Chapter Text

Home with a side of skeletons

Prologue - One story ends, another begins

“Break time! Everyone, gather up!”
You smiled as the children gathered close to you to go outside. You couldn’t help but notice how every single pair (or more than a pair) of eyes looked at you like you were the coolest person ever.
“Alright, let’s go!”
They followed you obediently outside, but once there, all chaos set loose. The playground became littered with laughter and excited screams of children, most monsters, and a few humans. You sat down at the bench near the school entrance, on a spot colored with your favorite colours and marked “Ms. Y/N seat” on it. Some children had proposed the idea to Miss Toriel after a month of you working here, and she agreed to help. Hence why the letters were very neatly and almost perfectly drawn. You almost cried when they showed this to you.
You loved this.
Miss Toriel was the nicest person ever, and you never had to negotiate your ass off with her when it came to your studies and your job. You could almost come and go as you pleased.
She was an absolute kid-magnet, but you could see why she was happy to have some help. She wasn’t the only teacher here, but everyone needed a break or sick days every once in a while. That’s what you were here for. And you couldn’t work full time. So part-time was a good option.
Or in this case, the most amazing option ever.

There was around 5 minutes left before you needed to go back inside again, and you felt like you needed to stretch a bit. As you got up, you felt your phone ringing.

It’s Silver. Odd. He never calls me anymore. And he can’t make me change my mind about auntie’s house.
“Hello, Silver? I have around 5 minutes, what’s up?”
A baritone voice answered: “Y/N… my mom’s… mom’s dead.”

Your heart stopped.
No, no no no no no no– she was supposed to get better– she promised! She told me she’ll be fine! She–
Your vision started blurring, and you could feel the warm tears escaping from your eyes.
“It can’t be– She–” you tried to say something, but you couldn’t find the words.

“I’m sorry Y/N, I couldn’t tell you in person. She died about an hour ago. She told us not to call you here. She left you a note. Lily wanted to rip it up but I know mom’s spirit wants me to be better than that.” He paused for a moment, letting you process what he was saying. You were barely listening. You were barely functioning even.
“Y/N. The… the reading of the will is next tuesday. You are also… expected to be there.”
He waited for your answer. You tried not to make a sound. Your shaky breath however, was a sound too.
“Later.” He hung up.

Auntie…
mama…
no…

“My child?”
Miss Toriel stood in front of you. There were some children behind her.
Her worried looks and comforting face was all you needed to break down. After it all started flowing out, there was no stopping. You just kept crying and crying, burying your face in her chest. She held you tightly in a hug, not faltering for a moment.
It was all hazy. At some point, she took your hand and walked with you to the break room.
Gave you water. Asked if you’d like to go home.
Home.
Home, to wait for someone, who was never coming back.
It wasn’t even your home. Your home was now dead.
All you had left.

You broke down again.

The school needed to keep going, despite your meltdown, and all the other teachers went to do their job. At some point, you went to do some stuff too, but you couldn’t answer the children. They tried to talk to you. They tried to ask you questions. Why were you sad? Why were you crying? Why didn’t you answer them?

You smiled weakly at them, and shook your head.
You couldn’t get a single word out.

Eventually, they stopped. But not because they thought you were ignoring them.
Children are more intelligent than adults give them credit for.
Everyone left you alone. They showed you their pictures, hugged you and talked to you. You made sure they knew you were paying attention, and that’s all they needed. Never pushing you. Not asking for something you couldn’t give. Just making sure you felt included.

Miss Toriel drove you home. It was empty. She knew that, but never before was she worried. You were an adult, you could live on your own.
This time, she invited herself in.
She made you tea.
Sat with you.
Told you about her child. Frisk, the monster ambassador. The one and only, who united monsters and humans.
You listened. It kept your mind off of the inevitable.
She invited you to her house tomorrow night to meet them.
You agreed, knowing you didn’t want to go at all. But you needed to do something.
This was not going to be easy.

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You had been wearing black all week. You knew that once this and the funeral was over, you would never look at those clothes ever again. So you picked something you didn’t really have attachments to.
The process wasn’t long.
You made it there first.
Both your cousins came, with their spouses. Obviously.
Your mother and father didn’t. Probably weren’t even invited. Maybe didn’t even know yet.
Auntie’s best friend.
You knew exactly why she was there. Guess she really held onto their bet.
It made you a little happier.
She smiled at you sympathetically.
You nodded. You wish you could’ve smiled back.

“...In terms of her assets in the x business, she will leave that to her two children, divided equally.”
You saw that eye-roll. Lily nudged her husband.
“And I quote: ‘Kelly, my dearest, my most precious. Guess this means I lose. You can have my ruby necklace, even though it looks absolutely ugly on you. Trust me. I will know when I see you wear it from down here.’” The lawyer continued. You chuckled. You had helped her write that when she made the bet. Aunt Kelly chuckled too. But you could see it in her eyes. She wanted so badly that that necklace would still be worn by auntie. That she would still be here to show it off to her.
“And lastly. The house, the last living space for Mrs. Helen, will go to her niece, Y/N, without negotiations.”
No dramatic pause.
No audible gasps.
You would have for those, but this wasn’t a movie. This outcome was inevitable and everyone in this room knew who the house would go to.
Lily hadn’t stepped foot in there for years. Silver was still decent enough to visit sometimes, but still not enough, compared to you, who had lived there for 5 years.

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“So, what are you going to do now?” aunt Kelly asked.

You sighed, from the bottom of your soul.
“Everything I’ve been already doing.” You answer.

“I hope that it doesn’t involve all the brooding you’ve been doing.”

You smirked.
Best friends grow to be alike.
I’ve been thinking of renting this place out. Could use the extra money. And company, I guess.”

“I know you a little better than you think I do Y/N. You don’t really want company. Are you gonna quit your job? Don’t you like working with Miss Toriel?”

“No no! Of course I do! And I’m not quitting! It’s just…” you think of the best way to describe it.
“I’m not lonely, more so concerned. I don’t want to start thinking about things too much, and I feel like having other people in the house might help.”

“Oh darling. Don’t you have any friends to talk to?” Kelly asked.
Both of you knew the answer.

“I wasn’t the best person in high school. My lack of social interactions then came to bite me in the ass the moment I started college. I don’t know how to talk to people, and they’re scary.”

“You are talking to me just fine, aren’t you? I believe there’s still hope for you.”

“Aunt Kelly–
Thank you. For believing in me.” You smiled awkwardly. You hadn’t smiled in days. Your eyes were so tired. You were so tired. But you appreciated aunt Kelly’s company.

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“Truly, quite sad. Poor child. By the looks of it, she doesn’t have anyone else in her life.” Toriel said, feeling bad for Y/N.
“I wish I could help more, but I can’t be there for her all the time. She doesn’t come to school often enough and I don’t think she would appreciate me going to her house that often.” She added, “I saw that uncomfortable look in her eyes when I visited last week.”
“That’s why I called you.”

Sans sighed. “This ain’t the first time you’ve asked me to look after a kid. I’m sansing a pattern.”

Toriel held back her laughter, trying to keep a serious face.
“I’m sorry Sans, I know this is much to ask and you just moved there, but that is also why I think you are best for this task. I worry for that child, and I can’t keep an eye on her without possibly scaring her off. You could make friends with her, see how she’s doing, make sure she’s alright. And you could always use more friends. I think Papyrus would like her as a friend. Y/N is used to monsters. I can’t think of a single negative thing about her.” she smiles, thinking of you and how sweet you always are with other people.

“I dunno Tori. I‘m not used to being around humans. I still don’t really trust ‘em.”

“I understand. I won’t push you, but please, at least consider it?”

…
“Alright.”

“Thank you, Sans.”

Sans: Welp, it seems like I just became a babysitter for an adult woman. Not creepy at all.
Maybe I’ll get Paps to visit her and check on her.

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You couldn’t wrap your head around it. You had been alone in this house for almost a year. Yeah, auntie got out a few times, but mostly, you were on your own. So why was it so eerie only now?

Oh. Must’ve fallen asleep. What time is it?
Oh good. I only slept for an hour. I still have time to finish that lab report.

…

Welp, time to have a snack.

You slowly picked yourself up from the couch, but before you could reach the kitchen, you were interrupted by the doorbell.

Da fuck?
I swear, it better not be some salesman.

You slowly made your way to the door, checking once from the mirror if you looked less horrible than you felt. Content with the reflection looking back at you, you opened the door.

“HELLO HUMAN!”

What.
The fuck.

“Sorry– sir, you must have the wrong house.”

“OH I’M SORRY!
ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE NOT MISS Y/N? IT WOULD BE REALLY BAD IF I WENT TO THE WRONG DOOR!”

A goddamn skeleton at your door— wait.
Y/N? He– he knew your name?

“Depends on who’s askin’.
Who are you and why are you here?”

“OH! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I HAVE JUST MOVED HERE AND WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO THE NEIGHBOURS. WHO SEEM TO BE ONLY YOU… BUT! NONETHELESS, IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU, HUMAN!”
The tall skeleton, Papyrus, extends his hand.

You hesitate.
It’s not like it’s because he’s a skeleton! I’m not racist– or– something like that, he’s a stranger!
Shit!
Y/N get it together!
Don’t just stare at him!

You grab his hand and shake it.
“I’m Y/N. Welcome to the neighbourhood… I guess? But uh… Don’t bother going to the house on the other side of your house. It’s been empty for more than five years.”

“OH! WELL, THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME!”

You both stand there for what seems to be eternity.

You’re still holding his hand!

You let go of his hand more suddenly than you would’ve liked. Thankfully, even if it affected him, Papyrus doesn’t say anything.

“Sooo– I guess I’ll see you around?” You try to end the conversation.
You’re not ready to be social yet.

Papyrus, of course, doesn’t get the hint. Or ignores it.
“ISN’T THERE SOME SORT OF RITUAL HUMANS DO WHEN THEY MOVE INTO A NEW HOME?” He asks.

“You mean a house-warming party?”

“HOUSE-WARMING? YES! I THOUGHT I COULD DO A HOUSE-WARMING PARTY! WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN COMING OVER TO MY PLACE FOR… TEA?” he asks enthusiastically.

A stranger. And me. In his house. Alone. Definitely not creepy!
Stranger-danger! Nuh-uh!

“Uh… I think I’ll pass. Sorry.” You answer quietly.

He doesn’t seem bothered what-so-ever.
“WE CAN DO SOMETHING ELSE! I HAVE HEARD HUMANS LIKE PUZZLES AND I FOR ONE AM GREAT AT PUZZLES!”

He is really not getting the hints.
“Sorry Papyrus, I have stuff do to… I’m rather busy right now.”
Busy avoiding homework.

“OH. WELL, I’LL COME BACK SOME OTHER TIME!”

Please don’t.

“Yeah yeah you do that. It was nice meeting you. I’m going to go now. Bye.”

“GOODBYE!” he walks away rather confidently. You wonder if he was really bad at subtle hints or was he being dense on purpose.

You hoped you wouldn’t have to deal with him for a while.
Oh boy how wrong you were.

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You slept in.
You only had one class to attend, and you didn’t wake up on time.
Otherwise small inconvenience broke your already weak dam.

You didn’t get up until afternoon.

*Doorbell ringing*

Shit.
I can’t go out like this.
I can just pretend I’m not home.
So you did.

The doorbell rang for a minute or two, then stopped.
And started again around 20 minutes later.

You didn’t get up, set on pretending to not exist.

Another 20 minutes. Doorbell again.
You had enough.
Better not be some guy trying to convince me the earth is flat or I’ll swear to god–!

“What?!” you practically yell when you open the door.

Papyrus stands at your door, unbothered, with a pie in his hands.
“HELLO HUMAN! I WAS SURE YOU WERE HOME BUT YOU WEREN’T ANSWERING YOUR DOOR SO I THOUGHT I HAD TO STAY AND MAKE SURE YOU WERE ALRIGHT BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO COME INSIDE BECAUSE MAYBE YOU WERE DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE EITHER AND SO–”

You interrupt him: “Papyrus! I’m… I’m fine. Why… are you here?”

“I BROUGHT YOU SOME PIE! IT’S NOT MADE BY ME, BUT IT IS THE BEST PIE I’VE EVER HAD!”

“Why did you bring me a pie?”

“BECAUSE I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND! AND FRIENDS ARE NICE TO EACH OTHER AND BRING NICE THINGS TO EACH OTHER!”

That… Is very cute and very suspicious at the same time.
The look on his face— on his skull? Felt like he was waiting for something. For you to do something.

“Uh… thank you?”

“HUMAN.”

“Just call me Y/N.”

“MISS Y/N, YOU LOOK AWFULLY RED AND MESSY. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” he gasps “ARE YOU SICK?!”
“What? No no! Papyrus I’m fine!”

“BUT YOU LOOK SICK!”

“I’m fine, really. Just, going through some stuff.”

“LIKE WHAT?”

“I’m… I really… don’t wanna talk about it.”

“OH. WELL THEN! WORRY NOT! WE CAN TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE!”

“I really appreciate that you were worried, Papyrus, and that you came here to give me that pie but I’m– busy. Like, really busy.”

“OH. OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND! MAYBE ANOTHER TIME THEN?”

“Yeah, another time would be nice.”

He hands you the pie. It’s still warm and smells heavenly and… familiar?

“I’ll see you later Papyrus.”

“YES! GOODBYE HUMAN!”

You decide against correcting him.
You close the door and walk into the kitchen. You’re going to run out of plates soon.
You can’t bring yourself to clean up.
You don’t want to call aunt Kelly to help with the dishwasher either.

You just sit down on the floor. The warm tears annoy you so much, but you can’t help it.
Everything is just too much right now.

*Doorbell rings*

What the– Is he actually at the door again???

You slowly get up from your spot on the hard floor and wander to the front door.
You’re really not in the mood to play nice with him. Your patience is running quite thin.

“HELLO AGAIN HUMAN! I—” he stops rather abruptly, and you can see he’s scanning you.

Right. You look like shit.

“UM… MISS Y/N, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

No. I’m not. And you’re making it worse.
“I’m fine.”

“ARE YOU SURE? MAYBE THERE’S SOMETHING I CAN HELP WITH?”

No! I don't want your help! I don’t want anyone’s help! I don’t want that goddamn pity they look at me with–
Your eyes blur again.
Don’t cry dammit.
You try to blink them away. You know you’re not fooling anyone, but you try so desperately.

“I UNDERSTAND. I’M SORRY I BOTHERED YOU.” and he starts walking away.

Just like that. I should've started crying sooner!
No dammit I can’t end this conversation like that.
Fuck I have to invite him inside, don't I?
Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

You collect yourself enough to say: “W-would you like to… have some of that pie… with me?”

He turns around. He doesn’t look so confident or arrogant anymore. He looks… kind.
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO. I CAN COME BACK WHEN YOU’RE FEELING BETTER!”

You debate on whether you should take this opportunity to be alone when you really want to…
But he… Ughhh fuck me.

“I think… I could use some company. I-if you want to.”

He stands for a moment, and nods.

You push your door more open and walk inside, towards the kitchen. He follows you without a word. No compliment about the house, no small talk. You silently thank him.

But your kitchen is… Shit.

Fuck. Rollback, to the living room we go and hope he will forget he ever saw this mess.

“HU– MISS Y/N? DO YOU…” he pauses for a moment. You prepare for the worst.
“WOULD IT BE RUDE OF ME TO HELP CLEAN THIS KITCHEN? IT SEEMS YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY BUSY WITH IT BEFORE, WHEN I RUDELY INTERRUPTED YOU, AND I WANT TO MAKE UP FOR THAT!”

Was he… what?
Did he really… believe that?
HUH???

You looked at him, dumbfounded.
He was either trying to spare your feelings or he was even more dense than you thought.

Okay Y/N, we don’t go around, calling people who are nice to you, DUMB. He is trying to be really nice, you are ruining it, just roll with it.

“Do you really want to help? I can just, do it… later.” a blatant lie.

“WHY OF COURSE! I VERY MUCH ENJOY CLEANING, EVEN MORE SO WHEN I CAN DO IT TOGETHER WITH A FRIEND!” He smiles at you brightly.

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Papyrus cleans every plate, pan or pot with ease, carefully placing them beside the sink for you to dry them. To avoid silence, Papyrus talks the whole time. You don’t have to contribute much to the dialogue, or monologue more-so. Mostly, he talks about his friends, and his brother, Sans, who apparently lives with him. But apparently, he is not the only roommate Papyrus has.
“I THINK YOU WILL GET ALONG GREAT WITH BLUE! HE IS VERY NICE AND CAN TALK ABOUT ALMOST ANYTHING. HE IS ALMOST AS GREAT AS I AM, AND I AM VERY GREAT! AND HE LIKES PUZZLES AND COOKING, JUST LIKE ME!”

When he finally finishes cleaning the dishes, he quickly swipes over some of the counter surfaces while you dry the dishes.
You bring out the plates and utensils, and cut the pie. It had been here a while now, but it was still warm. Curious.

“So… what pie is this?” you ask, putting in your share to the conversation.

“IT’S A BUTTERSCOTCH CINNAMON PIE, T– MY FRIEND MADE IT!”

It smelled very familiar, and when you tasted it, you felt nostalgia hit you. You felt warmth and happiness from your past. Memories you didn’t know you had.

You must have made some sort of face, because Papyrus was looking at you, focused. He didn’t say a word, however, and you continued to enjoy the taste of home in silence.

“I can’t thank you enough.
I must’ve been quite rude before. I’m sorry.
I’ve had a… rough time. Lately.
But… I’m really happy you came, Papyrus.
…You’re welcome in my house anytime.”

"IT IS ALRIGHT! I'M VERY HAPPY I GOT TO HELP YOU AND BRING YOU THE PIE AND EVEN BETTER, ENJOY IT WITH YOU!"

You feel like you could really regret your words, but based on what Papyrus seems to be like, he won’t be going out of his way to really just bother you. Hopefully. You smile. Genuinely.

Lost in your own thoughts, you don’t realise how he is looking at you. Admiring how pretty your smile is.

Chapter Text

“Papyrus has been going to the human’s house for a month and nobody bothered to TELL ME?!”
Sans was furious.
He couldn't be in the house all day. Sure, they had a lot of money from the gold they had, but he still worked. And he expected at least someone to keep an eye on anything odd or suspicious.

“We thought you knew. Chill Vanilla, m’sure your Papyrus is fine.”

If looks could kill, Red would probably be dead. He however, didn’t even break a sweat, and stared back at Sans, like he was challenging him. Nothing happened at the house most of the time, so Red enjoyed every bit of drama he could witness.
“Besides, you can just go check up on him. He’s over there right now. Oh wait… right. You’re scared of some puny human.”

Sans wanted to punch him. Red didn’t know what it was like. To have a human be nice to you, and then realize almost no one else is like that. And they stare. Or become violent.

“PAPYRUS HAS A HUMAN?” Blue yells from upstairs.

“Huh. Guess ’m the only one who keeps an eye socket on stuff.” Red smirks.

What exactly is keeping me from checking on Paps? Sans thinks.
But I trust him.

But I don’t trust them.

Sans is gone in a blink of an eye. Red is almost amused enough to go and check too. He decides he can go harass the neighbours later.

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“...AND HUMAN FRISK WAS IMPOSSIBLY GOOD AT PUZZLES! THEY GOT THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM ME! CAN’T SAY IF THE HUMAN DIDN’T GET HELP FROM SANS, BUT HE IS VERY LAZY AND PROBABLY ONLY PLAYED PRANKS ON THEM!”

He knows Frisk. And Toriel.
I guess it's only natural since the underground from his and Toriel’s stories doesn’t seem to be that big of a place.
I wonder…

“Papyrus?”

“YES HUMAN Y/N?”

“Have you… visited the underground after coming to the surface? Or thought about it?”
He thinks for a moment.
“I HAVEN’T VISITED IT. BUT! NOW THAT YOU—” he’s rudely interrupted by the knocking on your door.
Knocking? But you have a doorbell?

“One moment Papyrus, I’ll be right back.”

The closer to the door, the more uneasy you feel.
Your heart starts beating faster. Your instincts kick in.
You try to ignore it, and tighten the hold you have on the tazer in your pocket.

It has to be a monster. This is not normal. This is definitely some weird magic.

You wish you didn’t leave Papyrus in the kitchen.

One look through the door hole and your suspicions are confirmed. It is a monster.
A skeleton monster?

You slowly open the door. One hand is still in your pocket.
Ready to strike.

“Hello?” You say.

“Heya kid. Is Papyrus here?” the stranger asks in a low voice.
He’s terrifying.

“U-uh yeah, h-he’s right… he’s in the kitchen.” you want to get away from him. Fast. “Papyrus! S-someone is asking for you at the door!”

“FOR ME?” you hear steps coming closer “OH HI SANS! I SEE YOU CAME TO MEET THE HUMAN TOO!”

Suddenly, all the tension you felt in the air was gone. And the guy, Sans, didn’t look creepy or threatening at all.

What the fuck. Who the hell is he?! There is no way that’s the same Sans Papyrus talks about so much!

“Yeah, came here to check on you two. And uh, I kinda need ya back at the house Paps.”

“OH, IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?”

“Yea yea, everythings fine, it’s just… well, I have to show it to you.”

“ALRIGHT BROTHER, I’M COMING. HUMAN, I’M SORRY TO LEAVE LIKE THAT BUT YOU CAN CALL ME IF YOU WANT TO TALK!”

You plaster on your best customer service face. “Of course Papyrus! I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later?”

“WHY OF COURSE! GOODBYE, HUMAN Y/N!”

“Bye~!” You smile, and wave to them.

Sans turns to look at you with a cold look. Your knees feel weak.
You didn’t even know skeletons could do that.
To swallow down your rising fear, you stare back at him, trying to look though.
You’re not sure if he bought it or not.

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“Papyrus, why were you alone at the humans house?” Sans asks the moment they’re in their yard.

“BUT BROTHER, YOU TOLD ME IT WOULD BE NICE TO MEET THE NEIGHBOURS! SO I DID! AND I BEFRIENDED HER! SHE IS VERY NICE AND VERY POLITE AND HAS NEVER MADE ME THINK SHE MIGHT WANT TO HURT ME!”

“I have told you not to go alone to strangers' houses! Especially if it’s a human!”

“SANS I’M NOT BABYBONES! I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!”

“I know bro. And I trust you. But I don’t trust her.” he sighs. “Please don’t go to her house anymore. At least, not alone.”

“BROTHER, YOU NEED TO HAVE FAITH IN HER! SHE’S NOT DANGEROUS!”

“I can’t Pap. You know why I can’t. I promised Toriel that I would look after her and I very much prefer doing that from afar. That’s the exact opposite of what you’re doing.”

“BROTHER!”

“Papyrus, please.”

“UGH FINE! I WON’T GO TO THE HUMAN Y/N’S HOUSE ALONE ANYMORE! EVEN THOUGH I THINK SHE IS VERY GREAT AND NOT AT ALL MURDEROUS!”

“Thanks Pap. You’re the greatest.”

“OF COURSE I AM!”

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Huh. Classic worked up over some puny human? That’s interesting. Maybe I should go introduce myself to her before Sans completely scares her away from here.

Red had seen a lot of humans. Maybe knocked out one or two. Every time Sans gets worked up about a human, it means trouble. And Red liked that. That means this human is interesting.
Welp, time to scare off a human. He smiled wickedly.

He couldn’t just teleport into the house. So like a peasant, Red had to walk. Not that it was a long walk, it was just a matter of principle. The lights were on in only one room. So most likely she was alone and lived alone too. At least based on what Papyrus said on the phone sometimes and the absence of anyone most of the time.
Around the house was a hedge, so from downstairs, nothing could be seen on this side. Red, however, had a good view of the place from his bedroom window. Not that he’d particularly keep track of when and who came and went from the house, but even if he only happened to watch the house coincidentally some days, he should have seen some activity. But no. It always seemed empty. Nobody went in or out. Like the human knew how to keep out of sight. This made everything even more interesting.
Plus he had nothing better to do. He barely worked, opposed to Sans, and a mysterious human who seemed to be visible only to Papyrus was definitely Red’s cup of tea. And Sans being more worried than usual was all the motivation Red needed.

He made it to the front door. He wondered if anyone at the house had noticed he wasn’t there. Probably not.
Doorbell? Good.
His grin grew even wider.

*Doorbell rings*

You’re startled by the sudden ringing.
Who could it be at this hour? There’s no way Papyrus is back again. Or maybe it is? Maybe he forgot something?

Just to be sure, you check your doorhole. No one’s there.
What the hell? A prank?
No way. No one comes to prank this house. And I highly doubt the skeletons want anything to do with me, based on that cold look I got.
Maybe my doorbell is broken again?
You grab your coat and open the door. You manage to open the doorbell’s box without issues and check the wires. You also open your phone and search for the picture you took after it was fixed the last time.
Looks the same.

It has to be the mechanism in the house then.

You walk back into the house, put the coat away, and then you feel it. You’re not alone.

“So you’re the human Sans is so worked up about.”

You turn around quickly to see a short skeleton standing in the middle of the hallway. He looks a little similar to Sans, but definitely a different person.
You get the same uneasy feeling you got from meeting Sans earlier, not as strong as before, but you weren’t sure if it was the stranger's magic that put you at unease, or their presence in your house overall.

“W-who the hell are you? Why are you in my house?” you slowly slide your hand in your pocket. The tazer is still safely there.

The guy obviously notices your movement, but doesn’t seem worried.

“Just visitin’. Wanted to know what all the fuss was about.”

He starts creeping closer.

“Don’t come any closer!” You say, firmly.

“Aww, or what? What are you gonna do, human? Attack me? I can assure you I’m wayyy stronger than you are.” He grins. Even though he already has a grin that seems to be stuck to his face.

“This is my second warning. I will use self defence if you don’t stop!”

“Stop what? I’m not doing anything~” Red was enjoying this. He didn’t get to mess around with humans often and most of them passed out from fear pretty quickly.

“Last warning!” You say. He can probably tell you are less confident than you sound. That, and he’s probably never heard of self defence items.

He doesn’t stop. You back up to the door, and wait for the right moment. He is almost in your face now. He waits.

He… wants me to attack? That… can’t be good. He probably knows a way to avoid my attack. So I need to catch him completely off guard.

“What do you want?” You ask calmly, knowing full well how shaky your legs are.

He lets out a small laugh. “Changed your mind about attacking me? Are you too scared? Come on, doll, I’ll let you make the first move~” he opens his arms.

Oh this asshole. First and last mistake he makes.

You quickly take out the tazer, and he really tries to dodge it, with unnerving speed, but you get what you needed: to make physical contact. A buzzing sound is heard when you activate it and the skeleton makes a noise indicating that the electricity did its magic.

“Son of a bitch– you’ll pay for that–!” He tries to hit you head-on, but in his fit of rage his defence drops. And your instincts kick in.
First time, you only hit his jacket, which means some of the shock must’ve been absorbed. This time, the hand moving towards you is right open and you target his radius. Buzzing sound again. He grunts loudly, and takes a weak step backwards, before collapsing. Onwards. Against you.

“Shit.” You catch him.
Maybe I do live in a movie.
You wait for a moment, making sure he doesn’t attack you, and put him down quickly.

You take a good few steps away from him to get your head straight.
Great. I was attacked by a skeleton. And now, he’s collapsed. In my house. Alone. How the hell does that even work? No way I did that much damage. The tazer is not used for damage.
But he doesn’t seem to be the type to back off only because of pain.

You take a cautious few steps, look, poke him with your leg. He seems to be out cold.

Great! What the fuck do I do with him now! He could wake up soon! Or maybe not at all!

I should call the police.
But that would take too much time, he could definitely wake up before that. And then he wouldn’t go down that easily again.
I could just shock him again when he wakes— Papyrus!
He would know what to do!

You fish out your phone and hit Papyrus’s number.
“YOU HAVE REACHED THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S VOICEMAIL! I’M CURRENTLY OCCUPIED WITH SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT AND CAN’T ANSWER THE PHONE RIGHT NOW. PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE NYEH! NYEH-HE-HE-HE!” *beep*

Out of all the times he would be this busy!
Oh no what do I do? What do I do what do I do what do I—

Wait. He knows Sans. I could take him to the…
But I don’t wanna go there.
Especially if Sans is home.
I don’t wanna imagine what he’d do if he found me at his door, carrying some unconscious skeleton who he probably knows.

…

But I can just leave him at the door!

It wasn’t the greatest plan. In fact, it was the stupidest thing you've ever done. But you were very scared and desperate and didn’t want to deal with any more skeletons.
The skeleton was quite light. Of course, that makes sense considering he was only bones. It still caught you a bit off guard. After a few moments of struggling, you settled on carrying him bridal-style. You wanted to die.
“Okay creepy skeleton, off we go.”

I should’ve just called the police.

You successfully managed to get outside and close your door quietly. The walk to the house next door was very slow, with you flinching at every small sound. Thankfully, it seemed like nobody noticed you from the house. You put your hostage down, knocked, and ran as fast as you could. You locked your door and just to be sure, put a chair there to block the entrance. You also closed the curtains, shut down even the light in the kitchen and tried to go back to reading in the candle light. You prayed to whatever god was looking after you.

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“Can someone get the door? ‘M kinda busy at the moment.” Sans yells from the garage. Edge is probably in the kitchen, he could get it. Hopefully it’s not some human or monster he could scare off.
Wait… that is a weird time for someone to be at the door. Maybe it is for the best if Edge answers it.

“DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING AROUND HERE!” Edge yells, annoyed. He was almost finished with his lasagne, but no, he has to be Sans’s little messenger boy. That pitiful idiot.
He didn’t bother checking who it was, or try being polite. “WHAT IS IT?” he said, irritated.
Only thing looking at him was his brother, unconscious, lying on the stairs. Before he could even think, he was at his brother’s side, checking his HP. It had only lowered 0.01 point. He picked up his brother and went straight into the living room.
“MY GOOD FOR NOTHING BROTHER WAS ATTACKED AND I AM NOW GOING TO CONFRONT THE PRIME SUSPECT.” he said calmly. Every single pair of eye sockets looked at him, terrified.
Edge was never calm.
Only before planning on slowly and painfully murdering someone.

“Edge, come on. Don’t you think that’s too far? Maybe he just fell asleep. Or slipped and hit his head? We don’t want a murder over our heads for something that might or might not have happened.” Stretch tried to reason. He was equally terrified, but not for himself. He was worried for Edge’s potential victim.

“SHUT IT, ASHTRAY! HE’S HP DROPPED. THAT’S ALL THE EVIDENCE I NEED!” He said, dropped his brother carefully on the couch and stormed out of the house. Blue shot up and yelled for Papyrus and Sans.

Stretch teleported to the exact location Edge was going to eliminate from earth.
“Heyyy buddy, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If the human dies, we will be the prime suspects. We will be in deep trouble, you know how humans are.”

“WHO SAID THE HUMAN WILL DIE?” Edge said.

Oh for the love of Toriel this guy is insane. Stretch thought.

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You should’ve just called the police.

Of course they figured it out. Of course they were coming to kill you. You blew out the candles, grabbed the sharpest kitchen knife and held onto it. The tazer was still in your pocket, but your hand was locked around it in a death grip. Ready to strike. You could hear your own heartbeat next to the muffled sounds coming from outside.
Deep breaths. If they can’t hear or see you, they can’t attack you.

The door was kicked down without any resistance. Like it wasn’t there at all. You tried to hold back tears.

“HUMAN! I KNOW YOU’RE HERE! COME OUT AND FACE THE WRATH OF THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE P– EDGE!” a loud voice unfamiliar to you echoed in the hallway. You weren’t sure if they were yelling or talking like that all the time. You had no intention of finding out.

A softer and calmer voice added: “Would advise against it, kid.”

“SHUT UP ASHTRAY! WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!”

“To possibly stop you?”

“WE BOTH KNOW THAT IN A BATTLE, I WOULD OVERPOWER YOU EASILY!”

“Sure you could.”

They both do you a favor and don’t turn on any lights. Except when they do.

Of course they would come to the kitchen. Of course they would.

You’re greeted with two bright red eye lights staring at you. Despite the small kitchen island in front of you, the skeleton sees you immediately. A tall and indeed edgy-looking skeleton. He wastes no time in attacking you. Red, glowing bones rise out of nowhere, sharp edges pointed at you.
Somehow, you find the power to move and try running towards the other kitchen exit. Only for it to be blocked by more bones.

“LISTEN, TINY HUMAN. THIS IS MERELY BUSINESS. I CAN’T LET SOME LOWLIFE CREATURES MESS WITH MY BROTHER AND GET AWAY WITH IT. SO THIS IS JUST TO TEACH YOU AND OTHER HUMANS AROUND HERE A LESSON. IF YOU APOLOGIZE FOR ALMOST KILLING MY BROTHER, MAYBE I WILL LET YOU GO.”

No way out. No escape. That other skeleton was just going to let this happen. And you knew that tone. You have seen it in movies. That fucker was not even considering letting you go. What do you do?

You looked at the other skeleton for any kind of help. His face– skull? gave nothing away.

