Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The bell rings.

A swarm of small children race out of the schoolhouse. Some take over the swings, others climb up the slides. Most grab assorted balls kept in a nearby bin and run over to the lawn to play football and basketball.

One child stays inside and watches the others silently from the window.

The teacher pricks their finger, checks their monitor and then places a little pink bandage on the tip. A reassuring smile is on her face.

“There now! You’re good to go outside and play,” she says. The child nods, but on their face, is a look of dejection.

“Thank you,” they reply, grabbing a large, heart-shaped bag. They walk out of the classroom, towards the front door of the building. They are an unusually pretty child: They wear a white and pink striped shirt and black shorts. Fluffy, black hair cover part of their face.

They sigh as they step outside. Ahead, in the schoolyard, continue screaming and laughing children. But to their immediate left is another child, almost unnoticeable.

This one is crouched down, little arms wrapped around their knees. They seem to lean against one of the pillars on the school’s front porch. They stare intently at a snail, slowly making its way across the wooden beams.

“Hi Blooky,” the first child says, waving.

No response.

The teacher joins the two children at the door. She sees the one crouching and a slight look of worry crosses her face.

“Napstablook, your cousin is here…wouldn’t you like to play with the other children?”

Napstablook shakes their head, not even bothering to look up. They are paler than their cousin, a little younger. They wear a blue and grey striped shirt and a loose jacket. Their eyes are big and blue, and always look a little sad. As if they are always on the verge of tears.

“Thank you,” The first child says to the teacher, walking over to Napstablook. “We’ll be alright out here.” The teacher nods slowly and returns into the building, leaving the children alone on the porch.

“Where’s Maddy?” The first child says, now walking past Napstablook to the steps. They stop at the second step to take a seat. Blooky, now for the first time, glances at a nearby window.

“They got in trouble again. They can’t play outside today.”

“What happened this time?” The first child asks, pulling a small journal out of their bag. It’s gaudy, pink and covered in glitter. They pull out a matching pen, covered in stars.

“Um…” Blooky says slowly. “Someone stole their lunch. I think…that person ate it, and then spat it out in front of them. They called it ‘phantom food.’”

They are both quiet. The first child seems to go stiff with anger. Part of it was because of their sad lot in life. It was something that they could never seem to be rid of. The children of the Blook family all had one thing in common—they were ghosts.

In a metaphorical sense.

They were often ignored, misunderstood, shoved, teased, and made the butt of poorly constructed jokes. They were moved to the back of classrooms. They were last to be called upon, if ever at all. They were ridiculed. They were left behind. It was only when the charitable few recognized them that they felt accepted. Or, in Maddy’s case, made extreme efforts to make their presence known.

“H…Happy..?” Blooky asks, breaking the silence.

The first child flinches. The other part was because of that nickname. Something that their cousins had come up with a while ago to make them feel comfortable. Long ago, they claimed that they couldn’t stand their full name. It stifled them. So, a truce was made. But even still…it didn’t feel…right…

“What?” Happy asks, their soft voice coming out of grit teeth.

“I’m sorry…please don’t…be mad…”

It was at this point that Happy realizes that they are clutching the pen very tightly in their fist, and trembling slightly with a child-like rage. They sigh and open the journal. They click their pen and start to write:

Dear Diary,

This is the worst day ever. Again.

A ball bounces and lands at Happy’s feet, interrupting their entry. Before they can question the sudden appearance of the ball—a boy, no older than Blooky, immediately comes running up to get it. He seems to appear just as spontaneously as the ball.

Both children on the porch watch curiously as he picks it up. As he straightens, he immediately comes eye to eye with Happy. There is a pause. The boy raises an arm and points directly at the bewildered child.

“YOU’RE CUTE!” He shouts, rather definitively.

Happy gasps.

“COME ON PAPYRUS, BRING BACK THE BALL!” One of the children off in the distance shouts. The boy looks back and sees all the other children waiting for him to come back with the ball. He turns back to Happy.

“BYE!!!” He shouts, waving and grinning wide. He takes off running towards the others.

Blooky stands up from their crouched position, unsure of what just transpired. Happy stares off at the other children, their mouth still agape. After a moment, they look down at their journal. They realize that their sparkly pen has slipped out of their hand. They pick it up and take a deep breath.

After another moment, they change their entry:

Dear Diary,

This is the worst day ever. Again.

Today is the best day ever.

Chapter Text

Blooky and Happy waited for their cousin right outside the detention room. The familiar sound of disappointed adult noises could be heard from the other side of the wall.

Madstablook pushed open the large door, backpack in tow, and baring the same disgruntled frown that they always wore. Upon seeing their cousins hop from their chairs in earnest, they smirked.

“You heard,” They asked, shrugging.

“I do not advocate the kicking of shins,” Happy said, in that familiar, no-nonsense tone. But then they met Maddy’s smirk with a small smile of their own. “But in this case, I will say that personally, they had it coming.”

“They cried like babies,” Maddy said, as the three of them strolled to the front of the building. “I didn’t even kick that hard.”

Maddy was the oldest, but they were nearly Blooky’s height. They wore an oversized black and mustard-colored hoodie and black boots. A rough looking backpack covered in various buttons and pins hung lazily from their shoulders. They always looked and sounded angry, but most of their rough nature was generated toward defending their family. Otherwise, they were rather soft-hearted.

Happy pushed open the front doors dramatically and led their cousins outside, into the crisp, end-of-winter air. All the other children who attended the school were already outside, either walking home with friends or hanging around the playground for a few more minutes. The school was located near the edge of Waterfall, the city they lived in. It was also close to Snowdin, the next town over. Students from both areas attended.

The youngest students laughed and played games outside, or hurried to the local library (Which, to this day, still has the misspelled “Librarby” written on the front sign.) A band of older students, who called themselves “The Dogs” made their way to Grillby’s, a popular hang-out.

Off in a nearby field, a large group of children seemed rallied around one girl. It was hard to get a good look at her from such a distance, but her loud, commanding voice carried very easily. The other children seemed to roar in agreement whenever she said something particularly rousing.

Happy stopped walking for a moment, staring intently at the group. Those were the kids that had been playing ball earlier that day. Could, perhaps, that boy still be with them?

They couldn’t see him, where was that boy?

“There he is!” Maddy said, grabbing Happy’s arm and dragging them away. A look of angry determination was etched on Maddy’s face. Happy snapped out of their quiet trance, realizing that they were nearly running. Blooky had to scamper quickly behind them to stay caught up.

Loitering near a fieldhouse was Jerry and a few of his cronies. Jerry was a snobby, annoying kid who honestly bothered anyone within hearing distance. But Jerry was a well-off kid, so some students hung out with him.

He apparently was the one who had stolen Maddy’s lunch. For, when Maddy had a clear view of Jerry, they punched their fist into their palm and glared menacingly at him.

“Touch my lunch again and I’ll be kicking higher than your shins!” They shouted. Happy and Blooky didn’t say anything, but they stood by their cousin defensively.

Jerry tried to look away and shrug off the small child, but the other kids glanced at each other nervously. They knew too well that Maddy was not one to make empty threats.

Happy and Blooky led their cousin away, now ready to go home. Maddy didn’t break eye contact with Jerry until the trio was a considerable distance away. They wanted their presence to be known to everyone.

The three children walked briskly, eager to leave the school and everything connected with it behind.

 The trio turned a corner and came to one of their favorite places: The Garbage Dump.

