Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Game Over", huh? 

Y/n honestly didn't know her life, well, if one could call what she had a life, would end like it had. To be having the time of her life with her best friend Mason and the next, she had entered a "Game Over" screen, the text in all capitals. Oh, did she mention that it was blood red too? How lovely. She had heard over the years than many philosophers had argued that reality wasn't as real as what humans had deluded themselves to believe, and was in fact merely a figment of our collective imagination. Others theorised that nothing except themselves was real, or that God was simply an administrator to a large network that was a futuristic, highly advanced VR game.

Death truly puts such thoughts into an entirely new perspective, didn't it? Everything she had ever thought meaningful, everything she thoughts was oh so beautiful and oh so grand was a video game for the entirety of her life. Was she herself simply a game character, controlled by someone else using a VR headset? It would certainly explain the conundrum that was dreams, which were obviously the result of another game the player was doing on the same headset. Well, she wished it would be that simple to understand- correction, she didn't really care. Everything and everyone she had ever loved was a ... a lie.

Such a sick cosmic joke to play on such an insignificant mortal, finite, sentient being that was Y/n L/n. All of the struggles she lived through were for naught, and everything she had strived for would never be fulfilled. Would they have even been worth fulfilling in the first place? Most likely not as everything didn't seem to be real. Amidst her mind-numbing shock, the woman couldn't help but think that technology advanced enough as to have characters actually feel emotions was impressive.

From the blank screen of "Game Over", she supposed that she was perhaps too invested in the game "Lover's Spat" for it to have been entirely healthy.

You see, the game known as "Lover's Spat" was a typical Dating Sim with a not so typical storyline, that being that it all but smashed the fourth wall at the very end like Mylie Cyrus on a wrecking ball, shocking even Y/n. When her brother had suggested that she play the game (he insisted it was for the plot and not all the "romantic" aspects- Y/n herself was someone to call something how she saw it, and that would inevitably be porn without seeing any of the "action", so to speak).

Playing the game on a VR headset herself, she hadn't expected the game to get so meta and to actually make out that she was the bad guy. Basically, the love interests (a bunch of skeletons funnily enough as it was a Halloween special gag by the creator to mess with the minds of the players) were, as it turned out, all the same people only alternate versions of the Original Timeline, as they called it. The rest of the story, you may ask? What exactly had Y/n practically stunned and trembling from the excess amounts of adrenaline still pumping in her veins, you may ask?

The player had essentially possessed the antagonist, and were referred to in the game (hence the fourth wall break) as "Determination", an inherently neutral creature that changed to either being good or evil depending on the actions of the player. If they decided to have the antagonist be nice to every single one of the love interests (even if a great deal of them were narcissistic arseholes with barely any redeemable qualities, if any at all) and find their "One True Skelebae" as the creator of the game aptly named, the "Determination" would be good. The other route was to manipulate the love interests to essentially kill one another until either the protagonist and the chosen love interest survived, or, the path Y/n had just completed, only the protagonist turned antagonist remained, which both lead to "Determination" being evil. Of course, finding out about the whole "possessing of the protagonist" was only found out in the latter option, which was why Y/n was still so horrified.

She honestly felt like shit when she killed some of the love interests, as they seemed rather nice and adorable (unless you were doing the Manipulator route, where everyone's true selves were revealed), but she just needed to know what would happen. Y/n supposed that was the whole reason behind the name "Determination", as it wasn't as though she had any malicious intentions and bring them pain from her own enjoyment, she just wanted to know what would have happened if things went differently.

According to her brother, there were indeed more than those three endings, but according to many of the cult members fans of the games, those three specifically: Peacemaker, Manipulator and Pandemonium, were the three main endings and had the main plot points of the story. The rest were ones that gave even more specific information, mainly tailored to fan service for those who favoured a particular character over the rest, such as establishing a tragic backstory or discussing what they were like as individuals on an overly dramatised and overly detailed way (that was the impression Y/n had gleaned at least from the many posts made on social media about the game).

Y/n adored the game.

It was truly one of the best ones she had ever played. She could look past some of the questionable events (such as the protagonist's friend Olivia going missing in every single route), the cheesy and cliched style of a typical dating sim as well as some of the irritating characters in particular (they knew they were annoying and liked to make it their business to annoy the protagonist thus got on the player's nerves also). Y/n liked the skeleton's alternative view of the world, as well as the pranks and jokes they did (mainly being aimed at protagonist but there was opportunity to team up with one of them and prank everyone else within Gaster's Mansion, as their place of residence was called). She also adored the friend in the game known as Mason, who she suspected had a little crush on the side character Mettaton which she found absolutely adorable (as once some of the other routes were completed the player was able to pick a character to become the protagonist's obedient follower devoted friend out of a selection of characters gained from achievements and previous endings).

Of course, she hadn't even grasped the true depth of the game, as even though it had taken the gaming community by storm a year or two ago, different endings were still being discovered, hell the content of each copy sold differed from each one, be it the coding or the general differences between the characters such as their custom outfits and the characters themselves (some even claimed to have a Mafia edition), something that the mysterious creator never really did explain (mysterious as in no one knew who they were seen as though they used an alias). Hell, some of the cult members fans had theorised that the constant discovery of different endings was due to the characters actually being sentient, thus acted unpredictably as they weren't a piece of code. They also seemed to believe that utter nonsense as many of the skeletons actually remembered some of the endings, which only seemed to add to the differences between each one due to their knowledge of them.

Y/n sighed as she placed the headset near her merchandise of the game she had previously been playing, and scrolled through her phone. Specifically, she was looking at the local news, tutting every now and again from the pure drivel that the reporters thought was interesting. News flash: no one was interested that the presenter recently got married, sorry Debra. What immediately got the young woman's attention was on the story they were covering. She read that over the course of two years, women had been disappearing. Y/n found it odd that she had only just heard about it, but according to the presenter, it was due to police negligence. Apparently, they didn't find the disappearances important enough to investigate due to the women in question being considered "troublesome", a great many of them being only teens. The Chief Inspector, in a live interview, claimed that they were so spaced out that they hadn't established a pattern, and due to "how the girls were", according to him, it was far more likely that they had run away from home. After all, they were just stupid teenage girls with awful reputations in either the work place or high school, so how could the police ever possibly have known that anything suspicious was going on?

What a fucking load of old shit.

Y/n grumbled inaudibly under her breath about the injustice of it all, as she quickly put on her pyjamas and slid into bed. She had pretty much pulled an all-nighter just so that she could know the ending of the Pandemonium route she had just completed, and she was paying the consequences. She didn't have work for a few days due to it being the holidays, something she was ever grateful for if the impending headache was anything to go by. The woman closed her eyes, willing her mind to stop racing with thoughts about the game so that she could just fall asleep...

"Wakey wakey, we're here!" sang an all too chipper voice, waking Y/n from her slumber. She blearily looked around, rubbing her eyes before she turned to the person who woke her. Why was there a stranger in her house? Her brother better not have given permission to one of his friend's to stay at her house again (the first few times were understandable given how they were unemployed due to a mega-corporation's budget cuts so that they wouldn't become bankrupt), but at one point, she had too outright refuse. They used her toothbrush for God's sake! Her toothbrush! What kind of barbarian wouldn't get a new one and use the one which had clearly already been used?! A savage, that was what. Y/n had chewed out her brother for days after that incident, and he was rightfully embarrassed about it.

No, she wouldn't allow another Toothbrush Scenario to happen again, so, she'd just have to tell her to get the hell out of her room- wait, why was she in a car? A moving car? The fuck was going on?! Had one of his buddies turned psycho and just fucking kidnapped her? She swore that she would wring that scrawny boy's neck if that was the case. "The hell?" she mumbled, still in a daze having only just woken up. Sunshine peaked through the clouds, the light blinding her for a second or two before she was able to fully gather her wits about her. The car had stopped outside of a huge mansion (Jesus, what her brother gotten himself into now she couldn't help but think, internally panicking that he had gotten involved with the mafia or some shit for her to have been kidnapped then brought to such an extravagant place). She knew that she wouldn't have been kidnapped by the mafia unless it was her brother's fault. She was a hermit, after all, never really interacting much with others (she was far too socially awkward to just strike up conversation with someone), and it wasn't like she had very many friends (mainly two especially close colleagues she had from work that she could consider to be friends).

"Nice, huh?" beamed the driver, who Y/n finally took the time to look at properly. Next to her was a well-endowed blonde with sparkling sky blue eyes, red lipstick with expertly done eyeshadow, foundation (that matched her somewhat pale complexion) as well as matching black eyeliner. The shirt she wore exposed her breasts being blue in colour, along with a pair of high waisted, light wash skinny jeans that were folded by her ankle, exposing her sandaled feet even more (as she was wearing gladiator sandals, her toe nails having been painted red). Expensive jewellery adorned her neck, the diamonds reflecting the light from the mid-afternoon rays whilst her matching pair of diamond earrings also reflected it, almost blinding Y/n further). Who the hell was she ?!

There was something oddly familiar about her, but the woman couldn't put her finger on where she may have seen her before. "Wow, you're really working the bedhead look, girl." teased the blonde, her delicious looking lips curling, revealing pearly white teeth. No! It wasn't the time to let your gay show, Y/n! Pull yourself together she commanded herself internally, shaking her head to clear her straying thoughts. 

"What's going on...?" she questioned, attempting to quash the panic that was bubbling to the surface.

"You really don't remember?" she asked, confused until realisation dawned on her. "The jetlag must really be getting to you if you can't remember, girl. We're at my place, you know, 'cause you lost your job and house?" The blonde seemed very uncomfortable when she broached the topic, her smile turning to a slight grimace. "You do know I would have helped you out sooner if you had just let me know? You've always been stubborn, but I didn't know you were that bad that you wouldn't have told me when you were evicted."

What was the woman talking about? And why was she acting as though they knew each other? Her job was perfectly stable, and she had stayed right on top of her rent so that she knew that she wouldn't have gotten evicted, especially so soon. She had another two months to pay for it for Christ's sake! It wasn't as if her job didn't pay her enough anyway. On the contrary, she was given a rather comfortable wage in her cubicle job. It was boring, that she would admit, but it paid well and it wasn't too awful that she'd have to do something unsavoury. Not only that, but if gave her days off that she could play some her favourite games... Huh, the more she was reminded about her beloved games that kept her company on long winter nights like a mysterious lover at midnight, the more it seemed to dawn on her for why the blonde seemed so familiar. In her favourite game Lover's Spat, someone could personalise the protagonist and give them a name (well, it turned out that they would always be called Jessica, and what the player was in fact naming was the specific timeline they were playing in- a detail she had recently found out from the Pandemonium route).

Y/n had purposely made her look as attractive as she could in a conventional sense, and funnily enough, the more the woman thought on it the more she found similarities between her customised protagonist and the woman who sat in the driver's side, who was at that moment, looking at her worriedly. The outfit was even the same, as she had intentionally picked the shirt that revealed her breasts the most, testing to see if that influenced the game in anyway (and oh boy had it, what with the constant blushing of the characters or some of them outright drooling).

WELCOME TO THE GAME YOU LUCKY BITCH!

Y/n started, looking around to find the source of the loud booming voice. The blonde hadn't seemed to have noticed, as her brows furrowed further in concerned puzzlement.

OH, DID I SCARE YOU? GOODNESS, I'M SO (NOT) SORRY! YOU SEE, THE CURRENT SITUATION YOU ARE FACED WITH IS THIS: YOU ARE IN THE GAME. YES, YOU CAN DIE LIKE IN REAL LIFE, AND YES, LIKE ANY OTHER GAME THIS CAN BE AVOIDED OR YOU CAN USE THE RESET BUTTON, ONLY IT'LL GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME. LUCKY YOU! YOU GET TO BE IN THE GAME YOU OH SO TREASURED, SUCH A PRIVILEGE. YOU ARE THE ANTAGONIST (BOOOOOOOO!), SO YOUR JOB IS TO ESSENTIALLY BE THE PROTAGONIST'S ENEMY IN ALL OF HER ENDEAVOURS, ALL WHILST PRETENDING TO BE HER FRIEND. ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL? OH, AND REMEMBER THIS: IN THIS WORLD, IT'S SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST! DO WHAT YOU MUST TO SURVIVE, AS IT'LL ONLY TAKE LONGER FOR YOU TO GO BACK HOME (IF YOU EVEN WANT TO, THAT IS YOU SELFISH BITCH). YOUR MENU IS LOGGED IN YOUR PHONE. THAT SAID, HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR DREAM COME TRUE!

W-what? How could that be possible...? She was actually in Lover's Spat, for real...? The actual fuck?! Why was it giving her so much sass too?!

Y/n almost broke down then and there, but was brought back from her rapid thoughts when she was lightly shaken by her shoulder. "You must be really exhausted if you're daydreaming like this. How about this: I introduce you to everyone, make it as quick as possible then show you to your room so you can have a nice nap? God's knows you need one after what's just happened." offered the protagonist, Jessica, kindly.

Y/n shakily answered, " Y-yeah, sure..."

Jessica nodded, before stepping out of the car, walking around it before reaching the trunk and opening it. Y/n swiftly unbuckled herself and joined her, paling and sweating nervously at the implications of her predicament. She knew how the characters reacted when they first met Olivia, the original antagonist, and let's just say that it wasn't at all pleasant. Y/n, when she played the game, couldn't understand their reaction until later when she found out that Olivia was a two-faced bastard who just wanted the high-life as she had caught her stealing her money. It was that very evening in the game that Olivia went missing, but it wasn't as though Y/n was that torn up about it, as Olivia, upon closer inspection of the protagonist's interactions with her, was a real piece of work. And a nutcase, but that was besides the point.

Were the skeleton's going to treat her the exact same way? If she was indeed in Lover's Spat, it would stand to reason that yes that would indeed happen. Y/n was already processing a lot, what with being in a fucking video game that was theorised to be sentient without having to put up with a bunch of judgy skeletons out to kill her as soon as they could.  She rounded the car and stood by the blonde's side, picking up her suitcases (she only seemed to have two). "Do you want any help with that?"

"Nah, I'm fine thanks." replied Y/n, trying to seem nonchalant as she followed after Jessica. the blonde looked over her shoulder at the woman, making sure that she was alright before reaching the grand oaken door and opening it. It didn't make a single sound as it opened, and revealed a grand marble staircase that led to the second floor in the foyer, parts of the second floor looking over the foyer as doors lined the walls. Y/n had no idea where anything was, as the game didn't exactly go into detail for where everything was. Hell, the map itself was always randomised so that no Gaster Mansion was the same per copy of Lover's Spat.

The woman was completely reliant on Jessica to get around, and she really didn't like that, especially with how the skeletons (or love interests) were inherently detrimental. Jessica paused as she looked around, cupping her mouth before yelling, "I'm back guys!"

Y/n inwardly flinched at the high volume, her eyes widening as she heard thundering steps racing over to where they were. Dread weighed heavily in her gut, taking a subconscious step towards the entrance as though at any moment she was ready to drop her bags and dash out of the door. She was tempted, very tempted, but she knew that it wouldn't be a very good idea. In her version of Lover's Spat, there were some skeletons that frequently roamed the woods, and according to the similar experiences of other players that reported their experience of the game on reddit, many of them had a craving for consuming human flesh.

The thought made her shiver as she finally watched as the skeletons of the household either ran in the foyer, ambled in or marched in, all of them standing before the pair of humans en masse. It wasn't a comforting sight, especially for the already jittery Y/n. The human woman supposed that it was mainly due to her not having had any coffee yet for why she was more jittery than she usually was when she was afraid of something (as she had played many horror games in her time, from Amnesia to Phasmaphobia), as back home, she had an unbreakable addiction to caffeine, specifically Brazilian cocoa beans mixed with Hawaiian coconut mocha (when she wanted to treat herself every once in awhile, otherwise, she would just have instant coffee).  

"HELLO MAIDEN!" greeted a short, stout looking skeleton adorned with a blue shirt, blue shorts and a blue bandana, their eyes in the shape of stars. It was pretty to look at when in the game, but in real life, it was surreal enough to be disconcerting.

"GREETINGS DATEMATE!" smiled another skeleton, this one much taller and lankier, dressed in armour of sorts with a billowing red scarf tied around his neck.

Everyone else followed suit with their own greetings, but their eyes never once left Y/n's much smaller form (the one clad in blue was only short in comparison to the others, as he too was still taller than Y/n and Jessica themselves). Some glared, some scowled whilst others seemed curious or even aloof. Y/n adamantly refused to meet any of their gazes as she continued to look at the ground, holding her suitcases close to her. "Hey everyone!" beamed Jessica. She wrapped an arm around Y/n's shoulders, startling her as she looked at the blonde in bemusement. "This is my best friend Y/n. Why don't you all introduce yourselves?" she suggested warmly.

All Y/n wanted to do was run to her room and gain her bearings, but it didn't seem as though she was that lucky (was she ever, though?).

The one clad in all blue stepped up first, a bright smile on his face as he waved, "HELLO HUMAN! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY! IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU!".

Jesus she hadn't had enough coffee for the shit she was dealing with. Coffee made life so much more simple, it made her not give a shit about anything. That was why she was a bundle of nerves at that moment. Not only that, but she had seen what Blueberry was capable of in the Manipulator route, and that really didn't add to her confidence any (or lack thereof). Not trusting her voice not to crack, she nodded, smiling at him pathetically before looking at the floor again.

"I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS A PLEASURE FRIEND OF DATEMATE'S!" introduced the one wearing armour.

"i'm sans, sans the skeleton." greeted one of the shorter ones. He wore a blue hoodie with black basketball shorts along with... Pink slippers? It was even weirder seeing them with her own eyes, but she could respect his zero-fuck's-ville attitude. His white eyelights seemed to look directly into her soul, making her supress a shiver. It felt as though her sins should be crawling on her back, but she hadn't sinned. The worst she had ever done was stealing a teacher's pen in primary school (her brother still teased her about that as she had been crying for days on end from the guilt of it). Y/n recognised that there was shitty people in the world, and most shitty people were experiencing something shitty so it made them shitty because of it, that was why she always tried to do the right thing. She certainly wasn't a saint, and she had made her own fair share of mistakes, but she at least tried to be a good person.

Sans hadn't seemed to have recognised such efforts, however, if his glare was anything to go by.

One of the tallest skeletons in the room (she only reached below his torso) stepped forward. He was wearing a white turtleneck knitted jumper, black trousers and a pristine white morning coat. He was a rather refined skeleton, two cracks on either side of his face as he looked at her coolly with ivory coloured eyelights. "Doctor Wingdings Gaster. Please, call me Wingdings or simply Gaster." he requested. 

"Sure..." she stuttered awkwardly, as he stood between Papyrus' and Sans' sides protectively, as though daring her to try and attack them. Jessica remained oblivious to this, as she seemed rather excited for all of the skeletons to meet Y/n. The woman couldn't say that she shared the feeling.

"THIS IS WHAT MY TRAINING WAS INTERRUPTED FOR?" growled an intimidating skeleton, red eyelights boring into her as though he willed his look to stab her like blades. He seemed to wear armour similar to Papyrus, only black and far spikier. "CALL ME EDGE. BOTHER ME, AND I'LL KILL YOU." With that he stormed off through one of the doors, grumbling to himself. 

"name's red. stay outta my way if ya know wha's good fer ya." threatened one of the shorter, stouter skeletons. He wore a red, fur-lined hoodie over a red shirt and black knee-length shorts. On his feet he wore untied Adidas trainers, as he seemed to wander off in a random direction, disappearing from sight.

Y/n's breath hitched as she felt someone grip her shoulder with large, clawed hands that could easily pierce her skin. She heard the culprit bend as he leaned into her ear, whispering, "Call me Spike, my dear." She stood frozen to the spot as Spike chuckled, his crimson eyelights reflecting off of her skin as she could feel the cracks in his cheekbone. The skeleton's grip then abated before disappearing completely. Y/n's eyes darted to look behind her, only to find nothing there, confusing her further.

"MWEH HEH, HAVE YOU SEEN IT'S REACTION? PRICELESS!" scoffed an arrogantly loud voice, alerting her to someone who stood before her. She looked up at him, at the cracks over his right socket and his violet coloured eyelights.

"MUHAHAHA! A PATHETIC DISPLAY INDEED!" agreed an equally arrogant voice. The one who spoke first wore a silken, mauve button up shirt with grey trousers and shining black leather shoes, whilst the second one wore a wine coloured velvet embroidered waistcoat with golden swirls, and a black shirt underneath with matching trousers. 

"I AM THE MALEFICENT BLACKBERRY BUT YOU WILL ADRESS ME AS LORD, AND YOU WILL LEARN YOUR PLACE, WELP." sneered the skeleton with the violet coloured eyes.

"I AM THE MALIGN RASPBERRY. YOU WILL CALL ME YOUR GRACE, AND NOTHING ELSE YOU WORTHLESS CUR!" boomed the one with the waistcoat conceitedly.

Y/n might be scared of them, but she wouldn't call them those things. It was far too degrading. When the pair realised that she wasn't going to say anything, they huffed simultaneously, which made them glare at one another heatedly before they looked back at the shorter woman. "THIS HERE IS MUTT." pointed Blackberry to one of the taller lankier skeletons. He was wearing a dark purple jumper with black ripped jeans, a smoking cigarette between his sharp teeth. He had a golden fang which seemed to reflect the light coming from his cig, as he merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"MUHAHAHA! I KNOW HOW TRULY PATHETIC HE MAY APPEAR! THIS IS MY BROTHER, SLIM, WHO IS PATHETIC BUT NOT AS MUCH AS THAT MUTT OVER THERE!" pointed Raspberry to someone who looked very similar to Mutt, only he had two golden fangs and seemed to wear a charcoal grey jumper with a black parka jacket and jean shorts, his eyelights plum coloured contrary to Mutt's, which were the colour of purple hibiscus flowers, oddly enough. Blackberry was positively enraged, and looked to be about fight with Raspberry, who was smirking smugly at him.

