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Chapter Text

Papyrus knows he's not supposed to be out right now, especially not without his brother around. Sans always said he wasn't supposed to leave unaccompanied, he never really said why. Just that it was important for him to be with Papyrus, safer that way. But he wanted to see the snow falling, it looked so pretty outside the window. And he knows he sees snow everyday since they live in Snowdin, but it's different when it falls. He doesn't know how to explain it other than it's prettier and more.... It's cooler!

Sans never really understood the fascination, but he indulged it when he wasn't too tired from work. He's..... usually pretty tired when he comes home though, almost passing out before even reaching his bed. Not always... but often enough. But when he wasn't, Sans took him outside to see the snow despite all the grumbling. It doesn't fall very often, so Papyrus likes to go out when it does. And they often get a Cinnamon Bun from the Bunnies too! 

But Papyrus got impatient. Sans was taking forever to get home today! So he went out on his own. 

He didn't mean to run into anyone. Especially not the older kid. He really didn't mean to bother them, he just... wasn't paying attention to where he was going! It was an accident! 

The older kid doesn't seem to care whether it was an accident or not though, yelling at him and shoving him to the ground when he couldn't stutter out an apology though he tried. They look really angry, so full of intent. Intent he's... seen on other faces before, that really scares him. 

So Papyrus tries to run away.... 

He doesn't get far. 

He forgot that you can still use bullets outside of Encounters, not that it really matters since the older kid pulls him into one shortly after. Papyrus cries, but the older kid just laughs and mocks him for it while throwing more and more bullets at him. And most of them hit. 

Papyrus just wants this to stop. He wants the older kid to stop and go away. They're hurting him. 

Stop!

Stop! 

Stop! 

Papyrus opens an eye again when the older kid yells in anger, but not at him. They're brushing snow off their head, only to get another snowball to the face. They angrily rub that off too before looking around for the culprit. They hear a thud somewhere to the side, forgetting Papyrus to go chase after the sound. 

Papyrus doesn't complain about that, trying to get up and run before the older monster can come back. He nearly screams when someone grabs his arm, not even looking back at who it is while he struggles to free himself. 

"Hey! Hey, it's okay! I'm not going to hurt you!" The words are whispery, hushed and hurried. Papyrus opens his eye sockets to finally look at the monster wide eyed. 

You don't look like any monster he's ever seen before. You don't have any fur, but you do have hair growing from your head. You're kind of shaped like him, but not made out of bones like he is. Your eyes are wide, mouth slightly opened. You look a little scared, brows drawn deep. 

He's scared too. 

"Come on," you insist, pulling at his striped sweater. "They could come back any minute." 

Papyrus lets you pull him, though he eventually has to lean on you a bit when his legs get a bit too shaky. You start looking around after a minute, grip on him tightening and loosening every so often. He wonders how you see past the fur lining of the hood on your puffy coat, he wonders where the fur came from. 

"Do you know where we could hide?" You ask, the snow crunching under your fur lined boots helping Papyrus concentrate. 

"home.. my home," Papyrus stutters, wondering if he should really be bringing a stranger to his house. But... you helped him. Or he thinks you did. "did... are.. are you the one that-that... with... snowball?" 

"... Oh, yeah!" You nod, looking around some more. "Where's your house?" 

Papyrus nervously leads you back to his home, you nervously glancing around as you both walk through town. Papyrus tried to pull himself up taller as you both did, nervously glancing around at the other monsters as well. Not that any of them paid the two of you any mind. 

Luckily. 

"there.. that's-that's my house." You both breathe a sigh of relief when the door closes behind you both, nearly dropping onto the floor. The skirt of your dress poofs over onto Papyrus' lap, finally making him realize just how poofy the skirt really is. And just how fancy it looks too. The skirt is two layers, the top a solid red and cut to show the under layer that's striped a darker red and white. (So you are a kid too!) There's fancy shapes and flowers in the middle like a belt. The collar goes up to your neck and is white too.

Your black and white leggings confuse him the most. They're decorated with what looks like inverted monster SOULs and a white patch with a black snow crystal on it. 

"why are you wearing that?" Papyrus blurts out, making you blink at him in confusion. 

"Wearing what?" You ask. Papyrus just points at your outfit, making you look down at it. "Oh, this is my Christmas outfit. My mom makes me dress up every year for photos and stuff." 

"...... christmas?" Papyrus asks, now blinking at you in confusion. You nod. 

"Yeah! You know, with presents under the tree and Santa!" You explain, though Papyrus just looks at you even more confused. You droop a bit, pouting. "You don't know what Christmas is?" 

Papyrus just shakes his head again, you looking even more sad. But Papyrus winces as he shifts, making you stand again. 

"That's sad, but you need help still!" You say, helping him back to his feet. "Where's your Band-Aids?" 

"in the bathroom," Papyrus says, pointing in the direction of said room. You immediately start walking that way. ".... but, we have.... monster candy too." 

"Monster Candy?" You ask, pushing the door open to the right room. You make him sit while you climb up onto the sink to pull the mirror open. 

"y-yeah! candy that helps make you feel better," Papyrus explains, now feeling unsure since you just give him a blank look. 

"Oh, where is it?" You ask, climbing down with the package of Band-Aids in your hand. 

"i.... i don't know," Papyrus admits, looking down. "my brother hid them." 

"Where is your brother? Or your parents?" You then ask, looking under the sink for some reason. 

"he's gone to his job," Papyrus says, watching you give up for whatever you were looking for under the sink. You reach up and grab a rag instead, turning on the sink afterwards. ".... i don't have any parents either." 

"Really?" You ask, looking back at him in surprise. He shakes his head, watching as you wet the rag with the water. "Oh." 

You turn back to what you're doing, wringing the water out of the rag before turning back to him. Your brows furrow again, looking over him. 

"Where are you hurt?" You ask, looking over him again. Papyrus shifts, wincing again. 

"uh....." He looks down at himself then points to a few spots. "there... main-mainly my back and.. a-and ankle.. though." 

You nod, first kneeling to push up his pant leg to find the spot there. You do quickly, pressing the wet rag to it afterwards. Papyrus hisses as you clean the wound, you apologizing. 

"why... why do you have... souls on your pants?" Papyrus asks, looking down at the leggings. Your dress is currently hiding the SOULs though, so he can't see them. 

"Souls?" You asks, blinking at him in confusion again. Papyrus points towards your covered thighs, you pausing for a second to lift the skirts to see for yourself. "Oh, you mean the hearts?" 

"hearts? they look like monster souls... just the wrong way," Papyrus replies, blinking at you. You drop your skirts again, tilting your head but quickly going to looking back at the injury you were tending to. 

"I don't know about souls, but those are just hearts," you shrug, standing again to dig into their medicine cabinet once more. "They mean love." 

"really?" Papyrus asks. You nod with a hum, pulling out a roll of bandages before climbing down again. You sit back down and roll the bandages around the wound before tying it off. Papyrus grimaces, the feeling of the bandages going through the space between his tibia and fibula strange. But he doesn't complain about that to you. You then lean back, looking at where he pointed to on his arm. 

"...... Can you take off your sweater?" You ask, looking back at him. He blinks, then nods and hesitantly pulls the sweater over his head. You shuffle a bit closer, looking at his arm first. You repeat what you did with his leg, but just place a Band-Aid on that one. "Turn around, please? So I can see your back." 

Papyrus nervously turns his back to you, but still looks over his shoulder. You go about doing the same as you did the other times, but your frown deepens and your eyes narrow a bit. You purse your lips in contemplation, looking over the back of his ribcage. 

"is... what's wrong?" Papyrus asks nervously, phalanges twitching in place. 

"...... Nothing," you reply, still eyeing his back with that same expression. "........I'm just not completely sure how to bandage your back." 

".... how do you know how to do all this anyway?" Papyrus asks, looking over you. You glance up at his face, looking over him for a moment. 

"I deal with this stuff all the time," you shrug, tentatively and carefully wrapping his back with the bandages. 

"oh," Papyrus replies. He's already starting to feel better, your intent helping speed things up. Sans will probably take care of anything you missed, so Papyrus isn't too worried. 

"......... And done!" You state, going to clean everything up. Papyrus pulls his sweater back over his head, looking back at you as you put everything back where you found it. His ribs feel a bit tight, but he doesn't think the bandages are moving too much. 

You eventually climb back down, then turn to the skeleton again. It's silent for a few seconds, neither of you really knowing what to say at the moment. 

".... When is your brother going to come home?" You then ask, tilting your head. 

"in a few hours," Papyrus replies, thinking about it for a few minutes. 

"Can I wait for him with you?" You ask, eyebrows drawing a little closer together. 

"sure but... why do you want to wait for my brother?" Papyrus asks, confused. 

"I'm lost," you reply, shrugging just a bit. "Do you think he could help me?" 

"yeah!" Papyrus smiles, nodding a bit. "he's really good at finding things!" 

You just smile, a very cute looking smile at that too. A bit of a purple blush spreading across Papyrus' cheekbones at the sight, the young skeleton feeling a bit of joy swell with that. 

".... What do you usually do while your brother is away?" You then ask curiously, after another few seconds had passed. 

"oh! i usually draw," Papyrus replies, taking your hand in his. Though you quickly move to support him before he can fall, his ankle still not able to have too much weight on it. "come on, i'll show you!" 

_____ 

Sans sighs as he enters his home, having had a very long day at work. Being a part of the Royal Guard is exhausting, but it's well worth it for the protection and G it gives. It's not like he can't handle the job either, and he's getting stronger every day. So he can't complain too much. 

Sans looks around, brow bones drawing in confusion. 

Where's Papyrus? He usually comes down to greet Sans when he comes home, but he's not here. 

Sans pauses where he's standing, looking around for anything out of the ordinary. There's nothing out of place that he can tell. The lock wasn't broken and there isn't anything missing, so no one broke into the house. He doesn't hear anything either. 

"PAPYRUS!" Sans calls, peaking into the kitchen. Papyrus isn't there, but he hears someone walking upstairs so he heads for the staircase. 

"sans!" Papyrus calls, happy. But what catches Sans' attention the most is the little kid standing next to Papyrus, supporting his weight. A little human kid. Supporting Papyrus' weight. Papyrus is limping. Papyrus is hurt. 

Sans shortcuts up the steps, picking Papyrus up and grabbing your SOUL with his magic. He pushes you far away from the two, you grunting in surprise. 

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Sans asks, directing his attention towards his brother. 

"sans! that's my friend, let her go!" Papyrus complains, squirming a bit in Sans' grip. 

"PAPYRUS, THAT IS A HUMAN," Sans states, narrowing his eye sockets at you. You're squirming in his magic, face contorted into a grimace. 

".... she is?" Papyrus asks, looking between you and his older brother. 

"YES," Sans replies, eyes narrowing further. "WHY IS THERE A HUMAN IN OUR HOUSE? WHERE DID YOU EVEN FIND A HUMAN? AND HOW? AND WHY WERE YOU LIMPING?!" 

Sans notices a look seeping into Papyrus' face, his guilty face. It makes his bones lock up, knowing Papyrus did something he's not going to like. 

"PAPYRUS?" Sans demands, looking at his brother again. 

".... i went outside," Papyrus admits, looking at the floor instead of at Sans. Sans feels himself tense even more, unintentionally putting a bit more force into his hold on your SOUL. That makes you whine, which in turn makes Papyrus more upset. He clutches Sans' uniform, shaking a bit. "s-she helped me! another monster attacked me and she got them to go away and helped me home and bandaged me! let her go!" 

"ANOTHER MONSTER ATTACKED YOU?" Sans growls, Papyrus nodded and reiterated what he already said. Sans' eye lights cut back to you. You look up at him, wide eyed. 

"please, sans. let her go! she's a nice human!" Papyrus says, shaking his uniform again. 

"PAPYRUS, SHE IS STILL A HUMAN," Sans repeats, making Papyrus huff. "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH HUMANS." 

".. why not?" Papyrus asks, looking back at you. Sans grimaces, looking between you and his little brother. 

"HUMANS ARE DANGEROUS," Sans simply replies. 

"she helped me though!" Papyrus repeats, giving him another look Sans knows too well. The puppy dog eye sockets. "please let her go... she saved me from that monster." 

Sans already feels his resolve crumbling. He decidedly looks back at you, not at his little brother. 

"HUMAN," he demands, making you curl into yourself a bit more. "WHY DID YOU HELP MY BROTHER?" 

"That bigger monster was hurting him," you reply, voice small. "I wanted to make them stop." 

"WHY?" Sans demands. 

"I don't like seeing people hurt," you frown, shrinking in on yourself a bit more with the look on the older skeleton's face. You really don't like the way he's eyeing you, like he thinks you're lying to him. 

He knows you're not, though he wishes you were.

"sans," Papyrus whines, pulling on Sans' collar more. Sans remains still for a few more minutes, then sighs. 

"I KNOW I'M GOING TO REGRET THIS," he grumbles under his breath, then he releases you from his magic. You're still pinned under his glare though. Sans speaks clearly with his next words. "FINE, I WILL LET YOU GO. BUT IF YOU TRY ANYTHING, HUMAN..." 

Papyrus pouts, but you nod at the unspoken threat. You head downstairs with Sans' gesture to, the skeleton walking down after you before setting his younger brother onto the couch to check over those injuries he mentioned before. Sans is distantly impressed by the care and skill they were wrapped with, still going about healing them himself and discarding the bandages afterwards. 

"WHY ARE YOU DOWN HERE, HUMAN?" Sans asks, glancing over at you from the corner of his eye socket. 

"I got lost and tripped down a hole," you reply, twiddling your fingers nervously. "I'm trying to find my way back home." 

"WELL, I'M AFRAID THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE," Sans comments, stepping away from Papyrus after he made sure the smaller skeleton was completely healed. He turns towards you, who's looking at him wide eyed. "THERE'S A BARRIER THAT KEEPS ANYONE FROM LEAVING HERE. YOU'D NEED TO GET PAST EVERY MONSTER IN THE UNDERGROUND AND THE QUEEN HERSELF TO EVEN GET TO IT, AND YOU'D NEED A MONSTER'S SOUL TO PASS THROUGH THE BARRIER ITSELF." 

"A monster's soul?" You ask, brows furrowing. Sans nods, raising one brow bone. 

"YOU'D NEED TO DUST A MONSTER TO GET THAT," he says, then tilts his head slightly. "AND YOU'D ONLY BE ABLE TO TAKE A BOSS MONSTER'S SOUL AS WELL." 

"Dust?" You ask, confused. 

"YOU'D NEED TO KILL THEM," Sans rephrases, making your eyes widen almost comically. 

"I don't want to do that!" You cry, taking a step back from the older monster with your hands defensively at your chest. 

"THEN YOU'RE STUCK DOWN HERE WITH US," Sans shrugs, watching closely as Papyrus climbs off the couch and hugs you. You're obviously upset by those words, eyes even beginning to look glossy. 

"it's okay! you can stay here with me and sans!" Papyrus offers, squeezing you tight. 

"PAPYRUS-" Sans frowns, but is cut off by said babybone's puppy dog eye sockets again. 

"please, sans?" Sans and Papyrus stare at each other for a long few minutes, Sans ending up being the to one give in with a big sigh. 

"FINE. BUT-" Sans narrows his eye sockets at you, making you shrink into yourself again. "-YOU MUST DO AS I SAY, UNDERSTAND HUMAN?" 

You nod, Papyrus squeezing you tighter. 

"ALRIGHT," Sans sighs again, already feeling his headache worsen at the thought of having two children to look after. And one being a human at that. "FINE. YOU MAY STAY HERE." 

Sans is positive he's going to regret this.

Chapter Text

"MAKE SURE TO KEEP THE WINDOWS CLOSED AND KEEP UNDER THEM, MAKE SURE NO ONE SEES YOU," Sans orders, looking down at you. You blink at him, nodding. 

"Why do I have to do that?" You ask, brows furrowing in confusion. 

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A HUMAN," Sans states, eye sockets narrowing slightly. "HUMANS ARE UNWELCOME DOWN HERE. IF ANOTHER MONSTER SEES YOU, THEY WILL KILL YOU AND YOU'LL GET PAPYRUS AND I IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. POSSIBLY EVEN DUSTED." 

"Okay," you say, shrinking into yourself a bit more. "I won't let anyone see me." 

"GOOD. I HOPE YOU'RE SMART ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T GO OUTSIDE EITHER," Sans continues, arms crossing tightly. "PAPYRUS WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE OUTSIDE." 

You glance upstairs where the smaller skeleton had run off to, though quickly look back at the skeleton in front of you. He's looking over you again, almost critically. 

"I'LL HAVE TO GET YOU SOME NEW CLOTHES AS WELL," he grumbles under his breath, bringing a hand up to his chin. He eyes your leggings in particular with a scowl. "I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE YOU RUNNING AROUND WITH SOULS ON YOUR CLOTHES." 

"They're just hearts," you point out nervously. 

"THEY STILL LOOK LIKE SOULS. DO ALL HUMANS RUN AROUND WITH THOSE ON THEIR CLOTHES?" Sans asks, pulling a disgusted look. You shake your head though, easing his expression just a bit. But then he just hums and turns to the kitchen. 

A little more excitement in the day than he was hoping for when he got home, but his brother still needs to eat. So does the human, he guesses. 

He can't believe he agreed to this. 

Even as he methodically goes about making dinner, noting the human watching curiously from the entrance, he thinks about all the things that could go wrong and all the things he'll need to get for you. Having one child is enough to deal with, but two. He's already getting a headache. 

You look over your shoulder as Papyrus runs back down the stairs, looking at you curiously as he eyes the way you're half hiding in the doorway to the kitchen. He runs over, peering into the kitchen himself to see Sans working on dinner. 

"why are we hiding?" Papyrus whispers to you. 

"Your brother is scary," you whisper back, hiding a little more when Sans glances over his shoulder at the two of you. 

"he's not really," Papyrus laughs, grin widening. "he's a softy when you get to know him!" 

"ARE YOU TWO FINISHED?" Sans cuts in, hand on his hip. "DINNER IS READY." 

"coming!" Papyrus grins, grabbing your hand and pulling you farther into the kitchen. 

_____

"IT'S GETTING LATE," Sans notes, looking over at a clock. "IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GO TO BED." 

"but i'm not tired," Papyrus yawns, blinking up at his brother. Sans snorts, crossing his arms. 

"WELL, IT'S TIME FOR BED WHETHER YOU'RE TIRED OR NOT," Sans replies, looking down at both of you. "WHICH YOU ARE." 

