Papyrus came home late at night, cold following him in like a cloak. Little Bones tucked under his blankets, tiny body barely taking up one cushion. Blue was on the other cushion, staring blankly at the TV, the picture fading into static with every howl of the wind. He did not seem to notice, with his hands in his lap and eyelights fuzzy.
The door closed and Blue finally looked up, his eyes focusing once more.
"I was worried." Blue whispered.
"I know," Stretch murmured, "I promise you, it was important."
The two stared at one another.
"Should I wake him?" Blue asked, nodding to their charge.
Papyrus began gathering the child's things, "let's wait until everything's packed. I called up Strawberry; he'll take him for the night."
The smaller skeleton nodded slowly, pulling himself up from the couch and helping his older brother, "were they really attacking?"
"they came out of the ruins with that face, but I didn't see if they hurt anyone. I just want to be safe."
Blue nodded again, turning back to his work. He focused on the toys, while his brother gathered clothes, stuffing them into a drawstring bag and a backpack, respectively. The silence made Blue choke, so thick that air struggled to do its job.
"Papyrus... is it really the human who does this? No one can switch between being... a friend and being a killer that fast, can they?"
"...I don't know anymore."
Blue knelt by the couch, "Little Bones, its time to wake up. We've got to go..."
The child blinked open his eyes slowly, a soft, broken whine emitting from him. Those tired orbs gazed at them, Stretch in particular, mumbling about a doctor that died away as he began to recall where he was. Upon doing so, he sat up and tilted his skull, face obscured with confusion.
"Don't worry. You'll be able to sleep more," Papyrus assured.
"We've got to take you somewhere," Blue said.
"You'll be safe," Stretch continued, "I promise."
"Strawberry is very nice."
"it's okay."
"you'll be okay."
"Everything's okay."
Little Bones didn't believe them.
The teleportion device beeped as they landed within the Fell House. As per usual, the home felt decrepit , nightmare memories haunting every nook and cranny. Boarded up windows, a door with four locks, furniture worn, not from use but age. The house wasn't a home, just a hiding spot.
Little Bones scooted closer to Blue.
Before either brother could call out for the edgier Sans, Strawberry came down the stairs, each step deliberate and quiet. The jumpy skeleton looked more faded than his prison house, sockets half-lidded and movements shaky. He didn't bother trying to smile until was before them and, with exhaustion weighing down each limb down, a slow wave the pained grin.
"Mornin', ya'll," Strawberry murmured, voice raspy and soft, as though he hadn't used it in weeks.
Or as though he had been screaming for hours
Blue pouted, "its 2 AM. You both better be sleeping once we're gone."
Little Bones glanced up at him,"...gone? Where...?"
The expression on his face hurt Blue beyond belief.
"Don't worry, Little Bones-" Blue began.
"-it's only for a little bit." Stretch finished.
Little Bones stared at them before nodding, slowly. The child's things were passed to their companion before he was ushered to look around.
"...Strawberry," Blue said, reaching a hand out to his friend and, with sadness, watched him flinch," are you okay? You look..."
"Like the devil threw you into a pit and shat on you." Stretch cut him off, crossing his arms and gazing down at Strawberry.
"...'m okay, guys. Jus' tired. Y'know how this place is."
Blue eyed him, "are you hurt?"
"wha- no, no! Again, jus' tired. Ya'll should get goin'."
...
"okay, just... just take it easy."
Then, with goodbyes bade, they left.
The moment they disappeared, Strawberry slumped, sighing heavily.
"Let's hope this goes well." He muttered to no one in particular. The words were hollow and tired.
But what did Little Bones know about that?
Strawberry herded Little Bones up the stairs into his room.
As per Sans behavior, the room was a mess. However, what made up the mess was significantly less. Strawberry had a bed and, really, that was it. Unless a laundry hamper counted as furniture, there wasn't much else to be spoken of.
The blankets on his bed were worn and faded, falling apart at the seems. He had two flat pillows, supported by clothes long since out-grown or destroyed to be of use else where. Little Bones took in the single shirt, a large turtleneck, on the floor, lying among glass shards from the window, which was boarded up with old wood and covered poorly by moth-bitten, torn curtains. This set up caused an awkward patch-work of light that scattered around the room, providing very little comfort.
He glanced up to his current host, who stared at the mess sheepishly.
"Well, it ain't the worst," Strawberry murmured, placing the drawstring bag in a corner and setting the backpack next to the sunken in mattress, "c'mere, kiddo. It's softer than it looks, I promise."
Little Bones walked slowly before climbing onto the bed, Mr. Pah falling onto the mattress and his blanket briefly catching on the corner. He settled down as the bear was placed closer to him, and his sleepiness made itself known once more. He was lulled into a dreamless whisper of sleep, lost to the world of dust bunnies and mournful cries for the time being.
Little Bones woke up to Strawberry putting a small bowl onto the floor, only for it be scooped up and deposited in his lap once he had moved into a sitting position.
The bed dipped as Strawberry sat on the end, fiddling with his sleeve. Little Bones watched as fingers, bitten nad scratched, dug into fabric, pulled strings, and dipped into the openings. His own fingers twitched.
"Is gonna be okay, kiddo. But I need ya ta stay quiet, kay? Not right now, but tomorrow fer sure."
Huh, so he is staying longer than a night.
"I'll give ya a choice ta stay here or ta come wit me ta work tomorrow. Ya can't go between, though."
"..."
"Don't worry none 'bout food-"
"Hiding." Little Bones stated firmly.
