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postmodernbeing · 1 year

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𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕾𝖎𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝕷𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 - Chapter II

𝔓𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤: Ominis Gaunt x Female Reader (fluff, the slowest of burns and angst but not really because I’m too soft for that. Also, the plot is plotting, so be patient)

𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: A first day of a sixth-year in Hogwarts told from three different perspectives: Natsai Omai, Imelda Reyes and Poppy Sweeting. They'll tell you all about what's happening inside and outside the castle, and of course, they're willing to be your companions. Working together is how you'll manage to unravel every mystery.

𝔚𝔬𝔯𝔡 ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 3,827 words.

✧❈Chapter 1 | Masterlist | Chapter 3❈✧

Chapter 2. Dim lights and lightning

Sun rises brightly in the first day of classes and Natsai is getting ready for a quick stop in the Great Hall before her charm’s class. Usually, she eats breakfast with her mom, Professor Mudiwa Onai, but she had to leave earlier since Headmaster Black summoned all professors for an emergency meeting. It’s the very first day, Merlin! Already an emergency? Probably is just a tantrum from Black, they thought. Finally, being the last one left in the common room, Natty decided it was time to make her way to Gryffindor’s table where she met Garreth and Leander bragging to Lucan Brattleby about their -allegedly- advanced combat skills so he would admit them in this year’s season of the Crossed Wands Dueling Club. She couldn’t help but laugh for that looked more like they were begging Lucan. Natty then warmly remembered last year when [Your name] paired up with her to win the tournament.

While Nellie Oggspire and Cressida Blume casually chattered about classes and expectations for this year, Natty reached for her wand to make sure she was ready for class only to realize she left it at her mom’s desk ever since they came back from vacations. To be fair, our young hero casts magic without a wand’s aid, so the instrument remained unbothered until now. As far as she’s concerned, she could dispense from said magic stick only if not because it is required for classes. With the last bites of her breakfast, she promised her colleagues she’d return right on time for Professor Ronen’s lecture. - “You better run, Natty. Off she goes, our golden Head Girl.” – Garreth yelled encouraging her pace with what it sounded a smile on his face. She felt warmth washing over her, to think that not so many months ago she and her mom had to face difficulties alone, and now… They both have found a vibrant community, and most certainly, the ‘Hero of Hogwarts’ was just one of the many friends she made. When people think about it Natsai is a great representative of Gryffindor: strong, brave, and loyal. How marvelous is to feel cherished and appreciated, to have a kinship again.

- “There you are, you whimsical stick” – Natty said when she retrieved her wand which it was buried in letters, crystals and other tools of Divination class. One of those notes sticked out of the bunch. It was a grey papyrus with no signature. Natty’s hands moved inadvertently fully extending said note. Just for the sake of curiosity she read its lines:

“Headmaster Black is well known for pushing arbitrary measures for degrading services and prohibiting activities, but most recently, his stickler behavior suggests forbidding leaving the castle at all, starting with students and there’s no doubt professors will follow. The situation in Black Lake is already worrisome enough, but Black’s response with discouraging the Ministry from investigating furthermore will put all of us at risk. Undoubtedly, he’s punishing Prof. Kogawa for reporting him and opening a trial until Quidditch was resumed. But he’s also trying to prevent us to respond with his reductions from the school budget and a renewed crescent vigilance. WE MUST TAKE ACTION NOW, Phineas Nigellus Black must be stopped.”

Natsai quickly put the note in her robe for she knows of a certain witch that will be interested in, firstly, knowing who wrote the note, and later, help stopping Black... Even if it means deposing him. Now, she must get out from her mom’s classroom before her students arrive and she comes back from the meeting. As this new information sinks in, it makes absolute sense: what if Prof. Black already found the note and that’s why he gathered all professors earlier? Maybe he already fired the writer of the note, even. Or maybe, they’re still on time to work together. Natty’s mind rushed with possibilities as she opened the door for an already stacked up Charm’s class.

- “I’ve just found something scandalous, my dear friend. Something worth investigating further.”

- “Natsai Onai, you never stop surprising me. First class of the first day and you already stepped upon a mystery.” – You said as she sat in the spot you reserved for her at the very same desk you shared since last year. Professor Ronan only gave you a frowned smile implying ‘Silence, class is about to start’. Since it was the first lesson of the year you all have a bit of fun along with overviewing what was about to come academically. Then, Professor Ronan decided it was best to dismiss his students a few moments earlier, not before announcing he got chosen as the new Gryffindor’s Head of House.

- “Needless to say, I’m fully attentive to any doubts, suggestions, or troubles you may have during this course. Do come to me and communicate them freely, do we have a deal? Oh, and fear not, dear students, I now might be partial to Gryffindor’s House but not to my apprentices, haha! I’m the same old Abraham Ronan.” – With lighthearted smiles and laughs from all houses’ students, class was over. Then, Ominis and Sebastian were approaching, but Natty prevented them from extracting you. – “I think is best we discuss this somewhere more private, away from most Professors. How would you like a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?” – She offered and you couldn’t refuse. Gesturing your male companions goodbye, you left them confused but nowhere surprised. It was only right to see you flee into another adventure. Besides, Sirona will be pleased to see that you couldn’t stay away from the establishment, not even for twenty-four hours. That’ll make her cackle.

Meanwhile, Professor Sharp held a reunion with Slytherin’s prefects (Imelda Reyes as Head Girl and the Head Boy whose last name was Gaunt, presumably one of Omini’s cousins whose first name no one mattered to use, denoting how much people only cared for families’ influences). Representatives from each year were there too, including Anne Sallow for the fifth years. Sharp intended to inform his students about last night incident and the reason Headmaster Black summoned all Professors that morning.

- “First and foremost, in said reunion it was decided that for this year’ effects I’m ought to execute all Head of House’ responsibilities. That being said, if there are any complains about this, I suggest you reach out to Deputy Headmistress Weasley, I’m sure she’ll gladly take charge of it. However, the imperative matter to discuss… Apparently, last night a first-year student woke up in the middle of the night and intended to head to the lavatories but didn’t get far. When passing throughout the heart of the common room they saw somewhat ‘unusual lights shining in the lake’, as they said.” – Imelda turned to watch everyone around her intrigued why some floating luminescence was relevant.

Professor Sharp continued, - “Those lights seemed to approach the squid in the lake and inflicted it some damage. The squid responded by hitting the windows in the common room while trying to get rid of whatever glowing menace was hurting it. As if that wasn’t enough… windows did start to crack. A reparo spell was enough, but then again, the whole castle is supposed to be protected with numerous enchantments. We can only assume whatever casted those lights had enough strength to dissolve our protection, an unidentified magical creature perhaps.” – When Aesop finished speaking all students argued about the castle and their classmates’ safety. Soon things started to escalate with yells and complains about Headmaster Black and his constant negligence, about how as much as Professor Hecat is virtuous herself, their Defense Against Dark Arts lessons won't be enough if some menace was roaming Hogwarts’ grounds. Now, Sharp understands Black’s unpopularity, but Dinah’s methodology won’t be question in front of him, so the discussion was shut quickly.

Whilst Imelda walked back to her dorm she debated internally if it would be wise as Prefect to seek for advice. No, she’s far too proud. Could she dare ask you for help? Should you both search for more clues? That’s absurd, why would she team up with anyone? Besides, why does she care what a first-year old peeing themselves thought they saw? All of this happened with no witnesses and Headmaster Black could have lied about Mr. Moon fixing the windows. Right? Imelda was nearly convinced to shake the worries off until she heard the Common room’ portraits discuss: - “How could they not see what was happening right beside them?”- An old woman said, - “Well, to be fair, one of them was the Blind Gaunt boy and the other girl was barely leaving her sight out of him, oh teenagers...” – A grey-haired man with the longest beard replied. Imelda stopped in her tracks.

- “Now wait there, which students do you refer to? Are you talking about last night incident? I demand you to answer, as Slytherin’s Prefect, I, Ms. Reyes…”-

- “Yes, yes. Imelda, no need for your theatrics.” – The lady interrupted. – “I think you know them very well. Now that I think about it, you’re all sixth years. You know, the boy Gaunt that is always in the company of the Sallow’s twins, not the one that became a Prefect last year, but rather the quiet, non-arrogant one. Actually, we’ve grown quite fond of him for his constant teasing to firsts-years with the mermaids, makes us all laugh every time. And the girl beside him, well, she happens to be the so-called Hero of Hogwarts. Surely you know who.” – Of course it was you, it’s always you, aren’t you? Teaming up is it, then.

Third period passed with not much of a fuss and Poppy happened to have free time to roam before Flying class. The insides of the castle didn’t seem the most appealing option to explore for now for she much rather spend her free time in the wilderness or some garden at least, Poppy decided she wanted to search for ingredients for future healing potions that her rescued beasts could use. And that’s exactly how she found Anne Sallow in a rather unfortunate state in the southern grounds. She seemed to be alone, and some not-really-dried tears still hanged from her blushed cheeks.

- “Hey, are you alright? Are you hurt?” – Poppy quickly reached out for the girl and offered a handkerchief.

- “Oh, how kind of you. I’m fine it’s just… a complicated matter.” – Anne answered.

- “Although I’m sure I’d understand, don’t feel pressured to give me more details about it.”- Poppy reasoned. – “Wait a minute, you look familiar, haven’t we seen each other in classes?”.

- “I guess we’ve had. I’m Anne Sallow…”

- “Sebastian’s twin, of course. Now I remember he told me last year you couldn’t return for our 5th year. But now… you’re here.” – Poppy gave an honest smile. It’s true that Sebastian never elaborated about Anne’s condition with her, but she guessed had it had something to do with her health. Poppy knew that [Your name] was extensively aware of the situation, though. She wouldn’t have dared to ask for more details about it to any of them. Never occurred to her that she’ll be meeting Ms. Sallow.

- “I guess it’s a long story, and even though I’m not ashamed for the things I’ve had to face, it’s not the most pleasing tale to tell.”

- “Oh, lucky you, I’m good with complicated stories. I’m sure we could share each other’s before my Flying class starts… If you feel comfortable sharing, of course. Either way I’m looking forward to make new friends… human friends. Last year I met the most loyal companion to share my passions and fears. We even took some poachers along the way and rescued beasts that needed help.”

- “That sound lovely!” – Anne offered a larger smile, feeling more at ease with this new company.

- “Sure it was. Maybe you’ve heard of her. All the adults call her the “Hero of Hogwarts”, but we both laugh at that. I prefer to call her [Your first name].”

- “Well… Actually, I do know her. Sebastian introduced her to me around this time last year. She visited us at Feldcroft where I used to live.” – Now Anne’s smile disappeared completely, and Poppy noticed that immediately. Maybe she shouldn’t push Anne way too much with her questions. Instead, she offered to keep her company retrieving the ingredients she needed, and both agreed they would meet again very soon. Whatever happened between you two, she’ll be patient to know all about it. As far as she’s concerned, days can pass rather slowly. Clouds slung unhurried, clear skies and beams of sunlight illuminated their way as well it tenders them and all the flowers around with warmth.

On the other hand, you asked yourself if all days will be this long. You were on your way to the point of reunion Ominis and you agreed on last night while thinking of everything Natty and Imelda told you about the state of the school this very evening. This was just way too confusing, was there a professor willing to risk their job making those notes about Headmaster Black? Sure, most staff and students despise him, but it’ll cost a great deal making those assertions, and what about the Lake? How was possible you missed that out? Was there something you were not seeing last night? You could only feel relieve in the thought that now someone you trusted could figure things out in a more intimate and discrete way. You’re sorry for Ominis but he will have to become your emotional support for now. Not that you’re not willing to do the same for him. Either way, your friend was already there, utterly nervous for he was sure any Prefect could find you easily.

- “Ominis, I’m so glad you came. Please do follow my voice. The place we’re about to enter, well… it’s something of a hidden place.”

- “Yes, yes. I’ll hear you talk all about it inside. Please, don’t want to end up in detention. Unlike Sebastian, I appreciate my behavioral record clean.”

As the Room of Requirements was casted you only could laugh at how nervous he was! – “Never had occurred to me that you happened to care about reputation.”

- “Don’t get confused. It’s not reputation I care about. Far from an untainted record, I worry about the notifications Black is sending to my parents. Not that I’m certain he sends them, of course.” – Now Ominis sounded somewhat somber, and you started to regret your remarks.

Once inside, you made sure Deek was nowhere to be seen. Ominis followed you down the stairs to the set of couches you casted last year as an attempt to make a cozy living room. – “I’m guessing I should tell you that besides Deek and Professor Weasley, you’re the only one that I’ve shared this place with. The only one I’ve invited and that happens to be my colleague too. A student, I mean.”