Papyrus just pouts, then looks over at you. 

"where's she going to sleep?" He asks, looking up at Sans again. Sans looks contemplative. 

"I'M... NOT SURE RIGHT NOW," Sans replies, tilting his head. But Papyrus suddenly lights up, turning to you. 

"you can sleep with me!" Papyrus smiles, taking your hand and pulling you towards his room. Sans frowns, but sighs in acceptance and lets both of you go. You watch as Papyrus digs into his closet, pulling out some clothes. He hands some to you, smiling. "you can borrow these until you get some of your own!" 

"Thanks," you smile, taking them. Papyrus lets you change in his room, him changing in his closet instead. Then he jumps into the bed, you climbing in after him. Papyrus pulls the blankets over you both, then curls up under them himself. 

You make yourself comfortable, looking back at the skeleton in front of you. He seems to drift off rather quickly, you supposing he actually was pretty tired. You're tired too, but your mind is racing with today's events far too quickly for you to relax. 

One moment you were just taking a walk with your cousins, exploring the woods behind your grandparents house and the next you fell into a whole other world. 

You knew you weren't suppose to be in the woods, your grandparents warned you of that multiple times. They always said it was too dangerous, that you could get hurt or lost. You're... not usually one to disobey, considering your grandparents usually laid out the rules pretty clear and why they were there, but your cousins insisted on it. Leaving the fenced in backyard were you all were building snowmen and other things. You should've just gone back inside and gotten your grandparents or one of the other adults, you shouldn't have followed them. Now.... you don't know if you'll ever see them again. 

You already miss everyone. You wonder if your cousins made it back to the house, they had run off after something and you had lost sight of them. Then you lost sight of the path and ended up wondering until you found a cave, only to fall into a hole when you attempted to take shelter. The hole was so deep. 

Everything down in the hole was so scary too! Everything kept attacking you and chasing you until you made it to some door in a basement! By the time you got that open you heard someone else yell at you, only making you run faster from whatever hulking shadow that was. Then you found yourself alone on another snowy path, though you're not sure how since you're underground. But at least no one was attacking you. 

And after that you met the two skeletons, one who is really nice and the other scary. And learned you cant leave without hurting someone! You don't want to hurt anyone, you don't want to fight. It's scary and mean and-and terrible! This whole place is scary and you really just want to go home! You want your grandparents and mom and dad. You just want to be back at the Christmas party where it's warm and safe and you can play with the new toys you got! Why'd you have to fall-

You blink, looking up at Papyrus again and ignoring the tears rolling down your cheeks. He shifted closer and hugged you in his sleep, arms wound tight around you. You blink again, your mind calming from the racing thoughts. You lean a little closer to the skeleton, finding it's not as uncomfortable of a position as you thought it'd be. 

"it's okay," Papyrus whispers, apparently not as asleep as you thought. "it's okay." 

You sniffle, shifting a bit closer. You're eventually able to fall asleep, relaxed a bit more after your stressful day. 

.....

...

Sans stops in the doorway of Papyrus' room, looking in to see the both of you in bed. He takes a breath, leaning in the door to watch the both of you for a moment. 

You and Papyrus are curled up together on Papyrus' bed, soundly asleep. Papyrus is clinging to you in his sleep, you not seeming to mind it yourself. The bed is big enough for the both of you to fit on comfortably, and probably would still be big enough when you're both older. Though this isn't what he had in mind when he bought that bed for Papyrus all that time ago. 

But he never thought he'd be taking care of anyone besides Papyrus, much less a Human child. 

If all Humans are like you, he doesn't think a lot of his training is going to be very useful from what he's seen today. You're not very violent, in fact you're not violent at all. You listen fairly quickly and you barely make any fuss. Hell, you barely even seemed phased by the fact of being surrounded by Monsters, or by Monsters that want to kill you. You are a Human child though, so perhaps the adults are much more like he's heard. 

Either way, you're a strange Human. You're a strange kid. But he guesses you're going to be his strange kid now. At least for the moment, though Sans doesn't have any plans to give you up and reveal what he's done. That.... would be suicide as far as he's concerned, and he can't leave Papyrus alone. If he doesn't come up with some convincing lie to cover himself anyway, but those are thoughts for another day.

...... He doubts Papyrus would react well to him taking you to the Capital though, he's already far too attached.... And perhaps you'd be a good friend, Papyrus needs one of those....

Sans shakes his skull and walks into the room, pulling the blanket up over the two of you. He stares at your and Papyrus' peaceful faces for a few more minutes, then turns around and heads for his own room. It's time for bed.

_____ 

"HERE, PUT THESE ON!" Sans orders, placing a pile of clothes into your arms. You stumble a bit, looking down at them before looking back at Sans. He raises a brow bone, you running back into Papyrus' room to try on the clothes he gave you. 

It looks mostly like sweaters and jeans, along with socks and gloves too. The sweaters are turtlenecks as well and they all look a lot like what Papyrus wears- stripped just like his are. There's a few leggings too, you find. And they're really soft! A few dresses were tossed in as well, a few sweaters long enough to be dresses.

You try them on, finding they all fit really well. You're curious about a few things though. 

"WELL?" Sans asks, his voice coming through the door really easily. 

"They fit," you reply, opening the door again to see Sans and Papyrus waiting. Sans eyes your outfit, one of the pairs of leggings and sweater-dress. "But why is everything stripped?" 

"kids wear stripes!" Papyrus replies, as if that should be obvious. Sans just hums, looking thoughtful. You just look even more confused, having never heard that rule before. "is it not like that on the surface?" 

"No," you reply. "Kids don't have to wear stripes." 

"then how do you tell if someone's a kid?" Papyrus asks, confused now as well. 

"It's usually pretty obvious if someone's a kid or not by their height," you reply, shrugging. 

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT DOWN HERE," Sans comments, head tilted. "MONSTERS COME IN MANY SHAPES AND SIZES, SO AT TIMES IT'S HARD TO TELL WHETHER A MONSTER IS A CHILD OR ADULT JUST BY LOOKING. SO THAT DRESSCODE WAS MADE TO MAKE IT EASIER." 

"Oh, okay," you nod, understanding a bit better now. 

"I SUPPOSE I'LL HAVE TO TEACH YOU MORE OF OUR CUSTOMS," Sans mutters to himself, watching as Papyrus looks through the clothes you set on his bed. Sans sighs at the thought, shaking his head and just watching the two of you mess around. 

_____

"So if I get pulled into an Encounter, which is a fight between two people, other Monsters will be able to see my SOUL, which will immediately reveal I'm a Human," you summarize, looking up at the skeleton in front of you. "And SOULs are a person shrinked into one thing." 

"SOULS ARE THE COLLIMATION OF YOUR ENTIRE BEING," Sans corrects, sitting across the table from you. Papyrus is somewhere else currently, apparently already knowing all of this. "AND IT'S SHRUNK, NOT SHRINKED." 

"Why do Monsters fight each other? And why do they need a human's SOUL?" You ask, brows furrowing. Sans sighs, shaking his skull. 

"IT'S JUST THE WAY THINGS ARE," he replies, looking both annoyed and accepting. "WE FIGHT EACH OTHER TO SURVIVE. IF WE DON'T FIGHT, WE'RE DUSTED." 

"But that's not fair!" You protest, Sans only clicking his tongue. 

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER IT'S FAIR OR NOT, IT'S THE WAY THINGS ARE. YOU CERTAINLY AREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE THAT," Sans replies, wagging a finger at you. You just pout, making Sans sigh. "I'LL SAY IT ONCE MORE, IF YOU GO OUTSIDE, YOU WILL DIE. STAY IN HERE WITH PAPYRUS. AND KEEP HIM FROM LEAVING AS WELL." 

"...... Okay," you sigh, still looking upset with the situation. "But why do Monsters need Human SOULs?" 

"TO BREAK THE BARRIER," Sans replies, raising a brow bone. "ONLY THE POWER OF SEVEN HUMAN SOULS CAN BREAK THROUGH THE BARRIER TRAPPING US ALL UNDER HERE." 

"And you'll be free if you get them? Why can't you..... borrow a SOUL?" You ask, tilting your head. Sans laughs at that, shaking his skull again. 

"TO USE A SOUL'S POWER, YOU NEED TO ABSORB THE SOUL INTO YOUR OWN. YOU CAN ONLY DO THAT IF THE PERSON CONNECTED TO THE SOUL IS DEAD," he explains. "AS FOR YOUR FIRST QUESTION, YES. WE WILL BE FREED ONCE WE HAVE ALL THE SOULS." 

"Oh, okay," you nod. Sans looks at you critically, tilting his own skull. 

"WHY DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT SOULS?" He asks, a slight bit of confusion making itself known on his skull. "DON'T HUMANS TEACH THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT THEM?" 

"Not really," you shrug. "I don't think anyone knows SOULs are really real." 

"STRANGE," Sans comment, brow bones furrowing deeper. "DID YOU LEARN ABOUT MONSTERS AT ALL?" 

"No," you reply, shaking your head. "I was always told Monsters aren't real." 

"HUH," Sans replies, voice devoid of emotion. He eyes you again, still the slightest bit confused and intrigued. 

Perhaps you falling down here will be more useful than he initially thought.

Chapter Text

Sans has to admit, you learn fast and listen rather well. You keep Papyrus from doing dumb things too, the both of you getting along like a house on fire. And after Sans caught you up on Monster customs and history, you were able to help Papyrus learn faster as well.

You keep Papyrus company when Sans is away, you're able to calm him down and comfort him when upset much easier than Sans was ever able to (as he found out one unfortunate night he'd rather not think too much about), you're not very messy for a child, you already know how to make food (though not with a stove) and do the laundry pretty well, were quick to learn how to deal with them when they get sick (Sans more than Papyrus, though Papyrus does get sick on occasion). You know how to do a lot of things Sans isn't really sure you're supposed to at your age.

You're about as old as Papyrus if he had to guess, so why do you know how to take care of yourself? Just who was watching you before you ended up down here? 

There's things you say too that make him question that even more, other things you do. You're a smart kid, but for a while you acted dumb and rarely spoke up even when he intentionally said something wrong. When question, you just said it's not okay for kids to talk back to adults, which he quickly corrected because that's not the same thing. You got confused when he let you pick out the clothes you were to wear for the day, when ask you just said you were never allowed to before. 

Little things that make him think it was better for you to be down here than up there. But you're not that bad to have around after all, Papyrus enjoys your company and you're not as much trouble as he expected. 

It's not long after that he gets confirmation to these thoughts. 

Sans pauses as he steps into the house, finding you sitting at the table and picking at your food with a sad, thoughtful look on your face. He contemplates leaving, not seeing Papyrus anywhere in sight, but you spot him before he can. Resigned, he heads into the kitchen and makes himself a cup of coffee first. 

"IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG?" Sans asks, sitting across from you and eyeing your posture. You sit up, seeming out of habit. 

".... No," you reply, not looking at him. Sans raises a brow bone, but remains silent. You push the microwaved food on your plate around, staring down at it. "..... It's my birthday, I think." 

"HMMM.... AND WHY ARE YOU SAD ABOUT THAT?" Sans asks, raising a brow bone. You shrug a bit, looking away from your plate. "..... WHAT DID YOU USUALLY DO ON YOUR BIRTHDAY, THEN?" 

"Mom would make my favorite breakfast and we'd go out to eat at my favorite restaurant for dinner," you smile, perking up just a bit. "And during the weekend we'd have a birthday party! My friends would get to come and family would too. They bring lots of presents and we'd have cake and ice cream and lots of fun!" 

You smile at that, making Sans huff in amusement. 

"SO, ARE YOU MISSING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY?" Sans asks, your mood quickly lowering again. 

"Kinda," you mumble, not looking at him again. Sans sighs, leaning onto the table and taking another sip from his coffee cup. 

"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MISSING YOUR LOVED ONES," he says, eyeing you again. You look up at him, apparently surprised. "FAMILY IS IMPORTANT. IT'S NATURAL TO MISS THEM WHEN YOU'VE BEEN SEPERATED..... WHY DO YOU LOOK SO SURPRISED?" 

"Mom always told me not to be selfish," you reply quietly, staring down at the plate again. 

"HOW IS THAT SELFISH?" Sans asks, sitting up a bit straighter. You just shrug, making Sans sigh. He says your name, making you look up at him through your eyelashes. "MISSING YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS IS NOT SELFISH. WANTING THEM AROUND ISN'T SELFISH EITHER. ALRIGHT?" 

"Okay," you nod, head tilting up more. Sans nods, leaning back in his chair again. He eyes you, head tilting in consideration. 

"WHAT WERE YOUR PARENTS LIKE?" He asks, voice light and relaxed. You look down, then up again. 

"They're great," you smile, though Sans doesn't miss the hesitation or the way the smile doesn't reach your eyes. "We have fun when they aren't busy! We have movie nights sometimes and those are really fun! We all sit together and watch lots of movies, sometimes we grill out too and Mom makes some really good burgers...... Though I don't like it when Dad gets drunk... or mad." 

".... WHAT HAPPENS THEN?" Sans asks warily. 

"He... gets mean and scary. He.... I just try to avoid him when he gets like that," you shrug, glancing away. "Mom said I shouldn't tell people about it." 

"WHY?" 

"It'd get Dad in trouble and he'd be taken away," you reply, looking up at Sans again. He stares at you for a long moment, then slowly nods. 

"ALRIGHT," he simply says, voice void of emotion. ".... DID YOUR PARENTS WORK A LOT?" 

"Yeah," you nod. 

"WHO LOOKED AFTER YOU?" Sans asks, raising a brow bone. 

"No one. They left me home alone," you shrug. 

"I SEE.... IS THAT WHERE YOU LEARNED HOW TO.... DO EVERYTHING YOU KNOW?" 

"Yep! I taught myself," you smile, making Sans frown.

"EVERYTHING? EVEN COOKING AND THE LAUNDRY?" He asks, just to clarify his thoughts. 

"Yeah! ........ Mom would be tired when she came home from work and I always got hungry before she got home, so I watched her and did what she did," you explain, smiling proudly. "I got good at it after a while!" 

Your parents left you to fend for yourself at such a young age? And just let you do these things all by yourself? 

"I SEE," Sans replies, keeping the distaste to himself. At least he makes you two something to eat before he leaves for work. After a moment, another thing pops into his skull. ".. WHY DO YOU KNOW HOW TO BANDAGE WOUNDS SO WELL?" 

"I have to do that a lot," you shrug. 

"....... FOR WHO?" Sans asks. 

"Mom... and me," you reply. Sans tenses, looking over you again. 

"HUH," he simply replies, trying to relax his grip on the coffee cup a bit again. "...... IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY?" 

You perk up a bit, telling him all about the family gatherings and your grandparents, who you seem especially fond of. You've apparently gone camping, visited beaches, and gone on a vacation with various family members before. Though those trips were few and far between it seems. But all good memories, which is good to hear. 

Hearing about things on the Surface are always interesting too. 

"Do..... Do you think I'll ever see my family again?" You ask hesitantly, making Sans lean back in his chair in thought. 

"IT'S... POSSIBLE," he tells you, tilting his skull. "IF WE'RE ABLE TO BREAK THE BARRIER." 

".... Would you help me find them again?" You look hopeful, looking at him through your eyelashes again. San sighs, tapping a finger against the cup. 

"IF THAT IS WHAT YOU'D REALLY WISH, THEN I SUPPOSE," he nods, making you smile at him. This one actually reaches your eyes. 

..... He may help you find them if you really insist, but he has no intention of ever returning you to your parents.... Not after everything he's heard so far. 

"ARE YOU GOING TO FINISH THAT PLATE?" Sans asks, standing up to rinse out his cup. "AND WHERE HAS PAPYRUS RUN OFF TO?" 

"Paps is in his room playing a game," you reply, going back to eat with a considerably lighter mood. Sans just hums, glancing towards the ceiling for a second before going back to what he was doing. 

He's sure there's enough time.

_____

You and Papyrus have both gotten a little bit older now, gone through a growth spurt or two. You've gotten much more comfortable in the household, seemingly sliding into place like you were always meant to be there, and Sans has gone up a few ranks of the Royal Guard. Not where he wants to be yet, but it's only up from here. So, he comes home that day with a few things in hand for the both of you. 

"THEY'RE COLLARS, THEY'LL KEEP YOU BOTH SAFE IF YOU'RE EVER OUTSIDE WITHOUT ME," Sans states, handing you both the said objects. You look over the leather thing, it looking more like a dog collar to you and you're not sure how that keeps you safe exactly. Especially since you're a human and can't go outside anyway. 

Papyrus still puts his on anyway, then takes yours to fasten it around your neck. You're able to hear the little bone shaped tag tink against the metal parts, making your eyes turn down to it. It's comfortable to wear, especially with the turtleneck sweater separating the leather from your skin. 

"I HAVE ONE MORE THING," Sans states, you both looking up at him. He says your name, then holds something out for you. You take it, finding it to be a mask fashioned to look like a skull. "IF YOU GO OUTSIDE, WEAR THAT. PARTNERED WITH YOUR CLOTHES, GLOVES, AND COAT, NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO TELL YOU'RE HUMAN. BUT REMEMBER TO KEEP THE HOOD OF YOUR COAT UP, AND DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PULLED INTO AN ENCOUNTER." 

Sans' voice is stern with that, you nodding in response. It'd be immediately obvious you're a human then, no matter what you wear. 

"NEVER GO OUTSIDE BY YOURSELVES EITHER," Sans adds, looking between the two of you. "IT'S SAFER IF YOU TWO ARE TOGETHER, DON'T LET YOURSELVES BE SEPARATED. UNDERSTOOD?" 

"Yes, Sans," you and Papyrus chorus. Sans loosens up a bit, letting out a breath through his nose. 

"GOOD," he nods, turning to head into the kitchen. You trail after him, looking to help with dinner like always.

_____

Sans steps back into his home, calling for both you and Papyrus to come downstairs. You both do, jumping down the steps to greet him. Though you go a little slower than his brother, a bit of a dark cloud hover over your head. Which is exactly what Sans is looking to rectify. 

Sans had noticed your gloomy mood lately, though wasn't sure what was causing it until he realized the date. It's close to the day you first fell into the Underground, which he figures you notice as well. Though he figures your inability to go outside probably factors into that too, which the mask was supposed to fix but you two don't seem too excited about going outside on your own. 

Which he's not too upset about. 

But, he also remembered it was some holiday in your world when you fell. With a bit of prompting, you told him all about "Christmas" and what usually happens during that time. It was easy enough after that to figure out why you were feeling a little down. So, he brought some things home with him to hopefully cheer you up a bit. 

