Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sounds of people, of strangers , filtered up through the aged floorboards as you sat huddled in the corner of the attic behind a dusty stack of boxes. You couldn’t help but whimper as you hugged your knees to your chest, clenched your eyes shut, and tried your hardest to pretend you couldn’t hear the raised voices from below. It was too loud, too nerve wracking, too.. much.

You were never going to be free of the noise, were you?

It was hard to believe that you had moved from your parents’ house to be free from the near constant yelling that pervaded it; whether it was from your parents’ shouted arguments about money or your little sister’s own shrieking demands, there was too much noise. 

Ebott City was no better for your sanity, in hindsight. After a year, you had fled to the outskirts of the city with your determination to be free of the constant bombardment of noise that pierced your sleeping and waking hours. You fled the sounds of car horns blaring, neighbors shouting, and the rush of living in a city. You… were a coward.

But you were a smart coward this time as you picked your place to purchase. You spent most of (rather, all of) your savings on a modest cabin much closer to Mr. Ebott than the city. But it was worth it, especially when it brought you a sense of freedom, a sense of peace where you could hear yourself think . Best of all, if only for your own enjoyment, you were far enough from the city that you could see the stars at night.

Then… something changed.

From within one day and another, you were suddenly inundated with these strange creatures, monsters, haunting your home and the horror that was your things— your security— were all gone. They, the monstrous skeletons, terrified you. The few times you tried to touch them, our hand phased through them like one would a mirage or steam from a shower and a few of them were so loud. Their shrieks pierced your ears and set your nerves alight with fear, a fear that left you too exhausted to do much else besides hide.

A soft, hesitant voice filtered through your thoughts and roused you from your minor panic. The sight of one of the skeletons, a tall, slender one in a hoodie the same shade of orange as a creamsicle and pale orange lights, kneeling before you was enough to leave you staring at him in bewilderment. This was the first time one of them had seen you.

“a-are… a-are you o-okay?” the monster asked again, his voice cutting through your bewilderment and confirming that, yes, he could see you. He was talking softly to you.

“I… I…” Words failed you as you shook your head in lieu of an answer. 

He tilted his skull and offered you his hand quietly. “do y-you n-need help?”

“I… I don’t know,” you whispered just as quietly, staring at his offered hand. You weren’t sure. Hell, you weren’t even sure why you were even answering the skeleton like it was utterly normal. “Why are you in my home?”

“your home?” he asked. The skeleton paused before nodding his head. “i guess it feels that way still, but… we live here now ‘cause no one’s lived here for years.”

Years? But… “But  I live here?”

The monster smiled sadly. “no one living has lived here for years.”

“What do you mean ‘no one living’?” Your voice cracked and trembled. “I’m not dead. I can’t be dead; I’m still here!”

“you can still be here, hun, an’ not… alive,” he said gently. “believe me, i can prove it. just… come with me downstairs. i promise, no one’s gonna hurt you.”

You worried your lower lip between your teeth before acquiescing to the gentle urging. It took you a moment to stand as your body protested the action along the way, leaving you a little dizzy where you stood. The skeleton offered you his hand again before you carefully took it. Or, at least, you tried to take his hand, only for your hand to fall through his own.

“Oh…” That… that wasn’t good.

“sorry, didn’t… didn’t think that would happen,” the skeleton said as he lowered his hand, turning away from you shyly. Or was it nervously? “just.. follow me, i guess?” Regardless of the emotion he’d shown, he led you down the folding staircase and through the cabin towards the source of the loud noises. 

It was still heartbreaking, seeing how your small home had been changed into something… larger. Something meant for more than just (you) one person to live comfortably, you realized as you walked past the row of doors. You felt faint as you headed closer down the hall, your head hung low as you quietly walked. Tremors wracked themselves through your body as the two of you reached the doorway to what had been the living room, and the urge to run away filled you.

Run away.

Run away.

Run away.

“h-hey, guys?” you heard the skeleton say, his voice distant in your ears.

“What, Sunset, Do You Want?” questioned one of the voices from within the living room. It was one of the loud ones, the angry one, if you guessed right, speaking.

“i found, uh, a secret ‘bout the house,” the skeleton, Sunset, said nervously.

“Go On Then, Spit It Out,” the angry one scoffed. “I Don’t Have All Day.”

There was a snort, followed by another loud voice (the cheerful one) saying, “Actually, I Think You Do Have All Day. It’s Not Like You Work A Morning Shift, Cinnamon. You Work The Night Shift.”

“Oh, Shut Up, Pumpkin,” snapped Cinnamon, the angry one. “Speak, Sunset, Now.”

“didja know, uh, we got a ghost here?” Sunset asked. You watched as he glanced over his shoulder at you, but you could feel yourself slowly backing away as your heart leapt into your throat. If you were quick enough, you could probably make it back to your little hiding spot and not have to worry for long.

