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SOULmates were a real thing.
You’d get splashes of colour based upon the SOUL trait of the person you were meant to be with where they would first touch you. Most people’s SOULmark where bright colourful marks on their palms where they would eventually shake hands with their SOULmate. Others had brushes of colour on their arm or leg where they brush up against the other in public or on the train. One of your friends had a SOULmark on their forehead which they were always confused about right up until they bumped into something and when they bent down to collect their things, they knocked heads with a bystander who stopped to help.
There were so many stories and movies about people meeting their SOULmate by chance and never seeing them again.
Your own SOULmark was white, and on your upper arm, just above your elbow. It was a full, large, handprint, as if someone grasped your upper arm. The thought alone of someone grabbing your arm like that the first time they touch you was kind of discerting but you always thought that it might be to pull you out of danger, or maybe it wasn’t a grab at all? You couldn’t tell how tight the grip would be from the print, so you could also imagine them just touching your upper arm?
Though, there was no white SOULtrait…and forever it had been a sign that your SOULmate had died during childbirth. Allegedly at least. There was no concrete evidence in anything related to the SOUL. No one ever saw their own SOUL after all. It was impossible.
So…you probably didn’t even have a SOULmate…
Shortly into your mid-twenties, a massive Earthquake shook the city you lived in and then starving monsters came up from the depths. At first, humanity was wary about the new comers but then the government set up shelters for the monsters to get proper nutrition and get psychological help for being trapped for upwards of twenty years with barely any food to survive by.
The government revealed that long ago humanity trapped the monsters beneath ground and that recently a human had gone through and slaughtered the King and then left the monsters trapped. There was a bit of strife and mixed opinions in the beginning but you honestly didn’t pay them much attention. You were more focused on going through your life, trying to get through the weird stage of young adult-hood.
Then…it started happening. People started reporting that they found their SOULmate in monsters. The white mark? It was a monster mark!
Then the discrimination happened. You’d never seen anyone discriminate over SOULmarks before, because who was going to discriminate against fate? Against a deep, soul-connecting bond?
Apparently a lot of people.
You started to hide your SOULmark by wearing shirts with sleeves no shorter than your elbow. After all, you didn’t need to have skin-skin contact to realize who your SOULmate was when they touched you. Or…so you’d been told by everyone who had found their SOULmate. Apparently, it became so ingrained in where your SOULmark was that by the time your SOULmate touched you, you didn’t even need to check…you just knew.
Allegedely.
Again, you hadn’t found yours.
It wasn’t even because you hadn’t met any monsters. You had! One of your coworkers was this delightfully sweet skeleton monster named Papyrus who always helped you out when you needed it, and you’d always try to return the favour as well. The two of you were thick as thieves, and even though he was kind and nice, he had a way of just…looking at misbehaving customers and having them shut up and move alone. Though many did get disconcerted looking at him, you couldn’t see him as anything beyond a sweetheart. Even when he brought in some baking and a handful of your coworkers balked at the idea of eating something monsters made, you had just loudly exclaimed ‘sweet more for me!’ when others turned it down and spent the rest of your shift sneaking into the back to sneak some more delicious goodness.
Five years had gone by since monsters came to the surface, and you were honestly beginning to believe that something had happened to your SOULmate. There was a famine after all.
On a rather stormy night when it was just you and Papyrus working, you were gesturing wildly during a story and your sleeve had ridden up your arm a bit, and he had noticed your mark. He pointed it out.
“Your SOULmate Is A Monster?” he asked, curiously. He was rearranging some of the products as head office had sent in some last minute changes that needed to be done before the DM came in the next day, and it would be yours and Papyrus’ fault if they weren’t done in time…even if they had sent them an hour before closing.
You crouched down next to him, examining the picture head office had sent. “Uh…yeah, I think? Haven’t met them yet…”
Papyrus was quiet for a moment, “May I See?”
You peered up at him, and then shrugged and rolled up your shirt. He quietly examined it.
Neither of you mentioned it anymore, and he changed the subject after that. When you both parted for the night, he seemed lost in thought. You were just glad you were done with the day, and that you were faced with a two day weekend!
