p dir="ltr"When their alarm went off at the ungodly hour of six, Sans didn't even lift his head from where it lay buried in the pillow face first. Rather he raised a hand and folding his fingers until he had a finger gun he aimed toward the sound with a groan and summoned a few bones to fire at it in the hopes of shutting the annoying thing down./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Jolting at the sound of the alarm clock getting destroyed Flug groaned flopping back down into the sheets. Nuzzling back into Sans's arms Flug took a deep breath loving the smell of Sans's magic. You smell good./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Hitting on me right off. I like that wake up call. Sans huffed weakly into the pillow but still didn't open his sockets or move. His fleshy mate was pressed right up against him and he could feel the warm skin conforming and wrapping around his bones. It was so warm and he could feel the pulse of blood underneath through it. So tantalizing and lulling him back to sleep with its rhythm./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Drifting off to the steady rise and fall of Sans's ribs that he was cuddled against, Flug gave a small happy noise./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"After five minutes, Sans jumped to complete wakefulness, so used to being woken by his brother's yelling exactly five minutes after destroying his own clock that his mind instantly rewoke him. "Shit. Flug babe, we need to get up." He tried to push himself up, but with Flug half over him, he didn't have the strength./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Why? Let's sleep in. Took the morning off anyway."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Struggling to remember exactly why he had to be up this morning, Sans shook his head and nearly hit the pillow again before it came into his head. He was seeing his brother today! "You get some rest hun. I'm gonna get up. I have some stuff to do today, alright love?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding Flug nuzzled into their pillows. "Be careful, love."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""I will." Sans slipped out of bed and gave Flug a light kiss before going to the bathroom to finish getting ready and fixed the clothes Flug had lent him. Throwing a distasteful glare at the bright sneakers, Sans left them in the corner and started making his way through the mansion to Black Hat's office./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Slitted eyes watched Sans walk down the hall through a vent. Scurrying through the vents Demencia giggled quietly until he came to a narrow hall. Jumping out of the vent behind Sans she yanked up one of Sans's bare feet and dangled him upside down. "Bone-boney feet feet!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""What the- Hey!" Sans yelped as he was grabbed and flipped. "Let me go you mad woman! Let me go!" He flailed about, trying to get free and attempting to avoid kicking the woman since Flug had asked him to not try to hurt her on previous incidents./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Giggling Demencia stuck out her tongue. "Nope!" Crawling up the wall she slid back into her vent holding Sans high above the floor. "You and Flug a thing? Ya gonna have kiddos?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Growling and accepting that getting free at the present moment was not going to happen, Sans grumbled his answer. This woman was almost as rough as Undyne and just as nosy. "I'd think that after a month and a half, it would be obvious that Flug is mine. As for kids, that's our business, now butt out and leave me be. I have to go talk to the boss dammit."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Nope! Blacky is mine. Just got back from a mission and today I plan to get my prize." Her voice went dreamy and eyes unfocused seeing an imagined reality. "I'm getting my Hat!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans stilled his struggling. "I thought Fell was Black Hat's mate? They're having kids aren't they?" He looked up at the strange woman confused. This was the most he had ever spoken to her at one time and while hanging upside down was uncomfortable, getting a half-civil conversation was an interesting change of pace./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"She gasped barely catching Sans when she dropped him in shock. "LIAR! BLACK-BLACK HAT IS MINE!" Huffing upset Demincia yanked Sans up into the vent pressing him to her chest as she scurried through the vents to Black Hat's office. Dropping through the vent she held out Sans "Hattie the skeleton is telling LIES!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat looked up from his papers raising a brow "Oh? What lies pray tell is he spreading?" Looking to Sans He gave a small nod "Good morning Sans is our visit still today?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Morning boss. Can you get her to let me go? I'm not a fan of being upside down." Sans asked helplessly. He could feel his shirt falling and could only imagine what would happen if Demencia saw his floating Soul in his ribcage./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat went to grab Sans with a few tentacles, but Demenia scurried away with the short skeleton before he could grab Sans. Narrowing his eye Black Hat growled. "Demencia, Sans is not a toy to play with."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Demencia giggled staying out of his reach before huffing and tapping her foot irritated. "Not before he tells. Go on tell him!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Starting to sweat and trying to keep his shirt from falling and revealing his ribs and Soul, his eyelights flickered from Demencia to Black Hat and back again. He knew his info was correct, but he hadn't realized that Black Hat hadn't informed the woman and was now worried he might get in trouble for spilling the beans. Wiggling to try and get free again, he felt his shirt slipping./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Rolling his eye Black Hat sighed. "Sans, do tell so that we can leave soon."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Going limp and looking at Black Hat from where he hung upside down, Sans held his breath for a moment before speaking quietly. "Told her about you and Fell? Thought she knew?" Sans flinched, expecting the worst and incidentally, that pulled his borrowed and oversized shirt just right for it to finally fall. It quickly wrapped around his arms and enveloped his head leaving his ribs wide open. Instantly he began struggling to get free again and bring back his sight./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sighing and pressing his fingers against his temples Black Hat sighed. "She does know. She is just in denial. Demencia I don't wish to explain this a fifteenth time. You know-" Black Hat cut off with a growl. "Don't."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Demencia glanced up from her gaze on the small glowing Soul her grin growing wide until all her teeth showed. "Yes." Her hand crept down towards the heart. /p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""DON'T. STOP! DEMENCIA!" Black Hat growled threatening./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Just gonna play with this real quick. Bye!" Demencia snatched the heart out of Sans's chest dropping Sans thankfully into Black Hat tentacles reaching for her as she sprinted off with her prize in her jaw./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans screamed when she grabbed his Soul and ran. It was just like what his father had done. Without his Soul, he couldn't use his magic and he could feel it being pulled out of his very bones. All his strength was being torn from him and he couldn't do anything about it, he couldn't even call to Flug. "Sir, please stop her." Sans gave a choked scream as he felt her teeth dig slightly into the frail Soul. His eyelights disappeared and darkness grew on the edges of his vision./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Don't worry Sans I plan too." Black Hat let his form go loose as he cradled Sans to his chest. Mouths gnashed and snarled the woman's name as the room tilted and shifted until it was a hallway where Demencia was running. Tentacles shot out wrapping around her ankle crushing bone under the pressure. His tentacles wrapped further up her as he slowly drug her to them. Darkness surrounded the hall and horrorific sounds came from his dissolving form. "GIvE It BAcK!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Just before his vision went completely dark, Sans glimpsed Black Hat's true form and felt sick. Without his Soul he couldn't actually get sick, but he felt it all the same. He recognized this horrifying thing and was terrified when his vision disappeared completely, leaving him in the heaving clutches of the creature that had nearly killed him and had killed at least three of his uncles in the Great War that led up to the barrier being formed. Sans shook, only hearing what was going on around him in disjointed blips. He didn't know what was happening and was afraid to make a sound./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Demencia screamed clawing and ripping her nails on the floor as she tried to fight Black Hat's tentacles from dragging her to sure doom. /p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Tentacles crushed bones under his force and didn't stop until a slightly blood covered heart was held up. "Good girl~" the tentacles released her as he grabbed the Soul walking away with Sans his form slowly changing back. "Don't ask anyone under this roof to heal you. Never do that again or I will kill you." The room shifted until they we're back in the office. Sitting in his chair Black Hat gently eased the Soul back into its owner. "Sans?" His voice was far more fragile and soft than the demented horror that came from the demon a few minutes ago./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"The second his Soul was replaced, Sans teleported to the other end of the office and stared at Black Hat, terrified. His eyelights, previously completely dark, were now blown to fill his sockets completely with the light. It took a few seconds before he choked out one word. "Why?