Round 3 Bone Ceremony (previous)
Week 4: The Cruise
(I’d like to preface this by apologising for the delay on this chapter. Truthfully, I was feeling a bit burnt out by this project, and it didn’t help that this chapter proved to be… pretty challenging. I got there in the end, though!)
Twist has really gone all-out this week–with the generous spending of Cash’s money, of course. The skeletons have set sail and are enjoying the lap of luxury on their very own private cruise! But–oh no. Is that a storm brewing on the horizon? Or could it just be a group of emotionally (and physically) pent up skeletons who are tired of all the foreplay? Let’s find out!
Mild NSFW
Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll for who you want Cash to eliminate. The link will be at the end of the chapter.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸💀💀💀
Cash gazed out at the
choppy waves of the open sea, white and foamy in the boat’s wake. The sun was bright
and warm in the clear sky, sparkling off the waves. Resting his elbows against
the boat’s railing, Cash closed his eyes, the wind ruffling his jacket.
“a… cruise?”
“A cruise!” Twist declared, excitement gleaming in
his lit eye socket. “Great, right?”
Cash stared at him dully, before conceding with a
shrug. “guess it’s not so bad.”
“An’ since it’ll be goin’ fer the whole week, we’re
gonna be havin’ the elimination on board as well.”
“… never mind.”
Cash had pushed all
reminders of the impending elimination from his mind, and had taken to
indulging in every luxury the boat had to offer instead. The greatest of those
luxuries, as it happened, was right here, on the edge of the deck. He could
stand here for hours (and had), looking out over the vast ocean. The fresh
scent of salt and the soothing crash of waves against the boat’s sides was
welcome—but more important, was the solitude.
Short-lived solitude,
as it turned out. Cash’s brief moment of peace was interrupted by a pair of
arms wrapping around his waist. “hey, loner,” a soft voice murmured. Cash
recognised Stretch’s smooth drawl, and turned his head as Stretch pressed his
chin against his shoulder. Surprised, Cash regarded him with confusion.
“bit early for
hugging, isn’t it?”
Flushing, Stretch quickly
pulled away. “sorry, they uh… just sent me to ask if you wanted to join us.
we’re swimming.” He offered Cash a small smile, but his eyes were averted, his
cheekbones still glowing.
“right, um…” Cash
shrugged, clearing his throat. “sure.”
Stretch’s smile grew,
and he looped his arm around Cash’s, leading him to the upper deck. Upon
meeting the Tale-verse monsters, Cash had quickly come to realise that they
weren’t very good at keeping their… magic to themselves. And Stretch was no
exception. He was practically glowing with affection. He felt warm, even with
just his arm against Cash. Pleasant, though it was, Cash couldn’t quite
understand it.
When they reached the
upper deck, Cash was greeted by the smell of fruit… and alcohol. “Patches!”
Twist called from the bar, waving excitedly. Cash grimaced, eyeing the empty
margarita glasses beside him.
Edge and Razz were at
the bar with Twist, while Slim and Papyrus were sitting beside each other on
the edge of the pool, their feet dangling in the water. Edge was frowning, his
gaze on Twist, while Razz appeared amused by the bastard’s inebriated state.
Sliding off his stool, Twist jogged over to Cash, grinning broadly. “Ya gonna
join me in the pool?” he asked, his eye-light sparkling.
Cash scowled, drawing
away from Twist’s attempted embrace. “no.”
“you sure about that?”
Stretch whispered, leaning in. “he might find other ways to get you wet if you
don’t.”
Cash stared at
Stretch, trying to discern whether or not the comment had been serious. Stretch
only beamed at him before walking across the deck to stand beside Edge, who
threw an arm over his shoulders. Cash blinked. Stars, they weren’t even being subtle anymore.
Twist enveloped Cash
in his arms, crushing him against his chest. “Please?” he whispered as Cash
grumbled, struggling to pry himself away.
“fuck off, twisted,”
he growled, pointedly ignoring the snickers coming from beside the pool.
Sullenly, Twist
withdrew, crossing his arms. “Fine,” he mumbled, looking disappointed.
Guilt prickled at
Cash, but he stubbornly ignored it. Sighing, he said, “get me a margarita
instead. i can’t let you have all the fun.”
Twist’s features
immediately brightened, and he took Cash’s arm and hurried him towards the bar.
“So, ya havin’ a good time, then?” he asked. “Cruise treatin’ ya well?”
“i certainly hope so,
since it’s my money being thrown into
all of this,” Cash said, sourly.
Twist grinned, giving
his arm a squeeze. “Yer so generous. Givin’ somethin’ back ta the rest a’ us.”
