Oct 11, 2023
Leo Sans Human-ish Ref sheets! Doesn't have his lion form though.
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Leo Sans Human-ish Ref sheets! Doesn't have his lion form though.
Human version of Comyet!Tale Grillby (Sol) and Virgo. One of the Sansby kids that may come in the future. We’ll see... (Technically, this is a redraw from a past work of art I did for the ship.)
The Stage is Set
Chapter 8: Moral is that I’m here for you
Moral of the story (feat. Niall Horan) by Ashe and Niall Horan
Leo purrs softly to his cubs as Grillby runs his hand through his flames. Leo stops to open his left eye to stare at Error. His flames shrink, shrinking his size, before gently pushing the others off and walking over. Error stares at him before Leo nods at him, Error can't understand why. Leo softly pats Error on the head with his paw, Error flinching from the contact from another Sans, one he doesn't fully know.
Leo turns to Cross who is holding Ink's soul. He licks Cross's tears away, small comfort for the stressed and worried skeleton before Sage crawls over to Cross. Her ankles had started to hurt in phantom pain, causing her to crawl over on her hands and knees, no one comments on it. She heals Ink's soul once more from the soft cracks forming. The cracks glow red for a moment, and Sage makes a note of it but doesn't say anything just yet. The ominous feeling that settles in the pit of her soul makes her magic churn uncomfortably. She sends a pulse of courage through her healing magic to Ink's soul, hoping he feels her courage through the connection.
Green smiles as he uses his left arm to hold his leg to his chest, the familiar ache in his empty right socket pounds as he watches them. He can feel one of his halves, Wishes, coo at the sight of his found family. She's happy that Green has found his own life despite only existing in a fusion of two people. He can feel the agreement from Consea, Consequences, as he watches through Green's eyes. They both love that they can exist in Green, something like their child despite being a fusion. Green almost cries as more wishes start to make their presence known to him.
Dream and Nightmare look at each other as they try to balance their auras in the room. Nightmare sighs before leaning against Killer and Error. He didn't lose as much energy trying to balance the emotions, but it still tires him every time he does it. Blue lays against Dust, Dream in his arms, as Killer softly chats with Dust. Dream snuggles into Blue's arms with a small smile, feeling protected and the warmth that Blue often has. Grillby just smiles softly as he watches Leo care for the others. He's missed this, he missed his love. He missed so much of what was supposed to be their life. He can't help but feel guilty about the scar that covers Leo's face. Was it his fault? Did something happen after he dusted? He looks over at Sirius and Gemini before moving over towards them in worry.
"BROTHERS? SOMETHING IS WRONG."
Leo quickly stops and takes his skeleton form before hurrying to Sirius and Gemini. Everyone stops as they watch with a dreadful pit in their soul. Gemini grabs where his soul is. He looks up at Grillby and Leo with poorly concealed panic. Leo looks at the two of them with fear and panic, unsure if he should touch them in fear they would dust at the slightest touch.
"Leo. I Don't Think That We're Aloud To Stay Any Longer."
Leo grabs one of each of their hands, he just needs to hold onto them. He can finally be there to comfort them. Comfort them better than he did when they dusted the first time. Tears come to his sockets, and memories of Sirius dusting flood his mind as he stares at his brothers. He had only just gotten them back, this isn't fair for him to lose them again.
"W-what do you mean? you can't dust again! P-please just stay with me!" He holds onto their hands tightly as Gemini's form wavers, but he's determined to stay as long as he can. Just to comfort his prideful, yet humble little Comic. His sweet little Comic who had lost so much yet is still alive. He raises a hand to cup Leo's face and squeezes Sirius' hand.
"Don't Worry, Leo. We'll Always Be With You. Have A Wonderful Life For Us." Gemini exhales before his form becomes a soft glowing pile of stare dust. Leo tears up more as his frame scrunches up. He turns to Sirius, who only smiles sadly at him.
"BROTHER. Just. Live for us and... Even if I'm dead. I will watch over you from the stars. So give me a nibbling to watch." Sirius softly chuckles before becoming stardust as well. Leo sits there crying before the dust starts to swirl around him and flies out of the room to somewhere else. He slowly calms himself before leaning into Grillby's torso.
"At least. It was a better death than last time. At least... It was peaceful."
Leo wipes his tears as Grillby holds him close. Grillby waits to follow suit, only to his surprise that he doesn't dust as well. He can only bow his head in respect as they become their stars once again. He's grateful for the chance to live the life he's missed. No one can speak or move. No one notices Kitsune watching.
"Boring."
They all turn to them. Kitsune only waves to them. Green holds Sage close to his chest as he tries to hide her from the devil keeping them there. There is a long, tension-filled silence before Leo suddenly jerks his skull off of Grillby as his soul pings again. He notices Green and Sage as their souls are grabbed as well. He reaches out to Grillby as they're thrown through the screen again. He lands first and quickly catches his cubs and holds them both close. As they become covered in fog, Kitsune walks to the screen.
"Let's see this 'family' at the start."
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Green sits on a deep red couch none of them know. His outfit is torn and covered in dirt as if he's been running from something in the woods. In front of him is a dark fireplace waiting to be lit, he doesn't seem to fully be aware of his surroundings as he stares at his hand in his lap. Leo peeks his head out from around the corner of the doorway and sighs. He keeps a straight face, but he looks so tired. He makes sure to keep his left socket towards Green to watch him as he thinks about his options. He scrunches his frame a little as he holds a red cloth close to his chest. He couldn't just leave Green in his world.
Leo had seen what they were doing to him. He didn't understand why, but that's none of his business despite the urge to go up and ask what had happened. Leo was just passing through, looking at the new world to see if he could find another AU to rest in for a while. While he doesn't mind living in his AU, ComyetTale, he hates the silence. There isn't anything left, nor is there anyone left alive, in his AU. He looks back at Green and only sees a little kid.
He walks over to Green and silently wraps the cloth around Green's shoulders before lighting the fireplace. Leo quickly shakes off the fire from his hand like he had dipped his hand in a bowl of water. Leo walks into the kitchen and walks back with a mug of tea and another coffee. Tea for Green, chamomile tea. He hands Green the tea before sitting down to the right of him in silence. No words could explain the silent understanding the two of them hold. Nothing needs to be said as Leo looks at Green by the side of his left socket and nods at him. Green softly sighs as he looks down at his tea.
The silent understanding that he doesn't have to talk if he doesn't want to is so loud. His mind runs with the whispers of Wishes and Consea questioning what to do. Should Green talk? Would the skeleton next to him use him for some sort of personal gain? Did the other know who he was, what he was? Questions, half-answers, and the chatter from the two filled his mind. It was only when Green focused on finding the wish/wishes in Leo did he understand.
His wish is a sad blue and rose swirl. Not one Green has seen often. He tries to listen to the murmurs of the wish. He only gets bits and pieces, but that's all he needs. A heart's desire can tell a lot for a silent person. Green looks back up at Leo. Yes, he can try to trust Leo. He doesn't think Leo knows him or what he can do, so it should be fine.
"So, I never really knew Anwir. Stars, I thought I did." Green's accent is thicker than before.
Leo looks at the fire, watching the fire dance as he quietly listens to Green speak. Green takes a sip of his tea as Leo looks over at him. His vision blurs as the unshed tears burn in embarrassment and resentment. Leo turns back to the fire to give Green some privacy as he tries to recollect himself. The fire's dance reminds him of the past, so he focuses on his coffee. Leo's gotten better at being around things that remind him of the past.
Time flashes forward and it shows something like the same scene with Sage on the couch this time. There are more pillows and a few blankets on the deep blue couch. The pillows and blankets are placed in a pattern to create a small safe space for the shaking skeleton. Green is sitting on the soft burgundy carpet as Leo hands out mugs to each of them. He gives Sage a mug full of golden-flower tea with a reassuring smile and a kind eye-light. It's her favorite tea. One that she would often drink with her Papa. Her right eye-light is completely fizzed out, flickering now and then as she stares at them in worry.
