#also frisk... my sweet summer child I

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Welcome to Backwater ch.19 (spicyhoney)

Summary: Stretch has been through a lot in his short time in Backwater, but there's always the Dorothy option.

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Read ‘The Dorothy Option’ on AO3

or

Read it here!

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As much as things changed, they also stayed the same. But they still changed and there wasn’t a damn thing Stretch could do about it. He never could.

After Red cut him loose from the shop for the day, walking across the main street to the movie theater was the same, but the breeze cutting through the sweltering heat was different. A couple days ago, Stretch would have eagerly lifted his face into it, let it dry the sweat rolling from his skull and basked in the cooling effect.

Today it was a reminder that summer was actually ending, and autumn was creeping in one slow step at a time. He’d always liked the fall season since they came to the surface, there was no such thing in the Underground. But now that he knew what was coming with the end of the harvest season, it only made him a little sad. It wouldn’t be too long until the scarecrow pole in all the fields was empty.

Stretch paused outside the theater, looking back towards the shop and past it, to the forest behind it. He was too far away to hear the rustling leaves, still green and vibrant, untouched thus far by the changing season. He could still hear it somehow, like a leftover echo, the memory of that sound loud in his head as he turned back to the theater, the constant chatter of leaves scratching inside his skull.

The sound cut off like a stopped tape recorder as the door swung shut behind him. Igor was right inside, looking a lot like an out of work funeral director in his threadbare suit. He looked up from where he was sweeping dandruffy bits of popcorn into a pile and wordlessly went behind the counter to scoop out two cartons of fresher stuff. The dilapidated marquee over the concession stand had only one title on it. ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

“weren’t you playing this flick just a couple weeks ago?” Stretch asked curiously, handing over a fiver.

“Popular movie around here,” Igor told him, tonelessly. Yeah, okay, movies about Kansas and great farming fields, and wonderous unknown worlds where danger lurked. Wasn’t hard to see how people around Backwater could form a parallel to that, hell, there was probably a shrine to Judy Garland in every house on the street, set up with offerings of corn and tiny water buckets.

He looked down at the popcorn cartons that were sitting on the counter, the smell of fresh melted butter rising, and asked abruptly, “can i get a box of raisinets, too?”

Igor nodded and took back the single bill he’d laid down, the box of candy rattling loudly as he set it on the countertop.

Stretch took it and the popcorn and headed into the theater. What was that about, he wondered. He didn’t even like raisins. Maybe he’d take them back for Red.

The theater was empty, without so much as an abandoned soda cup in the aisles and the floor still swept entirely clean. So much for people loving this movie. Stretch sat down in the far back row with his popcorn and candy to wait.

Right on schedule, the lights went low, the MGM logo came up, and then with a swell of music Kansas appeared in a grainy sepia.

He’d seen the Wizard of Oz before coming to Backwater. The first time he’d seen it, they were still in the Underground and it was hard not to make the odd mental comparisons when they came to the surface. Now that he was here in this town, Stretch related to Dorothy more than ever. A stranger in a strange land, sure, but the scarecrow sidekick was pretty damn specific. Would Edgar Allen even know what the yellow brick road was? He was pretty sure the scarecrow in his life didn’t get out of his fields much, if ever.

Never going anywhere, never really living. He sat out there in fields with corn and crows for company, guardian and prison as one. Stretch wondered if that was as sad as his mind kept trying to make it or was he putting his own pathos on an anthropomorphic personification of a scarecrow. Maybe Edgar Allen was perfectly happy with his lot in life. Hell, maybe he was looking forward to the harvest season and a chance to rest without the corn chattering to him all the time, it was possible.

Thinking that made him feel a little better about the situation and Stretch sank back into his chair and munched on another buttery handful of popcorn.

He was so absorbed in the movie that at first, he didn’t notice the seat next to him was no longer empty. A blood-streaked hand reaching towards the other carton of popcorn was his first clue and Stretch bit back a yelp, soul hammering in his ribcage as he inwardly cursed himself for being so jumpy. Wasn’t like he hadn’t seen this before, loads of times now, it was what he bought the second carton for.

“hey, there,” Stretch said softly to his ghostly companion. “sorry it’s been a few days.”

“That’s all right,” Doris told him, her faint voice barely audible over the strains of ‘We’re off to see the Wizard.

The Tin Man was lamenting his lack of heart by the time Doris spoke again, tentatively and filled with quiet apology. “I’m very sorry, I feel as if I should know your name, but…”

Oh. Stretch closed his sockets briefly. Damn it, Red warned him about this, to not be surprised if she didn’t remember him. He didn’t allow the faint sting of hurt to show. It wasn’t her fault, it was entirely the fault of whoever had blown away part of her head and left her here to haunt a lonely, dilapidated old theater until it was time for her to go wherever ghosts did when they moved on.

Whoever it was that did this to her, stole her life and left her mostly alone in death, Stretch hoped they felt that sin clawing its way up their back long after they went to the hereafter.

“it’s okay, doris,” he said as gently as he could while Judy Garland danced across the screen, “it’s stretch, like a rubber band.”

“Yes! Stretch!” she laughed delightedly. She clapped her gloved hands together like a child. “Yes, that’s it. It was on the tip of my tongue when I saw you brought me popcorn, but I couldn’t quite shake it loose.”

No surprise there, half the time she didn’t have much tongue left.

She leaned in over her carton to take a deep, ghostly breath and twin streamers of blood ran from her nostrils. His appetite for popcorn faded and Stretch fumbled out the box of raisinets. The cheap milk chocolate barely masked the taste of the raisins and he grimaced, chewing gamely even though the texture always made him think of eating bugs. Dirt-flavored bugs in chocolate, who the hell came up with this so-called treat and were they appropriately punished for it. He could only hope.

They sat together in silence, watching the movie, and by the time the trio made it to the Emerald City, Stretch was squirming in his seat. Doris’s appearance broke the distracting spell of the movie and now his thoughts were wandering back to that morning and Edge’s sudden appearance in the store with so much worry on his pale face. Then there was that soft, unexpected kiss, so sweet against his cheekbone, a punctuation mark on the end of a silent paragraph and maybe he needed someone else to give it a read.

“doris, can i ask you something?”

She turned to him, the ruin of her head solidifying into a pretty young woman as she tilted it curiously. “Of course.”

“it’s kinda a long story.”

She folded her gloved hands primly into her lap. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

And that was her real tragedy, wasn’t it. She was tied to this crumbling old theater, unable to go where she needed to. He didn’t know what happened to ghosts once the building they were tied to was gone. But this place was on its last legs and if it closed, the cushions of empty seats rotting away and the silver screen silent, where did she go? He hoped it was someplace nice, a place where she could rest and always be beautiful, without bringing along the gory remains of her last minutes of life.

But they were working on his issues right now. “it’s about a guy.”

Doris brightened visibly and literally, going briefly more solid. “That Edge person you were speaking of before? The other skeleton.”

“yeah,” Stretch said, relieved. He hadn’t been sure how to bring up what they’d talked about before without making her feel bad for not remembering. “see, it’s like this—"

Doris sat and listened as he talked, as enthralled as she’d been when watching the movie. It was like last time when he’d came to ask her about Edgar Allen; she never flickered when she gave him the full weight of her attention.

It might be bad for the theater to have so many empty seats in the house, but it was good for people with the bad manners to talk over the movie. Stretch told her everything, didn’t hold back a thing. About meeting Edge in Red’s living room and his attempted lamp-ocide, about their impromptu lunch at Mama’s. About his brief starring role as little orange biking hood when he ventured to their cabin in the woods, about Frisk. The only thing he didn’t mention was the whole ‘me from another universe’ thing. That was a lot for even him to bend his mind around and his was still in one piece. Doris never interrupted, listened all the way to the end, until Stretch was nearly hoarse as he said, "…so what do you think?"

"Hmm. He certainly sounds charming, in a rude sort of way. My, it makes me think of Pride and Prejudice," she laughed softly. "Although your Mister Darcy showed his true nature far sooner in your tale.”

Thinking of Edge’s hips in a pair of those tight old-school trousers while he danced a waltz was not at all helping the situation and Stretch shoved that thought deep into a mental closet for later.

“but what should i do? he confuses me so much i don’t know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt around him.” He slid down in the chair until his skull was resting on the back. “and then there’s red to think about, he’s done so much for me. he says he’s not worried about his brother, but…” Stretch trailed off and held up his empty hands.

She nodded thoughtfully. “But you don’t want to stir up trouble in their family, especially since it seems they already have some rough waters.”

“yeah,” Stretch agreed, tiredly. He knew something about stormy weather in a sibling relationship. The last thing he wanted to do to Red and Edge was bring in rainclouds of his own.

“I think you should talk to him,” she said at last. “Tell him what you’re feeling. It seems to me he’d listen to you and he wouldn’t…” Doris’s mouth moved but her words faded. Her pretty visage changed gruesomely, a full show of her shattered face and skull, the fragile bits of bone littered across one shoulder while blood filled the ruin of her eye socket.

Stretch swallowed hard and didn’t look away, waiting until she slowly returned to appearance of a lovely young woman who was finishing triumphantly, “…and who knows what will come of it after that!”

Okay, well, half an advice was better than none and he sure wasn’t gonna ask her to repeat herself.

So. Talk to him. Right. Not bad advice, maybe a little generic, but then, Doris didn’t know about his past history when it came to relationships. She also didn’t know that Backwater wasn’t a permanent assignment for him. He wasn’t too sure about bringing that up, not when it affected her, too. Maybe it would be better to let her forget him when he was gone; with her memory, she might not even realize what she was missing aside from the occasional wistful thought about a spare carton of popcorn.

But she wasn’t wrong, either. Much as he wanted to continue skipping through his life of avoidance, there was only one way he was going to get any real answers. Maybe it was time to figure out exactly where he and Edge stood. His sense of balance in life was pretty damn shaky as it was, and Backwater seemed to treat the laws of reality as more like suggestions. Why would the laws of gravity be any different?

Plus, there was another mystery Stretch was looking to unravel and he was already working on a plan for that. He owed some gratitude to a bony skeleton dragon in the woods and Stretch wasn’t keen on owing debts.

Doris folded her hands into her lap primly. “So? What are you going to do?”

“eh,” Stretch let out a little laugh, “something stupid.”

“Oh.” Doris pursed her lips. “Is it safe?”

“nope,” Stretch said cheerfully and poured himself out another handful of chocolate pseudo-bugs. “but i’ve stayed alive so far. may as well press my luck.”

On the screen, Dorothy was repeating her most famous line and he had to agree, there was no place like home. His only problem with it was that he was starting to get a little fuzzy on where exactly that was.

~~*~~

tbc

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #welcome to backwater

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Wet Sugar” [Part 1 of 30]

Summary: Erik Stevens has fully embraced his new identity as Killmonger and infiltrated a mercenary group with ties to Ulysses Klaue. Invited to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to meet for the first time, Klaue is impressed with Erik, unaware that the man before him is the son of Prince N'Jobu Udaku, a man he betrayed on a failed mission in Wakanda years ago.

Erik ingratiates himself to Klaue and is found to be a useful member of the new mercenary team the black market arms dealer and smuggler is putting together.

As a reward for hard and profitable work for him, Ulysses allows Erik to stay a summer at his stash/safe house to keep a close eye on some stolen artifacts hidden there. Erik uses that time to hatch the long term plan of using Klaue to gain access to Wakanda, however, he becomes distracted by  Klaue's housekeeper who allows Erik glimpses into a possible different life he could have if he ever let go of his plans for revenge...

For mature audiences only. NSFW. 

C.W.: Some violence in the beginning.

Please let me know what you think, share/reblog/etc. Off to get the next update up and ready!

"Bad man, nuh talk, West London me walk No bad vibes in mi yard, or yuh hear di ting back (boom) Gyally dem ah call, see the money and the car Celly ah ring off, rum-rum, haffi start, ya hear me? Mi buss ah Champ' and then they watch we, ya hear me? Mi have di liquor and di big tree, ya hear me? No commotion in my circle Potent herb and a sweet, sweet girl Take you 'round the world No-no-no bad vibes in my yard, hmm Inna my yard, inna my yard, inna my yard…"

Goldlink – "Yard"

What's past is prologue…

Ulysses Klaue had heard rumors of a large hoard of ancient gold coins worth €4 million hidden inside Assyrian-era giant winged bulls. The entire cache of five-foot statues themselves could not be transported nor disguised because of their weight and size, but some of the heads were removed and sold on the black market. Dating back 3,000 years, they were a hot commodity after the destruction of the Mosul Museum in Iraq. Klaue knew this because he had buyers salivating for a chance to procure the heads. And some of those heads had coins hidden in them. It was why he found himself standing now in front of a tall young Black man, American, with gold slugs on his two bottom canines, and a mop of neatly braided locs.

Klaue stared at the intel he had on his field computer.

"You're saying the statues we're looking for are gone already?" Klaue asked.

"ISIL already transported all that shit."

Wide-legged stance, protective ballistic body armor draped over an impressive build, his hands holding an AR-15 pointed right at Klaue's head, this man was in control of the situation. He had five other men from his team standing behind him backing him up with their weapons drawn too. Serious beefy looking men who would shoot if their leader even blinked. The red dot on Klaue's chest was a polite way of letting him know there were snipers on his ass too.

"Stand down," Klaue ordered his men behind him. A rough motley crew of six international soldiers of fortune.

"Alhusul ealaa al'ashya' alkhasat bihim," the Black man said.

Men that Klaue and his team didn't even know were behind them materialized like ghosts, snatching up their weapons and frisking them for more.

"Is this necessary?" Klaue asked as a thick-set mercenary felt on his balls and behind his back squeezing his ass.

"Gotta be thorough in this bitch."

Klaue smirked.

"May I ask who I have the pleasure of getting my nuts tweaked by?" Klaue said.

The man rolled his tongue along his bottom teeth, the gold slugs shining in the sunset. He nodded his head to his team to round Klaue's men up. Once the men were secured and a non-threat, the man lowered his weapon. His dark brown eyes were razor sharp and they regarded Klaue with calculated verve.

"Killmonger."

###

The oldest profession in the world was prostitution.

The second…killers for hire.

Of course, there were kinder more veiled names for mercenaries nowadays:

Soldiers of Fortune.

Private Military Contractors.

Professional Hired Fighters.

Dogs of War.

But Erik "Killmonger" Stevens knew what it was. Murder Incorporated—monetized madness.

The business of war was to keep a perpetual cycle of conflict all over the world so fat cats could make their coins under the guise of professional conflict management. If his mother were still alive, she would say what she always said around her women friends and his very own father…men were trash.

And she was right.

Unfortunately, she gave birth to a son who had to maneuver among the garbage so that he could fulfill his destiny. A destiny of revenge. A making right of what had been wrong for so long.

On the days that he did have downtime and could sit and do nothing at all, Erik would catch a news report or some ticker tape lede on the bottom of C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC, or the BBC—just about any global news outlet—and catch glimpses of his final endgame. T'Chaka Udaku.

A king.

An elder statesmen.

A blood relative.

A lifelong enemy.

Erik's body would coil tight and hot when he let his mind imagine the day he would be in the presence of his Uncle. He foresaw the moment he would pull back the thick flesh of his bottom lip, the glowing blue vibram tattoo his father gave him as a child embedded deep in the skin of his inner mouth.

He ached to show the ring his father had left for him dangling around his neck, ached to taste and feed on the moment he would reveal all to King T'Chaka, unveil his birthright, and then snap the old man's neck with his bare hands, appreciating the feel of vertebrae cracking and twisting beneath his powerful calloused fingers. Or maybe he would fashion panther claws for himself and rip the man's heart out through his chest. Erik relished the thought. He would bring down—no…eradicate—he would eradicate the old House of Udaku, destroy T'Chaka's bloodline branch and take the throne of Wakanda for himself. A new sun would set on the golden city of Birnin Zana, the place of his father's birth.

Erik was his father's son, but he was also his mother's child, and Califia Stevens didn't raise no simpering punk. He was taught to be a soldier the moment he fell out of his mother's womb. The war he was going to rage was groomed by all of the things that happened in his life and all the things he was learning while biding his time in the ranks of private armies. Sitting back in the cut, gathering new skills and Intel, moving closer to finding the man he needed to get him into Wakanda: Ulysses Klaue. A man who sat at the top of his kill list for right now.

Erik sat crossed-legged overlooking a sand berm keeping watch for a particular caravan of armored S.U.V.s to traverse their path. The sun was making its way to a sluggish sunset, and his military-issue sunglasses protected his tired eyes. He hadn't slept in forty-eight hours and the job he was meant to complete was only halfway finished.

Earlier in the day, his crack team of fifteen men pulled off a bold daytime robbery of highly-sought after Assyrian gold coins. Disguised as U.N. peace-keepers dedicated to preserving artifacts, Erik was the only American on the removal team. He was tasked with masquerading as an art historian since the Canadians with them couldn't sound like authentic Londoners. The non-prescription glasses he wore and the crisp British accent he perfected allowed him to dupe a few Iraqi guards, especially with his fluency with Arabic and his thoughtful acknowledgment of Jumu'ah, the Friday prayers.

While Erik pretended to sit aside respectfully on an offered prayer rug in the midst of an isolated bunker holding the goods they sought, his phony U.N. gear a bit too tight, the guards thanked him for respecting their time in contemplation of Allah. The beneficent. The merciful. Moments later they were tied up and blind-folded left shackled together in the interior of the ravaged bunker that hid the last of the priceless winged bull statues that were hidden for their protection. Erik did let them finish their prayers though.

Time wasn't wasted, what needed to be found was found and bagged up, the heavy weight of the gold bending the backs of five men carting it out onto phony U.N. Jeeps. On the wings of hummingbirds as his great-grandmother used to say when it came to speed and efficiency. An expert strategist and obsessive pre-planner, Erik facilitated the logistics and implementation of the entire operation. They had to be gone before dusk as the heavy hitters from various political factions began to roam. The dry heat was fucking exhausting, made breathing laborious, and the lack of sleep was messing with Erik's focus. His men were ready to dip, but he had to wait, had to take the chance that the man he was scouting for would show.

"Killmonger."

Tahir, the one man Erik considered as close of a so-called friend with the work that he did, stood next to him, his AK-47 resting on his hip, his tan and black shemagh covering his neck and head. Erik glanced up, his own shemagh twisting around his neck tight. He loosened it.

"We should probably leave while it is still quiet."

"Nah. We got time." Gruff and brusque. That's how Erik kept it with the men.

Tahir placed his left hand on his hip and glanced behind him. He was always the one sent to question Erik. The rest were afraid of him, afraid of his quick temper. Afraid of the self-inflicted keloid scars that covered most of his upper body.

Erik looked past Tahir, could see the only other two Iraqis, Amit, and Wassef eyeing him from their sniper positions. He could feel the eyes of the others on him, the Greek, the Egyptian, the two Jordanians, the Russian and the three Canadians. The rest were hidden with their two Mi-17's a quarter of a mile away among the bullet-ridden wreckage of left behind helicopters from failed wars inflicted by the U.S. military.

"We have the gold. Let's go get paid and have some drinks. We can be in Lebanon in a few hours, I know some pretty girls, some nice clubs…"

"We'll wait. I need to see if this dude shows," Erik said, softening his tone with Tahir.

"You should eat something."

"Later," Erik whispered as he saw the approach of the caravan he was looking for.

###

A smart mercenary always checked out their target before any engagement. Someone on Klaue's team didn't do their homework and Erik had the man in his crosshairs. Klaue was shorter and ruddier than he thought the man would be. His reputation seemed larger than life, but the reality was a bit of a disappointment. Little dick energy all the way around. He was also slipping because Erik knew for a fact that some of his men tipped Erik's team off to the coins in the abandoned bunker. Getting past I.E.D's, insurgents, and American PMC checkpoints, Klaue's people looked pretty sorry in front of their main man being plucked by Erik.

"Listen, Killmonger. We'll just be on our way. No harm, no foul," Klaue said as he sat on the ground looking up at Erik.

No harm no foul. Yeah, right. Klaue would take any opening to put a bullet in Erik's head, and in the dome of whoever allowed this clusterfuck on his side.

"We just came for statues," Klaue said.

"With what? Three S.U.V.s? You can't even fit the head of one statue in those. Come again."

Klaue's eyes grew suspicious. Just as Erik expected.

"We have the coins," Erik said.

Klaue let his head drop down and he chuckled, his gold-rimmed teeth glinting. The snake had to come up with a plan fast.

The rat-a-tat-tat-tat sound of machine gun fire in the distance caught Erik's attention. Time was up. It was time to set the trap for this man. Erik knelt down.

Takka takka!

The gunfire was ticking closer.

"Just take the fucking coins and let us go."

An AR-15 near him and Klaue wasn't even flinching. The sweat on his forehead was just from the heat. Erik flipped his weapon behind him.

"I don't give a fuck about those coins. My boss does. But I'm here for something more valuable and it's not here." Erik kept his voice low enough so that only Klaue could hear him.

Klaue's eyes observed him with keen curiosity.

Erik dipped closer to Klaue's ear lobe, making his own men nervous. Erik's sour breath warmed Klaue's ear.

"I'm looking for vibranium," Erik said. He sat back on his haunches and tapped the man's prosthetic left arm that was bound tight. Erik wasn't taking any chances. He was well aware that the arm was a dangerous weapon. Klaue could easily wipe them out, but he was a pursuer of information, and more than illicit goods, useful intel was golden. This bitch was squirming on the hook. None of these motherfuckers around them knew what vibranium was.

"Who are you?" Klaue said, his voice sounding like it was in awe.

"The stash that was supposed to be here isn't. I don't know who got to it first, but it wasn't you or me—"

SSssss-BLAM!

