#vex does flufftober

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Nineteen

Prompt: Sharing a Bed

Pairing: Swapfell (fanon) skelebros

Category: Familial

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“AND THE ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE STORY IS THAT THE SKI LODGE MIXED UP THE RESERVATION AND THE ONLY ROOM LEFT HAS ONLY ONE BED!”

Mutt watched the city pass by in a blur as the taxi wove through traffic and his brother complained loudly about Blueberry’s manuscript, which he had so graciously offered to critique. Blackberry apparently took the job very seriously, waving around the sheaf of papers he’d printed out so that he could read Blue’s work during their conference trip.

Mutt unloaded the taxi and carried their luggage into their hotel, checking in while Blackberry continued his tirade about “IMPLAUSIBLE PLOT ELEMENTS” and “GROSS LOGISTICAL INCOMPETENCE.” He hoped that Blueberry had the mental fortitude to withstand Blackberry’s laundry list of negative opinions. His brother could be quite abrasive, as evidenced by the fact that the hotel staff refused to make eye contact with him, not wanting to attract any of his loudly disgruntled attention.

“the room key, m’Lord,” Mutt murmured, offering the keycard to his brother and using an honorific that he hoped would soothe Blackberry’s seemingly endless agitation.

Blackberry waved the keycard away. “TAKE OUR LUGGAGE UP TO OUR ROOM,” he ordered Mutt as if his brother worked as a bellhop for the hotel, a bellhop who would be lucky not to receive a rebuke in place of a tip. “I NEED TO GO OVER THE ITINERARY FOR TOMORROW.”

Mutt hauled the suitcases to the elevators, feeling a brief flash of sympathy for the conference planner. Blackberry did not simply “go over” an itinerary. He passive-aggressively suggested changes until the human delegates of the Integration Council surrendered to his whims. Nothing could stop Blackberry when he set his mind to something, not since he was a babybones being spoiled by his big brother.

Black’s first utterance, like most babybones, had been “MUH!” which would have worked out fine if they'd had a mother to look after them. To avoid the inescapable humiliation of being called Mom by his baby brother, Mutt had opted for a tougher nickname, and even Blackberry himself never knew the truth of it. Still, in the role of a single parent, Mutt took the blame for letting Blackberry grow up spoiled.

Mutt missed his bossy babybones brother. Despite their unstable situation as young skeletons on their own in a dangerous Underground, Blackberry had always been affectionate with him… until he grew up and decided that a proper Royal Guard didn’t need pesky emotions or brotherly affection. Sure, he would fight until he dusted to protect Mutt, but a hug? Out of the question.

Mutt dragged the suitcases into the room and tossed them onto one of the queen-sized beds. He stared at the luggage for a moment as his mind turned the word bed over and over until an idea fell out of it. 

Only one bed!

Mutt swept the suitcases onto the floor. Next, he hurried over to the window and pried it open. Their room faced a courtyard because Blackberry would never choose a room without a view. It took some effort (and the loosening of the bolts that held the bed securely to the floor and wall), but Mutt managed to haul the entire bed (frame, mattresses, bedding and all) to the window and tip it over the edge until it plummeted to the courtyard below like a cartoon piano.

Mutt leaned out the window to check his handiwork. Sure, the mattresses had taken out a few lounge chairs and tables, but who sat outside in a hotel courtyard anyway? Nobody now, that was for sure. Blackberry could deal with that issue during checkout if anyone dared to make the egregious mistake of confronting him about his faults as a temporary tenant.

Blackberry stormed into the room minutes after Mutt had schooled his face into an expression of mild confusion. “WHO DID THAT HUMAN THINK HE WAS DEALING WITH?” snapped Blackberry triumphantly before trailing off to take in the hastily remodeled hotel room. The story of the battle for the conference itinerary fell by the wayside in light of this puzzling new development.

Mutt spoke before Blackberry could gather words. “m’Lord it seems that there’s been some sort of booking error. there’s only one bed.”

Blackberry’s sockets narrowed to slits, and his eyelights traced the path of destruction from the bare bolts and obviously unfaded queen-sized bed shaped rectangle of carpet to the open window where surprised shouts drifted up from the courtyard outside. He inhaled deeply, paused, then exhaled. The conference started early in the morning the next day, and he would need to rest his lungs to point out various acts of incompetence committed by the Council until late into the night.

This matter of the mysteriously missing bed could wait. Whatever reason Mutt had for wanting to share this single bed, Blackberry decided not to argue with him. They hadn’t shared a sleeping space since Black wore stripes, but it didn’t bother him to revert to the old habit, just this once.

With a sigh, Blackberry unpacked his suitcase and donned his pajamas. Mutt stripped off his jacket, sweater, and pants and dropped the clothing directly onto the floor. Wearing only a tank top and his boxers, Mutt curled up on one side of the bed. Once he’d properly prepared himself to sleep, Blackberry joined him, awkwardly tucking himself into Mutt’s arms. Mutt readjusted his brother so that Blackberry’s skull rested under his chin.

Slumber claimed Mutt almost immediately, but Blackberry laid awake for awhile as he usually did. He actually… enjoyed the sensation of Mutt being curled protectively around him. It brought back nostalgic feelings of being a babybones, protected and carefree with no responsibilities to trouble his mind.

Closing his sockets, Blackberry leaned into his brother’s embrace, and right before he drifted off to sleep he thought that perhaps the premise of Blueberry’s manuscript might not be so farfetched or terrible after all.

READ ON AO3

DAY EIGHTEEN | INDEX | DAY TWENTY

[g0atmama]

Flufftober 13 - Attic, Cellar, Hidden Room; Vexing Spark

Dreadwing you turned into a cameo this is mostly a convo between Windshear and Viv. Also!!! featuring @bugsband's Windshear. Gonna write some more of him and Vivienne being friends

Vivienne was a surprisingly easy human to get along with. Even the insecticon enjoyed her company. It was him that carried her down to this mine- the first lieutenant already inside when they arrived. He first heard the chatter. Talking about things that seemed inane to him, but clearly… Weren’t. Not to them. He didn’t make it a habit to listen in.

It was Windshear he heard first.

“-- Spiders. You’re scared of spiders.”

“If they’re small or far away, I’m fine.”

“... So Arachnid.”

“Fuck off.”

They come into the room as Windshear snorts a laugh. Knock Out is waiting in another room- Dreadwing dismisses him after Vivienne is handed to him. She’s so fragile. So small in his servo- sitting in the center of it.

He watches as the insecticon leaves. His brow furrows as he looks down at her.

“Spiders?”

She doesn’t answer. She just hums a bit, leaning back against the ridges of his servo as he carries her through the mine. As much as he hates being so far below the ground (as any flier does), being around her… Somehow, makes it bearable.

And he hates it.

[katia-dreamer]

So, today for flufftober, the prompt was 20 questions or Truth or Dare. I chose a somewhat similar drinking game. Yes, this is finally THAT fic. ;) Word Count: 505

"Scanlan, have you ever-" Keyleth begins, but Scanlan drinks his ale before she can finish.

"I've done a lot of things, Keyleth. A lot of things," Scanlan boasts.

Vox Machina bursts into laughter, and Vex swivels so far back on her chair that she almost tips off. She's done quite a bit of drinking this evening, but her reaction time is still quick enough to catch herself. Percy chuckles next to her, and she purposefully ignores it.

"It's my turn to ask a question." Scanlan looks around the table, searching for his victim, and settles on Percy. "Percy?"

"Yes?"

Scanlan's responding grin is almost frightening. He leans forward and asks, "Have you ever had dirty thoughts about someone in Vox Machina?"

Vex chokes even though she's not currently drinking anything. Everyone falls silent as they wait for Percy's answer. He was very private about this area of his life, often choosing not to engage in discussions or answer questions. After a few moments pass, she wonders if he might back down.

Then Percy blinks, raises his glass of wine to his lips, and takes a drink. When he looks back at Scanlan, his face is almost unreadable.

"Was it me?" Scanlan asks.

"I don't have to answer that," Percy's tone is calm and collected, but she can see his ears are turning pink.

"Don't be embarrassed, Percy. I am very handsome."

"It's not you."

"Wait," Scanlan pauses, "does that mean you still have them?"

Percy doesn't answer, which is an answer in itself.