She isn't sure if she can trust them fully. Her Papa trusts them enough to keep her safe. Even to go as far as to make sure that she's taken out of her AU, MaidenTale. They had even bought her freedom from the hellhole she was stuck in for the longest time. She's grateful, yes, but not trusting just yet.
She shakily takes it and everyone notices how fresh some of her wounds are. Her neck with the cracks has a soft white imprint where the black ecto-body starts. An imprint from a tight collar. She isn't sure if it's safe to let go of her ecto body yet. All her other masters had yelled at her when she would drop it. But then again, they told her that they didn't want to be her masters. She was also nervous about what they would do when they saw all her scared and mangled bones underneath.
Green smiles softly at the mug of tea Leo hands him. Leo walks over to the fireplace and touches the fresh log there, lighting the fireplace again. Leo sets his mug of coffee down as he wraps Sage in a soft blanket. She's so thin that he can feel her ribs. Leo nearly growls at the thought, he guesses that as long as Sage could be touched, it didn't matter to anyone how much she ate. Sage flinches softly and Leo makes sure to show her what he's doing. He sits down on her right and holds his mug close. As if that cup of coffee is his lifeline. They watch as she takes a sip of her tea.
She licks her teeth, dampening them with the sweet golden-bloom tea and honey. It's just like her Papa would make it. She sniffles, relishing the warmth as a familiar touch. The ghost of her Papa holding her close and whispering to her that she is okay, she's safe now. That nothing else is going to take her away. She blinks back to see Leo and Green quietly talking to each other, both wanting to give her time to adjust without asking too much of her. She makes a noise, akin to a whimper.
"It hurts." Sage covers her right eye socket.
She softly whimpers as tears collect in her sockets, it burns the cracks a little. The tears run between the two pieces of bone right under her right socket. There isn't supposed to be a crack there. There weren't supposed to be any cracks or chips in her bones. A few of the others wonder how she was able to survive that without having to do something drastic. It's the same reason she's the only skeleton left in her AU. The way she was made to withstand dusting. She was made to be durable. She was never "born," but rather, created.
Sage moves her hand to where the imprint of the collar was. That collar never came off until the two in front of her bought her out of that filthy bar. That collar was to never come off unless her master wanted it off. Leo and Green look between each other in worry.
All she wanted was to be home.
All she wanted was to speak and sing what she wanted to say or sing. And now she can't do one and barely do the other. Her voice is ruined by the one who burned her so often. Love never loved. It would never be the way it was always described to her. It burned, it scorched, it hurt, it stings, and it cracks. It was never the flowering, blossoming feeling she's been told it is.
The other monsters in her Au were power-hungry. Obsessed with status. She was young. Pretty. A small, well-behaved toy. One that looked good draped on someone's arm or in their bar. She was always wanted. Special. Hated by some, loved by many. She could take a beating and not dust. People could be as rough as they wanted to be, and she wouldn't dust.
Sage looks up and finds herself back in her Papa's arms. She's curled up in that ruined dress, Her father, her AU's Asgore, holding her to his chest as he cries in relief. She holds onto the sweater tightly as she cries with him, ignoring the pain in everything that moves. Ignoring the burning sensations in her legs, ankles, throat, cheeks, and chest. She holds him tightly. She hasn't seen him in years, too many to count. Thought I could really do this. but really, I was foolish. In hindsight, it's... obvious.
She cries as Leo holds her in his lap and rubs her back in small circles. He has his tears in his sockets as he holds her even closer. It wasn't surprising since that's how he acts already. Leo curls around her as much as he can, and her silent voice calls out to him with one word.
A word that breaks him down every time: Mama.
Tears burn his vision away as he stops himself from wailing at the lost dream. The lost future he almost had. Green comes over with a small bowl of tea cakes on the top of his skull and a mug of tea in his hand. His balance is perfect and he successfully captures her attention away from the pain from the past. Even if it's just for a second. Sage lets out a wet giggle as she makes a grabby motion for the tea. Again, golden-flower tea. The tea she loves so much.
Everyone notices that they're a little further in the future based on clothes and the decorations of the living room. The Stars and Moons recognize the room now. It's the house that Ink had made for them. The house he made in thanks for helping him gain a soul.
Even Sage's wounds were healing or scared over. Scars that burned with a reminder of his touch. Scars that throbbed with the phantom spear in them. Scars that burned when she bent over to pick something up in an informal way. Scars that would hurt with pins of pain from acting out. Scars that would heal with time and with tender care.
They flashback to when it was only Leo and Green. Green sets his tea down and stares into the flames. The memories play for everyone to see. They see Green, with a bandage wrapped around where his arm used to be. The bone is no longer in the socket. Leaving him with his clavicle and scapula exposed.
He opens his eye sockets into the mindscape where Green, Wishes, and Consea can exist at the same time. Talking with my 'mother'. She said... Wishes rushes to him and cups his cheekbone with her right hand. Her left arm is missing. Opposite of Green and Consea. Tears drip from her eyes. She tilts her head as she looks into his sockets to make eye contact.
"Where'd you find that guy?" Consea moves to stand next to her and uses his left hand to wipe Green's tears that Wishes couldn't wipe. Green nuzzles into Wishes' hand and chokes back a sob.
"Young people fall in love with the wrong people sometimes." His accent and tears make it almost impossible to understand him.
The faint smell of apple cider trails around Green as he remembers his brown hair. His smile as Anwir would place flower crowns on Green's skull. The way those gentle memories turned sour. The warning flags turned to bright signs that he had ignored. How Green wishes that he listened.
Wishes can only choke back her sobs as she presses her forehead against his singing softly to him. She feels his pain and closes her sockets as her tears drip from her lower jaw. "Some mistakes get made. That's alright, that's okay. You can think that you're in love when you're really just in pain." Her voice would crack if she would get any louder. Consea can only look at Green's missing arm as Wishes pulls away to wipe Green's tears. He brings his arm up to his missing arm with regret of letting him get away with this crime.
"Some mistakes get made. That's alright, that's okay."
The flashback ends and Green blinks as he sighs before looking back at his tea with his green-tinted tears making their trails down his face without stopping. They fall into his tea. Slowly diluting into the honey-colored tea.
"In the end, it's better for me. That's the moral of the story, maybe." Green shrugs and Leo stares at him.
Leo doesn't show his reaction, but he moves closer and wraps an arm around Green's shoulders, being gentle with his right shoulder. Careful with the missing limb. Careful with the way Green's shirt would tug on his clavicle. Leo holds Green close as he comforts him. Green sits there stunned before nodding his skull with a sad look. They don't talk. Leo just sits there holding Green for a few more moments before patting his back.
The screen flashes backward, and it's now night. Night in Undertale. Leo shoots up on Classic's couch, a nightmare of memories that had plagued him once more. Tears fill his eye sockets as he reaches to touch his engagement choker. He softly runs his phalanges over the embroidered flame and then covers his mouth and he lets out a shaky breath. The silk is still as soft as the day it was gifted to him.
Still holding together. His chuckle is broken as he holds his legs close to his chest. It's funny how a memory...Turns into a bad dream. He looks out a window to watch the snow, reminiscing when he was back in his Au, playing in the snow with Sirius and Asriel. He looks away quickly and schools his expression into a blank one.
It blinks back to the scene with Sage on the couch in Leo's arms. Leo continues to rock her gently back and forth as she clings to him. And running wild turns volatile. it's not funny how it changes. Her voice is hoarse and broken. Nothing like what she had sounded like earlier. Her voice is so broken and she stops to bring a hand close to her vertebrae, but she doesn't touch it.
She pulls away from Leo and whimpers as she points to her throat and he can only sadly nod before handing her a mug of warm honey tea. Something to help soothe her vocals. Perhaps it would help the healing process, but all of them had almost given up on the thought of her being able to completely use it again. The scene burns up and it's back at the start. Just Green and Leo, both reminiscing over pain. The pain of failed love, the pain of loss, the pain of that love taking things from them.