The RPG came in fast and destroyed the first S.U.V. in Klaue's entourage.

Erik's men returned fire for cover as Tahir radioed for their choppers to extract them and the gold. Erik grabbed Klaue by his collar and hoisted him up to his feet. Tahir threw a yellow smoke grenade and stood in front of Erik and Klaue.

The hard whop-whop sounds of their Mi-17s surrounded them as Wassef and Amit slung their RPGs on their shoulders and returned rocket grenades to buy them time. The first chopper landed and their surly Canadian side gunner Wally G rolled the chopper door open and waved for them frantically.

"We got incoming from the north," Wally G yelled.

Erik's men quickly loaded their bounty of gold and split up to enter both choppers for the extraction.

"Move your asses!" Wally G screamed.

Erik yanked on the handcuffed and rope-bound Klaue and dragged him over to the first Mi-17 and threw him in.

"Let's go!" Erik yelled propping his AR-15 in position to help protect his side gunners on the chopper. His return fire bought Tahir more time to move.

Amit fired one last RPG to protect Klaue's men. Erik sent most over to the second chopper, and once Amit jumped aboard the first Mi-17, Erik waved his arm and their pilot Elias took off.

A sizeable enemy force swept into where they once stood. The chopper Erik was on was picking up fire from everywhere. Erik shot back from the open door and he could hear Elias bitching from the cockpit.

"Why the fuck did you have us wait?" Elias screeched.

"Just fly the fucking bird!" Erik shouted while still returning fire.

A stream of fuel ran down the inside of the chopper’s windscreen.

"Fuck!" Elias yelled, "One of my feed tanks is out!"

"Jesus Christ!" a man screamed.

Erik looked back into the rear of the chopper, two of Klaue's men had been hit, the screams of the wounded mixing in with the rapid-fire babble of Erik's men trying to figure out their next move. They were outnumbered by the men on the ground and the number of vehicles chasing after the limping Mi-17.

They were spilling volumes of fuel.

"Stop fucking shooting!" Erik cried out. All he needed was for one of their bullets to ricochet and spark the fuel vapors filling up the chopper. They could explode in mid-air.

"I gotta put her down, Killmonger!"

Erik moved to the cockpit and grabbed the radio.

"Banks! Banks! We gotta find a clear LZ. We've been hit!"

"Dammit, Killmonger!" Banks fired back with crackled intensity through the radio speaker.

Erik and the others felt the sudden drop and swoop of the chopper as Elias did his best to make a soft landing.

Night had fallen and Erik's men disembarked with Klaue's men. Through it all, Klaue was cool as a cucumber, watching Erik's every move. Tahir, eased over to Erik, his eyes watching the horizon as vehicle lights traced them in the distance.

"Too many of us, we all won't fit," Tahir grumbled.

"I'll make it work," Erik hissed, his eyes thwarted by the flash and hiss of an enemy RPG.

"Incoming!" Tahir screamed, and the grenade blew up a mere two hundred feet from them tossing dark sand into the air.

The second chopper pilot, Banks, landed and they loaded up. They were more than the number of bodies allowed based on the flight manual. Erik pulled Klaue up by his arms.

"Crunching numbers time. Who do you fuck with and who did you dirty?" Erik asked.

"Killmonger!" Banks yelled.

The enemy was getting closer.

Klaue glared at his men, his eyes going to the three that Erik already knew played him. Erik gave a cruel sneer and cut Klaue loose from the rope that bound his arms.

"See ya!" Erik said giving Tahir a head nod. The men were pushed out of the chopper.

"Klaue!" one of them screamed.

"Let's go!" Erik shouted to Banks.

The Mi-17 lifted up and Klaue's traitorous men flailed their arms begging to be taken.

Erik heard the sharp hiss and loud explosion of an RPG down below.

He already knew those men were in bloody pieces now. His eyes glanced over at Klaue who was stuffed between two of his henchmen. Erik's boys watched them like hawks, but Erik wasn't worried about them trying anything. Their lives had been saved. If Erik and his crew weren't there, they would've been killed by turncoats. Gold coins were probably the last things on their minds as the Mi-17 dipped and swooped amid rocket grenades.

The chopper headed toward a remote airstrip.

Erik stared at Tahir and grabbed at his stomach.

"Yo, I'm hungry as fuck."

###

The mid-morning American Airlines flight touched down at the Cyril E. King Airport with a soft bounce. Walking down the ramp and onto the tarmac, the wet heat engulfed Erik's face. He wore a light cream-collared linen long-sleeve shirt and loose jeans. He always kept his arms covered when he traveled, his keloid markings too much of a distraction in public. His two large bags were waiting for him at guest services. His flight from Miami had been delayed because of tropical storm weather, but for some strange reason, his luggage went out on an earlier flight.

He saw one of Klaue's men holding a handwritten sign with his name on it. Killmonger. Erik waved and carried his things to the tall Black man with the clean-shaven face and dark mocha skin.

"I'm Polk," the man said. Polk was dressed in comfortable basketball shorts, a plain white t-shirt and slip on sandals. Vacation gear.

They shared a handshake and Erik followed him out to a nice burgundy Mazda S.U.V. idling with another burly man in the driver's seat.

"That's Huntsman," Polk said helping Erik put his suitcases in the trunk.

Huntsman regarded Erik cooly, his pale white skin sunburned and overly pink in spots as Erik stepped into the back of the Mazda.

"Welcome to the team," Huntsman said and Erik picked up the Afrikaans accent in his voice.

"Thanks," Erik said.

"You hungry? We can grab something on the way to the house," Polk said as he stared back at Erik from the passenger seat.

"Nah, I'm good," Erik said.

Erik had to orient himself to the driving once he realized St. Thomas residents drove on the left side like the English.

"We have our own cook, so if you do get hungry later, she can whip something up for you," Polk said. Erik nodded, his eyes watching the crowd of cars jammed on the two-lane road leading away from the airport.

The scenery eventually swept past as they drove into Charlotte Amalie. Erik saw the port dock that housed the large cruise ships, floating cities on the way up into the hills.

"You ever been to the islands before?" Polk asked.

"Nah. Never found the time," Erik said still staring out of the window.

St. Thomas was not very big, only thirty-two square miles. In about twenty minutes the car was already crawling into an area of hills that elevated them. Erik noticed quite a few green and multi-colored iguanas lounging in the street and meandering on the sides of the road.

"Harmless," Polk said when he noticed Erik staring at them, "they are everywhere. Think of them as the squirrels of the island."

Erik nodded.

"We're here," Huntsman said.

The Mazda entered a guarded gate. Once it was opened and they drove through, Erik realized they were actually on a compound that had a grouping of houses. They parked in front of the main house. Polk helped Erik with his things.

"I'll walk him down to our area," Polk said.

Erik rolled his heaviest suitcase and trailed Polk as they made their way down a path blooming with colorful foliage and crawling with more iguanas. One large iguana blocked their path and Erik looked at the regal creature. It was blue and pink in the face with a mottled pink and brown body that had what looked like green plant-like growths on it. It hissed and Polk had them walk around it with a wide berth.

"Harmless, but a bit of an attitude sometimes," Polk said.

Erik chuckled and soon found himself entering a tastefully furnished house.

"You can have the room on the right. When we get full, we usually have to bunk with people, but this first week there are only eight of us here, so plenty of room and privacy.

Erik nodded.

"I'll let you get settled. Meet us at the front house around 1 p.m.? Klaue will want to see you for lunch."

Erik nodded and Polk left him alone.

The room assigned to Erik was nice and airy. He opened the window across from his bed to bring in the fresh island air. Unpacking slowly and methodically, he organized his space and was happy that he had his own bathroom.

He took a quick shower to wash away the flight and travel sweat from his body. He touched the two new keloid scars under the waterproof bandage that his cousin Marisol helped place on his lower back the month before. They were healing, slowly, the itch and scarring pain still present. Lately, he had been flying to Sao Paulo Brazil more often, and Marisol was not happy to perform the scarring ritual for him anymore, especially when his visits brought her pain because they were short-lived, often only for two or three days and then he was gone to the next assignment. She knew what the marks were for. She had one on her own side hip that he helped put there for her.

He allowed the water to run over his locs and then tilted his head back, letting the cool liquid drench his beard. He was tired and antsy at the same time. He had to be very careful in the lion's den.

"What are you doing down here?"

The melodious voice startled him, it was so close to the small frosted window he cracked open in the bathroom, and he turned to try and see who was speaking.

Erik was about to answer, but then he realized the person wasn't talking to him at all but to someone else outside.

"What I tell you 'bout coming down here? Don't look at me like that. You stay up above. Hear me now?"

The woman's island voice was sweet, lyrical almost, and had the fussy quality that reminded him of his great-grandmother when she was fussing with his mother. Whoever she was addressing didn't answer.

"Jerome! You hear me. Get yourself back up top. Now!"

Erik heard the stomping of feet.

"What are you doin' making all this noise?"

Another woman's voice joined the first.

"Jerome. His wife and alla his pickney up at the front house waiting on him. And he's down here being nosey. Get!"

"Gyal! Leave that thing alone. Him no listen to all that shrillness comin' from your mouth. Like he'll understand you—"

"They understand me. When I told him to move his ass from the driveway before that devil man ran him over, you seen how fast he move. Him know what I say. Right, Jerome?"

Erik dried off and tried to get dressed in fresh clothes fast when he heard a knock on the front door.

"Inside," the voice of the second woman greeted him kindly.

Erik pulled on a pair of black sweats and opened the front door.

An older woman with graying neat plaits stared at his chest. The scars startled her.

"Sorry," she said averting her eyes. Her hands carried clean beach towels and sunblock.

"It's cool," Erik said. His eyes swept past her looking for the person he heard moments before.

"I'm Miss Leona. I do the cooking and help take care of the property. I came down to ask if you had any food allergies."

"No, I can eat anything."

"Good," she said, her eyes focusing on his face. The graying hair didn't seem to match her youthful face and big bright white teeth.

"Just so you know, bathroom etiquette is simple. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down. Use the bottled water for drinking, and all laundry can be done at the front house in the laundry room down below. There's a little apartment down there. Just drop the things you need to be cleaned in the laundry bag—"

"I can do my own laundry," Erik said.

Leona nodded and handed him the towels and sunblock.

"We have a pool at the middle house, and if you prefer sea water, there's a path by the pool that leads down to the private beach area. The water is very warm this season, and stays warm into the night."

Leona allowed her eyes to flit across his chest as she regarded his scars again.

"Is that…is that a condition? Do you need any creams or ointments? I can bring some—"

"I'm good. Thank you for asking."

"I don't mean to stare Mr. Killmonger. I have a nephew that has some tissue damage on his back, and it looks like that."

"No worries."

"I will leave you be then—"

"Who was the person you were talking to a minute ago? I heard someone else and she was talking to someone…Jerome?"

Leona laughed and pointed behind her.

"That was just Yani, my niece. She helps me out around here. She was just chatting with him."

Leona pointed and Erik saw the rainbow-colored iguana perched on a small tree in front of the house.

Erik smiled.

"I thought she was really talking to someone."

"Oh, she was. She and Jerome have a history together. She's known him since he was a baby. He doesn't listen to anyone but her."

"He's a big dude."

"Yes. But he won't bother you if you don't bother him. Get Yani if he does give you trouble."

"Will do. Thanks. How many houses are on the property?"

"Three. Mr. Klaue stays in the house down below. The two other houses are for his…men."

"Okay. Thanks Miss Leona."

"You're welcome. I will see you at lunch then? Mr. Klaue likes a late lunch, so I usually have things prepared by 1:30. Today will be a light sesame salad with salmon."

"Any local fish?"

"Sometimes. Mr. Klaue has me ship in things when he wants them. See you at lunch!"

Leona left him, and he was left standing in front of Jerome who watched him with wary eyes from his place in the tree.

"Don't make me call Yani on your ass," he said glaring at the iguana.

Erik finished dressing in a short-sleeved soccer shirt. He laced up a pair of New Balance sneakers and took a walk around the property.

He walked around the small pool that was only six feet deep and found the trail that led down to the beach. If Leona hadn't told him there was a path near the pool, he would never have found it. As it was, he felt secretive slipping down the hill and working his way to the sounds of open water.

"Whoa," he sighed when he finally found the entrance to a breathtaking sight. Clear water with soft sugary white sand and a beautiful view of an isolated smaller island further out in the sea. The sun beat down on him and he looked around to see if there was anyone else around. No one. It was quiet and hidden by part of a cove that had rock structures that curved away from where Erik stood. There were no other footprints or signs of any other human presence.

The water called to him.

Erik looked around again, then slipped off his shoes, pants, underwear and shirt. What a way to start his first day in paradise. He splashed into the water and it felt like he was crawling into the womb of life, the warmth cradling his tired limbs.

Paradise.

The place where he would plot against Klaue. Right in his own home.

###

Yani Galiber was always fussing with Jerome.

Ever since she rescued him from his first car accident as a baby when one of Klaue's drivers ran over his tail seven years previous. She had been fourteen and devastated, thinking her little friend would die. But then his tail grew back and she had been fussing with him ever since.

She was sent by her Aunt Leona to check the water cistern on Klaue's main house where he stayed. Sometimes an iguana would fall in and clog the waterway, and the man had been asking about water pressure. She made a point to check the roof gutters that helped collect water in case there was plant refuse or some other detritus stuck up there. When she ran into Jerome on the way back up, she noticed cuts on his skin. He must've been fighting the other male iguana that had moved into his territory. Unlike most of the iguanas around the property, Jerome was a drama queen and started trouble with other iguanas that weren't his children or mates, and sometimes he went after humans he didn't like.

After leaving her Aunt with Jerome, she headed back to the front house to grab a soda before her Aunt had her helping with lunch. She thought she may have time use her breast pump in private to fix her baby daughter Sydette's bottles for the evening when she had to go to work at her night job as a hostess at Havana Blue, a beach-front restaurant in the main part of Charlotte Amalie. Her cousin Monice would pick her up by 2:30 and drop her off at her Aunt Leona's apartment where she would spend time with Sydette before handing her over to her other cousin Twyla who would watch Sydette until Yani made it home to sleep. And depending on how busy Klaue kept her Aunt, Yani would travel back and forth to help work at the compound.

Yani cobbled together a life and set her sights on saving enough money to attend nursing school since her university plans of becoming a doctor had been derailed with the birth of her daughter. It was still a touchy subject with her parents who had allowed her to take a year off after she graduated high school to follow the crazy dream she had with her then-boyfriend Chez who was going to be the biggest rapper from St. Thomas after he was signed to a small record company in Miami.

Yani had sung background vocals for him around island clubs there and when they island hopped to Puerto Rico or Jamaica and as far as Trinidad. Chez was supposed to make it big and pay for Yani's education, but a year after graduating, Yani fell pregnant, she broke up with Chez, he lost the record contract due to a failed single not charting anywhere, and she was stuck living with her cousin and Aunt because she couldn't afford anywhere on her own and her parents didn't want the stigma in their home among her younger sisters. She was the tainted oldest child who had thrown her life away by having a baby with a SoundCloud level struggle rapper. For shame.

Her baby girl Sydette was a joy, but Yani found it difficult to nurse a baby and still try and nurse a medical career of some kind. A nurse was about as high as she could go now, and she set her sights on getting into the nursing college of her choice the following year. She just needed to get her money right to help take care of Sydette and tuition.

Klaue's compound was a way to make good money, especially when he had a lot of people there. Her Aunt Leona always made sure to pull her in to work for the under the table cash. Klaue paid well. The more men there, the more they made.

Yani and her Aunt were fully aware that Klaue was into some nefarious dealings. Even though he owned two jewelry stores, one in Charlotte Amalie, and one on St. John island, they were just legal fronts for some bad guy stuff. Leona didn't think they were drug dealers, but they did sell something illegal. Did something that required a private compound and sometimes armed guards when Klaue was gone. But as long as the money was good and they stayed out of the way when not needed, Yani had no problem working there. Her Aunt had been doing it for twelve years.

Yani took some time to slip into a bedroom in the front house with her breast pump. She filled three bottles and put them in a plastic bag inside the kitchen freezer to take home later for Sydette. Bottles made, she helped prepare lunch with her Aunt. All the houses were clean and prepped for Klaue's people, so Yani enjoyed the respite.

"What time are they eating, Auntie?"

"Mr. Klaue said around 1:30."

Yani washed her hands in the kitchen sink. She sneaked a nectarine from a bowl on the dining table.

"That's for the guests."

"They won't miss one piece of fruit."

"Where you goin'?"

"The beach—"

"Don't stay down there all day, Yani—"

"Just a quick dip. I promise."

"I'll need your help putting things out—"

"I'll be back. Quick, quick…" she said flouncing out of sight.

###

The path was a tiny sanctuary.

It felt like she was traveling into a secret garden.

Even though she grew up around water all her life, was nicknamed The Mermaid because of her love for it and knew practically every bay and cove on the island, there was something special about this small patch of land that led to this particular little private beach. Private only because the topography made it difficult for small boats to get to and tourists to walk without having to climb some terrain.

Klaue wasn't a swimmer, not all that much anyway, and his men never came down this way, so it was hers. Yaniland.

She ate the nectarine and began pulling her top off when she halted, fruit dangling between her teeth.

Someone was in her private paradise.

A man was swimming in her water.

She felt vexed until she walked closer.

He was floating naked on his back oblivious to her gawking at him full of irritation. He was spoiling her space. She pulled the fruit from her mouth.

"Hey! You out there! What are you doin' here?"

The man dunked under the crystal waters and when he came back up, he shook loose locs around the crown of his head.

Yani shielded her eyes.

"You talking to me?" he asked.

"You see anyone else here?"

"Why you so salty? You don't even know me, Ma!"

"Ma? You call me your mother? Do I look like your mother to you?"

"Relax Steve Irwin—"

"What you call me?"

"You the one talking to the iguana?"

"What iguana?"

"Earlier, up at the middle house…Jerome."

Yani scrunched up her face.

"How you know I talked to Jerome?"

"I was in the house. I'm the new guy."

"Killmonger?"

"Yeah."

"Who told you to come down here?"

"Your Aunt."

Yani sucked her teeth. It was loud enough for him to hear and he laughed at her.

"Is this your private beach?"

"No," she said folding her arms across her chest.

"Then I can swim here."

He moved in closer until the water was at his waist.

There were bumps all over his chest and waist, but none below…

Lookie.

His privates were distorted a bit from the sun's angle hitting the water, but she could see it closer. She felt her eyes fuse in her skull. She was staring at a naked man she didn't know.

"Were you planning on getting in? I can leave if you want some privacy."

"I was, but you can stay in…"

He looked down at himself then back at her.

"I'll leave—"

"Wait!"

Yani stepped back and her nectarine fell out of her hand.

"I don't want to make this weird for you. I'll leave first so you can swim or put your clothes on."

"Close your eyes. You walked all the way down here to enjoy yourself. I'll put on my stuff and let you have at it."

Yani closed her eyes and she heard the splash of water as the man left the sea.

"All good now," he said.

When she opened her eyes, he had his sweatpants on and held his shirt and shoes in his hands.

"Yani?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

She felt her voice die in her throat when she saw his bottom canines between his lips. She wasn't shy about staring at his scars. He was much taller than her.

Killmonger.

This was the man Klaue was bragging on the last two days. The man that Polk and Huntsman grumbled about at the dinner the previous night. It seemed Killmonger had favor with Klaue and those two brutes didn't like it so much. Yani had heard Huntsman call the man an ursurper. She expected to see some piggish white man with swine-like features and dragon fire spewing from his mouth. The only unsettling thing about him was the keloid scars. And only because they didn't look random at all nor accidental.

"You not hot wearing that on your head?" he asked.

Yani touched the top of her head. She still had her beanie on from earlier in the day. It had been cold that morning when she arrived. She wore a dark Naruto t-shirt and baggy orange sweats and just because he mentioned her head cover, she suddenly felt overheated wearing so much clothing on the beach. The heat was beating her down. She needed to be in the water. But she needed him to leave because she too liked to swim nude. But now that he knew about this place, she would probably have to change the times she came down. And she most definitely couldn't swim naked again while he was here. He was ruining everything.

She pulled her beanie off. Her scalp was grateful, her short buzz cut allowing the heat to toast the dyed blonde hair on her head.

"I'll go check on Jerome," he said.

Up close his voice had a playful raspy quality to it. His gold slugs peeked at her again when he smiled. He had dimples like her Sydette.

"Oh!" she said.

She wanted to grab her breasts when she felt her nipples leaking suddenly.

"What?" he asked, his face looking curious.

"I forgot something!"

She took off running back up to the front house clutching at her chest.

Leona was clearing space on the dining table for the lunch meal when Yani ran in.

"What's going on?"

"My titties are leaking."

"You're not wearing that special padded bra I bought for you? I got you four of those to help with that.

"I forgot," Yani called from the bathroom. She wiped down her nipples and stuffed tissue inside her bra to soak up anything else that decided to express itself from her tits. She couldn't wait for Sydette to be done with breastfeeding so her titty milk could dry up.

She walked out of the bathroom to find her Aunt talking to Killmonger and she felt her nipples acting up again. The tissue would have to work miracles.

Watching Killmonger converse she noticed how giddy her Aunt was acting with him. He was sweet with her, asking questions about the island, about her, what she did when she didn't work at the house. Before she knew it, lunch was ready and Killmonger was helping Leona bring the food to the table. Now he was taking over her job.

The other men arrived and Yani joined her Aunt in the kitchen to stay out of their way. Klaue sat at the head of the table with Killmonger by his side, and when she heard the new man speak again, she realized that her tits were reacting to his voice, her milk was leaking again. Only her baby could do that to her sometimes when she cried or needed something.

What the hell was this man doing to her?

She pressed her fingers against her nipples to push the tissue paper closer to her tips.

