Blue honestly didn't expect someone knocking at his door this late and yet the panicking beating of his door was enough to startle him from his dinner preparation.He couldn't help but oddly look at the door as he took off his apron and hopped of the stool,making his way to the door only to be greeted by a surprise visitor on the other side.
"Fresh..?" Blue spoke in disbelief,"what are you doing here?"
The parasite looked panicked as he clutched his jacket that seemed to be hiding underneath it,"I had nowhere else to turn to—it's an emergency!"
Blue perked up in alarm upon hearing it,noting the lack of accent the other had,"what's happened?"
Suddenly the mass under the neon jacket shivered,causing the hoodie to slip off,revealing the face of Error who looked gravely.Blue's eyes widened at the poor sight of the other.
"Oh my,Error?—what happened to him?" Blue asked.
"I don't know" was all the parasite spoke,"but he needs a place to stay,please just let us in"
Sadly Blue didn't get a chance to say anything before his older brother teleported behind him and yanked him away from the other two.
"Scram it!" His brother snapped causing Fresh to hold Error in a more protective position,"go find some other monsters to manipulate!"
"Papyrus! They need our help!" Blue tried to argue.
"I'm sorry but I'm not letting these two ESPECIALLY him!" He points at Error,"–anywhere near you!"
Despite wearing dark shades,Blue could definitely tell that Fresh was shooting icy flares at his brother,"listen pal,say what ya want about me but leave Error out of this"
That seems to have caught Blue's attention,"paps I think he's really serious about this"
"Yeah right,if we did let them in then what's in it for us?" Papyrus scoffed.
"We'll leave you two alone.forever" Fresh bluntly puts it,giving the two brothers whiplash.
"W-what no!"
"Really?"
Fresh nods,"I don't care what you do or say to me,please just help Error"
Despite how odd this situation this was,Blue couldn't help but feel sympathy for the parasite,this was the most serious he's ever seen the other in,even glancing at his brother who was most likely thinking the same thing–given the expression.
"Paps I think he's really serious" he spoke,watching his brother glance at him then back at the parasite.
"Fine" was his final take,"but you better keep your promise"
Fresh nodded and let Blue lead the way to the living room,Error was clutching tightly to the jacket once he was settled to lay on the couch,his face scrunched up in pain which seem to make the 90s skeleton more anxious about the situation as he began to fidget with the ends of his purple sweater.
Blue was no doctor by any means but still knew a few basic things,firstly to note how shakey the other seemed as well as the bright blush across his face then the glitch began to have a coughing fit startling the other two monsters.
"Um Fresh" said monster's attention was now at Blue,"Do you mind getting him a glass of water?"
The 90s skeleton made a pretty quick beeline to the kitchen before coming back,the cup merely spilling onto his sleeves.
"Is he okay?" Fresh spoke in a genuine worry for the other.
"It appears to me that he's caught a pretty bad cold" Blue explains,"he'll most likely just needs some rest and maybe some painkillers"
It seemed to have eased the parasite as he seemed to picked up his accent again,"is there anythin' I can do?"
"Just be here for him,I'll go get the blankets" Blue reassures the other before leaving.
When he came back with the blanket folded up in his arms,Fresh seemingly decided to sit on the floor with the glass set next to him, legs crossed and an arm placed on the couch near Error's shivering body.Upon laying the blanket on the glitch,he seemed to stir awake,opening his eyes slightly before scrunching his face up and closing them again,moving his face into the cushions,giving a soft groan.
"Error?" Fresh softly spoke,"you alright?"
" I feel like shit.. " He weakly said," why is everything so bright? "
The parasite scratches the back of his skull,clearly not in the mood to scold the glitch."I just shoulda explain but we're at Blue's place"
"We are?"
"Yes you are" Blue spoke,"but may i ask,are you feeling any pain?"
Error rubs his temple," head mostly—like someone threw a brick at me "
"Painkillers are a definite,probably gonna need a bucket too" Blue muttered under his breath until his got a questioning Look from the parasite,"Just in case he throws up"
" I rather not " Error said in a matter of fact tone,using his arms to cover his eyes.
"Just try and get some rest Error" Fresh explains, to which the glitch seemed to agree as he shifted his weight to get more comfortable.
" Can you atleast get that annoying orange to stop staring? " Error points out.
