Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Today is Spring, day one.

A great day to plant some turnips.

A large farm stretched out over a small mountain ridge. There were several plots of land that had been tended to recently, two coops, a barn, and a stable with a black, beautiful horse inside dozing away. The farmhouse itself wasn't too big but enough for the person inside. Or rather, monster.

Crop was a skeleton monster, short and pudgy with a lazy grin and usually a piece of hay between his teeth. He mostly went for overalls and a sunhat...okay it was like his uniform basically, can you blame him? No, of course not. Either way, every morning he got up, shuffled around the house, made a pot of coffee, and opened the door to let out-

"C'mon Cujo," he cajoled the little dog jokingly, "Ain'tcha wanna chase Henrietta around? There's a pal, yeah," the puppy had long floppy ears and blonde fur, a truly beautiful dog. Cujo elicited an image of fearlessness, and honestly, the dog was pretty heroic. He sprinted out of the house at top speed seeing the chicken perched on the barnyard's fence, barking up a storm.

However, he was a right coward, the way he'd snap at the chicken who cocked its head to the side, causing the dog to yip and scuttle away, baying at birds to chase away. Crop chuckled, shaking his head as he sipped his coffee, one hand in an overall pocket. "Yeah, get 'em, boy," he mumbled sleepily, his eyes straying over his farm lazily.

He'd had the farm...oh...a few years now. Inherited it from his father who had it from his father, and so on and so forth. He was used to the slow days, the ins and outs of traipsing around Pelican Bay, waving a cheerful hello at whoever he passed by. Sometimes he met up with his brother, who was their only doctor in town. Had a knack for it, he did. Crop, not so much, but Veg? Yeah. He certainly did.

(Everyone thought their father was crazy naming them the way he did. Was a skeleton tradition though, name 'em after your profession. Or something like that. Crop never did pay attention very well.)

Anywho, last week was the Winter storm, which blew in a bunch of nasty little things. Colds for kids and debris for Crop. He sighed, setting his cup on the windowsill with a wink. "Now dontcha go nowhere, sweet thing," he drawled out, gripping a piece of hay between his teeth. "I'll clean up and we can get back ta gettin' acquainted."

He laughed in amusement at himself, shaking his head as he shuffled away.

Henrietta and her flock of chickens were fine as ever. Sadly, the storm didn't manage to scare Lin into birthing her kid yet. She was mighty antsy when he appeared, bucking her horns against his hand when he petted her. "I know, darlin', I know. Birthin' ain't no joke," he tutted as she took a few steps to chomp into the hay he put in her feeding trough. "Soon though, I gots a feelin' on it."

Marcia and Linda, the two gossipy old cows who were known for peeking their heads out of the barbed wire and watching you go by, were just as nosy as ever. They tended to follow him through the barn, making it easy to let them out into the pasture. They were mighty sore at being tricked like that, and started up such a commotion between themselves because of it.

Fluffers, the sheep that Veg had named as a child and still stuck around to this day, merely bumped her head against him as he passed by. He smiled, smoothing a hand over the fluffy wool. "Feelin' mighty fine there, I take it? C'mon Auntie, out ya get." Fluffers kept chewing on some hay, slowly ambling her way out the door.

Lin wasn't allowed out yet, not so close to the birthing time at least. But he gave her an apple, as a condolence.

With that, the animal chores were finished, and he was off to plant the turnips.

Well, plant and move debris. Some of it was just trash from the ocean, some were large logs of wood. Honestly very useful for chillier days, or for building onto his home. Can’t say no to free wood, after all. Rocks, mud, some critters scattering as he shuffled by...

“Well, that’s new,” he mumbled, scratching at his cheek. It was a large-ish boulder, slightly taller than himself. Boulders weren’t unusual, which was why he had a pretty stout pickaxe. Thing was, this one didn’t appear to be easily moved during a storm...and it was definitely moved here judging by the crevice in the earth.



Hmm.



Did he really feel up to picking away at a boulder today? Nah, not really. It was the first of Spring, he had a lot already done...plus there wasn’t anything that way except for a small field surrounded by trees. It led nowhere except to a large tree that blocked one from the edge of a cliff. Normally he’d go there and relax or he’d take Cujo to go and roll around or bark at squirrels but the loss of the field wasn’t too much of an issue.



Still, he had to do it eventually.



...maybe tomorrow, he told himself as he whistled lightly, turning around to shuffle away, intent on grabbing Cujo away from being smacked by a fish in the river...again.

It started off small. First, in his shipping container, a few eggs went missing. A flask of milk. Bundles of berries he picked from bushes. He wasn’t too worried, if he was honest. Critters sometimes got into the thing, and he couldn’t begrudge them a good meal.

Then he heard about the stuff happening in town. Undyne, the carpenter, griped about missing a few logs. Alphys, the odd librarian, had mentioned her garbage can being rifled through at night. Still, not too odd...until Veg had even raised up his concerns.



“IT’S JUST THAT,” Veg explained as he started stacking up items from a basket, his doctor’s coat flicking around him as Crop had his feet up on the desk behind him, “WELL, I’M NOT SURE...”



“C’mon, bro,” Crop smiled. “You c’n tell me.”



“WELL.” Veg paused, a hand flexing as he held a roll of bandages. “LAST WEEK, SOME OF THE CHILDREN HAD BROUGHT ME SOME MEDICAL HERBS, REMEMBER?”

He did.

“I HUNG THEM OUT ON THE LINE TO DRY, AND WHEN I CAME BACK, I WAS MISSING THREE OF THEM!”



...that WAS concerning. Medical issues here were big deals, and as they didn’t really deal with money or commerce, trading was easy. Give some healing items, get a meal, or a fix-up on your home, whatever it was you needed. Someone resorting to stealing? That was...well it wasn’t great. Crop frowned. “Hmm. Been hearin’ a buncha weird stuff. You be careful, bro.”



Veg nodded, smiling at him. “YOU AS WELL, BROTHER!”

Crop chuckled, tipping his hat lightly.

On the 7th of Spring, he found out what was happening.

Crop wasn’t the most skilled with a pickaxe. That was Undyne. She could punch through a boulder in half a second. But he hated bothering her, and besides that, when he did things on his own he could revel in the silence. It was nice, you know? So, ting ting ting went the pickaxe, scraping at the boulder every so often.

It took him half the day. He stopped for lemonade and a sandwich, and to feed Cujo, of course.

The boulder cracked and crumbled in view, to which he happily picked up a few rocks to put away in his storage. You’d be surprised on what use they were in town. The stonemason there, Gerson, was able to make damn near anything out of them. And Crop, well, he couldn’t help making the old codger happy with a few simple stones, so sue him.

The pathway to the field was littered in debris, shredded clothes and waterlogged books of all kinds. He shook his head. What a horrible storm that was, truly. Kept him in nearly the entire time.

He paused as he stepped up over the small hill, hearing voices. He frowned, adjusting his hold on the pickaxe, just in case. He licked his teeth slightly. Okay...it couldn’t be a spirit, right? There were none up here in his little farm...still, better safe than sorry. 
He was surprised, very much so, when he came upon the trunk of the large tree.

A tall skeleton with mismatched teeth kneeled next to it, nervously tending to a smaller skeleton. His clothes were torn and...bloodied? One glove was missing, showing his cracked fingers as he tried to nudge the other into drinking something from a bowl, whispering in the same way Veg did, loudly.



The smaller one...well, if it weren’t for the fact Monsters dusted when they died, he’d have assumed the shorter was dead. No eye lights, his mouth slack, being held on the other’s lap. The skull shifted when the tall skeleton moved, and Crop could barely hold in a sharp breath. 


A large hole stared back at him. It was so big he could probably fit his entire hand into the skeleton’s head. It made him sick, and he took a step back, freezing when a stick snapped and the taller skeleton’s head snapped around.

This was it. He’d be eaten by some lost tourists or, or sacrificed to the spirits or-



“PLEASE!” The taller one scrambled up, holding the smaller in his arms even as he shook in place. Crop could see he was missing a boot, too, and the shorter skeleton’s arm dangled down. Surprisingly they were both very clean, but that could be from the storm...”PLEASE, I-I REALLY, I NEED, HELP?” The words came out stuttered and slick, the teeth unable to click correctly.



Crop hesitated, his eye lights flicking between the two. He shouldn’t. He should run, he should get one of the others in town, hell, he should get Veg at the latest, he was no healer-



“Okay. C’mon.” He twitched his head to the side, turning around and leading the shaky, stumbling skeleton back to his home.

Chapter Text

Crop’s home wasn’t quite built for visitors. It was their old family home, of course, so it held two bedrooms. He took over the main bedroom when he inherited the farm, and he kept the other for when Veg came by to visit. Other than that it was truly a single skeleton paradise.

Cujo barked at, then whined and hid under the bed, when the tall skeleton ducked inside. He was nearly tall enough to scrape the roof, had he not been slumped over. The skeleton in his arms seemed a half a head shorter than Crop but he couldn’t tell just yet.

For now he had the taller lay him down on Crop’s bed, shuffling through a few drawers for medical supplies. Nothing would quite fix a hole in the noggin, and he didn’t want to say it nor did he think the the taller wanted to acknowledge it, but there was no chance that the skeleton would survive for much longer.

For now he shooed the taller away to a chair, offering a cup of tea. The taller gave n odd grin. “TH-THANK YOU,” he lisped out, his shaking hands taking the cup. “I-MY NAME, SUGAR.”

Crop smiled at him. “Fancy name, that. And uh, his?” He tilted his head to the skeleton in his bed. Sugar winced.

“MM, THEY CALLED HIM, HORROR,” he mumbled. “HE LIKES IT THOUGH, BUT, LEAVES BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH.”

Yeah being called a ‘Horror’ wasn’t quite the nicest thing. Crop nodded. “I’ll do what I can ta fix him up. Might have ta call up my bro…” Sugar nodded, intent on watching the steam of his cup for a moment as Crop left him.

First, he took a bucket of water and a cloth, and cleaned the jagged edges of the hole. The skeleton, Horror, never winced, his sockets shut and his breathing even as if merely asleep. The edges were smooth as if instead of a break, someone had carved into him. Nasty thought.

Crop winced, then tilted the guy’s head a bit as he started patching him up. All he could do was press some foul smelling healing poultice on the edges and wrap him up tightly with a bandage. It uh, caved in a little, making Crop feel ill, but he made sure to tuck the blanket around him to keep whatever chill remained in the house out.

His clothes were ragged and slightly wet still, and both sleeves were torn at the edges by his nails it seemed. The shirt was too long, perhaps?

Didn’t matter right now, he made the skeleton comfy and went to tend to his other guest…then contacted his brother in town.

Veg didn’t hesitate to come. His brother called often, but never requested his services as medic (except that one time, when he was pinned under a tree, and even then he acted like his usual jovial self, not this…serious tone he had). When he arrived, he was met by a cheerful tall skeleton who waved, holding an empty teacup in hand. Veg blinked. “HELLO!”

“HELLO. I LIKE YOUR JACKET.”

Veg puffed up, tugging on his doctor’s outfit. Oh, that was nice of him-wait a minute who was this? He looked around for Crop who waved from around the corner. “Heya, bro.”

“BROTHER! WHO ARE YOUR NEW GUESTS? WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? WE HAVEN’T HAD GUESTS IN-” Veg jabbered on as he followed Crop around to the bedroom, gasping as he saw the sleeping skeleton on the bed. “OH! WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS HEAD? DEAR ME…” He rushed over, Crop looking back over at Sugar who merely blinked at the question.

Veg slowly tucked the skeleton up a bit so he was sitting up with the bandage revealed. His hands fluttered a bit before he gently placed them over the edges of where the bandage sunk in, face concentrated for a moment as his hands glowed green. Crop let him be, ducking back out to Sugar who was busy making small kissing noises at Cujo. “Soooo…how did ya’ll wind up over here?”

Sugar had a bashful look on his face, rolling the teacup in his hands. “MMM. WAS BAD. UM. I…” Crop waited a moment, then nodded with a sigh.

“It’s alright, yeah? You ain’t gotta think on it too hard.” He shrugged. “Fer now ya’ll need food and some sleep, yeah?” Sugar flushed, nodding slowly and Crop shuffled off to the kitchen to fix up some dinner.

He had lasagna from old missus Toriel who minded the wheelhouse, making sure the electricity ran as planned. He made up some lemonade and warmed up some cookies from Alphys, chocolate chip, the best of course. When he came back with the plates, Veg was done.

Well. ‘Done’.

He couldn’t heal the hole, couldn’t fix it or put something together for Horror, unfortunately. But, he managed to make a semi-forcefield around it, to prevent any icky things getting in it to infect his magic. It was all he could do. It was sanitized and cleaned out at least, but he’d always live with a hole in his head. And living, well, that was what they wanted Horror to do, after all. Sugar squeaked, perking up with a cookie in hand. “S-SO HE’LL UM, HE’LL BE OKAY?”

Veg nodded slowly, turning the cup of lemonade in his hand slowly. “YES, IN A MANNER. I’M NOT SURE HOW BAD THINGS ARE WITH HIM ASLEEP, BUT HE SHOULD AWAKEN SOON!” He swigged his drink quickly, nodding with a sigh. “I WOULD SAY CALL ME ONCE HE AWAKENS, OR IF YOU NOTICE HIM BEING ANY DIFFERENT, BUT LET HIM SLEEP!”

Both monsters nodded, and Crop saw his brother out easily. Sugar deflated in his chair, sighing heavily. “I’M SORRY FOR INTRUDING…”

Crop just waved a hand. “Naaaah, you’re good, I swear. Here, ya take my bro’s old room, go on and sleep, I need ta set all the animals up for bed.”

