Archive of Our Own

The Underground hadn't seen a party in centuries. That is, there hadn't been a party where every monster got involved in it. A monster might occasionally throw a small, quiet gathering with their loved ones, but they hardly ever invited their neighbors to join them. They kept to themselves and spent another day trapped below Mt. Ebott. They couldn't even ask the humans outside to join them in their parties. King Asgore would never approve of such an idea.

Thus, there were no grand balls or soirees held in the Underground. There simply hadn't been a reason to celebrate one...until the humans returned, that is.

The monsters of the Underground had been living in harmony with humans above ground for several years ever since Peter Parker and Harry Osborn arrived. Families had been reunited, peace had been restored, and there was a reason to appreciate all that life had to offer again. The humans of Manhattan had been more than accepting of the monsters since they were the least odd thing they had ever encountered. If they could survive the Battle of New York, they could deal with actual monsters teaching their children in their schools.

Peter and Harry watched it all unfold every day, and they were always proud of the work they had accomplished together. Their joy was even stronger whenever they returned home to Harry's penthouse, as all of the monsters they had come to call family and friends lived there and continued to see their hopes and dreams come to fruition.

It was on this type of day that the boys had gotten the idea to host the Dreemurr Jubilee. Asgore had mentioned offhand that the anniversary of the Dreemurr Family's reign was coming up, and he told the story of how there used to be a garden party in honor of the day where monsters and humans alike were invited to celebrate. This sparked an idea in Peter's mind to bring back the tradition and make the annual celebration annual again. He told everyone to come to the hole in Mt. Ebott that remained open for all to come and go as they pleased. After all, what better place to have a party for your kingdom's reign than the kingdom itself?

Harry knew a thing or two about parties, so he was in charge of all the major details from decorations to food to party games. And so on the day of the Jubilee, he found himself standing underneath a banner being hung in between two tall hedges.

Harry stepped back to get a better look at the purple and white banner decorated with the Deltatune and the words "1st Annual Dreemurr Jubilee" scrawled across it. He couldn't help but chuckle at the word "Again" shoehorned in between "Annual" and "Dreemurr," but he was also laughing at how crooked the banner was. In hindsight, maybe asking Papyrus and Mettaton to be the ones to hang it wasn't the best idea.

"No, guys. The banner's leaning a little too low," he told them, "Mettaton, can you bring your side up a little higher?"

"How's this?" Mettaton stretched his metallic legs longer, but they shot up taller than the hedge itself. Instead of drooping, the banner now dangled at an angle.

Papyrus stamped his foot at the top step of the ladder he stood on. "Mettaton! Stop showing off your beautiful metal legs! This is a very important job we're doing!"

"But I think this height serves it much better. Now everyone can really see it and know where to go."

"They'll still see it if the banner's down here where it's supposed to be!"

Papyrus quickly glanced down at Harry then turned back to hold his head up high. "Harry hasn't said a word about my height, so I know I'm doing my job correctly. Isn't that right, Harry?"

Harry felt his eyes widen as both monsters looked down at him in anticipation. Tucking in his lips, he held up his finger and felt himself break into a sweat.

"Uh..."

"Mettaton! Just the monster I was looking for."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed when he heard the voice of his father figure come up from behind. He willed himself to smile as he turned around to see Asgore walking over to them, his giant paws folded over his chest.

"Hey, Dad. What's up?" Harry asked.

Asgore said, "Alphys needs some help setting up the karaoke machine. It seems she needs someone to test the microphones to see if they're working properly."

"And she wants the Underground's brightest star to do it! Oh, why didn't you say so?" Mettaton asked.

He let go of his half of the banner and sunk his body back to normal height. The banner now fully dangled in the air, causing Papyrus to let out an indignant, "Hey!"

Mettaton ignored him, abandoning his post and running off through the gardens. He said over his shoulder, "I've been practicing the song I'm going to sing tonight all week! I'll get right on it. Thank you, King Asgore!"

Asgore waved at him then placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, giving him a wink. "I'll take it from here, son."

Harry sighed with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Dad."

Once Asgore took up the other half of the banner, Harry went off to check on the rest of the setup. He walked past the fields of yellow flowers growing around him until he spotted a grouping of small tables being set up among them. Peter walked around them with Toriel Dreemurr, setting up each place setting with teacups and fine china. The two were chatting amiably with one another, and something Peter said earned a hearty laugh from Toriel.

Harry hummed to himself as he watched them, his chest swelling with warmth. It was wonderful to see Toriel so happy and eager to be a part of the world again after shutting herself away from it. She'd found her family again, and she was able to celebrate with them the way she was meant to. The party wasn't just for Asgore and his bloodline. It was for her too.

After they got the last table set up, Toriel turned to leave and waved at Peter. Peter waved her off and watched her go, eventually turning back to see Harry walk towards him.

"Hey, Harry! I was wondering where you've been."

"Yeah, I've been trying to get the welcome banner up this whole time."

"Was Mettaton not following directions?"

Harry slumped his shoulders forward with a deep sigh. "Yeah."

Peter chuckled. "I told you you should have asked Asgore."

"He's the one that got me out of it. He got Mettaton to go help Alphys with the karaoke machine."

"Hey, that's perfect for him!"

