Tribulation Part 2 (Underfell Papyrus Part 5)
I was numb. Completely dead inside. I drove home in a daze. All I could think of was the Doctor's words.
"I can give you a magical soothing potion for his pain, but I'm afraid there isn't much else to be done for him. All you can do now is make him comfortable. I'm afraid he wil not last through the night... I'm so sorry..."
This was not happening. This could not really be happening! She'd only just gotten really close to Boss and now she was told she was going to lose him? It wasn't fair, dammit! There had to be something she could do. I was determined not to give up on Boss!
Once I got back to the apartment, I very carefully carried Boss to the bedroom where I laid him down on my pillow. I couldn't bring myself to put him in his coffin bed. It seemed just a bit too "symbolic" right now. Boss fidgited a bit, pulled at his blanket and muttered something in a voice so soft I couldn't make it out. He began shivering again. I tucked his blanket up around him. Surely he was in pain. I reached over for the potion that the monster doctor gave me. It was in a typical bottle for liquid medicine and if it hadn't been for the slight glow to the liquid inside I would have thought it to be regular medicine. The lid was a dropper. I twisted the lid off and filled the dropper with the proper dosage. I walked over to the bed where Boss lay in a shivering mass of blankets and misery. I gently lifted his head and upper body into a sitting position.
"Okay, Boss. I want you to try and take this okay. It... it will... make the ease the pain a bit." I almost sobbed.
As soon as the dropper neared his mouth he clamped his teeth shut tightly. A bony arm slipped out from under his blanket and weakly swatted and pushed at the dropper. I couldn't help it. A deep sob escaped my throat and tears started running down my face. It was the first time actually I shed tears since the doctor's diagnosis. I sniffed, rubbed my eyes on my shirt sleeve, and straightened up. I knew Boss was doing his usual tough guy routine, probably thinking that painkillers were for weaklings. I was in no mood for this shit right now.
"Boss... please... don't pull this with me now. Just take the potion. Please!" I begged.
"...Don't ...want... don't want it..." Boss mumbled. His head lolled to the side and he glanced up at me before letting his skull just drop to the side. He let loose a long, shaky sigh. The usual sinister red glow at the back of his eye sockets was gone. His sockets were completely black now. His breathing was getting shallow and ragged.
"... doesn't hurt anymore..." he gave me a strange, drunken grin. It sent chills down my spine. He was too calm about this. Then I realized:
He was accepting it.
I flung myself on my knees near the bedside.
"Boss, don't! You can't! You can't let this thing beat you! You're too strong for this, right? You don't care what some ol' one eye'd sawbones says, do you? No way in hell are you gonna die!" I cried. I was trying to appeal to Boss's ego for some reason. I thought maybe if I made him mad he would fight back to prove that he wasn't a wimp or something. Maybe he could beat death by sheer willpower. He just smiled up at me again and slowly let his eye sockets drop closed (something I still don't understand how was possible).
"BOSS! DON'T YOU DARE!" I screamed. Okay. Now I knew what was going on. All this time he was purposely letting me get attached to him just so he could die and leave me with a broken heart. He really was an evil little bastard! No, I was just being crazy because... because I didn't want to lose the only friend I had! My mind was reeling with all kinds of desperate, despairing thoughts. I didn't know what to do or say anymore.
"BOSS!" I screamed again.
Boss's eyes fluttered open and he began muttering again. He was repeating something I couldn't understand.
I broke. Completely and utterly broke. I couldn't stand it anymore and I let out a miserable, keening moan as I started sobbing.
"Boss... if this is because of me... if it was something I did or didn't do... I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to you! I'll fix it! I swear! Just don't leave me, please! I don't want to go back to ham sandwiches every night! I want you to show me how to make fancy pasta! I don't want to spend Saturdays sleeping in! I want to watch dumb cartoons with you! I don't want to wake up to an empty apartment anymore! You've been such a nasty little shit to me all this time! You've insulted me, called me names, threatened me, broke my stuff, and hurt my feelings more times than I care to count. I ignored it all. All because I love you! Yes, I love you, you little jerk! You can not die on me! I REFUSE to accept this!"
