Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your phone was buzzing again .

You sighed to yourself, and denied the call. You'd already texted Red to tell him you wouldn't be able to meet up, you were busy studying. But he was insistent (and I mean insistent ) on getting you up and out the house.

"... kiiiiitteeeeeen?"

The sound of Red's dramatically sad voice following the sharp knock on your bedroom door made you roll your eyes... but you didn't stop your pencil. You didn't even question how he'd gotten in your house. Dumbass.

"What?"

"come ouuuttt." He was being particularly overly pathetic, even whining at the end. You knew he was making a pout and pulling puppydog eyes, just from his tone. "you haven't been outside in two days."

"No, Red. I've got to study." Those final exams weren't going to pass themselves.

He momentarily dropped the childish voice, sighing deeply and leaning against the door. "at least lemme in."

"No." You rolled your eyes.

"why nooooot!?" Yep, right back to the whining.

"Because you'll distract me!" You put down your pencil and put your head in your hands, groaning loudly. "We've been through this already! Just let me study!"

Your skeleton boyfriend had ALWAYS been the attention-seeking, needy type.

He'd do little things, like sitting next to you and asking questions about whatever you were doing so you'd talk to him about it instead of concentrating, or joining in your conversations with other people so smoothly that you wouldn't even notice he had walked in the room until he had an arm around your shoulders. He called you at least once a day to see how you were doing. He always needed to be hugging you or touching you in some way, maybe a hand on your hip or shoulder in your hair.

And you loved it.

You couldn't help it. But... you'd had a crush on Red for long time, waaay before the two of you ever got together.

You liked talking to him about whatever you were doing instead of doing it, you liked how (with his expertise on implanting himself into conversations) you could give him a look from across the room when someone was making you feel awkward and he'd skilfully slip in and save you. You waited eagerly for his calls, already planning a meet-up in your mind, and...

Oh man, the touching.

Had he been any other person, you would've up and un-friended his bony ass when you first met. Usually, that kind of casual touching without an established relationship made you nervous and want to leave, or bat their hand away defensively.

But with him, it was different.

At first he'd been incredibly defensive and tsundere about how huggy he was with you any time you brought it up, but eventually, as he got more comfortable and the two of you started dating, he dropped the gruff exterior and just enjoyed it. His handling of you made you feel warm, and fuzzy. The clawed hand on your hip as the two of you walked together, the one on your leg when you bounced it too much, the arm around you as you leant into his touch, too focused on him and his breathing to pay attention to whatever was on the TV, the gentle chuckle and ruffle of your hair...

The softness of his jacket as he carried you to bed after putting his foot down and making you stop and take care of yourself.

And...

The occasional peck on the cheek he gave when he thought you were asleep.

You flushed, banishing those thoughts.

Said love of touching was working incredibly out of favour for you, longing to give in to Red's incessant whining and join him for a relaxing cuddle!

But you needed. To get this done!!

---

Red sighed between his teeth, trying not to be salty over the fact that you still wouldn't hang out with him.

I mean, seriously. You'd been in there for 48 hours, and judging by the state of the house when he teleported in, you had barely left your room either.

"studying for two days straight isn't good for you, sweetheart." He said, adding a stern undertone when the whining didn't work. "ya need to let your brain rest."

"What I need, Red , is to pass!" You said, voice laced with a mix of aggravation and exhaustion.

He rolled his eyelights. "the only passing you're gonna do, angel, is passing out during the final exam."

"HAH! Shows what you know!" As much as he loved the pride and enthusiasm in your voice... "I stopped being tired hours ago!"

...

"...how long has it been since ya slept?"

"36 hours!"

He groaned, resting his forehead on the door.

There was nothing he hated more than when you didn't take care of yourself. When he'd first met you, it'd been a lot like this- teleporting to your house to find you squirrelled away on the sofa, living off cheeto dust and 3 hours of sleep, playing a game or binge-watching a show. In fact, you'd be so tired that you wouldn't even question how he got in your house in the first place.

Dammit. He hadn't planned on falling in love with a hermit.

It was on the third night of strong-arming you into getting into bed and having a healthy 8 hours, pretending to groan about how annoying and messy you were, that he realised he... liked taking care of you. He liked convincing you to put down the remote and have a shower, he liked cooking you your first proper balanced meal in weeks, he liked watching you eat it and then carrying you, passed out, to your bed, far more exhausted than you'd ever admit.

And then, once he noticed that, everything else started coming to light. How, despite the hatred of touching he thought he had, his hands always found themselves on your body. And not even in a sexual way! He just wanted to feel the skin of your arms, or the softness of your neck, or the silky texture of your hair. Before he knew it he was daydreaming about snuggling you into his arms, having that softness all to himself.