“well, what do we have here?” a voice came from behind you, slow and curious. “why don’t you turn around, buddy, and give me a shake?” You couldn’t stop the whimper from escaping your throat as you turned to face the speaker. Upon doing so, you saw a skeleton just a foot taller than you dressed in a pair of basketball shorts, a deep blue hoodie, and, you noted faintly, fuzzy, pink slippers. It struck you that, for being such comfortably and absurdly dressed, he was terrifying.

All you could manage before your vision faded to black was a quiet, “...Eep.” 

“yo, sunset, ya know what was up with the gal in the hall?” Sunset turned around to see Peppermint, never Sans, standing in the doorway where he had left the ghost standing.

“...you… you scared them away, didn’t you?” he stuttered, surprised by the sheer upset he felt welling in his chest when Peppermint shrugged and looked away. “i just got her out of hiding! why did you do that!?”

“so, ya know her?” Peppermint asked in lieu of an answer.

It was all Sunset could do to keep from screeching as he held his skull between his hands. “no! sort of!”

Peppermint narrowed his sockets and crossed his arms over his chest. “whaddya mean by ‘sort of,’ eh? ya didn’t bring in some one-night stand into our house, didja?”

“i’m not clove! and if... if you’d just listen to me, like i’d been trying to say, you’d know about them too!” Sunset stated, utterly frustrated with his brother’s alternate self. He was too frustrated to care he just insulted an irritated Clove.

“somebody mind ‘splainin’ what’s goin’ on ‘ere?” Clove demanded as his gold tooth glinted in the light. “as in now.”

“Indeed, My Brother Is, For Once, Correct In His Line Of Questioning,” Cinnamon said as he shifted his glower from Sunset to Peppermint and back again. “Are You Playing Some Uncouth Prank Upon My Great And Terrible Personage?”

Pumpkin, his more confident and kinder counterpart, nodded his head. “I Would Like To Know As Well. What Is Going On Brother, Sunset?”

“not sure ‘bout sunset here, but there was a human lady in the hall—” and here Peppermint gestured behind him— “waitin’ not far from the doorway. tibia honest, i’m not sure why no one else noticed her standing there. so, sunset, mind explainin’ why she was there in the first place?”

“i was tryin’ to!” he groaned out before raising his skull from his hands and glowering at Peppermint. “they were here already, peppermint. they were the ghost i was tryin’ to convince was here, the one only cyan believed be ‘bout! but nooo, no one ever believes sunset, he’s just a hermit computer geek. now i have to find them all over again, and it’s your fault! do you realize how hard it is to find a ghost that doesn’t want to be found?!”

“ oi. someone mind ‘splainin’ what the actual fuck is goin’ on here?” growled the irritated Clove. “whaddya mean by ghost?”

Sunset swung his skull around and stared blankly at the six-foot-nothing skeleton. “i… literally just told you. i have been telling you all, for a month , that our house is haunted. ”

“Pa—” Cyan stopped and cleared his throat. “Sunset, Brother, As Slow As Clove Is, He Is Merely Confused. This Ghost, They’re Not A Monster Like Us, Are They?”

“i… no? i don’t think so? they looked human, but… but they went through m’hand, bro,” he admitted. “it was weird.”

“I Admit To Being Baffled, Sunset. How Could A Ghost Not Be A Monster? Humans Cannot Become Ghosts…” Pumpkin trailed off, his skull tilted slightly. “...Right?”

“Obviously, They Can’t, You Dunce. They’re Weak Creatures Who Can’t Even Use Their Own Inherent Magics,” Cinnamon scoffed as he rolled his ruby lights.

“watch it, cinnamon,” Peppermint snapped when he caught sight of Pumpkin’s frown.

Unafraid of the glare cast his way, the scarred skeleton turned his nasal bridge up at the room as a whole. “He Was The One Asking Stupid Questions. Even A Babybones Knows That Humans Can’t Become Ghosts.”

“Calm Down, Both Of You,” Cyan interrupted as he set down his cup of tea and stood up to his full height of 5’6”. “No Need To, Ah, Rattle Each Other’s Bones Over This. Why Don’t We Try To Find Our Ghostly Friend And Have A Talk With Them?”

Chapter Text

The darkness that enveloped you after your sudden meeting (and subsequent fleeing) with the tall, skeletal monster in the fuzzy slippers felt stifling. Suffocating. Time seemed to crawl to a half and extend into an eternity the longer you were in the darkness. It was a strange type of darkness— your confused and panicked mind could barely understand what you were (or weren’t ) seeing— that was the darkest dark, darker than black or a room without light. It was maddening.

Breathing was hard; something about the air felt too heavy for your lungs. Your instincts told your lungs to take in more of the strange air and ease the slow burn that followed each, shallow breath. The burn only increased as your lungs demanded more oxygen to deliver, only to be further denied. Panic settled in as you were left feeling lightheaded. It felt like ages between breaths that barely lasted a moment.

Can’t breathe.

Can’tbreathe.

Can’tbreathe.

Can’tbreathe—!

Falling to your knees with a ragged gasp, you pulled in a huge gulp of air into your starving lungs. Tears rolled down your face as you heard your heart pounding in your ears and your body trembled. You could still feel the terror-induced adrenaline flooding your very being and paralyzing you in place.