The calm being set up in the garden was quickly interrupted by Mettaton's singing voice echoing throughout the area through a microphone.

“You say / The price of my love’s / Not a price that you’re willing to pay.”

Unfortunately, the sound was met with ear-splitting feedback that forced the two boys to bend over and cover their ears for a moment.

Once it receded, they heard Sans say in the distance, "Whoa! If you wanted to break the speakers, I'd say you're doing a karaoke-dokie job there, Mettaton."

"SANS!" Papyrus said, but it was drowned out by laughter from all the monsters in the area.

Even Peter and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the pun as they stood back up, standing closer to each other to survey the scene. Everywhere they looked, their monster friends were helping one another with a different station of the party. There wasn't a single frown in the garden, and everyone was more than eager to work together to make it all look beautiful.

They had done this. They had brought everyone together. This was how things were supposed to be.

"This was a good idea, Pete," Harry said, "I'm glad we're having it down here."

"Me too. The Underground needed a little touching up."

Peter looked around at the newly-planted flowers and pop of bright colors that had been added to the area. "Just because we're all above ground now doesn't mean we should forget about this place. After all, this is where it all started."

"You said it."

Peter and Harry stumbled forward as the ground began to shake underneath them. The monsters tripped over themselves as well, some of them letting out panicked shouts. Peter and Harry tried to keep their balance by holding onto the backs of nearby chairs, turning to one another with wide eyes.

"I-I don't r-r-remember the Underground e-e-ever having earthquakes," Alphys said to Asriel beside her.

"Me either."

The ground broke open in the center of the field, forcing everyone to fall back with a shout. Peter and Harry shielded their faces from the dirt and rocks flying over them, waiting for the rumbling to stop. Once the Underground came to a standstill, the former picked up his head and looked around.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

He received a chorus of affirmative groans and hums as his answer, so he stood up and brushed off the debris.

Harry coughed as he took to his feet, asking, "What the hell was that?"

Peter stared ahead with wide eyes and pointed ahead. "That."

In place of where the ground broke into a hole was a machine that almost resembled a rocket ship. The center capsule was pointed in a cone shape, and the entire thing was made of copper. Two large drills were attached to the side that hovered over the ground, and there was nothing but a foggy window attached to the front of the capsule.

Peter and Harry exchanged a glance before tentatively walking towards it with the others. The monsters all clung together in a huddle and waited for something to pop out or move again, their minds racing at the sight.

"What is it?" Undyne asked in a daze.

Harry shrugged. "I think it's a drill. Or some kind of...ancient power tool."

"It certainly didn't come from here," Asgore said.

Asriel moved closer to his father. "Then...what is it?"

The group jumped back once they heard voices from inside. There was a mix of screams, a lot of yelling, and some cursing thrown around here and there. Most of what the creatures inside were saying sounded muffled, so the monsters couldn't get a good read on what lay ahead for them.

A panel on the center capsule finally unsealed, forcing the group to step back with a yelp. It fell onto the grass and let out a dust cloud, allowing steps to form to the ground.

A loud clunk, clunk echoed from inside, making everyone stand closer together and begin to quiver. The sound grew louder and louder until its source was finally revealed when it stood in the doorway.

Before the monsters was a robot about the size of a human man. His entire body was made of a rusty copper material like the machine, and he wore a leather jacket, jeans, and a Sex Pistols t-shirt underneath. On his forehead was a sticker that read "CLIFF" in bolded letters that looked like it had been written on there. The robot turned his head from side to side, every move of his body creating a soft whirring sound.

As he looked out at the monsters, he let out a loud, "What the FUCK?"

The robot stepped out of the machine and continued looking around. "Are we in fucking Wonderland? 'Cause I swear I didn't take any meds before we left."

A Black boy poked his head out of the door next, eventually stepping out to reveal his loose black tracksuit. His eyes widened as he looked out at the scene, and he slowly nodded as he stepped out.

"Don't worry, Cliff. I'm seeing this too."

"Thank god. But if a giant blue caterpillar shows up and starts talking to me, I'm turning around and getting my ass back home."

"I don't know. I think this looks more like the...Mad Hatter's tea party."

"Oh great. Even better."

Next out of the machine was a man who could only be described as a mummy. He was covered head to toe in white bandages, but his face was adorned with black sunglasses. His brown, fur-trimmed jacket bounced against his back as he stepped out, showing off his green turtleneck to the others.

As a petite Latina girl dressed in 70s punk garb joined his side, he asked, "Are Undergrounds supposed to look like this?"

The girl blew a raspberry. "Mine sure as hell doesn't. Where can I get the upgrade?"

The next one out was a woman whose brown hair was styled in a curled updo straight out of the 1950s. The same could be said for her tight-fitting black pants and striped blouse that hugged her chest. She made dainty steps out of the machine and gasped at the sight of the monsters.

"Really!" She turned to her friends and added in a posh, enunciated voice, "We have an entire group of...creatures here staring at us, and none of you have bothered to say hello. They're going to think we're rude."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rita," the robot said, "I was too busy being in FUCKING SHOCK that we're in an actual fucking fantasy land right now. But sure. Go say hi. Act like we're all friends here. Start singing goddamn Kumbaya with them for all I fucking care!"

