A/N: Babe wake up new Coffee chapter just dropped
Swap looked to the side at his boyfriend, who was rather characteristically sitting on the edge of the car seat and sweating like a madman. Eyes trained on the road ahead of them with absolutely no emotion aside from the small scowl- He was shaking a little, his hands picking at his radius nervously. The shorter monster removed his right hand from the wheel and held Fell's arm, looking to the side with a small smile. "Don't hurt yourself over this."
He looked back at the road, glancing at signs and following the path to the beach. Fell placed his hand on top of the other's and stared at it, pink tears welling up in his eye sockets as he processed. Swap sighed and looked between him and the GPS. "It looks like we're close." He smiled a little and rubbed his boyfriend's carpals. The road roared in his head, loud in juxtaposition to the silence swaddling the two almost uncomfortably. As if on autopilot, the blue-toned skeleton drove. He couldn't fathom talking when he was entirely convinced this entire situation was his own fault.
Fell was staring out the window still, but he had a small smile on his face now, and he squeezed his boyfriend's hand almost patiently. "I love you…" He mumbled softly, watching the trees and people whizzing by on the sidewalk.
"I love you too, baby."
They drove in silence for a bit, the only sound the GPS robot lady giving them directions to the hotel. Eventually Fell let go of Swap's hand and turned on his radio, the CD player whirring into action and playing a mix CD. He hummed along to the music, a sound that made Swap break into a tender grin. Returning his hand to Swap's as it rested on the middle console, Fell let out a heavy, but not wholly burdened, sigh.
Swap pulled into a parking spot outside the hotel and turned to his lover, only to find him asleep in his seat. His mouth was parted in a light snore, hand still atop his own.
There were only two other cars in the parking lot, reflecting the hot afternoon sunshine. "Hey sleepyhead. We're here." He nudged Fell gently, ushering him awake. The other skeleton cracked his eyes open, grunting.
"Damn." He murmured, stretching and subsequently cracking his back in a sickening way that made Swap cringe.
The two got out of the car and locked it, making their way inside. The hotel had that generic traveller smell- old coffee, dust, and cleaner. Sunlight beamed in from the windows, which had heavy white curtains peeled away from their surfaces. Shelves adorned the wall, covered in beautiful, ornate shells and small ships in the bottle. One wall was adorned with a heavy, decorative net covered in shells and polished glass orbs. Swap found himself swept up in the decorations while Fell went and talked to the desk attendant, staring at the pamphlets on the table declaring various exciting beach activities.
"I have our room key." Swap jumped, turning to his boyfriend, who was holding out a card to him. "We're on the third floor."
The hotel room was equally as cheesy. The walls were a duck egg blue, with a seashell trim around the roof. Above the bed- and there was only one bed- was a large photo print of a clamshell in the sand. The radiator under the window made an awkward humming noise, and it was a bit chilly, but it was the most relaxed Swap had been in maybe a month. He dropped his bags in a chair and threw himself in the bed, burying his face in the pillows.
Fell chuckled, crossing his arms from across the room and watching him.
"What?" he huffed, sitting up.
"You're a child."
"Nuh-uh!" Maybe sticking his tongue out wasn't his best defense. But it succeeded in making Fell laugh, something that he wanted to do infinitely for the rest of time.
"Yuh-huh," Fell retorted, crawling onto the foot of the bed and moving across him to meet in the middle for a chaste kiss and a hug. They sat like that, Swap buried in his boyfriend's warm arms, for a long moment, just breathing.
It was warm. And peaceful. And almost romantic. Until Fell's stomach made a noise that was most likely summoned from hell. He had the decency to look a little sheepish about it, but Swap found it endearing.
"Are you hungry?"
"Maybe."
"I saw a monster pancake place down the road." Swap pulled out of Fell's arms and stood, beckoning him to come closer.
"You really fucking like pancakes," Fell followed him, reaching out to lace their fingers together as they left the hotel and started the walk down the road.
They didn't say anything until Swap was leant over a steaming cup of hot chocolate, lapping at the small whipped cream mountain on the top while Fell watched him with endearing eyes.
