#sorry if there's mistakes i got lazy beta-ing it

[holyvirgilscriptures]

as if it's your last

Will used to kiss Mike as if it were his last.

During the days of the apocalypse, when they first got together — well, that was to be expected. Because any day could have been their final time on Earth. Any breath could have been the final one they took. And as such, any kiss could have been their final kiss.

Will poured all of his passion into those kisses. Searing, hot touches as his lips pressed firmly against Mike’s. The flames in his stomach that only burned brighter as Mike pulled him closer to his chest. The way sparks shot through his veins as he slipped his tongue between Mike’s lips. When Mike’s hands would find their way under his shirt and creep up over his bare skin, mapping it out with his large palms, spreading heat wherever they roamed. And in turn, Will’s fingers would trace the freckles that dotted over Mike’s chest and back, and he was sure — as Mike shuddered and whimpered — that Mike felt as though Will was leaving trails of fire with every scrape of his nails.

Sometimes he wondered, with all the ferocity in their bodies as they kissed, if the apocalypse lived within them. Hawkins had been reduced to smoke and hellfire, after all. So it didn’t surprise Will that kissing Mike, loving Mike, had felt the same way.

Smoke and hellfire. Ashes and sparks. Will feeling like a goddamn live wire! He felt as though he and Mike were destined to burn brighter than the sun… but burn out faster than a candle.

Then the apocalypse ended. It ended with a bang, sure — all the death and decay and destruction irreversible — but it still ended. 

It ended, and then soon enough Hawkins was in the process of being rebuilt. It wasn’t easy — it was a strenuous task, and all hands were needed on deck.

And Will still kissed Mike as if it were his last.

He reasoned that, well, even though Vecna had been defeated, even though the skies of Hawkins were no longer a sickening blood-red… things weren’t really back to normal, were they? Even if they succeeded in rebuilding all the destroyed infrastructure, nothing could erase the fear and horror lingering in their souls. It was indelible, like an ink stain you couldn’t wash out, like a burn wound that would never heal. And it wasn’t just the Party, or the extended members, or the ones who had fought Vecna face to face — though he supposed that they got the brunt of the trauma. But Will saw the terror and anxiety in the eyes of each and every civilians, whenever they passed by the food shelter he was volunteering at. 

Anyway, Will still kissed Mike like flash fire. During the day, they were were swamped with their duties volunteering at the shelter. What little free time was provided to them was duly spent inside locked storage closets that were cold and grimy, but it didn’t matter because, well, they were together — and the quick kisses warmed them up anyway.

Sleepovers became a much more frequent experience. Mostly because at night, both of them were plagued by nightmares, and they were able to seek comfort in each other’s arms almost instantaneously. The nights were cold, too — somehow turned even colder after the apocalypse — and underneath their shared blankets, they found untapped heat in their souls, and shared it with each other with every kiss, every touch, every gasp, every whimper.

Sometime between the first and perhaps the hundredth day after the apocalypse ended, the kisses changed. Just a little bit, Will thought. The fire still raged within them, red-hot and fierce, but the flames no longer felt as tall as a twenty-story building. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Hawkins. It took ages upon ages, but soon enough — it had been done. It wasn’t perfect — nothing is — but it was the best that they could do. The cement poured over the cracks caused by the gates was a little wonky, and some of the houses had uneven paint jobs, and there were days where the lights would still sometimes flicker and go out — but for all intents and purposes, Hawkins was restored.

And normalcy began trickling in like droplets from the tap, until it built up more and more — and then the floodgates burst open, and water streamed out everywhere. A sense of security had swept through Hawkins like a gentle tide wave, and though people were hesitant to latch on at first, they realized that they needed to move on. They couldn’t stay trapped in the brimstone hell that the apocalypse had dawned on their town. They had to be fluid like water itself, and pursue their future, lest they get left behind and drown.

Life seemed to take its cue again. People walked their dogs along the sidewalks, or they skateboarded in the park, or they went to school and complained about their teachers. Birds sat on windowsills and sung their tunes. The sun had never shone brighter.

But Will still kissed Mike as if it were his last.