Who was he?

###

Smooth sun-kissed brown skin. Lips plump. Eyes big and bright. Eyebrows dark and thick.

Yani favored her Aunt and Erik found himself staring at her while he ate lunch with the men and Klaue.

One minute she was making him feel like he didn't belong in her space and the next he was watching her run away from him, her thick ass cheeks bouncing and making him think thoughts he had put aside. He hadn't been with a woman for about three months and quite frankly, hadn't missed the company because of all the work he had been doing. Once he hooked Klaue into his orbit, all Erik could think about was Wakanda and waiting for the perfect time to move on the East African nation.

She was young. This girl, Yani. Probably in her twenties. Mouthy. He liked that. Saw him naked and didn't give a fuck. Until he came closer to her. Then she became modest, probably for his sake and hers. A young woman like her around some treacherous men, she had to be careful.

He wasn't the only one peeping her in the kitchen at lunch. Huntsman was clocking her also. This bothered Erik. So openly wanton.

She was covered up looking like some skater punk he could see on any street corner back home, but she had some curves that strained against the sweatpants. Waist tight probably from swimming a lot. Full breasts. It was the blonde hair that made her dark eyebrows pop. Right now, those eyebrows were furrowed and she was looking right at him. Like she was still mad he had trespassed on her world. The girl who spoke affectionately to iguanas like they were human and yelled at him like he was a big lizard. Erik gave her a grin and she cut her eyes to look at her Aunt who was washing dishes.

By the time lunch was over, Yani was reaching into a refrigerator and grabbing a plastic bag and leaving the house for the day.

The rest of the day was a period of rest and acclimation.

Klaue didn't want to talk shop until the next day, and Erik was happy he could just wander the secure compound. He spotted security cameras everywhere. He learned that each house could be locked down from the inside and secured easily. Klaue called the estate "Our Lady's Manor", naming it after Leona who Klaue affectionately referred to as "My Lady" every chance he got. Leona didn't seem to mind, and she got on well with Klaue in that practiced way that Black people had when in the employ of white people. Klaue may have thought they were close, like family even by the way he fawned over her, but Leona was about her job and getting her work done as expeditiously as possible without getting in anyone's way. Friendly but distant. Smart woman. Klaue was not to be trusted. The presence of guns and ammo didn't faze her or Yani. Money was money.

Erik looked for Yani at dinner and she wasn't around for it. Gone for the rest of the night he assumed. He didn't want to ask Leona about her, afraid of making the older woman suspicious of him for asking about her young niece. He just wanted to let her know that he would be going to the beach early in the morning so that she could have her own personal beach time.

Erik slept well in his new room after smoking some decent herb that Polk gave him to tune out. When his alarm went off at five in the morning, he slipped into some light blue swim trunks and walked barefoot at dawn to the beach.

Body rested, mind clear and sharp, he felt like the wind had been punched out of him when he saw Yani in the water already.

Naked.

Water pearled down her cinnamon brown skin as if she wore diamonds in the early morning waves. Her hips flared out showcasing the beauty of her round posterior that flexed as she poured water over her head.

Once, when he was a child, Erik's mother had taken him to carnival in Sao Paulo and while standing next to his play cousin Marisol and holding his father's hand, Erik saw Yemanjá dancing on a float, the drums of Candomblé pounding in his ears, his little hips moving in time to the rhythm. He thought the woman on the float dressed in gauzy blue scarves was a real Goddess and his mother gently corrected him and explained that she was a representation. That first sensation, the tangible feeling of his heart bursting wide open to make room for the orixá of the sea had stayed with him for a long time. That woman long ago may have been a false divinity, and he could be forgiven for making the mistake with the eyes of a child. But he was a man now, and the being before him splashing in the warm sea was real and divine. Black deities were real. She was in front of him. Yemanjá. He had to be near her.

He shucked his trunks and took his time approaching her.

She dived under the water and he felt that his heart would break if she didn't come back up, wouldn't be surprised at all if she didn't return to the surface, but he needed to see her eyes, needed to make sure she was real.

He stopped short when a small wave crashed into his chest and he allowed himself to be swept with it.

Yani popped back to the surface wiping her hand over her face. She didn't jump or cry out when she saw him wading in the water, didn't try to shield her breasts or the neatly clipped bikini area of her sex, her vulva pouty and rounded, the split between her legs making his dick jump. She was a true ethereal vision and the reverence in his eyes must've stalled any thoughts she may have had of him being a weirdo coming for her.

"Killmonger," she said with no trepidation in her voice, "I see this is going to be a problem, no?"

"Erik," he whispered, trying to find his own voice, "my name is Erik."

[Part 1]

[Part 2]  [Part 3]  [Part 4]  [Part 5]  [Part 6]

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Charlotte’s Choice

A Royal Romance AU fanfic

16 Applewood Manor

The Court moves to Applewood where Charlotte receives some help from Maxwell and relives a happy memory thanks to Drake.

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16 Applewood Manor

After the Regatta, the Court was scheduled to visit Applewood, where Charlotte had spent many happy summers as a child along with Drake and Savannah and Olivia, with various other noble children visiting. Maxwell had joined in her carefree summers along with occasional visits from Tariq, but after the debacle with the trifle at her birthday party Neville had not been allowed to visit – and she was glad of that.

Constantine had kept to his promise and sent her papers to sign at night as they decamped to Rashad’s Manor in Domvalier. First of the suitors to visit her to assist was that same odious Neville. He had made it plain that he favoured spending on various noble ventures and baulked at supporting funding on Cordonia’s orphanage and women’s refuge. She had expected nothing less and was relieved to have a good reason to reject his help and report to Constantine on his unbalanced support of Cordonia’s citizens. She had little time to spend for private socialising, having to attend a charity event and award prizes and trophies for the boat and yacht races of the previous day. There was also a formal dinner just before she had to see to the papers with Neville, so that night she fell into bed and slept soundly. The following day was spent packing and travelling to Applewood. Still Constantine insisted that she work though official documents and this time Maxwell Beaumont was sent in to assist.

She was feeling tired when Maxwell bounced into the study in the King’s suite at Applewood. He leant over her at the desk and gave her a peck on the cheek.

‘Hey Prinny, I bought supplies’ he announced, producing a bottle of champagne from behind his back ‘Bastien was supposed to frisk me, but he let this through. Sorry I don’t have any glasses’ Charlotte smiled at him and downed the glass of water on the desk.

‘I’ll use this, and you can drink from the bottle’ she said ‘It’s a good job we don’t have any weapons in here, your usual method of opening the bottle might make a mess of the papers.’

‘Good point’ he said, ‘Just how do you open a bottle without a sabre or an axe?’

‘Hand it over’ she said, putting the glass down. She twisted off the metal cage and took hold of the cork, twisting the bottle so the cork came out with a soft pop. Although they were close to Constantine’s bedchamber, they were not immediately next door like on the yacht, so had a little more privacy – but the sound of a champagne cork would have alerted him to their indulgence. She poured herself a generous glass and handed the bottle to Maxwell.

‘So have you heard any any gossip, Maxxy?’ she asked, ‘anything useful about members of the Council?’

‘Well, Lord Percy has had a spat with his latest conquest – did you know he was having an affair with Lady Caroline?’ Charlotte’s eyes widened

‘But she’s ten years younger than him!’ she retorted, and Max pursed his lips

‘I know, he always goes for younger women. His wife is more interested in breeding Siamese cats and doesn’t suspect a thing’

‘That might give me leverage if I need his vote in Council later on’ she said thoughtfully and sighed as she looked at the papers. She picked out a file and opened it.

‘Here’s the arrangements for the Coronation ball. Apparently, the florist has had to pull out due to a family bereavement’ Max took it from her

‘Oh, we have someone who’s very good, does the arrangements for the Beaumont Bash – she’s not busy this year’

‘Isn’t she working for you?’ asked Charlotte, reaching for the bottle. Maxwell looked sheepish

‘We’ve – had to go for someone cheaper this year. Confidentially, finances are a bit tight for us’

‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that’ said Charlotte ‘I’m sure we could give you a little stipend in return for your recommendation, or ask her to do your event for a discount’ Maxwell’s face lit up

‘Oh, could you? That would be great. Bertrand’s been so stressed about it all’

‘No problem Maxxy, if you know a caterer for the tea party too that would be good, it seems a lot of small businesses are feeling the pinch this year, there’s been a lot of cancellations’

‘You know how we like to throw a good party, I’ve got lots of contacts’ he replied. Charlotte rifled through the papers.

‘There’s a few other things you could look over then’ she mused ‘can I pass these files on to you?’

‘Sure thing Prinny’ Maxwell grinned and poured more champagne for her. They remained silent for a little, reading and passing papers back and forth.

‘You know you should be calling me Queenie’ she said ruefully ‘I’ve barely had time to myself the last few days. It’s so nice of you to bring along that bottle, I didn’t dare touch a drop earlier in case I made a mistake with the delegates from Portavierra.’

Maxwell patted his jacket

‘Oh, I forgot – Drake gave me these – he said they’re your favourite’ and he pulled out a box of chocolate truffles ‘sorry, they’re a bit warm’ Charlotte smiled and took them from him.

‘That’s very thoughtful of him’ and she started to open it. Maxwell put out his hand

‘No - he said to open it when you’re alone’ She put it down on the desk, frowning.

‘That’s a little bold of him, he promised to take a back seat’ the young duke looked sad

‘I just think he wanted you to know he’s rooting for you’ he said quietly ‘we all are, we know how hard things are for you, me and him, and Olivia – and Brad’ Tears came to Charlotte’s eyes and she wiped at them with the back of her hand.

‘That – that’s very sweet of you Maxxy. I really appreciate it. I’d give anything to have an evening just to hang out with you all like old times.’

‘Do you remember that time Olivia told Savannah if she kissed a frog it would turn into a Prince?’ he grinned. Charlotte laughed.

‘Drake stopped her just in time, and he was so cross with Olivia he tried to hack off her ponytail with his penknife’

‘Drake’s Dad arrived just in time to stop it getting worse – he had to pull the two of them apart’ Maxwell chortled. Charlotte got up from her chair to throw her arms around him in a hug.

‘Thank you Maxxy, you were just what I needed to cheer me up. I wish I could have you with me every night while I go over these dratted documents’ Maxwell held her tight, patting her back and rocking side to side. After a while they broke the embrace and she sat back down again.

‘So who’s your companion tomorrow night?’ He asked, and she made a face

‘Tariq, I think. I can’t think how he’ll be any use at all unless it’s to organise a fashion show or fancy wine tasting. Father may let me off the day of the Apple fair, it will be going on very late with the Lord of Misrule this year.  I bet he didn’t think you’d be useful, but I’ll put in a good word for you, tell him you’ve been great’

‘Thanks Lottie. Can I do anything else? The bottle’s empty now’ Charlotte reached out and patted his hand.

‘You’ve been a huge help Maxxy, I still have to sign a stack of stuff, so you can go if you want’ The young Duke took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze.

‘Any time Lottie, just send me a message and I’ll be with you in a trice. You know me, speedy by name…’ He backed out of the office blowing her a kiss.

‘Thanks – hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow at the Apple fair?’

‘You will. Sleep tight Lottie’

Later, Charlotte stumbled into her bedroom and fell onto the bed, eyelids heavy. She realised she had tucked the box of chocolates from Drake into a pocket and the box was digging into her hip. Wearily she sat up and opened the box, inhaling the aroma of the chocolate. A slip of paper fell out onto the bed, and she picked it up. It bore only three words.

Remember the smores.

She smiled fondly and went to the window. She could see embers at the fire pit, fancying that she saw a shadow pass in front of it and was transported back into her teen years.

‘Do you like smores, Charlie?’ Drake had led her out to the fire pit a year after his father and her mother had died. She still missed her, but the pain was fading. They sat alone in the dusk as the light faded.

‘What are they?’ she asked

‘oh, they’re delicious – marshmallow, and crackers and chocolate. Dad – Dad used to make them when we went camping’ His voice had faltered when he mentioned his father. ‘you’d like them – would you like to try some?’

‘I’ve never been camping. Isn’t it cold sleeping outside?’ Drake smiled, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.

‘Not if you have a good sleeping bag. It’s cosy’ he said. He gave her a stick and showed her how to toast the marshmallow. He put a few squares of chocolate onto a cracker and put it under the marshmallow, added more chocolate on the top with another cracker and slipped the stick out.

Oh – it’s sticky’ she exclaimed, as the chocolate and melting sticky marshmallow oozed out onto her fingers. She watched Drake open his mouth wide and bite it in half, and she tried to follow suit, but it was too big. She bit into it and the sticky sweet mess oozed out onto her fingers and lips. It was crunchy and chocolatey and soft and sweet. ‘Oh this tastes like heaven!’ she exclaimed, her mouth not empty yet. She rolled her eyes as the soft gooey centre coated her tongue and melted, and the tastes and textures assaulted her senses. She sucked her fingers as clean as she could in between messy mouthfuls, and Drake gave her another marshmallow to toast.

‘Careful, not too close or it’ll burn’ he said, and took her hand to move the stick away. She felt a little jolt of electricity and jumped. He looked at her oddly, and sheepishly took his hand back ‘you want it even, so keep turning it’ After a second one she declared she couldn’t eat any more.

‘I wish father would let me go camping’ she said, ‘He’d probably say it’s too dangerous’ Drake shrugged

‘You don’t have to go far. Perhaps he’d let you camp in the grounds, if Bastien supervised it’

‘Oh that would be amazing’ she said ‘I wish – what’s the matter?’ Drake was looking at her intently

‘Oh – er, you have some chocolate just above your lip’ he observed. Her hand flew up to her face.

‘Oh – where?’ she cried ‘Here?’

‘No, just to the left – ah – let me…’ he moved closer and reached out his hand to brush his thumb over her top lip ‘Here’ he said. They were close, so close, she could smell the smores on his breath, and he didn’t move away again, gazing at her, his eyes flicking over her face. She realised she was holding her breath, and wondering what his lips tasted like, wondered if he might lick the chocolate from her lip.

‘Is – is it gone? She whispered

‘not quite’ he said, moving imperceptibly closer as if in a trance.

‘Walker! Princess? Where are you?’ She jumped back guiltily, and Drake stepped away swiftly at the sound of Bastien’s voice from the footpath by the palace. Drake collected himself, giving her an apologetic glance.

‘Here, Bas’ he shouted, ‘by the fire pit’ He wiped his hands on his trousers, and Charlotte licked her top lip and then wiped it with her handkerchief, her fingers still sticky. Bastein appeared, his dark eyes catching the firelight, and he gave Charlotte a searching look.

‘Are you alright, Princess?’ he asked ‘It’s very dark, you should go inside’ as she answered him her voice wavered a little

‘I’m – I’m fine thankyou Bastien. Drake was showing me how to make smores’ Bastien smiled.

‘That’s very generous of him. I’m rather partial to them myself’

‘I’ve still got some things left – can I make you one Bas?’ Drake said eagerly, the awkwardness of the moment disappearing.

‘No, its late Walker, you need to come in now’ He started to lead the two teenagers back to the palace. Drake hopped behind him like a faithful dog

‘Do you think the King would let Charlotte camp in the grounds if you were around to watch, Bas? She’s never been camping’ he asked.

‘I don’t know’ said Bastien ‘I’ll ask – or perhaps the Princess should say something’

‘If he knew you’d be there he might say yes’ Drake insisted

‘Perhaps. Now go and see Savannah, she wants to talk to you before she goes to bed’

Charlotte smiled at the memory, wondering if Bastien had seen it all and stepped in before they got in too deep at that tender age.  She drew the curtains, taking one last look at the embers of the fire outside, but it was too dark to see if anyone was out there.  She popped a chocolate into her mouth and stripped naked before crawling into bed. It was good to fall asleep with positive thoughts occupying her mind. Outside, Drake had seen her draw the curtains, and made his way back into the manor.

Brad woke in Olivia’s bed, her arm thrown over his chest, her breath warm on his neck.  He carefully untangled himself and got out of bed. He rubbed his neck, wincing at a bruise just below his collarbone. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and smirked at the bite mark on his shoulder. Olivia was as feisty in bed as she was out of it.

He sighed. He was going to have to tell Charlotte what was going on, it wasn’t fair otherwise, no matter how liberal Cordonia was. He just didn’t have it in him to be romancing (or bedding) two women at once, exciting though the thought might be. It wasn’t as if there was any real spark between them. He had had enough relationships to know when it was just physical and when there was an emotional attachment, or the possibility of one.

He feared Charlotte had been so starved of love and affection after the death of her mother that she didn’t know the difference herself.  Drake had obviously tried to fill that void, and to a greater extent for his sister too, and it had escalated to a more intimate relationship with Charlotte. The thought of a teenage boy trying to take over the role of mother both to his little sister and to a girl his own age filled him with pity. In turn, Bastien had filled in the role of father to the Walkers, providing a steady foundation for Drake. He didn’t think Constantine was half the paternal role model as the King’s Guardsman and he knew little of the role of the deceased Regina. Perhaps she had redressed the balance a little - Charlotte had never talked of her and he resolved to ask Olivia later.

For now, everyone would be preparing for the Apple fair. That normally called for the appointment of the Apple Queen, which would go ahead, but this year there would also be a Lord of Misrule picked from the suitors. It dated back to a pagan fertility ritual which was rarely invoked, but Constantine had declared it appropriate this year. Traditionally the Lord of Misrule turned everything upside down and reversed the roles of rulers and peasants. Most of the candidates were noble this year, but whatever rules they invoked would be in force until midnight. Because security was an issue each suitor had written their chosen rules and submitted them to Bastien for approval and he had not divulged the contents to anyone, not even the King.

For Charlotte, the day was a busy one, with preparations for the Apple fair which kept her busy, as at her father’s insistence she was closely involved in its organisation and had no spare time as there were also appointments with delegates and diplomats from Monaco there to discuss a trade agreement. The evening brought further duties with more paperwork and with Tariq to ‘help’ her. As she had guessed he was worse than useless – his mind would not settle on anything beyond clothes and fine wines, and he sat watching her pore over documents, drinking champagne and talking endlessly about his wine cellar. Charlotte was so tired afterwards that she failed to notice the firepit outside was again lit, and a shadowy figure stood there until she closed her curtains.

After breakfast the Court assembled out on the lawn where various marquees had been erected, and tents selling various delicacies and goods. The Lord of Misrule had already been chosen by secret ballot at the Regatta, the votes had been counted and kept in strict confidence save for the ballot counters and Bastien, and a few others who helped with planning. The King was to announce the winner, and the elected Lord would choose the Apple Queen from a group of local schoolchildren. Charlotte would still have a minor role as the Lady of Misrule.

Everyone assembled to hear the results, nobles and ordinary citizens mingling in a huge crowd. The suitors stood ready on the dais for the announcement, along with Constantine and Charlotte, Bastien and a number of aides. Anton stood next to Milo, then came Maxwell, Neville, Tariq, Rashad, Drake and finally Brad. The King appeared with an envelope and stepped up to the microphone. He cleared his throat.

‘Citizens of Cordonia, we are gathered today to celebrate Apple day, to bless the coming season and to hope for a good crop and the prosperity of all. This year, as you know, from the suitors for my daughter’s hand in marriage will be chosen as Lord of Misrule, who will rule in my stead for the remainder of the day, effective until midnight.’ He paused to look along the line of contenders ‘Each candidate has already submitted his rules for approval of the Royal Guard, to ensure maximum safety for all concerned. Minor alterations of these rules will be permitted, subject to approval of the Royal Guard. The winner will also choose this year’s Apple Queen from Cordonia Preparatory School, and my daughter, Queen in Waiting Charlotte will accompany the Lord of Misrule in his duties.’ The King looked down on the envelope he held and started to open it. Drake turned to Rashad and shook hands with him, mouthing ‘good luck’ and turned to do the same for Brad, causing a ripple of handshakes and back patting among the others.

‘Good luck to the contestants and may we all benefit from this day and learn from the experience, highborn and lowborn’ He took the piece of paper out and read it to himself, his lips moving before looking up and making his announcement…

Who is the Lord of Misrule? The people (some of the readers) have spoken! Stay tuned...

#charlotte's choice #drake walker #drake x mc #the royal romance #trr #trr fanfic #choices trr #trr drake

[miloticforever]

Prompt #7: Valentine

@fransweek

This took a lot longer than I thought it would, as testament to just how long it is. But for Valentine's Day I thought a first date worked. As such I am putting the whole thing under a keep reading tag because it’s incredibly long.

Anyway Without Further Ado: Prompt #7: Valentine

A Gift of Love

The year after Frisk got her new family and friends free was when she started to make Valentine's for them all.  A certain skeleton noticed though as the kiddo got older, the valentine's he got from her got bigger including candy or fancy bottles of ketchup.  It confused Sans to no end, she was just a kid compared to him easily.

That changed 4 years ago when Frisk had gone off to college to study political science so she could be a better Ambassador.  He still received a Valentine every year but seeing the girl herself was rare except at Christmas and sometimes during the summer.  When he did he noticed she was growing older and he was oddly attracted.

That attraction just built as he got to know her again when she came home for good at Christmas.  She was intelligent, beautiful, kind, and punny as hell. He just hoped he wasn't to late, he had to surprise her and pull out something amazing for that night.  Time to break that lazy outward appearance he worked so hard to maintain for once.

That morning he found a ceramic coffee mug with blackboard paint around the bottom sitting on his desk. It was covered with little doodles but written on the side facing his chair was I Lava You – Frisk.  And filled with peppermint mocha, which the girl knew was his favorite. He couldn't help the small blue blush that grew on his face even as the students entered his Science Classroom.  He heard all the students going on and on about their Valentine plans all day.  All while he was just hoping Frisk found the star shaped sticky notes he had shortcutted into her office to place the night before.  Ones that said to meet him at the park that night and she received the fruit basket that had fruit based puns like I go Bananas for You, Your the Apple of my Eye, and Orange you go out with me throughout it.