Cash threw him a deadpan look.
They passed the edge
of the pool, and Cash caught Slim’s gaze. He tried to force a smile, but his
chest felt tight, and eye contact felt a little beyond him. He looked back at
Twist just in time to see the mischievous glint in his eye-light. He was given
no time to react before Twist pulled away from him and jumped straight into the
pool—clothes and all. Water splashed across the deck. And across Cash.
“twisted—what the fuck?” he yelped, recoiling in disgust
as the chilly water soaked through his shirt.
Twist glanced at him over
his shoulder, grinning sheepishly. “Ah… sorry ‘bout that. But—th’ water’s nice!
Ya should join me.”
“i’ll join you in hell, you fucking dick!” Cash snapped,
trying, unsuccessfully, to squeeze the water from his wet shirt. Twist offered
him little more than an unrepentant shrug in return before leaning back and
closing his eyes, his jacket splayed out in the water around him as he floated.
Cash was almost
tempted to jump in after him just to slap the stupid bastard.
“Twisted Me,” Papyrus
said from across the pool, giving Twist a look of concern, “I may not be versed
in the conventions of swimming, but I believe you are required to take your
clothes off before you get in the
water.”
At the bar, Stretch
perked up. “we’re taking off our clothes?”
“You’re more than
welcome to,” Edge said, a smile flashing across his face.
“Yes,” Razz said,
casting a smug grin at Stretch from the opposite end of the bar. “Please, be my
guest.” He received a warning look from Edge, which he promptly ignored, his
gaze wandering to Cash. “I’m more than happy to help you get out of that wet
shirt if you like, rich boy.”
“i’m quite capable
of—”
“you could—b-borrow
something of mine.” Everyone looked up as Slim cut in. He was watching Cash
from where he sat beside Papyrus, his cheekbones glowing. “i-i mean… if you
want.” His eyes lingered on Cash for a few seconds before dropping to the water
again. Cash noticed Papyrus giving his fingers a soft squeeze—and he didn’t
miss the faint smile on Slim’s face.
All eyes were on Cash.
Despite the icy breeze through his wet shirt, he suddenly felt very hot. “i…”
“I’d be more than
happy to chaperone,” Razz said smoothly, sliding off his stool. He cast his
brother a deliberate look, successfully flustering Slim further. Briefly, his
gaze flickered to Twist, who was watching him mistrustfully from the pool. His
features eased into a smile when he looked at Cash, eyes wandering over the
length of his body. “What say we get you out of those clothes, sweetheart?” he
murmured, linking arms with Cash, who immediately pulled away.
Tutting, Razz rolled
his eye-lights. “Oh alright, the mutt can hold your hand if that’s what you
really want. You could at least be subtle about it.”
As his cheekbones
heated, Cash heard Slim stifling a cough. He caught him shooting Razz a sharp
look before he lifted his bare feet out of the water and stood, smiling as he
approached Cash. Looking away, Cash mumbled, “we… don’t actually have to—” He
almost yelped when Slim grasped his hand, beaming. “o-okay…”
“come, you must be
getting cold,” Slim said, leading Cash across the deck. Razz followed, and Cash
could just feel his smirk on them.
Casting an irritated
glance at Twist over his shoulder—and earning himself nothing but a grin and a
thumbs-up in response—Cash conceded to allow the two brothers to guide him
below decks.
The walk to Slim’s
room was uncomfortably silent, and all the while, Slim didn’t release Cash’s
hand. Occasionally, Razz would make a noise that implied he was somehow deriving
amusement from Cash’s predicament. Cash threw him a few dark glares, but was
unsuccessful in wiping the smug look off Razz’s face.
When they reached
Slim’s cabin, Slim quickly removed Cash’s jacket and hung it over the back of
his desk chair. “i’ll get you a towel—and some dry clothes!” he said hurriedly,
his eyes darting over Cash’s exposed collarbone and shoulders. Amber touched
his cheekbones and he glanced away.
Razz scoffed, sitting
on the bed and crossing his legs as he surveyed his flustered brother. “Wipe
that drool off your chin, mutt. We have company.”
“sh-shut up,” Slim
mumbled, before hastening from the room. Razz watched him go, a contemptuous
sneer broadening his features.
Cash eyed him
irritably. “you know, you could stand to be nicer to your brother from time to
time.”
“Could I?” Razz asked,
scanning his gloved fingers disinterestedly. He looked up at Cash, a smirk
flickering across his face. “You’re shivering. Why don’t you come sit down?