The Latina girl smacked the robot's arm, forcing him to stagger back.

"Ow! What?"

"Way to go, dickwad. You're scaring them."

Sure enough, the robot looked ahead and saw Asriel cowering beside his parents who wore the same look of shock of fear on their faces.

"Oh." The robot chuckled and made a quick wave, "Right. Uh, hi!"

The woman rolled her eyes and walked to the front of the group. "I told you I should have been the first one out. Honestly."

She stood up tall and clasped her hands together, putting on a winning grin. Her words were dragged out and said slowly as she spoke to the group of startled monsters, and she waved her arms at her own group to emphasize her words.

"Hello! We are the Doom Patrol. We are here to help you!” 

"Wh-Why is she talking like that?" Alphys asked.

Sans shrugged. "Maybe English isn't their first language."

"Oh, bloody hell, Bendy," a new voice said. It came from the last person out of the capsule, an older woman with a head of wavy brown hair and clothes from the 1940s.

As she stepped out and joined the others, she said in a Scottish lilt, "How about I do the talkin', alright love?"

The woman made her way to the front and cleared her throat. She took on a distinguished pose as she introduced herself and her friends with a gesture down the line.

"Uh, hallo! We are the Doom Patrol. I'm Laura. This is Rita, Larry, Vic, Jane, and-"

"Oh! Oh! Let me guess!" Undyne said, frantically waving her hand in the air, "You're Cliff."

Cliff cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, actually. How the hell did you-"

He moved his hand up to his forehead and touched the name tag. "Oh, shit. I forgot to take this off. Thanks, scary fish lady!"

Cliff tried to grab onto the tag and rip it off, but he was only able to grab a small portion of it. He looked to the side once he heard Jane and Vic start snickering, both of them failing to hide their smiles.

"What?"

Cliff looked down at his hand and saw that only the last F and a portion of the first F in his name had been ripped off the tag.

Picking his head back up, he asked, "My forehead says 'Clit,' doesn't it?"

Jane made a low chuckle. "Yeah."

"FUCK!"

Cliff began to stomp off and mutter to himself, leaving Laura to shake her head and return to the others.

"Right. Now that we have that taken care of, this is the Underground, right? Under Mt. Ebott in New York?"

"Yup! You've come to the right place." Peter waved Harry forward as they moved towards the Doom Patrol, wearing the same polite smile for their guests.

The former continued, "I'm Peter, and this is Harry. We're kind of like the human ambassadors for the monsters here."

"Ah, just the people we're lookin' for, then." Laura clapped and looked around, "Right. Where's the trouble?"

Peter and Harry furrowed their brows.

"Trouble?" the latter asked.

"Yes, we received a distress call back at our headquarters. Every distress call that's sent out into the general universe rather than to those in authority tend to get directed to us. And we received this telegram some time ago. Let me see..."

Laura rifled around her pockets until she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. She unfolded it and tried to get rid of the creases, keeping her eyes peeled to its contents.

"Yes, here we are. Uh, 'Help stop. Soul-eating monster is trying to harm two human boys we love and care about very deeply stop. It's not the first time this has happened, but we'd like it to stop stop. We can't SAVE anymore stop. Please come to the Underground located under Mt. Ebott in New York for assistance stop.'"

Harry couldn't help but cock his head to the side at the message. "'Soul-eating monster?' You mean Asriel and Eddie?"

Peter pulled at his collar. "Well, this is awkward. Um-" He cleared his throat, "Harry and I kind of took care of that about two years ago."

The Doom Patrol's bodies each sagged forward, their lips curling into sneers.

"You're kidding," Jane said.

Harry shook his head. "Nope. Things have been pretty good for us since then. Sorry that you, uh...missed the fun, if you can call it that."

"Oh dear," Alphys spoke up. She wrung her hands together and looked down at the floor, "I-I-I sent that message out. I-I was just so scared for you guys, a-and we already th-thought we had lost you with Flowey. I-I just thought w-we needed some r-r-reinforcements. But I g-guess it got lost in the mail. Sorry."

"Oh, well this is just perfect!" Rita said, stamping her foot, "We all had to squeeze ourselves into that death trap and get our memories wiped on a perfectly good Saturday for nothing! Come along, everyone! Let's do it all again."

The Doom Patrol began to turn back towards their capsule and step on board, but they stopped when they heard Peter call out to them.

"Wait!"

As they turned around, he added, "You don't have to go yet. Actually, this is the perfect day for you guys to come."

"It is?" Vic asked.

"Yeah! We're celebrating the Dreemurr Jubilee today. It's basically the Underground's Fourth of July. And we're always welcome to having more people join in."

"So it's like a big party?"

"Yeah, you'll love it!" Harry looked around the gardens to point out the various activities that were set up, "We have food, a karaoke machine, a bunch of outdoor party games-"

A ripple fell over Jane's body, allowing Flit to become Primary. She scrunched up her shoulders and let out a squeal.

"O. M. G! You guys have a karaoke machine? I love karaoke!"

A cloud of dark smoke surrounded her until she vanished into thin air, leaving the others to swivel their heads around to look for her. When they spotted Flit tapping on the microphone onstage, Larry shrugged with a sigh.

"I guess we're staying."