"He really was a stranger." Green looks into his mug and Leo only clenches his jaw a little tighter. "When he burned down our paper house."
Green looks into the fire as more tears fall. He wipes his tears with his sleeve before rubbing the empty socket where his arm would've been. Leo catches the motion and only pats Green softly on the back. He offers a small reassuring smile to Green with the soft words of "you're safe now." And Green collapses into Leo's side with sobs.
It startles Leo before he sets his mug down and hugs him with both arms. Green cries himself to sleep and Leo leaves him on the couch as his form changes to his fire lion form. He grabs Green softly with his teeth and lays down right in front of the fireplace and curls around him before resting his muzzle on his front paws. His tears are barely visible.
The scene changes again and Leo is slowly coaxing Sage to him. He smiles at her softly as he sits down on the tile. His hands, visible to her as he sits as still as possible. She studies his expression and body language as she sits there on the tile. Hope and wonder fill her soul. Tears spring to her sockets.
He had bought her... Or bought her freedom. Leo and Green bought her. Not for sex, not for status, not for anything. Just because they thought she should be free. They saved her. They brought her home. Home to her Papa who cried with her. Soothed all the cracks and scars. Her Papa Ashore.
Asgore, the one from MaidenTale, watches from the room behind Leo. Watching to see if Sage would give Leo and Green enough trust to stay with them. Sage is all he has left from his love, but he cannot protect her. He failed the last time, he will not lose her again. He wants to make sure that Sage would trust them enough to leave their world. It's the only way he can keep Sage safe from the horrors happening in the Underground.
Green leans against a wall with his hood up as he holds a wish close to him. The wish is small and takes the color yellow and white. It wasn't completely impossible, slowly becoming more and more hopeful and true. It's Sage's wish. So small and fragile. He's scared for the first time that he may crush a wish. But he dares to keep it safe and let it grow, so he just holds it softly, tenderly, in his one hand.
"I talked with your father. He said to love you like you're my cub." Leo signs to Sage and Sage's sockets widen.
She looks at Asgore in the doorway and he nods his head with a soft sad smile. Tears fill her sockets as she slowly crawls her way over to Leo using only her arms and thighs. In a moment of relief and joy, she pushes the fear of another man touching her into the back of her mind. She wants to hug Leo, her savior, and never let go. She wants to repay his kindness, but he already said she didn't have to. She cries as she pushes herself to crawl, Leo slowly getting up to meet her halfway, pushing down the urge to run and scoop her up into his arms.
He can almost see what could've been his. In the way Asgore and Sage had reunited. The tears and smiles. He had gripped his cloak tightly, his soul pounding mournfully. Now, he was given the chance to protect and raise another cub. One he couldn't have before. He's already grown attached. Just as he had with Green, and just as he had with Classic and his brother.
Sage does an almost army crawl, but it is much lower to the ground. She can't move quickly, and the reason soon shows itself. One look at her outfit makes the others confused. She is wearing what seems to be a waitress outfit but the shoes and socks were removed and her ecto body ends at her knee caps as it does now. But that wasn't the issue. On her tibia and fibula, for both legs, were deep cracks running from the outside going inward.
She can't use her legs at the moment because of this. Both of her lower legs are broken. It was a goodbye 'gift' from him. Her last owner. The one that burned and scarred her. The one that boiled and made her ecto flesh bubble. The one that would give and take. The one that would lend her out to others. The one that did many things in the name of love. She had learned what he was doing wasn't love, although she wouldn't know it until she would leave her AU.
Leo makes his way over to her, pulling her up to sit on the floor. His healing magic isn't very strong, it wasn't something he was ever good at. Fighting is his strength. But he pulls something out of the hidden pocket in his sleeve before taking her hand into his. He stops when he feels her flinch and waits patiently before he can see that she trusts him enough to place whatever is in his hand in hers. He waits for a few minutes before placing a small tea cake into her hand.
She looks at it and when she looks up, they're back on the couch and Green is holding the small bowl of cakes. Leo grabs her cheekbones and looks her dead in the sockets with a soft eye-light. She was just telling them about her past owners. What she had thought was love. Only to hear about Green's love. She's happy that her past owners never got that handsy and tore off her arm, but she still felt horrible for Green. Leo is horrified by the two younger Sanses. Their past experiences with love were never what love truly is. It saddens him and scares him that they may never be able to heal from that.
He can't heal or solve everything.
Leo wipes her tears away with his thumbs. He leaves a soft kiss on her forehead, as a parent to a child. "Some people fall in love with the wrong people sometimes." She nods sadly as she leans into his hand. She holds onto his wrist and lets her eye-lights drift to the cracks that act like scars on her ankles. Green goes to get more tea for Sage. "Some mistakes get made. That's alright, and that's okay. From there, we can grow and learn from those who hurt us." His words are soft as he scooped her up in his arms.
She barely flinches, but quickly relaxes into his chest. Slowly wrapping her arms around his neck, curling closer into the familiar warmth that she's grown used to. He sits down on the couch with her half on him, half on the couch. He makes sure that his hold on her is soft and easy for her to get out of. She rests on him as she cries. Green comes back into the room, tea forgotten, as soon as he hears her cry. He scoops her into his arm, moving to take Leo's spot so he could go make the tea. No one could make tea like Leo, and Green wanted Sage to feel better with a good cup of tea. Leo gets the message and presses a kiss on both of their skulls before moving into the kitchen.
Some mistakes get made. that's alright, that's okay. She only can cry a little more as she remembers the time when she had her voice before all of this. That was what kept her alive, safe. It was what protected her from punishment. The only thing that brought in more money for him. She misses her voice so much. She curls closer to Green as he moves to lay on the couch with her in his arm. Green moves his hand to hers and softly intertwines their pinky fingers. A childish thing, but they both don't care.
"In the end, this is better for us. Now we can heal and grow, that's the moral of the story." His words are kind and offer a light to this dark tunnel.
She nearly sobs again at the promise of a better life. Green slowly rubs circles on her back, mindful of the mess of scars on her back. He softly hums, letting the low rumble in his ribs comfort her, reminding her of her father. They lay there as Leo comes back with his tray of three mugs and small tart apple candies in a dish. He smiles at both of them before draping a blanket over them. He loves them so much it hurts. A thought of what he could've had flashes in his mind. He could almost see Sirius and two small flame skeletons with Green and Sage as well.
He looks away with a tearful smile.
The screen shows a jump in time to when they wake up, still on the couch. Both hold onto each other as a lifeline. The little trust grew into a sibling bond that neither of them knew they needed. Leo is sitting next to the fireplace, reading as he grabs smaller flames from the fireplace and eats them. The flames don't taste as good as they could've been, but just a small snack is okay. It reminds him of home. Leo makes sure to keep his book in line with his left eye-light, just so he can read. He's had to adjust with only one socket to see out of, but he's found himself still able to fight. Reading has just gotten a little harder to do. Leo looks up to see the two slowly waking up. He softly smiles at them and nods to go warm up their tea and get some honey.
They say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. That could be a load of shit. But we just need to tell you all. They slowly sit up as Leo comes back with their tea. Their minds are clouded with their respective memories as they grab their mugs. Leo can only sadly smile at them before sitting down back near the fire. They would never be able to understand each other fully, but even with that, they can bond with the loss of many things, but all connected to the same idea of love.
"some mistakes get made." Sage sighs as she sips her tea. Green softly bumps her side as he sets his mug down on the small coffee table off to the side. He smiles at her with a worried look.
"But that's alright, that's okay."
She nods softly and Leo looks toward the flames. They watch as he plays with them, making flame versions of them. The flames dance and laugh, cracking with life and laughter. Something the two of them would never know they'd missed out on. Green and Sage smile as he makes them dance before creating a small flame Grillby. Neither of them can figure out who it is as Leo creates a small version of himself. They dance around each other before holding each other close.
The two younger ones watch with interest as the two flames dance. Holding each other close as they twirl around each other. The fire held the flame of Leo close, holding his hip and pulling him in close. The waltz they danced before pressing their foreheads together. The two flames become one. You can think that you're in love. He tears up as his magic wavers causing the flame Grillby to burn out and the smaller Leo looks down in sadness before falling to his knees.