Sugar perked up, flushing slightly. “M-MAY I HELP? IN…EXCHANGE? YES?”

Oh, yeah, that sounded fine. Crop shrugged. “If ya wanna. C’mon then.”

Henrietta and her flock didn’t much mind Sugar, he was soft spoken and curled down as if trying to make himself smaller. They ruffled their feathers in intimidation, but after seeing him not back down, they waddled themselves into the coop.

Fluffers must have seen Veg in Sugar, as she ambled over and leaned on him, letting him pet through her wool as she ‘baa’ed at him softly, bumping against his hands. Marcia gave Sugar a giant lick on the side of his head in passing, as she did with Veg sometimes. Linda just bickered at Crop as he led her inside while Lin napped with her face in the hay, the curly horns peeking out above it.

Sugar happily patted the elderly sheep as Crop cleaned up stalls and made sure everyone had feed and water. He whistled, getting Sugar’s attention. “A’right, let’s go in, sun goes down fast nowadays.”

Sugar nodded, smiling at Fluffers. “GOODNIGHT, MISSES SHEEP!” He scuttled away after Crop as she brayed after him, plopping down in place and instantly nodding off. Crop chuckled, shutting and locking up the barn.

“Fluffers is pretty much an ol’ Nanny Goat herself,” he said as they walked off back to the house. “Took to Veg when we was children. Seems she likes ya.”

Sugar flushed, fidgeting with the edges of his shirt. “O-OH I SUPPOSE, SHE WAS QUITE NICE, FLUFFY, YES.”

Crop winked at him, chuckling as they headed inside. Horror slept on, even as Crop adjusted the blanket and laid him flat down instead of up a little. With a pair of Veg’s pajamas, and a promise to wake him up if his brother did, Sugar went to bed as best he could. Crop hefted himself into his recliner, setting his feet up as Cujo bounded into the room, squirreling under Crop’s arm with a whine until Crop was practically laying on the puppy. He chuckled, patting the head peeking out and feeling his tail wag a bit. “Yeah, real comfy. Not too weird from when I read real late, eh?”

He turned on a small lamp, pulling out some reading glasses as he adjusted a book onto his lap, Cujo staring out into the darkness of the hallway. Ah, it was that one book he’d been meaning to finish for some time now.

He got about halfway through the chapter before he fell asleep, his glasses slipping down his face a little, dog and master dozing together in the recliner as usual.

(Not too usual, but enough times that Undyne now calls him ‘Old Man’ if she sees him sitting in it. He’s not that much older than her…the whippersnapper.)

Chapter Text

The first thing Horror notices is that he’s tucked into something really, really soft. The second thing is the pulsing pain in his head has eased to a tempo he could breathe through, to something that doesn’t make him feel like chopping his head off would be significantly better than going through whatever was happening.

…the third was the heavy smell of something warm and meaty…

He cracked open his sockets slowly, fighting against wanting to shut them and let himself slide back into slumber. He grunted softly, shifting to push his hand into the bed, sighing as he rocked himself up off the pillow. Where the hell…something snuffled off to the side and he slowly tilted his head. Weirdly, his eye lights felt odd, but he was able to see the puppy off to the side in a little pet bed. One leg scratched at the air and he huffed a soft laugh. How cute.

…wait what? A dog? Cute and all but the last thing he remembered…the last thing…his head thrummed painfully as he tried to reach a memory beyond the fog.

Sugar. Sugar had been with him, Sugar had kept him safe from the violent storm. Sugar had tried so hard to keep his head from breaking apart. Sugar…

Was not here…

He could feel panic seeping into his soul, and he slowly forced himself up, a hand gripping tightly at the edge of his skull. The fading black orbs in his eye sight taunted him, but he took a few seconds to breath slowly until they faded. Okay. Okay. He could do this, find Sugar…find whatever smells really delicious, maybe eat, get out of here and…do…something from there!

Right, good plan, hell yeah. Then again, he wasn’t the planning guy, he was the ‘appear menacing in the background’ kinda…guy. Heh.

Horror grunted, then slowly shuffled away from the very soft and inviting bed. Man, if only he could have like, an extra hour…no, they had to keep moving on, to…to get away…from…something. Whatever it was, he was sure Sugar would tell him. They were brothers, after all, secrets weren’t kept.

Right…he heard soft talking from around the corner, possibly the kitchen? A few steps over soft fuzzy carpet, and yeah, it was a kitchen. A kitchen with slick flooring, a small wooden table, and a bubbling pot of soup manned by someone as tall as Sugar-surprisingly-chattering with said brother at the table who was busy fiddling with a piece of thread on his shirt, and another person who looked half asleep with a piece of hay between his teeth.

Horror blinked, jerking when Sugar gasped. “HORROR, YOU’RE AWAKE!” The chair squeaked as he got up, and Horror braced himself to be swung up into his arms for a tight hug. He pet Sugar’s shoulder softly, mumbling.

“Morn…”

“ARE YOU OKAY? HOW DO YOU FEEL? WHAT HURTS?”

Horror shrugged, his one good eye light flickering from Sugar to the one at the pot to the one at the table. “Mm-mm. Where’re we at?” he mumbled. The one at the table gave a peace sign.

“ ‘Ey. Yer at my home, been dozin’ something fierce, ya have.”

Horror felt his face color, although he wasn’t sure when they had gotten inside this guy’s house. Sugar nodded. “YES! HEALING. YOU HAVE UM, BAD…WOUND,” he frowned, staring down at Horror. Horror just grinned slightly.

“ ‘M okay. Tired. Hungry.” His dark red tongue flicked over his sharp teeth as the one at the pot spoke up.

“OF COURSE! HEALING REQUIRES REST AND FEEDING! I HAVE MADE THE HEALING SOUP THAT ALL DOCTORS STAND BY.” He pulled a spoon from the pot, tapping at it. “MY NAME IS VEG AND THIS IS CROP!”

‘Crop’ waved again from where his head had plopped on the table and Veg huffed. “ANYWHO! SUGAR, PLEASE SIT WITH HIM! HE DOESN’T NEED EXCITEMENT YET.”

Horror tightened down on the feeling of biting out that this ‘Veg’ shouldn’t order his brother around as Sugar nodded, happily carting Horror to the table and settling him in one of the comfortable chairs. Horror stared at the table, plucking at a stray piece of wood sticking up and jerking as a bowl of soup appeared in front of him. His eyes strayed up to Veg’s smiling face, and he mumbled a thank you as he took it.

Sugar sipped his own bowl slowly and carefully, as if afraid of spilling a single drop. Horror dug in and started chugging the soup, not realizing just how hungry he actually was. Crop stared at them in amusement while Veg seemed almost bashfully happy that they loved his food, before nudging Crop to eat as well.

Horror plopped the bowl on the table, smearing his sleeve across his face as he coughed softly. “…where are we?”

Crop swirled his soup idly as he answered, “Pelican Bay, my house ta be exact. Found ya and Sugar here out near me tree.”

Horror mumbled a ‘sorry’ automatically but Crop shrugged. “Ain’t nothin’. Anywho, wanna tell us what happened?”

Horror scratched at his cheek for a moment, then his hand started to climb up a bit to prod at the edge of the hole in his skull. “Can’t remember…” he mumbled, shooting Sugar a look. Sugar placed a hand over Horror’s to stop him from poking at the hole.

“WE. UM. WE…WELL IT WAS SCARY,” Sugar pouted, his face flushing lightly. “I-I THINK THE STORM, IT TURNED US AROUND…”

Veg nodded. “THEY CAN DO THAT, IT’S WHY WE’RE ALWAYS WARNED TO STAY INSIDE! WERE YOU PERHAPS TRAVELING?”

Horror just blinked while Sugar nodded hesitantly. “S-SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YES…”

Veg hummed, looking over at Crop who shrugged with an easy smile. “OH, THAT SOUNDS JUST AWFUL! I’D MUCH LIKE TO EXAMINE YOU, HORROR, TO SEE HOW THE WOUND HAS AFFECTED YOU…A BIT OF A REST WOULDN’T HURT EITHER, YES, BROTHER?” Crop nodded as Horror winced, his fingers twitching under Sugar’s hand.

“…I…guess so,” Horror shrugged, looking down. Sugar didn’t seem scared of them, or hurt, so Horror felt a little out of his element…but what was he missing? He could feel it, it was something important, a flash of a memory lost between them walking over the beach, then…waking up here…

Horror blinked, then drained the rest of his soup nervously. He felt like scratching at the sharp edge of his skull. He used to do that, before the wound, small scratches littering his arms and the base of his jaw. But now…now he couldn’t, and it made his nerves ratchet up even more.

Sugar’s hand helped though, albeit not fully. Still, he appreciated his brother’s attempt.

Veg was Pelican Bay’s doctor, it seemed. Or someone interested in doctoring people up, heh. He wrapped up Horror’s head again from where they sat on the couch, and sighed. “THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO FOR NOW TO HEAL THE HOLE. I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO STITCH IT UP BUT ALL MY SUPPLIES ARE LOW FOR NOW.”

Horror shrugged. “ ‘S fine. I guess.”

Veg grimaced. “IT’S REALLY NOT, BUT FOR NOW, AT LEAST I CAN CALM THE MAGIC FROM CONSTANT HEALING LIKE IT WANTS TO. IF YOU GET A MIGRAINE, I WOULD SUGGEST RESTING AND LAYING DOWN FOR A WHILE.”

Easy enough. Horror shrugged again, nodding seemed too hard, and Crop gave a thumbs up from his armchair. “I’ll call ya, bro, no worries. Got some chores ta do as it is.”

Veg nodded, standing up and grunting as his back popped. “VERY WELL! I’LL LEAVE YOU ALL BE THEN!” And out he went, a flapping doctor’s coat in the distance. Horror blinked, slipping his hand up to cup over the winding bandage. …it was around his right eye, as well.

Oh. Hm.

He was probably in shock. He’d heard about that.

He put his hand back down, then looked at Crop who got up, whistling to the puppy who bounded out the window, barking. “What chores?”

Crop clicked his tongue. “Ain’t none for ya, you’re all banged up. Although, guess ya could throw some feed out, or water some crops.”

Horror nodded, watching as Sugar bounced nearly as energetically as the dog did, helping Horror up as he found that he was still quite dizzy from…everything. Crop led them out into the sunlight, whistling away as they headed to a small field with bumps in the ground. He handed Horror a jug that looked like a funny blue turtle. “This here’s Squirtle. He spits on the crops, and they grow up big ‘n’ strong.” Crop motioned at the bumps as Horror nodded, holding the ‘Squirtle’ with both hands. “Jus’ lean the little guy forward, and once the ground turns kinda murky, move on. Think ya got it?”

“…y-yeah,” Horror mumbled, flushing at the bright grin he got. Sugar gave him a pat on the shoulder as they both left to free the animals. Horror slowly tilted the Squirtle forward, the can sloshing a bit before slowly drops of water rained down. He felt an odd sense of pride for doing his ‘chore’, slowly hobbling along to each individual plant.

Eventually he had to sit down with a heavy sigh, thankful for the concrete barrier around the plot of land as he caught his breath. The dark spots danced around his eyes again, but they faded after he relaxed for a while.

This was…kind of fun, actually. Much better than what…Sugar and Horror did back at home every day, so.

One of the crops had a little green thing on it, and he leaned down, gently touching it. The leaf was smooth to the touch, wet now from the water…it was…nice. It was nice.

It had been a long time since he’d managed to sit down and see the nice things in life.

Eventually he hobbled to a small spigot, laying the Squirtle on the ground next to it with a sigh. One hand held onto it to steady himself, muffling a laugh as the puppy-Cujo, Crop had called him-yipped and ran at top speed from a softly clucking chicken. He smiled, waving slightly to his brother as they came by, a sheep following him.

Crop chuckled, patting the sheep’s head behind the fence. “A’right then, that’s all. How’s about ya’ll fill me in on where ya came from while we go into town?”

Horror really wished they could talk about anything but that…but he nodded all the same, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he shuffled after them, hunkering down into his shirt. This conversation he was not looking forward to.

Chapter Text

Trinkus Island was the single worst island since the beginning of time.

Trinkus was where other islands sent their criminals, if they had any. Over time, they banded together, at first hoping to survive together, and then they started sanctioning off into groups.

Criminals eventually ended up in jails on their home islands, or reformed and accepted back into society. Eventually, in time, the other islands seem to have forgotten about the island they created. Trinkus Island fell into disarray, as their land wasn’t as fertile as the others around them, nor were the fish as easy to catch and cook.

The groups started fighting against one another, terribly so, to the point of bloodshed. It was bad, but the residents there had…gotten used to their life, despite the fact that it was a horrible life.

The thing was, there were pockets of people who just…didn’t want that. They wanted other things in life. They wanted not to have to rely on thieving and pushing to get their way. They believed in kindness…and often were killed for it.

That is where Sugar and Horror came in.

Sugar explained, very slowly and hesitantly, that they had been out looking for supplies, that they had gotten lost in the forest before a storm whipped up. Crop nodded along, despite the fact he felt that there was more to it, but didn’t begrudge Sugar hiding it from him. Wasn’t his place to prod, not yet anyway.

Horror, unsurprisingly, remembered nothing about it. Sugar seemed relieved to hear that, but Horror just shrugged, his only working eye light flicking to the side with a sigh. “I just…remember wakin’ up here, I guess,” he mumbled, keeping step with Sugar.

