Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Okay Ms Lapin, those books will be due back in three weeks. I’ll just give you a slip with the date on it. Is there anything else you wanted help with?” You smiled kindly at the bunny monster you were you currently helping while handing her back the fantasy books she’d just borrowed out.

The bunny monster, who’d come into the library looking for new books every second day since you’d been working there, shook her head. “I know where everything is by now,” she said, her tone harsh. She shook her head and gave you a small, crooked smile, showing off her incredibly sharp teeth. “Thank you, Ms. ___,” she said, voice gentler now. “I’ll see you in two days.” With that, she shoved the books in her bag and left the library before you could remind her to be gentle with the books.

You slumped over the counter with a large sigh. You were, so, so tired all the time and it sucked. Check the time. An couple hours left until you can go home. It’s not like you disliked your job, you were just exhausted lately, especially over the last few months. You loved working at the library (or librarby as the monsters affectionately called it). The people were nice, the monsters were trying their best to be kind, there were magic cookies in the staff room and your boss was the coolest monster ever. You heard heavy footsteps and the swishing of a tail across the carpet behind you. Speaking of your boss…

“Girly, what are you doing lookin’ like a fuckin’ dead flower? You’re not feelin’ sick are yer?” Gerson asked, poking you with a filed down claw. Gerson was rather short for a monster, standing at about 5’10”, which you chalked up to him being elderly. According to some of the librarby’s visitors, he was over 2000 human years, and he’d fought in the monster-human war. Gerson resembled the surface’s turtles and tortoises greatly, with dark, olive coloured scaly skin, a leathery brown shell, and his mouth was not filled with teeth, but the tip of his snout was incredibly sharp. He had enough force behind his bite to crush rocks without hurting himself. His right eye had a thin but obvious scar across it, obtained during his Royal Guardsman days, closing the eye permanently. Gerson enjoyed recounting his Royal Guard days greatly, and his weapon from back then was mounted on the wall. Everyone knew the wise old monster, and nobody questioned the gigantic, slightly rusty Warhammer proudly displayed on the wall behind the book-checking-out station.

You looked up at your boss with a sheepish grin. “Sorry boss, just not feeling too great lately. I should probably go to a doctor, this much fatigue in a human isn’t normal,” you explained, drawing yourself back up to your normal standing position. You quickly groomed your hair with your fingers in an effort to look more presentable. Gerson shook his head at you. “Yer don’t have to work the front counter, Girly. I have one trolley of books that need returnin’ to their right spots. If yer can do that for me, I’ll let you off an hour early so you can go see a doctor,” He said, gesturing to the trolley in question.

“Thanks, old man.”

“Go do yer fuckin’ job, ___,” Gerson hissed playfully, ruffling your hair.

You grabbed the trolley, pushing the cart along as you walked to the nonfiction section. You picked up a book at random from the trolley. “The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding The SOUL…” You muttered to yourself, eyes glancing at the author’s name. ‘Dr. Alphys’. No last name usually means a monster author. Curious, you opened the book to a random page and began to read.

“Human SOULS come in seven colours. These seven colours indicate a SOUL’s main trait. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and purple correspond to Determination, Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Integrity and Perseverance. If a SOUL is tainted by ill intentions, the soul will be much darker than usual, and the colour will be dulled. If a SOUL has suffered trauma, the colour will be much more pale, close to a light grey with a small patch of original colour at the core. SOULs can be cracked and reversing this takes years of healing or an intense soul bond with a partner. SOULs are incredibly intimate, and should only be revealed in fights or when mati- “

You cut yourself off, feeling warmth flush to your cheeks. A quick look at your watch reminded you that you only had half an hour left to put the rest of the books away. You just popped it in the ‘A’ section and nodded to yourself.

A small yellow blur dashed past you, almost knocking you over. You grabbed the cart to steady yourself, knocking a few books down. You sighed and called out to the monster responsible. “Monster Kid! We’ve talked about running in the library!”

The no-armed monster ran back over to you, looking a little guilty. “Yeah, sorry Ms. ___,” he mumbled, shuffling his feet. You pat his head affectionately, making the child groan. “Ms. ___ I have to always look cool!” Monster Kid glanced around for any of his schoolmates, and relaxed when he saw none.

You fixed the striped sweater he wore, a slight smile on your face. He tried so hard to be tough. Leaning in, you whispered in his ear, “Those books on 18th century human weapons you wanted came in, MK. Go to the front desk and ask Gerson for them.”

A smile displayed the child’s fangs, and he nuzzled up to you in expression of a hug. You wrapped your arms around Monster Kid, and if you strained your ears, you heard him muttering a ‘thank you’. You released him, and he ran off to claim his beloved history books. Only the library staff knew that the spiky child was a huge history nerd. You stood up, and got back to work shelving books, humming to yourself.

Monsters and humans who frequented the quiet of the library greeted you as they hunted for books and movies, newcomers asked you for directions and you happily gave them, and you continued to remind children to “be quiet and walk in the library, please!”

You were on the last few books in the trolley. You crouched down to shove the last books in the lower shelves when a huge shadow loomed over you. This monster must have been pushing 10’ and seemed to really like spikes. “HUMAN. I DEMAND ASSISSTANCE.” Okay, sounds male. Also sounds like an angry metal singer swallowed a cheese grater.

You stood up and tilted your head back. And back, and back to look the monster in the eye. A skeleton monster stood before you, tall and thin, with the sharpest fangs you’d ever seen. His eye sockets were empty, and a huge pair of gashes scored the bone around his left eye. He wore huge, black, spiky shoulder plates, and a bright red scarf that had seen some heavy wear and tear. The skeleton had red leather gloves and boots to match his outfit. A red belt with a golden buckle held up black jeans, leaving the top ridges of his pelvic bone exposed. His spine was also on display, as well as his humerus. All in all, this monster was the most intimating one you’d ever encountered.

“Uh, I’d really like… I’d really like it if you could use ‘please’, sir. And p… please lower your volume, we’re in a library…”

Your voice trailed off as he glowered at you. You had just told a eight-foot-tall skeleton monster to use his manners. The monster looked stunned, before laughing a deep, harsh laugh. “YOU, SMALL LIBRARY HUMAN, ARE TELLING ME, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRIS, TO BE POLITE?” Papyrus sounded dumbfounded. You supposed he didn’t get told off much due to him being a spiky cheese grater swallowing giant.

You nodded, your voice refusing to work, losing your previous courage under his glare. The skeleton let out a deep raspy sigh and crossed his arms in exasperation. “I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST YOUR ASSISTANCE, HUMAN. PLEASE.”

You shot him a smile and nodded. Papyrus had altered his volume just a little. “Sure thing, what did you need Mr. Great and Terrible Papyrus?”

Papyrus waved a hand. “JUST PAPYRUS IS FINE. I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU HAD ANY BOOKS ON MENTAL ILLNESSES? SPECIFICALLY, DEPRESSION. I’D LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO RECOGNISE AND IT, AND MAYBE OBTAIN SOME IDEAS OF HOW TO HELP SOMEONE COMBAT IT,” he said. “THE INTERNET HAS MANY USEFUL THINGS, BUT I CAN’T SEEM TO FIND ANYTHING FOR PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE WHO’D LIKE TO HELP.”

You thought for a while, and then finally shook your head. “I’m sorry, most of the books we have on topics like that are self-help.” Papyrus seemed to deflate a little bit, his teeth clinking together almost nervously. “But… I do own a few books like that myself. If you want, I could bring them here tomorrow and you can borrow them for a while?” You offered nervously.

Papyrus perked up immediately. “THAT WOULD BE MOST USEFUL, SMALL LIBRARY HUMAN. BUT, THE PERSON I’M TRYING TO HELP SEEMS TO BE… DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO DUSTING THEMSELVES. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO?” He asked, shuffling his feet slightly as if he wasn’t used to asking for help. He seemed like the type who was too proud to admit they need help.

“Well, there’s free counselling in this library that I run. To help people talk about their feelings and stuff. I’m not a professional or anything, I just like helping people,” You said, checking your rather outdated phone briefly to see when you had a free slot. “If you can get your friend here, I have an opening in two days. Friday afternoon, about four o’clock?”

Papyrus’ mouth curved into a menacing grin. It didn’t seem to be intentionally scary, that’s just how his face was. “EXCELLENT, HUMAN. I SHALL GIVE YOU MY NUMBER, SO WE CAN STAY IN CONTACT,” he boomed, thrusting his phone forwards and holding out his hand for your own. ‘Not usually how people ask for my number…’ you thought, before internally laughing. Papyrus was certainly in a whole category of his own when it comes to people you know.

You took the sleek phone from Papyrus, admiring it before punching in your number and naming yourself ‘Small Library Human’. You noticed he’d downloaded a custom keyboard for his phone, a bright red one with little cartoonish skulls and bones scattered around. You ‘awwwwed’ in your mind, thinking that Papyrus might not appreciate cooing over him in public. You handed it back to Papyrus and took your much less impressive phone back. Displayed on the screen was the skeleton monster’s number, under the name ‘THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS’. You slipped the phone into your pocket and fluffed your hair into its normal hairstyle rather than your work one. “Well Papyrus, it’s been wonderful meeting you. I have an early shift tomorrow so if you come by, let’s say, 9:30 ish, I’ll have the books for you.”

“YOU HAVE BEEN MOST HELPFUL, SMALL LIBRARY HUMAN.”

“___. My name’s ___,” You offered with a smile, and you held your hand out for a handshake.

The skeleton’s gloved hand absolutely engulfed yours as he shook your hand. “WELL, HUMAN ___, I SHALL SEE YOU TOMORROW MORNING.” Papyrus turned to leave but stopped himself. “AND THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE HELP.” Before you could respond, he strode away, leaving your sight in a matter of seconds due to his long legs.

You took a moment of silence to just comprehend what happened, before shaking your head and heading to the front desk. “Hey boss, I finished up with that cart of books. Is it okay if I clock off?” You ducked over to the staff side of the counter, where Gerson was restoring an old monster tome from the Underground. He’d been working on it carefully for weeks.

The old monster looked up from his work and gave you a grin. “Sure thing girly. Yer headin’ off to the doctor’s now?” You glanced at the clock. It was already late. “Don’t worry yerself. I booked you in with yer normal doc. Yer appointment’s in half an hour.” You smiled brightly at the old turtle, before hugging him tight. Rather than push you away, he wrapped a scaly arm around your shoulders, before nudging you playfully. “I have a reputation girly, I can’t be seen huggin’ my employees.”

You rolled your eyes but pulled away. “Whatever, you know you love me old man,” You teased, picking up your bag of stuff behind the counter. Gerson glowered at you, but let it slide, shambling away to help a lost looking Froggit. You walked out of the library and gave a quick pet and scratch behind the ear to Greater Dog, who stood guard outside. The huge white dog licked your hand affectionately, and you waved goodbye before he got too overexcited. You took a moment to enjoy the beginnings of the sunset, before setting off in a speed walk towards the clinic. You’d had the same doctor since you moved out of your parent’s house, so you were well known to the clinic. They hadn’t changed receptionists since you started going there, other than replacing the silent elderly woman in the furthest desk with a slightly more talkative Astigmatism named Lys, who doubled as an optometrist. The bell chimed as you stepped through the automatic doors. “Hi Lucy, Hi Amy, Hi Lys!” You greeted the receptionists cheerily.

“Hi ___!”

“Nice to see you again darl!”

“Hello.”

You rested your elbows on the desk, giving the ladies behind it a smile. You opened your mouth to talk but Amy smirked knowingly. “Dr. Norman is ready to see you, ___,” Amy said, tapping away at her keyboard, not even looking at you. You swore that woman was psychic.

Lucy, also not looking at you, anticipated your next question. “Your blood test results are back as well, I expect Dr. Norman will discuss it with you, darl.”

“Thanks ladies,” You said. Lys said nothing but held out a jar full of jellybeans. You weren’t a child, but you appreciated the sentiment, and took a few blue ones. You set off down the white hallways to the familiar doctors room.

You knocked on the door engraved with ‘Dr. Norman’. Not a minute later, it swung open, and the friendly face of the elderly doctor greeted you. “Ah, if it isn’t my favourite patient! Come on in, we have lots to talk about.” He beckoned you in and you took a seat. You poked the model of a ribcage on the desk gently. In your mind, the ribcage was baffling, with all those organs and whatnot.

“So, about a month ago you requested a blood test because of your fatigue. Good news is you’re perfectly healthy physically. You’ve got nothing wrong with your blood, so it’s not iron deficiency like we worried, nor is it anything else. Your white blood cell count is regular, so your body is fine. That’s the bad news. We don’t know what’s wrong with you and why you’re so fatigued,” Dr. Norman explained, his face set in a frown, wrinkles showing even more.

You felt your own face crease into a frown. “Is there anything else we can try?” You were so tired of being, well, tired.

Dr. Norman nodded, handing you a piece of paper. “I’ve set up an appointment tomorrow for you. I’ve referred you to Dr. Alphys, the leading authority on SOULS. She’s coming to do some human work here in the next month, and I think letting her take a look at you could help. You’re not physically ill, but you could be afflicted by something soul related.”

You took the slip gratefully, and thanked the doctor, and left the office. You waved goodbye to Lucy, Amy and Lys, and began walking home. You decided to take a longer route and stop by Grillby’s. The canine unit hung around Grillby’s most nights after work, and the dog monsters were on shifts to guard the library. It was one of the larger public monster-dominated buildings, and as such was prone to receiving hate. The dogs swapped around guarding the most monster-heavy buildings, such as the Ambassador’s residence, Muffet’s, Grillby’s and the library. Doggo was leant against the grey stone walls of the bar, smoking a dog treat. You made yourself known before petting him, leaving the dog to bark happily as he finished smoking.

Eventually you arrived home. You flopped onto your couch. What a day! Your phone buzzed as you snuggled into the couch cushions, and you rolled around with much more effort than necessary to get it.

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 7:18 PM

HUMAN. I WILL BE AT THE LIBRARBY AT 9:30 SHARP. MAKE SURE TO BRING THE BOOKS.

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 7:19 PM

PLEASE.

You grinned. He even typed in all caps. It suited him.

Me: 7:20 PM

I won’t forget! I’ll be there. Remember, Friday’s counselling is at 4pm!

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 7:23 PM

AS IF I WOULD FORGET. THE REMINDER IS A KIND GESTURE THOUGH.

Me: 7:25

Glad to hear it Papyrus. I’m gonna head to bed now. Goodnight, Great and Terrible Papyrus!

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 7:23 PM

DO NOT LET THE BEDBUGS BITE YOU, SMALL LIBRARY HUMAN.

You didn’t respond, instead opting to silence your phone and cover yourself with the blanket you always left on the couch. As you drifted off to sleep, you thought of who Papyrus’ mystery friend could be.

Chapter Text

You woke up half-off you couch, your left arm and leg flopped ungracefully on the floor. You blanket was also on the floor, draped over the top of your limbs. “I can’t sleep normally like every other person ever?” You hissed, pulling yourself back up and into a sitting position. You stretched, and then cracked your spine after finding the uncomfortable position had made it sore. “I guess I should stop crashing on the couch,” You mumbled. Your phone was wedged somewhere the cushions, and you went digging through them to find it. You checked the time. 9:20 AM.

9:20 AM?!

“Oh, fuck me!” You yelled leaping off the couch and bounding to your room. ‘fuckfuckfuckfuCKFUCKFUCK’ You grabbed the books that you promised Papyrus, getting your hands all dusty. ‘Wow, I need to clean my room more…’ You thought, rummaging through your clothes for something presentable. It was cold outside, right? It’s getting close to Winter. Jeans, sweater, beanie. Easy. You combed your hair quick into the style you wore for work, and grabbed your phone, keys and wallet and shoved them in a bag with the books before bolting out the door. If only your high school P.E. teachers could see you now. You were pretty sure you wouldn’t have failed the class if the teachers saw you like this.

You turned the corner so quick you almost lost your balance, scaring a passing Whimsum. “Oi, watch where you’re fucking going, dumbass!” It called after you.

“I’m sorry!” You yelled back, before turning another corner. You ran up the footpath to the library, almost smacking into the automatic doors when they didn’t open fast enough for you. You dashed straight over to the front desk, panting. Gerson watched you with amusement as you bent over, hands on your knees as you caught your breath. “Good… good morning boss!” You said, puffing as you spoke.

Gerson shook his head at you. “No running in the librarby, ___.” He teased, placing a few books on the nearby ‘Reserved’ shelf. You didn’t respond, instead opting to check your phone. Niceee, you made it. 9:29 AM. You were a beast, a god, look at you doing things. The time flicked over to 9:30 and less than a second later, Papyrus strode in. “Oh, I heard about you helpin’ Papyrus out. I’d be really fuckin' careful if I were you. He’s dangerous,” Gerson warned you.

“He didn’t seem that bad, just loud and egotistical, and lots of humans are like that already,” You said, watching the tall skeleton look around for you. “Anyway, I already said I’d help. I’ll come bother you again later boss,” You said, heading over to Papyrus. “Hi there, Mr. Great and Terrible!” You greeted.

Papyrus strode towards you, closing a distance that would have taken you ten seconds to walk in three steps. “AH, GOOD MORNING, SMALL LIBRARY HUMAN.” His eyes locked onto your bag. “DID YOU BRING THE BOOKS?”

You nodded and pulled them out. “There’s three here, ‘Understanding Depression’, ‘How to Recognise Mental Illnesses’ and ‘Glass Mentality: Helping Someone with Their Mental Illnesses’. I hope at least one of these is useful to you.” You held out the books, which he took gently from your hands. Papyrus flicked through the first book, before nodding, seemingly in satisfaction.

“EXCELLENT. YOU’VE DONE ME A GREAT FAVOUR HUMAN. IS… IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO IN RETURN?” Papyrus asked, sounding unsure. Maybe he wasn’t used to doing anything to repay people.

You thought for a moment. “Well, I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. If you could pick me up from here and drop me off at the clinic later, that would be very appreciated,” You said, giving the skeleton a hopeful look.

Somehow, he raised a browbone at you. Somehow, even without eyebrows or lips, he’d managed to be more expressive than most humans you knew. “I SUPPOSE IT’S ONLY FAIR. THE EBOTT CITY CLINIC, CORRECT?”

“Yes, that’s where I’m going,” You said. “So, can you get me, say, around 2 o’clock?”

“OF COURSE I CAN. I CAN DO ANYTHING! I’M THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS AFTER ALL!” The skeleton boasted loudly. You gently shushed him, to which he made a facial motion very similar to a teenager rolling their eyes. This baffled you, but you thought it would be rude to ask. “I HAVE SOME READING TO DO. I SHALL SEE YOU LATER, ___.”

“Thank you, Papyrus, see you later.”

