Geno's POV a month later
I've been doing my best to do the tasks on the lists I am given. The council came and told me that this is only temporary. They were rushing to solve two problems in one go so I am a substitute until they create an actual god. Soon I'll be back to my normal self and I'm just fine with that. Papyrus has created helpers for him and Reaper to balance the workload and shorten their seemingly endless lists of souls to reap. Maybe the second chance god will help those numbers cut back too.
But what's weird is that I haven't seen or heard from Reaper all month. He isn't answering his phone either. Then again, Papyrus says that he can go into a crunch mode of some sort and plow through his list for a break as a reward. He thought that he just might be having one of those moments or be stuck in that mode. But a few days later, Reaper still hasn't shown up and Papyrus said that he'd have to come back by now for his break or a new list. He said it was impossible for him to still have souls to reap regardless of his time management. Even if he crashed somewhere to sleep like a kid on a sugar rush, he would have at least contacted someone. Something didn't seem right.
One day some gods approached me and started up a conversation. They were getting flirty and suggestive. I kept turning them down and shutting their suggestions down. Then a bunch of panthers and hedgehogs with tiny cloaks come running over. The reaperlings aka Papyrus and Reaper's little helpers.
"Geno! Geno! Geno! Help! Help! Help! Pleeeaase!"They exclaim
I turn to them and kneel as they practically leap at me.
"What's wrong?"I ask
"Reaper! Reaper! Reaper! We found Reaper!"These hedgehogs squeak
"He's in trouble!"These panthers whimper
"What?!"I say, feeling my soul sink
"He's hurt and can't move! We came to you for help since everyone else is busy! Please come with us!"They cry
I get up, unfolding my wings.
"Where do you think you're going?"The other gods ask
"What do you think?"I snap
"He's a god, I'm sure he will be fine."One says
"Yeah, it's not like we drained him of his immortality and dumped him somewhere to see how he'd do as a mortal HAHA!"Another says with a fake laugh
"And to get near you!"A third says
The rest glare at them.
"WHAT?!"I snap
The panthers leaped at them, pinning them down and roaring for Papyrus. The hedgehogs lead me away through a portal quickly. I heard gunshots and a list appears in front of me with only one name. Reaper and his file. It said everything and I knew it was him. I ran towards the noise and see a bunch of humans beating up who I assumed to be Reaper. I got closer and saw him wearing the scarf I made for him. He was out cold and one of the humans was aiming a gun at him as if to finish him off. I knock them away and quickly pick Reaper up. He was wounded and bleeding out with multiple shots, including one to the head. His HP was extremely low and I was hardly getting a soul beat from him. Bullets lay nearby. I gripped him tightly and glared at the humans. One tried to shoot me but the bullet bounced right off.
"Dude! That's the Monster God of 2nd Chances! And when he's pissed we don't get any other chances!"One says
"You all are done for!"I snap, firing Gaster Blasters
They scream and run, hedgehogs chasing them as well or some hung back and watched as the attacks fired at the humans. They were screaming and trying to run but they weren't very successful.
"Horrible humans...."I say, shaking my head
I glance at Reaper and it was as if he shrunk. He was shorter now that I see him in my arms. My files rose and it said: "GIVE SECOND CHANCE?" I sign off on it and his chest started heaving almost instantly. He was breathing heavily and his soul had a slowly recovering beat but I knew giving him another chance won't magically heal his condition.
"Stay with me, Reaper. I'm going to get you help. You're going to be okay. I promise."I say
"Ngh...H-Hurts...."He grunts, blood trickling down his face
"I know it hurts, probably a lot. But just hang in there. I got you."I say
The hedgehogs climb into my pockets and my wings stretch out.
"Ge.........G-Gen-"He stutters, his voice weak
"Ssssssh, save your strength. "I say, taking off quicky
I soar through the sky, internally panicking and trying to figure out what to do or where to go. I felt him move in my arms and tighten my grip, glancing down. He looks like he is in horrible pain but weakly opens an eye and looks up at me.
This idiot needs to preserve his energy and strength!
"G-Geno? W-What happen-ned? Where a-amm I? We? Ugh...."He groans
"Reaper, do us both a favor and shut up for once. Please!"I tell him
"S-Smile? You....sm-" He begins
A hedgehog pulls his scarf up to silence him.
"Thank you...Reaper, conserve your strength. You'll need it."I say
He turns his head to look at me.
