Round 2 Bone Ceremony (previous)

Round 3 Bone Ceremony (next)

Week 3: Truth or Dare

Twist’s plans grow more masterful by the week. This time, he’s prepared a little game of truth or dare to spice things up! But will things get a little too hot for our bachelor to handle? Let’s see how long he lasts… 

Warning: this chapter is mildly NSFW (nothing explicit)

Don’t forget to vote for who you want Cash to eliminate in this week’s poll! The link will be at the end of the chapter.

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

💀

💀

Cash pushed open the
front door slowly, silently cringing as it made a loud creak. He closed it swiftly
behind him, quickly glancing around before he crept across the entrance hall
towards the stairs. The sound of footsteps coming from the living room startled
him, and he raced up the remainder of the stairs to his room without looking
back, slamming his door behind him.

He let go of the
breath he’d been holding once he’d reached the safety of his bedroom. He had
been avoiding Twist all week—but the asshole had been getting crafty, springing
up in all sorts of places when Cash was least expecting him. His eagerness for
Cash to get involved in the planning of this week’s ‘event’ was somehow greater
than it had been in previous weeks.

Cash still didn’t know
what Twist had planned—nor did he want to know until the last possible minute.
He’d decided that he’d rather live in blissful ignorance than in dread. He
glanced out his bedroom window; the sun was setting on the horizon, the
foreboding night quickly creeping up on him. More than inclined to delay the
evening’s events, Cash kicked off his shoes and draped his jacket over the foot
of his bed before heading into the bathroom.

Once he’d stripped, he
turned on the shower, turning the heat to full. Before climbing in, he removed
the patch over his eye, avoiding his reflection in the mirror. He sighed as the
piping hot water scorched his bones, washing away the day’s tensions. Tipping
his head back, he allowed water to trickle into his eye sockets, shivering as
the droplets ran over the jagged edges of his broken socket. His hand
reflexively curled into a fist.

Cash tilted his head
forward to drain the water from his skull. He opened his eyes again and yelped.
“Heya, Patches,” Twist greeted him cheerfully.

“twisted—” Cash
couldn’t even find the words to chastise Twist. He grabbed a hold of the shower
curtain and wrapped it around himself, as well as pressing the palm of his hand
over his cracked eye socket. “get the fuck out, you asshole!” he cried, his
voice rising to an undignified pitch.

Twist, who was
hovering just outside of the shower’s curtains, grinned brightly. “An hour
until tonight’s event—excited?”

“no,” Cash hissed, drawing the curtain tighter around himself. “what
the fuck are you doing here?”

Twist’s smile faltered
a little, and he blinked. “I… came ta discuss the truth or dare with ya,” he
said, slowly, as if it were obvious.

Cash scraped his
fingers over his forehead, his hand still plastered over his broken socket. “truth
or—? no, i mean—here. in my fucking
bathroom?”

Twist narrowed his eye
sockets for a moment, considering hard. “Oh! Right,” he said at last, looking
sheepish. “Fergot yer not really a fan a’ bein’ seen bare-boned—I’ll grab a
towel fer ya.”

“twisted, no—that’s
not…” Cash trailed off as Twist reached for the towel rack, turning his head
away and placing his hand over his eyes as he handed Cash the towel.

“Lookin’ away. Tell me
when yer decent.”

Cash regarded the
towel impassively for a moment, before sighing and relinquishing. “no peeking.
dick.” After clambering awkwardly from the shower, Cash quickly patted himself
dry and pulled on his jeans and tank top. “decent,” he muttered, pulling the
patch back over his eye socket. He turned to find Twist beaming at him, and
scowled, averting his gaze. “so… truth or dare? sounds fantastic,” Cash said,
sardonically.

“Isn’ it?” Twist said
brightly, looping his arm around Cash’s and leading him back into the bedroom.
“Wrote the questions myself too! Think you’ll enjoy ‘em.” He winked as they sat
on the edge of the bed, but Cash only returned it with a dry look.

“somehow, i don’t
think you and i have the same definition of ‘enjoy’.”