Who is it? The question burns on her tongue like fire. Because she is more than a little curious to know who Percy thought of in the dark of the night when he was full of want and longing. But Percy's fingers drum on the table, drawing her attention to his stiff posture and the tightness in his shoulders.

"Scanlan, you asked your question, and Percy answered it. So, Percy, it's your turn."

"I cede my question to you, Vex'ahlia. I'm going to bed." He stands from his seat, brushes down the front of his coat, and leaves without further comment.

A few faces around the table wear identical expressions of shock. But there is a look of mischief in Scanlan's eyes. Before he can act on it, Vex asks the first question that comes to mind, "Vax, have you ever lost one of your daggers?"

Vax raises an eyebrow at her but takes a drink. Once everyone is distracted, Vex looks for Percy. She catches only a glimpse of him turning down the hallway to their rooms. Her companions are laughing now, but Vex's thoughts are on one thing and one thing only.

Was Percy thinking about someone right now? Was he imagining exploring skin with his mouth and hands? Was his heart racing, his skin flushing? The idea of it awakens something hot and tight in her abdomen.

She gulps down the rest of her ale to drown it out, but to her horror, that only adds to the burn.

[torisfeather]

Flufftober 4 - Fake Dating

Prompt by @vex-bittys

Read it on fanfiction.net or AO3

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Wooh, this one was not easy, but I managed to finish in time! It's the first time I'm writing fake dating, so I don't know if I did okay ^^'

Anyway, this one is Roman, Remus, Patton and Logan. So... Intruloroyality? I don't know at this point XD

-----------------------------------------

Okay, you've got this, Roman thought, that night, at the dinner table, and showed his best smile for his grandma.

He felt so awful, and it felt like everyone at the table could tell how uncomfortable he was. He couldn't even look at his brother or their friends, Patton and Logan, for too long.

Which was bad, because he was supposed to be Patton's boyfriend.

It had started maybe a month ago. When their obnoxious homophobic aunt Beth had tried to introduce them to yet another girl she knew – a coworker's daughter, or cousin, or sister, it didn't matter.

At that point, Roman almost believed she had selective deafness. He and Remus had told her, over and over again, that they were gay, didn't want to meet girls, especially not when she was planning dates for them. Aunt Beth was still 100% convinced this was just a phase and that they could be "fixed".

So when she brought another miss-what's-her-name to their place without their consent, Remus had cracked and yelled: "You can't stay because we're having a gay orgy with our boyfriends tonight!"

Roman had honestly thought that would be enough. Surely their aunt wasn't around his brother enough to be used to the gross nonsense he blabbered all the time.

But it hadn't deterred her. The orgy part, at least, she realized was just a joke. "You don't have boyfriends," she had said, her chin raised in contempt. "I would have known already! You're single and you can give a chance to Natalia here."

"No offense, miss," Roman had said at the lady, who just nodded, looked quite bored. "We are not single. We're dating… uh…"

"Logan and Patton!" Remus panicked.

"Uh, yeah! You know, our classmates?"

"I thought you said they were dating each other?" Aunt Beth said, suspicious.

"No, we said they were dating us! Have you had your hearing checked, Auntie?" Remus asked, and cackled when Aunt Beth gasped in outrage. "What if a bee got inside your ear and started making a nest inside your skull, and that's why you never hear us?"

"Well, I hope you're happy for wasting such a nice girl's time!" she had cried, and promptly vacated the place, followed by the girl.

The twins had high-fived each other and then the rest of the night was spent arguing over what movie they were going to watch to celebrate.

But it couldn't be that simple, right?

Because the twin's mother was very close to Aunt Beth, and so had questioned her sons when she heard about their "boyfriends". Roman and Remus's mom was way more tolerant than her relative, but she was also a gossiper and she couldn't know it was a lie, or she's rat them out immediately. So the twins told her the exact same lie.

Their mother of course told all of her side of the family, as well as their father, who told his side of the family, and now all of their relatives thought they were dating their childhood friends.

So that wasn't ideal, and Roman thought of coming clean, or at least "breaking up", but Remus won him over arguing as long as they believed that, their aunt and any other relatives would stop trying to set them up with people. Which, honestly? Worth it.

And then winter break happened.

Every winter break, the twins and their parents would fly a couple states north, where their grandparents lived, and spend the holidays there with the rest of their family. And it was always expected from the younger people to bring any significant other at least once during that time.

They could have said Logan and Patton were too busy or had other plans, but the twins' grandparents were so adamant they contacted Logan and Patton's own parents to ask for them to join the family reunion, and not knowing anything about the situation, they all agreed on one week.

When they told Logan and Patton what the whole deal was, they were surprisingly calm about it. Logan, especially, thought this was one solution. Patton, of course, bless his little heart, wanted to come clean and apologize, but after Remus begged him not to unleash their aunt on them again, he took pity and agreed.

So Patton would pretend to be Remus's boyfriend, and Logan would act as Roman's. What could go wrong?

Several things, actually. Starting with everyone's ability to act. Roman, of course, was fine on that part. He was a theater kid and he knew what romance looked like. Patton was also pretty good at being all lovey-dovey, except he tended to look nervously at Logan whenever Remus tried something, because he was scared of Logan being jealous.

And Remus tried a LOT. He was a pervert pretending to romance a grey-asexual. And it showed.

As for Logan, well, he wasn't uncomfortable with Roman's flirting, but…

"Roman, your existence is greatly appreciated."

… He was the WORST actor Roman had ever met.

Okay, fine! It was fine! Their relatives were all kind of dumb anyway. The twins' parents didn't notice anything during the trip, and so far it seemed the charade was working.

Except, as days went by, another problem arose.

Roman had probably flirted a little too much. Or maybe it was all the time spent together. Or maybe it was from sleeping in the same bed.

In any case, he had started crushing on Logan.

Okay, not just on Logan. Patton too.

Which was a big no-no. No, you don't get a crush on childhood friends who are already dating each other. Especially in a situation where they are away from home, and thus already vulnerable and/or uncomfortable.

But he couldn't help it. To be fair, he had always been very close with the two. Just not that close. Not enough to notice how cute Patton's sleepy bed-head was, or how gentle Logan was when he was hesitant or stressed, or how warm Patton was when he was hugging him in the morning, or how hot Logan was with his glasses off.

Now he couldn't look at them without thinking "what if", and feeling itty-bitty butterflies in his tummy.

And he was certain everyone in the house could tell. And that was not how he was supposed to act right now.

So he kept his head low, trying not to draw attention to himself, which was very unlike him. And that night, at the dinner table, the boys had had enough.

"I apologize for interrupting, but I believe I have misplaced my phone and I am waiting for a very important call. May I leave the table?"

"Oh, of course Logan," their grandmother had said.

Logan stood and looked at Roman. "Would you mind helping me, Roman?"

"Uh…"

"Come on, you two hurry up, okay?" his cousin said.

Logan grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the corridor and up the stairs. Once they were out of hearing distance, he stopped and turned to Roman. "Now, please tell me what is bothering you."

"What? Nothing! I'm great, let's go look for your stupid phone…"

"Roman, in the past two days you have displayed an increase in signs of stress, you are not doing 'great'. And also, the phone thing was a falsehood."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Logan, just because you took a psychology class doesn't allow you to analyze me, and for the last time, I am okay. Now let's go back."

"I don't think that's right…" Patton's voice said from behind him.

Roman turned around and grimaced as Patton and Remus joined them. "Guys, seriously, you're making a big deal out of nothing!"

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" Remus argued. "You do look like you stuck a lightbulb up your ass and you're scared of it breaking at any point and turning your insides into a bloody purée, though."

"Great, super helpful bro…" Roman sighed. They were all looking at him, and they couldn't spend too much time or someone would come find them, and he couldn't tell them or he'd just make everyone feel bad, and it was all too much. He angrily ran his hands in his hair, pulling a couple time, closing his eyes. What the fuck was he supposed to do?!

"Okay, okay, let's calm down first…" Patton said, and now his hands were on his arms, and he was being so gentle. Roman let the others guide him into the closest room and sit him on the bed. "Now, it's okay Roman, you can tell us…"

"No…" he said stubbornly.

"Roman, we will love you no matter what the problem is, you can trust us!" Patton insisted.

"I promise, it's if funny, I will only tease you about it for two weeks!... Maybe a month."