"what'd you get?" Papyrus asks curiously, trying to peak into the bags. 

"YOU'LL SEE," Sans grins, lifting the bag out of his little brother's reach. "FOR NOW, WE NEED TO MAKE DINNER." 

"but it's not even close to dinnertime," Papyrus frowns, looking at the clock. 

"WE STILL NEED TO START NOW," Sans replies, grinning a bit. Papyrus pouts, but does let it go for the moment. Sans sets the bags on the counter, moving one of them off to the side for now. Unpacking the rest of the bags, you and Papyrus lean on the counters to see what they are. You seem a bit curious when you see the ingredients, looking up at Sans. 

"What are we making?" You ask, tilting your head. 

"WELL, I ASSUME YOU REMEMBER SOME RECIPES YOU MADE FROM YOUR.... HOLIDAY ON THE SURFACE?" Sans asks, looking over at you. He receives a confused nod in response. "WHY DON'T YOU SHOW US SOME OF THEM." 

You smile, leaning a bit more onto the counter to see the ingredients he collected. Papyrus even appears a little curious, looking over the stuff gathered himself. Granted he couldn't get everything you talked about, since most of it was Surface food. But he was able to get some things that where similar enough and that'll do just as good. Plus, you're making it together which is a big thing apparently. 

Sans pulls out the stool he got you so you can give him some directions easier, raising an eyebrow at some of them. 

"REALLY? YOU PUT THE JAM IN WITH THESE?" Sans asks, scraping some of the grape jelly in with the barbeque sauce and small water sausages. 

"Yeah. Mom always made them like this," you reply, looking into the mixture as he stirs it. "She said the jelly makes it a bit sweeter and balances the barbeque sauce. Otherwise it's too hot." 

Papyrus looks curious, swiping a bit of barbeque sauce from the bottle and eating it. You scrunch your nose at him, but he seems to like it as he snatches the bottle afterwards. Sans gives him a look for that, but turns back to you.

"I SEE," Sans hums, putting a lid over the pot to let it cook. Two other dishes are cooking right now as well, and all of the dinner items should be ready for dinner. Now all you have to do is the... cookies. "NOW, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THESE?" 

"Uhm..." You look over the ingredients, then start pulling some over. "You mix these then can shape them into different things. Grandma usually had cookie cutters we used." 

"WE'LL HAVE TO DO WITHOUT THEM," Sans notes, glancing over the ingredients. "NOW, HOW MUCH DO WE PUT IN." 

"Hmm..." You look over the stuff again and end up just having to eyeball the measurements from memory. It works out in the end, you rolling the dough out and Sans taking a knife to cut them into shapes. Some from what you used to do with your grandma and some new ones mostly made up by Papyrus. By the time you're done with the cookies and have them frosted, the rest of the food is done and it's time for dinner. 

Sans grins in self-satisfaction as your mood seems considerably lighter during the meal, and he has to admit some of these dishes are actually very good. He'll have to add them to the list. The cookies are a little sweet for his taste, but you and Papyrus thoroughly enjoy them in his place. 

"ALRIGHT, NOW," Sans claps once everyone's done eating, the dishes are cleaned, and the leftovers are put away. He grabs the bag he set off to the side, opening it up and taking out some things. He hands a new sketchbook over to Papyrus, who grins widely, and a teddy bear over to you. You look at the toy, seeming more than a bit surprised.

He found it in the dump and thoroughly cleaned it a day or two ago, having overheard you talking about something similar that you used to own on the Surface and missed a lot. It's not a perfect match of course, but it's similar enough it seems.

"Thank you." You hug him tightly, smiling widely up at him and eyes a little watery. Sans freezes for a second, then nods and pats your head.

Looks like today was a success. 

Chapter Text

Another year passes, and you and Papyrus haven't gone outside alone yet. Neither of you are exactly rushing for the chance, especially after Sans laid out everything that would happen if you did. But, now with the collars and Sans' gentle coaching, you both do. 

You stare at the mask in the mirror, wearing the clothes that cover you the most. The mask is set in a neutral look, probably purposefully. Doesn't look too friendly, but isn't threatening either. It covers your entire face and chin, not even your eyes visible through the black fabric over the sockets. You're able to see normally even with that though, but you're not sure how. The mask is comfy though, having some kind of cloth covering the inside to separate your skin from the hard mask. But it doesn't quite have the texture Papyrus and Sans' bones have. Close, but not quite. 

"ready?" Papyrus asks, peaking into the room again. You nod, taking Papyrus' gloved hand into your own gloved hand. You both head out of the house for the first time in a long time, nervously glancing around. No one takes more than a step towards either of you, especially after they get a look at the tags from your collars. 

It's still nerve-racking either way, you and Papyrus keeping close together. Despite no one approaching you both, you still get glares and suspicious looks from the Monsters you pass. A few of the other kids even purposely, and roughly, bumping into your shoulders before continuing on their own path. 

But it was also like taking a breath of fresh air for you after being cooped up in the house for so long. The air is crisp against your skin, able to sneak through some of your clothes regardless, and even smells cold. The snow crunching under your shoes in a familiar way, a sound that's surprisingly pleasant to hear again after so long. Seeing your breath in the air. It brings a sense of nostalgia that has you cracking a small smile behind the mask despite the hostile Monsters surrounding you. 

It's a rather peaceful walk, though you both try to hurry where you're heading to regardless of what you're feeling. The Bun's shop. 

"I didn't know there was another skeleton around here," Bun says, surprised. She eyes you curiously, but doesn't do much else. 

"uh, yep," Papyrus replies, gripping your hand tighter. 

"Sans brought me back from the Capitol," you shrug, taking the cinnamon bun from the shop keep. 

"Well, welcome to Snowdin," Bun replies, patting you on the head then Papyrus. The two of you don't stick around much longer, hurrying back home. 

Neither of you go out much after that, only occasionally making the trip to get more sweets and free things the Buns give to kids. But it's enough to establish the both of you are basically joined at the hands you keep clasped together no matter what, that and the lie Sans had you practice was enough to start the rumor mill as to why you were brought back here. All ranging from a tiny terror Sans has to keep watch of to softer things like he just got custody after your parents were killed. Either way, no one actually knows and no one's brave enough to ask it seems. 

All of that may be what Sans hoped for, but you don't know. All you know is that it worked and now no one expects to see one of you without the other, even as you both outgrow your stripes. Always hand in hand, never apart even for a moment, one following the other. And Papyrus has gained the reputation of being fiercely protective of you, always stepping in front of you and glaring when someone gives you a glance. Even threatening more if anyone tries anything.... But just threatening, never a fight so far. 

And Sans has plans to grow your reputations more, which keeps with the two of you staying so close to each other.

You both follow behind him, hand in hand like always, while he does a patrol. Papyrus has trained to keep his face in what he calls his "resting bitch face" while your mask keeps your expression neutral. You're completely covered from the top of your head to your toes like usual.

You get looks, people eyeing the way the two of you walk just behind Sans. Papyrus pretending to sulk in boredom, you standing normally with that neutral mask. Your hands are clasped together as normal, as tightly as you both are able to hold each other. Sans marches in front of you both, hands clasped behind his back and a scowl on his face. Intimidating as ever. 

Papyrus still glares at anyone that even looks your way, you keeping your head forward. By the time you make it to the end of Sans' route, many monsters have seen the three of you together. No one said a thing, no one took a step towards you. Nothing happened. 

You end up going on many patrols with Sans after that, keeping the same looks on your faces. You and Papyrus always shadowing Sans hand in hand. 

You have to wonder if there's rumors about that, if any monsters may think it's just impossible for the two of you to separate from each other. Perhaps they'd be right, in a way. Just not physically. 

Either way, it's really interesting to see the Underground. All the different areas and the environments, and getting to safely see the different Monsters inhabiting the areas. You have to believe Waterfall is your favorite. The place is just so pretty and magical looking, the Monsters there even usually more relaxed than the other places. Not harmless by any means, but calmer and less prone to attacking. That probably has something to do with Sans, but regardless it's nice. 

And you have to wonder if Sans noticed and went a little out of his way to let you see more of it, even visiting the Dump so you and Papyrus could looking around there. 

But there's also places you can't say you enjoy. Like Hotland. 

"Captain! So, you finally decided to bring your shadows around here, have you?" General Alphys grins, menacing in manner. That gnarled scar over her eye looks painful to you, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. You don't know how she's wearing all that armor here in Hotland, you can barely stand the thin layers you dressed in. 

Sans stops fully, you and Papyrus doing the same. Papyrus eyes her, not that she seems to mind it. Alphys observing the both of you unbothered, lingering on your connected hands. 

"I HAVE," Sans simply replies, glancing back at the both of you. 

"I see the rumors are true then," she notes, looking back towards Sans. "Do they ever let go of each other?" 

"HARDLY," Sans scoffs, shaking his skull. "I CAN BARELY GET THEM TO SEPARATE LONG ENOUGH TO EAT DINNER!" 

Not really true, but you and Papyrus don't say anything. Papyrus just rolling his eye lights and scoffing himself, you remaining as still as a statue. 

"Do your shadows speak?" Alphys asks, raising a brow. 

"SOMETIMES," Sans replies, nodding to the side neutrally. "MOSTLY TO EACH OTHER OR TO ARGUE WITH ME!" 

Not true either, but it doesn't have to be. 

"Ah," Alphys' expression doesn't change, still eyeing the both of you. Papyrus stares back at her, tightening his grip on your hand. Something she doesn't miss apparently. "I assume the rumors about how protective he is over her are true too, then." 

"UNFORTUNATELY SO," Sans sighs, shaking his skull. "IT'S CAUSED MANY.... PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. HE'S ALMOST HER.... GUARD DOG AT THIS POINT." 

Alphys just huffs at that, raising a brow. You swear her eyes almost turned... sparkly? at that little revelation. You're not sure, but you guess she may find that... cute? 

And you suppose that is true. You have to stay out of Encounters and one way to do that is Mutt acting ready to dust anyone that vaguely looks at you sideways. You don't like it, he doesn't really like it, but it keeps you safe and builds his reputation. If anyone found out you're human, it would be a disaster for you and the skeleton brothers. Destroy everything Sans has worked hard for and probably end up with all three of you dead... Though you don't want to imagine what the Empress would do to two... traitors. 

It's better if everyone thinks you're a monster. And it's probably a good thing Sans is so paranoid too...... Even if you wish it was different. 

Well... there's not much you can do about it.

_____

If you had to guess, you'd think you're somewhere in your teenaged years. Maybe late teens, but you're not sure. Which considering everything is weird, especially since you're mostly viewed as an adult now. You don't know if that was what Sans and Papyrus think is an adult or if that's just what is considered an adult here. That was never really explained to you. 

But it's still weird, and a bit uncomfortable honestly. Growing up surrounded by only Monsters, and male ones at that. Sans has no clue what's going on with your body, you have no clue. So you've just kind of had to learn as you go what to do and not to, the two skeletons just uncomfortably doing what they can to help. 

Papyrus pokes your shoulder with some candy, a bit of a grimace on his face. You huff, taking it with a bit of a laugh. 

"Thanks," you say, sitting up to eat the candy. Papyrus sits down, looking you over confused. 

"you're weird," he says, poking your leg. 

"So are you," you reply, poking his arm right back. 

"sure, but at least i don't bleed every month," Papyrus grimaces, looking back up at you. "i.. still don't get how you can loose that much blood and not die." 

You just shrug in response, not having any clue about that either. 

Neither of the skeletons really like it though, they both get nervous. You just get tired and a bit cranky. Though, after calming down, you did find their reactions the first time it happened kind of funny in hindsight. Papyrus thought you were going to die, Sans had too and tried healing you. It didn't really do much other than ease some pain, which they weren't too happy about.

They really thought you were going to die, very surprised when you returned to normal after it was over. The second time it happened, they still got worried but Sans had the thought it was just something that happened with humans. Which was just confirmed with the third time. 

Their hovering was a bit irritating during, but was appreciated. 

Papyrus trails his hands down your leg, stopping at your ankle and pressing down on the bones. You just huff at that, lightly knocking your foot against his hip. 

"ya got what feels like bones underneath all this squishy stuff too," Papyrus notes, looking curious. He presses down on your knee next, which makes you bat at him with your hand. 

"There are bones under there," you reply, letting him take the hand you were hitting him with and examine that. He feels the bones in your wrist then plays with your fingers a bit. 

"what do ya mean?" 

"I mean there's bones in there. Not.... exactly like yours, I think," you reply, trying to dredge up what little you learned about the skeletal system on the Surface. "Some pieces are different." 

"really?" He asks, looking up at you again. You nod, looking down at his hands. 

"I... think our hands are," you say, examining the solid bone piece that makes up his palm. You take his hand in yours this time, tracing over his palm. "I think Human palms are broken into pieces instead of one like yours..... Our fingers are the same though, I believe." 

"huh.... that's really weird," Papyrus says, tilting his head and watching you. "....so you're a skeleton wrapped up in this squishy stuff." 

"I guess," you shrug, eyes squinting a bit in thought as Papyrus takes his hand back and presses his phalanges down on your arm. "I think our brains have a big part in making everything work though." 

"brain?" Papyrus asks, glancing up again. You nod, tapping your head with your free hand. 

"It's up here," you shrug. "I didn't learn too much about any of this before falling down here.... I don't know much." 

Papyrus pouts a bit, but doesn't respond. Instead still too curious with the feel of your skin. You're not too sure what he's so interested in, he feels your skin every night. But he soon drops your arm, letting you lay back down. He does the same, which is apparently what he wanted as he goes right back to it. Moving on to feel your ribs and spine, then hipbone. Your more soft stomach, though he doesn't put too much pressure and just kneads your sides. 

"Does my body really fascinate you that much?" You ask, slightly amused. You move to trail your fingers over his upper arm bone, the feeling of bone still a bit strange to you after all these years. Maybe it's just an inherent thing in your brain, you don't know. But it's obvious he's not a human skeleton, bones thicker though narrower than what you've seen on Sans. Mostly unblemished, unlike Sans who has a couple of scars scraped in his arms now. 

There's also just an.... alive feeling to him that you can feel through his bones, like a barely noticeable buzz. You don't really know how to describe other than that. Maybe it's his magic, you have no idea. 

"yes," Papyrus replies, hand trailing up your side now. "you're really soft." 

"You and your curiosity," you huff quietly, just closing your eyes. Though your hand still trails over his ribs through his shirt.

"like you aren't doing the same," Papyrus shoots back, making you stick your tongue out at him. He replies in kind, making you laugh a bit. 

Well, you suppose you don't have any complaints.

Chapter Text

Life in the Underground is far from bad, you and the skeleton brothers able to have plenty of good times. Mostly in the comfort and safety of your own home, where the three of you can relax and enjoy each others presence. 

Just like right now. 

"I GOT GRILLBY'S," Sans announces as he enters the house, back from work finally. 

"Best skeleton," you say, reaching for the bag from where you're laying across Papyrus' lap. 

"hey, what am i then?" Papyrus asks in a mockingly offended tone, even putting a hand over his chest dramatically. 

"Best cuddlebug," you respond, making both of the skeletons snort.

"i guess i'm okay with that," Papyrus sighs dramatically, making you snort. Sans makes his way over to the couch, grabbing your ankles to lift out of the way before setting them back over his legs. You shift a bit to sit up so you can eat properly, taking the things Sans hands to you. 

You look down when Papyrus pulls out his phone, still leaning against him. It seems like someone jabbed him on his social media, but you don't pay too much mind to it. You have to keep Sans from stealing your fries! 

"Hey! Paws off!" You whine, holding your paper container away from the thieving skeleton. 

"I'M AFRAID I DON'T HAVE PAWS TO KEEP OFF," Sans grins, leaning forward a little more since he is absolutely taller than you and still very much able to reach the fries. 

"No!" You groan, trying to push him back. "Papyyyyyy! Help!" 

Papyrus just grabs the container without looking away from his phone and holds it out of Sans' reach, but also yours. 

"That is not helpful!" You say, reaching for your food again. Papyrus and Sans laugh, the scwabbling lasting until it's time to go to bed. In which you curl up in bed with Papyrus, who's still playing on his phone. "Who're you talking to?" 

"just someone online," Papyrus shrugs, tilting the phone so you can see it. It looks like they had a jabbing war for a while, at least until whoever's on the other end started yelling about him having no life and him replying in kind. You snort, nestling a little closer to the skeleton. 

"Don't stay up too late," you tell him, leaving him to continue chatting with the other monster. Papyrus just hums, pulling you a bit closer to himself. 

_____ 

Papyrus ends up talking to that monster a lot, resulting in them being someone he can unconfidently call a friend. But that's not all he's up to, he apparently wants to get a job too. In the Royal Guard. 

"ABSOLUTELY NOT," Sans immediately rejects, looking at Papyrus like he lost his mind. "WHY WOULD YOU EVEN.... DID YOU THINK ABOUT...." 

He can only make a noise after that, somewhere between frustrated and fearful. 

"yeah, i... i've been thinking about it for a while now," Papyrus replies, rubbing the back of his neck. Sans' eye lights cut to you and you straighten. "don't look at her, she didn't know anything about it." 

"WELL, WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO?" Sans asks, gesturing towards you now. "SHE CAN'T JOIN THE GUARD WITH YOU! EVERYONE WOULD FIND OUT SHE'S A HUMAN. AND YOU'D HAVE TO BE SEPARATED FOR A WHILE AND YOU'RE BASICALLY HER ONLY DEFENSE! SHE CAN'T FIGHT ON HER OWN, AND THAT'S GUARENTEED TO HAPPEN IF SHE STEPS ONE FOOT OUTSIDE THIS HOUSE ALONE!" 

"i.. i know," Papyrus says, glancing over at you. "but.... with two monsters in the royal guard protecting her... wouldn't that be a scary enough deterrent? she's already got your threat behind her and me established as her guard dog." 

"NOT ENOUGH FOR SOME MONSTERS," Sans points out. "SHE CANNOT LEAVE THIS HOUSE WITHOUT ONE OF US WITH HER, IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" 

"bro," Papyrus sighs, looking a bit exasperated. 

"NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT," Sans denies, shaking his skull. Papyrus sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. You frown, looking between the two nervously. But Sans refuses to talk more about the subject, you and Papyrus heading back upstairs after a few hours of silence. 

".... Do you really want to join the guard?" You ask, looking up at him. Papyrus nods, tapping a finger against your arm. 

