Octopus

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.

Purr

Reaper had always been drawn to the dead and dying. It's how he found Geno. The selkie had been attacked by poachers and on the verge of becoming sea foam when the leviathan first saw him. He didn't quite know what compelled him to save the selkie that day, but he was glad he did. Geno... not so much. The poor leopard seal now had a constant follower, a clingy orca mer he just could not shake. It wasn't the worst, considering the alternative was that he died, but it wasn't the best either. Because this particular orca was a massive flirt. Geno wasn't good with romance. He was a solitary selkie who didn't much appreciate the new company. At least, for a while. Some way, some how, Reaper grew on him. They started courting. And it was shortly after that when Geno learned what his partner really was. A giant leviathan with control over ice and death itself. Boy was that a chilling revelation.

Geno was busy chasing down penguins on his lonesome when he spotted the skull of his partner peeking from the water. He almost wanted the scold the behemoth, but that would only frighten away the prey. So Geno remained silent and continued his hunting. Until he was unceremoniously plucked from his hunting spot by a large hand.

"Hello darling!" Reaper chirped as he cradled his tiny seal in his hand.

"Put me down." Geno growled. The orca sighed dramatically and fulfilled his love's wish. And promptly beached himself to be right next to him. "REAPER!" Geno screeched as he tried to maintain his balance on the ice that was now weighed down by one- nevermind, Reaper was back in his smaller form.

"Here!" He gave the seal a smile and presented him with two penguins, freshly caught and ripped up in just the right way. Gifts weren't uncommon but something was different. Geno stared at his partner, hoping for some answer to the gifts to emerge. The cheeky bastard only gave him a dopey grin in return.

"What's the occasion?"

"Does there need to be one?" Reaper tilted his head in confusion, giving him the look of an innocent sea creature. Red blush crawled on Geno's skull.

"N-no. But, why hunt penguins? It's not exactly easy for you,"

"Can't I do something nice for my love?" The selkie's face got redder and rather than give the orca a reply, he dug into the meal he was presented with. Reaper smiled, something soft and sweet, looking almost unnatural on the face of death itself, and he curled around his smaller mate. Geno said nothing as he pressed against the warm body and continued his feast.

A pleasant silence settled around the two, Geno crunching away at the penguin carcasses whilst Reaper was content to just sit and watch. The two simply enjoyed each others company. It was only when the meal was finished and Geno felt exhaustion creep up on him that something changed. A rumble from the selkie started up, not startling Reaper as much as it surprised him. His- Geno was purring? It was a sound of utter contentment and Reaper was so happy he could provide. He curled his tail closer around the leopard seal and pressed a gentle kiss to his skull before allowing the smaller to fall into a comfortable and safe sleep.

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.

----------------------

"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."

----------------------

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.

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.

Request for varian and the seven kingdoms! Fic where Hugo gets turned into a dog accidentally, probably by some wierd alchemy fail, and the group struggles to turn him back

The day had been peaceful and calm. Nothing was out of the ordinary, nothing was chaotic or crazy. Varian had sent Nuru and the others to go shopping for some chemicals he would need for an experiment leaving the Coronan alchemist alone.

Ruddiger, of course, was also there, helping and making sure Varian didn't do anything dangerous or accidentally forget a step in whatever new project he was working on. Everything was in order. Varian smiled to himself as he pulled his goggles over his eyes, ready to try and stabilize his new compound. Just as he was about to add a single drop of stabilizer-

"VARIAN!" The alchemist dropped the pipette but quickly caught it before it fell to the ground. Nuru burst into the tent, her expression rather flustered, with Yong right behind her.

"Nuru? What's wrong?"

"THAT! THAT IS WHAT'S WRONG VARIAN!" Nuru pointed harshly at a golden retriever that trailed in behind Yong. Varian raised an eyebrow, an unamused expression crossing his face.

"Yong found an animal sidekick and you're mad there's three of them now?" Varian asked. Yong giggled while Nuru glared.

"That's not a dog, Varian," The princess was seething as she tried to calmly explain the situation.

"Pretty sure it is- Wait. Where's Hugo?" Nuru motioned over to the dog. "No. Nuh-uh. Do not believe you,"

"Well you better. We were out getting everything on that list you gave us and went to this little apothecary. Hugo tried to steal something and it turns out the owner knew magic," Nuru said, the exasperation in her tone clear.

"Did you try to get them to turn him back?"

"They kicked us out right after. Didn't even let us say sorry," Yong spoke up, one hand stroking Hugo's silky fur. Hugo huffed and brought a paw up to stop Yong from petting him. "Aww, sorry, but you're just so soft!" The pyrophiliac exclaimed before bending down and throwing his arms around the dog. Hugo gave up and just allowed it to happen.

Varian sighed and started putting away his current project. Nuru stopped Yong from suffocating Hugo and then proceeded to drag the dog outside by the scruff of his neck. When she came back in, Varian had completely cleaned up the tent. Ruddiger was now perched on the boy's shoulder, chittering happily.

There was little talking on the way back to the apothecary. Prometheus was pulling the cart. Nuru, Yong, Varian, and Olivia all sat inside. Hugo was forced to walk, an extended punishment. Normally, Varian would take pity on the thief, but the quicker they left, the sooner they would be at the next kingdom. Something that was going to take even longer because now, one of their party members was a canine.

