#Grillby is sighing in the first panel

[lover-of-skellies]

Marked

So uhh, this isn’t off the prompt list thing and literally no one asked for it, but I decided to go back and edit a super old thing I wrote. It’s supposed to be part of something a lot bigger, but for now, the whole thing’s been discontinued

Essentially, this is an OC insert kinda thing with my girl Adrienne. She’s been trapped in Horrortale for a little while, and since Sans decided to be merciful, she’s been allowed to live in a spare room in his and Pap’s house. She has free roam of the house and can do pretty much whatever the hell she wants (as long as it doesn’t involve getting into the pantry and digging into their reserves), and in exchange for all of that and being allowed to live, he and Papyrus have some super basic rules they expect her to follow

Rule number 1 is that she is to be helpful, and try to maintain the house while they’re away. Rule number two is that she’s not to leave the house without covering her face and hands. Rule number three is that she’s never to leave the house alone, without one or both of them nearby

Out of boredom and hunger, she leaves the house one day, following the smell of food. This doesn’t seem like it’d be anything huge, but it’s a major no-no, and it doesn’t go unpunished

Papyrus is also surprisingly good at giving advice, too. He might not have much experience with dating, but he knows exactly what he's talking about

If you make it to the end, I have to give you kudos because this is a complete cringe-fest ^^"

((Gonna add some potential trigger warnings for: angst, slight violence, and public humiliation))

Pain.

Searing pain.

The once blue-nette had been exploring the town, much to her guardians’ displeasure. She’d known it wasn’t a good idea, and for what reasons, she was well aware, but she had to do something. Staying holed away in the house every moment of every day was a completely new level of boring, one that she hadn’t even known existed. Her guardian had made it very clear that she was to never leave the house unless he or his brother were to accompany her, but today… well. His brother was away, probably at the capital getting physically and verbally abused by their queen, and he himself? She wasn’t sure what he did while he was away, but she’d learned not to ask too many questions. The first few times she tried asking, he’d been quick to change the subject or dodge her questions entirely, or he’d simply laugh and make a joke which he deemed hilarious when in reality, it wasn’t. Once he got tired of her asking, his humor quickly dissipated and was replaced by anger. He didn’t even have to look at her for her to know he was upset; all it took was a few short, clipped responses, and how she could practically hear him frown when he spoke. That’s beside the point though.

At the moment, she was suspended in mid air by her throat, her legs flailing as she began clawing at her assailant’s arm, her teeth bared as she struggled to free herself. The slightly withered fire monster shrugged off her attempts to attack him as if they were nothing at all; even though his strength had been diminished and was now only half of what it used to be, he was still far tougher than she could ever hope to be. Having smelled food, she made the mistake of slipping into the bar he owned, her hood tugged as far over her face as possible. She had glanced around the establishment, taken note of the other monsters nearby, and made another mental note of where all the exits were, should she need to run. After very cautiously crossing the bar and taking a seat at the old, worn counter, the flamesman had wordlessly poured a glass of water. He nudged it in her direction, and she’d eagerly accepted it, being mindful of how much of her face was concealed as she sipped the cold beverage.

For a moment, she was relaxed, and she nearly forgot the very real danger she was in. She was snapped out of her brief feeling of serenity as the Grillby fully shifted his attention to her. He made a soft, questioning sound, and she kept her head low, speaking just barely loud enough for him to hear, “What’re ya serving, Grillby?” He grunted, well prepared to offer her a short, yet simple answer, but was cut off by another monster who seated himself beside the girl, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts before, friend… where are you from?” The teen lowered her gaze to the countertop, catching a glimpse of what looked to be faded blue fur. She didn’t know what monster could possibly want to talk to her, but she remained as calm and casual as possible in hope of not drawing any more attention to herself, “The ruins.”

With their interest now fully piqued, the monster beside her hummed incredulously, “The ruins, huh?... I take it you’ve met our former queen then. Toriel.” Upon hearing the familiar goat monster’s name, the teen saw images flicker in her mind; memories of her time in the ruins before she managed to escape. How Toriel had guided her through all the traps and puzzles that laid in waiting. How she held her close and allowed her to sob into her shoulder. How she’d convinced Adrienne to go back to her house, where there’d be a warm bed, food, and all the love and care she could ever want. Toriel had baked a cinnamon and butterscotch pie, very excited to share it with her, but not long after the teen had eaten a small slice, she’d felt her stomach turn. Her world went black, and when she awoke, she was tucked into a bed in a dimly lit room, which looked as though it had once belonged to a child. She felt incredibly ill and had almost no strength, and she could barely stand without feeling light headed. To her surprise, however, her willing ally, Flowey, had made a surprise return. Adrienne had seen Toriel had burn him alive, so she didn’t understand how he was even still alive.

Flowey had been through this exact same situation too many times to count, as it turned out, and he’d revealed Toriel’s true intentions: make the teen weak enough to require constant care and attention, and make her stay in the ruins forever. Or at the very least, until she died. Taking advantage of a distraction provided by Flowey, she’d waited for the goat monster to disappear to another part of the house. She’d then made her way to the kitchen and began to search around the floorboards. According to Flowey, there was a panel that could be removed, and underneath it, she’d find the remedy she needed to regain her health. She’d found the vial and downed it without question, only to look up and see the crazed goat monster staring at her from the doorway. The look on her face was one that still occasionally haunted Adrienne's dreams, and she’d been trying to go as long as possible without thinking about it. It appeared as though she’d be getting no such luck today, though.

Clearing her throat and trying to force down her growing anxiety, she nodded, keeping her head down, “Yeah, I have. I’ve met her.” The blue furred stranger watched her with an unnerving amount of intensity and she fought the urge to squirm and lean away from them. As they spoke again, their voice held a curious edge, “Huh. I can only imagine how that went.” Nodding silently, the teen returned to her glass of water, more than ready for the stranger to go away. She knew what would happen if she was discovered, and she wanted no part of that whatsoever.

The monster leaned closer to her and sniffed the air, letting out a pleased sigh before mumbling, “Friend… you don’t exactly smell like one of us. Monsters have their own natural and unique scents... But you, however,” A fuzzy paw-like hand seized her arm with a vice-like grip, and the stranger's voice shifted from a mumble to what was more like a hiss, “you smell like you belong on the grill.” Adrienne began attempting to yank her arm back out of the monster’s grasp and they laughed, simply using their free hand to tug her hood down, revealing her identity to Grillby and the other bar patrons that surrounded them. Her faded grey eyes widened in fear as the monsters began to shout at the flamesman, excitedly demanding that he cook her for them. Despite how the teen shook her head in protest, the mass of living fire moved closer to her, rapidly snatching her up by the throat. She was lifted off of the ground, and he ignored her pained screams as the heat from his hand began to scorch the skin of her neck.

With adrenaline now coursing through her veins, she let out a string of expletives and pulled both of her legs up until her knees touched her chest. The flamesman took a single step toward his kitchen, and then froze as both of her deceptively weak legs shot toward him, delivering a sharp kick to the space just below his chest. She didn’t expect her little stunt to actually work, but to her pleasant surprise, he’d released his grip on her out of shock, gingerly touching the now injured part of himself. Adrienne dropped to the floor and quickly regained her balance, paying no attention to the few monsters who rushed to Grillby’s side. She proceeded to climb over the counter and sprint toward the door, the footsteps behind her a clear indicator that she was being pursued now. Not that she could blame them for any though; food was insanely hard to come by, so if you had a chance to eat but the food got up and ran, wouldn’t you go after it too?

Reaching out with a clawed hand, some unseen monster snagged a fistful of her hair and harshly pulled, causing her to yelp and almost tumble to the floor. She glanced around, surveying her surroundings and checking the exits again. Part of what looked to be a dog’s muzzle could be seen in her peripheral vision and she winced, struggling to free herself from the creature's grip. She only received an amused cackle from the monster in question, followed by him instructing some of the others to grab her and haul her back to the kitchen for Grillby. Looking around again and seeing them approaching her, she stuffed her hand into one of her pockets and fished around, searching through the various items inside for a moment before revealing a pocket knife. Unsure of what she might do, some of the monsters around her stepped back, but the one still pulling her hair only growled. Though she felt the hair on the back of her neck raise at the sound, she lifted an arm and made one single, fluid slicing motion with her hand, the blade of the pocket knife slicing through her hair. While she hated having to cut her hair and knew it’d take forever to grow back, she bared her teeth at the large dog monster, her lips curling into a smug grin as she noticed the look of surprise on his face.

Taking advantage of the moment, she darted to the nearest door, fully prepared to run out into the freezing streets and make a mad dash back to her protector’s house. Freedom and safety were so close and within her reach now, but as she whipped the door open and scrambled to get outside, she slammed face first into yet another monster. Letting out a frustrated and startled screech, she began trying to squeeze past them. They simply chuckled, wrapping an arm around her nearly size-zero waist and pulling her flush against themselves. Hearing the chuckle, realization dawned on her; this was her protector. She would be safe now.

She stole a glance up at his face and his scarlet iris flickered briefly down to her, his amused grin shifting into a taut line. Oh, she knew that expression all too well by now.

From that look alone, she knew someone would be hurt today.

Though his arm was almost uncomfortably tight around her, she said nothing, only turning her body slightly and burying her face in the front of his heavily blood stained shirt. The teen whimpered, wordlessly admitting just how scared she really was at the moment. He shifted his focus entirely to the other monsters that were now staring at both of them, and sensing their gaze, the teen whined faintly, her guardian lightly squeezing her in an effort to reassure her.

Thoroughly confused as to why she wasn’t dead yet, someone called out to her protector, “Perfect timing, Sans. Now how about you kill her so we can all eat already?” The skeleton’s normally rough voice held a bitter edge and he practically growled, “She ain’t free game, pal. I’m sorry ta say it, but I won’t be hackin’ this one ta bits for ya.” A crowd was beginning to form now and Adrienne tried to press as close to her friend as she could, wishing everyone would hurry up and leave. She already hated crowds on their own, and knowing that this particular crowd all wanted to see her get roasted alive didn’t exactly make her feel any better. Clearly taken aback, the same monster that’d addressed Sans spoke up again, “Oh really? And why’s that? You never helped the humans that fell before her, so what makes her so special?”

Curiosity piqued, she glanced up at the skeleton again, though he didn’t return the gaze. He just continued staring the other monster down, his iris nearly glowing now from the extent of his agitation, “Because she’s mine. Ya hear me? This little slab a’ meat belongs ta me.” A tiny burst of heat rushed to her face upon hearing his response; was he really claiming her right now? Claiming that she was his, and using his power over the others to coerce them into sparing her? Unbelievable.

Another monster decided to interject, countering Sans’ statement with, “Then how come you haven’t marked her yet?”

Oh boy. Of course someone would ask. Why wouldn’t they? She had no idea what she was expecting, but it clearly wasn’t that. With an annoyed huff, the skeleton spun her around, making sure everyone could see her face as he fired back with another sharp retort, “Heh, funny you should ask. I was on my way home with the intention of doin’ just that, but I guess we won’t have the privacy now. Oh well. All you fuckwits better be watchin’, because I’m only gonna do this once.”

Wait, he was going to mark her? Here? In front of everyone?

Face burning with embarrassment, she dropped her gaze to the floor, letting out a soft squeak as he grabbed the collar of her shirt and jacket and pulled them aside to reveal her shoulder. Not bothering to give any indication of what he was about to do, a faintly glowing blue tongue snaked out of his maw and traced over a very specific patch of her skin. The feeling of his tongue - which consisted solely of highly concentrated magic - on her skin was like nothing she’d experienced before. There was some warmth to it that was followed by a tingle, which was likely caused by the magic itself, and another involuntary whimper slipped past her lips. Her face grew hotter at hearing herself make that sound again, which to her horror, Sans had also heard. It earned a soft chuckle from him and his mandible shifted into a pleased grin.

And then he sunk his teeth into her shoulder.

