Chapter Text
You check and double-check your person for jewelry and/or metal. With that done, you sit expectantly. Alphys told you that this process wouldn't hurt. You trust her. "Alrighty, I'm good to go."
"EXCELLENT. NOW, THIS IS NOT AN INVASIVE PROCESS. WE WILL BE, HOWEVER, BE AH, WHAT'S THE WORD..?"
"Broadcasting" Red pipes up. Edge snaps his fingers.
"YES, BROADCASTING OUR INTENT TO YOUR SOUL." He must have seen the slightly puzzled and concerned expression on your face.
You'd been told souls were the culmination of everyone's being, but the full in-depth explanation of their origins goes over your heads. All you know is that it's like an Achilles heel that serves as a permanent mood ring.
Alphys had rambled to you over the phone about trait values enough that you semi-understood the colors. Perseverance, determination, justice, kindness, and others you're too bothered to list all at once. They act as components of the soul. Alphys had mentioned before that there are different combinations and all sorts of details to the appearance of a human soul.
You're curious about what color yours is but not curious enough to jump into a fight with people you don't know very well. They may pass the vibe check, but you've survived all this long without knowing. It never came up whenever you'd hang out with Alphys. Knowing what your soul looks like isn't worth the stress it'd cause her. Not to mention that the soul reader is still going through testing.
"No soul then, gotcha." Edge nods, looking serious. Red plops his skull on his hand, but you know that he's intensely focused on you and his brother. The attention is making you a touch nervous.
"MONSTERS ARE VERY IN TOUCH WITH SOULS, OUR OWN AND OTHERS. MOST MONSTERS CANNOT SEE SOULS WITHOUT TAKING STEPS TO DO SO. I AM NOT EXCLUDED FROM THE MAJORITY. SO, I CANNOT DO ANYTHING EXCEPT USE MY STRONG CONNECTION TO MY SOUL IN ORDER TO PROJECT MY INTENT TO YOURS."
"Intent is pretty important. Stops misunderstandings, good or bad. If a soul is disgusting enough, we can sniff it out easily. Like that bastard from the other day."
Eugh. Bastard ass. You shudder in thinly veiled disgust.
"ENOUGH ABOUT THAT WASTE OF AIR. WOULD YOU LIKE A DEMONSTRATION FIRST?"
You shrug. "Sure, if you don't mind." Red takes the cue and rolls the chair closer to his brother. Edge places his hand over Red's ribcage, and the two go still. It looks like you're watching a silent conversation. Alphys' description makes sense now. Edge didn't bother to take off his gloves. It must not matter then, minus conductors. There's a faint hum, and you catch the sight of light blooming under Edge's hand. It's wispy red magic that puts you in the mind of a ruby.
The two break apart. Edge folds his hands in his lap. Red slouches in the chair, relaxed. You wonder if his brother had something to do with that. "THE PASSING OF INTENT BETWEEN MONSTERS IS EASIEST. MONSTERS ARE ALREADY THE SOUL AND THE SOUL THE MONSTER. A SYMBIOSIS."
"Easier to pour water in a bowl than a strainer," Red adds. "I'm the bowl."
"Okay, so how will it work between us?"
Edge takes off his gloves with the panache of a prince and the efficacy of a surgeon. Red leans forward with interest. "INTENT CAN BE SHARED WITH CONTACT. MONSTERS CALL THIS SOUL FEEDBACK, WHERE TWO SOULS COMMUNICATE WORDLESSLY. MOST HUMANS ARE NOT RECEPTIVE TO THE INTENT IN A MONSTERS TOUCH, OTHER THAN YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT CAN PROVIDE."
"So you guys can touch hands or something and project intent?"
"YES. IT DOES NOT REQUIRE DIRECT CONTACT, BUT IT DOES MAKE IT EASIER. IT IS EASIER TO SHARE INTENT WITH A MONSTER IN EVERY SITUATION, OTHER THAN SOUL SHARING. WHICH IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF INTIMACY. PROLONGED SOUL SHARING ACROSS MULTIPLE OCCASIONS BONDS A PAIR OR GROUP, THIS IS BONDING, OUR FORM OF MARRIAGE."
"Monsters are like sponges to intent. We gotta put in extra work fer ya fleshy ones." You know Red's joking based on his laid-back expression. Psh, as if all monsters aren't fleshy.
"Makes sense. So, for humans, you broadcast to our soul since it we're not as attuned to them. We use our senses, not our souls to read intent during casual touch." It's an interesting concept, and you're glad they're both taking the time to walk you through it.
"YES. THAT IS EXACTLY IT." Edge looks pleased, and you feel a little proud. "I WILL BE ENGAGING IN SOUL FEEDBACK BY ERM, CONTACT WITH THE AREA CLOSEST TO YOUR SOUL. THE GLOVES ARE ANOTHER BARRIER BETWEEN THE TWO."
"What he means to say is that he's gotta press his bare hand to yer back or chest."