The Dump was a place frequented by people of all sorts. Part of it was an old, rundown warehouse where an old man named Gerson sold oddities and spun stories. The rest was open to the public, and separated into large piles of assorted junk. Everyone in the community went there to leave old or unwanted items and to find different, interesting ones.

The trio split up to find different things. Blooky went to an area designated for old electronics. Maddy searched through old magazines and various publications. Happy wandered everywhere, looking for very particular items. They were always on the lookout for things that were sparkly, or gaudy, or—

Something pink caught their eye.

They ran up to a pile and pulled out what looked like an old DVD cover. They opened it and an almost new DVD was still inside. They closed it and inspected their newfound treasure. There was a robot on the cover. An immediate good sign.

“I found a movie,” they yelled to their cousins, sticking the case in their bag. Maddy and Blooky nodded from their respective areas. Happy had the loudest voice—aside from Maddy, but only when Maddy was upset—so it was up to them to keep tabs on their cousins.

Was there anything else of interest?

A small beeping from a monitor came from inside their backpack to remind them of the time. Happy sighed. They had a schedule to keep up, much to their disappointment.

“Time to go!” They called out to their cousins.

The trio regrouped and showed each other their findings.

“I found an autographed Bruce Lee poster,” Maddy said, holding up a large roll of paper like it was made of gold.

“I found some new speakers,” Blooky murmured. “They should work alright.”

“Then let’s go,” Happy said, leading the other two past the piles of throwaways. The three children usually felt better after finding interesting things at the Dump. They were determined to spend the rest of the day in a good mood.

Chapter Text

The Blook Family Snail Farm was an operation that had been going on for generations.

Commercially raised snails were packaged and shipped out to various businesses. Every species, from the most mundane ground snail to large, hand-sized goliaths were raised. Museums, wildlife parks, pet shops, and—yes—restaurants, ordered the snails. However, it was a laborious and thankless lifestyle. The adults took care of the handling of the snails while the children, for the most part, looked after each other.

The cousins would do homework together, have meals together, and frequently sleep over at each other’s homes. They would sometimes occupy themselves by having snail races, but today was not one of those days.

There was a loft inside the snail barn that the Blook children had designated for themselves. Inside was a tv set, DVD player, game console, a shelf full of books and games, and a large assortment of pillows. It was the one luxury on the Blook property and was treated like a sanctum. They could sleep overnight there from time to time, if they didn’t stay up all night.

The trio climbed up the rope ladder that led inside, careful to not knock over any misplaced snail enclosures. They all tossed their backpacks and sleeping bags in one corner as they entered. Blooky immediately connected the new speakers to a synthesizer that they themselves had constructed. Maddy hung their poster on one of the walls, next to a dozen other vintage posters. Happy placed the DVD on top of the tv to watch later.

“Ok,” Blooky said, turning on the synthesizer. They sat down cross legged and let the sounds of relaxing, chip-tune music fill the space.

Happy and Maddy flopped onto the floor and looked up at the ceiling. For about an hour they were all quiet, breathing gently.

It was an odd tradition, the contemplation of life and the existential questions that plagued the minds of all, especially for children so young. This was a prime moment to let the harsh realities of the day slip by them.

But now was not the time for that.

Now, they were just gonna lie on the floor and feel like garbage.

The movie was an anime, which was a downer for Happy. But they couldn’t complain, most of the main characters were robots, with cool transformations. They could deal with the cliché writing and otherwise stilted animation for now.

The children’s sleeping bags were already rolled out. They all sat on them, holding cushions in their laps and watching the movie with a bowl of popcorn nestled comfortably in Maddy’s lap.

“I wish I could do that,” Happy whispered, after seeing a character change from a mild-mannered factory bot to a butt-kicking super hero with style. There was something so vibrant about the transformation, so thrilling.

“I like the fight scenes,” Maddy mumbled, filling their face with popcorn.

“The soundtrack is really nice,” Blooky whispered, hugging a pillow.

“I want…to be like that,” Happy said, rolling their eyes. They knew their cousins weren’t going to follow their train of thought without provocation. And they liked being the center of attention. “I want to change!”

“Change what?” Maddy grumbled, face now fully stuffed with popcorn. Blooky turned to looked at Happy questionably. Happy stood up dramatically.

“Everything! Or at least, a few things.” They paused, attempting to find the best way to explain their predicament. It was difficult though, for they weren’t sure what the predicament even was. But they were sure about one thing.

“I want a new name!” Happy declared. They started to pace the floor, lost in thought. “I want a name like…” They paused to tap on their chin in thought. It had to be something dazzling, full of life and drama! Something radically different from what they had now.

They glanced at the glittering robot character, still posing on the tv screen. Their eyes widened and they snapped their fingers in revelation. “Mettaton!” They exclaimed, stars sparkling in their eyes.

Their cousins looked far less pleased then they had expected. Maddy and Blooky glanced at each other, their faces showed a blend of expressions.

“That sounds like a name for a robot,” Maddy grumbled, unimpressed. Happy folded their arms in a huff.

“Robots are amazing!” They argued, disappointed in their cousin’s apathy. “They’re top of the line. They can be rebuilt and updated. They’re always becoming faster…better.”

Not worse.

“But…Happy is such a nice name,” Blooky said, their head so low that their voice was almost muffled by the pillow.

Happy suddenly lowered their arms, already feeling the weight of defeat on their shoulders. Of course, Blooky wouldn’t want such a change. They had been the one to call them ‘Happy’ in the first place.

“It’s because…that’s what I want you to always be,” they had said, long ago. Blooky rarely smiled, but that was one of the few times when they genuinely did.

How could they carelessly forget that?

Happy sighed and flopped down onto a particularly large pillow. “Forget about it,” they muttered, turning their attention back to the tv. The glowing faces and sparkling smiles of the characters seemed fake and unappealing. There was something painfully distant in watching something unattainable.

Maddy and Blooky watched the movie wordlessly. Happy laid down, as if to sleep. They rolled over, to avoid the perplexed faces of their cousins for a moment. They clutched a nearby cushion tightly, realizing something awful.

They weren’t happy at all.

Chapter Text

Happy woke up to a terrible bout of nausea. They jumped out of their sleeping bag, only to fall to their feet, groaning. It was very early in the morning, and the pale streams of sunlight that entered the barn only seemed to highlight the small child’s discomfort.

Blooky, the lightest sleeper of the three, woke up and noticed their cousin bent over. They quickly woke up Maddy, and the two of them helped Happy down from the loft. As soon as Happy was outside the barn, they started to wretch.

This was not uncommon.

“Did you forget again?” Maddy asked, a couple of minutes later. They were checking Happy’s monitor. Both children sat in old wicker chairs, near a couple of tanks holding some freshwater snails. Blooky was busy rolling up the sleeping bags up in the loft. Outside, the sound of trucks carrying shipments of snails could be heard in the early morning.

“No,” Happy said, angrily, holding their pen carefully to their arm. Their blood sugar had spiked while they had fallen asleep, which caused their health scare just a few moments before. But…they were so sure they had taken their injection that night. Did they forget? Were they so concerned with the prior conversation that they neglected their schedule?

This sucks so much…

“If this happens again,” Maddy interjected. “I’m telling.”