It happened so fast that she didn’t even have time to register what happened, but at the lack of the expected pain, she unconsciously fidgeted. Wasn’t this supposed to hurt?... What was preventing her from being in pain right now? She felt his tongue trace over her skin again, accompanied by more tingling and… numbness? Had he intentionally numbed her shoulder before biting her?

Seeing that he had been true to his word and had in fact marked her, the other monsters quickly grew bored, the vast majority of them also visibly disappointed as they returned to their prior activities. A sense of relief washed over her and she sighed, stealing a quick glance at her friend as he slowly released her. His tongue lingered behind momentarily and lapped up the blood that seeped from the injury, and his voice took a husky tone as he purred, “Ya taste good, kiddo. I think I could get used ta this.” Her already flushed face became a much brighter shade of red than before and she scoffed, refusing to look at him, “Don’t count on it, mister.” “Awe, c’mon Addy. Help me out here… it’s not my fault that ya taste as good as ya look.” Growling softly, Adrienne scrunched her face up into a look of annoyance in hopes of masking her embarrassment as she rolled her eyes, “Pervert.” “No idea what you’re talkin’ about.” “Uh huh, right. I definitely believe that.” He lightly jabbed her side with the tip of a phalange and she squirmed, yelping in surprise. She tried to twist her small frame away from him and he laughed softly, “Whatever. How about we ditch this place and head home now? This bar is no place for a little lady like ya.” Looking back at him over her shoulder, she flicked her tongue at him.

They’d left the bar and began to walk home in uncomfortable silence. The moment they made it back to his house and he’d set her down, she found herself being roughly shoved against the closed front door with one of his large hands catching her wrists and pinning them above her head. Her eyes widened in shock and she squirmed, “H-Hey, what the hell are you-” Meeting her gaze, the look he wore was enough to silence her, his completely dilated red iris both captivating and terrifying her all at once.

Then he spoke, his gruff voice low, “You disobeyed me, Adrienne.”

Forcing her voice out and reaching nothing louder than a whisper, she frowned, “I… I know I did. I’m really sorry, Sans. I won’t do it again, I swear.” “Do you have any idea what would’ve happened if I didn’t get ta you in time?” “Yes, I do! Really!” “If you knew the risks, then why’d you do it?” Feeling much smaller than before as he continued staring her down, Adrienne sheepishly looked away from him, “There’s just.... Not a lot to do here when you and Paps are gone, and I was bored. I did a bunch of cleaning and reorganizing, and I even tried to fix the TV. I dug through the hallway closet and looked through the games, but do you have any idea how hard it is to actually play a game by yourself and have fun at the same time?”

With his free hand, the skeleton cupped his face, letting a deep sigh, “You risked your life… you risked dying, because you were bored? Am I hearin’ that right?” Feeling guilty, she slowly nodded, choosing to keep her mouth shut this time. Catching her completely by surprise, what sounded like a giggle could be heard, and though it took a moment to fully register, she had a realization that made her blood run cold; the giggle came from Sans.

Nervously lifting her gaze again to look up at him, the only thing that began to pulse within her was regret. Regret that she’d disobeyed him, regret that she went against his wishes, regret that she’d upset him so badly, regret that she even opened her mouth at all to speak to him, and most of all, regret that she’d decided to look at him.

He leaned back the smallest bit, one hand still firmly pinning her wrists above her head. Her eyes widened in complete terror as his giggling began to escalate, growing louder and louder until he was roaring with laughter as blue tinted tears pricked at the rims of his sockets. Not bothering to wipe away the tears, he placed his free hand on his face. His open palm rested on his cheek as he curled his fingers, the first two settling inside his empty socket; judging by the slight movement his arm made, he’d begun lightly tugging on the rim of it. That was never a good sign. Yes, she loved it when he relaxed enough to laugh with her from time to time, but this display right now? This was the stuff of nightmares.

Then almost as quickly as it’d started, his laughter came to an abrupt halt and his wide grin vanished, leaving only a resentful scowl behind in its place. As his focus shifted back to the teen, her heart began to race. She honestly had no idea what he planned to do now. He then began to slowly tighten his grip on her wrists, a soft growl rumbling from within his chest. Paying no attention to the grimace of pain she wore as his phalanges began digging into her skin, he leaned down, the space between them reduced to almost nothing as he hissed, “You’re an idiot. Get out of my goddamn sight, human.” Adrienne opened her mouth to force an apology out but was quickly cut off, crying out in surprise and pain as the skeleton dug his phalanges even further into her wrists and began to break skin. Rolling his single eye light, he scoffed, stepping back and suddenly yanking her to the side, releasing his grip on her wrists in time to make her small body become airborne. With the sound of something cracking and collapsing beneath her, she knew she’d landed at least partially on the coffee table.