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat sighed slumping "I don't know, she has a weird obsession with shiny things. I won't let it happen ever again. Sans, I promise to protect you."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Why did you save me this time? Why kill them and not me? Why are you even still here?" Sans shouted the last question. He was so confused. His boss, he knew that he was a horrible villain and had dated his own father, but his boss had tried to kill him just over four centuries ago and now was saving him and comforting him? Who was Black Hat really? What was his endgame?/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Blinking Black Hat sighed turning back to his desk and organizing his papers. "You will have to elaborate on your questions. Do not shout at me either. If you are emotionally compromised from that experience, I understand and we can continue this conversation after you rest."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""You were there in the Great War before the barrier. You nearly killed me and I watched you murder my uncles in that war. They were just doctors, healers. You nearly destroyed my foot before somebody else knocked you offa me. I was only two hundred then, but I remember that form clear as day. That was you back then. So why, when you tried to annihilate my race so viciously back then, are you letting Fell and I live now? What's your game?" Sans tried to calm himself down, but he still kept his back to the wall and his eyes on Black Hat in case he decided to move. Sans knew that he stood no chance against the demon. He had proven that long ago and now with Flug to protect, Sans knew he had no way out./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Groaning Black Hat turned to face Sans. "The war was a way to let out my frustration. I had recently found out that your father didn't love me and only wished to use me. I admit that I targeted skeletons to get over the loss of what I thought was love. Now, I have changed. We both have aged and grown wiser. I now have a lover and a clutch… I also have you. Sans I wish to adopt you as my own and I will even extend it to your brother depending on how our meeting goes. I do not know if it is my clutch wanting to protect you or that I knew that demon that raised you. .."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans tried to understand, praying he was wrong. "All that brutality was just because that asshole used you, so you decided to try and wipe out his, my, our entire race?" Black Hat's words finally caught up to him. "Wait, you want to what?" Sans was frozen in place. This was way too much all at once./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding sadly "I did not mean to try to wipe out your entire race, I just did not realize how few of you there were… I have done horrible things due to feeling only negative emotions. Fell has helped me experience positive ones so I hope to be able to raise and protect my clutch. I understand if you don't wish to be a part of my clutch since I have done so much damage to your biological family already." Black Hat tried not to pout./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""He cheated on mom…" Sans murmured, all the fight and fear going out of him. The last shred of hope for any small good thing from his father disappearing. "He cheated on her and she never knew." He slid down the wall until he was little more than a crumpled pile of bones. "She gave him everything and he…" Blue tears formed on the edges of Sans's sockets and he couldn't hold them back. He knew Black Hat had told him once, but he had been trying to forget or not belive it. Now he really couldn't./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""If I would have known about you I would have never agreed to mate with him… Sans, I'm so sorry." Black Hat stood walking over to kneel next to Sans not touching him in case. "I'm so sorry."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans nodded. Swallowing thickly, he forced himself to look up into Black Hat's face. "Mine and Pap's mom was really great. A dedicated scientist and a powerful healer." He looked down and away, ashamed. "I couldn't save her from him and he didn't care in the least. I don't think he knew how to love." Shaking his head and dashing the tears from his face, Sans set his jaw and forced himself to look Black Hat in the face once more. "I don't know if I want to trust you or destroy you, but I think the first is more likely. If you can promise to not hurt Paps, I think we can accept your offer. If you can't, then I'm sorry. He is all I have left of my family."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"A small smile formed and Black Hat gently pulled Sans into his arms. "Sans, I will keep my word. Now don't cry. Calm yourself and let's go see your brother."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding and looking down, Sans breathed deep a few times and then asked "Ready?" He gripped Black Hat's arm tightly./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""When you are." Black Hat took a handkerchief and wiped the last of blue magic from Sans's sockets and cheeks. /p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Blinking in surprise at the gesture. Sans waited for him to finish and then teleported them directly into his room. It was where he was most used to teleporting to and did it out of habit. Instantly he regretted it. The room was still a wreck and still reeked of sex from his Heat. "Ah, sorry for the mess sir."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat chuckled "Yes, well I don't expect everyone to be clean and organized as me. This is your room?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Yeah. Cleaning isn't really something I worry about much. That's Paps thing." Sans looked around at the mess and realized how hard it was going to be to clean it all up for the move. "Guess I should introduce you to him?" Sans stepped away from Black Hat and toward his door./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus had been down in the kitchen making some of his famous spaghetti when he heard the slightest disturbance. After over a week alone in the Underground, he was so keyed up he would hear anything. Dropping everything, he raced up the stairs yelling for all he was worth. "BROTHER! ARE YOU BACK? PLEASE STAY. I AM SO SORRY. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" Papyrus threw open Sans's door nearly hitting Sans with it before sweeping him up in an enormous hug and falling to his knees bawling apologies./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Jolting at the quick actions Black Hat yanked Sans out of Papyrus's hold with his tentacles holding him protectively to his chest while growling at the new person./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans yelped when Papyrus and then Black Hat grabbed him. He hadn't been prepared for either and was still trying to catch up in his own head./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus flinched and stared at the new person holding his brother. "HELLO. WHO ARE YOU?" He stood up and cleaned his face slowly./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Narrowing his eye Black Hat spoke calmly but not letting his protective hold loosen. "My name is Black Hat, I'm Sans's boss. Who are you and why are you grabbing my Sans?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""OH WOWIE!" Not intimidated in the least, Papyrus stepped forward and grabbed one of Black Hat's hands and shook it vigorously. "MY NAME IS PAPYRUS. IT IS A REAL PLEASURE TO MEET YOU SIR. I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT MY BROTHER. WERE YOU THE ONE TO CONVINCE HIM TO COME HOME?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Chuckling at the enthusiasm Black Hat shook his head looking to Sans. "You are correct, this child is just like 5.0.5." Looking up to Papyrus Black Hat gave a toothy smile. "No, Papyrus, Flug agreed for Sans to come visit as long as he had protection. I am that protection."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""PROTECTION?" Papyrus looked extremely confused as he tried and failed to understand. "WHAT IS THAT HUMAN'S PROBLEM ANYWAY?" /p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Growling Black Hat's tentacles shivered holding back from striking. "Flug is not the one who tried to kill Sans. Right now you are the biggest threat to Sans. We all just want to make sure that what you've done never happens again. I swore to Sans that I would not harm you for your actions against what is mine. Do not test me skeleton."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans felt the shakes wracking Black Hat's body and instantly started trying to get free, wanting to get between the two before they destroyed each other over the simple misunderstanding. His brother was impulsive and his boss was short of temper the two put together didn't spell for a good time. Unfortunately Black Hat's hold was such that he could barely move./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus looked stricken and took a step back. Tears welled in his eyes as he took in the picture before him. His brother, held seemingly of his own will by a much stronger creature who offered him protection from his own and only family. "IS...IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT SANS? I AM SORRY, SO SORRY. I AM NOT SURE WHAT CAME OVER ME. I WAS SICK AFTER SEEING WHAT I HAD DONE TO YOU. AND...AND WHILE YOU WERE GONE, I FOUND DAD'S LAB AND READ HIS NOTES. I-I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID IT NOW AND I THANK YOU. BUT DOES THIS MEAN YOU'RE LEAVING ME? AM I GOING TO BE ON MY OWN NOW?" By the time he finished he had resumed bawling again, great orange tears streaking his face./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus's tears brought him no pleasure, it merely reminded him he was dealing with a child. His tentacles slowly receding back into his body and he sat Sans onto the bed. "Not necessarily... I am here to protect Sans AND to evaluate you and see if it really was a mistake on your part. I can understand how you could get some violent tendencies from Dings. He... He was not a nice man and I'm sorry to hear you had him as a father." Black Hat gave an awkward smile and patted Papyrus's head. "You are quite different from your father if you have regrets. He never regretted hurting or experimenting on our own children."