Shiver

Shiver

I finally decided to participate in Mermay. Got a bit of catch-up to do. But here's my first installment. The Mermay bingo I'm going off of is from @skumhuu

He was alone. Cross didn't quite know how he got here, but here he was. In the ocean, alone. Sand beneath his flippers and salt water surrounding him. Schools of fish swam past, only darting away when he moved. It was- relaxing. He felt free. Freer than he had since he was captured as a pup. Cross didn't swim, he just stayed. Watching the fish and other critters going about their lives. He should probably go on too.

Mismatched eyelights scanned the reef. Where would he go? How was life supposed to work under the waves? He tried to remember what Gaster taught him about shark behavior. Nothing came to mind. Except- Sharks had a tendency to live in shivers. Or, mersharks at least. Should he try to find others? Cross shook his head. He didn't want to think about how easily another mershark could tear him apart.

Maybe- yeah. He could just hunt for now. Build up his skills and get used to living outside of the lab. Then he could move on to settling a bit more. And maybe he could find a shiver. But, for now, he needed to be able to survive on his own.

Cross sat curled up on a rock. His eyelights scanning the area for anything dangerous or suspicious. There was the faintest bit of blood in the water, which he ignored. He hadn't heard anything, so the blood was likely from some unfortunate fish that was caught by another creature. The thresher debated on going and hunting for himself, but the water was too dark and his eyelights adjusted poorly. He would usually hunt closer to the surface, where plenty of light filtered through and he could see clearly.

"Yoo! Crossy!" The mer looked up, instantly spotting a red glow emerging from the darker water. A bull shark mer emerged, blood smeared on his skull, sharp teeth forming a wild grin. "Glad to see you haven't ditched us," Killer chirped playfully.

"As if," Cross huffed, nudging away his partner before any blood got on him. "Aren't you supposed to be with the others?"

"Nah, we didn't want you to be alone, after all, you've been up here makin' sure we all make it out," The smaller shark forced himself into Cross's arms, hugging tight. Cross froze up for a moment before sighing and returning the embrace. Killer let out a soft purr, relaxing Cross further. It was- nice. While the larger mer didn't mind waiting for everyone and keeping guard, maybe he did get a bit lonely. The thresher melted in his partner's embrace, exhaustion creeping up on him now that he was in familiar arms.

It wasn't long before Horror and Dust appears from the trench, Horror holding a large tuna and Dust with the rest of their catch. A school of pilot fish swarmed around the two sharks cuddled together. Cross let out a confused mrrp? before opening his eyes he didn't know he had closed.

"C'mon," Dust said, tail gently brushing over his two intertwined mates. "Lets get back to the twins," Cross stretched before swimming over and offering to help with the catch. Killer did the same and both ended up with a few things they brought back to the Depths.

Waiting there for the group to return were Dream and Nightmare, the goldfish settled on his brother's shoulder, talking about whatever ancient beings talk about in their free time. The warm, glowing entity darted down and greeted the sharks as they came in.

Once everyone was settled and eating, Cross paused from his meal. He looked over at everyone, securely nestled in Nightmare's tentacles, happy and content. He wasn't alone anymore. He had people, a lot of people. His time in the lab seemed so far away. Like it was a lifetime ago. And it might as well have been. Before, Cross was miserable and trapped. Now, he was free and living with the kindest beings he had ever met. And all of them cared about him so much. He finally had not only a shiver, but a family.

Cross smiled as he continued eating the squid Horror had caught especially for him.

Head Bonks

Two small leviathans swam through the sun-warmed water close to the surface. They were created together, twins, brothers. Dream, a warm, fiery goldfish with the power to boil entire seas. And Nightmare, a chaotic and dark entity who could smash boats and seaside towns with little to no effort with monstrous waves, all for his own amusement. Though neither had turned against each other. Not yet. They merely explored this new world they resided in, not remembering exactly how they came into existence. Dream laughed as he swam around his brother, trying to tempt him into a game of tag. When the octopus mer finally gave in, Dream darted away, an expert at avoiding his brother. Something that he couldn't see the true importance of. And wouldn't, for years.

When the two were finally done chasing each other around, they laid to rest. And Dream, ever so carefully, bonked his brother's forehead with his own. Nightmare let out an amused huff and threw a tentacle over Dream, wrapping him up in a gentle embrace.