"What—?" Blue has no idea what he was talking about until he turned around and saw his brother on the stairs glaring down at the other two,a less amused expression washed over Blue's face,"oh—right I'll go do that"
It was probably best for him to try and deconstruct this tense atmosphere,besides it seemed like Fresh wasn't interested in starting drama at this point which was another odd thing—even for the parasite.He made his way up the stairs,getting the view through his brother's perspectives.
"It's not everyday that a villain gets sick" his brother quietly said in a suspicious manner,repeatedly tapping his arm
"Yeah but that could be the reason why Fresh freaked out about it" Blue added,trying to be more empathetic to the other two.
Papyrus turned his attention to his brother,"Be realistic sans,Fresh can't feel this stuff—isn't he always happy-go-lucky?"
"But that's what makes this situation so odd and not in the way that you think Paps" Blue argues back,getting a quirked eyebrow raise from his brother,"I may not have been around Fresh a lot but I really don't think he could fake something like this,not for another person"
He lets out a small sigh,"this is the first time I've seen these two act so close.."
The taller monster pauses, then rubs his chin in thought,"you make a good point..."
"So they'll stay?"
His brother visibly contorts his face at the mere sentence alone,"this still seems fishy.."
"If it'll make you feel better,if anything happens I'll call you right away,does that sound fair?" Blue asked.
Papyrus clearly seems hesitant on the matter but eventually after probably having an internal debate with himself,he gives in,"Alright you win—but if those two do anything,give them the one-two you got it?"
"Yes yes I understand" He rolls his eyes,watching his brother make his way back to his room only to take one last look at the other two monsters before disappearing behind the door.
Blue made his way downstairs and on his way decided to turn off the light,leaving the kitchen light as a source to not disturb the glitch—speaking of which,when he got a closer view of the two he noticed that Error's fingers were intertwined with Fresh's.
A thought popped in his head and at first he kinda scoffed at it but the more he thought about the two's sudden closeness it seemed to match up,even if he wasn't trying to make his stare obvious,he couldn't stop his eyes from gazing at their hands.
"So.." he tried to get the attention of the two,hoping they wouldn't take notice of his stare,"Do you need any painkillers Error?"
" Ab— fucking —solutely " he replied,weakly glancing over at the shorter skeleton.
"C'mon Error be a bit more nicer" Fresh spoke up,his voice still quiet but kept his scolding tone.
Blue seemed honestly surprised that Error considered to mutter 'sorry' to him,let alone hear Fresh actually tell the glitch off but he had to keep his word and went off to the kitchen but not before hearing a bit of the two's extended conversation.
"I know this must suck for ya but Blue's makin' an effort,he could've turned us down if he wanted"
" I know....I'm sorry "
"It's all good,that's what I'm here for right?"
" Well more than that.. "
For some reason that phrasing seemed to have stuck with Blue,more than friends? Partners? Was Error's bitterness towards the other just some big rouge? He tried to keep his mind distracted as he searched the kitchen for the pill container for the meds.When he came back,Error was sitting more upright than before but the didn't stop the look of unease on his face,he handed over the meds to Fresh since the parasite probably had way more experience in handling the glitch.
When Error was given the pills he took them without question before gulping down the cup of water like it was the best thing he's had in his life.
"Feeling better yet?" Fresh asked which seemed to get a grumble reply from the glitch.
Deciding it was best to leave the two alone for a bit—mostly because he couldn't stop staring at Fresh's hand that laid on the other's leg,he clasps his gloved hands together,"well I think that should settle things for now,if you need me I'll be in the kitchen!"
Blue disappeared into the kitchen for the time being,continuing where he had left off,cutting the vegetables,reheating the oven etc.Though now with a sick glitch in the picture he'll have to set aside some veggies to make some easy quick soup knowing that when he eats greasy food during his colds it never ended well. As he continued to cook,stirring the meat's contents around in the pan,sizzling away giving the kitchen a bit of a spice aroma,he took note of footsteps coming closer to him—at first he assumed it was his brother checking up on him but the steps stop just outside the kitchen,curiously he turns around to see Fresh,leaning on the kitchen benches with a more relaxed smile across his face even though it looked pretty forced,Blue wasn't gonna point that out.
"Mind if I help?" Fresh asked,getting Blue to do a double take.
"What? Fresh you're our guest! and besides—what about Error?" Blue tried to reason.
