Chapter Text
I was ripped from the blissful oblivion of sleep by the feeling of being gently lifted into the air, before being set back down on a soft surface. I jolted up with a start and wildly looked around for what could have picked me up so easily, coming face to, uh, skull with a giant skeleton. It took a few seconds for my sleep-addled brain to return to full working conditions, but the reality of my current situation did eventually hit me. Oh right. I’d messed up a spell and was now stuck as a chihuahua for the foreseeable future. Goodie.
Papyrus smiled apologetically down at me, his hand coming up to gently caress my head.
“OOPSIE, SORRY GIRL, I DIDN’T MEAN TO WAKE YOU. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SET OFF FOR MY MORNING JOG! WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME? OH, BUT! ONLY IF YOU’RE UP FOR IT! YESTERDAY WAS A VERY BUSY DAY FOR YOU, AFTER ALL. IF YOU’RE STILL TIRED, YOU CAN REST FOR NOW.”
I glanced at the nearby window, seeing that the curtains remained shut, but I could tell from the darkness still enveloping the room that it was very early in the morning, likely before dawn. I wasn’t surprised that Papyrus was an early riser; I was actually more surprised that he slept at all, given how much energy he seemed to possess.
Well, I’m already awake, so I might as well join him , I decided. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been up this early before, given the odd hours some special ingredients had to be collected, or the specific times some spells had to be cast. Also, my magic was at its most powerful at witching hour, obviously, so I’d often stay up most of the night to perform the most magically demanding of witchcraft. But I usually went to bed earlier to make up for that, so I wasn’t used to having this little sleep. Oh well, no use complaining about it now ...
With a huge yawn, I stood up shakily on my four paws, and stretched as best as I could manage with my canine body. I didn’t fall over, so I counted that as a win. Shaking the last of the sleep from my head, following the motion through to the rest of my body, I looked up at Papyrus expectantly. He grinned down at me, looking pleased.
“OH HO?... YOU WANT TO JOIN ME THAT BADLY?! WOWIE!! I’M SO EXCITED! WE REALLY ARE BESTIES AREN’T WE!?!?”
He then dashed off into his closet, presumably to get changed into his exercise clothes, before re-emerging astonishingly quickly in his new outfit. He struck a pose, one arm in the air, the other resting on his hipbones.
“TA-DA!! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SPORTY STYLE?!”
I cocked my head to the side. His “sporty style” consisted of a shirt that barely covered his ribs, with hearts drawn on the sleeves and “jogboy” written on the front in what seemed like permanent marker, matching shorts, his usual boots, and what I took to be his signature red scarf. While it couldn’t compare to spooky witch robes and pointy witch hat, his outfit had an undeniable “Papyrus” charm to it.
I barked my approval, my tail wagging in show of support, and Papyrus brought his hands up to the sides of his skull, as what could only be a blush stained his cheekbones.
“WOWIE!! YOU LIKE IT?!?! GOSH! YOUR FRIENDSHIP POWER MIGHT EVEN BE A MATCH FOR MY OWN! NYEH!!”
My friendship power is unbeatable! I puffed out my chest, proud of the many friends I’d made throughout my life. The fact that none of them were human or monster was entirely irrelevant. I was very popular!
Afterwards, the both of us made our way to the front door. As we walked through the living room, we passed by Midnight, who was sleeping curled up next to that stupid mutt, in the dog bed. I tried my best to ignore the both of them, but the dog jumped up at our arrival and followed us out the door, clearly intent on joining us for our jog. No! Go away, cat thief! This is mine and Papyrus’s exercise time! I growled at him, but he only woofed at me with a goofy, gormless expression on his stupid doggy face. Papyrus beamed down at the both of us.
“ALL RIGHT, YOU TWO! FOLLOW ME! NOW OFF WE GO!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”
And with that as my only warning, he took off, running at full speed, the little white dog joining him almost instantly. I stood, stunned, for a second, before chasing after them as fast as my tiny legs could carry me. I managed to catch up to them eventually, but the effort took a lot out of me, and I felt dread start to creep into my heart, as I realised that there was no way that I would be able to keep up with them for much longer.
Indeed, after an embarrassingly short amount of time, my legs, still aching from the previous day’s exertions, finally gave up on me, and I started to flag. I barked as loudly as my tiny chihuahua lungs could manage (which was incredibly loud for something that small, what the hell), which immediately caught Papyrus’s attention. He stopped, turned around, and ran back to me, as I collapsed on the floor, panting heavily from exhaustion.