Why wasn't Jessica trying to break up the fight? Y/n looked around and soon found that she had disappeared along with her suitcases. How the hell did she move without her noticing? The uneasy feeling increased as she realised she was alone with a group of dangerous skeletons who could very easily kill her, and she knew that no one would try to help her, even if they heard her dying screams. Blackberry and Raspberry bickered amongst one another, leaving Y/n to awkwardly stand there as their brothers weren't talking either.

Mutt looked at her, smoking some more of his cig before he turned his full attention towards her. "There are more of us, they're just at work right now."

"Oh." replied Y/n oh so intelligently. It seemed to amuse him some as he chuckled, his brother still arguing with Raspberry in the background. Slim remained stoic as he looked at his brother, almost appearing as though he was willing to follow any of his brother's commands.

"You don't seem too bad, not how I expected you to be." commented Mutt, taking another puff of his cig as he eyed her curiously. "We're cool so long as you don't hurt my brother or bother us too much. Though, I suspect you ain't gonna be doing any of that anyway, are ya?"

"Honestly?" sighed Y/n. "I just want some coffee and a long nap."

"Heh." chuckled Mutt. "Seems like we're gonna get along just fine."

"That's if I don't die first." she muttered wryly. However, he seemed to have heard her as he shrugged.

"True, but I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you try to avoid any of them one on one." advised Mutt helpfully, garnering a surprised look from Y/n as he merely waved her off. "Eh, I ain't exactly telling ya this out of the goodness of my heart, I just can't be bothered with the hassle of dealing with your body. Monster's are easy to clean up and hide, but human corpses? Too much of a bother."

Although it sent unpleasant shivers down her spine, she couldn't help but distantly agree, "Sounds fair, I guess."

The pair stood in silence whilst Raspberry and Blackberry continued to argue. That was until Jessica finally arrived, at least, as she skipped over and hugged onto Y/n's arm. "Hey girl! Why don't I show you to your room?"

Y/n exhaled heavily in content as she laid on the comfortable double bed she would be staying in. The quilt, sheets and pillows were all white, and smelled of fresh linen and lavender which eased her stress slightly. She was finally alone, and she hadn't died yet, so that gave her plenty of opportunity to look at her phone and check the Menu of the game. Y/n was thankful that Jessica had left her to her own devices, and that she was able to finally have the much needed privacy.

LOVE INTERESTS

QUESTS

POSSESSIONS

STATS

How lovely. It was set out just like the game was when she played it, with how she as a character was progressing, what she had, what she needed to do and her relationships with the other skeletons. She decided to check the love interests first in case she needed to be especially aware of any wanting to kill her already.

Undertale Sans: Sans

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Stay away from his brothers or you're in for a bad time.

Undertale Papyrus: Papyrus

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -50

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Conflicted. Would his datemate want him to befriend someone like her?

Undertale Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Wingdings/Gaster

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Doesn't care about you. If you try to harm any of his brothers, he's always ready for another test subject.

Underfell Sans: Red

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Fuck off.

Underfell Papyrus: Edge

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You're nothing but a nuisance.

Underfell Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Spike

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -50

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Why did he have to go and be a creep again?! How embarrassing! Just wanted to say hi and he ruined it!

Swapfell Sans: Blackberry

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You will learn your place, as you are merely a cockroach beneath his boot.

Swapfell Papyrus: Mutt

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -40

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You seem alright. As long as you don't do something stupid like hurt his brother, he'll tolerate you.

Fellswap Sans: Raspberry

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You're not even worth thinking about.

Fellswap Papyrus: Slim

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Apathetic towards you. He'll kill you if he has to, or if his brother orders it.

If Y/n recalled correctly, when a character reaches a danger level of -50, that reached to a GAME OVER, and most characters started at an average -45 love level. Some of the extras she received really didn't help her nerves at all (apart from Spike, as he seemed to be a sweetheart, if a little creepy but it definitely seem unintentional). The most any of them could get is 50, but stats such as LUST and Jealousy affect the other stats depending on the level. The reason why this confused her was that not only was it slightly different to when she played the game (as she never really got the extra thoughts from the characters, and not only that, but it seemed to resemble a mixture between both the Manipulator route as well as the Pandemonium route), but it was all directed at her, which seemed to make her feel exposed and vulnerable. A call of her name interrupted her thoughts, as from the late hour, it seemed that it was time for dinner. She honestly hoped that she would survive, as none of the deaths that she knew of were entirely pleasant.

She really didn't want to be served in spaghetti.

Chapter Text

Never had she ever experienced such a tense atmosphere. It was smothering, the glares she was receiving from everyone on the table apart from four people out of what Y/n could roughly guess was twelve in total (excluding herself) around a large oval table that reminded her very much of Arthur's Round Table, what with the dark oaken wood and the wine red dining cloth. It was a little too ostentatious for the woman, as she had been raised in a working-class family, and had only just started to earn a wage that could afford her comfortable commodities (not necessarily luxuries but far better than the second-hand charity shop furniture and clothes she had to grow up with). The seats too were of a matching wood with the seats being a dark red velvet as well as the back of it sharing the same material and colour. Y/n supposed that with the clearly expensive cutlery and furniture (along with the décor that were outlaying the room, such as what she supposed was made out of pearl sculpture of a skull), she would have already felt uncomfortable, but with the death-stares she was receiving?

She imagined this was how her Auntie Marge felt whenever she came over to the family party her parents held on Boxing Day every year, what with her penchant for stealing all the silverware when no one was looking (even though she knew the knives, forks and spoons were made of cheap stainless steel).

A poor attempt at humour to distract herself from her discomfort? How lovely. Truly, the desire to be in one's favourite game- the novelty of the very idea, had gone stale real quick. Especially when she honestly couldn't tell if she was going to survive the night, what with the murderous auras surrounding the grand majority of those sat at the table. She was sitting between both Slim and Mutt (to which she was thankful, as sitting between skeletons like Red and Edge would have been an instant death sentence, that she knew), whilst their brothers sat opposite them. To the left side of the table (or the head of the table, as it were) were Sans, Papyrus, Blueberry, Jessica and Wingdings, whilst Red, Edge and Spike sat at the far end of the table to Y/n's right (something she was glad about was just how antisocial they were, even if one of them didn't seem to mean to be). There were other seats around the table (Y/n counted approximately eleven more than the ones that were occupied). In her own copy of Lover's Spat, she didn't remember there being so many. Maybe it was a different copy to the one she owned? It was well known in the fandom that each version of Lover's Spat differed from one another, some to the extreme whilst others had other subtle differences, such as new characters or new places they could take their protagonist to, so perhaps that was why there was more than there had been in her own copy? Most likely.

Luckily, not every single one of them was looking at her in such a way, or at all, to be honest. Three of the four: Jessica, Blueberry and Papyrus, were all invested in their own conversation, completely oblivious to the atmosphere that threatened to suffocate Y/n. To be frank, the relationship stats she read concerning Blueberry were extremely unsettling, the very idea of his Extra Thoughts were truly terrifying.

Underswap Sans: Blueberry

LOVE: -48

DANGER: -48

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*He wonders how long he'll have to wait before he can feel the edge of his bone attack pierce your flesh.

Absolute nightmare fuel that shit was. The fact that the usual stats were even lower in terms of LOVE and DANGER didn't help matters, as she knew that the usual default was -45 and not -48, meaning that if it went any lower any time soon, she was most likely going to be skewered like a a kebab and most likely fed to the Horrorshow Brothers to consume her remains so that they could get rid of her body easier with no questions asked (at least, in her version of Lover's Spat that was what they called Crack, Axe and Bones, and were the ones that roamed the surrounding forest of the property of Gaster's Mansion).

The last one, Mutt, was just chilling as he seemed to snooze in his chair, much to his brother's chagrin as he scolded him. It was funny how Mutt didn't even seem to stir when he was smacked upside his skull, his lit cigarette casually billowing out lavender scented purple smoke. 

"PUT THAT OUT NOW, MUTT!" commanded Blackberry, near losing his shit has his fists clenched exponentially, the sound of bone grating against bone setting Y/n's teeth on edge. She tried not to look at the scene before her so that she would avoid getting involved at all, but she couldn't help but discreetly observe from the corner of her eye as she stared at her plate, back hunched as to seem as small as possible as to garner any unwanted attention. Well, any further attention that was.

"HA! YOU CANNOT EVEN CONTROL YOUR OWN DOG, HOW PATHETIC!" mocked Raspberry, which seemed to incense Blackberry further. 

"SHUT UP YOU UNCULTURED SWINE!"

"SAYS THE POOR ESCUSE OF A SKELETON WHO SAID THAT A BOTTLE OF DOMAINE LEROY MUSIGNY GRAND CRU WAS A MIMOSA!"

"YOUR IMBECILIC SLAVE SWAPPED THE BOTTLES, YOU PILLOCK!"

"THEN IT IS YOUR STUPIDITY THAT LEAD TO YOU BEING MADE A FOOL OF TO BEGIN WITH! WELL, YOU ARE ALREADY A FOOL, SO REALLY IT WAS NO SURPRISE THAT YOU WERE SO EASILY TRICKED!"

As quick as a clap of thunder, Blackberry's chair had smashed to the ground as he leaned over the table, a bone glowing a violent shade of violet as he tilted the sharp edge at Raspberry's neckbone. "SPEAK ANOTHER WORD OUT OF TURN, AND I'LL PROVE TO YOU WHO IS THE SUPERIOR SKELETON."

Raspberry seemed unconcerned as everyone else continued to talk amongst themselves (excluding Y/n, Mutt and Slim who remained silent and to themselves) as though it was an everyday occurrence that they threatened one another with murder. Raspberry merely leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands on his lap as he gazed coolly back at the enraged skeleton. "THIS IS NEITHER THE TIME NOR PLACE. YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT EVEN IF WE DID FIGHT, I WOULD BE VICTORIOUS. AFTER ALL, WHAT ELSE COULD YOU EXPECT FROM MALIGN ROYALTY SUCH AS MYSELF?"

"ROYALTY GAINED FROM BETRAYAL, YOU TRAITOR!" hissed Blackberry, eyes glowing furiously. When Y/n caught such a look after briefly looking up from her plate, she couldn't help but shiver. It was damn-right terrifying- the curled snarl as his teeth became even more elongated and sharp, reflecting the purple light from his summoned rapier that was made entirely of bone, from the hilt to the blade itself. Even with the scary look Blackberry was sending Raspberry, said skeleton seemed unperturbed and merely sneered up at him from where he sat.

"THE QUEEN HAD FAILED IN HER PURPOSE AS RULER, THEREFORE, MY BROTHERS AND I AGREED THAT WE WOULD BE BETTER TO LEAD OUR PEOPLE ONTO THE SURFACE-"

"Not that I ain't a fan of this exposition, Blackberry." drawled Mutt lazily, inhaling deeply as smoke curled out of his sockets and through his teeth. "But wouldn't it be better to talk about this in private rather than in front of them ?"

Raspberry immediately looked at Y/n, irate that he had been interrupted as well as realisation that the whole conversation was audible to her (not that everyone else couldn't hear what was going on, they merely chose to ignore the clearly normal bickering that both Raspberry and Blackberry partook in). "YES, FOR ONCE I AGREE WITH YOU MONGREL." spat Raspberry, glowering at Y/n before turning his gaze to the head of the table. "PERHAPS YOU SHOULD GET THE VILE MEAL YOU WISH TO SERVE US. I DO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE BURNING IT AGAIN."

"NYO HO HO!" cried Papyrus as he dashed out of his seat and towards where Y/n presumed was the kitchen, and she could see black smoke emerging from the corner of the archway where Papyrus ran off to. Y/n sweatdropped, unsure of how to feel at that as, well, she'd have to eat whatever he made, wouldn't she? She remembered from the game that the taste was "indescribable", and whilst the pixelated picture of spaghetti looked normal enough, something told her that it wouldn't exactly sit right with her.

Mutt seemed to see her reaction as he smirked, "Now, what's that face for, girly?"

Y/n looked back at him, her face pale and her mouth dry. "I'm going to die from this, aren't I?"

The woman heard a snort come from Slim, but remained looking at Mutt who's grin seemed to hike up in amusement. "Most likely."

"I have one request, if you'll give me it?" she asked in a serious tone, which made him eye her suspiciously.

He questioned, "What'd that be, girly?"

"...."

"...."

"...."

"Delete my search history."

Mutt and Slim took one look at one another before snorting, barking a raucous laugh that seemed to gain their brothers' attention (as well as Sans, Wingdings and the edgier skeletons). Mutt slammed his fist against the table as Slim hugged himself, wheezing a loud laugh. "WHAT IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU TWO LAUGHING AT? ANSWER ME THIS INSTANT!" demanded Blackberry, eyeing Y/n warily as though she had just threatened him with a knife.

"STOP LAUGHING!" commanded Raspberry. Slim immediately obeyed, clearly struggling to obey as his shoulders tensed and relaxed a few times before he managed to calm down and slouch back into his chair again. Once Mutt calmed down, he sighed in content as he replaced his burnt out cigarette, igniting it with a silver lighter he procured from the pocket of his hoodie. He seemed to have been about to be berated before Papyrus dramatically burst into the room, plates of spaghetti stacked on top of one another as well as lining the length of his ulna and radius. 

"DINNER IS SERVED!" he exclaimed, before expertly sliding the plates over the table to each person before sitting down again. Much to Y/n's surprise, he turned to her as he beamed, "I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI I MADE JUST FOR YOU, NEW FRIEND!"

"Y-yeah... Thanks." she stammered, smiling at him (albeit it was far more of a grimace than an actual smile). The woman looked at the abomination Papyrus called cooking, gulping inaudibly as she stared wide-eyed at it. It honestly looked as though he was intentionally trying to kill her (something that wouldn't surprise her), what with the wooden splinters that looked to be the remains of an obliterated wooden spoon, the thick chunks of both uncooked and burnt to a crisp mincemeat, the pasta that was still hard in some places as well as a lumpy red sauce that had God knows what in it. Despite it's unappetising looks, surely it couldn't be too bad, right?

.....

Wrong! Absolutely wrong! How could she have ever been so wrong ?! It was... Y/n didn't even fucking know! All she knew, was that as she attempted and (surprisingly) succeeded in taking three more bites before she dropped the fork with a clatter, startling a few of the others who had been eating it without complaint (even Jessica for Christ's sake!). Her stomach churned painfully and she shuddered, trying to keep the bile and rising vomit from erupting onto the expensive tablecloth. Her eyes began to water as she slapped a hand to her mouth, a cold sweat dripping down her scalp and the back of her neck as her complexion greyed. 

Knowing what was coming, she leapt from her seat and ran out of the room with her hand firmly placed on her mouth. She didn't even turn around when she heard her name called by who she assumed was Jessica as the woman rapidly looked around for a bathroom. The place was too huge to navigate, so in a futile attempt to find somewhere that wasn't expensive looking that she could throw up on (as she had already lost hope from finding a bathroom or even the exit to the damned mansion). In a last ditch effort, she found a spiral staircase that was in what seemed to be an untouched part of the mansion, darting up them as she burst through the only door that it lead to.

Without further preamble, she luckily found a bin to her left as she proceeded to vomit into it, chest heaving from all of the running she had been doing. Her stomach further emptied it's contents when whatever the fuck she just ate reached her tongue, the taste ten times worse (which she didn't think would have ever been possible). When the woman felt that she wouldn't be throwing her guts up anymore, she collapsed to the ground, hugging the sullied bin like a lifeline in case her stomach decided that yes she hadn't suffered enough and needed to expel the food even more.

She was trembling, her hands that clutched the bin tightly were shaking uncontrollably as she stared into it, unable to move her head out of it. 

A clearing of a throat startled her as she looked up in a panicked daze, seeing the tallest person she had ever seen. Whilst she had thought that Wingdings was tall, this skeleton was even taller. The more she thought on it, the more she thought that this skeleton and the other one looked rather similar, what with the deep cracks in their skull from the top of their socket to the middle of the top of their skull, the opposite side being from the bottom of their eyesocket to their teeth. However, this one seemed to dress far more like a reclusive nerd than a mad scientist, as they seemed to be wearing a too-large woollen cream coloured turtleneck with blue rinse trousers, a pair of glasses perched on their nasal bridge as beads were attached to it, making him look like a reclusive nerdy librarian, if she was to compare his look to anything.

His facial expression (she had noticed with fascination that the skeletons seemed to have malleable bones that morphed as though they actually had a face) remained stoic, looking down at her from the swivel black leather desk chair he was sat on. "I do believe that you are in the wrong room, miss. Also, I do believe that the purpose of a bin is to dispose of general waste and not general vomit." he sniped smoothly, his forest green eyelights scrutinising her apathetically.

"Not my fault I almost got poisoned." she wheezed, her voice hoarse and sore from the acid still trailing her throat.

"I do believe it is  if you allowed yourself to be in such a position in the first place."

"How was I supposed to know that the cake was a lie?" she huffed, feeling irritated but being too emotionally spent to be fully angry with the rude skeleton.

"'Cake'?" he repeated dryly. "I thought it would have been Papyrus' 'Friendship Spaghetti', surely."

"Who knew that friendship could be so toxic?" she joked, smiling pathetically as she leaned her back against the wall. Due to finally being able to take in her surroundings, it appeared that she was in a rather large open-space attic room, with a large skylight above a king-sized bed that had a cinnamon coloured duvet with crisp white pillows and a beige coloured blanket, the room overall having a soft theme with the walls being a regent st blue colour. The only light in the room was from the desk he was sat at, as a reading lamp was turned on and papers were scattered about on top of it (that being the desk). The papers seemed to be the only messy thing in the room, as everything else looked as though it had taken painstaking hours to reach such perfect, everything looking symmetrical (as the desk was at the foot of the bed and the skeleton's back would have been to her if he hadn't have span around to fully face her). Overall, it was a very calming and soothing room, far better than the rest of the mansion that Y/n constantly worried about breaking the most insignificant of objects that, knowing her look, would result in a Haruhi situation if she were to break it (although she reasoned that it would be a far darker and far more emo version of that anime).

"It is with Papyrus." he admitted with a burdened sigh. "I personally don't have any personal grudge against him, but I can only tolerate his chipper attitude so much."

"What, too much sunshine and rainbows for the grumpy skeleton?" sniggered Y/n, her mind still groggy as she tried to recuperate. That was perhaps why she wasn't being so guarded. If this new skeleton she hadn't met when she first arrived hadn't attacked her yet, that meant that he most likely wouldn't, right? Y/n clearly wasn't thinking straight and had been found in a compromising position, but her addled brain couldn't muster up the energy to actually care.

"You know, I'm finding that you're being especially rude to me in my own room. Has Sans not told you about the- ugh- 'Knock-Knock' policy?"

"What, I have to tell you a knock-knock joke?"

"No." he deadpanned. "Knock before entering someone else's room. It's common decency."

"Does anything about this situation seem normal to you?" she sassed, raising a brow as she still clung to the bin.

"What, a strange human female I have never previously met barging into my room and expelling her semi-digested dinner into my rubbish bin? No, I couldn't say that it is."

"Yeah, sorry about that." she sighed, avoiding eye contact with him as she looked to the wall. "This place is like a maze, honestly couldn't make heads or tails of it."

"Perhaps because it doesn't have a head or a tail. Just an observation."

"Are you always this much of an arse?"

"To those who barge into my room ? Yes, yes I am."

"Jesus, I said I was sorry didn't I?"

"Sorry to disappoint human female, but I didn't get crucified by the Romans for your sins. Don't think you deserve forgiveness either way, for your 'sins'," he motioned air-quotations with his phalanges whilst continuing, "or for you coming in here without invitation."

"You do realise that you're acting like a territorial caveman right?"

"You should know, Neanderthal." 

"I think you'll find that I'm a homo sapien, thank you very much." she stuck out her tongue childishly, gaining an eyeroll from him.

"Sexual preference is irrelevant, human female."

"Can you stop calling me that?!"

"Can you get out, please?"

"Fine! It wasn't like I wanted to be in here anyway!" she huffed, standing up as she stomped to the door.

"This is what happens when you use manners, see? People actually listen to you." he snarked under his breath, which wasn't heard by Y/n as she slammed the door behind her, forgetting that she was still holding the rubbish bin. Realising this, she grumbled to herself as she tucked it underneath her arm, careful not to spill any of its contents onto the carpet as the skeleton's deep voice that seemed to bring caramel chocolate to Y/n's mind called back, "Do wash it before you return it please? Thank you."

Y/n, when she woke up in the early hours of the morning, was both fuming and terrified. Why did she think talking to one of the skeletons like that would be a good idea? They were all capable of being psychopaths, so why, just why was she so stupid as to do that ?! It took her a moment or two to fully steady her nerves, breathing deeply in attempts to calm herself down so that she could think clearly. Y/n obviously needed a shower (luckily she had her own en suite so she wouldn't have any awkward run ins whilst entering or exiting the bathroom, especially if she needed a shit or was on her period (od imagine how embarrassing that either a skeleton found out that you took a dump or that you were on your period, essentially bleeding through your vagina).

She needed to know how her relationships with everyone were after that whole affair, and she certainly wasn't looking forward to it as she prepared herself for the worst.

Undertale Sans: Sans

LOVE: -48 (-3)

DANGER: -48 (-3)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* You were lucky that Jessica was able to calm Paps down. You upset him again, and you're dead where you stand.

Undertale Papyrus: Papyrus

LOVE: -39 (+1)

DANGER: -50

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Reassured by Jessica that you were fine, and that you were simply too overwhelmed by his great prowess in spaghetti cuisine.