Despite the pain that shot through her with even the smallest movement, the cold stare she was receiving from the skeleton was enough to make get back up, her head hung low as her eyes began to water up. Not wanting to show him this weaker, more vulnerable side of herself, she darted up the stairs, her feet padding across the slightly creaky wooden floor for only a brief moment. She then took refuge in the upstairs bathroom, slamming the door shut behind herself and flipping the latch, locking out the world. Trying to force down the very minute amount of guilt that began to bubble up within him, Sans let out an annoyed huff and glanced at the now completely busted coffee table. He was going to have a hell of a time explaining that to Papyrus later.

~~~

What seemed like a century had passed before the youngest of the two skeletons finally returned home, the sight of the smashed coffee table still lying on the floor enough to induce a sense of dread within him. Normally when he came home, his elder brother would greet him, or at the very least, be lazing about on the couch and offer him a half hearted wave that was usually followed by some sort of pun or terrible joke.

But no. Nothing. Sans was nowhere in sight, and neither was Adrienne. This only made Papyrus’ concern grow; he hoped beyond all hope that his brother hadn’t done anything to her.

The tall skeleton let out a soft sigh and crossed the living room. The exhaustion from the long day began to set in as he ascended the stairs, eager to take a shower and change into something more comfortable. He loved his battle body immensely, but sometimes his sore, tired bones made the item feel as though it weighed a thousand pounds. He wished he could simply change his clothes and climb into bed so he could go to sleep, but life wasn’t that simple for him; before he was allowed to relax, he needed to shower and make dinner for his brother and Adrienne, then the teen was to help him clean up the dishes once the three of them had finished eating. After all that, he was to take Adrienne to the backyard to test prototypes for new puzzles and traps. She was kind enough to help him make sure they worked correctly, so he was always vigilant, always watching to make sure she was never injured on any of them. Aside from being a puzzle and trap tester, his rather small human friend also delighted in helping him think of new puzzles, and she even designed some of her own. She seemed to enjoy partaking in games of pretend when they messed around with the action figures he’d collected over the years, and when Sans wasn’t around or flat out refused to do it, she didn’t mind reading to him before he fell asleep each night, either. They’d grown very close, and he cared for her almost as much as he cared for Sans. It was for all those reasons why he promised to protect her; he had to protect her. He’d become used to her presence and had grown to appreciate their friendship very much, and having her as his friend helped fill the void in his soul that was once occupied by the queen herself. He still considered Undyne a close friend, but the way she spoke and treated him now was… Execrable.

As he twisted the knob and nudged his bedroom door open, the scent of blood hit his nasal cavity and he felt his body tense. Gently pushing the door shut behind his massive frame once he’d crossed the threshold, he made his way to his desk and flicked on the small lamp that resided on its far left corner, the light illuminating his multitude of action figures and an old map.

The faint sound of movement caught Papyrus’ attention and he looked down toward the source, almost unable to believe what he was seeing; the human was in his bed, lying on her side and wrapped in his old blankets. An open first aid kit sat on the floor next to the bed, and cloth bandages were wrapped loosely around her slender neck. Her hair, which was once nearly long enough to reach her lower back, was now much shorter; it looked as though it was cut hastily by some sort of blade. While her arms were mostly concealed by the blankets, he could see that her wrists had also been wrapped in bandages, a familiar crimson threatening to seep through the material. As she shifted again in her slumber, her shirt began to slip down her shoulder and revealed another large bandage, more crimson staining the fabric. His brow bones furrowed as he took note of how the crimson staining it formed a half circle… as if the injury was because of a bite.

In his consternation, Papyrus reached out, a single gloved hand settling on her uninjured shoulder. He leaned down, his spine already aching from the awkward angle as he lowered his voice and did his best not to startle her, “Human?... Adrienne? Please, I Need You To Wake Up. Come On Human, Please.” As she slowly began to stir, he fought the urge to scoop her up into his arms and shelter her from whatever had left her in her current condition.

As her eyes fluttered open and she took notice of the skeleton towering over her, all traces of exhaustion vanished and her eyes widened, a sound of surprise slipping past her lips. In her momentary panic, she’d sat up and tried to move away from him, her chest heaving as she drew in one deep breath after another. Papyrus gently shushed her, offering her a weak, apologetic smile, “Hey, Hey, It’s Alright. It’s Just Me, Adrienne. I Didn’t Mean To Startle You, I Swear. I’m So Sorry For Scaring You.”

Registering who was with her, the teen released a deep sigh of relief. She gave Papyrus no time to prepare himself before she practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around whatever she could reach before clinging to his battle body. Though he was visibly caught off guard, he delicately encircled her with his arms, one hand finding her uninjured shoulder again before he lightly squeezed, his voice laced with concern, “Adrienne?... What’s Wrong? What Happened To You?”

The only response he received from the girl in his arms was a muffled sob and he frowned, moving his hand from her shoulder to her face. He used his index finger to tilt her head back, allowing him to see her tear stained face, and as her bottom lip twitched and another tear rolled down her cheek, he frowned; normally she was such a strong, upbeat person. To see her this way was heartbreaking.

The skeleton lowered his voice even further, reducing it to a whisper, “Adrienne, Please… Tell Me What Happened. I Want To Help You.” Her lip twitched again and she sniffled, reaching up to wipe her tears away with her sleeve, “I just… Papy… I just wanted to go outside... I just wanted some fresh air… I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Still frowning, Papyrus gently ran his fingers through her hair and tilted his head, his voice remaining low, “What Do You Mean?... Did Sans Do This To You?” Upon hearing the name of the older skeleton brother, Adrienne tightened her grip on Papyrus, her voice beginning to waver as more tears rolled down her face, gathering at her jaw and dripping down onto her shirt, “Papy… I was so stupid. I made him mad at me. I upset Sans.”

Papyrus’ frown deepened; he knew how his brother could be whenever he had one of his episodes, and never in a million years would he wish for anyone to become the recipient of Sans' delirium. The skeleton sighed as he gently stroked the teen’s hair, “It’ll Be Ok, I Promise. You May Stay Here Tonight If You’d Like, And I’ll Be Sure To Speak With Him About This. Do You Think You Could Tell Me Everything, Though? I Can’t Be Of Any Help To You If I Don’t Know All The Details.” With a heavy heart, she slowly nodded and looked up, meeting his gaze, “I… I went outside today... by myself. I went into town, and I went to Grillby’s. It smelled like food in there, and I was so hungry… I thought I’d find something to eat. I kept myself as covered as possible, but I was caught and got grabbed by Grillby,” she paused, visibly ashamed as she gestured to her neck, “…I got burned.”

The skeleton made a soft sound in understanding and nodded, silently asking her to continue, which she did, “Someone else grabbed my hair and I had to cut it to get away from them. Then when I opened the door and went to run outside, I ran face first into Sans. He told everyone there not to mess with me, that I wasn’t free game because I belonged to him. Then he marked me. Right there, with everyone watching. He was a little flirty afterward and he seemed happy enough, so I thought everything was ok, but when we got here, he… he had an episode.”

Papyrus didn’t know what to make of everything he’d just been told; on one hand, she suffered numerous injuries and nearly died, and on the other hand, she was marked by Sans.

Normally whenever a monster marked someone, it meant that they saw that person as their mate and that they wanted to claim them as their own. That they loved that person with every fiber of their body and soul. Being marked also served as a way to protect someone from other monsters, but there had been cases of a mark not being enough to guarantee the safety of a monster's mate.

Being marked was not only a big deal, but it was also something that every self respecting monster knew should be done in private. The fact that Sans marked her in the first place was absolutely astounding, but the fact that he had the absolute nerve to take something that was meant to be special, shared between mates and no one else, and turned it into some obscene gesture that he performed in front of a crowd, undoubtedly humiliating Adrienne in the process… It was unacceptable.

He needed to speak to Sans, and he needed to do it now.

Releasing a deep sigh, Papyrus lifted a hand to idly rub the back of his neck, “I See… I Cannot Apologize Enough On My Brother’s Behalf. I’ll See If I Can Get Anything Out Of Him That Would Explain Why He’d Behave This Way. Hopefully… Hopefully He Doesn’t Clam Up, Like He Seems To Always End Up Doing. Will You Be Alright Here While I’m Away? I Don’t Want To Leave You Alone If You’re Still Feeling A Little Too Overwhelmed And Freaked Out By Everything.” The teen sniffled, absentmindedly wiping her face with her sleeve again as she nodded, “Uh huh… I think so.” Catching the slight uncertainty in her voice, he offered her a reassuring smile, “I’ll Try To Be Back As Soon As Possible, Alright? How About You Pick Out Some Puzzles For Us To Work On When I Return? A Few Good Puzzles Always Help Me Feel Better Whenever I’m A Bit Rattled, So I’m Confident They’ll Do The Same For You, Too!” Adrienne couldn’t help the small smile that curled her lips upward at how eager he was to help her, and she nodded again, “Ok, Pap… that sounds good to me. When you get back, do you think maybe you could help me fix my bandages a little? Some of them are still too loose and I dunno if I missed any little spots anywhere.” Perking up at the request, Papyrus beamed, gently unwrapping his arms from around her and ruffling her hair, “Yes, Of Course! The Great Papyrus Would Be Happy To Assist You, Adrienne!” Letting go of the skeleton, Adrienne smiled up at him; he was such a sweet guy, and despite their circumstances, he was always so optimistic. He still maintained a sense of morality as well, unlike the other monsters. She honestly wasn’t sure what she’d do without him at times.

Reluctantly parting from his small human friend, Papyrus slipped out of the room, carefully closing the door behind himself. Once he was gone, Adrienne sighed, climbing out of his bed and making her way over to a shelf. As she looked over the various boxes and puzzle books, she came to the conclusion that it probably didn’t matter which one she chose; as long as it’d keep her and that goofball busy for a while, it was good enough for her. As she reached out to grab a thick puzzle book, she winced. Her free hand moved to gingerly touch the bandage on her shoulder; at the twinge of pain, her mind drifted to Sans. After earlier, she should’ve learned her lesson and given up on disobeying the very specific rules that her friends had established. She was a curious being by nature though, and she’d be damned if she had to go on without receiving any answers.

Her curiosity and desire to know why Sans would mark her grew even stronger. She grabbed the puzzle book and dropped it on Papyrus’ bed, before peeking out of the room and glancing around the hall. Against her better judgement, she began to search for the pair of brothers. The most logical place Sans would be at this time of night would be in his room, or downstairs on the living room sofa. If those two places weren’t it, then she’d have to check the basement. No biggie. As she tiptoed down the empty hallway, she briefly paused to look over the railing and down into the living room, and found that Sans was nowhere in sight. On her way toward the stairs, she caught the sound of a mumbled conversation through Sans’ closed bedroom door and froze; she knew better than to go into his room without knocking, so she opted to stay in the hall and eavesdrop, rather than barge in on whatever he and Papyrus were talking about at the moment.

Inside the closed off room, Sans rolled his eye light, trying his best to brush off the lecture he was receiving from his younger brother. It’s not like he did anything to Papyrus personally, so he didn’t understand why Pap thought he needed to get involved. Not in the slightest. Completely exasperated with Sans’ stubbornness, Papyrus pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh, “Sans, Honestly. You Didn’t Have To Take It That Far. The Poor Girl’s Probably Traumatized And Too Ashamed To Ever Want To Leave The House Again.” Sans grunted, flopping down onto his back on his old, worn mattress, “Remind me how that’s a bad thing again, Pap. So far, I’m not seein’ any problems with it.” The taller of the two inhaled deeply, briefly closing his sockets as he tried to gather his thoughts, “Sans… Brother. I Love You, But What You Did Today Wasn’t Ok. I Don’t Understand Why You’re So Calm And Casual About It.” Gaining a very clearly agitated edge, Sans practically growled, “It’s really fuckin’ simple. If she’s too ashamed ta leave the house, then good! At least she’ll stay put then and save me a lot a’ trouble in the future.”

Not even remotely threatened by his older brother’s tone of voice, Papyrus snapped, suddenly shouting, “LANGUAGE, SANS. MAYBE SHE DIDN’T LISTEN TO YOU, BUT THAT’S NO REASON TO TREAT HER THIS WAY. IT IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT A VALID REASON TO GO AND PUBLICLY HUMILIATE HER, THEN COME HOME AND SCARE HER HALF TO DEATH, EITHER. YOU ALSO BROKE THE COFFEE TABLE, SANS. SOME OF US HAVE TO PAY FOR THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW!”

From her spot in the hallway, Adrienne flinched, her eyes widening. Not once had she ever seen Papyrus so upset that he shouted like this. This was a whole new experience, and she could already say that it was both surprising and terrifying all at once.