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Seeing Black Hat calm down, Sans breathed easier and slipped from his bed to start organizing his piles of laundry so that they would hopefully be easier to move later. This side of Black Hat was one he had not seen before and it confused and interested him. He watched the interactions with his brother from the corner of his socket while he worked./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sniffling, Papyrus looked up from where he had collapsed on the floor at Black Hat. "I SWEAR I NEVER WANTED TO HURT HIM. I DIDN'T EVEN THINK I COULD. THE IDEA OF IT NEVER EVER EVEN CROSSED MY MIND BEFORE. AS FOR HIM… WELL, I NEVER ACTUALLY MET HIM, OR REMEMBER HIM IF I DID." Papyrus twiddled his phalanges and looked back at the floor. The smell of something burning started to leak into the room. "MY SPAGHETTI!" In an instant, Papyrus was gone, all long legs and flailing arms as he rushed downstairs to the kitchen where the stove had lit on fire. He quickly put it out and tried to salvage what he could of the meal. There wasn't much./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sighing Black Hat turned to Sans. "He doesn't seem like a bad child. He doesn't know his strength or when to quit. That will have to be trained out of him. He should know his own power. I haven't made a decision on him yet."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans chuckled. "He's been training under my top captain since he could walk. Both his parents were boss monsters after all, so there is the smallest chance that he could become just as powerful as myself or Fell, but due to Mom's failing health when she carried him, I don't think he will reach it. I let him train so that he could at least learn to control his magic and strength. He is one of the most physically strong monsters of my sector, next to the king and my captain. He ended his training when the captain took up her mate though. He is still trying to understand same sex couples. He's always had a hard time grasping it." By now the piles on the floors had begun to converge into one huge pile on the bed. The room was also still stuffy and stunk. "Do you mind the cold sir?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Listening to Sans talk he began to get a better grasp of how the other skeleton worked. "You're not planning on trying to freeze me are you? I can withstand temperatures far greater than you can."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans straight up laughed. "Not even a thought in my mind. I know that I can't defeat you in any situation, sir, I was just thinking of opening a window to air the place out a bit and what with the snow, it will get pretty cold in here relatively fast." Even as he talked, Sans was working on clearing a path to the window in the corner of the room./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Ah." Black Hat shot a tentacle out yanking up the window. "You won't get cold will you?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Yeah, but I can take it. Used to sleep out in it on one of my old jobs." Sans shrugged and kept working. "Sorry I don't really have any place for ya to sit and I'm not going to ask ya to help. This could take a bit." He suppressed a shiver as a gust blew through the room, the frozen air breaking up the smell and heat quickly. It was easily in the negatives today. Topside it was only reaching the close of summer. He had gotten rather used to the intense heat of the surface./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Chuckling Black Hat slipped off his jacket gently placing it onto Sans's shoulders. "I can see you shivering. I don't want you to catch a cold... If I'm making you uncomfortable I can go watch your brother. I promise not to harm him."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""It's not that you make me uncomfortable sir." Sans paused in his words and his work to turn and look at his boss. Searching for words, he chewed at his teeth a moment. "I am still trying to figure you out I guess. We really haven't interacted much and you have not exactly been the most kind to myself or my mate, but you do show genuine interest in our wellbeing. I am trying to understand you while looking out for my family's well being." He laughed and looked away as blue dusted his face. "Then there is the whole thing of letting you mess with my back… I'll admit that has me all kinds of confused on how I should feel and I'll admit I'm a bit uneasy about the prospect. I will go through with it though. A deal is a deal after all."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat hummed thinking for a bit. "I admit since my clutch began I've been more..." Black Hat paused before settling on, "sentimental. My needs of protecting my clan have grown. It is far better than a need for death and blood as most demons."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans's blush disappeared instantly as his eyelights shrunk. "I would certainly think so." He didn't want to imagine Black Hat with an actual need for blood and death, but his mind created horrific and very realistic imagery for him, painting memories of the war on the forefront of his mind. He turned back to his work to try and distract himself. "So how many are you expecting, if I may ask?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat gave a soft smile that didn't quite fit him and touched his stomach. "Five eggs will be laid... But there is a lot of chance for error with hatchlings. It is actually kind of nice to be given another chance at children. I never expected to have anymore after your father."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""For Fell's sake and yours, I hope they turn out well. Fell's father was just as bad as our own and if you are judging the children by their predecessors, well, I pray for their well-being." Shifting another pile of dirty laundry to his bed, Sans scanned the room and decided to start on his closet. He also used his magic to close his room door to keep the rest of the house from freezing. Paps would start yelling soon if he found out they were wasting energy, even if it was completely renewable and not really being wasted./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Frowning Black Hat's hand yanked away from his stomach as if burned. "I... Nevermind. I'll go check on your brother if you don't need me."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans hummed and grabbing another bunch of clothing moved over to his bed. "Alright. I'm gonna trust you to keep your word and start moving this stuff back to the mansion. I'll be teleporting back and forth so I won't be here the whole time." He chanced a glance over at Black Hat and saw he was no longer holding his stomach which pulled worryingly on his own Soul. He hoped Fell was ready for whatever may happen./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat turned to the door. "Don't exhaust yourself. If you need help contact Red."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Sure thing boss, but I should be able to handle a few teleports no problem." Sans dropped the load on the bed, losing a few socks off the edge as it was already severely overloaded with other clothes. Fixing his borrowed, oversized clothes, he grabbed a bedpost and disappeared, taking the bed and all the clothes on it with him. The room suddenly looked twice a big and so much more empty. The smell of the ocean, crisp and salty rode on the icy breeze from the window, preserved moments longer in the cold before it was swept away with the next gust. Outside a storm was building and pushing the snow around in greater and greater eddies./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Blinking at the window he went downstairs looking around as he walked. They had a homely house. Once he saw the whiteness through the windows he stopped. It looked like a blizzard was going to happen any minute. "What? Why is there so much snow?" He became quite confused and sceptical on if Sans didn't take him to the Arctic instead of the Underground./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Hearing Black Hat musing in the living room, Papyrus poked his head out from the kitchen. "YOU ARE IN SNOWDIN. IT IS ALWAYS SNOWING HERE. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME OF MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI... OH DEAR, I NEVER INTRODUCED MYSELF. HOW RUDE. I AM PAPYRUS. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" Papyrus's loud voice bounced off the walls as he chatted as if all the world were fine./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Humming Black Hat turned to Papyrus walking with him into the kitchen "I suppose." Holding out a hand for a second introduction expecting the excited handshake this time. "Black Hat, your brothers boss. You may call me, Black Hat."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""OH THAT IS RIGHT! I HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. I DO APOLOGIZE. PLEASE MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE. THIS NEXT BATCH IS NEARLY DONE. WILL MY BROTHER BE ALLOWED TO JOIN US?" Papyrus's volume didn't decrease with proximity and he rushed back to his food to stir sauce and noodles separately. His kiss the chef apron only just came past his hips and he had to duck around the ceiling light that was by no means low hung./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sitting down Black Hat watched Papyrus. "That is up to Sans. He is moving his things at the moment. You are quite tall for a child."