He was glad as the day finally round down, and was happy to hear his phone going off with Frisk's caller id.  He picked up the phone saying, “Howdy, kiddo.  Thanks for the coffee this morning.” Fixed the bag hanging off his shoulder as he headed from the school building, nodding to his students as he went.

“Your welcome, Sansy,” Frisk said with a happy voice through the phone to him, “So I found a few star shaped sticky notes around my office today and got a fruit basket with a note that had a lot of puns from you.  It was sweet Sans, I didn't think you liked me back.”

“Yeah well if you meet me at the park, you'll see kiddo,” Sans said with a chuckle even though he was in a panic hoping Legs came through with the reservations for the private room at the restaurant in his new hotel.  

“Why am I worried?”

“I don't know, don't trust me Frisky?”

“I do, but you are known for pranks Sansy.”

“This isn't a prank, I honestly want to give this a try,” Sans said as he took a step shortcutting to the park by her work.  He hung up as he saw her with a smile saying, “Heya kiddo.”  He slipped the phone in his jacket, it dropping into his inventory, then waved to the brown haired, tanned skin ambassador.

“Hi Sans,” Frisk said with a smile glad she was just in jeans and a sweater, “So what's this big plan of yours?”

“Well I figured I would pick you up around 6 and take you out to dinner, to a semi-formal establishment,” Sans said with a grin up to her as he pulled off his glasses slowly.

“Really? Not just Grillby's?” Frisk asked in surprise because 9 times out of 10 that is where they normally got together at before she went to college and since she got back.  The rare other time would just be at the local fast food place Met had, Burgerpants always ran.

Sans slipped his hands into his pockets with a grin saying, “Nope I have something better in mind, considering first real date and all Frisky.”  He was glad this was going so well, but he knew he had to go home and get dressed in the dress shirt and slacks that Pap helped him pick out.  The tie was a clip on at least.

He was also happy that Fish, Tori, and Al was going to help Frisk get ready since he knew well she wasn't one for dresses.

“Alright than, I'll expect you at 6 I suppose,” Frisk said with a soft blush to her cheeks.  She came over quickly and gently kissed his cheek. His magic sparking against where her lips met.   It felt nice he had to admit, and he would enjoy feeling that more.

“Yep, let me take you home at least,” Sans said offering a hand to her as he did every night now since she came back.  He would escort her home because it was for safety what he said to her.  Actually it was more just wanting more time with her.

“I guess you do have a shortcut,” Frisk said with a grin taking his hand and feeling him pulling her through to in front of the house she lived with Toriel in.  

Sans slowly let go and grinned at her saying, “See you at 6.”  He made sure she got inside and heard the voices inside with a grin.  He then shortcutted back home that he lived in alone.  Ever since Pap got with Legs and moved in with the robot, he just felt the place was empty anymore.

It would be nice if this worked out with Frisk, even if it was just to give him company in the evening.  He sighed as he  headed up the stairs to his room going inside to change.  It would be a good night, he was really wanting it to be.

He slipped off the black hoodie he wore with the grey sweater and slacks at work.  The black slacks, blue dress shirt, and black tie that had a faded periodic symbol for Titanium on it laying out on his bed. Pap insisted he wear that tie since it was his only non-pun tie, but the thing was that was the pun it was his tie-tanium tie.  He was glad it was clip-on like the rest.

He grabbed the slacks and slid them on, using a bit of magic to fill them out and make them look normal on his bones.  He then slid the dress shirt on and carefully did the buttons up.  He clipped the tie on his collar then slid the silver cuff-links on, grinning at the small police box on each one.  Dr. Who was a great show that he got into when they got to the surface, among other nerdy things that introduced him to humans that he could stand.

He glanced to the time glad it was almost 6, he would just call the restaurant and make sure the reservations went through.  Because if they hadn't, it would either require a call to Mettaton which was easy to get a hold of due to that relationship with Pap he had, or planning something else.  Once he confirmed it was a go, he grabbed onto a shortcut to in front of Frisk's house and knocked on the door. Just before the door opens he remembers the vase of Echo Flowers he had sitting in his inventory.  He quickly pulls them out as the former queen opened the door.

“Hey Tori.”

“Hi Sans, come on in.  Frisk is still getting ready upstairs with Undyne and Alphys.  She was so excited when she came home,” Toriel said with a soft laugh moving out of the way to let the skeleton in. “Though I trust you Sans, I'm sure you will take care of my child.”

“Of course I will Tori, I’ve protected her for years after all.”

“I meant her heart as well, she has been wanting this for years after all.  Even all the time she was gone to college, she still held on hope you would one day give her a chance.”

His response was caught behind his teeth as Frisk appeared at top of the stairs.  He let out a breath at her tanned body in the deep purple knee length purple dress. Her brown hair long down her back, the first time he had ever noticed the blue streak down the side. It was always normally up in a ponytail or bun. Never in a position to see the streak, the same color as his magic. He grinned as he came over saying, “Your gorgeous Sweetheart.”

The blush that went over her cheeks and nose was adorable. “You don't clean up bad yourself, Sans.  Very handsome.”

“Thanks, so shall we go?” An offer of his hand to her.  He glanced to Toriel saying, “See you later Tori.”

When he felt Frisk's soft hand in his own, his eye a lit with magic as they appeared in Mettaton’s massive hotel outside of town.  He heard her gasp at where they were.

“Sans, are we going to the restaurant here? It is so expensive though.”

“You are worth way more than that.  But I have both the family discount and because it's for you in my favor.”

“So you are taking advantage of your brother’s relationship status?”

“Maybe,” He grinned as they walked to the elevator to go to the roof. He just hoped it would keep impressing her. He was trying so hard.

Frisk gently hugged Sans saying, “Hey stop panicking. It's just us and I like you for you.  Not like it's the first time we went to dinner together.”

“I know but I just want to treat you like the star you are.” Pun on what the restaurant was, maybe.

“Sans. I am sure it will be great whatever you planned.”

Sans shot her a grateful look as the elevator opened on the roof garden that had a large glass dome over it.  He watched her face light up to the magic lights floating around, the rose bushes littering the garden, the single table in the middle with the a single red candle in the center.  Their waiter pouring water into the glasses.

Wait.

That shape was very familiar and his hunch was confirmed as his brother turned to face them with a very fake mustache on his lips. “Pap…” Sans muttered as his skull met his hand.

He heard Frisk giggling beside him and he caught the snort.  He glanced over to his date and ok, so his brother was acting as waiter. This was fine. At least he wasn't making spaghetti for them, right?

He glanced ahead hearing his brother exclaimed in a bad french accent, “BONJOUR, I AM YOUR WAITER FERNANDO.”

“And who gave you the name Fernando?” Frisk asked between giggles.

“METTATON.”

Sans shook in silent laughter because his brother was ridiculous. It did help relieve his nerves at least. He guided his giggling date to the table saying, “I think I mustache you a question about all this later Fernando.”

He grinned at his brother’s eye socket twitching to the pun. And the launch of another giggle attack Frisk was having. At least he could make her laugh so one win. He pulled out her chair with just a bit of Magic before sitting down himself.

“WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DRINK TODAY?” Papyrus asked after calming down from the pun.  He looked at Sans like he was daring him to say ketchup, but he's been good about breaking his addiction to the stuff.

Sans grinned before saying, “A bloody Mary and a glass of water.”

“Echo Flower Tea.” Frisk looked over the menu.

“RIGHT AWAY.” Papyrus went to get the drinks even though he glared at his brother for getting alcohol.

“It's sweet that Papy wants your date to go well,” Frisk said with a smiled over to Sans as she grabbed a breadstick that was complimentary.

“Yeah well he was so happy when I told him I was going to ask you out, he knows I've wanted to since before you came home even,” Sans said as he looked over the menu.  He paused though as his cheeks turn blue to that admittance.

“R-really? I never thought you would like me like that,” her tan skin turning pink in a blush as she looked down, “I have liked you for so long.”

“I figured but when you were a kid it was different Frisk.  You really matured those 4 years of college and just talking to you when you came back for Christmas and Summer or on skype really sent that home. I started to become attracted to you too,” Sans muttered as it was really feeling hot in here.  This was way to soon in the date to start to have this conversation.

Frisk smiled as she reached over taking his hand in hers saying, “Well hopefully we can have more dates beyond this where Papy isn't spying on us.”  She motioned over to where Papyrus was just peaking around the door to the kitchen while someone else made their drinks.

Sans glanced over and sighed before chuckling softly as he squeezed her hand.  He looked to the menu saying, “I think I'm going to get one of the samplers.”

Frisk just smiled to his change of topic before looking to the menu saying, “I'm leaning to the shrimp alfredo.”  Because that sounded amazing with bread sticks.  “So how's teaching going?”

“It hurts me deeply at seeing most of the the kids get.”

“I have a feeling anything below an A would hurt you deeply.”

“You are right, but when I can get those who have a B or lower to understand everything and want to try.  It's the most rewarding feeling I can get.  Plus them groaning to my puns is always fun.”

“Of course it is for you, Mr. Gaster.”

“It's Dr. Gaster,” Sans said with a chuckle as Papyrus headed back over to the table with their drinks.  Sans took his Bloody Mary and sipped it with a grin at the look on his brother's face under that silly mustache.

“HAVE YOU BOTH DECIDED WHAT YOU WANT TO ORDER?”  Papyrus said as he sat the cup of tea in front of Frisk.  The faint whispers from the echo flowers that were used in it could be heard.

“Yeah, a shrimp alfredo for my date and the sampler for me,” Sans said as they both offered their menu back.

“GOT IT,” Papyrus said writing those down before taking the menus and walking away to give it to the kitchen.

Sans grinned before looking to Frisk asking, “Want to admire the sunset with me while we wait?”  He motioned to the garden and the dome that was over them that showed the setting sun.

“Sure,” Frisk said with a smile as she got up as did Sans going over to the edge of the area sitting down on the side of the deck looking out of the glass dome into the sky.  She smiled over to Sans beside her slowly leaning into him.  To her this date was already a success. And had made her valentine's day.

Once they were done eating and were on their way home under the stars. Frisk paused asking, “Sans does this mean we are together?”

“I suppose so sweetheart, guess you have this bag of bones as your boyfriend now.”

The giggle that met his ears made him smile.  If he could hear that more than everything was great now.  Even as they approached her house.

“You really made this a great Valentine's Day, Sans.”

“Well I'm glad you agreed to come with me, Frisk.  You really made my day by doing that.”  He looked to her house before slowly leaning in to kiss her lips with his teeth.  The sparks of magic against her lips, he didn't know how this would feel for her but the soft moan from her was worth it.  Stupid need to breathe though as she pulled away.

“I better get inside before mom comes out,” she muttered softly.

“Sure, see you tomorrow for a movie night maybe?” Sans said with a smile and that just grew as she agreed.  He watched her inside and stuck his hands into the pockets of the slacks.  “Happy Valentine's Day,” he said after her before disappearing in a shortcut.

#fransweek #frans #sans x frisk #frisk x sans

[singingunderthecurtain]

DIAMOND (CEO AU Baekhyun Series) Part 12

Also on AFF

Diamond Mini Masterlist

Photo not mine, found it on Google.

Author: @julietsoddeye​ AU: CEO!Baekhyun Genre: Angst | Smut | Romance  Pairing: Baekhyun x Lee Soojin (You/OC) [Written as if the reader is the OC] Trigger Warning: None in this chapter Word Count: 3,198

Plot: After 10 years of exile to another country, you are finally back home and you were surprised to find out that you are engaged to the son of your father’s long-time friend and business partner.

On this Chapter:

Hisako returns her attention to you.

“Tell me Sooj, how will you raise a child without love? That child’s life will be miserable is Baekhyun fails to be the good father it deserves.”

“Hisa, stop!”

“I will never let that happen!!!”

You defended as you now cross your arms over your chest. You stomp your feet on the ground, the sound of the grass ruffles under your sandals.

“GUYS!!!”

Yanmei interrupts.

You wake up to a voice of a female softly calling for your name. You stretch your arms and legs and frisks your hands to the spot beside you. It was empty. Empty of the man you were with the night before. You finally open your eyes, hoping that Baekhyun is standing somewhere in the room. Wishing that what happened last night was not a dream.

You found Mia standing beside the open door with a welcoming face. You push the heavy duvet down to find out that you’re still wearing the robe and your underwear beneath it. You inhaled and exhaled heavily your disappointment growing and along a headache with it. Fuck, why did you drink too much Champagne last night? Champagne hangovers are the worst!

“What time is it, Mia?”

You ask as you cradle your throbbing brain, trying to relieve some tension by massaging your temples with your fingers. The clock is literally just at the bedside, but you’re too hungover to function properly.

“It’s only 8:02 AM, Soojin-ssi. You still have time freshen up before breakfast with the newlyweds.”

Fuck, Minseok did mention about breakfast last night. And where the hell is Baekhyun, why didn’t he wake you up? Did he even sleep here beside you last night? Was it really just a dream?

“Where’s Baekhyun?”

You ask Mia who is now pushing a rack of clothes near the bed. The tiny rack is full of flowy summer dresses with different brightly colored prints of flowers and shapes for you to choose from.

“He’s already on his way downstairs to meet everyone for breakfast. He told me to wake you up and give you this...”

Mia answers as she slides a bottle of ibuprofen and a little folded note on the bedside table. You look at it for a while, silently thanking Baekhyun in your mind for the ibuprofen. But why would he leave a note when he could have just woken you up himself. ‘Ugh, he’s so weird,’ you thought to yourself while standing up from bed with a loud yawn as you extend your arms again for another stretch.

“Thank you, Mia.”

Grabbing the items, you stood up and locked yourself in the bathroom. You set the note and the bottle of drugs down on the bathroom sink top to look at yourself in the mirror. ‘Fuck, I look like shit.’, you whisper to yourself as you grab Baekhyun’s note again to read it.

You probably will have a hangover, so here’s some ibuprofen. Sorry about your neck.

-B.B.H

Wait, what happened to your neck? You crane your neck left and right to check if you have a stiff neck. But you didn’t, that’s weird. When you accidentally looked in the mirror again, you see a tiny purple-looking spot on the skin of your neck that wasn’t covered by the cotton material of the robe you are wearing. You immediately pull the tie around your waist, wringing open the robe to find more purple and some reddish-brown bruises scattered around not just your neck, but also your collarbone and shoulders.

“M—MIA!!!”

You scream out loud, panic rises from your feet, that was bare on the cold marble flooring of the bathroom, up to your spine. A rush of dread spreads around your body, heightening your already pulsating head.

“Soojin-ssi, what happened?!?! Are you okay?!?!”

Mia keeps frantically knocking on the bathroom door; alarm is obvious in her voice. Her furious beating on the door only stopped when you unlocked the knob and she pushes her way in. Finding you with flushed cheeks and your hand gently tracing the bruises on your chest.

“I— What…”

Mia was lost for words when she sees you look fine and unharmed. She touches your arms for you to wake up from what’s bothering you.

“Mia, how— How do I cover these?”

You left your mouth hanging open. Mia closes her eyes in relief as she sighs out, slumping her tensed shoulders down finally.

“I thought you slipped, or something. Please don’t scare me like that again, Soojin-ssi.”

“I obviously can’t wear a turtleneck in the middle of summer, can I?”

You ignored what she said. You heard Mia giggle a little bit and she tucks a few strands of hair behind your ears that were equally as red as your whole face. You almost look like a tomato with how flustered you are because of the hickeys you have.

“Go shower now, Soojin-ssi. Good thing I brought my makeup kit with me today.”

Mia smiled at you in a sisterly manner and pushes for you to go take a shower to start your day.

After your quick ablution, Mia fixed you up as if Baekhyun ruined you. Well, maybe he did ruin you physically, but the sweet gesture behind the bottle of ibuprofen was enough to appease your tensions about the ugly blotches he left on your skin.

Mia brushed your hair, put it up in a nice ponytail, teased and curl the end making it bounce beautifully when you move your head. Mia then focused her attention on your hickeys and pulls out three different kinds of color correctors and some concealers in her makeup pouch.

You look in the mirror, your mouth wide open with a happy grin. Mia is definitely a life-saver, she saved you from embarrassing teasings you know you will get from Baekhyun friends if they saw the bruises Baekhyun marked on your skin. Especially Sehun, that annoying scourge!

With the last touch, Mia finally settles inside a pouch the makeup brush she used to apply the translucent powder over the light layer of tinted moisturizer on your face. You wonder what Mia can’t do because she’s really good at everything and doesn’t fail to help you with.

“Mia, oh my gosh, Mia! It’s—It’s like the hickeys weren't there in the first place!”

You gently brush your fingers over your skin, careful not to wipe the makeup off.

“You’re so good!”

You added and Mia smiles shyly and the apples of her cheeks flushed lightly.

“Thank you. I learned to cover bruises when I was taking self-defense classes in college. My girlfriends and I would all go home purple from all the accidental hits we caused ourselves.”

Mia giggles slightly at the memory of her not so distant youth. She’s not even that much older than your brother, yet the way she stands, walk and act gives off that mature aura on her.

“Wow, I didn’t know you took self-defense classes. That’s awesome.”

Mia smiled sweetly again as she starts packing her stuff back to a bag.

“Mia, how do I look? Do I look hungover?”

You ask Mia as you face her while you smoothen the white linen with black printed flowers sundress you chose. This particular dress was highly suggested by Mia herself since it’s super lightweight and will help you stay cool since it’s already hot out, but the semi-low neckline discouraged you. Mia assured you that she will cover your hickeys very well, and she did.

“Do you feel hungover?”

She asks back.

“Well, thanks to the ibuprofen, I feel a lot better now.”

“You look fantastic, Soojin-ssi. Should we go down now for your breakfast with the newlyweds?”