Undertale Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Wingdings/Gaster

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Hopes you're not dead before he could perform some choice experiments on you . Post-mortem examinations were always better pre-mortem.

Underswap Sans: Blueberry

LOVE: -48

DANGER: -48

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Found your reaction hilarious.

Underfell Sans: Red

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Feels sympathy towards you but is reluctant to admit it.

Underfell Papyrus: Edge

LOVE: -44 (+1)

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Seems that you have slightly better taste than Jessica if you found that trash disgusting - also enjoyed your dramatics, but was somewhat disappointed you didn't fall over the chair and land flat on your face

Underfell Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Spike

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Concerned but unsure how to approach you about it.

Swapfell Sans: Blackberry

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Found your pain amusing

Swapfell Papyrus: Mutt

LOVE: -38 (+2)

DANGER: -38 (+2)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Funnier than he thought you'd be. Also kind of worried- hopes you don't drop dead, for now at least.

Fellswap Sans: Raspberry

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*How did you make his brother laugh?

Fellswap Papyrus: Slim

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Will continue to follow orders, but finds your antics funny.

Gaster Papyrus: Green

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -40

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Doesn't like how rude you are but likes to irritate you and your reactions to teasing.

The stats with Sans were really alarming, not to mention that he Extra Thoughts from Wingdings gave her the creeps. Why were they all after her? The hell did she ever do to sodding them?! Nothing that's what. Also, she supposed that the latest addition must have been that dick of a skeleton she met that evening.

She sighed at the injustice of it all before escaping the warm comfort of her bed, popping her joints as she picked out her clothes for the day before showering and doing all that lovely jazz. She knew it was early, but she also knew that due to that it was prime time that she got stuff done. When she woke up, she spent a few hours looking on her phone through the options she saw the other day. She hadn't received any QUESTS yet, but she did have a look at her own stats.

INTELLIGENCE: 10/100

STRENGTH: 10/100

AGILITY: 10/100

STAMINA: 10/100

CHARISMA: 10/100

LUCK: 10/100

INSTINCTS: 10/100

SPECIAL SKILLS: 10/100

She deduced that all of her stats automatically went to 10/100 due it that also being the starting point within the game when she played it. However, the differences to the one she played the one she was being forced to endure were INSTINCTS and SPECIAL SKILLS. The woman had some inkling as to what INSTINCTS might entails, but she was completely uncertain when it came to SPECIAL SKILLS. The fucking system really liked to make it even more difficult for hr, didn't it?!

It was of no consequence, though. She knew that she had to survive for her family's sake. No offence to him, but her brother was a bit of a tosspot, and could be a little bit stupid (only this made it worse as it was always at the most inopportune times), and was generally too trusting of people, which put him into a spot of bother on more than one occasion.

During an especially bad night when he had woken up from another night terror, he had bawled and practically begged Y/n that she would be with him, and that if they ever got into anything, that she promise to stay alive. She humoured her brother to try to calm him down, but that didn't exactly mean that she didn't take her promise seriously. His anxiety of losing a family member in the most gruesome and tragic ways always made her extra cautious when it came to taking risks. Not only that, but she had assigned herself the responsibility to look after him and, well, she couldn't exactly do that dead/dying/stuck in a dating sim could she?

Y/n swore never to abandon him, and she never broke her promises.

Amidst her straying thoughts she had made her way to the kitchen, surprised that she had even made it there. Luck must have been on her side, or at least, she hoped it would. Y/n needed to look for a job, but with no computer and no one to ask (she definitely didn't want to ask Jessica in case she wasn't all that she seemed much like the resident skeletons). With that thought in mind, she grinned as she found a strewn newspaper on the kitchen island, scooping it up and looking at it.

There were three jobs available. Really, it must have been a lucky day for her! The museum job sounded alright, but the idea of standing around  the same old exhibits day-in-day-out would get boring, and not only that, but if she recalled correctly, Edge's fondness for weapons may just attract him there, and she really didn't want to run into the volatile skeleton. Not only that, but how it didn't even specify what she would be doing was really dodgy, as it didn't even say that she would be doing something as simple as watching the security cameras. The other job seemed to be waitressing at Grillby's- again, due to her knowing about Sans frequenting there, she didn't want to risk a chance run in with him, especially for how his stats had worsened.

The very last one was indeed the most appealing, as she would be working archives at 'The Librarby' (she couldn't tell if that was the name of the place or it was a simple spelling mistake of the local library). The only problem was getting there, as she didn't exactly have any money for the bus (not that she knew how to get there in the first place). So, that would mean that she would have to ask someone else whether they could give her a lift there, if only for the first few days (that was if she got hired, but she was determined to get it).

It was funny... Her brother was always terrible at spelling, ever since he was a kid. Bless his little cotton socks did he actually try though. He joined the Spelling Bees (a club at the school they attended, the members originally supposed to have been skilled in it but with hr brother's kind heart and natural charm he was easily able to persuade them to let him in the club). They had competed a rivalling school, and Y/n could distinctly remember coughing up a storm as to help him with the spelling for the correct answer. She just wanted him to win, as he had worked so hard day and night for memorising especially large words, and yet he didn't even listen to her. Her brother knew exactly what she was trying to do, and he refused to cheat (said it wouldn't have been the same if he had). Of course, even with his hard work he still lost, yet his beaming smile didn't waver, not once.

Y/n remembered his proud grin, simply saying that he was "just happy to have been spending time with his friends and to make you all proud". Despite his flaws, he was the sweetest person ever in her book, and she would honestly do anything for him. He could ask for the stars and she would damn well try and get them. Of course, that was very unrealistic, but the notion was still there. Though, she knew he would never ask for anything, not even help if he needed it.

"woah, kid, you alright? why're you crying?"

The woman jumped out of her skin as she looked up from the newspaper in her hands, looking at the uncertain eyelights of none other than Sans. When the woman felt her face, she realised that tears had been gradually streaming down her cheeks. 

Chapter Text

It was bad that Sans had caught her like that. Would he think of her as weak, attack her whilst she was most vulnerable? His stats would suggest that yes, it was definitely likely. However, the clear discomfort that was shown even on his constantly grinning face as a bead of blue sweat dripped down his skull as his snowy white eyelights quivered slightly. Y/n knew that she really didn't want to get into it, but the fact that she knew that Sans was  Judge and would be able to tell that she was lying wouldn't do her any favours if she deceived him. If anything, he would most likely kill her then and there, something that really wouldn't bode well for her as she recalled during her gameplay of Lover's Spat that he actually remembered the different routes played, so if she was to die, he would remember that he had not only met her before but had, in his mind, a justifiable reason to kill her. That would just lead to a constant state of turning up at the mansion, meeting everyone again before being killed, and she knew that each death would likely become more painful as he would get frustrated that she just wouldn't stay dead, and that he would have to got through the same day over and over again.

With that morbid thought in mind, she sighed begrudgingly, "I'm just upset is all, missing my brother."

"'brother'?" repeated Sans in disbelief. "you have a brother?"

"Yeah." she nodded, folding the newspaper and placing it back on the black granite countertop she had gotten it from. A sad, wistful smile crossed her features as she elaborated, "I was just reading something that reminded me of him and I'm kinda feeling a bit... homesick."

Sans nodded solemnly, a look of understanding crossing his face. "yeah, i get whattya feeling kid... all too well..." He then sat down on one of the stools that were by the counter island, propping his skull up with his skeletal hand. He awkwardly looked around the room, seemingly unsure about something before sighing and tapping the seat next to him, "come on kid, why don't you sit down?"

"You sure? I can leave if you-"

"nah, it's fine kid. come on." he beckoned with a wave of his hand. Nervous, Y/n hesitantly acquiesced as she sat down only for a loud fart sound to be emitted from the seat. The woman blushed furiously in embarrassment as Sans chuckled at her. "yeah, gotta be careful, kid. weirdos put whoopie cushions on the seats here."

"Couldn't imagine who." she commented dryly, making him chuckle as he practically lounged on the stool.

"i know, right? though, i suspect you need a brain to actually imagine it in the first place."

"Well, you are brain-dead, so I guess you've got a point there."

"woah, kid." gasped Sans, placing a hand on his ribcage. "no need to go breaking my heart."

Y/n sniggered, "What, are you Elton John now or something?"

Bemusement was evident in his tone when he questioned, "who?"

Shock and dismay overwhelmed her as she gaped at him. "You don't know who Elton John is?!"

"eh, should i...?"

"Don't go breaking my heart? I'm Still Standing? Your Song? Saturday night's alright for fighting? Does this ring any bells?"

"heh, i'm notre gonna lie, kid, but i don't have a dame clue whattya on about."

"Wait, let me get this straight, you know about the Bells of Notre Dame, but you have no idea who Elton John is?"

"heh, paps loves disney, and i have a hunch that he liked that movie in particular, seen as though he watched it nonstop or four days and knows all the musical numbers off by heart." he chuckled Sans, mirth in his tone. Y/n couldn't help but secretly admit that it was a really attractive deep rolling laugh, especially when coupled with his Brooklyn accent. No, she couldn't afford to have such thoughts: she needed to be wary of everyone, even if they might be a tad- a tad attractive.   His laughter came to a halt though as he looked out of the large bay window that overlooked the well-kept garden, sunlight beaming through the open curtains. It was nice, the way the golden rays peered into the room making everything reflect the light and glow ethereally. It was peaceful, but the tranquillity of the moment swiftly ended when Sans turned her her. Although his omnipresent grin remained unchanged, Y/n couldn't help but stifle a shiver at the intensity in his gaze and the seriousness of his tone.

"speaking of paps, he got real upset last night when you ran out." his tone was cold and biting, reminding her of frost and ice amidst an unnaturally quiet blizzard in the middle of nowhere. For some inexplicable reason, gooseflesh erupted on her arms and the nape of her neck as though she was in that very same place, which unsettled her greatly. "luckily, flower was there and calmed him down telling him that you were just unsure of how to react with getting such a tasty meal." he then chuckled icily, his eyesockets closing as though they were in fact eyelids (even though she knew that was impossible, but the way his sockets moved uncannily resembled it).

He opened them again as he looked directly in her eyes and said, "we know differently, now don't we?" Ignoring how she was unable to hide her trembling, he continued in the exact same tone, his empty sockets practically staring into her soul, "you're new around here, so i'll give you one more chance. hurt my brother, and i hurt you. simple, right? i'd kill you, but i honestly can't be bothered with dealing with the aftermath, and flower seems to like you for some reason. don't mistake this for me not killing you, though." Sans then stood from his seat, looking down at her, which seemed to make her pale even further.

"there's a reason behind everything i do, kid. i'm reluctant to do too much damage 'cause, well, i ain't a dirty sister killer. but just remember this, alright?"

Sans' eyelights extinguished.

"i  h a v e n ' t  m a d e   a   p r o m i s e   t h a t   i   w o n ' t   e n d   y o u r   l i f e ."

The skeleton's eyelights returned as his maniacal grin turned to easy-going again, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blue hoodie. He then clasped a hand around her shoulder, his grip revealing just how much of his strength he was holding back. "good talk, kid. i'll let you get to whattever it is you're doing."

Sans then disappeared into thin ait, leaving Y/n frazzled and afraid. At first, she had thought that they were at least getting along somewhat, but then he pulled a stunt like that. What did she do to deserve that?! He wouldn't have exactly been happy if she threw up in the "tasty meal", so why complain?! Especially if Jessica semed to calm him down?! Sure, she felt guilty that she had upset Papyrus (he hadn't done anything bad to her after all, so it wasn't like she ran to find a bathroom out of spite). To be honest, she wouldn't have been surprised that if she did vomit into the spaghetti, Sans would have probably forced her to still eat it whilst shoving it down her throat.

The imagery alone made her break out into a cold sweat.

She gulped dryly as she shook her head, standing from the stool and approaching the coffee machine. Coffee was love, coffee was life and God knew that she needed a coffee after that shit. Y/n turned it on, waiting with her back against the countertop as she crossed her arms, staring at the ground in deep thought. How should she exactly go to get the job? She had already thought about it when she woke up, but that didn't exactly mean she had figured it out yet. After what had just happened, that instantly ruled out Sans. Due to him being able to teleport, she wouldn't be surprised if he just abandoned her in a ditch somewhere. There were a few obvious choices who she had ruled out, like Red (she still didn't really know how to act around him so that uncertainty didn't bode well for her), Blueberry was a no-go too until she went out of her way to spend time with him to up his stats (she wanted to ensure she got a job first so that she could save for another apartment and no longer have to be in constant danger all of the time) whilst some of the others she knew she may have to gamble on. Raspberry and Blackberry were the most unlikely to accept, what with their brash and rude attitudes and superiority complex, whilst Slim would only do as his brother asked, so that immediately ruled him out. Mutt, she wasn't too sure on, and after dinner, she wasn't sure how he would be, especially if Blackberry scolded him when she had run out. Green she knew would refuse due to the circumstances of how they met in the first place, so really, that only left one particularly creepy, awkward individual (as no way would she be allow herself to be alone with Wingdings and she wasn't exactly ready to confront Papyrus about the other night either, the threat Sans made making her reluctant to be in the poor skeleton's presence at all in case she accidently did or said something that may hurt his feelings).

Spike seemed to be the only alternative. He didn't seem as though he would outright kill her, and he didn't seem to despise her like some of the other skeletons did. Not only that, but he seemed to want to talk to her anyway, and she knew that she'd be able to at least handle talking to him about it without having a heart attack over the thought of making a mistake in what she was saying to him (all she would really be worried about was how unnerved and uncomfortable she knew she was bound to feel around him, what with his unconventional social quirks that was the complete lack of social skills and personal space issues). How would she go about asking him though? And where the hell could she find him?!

"Coffee, huh?"

Y/n jumped at the unexpected voice, looking up- and up, and up until finally looking at a very tall skeleton in an orange bomber jacket, red orange shirt and a pair of olive green bermuda shorts that were cuffed at the hem, and a pair of green crocks that reminded her of the vomit she threw up the previous evening, especially with the shade of it. His carrot-orange eyelights looked down lazily at her, a lollipop of an unknown flavour between his teeth. As Y/n continued to dazedly observe the tall skeleton (he wasn't as tall as Edge, Spike,  Wingdings or Green but he was still one of the tallest skeletons she had seen as she only reached his chest), she distantly thought that he oddly sounded like that one English dub voice actor who voiced a vampire from one particular anime who was just as lazy as this skeleton.

"Well, from what I've heard you are rather bitter, so coffee sounds perfect for you." he sassed, taking a sip from what she guessed was a mug of chamomile tea, what from the smell of the steam coming off of it and all.

Y/n sighed, deigning to not reply in any sort of way that would encourage him. She was honestly just sick and tired of how nearly every single skeleton she met hated her, and there was no legitimate reason behind it! Why would you start just randomly hating a complete stranger?! Completely ridiculous!

"What, nothing to say?" drawled the skeleton, quirking a brow bone at her whilst she finally got a mug from the cupboard and poured out some black coffee. When she straight up drank it without adding sugar or cream, the skeleton couldn't help but wince, especially for how he knew that humans were heat sensitive, so this one in particular chugging scolding liquid really didn't sit well with him for some reason.

"How exactly should she respond to that? Should she even say anything at all? Despite wanting to just walk out of the room and search for Spike, she knew that it would only raise this skeleton's ire if she just ignored him, especially if he already seemed to dislike her so much. Should she add a pun in to lesson what she knew would escape her lips whether she wanted it to or not? They seemed to like puns, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that if she used them he wouldn't be as pissy with her. "Tibia honest, I'm just tired of this same song and dance. I meet one of my new housemates, and they just go out of their way to be complete arseholes about it. The only exceptions are Papyrus, Blueberry and Spike."

"Wait, Spike actually talked to you?" he questioned in surprise. "He usually just stays in his room doing stars know what, let alone actually speak with people He doesn't even speak to mi cariño ."

"He seemed alright to me." it was true, he did seem ok if a little awkward and creepy. It wasn't as though she was going to admit that out loud, however, especially with the skeleton before her. Also, what on earth did he mean by "mi cariño"? Was it a pet name for Jessica like how Y/n noticed Sans called her "flower"? She supposed it was most likely, but she had no idea what it was. It sounded Spanish, but that was the most she could make out. 

"Eh, it's none of my business. Not like I care anyway, but still, I'm not gonna get involved." he shrugged. "All I care about is my brother and mi cariño. Everyone else can go rot in Hell for all I care."

"But Stretch, I thought we were buddies." someone feigned a gasp behind them, startling Y/n as Stretch calmly looked in the culprit's direction. There stood Mutt, who was casually smoking one of the strange cigs he was smoking the previous day, purple smoke cascading down his jaw and sockets. "We had something real special, didn't we? Was our whole friendship a lie?" the betrayed tone in his voice was kind of ruined by the bored drawl coinciding with it, making it clear that he was being sarcastic and couldn't give less of a shit.

"As if I'd be friends with someone like you." spat Stretch, still calmly holding his tea as he took another sip.

"Feelings mutual, pal." snorted Mutt, taking  coffee from the machine as he reached into his pocket and took out a large bottle of BBQ Sauce, emptying it all into the glass container before drinking it straight from the container, pouring the steaming liquid into his open mouth. It took around three full gulps for him to have drank all of it, which both impressed Y/n and confused her to no end. Who the hell doesn't just pour it into a mug?! Who the hell just pours it straight into their mouths after they made it?! Who the fuck puts BBQ Sauce into their sodding coffee?! Mutt was a madman, an absolute madlad of a madman and Y/n didn't know what to think as she felt that her brain had completely stopped working. 

Mutt having seen her reaction, chuckled deeply as he smirked, "See something you like?"

"I don't know what I just witnessed." she admitted, her brain still refusing to cooperate as she tried to comprehend that he had in actual fact done what he just did. What puzzled her further was that Stretch was as nonchalant as ever, as though Mutt did what he just did on an everyday basis. The single coherent thought in Y/n's mind at that moment, you may ask? What the actual fuck?

Earlier, before she had interacted with Sans, she was ready for eating some breakfast (she would have made absolute sure that she was the one who made it and none of the others), but after the stress of the threat he gave her, Stretch's clear attitude problem and the thing Mutt just did? She suddenly found herself anything but hungry, even if she hadn't had a proper meal since arriving at the mansion. Y/n decided that when she found Spike and if he accepted, that when they got back she could make them both a sandwich or something. She was no cook, but she could at least make a decent sandwich, like a  BLT.

Her appetite having vanished and her coffee all gone, she span on her heel to leave the pair of them as she called her her shoulder, "See you later."

"Yeah, see ya. Thanks for the coffee, too." called Mutt with a shit-eating grin, waving lazily at her in farewell.

Y/n began roaming the corridors of the expansive mansion, hands in her pockets as she strolled. The woman had an inkling that Spike would be in his room, but finding it was a whole other matter, as it wasn't as though Jessica had the foresight to giver her a tour of the place (or preferably a map for how large it truly was). When she had discovered that she had passed the very same painting of a bone for the fourth time, she very nearly gave up until she heard footsteps from behind her heading in her direction. Y/n couldn't help but stiffen as she turned around to see who it was. Who she found didn't exactly appease her, as it was the skeleton who had started off with hating her the most out of everyone she had met thus far: Blueberry.

He was wearing his typical baby blue bandana around his neck, light blue chino shorts and a cobalt short-sleeve t-shirt. When he realised that she was there, he paused mid-step, smile unwavering as his eyes morphed into stars. "GOOD MORNING AND HELLO, HUMAN!" he greeted boisterously, almost making Y/n wince from the loud volume. It was the perfect opportunity to raise his stats, she realised. She couldn't manoeuvre around the mansion properly, so she needed someone to show her around so that if she found herself in a spot of bother any time soon, she would be able to escape (or at least she'd have a better likelihood to escape in the first place). She could kill two bird with one stone if she asked Blueberry to show her around, but there were, of course, a few problems with that. One problem was that he would be alone with her, giving him ample opportunity to murder her in cold-blood without anyone noticing. Another problem, was that he could intentionally mislead her into believing that certain room were available to her even though it would be like signing her own death warrant if she were to even consider entering such places (such as the basement, where she knew Sans kept the machine that brought all of his alternates in the first place).

Hopefully he doesn't outright kill her, though. But when has she ever been that lucky?

"Hello." greeted Y/n awkwardly. Part of her knew that it would be easier if she faked how she truly was, to manipulate everyone else to ensure that she survived and could go back home. She knew that she should probably do that, and it wasn't like they were real seen as though they were only game characters. However, the idea of being so dishonest left a bitter taste in her mouth, and clearly, if she were to think about it in philosophical terms (damn she sometimes hated that she had a bachelor degree in Philosophy), if she were to be on the same plane of "existence" as them, that meant either two things: one, that due to her being there that made them as real as she was, or two, that her being there made her just as unreal as they were. Such thoughts gave her a headache, and she didn't exactly want to have a full-on debate with herself about the logistics of using people and how it would be morally or immorally acceptable to do so. Not only that, but she never used people in real life either, and although they may technically be game characters, they too seemed to have the same emotional capacity as she had, so she knew it wouldn't sit right with her to be so callous in the first place (even if it was necessary).

Y/n continued, "Um, I know this is really sudden and all, but can you show me around? I don't really know where anything is hell, I can't even remember where my room is."

"OH!" exclaimed Blueberry in shock, "I HAD NO IDEA THAT NO ONE SHOWED YOU AROUND! THAT WAS VERY RUDE OF EVERYONE- APART FROM MAIDEN, AS I UNDERSTAND THAT SHE IS VERY BSY, MUCH LIKE MYSELF MWEH HEH HEH! I ALSO GUESSED YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND SEEN AS THOUGH YOU DIDN'T GO TO THE BATHROOM ACROSS THE HALL TO THE DINING ROOM LAST NIGHT AND RAN INTO GREEN'S ROOM! HOW ABOUT I, THE MAGNIFICENT  BLUEBERRY, GIVE YOU THE GRAND TOUR?" he offered with a bright beaming smile.