"yeah.... i do..... i just... want to do something," Papyrus frowns, not really knowing how to put all his feelings into words. His phalanges press into your skin, the skeleton turning his eye lights down to you for a moment. He stares for a while, tightening and loosening his grip. "do... do you think it's a bad idea?" 

".. Hmmm. I... don't know," you shrug, staring right back at him. "Sans is right that... I can't join you. One encounter and I'll be caught.... It's amazing we've made it this far honestly...... And going outside without you or Sans is also... a really big risk I don't really want to take." 

"y... yeah, i suppose," Papyrus sighs, looking away from you. He remains silent for a few minutes, then sighs again. "would... would you be alright.. if i did join?" 

"I'm sure I'd be fine," you reply, sighing. "It'd.... be a big change, but I think we'd get used to it after a while.... May damage a bit of that reputation Sans has been working on though, we have always been together." 

Papyrus just huffs at that, squeezing you tighter. His phalange taps at your arm again, deep in thought. 

"i'm sure there's a way you could come along with me," he mentions, making you hum. "maybe.... maybe not to training, but a sentry position... could probably sneak in and hang out together still." 

You snort, smile widening a bit. 

"Wouldn't that be against the rules?" You ask, a bit of a laugh in your voice. "Distractions and all." 

"maybe, but captain sans is my brother, so," Papyrus grins. You shake your head as best as you can. 

"That's nepotism," you chime, just making Papyrus laugh. 

It turns out Papyrus does get the job, and so do you, Sans relenting after a while. But he pulls some strings for his brother, Papyrus training with some of the Guard Dogs instead and even letting you tag along to watch. But just watch. Sans oversees this training when he's not busy, the only time when the training is really serious. It turns out the dogs can easily be bribed from time to time by both you and Papyrus, not always but sometimes. Certainly more relaxed than official training with General Alphys or Captain Sans. 

Sans, personally, has been giving you some one on one training in your house, him pulling the strings so he can do this himself. Where no one can see your SOUL, and he doesn't seem all that thrilled when he fully sees it either. 

"A KINDNESS SOUL," he hums, looking over the thing. "NOT VERY GOOD STATS... NOT VERY DEFENSIVE. WE'LL.... HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT." 

His lessons are mainly about defense and dodging, some attacking as in his words, "YOU CANNOT LET SOME WHO'S SEEN YOUR SOUL LIVE. IT'S A DEATH SENTANCE FOR ALL OF US." He's also taught you how to move and break out of a Monster's hold on your SOUL a bit easier. 

But with Papyrus' training, has come a new nickname. You're not exactly sure how it started, you think it has to do with the Guard Dogs and his reputation for being your Guard Dog. But now, everyone's calling him Mutt instead of his actual name. It's become a joke between you, Sans, and Papyrus too. You and Sans even using it outside of the house to refer to him. 

Funnily enough, you got a nickname too. (Technically not your first nickname from the Underground, as Sans gave you a different name to use that conforms with skeleton traditions. Part of a cover story and all.) Though you have a feeling it's more an insult than just a nickname, though you suppose Mutt is supposed to be an insult too. But they're calling you Princess. You'd have to guess it's because of the way Papyrus and Sans treat you, practically being body guards and you just standing back to let them. You don't know, but you care about as much as Papyrus cared about his. 

Plus you two got a way to tease Sans back for him using those nicknames. Whenever he uses them, you two call him M'Lord and act accordingly. He finds it amusing enough, even if he rolls his eye lights every time it comes out of your mouths. Plus you think he actually likes it, ego boosting or something. 

But soon enough, and as fun as it was, the training ends and you both are set up in what was Sans' station in Snowdin forest. It's closer to the Ruin's door, far away from everyone and an easier job really. This was, again, Sans pulling the strings for you two. Letting you stay together instead of in separate locations, under the guise of working better when able to see each other or something you'd guess. 

And this goes great for a while, Papyrus happily working the position and you enjoying being outside a lot more. Alone aside from the occasional visit from either Sans or one of the Guard Dogs. It's pretty relaxing and not much happens, so it's easier to let your guard down more. But.... maybe you both got a little too relaxed. 

"OW!" You yelp, stumbling back and bringing a hand up to the spot just a little under your jaw. Papyrus startles, spinning around just in time to get hit as well. Right in the face too. 

"what the hell?" Papyrus growls, hand coming up to cover one side of his teeth and an eye socket. You both look towards where the attacks came from, seeing a monster you both recognize from in town. You back up, already able to feel the blood seeping through your turtleneck and gloves. 

"Sorry kids," the monster says, looking harried and having a desperate look in his eyes. "I know neither of you are actually that strong..... I need the EXP." 

"shit," Papyrus grumbles, glancing at you then at the monster in front of you both. You know Papyrus doesn't want to dust the monster and you don't want to either, but you both know that you'll have to if you get pulled into an Encounter. 

Papyrus grabs your wrist and bolts, he runs as fast as you'll let him. But the other monster is still hot on your heels, and tearing up both your clothes...... Blood is dripping. You can feel it. You know the other monster can see it. You're getting too close to town too. 

"Paps," you say, getting to the point you're running out of breath. One glance at you and he seems to get it.

"fuck," Papyrus curses, skidding to a stop and pushing you behind himself. The other monster stops too, immediately pulling Papyrus into an Encounter. Then... eventually you too. 

But it ends, you and Papyrus both breathing heavily. Papyrus clenches his fist, staring at the pile in the snow. He lets out a string of curses, you just sinking into the snow against a tree. You both remain that way for a minute, Papyrus even kicking a tree in anger. 

"Papy," you groan, trying to stand up again but stumbling as a wave of dizziness hits you like a truck. Papyrus spins back around to you, rushing over and kneeling in front of you. 

"dammit," he growls, then just picks you up all together. You grab onto his coat tighter, blinking rapidly until your vision stabilizes again. "come on, lets get you home." 

Papyrus is missing a tooth now, the crack trailing up over his eye socket and towards the top of his skull. You have various cuts littering your back and one large one on the side of your neck, a crack in your mask where the cut was. It just missed the bottom of the mask, hitting skin instead. Papyrus managed to patch you up though, giving you a few of his stashed treats that heal HP too. It's while you're both nursing your wounds that Sans appears in front of you both, looking panicked. 

"OH, THANK THE STARS," he breathes, relieved after he looked over the both of you. He immediately steps closer to help with the healing, only stepping away once finished. You twist your neck a bit, still feeling sick and a bit light headed. Probably from the amount of blood you shed. 

That'll be remedied by some rest, which you do. Immediately going and laying down on the couch, Papyrus sitting down and brushing his phalanges through your hair. You just toss an arm over his lap, resting your head on a pillow he placed there for you. 

"SO, THE DUST IN THE SNOW WASN'T YOURS," Sans states, looking towards Papyrus after eyeing you for a long moment. 

"was the other monster," Papyrus shrugs, not looking away from you. He keeps brushing his phalanges through your hair, the motion very calming. Though he can't hide the look of conflict on his face or the fine tremble in his hand from Sans, his older brother able to see it plainly. "saw her bleed and her soul." 

"COULDN'T BE HELPED THEN," Sans notes, crossing his arms. He taps a phalange against his arm, brow bones furrowing deep. "..... YOU'LL BOTH HAVE TO BE DISCHARGED, HONARABLY OF COURSE." 

"what? bro," Papyrus protests, finally looking up at Sans. "why? we did fine and...... and...." 

"IT'S... TOO DANGEROUS. JUST LIKE I THOUGHT," Sans frowns, looking away from you two and glaring at the wall. "YOU CAN'T BE DUSTING EVERY MONSTER THAT TRIES TO FIGHT YOU BOTH, IT'D GET OTHERS SUSPICIOUS..... AND JUST RUNNING AWAY WOULDN'T BE A GOOD LOOK FOR EITHER OF YOU, IF THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE." 

"that was a freak event... we've been doing this for months now," Papyrus points out, still frowning. 

".... I CAN'T KEEP FINDING YOUR DUST AND HER BLOOD IN THE SNOW EITHER, PAPYRUS," Sans frowns, looking back at the both of you. You who is dozing at this point, even with their conversation. "I DON'T THINK I CAN TAKE IT..... I DON'T THINK SHE CAN HANDLE SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN EITHER..... NOT TO THE EXTENT OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS TIME." 

Papyrus grips your arm, glancing down at you again. You look fine, but you're pale and you look kind of sickly. Sans looks stressed, still nearly in a panic.

"..... alright," Papyrus sighs, grimacing and not looking up at his brother. Sans lets out a breath, looking away from you both again. 

So, you're both discharged from the service to the Royal Guard. But that was still far from your last fight together, sometimes you're able to get out of it without dusting the monster (though Sans is likely to do so anyway and make an example out of the monsters that do, which gains you both wide berth in public) and other times you're not so lucky. But... it's fine. You're both still alive and kicking, so you're fine. 

Even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes.

Chapter Text

"i need to get out," Papyrus sighs, gripping your hand. His leg is bouncing rapidly, the skeleton looking nearly stir crazy. Which he probably is.

"where though?" You ask, leaning onto your knees. 

"i don't know... somewhere," he groans, rubbing a hand down his face. "just somewhere that isn't a fucking dog fight all the time." 

"..... I don't think you're going to find that down here, paps," you comment, sighing. 

"there has to be somewhere!" Papyrus yells, making your eyebrows raise. He sighs, dragging a hand down his face again. He apologizes in a softer tone, "sorry, didn't mean to yell."

"It's alright.... But if there is someplace safe, how're we going to find it?" You ask, Papyrus seeming to have to think for a few long minutes. But then he lights up, snapping his fingers. 

"undyne!" He replies, pulling out his phone. 

Right, that monster seems to know everything and is way too good with technology. If anyone knew where someplace like that was, it'd been her. Or at least she'd be able to find it for you. 

You've both met her in person by now, and she's very loud and excitable. Though does tend to shrivel in on herself when there's too many eyes on her for it, only able to push through that when really excited about something. A strange character, but Papyrus likes her and you're certainly not opposed to her. 

.... Even if she has admitted to stalking Papyrus, and by extension you (though your presence on social media and the Undernet is severely limited for several reasons), before...... 

"she suggests muffet's," Papyrus says, looking back at you. 

"Really?" You ask, coming over to gaze at the texts. Papyrus nods, looking down at it again himself. "... I guess it can't hurt to try." 

"alright," Papyrus nods, glancing up at you. "lets go." 

"Just let me get ready," you reply, quickly getting dressed before the two of you head out. 

The place isn't exactly what you were expecting, a lot more elegant and cozy. You had to be careful of the spiders crawling all over the place, coming down from webs and scittering to and from with serving platters on top of them. Everyone stared at the two of you as you entered, all looking varying degrees of unfriendly and suspicious. But you're able to order and get seated easily enough, Muffet remaining neutral as you do. You both sit close on the same side of the booth, your orders coming out soon enough. 

You nod to the little spider that gives you your drink, another offering cream and sugar to you and Papyrus. You both fix the drinks to your satisfaction, then are left alone. You thank the stars that the mask can slightly open around the mouth (you hadn't even thought of that when ordering), and you quite like the drink you got. All in all, it was a rather uneventful trip, though both you and Papyrus noted that you were charged less than was on the board. But you both tipped well and made the decision to go back again. 

Which turns out to be a good choice, the second time you come your drinks are made exactly to your liking (were some of the spiders taking notes? You're guessing so) and you even got free samples of the donuts. You rather enjoyed it, so you two decided to come here more often. Sans even approved of the place after he caught you both there once, giving you both a little extra money for when you do go. It turns into a nice little hang out spot for you both, one you're able to relax and eventually even socialize in. Muffet's cool too, as long as you tip nicely and treat her spiders with respect. 

It's alright.

_____

"I know," Undyne states casually, making you look at her confused. Papyrus looks up, eyeing Undyne critically. She's not looking at either of you, looking more interested in something on her phone. 

"You know?" You repeat, confusion in your voice. 

"Yeah," Undyne shrugs. You glance towards Papyrus, who does not look all that amused. In fact, he looks pretty wary.

"..... know what?" Papyrus asks cautiously, hand moving to grip yours tighter. Undyne finally looks up, grinning. She doesn't say anything for a few seconds, making both you and Papyrus tenser with each second. Which she seems to enjoy every minute of. But finally Undyne just sits up straighter, pulling a DVD case out of her bag. 

"I know that you'll enjoy this!" She says, pushing the case into your hands. Papyrus relaxes a bit more, looking over the thing. Undyne snickers, looking between you both. "What'd you think I was going to say?" 

Papyrus grumbles, you not replying to that question.

".... what is that?" He asks, looking back at Undyne. 

"I found it at the dump," Undyne replies, grinning widely. She snickers again, a mischievous look in her eye. "Best thing you'll ever watch, I swear." 

"... why do i doubt that?" Papyrus asks, leaning back on the couch lazily. He has a brow bone raised, looking entirely unconvinced. 

"Aww, come on, Mutt! Don't you trust me?" Undyne asks, still smiling the same. Papyrus doesn't reply to that, making Undyne snort. "Just watch it and tell me what you think about it!" 

"Yeah, sure," you reply uneasily. "So how's the application going?" 

"I'm trying something!" Undyne replies, getting more excited again. "I have an idea, but I don't know if it's really going to work or not." 

"care to share?" Papyrus asks, letting out a breath as you set the disk beside you. 

"Nope!" Undyne replies, crossing her arms. "Top secret! But I will say it'd go a lot better if I had a Human SOUL I could study, but that's impossible. It's not like the Queen would let me just borrow one we do have." 

Papyrus tenses again, grip on your hand tightening. You're rather uncomfortable as well, though Undyne made no implications towards you. 

"..... a human soul, huh?" Papyrus asks, raising a brow bone. 

"Yeah. Figuring out how SOULs work without having one to study isn't easy," Undyne comments, waving a hand around. "But I do have some books to read through, so that's what I'll have to work with. Unless someone's willing to donate." 

She definitely looked at you with that sentence. 

"don't even think about it," Papyrus glares, putting an arm out as if to separate you from the fish. "she's a monster anyway, what good does that do for you?" 

Undyne just laughs, obviously having been trying to rile Papyrus up with that. 

"You're too easy," she says, if trying to prove that. Papyrus just grumbles, pulling you closer to himself. 

Undyne does like to tease Papyrus, often using you to do so. But you can't help but feel a bit paranoid. Undyne does seem to know everything, and with her ability to hack anything, she probably does know quite a bit. She's the reason Sans doesn't trust electronics much anymore and demanded you cover all cameras in the house, and she has admitted to stalking Papyrus. 

You don't want to think much more on it. Glancing at Papyrus and the crease in his brow bones, you figure he may be thinking the same. 

Either way, Undyne's smart. If she knows, she sure as hell wouldn't be telling either of you. That's basically a death sentence, especially if it gets back to Sans. So you hope she doesn't, for her sake. And your family's safety. 

_____

"This movie sucks," you comment, watching the screen in boredom. Sans snorts, but doesn't disagree with you. You're pretty sure he's half asleep, having had a rough day at the guard. He's tired enough that he hasn't even changed out of his uniform and didn't put up one protest when you decided to lean again him. 

"CHANGE IT THEN," Sans grumbles, eye sockets definitely half closed. 

"Can't," you sigh, idly fiddling with a piece of his uniform. "Promised Undyne I'd watch it, though Papyrus is supposed to as well." 

Sans just grumbles at that, you definitely feeling him messing with a strand of your hair. You sit there for a while longer, Sans just shifting to get more comfortable (and pull you into more of a cuddle). Everything's good and relaxing, until Sans shifts in discomfort and starts grimacing. He pulls you closer to himself, his grip around you tightening. 

"Sans?" You ask, looking up at him. Sans doesn't get to say anything before it feels like something grabs ahold of your SOUL, making you grimace too. A bright white flash nearly blinds the both of you, making you curl a little closer to Sans in fear and wonder what exactly is happening. 

But both fade eventually, the two of you blinking and glancing around in confusion when you find you're not in your house or under attack. You're in a forest, no snow under you and it's rather bright. Papyrus eventually runs over to you both, apparently here as well and slightly panicked. But he calms down after seeing the two of you. He helps you to your feet, the three of you glancing around. 

"Where are..... we," you gasp, looking up. It's.... the actual sky, on the Surface. Sans and Papyrus seem just as mesmerized, staring up at it through the trees in awe. But it only lasts for a few minutes before Sans is shaking his skull and turning to the two of you. He reaches out and lifts your hood, making sure it shadows your face. 

"WE CANT JUST STAND AROUND," he says, looking between the two of you. "SURFACE OR NOT, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD BE LURKING AROUND HERE. COME ON, NO SPLITTING UP." 

You and Papyrus nod, following behind Sans as he marches forward. Eventually you three find a house, a house apparently full of other skeletons that look just like Sans and Papyrus. 

Sans knocks on the door loudly, you tilting your head down so your hood hides you more. The knock is eventually answered, by what looks like a shinier and shorter version of Papyrus smiling brightly. Though that kind of fades at the sight of the three of you, but he invites you in regardless. 

He does stare at you though, Papyrus holding your hand tighter because of it. You're seated in the living room with a bright version of Sans with big blue eye lights and a more familiar (and red-er) version of Papyrus. Sans makes sure you're seated between him and his brother, you still keeping your head tilted down. 

Eventually three more skeletons enter the room, you guessing the others' brothers. All of whom eventually introduce themselves and explain what's going on, which is apparently they brought the three of you out of your own universe and into one of theirs. The cleaner and swapped version of your skeletons to be exact, the one where Sans is the lazier brother and Papyrus the more excitable one. 

"what's with them?" Red asks, tilting his jaw in your direction.

"THIS IS NOVA," Sans introduces (a nickname of a nickname, the whole name being Bona Nova. He never did tell you why he settled on that one.), Papyrus tightening his hold on your hand. Sans' hand comes to rest on your thigh. "SHE'S WITH US. FAMILY." 

"that's a... first," Stretch notes, looking over you again. "why's she hiding?" 

"SHE'S.... SHY," Sans excuses, glancing over the six around you. Not exactly true, but you're not going to say anything. 

"OH! WELL, THAT'S ALRIGHT!" Blue grins, friendly and happily. "WE CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO KNOW HER! MY BROTHER WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID THIS WAS A FIRST!" 

"OF COURSE," Sans smiles, but the grip on your thigh tells you exactly what he thinks of that. 