Okay, maybe I won’t die.
I probably will.
Might as well go out with a bang if I don’t have a chance to escape. I won’t bow down to some skeleton who thinks he's better than me. I won’t apologize for defending myself. And maybe he’ll believe me and not murder me.

“The hell I am. Your brother had it coming for him. I had no intention of killing him, only making him back off. It was his own fault he got knocked out when I simply defended myself against a fucker whose only motive for harassing me was ‘I wanted to know what the fuss was about’.” You said, knowing full well how much your legs were shaking. But you didn’t let it reach your voice.

He didn’t answer. His bones did.

You closed your eyes and raised your hands on instinct.

“EDGE! IT IS VERY RUDE TO ATTACK SOMEONE FOR NO GOOD REASON! ALSO THIS IS MY HUMAN FRIEND, SO YOU CAN’T HURT HER!”

You were saved.

You weren’t going to die.

The relief. The heaviness in your chest, lifted like it was nothing.

God your legs felt weak.

You felt weak.

Papyrus, your savior, felt so far. The sound of your body hitting the floor was so far.

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Chapter Text

It felt like you closed your eyes just for a moment.
You sat up, trying to put together what happened. How did you get on your couch?

You were surrounded by a total of four skeletons. They were either arguing or staring at you.
When they noticed you were staring back, all eye sockets turned to you.

You tensed. Naturally, your hand reached towards your pocket.
Tazer’s still there. Good.
Of course, it didn’t really put you at ease because, it turns out skeletons can attack you without coming close. Which makes your weapon useless.

“THANK GOODNESS HUMAN Y/N! I THOUGHT I BROKE YOU!” Papyrus comes to your side. You sense the air tensing even more.
So they don’t like your presence at all.

“I’m fine, Papyrus. I… haven’t eaten much and being attacked does stuff to your heart. It probably wasn’t the best combination in my case.” you explain. You focus only on him to not start shaking in fear.
He won’t let them hurt you. You have to believe in him.

Papyrus doesn’t seem content with your answer. “ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE ALRIGHT? IT–“

Edge didn’t let him finish. “THIS HUMAN IS VERY WEAK. I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW SHE COULD HAVE DEFEATED S- RED WITHOUT AMBUSHING HIM, AND THAT’S EVEN MORE OF A REASON TO GET RID OF HER! I SAY SHE ATTACKED HIM AND IS TRYING TO PLAY THE VICTIM SO YOU SOFT IDIOTS WILL TAKE HER SIDE!”

You flinched at his voice. It was still loud and a bit sharp, but less terrifying now that he wasn’t pointing a weapon at you. For now.

“Ya can’t kill the kid.” spoke the soft, calm voice you heard earlier. A figure around Papyrus’s height walked in from the door close to the front door’s side. “She may be weak, but she’s smart. There are cameras on the outside and inside of the main entrance. Wherever the footage goes, it’s probably backed up into some network. I can’t erase it by just taking the cameras. And we were already on camera several times.”

Papyrus huffed. “NOBODY IS KILLING THE HUMAN! AND STRETCH! IT IS VERY RUDE TO SNOOP AROUND IN SOMEONE ELSE’S BUSINESS!”

I want to get out of here. Please god or whatever is up there, save me.

“THEN WHAT TO WE DO? SHE CLEARLY ATTACKED RED!” Edge pushed again.

Oh for fuck’s sake, give it a rest! I hope you can protect me from this Papyrus, because I can’t not defend myself when he’s already thinking of god knows what.
“Yes! I attacked him! Because he harassed me! He came in here, looking all creepy, tried approaching me, got it handed to him and passed out! And like uh…” you paused for a moment, trying to remember what the guy’s, who was leaning on the doorframe, name was, “Stretch? Pointed out, I have that on video!” you crossed your arms. You probably didn’t look threatening at all, considering you were still sitting on the couch like a toddler, who was being lectured.

He still didn’t seem to believe you. “THEN HOW DID YOU WIN AGAINST HIM?”

This was the bad-ass moment you had waited for the first time you held the tazer in your hand. Showing people how powerful of a weapon you have. Of course, in any other case, you couldn’t show off, because it would take away the element of surprise you needed to defend yourself effectively, but this was a justified moment.
You took out the tazer, and pressed the button on the side. It made a buzzing noise and you could see the pulsing electricity on the front surface of the device. You tried to hold back from grinning like an idiot when you looked at their faces. Edge tried to hide how baffled he looked, Sans’s grin tightened and the small skeleton next to him who hadn’t spoken at all looked quite terrified. Probably because of the buzzing. Papyrus looked worried as well and you could see it in his eye sockets that Stretch wasn’t as calm about it as he wanted to make you believe.
Satisfied with yourself, you turned the device off and slid it back safely to your pocket.
“Maybe skeletons react differently to being electrocuted. It’s supposed to deal very little damage and only make your attacker back off. But in case they are a skeleton, become more violent and try to attack you the second time, they get tazed a second time. And then he just passed out.”

Silence.

Well this is awkward.

“So… are we settled or do you need to accuse me of anything else?”

“HMPF. THIS HUMAN IS ANNOYING AND TOO POINTLESS TO WASTE MY MAGIC ON KILLING HER.” is the only thing Edge has to say before stomping out of the house.

Yeah it was definitely you sparing me and nothing else. What an asshole.

Stretch uses that as a clue to speak up: “Welp, seems like the disaster’s avoided, so I’mma head out.”

You clench your fists not to say anything you could regret. You didn’t even do anything! You would’ve let him kill me! Are all these skeletons assholes?? Besides Papyrus of course.

To your surprise, the only skeleton, who’s name you don’t know yet, speaks for the first time: “P- BROTHER! YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! PAPYRUS WAS THE ONE WHO HANDLED THE WHOLE SITUATION!”
He had an energetic and light voice. Definitely not what you would’ve expected from him but at this point you couldn’t assume anything anymore.

Thank you, small skeleton.

“Sorry bro. I tried to talk to him but you know Edge. When he’s on edge, my words go right through him.” Stretch shrugged and grinned.

Stretch’s brother didn’t like that one bit. “UGHHH I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD MAKE A PUN OUT OF SUCH A SITUATION!”

“Whaaat? Were my jokes too out of the blue?” he smirked.

“THAT’S IT, I’M DONE!” said the small skeleton, and walked out of the room. Before leaving, he added: “IT WAS NICE TO MEET YOU, MISS Y/N. I HOPE WE CAN MEET AGAIN SOON IN… BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES.”

And gone he was. Wait… When was your door fixed??? What other magic could those skeletons use??
Stretch disappeared as well. You didn’t see him going, so you assumed that’s how Red had gotten past you before. Either sneaking or magic.

“If you want, you can go, Papyrus. You don’t have to look after me anymore, I’m fine.”

“NONSENSE HUMAN Y/N! I VERY MUCH ENJOY YOUR COMPANY AND I CAN’T STAND THE IDEA OF YOU BEING ALONE HERE AFTER BEING SCARED LIKE THAT! YOU SAID YOU HAVEN’T EATEN MUCH, YES? I WILL MAKE YOU SOME FOOD AND TEA!” Papyrus chimed enthusiastically. Like nothing had happened.

Even I don’t deserve this guy!

“Let me at least help you–”

“NO NO. YOU STAY RIGHT THERE, ON THE COMFORTABLE COUCH. I WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING! IT’S THE LEAST I CAN DO AFTER ALL THE TROUBLE YOU HAD. AND SANS CAN KEEP YOU COMPANY WHILE I COOK!”

Please, anything else but that.
“A-are you sure?”

“ABSOLUTELY! NOW SANS, DON’T BORE THE HUMAN WITH YOUR AWFUL PUNS! NYEH HEH HEH HE!” And off he went.

He wasn’t gone for even 10 seconds when you felt the tension rise. That weird magic thing again. You took a deep breath. Either you deal with this now or never.

“Listen Sans, I don’t–”

“Stay away from my little brother.” he stared at you.

Wow. Fuckin rude. Okay Y/N, be strong. Show him you aren’t scared. At least not in a way that matters.

“Firstly, rude. Secondly, your brother is an adult, he can be friends with me if he chooses to. I don’t know what your deal is, Sans, but if you can’t give me a good reason as to why you are so cold to me and make me terrified on purpose, I have no reason to actually be scared of you or your threats. I have a feeling you’re using some kind of weird magic to scare me, and it’s not going to work. You come to my house, threaten me, and then act to your brother as if you were a complete saint? What have I ever done to you?”

He doesn’t answer. He turns his head to look in the direction Papyrus went in.
You can figure out that whatever is bothering him, he doesn’t like to talk about it. He likes to avoid it. Just like he wanted to avoid you.

Is this the moment to push him a bit or just wait until he can answer?

Sans didn’t answer. He avoided looking at you for the rest of the time Papyrus was in the kitchen.

Coward.

Papyrus either couldn’t read the room or decided to ignore it for your sake when he entered the room, beaming. “HUMAN Y/N! I DID IT! I MADE THE EGGS JUST LIKE YOU SAID!” He was so proud of himself. It made your heart melt.

“Papyrus, you’re the greatest! I knew you could do it!”

“AND I ALSO GOT THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF HEAT SO NOTHING BURNED TO CRISP! I THINK THIS MIGHT BE MY BEST OMELETTE YET!” he sat right next to you, ignoring the alarmed looks Sans gave him.

You, of course, noticed. But tried to ignore him for Papyrus’s sake.

“That’s great, Papyrus. Maybe next time you cook, I can teach you something new? If you want to, of course.”

“REALLY?? OF COURSE YOU CAN! AND I WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI!” he was practically vibrating.

You couldn’t help but blush. He was so nice all the time, he listened to you, and seemed to always lift your spirit no matter what he did. And you had known him only for a month!

Don’t cry dammit! Especially in front of Sans!

Papyrus noticed immediately: “HUMAN Y/N! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOUR FACE IS AWFULLY RED!”

“No no, I’m fine, really! I’m just… really happy you’re here, Papyrus.”
You successfully avoided crying, but he still looked at you with some concern. You decided to get your mind off of your unnecessary feelings by eating.

He was right, this was his best omelette yet. The eggs weren’t burnt in any way, and he remembered you liked cheese in it. God you didn’t realise how hungry you were. You downed the whole thing in a matter of minutes.

“Thank you Papyrus, I really needed that.” You stood up from your spot. “If you want, you can stay here and I can make that tea you thought about earlier.”

“OH NO! I FORGOT ABOUT THE TEA!”

“It’s fiiine Papyrus, I can–”

Sans coughs loudly from his standing spot near the doorframe. “I think it’s time we go, Pap. I’m sure the human wants some rest.” He looks at Papyrus.

You were sure Papyrus would refuse, but to your surprise, he got up. “OF COURSE, BROTHER! SHE MUST BE TIRED FROM ALL THIS DRAMA!”
He turns to you: “ARRANGING OUR COOKING LESSON IS THE FIRST THING I’LL DO WHEN I GET HOME! AND OF COURSE, WE’LL HAVE IT WHENEVER YOU ARE FREE, HUMAN Y/N.” He smiles.

You smile back. “Yeah. That would be nice. I have some lectures I need to catch up with besides my usual schedule, but I think I can manage so that I’m free on Saturday.”

He seems content with your answer and both skeletons make their way to the front door. You wave to Papyrus as they are leaving your property. Sans doesn’t even look at you.

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“SANS, I THINK YOU SHOULD TALK TO HUMAN Y/N. GIVE HER A CHANCE!”

“Papyrus, we talked about this. I can’t.”

“WELL, I DON’T THINK STARING AT HER AND SCARING HER WILL DO EITHER OF YOU ANY GOOD. AND DON’T THINK I DIDN’T HEAR YOUR CONVERSATION. SHE’S REALLY TRYING SANS! YOU HAVE TO TOO!”

“Papyrus, c’mon. I can stop intervening with your friendship if you want me to, but I really don’t want to be friends with her.”

“FINE! DON’T TRUST HER! BUT THAT ALSO MEANS YOU DON’T TRUST MY JUDGEMENT. AND THAT SAYS A LOT, BROTHER.”

That shocked Sans.
Of course he trusted Papyrus and his judgement!

…

Or did he really?

“JUST, TALK TO HER. AT LEAST ONCE. YOU’LL SEE SHE’S EVEN GREATER THAN I SAY SHE IS.”

Papyrus felt bad for pushing his brother, and making him question himself. But he knew that Sans would never find peace if he kept his walls up like that. Papyrus wanted his brother to be better. To be happier. Even if it meant being a little pushy.

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Two classes and 4 hours of work at school left quite a mark on you. Especially after yesterday’s events. You really couldn’t sleep that much. Not only because you were attacked late at night, but some certain edgelord kept creeping into your dreams.

You straight up yeeted your coat and bag to the side once you got home. Quick check in the mirror confirmed your diagnosis: 4 hours of sleep. You were starting to regret telling Papyrus you will be free tomorrow. There was no way you could listen to two lectures in one night and still have enough energy the next day to be social. As much as you loved Papyrus, he was still people. And interacting with people was tiring.

I’m in college out of free will. I’m in college out of free will. I’m in–

*knock knock*

A hell nah. I am NOT dealing with another skeleton today. Even if it’s Papyrus. I’m too tired–

*knock knock*

Why am I a good person?
“I’m coming.” you let out a dramatically loud sigh. Time to fight some skeleton again.

It was… Sans.
You couldn’t sense him.
No fear, no weird magic.

“Heya kid. Can I talk to ya for a sec?” Sans asked.

You were too tired to pretend. “Depends. Are you going either to threaten me, use your magic on me, attack me or completely ignore my questions without explanations?”

Something in his face told you he was expecting such an answer.
“None of the above. Just here to have a chat.”

“Alright.” you still didn’t trust him, but you were at least nice enough to hear him out. “Go on.”

“Sorry for… being an asshole.”

You blinked. HUH? That’s how easily he changed his mind??? What the hell happened?

“I… don’t wanna talk about it, but… I guess it was rude of me to be cold to you before I even knew you.”

Oh you think??

Calm down Y/N. He’s… trying. You have to be nice. For now.

“Okay?” Was all you could say. He kind of apologized?
You sigh. “I… forgive you. I think.”

Now it was his turn to be surprised. It was also the first time he looked you in the eye.

“I don’t think you’re entirely forgiven for being an asshole, but, I can look past it. Firstly, because I know it would make your brother happy if we got along, and secondly, because I believe in second chances.” you gave him a small, genuine smile. Not the one you had on when Papyrus was around, but a smile nonetheless.

It seemed to lift his spirit a bit. “Let’s start over, shall we? I’m Sans, Sans the skeleton.”

“Nice to meet you, Sans the skeleton. I’m Y/n the human.” you smirked.

“Nice to meet you, Y/n the human. I just moved into the house next door some time ago. Besides me, there are five other skeletons living there, but the best of them is definitely my brother, Papyrus.”

You could see how fondly Sans thought of his brother. “I’ve already met Papyrus, and he’s definitely an angel. Almost too good for this world.”

Papyrus liked to talk about his brother a lot. You had a feeling that if the roles were reversed, Sans would talk your ear off about Papyrus as well.

You both fell silent for a moment. It was quite awkward.
He nodded and started walking away.

“Say… Sans. If you want to, you can come over sometime with Papyrus if you want to. I’m sure he’d be happy to hang out with you too.”

“I’ll… I’ll consider it, kid. Thanks.”

There’s also another thing you thought about yesterday.
“Can you do me a small favor? Tell everyone besides Red to knock on my door four times. That way I’ll know when to answer the door.”

“Even Edge?” he asks.

“Yes, him too. Even though he scares the hell out of me. Just… tell him before I come to my senses.”

“Alright kid. But don’t worry, Edge is quite full of himself and thinks he’s out of your league. He wouldn’t ‘stoop so low’ as to actually show up again. Plus he’s actually more bark than bite. Anyways, will be seeing ya.” and gone he was.

You remembered you hadn’t done your homework for tomorrow’s cooking.
I hope Papyrus likes making pizzas.
You took out the package of yeast, the olive oil your dad always used, and started the kettle.
Not that I would trust him with making the base. He has improved a lot, but not that much.
You smirked.

*Phone ringing*

Great timing, Papyrus.
“Yeees?”

“HELLO HUMAN Y/N! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“What can I do for ya Papyrus?”

“I WAS ACTUALLY WONDERING, SINCE I HEARD SANS CAME AND ACTUALLY TALKED WITH YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME COOK AT MY PLACE?”

At the skeleton house?? “I dunno Papyrus, I’m not really comfortable with the others there. I’m sorry.”

“ARE YOU SURE? BECAUSE I CAN MAKE SURE THEY ARE ON THEIR BEST BEHAVIOR! PLUS YOU HAVE ME!”

His encouragement didn’t really reach you. Edge was still giving you nightmares and you didn’t know what was between you and Red. You weren’t that scared of him, but he probably would’ve made you feel plenty of uneasiness.
In your house, now that they all discovered you had cameras, you could be safe from any malicious intent. In their house… the thought gave you shivers.

But Papyrus had wanted to invite you over for dinner for quite a while now…
And your goddamn oven was broken. You had forgotten about that.

“Papyrus… I’ll be honest with you. I’m…” you took a deep breath, “I-I’m really scared of Edge and… Red.”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO! OF COURSE YOU DON’T HAVE TO COME THEN! I’M SO SORRY HUMAN Y/N, I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH IT AFFECTED YOU.”

“There is a ‘but’. My oven is broken and we can’t make my recipe without it.”

“I UNDERSTAND. WOULD YOU LIKE FOR US TO DO THIS SOME OTHER TIME?”

You didn’t want to let him down. He was always very kind and understanding when it came to you. And maybe, if he was there, you could feel safer.

“I…” I can’t believe I’m saying this. “I think I’ll just come to your house. If you promise you’ll be by my side the entire time.”

And you could perhaps… confront your fears. Or taze them.

“ARE YOU SURE Y/N? YOU DON’T HAVE TO PUSH YOURSELF.”

“I’m not sure. But I want to have fun with you, and… be not scared.”

“AND I WILL BE THERE TO SUPPORT YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!”

“Thank you Papyrus. It means a lot. See you tomorrow?”

“AT EXACTLY 1 PM! SEE YOU TOMORROW Y/N. AND PLEASE, IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, DON’T HESITATE TO TELL ME, OKAY?”

“I will. See ya Papyrus!”

“BYE-BYE!” *click*

Better get to making that pizza base. You sigh, and start the lecture video on your laptop.
I can do this.

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Chapter Text

Nightmares again. Not Edge though. Even with Papyrus keeping you company, the loneliness keeps creeping around every corner of the house. Not to mention the… other things you’re going through.
You check the time. 11 am. You got time.

Even the sky is cloudy and moody. What a great day.

You twist and turn, trying to get every minute of sleep you can still get.
It’s no use. You’re already awake. So you stare at the ceiling for a while.

Fuck. It’s too quiet. I can’t do this.
You take your phone, and start scrolling through Spotify.

“Listen to the music that matches your mood or the mood you’re trying to achieve.”

I don’t feel like anything.
I should feel something, but I really don’t want to. It's annoying.

You feel the warmness on your skin.

Why am I crying? I’m not sad…
I don’t know what I am.

You throw the phone to your side.

Maybe I should cancel my plans. He would understand.

You curl yourself up into a ball. More tears escape from your tired eyes. You force yourself to be quiet. Cry quietly. Not make a sound.
Like you used to, when there were actually people who could hear you.

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You don’t remember falling asleep. You’re awakened by the doorbell ringing. Then, four knocks. More ringing. Another four knocks. You check the time.

Shit. I’m late. I must’ve made him really worried.

Your head hurts. “I’m coming! I’m coming!”
You pull on a hoodie and change your pants, then head downstairs. Thankfully, whoever (most likely Papyrus) was at the door, had heard you and stopped knocking.
You open the door without looking through the door hole.
It’s not Papyrus. It’s Sans.

“Sup kid. Pap–” He pauses, seeing what must be the worst state he has seen you in. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Slept in. I’ll be there in around 20 minutes.”

It seems he’s not buying a word you’re saying. “You sure?”

You try to avoid your annoyance. “Yes. Tell Papyrus that I’ll be there.”

He seems to think for a moment. “Actually, I came here for a different reason other than checking if you were alright. Do ya need any help with your food stuff? Like, anything you need to be carried or something?”

“Sans, what do you want?” you ask.

You just need a moment to gather yourself before going, and he’s really getting in your way.
Even though you are trying to turn a new leaf with him and get along, he’s still not on your good side.
And you really don’t have the patience today.

Y/n for god’s sake be nice! We’re just having a bad day. A really bad day. No need to take it out on him.
He’s probably just trying to be a better person.

You forgot for a moment he was still standing in front of you. Instead of mentally facepalming, actually facepalmed.

He looked shocked. “Uh… kid?”

Save the inner monologues for later!!!!

“Shit. I mean! Ugh…” you had a hard time keeping track of things you thought versus things you said.
“Sans. I… sorry. I’m… not great right now. You said you wanted to help? I’ll show you what you can take to your house.”

He let out a sigh. “You know what? I think I’ll just stay here until you’re ready to go. Y’know, so you can do your own thing?”

He…?

Nevermind.

You nodded, “I’ll… I’ll be quick.”

You closed the door slowly, like you were afraid it would break again.

Most of your time went to washing your face. Well, by washing, you meant staring at your reflection in the bathroom like a tragic movie character. At least you could admit to yourself how shit you felt. And how shitty you were. Definitely not suitable to hang around other people.
When you finally reached your room again, the urge to sit on the ground and stay there until you couldn’t think anymore hammered your head.

You settled on a shirt with half-way sleeves. For cooking’s convenience.
You walked back to the front door, now in a more… presentable shape.

You opened the door again. “Hey Sans.”

He smiled, seeing you looking better. “Sup kid. Came here to help you with your stuff. If you want me to.”

Like the conversation before never happened.

“I technically don’t need help, but since you offered so nicely, come on in.”

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“WOWIE! THAT’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS!”

Papyrus didn’t ask any questions. He seemed content with the fact that you were alive and well. You smiled.
“Yes Papyrus, but don’t worry, you’ll see why I took all of them.”

You admired the house. Opposed to your house, theirs didn’t have a hallway leading to different rooms. The entry was a smaller area that led into what you assumed to be the living room. On your right was the kitchen, and on its left, the dining room. Kitchen was a little bigger than yours, which was good, because apparently Blue had asked Papyrus if he could join. The more the merrier, you guess.

“Okay, Papyrus, do you want to start with your pasta?” you ask.

“I THINK I WANT TO START FROM YOUR DISH, ACTUALLY! IT LOOKS VERY COMPLICATED, LIKE A PUZZLE!”

“It’s actually not… But if you want to.”

“HELLO HUMAN! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!”

“Hello, Blue, was it? I heard you’re joining us.”

He nods enthusiastically.

You smile. “Good! When I thought about what we could make, I picked a meal meant for sharing, so we’re making pizzas!”

Papyrus and Blue exchange looks.

“ISN’T PIZZA LIKE… JUNK FOOD?” Papyrus asks.

“YEAH, WE’RE NOT REALLY FOND OF JUNK FOOD… OUR BROTHERS EAT IT A LOT EVEN WHEN WE TELL THEM NOT TO!” Blue adds.

“Oh… w-well I guess it is… in some cases.” You pick on your fingers, “We don’t have to make it, i-if you guys don’t want to!” You tried to hide your disappointment and… embarrassment? Anxiety? Whatever it was, it didn’t feel good.

They seemed to realise how their response affected you, and Blue hurriedly responds: “NO-NO! OF COURSE WE CAN MAKE PIZZAS! IT JUST… SURPRISED US, THAT’S ALL! AND I BET YOUR HOMEMADE PIZZA IS VERY HEALTHY AND NOTHING LIKE JUNK FOOD OUR BROTHERS CONSUME!”

“Right.” you tried to push down your mixed feelings. “I– I’ll make the base. I made the dough myself last night!”
You took out the first dough and put it on the counter with some flour. Then you start rolling the dough with a rolling pin, just like your dad taught you. Blue and Papyrus are watching you silently. Like they’re mentally taking notes of everything you do.

Nervous from being watched, you say the first thing that comes to mind: “I used to make pizzas with my dad and my siblings. When I was small, dad would always make the dough and roll it himself, but when I got older, he taught me how to make it.” you smile fondly.

I remember exactly how it was. And when he made the base into smaller dough balls, me and my brother were in charge of wrapping them up.

I miss them.

“DO YOU STILL MAKE THEM TOGETHER?” Blue asks.

You turn your head to look at him.
And then, Papyrus.
Because he already knew the answer. But he wanted you to tell them that you still do. He wanted it to be true. You wanted too.

You sigh. “No. Not anymore.”

The silence sits between you for a few moments.

You let Papyrus and Blue pick out the toppers for the first pizza. They settled on ham, olives and tomatoes. You added the tomato sauce and shredded cheese. Blue tried to convince you to let him put glitter on it too, but you told him no, and stood your ground despite his desperate, yet cute attempts to charm you and change your mind. And off into the oven it went.

“Okay, so, we can make another one, if you want to, I have three dough packages left. Or, we can make Papyrus’s pasta.” you say.

“ARE WE MAKING FOOD FOR OUR BROTHERS AND RED AND EDGE TOO?” Blue asks.

Papyrus audibly gasped, “I DIDN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT, BLUE! OF COURSE WE CAN! THEN THEY CAN TASTE WHAT A GOOD JUNK FOOD TASTES LIKE!”

It seems they really regretted their first reaction.
“If you want to, sure. I think I have enough stuff.”

Blue seems content with your answer. “I WANT TO ROLL THE NEXT PIZZA!”

“We’ll see about that.”

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You made a total of three pizzas, mostly with Blue’s help, who was just as energetic and talkative as Papyrus. They interacted a lot with each other, but also kept in mind to include you in their conversation.
Like: which ones you liked better: tacos or pasta?
When you tried to give a politically correct answer (“Both!”), they took turns in explaining to you why their favorite dish was better.

While Blue was adding toppings on the last pizza (he made a smiley face out of mozzarella pieces), Papyrus showed you how he made his famous pasta. He told you how his friend Undyne had taught him to do it, but after you showed him how you made your pasta, he had decided to switch it up! So in conclusion, he didn’t boil the noodles with heat high enough to melt the pot anymore (or as he called it, “The heat of passion!”), but he still smashed the sauce ingredients before mixing them together, and you just barely made it far enough to not get hit with anything.
At some point, others came by to watch your little cooking session as well. Sans and Stretch mainly participated with a few food puns and left when Blue threatened to start throwing hands. Edge acted like he happened to be there coincidentally, but you could see when he wrote down some of the things you told Papyrus. He didn’t seem that scary anymore, but you thought it was most likely because you were surrounded by others, who wouldn’t let him harm you.
Red came by once or twice, but didn’t engage. As long as he wasn’t planning on proving to you he wasn’t a total creep, you had no intention in interacting with him.

When the last pizza went into the oven, Papyrus went to set the table, and Blue started cleaning up the kitchen. You just stood there, looking after the oven, but not really paying attention.

It felt… nostalgic. You hadn’t really thought about how many small, simple memories you had made with your father just from cooking together. Dad always left you in charge of guarding the last pizza while the table was set.

Don’t cry, dammit!

“MISS Y/N.” Blue addresses you.

“No need for the ‘miss’, Blue. You can just call me Y/n.” You correct him. You avoid looking in his direction just in case he wants to look at you. Your face is probably red.

“Y/N… WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR HUMAN LIFE?”

“Huh? Uh… sorry Blue, you have to be more specific.”

“I DUNNO. LIKE - WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE? WE BARELY EVER SEE YOU LEAVE IT, AND PAPYRUS HASN’T TOLD ME ANYTHING ABOUT YOU.”

“Uh… I go to college, and work part-time? I don’t do much else.”

“DON’T YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES?”

“It’s… complicated. I do have things I enjoy doing, but I don’t feel like I engage in them enough to call them… hobbies…I think.” you think about his question. What do you do with your life?
Maybe you should pick up doing things you probably enjoy.

He doesn’t pry for more details. “I LIKE PUZZLES, AND VIDEO GAMES, AND THE TELEVISION STUFF YOU HAVE ON THE SURFACE IS QUITE FASCINATING AS WELL!”

You don’t feel good about conversations.
You always feel on edge about small talk. Like you’re taking a test, and on the verge of failing.
“Uh… what’s fascinating about it?” you ask.

“WELL, BACK IN UNDERGROUND, WE USED TO HAVE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SURFACE. WE FOUND THINGS OCCASIONALLY, BUT WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS WHAT. THEN, U– MY FRIEND FOUND THESE VIDEOS, CALLED “ANIME”. WE THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT THIS WAS HUMAN HISTORY OR SOMETHING!” he looks at you excitedly, “BUT TURNS OUT THAT IT WAS ALL MADE UP! AND BESIDES THAT, HUMANS HAVE MADE SO MANY COOL STORIES UP!”

“Yeah, humans have great imagination. I myself am more of a… book person, but I enjoy movies as well. Except those with large amounts of violence in them.” you shake. “And horror movies.”

Blue’s expression changes. You don’t really understand it. He’s… surprised? Shocked? Like he… realised something?

Did I… say something?

His face softens. “WE SHOULD WATCH A MOVIE TOGETHER SOME TIME.”

“Yeah.” His weird behavior makes you nervous. “I should probably take the pizza out.”
You hope that whatever you said, it gave him a good, rather than a bad impression of you.

Papyrus interrupts your thoughts: “HUMAN Y/N! IS THE PIZZA READY YET? I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MADE THE TABLE!”

“It’s ready! I’ll bring it in a sec!”

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You sat down at the table, Papyrus on one and Blue on the other side. Stretch and Sans had shown up right after Papyrus called, but Edge made his grand entrance when everyone had already started filling their plates. He looked at the food suspiciously, even after sitting down.

Okay. Go on Y/n. Maybe it will offend him or make you look even more suspicious, but you have to try.

“Edge? D-do you have anything you don’t prefer to eat? Because I can list you what’s on every pizza, s-so you know which one to choose…” his eyes are on you. Not really threatening, but still scary. “I promise I didn’t poison anything. I’m not trying to… kill you…”

He smirks. “I DON’T THINK YOU HAVE POISONED ANYTHING, PUNY HUMAN! I, IN FACT, KEPT AN EYE ON THE WHOLE COOKING PROCESS!”

“So you’re saying you really wanted to join but were too scared to admit it?” Stretch asks.

Edge is taken aback by that. “W-WHAT? OF COURSE NOT! I DO NOT SHARE MY COOKING ABILITIES WITH SUCH HORRIBLE COOKS LIKE BLUE AND PAPYRUS! NOT TO MENTION THE HUMAN!”

Based on his tone and body language, he wants to look meaner than he is.
Interesting. So… I should probably take most of what he’s saying with a grain of salt. Or I’m reading this whole thing absolutely wrong and he is a total asshole.

“Okay I can admit I’m not good at cooking, but ouch, Edge. You haven’t even tried the food.” You say.

He immediately confirms your suspicions. The first ones.

First, he looks baffled. Then, he wants to say something. He decides not to, and takes a piece of every pizza.

You try to press him a little more. “Do you… not like pasta, Edge?”

“I PREFER LASAGNE, AND I KNOW THAT PASTA IS PAPYRUS’S MADE, SO IT’S PROBABLY NOT EDIBLE AT ALL!” He answers.

Well, you would know first hand. Papyrus has made you his pasta a couple of times. And given you food poisoning twice. Apparently no one has ever told him about improving his cooking skills.

“Actually, it is edible.” you take a bite. Papyrus beams at you. “And I would know, because I saw him make it, and helped too. But I get it if you prefer lasagne. Very understandable.”

Edge also seems pleased by your answer. “MAYBE YOU ARE NOT AS BAD AS I INITIALLY THOUGHT, HUMAN.”

Awww. When he thinks you’re not ‘that bad’. What a guy.

Your lunch is interrupted by your phone.
It’s Silver.

“Oh, excuse me, I have to take this one.” you walk over into the small corridor next to the kitchen. Should be enough privacy.

“Hi Sil.”

“Hi Y/n.”

“Is this about the funeral?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“Y/n… we need money.”

“...Wait what?”

“I don’t have enough money on the side to pay for the whole thing and Lily agreed to only contribute up to a quarter of the price.”

“But you had the money! She specifically put it aside for you so you wouldn’t have to worry about her funeral!” That was louder than you wanted to be.

“Well I don’t have it anymore.”

“What do you mean you don’t have it anymore?! Silver what the FUCK??”

“I needed it for something else, give me a break Y/n! You’re not the only one who’s going through a hard time!” he yells.

“Well I don’t have any money either!! I am just barely making it with my part-time job, BECAUSE I’M STILL IN SCHOOL.”

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry

“She didn’t leave you anything? There’s no way! You’re lying! She left you a WHOLE HOUSE!”

“Because I LIVE IN THAT HOUSE! You haven’t stepped foot in it for over a year!! And I’m not even gonna bring up Lily!”

“Then I guess mom’s not gonna HAVE a funeral!!”

Your plan not to cry successfully failed. “H-how about you GO FUCK YOURSELF.” you end the call.