Y/n couldn't help but feel irritated at the way he mentioned last night though, especially from the spark of smug, sadistic pleasure she had caught in his eyelights whilst he clearly tried to maintain a child-like persona. She had to admit that it was rather convincing, and if she hadn't have known about him from the Manipulator route of Lover's Spat when she played it as well as the Extra Thoughts she read from his stats, she would never have suspected the evil side that Blueberry had. With a pathetic smile Y/n nodded, "Yes please. Thanks Blueberry."

"MWEH HEH HEH, IT IS REALLY NO TROUBLE HUMAN! NOW, FOLLOW ME!" he harshly grabbed at her wrist as he dragged her along behind him, dread and regret bubbling in her veins and gut from his feigned chirpy attitude.

The tour, as it turned out, was rather uneventful. She discovered that this Gaster Mansion too had a basement level (which she was forbidden entry, not that she would be able to get passed the heavily coded iron door), a ground level, first floor, second floor, third floor and fourth. The ground level that had two kitchens, a large dining room, three bathrooms, two living rooms, four bedrooms and a library. The first floor above the ground floor (part of the first floor looked down onto the ground floor's foyer) had seven bedrooms, two games rooms and two bathrooms (excluding the en suites that every room in the mansion had).

The second floor had four bedrooms as well as a library that was even larger than the one on the ground floor; whilst the third floor had four bedrooms, a dining room, one bathroom and a large balcony that looked out into the garden (the garden itself had a large hedge maze that Blueberry said they cut into different styles and such every now and again to keep the "puzzle" interesting) and a hot tub that was also there. Lastly, the fourth floor was only the attic, where Y/n already knew was a simple bedroom with what assumed had an en suite also. On the ground floor was Jessica's room along with the skeletons Echo (who was Green's older brother) and Ding (who was the eldest brother out of Stretch and Blueberry). The first floor was occupied by the Swapfell Brothers (Blackberry, Mutt and Gold), the Fell Brothers (Edge, Red and Spike) as well as a simple guest bedroom. On the second floor were where the Fellswap Brothers were (Raspberry, Slim and Monarch) and a spare room, whilst on the third were the Undertale Brothers (Wingdings Gaster, Sans and Papyrus) along with Y/n's room.

Even with the tour, Y/n suspected that she would still get lost for a few days before she could navigate the behemoth of a mansion. Although, she was glad that she'd be able to find Spike after that nerve-wracking tour that Blueberry gave her (he had left her in the foyer as he wanted to go look for Jessica, apparently to make her some breakfast tacos). With a newfound sense of determination (as her dread-filled anticipation of Blueberry stabbing her had dissipated due to his absence), she made her way to where she knew Spike's room was. It was further away from his two younger brothers' rooms, as they were across the hall and next to each other.

Edge's door was taped over with caution tape, and a huge custom made poster of a crude drawing of who she presumed was supposed to be Edge standing over a large pile of dust, a familiar cackle having been written along with the message "ENTER AND YOU'LL EXPERIENCE WHAT YOUR FUCKING MOTHER DID!". Y/n couldn't decide if he was talking about dusting someone's mother or fucking her, but from the small interaction she had with Edge (if you could call what he said to her an interaction at all), she suspected the former rather than the latter, though she wouldn't be surprised if he meant both. On Red's door she could make out multiple screws and nails that had been haphazardly hammered into the wood along with a sign which had a message in comic sans font, "come in and ya screwed like i screwed ya mom." What was it with those two and threatening a possible intruder's mother? Perhaps some underlaying mummy issues, Y/n reasoned.

Spike's door had but one whiteboard with a message in Wingdings font. Curious, she held her phone out and searched on the internet the possible translation. What she found unsettled her as she was beginning to second-guess actually asking Spike to help. It read: "'Will you walk into my parlour?' said the Spider to the Fly, 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, and I've a many curious things to show when you are there."

Emboldening herself, she knocked Shave and a Haircut, awaiting Spike to open the door. What she hadn't expected was for the door to open on its own accord, the resulting creak fraying her nerves and making her shiver at the reminder of terrible horror movies, when people often make the most stupid decision by investigating a mysterious sound. The room was pitch-black, and she couldn't see a single thing inside of it. Before she could blink a holed skeletal hand darted out of the darkness, grasping her wrist as the culprit pulled her inside the room, the door slamming behind her as she was thrust against the newly locked entrance/exit of the room. 

Her heart beating rapidly and her breaths becoming shallow, she was all but pinned to the door as she felt an innumerable amount of hands graze her scalp and fondle her hair. Her fear prevented her movement, and her breath hitched when she saw the glowing crimson eyelights above her, staring hauntingly at her as she could see the cracks of Spike's face reflecting the bright light of his eyeslights. 

"Welcome, my dear. I do so hope you enjoy your stay." he grinned, a wickedly deranged glint on his features as his eyelights gleamed menacingly.

Silence reigned within the void-like darkness, neither moving from their spots. "Uh..." was the only thing Y/n could manage, as her discomfort increased from his close proximity. Spike continued to distractedly play with her hair, gently clasping her shoulder as he directed her to what she felt was a leather seat. Oil lights attached to the walls ignited with crimson flames, the same terrifying shade of Spike's eyelights as he stared unwaveringly at her much shorter form. With a reluctant sigh he let go of her hair before he smirked down at her.

"Care for some coffee, my dear? I do believe I have some Brazilian coffee beans freshly picked, if you desire some?"

"Uh... Sure, thanks..." nodded Y/n stiffly, her body tense even with the comfortable chair she was sat in. With a bone-jarring smile, he turns around and goes through what appeared to be a walk-in closet, humming a strange tune that with his evocative bass sounding voice only making it seem even more hypnotising, even if it did send chills down her spine. Due to his absence, she was able to fully take notice of the room she was practically held hostage in. Deep red velvets and blacks was the colour scheme, the soft carpet black whilst the walls were vermillion and the silken curtains covering the bay window were also black, shutting out all light so that the only source were from the oil lamps on the walls which placed a crimson glow on everything.

She was sat in a sangria coloured leather wingback chair with black upholstery lining the sides, in front of her was an identical chair with a black glass coffee table between them. It was a very large room, and with this small sitting area, it almost made it look like a lavish studio apartment. His bed was at the very end of the room in front of the bay window, the comforter fluffy and red whilst the bedding and pillows were black, and a dark cherry wood desk that was in the corner of the room, a door on the opposite side which Y/n presumed led to the en suite bathroom. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but think that it was a rather nice and stylish toom. Perhaps too much black and red for her tastes, but she couldn't deny that Spike had style.

When he finally emerged from the darkened walk-in closet, he was holding a tray with fragile china that also had an overall red and black theme, the flowers being red poppies and the background of the pottery being black. With the exact same manic grin on his face, he delicately placed the tray onto the coffee table before taking the seat opposite her. Y/n was able to also fully look at Spike due to the lights, revealing what he was wearing: a cable knit maroon jumper with black braces, black trousers and newly polished oxford dress shoes. Over his jumper he also wore a black single-breasted overcoat that seemed to complete the outfit.

"Cream? Sugar?" asked Spike, as he swiftly made them both some coffee and placing them in the teacups. Y/n shook her head, which seemed to make his already insane smile widen. "I must compliment you on your taste, my dear. I too find that adding cream and sugar detracts from the flavour."

"It's just what I grew up with, so I kinda got accustomed to it." she notified, shocked that she had even relayed that information in the first place. 

"Ah, I see." he smiled, handing her the saucer and cup before making his own cup and taking a sip. He hummed in content as he leaned back in his chair (it was clearly custom made for his large stature, as the chair Y/n occupied made her look like a tiny child in comparison, a thought that really didn't help her nerves). "Although I am pleased that you sought my company, I must ask for what may be the occasion?"

Y/n decided to just be blunt as she said, "Can you help me get to the librarby?"

"Indeed I may." he nodded in acquiescence before further inquiring, "May I perchance ask why?"

Y/n sighed, taking a hearty sip of her drink before replying, "I need a job. As soon as I get enough money, I'll move out."

"Hate this place already, my dear?" He chuckled at Y/n's stunned reaction before waving off her concern. "Don't worry, I too feel the confines of this disguised cage. It seems we both share the desire to... escape."

Y/n was rather befuddled, as she couldn't see why he wanted to leave. It seemed that he had everything, what with him living in the lap of luxury. "Why do you stay, then?"

"For my brothers, mostly." he admitted, still continuing to stare at her as he swirled his cup around, the liquid dancing across the lip of the cup as though it was going to spill at any second. "They both wanted to stay after... well, after. I couldn't leave them here alone."

"You were looking out for them." she sympathised, starting to feel slightly more comfortable (but still awkward nonetheless). "I'd do anything to make sure that my brother stayed safe, so I understand."

Spike seemed to pause, thinking on something before he eventually queried, "Where is your brother, if I may ask?"

Y/n remained silent as she chugged the rest of her drink, placing the saucer and cup onto the tray softly as to not break it. She shifted in her seat, fidgeting as she thought. Should she tell him? Could she tell him? The woman didn't want to risk incurring the wrath of the system by telling him about everything, and not only that, but she highly doubted that he would believe her. She honestly didn't want to talk about her brother, as she suspected that she would begin crying again like she did that morning. Under normal circumstances, she believed that it was alright for anyone to cry and express her emotions, but living under the skeleton's roof in their domain? They would see it as weakness (even though she knew it wasn't), so she couldn't afford that. Not only that, but the woman really didn't want to be pitied, especially by someone she could potentially get along with. Unsure as she was if she could be friends with the skeleton before her, what she did know was that she really didn't want to talk about it.

So she voiced that very thing, "I don't really want to talk about it."

Part of her was afraid that he would reject her, kick her out of his room or simply kill her, but when none of that happened, she braved looking up at the large skeleton. That was when she realised he wasn't there. Where had he gone...?

Her question was answered when two long and large arms wrapped around her from behind, almost giving her a heart attack. She felt the odd feeling of innumerable hands weaving through her hair and gently stroking her scalp as she felt what she presumed was his his skull on her shoulder, his cheekbone against her own cheek as he nuzzled into the crook of her shoulder. Y/n couldn't help but stiffen under his gentle caresses, as she found it intolerable for him to be so close to her. They had only just met for God's sake! Of course Y/n didn't voice such things in fear of having her throat torn out with the very large hand she felt trailing her neck. "You need not talk about it if you wish, my dear. Simply a question to sate my own curiosity. Please, forgive me?"

"Y-yeah." she stammered, feeling his warm breath on her sweet-spot.

His movement paused as he purred, "Well, shall we be off then, my dear?" 

Chapter Text

There Y/n stood in all her unnerved glory before the most expensive car she had ever been in the presence of. It had clearly recently been washed and waxed, the sleek black car reflecting the light that was peeking through the open garage door as Spike stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder which only added to her discomfort. Did the skeleton have no concept of personal space?! With how close he was, despite his array of vocabulary usage, it seemed that a simple a phrase as "personal space" was incomprehensible to to him. Despite how close he was, she couldn't be fully angry with him. From the Extra Thoughts on the relationship stats, it just seemed that ordinary social cues evaded him, even if he was obviously intelligent.

The car the pair stood in front of was a Bentley Mulsanne, one in which Y/n had only ever seen in advertisements on the tv, and never in person. After all, she didn't exactly have the wealthiest of upbringings, so the most luxurious car she had ever sat in before having been guided to the Bentley was in fact a simple Mini Cooper that her Auntie Marge bought from her years spoils of silverware thievery (as her wealthy friends also were victim to her kleptomania). "Are you sure you wanna be seen with me in that?" she couldn't help but question in self-degrading bafflement.

"Is the vehicle not to your tastes, my dear?" he frowned solemnly, running his phalanges through her hair. "We could always use my brother Edge's vehicle, if your taste is of the sports car variety?" he suggested.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Y/n, unable to shake her head like she wanted to without Spike accidently pulling her hair. "I just don't get why you'd want me to be in there?"

"Well, how else are we going to get there, my dear? A taxi?" he smirked.

"What's wrong with a taxi?" the young woman could remember many a night when taxis had been her saving grace after long nights out when the buses had stopped running. In her experience, the taxi drivers were extremely nice, even going so far as to help her out of the car in her drunken daze. To be fare, she did know all of them by name after calling the small family business time and time again, so it made sense why they were so nice to her seen as though she was their most regular customer. Not that they wouldn't have been nice anyway, as the small family were just kind-hearted people trying their best to keep their business afloat in the midst of mega corporations getting in the way of their profits. She was internally going off on a tangent, how lovely.

"My dear, I don't suppose you've noticed that not very many places would allow me to stand comfortably, let alone sit in a cramped car?"

Y/n couldn't help but blush in embarrassment at that logic, as she had briefly felt rather defensive. She supposed it had much to do with every other skeleton hating her for some unknown reason and having to step on eggshells around them as to avoid dying was the most likely reason. He really was gigantic, and if she was to take a guess, he most likely stood at 7' 8 in height, which seemed to make him even more intimidating with his constant creepy grin. Spike's grin widened as he walked around to the passenger seat beside the driver's, opening the door as he gently guided her into it before closing it behind her.

As Spike walked around and took the driver's side, Y/n couldn't help but be as stiff as a board, fearful of accidently ruining the expensive red leather she sat on. The large skeleton didn't seem to notice as he turned on the engine, revving before driving soundlessly out of the garage and towards their destination: The Librarby. The woman was shocked when she felt the comfortable leather seats seem to heat up, unsure as to why Spike would get heated seats in the first place as it wasn't as though he had an arse to keep warm in the first place. The scent of the car was also pleasant, a mixture between expensive cologne, leather and the new car smell. The car itself had a red leather interior (she could tell it was real from the smell alone), as well as having a modern radio that seemed to have a song already selected, seemingly as though it had remembered what had last been played. Spike adjusted his long black coat a little in the rather awkward silence as he kept his crimson eyelights on the road, the shadows from the overhanging trees reflecting off of the windshield.

"Care for some music, my dear?" offered Spike. When she nodded in affirmation, he pressed his sharp phalange onto the screen delicately before placing his hand on the wheel again, waiting for the song to load. 

"I pick all my skirts to be a little too sexy." sang the radio before Spike, with a deadpan look on his ordinarily grinning face, pressed the next button.

"It seems that one of my brothers must have borrowed my car without permission, again." supplied Spike, stifling a sigh. He then voiced, "The 'Relaxing' playlist, if you would." he told the modern radio before informing her, "I sometimes forget that this does not need a button to be pressed but a voice command."

Y/n was honestly trying her best not to laugh at the situation, but seemed to accept his explanation, as Red was the kind of skeleton to prank others by messing with their stuff. Although, from the faint blush that was on his face, that maybe it was just an excuse so that he wouldn't be as embarrassed. Spike honestly didn't look like the kind of person to listen to that kind of music, so maybe it was an honest prank rather than a slip up for his actual musical tastes? Y/n decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The monotone voice of the radio then spoke, "'Relaxing' playlist."

"I think I did it again, I made you believe we're more than just friends, oh baby-"

Y/n started when Spike's claw-like phalanges stabbed the radio, breaking it instantly as the glass of the screen smashed and it immediately quieted. Silence reigned in the car as the young woman was stuck between laughing outright at discovering his seemingly secret musical tastes or being scared shitless for how easily he had broken the expensive object that she knew would most likely pay for five months worth of mortgage payments. "So..." began Y/n, unable to form a fully coherent sentence as Spike continued to drive on as though he hadn't just destroyed part of his car.

Should she risk it for a biscuit, bringing it up and joke about it like she desperately wanted to do? Part of her was sorely tempted, however her more rational side was convinced that he could and would do way worse to her than he did to that poor innocent radio. Spike interrupted the newfound silence, "Have you ever been in town, my dear?"

"Nope, couldn't say I have." she admitted. Her rational side had won out. She wouldn't risk life and limb for a simple joke. No: she had a promise to her brother to keep, and nothing would make her break that promise. Y/n had the feeling that she would die sooner or later, but she was determined to get out of the shithole that was the world of "Lover's Spat" as soon as she was able.

"Interesting." he hummed curiously. "Did you not at least have a brief look around after your departure from the airport?"

"Nah, fell asleep."  she replied, seemingly nonchalant. It was then that she realised that she hadn't told him that she had supposedly come from the airport (that being the antagonist and not herself), so that begged the question: how did he know? Y/n began to feel nauseous, dread heavy in her gut as she attempted to look composed on not outright unsettled.  Before she could pose the question that was on the tip of her tongue, Spike had drove up the pavement somewhere. Y/n had been too anxious to pay attention to her surroundings. It was a busy high street filled with a bustling crowd, loud and rowdy as they went about their business. The sun was shining down on the relentlessly, many people both human and monster alike sweating in the unbearable heat (she could at least see that it was warm due to the heat haze, even if she couldn't feel it from the air conditioning. How had she not noticed that the heating on the seat had been turned off and that the temperature inside the car had dropped?

Or perhaps the decrease in temperature was due to the unwavering stare Spike was sending her.

"It appears we are here, my dear. Why don't we both go out to eat lunch once your successful interview is over? I, of course, will pay for you."

It was truly nice of him to offer, and not only was Y/n surprised, but she was also somewhat suspicious. Despite having been increasingly creepy, she knew that that wasn't exactly his intention. However, she couldn't help but be wary of him. After all, everyone else (that being the skeletons) had been explicitly hateful towards her, essentially being the antithesis of pleasant housemates. The only ones who had been somewhat decent were Papyrus and Blueberry, and even then, Papyrus only seemed to be decent towards her due to believing that was what Jessica wanted, whilst Blueberry was just a manipulative little shit (even if he was technically taller than her, he was still a little shit). As you could probably tell, it was all starting to grate on her last nerve.

With a genuine grateful look, Y/n shook her head, "No thanks, I really don't want you paying for me, especially after going through the effort of driving me here and back Why don't we both cook something when we get back, instead?" It was a good way to not only raise stats, but also a way for her not to owe him anything else. Y/n already owed him for driving her to The Librarby, and to owe a debt to any of the skeletons in Gaster Mansion was a sure ride to either get killed, or possibly something worse. Y/n didn't believe that they would do that kind of thing (after all, why would they to someone they hated?), but that didn't completely eradicate it from the realm of possibility altogether. Hell, if she was able to be sucked into a sodding video game of all things, surely them doing that wouldn't be all too surprising?

"Who said that I was to take you back, my dear?" smirked Spike maliciously, sending a fearful chill down her spine as she paled. Wait, was he really just going to ditch her? Shit! She shouldn't have told him that she hadn't been in town! Was that why he was leaving her? So that she couldn't get back? She could get fucking mugged (not that she had anything valuable on her, but that just may incense the robbers enough to just kill her)! How would she get back?! Y/n had no money, no place other than that fucking mansion to live... She had nowhere else to go?!

Before she could get the chance to speak, Spike's grin hiked up as he huffed in amusement, "I jest, my dear. I shall be back soon as I have a few errands myself to run. We shall indeed make something together, as is your desire." he then bent down and nuzzled into her hair, hugging her tightly before patting her head and walking off into the direction of wherever the hell he was going. Y/n stood there in puzzlement, unable to fully acknowledge that he had in fact done that, and that yes, he was going to walk away as it nothing happened. 

Shaking her head to clear her frazzled mind, she turned around only to have been standing directly in front of The Librarby. She gaped at the structure in question, disbelieving that a place so grand would have such terrible spelling mistake. Pillars surrounded the building as steps led up to large, heavy wooden doors that were wide open. No one seemed to be entering or leaving, walking passed the large building as they went about their day. The young woman couldn't help but gawk, especially for how it looked to have belonged in ancient Rome, every crevice of the place being made of marble. Sure, it was slightly scuffed and looked a little worn down from age, but that didn't detract from how grand the building was in general

Cold sweat trailed down the nape of her neck as she eyed the intimidating Library in worry. Would they even let her in? She thought that it was going to be a simple local library, not anything like that! The fact that no one seemed to be going near it was also rather peculiar, but Y/n was far too busy trying to calm down so that she could at least seem respectable enough to enter (even though there were no guards to speak of).

Y/n took a deep breath, exhaling just as deeply as she attempted to seem confident. She straightened her shoulders and spine, lifting her chin and looking directly forward rather than her usual looking down at the ground. Y/n had thought on how to approach the interview, and thought it best to simply be confident. Being too relaxed would make her seem lazy, shy would make her seem incompetent (to which she definitely wasn't) and being flirty whilst stuck in a dating sim game really didn't sound to be a very good idea. Y/n wanted to avoid as many possible romantic interactions as possible to avoid any complications. Sure, the woman was willing to befriend others, but it wasn't as though she wanted to take a risk in being with someone. Not only would it be doomed to fail (as she was adamant and determined to go home), but it would be most likely that they wouldn't remember her if she died, meaning that she would only have her heartbroken for them to have forgotten about her.

Steeling her resolve, she marched up the marble stairs and walked through the large double doors. Y/n would have gawked more if she hadn't convinced herself to adamantly not look around. It was a large expansive room with a large semi-circular desk near the entrance, a librarian reading through a filing cabinet. Her moving the files around was the only sound, the paper echoing in the large hall-like room as aisles upon aisles of bookshelves lined the sides and middle of the room behind the desk. 

Knowing that she didn't have the time to dawdle, Y/n marched over to the desk determinedly as she looked down at the seated, elderly librarian who hadn't seemed to have noticed her presence just yet. Y/n waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Oh, and wouldn't you guess? She waited some more.

