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It was a space in thought, the pause between the end of a sentence directly into the next. It came without his complete knowledge, a second in time that was brushed off as quickly as it came. So insignificant it wasn't even considered it's own thought. Just...words pushed together between actual thoughts. Simple words. Simple.
'I want to get to know them.'
And Napstablook barely glanced at those words as they flew by, as he forced himself to fly away as well, away from the creature that tried to wake him from his pretend slumber. He didn't look at them until he was safely home after the second meeting with headphones on his head and music drowning out the rest of the world. He watched the T.V., tried to think of nothing, and suddenly it wasn't words between a thought. It barreled through. It flashed neon and had its own voice.
It took his attention away from the robot on T.V., which in itself was alarming enough to warrant attention to the words.
'I want to get to know them.' They liked his hat. They had smiled. For some reason, he felt like there were bubbles popping in his soul. The bubbles exploded and his form felt tingly and he thought to himself, 'I wonder if I should go to see them again.'
And then the bubbles became uncomfortable and he felt disgusted with himself. Of course not. He's a bother just thinking that. 'Sorry creature,' he thought to himself. 'I'm sorry to have thought that.' Even though there's no way for them to have known.
But then the thought was suddenly not simple. It wouldn't. Go. Away. These simple words became a hardship and if he had shoulders, they would be heavy.
He paced, he toggled the T.V. on and off, he looked to the robotic face for support, found none, stared at some snails, still found none, then phased through the house next door and felt like garbage for a couple hours surrounded by familiar walls.
And when later he floated up past the roof, he was still thinking of the creature but with a new resolution. His cousin had pushed themselves to their dream. Maybe he can try, too. Maybe.
Maybe...this was his chance to make something different for himself. A chance to have a moment. A chance to make someone else a hat, too. To smile.
He raced around the mountain, phasing through rock and heat and water. He wanted to find them. And, at one point, he did.
And look! They're talking with someone. Is that his...? Oh yes, his other cousin. Madstablook made him a little nervous sometimes, but. But.
It looked like they were in a heavy conversation, and maybe also dancing? Napstablook wanted to dance with them. He felt the bubbles pop more aggressively in his form. He was so nervous. But he could do this. Everything could go wrong. But it was the same for Hapstablook. Have strength, Napstablook. Strength, strength, strength...he hadn't noticed immediately that he had begun to cry, his nerves and fear collecting into a corporeal form and falling onto the little group. Madstablook yelled something unintelligible then fled the room before Napstablook could settle in their space. Oh no...
He couldn't look at them. He was so ashamed. How could he do this to the human? Just because he couldn't make a lot of friends doesn't mean that he had to keep them from getting any. Oh no, oh no, oh no...
Nervous, scared, yet still somehow filled with whatever had him fly from his cousins rooftop, he muttered something about his own house then fled the scene. What did he say? Had the human heard? What did he say?
In the safety of his home, Napstablook blasted some classic spooktunes and floated back and forth across his flooring. He focused, and...he said something about coming over. His eyes frantically looked over his home. It was tidy, as always. But was it? Maybe his tidy was a mess compared to what the human would think. Maybe the human would hate it. Oh no. This was too much. How fast can Naptablook move his house to Snowdin? Maybe he can -
'I want to get to know them.'
Yes, yes, he gets it, but the human might be coming, and...wait. No, of course they won't. Napstablook just ruined one of their friendships. There's no way they would come.
An immediate acute sadness overwhelmed Napstablook, and he not only made himself a hat, but a full dapper suit. He looked fantastic. He felt terrible.
A knock sounded at his door and his attire disappeared with a 'pop!'. Did one of his snails need something? He doesn't work for another hour. Maybe it's an emergency.
He opens the door and – oh. This is unexpected.
He tells the human so, that he didn't expect them to come. They only smile and start glancing around the room. He puts in his two cents of the object they're checking out whenever they give him a questionable look. And when they play the music, it seems like the human likes it. And that's...wonderful.
Napstablook thinks about the human as they stare at his computer. He felt like, if he had a human body, it would be shaking. He was still so nervous. But they were here. Here.
He wonders what they're favorite color is. He wonders what their favorite food is. He wonders wha music they would listen to, if not spooktunes. He wonders where they got their sweater. It looks really nice.
Before Napstablook can ask any of this, the human opens the refrigerator and asks about a sandwich. Yes! Oh, how silly of him. He forgot to offer anything when the human got here. He got his favorite sandwich and attempted to give it to the human, but it phased through. And yes. How silly of him again. Napstablook, he thinks to himself, you need to get yourself together.
Ah! Yes! And he knows the perfect way to do that! And what better way to get to know the human than to do what Napstablook does practically every day?
When he invites them to lay on the ground with him, they smile and immediately lay on their back. Napstablooks' bubbles tickle his form as he lays down beside them. The spooktunes are lowly playing and it's the perfect atmosphere. He patiently waits to feel like garbage.
But...it never comes. He's aware of the human beside him. Of their smile. Of their presence. They listened to all of his tunes. They checked out his favorite website. They so willingly...they so willingly got to know him.
And Napstablook is suddenly filled with such thankfulness that he absolutely does not feel like garbage. He feels important. He feels like...Oh! Yes, he feels like the stones in the caves that give light in the darkness. He feels like...what are they? Stars. Yes. He feels like he's with a star. The Human has done more for Napstablook than he thinks they know. He hasn't felt a drive for actions he's done recently in much too long of a time. He's been feeling so...alive.
He lays beside this human and the gratitude slowly overwhelms him. It's a space in his thoughts again, a moment that he feels so spectacularly, so reminiscent of how this all started. The moment where he expects the garbage but instead feels like space, like all the stars joined together in his living room just for him and this human, his...friend. His friend.
They lay together for infinity, for only a second. Napstablook doesn't really know. When they finally do stand again, he can't quite pull himself together. He focuses on his music. The human graces him with a smile again before continuing on their adventure.
He wonders if the human noticed they were a star in his living room. He thinks, they had to. His friend had to have noticed.
Napstablooks' emotions become corporeal again, a type of tears he hasn't experienced in a long time. He designs another hat he thinks the human would like, smiling all the while.