Yet a wordless shriek of surprise startled you from your panic attack, your heart thudding to a momentary, metaphoric halt for a beat. Slowly, you turned your gaze from the dark wood floor to a pair of red, high-heeled boots and up towards the owner’s face. The skeleton, this one taller than the one who had found you the first time, towered over you like a giant would an ant. Under his disdainful glower, you certainly felt like one.

“Who Dares Intrude Upon My Territory?” he snarled as he glowered darkly at you. “Who Are You, Worm? Speak!”

You flinched away from him, your body trembling worse than a leaf in the middle of a hurricane. Words were hard when your brain suddenly seemed to forget how to use them. “P-p-please,” you barely managed to force out between your panicked breaths.

He growled, tracking your every move and pinned you in place as his glower turned into a glare. “Cease Your Mewling, Peasant, And Explain Yourself. I Will Not Grace You With Another Opportunity For Mercy,” he spat as if it were the most vile thing he had ever said before.

Behind him, you saw a slightly shorter, slightly pudgy skeleton— and how on Earth did that work, exactly?— with a very similar color scheme of reds and black peering around the edge of the doorway, red sweat dripping down his temple. “b-boss?”

The skeleton towering over you turned away from you, screeching a piercing, “What?!”

The other skeleton recoiled at the taller’s tone, one of the beads of sweat rolling down his temple as he mustered up his voice to speak. “ya know as well as i do, the others wanted t’find ‘er. that sunset thinks she’s a bit we bought with the house.”

“Do I Look Like I Fucking Care, Clove? Did I Ask For Your Input?” He waited until Clove shook his head fervently before continuing, “I Did Not Think So. Now, Either Shut Your Useless Trap Or Get Out!” He whipped back around to face you, bending at the waist with one hand clenched against his hip bone while the other curled into a fist at his side as he snarled out, “Now, Answer Me, You Mewling Quim.”

You squeaked out your name in fear, stumbling over the word as your heart hammered in your chest and your distress shot up a spike. The temperature of the bedroom seemed to drop from pleasantly warm to an almost glacial chill within a matter of minutes while the lights in his room flickered wildly. A quiet intake of breath came from the doorway as, out of the corner of your eyes, you all witnessed a silken pillow flew from the bed beside you and slammed into the intimidating skeleton’s face with a harsh thump. 

The skeleton paused as he glanced from the pillow and back to you, his sneer fading into a look of confusion before it returned in full force. He repeated your name with your stutter as he said, “What Sort of Travesty Of A Name Is That? Did Your Parents Have A Speech Impediment? Were They Incompetent?” He scoffed. “Enough, I Have Far More Pressing Questions. Such As, Why Are You In My Room?”

The lights in his sockets, each a searing, burning red, snap searchingly over your form as if he could find the answer in your mere existence. Another pillow was flung his way and, this time, he immediately batted it away before it could make contact with his face. Indignation scrawled its way across his skull as he stared at you harder.

“I-I don’t know,” you sobbed as you clutched at your knees and curled into yourself tighter. The indignant shriek that followed sent another shot of fear through your veins as you felt something in you break slightly. A series of loud pops followed the breaking feeling, the sounds soon accompanied by the tinkling of shattered glass and the scent of burning filling the air. The chill in the air was growing worse, each breath coming out as a puff of white mist. “I swear, I don’t know!”

Cinnamon’s books and battle figurines flew from their homes on the bookshelves and desk, landing on the floor with noisy thuds. Even the pillar of quartz he had seemed to react to your emotions as a low humming filled the air. Several more of his pillows slammed into him, all in your unconscious attempt to get him away from you.

The smaller monster jumped at each pop that came from behind him, his phalanges gripping the doorway with a sense of desperation. “b-boss, i swear, this shit ain’t me,” he said as he winced, watching as his ‘boss’ was hit a few more times in the head by pillows. He practically shrunk down into his coat’s fur as if that would make Cinnamon less likely to notice him. 

“I Am Aware Of That, You Incompetent Imbecile!” snapped the skeleton as his volume grew and he lost his ever-living shit. It took quite a few minutes of him screaming at you before a moment of realization dawned upon him and he abruptly went silent. The silence, after so much ruckus, was near deafening and wrought with tension. There was a creak of bones as he squatted down before you, resting his elbows on his femurs non-threateningly. “You… Ghost,” he said your name in the softest voice he had yet to use thus far. 

The silence that followed gave you a chance to start calming down, to breath as the overwhelming fear turned into an overwhelming confusion, albeit tinged with fear. Even as he tried to be non-threatening, the scarred skeleton was, by far, still the most terrifying of them all. The violent burst of activity that stemmed from your emotional state started to ease up— where things were once flying from their original places, they now merely trembled in time with your own body.

“Y-y-yes?” you stuttered after what felt like an eternity of tense silence— in reality, it took barely five minutes for you to regain enough control of your motor functions to speak. Your eyes darted from Cinnamon to Clove and back to Cinnamon again, wary even as the dread that sat like lead in your chest tried to ease. “W-what?”