Crop clicked his tongue as they headed down the path, careful to keep a slow pace so they could stay with him. “Sounds right annoyin’. Well, ya here now, so’s ah, ya can stay with me until ya feel up ta goin’ home.” He eyed them both as he said it. Sugar seemed to tense but Horror didn’t seem to care, shrugging in response.

Crop nodded again. “Right-y-o. Here, how’s about we get somethin’ nice? My treat.”

They both perked up, and Crop felt a little happy to see them cheered up. It was cute. Heh.

The owner of the bar was his old friend, Grillby. He often made Veg ice cream floats, or some kind of red cherry drink with a bit of koolaid, Crop wasn’t sure. He himself got either some orange juice or some kinda alcohol for the night if he was done with things. For now he didn’t think alcohol would be good for his compatriots, so instead, he ordered them some ice cream floats from the tuxedoed flame monster.

Grillby slid the three to them, Crop’s was dark brown for root beer, while the other two had vanilla. Sugar picked his up and immediately started to eat the foam while Horror leaned up on the seat, slurping loudly at the straw.

Grillby let out a small laugh, shaking his head as he headed to the other end with a wave. Crop chuckled. “They ain’t goin’ nowhere, yeah?”

They just mumbled something as they dug in, and Crop snickered. Eh, let ‘em have fun, at least. They kind of deserved it after all that.

Horror peeked up from his treat, nibbling on the cherry. “So uh, where do we…stay?”

“Hm?”

Sugar nodded quickly. “Y-YES, WE CANNOT UM, KEEP YOU FROM YOUR HOME?”

Crop hummed, stirring his drink lazily. “Eh, if’n ya c’n wait a little, Undyne can make ya a cabin on my land, an’ if ya wanna come by and stay then ya can.”

Sugar flushed, playing with the straw. “B-BUT THAT’S TOO MUCH!”

Crop snickered. “Nah, it ain’t. I got the room, and you both need ta rest and heal up, yeah?”

He had a point. They couldn’t find a way back to their island immediately, even so, any boats that could go there would need several weeks to prepare to go (it wasn’t the quickest trip, after all). Horror nodded slowly, careful of his bandaged skull. “ ‘S nice of you…”

Crop winked, chewing on the straw like he would a piece of hay. “Don’t ya worry ‘bout it none. Ya just listen ta Veg, or help out around the farm, we’ll call it even, yeah?”

Horror flushed, looking down into his drink, quirking a smile. “Even.”

—————————————

“No no, like this,” Crop reached out, gently taking Horror’s hand and cupping it. “Gentle like.” The chicken nearby watched them, judging, as they picked up the egg slowly. The last egg’s remnants lay cracked on the floor of the coop, gross and yolk spilling over the hay.

Memory loss, Veg said, and inability to retain short term memory was bound to happen. A side effect of that was being frustrated, or suddenly stopping what he was doing to question it. Horror had went to pick up the egg, but his hand instantly squeezed it tightly, resulting in the mess on the coop floor.

He frowned as Crop slowly lowered their hands into the basket, letting the egg roll into the pile. “…’m sorry. Again.”

Crop shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling. “You’re gettin’ it. It takes some time, but you’ve got this-hey now,” Horror’s shoulders started to shake as his head bent down, and Crop sighed, leaning in and wrapping an arm around him. “How about we take a break, get somethin’ ta eat, make sure Sugar ain’t bein’ sat on by a sheep?”

Horror didn’t speak but he nodded, hiding his face in Crop’s shoulder. Crop sighed, gently leading him out of the coop and away from the fussy chickens.

Horror’s inability to remember was really affecting him, emotionally. First he forgot where they were, after living here for three days, and freaking out when waking up with Crop in the bed (Horror was the one to needle Crop into sharing his OWN bed, and while he tried to get Sugar to sleep in as well, they had to get him his own bed since there just wasn’t enough room). Then Crop found him staring into space, making the poor turnip plant a mudslide as he watered it.

Now it was crushing an egg for apparently no reason whatsoever.

He’d also been suffering from migraines, they would start up in the late afternoon, confining him to the bed and needing a redressing of his bandage along with a cold cloth over his eyes. Poor guy. Really had the short stick of things. Veg was working on something to help but it was just taking way too long.

What could he do to cheer him up…Crop perked up, grinning down at Horror. “You ever go on a picnic?”

Horror looked up, a confused frown on his face now that he was no longer sniffling. “Huh?”

“I’ll show ya, c’mon.”

——————————

Sugar had, suspiciously, waved them on to go on the picnic by themselves. Crop led Horror out to a small meadow with lots of flowers, laying out the blanket and cocking his head. “Sit on down then, we eat here.”

Horror shrugged, slowly sitting down with a sigh, his hands plunked into his lap as Crop started pulling out their meal. A few slices of still good watermelon, glasses of lemonade, and-”Izzat chicken?” he asked, the one eye light blowing wide as Crop nodded.

“I don’t much go for the killin’ of my animals,” he explained as he set out the chicken sandwiches. “But it’s life of a farmer, so when the time comes, they get made inta food or other things. Nothin’ goes to waste. Ya like it I take it?”

Horror snatched one up, nearly stuffing his mouth with an eager moan, making Crop blush and grin. Fair, no one could resist his chicken sandwiches.

Horror took another bite, sipping the lemonade slowly. “Is this…all it is? Whadda we do?”

Crop chuckled. “Spend time, jus’ sit around, whatever ya wanna do.”

Horror blinked, nibbling on the sandwich as he nodded, slowly relaxing in the warmth of the sun. A little ladybug flew up close to them on the blanket, crawling around curiously at the new interlopers of the forest. “Thanks fer…taking us in.”

Crop nodded. “Ain’t nothin’, I swear. Jus’ what we do here.”

Horror blushed, looking down as he shrugged. “Still. ‘S nice of ya.”

Crop chuckled. “Livens my life up ta be sure. Yer brother’s interestin’, ain’t he?”

Horror lit up, eager to talk about his brother, no matter how gruff he sounded. They spent some time as the sun dipped down over the trees, slowly turning a little chilly, and they had to pack back up. Crop turned, pausing as Horror gripped his arm with a flush. “Can we…come back again? ‘S nice.”

Crop smiled, tipping his hat. “Would be my pleasure.”

Chapter Text

One day, while Undyne was gleefully making them a little hut on Crop’s land, there was a festival.

“A festival?” Horror mumbled as they followed Crop into town. He now had a hat as well over his bandage, both to keep it safe and…he was a little…embarrassed by it as well. Crop nodded easily as they rounded around the edge of the treeline into the bustling city of Pelican Bay.

“Aye. We call it the Egg Festival. ‘S really meant for kids, but ah, a few adults wanted in so now it’s halved.” Crop chuckled. “Kids first, then adults.”

Sugar nodded, playing with the edge of his shirt as they followed him, looking around at the festival tape being put up. “O-OH. THAT SOUNDS. FUN! …WHAT DO WE DO?”

“Yeh gather up eggs,” Crop snickered, pausing. “Mmm, Horror, yah can come with me and we can go slow, kay?”

Horror’s face flushed as he nodded. He hated that he was still easy to get distracted, but it was…nice to have Crop with him. “Okay…”

Through the winding path, they met up with Veg, who was busy buying some cotton candy. He offered them some, and Horror just stared at his. He didn’t feel up to eating, he hadn’t lately, but Veg assured him that it was all a part of healing. He did take a small bite, while Sugar dug in to his, smiling. “THANK YOU!”

“Thanks…”

“OF COURSE! NOW AH, YOU ALL READY TO WATCH THE KIDDOS?”

They shrugged, following them to a small roped off section. Several little human children were at the edges, a few monster kids, and the Mayor in the middle of the section. “Welcome welcome, all, to our wonderful festival! Now ah yes, let’s see. All the kids search for about twenty minutes, then we’ll see how many you all have. Then the adults! Yes, very good.” He had a scruffy mustache and a funny tall hat. Horror wondered how it stayed up on his bald head. “Ready? Set, yes, go!”

The kids squealed and took off, some of them stumbling and rolling over each other, a few of them tossing eggs into baskets or in their pockets. Veg laughed. “CUTE, AIN’T THEY?”

Horror chuckled, smiling at a passing little goat boy. “Heh, yeah. ‘S real cute.”

Sugar nodded, hesitantly waving at one roaming by. Crop snorted. “I never found the good one as a kid, the one with a chocolate coin? Bah.”

Veg snickered as they watched, and soon the kids were done. Crop linked arms with Horror, who blushed, tilting his hat down as they ducked into the roped off area. With another call, they were off, slowly walking around. Some of the adults had the kids continue to look, Veg took Sugar off the other way to find some eggs.

Crop whistled as they searched, bending to catch the ones Horror pointed out. Horror grunted. “So uh, what’s in ‘em? Candy?”

“Pretty much,” Crop shrugged, leading Horror around a tree. “Candy, sometimes ah, toys, once a coupon fer a free meal. Was pretty delish.”

Horror chuckled, pointing out one on the limb of the tree. “Sounds nice…”

On their way back, Horror saw one in the knot of a tree’s trunk, but Crop gave him this one. “Here, ya can open this one at the end.” Horror chuckled, cradling it in his hand as they walked.

“Me? Why?”

“ ‘s got colorin’ ta match ya.”

The egg was black with red splotches. Horror flushed, shrugging as he looked away. Yeah. Maybe.

At the end of it all, Josie’s little boy got the most and Veg got the most for the adults, although he and Sugar partitioned them out to everyone. Sugar kept one that had some candy necklace in it, plucking at it around his throat curiously.

Horror dug his out from his pocket, slowly opening it.

Huh.

A chocolate coin.

He slid open the wrapper, snapping it in half, and without a word, offered part of it to Crop who smiled at him, and their fingers brushed when he took it.

A good Egg Festival had by all!

————————————————

The cabin would have been finished sooner except another festival was around the corner. The Flower Festival, something that meant heading to a monster named Muffet’s shop in order to get them some ‘dancing clothes’. Horror hung around near Crop while Sugar happily let Muffet drag him to a stool, her many arms grabbing random cloths. “Ahu hu hu~ I’m so glad you’re here~” she purred, several small spiders crawling around the mirrors. “Now, do you prefer pants, skirt, dress? Tux?”

“O-OH I’M NOT, CERTAIN, AH, WHAT IS EASIER?”

Muffet hummed, two arms crossing as she tapped a foot while Sugar nervously stood there. She nodded after a moment, then snapped her fingers. Horror tensed as a few spiders fell on Sugar, but in a moment they had him dressed in a soft pale green blouse with a long skirt that faded from pink to a bright blue at the bottom. “This is called a sandy beach color~ A hu hu hu~”

Sugar slowly touched the skirt, smiling. “I-IT’S PRETTY! THANK YOU.”

Muffet laughed, sweeping him off the stool in an instant. “Go try on some shoes~ a hu hu hu. You’re up next~!”

Horror hesitated, looking at Crop who smiled at him, and he slowly climbed up onto the stool. Muffet waved at the hat but he shook his head. “N-No um, I kinda…need it.”

Muffet looked over at Crop who nodded and she sighed. “Oh very well, a hu hu~ hmmm….let’s go traditional and add…” A white dress floated over Horror’s head, albeit he had to adjust his hat, and he stiffened when she tied a red ribbon around his waist. It flared around his legs, still covered in pants, and he felt…weird and clunky. If he wasn’t wearing clothes under it, maybe it wouldn’t feel so weird. “Ta da~”

Crop flushed, clearing his throat as he looked away. “M-Mighty pretty there, heh.”

Horror flushed, fiddling with his fingers as Muffet laughed. “Of course~! I made it. Now if that’s all, scootaloo to the shoes there, darling~ a hu hu hu~”

Horror scrambled down, flushing as he gripped Crop’s sleeve but not looking at him still. It felt…a little awkward? Weirdly?

Sugar found some cute shoes with little heels, but Horror didn’t think he could stand the unbalance of them. He opted for simple sandals instead, and Crop made a bit of small talk with Muffet as they headed out. Sugar giggled, patting the skirt lightly. “SO IS FOR DRESSING UP THEN?”

“Well, and a dance,” Crop nodded, letting Horror hold onto his arm again. “An’ some good food, but mostly th’ dance.”

The dance was that afternoon, with various people-in the ‘traditional’ white dress-practicing moves. Some of the others had tuxes or simple dress clothes. Veg had kindly asked Sugar for the dance, to which he’d blushingly agreed to. Several little kids were chasing one another through the grass, laughing merrily, one or two in pretty little dresses. Horror nervously fidgeted with his sleeves, plucking at the pretty lace while Crop stood nearby just as nervously, blushing in the awkward silence.

He cleared his throat. “Would ya wanna-”

“Yes!” Horror blurted out, his face brightening up. “I mean! Um. Go. On?”

Crop laughed, nudging him lightly. “ ‘Ey now, why we all nervous fer? It’s a dance, meant ta be fun right?”

Horror relaxed a little, nodding. “Y-Yeah, fun, dancing…”

They both laughed softly before Crop held out his hand. Horror took it, smiling. His hat was now tied down with a pale pink ribbon, in order to keep the wind from rustling it away. Plus, it made him feel…cute, okay.

Crop pulled him away from the edge of the area. A few people nearby started to pick up various instruments, a violin tuning up slowly as they started to play. Horror felt a grin on his face, albeit it ached a little due to the hole in his skull. Still, worth it as Crop stopped them, holding Horror’s hand up and a hand on Horror’s waist near the ribbon.

