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Out of all of the ways your day could have gone; ending up in North Star’s lasso (and the jailhouse, subsequently) was most certainly one of the worst.
Growing up in New Home was boring. Traversing through the old Steamworks and seeing how the Underground’s old source of power used to operate was boring. Exploring Waterfall, the Mines, Snowdin… all boring . In general, the Underground was just a boring place to be. Monsters kept themselves enduring by forming connections with each other and inventing things, because what else were you supposed to do when you were trapped beneath the earth?
You hated it. You oh-so-desperately wanted a taste for human life, for the Surface, for entertainment… that new rising celebrity “Mettaton” wasn’t doing it for you. However, you’d eventually found something— no, some one — that was actually successful.
This entertainment came in the form of a lizard monster who went by the fitting name of “North Star”... sheriff of a little town in the Dunes. You’d heard about the Wild East from a passing conversation picked up by an Echo Flower when you were in Waterfall; it was apparently quite the controversial subject.
The town’s culture was heavily inspired by some form of human culture that the sheriff and his little band of friends were all obsessed with. Normally, you wouldn’t have even bothered checking it out— there was no need to associate yourself with human-loving fanatics; it would only cause you trouble.
Nevertheless, you’d changed your mind about the subject a couple days later. After thinking about it, you realized that you didn’t really have anyone in your life to actually judge you for whatever decisions you may or may not choose to make. The thought saddened you, and you decided that it was time to remedy that.
And so you went off on your way, trudging through the mines and into the Wild East. You stayed in the town for a couple days, keeping to yourself and taking great effort to not be seen. You just wanted to observe, and observe you did. Seeing them all so happy… it made you feel strange. So many other monsters were so dull and gloomy, but North Star and his posse— The “Feisty Five”, they called themselves— had a way of lifting spirits and entertaining others.
It was also clear to see, however, that they were running out of ideas. They’d probably been doing this for a while before you arrived to see it, and the so-called “bandit” they’d enlisted to help partake in their shenanigans was currently going through some kind of fake redemption arc. They had no antagonist! Nobody to add stakes to the game!
That was when you decided to take matters into your own hands. You were sure that North Star probably talked to others before looping them into his roleplay— or, on second thought, maybe not— but either way, you wanted in on the action.
Why not see if the sheriff had it in him to really cowboy up? If he wanted to parade around and act the part… Well, you wanted to see what he could do. Not only that, but you also had no problem with admitting you had eyes for him. After observing the five pull their little stunts for so long, you always seemed to be drawn back to the sight of North Star.
The way his yellow and turquoise scales almost seemed to shimmer under the Swelterstone… the way his rays twitched and his tail rattled, always giving away how he was feeling… hell, even the way he handled his revolver and lasso made you sweat a little, and that was before you started thinking about being a fake bandit.
North Star was a pretty monster. You were sure everyone knew it. You were sure that he knew it; it was pretty damn obvious. And if you were glad he didn’t seem to have a significant other? That was no one’s business but the Angel’s.
Over the course of the next few weeks or so, you built up the tension leading up to your grand reveal (mostly because you were still creating your outfit at the time… every good bandit needs an outfit). You engaged in some petty theft, stealing a couple G from citizens every now and then, but never too much to cause actual problems. You’d vandalize Blackjack’s with paint that could easily be cleaned and wouldn’t cause damage to the property, and one time, you even managed to prank the sheriff himself using the old “bucket of water above the door” trick.
Everybody knew there was a bandit about, but nobody ever seemed to notice who was doing everything. The bandit would strike at the most opportune moments, and their mind was as sharp as a blade. Thus, you were given the name of “Desert Dagger.” Not exactly what you were hoping for, but it worked all the same. The dagger would be your symbol, and so you went and bought one from a pawn shop during a holiday.
Neither Virgil nor the Dagger would ever get up to no good during holidays. The goal was to provide excitement for monsters, and holidays could do that on their own. Besides, during the holidays, North Star and his posse were also on break. There wouldn’t have been anyone around to stop you anyway, and it wouldn’t have felt right to take advantage like that.
You weren’t trying to cause genuine harm. Like North Star, you just wanted to entertain. If you found entertainment out of entertaining others, then so be it. It really didn’t seem that selfish to you, anyway.