~

Once the last guest arrived to the gardens, the Dreemurr Jubilee was able to officially begin. Monsters and humans alike were scattered around the area, some enjoying Toriel's delicious food while others were having fun at the activities set up amongst the flowers. No matter what corner they were in, everyone was curious about their new guests.

The Doom Patrol's collective amnesia from the time machine had fully worn off, allowing them to feel comfortable enough to get involved in the fun. They each went off in their own direction, interacting with every monster they came across.

Jane found herself gravitating towards Undyne, and the two stood before a set of targets set up across the field.

The latter said, "You know, I'm actually really good at these games."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Undyne casually flexed her fingers like she was warming herself up, "I used to be Captain of the Royal Guard, so I had to train myself in all kinds of physical activity. Trust me. No one's going to beat me at any of these games."

Jane crossed her arms and scoffed. "Is that a challenge? 'Cause I have sixty-four people living inside of me, and we're all pretty rough when we want to be."

"Whoa! Sixty-four?"

Undyne leaned in towards Jane's ear and shouted into it, forcing Jane to stagger back.

"HEY! HI! I'M UNDYNE! IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU!"

"Shit!" Jane covered her ears and winced, "Well, now they're not going to want to come out."

Undyne's smile fell as she looked down. "Oh. Sorry."

However, her disappointment didn't last long. She perked up when she saw the basket of spears beside her and walked over to it. She picked one up and held it beside her with a smirk.

"Hey, are any of the people inside you good at spear-throwing? 'Cause I bet I can cream them at it!"

A ripple fell over Jane as Hammerhead became Primary, her face curling into a snarl. Getting up in Undyne's face, she said, "The only cream you're going to be tasting is your own when I crush your blue fish balls after kicking your ass, you bony piece of sushi shit."

Undyne saw red at Hammerhead's words, forcing her to roar as she reached into the basket and grabbed a spear.

"OH, IT'S ON!"

She yelled as she threw the spear at her target, leading Hammerhead to join in on the game. She had her own basket of spears beside her, so she reached in, grabbed one, and threw it at her own target. The two grabbed spear after spear and threw them as hard as they could, letting out loud roars of aggression with each move. They both soon looked into their baskets and found them to be empty, so they took a breath and looked at each other's targets.

While Undyne hit several bullseyes and had the other spears wedged on the outer rings, Hammerhead's spears were all on the bullseye and were arranged to resemble a middle finger. Hammerhead threw her arms up in the air with a holler, turning to the side to point at Undyne.

"Suck my DICK, you fucking fish face!"

"Wh...THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

"Well, you better look at the target, bitch, 'cause I fucking did that!"

As the two continued to yell at each other, they moved closer into each other's face until they were inches away from each other.

"YOU CHEATED!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"DID NO-"

A ripple fell over Hammerhead again, allowing Jane to resume control. She stepped back and took a deep breath, forcing herself to look over at Hammerhead's target.

Pressing her lips together, she gave Undyne a sheepish glance. She wrung her hands together and said, "I'm...so sorry for whatever she did."

~

Larry trailed behind Asriel as the two wandered through the garden, the latter rifling his paw through the yellow flowers. Larry tilted his head to the side as he watched Asriel chuckle to himself and occasionally sniff the flowers.

"You know, these are really beautiful," he said.

Asriel hummed and turned to look up at him. "Thanks. I grew them myself."

Larry made a gesture that seemed to indicate he was raising his brows. Looking around, he asked, "Really? You grew...all of these?"

Asriel chuckled. "Well, not all of them. Most of these were here already. I think my dad planted them. But these ones over here are mine."

He stopped walking and bent down to run his paws over their bright yellow petals. "I've been working on them since I came back. You know, it's funny. You would think I wouldn't like these flowers since..."

A vacant glaze fell over Asriel's eyes for a moment, but he quickly shook his head to focus.

"A-Anyway, I guess I just like having them as a reminder of the good a-and the bad. It's...hard to come back when someone else is taking control."

A silence fell over the two, and Asriel squeezed his knees while shutting his eyes. Taking a breath, he jumped back up and brushed himself off.

"So do you like flowers too?"

"Wait, hold on." Larry held out his hand, "What was all that you said? Coming back, someone else being in control."

Asriel crossed his arms and looked away. "I-It's nothing. You wouldn't understand."

"Hey. Asriel. It's...Asriel, right?"

Asriel nodded, bringing himself to look up.

Larry said, "Don't hold it in. It's okay to talk about it. I didn't talk about the best part of myself for fifty years. I held it back instead of letting it out because I thought I should be ashamed of it. But I'm not. And my life's been all the better for it. You can talk to me, really."

Asriel seemed to relax the longer Larry talked to him, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and looked up at him.

"A long time ago, I had...someone inside of me. It was someone I trusted, but they were...different. People tried to help us, but they just created an even bigger monster. Something that actually was a monster. We were combined into this flower that...hurt people. He hurt the ones I cared about. I wanted it all to stop, but he was so angry. And that's all he ever wanted to be. That's all he ever wanted people to see us as. I couldn't do anything but be angry too.

”Peter and Harry set me free, but he was still...there. He was in my head yelling at me and telling me what we had to do. It hurt..." Asriel scrunched up his eyes to keep back tears, his body tightening up as if he had been punched in the gut, "-A lot.