“OH NOES! HAS YOUR ENERGY SUPPLY RUN OUT?! POOR GIRL!! I’M SORRY FOR NOT NOTICING SOONER HOW TIRED YOU ARE! BUT WORRY NOT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL TAKE IT FROM HERE!!”
He then lifted me into his arms and took off again, resuming his jog. He kept the same fast pace, my added weight, meagre as it was, not seeming to be the slightest hindrance to him. I felt whimpers building up in my throat, as I saw the huge gap between our physical capabilities. I had never been the most active person, with the most exercise I did, being hunting for potion ingredients, dodging the more volatile plants in my garden, and running from particularly ornery wildlife. I never did any truly strenuous activities, that’s what enchanted brooms were for. Speaking of which, I must remember to take Papyrus flying one day, I’m certain he’d enjoy that ...
Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I was growing very disheartened at how weak I was. Papyrus, kind and attentive monster that he was, soon noticed my failing spirits. Not slowing down, he began rubbing my head, his gloved phalanges gently scratching me behind my ears.
“WHAT’S WRONG, GIRL? WHY THE SAD EYES??”
I could only stare despondently into his eye sockets, not knowing how to convey my thoughts to him. But he seemed to understand me just fine regardless, as he gave me a consoling smile, continuing his tender petting.
“ARE YOU UPSET THAT YOU AREN’T AS STRONG AS I AM?” I looked away, pouting internally, if not externally, given my fewer facial muscles. “PLEASE! DO NOT BE SAD! THERE ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO CAN MATCH MY INCREDIBLE PHYSICAL PROWESS!! I AM VERY GREAT, AFTER ALL! NYEH!”
When that failed to cheer me up, Papyrus’s expression softened. He slowed to a stop, lifting me up until I was directly in front of his skull.
“MY SWEET GIRL, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. YOU DID VERY WELL FOR ONE SO TINY! YOU RAN VERY FAST! FOR VERY LONG! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOUR ABILITIES, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO BE! YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE YOURSELF IF YOU TRY!!”
Admittedly, I did feel a little better at his words of encouragement, but I still couldn’t help feeling inadequate. It certainly didn’t help that Papyrus’s dog had taken to running circles around us, his stamina seemingly infinite. Show off ... I whined at him. Was he even really a dog? Papyrus followed my gaze and frowned.
“DO NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION TO HOW WELL OTHERS ARE DOING! THEY ARE THEM! YOU ARE YOU!! AND YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST! THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS!! JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE IS BETTER AT SOMETHING THAN YOU ARE, DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU ARE BAD AT THAT THING! OR THAT YOU CAN NEVER GET BETTER! IF YOU WORK HARD, I KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!”
I stared into his eye sockets, at the little glints of light I could see shining within them. He was being sincere. He genuinely had complete faith in me, and my ability to do anything I set my mind to. Huh. For the first time, I was grateful for my current body, as otherwise I’d be blushing madly right now. I felt ticklish at knowing that someone as self-confident as Papyrus, was equally confident in me. I swore to not let him down. I’d show him that I could be great, too!
At my determined barks, Papyrus beamed proudly at me.
“NYEH HEH HEH! THAT’S THE SPIRIT!! YOU ARE VERY GREAT! I PROMISE YOU! I AM CERTAIN THAT YOU CAN DO AMAZING THINGS! AND EVEN IF YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO, OR AS WELL AS YOU’D LIKE TO, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ONLY YOU CAN DO! I JUST KNOW IT!!”
There are! I wanted to yell, there’s so much I want to show you! It had never really occurred to me before, since my mother and many others were leagues ahead of me, but being a witch was something special. My brand of magic wasn’t something everyone could practice, and even if I still had a long way to go to master my powers, my current progress was still an achievement that I deserved to be proud of. And one day, I would show Papyrus wonders he’d never seen before, mystical arts that only I, and the precious few in my line of work, could do. I would impress him. Some day. I promise .
I wasn’t sure what Papyrus gleamed from my expression, but it seemed to satisfy him. He gave me an overjoyed smile, petting me more vigorously than he’d ever dared to before, and then returned to his jog, his loud “NYEH HEH HEH!!” ringing in the air like a victory chant.
The rest of the jog was mostly uneventful, barring one particular incident.
At some point, my lingering drowsiness caught up to me and I nodded off, rocked to sleep by the comforting arms wrapped around me and the familiar scent of expertly cooked spaghetti. When I woke up some time later, Papyrus was still jogging at the same brutal pace he’d maintained during his entire run, and had yet to even break a sweat (if he actually could , that is). His dog was keeping pace effortlessly somehow, but I noticed that, at some point while I was asleep, he’d somehow acquired a small, round object, and was carrying it in his mouth as he ran.