It was a glorious two day weekend as well, after you got all the chores that had been piling up, that was. You were back to work and the next time you were on night shift with Papyrus was, funnily enough, right before your next two day weekend. He kept eyeing you, but wouldn’t tell you what was up no matter how many times you asked…so you let it go. By the time the two of you had closed up the shop for the night, you’d completely forgotten about his weird attitude. Until, he turned towards you with his hands on his hips.
“I Think I Know Who Your SOULmate Is,” he announced, almost hesitantly. You frowned slightly, and rubbed your SOULmark subconsciously. “I Didn’t Want To Pry Into Your Personal Life As You Are My Coworker And Friend. However! There Is Very Few Monsters Who Have Hands That Look Like That Who Have Not Found Their Soulmate Yet!”
“Oh?” you hummed, glancing down at arm.
“Ah! Sans Said That It Would Be Crossing A Line,” Papyrus grumbled almost to himself, and he worried at his shirt, curling in on himself a bit. “I Won’t Bring It Up Again!”
“No…uhm…w-who is it?” you asked, voice barely loud enough to be heard over his self-depracating ramble. He paused, stilling, before he released his shirt.
“One Of The Monsters That Didn’t Come Up From The Underground,” he explained, worrying his hands together for a while.
You felt disappointment rush through you and you sighed, running a hand through your hair. “Too bad,” you muttered, “Oh well. I can get not wanting to come up to the Surface.”
“What Do You Mean ‘Oh Well’?”Papyrus asked as you tugged on your jacket, “Do You Not Want To Meet Him?”
“Not that, it’s just…humans aren’t allowed in the Underground. If he never comes up…then I can never meet him,” you shrugged, feeling a lot worse than you were portraying to Papyrus. You had felt a bit of hope at the prospect of Papyrus even kinda knowing who your SOULmate might be. Imagine if who he thought was your SOULmate was? You’d finally know!
“I’m Sure We Can Find A Way!” Papyrus said, a lot more hopeful and optimistic than you felt.
Of course, there was also the issue about why a monster wouldn’t want to come up to the surface. None of the monsters you knew were close enough to you to tell you the grittier details…but you knew enough. You couldn’t imagine eating the people from another species for pure survival for almost twenty years, and then realizing that you were free and you could interact with those people whom you had eaten. You probably would hide away to avoid the guilt.
If your SOULmate didn’t want to come up to the surface because they wanted to avoid humans…how would he feel if he learned that his SOULmate was human? You didn’t know how to voice that question to Papyrus directly, so you switched it up a bit, “What if he doesn’t even want a human as a SOULmate? He’s in the Underground still for a reason right?”
Papyrus tilted his head, “He Knows His SOULmate Is Human.”
You paused glancing up at Papyrus, “how?”
Papyrus chuckled, “His SOULmark Is Colour.”
“Oh.”
Now you just felt stupid.
Papyrus reassured you that it was a valid question, while sounding only slightly condescending. You stuck your tongue out at him, and headed towards the door. He easily kept pace with you and after pulling the gate across and locking it, you locked the front door and looked up at him. As you went to say goodbye, Papyrus spoke up.
“If You Wish To Meet Him…To See…I Can Talk To Sans and Him?”
You paused, “I don’t want to force him into a situation he’s uncomfortable with, it’s fine. Thanks, though, Papyrus.”
You reached over and patted his arm, comforting him oddly enough. Papyrus didn’t say anything beyond a quiet goodbye as you got into your car and headed home.
Another two days, but these two were filled with constantly staring out your window at Mount Ebott, just…wondering. You couldn’t go into the Underground, the human government too worried that something would happen to humans who ventured into the depths. Even if there was constant food being delievered by monsters to their friends and family who were afraid to join the human society.
By the end of your weekend, you had already given up on ever meeting him.
Papyrus didn’t say anything for another month and a bit, and you had mostly forgotten about it. Not about your potential SOULmate living in the Underground, but the whole scenario about Papyrus saying that he could figure out how to introduce the two of you. You did find yourself pausing whenever you saw the mountain and thinking quietly about what if. Hell, you knew nothing about your potential SOULmate…but something was telling you that you might not know their favourite colour but you knew them. On a deeper level.
Then, one day, you were in the process of unloading your groceries from your car, when you turned around and the skeleton brothers were standing behind you. You jumped a bit, startled, and then let out a huff. “What brings you guys here?” you asked, only a bit irritated.