They’re together now, sitting inside a rebuilt and renovated Castle Byers. The day felt more special than other days — it was raining, after all. Rain was a rare occurrence, because it felt like every other day was a beautiful and sunny one, with the sky an endless expanse of bright blue.

They’d been making out, as per usual for two teenagers. Will had his back flat on the mattress that covered the floor of Castle Byers, and Mike had been hovering over him, hands pressed against Will’s shoulders. The space between them was nonexistent — exactly the way Will liked it.

“Shit,” Mike whispered, sitting himself up, letting their mouths separate. That was something Will did not like. He sat up as well, following Mike’s movements, and, wrapping his arm around Mike’s waist, trailed open-mouthed kisses down his jawline and neck.

“Hmm?” he hummed, sucking a hickey onto Mike’s pale skin.

Mike let out a shaky breath, but continued. “It’s raining,” he pointed out.

“Astute observation,” Will deadpanned.

Mike rolled his eyes good-naturedly and huffed out a laugh. “You’re the worst,” he declared.

“Sure I am,” Will replied, waggling his eyebrows at Mike. Mike laughed again and pushed Will back onto the floor, resuming their kissing.

Nowadays, the hotness of their kisses felt more manageable, like the radiant heat of a snug fireplace. But in spite of the gentleness of that label, Will still knew the truth — it was still fire. Like a moth drawing closer to a lantern — like Icarus flying too close to the sun — no matter how cozy it felt, he could still burn himself.

Will focused deeply on the sensation of kissing Mike. They’d been together for quite a while now — a year or so, he vaguely remembers, his memories hazy as his brain is occupied with the feeling of Mike, Mike, Mike all over him. His hands were cold, which was a change, for once, but Will found that he didn’t mind the brief chill as Mike’s fingers touched his stomach. Will wrapped his arms around Mike’s neck and pulled him ever-closer, which seemed impossible, but whatever. Will wouldn’t mind if they somehow melted together into one being. (Wasn’t that what soulmates were, anyway? Two vessels that shared one soul?)

Will let out a moan as Mike’s tongue slipped into his mouth. His legs were moving restlessly now, and Will’s hands were bunching Mike’s shirt, tugging and pulling at it wordlessly. Mike chuckled, but made no attempt to follow what was clearly on Will’s mind. Will grunted, and started squirming, not knowing what to do with all this pent-up energy, all this stored love—

CRASH! Thunder clapped in the distance, and Will, startled by the sudden noise, bit hard on Mike’s tongue.

“Mmph!” Mike reeled back and sat up, wiping his mouth. His pupils were blown and his eyes were wide as he stared at Will in surprise.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Will hastened to say, sitting up and getting Mike off of him, so that they were both kneeling and facing each other. “Did I hurt you?” he asked frantically when Mike kept wiping his mouth.

“Mmm…” Mike rolled his tongue inside his mouth, then shook his head. “Nah, I’m fine. No blood or anything.”

Will sighed in relief, and stared at his lap, grateful that his actions, even if it were on accident, hadn’t injured his boyfriend. “That’s good,” he mumbled.

Mike smirked at him. “Well, I’m used to my boyfriend biting me, so—“

“Oh my god! Shut up!” Will yelped out, feeling his face flush scarlet. Mike, the utter traitor, had the gall to just laugh at him, so Will smacked him on the shoulder, which caused Mike to whine like a child.

“I’m serious!” Mike insisted, rubbing the area where Will had hit him. “I mean, hell, Will, every time you kiss me, it’s — it’s like it’s your last, or something!”

That stopped Will in his tracks. The playful grin on his face immediately fell off, and was replaced with something a lot more contemplative. Because, yeah, Will knew he kissed Mike that way, but it was a lot more different when his boyfriend actually said it out loud. It was a lot realer now — it was something Will had to confront.

Mike seemed to have picked up on the sudden atmospheric shift between them. He shifted closer to Will and prodded him gently. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, in that soft voice that Will always loved him for.

Castle Byers wasn’t waterproof. It was leaky, and Will could feel some of the rain droplets falling atop his head. He glanced at Mike, whose eyes were wide with concern and, more importantly, patience. That made Will’s heart swell up like a helium balloon. The way that Mike was always so considerate with him, never forcing him to do anything he didn’t want to do.