They started to dance, doing a simple back and forth, laughing softly as they stumbled or stepped on toes. Sugar and Veg seemed to spin by, their gangly limbs ecstatic as they danced. Instead of the blushing nervous faces however, they were smiling and out of breath as they danced. Horror idly wondered if they did have a crush on one another, or if they were just getting to be close friends.

His soul felt warm at that thought. Friends. People who liked them. People who didn’t hiss at them and chase them away or refuse to share food with them.

What an idea.

Horror let out a laugh, the small pulse of a headache being ignored as they spun to the music, the smell of fresh cut grass echoing around them, people happily chattering and whooping around them. He could see Undyne in a half tux half skirt outfit, which definitely fit her, as she danced Alphys around the area.

The music slowly wound down and Crop laughed, nearly toppling them over as they slowed to a stop. Horror grinned at him, panting. “That was fun!”

“Yep~” Crop hummed, swaying them a little to the last beats of the music. “Hey, wanna see a dance trick?”

Horror snorted. “Sure?”

He squeaked, clutching at Crop’s shoulders as he was dipped, then broke out into laughter as he looked up at Crop’s face, bordered by the sun and his straw hat he always wore. Crop laughed as well, although he seemed to stop, entranced by Horror’s bubbling giggles. Horror could feel his face heat up, stopped in time with him bent back, Crop above them. Horror giggled. “W-What?”

And then Crop dipped in.

And kissed him.

Chapter Text

“WELL, WE MAY NOT HAVE THE PIECES, BUT THE HEALING SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL!”

Having someone poke and prod around on an open wound, especially when it was your skull, was not the best experience. But having Crop hold his hand, and having a doctor he trusted be the one prodding around, helped matters.

There was some goop Veg was slowly massaging into the edges, and while he didn’t feel-or see-a difference, the doctor seemed to as he leaned over, peering inside and nodding. “YES, VERY WELL! NO INFECTION, MAGIC BOUNCES BACK NORMALLY…” Horror winced at a small prod, but other than that, sat still. As still as he could, honestly. His eye lights kept wandering back to Crop…

See, the thing was…

He couldn’t remember the kiss.

Sugar had gotten him a small notepad at the egg festival, and he had taken great pains to start writing down everything that happened over the course of the day. How Crop always drank his coffee out of a ‘Mooooornin’!’ cup with a tail as a handle. How Sugar preferred very, very burned toast to anything else. How he himself had learned he preferred to put his hat on before any other clothes.

One morning, he woke up to Crop...acting...funny. A little...um...touchy? Holding his hand, smiling at him.

More, that is.

Sugar acted nervous, but it was because he already assumed that Horror had forgotten. He was right, sadly.

So Horror flipped in his book when he was left alone to go and water the plants, finding the day before’s entry.

They went dancing. His dress was hung up so as not to be dirtied during the day. Crop dipped him, then kissed him, then Horror...er…

Horror blubbered as Veg handed him a drink, sniffling. “I-I’m soooorrry...dunno why I-I’m cryin’...”

Crop sweatdropped, his arm around Horror as he sniffled and sipped his juice, Sugar having bounced back into the fray once he was assured his brother was alright. “It’s alrigh’, I probably spooked ya…”

“I-I liked it,” he groaned out, tears still freefalling down his face as he tried to wipe them away. “I’m stuuuupid,” he groaned, hiding in Crop’s shoulder. Crop looked hesitant and caught between happiness at having to pat Horror’s back, and confusion.

Veg scratched his cheek as he thought, nodding. “SOMETIMES, WHEN THERE’S A LOTTA EMOTION, IT CAN OVERWHELM YA, MIGHT BE WHAT IT IS.”

Horror sniffled as Crop chuckled, rocking them in place a bit. “Let’s get outta the fray for a sec, maybe?”

Horror shrugged as Crop took him away from the party and the lights and the voices. The forest to the side was dark and quiet, and slowly the rumble in his chest started to soothe as he relaxed, plopping his head on Crop’s shoulder. The shaking of his shoulders started to slow as Crop rubbed his back, resting his head on top of Horror’s hat-on the other side of his wound. He sniffled. “I-I still, um, liked, it…” he mumbled.

Crop let out a rumbling chuckle. “Well ah, thanks, sweetheart, glad ta hear it. Ya okay though?”

Horror shrugged. Whatever it was, was disappearing as soon as it had came in. Crop adjusted them so he was looking down at Horror, who peered up at him with a flush. Crop grinned. “Glad ta hear it! Maybe it’s been a long day, maybe we should-”

Then you know, Horror leaned in and kissed HIM this time. That’ll teach him for surprising him!

And then...well...it was...silently agreed on where they stood. Which was now ‘courting’ as Crop has said. Which Horror found odd, as did Sugar. Normally one just kind of dragged someone back to their home and they lived there now (wait was that what happened? A semi-trap of Crop ‘sharing’ his home with them in order to get Horror to be his mate?).

Under the notes, Horror had drawn the doodle of a little heart, and then ‘give it a try, at least’.

So, the Horror that now stood watering the parsnip, well, he agreed. Give it a try. It was shocking to wake up to Crop all gooey-eyed at him but…

Things didn’t really change? Even though Horror kept waiting on them to?

Crop still laced their arms together and led him around, except now he received a gentle peck on the cheek or on his hand, then he’d go and take Sugar to see about the animals. Sugar was gleeful once Horror finally remembered-or rather, read-about what had happened, and encouraged them to spend more time together.

Horror didn’t mind, if it wasn’t so…

Slow….?

Or maybe he just had no clue how someone was courted. There’s a big chance of that.

And now here they were, at a doctor’s appointment, testing and checking on Horror’s magic and wound. Sugar was occupied with doting on a small fern plant in the waiting room. Mostly, he was uneasy about Horror’s wound as well, but he was also nudging them to spend more time together, alone. He thought that was what courting couples did too (were they both wrong? Hmmm…).

Veg nodded, slowly wrapping Horror’s wound back up and helping him adjust his hat back, Crop tying a simple bow under his chin and making him blush as he helped him off the table. “YES, COME BACK IF IT’S FEELING OFF, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, YOU’RE ALL GOOD TO GO!”

“Kay,” Horror mumbled. “Um, thanks, a lot.”

“OF COURSE!” Veg chirped. “NOW, MAKE SURE TO CLEAN IT AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, AND IF YOU CAN STAND IT, LET SOMEONE PEEK INSIDE TO MAKE SURE IT’S CLEAN!” Horror nodded along, his little notepad out as he scribbled down the instructions. Crop nodded along, showing he was paying attention, one arm around Horror’s shoulders.

“Yup, sounds good then,” he squeezed Horror’s shoulder lightly and he looked up at the smiling farmer. “Wanna head on out and grab some grub?”

Horror snorted, folding up his notepad into his pocket. “You know I do,” he grumbled, leaning into Crop’s hold as he and Veg laughed, bidding them goodbye as they headed out to collect Sugar.

On their way to the restaurant, they passed a large building. They’d passed it before, but this time, it really caught Horror’s eye. Crop paused as he noticed Horror had stopped paying attention-he had been getting better at noticing when Horror had started to drift. “Everythin’ alright there, kitten?”

Horror flushed, nudging him. “What’s that?”

“Hmm?” Crop looked over, clicking his tongue as Sugar looked over as well. “Ah, yeah, that’s the community centah. Was a cool place, had some festivals.” He shrugged. “After a few years, it jus’ kinda fell inta disrepair.”

“Huh.”

Horror stared as Crop turned, striking up a conversation with Sugar. He saw something in one of the broken windows, one that had a vine trailing over it as if curious of its interior. Something moved, then a face with a green mask peeked out. He jerked, just as it did, falling back into a poof of dust.

Crop made a noise. “Horror? Ya okay??”

“Yeah uh,” he looked back, then shook his head, turning to smile at Crop. “ ‘m fine. Hungry.”

Crop looked worried but nodded, bustling them off to the restaurant.

Horror sat in bed that night, staring at the doodle he had made. A leaf mask, with blank eyes and a small brown body…the mask was curled, little arms pale like the rest of the body…it looked…wooden? It was round, like a funny acorn, to Horror…

He flipped his notebook closed, slipping the pen in and putting it into the bedside table Crop had provided, tucking himself into bed as he waited on Crop to finish his bath.

Maybe he’d remember to ask him about it tomorrow...

Chapter Text

“What ah, watcha doin’?”

Horror paused, his eye lights wide as he stared at Crop from the doorway. Horror was in the kitchen, in that pink frilly apron Veg had worn, and his usual tank top and jeans. On top of his head he traded for a bandana to hide his bandage, and had a spatula in hand.

On the oven, bacon sparked while a pancake sizzled.

“...makin’...breakfast.”

Crop nodded slowly. “Not ta uh, be rude or nothin’, but, why?”

Horror’s eyes flicked from Crop to the food and back. “Do you. Not...want breakfast?”

“I’m fine with breakfast,” Crop took a seat, tucking his hat on the table as normal. “Jus’ ah, ya ain’t done it before, jus’ curious.”

Horror nervously shrugged, and went back to cooking.

That’s what a mate did, right? Right, Crop was just being silly, of course.

Besides...if Horror was honest, he kind of liked being in here in the quiet, gently nudging the pancake this way and that. He never had the opportunity to cook before.

Heh. Maybe he’d ask for a recipe book next…

-----

Undyne gleefully revealed the newly built cabin by ripping a cloth off of it and standing to attention. “TA DA!”

Sugar gasped. “OH! IT’S SO PRETTY!”

It was. Nothing like Crop’s home, but a simple cabin with a porch, a door, and it looked like the living room and bedroom was connected. The kitchen was a separate room, as was the bath, but it was a quaint little cabin made from dark brown wood with a chimney. Horror nodded from where he was near Crop, who had his arm around his waist. “ ‘s nice.” He looked up at Crop with a worried frown. “Are we...movin’ in or?”

Crop shrugged. “ ‘s up to ya’ll, I mean. Not kickin’ ya out, just figured ya wanted some space to yerself, or Sugar if ya wanna...stay...with me,” he blushed, clearing his throat as he looked away.

Undyne snorted. “He’s TRYING ta say he WANTS ya ta stay! Dork!”

Horror flushed. Oh. So he built the cabin...for Sugar...that was so sweet, it made his soul skip a beat. He leaned on Crop, sneaking a kiss to his cheek, making Crop burst into a brighter blush as Undyne and Sugar teased them both a little.

Horror, meanwhile, ticked a few things off in his mind. Making food, check. Crop provided a home...double check, actually.

And now…

------

Something rustled in the woods.

Horror paused, fingers curled around a dandelion as his eye light scanned the shrubberies. He was out here, alone, his jeans covered in grass stains from picking flowers. (That’s what a mate did, right? Gifts? Right, that’s what he and Sugar had agreed on at least.)

Something rustled again, then a little...thing peeked out of the bush. Horror jerked in surprise. “H-Hey!”

It startled as well, making a clacking noise as it started to run away. “N-No, wait!” Horror raced after it, not entirely sure why he was. Perhaps it was the unknown, or the fact that it looked like the thing he’d seen in the community center…

Either way, he ripped through the forest after it, in case it got lost. He wanted to help it! It was so small, like a kid! Or like Sugar had been, when they were lost and scared in the forest for the first time.

clackclackclack

Horror cursed as a branch ripped his jeans, his basket of flowers still dangling from his arm but missing one or two flowers now.

clackclackclack

“H-Hey slow down! Come back!”

Somehow, the forest started to thin, but he still was unable to completely see the little spirit he was chasing. The sun glared down at him and he shut his eyes, breaking free of the treeline, wheezing sharply as he tried to get his breath back.

there

He saw the little spirit toddling about inside the community center. He darted after it, ignoring Veg’s greeting as he passed around the health center.

The door to the center was...well it wasn’t good. A touch of the knob and it slowly opened, creaking loudly in the quietness. He hesitated, sandal stepping onto the wooden floor as he looked around.

Dust coated everything, sunlight glistening and bouncing off the dust mites. Several chairs and a couch were covered in sheets which saved nothing from moths, it seemed. The place creaked and the wind blew through it slowly. But all Horror could concentrate on was finding that little spirit.

He stepped around a small hole in the floor, holding in his breath. A sniff and he’d sneeze any moment, and he really didn’t think it’d be a good idea. He could already feel a pulse of pain in his hole from the sprint he did.

Something creaked in the distance and he whipped his head around. “Hey! I just wanna make sure yer okay!” he wheezed out, turning the corner in a hallway.

One door had the carvings of a children’s room on it, ‘PLAYROOM’ painted on with building blocks. He hesitated, reaching out and touching the door. It squeaked open slowly...revealing…

A dusty room, a small plastic table cracked down the middle. Books lay dusting or covered in cobwebs, the once plush puzzle carpet was downtrodden and sinking in sections.

On top of the table was the little spirit, who happily waved. “Ya ha! You found me!”

“I did!” Horror pointed at him, then blinked. “Er, wait, who’re you?”

The spirit, a wooden thing with a leaf for a mask happily jumped up, spinning in a circle. “Ya ha! Call me Makar! It’s what I like!”

Horror nodded slowly. “What...are ya?”

Makar paused in his celebration, tilting his head before hopping off the table, each step clicking as he came closer. “Hmmmm. Noooo. I don’t think it’s time.” He shook his head quickly, making more of the clacking noises. “Not yet, not yet.”

Horror frowned. “What d’ya mean-” A ball of light flew from Makar’s small hand, tapping against Horror’s skull-

-------

Crop whistled as he adjusted the flowers in the vase, nodding as one tilted a little farther out than normal but, eh, it gave it personality. He crept into the kitchen, leaning on one side of Horror with a grin. “Thank ya for the flowers~ sure are pretty.”