- “Well, I’m most certainly keeping the secret and I’m grateful for your trust. I’m not sharing this with anyone, distinct from what Sebastian did with the Undercoft.” – Ominis said playfully, not really angry with Sebastian. After all, had not been for breaking that secrecy you both wouldn’t have become as close as you’re nowadays… After all, he knew he owed Sebastian for bringing you into their lives the way you did. Even if what came next was atrocious for all, especially for Sebastian himself. The thought made Ominis shiver: a world with no you in his life in exchange for his friend Sebastian being unaware to Dark Magic. No, this was not your fault, and he would never trade you or regret anything that led him to this moment. With a depth breath he continued: – “Now, as much as I’m curious about this place, it’ll be more fertile my visit if you start telling me about this urgent news you mention earlier.”

As you started your narration from the note that Natty found to the incident with the squid, Ominis walked around, sat again, shook his legs, crossed his arms, held his face, but never, not even for a second, spared his attention away from you. His patience was not abundant, sure. But this attitude of profound listening as he was absorbing your words certainly made you feel reassured. All your friends are good listeners, but some are too impulsive (such as Sebastian). Not Ominis, he carried himself in a way that made people feel that he truly understands the severity of the situations. The first time you noticed that was on the second letter you send each other during holidays, when you told him extensively about Sebastian’s state – regretful, ashamed, scared, but somehow, full of hope and determination – Ominis then replied with concise advice for you to help Sebastian the way he needed the most. He then signed: “Now that you’re undoubtedly willing to help the one that for the most time was my only one true friend… Know that I’m forever in debt. That I shan’t forget.” The way Ominis loves his friends – the family he chose for himself at the distressing background of his bloodline –, it just made you crave for it. Wondered since that day if you’ll ever mean that much for him, or if the bond you both share is simply destined to be different from the one he has with Sebastian.

When you finished speaking, he hummed letting everything sink in his mind – “If the Headmaster is planning on gradually banning much more, then maybe this is the moment to search for whoever made the note. I think is wise if you ask Ms. Ryan to gather information at Hogsmeade for us in case we can’t leave the castle soon. I can only guess the incident in the Lake and this censorship and surveillance they talk about is related since Black warned us about the Lake last night, he knew something was off since who-knows when. And I’ll dare to suggest that we should pay a visit to Prof. Kogawa’s private chambers to search for clues. After all, she was the one that reported Black to the Ministry, and the note only mentions her. Although we can’t be sure it was her, that would be too easy to assume, maybe they put her name on it for more than one purpose, but we ought to try.”

- “I do agree, And I suggest we team up with Natty, at least for Kogawa’s issue. After all, she was the one that found the note. She’ll be more than please to continue adventuring in the matter. Also… I should confess now that actually there’s a way to get to Hogsmeade without technically leaving the castle. I can show you when the time comes if needed.”

- “You… How do you even…? Forget it. First this room and now a secrete passageway. I feel like you’re the one that inherit Hogwarts’s secrets. The name Gaunt can’t even grant me that. Alright, you talk with Natsai, I can convince Imelda to work with us too, at least for the squid issue. I bet she’s willing to stop sleeping and would keep an eye on the common room’s windows only to assure she’s the one that takes down whatever creature attacked the squid. Nevertheless, if we learnt anything last year is that no one can unravel Hogwarts’ mysteries alone, she’ll need our help.”

- “That’s yet another matter I wanted to discuss with you… How are we so sure it was a beast that attacked the squid? What if someone is actually trying to break into the castle? Think about it, all this time the ecosystem in the Black Lake has kept itself utterly balanced. If what Imelda said is true, we should inquire the portraits in the Common Room, don’t we? And maybe the student that saw the whole thing.”

- “Although I agree with your plan, a caution is essential: Professor Sharp and my cousin, the new Prefect, shan’t know about what we’re doing. Specially my cousin. If my family gets informed very bad things will happen… I say we can dispense from interviewing the student and we stick with the portraits for now. Last thing we want is someone telling Sharp about our activities.”

- “Ominis, I’m starting to worry…”

- “Good, because as much as I think the Gaunt’s are absolute buffoons their name holds power.”

- “That’s not what I was trying to say. I meant I’m worried about you. You’ve had implied more than once that your parents are now aware of your life here… While last year you’d say they couldn’t care less if you were still alive, or how about the times your little sister ignored you the whole class year even though she got sorted in Slytherin too? Does this sudden change had something to do with Anne returning to Hogwarts?”

He should have guessed you’d quickly infer what was really happening. – “Look, it’s complicated and I swore to myself that I won’t drag any of you to my family’s circus. Believe me, I haven’t forgotten our letters where we decided to give our all to protect our friends. This is me protecting you all.”

- “Ominis, listen to me, I can understand keeping Anne and Sebastian from knowing this, but you’ve said it yourself… Your family is quite influential. Please, let me be your ally.” - Clearly, he wanted to tell you everything, you could read it in his troubled expression. The way he gives in fully when you eloquently convince him. Such as the time he relinquished searching for Salazar Slytherin’s scriptorium. This time the burden was too great to endure it himself and your words offers him some relief. He’s about to let you know about the intimidation he received from his own father after he agreed to help Anne out. He wants to tell you too about how his mother persuade him into pay them a visit only to become the laughingstock of the Gaunt’s in that brief but tortuous visit. He longs to share the way his heart broke all over again and yet managed to keep a straight face. Would you feel proud of his efforts to protect Anne and Sebastian? He only can wonder.

Then again if anything happens to you because you got involved… He’d never forgive himself. He much rather bears this alone. – “All I ask from you right for now is to trust me, alright? Trust me that I have my reasons for not telling you more about it, can you do that for me?” – Ominis’ voice was soft, as if it was caressing your ears. Even though his petition felt like an instruction, there was a hint of frustration, as if he was begging. This touched your heart deeply. You just can’t say not to him, do you? After you agreed (for now) you both limited your words, used only the bare necessaries to carry your way to Slytherin’s common room. The night better embraces you into slumber fast, Merlin knows you’ll need rest.

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Tag list for updates:

@aurora-starwars

#Ominis Gaunt #ominis x reader #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis gaunt x mc #hogwarts legacy #Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction #Our Silver Lining #Our Silver Lining 2

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stainedglassthreads · 1 year

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I headcanon that Frisk was an abandoned or orphaned child, but that that didn’t mean they were completely without family. They did still have a twin, named Kris, but the two were split up by the foster system. Upset that they kept getting passed over prospective parents for being ‘too weird’,they eventually decided to leave for Mt. Ebott in a moment of rashness, believing that no one would really notice their absence. When they fell underground, however, they remembered Kris, realized that they didn’t truly want to die, they just didn’t want to continue that existence, especially alone, and was filled with determination to survive and return to the last home they had remaining.

When they first encountered Toriel, they were initially glad that someone was so happy to see them and so supportive, but eventually a combination of feelings prompted them to leave. There was wanting to find Kris, of course. There was the fear Toriel would suddenly realize how weird they were and abandon them again so they needed to close themself off and push her away before that happened. And there was also her overprotectiveness, which triggered resentment within them: they had already had to learn how to care for themself and get along alone. Why did she have to come along and baby them now? Why couldn’t she have done so earlier?

During the fight between Frisk and Toriel, seeing Toriel break down over being left behind again, and then resolve to put her fears and grief aside so Frisk could go on their own, struck a nerve in Frisk, but they were too stubborn to change their mind or call her again. Even so, they slowly became more open to the idea of making friends with the monsters, and Papyrus only did more to encourage that mindset. By the time Frisk had overcome Photoshop Flowey and left the Underground in a Neutral Ending, they realized that, while Frisk still wanted to find Kris, they didn’t feel content just leaving the monsters to their fate.

Frisk had decided to go searching for their last remaining blood family, but they somehow also found a new adoptive family without noticing, after having given up on one ever finding them.

Frisk completes True Pacifist, breaks the Barrier, and tells Toriel they’ve got places to be: they still haven’t given up on finding Kris. Kris, for their part, was adopted by someone who had assumed the weirdo kid who read fantasy novels and played video games all day would be easy to keep appeased, just toss some entertainment their way and they’ll be able to take care of themself. Their guardian was very wrong, and was generally unaware of how mischievous and creepy Kris could be when they wanted to,. Viewed as the weird and creepy kid by all those around them, Kris leaned into this persona, hoping it would protect them from the loneliness, and ended up falling deeper and deeper into isolation to escape from the loneliness. It didn’t help much.

Until Frisk found them again.

This led Kris to meet the monsters of Mt. Ebott. And surprisingly, Kris felt more at home with them than they ever had among their own kind. The dragonling girl who hid her own loneliness beneath barbed thorns, Susie. The mischievous and volatile ex-prince, Flowey, who Frisk was deeply uncomfortable around but who got on with Kris like a house on fire. The sweet and quiet horror nerd, Noelle Holiday. The gamer nerd to nearly match Kris’ skills, Berdly. The monsters somehow managed to attain guardianship of both Frisk and Kris, and the two kids finally found a family they could feel at home with.

#undertale #deltarune #utdr #undertale headcanons #frisk #kris #kris dreemurr

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bolt2screw · 6 months

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TerasTale: Character personalities

I renamed my au since I did not like it at all.

Anyways, here’s a quick description of my au if you don’t know:

Monsters are like actual monsters, they have very little empathy and sympathy, and they’re very violent. This depends monster to monster though, a monster may be more human than a monster (perhaps a bit rude and apathetic, but not violent) while another may be a bloodthirsty beast. The average is like: rude, perhaps a bit violent, but won’t attack everyone.

I decided on some characters’ personalities (and some of their designs) but they can be changed any time. Here’s a basic description.

Chara: They hate both monsters and humans, they want revenge and encourage you to kill monsters. (They’re mostly normal.)

Toriel: Cold and hateful to monsters, she kills any monster on sight. She likes reading and still has the same fascination with snails, but she feels lonely in her home in the ruins and is possessive. She’s not the kind goat momma she once(?) was (I wanna change this)

Sans: a prankster who barely takes anything seriously. He likes to trick people and scare them for fun. He is pretty lazy and hates working, and also has a taste for comedy. He’s good at acting. He doesn’t have much morals, but he definitely won’t harm you as long as he doesn’t hate you to the bone. He’s not very kind but he’s nicer than most of the monsters, but if you get close to him, you probably won’t get the worst of his pranks. and most importantly.. he loves lemons. (The fruit)

Papyrus: A dedicated guardsmen. He is part of an unofficial “Monster Guards” to defend monsters who can’t defend themselves. He’s one of the most sympathetic and empathetic monsters in the underground. He is loyal and serious. He quite likes sweet food, but hates sour food. He is actually quite friendly for a monster, but he isn’t innocent by all means. He likes painting, and is very annoyed by his brother’s antics. (He gets a lot of his pranks.)

Undyne: a bloodthirsty monster who runs a gang wanting to overthrow the king for power. She has anger issues, and wants power. She often clashes with Papyrus. Other than that, she likes watching fantasy action anime with lots of battle scenes. She quite likes spicy food and often challenges herself by putting as much spicy sauce in her food. She is very determined and HATES humans.

Alphys: idk haven’t decided.

Mettaton: haven’t decided but it should be mostly the same.

Asgore: dead

Asriel: The ruthless king of the underground. He killed Asgore because he was “too soft”, he wishes for destruction for humanity and the monsters to take over the world. He allows for killing to happen and believes that if a monster dies, they deserved to die because they were weak. He is selfish and is a true monster.

so err, how is it? if you can, gimme some ideas for personalities and stuff.

also for powers that aren’t op or completely replace the og abilities they have. I want Toriel to have.. idk, sans to have stealthy powers, papyrus to have defensive powers, undyne to have offensive powers, mettaton to have.. idk, explosive powers? Asriel to have some really disturbing power.

(Oh, and what in the hell happens when an inanimate object gets dt injected? I know how flowey happened but what if asriel’s dust wasn’t there?)

#undertale alternate universe #undertale au #sans #undertale multiverse #toriel #papyrus #undyne #undertale #asriel #chara #mettaton

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faislittlewhiteraven · 8 months

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Fai's Fic Ramble: The GorseTale AU (bare basics)

Ever since roughly... 2017 I think, there been a single Undertale fanfic I've been tapping away at and though it's nowhere near done or even organised enough for me to think about posting chapter 1 on A03, I recently posted a spinoff fic related to it called Eight Coloured Picture about the deaths of all the fallen humans and how some monsters each time were effected by their passing, and well.

I wanna ramble about the main story that fic comes from for a bit!

So.

Working Title: 'Gorse, Blackthorn and Buttercups' I also call it GorseTale in my head for short since Gaijin Goombah's rather fun video on why Undertale's Golden Flowers are most likely Gorse was a HUGE inspiration for the fic back when I started out (it's er changed quiet a bit since then but I'm keeping the flower vibes because Chara likes them and I did way too much research into both practical and symbolic uses for plants in the Underground for this fic not to use at least some of it at some point XD).

Core premise: Story is a Slice of Life/Drama AU set around Frisk being born in the Underground and taken in by Toriel right around the time of 'Undertale canon' (for Undertale Yellow fans, roughly a year or so after Clover's death), and through a series of domino effects stemming from that, various monsters of the Underground are confronted with the flaws of both themselves and their kingdom, and as a result start putting in effort to try fixing things so the little human child they've become so attached to can actually live their life to the fullest without fear of being murdered just for being born a non monster.