You managed to keep up your act for quite some time. You’d lay low for a few days every now and then, observing the way everyone in town was on edge during that time. On the days you didn’t do anything, the townsfolk always seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. North Star had been growing more and more irritated the longer you managed to evade him, and you couldn’t help but find it at least a little bit amusing.
Eventually, however, it was that amusement that led to your downfall.
It was high noon in the Wild East, and North Star was doing his usual stroll around town, looking for any “wrong-doers.”
It’s a wrong-doer he’s gonna find, I guess.
The rising aggravation that North Star had been experiencing was something you found incredibly amusing, so you decided it was time to step up the game. Bandits usually messed with the lawmen, did they not? A few taunts and jabs here and there surely couldn’t go wrong.
You laid low, hiding on top of the saloon roof to keep a watchful eye as he paced around. He seemed more fidgety than usual, which was odd, but you brushed it off as the irritation of not catching you for so long. The roofs of the buildings in town were great vantage points for you; so you’d spend a lot of time up there looking for the best opportunities. Considering there was the most amount of people out and about at this hour, you decided that it was the best time to make your grand appearance.
You swiftly made your way down from the roof, keeping yourself hidden until he was at the perfect spot to make your move. You were confident that should things turn out poorly, you’d be able to at least get away and evade capture. In all your time of watching him and his posse, you’d never seen him actually use any magic. You’d seen him fire his revolver and twirl his lasso, but magic wasn’t something he seemed to rely on.
Maybe his magic just isn’t very powerful, You hypothesized. It would make sense that he’d practice so much with his actual tools if that’s the case. He’d be dependent on them the most.
Finally, you began to approach him. You pulled up the hood of your cloak and wielded your dagger for show, creeping up quietly behind him. Nobody seemed to notice you until you’d shot out a few weak magic blades, which impaled themselves in the wall all around him. You were careful with your aim to not let any actually hit him— you only wanted to startle him.
All eyes in town turned to you, a few gasps ringing out. You finally spoke, voice steady and loud enough for the townsfolk to hear.
“Hello, sheriff North Star. Pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face.”
He wheeled around at the unfamiliar voice, gloved hand twitching near his revolver. His white eyes glinted and narrowed in the light upon realizing who you were. He adapted quickly to your sudden appearance; improvising. “You. So yer the Desert Dagger. I thought yer whole thing was hidin’ in the shadows like a coward?”
“It was. But there’s more spectacle when you actually know who the villain is, right? I think it’s about time we get acquainted, North Star.”
His eyes narrowed further, frown deepening as he stared you down. His fingers twitched once again, itching towards the gun at his hip. His tail lashed and began to rattle softly behind him. “The only thing you’ll be gettin’ acquainted with is that there jailhouse, bandit. Ya might as well give it up right now.”
“I don’t think so, North Star. You’ve failed to catch me for this long; what makes you think I’m just gonna call it quits and give myself up now? I had to come to you just so you could actually get a good look at me,” You gloated, high on the feeling and thrill of being at the center of everyone’s attention. It was one thing to witness the sheriff’s antics just as a citizen… it was another to actually be on the receiving end. Your smirk grew with glee as you saw his own expression grow dark. The rattling of his tail grew louder, and he fully rested his hand on the silver of his revolver now.
“It’s that arrogance that’ll be yer downfall,” North Star spat, taking the gun from its holster. He didn’t point it at you, however… he only kept it near his waist. “You’ve been evadin’ the law for too long; terrorizin’ the innocent folk of this town. It’s time I put a stop to it.”
“That it is. But do you really think you’ll be able to get me? I must admit, I have my doubts,” You chuckled, twirling your dagger in hand. “Let’s test to see if they’re true. If you can’t catch me, then maybe you’re just not cut out for sheriff business, North Star.”
With that, you suddenly darted off in the opposite direction, darting across the town center and hopping the fence that surrounded the area. The open desert was quite possibly the worst place you could have gone— with nowhere to hide until the East Mines— but you were certain that you could make it there in time.
North Star chased after you in a hurry, revolver in one hand and lasso in the other. He had longer legs than you did and was much faster than his lanky form made him appear to be, and it wasn’t long until you began to hear the tell-tale swishing noise of his lasso behind you.
You were almost to the mines, and you weren’t about to let him get you when you were so close to freedom. It was time to pull what was perhaps your dirtiest trick.
With your dagger and hand, sharp and ready, you stopped running and allowed the lasso to loop around you before slicing across the leather with a quick, clean cut. It dropped to the ground, and you resumed running until you couldn’t hear him following you anymore.