"He's out cold" Fresh simply replies,"besides you're helpin' us,it seem fair ta do it back"
As much as he wanted to insist that he was the guest,Fresh probably just wanted to get his mind off worrying about his friend,"well...If you don't mind that is—can you chop up the parsley and garlic?"
A quick thumbs up from the parasite was given as he made his way to the chopping board and began the process which gave Blue a bit more time to prepare the stock for the soup and not turning his own meal into a crisp.For a while neither of them spoke and only the sounds of the knife cutting through plant flesh and the simmering of the oils from the pan were presence at this time and at first Blue didn't mind it but given it was just him and the parasite now—surely it couldn't hurt to ask some questions,however before he could open his mouth it seemed like Fresh best him to one.
"Don't garlics have da ability to ease sickness?" Fresh asked out of the blue.
"Yes though it's suggested that eating it raw is more effective" Blue explains which seemed to get an intrigued look from the 90s skeleton.
"Huh—I don't think E will appreciate getting him ta do that" it seemed more like a internal comment to himself than a reply to the other.
Blue's gaze was still at the pan when he spoke," does Error get sick often?"
There seemed to be a slight pause from the 90s skeleton,"no atleast not around me"
"So this was the first time?"
He nodded,As quick as he gained the accent,he seemed to immediately drop it,"I noticed that he look a bit exhausted—more so than usual but I brushed it off as him just overworking himself again"
The sound of crushing garlic slows down as Fresh continued," but today we were hangin' and then—he collapsed"
Fresh sets down the knife,"and you know what?"
Curiously,he glances over to Fresh,"What?"
"I think that might've been the first time I've felt fear"
His blue eyes widen at this revelation but he lets the parasite continue with his rambles.
"Seeing him collapse like that...terrified me in a way,almost remindin' me of how bodies collapsed when the turn to dust—I thought the same was gonna happen to him" Fresh offhandedly admits.
"I think anyone would be scared if that happened to someone they cared about" Blue added as he brought his attention quickly back to the pan before turning his attention back at the other,"You really care about him,don't you?"
He saw that Fresh's smile seemed to be less forced now upon the question,"yeah,I do"
There was a brief period of silence before Blue spoke once more,"You two are quite close"
That seemed to get a small chuckle out of the parasite," very close you could say"
That reply alone seemed to confirm his suspicion but he chooses not to say anything about it,there was probably a reason why neither monster seemed to bring it up and he doesn't want them,especially Error—to freak out about him knowing this.
Dinner was promptly prepared as he let Fresh go give the glitch his meal before being offered his own meal,Fresh was pretty insistent on letting Blue keep half his meal since he explained that he could go long periods without food.
"But you gotta take care of yourself if you wanna take care of others!" As Blue simply puts it which seemed to let the parasite admit defeat and take a plate with a taco.
although Error seemed to shrivel up before explaining that the idea of eating solid foods right now was 'making him sick in the guts' which was understandable,however he managed to take in a few slurps of soup.
Blue simply entered his brother's room,knowing that he kept the door open just so he could make sure that the shorter monster was okay and totally not kidnaped again.His brother was simply sitting on his bed,he had a tense expression on his face though he perked up once he spotted his brother.
"Thanks" he spoke,taking the plate from the other's hand,"...they didn't do anything to you right?"
"Nope,didn't even lay a finger on me" Blue reassures his brother before sitting next to him in the bed,though not particularly keen on sitting on such a trashy bed,he's however content with putting up with it for the time being,"though I can't help but think about the way they're acting—and not in the way that you're thinking"
Papyrus raises a brow before taking a bite,"how so?"
Blue awkwardly fiddles with his gloves,"Well from the way I see it....I think they're dating"
The taller monster loudly chokes on his taco before falling into a coughing fit,"y-you're joking right?!"
"No! I think they really are!" Blue argues back,"I've never seen them like this! Even Fresh told me!"
"W-Wait he told you?" Papyrus clears his throat,"like straight up?"
"Well no...more in a cryptic manner" Blue explains,"he said that him and Error where 'quite close'"
"They could be quite close friends"
"Since when was the last time you held Undyne's hand?"
That seemed to get the point across,"fair point, but still maybe your reading to much into it"
A sigh escapes the shorter skeleton's mouth,"maybe I am but who knows? I highly doubt Fresh would want to straight up admit the truth"
His brother simply pats his brother back,"maybe it's best we both head off to bed—they'll be gone by morning"
Though Blue wasn't particularly happy with that part of the deal,he simply let it be,standing up from the bed which released an irritable screech of springs,he left his brother's room just to quickly check up on the other two and grab his dinner as well.However during his meal he couldn't help but let his mind wander,even if he was overthinking it—the closeness the parasite and glitch share was an odd surprise.