Aka: Toriel and Sans experience the joys and terror of co-parenting a child who only survives past the age of 3 because they have phenomenal cosmic power. Papyrus discovers the Royal Guard is NOT in fact something he wants to join (and accidentally becomes politically active in an effort to right by his new nibbling). Undyne takes some time to really rethink her career path and motives. Alphys somehow manages to turn former mistakes into miracles (oh and cures death maybe). Mettaton learns to take time off and share the spotlight, and finally King Asgore gets a surprising amount of hope in encouraging peaceful rebellion against his own accidental dictatorship.

Main cast: Rotates a bit since every major monster (and Flowey) matters in this and who's most in focus depends on the exact arc but Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Chara and Frisk are the ones who I have the most planned scenes for since well, they're where the 'domino effect' starts.

Ships: Fic is pretty gen for the most part but leaning Undyne/Alphys, Papyrus/Mettaton (who knew all Paps needed to become popular was to openly try convincing monster kind that killing all the humans is wrong in front of a very specific underground star XD), and some very very very slowburn Sans/Toriel (is teased throughout the story because Sans IS Frisk's other parent Sans just means 'Dad' in Frisk speak and I find various Monsters' "Wait Sans has a kid- Wait Sans is married?!" reactions hilarious (Paps giving 'context' to why he suddenly has a nibbling to Undyne especially) but actual, real Soriel doesn't happen until near the very end because Toriel is Not Ok, Sans leans AroAce/Demi and both agree that while the odd kiss, hug or 'real talk' is fine neither up for anything more than that right now. Also Toriel has yet to get a formal divorce and er, she can't even think of him for much of the fic without wanting to set him on fire so... Yeah). Also considering Mad Mewmew/Asgore (because funny but also oddly sweet), and Mettaton trying to get over a crush on Alphys at the start (due to Mettaton's Winter Alarmclock dialogue reframing all of Mettaton's actions in canon in a whole newlight for me), but for the most part romance really isn't a focus.

Things to set it apart from every other 'Frisk grows up in the Underground' fanfic:

A LOT of worldbuilding focus on stuff how monsters get food and materials.

Toriel teaching everyone how Monster society was before the War vs now (aka lots of cultural trauma themes here).

More emphasis on how little Monster society these days really knows about things they really should given their Kingdom's plans.

Sans 'timeline trauma' getting tossed out the window for joining Toriel in 'worried parent' stress (hard to be upset about LOADS when they're specifically stopping a toddler you love from getting murdered).

Papyrus accidentally making everything better just because for the sake of his nibblet he can't back down.

FLOWER SYMBOLISM AND DISCUSSING THE UNDERGROUND'S VERY IMPORTANT PLANT LIFE!

Undyne having a character growth arc triggered by Papyrus.

Mettaton having a character growth arc triggered by Papyrus (and a passing mention of Napstablook).

Alphys not being fired post Amalgamite reveal making her realize she has in fact actually kinda created the cure for death (by 'Falling Down') or at the very least is only maybe three steps away from that and actually works on that alongside a bunch of other stuff with other scientists because working alone sucked.

Lots of focus on the humans who fell before Frisk because their lives mattered! and also the Blue Soul was Kris because damn if I don't feel the need to really hammer in Toriel's trauma caused by Asgore here

NarraChara and Napstablook being ghost buddies =D they suck at it but Chara will take literally anyone who can hear them for company and Napstablook feels bad about that

Snowdin being secretly a hub of human sympathisers! (None of them knew they weren't the only ones).

MONSTER RADIO and ANIME/WESTERNS ON TV!

Tems and the Riverperson mattering while still being true to their very weird selves!!!

Asgore learning that he DOES in fact have a lot of influence and that maybe, juuust maybe, that his screw ups were worse for his Kingdom than he already thought (don't worry Asgore fans, despite my having to write a lot of Asgore grr due to Toriel being a major character, saving him and showing how much he loves his people is a major goal of mine <3). He still f%cked up majorly though XD

Frisk dealing with, well, the stress of growing up in a place that says their death would make everyone (except their immediate loved ones) happy and constantly having to live in hiding/disguise...

Flowey being a murderous little shit but also not having reset power and both Frisk and Chara in his life again.

Undertale Yellow and Deltarune characters! Who probably won't be in focus a lot but they've helped me out a ton for fleshing the out my setting so I will 100% be giving them at least a little screen time to make up for that (like Amalgamate Kanako playing with Frisk, and Martlet and Noelle being VERY interesting in Papyrus's 'Lets not kill the humans' movement for reasons our main characters will eventually learn <3).

Oh and a huge amount of 'Unseen in game' areas I made for the Underground which include:

SnowDen: a 'town' of Dog and Rabbit made tunnels underneath the ENTIRE Snowdin region (connects to every dog sentry post, the 'Toby Fox secret area' and the 'very efficiently laid out' travel tunnels seen in canon Undertale). Generally requires those living there to get through given how winding and confusing the tunnels can get (all guideposts are puzzles made with scent markers...).

TooHot: basically a 'lethal lava land' housing district for fire monsters below general Hotland. Predates the Wat and is too hot for most non fire monsters to go anywhere near (the current name was given by Asgore though).

Cliffstop: a 'thin' vertical crevice monsters in New Home unearthed a while back that goes from from all the way to the very top of Mt Ebott down to the dark of the Abyss below (locals there call the top of the area Clifftop and the lowest safe for travel Cliffdrop). Gets a fair bit of sun and has flying room so it's popular with plant and flying monsters but the cliffs are very unstable so the bottom is covered in rope nets to prevent accidents. Most puzzles about the place are moving rope bridges, loading up vertical conveyer belts with the correct weights and 'light and mirror' puzzles.

Riverfolk Waterway and True Tem Village: settlements hidden deep within Waterfall's 'unreachable in canon' winding waterways. The former is a small inlet where 'Riverfolk' monsters like the Riverperson have a small collection of boathouses they dock at, and the later is exactly what is sounds like, with the 'Temmie Village' we see in canon being merely a Temmie trading outpost. Can accessed only by Riverperson boat or the Temmie's secret tunnels and is home to all sorts of cool things like the Temmie 'Colleg' and 'DEEP HISTORY mUSEEum'~ XD

WebbInn 'the Spider district': Mostly a giant communal spider web hanging Hotland's ceiling but also connected to a tunnel that goes up near Mt Ebbot's peak (the spiders have been digging upwards in hopes of getting a 'sunspot' they can use to advertise their 'sweet little town' to tourists). Has a... Very distinctive culture compared to the rest of the Underground and the 'puzzles' there tend towards being 'social' in nature (aka fey logic games where how you speak and act gets you directed every which way).

Starlite Strip: A little connecting area right underneath the path/cliff Monster Kid and Frisk see the castle while travelling through Waterfall in Undertale Canon. Not a big settlement on its own but something of a trading hub for monsters from New Home and the surrounding areas in Waterfall to buy and sell goods (also has a LOT of Royal Guard presence which is why absolutely no one in Undertale recommends it to the very human Frisk). Very sparkly but in a gentle 'crystals, glowing water and fire flies' kinda way.

And... Yeah. Wanna post a full script of what I've got planned so far but this post is already massive so will do that in a bit.

Will say though that the general ending plan for this fic arguably goes full fix fic with:

12-14 year old Frisk comes out as human publicly and goes through the entire Underground arguing their case (something the Underground has been publicly debating for the last 10 years or so thanks to a very motivated Papyrus and a wanting more ratings + genuinely interested Mettaton).

Undyne attempts to kill them but well, she's only going all out because she and Paps had a deal about this (he vowed that he'd defend any innocent human from her killing them so she could still go all out at her job) and Frisk knows that.

Mettaton gets to do THE biggest and most historically important interview in the Underground's history.

Asgore declares that the Underground will try out this whole 'everyone in the kingdom votes' thing on both the upcoming war and how they will treat humans living here because he wants to make sure he's doing what his people want (Mettaton asks what Asgore will vote but Asgore, finally realizing his own influence, refuses to say).

Asgore and Frisk spend a nice, if slightly nervously time together drinking tea and talking about the future while the votes are being counted. (Toriel and others may join them but mostly this is Asgore getting to know... the last of Toriel's adopted children she told him about the others when she asked for a divorce).

Monsters choose wisely because for all this fic is 'Monsters are flawed too!' they are good people and I want to make that clear <3

Cue Frisk publically trying to help break the barrier while being very alive...

Flowey pulling a 'God of Hyper Death' except well, he, Frisk and Chara maaay have discussed a bit of this beforehand (Flowey did want the souls and this would get him them), so er, the fight might be a touch more mixed with genuine anger and playfulness. Note: Still working out the exacts.

The human SOULs get brought back to life as monsters while Flowey gets a SOUL of his own and Chara gets enough magical matter to be visible to people other than Frisk (it required less waste of the accumulated magic, the soul of an additional human another girl falling into the Ruins was what got Frisk deciding to come out actually, the kids using a bunch of Alphys' furthered research on the interplay between Determination, matter and Dust, and breaking down the dead humans' bodies for enough 'compatible matter' to work with, and the destruction and repurposing of the Barrier but hey! Back to life! Or arguably Chara's case an upgrade to proper ghost-hood). Oh and the Amalgamates that want it are safely separated but not sure if that's a 'before no' thing or a 'here in this big finale' thing~ XD

And yeah. That's all of my 'extra happy ending just because I can' stuff the entire fic eventually builds towards. Will post all my planned scenes/'domino effect planning' some other time but for now I'm done.

If you liked any ideas in this feel free to use them please (I'm a slow ass writer and I write what I want to see more of in the world XD) and er, hope this was a fun ramble to read <3

#fic rambles #fanfiction #fais fanfic rambles #undertale #undertale au #sliceoflife #drama #tw death #I write Toriel like some write Sans (aka she's my fav and I show it by gleefully mashing her trauma buttons =D)#GorseTale #My references to flowers are because flower language and symbolism are fun and I am a nerd (also so is Chara)#Frisk born in the Underground AU #Undertale fallen humans coming back to life as monsters happy end #Asgore upon realizing he's running a dictatorship: D= Also “So what IS 'Vote'? ... Golly that sounds neato! How can I try it?”#Mettaton ego used for the greater good (yes really)#I get bored of Sans having timeline terror all the time so I let him experience Toriel's trauma instead #Papyrus makes everything better #fanmade undertale locations #Undertale yellow and deltarune cameos #There are probably better tags for this but I'm having fun being silly in them XD #Side note: what kind of monsters do you think all the humans in my fic should come back as?#Thinking Kris as a cat monster who can shift dark/light with their mood and Clover as a heraldry Enfield critter but stumped on the rest #btw please use any of the ideas/concepts presented for your own fanworks if you want to. I write/plot what I want to read XD

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vex-bittys · 2 years

Note

(you messaged me that Tumblr ate my ask so I'm sending it again lol)

I had sent a request for a match up a couple years ago but when I went back to find it so I think Tumblr ate it, but life changes so maybe it's a good thing.

I'm in my 20s and have some issues with anxiety and depression. I work at a daycare with 2 year olds and I'm currently trying to get the motivation to go back to college but I'm not sure if I still want to pursue the same degree. I enjoy writing, drawing, listening to music and most of my free time is spent playing Minecraft.

I have some parakeets, a Uncorrupted Nightstriker lamai named Keiran from Sketch's exotic Bitty adoption, and an Edgy that I found and adopted a couple of summers ago named Chester.

I think that's everything, thanks!

(Your asks must be delicious with Tumblr chomping them left and right!)

My recommendations for you are:

Papython (UT!Papyrus): If you're looking for motivation, look no further than your friendly neighborhood (or literally adopted into your home) Papython! He's full of encouragement and a natural positive aura, which make him an excellent companion for people with depression. As a bonus, Papython is very sweet and gentle, so you could take him to work with you!

Corny (UT!Sans): Corny is an easy to care for lamia who will do his best to keep you smiling with terrible jokes and harmless pranks. Cornies are very low energy and prefer just hanging out and watching you do whatever you're up to. Who knows? He might even open up both eyes and become fully awake to play Minecraft with you!

Honey Bo (US!Papyrus): It takes time to earn a Honey Bo's trust, but if you can do that, he's a great companion. While he does occasionally need time for himself, he will always be perceptive of your moods, and if you need him, he is a good listener. Honey Bos are more than happy to bond with their adopters over music. He might even make you a playlist!

*I specifically selected lamia bitties who would get along with an Edgy. While a Chain can accept an Edgy, he will disapprove of biting behaviors, and this may cause an issue between them. Papythons, Cornies, and Honey Bos all enjoy chilling and watching or playing Minecraft.

*Let me know if you'd like an adoption scenario!