“Don’t…” Happy whined, but softly. This was the one thing they didn’t like people to talk about, to focus on. It was so exhausting for them. It was sad that they didn’t even want their family involved. Everyone already had to work so hard…

Blooky came down from the loft, their eyes still a little pink from crying. Any time Happy got sick it scared them, much to Happy’s guilt. None of the children made eye contact with each other. Maddy handed the monitor back, recording the reading in a little notebook. Happy removed the pen from their arm and packed it up along with the monitor in their bag.

“Are…d-do you feel ok?” Blookly asked nervously.

“I’m fine,” Happy replied, lying just a little. They felt heavy, like they wanted to fall asleep. But they ignored this feeling.

“We’re gonna be late for school,” Maddy said, glancing at a nearby clock on the barn wall. They hopped out of their chair and hurried to get their bookbag.

Happy sighed reluctantly. It was their fault. Again.

 “You, wanted to see me?” Happy said, tapping lightly on the door to Blooky’s classroom. It was recess again, but Happy had been called to talk to their cousin’s teacher for a few minutes. Blooky and Maddy waited outside on the porch for them.

Blooky’s teacher sat expectantly at his desk. A chair was placed in front of it for Happy to sit in.

“Yes,” The teacher began. “It seems as though there was a bit of miscommunication between Napstablook and I earlier today.”

“What do you mean?” Happy asked, worried. They knew that Blooky had been struggling at school. They were so timid and they didn’t take to social situations well. And the fact that the three of them were all at different levels meant that Blooky often found themselves alone.

Defenseless.

The teacher continued. “When I asked them to explain why you were late to class, they just broke into tears.” He pulled back his chair and pointed to a spot on the floor. “As you can see there are quite a few of them that fell.”

Happy nodded quietly, staring at the little tear spots. The teacher went on.

“I had no intention of troubling your cousin, I just wanted to know the cause of your absence.”

“I was sick this morning,” Happy put bluntly. “Blooky and Maddy were just taking care of me.”

“Are there no adults at home to look after you in the morning?” The teacher asked, his voice revealing hints of concern. Happy shook their head but then quickly explained.

“They start working very early,” They said. “Everyone has a job to do. Me and the other kids just get ourselves ready for school.”

A look of bewilderment crossed the teachers face. “I…see. How very responsible of you and your cousins.”

“Thank you,” Happy said, internally reveling in pride. The children took care of each other as best they could. It was something that made them all feel in control. It felt like being grown up.

“But still…I also called you in mostly because I’m concerned about your cousin.” He tapped a pencil lightly on a stack of papers nearby. “They are a very bright student, not a red mark in sight on their homework. But they are never responsive in class.”

“Blooky wants to try, so much!” Happy cut in, suddenly feeling very defensive about their cousin. They had had this conversation with adults many times before. “They’ve told me that they want to talk, they really do, but…they’re scared.”

The teacher tapped the pencil on his chin. “They’ll speak to you, I assume.” Happy nodded vigorously.

“Do you think,” the teacher went on, “If you and your other cousin come and sit with Napstablook—preferably during after-school hours—that they would be more inclined to talk to me, or someone else, in your presence?”

Happy thought for a moment. Blooky usually only spoke if the other two were around. It wasn’t easy to get them to speak to adults. But, maybe it was worth a shot?

“I think it’s a promising idea!” Happy piped optimistically. The teacher nodded and rose from his seat.

“I’ll see what can be done. You can go and join everyone outside.”

As Happy exited the classroom, they paused. Would Blooky be willing to speak? They weren’t sure. They would have to talk to their cousin about it beforehand.

As they headed towards the front door, a brightly colored poster caught their eye and they stopped to read it. After a moment’s glance, they quickly tore it down in excitement and nearly sprinted out the front doors to go show their cousins.

Chapter Text

“A TALENT SHOW!” Happy shouted, slapping the poster on the lunch table and scaring their cousins at the same time. Maddy almost choked on their sandwich. Blooky nearly fell out of their seat. Both of them looked up at their cousin, standing triumphantly with a wide grin on their face.

“You’re talented?” Maddy said, with only a hint of sarcasm. Happy’s gleeful demeanor diminished, but only slightly.

“I am a child of many talents,” they retorted. “I have more talent in my little finger than half the students at this school.”

“There’s a girl named Shyren in my class,” Blooky said, so quietly it sounded like they were speaking to themselves. “She can sing, really well, but she doesn’t. Sometimes… I hear her humming in the back of the room.”

“Why keep a talent to yourself?” Happy asked, crossing their arms. “You should let everyone know about it.” Their eyes began to sparkle ambitiously. “I’m going to win and wow everyone.”

“You have to audition first if you want to be in the show,” Maddy grumbled, glancing at the poster half-heartedly. Usually Maddy stood by Happy’s decision, but not always. This seemed to be one of those times. Happy scoffed.

“That’s the easy part! I’ll just go up on stage and dazzle them and I’m in.” They tapped their chin in thought. “I just need to decide what I want to do…”

 “It says here,” Maddy said, pointing to a line of fine print. “That you have to be exceptional.”

“Yes, and???” Happy said, frustrated by their cousin’s lack of support. Sometimes the two didn’t see eye to eye, but this was getting tiresome. Maddy slowly put down their food.

“You’re one of us,” Maddy said bluntly, looking up at their cousin, but gesturing to the three of them. “And we are not exceptional.” Blooky lowered their head and glanced away.

Happy was speechless. They were disturbed. It was bad enough that everyone else said that about the children. Heck, the three of them were seated at a table far removed from everyone else. At best, no one else would sit with them, and at worst, a bully would come over and pick on them the entire time. It was a sickening reality, but it was even worse to let it affect them.

Happy just stared at their cousin in disbelief. How could they say that? How could they say that?

Seeing their cousin’s hurt, Maddy quickly drew back from their usual roughness. Maddy, who cared about being acknowledged just as much as their cousin. They stood up and gently touched Happy’s arm.

“I’m sorry,” They said. “If this show means that much to you…we’ll help you.” Blooky nodded quickly in agreement. Happy sighed and sat down. They glanced at their bag and knew that they should eat, but they didn’t feel like it now. Small remnants of doubt began to creep in their mind.

“What about other students?” they asked quietly. “What if their auditions are just as good, if not better?”

“Well, fuck ‘em,” Maddy declared, biting into their sandwich. Both Happy and Blooky quickly glanced around, hoping no one else heard their cousin’s slip of language. But, as usual, no one was anywhere near them.

“Y-you said a bad word,” Blooky whispered. Maddy grumbled in response and shrugged it off. Happy pulled out a sandwich of their own and bit into it absent-mindedly.

“Yeah,” they mumbled.

 “It’s tough times on the snail farm,” came a familiar voice from the living room.

Happy had gotten into the habit of sneaking down the stairs late at night to listen to the adults talk about their day after work. There were a lot of noises that came from the living room, the creaking of old chairs, the sound of glasses and cups clinking against each other. And a lot of talking. Most of the time Happy couldn’t understand a single word that was said. Politics, tire rotations, income tax, chiropractors. What did that all even mean? Adults talked about weird things.

But Happy listened in anyway.

“We have to clean out some of those tanks tomorrow,” said a voice. Another, different voice uh-huh’d in agreement,

“And we have to schedule another doctor’s appointment for you-know-who…”

Happy held their breath and scooted back up one more step. They knew who was being talked about. They wondered if anyone downstairs knew that they were being nosey.

There was a sound of a sigh, followed by a tired groan. Someone else from another part of the room said something indistinguishable.