Huh. That ball looked suspiciously like my Orb of Pondering. Wait a minute , I narrowed my eyes, that is my Orb of Pondering! Growls bubbled up from deep in my throat and erupted into loud, angry barks. That little thief had stolen my Orb of Pondering! Why that son of a bitch! Well, I mean, he was literally a son of a bitch, since he was a dog and all, so that wasn’t an insult so much as a simple fact, but nevertheless, that son of a bitch !
Papyrus stumbled as I threw an almighty tantrum in his arms, and desperately tried to calm me down with pets and scritches.
“WOAH! EASY THERE, GIRL! WHAT’S WRONG?! DO YOU WANT A BALL, TOO?? I PROMISE TO GET YOU YOUR VERY OWN BALL TOY WHEN I GO SHOPPING AFTER BREAKFAST! SO PLEASE CALM DOWN!!”
That is NOT a toy! I howled my protests to the heavens. That is a precious family heirloom, given to me by my mother! It’s a valuable magical artifact, with mysterious powers! So mysterious, in fact, that I had no idea what they were. I’d asked my mother what the Orb did, when she’d first handed it to me, but she’d only given me an enigmatic smile. Clearly, this was some kind of test of my magical aptitude! One I was determined to pass! I would unravel the Orb’s hidden secrets, and prove myself a competent explorer of the occult! But I couldn’t do that, if that dicktwaddle of a dog stole my Orb!
I was fuming, but I knew that, realistically, there was very little that I could do about this injustice, not in my current state. Moreover, I had no idea how that mongrel had even found my Orb of Pondering in the first place. My home wasn’t exactly easy to get to, being a witch’s cottage, tucked away in the heart of the spookiest, most supernatural forest I could find. It might not be the most ideal location for business, but the ambiance perfectly suited my witch aesthetic. And I was sure that Papyrus would agree with me. I hope he comes to visit me when I’m human again ...
When we eventually returned to the skeleton household, the sun had finally made its appearance, shining its warm light on the world and promising a day of good weather. Once inside, Papyrus gently set me back on the floor, offering me one last pat on the head and a “GOOD GIRL!”, before he departed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I, however, chose to stay in the living room, to glare at that stupid, orb-and-cat-stealing canine.
The mutt in question trotted over to Midnight, who was still curled up in their basket, and dropped my orb in front of him. The cat’s ears flicked, before his head slowly rose up. His cool gaze shifted between the dog, the orb, then back again. With a languorous stretch, Midnight yawned, then sat up. He slowly lifted his paw high in the air, held it there for a few tense seconds, and then quick as a flash, he swung it down and whacked my orb away. The orb went careening across the room, as my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. The dog instantly tore off after my orb, barking exuberantly, his tail wagging a mile a minute. He swiftly caught my orb, then rushed back to the cat’s side, depositing the object back on the floor, and stared hopefully at Midnight. The cat once again forcefully swatted my orb away, and the dog once again gave chase.
As I watched this back and forth, I could feel incredulous rage building within me. They were playing fetch. With my Orb of Pondering! The heathens! Middy should know better! Priceless ancient artifacts should be treated with respect, not used as some cheap toy! I had half a mind to go over there and give them a good telling off, for all the good that’d do, but Papyrus’s loud announcement of breakfast being ready, effectively took my mind off of those two troublemakers, and onto the promise of good food. With a rumbling stomach, I dashed off towards the dining room.
Papyrus had already placed two bowls of oatmeal, with little dinosaur eggs in them, onto the table, and brought a third bowl over to me once I entered the room. Placing it on the floor before me, he gave me a pat on the head and a bright smile.
“THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE FOOD!! IT’S TASTY! AND NUTRITIOUS! AND HAS LITTLE DINOSAURS IN IT!! I LOVE IT!! I HOPE YOU’LL LOVE IT TOO!!”
I cocked my head at him, more than a little shocked to learn that his favourite food wasn’t, in fact, spaghetti, but nonetheless gave him a cheerful bark and tail wag, in place of a smile and thumbs up. Papyrus beamed at my reaction, his eye sockets lighting up, quite literally, and took his seat at the table with a delighted “NYEH HEH HEH!”.