"WELL," Papyrus, the Papyrus that isn't yours, speaks up, smiling still. "I'LL SHOW YOU THREE INTO A ROOM YOU CAN USE. UNFORTUNATELY THERE ISN'T ANY EMPTY ROOMS, BUT YOU'LL BE ALRIGHT TAKING ONE OF OURS?" 

"THAT'S FINE," your Sans replies, standing up once more. You and Papyrus follow, then turn to follow the other Papyrus. Though you're quickly stopped when your hood is suddenly pulled down, making you gasp. Papyrus and Sans are quick to turn, arms out in front of you. 

"a human?" Red gaps, everyone else's eye sockets widening as well. 

"touch her and you're dust," Papyrus growls, Sans' eye sockets just narrowing. 

"NOW HOLD ON!" Blue says, nervous sweat rolling down his skull and placing his hands up in surrender. "WE'RE ON THE SURFACE, NO ONE'S GOING TO HARM HER!" 

"yer third "family" member is a human?" Red asks, brow bone raised. "how the hell did that happen?" 

"I'M WONDERING THAT AS WELL, CONSIDERING IT SEEMS YOU'RE THE CAPTIAN OF THE ROYAL GUARD IN YOUR UNIVERSE. IF THAT UNIFORM IS ANYTHING TO GO OFF OF," Edge comments, his eye sockets narrowing. 

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS," your Sans growls, stepping to further block view of you. 

"a-alright!" The Sans that isn't yours speaks up, glancing between everyone. "settle down! why don't you three go get settled in.... we'll talk more later." 

Your Sans just glares, Papyrus growling again. But they turn to follow the other Papyrus, yours keeping a tight arm around you. You glance back, seeing all of the other skeletons still watching you. But you look away again, taking your Sans' hand. He grips it tight, Papyrus' hand squeezing your arm. 

You can just tell this is going to be fun.

Chapter Text

Sans shuts the door firmly behind you and Papyrus, then spins on his heels to pace the length of the large room. You and Papyrus sit down on the bed and watch him, Papyrus pulling you close to himself like he expects you to be ripped away from him. You lean into him, resting your head on his shoulder while your eyes follow Sans' pacing. 

"...... Sans, what are we going to do?" You ask hesitantly, making the skeleton pause for a second to glance over at you. 

"I'M NOT SURE. IF WHAT THOSE OTHER SKELETONS SAID IS TRUE, THEN WE'RE IN A COMPLETELY UNFAMILIAR UNIVERSE SURROUNDED BY COPIES OF OURSELVES," he grumbles, recapping everything that's happened. Papyrus grimaces, his phalanges digging into your hip a little bit. "THE RULES AND SITUATION OF THIS UNIVERSE ARE UNKNOWN, ALONG WITH APPARENTLY BEING ON THE SURFACE. THERE'S FAR TOO MANY UNKNOWNS FOR MY LIKING." 

Sans grimaces, arms crossing and a phalange tapping against his upper arm rapidly. Papyrus' grimace deepens, you drumming your fingers against your leg. 

This isn't that great of a situation. You're on the Surface sure, but what are the rules of this universe? What's it like out there and is it as dangerous as your Underground was? What dangers are out there and how do you deal with them? How did you even even end up in this universe in the first place and can you go back home? And what of those other versions of Sans and Papyrus? Are they dangerous or will they become a threat? Not having the answer to any of these questions is unnerving. 

"............. WE SHOULD PLAY ALONG FOR NOW," Sans decides, though doesn't look too happy with that thought. "IF WE ARE IN THE UNIVERSE THEY SAID, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANYTHING LIKE OURS. THOSE TWO LOOK LIKE THEY HAVEN'T SEEN REAL HARDSHIP IN THEIR LIFETIME." 

You glance up at Papyrus, seeing he doesn't look like he's happy with this either. But you both nod in acceptance of the older skeleton's decision. His eye sockets narrow, looking between the both of you again. 

"I WANT YOU TWO TO REMAIN TOGETHER, LIKE BEFORE. NO SEPERATING IF IT CAN BE HELPED. I DO NOT TRUST THOSE OTHER SKELETONS TO NOT TRY SOMETHING," he orders, scowling. He looks at you, brow bone lifting. "YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF THEY SOMEHOW ARE ABLE TO CORNER YOU, BUT ALWAYS COME FIND ONE OF US." 

"Yes, Sans," you nod, the said skeleton letting out a sigh with that. 

The three of you look over at a knock on the door, one of the other skeletons of the house calling through it. Sans walks over and opens the door, revealing Red and the Sans that isn't yours. 

"hey," the other Sans greets, Red just looming behind him. Their eye lights briefly flit towards you before landing back on the skeleton in front of them. Or at least the other Sans' does. "sorry to bother you, but we thought we should go over some more stuff." 

"AND WHAT STUFF WOULD THAT BE?" Sans asks, raising a brow bone. 

"why don't we sit down?" Red asks, Sans remaining still for a moment before letting them in. He takes a seat on the other side of you, Red grabbing the desk chair to sit on while the other Sans just stands. Papyrus straightens, putting on his "resting bitch face" once more. He keeps you close, you keeping your face in a neutral mask. 

"alright, we told you the basics," the other Sans says, glancing between the two skeletons on either side of you. Sans just hums, you and Papyrus remaining silent. "but there's other things you need to know." 

"assumin' yer from a similar universe as mine," Red speaks up, glancing between all of you again. "this universe doesn't tolerate the shit yer used ta. softer here. means ya can't go around killin' or threatenin' anyone." 

"right," the other Sans agrees, yours just raising a brow bone. 

"NOTED," he simply replies. 

"we're serious on that," the other Sans stresses, brow bones lowering. "you can't threaten or kill anybody up here. at all." 

"YES, WE UNDERSTAND THAT," your Sans replies, voice calm but you can detect a bit of irritation in his voice. "WE'RE CAPABLE OF CIVILIZED CONVERSATION, OBVIOUSLY." 

He gestures out at the two, as if to prove his point. You have to keep your face from twisting in annoyance. Honestly, do they think you're a group of wild animals that will attack for a sideways glance? That's not exactly how your universe worked. 

"yeah, but that includes threatenin' people fer pulling her hood down too," Red comments, motioning towards you with his chin. 

"YES, WELL, YOU ALSO HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE WEREN'T AWARE OF THE OPINIONS TOWARDS HUMANS," your Sans replies, placing a hand on your knee again. "WE ARE VERY PROTECTIVE OF HER FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER YOU WOULD ATTACK HER OR NOT." 

"we wont," the other Sans assures, putting his hands up in surrender. "no one here's going to harm her." 

Sans just nods, squeezing your knee. 

"yer goin' ta need nicknames too," Red points out, raising a brow bone. "ya can't be callin' yerselves sans and papyrus here. would get confusin'." 

"and raise suspicion. this whole situation needs to stay under wraps," the other Sans adds, looking a bit more stressed. His brow bones lower slightly, looking between the three of you. "no one can know you're from a different universe." 

"HOW MANY DIFFERENT VERSIONS HAVE YOU DRAGGED HERE?" Sans asks, raising a brow bone. He crosses his arms, looking over the other version of himself skeptically. "AND WHEN ARE YOU SENDING US BACK?" 

"we don't know exactly how many," Red shrugs, spinning in the chair a bit. "got another pair working on figuring that out." 

"and we're.... working on figuring out how to send you back," the other Sans replies, rubbing the back of his neck. Your Sans looks unamused. 

"RIGHT. SO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT US TO DO NOW?" He asks, raising a brow bone. "JUST SIT HERE, TWIDDLING OUR THUMBS?" 

"look, if yer goin' ta behave, ya can get a job and go out ta see the surface," Red replies, looking unamused himself. At your Sans' tone you'd have to guess. "we just can't have any.... accidents." 

"THERE WON'T BE," Sans replies, tapping a phalange against his arm in annoyance. "WE CAN... BEHAVE OURSELVES, AS YOU SAID, JUST FINE." 

"i'm sure," the other Sans says, you noting the sweat collecting on his skull. He's trying to placate your Sans and you can see it's annoying him. "but, uh, wait to go out until we get you proper identification and everything." 

"OF COURSE," Sans replies, brow bone raising. "AND ARE WE... EXPECTED TO SAY HERE ONCE WE DO? AS YOUR BROTHER SAID, THERE'S NO ROOMS AVAILABLE." 

You notice both of the two's eyes dart to you with that question. 

"we'll make room," the other Sans says. Your Sans huffs, like he wasn't expecting any other answer to that question. Red stands up once again, eyeing you. 

"speakin' of rooms.... why don't ya follow me, sweetheart? we got a different room ya can stay in," he motions, nodding his head towards the door. 

Papyrus' grip on you tightens, Sans' hand gripping your knee tighter. 

"SHE'D PREFER TO STAY WITH US," Sans replies, eye sockets narrowing. The other twos' narrow as well, Red raising a brow bone. 

"she can speak fer herself," he says, making you frown. Your eyes narrow at him, sinking a bit further into Papyrus' already tight hold. 

"He's right. I'd prefer staying with them," you speak up, the first time since arriving here. 

"ya sure?" Red asks, eyeing you. You nod, raising a hand to grip Papyrus' coat. The two observe you for a minute, which makes your two skeletons even more tense, before they sigh, brow bones furrowing. "alright... suit yerself." 

They then leave after another pause, letting the three of you relax just a bit again. Or as much as you're able to in an unfamiliar house with unfamiliar skeletons, so barely at all. 

_____ 

It's not long before there's another knock on the door, Sans' expression souring further. He goes and opens the door to reveal Blue standing there, smiling brightly. 

"YES?" Sans asks, voice carefully neutral despite his on edge nerves. 

"PRIME PAPYRUS, EDGE, AND I MADE DINNER. YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME AND JOIN US TO EAT," Blue offers, glancing between each one of you. 

Sans pauses for a moment, observing the skeleton in front of himself. Then he nods slowly, motioning for you and Papyrus to follow him. You both do, Papyrus holding tightly onto your hand. Sans follows behind Blue, the shorter skeleton leading the three of you into a dining room with a large table in it. A few of the other skeletons are already sitting at the table, others in the kitchen. Sans makes sure you sit between him and Papyrus, you noting you're across from Red. The Sans that isn't yours sits at the head of the table, Stretch sitting in the chair next to your Papyrus. Blue went back into the kitchen where the other Papyrus and Edge currently are. 

"hey," the other Sans greets, looking over at you and your boys. "glad you three decided to join us." 

"OF COURSE," your Sans nods, tapping a phalange against his femur. You glance over as the other Papyrus sets a large pot on the table, Edge walking in with a tray of garlic bread. Blue trails behind them with some drinks, you noting that ketchup, mustard, and honey is among what he brings out. All three of which are grabbed by the three already sitting at the table. Red grabbing the mustard, Stretch the honey, and the other Sans grabbing the ketchup. 

"Looks like they share your bad habit," you whisper to your Papyrus, nudging him gently in the ribs. 

"shut up," Papyrus hisses back, trying to keep the dusky purple blush from his cheekbones. You just hide your chuckles, looking back at the others. It doesn't seem like their brothers appreciate the condiment drinking habit either, but accept it if they're being allow to have it. 

"YOU THREE SHOULD GO FIRST," Blue smiles, offering the fork to your Sans. "YOU'RE OUR NEW FRIENDS AFTER ALL." 

"YES! I MADE FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI TO CELEBRATE!" The other Papyrus smiles, looking over at the three of you. 

"I WANTED TO MAKE TACOS, BUT WE CAN HAVE THOSE TOMORROW!" Blue shrugs, smile still in place. Edge doesn't say anything, taking a seat beside his brother. 

"THANK YOU," your Sans simply nods, taking the fork from Blue. He dishes out some for you and Papyrus, then himself. You grab a piece of garlic bread for the three of you, your Papyrus pouring a drink for you. Then the others take their shares, the other Papyrus watching as you take a bite of the spaghetti. 

"DO YOU LIKE IT?" He then asks. You nod, your skeletons not saying anything. 

It's not as good as the stuff your Sans makes, but it is good. 

The other Papyrus still preens in happiness, his Sans smiling at the sight. You glance over the two, then look around at the others. They don't seem to have much of an opinion, but you can see a bit of a tilt upwards to Edge's scowl and Blue looks happy. You just look down at your plate again, moving some of the spaghetti onto your piece of garlic bread. 

"so.. have you two thought of any nicknames?" Red asks, looking between your skeletons. 

"NO, WE HAVEN'T," your Sans replies, pausing in eating to look up at the other skeleton. 

None of you even thought about that in the few minutes you had to yourselves, more concentrated on other things at the moment. 

"well, yer gonna need one," Red replies, raising a brow bone. He grins a bit more then, looking over your skeleton in a way that you really don't like. And neither does he by the looks of it. "we could always choose one fer ya." 

"YES, I REALIZE THE NEED FOR THEM," your Sans replies, looking far more unamused. "WE'VE JUST BEEN A LITTLE PREOCCUPIED AT THE MOMENT." 

"we, uh, nova should probably get one as well.... in case we ever.. come across another version of her," Sans speaks up, glancing over you again. 

"THAT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM," your Sans replies, still not looking amused in any way but not looking away from the skeleton at the head of the table either. 

"why not?" Stretch raises a brow bone, looking between you and your skeleton a few times.

"I NAMED HER," your Sans simply replies, glancing at him. The other skeletons' brow bones raise, looking between you and your Sans. 

"what's, uh... what's her real name then?" Stretch asks. Though it was hesitantly, as if he's nervous to even as the question in the first place. 

"NOVA IS HER REAL NAME. AS REAL AS ANY OTHER," your Sans glares, you glancing over at the other skeleton. Your Papyrus takes your hand in his and gives it a squeeze, you squeezing back. 

"alright, alright. she can keep that name," the other Sans appeases, a bit of sweat dripping down his skull. Your Sans just raises a brow bone, eye lights moving across the table once like he's daring anyone to argue. You glance at your Papyrus, pulling on his sleeve to whisper to him. 

"What are you thinking?" 

"haven't decided," your Papyrus whispers back, making you nod. Red and Edge eye the both of you, but don't speak up as you two go back to eating your dinners. 

"SO, WE'RE GUESSING YOU THREE CAME FROM A WORLD LIKE RED AND EDGE'S," Blue speaks up, glancing over the three of you himself. "BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL US MORE?" 

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THERE WOULD BE TO TELL," your Sans replies, brow bone raised. 

"DO THOSE TWO EVER TALK, OR DO YOU JUST SPEAK OVER THEM?" Edge questions, glaring at your Sans. He glares right back at him. 

"THEY'RE SIMPLY QUIET. THEY PREFER TALKING TO EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF ANYONE ELSE," he replies, holding Edge's glare. "IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?" 

"NO! OF COURSE NOT! THAT'S OKAY!" The other Papyrus interjects, smiling nervously. "THEY CAN SPEAK UP WHEN THEY WANT TO, OR NOT IF THEY DON'T!" 

Your Sans simply huffs, the chatter mostly quiet for the rest of the dinner. And afterwards, the three of you go back up to the room you're borrowing without another word. Luckily, no one bothers you three for the rest of the night either.

Chapter Text

"WE WILL TAKE YOU THREE SHOPPING FOR SOME CLOTHES IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT!" The Papyrus that isn't yours speaks up, smiling across the table from you. You glance over him blankly, then glance down at the outfit you were wearing when you first came here. 

Probably a good idea.

"YES, THAT'S FINE," your Sans agrees, looking over at the other skeleton. 

"OH, UH, THOUGH WE SHOULD PROBABLY ASK RED FOR SOME CLOTHES YOU COULD BORROW. YOU SHOULDN'T WEAR YOUR UNIFORM OUT THERE," Blue mentions, glancing over what he can see of your Sans' decorated Captain uniform. Your Sans' face twitches at that, not noticeable to the others skeletons at the table, but easy enough for you and your Papyrus to pick up on. He really doesn't like the sound of that. 

"yeah, that'd probably be for the best," the other Sans that isn't yours speaks up from his spot at the dining table. He glances between your Sans and Papyrus and you. "we don't want to draw unnecessary attention." 

"fine by me," Red waves off, leisurely eating his breakfast. He looks over at your Sans, who looks both skeptical and in disbelief. Red winks at him. "jus' don' get 'em dirty." 

"UNDERSTOOD," your Sans replies, a brow bone raised.

"You know what, this is getting confusing," you whisper to your Papyrus, making him huff. 

"what is?" He asks, glancing over at you. 

"You and Sans having the same name as the other two," you reply, scowling a bit. 

"i've just been calling the other two vanilla and creampuff in my skull," your Papyrus says, making you snort. 

"Oh yeah? Which is which?" 

"the sans is vanilla and the other papyrus creampuff." 

"Where'd you get those names? And why those in particular? You love sweets," you say, looking up at your Papyrus in amusement. 

"yeah, but those two are softer than we are," your Papyrus shrugs, still grinning. You snort, looking up at him skeptically. 

"Right," you nod, eyebrow raised. 

Still, not a bad idea. You’ll use those too until you can come up with better ones, or not. You’ll see later, whatever’s easier. Better than what you have been doing, at least. 

"what are you saying?" Papyrus grins, you rolling your eyes. 

"you two gonna let the rest of tha class in on yer conversation?" You glance over at Red, noting everyone's eye lights are now on you two. You scowl a bit, Papyrus tensing more than a bit. He grips your hand tightly, you squeezing his back.

"DO YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER ABOUT?" Sans asks, scowling himself. He glances around the table, noting the expressions. The other Papyrus, Creampuff, and Blue just appear curious, the other Sans, Vanilla, and Stretch cautious. Red and Edge appear both cautious and annoyed. 

"NOT AT ALL. IF THEY DON'T WANT TO SHARE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO," Blue replies, raising his hands in surrender. Sans just huffs, turning back to his breakfast after a glance towards you two. After you all finish eating, you and Sans and Papyrus head upstairs to get ready to leave. Which only takes a few seconds to do, considering you and Papyrus don’t really need to do anything. 

"after you, princess ," Papyrus smirks, opening the door for you when the three of you are ready to go. 

"What a good, Mutt ," you snark back, heading out. 

"GLAD TO SEE YOU TWO ARE STILL COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO JOKE AROUND," Sans comments, brow bone raised. He looks kind of funny in the red shirt and black basketball pants, and completely uncomfortable. They... really don't suit him. 

"Oh our apologies, M'Lord," you smile, bowing slightly. Sans rolls his eye lights, but he's grinning. Papyrus snorts, more at Sans’ expression than your playing. "Won't happen again." 

"m'lord huh?" 

