bounced as she nodded. "This wonderful creature here was my first human, as well as mage, customer. You have to appreciate the ones that aren't afraid to try something out of the norm. She mentioned me and my shop to other curious humans, which helped me build a solid business. She also asked me to cater the rally that she had organized at the college." You chuckled bashfully as she playfully ruffled up your hair. "Do you recall the announcement made on television of the continued existence of mages?"

"Yeah..." Undyne nodded slowly as she settled her gaze onto you. "Was pretty cruel... The leaders of the Cardinal Clans created a spell that marked all mages until they went to specially marked kiosks to get them removed and receive stickers they had to put on their IDs to identify them as magic users. There were riots from normal humans everywhere."

"I was here when that happened." You murmured, sighing at their wide-eyed expressions. "I didn't come back for about two months because I was afraid she'd hate me for it."

"I'll admit I was a bit leery of her... I'm a pre-war monster you know. But I had never sensed a single evil intention from her, and she HAD helped me with my business, so I decided it was a friendship I wished to keep." Her fanged smile was matched by your fond one.

"That's... That's so adorable...!" Alphys gushed in a breathy whisper, making you giggle softly as you bit into your brownie, enjoying the dissipation of chocolate magic on your tongue.

"I swear you are such a cinnamon bunny, Y/n." Undyne snickered as she finished off the last of her donut bites, making you scowl playfully.

"More like a sin-namon bunny." You cackled under your breath as Muffet interjected, gently pinching your cheek. "Anyway dearies, you had ordered a seat for five, didn't you? You've been here for half an hour, wherever could my other two guests be?"

"Why, right behind you darling~!" Barely able to hold back a flinch as the sudden electronic voice demanded to be noticed, you all turned to find Mettaton (damn did he enjoy his dramatic entrances) smiling with his hands on his hips and politely waving aside the gawking fans wanting his autograph, as well as his ghostly cousin Napstablook, a former classmate and music making buddy of yours, who looked like he wanted to shrivel up and die from all the secondary attention he was getting.

Poor thing.

"Please no photography darlings... So very sorry that we're late my dears, we were a little caught off guard by the sudden change in venue...?" Scooting further in the booth to make room, Napstablook floated over to sit next to you (as you demolished the croissants you had ordered) as Mettaton rose a metallic brow. "Mind explaining?"

"Y-Y/n insisted that if we meet up, it'd be here... Sorry Metta." She pointed at you, and you gave an unapologetic wave of your hand as he looked over at you, blinking.

"I would apologize, but... Sugar was a necessary part of my diet today. Soooo, I'm not gonna." Undyne snickered under her breath at your detached tone and apathetic regard for the robot in front of you before you turned to Napstablook, your expression defrosting a little. "Heya Blooks. How've you been?"

"oh... i've definitely had worse days.......... thanks for asking....." The poor shy ghost always sounded like he was on the edge of tears, but today he displayed the tiniest of smiles. Something really good must have happened. "i have good news to share.... no pressure to listen though..."

"Of course I'll listen; Must be awesome to make you smile like that." The girls giggled softly as Mettaton pouted at your dismissal; he wasn't used to being ignored, big surprise.

"Darling, you aren't angry over what happened last week, are you?" At your incredulous, offended look (why would he even ask that?), he sighed ruefully before moving to sit down beside his cousin. Muffet looked between the two of you several times before she narrowed her top three eyes at the celebrity.

"Do I even want to know what happened?"

"Probably not." Muffet was one of those people that even when she was nice, she seemed threatening; Her angry was a terrifying sight, especially if she caught someone trying to make a break for it without paying their bill. Even with your current irritation with Mettaton, you didn't have the heart to rat him out. "You'd end up dismantling him and feeding the parts to your spiders."

"I do believe you're exaggerating dearie, I don't even have pet spiders that enjoy the taste of metal." Despite her words, she ran her tongue slowly over her fangs as the webs around the shop seemed to gleam menacingly at just the right moment. "At least I haven't found a breed of spiders that can eat metal just yet...~"

You very much feared the day Muffet decided to go to Australia and meet some of the spiders there.

Nightmare fuel anyone?

"I assure you that is not necessary in the slightest." It must have been great being a robot; if it wasn't for the fact that you could sense emotions, you would have never known that Mettaton was feeling all kinds of nervous. "I had come on this outing with my cousin in order to apologize to Y/n for my fantastically boorish behavior... I had no idea I was encroaching on another's territory after all. No wonder the Skeleton Brothers looked positively outraged!" Your eyes went wide with shock.

"How'd you-?!" You paused before turning your head autonomously towards a sweating Alphys with an evil look. "You didn't..."

"I-I was trying to m-make sure he wasn't turned into s-s-scrap metal!!" The drake squeaked in a miffed tone, pouting. "S-Sorry if I didn't want to have to build him from scratch a-again!"

"It also wasn't extremely hard to figure out my dear." A soft chuckle came from Mettaton as he eyed your red face with interest. "Their SOULS were calling out quite insistently for you. It just took me until leaving to see it."

"Wow, you literally just ratted the skelebros out like that..." Undyne droned, watching on like the whole scene was a TV show. "Remind me to never ever tell you a secret."

"Well, I never!"

"Wait a moment, you're moving a little too rapidly for me here!" Muffet butted in, a giddy expression on her face as her six hands clapped excitedly. "Dearie, you and the skeleton brothers are dating~? Why wasn't I told this?!" Oh yes Muffet, please, just be a little bit louder. It's not like the whole coffee shop was already watching your table closely with Mettaton sitting there.

While you highly doubted Muffet's clientele majority would ever be anything but monsters, she had accumulated quite the number of human customers over the year or so she had been selling her admittedly creepy, but excellent fare.

And though all of the monsters were giving you congratulatory looks and smiles, most humans present were staring at you in astonishment and a few with outright disgust.

'Nosy bastards... Think I give a shit about your opinion?' A feral warning glare had immediately taken care of the offending looks before you gave a bemused spider woman an unimpressed one. "Cause we're not dating... Not right now at least. I haven't confessed yet. I was trying to think of a good way to do it, but nothing's come to me so far..."

"Oh? Then how do you know they will return your feelings?"

"Because they're totally into her too." Undyne interrupted with a loud guffaw. "You should see how they act around her, seriously! Me and Alphy also know because Sans actually texted us, and-" Cue Alphys immediately slapping a hand over her girlfriend's mouth, looking like she was so done with her shit.

"Well, it seems like I'm not the only one who can't keep a secret." Mettaton chuckled at the sheer irony present, only laughing louder as your hypocrite of a friend flipped him off while trying to shake Alphys' hand off her face.

"oh..... are you okay....?" Napstablook was cautiously eyeing your face, which had reached a shade of red that hadn't even been discovered yet, "you aren't looking so good..."

"Ahuhuhuhu~" Muffet giggled once she turned her attention back to your face. "You're positively rosy Y/n."

You took a deep, deep breath, raising your hand for all to see before beginning to point at everyone in front of you with fierce conviction, starting with Muffet.

"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you..... You're cool," Your finger landed on Napstablook for that one before you moved onto his alloyed cousin, "and fuck you." You punctuated your show of irritation by raising your mug of hot chocolate high in the air, before quickly chugging the rest of it with a classic 'I don't give a fuck' expression.

Everyone laughed good-naturedly and even Napstablook's eyes seemed oddly shiny as he watched some of Muffet's spiders drop down to gently pat your back in a sympathetic way.

"so... when will you confess then........? i think the three of you would be cute together......."

"I was planning on doing it before September came along."

"........That means you have a week left darling." Mettaton rested his chin on a finely manicured hand, smirking just a bit. "You should get a move on."

"I will be ready when I'm goddamned ready." A harrumph slipped haughtily from you. "And when a good idea presents itself. Now, before we delve any deeper into my convoluted love life, didn't you say you had good news to share Blooks?"

"oh...... that's right. sorry, i almost forgot..........." He went rummaging into a bag that he had placed beside him (how had you not noticed that earlier...?), and pulled out a single invitation that had neat blue cursive writing on the white envelope. He handed it to you. "i was finally able to start up my karaoke bar...... tonight's the grand opening... i was wondering.... if you'd like to sing there as a special guest........ i know you're good at singing, but only if you want.... i don't want to push you into it..." You blinked as you took the invitation, flushing lightly at the compliment and finishing up the last of your sweets.

"Um..... How many people would be coming to the opening?"

"I'm quite willing to bet most of the monster population. Definitely Frisk. Maybe a few humans. The place dear Blooky was able to get can hold a large number of people." Your friends and acquaintances watched as you cringed juuuust a little. "Have stage fright gorgeous?"

"You could say that..."

"I know that f-feeling." Alphys nodded empathetically, gently patting your arm. "I-I sang for 'Dy once a-as an anniversary gift... S-she was the only one l-listening and I almost p-passed out!"

"It was still fucking adorable though." Undyne chuckled, squeezing Alphys close to her side affectionately, getting a giggle in response. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to punk. Napstablook won't hold it against you, you know." You clucked your tongue against the roof of your mouth, thinking about it.

Singing.

In front of a drove of people.

Gah.

"I'm p-pretty sure Sans and Papyrus w-would love to hear you sing though..." You sat up a little straighter at that, pursing your lips before your eyes went wide.

The boys loved to hear you sing.

You needed a way to confess to them so there wasn't any doubt that you liked them in a romantic way.

Cue the proverbial lightbulb turning on.

"...Can I sing any song I want...?" You asked breathlessly, scrolling your eyes over to the ghost beside you.

"....sure.......?"

"I'll do it." You confirmed resolutely. "What time do you want me to sing?"

"around seven-thirty.... the doors open around seven, but i wanted those performing to show up at six so everything's ready........ it's about five now, so i know it's sudden, but.... is that okay...?"

"That's perfectly fine."

"Dearie? That was rather short notice... Are you sure that's okay?"

".....I think I'm liking that Determined look in your eyes." Undyne's toothy grin was reaching incredibly wide across her face as you began slinging your purse over your shoulder. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"No way...~" Alphys squealed quietly as stars appeared in her eyes. "Is it really gonna happen tonight?!" Being boxed in, you had no choice but to bring yourself up on the cushion of the booth before vaulting over the table, ignoring all the sounds of shock as you landed beside Muffet. You pulled her into a quick hug.

"Welp, gotta go! I'll make sure to come back and see you soon, Muffet."

"I'm afraid I'm rather lost..." Mettaton muttered as he scanned your face with confusion deep in his optic sensor. "What's going on?"

"The preparation of the most kawaii confession you'll ever see in your lives!" You loudly declared, letting a slightly dazed spider monster go. As per usual, you ignored any and all strange stares you were getting. "I'm going to the mall right now and get some stuff ready for tonight!"

"Wait a minute, you came here with me and Alphy." Undyne narrowed her single yellow eye at you in confusion. "How are you gonna-"

"One-liner Queen, AWAY!" You struck a dramatic pose, pointing off towards a random direction before you suddenly disappeared from sight in a burst of pretty sparkles.

............

"S-Sometimes, I wonder if her magic gives her the a-ability to defy logic..." Alphys murmured, staring at the place you once stood with a dumbstruck expression.

"I wouldn't doubt it." Undyne cosigned, nodding as if the very idea was a breakthrough in Y/n Science. "It's like she has a gift for making jaws drop. She's fucking insane."

"She's certainly a very odd human." Mettaton agreed, smirking to himself.

"Ah, but I believe that's why we love her, hm?" Muffet giggled as she picked up the trash left behind, only smiling wider as Alphys and Undyne nodded staunchly in response.

Sans had thought he had seen it all; His life (which wasn't exactly normal, even for a monster) had thrown a series of curveballs his way.

He had seen his father fall into the CORE of the Underground and be wiped from existence.

He had seen a kid single-handedly save his entire race from a dark continuation.

He had also seen that kid single-handedly murder his entire race.

He had seen said kid RESET and LOAD time.

He had seen the surface, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

He had seen the love of his life..... die. Twice. Once in his arms and another in his brother's.

He had seen the deadly cocktail of emotions stewing in your eyes as you watched firefighters battle flames that ravaged your already doomed house.

He had even seen what your magic could do to people. Really do to people.

So, he believed that nothing could really surprise him these days.

When it came to you and the way you affected and acted in different timelines, however.....

Well, let's just say he could never get used to a certain path.

Because there was no such thing. 

The ruling law that surrounded you was ultimately the Chaos Theory, which is like the Butterfly Effect and Murphy's Law mixed together.

To put it bluntly?

Around you, crazy shit happened because it could and damn well would if it wanted to.

Need proof?

Tonight was the night that Napstablook finally opened up his karaoke bar/dance club adroitly named the Phantasmic Piano Bar. This was something that was rather common in the timelines on the surface; after all, the shy ghost loved to make music. The annoying calculator that was his cousin just gave him a little push (or rather several) in order to move forward with that dream.

You deciding to go and enjoy yourself there on its opening was also common since you had a love of music and a fondness for the timid specter.

Be that as it may, what wasn't common was the event of you actually singing there.

Wait, let's rephrase that.

This was a first.

While Sans had assumed he would calmly be enjoying his half day off napping on the couch and boredly flipping through channels for something good to watch, he had actually been picked up off his lazy pelvic bone by his exuberant brother and tossed into the bathroom where a nice clean white shirt with dark blue stitching and casual black slacks was waiting for him draped on the sink.

When he had asked (read: panicked and complained) about his brother's actions, Papyrus had excitedly explained how you had called ahead and told him that you would be singing at PPB's opening night, and told him you thoroughly hoped the two of them would be able to make it because you needed the support.

And though he griped about it, he had quickly (for him, anyway) gotten ready and dressed, putting on actual shoes and actually left with his brother, dressed in a crimson turtle neck-still had on his gloves-and simple jeans, on time in order to get some good seats.

Though their hurry wasn't exactly necessary, because after arriving at the already extremely packed club at around 7:10, they had easily bypassed RG 01 and RG 02's watch and found out they had VIP seats at a large table where Alphys, Undyne, Frisk, Flowey, and even Toriel were already seated. Apparently, Asgore had some work to do and couldn't make it, but that's why Toriel had brought a video camera to record all the happenings.

The next twenty minutes waiting for your act seemed to be the longest wait he ever had to endure in life but between punning around with Toriel, admiring the place's spooky themed but fabulous interior, making sure there weren't any humans with ill intentions trying to fuck something up, watching Frisk's and Papyrus' energetic antics, and wondering why the hell Alphys and Undyne were constantly glancing between the stage (where others were performing) and him and his brother with crazed looking smiles, he had almost forgotten why exactly he agreed to come in the first place.

But then, when the clock stroke seven-thirty...

"BROTHER!! IT'S Y/N, LOOK!" Blinking at the suddenness of Papyrus' shout, he followed the direction of his brother's arm pointing towards the large stage that the whole club was centered around and upon locking his eye sockets onto it, the lights in his eye sockets shrunk with pure shock.

He watched you stroll up on stage from behind a violet curtain, hair styled attractively, wearing bone printed leggings and sleeves, a white scarf wrapped around your neck, and the cutest black dress that flared out just so at the knees and contoured your form so beautifully. Your lightly and tastefully painted face looked nervous; even from where he sat, he could see the bones of your knuckles straining against your skin as you tightly held onto the microphone in your hand.

"Eheh... Evenin' everyone... You enjoying yourselves so far?" Gaining an enthusiastic clamor in reply, you chuckled with light strain. "Awesome, god knows we've had some awesome talent up here already, right? Well, before I try to be as half as good as they were, I wanna let you know exactly why I'm up here..."

"Oh my god..." Alphys squealed quietly under her breath, looking ready to pass out with excitement. "It's actually h-happening~.....!"

"EH? WHAT? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Papyrus asked with a clueless frown.

"The hell's she doing...?" Flowey muttered as he eyeballed you weirdly to which Frisk merely shrugged. They had no idea either.

"The punk's actually doing what I think she's doing! Toriel, make sure you catch every bit of this!"

"I have a sudden giddy feeling about this whole thing~." Toriel giggled in anticipation as she flipped on her video camera making sure to keep you in her shot.

"wait a minute, what's goin' on?"

"Just watch boneheads!"

You took a deep breath, a melancholy expression settling on your face before you continued. "...M-Maybe some of you recognize me... I'm sure my face has been on the News a lot recently. I'm the mage that just recently lost her home to an arson committed by domestic terrorists." A soft murmur rippled through the crowd as many of the humans around made connections and a deeply apologetic tone settled amongst the mass of people. "Since I'm not here to ruin everyone's good time, I won't go into much detail about that, but... It has a lot to do with the song I'm about to sing. Ya see, I don't have many people to depend on in life, and it's been that way for a while... And with my home gone, I didn't really have any idea what I was going to do. But I didn't have to decide on anything." A bashful smile took your cherry red lips as your eyes searched the crowd. "I have a group of really really great friends that have been there for me ever since that tragedy. Two I've known for two months. Another two for only one. A few for not even two weeks yet, but... They're the best monsters... people I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know."

Knowing exactly just who you were talking about, their whole table literally blushed and either smiled widely or tried to hide their embarrassment as the crowd of mostly compassionate monsters cooed at the sweet words. You took another deep breath... and then another... And said-

"But... There's two of them in particular that I'm focused on at this moment." Realization came very slowly to Sans that very minute.

"They've always been there to make me smile."

No.

"And they cheered me on whenever I tried to reach a goal."

No way.

"They held me when I cried about losing my home."

Was this really happening? Were you really about to do this?

"And they opened up their own to me. It's because of them... That I have a roof over my head and food to eat."

Holy fuck, you were.

"And... after all this time, and some admittedly needed interference by some nosy friends of ours... I can finally allow myself to say it freely." Frantic, excited whispers tumbled throughout the whole building. Some monsters began chanting your name quietly, as if wanting to give you confidence to just come out and finally say it. Your eyes, nervous but shining with sincere revelations, finally landed on their table.

But you didn't look anywhere but at him and Papyrus.

"I've fallen in love with them."

Sans felt his soul skip a rhythmic beat.

"holy shit." Sans inhaled sharply in shock as it suddenly hit him in the sternum with the force of a prized fighter's punch, his specters so tiny they were practically pinpricks. "y/n... holy shit, y-y/n, she..." He swept his gaze at his whole table to see if anyone else had known about this stunt but upon immediately seeing slack-jawed bewildered expressions from everyone there, it became clear that no one had known that this was going to happen.

And when his gaze landed on his brother... well...

"S-SANS..." Papyrus' skull, which was flushed from crown to jaw in the brightest of oranges (probably just like Sans' skull was in its complementary color), had such a surprised look slapped over it that there wasn't even an accurate enough description for it. "SHE... S-SHE JUST... CONFESSED TO US...! IN FRONT OF E-EVERYONE~!" His eye sockets, which hardly ever held lights in them mind you, held small white upside down hearts as he beamed upon your blushing face with utter reverence.

"y-yeah... heh, yeah, she... s-she really did..." Sans dragged a bony hand down his face as his perma-grin widened to exponential levels of delight, no doubt just as awed as his brother's as he peeked at you through the spaces between his phalanges. "heh... oh jeez..."

"S-So uh... heh! Before I end up looking like the biggest dork in existence..." You shifted on your feet awkwardly as the crowd seemed to roil with absolute glee, "This, uh... This is the song I'm... dedicating to them. So... Sans. Papyrus." You smiled brightly at them despite the fact you were shaking just a little bit, "Whether or not you accept my feelings... This one's all for you." You glanced behind you, before clearing your throat. "Do it Blooks."

And as bright peppy music began to blast through the speakers, as you opened your mouth and rich sounds came forth, Sans thought to himself that you thoroughly deserved every medal in the whole damn world for being able to continuously astonish him in such wonderful ways.

Oh, sweet Jesus, this was happening.

This was actually happening.

You were actually about to confess your love for two skeleton monsters in front of the whole monster population... And a handful of humans.

In a song.

Dear God Almighty, give you strength... 

'Just let the song take you away Y/n....' You took a deep breath as you began swaying to the lighthearted start-up beat. 'Don't be so anxious... They like you too, and you know it.' You grit your teeth, feeling Determination fill up your soul as you took a single step forward.

'Just be yourself.'

You took one last breath before singing out with conviction.

O-Ooo, we break the laws of attraction!

Like they're sent from up above

Got a case of skele-love!

Ooo, we have a natural fascination!

My SOUL always feels a tug

Got a case of skele-love...

The large assembly of bodies seemed to freakin' adore the absolute dorkiest song and dance you had ever performed in your entire existence. The pure undiluted feeling of their joy and excitement was almost like a drug; you fed off their hype and energy, and soon you felt like you should have been bouncing off the walls. 

He's always so very punny

He's like a cinnamon bunny

And I'm a mage, it's not funny...

There's just too much chemistry

What if they find out I'm faulty?

Wouldn't it be unhealthy?

Why am I so damn kowai?

You frowned slightly as you gripped at your chest self-deprecatingly before belting out the next line, feeling self-confidence kick your nervousness right out on its ass.

And then I'm like...

Baby, baby, baby, I'm into you!

Nothing, nothing, nothing like you boo!

Crushing, crushing, crushing, on those two!

Oh, did I say that out-

Damn, did I say that out loud?!

You spun, hopped, and danced around with a delighted grin, your audience so animated and euphoric that they actually began clapping to the beat of the music! They spurred you on with cheerful encouragements, and you couldn't help but want to give back that rapturous feeling.

Ooo, they're like the best temptation!

It was a punch to the gut

Got a case of skele-love!

Ooo, we have a black hole's gravitation!

Hope this ship gets safe to shore

Though I'm really quite unsure...

He's always so very punny!

He's like a cinnamon bunny!

And I'm a mage, it's not funny...

There's just too much chemistry

What if they find out I'm faulty?

Wouldn't it be unhealthy?

Why am I so damn kowai?

There was no stopping you now; you were so into the beat and in your dance, so into the utter enjoyment and bliss you could feel that you didn't notice that two particular people were no longer in their seats..... Or how two skeletal bodies were pushing themselves through the massive throng to move towards the stage.

And then I'm like...

Baby, baby, baby, I'm into you!

Nothing, nothing, nothing like you boo!

Crushing, crushing, crushing, on those two!

You pointed at where you knew where they were seated, but actually froze when you no longer saw them them there.

What...?

However, before you could feel the sting of rejection- "And so you shout it out!" You squeaked in pure shock, whirling around with wide eyes to spot the very people you were singing about strolling up to you with microphones in hand and exhilarated grins on their skulls. "And so you shout it out LOUD!!"

And Ho. Lee. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-take mushrooms, could they sing.

ooo, she's like a chemical reaction!

FIT TOGETHER LIKE A GLOVE!

Got a case of human love~

You watched in utter mortification as they made heart shapes with their hands and seemed to frame your face with them, making you point at them in unmitigated horror.

O-OH MY GOD HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE?!

We've been right here since last verse!

Oh, this can't get any worse...! 

You contemplated running for your life, but Papyrus had grabbed you by the arm and spun you neatly into their hold, the both of them quite determined to make sure you couldn't escape from the situation.

Ooo, we break the laws of attraction!

i'm stuck to her like glue~

WE INVITED THE GIRLS TOO! (What?!)

"OMG, THE OT3 IS HAPPENING~!!" Undyne and Alphys shrieked over the din of people, somehow in key and time with the music (how the hell did they do that?!) as the brothers trapped you in between them with a strong amorous hug, quite content to embarrass the hell out of you. Whyyyyy?

Smushed together like a bug!!

"Got a case of skele-love~....." You sung softly, conceding as the three of you swayed with the ending melody, all of your faces very much stained with your own versions of blushing. You wanted to so badly hide your face, but ha; Like the god in charge of your life was gonna let you have that small mercy! Toriel had somehow made her way to the very edge of the stage (being Queen probably had something to do with that) and you nearly cringed as you saw her pointing a camera at the three of you with a bemused grin. 'Oh well...' You sighed in defeat as you sheepishly posed for a picture, 'It's not like it can get any worse right...?'

You froze in place with your eyes widening to dangerous levels as you suddenly felt the sensation of lips pressing against both your cheeks.

The camera flashed.

..............

Welp.

Chapter Text

The rest of the night passed in a blur.

You were on an impenetrable high; the intense joy-relief-astonishment-mortification combo that had settled in your brain after your act left you drunker than any form of liquor ever could. Your soul was singing with glee in your chest and any congratulations or protesting slurs from the audience you may have gained after your finished performance had gone in one ear and out the other. Your skin felt like painless electricity was constantly running through it. But you were far too gone to notice anything that required more than a basic understanding, especially with the skelebros sticking to your sides like they were sewn to them. 

Thankfully, your pals (holy shit, holy shit, what were Papyrus and Sans to you now?!) caught that.

"Y/n." A bleary blink was the response when you heard your name being called, your eyes focusing slightly on the image of Toriel staring at you with both a pleased and concerned grin. Actually, every single one of your friends was looking at you like that. When did you end up at their table? And when did Napstablook and Mettaton get here? "Are you alright child?"

"...Eheh... Never better Goat Mom~." You murmured in a punch-drunk manner, the ditziest smile in existence pulling at your lips. "Uh... Why you ask?"

"Your magic's been sparking over your body for a while now... It's making some of the wimps in the club a little nervous. S'not exactly subtle." Undyne said bluntly, snickering at the look on your face no doubt.

Ohhhhh, so that's what was happening.

"Sensory overload... Secondary ability's empathetic in nature, and I feel emotions from others... Doesn't happen often." Your head felt fuzzy, almost like it was full of cotton. It wouldn't be surprising if your friends couldn't understand a thing you were saying. "All those happy emotions from so many people at one time... Hehe~ Can't really focus, magic's gone haywire." You blinked slightly as strobe lights flashed across your vision before you broke out in a fit of silly laughter. "Sorry! M'not gonna lie, I am on a trip druggies would kill to have~." You swayed, only vaguely aware that your friends were trying not to giggle at you, before letting yourself lean against Papyrus' side. "Whoo... Can someone get me home before I end up tryin' to tell someone how I'm able to feel colors or somethin'?"

A deep bark of laughter came from your other side, a strong arm wrapping itself around your waist. "i'm all partied out myself... what about you paps?"

"I TOO FEEL RATHER FATIGUED." A large bony hand grasped your shoulder, leaving you to hum pleasantly as it rubbed it in a gentle manner. "AND WE HAVE MUCH TO DO TOMORROW. WE MUST RETURN HOME AND REST." A soft whine of protest left you as one of the comforting auras -the cool and laid-back one- disappeared from your side, before a skeletal hand that was only a bit larger than your own grasped yours to try and pull you out of the booth. You rolled your head to the side to see Sans staring at you affectionately, an amused grin on his face.

"come on doll. you think you can stand?"

"Sure I can~!" You slid over the cushions out of the grip of who you guessed was Papyrus, setting your feet fully on the ground before hefting yourself up with Sans' help.

You were not prepared for how much the room would spin and wobble when you did.

"uh, no. no, you can't." You couldn't even be mad as you heard lighthearted laughs from all of your friends, Sans grabbing you by your forearms to stabilize you which allowed you to feel the vibrations of his deep chuckles. "some sleep will probably do ya some good."

"Oh yeah, lots of sleep." Undyne cackled, and you frowned slightly in confusion as the emphasis in her words caused Sans to shoot her an incredulous glare. Were you missing something here? Your emotional radar was kinda fried at the moment, so you couldn't tell what she really meant...

"IF YOU CANNOT STAND, THEN I SHALL CARRY YOU!" Before you were even able to mutter a 'huh?' in reply, you were swooped up off your feet by strong arms- er... well, bones, a light yelp escaping you as your adjusting vision did its' best to send your mind further into a tizzy.

"B-Be careful, she has a dress on-!"

"don't worry alph, she's wearin' tights, and we're not gonna just let someone be a sleaze to our girl." You giggled madly in response, your soul fluttering like crazy at his words as you peered up at Papyrus' exuberant expression. You thought he said he was tired... Ah, well. That was Papyrus for you. "we'll see you all later. see ya tomorrow al."

"UNTIL TOMORROW MY FRIENDS!"

"Byyyye~!" You trilled back towards the table with a lopsided smile, hearing the goodbyes of your squad fade out into the loud pulsing music as the three of you walked -well, you were being carried- away towards the entrance. "Saaaaans~?"

"yeeeeees?"

"Hold my hand please~?" You smiled softly as you heard a soft choking sound from him, and your soul thrummed happily in your chest as you watched him reach out to gingerly grasp the hand that was dangling from your side. "Thank you~."

"heh... you, uh, you really are out of it there, aren't ya?" Sans chortled to himself, but looked pretty damn pleased all things considered. "like you're drunk or somethin'."

"I swear to drunk, I am not god- oh wait... That's supposed to be the other way around, isn't it...? Fuck." Even Papyrus couldn't hold back hysterical laughter at that, ignoring your vulgar language as Sans opened the doors, practically doubled over and wiping away blue tears, for the two of you to move through. As the cooler air of the night washed over your face and you gained some distance away from the incessant onslaught of a crowd's emotions, you could feel some semblance of order return to your mind; not much, but still a precious little amount. "I really like your outfits, though... Have you always had those?"

"NYEH HEH HEH~ INDEED! I DO RATHER LIKE HOW MY BATTLE BODY LOOKS, BUT I DECIDED MY BROTHER AND I SHOULD DRESS SOMEWHAT NICELY FOR THE EVENING SEEING AS YOU HAD ASKED US TO BE HERE TONIGHT. THOUGH YOU ARE DRESSED MUCH MORE BEAUTIFULLY THAN US!"

"Don't try to turn the compliment I was trying to give around on me~! You both look even more handsome than usual tonight!" A vague flustered feeling that was not yours registered at the back of your mind as you spied a fluorescent orange spreading across Papyrus' cheekbones before turning your gaze up towards the clear starry sky.

You could see Sagittarius from here...

"your magic tickles sweetheart." Sans' dulcet bass rumbled close to your ear, making you shiver.

"Sorry. M'not really in control of it right now." You pouted at the sparks of silver electricity laced with red that crackled minutely over your body, which merely made the brothers chuckle.

"not a problem. i didn't say i didn't like it." He gripped your hand a bit tighter, his bony thumb brushing lightly over your knuckles. It felt nice. "you look tired."

"Really? ...I do feel kinda spent. Probably gonna crash and burn once we get closer to home." You didn't notice how they looked at each other with surprised happiness, and you felt your form jar slightly as the three of you came to a stop. "Eh?"

"WE'VE MADE IT TO THE CAR Y/N. I REMEMBER THAT YOUR VEHICLE WAS STILL PARKED IN OUR GARAGE, SO THANKFULLY THERE IS NO NEED FOR US TO SEPARATE. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IN YOUR STATE." Your hand suddenly went cold with the absence of Sans', and you watched as he moved to the passenger's side of Paps' crimson Dodge Charger (you shouldn't have been jealous, but damn), and opened the door behind the front seat's so Papyrus could properly place you inside and buckle you in. "YOU MAY REST IF YOU WISH. WE'LL GET YOU HOME SAFELY."

"I know you will..." A smile of drowsy ease took your lips as you glanced over to the open door, where both brothers were peering in and giving you tender looks. "I trust you two." Your eyes fluttered shut as you heard them stutter, giggling softly as they closed the door shut before hopping into the front seats.

"sleep doll-face... we'll be home before you know it." You nodded once with a soft hum and laid your head back as Papyrus began pulling out of the parking lot.

The smooth purr of the vehicle's engine all too easily lulled you into blissful sleep.

Gray.

You were in a completely gray room.

And an... empty one at that. There was nothing descriptive about it. No decorations, no tables, no windows; hell, not even a door.

Compared to the endless unnerving black that you were used to, it was quite the improvement, but the bad part about it was that it was something completely new. You may have been adaptable but that didn't mean you particularly liked sudden changes such as this. Black meant bad shit was happening, but at least it was something you were always relatively prepared for. You knew what the obsidian color meant.

You had no clue what the ashen, dull shade surrounding you now meant.

'I know I'm dreaming...' You ruminated, scrunching your mouth up to the side as you swiped your gaze from side to side. 'But of what?'

Welp, no use just sitting here like a bump on a log, right?

You stood up from your prone position and dusted yourself off, then began to curiously wander around the perimeter of your entrapment with a light hum. You felt the walls with a hand in a keen manner, before frowning. There was definitely a barrier of sorts to keep you from moving any farther, but you couldn't feel anything under your hand that suggested that there was a wall of any kind. Whatever it was just simply refused to let you move past it.

'The hell...? How is that possible...?'

"My dear... You've made it!" Jolting at the sound of a familiar deep and glitched voice that was chock full of excitement, you whirled around to come face to face with-

Whoa.

Um.

What... What exactly was this goopy creature before you?

"A-Ah... I-I'm assuming from your stare that my appearance must be quite startling..."  A tall, at least 7 ft high, completely black... monster?... stood toe to... well, goopy black base to you, and you literally had to tilt your head back at almost a ninety-degree angle in order to lock gazes with him. "Please do not be alarmed my darling... I promise I will not hurt you."

Well, you were literally staring up at a creature consisting of a gigantic pile of pitch black goo and a familiar contrasting pure white, mask-like face had cracks leading from the edge of it to the large holes that... were probably what was supposed to be eyes. Oh, and there were little lights in the dark sockets reminiscent of Sans' own, so...

Define alarmed.

".....Please say something..." You, blinking out of your reverie upon feeling a vague sense of nerves and disquietment, eyed the black frown and sad black specters that were cautiously watching your expression.

"G... Gaster...?" You cautiously whispered, and blinked once more upon seeing the frown do an immediate 180, the smile widening into a bright grin as the white mask nodded rapidly. The creature you now realized was your old friend formed a floating skeletal hand with a hole in its palm (wait a minute... that looked familiar) out of thin air and slowly reached out to run a finger down your cheek. You, not exactly having the adequate amount of fear for the usual human response of fleeing for self-preservation, merely stood there and watched-- A tingle raced down your spine as his finger traced over your face.

...You had no idea how to respond.

"And to think I never knew how gorgeous you were until just recently..."  Aaaaaand now this was awkward. You were blushing. Think Y/n, say something! Do literally anything!

Your internal panicking caused you to raise a hand and flick Gaster right between his sockets. He jolted and fussed in protest, while you internally screamed at your actions. The hell Y/n?! Not exactly a normal reaction for the history books!

"What on earth was that for?! I thought you'd be happy to see me!" Quick! Think of something that doesn't make you seem like even more of a spazzy idiot!

"Of course I'm happy to see you!" You pouted, crossing your arms as you glared feebly up at the much taller monster. "That was for giving me miniature heart attacks all last week! You've been following me around, haven't you?!"

Cue the disintegration into madness.

"But of course!" Two of those hands fiddled with each other while a third one (where'd that come from?) poked at your forehead, his grin doing another 180 back to a frown while you sensed exasperation flowing from Goopster. "I had to make sure the Void had no more chances to attempt to claim your SOUL and you had expressed dismay at not being able to see me again, so I was merely working to establish a connection of sorts with your being! I barred the night terror you had Saturday night from creating such an opening!"

"While also scaring the ever-loving shit out of me! And making sure Sans had a panic attack in the process; He still gets twitchy when I'm not within a five-foot distance of him because of your little 'message'." You argued back, trying extremely hard to keep from letting your lips twitch into a smile as you threw up your arms. "You've literally been following me this whole week?!"

"I believe I have literally just answered that question woman."  The lightest of lavender blushes flooded the space below his eyes and where his nose would be if he had one while he adopted a grumpy disposition; He was mere steps away from pouting. Apparently, despite knowing you ever since you were twelve, he had not considered the reaction you were giving at that moment a possibility.

Totally his mistake.

"You know what that makes you?"

"Do enlighten me."  With the boldest of stares, you flashed a large smirk that screamed your intent of being a shit.

"A stalker."

His loud insulted gasp and indignant expression spoke volumes.

"Don't make it sound so felonious!" You were sure if he had a foot to stamp, he'd be doing it repeatedly. "I was merely keeping an eye on you! You just weren't aware of it!"

"That is the definition of stalking."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Too."

"Not!!"

"Too~!"

"I can't believe it. This is happening. This is what I've been reduced to."  Don't laugh at his forlorn expression Y/n. Let him keep some dignity, non-existent though it may be.  "Arguing with a woman who can't even understand the finer points of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie Two-"

"That anime is a pox, thank you very much."

"-And still watches Studio Ghibli movies. How low I have fallen."

"Oh, how dare thee, sir. Those are great movies for children as well as adults; fuck you for thinking otherwise you uncultured swine."

"You actually have the testicular fortitude to say that me."

"OMG, what?" You had to bite your lip in order to keep from laughing at his petulant expression and the annoyance flowing from his aura. "Y-You mean the balls? T-That must be the 18th Century version of saying it! Well done, you have achieved the feat of saying a curse word without actually cursing."

"You're no better. I shudder to think what kind of things that have come out of YOUR mouth."

"A lot that you probably wouldn't approve of." You grinned widely in response, rocking back and forth on your feet in a childlike manner. "When you have the humor of a millennial XBox Live Call of Duty player, you end up saying a lot of things that would make 'normies' cringe."

"Ah yes. How could I forget?" He rolled his eyelights in response and steepled his floating hands, seeming to realize that by now that you meant no harm by your belying combative words. "You are a rather vulgar individual."

"Studies show that people who curse more than the average person are usually more intelligent."

"Not as mature, to be certain."

"You know you love me."

"Oh?" His mask-face shifted in a way that made you believe he was raising a brow.  "Do I know that?"

"Yes. And you know that I love you too." Your grin diminished into something softer and genuine, and you took a step closer so you could gently grasp the skeletal hand tenderly. His lavender flush increased tenfold as you nuzzled it against your cheek. "You're the first person I could ever depend on you know. Ever since I... Ran away." You glanced away with a frown as unwelcome memories hinted tauntingly at the back of your mind-

"Stop that at once."  He brought you back by tightening his hand around yours and using his free hand to cup your cheek to turn your gaze back towards him, glaring down at you in a scolding manner. "Your running was justified. Don't let doubt cloud your thinking when it is a decade later; it's much too late for second thoughts." You nodded slowly as you cupped his hands in yours and banished those thoughts with a smile.

"I thought I'd never get to see you again..."

"I intentionally remained as close to you as possible this week in order to build a strong enough connection to your self-conscious. We may now speak in your dreams whenever you wish."

"That's great!! But uh... you can't see my other dreams though, right?"

".....I am frightened at the idea of what exactly you dream on a regular basis in order for you to make that expression."

"Ehehehe, let's not talk about it~!" You nervously grinned as you dropped his hands, and looked away with a whistle. "S'not important... Anyway, I'm glad to see you, even if it is in my dreams, but... What is this place?"

"It is the only place I am fully physical outside of the Void my dear. And even then, I am not as I once was." He gestured sadly to the black goop that made up his make-shift body, and you frowned.

"And... Where exactly is this place outside the Void?"

"Underground."

What.

"Hold up, say whaaat?" An astonished expression took your face as you stared up at your friend. "I'm Underground? Like The Underground? Where all the Monsters used to live?!"

"I am unaware of any other place known as the Underground, so yes, that is the place I speak of."

"Your sassiness is not appreciated." You griped with a look of askance, grasping his face in your hands. And no, you gave no fucks that you had to step up on your tip-toes in order to do so. "How. In the Hell. Am I Underground? I am fucking asleep and probably in my room too."

"I've only corraled your mind before me, such as when your mind visits the Void; your physical body is not present."  It was because he was your oldest friend that you ignored the 'Bitch, wtf?' face he was giving you. That was the only reason. "This room is a secret that can only be unveiled by meddling with the Code of the Timeline."

"..........." You wished you could have seen your expression at the moment. You were sure that it looked like something out of a meme or an anime. ".....Code... of the Timeline... The fuck?" You would not admit you were getting overloaded by all this. You would not. "Like a computer or program code or something?! What, is our world a freaking video game?!"

......................................................

"I-"

"Don't." You quickly covered his mouth as you pulled a meme poker face, you were sure. "I don't feel like having an existential crisis at this moment in time, and in my sleep no less. Let's change the subject and not break the fourth wall." He nodded eagerly in agreement and you removed your hand from his mouth, taking a few steps back as you took a deep breath. "So, moving on... Why exactly is there no door to this room?"

"I do not have the power to leave, therefore I cannot create a door."

"And... Why don't you have the power to leave?" Gaster remained silent before a floating hand situated itself between the two of you, and a few seconds ticked by before about six white, glowing jagged pieces of... something faded into sight above it. Some pieces had a smooth, curved side to it and you could feel an immense amount of magic originating from them.

"This... Is my SOUL."

Oh.

Oh.

He wasn't just erased.

"Holy fuck."

"A less eloquent way of describing the situation, but yes."  He smiled sadly at your paling face, before gesturing to the pieces of what used to be the culmination of his being. "If my SOUL had merely faded away when I fell into the CORE of the Underground, with enough time I could will myself back into reality. However, that is not the case." You balled your hands into tight fists as you cursed under your breath.

"Shit... You don't deserve this... I wish there was something I could d-" You stopped in your tracks as his black smile slowly stretched upon his face, your jaw dropping as he scanned your face excitedly. "Waaaaaaaiiit... You have a plan, don't you?!"

"Indeed I do... If I have your assistance."

"Anything!"

"Then there are two things I'm afraid I must ask of you in order to help." The second floating hand in his possession pointed at your chest; specifically where you knew your soul resided. "First, I need you to... house the pieces of what remains of me in your SOUL, so they may fuse back together." You blinked before looking down at your chest, seeing the outline of your soul in your vision.

"How would that help your SOUL fuse back together?"

"Well, a human's SOUL is the only place in their body that holds magic, and it is much stronger than a monster's. Being housed in any human's SOUL would help me reform. However, you hold much more magic than any other human I have seen or heard of. Monsters, as you know, are made of magic and dust. The sheer amount of magic in your SOUL would speed up the reformation process exponentially just by being so close in proximity. It would be even faster if you held healing magic, but..."

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaah, not my forte."

"My point exactly, but the process will work famously even without it. You must agree to this wholeheartedly for it to work and must not think of absorption, but I trust you. Do you trust me?"

"With my life and SOUL Gaster." You answered avidly, smiling as he froze before his face flared with a deep purple and an extremely wobbly smile took his mouth. He looked away, coughing into a hand sheepishly.

"Y-Yes, well... M-My SOUL was scattered across the Timeline when it shattered... I was able to find all but one piece. That, my dear," He gestured to you, "Is the second objective I must ask you to complete."

"Then I assume you have at least a vague idea of where it is...?"

"Indeed. It is Underground, somewhere in Hotland I'd wager."

".....What kind of a name is Hotland?"

"You have met the King of Monsters, have you not?"

"Fair point." You nodded with a sigh, giving a tired smile.

And then you glitched.

"Ah..."  There was an ancient sadness deep in his sockets as he watched you look down at your glitching form with wide eyes. "You are waking..."

"Already?!"

"Dreams always seem to last for but a few moments when in actuality you were asleep for eight hours." He slithered closer as your legs slowly began to fade from sight and extended his hand to your soul, allowing the pieces to vanish into your chest. You could feel your soul getting heavier. "There... If you can find the last piece and allow for your magic to help my SOUL to reform, all I will have to do is gather power to escape the Void."

"I won't let you down..." You whispered softly, happy tears forming at the corner of your eyes as your torso was the next to go. "You better wait for me WingDingus!"

A mere deep chuckle of amusement was the response you got as your head disappeared from sight.

You woke up feeling the most rested you had been in the last two weeks. Sure that doesn't seem like a lot of time, but then you actually go through it and realize how much you missed a good night's sleep. As your eyes fluttered open, you were greeted with the welcome sight of the skelebros knocked out in chairs beside your bed, practically leaning their entire upper halves on the mattress you were laying on. They looked like they were having pretty good dreams...

You yawned, stretching out your limbs and groaning softly as you heard the satisfying sound of your joints popping before sitting up. You were in your room. You lifted your hand up to your face to find that the light layer of make-up had been carefully and meticulously washed off (thank god, you did not want to break out from that crap) and upon glancing down, you saw that you were still dressed in the black dress you wore the night before minus the shoes.

Heh. Never doubted them for a second.

Now, this was usually where everything from the night before would come rushing back and embarrass the hell out of you right? At least that was how it worked in the movies...

Then why did you feel so... At peace with what had happened? Yeah, you were blushing at the fuzzy scraps of memory you could put together, and you knew that if there were any videos of your singing and behavior (which there most likely was), you'd probably hide underneath your covers for a week... But overall, you were just really content.

Maybe even... Happy?

"nnn..." Rubbing at your eyes, you glanced over to see Sans stirring and flushed slightly as he lifted his skull from the little nook he had created with his arms. You nearly giggled at the sight of light blue drool trailing from the corner of his lessened grin while he rubbed at his sockets in a dazed manner. "huh... best sleep i've had in a while..."

"I was thinking the same thing really..." He jumped a bit in surprise (probably because he was not expecting your voice at all) and jerked up straighter in his chair as his arm dropped away from his face. His specters flickered down towards your pillow as if he was expecting you to still be laying down before realizing you weren't, and they trailed up your mostly bare upper back (the dress didn't cover much back there) before locking onto your face.

"uhhh...... hey."

"Morning."

.............................

"Soooo." You fidgeted slightly in place, twiddling your fingers as your gaze turned bashful. How could it not with the intense way he was staring at you? "Um.... Last night happened."

"yes. yes, it did." The white ovals in his sockets were attentive and vivid, the corners of his perma-smile slowly twitching upwards. "you're uh... one of those ditzy, happy drunks. it's cute."

"B-But I didn't even really get drunk! At least, not from alcohol... I got drunk off people's emotions!" You huffed, crossing your arms playfully as you stuck your tongue out at him in response; and no, you did not blush when his gaze lingered on your tongue longer than was strictly necessary. Because that would just be silly. "As uh... Weird and stupid as that sounds."

"s'not stupid... it was a little weird, but it's not stupid at all. just explain it to me dollface."

"Err... Well, since my SOUL's secondary ability is empathy based, it's a lot more receptive to the emotions of others. I've lived with this power all my life, so what happened last night doesn't happen often, but..." You rubbed at your forehead as you moved to shift out from under the covers, giggling softly as Sans hovered a bit, getting out of his chair, "I've also been pretty isolated by choice until very recently... And that was a lot of people packed into one place. Not to mention my own emotions were sort of everywhere because of the, um... song?" Sans' seemed to light up from the mere mention of your choice of confession, and you twirled a lock of your hair coyly around a finger as you moved to the edge of the bed. "So many people practically beaming with positive emotions... It was a too much too fast sort of thing. It sorta shorted out my magic, left me disoriented."

"puttin' it mildly."

"Shut up."

"so that's happened before?"

"Yeah, it just wasn't with..." You hesitated as you tried to say it in a way that wouldn't make him freak out, "Good emotions."

"huh..." He didn't say much to that but instead reached out take the hand you were tangling into your hair and holding it gently in both of his as he stared at you with a tender expression. "you know... you surprised us... me and pap i mean."

"And everyone else in the damn club I'm sure..." You chuckled, splaying a hand gently over your face to hide the deepening blush spreading across your cheeks. "I'm pretty sure Undyne and Alphys had a good guess as to what I was doing, though..."

"they seemed to know what was going on, but they were just as surprised as the rest of us by the confession babe." You weren't able to stop the giddy giggle that burst forth from your lips at the new nickname, promptly hiding your face in both your hands. "hey, don't hide your face. it's not often i get to see beauty in motion."

"Oh my god Sans!" You giggle-snorted, pulling the comforter up to bury your head into it. "It's too early in the morning for this!"

"you don't know what time it is."

"Do you?"

"no."

"Then check your watch."

"i would, but i can't take my sockets off of you long enough to do so."

"No. OMG Sans, stahp."

"we must be subatomic particles because i feel a strong attraction between us."

"Sans," You spoke in a warning tone as you held back a bark of laughter, playfully scowling as you ripped the comforter away from your face. "If you continue down this road, I will be forced to finish the challenge you are currently issuing me."

"try me, babe." The well known shit-eating grin that you both loved and despised widened on his face, waggling his bone-brows teasingly. "you know you can't beat me."

Challenge accepted.

"Well, according to the second law of thermodynamics," You reached out to cup the side of his skull and leaned in so your smirking face was inches from his own, "You're supposed to share your hotness with me."

You considered it a personal victory when his cheekbones were suddenly dusted with a pretty azure color.

"ahem... well now." He cleared his non-existent throat in order to regain his poise before shooting back a wink. "you must be made of beryllium, gold, and titanium, 'cause you're be-au-ti-ful."

"Well forget Hydrogen, you're my number one element."

"i'm sure you knew your body is seventy percent water. i'm gettin' kind of thirsty."

"Every function without you will always be void of love."

"ya sure you're not a computer whiz? you seem to know how to turn my software into hardware." You felt your face flush at the strong innuendo there, but when his grin widened, you knew you couldn't give in.

"Hey, how about I be Burger King, and you be McDonald's? I'll be having it my way, and I'm sure you'll be loving it." He froze for a quick second before bursting out in what you were sure would have been belly-aching laughter if he actually had a belly.

"YOUR EARLY MORNING FLIRTING IS RATHER AMUSING, BUT I DRAW THE LINE AT THESE HORRIBLE JOKES!" 

Let's just say the unexpected volume of your second crush's voice had you clinging to the ceiling.

......That's not a joke, you were literally attached to the bedroom ceiling. You'd be surprised what decent control with raw magic could do.

"Y/N, I HAD NOT INTENDED TO SCARE YOU, TRULY!" Papyrus pleaded as he stared up at your shaken form latched to the ceiling like Tom from Tom and Jerry (not that Jerry -shudder-), occasionally tossing Sans (who was on the floor writhing from large guffaws) irritated glances. "PLEASE COME DOWN SO I CAN MAKE BREAKFAST!"

"I am perfectly happy with living the rest of my life up here, thank you very much."

"I'LL MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES!" You narrowed your eyes just a bit as you gave him a quick look.

"Make it pancakes that have bacon cooked into them and you've got yourself a deal."

"VERY WELL." Papyrus held open his arms with an encouraging expression. "NOW COME DOWN. IT'S FRIDAY, SO SANS AND I BOTH HAVE A LOT TO DO AT THE COLLEGE BEFORE THE WEEKEND BEGINS." You nodded, and let the unrefined magic flowing to your fingertips and tip toes cut off to let you fall and land in Papyrus' gentle embrace. "VERY GOOD. BROTHER! FINISH YOUR BOUT OF LAUGHTER SO YOU CAN GET READY FOR WORK!"

"y-yeah bro... whoo! i hear ya..." With a wobble, Sans hefted himself up using a bedpost, grinning cheekily right at you. "i swear you were a cartoon character in a past life."

"My entire life is one gigantic cartoon and anime reference." You replied in a deadpan, which merely set him off once more.

"HONESTLY SANS, WE HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS! IT IS ALREADY 7:45, GO GET DRESSED FOR WORK. AS FOR YOU Y/N, PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO FOR YOUR MORNING ROUTINE. JUST MAKE SURE TO BE DOWN IN TIME FOR BREAKFAST." Tall, Bright, and Skeletal placed you back onto your feet beside your dresser, and you nodded with an affectionate smile as he then grabbed Sans by the back of his pajama shirt and hauled him out of your room.

And of course, you noticed the smitten looks they were flashing you as they left.

Chapter Text

Kaleidoscope.

When you looked at your soul... That was the only thing that came to mind. The only thing you could compare it with.

The heart had a crystalline look to it; clear, and while scratched and slightly chipped, it glittered as though the magical energy that it exuded was natural light to the gemstone effect it had. And like a kaleidoscope, geometric and symmetrical shapes of multiple hues would shift and change as your emotions and disposition did throughout the day. Colors-ones of the main traits and others marking emotions-were sharp and clear; the different pigments would not blend into each other, but they almost always touched. It was changeable; erratic-- The colors never stayed still.

Perseverance.

Integrity.

Patience.

Kindness.

Justice.

Bravery.

...Determination.

You held all Base Traits, but you had more Determination in your soul than any other trait. That's why your eyes glowed red whenever you used your magic in an outward manner. While the amount of a color you could see changed depending on the traits you were using most at that moment, you would always hold more Determination in your soul than anything else.

Humans' souls usually were one color and were opaque, at least while they were children; As adults, there were occasions where a person's personality was ruled by more than one core trait, which you could tell by their soul. The actual state of it told of their hardships and current way of looking at life. The more colors a soul had and the more the physical appearance of it deviated from the norm, the more complex the person it belonged to. 

Two colors were, of course, the most common. Three was a little less common but still believable to hear about.

Four was uncommon.

Five was rare.

Six was unheard of, but probably still existed at least in one person in every state of every nation.

Seven or more was unprecedented.

You were unprecedented.

If people ever actually got to see your soul, they might call it unique, distinctive, a class all by itself... Beyond compare, beautiful even.

Your thoughts?

It just reminded you how different you were.

How dangerous.

There was a flip-side to having more than one core trait. The more colors a soul had, the higher the chance that human had of possessing a magical ability of some kind. The higher the chance of being a mage.

More core traits also meant higher chances of having a higher ranked magical ability. Not all abilities were manifested equally after at all; Some could be passed off as just cool little parlor tricks, while others were helpful to someone's daily life, while even others had a special label for their rank.

WMDs.

Weapons of Mass Destruction.

These were the rarest of magic users and were never left to roam freely, for reasons obvious from the name.

....Almost always never, at least.

"y/n! breakfast is almost ready, okay?" You gasped as you snapped out of your reverie, your eyes wide as they flicked around to help you realize where you were.

Right... You were in the bathroom, had just finished your shower... And you had taken out your soul in order to see the new charge you were taking care of.

How odd it was, to see pieces of an incomplete monster soul slowly (and when you say slowly, you mean really slowly) shifting around in your magical aura to try and match up the correct edges together as though it were a jigsaw puzzle... And even with the light of the bathroom on, the colors floating in your crystal clear soul like globules in a lava lamp shone their light all over the room...

"y/n? you okay in there babe?" A knock sounded on the door of the bathroom, making you panic just a bit and your soul reacted in kind by causing a quick burst of yellow-green light to reflect off the mirror above the sink. "uh, what was that? i felt somethin' weird."

"Nothing!!" You squeaked in response, looking back at the closed door (holy fuck, you didn't lock it when you first came in) with a nervous smile, though you knew he couldn't see it. "S-Sorry, I was daydreaming! I'll be out in a bit!"

"eh? you alright? you sound kinda peaked-"

"I'm fine! Promise!" Your soul definitely wasn't helping your case any, though; How the hell you were supposed to convince him you were fine when he was probably seeing a mini light show through the bottom of the door?!

"then what's all these colors i'm seeing through the bottom of the door?" Case in point. "and i swear i'm feeling something i shouldn't be through the wood. here, just let me-"

The doorknob started to jiggle.

Your soul was still out.

"No!" You turned sharply from your reflection in the mirror in order to press your body against the door and keep it closed. "Sans, don't open th-"

Or at least you would have if the towel you had stupidly left on the tile floor hadn't decided to make you slip and tumble to the ground chin-first.

WHUMP!

"Owwww!"

"y/n?!"

"Fuck you, you piece of shit towel!" You hissed as you rubbed at your chin, feeling your teeth ache from the jarring impact. "I thought I meant something to you!"

"that's it, i'm coming in-"

"Inmo!!"* You squealed, doubling over yourself so you could press your feet firmly against the door and hold it shut. Epic flexibility for the win. "Quantum anime esse velim hoc vita! Interficiam de ea!"*

"what did you just say?!" Shit, how was this fun-sized bonehead so strong?! You were gripping the tile floor to keep from sliding away from the door and you were straining to actually keep the door in the same position it was when you stopped him from barging in: barely even cracked. "delta damn it, open the door y/n! don't make me get paps up here!"

"Nothing's wrong Sans! I just slipped and fell!" Thank fuck you were already clothed. "There's no need to come in here!"

"then what's all that light-"

"I have my SOUL out, okay?!"

SLAM!

You groaned as your knees hit you square in the forehead as the suddenness of the door slamming all the way shut caused your feet to leave all contact with the door. "Ouch... Betrayal from my own body..." Quickly unfolding yourself, you rubbed the reddening sore area before swiftly taking your soul into the safety of your hands and placing the two shields over it and its charge. "Whew... Much better..." You then realized it was dead quiet (this was no time for puns damn it, stop it brain!) outside the bathroom door. "Err... You okay out there...?"

".....sorta?" You winced at how weak and freaking embarrassed your poor bae's voice sounded. "i... i uh, didn't mean ta-"

"I know you didn't Sans, please don't feel bad." You let your soul sink back to its rightful place before hopping back up onto your feet, sending a terrifically nasty glare to the evil towel (and hoping it would burst into flames as a result, but alas...). Once you had straightened out your semi-casual collared shirt and jeans, you took a deep breath to stabilize yourself before cracking open the door and peeking out.

Awww, he went full blue lantern mode again...

"ah, um... heh." His smile was more of a grimace as he glanced up at you while you turned off the light to the bathroom and fully came out. "...sorry for freakin' out, i just thought-"

"Thought what?"