"Wha-"
"'m hiding from someone, right? Or... or do you just want me to be quiet?"
Strawberry eyed the child. Little Bones thought he looked scared but, of what, he didn't know. Not yet, anyway.
Strawberry sighed, "don't worry none 'bout tha', either. Jus' be quiet tomorrow an' it'll be okay."
The older skeleton lifted his hand to pet Little Bones, only to pause and press the teddy closer, instead. Then, with sluggish movements, he disappeared, the door closing with the barest of sounds.
Little Bones stared after him for a moment, fingers running through the rough fur of his old teddy. Slowly, he looked down.
"He reminds me of you, Mr. Pah." He whispered and, for a moment, he swore the bear's eyes gleamed with a warm, sad orange.
Strawberry only entered the room a few times during the day, which was only to bring food or collect the laundry from the hamper. Little Bones didn't really pay much attention at this point, as he felt as though he was trapped. The bare room room felt like a cell (the doctor called it his waiting room. It was tiny and dirty and he hated his waiting room), the periodic check-ins were all too familiar, and he knew this game well.
Don't speak, don't stare, just look away.
don't complain, don't ask, don't "give me that face-"
"Don't remind me that you're just a child-"
And that's how it went. Most of the time, Little Bones sat in the bed, playing hopscotch with children, whose faces were long since degraded, on the walls, which flickered from rotting wood to gray concrete with dirt, dust, and blood in the cracks. He would play with his toys when the room around him was normal.
That pattern was ruined only when night fell again. Strawberry trudged into the room and, before he could lay down on the floor, Little Bones moved so he could fit onto the bed, too. The elder stared before giving in without a fight, climbing onto the bed. Both positioned themselves as to avoid touching one another and drifted off to sleep in a bitter silence, frequented by nightmares from nightmares long since forgotten, only to be lost once more each time they awoke with that disgusting heaviness in their throats and cotton in their chests.
There were times when they blinked open their sockets at the same time when that happened. Little Bones would offer Mr. Pah to Strawberry, who whispered words with no meanings but sounded vaguely comforting. Then, together they'd disappear once more.
Due to this, Little Bones found himself waking after his host with a dull ache in his skull and phantom pricks of needles that likely didn't exist anymore.
He blinked slowly, rolling onto his side and peered at the door, shut tight but unable to hide the rumble of an angry man, muffled but there. The sound made his body hurt more and made the room spin and a tall monster, poised over his prone figure, to smile devilishly, cackling as he hovered over him with those stupid tools and-
Little Bones gagged.
Strawberry came into a bowl again, ambling forward as though pained. He offered whatever mush was inside the old disk, only for Little Bones to respond by puking.
Strawverry decided the child would be safer inside the room, rather than out and about.
Little Bones woke once more by the sound of doors being forced open roughly and items being thrown.
The child felt an intensely calm fear settle upon him, the god awful feeling heavy enough to weigh him down. He wondered if he should hide but his limbs were lead. So, instead, he buried his face into the belly of Mr. Pah, willing his friend to save him from whatever was tearing things apart.
The old wood of the door threatened to shatter as it slammed against the wall. There was dead silence then stomping. Little Bones was lifted into the air by the back of his shirt. The collar caught and he choked briefly until he moved his head slightly. His vision flashed between a smiling, cackling monster and the bellowing, angry skeleton holding him up.
The world spun. Little Bones fought down sobs, tears bubbling into frighteningly painful life.
The skeleton sneered at him, sockets sparking with angry red magic. There was a sickening pause before Little Bones' body slammed into the ground, the impact causing the child to let out a blood-curdling cry. Now, his body obeyed with his fear, so he pushed up, trembling, shaking, stepping back as his breath, previously obscenely relaxed, came out in erratic and strained huffs. The skeleton towered above him and Little Bones could only wonder what'll it be this time- must be bad if the doctor didn't bring any tools. He hoped it wasn't that bright, bright, painful room.
He was cornered now. The room seemed to fade away, the only thing existing was this man, so much alike the doctor that he couldn't tell the difference anymore.
Then running. Running so fast that the steps sounded like thunder and the body looked like lightening. The tiny storm hurdled itself into the man, though it only stunned him. Strawberry ripped away, poising himself in front of Little Bones. The child heaved out the barest whimper.
"You fucking disgrace! The fuck do you think you're doing, protecting a rodent? This-" The man was interrupted, which brought a surprised fury to his face.
"He ain't a rodent! He's a fuckin' kid, an' 'm takin' care of him!" Strawberry said, his voice slowly dying away in his fear.
The skeleton's face twisted into disgust, "disobedient mutt. First, we'll take care of your punishment, then you will kill this pest."
Strawberry flinched, and then froze as those hands that had threatened Little Bones moved, so fast, intent obvious.
Strawberry felt them make impact, griping his fragile arms in a vice tight enough to break him. As his bones began to creak, Little Bones screamed.
He screamed, and screamed, and there was something louder, the room growing hot and his fingers prickled and tears were acid and-
Arms wrapped around him and his cries died in his throat, leaving a weeping child in the abused arms, holding a teddy bear whose name was a reminder.
A reminder of what he still couldn't remember.
He felt himself being lifted, cradled in Strawberry's arm while the other gathered his things. Through his tears, he could see massive holes dotting the room, letting snow in, which melted if they fell too close the singed edges. The scary skeleton was on the floor, unconscious.
He didn't think about it, though. Little Bones didn't want to think about it, focusing on the magic that enveloped him as he, along with Strawberry, disappeared from this universe.