Work Text:
Red gloves reach up to stick another star to the invisible wall of the Antivoid. Blueberror takes a step back to look at the little decoration he had been working on so diligently for the past sixty-two hours. At least, he thinks it's been sixty-two hours; time is difficult in the Antivoid. The little glitch hums in thought, tilting his head at the misshapen star decoration. If he looks at it from this angle and squints, it looks close enough to a Gyftmas tree to probably pass as one! He squeals in delight and twirls in a circle, the other Gyftmas decorations hung up blurring into a bright cacophony of visual stimulation.
As his excited glitching calms down, he looks at everything for the umpteenth time and double checks that he has all of the traditions down. Mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, homemade ornaments and Gyftmas lights strung up using blue strings Error left behind, yes! Everything is perfect! All that's left is for Fatal to come back and celebrate with him. Oh, he hopes he likes it! He spent so much time and effort on it.
Blueberror sits down in the field of echo flowers and pulls out the red strings he uses to entertain himself when he is waiting. The voices talk to him and he occasionally answers casually, the echo flowers echoing his one-sided conversations quietly. The waiting doesn't bother him quite so much anymore now that he knows the one he's waiting for will show up. A bit of doubt gnaws at the back of his mind as some of the voices question his certainty.
He can't tell how many hours he sat there, but just when he's ready to give up, a sharp static sound cuts through the silence of the Antivoid. Fatal steps through a portal and freezes at the painfully bright and colorful display that is now his home. Blueberror leaps to his feet with a cry of joy as his voice statics and exclaims, "Fatal! You're back! It was getting so long, I almost started-"
Fatal cuts him off, his voice skipping like a broken record. "what is all this?"
The cheerful glitch ignores the distaste in his voice. "I decorated for Gyftmas! I mixed in a few human traditions since-"
"why?"
Blueberror grits his teeth as Fatal interrupts him again, his smile becoming forced and his sockets narrowing. A few clusters of angry glitches race across his body as he tries to quell the rising frustration in his mind. "I haven't had a chance to celebrate Gyftmas in.. Well, I don't remember, but that just shows how long it's been! I have had nobody to celebrate it with and I finally have you!" His smile droops a little and his eyebrows crease together in concern. "Do you not like it?"
A pregnant silence falls over them as Blueberror fiddles with his tattered bandana and waits for a response. He can't tell where Fatal is looking but he can practically hear him thinking. The echo flowers whisper remnants of his excited conversations with the voices. Worry knots itself in the pit of Blueberror's soul.
Fatal turns away and walks away, another portal opening a few steps ahead of him. "i have work to do-"
"NO!" Blueberror yells, extending his hands towards Fatal, a yellow glow of magic around them, the worry gone from his face. A star-shaped cage with yellow bars at the points juts up from the ground, stopping Fatal just before he left. His voice glitches and wobbles with emotion as he glares at the off-white skeleton. "I Spent A Lot Of Time On This And I Am NOT Going To Just Let You Ignore It."
Fatal stares at him in shock as he continues, the cage disappearing as Blueberror straightens up. "Now, You Will Take A Break From Your Work And You Will Have A Good Time With Me."
His voice leaves no room for arguments. Fatal finds himself grumbling an agreement and pulling his scarf above his mouth irritably. Blueberror's cheery demeanour returns and he claps his hands in front of him. "Fantastic! Now, on to the festivities!"
The black-boned skeleton grabs his arm and pulls him towards a foldable table with graham crackers, gingerbread monsters, candy decorations, and frosting on it. "The first thing I thought we would try is gingerbread houses! It's quite tasty and I've found it very enjoyable! I may have made a few while I was decorating but I just gave them to the AUs I, uh, borrowed the supplies from, mweheh!"
Fatal sighs and stands at the table. Blueberror watches him as he explains how to make a house. Excitement bubbles up inside him, making his voice lag and glitch. He walks his friend through the steps and adds peppermints as ornaments to his high-effort house for his well-dressed gingerbread man. He looks over to see what Fatal made and puts his hands on his hips, intending to chew him out for what appeared to be a graham cracker with the name "fatal" written on it in frosting. He stops when he notices the gentle and fond expression on his face. To see such a rare expression on his face was worth all the trouble he went through getting all this set.
Fatal jolts as Blueberror giggles, startled out of whatever he was reminiscing about. A look of mild irritation crosses his face and he asks with that echoing glitched voice of his that Blueberror loved to hear, "what's so funny..?"