****

About an hour after
being ambushed in the shower by Twist, Cash reluctantly trudged downstairs to
the living room—as per Twist’s instructions. He found the six remaining
skeletons (and Twist) waiting for him beside the fire, where three sofas had
been pushed together to form a half-circle.

Twist, who was sitting
on one of the sofas alone, glanced up when Cash entered, a grin immediately
breaking across his features. “Patches, heya! Saved a seat fer ya.”

As Cash approached, he
noticed that three bowls containing strips of paper had been placed on the
table in front of the sofas. He narrowed his sockets as he sat down, regarding
Twist suspiciously. “what’s all this?” he asked, indicating the bowls.

“Ah—that’d be the
truths an’ dares.”

“right…” Cash said
slowly, his frown deepening. “but—why are there three bowls?” Cash caught a few
of the skeletons exchanging amused glances, and his frustration began to grow.
“twisted… what the fuck is this?”

Twist grinned
innocently, throwing an arm around Cash’s shoulders and leaning forward, as if
he were about to impart some exciting news to the other skeletons. “Allow me ta
explain, Patches. We’ll be playin’ truth or dare—y’know how the game works,
don’t ya?”

“obviously,” Cash said
dully. “we ask each other embarrassing truths or dare each other to do dumb
shit.”

“Only this time,”
Twist said, “there’s a twist!”

“there’s always a
twist, isn’t there?” Cash said, sighing tediously.

“Hey—‘course there is.
I’m the host.” Twist winked, giving Cash’s shoulders a squeeze. Cash rolled his
eyes, resting his face in his hands. “It’ll be a lot like normal truth or
dare,” Twist went on, “only this time—all truths an’ dares involve ya—in one
way or another.”

Cash felt his spirits
plummeting, his soul filling with dread. “twisted… you’re not serious, are
you?”

Twist laughed quietly,
patting Cash on the back. “Don’ worry, Patches—I wrote ‘em all myself.”

“you realise that’s
even less comforting, don’t you?”

Red and Stretch
appeared to be having a very difficult time stifling their laughter, and Cash
pinned them both with a cold stare. Twist appeared unconcerned by both their
amusement and Cash’s disgruntlement. “Ya’ve gotta pick a dare from the blue
bowl, an’ a name from the red bowl—if necessary,” he explained. “Green bowl’s
fer everyone else, since all their truths an’ dares are gonna be fer you.” He
beamed, clearly proud of his system. Cash might have found it endearing were he
not the victim of Twist’s antics.

“Alrigh’!” Twist said
decisively, clapping his hands together and surveying the group. “Who wants ta
go first?” He looked at Cash. “Care ta do the honours, Patches?”

Cash stared at him,
deadpan. “i would literally rather stick my hand in the fire.”

For a split second,
Cash thought his words might have actually cut a little deeper than he’d
intended. But Twist only grinned, knuckling the crown of Cash’s skull. “’Course
ya would. Always knew ya were a kinky bastard.” He looked back at the rest of
the skeletons before Cash could scowl at him. “Anyone else?”

The group remained
silent for a few seconds, a couple of them averting their gazes. Papyrus cast a
quick glance at the others before speaking up. “I will!” he volunteered, his
smile bright.

“There we go!” Twist
said. “Tha’s the kinda enthusiasm I’m lookin’ fer. Go ahead, Pap.”

Leaning forward,
Papyrus reached into the green bowl and drew out a piece of paper. His face
slowly broke into a smile as he read. Cash cringed internally when Papyrus’
gaze flickered to him. “My dare is to make Wealthy Me blush,” he announced.
There was something almost devious beneath his smile as he glanced at Cash.

“you wrote these?”
Cash murmured to Twist, who simply offered him a shrug.

“Couldn’ resist the
opportunity ta see that sweet magic a’ yers, Patches,” Twist supplied, winking.
Cash was already having a hard time suppressing the heat on his cheekbones.

Papyrus rose from his
seat, joining Cash on his own sofa and placing an arm around his shoulders.
Cash could feel the eyes of the other skeletons on him, but Papyrus brushed a
finger beneath his chin, tilting his face so that their gazes met. It occurred
to Cash how close they were sitting, and for a moment, he thought Papyrus was
going to kiss him.