Breathe. Breathe.
“Son of a bitch!” you yell.
No he’s not. Because his mother was a wonderful woman.

You almost forgot you’re not in your home.

Fuck. I don’t want to face them. I should just leave.

You’re startled from your thoughts when a figure steps closer.
It’s… Red?
He hands you a glass of water.

“I promise I didn’ poison it.” is all he says.

You take the glass without hesitation, and drown it quickly, trying to stop crying. You hate how easily you cry. Even when you’re angry.

“Thanks.”

You’re sure he’s going to try and talk to you. But he doesn’t. He starts to leave.

“... wait.” you surprise the both of you.

He turns. “Yeah?”

Stay with me. I just don’t want to be alone. But I also don’t want to talk.
Cringe, Y/n. Very cringe.
“N-nevermind.”

He doesn’t leave. He stands there for a moment, before saying, “I’m… sorry… For being an asshole.”

He… apologized?

“Ya get real bored when you stay home all the time. And I have my ways to entertain myself.”

“But what you did was not okay.” you respond, voice still a little trembling.

“Yeah I get it.”

“I don’t think you do… I’m sorry Red but assault isn’t something we humans take lightly. I could’ve called the police even if nothing happened, and you would’ve faced severe consequences. Even more so because I know how racist humans are towards monsters.” you’re still teary-eyed. “And… fuck. I don’t want to deal with this.”

His head is lowered. “I’m more unhinged than you think. I come from a fucked-up place where this behavior is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s fine if you don’t want to deal with me. I get it.”

“But even though you assaulted me and I should want nothing to do with you, I’m willing to give you a chance. Because, firstly, it seems like it was more of a one-time thing and you’re not going to murder me, and secondly, because I want to believe that others in this house wouldn’t let a dangerous person live here and get away with fucked-up stuff.”

He looks at you like you’re the crazy one here. You probably are, and you feel like you could really regret this.

“I got no clue why you would give me a second chance, but I’ll gladly take it.” Red said.

You nod. You don’t forgive him the slightest, and you’re still going to anxiously check your back every once in a while for now, but maybe, just maybe, you won’t regret this.
“You hungry?”

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Chapter Text

“My child, you shouldn’t push yourself this hard.”

You almost dozed off again.
“I’m fine, Mrs Toriel. I’m just having a busy time at school right now.”

Toriel isn’t satisfied with that answer. “Maybe you should take a break from work then. I’m sure I can handle everything just fine here.”

I can’t. I need money. Especially now.
“I can handle this, Mrs Toriel. I’ll go get the children for an outdoor break now.”
You physically ended the conversation by standing up and walking out of the break room. Mrs Toriel didn’t follow you.

You sit on your spot, watching the children play. Sometimes, some of them come to talk to you. Ask you questions. Invite you to play with them, and of course you can’t turn them down. You know you’re smiling and laughing a lot more than you usually do. That’s why it’s good to be around the kids. They make you happier. You really need some happiness even in the hard times.

Toriel had made you lunch you forgot to eat. She kindly sets the package into your bag, for you to enjoy later. Sweet. You got out of your dinner kitchen duties.

You drive home, listening to the radio. You almost never do it, but you didn’t feel like listening to your own music. You had trouble finding what you could bear listening to.

“I’m home.” you say.

Welcome back, Y/n. You sigh.

You don’t bother going upstairs to change, you just crash on the living room’s couch.
Only two math problems and then I’m free.

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You’re watching your comfort show. You aren’t really paying attention to it, but it makes you feel warm. Because unlike your life, it’s cozy, not emotionally tiring and you know what comes next.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t talked much with Papyrus for over a week. He must be worried.

You swoop out your phone and text him.

-------------------
– Hi Papyrus, whatchu doin?
-------------------

He doesn’t respond right away. Which is logical, given the time. He’s probably making dinner.
Oh shit– I forgot to eat my dinner. Whoops.

*Knock knock knock knock*

Oh. Seems like one of them is here to check if I’m still alive.

“Oh, hi Edge? What brings you here?”

“HELLO HUMAN! I’VE DECIDED I WANT TO HAVE– I MEAN, I WANT TO GIVE YOU A COOKING LESSON WITH ME AS WELL!” he proudly announces.

“Wait, like, right now?”

“WHY OF COURSE! THAT’S WHY I’M HERE!”

“Sorry Edge, today’s not the best time. You see, I haven’t had the time to prepare or—”

“NONSENSE! THAT’S WHY I PREPARED FOR YOU, HUMAN!” and he walks right past you.

When he arrived at the kitchen, he was greeted by dirty dishes in the sink, some bottles and cans you hadn’t thrown out yet and a pan, two pots, sitting on the stove, unmoved since the last time you cooked with those.

“Yeah… that’s what I wanted to warn you about…” you say quietly.
Your face feels hot. You know how red you must be.

This is the worst moment of my life. Besides almost dying.

He stays silent for a few moments, looking around your kitchen.
“WELL THEN, I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO JUST CLEAN IT UP!” is all he says.

What?? No… snarky comment? Of how I’m a… messy and…

“No no! Y-you don’t have to! I-I can clean it myself.”

“HUMAN! ALLOW ME. I AM AN EXPERT IN CLEANING, AND YOU WOULD MOST LIKELY BE SLOWER THAN I AM!”

“I… I just…”

He looks at you with what you can assume is his resting face. Not threatening, not angry, just… calm. And, there is a hint of sympathy somewhere there.
He’s… trying to spare you from embarrassment?

“If… If you want to. I suppose. Yeah.”

Edge was right. He cleans almost as quickly as Papyrus. You only manage to empty the dishwasher, which caused you to even have this mess, while he has already washed everything in the sink and on the stove.

“Okay. So… what do you want to make?” you ask.

“MY TERRIFIC LASAGNE, OF COURSE!” he says, like it was so obvious.

“Do you have a recipe, or do I need to get one?”

“NO NEED FOR A RECIPE! I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT!”

So I’ll get a recipe. Just to be safe. If he’s anything like Papyrus used to be in the kitchen, I’m gonna need it. And a fire extinguisher.

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You give the meat on the pan a good mix. “Okay. What do I do now?”

“NOW YOU’LL ADD THE TOMATOES, PARSLEY AND WATER!”

“Right.”

Edge was surprisingly good in the kitchen. He was already finished with the cheese sauce while you still struggled with the meat. Thankfully, he didn’t comment.
You weren’t a dedicated chef. You made food when you had to. And if it was a really good day, you cooked together with others. After you moved here, you needed to learn a lot of basic things from scratch, including most of the things about cooking and cleaning.

“ARE YOU DONE ALREADY HUMAN?”

“I’m trying, I’m almost done! Did you turn on the oven already?”

“AROUND 15 MINUTES AGO! IT’S ALREADY HOT ENOUGH FOR THE LASAGNE.”

“Well sorry, I’m not used to cooking new stuff. I usually make something easy and what I know how to make. I don’t have good cooking skills. It’s gonna take me longer than it takes for you to get things done.”

“THAT’S WHY I’M HERE! TO GIVE YOU A LESSON!”

“Why are you really here?”

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU!”

“Well I don’t believe you.” you turn off the stove and prepare to start layering all the ingredients. “Is it… because you wanted to cook together with us the other day?”

“NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT BECAUSE OF THAT!”

“So you did want to cook with us.”

“WHAT? NO! THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID! UGHH” he groaned.

You grin. “It’s fine if you don’t want to admit it.”

“I’M DONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!”

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He indeed was. He ignored your attempts to raise the topic again.

You grab a timer. “Okay, you said it's supposed to be in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes?”

“PRECISELY.”

“Okay.” you make sure the oven is at the right temperature, before turning towards the living room.

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

“Uh… to the living room? This bad boy is gonna take quite some time, and I wasn’t planning on staring at it the whole time.”

“BUT YOU DID THE SAME THING WITH THE PIZZAS THE OTHER DAY?”

“That’s because those were in the oven for a short amount of time.” He doesn't seem satisfied with your answer, so you add: “Look, I can bring some of my study materials here if you want to keep an eye… eye socket? On the lasagne.”

He nodds.

You leave him in the kitchen for a few minutes, and come back with a notebook and your laptop. You sit down at the table/kitchen island, and open your computer to see the two, still unsolved, math problems. You sigh.

After a few minutes of silence, Edge finally speaks again. “WHY AREN’T YOU SCARED OF ME?”

It catches you off-guard. “What? Why am I… uh… that’s a… that’s a good question.”

It’s true you haven’t thought about him as a threat for some time. You didn’t really realise. Being at their house, learning how normally they behave and how they function as a… family? Or something like that, made you look at them differently. Definitely from a more positive light.

“I’M USED TO HUMANS BEING SCARED OF ME, AND I TAKE QUITE PRIDE IN BEING GREAT AND SCARY, BUT YOU’RE NOT SCARED.”

“If it makes you feel better, and I have no idea why it should, I was VERY fucking scared of you after our first… meeting.”

“I WAS LIKE THAT, BECAUSE I DO WHAT I HAVE TO, TO LOOK OUT FOR MY BROTHER. THAT LAZY BUM GETS INTO THINGS HE SHOULDN’T A LOT, AND AS THE RESPONSIBLE ONE, I HAVE TO MAKE SURE HE STAYS SAFE. YOU ACTUALLY MANAGED TO HARM HIM, AND I WON’T TAKE LIGHTLY TO THAT.”

“I get that he’s your brother and you want to protect him but going around and attacking people might not be the best thing to do. Firstly, because it’s wrong. And secondly, you’ll get in trouble yourself.”

“I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I’M RISKING WITH, HUMAN.” Edge says in a cold tone.

It sends a shiver down your spine. You avoid eye-contact. Even when you’re no longer really afraid of him, doesn’t mean you aren’t still a little spooked by him. Especially in moments like these.

Okay, got it. Being edgy and possibly having a criminal background - touchy subject. Brother - also a touchy subject. Even when he himself calls his brother a lot of things.

“O-okay.” you go back to your homework.

“YOU DIDN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION.”

“Uhm… I dunno? You don’t seem… to be violent or scary unless there’s a really convincing reason…” you stand up, “I’m not sure if I’m not scared of you because of the people… or monsters you live together with, or because I can like… feel, that you’re not entirely a terrible person.”

You grab a glass of water. “Why do you think I’m not scared of you?” you look at him.

He looks at you, then at the oven. “I HAVE HAD MY THEORIES, AND ONE WAS THAT YOU’RE A POWERFUL HUMAN SORCERER THAT HAS ENOUGH MAGIC TO GO AGAINST ME. HOWEVER, I DON’T SENSE ANY MAGIC COMING FROM YOU.” he shifts uncomfortably, “SO AT THE MOMENT OF SPEAKING… I HAVE NO IDEA.”

“Yeah, me neither. At this point, I just hope I don’t have a reason to be from now on.” you smile at him.

He doesn’t respond. He looks like he could say a lot of things but decides against it.

You go back to your study spot and continue with your work.

“WHY DON’T YOU GO OUTSIDE OFTEN?”

“What do you mean? I do go outside. I go to college and I have a job.”

“BUT BESIDE THOSE, YOU DON’T.”

“What? You’ve been watching me too?”

“IT’S NOT HARD FOR ANY OF US TO NOTICE YOU DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE. WE’VE EVEN HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IF YOU WERE ACTUALLY A REAL PERSON, OR JUST SOMEONE PAPYRUS MADE UP.”

I don’t have any reason to leave. I have no one.
“Huh. Well, I dunno. Guess I’m just too lazy.”

He becomes visibly annoyed with that answer. “DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?”

“No…?” you answer, confused.

“YOU HAVE A REASON YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO TELL ME, THEN STATE SO.” he says, a little harshly.

The tone puts you on edge as well. “I don’t have a reason why I stay in the house. I also just don’t have a reason to leave it. I’ve had my experiences with going out on my own, like doing long shopping trips, movies, eating out and all that stuff, and it doesn’t… I dunno. It’s not… exciting. Or… It doesn’t feel like it… on my own.” and, at certain times, outside is scary. There’s a reason for my taser, Edge.

“THEN I WILL TAKE YOU OUTSIDE WITH ME!” Edge decares.

“What?”

“YES! I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME WHEN I GO TO THE CITY TO RUN ERRANDS!” he proudly announces.

You eye him. “...why?”

“WHAT? DO I NEED A REASON TO BE NICE AND INVITE YOU OUT?”

“Edge, you hated me after our first meeting and I know you haven’t warmed up to me that much yet. Of course you need a good reason!”

“HMPF, FINE!! FOR YOUR INFORMATION, YES, I HAVE A REASON. THAT PATHETIC COMEDIAN SANS TOLD ME I NEED TO GO TO THE CITY FOR GROCERIES TOMORROW. AND THEN HE TOLD ME I SHOULD BE NICE AND INVITE YOU ALONG.”

Sans… so he does keep an eye on you. But at this point, which of these skeletons doesn’t?

“Why’d you agree?”

“NO REASON.”

“Right.”

“EXACTLY!”

You try to focus again, but to no avail. Edge is more interesting than this.

“What do you do, Edge? From what I understand, Sans and Papyrus have jobs, but do you have one too?”

“I DO HAVE A JOB, EVEN IF I DON’T REALLY NEED IT.”

“So what do you do?”

“... IT’S A SECRET.”

“Oh come ooooooon!” you groan, “What? You a secret agent or something?”

“EVEN IF I WAS, I WOULDN’T TELL YOU.”

“I don’t believe it. You probably have some 9-to-5 job and just don’t want to admit it.”

“HEH! ABSOLUTELY NOT! BUT I STILL WON’T TELL YOU.” he grins.

There’s no way he has a regular job. But then again, there is also no way he has a secret agent job. He doesn't look like he could successfully sneak around, or spy on anyone.

“Fine.” you sigh and turn to your work again.

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“It’s really good! What the hell did you put in that cheese sauce?”

“LIKE HELL I WOULD TELL YOU!”

“Wasn’t the whole purpose of this to teach me to make your lasagne?”

He looks at you, unable to say anything. Looks like you cornered him.
“WELL, YES!” he tries to start.

“But…?” you ask, tilting your head like a puppy.

“I… I JUST DON’T THINK YOU ARE READY FOR MY SPECIAL SECRET SAUCE RECIPE! T-THAT’S ALL!” He is so obviously lying. It’s kinda funny.

“Ha! Yeah right! Admit it! You just wanted to cook together with me!” You boldly state.

He looks away. “ABSOLUTELY NOT! I JUST… HAD TO SHOW YOU HOW TO COOK PROPERLY AFTER SEEING THE DISASTER YOU AND THOSE TWO LOSERS MADE IN OUR KITCHEN LAST TIME!”

You know that he’s just trying to avoid the obvious, but you can’t help but feel a little hurt by his words.
“So… you didn’t like the food I made?”

He quickly realizes his mistake: “OF COURSE I DID! IT’S JUST THAT I… I…” he tries to answer, gesturing his hands, but the words just won’t come out.

You giggle. He immediately stops to look at you. You can’t figure out if he’s surprised or annoyed.

“What? It’s funny how you’re trying to be nice but not admit you wanted to cook too.” You sigh, still smiling.

He’s staring at you very intensely. “I WILL SAY THIS ONCE, AND NEVER AGAIN.” he takes a deep breath (which you can assume is only for the dramatic effect) and continues, quietly, “YES. I… WANTED TO COOK T-TOO. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE THE FIRST HUMAN AROUND US AND YOU’RE VERY INTERESTING!” he looks around for a moment, confirming no one besides you heard him.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“TAKE IT AS YOU WILL, HUMAN.”

“Either way… I’m glad you came here to cook with me. I had fun. To some extent.” You lower your head. “I… I don’t really have any friends besides Papyrus… so I’m happy to spend time with someone. It gets lonely here.”

Now he looks surprised. You could say you’re surprised too.
“And… you coming here… cooking together with me, not being threatening or angry at me, but patient and understanding…
I don’t think you are a bad person, Edge. I think that’s why I’m not scared of you anymore.”

You look at him. In your heart, you hope you’ve possibly just made a friend. Or getting close to it.
It feels… too easy. You always imagined making friends to be some kind of witchcraft you couldn’t do. You always said the wrong things. You hurt people because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, or wanted to look cool in front of others.

“Why did I say that?” and “I’m afraid to talk to them because I upset them!” had been too frequent for me to keep count.

But somehow, you had a friend like Papyrus in your life. And now, hopefully, Edge too. Perhaps you could befriend others in the skeleton household, too, if you tried.

A blush dusts his cheeks, indicating to you that your words did mean something to him. Just proving your previous statement.

“I… I THINK—”

“Whatchu guys doin’?” Red interrupts, leaning to the kitchen door.

You are absolutely not amused by his presence. “RED! Don’t make me get an alarm system in the house!”

“But the boss's here too!” He tries to defend himself.

“Because he came and knocked like a gentleman! I have a feeling you sneaked in the way you did it the last time!”

“Oh you mean like this?” and gone he was. Just to appear behind you.

You yelped in surprise and hit him with your hand. It landed in his face.

“Ouch! Geez doll, I got the hint!” he teleports back into his original spot. Yes. Teleports.

“S– RED! DO YOU NOT LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES AT ALL?”

“S-sorry, boss.”

“HPMF. SHE GOT PAST YOUR DEFENCE THE SECOND TIME, AND VERY DESERVEDLY, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF!” he looks at you, “IF THIS BECOMES A PATTERN, HUMAN, INFORM ME.” he hands you a paper. It has his number on it.

Red starts sweating.

You grin. “Smooth, Edge.” you type the number into your phone and write your number on the other side of the paper.

He looks a bit taken-aback when you hand it back to him. He’s blushing again.

You sigh. “I want to believe it won’t happen again, but I’ll keep that in mind, Edge.” you look at Red again, who seems too scared to move. Or is there something else there…? “Anyways, since you already made yourself at home, Red, would you like some lasagne?”

“Uh… me?” He looks at Edge.

You see how Edge is staring at him.

“I’ll get you a plate.” You grab a plate and place a lasagne piece on it. “Didn’t Papyrus make dinner?”

Red laughs. “Firstly, doll, I don’t eat anything that idiot makes. Secondly, he and Sans are out, so Blue was cooking. And that’s even worse than Papyrus cooking.”

“Hey! Don’t call him an idiot! Yes, Papyrus isn’t… the best chef, but he has improved a lot!” you give him the plate. He doesn’t move from his spot. “Also, no need to be so tense, Red. You already broke in, there’s no harm when you sit down.”

He hesitantly moves to the table.

Your phone buzzes. It’s… Lily.

A petty idea sparks in you. “Edge? C-can I ask for a favor?”

“WHAT IS IT, HUMAN?”

“So… there is someone besides Red… that just won’t leave me alone. Can you…?” you hesitate. Nope. Abort mission! I can’t do this. I can’t…

“YOU WANT THEM TO LEAVE YOU ALONE?”

“Uh… Well yes, but I don’t want to scare them of but I also want to get the message across that I don’t want to talk yet and I’m not changing my mind about a thing and that they should stop bothering me with the thing because I can’t help them and I feel like they’re just gaslighting me at this point and—”

He stretches out his hand. “YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER THE PHONE, DON’T YOU?”

“I’m sorry, you don’t actually have to, I can just—”

“I CAN ANSWER THE PHONE, IF YOU’LL HAND IT TO ME.” he says firmly.

You look at him for a moment. Then hand him your phone. “Please don’t actually scare them off, maybe they’ll send the police or something.”

“NOTED.” he says, and answers the call.
“HELLO, THIS IS Y/N’S LINE. SHE IS NOT ON THE PHONE RIGHT NOW AND WON’T BE ANSWERING YOUR CALLS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
STOP. TRYING.
SHE WILL CONTACT YOU AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE. AND NO, SHE IS NOT IN DANGER. HOWEVER, IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER, THEN KEEP IN MIND: DISRUPTING HER LIFE FROM NOW ON WITHOUT A GOOD REASON, USING LAW-ENFORCEMENTS, CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU, LEGALLY.
GOODBYE.”
He hangs up the phone with grace, and hands it back to you. Your mouth drops.

“I knew it! So you are some secret agent or something!” you state.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, HUMAN.” he denies.

Red laughs. “Oh boy those humans are definitely going to send the police to this house!”

“I fucking hope not.” you say, unamused.

“Why’d they even call ya?” he asks.

You freeze. You…
But what difference does it make for you if you told them?

All the difference. They would feel pity. They would feel sorry for you. It would get all quiet and you would start thinking about it and then you can’t stop and you… you cry. You’re so tired of crying.

But Red and Edge… they seem like the type not to get all gloomy over death. Or maybe it’s just you looking into their edgy appearances too much.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL US. OPPOSED TO MY BROTHER, I CAN TELL IT’S A PERSONAL THING.”

“It’s alright, Edge.” you sit down at the table.
“They… they keep calling me to get money. My cousins… need money for my auntie’s funeral.” Don’t cry. You can tell them without crying. “The money they HAD put aside for them, was used for GOD KNOWS WHAT. And now they’re asking for money, because I was like a third child to her. Because she MUST’VE left me something. She did leave me this house, after all. The house I LIVE IN. And I can’t do SHIT. Because I don’t have money, I don’t have the time or energy to get it and I can’t tell them to fuck off because they are my last chance to see her before she’s buried.” You don’t cry, thankfully, and you feel a bit lighter. But there’s still the heaviness on your chest.

“Ya want us to scare them a bit? Make ‘em re-think their choices?” Red asks, a devilish grin on his face.

You shake your head. “What? No– it would be really petty and really satisfying –but no.”

“I GUESS THAT LEAVES ONE THING TO DO!” Edge announces.

You’re a bit afraid to ask: “What?”

“WE’LL JUST PAY THE MONEY!”

“What?!!” you yell. “No no no no no! You can’t pay for her funeral! I can’t ask for something like that! You barely know me, and you didn’t even know her!”

“THEN DON’T ASK. JUST ACCEPT IT.” he responds.

You’re totally speechless. You want to deny their kindness, say something to make them change their mind or ask why they would do that, but not a word comes out.

“I…”

“C’mon doll, whatcha got to lose?” Red asks.

“I… I don’t… know.” is all you can get out.

“THEN THINK ABOUT IT. NOW, BROTHER, I AM GOING BACK FOR MY TRAINING SESSION, AND I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE AS WELL.”

In a moment, Red is standing again and moving towards the exit.

“AND HUMAN… Y/N. IT WAS NICE TO… HANG OUT WITH YOU.”

You smile and nod. “We should do this again sometime!”

“I SUPPOSE, IF YOU INSIST. GOODBYE, HUMAN Y/N.”

You walk out with him, and wave on the door. Red is nowhere to be seen.

Wait. RED CAN TELEPORT.

I’m not gonna need an alarm system. I’m gonna need a gun.

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Chapter Text

When Papyrus finally answered your text, you both talked for quite a bit. Of course, you left out the ‘Edge’s cooking lesson’ and ‘Red being Red’ part. You didn’t want him to worry about your mental state even more. And in the end, he invited you over, even though you told him you had a web lecture today.

So here you are. Chilling on Papyrus’s (and the others’) living room couch, with your laptop in front of you, a little anxiously waiting for the lecture to start, while you stare at the screen that shows you everyone's names. Because no one ever turns on their camera. You considered it in the beginning, but you wanted to fit in, and when no one else showed their face, neither did you.
Papyrus keeps you company by doing, what you can only assume to be, puzzles. Not the ones you can buy and put together to get a pretty picture. He’s putting together a literal puzzle. A physical puzzle, for someone to solve. It actually looks a lot more interesting than when you arrived. You wonder if you could solve it.

I forgot to put a sticker on my notebook!

You quickly pull out your notebook, and find today’s date.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, Y/N?” Papyrus asks, noticing the star stickers you’re holding.

“I’m marking down that I was on time and remembered everything I needed to do before the lesson. That’s how I keep track of things when I forget something and that’s how I reward myself when I feel like I don’t have enough motivation. Auntie used to do this with me.”

“THAT IS SO COOL! I WANT ONE TOO!”

“Sure, we can make you one.”

The professor speaks for the first time, startling you a bit. Once you settle and make sure Papyrus doesn’t mind the noise, you turn up the volume to focus. You try to keep your mind locked on the task at hand and take notes, but every once in a while, your eyes drift to where he is seated at. On the floor. It looks a little silly.

When you realise you don’t remember what happened in the last ten minutes, you take out your headphones and put them on. Maybe, if the only thing you can hear is your professor, then you won’t get distracted as much. Papyrus doesn’t seem bothered by it.

It’s actually nice doing your own thing while someone’s around. Just you and them, keeping eachother company, but not actually interacting or anything.

You should do this more often.

Of course, Stretch strides in the moment you think you’re getting somewhere. He sits on the couch, not too close to you, but also not to the other side. Like. In the middle. Kind of.

Well of course he would.

…

Ughh stop thinking about it Y/n! Don’t make this weird!!

…

Thanks, me! Now I’m definitely thinking about why he chose to sit at that exact spot!

You try your best to keep ignoring both skeletons, and you succeed for about 2 minutes, because then, Papyrus stands up and leaves the room.

NOoo Papyrus don’t leave me here alone!!

Of course, Stretch draws your attention immediately. You notice he’s looking at you like he wants to say something.

You lift one side of your earphones. “What is it Stretch? Something wrong?” you ask.

His face doesn’t change. It’s not giving anything away, all neutral... And maybe just a bit unsettling.

“What’cha listenin’ to?” he asks.

“My… anatomy lecture…?” you answer. “Why?”

“No reason. Just curious.” he responds, and turns away from you.

Stretch is the only one you haven’t talked to, one-on-one. Or like, at all. You don't have the slightest idea what he’s like, only what he’s supposedly like by Papyrus’s and Blue’s words. It makes you uncomfortable.

Another few quiet minutes go by before you feel eyes on you. Again.

“Do you need something?” you ask as you lift your headphones again.

“Is it interestin’?”

“The lecture? It is, but not enough apparently because I keep getting distracted. I’m not good at focusing.”

“Hmm. What r’you studying in college?”

“Pharmacy. You know. Kinda like a doctor, but I don’t have to see blood and other disgusting gooey stuff like that as much.”

There it is. Something flinches in his expression for a moment. It’s quick to disappear, but you saw it. You couldn’t actually tell what it was, but it confirmed your suspicions: Stretch had a learned kind-of-neutral face. He’s trying to hide his feelings. For whatever reason, god knows.

He smirks. “Huh. Cool. Mind if I listen in?”

“Uhhhhh… sure?” You unplug your earphones, and turn the volume up a little so he can hear better. You also turn the laptop a bit, so he can see as well.

You both sit in the silence besides the lecture for a good 10 minutes, before Papyrus comes back again. He smiles at you, but doesn’t say anything before turning back to his puzzle. You feel a lot more comfortable with him here. But you also feel like you should find moments to talk to Stretch more. At least to figure him out, even if just a little bit.

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“So… Do you need to learn them all?” Stretch asks once you close the laptop.

“Oh no no. In my program, we just talk about the anatomy on a more of a– surface level. I do probably have to learn some of them, but I don’t think it’s necessary to learn all of the bones and everything, especially with all the other topics I have to go through and learn this semester. We’re learning all the basic anatomy in only one semester. Which is why we don’t really get in-depth in everything.” you explain.

“Cool. I didn’ even know some of those things about bones. And I’m made of ‘em.” he smirks.

“Well, it’s clear that you don’t follow any anatomy rules. Which is interesting… Do monsters have something analogical to human anatomy? Like, organs and systems?”

“I’m the last person ya wanna ask that. I got no clue. I know I've never heard of something like that.”

“If not that, then, what do you learn about your bodies? You should know at least something, no?”

“I dunno, kid, all I’ve learned about us was our soul and magic and stuff.”

“Magic?” you think for a moment. “Oooooooh it’s because monsters are made of magic?” you ask.

You remember hearing about it from a teacher at Toriel’s school. You wonder what else you could learn from listening to some of the classes. “You said souls… humans believe we have a thing called ‘soul’ as well… what is a monster soul?”

“Hmm. I got an idea. How about - I teach you things about monster souls and our magics, and in return, you tell me more about human anatomy?”

He is interested in anatomy? Well that’s progress. I guess that would help me revise the topics for future convenience. Maybe even understand it better. And of course, monster stuff. I can’t not be interested when my neighbours are monsters and I work with monsters.

“Deal. If you want, I can give you my lecture schedule. They’re all online, so when one is live, I can just come by and we can listen together.”

“Sounds good. I ain’t got a clue what to tell you about the monsters tho. I don’t know that much. Might even have to pick up a book or two.”

Red appears on the stairs. He didn’t come down. Appeared. He’s really rubbing in the teleporting stuff to you. Lovely.

“I heard a thing about a private lesson with the human. I want one too!”

His comment doesn’t really rub you the wrong way, but you still comment: “Firstly, not a private lesson, but an exchange of knowledge. And secondly, you make it sound weird, so no thanks Red.”

“Aww come on doll! I’m not up to anything weird this time, I promise!” he winks at you.

You can’t make out if it was a good wink, or a ‘I’m-about-to-fuck-shit-up’ wink. You’re not taking chances. Especially with him, in your relationship’s current state.

“Red whatever you’re thinking, don’t. I will call Edge and then the police.” you say, and grin back at him.
His grin doesn’t falter, but you can see him tensing just the tiniest bit.

“When did you guys become friends?” Stretch asks.

You shrug, “I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but we’re on better terms than before, and that’s mostly thanks to me getting along with Edge.”

“YOU MADE FRIENDS WITH EDGE?” Papyrus beams, “WOWIE HUMAN Y/N, YOU’RE PERHAPS EVEN BETTER THAN ME AT MAKING FRIENDS!”

You smile and stand up, “Definitely not better— Oh shit I stood too fast–” and your legs give in.

You know Papyrus is right there to catch you. He has done that now more times than you want to think about.

“Fuck my sight is gone. Hold on. My shitty brain is rebooting.” and your ears start to ring as well. Oh come on! I didn’t sit for that long! “This is wayyyy more dramatic than it should be.”

Papyrus just holds you calmly, and after a few moments, you regain control over your body.

You take a deep sigh, “Thanks Papyrus.” then groan. “...And now my eyes fucking hurt. God dammit.”

“OF COURSE, HUMAN Y/N. I HAVE A FEELING YOU HAVEN’T EATEN IN A WHILE… OR DRUNK WATER. OR STAND UP.” he answers.

I feel like a kid he needs to take care of. Better lose that habit soon.
“I just sat for too long. I promise I’m fine Papyrus.” you sigh, “But I miiiiiiight have only eaten breakfast... And I miiiiiiight have been too lazy to eat before coming here.”

“Okay the hell just happened?” Red interferes.

“Same.” Stretch adds.

So they’ve never seen a human collapse like this. But in all fairness, Papyrus didn’t as well, before meeting your fainting ass.
“Sorry for scaring you guys, I do that. Sometimes when I get up after sitting or lying for too long, I kinda… faint? Just, a bit of leg weakness and blindness. It’s something about blood pressure.”

“AND THE FACT YOU HAVEN’T EATEN!” Papyrus adds.

“I’m fiiiiiiiine. Just a little— inconvenience.”

Red shakes his head. “Nah, ‘cause from over there it looked like you’d been shot ‘r somethin’. That was fuckin’ frightening.”

“Yeah, gotta agree with Red. Do other humans do this?” Stretch asks.

“Not that I’m aware of. I know my mom and my siblings have that issue, but besides them, I doubt it’s a common thing.” you shrug, “It looks worse than it is. Most of the time, I just go weak for a moment, grab the nearest object and hold onto it for like, 20 seconds or so.”

Stretch raises an eyebrow. If he had eyebrows. How’s he doing that? “And in the lesser times?”

“Uhh…” lesser times? I think I’ve really passed out only once or twice.

“Why are you asking me this? It’s really not a big deal.”

“So you do prefer me being an asshole?” Red grins.

“What? The hell…” you realise, “Wait… You… you were actually worried?”

“Heh. Didn’ know ya got a soft spot for the human, Red.” Stretch mocks.

Red gets visibly angry, but before he can say anything, you speak. “Stretch, don’t be mean! He doesn’t need to have a soft spot for me to try to be a decent person.” you turn to Red, “And it’s nice knowing you care, Red.” you smile.

He looks away. “R-right. Plus, I really wouldn’t want a dead human in our hands.”

Of course he would minimize his feelings. But… His behavior doesn’t rub you the wrong way.
Maybe, because someone close to him acts in an ‘all-tough-no-caring-for-others’ way, too.

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Papyrus made you lunch. Again. He didn’t like the idea of you going home alone without having eaten anything. So you had no choice but to sit in the kitchen, while he was making his pasta. Neither Red or Stretch had wandered off after you explained to them that you, in fact, weren’t dying. Instead, they were both participating in your and Papyrus’s conversation. By listening, mostly. They didn’t speak much. It made you a little self aware how much you were talking.

“I’ve got it! Papyrus, I’m gonna make you a star sticker board!” you chime.

“WHY? IS IT FOR A GAME?” he asks.