The shorter of the two let out an exaggerated groan, beginning to absentmindedly tap the tips of his phalanges on the bed as he stared up at the ceiling, “As far as the table goes, I’ll replace the damn thing if it really means that much ta you. What am I supposed ta do about the kid though? If I really scared her as much as you’re sayin’ I did, then she won’t want anythin’ ta do with me. It’s not like I can just walk up to her and go, ‘hey, you know that day when I got mad at you? I’m sorry and I won’t do it again.’” Papyrus hummed, crossing his arms over his chest, “Well… A Sincere Apology Is Only Half Of What I Think You Owe Her.” “Yeah? And what’s the other half?” “To Be Completely Blunt About It, She Knows What It Means To Be Marked.”

The older skeleton brother nearly choked on air, his cheekbones dusting a soft shade of blue, “What the hell?… Ok, then… What about it? Everyone probably knows what it means.” “What I’m Saying Is That She Knows Monsters Wouldn’t Mark Anyone Unless That Person Was Tremendously Important To Them, And Unless They Saw Them As Their Mate. Not Only Is There That, But She Told Me That You Were Somewhat Flirtatious Toward Her After The Incident Today At Grillby’s. You’re Sending Some Incredibly Mixed Signals, Sans. She More Than Likely Was Under The Impression That You Have Some Very Strong Feelings For Her, But Then You Came Home And Basically Told Her To Get Lost Before Throwing Her At The Coffee Table. She Has No Idea Where She Stands Right Now. The Other Half Of What You Need To Do Is Be Honest With Her. Tell Her If You Feel Something For Her, Or Tell Her If You Don’t. Just Make It Clear To Her So She Knows What She Is To You.”

Bolting upright into a sitting position, Sans stared up at his younger brother in disbelief, “So you’re suggestin’ that I go confess my love ta her or somethin’? Is that what you’re tryna tell me right now, Papyrus?” “If You Love Her, Then Yes, That Is Exactly What I’m Trying To Tell You.” Pressing his index and middle finger to one of his temples, the older of the two narrowed his sockets, grumbling under his breath, “Ya gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me… this is so stupid…” Taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside Sans, Papyrus arched a brow bone and tilted his head, “Language, Brother… All Of This Might Seem Stupid To You, Maybe, But It’s A Big Deal And It Needs To Be Addressed. If You Really See Her As Your Mate, She Needs To Know. And Hey, It’s Alright To Feel Embarrassed About This Sort Of Thing. It’s Completely Natural. For Starters, Maybe You Could Try To Help Me Better Understand Your Reasons For Marking Her? I’m All Ears! In A... Manner Of Speaking.”

Sans snuck an uncertain glance up at him and let out a deep sigh, leaning forward to cover both eyes with his hands, “...Don’t make me talk about this right now, Pap. Please. I can’t do it. I just can’t, what if I-” Papyrus was quick to wrap his arms around his older brother, lightly squeezing his shoulder, “Sans, No. Stop. You’re Overthinking Again. Take A Deep Breath And Try To Relax. It’s Just Me Here, And If You Preferred That I Don’t Tell Her What You Say, Then I Won’t. You Have My Word. Just Trust Me… That’s All I’m Asking Of You Right Now. Please, Just Trust Me.”

#writing #tw angst #tw mild violence #tw humiliation #oc insert #undertale #undertale au #horrortale #horrortale au #horrortale sans #horrortale papyrus #horror sans #axe sans #crooks papyrus

[agerefandom]

A Story For Sans

Fandom: Undertale

Characters: Papyrus & Sans

Words: 2,200

Prompt: Character A isn’t taking care of themself and Character B decides that it might be time for a break, not knowing Character A is on the verge of regressing from exhaustion. (featuring regressor!Sans and a confused but enthusiastically loving Papyrus)

Content Warnings: Unhealthy eating patterns and a moment that borders on forced regression: feel free to message if you want more specific details before reading.

Prompt List Here! / Request Rules / Other Stories

Sans disappeared sometimes.

This was a fact of life that Papyrus had come to accept. Sans disappeared into the workshop under their house, into the forest, into the Hotlands. Sometimes Papyrus would find him in the morning, asleep half-way up the stairs. Other times, Alphys would find him sleeping in her lab and call Papyrus to come pick him up. Some mornings, Grillby would walk Sans home, three polite knocks announcing their arrival and scorching the wooden door.

Papyrus worried.

This, too, was a fact of life. Papyrus worried about his brother’s HP; Sans had never let him see the exact number, but Papyrus knew that it was low. Papyrus worried about the way his brother slept away every hour that he could, his eyes half-focused and hazy as he stumbled from nap to nap. And no matter how many times Sans vanished and reappeared safe and sound, Papyrus worried every single second that he was gone.

Two nights ago, Sans had disappeared out the door after dinner, and he hadn’t come back. Papyrus had kept an eye on his sentry stations (or hot dog stands) and did his best to remind himself that Sans always, always came back safe.

By the third morning, Papyrus couldn’t focus on his patrols or his exercises or his puzzles, the worry a constant distraction. He couldn’t wait any longer; he needed to find his brother.

His first stop was Grillby’s. Grillby said that he hadn’t seen Sans in a few days, and Papyrus’s anxiety twisted tighter around his ribs. When Sans wasn’t eating at Grillby’s, he usually wasn’t eating at all.

Papyrus’s second stop was Sans’s bedroom, holding his scarf over his lack of a nose. It was as dirty as ever, the bed too messy to judge how recently it had been used, the trash tornado still spinning away. Nothing unusual, and no way to know if Sans had been here.

Papyrus closed the door with a sigh.

There was one last place to check before he had to venture outside of Snoden, and Sans wouldn’t be happy about it. He hated it when Papyrus went into his workshop, but three days was enough time that Papyrus was determined to do whatever it took.

One carefully shaped bone attack let Papyrus pick the lock on the workshop door, and soon he was stepping onto the rotting wooden steps that led to their basement.

He could immediately see that the lights were on down there, and he made his way down quickly, caught between relief and anger as he caught sight of his brother’s familiar sweater flung over the back of a chair.

“go away, papyrus.” Sans’s voice was rougher than usual, and Papyrus took a moment to look around at the space. The couch had been slept on, and there were empty bags of chips scattered across the floor. Sans was crouched on the other side of the room, dressed in a dirty white shirt. The mysterious machine was in front of him, a panel open to show the gears and circuitry inside. Sans wasn’t looking at Papyrus, running his fingerbones over the parts of the machine.

“SANS! IT HAS BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE YOU’VE BEEN AT YOUR SENTRY POSTS!”

“yeah, i know… i’m busy, pap.” Sans’s voice was flat, his face still turned away from Papyrus.

“BROTHER…” Papyrus searched for something to say. “THIS ISN’T HEALTHY! YOU SHOULD COME UP FOR DINNER.”

“i’ll come up later. soon.” Papyrus wished that Sans would look at him. The worry was back, familiar and uncomfortable.

“WHEN THE GREAT PAPYUS EXTENDS A DINNER INVITATION, IT DOES NOT GET TURNED DOWN!” Papyrus tried. Referring to himself in third-person usually made the corners of Sans’s eye sockets crinkle. But today, he just kept facing the machine in the corner.

“sorry, bro. another time.”

It was the lack of puns that finally pushed Papyrus over the edge. His use of ‘turned down’ should have gotten a bad joke, at least, and there were the million things that Sans could have said about his work ethic, but instead it was just these monotone statements. Something was wrong. Papyrus knew from experience that Sans didn’t like talking about the things that bothered him, so trying to make him talk would only make things he was worse. But he was The Great Papyrus! He must, must be able to fix this!

It was with that final thought that Papyrus strode forwards and wrapped his arms around his brother from the back. He gave Sans a moment to register what was about to happen: enough time for Sans to pull his hands out of the machine gears, but not enough time for him to slip out of Papyrus’s grip.

And then Papyrus hoisted him up into the air.

Sans was easy to pick up; for all his width, he was still made of bones and magic, just like Papyrus. Papyrus took a moment to adjust his grip, flipping Sans around so that he was settled on Papyrus’s hip, and then started carrying his big brother towards the stairs.

“wh- hey! papyrus, put me down!” Sans’s objections went unheeded as Papyrus climbed the stairs to the outside, his only response to wrap his arms tighter around Sans as he struggled.

“YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR WORK TOMORROW,” Papyrus informed him, marching to the front of the house and trying to get the door open before anyone could walk by and see the odd scene. It took a few moments for him to manage the still-wriggling Sans and the doorknob, but soon enough he was stepping into the house. “FOR NOW, I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU A MEAL AND YOU ARE GOING TO EAT IT!”

“pap- i don’t want -” Sans was still pushing against Papyrus’s shoulders, but his efforts were weaker than Papyrus had expected. Sans could have avoided Papyrus from the beginning, if he’d been anything close to his normal speed. The fact that he couldn’t get free of Papyrus’s grip made Papyrus even more sure that he’d done the right thing bringing Sans up.

“papyrus, put me down!” Even if Sans himself didn’t agree.

“SHUSH.” Papyrus ran his gloved fingers lightly over the back of Sans’s skull, a calming gesture that he remembered Sans using on him when he’d been younger. “TAKE A BREAK, SANS. YOU NEED IT.”

Papyrus didn’t know if it was the words or the slow petting motion, but Sans suddenly slumped against his shoulder, his hands holding onto Papyrus’s scarf instead of trying to push him away. Papyrus felt his arms starting to get tired; made of bones or not, Sans was still a full-grown monster and Papyrus had carried him up a flight of stairs.

Papyrus made his way over to the couch and sat down. He tried to let Sans go, but Sans continued to hang onto Papyrus’s scarf, hiding his face against his chest-plate. Papyrus gave him a second to move away, and when Sans didn’t, he carefully gathered his big brother onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him.

Cuddling wasn’t rare for the two brothers, curled up on the couch watching TV after a long day at work (for Papyrus) or a long day of naps (for Sans). This felt different, though, like something precious that Papyrus had to be careful with.

He slipped off his gloves and resumed the petting of Sans’s skull, his bare phalanges rasping against the curves and raised lines of bone. Sans relaxed even more against him, a low sound like a hum coming out of his chest, vibrating against Papyrus’s ribs. Sans’s head turned into the touch, enough that Papyrus could see his face.

Sans was dirty with sweat and dust from the machinery. The shadows beneath his eyes were even deeper than they normally were, almost as though they had been carved into his skull. Despite that, his eyes were now closed and his face was peaceful.

“I MISSED YOU,” Papyrus found himself admitting, running his fingers over Sans’s zygomatic bones and gently over the nasal cavity.

“missed you too.” Sans’s voice was sleepy, distant and low.

“I WISH YOU HAD TOLD ME YOU WOULD BE AWAY SO LONG. I COULD HAVE BROUGHT YOU FOOD.”

“i like food,” Sans told him, rubbing one cheek on Papyrus’s chest-piece.

“AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS MADE BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” Papyrus said, pressing his free hand to his chest proudly, unwilling to take his hand off of Sans when he was so obviously enjoying the petting.

Sans nodded against Papyrus. Papyrus could tell that he was halfway to falling asleep, so he decided that food could wait until after a nap.

��DO YOU WANT TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH, OR IN YOUR BED?”

“race car,” he heard Sans reply, muffled against Papyrus’s chest.

“YOU WANT TO SLEEP IN MY BED? IT IS THE COOLEST BED!”

He felt Sans nod. “story,” Sans said.

“YOU WANT… ME TO READ YOU A BEDTIME STORY?” Papyrus’s bed was where they curled up every night so that Sans could read Papyrus his favourite book before bed, Peek-A-Boo with Fluffy Bunny. Papyrus had never, ever read Sans a bedtime story. But Sans seemed so sleepily certain that this was the way things should be, and he was finally relaxed and agreeable to being dragged away from his work…. And in the end, there wasn’t a single thing that Papyrus wasn’t willing to do for his brother.

“not th’ bunny one,” Sans muttered.

“YOU DON’T WANT TO HEAR PEEK-A-BOO WITH FLUFFY BUNNY?” Papyrus asked, somewhat affronted.

“s’your book. i want a different book.”

“WELL, ALRIGHT! I’LL FIND YOU A BOOK, BUT LET’S GET UP TO BED FIRST. CAN YOU WALK?” Papyrus felt Sans shake his head. “ALRIGHT, LAZYBONES. UP WE GO!”

He scooped Sans up in his arms with a flourish, and Sans actually laughed, not his usual low chuckle but a higher giggle that Papyrus hadn’t heard from him in years and years and years. It made Papyrus hug his brother tight for a long moment, trying not to think about how much they had been through together.

When he could loosen his grip, Papyrus got up from the couch and settled Sans back on his hip, a motion becoming more familiar. The stairs were easy enough, but he paused at the top of the stairs.

“SANS, YOU’RE VERY DIRTY! PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TAKE A BATH BEFORE GOING TO BED!” Sans shook his head vigorously.

“bath later,” he told Papyrus, his voice certain. “bedtime now.”

Papyrus obediently headed for the bedroom, resigning himself to washing his sheets when Sans woke up. It was hard to get the door open with his brother in his arms, but much easier now that said brother wasn’t squirming with all of his strength.

He deposited Sans on the bed, disentangling his hands from his scarf gently. “TAKE OFF YOUR FILTHY CLOTHES AND I WILL FIND YOU NEW ONES,” Papyrus instructed, and stayed around long enough to see Sans start to slip off his shirt before he made his way to Sans’s room.

Inside, it was hard to distinguish the clean clothes from the dirty ones. Sans’s dresser drawers were completely empty, all of the clothing in piles on the floor. Eventually, Papyrus found a stack of clothes that seemed cleaner than the others and picked out a shirt and a pair of shorts.

Sans was tucked under the covers when Papyrus returned, but he’d turned on the side-lamp that they always used for light when it was time for Papyrus’s bedtime story. Papyrus put the clothes on the pillow beside Sans and turned around to give him privacy. He was facing the bookshelf, so he focused on the spines of the books, trying to pick one that would be suitable for Sans.

