Chapter Text
The feeling of ‘about to pass out’ doesn’t lessen as Red’s brother explains.
Apparently he had… gotten worried when Red didn’t come back after dark. He’d tracked his recent location and smelled his older brother’s spilled magic in the general vicinity. The scent trail led to the boat… and he’d feared the worst.
Blue’s only glad they hadn’t let Red go for fear of further injury. If Red hadn’t been here to mediate...this morning could have taken a very… different turn.
“OH WELL… I’M GLAD TO HAVE BEEN OF ASSISTANCE!” Blue tells the two, “I’D FEEL AWFUL IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO RED…”
The tiny skeleton shoots Blue a crooked grin with his sharp little fangs and pats him on the knee, the highest he can reach.
“ANYWAYS, I DON’T THINK WE’VE BEEN PROPERLY INTRODUCED!”
The giant monster tilts his skull. For the first time in a while, Red spoke up. From what Blue could tell, both are fully capable of speaking with him and his brother, but Red… seems to not be as proficient as his brother.
He points to himself, “red.” Then, to Blue and then Stretch. “blue. stretch.”
“ERM.” Stretch chuckles while Blue tries to explain, “YES, THANK YOU. BUT... WHAT’S…” a glance to the much larger monster “HIS NAME?”
“oh!” Red pats his brother’s arm again and smiles widely, “edge!” He pauses, then looks to Edge. “yes?”
“THAT IS CORRECT.” Edge confirms. “FORGIVE MY OLDER BROTHER, HE IS NOT AS VERSED AS I AM IN LAND SPEECH.”
There it is again. Older brother.
“HOW OLD ARE YOU?” Blue blurts because he has almost no impulse control and his head still hurts from a night without sleep - maybe the size difference has an easy explanation that he’s not seeing, because Blue had assumed…
“aw, bro, don’tcha know that’s a pretty rude question?” Stretch laughs. The casual act is just a mask. Stretch is leaned up against the side of the deck, looking lazy. But his knuckles are flushed with magic from the strength of his grip. This is freaking him out too.
“AH, WELL… IT'S JUST SURPRISING AND ALL. I THOUGHT THAT RED WAS… A Baby…?” Blue’s voice gets quiet as he admits the last part. Internally, he’s sweating. Had Blue treated a grown adult like a baby puppy…? Giving him pets and playing fetch and little gifts…
Oh stars…
Edge’s teeth pull into an amused smirk. “MY BROTHER IS AN ADULT, AS AM I.”
Blue looks down in mortification to see Red’s small face upturned at him with confusion.
“bay-bee?” Red parrots. Oh, Red must not know that word... Blue feels nothing but shame as he tries to think of a way to explain it.
“LIKE…?” He makes a rocking motion against his chest, like he’s holding an infant in his arms.
Blue can hear Stretch choking on his laughter, which only makes Blue’s skull burn brighter. What a supportive brother I have, he thinks dryly.
Red remains uncomprehending, which prompts Edge to let lose another one of those earth-shaking whale calls, catching his brother’s attention. It feels like it’s rattling Blues eye lights in his skull, from this close. Red’s face quickly drops to an offended scowl as he looks back at Blue.
“no!!” He shakes his skull vehemently, “not baby!”
“... SORRY!” Blue cries, “IT’S JUST THAT YOU’RE SO… Small…”
He’s glad that their brothers can at least find humor in this, the two of them chuckling not-so discreetly while Red’s sockets fill with betrayal at the word ‘small’.
“SORRY, SORRY!!” Blue exclaims.
“jeez, you made the sea pancake angry.” Stretch snickers, finally calming down.
“SEA PANCAKE?” Blue asks.
“y’know, he’s flat and kinda looks like a weirdly shaped pancake.” Stretch explains amicably, miming Red’s ‘pancake-like’ physique with his hands. “sea pancake.”
“WHAT IS A… PANCAKE?” Edge inquires. Stretch jumps, and noticeably pales when he sees the large manta again. He must’ve forgotten the other was there… Blue’s brother seems much more on edge than a minute before as he makes eye contact with the large skeleton.
Edge’s face is serious, the prominent, jagged scarring on his left socket standing out due to the expression.
“u...um… it’s a, it’s a type of food. land food.” Stretch stutters quickly.
Edge’s brow ridges furrow, his expression growing angry. “FOOD? YOU WANT TO EAT MY BROTHER?” He growls.
“NO NO NO!” Blue replies, “NOT AT ALL - Oh, That Is A Very Sharp Bone…”
And it is. Edge has got quite a large weapon in his hands all the sudden.
It’s at this point that Red starts squeaking again, frantically. For the second time in the span of an hour, he’s saved Blue and his brother from his own.
They converse in a small series of groans and squeaks until Red pats Blue on the knee, “ pet, see?”
Following along, Blue pats the top of Red's skull as gently as he can. “see?” Red says again, “nice.”
“YES.” Blue gulps, “VERY NICE.”
Edge turns his stern gaze to Stretch, “AND YOU?” The sharpened bone is still in his hands, prompting a quick response.
“i’m nice too!” Stretch swears. “cross my heart and hope to die - well, i would if i weren’t a skeleton, nyeh heh heh…”
Edge narrows his sockets at Stretch, scrutinizing him and his joke.
“PROVE IT.” He says finally. The bone disappears, “ ADMINISTER ONTO ME ONE OF THESE… PETS.”
Nervously, Stretch chuckles. “are you sea-rious right now…?”
“QUITE.”
With small steps, Stretch edges closer until he’s in range to touch Edge, then hesitantly reaches for the top of his skull. When Edge doesn’t bite him or otherwise lash out, Stretch starts the petting.
Edge hums. “...ACCEPTABLE.”
Red tugs at Blue’s pant leg and squeaks in response to Blue stopping his own pets. Blue must’ve gotten distracted watching his brother pat the skull of a dangerous looking monster… He continues the motion and Red starts purring.
What a way to spend the last day of his vacation… Blue should come out here again next year.