"When you're in love, and then engaged..." He trails off as he brings his hand up to his engagement choker.
Tears line his sockets as he sniffles before looking away with a shake of his skull. He can still see the mouthed 'I love you' as his love's last words before the cloud of steam. He can still feel the phantom touches from Grillby. The loving hands covering his ecto stomach, to be close to the small soul they created. The hands that would rest on his ribs, pulling him closer as they sleep. The memories burn as he remembers those tired flames, how dim, how dull, how pale. How they hardened to obsidian before crumbling to dust. Green and Sage look at each other.
"Some things can't be helped; fate just wills them to happen. And I supposed that's alright, that's okay." Leo looks out into the fire as his tears fall silently to the ground. "In the end, that's what was written in the stars for me. That was the end of our story."
Sage and Green get up and move next to Leo. They sit on his side and grab his hands. Leo looks at them before hugging them close to him. Green and Sage tear up as Leo holds them close. Some mistakes get made. That's alright, that's okay. You can think that you're in love. When you're really just in pain. She moves her hand to Leo's chest and grabs the soft fabric of the space-themed robe. Green nuzzles his skull into Leo's shoulder. Leo wetly chuckles and moves them closer to him. He sniffles as his anger towards the gods, the creators, rolls over him. He lets it come and go like a wave.
Leo's angry, but he's glad he's no longer alone. Yet he knows, nothing that happened to them was something they could've stopped. Ink had explained it to them. As long as they were in their original AUs, their lives would be dictated by the Creators. It would change the moment they left for the first time, but Leo did not want to risk going back. There was nothing good for Green and Sage in their AUs.
There was nothing for him to go back to in ComyetTale.
"Some things happen, and they're out of our control. That's alright, that's okay." Leo nods to them as his voice's volume dies down, and he leans his skull back against the wall.
They stay there for a moment before he gets up and lays on the floor as a fire lion. He softly croons to them and they get up and lay in between his front paws and on his chest. Leo curls around them protectively. In the end, it's better for us. That's the moral of the story, maybe. Sage scoots onto Green's chest and closes her sockets to sleep. Leo purrs softly as Green follows her to sleep. Leo lets his flames die down in heat so that they wouldn't burn them before falling asleep himself.
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Everyone sits there in stunned silence as tears flow down their faces. Grillby covers his eyes as he cries. Error holds Ink's soul close and sends a pulse of love through it, and he gets a soft pulse of love in return and smiles at it. He hands it to Nightmare and Killer, who do the same. Nightmare then gets up from his spot, leaving Ink's soul with Killer.
Dream softly chokes on the negativity in the room and Nightmare tries to soothe and help Dream through it. No one wants to look toward the screen to see what happens next, but they don't need to since the screen is black. Leo comes flying through the screen with Green and Sage in his arms. He lands on his side and lays there passed out with the other two in his arms as well. No one says a thing as Grillby comes to them and carries the three of them to a softer spot in the room.
They only hope that Ink is safe and from the soft pulses of his soul, he seems to be calm at least.
The war that took my light
Chapter 4: Memory lane, yikes
Sans and Flowey make their way through the ruins, chatting along the way. They laugh over their past mistakes and fails at trying to be cool. The many stupid things they did because of pride and ego. The other stupid things that they thought would just work out.
“Do you remember how you introduced yourself to Grillby when the two of you met officially?” Flowey burst into laughter. Sans blushes a bright orange as he brings a hand to cover his face.
“ugh. don’t remind me! that was horrid! worse than when I first saw him and ran into him… and tore his clothes.” Flowey just laughs harder.
~~~~~~~~~
“L-Leo! This is a royal ball! Be serious!” Sans looks over to Asriel. He stops making fun of their dancing and frowns.
“Oh Come On Azzy! You Know That No Matter What, They’re Only Stuck Up. other than Asgore, none of them are even good-looking. then again, Gemini has the king wrapped around his phalanges… this was a complete waste of time.” Gaster comes up from behind them as Sans examines his fingertips as if he was looking at his nails.
“Don’t Be That Way, Leo. Have A Look Around! Maybe You’ll Find Someone Here. Or That 'Hot Guy' You Ran Into A Few Days Ago.” Sans scoffs and walks away as his cheekbones glow faintly. Asriel follows him, dancing to the music they have been playing. Leo laughs at Asriel before looking around. He gasps as he stares at someone.
"Oh, my stars! AZZY! Look!" He grabs Asriel by the shoulders before turning him to see a man, made of fire, walking around close to them. He blushes. "It's him! Stars he's hot. You think he'd dance with me?" Asriel side eyes him.
"Dude. You don't even know him. I mean, yes you ran into him, but you don't know him." Sans doesn't hear Asriel as he straightens out his formal robes. He makes sure that his title crown is on the right way as he gives a twirl for Asriel. Asriel rolls his eyes. “You look fine. Why are you acting like this?”
“Dude! He’s a Sun! look at his robes, he's wearing high-ranking robes, but the patch on his chest says he's a Sun! ” Sans makes sure that his sandals are tied before giggling and Asriel looks at him weird before Sans looks back at him. “Dude, my element is FIRE! and the stars i tend to look for as a partner are suns. like that other guy you saw me drool over?”
“Oh yeah. What happened to him?” Sans gives him a look before making a gesture of a small brain and shakes his head before Asriel snorts and shakes his head. “Okay then.” Sans gives one more twirl. “You look good. You’ll be fine.”
“okay. okay. Oh stars, he’s just so hot!” Sans grits his teeth as he fans his face. He looks away and grabs Asriel. “Let’s just dance for now! as... i work up the courage to talk to him.” Asriel chuckles before nodding and dancing with him. They dance for a while before Asriel stops.
“Oh, stars. I need to go get a drink. I’ll be back.”
Sans nods and continues to just sway and twirl to the music. He hums along as he continues around the dance floor. His dance is calculated so that the sun will be able to see him the whole time. He smiles at the band and his brothers. Gaster smiles at him with a quirked eyebrow once he notices his younger brother's nerves, and Sans blushes before his eye lights dart to the sun leaning against the wall. He doesn't notice the sun staring at him and smiling fondly. But Gaster does. Gaster nods as his smile changes to a sly one. Papyrus looks at him with a smile as he drinks his sunlight. Asriel comes back and they dance and laugh at each other. Sans opens his eye sockets to see the sun looking at him. He looks around before shyly waving and smiling. The sun’s flames become a dark purple and Sans blushes in return before continuing to dance. He looks at Asriel as he sweats.
“I’m so screwed if he comes over here to talk.”
“What? Why?” Sans gives a tight-lipped smile.
“you know i don’t think before i speak when I’m put on the spot! and he’s smoking! I might just say a bad pick-up line instead of a normal thing! Or worse, a pun! What if he doesn’t like puns?! what’s his sense of humor?” Asriel just rolls his eyes.
“Honestly, Leo. This is the most nervous I have ever seen you. Even more so than the time where I dared you to run through two cities as your lion form before jumping off a cliff into the lava in the Hotlands! Even though that is where you both first met. You’ll be fine.” Sans nods and Asriel starts to walk away. “Now, go meet that flame of yours!”
Sans lets out a squeak as he blushes, even more, he turns around. He notices Gaster over by the sun and that he's talking to him. He frowns softly before Gaster starts to lead him over to him. He looks around before Gaster smiles and winks at him.
“And This Is My Younger Brother, Leo.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leo.” The sun smiles down at him and Sans’s brain stops working for a moment. And Gaster gets a knowing look as the sun looks at him in confusion and worry.
“a-are you a campfire?” The sun looks taken back.
“N-no-”
“‘cause you’re hot and I want s’ more.” Gaster smiles and leaves as the sun blushes. Sans is about to apologize before hearing the sun laugh. He blushes even more.
“O-oh! That was a good one!” Sans smiles and giggles in embarrassment. In the background, he can hear his brothers and his friend laugh at him.