There, a battered old human book that had fallen down with the trash. Sans had found it and brought it to Papyrus, saying that it reminded him of Papyrus because it had rabbits in it, just like Peek-A-Boo with Fluffy Bunny. Papyrus was smart enough to know what Sans was actually saying, and had kept it all of these years. He took it off the shelf now, and turned around to see Sans dressed in his clean clothes and sat upright in bed, halfway between sleepy and expectant.

“ALRIGHT, SCOOT IN CLOSE,” Papyrus said as he sat down, mirroring Sans’s routine and putting out an arm. Sans pressed close into Papyrus’s side, resting his skull on Papyrus’s shoulder-pad. “NOW, THIS BOOK IS CALLED ‘GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU.’ ARE YOU READY?”

“ready.” Sans put one of his hands on the cover of the book, tracing the deep scars left by its long fall from the human world above. Papyrus carefully opened the story to the first page, and began to read.

By the end of the book, Sans was snoring loudly. Papyrus read the last few pages as softly as he could and put the book on the bedside table. In the soft glow of the lamp, Sans looked peaceful. Papyrus hoped that he would sleep well here, and that he would still be in the mood for Papyrus to take care of him when he woke up.

In the meantime, Papyrus had spaghetti to prepare.

--

Here’s an animated video of ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ if you don’t know the book already! It’s one of my favourites and it makes me cry because it’s that sweet.

Of course, neither Sans nor Papyrus has seen the moon, but when they get out from under the mountain, I promise that both of them think about the end of ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ every time they look up at it.

#sfw agere #sfw age regression #agere fics #fandom agere #undertale agere #undertale #my fics

[smokenfirefanfics-blog]

Love’s Hellfire

This is kind of the same idea as my other oneshot Sorry only if it took place in the same timeline as my main fanfiction. Some trigger warnings: strong language, physical and emotional abuse, mentions of death.

Synopsis: Rus is close to a breakthrough in his research. But in order to return to his universe, he has to end things with his possessive and abusive boyfriend.

Pairing: Papby [Underswap Papyrus/Classic Grillby]

Word Count: 1,647

Rus picked up the rag that rested on his bench and wiped his hands clean of oil and grease. He gave a light sigh as he took a seat and pulled out a cigarette pack along with his cell phone. Twenty plus missed calls and even more text messages. Rus flicked his lighter and took a deep drag from his smoke once it was lit. His eye lights scanned through the slew of messages that he had missed.

-I’m sorry what I said offended you.

-I can’t understand where your anger comes from

-Weren’t things going well?

-Papyrus?

-I understand you’re upset, but you don’t need to ignore me.

-You didn’t answer my call…

-You’re not home?

-Where are you Papyrus?

-Please answer.

-Answer me please.

-I’m worried.

-If I find out you’ve done something stupid…

-This isn’t funny.

-Papyrus, I’m being serious now. You need to answer me.

-PAPYRUS

The messages trail into a blur of panicked texts and spam of his name. Rus rubbed his palm against his foreskull and exhaled a large cloud of smoke.

“For fuck’s sake…” the skeleton murmured quietly to himself. His thumb hovered over the contact. He closed his sockets for but a moment before he hit the call button.

“Papyrus! What the hell were you thinking!? I’ve been driving all over town looking for you!” Grillby screamed after picking up within the first ring, “Where are you? Are you hurt?”

“Jeez Grillbz,” Rus groaned into the phone. He leaned over to rest an arm on his knee, “I’m fine. Ya don’t gotta worry.”

There was a moment of silence, then a sigh from the other end, “Alright. Just tell me where you are so I can come get you.” There was another long moment of silence, “Papyrus? Are you still there.”

Rus exhaled another cloud of smoke. The fingers of his free hand rubbed against his foreskull, “I- Grillbz, I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

There was a pause of silence, “What do you mean?”

Rus’ leg bounced softly, “... I think we need some time apart.”

The skeleton could hear Grillby’s car screech to a stop from the other end. There was another long moment of silence, “... Don’t say that…” It was hardly a whisper on the other end.

“Grillbz-”

“DON’T SAY THAT.” Grillby roared, forcing Rus to move the phone away in order to save his hearing. A chorus of unintelligible yelling soon followed as Rus sat there. Once the line grew quiet, Rus brought the phone closer to his skull.

“Grillbz… I gotta go back. There’s no negotiating it. I’m so close to a break through. You’ll only get in the way-”

“So you’re at the lab then?” Grillby interrupted.

Rus’ sockets widened a bit, “Grillbz-” but the line went dead. Rus scowled before heaving a sigh and finished his cigarette. “Great…” he grumbled to himself. He put the smoke out on the bench next to him before he stood.  

Rus grabbed his hoodie and slipped it on. He walked upstairs and stepped outside to a now abandoned Snowdin. The crunch of snow echoed across the empty cavern as he made his way in front of the house. He took a seat on the front steps and began his wait.

After forty-five minutes, the sound of a crackling fire rang through the town. Rus opened his sockets and glanced over as Grillby approached. With every step, the snow around him melted away. Rus could already tell he was pissed despite the calm expression he carried. The skeleton rose to his feet with a groan and stepped down to meet the fire.

However, before he could speak a word, a fist connected with his jaw and sent the skeleton stumbling back against the porch. Rus cursed and winced before he glared up at the other monster, “What the fuck, Grillbz!?”

“Where is it?” Grillby asked lowly.

Rus pushed himself back to his feet as he held onto the railing and skimmed his fingers over the newly blacked bone from Grillby’s fiery punch, “Where is what?”

“The machine!” Grillby barked, the flames of his head rose with his increased agitation, “The one you’re breaking up with me for.”

Rus scowled and sighed. He moved a hand to his face to rub the bridge of his nasal cavity, “Grillbz… That’s not it.”

Grillby closed the distance between them. He grabbed a fist full of Rus’ hoodie and tugged him close so that their faces were mere inches apart, “You’re not leaving me Papyrus…”

Rus tried to push him off, “You don’t get to make that choice for me.”

Grillby held tighter as smoke began to rise from under his curled fingers, “I will tear that house apart to find it… So you can either make this simple, or we can do this the hard way.”

Rus’ sockets widened before he slapped away Grillby’s hand, finally prying his fingers off his hoodie. The front of the fabric was now singed, “Watch it,” he snapped, “Dontcha think you’re overreacting a bit?”

“Overreacting!?” Grillby roared, the monster’s flames turned a dark shade of red as they crackled wildly, “We’ve been through so much, Papyrus. We went from hating one another to being lovers. You said you loved me. And now you’re just… Just dropping me.”

The eye lights in Rus’ sockets softened before he glanced off to the side. His rib cage felt heavy with guilt, “I’m sorry Grillbz… I do care about ya… But… My brother-”

“HE’S DEAD PAPYRUS!” Grillby snapped.

Rus’ sockets widened as he looked back at Grillby, “No, I can-”

“He’s dead. Dust. Why can’t you get that through your thick skull?” Grillby hissed, “I’m not. I’m right here. What are you going to do if you go back and everyone is still gone? And you can’t come back here. You’ll be stuck there all alone. You should just stay here. Everyone is alive here. You’re not alone here.”

Rus fell silent as the lights in his sockets went out, “...I think you should leave, Grillbz.” he murmured.

Grillby glared down at him with glowing embers, “No.”

Rus’ hands balled into fists, “We’re done. Even if I did stay, I don’t want nothin’ to do with ya. Now, I got work to do.” the skeleton attempted to turn away and return to the lab. But Grillby grabbed a hold of him. The elemental monster’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Rus blinked and tried to pull away, “Grillbz, I’m serious now,” he growled.

Grillby lifted the skeleton with ease, “So am I,” he spoke softly.

In one quick motion, Rus brought his elbow back and smashed Grillby in the face. As Grillby dropped him from the shock of the blow, Rus immediately took off in a sprint. He flung the back door open and ran inside before slamming it behind him. He quickly locked it before giving a small pant.

He heard Grillby give an enraged roar outside and muttered a curse under his breath. He wasn’t going to get out of this without a few more burns. The lights in his sockets returned as he opened the secret entrance into the true lab. He made sure the panel closed before he went downstairs.

He removed his hoodie once more and tossed the burnt clothes aside. He adjusted the black tank top that was hidden underneath. He started toward his invention before, Ka-BOOM. A loud explosion followed by the sound of the metal panel crashing down the stairs.

Rus turned with wide sockets as Grillby stormed down the steps, “How the fuck-” he yelped.

“You really think Sans never told me about this place,” Grillby growled in response.

Rus swallowed and prepared for a fight. However, to his surprise, Grillby B-lined it for the other side of the lab. Rus’ brow furrowed as he watched. But as Grillby began kicking over oil drums, the lights in his sockets turned to pin pricks.

“Grillbz. Wait, Grillbz!” Rus exclaimed, “Listen, I know you’re pissed. Ya can take it out on me, that’s fine. But think about what you’re doing for a sec-”

As he rolled the oil drums across the lab and spilled the dark liquid over the tiled floor, the fire elemental glared at Rus, “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Rus felt his chest tighten with the rising panic in his throat, “Grillbz, this is years of work. Ya can’t-”

Grillby marched over to Rus, a heated hand clamping down on his humerus. Rus hissed with pain and tried to dig his heels into the ground. But the slick of the oil only made it easier for Grillby to drag him over to the stairs.

“This is punishment for crossing me, Papyrus,” Grillby stated lowly as he shoved the skeleton ahead of himself. He made Rus turn toward him and opened his free hand. A large ball of fire formed in his palm as he looked Rus in the sockets, “You’ve forced my hand and have no one to blame but yourself.”

Grillby turned and tossed the fireball into the oil below them. The lab quickly erupted into flames. Rus’ jaw dropped as he watched all his hard work become devoured in flames before Grillby tugged him up the stairs. Once outside, Grillby shoved the skeleton down into the snow. The elemental glared down from behind broken glasses, “I hope you’re happy… I’m going to wait outside Mt. Ebbot. Follow along once you realize your mistakes.”

With that, Grillby turned on his heels and left. Rus laid in the snow as he cradled his injured arm and watched as his home filled with smoke and went up in flames. Everything he worked and cared for crumbled before his very eyes. Yet he couldn’t feel anything. The lights in his sockets faded as he slowly got to his feet. And he turned to follow Grillby out of the Underground.

#undertale #underswap #undertale fanfiction #oneshot #swap papyrus #grillby #papby #tw: abuse #tw: abusive relationship #tw: strong language #mentions of death #smokenfirefanfics

[cluelessnamelessao3]

It’s Raining Somewhere Else

The One with All the Warnings

They’d been on the surface for a year, and they’d been among the cities and towns for approximately a week. Although tensions were high, and there was an increase of anti-monster gang activity, there had been no real incidents of concern. Words, though only a step from actions, did not cause anyone physical harm at least.

The third day after the monsters were finally released in full was the day you found yourself wandering downtown, small backpack in tow, holding several copies of a half-baked resume you’d made with the help of your old university advisor and your papa.

You’d gotten a small, somewhat dingy apartment in a part of town that your father had proclaimed as “not right”. However, regardless of the quality of the apartment, or the environment of the surrounding buildings, you were just glad to be out of your cramped dorm, and even more glad to no longer have to live at home. Besides, it was what you could afford on your own, with your minimal savings.

Which, as it were, was dwindling rapidly. Who knew that furniture, appliances, and moving cost so much? You certainly hadn’t expected it.

Hence why you were prowling the local shops and stores in the hopes of finding some “help wanted” sign to remove you from your plight. You really didn’t want to go asking your papa for more money—especially after having just moved out. How would that look as a statement to your new-found independence?

You stopped in front of a wooden building, the sign at the top reading in big red letters Grillby’s Pub. From the outside it looked barely lived in, but still worn down. The wood panelling was dirty, and in desperate need of a pressure wash. The windows, though new, were painted over with slurs against the monsters. You could only sigh at the crude words and drawings. The state of the outside of this little monster-run bar was similar to some of the other shops you’d seen today.

They’d only been living amongst people for a short while, yet already complaints were being raised, and monsters were being harassed.

Gingerly, you opened a big wooden door, peering through the entrance to see a well-lit pub of sorts. You let the aroma of greasy food wash over you for a moment, your stomach singing its praise. The door fell shut with a dull click, and you wandered toward the bar. The room was mostly empty, aside from one suited dog with a lit treat hanging from his lip, and a rather ill-sick looking rabbit, whose head was currently facedown on the bar’s counter, her feet swinging idly from her perch on the stool.

There was no one at the register, but you could hear the grill in the backroom, and just barely you saw the flickering of a large flame. Behind the register were shelves, filled to the brim with many coloured liquids in an assortment of glasses and bottlesand glasses. On a regular piece of paper, written with nearly perfect calligraphic handwriting was “Help Wanted”.

You couldn’t stop the slight hop in your step at the site of that sign, as you moved closer to the register. The rabbit looked at you wordlessly for a moment, before laying her head back on the counter. The dog yipped once, and you smiled, giving a wave. TheyIt seemed polite.

The crackling from the backroom became louder, and suddenly a man of fire was standing behind the bar, washcloth in one hand, and shot glass in the other. He wiped it down, placed it on the shelf behind him, and fiddled with the other various bottles and tinctures on the shelves.

