Round 1 (previous)

Round 2 (next)

The votes are in–which means one of our eight contestants is about to be eliminated, in…. The Bone Ceremony.

Who will Cash pick? Who will not earn his favour this round? Who will not be receiving a beautifully crafted bone from our fine bachelor? Find out below!

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

🌸

💀

Cash examined the coin
between his fingers, moving it across his knuckles and watching the way the
sunlight glinted off its surface. He stared out his open bedroom window onto
the gardens below; the sun was peaking over the horizon, bathing the orchards
and flowerbeds in orange. The air smelled sweet and clean—like fresh rain and
blossoming spring.

Cash was startled out
of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He swallowed, quickly shoving his coin
back in his pocket. “yeah?” he called.

The door opened, and
Twist strolled in, hands in his pockets. “Mornin’, Patches. Yer up early.” Cash
merely turned away, glancing back towards the open window. The futon shifted as
Twist slumped down beside him, leaning back against the windowsill. “Ready fer
the Ceremony?”

Cash shrugged. “nothing
to be ready for—i’ve just got to pick someone i don’t like and get rid of them.”

Twist chuckled softly.
“S’pose so.” He went quiet, and Cash could feel the scrutiny of his gaze. He
tried to ignore it, leaning his head against the window’s frame and closing his
eyes, taking a deep breath of crisp morning air.

For some time, silence
reigned, but for the soft twittering of birds and the rustle of wind in the
trees below. When at last Twist rose to his feet, he leaned down, giving Cash’s
shoulder a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “Ceremony’s in ‘n hour—I’ll come an’
get ya when yer ready.” Cash nodded, but didn’t look at Twist, still dozing
lightly against the window. “Got someone in mind?” Twist asked.

Cash considered,
before nodding. “yeah. think so.”

Twist hummed
thoughtfully, socket narrowing as he watched Cash. “Hope yer not gonna do
somethin’ stupid, kid,” he said.

Cash turned to look at
him, frowning. “i can pick whoever i want to pick, twisted.”

“’Course ya can—an’ I
won’ stop ya. But I don’ wanna see ya sabotagin’ yerself.”

“what’s that supposed
to mean?” Cash asked, irritation slipping into his voice.

Twist watched him for moment,
surveying his features in consideration. But after a pause, he chuckled.
Shoving his hands back into his pockets, he turned for the door. “Nothin’,
sweethear’. See you in ‘n hour—an’ ya’d better have yer bones ready,” he added
with a wink.

He was gone before
Cash could ask what on earth that was supposed to mean.

****

All eight contestants
were waiting for Cash when Twist led him down the stairs to the main hallway.
Cash rolled his eye at the way Twist had arranged them—in a neat line, awaiting
his approval (or reproval). He could feel their eyes following him as he
descended the stairs, and dipped his head, scowling. Twist leaned in when they
reached the foot of the staircase. “Need me ta go over it again?” he whispered,
a hint of amusement touching his voice.

“no,” Cash snapped.
The word came out a little louder than he’d intended, and a few of the others
looked up in surprise.

Twist only snickered,
shrugging. “Alright, present ‘em with yer bones then.”

Cash smacked his arm
before turning to face the other eight skeletons. They were all silent,
watching him carefully. He swallowed and ducked his head, suddenly anxious.
Thankfully, Twist seemed to sense his discomfort, and quickly cleared his
throat, surveying the others. “Hey assholes—hope you all had fun with our bachelor
on yer first dates. But now ‘e’s gotta pick which a’ ya he wants ta offer ‘is
bone—so ta speak.” Twist nudged Cash with his elbow—but it only earned him a
hard glare. Twist chuckled, giving a cursory wave of his hand. “Sorry. ‘e’s not
really a mornin’ person—‘less ya catch ‘im in
the mood, y’know?”

Cash pinched his nasal
bridge, sighing. “alright—let’s just… get on with this.” He looked up, glancing
over the eight contestants. With a deep breath, he summoned a small, violet
bone—about the length of his forearm. The atmosphere felt heavy with tension,
and Cash shifted uncomfortably beneath the gazes of the other skeletons.

With a decisive
exhale, he approached Stretch—arguably the least intimidating of the
contestants. Cash forced himself to meet Stretch’s gaze as he handed him the
bone, muttering, “you’re through, ashtray,” beneath his breath.

Stretch smirked,
holding the bone between two fingers and lifting a brow-bone. “you’re one sweet-talker,
moneybags.” Cash rolled his eye—but despite Stretch’s nonchalance, his
cheekbones were tinged with a light dusting of golden magic. He passed Cash,
standing beside Twist, who threw an arm over his shoulders, whispering
something to him. Cash tried to ignore Stretch’s soft laughter, focusing on the
task at hand.

He summoned a second
bone and handed it to Edge. “guess it would be cruel of me to separate you from
your boyfriend,” he mumbled, unable to meet Edge’s sharp gaze.

Edge sighed stiffly,
taking the bone. “You’re amusing, pirate.” His eyes flickered quickly to
Stretch, and his cheekbones glowed slightly. “Not all of us are made for comedy
though,” he added tersely, before quickly making his way to Twist’s side.

Next, Cash approached
Red—who seemed surprised. He took the bone slowly, blinking up at Cash. “you,
uh, sure yer makin’ the right decision here, bud?” he asked, lowering his
voice. “didn’ really think i was…”

Cash smirked, leaning
in. “start offering me a cigarette brand of actual quality? and i might even consider
passing you through the next round as well.”

