Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gaster held a clear container. Inside two tiny slivers floated inside. Combined the two slivers of light were smaller than a grain of rice.

"Hard to imagine something so small could be the key to the greatest mystery of the multiverse." He mummers. "To be able to find the one creature that even Death can't track down." A sharp and predatory smile sliced through his face.

"What favor will Death grant me for finding his little Persephone? Should be easy enough to exchange Persephone's location, for never receiving Death's touch."

Chapter Text

The darkness was both expansive and Claustrophobic. Two small figures held each other tightly. They acted as each other's anchors.

"Cerberus, do you think he'll come back?" He held on tightly.

"Percy..."

"Cerberus, I'm scared. He's never been gone this long before. He forgot to leave a light on." He was starting to hyperventilate. "What if he forgot about us!"

"Percy," Cerberus guided Percy's skull to his chest. "Listen to my soul beat. One, two, one, two. I'm here, I won't leave you." The two held each other.

A squeak from a door hinge broke the silence. The light sliced through the room. Relief and fear flooded both Percy and Cerberus.

A towering lanky figure entered the room. The click and clanks from costume made leather shoes echoed. Thin skeletal fingers flicked the light switch. Both Percy and Cerberus were momentarily blinded. Percy hid his face into Cerberus's chest.

"Hmm" the glasses's reflection hid his eye lights. The figure tilted his head. "Stop being so dramatic." He scolded. Long legs made quick work on the distance between them.

He stared at the pair, much like a raven sizing up it's prey. A calculated glance was broken when he shifted his attention to a clipboard.

"Congratulations Cerberus, today is the start of a new chapter." He reached his thin and long hand into a tank.

"Cerberus! No!" Percy held on tight. White rectangles buzzed around his right eye socket. His glare fixated on the tall skeleton. "You can't take him!"

"Percy!" Cerberus tapped his forehead to his copy. "Percy, I'll be fine... I promise."

"Lier." Percy hissed. "And you already promised you wouldn't leave..."

"I promised I wouldn't leave you alone. I'll come back." He tried to comfort his duplicate.

The skeletal hand encircled Cerberus. Yaking him away from his copy. He was unceremoniously dropped into a clear pet carrier.

"Dr. Gaster! Put him back! Give me my copy back!" Percy pleaded. Panic filled his tiny body. His white rectangles buzzed faster. "Cerberus!"

"Be quiet. You're lucky you're my back up." Gaster glared at the small Bitty inside the tank. "If my calculations are correct, Cerberus will prove my theory." He glanced at the pet carrier in his hands. "I trust you will do your best. If not, Percy will have to finish the job."

The Bitties cried out to each other, as Dr. Gaster walked out of the white room. The only comfort Percy was left with, was the lights being left on.

Chapter Text

It was silent, except for the clicks of the heels of the shoes. Dr. Gaster opened a door to another lab. Cerberus and the pet carrier were gently placed on a desk. Dr. Gaster picked up another box. He paused, absorbing the moment. He took out a tiny outfit. The blinding white fabric contrasted with a blood red strip. 

He placed the outfit into the carrier.

"Get dressed Cerberus." Cerberus looked at the pile and then looked at his hospital gown he wore. 

"What's with the new outfit Doc? Is this some sort of protective lab wear?" The Bitty asked.

"No." He said coldly. "I'm trying to replicate the situation as best as possible. He wore a similar outfit. I won't let any oversight ruin my test... Not at this chapter."

Cerberus picked up the clothing. It was softer than what he currently wore. He almost wished he could give this to Percy. He needed better things. He sighed and changed outfits. Black shorts with white stripes, a white shirt, socks, slippers and hoodie. With a blood red scarf.

"Doc, what do I do with this?" Cerberus held the scarf up. "Is this a belt? How do I wear this?" He had only wore hospital gown like garments, and Gaster wore business attire or lab coats. He had no point of reference for scarves.

"You wear the scarf around your neck. Here," he pulled out a large smart phone. "Try to get it tied around in the same style, if you can." On the screen was a full sized monster that looked much like himself and Percy. The same white rectangles over their eye socket. He looked exhausted.

"Good enough." Dr. Gaster put his phone away. "Now to get you into my newest device." He gently picked up Cerberus. "This is exciting. Soon we will find out one of the greatest mysteries of the Multiverse! The fate of Reaper's lover." Pride was written all over his face. 

The device was the size of a family refrigerator. Dr. Gaster opened a door and placed Cerberus inside... It was bigger than it should be. It was endless white.

"Welcome to the Anti Void Cerberus!" A crazed look etched into his face. "Now time to wait and see!" He closed the door. 

Cerberus panicked when the device's door outline disappeared. Leaving him alone in endless white. What was he supposed to do? The doctor gave him no instructions. His hands nervously played with the scarf. 

"Should I stay in place? Will Doc find me if I move?" Fear seized him. "Percy, I don't know how I'm coming back..." He whimpers.

Time lost meaning. There was nothing to do to track it. Cerberus tried counting, but after a while he lost track. 

"Hello?" A scratching sound scurried around. "Where are you?" The sound morphed into static. The Bitty frantically looked around. This was the first sound he heard since he entered the Anti Void. "Please, help." Then a voice came through the static.

"Wait, this is new! It's a Bitty Geno! OMG guys come look!" The voice squealed in glee.

"You're right! Look how cute he is! So tiny!" Another voice cooed out.

"Awe! Now I want a Bitty Reaper!" Cerberus could hear the pout in the voice.

"No! Bitty Ink!"

"Quit shipping for five minutes!"

"Take a look! His stats! Guys this is crazy...look at his stats!" The first voice exclaimed in shock.

"You're right! Crazy! This ought to spice up the Multiverse."

Cerberus was terrified but slightly relieved. He wasn't alone, but there were so many voices.

"Excuse me...where are you?" He asked. The Bitty looked around. "My name is Cerberus..."

"Oh that is adorable! The dog from the underworld! Like it's a total reference to Reaper!" The first voice squealed.

"Wonder if Bitties corrupt faster." One voice teased.

"Corrupt? What do you mean?" The fear ebbed away and was replaced by confusion. "Are there Intercoms around? " 

"Well Sir Bee! There is nothing but the Anti Void and us!" It laughed.

"Yeah short stuff. Just us. Know any good jokes?"

"What's a joke?" Cerberus asked. 

"....wait a Sans, even a Bitty doesn't know what a joke is? That's almost a joke."

"What's a Sans?" He tilted his head in confusion. 

"Wonder if he'll turn out the same, but you know smaller?"

"I want to see!" 

The multiple voices chattered away. Some conversing with each other. Some talked to Cerberus. They never stopped. 

Cerberus's white rectangles started to buzz more. His joints burned. The voices never stopped. Time was meaningless. Everything hurt. His bones started to glitch. Then he blacked out.

"So cute!"

"I wonder if he has the same abilities, even on a smaller scale?"

"Check the stats out! OMG! This will be goooooooood."

When he came to, he rubbed his eye sockets. First thing he noticed was the lack of his white rectangles. He pulled his hands away, he saw his hands changed colors. The palms are now black, the base of his fingers are red and the tips are yellow.