Was he creepy for liking that as much as he did? Did it make him creepy, or a bad boyfriend, for wanting you all to himself, for treasuring the moments where he got to sit with you and run his claws through your hair? Was it bad that he couldn't picture himself in any relationship other than one with you?

He sighed again, trying his best to focus on the moment at present.  After all- right now, he needed to lure you out of your cave.

"sweeeeeeeetheeaaaarrrt...?"

He heard you sigh behind the door, probably rubbing the space between your eyes in frustration.

"Yes?"

"at least come study out here." He made his tone soft. "i promise i won't distract you."

Lies.

"... Liar."

Oof, you saw right through him.

... But still. On the other end, he could hear shuffling, a chair creaking and a mild swear, before the door finally opened.

...

He looked you up and down. Messy, uncombed hair, visible bags under your glazed-over eyes, bad posture, a smudge of some undisclosed foot item at the corner of your mouth. The smell clued him onto the fact that you hadn't changed out of your pyjamas, either. In your arms was a laptop and a bundle of notes, plus a flaky charger and a pen.

"... sweetheart." He said, raising his brows at you chidingly. "what did we talk about?"

"... If you're gonna stay up all night, at least change your clothes." You muttered, eyes casting downwards.

... Dammit. Fuck. Even when you were like this, you were still too goddamn adorable for your own good... The way you shuffled your feet together, the way you held your jumbly notes and laptop closer to your chest (pressing your breasts together, how the hell was he supposed to not stare when the front of your pyjama tank top was so low!?), how messy and cute your hair was. He couldn't help himself when a short breath left his chest and his hand reached out and cupped your cheek, skin tantalisingly soft on his bones, albeit not as soft from you not taking care of yourself.

"... Red?" You blinked, and he could feel the heat in your cheeks, feel the blood pumping, so close to the skin, so close to him ...

... Oh yeah. Right.

... He used his bony thumb to wipe the mysterious stain off the side of your mouth, grinning gently and removing his hand.

"you had a mark." He excused.

"... O-oh. Well, I'm gonna set up at the table." You moved past him, and he was just left hoping that you'd give in and cuddle with him soon ... He was craving it. Even as you hurried away, he could still feel the ghost of your softness on his hands...

"... yeah. okay."

---

Dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit

You knew what your boyfriend was trying to do. You knew . He thought he was sooooo slick with his comfy blanket on the couch and interesting-sounding show playing in the background. He thought he could lure you, he thought he could distract you like he always did! He'd managed to coax you into having a short shower and changing into a newer pair of pyjamas but you weren't going to let him push you around anymore! He thought he was sooooooo distracting you...

Well , You thought, not stopping writing. He...

...

He was totally distracting you.

You wanted to join him, to snuggle for a little while, actually shut your eyes and forget about the exams, but there was studying that needed to be done, note-taking, memorising... You could snuggle all you wanted after the exams, and after you'd gotten your results back!

It didn't matter if you'd felt your whole face light up and your heart start to pound when he'd so casually cupped your cheek, your reaction like a child with a crush, and you hadn't been able to help yourself from picturing him leaning in a little, pressed his teeth to your lips, wrapping you up in his big strong arms...

Ignoring your sound of surprise and holding you close, kissing softly, tangling one hand in the hair on the back of your head to press deeper, letting out a sigh of satisfaction when you kissed back...

"...kitten..."

Yeah, he'd whisper in your ear just like that, heavy and-

"kitten."

...

You probably jumped about 3ft into the air at the sound of his very real voice so close, just by your ear, breath on your cheek, a hand on the opposite shoulder's soft touch contrasting greatly to the way it violently jolted you out of your daydream.

"WHAT?!" You shrieked, turning to him, then immediately forcibly calming yourself when you saw the shock in his eyelights. "What? What. ...What?"

"..." He chuckled, gently, smile returning. It was so deep and silky that you turned back to your notes, ignoring the tight feeling in your chest and the hammering of your heart in your ears. You hoped to everything holy that your face wasn't red from your imaginative daydream.

He walked around the chair until he was directly behind you and leaned closer, chest resting on the back of your shoulders and skull directly next to your face.

"you wrote 'and' four times in a row." He purred.

... You couldn't focus. He was so close .

You took a tiny breath, continuing your writing, crossing out three of the 'and's and carrying on. But it was so hard to concentrate, when his warm breath touched your cheeks and his slowly rising and falling chest was on the back of your shoulders, hands sliding down to rest on your hips, a place they often liked to stop. You could smell his slightly smokey breath, and with every exhale, your mind drifted further.