#vexy answers #dragonkween13 #lamia bitty matchup #lamia bittybones #papython bitty #corny bitty #honey bo bitty

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verdanabdit · 1 year

Text

(Fellswap Gold)

For almost a year now, they've done almost nothing but sweet kisses, only venturing a little further for more heated kissing. Papyrus is scared of s☆x, but he wants it. He doesn't like how any of those bits feel on his hands, and the few times he's asked Sans to try touching him, he's immediately shied away.

Sans theorizes for a while, then asks they try something. He lays a pillow out and sets Papyrus on it, instructing him to try grinding against it. He holds both of Sans's hands for balance and tries it out, and finds that while he doesn't hate how it feels, it's obviously not enough to get anywhere. They end the night with that, and Sans sets about looking into proper toys to use.

He decides on a cl☆t sucker. It's small, sleek, not intimidating. He gives it to Papyrus, and asks a week later if he's tried it yet. Papyrus says he's been too nervous to try it, and asks for help. They try it that night, and Sans notes that Papyrus is reacting to it similarly to his own hands. He pulls Papyrus into his lap and tries with either of them holding the toy and guiding the other's hand. The winning combo is Papyrus holding the toy, guided by Sans's hand.

Sans softly encourages and praises him the whole time. Since Papyrus isn't really used to any stimulation, he doesn't last long, squirming and mewling in his brother's lap.

Direct s☆x is still a long ways off, but Sans doesn't mind getting toy after toy for Papyrus, and he especially doesn't mind having to help him use them. It's exciting when Papyrus shyly shuffles up and brings one of the toys from behind his back, a silent request. It's even more exciting when it's been visibly already used, his brother's bare wet legs rubbing together in frustrated, unsated ar☆usal.

Things really haven't changed much from when he used to beat the levels that Papyrus got stuck on.

I'm sorry, I just like to think of a FSG Papyrus who finds difficulty getting off on his own.

#fellswapgoldcest #fellswapgoldcest (afsj)#imagineskels #imagineskels (afsj)#dom sans #dom energetic #sub papyrus #sub lazy

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undertaleheadcannonsfromagremlin · 2 years

Note

Hi! I don’t know if you’re open for matchups, but I wondered if I could get one? I’m sorry if not- I’m a 5’3 tall girl and is a little chubby. I’m shy when meeting new people, but get more comfortable as I get to know the person. I’m also pretty asocial and prefers to stay inside. I’m also clumsy- Others consider me a humorous and sweet person. I have trust issues. I like to draw, read and laze around. I’m a cuddly person and likes getting teased and flirted with. Sorry if it’s long-

uwu you sound adorable ngl

Boyfriend Match: Blue (Underswap Sans)

He will adore you, and your quite shy nature! Sure, you two may be on the opposite side of the active, but it may work out in both of your favors! He's going to be your rock whenever you may need him, and you will remind him when he needs to take things easy and let himself be in the moment. He's going to be supportive whenever you meet someone new, encouraging you to just be yourself, because surely, others would like you as well! Truthfully, you two may be different in more ways than one, but you both push each other to try new things, to be better versions of yourselves.

Romantic Interest Match: Rus (Fellswap Papyrus)

A fellow introvert, and someone that will understand when you need to recharge your social batteries, you two are two peas in a pod. He won't ever pressure you into doing things that you're uncomfortable with (at least a majority of the time, if you ever even mention that you want to try something new, but you know that you would back out, he'd support you, and help you get through your nerves!). Truthfully, he's going to have feelings for you, mainly because you show how much you care for him. He even is able to share some of the corniest pick up lines he has ever heard with you, and usually, it would end in laughter and making fun of those pick up lines because how can they even be so cheesy???

Best Friend Match: Cosmic (Outertale Sans)

Oh boy, your friendship with this skeleton is out of this world! Jokes aside, Cosmic is definitely a unique friend to have, conscious of any concerns you may have. Honestly, he's understanding, and someone you would be able to go to (and you bet your butt he's encouraging you in more aspects than one! He's understanding if you accidentally drop something, or break something, it happens, it's fine! But seriously, he'll make sure that you have a safe place with him, and he'll be supportive of any decision you make (unless it's a stupid one, in which he'd scold/make sure you don't be an idiot (trust me, it happens to the best of us)).

#undertale matchups #undertale match ups #fellswap #underswap #outertale #ot sans #fs papyrus #us sans

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jmbringitonworld · 2 years

Text

Good Girl Needs Kiss (2)

AO3 link for those who prefer to read fics there.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 3

I've reluctantly been forced to accept that this will have three chapters, but I'm determined that that'll be it! The next chapter will definitely be the last one! I don't know how long it'll be, but I won't extend this fic any further than that.

I've also decided that there'll be some minor Frans, because I'm utter Frans trash and because of plot reasons (it does actually serve a purpose, I swear), so if you don't like that, then feel free to click off.

Thank you SO MUCH to @a-snowpoff for helping me and giving me lots of encouragement and ideas, it's been incredibly motivating and you've inspired quite a few things in this chapter. This wouldn't have been possible without you!

Now with all that out of the way, have more fluff and shenanigans!

EDIT: I just got a comment from someone on AO3 expressing their huge disappointment at my being a Frans shipper. This person didn't bother to leave a comment when they still liked my fic, they only did so now, when they no longer like it. What the actual fuck. Like seriously, why? Why do you only choose to comment when you're unhappy? Why only put forth the effort to reach out to someone else when you've got something negative to say to them? How sad is that? The only bright side is that at least they weren't nasty or rude to me. But I just don't get this kind of behaviour. I'd much rather praise the good things I come across, and ignore the bad. But this just really put a damper on my mood.

________________________________________________

Chapter 2 : Dating... Start??

I was ripped from the blissful oblivion of sleep by the feeling of being gently lifted into the air, before being set back down on a soft surface. I jolted up with a start and wildly looked around for what could have picked me up so easily, coming face to, uh, skull with a giant skeleton. It took a few seconds for my sleep-addled brain to return to full working conditions, but the reality of my current situation did eventually hit me. Oh right. I’d messed up a spell and was now stuck as a chihuahua for the foreseeable future. Goodie.

Papyrus smiled apologetically down at me, his hand coming up to gently caress my head.

“OOPSIE, SORRY GIRL, I DIDN’T MEAN TO WAKE YOU. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SET OFF FOR MY MORNING JOG! WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME? OH, BUT! ONLY IF YOU’RE UP FOR IT! YESTERDAY WAS A VERY BUSY DAY FOR YOU, AFTER ALL. IF YOU’RE STILL TIRED, YOU CAN REST FOR NOW.”

I glanced at the nearby window, seeing that the curtains remained shut, but I could tell from the darkness still enveloping the room that it was very early in the morning, likely before dawn. I wasn’t surprised that Papyrus was an early riser; I was actually more surprised that he slept at all, given how much energy he seemed to possess.

Well, I’m already awake, so I might as well join him , I decided. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been up this early before, given the odd hours some special ingredients had to be collected, or the specific times some spells had to be cast. Also, my magic was at its most powerful at witching hour, obviously, so I’d often stay up most of the night to perform the most magically demanding of witchcraft. But I usually went to bed earlier to make up for that, so I wasn’t used to having this little sleep. Oh well, no use complaining about it now ...

With a huge yawn, I stood up shakily on my four paws, and stretched as best as I could manage with my canine body. I didn’t fall over, so I counted that as a win. Shaking the last of the sleep from my head, following the motion through to the rest of my body, I looked up at Papyrus expectantly. He grinned down at me, looking pleased.

“OH HO?... YOU WANT TO JOIN ME THAT BADLY?! WOWIE!! I’M SO EXCITED! WE REALLY ARE BESTIES AREN’T WE!?!?”

He then dashed off into his closet, presumably to get changed into his exercise clothes, before re-emerging astonishingly quickly in his new outfit. He struck a pose, one arm in the air, the other resting on his hipbones.

“TA-DA!! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SPORTY STYLE?!”

I cocked my head to the side. His “sporty style” consisted of a shirt that barely covered his ribs, with hearts drawn on the sleeves and “jogboy” written on the front in what seemed like permanent marker, matching shorts, his usual boots, and what I took to be his signature red scarf. While it couldn’t compare to spooky witch robes and pointy witch hat, his outfit had an undeniable “Papyrus” charm to it.

I barked my approval, my tail wagging in show of support, and Papyrus brought his hands up to the sides of his skull, as what could only be a blush stained his cheekbones.

“WOWIE!! YOU LIKE IT?!?! GOSH! YOUR FRIENDSHIP POWER MIGHT EVEN BE A MATCH FOR MY OWN! NYEH!!”

My friendship power is unbeatable! I puffed out my chest, proud of the many friends I’d made throughout my life. The fact that none of them were human or monster was entirely irrelevant. I was very popular!

Afterwards, the both of us made our way to the front door. As we walked through the living room, we passed by Midnight, who was sleeping curled up next to that stupid mutt, in the dog bed. I tried my best to ignore the both of them, but the dog jumped up at our arrival and followed us out the door, clearly intent on joining us for our jog. No! Go away, cat thief! This is mine and Papyrus’s exercise time! I growled at him, but he only woofed at me with a goofy, gormless expression on his stupid doggy face. Papyrus beamed down at the both of us.

“ALL RIGHT, YOU TWO! FOLLOW ME! NOW OFF WE GO!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”

And with that as my only warning, he took off, running at full speed, the little white dog joining him almost instantly. I stood, stunned, for a second, before chasing after them as fast as my tiny legs could carry me. I managed to catch up to them eventually, but the effort took a lot out of me, and I felt dread start to creep into my heart, as I realised that there was no way that I would be able to keep up with them for much longer.

Indeed, after an embarrassingly short amount of time, my legs, still aching from the previous day’s exertions, finally gave up on me, and I started to flag. I barked as loudly as my tiny chihuahua lungs could manage (which was incredibly loud for something that small, what the hell), which immediately caught Papyrus’s attention. He stopped, turned around, and ran back to me, as I collapsed on the floor, panting heavily from exhaustion.

“OH NOES! HAS YOUR ENERGY SUPPLY RUN OUT?! POOR GIRL!! I’M SORRY FOR NOT NOTICING SOONER HOW TIRED YOU ARE! BUT WORRY NOT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL TAKE IT FROM HERE!!”

He then lifted me into his arms and took off again, resuming his jog. He kept the same fast pace, my added weight, meagre as it was, not seeming to be the slightest hindrance to him. I felt whimpers building up in my throat, as I saw the huge gap between our physical capabilities. I had never been the most active person, with the most exercise I did, being hunting for potion ingredients, dodging the more volatile plants in my garden, and running from particularly ornery wildlife. I never did any truly strenuous activities, that’s what enchanted brooms were for. Speaking of which, I must remember to take Papyrus flying one day, I’m certain he’d enjoy that ...

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I was growing very disheartened at how weak I was. Papyrus, kind and attentive monster that he was, soon noticed my failing spirits. Not slowing down, he began rubbing my head, his gloved phalanges gently scratching me behind my ears.

“WHAT’S WRONG, GIRL? WHY THE SAD EYES??”

I could only stare despondently into his eye sockets, not knowing how to convey my thoughts to him. But he seemed to understand me just fine regardless, as he gave me a consoling smile, continuing his tender petting.

“ARE YOU UPSET THAT YOU AREN’T AS STRONG AS I AM?” I looked away, pouting internally, if not externally, given my fewer facial muscles. “PLEASE! DO NOT BE SAD! THERE ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO CAN MATCH MY INCREDIBLE PHYSICAL PROWESS!! I AM VERY GREAT, AFTER ALL! NYEH!”

When that failed to cheer me up, Papyrus’s expression softened. He slowed to a stop, lifting me up until I was directly in front of his skull.

“MY SWEET GIRL, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. YOU DID VERY WELL FOR ONE SO TINY! YOU RAN VERY FAST! FOR VERY LONG! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOUR ABILITIES, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO BE! YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE YOURSELF IF YOU TRY!!”

Admittedly, I did feel a little better at his words of encouragement, but I still couldn’t help feeling inadequate. It certainly didn’t help that Papyrus’s dog had taken to running circles around us, his stamina seemingly infinite. Show off ... I whined at him. Was he even really a dog? Papyrus followed my gaze and frowned.

“DO NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION TO HOW WELL OTHERS ARE DOING! THEY ARE THEM! YOU ARE YOU!! AND YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST! THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS!! JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE IS BETTER AT SOMETHING THAN YOU ARE, DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU ARE BAD AT THAT THING! OR THAT YOU CAN NEVER GET BETTER! IF YOU WORK HARD, I KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!”

I stared into his eye sockets, at the little glints of light I could see shining within them. He was being sincere. He genuinely had complete faith in me, and my ability to do anything I set my mind to. Huh. For the first time, I was grateful for my current body, as otherwise I’d be blushing madly right now. I felt ticklish at knowing that someone as self-confident as Papyrus, was equally confident in me. I swore to not let him down. I’d show him that I could be great, too!