"#What happened?#" He felt the sensation of something of importance slipping away. A slow leak that gained momentum. Like a landslide. He realized it was his memories. He recognized that he wasn't always like this, but couldn't remember the past. Just the vast Anti Void and the voices.

"Sir Bee seems out of it."

"You think he might reboot?"

"My money is on a rampage."

He was dazed. Slowly turning around. Trying to find anything to ground him. As he turned, his scarf fluttered around him. It was a deep blue. It stood out from the endless white. He caught the fabric and explored the texture. 

He ignored the voices. They never stopped talking anyway. An outline of a door opened up behind him. A long arm came through and snatched him away.

_________

Author's Note:

For the "glitch voice" I want to keep things simple...I'm typing this on my phone. So whenever a character that has a glitch voice speaks, it will be surrounded by a #. 

I am open to suggestions. But I can't figure out how to make text bold or have the line go through the words, or any of the other traditional glitch looks. 

Chapter Text

Percy cried nonstop. Left all alone in an empty white room, in his tank. 

The automated feeder and water dish worked. It was his only way to track the time. They...he would get fed twice a day. It had been almost two months since he was left alone. Dr. Gaster once muttered, "Thank goodness Monsters don't need a bathroom." 

Was this his life? Just being alone? The only sounds in the room being the feeder machine and his crying?

______________

In another room Dr. Gaster dropped the newly transformed Bitty into a tank and locked the lid. 

"This is perfect! This is the proof I needed!" Dr. Gaster was gleeful. He bent down to look at the Bitty. His face inches from the clear container. "Minor differences from the original, but there is no denying it." 

"#Who are you? Where am I? Why are you so big?#" the Bitty asked. 

"Memory loss...that would be another factor to the mystery." Dr. Gaster chuckles. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Gaster. Do you know who you are?"

"# I'm...my name? It's Sir Bee.#" 

"That's your name, but do you know who you are?" He prods. 

"# I don't know. I appeared in the Anti Void.#" 

"Fascinating." He stood up tall. Grabbing a clipboard and pen he madly wrote down notes. He turned and headed to the door.

" # Wait! Where are you going?#" After an unknown amount of time with only voices, he didn't want to be left alone again.

"I'm going to make arrangements for a meeting." A smile was etched on his face. "You'll be the guest of honor, Sir Bee." He chuckles as he shut the door.

Sir Bee sat down. The tank was empty. He felt lonely, but he instinctively knew he was missing someone, but it wasn't the Doctor. 

He sat in silence. It was foreign. The voices never stopped.  

_____________

Reaper floated as he collected the souls from a genocide run. He just wanted to finish the day's tasks and go home to his son. 

The Underground was 'deadly' quiet. Genocide runs typically were. So when a portal opened he raised his scythe in defense.

"I knew I'd eventually find you. I just had to find a big enough body count." He chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't behind the genocide run. I just kept an eye on a few AUs to track you down." The tall Gaster variant was dressed in an elegant black suit with a white high collar shirt, an elegant necktie with a jeweled necktie pin, with expensive looking black leather boots. His face was thinner than an average Gaster with prominent cheekbones. 

"Ok, you found me. Now what?" He thought for a second. "How can you see me? I didn't reveal myself." Now more on guard.

"I've been studying the Multiverse for a long time. I've picked up a few tricks on applying filters." He replied nonchalantly. "I would like to set up a meeting."

"A meeting with Death? You're not another mortal that believes they can win a game of chess, to postpone death are you?" He said in a bored tone.

"Oh no, I wouldn't arrange something so bland. What I have in mind will actually benefit you. I have discovered the answer to the most troubling mystery. The mystery that even keeps you awake at night." As the Gaster paused, Reaper was growing nervous. "My proposal is simple. My immortality, for the answer you seek. The fate of your precious Geno." 

"You...you know where Geno is! How!" He bellowed. 

"That's why I want to set up a meeting. We can discuss this over coffee. I have evidence of my discovery at my laboratory." He smiled. "I can even offer you a chair to sit in."

"Do you know where he is right now?" 

"I know of his current situation, not his exact location. But once I show the evidence, you'll be able to find him with no issues." He cooed out.

"You better not be lying. What should I call you? You know of the Multiverse...you should know it's customary to have a nickname." He relaxed slightly.

"You may call me Dr. Pretorius." He chuckles. 

"Ok...why Pretorius?" Reaper was not figuring out the reference or pun.

"You should watch more old movies Reaper." He placed his hands into his suit jacket. "Whenever it is convenient for you, I welcome you to my home AU, in my laboratory. I assume you must be busy. Check my stats, you can find my address there." 

Reaper checks Dr. Pretorius's stats. It was in a quiet AU. It remained out of the battle of Positivity and Negativity. Which makes it even stranger that this Gaster knows so much about the Multiverse.

"I'll come by tomorrow evening. I have to arrange some things."

"Sounds wonderful. I'll have some coffee waiting for you." He opened a portal. "I'm looking forward to our meeting Reaper. See you soon." And just like that, Reaper was left alone with his thoughts.

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Author Notes:

I recently watched the 1935 classic, The Bride of Frankenstein. There is a character in the movie named Dr. Pretorius. He created life, but they are tiny people. My first thought was, "Dr. Pretorius created Bitties." Plus he is tall and well dressed. My second thought was...he looks like a human Gaster.

If you haven't seen the movie, I do recommend it. Or at least look up a clip of Dr. Pretorius showing off his creations. The special effects are amazing. Especially for the 1930's.

The artwork I made, I think I'll redraw it soonish. I couldn't get the "Thinner face and higher cheekbones" I envisioned, but I do like how the outfit came out. Usually h

e'd wear a lab coat or a black overcoat, but I wanted to show off the vest.

Chapter Text

"Good Evening Reaper. How was your day my friend? Goth had a great day in the garden." Life greeted her dear friend. She noticed something off. He fidgeted. "Reaper, what is wrong?"

Goth chased after a butterfly. He stayed on a dirt path to protect the flowers. Reaper glanced between Life and Goth. 

"Life, I have a favor I need to ask you." He pleaded.

"Anything my friend." She reassured.

"I need you to watch Goth longer tomorrow evening. I have a... Meeting to attend." Reaper carefully said.

"A meeting? What sort of meeting would you attend? I don't think there are any godly assemblies any time soon." Life was confused.

Goth was still in sight, but just further down the path. Reaper leaned in closer, raising a hand to shield his mouth. "I might have a lead on where Geno is." He whispered.

Life gasped. "What?" She had to silence herself. She did not want to startle the child. "How? You must tell me everything." She whispered.

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow after the meeting. But a Gaster came to me. He could see me, without me revealing myself. He said he had evidence on what happened." He looked desperate. "I need to know what he knows. This is the first time in centuries that there was any sort of lead."

"I understand my friend. I hope everything goes well. I'll plan out some board games and bake some pies for Goth tomorrow." She promised.

"Thanks Life." He glanced at his son. Reaper held onto the hope that tomorrow would finally give them answers.

