Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

mamma mia
here we go again,,,

• ---

  I won't be doing any NSFW content. I'm not only asexual, but a minor. if that's all you're here for, then shoo, 'cause you ain't getting it.
• I'm all for angst/fluff, though! angst can range from simple hurt/comfort to flat-out death.
• I accept prompts! songs and dialogue/scenarios from tumblr are both welcomed.
• I mainly write for a gender-neutral reader, but if you want a specifically female reader, then just let me know! I try to avoid writing from a male perspective since I just don't "click" with it as well, y'know?
• try and be at least somewhat specific with your request! just one or two short lines describing it won't usually do any good in terms of giving me a mental image, so I'd appreciate it if you could give me a good example of how you'd want the one-shot to go. feel free to DM me about it if you feel like the idea is too long for comments, or are just uncomfortable about sharing it!
• I won't write for toxic/abusive relationships. I've grown up around those types of relationships for years, and I'd rather not write about it as if it's something cute. and just in general, it makes us uncomfortable.
• I'll write for ADHD, depression, general anxiety, DID/OSDD, and social anxiety, since I have personal experiences with all of them. as for anything else, I'll likely be hesitant to write about it since I don't want to possibly portray it wrong by accident.
• if it's important to the scenario, let me know if you'd prefer it to be platonic or romantic!
• feel free to request something where the reader isn't a wolfwalker. if I receive any requests like that, then they'll be uploaded to my tumblr and as a separate book. or if I get a lot of them, then I'll just make a new one-shot collection specifically for other scenarios.

UNDERTALE

• sans ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• papyrus ,, platonic / familial
• gaster ,, platonic / familial
• flowey ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• grillby ,, platonic
• frisk ,, platonic
• chara ,, platonic

UNDERSWAP

• sans / blueberry ,, platonic / familial
• papyrus / stretch ,, platonic / romantic / familial

UNDERFELL

• sans / red ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• papyrus / edge ,, platonic / familial
• flowey ,, platonic

FLOWERFELL

• sans / poppy ,, platonic / familial
• flowey ,, platonic

OTHER AUs

• error!sans ,, platonic / romantic
• ink!sans ,, platonic
• dream!sans ,, platonic / familial

DELTARUNE

• jevil ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• seam ,, platonic / familial
• spamton ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• pink addison ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• blue addison ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• orange addison ,, platonic / romantic / familial
• yellow addison ,, platonic / romantic / familial

and possibly more to come as I continue writing, since I'm currently only familiar with a select few-

Chapter Text

Your claws scraped at the soil as you darted through the woods, the nearing heat of the roaring flames behind you reaching out at the tips of your fur. After you finally emerged from the series of trees, you were able to see the rolling hills that surrounded your home. Or what was once your home.

Once you reached the top of the hill before you, you came to a halt. You turned back to face the forest you had grown so familiar with over the years. There was a tugging sensation at your heartstrings as you stared ahead at the flames that mercilessly tore through the branches and scorched the leaves until none remained.

Your home, now turned to ashes.

All thanks to the townsfolk that were so determined to set out and get rid of every last Wolfwalker they could find on their land.

Even your own brother joined their ranks, vowing to help them destroy the remains of the forest.

You could still clearly remember the cold stare he sent in your direction from where you stood at the entrance of the forest.

With a heavy sigh through your nostrils, you turned your head, averting your gaze from the scorched woodland. Your ears flicked forward as your gaze shifted over to the hills that lay in the distance. The way you had arrived. The direction of your other home.

Using your paws to propel yourself up each hill, you reached flatland once you had finally traversed the terrain. An open field of daffodils stretched across the area, blades of grass flying behind your paws as you ran through it.

The flowers brushed against your pelt, yet you ignored the faint itching sensation that came along with it, your thick fur helping you to do so.

Hopefully, you won't be too much of a mess when you get out of this.

If being a Wolfwalker wasn't so difficult to manage when it came to situations like this, then you would've just kept running. But you didn't want to find out what would happen if you let your human body get damaged while you were away.

You bounded through the rest of the daffodils, making one last hop up to your doorstep before coming to a halt. You shook out your fur, causing numerous petals and leaves to fly between the strands.

