Chapter Text
Stretch: hey do you remember that time i saved your life
You: *?????*
You: Literally what are you even on about?Stretch: when you came over to my place for the first time
You: Stretch. Thats called *stealing my food*, not saving my life???
Stretch: blue hadnt mastered the art of making his cooking edible yet
Stretch: trust me if u had taken a bite youd be thanking me now like “stretch my bestest friend ur my hero whatever can i do to repay you for eating all my tacos”You: Alright ur stalling.
You: What did you do, and what do u need me to do to come save you.Stretch: lol u know me too well but i didnt do anything this time
Stretch: kinda
Stretch: my bro started up this book club and he wants me to tag along
Stretch: and i maybe asked if i could bring uYou: STRETCH. YOU DIDNT.
You: HES GOING TO EXPECT ME TO COME NOWStretch: if i have to socialise so do u
===
You don’t know how you got roped into this.
Well… you do know. The evidence is right in front of you- metaphorically, at least. The series of messages that spell out your doom continue to mock you even in their physical absence as you run back the conversation in your mind.
…
Damned skeleton. It’s so hard to say no to him. It’s not even like you don’t want to see your best friend- it’s been a while, and you miss his bony ass. You just wish that it didn’t come with attempting stilted social interaction with some strangers.
Stretch had reassured you that you had nothing to worry about, it would only be a small group- just a few cousins of his; apparently everyone else who got invited was busy. His words don’t stop the dread creeping in, rooting low in your belly and growing into anxious blooms that work to choke you from the inside out.
Glancing up at the gathering clouds above you, you begin to wonder if you should just give up and turn back. The allure of returning to your warm and cosy bed is incredibly tempting, but you continue to trudge onwards with a huff. The lodge isn’t even that far away- if you just pick up the pace a little, you’ll be there in no time.
Stretch had offered to pick you up, but you had refused, not wanting to inconvenience your friend. Knowing Blue, he would’ve already sent Stretch on a last minute errand run, and you didn’t want to add another thing to his list of commitments. For someone so lazy, he sure doesn’t seem to get a lot of rest.
As you stuff your hands into your pockets, you feel your fingertips brush against something cold. Feeling around it, it seems to be a coin. Huh. Removing it from your pocket, you turn the coin over in your hand, pressing the pads of your fingers into its embossed surface. It’s a decorative coin- commemorating the anniversary of monsters rising from Mt Ebott. The coin is rather pretty- a mix of gold, silver and colourful enamel making up both sides.
Above you, the clouds rumble again, shaking you from your inspection and reminding you of the decision you must make. You go to slip the coin back into your pocket, but hesitate. What if… you just do a coin flip? Two options, and only one can prevail.
This way, if it lands on “turning back” you have an excuse for not going. Perfect. With that, you toss the coin into the air, catching it and slapping it onto your opposite hand. Taking in a deep breath, you take a peek at the result.
“Fuck.”
As if in response to you cursing out the universe, the skies open up, drenching you in a sudden torrent of rain. Yelping, you stuff the coin back into your pocket, making a break for it as the rain pours down on you.
Footsteps splashing water up your legs, you sprint down the street, regretting getting out of bed this morning. You feel a little grateful that you had the foresight to invest in that waterproof bag a couple of months back. At least this way, the books bouncing against your thigh as you run aren't getting drenched. Unfortunately, this apparent foresight did not extend to bringing a raincoat- or an umbrella for that matter! So while your books remain dry, the rest of you gets soaked by the pouring rain.
By the time you arrive at the lodge, you are soaked through, rainwater saturating every fibre of your being. You press your chilled fingers to the doorbell which chimes out a cheery tune. Moments after your finger leaves the button, the door opens with a rush of warm air, the ringing of the doorbell now slightly louder. Your vision is obscured by a figure that takes up most of the doorway, backlit by the warm lights of the lodge. Their beaming skeletal features fall as they take in your sodden form. How did they get to the door so fast??!
“GASP! YOU ARE SOAKED TO THE BONE! COME ON IN!”
… Did he seriously just say ‘gasp’ out loud? Before you can give his words any more thought, you are ushered inside, breathing a sigh of relief at the shift in temperature. Shutting the door behind you, the person- the skeleton- turns to greet you properly.
“YOU MUST BE STRETCH’S FRIEND!! I AM THE GREAT CYPERUS, AND IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU!”
Now that you aren’t out in the elements, you take a moment to look the new skeleton over, as you introduce yourself in turn. He’s… tall. Broad shouldered, with a blinding grin plastered across his skull. If you hadn’t already met Stretch’s only brother, you might’ve assumed this was his twin or something. Aside from the differences in fashion and demeanour, Cyperus bears an uncanny resemblance to your best friend.
Lost in your thoughts as you often are, you turn to make your way down the corridor, only to slip on the puddle you yourself had created with your dripping clothes. Bracing yourself for your impact on the hard floor, you are surprised to find yourself enveloped in a pair of sturdy arms.
Blinking away your shock, your eyes open to a shock of white fabric embroidered with the shape of a bone, also in white. With a squeak, you realise it is Cyperus’ shirt that your face is pressed against.
“ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” He pulls away a little, and you realise he has caught you in a dip. Like a tango dip. Your breath catches in your throat, and your face flushes with heat. His hands are warm against your back, unwavering as they hold you up.
Oh STARS he’s strong.
You quickly nod in response to his query, heart hammering in your chest. Cyperus glances over you for a moment, before righting himself, pulling you up with him. As soon as you’re on your feet again, he addresses you once more.
“YOUR CLOTHES ARE DRENCHED- YOU COULD GET SICK LIKE THIS!” His gloved hands flutter this way and that in a red blur as he gestures at your soggy frame. “HERE, LET ME TAKE YOUR COAT FOR YOU!!”
Cyperus stops, hands hovering just above your shoulders. “-ONLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO, OF COURSE! I CANNOT IMAGINE THAT IT IS PARTICULARLY PLEASANT TO WEAR SUCH WET CLOTHING!”
He’s right, of course- it’s extremely uncomfortable in fact. The lingering rain seeps into your skin, leeching what little warmth you had gained from coming indoors. Your coat is similarly drenched as the rest of you, and you hesitate for a moment before peeling it off with a grimace. You continue to remove what clothing you can without infringing on indecency, hanging the wet clothes over your arm.
Cyperus takes your dripping garments from your hands and something warm is promptly draped around your shoulders. Blinking away the rainwater dripping into your eyes, you see a large jacket wrapped around you- one that is now notably absent from the skeleton’s towering form.
“Oh, thank you- you really didn’t need to-”
“NONSENSE!!! IT’S NO PROBLEM AT ALL! HUMANS NEED TO BE WARM AND DRY, JUST LIKE SKELETONS!” True to his words, you do feel warmer, although you aren’t sure if it’s from the jacket or from the blush steadily creeping back onto your face. The jacket is heavy around your shoulders, and you swear you catch the faint scent of tangerines.
“AND NOW, YOU TOO CAN BE JUST LIKE ME; WARM, DRY, AND EXTREMELY FASHIONABLE!” He strikes a pose, scarf fluttering. You aren’t quite sure how that’s happening, considering he just closed the door. After spending so much time around Stretch, you’ve learnt it is simply easier to chalk up all the strange occurrences that happen around monsters to “magic”.
“NOW, WOULD YOU LIKE ANYTHING TO DRINK? TEA? COFFEE?? HOT CHOCOLATE???”
“… Oh! I don’t…” You go to refuse his offer, not wanting to impose, but he continues prattling off a series of drinks, both hot and cold.
“-OR EVEN JUST PLAIN WATER IF YOU WANT! ALTHOUGH… IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT ALREADY.” He winks at you, and you splutter out a laugh. There’s no point in protesting at this point, he seems very insistent on acting the perfect gentle-skeleton. You tell him the drink of your choice, and he beams at you.
“OF COURSE!! PLEASE TAKE A SEAT! WE ARE STILL WAITING ON ONE MORE MEMBER… HE SHOULD BE ARRIVING SHORTLY!!” Cyperus says, guiding you into the living room as he goes to fetch your drink.
Leaving you to traverse the last few steps to the doorway, Cyperus flashes you another charming smile over his shoulder, which you return to the best of your dampened abilities. As he leaves your sight, you take a moment to catch your breath, almost literally swept off your feet by that whirlwind of a skeleton. He somewhat reminds you of a knight from the book you just started reading. His chivalrous and honourable nature certainly matches up; and from the little you’ve seen of the knight within the book, the two share a similarly sunny disposition as well.
You startle as a roll of thunder shakes you from your reverie, and you head into the living room to join the others. Much to your surprise, the living room is only populated by two monsters- and… a frankly concerning amount of chairs and couches. Why do they need so many seats??
If this is everyone, then… by your count, there’s only five members of the book club- including you. You suppose that isn’t a bad thing- you are already somewhat familiar with half of them after all. It’s sure to make things easier, at least. Now just for the last person… you can only hope they’ll be as nice as Cyperus.
As you enter the living room, the first thing you see (to the surprise of absolutely nobody) is Stretch lazing about, laying on his back across one of the many couches. This time, he is not only draped over the couch, but Blue’s lap as well. Your friend gives you a little wave, refusing to move from his position like a particularly large and bony cat, exuding an exceedingly smug aura.
Blue is seemingly nonplussed by all this, pen clenched between his teeth as he flips through a textbook. As soon as the shorter skeleton catches sight of you through the glasses taped to his skull, he shuts the textbook, placing it rather precariously on his brother’s face. The taller skeleton laughs softly, jostling the book, which prompts Blue to slap his hand on top to keep both the book and his brother still. Stretch begins to laugh harder as Blue calls your name, greeting you like it’s nothing and as if he isn’t trying to smother his brother in very expensive pages.
“HEY!! I’M SO HAPPY YOU DECIDED TO ATTEND!”
“Almost didn’t, honestly.” You say, sitting down in an adjacent chair, pulling Cyperus’ jacket closer around you. Stretch sits up, disturbing the textbooks, causing Blue to yelp as he moves to catch them.
“aw what? did my heartfelt messages not convince you?”