"Remus, please! Roman, I promise it's safe to tell us."

"And, if I may add," Logan said, "we will help with the best of our abilities if at all possible."

Roman grabbed the pillow next to him and screamed as hard as he could into it. Eventually, it made him feel calm enough to look up at all the worried faces around him. He muttered something into his pillow.

"Ah, sorry, can you repeat that?" Patton asked.

"… I'm crushing on you and Logan. There, I said it, happy?"

Logan and Patton were agape for a moment, but Remus just shrugged. "Pff, me too, you're not special."

"What?"

"Bro, have you seen Logan's bare chest? He looks like a nerdy Edward Cullen. And Patton is the best cuddler in the world."

"How the fuck can you be so calm about this?!"

"It's just feelings, nobody's dead yet!"

"Yet?!"

"Okay, time out!" Logan asked, clapping his hands like a preschool teacher. "I think we need to assess the situation step by step…"

And then he stopped, because Patton was kissing Roman with all of his uncontrolled impulse. Remus cheered and kissed Logan, and for about two minutes there were nothing but kissing noises and sighs in the small room.

"So, um, does that mean you guys also…" Roman started, when his mouth was free again.

"For literal months," Logan admitted.

"That's so much time we have to make up for!" Remus cried.

"Agreed," Patton said, blushing. "We, um… We should go back, everyone's still waiting."

Roman's eyes widened and he fell back on the bed dramatically, hiding his face in his hands. "How the fuck are we going to tell them?!"

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Eighteen

Prompt: Late Night Cravings

Pairing: Polyruses (UT, US, UF, and SF Papyrus poly relationship)

Category: Romantic

Note: contains mpreg

Additional Note: UT!Papyrus is Papyrus; US!Papyrus is Russ; UF!Papyrus is Edge; SF!Papyrus is Hickory

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The moment their combined magics solidified into a soulling, Papyrus, Russ, Edge, and Hickory swore to do everything in their power to nurture and protect their future child, and they all took their oath very seriously. It's not that Papyrus didn't appreciate his mates’ attentiveness; he really did. The pregnant skeleton just felt a bit… smothered.

Papyrus brought the matter up to Russ, Edge, and Hickory, but the three co-parents insisted that they were just looking out for the health and well-being of their mate and soulling. Papyrus didn't want to push the issue because he didn't want to hurt any of their feelings. Besides, he understood Edge’s and Hickory's overprotective tendencies that came from the environments they'd grown up in. Sleeping, eating, bathing, or exercising, Papyrus simply accepted the presence of the three other doting skeleton monsters.

Lately, Papyrus had been having trouble sleeping. The round baby bump that housed the soulling and their magic made finding a comfortable sleep position difficult, and Russ, Edge, and Hickory weren't helping. The trio of skeletons liked sleeping pressed against their pregnant mate, which caused him to overheat. The baby bump also possessed a unique allure of its own, attracting gentle rubs and touches from four pairs of hands. Unfortunately, three of those pairs of hands had terrible timing and awoke Papyrus from his unusually light slumber. 

After many nights of interrupted sleep and a long evening of tossing and turning, Papyrus felt exhausted, desperate, and hungry. When Hickory's hands snaked around his waist to rub his tummy, Papyrus groaned.

“is somethin’ wrong? do you want me t’get Edge n’ Russ?” Hickory's worried face appeared over Papyrus's shoulder.

“NO, BUT I AM HAVING A VERY STRONG CRAVING FOR A FRESHLY BAKED CINNAMON BUNNY.” The sweet baked treat sounded heavenly to the sleep-deprived skeleton.

Hickory nodded. While most bakeries that served the famous bunny-shaped sweet rolls wouldn't be baking them at this time of night, the gold-fanged skeleton was sure he could convince them to change their minds with his abundant charisma… and the offer of some extra G. He shortcutted away from the house, secure in the fact that Edge and Russ were nearby to watch Papyrus.

Papyrus continued to toss and turn, ultimately deciding to walk around the house for a bit to alleviate his restlessness. As he passed by the bathroom, he noticed Russ carefully arranging rugs to prevent slip hazards. The normally lazy skeleton had already relocated the towels and soaps to more convenient locations to keep his pregnant mate from straining himself by reaching for necessities that would likely be carefully handed to him anyway.

Another craving sprang to Papyrus's mind, so he called out to Russ. “I'M HAVING A SUDDEN STRONG CRAVING FOR A VANILLA NICE CREAM.” 

Russ leapt to his feet. “i'll get some for you. gotta keep my mate and soulling happy!” He gave Papyrus a quick peck on the cheek and another to the soulling then shortcutted away to look for a nice cream vendor. It would be difficult to find one at this time of night. Thankfully, Edge and Hickory would be home to keep a socket on Papyrus while he searched.

Still restless and increasingly hungry for very specific foods, Papyrus wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen where he found Edge. The angular skeleton was busy preparing an array of healthy snacks to keep on hand for Papyrus. Unfortunately, none of those snacks would satisfy his current craving. Edge’s proud smile turned to a frown when Papyrus foraged in the fridge without finding what he was looking for.

“WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO MAKE YOU SOMETHING?” Edge offered, but Papyrus shook his skull.

“I'M HAVING A CRAVING FOR GRILLBY’S HOUSEMADE PICKLES, AND APPARENTLY WE'RE OUT OF THEM.” Papyrus sighed, forlorn. The pickles were always so perfectly crunchy and tangy. Nothing else would do.

“I CAN GO GET SOME FOR YOU.” Edge was already grabbing his car keys. Papyrus clapped with joy, and the smile returned to Edge’s face. Grillby’s was across town, but at least the bar and restaurant would be open. Besides, Russ and Hickory were home if Papyrus needed anything.

Jar of Grillby’s pickles in hand, Edge dashed up the stairs to the master bedroom, not even noticing the unusual silence in the house. Just as he reached for the doorknob, Russ and Hickory materialized next to him, nearly colliding with each other. Hickory held a bakery box that smelled deliciously of freshly baked cinnamon bunnies, and Russ had an insulated bag filled to the brim with packages of vanilla nice cream. 

The three skeletons stared at each other in shocked silence for a long moment. Suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety about their shared mate and soulling, the three skeletons piled into the bedroom, sure that disaster had struck the moment they turned their backs. Instead, Papyrus sprawled across the large bed, sleeping more soundly than he had since he became pregnant. 

Feeling very sheepish indeed, Russ, Hickory, and Edge backed quietly out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind them. 

Papyrus's late night snack could wait while he caught up on some much needed sleep.

As for his mates, they each took some time to reconsider his request for space and vowed to do everything within their power to ensure the health and safety of their mate and soulling… even if it meant taking a step back sometimes.

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DAY SEVENTEEN | INDEX | DAY NINETEEN

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Seventeen

Prompt: Embarrassing Secret

Pairing: Lustberry (UL!SansxUS!Sans)

Category: Platonic

Note: There is an instance of unwelcome grabbing and some suggestive language, but nothing too serious.

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Lust turned heads everywhere he went. Literally. The moment he stepped into the cozy little coffee shop every single set of eyes sought him out, with some folks craning their necks dramatically just to get a view of him. Lust wondered if maybe this crowd had never seen a skeleton in leather skinny jeans, a crop top, and a neon blue fur lined vest before. Maybe they hadn't, but that didn't excuse the lip-licking and mental-undressing that followed him to the table where his companion sat.

Blue smiled at his friend, passing over an iced coffee with entirely too many toppings and a plate with a little square of gooey butter cake and a fork sitting on it. Lust’s face lit up as he dropped into the seat across from the other skeleton who knew him well enough to have his favorite order memorized and waiting for him. 

"have i told you lately how much i love our little get-togethers?" Lust cooed. Honestly, who better for a skeleton with multiverse issues to befriend than another skeleton with multiverse issues?

"TALKING TO THE PASTRY AGAIN?" Blue quipped, making his friend snort into his beverage. Not everyone got to see this saucy side of Blue, and Lust cherished it.

"don't make me snort, blue. it's so not sexy." Lust restored his diminished sexiness by licking whipped cream from the top of his drink.

"YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO A BIT MORE SNORTING THEN. THAT TABLE LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE ABOUT TO START THROWING DOLLAR BILLS."