The tall skeleton strode away, books in his arms and scarf billowing out behind him. Which was incredible really, considering there was no wind inside. You checked your phone. Counselling session at 10, another at 12:30. You headed back over to Gerson, a smile on your face. “I’m impressed girly. Most monsters can handle Papyrus without shitting themselves, let alone humans,” Gerson said, watching Papyrus leave. “It’s awfully kind of you to help him.”

You shrugged. “He seemed like he needed it. Is there anything you needed me to do before I get the counselling room set up for my session at 10?” You asked, shoving your phone in your jeans.

“Nah, you go do yer helpin’ thing, ___.” Gerson waved you off, a grin pulling up the corners of his wrinkled face. The turtle monster shuffled away, yelling at a small totem of stripe-wearing monsters to “Get the fuck down from there, damn kids!” You giggled to yourself as the children fell over each other trying to escape the elder and headed to the room.

The room you used for counselling was dubbed ‘The Quiet Space’. When you first took up talking to monsters and humans who needed it, you transformed the room. Originally, it was a space parents would stick their kids in if they were being annoying, but after lots of puppy dog eyes at Gerson, he let you do what you want. Now, there was a pile of beanbags in the far-left corner, near a water cooler in the far right. In the middle of the room, was a round table let off to the left, and to the right, two big comfy chairs with the perfect amount of squish. You could put things on the table while still facing each other, with was hella convenient. The table itself had a small pot of plants and a box of tissues. It also had some putty, colouring pencils and paper and a fidget cube on it, to help with anxiety or the need to fidget. You had motivational posters on the pale blue walls, with motivational things like ‘You can do it!’ and ‘You deserve the best!’ Which you had handmade on fancy expensive poster board from the craft shop. Worth it. The walls were soundproofed, and you had a small pile of cards on the water cooler with a list of helpful phone numbers, like depression and suicide hotlines, and LGBTQ+ support networks. The windows had blackout curtains to stop peepers. You also had a weighted blanked draped over the back of one of the armchairs, and a shitton of fluffy and sequin pillows everywhere. You tried your best to make it as welcoming as possible, and all the people you talked to appreciated it.

A knock sounded on the door after a few minutes of you playing with the putty in the quietness of the room, and you opened it to see two huge armoured monsters. “RG 01, RG 02! Come on in dudes!” You greeted them, stepping aside to let the big monsters carefully wedge themselves through the door without making a mess of the doorframe. They stood at about the same height as Papyrus, however, while the skeleton was thin, the guards were broad as hell. “What can I do for you guys today?” The two guards took a seat on a chair each, and you opted to sit on the beanbags.

“My bro and I here,” RG 01 started, placing his hand on RG 02’s shaking one. “Decided that we’d take your advice. So, we ended up going on few dates and having a big talk about our feelings, dude. We realised that we’re gonna be bros no matter fucking what, so we’ve taken the big leap.”

You gave them a huge smile. “So… you two are dating now?” You said, hopeful. The two monsters had been coming to you separately for several months about their obvious attraction to each other. Eventually, they asked you to set up a meeting with them both, and the two cleared up what they wanted. You encouraged them to take it slow and not jump straight into dating, rather, ease into it and see if it was comfortable. The two were so cute together, and you were so proud of them for handling the situation so well.

RG 02 squeezed his boyfriend’s hand. “Yeah, 01’s my dude for life.” You beamed at how certain he sounded. “There’s just the issue that I don’t know how the rest of the guard would react, or anyone else… I’m really fucking worried they’re gonna judge the shit out of us for being gay,” He explained, his voice shaking slightly.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry. My idea is to once again take it slow. I think you should be fine though, after all, don’t you have other members of the guard who are part of the LGBT community?” You asked. You were sure you’d heard something about their captain or their second in command or something.

“Yeah, our ex-captain is dating the ex-royal scientist... I guess I’m just anxious about telling people,” RG 01 said, but he sounded a little more confident.

You stood up and patted both of their arms comfortingly. “You don’t have to tell anyone until you’re ready, okay? Do whatever makes you the happiest and safest. Your mental health is more important than what others think of you.” You skidded across the wooden floor to the water cooler and opened up the compartment in the bottom. You had Ice Screams especially there for the two guardsmen (and yourself if you were honest). You grabbed a couple out and slid across the floor back to the guards. “Here you two go! I’m proud of you two for getting together and handling the situation so well! When it comes to people, just do whatever makes you most comfortable. Be safe you two!” You chirped, handing them their Ice Screams.

RG 02, who was the more emotionally softer of the two, gave you a bone-crushing hug. “Thanks for being patient with us, I know us monsters aren’t easy to deal with. Even though you aren’t a therapist or what-fucking-ever, it’s nice to have someone to talk to,” He explained. RG 01 nodded his head, to his boyfriend’s words.

“Aw guys, it’s okay. I’m just doing my best to help.” You hugged RG 02 back tightly, before gently ushering them out of the room so you could get back to work.

The rest of your day passed by quickly. Your 12 o’clock counselling session was cancelled according to Gerson, so that left you helping monsters and humans to check out books for most of the time. You caught yourself almost passing out when typing up a reservation while on a phone call with a Snowdrake who wanted a joke book saved for him, and after that was done, you (with Gerson’s permission) ducked out of the library to grab a monster coffee from Muffet’s across the street. You got Gerson a cup as well, straight black extra hot. “I don’t know how you can drink that shit,” You joked, scowling at his black brew like it personally offended you.

Gerson locked eyes with you, and chugged the whole large cup of coffee, not blinking, not flinching. You only continued to glare as you sipped your two-sugar, milky mocha. Feeling slightly more awake, you finished your shift on a high note, with a voluntary hug from Monster Kid. You left the building with a spring in your step, a smile on your face, and a chorus of goodbyes from the library regulars. You stopped in your tracks for your regular petting and ear scratching for Greater Dog, which is how Papyrus found you. “SMALL LIBRARY HUMAN, PLEASE DO NOT DISTRACT MY SUBORDINATE FROM HIS JOB!” He boomed. Greater Dog immediately stood up straight as a board in a salute at the sound of the skeleton’s voice.

“Woah, Papyrus, you’re part of the Royal Guard?” you said, impressed. You’d heard from lots of monsters about the most elite force of monsters, dedicated to serving the king.

Papyrus, detecting the admiration in your tone, stood up to his full height and puffed his chest out. “YES! WHILE THE ROYAL GUARD ISN’T ONLY FOR THE KING ANYMORE AND IS MORE FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, I STILL AM THE CAPTAIN! I ORGANISE ALL THE FUNDING AND SHIFTS, AND IF A PROBLEM CALLS FOR IT, I DEAL WITH IT PERSONALLY,” He declared, his scarf once again dancing in the non-existent breeze.

“That’s so cool! I’d love to hear more later, but I really have to get to my doctor’s appointment…” You said carefully, not trying to be pushy.

“OF COURSE. COME, HUMAN.”

With one last pet for the armoured dog guarding your beloved library, you followed Papyrus down the stone stops and over to a sleek, black and silver car. You had no idea what it was called or anything about it, but it looked incredibly expensive and high end. You took note of the red and orange flames that had been carefully painted onto the black car. It didn’t surprise you. “The clinic is about five minutes from here, take a left here- “

Papyrus cut you off. “I KNOW WHERE THE CLINIC IS. I HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS WORKING THERE FOR SOME HUMAN EXPERIENCE.”

Sounded familiar. You fished the slip Dr. Norman gave you yesterday out of your bag. “Is their name Dr. Alphys by any chance?”

“YES, THAT IS HER. ARE YOU SEEING HER TODAY?”

“I am. I’ve been very tired lately which is odd considering I get a regular amount of sleep. My doctor referred me to her, he thinks he might be something to do with my SOUL and she’s apparently an expert on SOULs,” You said, thinking back to yesterday.

Papyrus nodded thoughtfully. “IF IT IS SOUL RELATED, ALPHYS WITH BE ABLE TO HELP YOU. SHE’S A FUCKING NERD, BUT SHE’S GOOD AT WHAT SHE DOES.”

You soon arrived at the clinic. “Thanks for the lift Papyrus!” You thanked the skeleton.

“YOU ARE WELCOME. I… I HOPE YOU ARE WELL IN SOUL, ___.”

He didn’t let you thank him for the sentiment, instead he drove off immediately as if the very idea of friendliness and kindness was something that a cat dragged in. You shook your head in amusement and headed indoors. “Hey girls, I’m back!” you chirped.

“Back so soon?” Amy said, as if she didn’t already know you’d be back.

“I hope you’ve had a nice day darl.” Lucy greeted you, before standing up and leaving to go collect something from the printer.

“Dr. Alphys will see you in room six.” Lys, straight to the point. Without a word, she offered the jar of jellybeans again. You took some red ones today. You headed off down the hall, and then turned to the left. The left side had rooms one through to eight, the other side had rooms nine, ten, and an x-ray room and a vaccination room. Dr. Norman was in room nine, so it was odd to you to turn the other way. You knocked on room number six, where ‘Dr. Alphys’ had been scrawled on a piece of masking tape and stuck to the door.

“Come in.” The voice was slightly nasally, almost what you’d expect a stereotypical tech nerd voice to sound like, only more feminine. You entered the room, observing it. Unlike Dr. Norman’s which had models of the body and various artistic pictures, Dr. Alphys had nothing. Your eyes landed on the monster herself. She was really short for a monster, only a few inches taller than yourself. She had yellow scaly skin, and no hair, instead having ridges extending from the back of her skull that ended in sharp points. She wore a white lab coat, a red and black dress underneath, and glasses that seemed to swirl as you looked into them. A short, spiked tail was draped behind her. She looked a lot light a little dinosaur. She motioned for you to sit on the chair near her desk. “Are you ___?” She asked.

“Yes, I am, Dr. I'm sure Dr. Norman informed you about my odd situation?" You said, politely.

She nodded. "I believe it's a simple matter. It is most likely your SOUL is wanting a potential mate. However, I will need to examine your SOUL to be sure. May I?" Alphys asked, gesturing a clawed hand towards your chest.

"Of course, doctor," you agreed. With your consent, Alphys made a grabbing motion with her hand, and you could feel an emptiness in your chest as your SOUL was withdrawn. The room was bathed in a beautiful blue-green light as your SOUL was exposed. "Woah..." You said, awestruck. A small heart shape the size of your fist hovered in front of your sternum. It was teal in colour, more green than blue. It was unblemished, other than a loss of colour at the edges, lining the heart in grey. All in all, it was gorgeous.

Dr. Alphys nodded thoughtfully. "As I suspected. As you see here," she pointed to the center of the SOUL, where it seemed to ripple and pulse. "You've reached soul maturity." You gave the doctor a quizzical look. "At the age of twenty one, the human soul stops changing in colour. During childhood, events change a SOUL's main trait. Someone who's main trait is justice may transition to bravery, for example. Once you come of age, your SOUL's base colour is locked in. You can still suffer trauma and bad intentions so the shade will change and cracking can occur but the colour is locked in."

Alphys took a breath before continuing. "When a person or monster reaches SOUL maturity, there is often a desire to find a perfectly compatible partner. If this perfect partner is somewhere within a certain radius, your SOUL will pick up on their emotions and moods. In short, your SOUL is calling out and someone who is incredibly compatible with you is calling back, establishing a weak bond between you."

It took you a moment to process this. "So there's nothing we can do? I'm tired because my SOULmate is tired and they're somewhere in the city?"

Alphys almost sneered at your less advanced vocabulary. "Not the words I would use, but yes."

"Well, I might not be able to fix the tiredness, but it's nice to know why. Thank you so much, Dr. Alphys." You said politely.

"Papyrus was right. You are the most polite human I've ever met." She commented, itching the scales on her throat briefly. "He told all his friends about you, the 'small library human' that's helping him. Why are you so nice to him? Are you truly unafraid of monsters?" Alphys questioned, observing you similar to the way a mad scientist would watch a lab rat.

You shook your head, laughing slightly. "Monsters are living beings too, just like humans. I'm nice to Papyrus and all monsters because that's how I treat all living things, Dr."

Alphys stared at your SOUL, and then let it float back into your body. Your chest instantly felt normal again. "I think we're all done here. If you have any more questions or problems, you may ask Papyrus for my number."

"Thank you doctor."

"I'm only doing my job, ___."

As you arrived home that afternoon, you thought back to the book you read yesterday. Green was kindness and cyan was perseverance? No, patience. So your soul was mostly kind, with an undertone of patience. You liked that. As you began to make yourself food, you pulled out your phone and texted Papyrus.

Me: 5:02PM

Good news, I'm not dying! Apparently my 'SOULmate' is somewhere in the city and my SOUL is just picking up on their emotions.

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 5:10PM

IT IS FORTUNATE YOU ARE NOT ILL. PICKING UP ON YOUR SOULMATE'S EMOTIONS IS ONLY SEEN IN MONSTERS. I BELIEVE THAT YOUR SOULMATE IS A MONSTER .

Me: 5:13PM

Alphys didn't tell me that.

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 5:17PM

ALPHYS IS JUST A WEIRD NERDY CREEP WITH AN ANIME OBSESSION. SHE LIKELY DID NOT TELL YOU BECAUSE IT'S AN UNNECESSARY DETAIL.

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 5:20PM

...
IS IT AN UNNECESSARY DETAIL TO YOU?

Me: 5:25PM

Of course! I don't care how my SOULmate looks or if they're a monster or a human.

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 5:29PM

YOU ARE THE FIRST HUMAN I'VE EVER HEARD OF THAT WOULD BE ALRIGHT WITH A MONSTER MATE.

Me: 5:32PM

Well, most people I know say I'm a little bit on the odd side. Maybe my views are odd, but maybe they're also right.

Me: 5:34PM

Oh, I forgot, is there anything I needed to bring to the talk session tomorrow?

THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS: 5:35PM

MUSTARD. AT LEAST TWO BOTTLES OF MUSTARD.

You decided not to question it.

Chapter Text

Papyrus was worried.

That in itself was very unusual. He didn’t get worried much, after all, what would the Great and Terrible Papyrus have to fear? Barely anything. He didn’t like sleeping in an empty house, he wasn’t fond of thunderstorms and most of all, he hated watching his brother drown in his self-loathing.

After leaving the Underground, Papyrus and Sans had worked very hard to repair their relationship from the boss-and-shitty-employee nature of it to a rather strong sibling bond. Of course, Sans still pissed off Papyrus with his puns, his laziness and refusal to pick up his socks. But if Papyrus was honest with himself, he wouldn’t have Sans any other way.

He tried to talk through the door to Sans every day, just to let him know what was happening, so Sans wasn’t completely detached from his friends and the world when he pulled himself out of his depression. Papyrus hadn’t talked to Sans yesterday, choosing to read the books you’d given him instead, to get ideas of how to go about talking to Sans better. It was after Papyrus dropped you off at the clinic he finished reading and attempted to go talk to Sans.

Papyrus knocked on the undecorated door as gently as he could. “SANS? I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE.” Papyrus took a moment to look down at ‘Glass Mentality’. “I WANT YOU TO KNOW I CARE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR MENTAL WELLBEING. I ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH COMMUNICATION IN THE PAST, BUT AS YOUR BROTHER I…” he trailed off and moved the book to the floor. “I MISS YOU. I MISS YOUR SHITTY JOKES AND YOUR MESS. ALL YOU DO IS SLEEP NOW. YOU DON’T EVEN GO TO GRILLBY’S. I MISS MY BROTHER.”

There was a shuffling behind the door, and a soft thump. Sans did this sometimes, lay with his back to the door when he was willing to talk to Papyrus. “shit, bro, ‘m sorry. i didn’t know ya missed me leaving socks around that much, heh…”

Papyrus could cry hearing Sans talk after almost a week of silence. “DO NOT USE YOUR DEFLECTIVE HUMOUR, PLEASE. I WANT TO HELP YOU,” he said, also sitting on the floor and leaning his back against the door.

“can’t help it, paps. it’s just my defence mechanism i guess,” Sans mumbled. Papyrus took note of San’s voice being even lower and raspier than usual, as if he’d been crying recently. “what was up your little speech before? the first part sounded like something out of a goddamn textbook.”

“IT WAS FROM A BOOK. I BORROWED SOME.”

“you went to the librarby for me? i’m touched. i didn’t think they carried those sorts of books.”

“THEY DON’T.”

“what? then how did ya get books on depression?” Sans sounded confused and Papyrus had to admit he hadn’t been all that clear.

“I WENT TO THE LIBRARBY WITH THE INTENTION OF BORROWING BOOKS, SO I COULD UNDERSTAND YOUR DEPRESSION AND HELP YOU BETTER. I ASKED THE SMALL HUMAN WHO WORKS THERE FOR ASSISTANCE AND SHE TOLD ME THEY HAD NONE. HOWEVER, SHE OFFERED MY HER OWN BOOKS.” Papyrus explained, running a gloved finger over the cover of the book.

“sounds like a nice gal,” Sans commented, to which Papyrus gave a noncommittal hum. “usually humans are scared shitless of us.”

Papyrus snorted. “NOT HER. HER FIRST WORDS TO ME WERE ALONG THE LINES OF ‘PLEASE USE YOUR MANNERS’.”

Behind the door, Sans let out a snort of his own, and the corners of Papyrus’ mouth curled up as Sans began to laugh, deep and hard, like he used to. “oh fuck, that’s amazing. she’s either incredibly ballsy, or stupid,” he snickered.

Papyrus frowned at Sans implying you were stupid. What? Why did he care? ‘Because she cared for you. you’re developing a friendship,’ the voice inside his head whispered. Papyrus pushed it away, despite knowing it was right. “SHE IS NEITHER. SHE IS SIMPLY… KIND. VERY KIND. ALMOST TOO KIND FOR HER OWN GOOD.”

“whaddya mean by that?”

“SHE HAD TO GO SEE ALPHYS TODAY, AT THE EBOTT CITY CLINIC.”

“i remember you told me alphys was doing human work there. is ya new friend sick or somethin’?”

“NO, SHE IS FINE. SIMPLY BEING AFFECTED BY HER SOULMATE. ANYWAY, ALPHYS TEXTED ME AFTER, TELLING ME THAT ‘SHE WAS AN INTERESTING HUMAN. TOO TRUSTING THOUGH.’ APPARENTLY, SHE WAS INCREDIBLY POLITE TO ALPHYS, WHICH IN ITSELF IS AN ACHIEVEMENT."

Sans hummed. “do ya reckon she’s a green soul?”

“ALMOST CERTAINLY. I DID NOT ASK ALPHYS THOUGH, THAT WOULD BE AN INVASION OF PRIVACY. I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED ID SHE HAD A CYAN SOUL EITHER, SHE HAS A GREAT DEAL OF PATIENCE.” Papyrus thought. You’d likely seen your soul in the examination today. He couldn’t help but be curious about it. Was it strong? Greyed out? You didn’t seem traumatized or to harbour evil but looks could be deceiving. Maybe he would question Alphys.

