Chapter 18 – Opposites
Undertale – Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Gaster, Frisk
Underswap – Berry (Sans), Segoe (Gaster), Stretch (Papyrus)
Gaster had fallen asleep in the recliner as he tried to keep watch over Frisk in case she would need anything through the night. Sans was passed out on another chair sleeping off his hangover from the night before and upstairs the sound of snoring could be heard from Papyrus and Undyne, along with the background sound of the Mario Kart start screen. Berry was laying in the open doorway in a dead feint and snow was slowly accumulating in the entryway. A particularly cold gust of wind curled through the house and shocked Gaster awake as he got a chill down his side.
Blearily he looked up and around as he tried to compute what was going on around him and tried to remember the previous night. A strange skeleton with yellow magic had helped him when Frisk had gotten drunk. He remembered that another strange and dangerous looking skeleton had accompanied that one into this universe. The dangerous one was one of Spikes brothers if he remembered correctly and had delivered their Sans back to the house since he was way too drunk to make it himself.
Another cold burst of air made Gaster turn toward the door where he saw the building pile of snow as a small snow storm picked up outside. With a groan he pushed himself up and hurried over, waking up quickly as the cold hit his face and he started moving. He grabbed a broom from beside the door and started pushing the drift back out the door, starting at the top so it wouldn't pack and would move easier. He would just use his magic, but snow had a bad habit of melting when it came in contact with magic and he couldn't manipulate water so it would just make an even bigger mess.
A few more swipes and a groan alerted him that things were not as they seemed. Under the snow, Berry gave an involuntary shiver and tried to curl into himself, still unconscious and bordering on becoming severely hypothermic. The movement caused Gaster's eyelights to expand before almost disappearing in shock and he picked up the pace on clearing the snow. It didn't take long for him to find the small skeleton buried under the drift and pull him clear. Not bothering to finish getting the snow all out, he forced the door closed so no more would come in and carrying the near frozen skeleton upstairs he rushed to the bathroom where he set him down.
Sticking his head into Papyrus's room he whisper-called, "Papyrus. I hate to bother you, but I really need your help!"
Groggily Papyrus sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What Is Up Gaster?" thankfully he wasn't fully awake so he wasn't up to full volume yet.
"I found a frozen skeleton in the entryway this morning. You have the best healing magic of us all." Gaster explained as he grabbed a few of the extra blankets that had been used in the fort that had been built the night before in the room.
Papyrus quickly woke up upon hearing that news. "WHERE IS THIS OTHER? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL HEAL THEM!"
Next to him Undyne sat straight up in surprise and not awake in the least from Papyrus's loud declaration.
"Not so loud Pap, please. Others are still sleeping." Gaster tried to hush him. "They're in the bathroom." He then led the way back to the bathroom, Papyrus close behind him. Berry had not moved at all, minus a small occasional shiver.
"Get Some Lukewarm Water Started Gaster." Papyrus made an effort to keep his voice down as he saw the severity of the situation and took the blankets and started trying to chafe some warmth into the frozen stranger. He also started taking off the battle body that they had strapped on. He had to admit it was just as good as his.
By the time the bath was almost full, Berry had started to shiver properly and regained a small amount of consciousness. He was shivering too much to be able to help or talk though.
"We Are Going To Put You In A Warm Bath Little One. You Are Very Cold So It May Seem Very Hot. Trust Us. We Are Not Going To Hurt You." He tried to keep his voice low so as to not scare this very small version of his brother. Gaster had explained a while ago that there would be look-a-likes and they were all pretty much the same person, but would have different personalities, so he understood that this was indeed another Sans, just not his Sans.
Berry gave a very jerky nod, though he seemed a bit wary of them both.
Papyrus removed the blankets and carefully picked up Berry and slowly started to ease him into the bath. Berry couldn't help struggling. He knew the water wasn't that hot, but it felt like fire. The tears that formed in his sockets and rolled down his face also burned. Between Gaster and Papyrus they finally got Berry into the tub and carefully rubbed his bones to help his magic start circulating properly.