~ ~ ~
Your game of cat and mouse with North Star continued for about another month after that first instance. You’d make an appearance and wreak some minor havoc before he and his posse would chase after you; always to no avail.
It wasn’t until late one night that it all came to an abrupt halt.
You were lying on the roof of the saloon in your usual spot, deciding to take the rest of the day off to observe the spectacle you’d made just minutes earlier. You had detonated a glitter bomb right over Ed’s head as he made his way out of the Feisty Flat, covering him in the stuff before retreating to your hiding spot. North Star had disappeared somewhere after seeing what had happened, but you weren’t too worried about it until you felt the cold metal of his revolver pressing against the back of your head.
“Move an inch, and I shoot,” he spoke from behind you, voice hard and low. It sent a shiver up your spine as your mind scrambled to think of something to say. You couldn’t think of anything, and so he spoke again. “Get up.”
“… What?”
“ Get. Up.”
You gasped as you were yanked to your feet, his gloved hand grasping your arm tightly, but not so tightly that it caused pain; only mild discomfort. He flipped you around without warning before he grasped the collar of your cloak, your eyes wide with shock.
“There isn’t anyone around, North Star. There’s no audience up here,” You murmured breathlessly. “What—”
“You’ve humiliated me for the last time, Dagger,” North Star hissed, his face leaned in close to you. The feeling of him handling you so roughly, with such firmness and authority in his voice… it would have been a lie to say you weren’t a little turned on by it.
A nervous laugh rose from your throat. “H-hey, come on now… that was all show. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“You destroyed my lasso. Every time you get away, me and my posse look like a bunch of fools.”
You do that without me around, Your brain supplied unhelpfully. You decided it was probably for the best that you didn’t say that out loud. “All part of the show, isn’t it? If you want me to pay you back for the damage—”
“The damage has been done!” North Star snapped, his grip on your tightening even more. His tail lashed and rattled behind him. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s gettin’ laughed at by the folks that depend on me. So I hope you didn't get too comfortable up here, bandit, because yer gonna need to adjust to bein’ behind bars.”
You swallowed and made a move for your dagger, but North Star was already snatching it out of your hand before you could even blink. He pocketed it without a second thought.
“Hey, that’s mine—!”
“I’m sure that’s what all the townsfolk were thinkin’ every time you took gold from ‘em,” North Star retorted as he tied his lasso around your wrists.
After struggling weakly for a couple seconds, you huffed and let your shoulders slump. “It was only ever like, two G at a time. And besides, I always return it.”
“Don’t matter. Stealin’ is wrong.”
“You literally just stole from me.”
“I’m the sheriff!”
You groaned, exasperated as he began yanking you towards the ladder leading up to the top of the roof. You frowned upon seeing him begin to go down first, the lasso tied to your wrists still in hand. “… Okay. Fuck. This is awkward.”
North Star glared up at you. “What’s awkward? That ya got caught fer yer wrongdoin’s?”
“Um… no. I’m gonna have to go down first.”
His eyes narrowed further with suspicion. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t expect to get caught today and felt like being cutesy, so I wore a skirt under my cloak.”
“Why is that a— oh. Oh.” You almost wanted to giggle upon seeing the bright teal color that rose to his cheeks. He coughed and nodded quickly, climbing back up the rungs before stepping to the side. “Sorry. After— after you.”
A small chuckle rose from your throat before you made your way down the ladder; albeit somewhat awkwardly due to his hold on the lasso— and you, as a result of that. You both managed to make your way to the ground without problem before he began dragging you in the direction of the jailhouse, to your displeasure.
“So rough,” You muttered.
“If you don’t shut yer mouth, I’ll show you—” North Star paused, then groaned. “Ya know what? No. No, we’re not goin’ there.”
You snorted. “Not going where? I know what you were about to say. You’re freaky.”
“ Freaky?! ” North Star sputtered. “You’re the one who—! Urgh. I strongly dislike you.”
“You can just say hate, you know.”
North Star averted his gaze, to your curiosity. “I don’t.”
“What?”
“I don’t hate you. I don’t… I don’t really… hate anyone.”
You frowned and fell silent. The ambience of the area now became uncomfortable. Maybe it was because his “North Star” persona was cracking— you knew it was just an act, but the act was all you knew. You never really saw whoever hid behind the attention-grabbing wall.