You beam up at her as you nod your head enthusiastically. You can feel this is going to be an awesome day.

~~~

The private breakfast on the rooftop garden of the Byun Hotel went really well. It was, as expected, full of banters and waves of laughter thanks to Baekhyun, Sehun, Chanyeol, and Jongdae. The only thing weird was that the normally and boisterously loud Yanmei was super silently and pouty. She keeps shooting daggers across Hisako’s direction. And the usually confident and head always held high Hisako keeps avoiding Yanmei’s gawk.

Once in a while, Jongdae would caress Yanmei’s cheek with the back of his hand so that she would relax and stop her angry stare. Yanmei would immediately melt at Jongdae’s touch, but she would resume the evil looks back at Hisako once the magic subsided.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He would constantly hold your hand or will grab your thighs under the table. The first time he did it, you were so startled that you slightly jumped to your seat, hitting your knees on the table.

Everyone at the table asked if you were okay, Minseok’s wife was especially worried. Her face twisted as if she was the hurt and not you. You have to lie to them that you felt something brushed your feet and it surprised you. And they concluded that it must be a random leaf which was scattered around.

Baekhyun, the asshole just keeps on giggling at you and your flustered state as you lie to your peers. And he never stopped fiddling and playing with you throughout breakfast. Ever since getting back in Seoul from the vacation, his acting in front of everyone has skyrocketed. What has he eaten? Was he poisoned? Have you thoughtlessly poisoned him?

Or has he… No way… Has he fallen for you too?

“How the progress of the second branch of your school, Junmyeon Hyung?”

Baekhyun asks Junmyeon across the table from him. His hand still keeps tracing shapes on your thighs as you all eat the breakfast dessert that was served after your meal.

“We’re doing really great. The buildings and classrooms were checked last week by the local and international board of Education, we passed with excellent quality of the whole school. We will be operational and in full service by next school year.”

“My father mentions you’re still looking for school staff over dinner conversations one time.”

Jongdae intercalates suddenly, wolfing down the dessert as if he hasn’t eaten anything before that. Yanmei giggles slightly as she wipes the sugary syrup off the side of Jongdae’s lips with a table napkin. He returns her a charming and gratified smile for the sweet gesture.

“Yeah, we are one short of an Educator. Doesn’t matter if they are experienced or not, it’s not hard to train anyway. We have all the facilities for that.”

“How about Yanmei-ssi? She has a Master’s degree in Special Education, am I right Yanmei-ssi?”

Baekhyun beams and Yanmei looks up with the mention of her name. Jongdae’s eyes widen in realization and immediately, his lips open up in a huge grin.

“Me?”

“Oh right, we even talked about it last night. Why didn’t I think of asking you.”

Junmyeon pans his attention to Yanmei’s direction and displays a smile for her.

“Are you offering me a job?”

Yanmei’s right hand goes up to her left chest, her face full of overwhelm of the job proposal.

“Yeah, why not. You seem like you’re really passionate about it. Didn’t you say you have a special needs sister?”

“I do. But wouldn’t it be difficult for the both of us if you’re going to hire someone who lives overseas?”

“That’s not going to be a problem. I can hire people who can help do the necessary process for us.”

Junmyeon assures Yanmei.

“You can even enroll your sister in our school if you like.”

Junmyeon offers. Yanmei’s jaw drops with the very generous bid.

“So you can finally be with me!”

Both you and Jongdae suddenly shout out loud with how happy you are. Everyone at the table laughs while you and Jongdae stare at each other in wonder after shouting the same, exact words.

“Yanmei-ssi, you’re such player! I didn’t know you fool around with both genders?”

Sehun jokes, causing more laughs from your peers. Jongdae attempts at standing up from his seat to give Sehun a smack upside the head, but Yanmei stops him while in a giggle fit.

After the newlyweds left for their 2-month long honeymoon cruise, Baekhyun decided to give you, Hisako, and Yanmei a tour of the hotel. You’ve been here a lot of times, but you know Baekhyun felt the tension between Hisako and Yanmei so he asked the three of you to walk with him to have some privacy.

Yanmei refused at first, saying she’s too full and tired to even move a finger. But after a little convincing from you and Jongdae offering to join made her say yes.

Chanyeol has to literally haul Hisako out of her seat when she didn’t move. Weirdly, she just let the giant guy pull her up. Hisako never lets any man be in close proximity to her, why is she just letting Chanyeol touch her so easily like this? Thinking about it, where did she even sleep last night? Did Chanyeol drive her back home?

“I’ll try and distract Jongdae and Chanyeol away from the two so you can talk to them.”

Baekhyun suddenly slides next to you and whispered in your ear. His arm snakes around your waist as you walk around the pool area of the hotel. Guests and their children are already enjoying the swimming pool under the scorching sun. His unexpected gesture made you almost jump out of your wits again.

“I— Okay.”

Baekhyun gives your cheeks a chaste kiss before prancing to where the four were, separately walking by twos, Jongdae and Yamei and Chanyeol and Hisako. Your heart leaps up and you can feel the same knots on your stomach, just like last night. Fuck if he’s going to be this sweet, this better be permanent, you thought to yourself.

You saw Yixing and Sunmi in the corner of your eyes, they were seated by the bar of the pool area. It looks like they just got there from their walk themselves. Sunmi and Yixing routinely walk around the garden of your home every morning. If it’s not Yixing, it’s either your mom or Soojung who walks with Sunmi.

Yixing saw you and immediately waves as his lips wide with a happy smile. Sunmi waves as well, looking in a different direction and Yixing giggles at her. You smiled as well and waves back at them. When Yixing whispered something in Sunmi’s ear, her cheeks flush and she tucks her hair behind her ear. Just confess to him already Sunmi, you whispered to yourself.

“Where are you going?”

You crane your neck in front of you to the direction of Yanmei’s voice. Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Jongdae are walking back to your direction. Baekhyun secretly winks at you as Yanmei keeps whining for Jongdae on the spot where they left her. Hisako way ahead all of you, also frozen to her spot.

“I’ll be back baby. We’ll just get ice cream, okay?”

Jongdae shouts back to Yanmei while Baekhyun drags him.

“What ice cream flavor you want?”

Baekhyun asks you when the three passes by.

“The three of us likes green tea flavored ice cream.”

“So Asian of you.”

Chanyeol snorts and you squint your eyes in a mocking manner.

“No shit, Chanyeol. We’re all Asians.”

“We’ll meet you in the garden for the ice cream.”

Baekhyun said and you nod your head in understanding. You caught up with Yanmei and linked your left arm with her right one, pulling her to the direction of Hisako. Hisako started walking forward again when she saw you two advancing.

“Wait up!”

You call to Hisako and thankfully she stopped walking to wait for you. You reach out your other arm and linked it with her when you caught up. Walking arm to arm, you in the middle, with your best friends. You heard them sigh out, wasn’t able to refuse you.

“The boys will get us ice cream.”

You grin as you drag your two stubborn best friends to the direction of the garden. It was a relief that every guest was enjoying in the pool area and it is significantly quiet in the gardens. The only people in there were a few staff taking care of the plants and the three of you.

You found a bench under a shaded part of the garden, you hauling the two over the pew and sat them there as you stood over them. Both are facing each other’s backs, their arms crossed over their chest. Yanmei has a permanent scowl on her face, while Hisako’s have a similar one, but mixed with guilt.

“So… Last night...”

You trail your words and the two waited for you to speak again. You groan slightly to clear your throat before continuing.

“I slept with Baekhyun last night.”

You added as you gulped bravely. Immediately, Yanmei and Hisako’s jaws simultaneously fall with the unsolicited atomic bomb you just dropped on them. None of the two spoke or reacted for a few seconds and you can’t help but get nervous and fidgets your hands in apprehension.

Yanmei opens her mouth again to speak but closes it immediately when she can’t express out her words properly. She then all of a sudden held on to Hisako’s arm as if she knew Hisako will blow up or something.

Hisako pans her attention to Yanmei who was shaking her head left and right. Hisako looks back at you, her face glowers some more, you can tell she’s holding back herself from scolding you.

“Did you at least used a condom?”

You can see the invisible smoke coming out of Hisako’s nose and ears as she asked the question.

“Of course! Who do you think I am?”

You put your hand on your chest; the hurt is obvious in your tone as you scoff at what Hisako said to you.

“Amano Hisako!!!”

Yanmei reprimands. Hisako looks at Yanmei who was pouting at her as if her life depends on it.

“I’m just making sure. What if Soojin suddenly gets pregnant?”

Hisako returns her attention to you.

“Tell me Sooj, how will you raise a child without love? That child’s life will be miserable is Baekhyun fails to be the good father it deserves.”

“Hisa, stop!”

“I will never let that happen!!!”

You defended as you now cross your arms over your chest. You stomp your feet on the ground, the sound of the grass ruffles under your sandals.

“GUYS!!!”

Yanmei interrupts.

“Why are we even talking about an unborn child?”

Hisako fumes.

“I don’t know, you started it!”

You fume back.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry…”

Hisako softens and slumps on the bench. You sigh out and swallowed your own pride. You know she’s just concerned about you and your welfare. That’s just how Hisako reacts when you or Yanmei makes stupid decisions. But what you and Baekhyun did last night wasn’t stupid… At least that’s what you think.

#kpopwritingnet #exowritersnet #Byun Baekhyun #Baekhyun scenarios #exo scenarios #ceo!baekhyun #ceo au #kim jongdae #chen scenarios #Kim Junmyeon #suho scenarios #Park Chanyeol #chanyeol scenarios #Zhang Yixing #Kim Minseok #Oh Sehun #Kim Jongin #Kai #Lay #Do Kyungsoo #D.O. #EXO #OT9 ceo au #exo ceo au #baekhyun x oc #baekhyun x you #chen x you #chen x oc #chanyeol x you #chanyeol x oc

[topazshadowwolf]

The Other Side

This is Halloween related, right? I think so. Besides, it is the last day of my “Gaster Blastober” month. I ought to post something!

Make sure you have read the others first:

A Breakfast Surprise I’m At Soup Papyrus! Go Long! Hidden Distrust

An Undertale Fanfic by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox Set in the Gaster Blaster AU Relationships: Soriel Rating: Teen Heads up: This is what some of what I’ve seen called “body horror” in this one. Best way to explain this AU is if Sans and Papyrus as a werewolf. Consider this before reading.

AO3 version

The Other Side

 If she ever had a chance to spend time with Sans alone, really alone, now was it. It was summer, school was out, and Frisk was on a trip with Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus. It was good for the child to have a vacation, and she almost joined. She later decided not to when she learned Asgore was going to be coming along. While she might say she forgave Asgore, a part of her had not yet fully forgiven him. The most she can do is spend one, maybe two, days with him; provided she had opportunities to step away. After that, his general sweetness and, especially, his tendency to act sorry for killing the humans, got on her nerves. It was her problem, and she knew it. She wanted to yell at him, tell him that that if he was sorry for what he did, he never should have done it once, let alone 6 times.

So, being in the same car for hours, and seeing him for several days in a row was a little much. It seemed to be a common belief that she hated him, which was not true. Sans understood that from all their talks that, even when she was still in the Ruins, she didn't hate Asgore. It's just what has happened between them is too much to fix. At least, too much for so soon. No matter how hard the other boss monster may try, the love was gone; looking at him only reminded her of the children. The sight of him, alone, can sometimes cause her to remember her nightmares of human children calling to her...

Besides, once she heard that Sans was planning on staying behind, she knew she would have the company she really wanted. The younger brother, Papyrus, was hesitant to leave his brother; he didn't believe it would be best to leave Sans alone.

Toriel knew how important Papyrus was to Sans. Also, she knew that Sans would not want to go on any long trips, even if he should have another week before a possible change. Though, it had been made clear to her, Sans didn't like Papyrus missing out on things like this. It took some convincing, but she managed to get the younger skeleton to let her watch Sans while he was gone. It wouldn’t be easy for them to be separated for so long. But Papyrus had friends around to help him, which he thrives on. Sans, with his hot dog stand and empty house, was going to need the extra attention which she was willing to provide.

And, one night before the trip, Toriel invited Papyrus over to talk it all over.

Before this talk, Toriel had been learning more about what the brothers go through. About what causes the change, and where the two usually go to change. During these lessons, Toriel couldn't help but find that jovial Papyrus would make a marvelous teacher. What she learned, from teacher Papyrus, that night was an in-depth explanation of the process of the change Sans goes through.

Papyrus explained it as a three-part process. The first being the "isolation" stage. In this stage Sans suspects the change is going to possibly happen, and seeks isolation to try getting a hold of the feeling and hopefully avoid the change. The second stage occurs if he can't get control of the feeling, and Papyrus called it the "starting" stage. This one Papyrus split into more parts. There was the "jumpy" part, in which Sans is nervous, wanting to hide, and starting to show signs of pain. The next part is the "cracked" part, where some changing occurs while Sans looks for where he is going to change, and his bones start looking all cracked. Then the last stage is the "active" stage, which is when Sans actively changes. And that... is marked with thrashing about... screaming... and bystanders needing to be careful standing near him, because you don't want to accidentally get hurt.

Since stress could cause the change to happen, it had crossed her mind to invite Sans to stay in her guest room. Being out of an empty house and with company might be more relaxing for him. Though that might be a little forward, especially for the first day of this. For now, she will start simple. After all, once she learned his secret, while their relationship seemed to have flourished in some ways in others it withered.

With the additional information and a plan, she decided for the first night she would pack a simple dinner of soup, sandwiches, and a pie to share with him. One thing she knew about her friend, he was not the type to make himself a nice dinner. Knowing this, she figured it would be a pleasant treat. Something homemade that wasn’t spaghetti.

It was late afternoon when she arrived at the house Sans shares with his brother. To her surprise, she saw Sans leaving, the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head. With a wave, she called out to him to catch his attention. He startled, before he slowly turned to look over at her. With his hood over his head, Toriel couldn't see his face well, but the eye lights, focused on her, shined out. They looked smaller than normal, which was odd to Toriel.

“t-tori… heya, i, uh… didn’t expect you… didn’t you go with the others?” Sans asked as Toriel approached. There was a tense, or nervous, sound in his voice.

Was he...?

Toriel started to suspect something was going on, but she didn't want to jump to a conclusion right away. Though she thought he didn’t look well, the setting sun was not a reliable source of lighting to really examine him.

“I figured I’d enjoy being home alone for a while. That, and when I heard you weren’t going, I thought you might like some company,” she said in a relaxed tone, hoping to keep him calm.

“oh…,” his voice was hesitant and, if she would hazard to guess, scared.

“Sans, are you alright?” She asked, bending down a little to get a better look at his face.

To Toriel’s annoyance, he seemed to know what she was doing and turned slightly to continue hiding. “yea, fine…,” he then glanced at the basket of food, “that smells good.”

That surprised her. Personally, she could not smell the food once she put it in the containers. Her sense of smell was always better than his, thanks to the biological benefits of having a long, wide snout. That is, unless he is half changed. She looked at her friend, sure that she knew what was going on. This did end up being too much stress for him after all.

“How about we just relax and have a picnic then?” Toriel offered.

She touched his right arm and he flinched while he took a step back, “yeah, sorry, not tonight, so… tomorrow, ok?” Her friend then turned sharply and started to walk away before she could respond.

“Sans, please don't cut me out of this,” She followed him.

“tori,” He stopped walking but didn't look back at her, “really tori…, you've been helpin' me so much. you don't need to be a part of... this”

"Is it really something you want to be alone for?" Toriel asked

Sans was silent and looked down. 'No,' she thought to herself, 'he doesn't want to be alone, he just thinks it's the only way.'  She then asked softly, “Then where are you going?”

He shook his head, as if trying to chase away a thought, “just going for a walk, please, tori… i’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Sans started to walk again, Toriel reached out and grabbed his right arm to stop him. She was surprised as he yelped out in pain then proceeded to cover his mouth with his left hand. That hand showed signs of being different. The fingers were longer, and the start of talons could be seen at the end of each of them.

Looking back at his face, Toriel could see the panic in his pin prick sized eye lights. He quickly pulled free before he hid the hand in his jacket pocket. Without a word he turned again and started to walk. She feared that he would disappear with a shortcut and grabbed for his shoulder.

Sure enough, he did try to flee but ended up taking her with. Looking around, she could see they were now deep in the forest. It sounded like where Papyrus said the two would go to undergo this transformation. It was pleasant, and peaceful, though the dying sunlight and thick tree coverage did make it eerily dark.

She wasn't going to lie to herself. As much as she wanted to be here for him, she couldn't shake the fear of the unknown. It was unknown how he would react to someone other than his brother here. But she had to try, for his sake.

“tori, please, i,” his sentence was cut short as he drew his shoulders up and arms in. She could hear him suck in air quickly through his teeth, and as he breathed out she could hear a slight quiver. “not… tonight… please go back.”

“Please, let me help you,” Toriel pushed.

“i… i never wanted you to be part of this,” Sans said quietly, as he turned and looked at her she could see tears forming in his eye sockets.

“You’re important to me, Sans, if there is something you are struggling through I want to help you. I like to think you would do the same if it were the other way around,” She offered a smile, but he didn't look, or sound, convinced by it.

“but, this is something you don’t… shouldn’t...,” he then hugged himself and whimpered slightly.

Helping to support him, Toriel hugged him lightly and let him lean on her. Slowly pulling the hood back, she revealed his misshapen skull. There were lumps forming on the back, laced with small fractures. His face was slowly becoming elongated as well, looking more like the muzzle she was starting to get used to seeing.

Closing her eyes, she stayed calm, she had to for him. Inside she felt the fear building, but she couldn't let that show. Not now. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, and let the ruler she once was take control of the situation. “Sans, what can I do?”

His voice was a painful plea at this point, “tori, please, you don’t need to deal with this… i… i’ll be fine…” Nothing about the way he was acting, or sounding, allowed her to believe his last statement.

She felt over his spine and recognized the feel of the larger, and sharper, spinal processes of his partial changed form. He flinched away from her, and she eased up on how much she touched him. Hurting him was not her goal. What she needed to do is get him to relax, maybe even talk to her if possible. Being so tense and scared could not possibly help in the process. In a calm tone, she asked, “Sans, if you saw me in pain like you are now, would you leave me?”

“but…,” He said quietly, shivering.

"Would you?" She asked again, not letting her point be dropped.

"... no," he replied softly.

"Then I'm not leaving you," she said, while very softly petting his skull. Her own bones ached in sympathy as she looked over the spider web like micro fractures lining every inch of him. Healing magic would only prolong his pain as the fractures would heal only to reappear again. The only thing she knew to do was provide support.

Under her light hold, she could feel him tremble as he started to curl in on himself, “tori… i don’t… i’m… not in my right mind after I turn into… this thing… i don't want to hurt you.”

“Is that what you’re worried about? Hurting me?”

“yes… part of it…,” he admitted, "i just... i don't know what it does or thinks."

“I can handle myself, Sans,” she said in a strong tone, then added softly, “besides, I know you won’t hurt me. Now, what can I do to help you?”

As she figured, he didn’t have the energy to argue anymore with her. He struggled to get his jacket off, and Toriel helped without being asked. Once it is off, he offered it to her, “if you could keep an eye on this…”

Carefully, she folded the jacket and placed it in the basket. Glancing back at Sans, she noticed his clothes were no longer fitting properly, “What about the rest? You seem to be growing and they can’t be comfortable.”

With a bashful look he nodded slightly, and she helped him free himself from the rest of his clothing. Not that there was anything for him to worry about her seeing. He was, after all, a skeleton. But still, she understood his desire for modesty, and respected it by not staring.

Wrapped around his legs was the tail she had grown attached to. It was clear he hated the limb, but she had found the thing cute in its own right. The tail also was a good indicator on how he was feeling. The fact it was wrapping around him, as he crouched down, showed how insecure he was feeling. That was obvious right now. It is at other times, such as when he gives off his cool and collected act, she finds it useful.

Offering comfort, she knelt by him, placing an arm lightly around him, allowing him to lean on her.  His arms he wrapped around himself in a hug, as he kept his growing claws to himself. To help him she continued to keep him talking, “I guess you know Papyrus has been talking to me about all of this." He nodded slightly in response, "But there are a few things we haven't discussed, yet. How long do you stay changed?”

“uh, t-till i don’t have the energy to m-maintain it. just being it takes energy, but, uh, ya know, moving around expends more,” he said before he started to curl in on himself in pain with a soft whimper. He was trembling, and she could hear a sickening creaking sound.

“Is there anything I can do for the pain?” She asked.

Sans shook his head and she gently pulled him closer to herself. Accepting Toriel’s gesture of comfort, he leaned his head on her. He was warmer than normal, and sweat was forming on him. She tried asking him a few more questions, but he didn't respond more than with a slight nod or shake of the head.

Desperate to offer him something, she spoke to him quietly. She told him small stories of her past few weeks, riddling in as many puns as she could. Now and then Toriel would hear a series of pops, which resulted in Sans uttering a pain filled sound while trying to bury his continually elongating face into her. All the while, she knew he was growing, but had not thought much on it until he was leaning his head on the top of her own. It was then she heard him start to rattle as he shivered fearfully. Every breath was quivering with worry of what is to come.

She continued talking to him, giving him an anchor to hold to through the pain. It appeared that the changing stopped, but he didn't relax, and there were more thin fractures all over. This must have been the end of what Papyrus had called the second stage. Soon the last stage would start.

He was becoming tenser, and when he tried to speak all that came out was an odd growling, whining sound. She only lightly touched him, and he pulled away, his bones seemed even more sensitive than before. Softly she hummed to him, hoping it provided some comfort, anything that could possibly help him.

When his whines seemed to match up with her humming, she felt a small amount of relief. There he was, her Sans. He wasn't as lost in the pain and fear as he had been. He opened his eye sockets and looked down at her, pain and worry still marked his expression, but there was some amount of peace there.

That quickly ended as he lurched away from her. Huddled on the ground, Sans howled out in pain. Toriel quickly stood and moved back to give his long tail ample space to thrash about. His hands, which resembled front paws, covered his eye sockets while his feet kicked out blindly, tearing up the earth around him.