At some point Undyne poked her head in and asked if she could help in anyway when she saw how rough Berry looked.
"Could you check on Frisk and Sans?" Gaster asked, looking away from his work for a moment. "They both ended up drunk last night. Sans is used to it, but Frisk has never dealt with it and she had a bit of a rough night."
Undyne nodded and went downstairs. Sure enough, Sans was awake, but groggy and laying claim to a severe headache. When Undyne told him that Frisk had gotten drunk though, he seemed to try to put his problems to the side. Together they made a light breakfast, Sans helping direct Undyne on the best way to help her get around the hangover, while following his own instructions. Small amounts of food, sips of water, and after some food, some pain killers. For the most part it seemed to work and she slowly came around. Undyne and Sans agreed to watch some TV with her as both her and Sans recovered.
Upstairs, Berry's temperature was finally starting to rise. He started to be able to function more and although he still shuddered quite often, his shivering was dying off.
"I'll get him dried off, Papyrus, why don't you go grab some of your brother's softer pajamas and run them through the dryer quickly." Gaster suggested as he grabbed one of the thicker towels and started draining the tub as the water was now rapidly cooling.
Papyrus stood, gave a smart salute and dashed out in an almost comical manner while shouting, "THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL FIND THE FLUFFIEST CLOTHES AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE PLENTY WARM!"
Berry stared at the door, flabbergasted. That guy was almost like his brother used to be!
Gaster noticed him staring and chuckled. "He can be a bit excitable. Please excuse him."
Berry looked back at Gaster with his eyelights resembling star shapes. "He Is Just Like My Brother Used To Be." He shuddered halfway though and nearly bit his tongue, but managed to finish his statement.
It was Gaster's turn to be surprised as he realized that this smaller version of his Sans spoke just like Papyrus. "Is that so? He is always very driven and hyper. I know that Sans, his brother is his complete opposite. That has seemed to be a trend in most worlds. Perhaps yours ran on a different algorithm and that is why we haven't come across you yet. I wonder what changed." Gaster started talking to himself even as he mechanically help Berry dry off and wrapped him in the heavy plush of the towel.
Having heard similar, if better explained, rambling from Ink, Berry had a bit of a clue as to what Gaster was talking about.
Papyrus came in shortly after. "I HAVE FOUND THE FLUFFIEST OF THE FLUFFIES THAT MY BROTHER OWNS." He looked between it and Berry. "IT SEEMS IT MAY BE A BIT TOO BIG." In his hands he held a very plush onesie that Sans hadn't even realized he had. It had been buried deep in his closet.
"It will work just fine Papyrus. Did you remember to warm it up?" asked Gaster.
"IT WAS NEXT TO THE HEATER IN HIS CLOSET SO IT WAS ALREADY WARM. I NEARLY DID NOT SEE IT THOUGH SINCE HIS ROOM IS SO MESSY!" Papyrus declared with a bit of a huff.
Gaster hid a grin and accepted the garment from him. "Why don't you go get some hot cocoa set up for our guest? I don't think he will be going anywhere for a bit. I can feel the storm picking up outside." And indeed the storm was getting worse.
Berry looked at Gaster surprised as Papyrus left once more to do as he was asked. "You can predict the weather?"
"Oh no, nothing like that. These old bones are just a bit sensitive to changes in the atmosphere is all." Gaster chuckled. "Come, why don't we go downstairs and you can tell us how you came to be frozen in our entryway?" he asked as he stood.
Berry measured up Gaster as he stood and was surprised. He thought that that he would have been taller, all the black he wore certainly made him look taller, but he could tell that he was shorter than Segoe by at least half a foot.
"You okay?" Gaster's brow furrowed when he realized the snow victim was just staring at him.
"Mhmm. I Just Noticed You Are Not As Tall As I Thought. Segoe Is Taller." Berry told him.
