Chapter Text
You dug your winter boots into the carpet, head down and lips puckered. To your left you could hear a lady chatting on the phone to what may have been a baby, if the babble talk was a hint to anything. At the table in front of you a couple was sharing a pastel pink milkshake. They looked like the perfect couple with their large eyes and fancy clothes. At least they would be perfect, if the girl didn't smoke inside. Not that you cared, it was just that the lady across from them was obnoxiously coughing and waving her napkin around. The cafe owner, a stout lady leaning on a counter and flirting with a balding business man, did everyone a favor and ignored the behaviour.
Clearly, this place was pretty public. There was no way that your mystery guy could pull a gun and steal your kidneys. Not that anyone would be able to use them, but at least if someone tried to steal them you could be avenged!
You moaned and slipped your phone out of your pocket. "I knew I shoulda made Ramirez leave the basement." You sent a text to your roommate, your nails clacking against the screen. "Needs to get some sun anyway, I can see his veins."
The bell chimed and the entire store suddenly went quiet. One glance up from your phone, and you noticed how your obnoxious neighbors looked utterly gobsmacked or nervous. Even the smoker had dropped her cigarette, the ashes now falling into her shared drink. You twisted around to figure out what everyone was staring at, just to come face to pelvis with a damn near eight foot monster. Pin pricks of light stared down at you, and a skeletal scowl was fixed on the clearly male face.
Looked like your mistake was here!
The skeleton slipped around your table and pulled out a chair. A muffled thunk could be heard as the skeleton sat down. Even when he was sitting he still managed to tower over you a good two feet or so. The skeleton leaned back in the chair, and you felt something brush against your skirt as he stretched his legs out. "So this is the skull fucker in the flesh."
Yup, that was the mistake you made. You'd managed to skull fuck a skeleton.
Now you weren't all that chummy with monsters. You weren't racist at all, it was just that you had a job, a roommate, and didn't really keep up with the local news. Oh, and most monsters were giants, so seeing them walking leisurely around town was uh...rare to say the least. So, for you, monsters were just an out of the way accessory to the world. Like rich people, or African Sleeping Virus. But then the stars aligned and the moon did some sexy wiggles, and then you somehow managed to stumble on a relatively small monster. By monster standards he was small, anyway, by human measurements he was still gigantic at well over seven feet. And out of all the people downtown, walking home on Juniper Street, you were the one to spot him sitting on the sidewalk propped against an old sub shop. Except uh, you hadn't known he was a monster...You thought he was a Halloween decoration.
And you ended up ramming your whole fist in his eye socket.
Now in most cases this would involve some blood and gore, but this guy was a skeleton, so he could take it. At least you thought he could. Skeletons don't have eyeballs, and their skulls are hollow. It should have resulted in some embarrassment and maybe an offer for coffee.
But it was never that easy.
His body had spasmed and deep growls had reverberated from his chest. Then his back had arched against the faded brick wall he was leaning against. There was a lot of colorful drool, you swore your hand was on fire, and you were screaming. Anything after that was a blur, because you blacked out. When you woke up there was a sloppily written note in your hand with the address to this tiny cafe.
You stared at the monster sitting across from you, his sockets set on your hands as you swirled around your black coffee. "Um, so..." What did you tell the person that you accidentally skull fucked? 'Thought you were a left over Halloween prop, but you weren't, so you got a free eye job?' ...Nah, with the way his sockets were narrowed and his cracked mouth was leering at you, it was safe to say his sense of humor was dead. So instead you held out your drink.
He glanced up from your hands to your face. "The hell is this?"
"Coffee?"
"I can see that." He pushed it back to you, nearly tipping the mug over in the process. "Guess what I mean to say, is why're ya avoidin' the subject? Ya think I asked ya here so we can be friends and skip off to smell the echo flowers?"
You shook your head before the words had even finished tumbling out of his mouth. "I just wanted you to start first, and it kinda worked." You tapped the handle of your mug as you spoke. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did. To be honest, I didn't even know you were a monster. Most off you guys tower over us, so I was curious. Clearly my curiosity got out of hand, and for that I'm sorry."
The skeleton's face remained the same pissed look he sported since he arrived. For a moment you thought he wouldn't forgive you, but the leer changed to...Well, you wouldn't call it a smile, maybe a smirk. The wooden chair creaked and groaned under him, and for a moment you thought he would tumble to the floor when he leaned over. Your faces were inches apart, and you heard people whispering in the background. Good grief, you could already imagine what gossip was brewing. "That it, ya really sorry?" You nodded. "Ya wanna make it up to me so I don't gut ya?" Cue another nod. "Fine. Ya gonna go on a little outtin' with me today. Dependin' on how that goes, I'll let ya off the hook. It'll be like your mistake was reset and ya didn't try to knock my skull off."