You straighten up immediately at the voice, turning to see who's behind you. Papyrus steps up beside you quickly, looking over the other skeletons. Red stands by the door to what you assume is his room, Stretch leaning against the other wall. 

"yer called mutt, huh?" Red asks, glancing over at Papyrus. 

"what's with the "m'lord" name?" Stretch asks, glancing between you and Sans. 

"don't you know?" Papyrus speaks up, amusement in his tone. As he bows slightly. "he's a lord of our underground." 

"what's that make you?" Red scoffs, then motions towards you. "or her." 

"she's the princess and i her humble guard dog," Papyrus replies, tightening his hold on you with a low growl in his tone. Sans gives him a less than amused look, arms crossed. Stretch has his brow bones raised, Red looking just about as amused as Sans is. But Stretch shakes his head, pushing off the wall. 

"we're going to get some rooms cleared out for you," he mentions, then nods towards the stairs. "so expect some room shopping too today." 

"NOTED," Sans nods, stepping forward. He glances back at you and his brother, then at the other two as well. "THEY'D PREFER BEING ROOMED TOGETHER." 

"like hell," Red replies, leaning forward and brow bone raised. Sans scoffs, crossing his arms and rolling his eye lights. 

"THEY'VE STAYED IN THE SAME ROOM SINCE THEY MET. THEY'RE GOING TO JUST SHARE A ROOM REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU SET UP," he tells them, tapping a phalange against his humerous. "FORGIVE ME FOR TRYING TO SPARE YOU SOME TIME." 

"He's right," you speak up, glancing up at the skeleton beside you. He looks to agree with you, if his grip on your shoulder is any indication.

"and you don't want your own room now that you can?" Stretch asks, rolling the sucker stick between his teeth with a raised brow bone. You shake your head, looking back over at him. He still looks skeptical, Red looking suspicious. "...... alright. i think we can come up with something." 

"yer kidding?" Red asks, raising a brow bone at the other skeleton. 

"hey, if it's what she wants," Stretch shrugs, looking over at the other skeleton for a minute. Though he turns back to the three of you, nodding towards the stairs. "others are waiting for you. you should go before edge gets too impatient." 

Sans huffs again, the three of you heading downstairs. You glance back as Stretch and Red start to quietly talk, narrowing your eyes a little bit. But Papyrus pulls your attention forward again as you reach the bottom of the staircase. The three of you do find Creampuff, Blue, and Edge waiting for you all down there. 

"ALL THREE OF YOU ARE ACCOMPANYING US?" Sans asks, raising a brow bone. He stands in a parade rest, which just makes him look even sillier with the clothes he's wearing. 

"YES! WE HAVE TO TAKE TWO CARS SINCE THERE ISN'T ENOUGH ROOM IN JUST ONE," Creampuff replies, holding up a set of keys. "BUT WE THOUGHT IT'D BE BETTER TO HAVE TWO ANYWAY, JUST FOR THE STORAGE SPACE!" 

"ARE YOU THREE READY TO GO?" Blue asks, Edge looking a bit impatient. 

"YES," Sans nods, the three then leading you out to the driveway. Edge stands next to a sleek black car, Creampuff opening up a red one. 

"YOU CAN RIDE ALONG WITH WHOEVER YOU'D LIKE!" Creampuff smiles invitingly, leaning onto the hood of his car. "THOUGH IT'D PROBABLY WORK BEST WITH THREE TO A CAR!" 

Papyrus pulls you over to Creampuff’s car after a shared glance with Sans, both of you sliding into the backseat. Ignoring the empty passenger seat. 

"ALRIGHT, I'LL GO WITH EDGE THEN," Blue grins, looking over at Sans again. "ARE YOU OKAY RIDING WITH US TOO?" 

"YES, THAT'S FINE," Sans frowns, sending another look towards Papyrus before sliding into the back seat of the black car. 

It's obviously not fine, though the other skeletons don't seem to pick up on his nerves. 

"ALRIGHT, THEN WE'LL MEET YOU AT THE MALL!" Creampuff waves, climbing into what's presumably his car with you and Papyrus. He pulls out, followed by Edge in the black car. Though you two don't pay much attention to that as Creampuff begins talking again. "THE MALL IN THE CITY IS VERY BIG! I'M SURE YOU TWO CAN FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE THERE. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP IF YOU NEED ANY GUIDANCE THOUGH!" 

"thanks," Papyrus states, raising a brow bone. Creampuff continues to talk about what all the mall has to offer along the way, including many clothing shops and jewelry and even a toy-making shop. Just.... everything you could imagine it seems like. 

"METTATON'S MALL IS THE BEST IN MY OPINION THOUGH," Creampuff sighs, not taking his eye lights off the road. "BUT! WE MAY RUN INTO ONE OF MY MANY FRIENDS, SO WE CAN'T GO THERE. BUT THE HUMAN'S MALL IS PRETTY GOOD AS WELL!" 

"mettaton?" Papyrus asks, raising a brow bone. Neither of you have ever heard of anyone with that name before. 

"OH! I FORGOT! YOU SEEM LIKE YOU CAME FROM A UNIVERSE LIKE BLUE AND STRETCH'S," Creampuff says, making you raise an eyebrow. "METTATON IS LIKE NAPSTATON!" 

"ah," Papyrus replies, nodding a bit. Like you both have any clue who that is either.

"How long have you been on the Surface?" You ask, tilting your head. You figure it must have been a while if Monsters have already built things like malls, and have driver’s licenses. 

It’s weird being in a car again, you had forgotten what it felt like. Especially considering the magic Sans has makes it all but redundant to even use. The last time you rode in a car, you were still in a car seat. Things couldn’t be more different. 

"OH, ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW," Creampuff replies, glancing into the rearview mirror. "WE'LL HAVE TO GET YOU ALL UPDATED ON WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE MONSTERS HAVE ASCENDED. I'M GUESSING YOU HAVEN'T IN YOUR UNIVERSE?" 

"nope," Papyrus replies, tilting his head a bit. 

"WELL, YOU CAN ENJOY THE SURFACE HERE!" Creampuff grins, looking back to the road. He actually seems pretty excited as well, if you’re reading him right.  "I'D BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU AROUND." 

Papyrus just hums, gripping your hand a bit tighter. You squeeze his hand back, just looking out of the window. 

It's not long before Creampuff is parking the car, you and Papyrus glancing out the window to see a big building. The mall you're guessing, you don’t think you’ve ever actually been to one before. Creampuff gets out, you and Papyrus following. The parking lot is crammed full of cars, various colors and sizes with people getting out of them and in them and walking into and out of the building. It's crawling with other people. 

Papyrus holds you close to him, you pulling up your hood at the sight of other people. Sans is quick to step beside you, Blue and Edge following him. 

"OH, NOVA, YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR HOOD UP IN THE MALL. THE SECURITY DOESN'T LIKE THAT," Blue mentions, looking over at you. You look at Sans, him remaining still for a few minutes. Then he nods slowly at you, though doesn't look like he likes it anymore that you or Papyrus does. You sigh, but nervously drop the hood. Sans grabs your other hand, giving it a squeeze before dropping it again. "ALRIGHT, LETS GO!" 

"YES, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PLACES TO STOP AT," Creampuff grins, looking back at the three of you. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE COST OF ANYTHING! WE'VE GOT THAT COVERED." 

Sans grimaces, not looking too happy about that either. But he doesn't say anything, all of you heading into the store. You can just guess that as soon as he's able to, he's going to get a job and cover your costs himself. He doesn't like being indebted to others after all. Doing all this is probably going to kill him.

You stick a bit closer to Papyrus, unnerved by all of the people around. Humans walk around everywhere, some not even giving any of you a glance while others stare openly. Some even cross to the other side of the hall when they see your group coming. A few Monsters are walking around too, though these Monsters look nothing like you're used to. 

Unscarred, smiling, soft, happy looking Monsters. Completely different. 

"don't worry," Papyrus whispers, leaning down a bit to your height. "we won't let anything happen to you. just like always." 

You squeeze his hand in response, looking forward again and trying to ignore the eyes on you. You notice Sans doesn't look any more happy than you do, eye lights darting just about everywhere. He's not liking this crowd, though is carefully keeping his face neutral. Papyrus isn't too happy either, arm securely around your shoulders and his eye lights darting from place to place as well. He has his intimidating mask on, all sharp edges and teeth. All three of you are on edge, though the other three seem unbothered. 

"SO, WHERE SHOULD WE GO FIRST?" Blue asks, glancing over the group. 

"THERE'S SOME GOOD CLOTHING SHOPS ON THIS FLOOR, WE SHOULD HEAD THERE FIRST," Edge states, his arms crossed as he gazes over your heads at something. "CLOTHING SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY RIGHT NOW, WE CAN LOOK AT OTHER THINGS LATER." 

"ALRIGHT THEN, LETS GO!" Creampuff grins back at the three of you, motioning you to follow them. The three of you uneasily and reluctantly do.

Chapter Text

Of all the things you were expecting from the tall, sharp red colored skeleton, this was not it. 

He had directed the three of you towards a women's fashion store first, heading right on in without a second thought. And though the store does have a lot of variety, it's... not really what you're used to wearing. 

"I FIGURED THIS MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU USUALLY WEAR," Edge tells you, glancing over your current outfit. Which covers every inch of skin possible. "BUT THERE'S LIKELY A FEW THINGS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIND IN HERE..... THAT WON'T BE TOO HOT TO WEAR IN THE SUMMER." 

"OH, RIGHT!" Creampuff smiles, jumping in. "HUMANS ARE SENSITIVE TO TEMPERATURES. YOU WILL NEED SOMETHING FOR THE WARM WEATHER." 

"Uh-huh," you reply, looking back towards Sans who's glancing around the store unimpressed. 

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT SIZES YOU ARE?" Edge asks, looking back at the rack he was glancing over. 

"Uhhh..." You blink, looking back at him. Sans scoffs, telling him your exact measurements for things like shirts, dresses, and pants. 

"YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR OWN SIZES?" Edge asks, raising a brow bone at you. 

"I ALWAYS DO THE SHOPPING FOR US," Sans replies, raising a brow bone at him. "THEY'D JUST POINT OUT THE THINGS THEY LIKE." 

"I SEE," Edge hums, squinty eye sockets narrowing further. Though you get distracted by Blue bounding over with a dress in his hands. 

"HUMAN, YOU SHOULD TRY THIS ON!" He grins, handing it over. It's... honestly not that bad. Modest looking and a deeper blue color. Not exactly what you were expecting from him. You shrug and drop it over your arm, glancing around again. 

The pile soon grows, both Creampuff and Edge adding some dresses to the pile and Sans adding some shirts, leggings, and pants to the mix. Blue picked up a few things too and if you ever stopped to look at something for a second too long, it was added to the pile as well. It really wasn't long before a store employee was asking if you wanted a changing room. 

"Please," you respond, tired of lugging the mountain of clothing that Papyrus is also carrying. The employee looks a bit amused, but dutifully guides you back so you can start trying the clothes on and see if you like them. 

"Here you go! Just call if you need any different sizes or anything," the employee grins, leaving you at the changing room. 

"come out and show me the outfits," Papyrus grins, Sans nodding. 

"OH! YES, WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOW THEY LOOK!" Blue grins, Edge now looking through the shoes while Creampuff just gives a thumbs up from where he's looking through the discount racks. 

You have to wonder how it looks to others, seeing a bunch of Monsters piling clothes on a human girl. You think it'd probably look kind of funny. 

You first try on the pants, leggings, and shirts, Sans stepping over to check the items and give his opinion. Mostly saying if something looks good or should be left, and if they'll need hemming or not. Your Papyrus usually just gives a thumbs up and Blue and Creampuff always say you look great. 

You try on the dress that Blue grabbed first. It fits to your body snuggly and fans out at the hips, flaring and twirling a bit when you turn. It certainly looks nice, though you're worried about the amount of skin that still shows. The sleeves are rather short and the skirt goes down to your knees. A scarf could cover your chest though and a pair of leggings would cover up your legs. You don't know about your arms though, a jacket? With the hood your head will be covered, so that's probably the best idea.

"YOU LOOK GREAT IN THAT DRESS," Blue smiles, giving you a thumbs up. 

"ARE YOU COMFORTABLE?" Sans asks, checking over the dress again. 

"It is comfortable to wear," you reply lowly, shrugging. "Needs a few more things to cover up though." 

Sans nods, glancing over it again. 

"GET IT IF YOU'LL WEAR IT. IT DOES LOOK NICE ON YOU," he says, you nodding. "THERE'S A FEW OTHER DRESSES, WASN'T THERE?" 

You nod, heading back into the changing room. Trying on a few other things that Blue tossed on the pile, though he didn't add too much. Then get to the things Creampuff tossed in. 

You're not sure about the dress that he grabbed, but still try it on. It's bright yellow with thin straps, the skirt a bit shorter than the last one. It does have pockets, you notice. Deeper ones than you would've expected too. It's loose and breathable too and you're able to move around in it rather easily. All of which is good and you like that.... but the color is really bright and noticeable. It's like waving around a giant sign saying "Look at me! I'm over here! Come get me!" Not even mentioning the skin shown. Leggings, a coat, and a scarf may fix this too though. 

"YOU LOOK SO PRETTY IN THAT COLOR!" Creampuff smiles, his eye sockets turning a bit... shiny? Blue's eye lights brighten as well, turning star-shaped, and he agrees with what the other Papyrus said. Though Sans doesn't look too happy with it, Papyrus doesn't seem to mind it though. 

"it’s cute," he nods. 

"BUT VERY..... VIBRANT," Sans says, observing the dress. "AND... REVEALING." 

"THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH SKIN SHOWN," Blue states, coming over to look for himself. 

"AND OF COURSE IT'S VIBRANT!" Creampuff grins, setting his hands on his hips. "IT'S A SUNDRESS!" 

Sans just hums, you look in the three way mirror in front of the chairs. One of which Papyrus is sitting in. Your face scrunches up a bit, turning this way and that.

"REMEMBER YOU'RE ON THE SURFACE NOW," Edge interjects lowly, stepping closer and leaning down a bit so no one else in the store can hear him. "YOU DON'T NEED TO HIDE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE HUMAN. NO ONE IS GOING TO ATTACK YOU, ESPECIALLY WITH US AROUND." 

You glance over your shoulder at him, then shrug a shoulder and head back into the dressing room to try the other things on. A lot of what Creampuff picked out is vibrant, happy colors with a few dark things thrown in the mix. Though you do have to admit the contrast between the bright shirts and dark jeans is nice. The yellow goes with the gold tag on your collar nicely too. 

But the noticeability really bothers you. 

Shaking your head, you turn to the things Edge placed into the pile. The colors match a lot better with what you're used to wearing, and match better at that too. Things that cover a lot of skin, a few floor-length dresses that are easy to move around in but mostly pants and leggings. Mostly everything has nice movement to them. It's the dress on the bottom that's a bit different. 

It's black and very simple looking, knee length with a sheer layer on top of a solid black skirt. The top has a layer of black lace over it, noticeable if you're looking directly at it. The straps are thin though, two making an X over your back. It's really cute and you do like it. 

"OH! THAT'S CUTE!" Blue grins, glancing over it. Sans hums, doing the same check he's done with everything else. 

"IT IS NICE AND SUITS YOU WELL," he notes, glancing up. "DO YOU LIKE IT?" 

"Yeah," you nod, glancing over the dress in the three-sided mirror. Sans hums, looking over the dress again. 

"WAS THAT THE LAST THING?" Blue asks, you nodding. 

"Can we please go look for someone else now?" You ask, sighing. Papyrus chuckles, you send him a glare. 

"SURE! YOU COULD PROBABLY FIND SOME MORE THINGS OTHER PLACES TOO," Creampuff notes, you raising an eyebrow at him. 

"Do I really need more?" You mutter to yourself, Sans chuckling. 

"GO CHANGE BACK INTO YOUR CLOTHES," he tells you, pushing you gently towards the changing room again. "I'LL HELP YOU CARRY THE THINGS YOU'RE GETTING." 

You do as the skeleton says, gathering the clothes you're definitely getting into a neat pile. You glance over the yellow sundress that Creampuff liked a lot with a thoughtful grimace. Then, in a moment of impulsiveness, you add it to the keep pile. 

With those clothes purchased, along with some shoes and some jewelry Edge grabbed, you're thankfully leaving that store for another. One which, luckily, is for the boys. And you get a bit of payback by grabbing whatever you think they'd look nice in and adding it to their piles. 

"darlin' c'mon," Papyrus whines, looking over you with a pout. 

"You did the same to me," you grin, sticking your tongue out. Papyrus just sighs, Sans snickering a bit until you add another dress shirt to his pile. Then it's just Edge huffing in amusement. 

Sans does look much better, and much more comfortable , in dress shirts and button ups than the sweater he's currently wearing. And jeans, slacks, and smart pants look much better on him than those basketball shorts. Papyrus certainly looks snazzy in those sweaters and jeans too, though he's shy about it. 

You pause to look into a store's window, Papyrus of course stopping beside you. He leans down slightly, raising a brow bone. 

"whatca lookin' at?" He asks, you pointing to one of the store's mannequins in the window. 

"I think you'd look good in that," you grin, looking over your shoulder at him. 

"oh really?" Papyrus huffs, looking over the outfit himself. You hum with a nod, tilting your head a bit. 

"WE CAN GO IN THERE IF YOU'D LIKE," Creampuff grins, the group stopping once they noticed you both did. You both look at him, you then looking between them and the shop a couple of times. Edge sighs, then marches into the store himself.

"COME ON. SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION."

Papyrus sighs and nods, letting you pull him in to find the pieces of clothing. Sans chuckles at you, looking over the racks of clothes himself. 

As soon as you find everything, you're dragging Papyrus towards the fitting rooms and making him try it on. And he does, coming out and letting you see it. 

"You look so handsome," you grin, checking over everything. The puffy dull-orange coat with a fake fur lining looks really good on him, though it does look similar to the coat he usually wears. Probably because they're almost the same style to begin with, just different colors. But this coat pairs well with the white turtle neck sweater, along with the dark colored skinny jeans. It'd go great with his sturdy boots. 

"if you say so, darlin'," he grins, glancing over the outfit in the mirror himself. 

"You doubt me?" You chuckle, swinging a white scarf over his head. He just huffs a laugh, leaning down slightly with a smirk. 

"all the time," he replies, making you roll your eyes. 

"I DO HAVE TO AGREE WITH HER," Sans states, glancing over the outfit himself. "IT DOES SUIT YOU." 