Blue pointed to a table of giggling humans. Lust averted his eyes, hoping to discourage the increasingly crude gestures that the humans were making at him. No sense in letting them embarrass themselves for nothing. He certainly wasn’t interested, but he played it cool with a casual shrug.

"i don't mind as long as they don't get handsy. some of these humans think that just because someone is comfortable with sexuality they can help themselves."

"AT LEAST PEOPLE DON’T THINK YOU'RE AN UWU BABY WHO'S NEVER HEARD OF SEX BEFORE! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHARM MATURE LADIES WHEN THEY THINK I'M A KID?" Blue grumbled. Lust leaned forward. Blue frequently complained about his baby face and the consequences of pairing it with his short stature, but he'd never mentioned his dating preferences before.

"mature women?"

"MILFS AND COUGARS, OBVIOUSLY." Blue sipped his coffee, completely serious. Lust barely held back another snort as Blue continued his lament. "THEY NEVER TAKE ME SERIOUSLY!"

Blue puffed out his cheeks in frustration just as a retiree shuffled past him with her senior coffee clutched close to her chest. She stopped short at the adorable sight before her squinty eyes.

"What a cutie you are," she crooned, reaching out to give one of Blue’s round cheeks a pinch.

Lust sensed impending disaster, so he grabbed Blue, dragging him towards the exit with a hand over his mouth. The last thing they needed was to get kicked out of another coffee shop for making a scene about inappropriate affection from well-meaning geriatrics. 

A human wolf-whistled at Lust as he passed, and he pointedly ignored them. The human decided it would somehow be acceptable to get attention by grabbing his pelvis instead. Lust’s heart-shaped eyelights vanished in an instant.

Lust slapped the human's hand away, loosening his grip on his friend enough for Blue to make his escape. Blue used his newfound freedom to leap onto the nearest table, knocking napkin holders and sugar packets flying right before shouting at the top of his voice:

"I FUCKED YOUR MOM AND YOUR GRANDMA!"

Well, they certainly wouldn't be having coffee here ever again…

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DAY SIXTEEN | INDEX | DAY EIGHTEEN

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Sixteen

Prompt: Kemonomimi

Pairing: Fellswap Muffans (and some Muffyrus)

Category: Familial

Note: That’s right, I am going to complete Flufftober! It’s 2 years later, but it’s happening!

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Young monsters wear stripes. In more peaceful universes, these simply help identify a monster's age. In dangerous universes where monsters lie, steal, and dust to get ahead, stripes provide a modicum of protection for children. After all, who is going to waste magic bullets for such a meager amount of EXP?

Once a monster's animal ears and tail appear, all bets (and stripes) are off. The badge of adulthood told other monsters exactly how much EXP and trouble a monster was worth. Predator ears and tails warned potential attackers of their victim's power and intent. Prey ears and tails loudly broadcast an opportunity for a quick, safe stat boost.

So far Mutt's sharp wolf ears and Raspberry’s striped sweaters had served the pair well, but Mutt began to lose sleep to a gut-churning mixture of hope and worry as Raspberry teetered on the cusp of graduation from stripes to ears. What form would his undersized brother's ears and tail take?

Please let them be something suitably intimidating, Mutt pleaded to whatever unseen power might be listening to the desperate prayers of monsters in their stars-forsaken Underground, though none had answered him yet. I just want him to be safe.

Mutt awoke to the sound of his brother wailing. The normally lackadaisical skeleton leapt to his feet in an instant, bone attacks at the ready, wolf ears twitching to pinpoint Raspberry’s exact location. Right outside his bedroom door? Weird, but convenient. 

Mutt opened the door, ready to deliver some well-deserved brotherly teasing, but the sight before him froze his SOUL in his chest. There, atop his brother’s skull (and ridiculously easy for him to see from his superior height) sat a pair of oversized, floppy rabbit ears. Mutt didn't bother checking his brother’s tail; the ears alone were a death sentence. He stood speechless, his little brother staring at him with wide, desperate eyelights.

"I HAVE FLOPPY BUNNY EARS," wailed Raspberry unnecessarily when his brother hesitated.

Mutt fumbled for some reassurance to give him. "maybe they'll stand up if you give 'em time?" The words fell flat, and both skeletons knew it.

"THEY'RE BUNNY EARS." Hysterical tears overflowed Raspberry’s sockets. He looked pathetic in his plain, unadorned adult shirt and drooping ears, exactly the kind of appearance that screamed EXP fodder. Turning away from his unhelpful brother, Raspberry dashed down the stairs… and out the front door.

Shit.

Not bothering to throw anything on over his “tank top and boxers” sleepwear ensemble, Mutt followed.

-

Muffet just wanted to get the tabletops in her bar scrubbed down before she opened for business, but the commotion taking place outside her door caused her elegant lynx ears to flatten in irritation. With a sigh, she abandoned further cleaning in favor of going outside to teach some noisy hooligans a lesson. Instead of the expected hooligans, the spider monster found skeletons, skeletons she grudgingly admitted to being quite fond of, surrounded by a mob of EXP hungry attackers.

The first time she'd laid (all five) eyes on the skeletons, Mutt had been digging in the dumpster behind her restaurant, the tiniest of babybones tucked under his worn striped sweater for warmth. Realizing he'd been caught, he bravely stood his ground. He only had one request, and it wasn't MERCY for himself.

"you c'n dust me if y'want, but please don't hurt my little bro."

He pulled the babybones out from under his shirt, just a tiny skull visible from the tightly swaddled maroon blanket that he now wore as a bandana. Little Raspberry was fast asleep, exhausted by cold and hunger.

So she fed them. 

And she let them move into a house she owned in Snowdin. 

And if she happened to "find" spider silk garments in exactly their respective sizes as they grew up, who dared to question it? The skeleton brothers were orphans, after all.

Her orphans.

The older skeleton brother, Mutt, pushed his younger brother behind him, but not before Muffet spotted the source of the problem. Poor little Raspberry had sprouted a damning pair of lop bunny ears overnight. Magic crackled in the air, but it dissipated as soon as Muffet stepped outside onto the snow covered street. Her reputation alone forced the assailants to take a collective step back.

Pretending not to notice the deference,  Muffet strode over to the pair of skeletons. Standing next to Raspberry, she stroked the soft magic of one of his ears. In a voice that carried to the entire crowd, she complimented him.

"Ahuhuhu, I haven't seen such elegant Boss monster ears since Queen Toriel stopped visiting! You'll achieve great things with ears like those, I'd bet my restaurant on it!"

After her words faded, Muffet fixed each monster in the crowd with a baleful five-eyed glare, the tufts on her lynx ears giving her an impressive height and providing the crowd with a spectacular view of her wicked fangs. The unspoken statement rang out crystal clear: these young skeletons were under Muffet's protection, and her ruthlessness far outweighed the damage done by having an adorable pair of lop bunny ears, even with the little cotton ball tail to match.

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DAY FIFTEEN | INDEX | DAY SEVENTEEN

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Fourteen

Prompt: Cuddling

Pairing: BloodLust

Category: Platonic

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Being in the Underlust universe always made Axe, the Sans from Horrortale, uncomfortable. The monsters, each of them unusually good-looking and flamboyantly dressed, stared openly at him in his worn, blood-stained hoodie with the jagged hole in his skull and whispered to each other behind their hands as soon as he passed them. He endured their stares and gossip resolutely; he wasn’t here for them anyway. He only came to this universe to visit its Sans.

The Sans in question paraded across the stage at Grillby’s club, waving his hipbones in an exaggerated manner in time with the thumping bass-heavy music and flirting with any monster within his line of sight. Midway through swinging around a pole using only his femurs to support himself, Axe managed to catch his twinkling, heart-shaped eyelights. Lust abandoned the pole and shimmied over, giving the hulking skeleton a sassy wink.

Placing his legs shoulder-width apart, Lust leaned down, tilting his coccyx towards the ceiling. Axe raised his browbones without saying a word. Petulant at the lack of reaction, Lust turned his elevated tailbone into a quick split, ending with his ribs pressed to the stage and his chin cupped innocently in his hands. Axe would never admit it, but he truly admired Lust’s unrelenting showmanship.

“What can I do for you, handsome,” purred Lust as the club’s other patrons grumbled at being ignored in favor of the disheveled skeleton. “The usual?”

“I wouldn’t come here for anything else,” rumbled Axe, playing up the flirtatious banter.