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus nodded in agreement. "HE SAYS IT IS BECAUSE I WANTED TO REACH THE SURFACE SO MUCH MY MAGIC STRETCHED ME TRYING TO GET THERE AND MAKE IT A REALITY." Pulling some plates down, Papyrus quickly made up two, one for himself and one for Black Hat, and left a third by the stove. "IF HE IS WORKING I WILL NOT DISTURB HIM. HE WILL NEVER FINISH OTHERWISE, OR SO HE SAYS." Papyrus explained as he sat the plates on the table and sat opposite Black Hat. Utensils and additives were already set and ready on the table. Folding his hands for a few seconds, Papyrus bowed his head and then began eating./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Blinking surprised Black Hat had to comment. "I expected you to be more upset about him not staying due to your reactions earlier. You are fine with him staying with me?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""HE IS WITH HIS MATE, RIGHT? MATES SHOULD NEVER BE FORCIBLY SEPARATED. SANS DESERVES THIS, TO BE HAPPY. I WILL GET BY. MAYBE BLUEBERRY'S BROTHER WILL LET ME STAY WITH THEM UNTIL I AM OLD ENOUGH TO BE ON MY OWN." Tears started to form in Papyrus's eyes again, but he tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling light to help dispel them. "HE IS A GROWN MONSTER AND WILL DO WHAT HE HAS TO AND I JUST HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT." He sniffed and spun some noodles on to his fork./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Frowning Black Hat gave a small sigh. "Due to your father and I's previous relations I feel like it's my job to protect the both of you. I have proposed the opportunity of taking Sans in with the addition to you depending on this visit. Due to my growing clutch I would like-no need the members of my clan living in my home. However, I won't let someone of MINE get harmed. Do you understand?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus looked up at the mention of his father and was confused with what Black Hat was saying. "I DO NOT UNDERSTAND AT ALL. WHAT DOES MY FATHER HAVE TO DO WITH YOU? I THOUGHT SANS WAS ALREADY UNDER YOUR ROOF AND PROTECTION, SO HOW WOULD YOU TAKE HIM IN MORE? WHAT DOES...WAIT…" Papyrus's eyelights exploded into huge orbs and his hands flapped in the air as he tried to figure out what to do with all his new found excitement. "YOU ARE HAVING BABIES!? MAY I LOOK? MAY I LOOK? PLEASE?" His previous questions were forgotten with the new information as the excitement essentially short circuited his attention./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Laughing Black Hat nodded unbuttoning the last few buttons on his shirt and making his skin transparent. Five reddish eggs were nestled among black. They were only chicken egg sized at the moment but would triple in size before they were ready to be laid. "Yes, you are the first to ask. Sadly there are only five. Since my mate wasn't in Heat I won't have as many as Gaster and I had. I don't think Fell would be able to handle two hundred hatchlings anyway."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Jumping up and coming around the table to crouch, Papyrus's eyelights flicked from one egg to the next, pausing on each for several moments before changing position. "Their Souls Are So Faint." Since he had been shouting the entire time, he now seemed to whisper in awe. A hand was raised as if to touch, but held back in trepidation and disbelief at the miracle in front of him. He had never seen a pregnant monster as they were so few and only once went to the surface so hadn't seen humans pregnant either. "They Are Amazing." He looked up at Black Hat with a huge grin. "Have You Picked Names Yet?" He stepped away and did a little jumping dance and giggled as he sat back down. His face was lit up orange even as giggles kept escaping him. "And You Said Fell Is The Father? So You Are Mates Too?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat smiled. " Yes, Fell is my mate. I rather not name them until they hatch due to the chance they don't make it. Laying and keeping eggs is a delicate process..."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Wowie." As Papyrus calmed down, the other topics Black Hat had brought up came back to him. "So I stiLL DO NOT UNDERSTAND AT ALL. WHAT DOES MY FATHER HAVE TO DO WITH YOU? I THOUGHT SANS WAS ALREADY UNDER YOUR ROOF AND PROTECTION, SO HOW WOULD YOU TAKE HIM IN MORE? AND WHAT DO YOUR AND FELL'S SOULING EGGS HAVE TO DO WITH SANS?" Without realizing it, Papyrus had gone back to full volume as his awe wore off and he heard the very faint reappearance and disappearance of Sans and he moved things. At this rate his brother would be gone before he even really got to see him and he wouldn't get to ask about their mother and what really happened./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Well, your father bred my first clutch. I see it as my responsibility to pick up in caregiving where your father failed. I want to adopt Sans and possibly you as well." Black Hat looked to Papyrus showing none of his hope for a yes. He was starting to like the innocence of Papyrus./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""YOU AND DAD WERE MATES? IS NOT THAT SUPPOSED TO BE AN IMPOSSIBILITY?" Papyrus looked confused as he tried to understand the idea of having more than one mate. He had never heard of that ever happening and the only literature that was written was hidden in the Lust sector libraries. He refused to go to the Lust sector unless he had to, even for knowledge. "AND SANS IS AN ADULT. CAN ADULTS BE ADOPTED?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat laughed his sharp teeth showing proudly. "We demons don't mate as you monsters do. A mate can last as long as the demon wishes. I truly don't believe Gaster mated with me since he was cheating on your mother at the time. Which if I would have known, I wouldn't have agreed to be his mate. Demons are very protective of their things. After our clutch was born he experimented on them and I was forced to kill all of them. I let Gaster go before I thought better of it. I should have killed him before he could kill your mother and torture Sans. I blame myself. You are children in my eyes. Sans is still young compared to me."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus flinched at Black Hat's pronouncements. Thinking by the logic he had just spewed, that meant he could leave Fell on a whim. And then the fact that Gaster had been with Black Hat while with Melinda was purely taboo, but based on what he read, he knew they were not true mates either. Although he shouldn't have been surprised, the fact that he had experimented on other of his children struck a chord deep in Papyrus that broke something and he felt himself starting to tear up again. The final straw was Black Hat suggesting he should have killed Gaster earlier. Hugging himself and crying unhindered, Papyrus kept his mouth shut. He would not lash out this time. He wouldn't ruin what Sans had set up for them. Even as he fought to keep his emotions from sending his body and mind into a rage, his magic was rising and burning in his bones./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Upstairs Sans was just about to make another teleport back to the mansion when he felt the waves of his brother's magic downstairs. His brother always had excellent control and this amount of chaotic magic was way beyond what the kid had ever been taught to control. Without a second thought he teleported downstairs and blew open all the windows and the front door, instantly letting the blizzard winds to blow through the house and knocking Papyrus out of his meltdown./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"At Papyrus's tears Black Hat stood to give Papyrus a comforting pat before jolting as the blizzard was inside the house. His tentacles shot out to close the access points as he yanked Papyrus into his arms hoping to shield him from the cold. He was not dressed for the sudden chill! Black Hat himself felt the cold instantly his tentacles reacting slower and ice forming on them./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""GET CLEAR BOSS." Sans yelled as he tried to keep Black Hat from interfering and was nearly knocked off his feet from the gales ripping around inside. He struggled to keep the windows open as Black Hat tried to close them while also wrapping Black Hat's tentacles in his magic to keep them from freezing. So much for not being able to be frozen./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus gasped at the sudden change in weather inside the house and the distraction pulled him from his meltdown. His magic still burned in his bones though, no amount of cold would quell that fire. "SANS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Fighting with both skeletons Black Hat finally had it. "ENOUGH!" He roared out all the windows and door slamming shut as his magic raged. "Everyone sit!" A tentacle shoved Sans onto the couch as he pushed Payrus into a seat. "What is the Hell is going on!?