Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You were in pretty high spirits this morning, your friend Sam had been working on something for the past couple of months and you, along with his younger brother Poppy, were absolutely dying to see it. Sam had always been interested in science though he could never really practice it too much due to some issues he had. Said issues getting bad enough that he had an oxygen tank. You often urged him to take a break, but he never did, as he worked several part time jobs all throughout his life. Which always baffled you.

His younger brother was always hard on him for being lazy, mainly for habits like not picking up his socks, and excessive sleeping. You knew Poppy was coming out of a place of love, but you always told him to take it easy on Sam. It was clear to you that the amount of time Sam spent sleeping wasn’t healthy, as more often than not he slept whenever he wasn’t working, which wasn’t good for him in any way shape or form. Which is why you were so excited when that little bit of light returned to his eyes, and he started spending his spare time working on a project he seemed to be excited about.

Though now you had the problem of getting him to sleep. Yes you knew both Sam and Poppy were both grown adults, but you had spent a good portion of your life taking care of both of them. And you would continue to do so for as long as you possibly can.

“Hey Sammy! I’m here, and I brought my long board like you asked.” You said walking into your friend’s garage, longboard tucked under your arm. Sam looked over at you as you announced your presence, and his seemingly permanent smile seemed to lift slightly as he saw you, his blue eyes shining. Slowly getting up to greet you. Though he wasn’t even able to say hello before you were forcefully wrapped into a hug by a 6’5 force of Nature.

“You made it Y/N! It felt like we were waiting forever! You really need to be more punctual” Poppy said before setting you back down, trying to keep a firm look on his face that eventually cracked into a smile.

“But Alas, I can’t stay mad at my best friend.” Poppy said keeping an arm around your shoulder. You blushed slightly as he did. You’d never tell, and you made sure it was never obvious, but you had liked Poppy for a while. I mean who wouldn’t fall for someone like him? He was tall charming and respectful. But you’d never tell him, not at the risk of jeopardizing your friendship. You were suddenly pulled out of your thoughts when Sam placed his hand on your other shoulder, bringing you and Poppy over to his work bench. He seemed excited. Though his facial expression remained the same as always his eyes glittered with excitement as he sat down.

“Thank you for coming on such a short notice Y/N, I hope you weren’t board walking here.” He said grabbing some tools, Poppy groaned, he was never a fan of puns.

“Sam please stop”

“Haha, never.” Sam said before coughing slightly. You immediately went to steady him, but he waived you off, smiling at you after his coughing fit died down

“Anyway, I brought you here for a very special reason Y/N. Let me see your long board.” He said. You nodded, placing the board in his arms. He slowly placed it wheel side up on his work bench, he took out a small rectangular metal box and started to attach it to the underside of your longboard, all while you hovered by concerned. That long board was your baby, and though you trusted Sans with your life you couldn’t bear the thought of him breaking your child. But just as quick as he started he was done.

“There…go on and take it…” Sam said smirking at you. You cautiously took it, thinking Sam had rigged it with a prank.

“What did you do to it?” you asked cautiously, looking everything over. Sam seemed to be looking for words to explain.

“Well you remember when we watched back to the future-“

“OH MY STARS YOU MADE MY LONGBOARD A TIME MACHINE?!” You exclaimed, smiling brightly, practically with stars in your eyes, but Sam just chuckled.

“No, no, I just attached some electric jets, that way you can get places quicker without having to pay for gas” He said smiling, you smiled brightly and hugged him. 

“Oh my stars thank you Sammy!!” You said almost vibrating with excitement. Sam hugged you back, incredibly happy that you had liked his gift.

“I’m glad you liked it, I figured if I made you an electric longboard that you’d be able to get around quicker since you can never really get places on ti-“ Sam coughed again during his explanation, and Poppy quickly rushed over as Sam continued coughing…he was only getting worse.“

Sam…you’re only getting worse…you need to take a break” you said quietly as Sam stopped coughing. He smiled.

“Nah, this is what gives me motivation to keep going…I just have to power through” He said smiling, you let out a dry chuckle.

“Do you ever stop joking?”

“If I ever do I’m dead.” Sam said before Poppy covered his mouth, looking incredibly scared and sad.

“Please don’t say things like that…” He said in a voice barely above a whisper, trembling. He didn’t want to face the reality that his brother could be dying. And you weren’t going to make him. You already had some family members die, like your dad, though he wasn’t as important to you as a dad would be to most people. You gently placed a hand on Poppy’s shoulder as a slightly guilty look appeared on Sam’s face.

“Hey, it’s almost time for me to head to work…do you to want to come with?” You asked. Both boys nodded, though Poppy was more ecstatic than happy.

“Right then let’s go.” You said hopping grabbing the keys from the wall, before being stopped by Poppy.

“Ah, though it is your place of work I do believe I’ll be the one driving.” Poppy said with a slightly smug grin. Unlocking the car and starting it. You went to go help Sam into the back. The backseat was designated for Sam as his oxygen tank took up quite a bit of room.

“Hey, do you think Ginger will have that cozy ready? Or will she spin another yarn about it?” He asked making Poppy groan once more. You shrugged as if to say Maybe. Your place of work was at a retirement home, you cooked and cleaned and tried your best to entertain the folks there, it paid pretty well too though you did a lot of jobs so you suppose they had to pay you for each one that you did. As you climbed in the front passenger seat and listened to the brothers bicker about puns, you felt that things would eventually get better.

A couple days later you were hanging out at the brother’s place before work. Talking with Sam and playing some games as you waited for your long board to charge up. Sam had been forced to take time off work since he kept breaking into coughing fits. So to help ease his boredom and worries you would come over to play some games with him, play music, and do some other stuff like cooking and helping him clean.

“I don’t care if Peach is your lucky character Sam, your ass is grass” You said, trying your best not to let him win. The Mario Kart music and the steady sound of the oxygen tank in the background.