________

Dr. Pretorius went to the laboratory room where Percy lived in. He had to make sure everything was presentable. When he opened the door he was greeted with the sounds of sobbing. 

"Oh be quiet you." The tank was clean for the most part. A few crumbs from food pellets, but nothing unexpected. 

"Doctor?" A small strained voice asked. 

"Of course it's me. Who else do you know of?"

Percy started to cry again. "Where's Cerberus? Where is my copy? Please Doctor. Is he alright?" 

"You'll find out tomorrow." With that he left. He ignored the crying Bitty.

_________________

Reaper floated through the portal. He was greeted with sterile white walls. A door opened further down the hallway. 

"Ah, right on time Reaper! I have coffee ready in the other room. Come on in." Dr. Pretorius offered. Reaper glared at the Gaster, but went into the room. "Come and sit, I'll serve you your drink."

Reaper sat down. The room was large. It looked like it was designed to be a meeting room. A large table, projection screen and other normal office supplies.

"Here you go, Reaper...I have milk, creamer and sugar if you like." Dr. Pretorius placed a tray next to the coffee mug.

"Enough with the pleasantries Pretorius. Get on with your evidence."

"Doctor Pretorius." He corrected as he sat down. "I would like to discuss the deal first, then. "

"Look Doc, I can't give you immortality even if I wanted to."

"Don't you and your brother collect the departed souls? Can't you just ignore me for eternity?" Dr. Pretorius questioned.

"It won't work. Neither of us can ignore our jobs forever." Reaper glared.

"Give me a thousand years." He bargained.

"How do I know if your evidence is any good?" Reaper deadpanned. He sipped his coffee.

"If my evidence is completely worthless, I'll forfeit my life right now." The Doctor said flippantly.

"No need to go that far doc. I still can't do a thousand years."

"Five hundred years." 

"Doc, you don't get it. Just because your soul isn't collected, doesn't mean you are still alive. You can't interact with the world. You'll be an observer." Reaper explained.

"That would be enough, I seek out answers. I must find all the facts that I can. If my being can wander the Multiverse and discover it's secrets, then I'll be more than happy with the arrangement. Two hundred years. "

Reaper sighed. "So if you can just observe the Multiverse after your death, you'll give me the evidence?" He asked to clarify.

"Correct. I know I can not rest peacefully with only the information I gained during my lifetime." He gave a twisted smile.

"If your information leads me to Geno, then I promise that I will not collect your soul for a hundred years and you can observe the Multiverse. But if you are wasting my time, I'll make sure you'll have a bad time." He growls out.

"Hmm, let's also add in Reapertale Papyrus as well. I know that your brother also collects souls, but specializes in peaceful deaths." He stood up and took out an ornate fountain pen and high quality paper. Quickly, but with grace, he wrote down the terms of their agreement. His penmanship is elegant and confident. Dr. Pretorius handed over the paper. Reaper read over the contract. 

"Is the contract really necessary?" Reaper asked as his eyebrow ridge raised.

"Well, normally, I'd be happy with a handshake...but I don't think that's possible..." Dr. Pretorius laughed it off. Reaper grabbed the fountain pen, it had a warmth to it. He noticed it had the same blue and yellow color scheme as Dr. Pretorius's necktie pin. The Gaster watched Reaper sign the contract with the focus of a hawk. Afterwards he signed as well.

"Alright... Now where's Geno?" Reaper's patience was wearing thin.

"I think my evidence is best presented in video format, then transition to the physical evidence." He explained as he pulled out a remote. The projection screen turned on.

The video started to play.

_-_-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-_-_

The video revealed Dr. Pretorius in a lab coat. Next to him was a clear container with two tiny shimmering specks of light. Reaper knew a broken soul shard when he saw one.

"I have recently procured these two soul shards. According to the Stats Check, these both belong to an individual known as 'Geno'. My goal is to find out as much as I can about this Monster. He may hold the key to many mysteries."

The video switch to another clip. It revealed another lab. The lights were turned down. Multiple tubes lined the wall. It reminded Reaper of a movie Geno showed him. A science fiction, with cloning.

The camera panned to two tubes. Tiny little skeletons floated in the liquid. Little skeletons that looked exactly like Geno, down to the white rectangles around the eye socket. One labeled Persephone, and the other Cerberus. 

"My experiment is going according to plan. The two soul shards have developed bodies around them. The solution is giving enough magical energy to both stabilize the shards, but also give enough energy to grow new bodies. Much like a starfish growing a new body from just an arm. But according to the numbers, the shards will not grow any bigger than a Bitty." He paused. "After researching the origin of the soul shards, I have discovered that they belonged to a Monster named Geno. A Monster that could not die. Not even by the touch of Death himself. Apparently they had...relations. That is the reason why I chose the names Persephone and Cerberus. The bride of the ruler of the land of the dead, and his loyal watch dog." 

The video ended.

_-__-_-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-_-_

Reaper felt his soul drop. How did this Gaster find out so much about Geno?

"Next I'll bring out the Bitties. First will be Persephone, or as he prefers, Percy." He turned to look at Reaper straight on. "I'm sure you want to perform your own Stats check." The God nodded his head. "Excellent. Once you confirm the truth with Percy, I'll reveal the other Bitty. He will demonstrate my final conclusion as to Geno's current situation."

The God's mouth felt dry. He will deal with the morality of Dr. Pretorius creating life from his Spouse's soul shards after he received all the information. Are the Bitties like twins to his spouse, or his children? No matter, he will protect them after this mess is dealt with.

Dr. Pretorius went to retrieve Percy from a cabinet. Reaper started to cry. Inside the container was a miniature of his beloved husband. Right down to the outfit. The Stats confirmed the soul shard inside belonged to Geno. His emotions bounced all over the place.

Percy looked confused and terrified. His attention switched from Dr. Pretorius and Reaper. The container was gently placed into the table, in front of Reaper. 

"Hello there... Percy. My name is Reaper." He tried to cut back the tears. 

The Bitty's fear was replaced with concern. "Did you lose someone too?" He pressed himself close against the clear wall.

"What?"

"Percy, quiet." Dr. Pretorius interrupted. "Cerberus is not lost, he had a longer test to perform. A test that finally has results." He tutted.

The doctor went back to the cabinet. He took out a container that was shrouded by a fabric cover. He placed it next to Percy's container. With a swift motion of his wrist, he pulled the fabric with a magician's showmanship.

Inside was a miniature of Error. Little error messages buzzing around him. He was blinded by the sudden light flooding his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you implying..." Reaper lost the words.

"You're catching on Reaper. Some time ago I placed Cerberus into the Anti Void. He transformed into his current state. He goes by Sir Bee now." The doctor was blinded by pride. He did not see the shock and horror Reaper was displaying. "It proves my theory that Geno did not die. How could he? If even, you, could not collect his soul? He transformed into the Monster known as Error." As he rattled on, Reaper grew more horrified. "If it brings you any comfort, Sir Bee lost his memories from before the transformed. I believe that Error lost his memories as well."

"Cerberus? Is that you? Cerberus!" Percy ran over to the closest side to the other Bitty. "Cerberus! It's me Percy! I missed you so much!" He cried again. He bashed his tiny fist against the wall. 