"I assume that Segoe is your universe's version of myself?" Gaster asked with a smile. The stranger was taking the news of other universes pretty well it seemed.
"Yeah. I Am Berry And My Brother Is Stretch. What Are You Guys Called?" he asked. He remembered how although Ink had looked like him and so did Error to a point, they hadn't had the same names, which he guessed made sense.
"Well, I'm Gaster, the other one who was helping here is called Papyrus. I'm not sure if you noticed the woman who stepped in?" he paused and Berry shook his head. "Well, she will be downstairs. Her name is Undyne. She is one of the fish people from Waterfall. We also have Papyrus's older brother, Sans and a human who lives here called Frisk." Gaster explained as they made their way down the wall and stairs.
"That Is Different From My World. I Am The Older Brother And Segoe Is My Father. The Way you Talk, It Does Not Sound Like They Are Your Sons." Berry looked up at Gaster curiously.
"Goodness no. I'm just a friend that they put up. I help them afford the bills and such." Gaster explained. He had seen in Underfell that other versions of himself could be related to the brothers, but he hadn't expected to be labeled as the father of them. That was just too much to fathom.
"Huh, Guess The Universes Really Are Different. Ink Was Not Kidding." Berry mused to himself.
"Who is Ink?" asked Gaster, interested. If someone else had explained the universal differences, then Gaster was interested in meeting them. Maybe they could answer some of his questions and complete some of his theories.
"Oh, HE SAYS HE CREATED THE UNIVERSES! HE IS REALLY FUNNY AND HE LOOKS SORT OF LIKE ME BUT MUCH TALLER!" Berry suddenly got excited and the fuzzy star shape of his eyelights solidified into bright blue stars. "HE VISITED ME AND MY FAMILY YESTERDAY AND EXPLAINED IT All…" his voice died off as he remembered once more his own family and how he had completely believed Ink, but discounted his brother. It was because of his brother that he was here making more friends and meeting new people.
Gaster was silent in disbelief. A Sans had created the universes? How, what did their universe look like? He completely missed how Berry went from his sudden joyful self to being downtrodden once more.
Sans on the other hand had heard Berry's outburst and looked over the back of the couch and watched as the light in Berry's eyes went from bright to dim and the stars in his eyes became fuzzy once more. He could tell his alternate hadn't seen any kind of battle, he wasn't a judge that was for sure, so what had broken him?
At that moment Papyrus came out of the kitchen with a tray bearing several steaming mugs and the smell of hot cocoa quickly permeated the room. "A GOOD PICK-ME-UP, CURTESSY OF MY GREAT SELF!" he exclaimed, momentarily forgetting that he had been trying to keep his voice down for their guest.
Berry jumped, startled, and stared at Papyrus. He could see a semblance of his brother there, but he seemed more like himself than his brother he realized. If anything, the one who looked like himself on the couch acted more like his brother used to. Chill but happy in a sense.
Beside him Gaster chuckled. "No need to be so jumpy, Pap is just a bit excitable and tends to be a bit loud." He rubbed between his shoulders to try and calm him down. It worked when Sans had his rare panic attacks and seemed to be working now.
Gaster's actions were not missed by Sans and he flashed a smile at the scientist. "Why don't you come over and join us buddy. My bro's cocoa is the best in the underground." He invited and patted the arm of the couch next to him since the couch was a bit full at the moment with him and a sick Frisk.
"Sure." Berry moved over to the couch and boosted himself up onto the arm. From there he could clearly see Frisk. "Hi, You Must Be The Human Here?" he asked of her.
Giving a weak smile, she nodded.
"I Am Called Berry. It Is So Nice To Meet You!" he told her sincerely.
Sans subtly continued to watch his double, still trying to figure him out.
Berry ended up with one of the largest mugs of cocoa and carefully took a sip after seeing the copious amounts of steam that rose from the top. "WOWIE. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!" the stars in his eyes returned and this time everyone noticed the glaring difference in his personality and his eyes.
