Chapter Text
The shadow was towering, dwarfing the rubble of the houses. The deepest of black, its long rabbit ears flowed in its own wind, its body appeared to be covered, or maybe even made of, layers of clothe.
The shadow had no features--no eyes, nose or mouth, but the Summon seemed very much aware of its surrounding.
“WHAT IN ALL OF THE UNDERGROUND IS THAT!!?” came a screech.
Gold had reached Sans moments ago, but the magic and wind tossed up by the large Summon had made him whip around. His sockets grew wide as the rabbit seemed to stare down at him.
A moment later, the rabbit began to shuffle over to him, flakes of something like ash floating off its body. There was no sound of footsteps as the Summon approached, though the air grew heavy around its surroundings, ash collecting on the ground as it walked.
“What… what is that thing…?” Gold spoke again, voice a whimper. “What is it… walking towards me… Ge--get away!” Gold screamed. “Pr-projectile, F-Fire forward!” He ordered. A yellow circle appeared beside him and unleashed a volley at the rabbit.
The rabbit made no attempt to dodge, choosing to extend a thin limb with long, sharpened fingers, all black as its body. With one whip of its arm, the arrows were cast away, landing in other buildings, tossing up stone debris and dust.
Gold stared as his attacks being swatted like annoying bugs. His now wet sockets gazed up at the Summon which now stood mere feet from him.
The long arm and sharpened fingers reached for him.
“Noooo!!” Gold tried to run, stumbling over chunks of rock.
The arm moved like a wave, the fingers wrapping around the skeleton like vines. Gold was lifted off the ground to come skull to featureless face with the Summon. A brief silence fell as the rabbit seemed to regard Gold for a second before opening a hidden mouth lined with rings of sharp teeth.
Gold began a frantic but useless attempt of wiggling away in the hand of the Summon. He began to scream only for the rabbit to cut him off with a shattering roar. The echo seemed to last for ages.
Gold was left speechless and wet from saliva and his magic leaking from embarrassing places as he lost all control of his body.
“Rabbit!” came a tiny voice.
The Summon looked down at the approaching children, Charis in the lead.
“Forget him for now!” they pointed to the rubble. “There’s another Skeleton under there! We need to get him home before he gets worse!”
The rabbit turned its attention to the rubble pile upon which Sans laid, unconscious. The Summon made little work of removing the rock and maneuvering Sans into its hand.
“Follow us!” Frira waved and began up the path behind Charis while leading Rhisk along.
“Wait!” Gold screamed. “Tell it to put me down!” He demanded.
“Quiet or we’ll tell him to drop you!” Charis snapped. “It’s your fault you ended up like that!”
“My fault!?” Gold gaped.
“Yeah!” Frira shouted. “Daddy told ya not to come back!”
“DADDY!?” Gold screeched.
“Shut up!” Charis screamed. “We’re taking you to Red. He can decide what do to with you after we take care of Sans.”
Gold glared. “How are you humans able to Summon? That is something only Monsters can do!”
Charis shrugged as they rounded the path. “Who knows? Red’s sister said something about a monster helping one of our ancestors do it.”
“Hmph,” Gold growled. “Probably a filthy Alpha.”
Charis glared back at the Skeleton. “What’s your deal---Why do you hate Alphas so much?”
“It is because of not only humans but Alphas that we had to move down here!” Gold spat. “They insisted on helping you humans, but then you took our gifts and started using them against each other! Then you had the audacity to come to us for more so you could continue to fight! We were forced to abandon our homes so you would leave us alone, so you would stop threatening us for our aid in your petty wars!”
“Oh. So that’s why….” Charis trailed.
“Oh, good, you managed to understand such a simple explanation,” Gold insulted.
Charis shot a glare before leading the rabbit out of the Remains and onto the path leading back into town.
“We’re kinda in a hurry,” Charis spoke. “Rabbit, can we get a ride?”
The rabbit nodded and the children grabbed on the cloth of the Summon’s body.
“Just follow the path!” Charis pointed.
And the rabbit shot forward, looking like a blur of a wavy shadow. its speed cutting the walk down from a near half hour to five minutes. The town soon came into view and Charis yelled directions to Rabbit. Rabbit obeyed, slipping around surprised Monsters until they arrived home.
“REEED!” They all screamed.
“What!?” came a cry from inside the house. Seconds later, the door flew open and Red rushed onto the porch. His sockets went wide. “…Whoa.”
///
“Oh! Hey… can ya hear me?”
Sans flinched a little as light pierced his opening sockets. “Huh… uh…wha?”
“Sansy, it’s me. Can ya hear me? Can ya see me?”
Sans forced his socket lights to focus above him and he soon recognized red ankhs. “…Crimson?”
Red smiled. “Hey.”
“Is he awake!”
“Shh, not so loud!”
Sans turned his skull. He could make out Charis standing at the door to… this wasn’t his room… He looked up at Red. “Where…?”
“Yer at the clinic,” Red explained. “Ya used up a lot of yer magic protecting the kids.”
“The kids… are they…?”
“We’re okay,” Charis reassured him as they came closer. “Frira and Rhisk are getting snacks.”