“I Wish For You To Calm Down,” he stated softly— something that seemed to pain him— as he took a deep breath. “I Will Not Hurt You If You Calm Down… Ghost. Now, Once You Are Calm Enough, I Want You To Explain As Best As You Can How You Came To Be Here.”

“I… I was in the h-hall one m-moment and th-then I… I was in this… dark?” You took a shuddering breath as you started to unconsciously scratch at your biceps harshly. “It… it was so scary, I couldn’t… couldn’t breathe. Then I was h-here a-and you were y-yelling and I got s-scared and I-I’m so s-sorry…!”

The trembling began to intensify once more as panic buzzed around your stomach like a hive of angry hornets. Your lungs took in shallow breaths as you fell back into a panic attack. Vaguely, you could hear voices shouting— Cinnamon’s voice was distinct even to your foggy brain— and felt a pair of arms wrapping around your torso, pinning down your arms.

“easy does it,” murmured your captor quietly. “why don’t you breath with me, okay? just take a deep breath—” you felt his chest expand against your back with his exaggerated breath, and you copy it after several, shaky tries— “good job, now let it out slowly. very good, nice an’ slow. now do it again for me, alright? just focus on your breathin’, focus on my voice. easy does it.”

Peppermint watched as the ghostly figure—and wasn’t that a shocker considering they were anything but translucent at the moment— fidget with the hem of their cream sweater and practically hide behind the usually shy Sunset. The entire situation was a headache waiting to happen, he decided as he pinched the bridge of his nasal ridge.

“so… you’re the owner of the previous home here?” he asked slowly, to which he got a nod. “and ya woke up t’us livin’ in your house ‘bout a month ago. ya… actually have no clue what’s goin’ on, do ya, kid? not even how ya ended up like this?”

They shook their head and Peppermint had to swallow a sigh. They had stopped speaking after stumbling and fumbling over their words to tell the skeletal household their story; it didn’t bother him much. Words weren’t exactly needed for the questions he was asking at the moment. 

“y’know, this is just a whole new kinda fucked up,” he heard Clove groan, no doubt already frustrated by the ghostly woman’s frightful demeanor. They cringed as if the golden-toothed skeleton’s words smacked them in the face.

“I Refuse To Be In The Same Area As This… Creature,” Cinnamon huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “A Monster As Great And Terrible As I Should Not Have To Be In The Same House As It. It Has No Sense Of Control, None At All!”

Pumpkin rolled his lights as he eyed his scarred counterpart. “The Ghost Is No More Dangerous Than Any Other Monster, Oh Terrible Cinnamon,” he snarked. “It’s Not Their Fault That You Reacted So Harshly And Scared Them.”

“Yes, Any Monster, ” the other shot back. “It’s Not A Monster, And It’s Barely Even Human.”

“They Are Not An It, Cinnamon! Mys. Ghost Has A Name, Use It.”

He had such a cool brother, Peppermint thought with a smile as he watched him and his edgy alternate interact.

“I Shall Not Use It.”

“Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Lower Your Voices,” Cyan soothed as he held out both his hands in a peaceful gesture. “You’re Making Them Nervous.” The other skeleton was correct in saying that; the air had once again taken a chill to it while the lights tha hadn’t burst were flickering slightly. Peppermint glanced over at the ghost who had their face buried against Sunset, their shoulders visibly trembling as the voices grew louder and Cinnamon’s grew angrier.

“easy, easy,” Sunset murmured softly to them, rubbing their back softly. There was a soft, tangerine glow surrounding his hand as it managed not to sink through their body. “just breathe. no one’s gonna hurt you, even if cinnamon sounds like an asshole—” he brushed past Cinnamon’s angry protestations at the insult and Clove’s glower— “but you’re safe. pumpkin an’ cyan don’t mean to scare you, but you gotta get used to the volume if you’re gonna still live here, hun.”

Cinnamon growled, “I Will Not Say It Again. I Refuse To Have An Uncontrolled Creature In The Same House As Me, Much Less The Same Abode! As Much As I Enjoy The Occult, I Do Not Wish To Live With A Poltergeist!”

“a poltergeist,” Sunset repeated slowly. “they aren’t a noisy ghost!”

“No, Perhaps Not, But They Exhibit The Signs Of One.” The skeleton crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his crimson lights. “What Else Do You Expect Me To Call Them?”

Sunset arched a brow and deadpanned, “their name would work, honestly.”

“I Will Not Use It, They Have Lost That Chance When They Attacked Me!” 

“Oh, Yes, They Attacked You,” Pumpkin paused before smiling softly at Cinnamon. “And Did Those Pillows Hurt, Or Was It Your Ego That Took The Blows For You?”

Peppermint winced at the screech that tore its way out of the scarred monster’s throat, a motion mimicked by several others. However, he had to choke down laughter when one of the round, crimson throw pillows smacked Cinnamon in the chest and silenced him.

