'Til When Will We Part? (Reaper!Sans X Geno!Sans)

TW3P Part 11

A few hours later, the underworld had a surprisingly homey cottage nestled in it. Death had come back from the surface at some point and lent a hand in its construction, which was more magical than physical if Geno was honest. He'd wanted to help more, but he had no idea how the process worked, so his main contributions were just his opinions on how he would like it to be at the end.

The final product was simple, but pleasant to look at. It managed to make its gloomy surroundings a little bit brighter. The inside was warm and bright, opening from the front door into a large living room with an attached kitchen enclave. Up the stairs at the back there was an elevated hallway that led to three bedrooms and a bathroom. There was an attic and a basement for storage, but they had nothing to put in them yet.

It was a bit empty with only the bare bones furnishings, but it was a huge improvement over sleeping outside. It was an actual home.

"Thanks for your help, Grillby. This would have taken a lot longer without you," Reaper said cordially.

"Yes, thank you!" Geno trotted over and peered up at the fire monster—or, god. "This really means a lot to us. We're very grateful."

Grillby looked down at the mortal's bright smile and rubbed the back of his fiery mane, flickering an awkward acknowledgement.

"Would you like to come inside and rest for a moment, Grillby?" Death asked courteously. "You deserve it. You worked hard for our sakes, after all."

The god of the hearth shook his head and made a few very reasonable excuses, saying he had to return to his shrine and see to his other duties. Death was disappointed, but he would never force a guest to stay against their will.

"Alright. Another time perhaps. But really, a nice home like this deserves to have guests. Perhaps we should throw a housewarming party someday soon!"

Reaper grinned a tight and strained smile. "I'd like that, bro, but don't get your hopes up. Everyone's real busy up there."

"Yes, it might take some time to work out a schedule that works for everyone. Well, let's just warm the house ourselves until then!"

Death, Reaper, and Geno spent the next few hours making simple snacks in the kitchen, playing card and board games in the living room, and crafting little decorations for each other to personalize their rooms. It was the most normal any of them had felt in a long time, and it was nice.

Eventually, though, they did have to get back to work. Leaving souls on the surface unattended could create some nasty demons, or so Reaper said. The gods of death never got all that much time off. Geno was left alone in their little house, and the contrast from the warmth and noise of a few minutes ago made his thoughts drift back to his time in the save screen. He felt alone, and it was frightening.

As a distraction, Geno started tending to the house. He tidied up inside, though there hadn't really been time for any messes to accumulate. When there was nothing else there he could conceivably do, he walked out into the front yard area and tried to make it a little neater. He dug up the rocks from the cold soil and raked it flat, rearranging the pebbles into a little framed walkway leading to the front door. He wandered around the area gathering luminescent crystals and placed them along the edge of the house like flowers in a flower bed. He was going to make something like a hedge fence around the property by carrying over larger rocks with blue magic, but his soul ached when he tried.

I won't give up, but maybe that will be a long term project.

There was nothing else he could think of, so the undying skeleton simply napped until his roommates returned. He woke up to the sound of the front door clicking open: something he never thought he would experience again.

Geno sat up on the couch and gave a lazy wave to Death and Reaper. "Welcome home," he smiled.

Simultaneously, the gods of death stopped in their tracks, apparently processing, until wide, toothy grins spread across their faces.

""We're home!""