At my determined barks, Papyrus beamed proudly at me.

“NYEH HEH HEH! THAT’S THE SPIRIT!! YOU ARE VERY GREAT! I PROMISE YOU! I AM CERTAIN THAT YOU CAN DO AMAZING THINGS! AND EVEN IF YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO, OR AS WELL AS YOU’D LIKE TO, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ONLY YOU CAN DO! I JUST KNOW IT!!”

There are! I wanted to yell, there’s so much I want to show you! It had never really occurred to me before, since my mother and many others were leagues ahead of me, but being a witch was something special. My brand of magic wasn’t something everyone could practice, and even if I still had a long way to go to master my powers, my current progress was still an achievement that I deserved to be proud of. And one day, I would show Papyrus wonders he’d never seen before, mystical arts that only I, and the precious few in my line of work, could do. I would impress him. Some day. I promise .

I wasn’t sure what Papyrus gleamed from my expression, but it seemed to satisfy him. He gave me an overjoyed smile, petting me more vigorously than he’d ever dared to before, and then returned to his jog, his loud “NYEH HEH HEH!!” ringing in the air like a victory chant.

~~~

The rest of the jog was mostly uneventful, barring one particular incident.

At some point, my lingering drowsiness caught up to me and I nodded off, rocked to sleep by the comforting arms wrapped around me and the familiar scent of expertly cooked spaghetti. When I woke up some time later, Papyrus was still jogging at the same brutal pace he’d maintained during his entire run, and had yet to even break a sweat (if he actually could , that is). His dog was keeping pace effortlessly somehow, but I noticed that, at some point while I was asleep, he’d somehow acquired a small, round object, and was carrying it in his mouth as he ran.

Huh. That ball looked suspiciously like my Orb of Pondering. Wait a minute , I narrowed my eyes, that is my Orb of Pondering! Growls bubbled up from deep in my throat and erupted into loud, angry barks. That little thief had stolen my Orb of Pondering! Why that son of a bitch! Well, I mean, he was literally a son of a bitch, since he was a dog and all, so that wasn’t an insult so much as a simple fact, but nevertheless, that son of a bitch !

Papyrus stumbled as I threw an almighty tantrum in his arms, and desperately tried to calm me down with pets and scritches.

“WOAH! EASY THERE, GIRL! WHAT’S WRONG?! DO YOU WANT A BALL, TOO?? I PROMISE TO GET YOU YOUR VERY OWN BALL TOY WHEN I GO SHOPPING AFTER BREAKFAST! SO PLEASE CALM DOWN!!”

That is NOT a toy! I howled my protests to the heavens. That is a precious family heirloom, given to me by my mother! It’s a valuable magical artifact, with mysterious powers! So mysterious, in fact, that I had no idea what they were. I’d asked my mother what the Orb did, when she’d first handed it to me, but she’d only given me an enigmatic smile. Clearly, this was some kind of test of my magical aptitude! One I was determined to pass! I would unravel the Orb’s hidden secrets, and prove myself a competent explorer of the occult! But I couldn’t do that, if that dicktwaddle of a dog stole my Orb!

I was fuming, but I knew that, realistically, there was very little that I could do about this injustice, not in my current state. Moreover, I had no idea how that mongrel had even found my Orb of Pondering in the first place. My home wasn’t exactly easy to get to, being a witch’s cottage, tucked away in the heart of the spookiest, most supernatural forest I could find. It might not be the most ideal location for business, but the ambiance perfectly suited my witch aesthetic. And I was sure that Papyrus would agree with me. I hope he comes to visit me when I’m human again ...

When we eventually returned to the skeleton household, the sun had finally made its appearance, shining its warm light on the world and promising a day of good weather. Once inside, Papyrus gently set me back on the floor, offering me one last pat on the head and a “GOOD GIRL!”, before he departed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I, however, chose to stay in the living room, to glare at that stupid, orb-and-cat-stealing canine.

The mutt in question trotted over to Midnight, who was still curled up in their basket, and dropped my orb in front of him. The cat’s ears flicked, before his head slowly rose up. His cool gaze shifted between the dog, the orb, then back again. With a languorous stretch, Midnight yawned, then sat up. He slowly lifted his paw high in the air, held it there for a few tense seconds, and then quick as a flash, he swung it down and whacked my orb away. The orb went careening across the room, as my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. The dog instantly tore off after my orb, barking exuberantly, his tail wagging a mile a minute. He swiftly caught my orb, then rushed back to the cat’s side, depositing the object back on the floor, and stared hopefully at Midnight. The cat once again forcefully swatted my orb away, and the dog once again gave chase.

As I watched this back and forth, I could feel incredulous rage building within me. They were playing fetch. With my Orb of Pondering! The heathens! Middy should know better! Priceless ancient artifacts should be treated with respect, not used as some cheap toy! I had half a mind to go over there and give them a good telling off, for all the good that’d do, but Papyrus’s loud announcement of breakfast being ready, effectively took my mind off of those two troublemakers, and onto the promise of good food. With a rumbling stomach, I dashed off towards the dining room.

Papyrus had already placed two bowls of oatmeal, with little dinosaur eggs in them, onto the table, and brought a third bowl over to me once I entered the room. Placing it on the floor before me, he gave me a pat on the head and a bright smile.

“THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE FOOD!! IT’S TASTY! AND NUTRITIOUS! AND HAS LITTLE DINOSAURS IN IT!! I LOVE IT!! I HOPE YOU’LL LOVE IT TOO!!”

I cocked my head at him, more than a little shocked to learn that his favourite food wasn’t, in fact, spaghetti, but nonetheless gave him a cheerful bark and tail wag, in place of a smile and thumbs up. Papyrus beamed at my reaction, his eye sockets lighting up, quite literally, and took his seat at the table with a delighted “NYEH HEH HEH!”.

I turned back to my bowl of oatmeal and gave it a few deep, curious sniffs. It smelled like regular oatmeal. And sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. I deflated a little, having expected something a little more out of the ordinary, from the favourite food of someone as extraordinary as Papyrus. Maybe it tasted more special than it smelled? I took a bite. The flavour of brown sugar instantly filled my mouth. Nope. Still just regular oatmeal. And sugar. So much sugar . I chewed my completely ordinary oatmeal, feeling very disappointed. Oh well, at least it’s sweet . And the dinosaur eggs dissolve into colourful dinosaur shapes. That’s kinda cool, I suppose .

I perked up a little when Sans stepped into the room, yawning sleepily and rubbing his eye sockets.

“mornin’ bro,” he greeted Papyrus. At my bark, he tilted his skull towards me and gave me wink. “an’ mornin’ to you too, buddy.”

“GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO, BROTHER,” Papyrus raised a browbone at him, his tone becoming stern. “I SHALL BE BUSY ALL DAY TODAY, SO I HOPE YOU MANAGE TO BEHAVE YOURSELF, WITHOUT ME TO KEEP AN EYE SOCKET ON YOU.”

Sans’s grin widened cheekily, his eyelights twinkling.

“i dunno, pap. i get so bonely without ya. maybe i’ll visit your work, keep you company, give you some food for thought , heh heh.”

Papyrus slammed a fist on the table, causing all of the objects atop it to rattle.

“NO!! NO TERRIBLE PUNS! AND NO BOTHERING ME AND MY COLLEAGUES WHILE WE’RE WORKING, EITHER! THE RESTAURANT IS NO PLACE FOR UNFUNNY LAZYBONES!!”

“ouch, bro. way to cut me to the bone.”

“NYEEEHH!!”

Sans chuckled unabashedly, while Papyrus glared, bug-eyed, at him, their breakfast momentarily forgotten. I’d finished off my bowl of oatmeal during the brothers’ little exchange, so I padded over to Sans, feeling curious about Papyrus’s brother, whom I’d yet to get properly acquainted with. He clearly meant a lot to Papyrus, so I wanted to get to know him better.

The shorter skeleton monster noticed my approach and grinned down at me. I nudged his fibula with my nose, and he bent down to pet me. I inhaled his scent, while my tail wagged automatically at the attention. Sans smelled of ketchup, snow, machinery and... something sweet and flowery. I canted my head to the side, staring at him thoughtfully. That last scent struck me as out of place for him, though I couldn’t quite put my finger, er, paw, on why, and so chalked it up to some canine instinct. I wonder where he picked that scent up from ...

After giving me one last pet, Sans returned to his bowl of oatmeal. He produced a bottle of ketchup from out of nowhere, and proceeded to dump most of its contents into his bowl, chugging the rest down directly from the bottle. Was... was that normal? I couldn’t be certain, given my limited interaction with other people, either human or monster. For all I knew, this was common breakfast behaviour. Papyrus didn’t seem to pay it any mind, so I assumed that it must be. Huh. You really do learn new things all the time... How fascinating!

Once everyone had finished their breakfast (the dog had tried to offer some of his kibble to Midnight, but my cat had turned his nose up and started grooming himself), Papyrus stood up.

“WELL THEN, BROTHER, I’M OFF TO THE PET STORE! I NEED TO GET EVERYTHING MY LITTLE LADY NEEDS TO FEEL RIGHT AT HOME HERE.”

Sans waved him off, getting to his feet as well.

“’kay, have fun, then. i’m off to work. see ya tonight, pap.”

And then he left the room, vanishing once he’d turned the corner, his scent also completely disappearing. I blinked. The heck...? How? Can he teleport or something? What an interesting boneman. I shook my head, and then trotted over to Papyrus, who smiled down at me.

“DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE PET STORE, TINY MISS?”

I yipped an affirmative, wagging my tail and hopping from paw to paw for emphasis. Papyrus’s expression brightened.

“WOWIE! YOU REALLY CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF ME, CAN YOU? NYEH HEH HEH!! I CAN’T BLAME YOU, I AM VERY COOL, AFTER ALL. AND I’M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU WITH ME. YOU ARE A WONDERFUL FRIEND!! I LOVE SPENDING TIME WITH YOU!!”

I love spending time with you too, Pap! I did a little doggy dance, overflowing with excitement. I did trip over my paws, though, and fell flat on my face, but Papyrus was kind enough to pick me back up. And he didn’t even laugh at me, which was very considerate of him. He then rushed off to his bedroom, to go get cleaned up and changed, and I barely had time to wander about the living room, looking for my Orb of Pondering (unsuccessfully, curse you dog!), before he dashed back into the room, dressed in a casual outfit.

I eyed his form appreciatively. He was wearing loose trousers, sneakers and his usual scarf, but what caught my eye was his purple sweater, decorated with cute, little dinosaurs. It was very paleontological. I raised my front paws up, balancing myself on my hindquarters, and brought them together in a clumsy attempt at clapping. Papyrus seemed to guess my intentions, because he preened, bringing one hand up to rub at the back of his skull, as he blushed.

“NYEH HEH HEH... YOU HAVE EXCELLENT TASTE IF YOU CAN APPRECIATE MY UNPARALELLED FASHION SENSE!”

I lifted my head proudly. Well of course I do! I am very stylish, and my witch robes are both fashionable and practical! And birds love nesting in my big hat, so it’s obviously the ideal headwear!

Papyrus bent down and gathered me into his arms, giving my chin a little scratch while he was at it, and together, we left the house and walked to his car. This time, instead of placing me in the passenger seat, Papyrus kept me in his lap.

“YOU’LL BE WARMER AND MORE COMFORTABLE LIKE THIS. SKELETONS ARE VERY CUDDLY, AFTER ALL!”

* yip *

“NYEH HEH HEH HEH!! EXACTLY! NOW OFF WE GO!!”

And so the two of us drove off. I did indeed feel much warmer and more comfortable, as I snuggled up against Papyrus. There really was no better way to travel.

~~~

The pet shop Papyrus brought us to was the largest in all of Ebott City, and catered to a wide range of different types of pets, from your standard cats and dogs, to small mammals, to aquatic life, and even to birds and reptiles. I was sat in the child’s seat of the shopping cart, as Papyrus pushed us along the aisles, my nose going into overdrive, vigorously sniffing all these exotic new smells, my tail a frenzy of motion.

The cart steadily filled up as we walked, with more dog food for the Orb thief, various dog treats I wrinkled my nose at, some cat treats for Midnight (undeserving wretch though he was), and several items specifically for me. First was the dog bed Papyrus had promised me. Amazingly, there was one shaped like a racing car, which Papyrus took one look at and instantly started squealing over. Personally, I’d have preferred to keep sleeping on top of him, in his bed, but I couldn’t refuse the eager look on his skull, and so woofed my approval. His overjoyed smile was worth the disappointment I felt, at having to sleep on my own from now on.

Next, were some dog toys. Papyrus was particularly taken with a small ball decorated with flames, so I resolved to make that one my favourite. Gripping it firmly in my jaws, I could feel the bitter sting of losing my Orb of Pondering abate a fair bit. This ball may not have been a sacred magical artifact, but it was a precious gift from someone very dear to me, so that made it even more special! And it also had flames on it, which the Orb didn’t, so that was another plus. Papyrus also added a couple of squeaky bones to the cart, grumbling to himself that he hoped his dog would play with those , instead of stealing his own bone attacks. I eyed the rubber bones with disdain. Foul mutt could have those fake bones; I had my lovely new, flame-patterned ball!