"Do you think Paps will take care of everything?"
It was so quiet, Swap was worried for a moment that his lover didn't hear it. But Fell averted his eyes.
After a heavy pause, where Swap found himself watching other patrons of the cafeteria, his boyfriend spoke up again.
"I don't actually know."
"That isn't very reassuring."
"I'd rather not lie to you," The monster sipped his coffee, which seemed to fortify him enough to continue. "I don't know if your brother can magically take care of everything, though he is pretty amazing… But we're also in quite a pickle. But I'm sure everything will work itself out for the better. I just can't wait until all of this drama blows over." He reached across the table and gripped Swap's fingers in his own, smiling. Swap had to smile back. How could he not?
He was right. This would blow over eventually.
The waiter, a scrawny, pimply college kid, returned with their food, making small talk with them about the weather, school, and the beach. Swap thanked him profusely for his service and wished him luck in his courses before digging in to his not-quite-lunch-not-quite-dinner.
"I love strawberries," he proclaimed, piercing one on his fork and held it up for his partner to look at. "They're red, and sweet…" He flushed. "Like you!"
Fell was a few shades redder than a strawberry. "That's kinda gay," He mumbled, shoveling a whole fried egg in his mouth to suppress his smile. Swap only giggled.
"Who'd've thought! Me- gay!"
The two snorted, averting their eyes from other patrons who didn't look very pleased by their clamour. Whatever, this was a pancake place anyways. The home of joy, revelry, and gourmands! Those soccer moms could suck it!
"Don't look, but the woman behind you has been staring at us for the past five or so minutes."
"For real?"
"Yeah. She's a human."
"Oh my god." Swap really, really wanted to look now. "Do you think she hates monsters or gays?"
"Fuck if I know. Maybe she just hates loud people."
"I doubt we are the loudest people in this Monstercake's." Swap mumbled, sipping his hot chocolate.
"Not yet, at least."
Swap snorted.
"Holy shit dude the face she just made was priceless."
"Make me laugh again."
"Shit, uhhh… She kinda looks like a melted popsicle." Swap barked out another laugh, barely able to contain it. Fell smirked back at him. "And the kid she's with looks like he would literally rather be anywhere else. Full emo getup and all."
"So basically what you're saying is that he looks like you?" It was Fell's turn to laugh, a gruff and heavy sound that rattled around in Swap's ribcage.
He wanted to keep it there forever, like a bird.
They continued to exchange jokes, with Fell dropping regular updates on the increasingly wound up expression on the mother's face, before paying their bill (with a hefty tip) and leaving the restaurant. Now that it was near six, the sun was creeping along the shoreline, and Swap and Fell found themselves wandering toward the seashore to admire the waves lapping at the sand before returning to their hotel.
Fell reached over and grasped his hand again. Swap smiled, noting that his boyfriend was alway reaching for some sort of small physical contact. Not that he minded in the slightest- He'd rather a clingy boyfriend to a detached one.
Seafoam crested his metatarsals, sliding over his feetbones and soothing his soul in an indescribable way. Fell gazed around the beach while he kept his eyes trained down, watching his own feet leave indents in the sand while he carried his boots in the other hand. Sure, picking the small granules from between his bones would be hell on earth later, but it was worth it for this moment of peace.
"I'm glad I met you." He said it more the whipping ocean air than to his partner, though it was absolutely meant for him.
"Even though it literally fucked up your life?"
"Especially because it fucked up my life." He stopped to meet the eyes of the other monster, smiling bittersweetly. "I'd trade anything the world wanted to make you happy."
"Don't- Don't get fucking cheesy with me," Fell was bright red, illuminating the now dark sand around them. Swap smiled back at him. "You'll eat those words one day."
"We'll just have to wait and find out, I suppose." Swap kissed his cheek, leaning into a tender hug.
The moment was nearly immediately ruined by Fell whispering into his neck, "It's fuckin' windy."