He shook his head and chuckled ruefully. “Nothing. Well I mean—“ Will sighed, “I guess I still kiss you like that, huh?”

When Mike didn’t reply, Will continued, “I mean, I think I’ve been kissing you like that the whole time. And like, I understood why I kissed you like that when we first got together — we were literally in a war, after all — and I even understood why even when the war ended, because things were still falling back into place and it wasn’t truly normal yet. But now…” He sighed again and looked at Mike, who only nodded at him, encouraging him to go on.

Will inhaled shakily. “Now, I mean, things are normal — or, well, as normal as they could be, and like, I don’t know. I don’t know why I still kiss you like it’s my last. I mean, everything is as it should be. We’re safe now. Nothing will hurt us.” He reached out and squeezed Mike’s hand, conveying his real meaning: I won’t let anything hurt you.

Mike squeezed back, showing that he understood, and felt the exact same way. The two of them stayed like that for a while, silence only brokered by the sound of the rain, which looked to be picking up outside. 

Then, Mike whispered, “I don’t mind. I mean, I think… Do you think it’s because… Well, I mean, the Upside Down fucked you up more than anyone, I feel like. So I understand if — if the reason you still kiss me like your last has to do with that shit.”

Will thought about it for a while. “That makes some sense,” he agreed. “But I feel like that’s only part of it. Like there’s another reason, a bigger one, and I just can’t quite wrap my head around it.”

Dramatically, Will let out a groan and flopped back onto the mattress, closing his eyes. Mike chuckled at his boyfriend’s hysterics, before draping himself over him. Their chests were pressed together, and Will could still feel the vibrations of Mike’s laughter. More importantly, he could feel Mike’s warm breath fanning over his face, and his slow and steady heartbeat. He felt Mike hold his hand, felt Mike stroke the back of it with his thumb, all soft and warm. He felt nothing but warm, even as the cold breeze swept into the open door of Castle Byers, even as rain drops fell through the roof. He felt peace, and love — so much goddamn love, Will felt he could burst with it. And he felt like he never wanted to be without this ever again.

Will’s eyes flew open.

Oh.

That was why.

Mike glanced up at Will, chin digging into Will’s chest, as if he could sense the change in Will’s emotion. “What’s up?” he asked.

“I think…” Will said as he brought his hand to Mike’s back, stroking it slowly, “I think that I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

He could feel Mike’s confusion, so he stopped staring at the ceiling, and instead looked into his boyfriend’s deep brown eyes. “I mean, you know… I thought for a long time that I couldn’t have this.” He pressed his palm harder against Mike’s back, as if solidifying to himself that this is, indeed, real. “I thought that I couldn’t have you, or have anything I wanted — which was, well, everything I wanted was you, but anyway. I couldn’t be with the boy I loved — you — and most people like me — like us — couldn’t have love in general, because that was the reality of our situations.”

Will let out a shuddery breath, and Mike left a gentle kiss on his sternum. Will went on. “So when I was finally able to be with you, to have what I wanted, I thought of how lucky I was. But then I thought, surely, this luck would run out? Surely, I couldn’t have this. That what I wanted, that you would eventually be ripped away from me.” He bit his bottom lip as he delved deeper into his thoughts. “And, like, during the war it was this constant fear of one of us dying, but when all the bloodshed was done, the thought still remained. And maybe it became even scarier, because now I don’t have to worry about a deranged monster, but instead the real world. And the war wasn’t kind to us, but neither is the real world. And then I was just… scared. No longer of a crazy beast, but of the mindset that stupid people have about us. That this thing we have was wrong and they would never allow it to last.”

When he finished his tirade, it was only then that he realized that tears had begun to form in his eyes. He removed his hand from Mike’s back to wipe at his face, but quicker than lightning, Mike snatched his wrist.

“Wha—?” Will glanced quizzically at his boyfriend, only to find Mike staring him down with the most sincere and genuine expression, that Will felt his heart glow in his chest.

