Bitterly Sweet

A Warm Surprise

Awkward fluff, uwu. No song this chapter.

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          Razz was right about what time Slim's friend would be showing up. He never is wrong anyways. The door clicked open to reveal another Papyrus, this one from Underswap. That strong scent of honey, cigarettes, and a hint of weed stuck to his body, creating a specific smell to his person for people to remember him by. Just in case Razz hadn't left, Stretch made sure to be as polite as possible, knowing damn well the smaller, feisty skeleton was the reason him and Slim stopped hanging out. No more getting as high as you can, smoking till you get a cough attack, or even their chillaxed hang out sessions. Stretch would admit he missed them, but it has been a while, around four months specifically, so he's had time to get out of the habit. Due to the time apart, Stretch felt like he was walking into a stranger's house again, but, the lingering smell of bitter cleaning supplies and worn leather brought back the nostalgia and memories with ease.

          "Slim? Where are ya?" Stretch called out as he closed the front door behind him, not locking it like Razz would do. He looked around, getting an odd vibe from the empty place. Slim was probably just sleeping somewhere, he hoped at least. He didn't farm out any information from Razz, just getting the basic explanation that went something like 'I'm leaving to train, blah blah, babysit my brother and tend the house for a few days, good luck," and that was it. Sure he was confused, since no normal person would even leave the two alone nor leave the house up to Stretch. They'd probably end up making a huge mess and wrecking the place with their heads in the clouds anyways. He stepped further into the home, glancing around curiously before heading upstairs, making a straight path for Slim's bedroom. 

          "Yo, Razz is gone-" the orange hooded skeleton said as he opened up Slim's door, looking inside of the dark room to see a breathing lump on the bed. At the sound of his voice and the door opening to let in light, that lump moved slowly, turning over. Only a couple seconds pass before Slim's head pops up, his eyelights bright with curiosity as he noticed someone else was in the house other than his brother. The way he came to attention resembled that of a dog when you call their name after coming home from work, and they jump up, beyond excited to see you again. There was a bit of a delay for this dog however, considering he's probably been sleeping for a few hours, meaning he was a bit groggy and had to take in his surroundings again. 

          "Slim..?" Stretch raised his skelebrows with interest to see the perk from the other and the blank stare following. Right after he said the other's name, Slim practically rolled out of his mess of a bed and tried to jump to his feet, but his bed didn't let go so easily. His long legs were twisted in the blankets, but he managed to kick them off before making a fool of himself and before Stretch could even process what was happening, Slim had his arms around him, hugging tightly and panting quietly from the mini fight he just had with his sheets. A moment of silence pass between the two, and one of them speak.

          "..Hi," Slim pushed out a simple, quiet greeting, eyes closed and a soft smile in place of his usual frown. It was a bit of an odd greeting since they weren't face-to-face, but these two didn't need to be. Exchanging hello's in a welcoming hug was perfect.

          "Hi," Stretch let out a little chuckle, the both of them giving each other a little squeeze before pulling away and returning a decent amount of space between them. "Long time no see, huh? Your bro must've changed." Stretch spoke, his tone light-hearted and cheerful, much more than he usually was. Oh, this week will be fun. 

          "Y..Yeah, you know him, heh," Slim nodded with a bright, but shy as usual smile. His posture was surprisingly held up well, most likely because of the confidence his old friend brought him. As much as he loved his brother, Stretch was always the one to grant him that treasured safe place, always keeping a smile on his face. He didn't mind his stutter either, even if Slim found it embarrassing how Stretch reminded him how cute it was; being flirtatious as usual made him genuinely happy. Razz would just use his minor disability as another soft spot to pick at and tease him for.