Y/n's already limited patience snapped after the fifth minute mark as she cleared her throat. Startled, the old woman looked up from her task and she pushed up her reading glasses over her crooked nose. "Oh my! You can't go sneaking around, sweetie, you'll give old timers like me a heart attack!" she laughed airily with a slight wheeze, coughing into a handkerchief before placing his back into her cardigan pocket. "What would a lovely young woman such as yourself want in a stuffy place like this?" she questioned.

"Oh, I came about the job vacancy. It was in the newspaper." explained Y/n simply.

"People still read those, nowadays?" asked the librarian incredulously. "Even I know to use the tinter-web when I want to know something." The old woman then sighed as she shakily stood to her feet, grabbing a walking stick as she walked around the desk and towards the end of the room, hobbling towards a door. "Come come now, sweetie. I haven't got all the time in the world to dilly-dally."

Y/n hastily nodded as she jogged up to the woman, walking by her side with a feigned confident smile on her face. The two were silent as the woman opened the door with her cane, not holding it open for Y/n as the heavy wood almost slammed into her face. "Oh! I forgot to mention that the doors are rather heavy. Do try to be careful, I've already had someone break their nose on the old infernal things." she tutted, not looking back to see Y/n stumbling. For an old woman, she sure was fast.

Y/n inquired conversationally, "Who?"

"Oh, just my silly wife dear. Blind as a bat and has the common sense of a tea kettle, but I still love her. Even if she does steal my knitting magazines from time to time." joked the woman who, when Y/n overserved her, realised that she had a name tag pinned to her cardigan. The old woman called Heather continued on her journey until they reached a rather spooky looking door which was significantly smaller than the others they had just walked passed in the corridor. 

Unperturbed, the old woman pushed the creaky door open, pulling on a light switch which revealed a flight of rickety stairs that looked hazardous to tread on. "Um, are you sure that's safe to walk on?" said Y/n worriedly. It wasn't as though she wanted to witness a seemingly nice old lady fall down the stairs, after all. 

"Pish posh!" she scoffed, rolling her slightly blurred eyes as she tread down the stairs without a care in the world. "These stairs have been here for decades. If they were going to collapse, they would have done it already."

Y/n couldn't really make sense of her logic, but decided not to comment as she hesitantly followed, minding the stairs that looked especially prone to break and snap her ankle from the resulting splinters. "Besides," added Heather as an afterthought, having reached the bottom of the stairs as she continued to hastily hobble on, "I'm not scared of death. If I was to die today, I'll be happy to have lived the life I had, met the people I had and loved the most important woman in the world."

It was incredibly sweet for Heather to have been so devoted to her wife, Y/n couldn't help but think. Not very many people were capable of such feelings (at least in her experience), so it was refreshing to have heard that kind of affectionate tone when someone thought of their loved one. It was especially refreshing given her circumstances, also. "Madonna."

Guess Y/n spoke too soon.

The old woman, having seen her reaction, cackled loudly. "I'm only joking, sweetie! No need to be so serious! If you meet my wife, I'll consider it a favour that you don't tell her I said that. Poor love's always so sensitive, I swear."

"Don't worry, Mrs Heather, I won't." smiled Y/n politely.

That made Heather pause in her tracks as she turned back to Y/n. The undecipherable look the old woman was sending her made her break out into a nervous sweat, wondering if she had already botched her chances to be hired. "Kissing my arse already, sweetie?" cackled the old woman, startling Y/n as she was unsure of what to say next. "I must say that it was a good try, but young'uns like you still aren't up to snuff for the big leagues. If you want to go brown nosing, I suggest you try a little harder." she teased, before hobbling off again. Y/n could tell that the much older woman was joking, and it really did cheer her up for how full of life Heather seemed to be

The pair eventually came across a dank room that was filled with unorganised files, paper having been carelessly tossed everywhere as many documents were either crinkled so much that the writing was illegible or that it was simply too ripped. "This here, sweetie, is the archive." clarified Heather. "It's a mess, yes. That was why I needed to hire some extra help. I know it isn't exactly the best place to work, hell the mould on the wall over there looks as though it's going to burst out into song about a guy called Seymour feeding him." pointed the older woman at a particularly bad spot of mould that was in the far corner of the room. "But despite all appearances, sweetie," continued the old woman spitefully, "we aren't exactly having the best of funding."

Y/n wouldn't have believed it, what with the stark contrast between the stingy room she was to be hauled up in to the extravagant walls, but the sincerity from Heather convinced her that she was in fact telling the truth. "They're willing to pay for grand decorations, but nothing else. Crock of shit, isn't it, sweetie? Suppose that it's really poetic, in a way. Posh and lavish on the outside, the envy of onlookers, only to be half-dead and rotten inside."

Heather then turned to Y/n to look at her as a grin curled at her wrinkled lip, "And that's just me, sweetie." Both women looked at one another before bursting out into laughter. 

Contrary to her reservations about having to work in a place that smelled so musty and the conditions being questionable, Y/n had already decided that she would work for the woman. "Can I work here?"

The old woman just snorted, "Seen anyone else here? Of course you can."

The young woman was ecstatic, simply overwhelmed with buzzing positivity and optimism. She had actually gotten a job! Sure, it was a little rough around the edges, but she was sure that with having a boss like Heather it would really make it even better. Her happiness seemed overt to Spike as he grinned maniacally down at her, enjoying her pleasant smile as they both entered the kitchen to cook something. "So, my dear, what do you fancy?"

Y/n really hadn't thought ahead, and her blank look clearly showed as much as Spike huffed in good humour, slowly trailing his hand down her back as the other wound in her hair. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"And what'd that be?"

Y/n couldn't help but jump at the familiar voice, which earned a chuckle from the person who scared her in the first place. Mutt looked at the pair of them in boredom, taking a deep breath as he exhaled a large amount of purple smoke. "Ah, Mutt, what a pleasant surprise to see you here." grinned Spike evilly, as he gently let go of Y/n as he was then by the fellow skeleton's side in a flash, towering over him (even if Mutt was really tall himself, he was still a few inches shorter than Spike). "Care to join us?"

"Nuh, I'll just be watchin'." shrugged Mutt nonchalantly.

"MUTT!" bellowed an equally familiar skeleton, as he stormed into the kitchen with a snarl. "HOW DARE YOU NOT CLEAN YOUR ROOM AS I COMMANDED! DO IT NOW, FOUL DOG!"

"Sure, sure." drawled Mutt, gone in an instant. That only left the trio to themselves, Y/n unsure of what to do whilst Spike's face seemed to morph into an even larger, darker grin.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE, AND WITH THE WORTHLESS HUMAN NO LESS?"

Blackberry's appearance made a plan form in her mind. It was really fortunate that he would come into the kitchen, and she was glad that she finally had the opportunity to better his relationship stats. Y/n didn't have a problem with his brother, and if she was honest with herself, he seemed like a pretty decent guy. Blackberry was a little too loud and obnoxious, but she was sure that he had to have at least have some good qualities, especially if he had a chill brother like Mutt. Maybe getting the new job and the resultant high was making her slightly too optimistic, but she was still willing to at least give it a try.

"Why don't you cook with us?" she offered. "I have no idea what we're gonna do, so what's your input?"

"MWEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE A PATHETIC HUMAN LIKE YOU WOULD ASK FOR AID FROM THE MALIFICENT BLACKBERRY. HAVE NO FEAR, FOR I SHALL HELP YOU, EVEN IF YOUR SUPPOSED 'HELP' WILL BE MORE OF A HINDRANCE. AFTER ALL, WE DON'T WANT YOU BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN, NOW DO WE?"

Y/n's shoulders tensed, feeling increasingly irritated as both she and Spike were ordered around to gather ingredients as Blackberry stirred and chopped, obviously in his element when he was degrading and insulting others, especially when he was being a condescending asshat. Spike, surprisingly, went along with it, not even questioning the smaller skeleton or saying anything back when Blackberry pointedly insulted him. Every now and again, Y/n would feel a hand graze her head, shoulder or back, but every time she looked, there was nothing there. It really started to freak her out, as it even happened when neither Blackberry nor Spiker were in close proximity to her.

She was somewhat glad when nature called, as she knew she needed a break before she snapped and started shouting at the little tyrant. How could Mutt honestly cope with that shit? She had her own brother, so she understood strong familial bonds, but her brother had never acted the way that Blackberry did, never so much as raised his voice when they bickered with one another (a very rare occurrence that only happened a few times over the course of their teenage years from hormones running high for both of them). 

When she excused herself, she received a slow wave from Spike as he moved each and every sharp phalange up and down whilst Blackberry uncaringly waved her off. Luckily she at least remembered where the nearest bathroom was, so she made her there, passing by some of the bedrooms until she heard a rather loud moan that stopped her in her tracks. Confused, she looked around as to locate the strange sound (as it honestly sounded like a cat screeching more than an actual moan of pleasure, even if she was able to recognise the sound for what it was). She then heard a whispered exchange before hearing a high-pitched squeak and a rather loud bang.

"Hell no to the fucking nope." mumbled Y/n in bewilderment, making her way over to the bathroom at a quicker pace so that she could just have a piss in peace. Was that too much to fucking ask? To not have to hear such god-awful sounds and have a sodding piss? Clearly, it was, as another bang then sounded, making her able to fully identify where it was coming from. Someone was, at that moment, being pounded into the door rather roughly, squawks and unattractive mewls emanating from the wood as the door honestly looked as though it was going to gave completely. Wouldn't you know, that that is exactly what happened.

Someone gasped in surprise whilst the other shrieked in surprise, both of them tumbling to the ground in front of Y/n as the door hit the ground with a deafening bang. On the ground was Jessica, completely naked and laying underneath an equally naked skeleton who, as it turned out actually had what appeared to be a glowing dick that seemed to swirl in colours orange and blue. The skeleton was extremely tall, and looked to have been crushing Jessica until she groaned. He let up as he looked down at her, a smug grin on his cracked face as his blue and orange eyelights seemed to glow with self-satisfied mirth. "Seems I got a bit overzealous again, darling." he purred, his voice deep and akin to melting dark chocolate.

Y/n kind of just stood there awkwardly, unable to say anything due to her own nervousness as well as unable to go towards the bathroom as they were blocking it. Should she try to gain their attention, or should she just leave? Just fucking go was what she deemed to be the wisest course of action, as she slowly turned on her heel to walk away and find another bathroom before she was interrupted. "It seems that we have an audience, darling. Who's this?"

Jessica gasped as she looked up, her eyes wide as she looked at Y/n, who was smiling nervously, looking very unsure of herself. "Um... This isn't what it looks like." said Jessica weakly.

Y/n was honestly too stunned with the stupidity of that sentence to even say anything. She was so stunned, in fact, that her usual snark that was usually reserved for people at home (as she had to rein in that aspect o her personality to avoid getting killed) leaked into her voice as she said sarcastically, "Really ? I thought that you were renovating." she then indicated to the fallen door as she then added, "I like the idea of an open plan, maybe an archway? Seems like you had the same idea and don't need to hire anyone for that seen as though you did it DIY style. Though, I suppose technically it wasn't DIY seen as you seemed to have a little extra help. Also, DIY would have meant that this wouldn't have happened in the first place."

Y/n's double entendre seemed to go completely over Jessica's head as she walked off, leaving a stunned, starry eyed skeleton and an irritated Jessica in her wake. It didn't take long for her to find another loo and relieve herself, as she sighed in relief and washed her hands before heading back to the kitchen. Blackberry welcomed her as he usually did: by insulting her and her intelligence, whilst Spike silently observed them, a curious look on Spike's face as he stared at Y/n like he usually did, only to a far greater extreme. 

Lunch was uneventful, as was dinner (as she had taken it into her room to avoid any awkward interactions with Jessica or that other strange skeleton). It was whilst she was in bed, laying on the soft mattress that she decided that she had been avoiding the stats too long, and decided to have a look.

Undertale Sans: Sans

LOVE: -42 (+6)

DANGER: -45 (+3)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -30 (+20)

JEALOUSY: -50

* Thought that the chat you and he had was worthwhile, and you now know your place.

Undertale Papyrus: Papyrus

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -50

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* You were went off to bed with dinner - did you not want to talk to him?

Undertale Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Wingdings/Gaster

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Busy with his test subjects.

Underfell Sans: Red

LOVE: -42 (+3)

DANGER: -42 (+3)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Why are you hanging out with his brother so much? Do you have a death wish?

Underfell Papyrus: Edge

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Training all day. You're not worth the effort to even think about.

Underfell Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Spike

LOVE: -20 (+20)

DANGER: -25 (+25)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -30 (+20)

JEALOUSY: -50

*Could tell you were uncomfortable. He had heard that humans liked their hair played with (he also liked the feeling of caressing your soft hair), so tried to soothe you. It didn't work, but he still feels closer to you. Maybe you'll not be as uncomfortable in the future? He hoped so. He didn't like making you uncomfortable.

Swapfell Sans: Blackberry

LOVE: -30 (+15)

DANGER: -30 (+15)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Still doesn't really like you, but likes your acceptance of his superiority.

Swapfell Papyrus: Mutt

LOVE: -30 (+10)

DANGER: -30 (+10)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Liked how you spent time with his brother and didn't hurt him.

Fellswap Sans: Raspberry

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You're not even worth thinking about.

Fellswap Papyrus: Slim

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -40 (+10)

*Wonders where you were all day, but knows it was none of his business. His duty is to his lord, and to follow his orders.

Underswap Sans: Blueberry

LOVE: -45 (+3)

DANGER: -45 (+3)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You're annoying but he needs to find a better opportunity to deal with you.

Underswap Papyrus: Stretch

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Not really bothered about you.

Underswap Wingdings Gaster: Ding

LOVE: 1

DANGER: -40

SANITY: 50

LUST: 3

JEALOUSY: -50

*Finds your sass sexy. Want to get to know you - in more ways than one 😻

Some of those she decided to not even think about, but she was at least glad that she was prepared. She assumed the skeleton she caught shagging Jessica was Ding, but what confused her was the cat emoji. Just... Why? She decided not to think about it. It was as she was scrolling through the other options that she had a notification for both the POSSESSIONS and QUESTS. Y/n checked out her POSSESSIONS first.

ARCHIVE ORGANISER: WELL DONE! YOU NOW HAVE A JOB! A LONG LIFE OF SPINSTERHOOD AND CATS AWAITS YOU IN THE DINGY BASEMENT OF THE LIBRARY. HOW EVER WILL YOU COPE WITH THE SMELL (PERHAPS THE SAME WAY YOU DO WITH YOUR OWN BODY ODOUR)

Well, that was insulting. She then checked the next notification.

BLACKMAIL: WELL DONE! YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THE FIRST STEP TO VILLAINY THROUGH PETTY BRIBERY! YOUR MOTHER WOULD BE PROUD! (IF SHE GOT OUT OF HER DRUNKEN STUPOUR LONG ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY NTOICE YOUR PRESENCE- SUCH FOND MEMORIES!)

That last part made her want to throw the phone out of the fucking window. How fucking dare the system! Her mother was struggling, and she didn't know any better. Yes, she was an alcoholic, but she was treated! She got help! 

How the fuck did the system know about that?!

No, she couldn't waste her time raging over a petty, juvenile system with nothing better to do than mess with her. With that thought in mind, she then went onto the QUESTS section to check out what she had to do.

QUEST 1/20: USE POSSESSION 'BLACKMAIL' ! EARN A SKELE-BAE'S TRUST TO USE THIS POSSESSION, THEN USE THE ITEM TO MAKE YOURSELF LOOK BETTER. TO MAKE YOURSELF LOOK BETTER WILL BE A VERY DIFFICULT FEAT INDEED, BUT I'M SURE YOU'LL MANAGE! SURE, YOU MIGHT DIE, BUT WHO DOESN'T DIE EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE? IT'S JUST LIKE FALLING ASLEEP, ONLY HAVING YOUR ENTRAILS CARVED OUT OF YOUR BELLY AND USED AS A KNOOSE TO TIE AROUND YOUR NECK!

...Shit.

Chapter Text

As soon as she saw the QUEST, she refused to do it. It was not only something she was completely against morally speaking, but it would also be like pulling the trigger for her own death- it was a suicide mission. With that in mind, when she was awoken by the alarm she set on her phone so as to not be late to work. It really wouldn't send the right message to her new employer, Mrs. Heather, to be late on the very first day. It was as this thought occurred to as whilst completing her morning routine that she paused mid-brush, staring into the mirror as toothpaste trailed down her cheek from her panicked look. How was she even supposed to get there?! The first time she ever went into town she had to get a lift from Spike, so how the hell was she supposed to get there?!

She honestly couldn't remember the journey there and back, too nervous from being in Spike's presence (as merely looking at him was enough to inspire fear in the bravest of individuals, with his heated, sadistic glares and creepy grins in the most inappropriate of times). Y/n also didn't know have money for a bus, even if she knew where to get a bus into town in the first place. The woman groaned as she spat out the toothpaste into the sink and ran the toothbrush under the tap before placing it to the holder. Her hands found their way to the edges of the sink as her knuckles whitened from the harsh grip. She stared into her reflection in deep thought, wondering just exactly how she should approach the predicament she found herself in. Y/n couldn't catch a break, could she?

There was always the possibility that those with irregular work schedules may be up, even if it was only half past six in the morning. Spike was most likely asleep, and it wasn't like she wanted to disturb him again, even if he was the most likely of the skeletons to help her out like he did the other day. Owing too much to a skeleton, in Lover's Spat, was akin to playing at the base of an active volcano:  you would never know when it would erupt until it was far too late to duck for cover. The same could be said for asking for help from a skeleton who didn't like you, which was the case for most of the skeletons excluding the few who either made her feel too uncomfortable or just didn't seem bothered enough to give a lending hand.

Unfortunately, she didn't have a choice.

Y/n wandered out of her room, freshly cleaned and dressed for the day as she made her way to the kitchen on the ground floor (as her room was on the third), knowing that it was the most likely place that she may have a run-in with a skeleton that may, hopefully, take her to work. It was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that would make anyone anxious. The darkness only exacerbated this feeling as she took out a bowl and some random cereal, pouring some milk she got from the Smart Fridge (she swore that she would never understand rich people - who the hell needed Blue Tooth from a fucking fridge?) onto it before sitting at the counter island and eating. The cereal itself was a brand she hadn't heard of let alone eaten: "Dinosaur Eggs Oatmeal". In her childhood, she either had simple store-brand porridge, corn flakes or, when they could afford the treat, Golden Nuggets. God did she miss those. Sure, she had pancakes when it was her or her brother's birthday, but nothing could compare to the coffee she used to "smuggle" into her cup of milk (her parents knew full well about that habit, acting as though they didn't know anything so as to not spoil her fun) with a bowl of Golden Nuggets. Well, those were the good days, on those that were bad, she used to just get her brother and haul themselves into her room to eat before running to school (they always used to miss the bus given his time-keeping skills and cute insistence that he could handle such responsibility - she hadn't the heart to tell him that he was the one causing them to miss the bus rather than the bus not having turned up at all, a constant excuse she used when it "didn't turn up").

"Who are you?"

Y/n very nearly spat out her mouthful of food, coughing and beating on her chest as to not choke from the shock. Her eyes darted upwards from her bowl, finding the culprit of her near heart attack: a very tall, heavy built skeleton dressed in a grey hoodie, dark jeans and a loden coat. He looked very much like Wingdings Gaster, only he appeared to be shorter and stockier (even if he was a skeleton), his eyelights a shade reminiscent of lemons. The skeleton had a slight smile to his features, the cracks on his face only adding to his allure as he looked down at Y/n.

"Y/n." she responded simply having recovered from her previous scare as she continued to eat her bowl of oat meal. She needed to appear calm and composed- she didn't know this skeleton having not recognised him from her playthrough of Lover's Spat, nor had she been introduced to him. It didn't sit well with her for how she had no idea what he was capable of, and her sense of familiarity with the skeleton was unsettling. Why did he seem so familiar? He resembled someone she had already met, someone that she knew (and she wasn't talking about Wingdings Gaster either). 

"Nice to meet you." he greeted pleasantly, before introducing himself, "I'm Echo."

Wasn't Echo Green's brother? That must be why she thought he was familiar, as he did look a great deal like him. Perhaps that was just the cracks on his face matching Green's, however. That or it was the intelligent glint that the brothers seemed to share. Speaking of intelligence, that would be something very useful to increase in terms of her stats. She needed to be able to work her way around every situation, and she knew that if her INT stats was increased, she would be able to figure out whether she was in danger or not in any given situation much sooner. Not only that, but any advantage she may have for being able to avoid specific skeletons and having the knowledge of what topics she should avoid in conversation. Overall, she needed to be smart to beat the game, otherwise, she was screwed.

"I think I've already met your brother." she acknowledged, hearing him take the stool next to her and propped his elbow on the counter top.

Realisation dawned on him as he snapped his fingers, "You're 'Vomit Girl', aren't you?"

Y/n immediately stopped eating, unable to hide her glare as she turned her gaze to him. "Excuse you? What did you just call me?"

"Woah, easy tiger." he raised his hands in surrender, a smirk gracing his features. "No need to get your panties in a twist. My bro told me about how a strange human girl barged into his room and just threw up all over the place Exorcist style- well, he didn't say it in those words, but I got the gist."

"Girl"? Did he seriously just call her that? Who the hell did this skeleton think he was! Fucking condescending arsewipe. Y/n, not for the first time since appearing in the game, was getting angry. That fact alone seemed to make Echo even happier, thoroughly enjoying pissing her off. For a brief moment before he had called her that, she had considered asking him to help her with actually going into work, what with him being so polite and friendly. However, she had already changed her mind.