"Mmmm?"He tries to speak muffledly
"I'm not joking. "I say, spotting a hospital
I dive down and he grabs my arms tightly in horror, screaming muffledly. I land and quickly take him inside to get help. Within minutes he was taken from me and sent up an elevator to get some operations done. I saw more humans with weapons running towards the hospital. I step outside and they open fire. It failed and a few Gaster Blasters sent them running. I fold my wings and tuck them under my scarf dangling over my back. I went after him in a panic to see how he is doing. He was still in an operating room and I couldn't see in.
"Are you a family member of that patient?"A nurse asks
"U-Umm, no. I'm...I-I'm...."I say but couldn't think straight
"Your love?"She asks
"I-I-I....."I say, looking down at my hands
I was now covered in blood from Reaper. And that is not something I ever wanted to see. I was breaking down in tears, my soul felt like it was breaking.
"O-oh......Why don't you take a seat? We'll update you ASAP."She says, lowering me into a chair and runs off
I could not relax. I just kept worrying about him. I CAN'T LOSE HIM. I CAN'T. There's nobody like him.....It eventually occurred to me to call his brother. When he picked up I could hardly speak.
"Reaper....I-I-I f-found him...Hospital....surgery...I-I-I-I-!"I stumble over my words
"I'm coming."He says, then hangs up
He quickly arrives and hugs me. I told him what I knew but was falling apart. He sat and pulled me close, letting me cry and soothing me. The hedgehogs climbed onto him, telling him what they knew as well. Eventually, I dozed off and woke up to find a blanket on me, and Paps was gone. I glance over to see Undyne holding Gaster in a headlock and Asgore sitting next to me.
"Sorry, he tried to attack you and blame you once Papyrus told us. Pure nonsense."He says
"O-Oh....."I say
"Excuse me? Geno? We need you."A nurse says
"O-Ok..."I say, following her
She leads me down a hall with a grin.
"Geno! Where's Geno? I was just with him!"I hear Reaper exclaim
"He hasn't calmed down since he woke up and has been demanding to see you. Everything went well but could've gone better if he wasn't wasting his strength to talk."She says
I peek in and his gaze locked in on me.
"Geno!"He yells, bandaged all over
I've never felt so happy. I quickly come over to him.
"Reaper.....You're okay?"I say
"Yes........Just drained...Headaches...."He says
I sigh.
"You were drained of your immortality...."I say
"Nobody hurt you, right?"He asks
"You're worried about me? After what you just went through? Oh, Reaper...You are so..........."I say, leaning close
His face burns up. He clearly had other ideas.
"STUPID!"I say, smacking the side of his head
He frowns.
"When I say be quiet and save your strength, you DO NOT try to start up a conversation! You could've died or gotten killed! Now, why did other gods do this to you?"I snap
"I was in their way of getting to you...They wanted you for the wrong reasons.....They gave me a false name on a list and bam, I got thrown away like that and got a blast to the head before I could make sense of what happened..."He says
"You're an idiot...Never scare me or any of us like that again."I say
He looks at me with twinkling eyes.
"You care about me."He says
"Thanks, Captain Obvious for your expert observation. "I say, crossing my arms
The panthers and hedgehogs came in, happy to see that Reaper was okay.
"Thank you, Geno! Thank you for saving him!"They cheer
"H-Huh?"Reaper says
"Oh, you should've seen him, Reaper! We brought him to you and he got pissed at your attackers!"One hedgehog says
"He went full Megalovania on them!"Another says
"They didn't stand a chance!"A third says
"But you have to listen to him better! And stop scaring him!"The rest say with a nagging tone
Papyrus peeks in with a grin. I sit in a chair and he sits beside me.
"So...He was upset at them and now me...?"Reaper says
"He has been....very emotional, Reaper. We were all scared of losing you."He says
"Did...Gaster bother him?"Reaper asks
"No, Undyne restrained him."He says
My soul appears and Reaper pulls me close. He kisses my head and wraps his arms around me to snuggle, tucking us under the blankets.
"This is the 2nd time you did this in a hospital."Paps chuckles
"And?"He says
I bury my head in his chest, feeling my face burn.
"You're growing on each other.~ Elden's advice is working.~"Paps coos
I hear his soul race at those words.
"He is mine."He says
I look at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"I ask
He looks alarmed. Paps facepalms.
"Those other gods can't have you."He replies
"Oh really? They seemed like your kind of friends with how flirty they got."I say
"He's got a point. "Paps says
"But I have boundaries for flirting! They don't!"Reaper says
"Really? You do?"I ask
"Geno, you don't know half of the things that go through my head because I have boundaries and self-control. "He says proudly
"Interesting......"I say, unsure how to feel about that comment
Gaster peeks in. He seems to be examining Reaper from the doorway.