You felt awkward, standing in silence, watching this fire elemental do busy work. You couldn’t miss the tension in his shoulders, and if you weren’t so nervous, perhaps you’d have been more curious as to how a flame could hold a shape—let alone how a body part made of fire could show tension. How were his clothes not on fire?

“Uhm, I’m sorry, I just saw your ‘help wanted’ sign,” he stills slightly at the tone of your voice, “and I was hoping I could drop off a resume or pick up an application or something, I mean, I know you just opened up and all, and I just moved into the neighbourhood, and uhm, well I mean, sorry, I just would really like to work here—”

You coughed, cutting yourself off.

“Okay, let me restart,” you began again, introducing yourself. Your voice was losing some of its nervous shake, “I’m new in town, and looking for work. I was hoping I could grab an application or drop off my resume.”

At this, the bartender turned toward you, “I can’t pay you in human currency yet,” his voice crackled and popped, like the fire in a campsite. It was comforting, warm, and pleasant.

“That’s okay, there’s an exchange place nearby, and I believe my landlord even accepts Ebott’s coin.”

He nodded, and you swore you could see the hint of a smile on his face—or, whatever the fiery equivalent of one would be. “Well, let me see what I can do for you then, okay?”

“Jennifer,” he rasps, and suddenly that sorry-looking rabbit from earlier springs to life once more. Her ears fly up, twitching, and her nose wriggles as she stretches.

“Yes Cap’n, I’m up. Just needed a break from all the moving, you know?”

“Show Miss, er,” he paused, glancing toward you questioningly.

“I, uh, Kit-Kat is my, kind of, name, but Kit works�� you mumbled, face beginning to heat up with embarrassment.

Kit-Kat was a name you received after your eight year old, sugar-crazed self had, on Halloween, broken into the bags of kit-kats for all the trick-or-treaters and eaten much more than your share. Your mistake was your indulgence of the sweet but crunchy chocolate bars, because, after all, children were not meant to eat so much candy at once.

In the end, you got sick. Amazingly sick. Spectacularly. You missed Halloween. You still liked Kit-Kats.

“Show Miss Kit around, Jen, while I grab some paperwork.”

The rabbit nodded, ears flopping, “Alright sweet pea, let’s chat.”

The bartender retreated to the back, and you turned your attention to the spunky looking rabbit, Jennifer.

“If you’re going to work here, you have to understand, you are welcome to be here, appreciated even, but,” she trailed off for a moment and you felt a pit growing in your stomach at her tone.

“You are not and never will be one of us.”

 The first week of working there wasn’t so bad.

The work was pretty fun, if you were honest. You, who had so much trouble talking to people, had found a suitable compromise. It was easy to serve people drinks or food, share a smile and a laugh, and partake in easy small talk. There was no pressure to be interested in their lives, nor they in yours. You didn’t have to worry about making a good impression because… well… delivering food to hungry patrons was the best impression to make.

Jen’s warning still rung in your mind, though. It tainted each interaction with a seed of doubt. Did they like you? Were you out of place here? Would you be forced to leave? At least she was nice to you, despite her cold words.

All in all, you quite liked your job. The atmosphere of the place was warm and easy, regulars and newcomers alike coming together to share a few drinks and a few stories.

Even Jen had warmed up to your after that initial warning.

She was funny, cracking jokes with you, and the skeleton that regularly showed up on late nights. She was also a flirt with the other customers—and with Grillby himself. It made you laugh to see her throw corny pick-ups at the flaming bar owner. His flame would flicker and sputter, displaying his embarrassment at her silly advances.

 Jen was off in her own world today, counting coins in the register while you wiped down counters for closing.

It was days like these that you felt most at peace.

There you were, dressed in a uniform similar to Grillby’s own, hair pulled back for the convenience. You liked the way the vest fit, hugging to your waist but not making you uncomfortable. Some days you wore black dress pants, other days you work a skirt to go with the uniform. It was whatever the moment called for, whatever struck you as the most comfortable. Jen liked to stick with the skirt, claiming it gave her better tips. You wouldn’t be surprised if that was the truth. (You couldn’t deny she had great curves and was obviously cute).

You swiped up the rag you’d been using to clean the bar top off and meandered over to where a rowdy guest had spilled his drink. There were only a few patrons still inside, the chatter had dulled significantly as the hours stretched on, and the only sound, aside from the counting of coins and you cleaning, came from a grainy jukebox playing slow jazz.

“Hey Kit, you mind closing today?”

You looked over to Jen, who had finished counting the till’s money, “Sure thing, Jen.” You wanted to ask why, but hesitated. You were only just getting Jen to talk to you, did you really want to pry into her life? Would she want you to? You fumbled with the string on your apron for a moment, before speaking up once more, “So, uhm, got plans or something?”

You cringed, unsure if you came across as friendly or nosy, but it seemed Jen didn’t mind either way. In fact, she perked up the moment you asked.

“Oh, honey bun, I’ve got great plans tonight!” She grinned conspiratorially, “I’ve got a date…”

“A date?” You smiled, reaching one hand to push the loose strands of hair from your face, as you ambled closer.

“Yes, dearie, a date!” She shook her shoulders, shimmying with a dopey grin on her face, “and I’ll have you know, he’s a hot catch.”

“literally,” a new voice cut in, belonging to a certain large and rather large-boned skeleton you’d seen frequent the bar on many occasions. He never ordered from you, in the same way some of the monsters purposefully avoided your tables, and you were shocked he was even interacting with you.

Though, from the tension you could see from the way he gripped his bottle of ketchup (something you didn’t even bother to question), he seemed to be shocked too.

His voice was deep, gruff, and you had to admit, you liked it.

“Oh Sansy, shut it! He’s more than just literally hot,” Jen laughed, but you only felt more confused.

There was a joke somewhere in here, but it was flying over your head.

“jen, i’ve got a bone to pick with you,” his grin widened fractionally at his own joke, though he didn’t relax at all, “you’ve been pinning after him for months, lemme celebrate with you. after all, without me you wouldn’t have the backbone to have asked him out.”

Jen snorted, rolling her eyes good naturedly, “Okay Sansy, baby, you’re right.” She turned to you, “I’ve got a hot date with a certain flamesman.”

And suddenly, you understood. Actually, not only did you understand, you were also beyond ecstatic.

Grillby was one of the few monsters who treated you kindly from the get-go—at this point you considered him one of your few friends. You felt comfortable talking to the quiet elemental and cherished the nights you’d closed with him as well as the work he put in to train you to work here. You’d become pretty comfortable working: making food, drinks, and hosting people with a smile.

“Really?” You exclaimed, unable to hold in your excitement.

Sans expression soured as you joined back into the conversation, however he didn’t turn away like the other times you’d walked by.

“Yes, really!” Jen squeaked back, “So, you mind closing for me?”

“Not at all! I’m happy for you!”

She squealed and did something unprecedented: she hugged you around the middle, lifting you off your feet, and spinning you around the pub. It warmed your soul.

 Closing by yourself wasn’t something you were used to. After Jen had left, though, most the patrons also left aside from one: Sans. You didn’t understand why he stayed. Grillbz had left early in the day, so it wasn’t like he was waiting for his friend to get off work. Jen was getting ready for her date with Grillby.

He remained quiet though, just sipping on his ketchup, and flicking through something on his phone. A couple times you’d caught him staring, and you could see the suspicion in his eyes.

It was… to put it mildly, frustrating. You weren’t some criminal. You’d worked there for about a week. You’d been nothing but polite, hard working, and kind. Why did so many of the monsters still hold such distrust of you?

You wish you understood more. Even after a year of living on the surface, there was not much known about the monsters or their abilities. The only thing remarkable that humans learned was about magic, and the brief history of magic. Some humans were excited about the magical potential that monsters claimed humans also had. Others claimed them to be demons and blasphemous, but few groups paid those zealots any mind.

Scientists speculated that with the re-emergence of magic with the monsters, perhaps humans would become more in tune with their own soul, and potentially regain the power to wield magic. However, not much was being done about the research, even a year after the discovery.

It wasn’t until you finished closing down, that Sans finally stood to leave as well. He held open the door for you while you fumbled with the ring of keys. Once the building was locked and secured, he spoke.

“i don’t like humans.”

You nodded, already aware.

“you don’t seem to be bad, though. just don’t fuck up.”

#undertale #undertale fanfiction #fanfiction #sans/reader #sans/female reader #it's raining somewhere else #chapter 1 it's raining somewhere else

[enchanted-flowers]

Bullets and Arsenic Ch.1

This fic is for the 5 coffee goal raffle winner @drdrdrdr12! It was originally suppose to be a mini fic, but the prompt they sent in was so inspiring, I’m turning it into a multichapter fanfiction. Anyway, I hope you like it! 

Rating: T 

*Contains swearing

Read on Ao3

---

Summary: Your parents used to be of high ranks in their mafia, but your parents found loopholes and managed to break up the organized crime once and for all and live a normal family life. Many years after your graduation from college you're still on the radar for information. That became more apparent when you hear quick footsteps behind you and you black out.

---

You’ve been trained in the art of self defense, drilled to be cunning, resourceful, and intelligent all your life, but you don’t know why. Sure, all those qualities lead to success, but your parents always made it seem crucial that you learn those skills, like it’s a matter of life and death. And for your life, it is. Your parents were professors that taught at a university that you graduated from a few years ago, and handled your education themselves. As a kid, your mother taught you to never, ever, go to Ebott City. Ever. At first, this seemed quite random; Ebott City was all the way on the other side of the country, why would you ever go there in the first place?

But then, a few years after you graduated from college, both of your parents died at the same time. Heart attack and heartbreak, the coroner said, but for some reason, you know that’s not what happened. Your dad was the one who had a heart attack, now that you can believe, but your mother dying from heart break? That doesn’t sound like her at all. She was a strong, feisty woman, who took no shit, and although she loved your father, she wouldn’t have let his death destroy her like that. Something about that doesn’t add up. Even if they were strict on you, you loved your parents and you cannot let this rest, so you hop on a train and traveled to Ebott City, knowing that you’d find your answers there.

The second you stepped off the train, you had a sudden feeling that someone, no everyone, was watching you. That feeling was strong enough to make you hesitate and consider going back, but the train is long gone.

You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be here. That mental track replays in your head like a broken record.

You look around you to make sure that what you���re feeling is just nerves. Monsters and humans file in and out of the train station, going about their daily lives, not even taking notice to you, yet you can’t shake your paranoia. Well, you’ve come all this way, might as well get on with it. After wandering around the city for a few hours, you find a reasonably priced boarding house and booked it for a few weeks. You don’t plan on staying that long, but it’s always good to be prepared.

Your room is smaller than you hoped, the large bed taking up most of the space, a wide, wooden dresser placed too close to the door, disabling it’s full swing. There is little room to walk around with a round coffee table and a two seater couch as obstacles. The message is loud and clear.

Without bothering to unpack, you throw on your nicest coat and head to a diner that you found earlier while you were walking around. Wandering the streets of the cold, winter night in Ebott City could be described as lively at best. Sparkling, newly built skyscrapers tower over all the Ebott citizens with flashing lights of different colors. Beautiful, laughing people pass by you, their arms linked in with their partners as their expensive, perfume fills the street in cheers. The music rang joyfully throughout the entire city, the smooth and energetic jazz of the trumpet fueling the life as all responsibility of the mornings are tossed up in the air.

Ducking into a local diner called Grillbys, you’re met with an embrace of warmth, like you could curl up by the fireplace and drink a cup of hot chocolate, while your parents read you a story from their collection. The entire establishment was covered in wooden panels, reminding you of a cozy cabin and the patreons scatter all over the restaurant, some dancing to the tune of the jazz band, the flapper girls swaying their skirts, and some gathered around a table, smoking heavy cigars as they gamble their money away. Hanging your coat on the coat rack, you cut straight to the counter where you’re greeted with a silent blue fire elemental, the shelves behind him stacked with different types of photographs of past customers. One even included the fire elemental shaking hands with a large, goat monster, which you recognize as the mayor of the city.

As you take a seat on the stool, the fire elemental notices you for the first time and jumps back in shock, his white eyes widening behind his glasses, nearly dropping the glass cup he was wiping.

You raise your brow, your nerves ringing in suspicion, “Is there something the matter, Mister? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“An exquisite creature like you, are you not one?” the flame regains his composure and chuckles softly, “What can I get for you, my dear?”

“Just a cup of tea, please,” you order, only glancing at the menu.

“One noodle juice coming right up,” the fire monster goes to work.