I turned back to my bowl of oatmeal and gave it a few deep, curious sniffs. It smelled like regular oatmeal. And sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. I deflated a little, having expected something a little more out of the ordinary, from the favourite food of someone as extraordinary as Papyrus. Maybe it tasted more special than it smelled? I took a bite. The flavour of brown sugar instantly filled my mouth. Nope. Still just regular oatmeal. And sugar. So much sugar . I chewed my completely ordinary oatmeal, feeling very disappointed. Oh well, at least it’s sweet . And the dinosaur eggs dissolve into colourful dinosaur shapes. That’s kinda cool, I suppose .
I perked up a little when Sans stepped into the room, yawning sleepily and rubbing his eye sockets.
“mornin’ bro,” he greeted Papyrus. At my bark, he tilted his skull towards me and gave me wink. “an’ mornin’ to you too, buddy.”
“GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO, BROTHER,” Papyrus raised a browbone at him, his tone becoming stern. “I SHALL BE BUSY ALL DAY TODAY, SO I HOPE YOU MANAGE TO BEHAVE YOURSELF, WITHOUT ME TO KEEP AN EYE SOCKET ON YOU.”
Sans’s grin widened cheekily, his eyelights twinkling.
“i dunno, pap. i get so bonely without ya. maybe i’ll visit your work, keep you company, give you some food for thought , heh heh.”
Papyrus slammed a fist on the table, causing all of the objects atop it to rattle.
“NO!! NO TERRIBLE PUNS! AND NO BOTHERING ME AND MY COLLEAGUES WHILE WE’RE WORKING, EITHER! THE RESTAURANT IS NO PLACE FOR UNFUNNY LAZYBONES!!”
“ouch, bro. way to cut me to the bone.”
“NYEEEHH!!”
Sans chuckled unabashedly, while Papyrus glared, bug-eyed, at him, their breakfast momentarily forgotten. I’d finished off my bowl of oatmeal during the brothers’ little exchange, so I padded over to Sans, feeling curious about Papyrus’s brother, whom I’d yet to get properly acquainted with. He clearly meant a lot to Papyrus, so I wanted to get to know him better.
The shorter skeleton monster noticed my approach and grinned down at me. I nudged his fibula with my nose, and he bent down to pet me. I inhaled his scent, while my tail wagged automatically at the attention. Sans smelled of ketchup, snow, machinery and... something sweet and flowery. I canted my head to the side, staring at him thoughtfully. That last scent struck me as out of place for him, though I couldn’t quite put my finger, er, paw, on why, and so chalked it up to some canine instinct. I wonder where he picked that scent up from ...
After giving me one last pet, Sans returned to his bowl of oatmeal. He produced a bottle of ketchup from out of nowhere, and proceeded to dump most of its contents into his bowl, chugging the rest down directly from the bottle. Was... was that normal? I couldn’t be certain, given my limited interaction with other people, either human or monster. For all I knew, this was common breakfast behaviour. Papyrus didn’t seem to pay it any mind, so I assumed that it must be. Huh. You really do learn new things all the time... How fascinating!
Once everyone had finished their breakfast (the dog had tried to offer some of his kibble to Midnight, but my cat had turned his nose up and started grooming himself), Papyrus stood up.
“WELL THEN, BROTHER, I’M OFF TO THE PET STORE! I NEED TO GET EVERYTHING MY LITTLE LADY NEEDS TO FEEL RIGHT AT HOME HERE.”
Sans waved him off, getting to his feet as well.
“’kay, have fun, then. i’m off to work. see ya tonight, pap.”
And then he left the room, vanishing once he’d turned the corner, his scent also completely disappearing. I blinked. The heck...? How? Can he teleport or something? What an interesting boneman. I shook my head, and then trotted over to Papyrus, who smiled down at me.
“DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE PET STORE, TINY MISS?”
I yipped an affirmative, wagging my tail and hopping from paw to paw for emphasis. Papyrus’s expression brightened.
“WOWIE! YOU REALLY CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF ME, CAN YOU? NYEH HEH HEH!! I CAN’T BLAME YOU, I AM VERY COOL, AFTER ALL. AND I’M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU WITH ME. YOU ARE A WONDERFUL FRIEND!! I LOVE SPENDING TIME WITH YOU!!”
I love spending time with you too, Pap! I did a little doggy dance, overflowing with excitement. I did trip over my paws, though, and fell flat on my face, but Papyrus was kind enough to pick me back up. And he didn’t even laugh at me, which was very considerate of him. He then rushed off to his bedroom, to go get cleaned up and changed, and I barely had time to wander about the living room, looking for my Orb of Pondering (unsuccessfully, curse you dog!), before he dashed back into the room, dressed in a casual outfit.