I’ve heard shared body heat does wonders for—”
“i’m good,” Cash said,
flatly. He wandered to the porthole looking out onto the sea. Gentle waves
slapped against the boat’s side, the sway somewhat comforting. Cash sat on the
couch against the wall, drawing his legs up and hugging them to his chest.
“A fan of the sea, I
take it?” Razz observed.
“it’s nice,” Cash
replied, otherwise ignoring the miniscule asshole. He released a dissatisfied
sigh as the sofa shifted beside him. Cash could feel the weight of Razz’s deep
purple eye-lights without looking at him, and angled his body deliberately
away.
“You’re quite
enamoured with my brother, aren’t you?” It was more a comment than a question,
which only annoyed Cash further.
“what’s it to you?” he
asked, blandly.
“I am also a
competitor for your affections, am I not?”
This wrung a genuine
laugh out of Cash. He looked at Razz with furrowed brow-bones. “come on. you
and i both know you’ve never been a serious participant in this.”
“No?” Razz seemed
unfazed by the revelation. “Then why am I still here? Though I suppose I must concede
the point—I’m far above your standards.” He considered briefly. “Unless…”
“no,” Cash said firmly, pushing away Razz’s wandering hand.
Razz smirked. “I
didn’t think so.”
Cash shook his head
and looked away, his eye wandering back to the sea. After a period of silence,
he inhaled wearily. “you’re not lying to me, which is something, i suppose.”
“And what makes you
think anyone else is?” Razz asked.
“have you met me?”
Cash gave him a quizzical look. “not exactly the easiest person to like.”
“You’re preaching to
the choir, darling.”
Cash glanced at Razz,
stunned. His expression bore its typical level of complacency, but there was an
element of understanding beneath it. Somehow, it hadn’t crossed Cash’s mind
that Razz might actually be aware of
how little people liked him. Thus far, he’d simply assumed he didn’t care for
the opinions of others.
“Don’t look at me like
that, rich boy,” Razz said, a hint of irritation to his tone. “I don’t want or
need your sympathy.” Cash raised a brow-bone, taken aback. “My brother likes
you,” Razz stated. “That much is glaringly apparent. But… he likes Papyrus
too.” At this, the corner of Razz’s mouth turned up. “I wonder which of you he
prefers.”
The news—though
unsurprising—stirred Cash into discomfort. He had noticed the small gestures
between Slim and Papyrus, they had been difficult to miss. And while he took no
issue with any sort of relationship they might have—well… it stung.
Stars. He didn’t even deserve Slim. What did it
matter if Papyrus liked him? What did it matter if Slim preferred Papyrus? There
was no competition. Cash wasn’t even a player. He wasn’t worth Slim’s
affections. He was nothing. He was—
“hey, sorry, couldn’t
find the towels.”
Cash’s eye flickered
up as Slim re-entered the room, carrying a plush towel and… a small bundle of his
own clothing. “why don’t you take your shirt off?” he said, placing the clothes
on the sofa’s arm. Immediately realising his words, Slim shook his head. “i—i
only meant—”
“He knows perfectly
well what you mean, mutt, goodness.” Rolling his eyes, Razz stood and crossed
the room. “I’ll leave the two of you to your devices… whatever they may be.” He
winked at Cash before leaving, though Cash was certain the gesture had been
meant to unsettle, not reassure.
Cash curled his arms
around himself after removing his shirt, embarrassed by his partial nudity.
Slim respectfully averted his eyes until Cash had pulled on his shirt. The
fabric almost tingled against Cash’s bones. Draping the towel around Cash’s
shoulders, Slim withdrew. He wrung his hands together in front of him, giving a
small cough before speaking. “so, um, papyrus and i were thinking of… meeting
up later tonight.”
Cash’s soul squeezed
unpleasantly. “oh.”
“would you… like to
join?” Slim looked hopeful, smiling anxiously.
Cash frowned, not
quite understanding. “uh… sure?”
“sweet!” Slim’s smile
brightened. “we’ll, uh—be on the lower deck at around eight. so, uh—yeah! see
you then.”
Without another word,
Slim scurried from the room, leaving Cash bewildered.
****
Cash shivered and
tugged his jacket tighter around his shoulders as he stepped out onto the deck
later that evening. The breeze blowing off the sea was like ice through his
bones. Chill aside though, the night was clear and the moon was bright, its
silver light reflecting off the polished deck. A tranquil picture, even amidst
the nervous rattling of Cash’s bones.