I was just rambling insanity at this point. I just wanted him to know that I cared about him in spite of all the nasty things he did to me in the past. My throat was raw from sobbing and my face burned from rubbing tears from my eyes. I'm sure I looked like hell, but I didn't care.
"Boss, I swear I'll do whatever you want! I'll get the most expensive stuff I can find to make dinners with. I'll let you test your stupid traps on me. Hell, I'll buy you a real throne if that's what it takes! Just don't die, Boss!"
If Boss were coherent he would be mocking me for how pathetic I was acting. I didn't care. As long as he stayed with me I didn't care what he did.
"Please, Boss... just tell me what I have to do. Just tell me what you want..." My throat felt so sore and raw by now that I was sure it would start bleeding soon. I was willing to risk it if I thought my rambling words would spur something inside Boss that made him fight for his life. Over my sobs I became aware that Boss was trying to whisper something to me. I leaned over him to hear him better.
"...want... I want.." He whispered.
"What? What is it!? What do you need me to do!?" I demanded of him.
"I want..." He started coughing. I reached over and pet his arm with my finger, something I would've been swatted for had he not been so horribly sick.
"Take your time, Boss." I coaxed him.
"I want Jessica." He stated plainly; his voice soft and tired.
I sat back on my knees and stared at him. In all the time I'd known him, Boss had never, EVER referred to me by my name. I was "Moron", "Simpleton", "Idiot", or "Cretin" but NEVER Jessica. I was utterly stunned. I watched in awe as Boss rolled over and held out a skeletal arm towards me. Oh God. I started bawling again. Well, what Boss wants, Boss gets. I climbed on to the bed, careful not to jostle him and lay down next to him. I reached over and rubbed his little skull, Boss clung to my hand with his arm while I did so. The whole time I was whining and sobbing getting tears and snot and drool all over my pillow. I was too enraptured with holding Boss that I didn't give any thought to how gross I was at that moment. I just wanted to hold him and let him hold me.
I woke with a start some hours later. I didn't even remember falling asleep. I had grieved myself to exhaustion. I suddenly realized how dark it was in the room. What time was it? I turned to glance at the clock on the nightstand behind me. It was 7:30. Oh my God. I'd been asleep for hours! I switched on the lamp and turned to check on Boss. He was lying flat on his back with his arm draped over his chest and his head turned away from me. I felt a twinge of worry in my heart. I reached over and gently shook him. He didn't budge.
"Boss. Are you alright?" I asked in a cracking voice. He didn't respond. No! He couldn't be... No, he would be just a pile of dust if that were the case.
"Boss!" I cried and shook him again. This time he moaned and weakly swatted at me. I sighed quietly.
"You're killing me, Boss." I muttered, rubbing my face tiredly.
"If I were killing you, Simpleton, you'd be doing a lot more screaming, I assure you."
My bloodshot eyes widened and I looked over at him. He was grinning up at me; the eerie red light had returned to his eye sockets.
"I don't think I would ever kill you, though. Or torture you either. You look positively hideous when you cry." He sent me a weak, but clearly mocking sneer.
I stared at him. Then it sunk in.
"Shut the fuck up, you evil little shit!" I raged at him. Boss just laughed a rough chuckle. I didn't know if I should be angry with him or smother him in kisses. So I decided to angrily smother him with kisses. Boss hissed and made half-hearted attempts to claw my face off. I just laughed at him.
"Stop this assault on my majestic personage at once, you moronic female!" He shouted, but I could clearly hear the laughter in his voice. After a minute or two, I halted my kiss attack and looked him over.
"You're okay now, right Boss?" I asked.
"Other than being soaked in your disgusting drool, I am in peak condition." he said while furiously wiping his face. He started to say something else but was hit with a coughing fit.
"Maybe not peak condition yet, Boss." I said with a knowing smile.
"Feh!" Boss grouched. "Don't you worry you're empty little head. I will be well soon enough." Boss rested his head on his arms and shot me a devious look.
"And when I'm well again, you and I will discuss some of those promises you made earlier. Don't you dare think you can weasel your way out of it, either."
I gulped.
You guys didn't really think I was going to kill him did you? After this I'll be taking a small break from Boss but don't think you've seen the last of him. Next up is Baby Blue (Underswap Sans). Edgy (Underfell Sans) Bitty is lurking around the corner as well.