"YOU CERTAINLY SEEM TO BE DOING BETTER NOW. IT MUST BE MY SUPERB COCOA AND HEALING SKILLS AT WORK!" Papyrus puffed up in pride.
"Of course bro. What else could it possibly have been?" huffed Sans in a laugh.
Sitting this close, Berry couldn't miss the heavy smell of alcohol coming off of Sans and he could see the very prominent signs of consistent drinking in his counterpart. The longer he stayed, the more he saw similarities between himself to Papyrus and Stretch to Sans. It did not seem like Papyrus was bothered by his brother's state though. Berry thought on it as he nursed his cocoa and watched how everyone here got along and seemed happy. Unlike back at home, he could tell this was not an act. It was all genuine. On TV was the MTT show and strangely is was hosting Mettaton. It seemed like he was a popular pop star here though.
Around noon it was deemed that the storm would likely continue through the night and into the next day, to which Berry began to really get nervous. Segoe had to be getting worried about him. He wasn't the one who wandered off without a word, that was his brother. He couldn't help but look at the door wistfully, but he knew he would likely not make it back to the portal. If he had his brother teleportation magic he probably could, but he didn't. Maybe he could ask Papyrus to take him to the portal!
Undyne was helping Frisk with grammar homework that apparently Alphys had assigned to the both of them, another oddity that Berry had noticed, and Sans had decided to take a nap on the couch. He hadn't seen where Gaster had gone, but Papyrus had mentioned something about going up to his room to game.
Figuring it would be alright to go up, since he had been upstairs once already, Berry made his way up and followed the faint sounds of the video game until he came to Papyrus's door and peeked in. He seemed really focused on the screen of his TV. "Uh, Papyrus, May I Ask A Favor Of You?" he asked a bit unsure. He found it a bit hard to talk to Papyrus due to how similar he looked to his brother. If it weren't for the battle body, which he had secretly been admiring, they could have been twins.
"OH, BERRY, COME ON IN! I CAN PAUSE THIS." Papyrus waved him into the room.
It was very clean and organized. Even the bed was fixed perfectly with the sheets pulled tight to the bed. It practically matched Berry's own room. Berry added this to the tally of similarities between himself and his brother's look-a-like.
"WHAT CAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS DO FOR YOU?" Papyrus turned his full attention to Berry. The small skeleton looked so shy. He kind of reminded Pap of the pictures of his brother when he had been a teenager.
"I Wanted To Ask If You Would Be Able To Take Me To The Portal? My Dad Must Be Very Worried About Me By Now." He looked up hopefully.
Papyrus look turned sympathetic. "WELL, I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE YOU TO THE PORTAL, BUT EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS DARE NOT WALK OUTSIDE IN A STORM SUCH AS THIS. IT WILL PASS SOON."
Berry was confused. "Then Why Not Just Teleport Us? Would Not That Be Easier?" he asked.
"THAT IS A GRAND IDEA. WE CAN ASK MY BROTHER AND HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET YOU TO THE PORTAL!" Papyrus was up in an instant and marching out of his room to rouse Sans.
Berry could only blink. Papyrus couldn't teleport? Was everything here backwards? He followed after Papyrus and watched as Pap roused his brother and asked. Sans turned to look blearily at Berry, who looked doubtfully back. A drunk look-a-like was supposed to teleport him. He wasn't so sure he trusted that.
"You really gonna make me go out in that mess?" grumped Sans.
"No, I Can Wait." Berry said, hugging himself. He missed his father and brother, but not enough to put himself in jeopardy. He could wait until morning. It surprised him a little that he actually did miss his brother.
Papyrus piped up, "YOU LAZYBONES. IT IS NOT LIKE IT IS THAT BIG A DEAL FOR YOU!"
"No, It Is Fine. I Can Just Go Tomorrow Morning." Berry insisted.