“No, it’s alright,” said a different voice. “We’ll manage. It’s just…even the premiums for the insurance…we can’t afford another—“

The voice was drowned out by many others. They all seemed to rise and fall together. All of them exhausted, all of them filled with concern.

Happy had heard enough. They creeped silently back up to their room, not wanting to hear any more of the ongoing conversation.

Happy opened the door to their room, moving slowly to not make it creak. Everything in the house was old and noisy. They closed the door behind them and looked around the room in thought. Everything in the room was bright pink, and covered in stars. It was the nicest room in the house, but only because Happy insisted on making it so. Glow in the dark stars hung from the ceiling, and on the surface of all the old furniture were hints of glitter that they had thrown around for “pizzazz.” There was even a plush, pink comforter on the bed, acquired through Happy’s talent for “charismatic persuasion.”

And yet, the gaudy room could only do so much to hide the shabbiness that was the rest of the old house. Somewhere, something always broke, or rusted, or stopped entirely. Sometimes the ventilation wouldn’t work, and the house could go from sweltering hot to freezing cold. Sometimes pests would get in, and weeks would be spent getting them out.

Happy climbed into bed and glanced over at the wall.

Somehow or other, a few of the snails always found a way to get around the house, much to everyone’s bewilderment. Even now, Happy watched one snail crawl near a bedside table.

There was something very persistent about this snail. It was so slow and so small. And yet, it had made its way up two stories of a large house, probably through a cracked window, onto this very spot on the wall. As Happy turned off their bedroom light and closed their eyes, they hoped for at least a fraction of that snail’s determination.

Chapter Text

Another school day. Another dreary morning. Another finger prick.

“It’ll be over soon, Happy’s teacher said, giving them another band aid. But the child’s mind wasn’t on their blood sugar. It was on the conversation they had heard the night prior.

“What do grownups mean when they say they ‘can’t afford’ something?” They asked, gazing out the window. Their teacher was surprised by the out of no-where question.

“Oh well, that means that whatever it is they wish to buy, they simply don’t have enough money for. Typically, those things are a luxury, like a new car, or a big house. Sometimes it’s things that are needed, like shoes or books.” Happy thought on that for a moment.

“…Famous people make a lot of money, don’t they?”

“Why…yes, I suppose. Many celebrities have high paying jobs or endorsement deals…” She looked at them wonderingly. “Why this sudden interest in famous people?”

The child was quiet for a moment, then looked up at their teacher with childlike thoughtfulness. “They can afford to pay for things.”

Before the teacher could think of a way to respond to that statement, a loud voice rang from the fields outside, loud enough to be heard inside the school building

“NAPSATBLOOK HAS A SNAIL ON THEIR SHIRT!” Screamed the voice. It sounded like Jerry’s. A large chorus of children shouting in disgust and mockery followed the declaration.

Happy knew these sounds meant trouble. They immediately ran out of the classroom, without grabbing their bag or waiting for their teacher to react. Already as they hurried down the hall towards the door, they could hear the collection of voices grow louder, as if something even worse was going on.

“LEAVE THEM ALONE!” Shouted another voice, this one unfamiliar.

What are they doing to my cousin? Happy thought anxiously.

 The front doors were already wide open, students from other classrooms were peeking out to see what the commotion was all about. Happy shoved their way through everyone, but as soon as they came to the front of the porch, they stopped. A large crowd of student had gathered around one single sight.

A girl was seated firmly on Jerry’s back. She was covered in scraped and cuts. Her bright red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She held one of Jerry’s arms behind him and pressed her other hand on his back. She was yelling down at the boy as he sobbed and tried to wiggle free.

Blooky and Maddy were standing just a few feet away from them, also stunned. Streams of tears were pouring down Blooky’s face, but more out of surprise than anything else.

“I SAID, APOLOGIZE PUNK!” The girl commanded. She was about the same size as Jerry, but she was just heavy enough to keep him planted on the ground. Jerry stopped protesting.

“I-I’m sorry,” he said in a pathetic, wavering voice. Tears and snot were pouring out of his face.

“PROMISE TO NOT BULLY THEM AGAIN,” The girl added, her face burning with justice.

“I-I…promise!”

“That’s enough Undyne,” said a teacher, coming up from behind Happy. The child had been so caught up in the whole scene they hadn’t moved from the porch. Now, while the crowd began to dissipate, they ran over to their cousins.

“Are you two ok?” Happy asked. Blooky nodded, a final tear or two dripped from their face. Happy gave them a tight hug. “Sorry I wasn’t here.” They felt guilty for not coming to their cousin’s aid sooner.

“It’s ok,” Blooky said, ebbing squished. “Maddy was here, and that girl. They defended me.”

Happy groaned internally, they were too stubborn for gratitude.

Maddy was watching as Undyne got off Jerry’s back and the boy ran nervously into the school. As soon as he was gone, the child walked up to her.

“Can you show me how to fight like you?” Maddy asked, looking up at the girl. Undyne was taken a little aback by the child’s directness, but she chuckled.

“Well, I wouldn’t encourage fighting in school,” she said, ignoring the fact that she just got involved in a fight herself. “But if ever you want to learn some defensive moves, I can teach you! Just ask anytime!”

Another teacher called for her to come into the building. Undyne turned away from the trio and waved goodbye. The three of them watched her sprint into the building.

 “Sensei,” Maddy murmured, pressing their hands to their face.

“Alright everyone!” shouted one of the teachers. “Back to your classes!”

The crowd of students groaned in disappointment. A few of them shot dirty looks at the Blooky children, as if the short recess due to all the commotion had been their fault. Happy shot an even meaner look back, recalling how Blooky had been bullied a few minutes prior.

Blooky stepped back from their tight hug however, and held up their hands. Happy just now noticed that they had been cupped this whole time. Blooky opened their palms and revealed a little brown snail.

“Look, Helix Apersa,” they said, their small face glowed with interest.

“A garden snail,” Happy said gently, nodding. “It’s a big one.”

“I found it crawling up my desk in my classroom,” Blooky murmured. “I was going to release it during lunch, but I guess it moved when I wasn’t looking.” They carefully placed the little invertebrate in a soft patch of grass, then crouched and watched it crawl away. “Someone saw it crawl on my arm, and they started screaming.”

Happy crossed their arms and huffed. “Why would anyone go crazy over a harmless snail?” They asked. “It’s stupid.”

Blooky didn’t know how to answer, so they stayed silent. Maddy walked up to Happy and tapped them on the shoulder.

“Hey, one of the teachers want to talk with us,” They said, motioning back at the school building. Happy dropped their arms and Blooky stood up. The three of them returned slowly, none of them really felt like talking to adults now. It was a good thing that the sky was overcast today. They would've hated to waste a nice, sunny day on the stressful idiosyncrasies of school.

Chapter Text

“Are the three of you alright?” asked Blooky’s teacher, ushering the three children into an empty classroom. “I’m aware that the tumult going on outside had to do with one of the older students picking on you?”

“Sensei took care of him,” Maddy replied, hugging their bookbag as they entered the room. “She’s cool.”

Happy made a grumpy face, but they didn’t deny Maddy’s comment. The teacher pointed to some chairs at the front of the table. He then sat down at his desk and face them.

“Yes, well. Some of the teachers have already talked to Undyne about her, um, physical involvement. And we’ve definitely spoken to Jerry and called his parents. He won’t be messing with you three anymore.”