Red chuckled, running
a hand over the back of his skull. “jus’ might have ta then, kiddo.” He made
his way to Edge’s side, and Cash caught him shooting a proud grin up at his
brother.

Glancing over the five
remaining skeletons, Cash summoned another purple bone. He walked up to
Papyrus, who beamed as he was handed the bone. “A wise choice, Wealthy Me!” he
declared, holding the bone proudly in both his hands. “I shall cherish this
victory—and you, if you allow me to!”

Flustered, Cash
nodded, stammering a quick thank you as Papyrus hurried to stand beside Edge
and Red. Cheekbones still warm, he summoned another bone. His hands trembled as
he glanced over the remaining four skeletons. He hesitated and closed his eye
socket, reminding himself to breathe. When he’d gathered his resolve, he walked
over to Slim. Fingers trembling, he quickly shoved the bone into Slim’s hands. “here
you go,” he mumbled beneath his breath, coughing slightly when his voice emerged
raspy.

Slim blinked for a
moment, a tint of amber slowly rising to his cheekbones. “th-thanks,” he
stuttered. For a few seconds, he remained where he was, looking awkward.

“you, um—go stand by twist,”
Cash told him, his eye fixed on a section of the wall over Slim’s shoulder.

“right,” Slim
whispered, quickly hurrying to Twist’s side. Cash watched him, not missing the
wink Twist shot him as he knuckled the crown of Slim’s skull. Hurriedly turning
away, Cash surveyed the three final options.

In truth, choosing
between Sans, Blue, and Razz had been difficult. Cash had spent much of the
previous night weighing up the pros and cons of eliminating each of them. Blue—while
sweet and enthusiastic—was a little overwhelming. And though some of Razz’s
flirting had been… a little uncalled for, Cash couldn’t deny that he appreciated
having someone around to remind him that he was little more than a mere object
in all of this. Spending time with someone like Slim or Stretch could be a
little deluding. And while Sans was a lot easier to be around than most, Cash
could tell that he didn’t really want to be here.

In the end though,
Cash’s decision had been influenced by something out of the control of the
three skeletons before him. With a deep breath, he summoned a bone, and handed
it to Sans.

Sans lifted his brow-bones,
his smile slipping slightly. “uh…”

“sorry,” Cash said,
hurriedly, lifting his chin and breathing in sharply. “i—i know you’re not
exactly… a fan of this. but…”

Sans’ grin returned
and he shook his head. “nah, ‘s alright, pal.” He gave Cash’s shoulder a pat. “i’m
happy to stick around a little longer.”

“thank you,” Cash said,
quietly. Sans gave him a knowing look as he joined the others around Twist,
twirling the violet bone between his fingers.

Turning to Razz and
Blue, Cash inhaled—long and deep—before summoning a bone and handing it to
Razz.

For a few seconds,
neither of them moved. Razz held the bone as if it were about to go off,
looking between it and Cash, his features slowly creasing into a frown. “Is—is this
some kind of joke?” he asked, his tone clipped. “Because, truthfully, I don’t
appreciate—”

“calm down, asshole,
it’s not a joke,” Cash said, dryly. Razz narrowed his eye sockets, examining
Cash’s features carefully. Then, slowly, his confoundment melted into smugness.
He glanced at Blue, who was looking crestfallen, the permanent smile completely
wiped from his expression.

“i’m sorry, blue,”
Cash said softly. “it’s…”

“No,” Blue said
cheerfully, though his voice broke a little on the word. “It’s—it’s completely
fine. I understand.”

Cash shook his head,
sighing. “it’s not… it’s not personal. you just…” He met Blue’s deep cyan eyes—their
colour all too familiar for his liking. Quickly looking away, he scowled at the
floor, burying his hands in his pockets. “sorry,” he mumbled.

Blue was shaking his
head, his smile slowly pushing its way back onto his face. “No—don’t
a-apologise. I—I don’t mind. Really.”

Cash nodded, glancing
away from Blue. Behind him, the other skeletons were watching the display,
their expressions a mixture of pity and confusion. Gently, Stretch extracted
himself from under Twist’s arm, coming to stand before his brother. “blue…” He
tilted Blue’s chin, their gazes meeting. “are you okay?”

“Of course I am!” Blue
said forcefully, even as he wiped the tears from the corners of his eye
sockets. “It’s—oh, I’m just being silly. I… I just get a little…”

Stretch nodded his
understanding, smiling. “yeah. i know, bro.”

Guilt prickling at his
soul, Cash turned away from the brothers.

****

“am i… am i an asshole?”

Twist glanced up at
Cash from his spot on the carpet in front of the fire. “Yeah,” he said,
shrugging. He hesitated, frowning before saying, “Oh wait—yer talkin’ about the
Bone Ceremony?” Cash gave him a dull look. “Nah. Yer alright, Patches. One of ‘em
had ta go.”

“i… i should have
eliminated razz,” Cash muttered, scowling at the carpet. “or sans—he doesn’t
even want to be here.”

Twist offered him a
sympathetic smile. Climbing to his feet, he approached Cash, throwing an arm
over his shoulders and leaning in. “There’s always next week, precious.”

Cash groaned at the
reminder, too tired to do anything but accept Twist’s gentle pat of
consolation.