I eyed his form appreciatively. He was wearing loose trousers, sneakers and his usual scarf, but what caught my eye was his purple sweater, decorated with cute, little dinosaurs. It was very paleontological. I raised my front paws up, balancing myself on my hindquarters, and brought them together in a clumsy attempt at clapping. Papyrus seemed to guess my intentions, because he preened, bringing one hand up to rub at the back of his skull, as he blushed.
“NYEH HEH HEH... YOU HAVE EXCELLENT TASTE IF YOU CAN APPRECIATE MY UNPARALELLED FASHION SENSE!”
I lifted my head proudly. Well of course I do! I am very stylish, and my witch robes are both fashionable and practical! And birds love nesting in my big hat, so it’s obviously the ideal headwear!
Papyrus bent down and gathered me into his arms, giving my chin a little scratch while he was at it, and together, we left the house and walked to his car. This time, instead of placing me in the passenger seat, Papyrus kept me in his lap.
“YOU’LL BE WARMER AND MORE COMFORTABLE LIKE THIS. SKELETONS ARE VERY CUDDLY, AFTER ALL!”
* yip *
“NYEH HEH HEH HEH!! EXACTLY! NOW OFF WE GO!!”
And so the two of us drove off. I did indeed feel much warmer and more comfortable, as I snuggled up against Papyrus. There really was no better way to travel.
The pet shop Papyrus brought us to was the largest in all of Ebott City, and catered to a wide range of different types of pets, from your standard cats and dogs, to small mammals, to aquatic life, and even to birds and reptiles. I was sat in the child’s seat of the shopping cart, as Papyrus pushed us along the aisles, my nose going into overdrive, vigorously sniffing all these exotic new smells, my tail a frenzy of motion.
The cart steadily filled up as we walked, with more dog food for the Orb thief, various dog treats I wrinkled my nose at, some cat treats for Midnight (undeserving wretch though he was), and several items specifically for me. First was the dog bed Papyrus had promised me. Amazingly, there was one shaped like a racing car, which Papyrus took one look at and instantly started squealing over. Personally, I’d have preferred to keep sleeping on top of him, in his bed, but I couldn’t refuse the eager look on his skull, and so woofed my approval. His overjoyed smile was worth the disappointment I felt, at having to sleep on my own from now on.
Next, were some dog toys. Papyrus was particularly taken with a small ball decorated with flames, so I resolved to make that one my favourite. Gripping it firmly in my jaws, I could feel the bitter sting of losing my Orb of Pondering abate a fair bit. This ball may not have been a sacred magical artifact, but it was a precious gift from someone very dear to me, so that made it even more special! And it also had flames on it, which the Orb didn’t, so that was another plus. Papyrus also added a couple of squeaky bones to the cart, grumbling to himself that he hoped his dog would play with those , instead of stealing his own bone attacks. I eyed the rubber bones with disdain. Foul mutt could have those fake bones; I had my lovely new, flame-patterned ball!
The last item on our shopping list was a dog collar for me. I had a decent collection of amulets with various mystical enchantments on them, but had never worn any purely decorative necklaces before, so this would be a new experience for me. And looking up at the wide assortment of different collars on offer, with their diverse and eye-catching patterns, colours and styles, I felt my excitement building. Papyrus scrutinised each and every available collar very carefully, his brow furrowed and a hand on his mandible, as he hummed thoughtfully to himself. He briefly picked out a spiked collar, before he glanced at me, then shook his skull and put it back, muttering “TOO DANGEROUS” to himself.
Eventually, he settled on a leather collar in the exact same shade of red as his own scarf, with a shiny, gold buckle at the end. Holding it up to my neck, he grinned with satisfaction.
“THIS! IS! PERFECT!! SEE?! NOW WE MATCH!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”
Yay! High-pitched yips filled the air as I voiced my approval. I was more than happy to have my very own, signature red neckwear, and hoped that it would make me look as cool as Papyrus did. And then a thought suddenly occurred to me. Weren’t matching accessories something that... couples wore? And then another thought hit me. Hold on, Papyrus and I were outside, shopping for matching accessories, together , just the two of us... Was this a... date ?! I gasped, trembling with excitement. It must’ve been! Papyrus and I were on a date ! My very first date! Huzzah!!
“NYEH HEH HEH!! I’M SO GLAD YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY! I’M SO ENTHUSED BY YOUR ENTHUSIASM!!”