"thought that... maybe... you were hurting yours-"

"Shhh." You placed a single finger against his teeth, smiling warmly as he stared back. "Don't worry about it okay? I was just checking on it. Now, you said breakfast was almost ready, right? Come on, before Papy has a fit." You took his hand and smiled wider as he flashed a smile back at you.

"you're amazing..." He muttered as he started to walk by your side, releasing a deep sigh.

"Nah." You chuckled in response, glancing back discretely behind you. "I'm just me."

As you suspected, you could see a hardly-there shadow beside the door, its white face flushed a light periwinkle and staring at you worriedly. You tossed him a secret thumbs up.

It would have been bad news Sans had caught a glimpse of the broken monster soul you were keeping in your magic...

Or the black compact sphere symbolizing the Void that was perched in the middle of your crystallized one.

"I HAS A PUNCAKE!" You squealed with a goofy smile as you swiped three large pancakes from the serving platter onto your plate, your mouth watering at the mere smell of the delicious beauties as you quickly added some eggs to your plate after. No need for bacon when it was already in the pancakes; cholesterol and high blood pressure at a young age was not a good idea. Sans snickered as he sat down to your right while Papyrus sat to your left after placing a platter of hash browns onto the table.

"IS IT NOT PRONOUNCED PANCAKE?"

"it is bro. our human's just weird."

"Guilty~!" You buttered up the fluffy discs before cutting them up into pieces. You could see steam pouring out from the yummy fluff and bacon... "I needs teh syrup. Where is teh syrup?"

".....YOU DIDN'T HAPPEN TO FIND A TEMMIE ON YOUR WAY DOWNSTAIRS, DID YOU?"

"she might still be on an emotion high from last night."

"I am not!" You cheerfully dissented, swiping up the closest bottle of maple syrup and proceeding to drown your food in it. You liked your pancakes to be as wet as possible (stop it you dirty minded people). "I'm just..." You froze with a slow blink before smiling a wide genuine grin at the both of them. "Really happy!"

You then and there decided it would be your continuous life mission to make them blush like they were at the moment at least once a week, if not every day. You snickered softly as they tried to play it off-Sans tried to hide his face by taking a gulp of his coffee while Papyrus poured himself a cup of orange juice-before spearing a piece of your pancakes and popping it into your mouth, immediately feeling like you were in heaven as a result. "Papy?"

"YES Y/N?"

"Marry me."

You damn near choked on your laughter as they both lurched in response, Sans choking back a spit-take while Papyrus nearly spilled the pitcher of orange juice, his blush turning to a color almost the exact same shade of the nutritious liquid. He spluttered heavily as Sans let his skull hang over the back of his chair, sockets dark and face a navy blue as he stared at the ceiling.

"B-B-BUT...!! Y/N! WE JUST BECAME DATEMATES!! MONSTER RELATIONSHIPS TEND TO MOVE FASTER THAN HUMAN ONES, BUT DON'T YOU THINK A PROPOSAL IS MUCH TOO FAST?!"

"I was joking, you should have seen your faces-! Wait, what?" You blinked rapidly as you stared over at Papyrus, who by the way, looked like he was damning himself for even saying anything. "Datemate...?"

"W-WELL YES! DATEMATE, A PORTMANTEAU OF DATING WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW (I THINK???), AND A HOPEFUL LABEL OF SOMETHING MUCH MORE PERMANENT!" Light orange drops of sweat beaded on the sides of his skull despite his confident words while Sans looked as though he was dying inside from embarrassment. "THAT'S... NOT A PROBLEM, IS IT?"

"Problem?? Are you kidding me? That's so sweet!!" You could feel the deep flush spreading across your face, and you moved to cover it with your hands as you laughed giddily. "That... That's just adorable, I love it, really." You peeked through your fingers to smile at them, giggling as the brightest smile spread over Papyrus' face.

"GREAT!! I WAS WORRIED YOU'D FIND IT TOO HEAVY OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE..."

"hell, so was i..." Sans released a deep sigh of relief, trying extremely hard to scrub away the blush on his cheekbones with his phalanges. "just so you know, uh... i probably won't be calling you that... just gonna use my normal nicknames for ya babe."

"Oh... So uh..." You swallowed the food currently in your mouth before looking at them, a little worried. "You two... Don't mind that I want to date the both of you...? Because I'm not going to choose between you two and cause jealousy; that's not cool in any shape or form."

They shared what appeared to be a pleased look before Papyrus decided to speak. "WE ARE ACTUALLY VERY HAPPY WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT Y/N! WE DISCUSSED OUR FEELINGS WITH EACH OTHER THE DAY YOU HAD SHOWN US YOUR STATS AND MOVED IN, AND DECIDED WE'D BE VERY WILLING TO SHARE YOU IF YOU DECIDED TO HAVE US OF COURSE." Oh. So that's why Papyrus stopped Sans from asking you out on what was probably going to be a date, and why Sans made that suggestive remark while trying to make sure you didn't fall asleep that night. "IT'S MUCH BETTER BECAUSE INSTEAD OF A MISERABLE SOLO OR AN UNHAPPY DUET, IT'S A HAPPY TRIO!"

You guess Undyne and Alphys knew what they were talking about. You didn't know the stress you had been carrying for an entire week about that very topic would feel so good to shed.

"Well then... Since I'm dating the two of you; if you ever feel like I'm not enough in the relationship... I don't mind if you think you need someone else. It'd only be fair..."

Fucking liar, your magic hissed to you.

Shut the fuck up, you shot back mentally.

"heh, you're so sweet doll." Sans chuckled softly as he gazed upon your face fondly. "always wanna make things fair... thanks for the offer, but i think you're it for me. don't want anybody else." Your eyes widened as he glimpsed at his brother. "what about you bro?"

"I MUST CONCUR WITH MY BROTHER! YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON, HUMAN OR MONSTER, THAT I HAVE EVER HAD MORE THAN PLATONIC FEELINGS FOR! I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH JUST YOU!"

They were trying to make you cry, weren't they? Why were they so sweet...?

"Oh... Oh wow... This is actually happening, I'm in my first ever relationship and it's a polyamorist one..." Life was weird. You thought it was weird before, but this broke the scale so far. "Heh, wow..." You matched their excited looks with one of your own before you gasped loudly. "I already know what I'm going to call you two!"

They gave you a wary look as your grin grew to shit-eating levels.

"this i gotta hear."

"IF THIS GREAT RELATIONSHIP FORMALLY STARTS OFF WITH A PUN, I SWEAR-"

"You're gonna be my verte-baes!!"

Judging between Papyrus' unholy screeching and Sans' uncontrollable laughter, you just knew this was the start of something beautiful.

"You want me to pack for the weekend?"

"INDEED!"

"yup."

"...May I ask why?"

"THIS WEEKEND, WE HAD PLANNED TO TAKE YOU OUT FOR A LITTLE... VACATION!"

"it was supposed to be our way of setting up our confession to you, but uh... you know." Sans grinned at the flush that you just knew was rushing to your cheeks as you watched him open the front door while they both packed up their things for the day. "you beat us to it. still, it's gonna be fun and why waste a weekend to be laz- i mean, take out our girl, right?" He snickered as Papyrus threw him a glare, daring him with his sockets to finish his original sentence.

"HMPH... SO INSTEAD OF A CONFESSION VACATION, IT WILL BE MORE OF A FIRST DATE VACATION!"

"I see..." You realized this was pretty backward; usually, you dated someone a couple of times before deciding whether or not you wanted to become exclusive with them. In this case, however, the three of you decided to do the opposite.

Did you give any fucks? Not really.

"Alright then! That sounds awesome!" You wondered as to whether there was a limit to how large their grins could get. Probably not, for this morning. "I should pack just for the weekend?"

"that's right." Sans nodded, before reaching out to grasp your hand with his free one. "you should come with me to the lab today. alph and I practically run the place now, and i know she wouldn't mind you there. we could all have lunch together."

"Sounds tempting, but I actually have stuff I need to do today. MDC related." You gave an apologetic smile at his frowning grin (only Sans would ever be able to accomplish that paradox). Of course, the worrying sack of bones was less than enthusiastic at the news of you getting appointed onto the Monster Debate Council with Asgore and Frisk. He believed it was extremely unsafe, seeing as you were already being targeted by The Pure Ones.

That was the name of the anti-monster terrorist group that went around dusting monsters and destroying their property. They also set their sights on humans who sympathized with and were friendly with monsters, as they believed that humans and monsters should never interact under any circumstance. Mages were also targeted under the guise that ANY magic users were the cornerstone of evil; That's why they called themselves The Pure Ones.

The public, news, monsters, and mages had a different name for them.

The Obsidian Hearts.

"but you aren't even part of the council yet."

"But I'm about to be. And Asgore asked me to do this, I couldn't exactly refuse."

"yes, you could."

"Sans." It was cute that he was already being protective, but this was just something you had to do. "It's wonderful enough that he even allowed me to stay in this community with all Monsters after I lost my home. That implies some level of trust; it's only fair that I repay him in kind." He grumbled softly but didn't attempt to argue any further as Papyrus came bounding up to you both with his things in hand.

"Y/N! SHALL YOU WALK US OUT TO THE CAR?"

"Heh, sure I can boys." You smiled as you grasped his free hand too, and let him go first through the door so you could all get out without squishing each other. "God, I can just imagine what Undyne would say about this, let alone my drunken behavior last night-"

"YO LOVENERDS!"

"Damn, were her ear fins burning?" You muttered, turning to look down the sidewalk to where you could see Undyne and Alphys strolling down in your direction, the largest grins in existence upon their faces. "You're gonna live a long life Undyne!"

"'Course I am punk!!" She cackled loudly as you and the boys met them on the driveway. "I'm a monster and not many people can beat me in a fight!"

"Fair enough." You hummed as you pulled away from the skellies to return the hug that Alphys was excitedly giving you. "Morning Alphy."

"Morning!" She lifted her head to flash you a bright smile, her spiked tail wagging cutely in excitement. "A-Are you three...?" You flushed, shifting shyly upon your feet before nodding.

"Yeah, we are... We're planning to go on our first date this weekend."

"FIRST DATE VACATION!"

"eeeyup." You tried not to wither away in embarrassment as the girls' squealed loudly in celebration, but at least the boys were blushing with you so you felt a bit better about it.

"Jeez, let the whole world about it why don't ya!"

"I don't think you need our help with that, you did that pretty well yourself last night."

"Eh? You mean by how I was acting when the boys carried me out of the bar?"

"Heh, nope." Your face went blank in an uncomprehending manner, clearly showing that you had no freaking idea what she was talking about before she waved you off, saying she'd show you later. "What you got to do today Y/n? Alphy said she was hoping you'd come into the lab with her and bonehead."

"What? Her too?" You looked back and forth between the two scientists before you, noticing they looked slightly abashed. "Are you guys trying to use me as an experiment or something?" You joked playfully but rose a brow upon seeing Alphys titter and Sans rub at the back of his head nervously. "I don't want to end up like Frankenstein's bride, you know."

"W-we would never!" The small drake pouted up at you, stamping her foot to make a point. It only made you laugh, but whatever made her happy. "We did w-want to include you in an e-experiment involving SOULS, though... Categorizing how they're affected by different c-conditions, such as race, age, and physical, emotional, or m-mental states."

"That so...?" You shot a suspicious glance over to Sans, who was infuriatingly avoiding your gaze and innocently watching Papyrus moving to prepare his car. "And you wanted to include me because...?"

"W-Well, other than Frisk, there's not many humans we know that are volunteering t-to p-participate in an e-experiment like that, let alone magic users... Especially s-since monsters, meaning Sans and I, are the ones r-running the experiment." You clicked your tongue in irritation at that; info was info. Should it matter what race the scientists leading the experiments was?

But still.

"I'm not going to let anyone see my SOUL guys. You already know that, and you know my reasoning behind it."

"no one has to see it, babe. that's your choice and if anyone tries to make you do otherwise, we are legally obligated to dismiss them from the experiment, and possibly issue a citation." Why was your bone boy (teehee, you could call him that without feeling guilty now) smirking like he was thinking of something he shouldn't? "and as your boyfriend in effect as of today, i am loyally obligated to issue a possible dunking if anyone tries to pressure you." Oh, that's because he totally was.

Damn you if it wasn't sweet and hot as hell, though.

"...Has it passed the APA's Ethic Codes?" You could feel Alphys' hope go off at the back of your head as her glittering eyes searched your face.

"It's almost t-through, yeah! I-It's not a very big experiment, s-so it should be up and running by at least the b-beginning of S-September..."

"......I'll think about it. But I can't come today, I got stuff to do." You huffed lightly as the two scientists high-fived each other in victory, Undyne snickering softly as Papyrus hurried back to the little group.

"YOU TWO HAD BEST STOP BOONDOGGLING, IT'S EIGHT-THIRTY! YOU MUST HEAD TO WORK QUICKLY!"

"Oh? Don't you three carpool?"

"if you count teleporting as carpooling. pap prefers to drive, though."

"NOW THAT I HAVE MY RED SPORTS CAR, I LIKE TO DRIVE IT WHENEVER POSSIBLE!" You smiled brightly up at the happy look on Papyrus' face; You owed Frisk big time for being determined enough to free all these wonderful monsters...

Sans and Papyrus specifically of course.

"welp, guess we'll be heading off." Sans chuckled, gently taking the arm of the only person shorter than him there. "c'mon al."

"Oh, w-wait! Before you two go!" You reached out to grab the boys by their sleeves, and you flushed as they looked back at you in confusion but you quickly smirked to save face. "Revenge for last night."

Before you could chicken out, you pulled an intrigued Papyrus down to your height and placed a swift peck onto his high cheekbone then quickly turned your head to do the same to Sans. "Since you both kissed my cheek without permission, I have done the same." You pulled back with a smug grin, eyeing the deep flushes of magic on their face and dropped jaws while also ignoring the hot feeling on your face at the same time.

You also ignored the sound of quiet girly squealing and the sound of a phone camera going off several times behind you.

Determined to not drop the confident look until you got back inside, however, you flashed them both a wink and turned to walk back up the driveway. "You're gonna catch flies with your mouths open like that boys!" You heard two loud clicks of bone meeting each other and cackled loudly as you hopped back to the open door and turned around in the doorway to see exactly what mayhem you caused.

The girls were giggling gleefully as they looked over the absolutely gobsmacked expressions you could see on your boys' faces, actual upside down white hearts in their sockets as they stared unwaveringly at your teasing grin. You winked playfully, wiggling your fingers at them. 

"Don't drive or teleport under the influence dears~!"

Chapter Text

After that minx-y hilarity and making sure the boys made it out okay by peeking out the window, you had your own errands to complete. You made sure the kitchen was all cleaned up while simultaneously getting bombarded with texts from Undyne and Frisk particularly (the mischievous little bean wanted to know if you kissed either of the skele-boys yet). Apparently, the connection that Gaster had forged with you beyond your knowledge allowed you to speak with him and see his... Shadow walking around the place. You knew it was going to take you a while to get used to the fact that he was probably going to make a habit of hanging over your shoulder like a creeper and curiously watch whatever you were doing while his Soul was healing. He told you he couldn't stray too far from you while his Soul was in your care so you huffed good-naturedly as you took your anti-depressants, sitting down on the couch as you watched your phone for the text that you really needed to see in order to get your shit done today. 

And thankfully by the time eleven-thirty rolled around and you had officially spent at least two and a half hours sitting on your ass, the answered prayer of a text that wasn't from your monster friends and the Ambassador pinged onto your iPhone. You paused in your actions, which was a little finger fight with Apollo, and picked up your cell to check the screen as you subtly waved away Gaster to keep him from looking at your messages.

*Willy-Nilly

'ey. i'm txting u. 

we doin' this 2day?

Gah. Perhaps it was just you that felt this way, but fuck text speak. Fuck text speak in particular. You quickly shot a text back.

*You

Finally, I thought you weren't going to answer.

What took ya?

'Who are you conversing with?' Your face went flat as you peeked up over your phone to see Gaster looming over your form, blinking curiously at you.

'Does it matter?'

'I am merely curious...'

'...It's Nunya.'

'Nunya...? That's a rather peculiar name...'

'Yeah, their full name is Nunya Business.' You were certain he couldn't see your smirk as you watched him mull over the words in his head before it finally made sense to him. You stuck your tongue out at the irritated look he shot you, before looking back down at your phone as another notification pinged.

*Willy-Nilly

oi, your the 1 that took 'bout a week 2 txt me.

even after ur house was burned 2 hell, gem. you kno you coulda roomed wit mi.   

*You

Subtle, asshole.

No, I couldn't have, because I definitely didn't want to be a burden.

And I have no idea what your habits are at home.

And it's 'you're'.

*Willy-Nilly

don't sass mi ya author wench. i'm 13 yrs oldr, could be ur oldr bruthr.

'Is that one of your friends? He just called you a wench. Isn't that rather rude?' You groaned in annoyance, tossing your head back in order to glare dully at the apparition peeking up over the couch arm and your shoulder to get a look at your phone. When the hell did he get there?

'You know, for a creature without a nose, you're rather nosy.'

'Ha, extremely humorous. I actually forgot how to laugh.'

'Yeah, I'm amazing like that.' You heaved yourself up to toss yourself back onto the couch but just sprawled in the opposite direction. 'Stop looking at my texts.'

'But I like to remain informed of your comings and goings.' You growled quietly under your breath as he approached, narrowing your eyes at his advancing hands.

'I said no, stalker.'

'Rude.' You were mentally throwing daggers at his huffy expression, and you were very sure he knew it. 'And you're quite snippy despite what good things have transpired this morning.'

'I ain't off my rag yet.' You lifted a leg and started to kick at him, undeterred by the fact that you knew it wouldn't do shit to stop him from coming closer. "Fuck off Dings!"

'Mom, is something wrong? You're acting a little weird.' Shit, you had said that out loud, hadn't you? You had to be careful; since you were the only one who could see the pain in your side right now, you couldn't just talk out loud in front of other people. You didn't want people to think you were any more of a nut than you already were, despite how much fun that would probably be. You plastered a pleasant smile onto your face as you looked down at Apollo, and nodded.

"Don't worry, Mama's fine," Here you flashed Gaster a death glare before getting back to texting your reply, "Just a little headache."

'Well, I never!'

*You

And yet I'm more mature.

And can use proper spelling in a text.

*Willy-Nilly

I kno u cant see it, but ahm glaring at mi cell.

i'ma meet ya at the muffet's joint you were talkin' 'bout. send me the address.  

*You

Sorry to hear that you're angry at your phone, but I hope you work things out with it. XD

I'll meet you there.  

Heh, your friend was so easy to tease.

'Mom!' You were soon cursing the fact that you were laying down on the couch and holding your phone right above your eyes because your adorable, furry little black brat pounced at your hands from the arm of the couch, causing you to drop it right onto your face. 'We were doing something, why are you ignoring me now?'

"Ack!" Trying to recover from the pain of about 6 ounces of metal and glass ruthlessly body-slamming itself onto the bridge of your nose and eyes, you glared as best you could from underneath your phone at the little black body that was sitting innocently upon your chest and swatting gently at the twitching fingers of your other hand. If only you could flip the bird at a staticky sounding chuckle you heard without looking like a weirdo. "Why you little... You made me hurt myself!"

'Sorry Mother...' The little devil flashed you the infamous kitten eyes, and you could feel your irritation immediately crumble. Man, that just wasn't fair... 'You changed your attention so suddenly, and I was wondering why...'

"It's because the person I have to go meet finally texted me, sweetie." You murmured, sitting up and stretching out the kinks in your arms and legs before getting to your feet. You walked through Gaster's shadow just to be a shit, and you snickered quietly at the sound of his offended muttering. "I gotta get going. Be good okay? And even though it's unlikely, if someone unsavory tries to break in, claw out their eyes for me."

'No, wait, Mom!' A choked hiss left you as you felt sharp little nails in your back, courtesy of Apollo's impromptu launch and desperate clinging to the back of your shirt. You bit your lip to keep in any expletives as he climbed up your shirt in order perch himself on your shoulder. 'Where are you going? Can I come with?'

.....An adolescent kitten.

Surrounded by little spiders moving around constantly.

And Muffet surveying everything.

"Yeeeeeaaaaah, no." You denied, shaking your head rapidly and moving to pluck the little dickens from your shoulder. "You're not one for behaving yourself, and I'm not going to let you become a snack for my dear Muffet's pet just because you might terrorize her friends and family without any true malice intended." You frowned slightly at the large pleading eyes he was flashing you. Damn it. You should have known that letting him watch the Puss in Boots movie with you that one time was a horrible idea.

'But Moooom...'

"No." Your eyes widened slightly as his ears suddenly drooped down against his head. "Hey, no. Don't. Don't give me the pouty kitten face." You cringed as the look hit you at full force in your Soul. "Noooo. Gosh diddly damn it, don't play with my heart strings... That's not cool..." Remain strong Y/n... Don't give in, you can beat the look... He legitimately looked like he was close to crying. Can cats even cry?

'Please, Mother? Pleeeease?'

"......................"

French Narrator's voice:  Twelve Minutes Later

'For a strong-willed woman that has such a large amount of Determination, you cracked fairly easily under the weight of your pet's begging.'

'No comments from the peanut gallery, thank you. Get in the damned car.' You scowled to yourself as you hopped into your truck, tossing a glare over at the shadow flickering into existence in your front seat. 'If it wasn't for the fact that I'm healing your soul right now and you have to follow me, I'd definitely leave your goopy ass home.'

'I'm sorry, was I supposed to be offended by that?'

'No, just letting you know... Hm,' You thought as you drove your car out of the entrance gate manned by Greater Dog, 'I now wonder if this counts as being pussy-whipped.'

'Oh my Delta Rune, only you would ponder on such an inutile and vulgar concept.' 

'It's a valid question!'

'I can't believe you put me in here!' Apollo yowled angrily from the cage you had put him in, making it rattle on the backseat as he bounced around in it in defiance. Good thing you had strapped it down.

"Repeat to me what I told you before we left the house."

'.....If I want to come, I absolutely-positutely have to behave...'

"And how do you usually act when you're in a car?"

'...........Um.'

"Exactly. So, to keep you from breaking the number one rule before even leaving the community, I put you in there." You replied, taking the freeway in order to get to Muffet's a bit quicker. It was Friday but it was also mid-day, so there was hardly any traffic at the moment. "If you were like Selene, you wouldn't have to be in there. But you're not."

'So unfair...'

"Yeah, well, it was also unfair when Hitler invaded Poland despite being told not to." You mentioned with a hum. "Welcome to life sweetie."

'Hmph... I wish Selene came along...'

"She was enjoying her beauty rest on my bed. I was content to let the sleeping cat lie." Your lips twitched at the deep mental sighs you received from both occupants in the car.

'You're so cheesy, Mother...'

"Oh? I don't recall ever being a yummy food, though." You chuckled softly at the little chuff Apollo gave in response, and heard the rustling sound of him actually settling down for the rest of the ride. You decided to take full advantage of the peace his acquiescence brought.

Good thing too, because it was soon broken by Gaster.

'I believe you mentioned Muffet earlier, correct?'

'Yes, you busybody.' You confirmed irritably, flashing him a look. 'Why do you ask?'

'I knew her before my incident. We were... Slightly involved with each other.' You blinked in slight shock, before giving a politely disinterested hum in response. His past was a sore spot for him and all jokes aside, you didn't want to upset your dear friend. 'I don't suppose you'd like to know...?'

'Only if you want to talk about it, Gaster.' You replied in a patient manner. 'I know you don't really like talking about what happened before you were tossed into the Void, so there's no need to bring it up.'

'Mm.' The non-committal hum caused you to perk up slightly as you waited for the rest of his response. 'If all goes well, I will no longer have to brood over my mistakes by myself in darkness... I will be free.' The sheer amount of longing and mounting anticipation you could sense from his Soul Shards so close to your own being was almost staggering; you forced yourself to pay extra attention to the road because of it. You could have asked him to calm it down a bit, but you didn't have the heart to say anything. Not when the feeling was so pure, it was hard to find a single emotion in its purest form. 'I will be able to fix the many solecisms I made long ago.'

'Well yeah... But more importantly,' You smiled brightly as you steered the car onto the correct exit in order to head to the commercial area where Muffet's Cafe was located, 'You'll actually be able to live this time Gaster! Now that Monsters have reached the surface, there are no limits!' With your eyes on the road, you couldn't see the affectionate glance your companion shot you. 'Whether you decide to spend it with your friends and family or try to find your own way towards enlightenment, there will always be something to do!'

'...Perhaps even find someone to spend my life with...'

'Eh? Why do you say it like that?' You chuckled softly to yourself at the morose tone he had taken. 'You can't tell me that there was no one who wanted some Wing Ding lovin', right?'

'Please do not say it like that.' You snickered at the disturbed look and lilac blush flaring over his cheek area before he averted his gaze towards his window. 'I... was very... preoccupied... with my work before the accident-- It was very much my life. I worked very hard to attempt to break through the barrier keeping us all trapped, working through numerous failures. Anything outside my work was a luxury, such as my sons, friends, and occasionally pleasurable company to relieve stress... Muffet satisfied the requisites of the last two.'

...Well, this talk suddenly got a bit awkward. 'Oh.'

'Mm.' What exactly could you say to something like that? 'Despite gaining many offers, finding a life partner was extremely low on my to-do list, among other things. Many of my confidants, especially Muffet, were concerned I would work myself to dust. Skeptics believed I was much too cold to ever keep a mate at any rate... I began to believe them.' Oh no, you weren't gonna take that self-pity emanating from him when you knew damn well he was more worthy of happiness than most people on this earth.

'Gaster.' Seeing him perk-up at his name, you shot him a firm glare. 'You were a living being. No living being is without their faults and we all make mistakes. Yours was letting your work rule your life. Not letting others in. You are not the only one to suffer from those particular blunders. Anime King knows I suffer from the second immensely.'

'It was to such a gross degree, however...'

'Excess of anything is sure to be a fault of everyone in this universe. You've realized your mistake and soon you'll have a second chance to fix that. Hardly anyone gets that kind of chance.' You navigated your vehicle onto the street lined with shops and restaurants and exhaled quietly upon seeing your favorite little place to hang out outside of your habitation. 'Don't sell yourself short before you even have the chance within your grasp.'

'But-'

'No.' You braked into a parking space sternly and put the car in park before turning to the surprised looking shadow of a monster with a deep frown. 'Anyone would be lucky to have you by their side. Understand?'

In the deep and long silence that followed as you stared at each other, you could swear you felt a flash of an... extremely warm feeling streak from his Soul Shards, but it was gone too fast for you to discern what it was.

'...And here I believed I was the rational one out of the two of us.'

'Emotions are a part of life silly. You have your sore points and I have mine.' You playfully rolled your eyes at his embarrassed smile before you shut off your car, and moved to hop out after grabbing your purse. "We're here Apollo."

'Finally!!!' You smiled as you reached into the backseat to open up the carrier, and squealed in a tickled manner as he pounced onto the front of your shirt and clung like his life depended on it. 'Any longer in that cage and I would have lost my mind! Please tell me you won't put me back in there on the way home!!'

"Only if you manage to behave inside kitty." Sniggering at the weird looks you were getting from people walking along the sidewalk, you plucked your little feline from your shirt and placed him in your purse and locked your car, smiling at Gaster taking his normal spot behind your shoulder and somehow seeming regal as he did. "I wonder if Muffet is in the front today." 

Upon walking into the web and purple themed building, you squeaked with shock as you were wrapped up in two strong arms of human origin and picked off the ground in a large hug. "Gem!! Lordy be, it's been a month o' Sundays since we met up like this, eh?" Blinking at the familiar Irish Brogue, you calmed the defensive flare-up of your magic and smiled brightly down at the glittering blue-eyed male grinning back up at you.

William O'Farrell was a lean yet muscular man of Irish origin; Handsome, broke 6 feet, wind-whipped ginger hair, regular rugged five o'clock shadow, and amazing blue eyes. Quite the joker, had a deep laugh that could warm your insides but could hold a seriousness that could make even the steeliest person shiver. Not a surprise, seeing as his Inclined Trait was Justice. You had met him when you were around fifteen, still scrounging around for scraps around the hidden little magic community that most drifters converged and bought their goods at.

A drifter himself, he sympathized with you since he knew how hard it could be to leave all that you knew behind. He attempted to take care of you after seeing your weak and impoverished state, but your stubbornness and pride wouldn't allow any other interference in your survival other than gifts of clothing and the occasional morsel of food every now and again.

You couldn't allow much more than that when you had something to prove after all.

"Will~! Hot damn, you nearly scared my Soul out of my chest!" The matching grins you pointed at each other were enough to make other customers (mostly humans of course) give the two of you a wide enough berth as you stood in the middle of the parlor. "It's nice to see you too!"

"Like weeds it is." You tried to hold back your laughter as he set you back down on your two feet, Gaster's confusion emanating close to your Soul. "If it was, ya would have tried to reach out sooner."

"I've been busy, jackass!" You punched his arm firmly, getting a cringe and a guffaw as he rubbed at the skin you had targeted. "A lot of stuff has been happening!"

"Yer tellin' me. I might hate the internet, but I at least watch the news." He gave you a firm pat on your back as you led him over to a booth to sit down at. "Two world headlines? In less than a few months between the two? I thought ya were a drifter for Lord sakes, isn't ambiguity supposed ta be our thing?"

"Yeah, well..." You chuckled nervously as you sat across from him, taking Apollo from your purse and setting him behind your cupped hands on the tabletop. After all, he didn't take up much space. Thankfully Gaster thought ahead and slipped into the seat before you did. "The second one I didn't exactly plan... And that topic sorta might have something to do with what I called you down here for~...?"

"Jeebus Crimbles." He looked down from your bashful smile to your little charge and his eyes consequently lit up. "Eh? Ya got a little animal pal now?"

"Oh right, I forgot you haven't met my little babies yet. This is only one of the two kitties." You giggled as you scratched gently behind Apollo's ear, soothed by his purring. "This fluffball of cheerfulness is Apollo. Selene is my other little baby, but she decided to stay home."

"No foolin'! Never thought I'd see the day you got ya some familiars!" He winked at the oreo colored kitten, getting a soft mewl in return. It was probably gonna take a few minutes before Will's magic was synced enough in order to actually understand what your baby was saying. "Too bad I left Phanta at home, she's been wonderin' how you've been."

"Well, they're not familiars per-say..."

"Hogwash, they're companions of yers, aren't they?" With your shrug and nod, he carefully reached out in question. "Not surprised you got cats... Flighty, curious, and independent you've always been. Mind if I hold the little bugger?" Glancing down at the feline and getting a mental affirmative, you handed him gently into the waiting cupped hands and watched as he began petting him in a tender manner. As large and rough as the hands were, you knew that William was capable of a gentleness that only someone with Kindness in their Soul was capable of. Which he did have. "Strong little thing, huh? How old is he?"

"I picked him and Selene off the street when they were around five weeks old... I'm thinking they're around four, maybe five months old now?"

"They're in their pre-teens at this point! And I'm just now knowin' you have these furbabies?"

"I've been hella busy dude. You sure I didn't tell you over text and you just forgot?"

"I would have been chompin' at the bit to see them if you had!" It was a hilarious sight to see a man in his mid-thirties cooing over something that was much smaller than him. "You know if there's one thing I love most in this world Gem, it's animals."

"Oh really?" Leaning your elbows onto the table, you watched fondly as Apollo purred non-stop in William's hands, staticky chuckles of mirth filling your head as Gaster watched on. "Cause from what I remember, it's nightly romps. And alcohol."

"Oi, nothin' wrong with a single man having a bit of adult fun. I was always safe 'bout it, never messed with those in relationships." He sniggered to himself, watching as your kitten tried to bat at the second hand moving around inside the glass of his wrist watch. "If it wasn't for the fact that you aren't really for that sort of thing and I'm more than a decade yer senior, I'd ask if you were up for a night on the town."

"One: I will never ever try to drink alcohol with you-- I've never had a hangover in my life, and I don't plan to find out how horrible it feels." You stuck your tongue out at his amused snort, before grasping the menu that Muffet's little workers had cast down from the ceiling on a web strand for the two of you. "And two: Why would I wanna roll around in the sheets with an old man like you?"

"Daaaamn, I've never been-what's the word?-friendzoned by anyone, like I have by you Gem. Glad I find pleasures on both sides of the coin." As usual of him, a deep good-natured chortle was the response of your playful insult as Apollo climbed up onto his shoulder. "Never mind the fact that I'm only thirty-five. I ain't old just yet."

"You're too old for me."

"As the sayin' goes; the older the fiddle the sweeter the tune."

"I don't wanna hear any of the tunes you be singin'." He choked on air trying to hold back laughter as you pointed at him with a smirk. "Besides, even if I wanted to partake in a night full of sin, I can't since I'm already spoken for."

If it was anyone else giving you the skeptical grin that he was sporting, you would probably be insulted.

...Maybe.

Mmm... Nah, not even then.

"Ha!! What poor anime character or imagination of yers did you actually decide to date?!"

"I'll have you know that I-Ackk!" Your witty quip was interrupted as you were suddenly grabbed by your shoulders and crushed face first into a warm body by six thin but strong arms. "Mmph!" Fawful damn it girl- oh hey, Muffet was pretty warm. Huh. Aaand soft too. Whoever got to cuddle her at night was lucky as shit.

"Dearie, congratulations on last night~!!"

"Ohw, hi Muwfet." You greeted, your voice muffled by the cloth surrounding your face. "Nah oo be wude, buh coo you stahp suwffocatin me wih your bweasts? I wike bweathing."

"Right, right, my apologies Y/n." You breathed in sweet air upon her release of your form, pouting at her only slightly apologetic and ecstatic expression. "I was just so excited to hear about your confessions to the skeleton brothers last night! You brave, brave soul~. Did they accept you?! Please tell me they did!" At your shy smile and nod, she honest to god 'squee'd with pure enthusiasm. "I'm so happy for you!!"

"Hold the phone, you were serious?!" Shooting a glance over to the Irishman, you giggled at the completely gobsmacked expression on his face as he stared you down with an open jaw. "Skeleton brothers?! You're tellin' me you're datin' two people?? At the same time?!"

Cool, he was taking the fact that they were monsters fairly well. But William was cool like that. "Yeah, it's a polyamory kind of relationship... They told me they both liked me and didn't mind sharing me since they were brothers..."

"I'll be damned~!" Laughing his bemused expression, you didn't notice how Gaster had gone rather quiet. "And this just happened last night? Ya gotta introduce me ta the lucky fellows!" 

"How about I introduce you to Muffet first?" Chuckling, you gently grasped an arm of the silently celebrating spider woman and turned her to face the man. "William, this is Muffet, owner of the cafe and a dear friend of mine. Muffet, this is William O'Farrell, one of the very few human and mage friends I actually have."

Their gazes connected then widened just a tad.

Their fingers twitched in unison.

".....It's a pleasure to meet you, sir~."

"...I assure you the pleasure is all mine miss."

You blinked slowly as they continued to stare at each other for a much longer amount of time than was strictly necessary for two people who were just meeting for the first time, your emotional radar picking up something rather strange from the both of them.

They were... enraptured with each other.

.....Holy shit, did I accidently set up two of my friends by just introducing them?

"I feel like Wham's Careless Whispers should be playing in the background right now." You said aloud with a knowing smile, your eyes glittering in delight as they both jolted out of their shared reverie, a red blush lightly smearing itself over both of their faces. "Should I leave? We can always talk later Willy."

"You cut that out right now woman. I don't like that look in your eye." In the face of his embarrassed glare, all you could do was grin brightly. As much of a ladies' man (and men's man) he always was, the fact that he was feeling skittish in front of Muffet was absolutely delicious. "I was just taken aback that you've known this vision in front of me for a fair amount of time and have never introduced us before! You know damn well I love spiders!"

"Because the plot didn't call for that until now." You murmured as you looked over your menu, gaining a reproachful look from Gaster.

".....What in the devil are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing~."

"You're a fan of spiders sir?" Oh, you knew that look in Muffet's eyes. She was trying to hold back her intense urge to gush about her favorite thing in the world.

"Oh yeah. He even has a tarantula as a familiar." He could glare at you all he wanted, you were going to be the best damn wing-woman that ever was. You shipped this now. There was no going back. "Her name's Phantasmaraneae, Phanta for short."

"...Aye, she ain't lying." William grumbled softly, clasping his hands together. "I've always thought Phanta was the prettiest thing on this earth... But I suppose I've been proven wrong eh?" He flashed a blue glance towards her confused face, letting his mouth quirk up into a charming smile. "Now that I know you exist."

Let it be known that William was usually as smooth as he was at this moment.

"Ahuhuhu, such a charmer~." Muffet trilled, placing a hand to her red cheek. "B-But anyways... Pardon my rudeness, but would you two like something to drink?"

"Aye. Whaddya have madame?" William hummed as he perused the laminated menu in his hands.

"Oh well, we have water, milk, juice, spiders, Dr. Pepper-"

"Spiders?" You bit your lip to hold back a smirk as he jerked his head back, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Ah, spiders it is then." She chirped as she pulled out a lavender teapot.

"No wait, that wasn't-"

But she was already pouring him a brimming glass of spiders.

You were trying so hard not to lose your shit; Gaster was literally grasping your shoulders and telling you to pull yourself together before you ruined the moment. But she had literally used something off of the internet! You wondered if she even knew about it.

"I didn't mean for my joke to make you look so pale, Mr. Will." She giggled behind a small hand of hers as she patted your shaking shoulder, a third hand wiping away a few tears from one of her many eyes. "I don't serve spiders in the food I sell, I tend to pull this prank often on jollier customers."

His face was fucking priceless, holy shit. You've never seen him so thrown off center.

"...That was a brilliant one miss." You watched with glee as you watched him scramble for a response of some kind. Damn, only if you had some kettle corn. "Uh Gem, don't suppose you know which way the bathroom is here, do ya?" A knowing glint rested in your eye as the poor flustered man stood from the booth, casting you a pleading glance as he handed you Apollo back. "If I'm gonna eat, I need to wash my hands since I've been pettin' your animal."

"Mmhm." Your simper couldn't possibly get any wider as you pointed in the direction of a hallway off to the side of the front counter. "Head down that way and it'll be on your left. Make sure to use cool water."

'Y/n, some subtlety would probably be deferential.'

'This is so much more fun, though.' While you watched him hurry off down the anteroom with a shit-eating grin, Muffet looked troubled.

"Oh dear... Was that a bit too much?"

"Nah, don't worry, he loves jokes." You shook your head, smile dimming down into something less devious. "You just threw him off a little is all. He's not used to being so taken by someone within seconds of meeting them." You snickered in enjoyment before smirking up at Muffet's face. "You're pretty taken yourself, aren't ya?"

"D-Don't be silly Y/n!" Her cheeks puffed out as she crossed all three pairs of arms, averting her gaze in a flustered manner. "A human spider lover is something that's hard to find, you know! There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a friendly chat with one every now and again."

You swear you sweat-dropped at the utter denial here. This probably was how Undyne and Alphys felt when they watched you and the skele-bros interact before yesterday. "Uh-huh, sure."

......................................

"Want his phone number?"

"...Please, and thank you, dearie."

Chapter Text

"So, what you're sayin' is," William began quietly, raising a brow as he looked at you over the lip of the cup filled with Spider Cider in his hands, "What you want me to do is be the middleman to help the communication between you and the Drifter Community."

"...I guess?" You spoke with uncertainty, popping a piece of a fucking delicious chocolate chip cookie into your mouth while keeping tabs on Apollo resting on your shoulder. Little dickens was playing with your hair, but that was better than trying to catch the magical arachnids skittering around the place. "You're well-liked among drifters, strong, have a good reputation, and people trust you. Ever since I became a drifter, on the other hand, I tried my damnedest to stay out of other people's hair and keep from being a burden. A lot of drifters don't even know I exist." You shrugged with a conflicted expression. "With Asgore wanting to me to speak for drifters in the debate council while also helping him and Frisk, I need to know exactly what fellow drifters want while also keeping them informed. So technically, I'm their link to the drifters, but you'd be my link. After all, I can't advocate for things they'd want if I don't actually talk to them because that's the epitome of not being fair." You knew appealing to his sense of Justice was a good idea; You could immediately feel the pride emanating in your direction for realizing that. "And you've known me long enough to know that if there's one thing that I am not, it's a social butterfly."

"Puttin' it kindly, though you wouldn't know it by how well you treat yer friends..." He muttered, taking a swift chug of his cider before putting down the glass. "So, those Cardinal Tyrants are trying ta create their own set o' loopholes, eh...? All of this seems so damned convenient for them ya know."

"That's cause it totally is." Gaster's soothing hand rubbing your back only helped a little to assuage your ire. "News about the Clans has been rather quiet lately, huh? Trackers been less persistent than usual?" He furrowed his brow a bit as he pondered your words and at the gradual widening of his eyes, you nodded a bit to yourself. "Now I don't want to seem like I'm agreeing with paranoid non-magic using fellow humans about the conspiracies of magic and shit," You waved your hand in distaste at the mere thought, causing him to snort, "But I personally believe the Cardinal 'Lords' and 'Ladies' are planning something... I can come up with many different ideas of things that can happen if the 'conditioned law' is passed, and I'm sure you can too."

"Aye. It'd be huntin' season on us preferrin' ta hold no ties to the clans with the Trackers bein' the ones holdin' AK's." His expression didn't give away any of the worry you could sense from him; Good. Some of the humans in the shop were seeming pretty damn curious about your particular table already, and it was rather trying to make it seem like this was a friendly hangout rather than an important meeting by keeping your voices down and your postures laidback. "The Government is full o' shite too. Military division for magic users? I remember what I was taught in the ol' history class about the Cuban Missile Crisis and Cold War. I dunno about you Gem, but I ain't jumpin' in excitement about havin' a proverbial itchy trigger finger bein' in charge o' my magic."

"One of my many points; It makes you wonder which provision was made first. Letting drifters join the military to escape the Clans and get their rights back is as much of a steel trap as the trackers. And who's to say other countries don't have magic users hidden away in their populace too? Just because there haven't been any reports of it doesn't mean they don't exist. You're living proof of that." You brought up, taking a bite out of a brownie on your plate. "If the U.S. Government thinks the rest of the world is just gonna take the making of a magical military division lying down, they've got another thing comin'. Other countries would just attempt to weed out those who can use magic and form their own military divisions. Especially the more..... Indoctrinated forms of government."

"Mm... Protectin' ourselves could mean protectin' the rest of the world." He murmured in agreement, rubbing at his cleft chin with a rough hand. "A slippery slope kind of argument, but a possible one all the same. But it still all comes back down to this one thing I'm wonderin' about, Y/n," A blue-eyed glance towards you had you raising a brow, "Why are you helpin' Monsters? Don't get me wrong, I truly believe that it is the right thing to do, but I'd like to know your reasons for it. You've placed your trust in many of them very fast by my understandin', while ol' Willy here gained your full trust after about two summers of knowin' ya." You blinked at his speculative look, finishing off the rest of the muffin he had in his possession. "I'd just like ta know why that is."

".....I'd have to say that I don't really know why, William." At his unsatisfied expression, you moved to elaborate. "When news first came of monsters reaching the surface, my magic... seemed to crackle inside my body with elation, you know? I also felt incredibly guilty... That the forefathers of mages had cruelly trapped them below the Ebott, unprovoked. I felt responsible, despite the fact that even my great great great great grandparents didn't exist that long ago."

"Aye, I'm understandin'. Idiots, the lot of them." The Irishman nodded in accord. "But I'm sensin' there's more to it, isn't there?"

"There is... But that's the thing," You began as you held out your hands as if he could see the answer if you did that, "I don't know what the more of it is. Whenever I'm around monsters, compared to humans, I just feel... More at home. Safer than I've ever been on my own or around other humans. The way you feel when you're around beloved family members or really good friends, even if I've never met them! Well, other than that Jerry asshole at least, but I don't think anybody really likes him..." You hummed, taking Apollo off your shoulder and petting his soft coat as you tried to organize your thoughts. "And it only gets stronger around certain monsters too. Well, Frisky Bits is an exception to humans, they're such a cute kid. But Muffet, Alphys, Undyne, Toriel, Asgore, Flowey... Heh, my skele-baes." His mouth quirked up a bit while Gaster chuckled quietly at your play on words. "No matter what, my first instinct when I think of them is the want to protect. When I first met them, it was like... I was coming home after being away for a long, long time... And I don't. Know. Why." You glanced up from your purring feline, wondering if William could see the deep confusion in your eyes. "You get what I'm saying...?"

"...I may have an inklin'..." Your friend uttered as he glanced meaningfully to the side, and subtly following his gaze led you to where Muffet was sitting upon an assemblage of finely woven webs high up in a corner of the cafe (her way of keeping a lookout for any check-skippers). It seemed as though she was conversing with a few spiders, but your trained eyes caught how one of her five would glance your way every once in a while... or William's rather.

Ah.

"So, you don't know why you wanna help 'em. You just do."

"That's about right."

"Mm." Your friend stared searchingly at your face in silence for a fair amount of time, looking as though he was trying to judge something for himself.

You wondered exactly what he was looking for...

"Alright then." You blinked at his sudden and easy agreement as he sat back in the booth, an amiable smile creasing his face. "I'm in; I'll help ya."

"Wait, really?"

"Hell yeah, you obviously have no ulterior motives 'ere. If you think this is a cause worth fightin' for, then I'm with ya every step of the way." He chuckled as he scooped up his glass then downed the rest of his cider.

"Ah, of course..." You smiled fondly at your long time friend. "You may be outta the Court, but no one can take the righteous Judge outta you, huh?"

"Oi, keep it on the down low with that, will ya?" He huffed, tossing his used napkin your way and making you laugh as you dodged. "Someone's gotta be there to watch your back! Besides, you're stubborn as a mule-- When have you ever willingly asked me for help? The fact that I was the first person you even came to with this is a miracle and a half. At least now I can finally say that I've actually done something to really help ya in yer life."

"You have helped me before, Drama Queen." Chuckling, you signaled to a small spider above you for the check. "Clothes, a bit of training, and the occasional warm bed to sleep on in the winter counts, you know."

"To a girl turnin' woman, all that was worth manure. And ya know damn well I'm right." You rolled your eyes at both the deadpan you were getting from William, and worried look Gaster had pinned you with. "But no use cryin' over spilled Miwadi. Now, what exactly is your first order for little ol' Willie?"

"Right, what I need for you to do is spread the word. Put those influential social skills to good use. Let those with no affiliations know our rights are being threatened. Get the support of people our community respects; Anybody who's been a drifter for fifteen plus years is one hell of a bonus." You let Apollo once again perch onto your shoulder in order to grab your purse. "Tell them my name, and that I'm giving up my ambiguity in order to fight for us."

"You got it." He nodded firmly in reply as your bill floated down from the ceiling but as you made to grasp for it, he snatched it from your hand. "Nope."

"Hey!" Your affronted squeak turned a few heads as you attempted to reach over the table to grab at it, but the piece of shit merely grinned and held it further away from your reach. "Give it to me so I can pay for our food!"

"No dice, I'll be paying this time Gem." He snickered as he pulled out his wallet with his unoccupied hand. "You're gonna have to get used to this- I'm sure those boys you've caught are gonna wanna pay the bill every time you all go out on a date."

You stopped.

You blinked.

You gasped in horror.

"Noooooo, you're riiiiight..." You groaned miserably and let your head fall to the table, causing both Gaster and William to laugh loudly as Muffet once again strolled up to your booth.

"All finished dearies~?"

"Aye Miss." Shelling out the exact amount of change, he handed her the money with a flirty wink. "By the by, delicious fare you sell 'ere. I'm usually not one for sweets, but I can tell ya I'll definitely be comin' back."

"Oh, I bet you will~." You murmured teasingly to yourself, slapping on an innocent expression as he flashed you a glare. "What~? I didn't say anything~."

Muffet, on the other hand, seemed like she was on Cloud Nine. "Ahuhuhu~. I promise I'll be waiting patiently for your return Mr. Will."

"'Come into my parlor,' said the spider to the fly..." You grinned with a quiet simper, holding back a snort as one of Muffet's hands whacked the back of your head without her even turning to look in your direction.

"Well then, I suppose this little one on one is over, yeah?" With an affirmative nod, the two of your rose from your seating, you being extra careful to not knock your little feline from your shoulder. "Alrighty then, I'll make sure to do what you asked of me Y/n."

"Awesome. Thanks, Will."

"Well then, I suppose we'll be off--"

"Oh wait! Y/n!" You glanced over to Muffet in confusion as she gave you a strong hug, the furrow in your brow only worsening as she began corralling you towards the front counter. "I have this wonderful new treat that I would very much like for you to taste-test before I put it on the menu!"

"Hm? That sounds wonderful and all Muffet, but I kinda have to go pack for this weekend so do you think we could do this another t-"

She interrupted you by speaking in a hushed, urgent whisper beside your ear. "You can't leave out the front door dearie."

"Eh? Why n-"

'Do not turn towards the door Y/n. Do not resist, follow Muffet towards the back exit.' Stiffening slightly at the insistent tone of Gaster, your eyes narrowed imperceptibly as William gently placed a hand on your back, his smile an affable counterfeit.

"We got some pryin' reporters waitin' to ambush you on the outside Gem." The man muttered quietly, making you scowl just a bit as you were ushered into the kitchen. Many of the little spiders working around paused in their work to look up at the three of you in confusion. "There was probably a rat in the front that recognized ya off the news. Decided to tip 'em off while we were talking."

"Damn, I just can't catch a break..." You grumbled as you slung your purse off your shoulder and opened it up. "Apollo."

'Yes, Mother.' The kitten brokered no argument and jumped into the open purse before you placed it back on your shoulder.

"Thank goodness I spotted the news van as it pulled past the door." Your monster friend hummed as she rushed to open the back door and hold it open for you to peek through. And of course, there was merely trash bins in sight. "It may be difficult to sneak around to your cars, though..."

"You underestimate me and my magic." You chuckled wryly as you waved William through, before turning to hug Muffet a final time. "Thanks for having my back."

"Well, of course, my dear~." She replied cheerfully, patting your back and winking in a conspiring manner. "Just be safe and enjoy your date weekend."

"Thanks! I'll make sure to text ya later!" With a mock salute, you hurried away after Will and smirked as you lifted a sparking finger. "How does temporary invisibility and inaudibility sound?"

"I swear on the Emerald Isle, your magic is full o' convenience bullshit." He shook his head, giving a good-hearted sigh.

"Noooooo~... I just have a very large imagination." You giggled madly as you waved your illusion down over his form before doing the same to yourself. "And as an illusionist, I can weaponize said imagination."

"Heh..." He smirked, squinting out of the corner of his eye at your wide grin. "No wonder you'd be considered a WMD if you had been tested before becoming a drifter, eh?"

No wonder indeed.

'You, my dear, are an incredibly mischievous woman.'

'I don't know what you mean!' You smirked playfully as you drove down the highway in the direction of thy habitation. 'I'm one of the most behaved people on the planet!'

'And the Void is a utopia furnished with spring flowers.' Gaster replied with a sardonic tone and glance. 'You nearly scared the Souls out of all those reporters.'

'They were blocking my truck from leaving!' You argued back, your smirk getting all the more devious. 'And I didn't want to hit them while trying to get out! So I just gave them a little... Encouragement to move.'

'Putting it so delicately that even a bird feather falling onto it would shatter it. They ran from your vehicle shouting for help.'

'Oh hush you. At least I took the care for the illusion to be invisible to any cameras present.' Taking the exit to head back to Above Home, you glanced down at your lap to see Apollo all curled up in a ball and sleeping. You told him many times that you shouldn't have anything on your lap while driving, but he wouldn't listen to you-- Although seeing him asleep was so uncommon a sight that you didn't want to move him and wake him up until you got home.

Funny how little devils seemed like little angels when they were asleep.

'Y/n?'

'Yes?'

'Why does your companion, William, refer to you as 'Gem'?"

'...Because of my Soul.'

'I see...' Gaster mused in his seat, his eyes flickering up as you turned onto the now familiar avenue of Monster Boulevard. Even here, where it seemed Monsters had their own little cluster of shops and markets, people could tell that Asgore couldn't name for dog residue. 'So he's seen it before.'

'A long time ago, yeah. It happened when I was around seventeen.' You replied quietly, a small smile on your face as the memory floated to the surface. 'We were sparring, and I got caught off guard by a sudden move he made. My Soul left my body and he saw it. That's how I found out the weakness my empathic ability gave me. When I realized he wasn't going to use my past or weakness against me, well... That's how he gained my trust.'

'Mm.' Sighing with relief as Above Home's gate came into view, you signaled to Greater Dog to open them and let you through. 'Tell me, how had you come to trust me?'

'Oh that's easy!' You giggled, pulling into the driveway of your current habitation, shutting off your car and removing the keys from the ignition. 'You know how if you hang around someone long enough, you eventually become fond of them even if you don't like them too much first starting out?'

'Yes, actually, I know that quite well.'

'You scared me when we first met. Not surprising, seeing as I was only twelve at the time, but... Well, you know.' You carefully opened your car door and picked your purse up off the passenger seat before slipping your hands underneath Apollo with ginger care in order to step out of the car. For a cat, he sure slept hard... 'But I got used to you, and eventually started to like you. To be fair, you didn't seem to like me much at first either.'

'I will admit I did have a bit of unjustified resentment towards you in the beginning, my dear.' He murmured in contrition as you hip-bumped the car door closed. 'You were a prisoner of the Void, like I, but you were actually able to leave for long periods of time. And... As a human and a mage, I... A small, ugly part of myself, still pained by the Human-Monster War... Hated you.' You blinked slowly before looking up as Gaster, shame-faced, sharpened into existence beside your form. 'But it didn't last very long... I soon came to admire your spirit, your Determination. And the scientist in me was ever fascinated with the ever changing state of your Soul. I realized... Placing a generalization on a mere child just because of the wrongdoings of beings in the past was... inequitable. When we met, you had hardly even come into your magic hitherto, and I grew to understand from you and Frisk that not all humans were iniquitous, as well as the same for mages. It was an... embarrassing realization, to say the least.'

'We all have our prejudices, Gaster, whether they're allegedly good or bad... There's no reason to be embarrassed.' You consoled as you strolled towards the front door. 'But again, you learned from that mistake, and that's all that matters. I certainly don't hold the no-longer-existing grudge against you.'

'I confess that your words relieve me, my darling.' A chuckle of cheer left him before you saw him glance back the way you came. 'Oh, you may want to brace yourself.'

'Eh? What do you m-'

"Y/n!" A flash of an extremely enthusiastic intent to tackle made you stiffen, and you turned in shock to see a blue, pink, and brown blur barreling towards you--

"Frisk, Frisk, Frisk, wait a minute, I've got Apollo in my hands!" You squealed in a panicked voice, your eyes large and body tensed as you watched them suddenly skid to a stop a mere foot away with a disappointed pout. 

"Awww..."

"Don't you 'awww' me, ya little devil." Letting your muscles relax once again, you gave a wry grin as you stared down at the ten-year-old and smug looking flower who's stem was wrapped around their left forearm. "What are you doing here anyway? It's only two or so; Isn't school still in?"

"I got out early because Mom had to take me to a doctor's appointment!" They pulled up a long sleeve to show a brightly colored band-aid on their shoulder. "I had to get a shot today... I don't really like them."

"Trust me sweetie, I hated shots too. They suck." You smiled down at their little frown in a sympathetic manner before looking around in confusion. "Did you guys just come back? Where's Toriel now?"

"We've been home for an hour now... And she's coming, she just wanted to bring some food over now that you're home; She told me to come here so I didn't have to wait." Frisk paused suddenly before casting you a sheepish glance. "It IS okay for us to come over... Right?"

"Course it is Frisky Bits, you and Toriel are always welcome at Domus Ossa."* You declared dramatically, gaining a grin at their little giggle. "I was just gonna pack for this weekend. Hey, you mind holding Apollo real quick so I can unlock the door?" With a nod, they took the little feline from your hands and cooed softly at the rousing animal as you unlocked and opened the entryway.

Flowey, who had been suspiciously silent up to this moment, piped up with an evil tone of voice. "Soooo Y/n~... How was your morning~?"

Ushering in the precious bean, you shot Flowey a mistrustful narrow-eyed look as you closed the door behind the two of you. "It... was fine...?"

"Just fine?" Damn, that creepy ass smile could give people nightmares. He was probably such a troll with it. Hope he used it against people who deserved it. "Even after last night~?"

You came to a halt during your stroll towards the stairs and turned to give the little weed a cross look. "Shut the hell up, buttercup."

"Oooh, you cursed in front of Frisk-!"

"Uh-huh, and when has that ever stopped you from cursing in front of them?" You asked with a fake sweetness, your smile widening at his afterthought expression. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Touché."

"Anyway!" Placing Apollo down on the couch, Frisk interrupted before the two of you could get into an argument. Smart kid. "Why are you packing for this weekend Y/n?" 

"The brothers were planning to take me out for our first date once they come home from the college..." You answered, walking up the steps with Frisk following close behind you. "First date vacation, they called it."