~~~~~~~~~
“I still can’t believe that was the first thing you said to him officially. It was just… Beautiful.” Sans groans as he blushes. Flowey continues to laugh. “Not only that but the fact that the music died down right before you said that was wonderful!”
“Yeah, yeah. laugh it up. it was pretty funny.”
“Not as funny as what you said later that night!” Flowey lets out a louder laugh as Sans blushes even more.
~~~~~~~~~
Sans and the sun, now known as Grillby, have been talking alone in the berry garden while Asriel watches from around the hallway. When Grillby leans a bit too close to Sans and his brain shuts down again.
“Which is easier?” This gets a confused look from Grillby, “you getting into those tight-fitting pants?" He gestures to the black tight pants under Grillby's robes. "or me getting you out of them?” Grillby’s flames change into a dark purple as he stares at Sans, whose skull is bright orange and royal blue.
“W-well, did you sit in a pile of sugar? Because you have a sweet ass.” Sans glows even brighter and Grillby chuckles as he bends down and kisses Sans’s cheekbone.
“But I don’t have one? *snerk* nevermind. would you be my penguin?” Grillby blushes.
“You say you’re trash… Can I pick you up then?”
“(you smooth mother fuck-) I thought that happiness starts with an H. Why does mine start with U?”
Grillby stands up as he kisses Sans on the hand again before he gives Sans a slip of paper. “There are 20 letters in the alphabet… right?”
Sans looks up from the paper to Grillby. He barely notices the phone number on it since he's distracted by the growing worry of possibly having to leave this sun as well. “what?”
“Er, sorry. I must have forgotten U R A Q T.” Sans's soul calms down as he realizes that it was only a pick-up line. Then a thought hits him.
“you’re still missing one i think.”
“No, I’ll just give you the D later, on our next date. Farewell, star mate.” He kisses Sans one more time as he walks away. Sans just sits there as a blushing mess before his sleeves catch on fire. Asriel rushes out with laughter as he puts out the flames.
"Leo! C-calm *wheeze* down! These robes aren't fireproof!"
~~~~~~~~~
“Ah, YeS. OnE oF mY fInEsT mOmEnTs.” Leo squeaks out as he laughs. Flowey laughs at his font size changing so fast before spotting Grillby. “ANYways, there he is. Let's go and see Grillby."
The war that took my light
Chapter 3: The Painter’s Dance
Flowey watches as Sans unwraps the food and sets the small plate of pancakes down before setting a small thermos down as well. He stares at the thermos and feels a familiar warmth coming from it.
"What's in there?" Sans smiles at Flowey with a cheeky smile and a small wink, one that Flowey hasn’t seen in a long time. Flowey knows that smile and his curiosity grows even more.
"sunlight."
Flowey's eyes widen almost cartoonishly. "Sunlight?! B-but! It's so expensive! A-And you haven’t made it for so long!" Then he drools a little before quickly wiping at his mouth. "And it tastes so good! How did you get it?! Did you make it?! Who's it for?!"
Sans only chuckles as he finishes and walks back to Flowey. He sits down and pulls out a smaller thermos from his sleeve and offers a sip to Flowey, who eagerly takes a sip and smiles, before drinking some for himself. He hums in delight before handing it back to Sans. Sans smiles and hums as he drinks some more.
"well, that my friend," He points to the one he set down on a rock-like table, "is some that I’ve had for a long time. however, unfortunately right now, i prefer the fresh sunlight no matter how good it gets as it ages." Flowey nods. Sans lays a hand on his robes, “and no. i didn’t make this one since that takes so much magic to purify it and the little one keeps taking my magic so i just need to keep my magic replenished.” Flowey nods again before shrugging.
"Eh. I've always liked the fresher sunlight." Sans chuckles and nods.
"yep. that's true, you always have, and i guess the kid does as well. mainly, the kid is the one who wants it more than me." Flowey nods with a soft understanding hum. “you always liked your sunlight from the berry garden, with roses and marigolds. as long as it has marigolds, you love it.” Sans chuckles as Flowey looks Sans dead in the sockets.
"You never told me why you put food here." Sans nods.
"right. alright, this is why…
around maybe… i want to say six human years ago. i was wondering the ruins just for fun. to see if there was a room i hadn't seen before."
"Hey, where was I?" Flowey pours and Sans shushes him.
"you were somewhere, I’m not sure where… maybe you were looking around or playing with Sirius. Anyways, as i was saying, i was looking for a room i hadn't seen before. so i walked around and found this small room. i looked around and found the view was gorgeous! You could see so much of our small, hurt, yet healing kingdom. it was so quiet as well, so i walked into this place. there was starlight, from the top just like now. do you see it? just like that, but at the same time, it was brighter. so, after finding this room, I kept it to myself at first. only coming to think or watch the kingdom by myself since I still hadn’t told anyone yet at that point. I would also eat here just when i needed time alone.”
“Is that just your way of saying you were lonely?”
“shut up. i’m telling a story right now. So one day, I went there to eat and draw. it was a beautiful day. so i was eating and drawing before my small jar of ink had spilled. i didn’t want to leave the ink there to stain the flowers, so i left to go and find something to clean it up. when I came back, the puddle had started to bubble. it startled me, and then a figure emerged from the ink. it was a skeleton, like me… i think. they took their form with different-looking clothes and shouted out.”
“‘Hello there! My name is Ink! And I have- huh?’ they look around in confusion, before stopping to look at the view. they let out a whistle as they stare out at the view. ‘Wow, so this is the new Au, but who called me?’ i didn’t know what to do, so i stayed hidden behind the pillar. that one, over there. they looked around and saw the strawberries i had brought with me from the garden. they took them and started eating them, even though i can be confident, i didn’t want to talk so i left as they wrote something on their scarf.” Sans stops for a moment as he rubs a soft circle over his robes. Flowey smiles before looking at Sans and then looking away.
“Can… Can I?” Flowey smiles nervously as Sans looks down at him again.
“Heh, sure buddy. come here.”
Sans moves Flowey’s pot into his lap. Flowey looks hesitantly back between Sans and his stomach before Sans chuckles. Sans slowly takes Flowey’s leaves before leading them to his stomach and letting Flowey gently rub a slow circle on his stomach over his robes. Flowey’s eyes light up in wonder when he feels the softest pulse of magic come in return. Sans smiles softly as he feels the small soul move closer to the leaves.
“they moved down from my soul to my stomach only three days ago.” Flowey gasps as he looks up.
“That means that it's almost time! Holy- how many know?” Sans freezes.
“only my love, Undyne, Alphys, my brothers, and you.” Flowey stops and looks up at Sans in worry.
“Leo. This is serious. If we are truly going to war, you need to tell Asgore. You can’t fight at all, you have a duty to the baby as a carrier. Let someone else take your spot on the front lines.”
Sans tears up in frustration and anger. Pregnancies, babies in general, are rare to come by. Only certain monsters can carry, and even then it's not easy to make sure that the baby stays. Sans is a special case. Flowey sighs as he remembers how Leo would do anything that was said to be rare or impossible. However, those who are carrying or nursing have to be protected. Sans should be in the capital. Not here.
“NO. I won’t. If I do, then Grillby will go and fight in my place. And I can’t lose him. Not only that, but I can handle it. I know my strengths and I can last the war and be okay.” Flowey purses his lips as he watches Sans start to cry before sighing. He’s too prideful, and too sensitive right now for me to talk to.
“Okay. Tell them when you’re ready.” Flowey uses his leaves to wipe Sans’s tears. “Please continue with the story.” Sans nods and holds Flowey’s pot close to him.
“right. right.” Sans takes a soft breath as he starts to pet Flowey’s petals. “okay, so the next day i went back. and there was a painting there. it was a beautiful painting, so i left some money there for it before taking it home. it was a painting of our kingdom. we hung it up in our house, i can’t wait for you to see it. i went the next day and saw a half-finished painting, so this time i brought food with me. I thought about how this skeleton had come and eaten what they found. so maybe they don’t come from this kingdom since i haven’t seen them before. so i made pancakes and some sunlight i made and that had aged as well. i packed it tightly to keep it warm and brought it back. i wasn’t sure how much to bring so i brought maybe 6 pancakes. i didn’t wait that time, and left as soon as i dropped it off.”