Once that was over with, you took a step forward and nudged open the door with your snout before slipping in. You weren't usually one to fully shut your door when you left since there wasn't anyone out here for miles. Besides the townsfolk, of course. But even they didn't dare to leave their village.

Walking away from the front door and down the corridor that divided your living room and kitchen, you paused and let your gaze travel over to the dimly lit kitchen.

Before turning your attention back to the end of the hallway, you let out a sigh. I need to be quick, you thought. The wood under your weight barely reacted to your weight as you carefully climbed the stairs. Who knows if they'll show up here, but if they do, I can't be around. Meaning...

Lifting your head, you stared at the bed positioned against the wall before focusing on your resting human form.

With careful steps forward, you neared the side of your bed before crouching down to the floor. Your ears folded back before you suddenly leaped into the air, familiar golden markings wrapping themselves around your form as you did so, your vision fading into darkness.

Only for your eyes to flutter open once again, the feeling of the cold wooden floor against your pawpads fading as your brain slowly registered where you were.

You sat up, rubbing at the corners of your eyes to get the sleep out of them so you could see better.

"Come on, let me see, damn it," you mumbled to yourself.

After you had successfully managed to pry your eyes open a bit better, you slid your legs over the side of the bed before standing up. You readjusted your blankets and pillows to make it look neater, but you didn't bother properly making it up.

Once you walked over to your closet, you peered at each of the warmer shirts you had to choose from. You took a feel of each one by brushing your hand against the ones you felt like wearing. Who knows how long you'll be wearing this set of clothes, and it was gradually getting colder with each day, so you couldn't just yank a short-sleeve and go out in that.

After a few moments' worth of picking and choosing, you threw on a soft knitted sweater, black leggings, and boots. You also threw on some gloves, just in case your hands got too frozen to move from all of the wind.

They weren't mittens or anything; they were thin enough to assist with movement but thick enough to possibly keep them from turning ice-cold and help out if you encountered any angry thorn bushes.

You grabbed your bag from the lone chair that sat in the corner of your room and threw it over your shoulder. Certain essentials had been placed into it, mainly whatever you were sure you would require in the next day or so.

Who knows what you'll find after you leave this place? You had never been farther than your own house, anyway.

With one final glance back at your bedroom, you reached out and switched the last of the lights off before walking out. You carefully walked down the staircase before picking up your pace once you reached the bottom step, soon returning to the front door.

You opened the door and stepped out onto your porch. It wasn't much, but it was where you felt safe.

Before this happened, at least.

As you carefully walked back out into the field of daffodils, you paused, turning around to take one last look at the cottage before you. You then turned your head to the hills you had arrived from; the faint gleam of flames still visible from where you were as they engulfed what was left.

Refusing to let the weight in your throat get to you, you swiftly turned your head away and walked into the surrounding tree line. Only time could tell what would happen now.

But you couldn't stay here, no matter how badly your heart ached to do so.

Chapter Text

Stories once told of a familiar race. Perhaps unfamiliar to any current Lightners living amongst the town outside, but all too familiar to the Darkners who lay within the Dark World.

A race with the ability to remain as a Lightner by day, and morph into their wolf form by night. How would they do so? By simply laying their former body to rest, their souls could leap out and wander the land in the shadows, away from the rest of humanity.

A race who once stood at their side before they were sealed away.

One which was now extinct, after all these years.

Or so they say.

Never did anyone think that Wolfwalkers would come to show themselves again, or if they even existed at all. The few that came to believe in Wolfwalkers were that of children, being lulled to sleep with the past stories of humans whose souls could leave their bodies to become a wolf as they slept.

Every so often, you could still hear the mention of those odd creatures within the Dark World, from resident to resident in the kingdom.

But never did anyone expect one to show up after all these centuries.

Except for one certain Darkner.

A certain jester, if you will.

Still within his space of freedom, the imp leaned back against the wall and slid down it until he reached the floor. His eyes traveled up to the striped ceiling as his mind seemed to wander on its own. The faint memory of the tall skeleton he met still lingered in his head. If not the skeleton himself, then the messages he had given.

One particular message stuck out to the jester.