“Listen to me, Will,” Mike said, and it was the most serious Will had ever heard him. “I want you to know this. I will never leave you. You will never lose me. This thing we have?” He gestured between the two of them. “It’s forever. I guarantee it.”

He said it so firmly that Will couldn’t help but believe him… almost.

“You can’t promise that,” he whispered, because in the back of his mind, he heard the murmurs of you don’t deserve this and you can’t have this.

“Bullshit I can’t promise that!” Mike scoffed. “Will, when everyone thought you were dead, I kept pushing to find you. I never gave up on you. Because the thought of us being apart, it just—” Mike’s voice cracked here, and he quickly shook his head. “And we were just twelve, man, jeez. I already knew by then that I wanted to spend forever with you. And yeah, as I grew up my dumb brain was sending mixed signals—“ Will chuckled, and Mike beamed, his joke clearly having landed.

“And yeah, we went through literal hell and fought monsters and terrifying dads and whatnot. And I was scared as fuck! For my own life, obviously, but also yours. Because you dying? That’s scarier than any demogorgon I’ve had to face down.”

By now, the two boys were kneeling again. Mike’s hands cradled Will’s face, and Will’s hands were on Mike’s wrists. Their foreheads were pressed firmly against each other. “What I’m trying to get at is… you don’t have to be afraid of losing me, Will. I’m sorry you felt that way, and I’ll do anything I can so you will never feel that way again. Because…” Will watched the bob in Mike’s throat as he swallowed. “Because, Will… you’ve always had me.”

Against his defiance, Will felt tears fall down his cheeks. He saw the same thing happening to Mike as well. They mirrored each other in every way.

“Always?” Will whispered, so reverently, like he never wanted this moment to end.

“Always,” Mike confirmed. “Always have, and always will.”

Will let out a choked sob, and threw his arms around Mike, hugging him as tight as he possibly could. Mike laughed, and it was a watery sound, and he hugged back just as tightly.

“I love you,” Will cried out. “I love you so much.”

Mike gently kissed the side of his head. “I love you too,” he answered.

The two boys stayed trapped in that embrace for a long, long time. Will listened to the sound of the rain, which hadn’t let up at all — in fact, it only seemed to go even harder. It would probably become a storm, soon.

For some reason, it was something that Will was looking forward to.

Then, he had an idea. It was his best idea yet.

Slowly, he pulled himself back from the hug. Mike looked at him with a mixture of palpable confusion and amusement.

“So… do I get a kiss now?” Mike joked, leaning in closer to Will’s face.

Will merely smiled at him, letting Mike get as close as he possibly could — before Will abruptly stood up and ran out of Castle Byers.

Out of the fort, and into the rain.

“Wha— hey!” Will grinned as he heard Mike’s protest behind him. He heard mud and leaves squish and crunch under Mike’s converse, as he followed Will into the coming storm. Will looked up into the dark gray sky, and he grinned.

“What the fuck, Will!” Mike sputtered.

“Come on!” Will shouted, and he was laughing, laughing, laughing. “Don’t you love the rain?”

“You’re fucking crazy!” Mike yelled back, and Will finally allowed himself to get a good look at his boyfriend. He held back a laugh. Mike’s long, black hair was plastered all over his face and fell limply over his shoulders, and his clothes were two shades darker from being waterlogged. He looked confused, and flustered, and concerned, and—

He was beautiful. Without a doubt, Mike was the most beautiful thing in Will’s life.

In art class, Will had been taught that the most beautiful things were also the most temporary. He learned that in Japan, there was something called the cherry blossom tree, which only bloomed for a short while before the wind blew away its gorgeous flowers. There was beauty in the ephemeral. Will could agree with that.

But fuck, there was nothing more beautiful than the fact that Mike was permanent. That Mike was the definition of forever.

Mike had treaded closer to Will, so that their noses were almost touching. “Did you hear me?” Mike demanded bossily. “You, Will Byers, are fucking crazy!”

Will beamed at him. “What? I thought you wanted to go crazy together, right?”

Despite the rain falling over his eyes, Will got a clear view of Mike’s haggard face melting into something softer, something sweeter.

“Yeah,” Mike said. “And we will.” His hands found Will’s, and he squeezed them tight.