”He's gone now. Really gone. But I still get scared that he's still there sometimes. I don't feel like I can let myself be angry sometimes because...I think it'll make him come back."

Asriel couldn't read Larry's face, but he hoped he might have been listening. He had never really talked about this fully to someone before. Peter and Harry were okay. After all, they had lived through it with him. But to a complete stranger, the thought was terrifying. Luckily, Larry nodded along and offered his hand out to Asriel.

Once he took it, Larry said, "I'm sorry...that that happened to you, Asriel. That sounds awful. And believe it or not, I know how you feel. B-But I'm not just saying that in a supportive way. I mean it."

Larry stepped back and opened his coat, looking down at his chest. "It's okay, pal. I think there's someone who should see you."

A bright blue light began to shine from his chest, forcing Asriel to stagger back.

Larry said, "Asriel, meet the Negative Spirit. He's my own roommate in my body. Negative Spirit, release."

The blue light shot out of Larry's chest, morphing into blue electricity in the shape of a person. The Negative Spirit hovered over Asriel and waved at him, leading the goat boy to make a shocked, staggering wave in return.

Once he went back into Larry's body, Larry said, "Negative Spirit and I met a long time ago. We didn't really want to be together, but we had no choice. It was kind of life or death for us. We needed each other whether we liked it or not. But in time, we learned to understand each other. He showed me how to be true to myself, and I gave him a home. And now, we're not really me and him. We're just...we.

”And I think that's what you need to do with your friend too. You're allowed to be angry at what he took from you, of course, and what he made you do. But it's okay to acknowledge that he's a part of you too. It doesn't make him any more powerful than you. It actually gives you more power because you're saying that you're going to decide how he acts in your life now. You're the one in charge. It's your story, Asriel. You tell it how you want it to be told."

Asriel let a stray tear fall while Larry spoke to him, hugging his arms to his chest. Hearing someone else validate his story and truly understand it gave him fulfillment he didn't even know he craved. Larry's words were exactly what he needed to hear, and he'd take them with him for the rest of his life.

Nodding up at him, Asriel said, "Thank you, Larry. I think I will do that."

"I'm glad."

After a moment of silence, Larry gestured out to the garden beside them. "Hey, you know, I'm actually a gardener too. I don't...really have a nursery anymore, but it's still a hobby. Do you think I could take some of these flowers home? I'd love to grow them myself."

"I'm already ahead of you."

Asriel spun around and held out a bouquet of flowers to Larry, having just dug them up for him. Larry took the flowers from him and smiled underneath the bandages, his chest swelling with warmth at the thought of a new friend.

~

Cliff and Papyrus walked side by side throughout the gardens, lost in one mindless conversation after the next. While Payrus happily swung his arms at his sides and walked in great strides, Cliff took small steps that came out more like stomps and tried to keep up.

When their path had taken them away from the rest of the party, Papyrus asked, "So humans used to pay you to drive cars all day long? That was your job?"

"Yup. I was living the dream. I won a shit ton of trophies, I had all these girls wanting to fuck me-" Cliff threw his head back to groan, "-Fuck, those girls were great. I even guest starred on a soap opera once." He made a wistful chuckle, "Good times."

"Wow!" Papyrus said agape, his hands pressed to his cheeks like The Scream, "You must be a human celebrity!"

"Yeah, I was. Until that fucker Chief turned me into a fucking robot. Fuck that guy. I mean it. He was a massive dick. I mean, sometimes I feel kind of bad about it, but then I remember I ate his brains out. So he got what he deserved in the end."

Papyrus stopped walking and turned to face Cliff, a soft blush falling onto his cheeks.

Once Cliff faced him, he quietly asked, "Um...you...ate his brain?"

Cliff took a step back and frantically started waving his hands. "Wait, I fucked that up! Okay, so Chief wanted me to eat his brains out, right? Yeah, don't worry. It was 100% consensual.

”So it's because I died a while back, right? But then, I came back but I was a zombie. And you know, zombies like eating brains. And Chief's head was just kind of there at our house, and he told us to eat it so his spirit could move on or whatever. Oh, I forgot that Chief was dead at this point. So we ate his brain, and now I'm alive again! See? Totally fine."

Cliff made an absent wave at Papyrus and shrugged as he looked ahead. "Don't worry about it. I would never eat somebody's brain without their consent. Consent's important in everything even when you're eating your asshole father figure's head."

"Yes, I...I see..."

Papyrus shook his head to get the red glow off of his cheeks, but he still found himself wringing his hands as they kept walking.

"Well, I was going to say before that I have a car as well."

"No shit! What kind?"

"It's bright red like my brilliant scarf. Do you think that one day, I could get paid to drive my car all day long too?"

"Fuck yeah, you can! It's the twenty-first century, dude! You can do whatever the hell you want."

"Hey, Papyrus. I was wondering where you and your new pal went. You know, you left me all a-bone."

The two looked ahead to see Sans walking over to them with his signature smirk. Papyrus stopped walking and placed his hands on his hips, his face curling into a glare.

"SANS! Must you infect everyone with your puns? I was taking Cliff through the gardens to get away from them!"

Sans held up his hands in defense. "Whoa, it was just a joke, bro. Don't worry ro-bout it."