It was either go somewhere with the walking talking Halloween decoration, or risk getting thrown in jail for a hate crime. Curiosity killed the cat, indeed. You gripped the mug properly and downed the rest of your luke warm coffee, before standing up. The monster recoiled back in his chair, eyes(?) trained on you as you put your fluffy winter coat back on.
Well, if you had to risk something, you'd rather miss your kidneys than your freedom. "Then let's get it over with. Where did you wanna go?"
The monster clambered to his feet, hands stuffed intro the pockets of his dingy hoody. "Gotta go to work and explain why my face is fucked up."
"And where do you work?"
That guy worked at Peldium Labs. The Peldium Labs! You openly gaped at the prestigious plaques that lined the white walls of the reception area. Most of them were credited for research, but a few had to do with papers or competitions. This place was famous for the magic research that the mages conducted. You hadn't expected a monster, especially a grungy one like the skeleton, to work at such a prestigious place.
You both walked up to a reception desk, and the skeleton slid a black card to the pale receptionist. The lady swiped the card in a slider attached to her keyboard and handed it back. "Magus Li is in her office, I will let her know you're coming to see her, Sans."
Huh, so his name was Sans. You figured monsters wouldn't have the same naming patterns as humans, but you didn't think they'd be named after shitty fonts either. The monster pocketed the card and led her to a cork screw styled staircase. The second floor had doors along each side of the hallway, and each door had a bronze plaque with a name. The walls were void of paintings and decorations, but you could smell something spicy yet metallic in the air.
Sans stopped at the third door and knocked. On the door was a shiny plaque, this one with the name 'Clair Li' in small black letters."Give me a minute!" A low bang sounded from the other side of the door, before it was ripped open by a short woman who wore an eyepatch over her left eye. "Sorry about that, I was re-calibrating the Soul Viewer." She stepped to the side. "Anyway, come on in!"
A large and money hand pressed on your lower back, and pushed you into the office. You stumbled over your own shoes, and had to catch the edge of a metal counter to steady yourself. Behind you the door shut with a bang, making the glass beakers on the table clink together. "What's happening?"
Magus Li grabbed a box of purple rubber gloves and slipped them on. "Hiya, how're you doing?"
"Confused." You pointed to the door. "I thought Sans worked here, what's going on?" The woman sat the box on the counter and picked up a pair of plastic flattery glasses and set them on her nose. The whole time her lips were moving, but you didn't hear her say anything. "Hey, excuse me!"
The woman stopped what she was doing, her eyebrows furrowed. "Sans didn't tell you?"
Did this lady not listen, or was she just playing stupid? "I have no idea what's going on."
"But you did agree to come with him?"
"Yeah...?"
The woman smiled. "Perfect!" She took your wrist and led you to a stool sitting in the middle of the room. "Okay, so we just have to run a few tests on your soul. You know, make sure it's healthy and everything." She none to gently pushed you onto the stool, and it slid back a few inches across the tiles, eliciting a high pitched squeal from the wheels. "It really won't take long, and you'll be able to use these results for the end of the year census."
You placed a hand over your chest. No, there was no way you were going to let a random stranger examine your soul. Yeah, she was probably one of the best if she worked here, but you had no idea what was going on. What if she planted a virus in your soul, and turned you into a zombie? "L-look, I only came out here to make it up to Sans because I uh...Did something to him. I didn't know I was going to be experimented on or anything." You put your hands on your knees and shifted you weight so you could stand up. "I'm sorry-"
"Just give me a minute, please." She pushed your shoulders down, forcing you back onto the stool. "I'm just checking your traits, LV, and mana composition. If you're healthy, then you have the opportunity of a lifetime!"
"Magus Li-"
"You can become a mage!"
Magic wasn't something you could just...do. Your soul had to have a high mana count, and you needed training. You didn't just click your heels three times, then start shooting fireballs out of your ass. "You're kidding, right?"
She shook her head. "No. You see monsters are practically made of mana, which all is them to use so much magic. However, Magus Zachariah has found a way for humans to capture some of this mana, and kick start the magus soul link!" She gestured to your still covered chest. "So, if you come out healthy, I can get you started to becoming a mage. What do you say?"