The trio all shot each other knowing glances. Jerry would be back at it within a week. That’s how all the mean children were. Bullies always bounce back.

“I was hoping to take recess time to have a small conversation. Of course, your classmates were already sent back inside after the commotion. But I assumed that you three wanted to take a break from the other students for a while?”

The three of them nodded. They didn’t mind missing class. Happy sat down in a chair, with Blooky and Maddy following suit. There was something comforting about the brightly colored but empty classroom. It felt safe.

Maddy raised their hand. “Wait, what were you gonna talk to us about again?”

The teacher grabbed a nearby clipboard.

“Right,” he replied. “I had planned to ask you a couple of questions. They are mostly for Napstablook.” Blooky looked up curiously.

The teacher went on. “I know you have difficultly talking in class, but it’s ok to talk to the teachers, we’re here to help.” He tapped a pen on the desk. “I thought it would be best if we practiced engaging in conversation through a series of questions. They’re very simple, and you can answer when and however feels most comfortable to you, alright?”

“Is that alright Blooky?” Happy asked, turning to their cousin.

“Yes,” they said, nodding shyly. They were gonna try this time.

“What is your favorite color?”

“PINK,” Happy piped excitedly. “And gold. And glitter, if that counts.”

“It counts if you want it to.”

“Good!” Happy leaned back in their chair with satisfaction.

Maddy tapped their chin for a moment before answering. “I like Vantablack. It’s scientifically the darkest color in the world. Only .03% of light can escape it.”

“I-is…that why you like it?” The teacher asked, a bit unsettled.

“No, I’m hoping to get some of it someday so I can blend into the shadows like a true ninja.”

The teacher, unsure of how to respond to that statement, turned to Blooky. “W-what color do you like Napstablook?”

Blooky looked down at their hands. Their small face wrinkled with thought.

“Um…I don’t…know?” they murmured.

“That’s alright, you don’t need to choose,” The teacher replied assumingly. “Our favorite colors tend to change as we get older anyway. Next question, what do you like to do after school?”

“The three of us always go to the dump to try to find stuff,” Maddy said. “One time I found a pair of brass knuckles with tiger stripes on the--”

“I found a music box once!” Happy exclaimed, cutting Maddy off. They could already see the look of alarm forming on the teacher’s face. They kept rattling on to distract him. “It was a little rusty and off tune. But Blooky and I polished it and I added some glitter and now it’s good as new!” They flashed their biggest smiled. Maddy shot Happy a steely glare but they ignored it.

“That was the day I found that xylophone,” Blooky said suddenly. Everyone turned their attention to them. Blooky was too nervous to meet their glances, and instead looked out the window in thought.

“The keys were rusty too, but we polished it and played the keys in time to the music box.”

“Oh yeah,” Happy said. “I remember that. We talked about starting our own band one day.”

“What a good point to bring up,” The teacher said, moving forward. “That connects to my next question, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Happy’s eyes lit up like stars, “Everything! But mostly famous.”

“A rather…ambitious choice!” The teacher chuckled. Happy frowned with annoyance. Why did people always laugh whenever they said what they wanted to be? How rude.

“I wanna be a street fighter,” Maddy said bluntly. “Or a professional wrestler. Maybe both.”

“Oh! Um, how…goal oriented?” The teacher said, giving up on making sense of this small child’s life choices. Maddy nodded affirmatively. They were very invested in their future. The teacher went on. “What would you like to be when you grow up, Napstablook?”

Blooky lowered their head again, but they very tentatively responded with, “…I…want to be…with my family…”

“That’s wonderful,” the teacher said encouragingly. “But perhaps you have a career in mind that you would like to try one day?”

Blooky thought about it a moment. “I’ll…work on the farm.”

Both Happy and Maddy glanced at each other in confusion. Blooky always seemed to have a passion for music? Why would they want to spend their whole life on a snail farm?

The teacher didn’t notice their puzzled stares and finished writing up his notes with a smile. “You all did very well. This has been a very…interesting talk. You’re free to go back to class.”

“Thank you!” Happy said, getting up from their seat. The time had passed quickly, the school day was almost over. They threw their bag around their shoulder excitedly. But then…they furrowed their brow with concern, a thought occurring to them.

“Will you be calling our families about this?” Happy asked. “About Blooky being teased?”

The teacher stood from his desk. “Well, they should know that you are experiencing trouble from the other students, shouldn’t they?” Seeing the kid’s worried stares, he tried reasoning with them. “It’s important that all three of you feel safe and welcome at school. You can’t be helped if you don’t ask for it.”

Happy nodded slowly, but they were still annoyed. It was just a small incident. Why did more grownups have to be involved? But they looked over at Blooky. It was they who suffered the bullying the most. Blooky was always so sensitive, so easy to be picked-on.

Napstablook met Happy’s eyes. There was a hint of determination on their face. “I-I think it’s better if they know,” They replied slowly.  “They know what’s best.”

“Also,” The teacher added, “I’m afraid the three of you will have to stay behind after school and give an account of what happened.”

Happy sighed and leaned back into their chair with resignation. Being a kid was so hard.

Chapter Text

The following afternoon, Happy scribbled in their diary, thinking about the talent show. The auditions were a day away. They sat in the back of the class, in a corner by an open window. The rest of the students were either chatting to each other or working on assignments.

Happy tapped their pink pen on their chin and thought carefully. They were still very undecided about what they would do. There was acting, singing, dancing...so many options. What wouldn’t they do? Happy knew they were good at a lot of things, but they wanted to do a performance that would blow everyone else in the school away.

Something that would make a name for themselves. Something that would last.

“I’m going to do magic tricks!” shouted a classmate to a group of friends. Happy looked up from their journal.

“I want to tell jokes,” said another child.  “People love to laugh.” Some of the surrounding students nodded in agreement.

“I want to lift heavy weights to show how strong I am,” piped up another. “That’s how I’ll win!”

Everyone else is planning to do something too, Happy thought. They watched as the kids who boastfully proclaimed their plans for winning the talent show gained the attention of the other students. Their confident smiles grew, the assurance of their performance eminent. The children’s voices all began to raise in excitement, wondering who would be the star.

And Happy sat alone in the corner, a new realization dawning upon them.

“Hey,” They exclaimed, in the general direction of the crowd of students.

No one paid Happy any attention.

“Hey!” They yelled, standing up from their desk. Their chair fell back with a clatter. This time a few students turned to look at them, but then turned back around when they realized it was Happy who was talking.

Happy refused to be ignored this time around. They hopped onto one of the nearby tables and stomped loudly to get everyone’s attention.

“Everyone planning to be in the show is going to have to worry about their competition.” They pipped. Seeing the doubtful look on the children’s faces, Happy did full front split on top of the table just to prove a point. They crossed their arms with determination. “Because I’m going to be the star.”

A few of the students were surprised by the child’s outspokenness. Some of them still felt skeptical. “Well what are going to do?” asked one of the students.

“You’ll just have to be there to see,” Happy said, recalling that they still had no clue.

“Get down from that table this instant!” shouted the teacher, barreling back into the classroom.

“Uh oh,” Happy mumbled, realizing the situation. They hopped down immediately and hurried back to their desk. Everyone else in the classroom also rushed to their chairs.

Happy tried to look as innocent as possible. The teacher looked at the small child with a tired shake of her head. “I admire your enthusiasm for performance, but perhaps a few minutes after class will curb some of it?”

