Secrets Are Ba(n)d

Chapter 11: Cold Souls

The skeleton and the ghost stood, or, floated, in what little silence the underground had.

"They're.. looking for you."

Papyrus could feel his soul ache at the worry in the ghosts voice, he prayed he could only explain himself a little.

"I know, and I promise I have an explanation-"

"That's who hurt you.. on that day?"

Papyrus looked at them, slightly surprised, though it couldnt show through the torn mask mostly covering his face.

"I-I'm sorry, I interrupted and I could be wrong," he faded slightly, trying to stay strong.

"But, she's really mean, and you're.. like me.." he trailed off with small tears in his pale eyes, familiarity all too obvious.

"She- did she..?" Papyrus asked, though could see something knowing in the small monster. It only hurt, knowing they had more in common than he thought.

"..I'm sorry" he muttered, for lack of other words.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," The small voice said, hardly realizing how badly the tall monster needed to hear those words. Swaying slightly as they floated to eye level, only then Papyrus realizing that they both were crying.

"I really must stop showing up like this," Papyrus said with a rough 'nyeh heh,' taking off the ruined mask and wiping his cheek bones dry.

"I was wondering, and it's alright if you don't want," Papyrus hesitated, "if you wanted to.. write that song?"

The wind whistled, Papyrus fearing it would blow away the delicate monster, when his worrying was interrupted.

"..I thought you'd never ask."

Though a figure of speech, Papyrus doubted the ghost didn't actually mean it.

"I don't know.. won't they get upset?" Napstablook questioned, floating in small circles around the room.

"Not if they don't know we're talking about them!" Papyrus encouraged from where he sat on the floor, snacking on a range of MTT brand chips.

"Oh.. I guess you're right," they mumbled, erasing some things from a pad of paper and scribbling new lyrics in.

"What about.. we have some quieter strings first.. and add more.. as it.. goes on.." The ghost faded with the idea, just a little insecure that he wasn't doing it justice.

"That'sh perfecsh!" Papyrus said between chips, quickly correcting his rudeness.

"It can start all calm and unassuming, maybe even amateur, and then we turn it into a symphony!" Papyrus gestured with his arms, The ghost floating up and down with them, a small smile on their face.

"That sounds wonderful..!" They replied, looking down the paper and writing some notes down before flipping it to show Papyrus.

"Like..this?"

Papyrus could feel his eyelights ignite, quite literally sparkling.

"It's perfect!! Blooky, you lyrical genius, you!" His bones rattled slightly with the excitement, images of lights and a smiling audience flashing before his eye sockets.

And, beside him is..

"You're gonna need a costume!" He shot up with a smile, ideas slingshotting through his skull.

"Oh.. and I may need a new one, nyeh heh," he glanced at the torn apart plastic in the garbage, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Oh.. that's easy," the ghost answered, glowing slightly before his face formed a flat mask, no markings included.

Papyrus stared for a moment, wondering if they could even see through the thing.

"It's.. good! but we need some kind of signature, so monsters know it's us. Like a cool brand like Mettaton, or a symbol!"

Blooky floated in thought, or that's what Papyrus assumed, it was hard to tell with them.

"Something.. cool?"

"Cool, yet passionate! Cold, but with emotion, soul even!" He paced around, a hand to his chin. The process was giving him flashbacks to designing his battle body with his brother, though he shook it from his mind before it could sour his mood.

"What about.." The ghost trailed, the mask forming two teardrop shaped eye holes, close enough together to look like a monster's soul.

"It's fantastic! A perfect start," Papyrus jumped, somewhat amazed at the quick costume formed in front of him. He was a little jealous, it would be much easier to repair his battle body if he could just do that.

"I'm thinking.. something to do with cords, like electrical ones! And we can have lighting, and all sorts of electricity coming from them!" The skeleton pranced, visualizing a stage surrounded by adoring fans, bright lights reflecting on their amazed faces. It was a little self indulgent, but his first performance needed a proper encore!

"I could stop by the shops- or well, actually I'd need a mask or something-" He suddenly stopped in his tracks, remembering he was a wanted 'criminal.' That did hinder a few of his ideas slightly.

"Done," Napstablook said after the small rant concluded, Papyrus turning his head to see that the ghost had wrapped various unused cords around themselves. The ends dangled from them like jellyfish tentacles, some even forming a short wig on top of them in an edgy hairdo that, quite frankly, suited them.

Holding back a loud 'AWEE' at the bundle of nerves and cords, Papyrus smiled wide.

"It's Perfect!"

910 words
(Thank goodness for helpful ghost friends! Papyrus is practically sounding like his old self, despite being a wanted criminal on the run. Author's note, sometimes Wattpad can mess with formating, so if anything looks a little funky you can safely blame that!
Besides that, happy reading, folks!)