"y'know..." Oh my stars, that purr . "there's a big, soft blanket on the couch i'd like you to meet... i'm sure the two of you would get along very well..."

"I-I'm concentrating!" You squeaked.

Red... chuckled, again.

"you sure?"

"Yes!"

"totally 100% focused on the work, and not me?"

"YES!"

"cus you're writing my name on the page."

...

There wasn't even any way you could hide your blush, at that point. Your whole face was a tomato and you dropped your pencil, hiding your head in your hands and making a boiling kettle sound. He was right- you'd stopped halfway through a sentence to write his name.

Twice.

"if you can't concentrate, you should come sit with me." He said, as if it were an obvious fact. "clearly, you're too tired to focus..."

"I! Am! Perfectly! Focused!" You squawked, defensively. "You're just distracting!"

"distracting, hm~...?"

"IN A BAD WAY!"

You got up from your chair furiously and stormed over to the kitchen, ignoring Red's sad noise as you left. Your frustration was only increased when you brought a glass down from the cupboard and turned on the tap, only to find you'd done so too vigorously, and water shot out, hitting the bottom of the sink and spraying upwards into your face and over your chest.

You slammed the glass back onto the counter and took deep breaths through your nose. Why couldn't Red just let you concentrate on your work!? Then, you'd go to the exams prepared, pass with at least a decent grade, and...

"sweetheart." 

His voice had lost it's playful tone, and two hands appeared on either side of you on the counter, blocking you off. You sighed, fury slipping away very slightly.

"you need to take a break."

"No I don't."

"angel, you've been yawning constantly these past few hours. don't think i didn't notice." His arms moved from the counter up to your shoulders, where he began to press and massage gently. Dammit, that'd always been a strong suit of his... you couldn't help yourself from relaxing, a tiny moan leaving your mouth. "you could barely walk in a straight line. you're moody, easily upset-"

Your temper flared. "Excuse me!? No I'm no-"

... You stopped yourself, sighing when you realised your own hypocrisy. He made a little noise of affirmation behind you.

"... Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am."

"just take a break, alright?" His voice sounded so good, low and sugary, and his hands were working your shoulders in just the right way... you could already feel your eyelids closing. "i'm not saying stop working entirely. no more than a few hours relaxing, then you can go straight back. doesn't that sound nice?"

"... Y-yeah, but..." Dammit he was wearing you down.

"c'mon. take a break."

... He started humming a familiar tune under his breath, in that sweet, sweet baritone. Immediately, your ears perked up.

"Red. No."

"take a break, and get awaaaaaaayy..."

Uh oh.

Suddenly, he spun you around, entwining one hand with yours, another lightly resting on the small of your back as he made you face him. Well... it was resting 'lightly', but you knew that pulling away would be impossible.

You rolled your eyes, trying to mask the blush you felt at his proximity. His huge chest, his SOUL humming through the bones, his sharp smile, his gorgeous baritone voice...

"No, Red, you can't Hamilton m-"

"let's go upstate!" He started spinning you, moving around the room. "where we can staaaaaayy..."

Wow, you didn't know he could hit those notes. Since when was he a singer? You flushed further, hoping the light could disguise it. "Are you singing both parts at once?"

"look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now..."

"Just Eliza, then."

His voice took on a smoother, silkier tone, and the spinning began to slow, eyelights glowing like burning embers, sockets lidding very slightly.

"close your eyes and dream..."

You let out a tiny squeak when he actually dipped you, sliding the hand on the small of your back upwards as support and bringing his other up, still entwined with yours, so that he could make the back of your hand rest on his cheekbone.

"when the night gets dark..."

...

...

...

"Red?" You asked, voice small as you looked up at him.

"mhm?" Oh God that was like melted chocolate.

...

You took a little breath, steeling yourself and staring him dead in the eyelights. "I'm still not taking a break."

"yes, you are." He grinned.

"No, I'm not."

He raised both his brow bones. "what happened when alexander didn't take a break?"

"But that was over 200 years ag-"

"that's right, everything went to shit."

"I'm not taking a break!"

"okay. how about this?" He said, lifting you back up, but not removing his hands from their positions. "sit with me on the couch for fifteen minutes. if you don't fall asleep, you're right about not being exhausted. you can go back to work, and i'll leave you alone until after the exams."

... You narrowed your eyes.

"And if I fall asleep?"

"well," he shrugged, grinning more. "i think that speaks for itself."