“Can You Show Sans Your SOULmark?” Papyrus asked, getting straight to the point. You hesitated, and then gestured towards your apartment complex. They followed you up the stairs to your apartment, and after you ushered them both in, you removed your jacket, and then pulled up your sleeve and turned so Sans could see it better.
His large red pupil examined the mark slowly, and then it slid to look at his brother. Sans slowly shrugged, “could be.”
“Could Be Is Better Than Might Not Be,” Papyrus pointed out, obviously referring to a previous conversation with his brother that they’d been having before coming over. You rolled your sleeve back down.
“still might not be.......but could be……your asking me if it’s worth it?” Sans asked, before his eye flicked back down to look at your arm. “up to them.”
“Well?” Papyrus turned to look at you expectedly.
You stared back at him just as expectedly, waiting for someone to explain what was going on. Papyrus sighed dramatically, crossing his arms.
“Would You Want To Be Smuggled Into The Underground To Meet Your Potential SOULmate?” Papyrus asked, making it sound like you should really be caught up on the subject already.
“Smuggled?” you repeated slowly, glancing between the two brothers. “As in…in the back seat of a car?”
“No! Obviously Not! They’d Check A Car!” Papyrus waved his hands, “Sans Can Use A Shortcut To Bypass Security! Safer That Way!”
You looked between the two again before leaning against your kitchen counters and rubbing your forehead. As you thought, you gestured vaguely at your counter and said ‘help yourself’ to the brothers to your fresh groceries. Sans picked up an apple and tossed it whole into his mouth. Papyrus on the other hand took it as ‘put these away while I think and then help yourself’.
“You want to smuggle me into the Underground, which could get us all in a lot of trouble. To meet someone who might be my SOULmate?” you asked, crossing your arms. “What if he isn’t? What if he is? Then what? And, and! What if we get caught? Regardless if I do figure out if he is my SOULmate?”
“how will you get caught? no humans are allowed down in the underground,” Sans explained before popping another handful of cheerios into his mouth. “not even government officials…not that any monsters gunna hurt them but…” he shrugged his shoulders, “no one to report you to the authorities if we take my shortcut.”
“We Still Need To Talk To Him About It,” Papyrus pointed out, and then placed his hands on his hips. “Which We Should Do When We Visit Him This Weekend!”
“ok,” Sans said, nodding his head.
“Wait, you’re thinking about smuggling me into the Underground and you haven’t mentioned it to him yet?” you blurted out stepping forward, “You should’ve talked to him first.”
“We Haven’t Visited The Underground, Yet!” Papyrus explained, before waving at you as you opened your mouth to complain, “Don’t Worry! I’m Sure He’ll Want To See You As Well!”
You pressed your mouth into a thin line before sighing, “fine, fine…whatever. If he wants to meet me…then we’ll figure it out.”
Papyrus grinned before patting his brother on the back, “Good, Good! Now! We’ll Leave You Be!”
You saw them out, and then as you closed the door, you leaned against the wall beside it and stared at the ground for a moment.
With a shake of your head you shoved away from your wall and went about your day. It wasn’t until another month did the results of the conversation came about. You were closing, once again, with Papyrus when you turned around and spotted Sans asleep in your car. You blinked, slowly turned to look at Papyrus and he looked at you with such expectation that you instantly sighed.
“Now?” you asked, and he nodded.
“Now!”
“I’m not even ready,” you muttered, gesturing down at you, “and I’m in my work clothes.”
“Which Is Why I Had Sans Get Something For You!”
“Did he break into my house?” you asked, crossing your arms, and Papyrus gasped.
“He Would Never!”
You peered back over to Sans, who merely lifted a bag from Wal-Mart up, and you sighed. “I’ll pay you guys back, I guess?”
“No Need!” Papyrus shook his head before ushering you to the car. “Do You Want To Go Back Into The Store To Change In The Bathroom?”
You nodded, and after heading back into the store, temporarily disabling the security system, changing, re-enabling the security system, you returned back to your car which now housed both the brothers. You got in and stared over at them, “How is this going to work? Can cars even get in the Underground? What about your shortcut?”
Sans lifted his phone and pushed a button, a computerized voice started giving your GPS directions. “we’ll drive to this location and then we’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Alright.”