Lust swung his legs around, using the momentum to toss himself into Axe’s arms; the burly skeleton caught him easily and carried him, bridal-style, up the stairs to Grillby’s private rooms. The mood of the crowd had shifted, and monsters hooted and cheered, whispering amongst themselves about what the two skeletons might do together.

Once the door closed behind the two skeletons, Lust let out a gusty sigh and hopped out of Axe’s arms. The stocky skeleton shrugged his stained hoodie onto the floor, and his daintier counterpart took off his fur-lined vest and folded it neatly before placing it carefully on a chair. Axe tossed back the comforter on the bed, and gestured for Lust to climb in.

“After you.” He waited until Lust had made himself comfortable, then climbed into bed after him.

Lust relaxed against the larger skeleton’s body, allowing Axe to curl around him and sneak an arm around his waist. It always amazed him how such a terrifying monster could be so surprisingly gentle. Axe respected him, taking great care not to touch him inappropriately or roughly. That level of care refreshed Lust since so many monsters treated him like an object.

Lust’s sockets slowly closed as he nestled warmly in his small spoon position. Axe’s chin rested atop his skull, and when the big skeleton spoke, the words thrummed through his bones, as soothing as the sound of a gentle rain.

“You’re always so theatrical when I show up.” Axe let his sockets drift closed. After the violent struggle for survival in his own universe, the chance to do something as simple and peaceful as cuddling was the hottest commodity that the Lust universe could offer.

“I do spend most of my time on stage, you know,” Lust murmured drowsily, and Axe rewarded him with a loud chuckle like a big cat purring.

The pair of touch-starved skeletons, each with their own personal reasons for the intense need, stayed in their cuddle position for hours. They dozed or chatted about inane things like what stars might look like or whether it’s weird that rabbit monsters exist alongside pet rabbits. When they finally emerged, patrons of Grillby’s club would speculate wildly about their lengthy private session.

Axe and Lust would play to the crowd with innuendo while making furtive plans for their next cuddle session. Each skeleton faced his own struggles in his own universe, but the chance for physical comfort made the future something to look at with hope rather than despair.

And who knew? Maybe someday they would spoon on the Surface under the huge expanse of the sky with the brilliant array of the stars watching silently over them.

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DAY THIRTEEN | INDEX | DAY FIFTEEN

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Ten

Prompt: Cooking

Pairing: Dreamtale Skelebros x Reader

Category: Platonic

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“Apples?” you asked in a voice rife with skepticism. “You brought apples to our cooking lesson?”

The twin skeleton guardians of the Sacred Tree at least had the decency to appear appropriately chastised before they corrected you.

“These aren’t from our Tree,” Dream explained.

“We just thought it would be funny,” continued Night, looking a bit embarrassed at the premise of the joke now that it had fallen flat.

You sighed. “When life gives you apples, it’s time to make a pie, right?” Smiles lit up the skeletons’ faces- so similar, yet so different if you knew them well enough. Dream’s smiles were as bright as sunshine and as plentiful as seeds on a sunflower. Night smiled reluctantly, his emotions kept shadowed and guarded like the moon on a cloudy autumn night.

Neither of the brothers had many friends among the villagers, though most villagers found Dream appealing for his warm personality. Everyone focused so much on the Sacred Tree and its golden apples that they sometimes forgot that the guardians were people just like everyone else… well, not quite like everyone else, but close enough for you, at least. You had invited them over for a cooking lesson to help them feel included in at least one villager’s life.

The two skeletons placed their apples on your counter, and you frowned briefly before schooling your face to neutrality. The apples were two different types. You recognized Granny Smith apples right away from their unique color, and closer inspection of the other apples revealed stickers that read “Honeycrisp.” Not only were these apples of two different types, they had completely different textures and flavor profiles. You decided to peel them and chop them into small pieces instead of slices to disguise the inconsistency.

While you worked, you instructed the guardians to start on the pie dough.

You provided Dream and Night with a worn and well-loved recipe book that contained all of your favorite recipes with annotations for changes, tips, and results. You trusted the simple pie crust recipe that the book contained. Even beginning bakers like the skeleton twins should be able to follow the directions easily.

Should be.

You focused on peeling and chopping the apples, only half paying attention to the two skeletons. Dream and Night took turns measuring flour, adding cold water, and chopping up butter for their part of the recipe. The butter chopping became a friendly competition, and you didn’t even notice that before long, an entire pound of butter had found its way into the pie crust mixture. You did notice, however, the mention of eggs.

“Baking requires eggs,” Night explained to Dream, who had appointed himself leader of their foray into crust construction. You turned towards them just in time to see Night holding out a pair of eggs to Dream. Dream cracked the eggs into the pie crust mixture before you even had a chance to protest.

Pie crusts don’t use eggs at all, you wanted to tell them, but you also didn’t want to discourage their ambitious efforts, so you simply hoped that the crust could survive their misguided attempt at being expert chefs.

Once the pie crust mixture had been thoroughly mixed- and subsequently spilled several times due to overenthusiasm- you helped the twins press it into a floured pie pan. It actually looked passable despite the addition of eggs and a bit too much butter. It helped that both brothers had insisted on adding a handful flour to the pan. The abundance of flour absorbed the extra moisture.

Next, the apples needed to be seasoned with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You watched carefully as each skeleton sprinkled the correct amount of sugar over the apple pieces. Dream and Night struggled a bit with the spices though.

First, Dream added the cinnamon. Night was supposed to add the other two spices, but due to a mix up with the containers, he ended up adding even more cinnamon. In an attempt to assist his brother, Dream only succeeded in spilling a small mountain of nutmeg onto half of the apples. You scraped as much of it as you could off of the fruit, but you were pretty sure that this pie would become a freshly baked spice bomb.

Still determined to make this pie fiasco work, you helped the brothers cut the rest of the pie dough into strips so they could make a latticework top for their pie, something unnecessary and fancy that made both brothers bounce with excitement. You turned your attention to making an egg wash, delegating the weaving of the edible lattice to the two skeletons, a task which they settled into with the utmost concentration and excessive planning.

It was difficult to hold in your laughter as the pair squabbled good-naturedly over how the lattice should be woven. It may not have been the best-looking pie crust you’d seen, but the pride that Dream and Night clearly felt over their work made a few wayward strips of pie crust a nonissue.

A quick brush of egg wash and a sprinkling of sugar and the pie was officially ready for bake time. Thankfully your oven had an interior light so that the brothers could watch their creation bake without constantly opening the oven door and letting the heat escape. The sweet scent of apples and the tang of spices filled your home as the guardians of the Sacred Tree waited anxiously through the longest 2700 seconds of their lives for their pie to finish baking.

The moment of truth arrived: you removed the pie carefully from the oven, letting it rest for several more excruciatingly long minutes before carving three slices out of the steaming monstrosity and setting them on three small plates. You, Dream, and Night each picked up a spoon and lifted bites of the fragrant pie to your mouths in perfectly choreographed unison.

It tasted terrible. The crust lacked any sort of golden flakiness (thanks to the addition of eggs), the apples’ flavors somehow cancelled each other out creating a strange absence of apple taste, and the overabundance of cinnamon and nutmeg scorched your mouth and nose and made the entire thing difficult to swallow.

If the price of seeing the delight that shone on the guardians’ faces was choking down a slice of horrendous apple pie though, then every bite was worth it...

… but you insisted on letting them take home the leftovers.

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DAY NINE | INDEX | DAY ELEVEN

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Eight

Prompt: Clothes

Pairing: Swapfell Skelebros

Category: Familial

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Mutt avoided laundry day for this exact reason. After realizing that his beloved jacket thoroughly reeked of smoke, barbecue sauce, and unwashed bones, he’d washed it, only for it to turn up missing. Good jackets were hard to find, especially ones with the big fluffy hoods that he preferred. This one had even been embroidered with a Gaster blaster silhouette across the back (courtesy of spider monster and local entrepreneur, Muffet), and now it was gone!

He doubted that he’d find another jacket in his size and style at the Dump, but walking around in his tank top and jeans left Mutt feeling extremely exposed and vulnerable. He needed the bulk of the jacket to comfort him and add some intimidation to his look to keep other, more powerful monsters away. He couldn’t risk being injured with a babybones brother to take care of.