"hmmm... tell you what," Papyrus grins, leaning onto your shoulder. "you let me pick out something from here... i'll get it." 

You squint at him suspiciously, but agree. It turns out that he just found a coat that matches the color of the coat in the outfit. But this one is longer and less puffy, making it look more like a cross between a dress and a coat. The inside is fur lined and it's very warm. 

"YOU COULD WEAR THAT WITH SOME TIGHTS OR LEGGINGS AND IT'D BE A NICE WINTER LOOK," Edge notes, glancing over the coat. "YOUR BOOTS LOOK GOOD WITH IT TOO." 

You glance down at the sturdy, fur lined boots you're wearing. They do match the coat too. You and Papyrus end up getting the things from that store, you very happy Papyrus got that outfit. 

You only end up getting some underwear and pajamas after that, all three of you about done with clothes shopping. And the mall all together. 

So many people staring at all of you. Some immediately leave the shops as soon as you enter..... some employees looked like they were ready to have a heart attack when approached. You did a good job of ignoring most of it, but you were always making a note of it. You know Sans was as well from how tense he is. 

"I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH CLOTHES SHOPPING FOR TODAY," Creampuff grins, glancing over the three of you. "WHY DON'T WE GO GET SOMETHING TO EAT, THEN WE CAN GO LOOK FOR SOME THINGS FOR YOUR ROOMS!" 

"MUST WE DO THAT TODAY?" Sans sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"IT'S BETTER TO GET IT DONE NOW THAT LATER," Edge notes, glancing over your heads again. "AND WHILE WE HAVE SOME THINGS LIKE BEDS AND DRESSERS, THERE'S STILL A LOT WE NEED TO GET FOR YOU THREE. SUITED TO YOUR TASTES, OF COURSE." 

"YOU'RE BEING AWFUL GENEROUS," Sans comments, brow bone raising. 

"WE'RE ON THE SURFACE," Edge states, shrugging a shoulder and raising a brow bone himself. "AND THIS IS COMING OUT OF PRIME SANS' BANK ACCOUNT. IT’S OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO ME HOW MUCH IS SPENT." 

Creampuff looks like he’d like to argue that, but doesn’t actually say anything. You wonder if he has reservations about all this coming from his brother’s bank account, but don’t say anything yourself. You’re sure they’ve talked about it… maybe. 

Sans huffs, shaking his head. 

"COME ON, I'VE FOUND A GOOD PLACE TO EAT!" Creampuff grins, motioning all of you to follow him. You sigh, but do. 

You can’t wait for all this to be over with.

Chapter Text

The other Papyrus certainly knows how to pick a restaurant. He said it's a "Mongolian Barbeque" style restaurant. which you pick what foods you want from buffet lines then are able to watch the chefs grill the food right in front of you. The chefs do some neat tricks with the spatulas too, spinning and tossing them in the air before catching them again. It's cool. Unlimited too, so you can go back as many times as you'd like.

There's a couple different styles of noodles, meat, and vegetables to choose from, then all kinds of sauces to dump over whatever you choose. You.... kind of like the place. 

Sans likes that he’s able to see the chefs making the food too, and you know because he doesn’t often trust restaurants (for good reason, you might add). The only one he trusted completely was Grillby, and that’s only because that man is the only one Sans would truly consider a friend. For what that’s worth, as there’s still some suspicion. 

Papyrus thinks it’s cool too. He likes all the murals painted on the walls and the atmosphere. 

You've been out for quite a while though, drinking probably too much of the soda you got. Since Sans tends to like to monitor how much soda and junk food you eat, for your health and everything. Even if he'll let you indulge more than you probably should.

But either way, you need to go to the bathroom. Sans doesn't look too thrilled, neither does Papyrus, but they let you go. Neither can follow you after all, especially with the others insisting they let you go by yourself.

There's no problem getting in and doing your business or anything though. Coming back out, however...

"Are you alright?" An old woman whispers, glancing over her shoulder nervously as she grabs your arm. You jerk back in surprise, just barely holding back from taking a swing at the unexpected touch.

"Excuse me?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.

"I see you've been dragged around by those.... things all day. Are you okay? Do you want me to call the police?" She asks, looking over again. You can see Sans watching, eyes narrowed.

"I'm fine," you reply, voice going dead. You try to walk off, but the woman's hand tightens.

"Are you sure? I can get you out of here," the woman insists.

"No. I'm fine," you reply, shaking your head. You pull on her grip, trying to get free.

What is with everyone? Why does literally everyone seem to think you have no free will in any of these situations, like you’re some kind of dainty damsel in distress captured by the big bad dragons? For fuck’s sake. 

"Really, we can sneak you out," she whispers even more urgently. You sigh, annoyed and getting angry at this point. You're half tempted to put your training to good use, but making a scene probably wouldn't be good. You don't want to be seen as the aggressor, your boys are already on thin ice.

So, you take a deep breath. Then you turn Sans' icy glare onto the woman.

"Look, I am with those Monsters of my own free will -" For the most part anyway "-so let. It. Go. Already. I want to continue with my nice lunch in peace and I do not need your pushy, nosy ass in my business trying to "save" me or whatever the hell you think you're doing. Leave. Me. The. Hell. Alone."

You rip your arm out of her grip, having no care for her shocked expression or stumble. You head back over to the table, Sans leaning back into his seat as you do so. Seems like he was just about to get up to come assist you by the looks of it. You nod to him, letting him release that tension at least.

Blue and the other Papyrus seemingly didn't notice that little altercation, or at least pretend not to notice. Edge gives you a glance over, but otherwise remains silent on the matter and Sans does as well. Your Papyrus asks if you're okay in a whisper, you nod.

He keeps a tight arm around you the rest of the uneventful shopping trip though, Sans also keeping closer. But you were able to hit up the rest of the shops the trio wanted and get out of the mall without another incident, thankfully.

The three of you were all tired by the end of it, and very glad to say goodbye to the place.

_____

It turns out they gave you and your Papyrus the attic to make into your bedroom. Your Sans got the bedroom right next to the stairs too, much to his happiness.

The attic is very spacious, more than enough room for two people to spread out in. You both still unanimously agree to move the furniture around a bit more though. Push the beds together to make them into one, move the desks to be closer to each other, and completely ignore the separate room they tried to put between you two.

It will be a nice place for you to change clothes in private though, if you want.

"they really seem to think we need to be separated," Papyrus huffs, laying back on the bed. You huff too, shaking your head.

"I don't know how many times we'll need to tell them that we don't before they'll believe it," you groan, rubbing a hand down your face.

You wonder how many times that'll be questioned, your willingness to be around your skeletons. It’s getting very old very fast. 

Papyrus just hums.

You look over at him for a moment, head tilted.

"So are you just going to go by Mutt?" You ask, making the skeleton blink.

"what?"

"You called yourself my guard dog to Stretch and Red earlier," you reply, waving a hand. Papyrus hums, then shrugs. "I don't know. It was already a nickname you had back Underground."

"suppose i could." He shifts to put an arm behind his head. "eh. was already made to be an insult. why not? seems like something the others would use."

"Yeah. Creative names they have, don't they? I hope they didn't actually use those as legal names," you snicker. Papyrus grins, chuckling himself. You sigh, tilting your head back into the pillow and staring at the ceiling. It's quiet between you for a long moment, the both of you thinking about different things and annoyances. "Do you think Sans will look for a different place for us?"

"obviously," Papyrus snorts, not opening his eyes. "he's not going to want to stay here long. much less under those other's thumbs."

You hum in agreement, not looking away from the ceiling.

What concerns you, is if those other skeletons will let the three of you leave. You guess you'll have to wait and see.

_____

It's... not too bad in the lodge, you'll admit. Those other skeletons can be annoying, especially Red and Edge with how snappy they can be towards your skeletons. You really think they've got it in their head that you're some kind of... hostage or something as stupid. You're about ready to snap at them, especially if they make another snide comment.

But it's not too bad. They've got a routine that you've picked up. Creampuff, Blue, and Edge have jobs they go to at least five days a week. A bit of questioning revealed that Blue works three jobs at least (one at an ice cream shop, another at a movie theater, and one grocery), Edge works at some kind of business firm that sometimes has him bring work home with him, and Creampuff works a simple grocery job somewhere close by. Stretch, Vanilla, and Red mainly work downstairs in the basement, but often go somewhere else too.

The first three always get up early in the morning, have coffee or whatever they want to drink and eat, go on a run or something similar, then get ready for work. They cleared one day a week for a sparring session between the three of them. On days they don't work, they're often cleaning or going grocery shopping. The last three have a lot more loose schedules, but none of them are up before the sun or noon if their brothers don't force them.

You've also learned their temperaments, or are at least getting a good idea of them. Edge is more likely to end up in a fight with Sans if they're left for too long together, but Blue and Creampuff are easier to get along with. Red will always back his brother up (of course) and may even end up escalating things if worst comes to worst. Red can get along with Papyrus, as can Edge. Though the latter doesn't really seem to know what to do with him, and the former is always at least a little put off. The two will leave you alone for the most part, or treat you with a bit more care than they give to your skeletons.

Blue seems to mesh with Sans in a way the others don't, and they can get along really well. Stretch is a whole other deal though, as he seems to like to avoid or watch Sans in a way he really doesn't like. But Blue's roped Sans into the weekly sparring matches, and easily can go toe to toe with him. Which you know Sans is grateful for, even if he doesn't express it. Papyrus and Stretch can easily chill together, even if Papyrus has mentioned some distaste for the other skeleton. They can get along though. The two are more welcoming to all three of you, and do seemingly genuinely want to be friends. Or get along at the very least.

Vanilla is a whole other ballpark. You don't think he really likes any of you, even if he doesn't show it. He's always... watching you in some way, if you're in the same room. It makes you uncomfortable, you don't like it. He does it with all three of you, and you're still not sure what his deal is. Creampuff, on the other hand, is just friendly. He seems to genuinely want to get along and become friends too. He doesn't pry and doesn't poke at any of you, just... really friendly. And that's about as unnerving as his brother's staring, in a certain way.

None of them seem too impressed with the way you cling to your skeletons, or how there's always at least one of them with you at all times. Nor the way you and Papyrus always defer to and let Sans do the talking when all three of you are in a room together, and you let Papyrus do the talking when he feels like it. You're quiet, and you like to observe though. So you don't really care.

You've relayed all this to Sans too, and he's taken note. You know he's been doing his own observations, and you know he's getting restless sitting around in the house. These other skeletons are taking their time getting the three of you IDs and you're about ready to start biting if they don't hurry their asses up, Sans' restlessness is going to start rubbing off on you soon.

"Let's go spar," you offer, when everyone else is out or busy.

"WHAT?" Sans asks, narrowing his eye sockets at you. You repeat your offer. "I HEARD YOU. BUT WHY DO YOU WANT TO? YOU BOTH HATE SPARING."

"I'm restless. I want to do something," you reply, sitting up. Papyrus sighs, Sans raising a brow bone. You don't think he believes you, but the three of you head outside anyways and get to it.

You and Papyrus work together, as always. You both know how to fight alone if need be (of course, Sans wasn't going to let you both go out without knowing how to. Just on the off chance that you two did get separated), but you're stronger together. Like the Dogamy and Dogaressa back home. So, you both team up against Sans. Which he likes, considering it helps him keep on top of his game. The three of you have found a way to make it fun at least, so as much as you and Papyrus don't like it it's not a complete chore.

At least until you're suddenly grabbed and yanked away from your boys, startling all of you and making you all tense in pure instinct alone.

"what the fuck is this?!"

You're able to break the hold before you're thrown behind Red, by Stretch who you think is the one that grabbed you. Vanilla is back on the porch, watching with wide eyes. You run back over to Sans and Papyrus, the latter of whom pushes you behind himself.

"ya trying ta kill each other?!" Red snaps, leaning forward slightly.

"WE'RE SPARRING. DO YOU INTERRUPT YOUR BROTHERS EVERY TIME THEY SPAR TOGETHER TOO?" Sans asks, irritated. You all know they don't, and have only targeted the three of you now.

"didn't.. didn't look like sparring," Stretch replies, sweating slightly.

"IT'S SOMETHING WE MADE UP BACK HOME. A GAME ," Sans sighs, more annoyed. He pinches the bridge of his nose, and you can tell he's a bit pissed off by the interruption. Just when the three of you were really getting into it too.

"that was... a game ?" Vanilla asks, in disbelief.

" YES ," Sans growls. "WHAT? DID YOU THINK WE'D JUST ATTACK EACH OTHER FOR THE FUN OF IT? DID YOU THINK ANY OF US WOULDN'T HAVE THE RESTRAINT TO STOP OURSELVES FROM KILLING EACH OTHER? IS THAT WHAT YOU THOUGHT?"

"no need to get so damn pissy. we were just concerned," Red frowns, arms crossed and hands clenching.

"YOU GRABBED AND DRAGGED NOVA AWAY SUDDENLY, DO YOU THINK WE WOULDN'T BE UPSET WITH THAT? YOU'RE ALREADY WELL AWARE OF HOW PROTECTIVE WE ARE OF HER," Sans replies, jaw clenched. "YOU'RE LUCKY SHE HAS SUCH A GOOD CONTROL OVER HER REACTIONS, AND DIDN'T TURN AROUND AND ATTACK IN PURE INSTINCT. DO NOT GRAB HER LIKE THAT AGAIN."

Chapter Text

"GUNS AND ACE, TWO OTHER SKELETONS THAT DON'T LIVE HERE, ARE COMING OVER SOON. I BELIEVE G MIGHT BE COMING WITH THEM. BUT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT," Creampuff rambles to you and Papyrus while he caught the both of you in the kitchen. You were just looking to pilfer some snacks, but then the other skeleton showed up and decided to start chatting. "THEY WANTED TO MEET THE THREE OF YOU AND THEY'RE BRINGING YOUR IDS WITH THEM! THEY HAVE A LOT EASIER TIME GETTING ALL THAT SET UP, FOR SOME REASON. IT'S PART OF THE REASON SANS AND I PUT THEM IN CHARGE OF EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF THE LODGE."

That certainly peeks your interest. They'd probably be the ones to go to about getting out of the lodge then, plus Sans will finally be able to get a job as well. Which is key in letting him loosen up a bit, if anything. He does not like relying on others.

"THEY'RE ALL PRETTY NICE! I THINK YOU BOTH WOULD GET ALONG WITH G REALLY WELL! HE'S VERY CALM AND RELAXED," Creampuff continues, working on some kind of dish. You're... a little concerned honestly, but don't stop him. "GUNS AND ACE CAN BE A BIT.... INTENSE, BUT THEY MEAN WELL! I WOULDN'T LET THEM INTIMIDATE YOU."

You and Papyrus share a look, then look back at the skeleton. You shift slightly, edging closer to the other skeleton to swipe some of the vegetables he was going to use and trade them for others that actually go with what he's cooking. Then you're back beside Papyrus like you hadn't moved at all.

"yeah, sounds great," Papyrus says to his counterpart, both of you silently agreeing that you're not going to attend tonight's dinner.

"I BELIEVE THEY'RE PLANNING TO COME TOMORROW. WHICH WE'LL HAVE A BIG DINNER FOR EVERYONE. AND WE RARELY GET TO DO THAT, WITH EVERYONE HERE FOR IT, SO IT'S RATHER EXCITING IF YOU ASK ME," Creampuff adds, the two of you now plotting the fastest way out of this conversation at this point.

You're spared any more of Creampuff's rambles by Blue rushing into the kitchen with a little bit of a grimace, loudly greeting Papyrus and joining him in making dinner. There's definitely a bit of scolding about starting the lesson early, without the teacher there, but all in the nicest way you've ever seen. You're both able to sneak out of the room and rush back up to the attic before they're any wiser, but you did hear Blue going to ask if you're joining before you were at the stairs.

You're not allowed to hide in your room all day tomorrow though, since those skeletons did indeed arrive then. Edge was yelling up the stairs before either of you could think of hiding, and didn't stop until he saw the both of you coming down. You're of the opinion he's worse than Sans in this regard. Blue and Creampuff greet them though, you hanging back with Papyrus.

They're more skeletons that look like Sans and Papyrus, but these two look like carbon copies of the ones from this universe just dressed fancier. Guns (the Sans looking one) has on a plain white dress shirt with black slacks and suspenders, the collar of his shirt undone with no tie. Ace (the Papyrus looking one) wears an orange dress shirt with black slacks and a white coat. Both wear hats too, and look the picture of professional business men you saw on those cutouts and on TV. You can spot a few chips in their bones though, almost invisible like a lot of Sans' scars. So you're guessing these two haven't exactly had an entirely peaceful existence.

The last one (who's apparently G) doesn't look like any of the other skeletons though. You can see some of Sans' features, but there's more differences than similarities. He's taller than them, for one thing. A few good head's taller, on par with Papyrus. He has two cracks in his skull too, one going up from a collapsed socket and the other going down. He does wear a turtleneck sweater with a big warm looking jacket, and ripped jeans. He looks a lot more relaxed and casual than anyone else here.

Sans narrows his eye sockets at the latter skeleton, but that's about it. You don't sense any hostility in his posture, but there's some sort of unease. He tells you it's nothing.

There's two skeletons that you weren't told about, and the others apparently weren't expecting either. They look like copies of this world's Sans and Papyrus again, but they're more.... Well, they wear more revealing clothes and seem a lot more sure of themselves than this world's does. Confident? Something like that. Their eye lights are in the shape of Monster SOULs too, a bright purple for the Sans and a hot pink for the Papyrus.

"this is them?" Guns asks, looking at the three of you.

"YUP!" Blue nods, then motions to the three of you. "BLACK, MUTT, AND NOVA."

"NICE TO MEET THE THREE OF YOU," Ace nods, tipping his hat.

"WELL MET," Sans replies, shaking Ace's outstretched hand. You and Papyrus just nod, remaining stony faced as you always are.

"AND THESE TWO ARE?" Creampuff asks, looking at the two unnamed skeletons. "WE WEREN'T AWARE YOU FOUND MORE!"

"lilac," the Sans replies, grinning easily.

"Charmed," the Papyrus nods, grinning just as easily and just as relaxed. His eye lights gaze over the rest of you, before settling on you specifically. "Nice To Meet All Of You, As Well."

You three just nod, the other two echoing the sentiment.

"we found them recently. since we were meeting these three, thought we'd bring them along as well," Guns explains, nodding towards the two.

"OH, GOOD THINKING," Creampuff grins, agreeing easily. Vanilla seems more stressed though, if the slight tightening of his smile is anything to go by. "I HOPE WE MADE ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE."