“Together,” Mike reminded him. “Forever.”

That was all Will needed. Will wrapped his arms around Mike and brought him in close for a deep kiss.

Subconsciously, Will had been preparing himself to feel the tall licks of flame in his body, like he normally felt when he and Mike kissed. He did feel something, but he wouldn’t describe it as a raging fire anymore. It was simply warmth in its purest form. And it mixed together with the promise of the rain, and the whispers of the wind, and the steadiness of dirt beneath their shoes. Will felt all the elements — Will felt the whole world trembling in his body now, and that felt like a big responsibility for a meek, teenage boy. But he was holding Mike, and Mike was his forever and always, so he knew that he could share the world with Mike. Or share Mike with the world. Either way, he was happy.

Because Will didn’t kiss Mike like it was his last anymore. And sure, they have traded probably thousands of kisses between them at this point.

But now? It was definitely a first kiss. Or, at the very least,Will thought amusedly as he brought Mike even closer, it felt like a first kiss.

It felt like the first kiss of forever.

#byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #mike x will #will x mike #byler ficlet #byler fanfic #byler fic #virgil.writes #sorry if there's mistakes i got lazy beta-ing it

[canadian-buckbeaver]

Fell’s Invasion - Ch. 6

Thank you to @babypizzawonderland for beta-ing this and putting up with my Beavernease!

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Blue found that getting home to the labs was a lot harder than it normally was that particular day.  It was indeed as Fell Papyrus had said.  It was becoming a lot harder to stay safe.

First, it seemed every single Fell monster was out and on the streets today, making it nearly impossible to travel undetected through Snowdin.  Some looked to be cleaning or repairing parts of the town, others setting up some dark-looking decorations.  Not to mention that they all seemed very anxious, on high-alert and whispering amongst themselves.  But, why today of all days?  Fell hadn’t said that anything was going on.  Though he had hinted that there was something.  Blue snorted.  What was with all the Papyruses giving half answers?  Would it break their bones to give a full answer?  Yes, no and why?  It would be infinitely more helpful, and easier.

As a result of the increased traffic, he was constantly hiding or running into the alleyways to escape the monsters’ sight.  ‘This is becoming ridiculous,’ he thought, stewing as he hid behind a garbage can waiting for yet another monster in Underfell armour to walk past him.  Even when he and Papy had been first hunting for food in the middle of the day it hadn’t been this active.  He hadn’t seen the street so busy since before Underfell took over.  That thought made him swallow hard against the lump in his throat.  He couldn’t think about the beautiful past right now though.  Couldn’t think of the good old days.  That thought would only distract him and cause him to be clumsy, make mistakes, perhaps even be captured.  Too many were counting on him for that.  Once the monster had passed, Blue took another quick scan up and down the street.  It appeared to be clear…

Clear for now.

Taking a chance he tightened the straps of the bag he wore around his body and held the precious satchel of clean food from Fell closer to him.  Taking one last look around he burst out of his hiding place and took off down the street, ducking into a nearby alley in one of his own non-magical shortcuts to the lab.

Perhaps if Blue had been a little more thorough in his scanning he would have seen them.  There was a small group of three skeletons, luckily for him not of Underfell, just sitting on a nearby roof, observing the chaos and confusion.  There was the skeleton that his brother said looked exactly like him, from his short stature, to his blue bandana, to his battle body.  Another was larger than the others, mostly dark but with multi-coloured bones.  This one appeared to coming in and out of focus frequently.  He was holding hands with a slightly smaller skeleton, coloured in clothes which seemed to be splashes of different coloured paint, a large paintbrush strapped to his back, and an ever so rounded ectobelly poking from the utility belt.  They watched him run off, but didn’t say a word to one another.  The colourful one squeezed hands with the dark one, as if bracing for the upcoming fall out.

* * * * *

Blue bolted through the secured doors of the lab and slammed them hard behind him, locking and ensuring the security system was reengaged.  Once he was satisfied, he entered the true lab.

He wasn’t sure what to expect really.  From the tone of Papy’s voice something was going on.  Something big.  He was ashamed to admit but he had been expecting, upon entering, to see the lab in full-meltdown mode.  Would it be dramatic of him to imagine a high-pitched, repeating siren, steam or smoke, some flashing red lights perhaps?  Undyne, Nappstabot and Papyrus running around dramatically, screaming, with hands up in the air?