Sir Bee tilted his head in confusion. Reaper checked the new Bitty's Stats...he used to be Cerberus, which meant he had Geno's soul shard. Sir Bee showed no recognition for Percy. That broke something in Reaper.

"Enough!" Reaper growled at Dr. Pretorius as he stood up. "Don't you see how much Percy is in distress? Don't you think you could of done this experiment with more mercy? How could you be so cruel? The Anti Void is no joke!" 

Both Bitties shivered in fear. This was a stranger yelling at the only other Monster they knew. 

"Oh Reaper, aren't you glad to get some closure? Didn't you desire to know the fate of your spouse? Now you have the information needed to either let things go, or to pursue to rekindle your love? Doesn't little Goth have a right to know what happened to his mother? " The doctor questioned.

"How do you know about Goth? Only my brother and...I know about Goth." Reaper was getting unsettled with how much information Dr. Pretorius knew. 

"I have my ways." He sing songed. "Anyway, I held up my end of the bargain. I presented my evidence. I gave you your best lead in centuries. Does this uphold my end of the contract?" He asked.

Reaper looked at the two Bitties. Both so lost and confused. "Yes, this does satisfy the terms of the contract. I'm taking the Bitties with me. I'm going to give them the life they deserve. You can't be trusted to take care of them." He spread out his raven wings in intimidation. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear, Reaper. I relinquish my guardianship of the Bitties to you. Thank you for attending my meeting." He smiled.

Reaper opened the containers and scooped the Bitties up. One in each hand. "Don't worry, you're both safe with me. I promise to take care of you both. You have my word."

With that Reaper disappeared. Leaving Dr. Pretorius alone. He smiled in victory.

__________________

Author's Notes:

Yeah, Dr. Pretorius is a little unfeeling. 

I can't imagine Reaper ever abandoning anyone related to Geno. He would make sure they're safe.

And the poor thing is kinda confused if these Bitties are siblings to Geno or maybe Geno's children. No matter how you look at it, they're family.

Chapter Text

Goth was enjoying his time with Auntie Life. She made the best pies. Today he got to spend more time with her!

He was a happy young God. He was as mature as a typical seven to ten year old child. Gods mature according to experience and power. Goth was given the luxury of a childhood. He wasn't immediately thrusted into his Godly duties.

"Goth dear, would you like some more pie? Or maybe another game? Your father left his portable movie machine. Would you like to watch a movie?" Life was a great friend to have. Although it seemed like she was trying to be more active than usual.

"More pie please!" Goth chirped.

Just as Life handed over the slice, a portal opened. It was Goth's Dad!

"Daddy! I missed you!" The child ran up to his father. He paused when he saw something in his hands. "What's that?"

Reaper looked frazzled. He held out his hands and revealed two Bitties. One that looked like Geno and the other that looked like the AU destroyer, Error.

"I hope these two will be our friends...but for now they need a home. This one is Percy, and this one is Sir Bee." He looked exhausted and the Bitties looked afraid and confused.

"That one looks like Mom!" Goth shouted as he pointed to Percy.

Life was shocked. "Reaper... You better explain this."

"Oh I will, I just need to sit down." He placed both Bitties on the table. "Goth, please do Daddy a huge favor?"

"Yes Daddy?" Goth was excited to help out.

"Can you go to the playroom? We will get you when we're done talking. I promise to get you a brand new toy of your choice in return." He pleaded.

"Ok Daddy..." He sounded disappointed.

"Daddy needs to talk, "grown up talk" with Auntie Life and the Bitties. I promise to clue you in later." He sounded exhausted.

"You can count on me!" Goth ran to the other room with his pie slice.

"Reaper, what is going on?" Life asked. "Why are there Bitties that look like...."

"They were from the meeting. A Gaster got a hold of Geno's soul shards. And made these two Bitties." Reaper went in to explain to all three what he was aware of. About the videos and the Anti Void, everything. Reaper was exhausted.

Percy was heart broken. Sir Bee was lost, his memory still foggy.

"Oh dear! Percy, Sir Bee! You poor things. I promise to help as much as I can!" Life tried to comfort them. "Oh!" Life got up and rushed to the kitchen. She returned with a plate of pie and some other snacks in one hand. In the other hand, small cup of water. "I forgot snacks! You two must be hungry!" She offered everything to the two small skeletons.

They ignored the offerings.

"Cerberus, you really don't remember me?" Percy started to cry again. "I don't care if you changed, I still, I still love you! You're my copy! Please don't leave me again!" Percy hugged Sir Bee. Tiny "error" messages buzzed around Sir Bee.

"I don't remember you. All I remember is... whiteness and voices." Sir Bee answered. He didn't push Percy away, it felt familiar. The two Bitties held onto each other. Percy rested his skull on Sir Bee's chest.

"What do you want to tell Goth?" Life asked. "I'm assuming you'll inform your brother of the details."

"Of course I'll tell my brother." He paused. "I don't know how much to tell Goth though." He rubbed his face. "How do you tell a child that the Bitties are clones of his mother?" He looked at Life. "How do I tell him? I can't hide this! He already recognized Percy!" He groaned.

"Yes, these little cuttings are pretty distinct."

"Cuttings?" Reaper asked.

"Oh, in gardening, some plants are very easy to grow a whole new plant from a small sample. Such as a small branch. From your description, these Bitties remind me of plant cuttings." Life answered. She gave Reaper a sympathetic look. "What are your plans with Error?"

Reaper placed his head in his hands. "I want to go up to him and ... Talk. Get my answers, and..." He cried. "I miss Geno so much. I need to know if there's anything left of him inside of Error. If it's amnesia or some sort of memory issue, then we can work on it. But what if he is so transformed that he's a whole new Monster?" He was lost. "I think, we should have the Bitties more established before talking to Error. Between the Bitties, Goth and Error...I can't juggle all three at once."

Life looked at Reaper with sympathy. "You're not alone. I'm always here my friend, so is your brother." She said gently.

The two Gods talk a bit more. The Bitties calmed down. They couldn't delay it any longer. Life brought Goth back to the main room.

"Goth, let me introduce to you Percy and Sir Bee." Reaper said. He took a deep breath. "These Bitties, are related to your Mother. Think of them as little uncles. Like how Uncle Papy is my brother." He explained.

Both Bitties looked up at the young God.

"Oh that's why Percy reminds me of Mom!" Goth turned to Sir Bee. "Bee seems familiar too, I don't know how to say it though. But he still reminds me of Mom too." He gave them a small wave hello. "I'm Goth! Pleasure to meet you!" He chirped.

Both the Bitties waved back, they weren't used to waving, but both Bitties saw it made the godling smile.

That comment his son made sparked some hope. If Sir Bee seemed familiar to Goth, would Error seem familiar to him?

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Chapter Text

When they arrived home Death the younger was already there.

"Greetings brother! Greetings young Goth!" Then he noticed the two new Bitties. Two Bitties that didn't dust while being in contact with his brother. And one looked suspiciously like Geno. "Brother, who are our new guests? You must introduce us!"