Berry's insistence won over Papyrus and he made his way back to his room grumbling about lazy brothers, but it also caught Sans attention. Since he was awake, he might as well get some answers from their visitor. Something just didn't sit right with him about how Berry talked and acted.
Berry was about to go work with Frisk and Undyne when Sans called his name.
"Hey buddy, commere, wanna talk to ya."
Unsure, Berry looked toward the kitchen, but then went to sit on the couch beside Sans. He hadn't done anything to make Berry warry, so why not talk to him a little. "What Do You Want To Talk About?"
"How about you? Somethin's wrong. I can tell you ain't no judge, so why you so down?"
At first, Berry was surprised at Sans's directness, but then something caught his curiosity. "What Do You Mean I Am Not A Judge?"
Sans was surprised. He told his brother about his job so that he would know to be careful. Did Berry's brother not? "Well, in all the universes we have found so far, it is typically one of my look-a-likes that is a judge. We recognize each other through our souls, which is how I knew it wasn't you. I've only come across one other world where it wasn't one of my look-a-likes, it was my brother's equivalent in that world. I assume it would be the same in your world." He shrugged.
Berry was still confused. "What Is A Judge Though?"
"Heh, well, um." Sans scratches his skull as he tries to think how to explain the break in timelines to someone who would never remember them. He looks around, as if something around him might have the answer and then hears Frisk say something in the kitchen from where she sits at the table. "Hold that thought pal, let me get someone who is a bit more knowledgeable about that than me." He teleports to the kitchen leaving Berry looking at his empty spot.
Frisk looks up from the page she is on. They have found six errors, but Alphys said there were seven, so her and Undyne are scanning it for the tenth time hoping to find the error. A pop next to her signals Sans appearing, as well as the yelp from Undyne, who even after all this time, still isn't used to his antics. "Hello Sans. What's up?"
"Ah, kiddo, hate to bring it up, but I think you might be able to explain about the whole judge thing to Berry better than me." Sans doesn't meet her eyes. She had gone through two neutral runs and one genocide run, so she knew how the timelines differed and what being a judge really meant for Sans. He had killed her so many times because she had been stubborn.
With a sigh she slid off her chair. "Guessing he isn't a judge then?"
Undyne looked up interested in the whole conversation. "Mind if I join? I'd like to hear about this judging stuff, being my competitive self, I should qualify for judging." She boasted, flexing a little.
Frisk and Sans shrugged at the same time and made their way back into the living room where Berry was still sitting on the couch. He looked behind him as they all came in, but his eyes stayed on Sans, only occasionally flicking to Frisk. She still interested him. He couldn't remember finding a human yet.
Sans took his spot back on the couch while Frisk and Undyne took either of the chairs. There was a moment of silence as everyone waited for someone to start.
"Soooo?" Berry prodded.
Sans looked at Frisk, who took a deep breath and nodded. "Berry, humans who come down into the Underground have an ability. We are able to go back in time to the point of when we entered the underground the first time. When we do, everyone forgets what we put them through. Judges are the only ones that remember. The judges are the ones that make sure that we humans don't go overboard and wipe out the monster population."
"But Why Would A Human Try To Wipe Us Out? It Is Not Like We Try To Hurt Them." Berry interjected.
Frisk looked down in shame. "Humans tend to destroy that which we fear and don't understand. I killed everyone once and nearly killed Sans here too." She had tears in her eyes as she remembered, but pushed on.
Berry looked horrified.
"We also have the ability to leave the Underground without breaking the barrier if we choose, but then we can't return unless we reset. In my case, I've reset several times, but finally decided and spoken with the King and Queen about my decision. I won't reset again, but I'm not going to leave or break the barrier. The human population has proven time and again that they won't accept the monsters to come out to the Surface."
Berry was speechless, as was Undyne.