“Yes ma’am,” Happy mumbled, putting their face into their hands.

***

“Thirty minutes is suuuuch a long tiiiiime,” Happy grumbled, looking up at the clock yet again.

“It’s not when you’re stuck here for an hour,” Maddy replied, leaning back in their chair.

The two children sat quietly in the almost empty classroom. The school had already dismissed, now all that was left was to wait out the rest of their detention. A few other students sat here and there, either working on homework or fidgeting out of boredom. The one teacher to watch over them was busy grading papers.

“Why are you here this time?” Happy whispered. Maddy leaned forward.

“They were showing us how marshmallows melt quickly in the science lab. The teacher got mad when I tried to use the Bunsen burner to toast my sandwich.”

Happy almost laughed. “You know we’re not supposed to play with fire.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Maddy pointed out. “You almost burnt down the barn once.”

“The holiday candles smelled good,” Happy argued.

“Quiet down,” The teacher mumbled. Both Happy and Maddy laid their heads on their desks. Happy was going to continue scribbling in their diary, when they realized something.

“Blooky is probably waiting for us,” Happy remembered.

Maddy nodded. “You’ll be out of here soon. You and them can walk on home.”

“We can wait for you,” Happy said. “I don’t want you to have to walk back alone.” Maddy shook their head.

“Undyne said she would show me some of her best moves after she finishes her self-defense class. She’ll walk me back home.”

“Oh, her,” Happy said, grumbling. “Yeah, ok I guess.”

“Quiet down,” The teacher said once more.

***

As soon as Happy was dismissed, they hurried out of the building. They were surprised to not find their cousin crouching in their usual spot on the front porch. Happy ran around the building, wondering what became of them. They saw Blooky sitting against the side of the building, near the basketball court. The child was waiting patiently with their backpack right beside them.

Blooky looked up to see Happy running towards them.

“Blooky!” Happy exclaimed. “I was almost worried. Why weren’t you out front?”

“I asked them to play with me,” someone else said. “I’ve been with them whole time, so they weren’t alone.” Happy looked up at the person speaking.

“Oh, thanks. Um—” Happy paused when they realized who they were talking to. “Y-you!”

It was the boy! The one that had called them cute a few days ago. He told just a few feet away from Blooky. A large red scarf was wrapped loosely around his shoulders. He bounced a basketball off the side of the school building. He smiled wide at Happy.

“I’m Papyrus! I’m pretty GREAT! I’m taking the liberty of informing you of that fact!”

“Are you?” Happy asked shyly.

“Yes, I’ve read that it’s good to get formalities out of the way early, to make your new friends feel more comfortable around you! I’ve done you the favor of making our conversation casual. You’re welcome!”

Happy almost giggled at this boy, whose volume seemed to only increase. “People say our names are so similar, so I just call them Blooky.”

Papyrus momentarily stopped dribbling to turn and look at Happy with wide, inquisitive eyes. “Oh! What’s your name then?”

Happy balked at the question. “It’s a…well…”

“Mettaton,” Blooky murmured, barely loud enough to hear. Both of the children were surprised to hear Blooky enter the conversation. Happy was utterly shocked. They remembered? But...why did Blooky mention the nickname? And why were they so emboldened to say it now, in front of an almost stranger?

“Like…Megatron? The transformer?” Papyrus asked, interrupting Happy’s thoughts.

“Uh…yeah,” they replied, feeling their face become warm with a blush. “I-I really like robots.”

“I love robots! I have a whole collection of different characters. Even the limited editions!” As Papyrus talked, Happy turned their attention to the wall where the ball was being bounced. After a moment’s notice, they realized that the boy threw the ball in the exact same spot every time, without deviation. There was an almost hypnotizing rhythm to it, the way the ball hit each surface at equal beats.

Yet the boy rattled along, without notice of his own precision. “My dad is a scientist! He works for the king!”

“Oh,” Happy replied. “I-is your dad coming to get you?”

“No. He’s…” The boy suddenly stopped bouncing the ball, holding it in his gloved hands. His head lowered, covering his mouth with his scarf and muffling his voice. “…very busy.” It was a surprising change in demeanor. But his sudden timidity was quickly replaced with bright optimism. “But my brother is coming to get me. He always picks me up after school.” The boy then scoffed as he resumed bouncing the ball against the wall. “But he’s so slow, it takes him forever to get here.”

Happy then realized that they were the only children outside. They and Blooky were never usually at school this late. But the boy? Was he always out here? Alone…?

“Hey bro,” said a voice from behind.

Happy nearby leaped back in fright. The older boy seemed to appear from nowhere, making no sound or indication of his presence. He looked to be teenager, chubby, and but not very tall. Lidded eyes and a lazy smile seemed permanently plastered onto his face.

Papyrus dropped the ball and ran to him. The young boy mockingly hit his brother’s arm.

“You always take too long! You’re lucky I’m very patient!”

The older boy chuckled and glanced over at happy and Blooky, who stared at him curiously. “You guys were keeping my little bro company?”

“Yes!” Happy said, regaining composure. “We were just keeping each other company.” Blooky stood up and slipped on their backpack.

“Cool then,” The boy said. He grabbed Papyrus’s hand and turned to go. “I’m Sans by the way. Thanks for hanging around. Later.”

“Bye Mettaton!” Papyrus yelled, waving his free arm excitedly

“…Bye,” Happy almost murmured, waving back. They kept waving until the two boys turned the corner on the street in the direction of Snowdin. Happy just kind of stood there, staring at the place where they were just moments ago.

Blooky tapped them on the shoulder. “Do you want me to call you that from now on…?” The asked, knocking Happy out of their apparently developed trance.

“Oh, um…You don’t have to…” Happy said, blushing. “But, uh…I think I like it even more now.”

Blooky nodded, a small smile on their face.

As the two children walked home, they looked up at the trees. There weren’t that many in the Waterfall area, but across the street from a nearby park were some cherry trees. The weather was getting warmer, and the hints of buds were beginning to show in the branches. A few early flowers began to show their faces.

Happy looked up at these trees expectedly, almost bursting with impatience for them to bloom.

“I-I think t-there’s something bittersweet about falling cherry blossoms,” Blooky said quietly.

Happy looked at them, surprised yet again. Bittersweet was such a complex word for a little kid. “What? How so?”

Blooky looked up at the trees. “When the petals fall, it’s beautiful to watch but, at the same time…it means they’re going away.”

Happy hummed thoughtfully, thinking about this, “…I guess you’re right…” The two children were quiet for a moment, not sure of what to make of the situation. What does one do with the inevitability of things coming to an end? Happy looked up at the gentle buds and an encouraging thought hit them.

“But, they’ll grow back next year. And the following year. It’s a long time, but they always come back.” Happy smiled at this insight, so very sure of themselves.

Blooky nodded slightly. A small smile of their own formed on their face.

The two children held each other’s hand and walked home, both hoping the blossoms would stay at least a little longer this year.

Chapter Text

Happy couldn’t remember the last time they felt so tired.

They had stayed up a good portion of the night with Blooky and Maddy formulating an act for the auditions. The school day moved slowly, like navigating a barge through a fog on an icy sea. Throughout the day they could feel a tingling in their fingers and toes that they attributed to exhaustion.

But then the last bell rang, and suddenly Happy forgot about all their exhaustion. A half an hour later, a group of students made their way into the auditorium for the auditions. The students stood behind stage, waiting to be called up by the teachers. Maddy and Blooky sat with their stuff off to the side, while Happy went through the last of their routine in their head.