"I can work with this."He says
I did not like the sound of that.
Weeks later, Reaper got out of the hospital and was left in my care. We had to figure out how to get his immortality back and Papyrus didn't trust anyone with his brother based on how they treated him before he became a mortal. And based on how they treated me, he thinks he will just be treated worse or toyed with. Reaper certainly wasn't complaining. I found a routine or pattern after a while. We would wake up and eat before starting the day. The day would be whatever we felt like doing, consisting of him flirting with me and sometimes I flirt back, him cuddling my wings, or he'd just stare at me quietly. By the end of the day, he'd usually be hiding his face in his hood or scarf curled up in the corner of a room or just hiding in a closet before going to bed, which most of the time was snuggling together.
One night I woke up to gunshots and panicked. Reaper wasn't next to me or in the house that was set up for us until things were figured out to have some privacy. I saw some silhouettes messing around and randomly firing. And Reaper was walking along the sideway nearby. I dive forward and grab him, my wings wrapping around him. The strangers fled the scene.
"My angel is here.~"He says
"Why weren't you home?"I ask, noticing how tired he is
He rests his head against mine.
"I dunno.....Did I worry you, angel?"He says
"Y-Yeah, especially since I heard gunshots. "I say
His face turns a bright blue.
"Awwww......"He says
My face burns a little.
"S-Shut up, Reaper, and let's get you home before you crash. "I say
I bring him inside and he falls asleep in my arms. I tuck him into bed and sigh. He's certainly something special. My wings melted away and the feathers flew away in a painless process. My slash mark returned and the rose fell out of my eye as it began to break apart again. My glitches returned to that eye and I was back to normal. I pick up the rose, taking a good look at it. Friends don't give red roses to each other...Unless he's just being an oblivious dork that doesn't realize that...But the thought that he might like me was a lovely feeling. I...liked the feeling.
A few days later I got a letter and it claimed to be from Outer to hang out. I got there and Outer was nowhere in sight. But I heard talking. I curiously go to investigate. I see Reaper at a candle-lit table across from Blue in the middle of space. He glanced up from a paper and frowns.
"Ugggh, we got tricked, didn't we?"He says
"Yeah, I thought Dusty wrote to me to talk...not you. Buuuut! On the bright side, now I can talk to you about Geno! I haven't seen you both in a while and only hear from him through text! How's it going with you two?"Blue says, his optimism clear
"I bet you anything my father tried to set us up to keep me from Geno."Reaper chuckles
"Nooo! You're great and all but you and Geno are a much better match for each other!"Blue says
I had to hold back a chuckle from the irony. Of all people to set Reaper up with, he set Reaper up with a shipper of me with Reaper. Blue. And they just started talking as if it was a normal hangout. They told each other what has been happening and ranted their views or opinions about certain things and people. They had plenty to say about me. Error showed up right as Reaper mumbled something. It seemed to anger Error because he just started yelling at Reaper about "treating him right" and "I'll hunt you down if you don't!" or whatever. Blue slowly and gently calmed him down.
"Sorry, Error goes into big brother mode with people he's close with and protective of, including Geno. "Blue says
I got out of there before I was noticed. I went back to my save screen and seconds later a portal opened. A boy that I recognized ran through with something in a blanket cradled in his arms. It was Goth and he ran right over to me. He was older now. And I quickly realized that he was terrified. They looked like they were in pajamas and his sister still had a blanket on.
"H-Hi, Alternate Geno! It's been a while.....Say hi, Shino."He says
"Hi...?"Little Shino says, looking very confused
"Is everything okay? You look distressed."I say
"Our.....Our dad has lost his mind...He's acting weird.....He came home from a shift and was quiet. Then he summoned his scythe and charged at my Mama Geno. He woke my siblings and me up and told me to go with Shino as far as I can while he took Raven. We all fled and I wasn't thinking...I was panicking...I'm sorry that I came here...I d-don't know why my dad acted like that or is coming after us."He explains
"No no, it's okay. I understand. You can come here whenever you need to. Stay as long as you need until a solution comes or explanation. I will keep you safe."I say
He thanked me and came close to me with a look of relief washing over him for a brief moment. Then another portal opened and in came a figure looking like Reaper. I pulled Goth close protectively. His eyes glowed strangely. I know he is not the one that I am close friends with. Not the one that's talking in Outertale with Blue. The look on Goth's face told me that it is most likely his father that's gone nuts. I sent a few bone attacks his way and he seemed numb, only dodging one. His gaze zoned in on the kids. I back up, pulling the two with me. Oh hell no! He is not taking them!