You giggle, “I prefer if it was not, but take it as you will. I want to make a sticker board to keep track of the times you’ve done something for me. Like you’re doing now! And then, when you collect, like, five star stickers, I’ll get you a surprise!”

He beams, “WOWIE! THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN! BUT… YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME, HUMAN Y/N, I ENJOY HELPING YOU!”

“I know Papyrus, but I want to show you my gratitude as well. And I feel like the few chocolate boxes I’ve gotten you are just not cutting it anymore. You’ve done more than enough for me already, and I have a feeling you don’t plan on stopping.”

“Hey I want to play too!” Red says.

“Sure, I can play too. It sounds fun.” Stretch adds.

Red grins, “It’ll be even more fun when I beat you!”

Stretch doesn’t seem bothered, “Whatever lets you sleep at night, Red.”

“No guys, it’s not a game!” You sigh, “I don’t want to take advantage of you by trading favors for star stickers.”

Papyrus nods, “I AGREE WITH HUMAN Y/N! BEING NICE IS NOT A COMPETITION, AND YOU DON’T NEED A MOTIVATION TO BE NICE!”

“Bet you’re sayin’ that because you’d lose.” Red countered.

You roll your eyes, “Oh for fuck sake—”

“I THINK THEY CAN STILL PARTICIPATE! I’M NOT! IF IT MAKES YOU BETTER FRIENDS, THEN THAT IS VERY GOOD! I’M GOING TO STILL BE NICE TO YOU BECAUSE YOU’RE MY FRIEND. AND I DON’T EXPECT ANYTHING FROM YOU IN RETURN, Y/N.” Papyrus smiles at you, content. Seems like Red’s words didn’t get to him at all. Good.

You pick on your fingers. “I don’t know… I- I mean… I guess you can. But why?”

“We play a lot of games, because there’s not much happening here to entertain us. And most of the time, it’s a competition, so we can rub it in each other's faces. Or to settle an argument, for example.” Stretch responds.

“And for bonus, I can get to make up for a certain incident, ya know?” Red adds, “Also you said a thing about surprises, which seems also very tempting.”

You smirk, “Wow Red, you managed to sound genuine and suspicious at the same time, again.”

“At this point just tell me no. I feel like I’m losing the last bits of my pride.” he shakes his head.

“A-alright. But I get to make rules up whenever I want. Mostly because I have no idea how this will turn out.” You pick on your hoodie. “I have some rules I thought of right now: no harassing. Like, you don’t get to stand around me and help me do everything, that’s just annoying. And if I tell you to stop, you have to. Especially you, Red.” you point at him.

“C’mon, I said I’m trying to be better!” he responds, raising his hands in a defeated position.

“I’m not taking chances. It may be a game to you, but if I feel threatened, it is nothing less than a life-or-death situation to me.”

“I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT A GAME? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS PLAYING?” Blue interrupts, walking in from the living room.

“RED AND STRETCH ARE COMPETING ON WHO CAN BE NICEST TO Y/N!” Papyrus answers.

Blue gasps, “A GAME OF BEING NICE? CAN I JOIN? PLEASE?” he pleads.

You’re starting to feel overwhelmed. What’s next? Everyone in this house joins in? Then you’ll get no peace! No alone and quiet ever again!

“IF HUMAN Y/N IS FINE WITH IT, BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND BLUE, SHE NEEDS HER OWN SPACE! WE CAN’T OVERCROWD HER, BECAUSE THAT’S THE OPPOSITE OF NICE. YOU TOO, RED AND STRETCH.” Papyrus says.

Nah he’s getting three gold stars for this statement alone! He’s just too good!
“Thank you, Papyrus. Yes, Blue, you can join. But like he said, I don’t want you guys just barging in all the time and trying to do everything for me. It has to be a very calm and nice game. And I will change the rules if I see fit.”

Blue nods, “OF COURSE, HUMAN Y/N. I ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND. AND I, THE MAGNIFICENT S– BLUE, WILL DO MY BEST TO BE AS NICE AND NOT BOTHERING AS I CAN BE!”

“Thank you, Blue.”

“We promise we won’t do anything to make you feel uncomfortable.” Stretch adds, “Right Red?”

He huffs, “I wasn’t plannin’ on doin’ anything! Why am I the one gettin’ beaten down here?”

“Beats me, Red. If I were to guess, it would have something to do with you, me, a taser, and Edge.” you grin.

“WHAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ME?” Edge asks while closing the door behind him.

Red starts sweating. “N-nothin’ boss!”

Edge looks intensely at Red, before going over all of the other faces. Of course, his eyelids land on you last, lingering for a moment that’s wayyyy longer for your liking, before turning to Red again.
“WHAT ARE YOU BUFFOONS ALL DOING?” he asks.

Should I tell him? No way, I’ll definitely die. Or kill someone. Or get cops involved. Maybe even all of them!

Papyrus looks at you with the same question in mind. You know he wants you to get along with everyone, but he would never push you more than you could handle. Especially with someone like Edge.

But he did change… for the better. I think he’s not a bad person. UGHHHH I don’t know!!

Nobody answers him, so Edge pushes, “WELL?” with an irritated tone.

“We were just discussing a game, but you can’t participate.” Stretch answers.

“WHAT? WHY CAN’T I PARTICIPATE?” Edge demands.

“‘Cause you’re not nice enough. And I feel like you would scare the human if you played.” Stretch says, absolutely unbothered.

How can he be so casual?? Doesn’t he feel emotions at all?
You would think Edge would try to demand he could play, but he just says “OKAY,” and walks away.

Oh for fuck sake now I feel bad!

I might change my mind later.

“OH! BUT WHAT ABOUT SANS? CAN HE PARTICIPATE?” Papyrus asks.

“You can tell him he can play. I don’t think he can get worse than Red.” you answer.

Red groans, “I’m never goin’ to live this one down, am I?”

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You stare at your phone. How long have you been here?

You know what? Fuck it. The guilt is going to kill me if I don’t do something.

You hit the call button.

It rings.

“HELLO HUMAN Y/N.” a familiar low and (a little) rough voice answers.

“I– You— Um… Sorry. The- the game… we talked about this afternoon, when you came home… Y-you can still play, if you want to.”

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO LET ME PLAY JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL BAD. I’M NOT STUPID. I UNDERSTAND YOUR DECISION, EVEN IF I DON’T LIKE IT.”

“I– I still think you should play if you really want too… Even if I’m letting you play partly because I feel bad. But only partly! And… this game is… very weird and can come off as me being greedy and just using a bunch of guys for my advantage just because—”

He interrupts you.“Y/N. WHAT IS THIS GAME YOU SPEAK OF?”

“R-right.”

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Chapter Text

You hit the call button.

- “If you’re not gonna talk to a therapist, at least talk to those who care about you. Talk to anyone. You can’t keep this all in. It’ll only get worse.”

Please pick up Papyrus. Please pick up.

It’s too loud. You don’t hear anything going on in your head, but somehow, it’s just way too loud. You try to ground yourself by drawing circles on the ground with your hand.

What do you feel?

The ground is cold. The wood is smooth, but a little dirty. Some crumbs are brushing against my hand.

Calm down.
Calm down.

It’s too loud.

He picks up the phone. ”Hel—”

“I’m really sorry Papyrus I know you’re probably doing your daily plan board thingy but I really need someone to talk to, I’m sorry it’s just my brain is too loud and I thought about existence and the world’s problems and everything wrong and I can’t– I can’t stop thinking–”

But that’s not Papyrus who answered the phone. “S-sorry kid I-I’ll go get Pap–”

You’ve never ended a call faster than right now.

…

Sans heard everything.

And he’s not stupid, you know he’s not stupid.
He’ll figure it out.
He’s never going to look at you the same.
He is going to think you’re just a fragile, tiny, weak human who needs to be treated differently.

Fuck. FUCK. I should’ve KNOWN Papyrus wasn’t on the phone!

He’ll call me back, I’m sure. But it feels stupid that someone else knows. Stupid Sans.

…

No, Y/N, he’s not stupid. Well, he IS, but not for that reason.
It was your fault as well. You didn’t give him a chance to tell you Papyrus wasn’t there.

*Doorbell rings*

Papyrus?

You hear it very quietly, but that’s not Papyrus’s voice. “Kid? Are you there? Are you okay?”

No no no no no no no NO! Why did HE come here?? Why didn’t he just tell Papyrus? Why couldn’t he just leave you alone and pretend he never heard anything?

“Kid, I'm getting worried. I absolutely don’t want to come in without your permission.”

Then go away. Please go away. I can’t face you. I can’t, I can’t–

The voice is now louder. He’s inside. “Kid, please answer. Say anything. Tell me to go away. Just so I know you’re okay.”

Why did you even come in?? Of course I’m not okay! What do you think?? That after an almost stranger heard me pour my heart out on the phone, I’m suddenly okay??

You can hear footsteps coming upstairs, straight towards your room. How does he even know where your room is?

You collect yourself enough to say: “Don’t come in. Go away.” You hate how desperate you sound. How hollow you sound.

The footsteps stop. “Y/N? Oh thank Asgore you’re okay.”

“Go away. Please. Just, forget you heard anything and just go.”

“I- I’m sorry I overheard a-and barged in here but I was so scared I don’t know what I was thinking–” He groans.

“Why do you care? I get that I’m Papyrus’s friend and all, but couldn’t you just send him?”

“You ended the call and I panicked. I… I don’t know what came over me…”

Then go the fuck away! I’m fine! Your presence is not making me feel better!

You sit in silence for a while. You hear some muffled sounds, but it doesn't seem like Sans is planning on leaving.

Great! Just fucking great. Now I’m stuck with him.

The only thing I’ve gotten out of this is that my brain calmed down a bit.

“Why are you still here?”

He doesn’t answer.

“Of course you wouldn’t answer.”

I wonder what is going through his mind right now. Is he thinking of an explanation? Of an excuse?
Is he going to leave? Is he going to keep sitting there until morning?
Would he talk? Would he open up to me?

*knock knock*

“...What are you doing?” you ask, annoyed, “I’m not letting you in.”

“You’re supposed to ask ‘Who’s there’,” Sans answers. He knocks again.

Huh???
Fine. I’ll humor him. “Uhh… Who’s there?”

“Etch.”

He’s… he’s telling a knock knock joke? “Etch… who?”

“Bless you.” he lets out a small laugh.

Bless you? Etch… who… wait. “Oh my god. I fell right into that one.”

“Yeah that’s a classic.” He knocks again.

“Who’s there?”

“Spell.”

“Spell who?”

“Okay: W, H, O.”

“Pffft how was that even worse than the last one?”

“I would say it was pretty Sansational.”

“You’re starting to sound just like Papyrus tells me you are,” you sigh.
“I don’t understand you at all, Sans. And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about! Also, I feel like I should put you on my red list along with Red.”

“I don’t understand me either.” you hear him shuffle a bit. He sighs. “I’m sorry I overheard your inner thoughts that weren’t meant for me… And I’m sorry I came here myself, instead of sending Paps who is actually your friend.”

You scoot from your spot beside the bed to sit next to the closed door.

Sans talks more quietly now.
“I— I think I recognized myself in you.
I don’t…
I think, a lot, when I’m alone. Especially at night.
And sometimes, my mind just won’t shut up, won’t let me do anything besides focus on everything that’s wrong. And I feel like I can never escape it.
It used to be worse when we were still in the underground. Of course, coming to the surface made it a little better, but… I believed… or more so feared, that we might end up back there. I just… couldn’t accept that we were free.
It hurt Papyrus a lot. That I couldn’t move on. It could’ve drifted us apart, further than any other fight or issue could’ve ever done. And mostly because I didn’t want to talk. To open up.
And I’ve tried, so hard to get through this alone, that I forgot he is a person too. I didn’t want to bother him, to make him worry about me so much, but he’s not stupid. He could always see right through me. He just couldn’t make me talk about it.
After a year here, we… We held a celebration for our freedom. I promised myself I would celebrate, and I would be a better, more open me, after that.
And I started taking small steps to try to believe. To trust my friends, open up to them.
To tolerate humans. Besides our ambassador, of course.” he lets out a sad chuckle. How long has he held all this in?

“What I’m… trying to say is, hearing you… in a moment of desperation, trying to escape, I felt like I was back to my old self. And I was scared you might… do something… drastic.
…
So I came here.”

You felt the warm tears against your skin. Not because you felt sorry for him, but how everything he said hit home. How you escaped. How you feared you might go back. How you even wanted to turn back to how everything used to be. And how you lost the only thing, the only person, who kept you grounded.

How you promised yourself you’ll get better. You will make yourself a better future. You won’t give up.

You sniffle. “I hate how similar you’ve felt. Not only because you had to suffer, but because you knew from the words, to the tone, how I was feeling. While I felt a little lonely, I was mostly relieved no one could tell. I’ve never wanted anyone to know. I never want to bother anyone. I don’t want anyone’s pity. That’s also why it’s a little harder for me to open up, besides other issues I have.
I tell myself that it’s okay to let it out. That it’s okay to tell people who care about you. And it’s really hard. Half the time, I’m scared that no one will believe me, or start treating me differently. I don’t want that.”
You try to take some deep breaths, “You know, Papyrus took my first breakdown like a champ. He just offered me water and tissues and waited calmly. I could tell he knew nothing about what I was feeling, but he just sat there, offering me comfort without doing anything. But he never spoke about it, never asked questions, and never pitied me. He always knew when to go back to being his all positive self without making me feel worse. But he didn’t know how I felt. Or at least, not entirely.
And I hoped neither you nor the others would find out.”

Sans sighs, “I think besides Papyrus and maybe Blue, you are the most mentally stable person here, so they probably won’t treat you differently. However, I can understand why you don’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t know if I should be thankful or concerned that I’m the mentally stable one.”

“Me neither,” you hear him get up, “But I think I’ve bothered you enough for one night. I got what I wanted, and I can tell Paps you’re alright. I promise I won’t tell a soul about what I know, and if you want, I can pretend I didn’t hear anythin’.”

You finally get the courage to open the door. He’s a little surprised by it. “Thank you Sans. And no, you don’t have to pretend to be in the dark. As long as you won’t make a big deal out of it. But… I have a feeling you won’t.”

He nods. “I’ll be on my way then.”

“Sans?”
No no no no no Y/n why did you open your mouth??? You’re fine, you can just call Papyrus and talk to him and…
I don’t want to bother him… I feel like I’ve been calling him and venting to him wayyy too much. He’s not my therapist, he has his own feelings and he can’t keep on dealing with mine…
But Sans isn’t a therapist either.

“Kid? You okay?” he asks.

You must’ve zoned out for longer than you thought. “N-nevermind. You probably have stuff to do. And I think Papyrus would like his bedtime story about this time.”

Of course, Sans sees right through you. “Do you… want to talk?”

“No no no you can go, I’m… alright, really. I’m okay…” You’re not convincing him Y/n!

Maybe I don’t want to convince him…?

What… do I want?

“Y/n…” Sans sighs and shakes his head, “You know what? Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Before you can protest, he’s gone. Like, teleported gone.

Of course Red isn’t the only one who can teleport! Great…

Now that I think about it, Sans’s face… his voice… I’m getting deja vu. I’ve seen him somewhere. I can’t be making this up… But where?

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“Y/n?” Sans calls out. He was gone a few moments longer than he thought he would.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“BROTHER… WERE YOU AT HUMAN Y/N’S HOUSE?”

“N-no? What makes you say that? I said I left something in the garage I needed to take care of.”

“BROTHER, WHY DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL? I SAW WHO CALLED ME. AND YOU FORGET I’M FRIENDS WITH Y/N. I KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS UP. YOU HEARD HER CRY, DIDN’T YOU?”

“W-well not necessarily cry… It was more of a… existential crisis she had…”

“AND YOU RUSHED THERE BECAUSE YOU WERE WORRIED WHAT SHE MIGHT DO?”

“N-no!... Maybe…”

“BROTHER.”

“Yes…”

“OH BROTHER… EVEN THOUGH YOU MIGHT’VE SCARED HER AND INVADED HER PRIVACY, IF YOU TALK TO HER JUST LIKE WE TALK TO EACH OTHER, I THINK SHE’LL FORGIVE YOU. THAT’S JUST HOW MUCH OF A FORGIVING PERSON SHE IS.”

“I hope so. One more thing: do you want your bedtime story? ‘Cause I’ve really worked myself down to the bone for today, and just want to turn in.”

“...SHE ASKED IF YOU COULD STAY, DID SHE NOT?”

“...How…?”

“SHE DOESN’T LIKE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD, BUT SHE NEEDS SOMEONE TO TALK TO MORE OFTEN THAN YOU THINK. SHE DOESN’T HAVE ANYONE ELSE, LIKE I HAVE YOU. AND WHEN HER HUMAN BRAIN WON’T LET HER SLEEP AND SHE’S DESPERATE, SHE CALLS ME.”

“That’s why you’ve become so close with her despite the short time you’ve known each other.”

“I WOULD LIKE TO THINK WE’RE CLOSE BECAUSE OF MY ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL BEFRIENDING SKILLS! AND… MAYBE, A LITTLE BECAUSE OF THAT.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“I’m downstairs.” you answer from the living room. You’re sitting on the couch, a blanket wrapped around you and your diary in front of you. You’re finishing marking down today’s events. Mostly the fact that you’re feeling overwhelmed and you’re not sure why.

“Sorry I took so long. Had to… do stuff.” he says, trying to look calm and casual.

You don’t look up from your diary. You’re almost done. “I wouldn’t have minded if you didn’t come back. It’s… it’s not your job to look after me, Sans. We’re barely acquaintances, we don’t know each other that much. You hold no responsibility for me.”

“Welp, there’s one way to change it–” he flops down on the couch, putting a little distance between you and him, but not much, and asks “a penny for your thoughts?”

“I’m having the hardest time figuring you out,” you put down your diary, “I don’t get it. We didn’t interact at all after we made up. I was sure you were uncomfortable around humans for some reason, so I didn’t… do anything. I was fine with not being your friend if that’s what you wanted… But here you are. And I know you explained why, but you didn’t really need to, you could’ve just walked away at any moment, yet you didn’t.” you bring your knees closer to yourself, “What do you want Sans? What are we?”

“Damn, Y/n, you’re asking some hard questions.” he shifts himself, being visibly uncomfortable, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t go out making friends all the time. I’ve known a third of monsterkind for a long time, so I don’t remember the last time I made a friend. Besides our ambassador, but they were doing most of the friendship.”

You look at him for the first time. He doesn’t meet your gaze, but seems like his expression is genuine. He looks confused.

“I don’t like humans. I have my reasons, and I avoid them whenever I can.
And after everything, here you are. Papyrus loves you. He talks the world about you, and tells me that, in some ways, you’re just like Frisk.
I’ve watched how you talk with him, and it pissed me off that you were so… carefree, so calm around him, but when someone else was around, you closed yourself off in some kind of a shell. It wasn’t obvious you were doing that, but I would say I’m pretty good at reading people.
And I didn’t understand. I don’t understand. I’ve really known only one human in my life, and because of that, almost everything humans do, feels out-of-nowhere to me. And it made me wary. Kept me from reaching out.
But that damned phone call… it’s like I heard myself. Like me from the past was calling out to me. And then it kinda clicked. That ‘shell’ I imagined on you wasn’t anything deep, just you being wary and a little uncomfortable. And you had every reason to be, I just didn’t get it.”

You speak before thinking. “You’re such a bonehead.”

“Hey!”

“Pffft you’re telling me you were cautious about me because I’m nervous around people I don’t know? Really?”

“I don’t know! It made much more sense in my head!” He covers his face with his hands. His cheekbones are dusted with blue.

Awww his blush is cute!
Oh shit he must be so embarrassed! Y/n you asshole! Say something!

“Don’t you get nervous around people?” you ask.

He shrugs, “Around humans, maybe wary, but nervous? Not really.”

So it’s either a human thing or a me thing. Or both. “Okay…
Can we talk about something else? I… I feel like I want to process what happened before. I don’t want to think about it anymore right now.”

“...Sure. What do you wanna talk about?”

What do I want to talk about? I don’t know!
You pick on your fingers, trying to come up with anything.
It would be weird to ask about his job… Hobbies? Or I could ask him about the monsters… No, that would be weird. Or maybe not? Fuck I suck at small talk!

He finally gets the hint and asks, “How did you come in contact with the monsters? I feel like Papyrus wasn’t the first monster you’ve talked to.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Papyrus wasn’t the first monster. You probably know who Mrs. Toriel is.”

“Tori, huh? Yeah, I know her. She’s probably the best example of the monsters. Besides Pap, of course.”

“I guess? So I actually met her by accident. When I first started college, I thought about pursuing a career my mother wanted. I couldn’t really fit in and I was having a hard time, so I dropped out. My auntie suggested I get a job until I can apply again for a different major. But because I was a dropout with only high school education, I didn’t have the best of luck. Until I found a part-time job advertisement, from a small school, to be a caretaker and look after children on break time. And in case of need, substitute in some of the smaller childrens’ classes. Took it without a second guess.”

You pause your story to bring your laptop. It has some pictures on it of your first few days.

“My interview was with her. When I came in, I immediately panicked and froze, but she was very calm about the whole situation. Talked to me in a very soothing voice, never shortened the distance between us, and was overall very understanding. She scheduled me for a second interview, which she later told me was just so I could actually answer her questions. I was too scared the first time,” you show him the picture you let someone take on your first ‘work’ day. It’s in the teachers’ break room, with most of the teachers, you and Toriel. And then another picture Toriel took of you, when you played with the children for the first time. And a picture of the bench, your spot, with your name on it.

“And you still work with her?”

“Yeah… she’s amazing. I can see why children like her, I can see why she’s so popular, and I can tell she’s a good friend. Or as close to a friend as I can get. I think.”

“Tori brings out the best in people. That’s kinda her specialty, one would even say. And she’s got a real goat sense of humor.”

“That… that was so bad.”

“Whaaat? Wasn’t my pun enough… humerus?”

“Oh my god stop.”

“You’re smiling, and that sans enough.”

“Yeah yeah your terrible puns have their own charm to them.” you roll your eyes. More for a dramatic effect than being actually annoyed.

“So what do you do, Sans the skeleton? Do you really sit around all the time and tell bad puns or do you have other hobbies?”

He leans back on his seat and tilts his head slightly upwards.

He really takes his time, answering your questions. The quietness is slowly making your brain go overdrive again.

What are you thinking, Sans? Do you really wish to hide everything even slightly personal about you from me?

…

What are you afraid of?

“I like… stars.” he looks at you. Your heart skips a beat.

That look in his eyes… It’s hard for him. He’s really trying. He’s really trying to open up, even when his instincts tell him not to. And the emotions in his eyes. It’s all real. You look into those two white dots that you thought you couldn’t read, and you recognize yourself in them.

You almost never talk.

You always listen.

He almost never talks.

He always listens.

You open your mouth to say something, but stop yourself.

What were you about to say??? That his eyes reflect yours? What the hell Y/n that is so cringe! You don’t go around telling people that! Especially ones you don’t know much yet!

Oh my god why am I embarrassed?? I didn’t even speak! Okay, I need to say something.

Your face feels hot. You try to ignore it. “Before, or after you came to the surface?”

His smile widens, “Definitely before. We didn’t have real stars, only cave crystals, but we had books. I’ve probably read every book about stars in the underground. And most physics books as well.”

You ask him about stars. What he thought they looked like. What he thought they felt like. And he kept talking. Like something had really, really changed in him. He even showed you pictures from his phone, about times when Papyrus went star-gazing with him.

You feel your brain starting to calm down. His voice is actually quite soothing in this situation. You shuffle every once in a while and nod along to his story, but don’t talk much.
And even though you try to keep your head straight, your eyes feel heavier and heavier.

Just like all those times Papyrus talked you to sleep.

Just like auntie used to.

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You slowly wake up to the sunlight coming through the window. It’s very bright.

When did you fall asleep? You hope Sans didn’t mind that you fell asleep in the middle of a conversation. You remembered bits and pieces of it.

Wait.

Sans???

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Chapter Text

You were used to having uninteresting or just “nothing” dreams. The emptiness surrounded you, the darkness comforted your brain while you rested, recovered, from whatever happened yesterday, stored ideas and memories and forgot what wasn’t important. You didn’t remember almost any of your dreams, and just left their description on your journal like you’re feeling now - nothingness and darkness.
Slowly, you’re feeling more active. You’re almost thinking, in this dreaming state. How are you remembering this? How are you actively feeling a “nothingness” dream? This dullness and boringness feels… threatening? Is this something in your dream… or outside?
Out of the darkness, shadows form, creating creatures that you couldn’t describe, and they surround you. You discover you’re suddenly equipped with a some sort of sword, and that you’re now swinging it at the figures. But it’s pointless. Even if it’s hitting them, it’s not doing anything to them. At some point, you vaguely feel your physical body shift uncomfortably, like something is wrong. You almost wake up, before your dreams are filled with light.

You notice the sky, light blue, with white, small, fluffy clouds, surrounding your vision. And the sun, that is so warm and welcoming, you could almost feel it on your skin. You lay down, on a field covered in tulips of every color you could think of - blue, green, yellow, red, pink, white, orange, purple and more. But you’re not alone. There is another figure beside you. You can’t make out who it is, but you just know, they’re not a threat. Something about them is so familiar, so friendly and warm, it soothes you. They smile.

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“Come on Papyrus, it's just a game. A game you’re about to loooose~” you grin.

Papyrus was staring at the jenga tower for over 3 minutes now. He had tried to move at least 10 bricks, with no luck.

“NO! I REFUSE TO BE DEFEATED!” he answers.

“But you win all the time! Can’t a girl get one win in her book?”

When you came here, you thought Papyrus was home alone, because it was awfully quiet, even when he assured you that it was normal. Turns out you were wrong.
“WHAT ARE YOU GUYS— OH.” Blue asks while walking down the stairs.

“Hi Blue! We’re playing and Papyrus is about to loooose~” you gesture your hands in his direction.

“CAN I PLAY?” he asks.

“Of course! After we’re done here. Come on Papyrus, there’s no way you’re going to–” before you finish, Papyrus indeed pulls a brick out of the tower successfully.

“YES! I DID IT!” he announces.

You groan, and start looking for an opening in the brick tower.
Suddenly, it falls over! “Ha! I win!” you shout and jump up from your spot. Big mistake.

“Oh shit—” you try to grab onto anything that’s nearest. And this happens to be Blue. “Sorry! I’m fine.” Your legs feel weak but at least most of your sight remains. Even when it is all blurry.

“HUMAN! WHAT IS WRONG? WHY ARE YOU SO PALE? ARE YOU GOING TO DIE?” Blue panics. But bless him, he doesn’t let go of you. Also, he is stronger than he looks.

“I’m fine! I’m fine! I’m just a little weak.” you hold onto him for a good few uncomfortable moments before you regain your strength.
“I’m really sorry I scared you Blue. This is a thing I do. I just stood up too quickly and my blood pressure dropped… or something. It’s really nothing.”

“W-WELL… IT’S GOOD THAT YOU’RE ALRIGHT, BUT YOU SHOULD REALLY TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF!” he scoffs.

You shrug, “There’s not much I can do about it but I’ll try. So,” you clap your hands together, “Do you wanna lose in jenga too or do you want to play something else?”

“WHAT ABOUT MY PUZZLE? CAN WE DO THAT?” Papyrus asks.

“Sure.”

“WHAT? YOU MEAN THAT SMALL OBJECT YOU WORKED ON FOR A WEEK?” Blue asks.

Papyrus stands up. “HEY! NOT ALL PUZZLES HAVE TO BE BIG TO BE FUN!”

“I STILL PREFER PUZZLES THAT ARE BIG ENOUGH TO FILL THE BACKYARD. YOU KNOW. LIKE THE ONE I MADE AT THE BACKYARD.”

“Then how about we do both of them?” you propose.

“BOTH?” they ask in unison.

You nod, “Why don’t we see what Papyrus made, and then what you made, Blue? That way, we can all have fun!” you get the odd feeling like you’re talking to preschoolers.

Papyrus beams at the idea, but Blue seems a little reluctant. In the end, he nods, slowly.

“Great! What have you got for us, Papyrus?”

Blue looks like he’s still worried about you. Papyrus walks upstairs and is gone for a moment (an awkward one, even when you tell yourself for a hundred times that it’s fine), and comes back with a cardboard box.
In the box, there are a lot of blocks, all in different sizes and shapes.

“TO SOLVE THIS PUZZLE, YOU MUST CONNECT ALL THE SHAPES TOGETHER TO FORM A SCULPTURE! BUT EVERY PIECE CONNECTS TO A SPECIFIC PIECE AT A SPECIFIC ANGLE!” Papyrus states.

You look at all the blocks now scattered on the floor.
Damn, Papyrus is so creative! How did he come up with such a mechanism? And more importantly, how can I solve it? There must be another way to connect them besides just guessing…

Blue notices your look, and says: “DON’T WORRY Y/N! I’M A MASTER OF PUZZLES! I’M SURE THAT TOGETHER, WE CAN SOLVE IT WITHOUT HAVING TO TRY ALL THE RANDOM COMBINATIONS!” he picks up to pieces, examines them for a moment, and puts them together. They stay put.

“Wha- How did you know?” You ask, looking at the piece.

He grins. “MWEH HEH HEH! I TOLD YOU I’M A MASTER OF PUZZLES!” he looks around in the pile again and picks up two new pieces, “LOOK AT THESE BLOCKS, Y/N. DO YOU SEE SOMETHING?”

You look at them. One is a bigger, round block, which has two pieces cut out of it, making two flat sides. The other block is smaller, and looks like one of the pieces from tetris, except one part is stretched out to make a circle side…

“They both have a side that matches?”

“EXACTLY!”

“That’s… easier than I thought.” you look at Papyrus.

He looks happy. He gives you a thumbs up and you get back to the puzzle.

Blue does most of the work, while you struggle to find any matching pieces. Even with his discovery, you feel like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. You should really pick up your puzzle solving hobby again. You wonder if auntie has some puzzles stashed away. Thinking about her and her house makes your heart still ache, and you try to distract yourself. You don’t want to cry. You’ve been doing it a lot lately, and it’s really annoying.

“ARE YOU OKAY Y/N?” Blue asks.

He catches you off-guard. “What? Oh yeah, I’m fine,” you look away, “I’m just thinking about someone. Someone I miss a lot.”

Blue puts a hand on your shoulder. “I KNOW THE FEELING. I MISS SOME OF MY FRIENDS TOO.”

You smile. Blue goes back to finishing the puzzle, and you see how the look in his eyes has changed. You’re not sure what it is, but it’s probably good.

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“How the hell did you even build this??” you’re flabbergasted. The whole skeleton household backyard is covered with ropes and support beams, making what you can only describe as a giant dancefloor. Ropes round the different colored squares, and it feels magical. Literally. Since your incidents with Edge and Red, you’ve started to sense the skeletons’ magic. To some extent. And this is definitely using magic. A lot of it.

Blue smirks, “I HAVE MY WAYS. I’M A MASTER OF PUZZLES. I USED TO MAKE LOTS OF THEM BACK UNDERGROUND TO CAP— TO… KEEP MY HOMETOWN SAFE! FROM INTRUDERS!”

“So how does it work?” you ask.

“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED! THIS PUZZLE IS A COLOR TILE PUZZLE! TO GET THROUGH THIS, YOU HAVE TO WALK OVER THE ROPES. HOWEVER, YOU CAN ENTER A COLORED TILE FROM ONLY A CERTAIN SIDE! TO STEP INTO THE RED ONES, YOU HAVE TO WALK IN FROM THE LEFT, TO YELLOW ONES, ON THE RIGHT, THE BLUE ONES, FROM THE CLOSER SIDE TO US, AND THE GREEN ONES, FROM THE FARTHER SIDE TO US! AND JUST IN CASE, I HAVE PLACED A SMALL COLOR STICKER ON EVERY SIDE OF EACH TILE, SO YOU KNOW WHICH SIDE IS WHICH COLOR!”

“Thank god,” you exhale, “But… What about the white ones?”

“THE WHITE ONES DON’T DO ANYTHING. WALK ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE.”

“Oh, okay. What’s the goal? To get to the other side?”

“YOU HAVE TO REACH THE SHED! ONCE YOU’RE THERE, I WILL DEACTIVATE THE PUZZLE AND YOU CAN WALK OUT!”

“Wait, deactivate? Deactivate what?”

“THE ELECTRIC SHOCKER! IF YOU WALK THROUGH THE WRONG SIDE, IT WILL SHOCK YOU!”

“Whoa whoa whoa okay, Blue, rollback. How much do you know about human biology?”

“WELL, NOT MUCH. WHY?”

You take a deep breath. “So… I, a human, am very sensitive to electricity. If a human gets electrocuted, then a shock stronger than 0.05 amperes is lethal. And if the shock dealt in your puzzle is stronger than that, I will literally die. If I do it wrong. Do you see a problem?”