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Nightmare was big. He knew that. He hated his tinier, weaker form. Ever since the incident, he avoided being in it if he could, but- Horror and Dream were curled up together, enjoying each others company. And Nightmare was envious that he too, couldn't be wrapped up in Horror's strong arms. So, for the first time in a long time, Nightmare allowed himself to be small. He approached his brother and the shark they had claimed as their own.

"Night-" Dream started before Horror scooped up the leviathan and brought him into the cuddle. The Great White pressed his skull to Nightmare's and gave off a deep rumble of a purr. He did the same to Dream and the trio drifted off into a calm slumber, Nightmare feeling safe enough to be so helpless since he received his injury.

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Evening had fallen, the Trench was dark as always. Two sharks and a goldfish were all snuggled together, seemingly asleep. A large figure watched over them. Nightmare was also in a half-resting state. Yet he noticed when the newest addition to their shiver- that's what Horror had called it anyway, stirred. As did the previously mentioned Great White. They were speaking to each other. About what, Nightmare couldn't make out. He scooped up the conversing duo and gently brought them towards him, leaving his brother to sleep on his lonesome. Not that he noticed.

"Are you alright?" Dust had tears in his eyes and pressed his forehead to Horror's, almost as if both seeking comfort and hiding. "It's alright. Nothing can harm you down here," Nightmare said as softly as he could. The tip of one of his tentacles stroked the distressed mer until tears no longer flowed from his sockets.

"Thanks," Dust said in a barely audible whisper, before swimming up and bonking Nightmare's large head with his tiny one. Nightmare returned them to Dream, who was still deep in the firm hold of sleep.

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Killer was wild, his energy and speed only matched by Dream's own. He was chaotic and loud, but a welcome addition to the shiver. Unlike the previous and quiet shared moments Nightmare had with the others, Killer's own moment with the leviathan was just as loud and unexpected as the shark himself. It had been after a semi-successful hunt. The trio of sharks had gone after a giant squid, resulting in a few injuries. And a large meal for the shiver to share. Killer had returned with the most harm done to him, and the twins were glad that the things that did that was already dead. Lest their powers once again wreak havoc on the poor, unsuspecting oceans.

Dream was busy cleaning up Killer's wounds whilst settled in his brother's palm when Killer gave him a bonk. Dream let out a surprised squeak.

"Thanks for patchin' me up Dreamy~" Killer said smoothly before worming his way out of the shocked goldfish's grasp. "And you too Night," He said, delivered another bonk to Nightmare- And promptly swimming off. Both twins sat in silence for a moment before Dream jolted up like he had been caught on a fishing line.

"Get back here!" He screeched, darting off in the direction Killer had swam off to. "I'm not done with the bandages!" Nightmare held back a laugh until he was certain his brother was out of earshot.

-------

How two ancient leviathans kept collecting sharks was a complete mystery to Nightmare. He honestly thought they were done. But no. Dream and Killer just had to find and bring back the oddest, strangest, most silly little mortal being and drag him into the Depths. Cross didn't know how to act, barely knew how to hunt, and was completely abysmal when it came to navigation. He didn't purr, or growl. He never growled, not as a warning, not even when facing down a confused Nightmare. And Cross also didn't give any of the others head bonks. Which made sense. He had only been with the shiver for a few months, but-

Nightmare slipped into his small form and swam up to where Cross was sitting, near motionless, by the entrance to the Depths.

"Hello," He greeted. His voice the same, yet also different. Smaller. Cross gave only a glance. Nightmare huffed before cupping the thresher's skull in his hands. Cross gave a confused sound before Nightmare gently knocked their foreheads together. They stayed like that for a few moments before Cross leaned back. "It's a bonk. An affectionate gesture." Nightmare explained. Cross took a small breath and repeated what Nightmare had done to him. A small purr escaped the octopus. Cross tried to mimic the noise and found that it wasn't hard at all.

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Nightmare had met Kelp before on numerous occasions, but this was the first time the two were meeting on the surface. Horror and Dust had accompanied him in his smaller form. They were both there more to quell his anxiety than for any actual protection. Even as small as he was Nightmare was ferocious and strong.

Kelp was waiting on the dock, feet in the water, when they arrived. He and Horror chatted for a bit, before Nightmare pulled himself up to sit next to the fisherman.

"Hi," He said, waving a tentacle as both his hands were fidgeting with each other. Kelp gasped.

"Hello Nightmare. I'm glad you trust me enough to show me your smaller side," Nightmare only gave a nod in response. Kelp used one hand to turn Nightmare's face towards him and gave the other a bonk, much like the ones Horror and Dust gave to him.