There was a pause between the group as the joke settled, but Cliff eventually pointed at Sans with a gasp.

"Oh! That was a joke! You made a robot joke! That was...That was clever. I think it was anyway. I'm not offended by it or anything."

Sans tucked his hands in his pockets for a moment and shrugged. "Thanks, pal. Jokes are what I do best." He pulled one of his hands out and extended it, "I'm Papyrus's brother, Sans. Put 'er there."

"Hey! Nice to meet you, Sa-"

Cliff slapped Sans' hand and yelped at the touch, feeling electricity buzz through him. He stepped back and grabbed onto his wrist, watching as his hand began to shake.

"SHIT! What the fuck was that?"

Sans chuckled and held up his hand, revealing the buzzer placed in his palm. "I guess I gave you quite a shock there, huh?"

"SANS! Now is not the time for puns," Papyrus said with a stamp of his foot, "You made my new friend start shaking. Apologize at once!"

"What?" Cliff let go of his arm and saw that his hand continued to shake in the air. Shaking his head, he added, "Oh, no. It's okay. It does this."

Sans tilted his head to the side with a raised brow. "It's supposed to shake?"

"Yeah! So I got this thing called Parkinson's where my brain's a little fucked up and makes me start shaking when I don't want to. I don't really think about it too much anymore. But word of advice: The meds you have to take for it suck."

"Huh. A robot can get sick." Sans turned to Papyrus and added, "Now I've seen it all."

Papyrus gasped and gave Sans a small shake. "Sans, you're brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? Cliff, you're the second robot to ever visit the Underground."

"I am?" Cliff turned his head to the side and mumbled under his breath, "Fuck. I thought I was the first."

"You are! You have to meet Mettaton right away!"

Papyrus turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth to yell, "Mettaton! I have a robot friend for you to meet!"

Mettaton whipped his head around from the food table in the distance, seeing Papyrus make a sweeping wave at him.

He waved as well as he walked over to the group, saying, "Well, hello, all! You require my fabulous presence, I see."

"We do! Mettaton, this is Cliff! He's a robot just like you!" Papyrus said.

Cliff waved at the new member of their group. "Hey there! So I'm, uh, just going to ask this now. You're not going to...try to steal my body, are you? 'Cause you wouldn't be the first robot to do that, and I don't want to go through that again."

"Oh, goodness no!" Mettaton placed his head on his chest, his eyes wide with scandal, "I'm perfectly content in my luxurious silver physique, thank you. Your body wouldn't suit my fabulousness at all."

Cliff stared at Mettaton for a moment before slightly cocking his head to the side. Pointing at him, he asked, "Uh, second weird question. Have you ever met a sentient street that can teleport? Well, they're not a street anymore. They're an ambulance now. They were a brick for a while 'cause they were going through some shit, but then they wanted to be an ambulance, I think. And they got a bunch of drag queens and a girl with a monkey face riding with them.

”Is any of this ringing a bell? 'Cause I think you two would really get along."

~

Vic was enthralled by the Underground the longer he watched it all go by. He sat in one of the tables set up in the gardens, watching monsters and humans dart back and forth between all the fun in store for them. Vic had seen a lot of things over the years. Every time he thought he'd seen it all, the universe threw something wild back at him. He didn't mind it anymore, though. It all just came with going through life.

Vic was so lost in his thoughts about the Underground that he almost didn't hear Peter ask a question while sitting beside him.

"So what do you guys do exactly?"

Vic shook his head and returned to focus, turning to face Peter and Harry.

The former asked, "Like, are you explorers of the universe like the Guardians, or are you superheroes?"

Vic smiled at his new friends and laughed, relaxing into his seat. "Yeah, we get that question a lot. Well, I was just a superhero for a little while back in Detroit. Things changed once I fell in with these guys. We didn't want to be superheroes for a while. We just thought of ourselves as...people with powers living together. You know, just trying to survive. But we're superheroes now. It's...still a work in progress, though."

"Do you like it, though?"

"Hell yeah! This is exactly what I want to be doing."

"Hey, good for you! I'm sure you guys will do a lot of good for...where do you live again?"

"Cloverton. It's in Ohio."

Harry chuckled. "You're a long way from home, Vic."

Vic blew a raspberry. "Don't I know it."

"Do you hear that, Pete?" Harry asked, gently slapping Peter's shoulder, "It looks like you're not the only superhero in town."

Vic raised his brows at Peter, watching his cheeks grow red. "For real?"

Peter ran his hand through his hair with a sheepish glance. He usually did well in keeping his identity a secret from everyone even during cases where it accidentally slipped. He might be able to salvage this if he wanted to. But Vic was a superhero too. He could trust him then, couldn't he? After all, superheroes had to stick together.

Peter let himself relax and smiled with a shrug. "Yup! I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

"Yeah! Nice. I like the name. The best I could come up with was Cyborg."

"That's still pretty cool, though!" Harry said.

Peter added, "Yeah, definitely! What made you think of that?"

All of Vic's good vibes washed away at once, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He cast his eyes down at the ground and occasionally looked up at his new friends, seeing their faces grow softer while he spoke.