"..." You pursed your lips.

15 minutes on the sofa didn't seem like that much. I mean, you'd been in a chair all day without blinking or feeling tired, what challenge could a simple couch cushion and a warm blanket provide? And if you succeeded, Red would stop distracting you, stop trying to get your attention, and just let you keep working. Overall, it seemed like he was offering the victory to you on a silver platter.

"... Alright. Challenge accepted." You raised your chin, proudly, and crossed your arms over your chest, not noticing the way his grin lifted. "And in fifteen minutes I'll finally get some peace and quiet."

"of course." He purred. Why did he look so smug?

You rolled your eyes and stepped away from him, leaving the kitchen and heading over to the couch. It was easy, right? 15 minutes. That's just 5 minutes, three times. You could do that without falling asleep.

... You sat down on the sofa, sinking into the cushions, your butt (aching from so long on hard wooden chairs) feeling so much better. It was super soft... You did a little wriggle to get comfortable...

Wait, no! You weren't supposed to get comfortable-

... PLeh. 

Your vision was obscured for a second, but you pulled the offending item off your head. A... blanket?

"wrap up, kitty." Red said, softly.

... You looked up at him. The blanket was so soft... a light shade of blue. "But..."

"part of the deal." Red sat down next to you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you in close. "now wrap up."

... You sighed again, but obeyed, snuggling into the blanket and allowing Red to cuddle you. He let one of his hands start playing with your hair, careful and gentle.

"I won't fall asleep." You insisted.

"sure you won't."

---

...

... You were out before the six minute mark.

There was no chance you'd last. Red'd got the comfiest blanket for you. He fluffed up the pillows before you sat down, he combed his phalanges through your hair, a move he knew relaxed you. He knew you wouldn't survive the onslaught of softness and relaxation, it was why he placed the 'bet' in the first place. How could you defeat him? He'd done this enough times to know exactly how to coax you to sleep.

He felt himself purring, and didn't try to stop. It felt good to finally have you not stressed and vibrating and seeing double and existing on another dimensional time frame to everyone else.

You moved, in your sleep, cuddling closer to him, and it made his Soul flutter. You'd probably be out for half a day, considering your destructive and completely random sleep schedule. That gave him enough time to clean up, because he loved you and respected you, but your room smelled like something died.

He sighed, kissing your forehead, and you smiled in your sleep.

As much as he grumbled, he liked this. He just wished he could skip the luring-you-down-from-a-tree-with-blankets-and-kisses part.

But either way, at the end, it was all worth it.

...

He just couldn't believe that in this relationship, he was the responsible one.

Chapter Text

...

...

What?

This... could not be.

Perhaps this was one of his brother and his datemate's many pranks!?

Surely, this could not...

...

Edge continued to stare at the positive pregnancy test.

He'd only come upstairs to empty out the trash. As wonderful and magnificent and perfect as his darling human was, you... well. Oftentimes, the task of emptying the bins completely slipped your mind. The Great and Terrible Papyrus was left cleaning up after you quite a lot... Although not as frequently as he used to with Sans. Little things, like not quite folding your laundry, or not fluffing up the couch cushions, or not organising every pen in the pen pot by rainbow order after you were done (something that, very obviously, is utterly mandatory, and a show of greatness, and absolutely NOT because the Great and Terrifying Papyrus likes rainbow order!!).

As he'd been emptying the trash, something had fallen out. A tiny thing, blue and white plastic. It clattered to the floor, and he sighed theatrically, leaning down to pick it up and-

...

He turned it over.

... A... pregnancy test. He knew immediately.

And in the middle, was a little grey box.

And two red lines.

... Helpfully, next to the box, they'd provided that one bar meant not pregnant, and two bars meant...

Pregnant.

...

He blinked, eyesockets widening so much he felt like his scar was going to split further down his skull.

Pregnant!?

Who was pregnant!? Surely someone else, and not his darling human!? You would've told him the MOMENT you found out. The absolute millisecond! You would've ran into the room holding the positive test and been so happy, and the two of you would've embraced, and he would never have cried because of course, he is strong and completely emotionally stable and something so simple as a BABY would NEVER bring him to tears, even if it was the baby of his magnificent perfect girlfriend...

And perhaps someone else had used their bathroom?

Yes, it can't have been you. He let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding, dropping the test into the garbage bag and tying the top. It must be someone else's.

... But...

As Edge took out the trash, his mind wandered. And... things started to make sense.