The last item on our shopping list was a dog collar for me. I had a decent collection of amulets with various mystical enchantments on them, but had never worn any purely decorative necklaces before, so this would be a new experience for me. And looking up at the wide assortment of different collars on offer, with their diverse and eye-catching patterns, colours and styles, I felt my excitement building. Papyrus scrutinised each and every available collar very carefully, his brow furrowed and a hand on his mandible, as he hummed thoughtfully to himself. He briefly picked out a spiked collar, before he glanced at me, then shook his skull and put it back, muttering “TOO DANGEROUS” to himself.

Eventually, he settled on a leather collar in the exact same shade of red as his own scarf, with a shiny, gold buckle at the end. Holding it up to my neck, he grinned with satisfaction.

“THIS! IS! PERFECT!! SEE?! NOW WE MATCH!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”

Yay! High-pitched yips filled the air as I voiced my approval. I was more than happy to have my very own, signature red neckwear, and hoped that it would make me look as cool as Papyrus did. And then a thought suddenly occurred to me. Weren’t matching accessories something that... couples wore? And then another thought hit me. Hold on, Papyrus and I were outside, shopping for matching accessories, together , just the two of us... Was this a... date ?! I gasped, trembling with excitement. It must’ve been! Papyrus and I were on a date ! My very first date! Huzzah!!

“NYEH HEH HEH!! I’M SO GLAD YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY! I’M SO ENTHUSED BY YOUR ENTHUSIASM!!”

I was indeed feeling very enthusiastic at that moment, though perhaps not quite for the reason Papyrus believed. That didn’t stop me from literally jumping for joy, to the point that Papyrus had to grab me and hug me tightly to his ribs, to prevent me from falling out of the cart. It was difficult to contain my excitement at being on an actual date with Papyrus (this was a date, right? It had to be! What else could this be??), but the way he pet my head and rubbed my cheeks did help me to settle down, just enough that I stopped wiggling in his arms.

At least until Papyrus took out his phone, and started taking selfies of the two of us in our matching neckwear. I could hardly contain myself when he then went on to set the best-looking photo as his phone's new wallpaper background. As he smiled to himself in satisfaction, I wanted to cry tears of joy at the fact that this was a moment that Papyrus deemed important enough to want to commemorate and be constantly reminded of. It was a precious memory for me, as well, one that I would cherish forever.

Papyrus struggled a little to navigate the shopping cart while holding me in his arms, but despite that, he never showed any inclination to put me back down, which I felt pretty grateful for. I was also secretly pleased that he seemed to enjoy our cuddles just as much as I did.

It was after we’d (well, Papyrus had, technically) made our purchases, that we ran into two unexpected individuals. I recognised the human almost instantly, as her face had been plastered all over the various news channels and newspapers for over a year, following the sudden emergence of monsters from Mt. Ebott. Frisk, famed liberator of monsterkind, and their much-lauded ambassador, wore a pleasantly surprised expression on her pretty face, as she greeted Papyrus.

“Hi Pap, nice to see you today,” her voice was soft and delicate, filled with warm familiarity.

A flower with six, bright golden petals, had its long, thorny, vine-like stems wrapped around her upper arm. To my surprise, the flower had what was undeniably a face on its androecium. Said face looked bored and mildly annoyed, as it too greeted Papyrus.

“Howdy. Didn’t expect to run into you today,” his high-pitched, masculine voice was much less friendly than his companion’s, and had a sarcastic edge to it, as if he was used to mocking other people. Something about this flower made my hackles raise, and I couldn’t help feeling very wary of him. Papyrus, however, did not share my caution, as his expression brightened upon seeing the two of them.

“FRISK!! FLOWEY!! MY VERY COOL FRIENDS!! HOW WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU TWO!! TODAY IS A GREAT DAY! I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES!”

Frisk giggled, a fond smile on her lips, while Flowey (what an unimaginative name for a flower, what idiot came up with it?) rolled his eyes, though without malice, as I could see the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. Frisk’s face lit up when she caught sight of me, still held in Papyrus’s arms.

“Oh, what an adorable little pupper!” she cooed at me, and Papyrus proudly lifted me up into the air, as if showing me off to his friends.

“INDEED SHE IS! VERY ADORABLE!! SHE HELPED ME LOOK FOR MY DOG, WHEN HE WENT MISSING YESTERDAY. AND SINCE SHE DIDN’T HAVE A HOME OF HER OWN, SHE’S SHARING MINE. SHE’S ALREADY A MUCH BETTER HOUSEMATE THAN BOTH SANS AND THAT MISCHIEVOUS DOG! SHE’S VERY GREAT!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”

I barked happily, my tail wagging madly at his praise. Frisk’s smile softened as she gazed at us.

“That’s wonderful, Paps. I’m so happy for you.”

At her side, Flowey rolled his eyes again, this time more emphatically.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Good for you. So what’s the little runt’s name, anyway?”

Papyrus didn’t seem put out by the flower’s rudeness in the slightest, as he answered with his usual enthusiasm.

“I HAVE NO IDEA! THE LITTLE LADY HASN’T TOLD ME YET.”

Flowey gave him an incredulous look.

“It’s a dog . It can’t talk, you idiot.”

It was Papyrus’s turn to shoot Flowey an incredulous look, though a much more polite one.

“OF COURSE SHE CAN TALK! YOU JUST HEARD HER A FEW SECONDS AGO!”

Flowey looked exasperated, while Frisk looked to be struggling not to laugh.

“That’s just barking! It’s not talking! It doesn’t mean anything!”

Flowey was waving his leaves in the air, the way one would wave their arms. Papyrus frowned at him in disapproval.

“JUST BECAUSE YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE’S SAYING, DOESN’T MEAN SHE’S NOT TALKING! OR THAT HER WORDS HAVE ANY LESS MEANING! ANYONE WHO HAS SOMETHING WORTH SAYING IS WORTH LISTENING TO!!”

Flowey let out a wordless yell of aggravation, before burying his face in Frisk’s shoulder, grumbling incoherently. Frisk tutted softly, lifting her other arm to run her fingers gently over Flowey’s petals, patting the back of his head in consolation.

It was only now occurring to me that the way Papyrus treated me was probably a little unusual. He treated me as if I was still human, and capable of fully understanding him, instead of as the simple dog I appeared to be. Now, I may be much closer to animals than I am to people, but that didn’t mean that I was ignorant of the fact that mundane animals weren’t sapient. I wasn’t that delusional. Midnight was special, being a witch’s familiar, but that didn’t mean that his intelligence was on the same level as a human’s or monster’s. At least, I didn’t think so. Admittedly, it was hard to tell with him...

Regardless, I wouldn’t have blamed Papyrus if he’d treated me as dismissively as Flowey did. By all rights, he should’ve, given my current form. But he didn’t. He chose to afford me the same level of respect, as he did every other person he met. Because he seemed to believe that I deserved it. I couldn’t say for sure whether that was because that’s just the kind of person Papyrus was, or because of some deeper meaning. Part of me hoped that it was because he could sense something more in me, that he felt that I was special. I very much wanted to be somebody special to him. Hopefully, someday I would be.

While I was having my mini epiphany, Frisk had stopped comforting Flowey, who had turned his head away to sulk quietly to himself, and had begun unravelling one of the ribbons she wore in her hair.

“You’re exactly right, Pap. She’s clearly a clever little doggy with many clever things to say,” I barked in agreement, and she smiled at me. “And such a smart pupper deserves a ribbon, to show everyone how smart she is.”

Frisk then reached out to me, to tie her ribbon around my collar into a cute bow. I tried to twist my head around to examine it properly, while the other woman stood back a little, to admire her handiwork.

“There we go. A dainty little bow, for a dainty little girl.”

I preened at the compliment, feeling very cute indeed. Papyrus squealed with delight, his eye sockets sparkling and a light blush staining his cheekbones.

“WOWIE!! YOU’RE RIGHT! PRETTY GIRLS DESERVE PRETTY BOWS!! OH, AND PRETTY FLOWERS TOO!”

Oooo, yes please! I barked excitedly. I loved flowers! The poisonous ones were especially colourful. And the ones which tried to eat you always had the most interesting magical properties. My garden was full of all kinds of flowers, all of which were incredibly useful for potion making. I’d never thought to put any in my clothes or my hair before, but the idea seemed like it would be fun. So long as I didn’t have any small creatures nesting under my hat, or inside my pockets, that is, I didn’t want them to get hurt.

I noticed that Frisk was giving me a considering look.

“Hey Pap? Now that you’ve got both a boy dog and a girl dog... Do you have any plans yet on getting either of them fixed?”

I froze. What. No . Fuck no. Absolutely. Not . Papyrus looked confused.

“FIXED? BUT THEY ARE NOT BROKEN??”

Frisk looked uncomfortable, as she bit her lip. Flowey, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered from his little sulk session, and was back to looking truly done with the world.

“She means, are you planning to stop your mutts from having puppies.”

My lips curled back in a sneer, as I bared my teeth at that disgusting idea. As if I would ever let that horrible thief of a dog so much as touch me! Papyrus seemed equally unconvinced of that possibility.

“I REALLY DO NOT THINK THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN. THE TWO OF THEM... WELL... THEY DON’T SEEM TO LIKE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH, DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS,” his voice had lowered slightly, which wasn’t saying much, but he was clearly a little embarrassed, maybe even ashamed, to admit to that he wasn’t able to get his own pets to get along with each other. “I HAVE ALREADY ACCEPTED THAT THEY PROBABLY WON’T EVER BE FRIENDS. SO, THEY DEFINITELY WON’T EVER GET MARRIED. OR HAVE FLUFFY BABYBONES.”

Never, ever, EVER! I insisted with every ounce of my being. Papyrus’s expression softened as he pet my head to soothe my angry growls.

“BUT THAT IS FINE! THAT TROUBLESOME DOG OF MINE HAS ALREADY FOUND A DATE MATE! MR. MIDNIGHT IS A VERY COOL CAT! AND HE AND MY DOG SEEM VERY HAPPY TOGETHER! SO WHILE THERE WON’T BE A DOG WEDDING! THERE MIGHT BE A CAT-AND-DOG WEDDING!! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!!”

Urgh... While I’m here, stuck as a chihuahua, my familiar is off canoodling and having his own little bromance with that stupid dog. Fair weather friend, indeed. .. I grumbled to myself. I was the one who was supposed to be looking for their true love. Not my cat! Life really was unfair sometimes. Papyrus interrupted my lamenting by massaging my ears.

“AND BESIDES... MY SWEET, LITTLE LADY HAS ME AS HER VERY COOL FRIEND!”

Frisk’s smile was full of warmth and affection.

“And you are worth a dozen, no, a hundred friends! I’m sure she feels so full with your friendship, that she doesn’t need anyone else.”

Papyrus looked troubled, despite the compliment.

“WHILE I AM VERY COOL! AND VERY GREAT! AND MY FRIENDSHIP POWER IS UNMATCHED! I DO WANT HER TO SPREAD HER FRIEND-ENERGY OUT MORE... I THINK SHE’LL HAVE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE THAT WAY. AND MAYBE THEN, SHE’LL REACH HER MAX POTENTIAL! AND BE THE VERY BEST SELF SHE CAN BE! NYEH!!”

Frisk gave him a sweet smile, nodding her head at his words. Even Flowey’s expression had softened just a little, and there was undeniable fondness in his eye roll.

“Too true, Pap, you’re right as always,” Frisk winked at him, then smiled down at me, causing my ears to instinctively perk up at the friendly look. “And I hope this adorable, tiny pup might come to consider me a friend, too. I’d love to be friends with such a little cutie.”

Her sweet tone made my tail wag, and her smile widened. Papyrus gazed between the two of us, with a thoughtful look on his skull. He then gave Frisk a pleading look.

“REALLY!? IF SO, THEN... I HAVE A FAVOUR TO ASK! ABOUT THIS ONE. YOU SEE, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK SOON. AND SANS HAS WORK TOO. AND AS I’VE MENTIONED, MY LITTLE LADY DOESN’T GET ALONG WELL WITH MY OTHER DOG. SO, I’D WORRY ABOUT HER IF I LEFT HER, ALL ON HER OWN IN THE HOUSE, WITH ONLY HIM FOR COMPANY. I’D REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD TAKE CARE OF HER FOR ME. JUST FOR THE AFTERNOON! JUST UNTIL I CAN COME PICK HER UP THIS EVENING! SHE’LL BE NO TROUBLE, I PROMISE! SHE’S A VERY GOOD GIRL!! SO PLEASE! PRETTY PLEASE!!”

Frisk was already nodding her head before Papyrus had even finished speaking.