“Whatever you say gummy shark, I’m gonna smoke you” Sam said smirking. His hands faster than light as he button mashed. You nudged him and gasped in mock offense at the nickname

“Ill win this match because I’m not 12 anymore you Goober” You said. Sam never really had nicknames for you except gummy shark when you were younger. You were almost addicted to those things and Sam always got you a bag before he dropped you and Poppy off at school. He still got you a bag of gummy sharks whenever he got home from incredibly late shifts at work, or whenever you two had a fight, he made up for his side by getting you a bag of gummy sharks. And you always bought him a hot dog at his favorite restaurant after you both talked about whatever you were arguing over. But he hadn’t actually called you gummy shark for almost three years, he stopped using that nickname once you graduated.

“Ha! Told you I’d beat ya!” You said as you finished the match in first place Sam laughed as you leaned back into the couch, before starting a coughing fit again. 

“Hey…maybe we shouldn’t be doing stuff like this…” you said getting closer. Your stomach dropping as Sam coughed harder and coughed up blood into his hand. You immediately grabbed him and his oxygen. Loading him up in the car before opening the garage door. Getting even more worried as his coughing fit didn’t seem to stopping any time soon.

“Hopefully Poppy won’t mind that I took his car on a bit of a ride “ You said as you almost sped to the hospital, calling Poppy on the way there. He immediately said he’d be there as soon as possible and you hung up once you actually got to the ER. Sure you could have called an ambulance but none of you had the funds to afford it.

Once things had settled down Sam had been confined to a hospital bed. You should have realized things had gotten worse. Sam was much thinner and though he tried to hide it he was back to sleeping whenever he wasn’t at work. You slowly sat down by the hospital bed, Sam already had an IV in his arm and he seemed upset. You gently grabbed his hand and he looked over at you instead of staring at the wall

“Hey, We’re gonna get through this man. You took care of Poppy and I, now let us take care of you” You said smiling. Sam tried his best to return the energy, but it was obvious he still felt upset

“Yeah…but it sucks that after all this time I still can’t Ketchup “ He said with a weak laugh and smile. You held his hand a bit tighter. Surely you would all get through this...

As the weeks past, you were only proven wrong.

Sam had only gotten worse, and now you were holding his hand as he was attached to more wires and tubes, mainly staying asleep all day. You had dark bags under your eyes from staying the nights at the hospital and crying so much. Poppy came in and you barely looked up. He wasn’t in any better shape than you, but he had finally graduated from the police academy and started at his new job as law enforcement.

“Hey…how are you?” He asked softly. You shrugged, what could you possibly say? ‘Oh I’m fine it's not like one of my best friends is dying right before me and there’s nothing I can do’ you thought bitterly. Poppy sighed.

“Will we be okay…? If he…passes?” He asked quietly. You slowly moved to hug him, and he started to cry.“I can’t loose my brother Y/N…I already lost the rest of my family” He said holding onto you tightly.

“We won’t loose him Poppy, and even if you do,” You slowly let go of him do you could look him in the eye “We’ll get through it together…I know it” You said. It seemed to comfort Poppy the slightest bit but he was still obviously devastated. You kept holding onto his hand as you were both ushered out of the hospital. As you both stood outside for a while you wondered if in another universe would things be different? Would Sam be okay and healthy? You sighed, that was just wishful thinking.

As you walked to Poppy's car you realized he was still holding your hand. You smiled even if it was slightly, you were so incredibly thankful to have your friend. Even if you wished you could be more with him. You wished to be able to love him and kiss him and be together. Poppy seemed oblivious to your feelings though, which you were grateful for even if it hurt.

He just seemed to be happy that you were holding his hand. He was happy that he had his very best friend to help him through this. He absolutely loved you in the way that family would. He loved helping you cook when you stayed over and he loved watching movies with you and falling asleep under the blankets. You were his dearest friend and he wouldn't trade you for anything. Even if you wished those feelings he had for you transferred into romantic interest. Though you knew that they never would. 

As you were driving home with Poppy, you kept holding his hand. You kept holding onto this fleeting moment. You knew things might get worse, you knew you might have to say goodbye to Sam soon, but for now everything was peaceful, it was just you and Poppy driving under the night sky through the suburbs until you got past city limits to the house. You only let go of his hand once you got into the Garage. Before you went to the guest room for the night Poppy called out after you

"Things will be okay Y/N. As long as I have you as my friend I'm sure we'll be able to get through anything...and I'm sure Sam will get well enough to get through it with us." Poppy said confidently. You smiled slightly at him

"Anything you say Poppy, I'm glad that I'll have you." You said before going to bed. 

Maybe things would get better.... eventually

About a week later You had been cleaning up for Sam and Poppy, when you got a phone call from the hospital, you immediately picked up, hoping they had good news about Sam’s condition.

“Is this Y/N?”

“Yes, that’s me, Is Sam any better?” you asked hopefully, almost chancing a smile.

“No, we regret to inform you Sam has passed away this morning. We offer our condolences…hello? Y/N?” You had dropped the phone, falling to your knees as tears streamed down your face. It’s like your entire world came crashing down around you. And how would you tell Poppy when he got home from work? You hung up and screamed, almost chucking your phone at the wall. This wasn’t fair. Not one bit. You crashed onto the couch and sobbed and wailed until your throat went raw. You slowly sat up after you got everything out, staring blankly at the wall as you waited for Poppy to come home.

The doorbell rang hours later and you slowly got up to answer the door, hardly registering that it was much later than when Poppy got home. As you answered the door and opened up you saw Dina, a friend Poppy had made at the academy and who worked as his boss. She looked at you sadly, and you fell right to your knees as you heard the news “I’m sorry Y/N. Poppy was shot on duty…he died at the scene” She said barely holding back tears herself. The wail that left your throat would make one think you were dying as well. You had lost both of them in the same day…you had lost your family. The days following all bled into one another, all you remember doing was crying and screaming. Dina and her girlfriend Alice were the ones who put together the funeral for the brothers. You sat entirely still that day, looking at the photos and coffins that were placed right next to each other. You hardly said anything to anyone, your eyes holding a thousand yard stare as you tried to convince yourself that today wasn’t real. That you weren’t placing your two closest friends in the ground. You had tears falling down your face that whole time. Dina and Alice trying to console yo.