Like how, this morning, he'd woken up from a very pleasant sleep with his flawless (almost too adorable) human in his arms, and... hadn't immediately gotten up. It was 6:30! Practically midday! And yet... he found himself desiring to NOT go for a jog, and NOT leave you in the house alone. He found himself wishing to... remain in bed.

With you.

And... continue sleeping.

In the moment, he wrote it off as you rubbing off on him. Another tiny, minuscule fault of yours- you were much less keen to be woken at dawn to go for a healthy jog than he was. In fact, most days, he was extracting you from the covers at 12, or luring you down with the smell of breakfast.

Which made his behaviour all the more strange. And now that he thought about it, dusting off his gloves and returning to the house, you'd been acting a little suspicious too, as of late. Reading a lot of articles online, rubbing your stomach, staring off into the distance, or asking to talk to him about something and swiftly changing your mind.

...

He sat himself down on the pristine sofa and narrowed his sockets, deep in thought.

He'd been feeling a lot more possessive than usual, over the past few weeks. That's not to say he wasn't like that normally- no one should be allowed to lay a single hand on his perfect datemate! You were a goddess who should be worshipped and loved at every turn, not some average joe to be catcalled and groped!

But recently, he'd been snappier. Unlike his dog of a brother, Edge had a SHRED of control over his instincts. He knew when to break someone's wrist and when not to, when to voice his displeasure at another male's presence and when to shut up and trust that you knew what you were doing, when to ignore the little murmur in his skull that told him to tear the legs off the guy giving you eyes across the bar.

So you having to physically remove him from a particularly VOCAL builder on the street was abnormal, to say the least. He'd calmed down at once when your angelic voice has requested he turned his back on the slimeball, and even felt the tiniest bit of chagrin at his impulsive action. The Great and Terrible Papyrus? Losing control?

And he'd been pampering you, too. Possibly without even noticing... Insisting you go to bed with a hot water bottle, allowing you to eat the sugary foods he usually had to remove from the lower shelves to stop you from gorging yourself (it must be tiring and huger-inducing, being so beautiful all the time), offering massages and plaiting your hair.

Well, the last two were things he did normally, but he'd been doing them a LOT more.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. If you were indeed pregnant, his natural instinct to protect would be much more acute, his self control less effective. Thus explaining his outbursts and pampering. And remaining indoors to care for his expectant mate would be far more preferable to leaving her alone in the house while he went for a jog.

It left him with just one, little problem.

Why hadn't you told him?

He put a hand to his chin, deep in thought.

Perhaps you didn't know? No... the positive pregnancy test was right there.

So why hadn't you informed him straight away!? He was the father, after all, so shouldn't-

...

He blinked, jaw opening very slightly as the realisation hit him.

Oh no.

Perhaps...

... He WASN'T the father?

You'd never actively cheat on him. You just... wouldn't. He trusted you, he knew you weren't the type of person to sleep around, or devote so much to one person, only to give yourself to another.

He furrowed his brow.

He hadn't smelt any other male's scents on you, but it was a possibility that it'd been with someone who simply had a very weak scent, which was masked by the everyday smells of other people brushing your shoulder on the road, or shaking your hand, or passing you an item they had held and imprinted with their odour. You could've gotten drunk and accidentally slept with someone, and kept it from him out of shame, not wanting to hurt his feelings and make him think you were unfaithful.

It would explain your obvious suspicious behaviour as confliction over whether or not to inform him that you were carrying another man's child. You were so sweet and perfect, after all, you could be trying to come up with the best way to break the news to him.

... He was definitely hurt. But... he'd done worse things Underground. He could-

"Edgy?"

... You were awake.

---

Pregnancy was not something you had expected when entering this relationship with your very spiky, volume 11 partner.

When the two of you had first met, Edge had struck you as a ridiculous, pompous, angry, downright CHILDISH idiot who had no idea how to stop yelling, and frankly, no redeeming qualities. You couldn't see yourself being friends, let alone ANYTHING romantic, with someone like this tall edgy ball of annoying narcissistic perfectionism.

You met him at the convenience store and he insulted your choice of pasta (What the hell was wrong with tube pasta!? It was 50% off!), so you looked him dead in his eyesockets and told him to mind his fucking business, then turned around and left.

You weren't counting on him starting to follow you.

You figured it was just bad luck the second time he showed up, this time to insult your choice in apples. The third time was an insane coincidence, this time pasta again, but by the fourth... you realised he was deliberately following you to the store. Even when you went to a completely different place, he still showed up, seemed annoyed to see you, then began telling you why all your food choices were incorrect.