"Well, that about sums it up. For us judges, we have to handle all the humans who come through. It is up to us ultimately to keep our universes safe. Most of us it seems wait until it is too late to react though. Some do act early and if the human kills they will destroy them before they can progress any further or do further damage, but not most. We remember every death, every reset, and every pass." Sans, sitting cross-legged had been very focused on his feet. Now he looked up. "If your brother is the judge of your world, and he likely is if he can teleport, and he didn't tell you this, he probably want to protect you from what is out there. He has likely seen you die more times that he can count, and he remembers every time." Sans's eyelights had gone out, making him look much more sinister and dangerous, but his voice spoke of immense pain.
"Is That Why You Drink?" Berry barely manages to ask. It seemed a good enough reason to turn to drinking or hallucinogenic drugs. Maybe they made his life seem better.
"Yeah, but I also like what the bartender serves and he'll listen to me rant for hours, no matter how drunk I am. It's a good way to loosen up and vent." Sans admitted.
Frisk got up, patted his shoulder as she passed, and went back to her work in the kitchen. Undyne woodenly followed.
Berry didn't move, he couldn't as his mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that his brother had seen him die, was actually hurting, was trying to protect him and his father, was strong enough to take on a human. His brother, who he didn't give the time of day and constantly made degrading remarks about when he was in hearing range. Berry's mind finally broke and he started bawling, collapsing into himself.
Sans didn't know what to expect, but a full breakdown was par for the course. He thankfully only had to explain it once to his brother. He explained it to him between humans, so a reset hadn't been able to be wiped of that memory. If the universe this alternate was from had a human in its Underground right now, then there was a big chance that he would forget all this on their next reset. For now though, he rubbed Berry's back and comforted him.
Berry stayed the rest of the day without any further complaint and the next morning Papyrus helped him get to the portal, carrying him piggyback so he wouldn't get lost under all the snow. It was deeper than he was tall. Sans had offered to come with him, but Berry insisted he wanted to go home alone, but he would come back to visit, he promised. Once they made it to the portal, Berry's only thought was of Stretch, he went through the portal confidently and released a sigh as the faint smell of his brother's weed hit his nasal cavity. He was home. He walked back around the house and pushed open the door, only to walk face first into Greater Dog, a tracking member of the Royal Guard.
"Berry?" he wuffed, surprised.
"GD? WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT MY HOME?" Berry asked, surprised. His day and a half in the other verse had greatly changed his outlook and he had decided he wanted to return to how he used to be. A bit of training in a secret room under the house with Papyrus and Undyne had helped him get his spark back.
Greater Dog flinched back from the volume, then answered. "Your father has been worried about you. He insisted that the royal guard look for you. Your brother also asked for our help."
"OH, WELL NOT TO FEAR, THE BRILLIANT BERRY HAS RETURNED!"
Alphys, who was standing in the center of the room still trying to calm a distraught Segoe heard Berry and couldn't believe her ears. Berry hadn't spoken like that in ages. But better than that, Berry was home! "Segoe, listen, it sounds like your son is at the door!"
"Wha-what!" He turned around and dogs had to duck out of his way fast as they could as he ran in a frantic flailing and ungainly way toward the door. A few huffed in amusement or distaste as his lack of restraint. He paid them no mind. When he caught sight of his youngest son, he threw himself at him.
Berry saw his dad a second before he collided with him and just barely managed to catch him. "DAD, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU! WHERE IS STRETCH? I MUST TALK TO HIM IMMEDIATELY." Berry's eyelights were bright, the star shapes clearly defined and Segoe noticed immediately the change in his son.
"Your brother? I believe he is in his room. I haven't seen much of him since you disappeared. He blames himself for your disappearance." Segoe was very solemn, a rarity for him, as he explained.
"Berry, report!" Demanded Alphys as she pushed her way to stand beside Segoe and drew herself up as much as she could. She was short in stature, but she more than made that up in mere presence.