He grins at him and sighs, sockets soft and smile full of longing. "Nothing, nothing. Just that your 'house' reminds me of something familiar… I just can't put my finger on it."
Fatal gives a light huff and walks a few steps away from the table. Even though his voice sounds incredibly disinterested, his body language is relaxed. Blueberror feels genuine joy blossom in his soul. He follows Fatal to the next part of the celebration, a skip in his step, bolstered by this observation.
As the occasion goes on, Fatal relaxes more and more. Blueberror carefully dances around any of Fatal's triggers that he's noticed in the past. He makes sure not to dwell on Papyrus-centric activities too long to avoid painful reminiscing, determined to make the night a happy one.
The last celebration of the night is the gift exchange. As Blueberror led him over to the star Gyftmas tree, he toys with his bandana again. His soul pulses with nerves as he hastily explains himself. "So, the last festivity of the day is-"
"the gift exchange," Fatal finishes, his sockets turning blue. "but i didn't get you anything."
Blueberror swiftly holds out his hands in a placating gesture and babbles. "It's okay! I have something planned for it! But! But I-I got you something and I really really want you to open it! Everything tonight has been really great so far and I just really don't want you to be upset about this!"
He looks up at Fatal's blue sockets pleadingly, out of words and hoping it did the trick to get the night back on track. Fatal gives him one of his signature silences that Blueberror knows now as a sign that he's thinking. Eventually he nods and Blueberror grabs the lonely gift from under his magic tree.
Fatal unwraps the gift with a single tug, the wrapping falling to the floor of the Antivoid in tatters. In his hand, he held a book titled How To Code For Dummies, a small blue square of fabric, and a sewing kit with many surgical needles alongside regular knitting needles.
Blueberror anxiously waits for an answer from his quiet friend, biting his tongues to keep himself from rambling in the empty noise. A few voices chimed in, asking what Fatal thought of his gifts. He wish he could give them an answer.
A large, slightly deranged grin splits Fatal's face and he laughs. The sound is crazed and glitchy, going on for much longer than what's considered normal, but Blueberror felt no discomfort from the sound. He smiles and clasps his hands in front of him. "So?"
"it's perfect.. heheheheh, coding for dummies… what.. is the fabric for?" He turns a questioning gaze towards Blueberror.
"It's a wrist bandana! I know your scarf is very important to you-" Fatal grips it protectively, "-so I wanted to get you something that reminds you of me!"
Fatal's smile softens and he ties the bracelet around his wrist. "perfect… but… i still haven't given you anything."
Blueberror glances up and a light purple blush dusts his cheekbones. He grins and points at the ceiling. "You could give me a kiss."
Fatal looks up at the mistletoe hanging above them, red and blue blush lighting up his skull. "wh-what? a kiss?"
"If you want to. I won't force you."
There's a pause. "okay."
Surprise is written on Blueberror's face. He splutters in excitement and closes his eyes to wait for him to work up the courage. There's another pregnant pause before Fatal gently clinks his teeth against Blueberror's in a skeleton kiss. He sighs and presses back, loosely wrapping his arms around Fatal's waist and relaxing against him. Fatal rests his hands on Blueberror's shoulders, blushing intensely.
When he pulls back, Blueberror is grinning from metaphorical ear to metaphorical ear. Fatal narrows his sockets at him, flustered. "you did that on purpose. this was planned."
Blueberror's grin turns sheepish as he rubs the back of his skull and blushes again. "I may have. It was a very nice gift to give me… Thank you, Fatal. Thank you for staying and celebrating Gyftmas with me. I really appreciate it."
Fatal grumbles, hiding his smile behind his scarf. "you're welcome… thank you for… making me stay, heheheheh. i look forward to it next year."
Blueberror can't help but spin in a circle and strike his old hero pose. "I WILL MAKE IT EVEN MORE MAGNIFICENT THAN THIS YEAR! MWEHEHEHEH!"
Fatal scoffs and heads towards the blankets he calls his bed, the cost of spending so much time celebrating catching up to him. Blueberror follows behind him, humming a tune dear to him. "Today was a good day! I'm so happy!"
His friend nods and lays down, leaving enough room for Blueberror to join him. As he snuggles in behind Fatal, he murmurs, "I'm so happy…"
A few purple tears of joy drip down his face as he closes his sockets and lets himself rest happy for the first time in months. Today was a good day…