He didn't seem to do anything malicious, though. He didn't catcall you, or grab you, or threaten you. Either way, by the eight time, you were about 120% DONE with this crazy skeleton bastard's bullshit. He just seemed to enjoy taking the time out of his day to pick a fight! Why he was so obsessed with insulting you?

And on the ninth meeting, you found out why.

"FROM OUR MEETINGS I HAVE GATHERED THAT YOU CLEARLY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY MAKE SPAGHETTI. SO! I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO TEACH YOU!"

...?

"YOU ARE COMING OVER TO MY HOUSE, WHERE I WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU IN THE WAYS OF ACTUAL COOKING!"

... You clocked it.

He was a huge tsundere.

And there was something... oddly hilarious about it.

But you weren't going to play by his rules. If he wanted romance, he'd have to come get it. You weren't going to follow his lead.

"Sorry." You said, hand on one hip. "I only go to other men's houses on DATES."

And by the way his sharp cheekbones lit up with a vibrant red colour, you'd guessed right with him being an anime girl stuck in a giant male skeleton's body.

"W-WELL THEN!" He stammered. "I-I GUESS... IT'S A DATE, THEN!"

Things just kinda... spiralled from there. You'd end up at his house with him very angrily trying to teach you how to cook, and you deliberately doing it wrong every time he yelled at you.

Admittedly, it took a while to get him to be honest about how he felt about anything at all. His much less insulting (but also less cleanly) older brother appeared to subconsciously reinforce this tsundere behaviour, by verbally congratulating Edge every time he made an outrageous claim or threat.

Something you, on the other hand, would have none of. You weren't scared of this walking hot topic advertisement- you'd seen the anime childhood best friend trope lying underneath the surface. Even if there WAS something oddly endearing about him getting so passionate about cooking that he was threatening to snap someone's neck because they assumed spaghetti bolognese was an Italian dish ("IT'S AMERICAN!" He insisted. "ITALIAN PASTA DISHES HAVE SAUCES THAT MATCH THE PASTA! THE SPAGHETTI NOODLE DOES NOT MATCH THE MEAT SAUCE! YOU'RE LEFT WITH A PILE OF SAUCE ON YOUR PLATE AT THE END!"), you wouldn't take his shit, and left the house on multiple occasions because he went too far. And through that, you managed to dig through the layers of hostility and find the genuinely charming and sweet guy underneath, without even realising you were doing so.

Like the face he made when you complimented his cooking, or the hand on top of yours to show you how to stir effectively, or the way he quietly admitted he liked your eyes.

And suddenly, you found yourself liking him a lot more than in a friendly way.

So when the blushing, spluttering offer to be his partner came, and you accepted with a gentle chuckle... you were NOT expecting what came after.

... Well.

You weren't sure what you'd been expecting.

But...

It definitely wasn't the equivalent of Gomez Addams from the Addams family.

Utter undying, unashamed devotion.

It was flowers and chocolates every single day, kisses every five minutes, presents, grabbing your hand and holding it tight and staring you deep in the eyes. According to him; "YOU SHOULD TREAT YOUR PARTNER LIKE EVERY DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY!"

Which, admittedly, got a little overwhelming. Especially considering there was SO MUCH CHOCOLATE in the fridge and you had ZERO self-control so you started putting on a bit of weight.

He eased off a little on the boundless fealty and adoration when you told him it was a bit much- he was happy to do whatever made you comfortable...

...Apart from not getting out of bed at 7am to go sparring with Undyne, because you'd die in a landslide before you got up pre-10am on a weekend.

So... here you were. A few years into the relationship...

And pregnant with Edge's kid.

You had no idea how to break the news to him. Would... would he react well? He never seemed to like children, or babies... said they were "TOO SQUISHY" and "UTTERLY DEFENCELESS". You didn't want him to freak out at all...

You laid in bed for hours, thinking about it. Sooner or later, you were going to have to break the news, but... how should you do it? Just tell him straight to his face as soon as you saw him? Wait until there's a calm situation? Put it on a card in a bunch of flowers? Hide it on a laminated piece of paper in his spaghetti?

The question had haunted you for at least four days now. How would you tell him you were pregnant?

And how would you tell him you wanted to keep it?

... You sighed to yourself, staring at the ceiling, eyes a bit sore from just waking up from a good sleep. Maybe... you should just go downstairs, and tell him. Right now. You'd trust Edge with your life, you'd trust him with the password to your Tumblr account... so surely, you could trust him not to absolutely flip his shit when he finds out?

It was kinda cold, and you were only wearing a shirt and panties, but you left the warmth of the bed, and went downstairs, albeit... nervously.