Screw spambots and all, but Ms. Tessendorf502 and Ms. Padberg96, I will be stealing your last names for the next time I can't think of one for an OC.

Also, also, why are these bots so, like, flirty? suggestive? The ones following me anyway. Are they all like that? If they are, excuse me? I'm gay? Your bot flirtations have no effect on me, even if you were real.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday to AO3 🎂🎉

Octopus

An octopus slowly crawled out of its cave. The shell of some unfortunate creature was held in one of its many tentacles as a shield. As though such material could protect it from the dangers that surrounded it. The world was dark, the moon high in the stary sky, making only a sliver of a reflection. A large shadow passed the tiny being and it sunk into the coral, switching colors to be as close to invisible as it could get. The shadow passed, leaving only a trail of bubbles in its wake. The octopus continued onward. Despite being to close to the surface and so far away from the demons lurking in deeper water, the shallow reef was far from safe. Suckers clung to the rocks and coral and it continued moving in search for... something.

Bubbly giggling could be heard and the cephalopod held the shell up in the direction of the noise.

"Aww," The thing cooed as it watch the octopus with great interest. "You're so cute!" It squealed. The octopus backed away, keeping the shell up as the only barrier between it and the creature. As it moved away, the water got warmer. "Don't leave, I just want to play~" The octopus did not understand the words and slipped itself into a crevice of the rocks. "You're no fun," The warm being whined before swimming closer and snatching the shell away from the suckers with multiple little pops. "You're really bad at hiding you know," And those were the last words spoken before the small warm thing turned into a giant, sweltering beast that dug its fingers into the rocks and broke them open. Escape was impossible, so the octopus changed its colors and sunk as far down into the remaining sanctuary as possible. The being was boiling the water around it and thus, the water the octopus was in. Living in such extreme heat was impossible, but that wasn't what killed it. When the being became small again, it shot its head forward and bit down with all the force of an ancient being.

Dream opened his jaw and let the dead creature float into his hands. Oh, this was going to be fun. The glowing mer sped off towards the depths, octopus in hand. The water around him got darker and darker as he left the sunlit zone and entered the trench. There was no light except the glowing scales of the goldfish as he went deeper and then- he stopped. A glowing cyan light suddenly appeared, bathing Dream in it's light.

"Nighty!" The goldfish chirped. "I brought you something, I think you'll like it," The giant beast, "Nighty" lifted and hand to take whatever his brother had brought back down.

"I don't like the look you're giving me," The kraken said as his brother drifted into his hand. The small and slightly deformed body of a tentacled creature. Nightmare huffed, the action causing the octopus to start drifting away if it hadn't been for Dream who quickly caught it again. "You're the bane of my existance" The leviathan deadpanned. Dream laughed, a warm, bell-like sound that Nightmare would have loved hearing if it hadn't been directed at him.

"Oh c'mon brother, it looks just like you," Dream said through his fits of giggles.

"No, it does not. It's tiny and pathetic and-"

"Literally exactly like you?"

"Shut up."

"No." Dream said, his eyelights glinting with mischief. Nightmare growled and pinned his brother down with one of his many tentacles. "Come ooooon Nightmare, it was funny,"

"It was not. Now stay." Nightmare pressed with the slightest bit over pressure, careful not to hurt his currently tiny brother. The body of the octopus drifted past the very stuck Dream.

"You can't just let it go to waste, at least it eat," The trapped mer complained- Before having his catch shoved unceremoniously into his mouth. Nightmare released his brother and tucked the tentacle back with his others.

"See, not waste. Happy?" Dream gave his brother an empty glare before ripping the octopus apart and eating it. He offered some to his brother, but the kraken declined. And no, it wasn't because it was "cannibalism," because it wasn't. He wasn't an octopus. He was a leviathan. His brother was just being ridiculous.

Bite-Sized: Prologue

So, this is a bit of a prologue. The story before it starts. Because really, every story has to start somewhere. And this one starts, not at the beginning, but at, technically, an end. The end of a normal life, the end of calm, the end of quiet. And it begins again in pain and loss. But don't take to much at once. It's small, bite-sized, if you will. So let us begin. Or end, whichever you see fit to describe this.

