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Red winced, bones aching as he carried *another* heavy crate to Alphys's lab. He dropped the crate to the floor with a loud thump, rage bubbling within him. It's been two weeks of this bullshit. Edge had him running all across the underground like some little fuckin’ errand boy, making him do all these chores that Edge could've easily done himself. It's gotten to the point that he had no free time whatsoever, and he was sick of it.
With a huff, he sharply turned towards Alphys. “That all?” He asked through gritted teeth, agitation clear in his voice. He desperately wanted to be done; just one small break would do.
Alphys raised a brow at his tone before looking over all the boxes he brought in. “Yeah, thanks, Sans.” She nodded to him, fidgeting slightly.
Red grunted in response before heading out of the lab and back towards Snowdin. Maybe he could ask Paps for a break, or better yet, he won’t be home.
His body ached all over, magic stiff in his bones, feeling more drained than normal. He couldn’t wait to just stretch out and-
His thoughts slipped away as he spotted a distant, yet all too familiar figure of a tiny human carrying a flower. With a groan, he tiredly rubbed his face as he made his way closer.
The human had become the go-between for his brother and him. The poor thing was sure Edge and them would be friends in no time, but Red wasn’t so sure. To him it seemed Edge was just happy to have someone else to push around and treat like a pet.
As Red got closer, Frisk perked up, giving him a soft smile. Red couldn’t find it in himself to be all too annoyed with them since it wasn’t their fault, so he huffed a slight grin back as he spoke, “heya kid, I was just headin’ back to the house. I need a break; I’m bone tired.” He inwardly cringed at his own bad pun attempting to walk past.
Before he could even take a step, Frisk stepped in front of him, shaking their head, holding Flowey out. “Papyrus has a few more jobs for you to do.” The flower piped up, wiggling slightly, staring up at the skeleton.
Red’s eye twitched, letting out a small puff of magic. “He’s been runnin’ me into dust; I deserve a break. If he wants it done, he can do it himself.” He carefully pushed past the two, not wanting to hear any more of what they had to say unless it was the offer of a nice, cozy couch.
As he continued to trudge his way through Waterfall, he felt more and more like he was walking through Hotland as if his magic was boiling him alive. In an attempt to cool himself off, Red took off his jacket, tying it around his waist, sighing in relief as he felt like he could finally breathe.
It didn’t last long as his bones began to rattle, grimacing as his chest tightened. Ignoring it, he kept pushing forward till he felt the all-too-familiar breeze hit his face, his shoes sinking deep into the cold snow with every stomp of his foot.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Red had made it home, but before he even got the chance to breathe a sigh of relief, he noticed the tall, lanky shadow of his brother moving in the window. Suddenly the tightness in his bones was back at full force, his magic feeling like it was once again going to boil over and drown him, this time in anger and fear.
He stood watching for a few minutes, debating if he wanted to turn around and hide out elsewhere or just rip the Band-Aid off.
After careful consideration, he flexed his hands, steeling himself for the argument that was bound to ensue as he headed up the short path to the door.
Stepping through the threshold, he felt his shoulders, which he didn’t even realize had hiked up, relax as the warmth of the house washed over him. The peace didn’t last long as he shut the door behind him and looked over to his brother, who was a looming presence over him, scowling down at him.
“Sans, what are you doing here?” He started crossing his arms, his brow furrowing in agitation. “I sent that little human and Flower to give you your next tasks. You can’t keep slacking like some lazy bones.”
Red’s eye twitched as he pulled his face into a tight smile. “Sorry, boss, I just feel sick, and I’ve been workin’ nonstop. I figured a small break couldn’t hurt.” He did his best to keep any aggression from his voice, knowing that any slight against his brother would lead to a bigger argument.