Edge was sat on the couch, his hands against his face, deep in thought. You had half the mind to ask him what he was thinking about.

"Edgy?" You asked, standing on the last step, as if remaining one step upwards of him would make you safer or something. "Can I t-"

He looked up.

"... WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING!?"

You blinked, shocked, train of thought crashing into a bridge, as he stood up from the sofa, eyelights wide. Uhm!? He crossed the distance immediately and you squeaked in shock as he swept you up, bridal style, into his ridiculously high up arms, storming back across the room.

"IT'S FAR TOO COLD IN HERE TO BE WEARING THOSE SIMPLE GARMENTS!" He exclaimed, dumping you on the couch. You landed with a little 'oof' and hardly had enough time to move before you were being tucked in a large, fluffy blanket.

"Uhm," you tried to reason, "it's 67 degre-"

"NONSENSE!" Another blanket? "YOU MUST WEAR THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF COVERING!"

"Edge, I'm-"

"HAVE YOU EATEN YET?" He asked, seriously, smallish eyelights sharp and bright.

You blinked again at his interruption, brow furrowing- what was WRONG with him?

"Are you feeling alri-"

"WELL? HAVE YOU?"

"... Edgy, I'm trying to-"

"THAT'S A NO, THEN! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL! STAY HERE!" A-and just like that he left the room!?

You were left in a little bundle on the sofa, blinking multiple times, trying to figure out what on Earth just happened and why your boyfriend was acting so weirdly.

True, he'd been acting weird a lot these past weeks. Whatever control he had over his desire to 'RIGHTEOUSLY PROTECT' you, that he could normally use perfectly to keep himself under control and just mention his discomfort when you got home (you'd give him a kiss for every time he admitted he'd felt protective and not lashed out, quite an effective reward system), had seemingly gone out the window. You thought he was actually going to KILL that guy who'd commented loudly on your ass.

... Could it be... because of the ba-?

"DAMMIT!"

...

You got up from the sofa, with the blanket still around your shoulders, and headed to the kitchen. You stood in the doorway and looked up at your seemingly on edge (eheh) boyfriend.

"... Edgy?" You asked, keeping your tone soft. "Something wrong?"

"WE'RE OUT OF EGGS." He raised his hand to smack the counter, then... lowered it gently, probably remembering the last time he did that, and the big split he'd made. Instead, his jaw set and he let a quick, sharp breath out his nasal cavity. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS."

"It's okay." You figured he was in a bad mood, so you walked over to him and squeezed the hand that was by his side. "I'll just go get some more. Store's only a few minutes away."

"A-ACTUALLY," he said, suddenly, "IT'S FINE. I'LL MAKE SOMETHING WITHOUT EGGS."

"I'll go get them anyway." You took the blanket off your shoulders and started heading toward the stairs so you could go up and get dressed, just raising your voice a little so he could hear you. "If we're out I might as well-"

Without warning, he was in front of you, leaning down, a hand on your side and a tight smile on his features. You almost forgot he'd been part of the royal guard in the Underground- and a very efficient hunter. He could probably crawl on his hands and knees faster than you could sprint.

"I SAID IT'S FINE."

"And I said I'll go get them anyway." You stood your ground, raising a brow at him.

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE EXERTING YOURSELF."

"To the store is hardly exerti-."

"SOMETIMES IT CAN BE."

"... Honey, you literally casually jog several miles every morning for fun, how is a four minute walk to get eggs difficult?"

"HUMANS ARE SMALLER AND LESS FIT, SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO REST!" He moved his hands to your shoulders and started gently pushing you back toward the couch. "PERHAPS YOU SHOULD JUST RELAX."

... Need to rest?! Encouraging relaxation!?! Who was this skeleton, and what had he done with your boyfriend!?

"... Edge." You said, warningly, digging in your heels. "Are you trying to stop me from leaving the house?"

He opened his mouth to lie and you shot him a warning look, and his mouth immediately shut again, eyelights darting away.

"... MAYBE."

"... Look." You sighed, making your tone gentle again. "If this is about the catcaller- I'm sure he won't bo-"

"IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CATCALLER."

What was wrong with him today?! Why was he interrupting you so much!?

"Then why d-"

"I KNOW ABOUT THE-"

"Oh my GOD, Papyrus, will you stop interrupting me!?" You snapped, gentle tone completely gone, pushing his hands off your shoulders. He blinked in shock at your sudden exclamation, apparently not at all expecting an outburst. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you!"

"..."

You took a breath, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"Just... tell me if something's wrong!" You said, exasperated. "You don't have to go all weird!"