It didn’t take long
for him to find Slim and Papyrus. Side-by-side, they were leaning against the
deck’s railing, speaking in lowered voices. Swallowing thickly, Cash noted how
close they were standing. He remained unmoving in the doorway, a sudden sense of
insecurity creeping up on him. His soul plummeted when he noticed Slim and
Papyrus’ fingers intertwining.
Resolved, her turned
to head back inside.
“Wealthy Me, you’re
here!”
Cash jumped, turning
quickly. “nope. just… off to bed.” He scowled as he accidentally made eye
contact with Slim. “sorry, didn’t mean to intrude…”
“Oh, nonsense!”
Papyrus said, hurrying forward and taking Cash by the elbow. “Why don’t you
join us? We were just naming the stars.”
Slowly, Cash raised a
brow-bone, dubious. “naming… the stars?”
“yeah,” Slim said. He
pointed to the sky when Papyrus guided Cash to his side. “that little gold one
there is honey, and…” He moved his finger a few centimetres across, “that red
one is leather boots.”
Cash relinquished a
snort, shaking his head. “yeah? they fucking too?”
“Don’t be silly,
Wealthy Me,” Papyrus tutted. “Those stars are thousands of lightyears away from
each other.” His expression turned sly. “Lazy Me and Edgy Me, however…”
The three of them
joined each other in laughter, and warmth blossomed in Cash’s chest.
Inadvertently, he shifted closer to the others, his soul flipping when he felt
Slim leaning in. Papyrus smiled at him, glancing back up at the sky. “We
haven’t found one for you, yet…”
“i thought we’d
already named the star of erotic desire?” Slim said.
Cash stared at him,
stunned. There was something endearing about the sheepish grin on Slim’s
face—almost as if he were surprised by his own boldness. Papyrus, on the other
hand, merely scoffed. “Don’t be crass, Small Me!” he scolded. “Wealthy Me
possesses far more worth than simple eroticism.” He scanned the sky briefly,
thinking. “I believe we ought to name the star that represents deep, carnal
passion after him, instead.”
Cash was having
difficulty processing the words being spoken to him—or of him, rather. He
remained rooted to the spot, even as he felt Papyrus’ fingers creeping over his
iliac crest. It suddenly occurred to him that both Slim and Papyrus were
standing incredibly close; Cash was virtually wedged between them, his back to
Papyrus. Slim took a tentative step closer, pressing their chests together.
Cash’s spine prickled with nervous excitement as he laced their fingers
together, lifting Cash’s hand to his teeth and pressing a kiss against his
knuckles. All the while, Papyrus’ fingers crept over Cash’s hips and lower
spine.
“is this what you
want?” Slim whispered, his breath ghosting over Cash’s teeth.
Cash shuddered and
closed his eyes. The night air brushed over his spine as Papyrus lifted hisSlim’s shirt further up his spine. A
faint whine escaped between his teeth when he felt Papyrus’ mouth brush his
jaw, and he flinched, embarrassed. “i’m s-sorry,” he stammered, breathless.
“i’m…”
“We’ll stop if you
want us to,” Papyrus murmured, his hands stilling where they rested on Cash’s
hips. Slim held his eye, patiently. Unlike Papyrus, his hands were idle. There
was no shortage of intensity in his expression however, and Cash’s magic had
already taken form in his mouth.
“i—”
Cash was cut off by
the sound of the lower deck’s door slamming open, followed by hushed giggling
and whispers. The three of them turned in time to see Stretch and Edge
stumbling up the steps, Edge half-supporting Stretch. Clearly not noticing that
they were not alone, Edge heaved Stretch towards the edge of the deck, pressing
him against the railing—and kissing him hard.
Cash gaped.
A glance at Slim and
Papyrus revealed similar expressions on their faces. The scene unfurling before
them only grew more heated the longer they stood there, Stretch wrapping his
legs around Edge’s waist as Edge lifted him. Undoubtedly, they were fairly
intoxicated. Cash wondered if they had been drinking since earlier that
afternoon. He cast a weary glance at the dark waters below.
Seeming to have
similar thoughts, Papyrus cleared his throat, immediately drawing the attention
of the two preoccupied skeletons. Edge pulled away from Stretch abruptly,
coughing, and Stretch actually squealed, pressing two hands over his mouth. His
cheekbones were bright and flushed—a mixture of alcohol, embarrassment, and
arousal. “uh.. we weren’t!”
“No, no, nothing at
all,” Edge added, shaking his head hastily. “Nothing happened.”
“nothing!” Stretch
reaffirmed. His eyes flickered to Cash and his expression sunk. “c-cash, ‘m…
sorry.”
Cash waved him off,
far from affronted by Edge and Stretch’s undignified moment. “no apologies
necessary. and hey, by all means—keep going. you were doing pretty well from
where i was standing.”