“How did you get out…? Where’s Gold?” Sans breathed.
“We Summoned Rabbit,” Charis answered, standing on tip toe to peer over the safety rail of the bed. “It was all we could think of. Actually, Rhisk was the one who said we should get help.”
“Wait, what!?” Red shouted. “I missed mah Rhisky talking!?” He gave a sad sigh. “I bet his voice is adorable….”
“...Uh… Anyway,” Charis continued, rolling their eyes. “Rabbit carried you and Gold out all the way to Red. Red called the Guard then took you to the Clinic.”
“The Guard came and took Gold,” Red explained. “He’s under house arrest.”
“House arrest?” Sans questioned.
“For entering the Remains without permission,” Red spoke. “That’s the only thing they could officially get him on, based on the Dust on his armor. He said… did ya hit him first again?”
Sans looked to side. “…Not sure, can’t remember too well.”
Red sighed. “Of course. Yer lucky Gold’s too scared to press charges this time!”
“Scared?”
Charis chuckled. “Rabbit got him good.”
Sans looked over at Red. Red only shrugged.
“Anyway,” the Chroma continued. “Gold can’t leave his house fer six months fer tha crime of “goin’ into Hazardous Government Property without Proper Papers and Official Escort.” He also got a thousand hours of community service. They’re treatin’ it as destruction of protected property and not a result of the fight ya two shouldn’t have even had in the first place,” Red grumbled, displeased.
“I’m sorry,” Sans murmured, looking down at his twiddling phalanges. “He… he started talking about the kids, I….” the small skeleton sighed, rested a bandaged hand to his skull. “Once he started on them, he just got into my bones. I just can’t talk my way out of conversation with him.”
Red sighed again. “Well, the kids told me ya did what ya could to keep ‘em safe. That’s the important thing.”
Sans smiled, relieved that his kids were safe. “How long have I been out?”
“Just a few days,” Red answered. “Ya really drained yerself, Sans. Ya may be a Boss Monster, but ya still an Alpha, too. Ya know ya don’t got much stamina.”
“But I---”
“I know, I know,” Red interrupted. “I just… if the kids didn’t know how to Summon… I may have lost all of ya. Ya gotta be more careful.”
“I know. I will,” Sans replied, resting a hand on Red’s to reassure him.
The door to the room opened wider and Frira skipped in, Rhisk padding over towards Red.
“Papa’s awake!” Frira cheered. “Are you feeling better, Papa!”
“I am,” Sans smiled.
Red leaned over and picked up Rhisk, who reached out and offered a hand for Sans to hold. He then blew a bubble of purple bubblegum.
“Whatcha got there?” Red asked, noticed the envelope in Frira’s hands.
“The mail birdy was in the lobby and gave us our mail,” Frira spoke. “It’s to Papa.” She handed the letter to him.
Sans reached up to take the envelope. “Oh, it’s from Papyrus.”
“Who’s Papyrus?” Charis asked.
“My little brother,” Sans answered, opening the letter. His sockets widen as he read. “He’s having a baby!”
“A baby!?” Friar squealed.
“Oh, man,” Red started to laugh. “Ya should tell him ya beat him t’tha punch.”
“He’s invited us to be there for the birth, He hopes to see me and my… future husband?”
Red cocked a brow bone and leaned over the safety railing to read the letter. “Uh… doe he… does he think we’re gettin married?”
“I… maybe?” Sans answered. “I’m pretty sure I never said you were my fiance, though… Then again, Papyrus has always been a romantic like Rust.”
Rhisk sat back in Red’s lap and tugged on his coat.
“Mm, what is it, sweetheart?”
He pointed at Red, then Sans, then formed a heart with his hands
“What? Well, yeah, of course I love Sans---”
Rhisk nodded and made a bigger heart with his finger tips.
“Rhisky,” Red scratched his cheekbone. “I’m not sure what ya tryin’ to tell me here.”
Rhisk leaned out of Red’s hold and took the letter from Sans, then held the piece of paper up to Red. He pointed to one word.
Husband
Red blushed.
“What is it?” Sans asked.
Frira stood up on tip toe see what word Rhisk had pointed out. She squealed.
“Papa! Are you and Daddy getting married!?”
“What!?” Sans almost jumped from his bed. “Wa-wait!”
“Oooh!” Frira rushed over to Charis. “Charis, we have to start planning! I’ll even let you use all my crayons this time!”
“What!? I don’t want to plan a wedding!” Charis blared out.
“Ye-Yeah,” Red started. “I mean, w-were, we haven’t even talked about---”
“We have to plan it! Papa and Daddy have to pick out their outfits!”
“Uh… Maybe you have a point… Well, I guess….”
“Great! And Rhisk can be the flower boy!”
Rhisk blushed and buried his face into Red’s shirt.
The massive red-skulled skeleton could only look down at the blushing cheekbones of his smaller lover.
Marriage hadn’t been a topic for them since their dinner with Red’s siblings. Now all of a sudden the subject had become center stage again.
And this time, neither made an attempt to stop the conversation from unfolding around them.
End 2