“Oh, I’d love too! I wouldn’t mind at all. If Flowey doesn’t object, of course,” she looked imploringly at her flower companion, who made a show of huffing and groaning in displeasure, before finally grumbling “fiiiiine”, although he stared at me with curiosity from out of the corner of his eyes. Papyrus beamed at the two of them.

“NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!! THANK YOU!! SO MUCH!! I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON MY TWO VERY GREAT FRIENDS!! I FEEL MUCH BETTER, KNOWING YOU TWO WILL BE LOOKING AFTER MY GIRL! AND I HOPE! THAT YOU WILL ALL BE!! BEST FRIENDS!! NYEH!!”

He then gently handed me over to Frisk’s eager hands, who immediately cuddled me close, nuzzling her face into my fur. My nose twitched as the woman’s sweet, flowery scent invaded my sensitive nostrils. It was actually a very pleasant smell. And an oddly familiar one... But where had I...? And then it hit me. Sans! That’s where I knew this scent from! It was the strangely out-of-place scent I detected clinging to him. Those two must be pretty close, for her scent to linger on him like that... Hmmm ...

My internal musings were cut short when Papyrus pet my head. He was smiling down at me, though his expression was sad.

“I SHALL MISS YOU! I AM, IN FACT, MISSING YOU ALREADY! NYOO HOO HOO...”

He seemed reluctant to leave, as he began listing off instructions on how to care for dogs in general, and me in particular, including all of the things he’d noticed I enjoyed (most of which I hadn’t even realised myself! This guy must have been paying really close attention to me. How flattering~) but after several reassurances from Frisk, an exasperated scolding from Flowey, and some confident barks from me, he finally walked away, calling back to me as he disappeared from view.

“GOODBYE! BE GOOD! AND PLEASE! DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME WHILE I’M GONE!!"

And then he passed behind some cars and was gone. As if I could ever forget you , I shook my head at that ridiculous notion. Now that Papyrus was gone, Flowey was eyeing me with open curiosity. Frisk giggled at her friend’s behaviour, one eyebrow raised at him.

“Well then, guys, let’s be off. We’ve gotta get this adorable baby settled in. How do you two feel about pizza for lunch?”

Flowey and I both cheered at her suggestion and she smiled indulgently at us. And with one final look at where I’d last seen Papyrus, the three of us were off, to go have one of the most... interesting hang-outs I’d ever experienced.

______________________________________________

The final chapter might take a little longer, since it has to fit the rest of the story's events, and because I need to slow down a bit. I've been devoting most of my free time to writing this fic, and while I've been having a blast, it has been taking a bit of a toll on me. Not enough to dampen my enthusiasm for writing this, but enough that I should probably slow down, at least a little. I'll still get that last chapter out, I promise, hand on heart, but it might take a few extra days.

Also, the sweater Papyrus wears is this one, also seen here, in case you were curious. It's adorable and he's adorable in it <3

#JMB writes #papyrus x reader #papyrus #witch reader #papyrus my beloved #minor frans #minor sans x frisk #more in the next chapter #more flowey #i love me some tsundere flower bitch #papyrus is both sweet and encouraging #what a cool dude

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alch3mic · 3 years

Note

Beast or Prince's darling discovering their yandere tendencies? I'd love to see some drama go down

Strange how the twisting shadows of night made the estate halls feel so.. unfamiliar.

Those once pristine and well decorated walls that lured you into the estate so long ago now looked tainted by the darkness scrawled upon their surface, while the tile flooring felt even colder beneath your bare feet as you traversed the dim halls with nothing but a cellphone flashlight and the rain to keep you company.

Thunder and lightning crackled outside distantly, enlightening the hallways briefly in brilliant white flashes before plunging them back into the depths of obscurity. It, along with the deafening sounds of rain pattering against the windows, was enough to make your heart nearly pound right out of your poor chest.

.....

Was this some kind of classic horror movie set up or what?

Sheesh!

Talk about cliché! The only thing that was missing from this scene was some kind of terrible scary monster or knife wielding psycho lurking around the corner, and then you’d be the star of the next box office thriller!

At least the thought was funny enough to make you chuckle before another flash of lightning and crackling of thunder made you nearly jump out of your own skin.

...

.....Maybe.. you should’ve stayed in bed..

The thought of turning your butt right back around and just returning to your room was rather tempting.. but..

You had three burning questions in your mind that you just knew would keep you up all night if you turned back now.

Number one, what was that loud crashing sound that had woken you out of your dreams? You’re at least very certain it wasn’t thunder because the storm only started a few minutes after you left your bed.

Number two, why was the power out? Never, in all of your time of staying here, had the lights ever gone out like this. Papyrus once told you they ran on their own line out here on the estate with their own generators, separate from the city grid just so they could keep things on in case of a city wide power outage. So.. why? Why was the power out, even before this crazy storm even started? What happened?

And lastly.. number three..

....Where was Sans?

He had bunked with you in your room today after a late night of playing some video games together, but when you suddenly awoke he was... gone.

That had concerned you, because he wasn’t there when the crashing sound happened, which meant he left sometime before the storm started. It wasn't until you found his phone still placed upon your nightstand that your worries grew. He always kept his phone on him..

Now straddled with anxiety you gathered yourself before heading out in search of your boyfriend.

Just where in the world did he go?

.....

You checked your cell phone again.

...Still no service.

Dammit.

Great.. juuuust great.

...Maybe Sans' would..?

Nope.

That was a bust too.

You let out a huff of annoyance, even trying to wave his phone above your head in the hopes of getting a single bar of service, but it was to no avail.

There was another moment where you looked back to the hall you had just been wandering through, wondering if you really should just head back.. but..

It was foreign now.

You in all honesty had no idea where you were.

Like, you weren't even sure if you were in the west wing anymore, the once bright halls becoming like an endless labyrinth or darkness and spooky noises.

....

..Well, looks like your only choice now was to press on in hopes you’d find one of the brothers. The estate really was big, but they had to be somewhere..!

...Right..?

.........Right.

So onward you walked.

......

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Even the soft steps of your bare feet made eerie echoes that resounded with the quiet hum or rain.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Another flash of lightning and crackle of thunder, another small scare.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A left..? Or maybe a right? Well that flower pot looked familiar at least. ...Maybe..? K-kind of?

.....

Alright maybe you were a little scared now.

How could you not be!?

Everything felt tense and haunting, your anxiety spiraling the more you wandered around in the dark! Maybe this was just a dream.. a weirdly realistic dream.. and you’d wake up to find yourself still nicely snuggled in bed with your bone friend all safe and soun-

Wait.

.....That was..

Oh! You recognized those doors! They led out to the garden!

That sinking feeling in your chest was replaced with a sense of hope as you finally gained a sense of your surroundings, taking a few hopeful steps forward.

BANG.

You nearly screamed as the double doors out to the garden swung open accompanied by a flash of lightning. Thankfully the light faded just in time for you to see..

"Sans!" you called out as your skeletal boyfriend stepped inside and shut the doors behind him.

You quickly approached, stopping just a few feet away.

"You're...!" you inhaled sharply, gazing upon him. "...Soaking wet!"

And also dressed.

No longer was he adorned in one of his cute sets of pajamas, but a clean white button up, dark pants, heavy boots and thick work gloves, all now sticking to his bones from being soaked by the rain.

A deep sigh came out from your boyfriend and he shook his head, drops of water twinkling as they caught the light before splattering to the floor, while other droplets were just encouraged to finish their run down his face.

"HEH. IT'S REALLY IS RAINING SOMETHING FIERCE," he muttered lightly. "I'M THANKFUL TO SEE THAT DAMNED SKY TUCKED AWAY SINCE IT'S BEEN SO SUNNY THESE PAST FEW WEEKS BUT.. WHAT TERRIBLE TIMING."

You closed the distance between you two, stopping once more right before him and looked up and down in worry.

"Are you-" you began, but he merely reached out to gently catch your chin in his gloved hand.

It felt wet and cold, sending shivers down your spine.

"I'M ALRIGHT DEAREST," Sans chuckled, his eyelights roaming over your face.

"..Really?"

The ever so familiar hearts in his eyelights seemed to grow a bit bigger as he looked at you, his hand leaving your chin to carefully brush a few strands of hair.

"REALLY," he confirmed.

You found yourself shivering once more as his cold gloved fingers lightly lingered on your cheek before he fully retracted his hand and began pulling his gloves off.

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU MY DEAR? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? IT'S QUITE DANGEROUS TO BE WANDERING AROUND SO LATE ESPECIALLY IN THE DARK."

"..I'm fine," you said, your hand reaching inside your pocket to pull out his phone. "I just.. woke up to a crashing noise and you weren't there. Then I saw your phone and it started raining like crazy and the lights wouldn't turn on so I got.."

You flushed a bit when he smiled at your ramblings.

"..Worried."

"HEH. THOUGHT I DO APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERNS MY SWEET, YOU SHOULD NEVER WORRY ABOUT ME," he chuckled, taking his phone. "I'M HERE TO PROTECT YOU, ALWAYS."

He didn't even give the device a look over before stashing it into his wet pocket, shoving his gloves into another one and began rolling up his sleeves and loosening his collar.

A strange silence fell for a moment as you both stood there, a small flame being ignited in your chest as you watched him move.

"..Sans?"

"YES, DEAREST?"

"Is everything really okay?" you asked quietly, your hand scrunching up the fabric at the end of your pajama t-shirt.

"OF COURSE!" he said, giving you one heck of a cute smile. "...WELL, I MEAN.. THE POWER IS STILL OUT AND I AM SOAKED TO THE BONE, BUT YES EVERYTHING IS FINE MY LOVE."

....

"...You're lying to me, aren't you..?"

....

Sans didn't say another word, instead just keeping that impossibly sweet smile swept over his features as he stopped unbuttoning his collar and looked at you for a moment.

His silence was calculated, just like his expression and his movements. For he knew that if he spoke anything more, you'd catch on more to the underlying anger in his tone.

It was the exact kind of anger that always stuck around after something happened.

You've.. gotten better at hearing it over the months that you've become closer to him.

At picking up the emotions he hid behind that princely charm and smiles.

It's how you could tell that things were absolutely not alright.

That he was lying to you.

...Again.

Once again you were being kept in the dark about something.

Once again Sans was covering your eyes from seeing clearly.

Why..?

Even though the two of you had grown so close. Even though you've swore to him to the moon and back that he could trust you. Even though you promised..!

Why does he still..!?

.....

He offered his hand to you, catching your eye before you looking back up at him. That smile of his turned just a bit fonder, and he merely tilted his head in a quiet encouragement for you to take his offer.

Stand your ground.

Don't let him do this!

Not again!

....

Quietly you took his hand, the feeling of his bones damp and clammy against your warmed skin from having your fists clenched so tightly before.

He bent in, and placed a tender kiss upon your check, making you shiver from the cold water that trickled on to your neck and shoulder.

Then he pulled back out, giving you one more loving smile before taking a step, and then another..

And you did the same, following as he led you away from those double doors out to the garden and back into the blackened halls from whence you came.

His boots squeaked against the marbled floorings and loose raindrops continued to descend down his skull, followed by the soft patter of your feet as he led you without another word.

...Again.

Again you were.. too afraid to say anything. The words came bubbling up your throat, threatening to break free at any moment.

But you kept your mouth shut tight.

You were afraid....

Of what the truth might be.

Of this fairytale that you so desperately sought and now finally had.. falling to pieces.

Of who your Prince Charming might really be.

Was he really the soft, sweet and lonely skeleton you saw beyond all of the make believe? Or was he..?

.....

Another distant flash and strike of thunder, and once again the halls were enlightened.

Your gaze dipped only for a second from Sans' back, enough to catch a bare glimpse of something before it became dark once more.

....

That..

Couldn't have been right..

..Right?

Something like that... shouldn't be...

.....

..No..

Your eyes were certainly not deceiving you.

You know what you saw.. without question, even in the passing light.

For at the very edges of Prince's dampened white shirt.

...Was red.

"DEAREST."

"Y-yes?"

"JUST REMEMBER, I LOVE YOU VERY, VERY MUCH... AND THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT."

check out my other writings | feel free to drop me a ko-fi!

#you should've known better #to leave your room so late at night #but sometimes your curiosity and concern get the better of you #it'll be alright #prince!sans #sans #undertale #underswap #underswap sans #us sans #sans x reader #reader insert #undertale au #drabble #yandere #yandere sans #wickedtale #alch!writes #anon

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llamagoddessofficial · 3 years

Text

Thank you to @venelona for commissioning this piece from their amazing au, Check & Mate! Take a look at their @undertale-check-and-mate blog if you’re interested in the aesthetic & super cool worldbuilding~

“I have no idea how I beat you before, Papyrus.”

Frisk stared at the scattered chessboard, her brow deeply furrowed, finger rapping repeatedly against the tabletop in her frustration. Papyrus, opposite her, sat in his smart black and white chequered uniform... the picture of a winner.