"✂︎⚐︎☞︎ ❄︎☟︎⚐︎💧︎☜︎ 🕈︎☟︎⚐︎ 💣︎✌︎✡︎ 👌︎☜︎👍︎⚐︎💣︎☜︎ 🕈︎⚐︎☹︎✞︎☜︎💧︎ 🕈︎☟︎✋︎☹︎☜︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎✋︎☼︎ ☟︎🕆︎💣︎✌︎☠︎ 👌︎⚐︎👎︎✋︎☜︎💧︎ ☹︎✌︎✡︎ 💧︎☹︎☜︎☜︎🏱︎✋︎☠︎☝︎📪︎ 👌︎☜︎☹︎✋︎☜︎✞︎☜︎ ✋︎❄︎ ⚐︎☼︎ ☠︎⚐︎❄︎📬︎📬︎📬︎ ⚐︎☠︎☜︎ 💧︎❄︎✋︎☹︎☹︎ ☼︎☜︎💣︎✌︎✋︎☠︎💧︎📬︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎✡︎ 🕈︎✋︎☹︎☹︎ ✌︎☼︎☼︎✋︎✞︎☜︎ ✋︎☠︎ 👎︎🕆︎☜︎ ❄︎✋︎💣︎☜︎📬︎ ✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ 😐☠⚐🕈 🕈☟⚐ ❄☟☜✡ ✌☼☜📬✂"

How long had it been since he had been told so?

Perhaps days. Weeks, months... it was no use to count the time down here. There was almost no way to.

He's tried. And after a while, counting each second can drive you mad.

Jevil had heard stories of their kind. Wolfwalkers, they called them. Beings who could roam freely as humans during the day, while their souls would leave their human form during the night to wander the land as a wolf. They were said to wield many sorts of abilities, one being seen more so than the others. The power of healing.

But that was just an old guard's tale, now, wasn't it?

Everyone thought so.

But the devilish jester figured otherwise. He had a feeling that what he was hearing wasn't just a mere story made up to help children rest easier at night or to get their imaginations going.

Something within told him that they once truly existed.

Now he had the odd void-dweller only confirming his instincts, which shot his brain into near overdrive as he attempted to piece everything together from within his little freedom. Thinking for hours on end in complete silence, with the only nearby sound being the noise of the bells on your hat jingling, could be just a tad maddening.

At least it was something.

The jester snapped from his thoughts with a jolt as he turned his head to look over his shoulder and through the steel bars of his cell, the sound of footsteps hitting the hard floor from outside reaching his pointed ears. 

As the series of footsteps grew louder before coming to a stop behind him, he smiled from ear to ear, exposing his sharp teeth once again. "BOO HOO, BOO HOO, UEE HEE HEE. SO LONELY, LONELY, I BE..." he rose into his usual hovering stance as he turned to face the visitors, his tail needlessly supporting him as he remained in place. "BUT LO, THREE VISITORS STANDING INSIDE? WHO ARE YOU FEW?"

"There's four, actually!" the shadowed goat replied, stepping aside to show an extra member of the party behind him.

Within mere seconds as Jevil's eyes landed upon your form, he felt a chill rush up his spine. If he focused hard enough, he could almost catch a glimpse of your SOUL, glowing faintly with yellow markings embedded into it.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Ralsei, this is Kris, tha-" he was abruptly cut off by the pink monster to his left.

"So, what the hell are you doing in here?"

With a sudden glance in the goat's direction, he perked up once more. "I AM INNOCENT, INNOCENT. I JUST WANTED TO PLAY A GAME, GAME. BUT THE BORING KINGS FOUND SUCH FUN TO BE A TROUBLE. AS PUNISHMENT, THEY CRAVED TO IMPRISON MY BODY. BUT I'M FAST, FAST, CLEVER, CLEVER. THEY LOST THE CHASE, AND LOCKED UP THEIR ENTIRE RACE, BUILDING A PRISON AROUND THE WHOLE WORLD."

The jester's grin only seemed to tighten, as if he was growing more excited or furious by the second. Which of the two, the group couldn't tell. "NOW I'M THE ONLY FREE ONE."

"Huh? Free? But you're clearly the one behind bars..." muttered Ralsei.