Alice more so, as Dina wasn’t really good with emotions. You were given the task to clean out the house after the funeral. Most of the furniture had been moved to a storage unit. The only things left were their clothes, and whatever was in the garage.

“Are you okay to do it alone?” Dina asked as she dropped you off. You nodded before heading inside. You hadn’t been using your longboard, as it was a bit too painful for you to look at. And it felt all to tempting to skate into moving traffic. You shook your head to get those thoughts out. Sam nor Poppy would want that for you. You started out cleaning Sam’s room. It didn’t really have much, save for a few band posters that you rolled up, it felt even emptier than it was before the movers came, just a husk of a room. You looked in his drawers and started to pack things away, until you came across it. His hoodie, his old, tattered, beaten, blue hoodie. You put in on. And for a moment it felt like you were being hugged by Sam Again. You packed the rest of his things up, including his favorite shirt, which was a black shirt with a ribcage printed on the front, and on the back it said ‘Ask me for a pun, It’s sure to be a real Rib Tickler’. You cracked a small smile as you delicately folded it up and placed it with the rest of his clothes in the box. You wanted to keep every bit of your friends that you could, so you were going to keep their clothes and some other personal items. Like Sam’s zippo lighter. He never smoked but he had it because he thought it was cool.

After you had finished up in Sam’s room you moved onto Poppy’s. You hated seeing the empty room, the only things left being the posters he had put up of different movies he enjoyed, And you carefully rolled them up and placed them in the box along with Sam’s. At this point you had two boxes. One for the clothes and one for personal items left behind. You shakily started going through his drawers, packing away various shirts with motivational messages on them, you finally went to the closet, and you almost gasped. Hanging there was Poppy’s favorite scarf. It was bright red, and very long. You slowly put in on, taking a deep inhale as you did. It still smelt like him, despite him not wearing it for the past two months as it had gotten warmer. Your eyes started to water…..you wish you had told him how you felt…but it was too late now.

You started packing away the rest of his clothes. Once you were done the big boxes you had were completely full, posters sticking out of one. You took one last glance at both of the rooms before making your way to the garage. You slowly walked through the garage. Everything was how Sam had left it before he was moved to the hospital. You slowly started taking tarps off various projects he had, coughing as you inhaled some of the dust. He hadn’t worked on some in a long time and it was obvious. You pulled off the last tarp and to your surprise it was a completely finished machine. You cocked your head slightly as you looked over it. You don’t think he had told you or Poppy about it You sighed and placed your free hand against it. Balancing the other two boxes on one arm.

“Still full of surprises even when you’ve left…huh Sammy?” you said reminiscing. But as you were going to step back to start packing up the garage you found that your hand was stuck. You desperately tried pulling on it but it was almost like your hand had been super glued. Your panic only worsening as the machine started to whirr and glow. You kept trying to pull your hand away but once you did it was too late. You were consumed in white light and it felt like your body was being moved at the speed of light. Once everything stopped you were breathing heavily and shaking. You dropped the boxes with a dull thud as you felt over yourself.

“well fuck classic that ain’t good” A deep raspy voice said. You jumped and immediately turned around. Before you were four different skeletons. Two of them were tall and lanky and the other two were shorter, and somehow wider looking, if that was possible for a skeleton. And in your mind they looked way too close to Sam’s X-rays.

“Where am I? What the fuck just happened?” You asked, maintaining eye contact with the skeleton in the blue hoodie. He looked way too much like Sam in your opinion, The resemblance was almost uncanny.

“well, you’re in a different universe...” You almost fell to the ground as you heard him speak. He even sounded like Sam. What the actual fuck was happening here?

“Well how do I get back? I was in the middle of something” You said gesturing to the boxes on the ground. All four skeletons were quiet, once again the one in the blue hoodie spoke up

“we…haven’t exactly figured it out yet. and the fact that you’re here…I’m gonna be honest that just adds more confusion.” He said. Just as he finished his sentence a door slammed open. It was then that you realized you were in a basement.

“WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU FOUR ABOUT WORKING ON THAT BLASTED THING THIS LATE AT NIGHT-” It was yet another skeleton. He looked like he came straight out of a hot topic. And he kinda looked like Poppy…if Poppy were an edgy skeleton. “

STARS DAMNIT ANOTHER ONE!? AND WHY IS IT HUMAN…AND WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE?” He demanded walking down the stairs. You gripped onto the scarf, that’s right…you were just one now. No matter how much you wanted them to be back…

“Well…if I had to guess…maybe it’s cause I was messing around with…the machine while cleaning out the house…” You said quietly. The shorter skeleton in a black tank groaned

“well fuck, what are we gonna do with them? Lord knows this damn house is crowded enough.” He said slightly agitated. You noticed that he had a gold canine tooth. Oh God all his teeth were sharp. Oh no.

“Isn’t the attic empty? They could stay up there.” The tall skeleton in an orange hoodie said, a cigarette hanging from his teeth. The other tall skeleton was suddenly behind you faster than you could blink, he snaked an arm around you and exhaled a puff of smoke

“or they could stay in red and I’s room…I certainly wouldn’t mind the company…” He said, his mouth way too close to your neck for your liking. Your face noticeably paled. Looking over at the hot topic skeleton for any form of help you trembled slightly.

“LEAVE IT ALONE MUTT. THERE WILL BE NO SUCH TYPE OF ACTIVITIES IN THIS HOUSE!” He said roughly pulling you back. You breathed a sigh of relief. Though you quickly realized you had been referred to as 'It' which wasn't too astonishing to you, but it was a bit shocking that it came from a skeleton rather than an old man. You shrugged at least he wasn't shouting slurs at you.