Blue takes a moment to process what you said. “OH NO! I’M SO SORRY HUMAN Y/N, I DIDN’T KNOW!” he takes your hands, “I PROMISE I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT YOU! WE CAN JUST DO THE PUZZLE WITHOUT THE MAGIC!”
His frightened reaction startles you. Also the hand holding. You avoid eye-contact. “I-I-It’s okay Blue. I know you didn’t mean any harm. And besides, no one got hurt.” you can just feel how sweaty your hands are. You feel too awkward to move or comment on it.

Papyrus, your savior, grabs Blue’s attention: “WHERE CAN YOU TURN THE MAGIC ELECTRIC THINGY OFF?”

After Blue calms down and assures you a thousand times that the puzzle is now safe, you start trying. The thing is, Blue doesn’t tell you which side you’re supposed to begin from. You walk around the whole thing a couple of times, trying to think of a strategy.

“Y/N, DO YOU NEED HELP?” Papyrus asks.

You shake your head, and walk away from him, “Thank you Papyrus, but I can do this. I just need a little time.”

“ONE MORE THING!” Blue yells from his spot besides the house, “THERE ISN’T ONE ANSWER! YOU CAN MAKE IT IN MULTIPLE WAYS!”

So even if Papyrus figures it out, I can just try an alternative route to try to solve it myself. Cool.
You give Blue a thumbs up and step on the first tile. You can see at least four next steps you can take. A good start. While you hop over the ropes, you quietly sing:

“~Uptown funk you up, uptown funk you up,
Uptown funk you up, uptown funk you up~”

That song has been looping in your head for hours now, and somehow, it feels very fitting for this puzzle. You grin.

You’re sure you’ve been at it for at least an hour, but you can’t give up anymore, you’re so close! Papyrus is already finished, of course, and both of them are watching you struggle, while cheering for you. You take three steps back again, and try a different route than before.
Fortunately, you can see the solution after that one turn. You make overjoyed sounds as you step through the last tile and jump into the square clean of puzzles, that is surrounding the shed, and touch the shed’s doorknob to finish your run. You turn to do a victory dance to Papyrus, but the whole room around the shed is suddenly surrounded by a small barrier.

You hear a loud alarm, and it feels like it is screaming from inside you. It makes you want to throw up.

Blue is instantly up and waving his hands, probably yelling something, but you have a feeling that this barrier is blocking his attempts to talk to you.

You cover your ears, trying to think. Trying to breathe.

Why the fuck did I do that? What the hell is this thing?? Why is this shed under an alarm? And an even better question, why was I allowed near it when it was obviously being protected for a reason?

Your hands are sweaty, your head hurts and the alarm inside your ears just doesn’t get quieter. It’s like the more your ears get used to it, the louder it gets. You try to get close to the barrier to perhaps try to get through it, somehow, but you can feel powerful magic radiating out of it.
Probably not the best idea to touch it. Desperation tears corner your eyes.
You look around you, trying to find anything that could help you.

Please,
I just want this to be over.
Please, make it stop.
Help me. Please!

You yell out Papyrus’s name. You yell out Blue’s name. For some reason, you even yell Sans’s name.

And a figure teleports right in front of you.
Sans.

In all other of the other moments you’ve been in the same room with him, a noticeable awkwardness hangs between you two. Even when you try to get used to each other, make friends with each other, it hasn’t really gone away.

But at this moment, he is the most comforting person ever.

You launch yourself into his arms without even thinking. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry Sans. Please, just make it stop! It’s so loud, I can’t—“ your face is warm and tears escape from your eyes.
He’ll help me. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.

But what went through Sans’ mind was a whole different idea…

“I knew it! I knew she wasn’t good! How could she—
…
What?
…
Oh. Oh Asgore help me.
I’m an idiot.
I… how could I think so low of her…
She’s so scared, so helpless, and I…
I’m… so sorry, Y/N.”

He hugs you back. Slowly, you feel the pressure of the noise lower, and go completely away. You don’t understand how he’s doing this, but you don’t care. The quietness resumes, and you can hear your own breathing, that you now slowly try to calm.

You take your time letting go of Sans. He lets you go with no questions. Just like last time.
And the look on his face… it’s soft, best described.
He doesn’t seem too concerned with why you’re here.

You rub your eyes with your sleeves, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would happen. I had no intention of invading your private property.” You realise how much your throat hurts. Were you screaming before?

Sans turns his head towards the shed. “It’s alright. Just… don’t do it again. For my sake, and yours.”

You smirk, still teary-eyed, “Duly noted.”

“OH MY ASGORE Y/N, ARE YOU OKAY?” Papyrus approaches, Blue right beside him.

You give him a hug. “I’m okay, just… very startled.”

He pets your head. You’ve hugged him only a couple of times, never sure when was the right moment to do so. He always seemed so okay with hugs, but you were so scared of making him uncomfortable… and of course, your own thing with hugs.
Right now was probably one of the most obvious moments when you could hug him. He’s comforting you, and you need reassurance. It’s nice.
Maybe in the near future, you can hug him more without thinking about it this much.

Blue is almost on the verge of crying too. At least you think he is. “I’M SO SORRY Y/N! I PUT YOU IN DANGER AGAIN! IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO FORGIVE ME FOR SUCH MISTAKES?”

You’re trying to figure out if he’s dramatic naturally or pretending.

“I’LL DO ANYTHING! I WILL MAKE YOU LOTS OF GOOD PUZZLES THAT ARE SAFE TO SOLVE! AND I’LL… WELL, I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE I WOULD DO, BUT! I’LL FIGURE IT OUT!”

Yep. He’s definitely serious.
“Blue, it’s okay. Yes, this could’ve gone better, but you can’t blame it all on yourself. I shouldn’t touch random stuff on someone else's property. You don’t need to redeem yourself.”

A certain relaxed and weirdly neutral voice speaks up from behind you: “False alarm, huh? Geez kid, way to make us stand on the tip of our toes.” Stretch leans on the side of the shed.

“PA– BROTHER, IT WASN’T HER FAULT, IT WAS MINE,” Blue answers.

Stretch lets out a little laugh, “‘m not blamin’ anyone. And I know you tend to get carried away, bro.”

“That at least showed that the alarm works. And I hope I never have to use it again.” Sans says, “But it seems like neither Red nor Edge got the call.”

“Highly doubt that Edge didn’ get it, but Red’s probably asleep.” Stretch shrugs.

Sans shakes his head.

You realise you’re still clinging onto Papyrus’s hand, and slowly let go. Your face feels warm and the ground looks really interesting now. Your head is spinning a little. Actually, it’s spinning a lot? Did that alarm thingy mess your head up?
Just to be safe, you sit down on the ground. Everyone immediately notices.

“Y/N? ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE OKAY?” Papyrus asks, kneeling beside you.

You shake your head a little. “My head is spinning. Whatever that alarm thingy was, it really got into my head. Literally. It was like a constant ringing that just got louder every time my ears got used to it, and somehow I can still hear it. It’s creeping me out.” You close your eyes, trying to focus on your breathing. You take deep breaths, and the ringing is getting quieter, but it doesn’t stop.

“I’LL GO GET YOU A GLASS OF WATER,” Blue answers. You take a look at him again. He must feel so guilty, but you don’t know how to make him feel better.

Behind where he’s standing, is a figure. A see-through person who’s glowing.
“G-guys…? A-are you seeing w-what I’m seeing?” you ask, pointing at the stranger.

They twitch, and answer, “Y-you can see m-me?”

Sans steps closer to you, “Uhh, kid? What exactly are you pointing at? There’s no one there…”

”You can see me! Incredible!” the stranger chimes.

You start shaking. “Motherfucker. I can see ghosts now.”

Chapter Text

Me, with a ghost and six skeletons in the same room. I’m actually living in a fantasy world. Just not the one I always dreamed about. Great.

“Okay, someone needs ta give me a quick rundown of this whole situation. What the hell happened?” Red asks.

“This whole situation is so exciting!” the ghost tells you.

Her mouth is moving, but there isn’t a sound. It’s more like… it’s coming from your own head. And the ringing stopped at the same time the ghost appeared… That whole alarm fiasco must’ve done something. What the hell are they hiding back there?

“Maybe to you, Miranda, but I feel like I’m losing my mind, and I don’t like how calm I feel at the same time. Like my mind’s disconnected from my body.” you answer monotonically.

“Well, when we figure out what triggered it, we can reverse it! Even though I prefer this. It feels great to exist again. Even though I don’t remember not existing… or something.” she says, flying over your head.

You interrupt whatever the skeletons were saying. “Can’t any of you use your magic to figure something out? This is definitely a magic related fenomen, and by that means, it’s out of my hands. I don’t do magic.”

“Heh heh. Oh sweetheart. You ARE doing magic. You’re just not controlling it.” Red throws back.

You blink repeatedly. “Wait, what?! I’m doing magic? How? As far as I know, humans don’t have magic!”

Stretch “Heh. How do you think we ended up underground, darling? The seven human wizards sealed us there. Key-word being humans.”

“They have quite the nicknames for you, Y/N~” the ghost whispers to you and giggles.

“Shut it, Miranda!” you shoot back. You know you’re going to turn red if you think about it too much. You sigh. “I haven’t thought about it at all. I used to think it was just a fairytale,” you process what you just said, and laugh, “But then again, I thought monsters were a myth too. And I have talked to more monsters than I probably have humans.”
Damn I sound depressing. And like I have no social skills. Which I actually don’t have.

Miranda, of course, doesn’t take any offence by your tone to her. She floats around like she has no care in the world. And she’s also weirdly close to Edge, who arrived the latest, but hasn’t said a thing. You try to ignore it, but you can’t stop the corners of your mouth from moving up a bit. She is making this serious matter as non-serious as possible.

“So I can talk to a ghost, but the question is how did she get here and why am I the only one who can see her? Also I feel like if I can see ghosts, there’s going to be more than just one. And I don't know if I can handle any more.”

“Shouldn’t you ask me why I’m here? Also what’s up with this guy? He looks like he wants to punch someone.” the ghost says.

“He just is like this, don’t mind him. Also I feel like he knows you’re there so don’t test him. Maybe he can punch ghosts too,” you warn her. Miranda doesn’t seem too bothered, but everyone else is giving you confused looks, except for Edge.

“Riiight. To answer your previous question, I think the ghost was always here, you just couldn’t see it,” Sans proposes, “and to see it, your magic was activated and now we just need to deactivate it. Somehow.”

“PERHAPS WE COULD CALL ALPHYS? SHE’S SMART AND KNOWS A LOT ABOUT MAGIC!” Papyrus suggests.

You cross your hands. “Firstly, Sans, she’s not a ‘it’, her name is Miranda. Secondly, how do you deactivate your magic? Maybe I can do it like you guys do?”

Blue answers for Sans: “IT’S NOT AS SIMPLE AS DEACTIVATING IT, HUMAN Y/N! WE ARE MADE OF MAGIC, AND WE CAN'T ACTUALLY ‘TURN IT OFF’ BECAUSE WE WILL CEASE TO EXIST THEN! WE ALSO KNOW HOW TO CONTROL OUR MAGIC BECAUSE WE’VE LIVED WITH IT OUR WHOLE LIFE. IT’S CONNECTED WITH EVERYTHING WE KNOW AND ARE!”

“What he said,” Stretch seconds.

“Have ya tried to deactivate it y’self sweetheart?” Red asks.

You are now painfully aware of the name calling but don’t want to deal with it right now. You instead focus on if you can feel your ‘magic’. Before, you heard ringing in your head that wanted to bust out, but now? You don’t feel anything out of place. Like the magic has been here the whole time.
I have magic. Magic I never knew about. It feels so natural… Can any other human do this too? Maybe someone in my family? But it only activated when I was hit with— that’s it!

“Sans, was the alarm system also magic?” you ask.

“Yeah?” he answers, tilting his head.

“So if magic was–” you suddenly feel very drained. It hits you so randomly, you lose your sense of balance, and start falling. But you’re not caught by Papyrus… Edge holds you in a tight grip, without hurting you.

“EXACTLY HOW IT THOUGHT THIS WOULD END UP,” is all he says, while lowering you to the ground.

Everything starts to get blurry. You feel so tired, like you haven’t slept in days…

--------------------------------------------------------------------
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“OH NO! IS HER BLOOD PRESSURE THINGY BAD AGAIN?! WHAT DO WE DO?” Blue asks Papyrus.

Papyrus looks at you. “I DON’T THINK THIS IS HER BLOOD PRESSURE DROPPING, BLUE. I WOULD KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, AND IT’S MOSTLY AN ISSUE IF SHE STANDS UP TOO QUICKLY.”

“BECAUSE SHE PASSED OUT OF EXHAUSTION. YOU IDIOTS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SOLVE THIS FOR WHAT? AN HOUR? OR EVEN LONGER? AS A PERSON WHO HAS NEVER USED MAGIC ACTIVELY BEFORE, ESPECIALLY A HUMAN, SHE WAS BOUND TO GET TIRED! AND I THINK I FIGURED OUT HOW SHE WAS USING HER MAGIC.” Edge talks without any emotion in his voice. He would’ve liked for you to stay awake while he scolded all those idiots and you. You, you fragile stupid human, who doesn’t know how to properly take care of yourself, yet try so hard to look like you’re okay in front of others.

“Ya do? What is it, boss?” Red asks. He has that… particular look in his face. Edge doesn’t like it.

“LIKE HELL I’M GOING TO TELL YOU MORONS. MAYBE I’LL TELL THE HUMAN, AND SHE CAN CHOOSE IF SHE WANTS SUCH VALUABLE INFORMATION TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE MONSTERS WHO’VE PUT HER IN A LOT OF DANGER ALREADY.” he grins.

“Like you're any better. At least none of us haven’ tried to kill ‘er,” Stretch fires back.

Papyrus picks you up gently and carries you to the couch. He feels bad for not being able to help you, but… You are strong, and somehow, despite what you have told him, you’ve made plenty of friends here. Even if out of all the people, Edge is the one who holds information about your magic in his hands, he still wants to help you, not hurt you. And that’s rare for Edge.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
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You groan uncomfortably. “What happened?”

“YOU PASSED OUT. EDGE SAYS IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF MAGIC YOU USED. HOW DO YOU FEEL?” Papyrus sits right beside you on the couch.

“I feel very tired. How long was I out for?” you look around. Firstly, it’s dark outside. Secondly, no ghost in sight. “Miranda’s gone. I don’t see any ghosts. Is that bad?”

“YOU HAVE SLEPT FOR AROUND FIVE HOURS. AND YOUR MAGIC MOST LIKELY DEACTIVATED WHEN YOU PASSED OUT. I DON’T KNOW IF IT’LL COME BACK.” Papyrus keeps staring at you. Like, really staring.

“Papyrus, what’s wrong?” you ask.

He shifts in his spot, before saying: “I’M JUST WORRIED ABOUT YOU. WEIRD STUFF KEEPS HAPPENING EVERY TIME YOU’RE HERE. I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOU FROM… THINGS,” he sighs.

You pull yourself up and put a hand on his shoulder. It’s not a hug but it’ll do.
“Papyrus, you have done so much for me, and protected me from things as best as you could. You don’t have to feel bad, I’m an adult, and if I get into some trouble, I’m expected to be able to handle it on my own. And if it makes you feel better, you’ve done a darn good job at guarding me. Even now, you probably sat here the whole time, putting me before yourself. You are the best, the most awesome friend I could ever have. I couldn’t ask for anything other than this.” you smile.

He smiles back, but there is that hesitation in his eyes. You’re fine, nothing is broken and– the gift!

“I just remembered! Wait here.” you jump up from your spot, and feel a little light-headed for a moment, but proceed to walk to where you left your bag before. “Here.”

You hand Papyrus an action figure you found. You weren’t sure which one to get, so you took a wild guess and got him one from an anime he mentioned. He has been so nice. And helped you be more positive, open, social and just overall better. Papyrus has been everything you’ve ever wanted from a friend and even more. And you’re not even close to giving him back all the kindness he’s given to you.

“OH MY ASGORE! YOU GOT ME AN ACTION FIGURE! WOWIE! Y/N, YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO. I ENJOY BEING YOUR FRIEND AND HELPING YOU OUT!” he says while inspecting the package.

“I know, but you deserve it. Even if I don’t have to, I still will. Just like you do!” you answer. You pull out your journal and look over the star-stickers.

“CAN I SEE?” Papyrus asks.

You giggle. “Don’t worry Papyrus, you’re still first.”

“WELL OF COURSE I AM! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AFTERALL!” he proudly announces, “BUT I ALSO WANT TO SEE HOW OTHERS ARE DOING.”

Not even close, but next to him, you have Sans with four stars. Then Blue with three, Red and Edge with two and Stretch is sitting on one.
“INTERESTING. HAVE YOU TOLD ANY OF THEM?”

“What? So they’d rip each other's heads off? No thanks. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of it.”

“WELL, I WANT TO BELIEVE THEY WOULDN’T, BUT YOU’RE PROBABLY RIGHT.”

“What time is it? Oh it’s that late… Do you want any… help with dinner? While I’m already here.”

“OH Y/N, YOU’RE TOO NICE. NO, I WANT YOU TO RELAX A BIT. YOU DID EXHAUST YOURSELF A LOT PROBABLY. I WILL MAKE THE FOOD, AND YOU CAN… WELL I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO, BUT YOU WILL MOST CERTAINLY RELAX!”

“Actually, I think I might step outside for a moment.”

“DO YOU WANT TO EXAMINE THE SHED? BECAUSE THE PUZZLE IS PROBABLY TURNED ON AGAIN. AND ALSO THE ALARM.”

“I really want to ask but I’m going to be a polite guest and keep my nose out of your business. Yes, I wanted to look at it. It activated magic I didn’t even know I had. I’m… confused. And curious. I mean… What else can I do? Can I see other things too besides ghosts? Or maybe make something? I have so many questions.”

“I CAN ASK MY DEAR FRIEND ALPHYS IF SHE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT HUMAN MAGIC IF YOU WANT?”

“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Papyrus. I’m still going to breathe some fresh air. Maybe I’ll come up with something.”

“OF COURSE. AND, NO NEED TO THANK ME. I’M HAPPY TO HELP,” he stands up, “I KNOW YOU WOULD HELP ME IF I NEEDED IT,” and walks away.

You sit there for a couple of minutes, thinking about magic, trying to reach it. Maybe it’s hidden somewhere in your mind?
Of course, nothing really happens. Defeated, you walk to the door leading to the back-yard.

Even though it’s night, the puzzle is still a little visible. Glowing tiles. They’re pretty. But… it’s no use, I can’t figure the magic behind it out from this distance. And I’m not getting closer to that shed. I don’t want Sans giving me cold looks for no reason again, and I also do not want whatever happened before to happen again. Even if it revealed the coolest thing ever.

Magic huh?
Well, mom used to say that I’m magical.

I miss you mom. And dad. And I miss auntie too.

I wonder if I could see her ghost. Or spirit or something.

“Looking to break in while no one’s watchin’?” you hear from behind you.

“Nope, because someone apparently is watching,” you answer without turning around, “So I’m assuming you’re here to make sure I don’t try something funny.”

“Nah, just havin’ a smoke break. My bro doesn’t like when I smoke, so I just do it where he can’t see.”

“Good to know in case I need to blackmail you in the future,” you look at Stretch to see if you got any reaction out of him. Even if your harmless threat did something to him, he’s not showing it.

He just shrugs, “Good luck with that.”

You stand around for another few moments. You wonder what it’s like to use magic all the time. Like the monsters apparently do.
“How does magic work?”

“Darn, Y/n, you ask a lot of hard questions,” is all you get from him.

You would think he would elaborate, but Stretch is very quiet. Like he is most of the time. Much to your dismay. But instead of giving up and going inside, you start to walk around the puzzle. You feel like you might look silly, but maybe a little walking will help clear your head and come up with something. It’s better than just standing. Your brain could not handle it. Ironically, it makes you think of the Coldplay song “Magic”, even though it’s not even related to it in any way. You hum the familiar tune, thinking about its words.
You remember how much music you listened to back home. How much you sang. Oh how you love to sing.

And you have that feeling again. But it’s not that ringing in your head anymore. It feels like… something else. Like your senses are… increased. Like you can… It’s so familiar, yet unknown? It tingles inside your head, and you feel the warmness in your hands. But should you release it? Can you handle another tiring session of magic?

But… it feels so… tempting…

“Y/n? Are you okay? You’ve been staring at the ground for a little alarming amount of time now,” Stretch asks, snapping you out of the trance.

The heavy feeling backs up a bit, but is still very much there. “I… I don’t know.”

You both stand there like idiots. He’s looking at you, and you’re avoiding his eyes at all costs.

“What… did you feel?” Stretch finally asks.

“Like I was more… aware? It felt like I was reaching for something I had lost long ago, and it made me feel more… more I don’t even know what. I don't even know how to describe it,” you say.

“And that’s the exact reason why I don’t know how magic works.” He sighs.
“It’s more of a something you feel, not… do. Magic is a monster's expression of who they are. What they’re like, what their fighting style is and all. Monster magic is about… intention. Like, when I summon a bone,” he indeed summons a bone. It’s orange and glowing a little. “The question is, what I’m going to do with it. If I wanted to attack someone with it, it could potentially do a lot of harm. But right now?” he moves his hand through the bone, “it’s harmless. Because I’m demonstrating a point. You wanna try?”

You nod and slowly move your hand through the glowing bone. You feel a little tingle, that you’ve labeled as ‘what magic feels like’, and it doesn’t really do anything to you. Like he said. Harmless.

“Of course, for it to actually damage someone, they or it has to be a standing still object,” he shrugs, “this bone is orange. It hurts anyone who is touching it and not moving.”

Orange is for moving? Kind of ironic considering Stretch. You snicker.

“What? Is my attack tickling your funny bone?” Stretch asks.

You process what he said. “Oh my god. That was so bad.”

“Whaaat? Come on Y/n, don’t attack me like that.”

“Oh you guys and your skele-ton of puns. Makes me re-think a lot of things.”

“But you’re smiling. So it’s a win in my book,” he smiles.

You observe him closely. It feels so real… and warm. Why does he feel the need to hide behind a mask?
But you’re not going to ask him. You can’t ask someone something like that. It’s weird, and you’ll sound creepy. You might drive him further away.

The tingling in your head is now tingling in your hands. Like they want to do something. It’s all about intention. So if I release my magic now, it’s because I want to help him or something. Be nice to him. It’s about me being a good person. I hope.

So you try to… feel your magic. To materialize it.

You look at your hands. They’re glowing… green. It’s beautiful. You look at Stretch. He looks just as mesmerised and surprised as you. You don’t exactly know what to do, but your body, apparently, does. You take a step closer to Stretch and stretch out your hands, inviting him to take them.

It was barely noticeable, but you could see how he was backing up a little.

He looks at you for what seems like forever. His face is back to neutral, but you can see how much he’s hesitating. He’s scared of you. At some point, you realised, they all were. Humans had done so much bad to the monsters, who hadn’t done anything to them. They couldn’t trust anyone. They couldn’t understand the humans' motives, but an angry human’s intentions were very clear. So seeing a human, who wasn’t angry, but awfully nice to them must’ve been very suspicious. Very hard to read, to predict.

In the end, he slowly takes your hands. You feel the energy flowing, through you, through your hands, into him. It’s pleasant, but draining. As expected. You see some visions you can’t describe, like… like you’re seeing through Stretch. Through his… soul.
You don’t know how long you were like this, but at one point, the glow starts to fade, before disappearing entirely. You look at your hands, they look completely normal. As do Stretch’s. What magic did you exactly use?

Like he was reading your mind, Stretch says: “You used healing magic. You have healing magic, Y/n.”

“So I healed you?” you look at him again, “While it’s awesome as all hell… that means that you were hurt, doesn’t it?” you bite the inside of your cheek. “Are you… okay Stretch?”

He’s taken aback by your response, and pulls his hands away. “No, I’m fine. Actually, you can heal someone who isn’t hurt. It doesn’t really do anything, but you can still do it.”

You would’ve believed him if he hadn’t physically reacted. “Liar,” you say before you can stop yourself. Startled by your own boldness, you cover your mouth. You feel your face heat up.

Oh how you wish you could’ve taken it back. The face he makes… you never want to make him make that face again. “What? You’re calling me a liar? You, a human, a species known for being deceiving liars. And I’ve even caught you lying multiple times. I just haven’t said anything, because you haven’t done anything.” His eyes are locked on you. Cold as ice. Little similar to the looks you’ve seen in Sans’s eyes. But somehow even scarier.

To add fuel to the fire, now you’re not only red, but crying as well. And Stretch probably has a better dark-sight than you, a puny human, have.

So many things go off in your head. It all just explodes.
Species known for lying? Yeah genius, you think we haven’t noticed ourselves? And what, you’ve caught me lying? Of course I lie, but not because I want to do something bad! What? What are you saying Stretch? You think I’m a bad person? A hypocritical person? Is that what you think I am? A mean racist little human who only wants bad things for the monsters? What? Because every action I’ve taken towards you guys has been… hmm… oh yeah right! FUCKING NICE. Not a single racist or morally bad thing. Nothing.
And the anger just keeps building up. You can’t say anything. You’ll say something you’ll regret! But oh, how you want to give him a piece of your mind.

“You know what? Yeah. I am a liar. Every human is. Every human lies about so many things. And it sucks, and people suck. I don’t need you to tell me I suck ass. I don’t like myself either. But I also don’t like jerks like you, who instead of talking like a normal being, just hide in the shadows and stare at me like I’m some sort of wild animal,” your voice is cracking, but you’re already too angry to stop, “don’t think I haven’t noticed. And I know new people are scary as hell! I’m scared of most humans I first meet, and when I met the first monster in my life, I was even more terrified! But despite everything, I tried to be nice! And turns out monsters are way nicer than people around me tell me they are. And I started to believe all monsters are more than decent or nice! Even when I met an asshole monster, they had a good reason to be an asshole.
And yet, here we are. I’ve seen four assholes in one household. Two of them had a good or at least a decent reason, and they talked about it with me. Like adults. Two of them are still assholes, one who I’m still working on, and one standing right in front of me. And instead of talking to me, figuring out if I was actually a hypocrite, or a bad person, you just watched and judged me. Without even getting to know me. And guess what Stretch? I am an asshole. An asshole who doesn’t give a crap about you anymore. Because clearly, you’ve got me all figured out and have nothing to say.” You turn around and walk away. After a few steps, the walking turns into running, and you don’t stop until you’ve reached your front door.

You text Papyrus that you’re not feeling well. You’re not even hungry anymore. You feel like shit, and would’ve liked to punch Stretch in his face. Then maybe punch yourself because you did sound like a total bitch.

You slam the front door shut. God it felt good. Just letting out that anger. The tears are still running, and you hate how easily you cry.

- “I’m sorry Papyrus. I can’t talk with you right now. I had an argument with Stretch, and I need time to cool off. Again, I’m really sorry, I just don’t want to hang out with you while I’m in a bad mood. I think I have to cancel our cooking sess on Thursday too. I don’t want you to deal with my unwanted emotions. You deserve better than that. Hope you can understand. I’ll talk to you when I’m feeling better.”

“Good job Y/n! Now you’re just going to drive Papyrus away too! God, why am I like this?” you ask the reflection of yourself. It just stares back with the same red eyes and tired face.

“Y/n? Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” a faint voice echoes in your head.

“If you want to listen to me ranting about everything that frustrates me about myself and other jerks I have to deal with, Miranda,” you answer without missing a beat.

Chapter Text

“O-okay. So. What do you want to know? P-papyrus told me you had questions, but didn’t really s-specify,” dr. Alphys asks. She has a nasal voice, and she stutters a lot, but you can tell she knows what she’s doing. And that she wouldn’t tell anyone what she hears from you.

”Put her on speaker! I want to listen too!” a voice inside your head demands. You would think as a ghost, Miranda would have the ability to listen to the phone or at least get close enough to hear it, but guess not. You do as she asks.

“What… do you know about human magic? Like, where does it come from?” you ask. Your throat is sore, but you don’t want to move to get water now when you’ve already started talking.

“W-where does it come from? I’m sorry, I don’t think I know how to answer that. I know t-that humans have, or at least, u-used to have magic. T-they used a magic spell to seal us underground, for example. And even though it took seven human wizards for one spell, one w-wizard alone was already very powerful, compared to an a-average m-monster who could use magic freely. And there were a lot of wizards back then. T-that’s what As– The King… told me.”

“Do you… know what happened to wizards?”

”N-no. We were completely cut off f-from the surface. W-we didn’t know what was happening up here at all.” she mumbles something to herself, before asking, “What can you do with your magic? What is it like?”

“Well, so far, I can summon ghosts, surprisingly, and I figured out I summon them, not gain the sight to see one. And I can… heal,” you stare at your hands. Like they were the ones that hurt your feelings.

“Do you know anything about souls?”

You hold yourself back from making a snarky remark. Of course not. I was supposed to, but turns out the one I wanted to share knowledge and interest for learning with was a complete jerk. “No. I’ve heard something here and there, but nothing worth mentioning.”

“I wonder what that Alphys person looks like! I bet she’s cute,” Miranda comments. You smile.

“Oh. W-well, human souls are a bit unknown to me, but I know they hold the humans’ magic and determination. Determination is what makes them stronger than m-monster souls… and other stuff. But that’s not important!” she giggles awkwardly, “Human souls have different t-types. Different souls have different colors. And I’m… pretty sure t-that a human's magic varies based on their soul t-type. At least, that’s my t-theory… W-what… type of s-soul do y-you have, Y/n?”

“Dr. Alphys, I have to be honest with you. I have absolutely no idea what a soul ‘type’ is. Much less know which one I have.”

“O-oh no no that’s o-okay! Hehe…” you hear her mumble some more, “Can you… show your soul? Like, make it come out of your body?”

“Wait? I can do that?! I thought the soul leaving a body is a bad thing?”

“W-well yes, and no. S-soul leaving your body doesn’t harm you, directly. It’s only bad when s-someone intends to do something to your soul while it’s showing. When you draw it out, you can just see it. You c-can bring your soul out to show it, for a medical reason or something, or you can c-cast powerful spells with it. It can also be drawn out if you’re battling with a monster. When humans fight each other, t-they don’t need to show their souls because they can be damaged and k-killed entirely by physical damage. Monsters fight with magic, so when you attack t-them, you attack their soul… I-I don’t know why I-I’m telling you this, haha! Y-y-you don’t need to k-know all that.” she stutters something else, but at this point you can’t understand what she’s saying anymore.

“How do I bring out my soul?”

“It’s kind of hard to describe… what do you feel when you use your magic?”

You think about the past few times you have summoned Miranda. The first time was subconsciously, yes, but after that? Just as normal as breathing. The pulling in your chest. The tingling in your head that awakens when you want to use magic. And you reach out to it, think of it, fill your mind with only that one desire.
I want to summon my soul. I want to summon my soul.
You keep repeating the words in your head. That’s how ghost summoning had worked. The tingling turns into a ringing in your head. You know that means something is happening. You close your eyes, and your body knows what to do. You pull your hands close to your chest. You feel your heartbeat, how it’s going faster than normal. You imagine a soul into your hands. You’re not sure what it would look like, so you just imagine a glowing ball. Then… you slowly pull your hands away.

For a moment, you feel like your breath is taken away. And you open your eyes.

“Oh my god… Dr. Alphys? I think I did it.”

“Y-y-you did?!” she yells on the phone, “W-what does it l-look like?”

“It’s… a glowing, green, heart… it looks… different than I imagined in my head…”

“Green huh? T-then it supports my theory… S-so… souls have different c-colors, and they’re… based on a human's main personality trait. A trait that makes them who they are.”

You observe your soul. It’s technically not moving besides floating above your hands, but you feel like it’s beating. Like a real… human heart.

You snap out of your trance. “Waaaaait. So you’re telling me, that just by looking at my soul, someone can tell what kind of person I am?”

“No no no! Of course n-not! I t-think… Well… maybe? I-I’m not really sure how it works, b-because there is no research based on this t-theory. All I have is the history b-books and stories monsters have t-told.”

“That’s… so how many traits are there?”

“Based on my information, seven. Determination, which soul is red, bravery - orange, justice - yellow, kindness - green, light blue—”

“Kindness?! The main trait that makes me me is KINDNESS?!” you stood up a little too quickly, and are holding onto the couch while you’re processing what you’ve discovered. You’re not sure what you’re feeling. Surprised, obviously… frustrated? Confused? It’s really giving you a headache.

I mean to be fair, she said she’s not sure if it’s actually true! It’s not like I have to be eternally kind to everyone I meet. I don’t have to be anything! I can be whoever I want to be! I don’t need a soul to tell me who to be!
But really? Kindness? Not what I would expect from myself.

“Calm down Y/n. I doubt it’s that much of a big deal. I have or well, had, a kindness soul too! And it didn’t do anything to me!” Miranda says. She’s standing in front of you, opposed to hovering around. “I did die trying to be kind to a monster, but I know they didn’t have a choice. So that’s that!”

“You were killed by a monster? What time period are you from??” a lot of new information is hovering around.

“Wait… killed by a monster? Y/n, are you talking to someone?”

