It wasn't your fault. You didn't hate them, you didn't wish death or pain towards them. You were actually happy for them to finally be freed from the underground. But you couldn't help it. You were straight terrified of them. It wasn't disgust, it was fear. You couldn't help it, you had Tetraphobia.
You could blame your cousin Martha for it. She was literally a jerk and had been a bully towards you as you grew up. Just because she was one year older than you she thought she had the most authority. She'd order you around, she'd scare you, lock you in the basement and closets and she stole your favorite doll. But the worst thing your cousin ever did to you was constantly make you see scary things. She'd show you videos of 'ghosts caught on camera' and 'gremlin spotted' and she'd make you watch horror and paranormal movies with her.
How did she make you? She manipulated you.
She would call you a coward and a crybaby and she'd say that the boogeyman loved crying and scary babies like you.
So you pretended to be brave, but you ended up having nightmares every time you did or watched something scary.
Vampires, werewolves, witches, gremlins, ghosts, aliens, ogres, trolls, mummies, globins, ghouls, banshees, zombies or even internet known like slender man scared the mind out of you.
But when you saw (without stopping your body from trembling) the live news of the monsters coming down from Mt Ebott you were surprised.
While some looked scary, others looked kid-friendly. Like Sesame Street or The Muppets. But they were real… just… not as scary as you thought real monsters would be.
Until Martha texted you saying that they looked like that for humans to trust them, because when you did, they'd snap you into two and eat you raw.
You didn't sleep all night after that one.
Still, you tried not to hate them and you succeeded. You were still scared though, and seeing the little kid named Frisk with them brought a sense of relief. As long as Frisk looked happy around them you'd knew that the monsters weren't dangerous.
Your household was pro-monsters, but some of your family wasn't.
Your aunt Isabel accepted them, her husband, your uncle Rein didn't care, he didn't seem to hate them but he enjoyed making racist jokes but nothing too serious. Their daughters, your cousin Filipa and Marianna seemed a bit cautious but when they overlook the situation they were not so judgmental, and you were glad because you liked them a lot.
Forget about your other aunt and uncle though, Martha's parents. Sonia and David were fully against having monsters among the society, they were 100% racists and disgusted by them. Martha also hated them, but you couldn't help to think that her hate had something… sadistic and a bit murderous.
You uncle Richard aka, Rick loved the shit outta them. He's the youngest of his three siblings so he's more open-minded. Your mom always said you looked a lot like him in many ways, for example: you two are the only ones in the family that enjoy eating seasoning cubes. His daughter Jojo was like your best friend, even if she was two years younger than you. Your aunt died three years after her birth.
Your grandma welcomed monsters into her mini-market, which cost some of her anti-monsters costumers. But being the badass she was, she didn't care. She lived the closest to Mt. Ebott and her mini-market was actually placed in the part of the city where the most monster population was allowed to move into.
Whenever you two had phone calls, she'd tell you this stories about the actual kid that saved the monsters and his adopted mother, Toriel who was actually the ex-Queen. You were amazed that they were living close to her, but whenever you remember you were actually scared of them, you'd change the subject.
It was mid-July. You were enjoying your summer vacation by staying locked inside your room with your laptop. A knock was heard faintly through your headphones, you yell to the person to come in.
It was your six-year-old sister, Solah. She ran to you with a huge smile and hugged your thick thighs that popped out from the short-shorts pajamas you were wearing.
"What's up princess?" you ask while chuckling.
"Mom's calling you! To the living room…" she announced.
You roll your eyes, your mother worked two jobs from 9 to 8 and she only rested on Sundays but she couldn't at least walked herself here and tell you whatever she wanted to say.
"I'll be there shortly 'kay?" you say.
She nodded and literally jumped out of your room, you couldn't help to smile at her pigtails bouncing around. You knew it was probably Joanna who did it, she loved hairstyling Solah.
Finally, you take off your headphones and head to the living room, which is basically five steps away. There was your mom, sitting in front of the family's computer desk, but looking at the TV instead of the Candy Crush game she had opened on her Facebook. When she notices you, she smiled widely.
You gulp dryly, that wasn't good.
"I just had a conversation with your grandma." She starts.
You decide to flop down on the couch, next to Solah. You rarely came into the living room when people were here, and you rarely sat down on this couch. It was comfortable.
"Yeah?" you ask.
"I told her about Joanna going to the summer camp in August and that you and Solah weren't doing much the rest of the summer…"
Oh no. It was true, Joanna would be going to a summer camp called "Camp Wide Sunny Smile" for two weeks in August and you couldn't wait because you'd have some rest from her nagging and personality, but the way your mother's conversation was leading, you knew that your calm summer was going to be ruined if you couldn't stop it.
"Mom…" you warned.
"Honey listen, your grandma lives close to the beach and in a nice neighborhood—"
"Full of monsters!" you squeal in actual fear, because she already looked settle on shipping you and Solah to your grandma's.
She rolled her eyes. "I know, but I think this is an excellent opportunity for you to come over your fear! I mean, times have changed sweetie… it's been six months and the whole world as gotten used to them."
You scoff and pout towards the TV, "Yeah right, tell that to the attacks that have been happening towards them."
"Those people are idiots, and you're nothing like them. You're just scared, fear can be controlled. Your grandma said that she befriended the kindest monsters she could ever imagine, kinder than any person she met in her life so—"
"So what, mom? I'm not saying that they're terrible and evil. What am I suppose to do if grandma wants me to work with her? I'll just freeze or probably faint and then she'll lose costumers because they'll think I'm monsterphobe or racist. And if I don't scream and run for my life in the spot I'd say that it would be a huge improvement from my side." You grumble.