"For your information," she hissed venomously, "I'm not a 'girl', I'm a full grown adult woman."

Echo chuckled deeply as he leered down at her, a glowing yellow tongue grazing across the front of his teeth. He leaned back as though to fully take in the view, a lecherous smirk ever-present on his handsome face. "Oh, I can tell you're full-grown alright." His heated gaze lingered on her chest, making her both uncomfortable and wanting to punch that disgustingly suggestive expression off his face. At that moment, she no longer found the skeleton both handsome and pleasant.

Her anger dissipated as icy fear froze her veins. It had been so subtle that if she hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have noticed how his originally  gaze darkened, and how he no longer seemed like a simple pervert but an actual predator. He was certainly eyeing her up like prey despite his previous nickname usage, and it was as though she was just a piece of meat he was about to devour. Wait, was that fucking drool?! It was yellow, sure, but she could tell that it was his saliva or how it dripped down his gaping maw. Too scared to move, he leaned towards her as though he was about to pierce the flesh of her neck with his fangs before a chilling voice Y/n couldn't help but surprisingly feel revealed at interrupted him.

"Apologies, but am I interrupting?"

Echo's jaw clicked shut as he looked upwards in bored disinterest. "Way to spoil the mood, Spike." grumbled Echo. "We were having a moment." Spike looked down at Y/n, clearly not believing Echo's bold-faced lie from how her complexion had paled and how she was trembling. Echo sighed as he stood up, tucking his hands in his pockets as he sauntered out of the room, leaving Y/n and Spike alone in the quiet kitchen.

"Are you alright, my dear?" he asked worriedly, striding up to her as he embraced her, stroking her back as Y/n felt the familiar, odd feeling of multiple hands running through her hair and petting her.

"Y-yep." she stuttered nervously. Relief and dread overwhelmed her as she thought back on what just happened. What the hell was he about to do? Why did he so suddenly change?

Why did it scare the living daylights out of her?

The woman was grateful that Spike had found her and stopped whatever it was that was about to happen. However, she didn't have the time to contemplate what-if scenarios for if Spike hadn't been up and about and just strolled into the kitchen she was in specifically rather than a different one. She only had a few minutes before she started work, and she really didn't want to be late. Clearing her mind, she looked up at Spike and asked, "I'm really sorry to bother you again, but please can you drive me into town?"

"Of course, my dear." he grinned, holding onto her tighter. "I'll help you however I can."

Y/n blushed at such sincerity, unable to fully think of what to say next. It didn't seem like she needed to as she was suddenly hoisted into the air and carried like a child as he hugged her to his chest. She squirmed and gasped at the lightning fast transition, unable to fully comprehend how one minute she was sat down and the next she was in his arms. "What the hell, Spike?!"

Spike seemed to be having the time of his life as he huffed in amusement, a sadistic glint in his eyelights as he replied, "Why, helping you however I can."

"I can walk by myself!"

"Indeed you can, my dear. I must commend you on such an intelligent observation. Although, might I inform you of one of my own observation, such as my ability to carry you?"

Y/n was shocked at his sassy reply, which only greatened his amusement as he eventually placed her into his car, closing the car door and sitting in the drivers seat of his Bentley. The radio seemed to have been fixed, Y/n noted in her somewhat dazed state, Spike already driving away from the mansion and seemingly towards town. It was quiet for awhile, neither one speaking amidst the astonishingly comfortable silence. Against her better judgement, the young woman found that Spike was beginning to grow on her, even with his awkward quirks. He was menacing, that she couldn't deny, and he always seemed to sound as though he was plotting murder with deep, seductively silky voice (specifically the person who he was speaking to at that moment), but he honestly didn't seem too bad. Better than the other skeletons such as Blueberry- well, that wasn't exactly difficult, if she was being truthful. Mutt seemed alright, Blackberry she could tolerate in small doses, and the only other person who seemed at least cordial she hadn't even had proper conversation with, and she only knew he held her in positive regard due to the his relationship stats saying so (that being the skeleton she believed was called Ding).

Having confirmed that she was in fact feeling comfortable, she decided to take a gamble by mentioning what she had dubbed the "Radio Incident". 

"I'm guessing it wasn't your brothers pranking you." 

Despite having been vague, Spike seemed to understand what she was speaking about. His smile vanished as he fixed her an impassive look, a subtle blush on his cheekbones emerging before stating, "I am able to recognise that my taste in music is not exactly conventional."

"Don't worry!" she smiled weakly, avoiding meeting his intense stare. "I don't mind. I mean, I think we all have our guilty pleasures, so if yours turns out to be Britney Spears, then that's your business."

It once again became silent in the vehicle as neither could think of what to say next. It was Spike who eventually broke the silence, "Do you like the Spice Girls?" he inquired, tone void of all emotion as he continued to watch the road ahead of him.

"Um... I guess?" she answered, sounding more like a question than anything. She wasn't anyone to really have the right for what someone else enjoys music wise, what with her taste mainly being stuck in the 70's and 80's era. As soon as she said that, Spike turned on the radio and selected a song that was arguably recognisable by everyone who heard it.

"Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want."

Spike's grin had soon returned, and the trip to work was extremely fun for the young woman, especially when both of them began jamming to all of his favourite songs which were all either by The Spice Girls (he confessed they were his ultimate "guilty pleasure" that she had referred to) or Britney Spears. It still boggled her mind how someone as fear-inducing as he was loved songs like 2 Become 1 and Baby One More Time, but it wasn't like she was complaining. It was hilarious how he tilted his head to the beat every now and again, and how his phalanges that looked like they could very easily gouge out an eye tapped to the songs.

When they eventually reached her place of her work, she was stopped by his emotionless voice, "Do you want my number, my dear?"

Did he always turn so cold and appear expressionless when he was embarrassed? The slight blush seemed to confirm that thought as he stared unwaveringly at her in expectation. "Sure." she picked out her phone before handing it to him, Spike delicately taking it out of her hand before entering her number and just as gently returning it to her. When she saw that he had just put his name, she frowned before an idea sparked in her mind. With a mischievous smile, she entered his name as "Spicy" before placing it back into her pocket.

"Guess this makes us officially friends, huh, 'Spicy'?"

Spike's grin dropped and a faint blush arose before Y/n got out of the car, thanking him quickly before she raced off towards work. She didn't have the time to have waited for his reply, but she hoped that she wasn't too forward (or that he'd kill her due to the nickname she got him). The young woman felt herself sigh when she entered the library, annoyed that she was already beginning to become attached. Y/n knew full well that it would hurt the both of them in the long run, what with her eventually leaving the game (that she was determined to do), but she just couldn't stop herself. It was selfish that she didn't try to distance herself from him to spare him the pain of when she left- wait, would he even remember her? Would any of them remember her? It was unknown to her for whether they would continue on living their lives with her just disappearing, the system replacing her or if it would just completely be reset and overrun so that she wasn't in the picture and a generic antagonist took the reins. It gave her a migraine just thinking about it.

"Running a bit late on your first day, sweetie?"

Y/n gulped as she looked at the large desk that Mrs. Heather was housed, a knowing smile on her wrinkled face. The young woman stuttered and stammered, unable to think of an excuse before the old woman cackled at her panic. "You aren't actually late, sweetie. Two more minutes and you would have been though. Try to stay vigilant- too many close shaves and you'll get cut."

The wording unnerved her as she was reminded about Blueberry's Extra Thoughts about stabbing her (it wasn't the most recent but it certainly stuck out the most to her compared to the rest). Gulping, she returned the old woman's smile (albeit pathetically), as she laughed nervously, "Y-yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Now, off you pop!" she shooed her away, and with a nod Y/n walked towards the direction she knew she would be working. When she entered the stale room, it looked just as dingy from the first time she entered it. A sigh escaped her as she began organising the files, beginning with the ones that were on the floor. She tossed the illegible ones along with the ripped ones, stacking the other pieces that remained into orderly piles. It didn't take her long to sort out the mess on the floor, but by the end of it she was already exhausted. Checking her phone, she realised that it had already been a few hours into her shift, which meant that she would have to continue waiting for another hour before she got her lunchbreak. Thinking about her lunchbreak, she decided that it would be the best time to increase her INT stat, presuming that it would increase if she read some of the books that were available to her.

That was exactly what she did, her brain working on autopilot as she ate a sandwich Mrs. Heather had told her that her wife made her, and read a book about war strategies and such. Well, she thought it apt and rather useful. If she was able to employ the strategies she learned from the historical book (on a small scale of course), it would increase her chances on survival. For good measure, she also read a short novella about the construction of small puzzles, remembering that in Lover's Spat it was a cultural tradition amongst the monsters to make and complete puzzles (that among remembering how many of the skeletons often made deadly traps that could very easily maim or kill depending on their own preferences). Already, she felt smarter from reading them, her brain feeling as though it had expanded.

Despite everything, she was starting to feel confident that she could get through it, and that maybe she wouldn't have to die to eventually get to the end of the game.

"This the shit'ole ya work a' huh?"

"Jesus!" she exclaimed, jumping in her seat as she looked behind her. Red eyelights met her own as a golden tooth blinded her from the reflection of the light through the small window. Too small to escape from, she briefly noticed. She remembered that he was one of Spike's younger brothers. Wasn't his name Red? Probably. "What are you doing here...?" she questioned anxiously, nervous sweat trailing down the nape of her neck.

"Oh, y'know." he said casually, leaning against the desk she was sat at whilst she both ate and organised the nearby files. "Jus' wan'ed ta have a li'l chat wit' ya." His eyelights bore into her own, making her shiver as sins unknown to her crawled up her skin, goosebumps emerging. "Ya see," he continued conversationally, his expression juxtaposing his conversational tone, "I noticed ya been hangin' ou' wit' ma bro a lot recently, an' it's go' me thinkin'." 

Shrieking, she leaned back as he breached her personal space (having teleported), grabbing her by the collar of the white shirt she wore and holding her to his level, her much smaller legs dangling and kicking in attempts to get out of his harsh grip.  This was it. She was going to die, wasn't she?! No! She couldn't! That'd mean it'd take far longer for her to return home- she couldn't ! She couldn't break her word to her brother! She promised to look after him - promised. Her mind darted from one idea to the next in attempts to figure out what she should say to him to convince him not to kill her, every single one of them stupid and unrealistic.

"Ya wanna hang ou' wit' me?"

The question caught her so off-guard, she openly gaped at him, her struggling ceasing in her dumbfounded shock. What...?

He suddenly looked nervous as he dropped her to the ground, dusting her off before taking a few steps back to give her some air. Red avoided her gaze as he scowled to the floor as though it offended him, shoving his hands in his pockets with suck force that his phalanges cut through the fabric. Cursing, he ran a hand over his skull and huffed, lazily kicking at the ground as he eventually looked back at her. Although significantly shorter than some of his skeleton counterparts, he still towered over her, standing at least three head taller than she was. Even with the height difference being in his favour, he hunched in on himself as he hesitantly admitted, "Look, it looks like we may 'ave gotten off on the wrong foot. Why don' we star' again?" he cleared his non-existent throat before extending out his hand, a bead of red sweat trailing down his temple as he grinned, "Name's Red."

All Y/n could manage to say was, "Why?"

"Look," he grumbled gruffly, looking at a patch of mould on the wall, "I ain' usually the kind o' person to do this kinda sappy shit, bu'... bu' ya've been real good ta ma bro. 'e may no' look it, bu' e's the softest guy I know- real sensitive- anyways, people don' usually trea' him nice 'cause o' how 'e is. Heh, 'e's clever, bu' when it comes ta social skills?" he snorting and shook his head, "'e ain' gotta clue. Ya've actually given 'im the time o' day, even gone as far as bein' his frien'- an before ya ask 'bout me stalkin' ya, I only know 'cause 'e likes ta talk abou' ya- so, I guess wha' I'm sayin', is tha' ya can' be as bad as Jess makes ya out ta be if ya so nice ta 'im, even if he makes ya a bi' nervous ta be around."

The young woman was still gobsmacked, unsure of how to react. For a moment, she honestly thought he was about to kill her, or at the very least beat her to a bloody pulp, but no- he was asking to get to know her, to hang out with her. Sure, she was freaked out how he knew where she worked and that the vague statement of Spike liking to talk about her was unsettling, and yes, she was pissed that her suspicions about Jessica spreading rumours about her before her appearance at the mansion was the reason behind everyone animosity towards her, but she couldn't help but feel flattered. The silence from her being deep in thought clearly irked the already irritated skeleton as he snapped, "Do ya wanna or not?!"

A small smile curled at her lips as she offered her hand and greeted, "I'm Y/n. Nice to meet you."

Red looked just as shocked as she did earlier before shaking off the feeling and shaking her hand. He grinned, "Hope we ge' along."

Chapter Text

"Why are you still here?" questioned Y/n incredulously, continuing to organise the files before she was able to finally get off of work. Red had stayed with her relatively silently, picking up random scraps of paper she had yet to sort out, scoffing at the contents before throwing the pieces over his shoulder. This repeated several times before huffing in irritation, and he eventually napped whilst standing beside her desk. It was certainly strange and unusual, as she didn't quite understand why he stayed at all if he was so annoyed by doing so. That was why she eventually worked up the courage to actually ask him (although they had essentially started on a "clean slate" so to speak, that didn't exactly mean that she was any more comfortable being around him- not that it seemed to bother Red much, as he didn't even seem to really notice).

"Wha's it look like?" he snorted in derision. "Waitin' 'til ya finish work."

"Yes, but why?"

"So we can 'ang ou', duh." he rolled his eyelights, huffing again whilst scuffing his shoe on the floor in apparent boredom. 

"I honestly thought it was going to be later." 

"Yeah, well, I go' stuff ta do, la'er, so why no' jus' go when ya off work? Can't be assed going back home only to come ta pick ya up again, ya no' worth the effor', no' ta mention I jus' wanna ge' this shi' over wit'."

Y/n shrugged, stacking the last piles of paper and placing it neatly on the desk, "Fair enough."

The young woman stood up, groaning in pain from her sore back. The chair she had to sit on was like sitting on a pile of bricks, the back of it not feeling any better. "Finally." grumbled Red. "So, where ya wanna go? Movies? Garden back 'ome? I 'eard bitches love flowers, fer some reason. Well? Come on! Jus' 'urry up an' decide where ya wanna go, already."

"Eh, this bitch isn't bothered about flowers, really." she sniggered, earning a blush and grumble from Red as he resolutely looked away. When she thought on it, she had already rules out his suggestions. The movies required money, and she hadn't gotten paid yet, meaning that she would need Red to pay for her. The thought really didn't sit well with her, as not only did she not want to owe him, but she really didn't want to fit the sexist stereotype that men had to pay for a woman when out and about. Both of their rooms were also ruled out for obvious reasons, if that look on Reds face was anything to go by. An idea then occurred to her: why not the park? She didn't need any money to go, and it would give her chance to really familiarise herself with the area, an asset she undoubtedly needed if she needed to run away from someone or avoid them by going through an ally etc. 

"Why not the park?" she suggested.

Red hummed in thought before shrugging, "Sure. Means I don' gotta spend any money on ya, an it'll get Edge off ma back fer no' gettin' no fresh air 'e's so fond o'." Red then gripped her shoulder as he forcefully pulled her into the side of him. "Betta stick close. Don' wanna waste ma time an' 'ave ta look fer ya."

Too stunned to react, darkness surrounded them. She thought that what she felt as she paused through the infamous Void would be comparable to being in space without a spacesuit: the pressure overwhelming and no air to breath in. With a pop they both arrived at the park, and once she was on firm ground she put as much space between herself and Red as possible, keeled over and gipping as she fought with her instinct to vomit. Throwing up in front of the skeletons was bad enough as it was, let alone adding another to that thankfully small list. Red, having noticed her pale complexion, laughed uproariously at her misery. Too distracted to think better of it, she flipped him off whilst her other hand held onto her bent knees.

Luckily, this only seemed to amuse Red further as he roughly clapped her back, "Stars, ya face!" he managed to say between his laughter, enjoying himself way too much.

"Fuck off." she groaned, eventually straightening her back as she stifled another dry heave.

"Priceless." he chuckled, wiping a red tear from the corner of his socket. He shoved his hands into his ripped pockets, only to remember that he had in fact ripped them, earning an inaudible grumble from him. He huffed irritably before looking down at Y/n and asked her, "So, wha' now?"

"I hadn't actually thought that far ahead, yet." she admitted sheepishly.

Red huffed in response, "Grea', real nice." The both of them stood there, observing their surroundings. The grass of the park was lush and green, the trees sharing the same pleasant green as the leaves on the branches. It was a very peaceful park overall, if you could look past the occasional group chatting amiably with one another whilst having picnics, or children running around with frisbees and playing with their pets. Y/n noted that behind her was a large iron gate, indicating the entrance of the park and if she squinted, she could somewhat make out the exit in the far distance, that gate also sharing in the vines and moss that had gathered around the bars of metal.

"Ugh, didn' know there'd be so many li'l shits around." groused Red, eyeing the running kids both human and monster alike with disdain.

"Wow, didn't know you were such a kid's person." grinned Y/n, earning a venomous glare from the tall, bulky skeleton.

"All kids a' the spawn o' the devil, I'm tellin' ya."

"They're not all that bad." she chuckled in disbelief, shaking her head. 

Red merely snorted, "No' from ma experience."

The pair went silent as they both began to walk around the park aimlessly, the two of them too deep in their own thoughts to converse with the other. Not that either of them minded: surprisingly, Red and Y/n found the quiet between the relatively comfortable. Y/n focused on memorising her surroundings, recognising her place of work which seemed to be a few blocks away from the par, still visible through the treeline due to its immense size. It amused her how Red seemed so lazy as to just teleport her there rather than walk the few blocks it would take to reach the park. 

Every now and again Red would sigh restlessly, looking increasingly annoyed as he looked around. Having seemingly found what he was looking for, he disappeared into thin air before Y/n had chance to even ask where he was going, leaving her alone in a rather secluded part of the park which was shrouded in shadow from the overarching trees. The woman honestly didn't know how to react to that, and she was tempted to just leave if Red didn't come back in the next ten minutes. "Jesus what is his problem?" she mumbled in complaint, choosing to sit down by the base of a rather large tree to wait and see if Red did in fact come back, or if he had just up and ditched her.

What was she to do? She knew at some point that she'd need to check the relationship stats, but her phone had died during her work hours, making her panic a little. Why was she so stupid?! From then onwards, she decided that she would carry her phone charger with her at all times in case a repeat of the predicament she found herself in again. Why was she panicking, exactly? Because she had no fucking clue what was going on, or what would happen to her due to not completing the Blackmail Quest she was given. Would it punish her, or would it just leave her to her own devices like it had been doing? Whilst she hoped for the latter, she suspected that the former would be more accurate, what with the attitude the system had been giving her.

Y/n really needed to start checking her phone more, as it seemed that the more she thought on it, the more it put her at a disadvantage. She had been purposely avoiding looking at it too much for a few reasons. One of them was so that she didn't develop an obsessive reliance on it, as not being able to access her phone in that kind of state would make her act increasingly irrational that she knew. Another reason was simply de to her not wanting to be reminded that she was in fact in a game, and not only that, but a game that could kill her at any second if it so chose, or if a character so chose, to be more accurate. The woman honestly hated it, but there was unfortunately nothing she could do about it.

A deep rolling voice interrupted her spiralling thoughts, "Salutations, Miss."

Confused, Y/n looked up only to find a grinning skeleton. His sockets were devoid of all light, teeth sharp and a haughty grin on his round features. The bone was unmarred, being pearly white and shining in the sunlight, which was a stark contrast to his black cashmere suit, with a crisp white shirt and reddish-orange cravat that matched the waistcoat he wore which bore the same colour, black swirls embellished on the soft looking fabric. The black leather oxford shoes he wore also seemed to reflect the sunlight, well-polished and expensive looking.

Grin unwavering, he clasped his leather gloved hands behind his back, his tall form casting a shadow over her as the leaves above the rustled and swayed in the slightly cool breeze. "What seems to have brought a lovely young lady like you here, on a day such as this? Alone, at that?" he inquired, before leaning against a tree opposite her. He rifled through the inner pocket of his suit jacket, retrieving a cigar thicker than her index and middle finger combined as he also brought out a match. He used his sharp teeth to light the match before placing it beneath the cigar, a self-satisfied hum leaving him as he exhaled tar coloured smoke, looking very much like the consistency of tar the more she thought on it.

"A loaded question from a complete stranger." She mentally cursed herself for her reply, nervous as to the possible repercussions. She had never come across this skeleton in Lovers Spat, which only put her on edge further as she had no idea how she should act around him, nor how dangerous he was. She couldn't recall anyone else having mentioned a skeleton with his description on social media, so she was completely in the dark about it. Where the fuck was Red?!

The stranger's grin widened, a feat Y/n hadn't thought possible. "Curiosity.  I assure you that I meant no harm by it, Miss. My most sincerest apologies if I pried." The skeleton seemed extremely polite and well-spoken (much like Spike, however, this skeleton in particular seemed to have a better grasp on social cues and how to not breach another person's space), but fathomless voids that were his sockets were extremely unsettling. If she thought that Sans was bad, by comparison, the skeleton who threatened her was like a hissing kitten, whilst the monster- yes, monster was a very apt description of him  - in front of her seemed to be the embodiment of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Behind the courteous façade, Y/n could practically feel her skin crawling from how he exuded not only malice, but power as well.

The park had grown strangely silent, the wind having dissipated and the temperature having decreased, feeling as though she was in a place well below freezing. Y/n had to stifle a shiver from both the cold and her fright. Something about the skeleton in front of her just wasn't right...