Horror squinted at him, blushing at the peck to his cheek, then pointed a spatula at him. “Are you wearing your muck boots in the house?”

“...noooooo…” Crop drawled out as he slowly started backing up to the living room to clearly toss said muck boots into their designated corner, fussing as Cujo wheeled into view and skidded on the mudprints he had left behind.

Horror rolled his eyes, tugging his notebook from his pocket to check tonight’s notes.

Hmm...underneath ‘got flowers for Crop’, an odd set of words written not by him laid.

‘fIND tHE mONUMENT’

Horror stared at it for a moment. Underneath the words, someone had drawn a large monolith with different scribbles on the side.

Huh.

Whatever it is must be some kind of cool.

He’ll ask Crop about it tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Crop looked at it, flipped it upside down, then right-side up, then shrugged. “It looks f’miliar,” he mumbled, passing Horror’s little book back to him as they sat on the couch in front of the fire, rain tapping at the windows fiercely as a storm raged around them. “Can’t say how, though. Why?”

Horror shrugged, tucking under the blanket that Crop had covered them both with, his back to the arm of the couch, Cujo hopped up and snoring between them. “It was in there. Didn’t know why.”

Crop nodded slowly. “We c’n go inta town, ask Gerson? He knows everythin’, heh.”

That seemed like the only answer they would receive from this, but they had to wait for the worst of the storm to pass by. Crop read in a book, his hand scratching behind Cujo’s ears, the puppy’s foot thumping happily. Horror had taken up something called ‘knitting’, it was slow and let him concentrate on the passing of time. Sugar was in his own home, the little cabin, and said he was fine while it rained. He had got it in him to decorate, rushing around and moving furniture this way and that.

Horror found it amusing, and sweet. His brother was enjoying the space to himself. He was happy about it, really.

This meant he and Crop could...have some space to themselves, as well. Not that he would ever deny Sugar from popping by.

But it was nice, sitting in the semi-quiet, fire crackling and rain pelting down, as they worked on their respective hobbies.

~~~~~

Gerson was on his porch, as usual, despite the sprinkling of rain. The way his shell looked soaked, he was out in it when it was raging earlier. Horror wondered why the turtle was like that, the way his eyes glared out over his yard, the cane pushing him back and forth in the rocking chair.

Right now, it didn’t matter. Gerson stroked his chin, tilting the book a bit before whistling. “I remembah!”

Crop blinked from where he had hopped up onto a railing, one leg dangling. “Ya do?”

“Yeppers!” He handed the book to Horror, pointing at the monument with a long claw. “Was when I was a wee little eggling, yessiree.” He whistled again, bobbing his head. “Is a gravestone.”

Horror blinked. “It’s. What?”

Gerson nodded, his cane just pushing him back and forth all the while. “Yeppers, yep. Was a bad time that time, ach. Was a wee eggling.” He stroked his beard for a moment before Crop cleared his throat.

“What happened?”

“Ach, right, well…!”

Gerson peeked from his mother’s strong arms at the crowd around them, his hands curled into the top of her apron nervously. He never did like crowds, but something bad was happening today. He could feel it. In his shell, like his papa.

The mayor, a gentle vine monster, cleared his throat as he calmed the crowd around them. “I hath come to bring terrible news. Dawson was found dusted-” A sharp gasp rang out from the crowd, and if Gerson tilted his head, he could see the little cloud family up at the front, their heads bowed and shoulders shaking. “-inside a cavern. We believeth that he got lost during the last storms we had, and attempted to hide from thy feverous seasonal rain.”

He took off his large top hat, clutching it to his chest. “However, Dawson was only a puffling, and was unable to weather the storm, nor the night. May we ever remember him.”

“Indeed,” the crowd rumbled around him, and Gerson’s mother’s arms tightened around him. He looked up at her, her long neck almost strained as she watched the mayor.”

“Tis a great pity,” she mumbled, her neck bending down to touch her head to his and he smiled, unaware of the sadness befalling the small town. He was merely happy his mother was here and cuddling him.

Gerson nodded again, stroking his beard. “Town came togetha, made up a stone fer the family. Out there.” He waved his cane towards the forest, and Crop and Horror turned, staring. Horror turned back, frowning.

“But why do I need to find it…?”

Gerson shrugged, tapping his cane on the floor. “Eh! How should I know? Ain’t seen it in years, I ain’t. Been here, in me chair.” He nodded easily. “Ach, perhaps he wants some respects paid. Little flowers, somethin’ ta drink.”

Crop snorted, hopping off the railing and taking Horror’s hand easily. “Sounds like somethin’ you’d want, old man.”

The turtle laughed, waving them off his porch as they headed off. Horror leaned on Crop, frowning.

“Can we...try to find it? I just think it’s kinda important. Maybe. I dunno.”

“Sure,” Crop shrugged. “But first! Dinner.”

Horror grinned. “Deal.”

~~~~~~

It wasn’t hard to find, which made Horror feel even worse. Dawson wasn’t too far from the town when he...well. Yeah. That must’ve been the guilt trip of the century for everyone involved.

The monument was about as tall as he was, which was odd. He expected it to reach towards the sky, large and imposing. But it was small, with Dawson’s family name etched into the side. The monument was black, either intentionally or from over the years. A little rusted trinket sat in the overgrown grass in front of it, and Horror bent down to pick it up.

It was in the shape of a puff of cloud with a face, and on the back, in the dim light and under the rain, he could make out ‘Always In Our Souls’.

Stars this was depressing. Why did he want to find this again?

Crop watched him silently as he sighed, but tucked the trinket into a side pocket. He felt like he knew what he had to do. He was just confused on the why of it. Crop nodded. “Back then, they ain’t had the cemetery, I’m guessin’.”

“No. Probably not.” Horror sighed, wiping his hat free of rain drops as slowly the clouds broke, freeing the blinding sun from its dredges. “...can we go have an’ have a float?”

“Sure sure.”

Something behind them rustled in the grass, and Horror peeked behind him, pausing. He heard a clacking noise, and hesitated. “A-Actually! Um. G-Go on ahead, I gotta…” He made a motion at the monument and Crop, while not entirely understanding, nodded with a gentle smile.

“Sure’s. I’ll be uh, at the treeline.” He cleared his throat, heading off. Horror counted to fifteen, then turned around.

He remembered Makar, now. The little thing stepped away from the tree, a tiny hand held up to his little mask as he seemed to sway in place. Horror cleared his throat, taking the trinket from his pocket. “Um. Hi, Dawson.”

“....hi.” came the little voice, this time much more airy and less enthusiastic. They stood for a moment, then looked at the monument, tilting their head. “It was cold that day. And wet. I got weighted down. I couldn’t find the way home.”

“Yeah,” Horror said, taking a step closer as he offered up the rusted trinket, to which Makar took in his tiny hands. “Would’ve happened to anyone.”

“But why’d it have to happen to me?”

Horror had no answer for that, and it seemed Makar knew that. They kissed the trinket, and it burst into little light spheres, spinning around and covering him. “Thank you. Hollo needs help! Come back to the Community Center!” And with that he was just, gone. Light disappearing, leaving nothing to suggest he was ever there.

The monument appeared to shine like new.