But instead, he smiled
gently, and said, “Cash. I know how this must feel for you. Being the centre of
attention is not something Sans enjoys either. But I think you’re doing a great
job. And though I cannot speak for my fellow competitors, I am very much
enjoying your company. I can easily say that I consider you one of my greatest
friends. Making you smile is quickly becoming one of my favourite hobbies—and
if I get to see you laugh, my day is made! And I have yet to meet someone who
looks quite as pretty as you do in the colour purple.”

Papyrus beamed,
looping his arm around Cash’s waist and tugging him into an embrace. “You’re
doing so well, Wealthy Me,” he whispered against Cash’s acoustic meatus. “I
have the utmost faith that you will get through this.” Papyrus held him there
for a few seconds. Cash was still in his arms, stunned. He knew his face must
be quite the picture, but that was hardly at the forefront of his mind.

When Papyrus drew
away, Cash had to stop himself from clinging onto him. He drew in on himself,
slouching and folding his arms. His face burned.

“Nice goin’, Paps,”
Twist said with a grin, as Papyrus took his seat. “Yer up next, Patches.”

Glumly, Cash mustered
the will to reach for the two bowls. He scowled at the name on the first piece
of paper. “razz…” Razz perked up, a smile twitching at the corners of his
mouth. “and i have to…” Cash blinked at the piece of paper, frowning.

“What does it say?”
Razz asked, eagerly.

“suck his—?” Cash shook
his head. “twisted, i am not doing this,”
he hissed.

Twist glanced at the
words on the paper, his eye sockets going wide. “Ah—woops.” He quickly snatched
it out of Cash’s hands, scrunching it up and discarding it. “Tha’ must’ve
gotten mixed in from the one’s I had ta scrap.” He grinned sheepishly,
scratching the back of his skull. “Well—go on, pick another one.” Razz slumped,
looking disappointed.

Cash drew another
piece of paper from the bowl, his eye socket narrowing as he read it. “sit on his
lap… how is this any better?”

Razz looked somewhat
contended with the new dare, leaning back and stretching his legs. “Well, come
on then, precious,” he said, smirking. “I’ll do my best to keep my hands to
myself—promise.”

Cash looked at Twist,
exasperated. “how many rounds do i have to do this for?” he asked, wearily.

“We’ll make it three,”
Twist said, his eye-light flickering to Razz with thinly-veiled distaste. He
leaned in as Cash reluctantly stood up. “Take it easy, Patches—it was s’posed
ta be five initially.” Cash shuddered, walking over to Razz, who was sitting on
the sofa with Edge and Stretch.

He smiled amicably at
Cash as he lowered himself onto his lap. “Don’t let this give you any ideas,”
Razz whispered, leaning in. “I intend to take you out to dinner at least before
we engage in any proper intimacy.”

Cash snorted, shaking
his head. “you obviously don’t know me very well then. i don’t have time for small-talk when it comes to fucking.”
This silenced Razz, much to Cash’s relief. And thankfully, his hands did remain
off Cash—for the moment, at least.

It was Slim’s turn to
pick the next truth or dare. His cheekbones slowly turned amber as he read, and
he cleared his throat before speaking. “i-it’s… truth.” His eyes flickered to
Cash, but he dropped his gaze almost immediately, his blush deepening. “would
you still be competing for cash’s affections if there was no money involved?”

Cash went still,
unable to draw his gaze away from Slim, who was looking very put on the spot.
“w-well…” Slim squeezed his eye sockets shut for a few moments, avoiding Cash’s
gaze when he opened them. “yes,” he murmured, his voice very small.

Silence hung heavily
over the group, Slim growing more and more fidgety by the second. Cash caught
Papyrus giving his hand a gentle squeeze, which seemed to relax Slim
considerably. Cash quickly looked at Twist, clearing his throat. “uh, my turn
again, right?”

Twist blinked, looking
away from Slim and nodding. “Uh, yep!” He handed Cash the first bowl, and Cash
drew out a truth.

“who do i find most
attractive?” Cash surveyed the group for all of two seconds before saying,
“edgelord,” and leaning back against Razz. There were general nods of agreement
around the circle, while Edge sat still, blushing furiously.