“hey I didn’t say nothing about any activities, nothing wrong with just a little company edge.” The tall skeleton , Mutt you believed, said, blowing smoke at who you assumed to be Edge. You never thought you’d see a skull scrunch up in anger, but it was marveling to you.

“FINE. THEY’LL STAY IN THE ATTIC THEN. BUT WHAT CAN THEY EVEN DO? I REFUSE TO ACCEPT A FREELOADING HUMAN INTO THIS HOUSEHOLD” He said crossing his arms.

“I can clean…and cook…I can even do garden work if it’s needed. Give you guys some nice flowers…” you said slowly picking up your boxes.

“i bet you could clean me up real nice eh dolly? start from the bottom and maybe then the top?” the one in the black tank top said running his, bright red, tounge iver his teeth. You shrunk back into yourself. You were immensely uncomfortable with the energy that skeleton and mutt were creating in the studio today. Uncomfortable enough that right now you weren't even going to question how a skeleton had a tounge. However, Before you could say anything, Edge instantly smacked the shorter skeleton on the head.

“fuck’s sake was just joking!” He said rubbing his skull.

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO BE SO VULGAR RED?” Edge said folding his arms once again.

“WELL THEN IT’S DECIDED. YOU’LL BE DOING HOUSEWORK HERE TO EARN YOUR KEEP UNTIL YOU FIND A JOB. YOU CAN START WITH MAKING DINNER TONIGHT.” He said before marching up the stairs.

“STRETCH WILL SHOW YOU TO THE ATTIC, IM SURE YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS.” He said before once again slamming the door shut. You wondered which one was Stretch, until the skeleton with the orange hoodie came up and put a hand on your shoulder.

“come on, it’s a bit tricky if you don’t know your way around the house.” He said, you adjusted your box and started following him.

“So…are all of you cousins or just really close roommates?” You asked as you followed him up the stairs. He shrugged

“you could call us cousins for now, but all of us are in the same boat as you, except sans and papyrus. That machine brought us all here in pairs, one after the other. mutt and his brother arrived about 6 months ago, and we thought that was it…” He said, taking a drag off his cigarette after he finished explaining. You felt guilty

“I’m sorry…” You said, Stretch chuckled a bit.

“don’t be. It isn’t your fault that machine brought you here.” He said. As you walked through the house you noticed various doors with names on them. Some shared rooms and others didn’t. You noticed that the only ones who had single rooms were Edge, and someone named Black. Huh…you were sure two names like that would have gotten along, but who were you to judge? In a matter of time you arrived to the attic. You opened it and it was actually fairly nice. There was an absolutely massive mattress on the floor with a surplus of blankets, as well as some old furniture.

“I…I really get to stay here?” You asked holding your box closer to your chest. Stretch smiled slightly.

“as long as you do some cleaning and cooking, though if you fall behind don’t feel bad. edge is just a hard ass” He said.

“though he might grill you if you don’t cook tonight.” He said. You giggled slightly at the pun, causing Stretch to smile.

“why don’t you set yourself up, and I’ll be back in a bit to show you the kitchen?” Stretch said before climbing down out of the attic and closing it.

You rolled up your sleeves and got to work. You plugged in a couple lamps you found and spread the blankets across the bed. You then looked over at the boxes. You delicately put the posters up on the wall and folded up the clothes to put in an old dresser. You sighed as you looked around. Was this really your life now? Cleaning and cooking for a bunch of skeletons. You supposed it wouldn’t be much different than before. You cooked and cleaned for Poppy and Sam, and you cooked and cleaned at the old folks home. You went through the last of the clothes in the box and almost collapsed in relief as you found your wallet and phone at the bottom of the box. You hadn’t even realized you put them in there. You placed them on the mattress and caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror that was next to the dresser. You didn’t look the best. You decided to get some fresh clothes on to make a good impression. But since the only clothes you had were from your two friends who were both bigger than you, you didn’t have a lot.

After looking through a couple options you decided to wear some of Poppy’s shorts and one of Sam’s T-shirts. Gently folding up the scarf and the hoodie and placing them neatly on top of the dresser. After you were done the door opened once again and stretch came up, but he was with a shorter skeleton that was wearing a blue bandana.

“hey, I hope you don’t mind, but my brother, blue, was dying to meet you as soon as he found out we had a new ‘roommate’.” Stretch said. In an instant you were approached by the shorter skeleton.

“IT’S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL TO MEET YOU! AS MY BROTHER SAID I AM THE AMAZING BLUE! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” He asked with stars in his sockets. You smiled slightly

“Uh, I’m the underwhelming Y/N. It’s nice to meet you Blue.” You said.

“I DON’T THINK YOU’RE UNDERWHELMING AT ALL FRIEND! IM SO EXCITED TO MAKE DINNER WITH YOU TONIGHT!” You cocked your head. Weren’t you supposed to do dinner by yourself? Stretch came up and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“sorry, but I don’t think you can do that tonight bro. edge wants to make sure the human can do it by their self.” He said. Blue was immediately flooded with disappointment.

“BUT I WANTED TO MAKE MY FRIENDSHIP TACOS…” Oh, your poor heartstrings. They were being tugged.

“Hey, we can always make them for lunch or dinner tomorrow…maybe we can leave early to get groceries?” You asked trying to comfort the skeleton. He smiled brightly at you. 

“REALLY?” He asked. You nodded and thus the plan was made. You were then lead to the kitchen and as you passed the dining room table Mutt, you believed his name was spoke to you.

“Damn if whatever you make tonight is as sweet as that ass I might get diabetes” He said before blowing a smoke ring your way. You shuddered at the pickup line before closing the kitchen door.

