Reborn As A Dust Sans [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch16 - Purr

Ashe's POV

The gentle giant took your bowl and retreated into the kitchen once more, leaving you a moment with the ghostly sibling who was still beaming in pride at having a new member to the family. It made your soul warm seeing him so cheerful.

"BROTHER! I APPROVE OF OUR SPIKEY SURPRISE SIBLING! HE'S EVEN FEEDING YOU ACTUAL FOOD! ANYBODY WHO FEEDS YOU IS SURELY TRUSTWORTHY!"

You giggled silently at his enthusiasm. 'I didn't know I would form a bond with him, but I... I'm honestly glad that I did. He makes me feel safe,' you let out sheepishly, pulling up your scarf to hide the slight blush on your skull.

He grinned, sockets leaking profusely. "NYEH HEH! WOULD HOPE SO! IF HE DOESN'T TREAT YOU WELL, I'LL FIND A WAY TO STAB HIM MYSELF!"

You giggled again. 'You don't need to do that, Papy, I trust Mr Horror.'

When the gentle giant returned, he was holding two large bowls filled with the same soup he had so kindly given to you just moments prior. One for himself, you assumed, immediately finding yourself Feeling reassured that he was not going without.

Unexpectedly, he put them both down onto the table, then lifted you up so you were sitting in his lap. His grip was gentle but firm, one arm over your torso whilst the other tilted his own bowl to his mouth. It was done within moments, though you weren't really surprised. 

It did answer your question about cutlery though – he didn't use any himself, so he probably just didn't think to get you some earlier. Not that you minded, you just weren't quite used to eating without cutlery. Or... well, eating at all, considering how long you had gone hungry.

You let your gaze fall to the second bowl sitting on the table, which Horror didn't seem to be planning to eat. Did... he get you more, then? Was it okay for you to eat that bowl too? You looked to the bowl, and then back to him, silently questioning if you were allowed to have more. After all, you didn't want to eat if it ended up being for somebody else, but you were admittedly still hungry. 

Horror caught onto your unasked question easily and pushed the bowl closer to you, nodding as though to say it were okay. That he'd meant it for you. With only a slight bit of hesitation, you dove into the second bowl, the tasty soup disappearing quickly. 

"Slow down... Don't choke," He chuckled. He waited a few moments before he continued speaking, now seeming to be more satisfied with your pace as you had taken his request seriously and slowed down. "How long has... it been since... you had... a full meal? Not rations... or something small.. but a full meal."

Your uncertainty was clear by the way you hesitated to answer. How long had it been? You couldn't remember that far back, so you turned to your ghostly sibling with a questioning gaze, hopeful he might have an answer for you. 'Papy?'

"NYEH! THAT IS A... GOOD QUESTION. HMMM. YOU SPENT A TOTAL OF THREE YEARS, ELEVEN MONTHS AND ONE WEEK ALONE IN THE UNDERGROUND. SINCE A LOT OF THE FOOD WAS TAINTED, YOUR LAST FULL MEAL WAS PROBABLY THE BURGER AT THE EMPTY GRILLBYS TWO YEARS, THREE MONTHS, TWO WEEKS AND TWO DAYS AGO-"

'Papy, sorry to interrupt, but do you mind rounding from now on? As much as I appreciate your accuracy, its a little time consuming telling me down to the day...'

"OF COURSE, BROTHER!" He agreed, clearly not offended by your request. "SO IT HAS BEEN...TWO YEARS THREE MONTHS SINCE THE LAST FULL MEAL, THEN ONE YEAR TWO MONTHS SINCE YOUR LAST RATION, AND... UGH.. NINE MONTHS SINCE YOU RESORTED TO EATING DUST. WHICH WAS... gross... BUT NECESSARY."

'Thanks Papy,' you signed, then turned back to Horror. You always tried to make it a point of facing who you were talking to. 'Papy says that it's been a little over two years since the last full meal, then nine months since we ran out altogether.'

The glowing red orb of his eye light seemed to go fuzzy and fizzle out for a moment, body tensing at the confession of how long it had been. He was clearly concerned for you. "That is... much too long... I should have guessed... when you were relying... on your brother... to tell you how... long it had been."

You shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing what to say. Thankfully, you didn't seem to need to say anything, because the gentle giant pulled you closely to his chest, practically engulfing your small body in a hug.
You froze up a little at first, not having expected the sudden embrace, but slowly melted into his arms, feeling warmth and safety. His intent lulled you into a comfort, PROTECT-SAFE-MINE, and so you snuggled into him a little, allowing yourself to remain comfortable in his arms.

He just felt so safe and warm and—was he purring? That took you a little off guard for a moment. You didn't know that skeletons could purr, but Horror was certainly proving it a possibility.

Could you purr too? Your soul fluttered in your chest, startling you for a moment, but you relaxed. So purring came from the soul, you realised, as your soul gave a weak purr in return to Horror. He grinned, clearly happy at that.

"You won't have... to go hungry... ever again, little bro.... I will make... sure of it."

You tired to sign a response, but with him not letting go of you, you couldn't exactly use your hands. Instead, you let out a small hum of acknowledgement, feeling your sockets beginning to close. Maybe you could just... have a little nap? Surely he wouldn't mind...

Soon, you felt your conscious begin to fade, but the warmth remained. You felt yourself being lifted up, held in the arms of the gentle giant as he carried you someplace. You heard vague talking, but didn't recognise who was speaking and were too sleepy to remember anything that was said.

And then you felt a bed like surface beneath you, and everything completely slipped away into a comfortable sleep.