Cash felt Razz’s
fingers moving over his iliac crests as he leaned forward, tugging Cash a
little further back in his lap. “You know…” he murmured, too quiet for anyone
but Cash to hear. “I would be inclined to agree, but…” Cash’s breath hitched as
Razz’s fingers caught on the vertebrae at the base of his spine. “Well. Your
body speaks for itself.”

To his right, Cash
caught Stretch regarding him with upraised brow-bones. He simply shook his
head, sighing deeply and leaning back into Razz. He had his arms wrapped around
Cash’s waist now, but his hands remained un-wandering. “flattered,” Cash
whispered, “but edgelord still wins.” Beside him, Stretch gave a nod of
agreement.

Red was up next. “pick
a third person ta join ya in yer threesome with cash,” he read. Looking over
the group, he shrugged. “aw, c’mon, that’s an easy one—twisted.” He shot Twist
a wink. “crazy bastard like you’s gotta have a few tricks up ‘is sleeve… or up
somethin’ at least.”

Twist snorted and
grinned, folding his arms. “Aw, ‘m flattered, Cherry—but I ain’t one a’ the
options.” His eye-light darted to Cash, who could feel his cheekbones heating
again. “Pity.”

Red hummed,
considering. “huh. disappointin’. then i guess…” He glanced between Slim and
Papyrus, narrowing his eye sockets thoughtfully. “paps,” he said at last. When
Papyrus preened, he supplied, “seems like he knows his way around a pair a’
bones.”

“I can assure you,
Cherry—I most certainly do!” Papyrus said, proudly. Red blushed, quickly
looking away.

Cash felt Razz lean in
and murmur, “It seems our time together has come to an end.” He carefully
shifted Cash off his lap, smiling up at him. “Do come again.”

Cash threw an
unsavoury gesture in his direction as he re-joined Twist. “those pants are
looking a little tight, asshole,” he retorted. Razz’s eye sockets widened, and
he glanced down at his crotch. His expression turned dull as he looked back up
at Cash, who pressed his teeth together to stop himself from snickering.

“Highly amusing,
twat,” Razz bit out, folding his arms.

Cash merely shrugged,
reaching for another piece of paper. He frowned as he read it. “are you a
virgin…?” He gave Twist an apathetic look. “really, twisted?”

Twist threw his hands
up. “Hey—ya never know!”

“it’s me,” Cash said
dryly. “you do know.”

Realisation slowly
dawned on Twist, his amusement giving way to remorse. “Ah… sorry, Patches. I
wasn’ thinkin’ about—” He caught himself, shaking his head. “Well, the
question’s got a second part.”

“if you were a virgin…
who would you…?” He trailed off, swallowing. An uncomfortable silence fell over
the group, and Cash began to fidget, scratching at his eye socket beneath his
patch. At last, he relinquished a sigh, muttering, “… razz.”

He dared a glance up
at the others. They were all looking bewildered—Razz more than anyone. “Are you
serious?” he asked, his tone lacking any of its usual smugness.

“you heard me,” Cash
replied, stiffly. Razz only stared—strangely, he seemed displeased by the
revelation. “right—edgelord’s next,” Cash said, leaning back and folding his
arms with a scowl.

Edge watched him for a
few moments, his expression laced with concern. Retrieving a piece of paper
from the green bowl, he read, “Would you prefer to dom or sub for Cash?” He
remained placid, humming and clasping his hands. “Dom. Certainly.”

Beside him, Stretch
snickered softly. “of course you’d prefer to dom—because you’re such a dick.”

Edge turned to give
Stretch a cool look. “Who said I would be using my dick?”

Stretch’s smile
faltered, and his cheekbones heated. Swallowing, he dipped his head, while a
small smirk tugged at Edge’s features. Cash smiled to himself as he watched
Edge. “Definitely the most attractive,” Twist whispered, leaning in.

After reading his next
question, Cash gave Twist a bland look. “oral—giving or receiving?” he read. “receiving.
obviously.”

Stretch hummed,
watching him with a sultry expression. “you and i would make a great team,” he
said, his tongue darting over his teeth.

Cash lifted a
brow-bone. “well, it’s your turn now. let’s see.”