Sans smiles with a blush lighting his cheeks. “ the next time i went, there was a finished painting of us. you and me here in the ruins. you can see parts of the ruins right here. so i think the skeleton saw the two of us sitting there as i sang to you and painted us. so that time i left more food and more sunlight as thanks. that painting is in my room, i love it. i continued to visit and take the paintings. some of them went to the palace, while others are around the house. then one day, when i went to go visit, there wasn’t anything there yet. so i left the food and decided to wait. i was curious about this other skeleton and wanted to see more. so i sat there and waited.”
“i waited until i saw a puddle of ink grow and take the form of that skeleton again. this time they brought more canvases. they set up three at first and i had thought that they were going to paint them all over time until they started to talk. i had gripped my spear tightly since i thought they were talking to me, but they were talking to themself. ‘Let’s see what this creator has planned for this timeline!’ i still don’t know what they were talking about. what timeline? what’s a creator? but before i could ask, their form became more… drippy like it was liquid before they grabbed three paintbrushes in each hand. one in between each phalange. then... they began to dance.”
“Dance?” Sans nods and Flowey puzzles over it before motioning Sans to continue.
“t hey started slowly by twirling but then they started to jump. they then started to spin on one foot, they went faster and faster as their body started to pull away from them, and started to spin around them like a whirlpool. it was beautiful to watch, the black liquid changed into different colors and then they slowed down and started to spin slowly. so slowly, and moved their arms in a way that made a strange symbol before slowly making their way over to the first canvas. they pressed a hand to it before going to the second one and then the third one. nothing happened at first, but then the liquid swarmed the canvases. they made three paintings, one was of a figure holding another, another was of a figure standing in front of an army, and the last one was just… fire.” Sans stops and starts to pet Flowey again.
“ whatever it was, they didn’t like it. they started to panic before talking again. ‘This can’t be it. No-no-no. I can change it and protect it. I… I can change the track it’s on.’ that’s what they said before grabbing the other three and doing the same dance again. this time the paintings changed and they smiled before leaving with the first three paintings and the food. i didn’t know what to do after they left so i left, but when i came back, the paintings were gone. so i only left the food there and left; i felt like i saw something i wasn’t supposed to. but i still keep coming and giving food and taking the paintings as well. that’s all until now.”
“Weird and creepy.” Flowey shutters before Sans nods. “Let’s get going then. I don’t want to be here anymore. Also, I want to see Sirius and how much he’s grown. Not to mention I need to threaten- I mean chat with your star. I have a few questions and words I need to say.” Sans chuckles before nodding.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
Chapter 6 artwork
Chapter 4 art
The Stage is Set
Chapter 6: How the hate of life feels
Hated By Life Itself by Vocaloid and mixed with some of the lyrics by Will Stetson's English version, but I'm using Oktavia. Just a heads up, this is a little dark due to the lyrics. Just a heads up! Enjoy!
Everyone sits there in stunned silence as they wait for something to happen. Leo grunts as he pushes himself up and makes his way to the screen. He summons his spear to his side before attacking the screen. He growls in frustration as tears fill his sockets. He keeps attacking as Sirius and Gemini come and lay a hand on both of his shoulders. He stops to make sure he doesn't hurt them. He can't risk losing them again. Not again. Not ever.
"they have to give 'im back. they have to."
Gemini nods and Sirius sighs as he gets onto his knees. Leo brings a hand to where his stomach would be and lets it rest there. He softly whines before turning to hide his face in Sirius' robes. He doesn't like it when too many people see him cry. He doesn't like looks of pity. It reminds him of those moments where... He doesn't like them.
"that's a cub! they can't do that to a cub! that's one of my cubs! that's one of my hurting cubs!" His hold tightens on Sirius's robes as Gemini rubs his back.
He whimpers as Sirius just holds him closer Gemini sighs softly and joins the hug. He stays like that for a moment before remembering his other cubs. He needs his new family. He can't cling to the past for long. Leo hates it, but he isn't used to his brothers' comfort anymore. He gently pushes them away before running to Sage and Green. He holds them closer before bringing them to Grillby and pulling him over to Gemini and Sirius. He sits down and gives a soft croon to them. Grillby nods.
"He wants a family hug with his cubs and us." Leo nods and holds Sage and Green even closer. They let him and the others join in before the screen turns on.
"You." Kitsune's eyes fix onto Leo as Leo's breath hitches and he holds his cubs tighter before something dawns on him. If he continues to hold onto them as tightly, then they'll be taken with him. He doesn't want them to get hurt. "You're coming with me again."
Leo pushes his cubs away before adding his fire to keep them away. He nods at Grillby before his soul pings and he's thrown through the screen. Grillby only walks over to Green and Sage. He lowers his heat and holds them close.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo falls into the snow of Snowdin. He pulls himself up with his spear as his sockets are slowly covered with white pixels. Then Classic notices a leather bag on Leo's hip. He can kind of imagine that he ran away from his AU, but Classic isn't completely sure. Classic lends a hand and Leo looks at it hesitantly. Another skeleton. He isn't sure if he can trust this one like he trusts Captain. Captain was nice, but he didn't see him that often. It doesn't help that the only other experiences he's had with other skeletons ended with the death of his second child. That skeleton looked like Classic, just with his hood up.
"w-who are you? Where are we?" He studies Classic and Classic smiles down at him. He offers his hand to Leo, noticing how the other flinch back. Leo's skull moves in a way of glancing between the hand and Classic's face. He's wary of Classic. Classic hasn't attacked him, but he can't be too sure that he's safe.
"nice to meetcha, bud. i'm sans, sans the skeleton, but call me Classic. what's your name?" Leo stands up, he's taller than Classic. The Classic. He holds onto his spear as he wipes his face and he looks down.
"Leo. My name is Leo." Classic quirks an eyebrow ridge at his font. Leo notices before hurrying to clear up the confusion. "My font name is Comic Sans. But, I'm known as Leo."
He brings a hand to his chest as he coughs up more blood. He's used too much magic just getting here. He needs to eat something or even just sleep, anything to regain some magic. Classic's eye sockets widen. He's only coughed up blood when he's been hit in his fights. He's not entirely sure how Leo's world works, so he isn't sure if he would dust or not. Best to heal him and help him regain his energy.
"heya, let's patch you up. get you somethin' to eat from grillby's." Leo tenses up before bending over in grief before another blip happens. The background changes to the bar at Grillby's. Papyrus, Classic Papyrus who also goes by Puff, grabs Leo's hands. He tries to offer comfort as he does for the other AUs. His worried expression comes off as pity to Leo, Leo hates pity.
"DON'T WISH FOR DEATH IF YOU'RE FEELING WEAK."
Leo turns away. He knows. He has to carry on the memories of his AU. He knows. But it's just so hard not to want to go and be with his loved ones once again. He just wants to sleep and never wake up. Is that too much to ask for? Classic places his hand on Leo's back as well. He offers a true smile and Leo just frowns. He doesn't care. He can't get attached. He can't. They'll disappear too if what they call resets, have anything to say about it.
"hardships aren't as hard as they seem to be." Leo snorts as everything stops moving other than Leo. He gets off the chair with a scoff. The others are left to guess what he's feeling since they can't see his eye sockets. He slowly dances through the people and towards the door.
"Sure say that all you want, you're not fooling me." His singing catches everyone off guard. It's softer than what they thought it would be. He sighs as he slips out the door. Slowly, he dances through the snow as he tilts his skull to the side. Soft tones of guilt and pain linger in his words as he continues. "With those words you never mean." He stops his dancing once he reaches a cliff. His mouth falls into a thin line as he sits down on a snow puff. Grillby tenses up at the height. "While I don't care to die. I don't mind a bit." He shrugs his shoulders before looking over the edge and everyone tenses before he goes back to the snow puff. "But someone I love?" He touches the small embroidered flame on his collar. He stops singing as he thinks for a moment before bringing his hand to his skull. "Stars, I think I wish I did."