"WE HAVE," Edge calls, more occupied in the kitchen currently and mostly ignoring everything else currently going on. You envy him, you wish you could be doing that currently.

"GOOD," Creampuff grins, shoulders loosing some of their tension.

It'll take a moment more for the food to cook, Blue and Creampuff rushing back to help Edge out and leaving the three of you to get acquainted with the guests.

"This is the first time we've had a Human coming along for the ride. Are you settling in alright?" G asks, handing you an ID and some more paperwork you'll apparently need up here. You nod in response to his question, but notice Sans is keeping a close eye on this interaction. "Good. I know some of the people here can be a bit...."

He trails off, looking for the right word. You snort, getting the idea enough. G grins, shrugging a shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure you've been here long enough to understand what I mean," he says, casually.

"Yeah," you agree, looking over the paperwork. You'll give it to Sans later for safekeeping. You look back up at the skeleton, then glance over at Guns and Ace before looking back at him again. "Those two keep track of everyone outside of this place?"

"Yeah. Not everyone wants to live here or really can," G nods, twisting a wrist to motion around the lodge. "Sans doesn't want them running loose though, so those two keep an eye on everyone. Make sure they're behaving and doing well, all that. I help them out sometimes, since those two can be a bit... intense and not everyone likes that."

You nod, humming.

"Why? You three not want to stay here?" G asks, stuffing a hand into his pocket and tilting his head just a bit. You glance towards Sans again, then look back at the skeleton.

"Deciding on it, but likely not," you finally conclude, G humming in response.

"Alright. When you do decide, you'll just have to get in contact with one of us. We'll help you find a place if that's what you want," G replies, you nodding.

"Okay."

You glance to the side as Lilac and Charmed finally make their way over, after having been stealing glances since they've noticed you among the bunch. You were expecting it, though you're still a bit wary of the two. They don't look like too big of threats, but you're still on guard. Underestimating anyone could be a death sentence after all.

You still loosen up a bit, just to not look so hostile or unapproachable. That doesn't seem to help you much with skeletons, and just gets them to be more annoying.

"hello," Lilac greets, grinning. "we weren't expecting a human among this bunch."

"They weren't either," you simply state, which makes the two chuckle.

"What Brought You Here," Charmed asks, curious.

"I'm their sister," you reply, motioning back towards Sans and Papyrus. Who are both caught up by Guns and Ace at the moment, and obviously not very happy about it. Papyrus is even scowling, which is usually never a good sign. "I came with them."

"Really?" Charmed asks, obviously a bit surprised. You nod.

"Sans didn't seem too sure about that," G comments, making you roll your eyes.

"They don't seem to believe it. But S-Black raised me right alongside Mutt," you grumble, exasperated. You shake your head, letting out an annoyed sigh. "I'm their sister."

"Alright, good to know," G nods, apparently satisfied enough with hearing it straight from your mouth.

"Interesting Little Family," Charmed hums, looking between the three of you. You just shrug, not really thinking so yourself. But the conversation immediately shifts once Papyrus is released and finally able to return to your side again, the obviously irritable skeleton not making for much great conversation. G eventually wonders back over to Guns and Ace once they're finished with Sans, while Lilac and Charmed remain.

"have you two gotten to see much of the city?" Lilac asks, curiously. You shake your head, Papyrus not up for talking apparently. "shame. you should check it out more now that you've got your ids. there's a lot of places to see."

"We Could Take You To Some, If You'd Like," Charmed grins, an edge to it that you recognize. Kind of, there's a slight difference from the Monsters back in your Underground that were looking to cozy up to you. You're a bit more amused by these two, for one, and you're pretty sure they're not just after you for your connection to Sans here too.

"Maybe," you reply, feeling good enough to be at least a little playful with these two. You were with Monsters back home too, before watching one of your skeletons chase them off in amusement when called for. Simply because those relationships could go nowhere, you couldn't let your secret get out after all. You don't see one going anywhere with these two either, but it's fun to play.

"Give Us A Ring If You Ever Want To Take Us Up On That Offer, Sweetheart," Charmed chuckles, after Blue calls that dinner's done. Papyrus grumbles, squeezing your hand and lightly glaring at the back of their heads. You squeeze his hand back, smiling easily.

You both don't talk much during dinner, you more wanting to get a feel for these new skeletons. From the current standpoint, you don't think you like Guns and Ace very much. They give you a bad sort of vibe in the pit of your stomach, though you can't pinpoint from what yet. Sans and Papyrus seem to agree, at the very least. Lilac, Charmed, and G are up for debate though. You're feeling pretty good about Lilac and Charmed, but G is still a pretty good mystery to you. And that almost puts you on edge more than a bad feeling does.

You still get all their phone numbers before the night is done, and Blue comments that they'll have to go get you a phone later when it's revealed you don't have one. It's another thing that got left behind in your universe, unfortunately.

"YOU SHOULD'VE MENTIONED THAT SOONER," Edge comments, raising a brow bone.

"I've been using Mutt's," you shrug, completely nonplussed about it. The skeleton shakes his head with a sigh, but doesn't argue about it. Good, he's learning.

"WE'LL STILL GO INTO TOWN TOMORROW TO GET YOU ONE," Blue nods, assured of that plan. "THAT WAY YOU TWO DON'T HAVE TO SHARE."

You simply agree and move on.

The five eventually leave and you all are allowed to go to bed, or at least your rooms later. But bright and early Blue is calling up to you and Papyrus to ask if you're ready to go into town. A loud groan is all he gets in response, and you're pretty sure you hear him mutter something about his brother and you two.

You wait at least another hour before getting up on principle alone, Papyrus almost convincing you to wait another just to annoy the loud skeleton. Sans comes up to harass the two of you though, and that's a better motivator to get up. Blue doesn't even seem that upset, or annoyed, so you guess it wouldn't matter anyway.

This is going to be another whole outing apparently, but only Blue and Papyrus are coming along. So you can all squeeze into one car at least. You're squished in the middle of the backseat, but try not to complain about it.

At least it's not as long as the last outing was though, and it doesn't take long for a shiny new phone to be plopped into your hands to play with. First thing you do is take a picture of you and Papyrus, for your background of course. He rolled his eyes, but played along. Sans is a bit more cooperative about it, and you make it your lock screen.

It's a shame you can't get it upgraded like your last one, Undyne would've jailbreaked literally everything for you and had a million different apps to recommend. All you'd have to do is watch some of her shows with her as a payment.

"THERE'S A GOOD RESTAURANT AROUND HERE. YOU THREE WANT SOMETHING TO EAT?" Blue asks, glancing in the rear view mirror.

"SURE," Sans replies, flatly. Blue still takes it though, Creampuff taking the initiative to tell you about the menu and what he thinks is good there and what isn't. He only cuts his rambles off once Blue pulls into the parking lot, grinning back at the three of you.

"WELL, I GUESS YOU CAN EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELVES NOW!" He states, getting out once the car is parked.

The inside is plain, but you can seat yourselves and it doesn't take too long before a waitress is coming over to take your orders.

"HELLO, TAYLOR!"

Chapter Text

You're not a fan of the restaurant, you decide. Muffet's is better, much better. And so is Grillby's, which is ten times better than this place even as a notoriously hard to find food truck. You think Sans and Papyrus agree, but none of you decide to say anything. Blue and Papyrus are obviously friends with the waitress, and they seem the kind to support friends like this.

You don't think much of her, but you don't think you want to be friends with her. Despite Blue and Creampuff hedging for it, well for all three of you. You'd rather not befriend some random Human woman, but thanks. Especially not one that seems to want to be your friend as much as you want to be hers. But to be fair, there's not a lot of people you want to be friends with in the first place. It kind of comes with the territory of such a life-threatening secret to hide, and old habits die hard.

You're not even entirely convinced she wants to be friends with the skeletons, even if there is some sort of relationship there.

Thankfully, you get to leave not too long after. Pack back into the stuffy car, then head back to the overcrowded lodge. You put the other skeleton's numbers into your new phone, and G offers his brother's services for a free upgrade for it as soon as he has your number. Which confused you, but apparently his brother is on a similar wave as Undyne. Maybe you will get to jailbreak your phone then.

"Ah," you nod, when you make the comparison. Well it's good to know, and now you're a bit curious as to how much he's like Undyne.

Stars, you miss that fish too. You hope she's alright, and Muffet too. Along with Grillby and the dogs as well. You're sure the absence of the three of you has already been noticed, but you do have to wonder if you've been written off as dusted. Might be a hard sell, but there's probably not any other explanation anyone could give. There's no way Sans would just up and disappear by his own volition, and anyone who knows him would be certain of that. Even the Queen would know that.

Though that terrifying woman likely would've sent out a search party, launched a whole investigation into the disappearance. Sans is one of her top officers, you doubt she'd write him off so easily.

With that thought, you also... kind of wonder if it'd be a good thing to go back home. You don't know what would result from such a long and sudden disappearance. Sans would likely get in trouble, and if they did a thorough search of the house.... They might find evidence of your secret. But.. would they really believe that Sans would hide a Human? Someone so devoted to the Queen and a top ranking member of the Royal Guard? You don't know, but there would be some consequences for this. Even if it was out of your control, but who would believe the truth anyway?

It's a lot to think about, it gives you a headache.

Not like being here is a ton of fun either, so you're not sure what to think. Guess you'll figure it out later.

_____

Taylor is a lot more prominent of a figure in the skeleton's lives than you thought she'd be. Apparently she's been around for about a year now, and is a friend that they actively hang out with at times. You also learn she has a boyfriend, who definitely does not like the skeletons and does not hang out with them as much as Taylor does. And if he does, it's literally just to keep an eye on them like he's worried she's going to leave him.

You've decided you don't like either of them. They give you a bad feeling, and you've said as much to both Papyrus and Sans. The former agrees with you completely and the latter nodded with your assessment. Papyrus avoids her with you and Sans often joins you with whatever you're doing, though he has work to keep him distracted too.

"Have you thought of anything you'd like to do? Want to get a job somewhere finally?" You ask, not looking up from your phone. Papyrus sits at the desk, sketching in a notebook Sans got him with his first check.

"nah. think sans would still have a conniption," Papyrus snorts, you chuckling along. "but seriously, i don't even know what to look for..... think i could do something with art...?"

"Maybe. You could probably do something with machines too and put that degree to work," you point out, texting G at the same time.

"don't think that's transferred over here," Papyrus sighs, spinning around in his chair to look at you. You hum, concentrating on your text for a minute before looking up at him again.

"Lilac and Charmed are going back to cosmetology school to get their license. They've already asked if I'd be their guinea pig later for a social media thing," you note, leaning your head into your arms. Papyrus snorts, then shakes his head with a grin.

"don't think sans is going to like that," he points out, you just grinning a bit more.

"What Sans doesn't know won't hurt him," you reply, making Papyrus raise a brow bone.

"did you actually agree to that?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"If they give me enough evidence to trust they won't completely fuck up," you reply, turning onto your back as you look at the newest text G's sent. A picture of a mess his brother made in his personal lab, which was apparently caused by something blowing up in his face. His brother's fine though, and making that comparison to Undyne all the more true. "But they both were quite..... displeased with Sans' work. Charmed assured me he'd do a lot better."

"and how would he know how to do that?" Papyrus huffs, turning back around to continue his sketch.

"Apparently they were already on the surface before being dumped here. They were running a salon and everything," you hum. The two had told you that quite happily, as an explanation for why they wanted to go to cosmetology school in the first place. Apparently Charmed really likes styling and cutting hair, has a lot of fun with it. Lilac just has a skill for his work, which he hasn't told you about yet. Besides his eye for fashion, which is apparently another thing Sans sucks at. You don't think he's that bad, and your current wardrobe is a collaboration from multiple of the skeletons so he can't blame just Sans.

You dress yourself too so, hey. Rude!

You've also learned they're a lot more knowledgeable about your own body than you are, which you explained through falling into the Underground when you were literally a young child and having no one to help you learn about the Human body. They were mildly horrified still, and you found the whole conversation a little awkward.

"huh. interesting..... must've sucked being pulled here then," Papyrus notes, you humming in agreement. It's quiet for a long moment, then Papyrus speaks up again. He leans back in his chair, sighing. "might not be a terrible idea to go back to school.... i'll think about it, but sans is probably gonna want to pay for it himself."

"Oh, without a doubt," you nod, agreeing immediately. He did the first time around, after all. "Maybe you could do an art thing to help though? Maybe people would pay for it up here."

"maybe. could be worth a shot," Papyrus shrugs, tilting his head back. "you have any idea what you want to do?"

"Not a clue," you reply with a sigh, dropping your phone onto your chest to look at him.

"hm. sure you've got time to figure it out," Papyrus offers, sitting up straight again. You nod, looking up at the ceiling. "don't know how long we'll be stuck here after all."

"Yeah," you sigh, throwing a arm over your eyes. Unfortunately....

It doesn't take long before the two of you start to get a bit hungry, but neither of you want to go downstairs at the moment. You eventually volunteer because you really want something to snack on, and think you're a good enough sneak to get in and out without anyone noticing. Unfortunately for you, you're not.

"Oh... you live here?"

You grimace, then drop your face to a complete neutral before turning to face the last person you wanted to see.

"Yup," you reply, looking at Taylor. She pauses, looking completely bewildered.

"... Why?" She then asks, sounding genuinely confused.

"Because my brothers do," you reply, slowly. You lean back against the counter and cross your arms, raising an eyebrow at her surprised look.

"You're... your brothers.. are skeletons?" She asks, like she doesn't comprehend the thought.

"Yes," you nod, wanting out of this conversation already.

"Huh," Taylor responds, still looking very surprised. "That's weird. How did that happen?"

You don't like her tone with that question, like there's something wrong with the skeletons being your family.

"That is none of your business, I'm afraid," you scoff, narrowing your eyes just a bit. Taylor huffs, straightening her shirt like it got messy from your slightly sharper words.

"I just don't think-"

"TAYLOR, DID YOU GET- OH! HELLO, NOVA!" Blue greets, grinning. You give a short wave, not fixing your expression any. He looks a bit surprised, but that's probably because you're by yourself. Which still happens very, very rarely. "WE'RE STILL HAVING OUR GAME NIGHT, IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN US."

"I'm good. Just came down to get some snacks," you drawl, pointing over your shoulder at the cabinet.

"ALRIGHT. BUT YOU AND MUTT ARE FREE TO JOIN ANYTIME YOU WANT TO!" Blue nods, handing over a few snacks after rummaging through the cabinets. Mostly Little Debbie cakes and such, which it bothers you a little bit he's already picked up on Papyrus' sweet-tooth. But maybe Stretch is just similar- actually you're pretty sure that's what it is, thinking about that skeleton's habits.

"Thanks," you note, heading for the stairs.

"OF COURSE!" Blue replies, waving you off.

You happily return to your room, resolving to tell Papyrus and Sans about the little interaction as soon as Sans gets home. Papyrus is happy with your haul though, and you both chow down while waiting for your older brother to return from work. Which wont actually happen until the early hours of the morning since he works a graveyard shift.

You both make a point to wait for him though, which works out great considering you're both night owls yourselves. Or at least Papyrus is, he likes staying up until the early hours of the morning. You usually end up passing out somewhere around midnight and one o'clock in the morning. But Papyrus will wake you up so you can sleepily greet Sans and he can yell at you both to get better sleep schedules, then repeat the whole thing again the next night. You don't think the other early bird skeletons have gotten used to this routine yet, but none of you care.

Lilac and Charmed have a pretty strange sleep schedule, and G does too apparently. So you're in good company all night, or at least until you end up passing out. The latter is a bit better about it though, and he's usually jokingly telling you to go to bed around midnight. When your texts become a bit more sleepy and slower.

Like right now, and Papyrus has even shut the main lights off and turned on a lamp.

"I'm gonna stay awake this time," you huff, squinting at the skeleton.

"sure you are," he huffs, amused. You stick your tongue out at him, and he responds in kind.

"You suck. I have something to tell you when Sans gets back," you mutter, Papyrus humming.

"i'll wake you," he assures, turning back to his drawing. You grunt, squinting at your phone. You.. don't last much longer before sleep claims you and Papyrus is flipping a blanket over your shoulders.

He does wake you in time to meet Sans though.

"GO BACK TO BED," Sans grumbles, but doesn't shove you off when you sleepily glomp onto him.

"Don't wanna," you reply, letting him half drag you upstairs. Sans huffs.

"YOU BOTH SHOULD STILL BE IN BED! YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULES ARE ATROCIOUS," he scolds, shaking his head.

"Got something to tell you and Papy," you hum.

"AND IT COULDN'T WAIT UNTIL YOU WOKE UP NATURALLY?" Sans responds, still sounding as annoyed as ever.

"Nope," you reply, popping the p. Sans rolls his eye lights, but relents.

"LET ME CHANGE, THEN WE CAN TALK," he sighs, shoving you off so he can go into his own room. He lets you and Papyrus in once changed, and you immediately drop onto his bed and hug a pillow. The skeleton gives you a look for that, then one to Papyrus when he lays across the end of the bed. "YOU BOTH HAVE YOUR OWN BEDS TO SLEEP IN! WHY DO YOU INSIST ON STEALING MINE?"

"Comfy," you reply, making Sans roll his eye lights again.

"AND WHAT DID YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT, PRINCESS? OR WAS IT JUST A PLOY TO HOG MY BED AGAIN?" Sans huffs, and you know he's more amused than he actually lets on. You sit up, then tell the two about your run in with Taylor last night. Sans huffs, hardly impressed and Papyrus narrows his eye sockets. "WELL, WE SHOULD HARDLY CARE WHAT SHE THINKS. OBVIOUSLY SHE HAS NO TASTE, JUST JUDGING FROM THAT EXCUSE OF A MAN SHE'S DATING."

"bitch," Papyrus huffs, getting a flick from Sans for it.

"WE'LL JUST HAVE TO AVOID HER. UNFORTUNATELY I DOUBT THERE'S MUCH WE CAN DO WHILE IN THIS HOUSE," Sans notes, finally sitting on the bed himself. He brushes your hair back, grinning easily. "YOU'RE OUR FAMILY EITHER WAY. DON'T THINK ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT THAT HUMAN OR ANYONE ELSE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT."

"I know. I don't," you assure, eyes closing.

"GOOD! NOW, IF YOU TWO DON'T MIND, I WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME SLEEP TODAY."

He doesn't kick you out, instead joining you both on the bed. You fall asleep in a pile of bones.