You sigh, resting your head in your hands and try to figure out a plan. It’s been over twenty years since your parents moved away from Ebott, but there has to be someone that knew them right? Perhaps records in the library or city hall? For now, you’ll ask around, maybe that waiter knows something.

The fire elemental brings you your hot cup of tea and leans against the counter, “I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new in town? Taking a sip of your drink, you relish in the warm sweetness, the heat melting away all your tensions and relaxing your muscles, “I’m here on business,”

“Oh? What kind of business?” the waiter asks.

“Well, I’m mostly just here for some information,” you shrug, not lying, but not telling the whole truth either.

“You know, people talk a lot in my diner. I might be able to help you,” the flame elemental purrs.

“Your diner? So you’re Grillby then?” you smirk, “Do you know these people?”

You hand him a photograph of your parents taken a year before they died. Grillby’s blue flaming tips flicker to a bright purple then returns to its normal cyan. He stares at the photograph for a few moments, his expression unreadable, like he’s thinking of what to say next rather than trying to recognize your parents. You mentally note down his strange behavior to analyze later.

“Why are you looking for these people?” Grillby asks, handing you back the photograph.

“I thought I was the one who is supposed to be asking questions,” you scowl.

The monster throws his hands up in defense, “No need to get feisty here. But no, I don’t know them.”

You stuff the photo back inside your coat and take a sip of your tea, “Thank you anyway.”

Grillby nods and mutters a “enjoy your drink” then goes off to tend to his other guests. Well, that was unhelpful, but you did at least get a sense that the owner knows a bit more than he lets on. Why would he keep it from you? You don’t know. It only adds to your growing list of questions. As you finish the last drop of your drink, you feel a tap on your shoulder.

“you’re in my seat, darling,” a deep, rough voice rumbles besides your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

Annoyed, you turn around and stand face to face with a skeleton monster in a dapper black suit with a blue tie and worn down fedora, his eye sockets widening and his left eye flickering blue for only an instant. Geez, what’s with the people around here?

“I got here first,” you cross your arms, “Besides I don’t see your name on it.”

“darling, i always sit there. so scram or i’ll make ya,” the skeleton growls, his voice making your heart pound faster.

“Whatever,” you toss your cash on the counter for Grillby and hop off your chair, “I was just leaving anyway,”

You purposely shove him with your shoulder and make your way toward the exit, his intense gaze burning in your back. You leave as quickly as you came.

#underale #mobtale #mafiatale #sans #sans x reader #fanfiction #nhc

[it-refused]

Working Title: Forward, Back (5/?)

Summary:  Knowing what’s going to happen doesn’t mean Sans can stop it.  Maybe he could’ve put it off forever.  Sans decides to go.

Rating: T

Part Summary: Sans has a bad dream and hangs out with Alphys.  There’s robot tag.

>>First Part<<

C/N: Mental Illness

In the middle of a warm sunny day and surrounded by people, Sans felt a shock.  It was like ice water was dumped down the back of his spine.  

He stopped walking and slowly turned around, 180°.  There was a shape, there, behind him.  There was a face, like a mask, with two asymmetrical eye sockets staring right into his.   The figure had a white outline that filled up with bright light that made the inside of Sans' skull loud with static.

Sans slowly lifted his hand.  He had a headache already.  "hey."

He thought he saw shapes, words, shaking in the air.  Sounds, too, almost like a voice.

"sorry, pops," Sans heard himself say.  "didn't get a word of that."  

The voice cut off. Sans blinked rapidly, trying to clear the afterimages from his vision.  Dad was gone.

The person Sans was walking with asked him if he had stopped for a phone call.  

"nah.  you didn't see the weirdo following us?  heh."  

No one else would see him.  Sans knew that.  Dad was shattered across time and space. There were a couple bigger pieces hanging around.  He wasn't so much stopping for a visit as he was just a little bit always there.

Well, there was no fixing it.  

That night he uncovered his homemade telescope and fussed with it for a little while.  He'd tossed a tarp over it after his last visit from his dad, intending to leave it outside until it rotted.  The months hadn't been kind to it, but it hadn't gone completely back to its natural garbage state quite yet.

"hey, pops," Sans said.  "you there?"  

Everything stayed quiet.  

"oh well.   look, you trying to tell me something?  you've been showing up a lot lately.  now's your chance.  you show up right now, i'm all ears.  heh."  He finished setting up and peered through the eye piece.  "lay it on me."

No visions, no sound.  Whatever triggered the visits wasn't happening.  Sans hung around and found all the planets that were visible.  If anyone asked what he'd been up do, he'd tell them he was "checking out uranus" and they'd probably leave it alone.  

The night stayed quiet.

--

Something felt off-kilter.  The smell of dust in the lab was thick, overpowering. Sans was looking at blueprints, and was sure he had never been doing anything else.

He couldn't make out specific words or lines on the blueprints anymore, but they seemed to have meaning, anyway.  They shifted and he was struck by a realization.  The answer had been staring him in the face.  He could fix everything, now.

Sans knew he needed to call Alphys so she could bring over materials and confirm he was correct.  He reached for his phone.

He woke and, not entirely aware yet, he fumbled for his real phone and brought up Alphys' number.  

Sans rubbed his head and groaned.  What a stupid dream.  At least a real nightmare made a cool story.  

Before he set the phone back on the nightstand, he took another look at the picture he had set for Alphys' contact info.  She was in one of her cosplay wigs.  Undyne had her arm over her shoulders, and Alphys looked happy.  

The details of the dream were slipping away, but that didn't matter. When he'd had that one before and tried to hold onto them, his burst of inspiration always turned out to be something like rubbing the broken machine with vinegar or sticking a car engine into it and having Papyrus drive it.  His idea was always something random related to what he'd been doing that day.

Sans wished his own head would quit jerking him around.

Grillby made a confused crackling sound and pushed at the hand Sans was still holding the phone in.  His meaning was clear enough.  He should put it down and go back to sleep.

"snack time.  want me to grab something for you?"

Grillby dropped his head back down.  

"more for me."

Sans carried his phone into the living room.  Soozen was on the couch, an entire box of cookies (box included) halfway in her mouth.

"hey, kiddo," Sans said.  He noticed she had an unopened bag of chips next to her, too.  Maybe Papyrus was right when he said there was a major growth spurt on the horizon.  "let me have some chips and what's happening here is between you and me."  

She nodded.  The pact was sealed.  

He carried his phone and a handful of chips into the kitchen and settled in at the table.  It was a little after four in the morning.

"heeeeey, alphys, my best buddy."  

"S-sans? What the hell are you--wait.  is-is someone sick? Dead??"  Her voice went up in pitch the longer she talked.

"nah."

"W-well, good!  I was about to say 'someone better be dead' and then I thought 'what if they actually are, Alphys, oh my god?'"  

"you up?"

"No!  Well, now I am!!  I guess!"  He heard her sigh.  "I didn't want to wake up Undyne answering my phone in the middle of the night, like a jerk."

Yeah, this was a bad idea.  Still, Sans felt himself relaxing, hearing her voice.  She'd really tried to help him, back in the day.  

He hadn't been the best friend to her.  He wanted to excuse himself because he'd been dealing with a lot at the same time she was, but that was probably just a cheap excuse for being lazy.  

"geez, it's later than i thought.  sorry, buddy."  

"Uhoh. I know what this is!"

"uh. what is it."

"It's been years since we had a, you know, club meeting."  

"oh right."  

"W-well then, get over here.  I, uh, have a couple movies we could watch and I can grab some snacks!  I mean, if you want."

It was their club for monsters with shit sleeping schedules.  It met only in the middle of the night and they were the only members. Alphys was the founder and she had given Sans the title "first officer."  He hadn't wanted it.

Sans didn't reply right away, so the next thing Alphys said had a nervous edge to it.

"...that's not why you c-called, is it?  God, sorry, just please tell me what it is so I can climb out the bottom of this trash can, okay?"  

"nah. that was it."  He'd just wanted to hear her say something, but getting out of the house actually sounded like a good idea.  "i'll be there--" he took a short cut "--two seconds ago." He spoke from directly behind her.

She jumped and electricity bolted out of the end of her phone.  She was still holding it to her ear, so the lightning singed the floor.  

A panel in the wall opened up and a small robot rolled up to the spot and hit it with a fire extinguisher.  

"Sans! Just for that, we're watching the movie I know you'll hate."

"i'll watch anything," Sans said.

She patted the little robot on the head.  "Even if you don't like it, you should at least appreciate it.  The animation is top tier even if the fanservice almost crosses the line into exploitation.  Uh.  It’s sci fi!"  

They went downstairs into her work room.  Robot parts were scattered around and plans were tacked up on the wall next to pictures of anime characters Alphys found inspirational.  There was an old, worn couch in the back of the room for her to pass out on if she'd worked too long without taking a break, and a very expensive looking television in front of that.  Sans would've gone for the nice couch and the crap TV if he'd been the one making the choice, but everyone had their own priorities.  

"This really takes me back!"  Alphys said, as she set up the television.  "Feeling like garbage in some dirty basement in the middle of the night!"

"yeah. i'm getting all, uh, nostalgic."  

"Right?? Except, in the bad way?  Like, thank god I'm not back then!   Nostalgic for right now?  No, ignore me.  That doesn't make any sense."

"i dunno."  Sans yawned and stretched out.  He needed to send a message to Grillby, but he didn't want to wake him up again.  "feels like we're all still back down there sometimes, anyway."  Time travel was a rip off, Sans decided.  All you had to do to stay in the past was have a lot of messed up stuff happen so you always felt like part of you was back there when it happened.  All that scientific research and there'd turned out to be a much lazier way to go back that didn't risk destroying reality.

"God!   You're in a bad mood."  She sat down next to him.  "But, yeah.  I wake up in the middle of the night and come down here, and when I open the door I feel like I'm going to step right into my old lab and all the stuff I did to make that...not right, really, but better--it's going to just be gone."

"that sucks."  He patted her arm.  

"Yeah, I know!"   She turned on the movie.  

There was an edge to the conversation.  There was always that chance that it could literally happen--they could wake up back then, and everything good they'd had since then would be gone.  That sucked.  

He was really tired.

Sans watched an anime character with carefully but unbelievably animated breasts swoop around in the movie intro.  "wow."  Well, this was distracting.  

Alphys started to explain the plot, since it was a movie based on an anime Sans hadn't seen.  Sans started to fall asleep.

He heard footsteps tromping down the stairs, and opened one eye socket to see if it was Undyne or one of the kids.  

"Hey!"   Undyne stage whispered.  "When did this loser get here?"

Alphys paused the show.  

"hey," Sans said.  "you can see i'm awake, pal."  

"Oh!  Sorry!  When'd you get here, loser?"  She laughed and came over to smack him affectionately on the shoulder, but he decided to sit on the other side of the couch.

"Uh, we decided to watch a movie," Alphys said.  "Kind of a weird time for it, but...um..."

"nah. i think you've gotta watch a show like this when no one else is awake."

"Time is a meaningless social construct anyway, am I right?  Eheheheh..."

"Well, shove over and let me watch, too!  I love this one!"  

Now that Undyne was there, she and Alphys started to discuss the intricacies of the plot.  Sans' skull fell back and he let their impassioned discussion of something he didn't care about act as white noise to nod off to.  

"So, what's his deal?"  Undyne asked.  Sans was still awake, but he guessed he looked like he was out.

"Ummm...like a bad dream, maybe," Alphys said.  

"still awake," Sans said, before the conversation got embarrassing. "maybe i just missed the sound of alphys' voice.  you think of that?"

"Ha, right!"  Undyne reached over Alphys and gripped his shoulder. "Just cop to it!  No one cares!  We're not going to think you're any more of a wimp because you had a nightmare.  I have them all the time, and I can kick anyone's butt!"

"It's true!  It's completely normal," Alphys said.  "The kids get them pretty bad."

"We woke up just a couple nights ago because Striker was wailing her friggin heads off.  I couldn't even get it out of her what she'd been dreaming about."

"man, you two are really giving me a revelation here.  people have bad dreams.  wow, thanks."  

"Hey, Sans?  Don't be a jerk!" Alphys said.

"yeah, sorry.  you're helping me out."  And neither of them had even mentioned that they probably had to get up early and haul some kids to school.

"And don't forget it!"  Undyne's hand was digging in so hard he was starting to worry about HP loss.  "Because we'll do it any time, no problem."  She was smiling.

Jeez, he really must look like he was messed up.  "thanks."

She sighed and let go of him.  He rotated his shoulder.  It still worked, some how.  "You know--this movie's great, but there's something that really distracts me when I need it!"  

"ok?"

"Robot tag!"  She jumped up and grabbed a loose robot arm off the floor.  It looked a little like an extra one of Mettaton's.  

"Maybe we should just watch the show?"  Alphys said.  

Undyne came after her with the robot arm.  

"W-wait! Let me get a hiding space, or a head start--or something!" Alphys scrambled off the couch.  

"you'd better get armed, alphs," Sans said.  

"You aren't getting out of this, either!" Undyne said.  "Arm YOURSELF!"

"k."  He got off the couch and picked up the closest robot leg.  

Sans spent half an hour leaning against the edge of the couch holding a robot leg while Alphys and Undyne chased each other around their basement.  It did give him something to look at when the women in Alphys' movie started to get weird.  