"Weirdos..."

"Be nice Flowey." The child scolds the blossom as you entered your room, and went straight for your clothes dresser. "Where are you guys going?"

"Dunno." You shrugged as you pulled out two pairs of shirts and pants and gave them a speculative look. They said it was a 'vacation', but what kind? The weather was sorta balmy, so maybe you should pack temperate clothes. After all, it wasn't like you could go anywhere too far with only two days to be able to enjoy yourselves, right? Though you should have asked... Wait, texting exists Y/n. Stop having derp moments. "They didn't say. Knowing Papyrus, he probably wants it to be a surprise anyway." You mumbled as you whipped out your phone to shoot Sans the magical question.

"Sounds about right." Glancing up at their voice, you had to bite down on your lip hard to keep from laughing as you watched Frisk meander around your room curiously with Gaster following after them like a besotted nurse-maid. You had guessed that Gaster was fond of the little tyke, but being their shadow (pun intended) and performing the useless motion of stroking their head was a bit much to take all in one look.

The Deities of Mercy gave you the charitable gift of distraction in the form of a notification from Sans pinging into existence on your phone.

*Punderful-Vertebae

rite, pack 4 ht n cld.

extrms even. bring boots n sndls.

As an author that was quite OCD when it came to spelling and grammar, you got an immediate mental itch at seeing his fabulously lazy text. In order to preserve what little and very precious sanity you had left, you decided to focus your mind upon the conundrum instead of the orthography.

Hot AND cool clothes? Where were they planning to take you, a desert? You really hoped this trip didn't cost too much money...

"So, what'd Sans say?" Raising a brow as you glanced up from your phone, you came face to face with a smiling Frisk cheekily trying to peek at the screen of your phone, Flowey trying to stretch his stem to look as well... And Gaster looming over them trying to do the same thing.

Good Lord, was privacy a luxury now?

"What he said, ya little imp," You shook your head with an amused smile as you slipped your phone back into your pocket, "Was that I'm supposed to pack for hot and cold weather. He even told me to bring boots and sandals." At least that's what you were guessing from his improper text...

If possible, their brown eyes lit up with excitement and you felt a flash of confident intuition from them.

...They knew.

"Don't worry, I'll help you pack!" Ignoring your confused expression, they flew to your dresser and immediately went rummaging through your sock drawer. You gave a mock gasp of umbrage before hurrying over just as they pulled out a pair of silky white garter socks. "These are pretty!"

"Oh my god Frisk, show some decency!!"

"Ooh, scandalous~!"

"Eh...? What? I don't understand..." You frowned sharply, watching as they began foraging through your stockings and pulling out the three pairs they seemed to like. "Why are socks scandalous...? Is this a new thing that I'm just learning about? A fad? Someone explain this frivolity to me."

"I dunno... I've noticed it's only with monsters, though. I asked Mom about it once." Frisk shrugged as they moved to the next drawer, pulling out both a warm looking flannel shirt and that short Deadpool dress you had bought on your shopping trip with the girls. "But she just blushed and avoided the question."

Glancing over at Gaster, you realized he was deliberately avoiding looking at your socks with a maud flush covering his cheek area. "Huh." 

"Wait, why do you ask?" They mused as they turned their head to give you a baffled look.

".....Didn't you say something about socks being scandalous...?"

"...No, no they didn't ya screwball." Flowey spat in annoyance, but hell if you didn't sense a bit of uneasiness...

"Really...?" It sure didn't sound like Gaster... Just to be sure, though. 'That wasn't you, Dings?'

'T'was not I, my dear.' You thought so.

"I swear I heard someone say that, though... It sounded like you." You muttered with a deep frown before your marginally narrowed gaze landed on Frisk's composed expression.

Too composed actually...

"You sure that wasn't you...?"

"I'm sure." Well, they were definitely telling the truth. But they were also keeping something to themselves...

Not with malicious intent, though.

Oh well, they had a right to their secrets like you had a right to yours. You'd let this go. "I suppose it was just my imagination then..."

With a sly little giggle, they dove back into your drawer with the seeming intention of wanting to quickly be rid of the awkwardness. "From what I've heard you have a very active imagination."

"Well yes, but-- H-Hey, what are you doing in there? No Frisk, put that back!"

"But it's a manga book!" They argued, pulling out one of your guilty pleasures from under the neatly folded pants. "Girls Bravo? I think I saw this in Alphys' bag once, what is it about-"

"Now you listen here you mischievous little ankle-biter!" They squealed with delighted surprise as you hauled them up into your arms and freed one hand to start poking at their sides, the manga book dropping to the floor as they started to squirm. "You don't just go looking through people's personal belongings; Many see that as rude, you know!"

"I-It's a-haha!-habit I p-picked up-p... oh no!- U-Underg-ground!!" They choked out as they laughed hysterically, their wiggling causing Flowey to shout out obscenities and threats not to crush him in the struggle. "I'm....!! S-Sorry, hahaha! Have Mercyyyyy~!"

"There is no Mercy here, only Tickles~!!" Your feigned evil cackle made them giggle as you continued poking at their sides before lightly tossing them onto your bed, watching as they bounced on the mattress with an 'oof!'. You quickly snatched up the offending little book before throwing it onto the shelf at the top of your closet. "There. Try to get it again, and I cannot guarantee the safety of your sides, neck, and feet from my fingers."

"I'm good at dodging~." They sang, quickly rising to a sitting position and the challenge with a determined smile.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm fast and good at catching~." You answered playfully, winking back at them with a chuckle.

And then the doorbell rang.

"Hey idiots, that must be Toriel."

"Saved by the Queen, eh Frisk?" They stuck out their tongue at you as you snickered, before nodding towards the door. "You mind letting her in while I finish packing and change?" With a quick nod, they hopped off your bed and hurried out, Flowey's grumbling following their exit as you closed the door. 'Gaster, if you would-'

'Already facing the wall, darling.'

'Thanks.'

After throwing on your Star Butterfly t-shirt and a comfy pair of leggings, you stuffed your chosen clothing and underwire into one of your spare backpacks (why bring a suitcase for two days), followed by your carefully placed sketchbook and laptop, and burst out of your room in order to grab your toiletries from the bathroom.

"Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, feminine products... Yup, that's everything!" You chirped, zipping up your bag and bounding down the stairs in a cheerful manner.

"Took ya long enough, ya psycho." You heard Flowey gripe, now in a flower pot beside a lounging Frisk in front of the TV watching a Spongebob episode. It looked like the one where Mr. Krabs fell in love with a stack of money that Plankton was controlling. "You get tangled in your socks or something?"

"Not this time you Sassy Susan." You hurried past, merely leaning down to do a drive-by flick of his petals just to piss him off. "Where's your mom Frisk?"

"In the kitchen." With a mock salute, you skipped off towards the kitchen and smiled at the sight of a familiar violet dress by the oven.

"Hiya Goat Mom!"

"Greetings my child!" She turned around with a bright grin, cantering towards you to pull you into a tight hug. You enjoyed the sweet smell and motherly warmth she gave off, but it was difficult to reach up and hug her back. Nothing against her, of course. "My full congratulations on last night my dear. Did the three of you make it home safe and sound?"

"Yep!"

"The boys respected your boundaries, I'm sure?"

"Yes, of course, Toriel. They were perfect gentlemen."

"Good." She smiled before stepping aside to gesture at the countertop behind her and- Holy mackerel. "I've brought a butterscotch pie with me. You like it, yes? May you sit and converse with me as we eat?"

"Indeed I would." Food was your weakness, of course, you had no choice in the matter here. Your mouth was already salivating as you gazed at the deliciousness. "Would you like for me to make some tea to go with it? Asgore gave me a canister of his Golden Flower Tea."

"That sounds lovely Y/n." You immediately began scurrying around in your quest to make the tea as Toriel scrounged up two plates and after cutting two slices, meandered towards the dining room.

You had the steaming mugs of tea in your hands and were carrying them to the dining room when she surprised you with soft-spoken words. "My child... Do you... I wish to speak with you about something important... if I may." Properly looking up, you frowned lightly at the... contemplative gaze she was pinning you with.

Eh...? "Sure Goat Mom, what is it?" 

"I'm sure there is no reason to say this, but if I could speak freely for a moment... I would feel much more at ease." Toriel breathed quietly as you handed her cup to her. You blinked before nodding as you took your seat across from her.

"Course Tori... Say what you need to say, you have that right."

"Mm." Taking a dainty sip at her tea, she took her time to speak as you bit your piece of pie with relish. She spoke once more after clearing her throat. "I must start off by saying that I'm elated that you have decided to start sharing your life with Sans and Papyrus. You're both an anchor for Papyrus and an enabler for Sans... It brings me great joy to see them so happy." You smiled shyly and glanced away as she giggled at your pinkened cheeks. "They are beloved members of my family now, you know... Papyrus is always so full of gaiety, and one would think Sans is as well upon first meeting him; I'm quite sure you know this is not true, however." You straightened in your seat just a bit as her humorless tone and somber mental state.

Then as you started chugging at your tea, you blinked at the sudden rise of... malignity coiling sinisterly at the back of your mind.

"I love them as sons, my dear... And you seem to be a nice girl, one I would gladly welcome as a daughter should Fate decide for it to be. But know this..." Her red eyes then glanced up from her cup of tea, and you felt a foreboding chill run down your spine at the fire there belied in her posture. "I have lost children before, and I do not intend for it to happen again. So if you ever hurt them for sport or spite... I will be extremely disappointed in you."

Holy love-child of Radcliffe and Hiddleston.

You now knew how Ritsu Kasanoda in OHSHC felt when faced by Kyoya after he walked in on Haruhi changing... This woman could be absolutely terrifying. Her 'disappointment' made Undyne's fury look like mild annoyance.

...You respected that.

"I can assure you that I have no intention whatsoever to purposely hurt them, Toriel."

"As I suspected of course." Like sunshine breaking through storm clouds, her sweet smile banished any trace of the threatening intent she had been sending your way. "I was just making sure that was the case. No offense to you, my child; I just wish to keep my family safe. Although, I am incredibly sure I needn't worry." She reached across the table in order to gently grasp your non-sticky hand in her large paw. "Though I have not seen it, I am certain you have a lovely SOUL."

.....Sometimes it seemed like monsters had a gift for turning you different shades of red.

"Mom! Y/n!"  You both looked up at the sound of Frisk's call, your face lighting up exponentially upon seeing the two figures behind them. "Guess who's back!" 

"HELLO, DEAREST DATEMATE! HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!"

"'ey babe, tori."

"Oh hello Sans, Papyrus."

"Hi boys~!" You grinned brightly at the sight of your skeletons sporting their skeletal grins, only staying in your seat because Toriel's grip tightened a little around your hand. Gaster was right behind the both of them as well... Huh. There were similarities between the three of them... "How was your day?"

"I MUST SAY THAT I AM NOT SURE. SHAMEFULLY, I COULD HARDLY FOCUS ON MY CLASSES SEEING AS SOON AS I WAS HOME WE'D BE GOING ON OUR FIRST DATE!" You flushed a little as he strolled over and nuzzled his mandible into your hair with a happy 'nyeh!', one arm wrapped around your shoulders for a quick little hug. "WHICH IS NOW!"

"same bro." Sauntering up with his usual grin, Sans' specters flickered down at your captured hand before he chuckled. "'ey tori, you ain't thinking of taking away our human already eh? we just got her to start dating us; you already goat a husband." You snorted under your breath as Toriel giggled, her tinkling laughter only getting louder at Papyrus' completely exaggerated angry look.

"Now Sans, you don't really think of me doing something so baaaad, do you?"

"YOUR MAJESTY!!"

"welp, you goat me there."

"SANS, PLEASE!! FRISK, Y/N," Holding onto a mirthfully trembling Frisk's shoulder while valiantly holding back the grin you just knew was going to annoy him if you didn't exercise control, Papyrus shot the two of you an imploring stare. "PLEASE REBUKE THEIR PUNNING MISDEEDS!"

"I'm Switzerland here; I am not involved!" Such an intelligent cutie-pie. You would have joined them in neutrality if it wasn't for the fact that you were a pun-loving instigator.

"Alright, alright, dearest Sans and Goat Mom," You began seriously, catching their expectant looks, "I must bee-seech you to stop torturing Papyrus with puns."

"YES, THANK Y-- OH MY GOD Y/N!!"

"aww c'mon honey," Sans rallied back, his smile growing wide as he leaned his arm onto the table, "puns make ya laugh, and laughter is good for the SOUL. trust me, i'm a scientist."

"Your koalafications are completely irrelephant here."

"Ah, well..." Toriel gently coughed into a fist, but she couldn't hide the cheeky grin she was sporting, "This is hawkward."

"you're not lion Tori."

"UNACCEPTABLE!!!" It was too late to hold back the shit-eating grin at Papyrus' spot-on impersonation of Lemon Grab, so you heroically bit your lip to keep back the mad giggles that so desperately wanted to spill forth. Flowey seemed like he was totally agreeing with Papyrus as he spun around with the most scandalized of looks. "I CANNOT ABIDE BY THESE HORRIBLE ANIMAL PUNS! UNTIL YOU ALL GAIN YOUR COMMON SENSE, I GUESS-"

Holy hell, was he gonna do what you thought he wa-

"ALPACA MY BAGS!" He finished before running off with a loud unique cackle.

"That's my baby!!" You cheered proudly as you shot up from your chair, slamming your hands against the table as you watched him gallivant towards the living room while Toriel, Gaster, and Frisk were sent into the merciless throes of laughter.

Sans made a huge show of wiping away tears from a socket as a genuine grin split his skull. "i'm so proud."

"Papyrus, why have you betrayed me?!?!" Flowey screeched as he fell limp in his pot, looking like he was begging for the Angel of Death to take him swiftly on the inside. "The deepest layer of Hades is much dorkier than I expected....."

"hehehe... you all packed and ready to go y/n?"

"Oh yeah, my bag and sweater's by the door!" You nodded happily and got up to your feet as he held his hand out to you. "Where we goin'?"

"if i told ya, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, now would it?" You rolled your eyes as you took his hand, chuckling as he began pulling you towards the living room.

"Have fun guys! Make good choices!"

"Yes, do have fun you three. And do not worry Y/n," Toriel crooned as she flashed you a smile, "My child and I will take good care of the kittens in your absence."

"Ah, right! Ubera mea*, where are you?" You called as you rushed into the living room, your ear perking up at hearing a soft meow coming from the couch. Your eyes brightened at seeing both Apollo and Selene cuddled up together and staring up at you. Walking over to them, you crouched down to their height while giving them a loving smile. "You be good for Frisk and Toriel loves; We'll be back in a few days." With heartfelt goodbyes and quick affectionate nuzzles, you straightened back up to see your verte-baes watching from the door with fond smiles, Papyrus holding all of your bags. "Bye now!"

"Have a lovely time, you three!"

Chapter Text

...Welp.

Well welp well.

Welly well welp.

Well welly well well, well well welly welp.

You know, you couldn't exactly say that you were upset or anything by this current predicament... You had already known about this beforehand and it wasn't like it could be helped after all.

It was just... Well...

"Y/N? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Blinking up from your blank stare out the window, you realized that Papyrus had been glimpsing cautiously from the road to the rear view mirror in order to look at you. "YOU HAVE BEEN AWFULLY QUIET FOR THE PAST THIRTY MINUTES."

"Mm? Oh yeah, I'm fine Papy." You smiled in a mellow manner, which dimmed a bit at his concerned look.

"ya sure doll?" Sans questioned, peeking up over the shoulder of the passenger seat to look at you. "we thought you'd be a little more... excited."

"Of course I'm excited you boneheads~." You smiled cheekily along with Sans at the sound of Papyrus' burdened sigh. "The fact of the matter is, uh..." As you paused in your speech, you tossed a covert glance to your left side.

...You had almost forgotten that your weekend long date with your very new beaus wasn't going to be as much of a private affair as you had hoped.

'I am... Incredibly regretful about this, darling.' Gaster murmured meekly as he sat in the seat to your left, blushing in chagrin.

'Don't worry Gaster, it's not your fault.' You answered in a consoling manner, before tuning back into reality to give a realistic sounding answer to the boys. You could still see Gaster squirming uncomfortably in the corner of your eye, though. "Well, you know me guys, I'm a daydreamer... Was just kinda wondering where we going."

"IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR DESTINATION." If it were anyone else (besides Toriel, Frisk, or Asgore) you would have immediately shouted 'No shit', but you couldn't do that to your skele-roll.

"already told ya babe, it's a surprise." A soft whine from the back of your throat drew attention to your slightly pinched expression. Ever perceptive, Sans' sockets flashed with intuition. "not a fan of surprises, eh?"

"Understatement of my so far short life." You weren't going to go into it, but your past life on the streets had made you jumpy and cautious as fuck. You had calmed down significantly since getting a house of your own, but there was a reason you didn't do scary movies. "Surprises and I aren't exactly amicissimum* with each other. Why do you think I wouldn't talk to you for a few days after the first time you teleported behind me and nearly scared me to death?"

"...heh, oh yeah."

"EH-MEET-YEE-SEE-MUM? THAT IS A RATHER STRANGE WORD..." Papyrus hummed, clicking his teeth together in puzzlement as he drove on. You realized that you weren't familiar with this particular highway and that information added to the nervous excitement that was making your Soul jitter. "I'VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE."

"Amicissimum. It's a Latin word Papy." You murmured absently as you pulled out the sketchbook (the one filled with drawings of monsters- mostly your monster friends) in your bag and flipped through it in order to calm your nerves a little. Gaster peeked over a bit and murmured light compliments in your ear at the detailed drawings on the many pieces of paper. After all, you had told him you were an artist, but he'd never actually seen any of your work until now.

"you know latin dollface?" The happily surprised look on Sans' face made you smile in a saucy manner.

"Yup. I don't really speak it in complete sentences unless I'm stressed or angry and slip into it accidentally. Force of habit."

"was that what you were speaking earlier when, uh... i-"

"Yup!!" You interrupted hurriedly, giving him a pointed look in the rear view mirror as you lightly gestured to the blissfully unaware Papyrus in warning. He fell quiet with a light dusting of blue over his cheekbones while Papyrus interjected.

"IS THAT NOT A DIFFICULT LANGUAGE TO LEARN Y/N? I REMEMBER HEARING MANY LANGUAGES ARE BASED OFF THE LATIN LANGUAGE!"

"Only the romance languages actually; There's not many of them, and they're all western." You answered, smiling at the drawing you made of that one time Undyne had angrily lifted up your old couch with Papyrus still on it when Tamaki from OHSHC just didn't fucking get his own feelings for Haruhi. You still remember the enraged shrieks of 'the ship sinking before even leaving the dock' ringing throughout your house with fondness. "It's pretty difficult to learn... Considered a dead language now- Only scholars who translate historic texts and people who want to learn it are actually fluent in it."

"and you're fluent."

"Mmhm."

"so i'm guessin' you're the latter." With a non-committal hum as your response, the skeleton that was not a cinnamon roll hunkered down in his seat once more, a dissatisfied air hanging about him.

You instantly knew what the problem was.

"I BELIEVE IT IS QUITE AMAZING YOU KNOW SUCH AN ADVANCED LANGUAGE. GREAT DEDICATION IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE SUCH A FEAT TO FLUENCY!" Papyrus, ever the enabler, cheerfully spoke praise that caused you to blush and miss the sly glance he exchanged with his brother. "I MUST ADMIT I AM QUITE EXCITED THAT PROGRESS IS ALREADY BEING MADE!"

"Progress...?"

"YES, PROGRESS!" He confirmed. "THE POINT OF A FIRST DATE IS TO LEARN ABOUT ONE ANOTHER TO SEE IF THE TWO OF YOU, OR IN OUR CASE THREE, ARE COMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER, YES? OF COURSE, I ALREADY KNOW ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT MY BROTHER AND HE, I, BUT THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID ABOUT US IN RESPECT TO YOU IN EITHER SENSE. I ALWAYS ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON!"

Fuck, were you feeling some strong guilt right now...

"I'm sorry..." You muttered as you curled in on yourself slightly, clutching your sketchbook a little closer to your chest as they blinked at each other. "I... I know that relationships need people to be open with each other for it to work... And I'm not gonna lie to you guys, that's... That's going to be extremely hard for me. Keeping to myself is literally how I survived when I was younger." You didn't dare look up from your twiddling fingers as you gnawed on your lower lip in your discomfiture. You could feel Gaster's concerned stare and his hands fluttering about you in a worrying way as he spoke in calming murmurs, but it didn't help much. You could sense the tension in the silence left behind. "Maybe... M-Maybe I'm not the best person to be d-"

The car suddenly screeched to a stop and your form lurched against your seatbelt, evoking a pained choked off sound as your sketchbook went flying from your hands when the restraint caught you by your sternum and pressed sorely against your neck. Sweet Tap Dancing Christ!

You hurriedly unbuckled your seatbelt in order to bend over clutching at your chest with a wheeze, your head practically in Gaster's lap as all three males present turned to fuss over you in concern (despite two not being aware of the third). You attempted to wave away their questions about your state with a strained chuckle.

"I AM SO, SO VERY SORRY DEAREST, PLEASE FORGIVE ME, I HAD NOT MEANT TO HURT YOU-"

"It's okay Papy, I know... Don't worry, I've taken harder hits before." You rasped, reaching up to rub at the tender skin on your neck. "W-Why did we stop so suddenly...?"

"we've kinda made it already, but are ya sur-"

"We've made it already? Seriously?" You had realized long ago that avoiding a problem is definitely not the best way to handle every situation, but it sure as hell was the most convenient, so with that in mind you immediately opened the car door and hopped out in order to have an excited look around...

Imagine your surprise when your feet hit dusty red earth.

Blinking and gently scuffing the toe of your sneaker in the soil, you followed the hardly-used dirt path with your eyes to see it slowly weaving itself up an incline which soon melded into an incredibly large mountain range...

...Wait a minute.

"y/n? you alright?" You heard the tell-tale sound of the boys' footsteps coming up behind you before there was a gentle poke at your back. "you froze up."

You pointed towards the elevation.

"That's Mount Ebott."

"eeeyup."

"YES."

"...Why are we at Mount Ebott?"

"isn't it kinda obvious?"

Squinting up at the impressive show of geography before you, you experienced a blank in your mind before you glanced back at the skelebros. "You guys are planning to take me... Underground for our first date? Isn't it closed to everyone but monsters and authorized personnel?"

"YES Y/N, THAT IS TRUE, BUT FOR OUR FIRST DATE WE WISHED FOR YOU TO SEE WHERE WE HAD LIVED FOR ALMOST OUR WHOLE LIVES!" Papyrus smiled down at you in response, placing a hand on your shoulder. "SINCE A FIRST DATE IS ALL ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT THE OTHER."

"not to mention that you're dating two monsters now." Sans cosigned, shrugging.

"I'm don't think that counts as authorized access..." 

"would you being friends with the royal family and technically being an authorized personnel since you're a part of the king's debate council count?" He challenged, smirking knowingly at your defeated pout.

"Okay, you got me there."

"NYEHEHEH!" With his oh-so-lovable victory laugh, Papyrus went bounding towards the trunk of the car to get the bags as you continued to stare up at the mountain with a vacant expression.

"err... this is okay, right?" You heard Sans say in question as he placed a hand against your back. "this isn't a bad place for a first date?"

"Well no, of course not..." You murmured with a light shake of your head. "It's cool, I'll be one of the few humans to ever see what it's like down there, that's exciting." You glanced back at him with a small smile, chuckling at his soft sigh of relief before looking up at Ebott again.

"then, uh... what's the problem?"

"Just wondering if the author is going through a creative rut right now is all; this is the epitome of plot convenience."

"........say what now?"

"Oh, nothing." You sang to yourself, ignoring the piercing stare you could feel trying to burn holes through the back of your head. "Forget I said anything~." Gaster would not be happy if someone actually took the nonsense that came from your mouth seriously. Not like he should be complaining at ALL right now, though.

"did you get whiplash or somethin'?"

"Pshhh, I've never even got whiplash from Undyne tackling me, I'm alri- wha?"

You were taken aback when Sans stepped around you to gently grasp your chin.

You blushed.

"Uh..."

"just checkin' on ya." Gingerly tilting your head to the side in order to expose your neck, he studied the deep discoloration starting to form on your neck with a troubled expression. "is that a bruise...?"

"Ah," With an experimental twitch of your neck, you winced at the soreness you could feel, "More than likely, yeah. Must have got it from the seatbelt."

"looks painful..." He muttered, delicately tracing around the smarting area.

"Eh. There's a lot more painful things." You answered with a nonchalant shrug, almost immediately flinching a bit after when he poked at where the bruise was forming on your collar. He totally noticed.

"heh. thought there were more painful things." You stuck your tongue out at his teasing smile.

"Watch it smartass. There's not as much skin and tissue padding there, so it's more sensitive." You murmured with a huff before pointing down at your chest. "Same goes for my sternum really, since the seatbelt hit me there too."

"right..." Sans mumbled absently as he seemed to run the tips of his pointer and middle phalanges slowly down the mark the unforgiving restraint had left on your skin. "skin is pretty sensitive huh...?"

"Depends on the person you're asking." You replied, smiling a bit at the fascinated light that had entered his sockets as his phalanges pushed aside the collar of your shirt juuust a little to follow the bruise trailing down to the valley of your breasts obscured by the rest of your shirt...

Ooh. Wait, hold on there cowboy, you weren't sure if your girls were ready to handle that just yet. Quick, say something to distract him!

"Planning to go to second base already, Sansy?"

.

..

...

'............What the ever loving fuck, me?!'

You couldn't say your words weren't effective-- He seemed to snap out of it, blinking before quickly pulling his hand away with a navy blue blush ravaging his face as Papyrus strolled up with all bags in hand. The skele-roll looked between the two of you innocently before piping up. "MAY I ASK WHAT BASEBALL HAS TO DO WITH CHECKING FOR INJURIES?"

This was extremely embarrassing, yet indubitably hilarious. You ignored your hot cheeks in favor of giddily throwing Sans under the bus; you wonder if he ever had 'The Talk' with Papyrus. "Yeah Sansy, just what does baseball have to do with checking for injuries~?"

The look of betrayal on his face said no, he had not.

"SANS, WHY ARE YOU SO BLUE? YOU ARE NOT ILL, I HOPE?" You turned away to hide your shit-eating grin, your shoulders trembling as you kept the bubbling snickers trapped in your throat at Sans' spluttering.

"n-no bro, i'm good... h-hey, uh, how about you give me the bags paps? i'll take them to the rooms and get all the electric stuff up and runnin' while you guys walk up there."

"VERY WELL BROTHER, BUT THE PLACE HAD BETTER BE READY WHEN WE GET UP THERE LAZYBONES. DON'T YOU BOONDOGGLE!" He handed him the three bags without a fuss (you were making the educated guess that the simple plastic bag that had been stuffed haphazardly with clothes was Sans') while you tilted your head to the side in confusion.

"Can't you just teleport us there with you?"

His hesitation was quick, but your mental radar caught the reluctance (and omission) in his words. "well, if paps wanted to, he could teleport you there too..."

"I'D RATHER NOT."

"Whoa, what?" You shot Papyrus a wide-eyed look. "You can teleport too, Papy?"

"WELL YES, BUT I PREFER NOT TO USE SUCH AN INACTIVE FORM OF TRAVELING UNLESS TRULY NECESSARY. THERE'S SO MUCH YOU COULD MISS WHILE DOING SO!"

...That made sense coming from him. To each his own, you guess. You'd be such a troll if you could teleport to other places.

"besides, wouldn't be a very nice surprise if when you got down there it was all dark and dusty." Sans shrugged with a smile of ease, but you weren't stupid. You narrowed your eyes a little bit, seeing small beads of sweat pop onto his brow as you stared. "so i'll just go on ahead..."

"...Yeah, okay. I don't mind walking anyway."

"WONDERFUL! COME NOW Y/N," The taller skeleton shut the car door you had left open before locking his baby down, and cheerfully grasped your hand before leading you towards Ebott, "IF WE HURRY TO THE TOP, WE CAN WATCH THE SUNSET!"

"O-Oh, right!" You nodded as you tried to keep up with his long strides. "You sure your car will be okay?"

"NOT TO WORRY, MY DEAR DATEMATE, THE CAR HAS BOTH A MAGICAL AND ELECTRONIC ALARM THAT WILL SEND AN ALERT TO MY PHONE IN CASE IT IS BEING MESSED WITH." He replied in his optimistic tone, looking back at you with a grin. "BESIDES, WHO WOULD COME ALL THE WAY TO MOUNT EBOTT JUST TO MESS WITH MY AMAZING CAR?"

You'd be surprised, innocent one.

'You know, my dear...' Gaster began as you finally settled into a comfortable stride alongside Papyrus, 'Sometimes you frighten me with your... awareness. How strong is it?'

'It comes and goes; coming with infallible comedic timing and going when there is no other use for it.'

'Ah.' You smiled as silence fell, the only sounds you could hear were the soft twittering of birds, the light breeze flirting with the pine trees around you, and the crunch of gravel underneath your and Papyrus' feet as the two of you started to reach the foot of the mountain. You nearly startled at the vibration of your phone against your leg, and quietly chuckled at yourself as you pulled out your phone to see a text message lighting up the screen.

*Punderful-Vertebae

u realize ima get u back 4 dat, rite?

You snickered, glancing back at the car for a quick moment and realizing Sans was not where you had two left him.

*You

Heh. Worth it.

Okay, you had nothing against exercise (if anything, you liked how your blood felt rushing through your body), but all this walking was frickin' ridiculous. The sun was hanging a bit low in the sky, taking the warmth in the incremental state it was falling. The horizon was slowly being lined with a light orange and the two of you were only about a little more than halfway up the mountain.

But Holy Stars, your legs needed a slight break...

"Papy honey," You got the humming skeleton's attention by tugging lightly on his hand, "Do you think we could take a small break? My feet kinda hurt."

"NYEH? BUT THE SUN WILL SET AROUND SEVEN-THIRTY! WE MUST HURRY!" You pulled out your phone to take a quick peek at the time: Quarter 'til seven. Yikes, you two had to have been walking at least an hour already.

"I'm not so sure we'll make it then..." A disappointed pout gathered on his face (which made you feel like you kicked a puppy), before it shifting into something... contemplative. It reminded you of the face he made when he was trying to figure out a puzzle. 

"I'VE GOT IT!!" You jumped slightly as he hit his fist into his palm, his expression practically screaming 'Eureka!' before he turned his back to you and knelt down. "GET ON MY BACK, I SHALL CARRY YOU TO THE TOP!"

"Say whaaaat?" Your brows disappeared into your bangs due to surprise; He wanted you to piggy-back him? "Uh... Papyrus sweetie, that's not necessary-"

"I CAN JOG THERE WHILE CARRYING YOU. I HAVE NO MUSCLES TO TIRE OUT BY RUNNING LONG DISTANCES; YOU DO NOT HAVE THE STAMINA IN ORDER TO DO THE SAME. ESPECIALLY UP SUCH A SHARP INCLINE."

"True... But I'm a grown woman. I'm heavy!"

"Y/N, I HAVE PICKED YOU UP AND CARTED YOU AROUND BEFORE, HAVE I NOT? DID I EVER SEEM LIKE I WAS STRUGGLING WHILE DOING SO?"

...He had you there.

"Nngh... Alright, alright, since ya wanna see the sunset so bad..." You murmured mutinously, before slowly approaching him and crouching down to crawl awkwardly onto his back.

"HOLD ON NOW!" He chirped cheerily as he wrapped his arms under your legs and promptly stood up, leaving you to quickly wrap your arms around his neck or risk toppling back first onto the ground. "DON'T WORRY, I'VE GOT YOU. NOW, WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ADO, ONWARDS!" You clung stiffly onto his back as he started jogging uphill, your legs practically hooked around his lower torso as you stared straight past Papyrus' skull like feeble prey would stare at something that endangers their life.

Yeah, even a child would notice how ill at ease you were.

After a fair amount of minutes of this, you felt a ghostly pressure race down your back.

'Relax Y/n...'

'Easy for you to say WingDingus, this is hardly comfortable for me.' You hissed back in your head, ignoring the soft sigh that came in response.

What would he know? It wasn't like he had old memories of fond times past involving something like this... Your younger higher pitched voice squealing happily through polished marble hallways as you rode a happy mother's shoulders running at high speeds..... Your sprightly child self demandingly hopping on the back of a chuckling father's and relishing his affectionate warmth; something that was hard for you to get from him way back then--

Holy shit, those sting.

"Y/N? DID YOU HEAR ME?" Snapping out of painful reminiscence, your eyes refocused on Pap's skull turning to the side in order to glance at you. "YOU ARE BREATHING IRREGULARLY. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

On quick mental examination, you realized that your breath was indeed shaky and actual fucking tears were building at the corners of your eyes. 

Damn it.

"Y-Yeah Paps... Sorry, I'm just not used to being carried like this." You uttered as you buried your head down into his worn red scarf, the brushing of your hair against his cervical vertebrae making him shiver. "Brings back too many memories."

"OF WHAT KIND?"

"......." Be honest, you want this relationship to work, right? "...The kind that I can't ever have again."

He went silent for a long while, leaving the hurried sound of rustling grass and crumbling pebbles under his feet the only thing you could hear until he spoke again. "YOUR- AH..." He cleared his nonexistent throat a moment before lowering his voice despite there being no real need to. "Y-Your past... Your childhood wasn't... A very enjoyable one... Was it...?" His indoor voice once again took you by surprise; but this time you realized that it sounded very much like...

Your charge who had strangely disappeared actually...

You deliberated on that for quite a while before shaking your head in the negative. "No." He gave a soft noise of discontent, but you could feel that he was not at all surprised by your answer. 

"If I may ask, Y/n... In the car, as we got here, you were going to say something... That frankly made me sad." You blinked slowly, peeking up out of the red cloth and creating eye contact with him. "Do you... Doubt yourself? As a person?" Your eyes widened in surprise, with your hands tightening their grip on him and you resting your head on his shoulder before you mumbled out a dry answer.

"Heh... Is it that obvious? I must be slipping." 

"But... I'm afraid I don't understand; You're absolutely wonderful! All monsters like you, you've made friends with Alphys and Undyne, the Royal family favors you, and you've wooed I, the GREAT PAPYRUS," You startled at his sudden rise in volume, which made him wince and chuckle lightly in embarrassment, "...As well as my brother Sans. I cannot understand how you cannot see just how... Utterly perfect you are."

...Was your face melting off? It was hot enough to feel like it should.

You ducked your head back down into his shoulder with a flustered squeak, gaining a confused 'nyeh?' in response. "I am not perfect."

"Alright then, what exactly do you think your faults are?"

"....Uh, in what way? Personality wise?"

"Overall, I suppose."

"Oh, uh..." Shouldn't it be easy to know what exactly you hate about yourself, even if you didn't want to admit it? Why wasn't anything coming to mind? "I... I guess I can be overly stubborn?"

"That's merely your Determination, something you have a lot of, yes?" Only if he knew.

"Okay, uh... I can be too nice?"

"How is that a bad trait dearest?"

"...I'm reckless, as you all have so dearly told me."

"Which could be considered Bravery."

Grrrr. "I'm awkward with praise."

"I believe that's called humility."

"I curse too much!"

"While unsavory, I remember reading somewhere that it is a sign of heightened intelligence-"

"Oh come on, Papy!!" No way were you gonna take the words you used against Gaster sitting down!

"I am merely showing you that there is a flipside to everything!"

"Alright then, if that's how it's gonna be!" You puffed out your cheeks and wrapped your legs tighter around him (you'd have to ask about that by the way-- Your legs were definitely not touching the spine you knew was there) before tilting his face towards you to give him a light-hearted glare. "What do you believe are your bad traits?"

He was not expecting that apparently, if his bulging eye sockets and sudden stumbling in his steady pace were anything to go by. "W-WHAT?!"

"You heard me!"

"I AM NOT THE FOCUS OF THIS CONVERSATION!"

"You are now! Or is the Great Papyrus telling me that he has no faults and therefore is indeed the most perfect person on this earth?" Ha, you had him in a stalemate; If he said no, then he had to say what he disliked about himself so you could refute it but if he said yes, then he was just going to prove your point. Either way, you were going to win this current argument.

He actually paused in his stride in order to stare up at your raised brow and cheeky smile, a light orange dusting his cheekbones with color before he readjusted his grip around your legs and continued forward, but faster this time.

"I... I SUPPOSE EVEN SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I HAVE... INSECURITIES."

"And there's nothing wrong with that sweetheart." You murmured sweetly, giving his face an encouraging nuzzle. "If you'd rather not talk about it-"

"N-NO, NO, UNDYNE TOLD ME THAT HONESTY IS VERY IMPORTANT IN A RELATIONSHIP... THIS IS GOOD PRACTICE!" Your thumb drew soft comforting circles on his shoulder as he clicked his teeth together a bit before clearing his throat once again. "WELL... I CAN BE OVERLY EXCITABLE..."

"You just enjoy life Paps; That's a refreshing thing."

"...I'VE BEEN TOLD I AM TOO TRUSTING."

"Giving people the benefit of the doubt isn't necessarily a bad thing either. That's much better than me."

"I AM BLUNT."

"Just another way of saying very honest. Some people appreciate that."

"I'VE BEEN CALLED NAIVE ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS."

"You have a different view of the world than most, that's all."

"........I DON'T LIKE MY HANDS." You blinked rapidly (you were not aware physical appearances were free game here) before tilting a bit to the side in order to glance down at the gloved hands gripping your legs.

"...Is that why you wear gloves all the time?" He gave a simple nod before he suddenly stopped in his tracks and knelt down once again, much to your confusion. "Eh?"

"WE'RE HERE." You went still in shock before looking around, gasping softly upon seeing the mountain (which had been going up a strong incline for quite a while) cut off into a plateau where you could see a dark stairway leading down into the inside of the large peak. Sudden excitement bubbled up within your chest, and your breath caught in your glee.

"Wow Papy, that was fast!" You scrambled off his back, groaning as you stretched your legs and spine back to wakefulness before turning to look out over what Ebott overlooked.

The view was breathtaking.

"Wow..." Popping your ears to relieve them of the change in pressure, you stared out over the expanse of land you could see-- straight ahead and very far off into the distance, you could see the ocean, colored lovely shades ranging dark blue all the way to a strong peach dues to the slowly setting sun, pressed up against a nearby mountain to the left. Far off to the right, you could see the large skyscrapers of Downtown Ebott looming in the distance and slowly beginning to light from the ground up. Your mind noted that Papyrus was talking to someone in the background, but you paid no attention to it. "This is..."

"Y/N!" Upon feeling a hand on your shoulder, you looked up to see Papyrus standing to your right and staring out at the gorgeous view as well. "SANS JUST CALLED ME, HE SAID WE WERE TAKING TOO LONG, SO HE STARTED ON DINNER; HE'LL BE BRINGING IT UP FOR US SOON." Nodding quietly in understanding, you turned your squinted gaze to the setting sun.

You liked the comfortable silence that fell.

"LOVELY, ISN'T IT?"

"Very." You agreed softly.

"...THIS IS THE FIRST THING WE EVER SAW UPON LEAVING THE UNDERGROUND."

"Really?" A hum in the affirmative was the placid response. "I can't even imagine how that might feel..."

"IT IS CURRENTLY MY HAPPIEST MEMORY." His hand squeezed your shoulder tenderly, and you reached up with your own to weave your fingers between his. "BECAUSE IT MEANT I NOW HAD THE FREEDOM TO MAKE HAPPIER ONES."

Deep. "I'm glad you have that freedom now." You confided with a soft whisper, your fingers tightening slightly in their grip around his. "I'm glad that all monsters have that freedom now." You bit your lip a little before turning to him, waiting until he met your gaze to give him a shy smile. "I... I'm happy we met."

The front of his skull flushed with color and he smiled demurely before glancing away with a diffident 'Nyeh.' "I... I AM AS WELL DEAREST."

Giggling softly as he tugged you a tiny bit closer to himself, your eyes fell on his red gloves...

"Papy?"

"YES?"

"Why exactly do you not like your hands?"

"O-OH, WELL, UH..." He reached up with his free hand in order to rub the back of his skull, his sockets cast down. "WHILE I WAS STILL A BABYBONES, I WAS OFTEN MADE FUN OF BECAUSE OF THEM... THEY WERE ALWAYS A LITTLE TOO SLENDER AND LONG FOR MY BODY UNTIL I HIT MY GROWTH SPURT, AND I WAS LEFT ALONE. EVEN SO, I FEEL... MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THEM ON."

You turned to him with a frown, grasping his hands in your own. "Shame on them for making fun of such wonderful person..." You grumbled softly before shifting to pull lightly at his gloves.

He jerked a little once he realized what you were doing, curling his phalanges protectively. "Y-YOU... UM, YOU MIGHT FIND THEM WEIRD. O-OR CREEPY..."

"Weird? Creepy?" Shaking your head with a benign smile, you slowly unfurled his fingers one by one while watching his timid expression carefully. Careful not to make any sudden movements, you pulled off his gloves smoothly and held them in one hand while the other gently gripped his own. "Heh, don't be silly you precious skeleton. These hands... Make me feel safe."

"D... D-DO THEY REALLY...?"

"Really, really; I wouldn't lie about that Papyrus." You answered in a sugary murmur, smiling as his orange blush deepened and he took his hands from you in order to gently cup your face.

...You suddenly realized that the two of you were much closer to each other than before.

"Y/N..." You felt your spine tingle at the sound of his breezy whisper of your name, and you swallowed roughly as he leaned his face closer to yours. "I..."

Then, like a blatant middle finger from the universe, your phone chirped loudly with the existence of a new message.

Your eye twitched and a soft growl started up from your throat as Papyrus blinked and pulled his hands away from your face, digging your hand into your pocket in irritation.

"I swear to the Stars and Moon above, if Undyne is the mood killer..." Your poor skele-roll looked so damned embarrassed... You whipped out your phone, fingers poised to speedily type out a cuss-fest, but your irked glare began fizzling away slowly as you realized Undyne wasn't the culprit.

*Frisky-Bits

hey y/n, which skelly r u gonna give ur 1st kiss 2? ;)

You blinked once...

Twice...

Before your face caught fire.

"Holy Anime King, who raised this child...?!" You hissed to yourself, placing a hand against your forehead in exasperation and causing Papyrus' gloves to slap against your face as a result.

"NYEH? DID FRISK TEXT YOU?" You squeaked in shock as Papyrus once again leaned in close, this time out of curiosity. "LET ME SEE!"

"N-No, wait, Papy-!"

Too late.

"EH?" Papyrus' expression went blank for a bit (long enough to make you cringe and worry) before he quietly placed his skull in his hands without a single word.

On the upside, you learned that yes, Papyrus' blush could, in fact, be as bright as a lantern. Just like Sans.

"Uh..." You cleared your throat, putting your phone away without answering it. "You okay sweetie?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHNNNN-" Ooookay, that was most likely a no...

"H-Hey, uh, there's no need to get embarrassed Russy," Wow, where did that nickname come from? "T-There's no need to think about that if you're not ready for that yet! I-It's only our f-first date... We go at a pace we're both comfortable with, okay?"

You let that sink in through the awkward silence before he shifted his fingers in order to peek at you in a shy manner.

"S-SO I DON'T HAVE TO KISS YOU...?"

"Of course not honey..." Never mind the fact that it sure seemed like it was going to happen before the interruption. "And neither does your brother if he doesn't want to; I'm just lucky you guys wanted to date me in the first place!" You reached up to gently rub his shoulder but blinked as he grabbed you gently by your forearm and pulled you closer.

"AND... W-WHAT IF I WANTED TO...? K-KISS YOU I MEAN..."

...Holy shit.

"Uhhhh..." Was your intelligent response as you stared wide-eyed up at him before quickly pointing your gaze down at your feet. "W-Well, I... H-Heh, m'not gonna lie, that'd be p-pretty nice and all..." You mumbled, squirming slightly in your stance, "B-But uh, it'd be my first, sooo.... I wouldn't know w-what I'd be doing...?"

A slender phalange placed itself under your chin and tilted your head back up, allowing you to see the nervous but affectionate smile on his face. He leaned in once more.

"I-IF IT IS ANY CONSOLATION... Y-YOU'D BE TAKING MINE A-AS WELL..."

Your breath left you in a quiet rush.

"......T-Then... I guess, uh... It'd only be fair, huh?"

He was only a hair's width away now.

"I would think so..." You didn't even get a chance to quiver at his change in voice before he closed the remaining space between your lips.

................

...Huh.

So this was what it felt like to kiss a magical skeleton...

Chapter Text

You know those romanticized scenes in movies during big climaxes or the sweet happy ending where the hero and love interest finally kissed? 

Or those over the top descriptions of just soft pieces of cartilage being pressed together in books and fanfictions that would make you fangirl, yet scoff at the same time?

Of course you did, you wrote novels for a living for anime sakes.

While ultimately enjoying the fantastic moment your OTPs finally did the Tongue Tango, you had never really seen the appeal of it in real life. Sure, it was considered an 'intimate' thing between lovers--you had to really like someone to want to taste the inside of their mouth after the first time of ever doing it, after all--but as for yourself, you had always felt a little bit of apathy towards the thought of you kissing someone. You mean, there were always other ways of showing affection, right? You didn't think you'd ever have the actual urge to want to kiss someone.

Ha, that is until you caught feelings for the skeleton brothers.

You weren't gonna lie here... You didn't actually think they could kiss. The lack of lips kinda made you assume that and as you daydreamed over your feelings, you decided you truly wouldn't care about missing that aspect in a relationship if it ever happened with them, that is.

But then yesterday night had happened, and...

Even though you were intoxicated from positive emotions at the time, there was no mistaking the feeling of lips on your cheeks.

Anyways...

You had always rolled your eyes when you heard others rave about how a kiss from the right person could feel like you were on Cloud Nine--A cheesy love song playing in the background with all the fixings as a chaser--and made light of the mere idea of weak knees and stomachs ladened with butterflies.

But now, you had been handed back your words on a silver platter and were proceeding to eat them with unregretful gusto.

Because Hot. Diggity. Damn.

You were going to be real. It was just a chaste press of your lips and... well, whatever he was using. There was no swelling background music. No fireworks were going off in the distance. No people cheering you on either (though you were sure if your friends were there, that would be different). The sunset was probably a nice touch though...

Still... Wow.

It...... It was like someone had zapped you with happiness and rainbows, o-or Cupid shot a love arrow through your Soul that had been soaked in a tub full of Hadoken. Your eyes had closed involuntarily. The pseudo-lips you felt against yours were warm; They held a low undertoned buzz you could feel, which you came to realize was merely his magic humming underneath the surface. His large bony hands circled your forearms to keep you close, the thumbs gently rubbing at the soft skin as your soul seemed to sing and lurch in your chest, he made a soft noise that caused your heart to skip a beat, and...

Sweet.

Somehow, he tasted sweet.

After an eternity that didn't last nearly long enough, he separated slowly from you and you inhaled a quiet shuddering breath before opening your eyes once more.

Your magic crackled giddily in your veins and your face heated up more (as if that was even possible) at the easy-to-see gratification taking up space on his skull in the form of a flushed face, a wobbly cute smile, and hooded eye sockets with white upside down hearts flickering inside them.

Something deep inside you, untamed and feminine, purred at the sight.

"W... W-Wowie..."

".....I second the notion..." You uttered lowly, your tongue smoothing over your lips to catch the remaining sweet, citrusy taste there. His gaze flickered down to watch the movement before locking eyes with you again. You could feel the soft pants of your breath mingling with his own.

"...H-how was it...? F-F-FOR YOU, I M-MEAN?"

"Couldn't have asked for a better first kiss..." You gushed breathlessly, the corners of your lips twitching up at the pleasantly embarrassed expression resting on his face. "G-Guess you liked it too huh...?"

"YOU HAVE TO STAY STILL IN ORDER TO NOT GET HURT BY BLUE ATTACKS, DON'T YOU?" He gradually loosened his grip from around your arms so that his hands could follow them down in order to grasp your own, while you gave a splutter of surprised laughter.

"Haha! Don't you get sassy with me~!" You twittered, pulling your hands away so you could wrap your arms around his shoulders instead. Refusing to not have at least a hand on you after that amazing kiss, his grip moved to settle on your upper back. "Just say it!"

"THERE ARE NO WORDS TO ACCURATELY DESCRIBE IT, BUT YES. I LIKED IT. VERY MUCH. SO MUCH SO IN FACT," You giggled as he made you twirl in his arms before pulling you flush to his chest, "I WOULD NOT BE OPPOSED TO BE DOING IT... A-AGAIN."

"Oh-ho, is that right sweetheart?" With heat still on your face, you waggled your eyebrows up at him which merely made his blush deepen into the exact shade of orange that the sunset was sporting. "Well then, it's a good thing that I... definitely wouldn't mind it either."

"...TRULY Y/N?"

"Truly-wuly Papy." Did that sound desperate? You hope not...

"HMM... WELL, IN THAT CASE," Feeling your world tilt sharply, you squealed and flailed as you braced for impact with the hard ground. Much to your surprise, you stopped short about a foot from it and realized that Papyrus had pulled you into a dip. With wide eyes, you looked up to see his sly grin. "WHY NOT DO IT AGAIN?"

Whoa. Where had this burst of confidence come from?

Your mouth fell open (without your knowing) in pure shock at the bold move, and with an impish glance downwards, a brow bone went the opposite way. "MMM... AN INVITATION, PERHAPS?"

Sweet jelly donuts.

Not to be outdone, you schooled your expression into something that you were hoping was something around the flirty or sultry area (and trying not to think about how much you were probably failing at it) as you returned the grin. "My my, such a suave skeleton you are."

"ALL THE BETTER TO MAKE YOU SWOON, DEARHEART." A giddy giggle bubbled past your lips as his arms around you tightened, your eyes slowly falling half-lidded in time with his own, his head leaning closer while your heart and Soul simultaneously hammered out a rhythm in your chest.

You felt his breath ghost over your lips...

"...heh, looks like i'm late to the party."

And then felt it quickly disappear as Papyrus accidentally let you go with a squawk of surprise, leaving you to stare up at the evening sky in frustrated dumbfoundment.

'.....I wonder if it's possible to strangle a magical skeleton.' You thought idly as you ignored your stinging back to instead focus on the affronted shrieks of the tol skelebae. Oh god, did Sans see the actual kiss?!

"SANS!! IT IS EXTREMELY RUDE TO INTERRUPT A TENDER INTIMATE MOMENT BETWEEN THOSE IN LOVE!" May you just say you were extremely glad for the existence of your Soul Shield, because if it wasn't there your Soul would have totally given itself away with the ecstatic little flip it gave at the 'L' word. Was it already time to say something like that...? You suppose you had said it when you confessed... You guess Papyrus wasn't kidding when he said monsters generally moved fast in their relationships. "DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER?!"

"ey now bro," The cheeky fucker sounded so pleased with himself, "no need to give me all that lip."

Boy howdy, here we go. "SANS, DON'T YOU DARE--"

"i'm not one to kiss and tell ya how to do your business, but i'm pretty sure that when ya try to make someone fall for ya..."

"BROTHER, I SWEAR TO ASGORE-"

"they're not supposed to actually end up on the ground." You couldn't help but snort softly at the quip as you continued to stare up at the sky (it was funny!), which seemed to gain their attention because you could sense a deep sheepishness emanating from their direction. "...ahem, speakin' of which... you okay there kiddo?" You merely gave a thumbs up, chuckling a bit louder as you heard their footsteps start to approach.

"Oh yeah, don't mind me. Just enjoying the view." Biding your time, a saucy grin took over your lips as their worried visage came into view above you, immediately starting to waggle your brows up at them. "The sky's not bad looking either."

"yup, you're fine." Sans deadpanned with a light blue blush, not quite able to hold back an amused chuckle as Papyrus performed the loveliest of facepalms. "gotta give it to ya though, you saw an opportunity and ya took it. nice."

"I give credit to you, and my good friend William." You sat up, somehow withholding your snickers as they gave you curious looks, "Don't worry, you'll get to meet him soon enough. For now, though, do you think we could eat? I'm pretty hungry." Your stomach quickly co-signed that statement by releasing a loud growl, causing the both of them to jump and glance down at the place the offending noise came from.

"oh yeah... right, i whipped us up some 'dogs." Sans plopped down beside you on your left as you shuffled towards the cliff edge, letting your feet dangle over the steep drop as the smol skeleton pulled out a plate stacked with steaming hot dogs. Where had he even kept that...? "delicious n' easy ta make."

"...What. Did you just call them 'dogs?"

"yup. apostrophe dog. short for hot dogs."

"Ya don't say?"

"SANS, PERHAPS HOT DOGS ARE TOO CASUAL A DINNER FOR A FIRST DATE?" Papyrus joined the two of you on the ground, sitting cross-legged and to your right. The two of you were just going to pretend that failed attempt at another kiss didn't happen.

"well, if you guys had been a bit faster-"

"I KNOW I DID NOT JUST HEAR THAT COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH-"

"Boys, boys!" You interjected with a giggle, snatching up a hot dog as they froze in their speech and glanced at you. "Please, this is just fine. I like hot dogs and besides, it's not like we don't have the entire weekend together, right? You have plenty of time to make us something fancier if you want, kay Russy?" Peeking over at the taller brother as you handed him the food, you were glad to see he looked appropriately abashed as he gave a nod.

"YES, YOU ARE INDEED CORRECT Y/N. NOT MUCH OF THIS DAY REMAINS ANYWAY." You nodded with purpose before whipping your head to the other side as you heard quiet chortling escape from Sans.

"heh... 'russy'."

Taking on the task of karmic retribution, you thumped the side of his skull with an unamused frown. "Be nice you meanie, it's a perfectly nice nickname."

"INDEED! IT IS A NICKNAME DERIVED FROM AFFECTION!"

"hey, hey, take it easy on these fragile bones babe." He flipped his hood up to hide his skull, grinning like the devil as his eyelights swiveled to lock with your disapproving gaze.

"Anyways, you have no right to laugh-- You're named after a font."

"so is papyrus! papyrus sans serif-aster is his full name."

"SO?! YOUR FULL NAME IS COMIC SANS SERIF-ASTER! JUST BECAUSE YOUR FIRST NAME IS COMIC DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO MAKE SUCH TERRIBLE JOKES!" You looked at both of them in shock before biting your bottom lip to hold in what would have been an ugly laugh. The fact that Sans obviously preferred to be called by his middle name was just too cute. You began to wonder if all skeleton monsters were named after fonts before you realized an important tidbit.

Serif-Aster was their last name...? But Aster was the last name of...

Your old friend that was still missing, as a matter of fact...

Your eyes began to curiously search your surroundings for any sign of Gaster before Sans' voice reattracted your attention.

"and besides, you can't expect me not to laugh-- it just sounds so... mushy."

"What, and 'Sansy' doesn't?" You countered with a raised brow, smiling deliberately at his suddenly apprehensive expression.

".....you don't call me that though."

"I do now motherfucker." You cackled lowly at his grimace, swiping another hot dog and biting into it just as Papyrus nudged your shoulder.

"LANGUAGE."

"Why, it's English Papy." You replied after clearing your mouth of food, your lips twitching up at the strange sound of irritation he made.

"please don't call me that in public...?" Sans asked quietly, and you glanced over to spot the cutest flustered expression to date on the skele-pun's face. Feeling uncharacteristically merciful, you smiled lightly before reaching up to push back the hood and stroke the back of his skull.

"If you don't want me to, I won't." He released a soft sigh of relief, and you chuckled as you gave him a little pat on the back. "If I accidentally say it in front of our friends though, forgive me."

"noooo, if you say it in front of undyne, we'll never hear the end of it." He groaned anxiously, but the wide smile on his face spoke of something a bit giddier and happy at the thought of you calling him a pet name. You gently pushed his shoulder with a snicker, reveling in the content and happiness the boys were exuding as the three of you sat and continued to eat from the plate of food. You, being placed in the middle of them, were designated to hold the plate of hot dogs on your lap while the three of you watched the sun slowly set the rest of the way.

Of course, with Sans being the one that made the food, the meal wasn't all that normal. Slathering his hot dogs in ketchup, he started telling a story involving Frisk and hotdogs that nearly made you choke as you laughed, and he had a good cackle as Papyrus flipped out when he bit into a hot dog where the 'meat' was actually a water sausage (which is a like a cattail plant that you'd expect to see growing near lakes or in swamps) and you watched the ensuing argument with an expression that was half-way done, and half-way delighted. You drew the line, however, when you bit into one of the delicious sausages and heard a fucking meow coming from it. As you double-taked, Sans laughed and said that he had run out of hot dogs to make while cooking, so he had made a few hot-cats. Needless to say, you had lost your appetite afterward (you had fucking cats for pets for god sakes, you weren't gonna be okay when a meow came from a food you were biting into) and Sans had been trying to cajole the pouty, puff-cheeked look off your face with jokes and puns when you finally noticed Papyrus was staring at you.

You blinked as you turned to look over at him, a hand automatically coming up to touch your cheek. "What's wrong hon? Somethin' on my face?"