"SANS!" admonishes Edge. It's cute to see him worked up. He even clenches his fists. His hands are large, and the bones are attractive. You like how they look. There are holes in his palms and visible 'errors' in his bones. It adds to his aesthetic.
"Well, you can just do it here," you emphasize by placing your hand at an appropriate place on your chest. Not too low to be considered second base, but low enough to be close to your soul. Everyone knows that's where they manifest. Closest to the heart. It's poetic, how the lifeforce of your body and the culmination of your very being share the same space.
"VERY WELL THEN. ARE YOU READY?" Edge asks before even making a move towards you. How considerate of him.
"Yep, knock yourself out." Edge scoots closer to you. Both of you are close enough that you can see the fine lines in his hand bone as it raises. He cautiously places his hand in the spot you'd chosen. Edge is waiting for permission. "Go ahead," you say.
The feeling isn't as intense as you'd expected it to be based on Alphys' description. It's probably because you're human (a strainer for intent and soul feedback.) You can see that pretty red glow emanate from his hand. It shines through the hole in his palm and casts a glow on everything it can reach. They trickle in slowly, but as soon as Edge starts feeding intent, you instinctively know he's 'broadcasting' successfully. There's no reason to be stressed.
Anxiousness is first. You get the impression that this is the first time Edge has done this with a human. An interesting thought.
Hope follows, seconded closely by affection. They tangle together like blades of grass in the breeze. Hope for things to come and things that already are. The affection is warm and comforting, like honey over a warm biscuit. Yearning is next. The soft sort that tells of hesitant separation. A desire to know more of you in any way possible.
Edge's intent is pure and overwhelming, not from the intensity of them but because of the honesty. There are romantic implications in the space where your chest and his bones connect. A promise of the honest pursuit of a connection, born from mature and respectful interest. Tears bubble in your eyes without permission. You blink them away. The glow stops. Edge's hand rests on your chest a moment longer than is strictly necessary like he has to force himself to move.
Should you be alarmed at how quickly your affections for him grow? No. It's a fact that monsters are less emotionally constipated than humans, on average. If you're both on the same page, then what's the problem?
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" There's concern in Edge's voice. He removes his hand and slips back on his gloves.
You swallow (it feels like your heart is lodged in your throat. A vulnerable, emotional sensation) and smile at him. "Absolutely perfect. Wow."
"YOU HAVE AN ATTRACTIVE SOUL. IT IS MESMERIZING." The honest compliment warms you from the inside. Edge is suave! Your heart can barely cope. Be still your thrumming soul.
"Really? What is it like?" you inquire. Edge hasn't moved from his close position next to you on the bed. Your legs are touching. His bones don't feel uncomfortable.
"IT WAS PEACEFUL AT THAT MOMENT. YOUR SOUL FEELS... SAFE TO ME, FOR A LACK OF A BETTER WORD. MY SOUL IS DRAWN TO YOURS," Edge grasps his hands in yours. His expression is deadly serious. "WITH YOUR EXPRESS PERMISSION, I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO PURSUE YOU. I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE SOULS, BUT I AM CONFIDENT THAT YOURS IS RADIANT."
Is it hot in here, or is that just from your pounding heart? All of that sounded wonderful, brutally honest, and romantic all at once. Hoo boy, that's attractive. "I'd like that very much," you respond. His grin is triumphant. His thumbs rub your knuckles soothingly.
"I EXPECTED AS MUCH, BUT IT IS STILL NICE TO HEAR," he turns to Red, who's sitting straight with his brother's attention focused on him. "BROTHER." That must be Red's queue. The shorter skeleton hefts himself off the chair and sits beside you, on the side opposite of his brother. Edge lets go of your hands.
"wanna swap?" Red asks you. He doesn't seem as nervous as he was when you first came over, but you don't think he's confident about this.
"Yeah."
Red places his hand on your back tentatively. When you don't protest, he starts. You can see some of the glow reflected on Edge's vinyl gloves. His magic is Red, ironic (both of their names are when you think about it)
The intent peeks through, and you're sure that the swap is working. Everything about this feels right.
A fragile hope. It's delicate and needs nurturing, much like a fresh bloom. Curiosity, the sort you feel when meeting a new friend who makes great conversation. Nerves akin to anxiety during a presentation. Longing for connection and understanding. Hazy affection, the sort you get when watching a cat nap during a slow day.
The connection breaks even slower than Edge's did. Red smooths his hand in between your shoulder blades. Edge coughs, and Red retracts his hand. The shorter skeleton doesn't meet your eye at first when you crane your head to look at him. When he does, it's borderline bashful. You decide it's a wonderful look on the skeleton.
"Yknow what?"
"WHAT?"
You smile and offer both brothers a hand. "I think this is going to work just fine. If you're up to it, of course."
Red grins. There's his confidence! "challenge accepted."
Edge grabs a nearby journal and pencil. He had come prepared.
"AS IF THERE WAS ANY DOUBT. NOW, HOW ARE WE DOING THIS?"