Undyne suddenly charged at him and he dodged out of the way to the other side of the couch.  Alphys popped right up from where she'd been hiding behind it and booped him in the back of the skull with a robot hand.  

Alphys laughed, delighted at herself.  "You're so predictable!"

"And, you're SO IT!"  Undyne added.  "Teaming up is the key to victory!"  She ran over and gave Alphys' robot hand a high five with her robot arm.  

That was a little annoying.  "k," Sans said.  

"N-nothing can defeat the p-power of...of...love!  And friendship!" Alphys exclaimed.  They were both so excited about tagging him.  

"k."   He decided to get Alphys back, since she was the one who actually got him.  He looked at her.

"Jeez...uh...maybe...tone down your creep eye?"  Alphys said.  "And, um---no tag backs!"

Sans was sure that wasn't true, since Alphys and Undyne had been chasing each other and mostly ignoring him until then, but ok.  He turned his glowy blue eye that was totally cool and not at all creepy onto Undyne.

"I'd like to see you TRY, punk!"

"ok."

When Grillby asked him how his late night hang-out with Alphys had gone, Sans shrugged and said "it was mostly just weird."  The game had ended for Sans when a stampede of children came down the stairs at six in the morning and joined in.  He'd given up his leg to some tyke way more excited about physical activity than he was, and gone home.  

He finished watching the movie at home.  He hated it, sure, but he still needed to know the ending.  Alphys gloated when he told her that, and said there was a sequel if he needed to stop by again.  

He had the best friends in the world.  

>>Next Part<<

#sansby #my fic #fanfic #fb fic

[cosplayg33k]

Sol’s Flare

Written by - @that-cosplay-sans Edited by - @rsfoster Based on Outertale “Sol” Grillby design by @pyramidheaddezby art link: http://pyramidheaddezby.tumblr.com/post/155234086973/pyramidheaddezby-16-hours-later-he-is-finally

The way to the place was a unique glimmering walkway of swirling stars and galaxies; that created a path to the entrance of the restaurant next to the resort.  I checked myself in the reflection of the dark glass one last time, straightened my dress, made sure no feathers were ruffled and my beak well glossed. Giving my reflection a nod; I resolved that, yes, I had the air of a regular patreon.  I hoped so anyway.  I had come for something particular after all.  Through rumors floating through the local station by the comet stream; I had heard the bartender was capable of mixing drinks that could aid monsters in various ways.  Hell, it is even said that the one week when my boss was rather relaxed it was because he ordered a drink from the bartender here. 

  Taking a deep breath I approached  the door, letting it slide open to admit me in.  Before me sprawled a large, open venue with many tables floating about and set elegantly. Tablecloths, silverware, and delicate glasses ready for guests, each adorned with dim orbs of light flickering above the table’s surface.  There were a few creatures still dining at these tables, given how late the hour was. .  Most had taken to the large, circular bar in the center of the room.  The bar itself gleamed like a jewel in the venue.  The enormous crystal structure in the center shone with many brilliant colors, as many spheres  seemingly danced and floated in and around the  structure.  Making my way over to the bar, I looked up for a moment at the ceiling of clear glass that framed  the vast universe beyond with gold trim panels. Elegant crystal chandeliers floating beautifully around the enclosed space in lazy intervals.  This impressive display fit well with the monster that controlled it all.  

An elegant looking blue fire elemental, who was wearing a handsome gold trimmed suit. The embroidered fabric decorated with stars and constellations shimmering upon it is the star of this show.  His fluid stride nearly a dance across the galaxy he had created in his domain. The enormous crystal structure behind him illuminating with new vibrant colors each step he took towards it.  Entranced, I took a seat at one of the stools hovering at the bar.  A small hologram menu popped up in front of me but I had no interest in it as I continued to watch the bartender approach a monster a few seats away .  After a short conversation, the planets floating near to the fire elemental began to sway and spin around him.  As the planets did this, the tips of his gloves and his sleeves began to glow.  The glow brightened each time he touched one of the planets and guided what seemed to be some… liquid from them to the glass that materialized before him.  The show of this ability was impressive  as this  seemed to capture the attention of most of the monsters surrounding the bar.  

He soon placed the drink in front of the monster he served, and exchanged a few more words with them  before they  reached out with a strange tendril-like appendage to accept the beverage.  I looked on with admiration as it sipped  the concoction, their  strange features seemed to relax soon after setting down the glass. A significant portion of the liquid now missing from it.  Seeing how quickly the drink took effect made me feel more anxious; if not a little excited, for what I was about to ask for.

“Welcome to Grillby’s” a silken voice rang clearly before me, causing me to jolt.  I turned to the source of the voice, my eyes looking up to rest upon the smooth, mature features of the fiery host who stood before me.  He was even more handsome up close.  “I see you did not choose anything from the menu, I presume you know what you would like.  A returning customer, by chance?” He questioned, with an inviting smile.

“It is my first time here, actually.” I fidgeted a little with my feathers, though I was trying to appear as if I knew what I was doing.

“Ah, I see, well, my name is Sol.  I will serve you this evening.  Perhaps I could suggest that you try Today’s Planet “Muntaria”?  It is quite refreshing, you can taste how healthy the trees of this planet are kept. ” he offered, guiding a decently sized blue-green planet around to demonstrate.

“Ah… well… t-thank you but, I’m actually here looking for something... specific?” I answered in a more timid manner now as I couldn’t help but notice how suave he appeared   His long white tipped flames held back in a neat ponytail floating and flickering about lightly. Paired with the smolder in his eyes, his blazing irises gently meet with my gaze. I felt my soul flutter a bit.

“Oh? What may that be?” he raised an inquisitive brow.

I looked down at the surface of the bar as I summoned the courage to request the drink I was searching for.  “I… I need inspiration. Creative inspiration… if there is a way to be specific with a request.  I want to do something... I just can’t seem to come up with anything.  All I’ve seen in my head lately is a blank page. I was told that coming here could, possibly, help.”

Looking up, my eyes were met with what could be either a surprised or impressed look on Sol’s features. He then shut his eyes in quiet serenity for a moment; his brows slightly knitting together as he seemed to think and concentrate on my request. His eyes opened again and met with mine once more.  “That is a rather… specific request. However, I do have something for that.  One moment.”

Sol turned and headed toward the crystal structure seated in the middle of the bar.  The floor lit up once he snapped his fingers and he hopped up to weightlessly float about the crystal structure. Reaching toward one of the higher crystals, he called forth a smaller orb out from it.  It went to him swiftly before he descended and snapped his fingers again, the lights faded out.  Turning back around, he walked up to me to reveal a strange planet, smaller than any of the ones he had around him.   It was covered in fiery volcanos, lava flowing freely, giving it an orange glow.  There were seemingly great trenches that lined its surface brimming with molten rock. They hissed and steamed when met by the molten rock.

“What is this?”

“A planet of fire and water that orbits just a bit close to it’s star. It is a rather unique world though. It’s makeup allows for rare and anomalous gems to form.”

“Wow.  Where would you find something like that?”

Sol pointed up at a set of stars through the glass roof overhead.  “Those stars form the constellation “Pisces”, one of the human astrological signs. This planet is from the star known as “Gamma Piscium” in that constellation.”

My eyes widened as I looked from the stars that he presented to me, back down to the swirling orb he floating above his hand.  Impressive no longer seemed like an adequate term for what he could fabricate.  No, he definitely deserved a more fitting word  for what he had mixed.  My eyes met with his again.  A strange feeling caused my feathers to ruffle a bit as I noted a serious look playing on his features.  

“This planet is still in the midst of creating itself, I had no hand in making this one and these are not too common to find in such a pristine condition.  So… I must warn you  You will, most likely, have to open a tab with me.”

“H-how much are we talking?”

“5,000 G”

I felt my heart drop.  I was ready to use some serious money but NOT that amount.  I felt a knot in my throat.

Sol sighed softly, his expression said it all.  “It is alright if you open a tab, so long as you pay it.”

  “I know I can do that b-but, I am not sure how long it will be until I can fully pay you back” I replied meekly, voice trailing off now feeling very uncertain. .

   “As long as you pay, that is all that really matters.  After all, at least you are offering to pay.  Heh, I have at least one customers who do less than that.” The slight smile and twinge of distant irritation crossed his lucid features.

   I couldn’t help but wonder what Sol meant by that for a moment but, my mind was more concerned with my current situation.  After all, what was floating in front of me was the very solution to my problems.  However… the price was steep.  It would take me months to pay that off with my current job.

   “So, what will it be then?”

   I looked at the planet floating in between us, then back up to Sol, my gaze falling  back  on the planet.  A sigh escaped as I contemplated my decision. Weighing how this could help me and how I would try to pay back such an amount.  I finally decided, “Yes, I’ll open a tab.  Here is the first 400G to pay for it.”

   Giving a graceful smile, Sol nodded, accepting the payment I had placed on the bar. “I will make you a most remarkable drink.”

   His face became calm, quiet focus settling into his presence as the planets began to flit around him.  The glow from his gloves and sleeves brightened as he began by first drawing forth some of the liquids from small planet and placed  them into a martini glass that had appeared on the bar before me.  He then took a step back and the planets around him began to swirl and sway as he put on something of a show.  He drew out  liquids from both a blue and an ash coloured planet mixing them mid-air as he gently guided the mix to rest atop the amber  liquid nestled within the glass.  With a final spin, Sol removed out a small orange stone from the diminutive planet and placed it on the glass as a garnish, it had become candy in his hand.

   Stepping forward he gently picked up the glass and placed it before me. The drink  gleamed, even after it’s maker’s hand was dexterously swept from the glass. “I hope you will genuinely enjoy this finely crafted drink, miss.” he ended, before stepping away. Staring down at what was before me, I found myself fascinated with how he created such a beverage. .  That such a monster could have the power to create a drink from summoning liquids of planets was one hell of a talent.  

   I wrapped my feathers around the glass and lifted it to my beak beginning  to drink down some of it’s  unusual glowing ambrosia.  After a sip, I set the glass back onto the counter as I attempting  to savor what I had drained.  The flavor was so raw to start. Practically overwhelming my senses before it began to smooth into mulled  earthy notes.  It’s stark and evolving flavor  unlike any other drink I had before; it’s evidence of magic  was quite potent.  So much so, I felt my feathers ruffle up slightly  as  a shiver ran  across my body. I looked down at the glass and noticed that I  only finished a fourth of it’s contents--but  could already feel it’s magic beginning to pulse through me.  

I  decisively lifted the glass again to take another swig,  letting more of it’s essence  wash past my beak and across my palate.  I could taste such wondrous flavors this time, more so than what I tasted before.  It all came in waves this time, starting with the nearly overwhelming, robust flavors of roasted chestnuts and warm cinnamon.  They eventually faded into gentle honeyed notes  that soothed my jarred senses. As the sensations ceased,  there were a few impressions of bitterness as a sweet cool chased  the drink on it’s way down.  Another  shudder  ran up my spine now as I began to really feel something akin to  a raw energy surging inside of me. Gazing downward at the glass; there was scarcely  a fourth of the libation  remaining. With a quiet smirk, I took up the crystal tumbler  again, popping  the garnish into my beak. which It’s taste  much like a candied fruit, then spent  the residual   liquid.

As I sat  and contemplated the flavors that I had come to know, I began to  feel as if there  was a raw energy pulsing within me.  It came in waves, just like the refreshment . Rippling through my body to be  followed by another feeling that smoothed and leveled the  initial energy;   settling me into a feeling of comfort.  This was similar to the comfortable familiarity of my school days; time spent learning and practicing my art.  Eager to take on the world; trying to get everything at once before I finally had a better feel for my craft.  I could feel the… THIS WAS IT!!!  

“Thank you so much!”  I called out to the bartender before rushing out the door.  My mind buzzing with many new ideas.  All sorts of new ways to show monsters beautiful new things.

A few weeks had passed since the night a certain bird monster had stopped by for a drink at his bar.  Sol received a message as he pulled his flames back into their usual red hair tie.  He reached  for his gold-trimmed coat, pressing  on the floating screen to open the message.  It was from the bird monster,  A note with an attachment of 4,600G. Scanning over the note, the flame elemental smiled seeing that his work had, once again, aided a fellow monster.

He pulled on  his coat as he began to leave, closing  the message as he quietly  muttered two simple words.

“.........good job.”

#Outertale #Grillby #Sol #Undertale #Undertale AU #my writing #not my art #PyramidHeadDezby #with her AMAZING CHARACTER DESIGN #IT INSPIRED THIS #HE IS SO COOL #LOVE IT #GIFT #RSFoster #is a wonderful person #i appreciate all the help you gave in editing this #omg #heroes #thank you #both of you are so awesome #<3 #HUGS