"Short story, this one is Percy, and this one is Sir Bee." Reaper pointed to the Bitties. "Long story, I'll tell you after Goth is put to bed."

"Sounds like a plan! Anyway, I'm happy to meet you both!" He beamed.

"But Dad! I want to play with Uncle Percy and Uncle Sir Bee!" Goth complained. "I don't want to go to bed yet."

"Uncles?" Grim tilted his head.

"Goth, your new uncles will still be here when you wake up. And Auntie Life said all three of you can explore the garden tomorrow. You're a growing kid, you need sleep." Reaper told his son.

"Ok Dad." An idea popped, "Dad, where are Uncle Percy and Uncle Sir Bee going to sleep?"

"Uh, hadn't thought that far out, that's why I'm going to talk with Uncle Papy. He's good at structure..."

________________

It didn't take long for Goth to go to bed. Now the Death brothers and the Bitties sat at the kitchen table.

"And that's where we are. Two new family members." Reaper had finished another cup of coffee. He finished bringing his brother and both Bitties up to speed on the Bitties backstory. Informing the Bitties who Geno and Error are. It was only fair to inform the Bitties the backstories on Monsters they shared faces with.

Now it was time to figure out sleeping arrangements and living situation.

"Well, we can go to an AU that's on their day cycle and buy something quick " Grim suggested. "I know of a great Bitty supply store. Clothing, bedding and such."

"Really? Why do you know about Bitty stores?" Reaper asked.

"Well, you know where all the good coffee shops are. Why can't I have a hobby? Besides they're usually not far from veterinary clinics."

"That makes sense." Reaper turned to the Bitties. "Do you want to stay here with me? Or would you like to go with my brother and get some supplies?"

"#I want to stay. Too much, way too much happening already.#" Sir Bee answered. "# So many colors, textures.# " the small error messages buzzed around.

"If Sir Bee is staying, I'm staying too." Percy softly said.

"Sounds good! I'll be back shortly!" Papyrus left through the portal.

It was the three of them. 

"... so you really don't remember me?" Percy fiddled with his scarf. 

"# Sorry, I don't. You feel familiar, but when we meet...I drew a blank on your name. Does that make sense?#" He started to fiddle with his own scarf the same way Percy did. "# It also felt right that we hugged. I'm sorry I can't remember. #"

Reaper noticed the scarf fidgeting. It was the same as Geno's own. He had to stop himself from reminiscing, he had to focus on the present.

"Sir Bee, the Anti Void is dangerous, and you are lucky to be alive. Give it some time, maybe the memories will return on their own. But in the meantime, you can make new ones. Both of you are safe here.  " Reaper assured them. 

"Reaper, thanks." Percy looked around. "It's a lot to take in. I've never been out of the tank... Cerberus had been out a few times, but wouldn't tell what would happen when he left." Guilt weighed heavily on his tiny body.

"If you or Sir Bee need anything, don't be afraid to ask. We all want to help. Goth loves you two already, Life is always willing to help, my brother is amazing. And I promise you two, that I'll protect you."  He made the promise out of both guilt and genuine care for the Bitties. "Are you guys hungry or thirsty?" 

"Um...yes, I'm used to the food dispenser going off by now. "

"Food dispenser? Is that why you didn't eat while we were at Life's home? Because you didn't recognize food not coming from a machine?" Reaper's anger at Dr. Pretorius kept growing. "Well...let me get something that's maybe more familiar then? What did your food look like?"

"The pellets are about this big." He spread his hands out shoulders width apart. "And a brown color."

"Ok we are going to expand on your diets. There are so many foods out there. It should be fun trying to figure out what you two like." Reaper grabbed a cereal box. Some store brand oat based cereal, that were shaped as little "O's." "Try these. I'll get some water too."

Sir Bee picked up a piece. Sniffed it and shoved it in. The crunching sounds cracked through the room. He quickly shoveled in more. Percy looked on in surprise. He was used to Cerberus eating slower, without any gusto. Seeing him eat with such energy was strange, but he seemed happy.

Percy looked at the cereal in his hands and slowly went to take a bite. It tasted nothing like the food pellets. It was so much better. He ate faster.

Papyrus entered the room from the portal. He held two shopping bags filled to the brim. "Hello! I have some supplies that should last us a couple of days! I do highly suggest Percy and Sir Bee come along next time! The experience should be good for them!" He placed the bags on the table. He started to pull out a few items. "I got blankets, beds, sleeping clothes and a few other things that will make life so much easier!" He handed a book to Reaper. "You should read this brother!"

"Bitty Care, from A to Z. Thanks bro." He smiled.

"In my opinion, both Bitties should sleep in the same room as either you or myself! That way if they need help we can assist immediately. It should help them adjust to their new environment."

"Sounds good bro. Hey guys? Do you want to sleep in my room or Papy's? We can change it later if you want."

"# I don't care.#" Sir Bee answered. He shoved more cereal into his mouth.

"I would prefer your room, Reaper. But as long as I can stay with Sir Bee, I'm good." Percy meekly replied.

"Good! Now I have a couple of options for your sleeping arrangements." He pulled out a box with a curtain taking up one side. "This option is designed to give you privacy while you're in a regular room." He pulled the curtain to show the spaciousness. "We can put the beds in here and you can leave the curtain open or closed. Some Bitties like the openness and some like it cozy." He pointed to one interior wall. "Here is your light switch!"

He pulled out another large box. It was the same size, but had no curtain. It had little doors and a window. "This is the same set up, but with doors! Of course we will explore more options, but for tonight what would you like? Take your time and explore!"

Percy finished his meal and walked up to the option with the curtain. In comparison to his size, the box would be a  comfortable size for two roommates to share. Room for two beds and space to pace around. The walls were painted a light grey and had a soft carpet floor. The curtain was a thick fabric, it did an amazing job blocking out the light. 

The Bitty timidly flicked the light switch on and off. He smiled. He turned to Sir Bee. "Sir Bee, I like this one...what do you think?"

"# Sure.#" His attention was on the bedding. He sat on the little beds. He didn't look satisfied. Suddenly he jumped into the blanket pile. "# This is better! I like the pile! #"

"Maybe a pillow might work as well?" Papyrus suggests. he pulled out a bean bag. "Here try this!"

The Bitty eyed the object then plopped on. His face instantly relaxed. Percy walked up to him. He hovered for a second and slowly sat down next to him. The bean bag was large enough to fit both of them with room to spare.

"Paps, you're amazing." Reaper was impressed. 

"Thank you brother! I, the great Papyrus, do try my best to welcome new family members." He smiles. "I best be off to bed. Tomorrow seems to be a full day. Good night Sans, good night Percy and Sir Bee. Sleep well."

"Sleep sounds good right now...come on, let's get set up." He placed both bitties gently on his shoulder and brought the needed supplies. It didn't take long to set up the sleeping arrangements. Both Bitties fell asleep cuddled up to each other. 

Reaper fell asleep not long after.

Chapter Text

Currently the Bitties now had a large two story Bitty house. It had two bedrooms, living room, magic kitchen, and a play room to keep all their new possessions. The house was placed in the living room of the Reaper household. 