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Even as his back hit the couch he screamed in a near shriek at Papyrus. "SHOOT PAPS. GET RID OF IT. STARS DAMMIT PAPYRUS SHOOT! IT WILL KILL YOU, SHOOT!" He couldn't teleport with Black Hat holding him or he'd end up taking the demon with him and he'd already seen what the cold would do to him. Taking him out into the heart of the blizzard would likely kill the eggs and Sans was torn between saving them and his brother. Heavy tears of fear poured down his face as he felt his brother burning from the inside./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Papyrus had curled up in a ball, the heat in his bones raging to the point that he barely felt the cold that had torn through the house and now settled in the stillness around him. He could hardly hear Sans's or Black Hat's screaming and yelling through the roaring of the magic in his skull./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Finally sensing the roaring magic within Papyrus, Black Hat hissed wrapping around him and biting down harshly into his shoulder. Once his fangs hit marrow he was able to suck out the magic until it was down to a normal level. It was a technique he learned from vampires before they were wiped out. His tentacles crumbled to dust stepping back from Papyrus and collapsing onto the floor. Fuck he over did it. He hasn't had to take strong magic like that in decades. He was out of practice./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans struggled with everything he had when he saw Black Hat go and bite his brother. The moment the tentacles disintegrated, he ran over and picked up Papyrus from where he had fallen. Papyrus's eyelights flickered and moved aimlessly and independently and his jaw was slack. The bite in his shoulder quickly healed itself even as a bit of orange steam escaped. Sans recognized the signs of a vampire's bite, but couldn't understand how Black Hat had done it. He was a demon, not a vampire. Checking his brother's magic levels, he gave a sigh of relief when he saw that while they were below normal, they weren't dangerously low. They should be able to regulate themselves now. He carefully laid his brother back against the couch and went to check on Black Hat./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"When he saw the demon giving the occasional spasm, he had to suppress a chuckle. "I must thank you, but in the same token, if you weren't carrying kids, I'd beat your ass for that stunt. I've felt your bite and that shit hurts. Judging by the state of you though, you bit off a bit more than you can chew. Try feeding it to the eggs. They'll love it, I promise." Sans smirked and settled on the floor besides Black Hat's waist to watch his boss writhe in his brother's power. It wasn't the first time his brother had had an overload, and he doubted it would be the last./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Twitching Black Hat groaned trying to focus the magic to the eggs. They eagerly took every last drop of Papyrus's magic. Gasping Black Hat quickly clutched his stomach. Something wasn't right. Looking to Sans a mix of frightened and concerned his voice was shaky. "Somethings not right..."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Going from laughing and smug to extremely worried, Sans eyelights flicked down to Black Hat's now slightly round abdomen. "Black Hat, what is wrong...oh shit, why are you showing already?!" Sans normally deep voice was raspy from his yelling and shrieking at Papyrus and now went up an octave as he noticed the change in his boss./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Huffing out short breathes he looked to Sans for once the demon was scared. "Sans what's going on? What's happening to them? I-I don't like this."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Uh~" looking over his shoulder to his brother, Sans broke into a sweat. With Flug on the surface he couldn't borrow his magic and his brother was out cold. "I-I don't know." He decided to be honest and hope it didn't get him killed. "I think I know someone who might though. They specialize in bonds and breeding and all that. I don't really know anything about all this."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Please Sans, I'm supposed to have a month until I'm this far along!" Black Hat said almost panicked. The eggs were broken. They would be ruined! Black Hat gave a broken sob. "Fell will hate me!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Black Hat, calm down. Fell isn't gonna hate you. Let me make a call and I'll get some experts over here as fast as I can. Give me twenty minutes, please." He cast another look at his brother and prayed he would be okay. "I will stay here too, okay. I'm not going anywhere."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Scrubbing his monocle Black Hat nodded and curled into himself. He felt so weak and scared. He didn't want to be feeling all of these emotions yet. "I don't like feeling all this Sans... I don't want Fell to hate me. I love him."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Hesitating to do so, Sans reached out to try and comfort his boss before pulling back just as quickly. He couldn't do it. "I'm gonna go make that call. I'll be right back." With that Sans disappeared as he teleported upstairs to look through the mess on his desk for his phone. He had to get Razzy on the line and fast. Even if they just talked the boss down, it would be better than this terror and anguish he could feel coming off the boss. This wasn't like him at all./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat sniffled curling closer to himself and holding his stomach. "Please be okay babies."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Picking up the phone as his client screamed, Razzy hummed and drew phalanges down their back and let them adjust as he answered. Lust sector brothel, Razzy speaking. How can we service you today?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans shuddered but forced himself to respond quickly. "Razzy, is Sugar Plum tie- busy? I've got an emergency and no, for once it is not me and Flug!" He rushed, half whispering for some reason./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Sure thing love, just give him a minute." True to his word, about a minute of screams and moans, Sugar Plum finally relieved Razzy of the phone. Sans could hear the sounds of pleasure fading until a door closed and shut them off. "So what is it today Sans? Razzy said it wasn't you?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""It's my boss. He's got Fell's eggs and something's wrong. We need help now! I don't know what to do. Also, his personality is really off, so I don't know what to expect from him. Please tell me you can do something." Sans begged on the phone, glancing at his door frequently. He didn't want to go downstairs before knowing he had found help./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Whimpering Black Hat scooted over until he was able to scoop Papyrus into his lap and cling to the skeleton./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""As in the guy who wants to destroy happiness, love, and piece? That boss? And he hooked up with our Boss, like Fell sector Boss? Jeez, you really know how to pick 'em. Give me ten minutes and I'll be there. How is the weather on your end." Sugar Plum sounded harrased, but considering his mate was in the middle of a tight fuck, that wasn't too surprising./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""We have a blizzard so I can't come out to meet you. Is there anything I can do from here?" Sans worried his teeth and waited with bated breath./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sugar Plum sighed as he made his way out of the brothel and teleported to the royal's chamber. Talk to him and try to keep him calm. If he'll accept physical contact, try that. I'll be there soon."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Satisfied he had help on the way, Sans teleported downstairs and was floored by the sight of Black Hat cuddling his brother. What was happening to the boss?/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Looking up Black Hat sniffled begging Sans "Please don't take him. I'm being gentle."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Uh... I won't. Do-do you want." Sans paused, not sure what was right or not, and hoping he wouldn't regret this later. "Do you want me as well?" It felt so weird to offer, but Black Hat claimed he wanted to adopt Sans and had more than once labeled Sans as a child compared to himself. Maybe that was how Flug felt when he was put in the same situation./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat gave a frantic nod reaching to Sans. "Please!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Biting his teeth, Sans crept over and carefully lowered himself beside Black Hat and curled into him. It felt weird, but if it would help him, then Sans would cuddle the demon for as long as it took. Children were worth every discomfort and were sacred, and Black Hat was the one carrying children and genuinely worrying about them. "Help will be here soon sir. They said they'd be here in ten minutes. Just keep it together for me, okay?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nuzzling Sans Black Hat melted into them snuggling them close as he mumbled. "Mine... My poor skeletons. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I left you with him. I'm going to protect you. Both of you. Sweet skeleton boys."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Upon hearing that, Sans relaxed completely. He hadn't even realized that he was still tense and worried about Black Hat not only holding back from hurting his brother, but on whether or not Black Hat would choose to adopt him or not. Nuzzling back without fear and happy to have someone he could look to and who would look out for him and his brother in turn, Sans responded with an age old saying he had been taught since birth and had heard from other monsters kids to be said to their parents. "I will follow you to Dust and back, not even the Void will hinder me. You are my tether to follow," Sans couldn't utter the last word; father, but he had said the rest easily. Black Hat couldn't be their father, or at least not his, but he could help lead them on the next step of their lives./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Blinking Black Hat looked to Sans before nuzzling him and purring loudly. "Sans…/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans was momentarily surprised by the purring and half pulled away before he laughed lightly and snuggled back against Black Hat and began his own purring. It was something only Flug and his mother had ever managed to get him to do. They both made him feel safe, protected, and welcome. It was nice to know that he shared something with Black Hat. Perhaps in the years to come they would be able to overwrite Gaster's presence in Papyrus's life entirely. Sans didn't think he would have any issue with that, but he would have to clear it with his brother and Black Hat at a later time when everyone was in a more stable mindset./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"At Sans's own purring Black Hat's grew louder. He was pleased to have the boys in his arms. No one would be able to take them from him anytime soon./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Exactly ten minutes later Sugar Plum appeared in the middle of Sans's room and was concerned and startled to find the place mostly empty. Leaving the room and looking over the railed balcony he saw the two brothers curled up with some dark skinned person on the floor. "Uh, everybody managing here alright?" He called down as he began descending to the first floor, watching the huddle. He had dealt with some nasty mothers and wasn't sure how a being who hated happiness would react to outside stimulus./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Hissing at the new skeleton Black Hat clung to the skeletons in his arms. Mouths formed along his body hissing and gnashing as tentacles poked from his skin wiggling threatening./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans, who had started to doze in the purring cuddle pile instantly woke up at the hissing and gnashing of teeth. "Woah, Black Hat, calm down. Remember I told you I'd get some help? Well this is Sugar Plum and he may be able to. He's a friend, okay?" Sans tried to push and pat down tentacles and keep clear of the mouths full of gnashing fangs./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sugar Plum had stopped dead and taken a step back at the threatening display, more than willing to give the, was it a monster?, all the room he wanted./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Squinting Black Hat bristled but his tentacles and mouths slowly dissolved back into his skin. Glaring at Sugar Plum he growled out. "Mine."