He hummed in thought as he scrutinised her, the tar-like smoke still billowing out of his parted maw. "It's a beautiful day today, wouldn't you agree? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... On days like these..." he trailed off, seemingly deep in thought as he looked off into the distance, inhaling more of the noxious smoke. He seemed to have been about to elaborate further when Red teleported directly in front of the stranger.

A furious blush was on his face as he thrust an ice-cream into Y/n's hand, adamantly looking away as he complained, "There. Now ya can' complain 'bout bein' hungry or shit."

Y/n, having been startled out of her paralysis, quickly stood to her feet. "Ya should thank me: took ages jus' ta fin' the blue fuck so a' could get some." He hastily bit into his own cone, eating it in two large bites before it was completely gone. The woman looked behind Red, only to stifle a gasp.

There was nothing there.

Where the hell had he gone? Had he teleported? If he had, wouldn't there still be trails of the smoke he would have left behind from his cigar? There was nothing there, and the ground didn't look as though it had been disturbed in any way. Red, having caught her expression, looked behind himself in bemusement, confused as to why Y/n looked to scared. When he found nothing, he looked back at her before cautiously asking, "Ya alrigh'?"

"Uh... Yeah, just peachy..." she answered, puzzled. Had she imagined it? Maybe the stress of being in the game and constantly being in danger of death had finally made her hallucinate. It was a distinct possibility. She shook herself before giving him a genuine smile, "Thanks for worrying though."

Red scoffed as he scuffed his shoe in the dirt, avoiding looking at her, "I ain', jus' don' wanna deal with any hysterics fer no reason."

Y/n didn't believe him, but she chose not to push it, not wanting to annoy him when they had clearly just started to finally get along. That reminded her: she really needed to try and mend the relationship she had with Papyrus. She knew she needed to apologise over the vomiting incident, but how would she exactly make it up to him? She recalled that he was fond of gardening in Lover's Spat, so maybe she could try and assist him with that? It was worth a shot, and she was sure that it would land her in Sans' good graces before he saw fit to act on his threat.

"Hey Red?" said Y/n, as the two of them began to stroll along the park whilst she ate the ice-cream he had bought her (which still surprised her). 

"Wha'?" he answered rudely.

"You want my phone number?" It was her best bet. If she had his number, that meant that not only would they be able to communicate with one another, but it would potentially make them friends. That was if he accepted, of course. 

Red sputtered, blushing madly as he looked ahead of them. "The 'ell ya wan' tha' fer?!" he demanded.

"To message you." she replied nonchalantly.

For a few moments they both remained quiet, Red mulling over her request before saying, "Fine. Bu' don' spam me or I'll smash ya phone an' shove the glass down ya throa'." he growled, snatching her phone out of his hand. Y/n would have felt scared if Red wasn't looking more like a cherry than a Hot Topic skeleton decoration like he usually did. Progress seemed to have been made, which made Y/n relax despite being in Red's presence. In high spirits, the young woman made sure to have his name as "Barbie", perhaps due to the absurdity of him being called that.

"YOU WANT TO HELP ME IN THE GARDEN?" questioned Papyrus in puzzled excitement. His eyelights seemed to sparkle as he clasped his hands on his ribcage, looking down at Y/n's smaller form. 

"Yeah, if you'll have me, that is." she smiled sheepishly.

"WHY OF COURSE!" the skeleton beamed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he practically dragged her outside of the mansion. She stumbled, trying not to fall flat on her face as she was eventually led to a patch of fresh veg, ranging from carrots to courgettes, all equally spaced out as to not intermingle them. Papyrus handed her some gardening gloves before he went to pulled out the carrots, placing them in a bag as he pointed to a small patch of herbs that were growing in the corner of the plot of growing food. Y/n sighed through her nose as she went to help him, feeling exhausted from the day she had experienced. 

Y/n allowed her thoughts to trail off as she worked alongside Papyrus, the skeleton humming a tune she didn't recognise as he went to work on the vegetables, checking the woman every now and again to see if she was seeing to the plants correctly. Papyrus expertly corrected her every now and again, demonstrating how it should be done so she didn't ruin anything. She couldn't blame him for having to correct her (she was no gardener after all), but she couldn't understand why he was being so anal about it. 

It was after a few moments of quiet that Y/n cleared her throat, focusing on her task before saying, "I'm sorry about the other day."

"SORRY FOR WHAT, FRIEND?" asked Papyrus, bewildered.

"For running out on the meal you actually took the time to make me." she sighed, snipping at some leaves with the gardening scissors she had been given. "I'm really grateful you made me it."

"NONSENSE, FRIEND!" he admonished light-heartedly. "YOU WERE SIMPLY OVERWHELMED BY MY GREATNESS! THE GREAT PAPYRUS UNDERSTANDS, SO THERE'S NO NEED TO BE UPSET WITH YOURSELF!"

"Thank you." smiled Y/n, unable to hide her enthusiasm that Papyrus had seemed to spark from her. Papyrus laughed as he continued to work, the both of them in a comfortable silence before they heard slow, heavy footsteps approach them. Y/n looked up from her work only for her eyes to widen, a quiet gasp escaping her as she looked at the towering form who cast a shadow on both her and Papyrus as the human and skeleton remained kneeled. 

Eyelights resembling raisins stared back down at her, looking more and more cracked (the eyelights that was) as she continued to meet their gaze, unable to look away. Harsh webbed cracks covered the span of his sockets, trailing down into forks around his mangled, chipped teeth as well as the top of their skull. They were by far the tallest skeleton she had met, being taller than even Green. The skeleton wore a tattered lab-coat that had suspicious red stains smeared over the labels and the frayed hem of the coat, beneath that was an itchy looking jumper with trousers that only reached his knees, as though he had had a huge growth spurt in the middle of the night. Everything he wore looked too small for him, but he seemed unbothered as his attention was solely on Y/n. The blood-curdling look he was sending her was by far one hundred times worse than how Spike looked at her.

"AH, CRACK! IT'S LOVELY TO SEE YOU! HOW ARE YOU?" smiled Papyrus, standing up and striding over to the much taller skeleton named Crack. Crack seemed to completely disregard Papyrus as he continued to glare coldly down at her, making her tremble. At that moment, she honestly thought that he was just going to kill her, but with one brief look at Papyrus and soon returning to staring at her, she assumed that he wasn't about to due to Papyrus being there.

"YOU REALLY NEED TO GET SOME NEW CLOTHES, CRACK!" scolded Papyrus playfully. Once again the new skeleton seemed unmoved and unbothered, examining Y/n as one would a rack of lamb before sinking their teeth into the succulent meat. A heavy breath escaped through the tiny, unnoticeable gaps in Cracks teeth, resulting in a low whistling sound that reminded her of the sound of wind on a stormy night. Crack rifled through his lab coat pockets, not taking his eyelights off of her for a second before he pulled out a large packet of mints, tearing into the packaging with unsettling ease before tipping the contents into his mouth.

"THIS IS MY NEW FRIEND, Y/N! NEW FRIEND, THIS IS CRACK!"  introduced Papyrus enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the murderous atmosphere. Once every single one had vanished into his mouth, Crack placed the empty packet into his pocket again, spinning on his heel as he walked off.

"WELL, I SUPPOSE HE ISN'T IN A VERY TALKATIVE MOOD TODAY. WELL, HE NEVER REALLY IS, THE MORE I CONSIDER IT." mused Papyrus aloud. He seemed unaware at how Y/n was trembling, residual effects of her fight or flight response abating as she sweated nervously. Dread weighed heavily in her gut, as she was all but convinced that it wouldn't be long before she died.

Chapter Text

PERSONAL STATS

 

 

 

ARCHIVE ORGANISER: WELL DONE! YOU NOW HAVE A JOB! A LONG LIFE OF SPINSTERHOOD AND CATS AWAITS YOU IN THE DINGY BASEMENT OF THE LIBRARY. HOW EVER WILL YOU COPE WITH THE SMELL (PERHAPS THE SAME WAY YOU DO WITH YOUR OWN BODY ODOUR)

 

BLACKMAIL: WELL DONE! YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THE FIRST STEP TO VILLAINY THROUGH PETTY BRIBERY! YOUR MOTHER WOULD BE PROUD! (IF SHE GOT OUT OF HER DRUNKEN STUPOUR LONG ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY NOTICE YOUR PRESENCE- SUCH FOND MEMORIES!)

 

FIRST PHONE NUMBER:EXCELLENT! YOU HAVE JUST TAKEN YOUR FIRST STEP TO ACTUALLY BEHAVING LIKE YOU SHOULD- AN ANTAGONIST! DUE TO HOW BRAINDEAD YOU SEEM TO BE, I SUSPECT THAT YOU'LL FIT THE ROLE OF STUPID POPULAR GIRL FROM A TEEN MOVIE AND BEGIN CYBERBULLYING, AFTERALL, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE WORTH AN ACTUAL, FULLY THOUGHT OUT PLOT! (GAINED: Underfell Wingdings Gaster: Spike's PHONE NUMBER: IT SEEMS LIKE YOUR POOR SOCIAL SKILLS HAVE ACTUALLY ENABLED YOU TO GAIN THE NUMBER OF A CREEPSTER! I'M SO PROUD! AND IF YOU COULDN'T ALREADY TELL, THAT WAS SARCASM!)

 

PHONE NUMBER:ANOTHER PHONE NUMBER GAINED! WELL, AREN'T YOU THE MASTER MANIPULATOR? YOU MAY THINK THAT IT WAS YOUR "KINDNESS" AND "CHARM" THAT ENABLED SUCH A SMALL VICTORY, BUT HOW COULD THAT BE WHEN YOUR OWN PARENTS ASKED YOU TO RUN AWAY SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO FACE THE MISTAKE THEY MADE WHEN THEY CHOSE TO BUY A CONDOM FROM THE DOLLAR STORE? (GAINED: Underfell Sans: Red's PHONE NUMBER: WOW! TO GAIN THE NUMBER OF THE WIMPIEST SKELETON IN THE MANSION- I'M IMPRESSED! AFTER ALL, I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT'S WORSE HIS IQ OR HIS HAIR LINE- OH WAIT, SORRY, I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU! MY BAD!)

 

FIRST FRIEND: CONGRATS! YOU'VE HAVE ONE FRIEND MORE THAN YOU EVER DID IN HIGHSCHOOL! HOPEFULLY, YOU CAN AT LEAST MANAGE TO KEEP THE PROMISES YOU MAKE TO THEM, UNLIKE WITH YOUR BROTHER! (GAINED FRIEND Underfell Gaster: Spike: YOU REALLY KNOW HOW TO ATTRACT THE CREEPS, DON'T YOU?)

 

FRIEND: WELL AREN'T YOU POPULAR? BUT, I GUESS IT ISN'T EXACTLY HARD TO BEFRIEND A CACTUS, NOW IS IT? TWO PRICKS IN A DESERT AND ALL THAT! (GAINED FRIEND: Underfell Sans: Red: AH, THE TSUNDERE! TOUGH ON THE OUTSIDE AND AS PATHETIC AS YOU ON THE INSIDE- A MATCH MADE IN HELL!)

RELATIONSHIP STATS

Undertale Sans: Sans

LOVE: -40 (+2)

DANGER: -40 (+5)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -25 (+5)

JEALOUSY: -45 (+5)

* Happy to know that you didn't hurt his brother and made him happy. Didn't like how you had a date with Red, but as long as you didn't try to seduce his brother, he accepts it.

Undertale Papyrus: Papyrus

LOVE: -30 (+10)

DANGER: -30 (+10)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Happy to have spent time with a new friend, even if that new friend is you.

Undertale Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Wingdings/Gaster

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -48 (-2)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

* Unsure of how to feel about you being with his younger brother - will keep an eye on you, and if you step one toe out of line, he'll be sure to amputate it.

Underfell Sans: Red

LOVE: -10 (+32)

DANGER: -20 (+22)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -30 (+20)

JEALOUSY: -50

*He enjoyed hanging out with you , and found how you ate the ice-cream he bought you cute (not that he'd ever tell you any of that).

Underfell Papyrus: Edge

LOVE: -48 (-2)

DANGER: -49 (-2)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Not only have you tried to seduce his eldest brother, but you're also putting the moves on that good-for-nothing deadbeat. One more screw up and he'll be knitting a scarf with your entrails.

Underfell Doctor Wingdings Gaster: Spike

LOVE: 10 (+30)

DANGER: 0 (+25)

SANITY: 50

LUST: 0 (+30)

JEALOUSY: -50

*Liked how you were getting to know is rather turbulent brother. He knows that Red doesn't have the best social skills, but he's sure that you'll be able to look past his rough exterior and see his true colours.

Swapfell Sans: Blackberry

LOVE: -30 

DANGER: -30 

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Glad you haven't bothered him or gotten in his way, but can't help but want to cook with you again (not that he'd ever admit that to you)

Swapfell Papyrus: Mutt

LOVE: -30 

DANGER: -30 

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Wants to get to know you (if you've survived this long you might just be worth knowing), but doesn't want to ask just yet.

Fellswap Sans: Raspberry

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*You're not even worth thinking about.

Fellswap Papyrus: Slim

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -47 (-1)

SANITY: 30 (-20)

LUST: -30 (+20)

JEALOUSY: -20 (+20)

*Doesn't like how you how many guys you're spending time with, but is ultimately conflicted: aroused by you ignoring him, but hates that you're getting so buddy-buddy with all of those pathetic alternates. Will continue to diligently follow orders, but will also pay more attention to who you spend time with.

Underswap Sans: Blueberry

LOVE: -45 

DANGER: -45 

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Still planning on when he should deal with you.

Underswap Papyrus: Stretch

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Not really bothered about you.

Underswap Wingdings Gaster: Ding

LOVE: 1

DANGER: -40

SANITY: 50

LUST: 3

JEALOUSY: -50

* Wants to get to know you. Hates to see you go but loves to see you leave ~😼

Gaster Sans: Echo

LOVE: -45

DANGER: -45

SANITY: 50

LUST: -20

JEALOUSY: -50

*Loves the way you squirm. He's somewhat curious about what you did with Red, but ultimately, he doesn't really care.

Gaster Papyrus: Green

LOVE: -40

DANGER: -40

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Despite how unforgivably rude you were, he can't help but want to get to know you. Finds you amusing in an irritating way.

Horrortale Wingdings Gaster: Crack

LOVE: -20

DANGER: -48

SANITY: 10

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Can vividly imagine the taste of your flesh, feel your blood dripping down his chin and your sweat on his tongue. Doesn't want to find out if you are as succulent as he thinks you are, but the temptation is difficult to resist.

The young woman honestly didn't know how to take any of what she had just learned, her complexion paling and her mouth becoming dry. It had been an hour or two since she was with Papyrus, and during that time she had charged her phone and read all of the relationship stats with the skeletons she had met. Whilst she had made some progress with some of them, clearly, it seemed as though her innocent actions such as hanging out with Red had only put her in hot water regarding some of the other more volatile skeletons. The idea of not only having Slim and Gaster potentially stalk her in the near future (at least that's what she had gathered from reading the Extra Thoughts), but she also had to contend with Edge's infamous temper. In the game, if the protagonist met a GAME OVER by Edge's hand, it was often the most gruesome of deaths, coming only second to the Horrorshow Brothers.

Y/n really didn't feel like being decapitated and her head being placed on a spike on the roof of the mansion, nor did she have any desire to enter Edge's Dungeon (no matter how the cult members fans were thirsty for it back home on Tumblr and were completely delusional  convinced that it would be a positively great time to be in Edge's Dungeon™ ). It was never clarified in the game for where exactly it was housed, the only thing being made clear were the horrifyingly detailed depictions of medieval torture devices: The Iron Maiden, The Knee Splitter, The Rack, The Judas Cradle and The Brazen Bull to name a few. If the LOVE stat was low enough (as it is not always directly synonymous to the DANGER stat) and his LUST stat high enough, he would often use … The Spider. . . Y/n always shuddered at that one, the thought of her breasts being ripped off not exactly very appealing to her. The only reason why she knew what such devices were called was due to the internet, as well as some of Edge's infamous monologuing about the effectiveness of such devices, and how their frequent use had made him an expert in inflicting the most pain when using them (not that they wouldn't have been painful originally anyway).

It was on the basis of torture alone within the game that made her question how her adorable brother had even discovered the game Lover's Spat to begin with, and if the young woman was being entirely honest, she wasn't sure she truly wanted to know the answer. Not only that, but the unavoidable "why" for her brother recommending it in the first place after knowing about this only raised two thoughts in Y/n's mind: he either didn't go through the Manipulator or Pandemonium routes, or, his passionate hobbies from crochet to painting had expanded to broader horizons that Y/n really didn't want to know how he was introduced to them in the first place.

Reining her thoughts back to the issue at hand, Y/n continued to consider her next actions for who she should raise her stats with next (inevitably, who she should try to befriend and who she should spend time with so as to make them hate her less). Whilst Slim was certainly a concern, she knew that she needed to resolve the issue of Edge at that moment. Problem was, that it was difficult to figure out how to lower his DANGER and raise his LOVE stats without him outright killing her, or worse, kidnapping her to that undisclosed location and using his assortment of tools that he had at his disposal. She was -1 stat point away from her demise, and she needed to sort that out and fast, otherwise, it was GAME OVER, and she refused to let that happen.

With newfound determination, Y/n rose from her bed (as she had made sure to look on her phone in her bedroom to gain more privacy in case she was accidently discovered, which would be far from ideal and potentially lethal for anyone else to find out, especially if it was one of those who were aware of the RESETs and GAME OVERs) and made quick work of her hair by brushing it, straightening her appearance as to at least come off as more confident than she was feeling at that moment. Jittery with nerves, the young woman exited her bedroom, locking the door behind her as she made her way to the floor she knew Edge's room was. She simultaneously felt more confident and comfortable as well as anxious and uncomfortable to confront him in his domain, as she knew that whilst she would be at a significant disadvantage, it would hopefully make him a tad more amenable as it would also be obvious to him that he was in control of the situation, and if she had learned anything from playing Lover's Spat, it was that Edge the skeleton loved to be in control. Not only that, but Red and Spikes' rooms were also on the same corridor, thus if they heard her scream she hoped that they would at least try and diffuse the situation or, she hoped, help her. After all, she seemed to have befriended them both (which still surprised her, as she expected them to be the last skeletons out of the whole household to actually befriend her), so that would mean that they would at least try and save her if things went awry, right? Right...?

… She desperately hoped that she was right.

The short (in comparison to the rest of the household excluding Jessica) human stood in front of Edge's door, wracked with anxiety as her hand was held in the air. Mentally preparing herself, she was about to knock until she hesitated, retracting her hand, her nerves getting the better of her. Embarrassingly, this occurred a few times before she exhaled deeply and knocked three times, carefully avoiding the threatening sign on the door that Y/n had taken note of the last time she was in that corridor, and resolutely decided that not looking at the crude depiction of Edge killing someone on it would at least help her emotionally. "WHAT?!" demanded Edge, his voice resembling that of glass smashing from a great height (if someone edited the sound to be deeper in pitch, that was), sending unpleasant shivers down her spine. His booming voice shook the door slightly as the hinges vibrated. The power behind his enraged shout didn't ease up the growing tension in her shoulders, nor the roiling in her stomach.

Before she could utter a reply his door slammed open, the door colliding with the wall leaving a large hole from the door knob. In the newly opened entrance was a wrathful skeleton as his blood red eyelights glowered down at her much smaller form. "OH, IT'S YOU." he growled menacingly, not stepping back into his room nor making any movement towards throttling her. That was something, at least! She cheered internally only to stop as she shook off the feeling. How the Hell was it that things had gotten so bad that she was actually happy that she hadn't been strangled yet? To even consider it a possibility that she could be murdered at any moment?  Y/n fucking hated being in that game, and she was very quickly becoming less of a fangirl of the game as time went on, something that once upon a time the young woman had never thought was possible. Before all of the shit she had found herself in, her greatest worries were normal social interactions between most of her colleagues at work, as well as remembering to buy food that excluded instant ramen noodles. Her greatest worry at that moment? Having her eyes gauged and her head used as a mantel decoration on the black marble fireplace she could barely make out from behind the large skeleton's shoulder. How things had changed...

"Um... Do you wanna... uh-?"

"SPEAK UP! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A FUCKING WORD YOU ARE SAYING WITH YOUR IDIOTIC MUMBLING !" interrupted Edge aggressively, claw-like phalanges splintering the wood of the door slightly as Edge visibly struggled to rein in his rising temper. It surprised her somewhat that he was even attempting to stop himself from violently lashing out, as his trigger-happy temper never seemed to be easily quelled (if at all, the more she thought back on the routes she had played when she still loved Lover's Spat).

"Do you want to hang out with me?" she blurted, avoiding eye-contact with him as she looked at the polished marble floor. If she was going to die, she really didn't want to see it. Y/n hoped with all her being that if she was to die, that he would at least have mercy enough to make it quick; however, she knew that was wishful thinking. Edge was anything but merciful, and he definitely wasn't gentle. Those two words, the woman suspected, weren't even part of his vocabulary. Really, she saw that rather than Edge's dilemma be whether or not she would live or die, but whether or not he wanted to hear her screams enough to use the Brazen Bull, or he wanted to cause her the most pain by placing a metal cage on her stomach and forcing a rat to burrow under her flesh to escape the heat of the metal. Although, the second option she knew would also cause her to scream in agony

"... YOU WANT TO HANG OUT WITH ME, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE?" he scoffed in disbelief, the vicious grip he had on his door dissipating as he haughtily observed her, smugness practically oozing out of his bones as his usual scowl turned mocking. "YOU TRULY THINK THAT I WOULD EVER WILLINGLY CHOOSE TO WASTE MY PRECIOUS TIME WITH THE LIKES OF A REPULSIVE HUMAN LIKE YOU ?" he spat.