"THINGS DON'T SEEM SUCH FROM HERE, LIGHTNERS!"

"Well," Susie scoffed, "sounds like you don't need any help, then."

"THAT IS UN-SO." The yellow pupils in Jevil's eyes appeared once more as he perked up. "I GROW LONELY IN MY LITTLE FREEDOM. SO, SHALL YOU PLAY A GAME WITH ME, ME...? I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FREE!"

The jester watched as your group shared unnerved glances, before the leader, Kris, shrugged. "May as well."

"SPLENDID!" exclaimed Jevil. "FIND THE KEY, AND I'LL LET YOU BE FREE, FREE. THE KEY IS HIDDEN FROM THE EYES. THE OLD SHOPKEEPER KNOWS A SECRET."

Kris gave a faint nod in response, turning around to lead the group back up the staircase. You turned to follow the trio, only to be halted as the whimsical voice of the jester rang out from behind the bars once more. "WAIT, WAIT. BEFORE YOU GO."

You turned your head to look back over your shoulder, faintly raising an eyebrow at him as you waited for him to continue. "Yes...?"

"I DON'T BELIEVE I EVER GOT YOUR NAME, NAME!" He tilted his head at you, his grip on the steel bars seeming to weaken as his void-like eyes seemed to burn through you.

While the jester was set on getting to know the peculiar stranger who followed the trio down to his little space of freedom, he was also giving himself time to absorb what was in front of him. The odd aura that hovered around your form, of which that would likely unnerve anyone around, but only seemed to excite him further. He had to know that he wasn't just imagining things.

That he was right.

"Oh," you glanced to the side for a moment, seemingly taking a second to ponder on whether or not you should introduce yourself. "It's (Y/N.) Nice to meet you, sir."

Jevil's grin only seemed to widen, as if that were even possible. Those yellow pupils of his gleamed brightly in the dim light of the corridor. "WITH GRAND DELIGHT."

You gave him a nod in response, flashing him a quick smile before walking up the rest of the staircase to reach the elevator, as to not keep your companions waiting any longer.

As you left his residence, the imp caught himself staring up at where you had exited from. With each passing moment, Jevil only seemed to be holding back a sudden burst of excitement as he continuously beamed at the elevator above, his curled tail swiftly swaying behind him.

You had arrived.

Chapter Text

"mornin," a familiar voice spoke.

You lifted your head, looking over at the staircase to see none other than a certain tall skeleton in an orange hoodie standing on the last step at the bottom, leaning against the railing as he stared back at you.

You had been outside in the snow for a while before now, after finally coming back inside from your usual run during the night while your human body rested, only to head into the living room and curl up with a cup of hot chocolate while you waited for the skelebros to wake up. Turns out Carrot over here had other plans.

"Mornin'," you answered. "You're up earlier than usual."

"eh." Papyrus shrugged, walking over beside you. "couldn't sleep."

You stretched out your arms, letting out a yawn as you let your elbows pop, prompting Papyrus to give a faint grimace. Once you relaxed back into your spot, you looked over at Papyrus with a raised eyebrow, something that had almost become a habit at this point.

As usual, his hands were hidden away in the pockets of his hoodie. Once your eyes met, you could catch an amused gleam in those black ones of his. "didja have a good run?"

"Yep!" You stretched your arms back over your head as you let out a yawn. "Lots of snow to run through. We don't exactly get much snow where I'm from, so it's a nice change of scenery."

"heh." Papyrus gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "in that case, i don't think you'll be getting tired of this place anytime soon. plenty of snow here."

You let out a breathless laugh in response, a smile stretching across your face. "It's really pretty out here, I'll admit. I just..." you trailed off, your gaze growing distant as you glanced away from the skeleton beside you. "I kind of miss the giant, open sky full of stars I used to run under."

Papyrus blinked, his usual relaxed smile faltering as he watched your expression fall, eyes traveling down to your hands as he noticed you nudging them into your pockets. After a moment, he perked up a bit. "y'know," he began, "i always wondered how those wolfwalker abilities of yours worked. mind enlightening me about 'em?"