It didn't take long for a new routine to fall into place. Goth and the Bitties would go over to Life's home to learn and play, and in the evening they would return home. Reaper and his brother would bring new supplies and food for the Bitties to try. 

_________

Percy was playing hide and seek with Goth. 

"#Life, what are you doing?#" Sir Bee was relaxing with Life under the shade of a tree. "#Are you fixing that rag? Seems like a lot of work.#" The tiny dark skeleton was fascinated, his eye lights fixated on the shiny needle Life held. 

Life had a good natured chuckle. "Sir Bee, I'm embroidering. It's like drawing with thread. I'm still a bit old fashioned with my hobbies. Would you like a closer look? You can sit on my shoulder." She offered.

Sir Bee was comfortable with contact with Percy, Goth and Reaper, but touch from anyone else brought anxiety and dread. Maybe because Papyrus and Life are so much taller? 

"#Can you put the beanbag on?#" The Bitty asked.

"Of course dear." She placed the small beanbag on the ground. The Bitty climbed on, and the Goddess gently placed it on her shoulder. "I've been working on this piece for you actually. I thought this could be used to help brighten up your new house. You can use it for a blanket or decorate your walls." The fabric was covered in high detailed flowers and a few bees.

 She went on to explain how she prepped the fabric with the wood frame. Sir Bee soaked it all up. Life loved sharing and teaching about her hobbies. 

"# I want to try!#" Life was happily surprised with how excited he was. 

"I think we can do that. Let me set up a work station." She walked over to her patio table and sat down. Much easier than working under a tree. She sat down and placed the beanbag on the table. "I'll hold my embroidery frame here, I'll pass the needle through the fabric and you can pass it back. I'm going to tap where I'll need you to get the needle through." The Bitty was a natural. He didn't need more coaching, he and Life continued on for the rest of the day.

_____

"# Thank you Brother in Law! It's my size!#" Sir Bee was over the moon when Papyrus gave him a Bitty sized sewing kit. The Bitties took to calling Papyrus"brother in law," Because he was overly formal, and now it was more of an inside joke.

"Of course Sir Bee! I love to encourage such a wonderful talent! Your drive is to be admired and encouraged!" Papyrus beamed.

Sir Bee became obsessed with sewing, embroidery and cross stitching. He begged for supplies. If he found fabric that needed repair, it would be fixed. Toys, furniture, clothing. He started to make clothes for Percy and himself.

Everyone, had been roped into holding the wooden frame to help Sir Bee out with his embroidery projects. Reaper took way too many photos of the two Bitties embroidering. Percy always had a reluctant expression, while Sir Bee was ecstatic. Percy held the frame and would pass the needle back. The two would bond over the activity. Chatting away while listening to music or watching TV.

______

It was the dead of the night. Instinct wouldn't stop pestering him. It told him to go to a location. 

Percy was fast asleep next to him. Sir Bee reluctantly got up and left. For the first time he opened a portal by instinct alone, and walked through.

He appeared in a strange place. It wasn't the Anti Void, but it was just as empty. The area reminded him of the space cartoons he watched with Goth. Dark, but holding hints of color. He floated towards a large tear. 

Without thinking he retrieved his sewing needle, his fingers went to his tear marks. The marks on his face shimmered in magic. Each tip of his fingers drew a different color thread. Blue, gold, and a blackish purple.

He started to sew the edges together. Switching colors every so often. There was a reason behind the color shift, a balance. The tear was now patched up. 

Sir Bee opened another portal and repeated patching up the tears he came across. Some tears needed more gold, and others needed more purple. He lost count of how many he stitched up. His face marks transformed back to their normal color.

At first his patchwork were crude, but eventually he made designs similar to the embroidery Life made. The designs ranged from plants, animals, swirling patterns, whatever felt right to sew into the tear.

He returned to his beanbag bed and napped before the morning routine of the household woke him up. He decided not to tell anyone about his outing.

______________

It became a nightly task. Fixing the tears. Sir Bee could feel the energy from the other side. It appeared to the Bitty that more dark feeling the other side was, the more gold he used to fix the tear. And the opposite was true, the brighter it felt on the other side, the more purple he used.

Over time, Sir Bee noticed his earlier patchwork jobs slowly fading. The tears would disappear. Sir Bee did not feel the dark or bright disturbances from the tears. The Bitty concluded that the tears were truly fixed. 

As much as it brought him satisfaction, that he successfully repaired the old tears, new tears kept ripping open.

Curiosity grabbed him one night. What was on the other side of the tears? After fixing a tear that used more gold than usual, Sir Bee decided to indulge in his curiosity. He floated through and landed in a hauntingly familiar hallway. Pure and unfeeling white. Doors labeled by numbers. Sir Bee instantly thought of Dr. Pretorius and his laboratory, but it was different enough as to not send him into a panic.

He short cuts around. Sir Bee popped up in a security room filled with camera feeds. Each video feed was labeled. "Lunch room," "Storage," And so on, but one caught is attention. "Chimera." 

Judging from the door outline in the background, the lone figure in the room was a Bitty. Nothing else was in the white room. Just a solitary skeleton Bitty dressed in a mint green hospital gown. Rocking back and forth on the floor.

Sir Bee short cuts into the room. "#Umm hi?#" 

That earned him a terrified yelp. He jumped up to his feet. "Who are you?" The unknown Bitty was around a head taller than Sir Bee. One red eye light and one white, with white bones. There was a cut on his cheek, it was actively bleeding.

"# I'm Sir Bee...and you are?#" he asked.

"I'm number ten." The taller Bitty answered. 

"#That's stupid, that's not a name. What's with your face? Want me to fix that?#" He pointed to the cut on his face.

"What...? I guess?" The white skeleton was confused.

Sir Bee took out his needle and his blue tear thread. Faster than the new Bitty could see, Sir Bee sewed an 'X' on his cut. The bleeding stopped.

"Ouch!" He barked. But he touched his face and felt the bleeding did stop, but now touched the thread. 

The Bitty was just confused. When he was about to question Sir Bee about everything, he felt a horrible, blinding pain rip through his soul. He collapsed to the ground.

Sir Bee used blue magic to get a look at the other Bitty's soul. It was a half red and half white inverted heart. The borders started to separate. Working on pure instinct Sir Bee stitched the two pieces together. It seemed to stabilize the soul. The repaired soul returned to it's body.

The Bitty woke up. "Did...did you just fix my soul? The doctor said it was unstable...that it was going to fall apart like the other nine...who are you?" He questioned.

"# I already told you! I'm Sir Bee! But I guess you forgot because you almost died. That's kind of understandable.#" he shrugged. 

The doors bashed open. Large monsters rushed in surrounding the tiny Bitties. A Gaster in a lab coat slowly walked in. 

"Fascinating. What a talented Bitty. Where did you come from?" The Gaster was similar to Dr. Pretorius, but to Sir Bee, no where near as intimidating. 

"# None of your business,#" the Bitty rolled his eyes. Then he noticed the other Bitty cower in fear as the large Monsters rushed in to capture them. That snapped something in Sir Bee.