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Laughing lightly and glancing at Sans as he relaxed a bit, Sugar Plum smiled and nodded. "Yes. They are yours. The eggs are yours. I won't take them. I'm not taking anything. Okay?" His gaze flicked back and forth from Sans to Black Hat./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""And we are yours too sir. We aren't going anywhere. We will stay with you." Sans assured Black Hat and passed the new information subliminally to Sugar Plum. It would be really bad if Sugar Plum tried to move Papyrus away from Black Hat and cause him to lash out./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat sunk deeper into the skeletons nuzzling Sans's cheek mumbling at ease again. "Good, good. Mine all mine. Perfect skeletons. Mine."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Taking a scared step forward and trading glances with Sans, Sugar Plum tried again. "Sir, um Black Hat? Would you let me see your eggs? You were worried about them, right? I can help."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Clinging to Sans Black Hat growled, but shifted Papyrus to his side a tentacle spreading his shirt and skin over his stomach turning transparent. The eggs had doubled in size and took on more of a red orange color./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sugar Plum's eyelights grew, as did Sans's. "I've never seen that trick before!" Excited, Sugar Plum moved around the couch and crouched beside Black Hat to look closer. "How far along are you?" Once he glanced over the first one his face darkened with confusion. "You said these were Fell's kids, right?" He looked up to Black Hat unsure./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat growled a tentacle sprung out pushing Sugar Plum back a few paces. Breathing hard, Black Hat's form shivered for a moment before breathing out a hiss. "All these fucking feelings. Don't touch me." Standing Black Hat seeped out of behind the skeletons causing Papyrus to leaned more firmly against the couch. He took a step closer to Sugar Plum. "Yes, Fell is the father. "They have doubled in size and turned more orange. I am not even a month along. What is wrong with my eggs! Tell me NOW!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sugar Plum fell on his ass and quickly backpedaled. "No-nothing! I swear there is absolutely nothing wrong with them! They are over half developed though and have developed a Soul connection with Papyrus. Not a strong one, but it's there." Sugar Plum sweated lavender magic as he was stopped from backing away by the wall behind him. "I swear, they are perfectly healthy!"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"After checking on his brother, Sans quickly teleported between Sugar Plum and Black Hat. Please calm down sir. He's just trying to help. Please." He looked beseechingly up at his delirious and honestly terrifying boss./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat stopped, standing and looking down at his eggs softly. A hand caressed the transparent skin. "Thank goodness. So Papyrus's magic caused a soul connection, interesting."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"As Black Hat's wrath seem to have disappeared as swiftly as it had come on, Sugar Plum quickly teleported to the couch behind him, next to Papyrus, trying to put some distance between himself and the hormonal mess that was Black Hat currently. "Yeah. They will try to bond with whoever gives them the most magic, thinking that those must be their parents. They seem to be following typical monster behaviors; search for something strong and bind to it. Have you or Fell been feeding them magic? They should grow and shrink with each feeding until they eventually hold their size. Then they'll be ready for laying." He explained while absently petting Papyrus's skull. He wished he would have been there to help Melinda with her birth, but he had just been learning how to deliver at that point, only being a hundred and all. /p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans barely held himself back from slapping the Lust sector skeleton away from his brother. He knew he meant no harm, but he didn't know what was going through his mind either and he knew all too well what was normally at the forefront. His brother was much too young for any of that./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Shaking his head Black Hat murmured softly. "No, we haven't fed them." Moving to the couch he sat next to Sugar Plum not even caring about the skeletons fear. "My eggs are fine though? Nothing wrong? I just need Fell to feed them magic?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Watching him warily, Sugar Plum nodded. "Yeah, and you should too though, otherwise they are going to think that Fell and Paps here are their parents, regardless of who birthed them. Other than that, your eggs look perfectly healthy and strong. I'm surprised you managed to get eggs from Fell though. His Heat isn't do for a few months yet. I don't think anyway. One minute." He dug around in the side of his bright blue boot before pulling out an old, clunky flip phone and messing around with it. "Yeah, he isn't due until well into December, almost the end of it, around Gyftmas." He snapped his phone shut and dropped it back down into his boot. /p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans stood around awkwardly before asking, "Would anyone like something to drink or eat? I think Pap's was making food earlier, right?" He directed his second question to Black Hat who had been downstairs with his brother while he had been working./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Pasta, in the kitchen... I laid two hundred last time. My eggs are healthy? They will be fine to be laid early? I didn't ruin them? I can't have Fell hate me." Black Hat rubbed his belly sadly at the idea he ruined the eggs./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Thanks." Sans wandered out to get himself some food and kick up the thermostat from his winter blowout earlier. Plating himself some food with difficulty, he got to the table and began eating. He paused only for a bit to grab some ketchup from the fridge so he'd have something to drink./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Two hundred? You've got to be kidding me! A healthy monster egg when it's ready to be laid is just a bit bigger than those are now! I can't imagine carrying two hundred. You have got to be exaggerating." Disbelief echoed in Sugar Plum's voice and shown in his eyes. "As for this clutch, if this is their first feeding, I'm not surprised you got so worked up. No worries, they will shrink back down in a few hours. Like I mentioned earlier, they will swell when fed and shrink as they absorb the magic and use it to create their bodies. You didn't hurt or ruin them in any way, shape, or form. This is healthy for them. I'm sure Fell will be happy to know they are healthy. From the look of their Souls they are still pretty weak. I'd suggest feeding them every other day at least, with yours or his magic, but not both at once." He tried to look over Black Hat and scan his Soul, but had some difficulty with the other forming Souls interfering. "I can't seem to read your Soul, but I am going to guess you are the stronger of the two of you?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Chuckling Black Hat nodded "Demons tend to be stronger than monsters, child. I apologize for my reactions earlier. I don't normally feel so many emotions and I guess I went more feral. As for my last clutch it was about two hundred give or take a few. Due to Gaster's Heat we were able to produce the usual clutch size. You are correct in that this form wouldn't be able to fit them all. I was mainly in my looser form while developing them. Thus, I'm not used to this process of eggs."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Demons? So you aren't a monster then? And you have a different form than this one?" Sugar Plum looked over to Sans in the kitchen. "You never give us an easy task do you?" When Sans shook his head, Sugar Plum just sighed and looked back at Black Hat. "Are you capable of removing your Soul? It is not something I would normally ask, but with the Soullings interfering I can't see your strength or ability and I'd like to be able to give you a better idea of how much you should feed them. Over feeding them can cause them to become feral and animalistic. Would you mind?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Blinking Black Hat frowned, is that what happened to his last hatchlings? Reaching into his chest his skin rippling away from his claws he brought out a black heart with Fell's bonded red string. "Do you require holding it?