This was just a casual game between friends. Of course, Frisk approached it with just as much fierce competitiveness as she would any other, but it was still nowhere near as high stakes as the official first match she’d had when she first met Papyrus. She moved her bishop, taking a pawn, saying the move aloud as Papyrus did- he was encouraging her to do so while in practise, to familiarise herself with the board and the options she had at hand.

“THROUGH YOUR OWN TALENT AND SKILL, OF COURSE! BISHOP TO F7.” He said, moving it with a gloved hand and taking the bishop she’d just pushed- he’d baited her with a pawn sacrifice. She groaned, puting her head in her hands, running her fingers through her chestnut hair... How the hell did I miss that? “SOME DAYS, WE PLAY BETTER, AND SOME DAYS WE JUST CAN’T WRAP OUR HEAD AROUND THE BOARD. THOUGH WHETHER MY DEFEAT WAS A FLUKE OR NOT, WE SHALL HAVE TO SEE WITH MORE GAMES... SHAN’T WE?”

“At this rate, fluke or no, Undyne is going to get me in two moves.”

Papyrus was fantastic to play against. He was a true enthusiast; he knew openings Frisk didn’t even know existed, he could adopt any play style or development or combination, he had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the game and through it all he had brilliant sportsmanship. After her first match with him in the snow, where she’d beaten him in a pulse-jumping game, the win/loss ratio between the two of them had been almost 50/50 and playing him was her no.1 method of efficient practise... especially considering her goal of beating every monster in this strange undeground world at chess.

...

Papyrus was the complete opposite of his brother.

Sans the skeleton was the only monster, the only monster, who hadn’t challenged Frisk to a game when he met her- something that immediately wildly threw her off. “i’m way too lazy,” he’d said, with a wide and casual grin that almost fooled her into believing him. Black pants and sleeves, white gloves, a white shirt and shoulder-covering cape with black trim... and the most ridiculous long chequered double-tie she’d ever seen with a small bone-shaped lapel pin.

I don’t know how he manages to look good in that. But... he does.

... There was something behind his tiny eyelights, stupid grin and lazy demeanour. She saw it the second she shook his hand- he was observing her. He was smart... he was the interesting kind of smart.

... So why won’t you pick up a chess piece?

It wasn’t for lack of trying on her part, to say the least. Frisk had been asking him borderline nonstop. Curiosity about his true aptitude, combined with her determination to beat everyone (which included him), created a storm that couldn’t be subsided- but at this rate she’d be dead of old age before he moved a pawn, seeing as he seemed to be totally immovable in his resolution to not engage her.

... Which only spurred her on even more. Of course.

“nah. i’m terrible at chess. wouldn’t know a knight from a rook from a raven. i’ll leave all that hard work to the professionals.”

At that moment, he was reclined on his couch, apparently totally ignoring the casual match going on a few feet away. She had yet to see his eyelights glancing over to their table...

...

But her suspicions were mounting.

Looking over the board, her finger finally stopped tapping- Frisk spied an opportunity.

...

“... Hm...” Her eyes narrowed in mock thought, and she had to try pretty hard not to immediately look over at Sans and make herself too obvious as she ‘wondered’ aloud. “... If I... rook to e1...”

... It was a total lie. She wasn’t going to make that move- it would leave her king completely open for Papyrus to move in and sweep up a pawn, checkmating it with his queen and ending the game there and then.

...

Sans went still.

Frisk spotted it, a hawk seeing a bunny twitch; he’d moved his skull a fraction of an inch to the side. He’d given himself away.

... He ‘wouldn’t know a rook from a raven’, huh?

“... Actually, no. Pawn to g5.”

///

Papyrus had to leave, eventually- heading to his training for entry into the King’s royal guard. He’d beaten Frisk, that time, catching her out with a knight and cornering her... but of course, being Papyrus, he was boastless and jeerless and merely congratulated her on a ‘FANTASTIC’ game with a handshake and a bright smile before he went.

His departure left Frisk alone in the house.

With Sans.

...

... She reset the scrambled board, lining everything up and turning to look over her shoulder at the skeleton still silently reclined on the sofa. Even when lazed back with his lapel pin wonky, he somehow managed to look sharp in his outfit.

“Heeeey Sans....” She said, voice sweet and sing-songy, thick lashes fluttering. She even adopted a ‘cuter’ position- crossing her legs and resting her cheek on the back of the chair. “Y’know. You should come play with me.”

“no.” He didn’t even open his sockets, speaking in that calm and collected baritone, with a little teasing lilt in return for her playfulness.

Ugh. She quickly gave up on the cute position, sitting forward. “C’mooon...”

“you’re too far away. i’m so lazy. can’t.”

... Well.

Not to be deterred, she prised her fingers under the entire board and hefted it up, carefully getting down from the table to carry it across the room. She placed it on the coffee table just in front of the couch and kneeled on the floor, eyes and smile glinting.

The sound of the board hitting the tabletop (and a few pieces rattling and falling over) was enough to make him actually crack open a socket, clearly curious- the pinprick eyelight observed her with that lowkey sharpness she really couldn’t take her eyes off of.

“... Look, I’ll even open, since you’re so lazy.” She picked up a white pawn. “Pawn to d4.”

...

... Sans sighed. He opened both sockets, and sat up in his seat... her heart jumped into her throat and she sat up straighter too; could this be it? Had she broken him with her pestering? Was he finally going to play a game with her? His eyelights were so intense, so unreadable as he looked across at the board. His gaze lifted to her... Sans smiled, leaning forward...

...

He flicked his king over.

“oh no.” He said, sitting back, sockets closing again. “you sunk my battleship.”

...

Frisk sat on her heels, throwing her head back and letting out a dramatic and loud world-weary groan that would’ve worked just as well coming from someone three times her age, smacking her hands against the tiny coffee table and jumping all the loose chess pieces. It made him snicker from his position on the sofa- absorbed in how cruel the world was and how her suffering was never going to end, Frisk completely missed the tiny fond look he shot her.

“You’re a total liar, y’know.” She wanted to throw something at him, but she just settled for crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at his stupid smug face seeing as the nearest throwable objects were all furniture. “You know how to play, I saw you listening in to the game earlier.”

“dunno what you’re talking about.” He was making the couch look... awfully comfy. How he was practically sinking into it... and she’d been sat at the table for what felt like hours while she played against Papyrus.

... She abandoned the board to come and sit heavily beside him, frustrated at once again being thwarted. Frisk knew he wasn’t going to admit his lie; and she wasn’t even going to try to get the confession out of him, it’d be like trying to get blood from a stone. But she at least had that knowledge... none of his dodging or thwarting could take that away from her.

“You. Are such a pain.” She grumbled.

“course.” He replied, in that wonderful voice of his. “s’my job.”

...

“So...” Frisk felt her smile widening. No rest for the wicked. She moved closer to him on the couch, shuffling over the cushions... juuust until her knee was touching his. “You like jokes, right?”

He glanced at her, cool calm & unaffected. “i sure do.”

She fully grinned at him. “Tell me a chess joke. I know you have a few rattling around in that skull of yours.”

“... you wanna hear a chess joke? when i have so many other brilliant puns? i’m hurt.”

“Go on.” She propped herself up on her elbow, voice lowering a fraction. “Just for me?”

He sighed.

(But... his smile grew a tiny bit.)

“... yesterday, i threw chess pieces all over my brother’s head. you should’ve seen the rook on his face.”

...

That was actually kind of brilliant. She snickered- she’d been expecting something much, much lower in quality, and was pleasantly surprised.

“Do you know what chess pieces look at when they have private time?”

“hm?”

She winked exaggeratedly. “Pawn videos.”

... He rolled his eyelights, smile mirroring hers in its wideness nonetheless.

“I wish I could become a doctor.” Frisk dramatically placed her non-propping hand on her chest, as if delivering an emotional soliloquy, enjoying the fact that she was melting him. “Alas, I must become a chess champion- for I have an incredibly chequered past.”

“so awful it’s on par with my usual jokes.” He snickered. “you’re lucky pap isn’t here.”

“Hey. What’s the most costly chess move?”

“that’d be the check, of course.”

“... Do you know any chess pickup lines? I can’t say I have any.” She said, coquettishly, leaning in closer to him- he didn’t reciprocate much, just turning to look at her a little more.

“dunno if it’s appropriate. also don’t know if i’m your type.”

That made her giggle.

“... Well. Y’know what my type is...?”

“hmm?” He cocked his head.

“People who’ll actually play me at chess.”

...

His face...

... Fell.

...

“do you ever quit?” He said, more akin to a snap than just a normal question.

In quite literally an instant it completely shattered the aura the two had created. The sudden transition and frustration in his voice caught her totally off guard- she blinked, taking her head off her hand and sitting upright, losing all the closeness she’d gained from leaning in.

“Wh...”

“i’m not going to play with you. get over it.” His eyelights had gone whip-thin, and... oddly icy. “stop bugging me all the damn time and get something better to do. it’s not going to happen. just get back to ‘practising’ so you can run off and get beaten by undyne.”

...

What the hell?

...

A tense silence stretched between the two of them that got progressively more and more uncomfortable.

...

Frisk turned away from him in a manner that, from anyone else, would’ve been a resignation- but from her felt more like a jab right back at him- a ‘I’m not going to deal with this shit’ declaration with nothing but her face. She wasted no time moving herself off the couch, picking up the chess board carelessly to settle down at the table instead, across the room and by herself.

Several pieces rattled and fell over on both sides when she put the board down on the table. But she didn’t care.

...

“... uh... hey. wait.”

The wind was out of his sails- his tone had lost literally all of its previous bite. But she didn’t look at him, her brow furrowed and jaw set, far less willing to drop it than he apparently was.

“... frisk.”

...

Okay, fine. Whatever. She graced him with an upset glance- her posture was defensive, usually warm and amicable (either that or ruthlessly determined) expression twisted into something pretty unpleasant.

She just... didn’t get why he’d suddenly bitten like that. He had yet to seem upset at all by her asking him about chess, the worst he’d looked was entertained, and he could’ve just... told her if she was bugging him, right? Instead of lashing out like that with no warning when she thought they were having fun.

...

... He was sat totally upright, looking at her, leaning against the arm of the sofa like he wanted to push through it.

“... i’m... i’m sorry.” His eyelights were tiny, smile low. “i didn’t mean that. i just got mad.”

...

Frisk turned back to the board, righting the black king. “Okay.”

She didn’t see his cringe.

“... you’ll beat undyne. i’m sure. you’re even more determined than she is, which is saying something.”

“... Mhm.”

Both of them could tell she didn’t think his second, meeker statement was the one he really meant. And he didn’t like that at all. “i mean it,” he insisted, louder.

Shuffling sounds- she wasn’t fully paying attention to him, moving some other pieces back into their proper positions, making sure the knights were facing forward.

“... I know you do, Sans. Thank you.”

She didn’t believe him. But he seemed oddly insistent on getting her to say he did... so she’d just agree, and they could drop it.

...

“you asked about chess pickup lines, right?”

His voice was a lot closer than she expected it to be, and it almost made her jump- she narrowly avoided flinging the bishop she was holding when she turned to find him separated from her only by a chair. How the... how did he move so silently? He was righting the black queen, for her.

“... Uh...” She mumbled. He wasn’t the only one who’d had the wind taken out of his sails- she suddenly couldn’t find it in her to make a joke. “... Yeah.”

“would it be inappropriate of me...” He held up his hand, a familiar white piece between his index phalange and his thumb. “to call you good-rooking?”

...

Frisk couldn’t help it. She snorted, at that- it was so dumb... the perfect kind of joke to alleviate a mood. The small ungainly sound seemed to have a positive impact on him- his shoulders unwound, smile lifting at the corners just enough for the curve to seem genuine again.

“is that a king in your pants or are you just happy to see me?”

Her snort became a proper giggle, which he apparently liked even more. Okay. I know I’m supposed to be mad, but this is too good to pass up. “I-I dunno. Looks more like a pawn to me.”

“... wow. i’m... wounded.”

His eyelights were larger, softer... his body language had opened like a book. She looked up into his sockets, posture loosening too, unconsciously mirroring him until she’d gone from clenching her arms to only holding her wrist. “Sure you are.”

...

Both of them seemed to realise, at the same time, just how close their faces were.

Frisk turned away first, her cheeks suddenly tingling and pleasantly warm- she pursed her lips and finished resetting the chessboard. Today was already proving to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Sans’ face was also gently coloured, a small dust of blue making an appearance on his cheekbones... but he didn’t turn away.

“... c’mon, let’s just watch some tv or something. i’ve said ‘chess’ and ‘rook’ so many times i’m starting to forget what they mean.”

“... Pft... okay. ... Sure.”

#commissions #llama writes #frans #dude i just LOVE the fuckin aesthetic of this au!!#the outfits are all so.. hgngn #nothing i love more than the local asshole going '... fuck. wait. oh no. babe dont go-'#THANK YOU SO MUCH VENE THIS WAS SO FUN #i actually had to look up.... chess stuff #what the frick

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