He was growing and changing rapidly now. What had started as a slow process had sped up, and resulted in far more pain. With how much he was thrashing and kicking, it would be dangerous for her to get any closer. Instead, Toriel tried offering reassuring words to Sans, though what more could she say then, "Hold on" and "It won’t be much longer."

It tore at her soul to see him like this, and be powerless to do anything about it. The past few months of dealing with him half changed now came back to her. No wonder he was so miserable about all of this, and why he hated his tail, too. Not only does it have a mind of its own, but it was just a reminder of all of this.

It wasn't until his actions started to slow that she saw that his claws were digging into his skull. Carefully she moved around to his head. It was massive compared to normal, and she felt like she was near one of the great dragons of old, verses her friend. She also noticed his bottom jaw was no longer one piece of bone but two, which clacked as he started to tremble again. It seemed odd to her that it would be able to part like that, and wondered if there was a reason. It will have to be something to ask Papyrus about later.

Every exhalation Sans made was accented by a plaintive whimper, which pulled her from her marveling at his shape to dealing with the aftermath. The transformation seemed done, but that didn’t mean the pain or fear would be gone. At this time, Sans was no longer the friendly, short and stout skeleton she knew. What Toriel now saw was a skeletal beast, and one that was far larger and looked deadlier than his half-changed form. His words of warning about his mental state echoed in her head. Yet, she had to try.

“Sans?” She said and the creature, Sans, froze. Terror gripped her, and her voice caught in the back of her throat. Fighting that down, she finally managed to weakly say, “it's me, Toriel.”

The large skull raised from the ground, oversized claws digging into the earth as he started to stand. His bones rattled from the strain, yet he continued his effort until he, as the great bone beast he was, stood before her. Looking right at Toriel, with narrowed, tear stained, eye sockets, Sans emitted a bone chilling growl.

She wanted to run, hide. Her paws clasped together before her, as she felt herself shiver. The eye lights in the large eye sockets looked her over as the creature sniffed the air. His bottom jaw clacked a few times, as he continued to growl. Toriel took this as a possible good sign; he was being curious but defensive, not outright aggressive.

Clinging to the hope he will recognize her, she tried again, “it's okay, Sans.”

His jaws started to open, the bifurcated mandible parting ever so slightly. She felt herself step backwards as his head continued to move towards her. Sans’s face was inches from hers and she could feel her magic stirring, ready to defend.

At the height of her fear she heard a sound. It was a low, sad, plaintive mix of a whine and trill. Confused at first, she didn't know it came from him until he made it again. When she looked into Sans’ eye sockets, she could see the gaze matched the sound he uttered.

Slowly, she reached her arms out to the skull, which moved into them and pressed into her. Her arms didn’t even reach around his snout, and his attempt to nuzzle her nearly pushed her over. When she giggled in response, she didn’t mean for it to sound nervous, but he clearly picked up on it. Becoming self-conscious, he started to back up and hunkered down to make himself as small as possible.

“Oh, Sans, that’s not…,” Toriel was at first frowning at this. But watching this great beast try to make himself small was rather adorable, and she raised a paw to hide her face. “That is not necessary my friend, but thank you.”

Already, something else caught his attention, as Sans lifted his head and his skull bobbed slightly as he sniffed the air. Toriel watched as he turned his head towards the basket of food. As he started to stand she moved quickly to intercept him.

“Not like this, dear. You said you needed to use up energy to change back, eating will give you more energy.”

Sans huffed and looked away. Like a rebellious child, he sat back down, his back to her, and, from what she could tell, pouted. Toriel felt herself put her hands on her hips as she tried not to laugh. “Sans! You're being silly. You'll get the food eventually, you just have to wait," she tried to reason.

The large bone creature replied with a grumbling whine and flopping over to his side. This caused Toriel to shake as she struggled to hold back her laughing. Walking over be in front of his head, she looked down at him, "Come on, you're one of the most patient people I know. Waiting till you're back to normal won’t be that long for you."

Two round eye lights stared at her for a moment then the beast grunted and rolled over, turning his back to her again. As much as he seemed to be upset, his tail hinted he was now playing as it softly wagged, thumping on the forest floor. This made her wonder how much he was understanding verses how much he was getting from her behavior and tone of voice. Papyrus did mention Sans was more... well, in his words, Sans is more "blaster beast than brother when changed."

Putting her hands behind her back, Toriel walked in front of Sans again and leaned over his head. "Sans?" she gave him a mock glare. Again, he rolled over, with a whining grumble, and he moved his front leg over his eyes. His tail continued to wag in the process. With a shrug she turned around, so her own back was towards him. "Alright, two can play that game," She said, wondering how long he would pretend to ignore her.

Almost right away, she heard him make a questioning noise before he moved. This made her smile to herself, as she waited for his head to appear before her. Sans, though, had other plans, as she felt something grab the back of her dress between her shoulders. The most she could do is let out a sound of surprise, before the ground disappeared from under her feet. "S-Sans!" she exclaimed, trying to look back at him.

There was a huffing sound as if he was laughing to himself, which caused Toriel to start laughing. Though it was a mix of nervousness, shock, and actual humor. "You! What are you doing?" Toriel asked before Sans moved his head more, setting her on his back near his front shoulders. She tried not to look down, not that she was afraid of heights, but that doesn't mean she enjoys them. "What is this about?"

Sans made a trilling noise and then, with care, nuzzled her. Toriel smiled and pet his muzzle while she listened to him as he made soft sounds in his attempt to talk to her. His head didn't stay there long, as he pulled away he also started to move. To stay on his back, Toriel wrapped an arm around one of the long spinal processes, and shifted closer to it. He started to pick up his pace as she secured her hold and got in place.

"Where are we going?" Toriel asked, and heard Sans trill back at her in response. With a smile, she leaned her head against the spinal process and patted the vertebra it was attached to, "Alright, that sounds like a good idea."

They slowed as they reached a cliff. It caused Sans to come to a stop as he looked up at the top, and Toriel looked as well, "Guess we'll have to find a way around, wont we."

To help, Toriel looked around, and she noticed the cliff was not as high further to the left. To get his attention, she tapped on his ribs. But that didn't seem to be the answer Sans had. His hind quarters lowered, and his tail thrashed from side to side. This action reminded her of a cat about to jump up on something.

“San-“ she started but ended up hugging the spinal process while shutting her eyes tight. Sans had sprung forward and, as if it took no effort at all, jumped up onto the top of the cliff.

There was a soft whine that sounded like a question. Opening her eyes, Toriel looked at Sans, a weak smile was the best she could give. “I’m alright,” she said, but received a skeptical look. Sans then huffed and started moving again.

As they exited the forest, she saw a wide and open field. Upon entering it, Sans trilled and started to build up speed. Toriel noticed that he kept looking back at her, and she could figure why. After her reaction to him jumping up the cliff, he is now worried about scaring her. She was nervous, that was definite. And Sans was not as easy to sit on as a horse or a creature that could offer her more mass than bones. At the same time, though, she had started to feel a thrill as he moved faster. So, she patted the spinal process she was holding to, and said, "Go ahead, I've got a good hold."

With that, he started to shift from a fast walk to a jog, and from the jog into a run. The world flew past them, and the fear she felt melted into a feeling of exhilaration. Ears flying back, she couldn't help but let out a small whoop of joy. Sans made a quick howl in response, clearly enjoying himself too.

They arrived at an area with a stream and a small hill on the other side. Fireflies were rising from the long grass near the stream, dancing in the darkness and providing a beautiful show. Sans slowed to a stop and Toriel could feel his rib cage expand and contract a few times, as he settled down from the run. Approaching the water, he crouched down, like a cat and lowered his head down to the water to drink.

Toriel took this opportunity to lower herself down from his back carefully, and stood beside him. As a firefly flew close to her, she caught it in her paws and watched it climb through her fur, flashing a light now and then. At some point, Sans had stopped drinking and was watching too, skull tilted slightly in question. With some encouragement, she got the small bug to walk down one of her fingers and she lead it over to his snout. This surprised Sans and he took a half step back as he saw the small bug light up near where his nasal cavity was. His head tilted the other way then back again, tail swishing in amusement as he watched it crawl around before flying off.

He made a howling whine as he watched the bug fly off and walked through the stream, as he followed it to the other side. "Let it be Sans, it is far too small," Toriel advised and her dear one stopped and looked back at her.

He must have noticed she was still on the other side, and that she would get wet crossing, as he hunkered down again and stretched his head across for her to use as a bridge. "Oh, that's so kind, are you sure?" she asked, hesitant at the idea of stepping on him like that. But he trilled happily, and she couldn't turn down his offer. With care, so not to step on anywhere that might be sensitive, she walked across and dropped down on the other side. She could have jumped over the stream, it wasn't that wide, by any means, but, his offer was not something she felt she should ignore.

"Thank you, so much, Sans," Toriel smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

He trilled happily at her and his tail swished. Then he made a whine before he stood and turned to walk up the hill. Toriel walked beside him as they climbed up. Once they reached the top he waited for her to sit down before reclining next to her. He nuzzled Toriel, and she lightly petted his skull and muzzle in return. She ran a hand around the bottom of his mandible, which caused him to raise his head to make it easier for her to reach.

From Sans came a rumbling sound, which surprised Toriel at first. It was like a deeper, and slightly hissing, cats purr. "Oh, I... I didn't know you could do that," Toriel was amused by this and found the sound very relaxing. She leaned against his shoulder and continued to pet his head and jawline as she closed her eyes. The sound engulfed her, and she could feel the vibration of it travel through her in the most calming way.

It wasn't until she woke up, did she notice that she had fallen asleep. It couldn't have been for too long, but long enough for the magical presence of Sans to decrease. She shook him lightly and the great bone beast groaned out his displeasure in being woken up. "Sans, come on now," she said, trying again to wake him. Finally, he relented and yawned before opening an eye socket to look at her. "It's been a while now, you might be ready to turn back soon. Shouldn't we start heading back before that happens?"

To that, he grumbled out a mix of whine and growls, as he stretched and looked about ready to sleep again. "We left the picnic basket with the food back in the woods. The same food I promised to give you when you changed back. Would be hard to do that without the basket," she said, accenting the word food. Sans looked at her again, this time with a look that seemed to say, 'how dare you use food against me.'

As he started to stand, Toriel grabbed hold of his shoulder and climbed up. Again, Sans stretched, though he seemed mindful to not do anything that would be difficult for Toriel to stay on. Once ready, he started back, moving at a slower pace than before. And when he jumped down from the cliff, it lacked any of the grace from earlier. Toriel nearly fell off, and he must have noticed as he turned to look at her, whining out an apology. The rest of the way, it was clear he was tired and just ready to lay down anywhere. When they made it back to the spot he had changed in, Toriel slid off his back to get the basket.

Sans, though, kept walking, his feet and tail dragging along as he moved. "You don't have to keep going, dear, I can carry you back," Toriel said, walking beside him. But Sans sighed and kept moving.

He whined in response, and looked down at her with blurry, eye lights. He then continued walking for a while longer before he finally collapsed and curled up. Toriel walked over and pet his skull as she watched him tense up. There was some soft whimpering as, for the second time that night, his body started to drastically change. Mostly he shrunk in size, looking like a smaller version of the creature he just was, with some more bipedal features. Over all, he seemed in less pain, and the process appeared easier. Though, that could be because of the fact he was just too tired to really react.

Once done, and he was his partial form, he stayed curled up. At this point, there as little she could do to wake him, and she didn't blame him. Quietly, she scooped him up and balanced him on one hip, so she could carry the basket in the other hand. It was still very early in the morning, and they were on the edge of the forest. She could already see his house, to which she had a spare key. Looking down at him, she felt he should be cleaned up of all the dirt, mud, and bits of plant life he had on himself. But, perhaps she should just let him focus on sleep first.

... One thing for sure, she was convinced the beast and Sans were indeed the same being.

End thoughts: And, thus, this concludes my Gaster Blastober. I hope to add more to this series down the road, and I have plans for it. But, as you all know, I have many other stories to work on that have priority. There will be more though, after all, this is one of my favorite AUs. 

#Gaster Blaster AU #Fanfiction #Soriel #Sans #Toriel #body horror

[diamondsareapearlsbestfriend]

Sans/Toriel 30 Day OTP Challenge: Day Four

On AO3 | Day One | Day Two | Day Three

day four: first date

prompt: “Your OTP’s first date. Where’d they go? Did the date go well or go horribly?"

"Papyrus, you shouldn't have."

"No need to thank me, brother! The great Papyrus is always happy to share –" 

"No – you really, really shouldn't have."

"But, Sans!" Papyrus' face fell as he waved the monstrosity at Sans – if he'd had eyes, they'd probably have been blinded by sequins by now. "Don't you want to increase your dateability by up to 670%?"

Sans didn't even know where to start – the fact that those figures were highly debatable, the fact that it was Papyrus' size and would have come way down to the floor on him, or just the fact that it was an MTT-brand hot pink sparkly tuxedo.

"Where'd you even get that, anyway?" he asked, sidestepping the obvious – he didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings, since he was obviously trying, but there was no way Sans was showing up to his first real date with Toriel in that. Just looking at it was giving him bone rash. "Didn't those things use to cost, like, 50000G?"

"Oh! An, um, friend gave it to me. Anyway!" Papyrus seemed suspiciously eager to change the subject as he sat down on Sans' bed and glanced around the assorted piles of junk with a look of distaste. "We'll come back to your wardrobe later. More importantly, where are you going to take her?"

"Huh." That...was a good question actually. Sans hadn't really given it much thought, since he kept getting stuck on the part where he was going on a date with Toriel. "I dunno? Guess I'll ask Tori what she wants to do. Probably just take it easy, go for a walk, maybe go to..."

"Don't say Grillby's."

"...why not?

"Oh my god, Sans!" Papyrus threw up his hands in despair, as if Sans had just suggested a romantic trip to the dump – which, if they were back in the Underground, might actually have been one of the better options. "You can't take the queen to that greasehole!"

Sans lifted a questioning brow bone. "But we go there all the time. We went there yesterday."

"I know, but...but! This is your first date! It has to be special! You're supposed to sweep Toriel off her feet – metaphorically. I think." Papyrus shook his skull and pulled out a book from his improbably tiny shorts. "Fortunately for you, brother, the Great Papyrus is an expert in all things romance!"

"That is lucky," Sans agreed, partly to humour him, but also because doubt was starting to swirl around his mind – what if Toriel was expecting some grand romantic gesture? Maybe there was some kind of royal procedure he had to follow – slay a dragon, battle her seven evil exes, something like that. "Okay, Pap, you're the expert – where do you think we should go?"

"Hmmm." Papyrus tapped a gloved finger thoughtfully against his chin for a moment, before his sockets lit up. "I know! You should take her...dancing!"

"Dancing," Sans repeated flatly.

"Obviously!" Papyrus clasped his hands together, gazing up at the ceiling with a dreamy twinkle in his sockets. "Just imagine – the music, the moonlight, at least one of you in a beautiful, flowing ball gown...Probably her," he conceded, catching Sans' dubious expression. "And then Met – I mean Toriel can dip you low and twirl you around with a rose between her teeth!"

Sans grinned. "Never knew you were such an old romantic, bro." It wasn't an unappealing image, he had to admit, even if he usually had to have a few glasses of something stronger than ketchup in him to consider dancing, and had no idea where he was supposed to find a ballroom on the surface, or if those were even a thing any more. "Okay, that's, uh, definitely one for the maybe pile. Got any more hot date ideas?"

Papyrus flicked through the pages of Lovely Bones: The Suave Skeleton's Guide to Romance. "How about: 'Take him, her or slimeself to a scary movie, so they can cuddle up to you when they get scared. Or try the classic "pretending to yawn and putting your arm around them" trick.' You might need to bring a stepladder for that one," he noted. "'Romantic walk on the beach'? 'Romantic home-cooked meal'? 'Doing your taxes – romantically'...?" He glanced up, his sockets creasing with concern as they met Sans'. "Sans – are you okay? You're looking...paler than usual, and I didn't even know that was possible."

"Me? Psssh, yeah, I'm great – why wouldn't I be?" Sans was pretty sure his brother wasn't buying it, but he kept smiling a little more manically than usual anyway. "Totally go on dates with the queen all the time – but I mean, it's just Tori, right? We hang out all the time, this is no different...I'm sure there's no way I can screw this up and make her hate me forever."

As usual, sarcasm didn't stand a chance against Papyrus' relentless optimism, because he just beamed back, clapping Sans on the back encouragingly. "That's the spirit, Sans! Just like it says right here: 'be yourself! But not too much yourself. Try to cut out the jerky bits that no one likes.'" He hesitated, brow bone furrowing. "But this is Toriel, and we know she has little to no standards for royalty – she somehow already thinks you're cool and funny and apparently dateworthy, so you'll do fine. I, the Great Papyrus, believe in you! You're a trash CAN, not a trash can't! Sorry," he added at a slightly less stapes-shattering volume, offering a sheepish smile. "That's what I used to say to Alphys. I was reliving my brief but memorable time as a motivational coach for a moment there."

Sans chuckled, the corners of his mouth tugging into a genuine smile – it was impossible not to, looking into his little brother's eager face. "Catchy. Thanks, Pap – you know, I femur better already."

Papyrus let out a strangled groan, collapsing his head into his hands dramatically. "Why, Sans? Why do you always have to ruin it?"

"I dunno," he replied with a shrug, warming up. "Guess I'm just...bad to the bone."

"I'm leaving."

"Tibia honest, bro..." Sans called after him, sprawling comfortably back on his bed just as Papyrus got off of it. 

"– oh my god – "

"...you're smiling."

"I am not!" Papyrus insisted as he flounced out of the door and back to his own room. "It's just my bone structure!"

He still closed the door carefully so as not to incite another incident with the self-sustaining trash hurricane, and Sans' laughter petered out into a sigh as he looked around his room at the mountains of dirty socks and dog hairs.

Sans was sure he had an actual pair of pants somewhere in one of these timelines.

"Frisk, dear, are you sure this dress looks okay? It is quite appropriate attire for the season, yes?"

"Mom, it looks great. You look pretty – you always look pretty," Frisk assured her, as Toriel examined her reflection critically in the mirror, as she had been doing for longer than she'd care to admit. It had been so long, she found herself unaccustomed to the sight of her bare arms in her light summer dress, which clung a little more closely to the contours of her body than her royal robes or respectable school clothes. They looked so...large, and sturdy from her many, many years of hard work. She wanted to wear something nice, but what if Sans found the sight unattractive? He was a skeleton – it would only be natural if he were inclined towards a thinner frame. Oh, she was being ridiculous, fretting like this – this was Sans, after all, he probably wouldn't even notice what she was wearing. She fluffed up her ears, then smoothed them down again as two familiar knocks sounded at the door.

"Knock knock."

"Do you guys really have to do this every time?" Frisk groaned, but Toriel ignored them, savouring the moment.

"Who is there?" she called back.

"Boo."

"Boo who?"

"Crying already? Wow, this date really isn't going well."

Toriel snorted with laughter, some of her initial tension beginning to melt away as Frisk opened the door.

"Sans, that was terrible," they told him, although they were smiling nonetheless as they glanced back at her expectantly, "even for you."

"Thanks, kiddo. Thought I'd better bring my A game." In the mirror, Sans' sockets caught Toriel's eyes, and a tingle of electricity ran down her spine as his smile widened, the barest hint of blue on his cheekbones as she turned around. "Heya, Tori. You look, uh...wow. Good. Great," he amended quickly, as though worried she would somehow misinterpret him. 

"Oh!" Toriel let out a shrill giggle, pressing a self-conscious hand to her cheek as she flushed with pleasure. "Why, thank you, Sans – how sweet of you to say. You are looking rather wow yourself," she added with a wink.

"Heh – thanks." He scratched the back of his skull as Toriel noted with surprise that he was wearing actual pants and a simple white shirt – a little rumpled and rolled up at the sleeves, but nonetheless a world away from his usual attire, and she decided that she liked it, very much, as he held out his hand. "So, uh, shall we...?"

"We shall indeed." Toriel accepted it with a smile, turning back to Frisk as they approached the door. "Frisk, do not wait up for me! Get to bed at a reasonable time, and do not think I won't be able to tell if you have not. Dinner is in the fridge – you do remember how I showed you to heat it up, yes? And you have both of our numbers if there is anything at all you –"

"Mom, I'll be fine," her child interrupted, but they could not keep the excited – and just a touch smug – grin from their face, waving their hands as shooing away a pair of troublesome mice. "Undyne's coming over, remember? You guys go and have fun! And don't do anything I wouldn't!"

"Yes, that is reassuring," Toriel said dryly after they closed the door. She knew that Frisk was more than capable of looking after themselves, of course, but she still could not help but worry. She never could, although the way Sans grinned and squeezed her hand as they set off towards the beach did at least help to take her mind off it.

They strolled along the promenade for a while at a leisurely pace, neither saying much; Toriel was content to enjoy the thrill of their interlinked hands, the light sea breeze through her fur. The setting sun cast a warming glow over the beach, and she admired the sight of the few children still playing there. Theirs was a predominantly monster community, of course, but she had noticed the number of humans steadily growing, and few things made her happier than to see the two happily playing together, as though the last few thousand years of conflict had never happened – as though, for the first time in all her years, things really were changing. Sans noted that he was getting much more custom selling hot dogs and cats here than he used to in the Underground, especially now Frisk had brought their human friends along to show off their “mad 'dog-balancing skills”.

"I think some are still scared of me, though," he said, as they paused to take a break on a nearby bench.

Toriel looked at him sympathetically. "Because you are a monster?"

"Yeah. Well, that plus the whole appearing-disappearing thing I think freaks them out a little. What?" Sans widened his sockets faux-innocently when she tutted at him. "C'mon, Tori, you didn't think I was gonna walk all the way along here every day, did you?"

Toriel was about to point out that he had, in fact, done just that, but before she could open her mouth her stomach spoke for her, letting out a loud, insistent gurgle at all the talk of food.