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sugar Plum's eyelights shunk to pinpoints before he fainted and fell off the couch, just missing falling on Papyrus./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Looking up at the heavy thud, Sans nearly puked. The sheer power and darkness of Black Hat's Soul was sickening and he could literally feel the sins of the Soul crushing the house. "Put it back." Sans choked out, unable to tear his eyes away even as they flickered and he fought passing out himself./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Putting the Soul back, Black Hat picked up Sugar Plum with a claw lifting him back onto the couch before fighting to get his claw from the clothing he wore. "Why did the small one react that way?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""You have a lot of sins in your Soul sir, and like me, he is a Judge. we feel the sins of others like an attack and to have the manifestation of your very being, a being of sin if I may be so bold as to say so, it is a bit more than either of us can take. I nearly passed out myself. He likely didn't know any better." Sans left his meal, the plate already empty for the third time, to check on Sugar Plum./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Humming in understanding Black Hat nodded nudging Sugar Plum. "Small one I still have questions."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""You'll have to give him a bit, you scared him good. He's usually pretty peaceful, so seeing your Soul knocked him for a loop." As Sans was speaking, Sugar Plum's phone went off, causing him to jump then hesitantly start searching his pockets for the device. He found it just in time. "Hello?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""What happened? I felt him go into shock and then nothing. Is he okay? Is my brother okay Sans? Please tell me!" Razzy's panicked voice reached through the speaker, making Sans pull the phone from the side of his skull slightly./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Snatching the phone Black Hat spoke into it. "Who is this? Are you friends with the small one? He is perfectly safe he merely fainted."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans tried and failed to snatch the phone back, nearly tripping over his brother and falling on Sugar Plum. He only just caught himself and was glad the Lust brother wasn't awake or things could get awkward really fast./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Who are you?! Is Sans okay? Oh for fuck's sake." The line became muffled and Razzy could be heard telling everybody that a family emergency had come up so they had to leave. "I'll be at Sans's house in twenty minutes. If you aren't there when I arrive, whoever you are, then stars help you." After that, the line went dead./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Black Hat handed Sans the phone, "It seems we have another guest coming. Should we move them to a bed?"/p
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p dir="ltr"Dragging a hand down his face, Sans nodded. "Yeah. Leave Plum here on the couch, but we can put my brother in his room. If Razzy thinks anything happened to his brother, he'll go nuts and I don't want to think about what the make up sex would end up like." Sans carefully untangled himself from Sugar Plum as he spoke, nearly slipping several times./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Tilting his head in confusion as he lifted Papyrus into a bridal hold. "I thought that only you and Flug had sex. Do you often have sex with others?"/p
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p dir="ltr"Sans shook his head. "Flug an I have only messed around with others besides you a few times. I meant between Plum and Razzy. Although they are brothers, they are also mates. That's how Razzy knew something was wrong."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""How will I know something is wrong with Fell? Does he know things with me?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Sans looked down at Sugar Plum and frowned. "If anybody could answer those questions, It would be Plum here, but seeing as he passed out just from seeing your corrupt Soul, I don't think he'll be able to tell you anything. He might be able to read it off of Fell, but you just have too much weighing on you. You see, Plum has the ability to see connections between Souls and the strength of bonds. Razzy is able to enhance or sever bonds. It is part of what makes them so key to the Underground and their sector. That and their endless stamina when it comes to sex." Sans shook his head and led the way for Black Hat upstairs so his brother could get some proper rest./p
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p dir="ltr"Humming unhappily Black Hat followed Sans using his tentacles to fold down the covers on the bed. "Maybe this Razzy will be able to answer some things. I will refrain from pulling out my Soul for him."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Chuckling quietly, Sans agreed. "Yeah, that would probably be best. He isn't a Judge like Plum and I, but it would still probably give him a scare. He's pretty young and hasn't seen much of the world, so I doubt he'd be ready to experience that level of... Well you know." He fluttered his hands when he ran out of words. Looking around, he felt like he was missing something. His brother's room was clean and pristine, every item had its place and even Papyrus himself, once laid down, pulled the sheets up subconsciously until they lay perfectly ordered over his frame. His brother was everything he was not, and so young as well. Sans could only hope that he was ready for the change that was plowing through their lives./p
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p dir="ltr"Chuckling Black Hat nodded "All of you are children compared to me." Taking Sans's shoulder He lead them back down stairs. "Come along, you don't want to stare at your brother sleeping. That is deemed creepy... I would know."/p
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p dir="ltr""You certainly would. Seriously though, how often do you watch Flug and I down in the labs? You always seem to show up at the… er, most opportune times? As for us being children, just remember, you are dating one such child. Not that I can say much with Flug transitioning, it is causing all sorts of hell for me when I try to take the kid drinking." Sans shook his head as he let the demon guide him out of the room and led the way back down stairs. Stopping by a small container, he grabbed some sprinkles and put them on a dish that had a round rock sitting in the center. Once he was done he flopped on a chair in the living room to wait for Razzy to show up. "So… any questions that I can answer for you? About my dad, Paps, monsters in general, bonds… anything?" Sans had noticed the second he had sat down how quiet the house was with Paps asleep./p
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p dir="ltr"Humming Black Hat turned to look at Sans better. "Tell me more about your brother. About both of you. How is your relationship with him, before and after the incident."/p
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p dir="ltr"Sans perked up when asked to talk about his brother but his expression dimmed a bit when asked to talk about himself or the incident. Putting the latter two to the side, he launched into tales of his brother's achievements and how he had grown up. Funny stories, sad stories, tales of endeavor, he told anything that came to mind until the door slammed open, fierce winds blowing through the house and Razzy pushed in from the severe blizzard blowing outside. Sans had just finished telling about the time when Papyrus was only ten and hidden in a tree fort deep in the forest between the Ruins and Snowdin and nearly frozen his jaw shut. In hindsight it was hilarious, but at the time it had been terrifying for him. He still wasn't used to raising a kid./p
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p dir="ltr""It's colder than a Snowdrake's clit out there. What in the name of all that is sexually right is wrong with you! You could have at least warned me!" Razzy ranted as he stood in the now closed entry knocking ice and snow from his scantily clad form./p
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p dir="ltr"Turning to Razzy Black Hat calmly said. "Come inside before your freeze. Where are your clothes? Come here you fool." Black Hat grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and swaddled Razzy without hesitation./p
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p dir="ltr""Thank you. I admit I was a bit foolish to just run out, but please tell me Sugar is alright. I haven't felt a thing from him in half an hour." Razzy's eyelights cast about, but with the angle and the blankets, he couldn't spot Sugar Plum laying on the couch. He ignored Black Hat's chastising about his apparel. He was used to people from beyond the Lust sector judging him for it, but it was easier to get out of the way if he wore less./p
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p dir="ltr""He's on the couch and passed out. I would have told you that, but he took the phone and you flipped out before we could." Sans called from across the room where he was lounged across a recliner./p
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p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat lifted him into a bridal hold and sat him next to his brother. "I take fault in his fainting. I didn't realize my Soul would cause such a problem."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Oy! I can walk. What are you doing?!" Razzy froze when he heard Black Hat's words though. "Your Soul? What part does that play in all this? Sugar Plum has seen all sorts of Souls. Why would yours be too much?" Razzy searched Black Hat's face and no fear was even remotely present as he tried to understand./p
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p dir="ltr"Chuckling Black Hat shook his head patting Razzy's skull. "Far to dark for them. You are next to you mate so hush."/p
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p dir="ltr"As he was set down, Razzy just as quickly picked up Sugar Plum and his brow creased for a moment before Sugar Plum sat straight up, flailing and shrieking like a banshee until he knocked skulls with his brother and went down again moaning and rubbing his head. /p