You visibly perked up, which prompted the weight in Papyrus' non-existent chest to lighten as you glanced over at him. "Oh! Alright. What... exactly do you want to know?"

"well, for starters, how exactly does the whole transformation thing work? you mentioned it's sort of like the soul leaving the body, which, uhh..." he trailed off, his eyebrow ridges narrowing a bit. "sounded a bit mindboggling, ya know?"

You blinked, slightly raising your eyebrows in response before nodding. Right! Their concept of souls worked quite differently than the concepts you had known of before coming down here, to the point where souls could be exposed for instant harm. Just the mere mention of souls could cause anyone down here to grow uncomfortable, especially since Monster souls were so... fragile.

One wrong hit and it'd cause their soul to shatter and turn to dust.

"(y/n), wakey wakey." Papyrus snapped his fingers in an attempt to get your attention, and fortunately, it worked. "no zonin' out on me, buddy. i just got here."

"Oh!" you jolted. "Right, right, uh-"

You furrowed your eyebrows, glancing down to the side as you brought a hand to your mouth, silently trying to figure out how to explain it all. "Well... to put it simply, when we go to sleep, even just to the point where our brain is just barely starting to shut off, our "soul" starts to leave our body," you said.

"I've always been told it's our soul, which makes it even more interesting since it's automatically a wolf, but that doesn't stop me from being confused. 'Cause you would think that by having the soul leave the body, then the body would just die at some point, wouldn't-" you came to an abrupt stop, your eyes growing wide as you stared ahead. "Oh."

You could see Papyrus slightly tilt his head out of the corner of your eye. "what'd you notice now?" While that line would usually be taken as an offense, his tone was purely lighthearted and genuine.

In the back of your mind, you could faintly recall all of the times when your mother advised you to never wake up a sleepwalker.

"Why is that, Momma?"

"Because their soul would be lost! They can't get back into their body if the body isn't asleep."

You chuckled, a fond smile forming on your face. "Just a little something. Have you ever been told not to wake up someone who's sleepwalking?"

Papyrus shrugged. "a few times, i guess. 'cause their soul would be lost, right? though i've only ever heard about it in those human books my bro has."

"Exactly!" you exclaimed, though you were mindful of your voice's volume. "I never quite understood that until now. All these years as a Wolfwalker myself, and it never clicked. Wow."

Papyrus chuckled in response. "welp. better late than never, right?"

"True."

You let out a sigh. "Anywho. What else?"

"hmm... could a monster become a wolfwalker? since it's passed through bites n' all."

You paused, humming to yourself for a second. "I'm... not too sure about that one. I haven't ever heard of a monster becoming one, but maybe it'd be possible? I'd have to see it to know, but I don't think I'm willing to just bite anyone to test it out."

Papyrus gave another chuckle. "yeah, i don't think we need that. especially if it doesn't work and then you just bit someone for no reason."

"Exactly," you laughed.

Papyrus narrowed his eyebrow ridges in thought once more, taking a moment to think of another question. Fortunately, he's had questions stored in the back of his mind since he met you and learned about... all of this.

"what if... you were to get, uh. fatally injured in any way? i know you have healing magic, but doesn't it have a limit?"

"I'm pretty sure it does," you replied. "Minor injuries like scrapes, bruises, or just things like a sudden cut on the arm will usually heal up relatively fast. It may take several minutes depending on how bad or deep the wound is, but still, it'll heal eventually." You went quiet, your gaze drifting down to the floor.

"As for more serious injuries... chances are, something like a stab wound won't be able to heal on its own. A singular wolfwalker's magic will do what it can before either wearing us out or disappearing until we can get others to help." You subconsciously crossed your arms over your midsection as you continued. "If it's a fatal injury, then our magic will likely be unable to do much at all unless there's multiple wolfwalkers pitching in to heal the same wound."

Luckily, you didn't notice Papyrus' eyes shift down to your arms as they crossed over your torso, your eyes growing distant once more. Like you were reliving a faint memory.

After a moment, you blinked and snapped yourself out of... whatever you had just been in, before continuing. "Alright, what else?"

Papyrus blinked in response, barely expecting you to come out of it so quick. "uh- just how strong is your hearing?"

"Strong enough to hear people chatting outside and their footsteps in the snow."