“Shhh, Mys. Ghost, Calm Down,” Cyan soothed softly as he moved from sitting beside his brother to kneeling before the poltergeist-esque specter. “You’re Going To Hurt Yourself If You Don’t Calm Down. Though It May Seem Hard, Just Focus On Sunset’s Voice And Ignore Cinnamon. You Will Be Safe With Us; My Brother Is Very Good At Calming People Down.”

Peppermint heard a quiet, muffled response from the ghost, their words lost against the orange cloth they had their face buried in. But he caught the subtle way they relaxed even further under Sunset’s touches, the chill in the air warming at Cyan’s soft words. If he had caught it, he was certain the others had too.

“so, it’s settled,” he said after a while. “they’re staying.”

Cinnamon only huffed as he stood and stormed out of the room, his brother following right behind him.

Chapter Text

The feel of chilled air filling your lungs contrasted sharply against the suffocating darkness of your nightmare while a soft bass rumbled in your ear, murmuring things you couldn’t make out just yet. You took a deep, shaky breath, and the subtle sweetness of chocolate and caramel filled your lungs.

“easy does it,” he said softly, cradling you close to him while the rattling noises filling the room slowly stopped and the chill in the air began to warm up once more. “bad dreams, huh?” You jerked your head in a nod, sleep still heavy in your limbs. “you don’t need to talk ‘bout it, but… i don’t mind listenin’ if you decide to. nightmares have a way of comin’ back t’haunt you, eventually.”

You snorted at the horrible pun. “S-sorry,” you apologized with a soft exhale, “for panicking. It’s… it’s not called for.” You shifted in Sunset’s hold and started when you felt his hard bones through the layers of soft, thick fabric against your back. Right, he… figured out how to touch you, somehow.

“don’t apologize. you didn’t mean to cause the bulbs to burst or hit cinnamon with pillows, right?” You shook your head and he continued to speak, “then it was an accident. you were terrified out of your wits when it happened, and cinnamon didn’t help. can i ask what freaked you out so bad beyond the darkness?”

A mixture of embarrassment and shame bubbled and gurgled in your gut as a short silence fell between the two of you. You worried your lower lip and rolled your thoughts through your mind, looking for a way to explain without coming off as rude.

“I… I have issues? With loud noises and people in general?” Sunset’s continued silence urged you onwards. “People make me nervous, but… you know how angry people yell and get louder? It… well, it makes me panic? Because I think, sometimes, they’re angry at me and it hurts. Well, um, it hurts my head?” A noise of frustration burbled from your throat as you buried your face in your hands. “Because they’re loud. Loudness hurts my head.”

Before Sunset could reply, there was a creaking of hinges and a soft greeting, “Good Morning, Sunshine, Sunset. Did You Both Sleep Well?”

“mornin’, cyan,” Sunset replied as he softly ruffled your hair. “sunshine…? sunshine here had a bad dream, so…”

“I See…” Cyan dipped his skull in your direction in a shallow bow. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Forgive me, sunshine. I don’t mean to come across as too loud so soon. My name is Cyan, but you can call me whatever you wish— perhaps your sweetest dream?”

You couldn’t help but squeak at the flirt, unaware of Sunset’s own flush matching your own. “I-I..” you stumbled over your name, the butterflies in your guts tangling up and around your tongue. “It’s, um, really nice to meet you, too…?”

“We didn’t have much of a chance to talk yesterday, and for that I apologize, but may I ask you about yourself? I’d love to know more about the pretty ghost living with us now,” he flirted. You felt your cheeks heat even further at the sincerity of his flirtatious words. “Sunshine?”

“I… I, yeah. I don’t mind, um, you asking me questions,” you squeaked out. 

Cyan flashed you a bright grin at your answer. “Brilliant! Tell me, what did you do when you were alive?”

You blinked at the question before shifting awkwardly. Sunset unwound his arms from around your torso and allowed you to scoot away from him as your eyes darted to the floor, finding the swirl in the hardwood suddenly so interesting. “I, uh, was a florist and I worked, well, as a part-time librarian? Amy… Amy always needed help with archival and some minor book repairs.”

“You were a florist?” You could have sworn you saw stars flash in Cyan’s sockets as he closed the distance between the two (three) of you. “So, you must know a great deal about the flowers on the Surface—” he took your hands into his own— “and you could teach me about them, if you were so inclined? Correct?”

You made a quiet noise as he popped your personal bubble and you tried to formulate the best response. The taller of the brothers beat you to it. “bro, let them have a chance to get settled before askin’ them for lessons.”

You were fascinated by the sapphire blue flush that crept up Cyan’s face. Did these skeletons have a circulatory system of some sort?

“Do you like tacos, sunshine?”

Surprised by the random question, you took a moment to think it over. Tacos were something you had eaten often before when you lived with your parents; your little sister had been obsessed with them at one point. But they weren’t necessarily your favorite food— no, you had left that to frozen waffles.

“I do like tacos,” you told him after the moment passed. “But, um, they’re not a favorite. Do you like tacos?”