He looked embarrassed that he had been caught in his preoccupation but shook his head slowly. "MY APOLOGIES, I DIDN'T MEAN TO STARE... IT'S JUST... YOUR CHEEKS ARE MORE FLEXIBLE THAN I THOUGHT!" His hands, still bare seeing as you had his gloves tucked into a pocket, started to flutter nearby your face as you watched him curiously. "THEY LOOK VERY MALLEABLE AND WHEN I TOUCHED THEM EARLIER, THEY WERE VERY SOFT... MUCH UNLIKE US, THAT IS."

"Really?" Your brows shot up in surprise, and your eyes automatically began scanning his own features. "I mean, I know you guys are... made of bone, but you guys can easily make expressions, sooo..." Your hand started to rise of its own accord and only when you realized you were about to touch his cheekbone you stopped yourself. "Oh, heh... My bad. Didn't mean to be rude."

"ARE YOU CURIOUS Y/N?" He gently grasped your wrist to halt its movement away, and you had shrugged before nodding.

"When it comes to you guys I'm curious about a whole lot, yeah." You pursed your lips to hold back laughter as he started to make his brows wiggle in practically a line, and grinned widely at your strained attempt to not smile. "And you guys are curious about me?"

"VERY MUCH SO!"

"you know it, babe."

"Well, this is a first date..." You murmured as you peeked over at Sans, who was looking a bit excited as he stared up at you. "Uhhh... I hope this doesn't sound as weird as does in my head but... You guys can touch my face if I can touch yours?"

You got an immediate snort of amusement from the comedic skeleton, who had taken the empty plate from your lap and set it to the side, now only sipping from a bottle of ketchup. "hate to tell ya, sweetheart, but it was just as weird out loud as it was in your head, if not more."

"Damn."

"WEIRD THOUGH IT MAY SOUND, IT ALSO HOLDS EDUCATIONAL VALUE! I ACCEPT THIS PROPOSITION!"

"O-Okay, cool! So, um... You guys wanna go first? Just... Be careful of my eyes please, the area around them is delicate." With an enthusiastic nod and promise to be extra careful--'the carefulest' he said specifically--his phalanges hovered for a few seconds before he lowered the very tips onto your skin with the lightest pressure he could muster. You noticed how they shook just a bit as he poked at your cheeks as though they were made of the thinnest paper in existence.

"bro, she's not gonna break if you put a little pressure on her." To your other side, you felt Sans grasp at your hand and run his phalanges (much blunter than his brother's, you realized) over your wrist with an inquisitive hum. "just don't press too hard is all... huh. i can feel your bones underneath your skin and muscles..."

"Oh yeah..." You winced a bit as you glanced his way, trying to decipher his furrowed brows and taken stare as he turned your hand over in his hold. "Is that... Weird for you?"

"a little bit... but it's okay. kinda cool actually."

"You sure...?"

"well, look at it this way..." His perpetual grin scrunched up to the side as he looked towards you, eyelights intense and searching. "you don't have any problem datin' beings that are just you, but with no skin and muscles?"

You replied without hesitation. "No, of course not!"

"then the fact that you're just us covered with warm squishy stuff isn't such a big deal to us either." He finished, reaching up to playfully boop your nose. "right bro?"

"OF COURSE! HUMANS ARE JUST SKELETONS, BUT WITH SQUISHY ARMOR! WHEN FRISK EXPLAINED THIS TO ME, I WAS SO APPALLED THAT I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT AT FIRST!" Papyrus exclaimed, now having summoned the courage to actually put a bit more force behind his investigative poking once he realized you hadn't shied away from it. "BUT THEN, ONE DAY, THEY BROUGHT HOME A BOOK ON...... ANATOMY, I BELIEVE IT WAS CALLED, AND SHOWED ME THIS SCANDALOUS PHOTO OF A NAKED SKELETON! IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN I READ THE TEXT BESIDE IT, SAYING THAT THE SKELETON WAS TO HUMANS LIKE A FOUNDATION WAS TO A HOUSE! AMAZING!"

"Yeah, that's definitely true... Without my skeleton, I'd just be a pile of mush on the floor that's unable to move." Without your consent, a mental image of Papyrus came floating into your brain; the cinnamon roll freaking out over a human's skeleton in a biology book purely because it appeared naked to him. Sans had probably done a double-take or two himself when he had first seen it too.

............

Was it insensitive to think that was just a tiny bit funny?

"EVEN AS A HUMAN, THE SKELETON CONTINUES TO BE INVALUABLE!" You snapped out of your imagination as you felt Papyrus beginning to squeeze your cheeks, lightly pinching and pulling at the skin there. "AND HERE I HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT HUMANS HAD DESCENDED FROM SKELETONS... WOWIE, YOU'RE SO SOFT Y/N!" You giggled slightly at his transparent enthusiasm, which apparently caused him to stop. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

"What was what?"

"I FELT... SOMETHING MOVE UNDER YOUR SKIN WHEN YOU SMILED!"

"Oh, it was probably the muscles helping me smile."

"REALLY? CAN YOU DO IT AGAIN?" Shrugging, you staged a smile which quickly became more real as he, honest to god, squealed in excitement as he felt your muscles push up against his phalange tips. "THIS IS SO WEIRD!!"

"Heh." A random fact popped into your head and you decided to voice it. "Did you know it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile?"

"I DID NOT..... WAIT A MINUTE..." His eye ridges furrowed before-- how were actual eyes bulging from his sockets?! "SANS, WERE YOU AWARE OF THIS, YOU LAZYBONES?! IS THAT WHY YOU SMILE ALL THE TIME? BECAUSE IT TAKES LESS WORK?!" Sans' grip on your hand tightened as he burst into loud laughter.

"i-i would say yeah, but... w-we don't have muscles paps!"

"BUT WE HAVE MAGIC!"

"Oh, come now Papy, a smile is the best thing people could wear- Well, at least certain smiles... Who cares that it takes less work to smile when it's such a lovely thing to do?" He began to pout at your light scolding, and you shrugged lightly in response. "Besides... Dixit nemo habet, ut genuina omnia risus tempus.*"

"NYEH? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" He asked, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, it's just a silly little saying, don't worry about it." You smiled as you waved your free hand nonchalantly, which garnered his attention and he moved his curious hands away from your face and to your hand instead. This left Sans free to turn your head his way, where you could see he was staring in a knowing manner.

"better when they're real though, huh?" You blinked before your expression softened in understanding. His smile relaxed with your own, and his hand reached out to smooth over your forehead and eyebrows. "stars, you're so warm..."

"Have to be. Oh, which reminds me... How are you guys so warm and soft when I hug you and stuff?" Sans seemed to inhale to say something, but you quickly cut him off. "And I swear to the heavens above, if you just say 'magic' and leave it at that, I will push you off this cliff."

"SHE HAS MY BLESSING TO DO IT, BROTHER. CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY."

"wow. my beloved brother is siding with my new girlfriend instead of me? i'm hurt." The both of you leveled deadpanned expressions at him and he chuckled as he held up his hands in surrender. "okay, okay... the answer really is magic, but since you're practically demanding an actual answer, i guess i could go further into it." He drew himself up and dropped one hand as the other took hold of his ketchup bottle again. "ya see... the both of us have this… sort of porous layer of magic around our bones. it's a bit like invisible skin. some areas are really really thin, like around our hands, but others give some space between the bones and everything else, like around our torsos. it’s not completely solid, it’s just mostly to keep the nooks and crannies clean and protect the more sensitive parts. oh, and to keep our clothes from rubbing against our bones directly, since they're pretty sensitive." He shrugged slightly as he wiggled his fingers at you, reminiscent of what you did about a week or so ago to him, and grinned. "also, in our bones, we always have magic running through them. it's a lot like molecules or blood. we can regulate our temperature by making the magic speed up or slow down. like friction."

"That is soooo cool."

"ARE MAGES NOT ABLE TO DO THAT?"

"Not really? I mean, human bodies are built to regulate internal temperature in the first place, so we don't really need magic? Especially since any changes to our internal body temperature is a really bad thing. It does kinda help withstand some extremes though. Like, the cold doesn't bother me very much because my magic is much warmer in nature and it resists change to temperature really well, so I have like my own personal heater in my skin at all times. It's a bitch to deal with when summer comes along though. I get hot way too easily." You explained, before eyeing their clothes in speculation. "So you're telling me that whenever you guys put clothes on, your magic automatically makes like a pseudo-body to fill them out so they don't stick to your bones instead?"

"that's the general gist of it."

"So... You're able to make body parts out of magic...?! Whenever you want?!" You involuntarily thought back to how your legs were wrapped around an actual torso rather than a spine when Papyrus carried you, and the kiss you had just experienced with him, and felt your face begin to heat up as you realized that made so much more sense. You made a valiant attempt at trying to corral your mind from taking a stroll down Sinner's Street by quickly asking another question. "So, you guys make a stomach to digest food when you eat?"

"IF THE FOOD DOESN'T HAVE ANY MAGIC IN IT! YOU'RE ALREADY AWARE THAT MAGICALLY MADE FOOD MERELY DISSIPATES IN YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU EAT IT, BUT HUMAN MADE FOOD DOES NOT, SO EXTRA WORK IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO DIGEST THAT."

"Okay then... How do you guys taste food?"

"WITH OUR TONGUES, OF COURSE. IT'S ANOTHER THING THAT WE FORM ONLY WHEN WE WANT OR NEED TO." You couldn't help but turn to stare blankly at Papyrus as he fiddled with your fingers curiously, trying to feel the bones underneath the skin. Once he noticed your stare, he smiled, allowing you to catch the orange glow beginning to fill his mouth before he opened it for you to see- 

"Whoa..." You murmured, filled with awe as you stared pointedly down at the translucent (and glowing) orange tongue-shaped object that was resting innocently inside Papyrus' mandible, framed by what you realized were some pretty sharp looking canine teeth on both his upper and lower jaw on either side.

You felt your mouth go dry.

"It... I-It looks like it's made of glowing colored glass..." You managed to squeak out.

"IT IS FORMED BY MY MAGIC, SO I AM NOT SURPRISED." With wide doe eyes, you robotically turned your head towards Sans who was staring out at the horizon, raising his ketchup bottle to his teeth. He felt your stare and caught your eye with a quick glance. He appeared confused for a quick second before the most devious grin you had seen on him to date spread over his face. His right socket closed in a wink while his left eyelight snapped a cerulean blue, and then with a soft 'crack!', his teeth actually parted (something you had never seen him do before) and out lolled what you imagined was his own tongue-- Blue, glassy looking, glowing, and translucent too... Only his fangs were much blunter looking than Papyrus'.

You felt your face flush with intense heat as you realized it had a gooey substance collecting on it, trailing down the arch of his specter-like tongue a lot like saliva would and a few drops were stopped in their tracks by a squirt of ketchup he had directed onto his tongue.

"heh, what's wrong babe?" As quickly as it had appeared, it was yanked back into his mouth, shutting afterward as his teeth formed back into that straight smile (how?!) which curled mischievously up at your red, stunned face. He leaned closer, his voice dropping a bit lower for you to hear the rumble in it. "skeleton got your tongue...?"

A deep shiver coursed through your spine. 

Papyrus noticed.

"Y/N, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU SEEM TO BE TREMBLING."

You immediately took the out, realizing that the sun was practically gone at this point.

"O-Oh yeah, I'm fine... J-Just felt a bit of a chill." Lying, you were totally lying, but you whipped your head around to face Papyrus again anyway, ignoring your blush and the stare you could feel boring holes into your head as Papyrus popped up onto his feet.

"IT HAS GOTTEN DARK AND MUCH COOLER THAN EARLIER... I BELIEVE IT IS TIME TO GET READY FOR BED." He mused, looking up at the darkening sky. "ARE YOU READY TO GO UNDERGROUND NOW?" Like he had flipped a switch, your head snapped up and an exhilarated smile took your lips, causing him to chuckle. "I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES! LET US GO!"

"Right behind you!" You scrambled to your feet as well as Papyrus took off towards the looming entrance of the mountain, and trotted after him as you heard Sans grunt from the effort of hefting himself up to his feet behind you. You hardly hesitated as you headed into the dark corridor, knowing that with the brothers you were sure you'd be safe even if you weren't a mage. Still, you slowed your pace in order to allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness, not wanting to trip and accidentally rip up your tights or anything.

Without permission, your mind couldn't help but wander back to the new discovery about your skelebaes. You supposed that some things were just easier to accomplish with body parts rather than bones, so maybe that's why their genetic make-up allowed them to do that? Anyway, that explained how when they had kissed your cheeks, you had felt the sensation of actual lips instead of their teeth.

They could form bodies to fill out their clothes, stomachs to digest non-magical food, and tongues to taste.

I wonder what else they can make...

You paused slightly in your stride down the crafted hallway before continuing on, now berating yourself in your head.

Welp, your mind had promptly flipped off your common sense with both hands and went skipping back down Sinner's Street, humming a cheerful showtune. What was wrong with you?!

"Y/N, SANS!!" Your flustered gaze lifted up from your feet at the sound of Papyrus' impatient holler, and you could see Papyrus looking around the corner of the door with a frown. "THERE'S NO NEED TO BOONDOGGLE TOWARDS BEDTIME AND I CAN'T SLEEP WITHOUT A BEDTIME STORY! HURRY UP!"

"S-Sorry Papy, I'm coming!" You shouted back, speeding up in your pace as he disappeared behind the corner, before gasping as you felt a hand firmly clasp around your wrist. "Wha-"

"y'anno..." You immediately relaxed at the sound of Sans' contralto emanating from behind you, before blinking as you realized you were feeling some pretty impish intent coming from his direction, "for someone who just said that they don't get cold easily... you sure felt a chill out there, huh?" You froze.

He caught your lie.

Of fucking course he did.

"you sure you were feelin' cold out there babydoll?" He whispered teasingly, and you squeaked as you felt a phalange trail down your spine very slowly, "or did ya just feel your sins crawlin' on your back?"

Haha, wow, okay, nope.

"W-Wait for me Papyrus!!" You called out, your voice noticeably strained as you wrenched your hand from his grip and sprinted down the hallway, your face absolutely burning as you heard the low echo of Sans' deep chuckles behind you before you rounded the corner of the door.

You couldn't hold back a soft giggle once you realized you deserved the teasing, however.

Chapter Text

Marble pillars. Decorated windows that were probably gorgeous to behold when the morning light shone through them.

The insignia of the monster population was welded upon each of these windows. If it wasn't for those, you'd think this hall was part of a church or something.

It was a lovely piece of architecture.

Breathtaking.

...You didn't like it.

It was a gorgeous place for sure, no mistake about that, but... You felt uneasy, standing in the dimly lit hallway. Your emotional radar was going absolutely nuts, trying to warn you of some danger that you knew for a fact wasn't even there, and your stomach tumbled in a queasy manner as you stared down at the tile floor. Papyrus had already gone on ahead and disappeared around the far doorway, leaving both you and Sans to trot after him in a half-hearted effort to keep up.

A chill settled into your skin as stray images and sounds like smashed tile, pools of red liquid, the sickening snapping sound of something, and breaking glass filtered through your mind.

You swallowed thickly.

"somethin' wrong doll...?" Sans whispered from behind you, his hand settled on your lower back. Man, how many times had both he and Papyrus asked you that question just today? "you look uncomfortable."

"I'm just being paranoid..." You muttered back, trying to shake off the large amounts of apathy, rage, hopelessness, and Determination mixed with malice that clung to the walls and marble of this room. There was hope here too; practically buckets of it, in fact, but quite like the world and the opinions of its' inhabitants, the negative feelings were usually the loudest. Goosebumps riddled your arms and you grasped at them, your eyes shifting around cautiously as if you were expecting a serial killer to jump out at any moment. "I'm incredibly sensitive to emotions, that's all..."

"eh?" You shook your head with a small frown but reached back to grasp his hand so its' warmth could ground you. "y/n...?"

"Let's keep going...?" You asked softly, biting your lip as you glanced back at his expression, scrunched up in confusion. "I... I don't like this place."

His sockets widened before the eyelights brightened in understanding, "....i get ya. i'm not such a... big fan of the judgment hall either." You began to realize that his words were apparently quite the understatement, and his hand tightened around yours as it was suddenly him pulling you forward. "c'mon. sooner we get to the rooms we're staying in, the better."

"I hear that..." You responded, clinging close to his side while also taking longer strides in order to keep up with the normally slow, toddling bag of bones. It wasn't long before the two of you swept out of the hall, but you couldn't seem to shake off the tenseness in your spine until you were being led down an extremely gray hallway towards an elevator.

.....That a very impatient Papyrus was standing next to.

"WHAT TOOK YOU TWO SO LONG?!" He began to scold, tapping his foot with a frown in order to take your attention away from the sight of the large buildings over the balcony you two had passed.

"U-Uh... Was looking at the sights?" You offered half-heartedly, feeling Sans' thumb rub lightly over your knuckles to soothe you. However, Papyrus seemed to buy it and ushered the two of you into the elevator posthaste. With Sans' hand in your own and the delighted chatter of Papyrus in your ear, you were able to push away the sickening feeling that a lot of bad emotions had passed through that certain decorated hall.

Sans had called it the Judgement Hall, hadn't he? The name itself spoke ominous volumes...

"so bro," You lightly shook your head to be rid of your thoughts and tuned into the conversation at hand, "whaddya want me to read to you tonight? ya got a story picked out?"

"OH YES, I HAVE SEVERAL!" He nodded so fast that you were surprised his skull still remained attached to his cervical vertebrae. "ALL WRITTEN BY OUR DEAREST DATEMATE!" Your head promptly shot up and whipped towards him.

"Skelebae says what now?"

"OH RIGHT, I NEVER TOLD YOU!" As the elevator pinged to alert you that you had reached the floor that was apparently your destination, Papyrus snatched up your free hand and dragged you out, watching you look curiously at your blue and metallic surroundings and wrinkle your nose at the faint smell of ozone permeating the air as he led you around a corner. "THE DAY OF METTATON'S... VISIT," Here he made a slightly sour face, "AND YOU TOLD US THAT YOU WERE AN AUTHOR, SO I TOOK THE LIBERTY TO GO OUT AND BUY ALL THE BOOKS I COULD FIND UNDER YOUR PEN-NAME!"

.....Wow. That was... beyond sweet. And you made sure to tell him so with a cheerful grin. "You didn't have to do that honey..."

"NONSENSE DEAREST! I WAS INCREDIBLY HAPPY TO!"

"Heh..." You blushed and looked back to Sans, still hanging onto your hand and trotting along, to try and shake off your awkwardness with a question. "Um... Where are we now?"

"oh, this is the place that powered the whole underground. wasn't always light 'nd hot water down here, so this was a pretty important place. s'called the core. was placed 'ere in hotland, cause it was easy to make energy out of all of the geothermal heat."

The Core?

You had heard that word today already, hadn't you? Why did it sound so particularly important again...?

...Shit, you were tired. Where was Gaster when you needed him; You were sure he could jog your memory about it. Once you figured out how to call him back, you'd give him an earholeful.

"BE CAREFUL Y/N, YOU MAY TRIP IF YOU DON'T PAY ATTENTION." You squeaked as you were suddenly picked up from under your arms (at this point, you had resigned yourself to the fact that this was just going to happen a lot in your life) and lifted several feet off the ground, Sans actually fucking dangling from your hand as you squirmed in the air. "OH. I APOLOGIZE, BROTHER, I THOUGHT YOU HAD LET HER GO BY NOW."

"don't worry bro," He winked and your inner 'Pun Detector' began to go off in warning, "it's cool, i'm just hangin' out here is all." Both you and Papyrus groaned miserably as he chuckled at your reactions, while you attempted to wiggle your hand out of his grasp.

"Let me go if you're not even gonna try with the puns."

"no need ta hang me out to dry, dollface." You made a noise of ill-hidden contempt at this and promptly loosened your grip; seeing as he was only half-heartedly hanging onto you like the lazybones he was, he fell right to the floor with a loud clatter.

"SERVES YOU RIGHT, BROTHER." Papyrus sniffed while Sans groaned a bit, shaking a fist at you in mock betrayal.

"i thought we had somethin' special sweetheart..."

"It was a bad pun, what do you expect me to do?"

"all puns are intentionally bad; that's what makes 'em funny."

"My energy level is much too low to appreciate the intentional substandard jokes you tend to make at this moment." It was weird seeing him try to pout; It just didn't fit on his face at all. You would have laughed at it but you knew that the sleepier you got, your capacity for humor also dropped.

"ONWARDS THEN!" Papyrus tossed a complacent you over his shoulder, leaving you to smirk at Sans as he got up and began jogging--slowly, of course--in order to keep up. "I WANT TO GET THE BEDTIME STORY DONE IN A TIMELY FASHION!"

Oh yeah. Even in the mere week that you had been living with them, you were aware that every night Sans would lull Papyrus to sleep by reading a story to him. The books varied, from Percy Jackson to Harry Potter, but apparently his favorite was 'Peek-a-Boo with Fluffy Bunny.' 

Absolutely adorkable in your opinion.

Valiantly holding open your heavy eyelids, you vaguely noted the change in scenery as you were carried to your destination; from bluish metal floors to a black stage and swooping around right into another elevator to take you down onto a different floor yet again.

And then the three of you left the blue staticky feeling of the Core, the azure metal of the floor changing into... gold.

"Hm?" You lifted your head, curiosity staving off the tired feeling in your face as you glanced around at the new--building? room?--that you were now in. It seemed a lot different than the room you had just come from. There looked to be an old entrance to a fast food restaurant to the right (closed down, of course, it was like a ghost town around here so if it was open, there was a problem) and another elevator even farther to the right of it. As Papyrus carried you on, the three of you turning to walk down a corridor on the right, you caught sight of a large fountain that had a... Golden box with arms and a single wheeled leg on it?

"What's with the wheeled calculator over there?" You asked in confusion and as Sans looked over his shoulder to see what you were talking about, he couldn't hold back the startled burst of laughter that seemed to bubble up.

"heh! t-that's mettaton... y'know, in his original form." You furrowed your brows in confusion (you weren't aware that his current form wasn't the original one) as he gestured around the three of you in slight distaste. "back before the ascension, this was a hotel. mettaton kinda used it as his lair, y'know, when he was tryin' to become a star and was waitin' for frisk to walk on through. he kinda owned the hotel before we all reached the surface. that," He jabbed his thumb phalanx back at the gold statue, "he added to the fountain when he took over the place."

".....It's kinda tacky. And I'm being nice here." You weren't lying one bit; it was obvious in your calumniatory stare. "Mettaton actually thought that was a good idea?"

"you'd be surprised at a lot of things he thought were good ideas. like burgers with sequined buns and sauce with glitter in it."

"No!" You whispered in abject horror.

"yes." He confirmed, grinning with glee at your personally offended expression.

What evil being would ruin good food like that?!?!

"NOW NOW SANS, DATEMATE, THERE'S NO NEED TO BE SO CRITICAL OF METTATON." Papyrus scolded lightly, finally coming to a stop in front of some doors and setting you back onto your feet (and thank the morning star for that, your stomach was going to be bruised in the morning). "NOT EVERY IDEA ANY OF US MAKE IS A VERY GOOD ONE."

"wow, s'real mature of you to say paps." Sans began nonchalantly, taking out a set of keys as he shuffled towards a door. "since, y'know. you used to do that too."

The betrayal on the tol skelebae's face was absolutely comical as you looked between the two of them with wide eyes.

"What? Is this heresy I hear? Papyrus used to put non-edible stuff in the food he cooked?" This was a joke, right...? Why were you not sensing a lie?! "I don't believe this nonsense."

"G-GOOD! LISTEN NOT TO HIS TOMFOOLERY, I-IT IS JUST ANOTHER PRANK OF HIS!" Your brows shot up at the nervousness AND worried deceit that you were sensing from him before turning to Sans as he continued to play innocent.

"ya sure bro? ya watched mett all the time and learned to cook from him and undyne." He shrugged, placing a key in the lock of the nearest door as he chuckled. "pasta frozen to the plate, burnt and soggy spaghetti noodles, glitter everywhere..." You glanced over to Papyrus as you sensed his irritation peak, eyes widening as you caught sight of his shadowed sockets. You took a cautious step back as he began to slowly approach his brother and--were you hearing building music coming from him? "heh, i remember all those times you and undyne burned down her hou-"

"NYEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" You gave a jolt at the sudden exclamation, the music abruptly exploding in volume with perfect timing as he snatched the gloves you had forgotten you were still holding, turned a surprised Sans around and-

"O-Oh my..." You whispered out, snickering as you attempted to hide the wide grin stretching across your face. Papyrus had literally turned Sans around and shoved his gloves into his brother's mouth in order to shut him up. Your stomach was cramping and you were tearing up from trying not to laugh at the blank-socketed 'Wake Me Up Inside' expression on Sans' face. "F-Fabric doesn't taste very good, d-does it Sans?"

Your smile only became harder to hide as he leveled a glare at you.

"WELL! NOW THAT BROTHER HAS BEEN PROPERLY PUNISHED," Papyrus turned to open the door his brother had previously unlocked, before gingerly placing a hand against your back and ushering you inside. "GET SOME REST Y/N; YOUR THINGS ARE INSIDE HERE. WE HAVE QUITE A LOT PLANNED TOMORROW AND YOU'LL NEED YOUR ENERGY!"

"What will we be doing?"

"IT'S A-" At your immediate pouty-lipped face of displeasure, Papyrus hesitated before rethinking his words. "...WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOU TO A PLACE CALLED WATERFALL. WE DISLIKE HOTLAND, AND THERE'S NOTHING TO DO HERE ANYWAY, SO WE'LL SKIP IT."

"aww, pap..." Sans groaned, finally managing to dislodge the gloves from his mouth, sticking out his tongue to try and brush it off with a disgusted expression. Yeeeeeah, Papy wasn't gonna wear those again until they were washed. Not that you were complaining; you liked his hands. "that was supposed to be a secret."

"I DIDN'T TELL HER WHAT WE'D BE DOING THERE SANS!"

"Heh. It's okay, I'm satisfied with that." You shot Sans a look of victory, giggling as he blew a raspberry at you in retaliation.

"WELL THEN, GOODNIGHT DEAREST!"

"Aww, what, no goodnight kisses?" They both flushed their respective colors, beginning to splutter a bit; you shook your head with an amused smile before grabbing both their arms.

Their blushes darkened as you kissed their cheekbones, and pulled back with a small smile. "I'm glad to be on my first date with you two. Thank you." You were going to have so much fun flustering these two, they just made it way too easy. "Welp, night!"

"n-night babe..." Sans murmured absently as you turned to stroll into your room, taking the key with you and shutting the door. Placing your back against it, you gave a silent sigh of content.

You stood there for a minute before you heard them talking.

"we shoulda kissed her back."

"Indeed." You clasped a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing out loud, staying completely still as they walked off before actually moving further into the room.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket. You took it out to take a peek at the notification.

*Frisky-Bits

y/n? d'ya get my msg?

Blinking, you snickered a bit to yourself before unlocking your phone and quickly typing out your response before getting ready for bed.

*You

It was Papy.

You wish you could say you were surprised when you woke up in a cold sweat. You really do.

You had been relaxed enough to sleep after the wonderful hot shower you took before bed, and you had slipped under the covers pretty tired too.

But tibia honest (damn it, Sans), you had never been very good at sleeping in unfamiliar places to begin with.

And with a nightmare consisting of the snicker-snack sound of a blade glancing off something hollow and maniacal laughter fading quickly from your sleep-addled brain, you had the feeling that wasn't such a bad thing.

You slipped from the large and luxurious bed lined with not-so-expensive looking sheets (Sans must have really cleaned out the mattress if it had been down here for two years since the Ascension, it didn't smell musty considering that) with a yawn, your stealthy footsteps leading you to the bathroom. Thank the stars that the floorboards didn't creak underneath your feet.

Turning on the sink, you sighed as the sound of rushing water hit your ears and splashed the chilly liquid over your face to try to wake yourself up. You could tell that you weren't going to get any sleep in the near future, so it would be fruitless to attempt to slumber again.

"Fucking. Nightmares." You hissed to yourself, rubbing away the cold water from your eyes. Hearing the soft muffled snoring of both males floating through the walls as you turned the water off, you cursed softly as you realized it must have still been in the middle of the night. "I hope coffee is a thing for breakfast when the boys wake up..." Waltzing back into the room, your attention was captured by your phone, placed on an end table beside the bed, lighting up and casting an eerie glow upon the room. Wandering over to it, you picked it up and peered at the notifications flashing on it.

Apparently, there was a salt fest happening at ho-...... Um, your current habitation area.

*Fishy Bestie

HELL YEAH!! I KNEW THAT GOOF WOULD BE THE FIRST TO MAN UP!

*Reptilian Bestie

darn it sans!! i owe 'dyne a 20 now... (/)>.<)/)

*Frisky-Bits

snas, TH? i lost a bet with flowy cuz o u.

*Le Motherly Goat

I hold Sans in high regard, but I also know him well. I am unsurprised Papyrus made the first move.

*Le Kingly Goat

Golly, seems I was wrong about Sans being first. I suppose I owe Tori a massage now.

.........................

You didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or blush that they had made a bet out of this particular subject. You made a mental note not to tell Frisk any more details considering your love life. Tossing your phone onto the bed with a deep sigh, you sat on the edge as you thought about what to do to pass the time.

Drawing?

Would love to, but couldn't think of anything to really draw.

Writing?

Unfortunately, Writer's Block was a vengeful bitch.

Derping around on your phone?

Cell service down here wasn't good enough for that...

You knew that if Gaster was around he'd be scolding you for not sleeping--

"Oh!" Gaster! Holy shit, that was it! You could look for where he ran off to- NO.

Better yet!

Look for his last Soul Piece!

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

'He said it was in Hotland...' You thought, rushing to put some sneakers on. 'I'm guessin' I should dress down because if I know anything about Asgore's naming skills, this place is not going to be a winter wonderland.' You wondered a little if you should just simply change into something other than your thin nightgown and socks, but...

Meh. You didn't wanna.

Ditching your socks, you gave an informal 'fuck you' to your shoes by strutting past them and snatching up your room key before quietly tip-toeing out your room. You strained to hear for any out of place noises coming from the boys' rooms and upon hearing nothing but their steady snoring, silently closed the door and snuck down the hall. They'd probably flip a shit if they caught you trying to go anywhere in the Underground without telling them.

"Okay, so..." You muttered as you came back to the water fountain, sticking out your tongue in distaste at the statue there. Your frown only deepened further as you could see how worn away and mildew smelling one part of the carpet was off to the right of the fountain... Like water had been constantly spilled on that one spot for goodness knows how long. Gross. "Sans said that after leaving the hotel area... You'd end up right in Hotland." You turned to the double glass doors and with a nod of conviction, strode right out with your head high and your gaze resolute.

Everything was all fine and dandy when you walked through the courtyard of the hotel, spying two alleys on either side of the building. The air was warm... But not incredibly so. The slightly cool ground felt nice on your bare feet.

But then you walked into what was probably considered 'Hotland' and...

'Fucking shit I think I'm gonna melt!!' You screeched mentally, the sudden wave of pure sweltering heat nearly knocking you right onto your ass. 'This is worse than that one heatwave in '0X, JFC!!!' 

Sweat was already beading on your brow, refraction waves were distorting the sight of all the whooshing machinery in the distance and if you tip-toed a bit further out to the side you could see lava--fucking lava--flowing on either side of the path, a long drop on each side towards the pools of very dangerous liquid.

"Why is there no railing here...?!" You hissed in extreme displeasure, fiddling with your nightgown in a futile attempt to cool yourself off. 'Stay strong Y/n, stay strong! I know you wanna pass out or head back to your room but Gaster needs your help, stay determined!' Trying to regain some of your sense of mind, you didn't really pay attention to which way you were going; you ended up turning left in your haze and came up to an elevator. You spotted the label of 'R3' above the entrance and upon meandering close enough to the door, you startled as it opened automatically. You blinked but then squealed in delight as you heard the telltale whirring sound of an air-conditioner, practically throwing yourself inside.

"Ohhh, this is much better..." You sighed as you slumped to the ground against the far metal wall.

Yeah. You and any temperature past 80 degrees Fahrenheit were not friends.

You took a moment to recoup and cool off before looking around and that was the moment you spied a panel of buttons above your head. "Oh hello, what have we here?" You shifted onto your knees and lifted your head to peer at the five labeled buttons settled there. Two buttons were labeled for Right Floor levels one and two, while the other three were labeled for levels one, two, and three... But for the Left Floor.

Uh... Le what?

"But..." You began, raising your hand in order to push Left Floor Three, "That doesn't make any sense... Elevators can't go-" You pressed the button, and whipped your head to the side as the elevator doors suddenly shut.

The next moment your face had a sweet meeting with the metallic flooring as the elevator suddenly lurched to the side.

.......

"Sideways... Is what I was gonna say." You peeled your face off the cool metal with a groan, pointedly rubbing at your sore nose but landed right onto your back as the carrier came to an abrupt stop. Your eye twitched madly as the doors to the elevator slid open, and carefully adjusted your nightgown so you were properly covered up. "But apparently, I know shit fuck about monster culture." You brought yourself to your feet and rubbed at your sore back, frowning as you stepped outside the lift. It was much cooler than the room before had been, instead only bordering on just being uncomfortably warm rather than 'holyfucksomeonekillme' hot.

You weren't sure exactly what you were expecting when you left the lift... But running into someone definitely wasn't anywhere in that vicinity.

You jumped with a small shriek of surprise because at first, you had believed it was Sans due to the short height of the person you ran into. An excuse was quick to form in your brain, but the words died swiftly on your lips when you locked eyes with... The grayest, wide-eyed creature--monster??--you had ever seen in your life.

It was as gray as the room Gaster had corralled you into in your dream the night before.

You felt a twinge of concern... You couldn't sense their emotions.

You were instantly cautious.

"Uh..... Hello." Those eyes looked like they had seen some shit. "I, um... Wasn't aware there was anyone around down here. Are you alright?"

Silence.

"D-Do... Do you need help...?"

More silence. You were starting to feel uncomfortable with the gray monster's staring.

But then...

"It makes sense why Asgore took so long to hire a new Royal Scientist." You blinked at the words said, surprised by the sudden subject as they just continued. "After all, the old one... Dr. Gaster. What an act to follow!" Your eyes went wide.

This monster knew Gaster?!?!

"They say he created the CORE." You tuned back in, creeped out but wanting to know as much as possible. "However, his life... Was cut short. One day, he fell into his creation, and..." They fell silent once again, but their next words sent a shiver up your spine.

"Will Alphys end up the same way?"

Nope.

So much nope.

All aboard the Nope Train, departing from FuckThatVille and arriving at I'mGood Station-

'At least ask the creepy motherfucker some questions before getting the fuck out of dodge!'

Fuck. Logical You had some sense.

"T-To be honest, I'm glad someone else knows him too." You began, trying to be cordial as you wrung your hands together nervously. "I-In fact, I'm looking for something really important pertaining to him... He's... Trying to come back, you see, and needs the last missing piece of his SOUL. He already found all of the others, and I'm helping him find the last one. He said it'd be around in Hotland somewhere." Biting your lip as you got no reaction, you tapped your index fingers together. "Do you... Maybe know where it is?"

.....These silences were really starting to get to you.

"A bit hasty to go looking for something that you have no business possessing, isn't it?" Uh, Buh-scuse you? Your eyes focused sternly on the seemingly emotionless creature.

"While that is true, he wouldn't have asked me to look for it if he could do it himself. He's my friend, so I'm helping him."

"A few have said the same. And it has only made things worse for the Doctor."

"I am not them."

"That goes without saying." Ugh. You were not prepared to deal with a pedantic jerk while looking for the last piece of your friend's being. You were wasting precious time with this creature! "You have gone looking for something no bigger than the size of your palm in a place much larger than your surface town with no general idea where it could be? Not very smart; You'll never find it in the allotted amount of time provided for you."

"Which is why I have asked you for assistance." You attempted calmly, your fingers twitching just a bit as you willed yourself not to show annoyance. "He needs help."

"Why would I provide clues to someone who I cannot confirm is an ally of the Doctor's?"

"Well, why would I confirm I'm an ally to someone I do not know if they are an ally or foe of his, especially with the condescending tone they seem to be sporting?" You snapped back, placing a hand on your hip.

Patience, thy name is not Y/n.

With a brow raised, you stared down the creature with an irritable expression who stared back silently for quite a long time. You were very close to turning on your heel and stomping back towards the elevator when they finally spoke up once more.

"Smart human. Perhaps you'll be the one to free us after all." Cue your confused blink at the sudden change in tone; it was borderline friendly now. "I am not aware of where the final piece is, but you have the other pieces he's gathered, don't you?"

"H-How'd you-?!"

"As I said earlier, Hotland is large. But you have an advantage; The pieces want to combine again, so they'll know if others are nearby." The monster raised a small hand, pointing to where you knew your Soul rested with your charge. "Listen to them, follow their pull. They'll lead you to what you wish to find." You looked away from the creature and down at your chest in surprise, gripping at the clothing there as you shifted a bit on your feet.

"B-But... How did you...?" When you looked back up, the monster was gone.

.....Fuck this shit I'm out (Uh-uh). Fuck this shit I'm out (No thanks)!

"Batman must have given that monster some lessons on disappearing dramatically..." You muttered in a disturbed manner, quietly backing up towards the elevator until you were once again inside. Hopefully, you wouldn't run into them again; if they could see what you were successfully keeping from Sans with no effort, you'd shudder to think what would happen if you were forced to be in their presence for a long time. "Damn it, I'm confused... It's like I'm an RPG hero all of a sudden, trying to find a lost treasure."

'But he did give advice... Despite the rudeness that came before that.' He didn't have to give you a hint in any shape or form. 'Listen to the pieces, huh...? Like a compass. Alrighty then.' Curling up into a corner of the conveyor, you listened intensely for any other people coming before focusing in on your Soul.

Your Soul sent a gentle questioning pulse, much like an encouraging little nudge, to the six pieces of Gaster you already had in your possession. You had to do that two or so more times before you got a response; the pieces were still trying to find where they attached to each other and thus, were very erratic and broken (damn it Sans!) with their answer. It took you a moment to put the scattered antiphon together into something coherent.

"Down? You wanna go down? Okay, I can handle down." You nodded as you pressed the Left Floor Two button. "Much better than going sideways again." You stood as the door closed, giving a pleased, thankful pulse to the fragments floating around in your magic as you felt the room shift downwards. You could feel the sporadic flustered feeling they were portraying, and it made you giggle as you felt the cabin stop. 'Who knew Gaster was so shy?'

You cringed as blistering heat flooded the elevator as the doors slid open, and let out a pitiful whine as you resigned yourself to searching in the heat. "This'll all be worth it in the end Y/n, think of Gaster... Think of the people that don't even know they're waiting for him..." You took a deep breath as you stepped out, prepared to just tough out the heat and get it over with.

And by doing so, you nearly ran right into another monster.

"Gah-!" Flailing, you attempted to regain your balance and stumbled back. "Snap, sorry!!" Needless to say, your sudden anxious movement caused an immediate sheen of sweat to slicken your skin, and you stopped moving in order to keep from heating up so quickly. "I-I didn't mean ta-!" Your babble faded into quiet shock as you finally got a good look at who you had nearly fallen over. This monster was completely gray like the one before but had no limbs or torso... It was just a head. Yet, it was almost as tall as you. With large eyes, a wide and curved smile, and the inability to sense emotions from this being, you were extremely close to booking it in the opposite direction.

"U-Uh... Hi. Sorry about almost running into you..."

......................

Apparently, silent staring was normal for completely gray monsters...? (Man, that sounded possibly racist??)

"I understand why Asgore waited so long to hire a new Royal Scientist." You perked up as they started to speak, trying not to let the gigantic mouth bother you. "The previous one... Dr. Gaster. His brilliance was irreplaceable." Okay, another monster who knew him. Hopefully, they wouldn't be as patronizing as the last one... "However, his life... Was cut short. One day, his experiments went wrong, and..."

Wait, what? You thought he had fallen into the CORE... Gaster had even said so himself. Where had this monster gotten their info from?

"Well, I needn't gossip. After all..." You rose a brow as they seemed to glance behind you for a quick second. "It's rude to talk about someone who's listening."

Oh, so that was how we were doing this...? Two could play at that game.

"Well, doesn't he know it's rude to listen to other people's conversations?"

.......The silence that followed involuntarily brought a smug smirk to your face.

But then the monster chuckled under their breath as though they had seen something incredibly humorous.

"I sense that you mean us no harm if you can make him look like that." 

You whirled around immediately at those words, spotting a slack-jawed shadow of Gaster blushing a deep maud color as he stared back at you.

You managed to not laugh at his insulted, yet contrite expression.

...But just barely.

"....H-How nice of you... to j-join me again."

'.....And how nice of you to insult me while I am not present... Or so you thought.'

"And who says I didn't know you were there?" You cheerfully replied in response, rocking back and forth on your feet as you smiled innocently at his 'So sick of your shit' look.

'You didn't.'

"Are you sure~?" You sang out, wagging your eyebrows up and down as his expression shifted to one of doubt.

'...How on earth would you have managed to?'

"Determination." You watched as he made a motion to swipe at you in irritation, and you rose a brow as the hand merely phased through your shoulder. The two of you stared each other down for a while as he attempted to come to terms with the thoughtless action he performed, and you pointed a faux chiding look at him. "Didn't really think that one through, did ya?"

'......'

A ghostly chuckle filled the air as you felt the presence behind you begin to fade way. "You two are perfect for each other."

You coughed awkwardly as you felt your face flush with heat while Gaster just shot an angry, embarrassed look over your shoulder.

"Welp, moving on." You quickly said aloud as you sent another questioning pulse to the segments in your possession. "I was searching for the final piece of you and I want to get out of this damn heat as fast as possible so if you'll excuse me-"

'I believe it's down another floor.'

You pointed an inquisitive stare at him as you began to walk to the elevator. "How did you-?"

'You did just ask the fragments of my being said question, did you not? I would be able to answer you clearly now that I have returned.'

"...Oh yeah." You murmured to yourself as you hustled back into the cool air of the elevator. "I almost forgot they were yours, specifically."

'.....I feel as though I should be offended.'

"You truly shouldn't be. It wasn't meant to be offensive."

'Oh, yes, the real insult was from before."

"Okay, one: You were being nosy, so that's your own damn fault. And two: I wasn't insulting you, I was... critiquing. There's a difference."

'Ah yes, of course, please excuse my error.' You were personally proud of the sarcasm he was portraying at this moment in time; He had been around you way too much if you were influencing him to the point where he began to add snark with his salt.

"Where'd ya go anyway? Why did ya go?"

'I am certain you remember the gray room, yes? I returned there, to gather a bit of strength. I... Enjoy the feeling of being somewhat corporeal, though dull the surroundings may be.' You shrugged, nodding a little in understanding as you went to press the final Left Floor button. 'Not that one dear.'

You stalled a bit as your finger hovered over the button, your brows shooting up as you stared, perplexed. "But you said-"

'Yes. But I believe it is closer to the Right Side.'

"So... You want me to press the Right Floor button."

'Correct.' Your stare turned blank. '.....Why are you giving me that look?'

"...I dun wanna fall over again."

'Pardon...?'

"The elevators move sideways."

'Yeeeees...' The goopy shadow drawled slowly, staring down at you with a brow ridge raised. 'Aaaaaand...?'

"Elevators don't move sideways."

'You have just provided an antithesis to your previous statement.'

"Nooo, Gast, listen!" You whined, flailing your arms. "Elevators aren't supposed to move sideways! Why do the elevators down here do that?!"

'I would believe the design is more efficient this way.'

"But-"

'It shall get us to our destination faster, and you out of the heat quicker.'

"But-!"

'Oh my Morning Star, just press the button woman!' You gave a pout as his fragments gave an impatient tug in the direction he had said (man, you were really acting bratty in this heat, huh?) before palm-slamming the button in the sassiest manner you could manage, causing him to roll his eye-lights. 'Ladies and gentlemen, the epitome of maturity, Y/n.'

You lovingly stuck your tongue out at him with a noise to punctuate the action as the doors slid shut, just to prove his point.

.......It went down first. You released a sigh of relief, but you weren't ready when the lift made a sudden lurch to the side.

You were on your back in seconds.

....................................................................

'........Snrk-- G-Gyeh-Gyeh heh heh heh..!' Here you were, back stinging, blank stare pointed toward the metal ceiling, missing out on sleep due to nightmares and the duty you felt inclined to fulfill, toughing out skin melting heat and a weird ass elevator system...

And your friend was laughing at you.

An appropriate amount of pissiness (in your opinion) ensues.

"I did not come gallivanting out here during the middle of the night for this Charlie and the Chocolate Factory bullshit." You spat, valiantly ignoring the 'Gyeh Heh Heh's filling the cabin that was so very similar to Papyrus' laughter as you practically itched to throw something at your tickled purple friend.

Thing was, you already knew that wouldn't do any good in any shape or form.

'I'm-! Gyeh heh... M-My a-apologies darling~!!' He managed to exclaim between his dorky guffawing as the elevator finally slowed to a stop. The adorable yet annoying blob of goop was actually trembling; He was laughing that hard. 'I-I don't mean t-to laugh, I just-! Heh Heh! T-The expression on y-your face!! Gyeh heh heh~!!'

You simply raised both hands and flicked him off with as much irritation you could muster, which only caused the volume of his laughter to rise. You stood as the doors once again slid open, brushing yourself with your pride intact but bruised as the dork giggled away. ".....That never happened."

'W-Whatever you need t-to tell yourself, darling...' His giggles dwindled down to chuckles as he finally gained the sense of mind to cover his mouth to try to lower your irritation.

"You're lucky I like you." You muttered under your breath as you followed the emphatic tugging of his being back into the sweltering heat.

You weren't even surprised when, for the third time that night, you ran into someone.

Irritated?

Yes.

Surprised?

No.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Do people who know you just hang around outside fucked up elevators for the fun of it?!" You were just griping just to have something to complain about at this point; You were hot, tired, embarrassed, and still not over your menstruation cycle yet. It was a miracle you hadn't broke something. Muffled snickers were the response as you brought yourself up to your full height and glared down at the new gray monster. They were a little shorter than you, bent over something they were holding in their hands almost like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, and had. No. Face. This, combined with the fact that the Soul Fragments in your position were violently pulling you towards them, immediately made you uneasy.

Hell if you'd show that though.

"So, let me guess, you got something to say about this nerdy Goober too?" You jabbed a thumb back at Gaster as he fell silent, his mirth fading as he seemed to finally focus on the person you were staring down. "Well, come on then, let me hear it!"

'Y/n... This one is not... A friend.' You stiffened as Gaster's voice whispered intensely in your ear, spectral hands gripping your shoulders. 'Please be vigilant...' You glanced at him, surprised by his sudden warning before your attention was taken by 'No-Face' actually speaking up.

"Alphys may work faster. But the old Royal Scientist, Doctor W.D. Gaster?" There was an awkward pause as you and Gaster both waited for them to say something about him but... They left it at that. It felt like... A snub, in a way. They had no face but had managed to speak, leaving you to wonder where exactly the voice was coming from. "One day, he vanished without a trace. They say he was shattered across time and space. Ha ha..." Okay, they were actually speaking in rhyme. That made them lose many points that weren't even there to begin with.

'Y/n...' You winced a bit at the insistent tug Gaster's shards gave at your Soul, wondering why they were so adamant to try and move closer to this creep.

"How can I say so without fear?"

You nearly backed up in your caution as you felt a spike of triumphant malice being aimed in Gaster's direction.

"I'm holding a piece of him right here."

Your eyes widened in revelation as the yanking of Gaster's Soul pieces finally came into perspective, his outraged intake of breath loud in your ear as the being cackled, his hands opening to reveal something white with a very familiar aura of magic around it.

Your arm lashed out before you even process what was happening, and the object was in your hand.

"This doesn't belong to you." You growled out with enmity, stepping back towards the elevator as a strange sort of chill, despite the room being over a hundred degrees, settled over your spine.

'Y/n... That might have been unwise...'

"...Contumelious child, so bold, brash, and wild..." You let the final piece join its' brethren near your Soul, your magic building up aggressively under your skin as the being's faceless head turned robotically in your direction. You involuntarily bared your teeth, snarling under your breath as the room suddenly grew colder. "You dare dictate what is or is not mine...?!" 

"Fucking duh." Something whizzed past your ear, but you remained calm; The crackling silver-red magic around your hands slowly taking form around your palms as you felt the hostile intent of the creature start to rise.

Now that you had every piece of your friend, you weren't going to let go until he was ready.

'Y/n-!'

"Be calm Gaster..." You interrupted in a placid fashion, the rush of magic making your (e/c) eyes turn to a vivid red. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

"Who do you think you are...?!"

"Me...?" You cocked your head to the side in a child-like manner, vaguely noticing your mouth had curled into a humorless smile. "Oh, heh... I'm many things."

It wasn't often your magic got to come out to play. Magic didn't like to be ruled by logic, or society's thoughts.

"But right now? Just call me..."

You tried not to relish how good it felt to release a bit of it, to see your familiar Greatsword formed from pure magic gleam dully in the ambient lighting the lava around you gave off. Your sight skid adoringly over the surface of the blade before your gaze flicked back up to regard your enemy's prepared attacks.

"Your worst nightmare."

You could appreciate the sight you were presenting at this moment; smiling almost gleefully with glowing red eyes, brandishing an intimidating blade, and a goopy Void monster looming behind you.

Still... You hadn't imagined you'd be participating in a FIGHT tonight.

"You owe me big time for this WingDingus."

Chapter Text

'You're exhausted, darling...'

'Well, I did just expel a fair amount of magic... I'm glad the boys didn't wake up and come see what the hell was going on, but we are pretty far from them.'

'Will you be able to make it back-'

'It'll be fine, I've had worse nights than this.'

'...Was that supposed to console me?'

'It was... I guess it didn't work though, huh?'

'What gave it away, my dear?'

'Your sarcasm is duly noted... Anywho, that weirdo put up quite a fight! Ooh... Got a good hit or two in also. I'm surprised I didn't destroy anything. Or kill them accidentally which I'm not gonna lie, I'm happy about.'

'Death has no hold over those trapped in the Void, so that does not surprise me. But that also means they are still at large since they made a hasty retreat.'

'Welp, guess that means I'm not sleeping tonight. Too bad, I really wanted to pass out when I got back in bed.'

'But... Your date tomorrow...'

'It'll be okay. A gallon or two of coffee and I'll be fine.'

'Please, be serious!'

'I'm always serious... Hey, don't look at me in that tone of voice.'

'How do you look at someone in a tone of voice?'

'Shhhh, it's best to not question it...'

'...Either way, I can't help but feel as though this is all my fault.'

'It's fine Gaster... Seriously. You'll always be worth the trouble. Besides, we have the last piece of you now... All you have to do now is heal up. I've had sleepless nights before.'

'Y/n... Your nonchalance concerns me...'

'Heh, you've always been such a worrywart Wing Dings. Come on, let's head back. Wouldn't want the boys to catch me out of my room covered in sweat, and practically dead on my feet, now would we?'

'........'

Sans woke up feeling a bit panicked and drowsy the next morning. He wasn't exactly sure why.

Maybe it was because it bothered him to be back underground, but knowing he could leave at anytime kinda helped with that.

Maybe it was because his sleep was troubled (as it usually was) and it made him toss and turn all night.

...Or maybe it had something to do with the furious banging on his door, courtesy of his brother.

"BROTHER! BROTHER, WAKE UP! IT IS OFFICIALLY THE FIRST DAY OF OUR FIRST DATE VACATION WITH Y/N AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SLEEP IN AND PUT OUR SCHEDULE BEHIND!" The elder skeleton practically tumbled out of bed in his shock and groaned sleepily as he found himself flat on the hardwood flooring. "HAVE YOU AWOKEN?"

"i'm up bro, i'm up..." He laid there for a few seconds, trying to muster up the motivation to lift even a phalanx. "ugh... what time is it...?"

"SEVEN-THIRTY!!" A sound of exaggerated agony left him in response, which only gained him a scolding in return. "BROTHER, IF YOU AREN'T SHOWERED AND DRESSED NICELY FOR Y/N BY EIGHT, I AM COMING IN THERE AND DOING IT MYSELF!"

"alright paps, alright..." Stars knew the last thing he wanted was for his brother to barge in and dress him. Lazy he definitely was, but he had some standards; there was no way he was going to let you see something that embarrassing. "i'm getting ready..."

"GOOD! I'LL HAVE BREAKFAST READY BY THE TIME YOU'RE DONE! COFFEE ALONG WITH IT, OF COURSE." Sans thanked his father, Frisk, and whatever holy deity that watched this timeline for the continued existence of his brother and the wonderful substance known as coffee. If he ever decided to become religious, it would be to worship the existence of the beverage he needed in order to function every day.

But anyway, he shook his daze off in a groggy manner and stood to head to the bathroom, shedding his shirt and shorts and grabbing the plastic bag that he had packed (read: shoved) his clothes in. Stumbling into the bathroom, he caught the sight of his reflection in the mirror, his usually-perpetual grin twisting into a light frown as he eyed the rough gash that marred his sternum. It didn't get there from a one-time occurrence, oh-no; The scar was a result of so many genocide runs where in the end, he was dusted. You'd think the resets would have taken care of such a blemish, but... Apparently, he had too much determination for that to be fixed.

There was a lot of things that couldn't be fixed when he thought about it. His peace of mind, his sleep, his dreams, his ever growing anxiety, his wariness of humans, the sight of knives, and flour of all things because it reminded him way too much of the many times he had seen dust blanket the place that used to be his home-

'shit. i need this shower more than i thought...' Easily feeling the all-too-familiar dark blanket of depression looming overhead, he quickly pushed those poisonous thoughts away before they could really fuck up his day. He turned from the sight of his damaged ribs and sternum and took deep breaths to calm himself. 'it's fine. you're fine. pap is alive, y/n is alive, everyone's alive, the barrier is gone. it's been two years since it was destroyed. the kid promised to never do it again. you're underground but you can leave anytime, and your brother and girlfriend are with you...' Repeating the words like a mantra to himself, he set his attention to his clothes and removed a blue t-shirt and dark sweats from the plastic bag. He couldn't spy any ironing stuff in his room to get potential wrinkles out of the clothing, so he planned to just smooth them out the best he could. Hopefully, Papyrus wouldn't give him too much hell about it.

Now, as a magical skeleton, Sans couldn't feel temperature the same way humans did; Heat and chill didn't affect him too much. It was obvious by the billowing steam being released by the scalding incalescence of the water. It did feel nice though, he wasn't going to lie. The rushing sound of water was calming too and drowned out (heh) his thoughts incredibly easily if he focused on the sound of it. He could see why you took such long showers compared to Paps and him.

But he didn't have time to be his usual layabout self. He washed up quickly after enjoying the heat trickle through his bones for a few quiet moments and then rinsed off all the suds before hopping back out the shower. He dried off his pelvis and legs, throwing on his sweatpants and drying off his skull as he strolled back out of the bathroom with a deep sigh of content.

He was not prepared for the sight that graced his sockets as he walked back into the room.

"y-y/n?!"

"Mmmm...?" You were all snuggled up in his sheets, head pressed up against a pillow you had trapped in your arms and a sleepy grimace resting on your face. So beautiful... "...Nngh, whazzit...?" Seeing you crack open a sleepy eye, he flushed deeply as he began to realize his ribs were completely on display. "Oh... Sans.."

Ignore the sleep-filled husky tone of voice, Sans. Ignore it. "m-mornin' baby... didn't think you would be in here, heh... uh, what's wrong?"

"M'sleepy..." You mumbled, opening your other eye so as to be able to focus your skewed sight onto him. "Nightmares... Couldn't sleep..." He scowled, the embarrassment giving way to concern as he approached the edge of the bed.

"were they bad?" You gave an absent nod, reaching out to make a grabby hand motion towards him. Not exactly knowing how to respond, Sans reached out to grasp your hand and relaxed at the tired little smile you shot him. "you wanna talk about it?"

"Don't remember much of it..." You murmured, pulling insistently on his hand until he had no choice but to come closer. "Yer warm, c'mere..."

"w-wait, babe- ah!" He was caught off guard as you yanked sharply on his hand and tumbled forward a bit, landing right into your waiting arms.

"Mmmm, reeeeeally warm..." You mumbled, shifting to curl up around him and his current heat. He sputtered in shock, at a loss of what to do, and jolted when he felt your face nuzzle into his heated clavicle. He could feel your much cooler breath breezing over his cervical vertebrae, causing him to shiver. "Feels good..."

"shit, doll... k-kinda close there-" You released a soft sound of displeasure as he attempted to pull away and stubbornly held him tighter to yourself, raising your head to give him a grumpy pout out of the corner of your eye.

"Can't I cuddle my boyfriend...?"

"o-of course you can, but uh..." He squirmed uncomfortably in your hold, face lighting with blue as he stared back. "...c-could i maybe get my shirt on first...?"

Your expression changed to one of confusion before your eyes shifted down to stare at his ribcage. Your hazy gaze stared in incomprehension before realization slowly flickered to life.