Grinning, Stretch
reached for a piece of paper. As soon as he started reading it however, his
smile faded, his cheekbones glowing. Sockets wide, he looked up at Twist.
“this—i-is this real?”

“If it involves
anythin’ below the belt—then no,” Twist said. “Otherwise…”

“What does it say?”
Edge asked curiously, leaning over Stretch to try and get a look. “Ah.” He
smiled, nodding. “This should be entertaining.”

Cash frowned. “what
does it say?”

Stretch pressed his
teeth together, looking anxious. “it—um… we have to m-make out for a minute…”
His voice trailed off to a whisper on the last few words, and he blushed
furiously.

“oh.” Cash blinked,
surprised. “well—okay then.” He stood and approached Stretch, who gave a small
squeak as Cash straddled him, placing his hands on his shoulders. “you alright
with this?” he asked, lifting a brow-bone. Seeming a little lost for words, Stretch
just nodded, his face still burning.

“I know I am,” Razz
said from beside them, leaning back and crossing his legs.

“I’ll time,” Twist
said, his voice growing sharp as he looked at Razz.

Shooting Twist a quick
thumbs-up, Cash leaned in and touched his teeth against Stretch’s. At first,
Stretch tensed, a small noise of surprise leaving him. But when Cash moved his
hand to cup his jaw gently, he began to relax beneath him, sighing softly. Cash
slipped his tongue into Stretch’s mouth, and the sweet scent of his honeyed
magic immediately flooded his senses. Stretch met his tongue and their kiss
deepened, Cash moaning gently against him.

On instinct, he began
to grind his hips against Stretch’s, which drew a startled whine from Stretch.
Somewhere behind him, Cash heard someone murmuring, “holy shit.” He presumed it
was Red. The room was still with silence, but for the soft sounds of his kiss
with Stretch.

Twist cleared his
throat. “Time.”

Stretch was clinging
to Cash tightly, which only encouraged him to press his tongue deeper. He heard
Twist give another cough—which he resolutely ignored. Beneath him, Stretch’s
breathing was growing heavy. He moved his hand to Stretch’s iliac crest and
began stroking smooth circles over the bone, drawing a very inappropriate noise
from Stretch.

“Hey—assholes, time’s
up,” Twist called, firmly. “Break it up—or get a room.”

Finally, Cash pulled
away, grinning down at a very flustered Stretch. “maybe we will,” he said with
a wink, climbing off Stretch and returning to his seat beside Twist. Stretch
lifted his knees to his chest and dipped his head, his face burning. Edge was
watching him with a mixture of amusement and… something a little more reserved.

Cash reached for his
next question. “which two people would you most like to watch get it on with
each other?” He glanced up at Twist, lifting a brow-bone, and receiving only a
shrug in return. Feeling confident after his kiss with Stretch, Cash looked to
Slim. “pup,” he said decisively, “and…” His gaze wandered the group. “and pap.”

“Looks like yer the
pick a’ the night fer threesomes,” Twist said to Papyrus, impressed.

“I’d expect nothing
less,” Papyrus said, seeming pleased. Beside him, Slim was shrinking into his
jacket, his cheekbones almost as bright as Stretch’s.

Razz picked the next
dare, smirking as he read it aloud. “Remove an article of clothing—and whatever
you remove, Cash has to remove too.” Meeting Cash’s eye, Razz reached for his
belt and began to undo the buckle.

“Hey—nothin’ below the
belt,” Twist reminded him, sharply.

Snickering, Razz
refastened his pants and instead shrugged off the leather jacket he was
wearing. Cash lifted a brow-bone. “why?” he asked, dubious.

Razz cocked his head.
“Those long sleeves are hiding your pretty hands,” he said, flexing his own
fingers for emphasis. “Can you blame me?”

Sighing, Cash removed
his jacket, wrapping his arms around himself now that he had nothing but his
tank top keeping his upper half covered. Razz’s eyes raked over him, but Cash
refused to break eye-contact. “these pretty hands have killed monsters too, you
know,” he growled.

Razz merely shrugged,
leaning back. “Among other things.”