There’s a certain understanding that one gets after observing the behavior of a person for a long time. Whether than be a friend or an enemy, you get to know them, to an extent. After observing North Star for as long as you had, you could almost compare him to a scarecrow, hanging alone in a field.
The scarecrow is what catches your attention first. It’s conspicuous in nature, made to attract attention while simultaneously keeping others from getting too close.
Nobody thinks about the field, even though it was the beginning of everything. Nobody thinks about what the scarecrow is protecting. Nobody thinks about what the scarecrow was made for.
They see the scarecrow, enjoy the entertainment and spectacle it provides, then they leave.
You decided that you wanted to be the crow who didn’t fly away.
“Oh. That’s…” You trailed off, momentarily unsure of what to say. “That’s good to know.”
“Good to know so you can try and change that, or…?”
“Good to know so I can avoid changing that,” You replied, sounding much more vulnerable than you would have liked. You had really fallen hard, huh? “That’s… that’s an admirable trait to have, I suppose.”
“You think so?” North Star said, and the hopeful expression on his face made you break a little inside.
“I do.”
And he smiled. He smiled so warmly, looking so proud of himself that you decided right then and there that you never wanted that smile to fade. You followed him into the jailhouse without issue and even walked into the cell yourself, to his gratitude. After he closed the door, locked it, and pocketed the key, he pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the bars.
A confused look graced your expression. “Don’t you have somewhere to be right now?”
He shrugged, looking a little bashful. His accent had dropped slightly, making way for a more timid tone of voice. “I’m sure the four will be fine on their own for a while.”
“So… you want to talk to me, then?”
North Star nodded. “I wanted to go over some things… um…”
“Out of character?”
He winced, looking defensive for a short moment before wilting. “I— sure. You could call it that. You… you know about me, then?”
“I know there’s more to North Star than he lets on,” You replied slowly. “I don’t know much past that, though.”
“How did you figure that out?”
You sighed, shaking your head. You chose to speak your next words very carefully. “I popped up out of nowhere, and during the first week or so of my antics, you looked… genuinely scared at times. That fear faded when I continued playing along with whatever show you were putting on, but that’s exactly what it was— a show.” You averted your gaze before looking him in the eyes. “Not everyone recognizes that it is, though, do they?”
North Star was quiet for a while. Eventually, he shook his head. “No. They don’t. And I don’t want them to.”
“But it gets stressful, doesn’t it?” You continued. “You’re afraid that one day, a real threat is going to come up, and you’ll have to deal with it the way the town expects you to. You’re afraid you won’t live up to the act you put on.”
His tail rattled behind him quietly before he murmured solemnly, “Am I slipping, then?”
You shook your head. “Not at all. In fact, you’re a great actor. I wouldn’t have known at all, if it wasn’t for some outside experiences and— and well—” You laughed nervously, a little embarrassed. “I’m sure you could probably tell that I like to observe my ‘wrongdoings’, especially after you found me on that rooftop earlier.”
“I… did kind of gather that, yeah. That’s kinda how I found you in the first place,” North Star said sheepishly. “You’re not the only one who’s been doing some observing. I haven’t been able to see you much, but when you do show yourself, I study you pretty hard.”
You chuckled, mirth in your eyes. He probably didn’t mean it in the way you took it, but you were flattered anyway. “I was wondering why you tend to yap so much whenever we have our stand-offs. You’ve been stalling for time, you sly star.”
The blush that spread across his cheeks at the name filled you with unbelievable glee. He sputtered for a few moments before pulling his hat down against his head a little more, trying to hide his expression from you without taking off the hat. “Don’t— don’t call me that.”
“What should I call you then, hmm?” You teased, leaning forward slightly, hands wrapping around the wooden bars of the cell. “North Star just won’t do. I need something just for us.”
“Just for— I barely know you!” North Star sputtered again, voice slowly growing more and more high-pitched. “Just— just call me ‘Star’ for now. That’s what most folks call me for short.”
You snorted. “North Star does get a bit annoying to say each time, I suppose. But not really, now that I think about it.” You then frowned, thinking about it even more in depth. “Is North Star even your real name?”
His nervous smile faltered for a moment before flickering back into place. He coughed, then shrugged. “U-um, not— not exactly. I don’t—”
“Hey. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. We can just keep calling each other what we always have. Dagger and Star, Star and Dagger. You know, the whole shebang.”