You didn’t even think to consider the fact that it was not only night, but you were driving into the forest with two monsters to an undisclosed location. One of whom you’d only met a handful of times. That worry stuck with you in the back of your head all the way until you stopped at a….convience store? You blinked, looking at it as the GPS said ‘you have reached your destination!’ happily before Sans pocketed his phone.
“Why are we at a convience store?”
“we always bring grillbz snacks,” Sans said simply, and then got out of the car. Papyrus followed, and held open your car door for you. You followed them in as they got a bunch of the spicest snacks they could find. Anything that said ‘Spicy!’ they snatched up. You were curious about that, but let them pay and then they headed back to the car. They pulled out a few things from the backseat and then Papyrus grinned down at you.
“What Are We Waiting For?”
It was a short walk into the forest from there, and a short trek into the mountains. In the middle of walking, Papyrus struck up a conversation and then mentioned how dark it was getting. You glanced up at the sky and when you glanced down there was just…snow. It crunched beneath your foot as you took a step and you hopped a bit in surprise.
“How??” you blurted out, whirling around and then realized as you looked back up at the sky that it wasn’t sky that you were looking at…but the ceiling of a giant cavern. Your mouth fell slack and then you glanced at the other two. Papyrus took your hand, telling you that it was a precaution so that you don’t get lost. You nodded, too busy looking at the ceiling to notice Sans tugging on his eye socket and resolutely not looking at you either.
They led you through the snowy forest and up behind some buildings. Sans walked over to the back door of one of them and knocked softly. The door unlocked, and Sans entered with the snacks. You wanted to peek to see inside, but the door closed and relocked a second later. Papyrus cleared off a small fallen log and sat down, patting the spot beside him.
You quietly sat down, nervous as all hell.
“Sans Just Wants To Make Sure He Is Still Okay With This,” Papyrus said softly, patting your knee, “He Hasn’t Seen A Human Since…Before The Human Killed The King.”
Your eyes widened slightly, and then peered at the building curiously. Then paused, “But…you guys-“
“He Never Saw Them,” Papyrus interrupted, “He…Would Have Starved If It Wasn’t For Sans.”
That made your heart go out to the SOULmate you never met. You rubbed your hands against your pants staring at the brick building. Papyrus talked a bit about the ‘good old days’ before the famine hit Snowdin, which you learned was the name of the section of the Underground you were currently in. You learned that your SOULmate ran a bar before the famine, and that Papyrus and Sans used to be lookouts.
After a while, Sans poked his head out, “hey, kid. ya ready?”
You swallowed but nodded and stood up. Papyrus led you over to the back door and you hesitated for a moment before stepping into the room. It was lit by candles, and there was an almost relieving warmth in comparision to the rest of Snowdin in the building. You glanced around, waiting for your eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, but then your eyes landed on a man on fire standing off to the side awkwardly.
Wait.
Man on fire? Standing…awkwardly?
It took you a while to process what you were seeing. All while no one said anything.
“oh yeah, guess ya don’t know each other’s names,” Sans interrupted the silence, and you jumped a bit glancing over at him. You’d forgotten the skeletons were there honestly. He said your name first, and then jerked his head slightly towards the flame man. “This is Grillby.”
You turned back towards the man.
He looked…
Now that you were looking at him for a second time…he looked…weak. You had never seen another fire monster before so you couldn’t really compare him to what ‘healthy’ would look like, but at the same time you just knew. The two of you stared at each other until Papyrus side dramatically.
“We Didn’t Smuggle You Down Here To Stare At Him!”
“Oh! Yeah! Uh!” you felt instantly flustered, before peering at Grillby shyly, “I don’t…really…know what to do?”
“…would…you like…to sit?” he asked, voice sounding strained. You nearly winced but surpressed it.
“Uh! Sure!” you blurted out, and then rocked slightly. “Where?”
That seemed to jolt him out of whatever he was in, and he glanced around before a few weak sparks flew from his mouth. “…come…we…can go…to the…bar.”
You nodded, and he took a few hesitant steps towards you before gesturing towards the swing door on the other side of the room. You smiled lightly before heading over. You entered the other room and glanced around the room. It was a homey looking bar, but everything was covered in cloth or dust. You frowned slightly…what a beautiful bar this would’ve been back in the day. If only…you mentally shook your head. You couldn’t think of ‘what if’s’.