You looked in the fridge and pantry before assessing what to make. You thought something simple like pasta would be good, as they seemed to have boxes upon boxes of spaghetti and different pasta shapes. So you decided to make some pasta with a creamy tomato sauce. They seemed to have all the ingredients. As you cooked, pleasant aromas filled the house and unbeknownst to you, everyone was sat at the table. Suddenly the kitchen door opened, just as you finished adding the sauce to the noodles. You looked over and you felt your heart clench. It was another tall skeleton with a kind smile and bright eye lights. You could have sworn it was Poppy if he were a skeleton.

“HELLO HUMAN! I WAS WONDERING IF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COULD HELP YOU WITH ANYTHING?” He asked. You almost cried…he even sounded like Poppy, but you composed yourself incredibly quick. “A-ah. Just setting the table, but you don’t have to.” You said washing your hands.

“NONSENSE, IT WOULD BE RUDE IF I DIDN’T AT LEAST OFFER MY HELP TO THE NEWEST PERSON OF OUR HOUSEHOLD. WHAT IS YOUR NAME DEAR HUMAN?” He asked grabbing some plates and forks.

“It’s Y/N…and thank you, I appreciate it” You said before taking the pasta off the heat. After Papyrus had set the table you gently set down the large pot of pasta. You weren’t expecting this many people. Even though it was only eight, two of them were glaring daggers at you, and at each other. You assumed the shorter, equally edgy skeleton was Black. And two were staring at you like you were the meal. You would be sure not to ever be alone with either of them.

“I uh, hope you all like it…” you said before sitting down next to stretch and the final Skeleton that you hadn’t learned the name of.

“It smells too good to pasta it up” He said before taking a good helping off the dish. Papyrus groaned “SANS PLEASE NOT AT THE DINNER TABLE” He said his voice oozing with dissatisfaction at the pun. “sorry, guess I’m just feeling a little fusili” He said. A couple of the other skeletons laughed as the others groaned. You were silent as your hands shook. Trying not to cry. Sans and Papyrus…they were almost exactly like Sam and Poppy…it was almost healing in a way, but at the same time it hurt like hell.

After dinner you were sat on the couch in the living room, the rest of the skeletons in there as well. Black was sat in a lazy boy, back straight as he stared you down. You sunk deeper into the middle seat of the couch, you wanted to disappear.

“WELL HUMAN, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED. YOU CAN STAY IF YOU COOK AND CLEAN. THAT INCLUDES VACUUMING, SWEEPING AND MOPPING THE WHOLE HOUSE, AS WELL AS CLEANING THE WINDOWS AND DUSTING. YOU ARE TO STAY OUT OF OUR ROOMS UNLESS INVITED IN, AND UNLESS ASKED YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM ENTERING THE BASEMENT.” Edge stated firmly. You breathed a sigh, as the relief hit you like a freight train. You teared up a little bit.

“Thank you…I promise I won’t let you down” You said happily, giving Edge a genuine smile.

You went back to the attic after your impromptu meeting. Laying in bed you smiled. Things were finally looking up, and you could tell they’d be okay.

Chapter Text

You never expected to be in this situation, but then again you never expected to be in a different universe living in a house filled to the brim with skeletons. What was the situation you asked?

Well it was going out looking like the poor man’s version of Adam Sandler. You were wearing one of Sam’s old flannels and a pair of his pants that you had to cuff so they didn’t drag on the ground. And one of Poppy’s plain white t-shirts.

You found some safety pins in a box in the attic so you managed to make it look pretty nice. But you still looked like Adam Sandler Either way, you had promised to go out with blue so you could get ingredients for friendship tacos.

So you got up at about 6 to go grocery shopping with him, but when you got downstairs, both him and Papyrus were waiting.

“Oh, hey, I didn’t realize you were coming too” You said quietly. Ignoring the fact that it internally hurt when Papyrus smiled at you.

“OF COURSE, I FIGURED IT WAS A GOOD WAY TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER FRIEND. AND I DO QUITE LIKE GOING SHOPPING” He said. You notice both him and blue were dressed in pretty stylish clothes, you suddenly felt a bit self conscious about your clothes.

“Gosh if I had known you two would look so nice I would have tried to find better clothes.” You said chuckling. Blue immediately gasped, confusing you.

“OH DON’T WORRY DEAR Y/N, WE CAN FIND YOU SOME CLOTHES TODAY TOO! THOUGH…I PERSONALLY THINK YOU LOOK EXCELLENT.” He said, you could feel yourself flush slightly. You weren’t used to many compliments but you had no time to dwell on It as Papyrus pushed you and blue out the door. Grabbing keys off of a little hook.

“COME ON HUMAN, WE CERTAINLY DON’T HAVE ALL DAY! THOUGH I DO AGREE YOU LOOK QUITE NICE, IT APPEARS THOSE CLOTHES DON’T FIT YOU PROPERLY. BUT HAVE NO FEAR! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL DRIVE YOU TO BOTH THE MARKET AND THE MALL” He said, and before you knew it you were sitting in a very nice red street rod.

You looked around at the interior and a sentimental feeling washed over you. Poppy had always wanted a car like this. He would go on and on about making it a race car as well. Both blue and Papyrus were excitedly chatting about what groceries to get for tonight, you could tell they were debating between classic spaghetti or tacos. You slowly leaned your head up to the front.

“Sorry Papyrus, but I did promise blue that he could help me make his friendship tacos tonight, and trust me I looked through your pantry and fridge last night and there’s enough spaghetti supplies to last someone a lifetime.” You said looking over at Papyrus. His disappointed look making you feel guilty

“But, we could always make Spaghetti tomorrow yeah?” You said trying to make the tall Skeleton feel better. He immediately smiled, obviously excited about the possibility of making spaghetti.

Soon enough you had arrived at the store, it didn’t look like one you had seen before in your universe. It was called the M-Mart. You wondered if it was like an H Mart except for monsters. Though the m could stand for something else entirely. Meat? Market,? You rolled your eyes at that thought why would it be called the market mart you idiot?

You kept thinking without realizing you were already inside. And boy howdy this place looked absolutely massive. Both skeletons seemed to notice how absolutely awe struck you were.

