Summary: Pumpkins are supposed to do that... Right?

If Blue had to pick a favorite month, it would have to be October: the time of blossoming autumn weather and all things spooky (i.e., Halloween). It offered exciting activities that were usually unavailable during different times of the year. Activities the azure-garbed Sans couldn't wait to share with his friends- running through the fallen autumn leaves, enjoying a cool evening walk with a cup of hot chocolate, setting up Halloween decorations, and, of course, carving pumpkins.

The latter was an age-old classic; No autumn celebration was complete without it. Thus, making it the first thing he and fellow Star Sanses decided to do. Despite his and Dream's shared wariness of letting Ink handle sharp implements.

The Underswap Sans dared to spare the eccentric monster a glance.

Ink cheerfully stabbed away at his pumpkin with reckless abandon, not minding the orange chunks and pulp splattering across his clothes and face. (Blue supposed it was only wishful thinking to believe one day the artist would remember all the knife - and other weapon - safety lessons.)

Farewell, noble pumpkin. Your sacrifice has saved many others. He thought, redirecting his attention to his own pumpkin.

It was the first of the three pumpkins he'd picked to carve. Though his chosen design proved difficult to etch, he liked to think he executed it quite expertly. Perhaps all those autumns he'd spent in the Underground decorating the rare pumpkin with his brother were finally paying off.

"A magnificent pumpkin for a magnificent Sans!" Blue chimed, admiring his pumpkin doppelgänger.

Dream chuckled from beside him, leaning closer to get a better look. "You have certainly captured your likeness. Do you plan on making one for all of us?"

"A magnificent pumpkin Sans can't be without his magnificent friends!"

"Just make sure Ink knows they're not shapeshifting demons."

The Underswap Sans grimaced. "I supposed some helpful sticky notes will be in order. The last thing the Pumpkin Sanses need is an untimely demise."

His eyelights drifted back toward Ink when he noticed the lack of movement - stabbing - from the other side of the table. The Guardian of AUs looked fresh out of a pumpkin murder scene - though, looking like he'd come from a murder scene was nothing new - as he silently stood over his orange victim, observing it with mismatched eyelights.

"Ink, have you finished your pumpkin?" He asked.

The beige-scarfed skeleton blinked before his grin widened while he exclaimed excitedly, "Yup! It looks great, doesn't it?"

He promptly turned the pumpkin to face Blue and Dream. Gashes and jagged lines covered the poor thing. However, the most distressing element of its design was the concerning amount of red liquid oozing from its openings.

The Underswap Sans recoiled, eyelights shrinking to mere pinpricks. Meanwhile, Dream's face paled.

"Ink..." The Guardian of Positivity began cautiously. "You did check to make sure that wasn't a monster, right?"

"Of course I did! Maybe- I don't remember anymore!" The light in Ink's eye sockets vanished as he leaned over the table, closer to the worried duo, and stretched his smile beyond the limits of normal and reasonable. "It reminds me of the whispers that speak to me at night."

Blue and Dream shared a concerned glance.

"I... I think it's time to see if Reaper is still available to perform an exorcism."

"Agreed." The yellow-clad skeleton stated, already beginning the process of calling the death god on his phone.