"Oh goodness – excuse me! I think it must be Frisk and my usual dinner time," she explained, flashing Sans an apologetic smile as she clasped her hands over her stomach in an attempt to quiet it. He was already smirking in the way she knew meant he was trying not to laugh, and most likely about to fail.

"I hear ya, buddy," he said, leaning over to address Toriel's stomach directly, almost as though there were a baby in there. "Hang in there."

"Oh you, shush!" Toriel playfully pushed him away, laughing too much to sound in any way threatening as she felt a blush blooming across her cheeks. "Do not mock me – we cannot all be so fortunate as not to possess any internal organs, can we not?"

"You're right, sorry – that was pretty heartless of me." Sans tugged at the collar of his shirt, and as she giggled Toriel unexpectedly caught herself wondering what he looked like under there; whether she would be able to see his soul, even, beating under his ribcage. But such a thing would be far too intimate at this stage, she reminded herself sharply, hoping Sans would assume her deepening blush was still a result of her stomach rumblings. "But your friend there makes a good point," he continued, stretching his arms out across the back of the bench. "Food seems like a good plan right about now. So...where'd you wanna go? I think there's some fancy places over that end."

He did not sound particularly enthused, and Toriel was not herself, she had to admit, in the mood for a classy establishment at that moment – they were usually reserved for humans, and she did not feel like putting up with the murmurs and raised eyebrows they would inevitably face, as though a goat and a skeleton enjoying some dinner together were not the most natural thing in the world. 

Toriel and Sans looked at each other. 

"Grillby's?"

"Grillby's."

Toriel had grown fond of the unpretentious, welcoming warmth of Grillby's, now that she came in often enough that no one gaped at her because they did not expect their queen to frequent such a place. It was reassuringly familiar, walking in to see all of the regulars occupying their usual places, hollering their usual greetings mixed in with some expressions of surprise at the sight of Sans wearing "shoes?! Damn, look who's gone all fancy on us soon as he got to the surface!"

Yet there was undeniably something else in the air, too, as they tucked themselves away in a corner table, sitting just a little closer together than strictly necessary as they talked about everything and nothing over a plate of deliciously guilty cheese fries. Sans' breath tickled Toriel's ear as he leaned in to tell her about Bun's disastrous 'Humans Night', and she placed her hand lightly on his forearm as she recalled when her class accidentally fed the goldfish Temmie Flakes, feeling a frisson of excitement at the sensation of fur on bone – surprisingly smooth to the touch, but with its own unique texture, intricate little lines and creases spelling out Sans' story. She could have traced them all day, but did not want to make Sans uncomfortable, although he did not seem to mind her hand lingering there for a moment. Content and full, they fell into a comfortable silence until Grillby wandered over to enquire if they were planning on paying tonight.

"C'mon now, Grillbz," Sans replied, a mischievous twinkle in his socket Toriel recognised all too well, "don't go getting jealous just 'cause I've finally got a hotter date than you."

Toriel nudged his foot with hers under the table. "Now, Sans, do not be so impolite," she reprimanded, trying to stay stern while biting her lip to conceal the laughter that threatened to burst forth at any moment. "Grillby works very hard here to provide all of us with exceptional food and service, and might I add he does a wonderful job. You cannot blame him for needing to...blow off some steam."

Sans snorted with laughter and high-fived her. "Tori, you're on fire."

Grillby just shook his head wearily, crackling something under his breath as he scribbled on what was presumably Sans' rather impressive tab. As he walked off, the bird at the end of the bar leaned over and informed them: "He said you're both banned."

Toriel was certain he did not mean it, though, because that was what he said last time. Still, she supposed, she ought to be getting back to Frisk, so they said their goodbyes and began the long walk home, though were unable to resist the temptation of Nice Creams from a passing vendor.

"'Well done!'" Toriel read out the text on the stick. "'You got out of bed today.' Hmm, I think this one might be for you."

"'Your hair looks nice today,'" Sans read, before sticking the remainder of the Nice Cream between his teeth – she still wasn't quite sure how he did that – and running a hand over the top of his skull. "How'd they know?"

Toriel chuckled softly. "Perhaps it refers to the rather fetching green moustache you have just grown," she teased, resisting the temptation to reach out and rub it away with her thumb.

"It ain't easy being green, Tori,” he deadpanned, before scrubbing a hand across his mouth and casually wiping it on his shirt. “Heh – good job I wasn't wearing a ball gown tonight, then.”

Toriel spluttered, almost choking on her Nice Cream at that unexpectedly arresting image. “Pardon me? A ball gown?”

“Right – 'cause of how you're, y'know, the queen, you're probably used to dates a little more special than this, right? More special than me, even.” Sans let out another dry 'heh', looking down at the floor and scuffing his shoes. “Sorry – I, uh, don't really date much, if you haven't figured it out. Lots of reasons, but – there's never really been anyone special. Before now, obviously."

Sans glanced up at her, a rare glimmer of vulnerability in his sockets despite his usual carefree smile, and Toriel was overcome by the urge to scoop him up in her arms right there and then. (She managed to restrain herself – that might have been a little too forward)

"Well, I may not have dated in...many decades," she began, thinking it wisest not to mention Asgore, "but I thought tonight was very special indeed. And, truthfully, I never really was one for the fancy parties – as sansational as I'm sure you would look in a ball gown."

Sans laughed, warm and genuine as he pulled her into a half-hug, one arm circling around her waist. "Hate to disappoint you, Tori, but I think I'm gonna have to pass on that one. Thanks, though. It's good to know neither of us has any idea what we're doing here."

"Oh, absolutely no idea," Toriel agreed gleefully, her heart starting to race as Sans' hand settled on her waist and she covered it with her own with a meaningful squeeze. “But I hope that – if we keep trying – perhaps we will one day figure it out.”

"Yeah? You know, I think I could work with that."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Toriel leaned down to close the short distance between them and before she lost her nerve, pressed a swift but tender kiss to the top of Sans' skull. She could not help but giggle as he flushed almost as blue as the ocean that stretched out before them, but did not move away as they looked out over the waves at a world of endless, tantalising possibilities.

"I think so, too."

"Well?! How did it go? Where did you take her?!"

“Wha...?” Sans startled awake as his covers were unceremoniously yanked from his bed to find himself staring into a pair of eager sockets. “Pap, what the hell? It's...” He glanced blearily at the time on his phone. “4am? What're you even doing up?”

"What? No, of course I haven't just got in! That's not the point!" Papyrus bounced impatiently up and down on the end of Sans' bed, reminding him a lot of that dog he hated so much. "I couldn't wait all day for you to get up – so where did you go?"

"Okay, okay, bro, inside voice," Sans grumbled, rubbing at his sockets – but he couldn't stay irritated for long, a giant grin stretching his face as he remembered. "We just went to Grillby's."

Instead of the exasperated "oh my god" he was expecting, Papyrus looked oddly pleased at that. "I knew you would!" he declared, "especially if I advised you not to! What did I tell you – the queen is super cool, but she has highly questionable taste. Just like you!"

Sometimes, Sans thought he'd never figure his brother out. "You're right," he agreed, grabbing his covers back and burying his head back in the comfort of his pillow, "she really does. Terrible, terrible taste. Now lemme sleep and I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

But even after his brother had reluctantly retreated back to his own room, for what had to be the first time ever, Sans was actually too happy to sleep.

#30 day otp challenge #soriel #fanfiction #undertale fanfiction #someone pls draw sans in a ball gown #it probably exists somewhere tbh #this is really just pointless floof aka the only thing I can write #my fic

[nsschaintale]

Chain 5: 500 Notes

Tether (limps away as he feels his body slowly breaking apart): My...body is... turning into.... (looks ahead to see Catena waiting for him) Catena...I'm gonna bring you something back. Wait for me...okay? (drops to his knees as he turns into dust) At least...we'll eat together again...you...know... (closes his eyes......

…..then opens them, finding himself in his bed)

Tether found himself in his bed...

In his bed.

Tether: What in the Underground happened?! (climbs out of bed and feels a shock in his chest) Ugh! What... (tugs out his soul and Life Chain; is shock at what he sees) Ah...this is...

Tether spotted a deep cut in his Life Chain and a faint scar on his soul. He left his room and went to his restroom to look in the mirror. He lifted his shirt up and saw some faint chipping on his ribs and sternum diagonally from the top right rib across his sternum to the bottom left rib. He touched the chip on his sternum and winced, seeing a flicker of a vision.

A red-eyed child. A purple-eyed skeleton.

Bones. So many bones.

Knives. They were red.

The chirping of crickets. The silver light.

Explosions. Skulls.

Chains.

Tether's vision became engulfed in chains.

Tether (covers his left eyes): Urgh! What is...going on..?

???: TETHER!

Tether: !!! (shaking) C...Catena.....? (opens the door and peeks outside; sees Catena standing in front of his door) It..is...him. (shuts the door quietly) Shit... I want to see him, but I need to find out what's going on... (gets jolted by knocking) Ah!

Catena: TETHER, ARE YOU IN HERE?

Tether: YEAH, I'LL BE...out in a minute.

Catena: ALL RIGHT! I'LL GO ON AHEAD TO MY FIRST PUZZLE! YOU BETTER GO START ON YOURS SOON!

Tether: All right, bro. (hears Catena walk off and down the stairs) First puzzle? Hmm... Something's... (looks at the door) I need to go there....

Tether left the restroom and returned to his room and got dressed. He went to his dresser and dug through his sock drawer. He felt something metal bump against his finger and pulled out a silver key.

Tether: There you are. (puts the key in his pocket and teleports out of his room and lands outside the house)

The atmosphere of Snowdin town was its usual cheerful splendor, but that cheer wasn't on Tether's conscience. He concentrated on figuring out how he returned to where Catena's alive (as inwardly excited as he was) and how he ended up with his scars. He walked around the house to the back and approached a white door. He inserted the key and open his way in, entering what looks like a small laboratory. To the left, there is a long white table attached to the wall, where it was covered with cork boards, whiteboards, a large flat screen computer monitor with a white keyboard, and papers scattered all over the table and boards. Next to the table was a tall, four drawer filing cabinet, across from it was a tall covered item that was unknown to him, and the opposite wall had a more cleaner table. Tether walked towards the cabinet and opened the top most drawer. Inside it was a series of papers, all chronicled in order inside some folders. Grabbing a folder, Tether decided to look through the papers and see what they show.

Tether (sits on the black rolling chair and sets the folder on the clean table, opening it up to the first page; there were markings, words crossed out, and other scribbles on the pages): Well.. here goes nothing.

Day 1 Since We Left The Underground May 12, 201X

I just got a..journal book thing today. I felt like I should, but I just wanted to write that today, we monsters finally left the Underground! It felt like so long. The scene before us was breathtaking, well, for those with lungs. The sunrise (sunset???) was beautiful, the air was fresh, as Ketju had mentioned, I myself couldn't really describe it. I had to chase after Catena when he took off running, but I was just as excited as he was. I do wonder if Frisk is gonna stay with us or go back to where they came from.

Day 2 Since We Left The Underground May 13, 201X

Hey again. Cats and I went exploring the area. It's a small little town outside of a larger city, it looks like. We've also meet some humans along the way. They were really surprised to see us. Err...maybe “running away screaming” isn't exactly a connection to surprise. Other than that, it wasn't so bad.

Added: Looks like everyone's starting to settle into some places with the help of some humans. These humans are suspiciously nice....

Day 3 Since We Left The Underground May 14, 201X

Turns out Frisk didn't stay with Torquem. I got the news from her in a text. They didn't get to become our ambassador, either. Guess they'd become too embarrassed to work in an embassy as an ambassador. It would have been nice, though. Oh well, it's their decision. Uh oh, Catena's calling me.

Added: We were able to find a place for the both of us to stay. A small two-room apartment. Some kind of peace offering from the humans? Why are these humans nice to us...?

Day 4 Since We Left The Underground May 15, 201X

Catena and I found a car shop in the city today. Cats was so happy, but it turns out we needed something called a driver's license to even drive a vehicle. That drove him nuts. I had to drag him away because he was screeching about it, but he bounced right into his usual mood and decided to try and find the place to learn and earn our licenses. Yes, OUR. I'm getting me a vehicle, too. I just don't know what, though.

Day 5 Since We Left The Underground May 16, 201X

I think I know what I want now. I saw a human riding it today. It was a....motorcycle...I think? Something about it made my soul jump. I had to look up the licenses for that, and it's a motorcycle license. Looks like I'm going to  have to cycle my way to the shop.

Added: We signed up for driving classes. This should be interesting.

I found a motorcycle magazine and saw the one I wanted. As much as I want to, Catena comes first.

Day 8 Since We Left The Underground May 19, 201X

Sorry, I have to study for our driving tests. Man, humans seemed to be real excited at the sight of gold. Their currency must be different from ours.

Added: Some human tried to take something from my bro. I don't think they'll come near us again.

Day 12 Since We Left The Underground May 23, 201X

Taking a break. There's just so much to the traffic rules. But at least there are red stop signs. We both know what to do with them. I mean, Cats and I have attacks that act like stop signs. Blue stop signs. We were also looking for jobs. Well, Catena is. I'm still gonna sell hot dogs.

Added: NEVERMIND, THAT WILL BE SIDE JOB A CLASSON???ASTROPHYSICS??! I FOUND MY DREAM!! HOT DOG!

Day 15 Since We Left The Underground May 26, 201X

Gotta study more. Sorry!

Added: Heard that Ketju and Kusari went on a date today. Haha, looks like Ketju's got her hook, line, and sinker. Hmm...

Day 18 Since We Left The Underground May 29, 201X

Found a calender. Whoa! May 29...201X... Huh...It's been 18 days since we left the Underground... Sure didn't feel like it. Must've miss a clock because time sure flew by quick.

June 5, 201X

Started writing the dates. No real point on writing the other stuff down.

Added: Cats and I are going to take our driving tests. Wish us luck!

Added: Finished our driving tests. Catena did great! As great as he is. Me? I..might need some work. Those turns were kinda iffy. But I did kinda well. We'll be getting our licenses soon.

June 9, 201X

We got our lincenses licenses!

(attached to the page is a photo of Tether and Catena holding their licenses, smiling)

Tether (sighs): All that work... (flips through a few pages, mostly about Frisk visiting everyone, then stops on a page) Hmm...

June 15, 201X

Haven't heard much from Frisk lately. Catena tried calling them, but nothing. Just a voicemail. He tried getting up with them on this new social media site Kusari created: Under Net 2, but nothing. I'm getting worried.

June 18, 201X

Signed up for an online class. I had to send info..? Wonder what they'd say if they knew I was a skeleton. That'll get their bones rattled. I will take that astrophysics class, but I have to do all this other stuff first. Summer classes, it looks like. Guess we'll see how humans view the world...if not us. Already had to avoid a few humans lately.

Added: Got Catena his dream car. He loves it! Just look at that smile!

(attached is a picture of Catena hugging a orange sports car)

Tether: Heh. He really loved that car... (turns over a few pages)

June 25, 201X

Holy shit, I almost forgot to write here?? Been busy studying and working. Yeah, I'm doing my usual hot dog vendor business. Had to get a permit, though. Man, this is the most I've ever done in my life. I think... Anyway, online courses are going good, took my sweet new motorcycle out for a spin. Check it out. Also, I heard Frisk came over to see Torquem at her school! Well, she's just a teacher there, but still. Cats and I got a chance to see them. I'm glad they're okay.

(attached is a photo of a blue and purple motorcycle)

Tether: Whoa, I had that? Sweet. (skims through some pages of mindless writings and Frisk's visits then stops on a page labeled June 30, 201X) Hmm...?

June 30, 201X

Torquem called me today. She said she saw Frisk. They didn't look too well, it seems. She did say that they left to go back to where they came from. Where, to their family? Their old life? I've always wondered why they fell into Mount Ebott anyway... It was their choice, but... I can't help but feel like something's up.

July 1, 201X

Kusari contacted me about Frisk. Apparently, they found Under Net 2, and posted something odd. I don't have an Under Net 2 account, though. Catena does, I'll ask him about it.

Added: “Everything is okay” “Red eyes” “It's coming” ….Frisk, what does that mean???

July 2, 201X

Catena told me that Ketju called him. We're all trying to figure out what Frisk meant by those words. We only knew a few monsters that have red eyes, but everything else... nothing. This is getting weird....

July 3, 201X

We decided to go look for Frisk. We don't know if they're in the town or the city. If they're in the city, I doubt we'd get far. From what I've seen, not every human is very welcoming to our presence there...

July 5, 201X

I SAW FRISK. They were with two taller humans. I assume they must be their family. But.....well, I did try to approach them, but the two taller ones shooed me away. Catena had even less luck. Did Frisk's less-frequent visits have something to do with them? I didn't mention this before in these notes, but I could have sworn I saw a bruise on their neck...?

Added: I caught a glimpse of their Soul. It's not a bright as it used to be. Where did some of their DETERMINATION go...?

Tether: Is this.... (turns to the next page) Ah...

July 6, 201X

I got a strange call from Frisk tonight. They sounded kinda rattled. It's ratting my bones, too... They apologized for leaving us and told me to live. What does that mean? Did something happen? I'll ask them in the morning. Good night.

Tether (lays the stack of papers back in the folder and sits back in his chair, sighing): We didn't even stay on the surface for that long. Eight weeks... I knew it. But I forgot all this time.. (looks at the folder) That's all..hmm? (picks up a paper with mostly illegible writing on it) What's.... Ah!

On the page, a date was scratched out: July 7 201X. He could barely see what was under the black pen that was written with, but most of the words shown were-

July 7, 201X RESET 1

I was going to NONONONONONONONOWHYWHYNONONWHYWHYWHY WHY IS IT SNOWING! NONONONONONO IT WAS SUMMER WHYNO WHAT HAPPENED?! WHYWHYNONONONO

Added: this is where it started. everything ended here.

Tether (stares at the word after the crossed-out date): ...Reset...Is that it? (looks after the page, but there was nothing) The other folders.

Tether got up and rushed over to the cabinet. Sure enough, there were several folders labeled “RESETS”, all numbered in order. He grabbed the first folder labeled RESETS 1-50 and sat back down.

Tether: 1 through 50? It's been that many...? (fingers frozen over the corner of the folder) Ah..ah...this is...bone-chilling... (opens the folder and starts reading)

RESET 1 – continued

I don't understand. One moment, I was feeling the warm sun on my bones, the next I'm feeling chills. What happened? I asked Catena about it, but he didn't remember us being on the surface. Why? I told him it wasn't a dream... Because of the reset. No memory.

Added: Sorry, had to go to my “station”. Besides my real one. I visited the lady behind the double doors today...? I knocked on the door a few times, but nobody came...

Her name is Torquem.

RESET 2

I went to my station today. More like visited the lady again. Cats doesn't know, does he? Heh heh. Maybe?

Torquem

Added: He doesn't.

RESET 3

I went to my station today. More like visited... Why does it feel like I wrote this page before? Reset, that's why.

RESET 4

I went to my station today. I should go visit her today. ….Her who..? Torquem.

RESET 5

I went to my...... hang on. Why do this pages keep saying “I went to my station today” without finishing the page? Was I supposed to go visit someone..? The Resets are causing a repeat in time. Whatever it is causing this, I need to figure this out.

RESET 6

I went... Stop it! What's going on?!

RESET 7

I'm not writing it down this time!

RESET 8

NOPE.

RESET 9

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???

RESET 10

THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING.

RESET 11

CATENA, I KNOW I HAVE TO GO TO MY STATION, OKAY?! He gave me a strange look. I didn't mean to yell at him. I just... Only I remembered?

RESET 12

NO.

RESET 13

NO. unlucky number 13...

RESET 14

WHY.

Tether (sifts through the rest of the pages until he reaches RESET 45; most of the pages showed “SAVE HER” on them): My gods, why is this....

RESET 45

I heard a scream from behind the doors. Is it her..? Did something happen?

RESET 46

what's happening to her?

RESET 47

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HER?

RESET 48

I don't have any shortcuts made for this place, I can't get in!!

RESET 49

I CAN'T GET IN!!

RESET 50

it's quiet

Tether (shaking hard): Torquem... I..couldn't save her...? (drops the page and covers his face with his hands) I need some fuel...

Tether left his lab, and ventured out towards his station near the woods. He was halfway there before seeing Catena building his first puzzle, the electric maze.

Tether: Hey...uh, Catena.

Catena: MORNING, TETHER! I'M ALMOST DONE WITH MY PUZZLE. IT JUST NEEDS A FEW ADJUSTMENTS AND IT'LL BE DONE! HOW'S YOURS COM- (looks surprised) TETHER, ARE YOU OKAY?

Tether: Huh? Why do you ask, bro?

Catena: DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER NIGHTMARE? YOUR EYE SOCKETS GOT TEARS COMING OUT OF THEM.

Tether: W-What? (wipes his sleeve over his face and sees wet smears and spots on it) Uh, I..uh..(smirks)...read something that was real tear-jerker, is all. Not something to tear up over, really. A real crying shame, though.

Catena: TETHER, THAT'S-

Tether: Hey, I'd love to stay and chat, but I got my puzzle to recalibrate. (starts walking off)

Catena: OH! WHAT KIND OF PUZZLE IS IT? CAN I SEE IT!?

Tether (stops): ….I would show it to you...but... (glances back) Sorry, Cats. This is a personal puzzle I gotta recalibrate myself. (walks off) Maybe some day. When everything gets back on track....

Catena: …...

Tether made it to his station and dug out his large bottle of grape juice. He took a glance down the forest at the ruin doors and starting trembling.

Tether: …....M-Must be the cold. No, those notes... She's probably... (teleports away to his station in Waterfall) Where are they... (grabs his bagged stash of potato chips) Here. (teleports back to his room and grab a large bag of chips) Ready. (teleports back to the door of his lab) Going in... (re-enters his lab, grabs the second folder labeled “RESETS 51-100”) Here we go again.

Tether spent the next few hours going through five folders of RESET chronicles, as he decided to call them. The RESET 51-100 folder had events that led up to him seeing Frisk.

RESET 100

I saw Frisk. I wanted to ask them about what happened. But these rewind feelings keep making me forget. They also seem...different? They don't have that pleasant feeling around them... There's something...dark... The rewind feelings are moments when the Resets occur.

Tether: …. (closes the folder then moves it over to pick up the next folder, RESET 101-151; hands start to shake) This is....

RESET 101

I watched Frisk go through Catena's puzzles. Like, literally. They didn't even bother doing them. What gives? I thought they liked doing his puzzles. Did they?

RESET 102

I watched Frisk go through... No, it's happening again. These feelings... I need to concentrate. Catena's about to tell them how to do the puzzle.

RESET 103

I watched. Just that. I watched them. Something's wrong with them. Frisk wasn't like this before.

RESET 104

I watched Frisk go through Catena's puzzles. Weird. They're doing them this time. This time? What was different? I don't remember, but it feels like it. Memory relapse here?

RESET 105

I watched Frisk do Catena's puzzle. Huh. They're doing them. Good on them.

RESET 106

I've been hearing some odd screaming lately. I went to investigate before meeting Catena, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

RESET 107

More screaming. Where are they coming from? The monsters...

Tether: ….. (turns to the next few pages that mentioned screams)

RESET 110

I met Frisk today. I thought I could surprise them with my “whoopie cushion in the hand” trick. It's always funny. But..I guess not for them...? Loss of emotion. What contributes to it?

RESET 111

Seems like I tried again. Nothing.