Speaking (or rather thinking) of little Blackberry- a name based entirely on his roundness and magic color… where had the stripes-clad little stinker run off to?

Mutt’s search for his jacket became a search for the wayward babybones. Blackberry had a knack for getting into trouble, and brothers couldn’t be scavenged for at the Dump. Mutt rushed through the interconnected caves that comprised their personal fortress until he heard the boisterous sound of Blackberry’s voice. For a tiny little guy, the babybones sure spoke loudly!

When Mutt finally stumbled upon the cave where his brother was playing, he found the cutest sight that his eyelights could ever hope to behold: Blackberry was wearing his jacket, and it was quite a few sizes too big. Black’s stubby arms barely reached the elbows, and the overhanging sleeves flopped adorably as he gestured. The hem of the jacket dragged along the cave floor, and Black occasionally tripped over it.

One of Black’s stuffed animals, a bunny with one drooping ear, sat propped against a rock; several other stuffed animals that Mutt had collected for his brother over the course of his garbage scavenging trips surrounded the bunny.

“DON’T WOWWY, BWACKBEWWY!” bellowed the babybones in what Mutt assumed was meant to me an imitation of his voice. “YOUW BIG BWOTHER IS HEWE TO SAVE YOU!”

Careful to remain unseen, Mutt took his precious cell phone- a gift from his sometimes benefactor Muffet- out of his pocket and hit the button to record a video.

“THEY’WE TOO STWONG!” cried Blackberry, bouncing his bunny doll in time with the words as if the doll itself was speaking in the falsetto that Black used for his own voice.

“NOBODY’S TOO STWONG FOW THE GWEAT PAPYWUS! WHAM! POW! YOU’WE BWOO NOW! TIME FOR MY GASTER BWASTER ATTACK!” Blackberry responded, using his “Papywus” voice again. He then proceeded to make kicking, punching, and karate chopping gestures at the other plush toys, knocking them over one by one and providing extremely inaccurate sound effects and exaggerated cries for “mewcy.”

“YOU’WE MY HEWO!” declared the stuffed bunny version of Blackberry as the real Blackberry accepted a hug from the doll.

“I’M NO HEWO,” answered the Mutt-voice, “I’M JUST THE GWEATEST BIG BWOTHER EVER!”

Wiping tears from the corners of his sockets, Mutt saved the video then swooped down on his doppelganger to pull him into a tight hug, jacket theft completely forgotten. Years later, when life looked bleak and tough situations pushed him to the edge of falling down, he would take out his phone and watch that video. It reminded him that he had something to look forward to each and every day: his brother, Blackberry.

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DAY SEVEN | INDEX | DAY NINE

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Eleven

Prompt: Finding/Adopting a Pet

Pairing: Underfell Skelebros

Category: Familial

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The skeleton brothers from the Underfell universe didn’t need reasons to argue. Their antagonistic brotherly relationship transcended their life in the Underground, following them to their new home on the Surface. Most of the pointless altercations ended with Red storming out of the house, door slamming behind him on his way to Grillby’s. By the time he stumbled back home in the wee hours of the morning, the animosity had faded away into mild worry on Edge’s part over his brother’s whereabouts.

Scoldings over his trips to Grillby’s comprised a rather large percentage of the argument fodder, and unfortunately, when Red opened the door that day to storm out to his favorite haunt, Doomfanger darted out before either skeleton could stop her. The little white streak vanished into the hedges that bordered the driveway, and the brothers stood slack-jawed in the wake of her escape.

The shocked silence didn’t last long.

Without missing a beat, Edge berated Red while simultaneously shoving him out of the way to pursue his wayward cat. Edge almost knocked Red off his feet in his hurry to find her, and a string of insults slowly faded into a murmur then to silence as the distance between the brothers increased. Red took a seat on the front steps and closed the door behind him, opting to await Doomfanger’s possible return instead of going to Grillby’s. As much as he hated to admit it, he cared about his brother’s cat… and his brother.

Hours passed, and when Edge finally returned to the house that he shared with Red, he appeared dejected. Doomfanger wasn’t with him. Guilt washed over Red, especially when Edge just glanced at him, too fatigued from his search to even toss a casual insult his brother’s way. At that moment Red vowed that he would not rest until they found Doomfanger… after a good night’s sleep of course.

The next day, the two skeletons scoured the neighborhood, showing everyone they passed one of the abundance of photos of Doomfanger that each of them had on his phone. She happened to be a very photogenic cat and adored the glamor and attention of a photo shoot.

Nobody had seen her, but one helpful neighbor from a nearby apartment complex asked them if they had checked the local animal shelter. Stray cats who were friendly enough to be caught by Animal Control were taken there to either await pick-up by their owners or find new ones through the adoption process. Red and Edge locked eyelights, silently agreeing to check the shelter for Doomfanger.

Never one to simply walk through the front door of a public building, Edge organized a two-skeleton recon mission that involved Red crouching in front of each of the animal shelter’s windows while Edge stood on his back to peer inside. Sure enough, one of the windows yielded results. There could be no mistaking that gleaming white fur and delicate pink nose! Doomfanger sat in her crate, peering down her elegant nose at the other scruffy cats around her.

“HUMAN LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS ARRESTED MY PRECIOUS DOOMFANGER! WE MUST INITIATE A JAILBREAK AT ONCE!” growled Edge, leaping to the ground and immediately sketching out rough, elaborate plans into the dirt underneath the window.

“i think you can just go in and claim her,” Red pointed out, but Edge ignored him, tapping his mandible with the stick he was using to create a layout of the building. Red assumed the acorn and leaf on the diagram were meant to represent them, and the twig “X” was probably Doomfanger.

Edge scanned the surrounding area. “THAT SHRUB COULD HIDE THE ENTRANCE OF THE TUNNEL…” he mumbled to himself. Red sighed and wandered around the side of the building to execute his own, much less involved, plan.

Edge was still mulling over the necessity of drugging the guard when Red returned, cat carrier in hand. Doomfanger let out a disgruntled meow at being shuttled around in such an undignified manner.

“HOW DID YOU RESCUE HER?” Edge asked, leaning over to coo at his beloved pet through the grating at the front of the carrier. Red noticed, but did not mention, the sparkle that appeared in Edge’s eyelights when he baby talked to his cat. “DID YOU FEIGN INJURY TO DISTRACT THE GUARD?”

“no, Boss,” replied Red. “i went in and asked for her. they even loaned me this carrier so we could take her home.”

Edge snorted. “I SUPPOSE THAT’S ONE WAY TO DO THINGS,” he grumbled, scuffing out his carefully drawn strategies with the toe of one boot. He paused as if gathering the mental resolve to deliver his next words. “EXCELLENT WORK, SANS.”

Red basked in the praise. The skeleton brothers did not need a reason to argue, but all of their contentious bickering simply served as a disguise for emotions that they struggled to express. No, they didn’t need a reason to argue, but they were working on finding more reasons to encourage and agree.

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DAY TEN | INDEX | DAY TWELVE

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Thirteen

Prompt: Carrying

Pairing: King (UF!Papyrus lamia) x Krait (Gaster lamia)

Category: Romantic

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From the moment the newly hatched Krait tumbled out of his shell into the big wide world, the young full-sized King who observed the hatching adored him. Edgar saw the look of affection in the King’s eyes and initially mistook it for that joyful glimmer that he himself felt at seeing any baby creature, but this was different. The King knew that he and the baby Krait were meant to be together always.

Swiftly, the King scooped the Krait into his arms, holding the hatchling close and letting him feel the beat of the bigger lamia’s SOUL. When the King passed the Krait to the nursery caretaker for his first bottle feeding, the hatchling beeped and peeped frantically until Edgar returned him to the King’s arms. The Krait quieted instantly, and from that moment forward, the pair were inseparable.

The King fashioned his scarf into a sling to carry his small friend around in. The Krait, a full-sized lamia himself, grew quickly under the King’s painstaking care. The King fed him until he was old enough that the pair could simply share meals in companionable silence. He preferred to bathe with the King nearby, allowing his friend to dry him off before he returned to his sling. Each night, he fell asleep listening to the gentle thrum of the King’s SOUL.

The King stayed in the nursery well past the time that he should have moved out into the adoption area. He had no intentions of leaving his friend behind. Once the Krait reached young adulthood, they moved to a nest in the shop together. The nest bordered the King nesting area yet was in close proximity to the Krait pools- the best of both worlds!