"Oh... Oh shit, I'm sorry Sans, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." You gingerly let go him, your frown deepening as your sleep-addled brain finally caught up with your actions.

"it's ok babydoll," Sans chuckled softly, righting himself and picking up his shirt from where it fell before pulling it on over his head, "it wasn't uncomfortable really, just uh... y'know. didn't expect for ya to see me bare bones before our first date." Finally (relatively) fixing his shirt on himself properly, he looked back up and saw your stare on him had grown quite intense despite your drowsiness. "...heh. like somethin' you see?"

"Yeah." Sans choked a bit on air; he was not prepared whatsoever for your sudden bluntness. "I like your bones... You're pretty."

"...'pretty'? excuse me?" He was thoroughly entertained by your seemingly uncensored actions and words so far, but what? What? "i'm just an ol' bag o' bones doll. pretty lackluster maybe, but not pretty."

"Mmm... You're right, devilishly handsome works much better."

"...what's wrong with ya?"

"I'm less inclined to censor myself when I'm tired." He didn't even get a chance to react to that before you placed a palm upon his shirt, over where he knew his scar and SOUL rested. Your sleepy yet serious stare unnerved him a bit. "There's a story behind that... Isn't there?"

"....."

"...Who... How'd that get there...?"

The skeleton felt himself wince before he placed his own hand over yours, grasping it. "...from a fight. was protectin' the family. don't really like to think about it." He leaned away unconsciously from your touch, uncomfortable with the subject. Thankfully, you were an emotionally adept woman and noticed right away.

"It's okay, I get it. Sensitive stuff." You released a yawn, attempting to pull your hand away and sit up in bed. At least you had some regular clothes on. He didn't know how'd he feel if you were still in pajamas and laying in the bed he slept in. "I understand... I got a fair amount of scars myself that I don't really like to think about."

"..." He couldn't exactly say that he knew that to you, seeing as this was not a timeline where he had the immense pleasure of seeing your body... Yet. "how many?"

"Meh. Never cared enough to count. Several, at the very least." You gave a simple shrug. "Not the best conversation starter though. I don't really like it when people stare or randomly come up to me and ask where I got all of them, so I keep my body covered for that reason." 

"makes sense." He shrugged as he moved to sit beside you, carefully reaching up to place his hand on your shoulder. He would've settled it onto your back, but... Well, there was a particular reason why he didn't. "y'proud of them?"

"Of what?"

"yer scars."

"Oh. Erm... Sorta kinda? I mean, my childhood wasn't... the best. Most of these scars I got during that time, but to me, it just means I went through a lot and still survived... Y'know?"

He gave a short nod, his gaze softening fondly as you leaned up against his side with a large yawn. "yeah... i get ya." Though Sans knew of the scars, he didn't exactly know the stories behind them. He was a little afraid to ask about them, however.

He had a feeling you knew this already.

"...We can talk about it..." He glanced over at you in shock, sockets widening as he noticed your hesitant yet resolute expression. "Later. Once I'm fully awake. I'm gonna need coffee if I'm gonna talk about that sorta stuff."

"wha- h-hey... you don't have to-"

"I know. I sure as hell don't have to." You mumbled almost petulantly, your lips nearly set in a pout. "But... I mean... I can trust you and Paps... Right?"

He blinked almost spastically before nodding nearly just as fast. "of course you can y/n."

"Then... It'll be okay. I believe that. And... This whole date is about getting to know each other in the first place, right? I'm sure a lot more of my quirks will make sense once I tell you guys about my childhood-"

"hey hey hey, slow down there dollface." Sans placed his pointer phalanx against your lips in order to halt your babbling. Your responding blink was indubitably cute, as you still looked pretty out of it. "i'll say it one more time; ya don't have to."

"Bu-"

"no, no, just listen to me for a sec." He gave your lips an insistent press to make you fall silent. "the whole point of a relationship is being comfortable and trusting the other, right? you don't have to do anythin' in this relationship that you don't want to." You glanced down to your hands, twiddling your fingers a bit as your expression twisted into something that seemed more lost than anything else.

"But... You guys are planning to tell me about yourselves, so it's only fair-"

"it has nothin' to do with bein' fair or not y/n," The skelly interrupted, gently tracing your lips with his finger, "you're happiest when you're comfortable. all paps 'n i wanna do is make you happy. come on now, look at me." He cupped your cheek, lifting your head so your chaotic gaze made contact by his comforting one. "you've heard that monster relationships move fast, and... well, that's true. but, you're the one that controls the speed of ours, okay? yeah, we wanna know more about you, but only when you're ready and not a moment before that."

"...Heh." You tried your best to hide your face by sliding your hand over it, your gaze sheepish and shy. "The irony of this is that I kinda told Papy the same thing yesterday... Silly that I'm not taking my own advice."

It probably wasn't very mature. Actually, it wasn't mature at all. But Sans was an expert at distraction, which you desperately needed at this moment. And besides...

Teasing you was a hobby of his.

"was that before or after you kissed him?"

"Before." You answered with hardly a thought.

He seemed to wait patiently for all the metaphorical pistons to start firing in your brain and he grinned gleefully as realization began to dawn in your eyes.

"Oh. Oh shit." You muttered with wide eyes that scrolled slowly over to his shit-eating grin, and you groaned lowly once you saw it. "You saw."

"oh yeah."

"Fuck me..." You hissed sharply, not noticing the little twitch and near silent snicker he gave in return. "I should've known you had seen when you made those jokes last evening..."

"yeah, was comin' up the steps when i heard the conversation. had to let my bro get his first kiss, right?" A deep blush flushed your cheeks as he waggled his brows at you in a silly manner. "aww, what's the matter doll? embarrassed that you're a pretty brother kisser?"

He burst out into laughter at your aghast and flushed expression, bending at the waist from the force of it as he wrapped his arms around his pseudo-stomach. You felt indignance boiling up in your chest; asshat, he was probably just jealous...

You froze for a quick moment at that thought before a devious and delicious idea came to mind.

"You really wanna tease me about this, Sansy~...?" You purred out in a sickly sweet tone, watching as his deep chuckles came to a quick halt. "Are you sure this is how you want this to go down?" His skull turned to look at you fully, where a light flush of blue took over his cheeks upon seeing your sensuous grin. "Because if I didn't know any better... I'd say you just want a kiss yourself~."

Your cheeky smile widened further at the sight of cyan darkening to navy blue.

Your boyfriend tried to recover, of course, albeit with a few sputtered words. "w-well, what if i do?" His eyelights shifted off to the side in embarrassment, his skull remaining a lovely shade of navy blue as he spoke his next words. "what if i do want a kiss from the most beautiful woman i've met?"

Oh no. He was trying to turn the tides back in his favor with a genuine compliment.

And it was working—No! Y/n, be strong, hold out!

…..D’awww, but he was so cute though…

.............

[ACT] *Flirt

“Beautiful, huh…?” You whispered, your smile softening just a bit. “I don’t think so, but I guess I should be happy that my boyfriends think that of me. After all, I think they’re both extremely handsome.”

Critical hit! Sans seems dazed!

"then i guess we go well together... how about we go find paps to complete this menage a trois?"

The skeleton froze for a moment after he said that, his blush deepening as he went to correct himself. "i mean, kissing menage a trois. wait, wait, i mean-"

Such a dirty minded little skelly...

Don’t laugh.

Don’t do it Y/n.

Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it-

‘A strategic withdrawal is needed, Commander!’ You thought to yourself, your face a light crimson as you slapped a hand over your mouth, trying desperately to keep the muffled giggles as quiet as possible. Fortunately, he had literally handed you an out.

“Snrk… Y-Yeah, why not, s’almost—hehe—time for breakfast anyway, h-hm? W-We can… Pffft, get ourselves filled up."

“b-babe, hold up a sec-“

“No, no, it’s alright!” You hopped off the bed and began speed walking towards the door, barely able to hold back the manic laughter bubbling up in your throat. “I know the first full day of a relationship is hard to comprehend, I-I’m still getting used to it myself, so let me just give you some time to jerk it out.“ You had your hand on the doorknob, you were so close to freedom—!

A squeak of utter shock was the last thing you heard as you escaped into the hallway and slammed the door behind you, and that was the last straw. Those giggles you'd been holding back finally escaped as you followed the sounds of clanging pots and pans to the kitchen, where it seemed Papyrus was already preparing breakfast for you and his currently indisposed brother.

Turning to face you as you entered, sockets sparkling with amusement, the tall skeleton flipped a pancake without even looking at it. "HELLO, NEW DATEMATE! DID YOU SUCCEED IN YOUR QUEST FOR CUDDLES WITH MY BROTHER?"

“S-Sorta kinda…?” You managed to get out between breathless snickers. “U-Unfortunately, my cuddle meter has not been p-properly filled… Hasn’t been for years actually.” You mused to yourself before skipping over to him and hugging him from behind. It felt so good; Holy fuck, you were actually touch-starved. “S’okay though, I can also get them from you too~!”

"ABSOLUTELY! SKELETONS ARE THE BEST CHOICES FOR YOUR CUDDLING NEEDS! WE'RE SOFT AND CUDDLY, UNLIKE GHOSTS. GHOSTS ARE SPOOKY." He seemed unbothered by your hugging, but moved more carefully, remaining aware of where you were in regards to his elbows so he didn't accidentally smash you in the face or something. That was not a good thing to do to your girlfriend. "OH, WHEN YOU WALKED IN, I NOTICED AN IRREGULARITY IN YOUR GAIT. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"Eh? Oh yeah... I had nightmares; Sleeping in an unfamiliar place does that to me. I ended up in a kinda weird position, so my body is a bit sore is all. Not to worry." 

Liar~...

"I SEE. WELL, MY SUPERB COOKING SKILLS SHOULD CREATE FOOD THAT WILL FIX YOU RIGHT UP! NOTHING SHORT OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS' ABILITIES OF COURSE."

"Mmhm~. Nothin' better." You nuzzled your face into his back, feeling yourself settle down with content as the skelly finished up breakfast and then sat you down with a huge cup of coffee.

You were thanking the world for the sweet angel known as Papyrus (while once again questioning Mettaton’s sense of taste while looking over the tables shaped like his ‘original’ form) when he huffed impatiently, staring at the doorway.

“WHERE IS SANS? I TOLD HIM TO BE READY AND TO THE TABLE IN HALF AN HOUR!”

You bit down on your bottom lip, the corners of your mouth twitching up. “D-Dunno Paps…”

As though having been summoned by mention alone, Sans appeared in a seat on the other side of the table, leaning back as though he'd been there the whole time. His zygomatic bones were still a very faint shade of blue, but he seemed to have otherwise recovered...

You'd have to fix that later.

When Papyrus glanced back at the table and saw Sans there, he 'NYEH'ed dramatically in defeat and simply took a bite of his food.

You practically squirmed in your seat as you took a bite of your own pancakes, immediately flashing the taller skelly a thumbs up. "Great as always Papy."

"WHY THANK YOU DEAREST!" You nodded with a smile, making sure to avoid the gaze of Sans for fear of bursting out into laughter again. It was just better for everyone if you just pretended like nothing happened.

"Could you pass the syrup please?" You asked politely, giving a soft thank you as the bottle was slid in your direction, and you moved to open it.

As if the God of Karma was prepared for this, you soon had a mini eruption of maple goodness on your hands. Quite literally.

"Gah!"

"NYEH?" Papyrus blinked, looking over and seeing your predicament. "HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?"

"gee. how unfortunate." Oh.

It wasn't Karma after all.

Just a vengeful and embarrassed boyfriend.

What an adorable jerk.

"Craaaaap. Nn, my hands are gonna be all sticky now." You huffed as you watched the dark liquid drip from your hands and onto your plate. "Do we have any napkins?"

"YES OF COUR-OH. I THOUGHT I HAD BROUGHT THEM OUT BUT APPARENTLY, I DID NOT." Papyrus shot up and trotted towards the kitchen. "ONE MOMENT!"

"Thanks, sweetie." You chuckled, before looking down at your messy hands. You could feel eyes on you in the silence that followed, but you just weren't going to give Sans the satisfaction when you had a much more important dilemma on your hands (heh).

To lick, or not to lick...?

Hm... Welp.

YOLO.

A soft choking sound could be heard as you stuck out your tongue and started licking at your palm. "w-what are you doing?"

"Licking up deliciousness. Got a problem with that?" You shot back, humming at the sweet taste before continuing the clean up on your fingers. "I mean, other than the one you just created by causing this mess on my hands in the first place?"

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Sans watching you, his cheeks going blue again. Hmm... What was the darkest blue they could turn? Nobody knew except for him and soon you if things kept going the way they were.

"no, but, uh... the sink is right there." He waved towards the sink with one hand, his other resting against his skull.

“Mmm, true…” You hummed to yourself and getting to your feet. You licked one more finger experimentally, and your peripheral caught the movement of him gripping the corner of the table a tad too hard.

Oh-ho~.

“But not much use in wasting food, is there?” You say innocently, finally looking at him directly just so he could see your evil smirk as you stuck out your tongue and licked the remaining syrup off one hand with a deliberate slowness.

You...

Tease.

You sauntered off towards the sink with a smug and satisfied air while the skeleton, clearly regretting his life decisions leading up to this moment, laid his head down on the table to begin plotting countermeasures. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long day--an enjoyable one, but a long one nonetheless. What could he do that wouldn't backfire as it had just now? Nobody knew, not even you.

After breakfast was done, you went to go change really quick since someone had gotten sticky syrup all over you. Gaster had once again disappeared to allow you to enjoy your time alone with your boyfriends and you gave him a bitter-sweet salute before he vanished.

You were grateful for his consideration. Really, you were, but…

You had a feeling Sans was plotting. Like, actually plotting. You had been poking the beast ever since his perverted slip-up, like casual little touches and sly little jokes that you made sure flew right over Papy’s virtuous skull, and you were sure you were driving Sans insane.

You knew some people knew when to call it quits before something bad happened, but this was just so much fucking fun~.

You were keeping your eye out though.

“So, off to Waterfall, we go? Did Asgore name the place?” You asked, punching the Left Floor 1 button.

“INDEED.”

"Right, so it’s filled with waterfalls then. Gotcha.” Sans apparently went on ahead to move all of your bags to the next place where’d you be staying the night, and you had practically sprinted towards the elevator the two of you would ride down to keep from staying in the heat of Hotland for too long.

Fuck Hotland. Fuck Hotland in particular.

“B-BY THE WAY… YOU LOOK LOVELY TODAY.” You blinked up at Papyrus’ shy smile before looking down at your clothes. Changing after breakfast, you had chosen a gray sweater dress that reached the middle of your thigh decorated with red stars that slowly faded as they got closer to the hem. You were also wearing the knee-high garter socks that Frisk had packed with some sneakers.

“Oh, heh… Thanks. You think it's good enough to run around in Waterfall in?"

"AS LONG AS YOU DON'T GO JUMPING AROUND IN RANDOM PUDDLES, YOU SHOULD BE FINE!"

"...”

"........YOU WEREN'T? PLANNING TO? DO THAT?..... WERE YOU?"

"Oh, would you look at the time~! It's time for me to stare up at the interesting, totally existent object glued to the roof of this elevator conveniently placed there just so I can avoid continuing this conversation!" You did exactly that, staring up at the very much existing thing that was very much plastered to the ceiling while ignoring the heat in the apples of your cheeks. 

The snickers of Sans beside you were easily heard in the elevator (where'd he come from?), but they weren't chastised as one would expect them to be. Instead, Papyrus simply pat the top of your head with an amused smile, and declared, "I THINK IT'S CUTE. YOU'RE CUTE, DATEMATE! DO ALL THE PUDDLE-SPLASHING YOU WISH, AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL DRY ALL THE CLOTHES THAT GET WET!"

His gaze wandered downwards for a split second before he wiggled his browbones at you, and faced forward with an expression of completely innocent glee. To say you were utterly floored would be an understatement. You would’ve laughed at the pure surprise and horror you could feel emanating from Sans if you weren’t shocked stiff yourself.

Apparently, making small perverted remarks ran in the family.

The elevator reached the destination (ha, you were ready for the sideways movement of the elevator this time!) and the innocuous-seeming skelly cheerily ran out, Sans dazedly following after him before Papyrus turned to you and gestured for you to follow. “COME ALONG Y/N!”

“Uh… Which way we goin’?”

“AFTER WE TURN THIS CORNER, STRAIGHT AHEAD! WE’LL BE RIDING A BOAT TO OUR DESTINATION-“ You didn’t even let him finish before you sprinted in the way he told you. “NYEH?! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!”

“Heading there quicker so I don’t stay in this heat as long!” You shouted back, braving the sweltering temperature as you ran past what looked to be an old abandoned lab. You thought you saw some glittering little thing on your way but paid no real attention to it.

It wasn’t long until you reached a cooler little chamber that held a wide stream, a long wooden boat, and a…

Cloaked… Person? Standing atop the boat?

“…Um. Hello.”

"Greetings. I am the Riverman. Or am I the Riverwoman? It doesn't really matter." The cloaked being sounded rather cheerful, but calm as well, as though they were happy with the lot they'd been dealt in life. Content; that was the word. Their emotions were hard to discern, as though you were listening to something muffled through a pillow or trying to peer through cloudy glass. It was... Concerning. "Would you like to hear a quick story while we wait for our friends?"

...How did they know you had gone ahead of Sans and Papyrus?

“…I don’t see why not, uhm… Mx. Riverperson?” You said politely, ultimately confused as to why there was this… Nondescript being just waiting here. As far as you knew, the only people that were supposed to be in the Underground were the scientists and engineers trying to learn how the Core work (so they could make generators on the Surface to power facilities and towns instead of having to use the dwindling resources of fossil fuels) and specifically certified miners.

Maybe they carted around workers to get them to different destinations, or something… That would make sense. Still, they gave no indication as to why they were still Underground, as they began to tell the story.

"Once upon a time, there was a human who fell Underground. Beaten and weary, they cried out for help, and found a new family to call their own."

Okay, this sounded like Frisk... But why tell a story that everyone knew?

"With all the love in their soul, they sacrificed themselves to free the Monsters trapped beneath Mt. Ebott, yellow flowers and a flower to-be assisting them. Alas, they failed, and the grief of many souls cried out for the loss of their hope. The fallen child's soul was given to the patriarch of the skeleton family, who kept it in good care until he was sent falling from time and space itself. Where did he go? Will he return? Nobody knows... for now."

The few sentences telling this short tale were weighted; something about them touching the back of your mind. The child was obviously not Frisk, for they were alive. There was a new piece of information trying to bridge the gap between two older ones but before the connection could be made, the Riverperson said the final part of their story.

"A lost soul to power the darkest reaches of a lab; descendants to carry on his work; hopes and dreams to connect his presence to reality; this is all that remains of the old Royal Scientist. We ask again, will he return? The answer will be discovered by you."

This was about Gaster? This person knew Gaster?

Wait…

Patriarch of the Skeleton Family…

Did that mean… Gaster… He was the father of-

“OH, THERE YOU ARE Y/N! YOU SURE CAN RUN FAST WHEN YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT!” You glanced back, catching sight of Papyrus striding towards you in his sure and exuberant way. “SANS WENT INTO THE LAB TO CHECK SOMETHING REALLY QUICKLY, BUT HE’LL BE RIGHT BACK! I SEE YOU’VE MET THE RIVERPERSON THOUGH!”

No. Fucking. Way. 

“U-Uh, yeah…” You murmured, glancing over to the Riverperson once again.

"Tra la la, mystery is the spice of life! Take care that you don't over-season." Well, that was helpful... "Greetings, Papyrus. How has your day been?"

“OH, IT’S STARTING OUT PRETTY WELL ACTUALLY, THANK YOU FOR ASKING! WHAT ABOUT YOURSELF? SURELY YOU’D FIND THE SURFACE MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN CONTINUING TO FLOAT ALONG IN A BOAT DOWN HERE, YES?”

“Mmm, I suppose~. But I do so enjoy it. Not to worry, however, there is plenty to keep one such as I busy.” There was a certain affectionate inflection in their tone of voice that made you… Relax. Strangely enough. It was like the feeling you got when you were around a beloved guardian.

Weird.

It seemed as though only a few moments had passed before Sans arrived, a single streak of dirt upon his left sleeve. Otherwise, he looked no worse for wear and actually looked fairly pleased. Wonder what he'd been up to in there?

The short skeleton's pleased expression faded into a neutral smile, as the Riverperson came into view. You could tell by the flat expression on his face that he wasn't exactly a fan of the cloaked being, but whatever animosity he held towards them was easily kept in check. It must've been more of an annoyance than a wrongdoing.

"i see you've met the uh, ever-mysterious riverperson. we good to head off to waterfall now?" Perhaps that was the annoyance.

"Your dish is quite spicy. Might I suggest a little less salt?"

...That was definitely the annoyance.

You bit your lip, snickering quietly as you spotted Sans' socket twitch just a bit; Sans was normally a very chill person, so for someone to be able to annoy him with a simple sentence had to have had many chances to work towards that ability. Admirable, really.

Plus, if this mysterious Riverperson had any malicious intent whatsoever, Sans would've been totally against you being anywhere near them anyway.

Any true reflection on his behavior came to a halt as you were once again lifted up and moved to sit down on the boat beside the Riverperson. "COME ALONG NOW, THIS PERFECT DAY WILL NOT LAST FOREVER SO LET'S GET MOVING!"

"Papy honey, do you have a thing for being able to pick me up whenever you like or something since it's so easy for you?"

A tiny drop of orange-tinted sweat appeared on the sweetheart's forehead as he smiled nervously in return. "....NNNNOOOOOOOO....?"

You swear you felt amusement coming from the cloaked creature beside you.

Sans' slightly disgruntled form plopped himself down beside you, eyeing the Riverperson with light ire in his gaze while Papyrus sat behind you. You bunched up your sleeve in your hand and wiped the dirt off his own sleeve causing him to glance over to you and smile.

"and we're off."

"To see the Wizard." You chirped in return, getting two confused looks in response. Oh right, they probably don't understand the reference...

"WHY ATTEMPT TO FIND A WIZARD WHEN WE HAVE SUCH A CUTE MAGE RIGHT HERE?"

"Ignosco tibi?"

None of you heard the soft delicate giggle that came as the three of you began to debate about your 'cuteness'.

"Tra la la~..."

Chapter Text

"AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE MUCH BETTER THAN SOME ANIME-STYLE WIZARD OR WITCH Y/N!"

"solid evidence bro."

"Wizards and Witches are fundamentally different from Mages, you silly skelly. It's not exactly fair to compare the two. Besides, I believe you're just a bit biased~."

"I RESENT THAT."

"wait, what? they actually exist?"

"Mm, that is some tasty irony right there."

"Properly seasoned~?"

"Cooked to perfection too."

"babe. no. don't encourage them."

"What? It's funny!"

"Tra la la~."

"COOKING JOKES ASIDE, I STILL BELIEVE YOU'RE BETTER THAN ANY FANTASTICAL RENDITION OF YOUR KIND DEARHEART. I HAVE FACTS TO PROVE IT!"

"Papy, sweetie, darling, all you told me was that the magic-user animes you've seen sucked because of all the lewd emphasis on the females' bodies."

"T-THAT IS REASON ENOUGH! SHOULDN'T THE STORY IN ITSELF BE GOOD ENOUGH TO GAIN POPULARITY WITHOUT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF THE AFOREMENTIONED 'FANSERVICE'?"

"Eh, ya got me there."

"seriously, rewind for a bit there. wizards and witches exist? and they're considered different from mages?"

"Yup. We are two totally different sub-races of the human species; their way of using magic is much different from ours. There are even less of them than there are of Mages, and they're very reclusive because of past history. Sad, really."

"...i don't suppose you'll give me a lesson later?"

"Sure thing Sansy~."

"gah."

"OH LOOK, WE'VE ARRIVED!" Your attention was immediately grabbed by the tol skelebae's announcement, your gaze moving up from the babbling stream you were all floating upon to see an upcoming break in what you had first thought to be an endless stretch of blue-violet walls that surrounded the water. Like it was a deliberate place to dock a boat. "COME DATEMATE, IT IS TIME FOR OUR FIRST DATE VACATION TO OFFICIALLY COMMENCE!"

"O-Oh, right, o-okay!" You shakily stood as the boat slowed to a stop, tensely holding your balance ready stance as Papyrus hopped off, before offering you a hand and helping you off the unstable surface. "Teehee~. Such a gentleman."

"NYEH HEH! ANYTHING FOR YOU MILADY." You flushed, before turning to reach out to Sans to help him off the boat as well. He gave a mock curtsy once his sneakered feet touched the ground, and smirked playfully up at you.

"thy kindness is a balm to the SOUL of one such as i, lady y/n."

Oh, so that's how we were going to play Mr. Serif-Aster? Alrighty then!

"You flatter me, Sir Skeleton; doest thou intend to flush this middling countenance of mine a certain scarlet hue? Surely thy azure tongue hast more endowment." You spoke in a honeyed tone, pulling his hand to your face so you could press your lips to the back of it, giving his blue tinted expression a smug look from behind your eyelashes.

Don't fuck with a Novelist in their own domain bitches.

Papyrus had an utterly amused twinkle in his eye socket as he turned to address the Riverperson. They seemed almost... Giddy. "MANY THANKS FOR FERRYING US TO OUR DESTINATION; WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT!"

"T'was my pleasure~. You kids enjoy yourselves, y'hear?" They trilled cheerfully, their cloak swaying with their slight movements.

"INDEED WE WILL!" A giggle escaped your lips as Papyrus then turned and swiped up a duplicitous looking Sans. How long would it be until he snapped you wonder? "SHALL WE?"

"We shall!" You say with a smile, watching Papyrus turn and trot away with Sans as you began to follow after.

“Y/n.” You stopped, looking back at Riverperson with a confused look as to why they called your name. “Take care not to share or take too much food… You may cross-contaminate if not careful.”

…What?

"you, uh... comin' babe?" A call from Sans recaptured your attention, the upper half of his body hanging limply over the shoulder of Papyrus. Upon a closer look, it was revealed that he hadn't even lifted his skull... Only a single hand was lifted slightly, flapping in your general direction in what was probably a beckoning gesture.

"BROTHER, ARE YOU FALLING ASLEEP ON MY SHOULDER? AGAIN?? ON OUR VERY LOVELY DATE WITH OUR EVEN LOVELIER DATEMATE???" The tall skeleton shook his passenger slightly, an expression of amusement on his skull as he did so.

"broooo... you know i can't stay awake when you're carrying me like this..."

"OH, SO YOU WOULD STAY AWAKE IF I CARRIED YOU LIKE THIS?" The Great Papyrus casually swung his brother around into a bridal hold, hugging the smaller skeleton close to his chest in a cuddly manner.

Sans whined, flailing slightly in a lazy effort to escape. "you knooooow that's not what i meant..."

...A critical weakness of your shorter datemate had been discovered. Knowledge stored.

“Yeah... Yeah, I’m coming!” You called back, watching as Riverperson began to drift away down the stream once more.

Enigmatic, that one.

You turned to hurry after your boyfriends, studying their lighthearted banter with both amusement and sobriety.

You could definitely see the resemblances between the both of them and Gaster when you thought about it. Sans had his genius and humor while Paps had his sass and height. Wing Dings owed you an explanation of sorts.

You began to wonder what Riverperson could have possibly meant when they said the first fallen child’s Soul was given to him…

“so… what do you think of the uh, riverperson, doll?” Glancing over at Sans, you could see he was staring at the last place Riverperson had been. Not in a very friendly way, either.

“Mmm… They don’t seem bad. Perhaps a little mischievous, but that’s all.”

"..."

Those two had a history of some sort, you just knew it.

"THEY USUALLY GIVE GOOD ADVICE. 'ALWAYS EAT A MUSHROOM EVERY DAY!' I'M STILL NOT SURE WHY THE RIVERPERSON SUGGESTED SUCH A THING TO ME, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING OUT QUITE WELL! WHATEVER IT DOES."

...Sans seemed slightly displeased by this knowledge. "bro, c'mon, you know their advice is weird. what is eating mushrooms supposed to do anyways?"

"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT THEIR ADVICE HAS NEVER STEERED A SOUL WRONG BEFORE! I SEE NO HARM IN FOLLOWING IT."

"but there's also no harm in dismissin' it, either."

"THERE WAS THAT TIME THE RIVERPERSON TOLD UNDYNE TO BEWARE THE HEAT THE DAY BEFORE FRISK FELL. THEN HER HOUSE BURNED DOWN! AND SHE PASSED OUT CHASING THEM TO HOTLAND!"

Sans seemed to be so done with the Riverperson that it was rather amusing to see. "...honestly her house had burned down three times before that; i fail to see how a warning made from common sense is anything like the mysterious stuff they usually say. 'don't snoop around behind people's houses, you might be mistaken for a trash can.' what does that even mean?"

"OBVIOUSLY IT MEANS NOT TO SNOOP BEHIND PEOPLE'S HOUSES." Papyrus paused, gaining a horrified expression upon his skull before he lifted Sans from his chest to look him in the eye-sockets. "IS THIS WHY YOU CALL YOURSELF TRASH? SANS, DO YOU SNOOP BEHIND PEOPLE'S HOUSES?"

You quickly raised your hand as if outing yourself. “I’m definitely trash, then. Trash of the weaboo variety, but trash nonetheless.”

“YOU SNOOP BEHIND PEOPLE’S HOUSES DATEMATE!?”

“Not anymore. When I was a teenager though. Kinda had no choice if I wanted to eat.” You said with a chirp, before realizing what exactly you had just said and skid to a stop while slapping a hand over your mouth.

Oops.

The two skeletons shared a glance of surprise and... Understanding?

Sans was tucked into one arm as Papyrus turned to pick you up with the other, carrying the two of you as though his forearms were seat cushions. When he next spoke, his voice was slightly quieter than usual. You nearly did a double take on how alike his inside voice was to Gaster's; how had you never noticed before?! "Don't Worry Love, We Understand What That's Like."

A worried expression forming on his skull, Sans regarded his brother. Were they ready for this, right now? "paps, shouldn't we wait until-"

"Nonsense, Sans. She Will Be Told Eventually, Whether Now, In A Few Minutes, Or In An Hour. It'll Be Alright. Mwah." He literally made a kissing noise as he bonked his teeth against his brother's skull. That was adorable.

After situating yourself properly in Papyrus’ hold, you looked over the both of them fondly as you listened to them, your eyes moving downcast. To be honest, you had no idea why that little tidbit had just skipped from your mouth with hardly a care, but it was out there now and you couldn’t take it back.

But it felt... Nice to tell the truth for once. And thankfully, they were understanding.

Determined to get past the awkward moment though, you casually brought back the conversation. “So, is there any particular reason why you dislike the Riverperson, Sans?”

“eh…? i don’t dislike ‘em, per say, i just… they’re so… aloof. like, in a really funny sort of way. too much mystery in a person makes them an uncertainty, y’know? it makes me… nervous.”

While not wanting to undermine his well-founded anxiety, you couldn’t help but snort a bit at the irony. “Silly skelly, why are you dating me of all people then?”

Ahh... Tread carefully, skeleton. Tread carefully in thine answer.

"it's just... it's different with you. you're a new mystery, an exciting one... i can get to know you, and learn new things about you, and enjoy the time i spend with you. you're a new change in my life--a good one." Aww... He was blushing a soft shade of periwinkle. "contrary to the positive future possibilities with you, the riverperson has always been a mystery, one i haven't learned nearly anything about in my entire life down here. i've tried asking them, asking others, and yes," he gave an embarrassed glance to his brother, "i've even tried snooping, but i can't find any information on them. it's like they're not supposed to... exist, or something."

“Mmm… I see…” You murmured, looking up as you all came to a crossroads with a doorway carved into the wall ahead of you. “So… Which way we goin’?”

“right seems best first.”

“RIGHT IS INDEED RIGHT! COME, LET US START OUR DATE!" Papyrus began to follow the path, allowing you to see everything from your perch as you all went forward. It was then that you really began to feel what emotions were embedded so deeply in the stone walls surrounding you.

Longing. Hatred.

Wistfulness. Indifference.

Wonder. Neglect.

So much desire. So much Hope. So much depression. So much Despair.

Desolation, god, emptiness everywhere...

"babe. babe, you okay?" You startled as a hand was waved in front of your face, your eyes refocusing and following the arm back to its owner's worried face...

Sans.

"I'm sorry... What?"

"i was tellin' ya about the blue flowers nearby. the echo flowers. look," You finally got a good look at your surroundings, realizing that Papyrus had stopped so you could see around. There were two waterfalls just ahead of you flowing upon the path in front of all of you--That was enough to get your attention right there, seeing as you had never seen one in real life but then you followed the arm that pointed off to the side with your eyes to where you could spot several flowers that were such a beautiful blue color, possessing large blooms with long stems lined up in separate rows on a higher rocky ridge.

"Whoa..."

"i was tellin' you about them, but ya spaced out... you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just... Remember when I said I could sense others' emotions and am extremely sensitive to the presence of them?" You bring up, watching as he nodded before gripping onto Papyrus' arms as he continued onwards, being sure to walk slowly due to his precious cargo and the sort of precarious terrain. "Well, here's the thing--My sensitivity is so strong that I can feel them at locations. Places hold emotions too."

"...say what?"

"HOW INTRIGUING! BUT LOCATIONS CAN'T... FEEL, CAN THEY?"

"Well no, of course not. But everything alive feels emotions and emotions leave a particular mark on places that I can sense. Monsters, Humans, Animals, Insects... Even plants, to some extent. And all those things take up space and need places to live. All those emotions from all those living beings just sort of... Coalesce into some general emotions that everyone that passes by a location feels, y'know?"

"...i'm not followin' doll."

"Okay, okay, um... Ooh, here's an example. Say I walk into an ice cream shop I had never seen before after it's been closed down for the day. There is no one else there other than myself, BUT I would still feel the emotions of those who had visited that day and every day before that, just in a... More summarized form. Emotions leave an imprint of sorts on the places they happened due to the events that happen there, big or small. I would essentially feel content, happiness, desire, hunger, and maaaaybe just a little irritation in that shop." You explain as best as you can, feeling Papyrus stop in his tracks and watching as they both turned to look at you with wide sockets as the sound of rushing water filled the background. "Same for places where bad events happened, like battle sites or where great tragedies happened or dark alleyways. I tend to avoid places that have more of a negative imprint on them. Emotional sensitivity has saved my ass on more than one occasion, especially as a kid."

"THAT SOUNDS... INCREDIBLY OVERWHELMING! HOW DO YOU MANAGE LIVING LIKE THAT?!"

"Had it my whooooole life bae. It's second nature to me now. Not to mention there's a thing called Habituation, which allows people to ignore continuous stimuli as if it was just background noise. Like, I know it's there, subconsciously, but I don't pay any attention to it unless I want or need to focus on it."

"...amazing. so, hey, say like, a bad event happened in a certain place a long time ago. if something really good happened at that same exact spot, would the emotions overwrite the ones that were imprinted before those or no?"

"No. Emotional Imprints can fade, but they never disappear. Sure, it can fade to the point where people can't actively feel it anymore, but it'll always be there. Nothing in this Universe has that power."

".....not even time?"

"Not even Time."

"...was that what distracted you just now then? were you feeling the emotions of waterfall?" You nodded once in reply. "what you feel?"

"Longing. Hope. Desire... And a lot of... Suppressed sadness."

"...so... back in the judgment hall." You glanced over to Sans, seeing him point a strained, uncomfortable grin in your direction as he studied you intensely. "...what was it you felt there?"

You felt a shudder trail down your spine.

"...Let's just say negative emotions reign supreme there."

A deep poignant silence lasted for quite some time between the three of you after that. Thanks to Papyrus' existence, however, he soon chose to lighten the mood.

"...STILL QUITE EXTRAORDINARY, IN MY OPINION. EITHER WAY, LET US CONTINUE; I BELIEVE YOU’LL LIKE THE NEXT ROOM Y/N!”

The next room was dark, lit only by dimly glowing rocks and plants. Most notable of these things were the large mushrooms in the middle of the path ahead, a faint shine to them as they cast a glow on the grass nearby. "NYEH! THESE ARE THE MUSHROOMS THE RIVERPERSON REFERS TO. THEY CHANGE FLAVOR QUITE OFTEN--I WONDER WHAT THEY'LL BE THIS TIME?"

"wait, papy no-" But he had already taken a nicely sized mushroom with his magic and eaten it whole.

.........

"IT'S SPICIER THAN USUAL..... SANS, ARE YOU PLANNING SOMETHING?"

Sans began to sweat slightly. "what? why would you think i'm plannin' anything?"

"THE LAST TIME THESE MUSHROOMS WERE THIS SEASONED, YOU WERE JUST GOING INTO A PRANKING SPREE INVOLVING MORE TIME AND SPACE SHENANIGANS THAN I HAD EVER SEEN FROM YOU BEFORE. I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND HALF THE THINGS YOU DID BACK THEN."

You had hopped down so Papyrus could snag said mushroom and noticed that when he touched the fungus cluster, the mysterious grass had lit up a path to the next little bundle. You began to follow it as they once again started up their banter.

“bro, i promise i ain’t up to any tricks.”

“I KNOW YOU DON’T MAKE PROMISES OFTEN BROTHER, BUT I AM STILL SKEPTICAL!”

“paps, didya forget ‘bout the surprise? mushrooms are weird as shit if they randomly change seasoning, but that’s probably what it’s referrin’ to.”

“WHAT SURPR- OH. …OH! OF COURSE, HOW COULD I EVER FORGET!? THAT MAKES PLENTY OF SENSE!”

“yeah, so—wait. where did—shit, where’d y/n go?”

“EH? OH. WELL, JUDGING FROM THE GLOWING PATH OF GRASS,” The skeleton followed the path with his finger (which had expanded due to your actions) before his pointing landed on your far off form knelt beside a patch of glowing mushrooms, “SHE IS RIGHT THERE.”

“oh, delta… babe, you can’t just wander off like that!” Sans called out to get your attention. “the underground is huge! you could easily get lost if you’re not careful!”

“Oh, sorry! I just got curious…” You called back, poking at the mushrooms and watching with delight as another path lit up once again. “Curiosity is my besetting sin!”

With a good-natured roll of his eyelights, Sans used his magic to turn on the final mushroom cluster nearby; the path to the old Temmie Village lighting up beside you. Said path seemed to lead out of this room...

..............You couldn't resist the mystery. Curiosity compelled you to explore this new path, your skeleton babes following close behind you.

But rushing into the seemingly abandoned room, you couldn’t help but feel… off.

And not like a weird, ‘you shouldn’t be here’ off.

Like, ‘I just took the first hit of some really strong weed’ off. Which was strange because you didn’t smoke, for good reason.

Think about it; an illusionist, high? That’s a loaded nightmare right there.

As you tried to shake off the effects of what was some strong remnant magic in the air, you blinked as you felt… Something. You could not discern what it was.

“H0i!!1! i’M temMiE!” Blinking, your gaze slid down at your feet to see a kooky white-furred puppy… cat… creature that had black hair cut in a bob donning a yellow and blue striped shirt quietly vibrating in place before you. It was balancing a decorated egg on its head. “aWawawA!1! YooS r… cuTe HooMans!”

…Oh my god.

Papyrus entered and Sans, still being carried by the taller brother, abruptly stared at the nearest wall with blown-out eyelights.

...That residual magic was strong. It took him a solid few seconds to recover from it while Papyrus didn't seem affected at all. Nice.

“……I am not sure how to react here…” You muttered honestly, before kneeling to properly face the monster… At least that’s what you think it was. “Uh, hi… I’m Y/n. Thanks for that. Say… Why are you still down here? Aren’t you lonely being by yourself like this? Why aren’t you with friends? Family?”

The creature’s intense vibrations slowed a bit, as though they were saddened by your question. “I… teM mIssEs freNs… Wants t0 seE sUrfaC, yaYa!! But! TeM!1 MuS w8 4 eGg too HatCh!” Their vibrations picked up speed once again, in excitement. “wiLL bee…. Pr0d! paRen!!1!”

Giving a slow uncomprehending blink, you looked at the egg they were balancing on their head and did a quick Check. What egg takes two years to hatch-

*It’s hardboiled.

……………..

………………………………

Your head turned robotically to look over at the skelebros, your expression ultimately worried and eyes building with tears.

Oh no.

The skeleton brothers shared a glance and seemed to have a conversation without saying a single word. It went something along the lines of 'shit what do we do', and 'MAKE THE EGG HATCH', and 'bro those eggs don't hatch', and 'OH', before any sort of conclusion was reached. They eventually reached one, of course, and the lazy skeleton was released to walk over and whisper into your ear.

"do what you must." He patted your shoulder, giving you a solemn nod.

You gave a soft sniffle and nodded as you wiped away the tears with your sleeve before looking at the oblivious creature before you. “S-So, um… I-If it hatches, you’ll go to the surface and join your friends…?”

“YayA~!!1!”

“O-Okay then…” A dollop of silver magic accented with red coalesced at the tip of your finger before you reached out to gently poke the egg. A moment or two passed in silence before the light sound of something cracking hit the ears (both figurative and literal) of everyone there.

A loud peeping of sorts followed next and the… Temmie gasped aloud as the little head of a yellow bird poked out of the shell. “iT… IT haZ HatcH!1! T-Thenk u HueMan!! TeM wiL be PareN! Wil mak yo0s pRooD!” Its' vibrating became so intense that it actually began floating and just when you were beginning to think it couldn’t get any weirder, it reached out its paws and squished your cheeks together before speaking in a completely clear, deep voice. “You shan’t regret this.”

Then, to complete this random cluster-fuck, it literally began to float off in its excitement, the vibrating form phasing through the fucking. Wall.

……………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………….

You opened your mouth to say something…

...But slowly closed it again, at a loss for words.

"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT. THE DREAMS OF A TEMMIE HAVE BEEN FULFILLED." Papyrus sighed before he paused. "HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T COME BACK AND SEE THAT THE EGG DIDN'T ACTUALLY HATCH."

Sans gave a weighty nod and slowly took your arm to help you up and begin leading you out of the now fully abandoned village. "we should probably leave before they get back." The sneaky skeleton was holding your hand now. Scandalous.

"...........Is it... Is it bad that I... have no idea how to react to what just happened...?"

"nah. that's normal when it comes to temmies."

"INDEED. Y/N, WHAT KIND OF MAGIC WAS THAT? I'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE, YOU ACTUALLY MADE THE TEMMIE BELIEVE THE EGG HAD HATCHED!" The sweetheart exclaimed moving to grasp your free hand as well. Doubly-Scandalous! "IT LOOKED SO REAL; HAD I NOT KNOWN BEFOREHAND THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE, I WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THAT IT HAD TRULY HAPPENED MYSELF!" He gushed to you, before giving you a strange look. "IT... IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY HAPPEN, RIGHT?"

"No, no it didn't. I haven't the power to give Life... Or defy logic."

"I'M DOUBTFUL OF THAT LAST ONE."

"yeah, i call bullshit on that."

"Hush you two." They both snickered loudly as you nudged them both with mock irritation. "No, I... I just made it look and sound like it hatched. That's what my magic does."

"BUT... I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOUR MAGIC ALLOWS YOU TO FEEL EMOTIONS AND INTENT?" He asked in confusion as he led you back the way you came and onto a new glowing path that you originally hadn't seen before.

"Secondary. It's my secondary ability. My mixture of Traits gave me two main abilities..." Oh goodness, this was it. Someone other than William and Gaster was finally going to know about this. Breathe Y/n. "This... Is really private and important to me so... Can you two keep a secret?" Your mussitation was quiet as you looked at them both beseechingly, causing their expressions to sober as they regarded your serious face.

"Of course Y/n."

"you can trust us."

"Okay... My Secondary ability is Empathy. The Primary one being... Illusions. Remember how we met, Paps?"

"HOW COULD I NOT?" His normal volume sort of put you at ease with this subject, and you relaxed a bit as they continued to lead you along. "OUR LOVELY GIRLFRIEND JUMPED IN TO SAVE SOMEONE SHE HAD NEVER MET FROM RUDE THREATENING HUMANS AND SENT THEM RUNNING AWAY SHRIEKING LIKE WOSHUAS THAT HAD SOMEHOW GOTTEN THEMSELVES DIRTY." Sans gave an uncomfortable chuckle; as disturbed as he was by the reminder that his brother almost got jumped and that his not-yet-girlfriend at the time just mindlessly gotten involved, the mental image presented was ultimately amusing. "WHAT ABOUT IT?"

"That's how I sent them packing. I made them see really scary things that weren't actually there." You wanted to fidget with your hands but as you moved to let go of their own, theirs only held tighter to yours. "I'm... The only one with this type of magic so far as I know... Getting my form of magic is a result of a... Very rare combination of Traits."

The skeletons wore identical expressions of awe and wonder but for some reason... It felt as though they were expecting something with such gravitas as that. Sans more so than Papyrus.

Strange...

"WOWIE, THAT'S AMAZING...! SO, WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN TRAITS Y/N? I NOTICED THAT YOUR MAGIC IS COLORED QUITE STRANGELY, SO IT MUST BE A VERY INTERESTING COMBINATION!"

"Nn..."

"remember dollface. baby steps. no need to say everythin' if you're not comfortable."

"WOULD IT MAKE YOU MORE COMFORTABLE IF I WERE TO GO FIRST? I'D BE HAPPY TO. PERHAPS IT IS A BIT OBVIOUS FROM MY MAGIC'S INNATE HUE, BUT MY PRIMARY TRAIT IS BRAVERY! AND DUE TO MY SECONDARY TRAIT OF KINDNESS, I AM AN EXEMPLARY HEALER! I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A BIT INTEGRITY AS WELL, AS I AM ABLE TO USE BLUE MAGIC." He boasted with pride, before looking over at Sans meaningfully. "YOUR GO BROTHER!"

"oh, um... heh. not to brag, but... y'know, my magic is blue, of different shades... integrity and patience is a big part of me, but... i have more justice than patience. it's just... hard to see. i have more integrity than anythin' though." Holy fuck, Integrity and Justice was the Judge combination. Sans was a Judge, like William...! Holy fucking shit, that was so surprising and yet made so much sense. "got just a bit of perseverance too. just a little."

"...That makes a lot of sense. That matches you both pretty perfectly, how lovely." The boys blushed their perspective colors and tittered as you took a deep breath. "I... I, um... I'm Determination-Inclined and Patience-Disinclined..."

"heh. first one doesn't surprise me; you've always just had that spark to ya." Sans gave you a fond, yet curious smirk. "but the way you said 'inclined' and 'disinclined'... what's up with that?"

"It's a Mage term... It means... That out of all the traits I have, I'm more likely to act with Determination when it comes to my basest of impulses... And Patience is least likely, despite me having it."

"that's kinda obvious if it's just the two though, right?" You fell silent and stopped moving, your hands slipping from theirs as they walked a few more steps ahead before realizing their hands were empty. They looked back at you in confusion which quickly gave way to concern as they caught sight of your listless glance at your feet and the twiddling motion of your fingers. "y/n?"

You bit your lip. Papyrus quickly caught on.

"YOU... HAVE A LOT MORE THAN TWO I'M GUESSING?" You gave a single slow nod. "THAT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF, DEARHEART! WHETHER IT IS TWO OR THE FULL SEVEN, WE'LL LOVE IT BECAUSE IT MAKES THE PERSON WE CARE ABOUT SO MUCH! ALTHOUGH SEVEN ALTOGETHER IN ONE SOUL IS PRETTY IM... POSSI... BLE..." He trailed off as you stared at them both with a pensive and tense expression, squirming slightly in place.

.

.

.

Their jaws dropped.

.

.

.

"oh my fuckin' delta, no fuckin' way." You winced a bit, preparing yourself for the worst as Papyrus attempted to put together a cohesive sentence. 

"...I DON'T?? KNOW HOW TO?? RESPOND TO THIS?? LIKE??" He inhaled deeply as he held his hands up in the air before pointing them sharply at you. "HOW. IN THE NAME OF ASGORE. DID WE GET SO. UNBELIEVABLY. FORTUNATE????"

 Wat.

"What."

"the fucking odds that someone with a SOUL of that nature even exists in the universe is so astronomically small that it might as well be completely impossible, and yet... here you are, just as nonchalantly adorkable as can be!" Sans' eyelights were bright and elated, and he stared at you as though he had just seen a meteor shower crash into the beginnings of a supernova. "and you chose to date us, holy shit. bro, we have the best taste in girlfriends-"

"What."

"OF COURSE WE DO SANS, THE BESTEST! THAT WASN'T EVEN SOMETHING I WAS DUBIOUS ABOUT!!" Papyrus began to flail in earnest as you stared blankly at the both of them. "WHAT CONFOUNDS ME IS THAT SHE WAS STILL SINGLE BY THE TIME WE CAME ALONG AND DECIDED TO DATE US!  ESPECIALLY SINCE ANY MONSTER OR HUMAN, FOR THAT MATTER, IN EXISTENCE WOULD FACE THEIR DEEPEST OF FEARS A HUNDRED TIMES OVER JUST TO FIND THEIR OTHER COMPLETE HALF AND THERE WAS LITERALLY A UNIVERSAL PARTNER JUST WALTZING AROUND EBOTT CITY, BEING OVERALL AMAZING IN GENERAL, AND NO ONE HAD A CLUE!"

"What."

"anyone, could have had literally anyone in this entire world and she chose the saddest excuse for a monster in existence that just so happens to also have the best monster who has ever lived as a brother, we are so damn lucky-"

"DON'T YOU DARE RUIN THIS MARVELOUS MOMENT WITH YOUR SELF-DEPRECATION SANS-!"

"Boys. What." Their babbling came to a stop at your tone, turning to look at your very lost and blank look. "...You've lost me."

"OH GOODNESS... WE APOLOGIZE, WE WERE JUST SO... EXCITED! WHERE DID WE LOSE YOU?"

"You lost me at the very beginning. The bloody hell are you two talking about...?"

"heh, sorry y/n... it's a monster thing. monsters have a sort of... thing we strive for when it comes to potential... mates." You blushed at that certain word, just in time with them. The only difference was that yours didn't glow. "we look for someone who can complete us, y'know, give us what we lack... our soulmate."

"Whaaaaat? That... That really exists?!"

"OF COURSE! I MEAN... IT'S PRETTY UNCOMMON FOR MONSTERS, BUT IT STILL HAPPENS AND IT'S A REASON FOR JUBILATION EVERY TIME IT DOES!"

"yeah, it's like this... monster souls are white. that's a mixture of all seven colors and traits-"

"Scientifically speaking. Not artistically." You amended and seeing his face contort with confusion, waved it off. "Nevermind, I'll explain it later. Please continue."

"...okay. um, our souls are white when you first see 'em, which gives off a feeling of order and balance. but it's not a pure white, cause monsters have personalities and main traits just like everyone else." It was cute to see Sans animated about a topic, especially when he was explaining something. "that causes the slight imbalance that our souls have. and unless you somehow manage to have no personality at all, that imbalance is going to always be there. so in order to compensate for it, our instincts cause us to search for a mate that may have the traits we lack... which is our soulmate. because if they have the traits we lack, that would mean we have the traits they lack which makes us a perfect match for each other. it's just bonus points for compatibility if they have a bit of what we have too."

You blinked several times as the information sunk in slowly before pointing to yourself. "So, since I have seven... That means that I...?"

"can essentially match anyone. yeah." Their expressions of elation slowly faded into ones of concern and confusion as your face turned... Conflicted. "what... what's wrong?"

"It's just... Does that mean that I... Don't have a Soulmate?" You asked sadly, watching as their sockets widened in response. "I can't be complete 'cause technically, I already am...?"

There was a deep reticence as they mulled over your question.

"...i don't... really know, doll..." Sans replied finally, looking a bit upset that he couldn't give a good answer. "i mean, you... you're one of a kind, y'know? monsters haven't run into this sorta thing before and... finding a soulmate is pretty damn rare, to begin with. most go their whole lives without finding one and gotta deal with what they can get." The smol skeleton shrugged, giving you an apologetic smile as he reached over to take hold of your hand once again. "bein' real with ya here, i never thought i'd find one. i was content with just paps, he pretty much makes up for everythin' i lack by himself. soulmates don't always have to have a romantic sense to 'em after all."

"Indeed. I Was The Same." Papyrus hummed in a quieter tone as he continued to muse to himself. "I Had No Such Interest In Anyone Until You, Y/n. Truly, It Was My Brother I Had Always Considered The Closest I Would Get To Having The Honor Of A Soulmate. The Only Trait We Were Missing Was Determination."

"until you came along, that is." Sans chuckled, slapping a hand over his face as the giddiness from before came back with a vengeance. "you complete us both. just... wow."

"...I've always loved how close you were with each other; hearing this now doesn't surprise me." You murmured softly, ruminating a bit further on the idea before drawing yourself up with a huff. "You know what? Damn that; all the shit I've been through because of The Seven Traits, I should be able to pick who my Soulmates are. I've made it this far in life practically all on my own, so I'll make my own damn decisions!" Yanking a stunned Sans closer, you grabbed the sides of his skull with sure hands and with only the look in your eyes as a warning, pressed a deep kiss smack dab center on his teeth. He flailed quite a bit in his shock. Parting from him, you wasted no time in whirling around and doing the same exact thing to Papyrus.

Upon parting with his taken aback form, you stood akimbo and shook your fist upwards with a defiant look on your face. “You hear me Fate?! I'm choosin' these two lovely beings right here! I have no fucks at what you try to pull, it’s them I want!” You were probably comical looking, stamping your foot and shouting upwards into the dark with the look of righteous spite, but as you had just said, you gave not a single fuck. “I’m gonna love these goobers for the rest of my life and you can’t freakin’ stop me!"

It was then a faintly glowing rock promptly fell from the ceiling above you, bouncing off of your head and clattering to the floor.

...Fate seemed displeased.

Upon closer inspection, however, the fallen rock was chipped in the shape of a heart. The surface of the rock-no, the crystal-was quite smooth to the touch. It seemed to be the perfect size to be a pendant, actually, for a bracelet or a necklace or an earring.

So... Maybe Fate was pleased instead?

Nobody knew, except for maybe the Riverperson, whose amused singing could be heard echoing through the caves nearby. "Tra la la... tee hee hee..."

...Okay then.

“Sonuva…” Rubbing the now sore spot on your head with a pout, you huffed as you leaned down to grasp the serendipitously shaped crystal before appraising it with a careful eye. “…This is pretty. I used to be enamored by shiny things like this as a kid. Is it okay if I keep this?” You asked aloud but blinked upon receiving pure silence as an answer. “Boys?”

You turned to see the sweet, sweet sight of both of your baes utterly flushed in the face and staring at you as though you were a dream of some kind. You felt your face flare with heat as well, but your lips twitched a bit upwards as you regarded them both. “Heh… Uh, I didn’t break the two of you, did I?”

Sans promptly fell over onto his face, the ground around him softly glowing with the sheer force of his blush. Papyrus was in similar shape but managed to keep standing, and actually helped his brother back into a relatively upright position.

"N-NOT AT ALL DATEMATE! WE'RE PERFECTLY FINE AND FUNCTIONAL, AS ARE YOU! I'M SAYING YOU'RE FINE TO DISTRACT YOU WITH COMPLIMENTS! THE COMPLIMENT IS TRUE THOUGH, NOT ONLY A DISTRACTION."

Yep, they were broken. If you listened carefully, you could even hear their bones rattling softly.

Thank whatever deity watching for all the Determination you held in your Soul because otherwise, you would not have had the will to hold back all the snickers that you wanted to release.

“Well, uh… Good thing your blushes glow, y’know? Cause uh… If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to see right now. Whatever light that was in here is pretty much gone now, for some reason…” Since they were distracted, you slowly eased the pretty crystal into a pocket near the hip of your dress. No one would miss it anyway...

Sans rattled a little more, and Papyrus shook his brother in an attempt to snap him out of it. "THAT IS LIKELY BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE DARKENING LANTERN ROOM!"

"uhh, yeah..." It seemed that the taller skeleton was finally successful in his endeavor. "the lanterns in here are crystals powered by the magic present in one's soul. any living creature that touches one of the activators passively transfers some of their energy to the lanterns and lights them up, but it doesn't last long because the activators are controlled to only take a negligible amount. even someone on the verge of death could use them safely."

“Huh.” It had been a while since you had simply allowed yourself to just wonder and be in awe of how certain things just worked… To just sit in one place and simply exist for a few moments in time, due to the hectic fast paced time you lived in.

…It might also have been the Void’s fault too, to a point.

Maybe.

“AS PEACEFUL AS THIS ROOM IS, HOWEVER, T-THERE IS A PLACE THAT WE’D MUCH RATHER SHARE WITH YOU. IT’S AN… IMPORTANT PLACE TO US. SHALL WE BROTHER?”

“o-oh… oh yeah, the echo flower field… right. f-follow us babe..”

"SAAAAAANS, YOU RUINED THE SURPRISE!" Quickly turning to you, Papyrus placed a phalanx over your lips, his blush fading slightly as he gained a stern expression. "YOU HEARD NOTHING, DEAREST."