Sir Bee felt a surge of protectiveness over the other Bitty. A strange instinctual magic was woken. He summoned a strange creature the size of a German Shepherd. It had the skeleton body of a dog with three heads that looked like Gaster Blasters. Sir Bee grabbed the Bitty and short cuts to the back of the beast. Each head belted out beams of energy at their master's enemies.

The creature ran past the injured monsters. They kept blasting down the building. Sir Bee opened a portal and the creature jumped through. The Bitty held Sir Bee tightly for dear life. 

They landed in the black space where Sir Bee worked. The three headed creature finally slowed down from the rush in the laboratory. It calmly walked the dark space between AUs. 

"Sir Bee? What just happened? Where are we? Are we dead?" He was beyond confused.

"# I rescued you. I have no clue where we are. Nope, we're not dead.#" it finally registered that the other Bitty was holding on tight. He wondered why it didn't bother him. The Bitty's face was wearing an expression saying, "what did you drag me into?" 

"Um thanks. I never thought I would ever get to leave that room. The doctor said he was waiting for my soul to break down. He was going to recycle the human soul shard and create number eleven." He said bitterly.

"#hmmm I think Cross Stitch fits you better than number ten. I like cross stitching. And you now have some cross stitching on your soul now!#" Sir Bee beamed.

"Cross Stitch?" He touched his cheek and felt the 'X' on his face. "It fits? Thanks?" He said with slight uncertainly.

"#No problem, because I was not calling you 'number ten'.#" he said with some good natured snark. "# I'm taking you home.#"

"Home?" Cross Stitch questioned.

"# Yeah. Me and my brother both came from a lab too. But now we got a home. Plus I don't know if I need to stitch you up again...so best to keep you close.#" at that, Cross Stitch hugged his back. A blush started to glow in Sir Bee's cheekbones. 

Cross Stitch loosened his right grip, but kept his arms around Sir Bee. He looked around the darkness, the Bitty noticed glimpses of color every so often. 

"What is that?! It's... Pretty." Cross Stitch pointed to an image. Sir Bee's earlier work. A mass of gold swirls with blue and purple to help it pop out from the darkness.

"# I did that! Some of it is cross stitching, and embroidery.#" Sir Bee answered. He pulled on his tears and held some gold thread. "# I've been fixing the tears in the space for awhile. #" he pointed to the many colorful works. "# Now that I think of it, that's why I was in your AU because it had a tear,#" He turned around to look at the place they escaped from. "# Good, it's still holding up, the tear is stable. I don't want to go back and fix it.#"

"What happens if the tears get bigger?" Cross Stitch asked.

"# I'm not sure, but if they're like regular fabric, it becomes unusable. Just shredded fibers. Left to float around like trash in the ocean.#" Sir Bee stared off into the distance. "# Reminds me of the time I left the fabric scraps from my project on the floor. Reaper slid on them and crashed into the couch. I got an earful about cleaning up after my projects. I can imagine a larger scale. AUs crashing into each other, especially the scraps of broken AUs.#" Sir Bee recalled a nature documentary he watched with Papyrus, ships crashing into the hidden rocks and coral.

"Who's Reaper, and what's an ocean?" Cross Stitch asked.

"# Oh, Reaper is my brother in law. It's a long story, I'll introduce you to the rest of the family! I'm sure they'll like you, Goth loves having me and my brother around!#"

"Thanks again Sir Bee, for everything." Cross Stitch hugged him.

Sir Bee awkwardly laug

hed as he opened the portal home. "# No problem! We lab rats gotta stick together...#"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_______________________

Chapter Text

Percy panicked. No one could find Sir Bee. No note, no evidence of where he went off to.

"Percy, calm down. Sir Bee couldn't have gone off too far. Maybe he went for a walk..." Reaper tried to comfort the Bitty. The God was fighting back his own abandonment issues. "He'll be here for breakfast. No way he'll miss food." He tried to lighten the mood.

Percy was about to fully fall into panic when a portal opened up. A German Shepherd sized, three headed creature walked through. Panic was replaced with confusion. Then he spotted his brother.

"Sir Bee! Where have you been! You had me so worried!" Percy ran towards his brother.

"# Sorry about that Percy. I had stuff to do...and I think I made a friend?#" He said sheepishly. "# This is Cross Stitch, #" he indicated with a nod of his head. "# I don't know about this thing? I think I summoned a dog thing? Anyway it can shoot out Lazer beams!#" at that the creature wagged it's tail.

"You summoned a three headed Gaster Blaster...how? You're a Bitty?" Reaper was shocked. "I thought Bitties didn't have the magic reserves to do that...but then again you're not a regular Bitty..."  He trailed off 

"Daddy! Did you find Uncle Bee? It's breakfast time!" Goth rushed into the room. "Wow! Is that a dog! We got a dog!" The Gaster Blaster dog wagged it's tail faster. It bounced over and bumped one of it's heads against Goth's hand. Goth was beyond happy that the creature didn't dust. "Wow! It's still alive! Can we keep it? What's it's name?" He started to pet the blaster.

"# um I didn't name it yet... Hey Goth, this is Cross Stitch! I don't know if he's death touch immune or not. We'll figure out that out later. #" He pointed to his new friend. "# What's for breakfast? Did Brother in Law make waffles? #" he asked hopefully.

____________

Goth shoved some waffles in his mouth. He watched the grown ups talk about the new Bitty and what his Uncle Sir Bee was up to at night. 

Cross Stitch was now wearing a spare outfit. A black turtle neck sweater and white shorts with a pair of white slippers. He sat at the mini table with the Bitty brothers. The mini table rested on the normal sized one.  

"# I go into this dark empty place, and there's tears that need to be sewn up. So I do that before the rips get bigger. I lost track of how long I've been doing that. Last night after I fixed one, I got curious about what was on the other side.# " Sir Bee looked towards Cross Stitch. "# Then I figured I'd explore. Seems like each tear has an AU behind it. My guess is the barriers of AUs get worn thin or damaged and just needed repairs. #  " 

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? You left without telling anyone! What if you got lost or trapped or hurt?" Percy felt betrayed and a little useless. "You were lucky you were able to summon your blasters! What if those Monsters wanted to keep you?" Percy demanded to know.

"Percy, I agree that Sir Bee should have told us sooner...but sometimes when you get a guardian or god like job, it just takes over your compulsion. Seems like Sir Bee has a job now." Reaper explained. "Sir Bee, do you mind if I check your Stats? I want to see if you have an official job title."

"# Sure, go ahead.#" He shrugged. 

"Patch Job. Part one, Stitching up the tears in AUs that have a *Chance* of recovery, before the AU self-destructs. Part two, Anchoring down AUs before their unbalanced energy hurls it into a collision with another AU." Reaper was a little flabbergasted. "How many tears did you say you sewed up a night?" Reaper stayed out of the battles between the Star Sans and Nightmare's gang's battles. He only cleaned up the aftermath of the dead.

"# I'm not sure, maybe two to five a night? I haven't been keeping track. Some are bigger, some are very small. Some need more gold thread, some need more purple thread.#" he touched his face markings and pulled out three strings. "# See gold, dark purple and blue. Positive, negative and the strong string. I just know what's needed. #"

Cross Stitch touched his cheek. "What strings did you use on my soul?"