Edge scoffed, tapping his foot as his patience was already running thin. “Just push through the sickness; I do it. You can’t slack off just because you feel a little sick, Sans. It’s not even like I’m giving you hard tasks, just helping everyone with stock—
“I also have to help Mettaton with his rehearsals, clean the true lab, and feed the amalgamations when Alphys can’t, WHICH has gotten me bitten on more than one occasion, not to mention the fact that a lot of the stuff I’m helpin Muffet, Grillby, and Alphys with stocking are things from all across the underground, so I’m havin’ to run back and forth. Plus the more rare occasions of helpin’ Toriel get things from the castle, but I like those more because at least she gives a shit enough to let me catch a break!” Red snapped, cutting off his brother as he panted. The tightness felt too much like he was going to explode. He didn’t want this to turn into a yelling match, but he desperately needed just a few moments.
Edge’s scowl deepened as he leered down at his brother, the tapping picking up. “Sans.” He started in warning not to interrupt this time. “Those aren’t even the hardest jobs. I have to train with Undyn, help train the dogs, watch over the lab with Alphys, and now watch that little human. I work constantly, and you never hear me complain, nor do you see me slacking off.” He stared down his brother expectantly.
Red’s gaze shifted to the floor, searching for anything to say; his mind was so foggy, and a slight ringing had started in his skull. All he could think of was hiding under the blankets of his bed like a child.
After a moment of silence, Edge shifted his stance, growling under his breath, “Sans.” He snapped in hopes of getting his brother to respond.
Wincing Red looked up at Edge, sighing, “Just gimmie like 20 minutes, and I promise I’ll do whatever chores ya want me to do. Please.”
Edge groaned, seeing he wasn’t going to get through to his brother. “Fine, you have 20 minutes, then I expect you down here, or I’ll come up there and drag you down.” He moved out of the way, letting Red go to the stairs.
Red hurried up the stairs before his brother could change his mind, fist tightening against his chest. Once he reached the top, he slipped into his room, closing the door behind him and pressing his back against it, still holding his chest. He breathed in and out deeply, trying to will his racing soul into a steady rhythm. After a few seconds he moved over to the bed; he still felt drained, but he was going to soak in the 20 mins best he could.
Red laid down on his cool bed, wrapping his warm, fluffy blanket around himself as he stared at the clock on his dresser; it had already been 5 mins. He stared willing time to slow down, but as he stared at the clock, he noticed a small blue oval token.
Red reached over, picking up the token, carefully running a thumb over it without pressing to trigger it. Blue had given it to him so they could hang out easier; Red also used it to sneak over to see Stretch.
Red frowned at the small token in his hand. He wanted to see Stretch again; it had been almost a month, and while their schedules were typically busy, he still missed the kind and laid-back skeleton. He was a far cry from his brother; most times he forgot he was a version of him, though the same *could* be said about him and Blue.
Glancing back at the clock, he grimaced, his stomach twisting into more knots as he noticed it had been another 5 minutes. He didn’t want to go back down just to be belittled more by his brother for needing a break; he didn’t want to have to keep overworking his magic till he inevitably passed out from overexertion; his bones already felt like hot lava was flowing through him as his magic rolled his skull in revolt. He didn’t want to do more work.
He felt lightheaded and hot again, pushing off the covers; cold air wrapped around his bones as he shivered. He huffed, looking up to the ceiling in thought; at this rate he wasn’t going to feel any better, and he’d just have to push himself into passing out.
He lay there staring up a little longer, mindlessly rubbing at the token.
“Fuck this.” He grumbled. He sat up, his vision swimming for a moment before he pressed down on the token.
The code around him buzzed, dancing along his bones as he was transported to Underswap. He got in trouble for bailing on Edge, but it was worth it; he didn’t want to work himself into the grave. Plus it’s not like Edge can get here, at least not easily; as far as Red knew, he didn’t have any specific tokens.
As the code slowly dispersed, the image of a similar-looking living room came into view, the only differences being there was no yellow sock near the TV and the TV was turned to some kind of comedy movie from the surface based off the antics of the actors.