You were extremely tempted to tease but given the fact that you had already struck them dumb once today (and hearing Sans groan and cringe at his mistake), you decided to show just a bit of mercy by just playing along. “Hm? What could I possibly have heard to wreck a surprise? I dun know what you’re talking about.” You blinked with a faux innocent smile, watching as he gave you an ultimately flat expression, though you could sense the relief at your easy compliance.

“THANK THE DELTA RUNE. COME ALONG, WE KNOW THE WAY OUT BY SOUL.” Grasping your hand to once again pull you forward, you had to take Sans’ hand to make sure he wasn’t left behind as Papyrus lead you all surely out of the extremely dark room, tapping a single lantern near the end and brightening the room back up to optimal visual code. “THERE WE ARE, MUCH BETTER.”

"I can see clearly now, the rain has gone~!" You cheerfully shouted out, throwing up your arms in a goofy manner in an attempt to alleviate the awkward atmosphere.

It worked. Sans couldn't help but snort with laughter while Papyrus stared at you with entertained perplexity.

"BUT THERE IS NO RAIN HERE. THAT IS IN A DIFFERENT ROOM!"

"i think she knows paps, heh. she's just trying to make us smile."

"Guilty~!"

"BUT THAT REQUIRES NO EFFORT ON HER PART!"

"true."

"Heh, you flatterers--Oop!" You skid to a stop as the grass beneath your feet gave way to water and you stopped at the edge to avoid becoming thigh deep in murky water. "Oh snap, that was close..."

"eh? why'd ya stop?" Sans and Papyrus both strolled into the long flooded path without a care in the world; the water reached up to about Sans' knees, but for Papyrus, it didn't even reach the top of his boots. "c'mon, this way."

"B-But, the water..."

"WHAT OF IT DEAREST?"

"I'd get my shoes and socks all wet..." You murmured as you gestured to the satin garter socks and tennis shoes you were wearing (yes, you knew that didn't go together, shut up). “Satin’s hard to clean, I don’t wanna ruin them…”

Sans glanced down where you'd gestured, and froze.

Sans.exe has stopped working. Please call your local Papyrus; if he is not available, another one can be found at 685-848-3773.

A quick wave of a skeletal hand in front of Sans' eye-sockets had him on the path to recovery, and without much further ado, he held out his arms to you. "heh, i c'n carry you if you don't wanna get those dirty..." Dirtier than his imagination was making them, that is.

You blinked in slight disbelief. “You can carry me?”

“if i didn’t know any better, i think i’d be insulted by the doubt in yer voice.”

“Well, I mean, seeing as I've seen you lift a maximum of thirty pounds and sprint a maximum of never ever since we met, it’s kinda your fault…”

“fair. now c’mon.” Seeing him shake his extended arms and flex his hands, you shrugged and got into position, releasing a soft squeak as he scooped you up almost as easily as Papyrus always managed to.

“Oh wow. I have two big strong monsters as my datemates. I officially stand corrected.”

“heh, actually, i think you’re being carried corrected.” You giggled as Papyrus made a motion with his sockets that made you believe that he was rolling them, he ushered you both on as you made to adjust your dress so it wouldn’t reveal too much of your upper thighs in your current position.

…..Did you feel Sans’ hand twitch where he was holding your legs?

A quick glance up would reveal your shorter bonefriend peering over you with an appreciative look in his eyelights. Of course, when he was caught, his zygomatic bones gained a slightly bluish hue to them... Yet, he didn't look away. Interesting.

You commented as such, and his blush deepened slightly. "i'm afraid it's too late for you. you've been infected with skeletal magnetism, and it's incurable."

You blushed slightly yourself, before snickering as you leaned your head on his shoulder and reached up to lightly boop his nose indent. “Dear me, that sounds serious, Doctor Sans… Two of you is quite enough for me; hopefully I don’t run into any more skeletons anytime soon…”

That, children, is what we call Forshadirony.

"fortunately, the probability of such a thing happening is very low. that's a good thing... i don't know if i'd be able to share with anyone other than my bro." He smirked, holding you a bit closer as he and Papyrus waded through the somewhat flooded pathways of Waterfall.

After a single turn, the next large room-like corridor they brought you to was one that held floating sparks of yellow-green magic, with large echo flowers below them... It sounded like they were whispering.

“Eh…? The flowers…”

“yeah, that’s what's special about 'em. they repeat the last thing they heard, over and over again. s’why they’re called echo flowers.” You blinked, before looking around in awe of all the stuff that was glowing.

“It’s so pretty in here…” You murmured before your eyes widened as the sentence was repeated in broken little chunks.

‘Pretty…’

‘Pretty…’

‘So pretty…’

“sounds like they’re talkin’ about you.”

“Hush you… You just said they repeat the last thing they heard.” You muttered, trying not to blush at the affectionate look he was shooting you.

“BUT IF THEY COULD TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE, THEY WOULD DEFINITELY TALK ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE!” You jolted a bit at Papyrus’ sudden part of the conversation, glancing up to see him bounding towards you both with a handmade crown of a flower… Seriously. The stem and petals of an echo flower was so large that you only needed one to make a crown. He placed it on your head so that the flower would rest right above your left ear, and then lightly brushed one of the petals.

‘You're so beautiful, Y/n...’ It whispered.

You couldn’t help it; you blushed.

“guess echo flowers don’t lie, eh?”

“Shut up…” You pouted, crossing your arms to take away attention from your red face. “This field is nice though…”

You were a little confused when they both laughed at you.

“SILLY DATEMATE, THIS ISN’T THE FIELD!” Turning your head to watch as Papyrus walked over to the wall on your left, you blinked in surprise as he suddenly jumped pretty high and grasped the top of it before hefting himself up and out of sight. “IT’S UP HERE! SANS, IF YOU WOULD.”

“gotcha bro.” Strolling up to the wall as well, Sans winked at you before his left eye snapped a cerulean blue.

You watched with glee as the same colored magic coated your body before you began to float out of his arms.

“This is amazing~!” You squealed in delight, closing your legs and pulling your dress down so you didn’t accidentally flash the shorter of your two boyfriends.

“all aboard the sans express.” He chuckled, his hand coated in the same magic. “goin’ up!” Enjoying the anti-gravitational feeling to the fullest, you giggled continuously as you floated higher at the raising of his hand until your smiling Papyrus was once again in your view. He reached out to grab you and hold you close as the magic around you dissipated. “ENJOYING YOURSELF?”

“Very much so!”

Within the blink of an eye, Sans was up on the top of the wall with you and Paps, a lazy smirk on his face. He followed as Papyrus did an about face and carried you through the tunnel ahead of you all.

"MY BROTHER AND I DISCOVERED THIS FIELD SHORTLY AFTER WE LEFT OUR HOME IN HOTLAND! IT WAS QUITE BEAUTIFUL, AND WE NEVER SAW ANYONE ELSE HERE, SO WE STAYED FOR A WHILE!"

Papyrus spoke as he carried you through the tunnels, the assertive thumps of his footsteps echoing softly through the area. Shuffling noises from behind indicated that Sans was following close by, at a pace slightly faster than his usual.

Soon the darkened tunnel ended, however, and the brothers stopped at the exit. Here before the three of you lay the field of echo flowers, the area expansive and the flowers surprisingly diverse in color.

“Oh… Oh my…” Words could not convey just how beautiful the place was, so you had no idea why your mouth and brain was attempting to try. “But all the other flowers…” You reached up to lightly finger the petals placed by your ear as Papyrus set you down onto your feet. “How…?”

“the color of the flower can change according to the message or wishes… y’know, if it holds the same one for a certain period of time.” You glanced at Sans at his explanation, your head cocked to the side.

“So they… Change according to the emotions in the words…? Intriguing…” You hummed before your feet began to carry you forward, your eyes glimmering with curiosity. “Only you guys have been in this field?”

“SO WE BELIEVE. WE’D COME HERE IF WE WERE EVER BOTHERED BY SOMETHING AFTER MOVING INTO SNOWDIN. IT WAS... THERAPUTIC FOR US. OH! LOOK, THERE’S AN ORANGE ONE!” Papyrus pointed out to you as you all walked on. “I USUALLY MADE THOSE! IT’S HOW I FOUND OUT WHAT MY MAIN TRAIT WAS!”

“Really?” You murmured in reply before skipping over to the flora, and bending down as you touched it so you could hear the soft whisper.

‘Big brother takes good care of me… I wanna get stronger, so I can take care of him too!’

Oh goodness, your heart melted at little Papy’s sweet, sure voice…

“You’re such a sweetheart Pap.” You said, taking his hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

“NYEH!” The tall skeleton blushed, glancing left and right before turning your hand over in his. A resolute gleam appeared in his sockets, and one could tell that he wasn't about to let this compliment slide. "I AM STILL NOT AS SWEET AS YOU, Y/N!"

Oh damn, this boy be smooth.

"I beg to differ."

"BEGGING ISN'T NECESSARY WHEN IT COMES TO ME DEAREST; ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK."

Why did that sound vaguely dirty...?

A soft snicker left Sans before he gestured around at all of the colorful flowers around the three of you. "as far as we know, all the wishes around here are ours... i won't lie, i'm feelin' some nostalgia, bein' back here." You could easily see the sentimentality that Sans sported--that both of them sported--by simply being in the midst of all these flora. It was special to them, yet they had willingly brought you here.

That was... Humbling.

"Is it... Really okay, for me to be here? I mean," Raising your hands and gesturing at all the flowers in sight, you hoped that you were accurately portraying your anxiety at being a part of something so private, "This means so much to you both..."

"yeah, and?"

"WE WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT YOU IF IT WASN'T OKAY; PLEASE, DO NOT WORRY." Resigning yourself to their wishes before you got yourself all worked up, you simply sat down before flopping onto your back. "WHAT IS THE MATTER Y/N?"

"I just feel bad... You guys are sharing something that's so important to you with me and I can't... reciprocate." You sighed as they moved to sit beside you, listening intently. "Not that I don't want to, mind you, I just... Can't."

"we understand if it's too difficult to talk about stuff babe-"

"No no no, not like that... I don't... Have anything." You revealed and as they shared a look, you took a deep breath.

In...

And out.

"From the age of twelve all the way to the age of eighteen, I... I was homeless." You closed your eyes, not brave enough to search their expressions for their reaction. "Homeless and alone. No family. Didn't get my first friend until I was fifteen. Food was a necessity, but a luxury. All the while I had volatile magic that I needed to make sure I was able to control so I didn't out the entire existence of mages. A special place like this where I could be by myself was... Impossible. Sure, I had my favorite spots to hang out and sleep, but I always had to keep moving; Putting down permanent roots was tantamount to suicide until I had everything I needed to properly care for myself. The streets weren't kind to a naive little girl, nor were the people that roamed them, day or night. Got into a lot of fights, got a lot of scars. Had to even steal from time to time, just so I could see the light of another day." You say with an... empty sort of nonchalance. You could feel their surprise, their solemnity, at your words and demeanor.

"Knew I needed a job to get money, but to get a job, I needed education. Had to lie a lot in school. Had to give a fake address, give fake answers to a lot of calls from 'concerned' teachers. Forged a lot of signatures, faked a lot of smiles. Couldn't let anyone know the truth that the cheerful seeming girl that skipped through the halls was usually in danger of collapsing from starvation and had no roof over her head. Orphanages and shelters were out of the question; Living off the grid was safer. And when I say I busted my ass to get good grades so I could get a scholarship to college and pay less money, I mean it; Graduated high school when I was sixteen all because of my efforts. Any money I got went to clothes, food, and I always saved just a little in case of emergencies. Personal and sentimental items for me just... Didn't exist. It was... only when I when I turned eighteen... That changed."

"...your house."

"...Yeah. Felt a lot of pride in that house, all the hard work I put in to get it. Felt that as long as I had it, anything else bad that might happen wouldn't matter." You opened your eyes once again and stared up at the jewel-embedded ceiling. They twinkled, as if they were stars. "And, well... We all know how that worked out. So now, the only thing I have worth sharing is here," You raised a hand to your chest, above where your Soul pulsed with an anxious rhythm, "And I'm not... ready to share that yet. I'm not brave enough... I want to take that step, one day. When your life's revolved around lies for so long, you get sick of it... I want to be truthful and be unafraid to share my experiences. But after living a lie for so damn long... I'm not sure if I have that ability anymore."

Sans moved first, shuffling over and sitting beside you. From the look in his eyelights, you could tell that he wanted to say something... but frustration took over, as he couldn't put his thoughts into words.

Fortunately, Papyrus was there, sitting on your other side and scooping the two of you into his arms. When he spoke, his voice was subdued, yet firm. "It is easier to go with the flow, to simply go where life takes you, but you have already stood up to that. You have refused to let yourself waste away into nothing, and despite the dishonest ways in which you did so, you have already taken the first step towards change."

"yeah. what paps is trying to say is that by standing up once before, it's easier for you to stand up again." It seemed that Sans had found his words. "you have that ability. you can change yourself whenever you want to, whenever you're ready to."

"EVEN THE WORST PEOPLE CAN CHANGE AFTER ALL... AND YOU'RE ONE OF THE BEST! WHEN YOU ARE READY, YOU WILL BE ABLE. WE BELIEVE IN YOU!"

You'd give anything to make sure they couldn't see the tears building at the corner of your eyes.

“…Heh.” Your smile was bittersweet as you relaxed against the two of them, your hands reaching out to grasp their own. “Glad someone does… Maybe then I’ll be okay, if the day comes that I no longer believe in myself.”

Your gaze looked out over the colorful spectrum of flowers littering the area around you, before you sighed. “Thank you… For sharing something so important to you two. Please know that if I could do the same, I would.” You murmured softly, your eyes glancing down to where your Soul and its charge lay.

Your smile morphed into something a bit more genuine.

“And… Maybe one day, I can.”

"INDUBITABLY!" With an affectionate 'nyeh', Papyrus squeezed you and Sans in as tight a hug as he could manage while still being careful of not squishing the human. Sans went limp almost immediately, accepting his fate, and an odd gasping sound emitted from his jacket.

"...BROTHER. YOU BETTER NOT HAVE WHAT I THINK YOU HAVE."

"i dunno bro, why don't you unhug us to find out?"

Carefully, as though Sans was about to explode, Papyrus set his brother down again and rolled away behind a nearby bit of seaweed, taking you with him. From your new vantage point, you could see Sans hunched over, waiting until both you and Papyrus were looking at him...

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

Just like that, the mellow atmosphere was ruined. His jacket was opened to reveal several dozen rubber chickens, all screaming from the tight hug they'd been given, and Sans himself was snickering quietly at the expression of sheer conflict upon Papyrus' face.

Your level of amusement, however?

"Pffffffffff-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!!!!" Your whole body began to shake with a belly-aching laugh, and you tumbled out of Papyrus' hold and right onto your back. Tears were trailing out of your eyes almost immediately, and you pounded at the ground in jaw-throbbing hilarity.

The utter look of betrayal on the tol skelebae's face wasn't helping in any shape or form either.

"OF COURSE... YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE AN UNFATHOMABLE SENSE OF HUMOR TO BE DATING MY BROTHER IN THE FIRST PLACE, I DON'T KNOW WHY I AM AT ALL SURPRISED." Your laughter only rose in volume at his words and you curled up into a wheezing ball as he turned to face the absolutely pleased and smug skeleton before him. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THOSE IN YOUR JACKET?"

"eh, since this mornin'."

"YOU PLANNED FOR THIS TO HAPPEN FOR THAT LONG?!?!"

"would i be me if i didn't?"

"UGH... I SUPPOSE NOT." You felt Papyrus' exasperation as well as resignation mount as he knelt down to poke your trembling side. "YOU MAY STOP LAUGHING NOW."

"I-I-I-I'm t-t-trying, I s-s-swear....." You gasped out, still weakly hitting the ground with an open palm. "I-It was just soooo-snrk... u-u-unexpect-t-ted..."

"so i guess you could say-"

"BROTHER."

"it was-"

"DON'T YOU DARE-"

"fowl play?"

"SAAAAAAAAAANS!!!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Ring Ring...

Ring Ri-Click!

"Hellooo? This is Optima Script Zargos speaking~!"

"Optima? That really you? Thank the Multiverse, I can't believe I got through to you!"

"Eh? Inky? Shit, it's... Been a while. Hey, how'd you get this number?"

"Asked around, but we can talk about that later. You haven't seen or heard Error around lately, have you?"

"Can't say I have Ink-blot. Sorry."

"Damn it..."

"Inky, you know what happened the last time you had your battle."

"I know, I know, I just... I'm actually kinda worried."

"Understandable, Inky... Hey, you wanna meet up like old times? Snack on sweets and all that? I'll make brownies and cookies!"

"Comfort food sounds good and all, but... Aren't you working on a project right now?"

"Just overseeing my babies is all... I'm trying not to be a helicopter parent, but damn is it hard."

"You're not torturing them, are you?"

"How dare thee insinuate I would attempt to mind-fuck those I care about with much ferocity. You forget yourself, sir."

"And I'm just going to politely pretend that I agree to that statement as I casually glance over to the Dusttale section of the Multiverse-"

"Oh shut up. I'm eventually going to create a Redemption Arc for them. Besides Ulti, MK, and Shadow have caused way more chaos than I ever could, and you know it."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. At least they can figure out what the fuck they wanna write for their stories."

"Whatever you say."

...

.............

"That's funny... I'm noting the distinct lack of an annoying male voice squawking about 'how I am barely a close second to the natural talent you possess'."

"Ah... Y-Yeah, things have... changed, since we met last."

........................................

"I'll be right over. You better have the Hot Chocolate and a damn good explanation ready."

"Heh, sure Inky, whatever you say. I can even tell ya about the new Alternate Universe I'm making. It's about dreams n' stuff."

"Uggggggghhh, this better be worth my time woman!"

Click...

"Heh, he's so funny when he's irritated. Hm, I hope my house isn't too much of a dusty mess..." A soft giggle echoed off the stone walls of the canal, a skeletal hand reaching out of a dark robe to lightly pat the cat-shaped head wood of their boat, causing it to rise slightly out of the water onto actual paws before it began to run over the liquid in the direction of Snowdin. A light exhilarated laugh sounded out as the being and the boat sped off, the fleeting flash of a fanged grin being the only thing anyone watching could have seen under the hood cloaking their face.

"Tra la la~!"

Chapter Text

It took some time for Papyrus to stop being salty about the whole mood-ruining joke that Sans had made, but he eventually settled down. You relished the cuddles you were given as the three of you relaxed within the Echo Flower field, you cuddled up in Papy's lap with Sans sitting comfortably in yours. You all spoke of much lighter things now; Papyrus soon finishing up his culinary degree, Sans' excited chatter about the scientific creation of the echo flowers, and you explaining how you started writing.

It was a set-up you definitely wouldn't mind getting used to.

It, unfortunately, couldn't last long; just as you were becoming relaxed enough to slip into sleep, the brothers roused you by saying it was time to move on.

"Aww, do we have to...?" You whine, snuggling Sans closer with a sullen pout. "It's sooo calm here... I could actually fall asleep..."

"that sounds like a great plan to me." The lazybones agreed easily, giving you a thumbs up as he leaned back into your hold. "i already got the perfect pillow: my human girlfriend."

"CAN'T YOU TWO WAIT UNTIL WE GET TO SNOWDIN TO SLEEP?! IT'S NOT EVEN PAST TWO O' CLOCK YET!"

"I knooooow Papy, but I didn't sleep well... I might as well have been up for a full twenty-four hours, and then some." Ha, poor boys didn't even know the half of it. "A quick nap wouldn't be so bad, right...?" 

"BUT YOU HAVE TO SEE THE REST OF WATERFALL FIRST! LIKE THE RAINY HALLWAYS AND THE GLOWING RIVER PATHWAY!"

"Mmm... Tempting." You hummed, tapping your chin in faux thought before relaxing against the ground again and tightening your hold around Sans. "Let me sleep on it and I'll give you an answer after my nap."

Sans guffawed as Papyrus puffed up with indignation, placing his hands on his hips. "Y/N, REALLY?!"

"NYEH!" You exclaimed back in defiance, glaring up at the tol bae, who lurched back in utter shock of his girlfriend using his own unique expletive against him. To the tune of the Sans' unbelievably loud laughter, you watched as Papyrus' sockets narrowed with determination and after gingerly placing the smaller skeleton down, got up and attempted to bolt for safety.

Of course, you didn't get very far, but at least you tried.

"Nooooooo, Papyyyyyy!" You squeaked as he plucked you off your feet and after placing you over his shoulder, moved to collect Sans as well (who was still losing his shit). You struggled against his grip but to no avail. Although, it probably had something to do with the fact that you only had one hand committed to trying to escape, seeing as the other one had to hold down the edge of your dress so it wouldn't ride up over your ass. "Put me down, noooooo!"

"I WILL NOT ALLOW MY DATEMATE TO FALL INTO THE TRAP OF LETHARGY!" Too late sweetheart. "SANS, SEEING AS YOU FALL ASLEEP WHENEVER I CARRY YOU, YOU WILL BE WALKING AS I CARRY Y/N." Papyrus huffed as he set Sans onto his feet by his hoodie.

"so u-unfair. n-nepotism i s-say!"

"Ha, you fool! Your belief that I cannot fall asleep in the arms of another will prove to be your downfall!" You proclaimed dramatically, which gained a snicker and a deadpan. Take a guess on whom's reaction was whom's.

"I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT ANYONE BUT MY BROTHER IS CAPABLE OF BEING THAT LAZY."

"Don't believe me, just watch~!" You went deadweight in Papyrus' arms, nearly laughing because he wasn't expecting it and fumbled with your legs when your body threatened to slide off his shoulder.

"ACK-- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?"

"No, I'm Y/n."

"NYEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" You squeaked in shock as you were suddenly thrown from his shoulder and into a startled Sans; The two of you ended up falling together and hitting the ground hard since he wasn't at all prepared to catch you. The taller skeleton began to stomp off in another direction, completely incensed. "THE FIRST DATE AND I'M ALREADY BEING DRIVEN BONKERS BY TERRIBLE JOKES AND LAZINESS!"

"Ow..." You simply laid still upon Sans, who groaned from the force your body had landed on him. "Welp..." Raising your head, you looked down at the punny comedian, giving an apologetic wince as he reached up to rub the back of his skull with a sigh. "...Think I went too far?"

"ngh... nah... that was pretty standard for what i do to him and all..." Cracking open an eye socket, you watched his eyelight lock onto your face with pained amusement as he attempted to shrug. "he's probably just salty that someone else did it to him for once... namely our awesome girlfriend. he's used to it from me."

"That's fair." You snickered, cringing a little as you forced yourself to sit up. Of course, since your life seemed to try its best to emulate an anime whenever it could, you were pretty much straddling him at this point.

Remember your being a Double Demi?

And you know that you were now dating people that you were emotionally attracted to?

And one of them you were on top of at the moment?

Yeeeaaaah, your sex drive seemed to be making its' true appearance in your life now.

You clucked your tongue with slight embarrassment as your cheeks heat up, while Sans stared up at your face with a sly knowing grin. "gettin' a little hot under the collar babe?"

It was time to play it cool. "Mm? Oh, not really... I was actually wondering when you started falling for me."

"uh, excuse?" The perpetual grin widened genuinely as you expected it to from the pun while you moved to get off him and began helping him up. "you were the one throwing yourself at me."

"No, it was Pap-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

You both winced at the loud screech (of mental agony, your mind finished automatically) Papyrus let loose. It even echoed throughout the field; you wouldn't be surprised if a few echo flowers gained his scream as a message. "Whoops... Thought he was out of hearing range."

"heh." Now back on his feet, Sans wrapped an arm around your waist and held you close before leading you in the way Papyrus had dashed off. "i knew he wasn't."

"Oh, you're such a jerk."

"yer the one datin' me, so what does that say about you?"

"I dance the fine line between Sanity and Insanity, obviously." You replied in a mock-pedantic manner, smiling pleasantly as Sans turned to meet your stare with a blank look of his own.

"...even after all this time i've spent with you, i still can't always tell if you're being serious or not when you talk like that."

"Hope you get used to it fast babe, you'll quickly go nuts if you don't. Besides, you've only known me for a month; that's not nearly enough time to understand the enigma that is Y/n." Your tone may have just been a bit smug... After all, you had carefully crafted your life to be as inconspicuous and unassuming as possible for literal years. That just meant it was doing its job.

"enigmatic you may be, but have you seen my bro's skill with puzzles? i'm sure between the two of us we can open you up a bit."

Wait... Was that an innuendo?

"SANS, IT'S ONLY THE FIRST DATE! IF YOU WANT TO HURRY THAT UP THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO PUT SOME MORE EFFORT INTO IT!"

Yep, it was and apparently, Papyrus could understand them quite well.

You attempted to ignore the heat that was definitely taking residence upon your cheeks, but of course, with Sans being the person that he was, it wasn't going to pass by without a comment of some kind.

"didn't know roses grew down here too... i'm guessing that's what you're trying to be, babydoll, since you're becomin' as red as one."

'Oh, you think I'm just gonna be complacent boneboy? I don't think so.' 

You stopped in your tracks and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, dipping your head so you could speak where his ear would be if he had one and letting your voice dip into a sultry tone. "Well, I wouldn't be blushing so much if my baby boy wasn't such a pervert, now would I?"

The skeleton found himself without air for a few moments, staring at you with his zygomatic bones flushing blue, but soon his grin returned. While he was easily flustered, it seemed he was beginning to get used to taking it as well as he could dish it out.

"true, true. i've got no excuse for that other than red is a good color on you." His grin widened, and he wrapped an arm around your waist. Lightly, but just present enough that you could feel the light trail of his phalanges on your hips. "then again, blue and orange would look fantastic. they're very complimentary colors, you know."

"Oh, I am aware... But wherever would I wear such colors?"

"i've got a few ideas-"

"BROTHER, THE FACT THAT YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY ADDING ME INTO YOUR FLIRTING CONCERNS ME." Ah, so the (somewhat) cinnamon roll had returned. You had nearly turned to face where you could hear him approaching, but you were stopped as his arms wrapped themselves around your own shoulders. With your brows furrowing slightly, you bit your lip as Papyrus dipped his head to your shoulder level as well. "IT'S ALMOST LIKE... YOU HAVE SOMETHING PLANNED FOR OUR CUTE LITTLE DATEMATE."

Holy shit.

"eh, i might have a thing or two up my sleeve, but you're the strategist of the family. how about we put our skulls together and show our lovely y/n what happens when you try to mess with the masters?" Sans wiggled his bonebrows at you, the blue flush on his cheeks seemed to be there more out of excitement than embarrassment. It was clear he was joking, but there was a certain gleam to his eyelights that hinted towards the joy-and desire-he felt by just being around you. A quick glance towards Papyrus revealed similar emotion, and the shorter skeleton wrapped his free hand around your wrist, playing around with the area where your veins could be seen. "you'd be able to turn her world upside down in a heartbeat, heh heh."

"Hoo boy. I'm in double trouble." You giggled a bit nervously, shrinking a bit into yourself from their attention. You were certain Sans could feel your quickening pulse where his fingers were splayed over your wrist. "Between it, if I wanna be technical..."

"AWW. LOOK, BROTHER, SHE'S SHY."

Wait, Y/n, don't rise to the bait-

"I am not!" You huffed, sporting a pout before sticking out your tongue defiantly. "I can take anything either of you throw at me!"

Stars damn it, you ornery woman!!

"if ya don't put that tongue back where it belongs, i'll find a better use for it, believe me." Sans returned with a dark promise in his grin, which merely widened as you spitefully made a childish noise in response while also not bringing your tongue back into the safety of your mouth.

"SUCH A DARING GIRLFRIEND WE HAVE~." You felt the taller brother's hands grip your shoulders and his jaw nuzzled into your hair. "A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT, AREN'T YOU?"

"Hmph! I didn't get through life backing down from challenges so you can rarely ever call me a glutton for punishment."

"mmm, i dunno, you're so easily riled up..."

"Bite me bone boy."

"well," Your eyes narrowed when Sans' gaze flickered meaningfully towards his brother, then widened with shock as you felt a large hand gently grip your hair and then firmly pull your head to the side, "if you insist baby girl."

----Shy anons, protect yourselves!----

Your eyes were so big at this point you were surprised they didn't pop out of your head. You attempted to speak your thoughts, but when you opened your mouth nothing managed to come out. You were literally just standing there with your jaw wide open. Although, that may have something to do with the fact that you were screeching hysterically in the back of your mind.

"why so silent babe...?" Sans' incredibly smug baritone seemed to purr into your ear while Papyrus chuckled softly behind you. "you were pretty vocal just a second ago. skeleton doesn't even have your tongue yet..."

Your brain was pretty much doing the equivalent of someone mashing their keyboard for a good few seconds before something other than your scrambled emotions registered.

The sly bastards were teasing you.

You know... You'd think they would've realized you were a spite-filled vengeful bitch that was quick to confrontation by now.

"You think you're both reaaaal funny, don't ya?" You ignored the pure heat that was stinging your cheeks and crossed your arms as a confident fire raged in your eyes. "I'm callin' your bluff. Do it then. Bite me."

Sans' grin faltered. Clearly, he wasn't expecting you to retaliate so quickly after what he assumed to be a crippling blow. "...what?"

"You heard me." Though your blush lit up your cheeks in a fitting hue, your stare was as fierce as ever as that unmistakable fire smoldered in your (e/c) orbs. "Bite. Me."

It seems that now it was Sans who was stunned, jaw opening and closing sightly. On an inappropriately comedic take, it was like he was short-circuiting as desire, embarrassment, and overall excitement flared in his eyelights. You could've sworn you saw a blue-gold hybrid of light streak through his void-like sockets before it disappeared.

"What?" You smirked, practically giggling at the skeleton brothers' reactions. "Bite off more than you can chew?"  You then directed your gaze towards Papyrus whose own bewildered expression was returned by your saucy one. "And what of you, Papyrus?" Daringly, you took a step towards the tall skeleton and let one hand rest at the center of his chest plate. The other trailed slowly up to gently caress his jawline. Perhaps it was his blush, but you could've sworn you saw vermilion creeping towards the white of his pinprick eyelights-- wait, were they always there? "Too scared to even dare be as bold as your brother?"

Your hand was soon seized in a movement so fast you hadn't seen it coming, your wrist gripped in a tight hold that resonated with strength.  Papyrus' blush dimmed as his eyelights glowed orange, an almost primal radiation waving off of him that was dominating your sensitive magic with desire and--Stars, was that hunger? His mouth widened and your pupils dilated as his large fangs seemed to extend and glisten within the darkness of his mouth. "BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS, Y/N," he warned. You suddenly found yourself pressed up against him as he leaned himself towards your own body with one hand clenched against the small of your back and the other exposing your neck. You would've responded with a snarky and perhaps confused reply if your mouth hadn't gone completely dry. You shuddered as you felt his cool breath ghost across your bare flesh. "THEY MAY JUST COME BACK TO BITE YOU."

...Oh Sweet Morning Star.

Papyrus... Just... Punned.

Of his own accord.

You were so fucked.

"YOU SEEM TO BE STARING AT MY MOUTH QUITE HARD, LOVE," You whimpered softly as Papyrus leaned in further, the very tips of his fangs resting over the area where the main artery in your neck resided. "PERHAPS YOUR JAPE WAS TRULY AN INVITATION...?"

Sweet baby Cheesus, you were nOT MENTALLY PREPARED FOR A SEDUCTIVE PAPYRUS!

"red really does look great on you y/n..." Your spine stiffened further as you felt Sans' grasp your hips and his form press against your back. His phalanges squeezed at your softness, as if trying to feel for the crests of your hipbones, before one hand slid downwards to rub the outer side of your thigh while the other slid upwards to stroke your abdomen. His deep voice slid sinuously through the air beside your ear on the opposite side of Papyrus. "look at ya, all shy... and yer tremblin'. how cute~."

'WEE WOO WEE WOO, 'UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SEXY AND I LIKE IT TOO MUCH' ALERT!'

"I-I'm not t-t-trembl-ling, y-you're the o-one that's--hyeek!!" A short shriek from your throat cut off your sentence, due to Papyrus getting the bright idea to actually bite your neck-- Not hard enough to break the skin of course, but firm enough to allow you to feel the inward stretching of it. You froze immediately as the vibrations of a low growl rumbled against your flesh as if you were an omega wolf being told to stand down by an alpha, and your eyes fell half-lidded without your knowing.

W-Why does that feel so good...?

"Oh, so you like this, do you...?" Papyrus spoke in a breathy fashion against your neck, causing you to shiver; a vague thought about how he was able to speak so clearly with his jaws around your neck flitted by at the back of your head, but quickly vanished without anymore rumination as the sound of Sans speaking registered.

"heh, look at 'er bro; ya got her all dazed and flustered. that expression on your face... you're kinda a freak, aren't ya sweetheart?" You gnawed your lip unconsciously as Sans lifted the hand from your abdomen to grab your chin and turn your head so you could spy his leer out of the corner of your eye. You couldn't help but squirm from his look as well as the gentle pecks Papyrus was leaving on your throat. "ya played with fire doll... and ya got burned."

"M-Mmph... I dunno if--ah, P-Papy--w-what I'm feeling counts as-ngh... B-Burning!" You managed to squeak out and quivered as hushed growls were the response you gained from the both of them. Sans' hand on your thigh squeezed a bit tightly, particularly around the hem of your thigh high sock.

"...then i guess we better fix that, huh?" He whispered in return, and with a quick digging movement against your thigh to make you gasp, quickly pressed his teeth flush against your lips.

Your heart and Soul jumped and flip-flopped in unison as deep, deep emotion washed over your senses almost just like the other day-- You were quickly becoming dazed from it, which astounded you due to the fact that it was only Sans and Papyrus exuding such strong emotion towards you. Perhaps being touched at the same time strengthened it? Or maybe you were more attracted to the two than you had originally thought...

Regardless of the reason, your thoughts were horribly scattered and logical thought was drifting further and further from your reach from both brothers' actions. You could proudly say that you at least tried to try to calm the situation down--after Sans properly stole your breath away of course. Parting with a desperate gasp as you felt something wet trace your lower lip at the same time as it slid over your neck, you flailed in a mild manner between the two of them as you panted for air. Sans promptly nuzzled his face into your (h/c) locks with a deep sound you'd believe was a cross of a snarl and a groan. Papyrus himself seemed to be damned determined to leave some sort of mark on your neck-- Dear Delta, you hoped that if any hickies appeared, they'd disappear quickly.

Your head was hazy, your Soul was singing, deep carnal emotions were swimming in your veins like fish in a bowl and--oh god, you wanted this, you wanted them sooo bad, you were frightened by just how little reservation you seemed to hold for this whole situation-

Wait...

Why weren't you stopping this?

"mm, baby doll... you smell so good..."

Why was your magic--your Soul--completely complacent and satisfied as if this was... Right? So soon..? Complacent wasn't even the right adjective, it was demanding you give in for once in your damned life. Absolutely trilling with the sudden deep desire to continue where you left off--

...Left off? B-But... This was new-- n-no, this was familiar, but it... wasn't? Not like this, but you had felt like this before with them... Not together, but... Separate? But you hadn't! This was the first date!

...Right?

"N-Nyeh... Y/n, so s-soft..."

Confused, so confused, which side do I believe, ohgodohgod they're drowning me with such delicious intent, such pure emotion, idon'twanttoevenbreathe--!!

A sudden sharp pain, like the jabbing of a needle spearing through your chest, gave you enough presence of mind to finally break away.

----Aaaaand we're back to our regularly scheduled program!----

"T-TIMEOUT!" You managed to squeak out as you lurched roughly out of their hands, and collapsing to your knees a few feet away from them as you gasped wildly for air.

The two skeletons bore similarly perplexed and somewhat concerned expressions. Though Sans held more amusement to his. "timeout?" He repeated.

You refused to turn back to look at them as a slightly hysterical giggle bubbled from your lips and you flapped a hand rapidly in their direction. "Y-You two win, heh-he, I-I won't... Ah, e-egg you on like t-t-that anymooore.... Nngh, overloaded... Too fast too furious..." You pressed your hands to your face as you tried to get your magic and twitching under control, but that was like dealing with a bull in a china shop. "Hah... Haha... Hoo boy, I'm super hot, fuck... Ego vexantur, ut periti, Quid peccavi!"

"pffff, what?"

"I-I just, uh," your face continued to burn as your tongue seemed to be glued to the roof of your mouth. Your magic was both figuratively and literally screaming bloody murder at you for pulling away when you damn well knew you wanted it to continue. "Y-you're both just so-it's all-ERGH!" You began to spin your hands in erratic, haphazard motions as you clamped your eyes shut. "Words! Emotions! I'm dizzy, gah..."

"I... SEE...."  Papyrus leaned down towards you, tilting your downcast head up to gaze into his heated state. "WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, DEAREST?" He cooed, fangs shining temptingly. "I PROMISE I CAN MAKE YOU FEEL ALL BETTER~"

For reasons you will never know, a hazy image that was so blurred you could almost confuse it with a childhood memory, of you straddling a panting Papyrus crossed your mind and before you could stop yourself-

"Yee-haw."

.

.

.

.

.

'Where did I go wroooooong?' Seemed to float by in the wind with unsympathetic amusement, as all sexual tension left the scene from that single word. You hung your head as mortification warmed your cheeks now, while the skeleton brothers reacted in about the way you'd expect.

"YEE... HAW?" Paps straightened, tilting his head to the side with a purely innocent and confused look. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND??"

Sans, on the other hand, had a mind just as dirty as you (if not more) and seemed to know immediately what you were thinking. And of course- "pffffffffff- hahahaha! oh, delta, doll," Sans guffawed, struggling to not break into fits of laughter. "i never-pfft-thought you'd be like that so soon...!"

You shot back with irascible humiliation, "Says the skeleton with the polyamory kink!"

His chuckling broke off into flustered sputtering while Papyrus looked back and forth between the two of you in confusion. You'd never guess that just seconds before he was suckling on your neck and-- Jeebus Crimbles woman, stop thinking about it! You went back to wishing the ground would just swallow you whole while the taller skeleton shook his head.

"ANYWAY, LIKE I WAS SAYING BEFORE EVERYTHING.... AHEM, HAPPENED, WE SHOULD MOVE ONWARD! COME, Y/N!" Grabbing you by the back of your collar, he hoisted you up into his arms while you performed some mild half-hearted flailing in protest.

"Noooooo, leave me alone to die from my awkwardness..."

"NONSENSE! I'D NEVER ABANDON A FRIEND IN NEED, LET ALONE MY BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND! LET US VENTURE OFF INTO THE REST OF THE UNDERGROUND!" Carrying your form bridal style, you let your form fall dejectedly limp in his hold before letting a groan slip past your lips as Sans was promptly plucked from where he stood and laid across your body. He gave you a smug grin and let his head rest exactly where it had landed--On your breasts.

"damn these are comfy." You huffed, letting your head hang backward in the saltiest manner you could manage as Papyrus trekked out of the Echo Flower Field.

"This is bullshit."

"LANGUAGE!"

"English!"

"NYEH!" 

No way.

There was actually snowfall down here. The boys hadn't been playing you.

It was so pretty...

And so fucking cold.

"EH? DATEMATE, WHY ARE YOU SHIVERING?" Papyrus asked, gently poking at your chilled shoulder as he led you forward through the sudden gloom of fog that had descended when the three of you exited the dark blue-violet caverns. It was so thick that if you brought your hand up to your face, you wouldn't have been able to see it.

"C-Cold..."

"thought ya didn't get cold."

"E-Easily. I d-don't get cold easily. M-Meaning windy d-days and cold p-pools and oceans don't a-affect me." You hissed out, your teeth chattering severely as you wrapped your arms tight around your form. "B-But because a c-certain someone thought it would be h-hilarious to push me into that damn glowing r-river, I'm soaked and w-walking through this f-freezing ass w-w-weather! Y-You also ruined my c-clothes, asshole!"

"...h-heh. at least ya got me back right...? i just don't feel cold like humans do..."

"F-Fite me Sans."

"DON'T WORRY Y/N, YOU CAN WARM UP ONCE WE GET TO THE INN! WE'VE HAD A LONG EXCITING DAY AND WE ALL DESERVE A BIT OF REST."

"I-I'll s-s-say..." You muttered to yourself as your brain imagined a moment in particular in unison with them, you were sure, as their calm was ruffled by flustered desire; however, you refused to mentally wander any farther down that road as that sharp stabbing pain in your chest started up again. "I-I mean, that little w-white dog that was in my p-pocket after I s-solved t-the puzzle... Dafuq w-was with t-that?"

"THAT ANNOYING POOCH LOVES TO MESS WITH ME, I AM UNSURPRISED THAT HE MANAGED TO SHOW UP ON OUR DATE!" You would have giggled at the exasperation in the tol bae's voice if you weren't trying to keep your fingers from freezing off. "WHAT BOGGLES MY MIND IS HOW EXACTLY DID HE GET HERE?!"

"m'surprised that ya managed to get the artifact before it did... ya still got it right? whatcha goin' to do with it?"

"W-Well... Finders k-keepers doesn't really a-apply here... It's n-not mine and I d-don't even know what it i-is-- I only k-know it's powerful... I'll probably h-hand it over t-to Alphys or A-Asgore; t-they might know what to d-do with it, b-because I sure d-don't."

"smart idea."

"AT LEAST YOU MADE THE STATUE VERY HAPPY Y/N!"

"You t-t-think s-so?"

"OF COURSE! PUTTING THAT NEW UMBRELLA THERE SO IT WOULDN'T GET WET REALLY CHEERED IT UP; THAT'S WHY IT STARTED SINGING! BUT WHY DID YOU NOT REMOVE THE OLD ONE? IT WAS ALL HOLEY ANYWAY..."

"I d-dunno... I c-could feel a hint o-of Frisk's a-aura on it, s-so I assumed they p-put it there... D-Didn't seem right t-to throw it a-away..."

"mm, makes sense."

"OH LOOK, THERE'S SNOWDIN!" Your head snapped up at Pap's words and you narrowed your eyes to peer through the thick vapor; you nearly cried with relief to see the dark outlines of some buildings in the distance.

"Oh, t-t-thank heavens... I-If I get s-sick, Sans, I'm b-blaming you. C-Can we hurry please, I'll be an i-icicle soon..."

"VERY WELL Y/N! IF I MAY-" You were once again swept up into a pair of large arms (How many times was that today?) but you couldn't care less this time seeing as it meant you'd get to warmth faster. "BROTHER, PLEASE GO AND START UP THE SHOWER FOR HER AND GET HER SOMETHING WARM TO DRINK?"

"roger." A quick flicker of his magic and then his presence was gone. Papyrus then began to sprint forward towards the town; you attempted to curl in on yourself as much as you could in an attempt to conserve warmth and turned away from the frigid wind stinging at your cheeks. Emotions of the Land (that's the official name you had for it) began to tease the very edge of your senses...

Cheer. Depression.

Happiness. Sadness.

Perseverance. Nihilism.

YOU CAN DO BETTER... I... I PROMISE.

The next shudder you felt wasn't just from the cold.

At least the fog was clearing up though...

"T-T-Thanks P-Pa--" Glancing up to see his face, all forms of thought came to a screeching halt at what you saw.

You double-taked and blinked.

You blinked again.

You rubbed your eyes and looked up at him again.

"DATEMATE...? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME FUNNY..."

"Ah... No... No, I'm o-okay sweetie." You frowned a bit, seeing nothing but his actual concerned expression. "J-Just thought I saw s-something weird is all... I guess I'm p-pretty tired..."

"OH! WELL THEN, DO NOT WORRY, WE SHALL GET THERE SOON!" You nodded shakily and waited placidly in his arms, forcing your mind to think about the boiling shower and warm bed that was waiting for you. And you knew that once sleep came... It would be time to talk with a certain goop dad.

It was a much better subject to wonder about than the split second you had seen Papyrus headless, after all.

As soon as you popped into the grey limbo, you got the feeling that something wasn't... right. Like negativity of some kind was permeating your surroundings. Your e-radar was jittery, as if trying to warn you of something. You attempted to brush off the wary feeling as you faced Gaster though, believing you were just being paranoid. You knew you were safe with him.

"Ah, Y/n. How... considerate of you to make a visit."  The revenant goopy skeleton was standing in the middle of the room as if he knew you were going to appear, his hands steepled and his expression... Controlled? A certain tone in his voice made you pause for a moment; he sounded... peeved. "And what is the reason for this... Pleasure?"

Blinking at him for a bit, you shook your head before turning back to the task at hand. "I got a bone to pick with you Wing-Dingus."

"Oh, really? And what is that?"

"Why didn't you tell me I was essentially dating your sons?" He froze for a split second before he raised a hand to gently rub his forehead.

"Shit." You did a double take, the surprise that he actually cursed knocking you out of your irritable state for a second. "How did-"

"A little birdie gave me a hint and I figured it out." You clicked your teeth, crossing your arms with your suspicion. "Was I not supposed to know this or something? When you ended up coming back I would've found out anyway, so why didn't ya just tell me from the get-go? What's with all the secrets and shit?"

"This is certainly the pot calling the kettle black, now isn't it?" He raised a brow sassily at your pouty but agreeing form, and skirted around the question as he placed on a mock thinking face. "After all, you certainly have secrets of your own, do you not? Your past, your power, your various idiosyncrasies-"

"Are you kinkshaming me? For dating your sons?" Your jaw dropped in bewilderment as you stared the monster in front of you down (just what was his problem?) before puffing up defensively. "Now who's the pot calling the kettle black? Even as cold as you said you were before you fell into the Core, you still got busy occasionally, didn't ya?" You wriggled your hips in a snarky manner and sticking your tongue out at his face, which was steadily growing darker with his violet blush. "I bet you made Muffet pretty happy all those times you-"

You were quickly cut off as a fuming Gaster slammed a summoned hand over your mouth to shut you up. "Cease your vulgar language this instaaaaaaa-GYEHHH!" With a quick flick of your tongue, you had licked around most of the circumference of the hole in his hand and part of his palm that remained. You smirked triumphantly as agitated glitched noises escaped him and he flailed the hand in the air, his entire face a radiant violet. "Wh-wh-wha! Why would you-?! How dare you?!?!"  

"Dangerously." You replied cheekily as a deep flustered scowl rested on his face. "But really Wing-Dingus? Really? You know me better than anyone else, and you still honestly thought that was a good idea? I mean, even if I didn't lick it, I could have literally continued speaking because of the hole in your hand-"

"You leave my sensitive holes out of this, woman!"

.

.

.

.

"Pffffffft-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" You promptly doubled over with glee at just how unintentionally dirty that sentence sounded, tears of the purest hilarity trailing down your face as Gaster's Soul Shards began to exude even more mortification than you had with your little slip-up with the boys earlier that day. The rueful expression on his face made you believe he was obviously mentally contemplating where everything in his life went wrong. "OH MY HOLY FUCK, THAT'S THE BEST THING I'VE HEARD IN SO LONG HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Ugh... You're so utterly crude..."

"You're obviously just as crude as me if your mind went there at the same time! You just hide it better!" You let loose a glorious cackle and nearly toppled over from the laughter wracking your form, wheezing as you slapped your hand against your knees in obvious amusement. "Who knew you had it in ya?"

"You're obviously delusional..."  He grumbled with discontent, the large black mass that made up his 'body' roiling with his irritation. "I should have expected immaturity such as this."

"My my, such a foul mood." You wiped your tears away as your wide grin diminished a bit in your concern and confusion. "You're awfully grumpy for someone who just had all his Soul Shards found and is now that much closer to rejoining Reality."

He responded in the most mocking and bitter voice you had heard from him to date. "I'm not off my rag yet."

"...Excuse? Oh, that's it," You spun on your heel to glare up at the transparent monster. "What's going on with you?"

"Oh nothing," He returned, his face crinkling slightly at the edges of his jagged mouth. "Nothing at all." He waved his hands in an abrupt wave of dismissal. "You can simply carry on your blissfully arrogant ways as per usual."

"What are you talking about?" Arrogant? Just what was he on? "I'm not understanding your piss poor mood. Everything's been going alright! I got the last piece of your SOUL back, you'll soon be whole again, and Sans and Papyrus are giving me a wonderful d-"

"-Date, yes, I am well aware." He cut you off, causing you to frown. That's not what you were going to say... "It was not as though I was near the entire time and you never noticed. Oh! Wait!" He slapped his hand over his head. "Of course it was!"

"Wait a minute, I thought you were going to give us privacy. Why were you watching us to begin with?"

"Are you truly so oblivious that you can not hazard a guess as to why?" At your purely lost look, he hissed out a sigh and clapped his hands together sharply before pointing them at you in a completely done expression. "The shards of my SOUL are quite literally swimming in your magic, which is easily influenced by your emotions. When I was first flooded with the feeling of desire, I had believed it to be nothing more than a passing... lascivious thought of yours and tried to ignore it; when it continued to build to dizzying levels, however, I decided to make a quick visit to politely ask you to cease your mental activities." His sockets narrowed irately on your paling, horrified face, "Imagine my surprise when I find you locked in a passionate embrace with both of my sons."

...

........Oh.

Oh shit.

That would piss anyone off.

"Oh... Oh God, I am so so sorry Gaster." Any lingering signs of humor left you at that very moment. "You uh... Probably never wanted to see that..."

"Understatement of the universe, Woman."  You winced sharply as you lowered your gaze from his very much vexed one, squirming a bit at your sheer display of airheadedness. "You would think with how careful you are, some details would always be at the forefront of your mind, say, oh I don't know... Housing another SOUL within your aura?" You shrunk into yourself out of distressed shame as you proceeded to gain the worst scolding of your life. "I hope you are appropriately abashed with yourself-- That was the most selfish and irresponsible display I have seen in quite some time."

"...I wasn't exactly the one to make the first move, ya know..." You couldn't help but mutter as you scuffed your foot against the ground in a contrite manner. "And I wasn't really thinking about it, this is all new to me..."

"So nice to hear I take up such little space in your conscience."  You cringed further at the astringent tone he was sporting as he turned away from you in disgust, and rubbed your arm pitifully before you noticed something important.

Gaster's Soul Shards were a little hard to read considering the circumstance, but you were an expert at this after being an empath all your life and you were sure you were feeling something... particularly negative. It was painful and familiar, like...

Like the feeling of a needle.

"Hey, are... Are you...? Are you jealous?"

As if that was the magic word, Gaster's form ceased all movement for a fraction of a second before he glanced back at you, brow furrowed. "...What in the name of the Delta Rune are you babbling about now?"

"Well... I mean, I can sense emotions-"

"Oh yes, an excellent introduction to your argument considering you failed to sense how uncomfortable I was with feeling your perversions with you-"

"I know I fucked up, okay?! Intimacy is a new thing for me, and I got caught up in the moment!" Your face reddened with humiliation and indignation, puffing up defensively in response. "That was totally my fault and I apologize... But don't change the damned subject!" You crossed your arms sharply, staring him down. "I can feel that you're jealous in some shape or form about that situation--And don't try to say you're not because I'd be able to feel that you're lying." You watched as the monster before you began to fidget guiltily in place, and after a moment of watching him avoid your gaze at all costs, your own expression softened. "You know, Gaster, it's okay to feel jealousy."

"...It... I-It is...?"

"Of course ya goober, it's not a crime! You can't help what you feel!" You won't lie, you felt a large amount of relief seeing Gaster slowly turn back to you, a cautious and hopeful relaxation resting slowly over his features. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"...I must say, my dear, I..."  He raised a hand to his temple, a shaky chuckle leaving him as he rubbed gently over his ivory forehead. "I-I had felt absolutely wretched over my feelings... I felt that it wasn't my place to feel that way..."

"Nonsense!" You replied, flapping your hand at him with a giggle. "I'd definitely feel that way if others were able to interact with my children while I couldn't either!"

Gaster's expression went scarily blank at that moment. "..............What."

"I said-"

"No no, I heard what you said," The poor creature was exuding absolute bafflement as he pointed at you in shock, "Are you implying that you believe I am jealous of you? Since you can interact directly with my sons and I cannot?"

Now it was your turn to be confused. "...Yeah? Who else would you be jealous of in this situation?"

...An excruciating and dolorous silence rested between the two of you before your attention was snagged by a negative emotion quickly beginning to build from the Soul Shards in your possession.

Uh-oh.

You took an unconscious step back as Gaster metaphorically exploded.

He was so incensed you couldn't understand much of anything that he was saying, and you meant that literally. The sounds that he was spewing from his mouth sounded nothing more than noises you'd expect to hear from a furious broken radio.

The stuff you could understand, however... Wasn't meant for children to hear.

"U-Uh, Gaster, honey..." You murmured nervously, pretty skittish at seeing the usually cool as a cucumber monster utterly losing his shit. "I really think you should calm down-"

"That is truly rich to hear from a certain naive someone who avoids remaining calm like it's the plague!! Your hypocrisy is incredibly appalling! How can such a remarkable woman so damned inattentive?!?!"

That was a little harsh...

"H-Hey, listen, if this is about them being your sons, I'm really sorry Dings. I honestly never pieced it together. Did you want me to ask for your consent to date them or something? I'll do that if you wa-"

"NO!" The force of his yell shook you with surprise as he was soon looming over you. You shrunk back a bit, eyes wide and more than a little frightened at his behavior. "I do not CARE about such ludicrous things! Why can you not see that I-!" He paused, jaw clenching as if suddenly gaining the realization of what words were about to pour from his mouth. "I...."

"Gaster," You slowly reached your hands out to grasp them with your own and soothingly ran your thumbs across the smooth, hard surface. Just the way you knew he liked it.  "What's wrong...? Really? Please just... tell me what you want from me. I honestly don't understand but I want to help. You just need to help me understand first..."

"....Y/n, I... I want..." An intense flare of emotion lit up his eyelights and Soul shards as his hands gripped yours tighter. This emotion was... Familiar. Soft and tender. What was it...? "I-I... I..."

"...You...?"

.

He couldn't do it. 

He just...

Couldn't...

He broke away from your hold and his scowl was back, masking any of the raw tender emotion that had laid there mere seconds before. "I want nothing to do with you or your frivolous romantic endeavors."

"...E-Excuse me?"

"Tch... Absolutely oblivious. Your parents were originally more right than I thought."  What...? What was he-  "Don't expect me to want to see my sons become intimate with a mere child."

You had never felt so something so painful in all of your adult life.

Getting abandoned by your old human friends?

That was like feathers falling onto your skin. That was nothing compared to this.

Your house burning down?

That was like running through a sprinkler spewing icy cold water. Merely an annoyance in comparison.

But your oldest friend... Your best friend, the only one you were able to regularly depend on throughout your adolescence, the one being you had felt comfortable spilling your guts, tears, past, worries, ideas, and even thoughts of death to implying that you're really just as childish... immature... and weak as you pretended to be in order to not be found by those you ran from...

A molten blade being run straight through your Soul would have been more merciful.

"...Is that how you've always thought of me...?" Your whisper was almost silent, your head bowing into a lowered position. "A child...? A mere child...?! A being in which you only entertain for a few short hours every once in a while but never think about any other time? That's what you've always thought of me whenever we met in the Void?!" Your voice was slowly building, your fists were tightening, your pain was slowly being eaten up by anger, and even then all you could feel was the burning liquid beading at the corners of your eyes. "After all the deep discussions, all the attempts to just stay in the Void to keep you company only to be blocked by you, all of the fucking times I allowed myself to actually cry in front of you which I have NEVER done with ANYONE ELSE, and you simply saw me as a toddler with an interesting Soul and magic to match?!?!" Your body began to tremble with rage, feeling your magic begin to pump through your system along with your blood-- What a strange feeling it was to feel so unbelievably angry and ready for a fight when you knew you were still deep in sleep.

You damn sure were about to change that though.

With all of the offended, bruised pride and betrayal you could certainly muster in your eyes, you glared balefully at the paling and shocked stiff form in front of you as the Determined part of your magic built like a volcano until it exploded in glorious unison with your final outburst. "To put my reaction quite simply-- Fuck! You! Gaster!!"

Your sheer Determination was enough to remove you from Limbo.

Chapter Text

Your rise from slumber was slow and unhurried, like if you had attempted to take your hand out of a gallon of molasses. Your mind was groggy, resisting slightly against the lure of consciousness, but your body just wasn't up to sleeping anymore.

Even so, you keep your eyes shut for a while longer as the gravity of things sat on your Soul like a weight.

Gaster...

Why...?

The utterly remorseful and contrite feelings permeating Gaster's Soul Shards (now outside your Soul Shield--when did that happen?) only served to make you angry all over again-- How dare he? What gave him the right to hurt you like that? And then feel sorry for it? When he knew practically everything about you?

And because of that, he knew exactly what to say to hurt you most...

If he was going to go that far and say something he knew would specifically hurt you, why wouldn't he own it? Did he truly feel that way? Had he wanted to let you know in a smoother manner but just lost it? Was it just the slip of the tongue? Or was it that he had something to hide and decided that hurting your feelings was the better choice rather than telling you why he was so angry with you?