Y/n couldn't help but flinch at his harsh tone, something he seemed to notice and practically revel in. She wanted to interrupt, to beg for his forgiveness (the young woman knew that if she had to sacrifice her dignity to keep her promise to her brother, then she wouldn't hesitate to do so), but Y/n knew that it would be ignored, and would only give him the satisfaction of refusing such a reasonable request as to let her live. Edge continued relentlessly, "NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE THE FUCKING AUDACITY TO TRY AND SEDUCE MY ELDER BROTHER, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE LOW ENOUGH STANDARDS TO TRY AND FUCK RED ? YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE, HUMAN?" he sneered, bending down so that he was not only invading her personal space but also looking directly into her eyes. The skeleton clad in a spiked black leather jacket harshly grabbed her face, sharp bone cutting into the soft skin of her cheeks as he forced her to look into his scorching eyelights, the light emitting from them blinding, fear-inducing as well as enthralling enough that she wouldn't have been able to look away even if she wanted to. It was as though she was gazing into the pits of Hell, and she knew that the tortured screams and rancid smell of burning flesh was all in her imagination when she felt his piping hot breath on the tender flesh of her cheeks.

"A LEECHING WHORE WHO NO ONE HAS EVER NORWILL EVER  CARE ABOUT; MERELY A PATHETIC SLUT WHO COULD NEVER DO ANYTHING RIGHT. YOU TRULY WANT TO KNOW YOUR ANSWER, HUMAN, TO WHETHER I WOULD LIKE TO 'HANG OUT' WITH YOU?" he snorted in derision, before leaning in and whispering into the shell of her ear, his breath on the flesh of her easily broken neck. "Well, Let's Just Say That The Last Time I Saw Something Like You... I Flushed It."

Edge retreated from her short form as he then slammed the door in her face, leaving her utterly speechless. Muddled emotions only made her feel worse as she couldn't decide between feeling offended or melancholic, her fear still making her heart beat rapidly and beads of sweat to trail down the nape of her neck. The way he phrased certain things that he had said didn't sit well with her, and stirred memories that she really didn't want to revisit any time soon, if at all, if she was being perfectly honest. What also really bothered the woman was that he didn't even answer her fucking question, and not only that, but skeletons don't even shit! It didn't make any sense!

A sound to her left jolted her out of her racing thoughts as she cautiously turned towards the sound, already afraid from the encounter she had just endured, only to gape in disbelief. Across from her a few metres away was the most flamboyant person she had ever seen (Y/n noted with wry amusement that over the course of being in her past favourite game, she was experiencing a lot of firsts). They wore a crimson suede shearling coat, which was worn over a red dress that had a deep V-neck and empire waistline and reached their mid-thigh bone, and above that was a black leather corset, ties so tightly that if it was a human wearing it, well, lets just say that even a woman from the nineteenth century wouldn't be able to breath in it. Their legs were covered by lacy stockings which were the matching shade of pink as their lacy gloves, and their impressive 8'5 height only seemed to have been made more prominent by their branded stiletto heels that looked to be Lover's Spat's equivalent to Prada. The sound that Y/n had heard seemed to have been coming from them, as they looked to be eating from a medium sized box of popcorn as though they were watching a very entertaining movie.

They stopped mid-bite after having realised that they had been caught as their peach coloured eyelights growing a few sizes, the subsequent extra light from their sockets making their singular crack in the shape of an upside down heart that encircled their left socket more pronounced (the lack of cracks, the colour of their eyelights and their height from the heels they wore were the only differences between them and Wingdings Gaster, well, that and the style choice and red wig they wore). "Oh, ma choupinette! What I wouldn't give to have been the object of such a heated gaze! Such Passion! Such loathing! Mmm, I'd let that skeleton be in my closet any time!" they tittered, eating another mouthful of popcorn shamelessly as they continued to observe her like an audience would at a performer. A hungry look crossed their features as they added with a salacious chuckle, "Not that I wouldn't want to be inside your skin, ma choupinette." 

Y/n blushed and sputtered, unable to voice the numerous thoughts that were going through her head as well as the multiple emotions that she was feeling, from being flustered by their overt flirting to feeling exasperated that they hadn't intervened when Edge was insulting her (her pride was still wounded after that). This seemed to amuse the tall skeleton as they twirled a few strands of their hair (they seemed to be  actually look nice with the wig they wore, and didn't look ridiculous despite the idea of a skeleton wearing a wig being both stupid and funny), before a look of concern flashed across their sockets. They reached into their pocket as they approached the much shorter human nonchalantly, a natural sway to their hips as they did so. Taking out what looked to be a pink silk handkerchief with the initials "F. N. F" sewn into it, they gently grasped Y/n's face, much to the human's disgruntled complaints, as they wiped away their cheeks with on hand whilst the other continued to hold their box of popcorn.

"There you are!" chirped the skeleton. "You had a little red on you, and whilst I do so adore rouged cheeks, I don't think that blood and cuts are at all good replacements for when a girl runs out of makeup."

Whilst it had certainly felt as though Edge had cut her with his sharp phalanges, she hadn't realise that she was bleeding from his harsh treatment. "I know just the trick to clean this mess. Open wide, ma choupinette!" they cooed, taking out a piece of popcorn and popping it into the young woman's mouth. It was by far the tastiest popcorn she had ever tasted: the toffee on top of it melted in her mouth, the faint aftertaste of chocolate teasing her tongue as she couldn't help but want more from the addictive taste. A pleasantly cosy feeling of warmth soon spread from y/n's mouth to her stomach, through her veins then to her stinging cheeks, the pain ebbing and fading until it was non-existent.

The skeleton chuckled at her amazement, grin coy, "Oh, if you turn this gorgeous after eating out, well, I can only imagine what you'd look like if I introduced you to a few...  activities that would make you positively glow."

With a deadpan stare, Y/n replied, "How could I 'eat out' if we're still inside the house?"

They playfully rolled their eyelights, "You ate out of the box, didn't you?" they shook their box of popcorn for emphasis, "If you're to correct me, then I have no choice but to correct you: we are in a mansion, not a 'house'."

Y/n snorted, "A mansion is still technically a house, Five Nights at Freddies."

The skeleton repeated incredulously, "'Five Nights at Freddies'?"

It seemed to have been the human's turn to roll her eyes. "The initials?" she huffed, pointing to the handkerchief that the skeleton was still holding.

"Oh no, if that was the case there'd also an 'A' also, sweet thing. It stands for my name, which I have only just realised I haven't exactly told you, have I?" tee-heed the skeleton, making the woman blush in embarrassment at how flustered it made her. It had been a very long time since someone had flirted with her, and usually, it was in such a way that the flirting just went straight over the young woman's head and took her around an hour to realise that they had been flirting with her. Be it due to the skeleton's natural charisma, ease with flirting or the fact that she hadn't had that kind of attention in so long, Y/n couldn't decide which was ultimately the primary cause behind her being so easily rattled.

The skeleton introduced themselves, "Frank N. Furter is my name, dans le love game?" Frank wiggled their brow bones suggestively, which earned a snort from Y/n at the ridiculousness. The young woman then notified Frank her own name, which seemed to please the taller skeleton greatly. "Such a beautiful name for a beautiful human." they complimented with such sincerity that Y/n couldn't help but flush, her mind unable to think of anything to say (much like the entirety of their conversation, when the young woman thought on it). Again, even before being forced to be in Lover's Spat, her inexperience with dealing with avid flirts only made her seem more like a blundering idiot, as she just didn't know what to say nor how to act in response to it. 

"IF YOU'RE DONE CONOODLING OUTSIDE OF MY BEDROOM DOOR, WOULD YOU FUCK OFF?!" bellowed Edge furiously from the other side of his door, slamming it open so that he could glare at them, the door embedding itself in the hole in the wall it had already made. Edge looked even more angry than before, which Y/n thought was a feat in and of itself. The thought that his previous actions were merely irritation rather than the pure lividity he seemed to be sporting at that moment made her tremble in fear, as she unconsciously took a step back from the towering, frightening skeleton. 

"Ah! Edge, mon beau! It's so lovely to see you again after our little tryst! I've missed you." grinned Frank lasciviously, looking down at the shorter (but still tall in his own respect) skeleton. They placed a hand on their own hip as a peach coloured luminescent tongue glided across their sharp teeth (albeit not nearly as sharp as Edge's, Y/n grimly noticed). How Frank could act in that was completely unknown to smallest of the trio, her complexion paling and her hands clammy as they clenched and unclenched at her sides in a futile attempt to calm herself down so as to not act irrationally and in such a way that Edge would  kill her then and there.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"Our tryst, of course!" they grinned. They placed their forearm on their forehead as they continued melodramatically, "It was a dark, cold, lonely night, the stars twinkling and the moonlight illuminating my soft skin (which I had moisturised the previous evening), my shining locks flowing in the evening breeze as I begged the unknown to end my desolation. That was when mon beau arrived, so strong and so noble. The cruel universe had bestowed me a gift for the first time in eighteen years (as my ended career as Dancing Queen at age seventeen had definitely not been a gift as I had imagined once upon a time, and I had the right state of mind to finally end my career as a result of old age like many singers should have)." Frank clasped his gloved hands in front of his chest as he continued just as passionately, "Like Madonna, I fell head over heels for you, your roguish charms and your natural charisma-!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" growled Edge, harshly grabbing Frank by the front of their dress as he yanked them down to his level. "YOU ARE TRULY REPULSIVE!" spat Edge venomously, "NO STANDARDS TO BE SEEN, NOR ANY FASHION SENSE! YOUR MERE EXISTENCE CONFIRMS THAT THERE IS NO GOD, AS NO ONE WOULD WILLINGLY CREATE SOMETHING AS FOUL AS YOU ."

Y/n openly gawked, feeling both aghast that they had the courage to speak like that to Edge and incredibly sympathetic towards the skeleton who had, although been overbearing and too inappropriate towards her for her to feel comfortable, had actually been rather nice to talk to. Although, she couldn't help but be glad that she wasn't at the end of Edge's barbed tongue. Wait, that sounded worse than it was meant to. Y/n just meant that she was glad that she-! Ugh, she wasn't even going to try and defend that thought, too emotionally spent to really work up any effort to refute it. The young woman was far too emotionally spent to continue to argue and mock herself internally like she usually did.

"My, you do have a way with words don't you mon beau?" smirked Frank. "Truly irresistible ."

Unable to fully articulate his Hellish wrath, Edge grabbed the skeleton by their wig, the force of his attempt to drag them away dislodged it from their head (as it seemed to have been taped to their skull so that it wouldn't fall off). "My weave!" gasped Frank in despair, as it was completely ruined and dishevelled by Edge's outburst. Without saying anything else (he seemed to be far to livid to say something as his scowl was replaced with an inscrutable expression which was uncannily similar to the look on Spike's face when he destroyed his radio), he hooked his phalanges into Frank's eye sockets, scraping the inside of their skull as he hauled them along behind him across the marble floor. Despite their harsh handling, Frank had managed to keep his popcorn intact as he casually ate from the box whilst being pulled relentlessly along by Edge's vice-like grip. It looked to Y/n that Frank was in a great deal of pain from how Edge seemed to take extra care in making his sharp phalanges dig into the inside of Frank's skull.

"Oh, before we depart, ma choupinette, I thought I'd let you know that your 'best friend' wants to see you: she's in the kitchen!"

Both Frank and Edge disappeared around the corner, leaving Y/n completely and utterly baffled and unable to voice a single thought. What the fuck had just happened? Attempting to not think about it (as it would only confuse her further), she thought on what Frank had just told her. The inflection of "best friend" the young woman thought was slightly odd, but her main focus was on finding Jessica. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jessica had the grand majority of skeletons wrapped around her finger, so Y/n didn't exactly have a choice in not looking for her to see what she wanted. After having been told that she was wanted as well as having Edge as a witness, she wouldn't be able to get away with acting like she didn't know, which ruled out simply hiding in her room, regrettably.

As she looked for the kitchen (Y/n wasn't sure which kitchen Frank was referring to, so she decided that she should just start her search at the kitchen closest to her), the young woman began to fully consider her next actions. Luckily (for her, at least), Edge seemed distracted enough by the perceived disrespect from Frank to go and kill her for the time being, and he didn't outright kill her despite the lethally low DANGER stat (which confused her, but it was better not to think about the fortunate cards she had been dealt), thus meaning that he may not murder her the next time they met (whenever that was, there was a distinct hope that it was very far into the future- if she lived that long, that was) which, incidentally, gave her opportunity to hopefully get on someone's good side enough so that they had no murderous inclinations towards her.

Y/n began to think of all of the skeletons she had been introduced to thus far (as there was no way she was just going to go up to one that she hadn't met yet and ask for help- that would make her indebted to them, which really wouldn't have been a good idea due to them being complete strangers), and considered which one would be best to try and spend time with (God did she hate having to go through all of that nonsense just so that she could go to sleep knowing that she would in fact wake up the next day in the bed and not in the God-forsaken car, which would indicate that she had a GAME OVER). Blue was an instant no: she didn't need to spend time with that little shit as although it seemed like he was planning to kill her, she doubted he would try anything any time soon. Ding... No, that would be far too uncomfortable, not to mention that she had only spoken to him once and that was due to mortifying circumstances (she shivered at the recalled memory of him being equally as naked as Jessica). Sans Y/n would rather not have to spend any time with, as she felt safe enough that she wouldn't die by his hand. Others such as Papyrus, Gaster, Crack, Green, Spike, Red, Slim, Raspberry, Blackberry and Mutt (she wouldn't dare consider even being in public with Echo amidst a bustling crowd, let alone allow herself to be in a situation where it was just him and her with no one else around) were also no-goes, many she rationalised would either not want to have anything to do with her or would be too busy with work and such to have enough spare time to hang out with her (or were too dangerous to be alone with like Crack, what with his apparent... urges).

Despite being  inclined to think that it would be wise to spend time with Slim due to the alarming change in stats, she felt that she would be safe enough to leave him a day or two (if Edge, who was -49 in the DANGER stat hadn't tortured her to death immediately upon seeing her, she doubted that Slim, who was seemingly completely dedicated to acting purely on his brother's orders and not on his own whims, would end her life). Overall, it seemed to the young woman that she needed to consider who would be the best option to at least be on good terms with, and with that thought in mind, Y/n immediately wondered about Stretch. At that moment, despite apparently hating her based on the average DANGER and LOVE stats that he started out with, she considered that perhaps it would be beneficial to focus on getting at least on good terms with him (it wasn't entirely based on survival reasons she admitted, as his brute honesty was rather refreshing to her, especially considering skeletons like his brother who're compulsive liars and guiltless manipulators).

That settled it: she was going to see what Jessica wanted, then try and see if Stretch wanted to hang out with her. Truly, Stretch did seem decent enough (if a bit too upfront and honest, but she always respected the people who had that trait), so she wasn't adverse to the idea of getting to know him and spending time with him. How should she approach him? Nonchalance might make it seem like she wasn't that bothered either way, so that wouldn't exactly convince him to- "Agh fuck!" Face-planted in the ground, Y/n groaned in pain from the impact of her knees and face with the hard floor having tripped over something unseen. Bemusement contorted her features as she rubbed her aching nose, not entirely sure what had happened. There wasn't anything to trip her over, yet she distinctly felt as though something had swiped under her feet, which had caused her to fall in the first place.

"Do you play cards?" a hauntingly familiar voice questioned with unbridled humour. "Because you just decked it."

Wide-eyed and terrified, Y/n looked up at the something she thought was her imagination. At the back of her mind, she was mildly irritated with the amount of bullshit she had to deal with that long-ass day alone, what with the bitchy system and the insults she had to endure from Edge- she honestly didn't know how much more she could take before she finally snapped. Familiar abyss-like sockets stared back at her, a berserk grin omnipresent on their skull, the instantly recognisable tar-like smoke billowing out of the gaps of their sharp teeth and thick cigar reminding her of when she spent time with Red, the memory horrifyingly vivid. The strangest thing about all of what was occurring was the fact that whilst Edge had physically grabbed her (she was justifiably terrified due to the constant, imminent threat of permanent injury that Edge's presence seemed to always possess), the large skeleton before her hadn't so much as lifted a finger, and yet, she felt close to almost pissing her pants.

There was just something not right about him, his empty sockets and the dark, twisted smirk which promised an eternity of unspeakable pain. Wait- where the actual fuck did he go?! Did he teleport like all the other skeletons can?! The Hell?! Fear pumping through her veins, she jumped to her feet, rapidly looking around as she strategically put her back to the wall. Sure, she might be cornered, but having something to you back minimised the chances of someone sneaking up behind to. Repeatedly looking around, she realised that the skeleton had in fact gone. Was he just going to fucking pop up again?! Why did that kind of shit always have to happen to her of all people?!

Wanting to know exactly who the skeleton is, Y/n perused her phone and checked the stats menu.

Underfell Papyrus: Edge

LOVE: -46 (+2)

DANGER: -47 (+2)

SANITY: 50

LUST: -50

JEALOUSY: -50

*Blew off some steam, and isn't nearly as pissed off as before. Still doesn't like you, but somewhat respects how you had enough bravery to knock on his door in the first place. However, remains undecided if it was simply bravery or just plain stupidity.

Shit! There was no mentioning of any new skeletons. Was it due to her not knowing the skeleton's name? It was a possibility, but she honestly didn't know. He should have come up on the Relationship Stats, but he just hadn't! That fact alone only made the young woman further unsettled. Y/n decided that it would be best if she didn't think about it for then- she needed to hurry and find Jessica, as well as try and find Stretch. With that in mind, she shook her head in attempts to clear her thoughts as she finally reached the closest kitchen. Most unfortunately, neither Jessica nor Stretch were in there. The young woman couldn't help but huff in annoyance as she trudged about the mansion in search of them, only finding them about an hour into her search.

It had already gotten dark, she noted, which never did bode well for anyone who was in a dangerous predicament such as the one she found herself in (that being in a dating sim with extremely violent skeletons). With high hopes that dealing with Jessica would be swift, Y/n approached her as Jessica idly chatted with Blueberry. Both of them seemed to be cooking something (something abhorrent if the repulsive smell was anything to go by), and seemed to practically ignore the lanky skeleton who was just chilling by the counter island, sat on a comfy looking stool as Blueberry and Jessica bustled about. Stretch was the first to notice her, the pair too distracted. Even when Y/n sat beside Stretch neither of them had chosen to acknowledge her, or make any indication that they had noticed her arrival.

"You look like shit." observed Stretch, nibbling thoughtfully on a lollipop.

Y/n couldn't help but snort, "So I've been told."

"You're not dying, are you?" he questioned.

When Y/n shook her head in response, Stretch sighed in relief, "Good. Hospital bills are expensive and I don't wanna have to pay for you, seen as though you don't even have enough money to pay for one night in a seedy motel."

Stretch didn't look too bothered by her unimpressed glare, and before either of them could add anything more to their already "productive" conversation, they both heard a gasp. "Hey girl! No time long see!" Warm arms enveloped Y/n, causing her to stiffen from the stifling hold. The protagonist squeezed her as she beamed, "I'm so happy to see you! It's been too long. Where have you been girl, anyway?" 

"Eh, doing this and that." smiled Y/n pathetically, trying and failing to hold back a grimace. Honestly, why couldn't she be honest? Why did Jessica have to pretend to be her friend whilst stabbing her in the back by spreading false rumours about her? Stretch was an arse, that there was no doubt, but Y/n couldn't help but wish that Jessica was as honest as he was. 

"That didn't answer my question!" she pouted, Blue's grin turning sharp as he witnessed the interaction. That caused Y/n to stiffen even further, her muscles feeling tighter than a bow string as her hands trembled. Her mind raced to think of something- anything to say to Jessica that would appease the skeletons who were giving her murderous glares, as well as to make it so that Jessica wouldn't be able to spread further rumours by twisting whatever she says into something that would give the trigger-happy skeletons excuse to decapitate her.

"I-I recently g-got a j-job." she stammered, cursing herself for showing how nervous she was getting.

Jessica looked surprised, eyes wide and mouth agape. "You got a job ?" An unreadable emotion flashed across her features before a plastic-like smile dominated her pretty features. "Girl, I'm so proud of you!"

"Where at?" inquired Stretch, before furthering, "Sluts R' Us?"

Y/ was honestly sick of the crap she had had to put up with, so she replied, "Nah, wouldn't want to ruin your career prospects seen as though that's the only place that'd take you on."

Rather than the expected reaction of anger, her response seemed to have actually amused Stretch as he chuckled, "What can I say? My juicy hams are good enough to buy, so why waste them?"

"'Hams'?" repeated Jessica, an inscrutable expression on her face as she watched both Y/n and Stretch converse. 

"My hamstrings, my thicc thighs." grinned Stretch, wiggling his brow bones. Both the Stretch and Y/n looked at one another before they both burst out into laughter. Blueberry scolded them both for being so inappropriate, but wasn't heard over their raucous laughter. When they finally calmed down, both seemed to regard one another in a new light. They weren't buddies, that Y/n was certain on, but she already felt a little bit closer to the guy. Neither Jessica nor Blueberry seemed pleased, Y/n observed, even if the two of them were trying to convince her otherwise by their painfully wide fake smiles.

"I'm glad you're here, girl!" smiled Jessica. "Do you want to go watch a movie tonight? I've missed spending time with you, so I thought it'd be nice! Just us having our usual girly nights."

The young woman wanted to vehemently say no, to tell the bitch to fuck off and to dramatically leave the room by flicking her hair. However, she knew that it wouldn't be a good idea, seen as though Jessica clearly held all of the power in the Gaster Mansion. "Sure..." she answered nervously.

Jessica hugged her tightly once again, her hold reminiscent of a tight headlock. "Oh we're gonna have so much fun, girl!"