“why would she be patient?” Sans couldn’t explain it, but he felt oddly intrigued by the human.

“SHE HAS A COUNSELLING PROGRAM SHE RUNS AT THE LIBRARBY. A TALK SESSION, IF YOU WILL, TO HELP PEOPLE,” Papyrus decided to just bite the bullet. “I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR YOU TOMORROW. I THINK TALKING TO HER WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU.”

Sans sighed. “i don’t need any fuckin’ help. this’ll pass just like every other depressive bout.”

“SANS. YOU HAVE BEEN LIKE THIS FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS. YOUR OTHER EPISODES WERE ONLY A MONTH AT THE VERY MOST. PLEASE. YOU’RE MY BROTHER, AND IT HURTS ME TO SEE YOU LIKE THIS. OR RATHER, NOT SEE YOU, CONSIDERING YOU BARELY COME OUT.”

“so, the stuff you said before about caring for me and my mental health?”

“WAS TRUE. I JUST NEEDED TO KNOW HOW TO PUT IT IN WORDS.”

There was a sniffling behind the door, before Papyrus heard the sounds of crying. “pap, everything just feels pointless. i’m worried i’m gonna wake up and we’re gonna be back underground and you’re gonna hate me again. i feel so fuckin’ useless, papyrus. i can’t get a better job than running a hot dog stand, i have no talents, i have no redeeming qualities and to top it all off, i don’t even have a SOULmate. i’m a boss monster, and all i can do with my life is wither away,” Sans cried, voice shaky.

“Sans. I Can Promise You That You Have Many Good Traits. You Just Can’t See Them Because Your Mind Is Clouded With Self Hate. I Know That It Is Not Your Fault. I Know I Was Awful To You Underground, And I Still Fucking Hate Myself For Treating My Own Bone And Magic Like that. But I Am Here For You Now. The Only Reason You Work The Hot Dog Stand Is Because Universities Keep Rejecting You, Which Is Also Not Your Fault. They Are Just Racist,” Papyrus said, lowering his voice to try to comfort his older brother. “You Are Very Talented, You Have The Strongest Magic Of Any Monster, You’re A Fucking Quantum Physicist, You’re Funny, And Quick Witted. And Sans, You Might Have A Soulmate, They’re Just Far Away.”

Sans let out a shuddering sigh. “no, I’d be able to sense them anywhere. my magic’s strong enough. maybe that other stuff you said is true, but what’s the point if you don’t have love? you have your SOULmate, alphys and undyne have each other, tori and asgore, even the froggits down the road have a better love life than me.”

Papyrus patted the door with his hand gently. “Even If You Do Not Have A SOULmate, You Have Plenty Of Friends. I Know It Is Not The Same, But You Will Have All Of Us And We All Love You Platonically, Even If It’s Hard For Us To Express.”

Sans sighed but smiled slightly. “thanks pap. It means a lot to me.”

“YOU’RE MY FAVOURITE BROTHER SANS. HOW COULD I LEAVE YOU TO FACE THIS ALONE?”

“i’m your only brother though.”

“THEN YOU HAVE NO COMPETITION.”

Sans laughed at that. Papyrus jumped up as the door handle rattled. It swung open and Papyrus froze looking at his brother. Sans had dark red bags under his eyes, his skull was beaded with sweat, and his eye lights were small and downcast. He smelled awful, and his outfit looked like it hadn’t been changed the whole time. As weird as it sounded, he looked thinner, less filled out and his magical aura wasn’t as strong as usual. Papyrus awkwardly stepped forwards, arms open, and Sans closed the gap, initiating a hug. It was a foreign feeling to both, but neither of them minded, more occupied with communicating without words to the other about how much they missed each other. Eventually, they pulled away from eachother.

“WILL YOU GO TALK TO THE LIBRARBY HUMAN TOMORROW?” Sans gave his brother an uncomfortable look, and Papyrus made the poutiest expression a skeleton could make. “PLEASE?”

“this woman must be magic if she’s getting ya to use manners. i’ll go, but if she fuckin’ sucks, I’m leaving,” Sans said firmly.

“THANK YOU. DID YOU WANT TO GO AND WATCH TV WITH ME AND HAVE ‘I MISSED YOU’ SPAGHETTI?”

“i’m patella-ing you the truth when i say that sounds good.”

“GOD FUCKING DAMN IT SANS.”

“you’re smiling.”

“I KNOW AND I HATE IT.”

Chapter Text

The librarby was slow today. Fridays were always pretty lazy; most people were out doing fun things with their lives. Not you! Instead, you spent the day organizing a bunch of records for overdue books, and then spent a two-hour phone call trying to get some human to return a book she’d had for the past year. A whole fucking year. How on Earth did that slip under your radar? Well, Gerson had been using her folded up record… as a bookmark. You didn’t think about it too hard. You might just lie down on the floor for a few hours to rethink your life decisions if you did.

You were just counting down the hours to four o’clock. You were too excited to meet Papyrus’ friend person and you were bothering Gerson with your excitement. “C’mon, you know who it is, right?” you asked, giving the elder a pleading look. Gerson had said he ‘knew everyone Underground’ and he ‘had an idea of who Papyrus was bringing’, so you’d taken it upon you to extract information, so you knew what you were up against. “It won’t kill you to tell me!”

“It might girly, now fuck off and go read something,” Gerson teased, shoving you gently out of the staff-only area. You huffed but decided it might kill time.

So, you read for an hour or two, dealt with year-long book borrowing lady (you found out at the end of the ridiculous call, she never even finished the fucking book), and raided the staff room for magic cookies. Finding one of the librarby’s more casual employees in there, you decided to hang out in there for a while. “Hey, Bob, what’s up? I haven’t seen you around for ages!” You greeted the Temmie cheerily. You liked Bob, he was funny.

“I’m doing okay. I just had to go out of town for a while to visit my sister. She’s almost graduated college,” he explained, chugging what looked like green coffee.

You raised an eyebrow at the substance in his cup. “You must be very proud! Not to be rude but… what are you drinking?”

“It’s coffee.”

“Coffee isn’t green?”

“I poured energy drink in it.”

“You’re going to fucking die holy shit.”

“Good.”

You checked your phone. 3:58PM. Good time to leave the conversation. You left the room with a quick goodbye to Bob, but you didn’t leave fast enough to miss Bob eating a straight spoonful of instant coffee. Jesus Christ.

You entered the main area of the librarby just as Papyrus walked in. You heard him before you saw him, and he obviously had the mystery monster with him. “YOU MUST BE NICE TO THIS HUMAN. SHE IS AN ACCEPTABLE ONE. DO NOT SCARE HER. PLEASE.”

“since ya asked so nicely, sure.” Deeper voice, less hard, slightly raspier. Quieter too, though more powerful in a way you couldn’t describe. You felt a slight flutter in your chest at the sound. It was kinda hot? Is it normal to think voices are hot??

You speed walked over to Papyrus, curiosity forbidding you to wait. “Hey Mr. Great and Terribl- woah…” Your voice died as your eyes fell onto Papyrus’ companion.

Another skeleton, but shorter, and more round. Is round the right word? He was by no means short, he was still about two feet taller than you at the very least. Unlike Papyrus, this skeleton had lights in his eyes. Bright red ones. These lights were currently looking you up and down. You took the opportunity to do the same. He had bags under his eyes, tinged dark red, and he had sharp, shark-like teeth. And one of them was gold. Shitttt. He had his hands in his pockets, and his posture sucked. He wore a baggy black hoodie, with a fluffy grey trim in the hood around his neck. The jacket was open to show the red turtleneck underneath. He wore black basketball shorts with a yellow stripe down the thigh, red socks and black, red and white shoes. His shoelaces were undone. It fit his aesthetic. As you two finished looking over each other, you locked eyes and you felt your lungs stop working. His gaze was so intense, but you could see the thinly veiled sadness in them. He chuckled when you froze. You noted his laugh was also hot. “aw, dollface, see somethin’ ya like? take a fuckin’ picture, it’ll last longer.”

You felt yourself flush. “O…Oh my god… I’m so sorry,” You stuttered out, breaking the stare as you dropped your eyes to the ground. “God, I’m so bad at first impressions…” You held out a hand to the skeleton, tilting your head back up to make eye contact. “I’m ___, and I’m the employee here who does counselling. And you are…?”

The skeleton grinned down at you, his gold tooth flashing menacingly in the light. “sans. sans the skeleton.” Sans took your hand and the instant he did, a loud, wet fart noise echoed in the near silence of the library. “i gas neither of us are good at first impressions, dollface.”

“OH MY GOD SANS. WILL YOU EVER GET TIRED OF THAT STUPID FUCKING WHOOPIE CUSHION?!”

“nope. still funny.”

The initial shock of the prank wore off and you began to laugh. Hard. “H…holy fucking shit…” You wheezed, trying to cover your mouth with your hand to muffle your giggles. Sans, seemingly pleased by your reaction, winked at you, and the concept of a skeleton winking was too much for you, and sent you into a fresh wave of laughter. This seemingly triggered Sans into a full-blown belly laugh, effectively turning you two into snickering idiots in a matter of seconds.

Papyrus groaned in aggravation. “GOD, YOU TWO HAVE SUCH SHITTY TASTE IN HUMOUR. I EXPECTED SANS TO PULL THIS DUMB JOKE BUT YOU, HUMAN? REALLY? AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE ACCEPTABLE.” The taller skeleton shook his head and shoved his forehead into his hand, face palming in pure annoyance.

“I’m sorry for that, guys. I swear I’m usually more professional than that. Sans, would you like to follow me to the counselling room?” You said, still shaking a little from the laughter. Papyrus went to protest, but you cut him off gently. “I’m sorry Papyrus but the counselling should be one on one at first, okay? Please just wait out here,” You apologized. Papyrus didn’t look happy but allowed you to walk off with his brother on your trail. “So, Sans, how long have you known Papyrus?”

Sans gave you a look of confusion. “uh, since he was born?” You gave him a bewildered look of your own and he gave you a crooked grin. “did papyrus not tell you we’re related?” You shook your head. “i’m pap’s older brother.”

“What the fuck?!”

“Girly, watch yer fuckin’ language!” Gerson called from the counter. “Ah, Sans, I thought it would be yer. Good to see you finally getting some help,” the elder said, turning his attention the skeleton. You noticed a few books out of place and you excused yourself to go put them in the return bin.

“yeah, paps wanted me to, and i’m getting a little sick of my room if i’m honest. is this human any good at what she does?” Sans asked, watching you dash around, politely leaving him and Gerson to talk. You were pretty cute for a human, if he was honest. He felt the smallest of twinges in his soul but passed it off as magic fluctuation.

Gerson watched you fondly, a smile on his face as you did your little thing. “I have never met a human nor monster as kind or as sweet as that girl. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. That counsellin’ thing she does? Is the only service for monsters like that in Ebott City. She’s a great person to talk to, and an even better friend.” Gerson cast a look to the Warhammer on the wall. “Anyone who hurts her answers to me.”

Sans didn’t doubt it. Gerson was a boss level monster and could absolutely still kick ass despite being over a millennium old. Sans and Gerson were on friendlier terms than most monsters in the Underground, but San’s could detect the protective, almost parental aura Gerson gave off regarding you. “you’re awfully protective over her, aren’tcha? it’s not like you’re her father.”

Gerson leered at Sans, knowing the skeleton was just trying to push his buttons. “I’m the closest thing she’s got. Be nice to her or I’ll dust you where yer standin’.”

“jeez, both you and papyrus expect me to emotionally murder this girl or something. she hasn’t done anything bad, therefore i’m not gonna attack her,” Sans said. He couldn’t help but smile wider at the sight of you crouching down to a small bird monster and giving him directions to the children’s books.

“I know yer don’t typically like humans, Sans. I’m just lookin’ out for my friends here. Yer better get to yer talk session.” Gerson gave a Sans a toothless smile, before shouting at you. “Sorry for holdin’ yer patient up, Girly.”

You giggled. “You know full well that I’m no doctor, old man. I hardly have patients. I just have people in need for someone who doesn’t know them. Someone who won’t judge. I wouldn’t call them patients, I think ‘friends’ is more accurate!” You chirped, elbowing Gerson playfully. “Come on Sans, the Quiet Space is this way!”

He followed silently, observing you cautiously. You were nice to monsters so willingly, it was unnerving. Nobody was just nice for the hell of it. There was always ulterior motive to kindness in Sans’ experience, but you seemed to radiate it. As he walked into “The Quiet Space” he could see how much effort you put into your counselling. It was actually pretty endearing, especially the bottles of mustard on the table. Papyrus probably told you about his love for the condiment. He took a bottle and then sat on one of the plush chairs in the middle of the room, and you took the other. “So, Sans, would you like to tell me what’s up?”

“well, i’m fuckin’ depressed.” Sans answered. Even though it was partially a joke, it was also true. He took a long drink straight from the mustard bottle. Quality stuff, he was flattered.

“I had guessed,” You said, smiling at him, seemingly dismissing his weird drinking habits. It was nice not to be judged for his habits. When he gave you puzzled look, you continued. “You have a sadness behind your eyes. Oh, also, you look like you’ve had a hard time sleeping, and that you haven’t put much effort into self-care?” You gave him a gentle look. “Is it because your thoughts keep you up, and you don’t believe you’re worth the effort to keep up your image?”

Sans froze, bottle halfway to his mouth again. You hit the nail on the head first go. He studied you very closely, the creased brow and sad smile you wore making you look much older for a moment. What jarred him was you sounded like you were speaking from experience. Sans didn’t think anyone, let alone a human would ever be able to empathise with him. “how… how did you know?” He said quietly.

You looked down at your hands in your lap. “The reason I do this and I’m somewhat good at it is because I’ve been through a lot. I was alone for most of it, and I don’t want anyone else to feel the way I did,” You explained, twiddling your thumbs. “I know what it’s like to be depressed and anxious and have low self-esteem.” Sans opened his mouth to talk, but you shook your head quickly. “That’s enough about me, can you tell me the main things that are causing you to feel depressed?”

Sans was so, so intrigued by your backstory, but chose to let it slide for now. “i feel so useless all the time. i had a pretty good job underground, i had my hotdog stand and my sentry job, but i also helped alphys with lots of science shit. But ya fuckin’ human governments refuse to accept underground qualifications. without my degree, i can’t go for the jobs i really want. so i’m stuck at a hotdog stand because my appearance attracts customers. i’m also scared we’re all gonna wake up one day and be back under the surface and we won’t get to see the sun anymore. i know that one’s a bit irrational, but still, it scares me,” he said. “there’s more but there’s plenty there for now, dollface.”

You nodded, seemingly absorbing the knowledge. You grabbed a little container of putty from the table and began playing with it. “The not accepting Underground degrees and qualifications is blatant racism and is implying that you weren’t educated, and I don’t believe that for a second. Unfortunately, I don’t have any power over that stuff. That doesn’t make you stupid though! It just means humanity sucks a bag of dicks.”

Sans chuckled at that, and you felt your face fluster slightly at the sound. “but ya are a human. so ya suck a bag of dicks too?” Sans could never resist a sexual joke.

“If I’m lucky on a Friday night.” Apparently, neither could you.

Sans fought his magic to prevent his blush and instead only snickered. You looked mortified with yourself though. “Oh my god that just slipped out, I’m so sorry. Wow I’m so bad at this…” You mumbled quietly.

Sans pat your shoulder quickly before pulling away. “nah, it’s funny. i’ve never met a human quite like you,” he said. You felt your SOUL do a little flip at that.

“And about the waking up back underground thing isn’t stupid either. You had a long, hard time getting up to the surface and there’s that anxiety it’s going to get taken away. But it won’t. You’re in there here and now Sans. Was there anything else that was really bothering you?” You reached out a hand and placed it on top of his, running your thumb over the smooth, pale bone.

Sans flushed. “well, yeah, but there’s nothin’ ya can do about it, nobody can.”

Your thumb ceased its movement. “You can tell me, that’s what I’m here for! I promise I won’t tell anyone, Sans.”

Sans absentmindedly picked up a fidget cube and started fiddling with it. “well uh, y’know how all livin’ things have a SOUL?” You nodded. “all livin’ things also have a SOULmate. every species and individual can detect this SOULmate, other than humans.” You tiled your head in confusion.

“What? Why?” You asked, interested in learning more about the very culmination of people’s beings.

“hope you’re ready for an explanation, toots,” Sans warned good naturedly. “monsters aren’t much matter, they’re much more magic. monsters can project emotions through their partner, through magical ways of, get this, magic. also, when two monsters are destined for each other, they can feel it the moment they make eye contact through the magic wavelengths, so we sort of have an in-built tracker for the loves of our lives. humans however, have dumbass souls. because of their super low magic levels, they can’t emit emotion through the bond until contact is initiated, they can’t recognise their SOULmate if they were sitting in front of them, and only know their SOULmate when they see their SOUL for the first time, which only happens in encounters and mating.” Sans snickered to himself.

“Hey, don’t mock my species,” You joked. You drew your knees to your chest and rested your chin on them. “But I don’t see the problem.”

Sans sighed, and you felt a twinge of sadness in your chest. “i don’t have a SOULmate. i haven’t felt any emotions in my soul other than my own for my entire life. guess the universe deemed me unworthy of love, heh…” He trailed off and put the cube back on the table. You could tell he was upset with the lack of a SOULmate, despite trying to play it off.

“Hey,” You mumbled, rubbing your thumb over his hand again. “It’s okay. I know that sounds dumb, but you can’t give up. Maybe your SOULmate has really weak magic and can’t send signals like you do. But you have all your friends still, so you won’t ever be alone, and now, you have me too if you ever need to talk!” You reassured him, before standing up. “Did you want me to schedule you in for another talk session? That is, if this helped at all…?” You said, suddenly unsure.

Sans gave you a lazy grin and polished off the bottle of mustard. “yeah, i’d say this is a neat little thing ya have going on here. it’s real nice to not be fuckin’ judged for being a depressed lazy slob. i appreciate ya listenin’ to me, dollface.”

“What is with you guys and not using my name?” You asked, genuinely curious. All the monsters you saw most often had nicknames for you, and now Sans too?

“we didn’t use nicknames underground, threaded too much sentimentality into our relationships. if a monster’s using nicknames for ya, it means they like yer existence, toots,” Sans said, winking at you, and you felt your cheeks redden.

“Well, I’m flattered. It’s nice to know you guys actually care about my wellbeing. Does next week, same time and place work for you?” You asked, grabbing a notepad to write down session stuff.

“yeah. am i free to go?”