“Not in the slightest.” Your friend chortles at your deadpan response. Pulling out the books you’ve been reading recently, you begin to set them on the table beside you.
“WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN US, IF NOT MY BROTHERS INCREDIBLE CHARISMA?” Blue asks, sarcasm dripping from his words as he too moves his textbooks to the side, just out of Stretch’s reach.
“I did a coin flip and it landed on me not turning back and going home, so here I am.” You wiggle your fingers in a sad attempt at jazz hands. The taller skeleton chuckles at your reply, crossing his arms as he leans against the back of the couch.
“that sounds like you for sure. so you didn’t come along just to visit your taco-eating hero then- your knight in shining armour?” Stretch bats his sockets at you, placing his hands daintily under his chin. Gaze focused on balancing your small stack of books, you are only half listening and just catch the tail end of his sentence.
“What do you mean? I only just met Cyperus today.” You answer absentmindedly, oblivious to the surprised stares of the two skeletons. True to his name, your friend’s grin stretches wider across his skull as he leans forward, propping his head up in his hands.
“... well, i was making a reference to the messages i sent to you earlier… but it seems like you had a different idea of what i meant.” The pair of brothers watch as your face goes through a novel-worthy journey, shifting from confusion, recollection, understanding, and finally, abject horror as your own words come back to you.
“so… your knight in shining armour huh?”
“I-I-I-I mean! Um- no? Y-yeah! Wait- no-” Stretch raises a bony brow at you, and you wilt, turning your hands this way and that.
“It’s just- he was- he’s!! He’s very considerate! He let me borrow his jacket because mine was wet and he caught me when I fell and- and he’s chivalrous, and nice, and strong… and I’ve been reading this book with a knight in it and- ahh hhHH… ohmystars.” You let your face fall into your palms, muffling the end of your breathy, incoherent rambles.
“SO THAT’S WHY YOU’RE WEARING HIS JACKET…!” Blue exclaims in mock realisation, striking his palm with his fist, further hammering home your suffering. Stretch chuckles, leaning over to ruffle your hair and you groan in response, head still in your hands.
“I-I’m going to go see if Cyperus needs any help carrying the drinks!” You say, springing up out of your seat. Another crack of thunder rumbles overhead, the sound closer than before.
“i’ll join you- you ‘nd cyperus might need a chaperone now.”
“Wh- Stretch????”
“nyeh heheheh- i’m just pulling your leg. i gotta head that way to get a drink.” He tilts his head toward the kitchen and out of the corner of your eye, you see Blue shake his head disapprovingly.
“WELL NOW I HAVE TO COME TOO!” The ends of Blue’s bandana flop around as he stands, gesturing wildly and pointing accusingly at his brother. “YOU’RE JUST GOING TO SNEAK OFF TO GRAB MORE HONEY!!”
He then turns back to you, eyeing you warily. “BESIDES, YOU MIGHT NEED SOME HELP LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR FRIEND HERE- WHO KNOWS WHAT THOSE TWO MIGHT GET UP TO ALONE… UNSUPERVISED- IN A KITCHEN OF ALL PLACES!!” Blue follows up his act by slapping his hands to his face with an over-exaggerated, scandalised gasp. You throw your hands up in the air, moving to head back into the hallway towards the kitchen with the brothers in tow.
“You both suck. I would never have come if I knew I would get teased so mercilessly.” You call out over your shoulder, ignoring the laughter trailing behind you.
“MWEH HEH HEH! AND YET, HERE YOU ARE ANYWAY!” Blue seems to light up as he recalls something partway through his sentence, stars bursting and sparkling in his sockets. “-IT’S ALMOST LIKE YOU WERE DRAWN HERE BY FATE!! THE SAME WAY YOU MET STRETCH-”
BANG!
The front door whips open, interrupting Blue’s recollection just as another lightning bolt splits the sky. Yelping, you skitter behind Stretch, clutching at his hoodie as you peek out from behind his arm.
In the doorway stands yet another skeleton, his angular form silhouetted in stark shapes as lightning flashes behind him. He strides inside, slamming the door behind him. It’s as if the tempest follows him in; the storm hanging about him like a cloak, his sharp, booted footsteps sparking against the hardwood floors, every step accented by the clap of thunder. The atmosphere around him crackles with energy, and you cower further behind your friend. Your fear-filled movement unfortunately catches the attention of the newcomer, and you can’t help but shiver as he turns his crimson gaze onto you.
Even in the warm light of the lodge he cuts an imposing figure- his frame is similar to Cyperus’, all long legs and broad shoulders, but lacking all the warmth and comfort. Instead, he carries himself with a commanding air, red scarf tattered and worn from countless fights.
You find your eyes flitting up to the angled points of his teeth; coated with a sheen of rainwater, they glint like the silver of a newly sharpened knife. You’re sure they could easily cut as well as one too. From there, your gaze follows the scarring cutting across the left side of his face up across his socket, flinching as you meet his piercing eyelights, which have apparently been trained on you this whole time.
While you have been taking him in, he seems to have been evaluating you as well. He doesn’t seem impressed by whatever conclusion he came to, if the scowl smeared across his face is anything to go by.
Well shit.