"Well, it's...'cause I am one. I...did something stupid a couple years ago. Really stupid. I got myself and...other people hurt. I practically died, but my dad brought me back by making me a cyborg. But my tech came with some powers too. I could tap into any piece of technology, turn my arm into a blaster, and this eye-" Vic tapped on his left temple, "-could record just about everything. It was cool for a little while, but then the hype kind of died down. I mean, I still liked being a hero. But I wanted to do it my way, not my dad's. So I got rid of the tech."

Peter nodded at him, his face unreadable while he spoke. He asked, "Did it help you feel better?"

Vic made a small nod and began to smile again. "It did. But...I'm still not really sure how to be a hero anymore. I relied too much on my tech before. Now, I'm just...me. I don't have anything like the others do. I left them with nothing but...me."

"Hey. You'd be surprised at how many superheroes out there don't have powers," Harry spoke up.

Peter made a fervent nod. "Yeah! A lot of the heroes I work with are just normal people under their masks. They don't need powers to be special. Harry doesn't have any powers, and he helped save this whole place just by being himself! True heroes know deep down that they have an obligation to fight for what's right just by their own determination.

”My uncle used to say that with great power comes great responsibility. You already have the responsibility part down pat. But the power? That's up to you. That's what makes being a hero so great. You have the freedom to choose how you want to fight back. You have that freedom now too. I wouldn't waste it if I were you."

Vic took in Peter's words and let them sink in, nodding to himself the clearer things became. He'd been left with so many choices throughout his life. Everywhere he went seemed like one major crossroads after the other, and he always took the path others wanted for him. But this was his life now. He was finally in control of everything, not his father. He was going to be the hero he wanted to be as a kid. Whoever that hero was wasn't figured out yet, but Vic wasn't worried. He'd know in time what he brought to the table.

As he let himself relax again, Vic sat up straighter and smiled at Peter. "Thanks, man."

"Hey, it's what I do."

"So, uh, do you have any powers or were you just bluffing?"

"Oh, I have powers."

As Peter leaned over the table, Harry said, "Watch this."

Peter aimed his wrist out towards the Dreemurrs' table in the distance, bending his fingers into their signature pose. When he was ready, he let out some web fluid and watched as it grabbed onto a slice of pie at their table.

Toriel jumped at the sight in her seat and watched it fly over to his, the pie landing on Vic's empty plate.

Vic pressed himself back into his seat and stared at the pie with wide eyes. Turning them onto Peter, he said in a breath, "Damn!"

"Peter!" Toriel said, trying her best to sound stern but quickly falling into humor.

Peter waved at her and said, "Sorry, Mom!"

Toriel waved him off then turned back to the rest of her table. She picked up her teacup and told Rita and Laura beside her, "Peter's abilities always startle me so, but I do not mind them, really. It is simply part of what makes him special."

Asgore hummed as he sat in between them. "Harry and Asriel have their own abilities as well. All of our boys of special."

"Oh yes. We are so terribly lucky to have them."

Rita hummed as well as she pursed her lips and took a sip of tea. "Well, I'm glad that your boys seem to be respectable. Our men are frankly...moody, for lack of a better word. And when you've lived in an entire house with them for over sixty years, it can begin to grow..." She sighed with a sneer, "-Tiresome."

"Well, at least we have Jane," Laura spoke up.

"Oh yes, of course. But you have to admit that even she can be somewhat difficult to live with at times."

"Yes, you're right about that."

"You certainly do live with a group of odd characters," Toriel said.

Rita said, "Yes, but...I will admit that they are family. But I simply applaud you for your family as well! You have all of these different monsters under your care and two human teenage boys thrown in as well. How on earth do you do it?"

Toriel and Asgore exchanged an uneasy glance, their paws fumbling into their laps. Their mouths seemed to quiver as they hesitated longer, leading Rita and Laura's faces to go pale.

Toriel started, "Well, it...was not always easy for us. We did not even...use to be a family."

"Yes, there was a time when Tori and I were separated, even."

Rita gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Really?"

Toriel nodded with a hum, her head turned back down. "It is because...I-"

"Tori."

Toriel looked up to find Asgore's paw resting on her shoulder, his eyes growing misty but his face firm.

Nodding, he said, "It's okay. This isn't your story to tell."

Toriel felt herself smile and nodded, taking his paw into hers. As he squeezed it, Asgore closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"A long time ago, I...I made a mistake. Someone hurt me and made me believe that others didn't deserve to be forgiven. I thought the world was cruel, and I shut them away. I only wanted revenge and blood on my hands. I was ready to do anything to get what I wanted, even harm those I truly cared about to get it.

”Toriel tried to turn me back to the light, but I shut her out too. She...She left me. Rightly so. But Peter and Harry brought us back together. They showed me how wrong I was in my anger and helped me open my heart once more. I eventually asked Toriel to return to me, and she did."

"Not right away, of course," Toriel chimed in.

Asgore shook his head. "Oh, no. Of course not. It definitely took the two of us some time to...return to the love we once held. Even today, we're still working on our relationship. But-" He turned to Toriel with a fond smile, "-We're getting there."

Toriel squeezed his paw and kept his eyes on him. "Yes, we are."

Asgore turned back to their guests and noticed how focused they were on them and how misty their eyes had become. Rita seemed to have a lump in her throat as she stared at them, and Laura had become rigid in her seat.