“I’m not holding you prisoner, god,” You glared at him playfully. “You could have left any time in that whole session. But’cha didn’t, so I know you didn’t mind it.”

Sans rolled his eyelights. “yeah, yeah, whatever. but it feels good to get that off my chest. thanks.” Thanks? Sans never used his manners. While internally questioning himself, you ushered him out of the room. He wasn’t paying attention properly, but he thinks you were mumbling about ‘a whole hour… sure hope Papyrus wasn’t worried...’

Almost instantly, Papyrus was questioning you. “WELL, HOW WAS IT? DID HE INSULT YOU? DID HE EVEN TALK? SANS, YOU LAZYBONES, DID YOU EVEN TALK ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS??” Papyrus shook his head before you even answered. Sans only laughed.

You patted Papyrus’ elbow (because you could only reach that comfortably) in an attempt to calm him down. “Relax Paps, we talked, and we have another appointment scheduled. Everything is fine!” You reassured him.

“WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?”

“Pap? Oh… oh I’m sorry, I just learned that monsters give nicknames to others they care about and since you’re my friend I thought it was okay, I’m sorry – “

“NO, I JUST DIDN’T EXPECT YOU TO CONSIDER ME A… FRIEND. IS ALL. THANK YOU, SMALL LIBRARBY HUMAN.” Papyrus gave you a smile. You didn’t find it scary anymore. “SANS AND I SHALL TAKE OUR LEAVE SOON. I WILL BE BACK AFTER THE WEEKEND TO GIVE YOU YOUR BOOKS. FAREWELL.” Papyrus left the building, Sans following close behind, pulling on his collar as if thinking of what to say.

“see ya, dollface. thanks again.” And he was gone.

Gerson came up to you, Warhammer in hand. It looked like he’d been polishing it, if the shine and the rag in Gerson’s hand was any indication. “Was that bag of bones nice to yer?” He asked, watching the skeletons leave, their bickering sounds carrying as they disappeared from view.

You gave Gerson a look, and sat down at a nearby table, indicating the old monster should do the same. “Yes, old man, he was perfectly nice. Sadder and hurt than he lets on, but he didn’t hurt me or anything. What was up with you and Papyrus? The two of you acted like you expected me to come out of that room with a bone through my neck,” You asked, gently racing the spikes adorning Gerson’s weapon.

The turtle monster sighed and shook his head. “Girly, Sans has never been great with humans. Not long after we all got up here, there was an incident where Papyrus was jumped and threatened. Papyrus made it of course, but he’s got a big ass scar on his sternum, and I don’t think Sans is gonna let that go any time soon. He’s hot-headed, irrational sometimes, so Papyrus and I were scared he’d take it out on you.”

“Jeez, you really do worry about me too much, dad,” You teased. “Worrying about the boys I’m bringing home, or rather, to the librarby, fussing about me getting hurt.”

Gerson gave you side eye for a moment. “Yer know full well I am basically yer dad at this point. It’s my job to worry.”

You looked off into space for a second, getting lost in your memories. Gerson brought you back with the poke of a claw. He passed you a rag, a silent invite, which you gladly took, appreciative of the quality time with your father figure.

Chapter Text

You didn’t work every other weekend, which you were so, so grateful for. Instead, you sat around, did nothing productive and watched Netflix for twelve straight hours on Saturday. It feels great to be a slob. You didn’t wake up on Monday morning until your phone began to vibrate underneath your pillow, rousing you from a dream. You didn’t remember it, probably had something to do with cats though. You ignored the phone, rolling over and going back to sleep.

BUZZ. BUZZ. Okay, never mind, whoever it was really needed your attention that second. You glared at the offending technology, stifling a yawn, before summoning your best ‘I’ve been awake for the past three hours!’ voice. You should have been awake ages ago, but you needed as much sleep as you could get, especially while your SOULmate was so tired. “Hello…?” You groaned, a bit far from the microphone. Whoops. You’re not fully awake yet. You bring the phone closer to your face, putting it to your ear and trying again. “Hello?”’

“HUMAN, WHY THE FUCK DO YOU TAKE SO LONG TO PICK UP?”

You flinched and help the phone as far away from you as possible, before lowering the volume and talking into it. “Papyrus? What’s wrong?” You picked up on the distressed tone in his voice.

“Come To The Librarby As Soon As Possible. Please.” It freaked you out to hear Papyrus so quiet. Was that a tremor in his voice you heard? If it had shaken up Papyrus, then it was bad.

“Okay, see you soon.” You hung up, flung yourself into jeans, a shirt that wasn’t on the floor, and some sneakers, grabbed your phone and keys, and hurtled down the street after looking the door behind you. You ran like your life depended on it, making it to Librarby in a record twelve minutes. You spotted Papyrus, the canine unit and a tall, blue monster you didn’t know and ran up to them. You doubled over next to Dogamy and Dogaressa, breathing deeply and patting the married couple simultaneously.

“What’s up Pap? Why did you call m-… oh. Oh my god.”

Your precious Library had been defaced. The big windows near the entrance had been smashed in, broken glass scattering the area, and the door had been broken too, trying to close and open constantly, the machine stuttering as the glass doors moved pitifully. The white walls had been ruined with bright, angry red paint, spelling out awful, hateful messages. ‘Go back Underground!’ and ‘You don’t belong here!’ were the most popular. The smell of smoke filled the air and craning your neck to look inside the broken windows best as you could rewarded you with the image of blackened books and the occasional still-smouldering ember. Someone had gotten onto the roof, and ripped up tiles, shattering them on the ground below. “What… what happened?” You asked, shaking as you observed the damage to your favourite place in the entire city.

Papyrus placed a hand on your shoulder. It was surprisingly gentle. “THE WORK OF A HATE GROUP, THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS. LESSER DOG IS CURRENTLY SCOUTING THE INTERIOR TO GET CLUES ON WHICH GROUP IT WAS.” You felt yourself deflate.

“Wait, where’s Gerson?” You asked, whipping your head around, not seeing him anywhere.

Papyrus gave you a sad look. “HE WAS IN THE BUILDING WHEN IT WAS ATTACKED. HE’S ALIVE, BUT IN CRITICAL CONDITION. MULTIPLE WOUNDS TO THE SIDE AND RIGHT ARM, MOST LIKELY A KNIFE ATTACK,” Papyrus said, the hand on your shoulder gently rubbing a soothing circle on your shoulder blade. “THE EBOTT CITY MONSTER MEDICAL UNIT IS… UNSURE IF HE WILL MAKE IT.”

Your heart dropped, as did the brave smile you were trying to put on. Papyrus noticed and dropped to one knee in front of you. And held his arms open. You looked at him in disbelief, giving him an awkward hand motion as if to say ‘really?’. “I CAN TELL YOU NEED IT, ___.” You flung yourself into the hug, wrapping your arms around his neck. Papyrus rubbed your back soothingly as you began sniffling into his shoulder. “IT WILL BE ALRIGHT. WE WILL REPAIR THE DAMAGES WITHIN THE WEEK. AND GERSON, HE’S TOUGH. HE WILL NOT BE SLAIN SO EASILY.”

After a while, you pulled away, rubbing your eyes with your hands. “Thanks Pap… I needed that.” You wiped the last of the tears from your eyes and stood up straight. “I’m okay now.”

Papyrus stood up and beckoned you to follow him. He stood in front of the tall blue monster you saw before. Up close, you saw she was like a fish, or a shark. Definitely something marine. She had blue, iridescent skin that had multiple scars, large and small decorating her body, mostly on the arms and neck from what you could see. Were those gills? Maybe she had lungs and gills. She wore something close to a police officer’s uniform, but it had been customised in some spots with armour, she wore gauntlets, knee-high boots and shoulder pauldrons, which were decorated with a symbol you recognised from the monster royalty’s outfits. She was tall, about the same as Papyrus, maybe just an inch or two shorter. She had gorgeous, flaming red hair which had been pulled tightly back into a ponytail, revealing her lack of ears and the existence of fins in place of these. She had huge teeth, like Sans, but unlike him, she had lip and her teeth were yellowed. She had no nose, and a jet-black eyepatch covered her left eye. You could see the scar running from both sides of the patch, indicating why she wore it. The other eye was bright yellow, with a slit pupil and a dangerous glint.

“___, MEET OFFICER UNDYNE, FORMER CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND PRESENT CAPTAIN OF MONSTER RELATED CRIMES IN THE POLICE FORCE.” Papyrus said.

“So, this is the girl who works here. You, you’re the one Gerson’s always talking about. The one who talks to monsters to help them, right?” Her voice was commanding, powerful and low for a female’s. It was the kind that commanded respect. You nodded, words failing you. “You’re going to be under watch from now on.” She said.

You instantly began to protest. “What? I didn’t do this? I’ve been watching Netflix all weekend!”

Undyne cut you off. “Yeah, I don’t care that you’re a slob. I care about this threat made directly against you. She lead you to the back off the building, where there was more graffiti, but this time, in a much darker red. She read it out for you. “Next time we come here, the messages will be written in the sympathiser’s blood.” She opened a small notebook from her pocket. “You are the only human working here. You’ve become a target now, and that means we need to keep an eye on you. Attacking a monster won’t attract a huge amount of attention, it happens so often. But attacking a human is a new low. You’re not safe alone.”

You two walked back to the front of the building. “I don’t have anyone else to live with though, I’ve been on my own for years,” you explained, and Undyne bit her lip.

“I would say live with Gerson but that’s out of the cards while he’s recovering…” She glared down at her notebook. “And there’s really no canine guards to spare to protect you.” She scribbled something furiously, before ripping out the page, crumpling it up and flinging it far away. “NGAH! THIS FUCKING SUCKS!” She screeched startling you.

Papyrus, who’d been discussing new guarding placements with the dogs, looked over to you. “UNDYNE. WHAT IS WRONG?”

Said fish monster hissed at him, before huffing loudly. “We can’t protect this stupid human. We have absolutely no spare guards, especially with so many at the King and Queen’s house. And she can’t even protect herself!” You shouted a ‘hey!’, but it went unnoticed. “I bet she doesn’t even know how to use a spear!” She rounded on you. “Do you know how to use a spear?!” She asked you.

“N… no…”

“SEE? What are supposed to do Papyrus. This is the most obvious anti-monster crime in years. And threatening humans? Clearly, these dickheads know no fear,” Undyne was pacing now, muttering to herself.

You looked up at Papyrus, who’d walked over. “Papyrus? Should we help her? She seems really stressed.”

Papyrus shook his head. “NO, SMALL LIBRARBY HUMAN. JUST LET HER BLOW OFF SOME STEAM.” Eventually she did, groaning into her hands. “UNDYNE, I THINK IT IS FOR THE BEST IF THE HUMAN LIVES UNDER MY ROOF FOR THE TIME BEING.”

“What?”

“You’re fucking kidding me! Since when do you offer to help?!”

Papyrus placed a hand on his hip. “THINK ABOUT IT. MY HOUSE IS THE SAFEST FOR A HUMAN. EVEN IF A HATE ORGANISATION COULD GET THOUGH ME, WHICH IS VERY HIGHLY UNLIKELY, THEY’D HAVE TO GO THROUGH SANS TOO. I SHOULD TAKE CARE OF HOUSING ___ FOR NOW.”

You and Undyne shared a dubious look. Just then, Lesser Dog leaped out of a broken window, coughing and barking from the smoke in his lungs. Dropping a piece of paper that had he’d been carrying in his mouth, he collapsed forwards onto the grass. Undyne went over and picked up the paper from the ground, scanning over it quickly, eye widening. Wordless, she passed it to Papyrus. “She’s not safe. I think we’re gonna have to move the human to your house, like you said.”

Papyrus looked over the note and seemed to pale and handed the paper back to Undyne. “UNDERSTOOD. DOGAMY, DOGARESSA, COME. WE MUST ESCORT THIS HUMAN HOME.” Papyrus commanded. “THAT PAPER WAS A NOTE, SENT FROM THE LARGEST HATE ORGANISATION IN EBOTT CITY THAT WE’RE AWARE OF. THEY CALL THEMSELVES THE ‘GENOCIDE’,” He said, sounding shaken.

Dogamy and Dogaressa stayed close to your back, and when you looked over your shoulder at them, they seemed incredibly on edge. “A hate group? But wouldn’t they get in trouble for something like this?” You said, referring to the extensive damage to the Library.

Papyrus shook his head. “EVEN IF THEY WERE TO BE ARRESTED, IT WOULD TAKE WEEKS, MOTHS EVEN TO TRACK DOWN THOSE RESPONSIBLE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, MOST HUMANS JUST DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT US.” You sighed, not really having the words.

Undyne approached the two of you again, making you feel awfully small. “Here, I’ll give you my number. I know Gerson and this Librarby mean a lot to you. I’ll send you updates on the situation.” Like Papyrus, she had a sleek, new phone, however hers had a pale yellow case around it. You exchanged phones, put your number into Undyne’s phone, and gave it back. She grinned down at the screen, displaying all her shark-like teeth. “You’re a fucking weenie. I’m changing your name to Book Dork.”

You cracked a small smile. “Can I name you Tuna Lady in my phone then?”

“I don’t suggest it. Unlike you, I can use spears.” You couldn’t tell if she was joking.

“SMALL HUMAN, PLEASE DIRECT US TO YOUR HOUSE. WE MUST PICK UP YOUR BELONGINGS, SO WE CAN BRING THEM TO MY HOUSE.”

“See you later Undyne! Thanks for your help!” She waved you off, turning to join the rest of the canine unit. “Sure, Pap! Take a right here…” You quickly arrived at your house. Dogamy and Dogaressa stood watch outside, sniffing the air to make sure there was nobody malicious in the area. You unlocked the door and invited Papyrus in, giggling when he had to duck almost into a crouch just to get through the doorframe.

He turned his head up at you. “DO NOT MOCK ME, HUMAN. I SHALL STAY DOWNSTAIRS. I MUST CALL SANS AND ALERT HIM TO THE SITUATION” You nodded and headed up the stairs to you room, where you started stuffing clothes, trinkets, electronics and other things you thought you’d need into bags. When you came back down, Papyrus was still on the phone.

“JUST GET OVER HERE. WE NEED YOU TO USE YOUR MAGIC TO HELP US TRANSPORT ALL THE HUMAN’S THINGS. PLEASE? YOU CAN GO BACK TO BED STRAIGHT AFTERWARDS. I’LL TEXT YOU THE ADDRESS. OKAY. SEE YOU SOON.” He hung up and turned to you. “MY APOLOGIES.”

You waved him off. “No, no don’t worry! While were waiting for Sans, can you tell me what’s going to happen with the Librarby?”

Papyrus placed a hand on his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. “IT WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED, AND GERSON IS WELL AGAIN. IT SHOULD ONLY BE A MONTH OR SO, WE CAN REPAIR THINGS INCREDIBLY FAST WITH MAGIC.”

You looked in your bag, fished out your wallet, and took a look inside. A twenty dollar note, a gift card with exactly $4.25 left on it, and a single dollar coin. It was depressing, and you shoved the wallet back away. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay you, I’m sorry Papyrus…”

The tall skeleton gave you a look which screamed ‘dumb bitch’. “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PAY ME RENT,” He said, shaking his head. “AS LONG AS YOU CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF, MAYBE OCCASIONALLY COOK AND ALWAYS LET EITHER SANS OR I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO LIVE IN MY HOUSE.”

You gave him a huge smile. “Really? Thank you so much!”

Papyrus’ fangs curled upwards into a smile. “YOU ARE WELCOME. BUT DO NOT EXPECT ME TO HUG YOU AGAIN,” he teased.

“Nope, you’ve doomed yourself. I’m gonna hug you at every possible opportunity.”

“DO NOT. I HAVE A REPUTATION, AN IMAGE TO MAINTAIN.”

“Sure thing, tough guy. I know you like hugs as much as anyone else.” A knock from the door snapped you and Papyrus from your banter. You called out a “who’s there?” to the door. Papyrus’ gin dropped. He knew what was coming.

“HUMAN NO, IT’S JUST- “

“ya.”

“Ya who?”

“aw, dollface, i didn’t know ya were so excited to see me.” You snickered at the lame joke, while Papyrus loudly groaned and said a curse word so loudly the neighbours yelled at you to shut up. “anyways, i’m here because paps said you were staying with us for a while or somthin’ and you need stuff moved. i gotta warn you, that’s gonna cost ya.”

You blinked in surprise. “Well, uh, I have twenty dollars in my wallet?” You offered, not entirely sure if he was joking or not.

He chuckled at you. “nah, i just want more of those talk-session things ya do while yer at our house,” He said, before eyeing the wallet almost falling out of your bag. “but if ya wanna gimmie the cash too, ‘m not complainin’.”

Papyrus whacked Sans on the back of the head, hard enough to hurt but soft enough it wouldn’t do any proper damage. “DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THE HUMAN GIVE YOU MONEY. YOU ARE A FUCKING TERRIBLE HOST SANS.”

“but, boss- i mean, paps, she’s not even in our house right now!” Sans protested, and you arched an eyebrow. ‘Boss?’ What’s that all about?

“Hey guys? Sorry to interrupt but all these bags are really heavy…” You said, felling awkward watching the siblings argue.

Sans and Papyrus broke off their arguments, both of them apologising. “here toots, lemme take ya bags.” You handed them to Sans, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. You gasped at the open air, looking from the spot he was in and back to Papyrus in shock. Papyrus muttered something about ‘being ready for him to appear back’. Not ten seconds later, the shorter skeleton blipped back into existence. “ta-daa.”

You just didn’t have the words. After a solid minute of your brain grasping the concept that Sans could teleport, you forced out a “How?”

Sans gave you a lazy grin, left eye closed. “ya really wanna know?” You nodded eagerly. Sans only responded by pulling his hands out of his pockets and shook them. “maaaaaagic.” You flipped him of. He only laughed. “all yer shit's at ours now. you wanna walk home with paps or would ya rather teleport with me?”

“I could do the disappearing thing with you?”

“if ya hold on.”

“Then yes, yes please!”

Papyrus rolled his eye sockets. You didn’t want to think about the mechanics of that too hard. “LAZYBONES. YOU’RE RUINING THE ONE GOOD HUMAN WITH YOUR SHITTY JOKES AND YOUR LAZINESS.”

Sans shrugged. “guilty as charged. ya love me tho.”

“INDEED, I DO. I SHALL SEE YOU BACK AT HOME.” Papyrus left your house, once again ducking through the doorframe.

“ready to go, dollface?” Sans asked. You nodded, and he opened one of his arms out. “yer gonna have to stay real close so i don’t lose ya in the void, k?” You pressed up to his side, and Sans let his arm drop around your shoulders. “it’s probably a good idea to close yer eyes. ya might see something you don’t want to.”