He sighs as he wipes at his face again. He sighs as he gets up and walks through Papyrus's traps. He smiles down at them as he gracefully solves them on the first try. His baby brother loved puzzles as well. How the many puzzles Leo had to learn just to see his brother light up with joy. To see the way he would light up with excitement and joy. To see that smile light up any room. It would always be worth it in the end. Anything for his family. He slowly waltzes through Snowdin while twirling his spear. He hums to a wordless tune before smiling at Grillby's bar. His sun also had a bar. It was always so warm in the bar. Warm and inviting. But this is not his home. While the bar is warm and inviting, it isn't for him. It isn't his bar. He becomes a ball of fire before zooming off to a hidden part of the woods.
"I suppose 'I won't like it.' Is all that my ego is." A wet chuckle comes from the fire as it becomes Leo again. "Happy to gaze upon the pain of the haven't met. Cowering in our hatred has become a fashion trend."
He embraces his fire again as he twirls before stopping. He tilts his head up towards the snowfall before looking down and burning away some of the snow from the ground. He doesn't mine snow or water. He just needs some control. Control over something. His heat and the snow beneath him would be enough. Enough for his broken heart.
"Even though we're supposed to 'live a peaceful life.'" The fire becomes Leo again. He stands there looking back up at the sky as he touches his collar again. "Even though I bet it's nice, I bet we tried."
He uses his flames to create a path of life he wanted. An illusion of Grillby with a baby in his arms stands in front of him. They're laughing as the illusion sways lightly, rocking the small baby into sleep. Leo smiles sadly, his smile faltering into a painful frown as he grips his choker. Grillby lowers his head as an illusion of Leo comes forward holding his robes that have a small bulge that his hand rests on. The illusion of Grillby walks up to the other Leo and kisses him on the cheek before handing him the baby with a smaller mark on their cheekbone. It's Virgo, another Zodiac. Another one so the zodiacs won't die out, not that Leo or Grillby were ever planning on dying anytime soon.
Everyone watches as tears drip from Leo's chin as he watches the scene play out before he pushes the flames down close to nothingness only for a moment before they build again. He wanted that life so badly. He was ready for it. He found his star mate, was pregnant, and getting married. All of that... Gone. In two days. Was it just two days? Three? Four? How many was it? Time seemed to blur together when the war started.
"Someone succumbs behind the colors of the monitor. Deep in grief, another weeps, by singing in their honor." The fire takes a shape of Leo on his knees screaming in pain and grief. It was right after he lost his child. His second child. His hope. "Hearing that song, a humming boy wandered."
The flames change to an illusion of Frisk with their sword in their hand smirking as they walk past him. His mouth pulls up in a silent growl. He would've made them suffer so much more than what they did go through. He would make them hurt like they had made him hurt. If only Classic had let him fight Frisk. He would've given them a run for their money. He would've made them hurt so much for hurting his friends. Yet here he was, crying like a young star. He had to hide in Grillby's instead of helping his friend. He could never forgive himself.
"Off with a knife and an offer." He smothers the flames out as his frame scrunches up.
"Everybody hated well by life itself will never know!" His scream of the lyrics startles everyone in the room. He hunches over and brings his hands to his chest. "Why they forced code and ego on the radio! Day-to-day, they're singing out 'I'll take you down,' but then again... Who takes when they're being generous?" He brings his skull up towards the sky as he reaches for something that isn't there. No one in the room understands what he said, other than Nightmare and Error. Leo falls to his knees in front of a tree as he cries. "Everybody hated well by life itself will never know! Why 'I wanna die' is treated like another joke!"
He grips the blood-stained space-themed top robe tightly as he smiles. The blood would never be washed out without ruining the fabric. He would never want to ruin the fabric. Why would he? When it's the last thing he has of his baby brother? He's still crying as he looks back up to the sky for answers. He gasps for breath.
"That world where we see the worth in growing old. Anybody hated well by life itself will never know."
His body gives out and he falls into the snow before Classic comes out of nowhere and sighs before picking him up and taking him home. Dream, Blue, and Grillby and silently thank him. Albeit that Grillby didn't know who it was, but thanked him anyway. Another blip happens and it's both Leo and Classic sitting at Classic's sentry post. Classic fast asleep as Leo keeps one socket open with his spear in his lap. His pants are clean and he's wearing one of Sans's other hoodies with his black collar. He smiles at Classic before continuing to watch as he hums a wordless tune.
"Penniless again, through the day anew. I decide to praise the lazy and sing out of tune." His tone goes deeper as he sings the last part of the line.
He waves at Puff as he walks over. Since hearing Leo's story and having him rest here, Papyrus has been more laid back about Grillby's food. Any time Leo could handle it, Puff hugs him. He reminds Leo of the small little light his younger brother was. The smiles, the worry, and love. The sheer love Papyrus, Puff as he's known to the other AUs, has for Classic and the others. He never stops amazing Leo. Tears would burn his sockets as he would hold Puff close and pretend for just a minute that it was his little brother he was holding. Lost upon life's meaning, I take in the truth. He nods in thanks for the food that Puff hands him. He waves as Puff turns around and walks back from where he came from. Leo watches him walk off with fresh tears.
"Breathe and see there isn't anything I'm meant to do." His tone holds sadness as he eats slowly.
He leaves Classic's food next to him, letting him sleep since Leo kept him up the night before. Grillby notes that it looks like the food he would make for them, just greasier. Leo stops to look down at the food as his tears fall and burn some of the snow he's sitting on. He sniffles before bringing his hands to cover his face as his food drops into the snow with a sob. Captain didn't have Grillby's food on the ship. This is a fresh reminder of what he's lost. Another sob is ripped from his throat as Classic looks over at him in worry. Despite being told of some of his stories, Classic can't imagine how much pain he much is in. The screen blips.
"Would these wounds be better off expressed? With the lowly illustration, 'I'm so lonely' suggests?" Leo softly sings to himself as he sits up from the couch.
He grabs his spear and tries to make a portal again to take him home. It can't be that hard. It can't be. He's made two portals before when he didn't even know what he was doing. He made a portal to UnderSail and another to UnderTale. He just wants to go home. Go home and cry. Live there for the rest of his sad life. Tears fall from under the pixels as he stops for a moment before trying again.
Shouldering nothing but this stubbornness. Classic comes down and helps Leo to rest on the couch. Leo sighs as he curls closer into himself. Classic sits down next to him and comforts him before falling asleep. I'm nothing but alone when I go to bed.
"I go and dream, but the image that I'm drawing up..."
Leo smiles softly as he makes fire illusions of Sage, Green, Sirius, and a skeleton they don't know. They're all so little. So small, compared to Leo. He chuckles softly as Sage comes close and grabs his hand to come and play with them. A bright bout of laughter fills the room from the small skeleton in her pretty blue dress. No scars marred her bones, no fear showed in her eyes. No sadness lingered in her expression. She's happy, pure, innocent once more. Her beautiful royal blue eyelights glow with a brightness none of them have seen. She squeals with laughter as she tugs on Leo to get him to come and play with them. He doesn't move as tears flow down his face.
She smiles warmly at him before rushing over to Green. Green smiles brightly at her. He wraps his arms around her tightly in a hug. Squeezing her before letting go and looking up at Leo with his blue and green eye lights. His mask is down as he smiles so brightly at Leo. He giggles, a few wishes flying out from his small pouch on his hip. One, a bright rose gold one, a beautiful mix of yellow and pink to Green, starts to float towards Leo. Green squeals loudly before rushing towards Leo for a hug. Leo hugs him back before sitting back down next to Classic who watches with sorrow-filled sockets.
Classic watches as Leo gets up to hold Sirius close and place him back down to play with Sage and Green. He watches as Leo smiles and picks up the baby and holds them close. Leo holds the baby as close as he can without hurting them. The way Leo sits down against the couch with a sad smile tells Classic everything he needs to know, so he closes his sockets and shortcuts to Grillby's to give Leo some privacy.