I was indeed feeling very enthusiastic at that moment, though perhaps not quite for the reason Papyrus believed. That didn’t stop me from literally jumping for joy, to the point that Papyrus had to grab me and hug me tightly to his ribs, to prevent me from falling out of the cart. It was difficult to contain my excitement at being on an actual date with Papyrus (this was a date, right? It had to be! What else could this be??), but the way he pet my head and rubbed my cheeks did help me to settle down, just enough that I stopped wiggling in his arms.
At least until Papyrus took out his phone, and started taking selfies of the two of us in our matching neckwear. I could hardly contain myself when he then went on to set the best-looking photo as his phone's new wallpaper background. As he smiled to himself in satisfaction, I wanted to cry tears of joy at the fact that this was a moment that Papyrus deemed important enough to want to commemorate and be constantly reminded of. It was a precious memory for me, as well, one that I would cherish forever.
Papyrus struggled a little to navigate the shopping cart while holding me in his arms, but despite that, he never showed any inclination to put me back down, which I felt pretty grateful for. I was also secretly pleased that he seemed to enjoy our cuddles just as much as I did.
It was after we’d (well, Papyrus had, technically) made our purchases, that we ran into two unexpected individuals. I recognised the human almost instantly, as her face had been plastered all over the various news channels and newspapers for over a year, following the sudden emergence of monsters from Mt. Ebott. Frisk, famed liberator of monsterkind, and their much-lauded ambassador, wore a pleasantly surprised expression on her pretty face, as she greeted Papyrus.
“Hi Pap, nice to see you today,” her voice was soft and delicate, filled with warm familiarity.
A flower with six, bright golden petals, had its long, thorny, vine-like stems wrapped around her upper arm. To my surprise, the flower had what was undeniably a face on its androecium. Said face looked bored and mildly annoyed, as it too greeted Papyrus.
“Howdy. Didn’t expect to run into you today,” his high-pitched, masculine voice was much less friendly than his companion’s, and had a sarcastic edge to it, as if he was used to mocking other people. Something about this flower made my hackles raise, and I couldn’t help feeling very wary of him. Papyrus, however, did not share my caution, as his expression brightened upon seeing the two of them.
“FRISK!! FLOWEY!! MY VERY COOL FRIENDS!! HOW WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU TWO!! TODAY IS A GREAT DAY! I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES!”
Frisk giggled, a fond smile on her lips, while Flowey (what an unimaginative name for a flower, what idiot came up with it?) rolled his eyes, though without malice, as I could see the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. Frisk’s face lit up when she caught sight of me, still held in Papyrus’s arms.
“Oh, what an adorable little pupper!” she cooed at me, and Papyrus proudly lifted me up into the air, as if showing me off to his friends.
“INDEED SHE IS! VERY ADORABLE!! SHE HELPED ME LOOK FOR MY DOG, WHEN HE WENT MISSING YESTERDAY. AND SINCE SHE DIDN’T HAVE A HOME OF HER OWN, SHE’S SHARING MINE. SHE’S ALREADY A MUCH BETTER HOUSEMATE THAN BOTH SANS AND THAT MISCHIEVOUS DOG! SHE’S VERY GREAT!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”
I barked happily, my tail wagging madly at his praise. Frisk’s smile softened as she gazed at us.
“That’s wonderful, Paps. I’m so happy for you.”
At her side, Flowey rolled his eyes again, this time more emphatically.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Good for you. So what’s the little runt’s name, anyway?”
Papyrus didn’t seem put out by the flower’s rudeness in the slightest, as he answered with his usual enthusiasm.
“I HAVE NO IDEA! THE LITTLE LADY HASN’T TOLD ME YET.”
Flowey gave him an incredulous look.
“It’s a dog . It can’t talk, you idiot.”
It was Papyrus’s turn to shoot Flowey an incredulous look, though a much more polite one.
“OF COURSE SHE CAN TALK! YOU JUST HEARD HER A FEW SECONDS AGO!”
Flowey looked exasperated, while Frisk looked to be struggling not to laugh.
“That’s just barking! It’s not talking! It doesn’t mean anything!”
Flowey was waving his leaves in the air, the way one would wave their arms. Papyrus frowned at him in disapproval.
“JUST BECAUSE YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE’S SAYING, DOESN’T MEAN SHE’S NOT TALKING! OR THAT HER WORDS HAVE ANY LESS MEANING! ANYONE WHO HAS SOMETHING WORTH SAYING IS WORTH LISTENING TO!!”
Flowey let out a wordless yell of aggravation, before burying his face in Frisk’s shoulder, grumbling incoherently. Frisk tutted softly, lifting her other arm to run her fingers gently over Flowey’s petals, patting the back of his head in consolation.