"COMMANDER ALPHYS! I HAVE BEEN TO ANOTHER UNIVERSE! THEY ARE COMPLETELY OPPOSITE OF US. NOW PLEASE EXCUSE ME, I MUST TAKE CARE OF FAMILY MATTERS AND WHILE I THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN, I MUST ASK FOR A LEAVE OF ABSENSE UNTIL I FINISH!" Berry rattled it all off easily and calmly and held the door open in a clear invitation for all to leave.
"Leave approved. I expect a written report in a week though." Alphys didn't know what the talk of another universe was about, but seeing him have his spark back was more than enough reason for her to give him time. If he had found a way to rejuvenate his happiness, then there truly was hope for the underground.
"UNDERSTOOD." He replied. Once everyone had left, he closed the door, gave his dad another hug and bolted up the stairs.
Stretch, who had heard the door open and close downstairs and the sounds of yelling and commotion quiet down decided to come out and look for something to snack on. He figured all the yelling had been Alphys using her authority to get the dogs out to look for his brother. He didn't think they would find him though. Opening his door, he was hit with a compact rushing small body that knocked him onto his back. "Wha-!"
"STRETCH! I AM SO SO SORRY. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU AND I MISSED YOU AND I AM SO SORRY. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME. I LOVE YOU!" Berry was sobbing uncontrollably the second he made contact with his brother. The smell of the pot on him was overwhelming, but Berry didn't care anymore. He was here because he had the best big brother.
Stretch didn't know what to think. This was too real to be a hallucination, but also too impossible. What was going on?
Segoe, who followed Berry up the steps was just as confounded.
Finally, Stretch pushed himself into a sitting position and wrapped Berry in a hug, something he had not gotten the chance to do in years. "I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here." He started to cry a bit as well, overcome by the pure resonance of joy he was feeling that had nothing to do with his drugs and hugged Berry to him even more.
"Can- Can I get in on the hugs?" Segoe asked. He didn't want to end whatever was going on, but he wanted to be included with his sons.
In unison, they both said "Please" "PLEASE"
He rushed to embrace them, and joined in the crying. It took another half an hour before they all calmed down enough to even think of talking. They all just sat in the hallway in front of Stretch's doorway as Berry related what had happened to him and all he had learned about judges. Stretch confirmed that he was indeed the judge of their universe, which led to another round of crying.
When they all managed to calm down a bit Berry pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. "I AM GOING TO MAKE SOME OF MY SIGNATURE TACOS. WE NEED GOOD FOOD."
Smiling, Segoe nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet.
"I would love that brother. I would love that very much. Hey dad, would you like to watch some Nabstablook with me while we wait?" Stretch asked his father.
Segoe promptly burst into a fresh wave of tears but agreed and they went down to watch the Blooky show while Berry prepared extra special tacos for his family.
Things were going to be alright. They would not hide anything anymore and lean on each other. He knew why his brother drank and took the drugs now. If he forgot, Stretch had agreed to remind him every time. They agreed that it was better to know and be together than not know and be apart.
Segoe still didn't like the drinking or the drugs, but if his son really was fighting off the forces of evil on his own, and had to watch his father and brother murdered multiple times, he supposed he couldn't object too much. He just asked that Stretch not get himself so wasted that he dusted himself or couldn't get home, to which Stretch willing agreed.
Berry also made him agree to not put his drugs in the brownies anymore. That took a bit more convincing and quite a bit of laughing from all sides when they found out that Segoe had actually been the one for finish off the last batch without even realizing they had been spiked. He claimed that they had made him really sleepy but he hadn't understood why. Stretch then had to explain the exact effects of his marijuana and the various strains.
Overall, the day was very taxing, educational, and powerful for all included. They ended up making a pillow fort around the TV and squished together on the fold out couch watching Nabstablook and just enjoying each other's company as they passed out.
Author's Note: Oops, This ended up being a much larger chapter than expected. Sorry. Also, this ended up being two days…guess these guys and Undertale are out of the running until the others catch up. May have to make time pass a bit faster everywhere else. Oops.
P.S. Thanks for still reading this far in and don't forget to add your answers in the replies to the author's note last chapter please!