He charged at us, starting a fight. I held him back with bone attacks, trapping him in bone cages and trying to blast him but it only seemed to delay him. Goth told me that he didn't learn how to summon things yet and Shino is too young to understand. I recall the last time an alternate Reaper intruded my save screen and what went down next. That's not happening again. Especially not to his kids. Goth kept yelling and trying to reason but it was clear that he wasn't listening so Goth stopped wasting his breath.
Suddenly a portal opened and shut, dropping a skeleton in a scarf and cap into the save screen. Reaper was coming right at us and the stranger slapped him away with a roller.
"NOBODY."The stranger says
Another slap, knocking him further back.
"HURTS."He continues
He looked like a kid around Goth's age.
Another smack with paint.
"MY."
Another smack, this one with the most force.
"GOTHY!"The kid growls, his voice filled with protective rage
Gothy? Who the hell is this kid?
"Palette?!"Goth exclaims, identifying the kid blocking us protectively
"Hey, Gothy! Hi, Shino! Hi Mr. Geno! Raven sent me to help you since he saw your dad lost his marbles and went after you!"Palette says
"Goth, you are so explaining things later. "I say
Palette and I fired attacks and at one point a blaster got Reaper and he screamed in pure agony. He dropped to the ground, his head twitching and little sparks coming from his neck. Then he started crying.
"Kids...Goth...Shino....."He cries, his face hidden on the floor
"Dad!"Goth yells, running over with Palette and me following
He turns Reaper on his back and he starts coughing. I kneel and feel along his neck as he starts apologizing nonstop.
"What happened to you, Dad? Why'd you do that?"Goth asks
I felt something and peeled it off. I find a chip in the palm of my hand.
"He got chipped. It must've gotten fried from the blast. Am I correct?"I say
He nods.
"Yeah, hun. Slash escaped prison apparently and got the jump on me while I was working.....He chipped me and it all went blank.....He's not working alone either."He says
"Okay...That's concerning...Who is he?"I ask, glancing at the new kid
"Mr. Geno! We've already met! I'm Palette! Gothy's best friend!"The boy says
"Palette, this isn't my Mama Geno. This is the Alternative Mama Geno that I told you about."Goth says
"Oooh! Okay, that makes sense!"He says
I look at the two and shake my head, able to see that something more was going on between them.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, and thanks for dropping in. You seem like a good friend to protect Goth like that."I say
"Of course! I love my Gothy!"He says, scooping Goth up with Shino still in Goth's arms.
"Wait...Then where's my husband and my other son?"Reaper asks
"They fled through other portals going elsewhere. We didn't exactly plan it and I don't have my phone on me."Goth says
"Well, I'll go to find them before something happens. Ummm, if it isn't too much to ask, Geno, could they stay with you until this is figured out?"He asks
"Of course. "I say with a smile
"Thank you so much."He says before leaving
Palette looks at me with Goth still in his arms and Shino in Goth's arms.
"So what now?"He asks
Before I could speak a letter appeared. I read it carefully, finding that it's just Asgore asking if I could join him in his garden to just relax and chat. It said to just write below his writing my response. I asked if I could bring anyone with me and he excitedly wrote back yes. A portal opens in the letter's place.
"Well, looks like you're coming to visit Asgore with me. "I say
Palette sets Goth down and they excitedly go through with me. We come out the other side in a beautiful garden and find Asgore trimming some bushes. He looks over with a smile, welcoming us.
"Grandpa!"Shino exclaims, leaping out of Goth's arms to run over and hug him
Goth now held only the blanket she was wrapped in and Asgore was confused on why this girl hugging his leg is calling him Grandpa.
"Huh? Geno, who are these little ones?"He asks
"The little girl is Shino and she just left her brother Goth to hug you and the other kid is Palette, a friend of theirs. They are from another timeline that I met around the time of the Slash incident. Apparently, Slash got out and is causing trouble again so their timeline's Reaper asked me to look after them until things are handled. I have no clue why she called you Grandpa."I try to explain
"Sorry sir, she is still very little and doesn't understand the concept of AUs and multiverse yet. In our timeline, you are our legally stated godfather but our father aka our Reaper has us consider you more of a grandfather. He always saw you as a father figure to him...Well, a more mature one from his 'father' Gaster who would be another grandfather."Goth explains
Asgore's eyes lit up at the explanation. He picked Shino up and hugged her gently.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you three! I'll get something for you all to eat or drink but I just have one question...Why do you have such a resemblance to Geno?"He says
"Well in our timeline, Geno is married to Reaper and our parent nicknamed Mama Geno. "Goth says
"Oh! That makes sense! I'll be right back!"He says, carrying Shino away cradled in one arm.