“NYEHEHE IT APPEARS YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE ABSOLUTE AWE INSPIRING POWER OF THE M MART HUMAN! BUT DON’T WORRY, THAT’S A NATURAL REACTION TO THE HIGH AND FULLY STOCKED SHELVES OF BOTH MONSTER AND HUMAN FOOD! ON A SIDE NOTE WE PROBABLY SHOULD GET SOME HUMAN FOOD IN YOU. DON’T WANT YOU STARVING IN THE FIRST WEEK.” Papyrus said grabbing a cart Blue nodded at Papyrus’s Statement. You followed the two as they weaved through the various grocery isles, your head absolutely spinning as you tried to keep up. But you eventually got lost, standing in the middle of the noodle isle. How did you even get here? You weren’t sure but you couldn’t abandon your responsibilities of cooking. So you set off to the produce section.

“Skeleton taco night. We’re getting taco shells from the grocery store” You sang quietly to yourself as you grabbed some taco shells

“and…Monster Sauce from the grocery store” You continued as you looked for hot sauce noticing some quite interesting names and brands

“Suspicious ground meat from the grocery store” you shrugged throwing the package into a plastic bag before throwing it into a basket.

“And shredded cheese from the grocery store” You finished with a smile, tossing a pack of cheese into the basket along with the other ingredients You had remembered making tacos with Sam and Poppy once. Sam was absolutely no help during the process, but it was so much fun.

You continued until you heard something over the intercom

“Would a Y/N please come to the front of the store? Y/N to the front of the store” You flushed as you heard the announcement. They really asked someone to call for you like a lost child. When you finally arrived at the front, sure enough there were two concerned looking skeletons. Which confused you slightly, they’ve only known you less than a day…so why are they worried? You found it odd, though you supposed it could just be in their nature. As soon as they saw you they immediately looked relieved, they thanked the people working the intercom and walked over to you.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WONDERED OFF LIKE THAT HUMAN!” Papyrus said. You could feel the disappointment in his stare.

“Well, I really didn’t mean to…I just got a bit disoriented looking around at everything…it’s a bit different from my universe…” You said quietly. Blue immediately grabbed your free hand.

“I SUPPOSE IT’S OUR FAULT TOO, WE DIDN’T CONSIDER THAT FACT. FOR NOW THIS SHOULD WORK SO WE DON’T GET SEPARATED!” He said giving your hand a squeeze. You weren’t sure how to feel about it. You kept silent as you were taken through the store once again. Blue seemed impressed with the ingredients you grabbed, but insisted on a couple ingredients.

“Uh, why are we going to the crafts section?” You asked as Blue kept dragging you along, Papyrus following behind.

“FOR GLITTER OF COURSE” Blue said. You stopped dead in your tracks, unintentionally stopping Blue as well.

“Glitter? Like the little shiny plastic bits?” You asked looking absolutely mortified. Blue nodded.

“OF COURSE! WHAT ELSE WOULD MAKE FRIENDSHIP TACOS DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER RUN OF THE MILL ONE?” You quickly pulled the skeleton back and turned him to look at you.

“Blue, I need you too look me in the eyes and answer me honestly. Have you and all the others been eating glitter or other crafts supplies?” You asked grabbing his shoulders.

“ASIDE FROM EDGE, BLACK AND THEIR BROTHERS YES…Is That Bad?” He asked looking at you a bit sad. God you felt horrible with him looking at you like that.

“Well…I’m not sure how your digestive systems work, but normally glitter is considered inedible…I mean there are some edible kinds but it’s not good for anyone to eat plastic.” You said gently, you remembered having a similar conversation with an old lady at your old nursing home, she asked you why you didn’t cook with glitter, she was a bit of a crazy lady, but she was sweet.

In your determination to make this blue ball of sunshine happy you immediately looked around with them for the baking supplies section, and sure enough there it was, edible glitter in all colors. Both skeletons looked over the moon at this new discovery

“WOWIE! THIS IS AMAZING HUMAN! NOW YOU SHALL BE ABLE TO TASTE OUR FANTASTIC COOKING!” Papyrus said grabbing some various colors. By the time you all got to checkout the part of the cart meant for a baby was filled with a rainbow of edible glitter. As you looked at the price steadily going up on the screen of the register you could feel yourself start to sweat. But you still pulled out your wallet to pay, this was going to hurt your wallet, but you couldn’t just break their hearts like that. As you pulled out your card you were shocked to find Papyrus had already put his in.

“YOU DIDN’T THINK WE WERE GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS DID YOU HUMAN? THAT WOULD BE QUITE A RUDE THING TO DO TO A FRIEND.” Papyrus said as the store clerk bagged your items. Blue nodded and squeezed your hand once again.

“MMHM! AND DON’T YOU WORRY ABOUT NEW CLOTHES EITHER. GOODNESS KNOWS ALL OF US HAD A HARD TIME ADJUSTING SO WE WANT TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR YOU!” Blue said smiling brightly. You all exited the store. With all the thoughts swirling in your head as you all headed towards the car, you started to tear up

“I…I don’t understand. Why are you both being so nice to me? You’ve known me for less than a day and you’re already buying groceries and offering to buy me new clothes…I really don’t deserve kindness like that…” you said, salty and hot tears rolling down your cheeks. You hadn’t realized Blue was still holding your hand until he gently grabbed the other one and Papyrus placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Everyone Deserves Kindness Friend, And None Of Us Had The Most Pleasant Time Adjusting, So If We Can Make It Easier for You In Any Way, Then We Will. That’s What Friends Should Do” Papyrus said

“AND YOU’VE ALREADY BEEN WAY NICER THAN EDGE AND BLACK! And You Haven’t Made Me Feel The Need To Take A Shower From Just Looks Like Red” Blue mumbled out the last part looking disgusted, that was enough to put a bit of a smile on your face, you slowly wiped away your tears and helped Papyrus load up the groceries.