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"Is that... How he sees us?"
Green looks on in awe as the illusions play together. He watches as Sirius chases after them as they run. Tears fill his sockets as he watches them run around with no imperfections. No scars. No pain. Nothing but the innocence that was supposed to always be there. The love that was always supposed to be here. He reaches for Sage with his hand and pulls her closer and holds onto her tightly. Sage points towards the smile Leo wears.
"same smile." Grillby can only chuckle.
"You three are part of his pack. His cubs. Although, I'm not sure who that last skeleton is."
Grillby has a faint idea that he knows who it is, but he won't say anything. He just stares at the smallest skeleton with tears. That was someone he was so happy he was going to meet. Their time was cut too short before they could even meet, but he still loves them. They watch as Leo stands up and places the small toddler onto his own feet, walking around with them standing on his feet. The squeals of pure joy and excitement leave the small one's mouth.
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"Surely is the heart that once had meant so much... Yeah I guess."
They're shown as the fire dies down, illusions of what they look like now. Sirius is taller than Leo and proudly stands next to him. His outfit matches the one he wears in the room. His smile of pure kindness and compassion swells Leo's soul as Sirius bends down for a hug. Sage is softly smiling at him and Green. In all her scared perfection. Gone was that childhood joy and purity. Yet there she is. Smiling at him with the strongest smile she has. And it's enough for him.
Green has a soft smile on his face as he faces the two of them. His mask is up, but the way it's pulled reveals that he's smiling. The way his sockets soften as he moves closer to them, with nothing but a smile as he reaches out with one arm. The way that he hugs them as tightly as he can, it's enough for Leo. He blinks, and nothing changed for Sage and Green, not even their height. Only what they have been through and how they've grown from it. He still sees those two small skeletons he knows they once were. Regardless if he's met them at that age, he can still see them as so young. They are young, so young in his vision.
The last skeleton bends down, they're just a few inches taller than Leo, to hug him tightly as Leo holds him. Their skull is surrounded by thick magenta flames, the way it curls around Leo's fingers like hair makes him smile. They let go before the flames blow out and away from Leo. He looks down at his hands to see nothing there. No sign of Sirius or the other skeleton. Only Sage and Green remain at his side before they disappear with the flames. "As we age, there comes a day we fester like a falling leaf. Carried down without a clue to prove we ever breathed." He sighs as he wipes his eye sockets from under the pixels. His legs feel weak at the idea of losing them as well. He can't handle the thought. They are all he has left of what is his determination to live. Please don't just let it go.
"Breathing on for centuries in a near deathless design. Bored for eternity, the only to survive." He looks down at his spear, disregard on the floor, before bringing his free hand up to his black collar. He looks out of the window. These are the kinds of sci-fi dreams always on my mind. He stops before turning away to sit on a cushion not too far from the window. He rests his free hand on his robes and rubs his thumb in small circles absentmindedly.
"Numb to the pain, can I die? Though I'm not afraid. All the same, I have to pay attention to the hearts I'd break. Lost in conflicting thoughts, I'm sure they'd have a lot to say. Yes, I can guess what they'd convey:" A shadow of people show from behind him. They lean in close to him as he covers his skull as if he was covering his ears.
"Die, shut your mouth."
"If you can't confront demise, then live the life you don't deserve."
"Die, shut your mouth!"
"Perfect things need to stay as perfect as they've always been."
The others flinch at the words said. Leo brings his hands down as he tilts his head down and towards them. He smiles, but it wavers as his breath hitches. "Head to toe I'm stained by the words that break and badly beat me down." The screen blips, and he's back in Snowdin's forest.
"I'll sing this song even if all my light is burning out!"
His flames burn the ground violently as he cries out. He lifts his head from his hands as tears flow down his face. The flames that he creates start to spin around him in waves of emotion. Anger fuels them, then guilt, and then grief. He grits his teeth as tears quickly flow down his face.
"All of us are hated by our own lives! As we're all intoxicated by a sad goodbye!" More colors are added to the fire. It's beautiful to see if it wasn't for the sad song Leo was singing. His voice cracks as he strains to be heard. Not being used to singing, or yelling this loud. "Without ever knowing what it means to die! All of us are hated and berated by our own lives!"
His fire burns higher before covering the screen. They die down to show Leo picking himself back up. He sits on his heels with his skull tilted upwards before standing up and holding his spear close. How much he wants to rest, rest and be with his family. His love and brothers. His two kids.
"Our meetings and partings. Affection, and longing." His pack and friends he's made through the Multiverse stand in front of him with a lock on them. He can't even touch them anymore. "Are naught but a joke within a fading dream. Just bonds that are bought with reality." He turns away from them as they slowly disappear. He sighs as he starts to march the opposite path.
"I could be dead tomorrow, yet I'm sure in some way. When I go, I'll get to know my life was such a waste." Grillby holds Green and Sage closer and they hold onto him. No one wants to think too hard about what Leo means as he sings. But they don't have to. Grillby sends out a pulse of love and worry. "Through daylight and stardom. Through springtime and autumn." He slows down as he looks up. He turns towards the window leading into the room, and they stare back at him.
"We die every day and that's exactly why I chase!" He starts to run towards them, but the window keeps moving farther and farther away from him. "I don't need tomorrow, or dreams that come and go." he stops moving as he brings a hand to his chest as he cries. His smile shakes as he brings a hand up to the pixels. "Just living on with you is what I always wanted most. I ask for that and nothing more." His tears fall faster as he grips the pixels tightly and throws them to the ground. They shatter on impact as he stares at his family and friends lovingly. "I know... That's surely..." He takes a deep breath as he brings a hand up to his chest in pride and love.
"WHAT I HAD REALLY MEANT TO ASK FOR!" His voice is loud like a roar. Raw from the scream itself, but it's full of determination and love. It gets the message across to the others. He isn't going to give up just yet. No, he isn't going to die just yet. He has his cubs he needs to see grow. He continues to run towards the window with new determination. He needs to live. He has to live. He needs to live to see Sage and Green once more. He needs to see them again. He has to. He just got Grillby back. He isn't going to let him go that quickly.
"All of us are hated by our own lives! At last, we're all doomed to fade and simply die!" Other flames that aren't his surround him. He stops as they form his cubs again as they walk away in grief. They all try to beg him to stay in this place. Stay there with them. He looks only once, before catching the pulses of yearning from his sun. That's all it takes. "It'll take you, taking me too!" He growls as he pushes the flames away, tearing up as he continues to run away from the false paradise. "Soon enough the rest of us will sink like a leaf into anywhere we know it's not for naught! 'Cause, we don't stop!" He breaks out in a sprint. "Going out and off, always giving everything we got!"
He jumps onto a rock. To killing! He jumps to another rock. To kicking! He grabs onto a tree branch and swings off of it. To grinning! He smiles as he nears the window. To gritting! He jumps higher into the tree. Living! He goes higher. Living! He bursts into flames. Living! He jumps down at an angle. Living! He rolls as he lands before racing on all four paws. Living on! He roars as he makes his way through the window into the room. He slides against the floor before hitting the wall in the back. He softly whines before making his way back to his pack and grabbing his cubs with his teeth. They smile at him as Leo increases his size to lay around them. Grillby smiles as Leo rests his muzzle in his lap. Gemini and Sirius both smile and join Green and Sage by laying on Leo's back. The others stare at Leo's form in person.
"Wow." Leo opens his eyes and lifts his head from Grillby to look down at Blue, who has come closer. Leo softly croons to him before nuzzling his muzzle into Blue's arms. "You're warm!" Dream walks up as well.
"Can I?"
Leo bows his head and Dream rests his forehead against Leo's as he holds the sides of Leo's muzzle. He whispers only something that Leo could hear. He softly whimpers in response before nodding. Leo turns to the others and nods. He lays his head back down in Grillby's lap as they rest up for whatever happens next.