Horror turned and left the forest, confused, but the new note burning a hole in his pocket. He had to figure all this out…

~~~

In the Community Center, as if by magic, one of the rooms slowly came together. The carpet burst to life, bustling with a purple glow. Two chairs repaired themselves, sitting at a desk, little blocks stacking themselves as dust flew out of the room. Lights flickered on, books stacked themselves back into order, creating a warm and inviting place for children.

Had someone been walking by, they might have heard someone inside giggling...

Chapter Text

The last of the turnip season was coming to a close, and with Horror’s careful watering and tending, they had grown very plump and beautiful. Crop had also helped show him how to plant strawberries and potatoes and kale, which grew in nice little clumps, very flavorful to the tongue.

And, Horror had found, tulips grew during this season as well, and he grew very pretty bouquets of them in his own plot of land that Crop had sanctioned off for him.

Sugar, meanwhile, had become enraptured with Lin, the pregnant goat. He would coo at her and gently pet her horns and she would allow him to feed her apples. It wasn’t too long ago she finally had her kid, a little stumbly runt of a thing that Sugar fell in love with. Crop let him name the kid.

Linnie.

Sugar...wasn’t the most imaginative with names, but all the same, it cheered him immensely to ‘own’ a baby goat. Said goat would amble after him when he and Crop would appear in the barn, making his little noises before bouncing towards his mother to have his breakfast.

Cujo liked the little goat, but Sugar nervously shooed him away, fearful that the playful pup would become too playful and nip the tender skin. He was more hovering than the kid’s mother! It was adorable and Horror was happy that Crop was kind enough to allow Sugar an animal.

Anyway, today they helped load up Crop’s rickety truck with the lush crops, healthy flowers, and animal products to go to the Farmer’s Market held every month in town. Well...Sugar mostly helped, Horror tried but they kept assuring him they had it. He rolled his eyes, carefully folding pink tissue paper around a bouquet to load in a crate with a smile. “There. They’re just overbearin’, huh?”

Cujo, at his feet, chewing on a small ball, stopped and then started to wag his tail quickly as he saw that Horror was talking to him. Horror chuckled, leaning down and petting the pup as Crop hopped down from the bed of the truck. “A’right, we’re all packed up. You ‘bout ready?”

”Yeah,” he scratched behind Cujo’s ears, shooing the dog away from the back of the wheels with a sigh. “You sure it’s gonna be able ta take all this?”

Crop winked at him, nodding as he shuffled to the passenger side, opening the door for him. “Yup, do it every month. ‘ey Sugar! You good then?”

Sugar was in the field where the barn laid, having opted to stay behind and tend to everything on his own. An aspiring farmer, it warmed Crop’s soul. “YES, I AM! LINNIE AND I SHALL TRAVERSE THE FENCE FOR ADVENTURE!”

Linnie ‘baaaa’d just as loudly, little horns peeking up from the grass as he bucked around and bumped against Sugar’s legs. Crop chuckled, helping Horror up onto the step of the truck and inside. “Okay, make sure ta take a break and chug some water later!”

”WILL DO!”

And with that, they were off, albeit not as fast as Horror had assumed they would be. Today he had tied a sparkling white ribbon around his hat, tilted back just a bit. Crop had one hand on the wheel, fingers tapping away to some tune on the radio, his other arm wrapped around Horror’s shoulders. Horror had a leg up on the rest of the seat, scribbling down in his journal. “Ya sure you can drive with one hand?”

”Yeeeep,” Crop drawled, easily rolling the wheel to turn. Horror snorted, shifting to lean into the warm hand on his arm. Well, fine, he would take the cuddling as it was then. The rolling of the truck and bumping along made him sleepy, but he shook himself awake, sitting up a little more.

“So, everyone comes out, then?”

”Yep,” Crop hummed, slowly driving over a bump in the road, careful of the load in the back. “ ‘s not so much fer gettin’ some profit, but it’s good tradin’. Get some seeds out of some of ‘em, maybe a new recipe or somethin’.”

”Yer gonna have ta tell me how to do it,” Horror plunked his head onto Crop’s shoulder, giving in to the sleepy feeling for a moment. “Not like I know what’s what and what.”

” ‘s not a big deal, kitten,” Crop pecked a kiss to Horror’s hat, returning his attention to the road. “I’ll show ya the ropes.”

”Cool.”

He napped for a bit, stirring awake with Crop’s arm looped around his waist once they pulled up to a stop. There were a few stalls set up already, a few stacking up various items like clothing or equipment of a sort. Horror yawned, grumbling as Crop helped him out of the truck, his nap interrupted. He cheered up when Crop traded a kiss with him, and they set out to pull out the load.

Crop set up two funny chairs that felt like cloth and bowed inwards just a little with armrests. They set up what they could on the stall and took a seat, Crop slipping him a water bottle. “Now what?”

”Now we jus’ wait, kitten,” he winked, reaching out and squeezing his hand. “Ain’t no harm in sittin’ around.”

”I guess.” Horror nudged him lightly with his foot but didn’t take his hand away as he sipped the water, relaxing in the warmth of the morning slowly creeping in. People had started to come to gather up, milling around, and checking out stalls.

A few came to check out Crop’s crops-hah-and he happily heaped praise onto Horror, who blushed brightly and sunk into his chair. He didn’t think it was all him, but well, it was nice to be spoken of so highly. Not that his brother didn’t of course, but it was different from Crop.

A little girl had traded a cute wooden horse for a bouquet (that he quickly slid back to her mother, he wasn’t going to take her toy!), and Muffet slid into view, picking up one of them wrapped in purple tissue paper. “A hu hu hu~ It’s been many years since I saw tulips~”

Horror blushed, smiling. “I-I grew ‘em all, they smelled real nice.”

”They do,” she agreed, taking one to bend up and giving it a small sniff. “I like what you’ve done, a hu hu hu~ what gave you the idea for the paper?”

”Not real sure,” he admitted, adjusting two of them so they wouldn’t roll off and fall while Crop chatted with Grillby who was getting a stash of potatoes for the restaurant. “I like how it all came out, though.”

”Mm, so do I. Sunflowers are in season next week,” she told him, trading a box of nice ribbons for the bouquet. “Would you mind terribly getting me a good stack of them?”

”Sure,” he said, putting the box away on a chest to keep safe. “How um, many?”

”As many as you can, a hu hu hu~” She crooned, cradling one of the small tulips in her hands. “My great-grandmother used to love sunflowers, and I think it would be very nice to decorate the spider clan’s burying site with them.”

”Yeah, that’s fine,” he agreed. She smiled, her fangs glinting in the sunlight, giving her an almost frightening appearance.

”Wonderful~ a hu hu hu~ In exchange, I shall make you and Sugar some mighty fine clothes. Give me a week, some good work clothes, yes,” she nodded, and slunk away with a wave. He chuckled, waving back as Crop whistled as he strode over, arm over Horror’s shoulders again.

”What’s up?”

”Jus’ Muffin, gonna grow some sunflowers for her.”

”Sweet.” He pointed his thumb behind them. “C’mon, let’s pull out the other boxes, yeah?”

”Okay.”

”AND THIS, YOU SEE,” Sugar held up the hand mirror. “IS YOU!”

Linnie bounced around, hooves scraping at the ground before charging and bapping into the mirror with little baa’s. Sugar squeaked. “LINNIE, BE NICE TO YOURSELF!” He patted the little goat, who eagerly climbed up into his lap from where Sugar was kneeling. Sugar sighed, but allowed it, cuddling his baby goat happily.

Lin, nearby but laying down as she chewed some grass, made a rumbling noise and he quickly pat her head as well. “NYEH, YES, I SHALL NOT FORGET YOU AS WELL, MOTHER LIN!”

Lin seemed pleased with this turn of events and calmed down.

It didn’t take long until Linnie bounced from his arms to go and nudge on his mother for some food, making Lin rumble up with a soft huff. Sugar laughed, dragging himself up as well. “DO NOT WORRY, MOTHER LIN! HE SHALL LEAVE YOU ALONE WHEN HE IS GROWN!”

She didn’t seem appeased by that, but all the same, it was time to go and check on the chickens! He was such a great farmer! Even if he didn’t have the green thumb that his brother surprisingly did, he had an affinity for the furry mammals that populated Crop’s land!

Speaking of furry mammals...was that a raccoon on the edge of the farm there...? Time to investigate!

By the time everything was said and done, they had gained:

Three prepared meals and a free one from Grillby’s

Muffet’s ribbons

Several carved items that varied in shape, from little cars to a sun

An entire catalog of Summer seeds in exchange for all of their strawberries

Fuel for the truck to give it enough juice for at least five trips, thankfully

A quail egg that they were promised would hatch very soon

And, the most surprising of all to Horror, a little foal from another farmer who said that the mother had sadly been attacked by bobcats and while he would love to keep her on, he knew Crop had been aiming for a new horse to keep his own horse, Nightshade, company.

Crop was very happy with this turn of events (maybe not the mother dying, but gaining a horse, definitely).

The other farmer would bring her by later, and they bundled up all the empty crates into the truck, both of them sighing once they got into the cab. Horror grunted, nudging Crop lazily as they leaned against one another. “It always this busy?”

”Mm,” Crop grunted, tipping his hat a bit. “Winter one is pretty fast-paced, hard ta grow then so any fruits and the like are fought over.” He sighed, sitting up to start up the truck. “Didn’t tire ya out too bad, did it?”

Horror shook his head, gently untying the ribbon as it was now giving him a small headache due to wearing it all day, leaning onto Crop again as they drove out of the trading place. “Nah. Gonna sleep good, ‘s all.”

”Heh, true.”

They sat in silence for a bit, Horror pulling out the little notepad and writing down what he could, poking at Crop for answers or ideas on what else to add. Crop hummed, clicking his tongue as they started to go up the small hill. “Tomorrow, wanna take Sug’ and go have that meal at Grillby’s?”

Horror perked up, nodding. “Yeah, he’d like that!”

”Sweet, deal. After work then, eh?”

Horror agreed, and they relaxed as best they could on the ride back. Horror tried not to drift off to sleep, as the plants needed planting before the day ended, but he dozed in and out until they hit the edge of the farm.

Crop helped him out of the truck, whistling as Cujo came barking up a storm, tail wagging. “Sug’ we’re back!”

”Broooo!” Horror called out, reaching down to pat the excited puppy and grunting when he tried to jump into his arms. “C’mere, you dork, yeah?” He let the puppy lick his cheek as Crop unlatched the back, still looking around for Sugar. “You see him?”

”Hm? What, he didn’t come yet?”

They looked around curiously. This was the first time they had left Sugar all alone...maybe he was inside? Or in the barn? Or-

”NYEH! BROTHER! CROP! LOOK WHAT I HAVE MADE FRIENDS WITH!”

Horror was very pleased, both with seeing his brother and the numerous chattering raccoons who seemed also pleased with their placement in Sugar’s arms.

Based on Crop’s strangled squeal and falling over the side of the truck, he was...less than pleased.

(Turns out that no, he did not often make friends with the wild animals, mostly as it was hard to tell who was friendly, who didn’t have rabies, and so on. He was mostly afraid since it appeared that nearly all of the raccoons were babies, and in his experience when babies went missing, mothers tended to murder.

However, seeing the grown raccoon pop out of Sugar’s scarf, nibbling on a piece of bread, at least calmed his worry there.

The raccoon family had a small doghouse built near Sugar’s home, and he fed and watered them as if they were domestic pets.

Maybe he had more of an animal husbandry touch than Crop had assumed...)

Chapter Text

When Horror was younger, before everything went downhill, before he and Sugar were left adrift and fending for themselves, he had always been intrigued with the bubbling pots of the cooks. He would lean over it, standing on tip-toes, peeking in. Soup would bubble with small bits tossed in, or stew, or just plain water.

To him, it was similar to how he imagined a witch’s cauldron.

He was...partially right.

He had, after chores, had headed off to the community center. Crop had ensured he was okay before heading off to give Grillby a few more supplies. Horror felt conflicted, feeling nervous at going inside, and yet feeling touched that Crop trusted him that he didn’t push or ask questions. It was sweet.

Although, secretly, he wanted someone with him, he also felt this had to be...done alone, for some reason.

He entered, the once shoddy door a little bit better today, no rusty squealing on the hinges as he stepped through. Everything was still a mess and broken, although he could spy a warm purple door looking out of place amongst everything. But beyond that, he could smell…

Food.

In the kitchen.

He hesitated in following, careful of the many broken boards and flooring, stepping over a large beam and climbing down to head into the kitchen.

Once beautiful tile laid broken in pieces, tables long and meant for gatherings were gathering dust. One table had a long beam jutting through it, broken in half. Chairs were scattered around, broken, or upside down. The fridge had a very suspicious smell to it, and the cupboards were in an array of brokenness.

In the middle, however, was a large purple cauldron. A small wooden thing, like Makar, stood on a stool and slowly stirred it. They had a large brown leaf for a mask, and were taller than Makar. They paused, turning to face Horror who stared with wide eye pips. “Hello.”

The voice was...elderly. Like Gerson. It shook as if hesitantly trying to pull itself from the other’s mouth. It gave an impression of a grandmother. He blinked. “...hi. Are...you Hollo?”

“I am indeed,” they said, taking a step closer to the cauldron and started stirring again. “You helped Makar last, yes?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, shifting on his feet. “I uh, I did. Are ya gonna whack me, too?” he gave the other a nervous look and they laughed, sounding like an acorn in a tin can.

“Unfortunately, that is part of the test, you see,” they said. “But it shall not hurt. Come.”

Despite his hesitance, Horror stepped forward. She sounded warm and charming, as if all she wanted to do was hand you a candy and ask about your day. He sighed. Well, it’s not like he hadn’t been through this before.

She waved him closer, and closer, and then he was close enough to touch. He wondered what they felt like. Wood? Clay? Porcelain? She waved him down, and then the little mask leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to his hea-

~~

Horror adored the sunflowers. Muffet was right, this was the perfect time for them! He had sectioned off a special little row for them, and when he had raced after Cujo through them (the dog had stolen the hat! Mean little thing…), it felt like he was in a forest never-ending.

Strangely, he found little yellow flowers growing near them, and Crop chuckled when he brought some in. “Dandelions, c’n make some jelly outta ‘em.”

“Jelly?” Horror curiously twirled one in his hand, shrugging. “ ‘s it good?”

“Ta me. Here, I’ll show ya.”

Making jelly was pretty hard. Sanitize a jar and pour in some kinda goop and so on and so on...he let Crop at it, stealing away in his armchair with a snicker, putting his feet up. Cujo waggled his butt before hopping up onto Horror’s lap, panting as Horror chuckled, patting his head. “Uh-huh, you think cuz he ain’t here, you can get up here, huh?”

Cujo made a ‘woof’ noise, plopping his head on the arm of the chair, and Horror rolled his eye pips. What a rotten little doggy.

Crop shuffled into the living room, raising an eye ridge at the goofy look on Horror’s face. “You stole my chair?”

“Mine now,” Horror teased, squeaking when Crop merely plunked down on his lap, stretching out.

“Man my chair suuuuurreee is lumpy today.”

“Ya g-goof, get off!” Horror groaned, pushing on the other, both of them giggling. Eventually it ended up with Crop on one side, and Horror practically in his lap anyway. Cujo wiggled between them, happy to be squished in as Crop rubbed small circles into the side of Horror’s head sweetly. It was nice, relaxing, and he couldn’t help plunking his head down on Crop’s chest with a sigh.

The TV had some of the weather on, although it seemed it was going to rain next week, the weather person wasn’t very confident in it. Some other channel popped up, something about cooking with radishes? Ew.