While driving to the next location you were sitting in the front seat, You had said you didn’t mind the back, but Papyrus insisted. You were looking out the window when a bright sign caught your eye

“Wait, wait Papyrus stop” You said looking out the window. Though confused Papyrus did as you said and started to slow down once you deemed it slow enough you simply jumped out of the still moving car causing both Skeletons to yell and panic. But you were fine as you ran up to the brightly colored poster board. It was a sign for a garage sale.

“OH MY STARS Y/N!” You heard the concerned voice of Papyrus rushing up behind you “ARE YOU HURT ANYWHERE AT ALL FRIEND? ARE YOU OKAY?” Blue asked checking all over you

“No I’m fine” You said smiling, blue breathed a sigh of relief before Papyrus hit you over the head with a rolled up newspaper, that he seemed to grab out of nowhere.

“THEN WHAT! WERE! YOU! THINKING!?” Papyrus yelled swatting you with the rolled up ‘New Ebbot Times’ You swatted back and Blue came to your defense.

“PAPYRUS STOP HITTING THEM! I’M SURE THEY HAD A REASONABLE EXPLANATION FOR THIS” He said holding you close. You nodded

“Exactly. There’s a garage sale.” You said excitedly pointing to the bright yellow poster board with ‘Sale of The Garrage’ written on it. Blue kept holding onto you but he held you tighter before looking back at Papyrus

“I Changed My Mind, Hit Them Again” Blue said, as Papyrus winded up another thwap with the newspaper.

After a good walloping the three of you made your way to the garage sale. An old looking monster and her seemingly human spouse were sitting at a white fold out table with a cash box

“We accept gold or cash, all sales final” The old monster said. She was a large purple bunny with some gray patches of fur. You smiled and nodded before looking around, flitting through the objects with incredible speed until you stopped at one particular item. An old acoustic guitar, missing about three strings and horrendously out of tune. But you could fix it. You could tell. You quickly brought it up to the old couple.

“Excuse me? How much for this?” you asked excitedly.

“Oh for that old relic? I reckon I could give it up for 50. It’s missing strings it’s dusty, and I haven’t played in years because of my arthritis” The old woman said chuckling. You quickly pulled out your wallet, you only had 30 on you, and you certainly didn’t want to ask either blue and Papyrus, who were still looking through the objects, for money, they were already buying groceries and buying you new clothes.

“Sorry ma’am I only have 30” You said dejectedly, turning around to set the guitar back only for the woman to stop you.

“Well honey why don’t we cut a deal” She said smiling you looked hopeful.

“If you fix that old thing up, bring it here and play me a song, I’ll give it to you for 20. And I’d be real delighted if you brought either of those young skeletons back with you. They seem like nice boys “ She said slightly suggestively. The old man nudged her while laughing slightly

“Now Mitzi you leave this youngin and their partners alone” You went bright red at the remark. In no way shape or form were you close enough to either of them for any romantic things. Incredibly not.

“O-oh! They’re not- well I mean they’re very nice but we’re not well- we aren’t Uhm …. Dating” You said. Both the old folks laughed good-naturedly. The old woman said putting her paw on your hand.

“Oh my apologies for picking on you darling. But you come back with that guitar now. I can’t wait to see another person enjoy it as much as I did.” You nodded and paid her the 30 dollars in cash. She tried to refute, but you insisted. Sure it was all the cash you had for some busted guitar. But you wanted to give that old woman and her partner everything.

“I think I’m good to go” You said walking up to the two skeletons who were standing over some model cars

“WOWIE, DO YOU PLAY THE GUITAR Y/N?” Papyrus asked. You shrugged

“Well yeah, my mom taught me how to play and my dad-“ you cut yourself off at the mention of your dad. If you could even call him that after what he did.

“…he taught me how to repair them…it’s actually easy if you know what you’re doing” You said. Both Papyrus and blue subtly looked at each other when you stumbled over your words when barely mentioning your Dad. It was incredibly odd, but neither of them said anything as you walked back to the car already starting to take the strings out.

You put them in your pocket to save them for the lady. You were sure she’d like a memento of something that was special to her. You’d see if you could braid them into some sort of necklace You looked at the time as you got into the car. It was almost 12:30. You knew you should get back to the house so you could clean. If you were being honest you found Edge scary beyond all reason, and you’d rather not get yelled at.

“Hey…I know you both were excited to go to the mall but maybe we can save it for another time? Edge did tell me I was supposed to clean…” You said timidly, Papyrus just scoffed and laughed

“DON’T YOU WORRY FRIEND, IF EDGE HAS A PROBLEM HE’LL HAVE TO TAKE OT UP WITH THE DYNAMIC FRIENDSHIP DUO!” Papyrus said, Blue and him both giving each other a look of determination

“That’s awfully nice of you, but I really don’t want to get anyone in trouble” you said, Papyrus just scoffed

“EDGE ACTS LIKE HE OWNS THE PLACE, BUT SANS AND I ARE TECHNICALLY THE OWNERS. DON’T WORRY IF HE GIVES YOU TROUBLE YOU CAN COME TO ME AND BLUE AND WE’LL SET THINGS STRAIGHT!” Papyrus said with a confident smile. Though you guessed he was technically always smiling as skeletons didn’t have muscles…or blood…or a nervous system. You were confused about the biology of these men. 

you didn’t have much time to theorize and think until the two swept you through the mall doors and into the first store they saw You felt a little overwhelmed with all the activity happening around you, there was so many clothes for so many different monsters and body types, you sighed, wishing you could have brought Poppy to one of these stores…he always had a tough time finding shirts that fit him, and he wound up happily wearing shirts that looked like crop tops on him….you really really missed him and Sam. You shook your head, you needed to stop thinking about it and move on

“I can’t wear this”

“WHY NOT? IT’S ALL THE RAGE IN FASHION!”