“Okay?” And just like that you felt yourself dropping. Or falling. All you know is that your stomach felt like it had been left back in your house. You screwed your eyes shut, unconsciously squishing yourself as close to Sans as possible. You didn’t reopen your eyes until you felt your feet hit solid ground. You stumbled away from Sans, legs shaky and feeling ill. “Oh god, I’m gonna throw up…”

Sans was next you in a second, awkwardly rubbing you between the shoulder blades. “easy, easy. the first time is always the hardest. just breathe, doll.”

You felt borderline ready to hurl but didn’t. You had the feeling Papyrus would throw a fit. As soon as you knew you’d keep the contents of your stomach down, you looked at the skeleton awkwardly trying to make you feel better. “Sans? I can fucking taste atoms. All I can smell is ozone and I think I have void residue in my ears or some shit.

Sans cracked up laughing, gold tooth glinting in the light. “probably the best first reaction to void travel i’ve heard so far, holy shit kid. although, you’re pretty accurate with your wording.” Sans gestured to your bags. “we have a spare room upstairs, feel free to put ya shit however ya want in there. my room is off limits at all times. i will know if you go in there.” You shuddered, his eye lights had dimmed, and his voice had lowered. “paps’ room is also off limits until you’re invited, which you will be in a week, tops. papyrus loves sleepovers.” A smile tugged the corner of your lips.

“oh, one more thing, toots.”

“yes?”

“do anything to hurt my brother or i, and you’re g o n n a h a v e a b a d t i m e.”

His eye lights disappeared, making it seem like the eye sockets could see right through you. You nodded quickly. You didn’t like scary Sans. “Of… of course! I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“good. i’ll be in my room dollface, see ya at dinner.” And then he disappeared, leaving nothing but the faint smell of ozone and a lingering fear within you. You went upstairs, lugging all your bags at once (because Sans thought it was funny to leave your stuff downstairs, not put it in the guest room).

The guest room was perfect and immaculate, not a speck of dust in sight. The walls were black, the carpet was grey, and the furniture and bedsheets followed this same dark-coloured trend. After shoving your bags in there, you headed back downstairs. It was slightly messier down here, you chalked it up to Sans. There was a sock on the floor, with sticky notes attached. Reading the notes gave you a quick laugh and a sense of how much Sans could be an ass. There was a rock on a shelf close to the wall. It had lots of cracks, googly eyes glued on, and sprinkles all over it. You spotted pasta sauce near it as well. You decided not to investigate. The couch was a green-grey, was old and had skeleton-shaped divots in the fabric. You decided to switch on the TV, and Papyrus came back home 20 minutes later to find you enraptured because of Mettaton in a pink dress.

Chapter Text

“FUCK YOU, SMALL HUMAN!”

“Oh, it’s on Skeletor!”

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

“Keep your eyes on the screen Papyrus! I’m gonna fucking demolish you!”

You’d been staying at the Skelebro’s house since Monday, and it had taken until Wednesday for the sleepovers Sans has told you about to start. Papyrus would keep you up until exactly 9:15 at night, asking various questions, ranging from human mannerisms to why the sky was blue. After he fell asleep, you’d sneak out and go watch TV with Sans. You two didn’t really talk, rather, enjoyed a slightly fearful silence over a comedy show or documentary. He was perfectly friendly to you, but after his warning the first day you were there, you basically walked on eggshells around him.

It took until Friday before you and Papyrus were ripping into each other. In video games, that is.

Sans came down the stairs, sweat beading his skull. He sat down next to you on the floor. “hey, guys, what’s with all the commotion? tibia honest i think- “

You cut him off. “No! No puns right now! I am so close to getting first!” Mario Kart was very serious business.

Papyrus didn’t even respond to either of you, instead narrowing his eyes at the screen and leaning forwards, like it would help him go faster. The tell-tale beeping coming from the Switch was enough to let you know what was coming, and you braced yourself for Papyrus’ yell. The blue shell slammed directly into Bowser, stunning him for a few precious seconds, allowing you as Dry Bones to rocket past him and beat him by all of a second. “NYOO HOO HOO! HUMAN, WAS THAT YOU?!” He screeched.

“Nope. Can’t get blue shells while you’re in second. It was just the AI.” You grinned wickedly at him as the end scene began to roll, showing Dry Bones in the number one spot on the pedestal, awarding you the golden Special Cup trophy. “I’m the karting champ! You can’t beat me, get good skrub!” You proceeded to stand up and do a little victory dance.

Papyrus threw his controller down. “BOWSER IS A GIANT, FIRE-BREATHING TURTLE. HOW ON EARTH DOES THE KING OF THE KOOPAS LOSE?!”

You giggled, stifling it with a hand. “Here, go back to the stats. See, Bowser’s one of the heaviest characters in the game, along with Wario. Because of that, your kart is weighed down, and you’d need to make up for it with a fast, light car. However, all the cool, edgy ones you like are more focused on off-roading and drifting. Basically, your playstyle is disruption.”

Papyrus nodded. “IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A PUZZLE I MUST SOLVE, TO OBTAIN THE PERFECTLY BALANCED KART.”

“Even I haven’t done that, and I’ve been playing for years. But I figured my super light character’s great, fast, good acceleration and lots of air time means I’m pretty sweet for most tracks. As long as I stay on the track and avoid heavy characters, I’m basically unstoppable,” You said.

“SO, THIS, SKELETON KOOPA HAS POTENTIAL TO BE THE FASTEST.”

“of course he does, he’s nothing but skin and bone,” Sans chimed in.

You rolled your eyes. “He doesn’t even have skin!” You shut off the console and patted Papyrus’ shoulder. You wouldn’t be able to tell unless you were touching him, but he relaxed slightly under your touch. “Aw, you’re like a big edgy hedgehog!” You said, smiling at him.

He jerked away from you, red on his cheekbones. “WHAT? NO!”

“Yes, you are! You’re really hard to get close to but if people know how to communicate with your properly, you’re actually really cool! Like hedgehogs. You can only pet ‘em one way. Unless it’s like Sonic. Then you wouldn’t catch up to it to pet it in the first place. Papyrus grumbled at you, Sans laughed, wheezing out what sounded like ‘you’re not wrong!’. You studied Papyrus’ face for a second. “What’s that red stuff on your face?”

Sans grinned at you. You narrowed your eyes at him. “Don’t you dar- “

“magic.” Cue his jazz hands. It pissed you off to no end. Every time you asked something about monsters or anything really, he’d respond with that stupid reply. How did Papyrus alter his sink so high with no visible bolts or screws or anything? Magic. How did his and Papyrus’ bones stay together? Magic. Why did he sleep so much? “’m just lazy kid, but it’s probably cuz of magic too.”

You sighed and shook your head. The red dusting Papyrus’ cheeks faded in less than a minute and you decided not to question it. You phone began buzzing. Undyne’s name flashed up on the screen, and you dialled down the volume before picking up. “Hey Tunalady!”

You and Undyne had been texting back and forth for the past few days. She’d originally messaged you to tell you that Gerson had been moved out of hospital and into the care of a more skilled healer. You’d thanked her, and she’d asked how the skelebros were treating you. It just continued from there, and it was to the point where you two would use the shitty nicknames for each other the first day you met. “Sup, Book Nerd? You still alive?”

“Does it sound like I’m dead?”

“Well, you seem like the type to fall down the stairs and snap your neck or impale yourself on a fork or something.”

“I’ll fight you, Tunalady.”

“I’d win. Anyway, Punk, you’re distracting! I’m calling because Gerson’s well enough to be walking around and polish his Warhammer and he wanted to know if you wanted to visit. He’s poking me right now. Yes, old man, I’m asking! Go sit down!”

You felt a huge smile spread across your face. “Oh, fuck yes! Text me the address, I’ll be there in 20!” She hung up on you after a quick goodbye. Knowing Papyrus’ driving (which you’d experienced for the second time earlier this week. Now you were friends with him you had no problem voicing the fact he was literally driving like a psychopath) or if you’re lucky, Sans’ teleporting thingy, you’d be there sooner.

Papyrus, who’d changed the TV to Mettaton and was watching with the same red colour present on his cheeks, turned to you. “I SUPPOSE WE’RE GOING TO VIST GERSON?”

Sans was napping on the floor. “she’d be tur-telling you a lie if she said she didn’t want to,” he said smoothly, not opening his eyes. Eye sockets? You didn’t know how that worked either. Magic, most likely.

You were already out of the room, all but slamming open your door to get dressed out of your pyjamas for something more appropriate for the cold weather outside. Jeans, super baggy turtleneck, sneakers. Easy. You slid on the rail downstairs, mumbling “new record!” to yourself after getting down. Must be the jeans. You jumped off the rail and ran over to the skeletons, who were both dressed in their regular attire. “I’m ready to go!” You chirped. “Did you need the address?”

Papyrus opened the door and relocked it once you three left the house. “I KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING. I WILL NOT BE THERE THE WHOLE TIME. I WILL HAVE TO LEAVE EARLY TO OVERSEE THE NEW SECURITY MEASURES BEING INSTALLED AT THE LIBRARBY.”

You hopped into the back seat of his beautifully polished black car. With flame decal. Of course it had flame decals, it made the car go faster. Scientifically proven or something. Sans and Papyrus got into the front, and Papyrus pressed play on the radio. Sans pressed various button to flick through stations. Classical, news, culinary, sports, monster hate, pop, rock. “Ooh, don’t change it!” You as you recognised the opening to a song you loved when you were a teenager, and still liked now. You sung along quietly, nervous the monsters wouldn’t like your taste in music, until You saw Papyrus tapping along on the steering wheel and Sans’ head bobbing in time. Knowing they (probably) wouldn’t mind, you sang along loudly to the pre-chorus. “This ain't a scene, it’s a god-damn arms race!” The skelebros shared a look. This was the loudest you’d been in the time knowing them. Didn’t stop the fact that by the time the last chant came around, the boys joined in with your singing, Papyrus’ shrill screeching, Sans’ baritone and your, by comparison, soft voice made for quite a surprise for anyone passing your car. You couldn’t bring yourself to care.

The station played a few more songs that you recognised from your ‘edgy’ phase. You weren’t gonna lie, you still loved Miss Jackson. Papyrus pulled into a long, rather expensive looking driveway. There was a gate guarding the end, which were guarded by RG01 and 02. You waved at them as they opened the gates for the car to drive through. As you drove through the gate, your mouth fell open. Whoever lived here was fucking loaded.

The house was gorgeous, like a huge, gothic mansion. The colour scheme was pretty monochrome, with splashed of red and gold, and the darkness was broken up with the stunning gardens. Every bush had been trimmed to perfections and there were hundreds of flowers. Roses, daisies, azaleas, baby’s breath and others you couldn’t even name. But the majority were what you thought were buttercups, but they were far too large, huge petals opening and showing the flower’s faces to the sun.

The three of you exited the car, and you looked around in wonder as you approached the wooden double doors. Sans gave you a lazy look. “what’s up toots? never seen ya so interested in a house.”

You flushed at being caught gawking. “It’s just, I’ve never seen a house this fancy in person before, let alone gone this close.”

Sans chuckled. “can’t wait ta see yer face once we get inside.”

Papyrus knocked, and you waited outside, nervously playing with your fingers. The door swung open, revealing a huge, gorgeous goat monster. She had soft-looking, fluffy, white fur, small horns atop her head, large, floppy ears, and gentle, tired-looking yellow eyes. She was dressed in an elegant black dress with sleeves, and was adorned with silver jewellery around her neck, wrists and encircling her horns. She was very tall too, at least eight and a half feet. And she was the queen of monsters! You recognised her from Tv. Nobody told you were visiting royalty today! “Ah, Papyrus, Sans, we’ve been expecting you!” She said kindly, giving the skeletons a warm smile.

“HELLO, LADY ASGORE!”

“hey tori. how’ve ya been?”

The skelebros talked to her for a while, until you had to sneeze. You shoved your nose into a tissue you whipped out of your pocket, bringing her attention to you. “Are you the human who works with Gerson? The one named ___ I keep hearing about?”

You blinked up at her, mind still catching up, before sinking into a clumsy curtsey. “I… I am, your m… Majesty…” You had no idea how to act around her but thought it best to be polite. “I’m sorry but are we... we in the right place?”

Toriel laughed softly. “Oh, dear child, you are. Gerson was moved here as I have the most potent healing magic. Would you like to see him?”

You nodded rapidly, giving Toriel a smile. “Yes, please, your majesty!”

“Please, call me Toriel. I may be the queen, but it’s more of a political title rather than what I am,” She said. You noticed she had red bags underneath her eyes. Was she okay? “Come, dear child.” She reached a hand out to you. You took it and kept your internal squealing to yourself. She was so soft! “Now, ___, I must warn you to be careful with Gerson. No matter how much he tries to get out of it, he’s still healing.”

You took your shoes off at the door, and allowed Toriel to guide the way, Sans and Papyrus at your heels. She lead you through multiple rooms and halls, every single one embellished in black, gold and red. There were paintings of Asgore, the king, Toriel, the two together, various nature scenes and one which differed from all the others.

It was covered with a translucent black veil, which you could just see past. This painting was very, very intricate, and showed Asgore and Toriel on their thrones, holding hands. On Asgore’s lap was a small, goat-like monster, wearing a black and red sweater and talking animatedly to the human child on Toriel’s lap, smiling and wearing very similar attire. At first, you thought it was the ambassador, Frisk, but as you passed the painting, you noticed the hair and skin were too light to be Frisk, and the child in the painting had red eyes and rosy cheeks. You wanted to ask about it, but if it was covered, there had to be a reason.

Your small group eventually reached a much larger room. This one had huge, intricate rug on the floor. There were various drawing materials left on the floor, and you took care not to step on the crayons. The bay windows were open and dark crimson drapes drawn back to flood the room with light. You noticed that there were black vases everywhere full of of the large golden flowers from outside, a one, single flower in a messily decorated ceramic pot. It had a bunch of smiley face stickers on the rim and you awed at it. Opposite the gigantic flat screen TV was a large, expensive armchair. On the side, someone had used a label maker to stick ‘Chariel’ onto the seat. A matching couch was next to this armchair, with piles of red pillows on the black leather. This was where Gerson was seated, talking fighting techniques with Undyne, Alphys perched next to Undyne while on her phone. “Old man!” You yelled, rushing towards him.

Gerson looked away from Undyne and his face split into a huge grin. “Girly!” He stood up, opened his arms and caught you easily.

“Don’t scare me like that ever again or I’m resigning from the librarby!” You said, feeling tears gather in your eyes. “You’re the only dad I’ve got, I can’t lose you...” You mumbled much quieter. You missed the way Sans’ browbones raised, seemingly the only one to hear you.

“Kid, yer not gettin’ rid of me that easy.” He mumbled back, before laughing. “Both of us know you wouldn’t quit yer job! Yer too emotionally attached to the place and the people,” He teased, poking you with a claw.

You shushed him. “You’re right but shush!” You poked his arm in return, gasping when you felt scar tissue instead of scale. “Shit, did I hurt you?” You said, panicking a bit.

Gerson only laughed at you. “Girl, Toriel’s the best damn healer on the planet. I’m just gonna need to sleep heavily for a few days to keep my magic up. Besides, yer couldn’t hurt a goddamn fly.”

You flushed. “I sprayed one the other day thank you very much!” You turned your head to the side, huffing. Gerson only chuckled, released you from the hug, and wobbled over to Papyrus to talk about the new security stuff. You plonked on the couch next to Undyne, claiming Gerson’s spot as your own. “Hey Undyne, are you bailing early with Papyrus?”

She looked up at you from where she was laying, her head on Alphys’ shoulder. Alphys was blushing barely noticeably. “Yeah, I am. Sorry Punk. But on the upside, you get to talk more SOUL shit with Alphys.”

The dinosaur monster looked up from her phone. “Ah, hello, ___. I’ve been meaning to call you to schedule another appointment, but we could talk here if you’d like,” She said, readjusting her glasses.

“Oh, thank you, I’d appreciate it!” You said, giving Alphys a smile. “Thank you Doctor. I’ve been getting stronger emotions randomly, mostly anger and tiredness. Is that something to do with my SOULmate?”

Alphys tapped on something on her phone’s screen. “Yes. It means you’ve been in contact with them.” She looked down at her notes. “It could be anything, from a hug, to bumping into each other on the street. Physical connections are very important to the SOUL. All it is, is that you’re getting closer to your SOULmate.”

You sighed in relief. “That’s good, I was worried they didn’t want me.”

Alphys gave you a look you couldn’t decipher behind her glasses. “I’m sure Papyrus told you, but all evidence points towards your SOULmate being a monster.” Everyone in the room, save for Papyrus who already knew, tuned in, the other conversations dying down. “Is that upsetting to you? I know there are some groups for people who have been rejected or have rejected their SOULmates- “

You cut her off. “Hey, why would I want to do that? If my SOULmate is a monster, I don’t see an issue.”

Alphys raised an eyebrow. “Really. Are you sure? Every human who’s had a monster SOULmate has rejected them.”

Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for your response. “Well then,” You started. “I’ll just have to be the first. I don’t care if they’re human or monster, or male or female or other, or rich or poor. I don’t care where they’re from or how they look, all I care about is if they’re my other half. I’m sure I’ll love them no matter what,” You said, quiet determination in your voice.

Everyone let out their breath. Alphys typed something into her notes, before looking at you intently. “You really are a good person. I apologise for that, but if someone is pushed and is still kind, then they’re a good person.” Alphys gave you a smile. “It’s just my way of making sure the people I associate with aren’t evil. You understand.”

You smiled back. “It’s good of you to check. Very safe, methodical. Smart idea,” You complimented her.

Toriel was relieved. Being an older boss monster, she could see from the moment you met her that you were a kind soul, but she felt much better seeing how you lived up to your trait. “After all that excitement, I think it’s time for morning tea! ___, would you like some snail pie?”

Your brow creased slightly, but you smiled at her politely. “No thank you, I don’t have the stomach for that sort of thing.”

“neither do i, don’t worry ‘bout it.” Sans helpfully supplied a joke, which had you and Toriel laughing while the rest of the group of monsters groaned.

“Do not worry, my child. It is actually cinnamon-butterscotch,” Toriel said, chuckling at her own little joke. “Papyrus, would you like to go and fetch Frisk? They should be done with their homework by now.” Papyrus, eager for the task, rushed away and out of sight, ‘Nyah hah hah!’ echoing through the halls. “Would everyone like to come into the kitchen? I would like to keep the crumbs off of my carpet, if you do not mind.”