Though many guests at the shop petted and cuddled the Krait during their visits, he never attempted to stow away in any of their backpacks, purses, or clothing. His bondmate wouldn’t fit in any of the available spaces, and the Krait had no intention of leaving the King behind just as the King had once refused to leave the nursery without him. For his part, the King opted not to participate in displays for potential adopters either. Unless they wanted a Krait, the King just wasn’t interested.

The pair of lamias were in no rush to find a permanent home outside of the shop. They refused to be separated, and if that meant waiting longer (or even forever) for the right adopter, it didn’t bother them as long as they were together. 

Days blended into weeks, and weeks became months. Months eventually accumulated into years, and still the two lamias lived their happy lives in their shared nest in the shop. A potential adopter entered the shop one day while the bondmates lounged next to the Krait pools. The King watched the Krait perform the same type of acrobatics that had won him over during their bonding display. The sight of his bondmate in a Krait’s natural element always brought a smile to his face. The smile widened when he overheard the conversation between the adopter and Vex, the shopkeeper.

“- looking for a Krait and a King. I know it’s an unusual combination, but I think that they would be perfect for me,” the person explained to Vex. The Krait slithered out of the play pool. He’d heard the words King and Krait spoken together too. The King quickly dried the Krait off with a fluffy towel and tucked him into his carrying pouch. The pair snuck closer to the front desk, where Vex asked the adopter a few questions.

Vex spotted the pair and gave them a barely perceptible nod to let them know that she approved of this adopter. Poking his head out of his pouch, the Krait pointed to the satchel sitting on the ground next to the visitor. It seemed like an ideal place to stow away… except that the King would never fit! The bondmates hissed quietly to each other, discussing their stowing away strategy.

Vex continued to distract the adopter while the lamias made plans. In the end, the King decided to wedge himself into the satchel as best he could. It didn’t turn out well. The King could only get the bag over his head and one shoulder, and Vex was running out of ways to keep the person’s attention on her. The Krait bounced up and down on the King, trying to squash him further into the satchel to no avail.

Vex waved her arms wildly as the person turned, just in time to see a King thoroughly stuck in their satchel, one arm contorted above his head to fit inside and the strap snagged on his other arm. A Krait perched atop the King’s head, sockets wide in shock at being caught in the middle of stowing away.

Covering their mouth to hide their laughter, the adopter extricated the King from the satchel. The King and his bondmate looked crestfallen, so the adopter made a quick suggestion: “I have a wagon outside that you’d both fit into. I can wander around the shop for a bit while you sort yourselves out, and I promise not to look in the wagon until I get home.”

Vex watched out the window as the lamia bondmates shifted blankets around in the wagon to hide themselves while their new owner filled out the adoption paperwork. As the Krait snuggled up against his bondmate, a thought occurred to both of them. If their new adopter allowed it and they felt comfortable in their new home, the Krait might soon be doing some carrying of his own...

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DAY TWELVE | INDEX | DAY FOURTEEN

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020 Index

< Main Index

*Enjoy 31 days of fluff. You can check out the prompt list and image here. All Flufftober stories are guaranteed to tug your heartstrings and are 100% smut-free. Each day lists the prompt and pairing:

Day One: Coffee Shop AU (Alphyne) Day Two: First Meeting (Swapfell Skelefam) Day Three: College/University AU (SpicyHoney) Day Four: Fake Dating (Soriel) Day Five: Celebration (Lamia Bitty Kustard) Day Six: Hurt/Comfort (AfterDeath) Day Seven: Dancing (Horrortale Skelebros) Day Eight: Clothes (Swapfell Brothers) Day Nine: Snowy/Rainy Day (Underswap Skelebros) Day Ten: Cooking (Dreamtale Skelebros x Reader) Day Eleven: Finding/Adopting a Pet (Underfell Skelebros) Day Twelve: The Perfect Gift (Fellswap Gold Skelebros) Day Thirteen: Carrying (Lamia Bitty Krait and King) Day Fourteen: Cuddles (BloodLust) Day Fifteen: Oblivious Crush (ErrInk and Error x Dream) Day Sixteen: Kemonomimi (Fellswap Muffans) Day Seventeen: Embarrassing Secret (US!Sans x UL!Sans) Day Eighteen: Late Night Craving (Polyruses) Day Nineteen: Sharing a Bed (Swapfell Skelebros) Day Twenty: Roommates/Neighbors (Geno x Bitty!Reaper) Day Twenty-One: Sick Partner (CherryBerry) Day Twenty-Two: Gardening (Horror x Reader) Day Twenty-Three: Stuck Together (SpicyHoney) Day Twenty-Four: Terms of Endearment (Sansby) Day Twenty-Five: Compromise (HoneyMustard) Day Twenty-Six: Kisses (Fellswap Gold Skelebros + Sugar (HT!Papyrus)) Day Twenty-Seven: Promises (Classic Skelebros +Grillby) Day Twenty-Eight: Angst: The Forbidden Fluff (Underfell Skelebros) Day Twenty-Nine: Family (Dreamtale Skelebros) Day Thirty: Dating Start (US!Sans x Reader) Day Thirty-One: Protect (Mafiafell Sans x Reader)

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Five

Prompt: Celebration

Pairing: Lamia Bitty Kustard

Category: Familial

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Every lamia bitty’s life starts out as a celebration. As the hatchling lamia opens his sockets onto the world for the first time, he is greeted by the proud face of a doting parent, an awestruck adopter’s muted gasp, or Edgar’s welcoming smile. From that point on, a lamia’s life is full of milestones to celebrate from his first practice pounce onto real or imaginary prey to a transition to adulthood where he begins a life of his own.

At the Lamia Bittybones Adoption Center, these celebrations are shared by Edgar, the nursery caretaker and the rest of the bitty shop staff. Edgar has his own private collection of mangled plush toys that his ferocious hatchlings have dispatched and presented to him. The owl-skeleton hybrid does tend to tear up and sniffle just a bit when he congratulates his hatchling on their graduation from the nursery to the nesting areas of the shop. It’s hard to see his little hatchlings all grown up.

The next event to celebrate is a lamia’s adoption day. Each lamia waits for that oh-so-perfect owner to enter the shop, notice him, and fall in love. Lamias daydream of what their lives will be like in these new, special homes, and being chosen is, according to the lamia themselves, one of the best feelings in the world. Even their hatching dates pale in comparison to the annual celebration of their adoption day.

The rest of a lamia’s life may contain small celebrations, large celebrations, or no additional celebrations at all. Sometimes a lamia simply craves a life of quiet contentment, like a Corny and a Coral who have found themselves a home together. The pair of lamia roommates thought that their life would be smooth and uneventful until certain feelings began to blossom between them. 

Surely the stages of bonding are something to celebrate once completed?

Especially the final stage of bonding when a Coral and a Corny officially become lifelong mates and their totally-not-crying adopter throws rice on them in some strange human tradition that both bewilders and delights them.

In the days that follow, the two lamias scour the house, searching out a quiet corner for a secluded nesting space. Their adopter helps them set it all up- their own private nursery, hidden away in an unused closet. By the time the nursery preparations are complete, the Coral’s tummy already shows the distinct roundness of eggs.

A few short weeks later, the three true eggs rock and wobble, hairline cracks spider-webbing across their surfaces. The expectant lamia parents lean forward, sockets wide with wonder as the first uncoordinated hatchling flops out of his shell, blinking up at the bright new world. His two brothers follow close behind, emerging from their shells with much more fanfare than finesse.

The adopter watches from a respectful distance as the brand new lamia parents complete the circle of celebration by welcoming their three beautiful new hatchlings into the world.

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DAY FOUR | INDEX | DAY SIX

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Two

Prompt: First Meeting

Pairing: Swapfell Skelefam

Category: Familial

Warning: Mild hurt/comfort

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As a child, the Papyrus from the Swapfell universe- who would someday come to be known and feared as Mutt- remembered feeling invisible. Each day he accompanied his father, the Royal Scientist, to the Royal Laboratory where he spent his time being shuffled from assistant to assistant to keep him from getting underfoot. His father’s study of SOUL traits took top priority, even over the experiment that he called his son.