Every single question you asked yourself, every possible scenario you thought of to try and justify his actions only served to confuse you even further; made your rage build higher and higher until it was practically boiling in your veins-

And then you felt the fear.

The fear of your anger radiating from his Shards, almost shaking in its hover outside your Soul's barrier, caused your mind to stall in its livid rant to attempt some kind of rational thinking.

He needs to use your magic to heal...

Magic influences the healing process...

Your magic is easily influenced by emotions...

He can feel those emotions...

......

Ah, fuck...

Being angry (or feeling any kind of negative emotion at all) towards him would hurt him. Damn him, damn him to the deepest pits of Hell. What a fantastic situation he landed you in; You couldn't even be properly angry at him without accidentally bringing harm to his Soul!

Fuck, would you even be able to properly heal him now though? While not exactly wishing him any harm even now (ugh, you were such a softie), you definitely felt ill will at this moment in time. That would slow the healing process immensely at the very least, possibly halt it altogether, or (anime forbid) even reverse it.

'Would that be so wrong though...?' A voice, your voice but fairly barbed, hissed sibilantly in your head. 'There are consequences to all actions-- His own should be the stalling of his return to the land of the living. Quite idiotic to insult the one being gracious enough to help you return after all.'

You admit with a small amount of shame that you deliberated on this for a second longer than you should have before giving it the obvious rejection. 'No, that's... That's not....... No. He hurt my feelings, but that means little when compared to a life.'

'There must be some sort of consequence for this transgression.' The mental voice snarled in return. 'You cannot just let it go...! Retribution must be had!'

'And it will be.' You agreed, believing the high road was the best one to take. 'But it must be equal to the wrongdoing; preventing him from entering life once again after countless years of being stuck in pure nothingness and being kept from his sons and those he cares about is not equal. It never will be. Therefore, that is not the correct punishment.'

A sullen silence fell upon your mind (a Spiteful one, you noted) and you felt more than a little relief as you realized the voice had no further argument. However, you blatantly ignored the penitent and timid graciousness you felt radiating from your charge, your ire and resentment nowhere near sated despite your decision. You didn't care if he had felt or understood that conversation or not.

This was going to cause a fair amount of problems... Just how were you going to heal his Soul when you were feeling, well, way less than accommodating towards him in general than before? Since your magic was so easily influenced by emotions, it was extremely hard to separate the mental state from the actual feel of your magic. You couldn't just stop feeling, nor would you want to. You'd have to be constantly thinking about good things and good things only (which meant to never think about him at all right now; impossible by the way) and with the state of the outside world and your current role in it, that was highly unlikely.

And even if everything was still hunky-dory (which it certainly was not), you were still dating his sons and he could feel every emotion, every result of an exchange, and every 'encounter' you had and could possibly have in the future with them so long as his Soul was healing itself in your aura. You were trying to keep yourself from feeling guilty about that still, but it was easier said than done.

...Not to mention that with more negative emotions, the risk of your mind being taken by the Void again was higher and-stars fucking damn it Gaster, just look at the fucking mess you've made!

Motherfuckin'-!

ERRRRRGH!

You breathed in a deep slow inhale with your eyes still closed, held it for several seconds despite the uncomfortable straining of capacity in your lungs, before releasing it just as slow in order to calm the fizzling magic in your veins. You repeated this several times, trying to squash down the smug and vengeful feeling of his Soul consequently quailing in response to your anger spiking.

'You better be afraid, you no balance havin'--Okay, Y/n, no, stop, those are bad thoughts. Poisonous thoughts. Don't think about that. Don't think about anything. Just... Blank. White. Calm... Don't feel. Don't think. Just... Relax...' Taking a last centering breath, you simply laid still for a few lingering seconds.

.

.

.

Phew...

Okay. 

You were... Less incensed for now.

...You thought so, at least.

'...What I need to do is to figure out a way to still be able to heal him without my emotions fucking up the process...' You nibbled on your lip slightly as you began to try and think of a way around this setback. You'd be damned if you let something as trivial as your emotions get in the way of your datemates getting their father back. 'Shields won't work because duh, but maybe I can make something similar to them...? Something that separates my emotions from my magic and allows him to heal...'

But how though...?

You sighed deeply as you realized you would have to bring your Soul out in order to make a physical attempt to this, groaning underneath your breath; You weren't ready to wake up and face the day just yet.

'C'mon Y/n... The sooner you get this done, the sooner you get to woosah before the boys wake you up for rest of the date they have planned...' You self-scolded, gritting your teeth before attempting to sit up in bed.

You froze once you felt something around your midsection and shoulders prevent you from rising. In fact, when you moved, it gripped you... Tighter?

Wha-

Deciding to quietly check what it was before flipping the fuck out (although the chances of that were quickly rising with the warmth and solidness you could feel from the obstruction), you cracked open an eye just a bit and glanced down at your torso.

You nearly had a heart attack seeing a skeletal arm wrapped around your shoulders and another around your stomach.

WHAT THE FU-

"mm'babe... calm down pleazzz, yerrr gettin' staticky..." A near growl came from your left, a voice known to you and ladened with the seductive syrup of sleep, and you tensed as the feeling of cool breath flowing over your ear made you realize that the being the voice belonged to was very close to you.

Your eyes flew wide open at this revelation, your breath stalling in your lungs as you glanced to your left and saw Sans nestled against your side, snug as a bug in the covers and his arm tightening just a bit around your shoulders. 

Wasn't Sans sharing a room and bed with Papyrus, what in the hell was he doing in your roo-

Wait...

Sans had only one arm around you, so the other had to be...

Flicking your eyes to the right, you stiffened further upon seeing Papyrus also snuggled to your side, arm around your stomach and soft breaths gently disturbing the stray strands of your hair splayed across the pillow your head was laying on. He seemed really content in his sleep.

You wished you had that calm right now.

You went deathly still as they both shifted in their sleep, their hands tightening on where they were grasping your shoulder and midsection and your eyes flickering around widely to survey the room while you began screeching internally.

What the fuck were you doing in the same bed as them?!?!

'Waaaaaiiit...' Your eyes narrowed as they ping-ponged back and forth, scrutinizing your surroundings. 'This... Isn't the room I fell asleep in. I remember making them take the bigger room because they were going to share, and there are only two rooms in the Inn, so...'

...How did you get in here? You were a dead weight when you slept, so you couldn't have wandered in here while still asleep. If you had, the boys would have woke you up. Most likely.

They wouldn't have entered your room while you slept to sneak you into theirs... Right? They had too much integrity for that...

Your partially raised head slumped back to its original position against the pillow as you furrowed your brow and shut your eyes trying to remember exactly what happened the night before that would have landed you in here. Your fuzzy mind was not being very helpful at this moment in time.

'Think Y/n, think...' You bit your lip as you tried to remember if you had woken up before now.

....

Oh.

You had.

As the memories slowly came floating back into your mind, you could feel the apple of your cheeks flush with heat.

'Oh... My god.'

'Bastard!!!!'

You held back just long enough to keep from screeching angrily as you shot up from your prone position of sleep to swing your pillow around and smash your face into it, thus muffling your choked cries of wordless anger. Rage burned away the cloying sluggishness of sleep like a wildfire to pieces of loose-leaf paper. You hoped in the back of your mind that you wouldn't wake up the boys but you truthfully weren't very focused on that.

'Bastard, bastard, BASTARD!!!' You used both hands to pound at the mattress underneath you, feeling your Soul flare with Spite and Vengeance and holy fucking god your very being ached with pain.

'How dare he?! How could he just... Use my troubles against me like that?! He's seen my Soul! I trusted him!!' You quickly ran out of air shrieking like a banshee and began to pant for more, feeling hot tears running down your face and dampening the pillow and that somehow just made your rage climb higher. 'I've never...! No else knows...!! And he did it oN PURPOSE-!!!'

You went still for a split second as you felt immense panic emanating from his Soul Shards before glaring balefully down at your chest, all of your ire being pointed towards the shattered physical manifestation of him because fUCK HIM, THAT'S WHY!!!

'Motherfucker insulting me while I'm FUCKING HEALING HIM, I'LL SHOW YOU-!!' Without thinking, you forcefully pushed his shards outside of your Soul Shield, akin to an angry wife kicking her husband out of their house and leaving him out in the cold by slamming the door shut, ie- closing the shield up behind him while still keeping him within your body. They might've faded if you did, which was way too hateful of a decision for you to make even with your temper quickly reaching new highs every minute.

You huffed and puffed for several minutes from the effort of keeping your anger (mostly) internal, refusing to let the hot tears building in your eyes drip down your face. With what could only be described as a mix between a sob and a growl, you threw off your covers as you abandoned the hope of getting any sleep for the next few hours and got out of bed to stumble into the bathroom and turn on the sink.

You splashed freezing, must've-just-been-melted-from-the-snow-out-there water on your heated face a couple of times, hoping to try and quell the oncoming tears with the sudden and severe temperature change. It worked for a time; but the longer your mind dwelled on the cutting words your so-called 'friend' spewed so callously at you, the harder it became to hold them back. You realized one hand was clenching the lip of the metal sink in an overly tight manner and slowly retracted it; if you had let your magic flow in your hand get any stronger, you would have begun to dent it. Your teeth clenched at the slip of restraint and stomped out of the bathroom, beginning to pace around the bed as if the movement would stop you from erupting further.

It wasn't really working.

'No way am I about to do one of those stupid ass dramatic moments sobbing my eyes out while curled up on the bed.' You needed to move. Needed something to do; keep your hands and mind occupied so you didn't end up doing something imbecilic like destroying something or crying. 'To hell with him!! I won't cry over him-- I WON'T!'

Hurriedly rubbing your face dry with your towel, you stalked out of the bathroom with a snarl in your throat and put on your boots as well as the thickest coat you had; which unfortunately wasn't all that thick. What common sense that still remained in your head was trying to get you to think about what exactly you were doing (you were leaving your room? Where the fuck were you going to go, outside? And do what- Freeze to death? Oh yeah, that would definitely show Gaster-) but you were much too heated to listen to sound reasoning now.

You let out another low growl, your hands clawing agitatedly at your arms and causing a few welts through your clothing, you were sure. You stomped up to the door with the intent to storm downstairs--

And then hesitated slightly as you heard a soft noise outside of it, your hand partially stretched out towards the doorknob. It sounded like... The click of a different door... closing?

You froze, finally remembering that you were not the only one in the building, and listened for any sort of movement from the room adjacent to yours.

.

..

...

.....None that you could hear.

You hesitated a little longer, then silently gripped the knob and twisted it open veeeeery slowly to cautiously peer outside.

Let's just say you jumped at least a good foot into the air when you saw Sans positioned in front of your door, hand poised to knock.

"Shhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiitake mushrooms...!" You whisper-yelled as you jumped back from the doorway, your skelebae jolting out of shock himself with sockets blown super wide. "Jeebus Crimble on a crepe, man-!!"

"holy delta babe-!" He hissed as well, flailing a bit before reaching out through the crack in the door to clamp a hand around your wrist and press a finger to his teeth in a shushing motion. "shh!"

"Whaddya mean 'shh'?!" You hissed back, your free hand pressed over the area of your galloping heart before heaving out a shaky breath through gritted teeth. "You scared the fuck out of me!"

"m'sorry m'sorry! couldn't sleep and thought i heard you movin' around, so i came to see-- paps is still asleep, shh!"  Sans continued to insist, glancing worriedly towards the room he was supposed to be sleeping in as his hand shifted from your wrist to your upper arm. "calm down, it's okay... it's just me hon, it's sansy." You felt your brows raising even as you took a deep breath, surprised that he had called himself by the nickname he found embarrassing. "there ya go, deep breaths... m'sorry for scarin' you, doll."

"...I'm okay... I'm cool... It's cool. You're cool." You murmured in reply, your tense body going slack now that it had caught up to the fact that your mind knew there was no danger. "Not like you knew I was about to open the door or anything... I'm alright." You released a deep sigh, feeling your pulse start to slow underneath your fingertips. You pushed the door open a bit farther so you could slip out of the room when he gave your arm a gentle tug. You looked at his face curiously, wondering how in the hell a skeleton could get dark circles underneath his sockets. They looked like deep bruises, the poor thing. You wanted to give him a hug. "Whatchu need honey...?"

"...you were movin' around? i assumed you couldn't sleep, just like me? y'know, like... last night. so i figured, why not keep ya company until we both fall back asleep or somethin'." Was the reply as he glanced back at the room he was sharing with Papyrus one more time, before getting a good look at your face. Worry flooded his expression almost instantly. "jeez babe... you look terrible."

"Thanks." You muttered sarcastically in a still hushed voice, giving him a deadpan and raised brow. "I do try."

"you know what i meant." He huffed, eyelights scanning your features. You noticed how they lingered on your tired, water-logged, and likely pink-ish eyes. "...bad dream?"

"...You could say that. You?"

"couldn't fall asleep in the first place really." He grumbled, casting his eyes towards the ceiling in a half-hearted glare. "it's hard to do so here."

Eh?

"You weren't comfortable in bed?"

"heh, you could say that." The skeleton chuckled a bit, taking your words for his own. He squinted towards the door you just came through before taking a gander at the jacket and shoes you had thrown on. Confusion crossed his face. "were you plannin' to go outside or something?"

You didn't answer, eyes flickering to the side as his confusion morphed into suspicion.

"babe..."

"I didn't want stay inside the room." You half-whined, shuffling a bit guiltily on your feet and cringing slightly as you felt Sans' grip tighten on your arm. "When I woke up, I felt trapped. I needed to move. I felt like I might break something otherwise."

That seemed to throw him off a bit.

"wat." He blinked slightly, glancing over your form and seeming to do some actual surveyance of your... emotional state. He didn't seem to like what he was seeing. "...hey, what's the matter...?"

You hesitated once again, eyes wavering on his face before you bit your lip.

'C'mon Y/n... This is Sans. Your pun buddy. Your boyfriend. You can trust him, you know...'

'Yeah, that's what you thought about his father though, isn't it? Wonderful judge of character you are, top notch.'  You flinched slightly as that sudden thought slithered through your head, a flare of hurt welling in your chest and causing you to end up releasing a stuttered and pained breath from your lungs.

This didn't escape Sans, obviously.

"y/n...?" Your eyes flickered to watch as your skelebae advanced, worry in his sockets as he reached up to gently press a hand against your cheek. "hey... you can talk to me. what's wrong? did your dream really freak you out...?"

You faltered for a split second before giving a single nod.

"...you wanna talk about it?"

You were prepared to vehemently shake your head, wanting to forget the 'dream' ever happened but then... You thought about it. Toyed with the idea a little. Many thoughts began to run through your head.

'He did say that I could always talk to him about this if I needed to-'

'I can't tell him I just cussed out his dad-!'

'I don't exactly have to explain that part-'

'How do I even explain it at all-'

'It's Sans, he's seen you at your newest low, you can trust him-'

'Apples don't fall far from the tree without getting bruised-'

'Just because he's the son of the asshat doesn't mean I shouldn't trust him-'

'......I want to trust him...'

"y/n. please." You refocused your gaze properly on your boyfriend's face, where you could see the worry becoming more and more apparent in his expression. "i want to be there for you... i want to help. i... y-you mean a lot to me, y'know?" You couldn't help but soften your expression, reaching up to take the hand pressed against your cheek.

"...It's... It's really hard to put into words..." You said, weaving your fingers in between his phalange as your gaze made contact with his. "Have you ever... Ah, no, um... You know how when you wake up from a nightmare and... y-you either feel fear or anger at your surroundings even though you know nothing is there...?" He frowned sharply at this but gave a slow nod.

"yeah...?"

"Does your magic ever act up after you wake up from a nightmare?"

"...yeah."

"That's... That's what's happening..." You admitted, fidgeting in place as you felt your magic itching underneath your skin. His sockets widened as you felt your fingers twitch and you shot him an uncomfortable look as you bounced on the balls of your feet. "I really really need to let out some of the excess energy in some way, Sans. It's not going to go away easily unless I do."

The nightmare part wasn't exactly true, but it was the best you could think of without giving away something completely shocking or dangerous.

Though, much to your surprise, Sans asked no questions. He only acted. Grabbed you by the hand and led you out of the Inn into the nearby forest far enough from the building that you could release some energy without waking up Papyrus. The freezing air bit at your nose and the tips of your ears, causing you to shiver and pull your jacket a little tighter around yourself. He had terribly confused you at first with his actions.

"Uh, Sans...? W-Where are we going...?"

"paps n' i lived around snowdin for quite some time. durin' that time, we grew into our magic. we're... kinda strong. like, abnormally. we broke shit often while trying to control our magic and emotions--we have a clearing around here that we used when we needed to expel any energy. when we got older i stopped usin' it other than to vent, but pap repurposed it into his training grounds in a way." Was the response, the skeleton not even looking your way as he led you further by the hand. "m'havin' a feelin' that your magic is stronger than ours since you're a human, but you're not plannin' to go all out or anythin', right? it'll work for whatever you need to do babe, promise."

"Ah... O-Okay..." You mumbled, blushing a bit as you glanced down at your joined hands with a flustered expression before shaking your head. 'Calm down girl... Ya ain't a high school girl fawning over her first crush.'

Silence lasted between the two of you for quite a while, the only sound you could hear was the crunching of snow underneath your feet as you blindly followed Sans. The two of you went in a relatively straight line other than when you encountered trees right in your path, to which you just walked around and kept moving. You wrapped your fingers a bit tighter around his hand, to which he glanced back at you in question. You flashed him a small smile, and he chuckled softly and smiled back at you. "don't worry baby. we're almost there."

You nodded, lacing your fingers in between his and contently following behind him the rest of the way in silence. You were just about to lose yourself in your watch of the swirling visible puffs of your breath in the cold air when he pulled you to a stop.

"we're here."

You tuned back into reality with a blink and raised your head to see the two of you were standing at the edges of a clearing; a particularly large one that was surrounded on all sides by trees. You were guessing that from a bird's eye view the clearing would have a rough oval shape. You could see a few stray bones where you stood, some sticking out of the thick layer of snow blanketing the ground and others lodged in random trees here and there.

You could definitely feel the residual magic of floating in the air and lingering in the ground and snow. You hadn't been exposed to your baes' magic signature for very long, but even if Sans hadn't told you that this was their old training place, you would have still recognized the feel of their magic anywhere.

You wondered why that was.

"...Mm."

"what?"

"I can feel you guys here." You hum, walking farther into the snowy moor with a soft sigh. "It... Feels safe? I dunno. Is that weird?"

"nah... kinda glad to hear that actually."

"That's good." You looked around a little more before sighing and glancing back at him. "Soooo... What should I do?"

"well, whatever you normally do when you vent your magic."

"Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaah, no can do on that one."

"eh? why not?"

"IIIIIIIIIIII might kinda maybe take my Soul out to do whatever the hell it wants when I do that..."

...........

".....I would appreciate it if you maybe didn't stare at me like that?"

"kindly remind me on how you're still alive?"

"I honestly have no idea, but I'd say it was a regular mixture of smarts, studying, Determination, luck, and pure straight panic at times." You chirped back with a grin and a shrug, obviously waaaaay too happy about the various things you've done in your life that could have gotten you killed for Sans' liking.

"...." Evidenced by his silence. You tried to keep your face as straight as possible as he gave you the deadest of deadpans before taking a deep breath and plopping himself down onto the snow. "okay, well... whatcha gonna do about yer problem then? if i may, i offer the suggestion of not just blasting out a whole bunch of magic in one direction like a poorly thought out anime character?"

"C'mon Sans, give me some credit, even I know that's straight stupidity. I'm not that reckless." You tried to assure, but all you got in return was a raised browbone and a look that could easily be interpreted as 'you're in denial, sweetheart'. You simply smiled in response and sat your own ass down onto the snow a few feet in front of him. A shiver trailed up your spine as you felt the temperature of the snow seep through the bottom of your sweats, and squirmed a bit as you tried to acclimate to the feeling. "I... Do have a-another way to release magic, but... it'll take a lot longer and it leaves me a bit vulnerable."

"you don't doubt that i could keep ya safe, do ya?"

"Huh? Oh no, not like that! I mean, um..." You hesitated, raising a hand to lay it over where your Soul rested. "I'm... g-gonna have to take off the upper layer of my shield and, w-well... You, um, you can't look."

Understanding flickered over Sans' face as his sockets widened in surprise. "o-oh... okay, i get it... i won't look."

"Promise?"

"i ain't usually one for promises babe... but i swear to you, i won't look." He punctuated this by closing his eyes and then covering them with his hands. "just do what you need to do, and then you tell me when it's okay for me to look, alright?"

You paused for a good moment or two, eyes narrowing on his form; if it wasn't for the sincerity you could sense off him, there was no way you would've peeled off the barrier from around your Soul.

"O.... O-Okay then, I-I'll just..." Taking a deep breath, your gaze flickered over to him for a few times before slowly shucking the chrome layer away from your Soul. You exhaled in relief as it fell away; as necessary as the blasted thing was, it was much like a corset in its use--restrictive and inhibiting so as to keep your magic in and others out. It even barred you from access to your magic to a degree.

Taking it off allowed your magic to flow liberally through your veins, which was one hell of a feeling. It was like comparing a waterfall to a mere trickle in terms of power running through your body. The difference in feel always managed to make you shiver.

Moments like these made you abhor having to put the damn thing back on eventually.

"w-whoa babe," Sans breathed, once again moving your attention to his still covered face, "i c'n feel the difference already 'nd i'm not even lookin' at ya... you're really keepin' all that locked away? isn't that... i dunno, uncomfortable? doesn't it hurt?"

"It's... Restraining, but no, it doesn't hurt, really..." You murmured, deliberating a little before deciding to wrap the chrome barrier around Gaster's Soul Shards. Just in case Sans did take a little peek. "I mean, I still have the other barrier around it, though that one isn't as strong... So it's not a complete form of my power, but... It's one of the reasons why my energy levels are so jacked up? I think? Like I'll be super exhausted one day and then kinda hyper the next." You hummed in thought as you stared at the shorter skeleton. "Oh, um... You can look now by the way."

His hands fell away from his face at your okay, his sockets widening as his eyelights landed on your form. "yer... seepin' magic."

"Yeah, that's normal." You chuckled, glancing over your body; which was in fact, whisping silver and red magic from various areas. "It's not often it gets to escape, you know? Still, it's better than a full-on blast. Although since it's filtering through my skin, it's going to take some time to vent enough magic out for it to be comfortable again."

"yer beautiful babe... it's like... yer glowin'." He muttered, clearly in awe. "s'almost as if... you're not even human. you're more like a monster, lookin' so... ethereal." You squirmed a little at the compliment, feeling yourself blush and attempting to hide your face out of habit.

"Sans... Don't say stuff like that, it's embarrassing..."

"you can't blame me for bein' honest babe." The skeleton chuckled fondly, his eyes surveying your body before his gaze landed on your face. You jumped slightly as he double-taked pretty harshly, his left eye flashing blue intermittently as he stared you down.

You sensed a great amount of alarm and apprehension coming from him. He was very much unsettled for some reason...

"Sans...? Hon? W-What's wrong....?" You murmured quietly, tilting your head to the side curiously. He flinched at this movement and your brows furrowed in worry. "Babe?"

"nn... sorry, s-sorry, m'just-" Sans' eye flickered for a bit longer, the white eyelights dim and unfocused before they closed as he took a deep, shuddering breath. "yer... yer eyes..."

"Huh...? Oh!" At the call to attention, your hand involuntarily moved up to brush at the edges of the aforementioned body part. "Y-Yeah, I know... Red eyes are always pretty creepy, huh? Whenever I use my magic outwardly, they turn this color since Determination is my main trait..." You had never felt really self-conscious about this sort of thing before, seeing as the only other person to see them that way was William and you usually only used the effect on your eyes to intentionally scare... But Sans was obviously knocked off-kilter by this development.

In fact, evidenced by the beading sweat near his forehead and the very tense grin he was sporting... He was VERY cautious. Afraid, even.

You really didn't like that feeling around him. Especially not pointed towards you.

You angled your head down so that several strands of your hair slid in front of your face, hiding your eyes. "I-I, um, I can change them to a different color though; easy to do so since I have every Base Trait there is, haha." Your joking tone was flat and nervous, your hand moving to cover both of your eyes. "J-Just a second-"

"n-no, wait, don't do that-" Accompanied by the loud crunching of snow as he moved closer, a bony hand clasped around your wrist (holy hopping bunnies, he was freezing) to halt your movement and try to pull it away from your eye area. "y/n don't. i'm okay. it's okay."

"Don't lie to me Sans; I can feel your emotions, it's clearly not." You grumbled back, trying to keep your face hidden from his gaze. "You don't like it, so lemme just change it-"

"babe, it's fine! i was just... reminded of a bad dream, okay?" He firmly pulled at your wrist, managing to bring it a few inches away from your face so that only your hair was blocking his view of it. "it's not your fault or anythin'-- you don't have to change anything for me, so don't." You tried to pull at the grip around your wrist, but his hand wasn't budging. His other hand moved so that he could gently cup your chin and attempt to lift your gaze to his again. "c'mon doll- lemme see that pretty face. i won't be weirded out anymore, i promise."

"Makin' a lot of promises today, huh?"

"only ones i can keep." The skeleton shot back, trying to duck his skull lower so he could try to catch your eye. "please?"

"Ngh. Fine," You griped, lifting a hand to try and push him a bit out of your personal space; which he dodged rather impressively at such a close range, "But don't get mad at me if you keep flinching every time you make eye contact with me." You crossed your arms as he took it upon himself to lift your head back up and tucked the stray strands of hair behind your ears.

You were still looking away from him, eying a nice looking snow poff instead.

"heh; look at me, sweetheart. do i have to beg or somethin'?" His words managed to wring a snort of humor out of you, causing you to shake your head and chuckle.

"I don't think I could ever imagine you begging for anything if I'm being totally honest." You continued to snicker at the rather hilarious image presented to your mind (Sans begging Paps not to take away his ketchup, now that was funny), which made you loosen up enough to lock eyes with Sans again. True to his word, Sans simply smiled wider, his thumb stroking the edge of your jaw.

"there we go... much better, yeah?" He chuckled, his eyelights scanning over your face as you huffed at him and relaxed. It really was okay. "sorry 'bout that... just a trigger i guess. now that i'm lookin' at them better, i can see they're... not the same." You blinked as he moved his hand from your chin to your cheek and leaned in a bit closer. "your red is... friendlier. warmer. like the tip of candlelight or somethin'."

"Heh. Didn't know you were such a poet, Sansy." You giggled, trying to keep his thoughts off whatever it was about red eyes that spooked him. You wouldn't ask since you had your own triggers you'd rather not explain either.

Admittedly, you were also trying to keep his attention away from your cheeks; which were quickly growing warm due to his proximity. It obviously didn't work due to his observant nature, but at least you tried.

"all the better to make ya swoon for me, babydoll." He sniggered with a wink, laughing a little louder as you puffed out your cheeks at him. He poked at the flesh with a shit-eating grin, making you swat at his hand in a good-natured manner.

"Oi, no poking at the human. M'not a specimen in a lab. Plus, your phalanges are fucking cold."

"heya, no need to get 'cheeky' with me." You groaned loudly; He hadn't said a pun this entire time and you hadn't been at all prepared for this one. Honestly, you should have known better.

"Sans, no, oh my fuck." You hissed, pressing your hands against your face in horror. "That was terrible."

"'eye' think i sense some bitterness in the air."

"Sans..."

"c'mon babe, you 'nose' i can't resist jokin' with you."

You struck just then, pushing Sans away from you with a playfully outraged expression so he landed flat on his ass in the snow. He laid there for a few seconds, staring up at the cave ceiling with a gleeful smirk curling his teeth.

"ah, 'icy' how it is."

Asshole.

"Don't be surprised if I end up giving you the 'cold shoulder', ya numbskull." You harrumphed, swiping a lump of snow in his direction as he cackled with laughter.

You weren't exactly sure how much time passed in this manner; to you, it felt like twenty minutes on one hand and a few hours in the other. He kept you pretty entertained with his antics, making you squeal with his cold as fuck hands and the like. It was a good thing the magic you were expelling was keeping you warm enough to be able to shake it off.

Speaking of which, enough time passed where there was enough absence of magic buildup in your Soul that it didn't feel like it was ready to burst in your chest. It was a feeling you knew wouldn't last very long since your magic replenished a lot quicker than most mages, but it managed to draw a deep sigh of relief from your lungs.

Maybe you would do this more often; back at the house in the very least, where it was safe... If Sans didn't mind, you were certain Papyrus wouldn't either.

With a languid word to Sans, you both got up and got ready to go back to the Inn; and you wrapped your Soul back up in its restrictions once again once Sans' back was turned, along with Gaster's shards. You whimpered softly at the feeling of the magic flow being siphoned off from your body again, the waterfall reduced once more to a mere trickle, but unfortunately, that's just the way it had to be.

Still. It was a long-awaited purge.

"Phew... I needed that..." You hummed calmly, feeling yourself droop in your posture as you wrapped your fingers snugly around one of Sans' hands. "Thanks, Sans... Really."

"anytime babe, anytime." The skele-bae murmured back as the two of you exited the forest, the Inn off in the distance and waiting for the two of you to approach. "ya need me around anytime you do that, and i'll come runnin'."

"Oh~? Liked the feeling of my magic surrounding you, bone boy?" You murmured with a coy sweetness, grinning like the Devil as the monster choked on whatever he was going to say next.

"s-shut up." You snickered relentlessly as he nudged you forward with a glowing turquoise blush, pushing you the last few feet needed to have you nose-to-wood with the entrance of the Inn.

You stumbled on inside, still chuckling and shivering at just how warm the inside of the building was in comparison to the tundra outside. You shook yourself a little and stamped your feet against the welcome mat to rid yourself of the snow still clinging to your clothes, giggling as Sans sauntered in after you, muttering to himself.

"so," he huffed, flicking a bit of snow off of his hoodie and giving you a raised browbone, "what're ya gonna do now? go back to sleep? it's still pretty late..."

"Lol, yeah, I don't think so." You chuckled a bit sardonically, turning to go walk up the steps leading to your rooms. You barely remembered to lower your voice, since Papyrus was probably still upstairs and asleep. "M'probably just gonna draw or write until Papy gets up or whatever; I can never go back to sleep after waking up from a nightmare."

You were bluffing so hard and you knew it; You just didn't want to give Gaster a chance to pull you back to what you dubbed the 'Nowhere Room'. Fucker was of the persistent sort after all, and you were still way too angry and bitter to even have a want to face him.

"...uh, never?"

"Nope. I've tried practically everything--Warm milk and hot chocolate, calm music and sounds, meditating; it never works. Such nonsense has no power in the realms of my complicated and shattered mind." You snickered, shrugging with a self-deprecating grin. "Only complete exhaustion has any sway there, and even that has to sneak up on me in order to win."

"huh..."

There was a bit of an awkward silence as you two climbed the rest of the steps to the rooms, leaving you to wonder what he was thinking about.

Either way, you hopped the last three steps and stopped to stretch out your back, groaning slightly at the soreness you could feel beginning to settle there. You were about to turn to thank Sans again for the assistance and wish him whatever sleep he could manage to get now when he spoke suddenly.

"what about cuddling?"

You blinked, confused, before turning to face him with an odd look. "Uhm... Cuddling?"

"yeah, cuddling. would that help you fall asleep?"

".....I don't know? I've never tried it before."

"why not?"

"I've been on my own since I was twelve, Sans... Who in the world would I cuddle?" You chuckled delicately, watching as his expression shifted into one of contemplation. "But anyway... Thanks for-"

"how about me and paps?"

You stopped short, taking a few moments to process this statement before once again turning to make eye contact with his blue flustered countenance. "...Wat."

You were probably making him uncomfortable with how sharp your stare was because he soon began to stutter out his reasoning to his sudden and shocking offer. "w-w-well you kn-now, I mean...! i-i wasn't t-tryin' to suggest anythin'... o-off, i just-!! i figured that, y-you know, you've been losin' so m-much sleep lately and you said that was bad for humans a-and paps and i are still kinda nervous about you fallin' asleep so i figured that this way y-you can can get some sleep a-and we-!"

You slapped your hand over his mouth with a deadpan; yes, you knew that wouldn't physically halt his words but he was a smart boy-- he immediately realized you wanted him to stop talking. And he did so.

"Sans. Love. Breathe. You're yelling and rambling." The blue flush that had been working on fading away from his face returned with a vengeance, making you raise a brow as the little lights in his sockets flickered back and forth between your face and the hand you had plastered against his mouth. "Okay, now let's go through this again... Calmly." Raising your other hand, you began ticking off what you believed he was saying. "You know I'm losing sleep."

He hesitated before nodding slowly.

"You're worried about how that will begin to affect me."

Another nod.

"But you're also still concerned about me going to sleep in the first place because of what I explained to you about my illness about a week or so ago."

A rapid set of nods this time.

"So because of that, you're knocking out two birds with one stone with this offer and trying to help me get some sleep but also keep an eye on me at the same time; but due to the circumstances, the offer sounds weird and unintentionally suggestive."

Another few seconds of hesitation before he responded with a single, slow nod.

"Mm." You watched him for a few seconds longer, letting it register just how genuine his worry was before, before removing your hand from his mouth and offering it to him in agreement. "Okay, c'mon."

"wait, wat?" Your raised eyebrow officially disappeared into your bangs as he regarded you and your outstretched hand with a perplexed expression. "you're... you're okay with this."

"Yeah."

"...why are you okay with this?"

"Reminder that I can sense your intent, honey; you don't have any bad or questionable motives swimming around in that skull of yours, so yes, I'm okay with this." You responded, putting a hand on your hip. "And I don't get physical affection often, so that's also an upside. Also, you know how I get when I'm tired."

Anyone who knew you well enough would realize that your ability to give a fuck/damn (while already alarmingly low in some cases to begin with) plummeted to the astounding amount of zero when enervated.

Your attention was distracted from the outrage of having your inner monologue interrupted by your bae still trying to wrap his metaphorical brain around your easy compliance to his proposal. "and yer sure that you won't regret this later?"

"Oh, I would probably be embarrassed when I wake up, for sure." You nodded to him sagely, giving a light shrug. "But regret? Being around you guys? Never." You shook your displayed hand a little more urgently, feeling your patience drop by every passing second. "So, uh... We gonna do this or should I just tough out the rest of the night in my room instead?"

Seeming to snap out of most of his reluctance with that sentence, he gently took your hand and led you over to the door that Papyrus was resting behind. "okay, okay, just... paps is probably still asleep an' all, so-" You repressed the urge to roll your eyes as he knocked a phalanx against his teeth, and nodded in understanding.

You mimicked the closing of a zipper over your lips, sharing an amused look with Sans and watching as he slowly twisted the doorknob and opened the door as quietly as possible.

...You could hear the sweet snores of the bae as soon as it was opened. The elder skeleton breathed a soft sigh of relief as he allowed you room to slip inside before closing it behind him. "good, we didn't wake him up..."

"Sometimes, I think he sleeps harder than you do."

"psh, nah--i'm the best at sleepin'; i can do it with my eyes closed." You did end up rolling your eyes this time as you moved further into the room, ignoring Sans' chuckling at your burdened sigh. The bed was at least twice the size of the one you had originally been sleeping in, with the headboard pressed against the adjoining wall of this room and yours. Papyrus was wrapped up in the covers, on the side closest to the door and facing away from it.

Like snow melting, you could feel your face thaw into tired affection at just how comfortable he looked all curled up in the blankets.

"So," You began, beginning to remove your sweater and shoes, "How is this gonna work?"

"o-oh, uh... would ya rather lay in the middle or th' side?"

"Eh. I guess it doesn't really matter..." You hummed, moving to hang your sweater on a bedpost of the bed before looking back at the tol vertebae as he muttered something in his sleep; it sounded like your name.

'Damn it, he's cute even when he's sleeping...'

Without thinking, you shuffled closer to where his skull was placed on the pillows and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on it.

He murmured again, and you were too distracted by just how god damn sweet his sleepy smile was to notice the arm that had wound itself around your waist until it was too late.

You had no real words to describe how shocked you were when your face had a thrilling meeting with the firm squishiness of the mattress.

'Ow, my nose...'

You blinked a few times as you tried to process what just happened, entirely taken aback; and the utter hilarity you could sense from wherever the fuck Sans was (along with the feeling of an arm tightening slightly around your midsection), was only solidifying that what just happened wasn't a dream or something.

Oooooookaaaay...

"Mmph... Um, Sans?" You began to ask, turning your head sideways so that the mattress was no longer bruising your nose and you could actually speak. "...What just happened?"

"i-it, snrrrk... looks like p-pap grabbed ya in his sleep, heheheh... s-shoulda warned ya that he's a cuddler when asleep..." He managed to snicker out, that infuriating grin appearing in the corner of your currenty smushed up vision. "although... y-you already knew that, huh?"

"You're an ass, bone boy."

"this all seems exceedingly familiar, heh." As Sans moved to slip into the covers on opposite side of the bed, you struggled to right yourself within the younger skeleton's hold(he was ridiculously strong even while asleep and you were still trying not to wake him up). With some effort, you were able to shift your body from the awkward position of half laying atop Papyrus to the middle of the bed instead (though the lanky vertebae was still hanging onto you by the waist). Sans, thankfully, was apparently too exhausted to continue his usual assholery, and had taken it upon himself to hold back the blankets to allow you to slip underneath them too.

"Thanks."

"i aim to please." With a quick unamused glance towards him, you attempted to get comfortable between the two of them.

...

........

"...you okay?"

"Mmhm." You hummed, letting your eyes fall shut as you shifted onto your back. You successfully held back a flinch from the small ticklish shock you felt as Papy's arm shifted to wrap around your stomach. "You?"

"m'fine." He muttered, rearranging his bones so he was laying on his side and facing you. You could feel his nervous gaze on your face, even with your eyes closed. It felt like he was trying to give you as much space as he could so you weren't uncomfortable.

You wanted to roll your eyes again.

"Why so distant?" You whispered, moving your hands so they rested on your tummy. "You already fell asleep on top of me once."

"heh... y-yeah, guess i did." With a soft sigh, he adjusted his position close enough to where you could feel the warmth emanating from him. "sorry... just don't wanna push any boundaries."

"Honey, if you made me uncomfortable, trust me when I say that I would definitely let you know." You lifted up a hand towards his direction, much to his confusion. With the beckoning flexing of your fingers, you smiled as he slowly placed a hand into yours, and gave a soft choked sound as you gently placed his arm across your shoulders. "See...? It's fine. You're fine."

"y-you sure...?"

"Yeah... Relax lovely." You murmured back warmly, letting your hand fall back onto your stomach and letting your head fall onto the pillow behind it.

You'd guess that about ten minutes ticked by before Sans' stiff form actually managed to relax beside you like you had asked, and then another five had slipped away before his hand actually gripped at your shoulder.

You had been listening to Papyrus' calm and steady snores to try and lull yourself to sleep before you remembered something.

"Sans?"

"yeah...?"

"Thanks. Again... For tonight I mean."

He remained silent for so long that you had almost forgotten you had spoken to him before he actually replied.

"....anytime, babydoll."

You weren't sure how many minutes had passed before you managed to slip into a doze, but you knew you were smiling when you did.

You know one of those faces you make after waking up the morning after you got super inebriated or otherwise lost your sense of judgment, and realize just how embarrassing the shit you did the night before was?

Yeah, that was you right now.

'Whatever deity watches over me, strike me down now before they wake up and I have to face this really embarrassing situation...' You cringed, eyes scrunched tight in... Well, like you had originally guessed, you couldn't exactly call it regret, now could you? You don't think you could ever regret spending time with your baes; you were just... Flustered. Yeah. Very much so. That was a good word for it. Why was tired you so damn uncaringly impulsive? 'Come on God/Kami/Pein/Jashin--Anyone in charge of my life right now, can you Spare me just this once and let me drop dead just for a little while?'

....

'I take it your silence is a no?'

..........

'Well, fuck you too then.' You huffed with a pout, before glancing at both Sans and Papyrus to either side of you. 'They seem really comfortable... Must be having good dreams...' You reached out towards the taller skeleton without thinking, softly placing your hand atop his skull and giving it a gentle stroke. He murmured happily in his sleep and snuggled closer to you, causing you to smile. 'He really is cute when he's sleeping.'

You heard a snuffling sound of sorts to your left and glanced down as you felt Sans' hand tighten its grip on your shoulder. This caused you to grimace. 

Shit. How am I supposed to get to my own room without waking at least Sans up? He'd definitely feel the flare of my magic if I cast an illusion and he already felt a disturbance in my magic from my spazzing out before...

...Guess you were going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.

Easy part first.

Very slowly and veeeerrrrrry carefully, you moved the hand that was atop Pap's skull to the arm wrapped around your waist. With a slow deep breath, you cautiously picked up his arm by the wrist and shifted it carefully to his side so that it was no longer around you.

He stirred a little in his sleep (which caused you to freeze for a minute waiting to see if he would wake) but settled back down, much to your relief. Though you did notice that the small smile on his face seemed to wane a little in his sleep...

Now for the harder part.

You glanced towards Sans then, an eye narrowing on his seemingly asleep form with a vague sense of suspicion. The monster could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, that was certain, but you also knew he was very aware of his surroundings even while he slept. A very useful skill, one you once had but it had declined a bit in its practical function when you finally got off the streets. Now, whether it was a natural talent of his or one built out of necessity, you weren't sure, but it was kinda throwing a wrench in your plans now.

You watched him carefully, trying to look for any sign that he was awake and (of course) finding none. If he was really asleep, you didn't want to chance him waking up but the subject of Gaster's health just couldn't wait...

Keeping an eye on him, you slowly began to reach for his arm and managed to gently wrap your thumb and forefinger around his wrist before beginning to lift it up and away from your shoulder.

You were actually beginning to think that'd you'd be able to manage to escape this soon-to-be awkward situation when you were able to place his arm close to his own side, but then as you sat up, shifting your body in preparation to slide up and out of the sheets and trying to figure out just how you were going to get off the mattress, you froze as you felt a bony hand clasp around your left wrist and heard that deep, growly voice again.

"'n where didya think you were goin'...?" You managed to quell the squeak that had threatened to escape your throat (just barely though, you really weren't good with jumpscare type shit) and slowly turned your head to look down at your captor.

Between the single eyelight peering up at you from a half-lidded socket (close to wisping away into nothing) and the actual frown his mouth was sporting, you could tell Sans wasn't exactly ecstatic with you trying to make your silent getaway.

Shit.

"well...?" He grunted flatly, his expression obviously tired and unamused. "i hope ya weren't tryin' ta go back outside without someone wit' ya..."

"I... I-I wasn't..." You replied in a whisper, feeling your insides quiver just a bit at the sound of his voice. His Brooklyn accent was much more prominent in his sleepy state and mixing that along with the displeased tone he had, you felt an unexpectedly giddy feeling quickly skitter low through your stomach. It honestly surprised you into talking a little more. "I... was g-going to go to my room."

"...s'that right?" He huffed, adjusting himself in his laying position so he could look at you a bit more directly and not have his face pressed into a pillow. "why?"

"...To be honest, I kinda freaked when I woke up? I sorta forgot how I... got in here." You explained quietly, gently avoiding the real reason you wanted to leave. "Wasn't really thinking and I haven't shared a bed with someone in a very long while, soooo.... Yeah." You shrugged, glancing down at your still captive hand wondering just how you were about to get away now. "I panicked a bit. Sorry."

"mm." Sans' expression relaxed a little at that, but his grip on your wrist tightened upon noticing your glance towards it. "...okay. makes sense. ya did say ya might react like this." With a quick tug you weren't expecting, he yanked the hand he held out from underneath you, causing you to lose a bit of your balance. "lay back down 'n sleep, babe. s'too early to be up."

"...What time is it?"

"so early that even paps ain't up yet." You blinked, glancing back over at a sleeping Papyrus. He had a point there... "c'mon, lay down--you said you trusted us, didn't ya?"

You frowned down at him, unhappy that he was playing the guilt card. "Of course I do, I'm just... Not used to..." You gestured helplessly towards the three of you so close together, "This."

"only way ya will is if ya do it often enough, right?" He was having none of your excuses though, and reached up to grasp your shoulders and pull you back down to the bed that way. "just stay... please. even if you don't wanna sleep. please...? i'd love it if ya did..."

Ah, your two weaknesses; your bleeding heart and manners. Lovable asshat had you pegged.

Talk about irony.

You released a deep sigh and ceased your fighting against his grip, falling back to the mattress in defeat. "Alright babe, alright. You win."

"heh." You could feel the smugness radiating from him as he snuggled closer into your side, a sleepy yet victorious grin curling his teeth. You released a soft huff in response, your lips pulled into a slight pout as you watched him for a second before looking up towards the ceiling with a sigh.

'I guess the only chance I'll get to really figure out what I'm going to do with Gaster is back ho-... House. Back at the house. The boys are going to be around me for the entire time we're down here and I can't risk them catching a glimpse of my soul or his.' You thought, discontent settling in your chest as you let your eyes close in the pensive silence left behind for a few moments.

Damn it.

"penny for your thoughts...?" 

You cracked open an eye to look Sans' way and saw his sockets were shut again. He must have closed them after watching you for a little longer to make sure you wouldn't bolt.

"Nah. I'm okay."

"bullshit. somethin's wrong." Well shit. Could he read you that easily? Were you losing your touch?

"Thought you couldn't read me that well."

"y'pay attention to th' book long enough and words get clearer after a while." Ah, well. He had a point there.

Still. The problem wasn't exactly something you could chat casually about.

"...The... dream is still weighing on my mind a bit..."

"...yeah?"

"Yeah."

"mm..." He cracked open an eye socket, allowing you to lock gazes again. His expression turned pensive as if he was deliberating on what to say next. "do ya want- ...um..." You felt your brow go up in question as he paused for a few seconds before flashing you a lazy grin. "do ya want a hug?"

You blinked a few times, taken by surprise. "A... A hug?"

"mm. the dream shook you up pretty badly, right?" You nodded slowly at this question, to which his grin widened and he lifted his arm up and away from his side in a welcoming manner. "then whatchu need is comfort, more than anythin' else."

You blinked a couple of times, watching him blankly for a while; long enough that he was starting to sweat a little on the spot. "You're... Offering me a hug."

"um... y-yeah?" He gulped slightly at your pretty intense stare, starting to fidget in place. "that, uh... that bad?"

"I... Uh..." You squirmed in place before ducking your head in embarrassment. When you spoke, you were ashamed to say it was in a very meek tone that was just not commonplace for you. "I haven't... Been offered a hug in literal years."

Sure, you had gotten and given hugs in said time frame, but those had come few and far between; nor had they come with a verbal warning or offer. Hell, more than half of those hugs had come after you had made friends with monsters in the past two months.

Maybe you were reading way too into it, but... You felt a strong spontaneous feeling of loneliness well up inside you at that realization.

...It hurt.

"......soooooo, theeeen....." Sans drawled out, seemingly at a loss of what to say and clearly getting tired of holding his arm up in the air, "do you... want the hug?"

You hesitated slightly, feeling your fingers bunch up in your night-shirt, before nodding slowly. "If... I-If that's okay..."

"pff, babe, if it wasn't, i wouldn't have offered in the first place." He wiggled his fingers at you in welcoming and grinning wider than ever before. "c'mere, i won't bite."

You dithered a little bit, nervously looking over him before scooting yourself closer into his space. The monster was pleased by this development, his hazy eyelights brightening along with his smile as he lowered his arm to wrap around your form.

Your body did stiffen up at first; his fingertips rubbed small circles against the small of your back, probably in an attempt to make you relax. "it's alright y/n... you're doin' great. just loosen up a little..."

Let it never be said, however, that you were ever one to refuse physical affection. It certainly took a minute or two but eventually, you ended up melting into Sans' embrace with a purr rumbling in the back of your throat.

"hehehe... funny how these roles were switched last night." Was the chuckled statement rolling into the ear his mouth was closest to, while the hand against your back moved in a rubbing motion. You grumbled at him while also curling further into his warmth, now much more unwilling to move away. "damn it, why're you so cute?"

"Biased..."

You could literally feel him roll his eyelights as you tucked your head against his shoulder. "and so what if i am sweetheart? same thing could be said about paps, but have i ever given a damn?"

"That's totally different though; Papyrus is the definition of amazing." You sniffed, reaching out to subtly wrap your arm around him as well. How scandalous of you. "Anyone who says otherwise speaks heresy."

"true." Sans agreed, his breath softly tickling the space above your ear as he spoke. "but you're pretty close to him."

"Biased." You insisted with a hiss, which only made him shake his skull and snicker. You weren't ever going to let him know just how much that compliment (from him, specifically) flattered you. "Now hush and let me steal your warmth."

"oh, ya want warmth, do ya?" You felt your eyes narrow in suspicion as the hand against your back splayed fully with its palm against your shirt. Confusion rattled in your head as you felt your vertebae's amusement for a few silent seconds before you sucked in a sharp breath at the feeling of artificial warmth beginning to emanate from the hunk of bone. The feeling was reminiscent to that of an electrical heating blanket or the seat warmers inside a car. It made a pleasant shudder trail up your spine.

And just like a ragdoll, you pretty much went limp within his grip.

You could sense how hard it was for Sans to hold back his laughter, but he somehow seemed to manage it out of fear of waking Papyrus up; who was still snoring away unknowingly content on the other side of the bed. Still, you shook along with him as he laughed silently, your forehead pressed into the crook of his neck while you scooted closer to him. "see? cute. just like a cat."

"H-How are you...?"

"remember what i told ya before we came underground? i can make the magic in my body speed up or slow down--it's movin' faster and faster in my hand right now, which is makin' the bones warm up, get it?"

"That sounds pretty useful..." You hummed to yourself, your slightly exhausted mind wondering if you could possibly manage to do the same thing, but in reverse; it would surely help you during the summer. "I would ask you to teach me, but then that would give me less of an excuse to hug you." Man... You really did feel like a touch-starved kid.

Maybe Gaster was right about you after all...

"heh... well, whenever you want a hug, all ya need to do is ask." He murmured, drawing the covers up further around you two and shifting the delightfully hot hand up your back and onto the nape of your neck where it could play with your hair and keep your head tucked against his collarbone. "i'd definitely never say no to you." You felt your cheeks warm and nuzzled further into him, giving a soft surprised squeak as you felt his legs tangle themselves with yours, much to his enjoyment.

'...Maybe he is, but who cares...?' You thought, feeling yourself smile just a little. 'This child is about to save his ass from the Void and reunite him with his sons-- who I'm dating, so he's going to have to fucking deal with it. They like me too.'

Your embrace on him tightened slightly as affection for your baes suddenly swelled within your chest and without thinking, you turned your head slightly atop his shoulder so you could press a quick kiss to his cervical vertebrae.

"hng."

You both froze in unison, your eyes widening slightly from their half-lidded state. You knew from this angle that you wouldn't be able to see his expression at all, but you definitely felt warmth radiating from his face. He was definitely blushing.

Had you imagined that sound?

With a slow blink, you did the action again but slower and much more deliberately.

"hff-" You felt his hand twitch against the back of your neck.

Nope. Definitely didn't imagine it.

Those were new... Was his vertebra sensitive?

Deciding to be a little subtle with your budding curiosity, you traced your lips gently up the smooth exposed pieces of bone, marveling at how polished they felt against your skin. You felt him tremble slightly, the hushed rattling of his bones sounding like the clinking of porcelain. You liked that sound. Taking your time, your lips skimmed up to the junction of where his skull and vertebrae met; just underneath his jawline.

You pressed a delicate kiss there.

He gave a strained, quiet grunt.

Yes. Yes, they were.

"...yer not bein' very fair right now babe..." Were the words that were half-growled into your ear. It made you shiver, but you also had to hold back a giggle.

"What do you mean...?" You hummed out perhaps a little too innocently, ducking your head in order to hide your expression (which was something probably quite smug).

"don't play coy." Sans grumbled, causing your lips to twitch into a grin. "yer my girlfriend, literally in bed with me-- m'tryin' to be a gentleman, doll, and yer makin' it hard."

You would have teased him and said that you were sure that wasn't the only thing you could make hard, but you managed to bite your tongue somehow. He did, after all, have a point.

"Sorry," You managed to utter through a shit-eating grin and tried to school your expression into something that wasn't as incriminating; pulling back your head so you could actually lay it on your pillow instead of holding your bae's shoulder hostage. It was extremely hard to keep your straight face upon seeing his slightly flushed zygomatic bones and clearly flustered facade, but you managed it somehow.

"oi, don't look so satisfied with yourself." Ooookay, maybe you didn't manage it as well as you thought.

"Seeing as you're the poster monster for the word 'Smug', I find that statement highly ironic~." You cooed back to him, biting your lip to keep from snickering at the insipid look he shot back at you. "Oh c'mon sweetie, you know I'm right."

"are not."

"Are too~." You chirped in return, your hand lifting from his back to his face to gently stroke at his cheekbone. Your gaze turned tender as he leaned into your touch almost involuntarily, his flat look melting into something much more content. "So sweet..."

"look who's talkin'." He muttered, cracking a grin that had you believing he was thinking 'this infuriating woman is who i chose to date.' You winked knowingly at him, watching as he rolled his eyelights and chuckled as his phalange wound themselves further into your hair.

You couldn't be exactly sure when you had begun to lean in closer to him... But you were quickly made aware of exactly what you were about to do when Sans pressed a phalanx to your lips in order to stop you, looking oh-so amused. "tryin' to steal another kiss, huh? wasn't that one back in waterfall enough for ya?"

Your face went hot in embarrassment, but you raised a brow in order to give him a challenging look. "You certainly got me back with one of your own, didn't you? Pretty sure we're even on that part."

Now, he was the one blushing--Uhp, nope, that was definitely the both of you blushing. The kiss that you had taken from the skelebros had definitely been impulsive and even a little embarrassing to think back on, but the other instance had been... bordering on sinful.

You managed to recover your mind from Sinner Street a lot faster than the skeleton before you and so you took advantage of this, moving to grab his arm and remove it from your hair. You gave a smile as he fixed you with a confused look. "But of course, if you don't want a kiss that's fine; consent is important after all." He gaped at you as you shifted in place to turn away from him. "Always a chance to enjoy that later-"

Just like you expected, his arm immediately clamped around your waist and kept you trapped in place. You gave the token struggle against his arm but it was half-hearted at best since you honestly didn't want to move away from him at all; and besides, even if you wanted to go somewhere, his strength was not allowing it in the slightest. Not to mention, his other hand (which he had used to block you earlier) snaked itself between your head and the pillow and he had gripped you by the hair again to keep your head still.

You were able to keep from giggling at the very least, but it was much too late to wipe the victorious smirk off your face as Sans turned your head back towards him with narrowed sockets and a twitching grin.

"not a glutton for punishment, hm...?" He muttered lowly, the bass in his voice causing giddy butterflies to flutter incessantly within your stomach.

"Nope~." You responded cheekily, your hands coming to rest between the two of you and rest against his chest. You could feel his ribs and sternum through his shirt. "C'mon now. Don't be so stern-um with me, babe."

"and now, yer punnin' at me. how dare you." You shook with the effort to keep from snickering, which he was obviously not amused by. "minx."

"Only when it comes to you and Papyrus." You crooned to him, flashing a winning smile as you rubbed slow circles into his chest with a finger. His perpetual smile curled into a smirk as well, his fingers wrapping your hair into further coils around them for more of a grip before pulling your face to his.

A soft sound of enjoyment slipped from your throat before you could stop it; your lips met extremely clever pseudo ones, the little dance they were leading you into making your body surrender into a daze with a startling ease. He stole your breath with a cocky feeling whisping at the back of your head and replaced it with a sweetly tart taste, but you couldn't place it. Perhaps a kind of berry...?

His forefinger and middle finger rubbed circles against your sensitive scalp even as he parted from you, keeping your form relaxed and placid as you panted for air. You stared at each other for a while, and you felt yourself blush deeply as his smirk widened to allow the glowing cyan tongue inside his mouth to swipe over his teeth.

Oooooh boy...

If the punishments you'd get for teasing would always be something of this nature, then perhaps you were a bit of a glutton.

"such a bad girl, lookin' so delicious like that..." Your tongue swiped over your lips nervously, hitting you with the unique taste of him again, and snagging his attention. He growled lowly at the sight of it and you shuddered involuntarily as the sound reverberated in your body.

'Fuck, do I have a voice and sound kink?'

You blinked as Sans moved forward towards you and took you by surprise by not going for your lips again (like you had originally thought), but instead using the still-there grip in your hair to pull your head to the side just enough to place his dull fangs against your throat and gently bite down. Vaguely, you realized it was the shoulder that Papyrus hadn't nibbled at back in Waterfall.

Hng.

'.....Mmph...I think I could get pretty used to this....'

It was at that moment that you felt slow movement behind you causing you and Sans to freeze in place, and you squeaked as you felt a long arm wrap around your midsection again. It was quickly followed by a deep scratchy voice, heavy with exhaustion and bemusement. "Y/n...? How have you ended up in bed with my brother and I...?"

Oof. He sounded a lot like Gaster when he was quiet and you did not appreciate it at this moment in time. It was such a difference from his regular volume.