“Oh, sorry Dr. Alphys, I have my emotional support ghost here with me. Well, technically not an emotional support ghost, just a ghost, but I’ve summoned her a couple of times after discovering my magic. She’s kind of my friend now, so I call her out to keep me company,” you can see how your words make Miranda happier.

“Interesting. I-I mean, can I… hear them t-too? Or are they different from the g-ghost monsters?” Dr. Alphys asks.

“She’s definitely different. She only, well, exists when I summon her, and no one else I know can hear or see her besides me.”

“W-wow. I’ve n-never heard of this p-power before. This is s-so exciting! It’s definitely a feat w-worth experimenting. I-If you’re up to it, of course! And… W-what about the h-healing?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Sorry, Dr. Alphys.”

“Y-you don’t have to apologize. It’s o-okay! We all have stuff w-we… don’t w-want to talk about,” she sighs, “If you w-want to learn more about the human wizards or the history, I suggest t-talking to As– The King, Asgore. And if you w-want to learn m-more about healing, if you w-want to, then you can talk to l-lady Toriel.”

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My little routine of going to school, then work, then home, is all that keeps me going. I know I’m having a rough time, but I don’t know what else to do other than keep going. I’m still not over what Stretch said, and I can’t face him, or any of the skeletons for that matter. It’s really stupid and selfish to push Papyrus away like that, but I worry I would just be angry and take it out on him. Be angry at a person who has done nothing other than be nice to me. Who am I kidding? I’m scared. I’m scared to talk to him after all that emotional mess I went through. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to feel it, but it won’t go away.
And it hurts. And I can’t bring myself to call him. To message him that I really do miss him.
This is all so stupid. Future me, please get your shit together.
The only interaction I’ve had with any of them was with Edge. I invited him and Red to the funeral. Might’ve not known auntie, but it’s polite to at least invite them to the funeral she has thanks to them. I would have nothing but tears, if it weren’t for those two.
He, of course, politely declined, saying even if he was interested, he wouldn’t want to cause me even more trouble on a day that was already very hard. What a gentleman. If they hadn’t told me, I would’ve never believed that he and Red are related.
I went alone. Well, not all alone, with aunt Kelly, who stayed by my side the whole time, bless her. She even came back home with me after the funeral to keep me company. She made me some food and tea, talked for hours about life, about auntie, despite my… quietness. Might invite her back sometime soon.

You look at your diary. All the information of the past two weeks has been stuffed onto one entry. Because you couldn’t pick the book up before yesterday. You promised you would fill it every day, or in the worst cases, once every three days. Just to remember, to keep going.
You take a deep sigh, shut it, throw it across the couch and look through the housemates' applicants. In a few days, you’ll have some people look over the place. And you already know you’re not ready to be social.

So you do nothing.

By nothing, you mean watching TV, listening absentmindedly to your comfort show and rotting. You know you have homework to do. Deadlines are approaching, you need to start talking with your friends again, you need to see your therapist again. But even making food for yourself seems like too much work right now.

So you just lay on the couch. You weren’t that hungry anyways.

You’re startled by the sudden ringing of the doorbell. A few moments pass. You weigh your options. You really don’t want to get up. If it were someone important, they’d let you know.
Not that there are many important people left.

You hear the four signature knocks. So it’s someone from the skeleton household. Suppose it was inevitable. You knew one of them would eventually come to check if you were still living here, or living over-all.
Hopefully it’s not Red or Stretch. You really can’t handle more emotional bullshit right now.

“Come in, the door’s unlocked!” you yell without bothering to move.

You hear the door opening and closing with a soft click. Then, after a few moments, Papyrus steps into the living room.

Why am I surprised? I knew he would check on me eventually…
You know you’re already beet red, but you still try your hardest not to start crying. You missed him. A lot. And now… he’s right here.

“H-hi Papyrus,” you say quietly, and stand up, “is… everything… okay?”

But he doesn’t respond to you. He just grabs you and hugs you. His hold is firm, but very careful not to hurt you. Somehow, his chest feels soft, and maybe even a little warm. Tears escape from your eyes. God how you missed him. Why did you ever leave him?

“I- I’m so sorry Papyrus!” *sniffle* “I don’t know why I did that! I don’t know why I stopped talking to you, and just left you! You didn’t-” *sniffle* “-deserve t-that!” you burst out. You’re holding onto him like he’s going to disappear any moment now.

“I MISSED YOU, Y/N.”

You cry without a sound. Some hiccups escape your throat. You try to hold yourself together as much as you still can.
“Papyrus…” you take a breath, “I-I’m… I missed you too.”

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How Papyrus does it is a mystery to you. After long long minutes of hugging, you both sat down, and talked. He told his usual wonder-tales of The Great Papyrus like he usually would and eagerly asked for your opinion on almost everything.
Some part of you knew that he thought about you often, and was sad because of that.
How selfish of you.
You told him how your two weeks went (terribly, not surprising), and he just sat there, listening eagerly, calm as ever. Like nothing was wrong. Like nothing had ever been wrong between you two, like you never ghosted him.
It made you worry.

“I don’t know how to make it up to you, Papyrus. I’m so sorry I… did that,” you say, picking on your fingers. They’re looking worse and worse.

“AND I ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY. YOU DON’T HAVE TO ‘MAKE IT UP’ TO ME, Y/N. YOU HAD YOUR PERSONAL REASONS, AND YOU FEEL BAD. I CAN SEE THAT YOU REGRET IT, SO I HAVE NO REASON TO BE MAD!” he answers.

“But still… I feel like I have to explain everything or just show how sorry I really am…”

“DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?” Papyrus asks. The look on his face however says that he already knows the answer.

“...Not really. I’m sorry.”

His voice softens, “YOU DON’T NEED TO APOLOGIZE, Y/N. IT’S YOUR PERSONAL STUFF, AND YOU DON’T NEED TO EXPLAIN IT. IT WAS SOMETHING BAD, AND YOU’RE STILL RECOVERING FROM IT. AND THAT’S OKAY.”

He’s just the sweetest. What would I do without him? Oh wait, I already know. Rot in the house. Alone.
“...Fine. But I will get you something nice, because I can. Just you wait!” you stand up, “Now. Enough of this sad emotional stuff. Would you like some tea? I found a new type of brew in the store but haven’t really tried it myself,” you’re still avoiding eye-contact, partly because of the embarrassment you’ve made of yourself with your selfish little loner phase you had, and partly because you look like a mess.

“OF COURSE! AND WE CAN WATCH A NEW SHOW I FOUND YESTERDAY!”

*Doorbell rings*

“Huh, someone else is at the door…” you look suspectedly at the door. You hear the four signature knocks again.

“MAYBE IT’S SANS? I DIDN’T TELL HIM I’D BE HERE, HE MIGHT BE WORRIED…”

“Would make Sans-e,” you answer, before opening the door.

Papyrus doesn’t get to react to your pun before Blue starts talking loudly: “I’M SORRY HUMAN Y/N IF I SCARED YOU THE LAST TIME! I DIDN’T MEAN TO! AND PLEASE DON’T TAKE IT OUT ON PAPYRUS, HE’S BEEN SO SAD LATELY!”

“Whoa, hey, Blue!” you shuckle, “You didn’t scare me. Well– you did, but that’s not why I… ghosted you guys. You don’t have anything to apologize for,” you smile.

“AND WE ALREADY TALKED! Y/N IS OKAY, BLUE!” Papyrus adds, standing in the living room’s door frame.

“OH. WELL THAT’S GOOD! THEN… UHM… WELL, I GUESS I’LL…”

“Do you want to join us, Blue? We’re gonna watch a show Papyrus found,” you propose.

“REALLY? I WOULD LOVE TO!” he chimes.

“Come in then. Do you like tea?” you ask as the both of you walk towards the kitchen. You mentally write down that you need a sticker for both of these dorks. They had the courage you wish you owned.

Thankfully your kitchen doesn’t look like a mess. But maybe you should make some food while you’re already here…

“What’chu guys doin’?” you hear from behind you. You make a sharp turn to discover Sans at the kitchen entrance.

“SANS! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU HOW RUDE IT IS TO TELEPORT INTO THE HOUSE!” Papyrus scolds him.

“Sorry bro. I’ll use the window next time,” he winks at Papyrus. You can’t help but smirk.

Papyrus shakes his head, “UNBELIEVABLE!”

“YOU BETTER NOT MAKE THIS A HABIT SANS! YOU MIGHT SCARE Y/N LIKE THAT!” Blue adds. He looks at you, worried.

It’s so nice that he cares so much about not scaring you, but at the same time, you feel like you should assure him more that you’re not that fragile. Blue seems to be using the word ‘scare’ and your name in a sentence quite a lot lately. Then again, calling out Sans is also a good thing to do. You definitely don’t want him just appearing here whenever he wants.

You hear another four knocks at your door. And you can tell exactly who it is. A someone, who is probably not used to being polite and knocking on a door, instead of knocking down the door.

“Hi Edge– Is that… Red?” you ask him. Edge is carrying someone on his shoulder like a bag. It looks like Red.

“HELLO HUMAN. THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE HAS ARRIVED. AND I ALSO BROUGHT SA– RED, WITH ME, SO HE WOULDN’T TRY SOMETHING FUNNY WHILE I’M NOT LOOKING.”

You know exactly what he means by ‘funny’, but you can’t take him seriously with an asleep Red on his shoulder. This position does not look comfortable at all, which makes it all even more silly. You let him place Red on the couch before returning to the kitchen. To your delight, Papyrus has taken out different tea-cups for everyone, and they’re all matching, surprisingly.

“Nice tea see ya, Edge. What brings you here?” Sans asks.

He probably wanted to check on me too, but thought it was okay to bother me after someone else had done it first. You think to yourself.

“Or you just wanted to check on Y/n too, but didn’t want to do it before someone else bothered her first?” his grin grows wider.

Oh so he can read minds too now? You smirk.

“OF COURSE NOT! I JUST WANTED TO CHECK BECAUSE OF ALL THE RUCKUS I HEAR FROM THE HOUSE!” Edge crosses his arms, “BESIDES, I ALREADY CHECKED ON HER FEW DAYS AGO!” He smiles wickedly.

There definitely wasn’t a ruckus here.
“Sheesh Edge, way to tell everyone I invited you to a funeral,” you shake your head.

Everyone freezes. It’s like even the air stopped moving.

You look around. They’re all looking at you, besides Edge, who’s looking as much away as he can without breaking his neck.

I haven’t told any of them about the funeral huh? Oh my god Y/n why do you say that kind of stuff at the worst possible time? Stupid.
“Right… It’s complicated. I don’t want to get into much detail, but, Edge and Red gave me money for my auntie’s funeral and I thought it would be nice to invite them,” when you notice how the air is still tense, you add, “Come on guys, It’s not a big deal. Just a funeral. And Edge declined, so there was no sketchy business there.”

Papyrus rubs his hands together, “WELL Y/N… YOU KIND OF DON’T TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY A LOT. WE DIDN’T KNOW YOUR AUNT IS DEAD.”

“I haven’t? Huh. I guess I forgot,” you bite the inside of your cheek, “I… don’t want to discuss it much, really. Can we just go and watch the show?”

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What are you hiding Y/n?
Stretch thought, leaning on the house, looking at the shed in the middle of the garden. It’s surrounded by one of the safest and most interesting puzzles his brilliant brother had put together. A combination of monster magic and human technology, made to keep out curious eyes and alarm the skeletons if someone smart enough would figure it out.
He was sure you wanted to find out their secret hidden in it. You had that curious look in your eye too. But at the same time, that was one of the only things Stretch had figured out about you. No matter how he observed your conversations and mannerisms around others, he just couldn’t figure you out. It’s not like he couldn’t see through you when you lied, which was easy most of the time, but how… when you lied. Sometimes, when he caught you lying, it made everything more confusing rather than making it clearer.
And your healing…
To say he overreacted would be playing nice.

Stretch lights up his cigarette and takes a big drag from it.

He had hurt himself while working, and didn’t notice the bruise before the evening. He didn’t want to tell Blue, he would’ve made a fuss and demanded Stretch to take a break from his project. But he had just gotten a new lead to work on. And Sans had slacked off more lately.
And you realized so easily, that he was hurt, and offered healing like it was the most logical thing in the world. No one ever offered monsters almost anything for free, much less something to do with such a precious thing as magic. Not that any human had it.

He takes another drag.

How his soul was pounding when you held his hands. A little cold, but soft hands. How your eyes reflected his own in a way.
How he felt the warmness of memories of his closest friends, of his brother… kind of flash by for a moment.
Healing was truly a magical thing, but you…
He knew his feelings at that moment had something to do with you. And he couldn’t figure it out.

He felt his soul pounding again.

Chapter Text

You have just finished organizing the books in the bookshelf again. They should be categorized alphabetically, by title. You look at all those colored books children get to read here, content with your work. Lucky bastards.
A smile creeps on your face.

“I’m finished. Anything else I can do?” you ask Mrs. Toriel.

On days that you work later hours, you do more work in organizing supplies and moving stuff in the classrooms and halls, rather than aiding the teachers with kids. To your surprise, Mrs. Toriel never left the building before you. No matter where you were needed, or where you finished your shift, after you left, you would always see Mrs. Toriel’s car in the parking lot, or her in her classroom.
In the beginning, when you realised it, you thought she was watching you, as if you would do something bad. But really, you can never expect something bad from Lady Toriel (as monsters call her). She’s just always looking out for you. It warms your heart every time you see her after your shift.

“No, my child. That should be it,” she types something on her computer, “I saw that you did not come here by a car. Would you like me to drive you home?”

You shake your head, “Oh no no, that won’t be necessary. I’ll take the bus. I’ve been trying to be… less dependent on my car. Walking and taking the bus is actually a nice change.”

“Are you sure, Y/n? It has been getting quite cold and the winter is almost here. I don’t want you to get sick,” she looks out of the window.

“Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry, I have a very strong immune system, it can handle this. Plus, I’ve been staying cooped up in my house for way too long lately, since it’s cold and I don’t have much to do in the garden. I really need to spend more time outside.”

“Alright, my child,” she looks at you, and then to your left, “Just one more thing. Can you bring that green folder from over there?” she asks.

Her calling you ‘her child’ is very… interesting. While it makes you feel warm and welcome, it has another layer to it that you can’t quite describe.

You walk over and bring her the said folder. Lady Toriel takes the folder, and takes your hand for a moment as well.

Did she notice my… No, I doubt she would bring it up.

“Why are your fingers all scratched up and red, Y/n?”

And of course she noticed. “I-It’s nothing! N-nothing, really. I just… have a bad habit of… picking on them. It’s been a tough week, and I’m just a little stressed out. It’ll go away. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Hmm. Hold on,” Lady Toriel places her other palm on top of your hand, and closes her eyes. A green light emerges from between her hands.

The green light you now. The healing touch, that you’ve managed to learn to do yourself. At least, to some degree.
It feels like home. Warm memories, that you can’t really tell apart, go past you in your mind, making you feel safe. And your hands feel lighter.

“There, all better,” Lady Toriel removes her hands, “I hope you’ll feel better, Y/n.”

You’re not sure what to answer. “Thank you,” is all you come up with. You’re not entirely surprised, but seeing your hand, all healed, is still a bit odd to you. You’re not used to seeing it like… that.

A teacher walks into the classroom, “Uh… Oh! there you are, miss Y/n. There’s a… tall skeleton waiting for you in front of the school.”

A tall skeleton? Papyrus?

“Did he tell you anything?” you ask.

“No, but he looked very annoyed. And well… he was kinda scary. Are you okay? Should I call the police?”

Yup. It’s Edge.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s my… friend. He has his own kind of… attitude. Don’t mind him. I’ll be right there,” you shake your head in disbelief.

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“Hi Edge!” you wave to him.

“THANK ASGORE, I THOUGHT YOU WERE NEVER GOING TO LEAVE,” he crosses his arms.

You smirk, “Good to see you too. What are you doing here?”

“I’M HERE TO PICK YOU UP, OF COURSE!”

“Pick me up? Why? Did Papyrus tell you anything?”

“WHAT? NO! I CAME TO THE IDEA MYSELF!”

“What are you talking about?”

“WE’RE GOING SHOPPING, HUMAN. I TOLD YOU I WOULD TAKE YOU OUT SO YOU WOULDN’T SIT IN YOUR HOUSE ALL THE TIME, AND RIGHT NOW IS A GOOD TIME, SINCE YOU REJECTED MY IDEA THE LAST TIME.”

But I already had a plan on how to spend more time outside! Darn you, Edge!
“I told you I was sorry! I had a lecture that day, which I also told you about!” you can see how he’s not faltering so, pulling out a dramatic pose, you ask: “Oh, Edge… What will it take for you to forgive me~?” and blink your eyes at him.

“WHAT THE HELL? STOP– WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING. YOUR WEIRD HUMAN CHARMING METHOD WON’T WORK ON THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE!
NOW, GET IN THE CAR,” he says, even more annoyed. But you can see how his face turned a little red. Mission embarrassment – success.

“Telling me what to do? Geez Edge, buy me dinner first– ahahaha!” you can’t even finish the sentence without cringing, and just laugh as you get into the passenger’s seat.

“I’M GOING TO IGNORE YOU SAID THAT,” he is very red. You must’ve shaken him more than you wanted. Now you feel bad.

“Anyways, what do you need to buy?”

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You feel like you set a new record of ‘most amount of words spoken in 20 minutes’ for yourself. You couldn’t bear sitting the whole drive in silence after your… interesting performance, so you just started popping out questions you usually ask Papyrus. Edge still wouldn’t talk about what job he has, but he said it’s been boring. That nothing interesting is happening lately. But the household had been more lively.
They had training sessions – Edge, Blue and Papyrus, with Red sometimes joining in when Edge demanded him, and Papyrus had been getting stronger. He had almost landed a hit on Edge. They all are from different places, so Edge’s fighting style is more polished and carefully put together opposed to the other two, who’s life didn’t depend on it. When you asked what he meant, he shut the subject down entirely.
He didn’t ask you any questions. You just told him about your latest studies, work, and how you’ve been just slowly moving through the week. Your first exams were around a month away, right before christmas break, and you were already nervous. You feel like you aren’t studying enough. He said that it’s ridiculous and you’ll see that you’ll do great. His tone was a little harsh, but you’re getting used to it. Edge was mostly not really trying to be mean, and he was showing more and more that he cares.
Right when you were running out of questions to ask him, he pulled into the parking lot. It was a smaller shopping mall you had been to once or twice. You could understand why he likes it.

“HERE WE ARE. NOW I HAVE A LIST I NEED TO GO THROUGH,” he indeed pulls out a physical list. You take a peek. It has a few different handwritings on it, but the list itself is categorised… by store?

“So everyone writes down what they want and one of you goes to get it all?”

“YES, THAT’S PRECISELY HOW IT’S DONE. GENIUS, ISN’T IT? I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA,” he proudly states.

You would think he’s kidding.
He’s really not.

You giggle, “Yes, Edge, it’s very clever. So what’s our first stop?”

“THE HARDWARE STORE,” he announces, and steps out of the car.

“Hmm? What do you need from there?”

“NOT ME, ONE OF THE OTHERS IN THE HOUSE. PROBABLY ASHTRAY. HE NEEDS SOME TOOLS FOR WHATEVER PERSONAL PROJECT HE’S WORKING ON.”

You’ve heard him use that name a few times… and one was your first meeting with him and Stretch. “Ashtray…? Do you mean… Stretch?”

“THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID. YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT NAME?” He raises a bone brow.

Normally, you would. It sounds like an insult, and Edge seems to have a thing with insulting people for no reason, which is bad. But right now? Yeah you could say you’re petty.

“Call him ashtray all you want. I don’t care.”

“SO SOMETHING DID HAPPEN BETWEEN YOU TWO,” he says, calmly. Which is not like him.

It catches you off guard. “Huh, me and Stretch? Nah. Nothing happened,” you say, trying to sound as uninterested as possible. Obviously, you’re trying too hard.

“FOOL YOURSELF ALL YOU WANT HUMAN, I CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU!” he continues.

You shake your head. You’re not in the mood to talk about him. “Edge, I will politely ask you to stay out of it. If you ask again, I’m going to leave,” it comes out harsher than you wanted. And it does shut him up. You can see him tense a bit, and you feel bad, but Stretch really hurt your feelings, and you feel so insecure already.

You continue your walk in silence. You don’t bother to bring any conversation up again. You’re feeling… exhausted. You don’t want to ruin Edge’s trip by being in a bad mood, but you can’t help but wish you were home, on your comfy bed.

You walk into the hardware store, and notice the looks Edge gets. You feel a little pity. Must be hard to live normally when everywhere you go, everyone looks at you like you’re some sort of zoo animal.

You ponder on the thought a while before it’s interrupted.

“WHAT IS THAT FACE YOU’RE MAKING?” Edge suddenly asks.

It startles you. “Huh? I– uh– what? I’m making a face?” Now your face feels hot.
Was I staring at him as well?

“WELL, NOT ANYMORE? ARE YOU… ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT SOMETHING?” he tilts his head. Why is he suddenly so interested in your mental state?

Might as well ask. What’s the worst that could happen? Besides him asking more questions I might not want to answer, or getting angry and possibly hitting something?
You take a deep breath, before asking quietly: “Does… does it bother you that… y’know… people stare?”

Edge stops, “WE’LL OF COURSE THEY STARE! THEY’VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN AS GREAT AND SCARY AS ME!” he answers and places his hands on his hips. You are about to explain, but he continues, “AND I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT, HUMAN. I DON’T CARE. LET THEM STARE. AS LONG AS THEY DON’T BOTHER ME…” he looks around and adds quietly “...OR YOU…” then resumes to his normal voice, “I DON’T CARE THE LEAST.”

You smile. The staring thing is probably just you overthinking. As always.
Edge is… he’s nice. He’s a better friend than he wants to give away. And he’s a calmer and better person than he wants to admit. But that again makes me wonder… why?
“Shall we go?” you ask.

“YES! WE’RE GETTING SIDE-TRACKED!” he resumes to his fast-paced walking.

You don’t pay much attention to what he’s actually buying. Partly because it’s not your business, and partly because the store is large and too interesting to just stand in one place. When Edge has stayed in some tool aisle for too long, you wander into the other parts of the store. You look at different gardening tools, some wallpapers, floorings, carpets…
Maybe one day, if all goes well, you’ll be able to renovate the house. Some small details here and there. Add your personality to your auntie’s. Like your life stories had added onto each other. Two odd ones in the family, united by their differences. It’s almost too poetic.

After your little tour, you see him at the store checkout. He gives you a light nod when he notices you.
The next stop is a… “Store”. It’s a monster owned shop that just has a “Store” sign at the entrance. Interesting. You have heard that The King has a thing with naming stuff too literally, but you guess some monsters do it as well. Or just don’t bother naming. You smirk.
There are a few monsters inside, and no humans. No one thankfully pays mind to you. What a relief. Here, Edge knows exactly what to take and from where. You’re not sure what he’s taking, and how the store’s layout even works, so you just stick close to him. You eye some different packages, bottles, and other small objects.
The cashier greets Edge, and tells him to say ‘hi’ to Papyrus. He just nods and walks out when he’s done, with you tailing behind him.

“That was awkward,” you blurt out. You wish you had had the courage to greet and thank the cashier for him.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?”

“I mean– I dunno, it’s just, you were quiet, and the cashier just… I dunno, I’m just overthinking things. I dunno.”

“YOU DO THAT QUITE A LOT, DON’T YOU?”

“I—” you think, then cross your arms, “n-no…” You can’t help it when you think too much! It’s just something you do.

“HMM,” is all he adds. And the quiet walk continues.

What is he thinking? What does he think about me? Do I look too anxious? Is it that obvious that I’m out of my comfort zone?

You pass by one of many clothing stores. A dress catches your eye and you stop. It’s really pretty. And it’s probably in your budget.
You weigh your options. You actually don’t really want to go to the store, and try on stuff, but seeing cute clothes and getting yourself some makes you feel good.
There’s also Edge, who you’re definitely not taking into the store. You’re fine with following him around, but not the other way.

“YOU CAN GO AHEAD. I’LL GO TO A FEW STORES AND MEET UP WITH YOU BEFORE GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE,” he looks at you. There’s something in his face…

You nod. You’re already fidgeting with your hands, but it seems like the decision is already made. You watch as he walks away, take a deep breath, take out your headphones (you knew you’re always carrying them with you for a reason!) and step into the store. The cash register is far enough that the cashier can’t greet you right away. You start looking through the clothes, music blasting in your ears.
After a while, you manage to find a few shirts, a jacket and the dress to try on. You feel like you’re being watched, your palms are sweaty and you can feel how you’ve already picked on your lips enough for them to start bleeding.
Shit. Okay Y/n, get your stuff together. Just try the clothes, get everything sorted, and go. Nothing crazy, Jesus. Why am I so stressed out?
You take your time in the changing booth. Partly because you’re clumsy as hell and partly ‘cause you’re indecisive. In the end, you treat yourself and get both the dress, and a shirt as well.
When you walk up to the checkout, you take off your headphones, and take out your credit card. Like many times before. Nothing special. You greet the cashier. They give you a vague answer. And now you’re even more sweaty. This is way too stressful. They scan the items and place them in a bag (which you didn’t ask, just nodded), and you’re finally able to pay. You wish them a good day (which also doesn’t really get a response) and off you go.

God, was it really hard to answer me? To just… give me an indicator that I’m doing a socially correct thing???
Okay Y/n! Today is just not my day.
I’m just… stressed out. It’s okay to be stressed out. I’m fine.
You turn the music back on, a playlist especially titled ‘Calm’ and start slowly walking towards the grocery store.

Not even a minute later, you notice the faces— the faces that you know. That you know know.
And just like that, you’re walking backwards, and stop at the nearest hiding spot – a turn-around corner. Which just so happens to be the place where Edge comes from. You bump right into him.

“WHAT IN THE– HUMAN? BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME!” he scolds you.

You don’t even think about the headache you got from bumping into his chest, or how close you’re still standing, “Yeah, sorry. Uh… are you finished? Are we going?”
You avoid eye-contact.

Edge thinks for a moment. “WHO ARE YOU HIDING FROM?”

“What? No one. I just wanna go home,” Yeah definitely no one Y/n.

“FINE. DON’T TELL ME. NOT LIKE YOU’VE TOLD ME ANYTHING SO FAR,” he spits back, and starts to turn the corner.

You quickly grab his hand without thinking, “Goddammit, yes, you’re right.”
You take a deep breath. You don’t want him to leave. You’ve already caused him enough trouble.
“There’s a cafe right before the grocery store, and some of my… old friends… are there. I-I can’t walk past them, they’ll notice me.”

“ARE YOU HIDING FROM THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW BECAUSE YOU’RE WITH ME?” Edge asks, irritation clear from his voice.

“Wha- you- of course not! No, I absolutely don’t care if they see me with you. I just… well… I kind of ghosted them… a while back. It’s complicated, but… in conclusion, I was a dick. And I can’t face them. Not right now.”

He inspects your face. “I DON’T BELIEVE YOU!”

His tone really strikes a nerve. And you’ve already had enough nerves striked.
“Oh Edge,” you get closer to him and pull his hand. “If you’re gonna throw a tantrum over this, I’m going full parent mode on you, treat you like a kid and drag your ass home. I don’t know how, but I’ll do it,” you say in a low tone. Your eyes are locked on him. You would actually do it. You really do not want to see these people. And when you’re avoiding someone, you’re not messing around, and frankly, he’s not helping your case.

To your surprise, his cheekbones turn red and he turns away from you. “F-FINE! FINE. WE DON’T NEED TO GET VIOLENT. I BELIEVE YOU. YOU WOULDN’T THREATEN THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE IF YOU WEREN’T DESPERATE.”

Desperate? Me? Desperate? Of course I am! But you don’t have to tell me that!! Your face is burning. Stupid Edge, telling me the truth when I don’t want to hear it–
“Whatever you say, Edgelord. Now can we please get outta here? We can go to a different grocery store close to home.”

“I ALWAYS GO HERE WHEN I’M OUT DOING ERRANDS, BUT… I SUPPOSE I CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION THIS TIME,” he finally gives in.

“I’m sorry. And… Thank you. Really. I want you to know this means a lot to me,” you really do want to thank him in some way for taking you out with him and everything, you’re just not sure how yet. He has been weirdly patient and understanding, despite you shutting down almost all of his attempts to get you to open up.

You realise you’re still holding his hand, and probably squeezing it. “Oh… s-sorry.”

He’s still a little red, and just makes a ‘hmph’ sound.

Both of you start walking away from the cafe. Disaster avoided. Hopefully.

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Even when he told you many times he has it under control, you still grab two grocery bags from the car when you finally arrive. Edge still needs to grab the other things he bought, so you walk towards the skeleton house while he’s unloading the car.

Looking at the time, someone should definitely be home. You do the prearranged four knocks like they always do, and step in. “Hiiii! Grocery delivery!” you yell, before taking off your shoes and heading towards the kitchen. Blue is there, cooking.

It takes a moment before he notices you. “OH HI Y/N! WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE? ARE YOU THE GROCERY DELIVERY? I DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD ANOTHER JOB!”

You smile and shake your head, “No no Blue, I’m just helping Edge. He should be here any moment now.”

“HELPING EDGE WITH GROCERIES?” he asks.

“Yeah, he even bought me some snacks. Even when I told him NOT TO!” you yell to the door.

“I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE, AND YOU’RE WELCOME, HUMAN,” Edge says from the entrance.

“SO YOU TWO WENT… SHOPPING TOGETHER?” Blue asks.

You nod. “Yeah. And it was… alright. I haven’t been out much, and it really showed. I was an overthinking mess everywhere we went.”

“I TOLD YOU IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL!” Edge shouts again.

“And I told you it is to me!” you shoot back.

“YOU’RE REALLY GETTING ALONG, HUH? YOU’RE EVEN COOLER THAN I THOUGHT, Y/N!”

“Huh? What do you mean Blue?”

Blue steps closer and lowers his voice, “I DON’T KNOW, IT’S JUST… EDGE IS NOT REALLY… WELL… NEVER FRIENDLY WITH ANYONE. HE’S A LITTLE FRIENDLY WITH US, AND THAT’S SAYING SOMETHING, BUT YOU…” you look at him. He has the sweetest, most sincere look on his face, “YOU GET ALONG WITH HIM LIKE IT’S NOTHING!”

You blush. I haven’t thought at all… Why is he nice and all… but I guess I haven’t had a reason to?
Why am I getting along with him so well? I don’t think I’m doing anything different than I usually would… In a social situation… Or am I?
“I g-guess he just… finds me interesting… o-or something.”

Edge walks into the kitchen, says “YOUR GROCERY BAG IS HERE AS WELL, Y/N, IF YOU WANT IT. I’LL PUT AWAY THE OTHER THINGS,” and leaves.

Him calling you by your name rather than whatever insult or ‘human’ just adds fuel to the fire. You look at Blue, who doesn’t seem to notice your overheating face, or just doesn’t comment on it. “I don’t think it’s that special. But enough about this, what are you making?” you try to change the topic.

It works. Which is a first for you. “I’M ACTUALLY MAKING A NEW RECIPE! IT’S KINDA LIKE A TACO, BUT YOU ROLL UP THE TORTILLA INTO A… POCKET? AND PUT STUFF INSIDE IT!” he excitedly exclaims.

“Oh! So you’re making wraps? That’s cool. I used to make them for myself a lot in high school.”

“SO YOU LIKE TACOS?”

“I was talking about wraps…” you nervously laugh, “I don’t think I have much experience with tacos.”

“OH, WELL, THEN I CAN MAKE THEM FOR YOU SOME TIME!”

“That would be great!”
You watch as he wraps up another tortilla. It looks a little goofy, but if you tasted it, it would probably be edible. Hopefully.

“HEY Y/N? CAN I ASK A FAVOR?”

“...Sure? What’s up?”

“My brother was supposed to come down and taste-test my wraps, but he hasn’t shown up. Can you go upstairs and make sure he’s not sleeping again?”

Your heart skips a beat. What a coincidence. Juuuust great.
But what else were you expecting? He lives in the same house as your friends, you were bound to face him again. And you can’t refuse Blue, he’s been so nice. Plus you don’t want him to know that Stretch and you… don’t get along at the moment.

“S-sure, I can do that. Where’s his room?” you ask. Your palms are sweaty again, and you’re holding back the biggest urge to pick on your fingers. You can’t do that, not after Lady Toriel so kindly helped you and healed them!

“His room is upstairs on the left. It’s opposite of my room, which has a lot of stickers and my name on it, you can’t miss it!”

“O-okay!” you walk out of the kitchen.
There seems to be no one in the living room. You wonder where Papyrus is. You highly doubt he’d stay in his room like you do. Maybe he’s just out, doing some cool guy stuff.

You slowly make your way up the stairs. You stop when you hear a familiar loud and rough voice. But he’s talking… quietly. He doesn’t seem to notice that you’re nearby.

“SO… I GOT YOU SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE SNACKS, BROTHER…” you hear shuffling and a loud sigh, “I JUST THINK… YOU NEED TO COME OUT MORE. IT’S NOT HEALTHY TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM ALL THE TIME.”