She snorts. "It doesn't matter, you're going. You're both going. There's nothing to do around here anyway, I'm out of the house all day and Joanna is leaving soon so the discussion ends here."
You were suddenly boiling with rage. "Oh yeah, PERFECT. It's decided - no opinions. Just forcefully make me go and don't mind what I think. Good job, yep, thanks for telling me at least, that was nice of you. I don't even know why you asked me to be honest." You stand up and use too much sarcasm on your voice while you stomp back into your room.
"You and Solah leave in a week!" your mom added cheerfully as you closed the door.
You needed to let out your rage on something, so you grabbed your drawing tablet and doodled angry and sweaty sin.
Your Tumblr blog got 70 extra followers after you posted that one.
'Well that escalated quickly' you think as you finally go to sleep at four in the morning.
ONE WEEK LATER…
You didn't hate your grandma; you didn't hate sleeping at her house and the fact that she now had wifi and Netflix made it better but… you recently found out something that made you almost piss yourself.
The apartment above her had been rented – by monsters.
Of course she only told you that while she drove you and Solah to her house on a three-hour ride at eight in the morning.
You only slept an hour from your anxiety and nervous state.
You were seriously stressed and you tried to think on a way to avoid bumping into monsters to not embarrass yourself and your grandma.
But you knew I'd be impossible. Your grandma liked to show you like a trophy, only because you could draw more than stick figures. And she also hated leaving you home alone, she'd always say 'you look too pale' and take you to the beach – which you hated because you were uncomfortable with your body – or take walks after dinner to lose weight.
You knew she meant well, she was more worried about your health.
"So (y/n), you're not sleeping like Solah?" she asks.
You sitting next to the driver seat of course, you force a smile. "And leave you all alone?"
She chuckles. "Don't worry precious. I have all month to spend time with you."
Right, one month. And you were scared that she'd double it since you don't go to school anymore.
You were too anxious or simply lazy to go back.
"Yeah, can't wait." You genuinely tell her.
"And don't you worry about the monsters over there, they know you and Solah are coming and they can't wait to meet you." She grins.
You screech, startling her.
"Goodness gracious, are you alright?!"
"GRANDMA YOU KNOW I'M SCARED OF THEM!" You yell in distress, not caring about being polite.
She calms down, "Oh, I know. But I didn't tell them that, so don't you think on avoiding them."
"You're just like mom! You can't force people face their fears like this! What is I get traumatized or go into shock?!"
She pales, and you fell slightly guilty.
"Can that… really happen?" she asks concernedly.
"I don't know—yes?!" you cross your arms and look away into the window. "I don't get it, why now?"
"Because now there's proof that monsters are real hun. When you were scared before, we thought that it would go away as you aged. But look at you, you're twenty years old and you still check under your bed and your closet before you go to bed. Monsters are real now, and they're like us, either some humans like it or no. So you being scared of them it's like someone being afraid of Asian people. You're scared of a race full of friendly souls, and trust me, I know some of them. So every time I think that my favorite granddaughter – please don't tell that to anyone – is afraid of an entire race of actual good and compassionate monsters, it makes me sad. We're only trying to make you see past through their appearances hun, they're just like you and me."
You sink in your seat, and suddenly you feel sadness and hatred at the same time. "This is all her fault…"
"Who?"
You bite your lips, you never really mentioned the person to blame for your Tetraphobia, your whole family thinks you just saw a scary movie on your own by accident and your got traumatized.
"T-The ring girl… you know, that girl that comes out of the TV?" you shudder, thinking back when Martha and you watched that one.
"Oh—well, there's no monster like her, at least that I know of." She smiles.
"That's great!" you cough to clean your throat. "By the way, are you still working this month?"
You begged her to say no.
"Yes, but I won't be as much as open though, why? Are you interested in a part-time job?"
You were about to deny it instantly, but thinking about the money you'd get made you pause. But you'd face monsters—but you'd have money—monsters—money…
"Maybe, I don't know." You finally reply, trying to look nonchalant while in your mind you were screaming.
She chuckles. "I'm not leaving you locked in my house all day (y/n)."
"Hey! I'd be watching over Solah."
"Solah will be coming to work with me, she begged me do go." Your grandma was a stubborn woman, just like you.
"Then?"
"You're coming with me, either if it's to help or to just stand around doing nothing. I'm only opening the store for six hours anyways."
You groan loudly, making her hit your thigh as a playful scolding gesture.
"C'mon hun, it'll be fun! I'll let you bring whatever you want from the market home after the day."
"Whatever I want?"
"You got it,"
If you actually decide to work there, it's a win-win: money and free snacks.
"Okay, sold." You sigh.
"That's the spirit." She cheers, but she suddenly snorts.
You widen your eyes, "Grandma?"
"Hey, why did the ghost needed to catch the elevator?" she asks expectantly.
"Uh… why?" you were weirded out at the moment.
"Because he needed to lift his spirits." She giggles, glancing at you quickly to see you reaction. Her eyes were on the road again.
"Wher… where did you heard that grandmamma?" you ask astonished.
"This nice skeleton told me. He's hilarious; he and his brother are really precious and became regulars at the market."
"Oh… regulars uh?"
You were in for a treat, two skele-bros monsters.
You snort proudly at your pun.
(Y/n): your name.
(Y/f/n): your full name.
(Y/l/n: your last name.
(H/c): hair color.
(e/c): eyes color.
So yeah… since I have no idea how to create an account on 'Archive of Our Own' I posted this here. Hope it's good enough! :D