He looked confused. “What’s a shebang?”
“What’s a—? Oh! Oh. It’s a human phrase I picked up from a book I once read. One that fell down here from the Surface,” You said proudly. “I like reading stuff from the Surface; I come across that stuff in Waterfall all the time. Labels, books, manuals, pamphlets… anything, really. I just think it’s neat.”
If you could rewind time to watch North Star’s face light up with excitement again, you would.
Maybe we’re gonna get along, after all.
~ ~ ~
Over the next few months, you allowed yourself to get caught more and more. You commit a “crime”, he’d capture you and put you in the jailhouse, and then he’d let you out after a few hours.
Those hours behind bars were oddly the exact thing you always looked forward to. You loved masquerading as the villain, and Virgil appreciated the break that your presence had given him. He was contemplating getting a job in the East Mines, which had caused a bit of a rift between him and North Star for a little while, but they eventually sorted it out with a bit of a nudge from you.
Your times in the jailhouse slowly grew more frequent and longer, with you staying behind bars for up to eight hours at one point. And the entire time you were there, you and North Star would talk. It started with just typical, day-to-day topics. Then, it shifted to passionate rants about similar hobbies the both of you had. Finally, you grew comfortable enough with each other that you’d give each other advice and vent.
This was precisely how you’d gotten to know the field the scarecrow was made for.
“Starlo,” He’d said to you one day, almost out of the blue. “My real name is— it’s Starlo. But I don’t really go by that anymore. It… it just reminded me of the monster I was trying to escape and forget about, you know?”
“I can keep calling you North Star then, if you’d like. I completely understand,” You’d replied, but instead, he shook his head.
“No. I’m trying to accept that part of myself, like we talked about a few days ago. I’m trying to… to be a better listener and become less insecure about myself. And besides, I— I don’t… I don’t think I’d mind if it was you that was calling me by my real name.”
You’d never beamed so hard in your life.
And now, you were here, sitting on Starlo’s bed in the Feisty Flat, listening to him talking about some western he’d already seen a million times… and then it hit you. If you didn’t make a move now, you probably never would. You truthfully weren’t quite sure what drove you to that conclusion.
Perhaps it was the sight of his smile, or how his glasses gleamed in the light without the presence of his hat to obscure them.
Perhaps it was the old, wooden smell of the flat, or the scent of popcorn still there from the movies you’d watched only mere hours ago.
Perhaps it was the sound of his passionate rambling, the way he stumbled over his words with his excitement.
Perhaps it was the lingering taste of saloon root beer and sliders; their flavor made better by the mere fact that Starlo had been the one to insist on buying them for you.
Or, perhaps it was the feeling of his arms around your waist as you leaned back against his chest; his tail flicking idly as he spoke, brushing you in a ticklish manner.
Either way… it didn’t matter. The reasons didn’t matter to you at all right now. All you knew was that you had to do it, and so you did.
“Starlo, I love you,” You said firmly, directly.
That cut him off immediately, giving him pause. When you maneuvered yourself around in his arms, you met his startled, flustered gaze with confidence. He gulped, murmuring shakily, “Y-you… you what? I mean, you… you do? As in…?”
“Yes. I do. And I have for a while,” You said in reply, voice unwavering. “And I think you like me too, Starlo. I think you like me too, but I know why you haven’t said anything. It’s for the same reason I haven’t until now, but— but I need to take this leap of faith. I need to tell you, otherwise you might never know, and you might never do the same. First steps are the most difficult ones.”
Starlo stared at you for a long moment, but you weren’t bothered. You gave him a reassuring look before he finally laughed a little. Then a lot. It wasn’t humorless or mocking laughter.
This was joy and relief.
“You— yeah, you’re right, you’re right,” Starlo beamed, smiling widely. “And I struggle with the first step a lot. But you’re here… and I’m great at taking the second.”
You welcomed him as he closed the gap between you, pressing his lips to yours. It was awkward and definitely wasn’t perfect, but you didn’t find it in you to complain a bit, because above all, it was loving. It was affectionate and sweet and it almost made you want to cry.
Your life hadn’t been boring for a long time since moving to the Wild East, but it wasn’t the town that made it so. It was the souls you surrounded yourself with and the sheriff you’d grown to know and love. It was the months of living, the weeks of observing, the days of entertaining and every single minute and second you’d spent being around him.
You were starstruck.