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Papyrus had been dreading this day ever since the core failed. Why would he not? The people of the Underground had been slowly starving for years now. There was no one who could get enough food to properly sustain themselves. No one, except one. It wasn't Sans's fault that Papyrus never let him go hungry. He was only six, it would be wrong to deny him even a snack. Of course, now, that had all backfired.

"NO."

"Papyrus, I'm not asking anymore."

"I KNOW THAT AND I DON'T CARE. " The tall skeleton remained in front of the door, blocking the Emperess.

"Do you understand how dire the situation has gotten?"

"YES. I'M ONE OF THE MONSTERS LIVING THROUGH IT. BUT I REFUSE TO HAVE SANS SUFFER WITH US."

"That's not what I'm-"

"NO, WHAT YOU WANT IS FAR WORSE, UNDYNE." She sighed.

"papy? what's going on?"

"GO BACK INSIDE SANS, UNDYNE AND I ARE JUST HAVING A CHAT,"

"Papyrus..."

"whatcha talkin' 'bout?"

"UNDYNE-"

"We need someone with really strong magic to help start the Core back up,"

"and you need papy?"

"YES! THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT UNDYNE NEEDS! A MAGNIFICENT SKELETON SUCH AS YOUR BROTHER! THAT'S WHY SHE'S COME, TO ASK FOR MY ASSISTANCE!" Papyrus knew it sounded forced. But he also knew that his baby brother was unlikely to notice.

"so cool papy!!" Sans cried out giving his brother a hug around his legs before running back inside and shutting the door.

"You can't keep doing this forever Paps,"

"I'LL DO IT AS LONG AS I NEED TO. I SUGGEST YOU LEAVE." Undyne exhaled loudly and made her leave, bothering only with a wave and spoke no farewell. Papyrus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and entered his house.

"did you help her?" Papyrus smiled.

"AS MUCH AS I COULD, SANS. BUT WORRY NOT, EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE."

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Everything was not fine, Sans realized, if a bit too late. He shouldn't have gone alone. But he wanted to make sure that it really would be alright, that his brother really did help with the Core.

"p...papy?" His head hurt. It felt like it had been spiked through by a spear. And that wasn't an entirely incorrect statement. He couldn't see. All Sans knew was the pain blossoming through his skull. And that he was missing something important. What, he couldn't tell. But Undyne had been there. And now she wasn't. He thinks he might have seen her holding his eye, but also, that didn't seem right. His vision blacked out when it was forcefully torn from his socket, how could he still see?

"SANS? SANS, WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S DINNER TIME!" Dinner sounded nice. Papy always made tasty dinners but didn't eat much himself. Sans always gave him some of his snacks. His big brother wasn't the best at self-care after all. "S-SANS?" Sans tilted his skull towards his brother's voice.

"papy? i'm okay..."

"YOU ARE- VERY... NOT OKAY. GIVE ME A MOMENT BROTHER." Long, lanky arms scooped up the small body of the six-year-old and carried him in a gentle hold. They were walking, where? Sans couldn't see. They walked for a long time, and then, Papyrus set the babybones down, still as gentle as can be. "STAY HERE FOR A MOMENT, OKAY?" Sans only hummed his agreement before starting to doze off.

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"Papyrus-"

"UNDYNE. YOU KNOW THE SAYING."

"What saying? Paps, look, I'm real sorry it had to come to this, but your brother was the only one left in the Underground with enough magic to-" She didn't see the bone attack until it had pierced through her face.

"AN EYE FOR AN EYE, ISN'T IT?" Papyrus wanted to do more, he should have done more. But he didn't. He had a brother to get back to. Before leaving Undyne to her pain, Papyrus knelt down and picked up something round and squishy from where it landed after his attack. "YOURS FOR HIS. YOU DON'T NEED THIS."

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When Sans awoke, he could see again. Looking around, because he could do that, he could see he was at home. He didn't know how he got his sight back, or how he got home, but here he was, vision and all. Maybe it had all been a nightmare? He really hoped so. But it all felt so real...

"SANS! YOU'RE UP!" Papyrus chirped cheerfully. "HOW DID YOU SLEEP?"

"pretty good. but i had a nightmare..."

"THAT IS NO GOOD. LETS SEE IF SOME FOOD WILL HELP YOU FEEL BETTER," Papyrus lifted his brother into his arms and marched them off to the kitchen.

And if he stopped by Alphys' lab later that night to question why she had directed Undyne to Sans? Well, that was nobody's business but his own.

So what if he had to stay up late to scrub the bits of brains out of his bones and off the shower floor.