Cyan nodded, beaming at you as pride filled his voice, “Yes, I do. They’re one of the foods I enjoy making most of all. Each one is made to the specific tastes of my subjects… though none seem to enjoy my special tacos.”

“...Special tacos?”

“Yes! They’re very spicy ones,” he admitted. “Perhaps too spicy for most, but I enjoy them!”

Ah. That would explain it. Still, as long as he enjoyed them and didn’t try to make you eat some, you didn’t mind at all what he enjoyed.

“That being said, sunshine, would you care to join me in making breakfast today? It’s my turn to play chef for the others.” Cyan’s beaming smile softened into something more imploring as he finally released your hands. 

His enthusiasm was infectious, you thought as a shy smile turned up the corners of your lips. “I… sure, I’d love that.”

–

You weren’t entirely certain where time went from the moment you agreed to help Cyan make breakfast to the moment you were standing beside the skeleton, attempting to cook. Emphasis on attempting. Everything, from the whisk to the frying pan, went through your hands— or was it you who went through them?— as you tried picking them up. Each failed attempt sent off a burst of sorrow and sank deep in your guts, reinforcing the fact that… you weren’t living anymore.

“It’s alright, sunshine,” Cyan soothed reassuringly, taking over when your attempts to scramble the eggs failed. You sighed as you watched him easily take the whisk in his blue, gloved hand. “We can just talk while I make breakfast. Good company such as yourself is always appreciated.”

“I… I suppose so.” You had never had company while you cooked before. “Why do you want to learn about flowers, Cyan?”

“In truth, I find them to be things of beauty, of so many meanings. I don’t wish to insult someone when all I want to do is pay them compliments,” he admitted as he whisked the eggs quickly, the familiar scraping of silicon against ceramic and the swishing of eggs and milk filling your ears. “And caring for them…? They’re like people, all taking and requiring different things in order to live and grow. I want to, one day, have a garden of my own so I can share the beauty with others.”

His passionate, sincere words had you relaxing a bit, staring at him in a quiet fascination rather than the forlorn mourning that had draped itself over your countenance like a funeral shawl. You were still mournful, still panicked by his closeness, but you weren’t overwhelmed by them as you were before.

“Asphodels, or daffodils, stand for ‘my regrets follow you to the grave,’” you offered after a moment. “But for you, I’d… probably offer acacia or yellow roses.”

Tilting his skull, Cyan glanced over at you as he poured the mixture into the heated, lightly oiled pan. You weren’t sure when he had gotten that far, perhaps you had spaced out thinking about a flower that would fit him. “What do acacia or yellow roses stand for?”

You perked up and rubbed the back of your neck. “They both stand for friendship. I… I kinda like the yellow roses for you; the yellow’s just as… as sunny as you are and… I hope we can be friends.” 

There was a moment of silence following your response. For a moment, you couldn’t even hear the sound of the spatula gently scraping against the frying pan. Only, in the next instant, arms were wrapped around your torso and hugging you close. You would have fallen into a panic if it weren’t for the softly, purposely murmured words spilled beside your ear, “Why hope, sunshine? Haven’t we already begun ourselves a friendship?”

You weren’t sure what to say. What do you say to something like that? Do all friendships start with something similar? You were so confused, but it was a happy sort of confusion… that still baffled you.

“I guess we have—” you started saying before a loud voice, raised in an energetic greeting, “Good Morning, Mys. Ghost, Cyan! Did You Sleep Well?”

You squeaked as, suddenly, you slipped through Cyan’s arms and fell on your behind. Glancing around, you saw Cyan and Pumpkin looking at you in confusion before it cleared up. “Are You Alright, Mys. Ghost?”

“I-I’m fine!” you squeaked out. “I just… got startled.”

Pumpkin smiled softly and nodded his head. “Understandable!” He knelt down before offering you his hand up. You took it and stood back up on your own two feet just as Cyan went back to rescuing the eggs from the pan. “Did You Sleep Alright?”

Nodding, you brushed down your behind, dusting off absolutely nothing in the process. “I… I slept alright. Sunset was… very nice to room with.” You paused. “Did you sleep well?”

“I Slept Well! I Was, I Admit, Very Eager To See The Morning Come And See You Again, Friend,” Pumpkin admitted as he set to grabbing the dishes from the cabinets. Seven dishes were piled on the counter, each a solid white with a green ivy pattern. “But Meeting You Further Will Have To Wait Until After Setting Up For Breakfast. If You’ll Excuse Me, Friends!”

“See you soon, Pumpkin,” Cyan called from over his shoulder as he turned his focus onto the veggies he was sauteing. “He’s such a kind fellow.”

“He’s… loud. But kind,” you agreed. He was kind enough, kinder than Cinnamon, for sure. 

He hummed and nodded. “We can all be loud, but I’m glad to say his volume matches his kindness. Would you like to sit at breakfast with us?”

“I… yeah. I think I will.”

Chapter Text

Breakfast was… an event as you settled in to sit beside Sunset and Cyan. The rest of the skeletons, from spicy Cinnamon (and that was a… nice way to describe the skeleton) to Pumpkin’s exhausted-looking brother Peppermint, slowly trickled in as the scent of breakfast filled the air and plates were set out for each of them— there was even one for you!