"Ah... Sorry, Papy..." You murmured back, Sans backing off from your throat with a last lick over the spot he had bitten and causing your breath to hitch slightly. He grinned lazily at the 'Really?' look you shot at him in response as he untangled his hand from your hair. "I couldn't sleep by myself, so I came in here for cuddles..." You turned your head a little to glance behind you and smiled sheepishly at the dreamy expression staring back at you. "Sorry... I can leave if you want me to-"

"No..... Mm, don't do that..." He muttered, snuggling closer to you so that your entire back was pressed to his front. "You may stay... Just... Shhh..." Was the whisper as he nuzzled his skull into your hair. "Not ready to wake up just yet..."

Huh... So this is what Spooning was...

You liked it.

"hehe... got it bro." Sans chuckled in return, flashing you a wink as you smiled brightly in return and settled your head back down onto your pillow as his hand moved to hold your free one.

You spared a glance back up towards the ceiling before letting your eyes close.

'Yeah, whatever higher power watching me right now? If you're listening? Thanks for not following through with my first request.'

You curled further into the warmth of the covers and your baes a little more... Before your eye twitched as a smug, very annoying, voice in your head replied sassily.

(̶̆͜Ỳ̵̘o̸̻͝ư̷͜'̴̜́r̵̭̎ě̴͍ ̴͔̄ẁ̴̱é̴̞l̴̩͐c̴̻̈o̵̰̾m̷̙̐è̵̯~̶̙͗)̶̭͂

Upon all three of you actually getting a start to the day, you had left their room and disappeared into your own with a purpose in your step. You had gotten yourself washed and clothed in record time (A thick red sweater with comfy grey culottes and black combat boots would do nicely for the chilly weather) so you could survey your Soul for a bit and try and figure out some way to not endanger the healing of Gaster's.

The gastard (heh, that was a pretty good one) had made things way more difficult than they had to be and as you watched the spiraling intricate silver magic that refracted into rainbow the closer it got to the edges of your soul, you felt your mouth curve down in frustration.

'I never realized just how deeply intertwined my emotions were with my magic... It reminds me of powerful magnets, the strength in which the emotions and magic are clinging together... I'd either need to take a large amount of time to meticulously separate them for him to be healed consistently or use a specific method that will do so continuously...' You stared at the culmination of your being for a little longer before releasing a deep sigh, sealing it and its charge back up in the chrome colored shield before letting it sink back into your chest. Such a project was going to take you a fair amount of time to figure out. 'I don't have time to experiment now, not when the boys are expecting me.'

Damn it, Gaster.

You were going to have to keep his Soul in your magic for now so as to keep him from fading away entirely, and you knew that at least he was safe from taking damage as you had no intention to hurt him despite your feelings. But the fact remained that he was going to feel what you felt until you figured something out, which meant being too lovey-dovey with your baes was a no-go.

You huffed in a melancholy and petulant manner, before standing and putting on your boots.

"Alright, I'm ready!" You called out, slipping out of your room.

The sound of approaching footsteps on the staircase halted as you closed the door behind you, and Papyrus' cheerful skull came into view. "STUPENDOUS TIMING, Y/N! I WAS JUST ON MY WAY TO COME GET YOU!" He turned around, bouncing back down the stairs. "SANS IS KEEPING AN EYE ON BREAKFAST! IT'S ALMOST READY!"

"Cool," You replied softly, glad he couldn't see your wan little smile and the dark circles underneath your eyes, "I'm starving, that sounds awesome." You followed close behind, humming softly as your eyes absently landed on the swaying of his scarf. You spaced out hard, so much so that you ended up bumping into him when he came to a sudden stop. "Oof-- Oh shoot, sorry, wasn't paying attention hon." 

You were shaking your head as a slightly embarrassed snicker left you but then blinked as a skeletal hand cupped your cheek. Your head was raised so your eyes could make contact with the taller skeleton's worried expression. "Are you alright, Y/n?" You artfully held back a wince, due to Papyrus' indoor voice sounding a whole lot like Gaster's, before nodding as you put on a brittle smile.

"Yeah... M'just tired. Bad dream again, y'know?" You replied, moving to place a hand on his own and your eyes set fondly on his. "I'll be okay, don't worry."

"Are you certain? You can talk to me if necessary; The Great Papyrus is an excellent listener!"

"Of course dear, I know." You nodded, before standing on your tiptoes so you could press a kiss to his cheekbone. You could feel the heat of his magic flood the bone underneath your lips before you pulled back and gave his blushy flustered face a much more genuine smile. "Thank you for worrying about me honey."

"O-OF COURSE!" Your smile widened and moved to walk around him to continue towards the kitchen, but was brought to a halt as he grasped your arm. You blinked again, looking back at him in confusion. "WAIT... I-I DO BELIEVE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING."

"Oh?" You frowned slightly and looked down at yourself in worry. You had everything you needed clothes-wise, even had your shoes on (Thank Anime King)... "What could I have-"

He interrupted you by quickly pressing his teeth to your lips. 

All movement and thoughts came to a screeching halt for a few seconds.

.

...Y/n.exe rebooting...

.......

Your eyes blew-up wide and you gasped out of pure impulse. And as calculating as Papyrus could be, you would have been surprised if he hadn't taken advantage of that.

You squeaked as you felt something long, flexible, and wet--holy fuck that had to be what you thought it was--press against your tongue, your face flushing with heat as you realized the sweet taste from your first kiss with Papyrus was definitely there; only much more prominent and obviously tied to the heady citrus-honey taste the pseudo-fleshy organ had. The magic that had created the invisible feeling of lips was there again as well. Something fizzed and bubbled against your tastebuds akin to the sensation of soda, which you could only guess was the feel of his magic crackling against the flesh of your mouth.

You were proud to say you did not faint from the shock, though you were most certainly affected. 

Where the fuck had he learned how to french kiss like this, the two of you just shared your first kiss two days ago?!?!

Just as quickly as it had started, it was over; he parted from you with a smug look, tongue slithering back into his mouth as you could only stare up at him in a dumbstruck manner. "THERE WE ARE... YOU GAVE SANS GOOD MORNING KISSES, SO IT WAS ONLY FAIR."

You had tried to formulate some sort of speech, you really did. However, all that came out sounded something like 'dtnhg'.

He chuckled, taking you by the hand and leading you down the steps since it was apparent you couldn't even walk straight without a little assistance at the moment.

Sneaky skelly... He so would have been awake for that...

It wasn't long before you were sat down at the counter and nuzzled affectionately before he gallivanted off towards the kitchen, leaving you to sit staring at the countertop in a hazy daze.

'Ooookay, so maaaaybe trying to stay chaste with the beaus while trying to figure out how to fix Gaster's fuck-up is going to be a little harder than I thought it was gonna be...' You thought to yourself as you felt that stabbing pain in your chest again, hissing softly in displeasure as you laid your head down against the table. 'Fuck my life... And fuck off Gaster, that hurts, stop being an ass; How was I gonna know he was going to kiss me?'

You felt a flash of petulance, confirming in your mind that the stabbing feeling from even the day before was his fault too. Asshole.

Just what was his fucking deal?

"'ey babe, you feelin' okay?" Your head tilted up a bit so you could peek through your hair at Sans, who was giving you a concerned look. You managed to flash him a weak smile in return.

"Still a bit tired, that's all. You know how it is. I'll be fine with a full stomach and some coffee." You replied to which he hummed softly in response, worry flashing through his sockets while running a hand through your hair. He relaxed once you did (you were legit trying not to purr, your scalp was pretty sensitive) and chuckled when your smile turned soft and content.

"well, since the subject of coffee is on the table..." He snickered as a mug of coffee surrounded in a blue haze was placed on the table in front of your face (where did that come from?) winking down at your grateful expression with his own cup of coffee already in hand. "just how you like it dollface."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." You sighed happily, nuzzling your face against his hand and reaching out to grasp your coffee and pull it closer to yourself in order to better enjoy the warmth radiating into your hands. Sans sat down across from you at the counter as Papyrus emerged from the nearby kitchen, carrying a bowl of fruit atop three plates in one hand and a circular ceramic pie pan that was radiating steam in the other. Whatever was in that pan was smelling five different types of delicious.

"IT IS A LIGHTER KIND OF BREAKFAST, BUT WE DO HOPE IT IS TO YOUR LIKING!" The skellie-roll announced excitedly putting down the dish along with the bowl of fruit and plates before sauntering back towards the kitchen, probably to get the other utensils. "SANS MADE TODAY'S BREAKFAST."

"Mm? Oh yeah?" You sipped at your coffee as you looked over at Sans, who simply shrugged. "I didn't know you could cook. Other than hot dogs, that is." His expression turned teasing and he leaned in to whisper conspiratorily to you.

"remember when ya heard paps was a bad cook before? that wasn't a lie; someone had to keep the two of us alive while he was learnin' and it sure wasn't him." You gave a soft snort of amusement and snickered along with him as Papyrus appeared from the kitchen again, this time with knives and forks in hand. Upon seeing you guys trying to cover up your laughter with coughs, his sockets narrowed a bit in suspicion.

"MAY I INQUIRE AS TO WHAT IS FUNNY?"

"Oh, I was just mentioning that my first attempts at cooking weren't exactly the greatest." You lied smoothly, grinning at his skeptical look. "I couldn't get exactly get ahold of a kitchen until I bought my house, so I had to learn how to cook over an open fire. And then I could only carry certain foods around with me cause a lot of stuff spoils without refrigeration, and everything else was either, y'know... stolen, or was stuff growing naturally in the forest areas around Ebott that I knew was safe. Or I hunted. Or fished. I had to read up on books about the natural flora and fauna so I didn't accidentally poison myself or anything; after that one time I made myself sick from eating buttercup petals, I knew better." You knew you were in the clear once his expression shifted to one of interest, and shrugged with a smile. "Had enough of puking my guts out the first time and didn't want a repeat. But yeah. Any food I could get was often a strange combination of things, so my first attempts at cooking weren't exactly edible for most people. But hey--When you're really hungry, you'll eat almost anything. It's probably the reason why I eat as much food as I can now."

"i hear that." Sans hummed, lifting up his mug in a mock toast as Papyrus set the table and began cutting up slices of what you think was quiche? Ooh, yummy. You had been a fan of the food ever since childhood due to a certain comic series. Damn, the Bones comics were a huge source of nostalgia. Maybe you would buy the series one day just to say you had them. "we had the same problem growing up; think it's the reason i got into the habit of drinkin' condiments since they were pretty cheap and just always around."

"A HABIT I TRIED HARD TO BREAK HIM OUT OF, BUT ALAS." 

"heh. only difference was that monster food doesn't go bad. all the magic in it kinda prevents that."

"Lucky. Kinda makes me wish there was magical food around where I roamed." You mused, bouncing a little excitedly as the tall skelly put a fair sized slice of the breakfast pie on your plate. "But that would've been pretty bad for me too though, just in a different way." 

"oh yeah?" Sans asked, blinking curiously as he began cutting his food up while you reached for an apple and some grapes. "how so?"

"Well, magic food is mostly magic, right? Humans can't eat that all the time. It's not good for us--Not only do we need the nutrients solid food has but with magic food, there's next to nothing to digest; which means our stomach would find very little use." You explained, feeling the very thing you were talking about rumble expectantly as you raised a bite of food to your mouth. "You guys ever heard the term 'Don't use it, you'll lose it'?"

"WHY YES! I OFTEN TELL SANS THAT ALL THE TIME WHEN IT COMES TO TRAINING, THE LAZYBONES." Papyrus made a motion with his sockets that made you certain he was rolling them, causing you to giggle as you started to eat. "I SWEAR BROTHER, IF YOU DON'T START TRAINING MORE OFTEN, YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO ALL OUT ONE DAY." He scolded, huffing with exasperation as Sans just shrugged and said his usual line of 'too much work'.

"Heh, well, I gotta train often too. Magic was pretty volatile as a kid, you know? Still is, really. Now that I think about it, I'm honestly surprised I managed to hide my magic from the public for as long as I did..." You mused, tapping your cheek before swallowing your food. "Damn Sans, this is delicious~."

"m'glad ya like it, sweetheart."

"SO Y/N... DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A WEAPON? YOU KNOW, A MAGICALLY CONSTRUCTED ONE?" You flashed the younger skeleton a small sheepish smile before giving a slow nod.

"U-Uh, yeah...? Sorry for not being upfront about that, by the way--It's a bit of a touchy subject. My magic inherently took to the weapons of fencing and archery; probably cause surviving was my top priority for most of my life? In fact, those sports are how I got into college on scholarships." You shrugged before you felt your expression twist a bit bitterly and muttered under your breath. "At least, until the news came out that I was a mage and they made me quit those sports and pulled back my scholarship because they thought I might have cheated the entire time or 'may become a danger to the public'... M'not allowed in those particular clubs on campus anymore."

"are you serious?" Sans looked fairly frustrated with this new knowledge, glancing upwards with a deep scowl. "you. a danger to the public. that's fuckin' laughable."

You managed to hide a soft wince at this.

"HOW SAD... FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN CAN MAKE PEOPLE DO SUCH HARSH THINGS..." Papyrus mumbled with disappointment, before giving you an understanding smile. "BUT DO NOT BE SADDENED DEAREST--AT LEAST THE DOJO ALLOWS YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR SWORD PRACTICE, YES?"

"Well yeah, but Kendo is very different from Fencing, Papy honey. But hey, variety in sword-fighting is always good."

"MMM... OH! I JUST THOUGHT OF A MARVELOUS IDEA!" The walking personification of sunshine smiled brightly down at you, holding up a pointer finger in his exclamation. "WE SHOULD HAVE A... SHOWING OF SORTS ONE DAY! OF OUR MAGIC!"

You blinked, surprised. "Eh?... Showing? Why? What for?"

"WELL, PEOPLES' FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN IS WHAT OFTEN LEADS TO UNFAIRNESS AND TRAGEDY, CORRECT? EVEN MONSTERS WERE LIKE THAT BEFORE FRISK FELL DOWN AND CHANGED EVERYTHING." Papyrus began to explain as he tapped at his chin in thought while you and Sans exchanged a wide-eyed look. "SO I WAS THINKING... PERHAPS WE COULD MINIMIZE THAT FROM HAPPENING AT LEAST AMONGST OURSELVES IF WE... SHOW EACH OTHER WHAT WE CAN DO. NOT LIKE A SPARRING SESSION OR ANYTHING, THOUGH THAT WOULD BE AN EFFICIENT WAY OF DOING IT! BUT... YOU KNOW, LIKE A SHOW-AND-TELL LIKE DAY!"

"....Papyrus, you have got to be one of the most intelligent people I have ever met." You breathed, watching as he blushed and seemed to preen a little from the praise. "That's an awesome idea. It even sounds like some fun! I know both of you are really strong in your own right; my instincts can feel it, but I just don't know in what way. Any learning experience about you guys would be an awesome time."

"heh, yeah. that's a great idea. get rid of any uncertainties. i can get down with that." Sans' grin widened cheekily, shooting his brother a thumbs up. "yer so smart pap."

"NYEH~! GLAD YOU BOTH AGREE! A-ANYWAY, DEARHEART, YOU WERE EXPLAINING SOMETHING TO US...?"

"Oh right... Anyway, like I was saying earlier, not continuously doing something and losing the ability to do it applies physically also, at least for humans. Talents, speech, muscles--Our organs too. Without constant use, parts of our body will weaken, shrivel up, and in serious cases even stop working. We call it Atrophy. It's not very normal since almost all organs in our body are usually working twenty-four seven and all but if humans ate magic food all the time, it would happen. I think," You explained before biting into your apple, watching their expressions shift into surprised interest as you crunched on the fruit idly. "Which reminds me... I won't be able to eat every single meal you guys make at ho-...Um, back at the house. I'll have to cook for myself from time to time."

"WAIT, WHAT?! BUT MY COOKING IS THE BEST!"

"I totally agree lovely, but I gotta put my health ahead of my gluttony for once here."

"would the complications be severe if ya didn't?"

You finished off your food with a chuckle, wiping away the crumbs near your mouth with a napkin. "Would you be keen on the idea of dying slowly while Hydrochloric Acid melted you from the inside out?"

"h-heh, uh... no, definitely not."

"Well, there's your answer then." You chided softly with a smirk, going to lift another bite of your food to your mouth and stiffening up in shock when the only thing you felt your teeth make contact with was hard metal. "Agh, what the-Oh." You blinked upon realizing there was no food at all on your fork and not even any on your plate. "...Where'd my food go?"

"you ate it," Sans informed with an amused snort.

"I did...? Huh. I wasn't even paying attention, to be honest."

"WOULD YOU LIKE SOME MORE Y/N?"

"Mm... Nah, I'm good. Thank you for the breakfast, boys."

"not a problem babe, glad ya liked it." You smiled at the both of them and waited patiently for them to finish their food in silence while listening to their light banter. You quickly snagged up their dishes once they were done and scampered off to wash them while they got into another of their arguments; ie, Sans pushing his limits with puns again.

You didn't exactly know where all the dishes went so you instead just dried and stacked them neatly on the counter before heading back to rejoin the skellies, sniggering as Papyrus' volume began to border on foghorn levels of loud in his irritation.

You just had to take a picture or seven.

It was a trivial matter to slip your phone out of your pocket and move to snap pictures in quick succession, giggling softly as Papyrus began to stomp his foot at Sans' refusal to let up on his jokes.

'My lovable dorks; look at them being all amazing and cute.' You mentally gushed to yourself, pulling up the photos you took to give a good once over and decide which ones to keep. 'Oof, those thoughts will give me cavities if I'm not carefu-'

That's when you saw the shadow of Gaster in the pictures. He was between Papyrus and Sans, but wasn't paying them any mind; His white mask-like face (marred with a deep frown) stared straight at the camera and upon swiping through the several ones you took (about seven or eight), you could see he was signing something towards you.

Your eye twitched.

'I don't know sign language, asshat... And even if I did, I wouldn't want to know what the hell you're trying to say right now anyway-'

Papyrus' sudden loud shrieking snapped you out of your irritated thoughts, and you jumped as Sans sped-walked around you with deep chuckles rumbling from his chest and gripped your shoulders from behind. You realized he was using you as a meat-shield as Papyrus quickly tried to reach over you to get him with an exaggerated look of rage, but they made a rather interesting game of 'Keep Away' with Sans doing his very best to keep you in between him and his brother and chuckling all the while.

He was doing pretty good at it too.

"SANS! ACCEPT YOUR PUNISHMENT WITH GRACE AND KEEP OUR CUTE GIRLFRIEND OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF IT!"

"omg. omg. i'm so proud of you pap; that was a grade-a pun."

"WHA-OH MY DELTA, THAT WAS NOT AN INTENTIONAL PUN!"

"i know," the lazy skeleton snickered into your shoulder, his hands moving from your shoulders so he could instead wrap his arms around your waist and hug you close to himself, "which makes it even better."

To the tune of Papyrus sounding ready to self-destruct, Sans took advantage of your unadulterated amusement and peeked at your phone from over your shoulder. "you snappin' photos of us, babe? y'know takin' pics without consent is illegal."

It really wasn't in most cases, cause if it was every paparazzi on earth would have gotten their clothes sued off them by now, but you rolled with it. "That right? Whatcha gonna do about it?" You teased back, grinning as you nuzzled your face against his. "Convict me, Mr. Judge?"

"oh yeah. i hereby sentence you to a lifetime of bein' our beautiful girlfriend." He bantered back, pressing a kiss to your cheek and causing you to blush. "you must give us all the hugs and kisses we ask for. you'll never be rid of us."

"You can't threaten me with a good time, bone boy." You cooed sweetly, feeling the vibrations of the skeleton's deep laughter against your back as he chuckled in your ear. He lifted up a hand, the pointer finger glowing a light blue as he scrolled through the photos you took.

"this one's nice."

"I know right? I think I'ma save it as my screensaver."

"mm. lightin's a little weird though."

"Eh? Whatcha mean?"

"s'got a few weird shadows here and there." Sans hummed in a thoughtful way, his finger hovering a little over where Gaster's shadow was-- Or at least, had been. It was gone now. "light in here ain't really the best i guess."

"..." You narrowed your eyes towards your phone before exhaling through your nose. It was best to just pretend like it was nothing due to the circumstances. "Weird."

"HMPH. DATEMATE, I HAD NO IDEA WE WERE TAKING PHOTOS NOW; THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO COME LATER!" Papyrus, though somehow managing to calm down, still had a bit of salt left in his tone, but a smile in his direction quickly dissolved that.

"But the two of you are so cute though..." You pouted, feeling just a tiny bit bratty about it. "I just had to take a few pics- So I can look back on our first date in a physical manner, you know? Plus, the camera just loves you two, you're both so handsome~."

"W-WELL, I'D AT LEAST LIKE TO KNOW IF I HAVE ONE POINTED AT ME SO I CAN AT LEAST LOOK GOOD FOR IT!"

"You always look good though, that statement is invalid."

"couldn't have said it better myself y/n."

"NYEH!! GENUINE COMPLIMENT!!!" You giggled as he covered his blushing face with a choked sound, ignoring the pained feeling in your chest as you snagged him by his arm and pulled him closer. 

"C'mon, let's take at least one, with all three of us! Please?!"

"OKAY LOVE, OKAY! DON'T YANK!"

"You gotta lean down Russy--Sans and I are short compared to you, you won't show in the frame otherwise!"

"m'not short."

"YOU SURE ABOUT THAT, LITTLE BIG BROTHER?" You tried to hold back your laughter, but a loud 'snrrrk' escaped you before you could slap your hand over your mouth. Papyrus snickered loudly along with you as Sans shot you both a betrayed look.

"let's just take the damn photo and get on with the date."

"Okay, okay, don't be bitter~." You chirped, handing Papyrus the phone since his arm was longer than yours. Papyrus leaned down so his face was at the same level of yours, and you threw your arms around both of their shoulders to pull them closer to you to which their natural smiles brightened at.

"Saaaaay First Date Vacation!"

"FIRST DATE VACATION!"

"fdveeeee."

"SANS!!"

The flash went off in the middle of you cackling aloud. Papyrus gingerly returned your phone to you and proceeded to chase Sans out the door and into the snow, hollering at the top of his lungs as the older monster laughed hysterically. You gazed down at the photo with a critical eye, before nodding decisively; definitely a keeper. You'd have to frame this one.

You pocketed your phone and sprinted after them, grinning all the while. 

I don't know what's wrong with you... But I won't let you make me feel guilty and ruin my first date, Gaster.

My relationship with them isn't something I'm willing to compromise on.

Not now...

Not ever.

Chapter Text

The last day of your 'First Date Vacation' had been quite the blast. The boys had shown you around Snowdin and the Snowy Forest (the legit name for the vegetation around all of you) pointing out all of their old stomping grounds and recounting old funny stories for you as they showed you around. You showed Papyrus how to make snow angels (though he called them snow skeletons) and giggled incessantly when he proceeded to make a damn army of them in his excitement.

This, of course, set Sans off with more puns, irritating the poor tol one to the point where he decided to start a snowball fight. Which then caused them to fight about who was going to have you on their team and you, being the neutral Switzerland-like person you were, decided not to pick sides and instead declared war on both of them by nailing them both with snowballs.

Yeah, totally like Switzerland.

You took a video of the responding chaos as you ran away from them deciding to tag-team you while you laughed hysterically. Undyne and Frisk, in particular, enjoyed how frustrated the boys got when they realized that you couldn't be hit as easily as they thought at first, even with Sans teleporting around like a cheater (once you had sent the video to the both of them, that is). Eventually, Papyrus just tackled you and held you hostage to keep you from running away as Sans smushed snow into your face shouting 'geeeeeeeeettt dunked on!'.

Yup. Best date ever.

You were a little sad once the weekend (and therefore the date) had come to an end. But what could you do? Stopping time was faaaar out of your magic's jurisdiction.

The boys had seemed a bit down about the whole thing themselves but perked up once you had told them you had enjoyed yourself and that you couldn't wait for more dates in the future. That cheered them right up.

Either way, the skelebaes led you back to the Surface and down the mountain, the three of you resigned to getting back to normal, everyday life. Honestly, the whole weekend had felt like a huge dream; one that the real world was so rudely waking you up from with the reminder that all three of you had important things to do and no, you couldn't just drop all of that just to enjoy the bliss of being in your very first relationship.

Seriously, fuck you Reality.

Waking up Monday morning after everything that had gone down (aka. your first ever date, your first ever kisses, seeing the Underground, finding Gaster's last Soul Shard, your first argument with Gaster, and sharing a damn bed with your boyfriends) was... weird. You woke up in your bed dazed, confused, and more than a bit grumpy.

Gaster's Shadow sitting in a far corner of your room and watching you warily did nothing to improve your mood either.

Well, unfortunately for him, you could hold quite a grudge when you wanted to. As he soon found out.

Three days passed since the end of your date.

Not a word was spoken between the two of you throughout that time.

Well, maybe you should rephrase that. You never said a word to Gaster during that time. He, after the first day, tried to start a conversation with you as you read a book on the couch; only to get a blank, shut-off stare for a few long seconds before you turned back to your book. It took him a few more tries to fully realize that you were deadset on ignoring his very existence in every way besides healing his Soul.

He wasn't an avid fan of that realization.

You were pretty good at acting (due to all of the dishonest means you had to use and hide to get through your teenage life), so you were easily able to pretend like you couldn't hear or see him. The fact that you could feel him made things a little harder, which he caught onto, but a single 'Don't you fucking touch me' Death Glare was all that was needed to halt that train of thought. But the both of you still had this awkward and hurt tension lingering in the air and since he refused to fucking go away, leave you alone, or enlighten you as to why he hurt your feelings in the first place, your boys could feel how tense you were.

Their attempts to get you to relax were admirable..... But not very helpful. While you could ignore Gaster's emotions messing with yours for a short amount of time, having to do so constantly would be extremely difficult without a way to filter your emotions from your magic while continuing to heal him. Which meant you had to do your best to find a balance between showing your baes an okay amount of affection for them not get too suspicious and not dealing with a pain that felt like you were fucking stabbed in the Soul with a long needle every time it went too far. The only good part of this situation was that you were finally off your period (huzzah!!) and had less of an emotional incentive to damn Gaster's very existence.

Of course, it wasn't all that less... But still.

For now, though, you simply sighed as you tried to lean back against the couch, a bowl of popcorn resting in your lap as Sans sat on your left side. Papyrus was attempting to set up a Disney movie on the TV. The kittens had been pretty clingy upon your return, but had finally gotten sick of your affection from the past hour and were snoozing in your room upstairs.

"Soooo... Remind me again why we are doing a movie marathon on a Wednesday night?"

"just enjoyin' what time we have with ya before you start up with yer classes again. besides, bro has the day off tomorrow, and i got a half day at work." Sans chuckled as he reached out to take a few kernels from the bowl and pop them into his mouth. "how much more time 'til your editor and classes expect ya to be back in th' game?" 

"Mm... Damn, how long has it been now? About two weeks?" You mused, tapping your bottom lip in thought. "It'll be September in about four days... They expect me to be up and working again in two more weeks, I think. Although I've technically been writing through my break anyway."

"i'm gonna live vicariously through you and ask that you milk the break for all its worth." He snickered, falling to lean his whole body against your side. You chuckled along with him, reaching a hand up to brush your fingertips against his cheekbone and smiling at the pleased hum you earned in return.

"If only I could dear, if only I could."

"YOU'RE BOTH SUCH LAZYBONES," Papyrus grumbled, shaking his head as he finally decided on the first movie.

"We're your lazybones though." You spoke slyly and grinning as he huffed and glanced your way, trying pretty hard not to smile.

"I SUPPOSE YOU ARE." Was the response, picking up a tray filled to the brim with treats and carrying them to the coffee table (strategically placed in front of the couch so the three of you could reach for what you needed whenever) and then taking a seat to your right.

Somewhere, nearby, you could feel the glare of a being on the edge of existence boring itself into your head.

You just ignored him.

"So what are we watching first?"

"I FELT LIKE DISNEY MOVIES WOULD BE THE BEST FOR TONIGHT! THEY'RE QUITE LIGHTHEARTED AND HAVE GREAT LESSONS TO IMPART!" You made a soft noise of understanding, settling further into the couch with a soft sigh. "I PICKED OUT 'CINDERELLA' FIRST, THEN 'MOANA', AND WE'LL SAVE 'THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG' FOR LAST. THAT IS SATISFACTORY, RIGHT?"

"Totally fine sweetie. I have no complaints."

"well then, let's hop to it and get to watchin'." Sans shot you a wink with a wide grin, causing you to chuckle and shake your head as Papyrus gave his usual exaggerated frown. You would never let on that he often emanated amusement whenever his brother joked around cause if you did, there would be no end to Sans' madness.

Although... "You're smiling Russy."

"I AM, AND I HATE IT." 

"As irritating as it is that a lot of people seem to think a healthy cohesive romance can grow within the span of a few days, I do like the energy that Tiana and Naveen share between each other." You murmured, popping a few kernels into your mouth and relishing the taste of the 'not good for you' butter. Why did snacks that were so unhealthy taste so good...?

"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T BELIEVE LOVE CAN BLOOM IN A SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, MY DEAR?" Papyrus seemed shocked by this information you had just offered. Why, you were unsure.

"Infatuation, yes. True love? No." You shook your head, a slight frown on your face. "...Unless it's a parent seeing their baby's face for the first time."

And even then, that wasn't assured... At least for humans.

"that sounds pretty reasonable." The shorter skeleton nodded, a contemplative expression on his face. "though, m'sure that people might call your view biased with you bein' demi, huh?"

"You would be correct. You would not believe how much shit I heard during my high school years about it." You shrugged, taking a sip of water. "I felt like I just dodged most of the drama staying out of the dating scene back then."

"DEMI??? Y/N, YOU'RE NOT HALF OF ANYTHING-- THAT'S SO RUDE; WHY WOULD YOU OR ANYONE ELSE CALL YOU THAT?!" You nearly inhaled water before bursting out in laughter, reaching out to wrap an arm around the tol bae and give him an assuring snuggle.

"You sweet cinnamon roll~ No no, it's short for Demiromantic and Demisexual, which is what I am. Means I'm not one to enter relationships, committed or otherwise, without serious attachments of friendship first." You explained, gently rubbing at one of his shoulders as his affronted expression shifted into something of an understanding.

"SO IT ISN'T AN INSULT... BUT A CLIPPING OF A LABEL TO WHICH YOU HAVE ACCEPTED AS WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON?"

"Yes."

"OH... WELL, THAT MAKES MUCH MORE SENSE! I THINK IT DESCRIBES ME SOMEWHAT." Papyrus mused, lifting a hand to rub at his mandible thoughtfully. "AFTER ALL, I NEVER FELT SAID URGES BEFORE MEETING YOU, DEAREST." The arm he had wrapped around you pulled you closer for a cuddle as he smiled brightly. "I GUESS THAT MEANS YOU'RE MY SPECIAL ONE; THOUGH OF COURSE I ALREADY KNEW THAT!"

One day, somehow, you swore you would do something that would make you worthy of this sweet creature beside you.

"Awwww~!! Just like you two are mine!!" You chirped back, throwing your arms around his shoulders and pulling his surprised face down so you could press kiss after kiss all over his blushing skull. "Like keys needed for a chest or a door! Mwah mwah mwah, you're so amazing~!"

"NYEHEHEHEH~!! LOOK SANS; I'M BEING SHOWERED IN BELOVED'S KISSES!"

"heh. i can see, bro." In tune with his baritone words, you felt a bony hand grasp at your waist from behind. "don't suppose i can get any o' that, doll?"

"Of course you can, silly!" You responded with a giggle, whirling around to take Sans' smug smiling skull into your hands and give him the same treatment. "The skeleton swains, my bony beaus, the osseous objects of my affection, my calcium casanovas-"

"h-heh... a bone-a-fide wordsmith you are babydoll." Awww~... He was embarrassed by your words if the light blue flush over his cheekbones were anything to go by. Sans could be so damn cute sometimes. 

"I'm a Novelist sweetie, did you expect anything different?" You replied, sniggering as you rubbed your cheek against his.

"SHE HAS A POINT BROTHER!" Papyrus couldn't help but add, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and nuzzling you as well. At this, a huge and sudden wave of affection bubbled up inside your Soul, catching you by surprise.

'....Well then.'

It apparently pissed off Gaster as well, because the now familiar feeling of being stabbed by a sharp needle in the chest that flared up in response made you wince noticeably.

"OH, APOLOGIES DEAREST!" Papyrus pulled black slightly, concern flickering across his face. "DID I HURT YOU IN SOME WAY?"

With no small amount of spite, you directed a bit of your anger and hurt right back to Gaster's Soul Shards, ignoring the surprise emanating from them afterward as you just smiled brightly back towards the tol bae.

"No no honey, I'm fine. I just moved a bit wrong; stretched a muscle the wrong way." It was a viable excuse. You were facing Sans but were twisting your torso to face Papyrus. You moved to straighten yourself out as the boys loosened their grip around you.

"WELL, WE CAN'T HAVE THAT, NOW CAN WE? I CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW HOW THAT FEELS LIKE, BUT I'M SURE THAT'S RATHER UNCOMFORTABLE."

"There are worse injuries I guess... But yeah, pulled muscles are pretty painful." You nodded in agreement, wincing at a few memories of said sprains in the past. "Burns are the worst in my opinion though."

"can't say i'll ever know what those feel like..." Sans mused, tapping a phalanx against his mandible. "unless they're magic flames. like tori's or grillby's." His expression made you believe one of the two may have launched a fireball at him out of frustration once or twice and he just barely missed having roasted bones.

Your money was on Grillby. Goat Mom was too patient of a person to do that to anyone she cared about, and the cool-headed fire elemental (as weird as that sounded) could get pretty exasperated with Sans' jokes sometimes. At least from what you've seen during the few times you've met him.

"You have that Thousand Yard stare babe~."

"oh, uh... heh."

"ACK! WE MISSED ONE OF THE BEST PARTS!" You jumped at Papyrus' sudden shout, glancing back towards the TV as he picked up the remote and started to rewind it. He was, in fact, right; your canoodling moment with the boys caused the three of you to miss the scene where frogified Tiana and Naveen were facing off against the hillbillies.

"Oops. Sorry loves."

"eh. that's what a remote's for, yeah? we got all night after all."

"True." The rewinding finally hit a part where Papyrus believed it was an acceptable place to stop at and then with a push of a button, resumed normally. With a tilt of your head, you watched the animation play out over the screen before speaking again. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder what Soul Traits the Disney Princesses would have."

The boys seemed to think on this new idea with some seriousness, causing you to giggle.

"well, cindy's pretty easy when you think about it." Sans piped up first, reaching over to grasp your hand. "kindness, for sure. some patience in there too."

"I AGREE."

"Mm, fair point. Maybe some Bravery too."

"oh? how ya figure?" The smol skelebae's expression shifted into something doubtful. "no offense, but she's no warrior or anythin'."

"Well, there's many different forms of Bravery, ya know? Showing Kindness in situations of stress or cruelty, even though you know you'd never get it back in return-" You shrugged a bit, smiling as you glanced over to him. "That seems pretty Brave... To me, at least."

He cocked a browbone at you, new understanding glimmering in his eyelights. "huh." Your gazes flickered over to Papyrus in unison (who was watching the two of you curiously) for a split second before you locked eyes again, fond smiles curling over your faces. "...yeah, i guess i know where you're comin' from."

"WHY DO I FEEL LIKE I JUST MISSED OUT ON AN INSIDE JOKE?"

"trust me, bro, if it were a joke, you'd know." Sans snickered before looking over at him again. "think she's got any others?"

"I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF SHE HAD SOME PERSEVERANCE AS WELL."

"Noted." You nodded in agreement. "Means she's got some Compliance... and maybe Idleness as well; damn damsel-in-distress syndrome types kinda tick me off. Definitely some Composure and Understanding." You murmured in thought, vaguely registering some confusion coming from the two of them but not paying it much mind. "Moana?"

"bravery. for sure." Sans muttered with certainty. "gotta be to take up a task like that with no trainin', yeah?"

"Point."

"DETERMINATION TOO," Papyrus interjected, nodding, "AND INTEGRITY. JUSTICE, MAYBE."

"Mm. Dash of Perseverance. Inflexibility and Spite seem likely. Courage and Grit." You nodded, taking a swift chug of water. "She's pretty easy to figure out..."

"MAUI IS BRAVE TOO. DETERMINED AS WELL. I'M... NOT SURE OTHER THAN THAT THOUGH?"

"Audacity, Inflexibility, and Conceit." You murmured, gaining identical odd looks. "Most definitely. Maybe Conviction after Moana Therapy-no-Jutsus him. And what about Tiana?"

"perseverance and patience for sure. determination is very likely; the way she was saving all those coins in tips all those years must've been rough." Your lazier bae hummed, eyeing you somewhat curiously. "with no determination at all, she might've gone insane."

"INTEGRITY ALSO-- SHE HAS LITTLE LOVE FOR NAVEEN'S EARLIER LIFESTYLE AND APPRECIATES HARD WORK."

"Seems legit." You could also see Dedication and Rectitude being some of her traits. Inflexibility. Composure for good measure. "Speaking of Naveen..."

"HM... HE IS DIFFICULT." The skeleton narrowed his sockets for a moment, an odd considering light in his eyes as he watched Naveen's froggy form on the TV screen. "IN THE BEGINNING HE IS KIND OF... HOW DO I PUT THIS?"

"a pompous jerk?" Sans snickered quietly as his brother winced, but didn't object. "yeah, not much to gather from him pre-tiana, not gonna lie." Eh, Conceit and Audacity you could see. Idleness... In a sense. Decency sounded accurate since he was a prince and needed to present himself nicely as royalty, and Diligence after Tiana got ahold of him didn't seem too far off. "i would say perseverance, but... i dunno, it doesn't really suit him somehow. it's a common trait though. maybe justice? considerin' how upbeat he is? most just souls are good-humored for some reason."

"ONCE HE REALIZED HE LOVED HER, HE BECAME PRETTY SELF-SACRIFICING; IT WAS PRETTY ADMIRABLE OF HIM. SO MAYBE A BIT OF BRAVERY TOO!" Papyrus paused for a moment then, blinking. "WHY DO YOU THINK WE COULD SAY BRAVERY FOR MOST OF THESE FAIRYTALE CHARACTERS? IT IS A LITTLE STRANGE."

"A bit, but it's to be expected." You replied, snuggling further into your comfy spot. "Bravery is a staple amongst protagonists, often because they need it to get past obstacles and trials. It's one of those weird writing tropes really, though it makes you appreciate when the main protagonist isn't relying solely on Bravery to get out of a bad situation. Even though humans as a whole had no clue about tangible Souls before you guys appeared, it's a very valuable trait for 'hero' archetypes. And, as mentioned before, there are many types of Bravery, just like there is of Patience or Determination." You shrugged, smiling a bit. "So it's not always used in a way you'd expect."

"true, true. it just depends on the person, huh?"

"WHICH IS FAIR. NO TWO INDIVIDUALS' EXPERIENCES ARE TRULY THE SAME." The younger skeleton gave a sage-like nod before his expression lit up and he excitedly pointed towards the movie. "OH, OH!! THE DANCE SCENE IS NEXT!!!"

You chuckled along with Sans at Papy's excitement, exchanging another fond look before deciding to settle back into your cuddle pile, your previous conversation seemingly forgotten for now. That was fine though. You loved this scene. Any girl would enjoy dancing the night away with their sweetheart in such a romantic way.

Maybe one day you'd be able to coerce one of your boys to join you in a dance. Heh.

That would be fun.

"...Pap...? Lovely? You asleep...?" You murmured softly in question, leaning closer to the large monster who was holding one of your hands hostage (again) as the credits to the movie began rolling. The sweet thing's sockets were closed, and he didn't respond to your quiet questioning. "Huh... You'd never think he could be out for the count so quickly with all that energy he has..." He was sincerely cackling at Louis being able to play on the riverboat not too long ago.

Glancing over at Sans, you snorted as you saw him draped across the arm of the couch and gently snoring away.

Now that, you expected.

Shaking your head in amusement, you carefully moved to reach over Papyrus' lap for the remote and shut off the tv before looking at the mess of you and your boys' feast just resting mockingly on the coffee table in front of you.

'Welp. I might as well clean up; I don't want to wake up Paps, and Sans sure as shit ain't gonna wake up just to help me.' You sighed softly to yourself and forced your body up to clean up your collective mess. After a quick placement of a blanket over both of your skelebaes and wiping any crumbs off of the table, you stacked all of the bowls and trays carefully into your arms and hurried them off to the kitchen to start washing them. It was a good thing the three of you altogether had a massive collective appetite and had demolished all of the food because you hated to waste it, no matter how foul-tasting or unhealthy.

Either way, Gaster had fucked off in the middle of the movie marathon due to your insistence to ignore him, so it ended up being pretty nice. Hopefully, the three of you would get to do that again real soon.

Even with you tip-toeing around to keep from waking the boys up, they were washed and rinsed pretty quickly. The only kink you ran into was the fact that you forgot to put away the dishes already on the drying rack and had to put them up before putting the others in their place. The task was so mundane and methodical though that you ended up lost in your thoughts.

'All this time back from the Underground, and I still haven't figured out a way to keep up Gaster's healing progress...' You could feel yourself grit your teeth, your hands clenching the metal rim of the dish in your hands. As you had expected, the tension between you and the being stuck in the layers of Existence had caused the progress of healing his SOUL to slow significantly. 'If I don't figure out something fast, his healing could reverse...'

And as angry as you were, you didn't want that.

You were being somewhat petulant though, you will admit. The easiest solution to this whole debacle would've been to actually talk to Gaster and find out exactly what his damn problem was, of course; but that also meant breaking your current vow of silence towards him and (knowing you) possibly even ending up apologizing for something you weren't even aware that you did.

Which was unacceptable to you.

You were an emotional creature. And Gaster was fully aware of this, so you were very sure that if the standoff between the two of you was ever going to end, he would have to be the one to approach and apologize first... And you were going to have to open up and let him. That's where the problem was.

You knew you were being overly prideful. Vindictive, even, to hide from Gaster just how much it hurt for him to say what he did. Maybe you were blowing things completely out of proportion...

...

He called me an immature child...

...Aaaaand great. Now you were angry all over again.

'Oh, if you think I was childish before, Gastard, you got another thing coming.' The thought curled into your mind unbidden with a guilty amount of waspish intent; your grip on the dish still in your hands tightened further, and the metal began to groan lightly in protest of your strength. 'You want immature? I'll show you immature-'

Your thoughts came to a sudden halt as a gentle hand rested over yours, causing your breath to cut short and you to jump slightly. With slightly wide eyes, you glanced down towards your fingers to see a broad skeletal hand attempting to gently uncurl your relentless grip on the filter you were holding. There were divots where your fingertips had been pressed against the lip.

With a soft wince, you glanced to your right and had to bite back a curse at seeing Sans worriedly staring back at you.

Damn it. Was this going to become a regular occurrence or something?

"hey there dollface... i dunno why you're so mad at the strainer but how about ya give it a break now, okay?" His teeth tilted up in a slight smirk, while he slowly began to pry your fingers from the pot and to take it into his own grasp. "you don't wanna break it before it has a chance to apologize."

In spite of yourself, you felt your lips twitch up in response; he was trying to joke with you to ease your tension.

You didn't deserve him.

"Ah... Yeah..." You muttered in response before finally willing yourself to let go of it; you flexed your digits a bit (they ached slightly from how tight you had been holding the object) as he moved to place it onto the side counter nearby. "Eheh... Whoops."

"don't worry about it, it's not all that noticeable, and we can still use it; no harm done." He chuckled softly, turning back to you. He met your gaze calmly, reaching up with both hands to cup your face. "your eyes are a bit red, babe."

"Eh?" Your hand came up involuntarily to flutter a bit near your eyes, and you grimaced slightly as you finally felt the slight burn of magic rimming around your irises. "Oh..." You willed for it to dissipate, a small nervous smile taking your mouth as the burning feeling vanished. "...Sorry."

"nothin' to apologize for." He shook his skull, looking over you fondly and letting his hands drift down to wrap around your waist instead. "you okay though? you were lookin' pretty... miffed." You winced again, glancing away from his concerned expression in slight shame. You knew you had more control over yourself. "what's wrong? anything i can help with, maybe? ease your thoughts a little?"

A deep sigh escaped your mouth, and you began wracking your brain for something a lot more innocuous than what was wrong, but...

.........

Oh!

"I'm... kinda stuck on a... puzzle." You returned lamely.

".....a puzzle," Sans repeated, looking properly skeptical of your reply. "you lookin' like you were ready to rip out someone's throat and takin' it out on that poor strainer," he pointed over towards the dish resting innocently on the counter with the dent from your grip standing out like a beacon, "is all because... of a puzzle."

"W-Well, it's an... important puzzle." You couldn't help but stutter slightly, trying your best to phrase things in a delicate and unrevealing manner. "A puzzle that means a whole lot to me. A-And it also has a time limit to figure out the answer."

Thankfully being the genius that he was, Sans somewhat gathered what you were implying- 'I can't fully go into it, but I'm trying to share what I can' and the suspicion from his face drained away to reveal an attentive interest. "i see... and this puzzle isn't... dangerous, is it?"

"No no, nothing like that." You shook your head in return, incredibly pleased he decided to play along. "But it is, um... Serious."

"serious." He echoed, expression shifting slightly. "uh-huh... and why does this serious puzzle mean so much to you?"

Something honest to say, something honest...

"...Because if I can figure out an answer to the puzzle, I can make a lot of people I care about very, very happy."

That sentence was the deciding factor. Sans was much more soft-hearted (figuratively speaking of course) than he made himself out to be. With your main worry being about making people happy, any suspicion he had towards the situation consequently vanished into thin air. After all, you weren't very social or well-connected with the public, so he could safely assume (correctly, you might add) that the people you were talking about were in your intimate circle of friends... Aka, pretty much just Monsters.

Of course, that's not to say he wasn't still worried, but with your assurance that there wasn't any danger, he relaxed.

At least outwardly.

Thank the Stars.

"hm. alright- that makes sense considering it's you we're talking about." He nodded to himself at this, musing to himself as the furrow between his sockets fading away. "huh. you said yer stuck?"

You nodded with a small pout involuntarily taking your face. "Yeah..."

"you want some help figurin' out a solution?"

You blinked. "Say what now?"

"well, if it matters to you, it matters to me." Your monster bae simply shrugged in response, giving a chuckle. "now i'm not all that good like my bro when it comes to puzzles or nothin'," You couldn't help but snort at the irony, gaining a sly grin in response, "but maybe a new perspective from someone else would be a good idea?"

Hm. He had a fair idea... Now, how to phrase it?

"Okay..." You tilted your head to the side in a soft hum, your listless hands coming up to rest on his upper arms. "Um... So, I need to separate a mixture of things."

"mkay."

"That are, like, really intertwined with each other."

"okay."

"And if I can do that, it would make a certain... thing I have to accomplish much easier."

"so..... separating the objects so you can use only one of them to reach your goal, that's what you're saying?"

You nodded slowly in reply, wondering what exactly why he was exuding a whole lot of amusement all of a sudden.

"soooo, something like..." Sans shifted out of your view a little to slowly point at the metal pot on the counter with a shit-eating grin, "a strainer?"

.....Asshole.

"Oh, ha-fucking-ha, Sans." You could feel just how tickled the skeleton was as you gave him the most unamused look you could muster. "Veerrrry funny. Just what I needed, a damn joke as my answer."

"pffff- m-m'so sorry babe!" He began to snicker loudly, reaching out to take you into his grasp again as you turned away crossing your arms in a sulky manner. "snrk- i had to do it; you were lookin' like you were tryin' to melt it with your glare!" You huffed loudly in annoyance, turning up your nose at him as he attempted to assuage your irritation. "plus, with the way you described your issue, it was a viable idea?"

"Viable, he says..." You muttered almost mutinously, glaring at the dish with disdain. "Yeah, right. Like I can just shove a strainer in... to..."

.....Wait.

You already had two shields surrounding your Soul, but forming a third one wouldn't be so hard to do... Granted you didn't want it to be like a shield, and your magic certainly wasn't going to form anything you didn't want.

But a shield around your Soul fashioned into something like a sieve? That could work... Making the distinction wouldn't be hard after all, seeing how different your other two barriers were from each other. Gaster had said that only your Magic was needed to heal him, not necessarily the emotions. It was making sure that it would be separating the main components of your magic and giving the right part to Gaster's Soul Shards with great consistency would be the issue, wouldn't it?

...Or, perhaps not. With using the right intent, you could make that barrier and not have to constantly focus on the task all day as you went about your business. And since it would only be a temporary set-up until Gaster was healed enough to rejoin Reality...

..........

Holy shit, that could actually work.

"I'm a fucking idiot." You muttered to yourself softly, but with an inordinate amount of emotion. Lurching forward, you snatched the dish up and lifted it above your head as if it was the Holiest of Grails while hopping back and forth from foot to foot. You couldn't believe that you had been literally staring your solution directly in the eye for who knows how long and completely missed it!

"wait, wat?" Sans looked over you in concern, brows furrowing as his eyelights ping-ponged between you and the strainer with utter perplexity. After all, you were doing a dance reminiscent of a someone who stepped into a nest of Red Ants; not exactly the most normal of actions. "didja figure somethin' out? I was honestly just playing with ya- was it actually a good idea?"

"It was the BEST idea and I feel like a fucking dumbass for not noticing it earlier!!" You whisper-screeched towards him while waving the thing back and forth above your head. You were damn near drunk off the feeling of accomplishment and thus blamed that for your current behavior. This had to be the best 'Eureka' moment you've had to date. "The solution to all of the world's problems was sitting here right in front of my damn nose and I was legit ignorant about it!!"

"oh really?" You could sense bemusement coming from the smol vertebae, but you really just didn't care! The instant rush of relief upon realization was just... Phenomenal! "the solution to all of the world's problems? a strainer?"

"For my world, YES!!" You spun around in joy, quietly cackling to yourself in blissful glee before dropping the strainer onto the dish rack with a manic grin. "It's like, such a load of stress off my mind, you have no idea!! And... And you-!!"

Sans' expression of entertainment promptly fell into one of shock as you whirled around to face him, just now accurately seeing just how utterly delighted you are. You both would forever deny the squeak that escaped when you lunged for him, wrapping him up in the tightest hug you could manage and leaving large exuberant kisses all over the front of his skull.

"You." Smooch. "Are." Smooch. "A God." Kiss. "Damned." Mwah. "GENIUS."

"ah, uhhhhh-" The skeleton decided to partake in some mild flailing in your hold, clearly debating how to react to your sudden bout of affection. "i guess, uh... y-your little project means a l-lot to ya, huh...?" He murmured, his skull completing its transformation into a glowing blueberry as you pressed one last to his nose ridge.

"It means everything, Sans!" You pulled back to look at him properly, your grin wide and bright. "Thank you so so soooo much!!!"

Sans' sockets went wide upon making contact with your smile before he glanced away as a somewhat wobbly chuckle escaped. "...oh. yer... yer, uh, yer welcome." Still not turning to look at you, his arms finally stopped in their flapping and slowly wrapped around your waist to return your enthusiastic hug. "i'm not exactly sure what i helped with, but... i'm happy you're happy."

You felt the odd urge to burst into manic giggles and barely managed to hold back as Papyrus sleepily stumbled into the doorway of the kitchen. "Nn... Brother, Beloved...? What's Going On?"

Not even the similarities between your bae's and your estranged best friend's voices were enough to shoot you down from your high. "Papy!" You pointed a brilliant smile towards him, while hugging Sans closer to yourself. "Sans helped me figure out a really important puzzle!! Isn't he awesome~!?"

The blue glow of Sans' blush promptly increased in intensity as his brother blinked, attempting to gather what you were saying, before chuckling softly as he nodded and rubbed at his sockets. "Well, Of Course Dearest. He's My Brother, He Is Obviously The Best."

And of course, seeing as this was a compliment coming from Papyrus, Sans was glowing as bright as a blueberry star. You could feel your grin widen with glee as his hands retracted from their places around you to promptly cover his embarrassed face, and you actually giggled along with Papyrus before letting go of Sans with one last kiss to his forehead. You certainly didn't want him to pass out even if you found his fluster to be absolutely adorable.

You skipped over to Papyrus as he gave his brother an amused glance, before looking down at you with a smiling expression. "Did You Clean Up Our Mess, Y/n? You Didn't Have To."

"It was no problem! It's my house too, right? I should take care of it." You smiled, before glancing back at the still malfunctioning Sans with a pout. "It's the least I can do since someone won't let me contribute to any bills."

A strangled sound escaped Sans--Though he couldn't exactly word his thoughts just yet, the resolute stubbornness you could feel from him let you know there was no way he was about to budge on that subject, no matter how many times you brought it up.

Oh well. You could save your money for groceries and higher-end gifts then. He couldn't stop you on that account.

Your gaze snapped back towards the taller skellie as he placed one of his large hands on your head and gave it an affectionate rub. You deeply enjoyed the feeling of it. "Well, Thank You, Dearest. I Appreciate It." You held back a purr as he scratched at your scalp, and gave him a quick hug before dancing around him with a 'You're Welcome!'

You were going to head straight to your room and actually put Sans' idea into action to see if it would work before you felt Paps grasp your hand to stop you. "Wait, Beloved, Where Are You Going?"

"Oh! Uh... I was gonna go to bed now." You turned to face him again, tilting your head to the side. "What's up?"

"I Was Wondering If You'd Like To Join Us For Our Bedtime Story." Papyrus seemed content to keep his voice down for now (which was fine; his inside voice was pretty pleasant after all), shrugging as he gestured towards his older brother who was looking like he was finally starting to cool down. "I... Thought It Might Be A Great Tradition To Start Sharing With You Since We Have Shared A Sleeping Space Already!"

The apples of your cheeks heated up juuuuust a bit at the reminder, but you could feel your expression soften fondly as well. "That sounds nice, Russy, I'm honored." You smiled, before glancing pensively towards the stairs. You really should focus on getting your task done first. "Although..."

The tall skeleton blinked slightly at your hesitation, while Sans (who was rubbing away the last of the blush from his cheekbones) gave a snort and gave you a knowing look.

"babe, your 'puzzle' ain't gonna disappear by tomorrow, is it?" With a scuff of your foot against the ground and a soft 'No...', he snickered and shambled to his brother's side. "then don't sweat it, kay? ya got an answer to it, so just enjoy that relief for a bit. no doubt you've been worryin' about it for a while."

You promptly pointed a pout in his direction, to which he just continued to chuckle and shake his head at. "i surround myself with people who hate sitting still; talk about irony."

You huffed loudly and stuck your tongue out at him. "Well, we all can't have Idleness as our main Vice, Sans."

You can honestly say you weren't expecting to see two overly confused expressions pointed right back at you. You blinked, raising your brow as you gave them an odd look in return. "...What?"

"...Ah, Sorry Y/n," Papyrus murmured, lifting a hand to his forehead and shaking his head with a soft chuckle, "I Was Simply Confused By Your Capitalization."

"I'm sorry, my whu-huh? What're you talking about?"

"Your Capitalization, Dearest! Your Use Of It For The Words 'Idleness' and 'Vice' Confused Me For A Bit-- But I'm Sure It Was A Simple Mistake, However."

You blinked again, completely lost. "......I don't understand?"

"oh yeah, you're human." Being exposed to your 'You don't say?' glare, the older skeleton smirked and patted your arm in an appeasing manner. "it ain't a dig sweetheart, monsters just sorta automatically know this kinda stuff. so, intent, right? it shows in people's words as they speak, yeah? i'm sure you know that." Nodding in agreement (you had learned to read emotions through voice inflections pretty early on in life), he shrugged. "well, monsters are pretty sensitive to that. aaaand as skeletons, we are the most sensitive to it out of our entire race. dunno exactly why, we just kinda... are. the easiest way i could explain it is... you know how when you type up your stories, you add italics to certain words and capitalize and stuff? we... sorta translate speech into that. while other monsters just sense it, we hear it. automatically."

Well, now your other eyebrow joined its twin to brush against your hairline. "Really? ...Wow, that's really... Really interesting!" You raised a hand to your chin, tapping at it in thought. "Wait a second, so, is it like tied to the fact that you speak in Comic Sans, and Papyrus speaks in, well... Papyrus?"

They exchanged wide-socketed glances before looking back at you, their expressions shifting into something akin to surprise. "You Can Hear That, Y/n?"

"Well no, not really-- At least not like you guys. I made a guess more than anything." You shrugged a bit, a sheepish smile on your face. "Though it was an educated one. The Papyrus font is very eye-catching and scratchy looking, so it sorta translates into your usual volume and tone," You gestured towards the taller vertebae before giving Sans a pointed look, "And you usually sound like you always talk in lowercase, not to mention that your voice also usually always sounds like you're on the verge of laughter. Although I'm certain I've heard you both speak normally before, so... I imagine that's probably the Aster font that's in your name, yeah?"

The boys stared at you for a moment longer before sharing wide matching grins and chuckling loudly.