"... I'M SORRY." He said, voice not quite as loud as before.

...

You sighed, giving your head a little shake, before offering a weak smile and holding out your arms. You saw him visibly relax when you did, his own sharp smile coming back a bit.

"C'mere, big guy. I can't stay mad."

He got down on one knee so he'd be at the right height to hug you without stooping, wrapping his big bony arms around you and sighing, deeply.

"... No apology roses."

... He gasped quietly, in shock, and confusion. "BUT... I WAS INCONSIDERATE OF YOUR FEELINGS!? YOU REQUIRE AT LEAST TWO BUNCHES TO SIGNIFY THAT I'M SORRY!"

"I already know you are." You patted his back. "It's alright. You've been in a bit of a funny mood."

"... YES." He hugged a little tighter. "I SUPPOSE I HAVE."

...

He shuffled a little, and you felt a stem being pressed into your hand. You drew back a bit to see that he'd handed you a dapple-coloured rose- white and red, in swirly patterns on each petal. It was smaller than the usual ones, the whole head of the flower no bigger than the palm of your hand, but it was still beautiful, and still smelled fresh.

Yeah, he probably kept a secret stash of them on hand at all times, just in case.

"I just said no roses, Edgy." You said, but there was an air of jokiness to it. You looked back at the rose- it was very pretty... "... White and red. An apology?"

"MHM." He gently pushed a petal with his finger to make it sit better with the others. "I'M SORRY, MY DEAREST."

"I'm sorry for yelling."

You buried your face in his shoulder (carefully so as not to bump your nose), relaxing a bit, now that he wasn't so clearly agitated. The soft, familiar smell of smoke and cherries made you feel a little sleepy, and kinda hungry... Man, you could really do with a box of cherries right about now...

"... I KNOW YOU'RE PREGNANT."

... Oop.

There goes the feeling of calm.

He probably felt you tense in his arms, because he immediately continued.

"I FOUND THE POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST IN THE TRASH."

... Your stomach was on the floor. You were going to tell him...

"I was..." You trailed off. He wasn't mad at you, was he? For being pregnant and not saying anything?

He petted your hair. "IT'S OKAY IF YOU SLEPT WITH SOMEONE ELSE," ... Wait. "I WOULD NEVER-"

... Wait.

"What?"

You drew back from the hug to look him in the eyelights, confused. He blinked, monologue cut off, seeming confused too, sockets squinting a little.

"THAT'S WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME STRAIGHT AWAY, RIGHT?" He turned his skull a little. You could see the slight hurt on his face, hear it in the way his voice dropped a bit. "IT'S NOT MINE."

... Oh my God.

"... Oh, honey." You couldn't help but chuckle, cupping his cheekbone. That made him even MORE confused, brow furrowing, and...

You just kissed him, straight on the mouth. You felt a lot better now that the news was out there... It'd been weighing on you for a while. And apparently, him too.

He didn't move until just before you broke away, as if realising that kisses required reciprocation, and you separated as he pushed back. He seemed even MORE surprised, but you just smiled.

"It's yours, dumbass." You said, voice almost a whisper as you searched his face. "I just didn't tell you because I was worried you'd freak out. I was gonna tell you this morning but you interrupted me."

"..." A look of understanding passed his features. "S-SO... IT'S MINE?"

"Course it is. Who else?" You pressed another kiss to his cheekbone, watching with satisfaction as he went bright red-

Then you squeaked as he swept you up for the second time that day, and suddenly you were spinning, and-

Holy shit?!

He was laughing!?

It wasn't his normal malevolent laugh, or his snicker, or his mocking chuckle he reserved solely for people he disliked (and you, when he first met you). It was a genuine, loud, happy laugh- it hit you that this was the first time you'd heard him openly, shamelessly do that. He occasionally broke when you managed to woo him with a particularly dark joke that appealed to his sense of humour, but he'd cut himself off, or cough, or look away, or try to pretend he didn't do it, like the tsundere bastard he was.

But... here he was. Openly laughing. Spinning you around in the middle of the living room with that dumb, sharp grin of his.

Eventually he slowed the spinning and slowed the laughter, hugging you to his chest, tightly. You couldn't help but giggle- his laugh was surprisingly infectious.

"... DEAREST? ... NO. (Y/N)?"

"Mhm?" You looked up at him. Today he was pulling out all the stops- he rarely EVER called you by your real name.

His cheekbones were gently flushed with red, spiky grin that was so usually down turned upwards, eyelights bright, like stars. It was cliché as hell but still true.

"... I-I LOVE YOU."

...

Daw.

"I love you too."