Tether (flips through more pages): Just me trying to get a laugh out of Frisk and watching them skip Cats's puzzles. They had a nice one... (stops) Huh..?

RESET 124

I tried to talk to Frisk today, but they wouldn't answer my questions. All they said was “Soon”. Soon what? Was something going to happen soon? Is this referring to the Resets..?

RESET 125

I noticed something on my hand that I didn't before. I figured it was snow. But it was odd. They just came out of the ruins with white stuff on them. It was dust.

Tether: …. Dust. They killed monsters in the ruins....

RESET 126

I noticed more weird white stuff on the snow. Well, the entire area is covered in snow. So, it's snow different than normal snow, right? Plus, it's pretty quiet.... Too quiet... The monsters in the snow fields were dead.

RESET 128

I think I missed something...

RESET 129

I discovered Greater Dog's Pomerdagger. He wouldn't just leave something like this around. What's going on?

RESET 130

Frisk did it again, walking through Catena's puzzles. This is really upsetting. I need to do something. Decided to help Catena with his last puzzle.

RESET 131

I was told by Victoria, the shopkeeper in Snowdin, that there are evacuation going on. Apparently, a human was killing monsters. But that can't be right. It is Frisk.

Tether: …... (skips a few pages nervously) I...

RESET 134

Catena told me he was going to meet the human. I feel like that's a bad idea. I tried to tell him, but he insisted that he can help Frisk change their ways. I guess if it's Catena, it's okay.

Tether (trembling): …... (turns to the next page and sees the page covered in wet spots and the repeated words were..)

RESET 135

CATENA'S DEAD. CATENA'S DEAD CATENA'S DEAD CATENA'S DEAD

RESET 136

FRISK KILLED CATENA.

RESET 137

FRISK KILLED CATENA

RESET 138

FRISK KILLED CATENA

Tether found that ninety pages only showed “FRISK KILLED CATENA”, half of which had wet spots and most of them were written in a progressively angry manner as each page increased. A few of them even had tiny words, asking and begging Frisk to stop killing his baby brother.

RESET 166

FRISK KILLED CATENA please frisk stop killing him killing my baby brother stop it please

RESET 167

FRISK KILLED CATENA please I beg of you stop killing Catena please stop

RESET 178

FRISK KILLED CATENA take me i'm not worth this life catena did nothing wrong please

RESET 190

FRISK KILLED CATENA TAKE ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!

It ceased when he moved to the RESET 200-250 folder. The entire page of RESET page 228 had the words:

RESET 228

FRISK MUST DIE.

Tether: …..

Tether didn't say or do anything else for the rest of the hour. He sat there with his hands on his face and wept. Having to read those pages and remembering how he felt during those times. The fear. The tears. The begging. The dust. This was the point where Tether felt he lost hope. And realizing now that Catena is alive this time made it all worse. There had to be something that could be done. After finishing his crying and downing a few gulps of his juice, he went back to studying the notes. He resumed reading the notes and found that the rest of the notes in the current folder just showed “FRISK MUST DIE”. But there were a few pages that started mentioning the appearance of some kinks in his Life Chain.

RESET 237

FRISK MUST DIE I noticed something on my Life Chain this morning. It's been bothering me all night. Is that...a cut? Where did I get it?

Tether: Is this..?

RESET 238

FRISK MUST DIE I found another one. I don't get what's happening.

RESET 239

FRISK MUST DIE I found another one. This one's small.

RESET 240

FRISK MUST DIE I needed to check Catena's Life Chain. I'll do it after mine.

RESET 241

FRISK MUST DIE OH NO. The Life Chain around his neck is almost severed.

Tether (notices some scratch marks on a few remaining pages): What are these? It stops after 250. (collects the pages and returns them to the folder; picks up the next folder, RESETS 251-300, and sits back down) When did I start getting kinks in my Chain? (opens the folder and reads)

RESET 251

Sorry, I've been fixing Catena's Life Chain. It was getting worse. Why haven't I noticed this before? Is something hitting us? I believe it has something to do with Frisk's attacks and the Resets. They're doing something to us that is weakening our Life Chains to the point where it's easier for them to severe them.

Tether: ...But then... how did I get a massive gash in my... wait. Didn't I...fight Frisk last time...?

RESET 252

I've started to use Chain Maintenance as an excuse to keep Catena from seeing Frisk. He doesn't suspect a thing.

RESET 253

It's going better than I thought. Plus, I think it's been a while since we really sat down and spent time with each other.

RESET 254

We started talking about the puzzles and the human. Catena really wants to go meet the human. I can't let him...

RESET 255

Catena's getting restless. I need to keep him busy.

RESET 256

I decided to try doing the maintenance longer. It's slowly working.

RESET 257

Oh no, Catena left without me checking him!!

RESET 258

I CAN'T FIND HIM.

RESET 259

Frisk found us.

RESET 260

Catena thought I was having a nightmare. Yeah, a never-ending nightmare about some kid killing you.

RESET 261

I was finding myself blacking out while standing. It was weird. Was I falling asleep? It was the Resets. It seems to be affecting my body in some way. Can't pinpoint the exact effect, but it's causing me to have blackouts.

RESET 262

I met up with Frisk again. I've...become scared of them. I don't know why, but I'm terrified of them.

RESET 263

I tried asking Frisk about what they said to me earlier today. I also told them that I heard screaming. Of course, they didn't answer.

RESET 264

I confronted Frisk after Catena's bridge trap attempt failed.  I grabbed them, but....

RESET 265

I REMEMBERED. There was dust everywhere. Monster dust. Catena's death, a child's smile. Frisk killed Catena.

RESET 266

Catena offered to let me come with him to talk to the human. I didn't want to go.

RESET 267

Frisk found us. I have already stated this on RESET page 259. This was not the first time?

RESET 268

I tried to get Catena to stay at home and meet with the human, but they weren't at where Catena stays at before Waterfall.

RESET 269

FUCK ME, I LEFT CATENA ALO

Tether found this page to be a little stiffer than the others.

RESET 270

i'm so tired

RESET 271

so tired

RESET 272

tired

RESET 273

I'M BACK AT MY STATION BY THE RUINS HOW I don't understand, how did I get back here? Uh oh, the doors are opening. I found that page 269 outside somehow?

RESET 274

Frisk looks different. They didn't have that stuff on them. No dust this time?? Why?

RESET 275

Frisk looks different. They didn't have that stuff on them. I've been watching them and they were doing Catena's puzzles! This is great! So I really did have just plain old nightmares. Catena's going to have his battle with Frisk. I hope it goes well. I'm hungry. I'm gonna go to Grillby's.                  ^Lies.

Added: Back from Grillby's. Gonna go check to see how Catena and Frisk are doing.

Added: Looks like things are going

RESET 276

NO

Tether: ….I think I remember this. This was the point where Frisk started to....torment me with Catena's death.

He skips through the rest of the pages that just says “NO” with the occasional “HOW COULD THEY?” and “STOP”. The last few pages he read were different, though.

RESET 297

I begged Frisk to stop killing Catena, but they didn't listen. It was like they didn't even hear me. But they told me “No escape”. No escape from what? This hell they're putting me through, if it even is them? Why is this happening?

RESET 298

I tried to convince Frisk to stop, but it didn't work. That's it. I'm going to drag Catena from the area and take him to the evacuation site if it's the last thing I do. The next time I black out and wake up, I'm going to do it if I remember.

Added: They kept going.

RESET 299

catena never came back

RESET 300

why

Tether sat in his chair, staring at the previous page. He was growing tired of looking through the pages and decided to take a break and see Catena. He closed the folder and put it away before leaving the lab and teleporting to where he'd find his brother. He was so bothered by the last two pages, he missed the final words of RESET page 300:

RESET 300

why

Added: I have a plan.  

CONTINUE?

#chaintalestory

[jovialyouthmusic]

Charlotte’s Choice

A Royal Romance AU fanfic

16 Applewood Manor

The Court moves to Applewood where Charlotte receives some help from Maxwell and relives a happy memory thanks to Drake.

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16 Applewood Manor

After the Regatta, the Court was scheduled to visit Applewood, where Charlotte had spent many happy summers as a child along with Drake and Savannah and Olivia, with various other noble children visiting. Maxwell had joined in her carefree summers along with occasional visits from Tariq, but after the debacle with the trifle at her birthday party Neville had not been allowed to visit – and she was glad of that.

Constantine had kept to his promise and sent her papers to sign at night as they decamped to Rashad’s Manor in Domvalier. First of the suitors to visit her to assist was that same odious Neville. He had made it plain that he favoured spending on various noble ventures and baulked at supporting funding on Cordonia’s orphanage and women’s refuge. She had expected nothing less and was relieved to have a good reason to reject his help and report to Constantine on his unbalanced support of Cordonia’s citizens. She had little time to spend for private socialising, having to attend a charity event and award prizes and trophies for the boat and yacht races of the previous day. There was also a formal dinner just before she had to see to the papers with Neville, so that night she fell into bed and slept soundly. The following day was spent packing and travelling to Applewood. Still Constantine insisted that she work though official documents and this time Maxwell Beaumont was sent in to assist.

She was feeling tired when Maxwell bounced into the study in the King’s suite at Applewood. He leant over her at the desk and gave her a peck on the cheek.

‘Hey Prinny, I bought supplies’ he announced, producing a bottle of champagne from behind his back ‘Bastien was supposed to frisk me, but he let this through. Sorry I don’t have any glasses’ Charlotte smiled at him and downed the glass of water on the desk.

‘I’ll use this, and you can drink from the bottle’ she said ‘It’s a good job we don’t have any weapons in here, your usual method of opening the bottle might make a mess of the papers.’

‘Good point’ he said, ‘Just how do you open a bottle without a sabre or an axe?’

‘Hand it over’ she said, putting the glass down. She twisted off the metal cage and took hold of the cork, twisting the bottle so the cork came out with a soft pop. Although they were close to Constantine’s bedchamber, they were not immediately next door like on the yacht, so had a little more privacy – but the sound of a champagne cork would have alerted him to their indulgence. She poured herself a generous glass and handed the bottle to Maxwell.

‘So have you heard any any gossip, Maxxy?’ she asked, ‘anything useful about members of the Council?’

‘Well, Lord Percy has had a spat with his latest conquest – did you know he was having an affair with Lady Caroline?’ Charlotte’s eyes widened

‘But she’s ten years younger than him!’ she retorted, and Max pursed his lips

‘I know, he always goes for younger women. His wife is more interested in breeding Siamese cats and doesn’t suspect a thing’

‘That might give me leverage if I need his vote in Council later on’ she said thoughtfully and sighed as she looked at the papers. She picked out a file and opened it.

‘Here’s the arrangements for the Coronation ball. Apparently, the florist has had to pull out due to a family bereavement’ Max took it from her

‘Oh, we have someone who’s very good, does the arrangements for the Beaumont Bash – she’s not busy this year’

‘Isn’t she working for you?’ asked Charlotte, reaching for the bottle. Maxwell looked sheepish

‘We’ve – had to go for someone cheaper this year. Confidentially, finances are a bit tight for us’

‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that’ said Charlotte ‘I’m sure we could give you a little stipend in return for your recommendation, or ask her to do your event for a discount’ Maxwell’s face lit up

‘Oh, could you? That would be great. Bertrand’s been so stressed about it all’

‘No problem Maxxy, if you know a caterer for the tea party too that would be good, it seems a lot of small businesses are feeling the pinch this year, there’s been a lot of cancellations’

‘You know how we like to throw a good party, I’ve got lots of contacts’ he replied. Charlotte rifled through the papers.

‘There’s a few other things you could look over then’ she mused ‘can I pass these files on to you?’

‘Sure thing Prinny’ Maxwell grinned and poured more champagne for her. They remained silent for a little, reading and passing papers back and forth.

‘You know you should be calling me Queenie’ she said ruefully ‘I’ve barely had time to myself the last few days. It’s so nice of you to bring along that bottle, I didn’t dare touch a drop earlier in case I made a mistake with the delegates from Portavierra.’

Maxwell patted his jacket

‘Oh, I forgot – Drake gave me these – he said they’re your favourite’ and he pulled out a box of chocolate truffles ‘sorry, they’re a bit warm’ Charlotte smiled and took them from him.

‘That’s very thoughtful of him’ and she started to open it. Maxwell put out his hand

‘No - he said to open it when you’re alone’ She put it down on the desk, frowning.

‘That’s a little bold of him, he promised to take a back seat’ the young duke looked sad

‘I just think he wanted you to know he’s rooting for you’ he said quietly ‘we all are, we know how hard things are for you, me and him, and Olivia – and Brad’ Tears came to Charlotte’s eyes and she wiped at them with the back of her hand.

‘That – that’s very sweet of you Maxxy. I really appreciate it. I’d give anything to have an evening just to hang out with you all like old times.’

‘Do you remember that time Olivia told Savannah if she kissed a frog it would turn into a Prince?’ he grinned. Charlotte laughed.

‘Drake stopped her just in time, and he was so cross with Olivia he tried to hack off her ponytail with his penknife’

‘Drake’s Dad arrived just in time to stop it getting worse – he had to pull the two of them apart’ Maxwell chortled. Charlotte got up from her chair to throw her arms around him in a hug.

‘Thank you Maxxy, you were just what I needed to cheer me up. I wish I could have you with me every night while I go over these dratted documents’ Maxwell held her tight, patting her back and rocking side to side. After a while they broke the embrace and she sat back down again.

‘So who’s your companion tomorrow night?’ He asked, and she made a face

‘Tariq, I think. I can’t think how he’ll be any use at all unless it’s to organise a fashion show or fancy wine tasting. Father may let me off the day of the Apple fair, it will be going on very late with the Lord of Misrule this year.  I bet he didn’t think you’d be useful, but I’ll put in a good word for you, tell him you’ve been great’

‘Thanks Lottie. Can I do anything else? The bottle’s empty now’ Charlotte reached out and patted his hand.

‘You’ve been a huge help Maxxy, I still have to sign a stack of stuff, so you can go if you want’ The young Duke took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze.

‘Any time Lottie, just send me a message and I’ll be with you in a trice. You know me, speedy by name…’ He backed out of the office blowing her a kiss.

‘Thanks – hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow at the Apple fair?’

‘You will. Sleep tight Lottie’

 Later, Charlotte stumbled into her bedroom and fell onto the bed, eyelids heavy. She realised she had tucked the box of chocolates from Drake into a pocket and the box was digging into her hip. Wearily she sat up and opened the box, inhaling the aroma of the chocolate. A slip of paper fell out onto the bed, and she picked it up. It bore only three words.

Remember the smores.

She smiled fondly and went to the window. She could see embers at the fire pit, fancying that she saw a shadow pass in front of it and was transported back into her teen years.

‘Do you like smores, Charlie?’ Drake had led her out to the fire pit a year after his father and her mother had died. She still missed her, but the pain was fading. They sat alone in the dusk as the light faded.

‘What are they?’ she asked

‘oh, they’re delicious – marshmallow, and crackers and chocolate. Dad – Dad used to make them when we went camping’ His voice had faltered when he mentioned his father. ‘you’d like them – would you like to try some?’

‘I’ve never been camping. Isn’t it cold sleeping outside?’ Drake smiled, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.

‘Not if you have a good sleeping bag. It’s cosy’ he said. He gave her a stick and showed her how to toast the marshmallow. He put a few squares of chocolate onto a cracker and put it under the marshmallow, added more chocolate on the top with another cracker and slipped the stick out.

Oh – it’s sticky’ she exclaimed, as the chocolate and melting sticky marshmallow oozed out onto her fingers. She watched Drake open his mouth wide and bite it in half, and she tried to follow suit, but it was too big. She bit into it and the sticky sweet mess oozed out onto her fingers and lips. It was crunchy and chocolatey and soft and sweet. ‘Oh this tastes like heaven!’ she exclaimed, her mouth not empty yet. She rolled her eyes as the soft gooey centre coated her tongue and melted, and the tastes and textures assaulted her senses. She sucked her fingers as clean as she could in between messy mouthfuls, and Drake gave her another marshmallow to toast.

‘Careful, not too close or it’ll burn’ he said, and took her hand to move the stick away. She felt a little jolt of electricity and jumped. He looked at her oddly, and sheepishly took his hand back ‘you want it even, so keep turning it’ After a second one she declared she couldn’t eat any more.

‘I wish father would let me go camping’ she said, ‘He’d probably say it’s too dangerous’ Drake shrugged

‘You don’t have to go far. Perhaps he’d let you camp in the grounds, if Bastien supervised it’

‘Oh that would be amazing’ she said ‘I wish – what’s the matter?’ Drake was looking at her intently

‘Oh – er, you have some chocolate just above your lip’ he observed. Her hand flew up to her face.

‘Oh – where?’ she cried ‘Here?’

‘No, just to the left – ah – let me…’ he moved closer and reached out his hand to brush his thumb over her top lip ‘Here’ he said. They were close, so close, she could smell the smores on his breath, and he didn’t move away again, gazing at her, his eyes flicking over her face. She realised she was holding her breath, and wondering what his lips tasted like, wondered if he might lick the chocolate from her lip.

‘Is – is it gone? She whispered

‘not quite’ he said, moving imperceptibly closer as if in a trance.

‘Walker! Princess? Where are you?’ She jumped back guiltily, and Drake stepped away swiftly at the sound of Bastien’s voice from the footpath by the palace. Drake collected himself, giving her an apologetic glance.

‘Here, Bas’ he shouted, ‘by the fire pit’ He wiped his hands on his trousers, and Charlotte licked her top lip and then wiped it with her handkerchief, her fingers still sticky. Bastein appeared, his dark eyes catching the firelight, and he gave Charlotte a searching look.

‘Are you alright, Princess?’ he asked ‘It’s very dark, you should go inside’ as she answered him her voice wavered a little

‘I’m – I’m fine thankyou Bastien. Drake was showing me how to make smores’ Bastien smiled.

‘That’s very generous of him. I’m rather partial to them myself’

‘I’ve still got some things left – can I make you one Bas?’ Drake said eagerly, the awkwardness of the moment disappearing.

‘No, its late Walker, you need to come in now’ He started to lead the two teenagers back to the palace. Drake hopped behind him like a faithful dog

‘Do you think the King would let Charlotte camp in the grounds if you were around to watch, Bas? She’s never been camping’ he asked.

‘I don’t know’ said Bastien ‘I’ll ask – or perhaps the Princess should say something’

‘If he knew you’d be there he might say yes’ Drake insisted

‘Perhaps. Now go and see Savannah, she wants to talk to you before she goes to bed’

Charlotte smiled at the memory, wondering if Bastien had seen it all and stepped in before they got in too deep at that tender age.  She drew the curtains, taking one last look at the embers of the fire outside, but it was too dark to see if anyone was out there.  She popped a chocolate into her mouth and stripped naked before crawling into bed. It was good to fall asleep with positive thoughts occupying her mind. Outside, Drake had seen her draw the curtains, and made his way back into the manor.

Brad woke in Olivia’s bed, her arm thrown over his chest, her breath warm on his neck.  He carefully untangled himself and got out of bed. He rubbed his neck, wincing at a bruise just below his collarbone. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and smirked at the bite mark on his shoulder. Olivia was as feisty in bed as she was out of it.

He sighed. He was going to have to tell Charlotte what was going on, it wasn’t fair otherwise, no matter how liberal Cordonia was. He just didn’t have it in him to be romancing (or bedding) two women at once, exciting though the thought might be. It wasn’t as if there was any real spark between them. He had had enough relationships to know when it was just physical and when there was an emotional attachment, or the possibility of one.

He feared Charlotte had been so starved of love and affection after the death of her mother that she didn’t know the difference herself.  Drake had obviously tried to fill that void, and to a greater extent for his sister too, and it had escalated to a more intimate relationship with Charlotte. The thought of a teenage boy trying to take over the role of mother both to his little sister and to a girl his own age filled him with pity. In turn, Bastien had filled in the role of father to the Walkers, providing a steady foundation for Drake. He didn’t think Constantine was half the paternal role model as the King’s Guardsman and he knew little of the role of the deceased Regina. Perhaps she had redressed the balance a little - Charlotte had never talked of her and he resolved to ask Olivia later.

For now, everyone would be preparing for the Apple fair. That normally called for the appointment of the Apple Queen, which would go ahead, but this year there would also be a Lord of Misrule picked from the suitors. It dated back to a pagan fertility ritual which was rarely invoked, but Constantine had declared it appropriate this year. Traditionally the Lord of Misrule turned everything upside down and reversed the roles of rulers and peasants. Most of the candidates were noble this year, but whatever rules they invoked would be in force until midnight. Because security was an issue each suitor had written their chosen rules and submitted them to Bastien for approval and he had not divulged the contents to anyone, not even the King.

For Charlotte, the day was a busy one, with preparations for the Apple fair which kept her busy, as at her father’s insistence she was closely involved in its organisation and had no spare time as there were also appointments with delegates and diplomats from Monaco there to discuss a trade agreement. The evening brought further duties with more paperwork and with Tariq to ‘help’ her. As she had guessed he was worse than useless – his mind would not settle on anything beyond clothes and fine wines, and he sat watching her pore over documents, drinking champagne and talking endlessly about his wine cellar. Charlotte was so tired afterwards that she failed to notice the firepit outside was again lit, and a shadowy figure stood there until she closed her curtains.

After breakfast the Court assembled out on the lawn where various marquees had been erected, and tents selling various delicacies and goods. The Lord of Misrule had already been chosen by secret ballot at the Regatta, the votes had been counted and kept in strict confidence save for the ballot counters and Bastien, and a few others who helped with planning. The King was to announce the winner, and the elected Lord would choose the Apple Queen from a group of local schoolchildren. Charlotte would still have a minor role as the Lady of Misrule.

Everyone assembled to hear the results, nobles and ordinary citizens mingling in a huge crowd. The suitors stood ready on the dais for the announcement, along with Constantine and Charlotte, Bastien and a number of aides. Anton stood next to Milo, then came Maxwell, Neville, Tariq, Rashad, Drake and finally Brad. The King appeared with an envelope and stepped up to the microphone. He cleared his throat.

‘Citizens of Cordonia, we are gathered today to celebrate Apple day, to bless the coming season and to hope for a good crop and the prosperity of all. This year, as you know, from the suitors for my daughter’s hand in marriage will be chosen as Lord of Misrule, who will rule in my stead for the remainder of the day, effective until midnight.’ He paused to look along the line of contenders ‘Each candidate has already submitted his rules for approval of the Royal Guard, to ensure maximum safety for all concerned. Minor alterations of these rules will be permitted, subject to approval of the Royal Guard. The winner will also choose this year’s Apple Queen from Cordonia Preparatory School, and my daughter, Queen in Waiting Charlotte will accompany the Lord of Misrule in his duties.’ The King looked down on the envelope he held and started to open it. Drake turned to Rashad and shook hands with him, mouthing ‘good luck’ and turned to do the same for Brad, causing a ripple of handshakes and back patting among the others.

‘Good luck to the contestants and may we all benefit from this day and learn from the experience, highborn and lowborn’ He took the piece of paper out and read it to himself, his lips moving before looking up and making his announcement…

Who is the Lord of Misrule? The people (some of the readers) have spoken! Stay tuned...

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