He snapped his fingers and a picnic blanket was set up. Palette and Goth look around before sitting down on it. I sit down with them and we were chatting a bit, trying to focus on catching up instead of focusing on the trouble for the time being. Palette glanced over and quickly pulled Goth close.
"Hey, Geno. I've been looking for you for a bit now."A voice coos
I look over to see Reaper walking over.
"Oh! Hey, Reaper!"I say
Palette pulls me back with his roller summoned and held tightly.
"He could be chipped too."He whispers
"Who is that with you?"Reaper asks
"Stay back or I'll smack you with my roller!"Palette snaps
Reaper looks at us in confusion.
"What Reaper is that?"Palette whispers
"That's my Reaper. "I whisper
"Does he know that the psycho got out?"Goth asks
"No...I don't think so."I say
"Well, we gotta check if he's chipped. "Palette says, firing paint at Reaper
The paint hit him and trapped him into place like glue and covered his hands so he couldn't do anything.
"What the?!"He exclaims
Palette runs over, pulling his hood down and checking Reaper like a security officer.
"He's clear!"He says
Goth sighs with relief.
"Clear of what?"Reaper snaps
"Sir, Slash got out and is working with someone to cause trouble. I'm from another timeline and our version of you was chipped with something to make him attack his own family. I am just protecting my friend and this version of Mr. Geno, which includes checking if you were chipped. Sorry for the confusion."Palette explains
"Who are you?"He asks
"I'm Palette! In my world, I am a friend of your son and the child of Dream and Ink!"He says
The paint frees Reaper and he lifts his hood back up.
"How are you not killing the grass if I may ask?"Palette asks
"Got turned into a mortal so I don't exactly have the deathly touch at the moment."He says
Goth hugs me tightly as the two come over, Palette filling him in on what has happened in deeper detail.
"Oh! Looks like your father came!"I hear Asgore say
I look over to see Asgore coming over with Shino carrying a picnic basket. Shino walked beside him with a little water bottle.
Reaper's face burns up.
"Your daughter is adorable!"Asgore cheers
"Sorry, Mr. Asgore! This is your version of Reaper!"Palette says
"That doesn't make her any less adorable!"Asgore says
"Good point. "Palette says
Asgore chuckles, setting the basket down and Shino smiles. She sets the bottle down and climbs into my lap, dozing off. Goth wrapped her in the blanket.
"W-wait, so is that their parent or my Geno?"Reaper asks
"My Geno ran elsewhere with my brother. This is your Geno......You're not mad that my dad kissed him, right?"Goth says
"Ah! That timeline!"Asgore chuckles
Reaper didn't say anything. It looked like he was trying to process the info given to him.
"Reaper, we found a way to turn you to normal again. Come with me."Asgore says
Reaper follows him away and we just stayed in the garden on the picnic blanket. Palette and Goth chatted and leaned on each other while Shino slept in my lap. We seemed to be safe for the time being.
But that soon changed as well.
A bunch of portals opened and Slash stepped through with a bunch of Reapers following. Their eyes glowed and I could see chips on some of them.
"Our game was not over yet, Geno. Let's have some fun again.~ I'll take care of the brats in the way. Go ahead, try to run. We will just catch you again." Slash says
I snap my fingers and we drop through a portal. I look around, seeing that we were in a forest.
"What are we going to do?! There's no way we can escape! They know what we look like! And we can't fight them! There are too many and you can't kill a god! Slash is untouchable!"Goth says in a panic
Palette pauses, thinking for a few minutes.
"Well, they aren't always that bright. Slash is very cocky so we just have to do something he won't expect. He expects us to keep fleeing so...."I say
"We can hide in another AU! We change our appearances and keep a low profile until this all blows over!"Palette says
They look at me curiously.
"That seems to be our best option. Let's do it."I say
"I'll go check to see what disguises may work."He says
A few minutes later he returned with his roller in hand.
"Let's go before they come after us. I'll give the disguises."He says
And with that, we ran off to hide in this AU. I got a text from Reaper asking where I am. I respond: Running from Slash. Going to hide with kiddos.
Then I realized that Slash might track the phone if he catches Reaper but at the same time Reaper might use it to find us, so I ditched it in a bush. Everything is going to be okay after all......right?
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TBC