To his surprise (and utmost relief) he saw none of this.  The computers appeared to be functioning normally, although a bit dusty and wheezy, and it even looked like Undyne had been able to connect to the cameras that she had originally placed around Underswap.  She was sitting at one of the outdated computers, furiously typing away and muttering to herself and to it.  She was definitely paler around the gills than normal, her red bun a straggly mess of escaping hair.  Though her hair seemed to be the least of her worries as he watched her grit her pointed teeth and continue to mash buttons on the keyboard.  Something, indeed, was very, very wrong.

But what?

“Hey, Undyne?”  he called out, cautiously making his way towards her.

Undyne gasped and whirled around, instantly killing her feed.  That… that was odd.  Blue knew that was rough on computers, Undyne would never do that to her modern day machines, let alone these ‘garbage machines’.  If Blue hadn’t had any doubts before, he would certainly have them now, as that was highly suspicious.  What didn’t she want him to see?

“Oh… Oh!  Blue!  You’re back!”  she smiled, the muscle reflex not reaching or lighting her eyes.  “That’s… that’s good!  Papyrus will be happy….  I mean.  I’m happy too!  So very glad you’re back Sans!”  she said, not meeting his gaze.

“Is….  Is there something wrong Undyne?”  he asked, although already knowing there was.  Maybe he could help out with something.  He had been in training for the Guard after all, part of their duties was to give help when needed to whoever needed it.

Undyne furiously shook her head.  “No!  No, everything is under control here, Sansy!”  she said, chocking out a forced, high-pitched, extremely fake laugh.  Blue blinked in surprise.  This definitely wasn’t the Undyne who would sit on the couch and watch anime with Alphys and him.  This one, he had never seen before.

Something was very, very wrong here, and Blue was desperate to find out what it was.

“Yo, yo, yo!”  a familiar robotic voice came from behind him.

Undyne let out a large sigh of relief.  “Ah Nappstabot,”  she said speaking to the humanoid machine, “do you mind helping Blue with the food he’s found and then showing him the ‘special project’ that we have for him?”

Special project had to be code for something, Blue quickly realized.  But what?  What was so secretive?

And why was he being treated like a baby bones again, in war all of all things?  

Nappstabot blinked his optical sensors at Undyne before rearranging his facial mechanics into a confused expression.  “Special Project?”  he asked.

Undyne flushed.  “Yes.”  She said, “do you remember the ‘special project’ that we had discussed with Papyrus for Sans today?  I need you to help him with that.”  she prodded, sounding more irate.

“I’m sorry Undyne,” Nappstabot said, “that request just does not compute with my circuits.”  He looked generally apologetic for this.

Well, as unapologetic as a hunk of metal could look.

Blue swore that Undyne was about to pull out her hair.  She gave a short screech before marching up to Nappstabot and shaking him.  “Listen here, you rusty bucket of bolts!”  She snapped, “The ‘special project’.”  She repeated.  “Code 5-2-3, Arctic Fox, Toto.  Understand?  Do you compute?”  she snapped.

Nappstabot’s eyes went blank for a second, before reappearing.  “Understood ma’am.”  He said before turning back to Blue, smiling brightly.  “Come on Blue!”  he said, “Let’s go to the kitchen and see what you got!  Then after perhaps we can make a puzzle or play a game.”

Blue looked between Nappstabot and Undyne.  Undyne had just accessed and requested that a program be run in Nappstabot’s circuits, one that was designed to keep him distracted and away from the others, that much he was sure.  But, that raised three other very important questions.

First of all: Why?  Why would Undyne and or Papyrus do something like that?  

Second:  What on Toriel’s ground was going on?

Third:  “Where’s Papyrus?”  he asked the two monsters.

Nappstabot shook his head.  “Papyrus will be back soon.”  He said.  “I noticed that he was just entering in the security code of the doors while you were talking to Undyne.  He’ll be inside in no time.”