"# I used blue strings on your soul. I think it should stick together. So far everything feels fine. Kinda feels like you're on my radar. I don't know how to explain it.#" Sir Bee gave Cross Stitch a slight smile.

There was an awkward silence that struck the room. "I'm sorry what? Sir Bee, did you stitch his soul?" Reaper asked. 

"That is unexpected Brother in Law, Sir Bee. I have never heard of stitching a soul. Why would you do that?" Papyrus couldn't understand why Sir Bee would do such a thing.

"My soul is half Monster and half human. I was artificially created. The tenth attempt of creating a hybrid, all of the previous nine perished, because the soul never stabilized. But Sir Bee saved me. He made my soul stay together. I owe him my life." Cross Stitch looked at Sir Bee with admiration and loyalty. Sir Bee shyly looked away and blushed.

"Does that mean that your soul won't fall apart? Can you still dust?" Goth asked. "Are you Death Touch proof?" The young god was hoping he could have another friend that  he could hug!

"Just wait on that for now Goth...I'd like to know more about Sir Bee's Strings before trying." Reaper felt a headache coming on.

Percy felt jealous for the first time in his life. He didn't want to share his brother with another Bitty. Percy didn't know why he felt this level of possessiveness. He didn't feel this way when Sir Bee played with Goth, or drank coffee with Reaper, or anything else with the others.

It felt like he was being left behind again.

____________

"Hello! How is everyone this morning? Oh Reaper! You got a dog?" Life was surprised seeing the Blaster walking towards her. Then she noticed the new Bitty. "Hello! I'm Life and this is my home! Are you friends with Sir Bee and Percy?"

All three Bitties rode on the blaster's back. Sir Bee was squished in the middle. Percy hugged one of his brother's arms. Cross Stitch leaned in for balance.

"Hello...my name is Cross Stitch." He gave a small wave.

"Goth, can you and your uncles go and play for a little bit? I'd like to fill in Life about Cross Stitch and Blaster." Reaper asked.

"Blaster?" Life questioned.

"That dog is Sir Bee's Gaster Blaster. Goth named him." Reaper explained. 

"# I'm staying with Cross Stitch and my dog. Percy can watch Goth. #" Sir Bee pouted. Percy looked like he got slapped. 

"Sir Bee, everything will be fine. I assure you, we won't be long." Life gently replied. 

"# Fine. Cross Stitch, Blaster, Life is a good Monster and makes great food. You'll be safe.#" He huffed out. "# Goth, Percy, come on. I'll show you some sewing tricks.#" 

Cross Stitch stayed on Blaster's back. Both watched as the young god and the bitties walked off. 

Reaper quickly filled in Life on Sir Bee's adventures and how Cross Stitch and Blast came into their lives. 

"I see, that must have been an exciting breakfast." Life remarked.

"Yeah it was. Life, I will be honest, I want you to check out Cross Stitch's soul. See if it is stable and if he is 'death touch proof.' The fact that the strings kept him from dusting makes me curious." Reaper said. "With Sir Bee's magic running through them, it should keep him grounded."

"I'm wondering about that too Mr. Reaper. I want to add that my soul hurts a lot less now. Before it felt like it would tear itself apart. Now it feels... normal." Cross Stitch reported. 

"Well, let's take a look at the soul." Life said. "I want to make sure the strings aren't harming your soul." Her voice held gentle concern.

The tiny soul was summoned out. It was half white and red. Right at the seams were blue threads that were sewn in little 'x's.

"Your soul is healthy, and it seems very resilient. From what I have seen from Geno's, Percy's and Sir Bee's magic, my conclusion is that your soul is 'death resistant'. The strings are connected to Sir Bee's Magic. It should give you short protection from a touch from Reaper or his family from time to time...As long as Sir Bee's magic runs through the strings and your soul, but if you're not careful 'death touch' can still kill you. Sir Bee's magic has formed a small shell around your soul " Life concluded. 

"Thanks Life. That's a load off my mind. Would you have any idea how much exposure Cross Stitch can have? Or warning signals?" Reaper asked.

"My guess would be , he would have longer resistance, when Sir Bee is closer. Since the string magic is heavily connected to Sir Bee." Life offered. "As far as actual exposure, a touch every so often should be fine, but I would not push your luck." She warned.

_________

When Goth heard about Cross Stitch's theorized resistance, he recklessly poked him. When he didn't dust, everyone sighed in relief.

"How do you feel?" Reaper asked. He internally prayed that his son didn't kill the Bitty.

"I feel pretty tired, but ok." Then he proceeded to puke. "Still ok!" Reaper quickly checked his Stats. He was fine, but now a little sick...the level of sick he should be fine with a good night's sleep.

"# Brother in Law Papyrus is buying more supplies for Cross Stitch right? I hope that includes slippers. That's gross...#"  Sir Bee said.

"Is he going to stay in one of the older homes? Do you think he'll go for the curtain? Or the one with the doors?" Percy asked. 

"# I didn't think that far...I assumed he'd sleep in our beanbag. #" Sir Bee said.

"...What? You want a stranger to sleep in our house! Our space?" Percy asked with venom. "You just met him! A complete stranger! He's not family!"

" # What is up with you? Cross Stitch is mine! I fixed him! What if his stitches become undone! I need to be there to fix him again!" Sir Bee raised his voice. 

"Hey... I don't want to cause trouble..." Cross Stitch stripped his puked soaked slippers. "I'm already causing a mess..."

"# You're not! Stitch, you survived a touch from the Reaper's son! You're fine.#" Sir Bee turned to Percy, "# Percy, watch it, Stitch is just like us. At the Mercy of a random Monster. Reaper didn't have to take us home, but he did. I didn't have to save Stitch, but I did.#" he sighed, "# I couldn't leave him with that Gaster... To be used as a lab rat. If you were there, you'd make the same choice and take him home!#" he declared.

"Fine! Ok! You're probably correct!" Percy huffed. "But seriously, if he is staying in our Bitty House, then we need a bigger bed, or he gets his own! No way all three of us can share the same bedding." Percy gave in. He didn't want to share his brother, but he hoped he will get used to Cross Stitch soon enough.

Reaper was thankful the Bitty brothers talked things through. "I'll tell my brother that you're touch resistant, but can get ill easily. Me, Goth and my brother should make a plan to keep you safe." Reaper told Cross Stitch. "My bro might have a better idea for Bitty ramps, we got used to helping Sir Bee and Percy around."

"I can carry you in my toy car! That way I'm not touching you!" Goth offered.

Cross Stitch was beyond happy to be in his new home with his new friends.

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That night, the Bitty House held the three Bitties. Reapertale Papyrus brought home plenty of clothes and a new larger bed for the Bitties.

Sir Bee was firmly in the middle of the bed. On one side his brother hugged his arm in a vice grip. On the other side, Cross Stitch gently hugged the other arm. The Bitty guardian had a hard time falling asleep, but eventually he drifted off.

He felt the calls of Multiverse tears. But he remained asleep in bed, the tears could wait for the morning.

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