“Maybe for other people…” You said looking at yourself in the mirror. Papyrus had fitted you in a grey crop top and cut off jean shorts, you noticed that Papyrus was wearing a similar outfit. He crossed his arms and huffed a little bit

“ Well I Think You Look Stylish”

“Thank you but…I’m not exactly comfortable wearing this sort of thing” You said before pushing the two out of the changing room to try on something else

“TRY ON THE OUTFIT I PICKED NEXT!” Blue said excitedly, confident you’d like it.

“Blue this is another crop top and jean shorts…you just added a belt” you said, not even coming out of the dressing room

“I KNOW! I SAW IT ON THE COVER OF A MAGAZINE.” He said you sighed.

“I think I’ll be fine with the clothes I have at the house for now…id rather go buy some guitar strings before going home, thank you for offering all these clothes to me but….I’m not the best model to be dressing up…” you said, most things didn’t look good on you in your opinion, and besides you preferred the baggy clothes

“Will You Try On One More Outfit?” Blue asked pleadingly. You could feel those bright blue stars staring into your soul tugging on your heartstrings once more. God you’d give this man anything

“WE PICKED IT OUT TOGETHER” Papyrus added, and of course you couldn’t say no to him. He had already been so nice and sweet.

“Alright alright…” you said with a smile. You knew it most likely wouldn’t look good in it but you’d put it on for them. You slowly slipped on the fluffy green sweater and pulled on the pair of black jeans they got. You actually pretty well liked it though the pants were a little tighter than you'd prefer.

You came out and both of them were ecstatic

“OH MY STARS Y/N YOU LOOK AMAZING!” Blue gasped.

“TRULY BOTH A FASHION AND FUNCTION LOOK!” Papyrus exclaimed. You may have blushed a little bit from how they were both practically gushing over you. It made you feel pretty, and special. Pretty special you could say.

“G-gee thanks guys…” You said. You really weren’t used to compliments from people, or in this case skeletons, around your age, though you suppose that was because you worked in a retirement home. The ladies always complimented you, and asked Poppy when he’d start dating such a fine option like you whenever he visited your work…You were so lost in your thoughts you didn’t realize the two had already paid for everything and were directing you to a music store.

“Oh! How much was everything? I promise I’ll pay you back when I get a job” You said quickly looking in the bag for a receipt. Only for Blue to clear his throat. Before tearing the receipt in half and tossing it in the trash. Papyrus continuing to walk you in the direction of the music store.

“OH LIKE WE’D LET YOU PAY FOR YOUR GIFT! NOW COME ON LET’S GET YOU THOSE GUITAR STRINGS! I HOPE YOU KNOW WE BOTH WANT TO HEAR YOU PLAY.” Papyrus said, Blue nodding in agreement. You were absolutely flabbergasted.

"Y-you can't pay for everything! You already paid my groceries...and this too? You guys are really too generous to me" You said worriedly. Blue scoffed.

"YOU'RE OUR FRIEND Y/N! AND WHEN YOU HAVE FRIENDS AS AMAZING AS US YOU SHOULD EXPECT THIS TREATMENT!" Blue said happily. You remained shocked, but you did manage to pay for your guitar strings before either of them could reach the counter of the music store. Though they had bought records, you wondered if there was a record player back at the house...

The rest of the ride home was filled with happy conversation and chatter, especially when you gushed about the guitar. Though everything was cut short when a very angry edge was standing at the door. Glaring down at you arms crossed. You could feel your heart begin to race. This man, this skeleton, was scary beyond all reason...to you at least...

"WHERE HAVE YOU THREE BEEN? OFF GALAVANTING? AVOIDING THE ONLY REASON WE ALLOWED YOU TO STAY!? IF I HAD KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO BE THIS USELESS YOU'D BE DEAD WHERE YOU STAND!" Edge yelled. But slowly in your mind he morphed into someone taller, or you got shorter...in that moment you felt like you were a child again, standing in front of your dad when mom wasn't home.

"WELL? ARE YOU GOING TO SAY ANYTHING YOU USELESS WAIST!? OR ARE YOU JUST GOING TO STAND THERE!?"

You grabbed your arms. You immediately dropped the items you had on the floor. Your heart was beating so loud you could hear it in your ears 

"Y-yes sir, right away sir, I apologize sir." You said quietly and swiftly trembling like a baby deer. Edge looked down at you with a raised eye ridge. Getting more confused when you immediately started to clean, somehow finding the cleaning supplies instantly, your hands almost shaking too much to spray the cleaning fluid. Unknown to you everyone in the house could hear the sound your soul was making, it was horrible, saddening. It sounded like crying and sobbing, pleading for someone to help you.

Imagine everyone's surprise when they all came down to just find you cleaning. Though it was apparent to everyone you were shaking like a leaf, almost falling over with every movement 

Papyrus immediately walked up to you gently placing a hand on your shoulder.

"Y/N? Are You Okay?" He asked. And you immediately froze locking up. What were the exercises she told you? What...what could you feel? What could you see? What could you smell...?

You could feel a gloved hand on your shoulder. He never wore gloves.

You smelled cleaner, orange scent, he hated oranges.

you could see out a window, there were starter trees in the yard. He never let anything grow in the yard other than grass...

You weren't there anymore, you were safe. "I-Im fine Pop-Papyrus...I just agreed with D-Edge! Right...it wasn't fair of me to goof off. I need to do my chores..." You said. Though your SOUL was still crying slightly. Stretch was the next one to approach you

"Are ya sure honey? Your shaking like a leaf..." He said looking at you with concern 

"I-Im sure... I'm all good..." You said forcing a smile on your face. You were lying and it was apparent to everyone. 

"O-oh...I need to grab the groceries...it wouldn't be good to have stuff in the trunk for too much longer..." You said, though edge was still by the door. You could feel your body locking up just looking at him. And the others could hear your soul crying in fear just looking at him. But you walked past him looking straight at the floor. Blue rushed out to help you, as you were still trembling like crazy.

All eyes were on Edge.