Mages were well respected in the world, plus there was a benefit to having magic. Heck, maybe your boss would give you a raise if you took this. But did you really need it? You were happy as a normal human. Magic wasn't something that had piqued your interest before, and it wouldn't add much to your mundane life. "I dunno..."
"Like I said they're just test." The magus assured. "You don't have to agree anything right away."
You removed your hand and let it drop into your lap."Alright, but just the test."
The Magus knelt down and set a hand over your chest. There was a dull humming before it felt like icy ropes were dragging something out of your chest cavity. You inhaled sharply and grit your teeth. Even though you did this once a year since you were six, it still felt unsettling.
"You're doing good, I almost have your soul." She said. "I just need to secure your life link."
"Do I get a lollipop when I'm done." You joked, trying to keep your mind off the numbing happening in your chest.
"Sure, that is if you don't mind monster candy."
A light was flooding the magus's hands now. It was a murky orange, kinda like spoiled orange juice. "Are you kidding, I love monster candy. The echo flower drops are my favorite."
"Well, I just got a box of the new MTT Sparkle Suckers. The texture is a little weird, but they taste so good. Almost like fried Twinkies." Your toes curled and you swore there was an audible pop when the magus finally had your soul in her hand. "There we go, not bad at all."
Aside from the nasty color, your soul looked pretty normal. It was shaped like a simple heart, and pulsed with an inner white glow. There were multiple white veins attached here and there, but they looked like they were ready to slide off at a moments notice. "Is it healthy?"
"You life link and LV looks fine, but your coloring looks a little off." She shrugged. "Guess something was working against your main trait. Uh, everything else I'll know once I get your soul into the machine." She stood up properly and cradled your soul close as she went back to her metal counter. She shifted your soul to her left hand, and opened up a round device with a clear door on the front. After putting it in, she filled it with a green solution before pressing the button. She then opened a drawer and took out a needle filled with a clear liquid. "Okay, while that's processing, I'm going to sedate you. Souls don't like being away from the body, so if I put you under, this'll make it easier on you."
You stood up and shuffled over to a bed shoved in the corner of the room. After laying down, the magus pricked your wrist with the needle and injected the liquid. Your body sank into the uncomfortable cushion, and your breathing began to slow. Before you knew it you were out like a light.
When you woke up again, you no longer felt numb and limp. A glance over to the machine proved that your soul was back in your body. A quick press against your lower back gave you the all clear on any suspicious scars. You swung your legs over the side of the bed, and sat up. The Magus Li wasn't here, but then neither was Sans. Did that mean you were free to go, or did you need to sign stuff?
The door suddenly opened and the bulky skeleton ducked into the room. Behind him was the magus, a clipboard in one hand and a lollipop in the other. She handed the lollipop to you the sat on her stool. "So, the results are in." She flipped a few pages on her clipboard. "According to the soul mate algorithm you both have the perfect trait balances in order to instate a Soul Mate link."
Sans's eye lights flickered to you, but his scowl was still there. He could be upset about it all he wanted, because there was no way you were going to become soul mate's with a stranger. You stood up from the bed and smoothed out your skirt. "I took your tests and stuff, but there's no way I'm going to become soul mates with him." You jabbed your thumb in Sans's direction. "Especially because a computer said it's a good idea."
"It's really not that bad." The Magus said. "In another universe, it's likely you both would have met and still became soul mates in a more organic setting."
"That's great, but I really need to go." You almost felt bad for snapping at her. She was just doing her job, and trying to save the mage race. "I work the night shift and I'd like to sleep at home."
The woman glanced over to Sans, but he just shrugged. Reluctantly she ripped a sheet of paper off the clipboard and handed it to you. On it was a soul diagram with several number and abbreviations in red ink. "Here's your analysis, just fax that to the government by the end of December."
"Thank you." You carefully folded it into a square before sticking it in your pocket.
You nodded to Sans before leaving the office. When you went downstairs you saw that the sun was beginning to set through the Windows. It looked like the medicine had taken forever to wear off. If you hurried, you might be able to make it to work before Priscilla chewed you out, the woman was a stickler for punctuality. Probably had something to do with being a dom.
You pushed open the doors and hurried outside. The cold air stung your lungs, but it was a nice change from the stagnant air of the lab. Well, you guessed this whole adventure was far worse than it originally was. Instead of trying to steal your organs, Sans wanted to steal your heart. You weren't sure if that was poetic, or insanely creepy on his end.
You were gonna go with the latter.