“You don’t need the feather boa” Maddy said, popping a wad of gum in their mouth. They pointed at the gaudy, pink scarf of feathers wrapped loosely around Happy’s shoulders.

“But don’t you think it makes me look fabulous???” Happy said dramatically, batting their eyes. Blooky nodded supportively, but Maddy just shrugged and leaned against their backpack.

“How much longer are we gonna be here?” They asked.

“Not too long now,” Happy said, pulling back one of the heavy curtains. “There’s only one more act ahead of me.”

A loud crash resounded through the building, as on stage, Undyne brought her leg down on a chair

“Alright Undyne, that’s good enough!”

“But I didn’t get to suplex a volunteer!” The girl shouted, raising her fists. All the teachers paled at that statement. The first one who stopped her smiled weakly. “That won’t be necessary for the show, your audition has been…exciting enough.”

“OKAY!” She roared, before leaping off the stage to go get her stuff. One of the teachers ran after her out of concern.

“It’s my turn!” Happy said, motioning for their cousins to leave backstage and find some seats in the auditorium so they could cheer Happy on.

As Maddy and Blooky hurried away, Happy slipped of the boa and shoved it in Blooky’s hands.

“Here!” They said. “If I get in, I’ll get in on my own charms!” They then ran back through the curtains and onto center stage.

Only a few lights were on them, but they could clearly see the two teachers judging them, some of the students who were intending to audition, and their cousins hurrying into nearby seats.

Happy took a deep breath, and put on a face of determination. “HIT IT!” they shouted.

The surprised teacher in charge of the audio quickly hit play.

Happy posed, and then proceeded into a song and dance routine that they put the entirety of their soul into. The music playing was upbeat and loud, something that Blooky had composed specifically for Happy’s audition. Everyone in the auditorium seemed entranced with the fun beat and colorful melody, and they couldn’t take their eyes away from the lively child, who seemed to dance across the stage like they were born on it.

Happy was having so much fun! They placed a few carefully placed splits and handstands ad certain parts of the song, to Maddy’s direction. Maddy themselves suggested doings so, noting that, “Nothing gets an audience going like risk and daring.” The whole thing came together beautifully, with Happy ending the song on a strong, clear note, that rang across the auditorium.

They finally landed on their knees, arms raised toward the spotlights. Happy breathed heavily, almost lightheaded from all the moving around. But the sight and sound of the teachers clapping, and a few loud cheers from fellow students was enough to keep their head high. They didn’t even here the comments that the teachers had made, they were exhausted, but happy.

They walked unsteadily off the stage, towards their waiting cousins. Maddy wolf-whistled and Blooky waved Happy’s boa excitedly, proud tears pouring down their face. Happy grinned at the sight of them, not wanting the feeling of warmth in their heart fade away.

***

Happy spent that night tossing and turning. And the following nights. And even some of the morning were spent not feeling quite right. They attributed the discomfort to their hyperactive mind, wondering if they really did as well as they thought. The nauseous feeling in their stomach to anxiousness. The slight heat to anticipation. They assumed that as soon as they heard the results from the auditions, their nerves would calm down and they would be fine.

But it was a week of this feeling. A long, agonizing week.

In between the days were mornings spent wrapped up in layered clothing thanks to the crisp air that still breathed of winter. And every afternoon was spent sitting alone, being avoided by everyone around them. Since the Jerry incident, none of the other students picked on the Blook kids. But there were times when Happy found themselves sitting by them self in the classroom, wishing they had a friend to whom they could confide their feelings.

***

Happy could barely look at it. On a bulletin board, posted outside the front office was the list of students that had been selected for the school talent show.

Happy took a deep breath and slowly scanned the list of names from the bottom to the top.

Their name was on the list.

They gasped, their small hands quickly covering their mouth. They felt a little light-headed suddenly, so much so that they found themselves sitting on the floor in the middle of the hallway. But they were filled with too much happiness to care. This tiny moment meant everything to them.

***

“Have you been looking out for yourself?” Maddy said, glancing at their cousin.

“Of course, I have!” Happy said, before sneezing.

It was lunch time, and the three of them were seated at their usual alone spot. But this time, a few kids who were there at the auditions came over to ask Happy about the talent show. Happy soaked up all the attention with excitement. Maddy and Blooky remained unfazed.

“In that case, you need to eat your lunch,” Maddy mumbled.

“I will in a minute,” Happy said.

Admittedly, Happy had let their health take a bit of a backseat to everything else. Of course, they were taking their insulin regularly. But as of late, eating just seemed to make them feel nauseous for some reason. And had the weather gotten hotter or colder lately? They didn’t know, but they were sure it was fine. They didn’t feel too bad. They probably had a cold, but everyone gets colds. Anyway, someone from their class waved at them from across the room. Someone acknowledged them.

So, they were fine.

***

Blooky and Happy walked home with each other that afternoon.

“I wish Maddy wasn’t in detention again,” Blooky said.

“Me neither,” Happy said. “At this rate we’re going to have to cuff them to their desk.” Both the children laughed at that. Happy’s laugh slowly turned into a cough. They groaned to them self. Their cold felt like it was turning into a fever.

“I think Maddy was right,” Happy mumbled to Blooky. “I’m feeling really tired.

“We’ll be home soon,” Blooky replied. “You can lie down then.” Happy nodded slowly, their eyes seemed to lower with every step. They turned the corner and came to the street lined with cherry trees.

“Look,” Blooky said, smiling. “All the blossoms have fully bloomed.” A gentle gust of wind blew a cloud of petals in their direction. Happy looked up and smiled at the lovely sight.

“It’s beautiful…”

A misstep.

“Yeah…it is…” Blooky said, continuing.

A falter.

Blooky paused and realized that their cousin was no longer walking beside them. They looked back, only to see Happy lying motionlessly in the soft grass.

“Happy!” Blooky exclaimed, hurrying back to their side. They nudged their cousin, looking for a sign of consciousness. But there was no response, only burning fever on their skin that was slowly breaking into an odd coldness.

“H-Happy!”

Blooky started panicking. When Happy tended to get sick, they were very sick. They knew the situation was bad, but there was no one around to ask for help. Everyone else had already gone home. Maddy wouldn’t be out of detention for who knows how long? Should they run off and find someone? But what about Happy? What would happen if they get left alone?

Blooky was scared to leave their cousin’s side, but they didn’t know what to do.

“Ha...Ha…!!”

Blooky started bawling, the tears choking out their words.

“H-HELP!!!”

And their thoughts felt like they were crashing together.

Stay or go get help? Stay or gogethelp? Stayorgogethelp?

“Somebody!!! Help! Please!!!”

Chapter Text

The first time Happy became conscious, they could not fathom what was going on around them. Everything was blurred, voices and sounds mixed together in a quiet dullness. They were overwhelmed with simultaneous unease and security. They somehow felt numb, but somehow also tingly? It was all a bit hard to comprehend.

They went back to sleep.

The second time Happy woke up, they realized two things. Well more like three. One, they were lying in a hospital bed. Two, there was a breathing mask over their face. And three—this realization made only when they could get a good look at their surroundings—Blooky and Maddy were seated in two chairs near Happy’s bed side. They were both fast asleep, a blanket was wrapped around them. Happy wanted to call out to them, to tell them that they were awake. But they could tell from the dark, curtained window that it was nighttime right now.