The ragtag group all crammed themselves into the kitchen. Despite it being huge, five monsters and a human in the one spot took up much of the room. Pie was passed around, and you thanked Toriel and sat down at the table, where Undyne and Alphys had already pulled their chairs close together and were feeding each other pie. Undyne heavily implied it, but never actually confirmed she was dating the yellow lizard monster. You watched them take selfies together, noting that Undyne’s pale yellow case matched Alphys’ glossy blue one. You gave Undyne a questioning look, and she winked back. That was your confirmation right there. You couldn’t blame them, it was super cute watching them interact. You sat next to Alphys and gotten caught in a selfie or two with pie in your mouth. Alphys seemed to be texting on her phone and as he exited into the home menu you gasped.

“Is that? Attack on Titan?” You asked, pointing to her background.

Alphys flushed. “Yeah, it is. Undyne’s the Ymir to my Christa. Have you seen it?”

“Oh my god, have I? Only like, a million times. It was my favourite show when I was sixteen!” The two of you were catapulted into nerd talk, much to the amusement of everyone else. You heard Undyne mutter something about ‘fucking dweebs’. The two of you were interrupted from your heated theories by Papyrus entering the room with a child on his shoulders.

The child, who you recognised as Frisk, the ambassador, waved to everyone. They smiled at the monsters before their eyes landed on you. Patting Papyrus’ shoulder, they were let down by the tell skeleton and they ran over to you. They gave you the sweetest smile, big brown eyes looking over your face and small hand moving in a wave. “Hey there! Frisk, right? It’s an honour to meet the ambassador,” you said honestly. Their hands began to move in a flurry, and you recognised it as sign language.

Sans, noticing this, sauntered over to the two of you. “heya kiddo.” He ruffled Frisk’s hair, earning a scowl from the gentle child. “remember, frisk, not everyone can use sign,” Sans reminded Frisk gently, and they deflated a bit.

You patted Frisk’s head. “No, it’s okay, let me just…” You thought for a little while, before shakily signing a ‘Hello, nice to meet you!' Frisk’s face lit up, and Sans’ jaw opened a bit in shock. “Sorry, I’m a bit rusty,” You apologised.

Frisk seemed thrilled with this development and began rapidly signing to you. You struggled to keep up, but soon feel into an easy flow.

‘What’s your name?’ The ambassador signed, and you spelt out your name for them. ‘You’re the one Papyrus always talks about!'

You laughed. ‘Sure sounds like it! Did you want to grab some pie, Frisk?’

They nodded, and you picked up your plate, taking it with you and setting it by the sink. “There you are Frisk!” Toriel smiled at the child, scooping them up into a hug, before handing them a piece of pie. They beamed and scampered off to eat with Sans and Papyrus, and you signed a quick ‘enjoy!’ earning a thumbs up from them. “My child, I did not know you could also speak sign language!” Toriel sounded impressed, and you gave her a soft smile.

“My little half-brother is deaf. I learnt it so I could talk to him properly without going through hundreds of notepads of just conversation,” you explained and Toriel nodded.

“In any case, it is nice for them to have contact with a human who can actually understand them.”

Just then, Frisk wandered back into the kitchen, empty plate in one hand and the childishly decorated pot from the living room in the other. They put the plate next to the sink, before holding out the pot with both hands to you. ‘That’s a nice flower you’ve got there, Frisk,” You side politely.

Frisk shook their head, before gently poking one of the flower’s ragged petals. For a few seconds, nothing happened until the centre began to morph and a face appeared in the middle of the flower. You stared at him as it looked overt to you, you were in borderline shock. The flower finally spoke. “H… hi! I’m Flowey, Flowey the flower…”

Once you got over the shock of seeing a flower with a face, you gave the flower a smile. “Nice to meet you Flowey,” you said. A small vine extended from the pot, and you took it in an imitation of a handshake. The little flower monster’s face was actually very cute, having a tiny snout with little fangs and sad eyes. It took all of five minutes for you, Frisk and Flowey to begin doodling, and your heart melted. God you loved kids.

Papyrus and Undyne took their leave not long after pie, Alphys doing the same. Sans tapped you on the shoulder. “hey, toots, i dunno if you noticed, but we’ve been here for hours. ready ta head home?”

You glanced over the clock. Wow, you guys really had been there for a while. You stood up and stretched, sitting on the floor without any back support for over an hour was fucking painful. Frisk immediately jumped up, taking Flowey with them, and began rapidly signing the best they could with the pot in the way. ‘Do you have to go?’ they signed, giving you big puppy dog eyes. At the same time, Flowey gently wrapped his vines around your wrist. “Please stay!”

You looked over to Toriel, who was conversing with Gerson about the game show on the TV. She stifled a laugh. “Frisk, Flowey, please let our guest go.” They did, looking disappointed. Toriel stood up. “It was lovely having you here, ___.”

You shook your head. “The pleasure was all mine! Thank you for having me here.”

Toriel smiled at you and pulled her phone from her robe. “The children seem to like having you here very much. Would you be opposed to babysitting them sometime?” She asked, holding her phone out to you. “If not, it would be a good idea to have my contact information anyway.”

“No, no, I’d love to babysit!” You chirped, swapping phones with Toriel. Did all monsters have high tech phones? You were noticing a theme. You put your number in her phone and gave it back. She opened her arms and you hugged the huge monster. It was like hugging a blanket! A blanket that smelled like butterscotch and cinnamon. It felt like home. “Thank you Toriel. Bye kids, bye Gerson!”

The old monster stood up and shambled over to you. “Now, yer better take care girly. Come visit me once I get home or I’ll fire yer,” He joked, wrapping you in a tight hug.

“As if!” You protested, hugging him back just as tight. After he let go, Frisk hugged your leg. “I’ll see you later kiddo, be good!” Frisk gave you a look that said, ‘I’m always good!’, but gave you a thumbs up anyway.

Flowey wiggled, looking nervous and you awed. You picked up his pot and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll see you later too, Flowey,” You said, and he gave you a shy smile.

“Bye, Miss ___!”

You headed back over to Sans. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”

“ya know what you haveta do, doll.” He lifted his arm and you pressed into his side. Both of you waved to everyone, and he dropped his arm around your shoulders. And just like that, the two of you were gone. Sans set you two down outside their house. The second time was still awful, but not as bad. You still stumbled away, disoriented. “see, it gets easier,” he said, laughing at your groaning.

You eventually steadied yourself. “Oh god…” You could hear something rustling in a nearby bush.

“Meow!”

“What the?”

Sans gave you a puzzled look. “what’s wrong toots?”

You walked over to the bush.

“Mew!”

You peered in through the leaves and gasped. Sans was by your side in an instant. “Oh my god!”

“what? what is it?”

You reached in with both hands and pulled out a small, ragged looking, dirty kitten. “It’s a cat! Sans oh my god, it’s just a baby!” You cradled the tiny feline to your chest and Sans wanted to coo at how cute the scene was. You stroked the tiny kitten’s spine, and it meowed weakly. “Who would do this? Oh, I can’t even tell what colour it is…” Noticing Papyrus’ car in the driveway, you knocked on the door.

Papyrus answered it within seconds. You must have been quite a sight. You with your arms scratched from the bushes, holding a weak, dirt covered kitten and Sans just shrugging, not really sure what to make of the situation. “IS THAT? A CAT?”

“Can we keep him? Please? Please?” You pleaded. The kitten mewed softly, also seeming to ask Papyrus to stay.

“ON ONE CONDITION. I GET TO NAME IT!”

Chapter Text

Click. Click. Click.

“Keep still!” You hissed, trying to get a good picture with your kitty.

“hey kid, whatcha doin’?”

You snapped your head up to look at Sans, blushing. The kitten you were holding took the opportunity to jump out of your arms and smack you in the face with his tail. “Bleh!” You stuck your tongue out in disgust as white fur shed all over your face. Even more embarrassing. It was always awkward getting caught taking a selfie. “I was trying to get a picture of Doomfanger and I to post on the Undernet, but he wouldn’t co-operate,” You explained, trying to seem marginally less lame.

“at 2am?” Sans chuckled at you, and you felt yourself flush more. Yep, he definitely thought you were lame. “didn’t realise you were on the undernet, toots,” he said, sounding interested.

You tilted your head. “Dude, I think I follow you.”

“oops. i haven’t checked it in a month or two. i’ll log on now and follow you back if ya want?”

“You’d better! I’m trying to keep a perfect follower to following ratio!” You teased, pulling up your phone. “My username is that_book_human.”

Sans tapped away on his phone and started laughing. “wow, you’re such a dork!” You huffed at him. “look at ya! you have sunglasses on your biceps!” Sans squinted at his phone. “so does papyrus. it’s funny because paps and undyne have these perfect selfies and themes for their account and then yours is just a cluster of embarrassing situations and dumb poses,” he said. You’d be offended, but he was smiling so big, you knew he found it entertaining.

Your phone blipped, and you looked down and grinned. “Ah my ratio is perfect agai- wait. Really? Really?” You questioned, making him shrug. “boneafide_punguy? I forgot how lame your username is. You couldn’t come up with something cool like Papyrus?” Sans snorted, and you glared at him. “Hey, TerribleSkeleton95 is great. Don’t mock your brother!”

Sans shook his head. “fur real though, when did you join the undernet?” He asked, flicking some of the fur that had clung to your nose off for emphasis.

“The day after we got Doomfanger.”

It had been a full two weeks since you’d found that kitty in the bushes. Papyrus, who had been given the naming privileges, immediately came up with the most terrifying name he could think of. “DOOMFANGER, THE BEAST WITH A DEADLY BITE!” Before you could argue, he’d left the house to buy him a collar with an engraved tag.

He’d gotten the whole title engraved.

Doomfanger was great company and made for hilarity around the house. Papyrus, for all his ego and flamboyancy, could not hide the fact he had no idea cats meow. Hours after you’d taken him in, bathed him (revealing he was white) and fed him, Doomfanger began meowing at you three for affection after a late-night horror movie marathon (Papyrus insisted despite it being past his bedtime). You complied, Sans watched, and Papyrus had freaked out.

“WHY DOES IT MAKE THAT SOUND?!” He’d screeched, hiding a little behind you and Sans.

“i dunno, why do ya sound like you’ve swallowed a cheese grater?” Sans had retorted, rolling his eyes at his brother.

“BECAUSE I HAD TONSILLITIS AS A CHILD! YOU KNOW THAT! YOU WERE THERE!” You started snickering at the absurdity of it all and was soon breaking down in laughter.

“Papyrus, he just wants attention! Here,” You’d said, scooping Doomfanger up and cradled him to your chest with one arm. With the other, you adjusted the taller skeleton’s arms. You plopped Doomfanger into Papyrus’ arms. “Okay, just pet him! Scratch him behind the ears, under the chin, stroke his spine, whatever! Cats meow at you when they need something and since he had a second dinner about an hour ago, he has clean water and he took a shit literally ten minutes ago, I’d bet money he just wants a cuddle. Who knows how long he was out there?”

Papyrus settled into a soft rhythm of petting the kitten’s spine, eliciting purrs from the feline. “I FEEL LIKE A VILLAIN IN A MOVIE WIH AN EXOTIC PET. EXCEPT DOOMFANGER IS MUCH COOLER.” Papyrus went quiet for a while, before mumbling, “I Thought They Actually Said ‘Meow’.”

Sans snorted, a rather loud ‘skrt!’ escaping him which he tried to pass off as a cough under Papyrus’ glare. “No? That’s just onamatapea,” You said.

“I FEEL DECEIVED,” Papyrus declared, making you crack up with laughter, Sans following suit. Papyrus rolled his eyes at you two, but joined in as well, his ‘NYAH HAH HAH!’ drowning yours and Sans’ unattractive snorts out.

Speaking of Sans’ unattractive snorts, you’d grown closer to the older of the skeletons in the recent weeks. You’d learnt lots about him, like he had a quantum physics degree! You thought that was impressive, and his cheekbones flushed red when you’d told him so. Your late-night TV sessions had lost the residual fear from the threat he’d given you on the day you moved in. You’d began sitting next to each other rather than at opposite ends of the couch and you couldn’t deny you found him easy to be around. You two had great fun tormenting Papyrus with jokes and puns and all manner of other bad humour. God, Papyrus was scarred from the sheer amount of penis related jokes after Doomfanger had been desexed.

“’m sure he had a ball at the vet’s.”

“Oh yeah! At least he won’t become a-dick-ted to getting the neighbourhood kitties pregnant!”

“i feel kinda bad though, it’s a jerk move to remove his ability to reproduce.”

“OH MY GOD! IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO ANY MORE VULGAR JOKES OUT OF THE TWO OF YOU, I WILL PUT YOU IN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL!”

“penis.”

“SANS!”

Good times.

“yer a good influence.” Sans said out of the blue. You raised an eyebrow, and Sans showed you the picture on his screen. It was when you and Papyrus had taken your first ‘FRIENDSHIP SELFIE’ as Papyrus had called it. You two were smiling at the camera, you flashing two peace signs up, while Papyrus had given you bunny ears. Doomfanger had clawed his way up your shirt and his tiny white head was poking up over your shoulder, making for an adorable photobomb. You’d captioned it with ‘Papyrus? The coolest!’ and at least five skull emojis. You smiled fondly at the picture. You weren’t ready for Sans’ next question.

“yer really good with frisk and paps and flowey. makes me wonder, do ya have siblings?”

You dropped your phone and sucked in a breath through your teeth.

Sans immediately tried to backpedal. “shit, ‘m sorry, didn’t realise it was a sore spot for ya- “

“I have a sister. Eryn.”

Sans looked at you, all his attention on you. Were you going to open up? After all, nobody really knew anything about your backstory other than that Gerson was basically your dad. “I haven’t seen her in… in over a decade. We aren’t on good terms,” You said, voice short and clipped. You picked up your phone. It had a crack in the screen. “She… lives with Jason.”

Sans tilted his head. As long as he’d know you, you’d never really mentioned other human men in your life. “who’s jason?” He knew he shouldn’t pry, but he was so damn curious.

“I used to call him… call him dad, but he never really lived up to that. He wasn’t the greatest person, so using his name rather than his title makes me feel more detached…” You said, switching off your phone and throwing it to the side carelessly. Sans didn’t like the way your eyes focused onto nothing at all. It reminded him too much of himself.

He felt the compulsion to reach and hand out and comfort you, and it ended with him awkwardly petting your shoulder. He caught the way you flinched at the contact at first, before accepting it. “ya don’t have to talk if ya don’t want to, sweetheart.” He didn’t know where the new pet name came from, but it felt more appropriate than his other slightly more vulgar ones.

If you noticed the new name, you didn’t react. “No, it’s been forever since I talked to someone about it. I mean, I used to go to counselling and therapy and whatnot, but all the talking in the world won’t erase my experience. That is, if you don’t mind me talking about it?” You said, almost shyly.

“go ahead, ‘m all ears.”

“You don’t have any ears.”

“r-ear-ly?”

You giggled, but it died almost immediately. “Well, stuff was okay up until I was six. I had a one-year old baby sister and I was happily making friends and shit in school. But mum and Jason fought a lot and it was awful. I’d wake up at three in the morning to find them borderline in a fist fight. Eventually, my mum got sick of Jason telling her he wanted a divorce, and she just… walked out.” Sans’ hand returned to your shoulder. You didn’t flinch this time.

“I became a recluse, I ignored everyone and began slipping with my grades and I felt like it was my fault my parents split up. Soon, dad got worse. He was often drunk or in a depressive episode, and because of his constant need to sleep or be irresponsible, I was left to raise Eryn all by myself with occasional input from Jason. Mostly when she broke something, and I was blamed because I didn’t stop it. Eryn was diagnosed with ADHD, so she was let off the hook and I was blamed for everything. I must have done a shit job raising her, because soon she got bad too.” You took a shuddering breath.

Sans’ eye lights were dimmed. “shit, sweetheart, i had no idea.”

You sighed, a hollow laugh following. “There’s more but I really don’t think I can say much more without breaking down…” You mumbled.

“and ya don’t have ta. c’mere.” He’d moved his arm from his side, basically inviting you to hug. You accepted it. He was surprisingly warm. “i know it’s hard ta raise a siblin’, especially when they don’t turn out as good as every other kid,” he said.

“You raised Papyrus?” You asked. This was news.

“yeah, had ta. dad disappeared when he was only three. the problem is, paps doesn’t remember him at all, and i only have the tiniest memory of a huge black cloak and cracks in his skull. we can’t even remember his name. and i don’t think we ever had a mum, but i dunno how to explain that to papyrus, so i just say she went missin’ with dad.”

You were glad Papyrus was out of the house.

You stared at his dimmed eyelights and felt a compulsion to help. “Sans? Are you okay?” You asked, shuffling closer to him on the couch.

Sans gave you a forced smile. It didn’t look right on him. “yeah,” he said, huffing quietly. “i guess.” You noticed his bones were rattling.

Doomfanger picked that moment to jump up on the couch and settle himself between you and Sans. The skeleton petted the cat, smiling a little more genuinely as he began to purr. “Here,” you said, gently picking up the kitten and placing him in Sans’ lap. “I’ll be back.” You shot up the stairs quietly, avoiding the one creaky floorboard, and grabbing a blanked from the cupboard in the hall. You snuck back downstairs and motioned for Sans to lift his arms. He seemed confused but obliged, and you spread the blanked over his lap. You settled back down on the couch beside him, staling some of the blanket for yourself. “Sometimes, pressure can help calm anxiety. Deep pressure touch, I believe it’s called,” You explained, seeing his confusion.

“yer sure know a lot about this stuff,” Sans said. The pressure from Doomfanger and the blanket seemed to do the trick, and he was visibly more relaxed.

You shrugged. “I had a lot of anxiety and depression growing and up. After I left high school, I did nothing with my life except cry and hate myself for a year. I eventually decided that I didn’t want to live like this, I wanted to get better. So, I stared doing research online with coping mechanisms, I went to therapy and got medications. I pushed myself to go get a job after I became more stable. I got rejected from a bunch of human places, because I didn’t have any experience,” You said, looking down at your hands. “But then I saw this cute monster-dominated library, and it was like something was just… calling me to go there. So, I did, and then I met Gerson.”

“oh yeah,” Sans began. “what’s up with ya and gerson? i noticed you call him dad sometimes and he treats you like yer his own kid.”

You smiled, the memory of meeting Gerson always put a smile on your face. “Well, I walked in there, and I almost walked out immediately. There was this huge turtle monster getting yelled at by a Whimsalot and he just stood there, not even fussed,” You giggled. “He didn’t seem mad, just really fed up with the Whimsalot’s shit. Eventually it left, so I steeled myself, walked right over and introduced myself.”

Sans looked at you with what seemed like respect mixed with the look you give someone when they’re doing something really, really stupid. “ya tellin’ me, ya walked straight up to this boss monster who’s over half a foot taller than ya, who's just been getting yelled at, and ya just introduced yerself? sweetheart, that was really fuckin’ dumb, gerson’s got one hell of a temper.”