"What a suprise!" Swap laughed, peeling away. "Let's go back and watch some shitty hotel TV. Maybe take a bath…"
The hotel door was bashed in. Swap looked between his boyfriend, who's face was nearly turned to stone, and the now destroyed door. Moving faster than he could think, he pushed it open. Inside, the bed seemed to be completely gutted, blankets strewn on the floor and the mattress ripped in half and thrown aside. The contents of their bags were strewn across the floor like birdseed, trampled and disheveled.
And in the middle of it all were Galaxy and Papyrus. And not the fun, good, lazy papyrus.
"Fucking finally!" Galaxy rumbled, grabbing Papyrus's humorous to get his attention. "They're back."
"Brother!" Papyrus stode up to Fell, face nearly apathetic. "When will you get it through your thick little skull that he isn't good for you?"
"Shut up."
"He's making you weak! Emotional! Blind!"
"Shut. Up."
"I thought you knew better than to make yourself so vulnerable to anyone else. I can't believe I have to spell it out for you."
Meanwhile, Galaxy was standing behind the other skeleton, glaring daggers into Swap's face and making him increasingly aware of his lack of a battle body. How the hell was he going to defend himself against them.
"Shut the fuck up!" Fell growled, something so low and primal it was nearly unrecognizable. He snapped and a plethora of bones appirated, pointing themselves at his brother. The Papyrus looked shocked, if only for a second.
"You're really willing to fight me, your own magic and bone, over this? Over some fruity little thing you barely know?" He looked between them. "I could crush you in seconds, brother. You and your one HP. Or did you forget? You aren't indestructible."
"You need to watch your mouth."
"I will do not such thing."
"Then I'll fucking kill you."
"I doubt you'll even get the chance."
Magic flashed past Swap's face, clanging into Papyrus's femur and effectively pulling his SOUL into battle, where Fell's joined it.
The following fight was violent and fast, something hardly processable. Bones flew back and forth, cracking across each other. Galaxy watched with abject interest, eyes trained on Fell in a way that left a bad taste in Swap's mouth. He watched his boyfriend as well, hoping that he could survive this battle. Though no matter what the outcome, he was sure his boyfriend would feel like the loser.
The two parted across the hotel room, chests heaving.
"You're down to two HP, bro." Sans chided. "I could kill you now."
"You wouldn't really kill me."
"I wouldn't if you didn't keep pushing me."
"I'm your everything- the only thing you ever needed. I was your savior, your brother. Your protector. And now what am I to you? Chopped liver?"
"All you were was a piece of shit." Fell hissed.
"After all I've done for you-"
"All you did was ruin me."
"I saved you!"
"I wish you would have left me to die in the cold."
"Fell-" Swap reached out. He didn't want either of them to die! They didn't deserve to!
"Stay out of it." Papyrus turned his gaze to him.
"No! You two need to stop-"
"I mean it. You'll regret it."
"Babe, really-"
"I will not stay out of it! I'm caught up in the middle of i-"
A bone. Directly into his soul. Swap looked down, staring at the piercing sharp implement driven into his ribcage.
He didn't need to look at his HP gauge to know what was about to happen.
"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" His vision faded in and out, feet no longer reliable. Fell dropped to his knees next to him. "Don't you dare die on me!"
Swap opened his mouth, wanting to say something reassuring. Maybe something like, "I won't" or "I love you", but all that came out was a gust of dust as he disintegrated from the inside out.
When he opened his eyes next, he was surrounded by a calming blue. A tall, white, glowing figure stood next to him, radiating a peaceful presence. He looked down to his chest, half expecting there to still be a bone poking from his carapace. But instead, there was a large hole, dripping with dust but not spreading.
"Where am I?"
"The end."
"Like… heaven?"
"Not quite."
"Purgatory?"
"Not there either. Think of it more as just 'the end'. A place to ruminate."
"Ruminate on what?"
"Whatever you need to."
"So I'm not dead?"
"Oh no, you are very, very dead." He felt the small spark of hope die out in his chest.
"What do I do now?"
"You wait."
A/N: Y'all asked for it. Y'all got it. 5 years later. Anyways- I'm gonna consider rewriting this whole fic and probably never do it. if yall wanna read my other stuff I have an ao3 on my profile lolz. xx
