The artificial lights of the cavern had long since gone dark when Muffet finished cutting out the last piece of the pattern for the Queen's new dress. She set aside the x-acto knife and stretched her stiff body. A few vertebrae popped. She held each stretch long enough for her muscles to relax. Every stretch made her feel more and more like an actual monster.
Once she felt better, Muffet picked up the cutout and added it to the stack beside Blue. He was fast asleep with his head down on a pile of folded fabric. He had been going through some of her samples to make the fabric choices that would define this dress. Muffet had to admit, going through the swatches he had chosen, that he certainly had an eye for color. It seemed odd that someone wearing ratty old gym shorts and a once-blue hoodie.
Muffet buried the temptation to grab him a set of new clothes. She couldn't afford to clothe someone who was just going to leave. Well, she could. But it would hurt all the more when he decided to leave. She'd give it another week. If he wasn't gone by then, she would give in.
For now, she should probably get him to a more comfortable bed. She could carry him, but she knew better than to have her hands full. You never knew when you might need to attack.
So Muffet laid her hand on an uninjured part of Blue and shook him gently. He startled awake. His hand went to his chest and his skull jerked to look at her. It was a few seconds before his eye lights lit up. He blinked at her. His hand slowly relaxed.
"oh. hey, muffet. i'm sorry i fell asleep. what's it you need me to do?"
Muffet stepped back and motioned him up. He wobbled to his feet even before Muffet could explain herself. She appreciated that. It might save his life someday.
"We're heading back for the night. And you can sleep as long as you want once we get there. I've got a generator for the shop, so we can work even after curfew. I'd rather have a well-rested assistant than a regular schedule. Well-rested assistants do better work. So let's get you back to the boys' house to sleep."
Blue slumped, but nodded. He probably wasn't looking forward to the long walk. It had taken so much time to get him here this morning. But she didn't have any beds big enough for him to sleep underground. So back to the house they go. At least he wouldn't have to fight the snow.
Blue, panting, leaned on the door to the skeleton brothers' house. Muffet had left him to climb the last staircase alone. He'd done it, but it had taken every drop of energy he had. Now he just wanted to sleep. Preferably on something soft.
He pushed open the door quietly. Blue didn't want to disturb anyone who might be on the other side of it. He had already taken so many resources from Sans and Papyrus. He didn't want them to decide they couldn't afford to give him anymore. He didn't want to irritate them either. That might make them kick him out, too. And waking them up from their sleep or nap would definitely count as annoying.
Silently, Blue took in the room in front of him. It was dark, but his night vision had always been good. The couch was still right next to the basement door. The stairs were to his right. The TV was across the living room from him. No one seemed to be up. Good.
Blue padded over to the couch. When he rounded the corner, he froze. There, on the couch he usually slept on, was another monster. He didn't recognize them, although some part of him told him he should have. The sight of their heavily-muscled body, with its scars, missing scales, and heavy calluses, made him tremble. The scarring looked so much like Undyne. Even if this monster had yellow skin and a splinted leg, Blue was still terrified of them. His soul was beating hard in his chest, and Blue couldn't help but clutch at the fabric over the top of it. It felt like his soul would burst at any second. He didn't know how to deal with this. It hurt bad.
He was so anxious about his soul, so lost in the pain, that he didn't notice the figure on the couch stirring in their sleep.
Alphys woke up to the almost pitch black of the skeleton brothers' house. She knew it was their house because it was pitch black. Her bedroom had a nightlight on at all times because of her really bad night vision, so she wasn't there. The inn and the hotel both had low ceilings - low enough that she could actually see them. The skeleton brothers' house was huge and barely lit. They both had good night vision. It was infuriating.
She sat up and stretched. A few bones popped, but nothing too extreme. The brothers actually had a decently comfortable couch, which was nice considering how much time she spent sleeping here.
But even the most comfortable couch in the Underground was no use against a full bladder. She had to get up. Alphys groaned and forced herself to sit up. As she swivelled her legs over the edge of the couch, Alphys caught the hint of a figure in her peripheral vision. She snapped her head towards it, and yes, there was a short monster standing there. They looked to be about 4 feet tall, several inches shorter than her best fr- than her barely-tolerated trainee. No one had told her that there was another guest here, so it had to be an intruder.
Alphys growled, summoned several axes that glowed ambery yellow in the darkness. They lit a small, quivering monster. She aimed her array of axes and hurled them at him.