It was considerate, oddly even, of Pumpkin to think of you while he was setting up for breakfast. Still, it was going to be disappointing knowing that, even though you had a place at the table, you couldn’t touch the food like you wished.

(You couldn’t, shouldn’t eat with them.)

“So… Ghost,” Cinnamon began slowly, his volume only slightly softer than yesterday’s. Sleepier, if you had to put your finger on it. “Do You Intend On… Eating Breakfast With Us?”

“I… can certainly try?” you offered hesitantly. “I can’t… touch the utensils, but I can pretend, I guess?”

“You… Guess?” the skeleton drawled before he rolled his crimson lights. “It’s A Simple Matter. Are You Or Are You Not Eating With Us, Ghost? Do We Have To Research Into Your… Species… And See How You ‘Feed’ Your Dead?”

Feed the dead? You tilted your head at the question. “I… don’t know? You’re acting like I actually know what’s going on and I still don’t know what’s going on! It’s been a day—” you paused, then clarified yourself— “for me, at least, so please. Let me not-know in peace.”

“she’s… they,” Clove corrected himself at the glower he received from Sunset, “got ya there, boss.”

“Clove… Shut Up,” Cinnamon ground out before he dug into his cheesy, scrambled eggs. There was a glower on his face as he tried to murder his breakfast with his eyes.

"shuttin' up, boss." The shorter skeleton mimed zipping his lips before he returned to mowing down his breakfast with a gusto, his crimson lights darting away from his brother.

After that, breakfast was a quiet affair with soft chatter... or relatively soft chatter, considering some of the skeletons' (and not to name names, but Pumpkin for example) natural volumes, all around. It was enough to have you relax as you stared at your empty plate and imagined what it would be like to taste food again. It was hard to imagine, though you could remember vaguely the cold taste of sweet, chocolate ice cream on your tongue and the spice of ground up, red pepper flakes sprinkled across a slice of freshly cooked pizza.

Sighing softly, you turned your attention outwards and listened to the conversations around you.

"...That Wouldn't Work Though! Imagine How Much It Would Cost For Even Temporary Usage, Cyan!"

"It Wouldn't Be That Much, Perhaps Just A Few Dollars An Hour," Cyan retorted. "Unless, Of Course, Humans Make Their Bikes Cost Even More Than Expected To Rent."

"But That Brings Up The Question Of Why You'd Even Want To Rent A Bicycle When You Have A Perfectly Functional One Of Your Own And Access To Alternative Modes Of Transportation," Pumpkin said in response.

"It's The Principle Of The Idea. What If My Bike Broke Or I Couldn't Access Those Other Methods Of Transportation? Then I'd Be Shit Out Of Luck." He shrugged and took a bite of his eggs. "Of Course, It Is All Hypothetical. My Bike Is In Tiptop Shape And I Recently Replaced The Tires On It, Too."

You blinked at that.

(People could rent bicycles now?)

What a novel idea... it would have saved you a lot of trouble from walking everywhere when you were... when you were alive. With a quiet hum, you turned your attention to another conversation going on around you.

"...hard to say, honestly. there's a chance she might get adopted out, but... but we don't know yet," Sunset admitted quietly to Cinnamon. "a-are you sure you d-don't want to adopt her y-yourself, cinnamon?"

"And If I Adopted Her, What Would Stop The Others From Trying To Get Their Own Pets? It's Best That I Don't," he reasoned reluctantly. "Doomfanger... Deserves A Better Life Than I Could Reasonably Provide At This Time."

(Doomfanger? That was cute.)

"if... if you say so." He took a sip of his water and nodded slightly. "y-you could s-still come in t-to... to visit her if you'd like."

Cinnamon was silent for a moment before he dipped his skull. "Perhaps I Will. I Will Have To Check My Calendar, See If I Have Any Days Free For Visitations."

And yet the way he said that... you could have sworn he only said it to save face. Why? You're not too sure, but just the tone seemed... there. Then again, you could just be hearing something with a heaping dose of wishful thinking, of hoping that he actually had a heart somewhere in his bony chest.

"so," and you heard your name, which had you looking towards Peppermint, "what do ya plan t'do today?"

"M-me?" you asked, pointing towards your chest lightly.

"yeah, you," he said.

"I... I..." You hesitated slightly, then shrugged your shoulders. "I might... explore? S-see what's changed... if I can, a-at least."

"ya sure? i doubt much has changed."

You shrugged again. "I... I still want to see. M-maybe my garden survived everything a-and all. Who knows i-if I can even l-leave anyways."

"if ya say so, kid." He shrugged and took a sip of his strange mixture of coffee and ketchup, something that made you wince. That looked disgusting.

You felt a gentle nudge to your side and looked over to see Sunset offering you a shy smile. "hey, sunshine, i... i really hope you can explore today. better than stayin' home bored and all."