Cash retrieved his
next question quickly, picking a name to go with it. “do an impression of…
edge.” He regarded Edge with a tilt of his head. “well… i already made out with
stretch, didn’t i?”

Red released a loud
snort, which he failed to cover up with a cough. Edge and Stretch both looked
indignant, spluttering their protests. “hey! if you really wanted to do an
impression of the edgelord, you’d start shoving sticks up your ass,” Stretch
said, earning him a smack on the arm from Edge.

“we really don’t need
to know what you two get up to in the bedroom,” Cash said, earning him more
outrage from the other two skeletons.

“As if I’d let someone
so undignified anywhere near my ass,” Edge said pompously, shooting Stretch a
glare.

“well—technically, i’m
always near your ass,” Stretch said, “since you’re such an asshole.”

As they bickered,
Papyrus reached for his next question. A smile crossed his face and he looked
up at Cash. “It appears I am required to kiss you in a place that is not your
mouth.”

Cash froze, his cheekbones
growing hot. “w-what?” He swallowed as Papyrus approached him, moving to
straddle him—just as he’d done with Stretch not five minutes ago.

“It’s alright, Wealthy
Me,” Papyrus whispered, leaning in and pressing his teeth against Cash’s
exposed collarbone. “Relax.”

Doing his best to
ignore the stares of the other six skeletons, Cash took a shuddering breath,
leaning back as Papyrus began to nip at his clavicle. He let out a small gasp
of surprise when he felt Papyrus’ tongue trail over the bone, muttering a curse
and letting his eye socket fall closed.

When Papyrus withdrew,
his eyes were bright. “I hope that was satisfactory?” he questioned, as if
awaiting feedback. Cash couldn’t supply anything further than a small nod, his
magic churning excitedly through his bones.

His hands shook a
little as he picked his next question from the bowl. “i—i have to switch
clothes with someone…” He chose a name, swallowing as he read it. “s-slim.” Out
of the corner of his socket, he could see Twist grinning—clearly very satisfied
with the outcome of this particular dare.

“Jus’ the jackets is
fine,” he said, leaning back and observing both Slim and Cash with mild
delight.

Fidgeting, Slim rose
to his feet and shrugged off his jacket, handing it to Cash. Cash had to
suppress the urge to press his face into the ruffle and breath in the smell
after putting it on. He looked up to find Slim wearing his jacket, and swallowed
back the magic pooling in his mouth. Hurriedly, Slim returned to his seat,
tugging the sleeves of Cash’s jacket further over his wrists as he reached for
his next question.

If Slim’s cheekbones
had been warm before—they were all but aflame now. He glanced at Cash, but
almost immediately dropped his gaze, murmuring, “we have to… c-cuddle for three
rounds.”

Cash felt his face
growing hot, and he nodded stiffly, trying to salvage what little dignity he
had remaining. “seems reasonable,” he said, his voice tight. He tried to ignore
the looks he was receiving from the other skeletons—particularly Twist’s ecstatic
grin.

Standing slowly, Slim
approached Cash once again, dropping onto the sofa beside him. Twist regarded
them, his eye socket narrowing. “Arms ‘round each other,” he instructed,
firmly. Cash shot him a scathing glare, before awkwardly shuffling closer to
Slim.

His soul began to race
as he rested his arm over Slim’s shoulders, and his breath hitched when he felt
Slim’s arm settling across his hips. Subconsciously, he leaned into the touch.

Twist retrieved the
bowl for his next question, which Cash read with trembling fingers. “h-have you
ever dreamed about anyone in the room?” He nodded, trying to regather his
composure. “yeah, ‘course—edgelord. every night. sprained my wrist several
times because of it.”

Edge rolled his eyes.
“You’re not half as amusing as you think you are.”

Red cleared his throat
loudly, leaning forward to retrieve his next question. “on that note—i get ta
do somethin’ ta ya while yer blindfolded.”

Cash frowned, glancing
at Twist, who was watching him closely. “You okay with this, Patches?” he
asked, an unusually serious note to his voice.

Cash paused, looking
at Red, who was standing patiently beside the sofa. He felt Slim shifting
against him, his arm growing a little tighter around his waist. Something
unknotted in his chest, and he took a deep breath before nodding. “yeah,” he
said. “yeah, i’m good.”