Blue took a step back towards the exit then.  “In that case I better go unlock the doors then.  He’s going to be wanting to come in quickly.”

Undyne loosened a quick, sharp yelp and Nappstabot grabbed a firm hold on Blue’s shoulder.  “That isn’t necessary Blue,”  he said, “he’ll be in soon.  He’s a true dawg, after all.  How about you and I put the food away and then play a game?”  he suggested again.  “You and I haven’t hung out much since this whole invasion started.”

Blue took another step backwards.  He was starting to feel scared now.  Undyne and Nappstabot were clearly trying to distract him from something.  Had something happened to Pappy?  Had Blue taken too long in getting home and Papyrus gotten worried, went out and started looking for him?  Perhaps he was captured by the Fell monsters!  Oh, Stars!  He didn’t know what he would do without his brother.  His breaths became more ragged and quicker, his eye lights shrinking and becoming tiny blue pinpricks of light, he was truly beginning to panic now.  He fell to knees and hid his skull in his gloves.

“Undyne…” he panted, “I want… I want Papyrus… what happened?  I need to know?  I need to help.  Don’t leave me in the dark about my brother.  He’s all I have…”  Blue continued to break down and babble, the bottled up stress finally finding an outlet.

He had just taken a breath to continue when he heard footsteps from behind him.  In seconds he was scooped in a familiar honey-smelling embrace.  “Hey there, buddy.”  The smoker’s voice said.  “Breathe in.  Hold.  And breathe out for me… I’m right here… I’m right here…”

Blue seized his brother and pulled him close, giving a relieved little whimper.  He hid his skull into the orange sweater and inhaled deeply, tasting and smelling the fabric.  It smelled of his brother.  All honey and smoke.  It took more than a couple minutes before Blue let loose another gasp and looked up at his brother.  Those lazy eyes were looking him over, his drawl a little harder than normal as he scanned him, looking for any injury.

“I’m fine, Paps…” he sniffed.

Papyrus frowned.  “Fine does not make for a full break down on the floor.  Tell me the truth.”

Blue sighed before frowning.  He could do this.  Breathe.  “You guys are being secretive again.  I asked Undyne where you were and she said ‘back soon’.  That answers all of nothing.  I started thinking that you were captured…”

“Ahhh….”  The hoodie monster frowned.  “That would be my fault.  I told her to say something…”  

He shot a sideways look at the fish monster who flushed.  “You try making something up on the spot.”  She shot at him, huffing and turning her back on the skeleton brothers.

His brother sighed and pinched his nasal cavity.  “Anyways.  I was on a very special mission.”  He said with a small wink.  “Your lazy brother hasn’t been so lazy lately.”

Blue huffed at him.  “Papyrus…” he started to be stern but then broke eye contact.  “This isn’t how I wanted you to be less lazy…” he said quietly.

“I know bro… but hopefully I just gave us a huge advantage in this war.”  Stretch smiled at his beloved sibling, this time the smile meeting his sockets, an extra sparkle reaching them.  One that hadn’t been lit for a long time now.

Blue’s eyes widened.  If that was true… to say the least that would be fantastic news.  Push the Underfell creatures out faster than sitting around, waiting for Queen Toriel’s orders.  “Well… are you going to keep me in the dark?  What was your mission?”  Blue demanded.

“This must be your brother.  ‘Blue’ you said, right Papyrus?”  a deep, friendly voice said behind him.  

Blue slowly turned around silently.  There was a towering new monster behind him.  His blonde hair and goatee was tangled and filled with leaves and twigs, both his fine, white fur and royal purple robe was covered with dirt, mud, and tiny scrapes and scratches.  But those hazel eyes were as warm and friendly as the queen had once described.  “King Asgore!”  Blue smiled.  The gatekeeper of the ruins would always be the king in his mind.

Asgore smiled at the little blue skeleton.  “By the stars above, he’s even cuter than you said that he is.”  he told Papyrus.

Papyrus snickered.  “Nyeh heh heh… I get that a lot…”

Blue positively vibrated with excitement.  Asgore, the king of Underswap, was here!  It was as Papy said, this was a huge win for them.  This is one monster that the Underfell monsters would not get.  That, he swore to the stars.