The lab assistants possessed about as many parenting instincts as their scientist boss… none. Young Papyrus wandered through the lab unattended, a ghost among the machines, watching the workings of the laboratory unseen. One day he discovered a room containing something that changed his life forever.

Papyrus recognized the room, especially the prison-like crib that kept him contained during his earliest babybones days, isolated days in which he’d learned that crying for attention seldom yielded results. The current occupant of the crib had learned no such lesson yet, and Papyrus snuck over to the crib to take a peek at the wailing inhabitant.

Huge purple eyes stared up at him from an almost comically tiny babybones. How could such a small monster make such a deafening racket? The chubby-cheeked babybones screeched, flailed his tiny fists, and kicked his short legs in a tantrum of epic proportions… but nobody came. Papyrus knew how isolation felt, and he wouldn’t wish it on anyone, especially not a babybones.

Reaching into the crib, Papyrus lifted the screaming babybones out and nestled it into his arms. One of the babybones’ wrists had a bracelet on it made of cold surgical steel that read “Sans.” Once Sans had been settled against Papyrus’ chest, his crying subsided. He blinked his enormous eyes up at the other skeleton… and smiled. The color of his eyelights mixed with the shimmer of unshed tears made it seem as if Sans’ sockets had captured the stars from the Surface and brought them to the Underground.

Papyrus couldn’t stop staring. The babybones babbled and papped the older skeleton’s face with uncoordinated but eager hands, but the action eventually tired him out. Yawning hugely, Sans’ sockets slowly closed, and he fell asleep, safe and secure in Papyrus’ arms.

Dr. Gaster, the Royal Scientist, searched the entire lab for his wayward son, finally finding him in a spare room that had been designated as a temporary nursery for his latest experiment. Papyrus was tucked away in a corner of the room, clutching something to his chest. When he approached, Gaster realized what his first son, his first successful experiment, held- the new babybones and second successful experiment, Sans.

Gaster nudged Papyrus awake carefully, trying not to jostle the drowsy babybones. This was the first time since his creation that Sans had not cried with devastating volume. Something about Papyrus must comfort him, Gaster noted thoughtfully. When Papyrus opened his sockets and saw Gaster looking down at him, he pulled baby Sans even more tightly against his body as if he could shield the babybones from a life of alienation and disillusionment with only his two small arms.

“I see you’ve found your brother,” Gaster intoned in a flat, featureless voice.

Brother. Sans was his brother.

Papyrus swore then and there that he would never let Sans experience neglect. Raising Sans would become his purpose, and he would see to it that his brother never felt invisible. Even at that age Papyrus didn’t like to make promises, but the promise he made to Sans on the first day that they met was a promise that he kept.

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DAY ONE | INDEX | DAY THREE

[vex-bittys]

Flufftober 2020: Day Twelve

Prompt: The Perfect Gift

Pairing: Fellswap Gold Skelebros

Category: Familial

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It’s difficult to plan the perfect gift for your brother’s graduation from stripes to monster adulthood when you’re so busy worrying about his future. Thankfully, Wine prided himself on his strategizing. He started by listing all of the reasons that he worried about his brother, whom he affectionately called Coffee. If he listed his worries, he could organize and solve them more efficiently before turning his attention to the gift choices.

Wine’s primary concern involved the dangerous nature of their universe. Monsters in stripes enjoyed relative safety in the Underground, but adult monsters were always at risk of attack by ambitious monsters seeking to increase their status. Coffee possessed no combat skills; he hated conflict and avoided it whenever possible. The solution for this issue led Wine to his second source of worry: the party.

In order to guarantee Coffee’s safety (as much as anyone’s safety could ever truly be guaranteed), Wine had arranged a grandiose party for the milestone celebration. Many powerful monsters would be attending, showing that Coffee boasted powerful allies who would retaliate against anyone who harmed him. The Queen herself had RSVPed to the event! Wine hoped the sight of a Queen, a Royal Guard Captain, and a variety of influential guests would ensure that no monster dared to threaten his brother.

The party itself presented the third major worry that took up residence in Wine’s thoughts: Coffee would not enjoy the spectacular celebration at all. Wine’s brother became very uncomfortable in social situations. He disliked talking to others and being the center of attention. Thus far, Wine had not devised a solution to his brother’s social aversion. The party needed to happen, and Coffee needed to mingle. Forcing his brother into such a situation, whether for his own good or not, did not sit well with Wine.

The solution dawned on him like the sun that he hoped to someday see: he could kill two proverbial birds with one brilliant idea… if Muffet agreed to help him.

Thankfully, Muffet adored Coffee, so when Wine proposed his master plan to her, she agreed to help without argument or repayment.

Time careened forward as it often did when deadlines needed to be met. Working diligently, Muffet combined her talents with spider silk with Wine’s abundance of magic to craft a gift worthy of Coffee’s new status as an adult. The day of the grand event arrived, and with the party only a few hours away, Wine knocked on the door to his brother’s bedroom.

Coffee opened the door just a crack to see who might want to speak to him, and when he saw his older brother waiting on the other side, he threw the door wide open in welcome. Wine quickly assessed the room for threats, tactical advantages, and escape routes, a habit he’d developed as Captain of the Royal Guard. This room was where Coffee felt the most comfortable, surrounded by the things he enjoyed the most, all gifts from Wine intended to provide a happy life for his brother.

Coffee had a video game paused, the controller abandoned on the floor when Coffee got up to answer Wine’s knock. Rubik’s cubes and other puzzles were scattered about, and an army of figurines marched across the dresser top. Blankets and an overabundance of pillows hid the bed, and Coffee’s clothes were sorted in numerous piles in a system that only made sense to him.

Coffee stood in the center of the room, his private retreat, and wrung his hands, nervous about the upcoming social event. Wine gave his brother a gentle smile and held up the box that contained his brother’s gift. Coffee took the box reverently. He opened the gift by carefully untaping each end and sliding the box out, leaving the wrapping paper intact and tube-shaped. Wine chuckled warmly at this typical behavior of his brother’s. All of Coffee’s idiosyncrasies made him who he was, and Wine took a great deal of comfort in the routine-ness of them.

“NO MORE STRIPES FOR YOU, DEAR BROTHER,” Wine announced as Coffee lifted the lid off of the box. “I THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY THIS PARTICULAR ARTICLE OF CLOTHING INSTEAD.”

Coffee lifted a black hoodie out of the box. The hoodie material felt extremely soft, and when he pulled it on over his skull, the fabric wrapped around him like a comforting hug. The hood allowed him to hide his face so he didn’t feel so exposed. He lifted one soft hoodie string to his mouth and chewed the end of it. 

“i like it,” Coffee said quietly as Wine led him to a full-length mirror in the hallway. It took a moment for Coffee to actually look at himself in the mirror, but when he did, he gasped in delight. The hoodie read “Nervous Guy” when he first saw the lettering on it, but the words changed to “Happy Guy” as soon as the skeleton noticed the words and smiled.

“NOW YOU CAN EXPRESS YOURSELF WITHOUT NEEDING TO SPEAK,” Wine explained unnecessarily. Coffee gave him a rare and cherished hug, and Wine savored it with closed sockets before speaking again. “THERE’S ANOTHER GIFT IN THE BOX TOO.”

Coffee darted back into his room. Underneath the hoodie, the box contained a spiral-bound book with blank pages and a marker. Coffee already had sketchbooks, so he looked to Wine for a (necessary this time) explanation of the gift.

“THE PEN NEVER RUNS OUT OF INK, AND THE BOOK NEVER RUNS OUT PAGES,” said Wine. “IF YOU AREN’T COMFORTABLE TALKING, YOU CAN WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY IN THE NOTEBOOK.”

Coffee sniffled, tears gathering in his sockets. Wine truly understood him. Coffee had been so afraid of adulthood, so afraid of the implications of a social gathering that focused on him alone. He should have known that Wine would take care of him. He always did.

Leaning over the notebook, Coffee wrote a few words on the very first page, turning them to show his brother.

The lettering of Coffee’s hoodie (which now read “Grateful Guy”) and the message scribbled in the notebook blurred as Wine wiped tears from his own sockets. He and Coffee shared yet another of their treasured embraces, and the notebook laid on the floor, open to the page with the words “Best Brother Ever” written on it.

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DAY ELEVEN | INDEX | DAY THIRTEEN