Yong was looking over Varian’s shoulder as the Coronan was swiftly jotting down details about Hugo’s condition. It was easy to conclude that whoever did this was in no mood to undo it, so they had to find an different way to turn the thief back into a human. Nuru was looking at the map, occasionally glancing over to the miserable Ingvarrian. If there was a way to fix Hugo and begin their journey to the next kingdom, she was determined to find the quickest route.

There was a snap and Varian groaned. The pencil tip broke and he was too agitated to keep writing. He threw the pencil and opted for looking over what he had written so far. Nothing that would be of use. Hugo was completely dog, excluding his mind. He couldn’t talk, couldn’t write, he couldn’t even walk on two legs! Olivia climbed up Varian’s arm and grabbed the snapped pencil tip. She proceeded to draw a handful of vials filled with liquids of varying shades of gray, not that the pencil had any other color.

“What’s that?“ Varian asked the mouse. Yong gasped and started digging in his pocket for something. Nuru looked over.

“That’s- That’s what Hugo stole,“ She said confused. Yong had found what he was looking for and pulled out several multi colored vials.

“I got ’em! Hugo had them when he got turned into a dog so I kept them!” Varian’s eyes widened.

“What if we returned them?“ Yong carefully handed over the chemicals sloshing around in the glass. “Maybe, whoever it was will turn Hugo back,“ Varian mumbled a couple of things to himself before having Nuru lead them back to the apothecary.

Varian was the only one who walked into the store. Inside was a young person of maybe 14. They sat behind a counter counting the few coins they had gotten over the day.

“Excuse me?“ Varian said as he approached the counter. The person looked up, curious green eyes meeting Varian’s blue ones. “I- uh, would like the purchase these for my friend,“ They eyed the vials Varian placed on the counter warrily.

“Your friend is a dog?“ Varian nodded sheepishly. “Alright. Once you pay for these, he’ll be back to normal,“

Varian walked out of the apothecary to see Hugo hugged his very human body and the smallest bit of a floppy dog ear disappearing. Olivia was squeaking happily, snug in her human’s pocket.

“You bought the vials?“ Nuru asked. Varian shrugged.

“We needed them. And look, Hugo’s back,“

“I can’t pet him anymore,“ Yong said sadly. Hugo pat the boy on the head and started towards the cart.

“Sorry Firecracker. But lets not stay here too long,“ 

“He’s one to talk,“ Varian grumbled before following after the thief.

platonic zane and cole fic where they talk about the struggles of being Not Quite Human But Almost There™ maybe? 😙<3 -may i go by clover anon?🍀

Life on the Bounty was as normal as it got for the six ninja aboard. Jay and Kai were playing video games, Lloyd and Nya were complaining about being the youngest two on the team, and Cole and Zane were in the kitchen. The kitchen was silent except for the soft bubbling of whatever culinary masterpiece Zane was making. Cole was sitting on the table, head shielded by his arms, trying to ignore the food he could no longer taste.

Soon, the ghost peered up deciding that talking could probably distract him from the work of art he’d be missing out on. But, of course, the first thing he said just had to be related to the food, didn’t it?

“Hey, Zane,“ The nindroid looked over. “Whatcha cooking?“ Zane smiled, always happy to talk about anything he was making.

“Right now, I’m working on an alfredo sauce for some pasta,“

“Nice, have you taste-tested it yet?“ Zane’s smiled faltered at those words.

“No. I was planning to have Lloyd help me with that,“ Cole instantly noticed the change in demeanor when he asked his question.

“You can’t taste either,“ It was more of a statement than a question. The white ninja nodded sadly.

“It’s one of the few things I lost when I rebuilt myself. I wish I knew how to bring it back,“ Cole stood up and walked over to the nindroid to give him a hug. Zane accepted it quickly, arms gripping on to Cole just to keep him grounded in reality.

“I haven’t had it since the temple...“ Cole trailed off, trying not to bring Zane down any more. The nindroid backed out of the hug and put his hands on Cole’s shoulder, a serious expression on his face.

“You- You haven’t- I... I’ve known that but... You can’t get it back...“ Zane’s voice got softer and softer until it was a barely audible whisper.

“It’s fine Frosty. Besides-“ Cole glanced behind his friend, his eyes widened. “I think the sauce is burning,“

“WHAT?!“ Zane whipped around and got back to fixing the mess of not yet ruined alfredo sauce while Cole laughed.

“Looks like you’re losing your touch, Zane,“ Cole said light-heartedly. The nindroid gave the ghost a light shove, only to find his and went straight through the master of earth. Cole’s laughing got louder when he realized what Zane had tried to do, and how he failed.

“I have never wished you to be human more than I have right now,“ Zane said, pointing a spoon at Cole’s chest.

“And why is that?“ The ghost asked, cheeky smile on his face.

“Because I could actually retaliate against... this,“ Zane motioned up and down where Cole was standing. Cole snickered.

It wasn’t long before more chatter and laughing filled the kitchen. The pains of being so close to human long forgotten, swept away by the teasing and messing around that was a very human quality.