“Sans, what are you doing home so ea-“
Red jumped, looking over to where the kitchen was, meeting Stetch’s gaze. “Hey, uhh, sorry to *pop* in like this.” He paused, cracking a smile at his own pun. “My bro, the boss, was runnin me into dust. I needed a break, and I, uh, well, it’s safe here.” He stumbled through his explanation, feeling out of sorts. He averted his gaze, starting to fidget with the fur of his coat that was still tied to his waist; suddenly it was far more interesting.
He didn’t think this through too well; he never showed up like this. What if Stretch was busy?
I mean, apparently Blue was out. What if they didn’t want him here? His skull throbbed as his thoughts swam with different possibilities. Clutching the fur in his hand, staring hard as it felt nauseous all over again.
The couch dipped down, and a warm body pressed against him, slowly pulling him from his thoughts.
“Ya look like shit.” Stretched huffed a laugh slinging his arm around Red, before immediately removing it. He leaned forward, pressing his hand to the other skeleton's forehead, checking his temperature. “Jeez, you’re burnin up.”
“Yeah...I feel like shit.” Red huffed softly, leaning into Stretch. “The boss overworked me… I was able to get a 20-minute break, but...” his voice cracked as his vision became hazy with unshed tears. “I just can’t force my body to work; my magic is fightin against me. I know I’m weak for it; Edge all but yelled it at me. I just thought I could crash here to get more of a break.”
There was a beat of silence before Stretch gently ran his hand across Red’s skull. “You’re not weak for needin a break. Your bro is just…” He trailed off, not wanting to insult the other's brother, earning himself a snort from the other.
“Ya can crash here. I’ll send Blue to do whatever tasks ya bro has for ya, I know my bro won’t mind, especially since you’re sick. I’m sure Blue will run circles around your bro.” He stood gently pushing Red to lie on the couch. “Just stay here and I’ll take care of ya.”
Red opened his mouth to protest but closed it seeing the stern yet gentle face of Stretch looming over him. He was as determined as Edge was; once he had his mind set to something, there was no arguing it.
Finally on a couch, Red nestled in, watching as Stretch went back to the kitchen, disappearing behind the wall. As he lay there, exhaustion slowly overtook him like a calming wave. All the stiffness in joints relaxing the soft sounds of Stretch on the phone lulling him into safe sleep.
———————————
Red was gently jostled awake, blinking blearily at the orange blur in front of him.
“Come on, sit up. I made ya some soup.” Stretch helped Red sit up, scooting a table with hot, steamy soup closer. “You’ve been out cold a few hours; Blue’s already gone to help Edge, and the rest of the stars are taggin along.”
Red snorted at that; Edge was gonna have a run for his money with those three. Blue would do most of the work as Dream lectured Edge on being more kind and positive, while Ink, well, he was Ink, so the possibilities were endless.
He lifted a spoon of soup to his mouth, gently blowing; the smell alone made his tongue wet in his mouth with a hunger he didn’t even know he had. Tasting the soup, Red groaned in appreciation; the broth was rich and creamy, filled with loving intent, while the chunks of chicken and rice were just the right consistency.
Stretch sat next to him, letting him eat in comfortable relative silence as the TV played softly, just barely audible.
Once Red was done, he gently pushed the table away before curling up against Stretch’s side.
Stretch wrapped an arm around his shoulders, gently pulling him closer, Red’s skull laying against his ribs as he gently pet his arm. “Ya know you’re welcome here anytime.” He leaned down, pressing his teeth to the top of Red’s skull in a chaste kiss. “I don’t mind taking care of ya; Edge will get over himself.”
Sitting like that, cuddled up on the couch, Red breathed a little lighter than he had in the past two weeks. The soft lull of Stretch’s soul beat gently pattering in his ribs and the comforting weight of his arm around him, Red finally let go of the last of the tension in his bones, drifting back into peaceful sleep knowing he could.