It was only now occurring to me that the way Papyrus treated me was probably a little unusual. He treated me as if I was still human, and capable of fully understanding him, instead of as the simple dog I appeared to be. Now, I may be much closer to animals than I am to people, but that didn’t mean that I was ignorant of the fact that mundane animals weren’t sapient. I wasn’t that delusional. Midnight was special, being a witch’s familiar, but that didn’t mean that his intelligence was on the same level as a human’s or monster’s. At least, I didn’t think so. Admittedly, it was hard to tell with him...
Regardless, I wouldn’t have blamed Papyrus if he’d treated me as dismissively as Flowey did. By all rights, he should’ve, given my current form. But he didn’t. He chose to afford me the same level of respect, as he did every other person he met. Because he seemed to believe that I deserved it. I couldn’t say for sure whether that was because that’s just the kind of person Papyrus was, or because of some deeper meaning. Part of me hoped that it was because he could sense something more in me, that he felt that I was special. I very much wanted to be somebody special to him. Hopefully, someday I would be.
While I was having my mini epiphany, Frisk had stopped comforting Flowey, who had turned his head away to sulk quietly to himself, and had begun unravelling one of the ribbons she wore in her hair.
“You’re exactly right, Pap. She’s clearly a clever little doggy with many clever things to say,” I barked in agreement, and she smiled at me. “And such a smart pupper deserves a ribbon, to show everyone how smart she is.”
Frisk then reached out to me, to tie her ribbon around my collar into a cute bow. I tried to twist my head around to examine it properly, while the other woman stood back a little, to admire her handiwork.
“There we go. A dainty little bow, for a dainty little girl.”
I preened at the compliment, feeling very cute indeed. Papyrus squealed with delight, his eye sockets sparkling and a light blush staining his cheekbones.
“WOWIE!! YOU’RE RIGHT! PRETTY GIRLS DESERVE PRETTY BOWS!! OH, AND PRETTY FLOWERS TOO!”
Oooo, yes please! I barked excitedly. I loved flowers! The poisonous ones were especially colourful. And the ones which tried to eat you always had the most interesting magical properties. My garden was full of all kinds of flowers, all of which were incredibly useful for potion making. I’d never thought to put any in my clothes or my hair before, but the idea seemed like it would be fun. So long as I didn’t have any small creatures nesting under my hat, or inside my pockets, that is, I didn’t want them to get hurt.
I noticed that Frisk was giving me a considering look.
“Hey Pap? Now that you’ve got both a boy dog and a girl dog... Do you have any plans yet on getting either of them fixed?”
I froze. What. No . Fuck no. Absolutely. Not . Papyrus looked confused.
“FIXED? BUT THEY ARE NOT BROKEN??”
Frisk looked uncomfortable, as she bit her lip. Flowey, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered from his little sulk session, and was back to looking truly done with the world.
“She means, are you planning to stop your mutts from having puppies.”
My lips curled back in a sneer, as I bared my teeth at that disgusting idea. As if I would ever let that horrible thief of a dog so much as touch me! Papyrus seemed equally unconvinced of that possibility.
“I REALLY DO NOT THINK THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN. THE TWO OF THEM... WELL... THEY DON’T SEEM TO LIKE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH, DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS,” his voice had lowered slightly, which wasn’t saying much, but he was clearly a little embarrassed, maybe even ashamed, to admit to that he wasn’t able to get his own pets to get along with each other. “I HAVE ALREADY ACCEPTED THAT THEY PROBABLY WON’T EVER BE FRIENDS. SO, THEY DEFINITELY WON’T EVER GET MARRIED. OR HAVE FLUFFY BABYBONES.”
Never, ever, EVER! I insisted with every ounce of my being. Papyrus’s expression softened as he pet my head to soothe my angry growls.
“BUT THAT IS FINE! THAT TROUBLESOME DOG OF MINE HAS ALREADY FOUND A DATE MATE! MR. MIDNIGHT IS A VERY COOL CAT! AND HE AND MY DOG SEEM VERY HAPPY TOGETHER! SO WHILE THERE WON’T BE A DOG WEDDING! THERE MIGHT BE A CAT-AND-DOG WEDDING!! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!!”
Urgh... While I’m here, stuck as a chihuahua, my familiar is off canoodling and having his own little bromance with that stupid dog. Fair weather friend, indeed. .. I grumbled to myself. I was the one who was supposed to be looking for their true love. Not my cat! Life really was unfair sometimes. Papyrus interrupted my lamenting by massaging my ears.
“AND BESIDES... MY SWEET, LITTLE LADY HAS ME AS HER VERY COOL FRIEND!”