You nodded, looking back it was not your smartest move. At the time, that is, it quickly became one of your best decisions ever. “Well, he never blew up at me. He laid eyes on me, and it was like a switch was flipped, and all of sudden he was treating me like I needed all the protection in the world,” You said, fondly thinking of how he’d gave you a huge smile and told you that he’d been looking for someone like you in his librarby.

“i can tell ya why. all boss monsters can see SOULs to an extent. the older a boss monster is, the better this ability is. gerson is the oldest boss monster, and has the best SOUL-sight, so it’s more than likely he saw yer SOUL, and saw something good in it,” Sans explained. “he woulda seen this tiny, anxious human with clear damage to their SOUL trying to repair themselves. gerson’s always had a soft spot for kids ‘nd seein’ the shit jason did ta ya, he woulda instantly gone dad mode. i’m just surprised he’d do it for a human.”

You nodded. Gerson fought again humananity centuries ago. You’d have completely understood if there was still bad blood, but Gerson had assured you that it was not the faults of the humans alive today. “So, Gerson’s a boss monster? Who else is?” You asked, curious.

Sans seemed to think for a second. “lessee, there’s gerson, tori, asgore, grillby, undyne’s borderline a boss monster, and myself,” he said, and you could spontaneously combust. How much was Sans hiding?

“Wait, what? You’re a boss monster?!” You asked, more in awe than angry. “Wait, can you see SOULs? Can you see my SOUL?” You asked, unable to stop all the questions arising in your mind.

“kinda. i’m the youngest proper boss monster, so my abilities aren’t as good. i can see a person’s stats, their intentions and can read SOULS to predict attacks,” Sans seemed happy to answer your questions. “tori, asgore and gerson and grillby can all see SOUL colours and SOUL bonds on top of my abilities. but all five of us are incredibly powerful in our own ways.”

You thought about this. “So, you can’t see my SOUL colour?”

“nope. you’ve seen ya own SOUL before, right?”

“Alphys brought it out while she was examining it. When was that, a month or so ago? It’s predominantly green.”

“knew it.”

“How?”

Sans grinned at your disbelieving tone. “remember, i can see intent and stats. stats are ya hp, exp, lv, at and df.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Those are just out of video games though? Hit points, experience, level, attack and defence,” You said, thinking back to all the games you’ve played in the past.

“heh, only two of those are right. hp actually stands for HoPe. how much you want to live. how much you resist death. there are people like papyrus and undyne who have thousands of hp, and some with only thirty or fourty. you had fifty when I first met ya, but over the past few weeks, ya been gaining em.” Sans’ gaze was locked firmly on your chest for a few seconds. It wasn’t sexual, he didn’t even seem to be looking at your physically body. He seemed to be peering right into your very being, which really, was what he was doing. “you’ve got a solid seventy-seven now.” You took this information in, nodding. You stored it away in your brain, maybe it would be useful later.

“next, exp. exp is not experience points, although i wish it was,” Sans said, voice darkening. “exp stands for EXecution Points.” You shuddered. That didn’t sit right with you. “ya get exp from killing anyone, human or monster. ya have zero. that’s the ideal amount, keep it that way toots.” You could hear the thinly veiled threat, and you decided not to comment on it. He was only looking out for his brother.

Sans’ gave locked in on your soul again. “finally, lv isn’t level. its short for another acronym. lv is short for love. love is short for Level Of ViolencE. everyone starts at lv one. when ya kill enough, ya exp points accumulate to give ya a lv. a way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. the more ya kill, the easier it becomes to distance yerself. the more you distance yerself, the less ya will hurt. the more easily ya can bring yerself to hurt others.” The way Sans said it made it sound like he’d explained this many, many times.

“Well, I have no exp, so I’m still on lv one, right?”

“right. i wouldn’t have let ya in our house if ya weren’t.”

“What about intent?”

“well, intent is everything ta monsters. if ya punch a monster in the face entirely on accident, it won’t hurt us at all. unless you actively are tryin’ ta hurt a monster, it doesn’t do anything. but this is also really dangerous. if someone who really fuckin’ hated monsters launched an attack with the intent to kill, almost any monster would go down instantly.”

“That’s… that’s actually really horrifying.”

“yeah, it is. that’s how i knew ya were a green SOUL. no exp, not lv, and the whole time i’ve known ya, you haven’t had one ill intention towards a monster. any other soul would get angry or frustrated or harbour resentment, but kind souls like yers doesn’t seem capable of hatred.”

You blushed. “I’ll take that as a compliment. This has been very educational Sans, thank you!” You chirped, trying to lighten the mood.

Sans gave you a lazy smile. “anytime sweetheart. doesn’t really bother me to answer all those questions of yers, heh.”

You noticed the pet name, but rather than comment on it and have him stop using it, you decide to just enjoy it. You couldn’t recall the last time someone had called you Sweetheart. “Jeez, its late,” You commented, looking at the clock. It was ten past three. “I don’t wanna move though.”

Sans laughed. “neither do i. we could just sit here ‘nd watch mettaton’s shitty reruns until papyrus wakes up and chews out for not sleeping?”

You smiled at him, and Sans felt a warmth in his chest. He tried to brush it off. You just had a really nice smile is all. Despite your messy hair and sleepy eyes, Sans took the time to appreciate how cute you actually were. He cut himself off. Nope. Nope. Feelings are awful and only lead to shit.

“Yes please.”

Neither of you made it to three thirty. You two passed out within minutes, your head on Sans’ shoulder, his head resting on yours, his arm around your shoulders and Doomfanger stretched across your laps.

Chapter Text

You felt oddly warm. You could feel your SOUL thrumming softly in your chest. You blinked yourself awake and tried to sit up, but arms kept you in place. Boney ones. You shifted enough to see that you and Sans had migrated to lying down, and you were being spooned by the skeleton from behind. You noticed his back wasn’t facing the couch, meaning that he’d rather have himself fall off than you, even if it was just subconsciously. For some reason, this made you smile.

You let your eyes wander over the monster as he snored away. His smile wasn’t really a smile anymore, it was dropped. Not in a sad way, just relaxed. His eye sockets were closed, hiding his blood red eyelights, and you wondered how that worked. His browbones and the area around his eye sockets were relaxed as well since he wasn’t smiling. You liked it, he seemed very peaceful like this.

It was probably odd, but you found him handsome. Yeah, it sounded weird, but both the skeleton brothers were attractive monsters. Papyrus was just too extroverted and intense for you to consider him a partner, but he contrasted you enough to make him a wonderful friend. Sans however, was so laid back, chilled out and yet very understanding, very empathetic without even realising it. He was nice to you 99% of the time, he was funny, he always seemed to know how you were feeling, he was good at handling your emotions, and he was a very interesting monster in general. There was just so much about him you liked.

You gently brushed your thumb over his golden tooth. A thought crossed your mind. What if… Sans was your SOULmate? Papyrus and Alphys had said your SOULmate was a monster, there was a chance…? No. No there wasn’t. Sans had already said he didn’t have one. If you two were SOULmates, surely, he’d have picked up on it. He had some of the strongest magic out of the monster population for crying out loud. It wasn’t him. This left you feeling rather empty inside. You hated feeling like this, so you just shifted closer to Sans and drifted back off to sleep.

You were rudely awoken not half an hour later. Oops, you hadn’t even considered Papyrus would be back from his sleepover at Undyne’s. “HUMAN, PLEASE. DO NOT CANOODLE ON THE COUCH! I SIT THERE TOO!” He screeched, hands on his hips, staring at you two. It was like he was searching for any signs of anything other than cuddling.

Undyne had apparently come with him. “Ooooh, nerd, you didn’t tell me you were getting all up close and personal with Sans! Fuhuhuhuhuhu!” She laughed. You glared at her and when she caught your eye, she only winked. Or blinked. You think it was a wink? There was too much emphasis on it to be a blink. You think.

Sans had also awoken. Nobody could sleep thought both Undyne and Papyrus’ combined loudness. “what the fuck is goin’ on?!” He hissed sleepily, and you fought your blush. His morning voice made you weak. Sans brought his arm up so he could rub his eyes, and only then did he noticed the way he was holding you close, your legs tangled with his. “oh, shit, ‘m sorry toots. didn’t mean for that to happen.” You felt the emptiness return as he withdrew himself, a red hue staining his cheekbones.

Papyrus grinned at Sans and you knew whatever was said next would be information Sans had guarded. “SANS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SLEEP CUDDLER. HE’LL LATCH ONTO ANYTHING SMALLER AND HOLD IT CLOSE, LIKE IT’S A TEDDY.” Sans gave Papyrus the finger. Papyrus did not care. “HE USED TO DO IT WITH ME BACK WHEN WE ONLY HAD ONE BED, UNTIL I OUTGREW HIM.”

Sans rolled his eyelights. “’nd then when ya got big, ya stated cuddlin’ me!”

Papyrus’ cheekbones flushed. “SHUT UP.”

You sighed at the brother’s antics and turned to Undyne. “Good morning Tunalady. Can you tell me what’s up with the magic cheekbones please? Sans refuses to answer anything other than with ‘Magic’.”

Undyne laughed at you. “Oh man, you haven’t figured it out?”

“I have a guess, I think it’s a blush but there’s never been a good moment to ask…”

“Ding ding ding. Blush is the correct answer. One time I tripped Papyrus over in front of the canine unit and his whole skull went red. It was fucking hilarious!” Undyne seemed to hold making skeletons blush really badly as an achievement. “Anyways, we’re here to drag you over to Toriel’s house!”

You tilted your head. “What? Why? Gerson’s all better, didn’t he go home a couple of days ago?” You asked.

Undyne shook her head. “You’re so dorky! You don’t need Gerson as a way into Toriel’s house! She just wants everyone to come over and have a bonding night. Imagine a family reunion, but it’s with friends instead and heaps of cool ass food and a shitton of games!” She said. The way she explained it made it sound really fun.

“Yeah but why am I invited? I’m nothing special.”

“Duh! Punk, you’ve been so kind to us, and by us, I don’t mean this group of friends, I mean monsters in general. I heard from Gerson about the shit you did for monsters in the librarby. You get along with everyone who’s coming, and you’re just a cool dude. We like your existence, you don’t need to have a reason to hang out with us!” Undyne seemed almost mad at your self-deprecation. “So, you coming to Toriel’s?”

Sans and Papyrus looked over from their heated conversation. “I’M JUST SAYING THAT DOOMFANGER SHOULD HAVE HIS OWN BATTLEAXE! IT DOESN’T MATTER IF HE CAN’T USE IT, ITS FOR THE AESTHETI- OH! ARE WE GOING TO LADY ASGORE’S HOUSE?”

“bro, no, cats don’t need weapons. they literally have in built knives in their toes why would they need axes?! That’s fuckin’ stupid.” Sans looked over to you, rolled his eyelights and jabbed his thumb in Papyrus’ direction as if to say, ‘is this guy for real?’. You giggled, covering your mouth with a hand so Papyrus didn’t think you were laughing at him.

“Yeah, we’ll come. When you say games, do you mean board or video?”

“Yes.”

“Wha-?”

“Just get in the car!”

You got changed quickly and headed outside. Undyne also had a very, very flashy car, you think it was a Lamborghini? Cars were hard. All you knew was that it was shiny, blue, and very expensive, like Undyne, minus the expensive thing. “Shotgun!” You yelled the moment you saw it, making Papyrus ‘NYAH!’ angrily. You poked your tongue out at him as you slid into the front seat. “Jesus Christ, Undyne, are all monsters just rich?!” You asked, looking in awe at the interior.

Undyne laughed at you. “Actually, yeah! We used gold as currency Underground, and our gold chunks weren’t small. As well as the fact Waterfall is full of these really pretty glowing gemstones, different species of flowers that humans had never seen and technology that was fuelled by magic, most monsters are living pretty great!” She explained. Damn Undyne and her perfect, long majestic hair. She was wearing it down, meaning it was flying everywhere, mostly your face.

You looked over Undyne’s outfit. “Hmm,” You hummed. Leather jacket, fancy jeans, her best eyepatch, hair down. “Is Alphys gonna be there?” You asked.

“You betcha!” She declared with a smile, all of her sharp teeth showing. “You, me, Papyrus, Sans, Toriel, Frisk and Flowey are all gonna be there!”

You gave her a smile of your own. “Do you have Mario Kart?”

“You bet your ass we do!”

Papyrus grumbled from the back seat. “FUCKING DRY BONES.”

Undyne’s car pulled up the familiar driveway. Instead of parking outside, Toriel had opened the huge garage, revealing a small matte yellow car and immaculate white car already parked inside. You guessed that those were Alphys’ and Toriel’s cars. You also caught a glimpse of a fire engine red motorcycle hidden just around the side of the house. “Hey who owns -“ Undyne cut you off, shushing you. A surprise then?

You four headed up to the door, which was already open. You still knocked on the frame, for politeness sakes. You hear Undyne mutter something that sounded suspiciously like ‘dork’ under her breath and you elbowed her. “Come on in!” Toriel’s voice carried through the house.

You wiped your feet on the mat and took your shoes off and popped them next to a pair of shoes you assumed were Frisk’s. This left you in just your socks, and you felt your monster companions give you a look. “What? It’s a human thing. I bet Frisk is wearing socks right now!”

Papyrus lead the way through the rooms, which was god, because you did not remember where to go whatsoever. He was loudly explaining how these bonding days work. “SO, FIRST OF ALL, WE DO THE BOARD GAMES. USUALLY WE ONLY GET THROUGH MONOPOLY THOUGH. WATCH OUT FOR FLOWEY AND FRISK. THEY TEAM UP FOR IT AND THEY’RE BORDERLINE UNSTOPPABLE. BETWEEN FLOWEY’S AMAZING ROLLS AND FRISK BUYING EVERYTHING THEY LAND ON, THEY’RE VERY GOOD AT GETTING MONEY OUT OF PEOPLE AND NOT HAVING TO SHELL OUT ANY THEMSELVES. IT’S RISKY, BUT YOU CAN’T SPELL FRISK WITHOUT ‘RISK’!”

You nodded sagely. Any information is an advantage. “And what about video games?”

“WELL, WE ALWAYS PLAY MARIO KART, SUPER SMASH BROS AND WE ALSO STILL REALLY LIKE WII BOWLING.”

“Aw, no extra advice on those?”

“NO! I AM THE CHAMPION AT ONE OF THOSE AND TELLING YOU WHO IS GOOD AT WHAT WILL GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE! I ONLY TELL YOU ABOUT FRISK AND FLOWEY BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO LOSE, JUST ONCE.”

Sans, who was walking next to you leaned over. “i’ll give you a hint. he’s not the best at mario kart.”

You sighed and gave him a look. “I already knew that, numbskull!”

You made it to the living room just as Papyrus finished explaining, and you were immediately immobilized by Frisk. ‘Hi! You’re joining us for games?’ You noticed that Frisk was indeed wearing socks. Called it.

You nodded, signing back ‘I am! I’ve heard all about you being a Monopoly devil!’

Frisk shook their head, and batted their eyelashes, really laying on the angel act. You rolled your eyes, ruffled their hair and headed towards the kitchen, where you could smell Toriel making pie. You tapped the wall to let her know you were there. “Oh, hello ___. I’m glad you came!” She carefully hugged you, conscious of the pie filling on her hands.

“It's not trouble! Thank you for the invite.”

Alphys was sitting at the dining table, tapping away on her phone. When she noticed you, she waved. “Nice to see you. I knew Undyne would convince you.”

You sat down next to her. “Of course, she wouldn’t have any of my self-deprecation today apparently. Undyne stopped me from asking before, but do you know who owns the red motorcycle outside? Why’d it hidden?”

Alphys shushed you. “Not so loud. It’s a surprise for Papyrus. We all pulled together to organise this for him and we’re keeping it quiet until it happens,” She explained, her voice a whisper.

“Oh, got it.” You watched her play her game on her phone, before realising, “Oh! I never got your number!”

“You should have asked Undyne for it, I wouldn’t have minded. Pass me your phone please.” She slid hers across the table. It was intricate and had lot of buttons and was bulkier than the other monster’s phones. Was hers an older model? You passed her yours and she gasped. “This is so old! How do you even use it? And it’s cracked too? You should get a new phone sometime,” She commented.

You smiled awkwardly. “Maybe sometime soon. I noticed your phone is a bit less sleek than everyone else’s,” You said, trying not to be rude. “I don’t mean to offend! But isn’t your phone an older one too?”

Alphys gave you smug look. “No. Mine has a jetpack in it.” She gave no further explanation and passed your phone back to you. You eyed hers suspiciously before handing it back. “I actually built everyone’s phones, and I update them constantly. Only Frisk and I have a jetpack.” You were even more confused. Why would Frisk need one? Was that safe? Did Toriel know? You decided not to think about it too hard. You seemed to do that a lot when it came to monster things.

“That’s really impressive Alphys!” You said, and you could see she enjoyed the praise.

Alphys’ phone dinged, and the corner of her mouth turned up. “It’s time, come on out to the living room with me.”

You accepted and followed her. Frisk and Flowey were perched on Chariel, so you sat on the huge couch, between Sans and Alphys. Undyne and Papyrus were already deep into a race around Yoshi Falls. “it’s their ‘warm-up races’,” Sans said, making air quotes. You two watched as Alphys began running her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair, distracting Undyne and making her Rosalina fall behind. Papyrus (who’d taken your advice and made his kart compensate for Bowser’s weight) bumped her off the side of the map and came first. Sans beckoned you to lean in and he shuffled closer. “papyrus probably paid alphys for that.” He didn’t move away, choosing to stay close. Your soul hummed happily.

Sure enough, as Undyne howled angrily and Frisk pat her arm comfortingly, Papyrus slipped Alphys a ten dollar note, which she quickly stashed in her phone case. You watched the scene fondly, missing the way Sans’ watched you. Undyne picked Rainbow Road to spite Papyrus and you giggled at the way Papyrus and Undyne hissed at each other like cats.

“Who wants pie?” Toriel called from the kitchen. You went to stand up back Alphys tugged you back down. “Do not worry, I will allow us to eat it in the living room. Just this once though! It’ll be out in a second.” You cocked your head to side. You knew from Sans that Toriel fucking hated crumbs in her carpet.

There was a clanking noise from the kitchen, followed by the sound of high heels clacking on the tiles. You furrowed your brow. Was Toriel wearing heels? You didn’t think so. Maybe you just missed it. You caught Frisk signing at you. ‘It’s not mum.’ They signed, a cheeky grin on their face.

The clacking trotted down the hall as Undyne and Papyrus made it onto the final section of Rainbow Road. Papyrus was too focused on the screen to noticed how everyone looked up to the entryway to the living room, a smile on everyone’s faces. You looked up as well, and you knew your jaw had dropped.