"Indeed! Hopefully, You Have A Grand Adventure, Dear, And Your Garden Is Thriving The Way It Was Under Your Loving Touches," Cyan added as Cinnamon huffed. "Perhaps After Work Today We Could Even Talk More About The Flowers And The Meanings You Know Of."

"I... I'd like that," you said with a tiny smile on your face. That did sound fun, after all.

"Sounds Like A Plan, Then!"

"Y-yeah!"

Chapter Text

It felt daunting to you as you quietly stared at the back, screen door that led outside. Who knew if you could even leave the property? What if you were eternally tied to this one place, the very place you died?

After all... ghosts didn't really wander, did they?

Licking your lips, you reached out to touch the doorknob, only to have your hand slip through it like it— or you— was made of fog. Right. You couldn't touch things.

So why could you touch Sunset?

Taking a breath, you breathed out and took a slow step towards the door. One step, then another until you were chest-to-door with the door. With another breath, you shut your eyes and took another step through the closed door.

You felt your stomach threaten to revolt as you collapsed to your knees on the other side of the door, the world spinning viciously around you. You rocked slightly as you doubled over and cradled your head between your hands, breathing greedy breaths in the process. It took time, but it passed eventually.

"D-dear gods, let's... let's not do that again," you murmured to yourself. That felt so weird, you didn't want to do that ever again. You rubbed at you eyes and looked up as you took a deep breath of fresh, clean air.

The trees, just like when you were alive, towered over you in a way that kept you safe beneath their branches. Tall and mighty, their leaves were a bright green, just like they had been the day— don't think about that. Forget it.

...Forget what?

Shaking your head, you cleared the thoughts from your mind and slowly started to walk forwards and away from the place you've called home for so many years. You could almost hear the smacking of bare feet against the mossy stone pathway that led towards your beloved garden, but you had a feeling that was just your imagination playing tricks on you.

After all, you couldn't feel the cool stones beneath your feet.

Slowly, you made your way to the garden and looked around the pathway curiously. It was... different. They had added a firepit sometime after your death, from what you could tell, and there may have been more bird feeders than you would have expected considering you lived... once lived in the middle of nowhere in a forest. Maybe you would have put them up after a bit, honestly... who knows.

Walking past a little cabin-bird feeder, you soon slowed to a stop as you stared at the wild remains of your once, and still, beloved garden with wide eyes. It was overgrown and haphazardly weeded in spots, like an amateur had attempted to show it love and care before either giving up or just not having the time to tend to it in the same way you had. The noise that escaped your throat was a miserable one.

“My… my garden,” you whined quietly to yourself, feeling tears welling in your eyes. “My poor garden.”

Perhaps you were just a little too attached to your former garden. But who could blame you? It took a lot of your time and effort to make it, never mind how much money was carefully poured into getting the plants, after all. Your poor blueberry bushed seemed, at the least, to be thriving.

Wiping at your eyes, you took a breath and resolved yourself to seeing if Cyan would like to learn how to deal with gardens… later. Eventually. At least you could teach someone how to tend to something you loved since you couldn’t do it yourself.

The question, now, was what were you to do with yourself? Should you return to the house and find something to do with yourself… or should you try to keep walking and pushing your boundaries? You worried your bottom lip as you thought over your options. No one else was at the house or, when you had last checked, they were starting to leave, so you’d be left all alone.

But… you were alone regardless, or you would be.

Swallowing needlessly, you nodded to yourself and set off walking once again. Only, this time, you left the stone path and made you way into the deep woods you called home for so long.

You could almost hear the crunch of leaves and twigs in your mind as you quietly ventured further from the house. So far, you… you thought you felt alright. You didn’t feel off, like something within you was going to snatch you back into that dark, dark, dark place.

Then again, you weren’t certain if you should be feeling anything different, to begin with.

Absently humming, you continued to walk onward in a randomly chosen direction. “...up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry. You don’t know how lovely you are. I had to find you, tell you I need you,” you quietly sang under your breath as you turned your gaze towards the green canopy overhead. “Tell you I set you apart. Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions. Oh, let’s go back to the start…”

You switched back to quietly, absently humming as you continued your aimless wandering… well, not-so-aimless wandering; you were trying to figure out your limits and trying to see what about your beloved home had changed, after all. Was it strange that you were almost expecting to find something different about the forest, even though, thus far, it seemed to retain its timeless beauty?

There was a crack of a twig snapping somewhere behind you that snapped you from your distraction. You froze in place and contemplated trying to run back to the house— forgetting that, regardless, nothing could really hurt you— before whatever was out there found you. It could have been a deer, but knowing these woods… it could have been a bear. That thought alone had you shuddering.

Carefully, you turned on your heels, then froze in place as a skeleton taller than you, by a far margin at that, towered over you. A squeak tore itself from your throat as your stared at the unknown Monster, his bloated, red light staring deep into your soul.

Slowly, he reached towards you and you felt the same, dizzying feeling rushing through you as darkness crept through your vision… just as it had when Peppermint had first terrified you into slipping into that dark, dark, dark place.

“Oh, no… not again.”

And it all went black once more.