I’ll tell them in the morning, Happy thought, then went back to sleep.

The next time Happy woke up, with enough consciousness to understand what was going on, they were told that they had almost died.

***

Blooky and Maddy came to the hospital every day. Blooky informed Happy that Papyrus and Sans happened to be walking home when Happy had passed out and the brothers had heard Blooky crying. Sans had gone to go get help, while Papyrus stayed and calmed Napstablook down. Blooky handed Happy a pleasant-looking card had a drawing of what appeared to be Happy, dancing on a stage. Happy opened it curiously. The words inside read: “GET WELL SOON! Signed, THE GREAT PAPYRUS.” Happy smiled to themselves and placed that card on the table by their bed.

Maddy also brought flowers and cards from other students. One card was drawn with crazy, erratic scribbles and covered in flame stickers. The scrawled handwriting inside read: “SHOW THAT ILLNESS WHO’S BOSS!!! –Undyne.” Happy smirked and put it in the stack with the others. They couldn’t believe it, but they actually missed school. Or maybe they just missed the normalcy. Blooky occasionally brought their stereo and played music in the hospital room. Maddy would recount whatever was going on at school.

But sometimes Happy was in the hospital room alone, still feeling feverish, and slowly coming to the realization that they couldn’t move their legs.

***

From what the numerous doctors and nurses and family members explained, Happy had developed a case of pneumonia that, coupled with their diabetes, had sent them into septic shock. The infection in their body was so severe, it had caused their organs to fail and their blood pressure to lower. The complications from their illness had caused the nerves in their legs to be badly damaged.

Between the fifth or sixth medical explanation, Happy understood what happened. They took to their diagnosis rather calmly, realizing that the best thing to do was resign themselves to whatever the medical staff required. Everyone was surprised by Happy’s response to what was going on, many of them were worried that the child’s psyche would be at risk because of the shock. Happy preferred entertaining the nurses with their very opinionated conversations than wallowing in self-pity.

“Being sick doesn’t mean I can’t still charm people,” Happy told their cousins, in explanation to why they always got candy whenever one of the nurses stopped by to check on them.

A diary sat on the table beside their bed, and everyday they would write down what went on in the hospital or stuff they over heard. Sometimes it felt like the only thing they could do –to pour whatever came to mind into a diary, regardless if it was an insightful thought or just some random bit of information. But sometimes they would pick up their pen to write…and the words wouldn’t be there. Words like embarrassment, and shame, and concern, and worry. Words like curiosity, and hope, and fortitude. Words that described the fear of never being able to dance again, but somehow retaining the determination to try.

Two days after Happy’s fever finally broke, their family was given the choice between a series of surgeries meant to save as much live tissue in their legs as possible, or double amputation. Blooky broke into a sobbing fit and had to stay home from school. Maddy went, but got into another fight with a student and ended up being sent home early. Both of them, after getting over their own emotions, went straight to the hospital to try to make Happy feel better about the situation.

But when they got there, Happy had already made the deciding choice.

***Three years later***

“Ugh, that song is so BORING!” Happy said, closing their locker. They spun their wheelchair towards Blooky. “If I hear it being played on the radio one more time I’m going to have an aneurysm.”

The bell rang, and the students of Waterfall Middle school hurried out of the building as quickly as possible. Blooky slung their own backpack around their shoulders.

“I don’t know,” Blooky mumbled, “I think it has a nice beat.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Happy said, turning down the hall. “But the lyrics could’ve been written by a five-year-old and you wouldn’t know the difference.”

“Hey!” Maddy said, coming out of a nearby classroom. “You guys in the mood to go see a movie? Drive is showing tonight.”

“Sounds like a great idea, but you two go ahead,” Happy said, patting a roll of posters that was in their lap. “I promised I would hang these up for the Robotics Club.”

“We can help,” Blooky said. Maddy nodded supportively. Both had learned to never underestimate Happy’s penchant to overwork themself. Happy shook their head causally, and motioned at their legs. Or, what was left of them. Was it fair to say legs when one lacks feet? That was a question for another day.

“I gotta work these things as often as I can,” Happy quipped, before spinning around and going in the opposite direction. They shouted back, “If you happen up my wheelchair without me in it, just tell everyone I lived a good life.”

Maddy scoffed at that, while Blooky nervously yet understandably smiled. They knew that no matter was state their cousin would be in, they would always be a force of nature.

While the last of the students were vacating the building, Happy came to a blank spot on the wall. They moved the posters out of their lap and lifted themself up from their sitting position to their haunches within the chair. They grabbed some tape from the backpack slung over one of their wheel chair handles. But before they could put up the first poster, the whole thing unraveled and sent all the posters pouring on the floor.

Happy groaned with annoyance. Before they could readjust in their seat, someone came walking down the hall and picked up the scattered posters.

“U-um, did you drop these?” They asked. Happy looked up to see a short girl with blonde hair and large, round glasses. She wore a cute dress and a pastel backpack. She quickly picked up the posters and brought them over. Happy smiled at her.

“Yes! Thank you!” They went ahead and taped the first poster on the wall. “You saved me from a ton of stress.” The girl’s nervous smile turned into a bigger, more confident one. Happy recognized some of the uncertainty in her face, feeling a sense of familiarity. They stretched out their hand to her. “You can call me Happy, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Oh, u-um A-Alphys!” squeaked the girl, taking the other child’s hand and shaking it gently. Her eyes went from Happy’s cheerful face to the poster.

“I-I recognize that character!” She exclaimed, nearly dropping the rest of the posters in her hand. A strange light suddenly glinted off her glasses. “Do you…like anime?”

Happy gulped. The look on the girl’s face was so bright and earnest. They didn’t have it in their heart to tell her no.

“Oh, well. I’m in the Robotics club and we kinda considered the character our mascot—at least until we could create our own. I definitely like the character’s design.” Alphys nearly began to bounce with excitement.

“What a coincidence! I’m good at designing! In, fact, I love robotics!” Alphys said. Her voice raised from a nervous stutter to an excitable yelp.

“Really?” Happy asked. Alphys set down the posters, took out her backpack, and pulled out a notebook. She flipped through some of the pages.

“If you’re interested---” She pointed to some of the pictures inside. Happy’s eyes lit up from the drawings. There were very detailed notes and drawings about robots. One page in particular caught their eye.

“Are you designing prosthetics too?” Happy asked, pointing to the page. Alphys blushed.

“I would love too, but that would take a lot of work. And funding, and—”

“I’ll help you!” Happy said. They motioned at their own legs and wheelchair. “I’m definitely in need of a pair of new ones. And nothing’s better for a scientist than a test subject, right? And I know a great place to find resources.”

Alphys was almost stunned. No one had ever been so readily involved in her ideas, much less nice to her. Her eyes would’ve welled up with tears right then and there if Happy didn’t turn their attention to the posters in her hand.

“But first can you help me put these up? My cousins are waiting for me outside.”

“Oh! Of course!” Alphys said. She put the journal back into her bag. “I-I’m free tomorrow if you want to start working on the prosthetic designs.” She gasped quietly. “We could watch Mew Mew Kissie Cutie while we work on it. I have it on blue-ray!”

Happy almost laughed to themself, wondering how they ended up in this situation. But they couldn’t help but be glad for their new fortune.  They were closer to getting back to normal, and they had made a new friend along the way.

The thought made them very happy.

***End***