“Hello, Papy darling!”

Only the most famous face in the entertainment business was standing there. Motherfucking Mettaton, two arms on his hips, one waving and the last holding a present of some sort. Papyrus stood up, straight as a board, gloved hands coming up to his mouth. “OH. MY GOD. METTATON?”

“In the robotic flesh!” The star opened his three unoccupied arms open and within seconds Papyrus was up and twirling him around. Red magic dripped from Papyrus’ eyes which you assumed were tears and he nuzzled himself into Mettaton’s neck. “Oh Sugarskull, I missed you too!” Mettaton soothed, rubbing Papyrus’ back soothingly as choked ‘NYOO HOO HOO’s escaped the skeleton.

The moment eventually passed, and Papyrus beamed over at you. He was clasping his new sixty-five and a half containers of spices from all around the world. Mettaton had just finished a tour and knowing how much Papyrus loved cooking, he’d gotten him something from everywhere. It was very thoughtful and sweet and made your heart melt. “I KNOW THIS MUST BE A SHOCK AND I’M SORRY FOR NOT TELLING YOU, BUT THIS IS METATTON! MY BOYFRIEND AND SOULMATE!” Papyrus introduced, and you closed your mouth, before smiling.

“Aw Papyrus, that’s so cool!” You said. It made a lot of sense. Both were flamboyant, loved attention and were very hard working and driven. You stood up and held a hand out to Mettaton. “Hi, I’m ___! I’m roommates with Sans and Papyrus,” You explained.

“And our FRIEND!” Undyne yelled, emphasising on friend.

Mettaton gave you one of his charming smiles that you saw all the time on TV. “Any friend of my Sugarskull’s is a friend of mine. Unfortunately Papyrus and I keep the relationship quiet since there are some rather... Unsavoury people out there who might hurt my darling Papy. I'm sorry that you didn't know, but it's wonderful to meet you darling.” He took your hand and shook it firmly. From the corner of your eye, you think you saw Sans’ eye sockets narrow. “I hope I’m not too late for the games.”

Toriel walked in, holding the freshly baked and already cut pie in one hand and some paper plates in the other. “Do not worry, you are just in time! Frisk, would you like to fetch the monopoly board?” The child nodded and ran off, Flowey in their arms. Toriel smiled at her adopted children and settled herself on her now-available chair. “Now, let us lay down one ground rule. Do not flip the fucking board or I will bake you into my next pie,” Toriel joked.

When Frisk came back, everyone was quick to pick their pieces. Papyrus was the cat (because it looked like Doomfanger to him), Mettaton picked the top hat, Toriel took the thimble, Undyne snatched the battleship the second the box was opened, Frisk and Flowey picked the wheelbarrow, Sans picked the boot (You asked why and all he responded with was ‘boots me’), Alphys took the car and you chose the Scottie dog. It was the cutest piece. Toriel was elected banker since she as the most responsible. The game commenced, and the beginning was good, lots of laughter and jokes being swapped and stories from Mettaton.

Two hours later, Frisk and Flowey were thrashing everyone, Papyrus and Mettaton had both gone bankrupt and had snuck off to canoodle somewhere, and you were getting dangerously low on funds. You rolled, praying for a three. You got a two. Fuck. You looked over at Sans, who just happened to own Strand. “Please don’t do this,” You pleaded.

“sorry toots, ya owe me exactly all your cash.” You handed over your money to Sans who gave you a shit eating grin. “thanks sweetheart,” he said, winking at you.

You blew a raspberry at him. “I was forced!”

Another hour later and Alphys and Toriel were out. Papyrus and Mettaton had returned, Papyrus coming back with at least eight lip prinks on his skull, making him sheepishly ask Toriel for baking soda to remove it. It was just Sans, Undyne and the child team and everyone waited with bated breath to see what the result would be. You never got your answer as Undyne, who had just landed on a Frisk property for the fourth turn in a row flipped the board, making Toriel very upset. “We had one rule!” She said incredulously, as if someone would dare break it.

You all launched immediately into Mario Kart straight after. It was interesting to see who everyone played. You were Dry Bones of course, Papyrus was Bowser, Frisk was Yoshi and Flowey picked King Boo, Sans went for Mario and refused to change any Kart settings because he was lazy. Mettaton picked Peach, Undyne went for Rosalina and Alphys liked Toad apparently. You won two thirds of the rounds, but Mettaton gave you a run for your money. Who knew?

And then there was Super Smash Bros. Sans again went for Mario because he was too lazy to learn a new person, Papyrus and Mettaton didn’t change their characters either. You loved Samus, but only her white suit, it was the best colour scheme! Undyne liked Sheik and Alphys picked Zelda and if make you smile at how cute they were. Frisk went for the Pokémon trainer and Toriel picked Ganondorf and absolutely wrecked everyone’s shit.

“Oh, what the fuck, Toriel, you’re really good at this!” You said, gaping as Samus was sent flying again.

“Language!” She teased. You knew that was bull. She said fuck earlier.

Eventually, the sun began to set, and Frisk began to grow tired. You didn’t make it to Wii bowling, sadly, everyone too caught up in karting and punting each other of the smash stages. Everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Papyrus went to have a ‘sleepover’ with Mettaton, and you waggled your brows and gave the good old ‘use a condom!’ advice, which Sans found hilarious.

Sans teleported you two back to his house, and you were instantly pounced on my Doomfanger. “Hey kitty kitty, aren’t you happy to see me?” Sans watched, smiling slightly as you played with Doomfanger gently. Suddenly, you stiffened and put Doomfanger down. “Oh my god.”

Sans looked over to you, worried. “what?”

“Papyrus, out of all the games in the universe is the best at fucking Wii bowling!”

Chapter Text

“Come in, ___, I’m so grateful you’re here! Are you sure I’m not keeping you from anything over at Sans and Papyrus’ house?”

“Don’t worry Toriel. Papyrus has encased Doomfanger in magical armour and let him loose in the house. I’m thankful to be over here instead!”

“What weapon did Papyrus give him?”

“An axe.”

“A mistake. Cats are much better with swords than axes.”

“Um?”

“Swords are much more elegant, like the cat. Axes are more suited for dogs. I’m getting off track. I’ll be back at about nine o’clock, so I will be gone for five hours. I have leftovers in the fridge, and Frisk and Flowey must do their homework. Please do not let them put bath bombs in the toilet. They shouldn’t cause trouble though, they both love you,” Toriel said, handing you a piece of paper. “I have general rules outlined, but if you have any more questions for me, just text me.” Toriel gave you a hug, swept her bag over her shoulder, and waved goodbye, disappearing one of the numerous hallways stemming from the living room.

Frisk and Flowey, who’d been watching TV while you went over the details with their mum, looked up at you. Frisk, the cheeky child they were signed ‘Can we order pizza now that mum is gone?’ You gave them the best ‘mum’ look you could manage. It was nowhere as good as Toriel’s since you weren’t a mother, but it got the point across. ‘No, but if you were over at my house, I totally would.’

Flowey gave you a confused look. “You call their house your house now?” The tiny flower wasn’t being rude, just curious. You furrowed your eyebrows and thought about it.

Well, you’d been living there for about a month now. You got along swimmingly with both brothers and neither of them have asked when you might move back to your house. You cooked with Papyrus, you watched TV with Sans and you cleaned Doomfanger’s litterbox because the brothers hated touching poop. “it’s unnatural!” Sans had hissed when you asked him to clean it. “monsters don’t shit. it stinks and it’s so gross. i’m not touching that. ever.” You felt more at home with the bothers than you did in your own empty house. Would you ever move back? Eventually you’d have to, but you didn’t particularly want to.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. Come on kids, you have homework to do.”

After homework, leftover pasta bake and pie for dinner and Frisk had had a shower and Flowey had been watered, the three of you settled in front of the TV. The kids were happily playing their 3DSes and you were watching some gameshow. You didn’t know jackshit about anything they were asking, but you tried your best. You began losing interest in your show, and instead turned your attentions to what Frisk and Flowey were doing. “Hey, what are you two playing? Is that… Pokémon?” You asked.

Flowey was looking at the screen with an intensity you didn’t know he was capable of and thus ignored you. Frisk looked up at you, gave you a nod, and went back to smashing the A button repeatedly. You shifted to look over Frisk’s screen, trying not to obscure their view. They gave you a smile and you took this as an okay to watch. The kids were battling apparently. Frisk was using a… Gourgeist, if you remember correctly, and Flowey had just sent out an Espeon. You winced. Psychic was weak to ghost. A look over at the little flower monster showed you he was smiling. A few seconds later, Frisk let out a very annoyed noise as Flowey’s Espeon used shadow ball. One hit KO. Nice. “Don’t messpeon with my Espeon,” Flowey mumbled, and you cracked up with laughter.

You phone buzzed, and you picked it up. A text from an unknown number.

UNKNOWN: 7:51 PM

would b purr-fect if ya cld cme home nw toots paps is a fkn menace

Ah, Sans. Of course he would skip letters in his texts, have horrible grammar and refuse to use caps. You weren’t quite sure what you were expecting. You felt a little sheepish that you’d never asked him for his number despite living with the guy. He must have gotten your number from Papyrus. You added him to your contacts and changed his name.

Me: 7:56 PM

No can do, skelly. I’m here until 9. Have fun with Doomfanger the axecat!

Red-ical: 8:00 PM

toots plz cm home im gonna die plz plz

Me: 8:02 PM

Sorry Sans :( I’ll see you in an hour.

Red-ical: 8:09 PM

>:(

You snickered at his use of emojis and switched your phone off. Putting it to the side, you slid off the couch. “Come on you two, I think it’s time for bed.”

“Aw…”

‘But I’m almost thirteen!’

“And I’m sure your bedtime will be upgraded once you’re actually a teenager. Preteen doesn’t count Frisky,” You said, tickling their sides. “Grab Flowey and show me to your room kiddo, I dunno where I’m going in this giant house.

Frisk grabbed your hand and gathered up Flowey’s pot in their other arm and began leading you out of the room. You turned down a few halls, before eventually coming to the same room as that painting you saw. You tugged your hand gently away from Frisk to get a closer look. You couldn’t help but feel a tugging at your heartstrings when you looked at it, and you had the overwhelming urge to cry. “Frisk? Is this you in the picture?” You asked. You already knew it wasn’t. Other than the obvious skin, hair and eye colour differences, this child almost seemed… malicious? Their eyes seemed to follow you and their expression was a different joy to the one seen on the monster’s faces. A dark kind, the kind of smile you’d see on a cruel person’s face after they see someone trip and hurt themselves.

Frisk pressed into your side in a hug. They seemed scared of the child in the picture, and they passed Flowey to you. ‘No. That’s Chara. They were the first human to fall Underground. The king and queen’s son, Asriel took them in and soon the child became part of the family. The Underground was full of happiness and hope, until Chara became sick. Nobody knew how to help them, and they passed away.’

Frisk stopped signing and looked over to Flowey, as if asking permission. But what for? You didn’t know. ‘Asriel absorbed their SOUL, making Asriel strong enough to surpass the barrier. He did, carrying Chara’s body back their home village. Hara wanted to see the golden flowers from the surface before they died, but they couldn’t get past the barrier. The humans in the village saw Asriel carrying the body and assumed the worst. They attacked him, but he didn’t fight back. He took every blow. Eventually, he left the body in the patch of flowers and re-entered the Underground. Wounded and grief-stricken, he turned to dust. Toriel and Asgore lost both of their children in a single night.’

A look down at Flowey showed the little monster was doing something similar to biting his lip. You stroked his petals comfortingly, and he bumped his head to your hand in appreciation. Frisk rose their hands again. ‘The grieving monarchs made rash decisions. Asgore declared war on humanity, and Toriel refused such hatred. She left him and secluded herself within the ruins. Asgore’s hatred for the kind who took away his children affected the whole Underground. After years and years of festering hate, the monsters began turning on each other. It was entirely unnatural since monsters are made of love and compassion, but it was kill or be killed and they all pushed down their kindness to survive. Six other humans fell down into the mountain. Each of them met their end down there. Until me. My soul is one of Determination. I was determined to help them, much more so than any of the other humans were. And now, we’re here. The monsters have rights. They can marry humans in the eyes of the law, they can run businesses, they can own property. But there’s racists like The Genocide who burn the buildings and slay the monsters and I wonder if I should have done what I did.’ Frisk looked a lot older in that moment, as if they were a veteran trapped inside a child’s body. In a way, they were.

You gently placed Flowey on the floor and gathered Frisk up in a hug. You felt them hug you back. You stayed like that for a while, until Frisk stopped back and began wiping your cheeks with the sleeve of their sweater. Oh, their sleeves were wet. You were crying. Huh. You hadn’t even noticed. You noticed them trying to sign as they dried your tears and you shook your head. “I’m okay, that’s just a very moving story. I’ve got more respect for your mum now, knowing she’s lost children and yet still manages to be so kind. Are you sure it’s okay for me to know all this?”

‘It’s fine. All the people we trust already know, and you’re basically part of the family now! It’s only fair.’

Family? You?

Frisk seemed to read your mind. ‘Yes. Everyone loves you! You’re like the big sibling I never had, you’re basically Gerson’s daughter, you live with Sans and Papyrus and even Undyne approves of you! You’re one of us now.’

You smiled at them. “Well, I think I like being one of you.” The child began signing ‘one of us’ repeatedly and you shoved them playfully. You picked up Flowey, took Frisk’s hand and let them lead you through the halls. You noticed Flowey had gone oddly quiet. “Are you okay?” You asked him gently.

You only got a nod in response and decided to drop it.

By the time teeth were brushed, stories were read ad the children were settled into their beds, it was already 8:50. Not long until Toriel came home. You busied yourself cleaning up the consoles the children had left on the couches and the pencils scattered on the table from homework. At exactly nine, you head Toriel unlocking the door, and the sound of gentle paws adorned with claws crossing the wooden planks of the floor approached you. “Oh, dear child, you do not have to clean up after Frisk and Flowey. Do not worry yourself,” She said kindly as she saw you tidying. She set her elegant bag down on the kitchen counter and gave you a hug. “I really do appreciate this favour you’ve done for me, ___.”

You waved her off politely. “Don’t worry about it! I’d be happy to babysit again.”

The conversation died there, and you looked at Toriel closely. The bags under her eyes, the way her posture went from regal to tired within minutes and he soft sigh that escaped her really did add to the picture in your mind of a mother who has suffered much You didn’t noticed Toriel’s yellow eyes analysing you as well. “I know that look. The children told you, did they not?” While it was a question, it came out like a statement, like she already knew.

You nodded sheepishly. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t allowed to know, I just couldn’t help but look at the painting. Even before I knew it made me feel so much and I just to ask about the child. They looked so much like Frisk…” You trailed off.

Toriel shook her head and busied herself with boiling the kettle. “They looked like Frisk, and they both possessed SOULs of Determination, but that’s where the similarities end. Chara talked freely and without secrets. Frisk does not and is a secretive child by nature. Chara carried intense hate in their heart, whilst Frisk’s is possessed solely by love. I loved Chara very much, but they were not a good person,” She said. “Would you like hot chocolate or tea, my child?”

“Hot chocolate, please. What do you mean they weren’t a good person?”

“Well, their sickness was not an accident. Ah, the look on your face tells me Frisk did not tell you that. Chara began ingesting buttercups behind my back. After Asriel and Chara made Asgore a pie with the flowers in it, they discovered its poisonous qualities. So, Chara poisoned themselves. they wanted to die, they wanted my son to absorb their SOUL, they wanted him to cross the barrier, kill seven humans, and shatter the barrier so we could be free. But Asriel, while he was a troublemaker and sometimes disrespectful, was never one for senseless violence. He fought back. He wouldn’t become a murderer. He took the blows and turned to dust while Asgore and I could only watch in horror.” You shifted uncomfortably. Hearing the new side of the story made the ears want to fall again. “Sometimes, I blame Chara for convincing my only son to do this. Ariel always was naive. But they were only trying to help us. And it was so long ago. You should forget what hurt you, but never what it taught you.” The goat monster placed a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of you.

You took a moment to process all you’d been told, sipping at your drink all the while. “Well, I’m glad I got the other side of the story. Thanks for trusting me, Toriel.”

She smiled softly at you. “Did Frisk tell you they consider you part of the family now?” You nodded. Her smile grew. “She’s not the only one who thinks that way. I too think of you as a part of our small, dysfunctional family.”

“Aw, thanks Toriel. You’re like a second mum to me.”

“Feel free to call me as such, my child.”

“Okay.” You placed your mug by the sink after washing it out briefly. “I really have to go, Sans needs help with the axecat.”

“Of course, dear. Do you need to be driven home?”

“No, Sans promised he’d cover transport. Goodnight Mum,” You said, hugging the huge monster. She hugged you back tightly enveloping you in the smell of cinnamon butterscotch pie and the feeling of being wrapped in a blanket.

“Goodnight, dear child.” She walked you to the door, and with a wave goodbye, you left the house.

Me: 9:15PM

Tibia honest I don’t wanna be out here all night. Mind coming to pick me up?

Red-ical: 9:16 PM

b rght thre

He was indeed right there, popping out of thin air within seconds. “heya toots, ya have fun?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it when we get home.”

“then hold on tight, doll. next stop, scenic my house.” You tucked yourself under his arm like always, and the void surrounded you. You were getting rather used to Sans’ shortcuts and the feeling of your stomach being left miles away wasn’t nearly as bad now that you’d done it multiple times. As your feet touched solid ground, Sans gave you an impressed smile. “look at ya, yer not throwin’ up anymore. that’s real good. just a spew more times and ya won’t feel a thing. also lucky for ya, the cat’s modifications dissipated. he’s just regular ol’ doomie now.”

You snickered. “You call him Doomie?”

“Shaddup,” He hissed without any real bite to it.

Papyrus was already in bed, so you flopped down on the couch with Sans to watch your usual shows with him. Sans was looking at you oddly and you raised an eyebrow. “oh, ya found out, huh?”

You knew what he meant and nodded. Maybe your body language and the fact you looked like your mind was working double time with thoughts. “Yeah, it’s uncanny how good you are at reading me.”

“SOULsight remember? well now you know one of the monster’s most secret tales. after all, as far as the law is concerned, only six humans died underground. if ya were told, then yer probably considered family by the dreemurs,” Sans commented. He closed his eye sockets for a little while, before opening one lazily at you. “i’m glad we got ta know ya, doll. yer a real good influence.”

You smiled at him. “I’m glad I got to know you all too.”

You fell asleep leaning on Sans again. When you woke up, you were tucked in your own bed, the covers drawn around you, and the faint smell of mustard, smoke and ozone in the air.