Horror let out a sigh, letting their legs tangle up in the warmth of the home as the sun started to set. Strangely, the night wasn’t as cold as it had been during the Spring. Rather, it was baking hot during the day, but comfortingly warm at night. Sugar seemed to love it, albeit he left his front door open at his little house, letting his new raccoon family come in and out.

Crop still was wary, but they were slowly getting used to Sugar’s ability to summon random animals at will.

Horror wasn’t sure when he had drifted off, but he had. He startled awake to darkness in the home, the TV playing some tinkly tune with ‘We’ll Be Back!’ written in black and white on it. Cujo snored between him and Crop, who had his arm around Horror and snoring loudly as well. Somehow, it was more...intimate than when they curled up into bed. The arm around his back and waist was warm and cozy, fingers dipped a little under his shirt, touching his bare hip lightly.

His own hands were curled into Crop’s shirt, and he blushed, seeing that he had drooled a bit in his sleep.

Gross.

He shifted a bit, slowly pushing himself up with a sigh. If they stayed in the chair, their backs would be all screwed up for the next day. It was better to wake Crop up and trudge to bed as it was anyway.

His notebook slipped from his pocket, but he caught it before it hit the floor, sighing. He slipped it up, sinking back into Cro’s arm just for a moment, to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything today.

‘Ten little rocks. One little rock from the top. Two from the pathway. Two from the tree stump. Three from the hidden gorge. Two from the road that leads home.

Ten. Little. Rocks.’

A mountain was drawn, and not one that he knew about. But then. All he’d seen was here and the town, right?

He hesitated, then slowly circled the instructions.

Tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Picnics indicated an excess of food, something neither Sugar nor Horror had ever had to deal with. However, Crop had easily assured them that it wouldn’t be a problem. He grew well and beyond enough crops to ensure they wouldn’t run out, even with the fact that he sold or gave away some most of the time.

Truly, Crop was a Harvest God in disguise. Horror just knew it. He felt it...in his bones.

Heh. He’d have to remember to tell that one to Sugar.

Sugar had opted to stick with Veg, who had come by to ensure all the raccoons were non-rabid and were healthy (and maybe ask, how exactly, Sugar had come to gain their trust) and had promised Sugar a little outing of their own once he was done.

The mountain was a drive and a half but Horror didn’t mind. It meant he could stretch out, lean against Crop as the truck swayed and bumped along, the basket they had packed settled between his legs on the floorboard. They had packed sandwiches, drinks, a blanket…

Today he wore a simple gingham handkerchief over his hole. He’d finally owned up and told them his sight wasn’t the best now, and they were even worse now about ‘guiding’ him around. Like, he could still kind of see!! It was just a little harder!

All the same, nothing would bring this day down. It was sunny out, birds were chirping, so many pretty wildflowers abounding…

The blanket was soft under the large oak tree, and the wind blew cooly over them when they finally set out all the food. The ‘top’ of the mountain wasn’t exactly top but rather a plateau of soft, tamped down grass from numerous people walking over the years.

Crop poured them both some apple juice in little plastic cups after setting out the sandwiches and two nice slices of pie. Horror took his, leaning back against the trunk of the tree with a sigh as he took a sip. “Mm...good.”

“Freshly squeezed,” Crop winked, taking a sip himself. “Aah...nice day.”

“Mm.”

It was silent for a little while, the wind ruffling the tree’s leaves, a squirrel nearby watching them until it too became distracted by a nearby noise and darted away. Horror took a sandwich, taking a bite. “Sooo...why ain’t your bro with you?”

“Huh?”

“Me an’ Sugar don’t go far,” he shrugged. “Your bro works in town though.”

“Oh,” Crop laughed, tugging his hat off to plop in his lap for the moment. “Veg always wanted ta be a doc. When we were kids, he had me convinced I was dyin’, wrapped me up in gauze, and tried ta dig a hole fer me in the backyard.”

Horror felt his shoulders shaking as he snorted, trying to hold back the laugh. “W-What happened?”

“Pa caught us, saved me,” he winked, handing a plate of pie to Horror. “Veg was such a troublemaker, c’n ya believe it?”

“No,” Horror deadpanned, enjoying the shocked face from his...well, he wasn’t sure what they were called here, but back where he and Sugar were from, they’d be mates. Although, mates usually did something beyond sitting around, laughing at old stories, right? Hm. He heard a whistle and blinked, looking back up to Crop from where he had been staring at his pie. “Hm?”

“Did I lose ya there, kitten?” Crop chuckled. “Ya kinda zoned out there. You good?”

“Mmhmm, thinking. Don’t worry,” he playfully nudged Crop’s foot with his own, only to get nudged back, which led to them both poking one another with their-admittedly dirty-shoes and snickering like kids. It didn’t take long until they were shoulder to shoulder, breathless, resting in the easiness of the atmosphere.

Crop pierced his pie slice with his fork, holding it up to Horror’s mouth. “Bite?”

“Hmm,” Horror leaned in, taking a bite with a grin. It felt warm and tasty on his tongue, the taste of apples and what he now knew to be cinnamon dancing across his mouth. “Delicious~”

“Why thank ya,” Crop winked, stealing a kiss from his cheek. “Thought ya’d like it, heh.” He held up another bite and Horror darted forward, quickly chewing away. The pie was just plain delicious, truly something he never thought he’d get to experience where they lived. In fact, there were quite a lot of things that Crop made that he had never seen, but didn’t really bring it up. Everything tasted excellent, giving a boost and quieting the usual hunger pains.

The wind picked up a little, leaves rustling about them as they ate in the warmth of the day. It wasn’t anything truly eventful, not like what Horror considered eventful, but it was warm and comforting. Like drinking warm soup fresh from the stove on a cold winter’s day.

Also, Crop kept kissing him so that just made things ten times better.

As they started to gear up to pick up, Horror nudged Crop lightly and pointed towards a small rubble near a tree. “Can ya grab me a rock? Please?” he added on when Crop gave him a strange look.

“Uh, sure, collectin’ rocks now?” He sauntered over, swiping a rock and tossing it in the air, catching it with a whistle as he started back.

“Somethin’ like that. Thanks, dear,” he grinned, offering up a kiss as a reward which Crop gleefully took from him. Horror folded up the blanket, climbing into the truck as Crop got in on the other side, slamming the door.

“Thing’s sticking, gonna have to fix that,” Crop grunted and Horror chuckled, leaning on him again with his legs up on the seat.

“Sounds fun ta me...hey, get me some more rocks?”

“Sure sure, silly kitten.”

And down the mountain, they went.

Two rocks from a tiny pathway.

Two from a small tree stump where a little sprout had poked out of.

Three from a small crack that nearly got Crop’s hand stuck until Horror squeezed his hand in. It still hurt, leaving a set of bruises on their knuckles, and Crop playfully took Horror’s hand in his, kissing the bruises with a wink. Horror flushed, nudging him with a chuckle.

How odd, though.

Crop’s hand was bigger. Like, the bones. They were thicker than Horror’s own set, which looked brittle compared to the slightly dirty set of carpals. He saw them when they were eating, yeah, but now that they were holding hands, it was even more apparent. It just...it was a stark contrast.

His fingers long and spindly. Crop’s, stubby but thick and strong.

It was…

...different.

“What?”

“Nothin’,” Horror leaned in, pecking a kiss to his cheek. “C’mon, just two more, then we can head on home.”

Something about that made Crop flush, which was funny, and they climbed into the truck to start back down the road. The rocks were gathered in a pile on top of a spare handkerchief tied tight so Horror could easily carry them. Two little rocks from the road, and their fun afternoon was done with.

~~

The cauldron popped as the rocks were poured in, turning a sickly yellow as Hollo continued to stir. “Yes...yes...very nice, yes.”

Horror whipped the handkerchief, clearing it of dust before folding it up, slipping it into his pocket. “So...that’s...it then.”

“Yes. Yes.”

A moment passed.

“You got stuck.”

“I did,” Hollo chortled, stirring slower as if the fluid inside had gotten thicker. “I had lived a full life...but who amongst us is ready for death?” Horror looked away for a moment, his eyesockets furrowing as Hollo hefted up the stirrer, a small drop of the yellow liquid dangling by a thread. “But let us not dwell. The past is the past, and cannot harm us.”

Something about that phrase sent a dull ping in his head as if he had heard it once before. But no, he couldn’t have...right? He shrugged, and they nodded back. “You go on back now...thank you for all your help.” A pause. “Oaklin will see to you next.”

“...o...okay.”

Suddenly, he wasn’t very curious at all. Rather, he was...not scared. He was...it was a feeling he couldn’t describe.

He felt for these spirits, but he also felt like cowering away.

Whatever the feeling was, it would pass. He knew it was. For now, he ducked away, walking out of the community center and back towards the small farm. Before he left came Hollo’s voice.

“And please...call me Granny.”

The dangling yellow liquid drooped from the stirrer, and snapped away, dropping to the ground. A wonderful golden hue echoed around the kitchen tiles, porcelain clinking together as they ‘healed’, the grout clearing out instantly. Cupboards were fixed and the sink was cleaned, dishes clinking and piling up.

It looked like an inviting place as if one had shown up to their grandmother’s home, the soft scent of cookies and ‘just clean’ overtaking the senses.

With a soft wind, a small pile of dust scattered to the wind, along with a tinkle of a gentle laugh.

Chapter Text

Crop figured fishing was a pretty good thing to suggest they do. He couldn’t live on produce constantly, and meat was saved for the winter when it was hard to keep plants growing in the ice hard ground.

Sugar was ecstatic, although he kept talking about ‘feeding his new fish friends’, so Crop was pretty sure he had no clue what they were really about to do. Horror seemed mostly confused, shifting the fishing rod in his hands and staring at it as if it would reveal all its secrets.

Crop took them both to his favorite fishing spot, an old rotted bridge near a pond and waterfall that had fallen to pieces over the years. He’d never taken to fixing it as it was on his land and the river it once spread over had thinned over the years. Enough to see the fish, and the rocks on the bottom, but not too much. Still, all he had to do was walk through it instead of using the bridge, so he just never did.

One of the planks made a sturdy little bench where he often took up picnic baskets and a cooler to keep fish in. Sugar had opted to sit closer to the bank of the river, staring intently at the water as Crop helped Horror put the hook on his rod. “And then, ya just toss it in-wait no not like that!” he said as Horror lifted the whole rod above his head in confusion.

“You said toss it!”

“I know I did!” he laughed as Horror grinned, lowering the rod down. “Ya did that jus’ ta tease, eh?”

“Noooo,” Horror drawled out, still grinning as Crop poked his cheek with a snort.

“C’mon, try it out, kitten,” he teased, tugging Horror to sit next to him. Instead, he cheekily plopped into Crop’s lap with a hum, flicking the rod as he’d seen Crop do, the line darting out to the water. Crop didn’t seem to say anything, and Horror looked over his shoulder at the blushing skeleton.

“What? Cat got yer tongue?”

“Yer a menace,” he grumbled, tucking his face into Horror’s neck as the other skeleton laughed at him, feeling those thick hands curling about his waist. Horror just stuck his tongue out at him, watching the rod for a moment.

“…what am I s’pposed ta be doin’?”

“Hm? Just this. Jus’ waitin’ now.”

“Oh.”

Sugar had his feet in the water now, a few fish darting around and some dragonflies flitting about. He seemed to be taken with digging for some rocks on the bank instead of capturing any fish, so it was just Crop and Horror, looking for a bob in the reel as long fish swam by, just as intent on getting their own dinner.

The rod pulled a bit, and Horror perked up, tugging back on it as Crop cheered him on. “Yeah, jus’ a little, not too hard-okay, now!” Horror yanked, and a squirmy fish, shiny in the sunlight, bounced out of the water and onto their laps. They laughed as Sugar clapped from afar.

“HOORAY! ONE FISH FRIEND ACQUIRED!”

Crop leaned over to the cooler, flicking it open and helping Horror dangle the fish into the cooler. It was half filled with water, so once they unhooked it, it swam around in circles bumping into the sides. Crop chuckled, reaching in and letting his finger graze the fish. “Sure, Sugar, you can keep this ‘un. We can make an aquarium for ya, but some of ‘em we gotta keep ta eat.”

“OKAY!”

Horror mumbled as he flicked the rod again, a splash echoing in the air. They managed to reel in about three more fish, one a little fatter than the rest that Crop was eager to filet and salt later on.

They tossed the bobber in one last time, cicadas chirping as the sun settled high in the case. Sugar had tossed in a little fish food to them, and then was busy at the bank tossing out some to the ones who came close out of curiosity. He’d made an army of friends, just as he did with the raccoons.

Horror pulled in the reel, something plopping free of the river and dangling on his rod. “Uh. What’s that?”

“Hmm?”

On the rod dangled a little wooden fish, carved in the same manner as a child would draw it. Small scales were burned on it, a small X for the eye. Horror tilted the rod closer, untangling the wooden fish to settle in his palm. “Oh this is right cute…where’d it come from though?”

“Eh, who knows, probably a kid’s,” Crop shrugged, reaching out to tap at the little wooden fish. “ ‘S cute, could take it home, put it up or somethin’.”

“Yeah sure, why not,” Horror put the little wooden fish away in his pocket. They packed up their rods, Sugar bidding the passing fish goodbye as Crop led them away from the bank of the river back towards home.

~~

Horror blinked, holding a small wooden fish in his hand. He stared down at it from where he stood in the middle of the bedroom, having retrieved it from the dresser drawer. He blinked, searching his muddy memory for a moment before letting out a huff. Okay, journal time…

He hunted around for it in the bedside table, flipping to yesterday’s entry. Oh, they’d gone fishing, that was right. And he’d pulled in this little wooden thing, after getting a few fat fish to fry up later. They’d come back and Crop had made a small aquarium to set up in Sugar’s little house. He was now the proud owner of a rainbow trout who he called ‘Patty’. Right, he could remember this.

…well, it was a toss up if it was actually remembering or if his mind was just creating up the images he’d written down.

No time to think on that.

The little wooden fish was adorable but where did it come from?? He hummed as he flipped it around in his hands, relegating it to a pocket for now as he got ready for the day.

After breakfast, he got right to watering the crops, whistling a tune as Cujo trotted around his feet, licking at his ankles as if Horror was made of the tastiest bacon. He had to shoo the pup on, and after a bit, he rolled around in the dirt and panted, tail wagging a mile a minute. Horror couldn’t help a smile, Cujo was a darling pup who kept him company more often than not.

He heard something near the treeline shuffling, and he paused after watering a blooming jalapeño plant. He put down the watering can, looking over at the bushes.

A spirit peeked through the bushes, an oak leaf covering their face. They squeaked, seeing him staring back at them, and tried to scramble back. Unsurprisingly, they were stuck. He cleared his throat so as not to laugh as he started over, Cujo basking in the sunlight nearby. “Hey now, hang on, I’ll help ya out.”

The spirit froze as he reached into the bramble, untangling a vine or two, and they tumbled out onto their feet. They swayed in place, looking embarrassed. “Th-Thank you…you helped Hollo, and Makar.”

“I did,” he said, the name’s sparking memories like an old flame. “…you must be…Oaklin?”

“I am…you found…my precious treasure.”

“Huh?” he blinked as Oaklin pointed at his pocket.

“My little fish…it’s my good luck charm. When I was alive, I would carry it to the sea with me,” he whispered as Horror, suddenly realizing their height difference, kneeled down on one knee as he fished-heh-out the little wooden fish. “I would get so many delicious fish in, enough for market, enough for ice box.”

“I can imagine,” he said, holding out the wooden fish. Oaklin tilted his head, reaching out to grab it with his tiny hands and clutched it to his chest. “It’s rather cute.”

“My grandson made it for me,” he whispered. “…I miss him dearly.”