“I think they’ve had
quite enough fun!” Papyrus interjected quickly, eyeing the edge of the deck, as
if it might tip Edge and Stretch overboard at any second. “Small Me, why don’t
you help me get Lazy Me to bed. Wealthy Me… I’ll leave Edgy Me to you.”
“aww, why do i get two
chaperones?” Stretch whined. He narrowed his eye sockets, clinging to Edge as
the boat swayed slightly. “is this a… propositioning?”
“No one is
propositioning you tonight, I’m afraid,” Papyrus said cheerily, taking Stretch
by the arm. “Well—no one else.” He shot Edge an accusatory glance, to which
Edge responded with an abashed hum of laughter.
“not to mention…
you’re not quite as good at handling your liquor as your boyfriend is,” Slim
added, taking a hold of Stretch’s other arm.
“boyfriend?” Stretch
looked scandalised, gasping. “they’re lying, edge, i swear! i’m single!” he
called over his shoulder as Papyrus and Slim guided him downstairs.
“Not for long!” Edge
shouted back as Stretch disappeared below decks, still giggling to himself.
Edge watched him go, a deep, fond smile on his face.
“alright…” Cash said
slowly, carefully placing an arm around Edge’s shoulders to hold him steady.
Edge wobbled slightly, and Cash gripped onto him with his other arm,
manhandling him down the steps. “fuck, edgelord, how much did you have to
drink?”
Edge stared at him for
a decent ten seconds before replying. “I’m not drunk.”
Cash rolled his eye
and pushed the door open, warmth greeting them as they entered the lower corridor.
“alright… which room’s yours?”
Edge sniffed
haughtily. “Maybe you’d know if you visited me more often. Prick.”
Cash sighed, stumbling
as Edge pressed his full weight against him. “edge…”
Sighing, as if
supplying an answer was a great burden to his well-being, Edge said, “Number
seventeen!” He grumbled something inaudible—which Cash deliberately ignored.
The journey to Edge’s
room was a difficult one. Cash didn’t quite possess the physical strength
required to drag an intoxicated skeleton halfway across a reasonably sized
boat. When at last they reached Edge’s door, Cash fumbled to get Edge’s key-card
from his pocket. “Hey! No groping… dick.” Edge gazed up at Cash, humming
thoughtfully as he studied him. “Stretch—likes you, y’know,” he hiccoughed,
leaning bodily into Cash for support. “He told me.”
Cash wasn’t quite sure
how to respond. “… oh.”
“Oh no—it’s fine,”
Edge quickly reassured him. “I don’t mind. You know… he mentioned doing
something…” Edge chuckled, pressing the back of his hand over his mouth. “I
shouldn’t gossip.”
“… right.” Cash frowned,
sliding Edge’s key-card into the lock and nudging the door open with his foot.
He managed to heave Edge onto the bed. Edge flopped onto his back, staring at
the ceiling for a few moments before hoisting himself up.
“Oh alright, alright!”
he said, lifting his hands in surrender. “I’ll tell you.”
“okay…”
“Stretch said he’d let
me and you fuck him at the same time—at the same
time.” Edge stared at Cash expectantly, waiting for him to react.
Cash only sighed. “him
and every other person on this boat, apparently.”
“Hmm…” Edge looked
thoughtful. “Oh hey—Twisted’s here!”
Cash glanced over his shoulder
to see Twist leaning against the doorframe. Cash supposed it was something that
he’d put on a dry set of clothes, but oddly, his feet were bare and wet. “Havin’
fun you two?” he asked, regarding Cash with a very deliberate smirk.
Cash only rolled his
eye-light. “think i’m going to bed,” he told them.
“Aw, no threesome
then?” Edge pouted.
When Cash passed Twist
at the door, Twist leaned down. “’ll take it from here,” he murmured.
“you sure as hell will.”
Twist chuckled,
grasping Cash’s shoulder before he could go. “How was yer evenin’ with Pap ‘n
the Pup?”
Cash blinked—then frowned—then
scowled. “you planned that?” Twist shrugged in concession. “did you plan the
little endeavour with stretch and edge too, then?”
“I… may a’ offered ‘em
both a few extra drinks ta move things along,” he admitted, grinning. “Why? Did
somethin’ happen?”
Cash removed Twist’s
hand from his shoulder and began walking down the corridor. “’night, twisted.”
“Don’ ferget—ceremony’s
tomorrow!” Twist called after him.
Cash scowled at his
feet, vowing to himself never to let Twist plan anything ever again.
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