Undyne’s voice pulled them from the minor celebration that was happening, and back into their cruel, harsh reality.  “Papyrus.  Are you serious about Blue seeing everything?  Knowing everything?”  Blue looked over at her.  Her blue face was pale, and her voice had a new, more violent quiver to it that Blue did not like.

Those feelings returned.  Something big was happening.  Something terrible.  But he had to know.  He was of age damnit.  It was because he was so small and cute, he looked naïve and innocent.  He needed to know.  This was his fight too.  Papyrus, to his relief, nodded.  “Yes… I think Blue’s been kept out of the dark long enough…”  As Undyne returned to the computer, Papyrus turned back towards Asgore and Blue.  “The Underfell Asgore is addressing his subjects today in the centre of town.”  He told them.  Giving them no time to absorb that information, he pressed on.  “Undyne and I aren’t sure about what yet, our technology here isn’t as good as it should be.  But, in our current situation, it’s much better than none.”

Asgore nodded.  “I can’t hold anything against you all.  It’s a miracle that you have made it this far alone.”

Blue huffed.  “We haven’t been alone though.  We have each other.  And together, together we are a team.  And together we make it work.”  He looked fondly over the monsters he called his friends.

Undyne and Asgore fondly smiled down at him.  Papyrus grinned and clapped him on the back.  “That’s my bro.”  he said proudly to the others.  Blue felt his chest swell with pride.  If only Fell could see him now!  He’d show that jagged tooth creature that he knew how to survive this new environment.

Nappstabot turned to Blue.  “Actually… what I believe that Asgore was trying to say was that he is surprised that we don’t have inside help.”

Blue’s sockets widened and his skull turned bright blue.  Oh… OH.

He hid himself in his bandana.  He could hear Undyne talking to the robot but didn’t listen to what they were saying.  Let them think he was embarrassed for his little mistake.  This… this would be the perfect time to tell them about Fell.  He peeked out again.  Asgore was smiling at his brother, Undyne once again pulling up some feed on the computer, and Nappstabot was tweaking wires and every so often hitting another button.  

Blue considered it.  He could tell them everything.  Meeting Fell in the alley, being coerced with food, good clean food, to meet him every so often.  His brother could help him…

The screen crackled and hissed to life.  There was a dark robot standing in front of podium, tapping on the mic.  The robot was dressed in dark crimson armour and had four arms.  The closer that Blue looked at this new monster, the more it reminded him of Nappstabot – but, as was everything in comparison to Fell and Swap, slightly different.  There was a large crowd of monsters sitting in front of him.  It almost seemed that every Fell monster was in attendance.  Blue jumped back against his brother when he saw Fell already standing by the robot, as they talked to each other quietly.  When Fell told him to expect to see him soon… well he wasn’t expecting this soon.

Papyrus wrapped his arm around Blue and pulled him close to him.  Although shielded by the computer screen, the memories on the battlefield were still far too fresh to forgive and forget.

The robot tapped a couple times on the mic, causing it to echo through the cameras.  The metal being coughed once and the audience immediately grew silent.  When he spoke Berry realized that it was the same narrator for the radio station.

“Attention!”  he shouted.  This robot was also a male!  Once again, like Nappstabot!  “All rise, remove your hats and salute for the one and only, our supreme ruler.  The great and tyrannical Lord Asgore!”

Both the robot and Fell immediately stepped to the side.  One of their hands fell to their side, the other snapped to their skulls as they crouched in a kneeling bow.  The Swap monsters stared in amazement as the remainder of the creatures snapped to their feet and saluted.  The stage was creaking, as a great weight settled upon it.  First two horns appeared, between them a golden crown.  Deep black hair and goatee contrasted the white fur, the red robe pulled around his shoulders, making this monster look like the true symbolism of death.  By the time he had majestically crossed the stage, the Swap creatures could only gape.  Asgore came up to the mic and, throwing up his hands, roared to the crowd gathered below them.  They roared back and soon a cheer began.  “Asgore!  Asgore!”  

Blue stared at the other version of the royal goat.  He was treated as if he were a superstar…

They might just be, in the words of Papyrus, screwed.

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