"huh?"

"I take it most monsters wake up early?"

"ehh..." Papyrus shrugged. "you could say that."

He readjusted his position, propping his own legs up on the couch and crossing one over the other to get more comfortable. "so does anything about your eyesight change when you're in that form?"

"Quite a bit, actually," you said. "The way we see colors compared to our human form is generally the same, except the hues we see are slightly different. It's just the way that wolves see things, except... we get to see the colored scent trails of everyone. And if we shut our eyes, then we can see nothing but the full-on outlines of everyone around us. Wolves, squirrels, you name it."

"really now?" he tilted his head. "can you see mine, then?"

You squinted your eyes at him, blinking a few times in hopes of setting off your wolf vision. You were fairly tired, after all, so maybe it would be easy. "I can try..."

After another blink, everything around you went dark and you could see the outline of the hooded skeleton in front of you; orange and glowing faintly against the now dull room around you. You gave a slightly victorious smirk. "Aha."

You blinked a couple of times afterward, prompting your vision to return to normal as you leaned back a bit. "Orange, eh? I don't think I've seen that outline color before..." you mumbled, reaching over to grab your mug.

Papyrus almost seemed to stiffen once you mentioned the color. "huh. ya think they're connected to how souls operate?"

"Possibly," you replied. "Most of the people I met above ground had green or blue outlines, so that's probably it."

You hummed, taking a sip from your hot chocolate as you peered down at the floor. Didn't some of your family members have a blue outline? Or was it orange?

Man, if some of your family members had the Integrity or Bravery soul trait, then they sure never acted on it.

You knew your mother definitely had a yellow outline...

What was yours, again?

Wasn't it purple?

Oh! Wait, no, it was-

A sudden whistle caught your attention, instantly causing you to look up. You had already lowered your mug, while Papyrus was still sitting across from you, with an eyebrow ridge raised as he stared back at you with his usual amused grin. "ya zoned out again."

"Bah, perfect," you said. "Love to hear it."

Papyrus chuckled in response. "i think i got one more question for you."

"Shoot."

"what about a coma? would ya still be able to "transform" or... does being unconscious make a difference?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it makes a difference." You glanced down at your sleeves, fidgeting with them a bit before attempting to explain it all. "I've been unconscious before, whether it be through anesthesia for surgeries or that injury I gave in to a few weeks ago," you paused, peering over at Papyrus, only for him to glance away.

You playfully rolled your eyes before continuing, "and each time, I never turned into my wolf form or anything. I don't quite know what happens in the brain to change that, but oh well."

Your eyes soon found their way over to the fireplace, watching as the flames flickered, prompting the light from it to follow. You brought your hand up and rested your chin in your palm, propping your elbow up on the arm of the couch.

You let your eyes shift down to the cup of hot chocolate in your hand, which was now practically empty, but had some leftover liquid that was more chocolate syrup than actual hot cocoa you felt like would taste appealing.

Your fingernails idly traced the nicely drawn designs on the sides of the mug. Only now had you started to notice the faint shivering your body was doing thanks to the cold air of the house itself.

"oi," Papyrus' voice managed to snap you out of it once again, and you glanced over at him, only for a blanket to suddenly be draped over your shoulders. How long had he been trying to get your attention? Goodness.

"don'tcha think you need a blanket, kid? you're shivering with a mug in your hand and i don't think blue would appreciate any stains on his beloved couch."

"Huh? Oh." You glanced back down at your empty mug before blinking and resting it on the coffee table beside you. Afterward, you readjusted the blanket around you by tugging it back over your shoulders so it wouldn't fall. "Right. Can't have that, can we?"

"nope, we cannot." Papyrus scooted a bit closer to you than he had previously been to wrap the blanket around you, resting an arm over your shoulder as you leaned against him.

"y'know," he started, prompting you to peer up at him, "you really oughta let me come with you on one of those nightly runs of yours. maybe it'd be fun."

You let out a small, breathless laugh. "To explore a place that you already live in?"

"'ey, it'll be more fun now that you're around, right?"

After you playfully rolled your eyes, you nudged him a bit, earning a light chuckle in response. "Oh, hush up."