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p dir="ltr""You ever actually do that to me and I'll make you wish you never learned what good sex is, you rotten pain in my ass." Sugar Plum grumbled but didn't move from where he rest in Razzy's lap./p
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p dir="ltr"Sans let his head hang over the edge of the recliner while his feet dangled on the other side so he didn't have to watch those two. He had only left Flug this morning, but it felt so far away. Watching those two just made him want to be with him more./p
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p dir="ltr"Grinning Black Hat sat next to the Lust brothers. "I have more questions."/p
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p dir="ltr"Hearing Black Hat's voice, Sugar Plum tried to sit up again, but Razzy kept him down and calmly told him, "Then ask. That is why we are here right now." He smiled in amusement. "And please stop your squirming brother. You're already going to have a fun time as soon as we are done. Please don't torture me so."/p
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p dir="ltr""When will I feel and be able to communicate with Fell like you both can? Will my Soul corrupt the eggs?" Black Hat quickly fired off his questions./p
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p dir="ltr"Razzy looked up surprised by the questions. They were completely outlandish compared to what he had expected. "You mean you started a clutch without even getting to a communicative bonding? Wow." He shook his head in disbelief. "Well, for starters, Sugar here and I have a unique bond so we are closer than most mates end up getting, but communication is usually established within about a month or two of the mating being accepted. It will get stronger as time progresses and will never cease to grow."/p
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p dir="ltr"Sugar Plum finally gave up trying to convince his younger mate to let him up and flopped against the arm of the couch and picked up where his brother stopped for breath. "As for your eggs, they are yours, so they are already going to be tolerant of whatever state you and your Soul are in. Because of the state of your Soul though, you can expect them to be pretty vicious and dangerous. They will likely feel compelled to match up to you, but that may be tempered by Fell's Soul. Try not to feed them more power from your Soul than Fell feeds from his or they will end up more yours than his and may end up completely disregarding him entirely."/p
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p dir="ltr"Giving his brother a reproachful look, Razzy cut back in. "You may also want to work on developing that communicative bond sooner than later as it will be crucial in dealing with and communicating with your kids."/p
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p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat absorbed all the knowledge he could. "Would being a demon effect our bond or children. I don't want this clutch to end up like the last. I want them perfect for Fell... At least one. That's all he asked for." Black Hat fidgeted with his claws gaining a dejected look./p
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p dir="ltr""Honestly I don't believe so. Sans and Flug had no issue, that's for sure. I don't know much on humans and neither of us have ever heard of demons, but a bond is a bond. There isn't too much you can mess up with that once it's started. As for your clutch, are you saying you had one prior to your mating? And exactly how many kids were you hoping for? In most monster pregnancies, especially the first one of a bond, there is only one child. Something about our biology only supports one kid at a time." Razzy paused to rap a sharp knuckle on Sugar Plum's forehead, flinching himself seconds later. "No, get that out of your head. Not happening Plum." Turning back to Black Hat with a strained smile, he continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, most monsters will only have one kid at a time due to our long lifespan and the sheer amount of time it takes for us to properly mature. Eighty-five years isn't short for most, at least not for me it wasn't. /p
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p dir="ltr"Blinking Black Hat shook his head. "I had two hundred with Gaster, but they were corrupted. I have five eggs now... So I can only hope for one successful offspring?Should I dispose of four now and only focus on one? Fell would be extremely upset if none turn out correct..."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""I'm not sure what you are calling correct, but I am definitely going to say that you don't have to abandon the other four eggs. You have immense magic stored. I could tell that from the glimpse I had at your Soul." Sans spoke up from where he was stretched across the recliner. "I don't have to be a mate guru to know that a fertile and healthy egg is a keeper." He sat up and the look he gave Black Hat was absolutely furious. "If you have five healthy, fertile, growing and thriving eggs that have even the slightest chance of making it and doing well by you and Fell, you had better do everything you can to support them or by the stars I will find a way to put a hurt on you myself. They may not mean much to you, but to all of us in the Underground, children are sacred."/p
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p dir="ltr""We couldn't have said it better." Sugar Plum acknowledged, finally allowed to sit up as he and Razzy were taken aback by even the idea of abandoning a child, much less four of one's own./p
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p dir="ltr"Nodding slowly Black Hat sighed. "I understand. Come here child and let me hold you." Black Hat opened his arms to Sans inviting. He now understood on how Sans could be upset about his past clutch. "I shall not harm them. I will protect them even from myself. I will not be Gaster."/p
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p dir="ltr"Sans snorted, about to snap and refuse until he saw Sugar Plum shake his head. He hated that he has to act the child, but for the sake of the eggs and his own safety, he submitted to his bosses whim. Rolling off of the recliner and only just catching himself, he moved over next to the demon and sat beside him, hesitantly leaning against his side./p
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p dir="ltr"Hesitantly Black Hat leaned into Sans nuzzling his skull. "Don't worry I'll take care of you and your brother. You are safe. No one will hurt you anymore." Growling out a "Never again."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""No one except you, right?" Sans sighed, feeling defeated. He knew that escaping Black Hat's wrath would only last so long. Eventually this all had to catch up to him. He just hoped he and Flug would survive and his brother wouldn't get crushed from the horrors of their new home./p
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p dir="ltr""No one including me. I realize now how my actions make me no different than Gaster. I'm a demon and evil ruins strong within me, but I'm trying to be better for Fell. For all of you."/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""Well don't go getting too soft on us. The heroes up on the surface may see it as a chance to bring you down for all you've done. Plus I think it would scare Flug to have such a dramatic change overnight." Sans mused aloud. He may have to act the child, but he sure as all hell wasn't going to be one. "Granted, might lose you the crazy woman's affections, not that I think you'd be too upset about that." He laughed as he remembered her tantrum when he had brought up Black Hat's mating and eggs./p
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p dir="ltr"Rolling his eye Black Hat tapped gently on Sans's skull. "Hush. I will not allow heroes bring me down. Flug and Dementia will just have to deal. I am doing this for my clutch and mate."/p
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p dir="ltr"Although the tap was gentle, Sans still flinched. He knew just what Black Hat could do with those claws if he had a mind to. "Yes sir."/p
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p dir="ltr"Interrupting their conversation, Razzy asked, "Do you have any other questions for us sir?"/p
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p dir="ltr"Shaking his head Black Hat sighed "None at the moment. How can I contact you if I need more information?"/p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr""The best way is usually to give us a call and make an appointment. We tend to keep ourselves busy and with all the recent disturbances, it is starting to give us a bit of a bad rep." Sugar Plum explained. "We can be reached by phone, providing you have one that works." He shrugged as if to say that not having one wasn't really their concern./p
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p dir="ltr"Nodding Black Hat passed over an older looking flip phone./p
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p dir="ltr"Razzy explained further on their work. "We run a brother in the next sector over, so things can get a bit noisy. Just a heads up if you do decide to call." He accepted the phone and was grateful for the older technology. A lot of monsters had updated their cells when the barrier broke and it made using them a real pain for him and his brother./p
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p dir="ltr""Oh?" Black Hat grinned. "So you both work with sex? Do you often switch or is there a dominant between the two of you. Not to pry but do you participate in pain? Fell loves when I take him rough and destroy him but another perspective would be lovely~"/p
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p dir="ltr"Instantly the brothers locked gazes with him and their grins grew wide./p
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p dir="ltr""Oh hell no, I'm out." Sans rolled away from Black Hat and teleported up to his room, grabbing an armful of items and going back to the mansion. He knew the look those two had./p