A part of him wonders if they alway act like that when no ones around.
~~~~
Blue wasn't sure what had woken him up but the sound of floorboards creaking definitely stir him awake—then he was reminded that he had two 'morally grey' guests in his house and that thought alone was enough to alarm him as the soul in his chest tighten.Forcing himself out of his spaceship bed,he carefully cracked over the door just enough to peek through,he didn't anything at first so his next step was to open the door a little more and spotting his brother leaning on the rails.
His brother must've heard the door as he turned his head around,"Hey"
"Morning...I think" Blue mumbles back as he makes his way to his brother,"why are you up?"
"Heard chatting so I decided to check up on our 'guests'" Papyrus explains as his gaze returns back downstairs,the smaller monster's gaze following suit.
The parasite had moved himself onto the couch,elbow supporting his upper body as Error cuddled up to the purple shirt with a seemingly more content smile on his face—the blanket now covering both of them.Papyrus wanted to comment on the situation but he quickly closed his mouth when he heard Fresh speak.
"Ya doin' good there?" Fresh asked,his voice was a whisper though his accent could still be heard.
A content sigh escapes Error's nose," Yeah,feeling much better—but you know what would make me feel great? "
"What?" He asked though he loses his voice when Error tenderly takes off his glasses,revealing his eye lights glowing in the dark.
" Being closer to you~ " the glitch spoke with a slight purr in his voice,looking at the other with loving eyes.
As the scene played out,Blue could feel his cheek flush out of embarrassment,no doubt that his brother definitely felt the same way.
"Well...we could have seen them do worse" his brother's comments which resulted in getting elbowed in the hip.
Fresh attempted to hold the other back,"woah easy,we're kinda in someone's house if ya didn't remember"
" Come onnnnn " Error whined,gripping Fresh's shirt," Just one kiss? "
"You're sick" the parasite points out.
" I'm fine now I swear! " He quietly exclaimed,giving the other the puppy dog eyes.
Sadly at this point,Fresh couldn't say no,he lets out a heavy sigh,"alright alright,ya win E,just don't get me sick or you'll be carin' me"
" No promises " He teased and wrapped his arms around the parasite's shoulders.
Both brothers simultaneously looked away when the other two finally kissed,faces furiously brightening in their respective colors.Neither brother spoke for a brief minute,their skulls no longer functioning to be able to process the situation.
"I think you might be onto something sans" Papyrus was the one to finally break the silence.
"I think we should leave them be" Blue suggested.
"Good idea"
And so they returned to their rooms knowing full well that they would get that image out of their heads for a long long time.
~~~~~~~
Next day,everything went without a hitch,Error was significantly much better now being able to stand up,just with the occasional cough or sneezing.Fresh was his cheerful self one more and was now back to wearing his jacket again.
"Thanks Blue for lettin' us crash as your place" thanking him in this own weird 90s way.
Error scoffed as he looked over to the door frame,his cheeks still a faint shade of dark blue," pfft I would've been fine in my place "
Good to see that Error was back to his stubborn self,almost as if he had completely forgotten about last night,his arms firmly crossed against his chest.The parasite simply rolls his eyes under his glasses in a playful manner.
"Well it's not a problem!" Blue reassured,"your free to visit anytime"
Fresh dismisses the last comment,giving the other a shrug," as rad that'll be, i made my promise but yeah--i'm certain we'll cross path soon enough"
The shorter skeleton didn't have a single clue to what he was suggesting—hopefully it was a good thing and bit another kidnaping situation.His two guest bid the brothers a farewell as they headed out to the snow,voices distant but still held a more playful back and forth with each other,with Error's voice raising in remark to the parasite.
Blue watched the two disappear off into the distance,his brother eventually popped up behind him,glancing through the doorway as well.
"What a weird couple" He simply states.
"Perhaps but I hope it still continues well in the future" Blue replies only to get an indifferent shoulder shrug from his brother.
It came as a surprise to him that two people he assumed would never be together did but nevertheless a part of him felt glad they managed to get together and have a loving relationship,however he quickly realised and promptly slapped himself on the forehead.
"I should've given Fresh my dating manual!"