A quieter and deeper voice answers, “I’ll come out soon, bro. I’m just… not feeling like it right now.”

“FINE. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO TALK, THEN I’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE. BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TALK TO ME. WE’RE SAFE HERE,” you hear footsteps walking away from you, “AND… I RECOMMEND YOU TALK TO THE HUMAN. SHE’S A LITTLE LIKE YOU. SHE’LL UNDERSTAND.”

“I’ll… think about it.”

You hear a door shut, a few footsteps, another door opening and then shutting. Just to be safe, you stand still for a couple more seconds.
I wonder what’s up with Red. I hope it’s nothing too serious. But it’s nice to hear Edge being so caring. And he mentioned me… at least I think he did.
I wonder what he meant about me understanding. If it’s my anxiety or… other things, then he’s right, even though it's just great that he figured me out already.
…Or maybe he just thinks I’m a good listener.

You reach the top of the stairs, and look around to see if anyone’s noticed you’re here. Thankfully, no face looks back. You start walking to the left.
Maybe Stretch’s room would’ve been a little hard to find, but Blue’s definitely isn’t. It does have his name written on it, with a lot of stickers. It’s so cute, you wish you had one for your own door. Might ask him about it later.

When you’ve checked thrice that you’re at the right door, you shuffle nervously, and finally knock. You’re not sure how long or how many times to knock, so you just stick to the four knocks. Four slow knocks. You don’t hear any movement.

You knock again. This time, a little louder. Nothing.

You start to wonder if you should just tell Blue that no one answered, before you hear quiet footsteps coming towards the door. Your heart rate rises noticeably.
Why am I nervous?? He is the asshole, not me! Okay Y/n, just tell him what you came here for, then leave. Tell him, and leave. You don’t have to be nice, just be civil. Don’t pick a fight with him.

“Yeah?
…Oh… It’s you.”

Stretch looks… like he hasn’t slept in days. Which you thought wasn’t a possible look for skeletons to have. But he’s… He looks rough.

“Need anything?” He interrupts your thoughts.

You jolt. “—–R-right! Blue asked you to come taste-test his wraps. T-that was all,” you turn away from him.

“Wait,” he grabs your hand.

You sharply turn to face him.

He did startle you, and your pulse is a little too high, but you’re not scared of him. Not scared. You stare into his eye sockets that are not focused on you, but are more looking… through you. You can tell that he wants to say something, but can’t get the words out. You’ve felt it enough times yourself and if you wanted, you could say something. But you’re not willing to take that first step before him. You’re not that forgiving either.

After what feels like forever, his eyes… change. “N-nevermind… Just, tell Blue I’ll be down in a sec,” is all he says as he lets go of your hand and retreats to his room. The door closes and you’re left with even more questions.

“HUMAN… Y/N. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?” you suddenly hear from behind you.

You jolt again and take a sudden turn to see Edge standing beside what could only be his bedroom door.
“Oh… nothing, I was just doing a favor Blue asked of me,” you rub your neck. Your hands feel… cold.

“A FAVOR?” he thinks for a moment, while you’re walking closer. “ACTUALLY, CAN I ASK FOR A FAVOR TOO?”

You smile, “Sure, what do you need Edge?”

Chapter Text

You sat on the couch, focused on the chessboard in front of you. You weren’t sure if you were winning, but doubted you would. Red seemed to be a little more intelligent than he led on, and you didn’t know anything else about the game, other than how every piece was supposed to move.

Red looked exactly like you thought he would, annoyed. He didn’t want to be here.

“So… are you doing anything interesting at the moment? Any… project, or something?” you ask. The quiet is really making you anxious, and one thing you hate more than trying to have small talk, is the awkward quietness.

For once, you had prepared to fight your nasty habit of hurting your fingers/lips. The bracelet you had worn on the wrist, now in your palms, was getting twisted and turned in every way, as your hands almost mindlessly fidgeted with it.

“Tsk,” he uncrossed one of his hands to move a pawn, and crossed it again, “I’m not talkin’. Sorry, sweetheart, nothin’ against you, but I’m really not in the mood. ‘M only here ‘cause P– my bro made me.”

“I hope I’m not making it worse. I didn’t know what he had in mind when he said he wanted you to spend time with me… so I didn’t really… plan anything. I hope playing chess isn’t too boring for you,” you move a pawn, and take a sip from your tea cup. “And honestly, it can be really stressful when I’m not sticking to the plan and… don’t really know what to do… or say… So yeah, I hope you’re not uncomfortable because of me.”
Red hasn’t even touched his tea… I wonder if he just doesn’t like it, or is there something else...

“I’m fine with chess. But… are ya stressed right now?” he asks, and moves his pawn. You spot an opening.

“Do you want an honest or a nice-person answer?” you throw back.

He laughs a little. “What’s the nice one?”

You move your queen. Three moves left, if you’re lucky.
“Of course not, I’m never stressed around you,” you answer, and blink your eyes at him.

He laughs even more. “I didn’ know what I was expectin’,” he says, and moves his horse. “Checkmate.”

“Eh?! What?” you groan, “I was actually so close!”

“Like hell you were,” he grins.

You cross your arms. “Fine. You won. Good game, Red.”

He uncrosses his for the first time, actually relaxing a bit. “Hey, you did great, sweetheart. I’ve just played chess a lot. When we arrived here, and Sans didn’t have a job, he played with me all the time.”

“Why do you call me that?” you finally ask. It’s been on your mind for a while.
In the beginning, I thought he was just being creepy, but after I… befriended him? Or whatever it is, that we are right now, he hasn’t stopped. It better not be a fucking pet name.

“Call you what?” he responds. “Oh. You mean… ‘sweetheart’?”

You nod.

He tenses, and looks away. “It’s a… A habit. Knew a kid who’s a little like you. Always so… …
Oh fuck me. I’m done. I’m not talking,” he gets up.

You get that he doesn’t want to open up. You wouldn’t either.
Guess you’ll have to tell Edge you tried your best but didn’t really accomplish anything.
“Guess I’ll see ya later?” you ask.

He looks at you. His red eyelids linger on your eyes, like he’s seeing something you’re not. “Y’re… not gonna ask? …Or tell me to stay?”

“That would be something I’d do in most cases. But… Why should I push you if you don’t want to talk? Because frankly, I get it. I don’t like talking about myself either. It sucks, and everyone seems to feel sorry for you or tell you you’re seeking attention when you actually talk about real things, what you really feel, your problems…
I get it if you don’t want to talk. And you don’t owe me any explanations, Red. I’m here to listen if you want to talk.”

He’s not fully facing you, indicating he’s not ready to open up and still wants to leave. His eyelids are still locked on you.
He’s not afraid to make eye-contact… Whatever is bothering him, is not something he’s ashamed of. At least you think so.

He raises the hand that’s closer to you a little, but hesitates…

You're racking your brains, trying to decipher, to understand what his mind… no, his soul is trying to tell you. His soul? When did you start ‘feeling’ someone’s soul? This magic thing is getting weirder and weirder…

But looking at him, something gives it away that he himself doesn’t, but his soul wants you to know.
Could you reach? Could you… call out to his soul with whatever magic you use and reach him?

The moment stretches on. Red’s hand stays in its odd place, his eyes unmoving and you not breaking the silence either.

…Could I heal him? Would it help?
Curiosity calls out in your head. What would happen if you healed someone, who wasn’t visibly injured? If you wanted to heal or help them from inside?

You slowly raise your hand. You take a step closer. He tenses, in a tiniest way, but doesn’t back down. He’s probably curious as to what you’re trying to do.

No one else knows you can heal. Yet.

Your hand reaches his. It’s not entirely cold and hard, like you thought skeletons would be like. Some warmth can be felt, and his hand isn’t rock hard, but not really soft either.
You put your other hand on top of his, just like Lady Toriel had done for you. He looks genuinely confused now, red dusting his cheeks. You know you would be.

You reach out to your magic, but don’t close your eyes. You keep them on Red, so maybe he wouldn’t freak out. It’s a little harder when you’re not picturing the magic in your head. But slowly, it awakens, wraps your mind and stretches out.
You feel your hands turn warmer. You’re starting to get this magic thing. A familiar green glow starts to emit from between your palms.

Everything was just like with Stretch.

What you didn’t expect was— visions.

A child, who reminds you of Frisk, if they were younger and… different.

Edge, smiling.

A dark place, a cave? With a ceiling covered in stars. At least they look like stars.

Just as suddenly as they started, you’re pulled away from the foggy visions. You’re back in your house, in your living room. Red stares at you, holding his hand close to his chest. His eyes feel like they’re going to burn a hole through you.

“What. The. Hell.” Are the first words that leave his mouth.

You finally snap out of your trance, “I— I’m so sorry, I don’t know what— I didn’t— I don’t-” you feel overwhelmed. This situation reminds you of something, or rather, someone. Your face feels hot. Your head hurts, your vision blurries.
“I’m sorry Red, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t… I don’t know what I did! I just, I just wanted to help!”

You turn your head away from him, unable to look him in the eye. You even go as far as to hide your face in your hands. Like that would help anything.

Stupid! I already tried healing! It must be a really personal thing for monsters, that shouldn’t be used so lightly.
The face he made… just like Stretch.
Like I spoke ill of their close dead friend…
I don’t get it. I don’t get what I did wrong. I don’t get why he couldn’t just… talk to me. Just… tell me what I did wrong. I wouldn’t do it again, if I could just know!
Why did it hurt me so much?

“I’m sorry Red, I messed up, I shouldn’t have done that! I know I probably overstepped your boundaries real bad and pried into your personal stuff when you clearly told me-”

He stops you. You feel a hand on your shoulder.
“Hey hey hey Y/n–
look at me.”

You slowly uncover your face. A few tears have escaped your eyes, and you feel like a mess. You want to sink low into the ground, lower than mankind has ever reached.

“Y-y’re fine, I’m fine, I’m, I was just-” he exhales, “I was just… surprised, that’s all.”

“I’m so so so sorry. I didn’t mean to… to look into your memories, or whatever it is that I… saw. I was just… I don’t know. I thought I could make you feel better…” you’re almost whispering.

“Liar.” A voice in your head says. “You just wanted to know what he was hiding. You just wanted to pry on his secrets. You didn’t care if it would make him feel better.”
You want to believe that it’s not what happened. That you did all this without thinking about yourself. But… you’re not so sure anymore.

“...I’ll let it slide since you probably can’t really understand yet what these visions mean. Just, don’ do it again,” he removes his hand, and adds quietly, “...please.”

Something in the way he said it, or the look on his face, which seems the most genuine you’ve seen him, makes you feel even worse. Maybe he didn’t realize how much of a boundary-crossing it was, or how selfish it was of you to even do that, or he was just being that much of a bigger person. This Red was nothing like the douchebag you had first met.

“I’m sorry.”

He looks at you for a few moments, and shakes his head. “Heh… And I forgive you. I feel like… I feel like you were bein’ genuine, when you said you’re not goin’ to try to get me to talk about my stuff. I don’ understand why, or for what reason you’re being so nice for, but I’m… I’m glad you are.”

You smile through the dried tears, and the blush on your cheeks is probably no longer from shame or self-loathing. “I probably already told you before, but Red, I think you are a good person. Me right now probably couldn’t even imagine you creeping in here and harassing me, if I didn’t experience it!”
Why did I say that why did I say that why–

His face flushes red and he turns away, “I-I don’ know if I should be flattered or embarrassed. I’m never livin’ that one time down, am I?”

“You trespassed, harassed me for fun and didn’t back down until I took you down,” you throw back without thinking.
GG. I just ruined the mood for good. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut???

“Thanks for remindin’ me. I almost forgot,” Red turns visibly uncomfortable, but when his eyes land on you once again, something clicks. He sighs. “No, you’r right. I shouldn’ complain. I brought that on m’self.”

You both stare at each other. You’ve never… seen him as much as you do now.
It makes you feel warm.

“Well, I guess I’ll get goin’ now. Nothin’ much left to do here,” Red says and rubs his neck.

“Yeah I guess. Again, I’m sorry for all that trouble and… well, if you wanna talk, you know where to find me.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be next door… like always,” his eyes travel around the room, “...Guess I’ll go now. S-see ya, sweetheart.”

“B-bye,” you respond.

He disappears.

Jesus. I need to start taking socialisation classes. I need to have more normal, not overly emotional, all crying or yelling or whatever conversations.

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You hear the doorbell ringing. It even startles you a little. You look at the time.
Wow, talk about punctuality.
House looks quite clean. You feel very proud of yourself, and match towards the door.

When you open it, you’re greeted with two skeletons looking at you. Because you had spoken to them only through the internet, you didn’t know what they would look like.
“Oh, hello!”
After a closer inspection, they look a little familiar. Something about them… reminds you of your dear skeleton neighbours. Or maybe it’s just you not having seen many different skeletons.

“HELLO THERE, HUMAN. MY NAME IS BLACK. THIS IS MY BROTHER, RUS. IS THIS THE PLACE THAT WAS LISTED FOR RENTING?” The shorter one speaks.
He, Black, as he introduced himself, is wearing a long, elegant black coat, with some emblems stitched in in purple and red, and a red scarf. But what you notice the most is his face– his skull. Two long cracks stretch across the one side of his face and through his eye socket.

It reminds you of a certain edgelord.

“Yes, this is the one,” you’re feeling more nervous than you thought you would be. “My name is Y/n. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you extend your hand, like you played over in your head before.

Black hesitates for a few moments, eyeing your hand, before taking it. You hear a quiet chuckle from the other skeleton. Black seems to ignore it.

The taller skeleton, introduced as Rus, is wearing a jacket that matches Black’s coat. He has two golden fangs and a devilish grin on his face.
When Black lets go of your hand, you move it towards him, still smiling. Without missing a beat, he takes it, and kisses it?!

It shocks you, and you pull your hand close to your chest. Your heart rate rises very noticeably, you feel like even they could hear it. But before you can comment on his actions, tell him how that was… very uncomfortable, Black speaks up.

“P– BROTHER! THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR! I AGREE WE SHOULD RESPECT THE HUMAN, BUT YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE SHE DIDN’T LIKE THAT!”

“Sorry, m’lord. I thought it would be nice.” he answers, looking at you. His face says he’s not sorry.

Oh, no no no no no. What did I get myself into? And a better question: how am I going to escape?

Okay, Y/n. Taser’s still in your pocket, you know how to defend yourself. Papyrus is only a call away, and he almost always answers immediately. In case this Rus guy tries something funny.
I don’t like that look. I’ve seen it. Someone with that stupid look lives next to my house.

“Yes, I would like it if you didn’t do that again,” you’re smiling again, but much less genuinely now. “Now, come on in. I’ll give you a tour.”

They both follow you into the house, and it seems like Rus isn’t going to attempt anything again. Black makes some small talk with you, but Rus doesn’t speak at all. Maybe that was just him being a bit weird. But then again, he’s a stranger. You won’t trust him that easily.
You start your tour from the kitchen, which Black compliments. You, of course, turned red, because you weren’t used to getting compliments about the house, especially the kitchen, which was a little or very dirty most of the time.
After that, you move on to the living room. You talk about the different paintings on the walls like a guide in the museum. Mostly because you can never get a chance to talk about those. You also point out how the window gives a good view of the garden. Not that there’s anything to look at right now.
You even show them the bathroom, very briefly, and swiftly skip the study and the door into the basement. Maybe one day, you’ll clean the basement and open it up to the public, but definitely not soon. God knows what memories you might find there. You’re probably not ready for it.
You debated with yourself for some time about whether you should show them your own bedroom. But of course, Rus’s great introduction cleared all doubts you had, so you just showed them the empty rooms. Both rooms have a bed, a wardrobe, a desk with a chair, and a window, but they’re otherwise empty. You stand and talk there for around a minute, and, for a brief moment, your mind starts to wander.

I wonder… if time machines existed, and with that, the alternate realities, would Silver and Lily still be here? Or at least visit…
Would I be… not alone here?

You snap out of the silly thought. Better not dwell on the past you can’t change.
“I know they might look a little empty, but that gives you a lot of freedom for decorating!” you cheerfully comment.

They’re both awfully quiet the entire tour, which makes you even more nervous. You walk back into the living room, and decide to speak up: “If you have any questions, feel free to ask. About the house, the neighbours, the transportation or something…”

“How much do you know about the neighbours? As in… Are they nice, or should we avoid them…?” Rus asks.

You think about his question. Maybe you’re really high alert with him right now, but his wording… it rubs you the wrong way.
“Well, the only neighbours I really see often are the ones next door and they are actually also skeletons. You definitely don’t need to avoid them, They are just normal monsters, living a quiet life. Haven’t caused any commotion in these 5 months they’ve been here.”
A lie, but you’re not going to tell them about your personal… adventures. You don’t want any word to get out to the other neighbours. This world… has not been very good to monsters.

You see a tiniest smile crossing his face. Very suspicious.

You don’t get to ask or tell them anything else, because suddenly, a tall skeleton appears right in front of you, and you yelp.
His back is turned to you, and he’s mostly covering your view of Black and Rus.

Immediately, without a doubt, you recognize him.
It’s Stretch.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asks in a low, threatening voice. He pays no mind to you, or the fact he scared the shit out of you, and focuses solely on the other two skeletons.

“What? Not happy to see us?” Rus responds.

Black grins, “WE’RE JUST HERE TO LOOK FOR A LIVING SPACE FOR OURSELVES. THIS PLACE JUST HAPPENED TO CATCH OUR EYES.”

“There is no way that this place, right next to ours, is coincidentally the one that ‘caught your eyes’.” Stretch says. His voice sounds weirdly calm. Like, almost artificially, but what else is new with him?

You can see that his hands are still in his pockets, his posture relaxed, like he’s trying to look calm. But there is something in the way he stands that gives you the opposite impression.

They know each other. That can’t be good, given Stretch’s… sudden appearance, and his tone.
Wait, how did he…?

“Stretch… were you spying on me?!” you walk to his side, staring at him.

He doesn’t respond, nor look at you.

“Oh we are not doing this. Get out!” you’re furious.

“OH, SEEMS LIKE YOU’RE HAVING SOME TROUBLE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOUR, STRETCH,” Black mocks him, and you see Rus smirking.

You turn your focus onto the other two. Something inside you doesn’t like the way he talked to Stretch. Something in the way he said ‘neighbour’ is making the alarm bells in your head go off.
You are on very bad terms with Stretch. You don’t really want to talk to him. Not before he apologizes.

But you’re not letting them mock him.

“I’m so sorry to inform you, that based on the last few minutes–” And the first impression of Rus “–I don’t think this is going to work out. So I’m kindly asking you to leave.”

Black looks like he wants to say something, but decides against it. Rus’s face doesn’t change at all. Like he’s hiding his emotions behind his grin.

Hmm, where have I seen this behavior before? you think and glimpse at Stretch.

Rus stares at you for quite a while, and you’re starting to feel threatened. Like, actually threatened.
He doesn’t try anything, just puts his hand on Black’s shoulder, and both of them vanish. No goodbye, no explanation, nothing.

Also, another skeleton that can teleport. Great.
And he knows where you live.

Before he can escape, you decide to take Stretch hostage to your iron grip. You hold onto his forearm so that he wouldn’t just teleport away to avoid you, while staring at him and slowly spitting out: “Start talking. Now.”

Stretch audiebly exhales.

Chapter Text

You stood in the middle of the living room. Everything had been tidied up nicely. Every corner was clean, the pillows had been cleaned and stacked neatly to give the most aesthetic view of the couch. You had even put a tablecloth on the coffee table and the smaller drawer on the side, that you almost never touched, because you wanted everything to look great for the first time in a while. The pictures on the drawer were clean, and neatly placed to not draw attention to them, but still be visible for you to see. Because every time you noticed them, a warm wave would shoot up your spine.

And all that cleaning, all that planning you did, was for nothing. Because you just happened to live next to the skeleton household.

Because you just so happened to be friendly with them.

You let out a loud, little whiny sigh.
Just about everything you thought came out with that one big breath.
Throat feels a little dry.

“C’mon, kid. No need to be so tense. You’re not in danger, you don’t have to hold onto me for dear life.” Stretch gives you a lazy smirk.

You turn your head slowly, even comedically slowly, to get the point across.
Everything else, every muscle in your body, is relaxed as ever, besides the hand that is cuffed around Stretches forearm.

“I’m not, but you are. I’m not letting go until I get answers, even if I have to stay here for hours. I’ve been around you skeletons long enough to know which ones will immediately escape serious conversations with an easy ‘disappearance into the air’.
I’m done with waiting for you to talk to me. Now I’m demanding.”

He keeps eye contact with you for a few moments, the smirk still hanging on his face. Then, out of nowhere, pulls out a cigarette, with his free hand, and lights it.

You just stare at him the whole time. You’re too confused to realize that there was not even going to be a grand reveal. He just wanted a smoke.

But once you do realize, your free hand curls into a fist. Oh hell no.

“I will now take that, thank you,” you pull the cigarette out from his mouth with a graceful, annoyed swing, “I’m afraid you can’t smoke inside this house, either. I may not really care about what you do with your health, but my lungs will definitely be affected. And also, since you so rudely have said absolutely nothing, I will take the liberty of being a bitch.” You give him the pettiest, the most insincere smile. You feel very proud of yourself.

“Fine, I won’t smoke here, but c’mon darling, at least let me keep it?” he asks.

“Will you start talking?” you throw back.

His eyes widen a little, which makes you smile even more in satisfaction.

Of course, he doesn’t bend at all, but you weren’t even expecting him to. You’re starting to sense some behavior patterns.

“Didn’t think so.”

You attempt to blow out the fire in the smoke, but it’s not as easy as you hoped, and really takes quite a few tries before you succeed. A lot of smoke got into the air. Hopefully the smell won’t stain the furniture.
You know you must look like an idiot, but the other choice would be to try to drag Stretch’s ass into the kitchen, and he probably wouldn’t let you.

He’s just watching you, grinning again. But he doesn’t say a word.

You let out a frustrated exhale, “So. Are you talking? Or do I need to cancel my other plans for today as well?”

He shrugs. “I’ve got nothin’ much to say. Those two didn’t really do anything, and probably only came here to piss me off. You’ve got nothin’ to worry about.”

Okay, I’ll play your little mind games.
I bet a 100 that you’re lying.

“Oh Stretch, if they didn’t do anything, we wouldn’t be standing here. Trust me, you make me uncomfortable too, but mostly because I’m mad at you, not because you scare me.”
Not entirely the truth, but close enough. Even if he could detect your lies, it’s harder to decode half-truths.

Your wordplay works like a charm you didn’t know you had.

His eyes immediately lock on you, like a bad memory flashed before his eyes.
“What. Did. They. Do.”

The seriousness, the heavy look in his eye sockets… He’s not even hiding any of it.
It feels… unnerving.

“Rus made it very clear in the first few seconds that he’s almost as much of a weirdo as Red. He didn’t break into my home, but kissing my hand and then having that weird, satisfied look he had made me reaaaal uncomfortable. Speaking of which–”

“He did WHAT?!” Stretch raises his voice suddenly. He sounds more surprised than concerned, but his eyes still hold that… look. He shakes his head before continuing: “That fuckin’ bastard. Of course he would do something like that.”

“...Right,” your grip loosens a little.

He shakes his head again, just a little, “Rus is… I don’t even know. He probably knew you would get along with us, so he did somethin’ he knew would piss us off.”

“All of you, or just you? And also, why would you care? He didn’t endanger me and you’ve been even more of an asshole.”

He turns his eyes away quickly. Probably said something he didn’t want to share.

So now we’re getting somewhere.

However, he doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t defend himself, or avoid the question. But you’re determined to get answers, so you just continue to stare at him, despite your growing boredom.
There’s other feelings that you’re trying to block out.
Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think, don’t think. He is going to answer, I’m sure. I’m getting the answers.

But you are not.

And the time stretches on, and on, and on.

Slowly, your eyes meet again. His face is back to neutral, a small smile curved on his face. “You’re just goin’ to keep staring at me, aren’t you?”

Your patience is running thinner and thinner. “Oh so I didn’t make that clear like a thousand times over?” you roll your eyes, and answer, slowly: “Stretch. I. Will. Get. Answers. Even. If. I. Have. To. Keep. You. Hostage. Here.
Was that clear enough for you, or do I need to say it slower?”

You can see the small annoyance cross his face, just for a moment. Good. Either you’re getting better at reading him, or he’s too tired to keep up the fake facade.

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you the story, since you asked so nicely.” He clears his throat, even though you’re 98% sure he doesn’t need to, and starts, “Long ago, two races ruled over the earth: humans, and monsters. One day–”

“I didn’t mean the whole monster-human history! I meant the story behind you and the other two!” you cut him off.

He lets out a laugh, “but that history is also part of the story about us?”

“Oh this is funny to you? This is just a joke to you? Fine. If you treat all of this as a joke. So will I,” you say, furious, and start walking towards the front door while pulling his hand.

He doesn’t put up much of a fight. “Aww, already throwing me out? But I didn’t get down to the bone-ttom of this story.” It was clearly his plan to annoy you enough to give up. Jokes on him.

“I’m not throwing you out, Stretch. I’m going to tell everyone the wonderful joke that has been my day. Including your intrusion. We’ll see what others have to say about your and the other skeleton duo’s visit.”

In a split of a second, you feel a little nausea and dizziness as you appear back in the middle of the living room. The sudden momentarily gravity change does no good for your balance either. You yelp as you lose your footing and drop the cigarette that was still in your hand. Without realizing it, you start to pull Stretch down with you as well.

He, however, has a much better control over his balance. And apparently, he is stronger than his light weight gives away. He catches you with his free arm, and while you’re still in a half-fallen position, he’s on his feet, looking down on you.

He isn’t grinning anymore.

“Fuckin’ hell. Give me a warning next time, at least. God, my head is killing me.” You place your free hand on your forehead. The hand’s a little colder, and it has a soothing effect on your disturbed nerves. It also gives you a reason not to look at him.

“Why don’ you give me a warning next time you want to do somethin’ stupid?” he answers without much emotion. Not even annoyance is heard in his voice. Or you just can’t tell.

“You didn’t talk. What am I supposed to do? I’m not going to wait forever for you to speak up, I said I’m demanding, so now I’m demanding!” you fire back. Your head feels hotter.

“Oh for Toriel’s sake, you don’t know when to quit, do you?” he sarcastically remarks, “Fine, I give in! You win.”

“Finally!” you remove your hand from your head, “Took you long enough! And hey, if it makes you feel better, you can go back to avoiding me after this!” you grin at him.

He pulls you up, with a small frown on his face. Like it actually moved him.
“I’m not… I’m not avoiding you, I’m just…”

“Not telling me anything, just looking from afar. Yeah, I know.”

The room falls silent once again. Your eyes scan every movement in his face. He seems out of it. He’s really thinking through what to tell you, or at least you think he is.
It could be that he’s putting up just another facade so you would leave him alone, instead.

His head moves a little every few moments, like he’s about to start, but hesitates again. His eyes move onto you, then away again, then on you again, and some moments, he’s looking through you. There’s so much movement going on, and you don’t know what any of it means. But it feels… complicated.
His sight still travels as you look at those sockets that you didn’t think could hold the same amount of emotion as human eyes.

He’s a little closer to you than before, and you can see how his head is tilted towards you when he looks you in the eye. Never before has he seemed so tall, and he actually isn’t, but it just feels like… like he's so much older. Like he has seen things you cannot imagine. Been through things you couldn’t ever bare.

But why would he go out of his way to lie so much? To hide so much… Is it because it’s something very personal? I could understand that to some extent, but he’s just straight up trying to make me believe that there’s nothing there… Even when I have all the reasons to believe there is something. Maybe… is it something very scary? I could understand if he just didn’t want to scare me. But again… He’s just pretending. Pretending that everything is fine.

More and more questions pop up in your head. You’re still angry at him, but… looking at him, you’re starting to question what you’re actually feeling. You’re mad… but… why are you mad? What is the purpose of your anger? You felt yourself in danger, but that wasn’t really his fault, was it?
Are you mad about the healing incident? Yes you are. He hasn’t apologized, and the thought that maybe all of them really hated you haunted you for days…
You’re scared. You’re scared you’ll end up alone again. And he pushed the right buttons to trigger that fear. And you felt attacked.

You can’t stay mad forever. It’s just not worth it.

He’s being so secretive, so closed in, just like you used to be a long time ago.
But that's what pulled you towards him.

An eye for an eye.

You take a deep breath.
“I’ve… I haven’t told any of you how I ended up this way. You know – a college student, living alone in a house, at the edge of the suburbs. Believe it or not, I haven’t even told Papyrus. I really wanted to, but couldn’t get it out. He knows some stuff, but not the whole thing.

The woman that used to live here… was my aunt. You probably knew that. But it was more than just the two of us, living here. She… she treated me like her own daughter, and I treated her like my own mother.
My aunt has two children, my cousins Silver and Lily. I don’t really know what their homelife was like, but… when I moved here, my aunt was all alone. Neither of my cousins really visited her, and my uncle died a few years ago. She always looked… so sad. I know she was always waiting for them to come back home. To have them in her arms again. Sil did visit her sometimes, but I feel like he was here mostly because of me. And I felt bad for her. I was alone too. My whole family was in a different city, hours away from here. I felt like… we made each others’ lives better, by just being here.
One day, I got into a fight with Sil, because I wanted to know why they didn’t visit their mother who was so sad from not being able to see them. He didn’t really explain, but got all worked up, and said some mean things, and so did I.
He never came back here. Haven’t seen him face-to-face since. Besides… my aunt’s funeral.

My aunt got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, last year. I think it was stage 3? Anyways, they didn’t give us much hope, but we still stayed positive for a whole year. She patiently went to all the scans, all the treatment courses, and lived life to its fullest. The cancer was always in the back of our minds, but it didn’t bring down our mental health quality.

She was in chemotherapy, I think, when they called me.
She had…
She passed away. I hadn’t talked to her in person for a week, and now, I was never going to get the chance to.

And now… I’m all alone. I have no one.
My family…” No. There’s only so much personal talk that I can tolerate having.

But your eyes are dry. Your breathing is normal, nothing is blocking your throat. It feels like there’s a hole in the place that used to hold deep emotions, connections to those people, that you valued so deeply.
You feel… empty. Like there’s nothing left inside. Somehow, that’s even worse than crying.

“I’ve… I don’t understand… Why? I never earned your trust. And I didn’t even try, despite how you…”

“Well… I could say I do trust you, but I don’t at the same time. When I look at you, I can never grasp what’s behind those eye sockets, or what will you do next… But honestly, right now?

You don’t look… untrustworthy,” you answer.

“Heh… I don’t get it, but… who am I to judge?” he says, a small smirk hanging on his mouth again. It looks more genuine now.
“Those two – Black and Rus, are brothers, as you probably found out. They’re close friends with us, and even used to live with us before we moved here. We’ve been together through a lot of… well, shit. Literally.
But Rus he… he had some weird habits. We didn’t really mind, as long as it stayed out of our way, but when it got him…

I can’t.”
He moves away from you, as far as pulling your hand.

You let go.

He doesn’t immediately teleport away. He just… turns around. Maybe he doesn’t want you to read his expression. Maybe the past is haunting him.

“He did something bad that hurt all of you, I’m guessing,” you propose in response.

He lets out a laugh.
It sounds… hollow.

“Not the way I would put it, but close enough. And this… story, his story, isn’t actually mine to tell.
I can’t tell you what really happened, before… before we make things right again. But I don’t know when or will it ever happen.
I don’t even know if he’s in the same state he was when they both left. Because it was bad. He was bad. And it was hurting all of us. And when we tried to fix it, and tried to find some way to get out of that hole, they turned against us. Said that we only wanted what was best for us.” He’s looking out of the window. There’s so much in his voice, that his face doesn’t tell you.

And you feel like, in some ways, he’s just like you.

You slowly walk up to him. He turns to face you again, but doesn’t meet your eyes.

“Thank you for telling me this,” you say, and hug him.

You don’t hug people often. In fact, you’ve only hugged Toriel and Papyrus in the past few weeks, or maybe even months. And that was only three or four times.
You hold onto him very gently, despite knowing that skeletons aren’t as fragile as they seem. You just get a feeling that he might break, if you hold on too tight. His hoodie, that you find way too orange to take itself seriously, smells like cigarettes, which does not surprise you at all.
But it also smells… like honey.

I wonder if skeletons have a sense of smell. Or taste. They seem to have the other senses.

In a few moments, a hand slowly reaches around you. It’s also very gentle, ready to let go at any moment.

It’s… nice.

There’s a lot on your mind. You didn’t forgive him. You didn’t really patch things up, start over or anything like that. He didn’t change, or admit he was wrong. It really hurt you how he acted, and it was on your mind weeks after it happened, and you’re a bit afraid of your own powers because of all this..

You don’t know what to feel anymore.

You slowly let go of him, and he’s quick to follow.
“Should I be worried about them?”

“I’m not sure. I doubt they had anything malicious in mind when they came here. And also you’re right. Despite everything, Rus is just a little weirdo. Sometimes I think he and Red got along too well.”

You laugh.