Grillby moved slowly, and pulled off a cloth from a table before pulling out one of the chairs. He gestured to it, the movement slow and subdued. You smiled and moved to sit down when his hand touched your arm. A jolt ran through you and you froze. Eyes locked onto his.
Everything fell into place.
You didn’t know this man at all.
But you knew him.
Something in your head whispered that you’d loved him for longer than you’ve ever been alive and you’d love him until the galaxy collapsed in on itself. His eyes started to…not water, but glow with almost lava looking tears. You reached up and touched his cheek, ignoring the sharp inhales behind you. The tears slipped down over your thumb as you stroked his cheek but they didn’t burn. He whispered your name. So much feeling and need in the one word, and you felt your own eyes fill with tears. Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours.
You didn’t know what the future held…but even if it involved being smuggled into the Underground everytime you wanted to see Grillby? You would do it in a heartbeat. There was no way that you’d let this man be alone again if you could help it…you pressed your lips gently against his and he broke down. His head slipped down to bury itself into the crook of your neck and arms slipped around you crushing you to his chest. You wrapped your arms tightly around him, slowly lowering yourself the rest of the way down into the chair. His knees hit the ground rather hard, but you just held onto him with dear life.
You didn’t know how long the two of you stayed like that, but eventually he started asking you questions in whispered, drawn out sentences. You were patient, no matter how long it took him to ask you the question, and you answered fully before asking him the same question or a new one that you were curious about.
The swing door opened and you glanced over to see Sans walking into the room.
You hadn’t even realize he had left.
“we gotta head out soon,” he said softly, “it’s near morning.”
You blinked, startled and glanced at your watch. “Fuck…I have a shift in two hours.”
“…sorry,” Grillby murmured against your neck and you instantly kissed his head.
“I don’t regret it,” you replied instantly, before looking over at Sans, “When…when can I come back?”
Sans…smiled at you. His face was generally always in a perma-grin, but you never thought of him as ‘smiling’. That…that was a smile. It was soft as well, he shrugged, “shortcuts take a bit of effort…but every other day should be enough for me to get enough magic back if I eat enough.”
“…sorry…I…don’t want….to…I don’t want…people…to see me,” Grillby admitted, arms slowly loosening from you. You reached up and stroked his jaw.
“It’s alright…we’ll figure something out,” you promised him, a determinate edge creeping into your words.
Grillby smiled up at you before brushing his knuckles gently against your jaw in return. You bent down and kissed him softly, before reluctantly standing up. You helped Grillby to his feet and he took your hand and walked you to his backdoor. You hadn’t wanted to leave.
You hated leaving him. Even after all these years.
You peered over at Grillby, quietly cooking at the stove. Five years since meeting him. Five years since you fell instantly in love with a man you had never met. After two years, he’d gotten enough courage to leave the Underground…and one year ago the two of you moved in together to a small acreage where he could be as alone as he wanted to, but could also see those he cared about.
His eyes glanced up at you, so much fuller of life than they had been when you first looked at them. “…what are you thinking…about?” he asked, voice still soft and it could take him longer to say something than the average person, but so much better and healthier sounding than before.
“How much I love you,” you said, walking up behind him and wrapping your arms around his waist, “and your cooking.”
He let out a soft laugh, “I love you too…but breakfast isn’t ready, yet.”
You smiled and kissed his arm, “Want to go visit Sans and Papyrus this weekend?”
“It’s our…anniversary,” he reminded you with a knowing look.
“What? We can’t thank the two monsters who are single-handedly responsible for our relationship?” you teased back, “plus, with you and Paps cooking? I’ll be in heaven.”
He let out a dramatic sigh, purposefully directing it at you and blowing out sparks. You giggled when they bounced harmlessly off your face. “…after my…therapy session.”
“Of course, if you’re feeling up to it,” you stood on your tip toes to kiss his jaw. He leaned against you briefly.
“…You’re…so…perfect.”
As he moved his hand to pick up a plate, you captured it in yours and kissed the coloured flames there. “Not as perfect as you,” you whispered, peering up at him. “Thank you…for surviving.”
He fell silent, looking down at you before huffing and blinking as tears started to flow from his face. “…Making me cry…when I’m…making breakfast,” he muttered, wiping at his face with his wrist. You held him as he worked through his tears. He kissed the top of your head. “Love you….with all my SOUL.”