“Do…you want me to like…I dunno…pass somethin’ to him?”

Oaklin paused before swaying in place, a small blush on his face rippling across the oak leaf. “Oh! Oh that would be so wonderful. I have the perfect idea…”

At the community center, boards rippled under the broken aquarium, ripping out old and rusted nails. Cracks in the aquarium sealed themselves, and water started to fill it from nowhere. Kelp swayed and sand swirled at the bottom as various ocean fish suddenly populated the tank. Lights flickered and then stayed on, giving the aquarium a delightful look to it.

The sound of a reel unwinding and a splash echoed, a low voice singing a sailor’s ditty.

Oh, if I could fish all my life, it would be a glorious life~ but ah I have myself a wife, and she would not be thrilled~

~~

“Joel. Joel! JOEL!”

“What?!” Joel yelled from the back of the house. He was a large bull monster, getting on in age. His once sleek black fur was now graying at the edges, his horns still in pristine condition but one had chipped from his youth. He huffed as he paused in his woodwork, putting down a hammer. “What IS it, Kimi?”

Kimi, his wife, a beautiful cow monster wearing a green dress with flowers on it, popped through the door with a strange look on her face. “You’ve got yerself a letter!”

Ah, his wife, how beautiful she was. Chestnut colored fur and blonde locks. Her nose ring glinted in the light as he headed to her, reaching out to grab at the letter she had in her hands. “What’s it from?”

“Dunno, jus’ says to ya, hon. I’ve got stew on, lemme go finish.”

He nodded, looking at the cream colored envelope. It had no return address, a messy scrawl of his name on the front, and it felt…heavy? He flipped it over, pulling open the flap.

A letter peeked out, and he pulled it, accidentally pulling free the item inside and it clattered to the floor loudly. He bent down to pick it up as he read the letter.

‘Dear Joel,

It’s high time this came back to you. Sorry that it’s been gone so long. May you always reel in the big one.

Pa’

He stared down at the small wooden fish in his hand, his hoof holding it tightly. He remembered that day, his very first carving. He’d been thrilled, and had ran straight to his grandfather, still small enough to get in his lap. His grandfather had boasted about it for ages, that if fishing didn’t work out he could always make it as a carver.

He smiled, heedless of the tear sliding from his eye as he sniffed. “You fishy old man…how the hell…” he shook his head, sniffing again as he quickly wiped his eyes. No, his grandfather had passed years ago in an accident…but maybe this was from an old friend of his?

He folded the letter, sliding it in a desk drawer and walked out of his studio, his little calf toddling her way to his knees and giggling up a storm. He picked her up with a smile, her cute pink dress matching the bows scattered in her blonde hair. “Daddy!”

“Hey, sunshine,” he kissed her head, bouncing her lightly. She blinked, poking at the fish in his hoof.

“What that?”

He chuckled, shifting her higher up to his shoulder. “It’s an old carving of mine. …hey, sweetheart, have I ever told you about your great-grandfather, the fisher?”

“Fish!” she squealed, her feet kicking excitedly as he wandered to the kitchen, his heart growing warm as he kissed his wife.

What would it hurt to take the family fishing this weekend? Yeah, that was a thought.

For now, he let his little girl hold the fish, smiling as she cooed at it like a real animal and kissed it, wondering if this is what his grandfather felt upon seeing him as a child, approaching and holding the carving up with an excited smile.

Now to find his old fishing rod…where in the blazes was it…

Chapter Text

The young foal had grown fast, if you asked Horror. She had gone from a leggy thing to a rather plump and fierce creature who took to running circles around Nightshade, who she appeared to take on as a leader of sorts. She was at his side constantly, even on the days Crop let them have run of the field, always nudging at him to try and play or trotting just ahead only to look back to see if he was coming with her.

Sugar thought it was the most adorable thing in the world EVER.

Crop let him name her Caramel, for her strange, brown coloring.

With that, and the quail egg hatching into a tiny, chirping thing that Horror named Fan due to the fuzzy feathers looking like nothing more than one of Muffin’s fancy fans, the farm was quickly expanding and requiring just a tad more hands than they were able to have.

The new name, written several times in the notebook, called the farmhand ‘Caleb’. Horror had...had an unfortunate reaction to seeing a human he did not know on the farm, and so they had all taken to being far more cautious in checking on what Horror knew and did not know that day.

...unfortunately for him, Caleb absolutely adored Horror for some reason. The young boy was fourteen, ‘old enough to know hard work’ his father had said after Crop had put a notice up expressing a need for assistance on the farm. Caleb had followed them all like a duck for a while, latching onto Horror for one reason or another, even after the skeleton nearly sent the boy flying the second day he was there.

Still, with the youthful energy on board and someone who did triple the work of the rest of them (okay, at least Crop and Horror), the days went by swiftly, and before Horror even knew it, Summer was ending, the chilly whisps of Fall nipping at their heels.

The crops had all been picked, the field tilled to await the new seeds, and Caleb was busy chattering on and on about how he couldn’t wait for the fair and all spirits’ eve.

Horror nodded along, happy for the chatter while he had no headache pinging at the edges of his vision. Today, he had a simple dark green ribbon with his hat, tied under his jaw to ease a small pinch resting there. With the cool weather slipping in, he’d taken to wearing thicker shirts and pants, something that the whole bay had taken to doing with the fact they were so close to the sea.

Caleb was decked in a simple sweater and jeans, ruddy face with short brown hair and freckles framing his green eyes, the boy never stilling as he darted around hefting up chickens or logs of wood. “And then, Scratch was like, no way you can ice skate on the pond! But I told him, we do it every year! And then HE says that he doesn’t remember it! I think he’s pulling my leg, ya know?” he sniffed, rubbing a hand at his nose, dirt smearing across it as Horror chuckled, thumping his hoe against the shed for a moment as he offered Caleb a handkerchief. “Oh, thanks, Mister Horror!”

“No problem,” he mumbled, scratching lightly at his own cheek. “Sounds like ya got a busy life, huh?”

“I guess,” Caleb says, shrugging. “Hey, can we go see the cows? I love seeing the cows!”

The cows were mostly Crop’s undertaking, but Horror figured it didn’t hurt to let the kid muck the stalls or however they put it.

He let Caleb go on, the boy hollering happily as he went to go pet the two fussy cows.

Ah, if only he had that energy.

Horror shifted and groaned as he knelt on the ground, turning a spigot to wash his hands off. The water which was once warm was practically icy now, and he hissed, flexing his hands to sprinkle the water on the ground as Cujo flew by, barking before nearly slamming into Horror’s legs, rolling in circles before looking up at him with wide eyes. Horror chuckled, turning off the spigot as he wiped his hands on his pants, scratching the pup behind his ears as he stood up, ignoring the popping in his knees. “You ‘n’ him are a lot a like, ya know? Never stoppin’ a moment.”

Cujo flicked an ear at him, and then, sensing a miscreant bird somewhere on the farm, took off like a rocket.

Ah. He supposed life never stood still for a dog who took his duties as seriously as that one.

He must have been lost in thought a moment there, because an arm looping around his shoulders and a kiss planting on the side of his skull startled him for a second, relaxing as he noticed the wide brim of Crop’s hat and the winking socket of the farmer. “Eya, pretty kitten~ watcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

Horror snorted, nudging him lightly but not pushing him away as they started to walk back towards the farmhouse, their boots both dirty but dry, caked in mud and other grime, Crop peeling the other glove from his hand to stuff in the pocket on the front of his overalls. “Mm. Cold. Bones ache in it.”

“Yeah, mine do too,” Crop huffed, and Horror smothered a laugh at the pout on the other’s face as Cujo whirled past them, kicking up dust and irritating the chickens who all clucked at him loudly. “Thinkin’ ‘bout visitin’ the hot springs.”

Horror perked up curiously as Crop helped him up the steps of the porch. “There’s a hot springs here?”

“Mmhmm. Not a real popular place in th’ hot seasons, but moment a chill sweeps in, you bet your bottom G that someone-mostly Gerson that old turtle-heads their way to it and soaks for hours. It’s real nice, too.” He opened the door, and they headed in, Horror practically glaring at him when he started to stomp inside with the mucked boots. Crop looked abashed at that, tucking them next to Horror’s in the mudroom as he’d learned to do since the two had come here to live with him.

Horror hummed as he quickly stole Crop’s recliner with a smug grin, the other skeleton snorting as he headed to the kitchen to look and see what to cook that night. “That’d be nice. Never went to one.”

“We’ll take Sugar and Veg with us, then! Family trip!” Crop hollered back, and Horror grunted an agreement, setting out the ottoman so he could tuck his legs under the comfy blanket.

Sadly, Veg could not attend, as he had a few patients he had to keep an eye out. "BUT I'LL GO NEXT WEEK!" he promised, which was good enough for Crop.

Caleb had been invited as well, but the boy made a face as he chewed on the slice of brisket Crop gave him with a plate of potatoes and corn. “I ain’t visited the hot springs with my parents since I was like...ten! I’m a grown up,” he sniffed, and Horror wondered if pointing out that him being ten was only a few years ago would make him mad. “No thanks, I’ll visit when there ain’t no one around!”

Crop looked very amused as Sugar eagerly devoured his own plate, sometimes sneaking a bite of meat to Cujo who had taken up a solemn duty to look for any stray pieces of food under the table. “Alrigh’, just askin’. You go on home after ya eat then, don’t let yer ma worry herself sick, ya hear?”

“Mmkay,” he said, and the boy polished his plate faster than Cujo with dropped bacon, a feat nigh on unimaginable, and then he was gone with a chipper wave.

Horror grunted, shaking his head as Sugar happily helped wash the dishes, standing up to stretch a bit. “Dunno if I ever had that boy’s energy.”

“Think I had it when I was five,” Crop said, putting away the now dry dishes.

“HE’S FUN! WE LIKE TO RACE ON WHO GETS DONE FIRST,” Sugar laughed, taking his coat from Crop with a ‘thank you’. Horror thought it was adorable how Sugar had found a ‘rival’ in Caleb, who also found it exciting to race around and see what he could do the fastest.

“Boy’ll learn ta slow down I suppose,” Crop said, helping Horror into his own jacket, playfully tugging at his ribbon only for Horror to swat his hand, making the farmer laugh. “Alrigh’, let’s go.”

The ‘hot springs’ were very beautiful, Horror had to say. The people of Pelican Bay had built a small entrance in front, partitioning off changing rooms so that people wouldn’t get undressed in front of one another. There was no fee to access it, but a small box did ask for donations, and they dropped a G inside.

The cool wind nipped at his slightly cracked and aching bones as he undressed, wrapping a towel around himself with a shiver. It’s not like it was out of sorts to walk around ‘bare boned’ if he so chose, even Crop had, on hotter days, went around just wearing boots and would hose down outside if he got dirty enough.

But with the wind whipping around the trees and skating across the hot springs, it felt better to buffer against it with the thick towel, at least until he got into the water.

Sugar, who ran comfortably warm on the best of days, seemed to not even feel the cool Fall weather as it was, and happily leaped into the springs with the energy of a much younger monster.

Horror couldn’t help a small chuckle as Sugar startled a nearby frog into leaping away, and the other skeleton started cooing at it to try and goad it closer. No way was that frog getting anywhere near the hot springs for a while at this rate!

Crop popped up beside him, the towel already dipping down a bit towards his hips, hat tucked under his arm as he laced his other arm with Horror’s. “Well, hey good lookin’~ mighty fine night we’re havin’, ain’t we?”

Horror chortled, flapping his hand with a grin as they leaned in for a kiss, nuzzling each other. “Sure, suppose so.”

“Aw c’mon, dip in the springs will have ya thinkin’ better ‘bout it. Oop, hang on,” he said, reaching up, and despite some strange hiccup of a notion, Horror didn’t flinch as Crop’s hand came to the bandage protecting the hole in his skull, lightly tightening it even as Crop frowned. “We gotta be careful ‘bout that...”

“Just don’t splash me,” he murmured back, trying not to wince as the bandage was tugged on. Veg had been working hard to find something to at least recreate the porous nature of bone, or some sort of mesh for it, but they were still waiting on supplies for it. It’s not like Horror was too frantic about it, too busy with the community center and day to day life at the farm.

Still, once they got it closed up, he’d be so, SO happy about it! It would heal a good half of all his headaches, and no longer he’d have to keep his skull hidden by a bandage!

Crop laughed, pecking another kiss to him, then another, making Horror squirm and laugh as they headed to the springs. “Nah, I would mever, pretty kitty~”

“Oh, shush, you,” Horror flustered, hiding a giggle as Crop laced their hands together, kissing up his arm and making him snort with laughter.

The springs were warm, seeping into cracks and soaking into aching joints. Quite honestly, if Horror didn’t know he’d sink to the bottom, he knew he’d doze off in seconds with how relaxed he’d gotten.

Everything smelled warm with a crisp of encroaching chill. Had they been back on their own island, this would be hints of danger, what with less food supply being on the horizon.

However, here, with Crop and Veg and the whole of Pelican Bay, it was nothing but the change of season calling on the wind, the turning of the crop and something new on the horizon.

Horror was careful not to sink too far in, letting the water lap at his jaw as Crop groaned, stretching out against the bottom of the springs. “Ooooh, yeah, that’s the ticket~ one time, I fell asleep here, woke up with snow fallin’ in ma eyesocket.”

Horror shivered, watching the ripples of the water as he tried to contain his laughter. “Sounds like a...flurry of a time.”

Crop snickered, playfully nudging him with his foot. “Mmhmm. Think I scared a few younguns trottin’ about town, leaking snow everywhere.”

Horror’s snickers turned louder, and he flicked some water at Crop. “Did they call ya a snow-skele?”

Crop splashed a bit back, cackling as Horror ducked away, flicking more warm water his way. “Called me a few things, that’s fer sure.”

They cackled a bit together, lapsing into quiet for a moment as Sugar splashed his way towards a new animal that had caught his eye, a fox peering out from the bushes. It did not heed his calls to ‘come here, little cutie patootie!’ and, instead, continued to spy on them.

Horror did end up falling asleep after a bit, dozing against Crop’s shoulder, only rousing when Crop gently nudged him and whispered that it was time to get out. The day had shifted right into night, stars twinkling high above them, the warm hot springs worming around their bones and souls. Had Horror the inclination, he might’ve murmured a demand to be carried or some such nonsense.

But he didn’t, because...uh...well, he’s pretty sure he didn’t, but somehow, from one slow blink to the next, he felt the chill touch him like a child snatching at their mother’s hand as he stood with his thick sweater in his hands, Crop helping him get dressed as he chattered away.

Horror blinked sleepily as Crop cupped his cheek, kissing him sweetly. “You look tired, kitten,” he murmured, and Horror hummed an answer, leaning closer as somehow he was slipped into his jacket, the chill easing a bit, sleep pulling harder at his senses. “Poor thing~ you just go on an’ sleep, we’ll get ya home.”

Horror thought that sounded just fine, if he had been able to answer, and down he slid into the quiet of sleep, carried in Crop’s arms even as Sugar quietly asked if he could help.

The slide from Summer to Fall was gradual, like a slow blink, like the realization that one fell asleep to a good show and woke up to the sun shining in a window, the day having come far too fast.

And Horror, mind slipping through thoughts like water over stone, idly wondered...how much longer could these wonderful times last?

...how long indeed...

(...weirdly, when Horror woke up in their home, it was cold.

As if someone had put the fire out before they had all went to bed.

Strange, that.)