Frisk’s smile was full of warmth and affection.
“And you are worth a dozen, no, a hundred friends! I’m sure she feels so full with your friendship, that she doesn’t need anyone else.”
Papyrus looked troubled, despite the compliment.
“WHILE I AM VERY COOL! AND VERY GREAT! AND MY FRIENDSHIP POWER IS UNMATCHED! I DO WANT HER TO SPREAD HER FRIEND-ENERGY OUT MORE... I THINK SHE’LL HAVE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE THAT WAY. AND MAYBE THEN, SHE’LL REACH HER MAX POTENTIAL! AND BE THE VERY BEST SELF SHE CAN BE! NYEH!!”
Frisk gave him a sweet smile, nodding her head at his words. Even Flowey’s expression had softened just a little, and there was undeniable fondness in his eye roll.
“Too true, Pap, you’re right as always,” Frisk winked at him, then smiled down at me, causing my ears to instinctively perk up at the friendly look. “And I hope this adorable, tiny pup might come to consider me a friend, too. I’d love to be friends with such a little cutie.”
Her sweet tone made my tail wag, and her smile widened. Papyrus gazed between the two of us, with a thoughtful look on his skull. He then gave Frisk a pleading look.
“REALLY!? IF SO, THEN... I HAVE A FAVOUR TO ASK! ABOUT THIS ONE. YOU SEE, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK SOON. AND SANS HAS WORK TOO. AND AS I’VE MENTIONED, MY LITTLE LADY DOESN’T GET ALONG WELL WITH MY OTHER DOG. SO, I’D WORRY ABOUT HER IF I LEFT HER, ALL ON HER OWN IN THE HOUSE, WITH ONLY HIM FOR COMPANY. I’D REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD TAKE CARE OF HER FOR ME. JUST FOR THE AFTERNOON! JUST UNTIL I CAN COME PICK HER UP THIS EVENING! SHE’LL BE NO TROUBLE, I PROMISE! SHE’S A VERY GOOD GIRL!! SO PLEASE! PRETTY PLEASE!!”
Frisk was already nodding her head before Papyrus had even finished speaking.
“Oh, I’d love too! I wouldn’t mind at all. If Flowey doesn’t object, of course,” she looked imploringly at her flower companion, who made a show of huffing and groaning in displeasure, before finally grumbling “fiiiiine”, although he stared at me with curiosity from out of the corner of his eyes. Papyrus beamed at the two of them.
“NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!! THANK YOU!! SO MUCH!! I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON MY TWO VERY GREAT FRIENDS!! I FEEL MUCH BETTER, KNOWING YOU TWO WILL BE LOOKING AFTER MY GIRL! AND I HOPE! THAT YOU WILL ALL BE!! BEST FRIENDS!! NYEH!!”
He then gently handed me over to Frisk’s eager hands, who immediately cuddled me close, nuzzling her face into my fur. My nose twitched as the woman’s sweet, flowery scent invaded my sensitive nostrils. It was actually a very pleasant smell. And an oddly familiar one... But where had I...? And then it hit me. Sans! That’s where I knew this scent from! It was the strangely out-of-place scent I detected clinging to him. Those two must be pretty close, for her scent to linger on him like that... Hmmm ...
My internal musings were cut short when Papyrus pet my head. He was smiling down at me, though his expression was sad.
“I SHALL MISS YOU! I AM, IN FACT, MISSING YOU ALREADY! NYOO HOO HOO...”
He seemed reluctant to leave, as he began listing off instructions on how to care for dogs in general, and me in particular, including all of the things he’d noticed I enjoyed (most of which I hadn’t even realised myself! This guy must have been paying really close attention to me. How flattering~) but after several reassurances from Frisk, an exasperated scolding from Flowey, and some confident barks from me, he finally walked away, calling back to me as he disappeared from view.
“GOODBYE! BE GOOD! AND PLEASE! DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME WHILE I’M GONE!!"
And then he passed behind some cars and was gone. As if I could ever forget you , I shook my head at that ridiculous notion. Now that Papyrus was gone, Flowey was eyeing me with open curiosity. Frisk giggled at her friend’s behaviour, one eyebrow raised at him.
“Well then, guys, let’s be off. We’ve gotta get this adorable baby settled in. How do you two feel about pizza for lunch?”
Flowey and I both cheered at her suggestion and she smiled indulgently at us. And with one final look at where I’d last seen Papyrus, the three of us were off, to go have one of the most... interesting hang-outs I’d ever experienced.