Red nodded and came to
stand before him. Twist handed Red the blindfold (Cash really hoped it wasn’t
something he kept on hand on a regular basis) and he leaned forward, wrapping
it over Cash’s eye. As the world went dark around him, Cash felt some of his
nerves rearising. He tensed as Red knelt between his knees, his soul thumping
in anticipation. Cash suddenly felt grateful for Slim’s presence. It was
reassuring having someone else’s touch to keep him grounded.

Red’s hands wandered
down his arms, settling over his fingers. He removed one of his hands from
Cash’s, and a few seconds later, Cash felt a pair of fingers curling around his
own. He frowned, but didn’t object—until Red removed the blindfold. It took him
a moment to register why Slim was looking so flustered, but when he looked
down, he felt his soul skip a beat. “red, you—”

Red was grinning,
looking very pleased with himself. “somethin’ the matter, kiddo?”

Yanking his hand out
of Slim’s, Cash reached for the blue bowl, blushing furiously. “next fucking
question,” he snapped as Red dropped back into his seat, chuckling. “looks like
i’m grinding against the edgelord for thirty seconds,” he huffed, standing up
and marching over to Edge without reservation.

Edge looked a little
taken aback, blinking up at Cash as he moved to straddle him. “And here I
thought you were all talk,” he said—his tone snarky despite the light dusting
of crimson on his cheekbones. He curled his hands around Cash’s hips as Cash
began to rock them back and forth—perhaps with a little more vigour than was
necessary.

Cash shot a snide
glance over his shoulder at Red as he moved, satisfied to see that Red was no
longer smiling. He pressed himself closer to Edge, leaning against his chest as
he ground their hips together. Edge grunted softly, and Cash could sense the
buzz of magic in the air around him.

When he withdrew, Edge
was looking significantly flustered, avoiding Cash’s gaze. Cash noticed Stretch
giving Edge a very deliberate look, receiving a flip of Edge’s finger in
return.

Cash felt himself
slump a little when he saw that Slim had returned to his seat. His eyes were
lowered, and he had his knees drawn to his chest. Papyrus was squeezing one of
his hands.

Guilt burning in his
chest, Cash sat back down beside Twist, who glanced over him, as if trying to
gauge him. “Hey, precious, ya feelin’ okay?” he asked, placing a hand on Cash’s
knee.

“brilliant,” Cash
muttered tersely.

Frowning, Twist gave Cash
a gentle squeeze. “I think it’s time fer bed,” he said quietly, before standing
up. “Well—that’s all we’ve time fer tonight, folks!” he announced. “Patches an’
I’ll see ya all tomorrow mornin’ fer the next Bone Ceremony.”

Crouching down, Twist
scooped Cash into his arms—despite his yelp of protest. “twisted, what the fuck
are you—”

“Gettin’ ya ta bed,
Patches,” Twist said, beaming as he carried Cash from the room. Cash blushed
furiously at the sound of the snickers that followed them. He slumped into
Twist’s arms, conceding.

When they reached
Cash’s room, Twist nudged open the door with his foot, and placed Cash
carefully on the bed. He remained where he was for a moment, observing Cash
with a faint smile. “what? you wanna read me a bedtime story or something?”
Cash asked, scowling.

Twist grinned. “Why?
You want me to?”

Cash only rolled his
eyes. Chuckling, Twist leaned down and pressed his teeth to the crown of Cash’s
skull. “’Night, sweethear’. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“yeah,” Cash mumbled,
tugging off his shoes.

Twist paused by the
door. “Got anyone in mind fer the ceremony?” he asked, quietly.

Cash shrugged,
grimacing. “dunno. i’ll figure it out, i guess.”

Twist smiled, nodding.
“Gets tougher as the rounds go by.” He watched Cash for a few moments before
shrugging and opening the door. “Love ya, Patches.”

“hm.”

It was only when Twist
had left that Cash realised he was still wearing Slim’s jacket. With no further
resolve to hold himself back, he pressed his face into the ruff and breathed in.
Sleep came a little more easily that night.

Who will be eliminated this week?

Vote here!