You decide that it’s best, if you speak up about your thoughts. “I don’t know how to feel. You didn’t… You didn’t apologise, you didn’t explain what happened back then or anything, but yet… I feel like I shouldn’t be mad at you anymore. It feels like we’re past it. But… there was no resolution. I feel like I should still be angry. At least a little.”

“I’ll give you a resolution. I was an asshole, who was scared out of their mind by the mere reminder that I’m still just a person. And I couldn’t comprehend that compassion from a human wasn’t an attack against me. And I acted harshly towards you just because you’re a human. What does that make me? No better than those humans who are racist against monsters.”

Every word is like music to your ears. Everything you wanted from him, all the doubts you had in your mind, that had been swirling around for so long, disappeared. Like a heavy stone was lifted from your chest.

“I’m sorry I called you a liar, Y/N. And I’m sorry for all the terrible treatment you got from me.”

You won’t even hesitate in answering “And I forgive you,” to him.

His face lifts again, and you feel warm inside.

Chapter Text

The snow was glittering under the first rays of sunlight on an early, cold morning. You watched as every time your perspective changed, it sparkled like glitter. Fresh, cold, fluffy glitter. It most likely snowed at night – you would’ve noticed if it was snowing yesterday, because of how much you loved watching the rain or snow. A hot cup of tea or hot cocoa… no thoughts, no responsibilities, no feelings. Universe be damned that you were a mere human, that needed its beauty sleep, and couldn’t just stare at the beauty of nature all night long.
The weather forecast had been two days off – it was supposed to snow on Saturday – but here you are, on a Thursday morning, the busiest day of your week, wishing you didn’t have things to do or places to go. You could potentially cancel on Lady Toriel – she probably wouldn’t be mad at all, since it probably wasn’t even in her nature to get mad – but you didn’t want to let her down for a pile of snow. In the end, yes, you would come home quite late and tired, but you could still be outside for some time.
Maybe even get Papyrus to join you.

You gave the beauty of nature quite a few glances every time you passed by a window. And even though you weren’t expecting snow to arrive early, you were prepared. A winter coat and boots were both neatly placed in the hall, just waiting to be used.

The bus ride into the city took longer than usual as well. The whole city seemed to notice how overnight, seasons had changed. Street cleaners working full time, people rushing slowly not to trip on the ice and snow, even cars drove a little slower. Your first winter… your first christmas without auntie.
It was going to be hard.

You blinked rapidly to not tear up. Moving on was hard, but it was easier not to think about her on a daily basis. So you thought about Papyrus.
I wonder if Papyrus likes snow. Did they even have snow in the underground?

It’s kind of surreal thinking about the underground overall. I should ask him about it some time.

After you got off the bus, the journey to the monster school began. Just like the people you had seen from the bus window, your every step centred around trying not to trip. Thankfully, at least the sky was clear, so you didn’t need to worry about falling snow trying to blind you.

The school was quiet and warm. Your steps echoed in the empty halls, and no matter how you walked, it still seemed a little too loud. As you passed the classes, some childrens’ talking was heard, some teachers’ that you recognized, and some had only the sound of papers and pencils. It gave you a weird, little nostalgic feeling. You used to listen and think about other classes all the time when you happened to be out of class in high school.

You stroll into the teachers’ room and announce: “Hello Lady Toriel! Y/n here, teachers aid, ready and waiting for instructions!”

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God, you're tired. You thought you could do something fun after school, but all you could think about on the ride home was your comfy bed and how you were going to inhabit it for the next twelve hours.
You didn’t get many chances to really be outside over the course of the day, besides the one outside break the kids had and the walk from Toriel’s school to the one you were attending. And with every step, you feared for your safety. You didn’t fall this time, but who knows – maybe you’ll be the ice’s next victim.

As you carefully made your way from the bus station to the familiar street, you thought about what Papyrus was doing. He had told you yesterday that he was out of town for most of today on monsters’ mascot business. Maybe he will be home soon. Not that you had the energy to be outside anymore.

Most houses you passed by were full of lights, different silhouettes passing by the windows here and there, and you imagined all the talking and laughing that could be heard in them. As you approached your front door and unlocked it, you wondered when was the last time your house had been like that.

“HELLO MISS Y/N!” a familiar energetic voice suddenly called from behind you, making you drop your keys.

“Eep! Jesus, Blue, you scared me!” you pick the keys back up, and the cold from the snow bites your fingers.

His face immediately drops, “I’m so sorry Miss Y/N! I didn’t mean to, I just saw you walking all alone and wanted to see how you’re doing!” he explains.

Not that he needed to apologize – you weren’t even mad. But the gesture warms your heart.
“No need to apologize, Blue. I was just deep in thought, and didn’t notice you. But it’s really sweet of you to care.” your eyes wander to the houses you had passed by earlier.

“ARE YOU OKAY? YOU LOOK… OFF,” he presses on.

You don’t really want to ruin his mood by talking about your struggles, but the way he looks at you…
He seems so genuine.

“I’m… I’m thinking about Christmas. It’s going to be the first one when I’m alone. I’m feeling a little – blue,” you laugh. You didn’t even mean to say that.

He laughs a little as well. “I’M SORRY YOU’RE NOT FEELING WELL,” he rubs the back of his neck, and turns his eyes to the side, away from you. “BUT… MISS Y/N, I WAS THINKING… ARE YOU… BUSY RIGHT NOW?”

As much as you can remember your past interactions, Blue has always insisted on calling you ‘miss’, despite the time you’ve known each other and the way others in the skeleton house treat you or call you. It makes you wonder if there’s a story behind this.
Or maybe he’s just really polite and you keep overthinking this.

“No need to call me ‘miss’, Blue— U-Unless you want to! I-I don’t mind it that much! But–” you stumble on your words, “What- uh… what were you saying again? Oh right– no, I-I’m not busy right now. Why?” you pick on your coat with your free hand.
Too many pointless words, stupid!

He rubs his neck again, and then puts both his hands behind his back as he shifts from leg to leg. “WOULD YOU LIKE TO… COME BUILD A SNOW FORTRESS WITH ME? YOU DON’T HAVE TO, OF COURSE! I JUST THOUGHT I COULD OFFER… PAPYRUS ISN’T HOME YET, AND I DON’T WANT TO BUILD IT ALL ALONE…”

It’s been so long since you have built one… You imagine that your eyes are sparkling. Because that’s what you feel inside. “Of course! I would love to!” you clap your hands together. “I haven’t built one in years! Oh how exciting!! Okay, wait right here, I’ll be back in a few moments! Wait, actually, do you feel cold? Maybe you should come inside for a moment, so you don’t have to wait in the cold! Oh this is so exciting!” You don’t even give him time to respond, quickly open the front door and rush inside, carelessly throwing your boots and coat on the side. Blue follows you inside, but you’re already heading to the basement.

“I haven’t had time to bring upstairs all my winter clothes, so this might take a few moments!” you yell to him as you reach the bottom of the stairs. It doesn’t look like he’s following you.

The basement looks like a hazard, but it has enough room that you can make your way to an old wardrobe. You can just taste the dust in the air, but try to ignore it.
I promise I will clean you up soon, old man. I’m just taking my time.
You sort through many different clothing items, all winter clothes, but it’s not hard to find exactly what you’re looking for: an old, black coat that has been repaired more times than you’ve seen the sun. Still looks good. Then, a pair of warm, multiple layer gloves auntie got you for the first winter here. And finally, a winter hat with three colour sections – white, then neon-green and then dark blue. On top sits a neon green pom-pom. It’s your favorite hat that you’ve held onto for at least five years. Just thinking about all the memories you have with this hat warms your heart.

You turn around to sprint upstairs–

Only to be stopped by none other than Blue himself—
and you run right into him.

“Holy shit–!”
The world turns around as you both fall over on the dusty dusty floor, with you trying to grab onto anything to keep yourself up.
A loud thud is heard, things fall over and a cloud of dust shoots up. Very graceful landing.

“Ow…” You groan, and cover your mouth as you start to inhale loads of dust. You can’t help but sneeze and cough over and over again, before getting out: “I’m so sorry Blue! I didn’t hear you come downstairs!”

In all this dust, and between the sneezing and coughing, you didn’t even notice how you landed. Right on top of him.

When you finally have a chance to get a little more air in your lungs, your attention is drawn to him.

Despite your own shadow covering his face, you can actually get quite a good look at him. There are some smaller marks on his skull that don’t look like cracks or… scars? But close to them. His eyes, white dots with a thin, light-blue line outlining them, stare back at you, shocked. His face is bright blue.

He finally speaks. “I-IT’S O-OKAY, I’M OKAY! A-ARE… YOU?” The dusty air doesn’t seem to bother him one bit. Lucky bastard.

Instead of answering, you make another realization.
You’ve been staring at him for way longer than you should!

“Oh, oh! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” you roll yourself off of him, making him be able to sit up.
You’re still having trouble breathing normally.
“I’m– *cough* okay!” you feel a bit embarrassed, but your main concern is still the dust. “Ugh, we *cough cough* need to get out of here, before I lo– *sneeze* lose the ability to breathe all-together!” you quickly stand up, ignoring your dizziness and stretch out your hand.

He grabs it without saying anything and you quickly walk back upstairs.

Even when you’re upstairs, it takes a few minutes before you can collect yourself again. And now all your clothes are dusty. Disgustingly dusty. Blue looks a little weird, and you can’t really pin an emotion on his face, but his eyes almost never leave you. He’s probably still concerned about you.

Once you can breathe normally again, you apologize again: “I’m really sorry you had to go through that Blue. I was so excited I forgot to pay attention to other things around me. Not to mention that I haven’t cleaned there in a long time. Jesus.”

His cheekbones are still dusted in light blue. He shakes his head, “THAT’S OKAY, I GET EXCITED ABOUT STUFF LIKE THIS TOO! BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE OKAY? YOU WERE COUGHING A LOT.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Humans just can’t inhale a lot of dust or something at once, our body will start violently removing it by force. And it’s not pleasant, as you can see.”

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Blue wasn’t playing around. There were a few shovels and other tools, and a huge chunk of snow in the backyard. You wondered how it even fit here with the big puzzle surrounding their weird little shack. It was the first thing you noticed the moment you arrived. They had definitely moved it, but why and how, you couldn’t figure out.
A cold shiver went down your spine. You were never going to get even close to that thing again.

You didn’t want to get on their bad side. You… doubted they would kill you. Would they kill you? Is there something so secretive and valuable, that they’d go into any lengths to protect their secrets? They seem mostly friendly (besides Edge)... would they still raise their hand against you?

Another chill.

Best not to think about such things.

“How big of a fortress were you planning to make? And where did you even get that much snow??” you ask Blue.

He has a confident grin on his face. “IT WILL BE THE BIGGEST ONE IN THE WHOLE TOWN! AS FOR THE SNOW… A MAGICIAN NEVER REVEALS THEIR SECRETS! MWEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!” It seems like he has gotten over the weird little scene you made at your house.

His laugh is a little silly, but absolutely adorable. “Alright, be mysterious. Where do we start?”

You can’t help but think – Is this person in front of me really capable of hurting someone?

He explains his battle plan, and he sounds like a real architect. You wonder if you’ve even asked about his profession or something. Probably haven’t. But he could be into architecture.
His idea of a snow fortress sounds a little more like a huge snowcastle, and he does have a drawing of his vision resembling a castle, but you don’t really mind. His ideal fortress has three layers (which you really doubt is possible) and a lot of walls. It sounds like a lot of work, but you knew this wouldn’t be anything easy, considering Blue and all his extravagant ideas (especially the one sitting at the corner of the yard).
He repeats multiple times that you shouldn’t move anything that feels too heavy. It’s very reassuring.

As you work through the layers and layers of snow, shoveling them into the right place carefully instructed by Blue, you feel how sweaty your back is getting. The first level is slowly coming to place, but so is your exhaustion, despite how happy and fulfilled you feel.

When you finally break, and just know you can’t raise another shovel-full of snow, you let yourself fall into the nearest snowpile and relax. Despite your warm coat, you can feel some of the cold on your back. Probably shouldn’t lay in the snow too long. But the cold is calming, and the snow is very soft. You close your eyes for a moment.

“OH MY STARS! ARE YOU OKAY Y/N? DID YOU FALL DOWN? DID YOU GET THAT DIZZINESS THING YOU DO? SHOULD I CALL THE AMBULANCE?”

You immediately shoot up, “Whoa whoa whoa whoa slow down Blue! I’m okay, I'm okay!” you wave your hands, "Everything's fine! I just… I just sat down. I was tired, that is all.”

He crouches down to your level. “YOU SHOULD’VE TOLD ME! I DON’T KNOW HOW FRAGILE HUMANS ARE, I DON’T WANT TO PUSH YOU TOO HARD!” he seems to be worried out of his mind.

You reach out to place your hand on his shoulder. He immediately stops in his tracks and just stares between you and your hand. He has a little similar expression to the one he had before in your house. (You really don’t want to think about that. It was so embarrassing.)

“Listen, Blue. I’m okay. I just sat down, I’m not that fragile, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“BUT WHAT IF YOU GOT HURT? I COULDN’T FORGIVE MYSELF IF I MADE MY HUMAN FRIEND GET HURT!”

There’s something in his eyes. You’ve seen it in Papyrus’s eyes too. You’ve seen how Sans looks at you sometimes. They all have that… particular look you cannot figure out. It’s…

“Has something like that… happened before, Blue?”

And he freezes entirely. His eyes stare into yours, shocked. You should really learn to keep your thoughts to yourself more.

After moments pass.

Finally, he stands up, “I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.” His face is turned towards the house. You’ve never seen him look that… serious.

“Sorry. I don’t… I just… talk too much sometimes,” you get up as well. “But… even though I don’t think you have to worry about me so much, I’m glad you care. You’re a great friend, Blue.”

His head turns suddenly, bone brows raised, “Y-YOU… REALLY CONSIDER ME AS YOUR FRIEND?”

“Well, you consider me as your friend, so why wouldn’t I?
And, you’ve… you’ve been so nice to me. I thought you were just polite because I’m Papyrus’s friend but you’re, like, genuinely so nice to me. I don’t really get it, but I’m happy you’re always reaching out to me and talking to me and stuff,” you feel a little blush on your cheeks. It’s weird to talk about your feelings like this. But it seems to uplift Blue’s spirit, and you’re happy to make him feel good about himself.

“WELL… THEN NOW, THAT WE ARE OFFICIALLY FRIENDS, WE CAN HAVE SLEEPOVERS, AND TELL EACH OTHER SECRETS AND PLAY VIDEO GAMES TOGETHER!”

“Not like we couldn’t have done it before.” You smile.

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“WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?”

Somehow you have ended up in the skeleton household kitchen, hot cocoa in your hands and Blue staring at you in awe as he asks you all the different questions he has in his “friendship manual”. You told him multiple times that you don’t have to do ‘friendship’ by the book, but you have a feeling he does it more out of his need for instructions on how to do his best, rather than because he thinks it’s necessary.
You don’t even know why he brought the book with him. He seems to have memorized all the questions.

You hear the front door open.

“WE’RE HOME!” your favorite, energetic companion is heard from the hall. You feel your heart skipping a beat. You haven’t talked to him much the past two weeks, since he was so busy at work. But instead of rushing to him to give him the biggest hug you could, you stand in place not to offend Blue. After all, he is ‘officially’ your friend now too.

Blue shouts back, “Welcome home!” without missing a beat, and turns his attention back to you.

Your hands start to get sweaty, as you try to decide whether or not you should greet him as well. Maybe you should wait until he sees you?

“That’s a hard question, Blue,” you laugh nervously, “There’s so much food that I like, and a lot that I haven’t even had the chance to try yet! I really don’t know how to answer… I guess I like… pizza?” Ugh Y/n that’s such a basic answer. Give him something more interesting, for god’s sake! “W-what about you?”

Papyrus pops up at the kitchen entrance. “I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU – HI Y/N!”

“Hi Papyrus! It’s great to see you!” you answer. Your hands relax a little.

He doesn’t talk much longer, just briefly how his day went, before going upstairs. But his, and Sans’s, who you found out was also with him, arrival caused the whole house to come more alive. Before, everyone besides Blue was somewhere upstairs, but now, Papyrus is replaced by Stretch standing in the kitchen entrance. He gives you a kind of ‘knowing’ look. It most likely has something to do with your… reconciling.

“OH HI P– BROTHER! ME AND MY NOW OFFICIAL FRIEND Y/N ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR FAVORITE FOODS!” Blue excitedly claims.

Stretch fetches something from the fridge (a bottle? You’re not sure what’s in it) and answers: “That’s nice bro, but I thought you guys already were friends?”

“WELL YES, BUT IT WASN’T ‘OFFICIAL’, AND I WASN’T SURE IF I COULD BE CONCIDERED AS HER FRIEND WHEN YOU GUYS COULDN’T GET ALONG.”

Both you and Stretch were drinking at the very wrong moment– his statement caught you both off-guard.
As Stretch tries not to spit out his drink, you cough violently not to choke on the hot cocoa.

He fucking knew the entire time. Did all of them know there was something going on between us? And even better question: how fucking obvious was it???

“OH Y/N, ARE YOU OKAY? WAS THERE STILL SOME DUST IN YOUR THROAT?” Blue worriedly asks.

Chapter Text

Falling.

You’re falling.

Are you falling?

You’re flying.

But you don’t see where.

This is nice.

You’re slowing down now?

“Aw.
I guess I got tired of flying.”

“Do I know this place?”

“Oh. A door. I guess I’m going through the door.”

There’s someone standing there.

It doesn’t look like a human.

It turns around. . . .

Noise.

Noise you don’t… recognize.

It’s so loud
It’s so loud
It’s so loud

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, WAKE UP, WAKE UP—

“☟︎♏︎●︎●︎□︎📪︎ ☟︎◆︎❍︎♋︎■︎📬︎”

You gasp for air as you shoot up from your bed.

Every piece of your being is covered in cold sweat, trembling like leaves in the wind.

You have had nightmares, that have been so bad that you wake up.
You have had dreams that turn into nightmares in a cruel twist, which wakes you up.

You have never been woken up because of a sound in a nightmare. A sound that… felt so real.

…

As you try to calm your breathing and collect yourself, you search for the lightswitch of your bedside lamp.
Once the room is no longer covered in darkness, you slowly get up to retrieve your diary.

This better be a one time thing.

You can’t shake off the unsettling noise, still ringing quietly in your ears, that sounds like a machine.
A very broken machine.

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Even after a few hours of sleep, and a few hours of school, the noise didn’t leave your mind. You didn’t see the dream again when you went back to sleep, but you couldn’t shake it off, either. That’s why your diary was so important to you even at night.

You stare at the page you filled out in your diary.

You couldn’t even remember who was behind that grey door.

You couldn’t remember the dream, only the noise.

The longer you stared at the words you had written down so little ago, the more… on edge you felt. It better not be connected to the newly discovered magic.

Unable to figure something out, you resort to another way of avoiding the thoughts in the back of your mind - burying yourself in work. Housework. You hated doing chores, but it was better than amplifying the noise in your head by thinking about it constantly. And just to be sure you’re enough distracted–

“How are you feeling?” you ask.

Miranda’s half-transparent figure laughs. “I’m not feeling anything silly. I’m a ghost!”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“There’s nothing new to tell you, Y/n. I ‘feel’ the same, and I’m happy to ‘exist’ again. You should bring me out more often! Or maybe you do? I don’t know, I have no idea how much time has passed since last time!”

“Alright. To answer your question: not that much time has passed, maybe like two weeks, or something, but I’ll think about your offer. Wanna join me while I clean up my basement?”

Miranda very visibly rolls her eyes. “Like I have a choice.”

“Yeah yeah, I know, you’re bound to me or something. I just… thought I’d ask,” your hand travels down to pick on your cardigan's already torn edge. Better than picking on your fingers.

She sighs and hovers closer. “I’m sorry. I really don’t mind doing whatever you’re doing, Y/n.” Your hands relax a bit, and she continues, “And I’m pretty sure I’m not actually bound to you, but something about you. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“We’ll figure it out at some point, I’m sure.” You answer and start to walk down into the basement.

She seems already lost in thought, but still nods.

While you walk, you focus on the mystery energy connecting you with the ghost, examining it like many times before. It feels more natural every time. The ‘symptoms’ that come with using magic haven’t changed, but they don’t make you uncomfortable anymore. Guess Papyrus was right.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the process doesn’t provide you with any new information. Everything is like you felt all the other times. Maybe it is a good thing.

As you enter the dark, dusty room, you start to doubt your decision of trying to clean it. When the light of the singular ceiling lamp hits all the piles of stuff that have been growing and collecting dust for more years than you have walked this earth, it looks… bad. You have no better words for it.
“There isn’t any way you can lift anything, is there?” you ask the ghost at your side.

“I highly doubt,” she answers, and tries to lift the nearest box. You can see how she concentrates on trying to grab it, but her hands just travel through the item. “Yeah… The only connection I have with this world is you.”
She floats back to you, and grabs your hand. You don’t even have time to react as a warm wind lifts your hand. You manage to resist the urge to pull away, but you still flinch.

You had no idea she could do that.

Miranda doesn’t notice it.

You slowly lift your eyes to meet hers. She is looking at your connected hands as well. There’s a noticeable… longing in her eyes, “I wish I could help you in some way… But I’m happy I can at least do this.”

You can’t help but analyse her. You don’t know how to feel about the ghost hand that’s holding yours, but… You don’t want to break the connection until she’s ready.
So you try to understand what she’s thinking. The longer you look, the more you feel… her. You can almost feel what her hands feel like. A little rough, probably from physical work, and there are some visible scars you can almost make out on her palm. Just by physical contact. But her face looks… so young.

“How… how old are you?”

The ghost’s eyes don’t lift from where your hands are connected. “Twelve. I know, I look a lot younger. That’s what everyone used to say. But I had to act older. It’s a cold world out there. You’ll do anything to stay alive, when you’re desperate enough.”

You process her every word slowly. She died young. Her hands are hard and scarred. She had to act older than she actually was.

The things she must’ve gone through.

You offer her the only thing you can. “You must’ve never had the chance to… heal from… things, but… If you ever want to get it off of your chest, you can talk to me. I’m your friend. And you have listened to my problems without ever telling me off. It’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you, Y/n,” she slowly loosens her grip, “I’ll think about it.”

The warm wind against your hand disappears. “In the meantime, we can talk about whatever. And who knows what we could find down here?” You question as you spare another look around the room. “I actually wouldn’t be surprised if I found a dead body here. Disgusted, but not surprised.”

Miranda’s smirk is the only answer you receive.

So you talk about ordinary things. Your latest academic struggles, your work, whatever shenanigans you and the skeletons have been up to. It’s mostly about Papyrus, but you’ve been spending time with Blue and Sans as well. Stretch and you are still walking on eggshells around each other, Red and Edge… you haven’t seen them around much lately. Or heard about them…
You move stuff – boxes, different dishes, household items, toys, clothes; forming a pile for trash and a pile for things you wanted to keep. The old clock, which unbelievably was still up and working, ticked thirty minutes, then an hour, then two, and you just kept going. You made sure to still check it from time to time, not to work for too long. And also to keep in mind your magic limits.
Of course, you didn’t talk all the time, giving Miranda a chance to talk too.

As she eyes over the pile of old toys you have put in one pile, she suddenly reveals: “Your siblings reminded me - is there a way I could find out what happened to my brothers? After I ran away, I never saw them again…”

You stop sorting through a box for a moment to look at her and then the toys she’s looking at.

The ghost continues: “I loved them so much, but when I couldn’t take it anymore, I just had to leave… The adults in my life were harsh and cruel. I probably would’ve died under their hand eventually. So I climbed Mount Ebott.”

Your gaze suddenly returns to her face. “Mount Ebott? ‘The’ Mount Ebott? The one where the monsters were trapped for centuries?”

“Yeah. They were still trapped when I fell down the hole,” she responds, calmly. Her eyes… What are her eyes trying to tell you? Oh how you wished you had Stretch’s eyes right now. Or rather… his experience and wisdom.

“It’s a long story… I really don’t wanna talk about it. At least not yet.”

You shift to look at the box in front of you again. “O-of course. You don’t have to. I was just… surprised.”

You take a deep breath. “When I was… seventeen, I… I…” Oh, how hard it was to say it out loud. To think about such a thing once again. “I almost climbed that mountain, too.”

“But you’re not going to do that, anymore.” A question? Or a statement?

You shake your head a little. “Not a chance. There are many reasons I want to and have to stick around for. Even if it gets hard.”

“I can’t live like this anymore!”

“Then leave Y/n! Leave for all I care!”

“You don’t… y-you don’t mean t-that.”

“You’ve brought all that shit on yourself. You fucked it up all on your own. I’m not covering your ass anymore, sis! And I don’t wanna hear about you whining about our parents! They’re trying their best, why the hell can’t you see that?!”

“Because they FUCKED me up! You don’t know what it’s like! I’m the oldest, I’m the one who got the most of the hell! Yeah, sure, they learned how to parent better, but it was after they had already done enough damage to me! And they–” tears fall down, “They won’t even admit it!”

_“Y/N?”

“Y/N?”

“Y/N?”

“Huh?” You snap back into reality. Into the present.

A distant voice is heard from upstairs.
“Y/N? Are you down there?”
It seems to be… one of the skeleton brothers, who’s calling you. You can’t really tell apart who it is.

“What? Oh. Yeah yeah, I’m down in the basement!” you answer. You’re a little disoriented and confused. What were you doing again?

Oh right. The basement. Cleaning. Fun. Yeeeey.

You hear someone come down with surprisingly quiet steps. Well, not that surprisingly, cause most likely the skeletons aren’t that heavy to begin with. But still, it’s very– Wait.

“Wait! One of the step—” you rush for the door, but you’re too late.

Everything happens way too fast.

You see Stretch.

He steps on the broken stair step. But he’s fast enough to react.

Now you can see Stretch real closely.

But you don’t have time to stop your momentum.

And you crash right into him.

Spinning. Nausea. You lose your breath.

You also lose your footing. Then get it right back.

After the whole chaos stops for a moment, “Oh I feel sick,” are the first words you get out of your mouth. You feel lightheaded, but it seems like you didn’t fall.

“Sorry. I– uh–” Stretch stutters. “I– have good reflexes– I didn’ count you in… in reactin’ to… this.”

You open your eyes, and are met with an orange hoodie in your view. Of course, this one also smells like cigarettes.
Stretch is a little taller than you, so you look up to see his face, which is a little orange. His eyesockets are a little wider than usual, but he doesn’t look surprised. His usual smirk is replaced by a half-opened mouth, like he’s about to tell you something. From this distance, you can actually make out a few… scratches that you noticed on Blue’s face too. You wonder if they have those for the same reasons. You wonder if the other skeletons have any scratches as well.

“You… you ‘kay?” Stretch asks more quietly.

You’re staring at him, and he’s still gently holding you close.

You move away immediately. “Oh! Yeah yeah, I’m okay.” You try to hide how flustered you are by all this ruckus. “Jesus. That was… something. I’m really not a fan of… teleporting.”

“Yeah, sorry. I‘m used to using shortcuts to get out of accidents like that stair, but I didn’t have enough reaction time to think about where to shortcut.”

You shake your head in frustration. “Sorry about that. As you saw, I didn’t really… have time to warn you - one of the steps is kinda… well, broken. I haven’t bothered to fix it. Again, sorry,” you let out a loud groan. “I’m starting to think this place is cursed. If I have another falling accident here, then that must be god telling me to leave this place alone.”

Stretch raises a browbone, then smirks. He’s really trying to hold his laughter. “What? Another falling accident? What other ‘accidents’ have you’ve had here?”

A mental image of the big dustcloud, and… Blue. Suddenly, the room doesn’t have enough air for you. “You know what? Forget I said anything! W-why are you here anyways?”

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“Okay,” you look up from your card, “It’s a- it’s a fruit, a large, round fruit–”

“Melon!” Papyrus shouts.

“No-”

“A watermelon!”

“The outside is brown–”

“A kiwi!”

“No-”

“An orange?”

“Orange is not even brown! The inside is white. It’s uh… It has a- unique flavor?”

“Time’s up!” Blue shouts.

You huff, and reveal your card to Papyrus, “It was coconut.”

He tilts his head, “I thought you said fruit?”

“Yeah, coconut is actually a fruit, believe it or not.” you bite back a laugh. A certain song, a stupidly funny one, that says a lot about coconuts, plays in your head.

“But why are they named coco-nut, then? Humans are so silly!” He smiles.

You move the pawn a few steps forward on the game board. At least the next turn, Papyrus will explain the words. That way is more effective, point-wise. Papyrus was definitely not good at guessing. Or you at explaining, apparently.
“I wish I knew. —Wait, actually, maybe not. There are a lot of things humans name for stupid reasons. And a lot of things that don’t even have a reason, just some random person saying
‘Okay! This thing has this name now!’ and everyone agreed. Humans, am I right?”

“Our king, King Asgore, is also not very good at names!” Papyrus says. “That’s what almost every monster underground says.”

Sans lets out a laugh, “Yeah, he’s… really not that good. He named our first city ‘Home’, and when we went further underground, he named the new city ‘New home’. Heh. I’m pretty sure if we had made our own city here, on the surface, he would’ve come up with ‘Newest home’ or ‘Surface city’ or something like that.” he laughs again.

“Sans! I’m sure if he needed to, King Asgore would pick a wonderful name!” Papyrus argues back.

“Sorry, bro. Of course he would pick a wonderfur name.” Sans says. Somehow, his smile becomes even wider.

“Wait… wonderfur? What does that mean? I– Ooooooooooh.”

“Saaaaaaans! Do not make me disqualify you from the game!”

“Sorry bro. I know my puns aren’t… your cup of tea.”

“NYEH! THAT WASN’T EVEN A PUN!”

You try to figure out what the joke was supposed to be. And confusion is probably plastered all over your face, so Sans explains: “Our king loves tea. It’s kinda his thing, that everyone knows. Every monster at least.”

“Oh. That’s… cool to know,” you wonder how every monster knows this. And how close would the monsters had to be to know something like this about their king. “You know, ever since I started sharing a workplace with some monsters, I’ve wondered a lot about monsters. Like, how huge was the inside of Mt. Ebott? I, for the love of god, can’t picture a cave large enough to fit all the monsters!”

“I REMEMBER YOU ASKING ABOUT IT! AND YOU ASKED IF I COULD TAKE YOU TO SEE IT SOMEDAY!” Papyrus expands on your thought.

“Yeah.” you nod along. “...What was it like?”

They all give you the same confused look. It’s almost funny how many similarities you find on their faces when they look confused.

“DO YOU MEAN… LIVING UNDERGROUND?” Blue finishes your question.

You think about caves. “Well… yeah. Wasn’t it… off… for you?”

“Not sure what you mean about off, kid. We were all born there. We never experienced anything outside of the underground. Well, before now.” Sans answers.

“A whole life, spent somewhere without sunlight. Never even fully knowing what it is. To me, it’s a weird thing to think about. Me, who has taken sunlight for granted my whole life. Well, not that I would even survive living underground for long. Not without access to sunlight...”

Blue gasps loudly. “WAIT, HUMANS NEED THE SUN TO LIVE?”

You feel embarrassed. Of course you said that out loud. “Oh! Uh– Yeah. We get most of our vitamin-D from sunlight.”

“BUT YOU STAY INSIDE ALL THE TIME?” Blue questions.

“Thanks Blue for making me feel like a cave-potato.”“Well– it’s complicated? We don’t need that much sunlight, and also I take vitamin-D supplements too, so… I guess I’m more or less fine? But yeah, I do need to get out more often…” Your already picked finger seems very interesting suddenly. “C-come on. It’s you guys turn.”

Underground… It sounds more and more interesting. Going there sounds more and more tempting. It might even give you insight on your magic. Despite it being human magic. You doubt there is much about actual human magic to be learned on the surface, with all the stories about fictional magic… Or… maybe some of them could actually be true?
Then again… How many people have actually been down the underground? So far, you know about only two… But it can’t be that they were the only ones to fall down there, can it? What could’ve happened to the others? How did they… die?

…

Could’ve it been…?

But… They all seem more or less like good people? Or maybe there are, or where, some monsters, who could be considered ‘criminals’, or ‘murderers’...

The thought about monsters, who would use their magic as a weapon gives you shivers. Especially considering that you’ve seen the scary side of a monster already. And also that dream…

You try to put your worries and curiosities aside, and just focus on the present. Right now, nothing is wrong, and you still have time to think about your potential trip to the underground. You can always change your mind, after all.
And it was probably just a dream. A bad one.

Time passes. The game moves at a slow pace, with you and Papyrus being an ups-and-downs kind of team, and Blue doing his best to try to win while Sans does everything but that. You mentally bow to Blue for being that patient with him. You wouldn’t be. And when you finally stretch (heh, Stretch) out that winning turn with your mediocre explaining skills, you all sit down to watch a movie you and Papyrus wanted to watch together for a while now.
You’ve watched it before, and like the movie a lot, but the longer you sit there, comfortably snuggled under a blanket,
the heavier…
your eyes…