Asgore asked them, "Does that make sense?"

"Oh, yes. Completely," Laura said.

Rita added, "And I'm very glad you two are back together because you've been absolutely wonderful hosts."

Toriel closed her eyes and giggled with a smile. "Thank you, Rita. You two have been a delight as well."

Rita nodded with a smile, starting to relax again. "Thank you."

"Actually, Asgore, your story...reminded me of mine a tad." Laura reached over to grab Rita's hand and squeezed it, "Of ours, really."

Rita looked over at her and squeezed back, quietly saying, "Yes."

Like the Dreemurrs, the two women had their own wounds to heal from. The loss of Malcolm and Laura's betrayal still hurt Rita every day no matter how much time had passed. It had even taken some time for them to understand their own feelings for each other. But time did heal some wounds, and the two could say that they loved each other more than anything now. They were practically inseparable much to the Doom Patrol's chagrin, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

As Rita's thoughts began to wander, she found herself thinking of someone else Asgore was reminding her of. Even though Chief had been dead for some time, Rita still felt hurt by his actions. She had started to understand why he'd made her the way she was and slightly forgave him for it, but it still didn't make it any more okay. Still, she understood. At the end of the day, that was all anyone needed.

Turning to Asgore, Rita said, "You know, Asgore, I used to know someone a lot like you. He's not with us anymore, but..." She stopped to take a breath, as she found herself choking up for a reason she couldn't explain, "I think he would have loved to meet you."

Asgore gave her a smile in return, and the group faced forward to look out at the rest of the party. They saw Asriel run over to Peter, Harry, and Vic's table in the distance, each boy waving and gesturing to let him sit with them.

As she watched them, Rita said, "Now do forgive me if this question is rude, but I'm simply curious. How are Peter and Harry your children?"

Toriel and Asgore let out a hearty laugh and sat closer to each other.

The former said, "Well, they are not really our children."

"Asriel is biologically ours, but we took Peter and Harry in a long time ago. And they've made such an impact on our lives that they're practically our sons."

"Of course, they have their own families and relationships, but it does mean the world to us to hear them call us Mom and Dad."

"Oh, that's lovely," Laura said.

Asgore said, "Yes. Do you and Rita have any children?"

"Oh, no."

"Well..." Rita tucked in her lips as the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.

Laura gave her a warning glance as she squeezed her hand. "Rita."

"What? We can tell these kind goats, can't we?"

"But we haven't even told the others yet," Laura said, making her voice low.

"Oh, we can trust them. I don't think they're going to tell anyone. Please, dear? I don't think I can hold it in any longer."

Laura gave her a doubting glance but eventually rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, alright. But no one else until we tell the others."

Rita made a small squeal then turned back to the Dreemurrs, her smile growing by the second. She placed one hand on her knee while the other squeezed Laura's hand as tightly as it could.

"Laura and I are looking into adopting a child of our own."

The Dreemurrs lit up at the news, sitting up in their chairs with a gasp.

Toriel clapped her paws and said, "Oh, how wonderful!"

"Congratulations to you both," Asgore said, patting Rita's shoulder.

"Thank you, Asgore."

"Nothin's official yet, though," Laura added, "We're still just looking. We don't want to tell the others until we have somethin' set in stone."

"I completely understand," Asgore said.

Toriel added, "Do not worry, dears. Your secret is safe with us."

"Thank you," Rita and Laura chorused.

"Perhaps you could bring the little one around if you decide to come visit."

"Oh, don't worry." Laura turned to share a smile with Rita, "I think we'll be comin' back plenty after today."

~

By the time the Dreemurr Jubilee was through, the only guests that remained in the Underground were the main hosts and the Doom Patrol. Night had fallen over the land, and everyone was exhausted from all the festivities. It was a good exhaustion, though. It was the kind that made you trudge back home with a goofy grin and feel buzzed from all the fun you had.

The Doom Patrol made their way back to their time machine in the center of the gardens, but they made sure to give their final farewells to their new monster friends.

"Well, thank you for not kicking us out or trying to to attack us," Larry said to Toriel.

Toriel chuckled as she shook his hand. "I suppose we could say the same for you!"

"Hey, Undyne! You're going to teach me some fighting moves the next time we're together, right?" Cliff asked.

"Heck yeah! A-And I want to go for a ride with you in a car! I bet you're a much better driver than Papyrus."

"Hey!"

The Doom Patrol laughed as they climbed into the time machine, and Jane was the last one inside. She turned back to face Peter and Harry and gave them a salute as she stood in the doorway.

"Hey! Don't be a stranger. If you're ever in Cloverton, look for the big mansion."

"We will," Peter said.

Harry added with a wave, "Nice to meet you all!"

The monsters all yelled their goodbyes as the door on the capsule sealed shut before them. With a great whirring sound, the two drills on the side of the machine began spinning and sent the Doom Patrol back through the dirt. The ground closed up from where they stood and returned the flowers to their rightful place, acting as if they had never been there.

As Harry lowered his hand, he said, "I have a feeling we're going to see them again."

Peter nodded to himself. "Yeah. Me too."

A familiar feeling began to fill his chest as he looked off into the horizon. It was the sign that their world had just gotten a little bigger, and Peter welcomed it with ease.